The discussion came to a close once the matter of compensation was resolved, and at long last, justice was served to the mother-son duo.
Fifteen years had passed, but progress, no matter how delayed, still held its significance. Such an opportunity couldn't be squandered.
Thanks to Ryuji Nakamura's unreasonable demands, the funds granted to the Nomuras were more than enough to even cover Ginger's university tuition and sustain him and his mother for a considerable period. Yumiko could even contemplate starting her own small business, whatever endeavor she might choose.
Overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of zeros in her newfound account, the woman initially intended on rejecting such a substantial sum, had it not been for Kentaro's convincing persuasion.
Ken knew they didn't require that much wealth. He could even resort to working hard himself to provide for them both if need be, but witnessing the fleeting expressions of rage, anguish, and madness on the faces of the Haradas was a rare spectacle he had no regrets savoring—they deserved their suffering.
Perhaps this lesson would instill a sense of humanity in them from now on. If not, well, they could always find their way straight to hell.
Kentaro might have caught glimpses of his father in passing since the conclusion of the meeting, but he refrained from exchanging any words with the man. There was nothing left to say, and the teenager preferred not to let the source of his years-long torment ruin his good mood.
Though he certainly wouldn't miss this place, there were still a few individuals Ken had grown acquainted with, and he couldn't simply leave without expressing his gratitude and bidding them farewell. With those duties fulfilled, he finally made his way to the cottage where everyone else awaited him.
"I really don't get you," a voice that had become all too familiar echoed, causing Kentaro to slow his steps as he approached the grand mansion's exit. He came to a halt a few paces before Izuki Harada, who had been standing there for who knew how long. Hands buried deep within his pockets, the older teenager pushed himself away from the wall he had been leaning against, blocking his younger brother's path.
"You had the chance to have it all, yet you willingly gave it up to live the life of an ordinary person," Izuki remarked, his troubled frown etched upon his face. His injuries had considerably subsided since yesterday, allowing his expressions to become more discernible. "Is it fun? What exactly draws you there? I genuinely fail to understand."
"And you never will," Kentaro replied, his voice tinged with a mixture of amusement and resignation.
Izuki grew even more irritated.
Observing the deepening furrow on the other person's brow, Kentaro spoke once again. "Haven't you always wanted me gone? I thought you'd be a little happier—"
"Who said I'm not?" Izuki interjected.
"Right," Kentaro chuckled, and for the first time, it was devoid of mockery. He contemplated the matter for a moment before posing a question. "Do you remember the first time we met?"
Izuki was perplexed. Of course, he didn't remember... or at least, not much of it. It had happened a long time ago, and all his encounters with Kentaro always seemed to end unpleasantly.
Witnessing his brother's confusion, Kentaro sighed. "Of course you don't."
Yet, he himself remembered the occasion quite well, for some reason. It had occurred when Ken was five years old, on the day he started his tutoring sessions, which also marked his initial encounter with his siblings. He recollected the overwhelming joy he had felt the day before their official meeting, knowing he had an elder brother and a younger sister. Kentaro had even stayed up late, fueled by a mixture of nerves and elation, envisioning the harmonious bond and endless playtime they would share.
Regrettably, those sentiments had not been reciprocated, as Izuki had made it abundantly clear through his spiteful behavior and cold demeanor directed towards him. And in the end, Kentaro too stopped attempting to understand his elder brother.
That's what pride and envy did to people.
"Goodbye, Izuki," Ken raised his uninjured arm and patted the other person on the shoulder, before proceeding to walk past him. "I genuinely wished we could have gotten along once upon a time. Have a nice life."
Izuki Harada opened his mouth, prepared to retaliate with his customary rudeness, but to his surprise, his words failed to escape his lips. He watched his younger brother's figure recede into the distance before eventually turning back towards the mansion.
Tsk, whatever. Who cares?
Yet after taking a few steps, Izuki halted once more, swiveling around. Only this time, Ken's figure had already vanished into the distance.
**
Misa's sorrowful wails echoed as she obsessively checked if her friend had packed all her essential belongings, though there were only a handful. "You're absolutely sure you don't want anything else?" she lamented.
Yumiko couldn't help but laugh, a helpless sound escaping her lips. "No, this is more than enough, thank you. I never owned much to begin with, since the rest belonged to the Haradas."
