Chapter 21: Meeting the Parents, Going Deaf, and Doubt
[Days passed, one after another.]
[You accompanied Shoko to and from work every day. You took her to amusement parks, restaurants, and home theaters. Occasionally, you two would engage in some small, romantic intimacies.]
[You gradually let go of company affairs, handing them over to Ai Hayasaka.]
[You also introduced Shoko to your parents.]
[Your parents had spent years working away from home. Although they never let you go hungry, they had essentially adopted a 'free-range' parenting style. Now that you were successful in your career, they found it difficult to object to your major life decisions. So, although they weren't entirely satisfied with Shoko, they reluctantly accepted her.]
[Perhaps the real reason was that they didn't think the two of you would make it to the end anyway.]
[However, your sister's reaction was abnormal. She watched Shoko with a cold, detached gaze. She never took the initiative to say hello and seemed full of hostility.]
[You felt helpless. You knew what Sora was like in the anime from your past life. You were also aware that in this life, Sora really felt a strange attraction toward you, which some degenerates might think offered a certain 'room for maneuver'. But you had absolutely no thoughts in that direction. You grew up together; how could you harbor any improper feelings? You had never even tried to farm affection points with her.]
[So, she shouldn't have this kind of attitude. You couldn't figure it out at all.]
[In the end, you had no solution. You could only let time wash everything away.]
[After meeting your parents, Shoko acted very happy in front of you, as if she didn't care about your family's attitude at all. However, late at night, you saw Shoko sitting alone, staring blankly at the moonlight.]
[Regardless, life went on.]
[The current you seemed to have turned into a househusband, sticking to Shoko like glue every day, talking about her daily life.]
[Shoko was immersed in this life, and even you seemed to linger in this peaceful happiness.]
[However, occasionally, when you looked at the clock, your eyes were always filled with melancholy.]
[Six months flashed by in an instant.]
[One early morning, you and Shoko woke up in bed.]
"Shoko, what do you want to eat today?"
Haruka stretched his waist, speaking in a groggy, sleepy voice.
But he didn't get a response from Shoko.
Haruka paused.
He got up and pushed open the bedroom door as quietly as possible.
Finally, he found Shoko on the balcony.
She was sitting there alone, holding the hearing aid for her left ear in her hand, shaking it constantly.
Suddenly.
She threw the hearing aid in her hand outward with force, as if she wanted to vent something. But the moment it left her hand, she snatched it back and clenched it tight.
Her body staggered, and she almost fell over.
"Ugh... ugh..."
She crouched down, and the sound of suppressed, fine sobbing filled the air.
After a long time, she suddenly looked at the clock in the living room as if remembering something. She hurriedly wiped away her tears and tried her best to smile in front of the glass reflection.
She adjusted her smile, making it as warm as it usually was.
Only then did she head toward the kitchen.
Behind her.
The bedroom door Haruka had pushed open had silently closed at some point.
[Witnessing everything, you made a resolution.]
[The next day, you called Yuzuru, who was living next door to make taking care of Shoko easier.]
[You told Yuzuru about your surprise, hoping to get her assistance.]
[Yuzuru was deeply moved, but she did not agree with your idea. She believed her family owed you too much already. As it turned out, she always felt that her sister and you wouldn't last long, because the future of total deafness in two years was too despairing. She thought her sister would only become a bigger burden, and that was unfair to you.]
[She was even thinking that once she had the ability, she would take her sister away and care for her herself. But she didn't want to separate Shoko from you, because she could see Shoko's happiness and your sincerity.]
[Now, hearing about your so-called surprise, her complex heart only felt more guilt. Therefore, she didn't want to agree to your plan.]
[You scolded Yuzuru.]
"What are you thinking? Who do you think you are? And who do you think I am?"
Haruka looked at the cool and dashing young girl in front of him with a cold face.
"You're just a student who hasn't even finished her studies, someone whose own future isn't even guaranteed. Where do you get the nerve to talk about taking care of others?"
"Take care? With what?!"
"Who am I? I am Haruka Kasugano, the owner of a company. I can take Shoko to private hospitals. I can get Shoko the best hearing aids. I can make Shoko happy. Can you do any of that?"
"Burden? What burden? I made this decision myself, and I'll see it through even if it kills me. Besides, Shoko has never been a burden. If it weren't for her back then, I might have died of exhaustion in school."
This was a faint premonition he had after graduating high school. He didn't know why, but he just had a feeling—if he hadn't become friends with Shoko, he likely would have died somewhere in that school. And it felt like that had actually happened before.
Of course, now that he had graduated from university, he had long since thrown that inexplicable premonition to the back of his mind. Saying it now was just to explain things to Yuzuru. But from the bottom of his heart, he truly had never regretted it.
Even if he had been annoyed, angry, or frustrated that she wouldn't stand up for herself—he had never regretted meeting her.
Love was indeed the most terrifying poison in the world.
"I have never forgotten the words I said that night."
Finally, Haruka said this to Yuzuru.
"...I understand."
Yuzuru lowered her head, her voice trembling.
"I will help you... Brother-in-law."
"Mhm.."
[After convincing Yuzuru, you sought out many others, including Yuzuru's mother and grandmother, as well as your own parents, sister, and relatives.]
[You faced severe skepticism. Your parents firmly opposed your rash decision. Even your sister didn't understand you; she locked herself in her room and ignored you.]
[You felt lost.]
[You understood that your approach might seem wrong to them, and it was normal for your relatives not to understand. If anything, it was actually your fault. But you still felt uncomfortable in your heart. You knew this was because you were used to the unconditional understanding and support of your family.]
[At night, you looked at the night sky alone. You picked up your phone and found that your contacts were mostly so-called 'business partners' you met after entering society.]
[There wasn't a single person you could call to come out for a drink and talk about what was really on your mind.]
[You scrolled to your university and high school group chats.]
[You suddenly thought of Yukino, Miura, and Hayama from high school.]
"I wonder how they are doing now."
Haruka scrolled through his phone.
He saw the daily updates they posted.
Hayama seemed to have become a driver? No, it looked more like he was working as the Yukinoshita family's personal driver.
Most of the messages Miura posted were about shopping or fashion items. However, there were no direct interactions with Hayama. They probably didn't end up together.
As for Yukino... nothing.
Not a single update.
It was as if she didn't use social media at all.
Was she still that solitary?
Haruka scrolled through the contact list again.
Like a lurker, he constantly watched, but said nothing.
[Frustrated, you turned off your phone and decided to go for a walk outside.]
----
Since we passed 100 Power Stones, here's your extra chapter...
HAND OVER YOUR GODDAMN INFINITY STONES!! 💎
📜 Every 100 Power Stones → +1 extra chapter
🔥 If you want to see extra character visuals
🔥 Or if you want to read +20 chapters ahead
I'm waiting for you on p 4trƐon.
You can search "Demonic_Fiction" on p 4trƐon, or you can find my p 4trƐon link in the synopsis or on my profile.