Will

His determination was clearly conveyed in his words.

Shishio was as immovable as a mountain.

They knew that no matter what they said would be useless. Yet, while they knew that it was wrong, they couldn't help but be moved by him.

It was extremely pure, and there were no stains on it.

Takumi looked at his son, struggling before he made his decision. "Go back to your room. Don't go out. Think about it carefully." Even if he said that he would disown him, how could he do it so easily?

Shishio was his son.

Shishio was someone that he had watched over from his birth.

Watching him grow from a little bump on Shioriko's belly to such a young man, how could Takumi indifferently disown him like nothing?

His mood was extremely complex.

To be honest, if Shishio somehow agreed to his words, Takumi would sigh in relief, yet at the same time, he would also feel disappointed and slightly despise his son since someone who could abandon his woman for something ambiguous like a future definitely wasn't someone that he could trust upon.

On the other hand, Shishio might reject him and cause him to be angry, frustrated, and also at a loss, but at the same time, Takumi was also proud of him for becoming such a man.

As a father, he was happy.

But as a member of the Oga family, he was at a loss and disappointed.

If possible, Takumi hoped that something like this didn't happen, yet since it had happened, there was nothing that he could do. He also thought that by keeping him inside his room, Shishio would cool his head and maybe reach a different decision.

'Ugh...'

Takumi just didn't know what to do currently.

Shishio didn't know what his father thought since he was led to his room by Kayo. Shiroiko stayed with his father, fearing that Takumi might beat him again.

When they entered his room, he was quiet, and Kayo also didn't know what to say. The only thing that she could do was tend his wounds. He had a lot of bruises, and many parts of his skin were cut and bleeding.

Kayo was in distress as she tended to him. Still, she also couldn't say anything since she just didn't know what she should say. Should she support Takumi? No, she should support Takumi to make Shishio give up Chihiro, yet she had to say she was extremely jealous of Chihiro.

"......."

Shishio only glanced at Kayo and pretended that he didn't notice the sudden change in her mood and body.

"Kayo-san, let me stay alone."

"But..."

"Kayo-san."

"......"

Kayo sighed before she stood up and bowed her head. "Please call me if you need something." She left quietly without disturbing him.

Shishio looked out his window and thought of escaping, but he decided to lie on his bed, thinking about many things. As he gazed at the dark ceiling, he was still shocked by Chihiro's decision. He could understand her and why she could do this, yet at the same time, his heart was extremely uncomfortable.

She only wanted the best for him.

Yet, his best meant that she would disappear from his life.

Such a life definitely wasn't something that he longed for.

It was true that even if she left, he wouldn't be missing anything. He didn't lack a woman. No, he had a lot of them. Even if one of them vanished from his life, it wouldn't interrupt his life. Instead, the one who would be miserable would be Chihiro instead of him.

He had everything, yet she had nothing.

Even if he followed his father's words, it didn't matter, yet as he had said before, how could he let everything stay the way it was?

Giving up, following his father's words, without even fighting back.

What was he?

As for Chihiro, to be honest, he was angry. He was extremely angry. To be honest, when they met, he planned to inject his seed, so she would get pregnant with his child.

That way, what would she do?

Could she get away from him again?

However, when he thought about it clearly, he didn't plan to do so since love was messing with people's minds. One could do everything in the name of love. It was the most unreasonable emotion that one could have, after all.

If he really got her pregnant, he was afraid that she might escape to Southeast Asia, so she wouldn't cause trouble in his life.

'Why are you so stupid?'

He questioned this before he stood up since he had made up his mind to chase after her, and it was impossible for him to stay here any longer. He wanted to meet her, and he was going to wipe the tears from his eyes.

Since, right now, the only person who could do that was him.

He was the only one.

He knew that he couldn't get out from the entrance of his house, so he decided to leave through the window, but when he was about to leave, the door of his room was opened.

"........"

There was silence.

Shioriko looked at his son, who was about to escape speechlessly.

"I want to go to Chihiro."

Lying might be good because of how awkward this situation was, yet he told the truth since he wanted to tell his mother that it was impossible to change his decision.

Shioriko let out a long sigh as she closed the door. "Then, do you know where she is?"

"......"

"She might be on a business trip, but that business trip is a process to transfer her job."

