At this moment, there were already three men sitting at the dining table.
They weren't strangers, it was the same group Hikari had met earlier that morning. The Natsuki brothers, Natsuki Kazuto and Natsuki Akito, and the listless blond, Yoshizawa Takeo.
After leading Hikari into the dining room, Miyuri went alone into the kitchen to busy herself.
Hikari turned his head to look, the three men were already seated.
Miyuri's fiance, Natsuki Kazuto, was talking to his younger brother Natsuki Akito. Akito responded halfheartedly, not really paying attention. His eyes would occasionally drift toward Miyuri, his expression distracted.
Meanwhile, the blond Yoshizawa Takeo had a bitter look on his face. He kept rubbing at the bruises on his cheek and occasionally covered his crotch.
Sometimes he looked down, sometimes he stared at Miyuri's graceful back, then glanced at the Natsuki brothers, his gaze flickering constantly, clearly full of messy thoughts.
When Hikari arrived, Yoshizawa immediately withdrew his gaze. He didn't dare look around again and tried to avoid Hikari's eyes as much as possible.
Natsuki Kazuto greeted him casually, but remained seated, not even getting up.
Hikari gave a casual response.
Natsuki Akito ignored him entirely, as if they were strangers, his eyes still drifting often toward Miyuri.
Finally, after a while of busy work, Miyuri, still unaware she had become the focus of everyone's attention,.came out of the kitchen carrying the dishes.
"All here, and all the dishes are ready! Everyone, let's eat!"
She plopped herself down beside Hikari and called everyone to start.
As soon as she finished speaking, she picked up a piece of rib and placed it in Hikari's bowl. Her care and affection for him were obvious.
Her fiance Natsuki Kazuto smiled but didn't say anything. The younger brother, Natsuki Akito, however, shot Hikari a glance, jealousy and irritation flashing in his eyes.
Yoshizawa Takeo also felt sour inside, though he didn't show it.
Soon, the five people at the table started eating.
At first glance, it looked lively and cheerful, but Hikari could clearly feel that something was off.
Miyuri, sitting beside him and constantly picking food for him, would sometimes glance anxiously at Yoshizawa Takeo. It was clear she was still worried about what had happened that afternoon behind the bamboo grove.
Natsuki Akito, on the other hand, often stared blankly at Miyuri, even looking dazed at times, as if harboring thoughts about his sister-in-law that he couldn't put into words.
The blond Yoshizawa Takeo kept darting his eyes between Miyuri and Akito.
Occasionally, he glanced toward Hikari, but he didn't dare make eye contact. He only snuck looks, quickly turning away whenever Hikari noticed.
Everyone, except the most oblivious of them, noticed these strange undercurrents.
Only Miyuri's fiance, Natsuki Kazuto, seemed utterly clueless.
He even pulled Akito and Yoshizawa into drinking with him, repeatedly shouting "Cheers!" like nothing was wrong.
———
Half an hour later, the meal, full of unspoken thoughts, was finished.
As soon as they were done, Natsuki Kazuto grabbed his briefcase.
"I have to work overtime tonight. You guys go ahead and hang out."
With that, he left, leaving Miyuri and the three men alone in the house.
Hikari couldn't help feeling speechless.
No wonder Miyuri's aura glowed such a vivid red, so easy to trigger "events."
It wasn't just her nature; her fiance's character played a huge part too.
To leave such a beautiful, alluring fiancee alone in a house with an outsider like Yoshizawa Takeo, if you don't grow horns on your head, who will?
He grumbled silently to himself.
Once Natsuki Kazuto was gone, Hikari ignored Miyuri's attempts to make him stay and said he'd head home.
Of course, unlike Kazuto, who really went to work, Hikari only pretended to leave.
The moment he stepped outside, he circled back into the yard and hid, secretly watching Miyuri, her brother-in-law Natsuki Akito, and Yoshizawa Takeo.
As expected.
Not long after Hikari's "departure," Akito shot Miyuri a look and headed straight toward the bamboo grove behind the house.
Miyuri hesitated, conflicted for a moment, then followed him quickly. [T/N: Dumb!]
Neither of them noticed Yoshizawa Takeo, who, moments earlier, had pretended to take a walk after dinner. He was now hiding in the yard, spying on them.
And Yoshizawa, in turn, didn't notice Hikari silently watching him from the shadows.
Just like the saying goes, "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind."
———
In the quiet grove, beneath a tall pine tree, the crescent moon poured down silver light, spilling over red blossoms and green leaves. Only faint beams of moonlight managed to slip through the net of branches above.
By that pale light, and the glow of fireflies drifting through the undergrowth, the two figures beneath the tree could just barely see each other's faces.
Natsuki Akito stared at the beautiful woman before him, her allure undimmed even in shadow, his mind full of turmoil, not knowing how to begin.
Miyuri spoke first. Her tone was cold, "Akito, it's the middle of the night. Why did you call your sister-in-law out here? What is it you want?"
At the word sister-in-law, Akito's body trembled.
