Chapter 129

Kougami Kage is an awkward person who is not good at socializing and emotional communication, so there are often things that she doesn't understand.

In Haihara's view, ever since the gift the other person gave her didn't work, she's been acting like a child who's done something wrong, all this time.

If she were a parent, this would be quite troubling.

As for the agreement and marriage that Kougami mentioned, Haihara vaguely remembered them.

If we're talking about whether she's forgotten or not, of course she couldn't have forgotten.

But she never imagined the other person would take it seriously.

It's not that Haihara didn't care or didn't take it to heart, but rather that she didn't think the other person would care.

Now it seems, was she mistaken?

She suddenly reached out, cupped the woman's face, and gently wiped away Kougami Kage's tears with her fingertips. Kougami Kage froze, motionless.

After wiping, Haihara didn't remove her hand, but instead held Kougami Kage Kou Shangying's long, mottled gray hair, her face slowly drawing closer.

She looked into Kougami Kage's eyes and stared at him for a moment.

Kougami Kage's eyes were red, flustered and uneasy. He seemed to want to look away, but in the end, he was drawn to Haihara's gaze and met her eyes.

"Do you like me?"

There were no words of comfort or anything else.

Looking into Kougami Kage's eyes, Haihara asked the question earnestly.

Chapter Sixty-Four: A Deep Apology

Faced with her flustered and helpless childhood friend, Haihara did not offer any comfort. Instead, she gazed intently at Kougami Kage and asked him the question.

She wasn't a little girl inexperienced in love, but she never quite understood her childhood sweetheart.

Even though she had vaguely sensed something strange before, she hadn't taken those guesses seriously because she found them unbelievable. But at this moment, she finally couldn't contain her confusion and asked the question.

So she asked Kougami Kage.

Does Kougami Kage like herself?

If she gets the answer, it might resolve the confusion that has been troubling her for so long.

Kougami Kage blinked, seemingly surprised that Haihara would ask such a question. She held Haihara's hand and said nervously:

"Of course, I've always... always loved you, ever since we were little, and that has never changed, and it always will..."

She has worked so hard for Haihara, and she can give Haihara everything she has. Her greatest wish is to be with Haihara forever.

Despite being almost thirty years old, she still expressed herself clumsily like a child.

"..."

Haihara didn't say anything.

Therefore, Kougami Kage had always liked her.

Was he secretly in love with her while he was at school and spending time with her?

They've known each other since elementary school, and more than ten years have passed since then, but she only found out now.

Haihara's first reaction was confusion.

"So, is the marriage you're talking about a promise we made when we were kids?"

Without a doubt, Kougami Kage nodded, her eyes red.

Haihara always thought it was a childhood friend's joke, or an expression of their close relationship.

She touched Kougami's face with a hint of helplessness.

In other words, Kougami Kage always took that promise seriously, and wanted to marry her and spend time with her.

He suddenly returned to Maple Plain City, frequently treated her to expensive restaurants, often gave her clothes and gifts, and even wanted to take her on trips; he was treating her like his fiancée.

Haihara had declined most of Kougami Kage's previous invitations, such as to dinner or travel.

She considered that those restaurants would cost a lot of money, and it would be difficult for Haihara to afford to hire them back on her own.

Hmm...

"... Why would you like me?"

Haihara really doesn't understand.

She had rarely been liked before.

As for the headmistress, Haihara believes that Ryo-san loves her because she thinks Ryo-san is similar to her sister.

As for the young idol, it's understandable that he might develop feelings for her because he received help from a reliable adult when he was hurt, and he himself is a child who lacks love.

But Kougami, to be honest, didn't understand.

"I love everything about you... your appearance, your gentle personality, your figure..."

Kougami Kage lowered her head and explained somewhat embarrassedly that she did indeed like everything about Haihara; every aspect of her touched her heart. However, the reason she fell in love with Haihara was because Haihara had always been there for her when she was a child, a withdrawn and taciturn girl.

"Also, when you were little, you always..."

She was about to give her reason when she was interrupted by Haihara's calm voice.

I didn't ask you for an answer.

The woman's voice was lower than before.

When Kougami Kage looked at Haihara again, this childhood friend who had always been gentle with her lowered her head, her eyelids drooping slightly, and her gaze seemed somewhat dim.

Kougami Kage had no idea why Haihara had such an expression.

However, for Haihara, the affection expressed by Kougami Kage left her confused and puzzled.

