“Well then, Clara. Iris. Let’s head to the clothing store.”
Aldo took Iris’s hand to make sure they wouldn’t get separated, heading toward their destination. Perhaps because of Clara’s presence, Iris’s grip was stronger than usual. Though a 9-year-old girl’s grip wasn’t very strong, Aldo could still feel the tension in Iris’s hand.
The three of them arrived at the clothing store and decided to pick out clothes for Iris.
“Hmm, I think this pink blouse would look good on you, Iris-chan,” Clara said as she looked at various clothes. Iris was standing next to Clara, but she was still closer to Aldo.
“Look, look,” Clara held up the pink blouse to Iris’s body.
“Hmm, doesn’t this seem a bit too flashy for Iris?” Aldo raised an objection. He had a sense that Iris didn’t like dark colors much. In fact, the dress Iris was wearing at the moment was a pale blue, with light color tones.
On the other hand, the blouse Clara was holding was a bit too bold in color. Iris even made a clear face of dislike.
“Hmm, is that so? I’d wear this myself, but how about this one?” Clara picked up another piece of clothing to show Iris. This time, it was a softer-colored outfit that Iris seemed a little more interested in.
“Oh, that one might be nice,” Iris responded.
“Right? Right? Then, let’s pair it with this skirt!” Clara said excitedly.
Aldo quietly made a fist, relieved. He hoped that this would help Iris and Clara get a little closer. He thought that since both of them were girls, they must enjoy dressing up, and by bringing them to the clothing store and letting Clara choose clothes for Iris, he hoped their bond would grow stronger.
“Ah, Iris-chan, you’re so cute. Everything suits you, I envy you,” Clara said.
“R-Really?” Iris shyly responded.
Iris didn’t mind being praised, and her heart softened a little towards Clara.
“Yeah, but you don’t really look like your dad, do you?” Clara added.
“Eh?” Iris’s expression clouded instantly. That was a topic that shouldn’t have been touched on. After all, Iris had been harshly told by Aldo, before he lost his memory, that she wasn’t his biological daughter.
Although that wasn’t true, Iris had started to wonder if maybe it really was the case.
“See, Aldo-san’s hair is black, and his eyes have a bit of brown, right? But Iris-chan’s hair color and eye color are different,” Clara pointed out, inadvertently stepping on a landmine. Indeed, Iris’s mother had blonde hair and beautiful emerald eyes. And the person suspected to be Iris’s father also had blonde hair and green eyes.
In truth, Aldo’s maternal grandmother had the same hair and eye color as Iris, and that trait had been passed down to Iris through generations. So, Iris being Aldo’s child was still a fact.
However, Aldo had lost his memory. He had lost both his parents and grandparents, and the only family he could call his own was Iris. So, he couldn’t provide such clarification.
Moreover, he wasn’t even aware that Iris had started to doubt, deep down, whether she was truly his child. After all, he had no memory of ever saying anything like that.
“Iris…?” Aldo noticed that Iris’s eyes were starting to water. However, he didn’t understand why she was crying.
“Am I… not that much like my dad?” Iris’s voice trembled with the hint of tears.
Clara finally realized that she had made a slip of the tongue.
“Ah, I-I’m sorry! I mean, your face shape and nose are really like your dad’s. You have that sharp look, right? Yeah, you’re beautiful, just like your dad.”
“Really…?” Iris asked, her heart calming down a bit. It was true that Iris’s eyes looked more like her mother’s, and not like Aldo’s. But there were other features she shared with him.
“Yeah! Exactly! Look, if we cover your eyes, you two look exactly the same!”
Clara demonstrated by covering Iris’s eyes with her hands. Iris, hearing that she resembled Aldo, couldn’t help but cheer up a bit.
“Hehe, I look like my dad. Hehe,” Iris said happily.
The tears Iris had been holding back were gone, and she happily skipped toward the fitting room with the clothes Clara had chosen.
“Ah, that was close…” Clara said, collapsing onto the floor. She sat down on the shop’s floor.
“Iris-chan sure has a lot of sensitive topics, huh?” Clara mused.
“Well, I don’t think I stepped on her landmine that badly,” Aldo replied.
Clara, being only 14, was still learning to be mindful of others. She sometimes unknowingly said things that could hurt someone’s feelings, but there was no malice behind her words.
“Yeah, it’s just a complicated age,” Aldo commented.
“Right,” Clara agreed. Iris emerged from the fitting room, wearing a light pink blouse and a slightly red skirt.
“How does it look, Dad? Does it suit me?” Iris spun around to show off her outfit.
Aldo nodded. “Yeah, it looks great. So cute. As expected of my daughter.”
“Hehe,” Iris grinned, pleased by his compliment. Clara glanced at Aldo, impressed by how well he knew how to handle Iris.
