Claro!! Aqui vai direto no chat:
CHAPTER 38 — Harumi Activates Full Military Operation Mode
The entire week at HR was… peculiar.
Harumi spent her days organizing other people's documents while being physically incapable of organizing her own.
It was almost a talent.
And every single time she managed to stop thinking about the whole "kids have no paperwork" situation, something at work would happen. Like:
— Harumi, have you seen the file for the employee on maternity leave? — Harumi, where's that form for the siblings? — Harumi, this registration is incomplete.
And her brain would go:
"OH MY GOD THAT'S RIGHT THE KIDS HAVE NO DOCUMENTS WHATSOEVER HELP AAAH—"
That was Monday through Friday.
But Saturday…
Saturday she woke up possessed.
By what entity, we cannot say.
Maybe the spirit of delayed adult responsibility.
Maybe pure desperation.
Either way — she shot out of bed at ten in the morning (which, for Harumi, is basically the middle of the night), yanked the curtains open with unnecessary force, and declared:
— I. AM. GETTING. THOSE. DOCUMENTS. TODAY.
Out in the garden, Takeru was feeding the fish in the pond while Mei attempted a conversation with a frog.
They both looked up at her, gave a small wave, and returned to their extremely important activities.
The Preparation of Harumi was a spectacle.
She walked out the door like this:
rubber gloves, beanie, face mask, safety goggles, rubber boots, and a helmet.
The helmet.
No one knows why there was a helmet.
Possibly not even her.
She stopped at the gate, placed both hands on her hips and inhaled deeply — like someone about to march into battle.
— Harumi… where exactly do you think you're going dressed like that? — asked the entire universe.
Bonus scene: Itsuki witnesses the disaster.
Itsuki, perfectly relaxed, was taking out the trash in his pajamas and messy hair when he glanced sideways and saw:
A Harumi dressed for nuclear apocalypse.
He let out an involuntary laugh.
— …Good lord. What is this unhinged woman up to now?
He clocked the direction she was heading.
And thought: "No. I need to see this."
With dignity, of course.
So he went inside, changed clothes at a calm, unhurried pace…
And quietly disappeared from the scene. For now.
She was determined… until she remembered one small detail.
— AAAAAAH NOOO!!!!! — yes. She remembered she'd have to go to that house.
THAT house.
That old, rotting, haunted house where the grandfather's spirit still roamed the hallways.
For the one-million-nine-hundred-and-twenty-eighth time, she was going to have to go back…
— I swore I'd never set foot in there again—
Dramatic pause as she stands frozen in front of said house, which she absolutely swore she'd never set foot in again.
The house was moldy, damp, musty, and had the distinct energy of a retired ghost's residence.
This was her fourth visit.
She still made a face at the door every single time.
— Come on, Haru… you've got this… think about the kids…
She opened the door.
The smell hit her.
— OHHHHH GOD—
But she went in anyway.
Because Harumi is Harumi.
And she got to work:
pulling drawers open, throwing cabinet doors aside, dragging out boxes, reaching into places no human hand should ever go, grabbing documents, papers, photos, random objects, and dumping ALL of it into a bag.
She grabbed things that had nothing to do with anything.
If it had paper, she took it. If it had a name, she took it. If it vaguely sparkled, she took it.
Harumi had become a collection hurricane.
Until she found a large box with the children's names scrawled on the lid.
She opened it slowly.
Inside:
blurry photos taken by their grandfather, lopsided drawings, clippings, little notes, and a few scattered pieces of their childhood.
Harumi felt a warmth in her chest.
Until she pulled out a folded piece of paper — clearly written by Takeru, clearly when he was around eight years old.
She unfolded it.
And read it.
"I hope that this year grandpa can put us in school."
Harumi froze.
Her chest tightened.
Her eyes stung.
"…he… never… went to school…"
She remembered:
Takeru was thirteen.
But when he first arrived, he wrote like an eight-year-old.
He only knew what his grandfather had taught him.
His grandfather had done everything he could.
But he never managed to enroll them in school.
And Harumi fell apart.
— OH GOD… I only found this because Takeru ran away… I only thought about school because I found a piece of paper… how could I be like this…?
Her heart squeezed tighter.
— I should've seen this sooner. I should've done something sooner. I should've—
A sound from behind her cut the spiral short.
"BOO!"
— AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!
She tripped over the boxes, landed hard on the floor, and brought half the documents down on top of her own head.
And there he was:
Itsuki.
Wearing the most unbothered expression known to mankind.
— Hahaha! Some things never change. You'd get scared by your own shadow.
— ARE YOU INSANE???? — she screamed, a paper stuck to her forehead. — I ALMOST DIED!!
Itsuki laughed and started picking up the scattered documents.
— What are you even doing here dressed like that? — he asked, eyeing the helmet. — Were you planning to headbutt the house into submission?
Harumi sniffled, her eyes still glassy.
— I… I came to get the kids' documents…
Itsuki looked at the mess. The open boxes. The Harumi who was trembling slightly.
He went quiet for a moment.
— …Did you find something bad?
Harumi just handed him Takeru's paper without saying a word.
He read it.
Sighed.
Sat down beside her.
— Harumi. None of this is your fault.
She squeezed her eyes shut, fighting the tears.
— I just… I only do things when they've already gone wrong… I should've thought of it earlier… they deserved better than this…
Itsuki smiled, just slightly, from the corner of his mouth.
— You throw yourself into things. You always have. You're chaotic, yeah — but you do everything with your whole heart. And you do it better than anyone else would.
Harumi took a long breath and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.
— …Thank you, Itsuki…
And there she sat, on the moldy floor, helmet still on, documents scattered around her like dirty snow — and she felt it:
"I'm going to fix all of this. Even if I have to turn all of Japan upside down."
Itsuki picked up an old photo of baby Mei.
— Look at this. Her face hasn't changed AT ALL.
Harumi melted.
— AWWWWW OH MY GOD SHE'S SO TINY!!!
She started shaking the photo around like it was a trophy.
They headed back home, laughing and flipping through more old memories along the way…
While outside the house…
Someone had stopped at the red light.
Someone named Kei.
And he saw:
— Harumi walking out of the house — holding a baby bag with "Mei" written on it — Itsuki right beside her — both of them laughing — documents flying in every direction
And his brain concluded:
"THAT'S IT. SHE MARRIED ITSUKI. THE KID IS THEIRS. I'VE LOST."
The chapter ends with:
Kei gripping the steering wheel, heart shattered, soul sliding out the window, the traffic light turning green while he sits completely still.