So, there are people who like her.

The woman she used to have a crush on still liked her.

Why would someone as plain-looking and boring as her...

For more than a decade, she had never known this.

Thinking about this, Haihara gradually felt an indescribable restlessness, as if there was something she couldn't understand, so she really wanted to figure it out.

Suddenly, Kougami Kage felt the hand pulling her tighten, gently pulling her to Haihara's side.

The hand gripped her tightly; it didn't hurt, but it made her feel like she could break free.

Then, Kougami Kage felt Haihara push her roughly with her hand. Before this, Kougami Kage had never been treated so coldly and forcefully by her childhood friend.

Haihara's slender arm possessed a strength far exceeding that of Kougami. After being pushed by Kougami Kage, Haihara felt himself leaning backward uncontrollably, and then almost fell onto the bed.

"Bang..."

The sound of a body pressing down on the bed.

Kougami Kage was pushed onto the bed, and Haihara's hand then gently pressed down on Kougami Kage's shoulder, preventing her from moving any further.

It doesn't actually hurt.

But Kougami Kage felt a sense of fear.

What she was afraid of was not that Haihara would hit or hurt her.

"Lily... are you angry?"

Kougami Kage asked cautiously.

Haihara didn't answer her, but moved forward a little. By the time Kougami Kage reacted, Haihara was already sitting on her lap, then slowly leaned down and looked down to meet Kougami Kage's gaze.

Her gaze remained as cold as ever.

Then, she reached out and gently stroked Kougami Kage's belly:

"Don't you understand?"

That's all she asked.

Kougami Kage didn't understand.

Although her tears had dried, her mind was still blank; she hadn't yet recovered from the unease and sadness she had just felt.

Seeing that she was just like she was when they were children, still completely unguarded, still clumsy and awkward, Haihara's eyes grew a little colder.

"I didn't know you liked me before, nor did I know you still remembered our promise to marry each other. I never took it seriously."

"... Eh?"

From initial confusion to later stagnation.

Kougami Kage's expression froze instantly.

Even though she was very smart, she couldn't understand what Haihara meant at this point; in fact, she couldn't understand it at all.

But...

Everything before...

The hotel room became unusually quiet.

The second hand of the clock ticked away, but the two people in the room remained silent, one pressing down on the other, almost motionless.

After Haihara finished speaking, Kougami Kage slowly pondered.

At first, I felt confused, but gradually I realized what was going on. After understanding, it felt like the past ten years had been spent in a dream.

"But... the ring, the one you gave me before... and... all of it..."

She murmured, then tremblingly stretched out her hand, showing Haihara the ring she always wore, as if she thought Haihara was lying.

She still wears the ring that Haihara gave her when she was a child.

Even though it hurt when she wore it, she never thought about taking it off; just having it there made her happy.

Haihara's words were as if she were telling her that it was all a lie.

"I would never let the person I like use a toy as a wedding ring."

"..."

Haihara gently grasped Kougami Kage's hand, then reached out her fingertips to stroke the finger on Kougami Kage wore the ring.

Her originally beautiful and slender fingers were deformed because of wearing an ill-fitting ring.

Kougami Kage always wore this kind of thing, believing in her marriage contract.

"After you left in high school, I felt I should forget you... When I was in college, I dated other people, and later I had crushes on upperclassmen, or other people, but I never thought of you during that time."

"Later, when I graduated, I also formed closer relationships with other people in a very ordinary way."

"Even now, I still have someone I like."

At first, Kougami Kage could accept Haihara's claim that she had liked someone else before, but when Haihara said that she had already established a closer relationship, Kougami Kage really felt that his tense emotions were about to collapse.

Although it was said in a very subtle way, they are all adults now.

Haihara never imagined that Kougami Kage would be her marriage partner.

Kougami Kage worked hard for her silently for ten years, and in fact, it was always a painful unrequited love.

Kougami Kage did not feel that it was unfair.

The only thing that made her feel despair was knowing that Haihara didn't like her.

Kougami Kage went from trembling at the beginning to calming down, and then reached out and gently tugged at Haihara's collar.

She lifted her head with some effort and pressed it against Haihara's chest.

Like a puppy trying to please someone, it seemed to be trying to get Haihara to stop talking.

Haihara seemed somewhat at a loss:

"... Do you hate me now?"

She didn't want to deceive Kougami Kage.

I don't know, that's all.

She was always oblivious, not even realizing that the other person liked her.