“This place isn’t bad.” Kenji didn’t outright refuse, but his reluctance was evident.
“Indeed, I will make sure this place will never be bad for those children. However, Kenzo stands apart from these children. They are kids who truly have no family and are forced to live here. Kenzo has me. I am his family. I am the only family Kenzo has."
Akiko didn’t want to acknowledge this while remembering Kenzo's mother’s actions, but Kenzo was still the child of her mother’s younger sibling—her family. No one else was her blood relative as of now.
“I can’t forget that fact and pretend Kenzo is someone else. It will haunt me in my sleep,” Akiko urged again.
Kenji fiddled with the car keys beneath him while staring at the back of Kenzo's head, who was now trying to draw something with crayons on a new piece of paper.
“I know you hate his mother—I do too. But you don’t hav
“Himawari! Natsu!”A ten-year-old boy let out a loud shout when he discovered two other children hiding behind the bushes beneath the tree.“Kenzo—big brother!”Natsu was startled to see Kenzo suddenly appear. He pulled the girl, Himawari, beside him to stand, intending to run away, but Kenzo stopped him.“No! You’re making Okaa-san worried. You have to go back.” Kenzo grabbed Natsu's arm.“But Himawari is scared. She doesn’t want to go to school,” Natsu pointed at Himawari, who was now sobbing.“Hima-chan.” Kenzo knelt down and gently stroked Himawari's head, which was bowed down.“School isn’t scary. You’ll meet many new people and make new friends,” Kenzo coaxed softly until Himawari looked up to meet Kenzo's gaze.“But… but… I want to be with Natsu. I don’t want to go to school…”
"Damned woman! You've cut off our family's lineage with your infertility!"Akiko wiped her tears, not daring to show herself. She continued hiding behind the wall as her mother-in-law passed by in the corridor. Her expression made it clear that she was furious.Her anger had been simmering all day, from before Akiko's husband left in the morning to the afternoon. Akiko had only suggested that her husband see a doctor to check his fertility because she had done it several times and the results were normal. This suggestion was received as a disaster: her mother-in-law was enraged, and her husband refused and left her."Where are you? You are nothing but a barren, sickly woman!" Another shout echoed, making Akiko jump. She feared her mother-in-law might truly harm her. She had never been this angry before.Akiko sneaked towards the door as quickly and silently as possible."You only use our family name to gain respect. But you are useless!” The shout was followed by the sound of someth
Kenji held Akiko’s hand, his remaining common sense reminding him to prevent Akiko from undressing.“Akiko, stop! What are you doing?”His noble intentions did not align with Akiko’s desires, as she pushed Kenji’s hand away and fully removed her thin nightgown, along with everything else. No fabric remained on Akiko’s body, and Kenji could only watch, wondering if it was all a dream—it seemed too impossible.“Hot—” Akiko’s soft moan was audible as she lay down. Her eyes closed, as if asleep, but her hands kept caressing her own body, as if trying to dispel the heat enveloping her.A pair of eyes had been unblinkingly watching Akiko's every move, swallowing several times. No man could maintain his sanity after witnessing this. Kenji, who had intended to do the right thing, had forgotten that intention. He tried to remember that the enticing girl was Akiko, but his lust and clouded mind started pushing away the remnants of his common sense.“Come here...”As if writhing wasn’t enough,
"I don't know, Aunt. Truly, it's a mistake. I don't understand." Akiko whimpered and begged for forgiveness. Though she had no memory, she knew her actions were disgusting."I pity you! I try to understand your burden! As your mother's only family, I've tried to help! I arrived here with the expectation of reestablishing a connection after an extended period of time apart; however, you struck me in the back. You're disgusting!"Karina kept hurling insults, and all of them were true. Akiko knew she deserved it. As a child, Akiko left her mother's homeland—Indonesia—to seek treatment for her illness in Japan, after her parents died. Akiko had only met Karina again as an adult, when she married Kenji.Karina was the only family Akiko had left besides Kenji, but now her disgusting actions have shattered that relationship."You don't deserve to cry! I do!" Karina pushed Akiko's shoulders, causing her to stumble.Fortunately, Akiko managed to lean against something to avoid falling. Hearing
But Kenji's hand was quicker; he grabbed Karina's arm and pulled her back inside while pushing the shoji* door shut.“Don’t you dare do that!” Kenji hissed. He didn’t care about Akiko’s marriage, but he didn’t want Karina to do something that would make Akiko cry for days.“Oji-san!” Akiko cried out in panic, as Karina now screamed in pain. Kenji was squeezing her arm hard, not just pulling her.“Don’t hurt her, Oji-san!” Akiko pulled at Kenji’s hand, trying to free Karina. Slowly, Kenji’s grip loosened, not because of Akiko’s pull but because of her tears.“Oji-san, I don’t want to be separated from Yuto. I don’t want to lose him. Please grant Auntie’s request.” Akiko then pleaded.A few seconds ago, her heart was still in turmoil, but the nightmare of being separated from Yuto was scarier to her. Akiko knew her request might be more than just impudent—asking her uncle to let go of his wife was crazy.In Akiko’s mind, they were married and happy. Kenji refused to grant the divorce r
