Capítulo 29: Your Regret Won't Bring Her Back To Life

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.