Chapitre 18: A Late Thank
Ando startled with the sound of his phone message. He was studying his lessons but he checked his message in case it could come from Eita. But the message was from one of his classmates. Just then, he saw his image reflection on the phone screen.
Ando left his desk slowly and went to the mirror on the wall. Even though his bruise on his left cheek became brown from purple, it was still there. The broken bone under that bruise was going to take a lot of time to get better. The laceration on his left eyebrow seemed like it was going to leave a scar.
Ando realized he got upset by looking at the mirror and moved his face away. He looked at the calendar on the desk. It had been a week since that incident. There was no news from Eita, nor Ando showed courage to show his face to him during that time.
Since Ando couldn't go to the school because of his bruised face, he remembered he missed his lessons and sat on his chair again. But he couldn't concentrate already. He thought he should thank to Eita in a way but he couldn't know how to do that. He didn't want Eita to see him when his face was in that situation.
When he wanted to call him by phone, the man who was killed by Eita in blood, always came to his mind. Eita's murdering someone was a predictable and understandable situation. However, Ando made Eita take someone's life so Ando was blaming himself.
Ando couldn't know how he would show this sorrow to Eita in right ways. While he was dealing these thoughts, his door was knocked. The one who came was his grandfather.
Ryunosuke asked Ando that he was busy or not. Ando got up quickly and invited his grandfather into his room. Ryunosuke entered in and said Ando to continue whatever he was doing. Ando sat on his chair again and tried to focus on his lessons. But he was observing his grandfather at the same time.
Ryunosuke walked in the room for a while. Then he saw the leather jacket on the wall. He always wondered why that jacket on there even though it was not suitable for Ando's fashion taste.
He looked at the teen room set in the room was furnished as half traditional half modern style. The only room which was full of modern things in the house was Ando's room. Even the old poster of an old band on the wall was a new thing to this house. Ryunosuke thought how Ando entered in his life and changed a lot of things with even this room and smiled happily.
He headed to Ando and sat on the corner of the bed. His grandchild was sitting left side of him on his table. "Ando..." he called. Ando turned his face to him slowly. Ryunosuke thought for a while how he could start a conversation. When he saw Ando's ruined face under the sun light one more time, he couldn't tell his planned words.
"How are you feeling today?" he could ask. Ando smiled and "I'm alright, sir." he answered. Then his smiling face changed to a worried expression and "You wanted to discharge earlier than doctor's advice time. I shall ask how you are feeling." he asked.
Ryunosuke didn't answer right away. He couldn't decide to get upset to Ando's saying "sir" instead of "grandfather" or get happy to Ando's sincere worry. At first, he sighed once. Then "I was not sick that much. You don't have to worry enough that you're checking me out every night." he answered.
He was heard that Ando was visiting him in his room in nights by servants. However, he couldn't be sure Ando was doing that since he really loved his grandfather or he was only a good person. But he guessed Ando was both of them.
Ando got embarrassed because he thought he disturbed his grandfather by visiting him every night. He bowed his head and "I can't help to worry about you but if I disturb you, I apologize." he said.
Ryunosuke got up suddenly and "Ando..." he said. He held Ando's chin and made him look up. Seeing his bruises made him hesitated one more time. But he gulped once and began to talk.
"My goal of bringing you this home was a late decision to maintain "Sakurai" surname. You were educated just because of this goal by Shizuku. At first, my only expectation was your being a suitable successor for my family." he said and got silent for a while.
Then he kneeled down in front of Ando. Ando tried to prevent him but Ryunosuke clamped Ando onto the chair and continued to talk. He couldn't look at Ando's face this time.
"I... I always thought this house was a good place for an orphan child. I... I have never asked your opinion or what you wanted." he said.
He managed to look at Ando with his tearful eyes. "After you lived those painful things, after your own family did those things to you, I can't ask you to become heir of this family. But..." he continued to talk. He gulped one more time and buried his head in Ando's knees. "Even if you don't want to be my successor, please stay with me in this house." he ended his sentences.
Ando couldn't know how to reply. He didn't know his grandfather was bothered by these thoughts. He hesitated to behave disrespectful but put his hand onto his grandfather's head. When he heard his grandfather's sobs, he hugged Ryunosuke on his knees. Then he held his grandfather's hands and got him up.
"Please raise you head. Do not make me more embarrassed because of your worry." Ando said. While he was holding his grandfather's hand with his one hand, he dried his grandfather's tears with his other hand. He looked at Ryunosuke by smiling. Then he got serious. He held his hands with both.
"As your successor, I was tricked easily because of my weakness for your health. Then I caused the successor of this family to get hurt. Also, I damaged this family's honor by causing a different family to interfere to matters of this family. I am grateful that you still want an unsuccessful successor like me to keep in this family." Ando said. He smiled again and "I will be more careful not to make you worry, my dear grandfather." he added.
Ryunosuke hugged Ando and stood like that for a while. While he was crying, he was both apologizing and thanking.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone