"This is Issa Ogiwara, who are you and what do you want?" A man's voice came through the phone, heavy and slightly strained.
Renji Kamisaka stroked Sayu Ogiwara's hair in his arms, feeling the girl's slight tremor, then he said calmly, "My name is Renji Kamisaka. You must be Sayu's brother, Issa. Sayu is at my place now. I'm bringing her back to Hokkaido tomorrow."
"What? Sayu's with you? What have you done to her?! And where are you?!" Issa Ogiwara, on the other end, sounded extremely nervous, his voice rising several octaves.
Renji Kamisaka replied calmly, as if discussing the weather. "Don't worry, Mr. Issa, Sayu's perfectly fine. Sayu and I will arrive tomorrow, remember to pick us up then." He added, "By the way, I'm in Kyoto, a place called Sakurasou Dorm."
Issa Ogiwara also breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll come pick you up. We'll meet and talk about Sayu's situation in detail."
"No problem."
After hanging up, Renji Kamisaka lowered his head and kissed the girl's forehead.
"It seems your brother isn't bad, so what were you thinking, little head? You have a rich brother, but you didn't know how to ask him for money?" Renji teased, gently flicking Sayu's forehead.
Sayu Ogiwara pouted, her cheeks puffed out. "I was so confused back then... and my mother really didn't care about me at all. I realized later that my brother was just pitying me. I didn't feel like I belonged in that family." She looked at Renji with teary eyes. "Honestly, I don't want to leave Sakurasou Dorm now." After the girl finished speaking, her face flushed, she grabbed Renji's hand and pressed it to her chest. "Hey, it's rare to be alone tonight... Renji, do you want to get active?"
Renji raised an eyebrow, a faint smile on his lips. "I don't mind, just don't beg for mercy when the time comes."
Sayu Ogiwara proudly declared that she had no problem at all, her eyes twinkling mischievously.
After a moment, Renji Kamisaka looked at Sayu Ogiwara, who was calling him "Dad," with a strange expression.
"Do you think I'm your father?"
"Is it not okay?" The girl rubbed her cheek affectionately against his chest. "I feel like you're truly my father. You'll bring me hope, you'll love me, spoil me, and protect me from the wind and rain." Her smile was soft, a little shy. "So, can I secretly call you Dad in the future? When we're together." She winked at him naughtily, truly acting cute.
Renji Kamisaka hugged her tightly and covered her with the blanket. But he said, "You can call me whatever you want, I'll answer you, Sayu. Be good, get some rest."
The next morning.
It was Shiina Mahiru who made breakfast, its aroma filling Sakurasou Dorm. After breakfast, Shiina Mahiru and Misaki Kamiigusa stood at the door and gave Sayu a warm hug.
"Come back soon, Sayu," Mahiru said softly, a small smile on her lips.
"Little Sayu, don't take Renji away, come back early!" Misaki exclaimed, her energy boundless.
"Yes, I will!" Sayu Ogiwara was deeply touched, her heart warmed by this farewell. She was truly fortunate to have such good friends and kind seniors at Sakurasou Dorm.
Shiina Mahiru had also slept in late, so Renji Kamisaka didn't disturb her. He asked Mahiru to take care of her and wake her up later. He held Sayu Ogiwara's hand and left Sakurasou Dorm. The driver arranged by Yukinoshita Haruno sent the two to the airport. It had to be said that Haruno was overly thoughtful, truly the epitome of a good wife. Yesterday, Haruno had also given him Issa Ogiwara's phone number, which she had found, because this little girl, Sayu, had forgotten her brother's phone number.
Today, Sayu was wearing the student uniform they had first seen her in. Her slender figure and delicate face, framed by the school skirt, made her look even younger and prettier. Passersby unconsciously glanced at her, their eyes fixed for a moment. Sayu Ogiwara nimbly held Renji's arm, a sweet smile on her lips.
Renji Kamisaka suddenly felt that there were even more envious eyes on him. Beautiful girls always attract attention.
After a moment, they passed through the ticket gate and boarded the economy class plane. They found their seats and sat down. Sayu Ogiwara looked around curiously, her eyes full of wonder, sparkling like a child's.
"Why, is this your first time on a plane?" Renji Kamisaka asked with a smile.
"Yes, it's my first time, and it feels quite exciting," Sayu replied, her tone cheerful.
"Alright, you can't crawl around even if it's exciting. Sit down and fasten your seatbelt."
"I know, Dad." Sayu stuck out her tongue.
"Uh... are you still addicted? I'm still very young, do I look like your father?"
The girl stuck her tongue out at him naughtily, and then sat down obediently.
But Renji Kamisaka suddenly saw a familiar figure. That fierce face and tall build. Isn't that Detective Daisuke Kosaka?
Daisuke Kosaka also saw him and his face immediately lit up. "What a coincidence, Renji, you're going to Hokkaido too?"
"Yes, it's the weekend and my friend invited me to go out," Renji Kamisaka also smiled and greeted him. But his eyes fell on the cute girl with light brown hair behind Daisuke. Is this... Kirino Kosaka?
Daisuke Kosaka seemed very enthusiastic. "This is my daughter, her name is Kirino, and I'm taking her to visit relatives this time." He turned to Kirino. "Kirino, this is a top student from Soubu High, Renji Kamisaka, say hello."
Hearing this, Kirino Kosaka, who was still a junior high school student, bowed politely to Renji Kamisaka, "Hello, Onii-chan, I'm Kirino Kosaka, please guide me as this is our first meeting."
