Yet thinking back on it, it was only natural. As a mother, how could she not feel a surge of excitement when welcoming the arrival of her bundle of joy into the world?
And it was precisely because of that flicker of spirit—because of the joy of wanting to see her newborn baby—that caused Arisu's mother to immediately suffer complications from heart disease and lie forever in a hospital bed.
Although many had previously advised her not to keep the pregnancy, and even Narumori himself felt the same way, Arisu's mother had insisted on giving birth. While stroking her belly in the hospital bed, she said to Narumori:
"Narumori, this is our child. I don't want to leave without leaving anything behind for you. This heart disease of mine will kill me sooner or later, even if I were lucky enough to accompany you peacefully for another dozen years."
"But after I'm gone?"
"I must leave something as a memory for you~"
Arisu's mother said with a wide smile.
"So Narumori, let me give birth. This is the future for both of us."
Narumori finally agreed, and Arisu's mother passed away.
Looking at his wife covered in a white cloth, Narumori's heart was a whirlpool of emotions. But seeing their baby in his arms, his heart softened once more. Before his late wife, he swore an oath.
"Rest in peace, Karin. Our daughter Arisu—I will take responsibility for looking after her well."
"I will let her grow up in peace..."
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
Time returned to the present.
Narumori seemed to be recalling that tragic past. He sat in his leather chair, propping up his head with the backs of both hands; his head was bowed very low, and it was unclear what he was thinking.
Not long after, Tomoya was officially expelled from the school.
Ryunosuke didn't want to linger and disturb him for too long and prepared to leave. After all, his goal had been achieved. This way, he wouldn't have to waste extra Private Points to "redeem" himself every time he wanted to leave the school. Regarding the technicalities, he left them entirely to his future father-in-law; it wasn't a problem he needed to worry about.
Ryunosuke closed the door to the Chairman's office tightly.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
On the other side.
Arisu stared at the rainy weather outside through the window. She had never seen her biological mother since she was a child; her mother had died shortly after giving birth to her. Because of that, she had never met the mother figure who loved her so dearly, as her father often described.
Arisu gave a small smile. "What's wrong with me today?"
"Why am I suddenly feeling sentimental and remembering those things?"
Arisu shook her head, reluctant to think too far. She walked haltingly with the help of her cane. On the way, someone accidentally bumped into her, nearly making her fall. The person immediately apologized and claimed it was an accident.
If it were the old her, Arisu would have certainly recorded that person's name in her "black book" to be repaid later. But now was different; she didn't want Ryunosuke to think of her as a wicked woman. Therefore, she let the person who bumped into her go.
The female student looked scared to death. Who didn't know that Arisu was the Chairman's daughter? If one offended her, they might not even know how they would be "finished off." The student immediately bowed in apology many times and then ran off as fast as her legs could carry her.
Arisu pursed her lips.
Was she really that terrifying? Regardless, she continued her slow pace with her cane, alone in the corridor.
"What is Ryunosuke-kun doing right now?"
Her thoughts drifted so far that she didn't pay attention to the path, and she accidentally bumped into someone again. Arisu was just about to apologize and leave quickly, but the person held onto her instead. This caused her brow to furrow.
Only Ryunosuke was allowed to touch her. If anyone else dared to touch her, the consequences were very serious—please refer to the fate of Yamauchi, who was recorded in the black book just for bumping into her once.
Arisu was just about to say that the person didn't need to hold her, but when she looked up, she instantly fell silent. For the person who had come was Ryunosuke, who had just stepped out of the Chairman's office.
Ryunosuke saw the rainy weather and saw Arisu alone in the corridor; feeling uneasy, he approached her. In truth, he had been there for a while. He had been following her from behind, guarding her in silence. Given that Arisu was currently not accompanied by Masumi or Miki, Ryunosuke felt truly worried.
The corners of Arisu's lips lifted into a curve; she smiled, a very happy smile. She unconsciously raised her right hand, which wasn't holding the cane, signaling for Ryunosuke to take her hand.
Ryunosuke, of course, took it, becoming a "cane" for Arisu. He adjusted his pace to a slow walk so the girl wouldn't have trouble keeping up with him.
Arisu looked at him again. "It seems I really, really like you, Ryunosuke-kun~"
"It's the same for me; I like you very, very much, Arisu."
Arisu stopped her footsteps and spread both her arms.
"Could you carry me back to the dormitory? My lover~"
Ryunosuke knew that if he carried Arisu back, they would certainly be seen by many people at school. Rumors would spread everywhere and would be difficult to explain. Yet he did it anyway, fulfilling Arisu's little ego.
What must be faced, must be faced. Whether it was Kei, who didn't know anything yet, or Honami; sooner or later Ryunosuke had to face reality.
Ryunosuke bought an umbrella from the convenience store, then lifted Arisu in a princess carry. Arisu wrapped her arms around his neck for support, while her hand behind Ryunosuke's neck held the umbrella.
Because both of Ryunosuke's hands were used to carry Arisu, he had no free hand to hold the umbrella himself. So, Arisu was the one providing the umbrella service.
A smile played on Arisu's lips. "Don't regret it. As far as I know, among your lovers, there should still be some who don't know about this, right?"
She clearly knew everything about Ryunosuke. After all, as this man's soulmate, she had naturally conducted a proper investigation.
Ryunosuke shrugged his shoulders casually, then gave Arisu's body a slight upward nudge to settle her more firmly in his embrace.
"It's fine; what must be faced still must be faced. And besides... my love for you has not a shred of falsehood."
Arisu let out a small laugh. "If only your love belonged to me alone, how wonderful it would be. I actually don't quite like sharing with others."
"For that, I apologize; I am indeed a greedy, philandering man," Ryunosuke said resignedly.
Arisu leaned her head on Ryunosuke's shoulder. "Let's go, Ryunosuke-kun~ And also... I have never regretted loving you."
"Even though you are flirtatious and unfaithful, I really... I really, really like you."
Ryunosuke no longer replied with words; he only hummed an "me too," then forged through the heavy rain toward their dormitory.
The boys' and girls' dormitories were in the same building, just on different floors.
Arisu patiently shielded him with the umbrella. This scene was witnessed by many people, including Honami, who was still stuck in the school building because of the rain and hadn't been able to return to the dormitory.
As mentioned before, although Honami and Ryunosuke were dating, the relationship was kept secret and outsiders didn't know. This was also Ryunosuke's tactic to prevent his "harem" from collapsing; he kept Honami—the girl most unlikely to be able to share a man—in the dark so she wouldn't know about the existence of other girls. But now, it was hard not to know because she was seeing it with her own eyes.
However, Ryunosuke had made up his mind. Sooner or later this had to be faced; whether now or later, it was better to pull back the veil immediately and face it.
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