I Realized I Was the Cheating Bastard in a Hentai Manga only after I Had Already Stolen the Heroine - 52

Chapter 52: And Then, That Day, And From Here On

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A few days had passed since I went to Kouta’s house to watch over him. Today was the day Kouta and his father left for overseas. At Rui’s request, we went to the airport. She had asked to see them off with her own eyes.

That said, we weren’t going to do anything like have them meet face-to-face. If Kouta wanted to reflect and apologize to Rui, that would be another matter, but judging from how he behaved the other day, it was clear to see that he hadn’t even begun to reflect. Even if they met, it would only hurt Rui.

So we had come to the airport by train ahead of time. We were relaxing in the lounge while waiting for them to arrive now.

“How’re you feeling, Rui?”

On the way here I’d been observing her closely. Her complexion hadn’t gotten worse or anything, but I asked her directly just to make sure.

“Yeah, I think I’m okay. Thanks, Shuu-nii.”

“Ah, I just got a message from Miyo-san. She says they’re about to arrive.”

Kyouko said that while looking at her phone. Miyo-san was scheduled to come here together with Rui’s father and Kouta by car. And on the way back, we were supposed to ride back with her too.

“Thanks, Kyou-nee. Shall we move then?”

We left the lounge and moved to a spot where we could see the departure gate. Maybe about twenty minutes passed just like that until finally…

“Ah, they’re here.”

Rui said that, so I looked toward the gate, and sure enough, I could see the three of them.

Kouta looked like he’d gotten a haircut. His appearance was much tidier, but he kept his head down the whole time, and I couldn’t see his expression at all. Miyo-san tried to look up from below as if to see his face and talk to him eyes-to-eyes, but Kouta turned his face away.

And then, whether he spoke with Miyo-san or not, the two of them went beyond the gate and disappeared from sight.

“…Dad, stay well. ………Bye-bye, Kou-nii.”

Not “that man,” but “Kou-nii.” Rui’s way of calling Kouta had gone back to how it used to be. Surprised to hear the change, I looked at Rui’s face.  She looked lonely, but at the same time had a refreshed expression on her face. 

And more than anything, compared to a little while ago, her face looked more grown-up. Of course there was still some childishness there, but she had definitely become even more attractive. She was on her road to become a good woman.

“Mmm… I might not be able to just sit around and do nothing, huh.”

Kyouko murmured that. She had probably noticed the change in Rui as well. Rui would become an even more wonderful woman from here on. I was certain of it.

~Rui Yamada’s POV~

Dad and “that man”… no, Kou-nii had left Japan. Even when I remembered that day now, my body no longer trembled. Even when I recalled Kou-nii’s face from that time, I didn’t feel afraid. Rather, he started to look pitiful to me.

…Hey, Kou-nii? Being loved by someone isn’t something you can take for granted, you know? It’s the rarest, most precious thing of all, you know? Sure, it’s hard to notice when it’s part of your everyday life, but I was able to learn from that incident.

I looked at Kyou-nee’s face. The person I—no, we—had hurt and driven into a corner. Even so, she forgave us. What a gentle person she was.

I think that if Kou-nii truly reflected and sincerely apologized, Kyou-nee would forgive him. But even if she forgave him, she would no longer be at Kou-nii’s side. 

I looked at Shuu-nii’s face. He was the gentle person who had saved Kyou-nee, and even saved me. This person’s side was where Kyou-nee belonged.

When I first felt this person’s warmth, I thought maybe I was trying to find a substitute for Kou-nii in him. But I immediately realized that wasn’t the case at all. Because I realized I wanted to be with this person not as a little sister, but as a woman.

I think Shuu-nii was someone who knew the pain and fear of not being loved. We had never talked about it directly, but I was pretty sure Kyou-nee and everyone else noticed it too. That was why everyone found this person so dear. So that this person wouldn’t feel lonely or in pain, we wanted to give back, with all our hearts, the kindness and warmth he had given us.

And that wasn’t out of obligation or pity. It was because I—we—wanted to do it from the deepest part of our heart. I felt proud that I was someone cherished by Shuu-nii. And in my own way, I wanted to love this person.

I untied the hair I’d been wearing in two side-tails. When I was little, Kou-nii had tied my hair like that, imitating a little sister character from anime. Dad and Mom had said it suited me too, so I’d kept that hairstyle all this time.

Untying my hair didn’t change anything by itself. But still, I…

“Shuu-nii, Kyou-nee.”

I called the names of the two I loved. Both of them smiled gently.

“Let’s go. Mom’s waiting.”

I walked on together with the two of them.

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