Akiko quickly retreated to the corner of the bathroom, clutching her phone tightly. There was nothing she could do. Her body was tense as her eyes remained fixed on Kenji, who looked extremely angry.With a trembling voice, Akiko whispered, "Oji-san...""Oji-san!" Akiko screamed as Kenji's rough hand snatched her phone away.Without blinking, Kenji threw the phone against the bathroom wall, shattering it into pieces."Why did you do that?" Akiko wailed as she fell to the floor, gathering the fragments of her phone that were irreparable. The phone wouldn’t turn on, and the screen was cracked."I told you to stay here! You don't deserve to go back to that family!" Kenji hissed and tried to force Akiko to stand, but she pushed his hand away."No. I want to go back. I need to be with Yuto!"Kenji pulled Akiko’s face close, gripping her cheeks with his hand. "What do you like about him? He's weak! And he doesn't make you happy at all!""He's not weak. I’m happy with him! I’m---""LIES! If
Akiko wiped her tears away, taking two suitcases near her feet and using them as support to stand. She felt she had no more strength left. With vacant eyes, Akiko walked away from the gate. She didn’t know what to do or how to handle the situation. She didn't understand how Kaede knew what had happened.Karina shouldn't have spoken again, since she had already received the money she wanted and had her wish to leave Kenji fulfilled. But now it didn’t matter who had informed Kaede; Akiko’s worst fears had come true.Akiko sighed deeply, trying to hold back her tears as she staggered along. Physically, her body wasn’t in pain, but her heart was bruised and bleeding. She couldn’t even stand up straight.Akiko walked without looking anywhere, but she stopped when she noticed a familiar car stopping beside her. It's Kenji's car.Kenji hadn’t left. Kenji had been standing in front of Yuto's house earlier, clearly observing how Kaede had driven Akiko away. He had been following her the whole
Akiko didn’t know how long she had spent sitting silently in the corner of her room because, when she came, the surroundings had already turned dark. She turned on the light, took a stack of futons from the sliding closet, and laid them out on the floor to sleep.But even though she lay down and felt very tired, Akiko couldn’t fall asleep. Besides feeling restless and scared of Kenji, Akiko was also afraid of her own future. She had never felt so lost and hopeless, as if the whole world didn’t want to accept her. Akiko then closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths, and tried to clear her mind of all the negative thoughts that were gnawing at her sanity and well-being.At that moment, Akiko wanted to improve her current life and find a way to stop sinking deeper into despair. Indeed, contemplating Yuto and everything else wasn't the appropriate approach.“I will work,” Akiko muttered. After clearing her mind, she finally came to a decision that she found quite satisfying.By working,
“Himawari! Natsu!”A ten-year-old boy let out a loud shout when he discovered two other children hiding behind the bushes beneath the tree.“Kenzo—big brother!”Natsu was startled to see Kenzo suddenly appear. He pulled the girl, Himawari, beside him to stand, intending to run away, but Kenzo stopped him.“No! You’re making Okaa-san worried. You have to go back.” Kenzo grabbed Natsu's arm.“But Himawari is scared. She doesn’t want to go to school,” Natsu pointed at Himawari, who was now sobbing.“Hima-chan.” Kenzo knelt down and gently stroked Himawari's head, which was bowed down.“School isn’t scary. You’ll meet many new people and make new friends,” Kenzo coaxed softly until Himawari looked up to meet Kenzo's gaze.“But… but… I want to be with Natsu. I don’t want to go to school…”
“This place isn’t bad.” Kenji didn’t outright refuse, but his reluctance was evident.“Indeed, I will make sure this place will never be bad for those children. However, Kenzo stands apart from these children. They are kids who truly have no family and are forced to live here. Kenzo has me. I am his family. I am the only family Kenzo has."Akiko didn’t want to acknowledge this while remembering Kenzo's mother’s actions, but Kenzo was still the child of her mother’s younger sibling—her family. No one else was her blood relative as of now.“I can’t forget that fact and pretend Kenzo is someone else. It will haunt me in my sleep,” Akiko urged again.Kenji fiddled with the car keys beneath him while staring at the back of Kenzo's head, who was now trying to draw something with crayons on a new piece of paper.“I know you hate his mother—I do too. But you don’t hav
“I still don’t want to do this,” Kenji grumbled.“I know, but I’m sure you also know that this is the right thing to do,” Akiko replied, looking at her husband, who was now unbuckling his seatbelt. Although they arrived two minutes earlier, neither of them got out of the car.The decision they—Akiko—made was indeed a significant one. Akiko needed to calm herself. Kenji had left the choice to her, but he was still going through it with a heavy heart.“Come on, let’s go.” Akiko finally opened the door and stepped out.Children playing in the yard rushed over when they spotted her.“Tanaka-san! What did you bring today? Candy? A storybook?”A chorus of voices greeted Akiko. She often visited the orphanage with gifts, so the children expected her to bring something.“I brought something in the car for you, but it’s a secret. You can…”
