360: I Hate You (2)

As the evening sun cast its crimson glow across the sky, Chisato led Kazusa into a Ferris wheel cabin. 

As it slowly ascended, she gazed out of the transparent window. 

Beyond the colorful, whimsical scenery of the park, she could see the real world—the bustling traffic and city skyline in the distance.

She understood that no matter how happy she felt right now, everything she experienced today was fleeting. 

In the end, she would have to go back to that world outside, a world she didn't want to face but one that ultimately belonged to her.

"Chisato, have you ever thought about our future?"

Wearing a gray and white cat-ear headband, Kazusa remained facing the window as she suddenly asked this question.

Sitting across from her, Chisato glanced at her before shifting his gaze in the same direction.

"Yeah, I have. We'll always be together. We'll decorate our home just the way you like it. We'll have a child—maybe more than one. 

I'll learn woodworking so I can build them a seesaw and a swing in the yard. When they get a little older, you'll teach them piano in the mornings, and I'll play with them in the afternoons. 

On weekends, we'll drop them off at your mom's place so we can have time to ourselves—just like today, where I can keep finding ways to make you happy. 

I'll keep going like that until neither of us can walk anymore."

Chisato spoke earnestly, but his lighthearted tone made it sound as if he were merely tossing out casual words.

Kazusa withdrew her gaze from the distance, her eyes holding a tenderness and sadness unlike anything before.

"Chisato, don't joke around."

Chisato immediately refuted, "I'm not joking."

"Then, in the future you just described… Am I the only one?"

Chisato understood exactly what Kazusa meant.

"…I'm sorry. My choice for them is the same as what I just told you."

Just as she expected.

A faint sense of disappointment flickered in Kazusa's eyes.

Lowering her head, she intertwined her slender fingers—fingers Chisato had praised countless times for their beauty—and played with them absentmindedly.

"Last night, my mom and I talked for a long time. I think it was the first time in my life that we had such a long, face-to-face conversation. It almost didn't feel real.

But regardless of her tone or the little habits she unconsciously revealed, everything confirmed that she really is my mother.

That world-renowned, beautiful pianist.

The one who ruined my sense of taste and turned me into a hopeless sweet tooth.

The one who once abandoned me without hesitation just to pursue the achievements she desired… that utterly selfish woman."

"…"

Chisato chose not to interrupt. He sat up straight, listening intently. He knew she wasn't done speaking yet.

"But all of that was just a fixed impression I had in my mind when I was too young to understand.

After talking to her last night, I realized that a lot of things I once believed weren't as black and white as I thought.

The adult world is shaped by countless factors and considerations. It's not always easy to understand why things happen the way they do.

My mother explained everything to me. Even in those moments when she seemed indifferent, she had her own thoughts and reasons—she just wasn't able to express them properly.

Both of us, my mother and I… we're both so terribly clumsy.

She said she doesn't expect my forgiveness for the past, but she sincerely hopes that I can find happiness from now on.

So, whatever I want, she'll do everything she can to support me.

I could tell that she meant it, from the bottom of her heart…"

Kazusa paused here, slowly extending her left hand forward.

Chisato understood and gently took hold of her fingertips, wrapping them in his palm.

"And? What was your answer?"

Kazusa shook her head slightly.

"I told her I didn't need her to do anything special for me. I just wanted her to live the way she wanted, like she always had."

"That's just like you. So cool."

Chisato chuckled. 

When Kazusa first reunited with her mother, her attitude had been filled with resentment and impatience. 

Yet in such a short time, everything had completely changed.

Kazusa leaned forward, reaching out to touch Chisato's face.

"The reason I can be this confident and composed is because of you.

If you hadn't helped, and my mom had actually died from her illness, I wouldn't be this at ease right now.

And I definitely wouldn't be happy enough to smile like this."

"Kazusa…"

"But, even after I told my mom that, she still gave me some advice as my mother."

"A… advice? About us?"

For some reason, Chisato suddenly had a bad feeling about this.

"That's right. She gave me three pieces of advice."

Kazusa raised her index finger.

"First, follow my heart."

She then extended her middle finger.

"Second, if I want your love for me to surpass your love for them, it requires not only relentless effort but also an understanding of what makes me different from them—and fully utilizing my strengths."

Finally, she raised her ring finger.

"And lastly…"

Like she was deliberately teasing Chisato, Kazusa suddenly stopped without revealing the final point.

"What… is the last one?"

"Now that I think about it, it might not even count as advice. It was more like something my mother wanted me to pass on to you."

"Then what exactly did she say?"

Her mother's exact words, huh…

"Lighten up. Even if that boy Chisato somehow wins over all those girls, their parents will be a whole other problem. 

Moms like me, who are this open-minded, are a rare species. 

And even I—if he hadn't saved my life—would never have accepted him touching even a single hair on your head."

Back then, Youko had spoken those words in a completely relaxed manner.

As Kazusa recalled that moment, she let out a soft chuckle and gently shook her head, lowering her raised fingers.

"As for that… I think it's best to keep it a secret."

"…Are you just trying to mess with me?"

"You do the same thing."

"Huh?"

"…Before leaving this morning, my mom told me to keep my spirits up, saying you had a big surprise prepared for me."

Miss Youko… Unexpectedly unreliable when it comes to small things.

Chisato sighed helplessly, but he quickly composed himself. Under Kazusa's expectant, sparkling gaze, he took out a small box from his pocket.

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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta

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