"She is going to move away from Suimei?"

"Yes." Shioriko sat on his bed and patted her side. "Come here. Listen to me first before you leave."

'You won't stop me?'

He thought, but he knew that it was such a stupid question when everything was clearly conveyed by her actions. He sat by her side and listened to Shioriko, telling him what had happened to Chihiro for the past month and what kind of decision her little sister had made.

However, after listening to the story, there was only one thing that he could think of.

Just how stupid this woman is... was it worth it for her to throw away everything for him?

Leaving Suimei meant a lot of things for Chihiro.

After all, Chihiro loved to teach, and Suimei was also the place where she wanted to work the most when she became a teacher, yet she decided to leave everything for him. Moreover, she would also cut her relationship with her family, staying alone where no one knew her.

Chihiro had decided to leave Shishio's life.

She didn't want to become a stumbling block for his future.

His future without her was the best.

Was it worth it? Was it worth it to throw everything for a scumbag like him?

However, knowing this, he knew that he had to meet her.

Shioriko didn't know what her son was thinking, but she said, "To be honest, like your father, I don't know what to do. I should have stopped you, but in the end, I couldn't. I left everything to your father since... I don't have the courage to say anything to you.

"Your relationship... while I can't say that it is right, especially in the eyes of others, I can tell that you're earnest. You two are in love with each other. I can tell you all of that, yet at the same time, I can't fully support you two, especially when your relationship is..."

Shishio looked at his mother and held her hand. "I know, but thank you for telling me all of this, and I am sorry for being a disappointment to you."

"You are not a disappointment to me... but I can't say that I am proud of you..." She was in tears, trying to stop them but couldn't. If possible, she wished that she could fully support their relationship, yet as a wife of the Oga family, she knew what their relationship meant.

Disowning was the only thing she could think of to solve this problem.

Yet similar to her husband, she didn't want to disown her son.

Similar to her husband, she loved her son.

'Maybe... sending him to Tokyo was a mistake...'

'Maybe letting the two meet each other was a mistake...'

There were many ifs on her mind, and she thought that if all of that didn't happen, then everything wouldn't reach this point.

Was there only one answer to this problem?

As the two fell into silence, only the sound of their breathing and the wind of the night winter could be heard.

"Where is she?"

In the end, she couldn't stop him. She stared at her son, struggling, hoping that something might change, a miracle might happen, but in the end, nothing happened, and she told him where Chihiro was.

"Asahikawa."

"Asahikawa? Hokkaido?"

He was dumbfounded since it was too far away.

"Yes, she has become an art teacher at one of the schools in that city."

"Thank you." He stood up and said, "Thank you." But this time, he wiped her tears as he held her hand.

She knew that he was about to leave, so she hugged him tightly.

He just let her until he could feel her hands loosen.

Neither of them talked, and she just watched him leave, but she told him to leave through the entrance since it was dangerous to leave through the window.

When he was about to leave, he saw his father.

"You're going?"

"Yes."

Shishio nodded.

"........" 2x

Neither said much, and he put his shoes on, ready to leave, but his father's voice startled him.

"Hey."

"Yes?"

"Do a hitchhiking."

"Hitchhiking?"

"Yes."

"To Asahikawa?"

"Of course."

Why?

"What? You can't do that?" Takumi asked with a snort.

Shishio wanted to ask that, but in the end, he nodded. "I will do it." He wasn't sure why his father told him to hitchhike, but it might be his last request, so he agreed.

"That's good." Takumi nodded.

Then, Shishio left the house and bowed his head for the last time before walking to Asahikawa.

His parents didn't send him off, but they stared at his figure from the window of their room, watching him leave until they couldn't see him anymore.

"Why did you tell him to hitchhike?" Shioriko asked curiously to her husband.

"Because it's hard."

"...that's it?"

"His relationship won't be easy, and they will face many hardships together. No, he will, so this hitchhiking is a good chance for him to test his feelings. It's hard, but it will also make him mature and strengthen his will. After all, if he gives up, then how can he persist in his love for your little sister even in the future?"

"...dear."

She was moved and stared at her husband with a warm gaze, but she was stunned when her husband suddenly carried her and threw her to the bed.

"Eh?"

"Let's make another one."

"......."

Shioriko was obidient.