Small talk
Kurono had turned his eyes to focus on Rena's figure once more, he could feel the slight change that had suddenly appeared in her, and since she had something to say, he decided to remain silent waiting for her words.
"Maybe you already thought about it, so it shouldn't be much of a surprise... He's my father, Kurono-san." Yes, that was the idea that Kurono had precisely in his mind.
It had only been necessary for him to analyze the situation, in addition to paying attention to the physical characteristics of the man shown in the photo, he had short brown hair making Kurono realize that Rena had inherited it from there, the expression calm on his face with what seemed to be a slight smile was enough to also feel some calm at that moment, he also looked quite young and Kurono thought that he was possibly not far from Rena's age right now.
"His name is Hiroshi." Rena didn't find it strange that Kurono didn't say anything at that moment, actually she could say many things and explain to Kurono all the past, or at least what she knew, but she would leave that part to her mother.
"I see..." That was the only thing that came out of Kurono, he was really thinking of something to say at that moment, but he couldn't find the right words, although he wouldn't have time for that since Rena's voice caught his attention again.
"We'd better look for mom and grandma, Kurono-san." Rena said those words and then made a simple gesture to the image of her father before leaving through the door that led to the outside of the house.
Kurono saw this and simply started to follow her, besides he agreed with Rena's idea, he thought that the short stretch of the road would help him put his ideas in order.
…
…
Midday had already passed a while ago and the sun was slowly sinking indicating that it would not be long before sunset appeared in its distinctive color. At that moment, two figures could be seen calmly walking along a small path that was surrounded by some cultivated areas, and that made them both feel one with nature, although without exaggerating too much.
"And… how long ago did it happen?" In the end, Kurono couldn't bear to ask that question, he had long been aware of that aspect of Shizune and Rena's life, but he had never been in a situation like this where he could get some answers.
Rena clearly heard that, and although she thought about it a lot, in the end, she decided to talk a bit without going into too much detail.
"It was more than twenty years ago... So I never really got to know my father, all I know about him is thanks to the words of my family..." Rena fell silent again, but it was because she was concentrating on remembering all those moments. "You could say that perhaps that situation did not affect me enormously since I had no memories of him, but that does not mean that he is a simple stranger to me."
"Of course I don't think that way." Kurono didn't take long to make things clear, plus he could imagine Rena's feelings a little.
"Sorry! I didn't want that to sound strange." Rena was waving her hands in front of her as a sign that she didn't want Kurono to misunderstand her. "It's just that I know some people would have that idea once they know that."
Rena was lost in her memories after she said that, though those memories weren't all that pleasant.
"Anyway, I really don't think I'm the right person to tell you everything, Kurono-san." Rena quickly decided that there was no point in her telling that story.
"I understand you, I myself know that Shizune wanted to find the perfect moment to tell me all this, I won't pressure you in any way, so we should leave that aside." Kurono supported Rena's idea since he honestly thought that it was better to wait for Shizune to make up her mind to talk to him even though he had betrayed that feeling a bit before.
"Thank you for accepting it, Kurono-san." Rena quickly thanked him, and after a few moments, she felt that they could have a slightly different talk "I also wanted to thank you for something else."
Kurono felt curious again, although this time was about a different topic.
"Thank you for taking care of mom all this time, Kurono-san." Rena's voice was full of honesty, it was something that she wanted to convey to Kurono for a long time, of course she had many opportunities to do so, but she wanted to find a moment where they were alone, and this was a perfect time.
"You don't have to mention it, Rena-san. You know how special Shizune is to me."
"That's why I need to thank you, I've always thought of a perfect match for mom after many years, so I'm happy that she found you myself." Rena had a big smile on her face.
"I think my situation is similar." Kurono was keeping his own feelings to himself, although a small smile on his face couldn't go unnoticed by Rena.
"I'm sure I've never asked you directly, but what do you like most about Mom?" Rena displayed her characteristic attitude of saying the first thing that popped into her mind.
"I could tell you that I like everything about her... But I think you expect me to say something specific, don't you?"
"You don't even have to ask." Rena giggled a bit in response to Kurono's question.
"Okay... If I have to choose something, then I really like seeing her embarrassed attitude." Kurono didn't think too much about her answer, although that made Rena have a confused expression. "Maybe it's strange, but on those occasions, a lot of aspects of her are combined, and aside from being funny to see her that way, she's also pretty cute when she acts like that."
Rena had to analyze all that, maybe she couldn't blame Kurono since she also really enjoyed teasing Shizune and enjoying those moments, but she knew and understood that she surely acted differently with Kurono.
Rena was about to change the subject again, and just as she thought of which one, the image of a house not far from where she was standing caught her eye.
"There it is, Kurono-san. That's Akio's house, we have to surprise everyone." And without letting Kurono say anything else, Rena hurried to the building while Kurono worried about Rena's safety and went behind her as well.