"You know? I was a little jealous of you." It seemed that Kurono had decided to talk and explain everything that was happening to Shizune, but before that, his thoughts turned in a direction that he thought necessary to take, and at the same time, his words confused Shizune a bit.
"What do you mean?" Shizune had an expression that you could compare to a person who had just woken up in a completely unfamiliar room, but the situation was a bit different than that.
She couldn't understand Kurono, and several questions were appearing in her mind that she was asking herself in an attempt to guess what would come next.
'Jealousy? Why would Kurono be jealous of me…?' Thanks to all that, even the idea that she was to blame for what happened to Kurono was about to appear in her mind again, but Kurono hurried on to answer Shizune's earlier question to avoid any misunderstanding.
"Remember when I told you there was something I hadn't told you about yet about myself?" Shizune nodded, it hadn't been too long since that, it was before everyone went on a trip to the town. She and Kurono had taken some time to talk about their own concerns, and even though it all happened suddenly, Shizune was able honest with him and tell him about her past, at the same time, she realized exactly what Kurono meant. "Yes, that's what I mean."
Kurono could see how Shizune's eyes widened a little more as a sign that she had just understood everything, so he didn't need to continue acting mysteriously.
"I was jealous and upset with myself for the fact that you were able to fully trust me and tell me about your past, those memories, both happy and sad and obviously difficult for you to express…" Shizune had also adopted a somewhat more attitude serious after hearing Kurono, but she wasn't going to interrupt him. "I guess it sounds silly for me to express myself that way, but it was the only conclusion I came to, and now, I feel like an idiot for trying to ignore it all."
Shizune was now fully aware that the scene that was unfolding was quite similar to what Kurono was describing, only this time she had the role of supporting him, so even though she couldn't express it directly, she believed that by being there for him it was what she had to do now.
Kurono was also grateful that Shizune didn't seem to be uncomfortable and that instead, she moved a little closer to him. Kurono was already thinking about how to say all that he was hiding in his heart, maybe it was all triggered by the fact that Shizune had already been honest with him while he hadn't yet, but he didn't need to make any more excuses.
"I already told you a little about my past, the fact that I lost my parents in an accident and was left completely alone when I was still a child..." The atmosphere had fallen a little more with Kurono's words, he knew that this way would be the situation, but Shizune was no stranger to everything he was saying. "I guess I didn't say it before, but my mother's name is Hana, while my father's is Kenji."
Despite everything, Shizune was paying close attention since, even if there were times when Kurono mentioned something related to his past, he never delved into it, so all of this was new to her and she would make sure not to forget it.
"We were a family which you could consider normal, or at least that's what I come to remember, maybe the situation was not as happy as I try to believe."
"Of course it was." Shizune couldn't help but speak after listening to Kurono. "Sorry, clearly I can't take things for granted or know about your past, but it's what I feel, just like me, I'm sure that your parents loved you too much, Kurono."
Shizune's worried, yet determined face made Kurono suppress those feelings that threatened to come out of him. As he had said, he learned to accept what happened and be able to grow as a person, so his past was always present in him, the memory of his parents, the little moments, and the feelings that still remained with him was a strong incentive to go ahead and live for them because if there was ever a chance he could see them again, Kurono wanted to at least tell them he lived a good life.
So, just by listening to Shizune, Kurono felt the need to berate himself once more.
"Thank you, Shizune. I know I said all that, but I also feel that way, it's just that I can't deny that there were times when the negative feelings were stronger and made me think about unnecessary things… Also, thank you for being here with me, you don't know how grateful I am." Kurono's face had relaxed a little more, although it had to change a bit because Shizune wasn't going to stay without saying anything.
"Do not mention it. You were also there for me before, I knew I had many things to say, but you listened to each one of them and gave me the strength I needed, so it's the least I can do for you." Shizune had given him a kind smile again to Kurono. She knew that the conversation could be somewhat complicated, but now that she knew that Kurono wanted to tell her many important things, she was not going to ignore him in any way.
Kurono paused for a moment to remember his old self, the one who had given himself a chance despite everything that was in his mind. He had taken a long time to try to take a step forward, and as a result of all this, Shizune was now part of his life, and if it weren't for the fact that he knew that the situation was not the right one, he would like to express to her in a thousand ways how much he loved her.
"Now I think I know how you felt at that moment... I know it's unnecessary at this point, but I need to ask you." Kurono convinced himself that he was making the situation more complicated than it should be, but remembering the words from Shizune, the few doubts that remained with him gradually vanished. "Could you listen to me?"