The sea breeze, carrying a salty and damp scent, blew through Yukinoshita Haruno's slightly messy long hair. She didn't show much surprise at Kanjuro's appearance, as if she had long expected him to find her here. She just stood there quietly, watching the Eternal Youth, who looked out of place in his neat school uniform, walk toward her step by step until he finally stopped in front of her.
"Yesterday..." Haruno spoke first, her voice calm but carrying a faint trace of mockery. "Did you have a good time, Kanjuro? With girls on both arms and two... still-charming 'madams' accompanying you."
Kanjuro didn't mind the sting in her words, still wearing that inscrutable, gentle smile as he admitted frankly, "I did have a good time." He paused, his gaze focusing on Haruno's face, his tone carrying a perfect touch of regret. "It's just that, with our family together, only you were missing, Haruno... I felt a bit of an empty hole in my heart; it was quite painful."
"Family?" Haruno laughed as if she had heard something utterly absurd, her laughter sounding somewhat broken in the sea breeze. "Kanjuro, are you... begging me now? Begging me to be like them and willingly call you 'Father'?"
She looked directly into Kanjuro's eyes, trying to find hypocrisy or calculation in those deep pupils, but there was only a disturbing calmness.
Hearing this, Kanjuro slowly shook his head. His expression became somewhat serious, even carrying a rare, almost candid look.
"No, Haruno." His voice was soft, yet it reached her ears clearly. "To me, you are Haruno. Just Haruno herself. I will respect your choice, whether you choose to come closer or stay away."
These words, coming from him, carried a strange persuasiveness. But Haruno knew his essence well, and her guard did not drop.
Kanjuro took a step forward, closing the distance between them. The sea breeze blew against the corners of their clothes, and the air was thick with a tight tension. He slowly raised his hand, his movements not hurried but carrying an irresistible weight, as he gently yet firmly grabbed one of Haruno's hands.
Haruno's body stiffened instantly, and she instinctively tried to pull back, but Kanjuro's strength was just right—not enough to hurt her, yet enough to make it impossible for her to easily break free.
He gazed into Haruno's eyes, which were filled with complex emotions, and his tone became even lower, carrying a solemnity as if he were sharing a secret:
"But Haruno, many times... things aren't just one-sided."
He leaned in slightly, close to her ear, his voice like a siren's whisper, full of enchantment and a heart-pounding "sincerity":
"Have you ever seen me... so proactively approach a woman and say such things to her?"
He pulled back slightly, his gaze locking onto Haruno's widening eyes, and said clearly, word by word:
"In my eyes, you have never... just been my 'daughter'."
"You are... my 'beloved,' my lover (Aishiteiru hito)."
The word "love," coming from Kanjuro's mouth along with the title "lover," exploded in Yukinoshita Haruno's mind like a thunderclap!
She looked at Kanjuro in disbelief, at his flawless, handsome face so close to hers, and at his eyes, which now seemed filled with a distorted yet incredibly focused "emotion."
Was he lying? Like he deceived her mother and sister?
But his eyes... his tone... that unprecedented, almost clumsy "proactivity"... (Not just a daughter... but a lover?)
(He... to me...?)
Her long-held calm and defenses were cracked by this bombshell. Haruno's heart raced uncontrollably, and a mixture of absurdity, fear, and a secret tremor she despised herself for felt like seaweed wrapping around her heart.
Kanjuro watched her waver but did not press his advantage. He merely caressed the back of her hand gently, as if soothing a startled cat, waiting for her response.
The sound of the waves continued as before, but in Yukinoshita Haruno's ears, the world seemed to consist only of her own heart beating like a drum and Kanjuro's taboo 'confession' that had dropped like a massive boulder into the lake of her heart.
Yukinoshita Haruno abruptly pulled back her hand from Kanjuro's grasp as if it were a red-hot iron. She took a step back to put distance between them, her chest rising and falling slightly, betraying the turmoil within. The sea breeze ruffled her long hair, hiding the momentary panic in her eyes.
