Beyond The Bad End - Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Maki’s POV
(TN: Starting this chapter, all of the events happen in present time.)
Right now, Haru-kun’s grandpa is sitting right in front of me while patting my head and talking to me in a gentle tone of voice as usual.
“How are you feeling, Maki-chan? Are you feeling unwell? If you do, don’t hesitate to tell me, okay?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m so proud of you, Maki-chan. You’ve done a great job so far. You must be really terrified, right? You did a good job on your own. Even though we are not related by blood, you still are my proud granddaughter, Maki-chan. From now on, you are not alone anymore, Maki-chan. Everyone is here by your side, even Haru-kun as well.”
“Haru-kun…I have done a lot of terrible things to him…”
“It’s all right. Haru doesn’t think that way. I’m sure right now he is gritting his teeth and pushing through the feeling of regret desperately. Not just Haru, but everyone is fighting against the feeling of regret because all of us couldn’t protect Maki-chan. We all are really sorry, Maki-chan. Please forgive us.”
“……”
“From now on, you can leave it to me and Haru? We will definitely protect Maki-chan. I may not look like it, but I am well-connected in this town. I’ve been running a Chinese restaurant for 45 years, you know? I know many good people who are wiling to help us, so leave everything to us, everything will be alright.”
“Okay, I understand. I will leave everything to grandpa and Haru-kun.”
“Thank you, Maki-chan. Also, if there is anything you want, please don’t hesitate to tell me. I’ll get it for you right away.”
“Ah…”
“What is it?”
“I want to eat Haru-kun’s…fried rice.”
“Okay, I’ll prepare it for you right away. You should talk to your mom and Natsumi-san about the baby, but take you time, okay?”
“Yeah.”
Grandpa chuckles, pats my head, gets up and walks out the room.
After waiting for about ten minutes,
“Mom! I made some fried rice!”
I hear Haru-kun’s voice from the entrance.
Haru-kun doesn’t come inside my room, but instead he hands the fried rice to Natsumi-san at the entrance. Then Natsumi-san brings the fried rice on a tray to me.
On the tray, there is a single note tucked under the bowl of fried rice.
On the note, there is a message in Haru-kun’s handwriting which I haven’t seen in a while.
Dear Maki,
I’m sorry for all I’ve done until now.
I promise that I will protect you for the rest of my life, Maki.
From Haru.
As soon as I read Haru-kun’s note, tears begin to run down my face.
I take a bite of Haru-kun’s fried rice.
I have been suffering from morning sickness for quite some time now. I couldn’t eat anything, but it’s been so long since the last time I had Haru-kun’s friend rice. It’s really delicious and nostalgic, I was able to finish every last bite of it.