บท 251: Chapter 251: Apologies
"I'm sorry everyone."
The next day at noon, inside Touko's agency, everyone related to the situation, except for Kiritsugu, had gathered. Shinji stood in the corner of the living room and bowed to everyone, offering his apologies.
Whether it was a coincidence or intentional, the people in the agency were divided into two groups centered around Shinji. On the left side sat Touko, accompanied by Mikiya, Justeaze, and other "smart people" who knew or suspected the reasons. On the right side sat a row of Fujino, Sakura, Shiki, and the others, who were unaware of the truth or simply didn't bother thinking about it.
The "smart people" on the left remained seated and motionless, while those on the right wore expressions of confusion. Sakura asked, "Brother, why are you apologizing?"
Maintaining a 90-degree bow, Shinji said, "I bear an undeniable responsibility for the situation that has unfolded. I knew about Souren Araya's existence long before Touko did, and I also knew that Araya's target was Shiki. For certain reasons, I even helped Araya a little."
"..." Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent, their gaze fixed on Shinji. In their eyes, there was a mix of exploration—seeking the reasons behind Shinji's actions—and skepticism—questioning his true intentions. There was also dissatisfaction—why didn't he speak up earlier?
Among them, Enjou Tomoe harbored the most resentment, as he had only met everyone except for Shiki the previous day.
Sensing the increasingly heavy atmosphere in the agency, Touko lit a cigarette and spoke up, "Since you've apologized, I assume you're planning to reveal everything. Whether we accept your apology or not, we'll decide after you finish speaking."
Shinji cast a grateful look at Touko and began from the beginning. This time, he wouldn't hide anything except for the truth about the time travelers.
He revealed the relationship between Souren Araya and Fujou Kirie.
He explained why he encountered Araya.
He disclosed the deal he made with Araya.
He spoke about the uniqueness of Shiki.
He shared his subjective interpretation of Souren Araya's plan.
He revealed the preparations he made to counter Araya.
He explained the arrangements from the previous night and the significance behind them.
After he had spoken everything he could, he began to apologize one by one.
First bow: "I apologize to Touko first. I knew that Araya and Alba were your old classmates, but I didn't tell you and acted on my own—I'm sorry."
Second bow: "I also apologize to Touko again. Although Alba violated taboos first, I used it as bait to lure you back, causing your unhappiness and injuring you as a result—I'm sorry."
Third bow: "I apologize to Mikiya as well. I knew how much you value Shiki, but for my own sake, I put Shiki in danger and caused you to worry—I'm sorry."
Fourth bow: "I apologize to Sakura and Fujino. I promised to come find you as soon as I returned, but I didn't fulfill that promise. Instead, I let you face danger on your own. I failed as a family member—I'm sorry."
Fifth bow: "I apologize to Kirie. No matter what, Araya is your benefactor, and it must have been difficult for you to hinder him—I'm sorry."
Sixth bow: "I also apologize to Shiki. I had people watching your residence without your consent, invading your privacy—I'm sorry."
"Finally—"
"Wait."
Just as Shinji was about to bow for the sixth time, someone interrupted—it was Enjou Tomoe. Even though the expressions on everyone's faces had improved somewhat with Shinji's explanations, Enjou Tomoe still had the most unpleasant expression.
"Is that all for your apology to Shiki?"
"Is there something more?"
Seeing Shinji tilting his head innocently, Enjou Tomoe's anger surged.
"You!!!"
He abruptly stood up from the sofa and reached out to grab Shinji's collar.
Just before Tomoe's hand was about to touch Shinji, he heard two cold snorts. In an instant, he felt a chilling sensation behind him, his hair standing on end as if he was being targeted by something terrifying.
He turned his head and saw the pair of "sisters" wearing the same uniforms looking at him with cold eyes, as if warning him, "If you touch him, you're finished."
After considering the extraordinary abilities displayed by these two girls yesterday, Tomoe swallowed his saliva and reluctantly sat back on the sofa.
Shinji waved his hand at the two girls, signaling them not to be angry. "Sakura, Fujino, don't scare Mr. Enjou. Mr. Enjou, please speak up if you have any questions."
Shinji knew that Tomoe was angry because he liked Shiki, so he wasn't concerned.
Tomoe let out a heavy snort and frowned. "You apologized to everyone else who got hurt, so why not Shiki? She was the most injured—"
"Tomoe, that's enough," Shiki interrupted, patting Tomoe beside her. Her face was pale and lackluster. "It doesn't matter how it happened."
"But—"
Watching the interaction between Shiki and Tomoe, and stealing a glance at the composed Mikiya, Shinji silently muttered to himself, "Shiki living with another man, flirting with him right in front of you, and you're not even jealous. You have a big heart, Mikiya."
But despite his inner musings, explanations still needed to be provided.
"Well, since you asked, let me explain. Shiki's injury was unavoidable. Let's imagine for a moment, if I were to tell Shiki that Araya had been targeting her and it had been going on for a long time, what do you think she would do?"
"I would go and kill him so that he could never come after me again."
Shiki answered without hesitation, exactly as Shinji had predicted.
"You all heard that. No matter what I did, she would go after Araya. If I were to tell her without being prepared, that would be truly dangerous. One wrong move and even our lives would be at stake. I believe Touko understands this the most."
"If it were so easy to deal with him, Araya wouldn't have survived for 200 years." Orange agreed with Shinji's statement, although not completely, "Well, Shinji, you're not completely wrong either."
"That's the last thing I want to apologize for." At this point, Shinji bowed for the seventh time. "When I did all these things, I didn't consult with you or seek your opinions. To put it nicely, I was too confident. To put it bluntly, it was a lack of trust in all of you, fearing that you would leak information or cause trouble."
A bitter taste appeared at the corners of Shinji's mouth, and even his voice became lower. He truly regretted it, felt sorry, and apologized to this group of family and comrades who had always trusted him.
"Even though all of you are so excellent, so trusting of me, with just a few words from me, all of you came—although I've never thought of it this way, but looking at the process, I'm no different from Araya. I treated all of you as pawns."
"I don't know how to apologize in a way that will earn your forgiveness, but I still hope you can give me a chance. I won't make the same mistake again!"
"Are you willing to give me a chance?"
PS: No, get lost!
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