章 30: Who Are You, Really?

Hisaki was in a daze as she walked back to the apartment. The remnants of her tears still clouded her gaze. With the sunlight shining against her back, her whole expression was obscured by shadows.

If only she could scream out loud to Mari how she wanted her to stay away from the traitorous woman, she would do so. But, doing it wouldn't give Hisaki the effect she desired.

Not only did Hisaki want to change Mari's fate in her previous life. She also hoped to bring her parents, especially her mother out of misery. Her mother might be able to regain her confidence if she could stay away from the patriarchal and prejudiced old man.

The recent updates that came from Takuya still didn't give Hisaki much hope. Her father was still too cowardly to step forward. Hisaki planned to make a call back home to directly speak to her father.

But, in what words should she use to hammer her intention into his mind?

It was so frustrating but, she really needed to take it slowly.

Hisaki made a turn to enter the apartment yard. Her feet awkwardly stopped when something or rather, someone was caught by her gaze.

"...huh?"

In front of her, her old man was standing opposite the flower bed. His sharp eyes were intently staring at the bare flower bed. As if he sensed her presence, he slowly turned his attention in her direction.

Hisaki froze the moment their gazes were locked together. She wanted to greet him but, no words rolled out of her tongue.

In the next second, she saw his eyes trembling slightly. The gentle breeze sent his words to her.

"...did dust get into your eyes again?"

Hisaki only managed to force out a word.

"...yes."

What happened next was something Hisaki had never imagined.

Right now, she was sitting side by side with her old man, eating popsicles.

"Is the flavor fine with you?" asked Heisuke as he ripped open the packaging. He threw it inside the nearest trashcan.

"Ah, yes," Hisaki instinctively smiled, "This is my favorite."

The strawberry popsicle was really her favorite.

After seeing her misty eyes, Heisuke abruptly brought up a suggestion to get some ice cream, saying stuff like eating sweets would recharge one's mood. The dazed Hisaki only accepted his words.

Thus, the two of them went to the nearby store. Once they got a popsicle each, both of them sat on a bench under a tree overlooking the river. A few children were already having fun playing on the grassy field while the others swam in the water as usual.

"Is everything okay?"

Heisuke asked without looking at her. He tried hard to suppress the ridiculous dreams from flashing in his mind at this time.

Although it was so awkward to sit next to her when he had just dreamed that kind of thing, Heisuke couldn't bring himself to ignore her after seeing her once again crying alone.

'What the hell is wrong with me?'

Hisaki didn't know her old man was in conflict with himself. The coldness of the popsicle spread to her lips. She silently smiled. The uneasiness that suffocated her earlier gradually dissipated into thin air.

"Do you think I'm a crybaby, Mr. Saeki?" asked Hisaki in a lighter tone, "You've seen me cry twice."

"...Heisuke."

"En?" Hisaki blinked, "What..."

Heisuke coughed awkwardly. He controlled his gaze to not fall on her face, "I think... it's better if we're on a first-name basis. Only if you're alright..."

"I'd love to!"

Heisuke was stunned. In a reflex, he turned to look at her.

What was imprinted in his mind was the image of her smiling so radiantly like the sparkles on the river surface. The twinkles in her bright and round eyes made him subconsciously think of a starry night.

Was she that happy?

Hisaki was too excited by his sudden suggestion. Her joy made her unable to see the confusion on her old man's face nor did she see the blush that slowly spread on his cheeks.

"Hehe, then, I'll call you Heisuke?" She softly called his name.

Boom!

His face felt too hot by how sweet his name sounded from her. Heisuke took a huge bite of the popsicle. His brain froze in an instant. The freezing sensation prompted him to cough nonstop.

"Heisuke? Are you alright? Do you need water?"

Hisaki resisted the urge to pat her hands on the man's back. It would be too weird if she did that right now.

"Nah... I'm good," Heisuke punched his own chest a few times, his face was so red under his swarthy complexion, "Sorry... if I shocked you."

Thinking back, Heisuke couldn't believe himself. He really had the guts to propose such a suggestion to her?! Wouldn't it be embarrassing if she turned him down?

But... somehow, he already had a feeling that she would be happy.

'What the hell is wrong with me?'

He asked himself the same question again. He was in dire need of an answer yet, he didn't even know where should he start.

The dreams came to him without any sign. They accompanied his nights without fail. While he was trying to accept them, the recent shift of those dreams caught him off guard.

No matter how he wanted to interpret them, in those dreams, it was clear that he and she were in a more intimate and meaningful relationship compared to right now.

Precognitive dreams were all he could think of even though the ideas also didn't make sense to him.

With just one look at her smile, Heisuke felt as if someone pinched the tip of his heart before it beat out of control.

"So... I'll call your name?" asked Heisuke, still a bit clumsy.

Hisaki quickly nodded her head as if she was afraid he would take back his decision. The last bits of her sadness from earlier had long gone.

Wasn't this a good turning point for them? Didn't it mean her old man feel comfortable with her? Oh, how she wished she could profess her heart to him right at this moment!

Hisaki tried to hide her glee but, Heisuke could see her excitement as clear as day.

The rays of the sun passed through the gaps between the leaves and twigs of the shady tree. The interweaving between the light and shadow didn't conceal the pure joy in her gaze when she tenderly smiled at him.

"Hisaki."

'Who are you, really?'

The name gently rolled out on his tongue but, he kept the question deep inside his heart.

On that late afternoon, both of them felt the subtle shift in their current relationship.

After they finished the popsicles, Heisuke discarded the sticks into the trashcan. Neither of them wanted to move away from the bench. They continued sitting there, enjoying the gentle summer breeze.

Hisaki couldn't stop herself from smiling shyly like a young maiden despite she had lived more than six decades in her previous life. Being with her old man really made her young at heart.

To be honest, she had yet to start courting him properly but, he was the one shifting the gears toward her instead. Wasn't this good already?

At least, she was certain that they were getting closer.

While Hisaki was immersed in her happy thoughts, Heisuke retraced his memories to when they met in the apartment yard earlier. After a moment of hesitation, he parted his lips to ask.

"Do you find it difficult to settle down here? Do you miss your family? Is that why you cried?"

The questions brought Hisaki back from her daydream. Next to her, Heisuke was staring at her with concern. His usual sharp and piercing monolid eyes softened at this moment.

A surge of emotions rose from the depth of Hisaki's heart. It might be a little different from the worry that he showed to her in their previous life but, this man was still concerned about her well-being.

Hisaki tilted up her head as she threw her gaze to the sky.

"Before, you said that you know about my family's situation, right?"

Heisuke assented with a low hum, "Mrs. Ikeda told my mother. She requested us to take care of you."

Hisaki chuckled softly. She gave him a half-shrug, "I ran away because of my grandfather, not only because of the marriage he wanted to force me into but because I know my life won't change if I continued staying there."

Little by little, Hisaki recounted what was troubling her to him. She was more at ease now as the words freely flowed out of her mouth.

"...I especially do not want my mother to continue living like that. If only I could bring her out of the house, I would do it. But... I'm being a hypocrite myself."

Hisaki exhaled out a soft breath. She dropped her gaze to both of her hands that were clutching her knees. Her lips moved again.

"I'm worried about her... about my dad but, I have never talked to them after coming here."

Whenever Hisaki contacted Takuya, she had an inclination to speak to both of her parents but, she still did nothing. Her younger brother became the mediator between them. All of their words were exchanged through him.

"I'm not ready yet. I... both love and resent them."

It was a fact that was hard to change.

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