Hooked, pulled, hooked, pulled, stitched.
Heisuke was concentrating on the crochet piece he was currently doing. Because his palms were big, the piece and other completed ones appeared so petite in his hands.
"Son, should we have potato pancakes for dinner? I don't feel like eating so much tonight," asked Mrs. Saeki who had just returned from picking the vegetables downstairs.
Today, Mrs. Saeki and several other staff were allowed to clock out early. Usually, she would only arrive home at half-past five. Right now, the clock had just struck four o'clock.
"En," Heisuke's hum was barely audible. He replied more clearly, "It's fine with me. Just leave the ingredients in the kitchen, Mom."
"Nah, I can do it. It's just pancakes," Mrs. Saeki rejected her son's offer. She began to busy away in the kitchen to prepare early dinner.
"Oh, how about your late-night meal? Do you want fried rice?"
"I'll make some egg fried rice for myself. Don't do anything, Mom."
"Bring the pancakes too. You work so hard ah. Need to eat a lot!"
Heisuke only needed to clock in later for a midnight shift. He had been staying at home doing any chores he needed before he started to crochet. There were no other part-time jobs for him today.
Soon, the sound of a knife hitting the wooden board echoed in the apartment. Mrs. Saeki was skillfully cutting the carrots, scallions and onions into thin slices.
With one glance to her back, the image of her son diligently crocheting entered her gaze. It seemed like he had been sitting cross-legged for quite some time already. The completed crochet pieces and balls of yarn were scattered on the low table opposite him.
"I think they would look the same," said Mrs. Saeki as she continued slicing the vegetables.
Heisuke's attention was disrupted. He stared at his mother's back, "Huh?"
"The flowers you're making," Mrs. Saeki explained without looking at her son, "Your yellow flowers should look like the daffodils Hisaki has been planting."
Heisuke was stunned. His gaze fell on the crochet pieces that he had been making.
Various flowers of different sizes fell in his line of sight. All of them were in yellow color.
"En... I think they should look similar," answered Heisuke under his breath.
After the festival at the inn a week ago, there were some changes on the right side of the apartment yard. Hisaki had been building a flower bed with the help of a handyman that worked for Shuuya. Her attention was mostly directed to the bed.
When Heisuke walked with Hisaki to work a few days ago, he brought up the question.
"What kind of flowers are you planting?"
Then, with the same radiant smile and twinkling eyes, she cheerfully answered him, "Daffodils! Don't you think they are pretty?"
It seemed like she really adored the dainty yellow flowers. Although Heisuke could only let the thoughts echoing in his mind, unable to say them out loud, his brain often conjured Hisaki's image standing in the sea of those yellow flowers.
Little by little, the blurry face of the woman in his dreams was replaced by Hisaki's smiling countenance.
Now, he really didn't know what should he do. This was really an otherworldly experience for him.
Was there anyone who dreamed of the same dreams, who kept listening to the same melody in those dreams?
And... those dreams changed recently.
Heisuke exhaled softly. He put down the hooks and unfinished crochet flower on the table.
"Mom."
Mrs. Saeki replied with her attention still on the chopping board, "Do you want something else?"
"No, not that. I have a question."
Her son's words attracted Mrs. Saeki's mind. The sharp edge of the knife moved away from the half-sliced carrots. She properly looked at Heisuke this time.
It was rare to see fluctuations in her son's expression. Heisuke was generally calm. Even when something was funny, he didn't laugh out loud. Mostly, he would just smile.
Now, her motherly eyes saw lines of concern lying beneath his dark eyes.
"Is there something troubling you?"
This son of hers had always been trying to bear everything. How much weight did those shoulders currently bear?
"...what would you think, if you keep having dreams about the same person?"
Mrs. Saeki was stunned. She didn't expect to hear that kind of question.
His mother's blank expression made Heisuke feel embarrassed. She must have thought about what kind of silly question he was trying to ask.
Heat spread from his cheeks to his ears. If not for his swarthy complexion, it would be easy for his mother to see him blushing.
"...never mind. Just forget that I asked that."
Heisuke abruptly got up from the floor. He went inside his mother's bedroom to get his shirt. Some of his clothes were stored inside while the others were put inside a storage box in the living room.