"But what about that beloved yellow flower pot? And the silver baking tray? Or the rose garden–" Misa's words were abruptly interrupted by a firm whack on the head from Izumi, who could no longer tolerate her incessant noise.
"Quiet down! It's not like she's on her deathbed," Izumi snapped, raising a threatening hand. "You were the one who wished for her freedom, are you taking it back now that she's truly leaving?"
"Don't be so mean! I'm just sad, okay?" Misa continued to whine.
Balancing baby Kaiya, who observed them curiously and even contributed a few babbles, on her right arm, Izumi released a helpless sigh. "Misa will be fine eventually. She'll come to understand the concept of travel and visits with time."
Yumiko chuckled, lost in deep thought as she posed a question. "What are your plans now? Will you continue working at the mansion?"
"Not me," Izumi replied firmly, surprising Yumiko. With a laugh, she explained, "I've wanted to leave this place for a while, you know. But I couldn't leave you behind in this hellhole."
"Wahhhhhh," Misa sobbed even more fiercely. "So you couldn't bear to leave her, but it's okay to abandon me? You're so heartless, ahhhh..."
"Unlike you, Yumiko couldn't leave the Estate, you moron," Izumi rudely jabbed at Misa's head. "No one's forcing you to stick around."
"But I haven't found a well-paying job yet," the woman complained.
"I suggested a few, but you turned them all down! What do you expect us to do?"
"WAHHHHHHH..."
Meanwhile, Kentaro and Akihiro, engaged in their own conversation on the porch, paid no attention to the women. Initially waiting for Yumiko to finish her farewells, they realized it would take a while. Fortunately, their "saviors" didn't complain about the delay, avoiding any potential awkwardness.
"Will you be alright?" Kentaro asked Akihiro, concerned. "The Chairman didn't seem happy you intervened."
"Whatever, that's his problem. I doubt he'll do anything. And if he does, I might just run away," Akihiro stretched nonchalantly, appearing unfazed. "By the way, did you know Haruki came from such an impressive background?" he abruptly changed the topic. "I never thought he'd pull off his promise."
Kentaro simply shook his head, still processing the surprises of the day. The biggest one being that Haruki's grandfather turned out to be the old man who helped him and his mother in the past. It felt like an unbelievable coincidence, and he struggled to comprehend it all.
"I sort of understand, but you should get used to it," Akihiro responded, earning a puzzled glance from Kentaro.
"Was I just thinking out loud?" Kentaro asked, feeling self-conscious.
"Loud and clear."
"At least it wasn't anything embarrassing," Ginger chuckled.
Akihiro laughed as well, before having a sudden realization. "How does it feel, though?"
"What do you mean?" Kentaro inquired.
"Freedom," Akihiro said with a knowing grin. "You'll be seeing Haruki soon, without anyone interfering in your lives. How does that make you feel?"
Kentaro shrugged, appearing somewhat puzzled by Akihiro's question. "I don't know, it's just... Haruki."
"Just Haruki?" Akihiro probed further.
"I mean, I'm obviously happy that I didn't have to wait long," Kentaro scratched his temple, feeling a sense of confusion. It seemed like they were discussing two completely different things. "And Haru probably feels the same way."
"Just happy?" Akihiro pressed on.
"Eh?" Kentaro looked at him inquisitively. "Shouldn't I be? What exactly are we talking about?"
"You know, there's no need to hide it," Akihiro chuckled, lowering his voice so only the ginger-haired teen could hear him. "Even if you and Haruki are together, nobody here is going to judge."
Together? Kentaro's confusion deepened.
"You guys are a couple, right?" Akihiro clarified.
"Coup... WHAT???" Kentaro shot up from his seat, his sudden outburst capturing everyone's attention, and all eyes inevitably turned to him. Failing to come up with a good excuse, he simply stammered vaguely, "I... I uhm... this series I was watching... Akihiro just... spoiled it for me."
That seemed to satisfy them, as everyone either chuckled or shook their heads before resuming their own conversations, no longer paying attention to them.
Watching the ginger-haired teen sit back down with a crimson face, Akihiro finally grasped the situation. "Ah, so you two aren't dating yet?"
