A Love I Shouldn't Feel
Chapter 275: The Hope He Built ( 275 )

Chapter 275: The Hope He Built ( 275 )

After the happiest family gathering...

Kyouko now lay quietly inside the guest room.

The soft futon beneath her.

The lights dimmed.

Only the pale glow of her phone illuminated her face as she stared at the screen, fingers brushing lightly across the glass.

Haruki had finally replied.

Sorry I didn’t notice the message. The kids here too busy occupied me~

Kyouko smiled softly.

Her fingers began typing.

i don’t mind. i know..i still remember how the kid react.

A few seconds passed.

Ting.

yeah..the kids been asking about you non stop. Where’s Kyouko neesan?

Her heart warmed at the image.

i know (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄) so the kids still with you?

yeah..they all so excited about the wedding. i booked a house for them to stay for two weeks after the wedding. maybe let the Mrs caretaker and her husband along with their staff bring the kids for holiday in Ishigaki Island or somewhere they want to go in Okinawa.

Kyouko smiled wider.

Her fingers moved again.

＼(°ロ＼)(／ロ°)／ those kid too excited.

Another reply came quickly.

yeah..you can say that. what are you doing now?

Her fingers hovered for a second.

Then typed, slowly.

nothing..just lay down on futon. alone..cold (づ￣ ³￣)づ

She stared at the screen after hitting send.

Her cheeks slightly pink.

The quiet hum of the air, the faint sound of night insects outside the paper sliding door... everything around her was peaceful.

And still.

But inside her heart, warmth began to build.

Meanwhile, in the orphanage.

Haruki was sitting cross-legged at the low wooden table, the soft light from the overhead bulb casting a warm glow over the quiet room.

He looked down at his phone, reading Kyouko’s message.

nothing..just lay down on futon. alone..cold (づ￣ ³￣)づ

A small chuckle escaped his lips.

Inside his mind.

She still uses those old-school emoticons...

LINE already has a full emoji library she could use anytime...

But that was just like her.

Graceful. Reserved. And oddly charming in the way she expressed herself.

He tapped his screen and typed.

i will go to sleep after this. goodnight kyouko.

Ting.

Her reply came instantly.

ehh? (︶｡︶✽) sleeping already?

Haruki smiled, his eyes softening.

yeah. need to rest early. tomorrow need to catch the early flight.

Ting.

okay~ (^3^)/☆ goodnight darling~.

He stared at her message for a few more seconds.

Then he smiled again.

Haruki was about to put his phone aside when another notification appeared.

A message from Yamashita Yosuke.

He tapped it open.

Just a simple reply.

Short.

Direct.

But enough.

He had agreed.

Haruki stared at the screen for a moment.

Then smiled quietly.

Yamashita Yosuke, owner of Yamashita Corporation, his employer had just confirmed.

He would serve as Haruki’s nakōdo.

The formal witness.

The guide between families.

The role that, in many ways, signified approval and blessing.

Soon... the wedding would take place.

Soon, she would wear that white shiromuku.

Soon, they would stand at the altar.

Side by side.

Finally.

He couldn’t wait.

He really couldn’t.

The hallway was quiet, the warm lights dimmed for the night.

Haruki had just placed his phone down when he heard soft footsteps approaching.

It was Mrs. Himari.

She paused at the doorway, a gentle smile on her face.

"Haruki-kun?"

"Yes, Mrs. Himari?"

"You should go to sleep now," she said kindly. "I’m sure the kids are waiting."

Haruki chuckled softly. "Okay... I will, Mrs. Himari."

She lingered for a moment, then stepped into the room.

"Anyway... thank you again for inviting us. I really thought that girl you brought before, Kyouko-chan, was already your wife at the time."

Haruki scratched the back of his neck with a sheepish smile.

"Ah... sorry, Mrs. Himari. At that time, she was still my future wife. That’s why I called her my wife."

Mrs. Himari let out a small laugh, her eyes warm.

"Well... I’m sure those kids will be so happy."

She looked at him, slightly scolding, slightly touched.

"And you didn’t need to book a whole house in Okinawa just for the holiday. You’ve already done so much, for the kids, for this orphanage."

Her voice softened.

"Even the tickets you arranged... Business class, Haruki-kun? That’s too expensive for us all."

Haruki’s smile turned calm and sincere.

"I don’t mind, Mrs. Himari."

He looked around the room for a moment, then back at her.

"Like I said before... without this orphanage, without you and your husband... I wouldn’t have made it through school. I wouldn’t be where I am today."

He paused.

"And I wouldn’t be this happy."

He glanced toward the quiet hallway.

"I want them to have the best."

"If you say so, Haruki-kun," Mrs. Himari said, her smile warm and fond. "Now go to sleep."

"Yes, Mrs. Himari."

Haruki returned her smile with a polite nod, then stood up quietly.

He walked down the familiar hallway, the wooden floor creaked just as it always had, until he reached the room that was once given to him all those years ago.

He slid the door open gently.

Soft breaths filled the room.

The children were already fast asleep, curled beneath futons, their little chests rising and falling peacefully.

He stepped in quietly, glancing around the room.

In the corner, he saw their backpacks neatly lined up.

Probably their clothes. Some toys, maybe. Travel slippers.

All packed early.

Too excited for the wedding.

Too excited for the holiday that waited after.

Haruki stood still for a moment.

Just watching.

Then he smiled.

Everything was already arranged.

The transport.

The house by the beach.

The itinerary from the travel agency.

The staff to care for them.

All paid.

All ready.

All for them.

Because once, he had stood in their place, with nothing to look forward to.

And now, he could give them something he never had.

Hope. Joy. A memory to keep.

Haruki lay down on the futon, hands resting on his chest, eyes open as he stared at the wooden ceiling.

The soft breaths of the children nearby filled the silence.

But in his mind, the past stirred.

He still remembered.

The day everything changed.

He was just a boy.

Still in primary school.

That afternoon, he had been at class, laughing with friends, doing nothing special.

Until the teacher called his name with a strange tone.

Then came the ride to the office.

The adults whispering.

The look on the principal’s face.

Both of his parents... had gotten into an accident.

They didn’t make it.

It was heartbreaking.

Sudden.

Unreal.

One moment, he had a family.

The next... nothing.

There were no relatives who could take him in.

His father had no siblings. No cousins he’d ever heard of.

And on his mother’s side, both her parents had passed away years ago.

There was only one person left.

His grandmother, his father’s mother, living in a nursing home.

But she was old.

Sick.

And unable to care for a child.

So no one could take him.

He remembered sitting alone on a wooden bench after the funeral.

Eventually, the officials brought him to the orphanage.

A small one, not far from the city.

He still remembered the scent of tatami mats, the faded curtain at the entrance, the soft clatter of toys in the background.

And her.

Mrs. Himari.

The first to greet him.

The first to smile at him.

"You must be Haruki-kun," she had said, kneeling in front of him. "Welcome home."

He didn’t cry that night.

Not out loud.

But his hands clutched the edge of the futon so tightly, his knuckles turned white.

It was cold. Quiet. Strange.

And yet, from that day on, the orphanage became his world.

Now, back in that same room.

He lay quietly.

Surrounded by the soft sounds of sleeping children.

He exhaled slowly, eyes still on the ceiling.

The pain of the past hadn’t vanished.

But now, it no longer defined him.

Because now...

He had a future.

He had her.

And in just a few more days.

He would stand at the altar with the woman who gave him love, warmth, and a place his heart could finally call home.

( End Of Chapter )