"Mom, I'm going out for a run," said Heisuke while grabbing a pair of worn-out shoes.
"Hey! Why are you in a hurry?"
Before Mrs. Saeki could stop him, Heisuke had already rushed downstairs. The sound of his shoes hitting the stairs echoed in the air. Soon, his tall and lanky figure disappeared from sight.
"What's wrong with that child?" murmured Mrs. Saeki in disbelief.
While his mother was worried about him, Heisuke had already been one with the wind. He ran and ran and ran, letting the breeze billow all over him. The sweats plastered his hair to his forehead as he kept breathing in and out of his mouth.
"Haa... haa... haa..."
Heisuke didn't know how long he had run. When he finally slowed down, he found that he had reached the beach. Blood rapidly rushed to his heart. Out of breath, he panted heavily.
'What a stupid question to ask.'
Heisuke stopped running. He began to take a walk alongside the beach. A few groups of children and adults were playing all over the area. Happy and startled shrieks came from the ones swimming in the water.
Summer break would officially end this week. The school-age children needed to return to their daily life as students thus, most of the local children made full use of their time right now.
Heisuke strayed away from the crowds. He quietly headed to the pine forest of the beach. He often sat alone there whenever he needed to cool down his thoughts. The back of his shirt had been drenched by sweats.
Heisuke kept on walking. His footsteps created marks on the smooth white sand. Once he reached his usual spot, he kicked off the shoes and lay on his back, ignoring the sand that might cling to his wet shirt.
As the dappled sunlight fell on his face through the swaying leaves, Heisuke silently recalled the fragments of his dreams.
Those dreams had started changing. It happened shortly after he listened to her humming to the melody. As the change occurred, the questions that he didn't dare to let out kept accumulating inside him.
Was he really experiencing something magical?
'If what I dreamed last night is the future... when would it happen?'
Instead of hearing the melody and seeing Hisaki among the dancing yellow petals under the bright sunlight, Heisuke found he was in a living room of a house. From his view, it was a house that he had never seen before but, his heart was telling him otherwise.
A set of beige couches sat in the middle of the living room. The two-seater couch faced the glass sliding door with a low wooden table in between. The long white curtains swayed gently as the door was opened.
A folded crochet throw blanket was neatly placed on the table. The cream-colored base of the blanket enunciated the bright yellow daffodils and red roses patterns.
While Heisuke was immersed in the contrasting emotions between bewilderedness and nostalgia, his body could feel it when the breeze from the outside made its way inside the house.
Then, he heard a female voice calling for him from behind.
"Darling? You said you wanna help me. Come quickly ah!"
It was her voice, Miss Chisaka's voice. Even though Heisuke wanted to ignore it, the affection in her tone was as clear as a flowing stream in spring.
In the next second, he felt his own body move. Despite Heisuke internally telling himself to stop, his body slowly turned around until he faced the owner of the lovable voice.
It was really Miss Chisaka.
But, the one standing opposite him appeared older than the one he knew.
Her low ponytail draped in front of her right shoulder. Despite the faint lines appearing on her gaunt face, her gentle smile struck his soul.
To his surprise, he felt his lips moving into a smile before words flowed out of his mouth.
"Has my sweet pea waiting for long?"
His body moved on its own again. He held one hand out to her.
In the next moment, he saw her reaching out her own before their hands gently enclasped together. The simple rings on their left ring fingers gleamed softly under the sunlight.
Little did Heisuke know, instead of seeing his future, the dream was of his previous life.
"Haaa..."
Heisuke harshly rubbed his face a few times. With the recent changes of the stupid dreams, he felt too embarrassed to face his new neighbor right now.
If she knew, wouldn't she think of him as a creep?
Why did he dream of them getting married all of a sudden?
Did he really, suddenly have feelings for her?
I planned to do a mass release today but, have to postpone it. Hope you guys enjoy today's chapter! :3
The thought of her old man had started seeing the fragments of their previous life together had never crossed Hisaki's mind. At this time, she was walking home alone from the warehouse. Her work ended at four in the late afternoon.