"Fine! I admit it!" Haruno's voice carried a trace of imperceptible trembling. She forced herself to meet Kanjuro's gaze, her tone carrying the reckless honesty of someone with nothing left to lose. "I admit that in my heart... I really do have some... feelings that shouldn't be there, something like attachment! It makes me feel disgusted with myself!"
Seeing her awkward state—trying to maintain her pride while unable to fully deny her heart—Kanjuro couldn't help but laugh. His laughter carried a hint of understanding and amusement.
"Hehe... How interesting." He tilted his head, studying Haruno. "The Haruno who is usually as cunning as a fox and can show a perfect smile to anyone with ease... why has she become so conflicted and honest today?"
Haruno took a deep breath, trying to calm her surging emotions. She looked away toward the rolling sea, her voice dropping low. "I told you, Kanjuro... you are different. You possess that... power to bewitch hearts and distort reality." She paused, her tone becoming firm again as if warning herself. "But don't expect, and don't try... to make me truly feel those... 'emotions' you want."
"But," Kanjuro took a step forward, his voice like a devil's whisper, precisely piercing the defense she was trying to build, "you already have feelings for me now, don't you? Even if you're unwilling to admit it, even if you call it 'attachment' or something else... it already exists."
These words were like a needle popping the balloon Haruno was struggling to maintain. She spun around abruptly, no longer looking at Kanjuro or the sea that was unsettling her, and walked straight in the opposite direction.
"Say whatever you want!" Her voice carried a faint, nearly undetectable sob, but her steps were exceptionally resolute. "No matter what, Kanjuro, I won't... I can't... have any further thoughts about you! Even if..."
Her voice gradually trailed off, and her final words almost dissipated into the sea breeze, yet they echoed with absolute clarity within her own heart:
"...Even if in my heart... I might... love you a little more than I imagined."
After uttering this confession and rejection that bordered on a breakdown, Yukinoshita Haruno quickened her pace, vanishing toward the end of the coastline as if fleeing. She didn't dare look back, fearing that if she did, she would see Kanjuro's all-knowing smile and that her hard-won resolve would crumble once more.
Kanjuro stood where he was and did not give chase. He simply stood in the sea breeze, watching Haruno's resolute yet pathetic figure grow smaller until it finally disappeared from his sight.
The smile on his face slowly faded, replaced by a faint, almost helpless regret. However, in his deep eyes, there was more of an 'as expected' calmness and... a spark of interest ignited by being challenged.
"Why..." he murmured softly to himself, as if asking the sea breeze or questioning the fleeing figure, "can't you just be like them... and obey me submissively?"
He shook his head, his lips curling back into a cold and certain arc.
"It seems I'll always have to... use some special methods on you."
Having said that, he no longer lingered on the coast. He turned and walked with composed steps in the opposite direction from Haruno. His goal was clear—Hayama Hayato's residence.
Since gentle 'influence' and a direct 'confession' couldn't make the proud Haruno submit, he didn't mind finding the... cruelest key to unlock her heart through the person she cared about. The game had only just entered a more interesting stage.
The courtyard of the Hayama residence was quiet and elegant, but it was currently permeated by a low-pressure atmosphere. Hayama Hayato sat alone under the porch, staring blankly at the dry landscape garden, his brow clouded with an indelible gloom. Being rejected by Yukinoshita Haruno in such a clear and distant manner was a heavy blow to him.
Just then, a figure that shouldn't have been there stepped silently into the courtyard.
"Hayato, staring off into space all by yourself?" Kanjuro's voice was as gentle as ever, but it made Hayama Hayato snap back to reality and look up in surprise.
"Uncle... Kanjuro?" Hayama Hayato was somewhat stunned and quickly stood up. "What brings you here?"
