The lady tilted her head slightly, her unnaturally wide smile still in place, though her eyes now held a hint of suspicion.
"So?"
She asked again, voice still syrupy but firmer this time.
"Who are you?"
Haruki quickly tore his gaze away from Kanzaki and forced himself to respond.
Stay calm Haruki!
"I-I'm Haruki. I'm in her class. We were supposed to work on a school project today…"
Haruki trying his best to sound calm.
"School project? On weekend?"
Haruki regained his composure
"Yes, there are other students at the school today too.."
The woman narrowed her eyes slightly, glanced over her shoulder at Kanzaki, who hasn't moved an inch.
"Oh, is that so?" she said slowly.
"She told me she had some school thing… but I thought she was just trying to make an excuse to get out of the house."
Her tone was light, but the way her gaze lingered on Kanzaki told a different story.
Kanzaki didn't say a word. She just sat there, still shaking, eyes locked on the floor.
The woman suddenly let out a short laugh, "Ah, sorry! Guess I misunderstood,"
she said, still smiling just a bit too wide.
"Your friend's waiting, Misaki. Go on and get ready."
Kanzaki flinched slightly at her voice but stood up wordlessly. Without looking at either of them, she walked off toward her room.
Haruki watched her go. He tried to keep his expression neutral, but inside, everything was tangled.
Just as Kanzaki disappeared into her room, the woman turned her attention back to Haruki. Her smile hadn't faded—but there was something about it that felt like it had sharpened.
"And what was your name again, dear?"
she asked sweetly.
Haruki straightened a little.
"I'm Inoue Haruki. Kanzaki-san's classmate."
"Ah, just a classmate,"
she echoed, her gaze narrowing ever so slightly.
"Nothing more?"
He hesitated for a second.
"Um also she is my friend."
The woman paused for a split second, then chuckled softly.
"Friend, huh? Well thanks for taking care of my Misaki"
Her smile never faltering.
Before she could say anything else, Kanzaki returned with her bag in hand, covering most of her body, face with a blank expression.
Haruki looked at the woman again, that sweet smile still plastered at her face.
Yeah...I get it now. So she.....she is the one abusing Kanzaki. Who is she anyway? Her mother? There's no way. Kanzaki won't tell me.....Should I ask her directly? Nah, I can't at this moment.
Haruki regained his composure again and grabbed Kanzaki's hand strongly,
"Rest assured ma'am, I'll take care of her."
The woman narrowing her eyes, gazed down on their holding hands, but didn't say anything this time.
"Let's go Kanzaki-san."
Haruki's grip was firm, pace fast, almost dragging her behind him. Kanzaki stumbled a little to keep up, but her eyes never left him.
There was something different in her gaze now...
Not fear,
not confusion,
but something warmer.
She watched him, her eyes following his movements, and as they turned a corner, she felt the weight of his grip. It wasn't just to guide her, it was protective.
For the first time, she didn't feel alone. Her heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't help but wonder if he noticed it too.
After a turn past the corner, Haruki suddenly stopped and turned to face her, almost making Kanzaki bump into him.
"Wait Kanzaki-san, I'm sorry!"
he blurted, quickly letting go of her hand like it was a hot stove.
"I didn't mean to drag you out like that. I-I just got c-carried away a bit, my bad. Really sorry if you felt uncomfortable or something...."
He scratched the back of his neck, avoiding her eyes.
Kanzaki looked at him, her eyes softer than usual. There was no anger, discomfort — only something gentle and warm.
"You don't have to apologize for that."
She said quietly, smiling a little.
She looked down for a moment before meeting his eyes again.
"Thank you, Inoue-kun. For coming."
And then, she gave a big, bright smile.
"But-"
Haruki couldn't let out any other word out of his mouth, it's like he surrendered to that heartfelt smile.
A soft smile tugged in his face also.
They were walking side by side for a while in silence.
Kanzaki glanced at him, her voice small. "I'm… sorry you had to see all that."
Haruki shook his head lightly,
"You don't have to apologize. None of that was your fault."
Kanzaki again felt Haruki's warm kindness. She looked ahead, lips pressed together. As if she want's to let out something heavy.
"Inoue-kun… I wanna say something… hiding anything from you would feel like disrespecting your kindness at this point."
"So… I wanna tell you everything."
She looked at him again, this time with resolve in her eyes. She was shaking softly saying those words.
"Calm down Kanzaki-san. Let's take a break, shall we? I'll listen to all of it."
Haruki puts her hand on her shoulder and says with a smile.
Kanzaki sat on the nearby park bench, where they first met. Haruki returned from the vending machine, handing Kanzaki a cold coffee can with a quiet, reassuring smile.
"Thought you might need something to cool down. Also sorry if it's not to your taste, I forgot to ask you before buying....ehehe~"
Kanzaki nods her head in denial,
"I love coffee too, hehe~"
A small laugh escaped from both of them. Almost like the light after a heavy rain. And for the first time that day, something felt a little easier.
"So...what you wanted to tell, Kanzaki-san?"
