Tengo had wondered if the man he thought was his father was actually his biological father, citing the enormous physical and mental difference and saying that "My real father must be elsewhere,” (Hurakami, 13) When he finally met his father at the sanatorium after 2 years, the conversation was cold and distant When Tengo claims he was his son, his father responds, “I didn’t. of son… You are nothing” (Hurakami, 19 years old) After a few exchanges, Tengo asked “So, who is my father”, to which his father replied “Just an empty person” (Hurakami, 22). One of the reasons Hurakami was praised was for its departure from contemporary Japanese literature of the time, and as the Encyclopedia Britannica puts it, "this ambiguity, far from being off-putting, was one of the reasons for his popularity among readers, especially young people,” (Britannica) The conversation remained ambiguous, but came to a clearer point when Tengo said, “And you raised me after he left. Is that what you say? (Hurakami, 22). The confrontation might have made it seem like there was nothing but dislike between the characters, but as Tengo's father's actions show, he loved him. With a strong possibility that Tengo was not his biological son, and even after the mother left, he kept Tengo and raised him. As his father says: “I filled this void” (Hurakami, 22 years old). This act demonstrates the care and love on the part of Tengo's father, who, although he probably has no obligation to stay with the child, continues to raise him alone. Fulfilling the role of both parents, he provided everything he could. And even saying that Tengo was nothing, he didn't mean it, because he still had some affection for Tengo even after that time. Tengo was his only relative, and