"Dating? Stop talking nonsense!" Ginger whispered in exasperation.
"I assumed that's what you meant whenever you expressed how much you liked the kid," Akihiro said. "So, your relationship has always been purely platonic?"
"Obviously!"
"Oh, my bad." He'd been certain at least one of them had feelings for the other. Had Akihiro just been overthinking? "But you know, your expression isn't very convincing right now. Anyone could misunderstand."
"It's because you, you suddenly said something like that!" Kentaro defended.
Dating Haruki? Was that even acceptable? Would Haruki even... want that?
Was that how it always appeared to outsiders when they saw him and Haruki together? That they were more than just friends?
Observing the turmoil on Ginger's face, Akihiro smiled to himself and shifted his gaze to the clear skies. My poor little cousin, I thought he would have known about these things by now. "I won't bring it up again since I was mistaken, okay?"
Kentaro remained quiet for a while, trying to sort out his own thoughts. In the past, he had openly confessed his fondness for Haruki because that's genuinely how he felt. But whether that fondness had evolved into romantic feelings, he wasn't so sure.
Or... had it?
"I don't know."
"Hm?" Hiro's attention returned to Ken, who had suddenly muttered something. "Did you say something?"
"I said, I don't know," Kentaro repeated, glancing at his cousin meaningfully, a slight blush still coloring his cheeks and the tips of his ears. "How... how can I tell if I... you know..." Even the words that used to flow easily refused to come out.
"You poor thing..."
"Drop it."
With a snicker, Akihiro finally responded seriously. "I don't know either because I've never been in love."
"What? Really?"
"Yes, never had the opportunity," Akihiro admitted, resting his hand under his chin as if contemplating deeply. "Or is it 'never found the right person'? I don't know."
"Never?"
"Never."
"Never ever?" Ginger confirmed once more.
"Nope."
"...Noob."
"Hey now, you're one too," Akihiro complained.
"I'm younger than you," Ken reasoned. "You're twenty-one and have never dated anyone? How sad."
Feeling a vein spasm on his temple, Akihiro mustered a strained smile at the younger person. "Remember, it was me who helped you realize your feelings for your best friend. Otherwise, you would've gone back there and made a complete fool of yourself."
"But... I haven't... really admitted to having them," Ken stuttered. "You also said you didn't know!"
"I may not know the feeling personally, but it's written all over your face," Akihiro said, stunning the younger kid even more. "You're not fooling anyone."
"But, I-"
"Don't be too quick to dismiss anything. Who knows? The feeling might be mutual, or else Haruki wouldn't have tried so hard," Akihiro grumbled sourly. "Just hurry up and get together already. There's no reason to waste time."
Mutual? But he only helped me because we're friends... Kentaro buried his face in both hands, not daring to believe otherwise. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself.
Yeah, Haruki had only helped because they were close friends.
Lost in his own thoughts, Kentaro failed to notice how Akihiro had shifted his focus back on him, his hand supporting his cheek. Can't believe it's been that long already, he thought. A small, wistful smile crossed his lips, tinged with a hint of sadness.
Oh well, everything had to come to an end eventually. And this is was joyous occasion, he shouldn't look so dejected.
"You know, our doors are always open for you if you find yourself with nowhere else to go," Kentaro suddenly spoke up, catching him off guard.
Akihiro understood the weight behind Ginger's words, but he still wanted to play it cool and pretend everything was fine. "What are you even talking about?"
"I'm serious," Kentaro replied, finally looking at him with a meaningful smile, his clear grey gaze filled with understanding.
Akihiro opened his mouth to speak, but a lump formed in his throat, silencing him. He averted his gaze and remained like that for a while.
About to say more, Ginger heard a soft chuckle escape Akihiro's lips, sounding more like a powerless sigh, before he finally spoke.
"Thank you, Kentaro," Akihiro's gaze returned to the ginger-haired teen as he smiled gratefully. "I'll keep that in mind."
That very same afternoon, Kentaro and Yumiko Nomura left the Harada Estate alongside Ryuji Nakamura and his group.
As they drove further and further away, watching the grand mansion disappear behind them, Ken felt the weight he had carried on his shoulders for years lift, and a single thought crossed his mind:
They were finally free.
~~~~~~~