Chapter 15: Shoko Steps Forward and Haruka's Promise
[Facing a choice that determines the future...]
'Holy shit! Let me choose! Let me pick the option!' Real-life Haruka screamed internally.
[You chose... to face it head-on!]
[You blocked Shoko's mother.]
Haruka extended his arm, barring her path.
"Kasugano-kun?"
She looked genuinely surprised.
She couldn't understand what this kid was trying to do.
Could he not read the room? Could he not see the reality of the situation?
Or was he about to spout some nonsensical platitudes about friendship, happiness, and youth?
A flicker of dissatisfaction crossed her eyes.
"Nishimiya-san, I can't give you a guarantee right now. And even if I did, you wouldn't believe me. You'd probably just think I'm some naive brat making empty promises. But that doesn't mean I'm going to listen to you and give up on Shoko. She is my friend, and I will help her to the best of my ability. Besides, your method isn't working. I think you're just using a stopgap measure. Can the Shoko of the future really survive in this society the way you're forcing her to?"
Haruka's eyes flickered with an unreadable light beneath his bangs, but his body didn't move an inch.
Yaeko Nishimiya's expression turned increasingly grim.
Haruka's rebuttal felt like he was tearing off her disguise, forcing her to confront a reality she found hard to accept.
"Kasugano-kun, please move aside!"
She raised her voice slightly.
Drawn by the sound of their confrontation, several gazes appeared at the window inside the house.
Although they couldn't hear exactly what was being said, the body language alone made it clear that things weren't going well.
Shoko and Yuzuru stared intently at the scene outside.
"If you want to go, just go," Yuzuru suddenly said. "If you hesitate now, you're going to regret it later."
Shoko looked at her mother, hesitating.
To her, her mother had always been the symbol of strictness. Of course, she knew her mother loved her—loved her with everything she had.
But there was also fear in her heart.
She was afraid of making her mother angry.
She knew how hard her mother's life was.
She didn't want to make her mother unhappy; she felt she had already been a source of sorrow for her mother for far too long, from the moment she was born until now...
However.
She didn't want her mother and Haruka to fight.
Haruka held a very special place in her heart, too.
"Ahem."
A cough came from behind them.
A kind old woman looked at them with encouragement. It was their grandmother, who, despite her advanced age, was still working to help support the family.
"Go on."
Shoko took a deep breath, puffing up her cheeks like a little white hamster.
It was as if the air she inhaled was filling her with courage.
She took a step forward and opened the door.
Behind her, Yuzuru glanced at Haruka and her mother, who were still in a standoff, and then at her sister. A mischievous grin suddenly appeared on her face.
"Onee-chan, good luck!"
She gave Shoko a gentle shove from behind.
Shoko stumbled forward, but since the push wasn't hard, she easily regained her balance.
However, the noise attracted the attention of the two people outside.
"Shoko? What are you doing out here? Go back inside!"
Yaeko Nishimiya looked furious.
Shoko rarely dared to disobey her, let alone in a situation like this.
This gave Yaeko a terrifying sense that things were spiraling out of her control.
"Ugh."
Shoko hugged her communication notebook and shook her head vigorously.
Flustered and angry, Yaeko walked toward Shoko, intending to pull her back into the house—and back into the world she had constructed for her.
Smack!
Haruka's hand clamped onto Yaeko's arm.
"Nishimiya-san, since Shoko is out here, why don't we ask for her opinion?"
"There's no need. This is a family matter. I don't need you telling me what to do," Yaeko said coldly to Haruka, then violently yanked her arm free.
"Ugh!"
"Ugh, ugh!!"
Shoko ran over and stood in front of Haruka. Facing her domineering mother, she shook her head desperately, her hands moving rapidly in sign language.
However.
Looking at her daughter's intense expression and hearing those guttural noises—unable to speak, only able to make those "ugh" sounds—Yaeko felt a wave of irritability washing over her.
"Shoko! Listen to me!"
The truth was...
She couldn't understand sign language.
That's right. As a mother, she couldn't read her daughter's language.
She didn't have the time. Her grueling daily work schedule didn't allow for it. Right now, watching Shoko's frantic movements, she only felt a deep sense of sorrow.
But.
In the next second, she stood frozen on the spot, as if struck by lightning.
"I... want... to... face... it... with... Ha... ru... ka..."
"Please... Mom... lis... ten... to... me..."
!!!
Shoko's mouth was opening and closing.
Tears were sliding down a face that should have been bright and cheerful.
She was making sounds.
Not the vague syllables or the ugly groans of the past.
These were real words!
Yaeko's body trembled.
She knew.
Shoko wasn't completely mute.
When she was little, Shoko could speak a little—simple words, but she could definitely speak.
Just because she had a congenital hearing impairment didn't mean her vocal cords were broken. Theoretically, she could speak.
But after she sent Shoko to school, trying to toughen her up and build her survival skills, Shoko became increasingly silent.
Before she knew it, she hadn't heard her daughter's voice in years.
She never expected... she never expected that today...
Was it because of him?
Yaeko stared silently at Haruka, who stood behind Shoko.
"Nishimiya-san, humans aren't machines. If you keep doing this, can Shoko really handle it?" Haruka looked at her with eyes full of sorrow.
He felt that with Shoko's personality—her inferiority complex, her desperate need to please others—if this continued, she might eventually choose suicide...
Real-Life Haruka: You're damn right!
As if realizing something terrifying, a layer of mist suddenly covered Yaeko's eyes, though she fought desperately to keep the tears from falling.
"But... what else can I do? This society is just like that toward people with disabilities. Jobs are hard to find, money is hard to earn... she can't even scream when people bully her. If she doesn't make herself strong, if she doesn't get used to it..."
She squatted on the ground, powerless.
Suddenly.
Haruka spoke up. His voice was filled with a steadfast determination, a stark contrast to his usual detached gentleness.
He reached out a hand toward Yaeko, who was crouching on the ground.
"I'll do it."
"I will help Shoko face it together. I don't know if the last four months count as love, but at the very least, this is my promise."
"My grades are decent, and you can judge my character over time. My family background is average, but not bad, and I have a solid plan for my future."
"That is the foundation that allows me to say these words."
"Besides, aren't you all still here? You, Grandma, and Yuzuru—you can all watch me. Watch how I do it."
Behind Haruka.
A blush spread across Shoko's pale cheeks. Her pure, gentle eyes gazed at Haruka's broad back.
In this moment.
To this special person, that back seemed as unshakeable as a mountain.
Shoko gently tugged at his sleeve.
"..."
"You win, you damn brat."
Yaeko slapped his hand away, stood up, and walked toward the house.
Haruka turned around to look at Shoko.
A helpless smile appeared on his face.
He wasn't someone who liked making promises, but since he had made one, he would give it his all to keep it.
That was his bottom line as a man.
And besides, this person was worth it, wasn't she?
"Shoko, sorry for deciding things on my own just now. From now on—"
I'll always be on your side. Before the words could even leave his mouth, Shoko had already thrown her arms around him.
Haruka's body stiffened.
But he didn't pull away.
He still didn't know if this was love.
But at the very least, he was mentally prepared to walk down this path with the person in his arms.
Real-Life Haruka: Why, God?! WHY!? Why did you make me witness such an ultra-cringe scene!?
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