"If only he works the same shift as me..." Hisaki whined to herself.
Both of them didn't cross the same paths much this week. Most of Heisuke's shifts were either in the evening or midnight. Hisaki couldn't do anything even if she wanted to see him frequently.
Well, if she didn't want to be labeled as a weirdo, she shouldn't do anything stalkerish, right?
Instead of directly going back home, Hisaki ventured to another path. She went looking for a public phone.
Mari and Takuya should return to their respective universities this weekend. Hisaki had an important matter that she had yet to convey to her best friend.
Once she got to the nearest public phone, Hisaki immediately dialed Mari's personal number. At certain times, bicycles and motorcycles rushed past her. Only a few cars went down the same road.
"Hello?" Mari's voice echoed clearly from the end of the line.
Hisaki broke into a smile, "Mari, it's me!"
"Oh? Hisaki?" Mari sounded extremely happy to pick up her friend's call. She excitedly threw a barrage of questions to Hisaki, "What are you doing now? How's work? Have you been settling down well? Are your colleagues good to you? What about your neighbors?"
It was hard for Hisaki to not laugh when such questions were thrown at her. The soft melody of her laughter fuse together with the sound of the leaves rustling nearby.
"I've just finished work today. Everything's good. My colleagues and neighbors are good to me. I got to know some of the shop owners too. Hahaha! My landlord has even allowed me to plant flowers in the yard."
Hisaki barely managed to contain her excitement as she answered Mari.
The image of the flower bed popped up in her mind. Shuuya sent a capable handyman. It was the same one who changed the lock to a new one for her.
The middle-aged man built a sturdy garden bed edging for her. As Hisaki had already transplanted the flower bulbs, she only needed to water them and let the bulbs absorb nutrients. She bought them from a local plant nursery.
"Sounds like you're living a carefree life," commented Mari. Her genuine happiness for her friend's well-being was imbued in her voice, "Hisaki, you really made a good choice in going there."
Without a doubt, Mari was extremely worried the first time Hisaki mentioned going to Kaagawa City. The prefecture of the coastal city was so far away from here.
If not for her relatives staying there, Mari would be reluctant to let Hisaki go alone to such a place.
Turned out that this was the best decision in her friend's life. Not only Hisaki was able to be freed of her patriarchal grandfather's clutches, but she also could learn and do what she wanted to do without being tied to anything.
"Thanks for your support," Hisaki's smile softened.
This was really the best choice she could ever make. The freedom Hisaki was enjoying right now was as good as the one she felt after her divorce in her previous life.
The two friends talked more about their lives before Hisaki got into the main topic. She tried to sound as natural as she could.
"Speaking of which, Mari, I'm also curious about your study life. Have you made good friends there? Are they anyone remarkable?"
Hisaki's question was met with joyful laughter from Mari.
"Hahaha! You've asked me that before! Are you looking for a college student to be your man? I know a few good ones. I am willing to introduce you to them. They are better, way better than that scum!"
Hisaki's smile cracked. She resisted the urge to knock her own forehead.
"Hey! I'm not asking because of that!" Hisaki rolled her eyes, "I just want to know if you have female college mates who you're good with. Who knows? Maybe you'd set up a firm with them?"
After Hisaki's marriage to Igarashi Keigo, her movements were limited. Despite being allowed to leave the big and luxurious mansion, the trash's henchmen would follow her every move. She couldn't even go to meet her family and friends in peace.
Everything Hisaki did would be reported to Igarashi Keigo. If she ever made a slight mistake by accidentally complaining about her marriage to anyone, punishment awaited her once she got back to the hell hole.
Hisaki's memory of the one who betrayed Mari was hazy. She was unsure if the two had really met at this time as she had expected or not.
If Hisaki recalled correctly, the woman should be Mari's lecture mate but, she might also have been mistaken. It was best to ask Mari directly instead of making assumptions.
"Hurm, I do have some friends who I thought to partner with," answered Mari after some thinking, A few faces appeared in her mind, "But, nothing is definite since we're still studying."
They still had a long way to go before being established legal practitioners.
"Oh, who are they? What are their names?" Hisaki almost couldn't suppress the urgency in her voice.
