Kaede’s anger flared up again as she remembered Akiko’s defiance that day.“Listen, you cursed woman! Whatever you say now, nothing matters anymore. Yuto has found the perfect woman for him, and they will have a joyful family. So stop interfering! Stop haunting Yuto like a ghost! LEAVE!”Kaede glared and pointed towards the door, but Akiko didn’t look at her. Akiko took a deep breath and focused solely on Karin. The place where her wound resided.“Congratulations on the wedding,” Akiko said, her hands clenching tightly, holding back the sob in her throat and the tears. She still felt her tears were too precious to be shed here.“That’s enough! No need to say anything more. You’ll bring bad luck if you keep acting like this!” Kaede snapped.But that was all Akiko could say, so she turned, opened the door, and left.“Akiko-chan?!”Akiko almost collided with Yuto, who was just about to enter. The man looked at her, his face filled with shock. Akiko’s presence was like a nightmare to him.
Kenji ran into the ER, followed by Ryu. No one cared about the car parked haphazardly outside.“Tanaka! Just got admitted... bleeding..." Kenji breathlessly informed the registration staff. Not from running, but from panic.“One moment…” The staff quickly began checking.“HURRY!” Kenji hissed dangerously.“Calm down; it’s only been five seconds,” Ryu tried to reassure him. But the staff didn't seem too affected; they were already used to panicking family members.“Yes, Akiko Tanaka. She was discovered at a bus stop and has since been admitted. But there hasn't been a report on her condition yet, which means the doctor is still working on her. I ask for your patience.”The answer came within a minute, but it wasn’t the kind that would put Kenji at ease. Kenji erupted.“WHY IS IT TAKING SO LONG?! What are you even doing? I’ll make all of you pay…”“Kenji! ENOUGH!” Ryu snapped, pulling Kenji away. His outburst frightened the staff, and if it continued, the police might be called; that wou
"Kyoko-chan!" Akiko greeted as cheerfully as possible, but Kyoko’s response was clearly an annoyed huff."What’s wrong with you again? Sick, again? Why do you get sick so often?"Since they were talking over the phone, Akiko couldn't see Kyoko's expression. She didn’t know whether Kyoko was genuinely scolding her or just concerned.Talking to Kyoko required not only skill but also face-to-face interaction. Speaking over the phone like this made it difficult for Akiko to gauge her reaction."I don't understand, either; my body just feels weak suddenly. They said I’m too worn out and need rest," Akiko said.She said it in a somewhat cheerful tone, but there was no smile on her face. Akiko slowly placed her hand on her stomach. Nothing had changed, because from the beginning, her belly had not shown any noticeable change. But she still felt empty—like something was missing there."Hey! Are you even listening to me?
"Where's Inoue?"Kenji realized that only Ryu was present in the office and asked him a question. Kenji was too lazy to check his phone. Moreover, it was unusual for Ryu to be there.Ryu's office was in Shingi Fusaya, a different building. Although it was only a 10-minute walk away, it wasn't Kenji's building.“Mm... Are you going to kill her?” Ryu asked cautiously. He was there to ask about that.“What?” Kenji frowned. “Who?”“Since that incident, Inoue has been afraid you’re going to kill her,” Ryu explained with a sigh.“Oh, no. I don’t care,” Kenji said as he took off his coat and sat down at his desk. He opened his laptop and began working.“Where is she?” Kenji asked, looking up at Ryu, who was still standing there with his mouth agape. Ryu had been frozen in shock for a while.“What did you just say?” Ryu stepped forward, star
"...and regarding the financing of the construction of the hydroelectric power plant in the country..."CRASH!The man who had been speaking in front of the projector froze. The entire meeting room fell into a dead silence. Kenji had just thrown his phone at the wall, frustrated after hearing a recording sent by Inoue.Kenji was furious with himself for automatically choosing to listen to the whole thing, which wasn't a sign of indifference. As soon as he understood, he should have stopped the recording.The phone shattered into pieces, scattering into several parts, and everyone in the room only dared to glance at him.There were about ten people present, and all of them pretended not to see what Kenji had done—except for Ryu, of course. But even Ryu only dared to furrow his brow. He didn’t ask why Kenji felt the need to throw his phone.Kenji sighed and leaned back in his chair, staring at the frozen man in front. The man
“I'll choose this." Despite having a long list of apartments to view, Akiko made her decision after visiting only two locations. Kyoko had gotten the data from one of her friends who worked in Shingi Fusaya’s marketing department.“Are you sure? This is really high up.” Kyoko looked skeptically at the stairs in front of the apartment building. The stairs were made of iron, but that didn’t guarantee their sturdiness.The available apartment was on the top floor—the third floor. Akiko would have to go up and down those stairs every day. It could be dangerous if the stairs weren’t in excellent condition.“Yes, and it’s fine that it’s high. I can still handle going up and down stairs. Don’t underestimate my legs,” Akiko exclaimed, patting her legs. Her mind was made up.Kyoko shunted Akiko. “Don’t tell me you picked this place just to bother me every day.”Kyoko w
"Enough! No more drinking. If you want to go home, then just go!" Ryu snatched the cup from Kenji's hand, preventing him from drinking more. Kenji had been downing sake like water for some time, not caring how much.Kenji brushed Ryu's hand away. "Leave! Stop bothering me."Ryu sighed and sat beside him. They were at one of Kuryugumi's restaurants. Even if Kenji stayed there all night, no one would disturb them.Ryu had planned to continue working, but he received a call from Inoue asking him to come to the restaurant, as it was clear that Kenji's condition was worse than usual—far worse than on previous days.This wasn’t the first time Kenji had been like this. Ever since he stopped going home, Kenji had been spending almost every day in bars or restaurants, drinking himself into oblivion. Afterward, Ryu would usually take him to a hotel and leave him there.Ryu could forcibly take Kenji home if he wanted, but he valued his life. He di
Akiko had fallen to the floor, covering her mouth tightly. She hoped that Kenji wasn't angry because of that bump.Kenji slowly sat up, rubbing his undoubtedly painful head, and looked around. Akiko wanted to run, but Kenji was right by the door. She was already inside Kenji's room."Kiko-chan? Why are you here? When did you arrive?" Kenji asked, seeing Akiko.Akiko's mouth fell open, as she had just clearly seen Kenji smiling in amusement. She couldn't recall the last time she'd seen such a smile.Akiko blinked several times, trying to see if the smile would vanish like an illusion. But it didn’t.It turned out Kenji’s level of drunkenness was far worse than usual. When Kenji was angry and drunk, he could still speak logically.However, this version of Kenji no longer made any sense. There was no reason for Kenji to smile after hitting his head like that."Could I have given him a concussion?" Akiko murmured in panic,
“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