Chapter 50: Things Change, People Change, Hidden Worries, and a Straight Question!
Beep... Beep... Beep...
Fumino Furuhashi didn't pick up.
"Fumino-chan works at the Astronomy Institute now," Shoko suddenly said. "She might still be working overtime."
Haruka continued down the list of contacts.
Click.
The call connected.
"Rizu?"
"Kasugano-san? I apologize. Business at the shop was too good this morning; I was so busy I lost track of time. I'll head over in a bit."
From the other end of the line, Haruka could faintly hear her father's anxious shouting and the clamor of impatient customers.
"Don't worry about it. There will be other gatherings in the future. You have to run the business properly, or you'll scare away the Goddess of Fortune. By the way, I'm definitely coming to your shop next time, so make sure you show off your skills then."
"Understood. If Kasugano-san comes, I will serve the best udon in the shop."
Rizu Ogata's serious voice came through the phone.
Clearly, she took his joke literally.
Haruka smiled and shook his head. Rizu hadn't changed a bit.
However, business...
In the end, she had returned to her family's small shop.
"With Rizu-chan there, her family's shop has expanded quite a bit. It's just that they're getting busier and busier," Shoko said, holding Haruka's hand.
Since Shoko was the one who usually kept in touch with them, Haruka rarely contacted them himself and didn't know much about their current situations. He needed Shoko to fill him in.
"Ah, so both of them are tied up. Looks like they can't make it. That just leaves Kazusa. Did she return to the country?"
"Mm-hmm. Kazusa-chan said she was coming back for a piano recital."
Haruka thought for a moment, then decided to let Shoko call Kazusa.
He still remembered that overly intimate gesture Kazusa made at graduation...
Shoko dialed the number.
A crisp, cool female voice came from the other end. "Shoko?"
"Kazusa-chan, where are you? Why aren't you here yet?"
"They just announced the flight is delayed. I don't know exactly when it will take off. You guys start without me," Kazusa Touma explained.
The sound of an airport broadcast could be faintly heard in the background.
It seemed she had only just found out herself.
The call ended.
The four of them looked at each other.
It was supposed to be a gathering of ten, but in the end, only four people were actually present.
Yukino shook her head slightly. "Let's not dwell on it. It can't be helped."
She took a sip of her coffee, then looked up, her gaze sharp.
"So, Haruka. When are you planning to marry Shoko?"
???
A straight question from the Ice Queen!
Shoko's face instantly turned a deep shade of crimson, and Haruka froze.
Marriage.
The ultimate symbol of love.
Although in recent years, marriage had become somewhat casual—almost like fast food for some—in the context of true love, it remained the most sacred of words.
Especially for a relationship as deep as theirs.
It represented so much.
To love and to cherish.
To share joy and sorrow.
To stay together until death parts them.
But...
It also represented responsibility.
Her parents, her life, her future...
"Two becoming one" was never just an empty phrase for true lovers.
Haruka didn't think he was ready yet.
Especially since he was sick.
Although the frequency of those memories surfacing had decreased over the years, they hadn't truly disappeared. He occasionally went for checkups, but there was no improvement.
Especially now that he had studied medicine, he understood just how bizarre and intractable his condition was.
Therefore, the moment he thought of marriage.
Haruka couldn't help but flinch internally.
He wasn't afraid of taking responsibility.
He was just afraid he wouldn't be able to walk with her to the very end.
Haruka's expression shifted unpredictably.
Shoko's mood was equally heavy.
She didn't know if she could stay with Haruka forever.
Am I worthy?
Haruka was a chosen one, a genius...
All this time, she had felt like a fragile vine clinging to Haruka's steady support.
She couldn't bring any help to his future or his life.
All she could offer was insignificant care.
She cooked for him, checked in on his health, took care of the daily chores—
but were those small acts really enough to justify clinging to Haruka's side?
The thought made her uncomfortable.
Does someone as ugly as me deserve to walk the rest of the path with him?
Shoko had no answer in her heart, for a moment, neither of them spoke.
The atmosphere became excruciatingly awkward.
Hitori Gotoh was so anxious her face turned red. Her fingers twisted together non-stop; despite her unexpectedly feminine figure, her behavior right now felt like a panicked child.
Yukino Yukinoshita frowned deeply.
Any idiot could see there was a massive problem between these two!
Their relationship looked fine on the surface.
Shoko could even speak fluently now.
So what was the obstacle?
Family factors?
Her brain began to storm with possibilities.
Suddenly, she spoke, shattering the frozen atmosphere.
"What exactly is going on with you two? If you don't want this to end in some melodramatic soap opera tragedy, you'd better clear the air right now."
"Don't hide things in the name of 'being good for the other person.' Am I right? Haruka, Shoko."
A Straight Question!
Yukino destroyed the stifling mood in a way Hitori couldn't even imagine, let alone dare to attempt.
"Ah... ah, right. That's how it is between friends. Between lovers, you... you definitely shouldn't hide things. You should say it out loud and understand each other," Hitori stammered, looking at Shoko and Haruka.
Although she stuttered slightly, Hitori's gaze didn't waver. There was a newfound firmness in her eyes.
Haruka glanced at Shoko. He was debating whether to reveal his illness.
And Shoko was looking at Haruka, wondering if he would despise her.
"..."
Seeing the hesitation on Shoko's face, Haruka steeled his heart.
He spoke directly. "Shoko, there's something I think I need to tell you."
"Haruka, I... I also have something I want to say to you."
"Mm."
"Haruka... can we really get married?"
"I... I can't help you with anything. I'll only drag you down. Do I really deserve..."
At this moment, Haruka finally understood Shoko's concerns.
In the end, it was still inferiority, an inferiority complex that had followed her like a shadow from childhood to adulthood.
It was true what they said.
Lucky people are healed by their childhood for a lifetime.
Unlucky people spend a lifetime healing from their childhood.
"Shoko, if not for some personal reasons of mine, I would drag you to the ward office to register right now."
Haruka interrupted Shoko with a helpless tone.
"Stop letting your imagination run wild. There is no 'deserve' or 'don't deserve.' Your existence is far more precious and important to me than you think."
"If you're really going to carry this around forever, what—should I quit my job and turn into someone you have to take care of?" Haruka said, half-joking, half-serious.
"No!" Shoko rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him.
"If that ever happened… I don't think I could forgive myself."
"I won't think like that anymore."
Haruka smiled.
He knew it, using reverse psychology like this would definitely dispel Shoko's thoughts.
After all, how could she bear to let him "self-destruct"?
Opposite them, Yukino and Hitori saw Haruka's smile.
They both had the same thought: This guy... is truly cunning!
-----
Hand over all of your Power Stones so we can reach 300 and another new chapter will drop right away!
For advanced chapters: Patreon.com/Demonic_Fiction