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.
------------------------------------
Book Recommendation:
If you're fond of werewolves stories, check out The Returner's Peerless Beta by Antigone_101! She's a new author on this platform. Let's cheer for her!
I've verified the contract for this book :3 But I won't go premium until later, maybe around Chapter 40-45?
Andddd I would do a mass release on August 19th, it's my birthday yayy! ;) Hope to see you guys' comments :p
"What are you doing here alone?"
At the sound of the familiar voice, Heisuke lifted up his chin and stared at the one who approached him. The blinding sunlight was obscured by the man's figure.
"Aren't you busy at the pottery?" asked Heisuke without answering the question, "To come climbing the hill?"
Shuuya clicked his tongue. He sat cross-legged next to Heisuke and said, "The pottery isn't that busy right now. I've done some tableware yesterday. Just waiting for the customers to come to pick them up."
Right now, both of them were sitting on a spot that overlooked the entire Konomiya Town. The tall and narrow trees stood in a cluster, almost resembling a forest that fenced the other side of a clearing.
To arrive here, one had to climb either the long staircase or the other pathway with tall trees accompanying along the way. The scenic views from the elevated platform often caught the attention of anyone venturing here.
It was just a small hill where both Heisuke and Shuuya loved to come whenever they needed peace. Shuuya's pottery kiln was located just right at the foothill. From this distance, heavy and dense smoke could be seen escaping from the furnace.
Heisuke fell in love with this place the first time Shuuya brought him here. If he remembered correctly, it happened when he had just moved in here.
One day, after their class ended, the middle-school-age Shuuya tugged Heisuke to follow him. Both of them panted heavily as they climbed the hill.
The majestic view from the peak easily eased their fatigue.
Shuuya glanced at Heisuke who kept looking in the direction of the sea. He lightly nudged his shoulder against his friend's.
"Wanna poke a hole into the sea? Staring so intently like that?"
Heisuke let out a breath. He answered briefly without looking at Shuuya, "Just thinking of something."
Shuuya animatedly raised up his brows. He didn't hide his intention by obviously staring into his friend's face. Despite the usual calmness, Shuuya was still able to see that Heisuke's mind was on an important matter, at least to him.
Both of them had known each other ever since Heisuke and his mother suddenly appeared in this town more than a decade ago. At that time, the development of this place was still far behind the other coastal cities and towns.
Heisuke entered the same class as Shuuya. The latter remembered how Heisuke never talked and even rarely expressed anything on his face. The young him later learned from his own mother who got closer to Mrs. Saeki.
Heisuke was mute because of a psychological shock. Despite that, Shuuya still befriended the new boy in town. He defended the silent boy when a few students tried to bully Heisuke.
Thanks to Shuuya's high family status that spanned across the city, the ruffians stopped picking faults with Heisuke.
Little by little, Heisuke began to speak again. Still, this friend of his was still clumsy in expressing anything.
"Do you have a problem at work? Hurm... Seems not like it," Shuuya quickly denied the thoughts.
Heisuke didn't say anything. He just let the wind gently brush his short black hair. The breeze brought his mind to the late afternoon a few days ago.
After Hisaki opened up to him, Heisuke racked up his brain to find better words to appease her. In the end, he could only awkwardly bring up something meaningless but, she seemed more cheerful by the time they left the riverside.
The dreams still led to his nights of sleep. At some times, Heisuke only saw short fragments while on other nights, the dreams were longer.
As always, instead of assuming a bystander role who witnessed everything from the sidelines, he possessed the one who she often sweetly called 'darling'.
To be honest, it was still so awkward to face her in reality after being through such dreams. If Hisaki ever got to know about this, she might find him weird but, there was something within him that comforted him, telling him that everything would be fine.
For the first time in his life, an otherwordly event took place. Did all these dreams want to lead him to something?
Those dreams came abruptly to him. Initially, they were vague until he, step by step, unknowingly became closer to her.
Should he ask Shuuya?
Heisuke blinked a few times. He put his gaze on his friend who was fiddling with the wildflowers.
He opened his mouth after taking a deep breath.
