After settling Ayano Kimishima with a gentle kiss on her smooth forehead, Hozuki Nozomi instructed her to rest well and look after Yuki before quietly leaving the room. Ayano watched his retreating back, then glanced at the peacefully resting Yuki Suou beside her. The typically expressionless mask of her delicate face fractured, replaced by a warm blush. A moment later, she couldn't help but pout her small mouth ever so slightly.
A thread of resentment wove through her heart, aimed at Nozomi's incorrigible, promiscuous nature. Yet, in the very next breath, a contradictory thought surfaced: If he weren't like this, then someone like me… would never have a chance to earn his favor, would I? With this realization, Ayano Kimishima's mood lifted, a secret, contented happiness settling within her.
Having freshened up, Nozomi made his way to the kitchen of Sakurasou. There, he found Shiina Mahiru, a picture of domestic serenity. She was dressed in a soft pink apron, her lustrous golden hair pulled up into a practical yet charming high ponytail. She stood at the stove, humming lightly as she carefully fried eggs.
Suddenly, a pair of strong arms encircled her slender waist from behind, pulling her into a warm embrace.
Shiina Mahiru didn't startle. In all of Sakurasou, there was only one person who would do this so boldly. While the other girls might playfully tease or sneak-hug her, the solid, distinctly masculine presence pressed against her back was unmistakably his.
"Don't cause trouble," she chided softly, feeling the warmth of his breath near her ear. "I'm making breakfast."
Hozuki Nozomi merely smiled, his cheeky expression practically audible in his voice. His hands remained firmly around her waist, subtly appreciating the angel's perfect proportions. "You focus on your work, I'll focus on mine. We won't get in each other's way."
Hearing such shameless logic, Shiina Mahiru could only sigh in fond exasperation. "If these eggs burn, you'll be the one responsible for eating every last one of them."
"Ah… well, I just wanted to hold Mahiru for a moment. Just kidding, I won't disturb you anymore," he relented, his tone softening. "Please make this loving breakfast delicious."
Reassured, Shiina Mahiru relaxed back into his embrace, focusing once more on her cooking. If he wants to hug me, let him, she thought. He's probably feeling a little guilty. After all, she, Shiina Mahiru, had been by his side from nearly the very beginning. Ogiwara Sayu might have come earlier, but now… now he was someone else's official fiancé.
"How did it go yesterday?" he asked, his voice gentle against her hair. "Did you speak with them?"
Mahiru knew he was asking about her parents. She had attended the engagement banquet as well, even sharing a dance with him.
"No, I didn't," she replied, her voice even. "Perhaps they think I've grown up. I'm unwilling to live in that empty, perfect room they prepared for me, and they've decided they can finally wash their hands of me. We didn't exchange a single word. They didn't even bother to introduce me to anyone."
Hearing the quiet resignation in her tone, Nozomi's heart ached for her. He leaned closer, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek. "No matter what happens, Mahiru will always be my favorite girl. So please, always stay at Sakurasou. Always stay by my side. This will always be your home."
"I know," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.
After placing the perfectly fried eggs onto a plate, she turned within the circle of his arms. Standing on her tiptoes, she leaned up and planted a sweet, deliberate kiss on his cheek in return.
"Even if you tried to drive me away, I wouldn't leave!"
Just then, Shiina Mahiru's phone, resting on the counter, began to vibrate and ring. She glanced at the screen, and her serene expression grew complicated.
"It's my mother," she said, looking up at Nozomi. "Should I answer it?"
"Answer it," he encouraged. "There might be something important. Even if they haven't been emotionally present, they've never lacked in providing for you materially, right? They may not be qualified parents, but I believe Mahiru has already made her choice in her heart about what kind of life she wants."
"You're right," she said, a small, knowing smile touching her lips. She took a steadying breath and answered the call.
"Hello. It's me, Mahiru. What is it?"
There was a silence on the other end that lasted several seconds before a voice, familiar yet always distant, finally spoke.
"Mahiru. Your father and I… finalized our divorce today."
"Before we go our separate ways for good, we'd like to have one meal with you. Can you make it?"
Shiina Mahiru's delicate frame trembled slightly. "Aren't you both indifferent to me? Is such a meal really necessary?"
"Mahiru, you are our daughter, after all," Shiina Sayo's voice was strained but calm. "Even if we didn't… want to bring you into this world, you are here."
She took an audible breath before continuing. "I'm sorry for what I said last time. It was too harsh. But my stance… I don't think it was wrong. There was no love between your mother and your father. Only mutual resentment. We were forced together for the sake of family interests."
Hearing this, Shiina Mahiru instinctively tightened her grip on Hozuki Nozomi's hand, drawing strength from his presence. She mustered her courage. "Then now… can you separate without worrying about those family interests anymore?"
Shiina Sayo's reply was blunt. "Of course it's not that simple. Asahi and I are choosing to walk away with nothing. We will transfer the entire company we've built over the last decade into your name. What you do with it—use it as an allowance, donate it, dissolve it and take the capital—is entirely up to you."
She paused. "Yesterday, watching you dance so gracefully at that banquet… I realized you've truly grown up. I don't think you need to rely on us, your utterly incompetent parents, anymore. So, come have this meal. We'll complete the asset transfer then."
Upon hearing this, the tears Shiina Mahiru had been holding back finally spilled over, tracing silent paths down her cheeks.
"In your eyes," she whispered, her voice breaking, "can family bonds just be traded for money? What exactly am I to you? I don't want your assets!"
"You don't have a choice," Shiina Sayo stated, her tone leaving no room for argument. "The ownership of the company and all associated assets has already been legally transferred to you. I don't know the exact background of that boy you were dancing with, Hozuki Nozomi, but I imagine the Shiina family elders would rather see the potential benefits that arise from your connection to him than lose everything."
Her voice softened, just a fraction. "Anyway, Mahiru… your father and I want to thank you. Because of you, we are finally liberated. We can go and seek our own happiness now. It's far too late to say this, but… I still want to say it. Mahiru, I hope you live happily too."
Hearing those final words, Mahiru covered her mouth with her free hand, a sob escaping her. "Mom… I… I wish you both happiness as well. I'll come."
"Good. We'll be waiting. The address is… Chiba Grand Hotel. Table 520."
The line went dead.
Shiina Mahiru turned and threw herself fully into Hozuki Nozomi's embrace, burying her face in his chest as the tears she'd held back for years finally broke free in great, heaving sobs. His shirt was soon damp beneath her cheek.
Nozomi held her tightly, one hand gently stroking her golden hair. "Don't cry," he murmured, his voice a low, comforting rumble. "You won't look good if you cry too much."
"Wuu… Nozomi, my heart hurts," she managed between sobs. "I knew they would divorce eventually. I knew they would both leave my life, leave my world… I just didn't expect it to be so soon." Her nominal parents—the last fragile threads of that conventional family structure—were now officially severed.
"I'm sorry," he said, his voice filled with genuine remorse. "It seems it's because of me. The Shiina family's attention shifted when they saw greater benefits. They chose you as a bargaining chip to get closer to me."
"Idiot," she sniffled, pulling back slightly to look at him through tear-filled eyes. "How can you blame yourself?" Standing on her toes again, she kissed his lips, a tender, salt-tinged kiss. "I'm the one who should thank you. Even though it still hurts… my parents are finally free, aren't they? And I'm not losing out. All the assets they worked over a decade to build… they're mine now."
She attempted a wobbly smile, the resilience that was so intrinsic to her shining through the grief. "That's right," Nozomi said, smiling back and wiping a tear from her cheek with his thumb. "Mahiru is a rich little lady now. From now on, I'll have to rely on you to support me."