Chapter 62: The World Is So Beautiful
Haruka didn't prolong the suspense, nor did he attempt any poorly timed jokes.
He simply smiled and clapped his hands.
From behind the door, Shoko, dressed in a white hospital gown, walked out timidly, looking a little lost.
Every step she took seemed cautious, yet surprisingly heavy, her feet making distinct thudding sounds against the floor.
It wasn't that she had forgotten how to walk. It was simply that she was adapting to this new world.
This world, which had been full of malice toward her since birth... seemed to have changed a little?
"Shoko?!"
Yaeko Nishimiya shot up from her seat, crying out Shoko's name with eyes full of excitement.
Shoko looked up in confusion and saw her mother. "Mo... Mom?"
This time, she forced herself not to read lips, relying solely on her ears to listen.
"..."
"Shoko?"
"Mom."
"..."
Seeing Shoko respond so naturally, Yaeko Nishimiya stood frozen in place, tears streaming down her cheeks.
A whole person...
Shoko had become a whole, normal person...
Shoko would no longer be a social outcast...
She... she finally didn't have to be the villain anymore...
She didn't have to endure the heartache of forcing her daughter to do extreme things just to survive...
Her daughter could finally seek her own happiness...
And she... was finally free...
Thud!
Yaeko Nishimiya suddenly collapsed to her knees. "Sob... Sob..."
She cried.
She cried loudly.
It was as if she were venting all the bitterness and hardship she had suppressed for so many years.
"Mom!"
Shoko hurriedly ran over and supported Yaeko.
Yaeko gripped Shoko's arm tightly. The expression on her face was one of relief and joy that Shoko had never seen before. Trembling, she reached out her hand and touched Shoko's ear, as if touching a precious treasure she had longed for all her life.
Seeing her mother like this, Shoko's heart ached.
She knew how much pressure her mother had been under because of her.
Back then, it was because of her that her father chose to leave.
All these years, her mother hadn't remarried, all for their sake.
Although her mother often pushed her hard, the person she owed the most to... was this ungentle mother.
It was she alone who raised Shoko and Yuzuru in this cruel society...
Having lived in society for several years now, Shoko could finally understand her mother's hardships.
Shoko hugged her mother tightly.
In that moment, the two were finally reconciled.
Beside them, Yuzuru and Grandma were also filled with joy.
Especially seeing this scene, Grandma breathed a sigh of relief. Shoko was her poor granddaughter, and Yaeko was her poor daughter-in-law. The underlying conflict between them had given her headaches for the past two years.
Now, everything was fine. Shoko had become a normal person and found her own happiness. The conflict with her daughter-in-law was resolved, and Yuzuru was on the right path. When she passed away, she could finally rest in peace.
In the Hospital corridor. Mother and daughter held each other and cried.
But there was no sadness in their cries, only joy and happiness.
***
Haruka didn't interfere in the reconciliation between Shoko and her family.
Instead, he stood quietly to the side, watching with a smile.
He watched as Shoko recovered from her crying fit and began to comfort her mother.
This was a good thing.
He just needed to give Shoko time.
'Also…'
'Now that Shoko is cured... should we get married?' The thought crossed Haruka's mind.
[You cured Shoko.]
[Your drug was extremely effective; there wasn't even an adaptation period. Now, Shoko's hearing is no different from an ordinary person's.]
[After Shoko's ears were cured, you suddenly felt that your obsession had vanished. The sense that the universe had been guiding you faded as well.]
[You knew that if you were to research a miraculous drug like the auditory nerve regenerator again right now, it probably wouldn't go so smoothly.]
[After Shoko's hearing was restored, you took Shoko to meet up with friends you hadn't seen in a long time.]
The familiar Garden of Words Restaurant.
Haruka vaguely remembered that their gathering over two years ago had been held here. However, that gathering hadn't been perfect due to various real-life reasons; not everyone had even shown up.
Two years later, another gathering. And this time, everyone came.
Hitori Gotoh, with her explosive figure but timid speech—a walking contradiction—was chugging low-alcohol wine from a glass. Under the influence of alcohol, she drank more and more heroically, releasing her inner self. Behind her, the expressionless Ryo Yamada was secretly sticking a piece of paper on Bocchi's back.
Beside them, Nijika Ijichi and Ikuyo Kita looked conflicted, sensing that Bocchi was about to be pranked.
Dressed in simple black clothes and wearing no makeup, Yukino Yukinoshita smiled beautifully, sipping wine from her glass. However, her other hand—completely contradicting her elegant demeanor—was pinching Yumiko Miura, who was trying to liven up the atmosphere next to her.
Fumino Furuhashi, looking mature and graceful in a sky-blue dress, was trying to mediate the atmosphere. However, her efforts were constantly ruined by Rizu Ogata's blunt, straightforward comments, which unintentionally made the gathering even livelier.
Gentle, considerate, and poised, Shoko sat close to Haruka. She was speaking softly to Kazusa Touma, who sat opposite them, staring intently at Haruka while gripping her wine glass tightly with both hands.
As for Haruka?
He was currently on the phone with Hayato Hayama, roasting him.
As his best male friend since high school, Hayato had taken one look at the guest list and decisively claimed something urgent had come up, promising to meet another time while giving Haruka a strange look.
Before leaving, he had even warned Haruka: He had recently watched an anime called School Days and felt it had significant educational value for certain groups of people. He sincerely suggested Haruka watch it, saying it would be even better if he gained some enlightenment from it.
He also stated that if anything uncontrollable truly happened, Haruka could come to him for help. Although such things might slightly violate his code of conduct, he felt that doing something slightly unsavory to help a friend shouldn't strictly count as a violation.
Only after Hayama left did Haruka remember what School Days was about.
WTF?!
He hadn't done anything!
How could Hayama smear a man's innocence out of thin air?!
So, he immediately called to complain.
As soon as the call connected.
"Haruka?! Did it crash and burn that fast?! Where are you? I'm coming over right now! Hang in there!"
Hearing Hayama's anxious voice on the other end, Haruka's face scrunched up into a ball.
"Hayama… is that really how you see me?" Only when Hayama's voice grew even more frantic did Haruka finally speak.
"...You're okay?"
"..."
Realizing something, Hayama mumbled a few vague words and immediately hung up.
Haruka turned his head to look at the people at the gathering.
Suddenly, he understood Hayama a little. Haruka shook his head, half amused.
He sat back down in his seat.
They laughed and chatted together.
Amidst the laughter, a staff member of the Garden of Words Restaurant, at Haruka's request, took a photo.
Everyone in the photo had their own unique character, laughing and playing.
Afterward, Haruka sent this photo to everyone.
It was a memento worth keeping.
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