Chapter 23: Last Words, Deterioration, and Abnormality
"To our family's benefactor, Kasugano-kun."
"Thank you for looking after my poor granddaughter."
"My son is a bastard. That is the greatest regret of my life. I feel I shouldn't have given birth to him. I raised Shoko from childhood. She is very kind, but fate hasn't been kind to her. In fact, I often worry about her future."
"I don't know how much longer I can live. Once I'm gone, Shoko's life will probably become even harder. Yaeko is a good daughter-in-law, but perhaps not a good mother. I understand her pessimism about Shoko's future, but I actually do not agree with the cruel self-reliance she forces upon Shoko. Even now, I am afraid—afraid of that time long ago when Shoko, in her ignorance, told me she wanted to die."
"I knew back then that Yaeko's idea might not succeed. In the end, perhaps it would only drive Shoko to her death."
"I wanted to do something to save that sorrowful future, but look at this old body of mine. I am aged and decaying; I gasp for breath just walking a few steps. Not adding to the burden of this family is already the only thing I can do."
"I can barely mediate within this home, but the longer time goes on, the closer the dark ending seems to approach."
"Just then, you appeared. The first time I heard about you from Yuzuru's little report, I was actually very happy. Especially when I heard that you sang a sign language song for Shoko on the school stage, a thought crossed my mind: Is it possible to find a reliable person and entrust Shoko to him?"
"And for such a person, apart from a husband and wife who share the same fate, I couldn't think of any other relationship."
"But this is a selfish thought."
"No one is born obliged to sacrifice for others, not even a spouse."
"So, in the beginning, I held no expectations for you."
"However, as time went on, you two still came together. This gave me a delusion—perhaps you really could protect Shoko for a lifetime."
"But clearly, this delusion has shattered. Complete deafness... Sound is the channel connecting people. When this channel is completely closed, a person has already stepped onto a road of despair."
"I don't want to beg for your promise, nor do I want to bind you with things like morality or vows. I just want to say, you have done enough. Give up on Shoko. None of us will blame you."
"I have also left a path for Shoko. When I was young and had lost hope in that beast of a son, I bought shares in a private nursing home. Although the money was quickly locked up and I couldn't sell them, my qualification remains. Letting Shoko move in early is still possible."
Reading up to here.
The paper was stained with blotches.
What kind of feelings did an old woman hold when writing these words of giving up on her own granddaughter?
"I can't finish writing, and I don't want to write anymore."
What followed was a large area of blacked-out scribbles.
However, Haruka could faintly make out words like "Save Shoko" and "Regret" amidst the marks.
He had finished reading the entire letter.
Haruka looked at the paper and remained silent for a long time.
Finally.
He simply folded the paper carefully. Then, when everyone had left.
In front of Grandma Nishimiya's spirit tablet.
He tossed it into the brazier.
The firelight flickered, dim and uncertain.
It reflected in Haruka's pupils, dancing.
In a certain corner.
Yuzuru watched blankly.
The emotions in her eyes were complex and hard to read.
There was actually something Yuzuru didn't say.
She had already secretly read that last letter.
***
[After reading Grandma Nishimiya's last words, you remained calm.]
[Your behavior didn't change in the slightest from before.]
[However.]
[Misfortune never comes alone.]
[Just a few days after the funeral, one morning, you called Shoko several times before she belatedly turned her head. Already extremely sensitive, your heart went on high alert.]
[Sure enough, through your observation over the next few days, you discovered that the hearing in Shoko's other ear was also showing signs of degradation.]
[This was different from what the doctor said. No, wait... you remembered the doctor saying not to suffer too much stimulation...]
[The result had already appeared. Shoko's hearing was deteriorating.]
[You took Shoko to the hospital twice more under the guise of physical checkups.]
[The conclusion drawn was not optimistic.]
[In the end, you could only hold onto your sorrow and force a smile as you asked Shoko if she had a wish list.]
[Shoko gave you only one answer: She only wished to be able to hear your voice all the time before everything fell into silence.]
[You began spending huge sums of money to hire various music teachers to tutor you.]
[For the first time in a long while, the sense of struggle and drive you had during your student days reappeared in you.]
[And Shoko accompanied you, immersing herself in the world of music together with you.]
[You couldn't see a shred of fear in Shoko about her impending loss of the world's sounds.]
[She even brimmed with smiles in front of you every day.]
[Every time you saw that smile, you only felt a wave of abnormality.]
[Your efforts paid off.]
[Piano, guitar, violin, flute, singing.]
[In just half a year, you achieved proficiency in all of them.]
[This still didn't count as being a genius, but at least it was your limit. Even in front of that genius daughter of hers, it was enough to be proud of. You could even be called a hard-working genius!]
[This was the complex comment from your teacher, Youko Touma.]
[Then, you recorded a song.]
[It was still that Monster's Ballad.]
[The song that first connected you two.]
[You gave it your all.]
[When the finished product appeared, your hair and beard were messy, making you look like a madman.]
[You uploaded the music to her phone and MP3 player.]
[At night, Shoko always fell asleep listening to this song.]
[Watching her smile, you felt that everything was worth it.]
[However, looking at her smile, occasionally, you felt a little uneasy.]
[She... seemed to have been smiling constantly lately.]
[Because you spent the last six months learning music, the company went unmanaged. On this day, Ai Hayasaka finally came knocking.]
Knock, knock.
The door opened.
What greeted Ai Hayasaka's eyes.
Was Shoko's face, wearing a gentle smile, and Haruka beside her.
"Mr. President, may I ask when you will have time to visit your dear company? I am merely an assistant; there are many things I truly cannot handle," Ai Hayasaka said with a fake smile.
"Sorry. Haruka... has been... busy... taking care... of me... recently."
Shoko explained.
She didn't want others to misunderstand Haruka.
Looking at Shoko like this, a flash of jealousy crossed Ai Hayasaka's eyes.
But soon, her gaze turned complex, carrying a hint of pity.
"It's alright, Ms. Nishimiya. I'm just here to have the President handle some urgent documents. I was just joking earlier; I apologize." Ai Hayasaka bowed slightly.
Then she took out the important documents that she couldn't handle, such as those requiring signatures.
Haruka nodded.
He really had cared very little about the company during this period.
But it didn't matter.
Wasn't the purpose of establishing a company to have a better life?
He couldn't put the cart before the horse.
-----
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