Kurono just heard Shizune's question. If someone asked him, he would say that he didn't feel strange that Shizune was curious about it, and since there was no going back, he would make sure to be as honest as possible with his answers.
"Believe it or not, I confessed to Kazumi-nee on more than one occasion." And just like before, Shizune was surprised by what she heard. "I guess the first time was when we were kids, surely you remember what she said about me asking her to be my wife when we grew up or those things."
Even if it was something without too much depth and just childish feelings, Kurono could consider this as the first time he felt a kind of affection beyond friendship, enough to compare it to a crush.
"Of course, all of that remained a simple childish game, Kazumi-nee used to hit me whenever I told her all that, but once we grew up, my attempts didn't stop, but she didn't care about them since she always saw me as her brother and his family." Shizune had not spoken during Kurono's explanation since she wanted to know the whole background story before commenting. "I also knew that I had to reduce my desperate attempts, and it was precisely in high school that the situation calmed down enough, I had left Kazumi-nee alone and our relationship was that of simple siblings, or so it could be considered."
Shizune could see a small smile on Kurono's face, she didn't know the exact reason for it, but she could guess that some good memories were appearing in his mind while he was talking about all this, although it wouldn't last long either.
"But despite all that, I think it had been during my first year of high school. Kazumi-nee was in her second year due to the age difference between us, but at that time I had made up my mind... I was going to tell her my feelings as best as possible." Kurono took a few seconds to notice Shizune's expression, he did not want his words would create some trouble or misunderstanding, but from the way she was looking at him closely, it was enough to calm him down. "I don't even know how I did it, but Kazumi-nee had agreed to go on a date with me. I guess that maybe it was because I hadn't tried to tell her something related to the fact that I liked her in over a year, but that was the opportunity I wanted."
Shizune was following the story as best she could, she was still aware that Kurono was practically talking about how he was trying to win over Kazumi in the past, but oddly enough, she didn't feel uncomfortable or anything, she really wanted to know where it was leading Kurono's entire story.
"And everything went on in a relatively normal way, I invited her to tour the city, some of her favorite places, eat all food that she wanted, and finally the time came that I considered perfect to confess once more..." For some reason, Kurono felt a little dejected remembering everything that, surely he would like to go back in time just to comfort Kurono from the past a bit, but there was no way he would do that.
"And what happened?" Shizune was a bit caught up in the story, and though she asked, she could guess what was following as she could tell from the complicated expression that hadn't left Kurono's face.
"She rejected me once again… But compared to the past, this time she took the time to talk to me about many things. About the fact that she couldn't accept my feelings, partly because she really considered me as her only family, but the main reason was so surprising and hard to believe for me at the time."
"Did she tell you that she liked girls?" Shizune's question had unconsciously come out of her mouth, and from the way Kurono had just given a big sigh, she knew that she was right.
"Yes… I honestly couldn't believe him, I felt like it was a silly excuse to make me stop, but then she kept talking to me and trying to explain everything in detail. She told me that at first she didn't accept my feelings because she simply didn't feel the same way, but as the years went by, she realized that she never felt an attraction to the opposite sex, and finally... She told me that she already was in a relationship with a girl, even showed me a photo of the two of them, and that she was looking for the perfect moment to tell me about." Kurono's gaze was lost for a few moments and his voice was no longer heard until after a while. "I didn't know what to do after hearing all that, so it all ended with me running away and leaving Kazumi behind…"
Shizune opened her mouth in an attempt to say something, but she didn't know exactly what to say either. From everything Kurono told, it seemed that he had been hurt by all of this, but if she thought calmly, it was surely a similar case for Kazumi.
"I know, it was not the best decision. Surely Kazumi-nee expected my support and I just ended up hurting her, it didn't help that after all that I tried to avoid her every time I met her." Again, Kurono felt the need to go back in time, but this time to hit the Kurono from back then because of his way of acting. "I had no right to be upset with her, and believe it or not, that situation lasted until my second year of high school."
Shizune also felt the need to say something to Kurono because of the way she treated Kazumi, she could imagine the situation up to this point a little better, and for the simple fact that Kazumi was her friend, she felt very bad for her, and a little upset with Kurono.
"You don't need to say anything, I was a complete idiot who just followed his own feelings without considering hers, the director had been aware of what had happened and scolded me countless times, and it wasn't until that incident happened that the whole situation changed completely." Kurono was again remembering the best he could about the past, he hadn't even reached the important part and he knew he was going to have a hard time talking about it, but everything he was explaining to Shizune was necessary for that she could understand him a little better… Or so he hoped.