Even Naoki, who had a twisted personality, was moved by Seiji's expression.
No, perhaps it was precisely because of his black-bellied personality that he was particularly sensitive to such expressions.
A sincere expression that came from the bottom of his heart, without any pretense … this was the type of expression that he found most difficult to face.
"… What do you want to say to Grand Mistress?"
"Will you convey it for me?"
"That depends on what you say."
Seiji blinked upon hearing this.
Then, he looked up at the night sky, as if he could see a certain someone somewhere, and began to speak …
…
After the conversation ended.
Seiji and Shika Kagura left.
Naoki and Iroha watched them leave.
The siblings, who were supposed to leave as well, didn't move for a long time.
"What … just what is this …"
Iroha muttered to herself, her eyes filled with a complex expression.
That person's words were completely different from what she had imagined.
At first, it sounded ridiculous, but when she thought about it …
"Asking Grand Mistress to forgive herself … what is this? What gives him the right to say such a thing! "
"Grand Mistress was right to kick that piece of trash out of her family! She wouldn't feel guilty at all!! This guy … this guy thinks too highly of himself! Who does he think he is!? "
Angry shouts resounded throughout the abandoned amusement park.
Naoki furrowed his brows.
"Say something as well, stinky brother! Aren't you always good at talking!? Why didn't you refute him just now!? You should have defeated that bastard with your eloquence!! "The girl glared viciously at the boy next to her.
The blonde boy remained silent.
"Why aren't you saying anything!?"
Iroha pushed him, causing him to take two steps back.
Naoki finally sighed.
"I can't refute …"
"What!?"
"I can't refute him. What he said … is exactly what Grand Mistress needs to hear the most right now."
A complex expression appeared on his face.
"You … what nonsense are you saying!? Is there something wrong with your brain!? "Iroha's expression was one of disbelief.
"Don't shout so loudly. Shouting at the top of your lungs will only show that you're guilty."
"What …"
"You've noticed it yourself. You just can't accept it."
Naoki indifferently revealed his sister's inner thoughts.
"Grand Mistress feels guilty about kicking her own brother out of the family."
Iroha was speechless.
"The Grand Mistress is a very strong person. After she kicked her own brother out of the house, she didn't show any signs of wavering. So, we took it for granted that she did the right thing and didn't have any psychological burden. "
"But if you think about it carefully, Grand Mistress is not only a strong person, but also a gentle girl. Chasing her younger brother away … Even if this is the right thing to do, and no one thinks that she did anything wrong, and there is indeed no criticism, but … can she forgive herself? "
This was a blind spot.
"Before just now, I didn't even think of this."
"You're probably the same, Iroha."
"We just naturally thought that the Eldest Miss wouldn't feel guilty about it."
"But in reality, with her personality, it's impossible for her not to feel guilty at all."
"After all, he's her biological brother."
"And she personally kicked him out of the house."
"No matter how much that younger brother deserved to be punished, the gentle Grand Mistress will still have scars in her heart."
"We overlooked this … We've always been by Grand Mistress's side, and we actually didn't think of this …"
Naoki forcefully clenched his fists, his tone filled with regret.
Iroha fell silent.
She was speechless; she didn't know what to say.
"Eldest Miss needs forgiveness … This forgiveness can only be given by two people. One is herself, and the other is …"
Naoki looked in the direction that the two of them had left in.
"Harano Seigo … no, Haruta Seiji."
"He thought of this."
"He thought of something that we … and even everyone around Grand Mistress didn't think of."
"Obviously, he was the one who didn't think of it … What he should have felt was resentment, or even hatred."
"But … why …"
"Why was he able to say something like asking Grand Mistress to forgive herself without a shred of hatred in his expression!!"
Naoki was practically roaring at this.
The scene from earlier surfaced in his mind.
That handsome young man smiled faintly and said in a gentle voice — —
"Sister, what happened back then … you didn't do anything wrong.
If you still care about what you did, then listen to me and stop thinking about it.