Haruki sits beside her on the bench quietly, but this time the there was less distance between them.
"Um it's about her, who you saw at my house...."
Haruki takes a sip from the can, his expression was serious, yet calm.
Kanzaki took a breath, steadying herself.
"It was 7 months ago,"
she began.
"My parents… they were like the happiest couple, but like always working, always busy. So I told them to take a break, go on a trip or something for once. I thought I was doing something good for them. But… that was the worst mistake of my life."
Her voice cracked. A tear slid down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away and continued.
"Unfortunately they got into an accident. My father was severely injured, but my mother...couldn't make it."
She paused, swallowing hard.
"After that, everything changed. My dad fell into depression. Our house felt so lonely with only two of us and he always had to stay away for work. So he remarried. The woman already had a child. But still I agreed to everything. I just wanted to see him smile again. But… I didn't know how wrong I was."
Haruki sat still, listening intently, his eyes never leaving her.
"She never liked me, ever. My father moved to the next town for work, so he's barely home. Maybe three or four times a month. But still he cared for me. He used to send me my allowance at the start of every month. But she, my stepmother, always takes away a big chunk out of it. I still didn't complain. Because I didn't want things to get anymore worse... So i remained silent about all of it."
Her fists clenched slightly in her lap.
"It started as mental abuse. She made me do everything, every chore alone. My grades dropped. I thought maybe I could get along with her kid, be like a big sister, but… she taught her child to be rude to me. Which was really sad, how she was using her own child for that kinda thing."
She looked away briefly, then met Haruki's eyes again.
"Then she started to abuse me physically. Small mistakes like burnt toast, spilled water cost me bruises. That's why I stayed out late, in parks, wandering. I just didn't want to go home... I didn't want to go to that hell-house."
A soft breeze passed by, rustling the trees as her voice grew quieter.
"Back then, also I had a crush… a guy from our class, Tachibana-kun. I thought, maybe if I convey my true feelings to him, he'd be kind. Maybe I'd have someone beside me. So I confessed.. He did accept me, but... Things didn't work out for us.
I was always kinda gloomy from all that torture and he didn't like that side of me I guess. So he broke up with me. To be honest, I saw that coming but I didn't know he would be this annoyed and blunt to me about this. So it kinda hurt but at that point I got used to that feeling."
A dry laugh escaped her lips.
"And then I was all alone again. I didn't make friends for the same reason. I don't wanna let them see that side of mine but I also couldn't help it. I started loving the rain, you know? Because in the rain… no one could see my tears."
She looked down, smiling faintly through her sadness.
"And then… about a week later, I met you in this park, crying. I got really embarrassed though hehe~"
Haruki is dead silent.
•••••
Actually, he is lost in his thoughts, raging from inside.
This...is...this is really messed up! I never thought, she was in this kind of pain. Well I knew that someone was abusing her but still it's too much. Why does all of these have to happen to her? How could someone be so cruel...to someone like Kanzaki-san. I really wanna do something for her.
No!
I HAVE to do something for her!
"Inoue-kun..."
But what can I even do? I was never that kind of a guy who stands up for something like this, speaks up against something. I've seen many incidents like this but....but I always observed them from the back seat. Because I always felt, someone like me could never change this or solve that. But I never felt guilty for that.
"Inoue-kun...?"
But this time, why am I feeling guilty? Why me? I..I.. I DIDN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING!
He clenched the cold coffee can in his hand, feeling the weight of her words.
That's right...I didn't do anything for her even after knowing that she was going through something like this.... But this time, for her, I will definitely do something. I'll help her!
"INOUE-KUNN!!!"
Kanzaki almost shouted his name.
"HUH-WHAT!? Oh! Kanzaki-san!"
"Ah… s-sorry,"
she said, lowering her gaze.
"Maybe my story bored you…"
Haruki leaned forward quickly.
"Don't say that. Ever,"
he said, firm yet gentle.
"You have every right to speak your heart out. You've been holding it in for so long right?… It's okay to let it out. You should."
Kanzaki stared at him, a little surprised.
He gave her a soft smile, the kind that carried quiet strength.
"And about everything you said… I'll definitely help you. No matter what it takes. Trust me."
She looked stunned for a moment, then slowly shook her head.
"Huh? What are you gonna do? You don't have to do anything. I mean… it's not your fault. You shouldn't feel responsible."
But Haruki's eyes didn't waver.
"Don't worry about that,"
he replied, calm and steady.
It's almost like Haruki's eyes were sparkling from light.
That gentle yet unwavering resolve in his gaze—it left Kanzaki momentarily breathless.
She just stared at him, lips slightly parted, stunned by the warmth in his words. No one had ever spoken to her like that before. No hesitation. No pity. Just… kindness.
And for the first time in a long while, her heart felt just a little lighter and she also smiled brightly.
And then slowly her lips curved into a genuine, bright smile. The kind of smile that felt real, which lit up her whole face. She couldn't say anything at the moment but her eyes said everything.
Thank you for finding me, Inoue-kun.....