That story had resulted in Shizune being aware of the place where Kurono grew up as well as many aspects of his past thanks to the conversation she had with Aoi. It had been quite a pleasant moment and there was no shortage of situations where they both laughed because Kurono seemed embarrassed by what he heard.
But putting all those memories aside, Aoi still took some time to speak directly with Kurono, and in between many of those conversations, she couldn't help but tell Shizune about all the help Kurono had given to the institution, which was enough to surprise her.
All of the above had expanded Shizune's knowledge, so going back to the main scene, Shizune didn't mention anything unnecessary when Kurono started talking about his past in that situation.
"I suppose you remember all the stories that the director told during our visit, I don't want you to think that it was some kind of lie, I was really able to grow up happily in that place, and for that very reason, I am so grateful to it and the director because of the care she gave me." Kurono expressed what was in his heart, although he had to bring up the melancholic feeling he was experiencing at that moment. "But the first time I arrived it was quite difficult for me to get used to it... Everything was new, it was not what I could call home, there were unfamiliar faces everywhere, and that feeling of sadness hit me every moment… But in the end, I guess I have to thank Kazumi-nee for not letting me not drown in all those feelings."
Kurono didn't stop after that, what followed was practically Kurono's life story told by himself. How he learned to accept his new life, open up to others, and feel that he wasn't alone in this world, and how important it was for him to be able to live his life relatively normally.
Going to school, taking care of the other children in the orphanage, helping in any way he could, and even taking jobs hidden from the caregivers with the sole objective of improving and helping the quality of life of those who were important to him at that moment. All this was told calmly and trying not to forget anything important, Kurono could still see that Shizune's attention was totally focused on him, so there was no reason to stop, besides, talking about all this had made him control his feelings a little better.
"I guess you might even think that that was all that was relevant to my life, just leaving last how I became independent and started working towards the goal of starting my own company, but there is something I still need to tell you… And that is the reason why I practically forgot about being in a romantic relationship… All because of a feeling that was very hard for me to get over, even though I think that with the way I'm acting, I still can't completely put the past behind me. Kurono's expression had turned complicated once more, but, just like the attention Shizune had taken all this time, what Kurono had just said was a very important aspect that was always a mystery to her.
"I guess that's what's been on your mind today... From what I can understand, it's a difficult memory for you, but if you feel you need to tell me, I won't try to stop you." At this point, Shizune didn't want to hold back Kurono, it was like the time when she was telling him many painful aspects of her life, she felt that that moment was the only one in which she could tell him all that, and she was grateful to him for not asking her to stop, for which she situation was practically the same on this occasion.
Kurono didn't say anything about it, but he was grateful to Shizune for her words. He couldn't get distracted now that he had come to another one of the topics that had practically changed the course of his life, so he simply let the memories of him speak for themselves.
"First I have to confess something to you..." Putting aside his serious attitude a bit, Kurono knew that he had to mention a secret that he was keeping from Shizune all this time, it was something he wanted to mention at another time before Kazumi was the one to say it, but it seemed like everything had come together for it.
"What is it about?" Shizune's curiosity was quite obvious, but the response he received next left her practically speechless.
"I... I was in love with Kazumi-nee for a large part of my life..." Kurono had said what he had kept deep inside him, he could see Shizune's expression at that moment, and by the way her eyes widened in surprise, he knew that perhaps it had been too much for her.
"You... But..." Shizune was trying to say something, but although he wanted to express whatever idea was in his mind, the words couldn't come out of his mouth properly, which allowed Kurono to continue explaining.
"Yes, you may be a bit surprised… But back then it was my sincere feelings. I don't know when it happened, I always treated her like a real big sister since we were always together, I was also grateful to her for allowing me to get out of the darkness in which I locked myself in, she was always like a little sun happy that she could make the sadness she felt vanish... So I guess my feelings for her grew little by little combined with the gratitude I felt for her." Kurono was opening himself up as best he could, he didn't want any misunderstanding to arise as a result of it, he stressed many times that that had been the past, and now, he could only see Kazumi as that, as his beloved older sister and the closest thing he could consider family in the present.
For her part, Shizune felt strange with everything she had just heard, she never imagined that the past kept all that hidden, but she also felt that Kurono was not messing around or playing a joke on her, she could also notice his intention to make her understand that all that was in the past, but her need to investigate a little more had been stronger.
"Did you ever confess it to Kazumi?" It wasn't because Shizune wanted to cause any trouble or a feeling of insecurity had started to drive her, her question took Kurono's feelings into account, she didn't know if everything he had told her was known to Kazumi, so she wanted to make sure of it.