Chapter 36: He Had Them to Support Him and He Had Her in His Heart

"Sigh... he only knows to increase my blood pressure, he doesn't even think that his grandfather is so old already. Do you know what did he say last night? Ehem... 'Shouko is sleeping. Your call would only disturb her.' And then he hung up on me?!"

Grandpa Kashino went on and on nagging about Kyoya to Shouko. He had even imitated how Kyoya would always speak. She attentively listened to him, sometimes she would let out a laugh or two.

Grandpa didn't ask her much about what happened yesterday. Shouko tacitly understood that the old man was unwilling to put pressure on her by asking her to recall the frenzy once again. She went along with him gladly as she too didn't want to think much about it.

Thinking about it would turn her mood into a spiral of chaos so she wanted to avoid it as much as she could.

"When you come home, Grandpa will go to play with you. This old man is lonely right now. I hope you would accompany me for a stroll sometime, Shouko. Grandpa heard the trees alongside the waterfront have changed colors. The sight would be so beautiful!"

In the middle of the city, there was a large river connected with a few bridges. The scenic location was lined with public parks where people would go for a run or a ride with the bicycles. The restaurants and shops opened alongside the beautiful river would always bustling with good business. A few of high-rise residential complexes with a staggering amount of price could be found there too.

"Alright, Grandpa," Shouko readily agreed with the old man.

She remembered she would always frequent one of the cafes there whenever her mood was low or she needed aspiration for her difficult assignments. She wondered if the cafe was still there even after these five years?

Her eyes landed on the clear lake facing the villa. If this lake was accompanied by rows and rows of trees, the river of the waterfront was surrounded by buildings.

"Good! Good! Let's have a nice outing together, alright? Just leave your workaholic husband attending to his job!"

Shouko laughed again, the corners of her ears were moistened with tears. She rubbed them gently.

Grandpa was so nice. She couldn't wait to meet this old man again and have a good chat with him.

Shouko had a few things she wanted to ask from Grandpa.

They chatted a few minutes more before drowsiness started hitting her. Shouko tried to suppress her yawn but Grandpa had already heard it.

"Go and rest, Shouko," The old man's voice was full of tenderness, sending warmth to her heart. "You must still be tired. Grandpa will call you again later."

"En..." Shouko turned around, she walked toward the big bed. "Sorry, Grandpa. I can't accompany you to chat more."

"Hahaha, silly child," Grandpa laughed heartily, his mood was so jovial at this time. "We can talk more later. Remember, you owe Grandpa a date, alright?"

Shouko giggled, letting out the sound of her soft voice. Her eyes were crinkled in happiness. "Alright, we'll go for a date once I get back to the city."

Once the call was disconnected, Shouko laid down on the comfy bed. She snuggled comfortably under the fluffy quilt. The faint aroma of fresh grass and crisp air from the outside drifted inside the room, slowly relaxing her and luring her to sleep.

Then, her breath softly echoed in the room.

In the room next door, Kyoya was checking a few documents sent by Ryota in his e-mail. As he was diligently working, his phone rang. He glanced at the name on the screen. With a helpless sigh, he picked up the call.

"Don't you feel guilty badmouthing me to my wife?" Kyoya asked in a low voice. He clicked the mouse, saving the documents before he got up and walked to the other corner of the room.

"Hehehe, did you eavesdrop on us?" Grandpa asked back in a cheeky voice. He seemed satisfied to receive the accusation from his grandson.

"Our rooms are just side-by-side," Kyoya resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Shouko went to talk to the balcony. I could still hear her faintly."

"Humph! Then did you hear that she agreed to go for a date with me? I will tell you now, don't play any trick and make her miss going out with me!"

Kyoya rubbed his temple as he heaved a sigh. Sometimes, dealing with his grandfather would take out most of his energy.

"Yes, yes, I won't interfere with your date plan," Kyoya took out a glass from the cabinet and poured some warm water into it. He leaned back against the wall, his hand was swirling the glass before he took a sip to moisten his throat. "My grandfather is a pitiful and lonely old man, of course, he needs to relieve his lonely heart by going out with his granddaughter-in-law."

Grandpa Kashino was speechless. This brat was really an ungrateful one!

Then, the old man changed the subject.

"I heard from the brat of the old man Suzuki that you actually went there to figure out what to do?"

Kyoya's eyes flickered a dim light. He nodded faintly. "Shou have talked to you? What about the new thing I've spoken to him last night? Did he tell you about it too?"

"I met him when I went fishing with his grandfather. He just mentioned it in passing. Why? Did you tell him anything else last night?"

He was curious about what his grandson had said. It seemed like, this grandson of his had already decided on the next course of action.

Kyoya placed the glass back on the table. He went to sit on a couch next to the bed. His grandfather was still patiently waiting for him to speak again.

"I won't hide it from her but, I won't reveal everything to her within the same time too."

Grandpa frowned, he caught the fear and helpless from the way his grandson sounded. The old man sighed deeply.

"When you said you wanted to hide it from her, I didn't agree with you because the aftereffect would be a disaster once she knows," Grandpa said slowly. His jovial tone was changed to a sullen one. "It wasn't like you could keep her inside your own small world. She would always have to go out and she might get wind of it from the outsiders who knew."

Grandpa was right. It was like when the two socialites who greeted Shouko the other day. Their big mouths had almost revealing the truth.

Kyoya pursed his lips tight. He remembered the opposition from his grandfather when the old man first knew his plan after Shouko woke up from the accident that cost her memory more than a month ago.

Grandpa rejected the way he handled the matter yet as time went by, the old man eventually went along with his request.

"Grandpa, I'm sorry for making you worried all this time," Kyoya admitted in a firm voice, a hint of regret laced his words. His brows furrowed as his eyes deepened. "But, I was really afraid. In fact, even at this time I'm still unsure with my decision."

Grandpa sighed again. This grandson of his was rare to unmask his uncertainty yet when he did so, one's heart could break from the way he sounded.

"You have Grandpa, Kyoya," He felt so helpless as he could only offer his grandson words of comfort. This was a heavy matter. They needed to be careful with it. "Grandpa, Ryota and Shou, we would all help you. Please don't think that you're alone. We want you and Shouko to be happy again."

Kyoya's heart shuddered when he heard his grandfather's heartfelt words. The dark clouds that were brewing inside his mind slowly dispersed.

It made him remembered a sunny day.

This was it. He won't turn back on his words again.

He had them to support him and he had her in his heart.

He should start walking toward their new future instead of dwelling on the past.

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