"Hello, sister Kirino." Renji Kamisaka smiled brightly, and his handsome appearance made Kirino Kosaka a little dazed, and her cheeks flushed. She quickly lowered her head, as if she didn't dare to look at him anymore.
Seeing Renji charming the cute junior high school girl with a smile, Sayu Ogiwara immediately puffed out her cheeks and pinched him lightly in dissatisfaction.
Daisuke Kosaka was amused by what he saw. He couldn't help but say, "Alright, we won't bother you anymore. We'll talk about your life after graduation when we have a chance. See you later."
"Yes, see you again," Renji Kamisaka smiled and responded. When Daisuke Kosaka took Kirino away, he immediately frowned. He didn't want to be a detective. Uncle Daisuke, don't be so persistent.
The plane took off quickly. Sayu Ogiwara was sitting by the window, so she was very excited and kept looking at the scenery outside the window. Renji Kamisaka also felt happy when he saw her. He really hoped she would always be so lively and cute.
Sayu Ogiwara quickly calmed down. She placed her small hand in Renji Kamisaka's and let him hold it. This way she felt safe. There were still a few hours before arriving in Hokkaido, so she leaned her head on Renji's shoulder and closed her beautiful eyes.
Renji Kamisaka knew she was still nervous. But it didn't matter. This time she returned, she wanted to untangle all her knots. And he had to deal with her suicidal friend. If she committed suicide with unwillingness and resentment, she might become a ghost tied to the earth?
Several hours later.
The plane arrived at the airport in Hokkaido. Renji Kamisaka and Sayu Ogiwara finally saw a man waiting for them, wearing a suit and with a center-parted hairstyle.
"Sayu!" The man was Sayu Ogiwara's brother, Issa Ogiwara. He wanted to ask her why she hadn't contacted him for so long. But now wasn't the time to talk. So he asked the two to get into the car and drive to a quiet place.
"Sayu, why haven't you contacted me for so long? I called you but no one answered," Issa began, his voice filled with worry and a hint of anger. "And your name's Renji Kamisaka, right? What's your relationship with Sayu?"
Renji Kamisaka stepped forward and stood in front of the girl, letting Sayu hide slightly behind him. "I'm Sayu's boyfriend."
"Nonsense! How can a boyfriend not let her contact her family? You're the one who's keeping her under house arrest, aren't you?! You're committing a crime!" Issa Ogiwara grabbed Renji Kamisaka's arm and glared at him angrily, as if he was about to hit someone.
"Brother, stop it! Don't touch Renji!" Sayu Ogiwara pushed her brother's hand away firmly, her voice stronger than Issa had expected. "I didn't want to contact you or go home. When I was desperate, it was Renji who took me in and gave me a place to stay. I won't allow you to touch him!"
"Sayu..." Seeing his sister's imposing demeanor, Issa Ogiwara was stunned, a shocked expression flashing across his face. But soon, he showed a relieved smile. "Since you said so, are you ready to go home and face our mother now?"
"Yes, after all, I have to face reality," Sayu Ogiwara said, but her body trembled slightly, clearly reluctant to meet her mother.
"Then come home with me now, Mother... Mother's been worried about you," Issa tried to say something good about his mother, personally still hoping his sister would come home and be with the family.
"No way!" Sayu Ogiwara was like an exasperated cat, her back arching slightly. "Brother, you're lying! Mother wouldn't worry about me!"
"But she was looking for you too!" Issa Ogiwara tried to argue, a desperate tone in his voice.
"No way! Even if she wants to find me, there must be another reason. Brother, tell me honestly, what happened after I ran away from home?" Sayu Ogiwara's tone was firm, her eyes demanding an answer. She didn't believe for a moment that her mother would care about her daughter.
Issa Ogiwara sighed. "After you left, Mother was under a lot of pressure." He looked at Sayu and Renji, recounting the actual events. "The teachers at school saw that you hadn't been to school for so long, and they visited our house several times, but Mother sent them away with the excuse that you were suffering from autism and staying in your room." Issa shook his head. "But because they hadn't seen you for so long, they thought Mother had imprisoned you, and said they would call the police if they couldn't see you again."
Hearing this, Renji Kamisaka and Sayu Ogiwara both showed looks of understanding.
Renji Kamisaka commented, his tone flat. "So, she was just worried about being bothered by rumors that she imprisoned her daughter, so she wanted to find Sayu."
Sayu Ogiwara scoffed, disappointment clear on her face. "I knew it, and I didn't expect anything less."
Issa Ogiwara sighed helplessly. "Anyway, she's still your mother. Aren't you returning to see her this time and wanting to go home? If you have something to say, let's talk about it when we get home."
Sayu Ogiwara clenched her teeth and said nothing. Seeing this, Renji Kamisaka said to Issa Ogiwara, "Let's go back tomorrow. Today, Sayu has to go somewhere. Give her time to prepare, okay?"
Issa Ogiwara saw Sayu's expression, which was like that of a wounded animal, and could only agree reluctantly. "But I'll tell Mother about it. After all, she's almost lost her mind during this period..."
"Whatever you want," Renji replied briefly.
After Issa Ogiwara left, Sayu Ogiwara immediately threw herself into Renji Kamisaka's arms, tears falling uncontrollably onto Renji's shoulder.
Renji Kamisaka stroked her hair and said softly, "Let's go see your friends. You know I'm very special. Perhaps we can let you meet them again."
Sayu Ogiwara's eyes suddenly showed hope, a speck of light amidst her sadness.