On the lakeside, Haruno sat on a small wooden stool, focused on the painting she was working on. Her soft black hair was waving slightly by the breeze as she added the final details in her painting.
Akira stood behind her, observing the canvas quietly.
Haruno's artistic skill was remarkable.
Her paintings were no less impressive than those of professional artists — even comparable to the works of Kanae Takahashi. The scene she painted today was the lake before them: the blue surface, the surrounding greenery, and Akira fishing alone at its center.
After finishing the last stroke of background shading, Haruno finally turned and looked up at Akira.
"How is it?" she asked with a bright smile.
"You are really is Yukino's big sister," Akira said with a tone of admiration.
"Yukino has always followed in my footsteps. Anything I can do, she insists on learning." Haruno let out a small laugh, pleased with the comment.
"So, you like me because you were influenced by Yukino?" Akira asked.
"It's possible," Haruno answered, raising a hand to hide her amused smile. "Yukino-chan and I have very similar tastes after all— We're sisters."
"Let's put this painting in the living room of the villa," Akira suggested.
Haruno stood up, glanced at Setsuna who was leaving with the fish, then leaned in and kissed Akira.
Akira wrapped his arms around her slender waist and returned the kiss, the peaceful lakeside atmosphere surrounding them.
After a long moment, Haruno slowly pulled away and leaned into Akira's chest.
Akira held her quietly.
The lake surface shimmered, unmoving except for a soft ripple caused by the gentle wind.
"Akira-kun… when I lean on you like this, all the exhaustion from work just disappears," Haruno whispered, gently.
"Really? Then stay a little longer."
"I only see you once a week. It feels too little. I want to see you at least three times a week," Haruno said softly, her fingers lightly gripping his shirt.
"Don't be like that. It's because it's only once a week that you look forward to it so much. If you saw me every day, it would affect your work."
"You're so cunning, Akira-kun."
"I know."
....
Later that afternoon,
In the pavilion within the courtyard, Akira and Haruno sat across from each other playing shogi.
Haruno's skill wasn't particularly high, but she played with steady confidence. She even seemed to hold her own quite well against Akira.
Her knowledge of shogi came from Mrs. Yukinoshita — her and Yukino's mother — who once dominated the shogi world and held a title of her own.
She had been a legend even before she married into the Yukinoshita family.
After marriage, Mrs. Yukinoshita gave up her career, but her influence in the shogi world still remained strong.
"Compared to battles on the board, Mrs. Yukinoshita prefers battles outside the board — or rather, she prefers controlling the entire board," Akira commented as he placed a piece.
"Mother does control the board...Shogi doesn't have a huge following. Every tournament needs sponsorship, and the Yukinoshita family is the largest sponsor of the Shogi Federation," Haruno replied with a smile.
"Shogi Federation?" Akira raised an eyebrow, it is the first time hearing about it.
"It's not something outsiders know about. Only those interested in shogi do. Just like Go — not very popular. If you're talking about the most popular sport…"
"Baseball?" Akira guessed.
"Yes. Baseball is the most popular. It's also where high school students can become stars," Haruno said.
Akira didn't say anything else.
He only thought about that one animation producer whose scripts always involved baseball, whose works always started strong but ended weak — a strange habit he still didn't understand.
"Akira-kun, do you want to be a baseball player? You could represent the Yukinoshita family, form the strongest team, and become the most respected player," Haruno teased lightly.
"I'm not interested," Akira replied firmly.
"Akira-kun has impressive...physical ability. It feels like such a waste for you to live like this — becoming a mangaka and businessman instead of an athlete."
"I don't like training under the hot sun. I'd rather spend summer at the beach, looking at everyone's swimsuits," Akira said casually, glancing outside the pavilion.
"Akira-kun… you're really strange."
"I just want a relaxed life. Freely. That's who I am," Akira said as he picked up his iced cola and drank.
Haruno looked at him with a soft smile.
Perhaps this was what drew her to him.
He was different — truly different.
No desire for fame or glory.
Most people were afraid of being judged if they said such things. But Akira didn't care. His idea of freedom was genuine freedom, the kind that came from living according to his own heart.
And yet, even with that freedom, Akira refused to hurt others. He could have easily taken advantage of Yukinoshita Yukino or Yuigahama Yui. But he never did.
He followed his heart, but with principles.
Maybe that was why the girls around him always seemed to be the ones suffering.
…..
The shogi match ended with Akira's victory.
Afterward, the two went to the audio-visual room to watch a movie.
This one was a serious film — a classic ninja story.
At the beginning, the male protagonist trained under his master, learning ancient ninjutsu.
Then, the scene shifted: the protagonist's master was killed by a swordsman.
The protagonist's path of revenge began.
He trained in both ninjutsu and swordsmanship, infiltrated the dojo of his master's killer, and even became the favorite disciple — beloved not only by the students but especially by the swordsman's daughter, who he too started to love.
Revenge on one hand.
Love on the other.
The protagonist struggled between the two.
Then a wandering swordsman appeared, challenging the protagonist's enemy and injuring him severely.
With his enemy bedridden, the protagonist visited him at night with a dagger. The enemy immediately understood his identity but accepted death calmly.
He even explained why he killed the protagonist's master — because the master had killed his father.
Revenge against revenge.
The protagonist couldn't do it anymore, he simply stare at the person who killed his master, clenched his hand as he stood up and left quietly.
The next morning, his enemy was found dead, leaving behind a suicide note entrusting his daughter and dojo to the protagonist — along with the secret to his swordsmanship.
The protagonist's strength increased tremendously as he learn the swordsmanship and because pf his hardwork.
Soon after, he defeated the wandering swordsman, avenged the man who had killed his enemy, and married his daughter.
The movie ended with them living a peaceful life.
With—Akira and Haruno continued watching quietly.
...
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