He couldn't hold back, "Miyuri-nee, I… I still like you!"
"Don't you understand my feelings for you?"
Miyuri folded her arms under her full chest, a mocking smile on her lips, "I understand. And then what?"
Akito blinked, confused, "Since you understand how I feel, isn't there anything you want to say? Miyuri-nee, I… I just want you to be brave."
At that, Miyuri suddenly gave a sharp laugh, "Me, be brave? I think you're the one who needs courage!"
Seeing him freeze, she raised her voice, nearly shouting, "Yes, like you said, I understand how you feel. But do you think I can accept it?"
"Why didn't you tell me earlier what you supposedly felt? Now I'm your sister-in-law, your brother Kazuto's fiancee!"
"You're telling me all this now, what do you want? Some shameful, forbidden affair between us?"
"Even if I were willing, do you dare take that step? Do you have the guts to face your brother, to tell him you love me, that Natsuki Akito wants to be with Miyuri forever?"
Her words hit him like a storm.
Akito fell silent, like a fish hauled onto a deck, gasping, the air suddenly gone.
His face flushed, mouth opening and closing, but not a sound came out.
Seeing this, a trace of disappointment flickered in Miyuri's eyes.
After a long pause, Akito finally managed to say, "Miyu… Miyuri-nee, I really do love you."
"I have, since a long, long time ago, longer than anyone else ever has."
Hearing his emotional confession, a flicker of tenderness crossed her eyes.
But then she remembered what Hikari had told her earlier that day while fixing her ankle, ("Resetting a bone hurts, but if you don't correct it, the pain will last far longer, and it'll never heal right.")
A new resolve flashed in her eyes. She looked straight at Akito and said calmly, "I believe you, Akito. But you need to tell your brother about us. I don't want to live in this confusion any longer, do you understand?"
"I…", Akito faltered, his eyes darting, trapped between fear and indecision.
Seeing that, pain and resignation showed in her eyes, "You don't have the courage, do you? Akito, if you don't, then stop saying you love me so shamelessly!"
Hearing the disappointment in her voice, Akito panicked, "No! Miyuri-nee, I will! I'll go tell my brother right now! I have the cour—"
But before he could finish the word courage, a shrill voice suddenly interrupted.
"Akito? Akito, are you here?"
"It's Takeo! Your brother asked me to find you, he said there's something he needs to discuss with you!"
Yoshizawa Takeo's unpleasant, ducklike voice echoed through the grove, cutting them off.
Both of their faces changed.
"M-My brother?", Akito looked terrified, like a child caught doing something wrong.
He turned and bolted, "Miyuri-nee, my brother's looking for me, I have to go!"
Miyuri called after him, panic rising, "Wait! Akito! Don't leave me alone with that Takeo creep!"
She stepped forward to stop him, but Akito, unexpectedly agile, dodged around her and fled in panic.
"Miyuri-nee, no! We can't let my brother find out! I'm leaving, run too!"
With that, he disappeared into the darkness.
Miyuri stood frozen, watching his retreating back vanish without a moment's hesitation.
Her body suddenly gave out, and she collapsed onto the ground. Her chest felt crushed under a heavy stone, her heart torn in two by pain and despair.
Then Yoshizawa Takeo's le*d figure slowly emerged from the shadows into the clearing.
Seeing her pale and stunned on the ground, he paused, then grinned wickedly.
As he walked toward her, that greasy smile spread wider, "Fancy meeting you again, beautiful Miss Miyuri."
She didn't respond.
Takeo, still grinning, said, "Actually, that stuff about your fiance calling Akito, that was a lie. I made it up."
"See? I'm a nice guy, aren't I? Helped you see his true colors."
"That Akito kid, he's just a coward. A spineless, useless man."
Miyuri's body flinched, and she snapped back automatically, "No! Akito's not like that!"
Takeo didn't get angry, he just sneered, "Really? Then why did he run off the second I mentioned his brother? He didn't even care about you, just bolted."
She opened her mouth to argue, but no words came. She didn't know how to defend him anymore.
Bit by bit, her illusion of Akito crumbled.
As Takeo spoke, she thought back on all her time with him.
Maybe, just maybe, this awful man was telling the truth this time.
A deep loneliness welled up inside her.
A hollow emptiness flooded through her heart, swallowing her whole.
Her fiance Kazuto was gentle and considerate, yes. But always busy, always working, rarely there for her. Their personalities and interests had never really matched.
Their engagement hadn't come from love, it was a hasty, impulsive promise.
And now, Akito, the one who once seemed to share a faint spark of affection with her, had abandoned her just as easily.
The Natsuki brothers, one careless and oblivious, the other timid and weak.
Who could possibly give her the warmth, the safety she longed for?
Who could she rely on?
Certainly not the coward Akito, frightened away by a single word.
Nor Kazuto, the workaholic fiance who left his beautiful bride-to-be alone with men like Yoshizawa Takeo.
As Takeo drew closer, that obscene grin spreading across his face, bitterness welled up in Miyuri's chest.
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