“I don’t want to sleep with you.” Ryu repeated the question in disbelief because it seemed too absurd. He shook his head while rubbing his face.“I think your ability to draw conclusions isn’t very sharp right now,” Ryu said.“No!” Kyoko was obviously offended. Although it wasn't a direct insult, Ryu had implied that Kyoko was stupid.“Don’t be angry; I understand. I would be disappointed if your mind was entirely calm at the moment.” Ryu smiled with satisfaction.“I’m calm!” Kyoko retorted.“You just asked about my desire to sleep with you. I think that’s quite a disturbance that’s keeping you from being calm.” Ryu left his suitcase and approached Kyoko, who suddenly panicked and stepped back.“Don’t deny it. You won’t succeed in making me think otherwise.” Ryu chuckled softly at her panic.“I don&
“Don’t open it now. You’ll get wet.” Ryu raised the hood of Kyoko's raincoat just in time as a large amount of water splashed toward where they were sitting. It was as if someone had poured a giant bucket of water on them.The orca whale show they were watching involved jumping out of the water. Of course, when they fell back, they splashed a lot of water toward the audience.Ryu clapped like everyone else, appreciating the hard work of the giant mammals, but Kyoko didn’t clap at all—not even when the show ended.“Didn’t you like it?” Ryu inquired as they exited, discarding their soaked raincoats.Ryu grabbed a small towel handed out by the staff, then used it to dry Kyoko’s hair and neck. Although Ryu had covered her hoodie just in time, some parts of Kyoko’s hair and neck were still wet.“You don’t like aquariums. I’ll note all of that.” After waiting for a
"I want to go home."Kyoko suddenly spoke up just as Akiko finished applying pink lipstick to her lips.“Huh? Why? Did you forget something?” Akiko straightened up, confused, as she glanced at the kimono Kyoko would be wearing.Kyoko's kimono was simpler, with only a hair ornament as an accessory. It wasn’t as elaborate as the one Akiko had worn when she got married in Utoro.Ryu had planned for their wedding to be similar to Akiko’s, but they had compromised for a more modest ceremony at the city hall. Ryu knew Kyoko's feelings about temple buildings, so he wouldn't dare force anything. Besides, the reception would still happen; just the ceremony would be different.Nobody objected to the decision. Everyone agreed as long as the wedding took place, including Akiko. Even though her expensive kimono was a bit much for a city hall wedding, she was still happily helping Kyoko.“Everything's ready. I just need to pu
“You must be crazy!” Kyoko stood up and paced back and forth in the living room, trying to recall if there was any sign that Ryu wasn’t serious.But everything was serious. Ryu had even sent her a photo of the kimono he would wear on their wedding day. When Kyoko saw the photo, she thought Ryu was insane, as discussing kimono patterns would escalate their deception.In the end, Kyoko made her choice, wanting to end the pointless discussion. But it turned out that the discussion was important.“Are you just going to sit there?!” Kyoko yelled angrily, glaring at Ryu, who was calmly sipping beer and munching on peanuts he had brought earlier.“What do you want me to do?” Ryu frowned.“Cancel everything! Call them all! Cancel it!” Kyoko sat back down next to Ryu and then attacked him, reaching for his waist.“Hey, wait! Don’t get aggressive all of a sudden,” Ryu was, of cour
Ryu shook his head, while effortlessly unlocking Kyoko's apartment door once more by simply inputting her birthday—the day after tomorrow.He had repeatedly reminded Kyoko to change the password, which was extremely easy to guess. Not just once—like when he first broke in to find the listening device—but several times since.Now, Kyoko no longer lives in Tokyo. Since becoming actively involved in Kuryugumi and assisting Kenji and Ryu, Kyoko had relocated to Osaka, where she now primarily worked.However, Kyoko hadn't been working regularly since visiting her parents, and no one was pressuring her to do so either. Kenji didn’t give any orders, leaving everything up to Ryu.The apartment’s security was truly weak, especially since there was still no sound, despite Ryu walking into the room for several moments. It was evident that Kyoko had fallen asleep due to the late hour. Ryu had come straight to the apartment after returnin
Akiko adjusted herself in front of the mirror, gazing at the new kimono she would wear the day after tomorrow.The kimono was custom-made for her, so naturally, it fit perfectly. But Akiko wanted to see if the color matched her expectations. And indeed, everything was perfect. It fit her body beautifully and didn't feel heavy or hot, which was crucial considering it was still summer.The modern kimono, with a white base, was adorned with pink cherry blossoms. Akiko had even prepared hair accessories filled with cherry blossom designs to complete the look.She wasn’t wearing the hairpiece yet, but when she tried placing it on her head, the pink color matched perfectly with her black hair. Everything was set. She had also prepared clothes for Natsu and Kenji.BANG!Akiko flinched and dropped the hair accessory she was holding. The loud noise from the sliding door startled her.Luckily, Natsu was in the next room, so he wouldn’t be