After a long while, Chiba Shimizu slowly spoke, "Yumeko, you must really resent me, right?"
Otome Mizuko didn't say a word, she remained quiet, like a still pond. Seeing this, Chiba Shimizu reached out to gently tidy the strands of hair falling over her ear:
"Yumeko, actually at first, I wasn't interested in Haruka Yuzan at all."
"He was narcissistic, vulgar, liked to brag, and his grades were always below mine, so I never understood why you liked him."
"Later, I ran away from home, and it happened that Haruka was the landlord from whom I wanted to rent a place. I thought I'd stay for a while and then leave... but then I met Sister Reiko…"
The girl kept talking, sharing her own story.
Sunlight slanted in, sketching half-bright, half-dark lines across her face.
Her brows were intricately drawn, like ink marks made with fine strokes, gently pressing down towards the corners of her eyes, making those almond-shaped eyes lose some of their softness.
Her pupils were deep black, looking over like obsidian soaking in cold water, radiating aloofness.
Her lips were thin, colored a faint pink, and when pressed together, the outline was remarkably clear.
Very beautiful, an exceptionally beautiful girl.
And Miss Otome beside her was equally stunning, though less assertive, yet exuding a sense of fragility and decay.
In Haruka Yuzan's words:
"I could squat by their side for ten thousand years just to watch the side profiles of these two beautiful girls."
Chiba Shimizu spoke slowly.
The story of these past six months is extensive, taking 1.25 million words to barely describe it all.
"Sister Reiko is different from anyone I met before. She has no fame, no complaints, only tenderness and caring.
I don't understand why there's no negative emotion in a person. I started observing, looking for any flaw, but I failed.
I even saw the shadow of my mother in her.
I thought: staying and living in the villa might be quite nice."
The girl rarely showed smiles.
Even Haruka Yuzan himself had barely seen it.
"I started considering this a home, Misaki, Hoshina, Rika... even Roast Meat, they are my family."
"I know Haruka Yuzan is a scumbag, I thought I'd never fall for him."
She bowed her head, her smile somewhat bitter.
The autumn wind carried the scent of maple leaves into the courtyard, the buds and leaves of Biluochun gently unfolding in the porcelain cup on the stone table, the two girls sat side by side, their skirt hems rippling in slight arcs on the bluestone slab.
"Have you finished chatting?" This update ıs available on NoveI[F]ire.net
Haruka Yuzan just came out of the bathroom and bumped into Chiba Shimizu.
The girl's gaze was calm as she walked past him towards the second floor.
Haruka suddenly called.
In the stairway, Chiba Shimizu looked back.
"I just want to tell you, I don't regret it."
Haruka Yuzan's tone was firm, just like that evening.
Chiba Shimizu was silent for a while, then nodded:
Haruka Yuzan watched her leaving figure, then sighed and returned to the front yard.
The young lady was more silent than before.
But Haruka could feel a vitality slowly blooming from her, no longer as lifeless as before.
He again lay in the rocking chair, continuing to tell stories to the young lady.
This treatment might take a long time, but Haruka Yuzan was willing to spend his life making amends.
In the afternoon, Rika Onodera returned to the villa.
Misaki Saki had just come out of the bathroom, the female little devil looked messy, her hair disheveled, cheeks flushed, even her calves were trembling a bit.
"Eh? Sister Misaki, what happened to you?"
Wearing a safety helmet, Little Rika ran over, curiously looking at the big sister who was only half a head taller than her.
"I... I got engrossed watching Crayon Shin-chan while showering, and before I knew it, I had been standing for over an hour; now I'm a bit tired."
She casually made up an excuse.
Rika Onodera didn't understand much, but nodded anyway, "Sister Misaki, let's go upstairs and play!"
She happily hugged Misaki Saki's arm.
But the female little devil felt sticky and uncomfortable: "Rika, um, you just got back, go take a shower first, and then we can play."
Rika Onodera nodded vigorously.
The two little ones headed upstairs, Misaki Saki's voice lingered softly:
"Rika, let's shower together later."
"Huh? Sister Misaki, didn't you just finish washing?"
"Rika, you showering alone makes me uneasy; I need to keep an eye on you."
"Sister Misaki, did you sweat a lot?"
"No, no, I'm telling you, all that's on me is because of that bad Haruka Yuzan."
"Huh? Brother Haruka?"
"Yeah, that bad guy, I just finished showering and he messed me up! Isn't he bad?"
The two little ones went upstairs, and the ground floor hall became quiet and peaceful again.
They stayed in the front yard until dusk.
In between, Reiko Onodera came by several times.
Serving tea, delivering snacks.
Offering warmth, fanning and shading.
Even if Otome Mizuko didn't respond at all, the lady would still inquire with a smile, Haruka Yuzan saw that the madam seemed to have come to terms and felt at ease.
He enjoyed these leisurely daily moments.
No need to worry, no need for caution, he could even write his life into pen and ink without fear of being misused.
Just living slowly , writing the ending slowly, Haruka was quite satisfied.
Approaching dusk, Reiko Onodera had started to prepare dinner for everyone, Haruka Yuzan also took Otome Mizuko back to the hall to follow the anime.
Arisugawa Hoshina was initially reading on the sofa but became... uneasy upon seeing them approach.
"Um, Haruka, Yumeko, I'll go to the kitchen to see if there's anything I can help with."
She felt guilty like a mistress confronted by the main wife, striding towards the kitchen with her long legs.
"Eh? Hoshina, why are you here?"
"Sister Reiko, I came to help."
Hearing the faint sound of their voices in the living room, Haruka Yuzan didn't pay much attention.
Everyone needed a period of adjustment.
Especially now, as almost all relationships had been exposed, the interaction naturally wasn't as comfortable as when they were 'sneaky' back then.
After dinner, everyone returned upstairs to pack their luggage for the trip tomorrow.
Many were going abroad for the first time, and the excitement was palpable.
Haruka Yuzan didn't have the mood to fool around with others now—except for Misaki in the afternoon, which was a punishment for the female little devil.