V4Ch1: Closing Distance and Wavering Feelings Part 4

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Translator: Soafp

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After that, without much conversation, Sho kept driving.

It wasn't Haru's fault.

But once he was reminded of the past, Sho didn't have the composure to make small talk just to ease the mood.

Haru too didn't have the composure to say something kind to comfort Sho. If anything, the one who took the heavier emotional blow was Haru herself.

She was the daughter of a criminal.

By confessing that, Haru had thought she'd taken a small step forward. Even after Sho found out, he still took her out like this.

She thought maybe she could live a normal life again. Haru had dreamed of such a day.

But when she realized that Sho was a family member of one of her father's victims, she felt that dream had crumbled away.

(What should I do… what should I do…?)

Her “what should I do” was a mix of hesitation about whether it was okay to part ways without saying anything, and fear of what would happen if Sho found out she was the daughter of the man who had stolen his family.

“…Ah… sorry.”

“Huh?”

While Haru was lost in thought, Sho suddenly apologized.

“Talking about such a heavy, dark subject must've really killed the mood, huh? Sorry. We had such a good day out, too.”

Those words were spoken out of concern for Haru.

“You said you're the daughter of a perpetrator too, right? Sorry. For someone like you, listening to a victim's family spout their bitterness… that must've been unbearable. I should've chosen my words more carefully.”

Sho even gave a small bow of apology. That gesture completely stole Haru's heart.

(Even though I was the one who brought it up first…)

Not knowing they were connected to the very same incident, Haru had only wanted to understand Sho's feelings a little, and so she asked about the case.

And yet, Sho was reflecting on himself, thinking he had chosen his words poorly and made her uncomfortable.

Haru was drawn to him, thinking, what a broad-minded, kind young man he is.

“No… I'm the one who should apologize. I should've brought up a different topic.”

In truth, neither of them had done anything wrong.

One had asked about her father's crime by chance, the other had honestly shared the pain and resentment of losing a loved one. That was all.

But they still apologized to each other— Sho because he regretted venting to the daughter of a perpetrator,
Haru because she felt guilt as the daughter of the criminal.

Of course, neither of them dared to say that aloud.

If they slipped and let such emotions out, the fragile bond they had now might collapse instantly.

Awkwardly, Sho's car pulled into the parking lot of Matsuyama Park.

After talking about what happened ten years ago, neither could bring up anything cheerful, and they had returned with little more to say.

(Is this… the end…?)

Haru began to resign herself about Sho.

Even if they remained friends, one day her family background would inevitably be revealed.

When that happened, she didn't believe Sho would treat her the same as before.

She had felt all too clearly the hatred he bore toward the man—her father—who had taken his sister's life ten years ago.

Surely, if he found out she was that man's daughter, that same hatred would be turned on her.

And Haru couldn't stand the thought of seeing that expression of his directed at her.

Silence lingered in the parked car.

The sun had completely dipped, and one by one the streetlights lit up the parking lot.

The place grew brighter, but the number of cars gradually dwindled.

“Um… I had fun today. Sorry for ruining the mood with that weird question at the end.”

Just sitting there in silence wouldn't start anything, nor would it end anything.

If possible, she wanted their time together to end as a happy memory.

Thinking that, Haru forced herself to speak up.

“Well then… goodbye. Really, thank you.”

Haru got out of the car.

She couldn't bring herself to say “see you again.”

By ending it with a simple thank you, Haru wanted to leave her time with Sho as a beautiful memory after so long.

Tears welled up.

But she forced herself not to cry—not in front of Sho. She fought to stay cheerful.

That's when it happened.

“Hey, if it's okay… want to exchange contacts?”

Sho's voice called out from behind her.

Haru couldn't believe what she'd just heard.

“It'd be a hassle to have to search each other out again. This way we can reach out if anything comes up and meet more easily.”

His offer sounded like magic to Haru's ears.

“…But…”

Yet guilt weighed heavily on her.

What right did the daughter of a criminal have to exchange contact info with him?

If she stayed close to him, she feared Sho might end up hurt.

She couldn't allow her father's sins to hurt Sho further.

Haru resolved herself to decline.

“…If it's a bother, that's fine.”

“Idiot… of course it's not a bother.”

She couldn't refuse.

This was someone who, after so long, had treated her as a person, even as a woman.

Overwhelmed by her emotions, Haru exchanged contact information with Sho…

---

“Well, see you then.”

Sho smiled at her, just as he had before their outing. Feeling a pang of guilt, Haru gave a small wave.

“…See you.”

Her whispered words didn't reach Sho.

“Huh? What'd you say?”

He turned back and asked in a louder voice.

Haru thought of saying it again, louder this time. But she didn't know if meeting her again would truly be good for him.

“It's nothing! I just had fun today!”

So instead she waved her arm energetically.

Sho was glad to hear it and waved back before getting into his car.

It was less than fifteen minutes from the park to his house.

Sho stayed in his car, watching Haru until she disappeared from view, then slowly started driving.

“…It was fun, right?”

Though the talk on the way home had grown heavy, he still felt the sightseeing had been enjoyable.
Judging from Haru's expressions—though it was only their second time meeting—she had looked happy, smiling often.

“Come to think of it, she's a bright, lively girl…”

She had a different kind of energy from Hikaru, whose face changed quickly with little things.
Sho thought Haru also had a cheerfulness of her own.

He felt like their wavelengths matched. He thought they could become good friends.

And perhaps, because they both bore deep wounds related to family, they could sympathize with each other.

---

“I'm home.”

When he returned, Sho was greeted by his parents and Hikaru.

“Welcome back. Where'd you go today?”

“Oh, just went to Nikko with a ‘friend.'”

He had hesitated on how to describe Haru, but ‘friend' would do.

He went to Nikko with a friend.

That wasn't a lie.

So he said it openly, and since his parents didn't see anything strange in his demeanor, they accepted it casually.

“…A friend, huh.”

Only Hikaru felt something was off about those words.

Having known Sho for so long, she had a sense of the kind of friendships he usually formed.

While he might go out to eat or drink with coworkers, Hikaru couldn't recall him ever spending a whole day on a trip to Nikko with a ‘friend.'

(So it's a new friend… I see.)

Of course, Hikaru was happy if Sho gained more friends.

But if that friend was a woman, the situation was a little different.

“Sho really is popular, after all… I guess I should do a little digging.”

To Hikaru, Sho was the image of a ‘good young man, but unbelievably dense.'

Even if a girl liked him, he never noticed.

Even if a girl approached him with romantic feelings, Sho would still only see her as a ‘friend.'

That was the source of Hikaru's frustration.

Back in their student days, if such invitations arose, she could join along to put up a protective barrier.

But now, as working adults with different jobs, she no longer had a way to monitor those situations.

“…Haa… exhausting.”

She decided she'd talk to him a little after dinner.

With that thought, Hikaru began cleaning up the dishes.