"Shuuya, if you keep dreaming of the same thing or if the dreams resemble pieces of a story, what would you think?"
Heisuke's question caught Shuuya off guard. A stare full of incredulity was thrown to the former.
"What? Are you dreaming of a story? Do you wanna be a storyteller?"
A punch met Shuuya's arm.
"Don't be ridiculous. It's not that."
If Heisuke ever told Shuuya everything about the dreams, the latter might say he was just being crazy. Shuuya might even insist he go to the nearest temple to ward off any evil spirits.
"Okay, okay, my bad," Shuuya put both hands up, his lips chuckling. He paid attention to his friend, "What's troubling you? Your questions were unclear. Did you have nightmares?"
Heisuke suddenly shut his mouth. Even though he was the first one who brought up the subject, it was hard to properly answer when Shuuya asked for details.
How should he word it? Tell him that he often dreamed about the same girl. Wouldn't Shuuya think he was infected by lovesickness?
Love, hah.
At least, Heisuke was certain that he did not romantic feelings for Hisaki yet. He respected her and got along with her despite only knowing her for less than a month. But, it didn't mean that he love her even though...
The 'him' in those dreams was a man who genuinely cherished and loved 'her.'
"Hello? Heisuke, are you daydreaming? Hello?"
Shuuya waved his right hand before Heisuke's face, trying to get his attention. This friend of his didn't even try to answer his earlier questions.
As if jolted awake by something, Heisuke abruptly shook his head.
"What... what's wrong with you?"
Shuuya was perplexed by the various changes in Heisuke's expression. It was rare to see his friend appear panicky or restless when he was usually as calm as spring water. Even when he got heavily drunk, Heisuke didn't act out of character.
What happened?
"Urgh... You would laugh at me," Heisuke narrowed his eyes, staring at Shuuya with a gaze full of skepticism, "Won't I sign up to be your laughingstock if I tell you?"
Shuuya's fist struck Heisuke's arm.
"Hahaha! Now you make me wanna know it no matter what!"
Despite what he said, Shuuya didn't pressure Heisuke to say it. Not until his friend was ready. Instead, he changed the subject.
"Well, I forgot to ask you this. How's your plan to do business? Didn't you say you have paid all of the debts?"
"Not yet, we have four months left," Heisuke gave an indifferent shrug, "I actually wanted to pay the rest in advance but, my mother didn't agree. She's just afraid if we need any money for an emergency."
"Does it mean you'd push aside your business plan?"
"I think it's better to learn more," Heisuke smiled faintly, "I don't want to rush into anything. I also need to build my capital if I want to start one."
"Heisuke, you know that..."
"If I ever need help, I'll ask you," Heisuke cut Shuuya off. He knew what his friend wanted to say, "But, I won't be comfortable if all of the capital comes from you. I should have my own savings first."
Knowing that it was futile, Shuuya sighed, "Since you've said so. Sorry for being pushy."
"Nah," Heisuke smiled in understanding, "Thanks for thinking about me. That's enough."
Heisuke didn't plan to continue working under people. He had the desire to build his own business no matter how small it was in the beginning. Only by doing that, Heisuke would feel satisfied with his life.
If he continued his study after high school, he might be able to snatch a decent position either in the public or private sectors. Heisuke was aware of his own intelligence and perseverance.
The current him only had so little to offer.
For a second, those dreams flashed in his mind. In them, he was married to her. It was obvious that they had been spouses for years even though he had never seen a child between them.
Frankly, Heisuke wasn't certain that he would really be married to Hisaki as to how he saw in those dreams. Nevertheless, he was not in an ideal position to offer marriage to any young maiden.
It was better if he only got married later after his condition stabilized. Yet, for sure all of his friends' children had grown up at that time.
Shuuya slung an arm across Heisuke's shoulders. He gave him a cheeky smile.
"You always work hard and are also a fast learner. I'm sure you can thrive. Don't worry, man."
Hearing that put a smile on Heisuke's lips.
FIVE CHAPTERS TODAY! Hope you guys enjoy them ;) Thinking of going out to celebrate my birthday but, I think I would just stay at home to write lol
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