Please forgive yourself. You did the right thing, and there's no need for you to feel even a shred of guilt.
I was the one who was wrong … everything, it was all my fault.
I'm sorry … even if it's already too late.
Don't worry … if you're still worried about it. "
"I'm doing quite well right now."
"I hope you're doing well as well."
…
What exactly was this?
Was this something an exiled person should say!?
Was this arrogance? Or naivety? Or stupidity!?
Just what kind of idiot would say something like this!!?
An unprecedented emotion filled the blonde-haired boy's chest.
He didn't know what this emotion was, as he'd never felt this way before.
He wanted to viciously curse at himself for this, but he was unable to do so.
It was difficult.
He was unwilling.
He was frustrated …
'Ahh, it's like this.'
Naoki suddenly felt like he understood.
He was regretting that he hadn't noticed Grand Mistress's true feelings sooner.
He was unwilling to accept that he'd lost to that person and felt such a painful defeat.
He was frustrated over everything that had happened.
And the most unbearable thing was that he had to pass on what he had heard from that person, word for word, to Eldest Miss.
That was because Grand Mistress — Yui Haruta — needed to hear all of this.
She needed to hear what her own younger brother had to say to her!
Words of sincerity that didn't contain a shred of resentment.
Harano Seigo … Haruta Seiji, who used to be trash and scum.
Now, he was a …
Naoki Hasegawa didn't know how to judge him, and he didn't even know if he had the right to judge him.
He could only tell all of this.
"Let's go, Iroha."
The green-haired girl was looking in the direction that the two of them had left.
She didn't respond to her brother's call.
Only after Naoki walked seven or eight meters away did she retract her gaze and follow after him.
"You're just an idiot …"
Who was she talking about?
Iroha didn't know either.
Indescribable emotions welled up in her heart, and the only thing she could faintly sense was that …
She … might have made a major mistake.
…
"Brother Seiji …"
"Hmm?"
"… It's nothing."
In the taxi, Shika Kagura wanted to say something but didn't. She lowered her gaze.
Seiji looked at her and smiled.
Even if she didn't say it, he could sense her intentions.
"Don't overthink it, Little Shi."
Seiji reached out and patted his adopted younger sister's head.
Haruta's actions were contradictory to Yui's.
This was what he had been thinking ever since he met with Iroha Hasegawa and secretly recalled his previous self's memories.
If this Grand Mistress of the Haruta Family truly despised him, then she wouldn't have paid any attention to him at all, nor would she have sent someone to look for him.
If this Grand Mistress still had expectations for him, then she wouldn't have sent someone with such an attitude. Or rather, she wouldn't have sent someone like Iroha Hasegawa, or she would have called him directly or even met him in person.
Her actions were contradictory, and didn't match the image in his previous self's memories. This meant that she was likely conflicted.
In other words, she was at odds with him.
Haruta and Yui were at odds.
Iroha Hasegawa and Naoki didn't notice this, and misunderstood her behavior.
Seiji found this rather amusing.
It could be seen that the Hasegawa siblings were loyal and respectful to Haruta and Yui. But it was precisely because of this that some things weren't obvious.
Instead, he noticed it.
What should a younger brother, who had been kicked out of the family, do when his older sister was at odds with him?
Seiji's choice was to say those words in the hopes that he would be able to resolve the conflict in Iroha's heart.
'Honestly, idiot older sister …' Actually, he wanted to say those words, but if the Hasegawa siblings heard them, they might go berserk.
They truly respected and loved their Grand Mistress. Seiji could tell this from the way they addressed her, especially Iroha Hasegawa.
He had already said what he needed to say. Whether or not he could pass it on would depend on the siblings … they would probably pass it on, because this was what their Grand Mistress needed to hear.
What would happen afterwards? He didn't know.
For now, he didn't need to think too much about it.
Seiji leaned back in his seat, relaxed, and slowly closed his eyes.
Shika Kagura looked up at his adopted older brother's face.
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