Kanjuro wore a look of perfect concern and gave a soft sigh as he walked up to Hayato. He didn't answer immediately but instead unhurriedly took an envelope from his pocket, poured out a stack of photos, and held them before Hayama Hayato's eyes.
The photos showed Kanjuro and Yukinoshita Haruno. The backgrounds varied—sometimes in a seemingly private restaurant, sometimes on the street at night, and even a few at the door of a hotel room. In the photos, Haruno was either smiling faintly or leaning against Kanjuro's side, her face wearing an expression Hayama Hayato had never seen before, as if she were immersed in happiness. Those intimate angles and atmospheres all pointed to an extraordinary relationship between the two.
Hayama Hayato's face instantly turned deathly pale. He flipped through the photos in disbelief, his fingers trembling slightly and his voice dry. "This... this is... why... how could this be?!"
Seeing how devastated he was, Kanjuro's face showed a sympathetic and helpless expression. He patted Hayama Hayato's shoulder and spoke in a heavy tone:
"Hayato, at this point, I won't hide it from you anymore." Kanjuro's voice carried a hint of heartache. "Haruno... from beginning to end, the person she loves in her heart is me."
He paused, observing Hayama Hayato's drastically changing expression, and continued in that sorrowful tone of someone who had been 'deceived':
"She had always... put up a good front before me. It wasn't until recently that she told me the truth. She said... she really hates the way you're always pestering her; it makes her feel troubled and annoyed."
Hayama Hayato looked up sharply, his eyes bloodshot and filled with unacceptable agony. "She... she really said that?! But... but Sister Haruno clearly treated me like... when we were kids..."
"That was just a sister's care and kindness toward a younger brother!" Kanjuro interrupted him, his tone becoming somewhat stern, carrying the advice of someone 'thinking of your best interests.' "Hayato, you simply thought too much and misunderstood her kindness. She specifically asked me to come and warn you. In the future... please don't appear before her again, and don't harass her anymore. It's better for her, and for you."
"I..." Hayama Hayato felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He staggered back a step, his heart feeling as if it were being pierced by countless needles simultaneously, an excruciating pain. All his persistence, all the longing and adoration born from that childhood warmth, was completely shattered at this moment. The tower of trust collapsed with a bang, leaving only the despair of betrayal and humiliation.
Seeing him completely broken, his eyes losing focus, a trace of imperceptible, cold satisfaction flashed through Kanjuro's eyes.
Now was the time.
He extended a slender index finger, the tip swirling with a faint, ominous black aura that was difficult to perceive with the naked eye. Like a bolt of lightning, he tapped it lightly against the center of Hayama Hayato's brow.
[Gospel of John: Heart Puppet]!
A bone-chillingly cold power instantly bored into Hayama Hayato's brain, frantically churning and eroding his consciousness!
"Argh—!" Hayama Hayato let out a short cry of pain, his hands clutching his head as his body convulsed violently. When he looked up again, his once clear and bright eyes had turned completely blood-red! All the light of pain, struggle, and reason had vanished from his eyes, leaving only madness, malice, and a completely distorted... hatred for Yukinoshita Haruno!
Looking at the Hayama Hayato before him—who had been eroded by Black Magic and turned into a revenge puppet controlled only by him—Kanjuro finally showed an unmasked, cruel, and joyful smile.
"Go, my dear 'nephew'." His voice was like a command from hell, full of bewitchment. "Go find Yukinoshita Haruno... use your 'love' to have a good 'catch-up' with her."
Hayama Hayato (or rather, the controlled shell) let out a raspy, inhuman low growl from his throat. He spun around abruptly, carrying a violent aura of malice, and like a marionette on strings, he rushed out of the courtyard with a clear target—to find Yukinoshita Haruno!
Kanjuro stood where he was, leisurely straightening his collar as he watched the direction Hayama Hayato had disappeared in, as if admiring a newly completed work of art.
"Haruno, my dear..." he chuckled softly, "I hope you like this'surprise'."
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