"Hahaha! Why are you so persistent in knowing their names?"
Despite feeling funny at her friend's insistence, Mari still answered the questions.
"Two of them are my lecture mates, Yoshida Junko and Furuya Yumiko. We're the same age. While the other is my senior, Okawa Hitomi. We met..."
The rest of Mari's words didn't enter Hisaki's hearing. Her brain froze in shock. She was unable to say anything once the names were made clear by Mari.
The traitor was her! Okawa Hitomi!
A surge of hazy images of her previous life gained clarity in Hisaki's mind.
Mari's funeral was held in their hometown. Hisaki remembered she almost lost her temper with Heisuke when both of them rushed to head there. She was too overcome with the onslaught of grief, regret and bewilderment once the news of Mari's death reached her.
While Hisaki accompanied Mari's grieving mother, Aunt Masayo to receive respect from the guests, Okawa Hitomi made her appearance at the funeral. What followed next was a chaotic scene.
If not for Aunt Masayo going berserk, Hisaki would be the one swallowed by rage. The traitor had the impudence to kneel down and ask for forgiveness. Her actions invited doom.
Okawa Hitomi just let Aunt Masayo slap her hard and hurl insults at her before Heisuke and Uncle Satoshi managed to pull them apart. While the middle-aged man brought his wife to a separate room, Hisaki faced Okawa Hitomi with Heisuke by her side.
"Your regret won't bring Mari back to life."
Hisaki wanted to hurt Okawa Hitomi with the cruelest, soul-crushing words but, her fury made her unable to think. As she didn't want to further make a scene thus tainting Mari's funeral, Hisaki just told the back-stabber to leave.
Heisuke led Hisaki out of the funeral room after Okawa Hitomi disappeared. Once they stepped foot in the garden surrounding the funeral room, Hisaki broke down. Her tall and burly old man gently cradled her in his arms, letting her seek peace from him.
"Miss Miyajima would forever live in your heart."
Heisuke was not really good with his words. It only improved after years of them being together. At certain times, he could only clumsily tell Hisaki his feelings but, she really appreciated the weight of her presence in his heart.
Sometime later, Hisaki heard something through the grapevine. Okawa Hitomi's brother was held hostage by the assailant in the sexual harassment case. It was because of it that she had to betray Mari.
Even though Okawa Hitomi had her reasons, Hisaki couldn't accept that.
It was really inconceivable if they forgive her. Mari was not the only one who lost her life. The victim of the case also died because of suicide.
"...saki? Hisaki? Hello? Are you still there?"
Mari's voice cracked into Hisaki's reverie. She quickly pulled herself together.
"Ah... I'm still here."
Hisaki blinked her eyes a few times. Unnoticed by her, a stream of tears ran down her cheeks. Her heart also was pierced by the agony she felt because of Mari's demise in her previous life.
'Calm down... You can save her life, Hisaki. Don't be afraid.'
While Hisaki was trying to calm herself, Mari's nagging came from the earpiece.
"Geez, I thought I was talking alone ah. Are you tired from work? You should go home quickly and rest. Don't suddenly daydream when you're on the road."
"I'm not that tired," Hisaki ignored Mari's nagging, "Well, about your senior... is she alright? I mean, haha, I've heard of some with a superiority complex. They bully the ones younger than them."
The reasoning that came with the question sounded awkward but, Hisaki couldn't think of another way to probe into the subject.
"Hahaha, don't be too worried ah. My senior is great," Mari quickly dismissed Hisaki's concern, "Luckily, the management takes serious actions in bullying cases so, there aren't any. Well, as far as I've known."
"En... it's good to hear that."
After talking some more, Hisaki ended the call. They promised to keep in contact even after Mari returned to university.
Now, Hisaki had to recount her previous life's memories properly. The betrayal wouldn't happen until nearly three decades later but, it was safer to act now.
Even though Okawa Hitomi chose to betray Mari because of her brother's safety, Hisaki didn't care about that. People might call her cruel for thinking in that way but, she couldn't lose her dear friend for the second time.
Another update today! I'll go to sleep really early, today is an exhausting day. See you guys soon!
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