(There is author note below, if you have time please do read it)

Chapter 127

"Then too bad. Because look at that." I pointed in a certain direction and said. There, Miyuki, Kei, and Shirogane Papa, who were walking toward us stopped their step and widened their eyes when they saw who I was talking with.

Shirogane Mama's body trembled when she heard what I said but she didn't turn around to look at the direction I pointed to as if she already knew who was there.

"Mom…" Kei and Miyuki muttered with a stunned expression while Shirogane Papa was looking at her with a surprised yet relieved expression.

Although their voice was quite different from before, it is clear that she recognizes the voice of her children as tears slowly flow from her eyes. But she still didn't turn around to look at them. Or should I say, she can't.

I didn't even need to rely on my intuition to know that she thought she didn't have the face to look at them. Because she herself understands that she made a very wrong mistake by leaving them. However, she wasn't the only one who was anxious.

I think both Miyuki and Kei also want to run and hug their mother then ask her to come back, but alas they can't. The reason is they were anxious. They're anxious if they run to their mother like a child, she will be gone like before.

Both Kei and Miyuki are likely anxious because they didn't know what she should say to their mother as they weren't a child anymore. In this case, being a child was easier because they can just run and hug their mothers without any need to think.

"You're still bad at expressing yourself as always, my wife." Shirogane Papa sighed and smilingly said as he walked toward us. Miyuki and Kei also followed their father to walk toward us.

Hearing that, Shirogane Mama was about to take a step to walk away from this place with tears still flowing from her eyes. I was about to stop her, but it seems Shirogane Papa was able to stop her first.

"I know you're thinking of leaving here right now as we have been together for a long time after all. . But, please don't go… I just want to talk." Shirogane Papa who has arrived and standing right behind his wife said while smiling wryly.

Kei stood beside me and gently held my hand without saying anything. Of course, even without her saying anything, I knew she needed my support this time so I replied by tightly hold her hand.

"Mom…" Kei touched the hem of her mother's coat with her free hand and said with an expression that looked like she was holding back her tears.

"Mom...please don't go…" Miyuki gripped his fist and said while his head lowered. From his tone, I think he was holding back his tears like Kei was.

Hearing that, Shirogane Mama wiped the tears on her eyes and for the first time turned around and looked at her family without any emotion on her face. But I could see a determination on her eyes and am sure Shirogane Papa as well.

"Thank you. Let's go to our house. We can't have that kind of talk here, don't we?" Shirogane Papa jokingly said to ease the atmosphere.

"Could you allow me to follow you, old man? I know this wasn't something that can be shared with other people except family, but I have a promise to fulfill. But even without that, I have to support my cute Kouhai and best friend. Besides, who knows you might need my help later?" I said with a thoughtful expression.

"What are you talking about, Izumi-kun? You are a part of the family. That's my intention to have you follow us all along. And we might not be able to meet her today if not because of you." Shirogane Papa chuckled and said.

"Izumi...thank you…" Miyuki raised his head and said with a grateful smile.

"Senpai…thank you…" Kei also thanked me while smilingly looking at me with her cheeks reddened a bit.

"Alright, let's go." Shirogane Papa said before he walked toward the Shirogane Family resident with us following them behind.

---

Right now in the living room of the Shirogane Family's residence, Shirogane Papa and Shirogane Mama were sitting facing each other. Shirogane Papa was sitting with a smile while his wife albeit looked calm, guilt, and determination clearly shown on her gaze...

Besides them, I was sitting right next to Kei while my hand was still holding hers and Miyuki sat on the other side. Both Miyuki and Kei were looking at their mother with a sad yet hopeful expression.

"Long time no see...I'm glad you are fine and healthy...that's what I wanted to say, but it seems it wasn't the case. Your condition... It worsens, doesn't it?" Shirogane Papa said with a sad expression.

"...what are you talking about… I am fine." Shirogane Mama slowly answered as if it's to not make her husband and children worry.

As Shirogane Papa said, looks like the condition that made her bad at expressing herself got worse likely because of guilt that haunts her every day. That's probably what made her wasn't able to even enter the apartment building to visit her family before.

"*Sigh* We didn't resent nor blame you at all, you know?" Shirogane Papa sighed and said. Hearing that, Shirogane Mama widened her eyes.

"Yes, mom… we-" Miyuki was about to say but suddenly, Shirogane Mama interrupted.

"Why…?" Shirogane Mama lowered her head and said.

"Mom…?" Kei asked with a worried expression when she saw Shirogane Mama lowered her head all of a sudden. Meanwhile, Shirogane Papa was looking at her with a sad expression as if he already knew she would do that.

"I leave you for 7 years, you know?! I left when it was the most important time when you needed me! I leave you after saying the words that impacted my children!

And most of all, I left my family at the time my children needed me the most! So, why won't all of you hate me?!" Suddenly, Shirogane Mama stood up and shouted while her eyes looked like she was holding back her tears.

As if she didn't have the condition that made her bad at expressing her condition, Shirogane Mama shouted. However, my intuition told me she didn't shout all of her feelings yet.

Because even without her condition of not being able to express herself, she can't say what she wanted to say the most as she thought it wouldn't be fair for them.

"Do you even need to ask?! Of course, because we love you very much!" Shirogane Papa stood up and shouted while grasping Shirogane Mama's shoulder.

"Look at the face of your daughter and son. Did you see any resentment there?" Shirogane Papa calmly said with a sad smile. Then, Shirogane Mama slowly looked at Miyuki and Kei who looked at her with love and concern.

"None, right? That's because rather than hate you, we miss you very much." Shirogane Papa added.

"Until now, I still have thought it was my fault that you left, mom. I thought you always wanted a smart child, so you were disappointed in me who always failed to enroll at elite schools." Miyuki looked at his mother directly in her eyes and said.

Shirogane Mama's mouth gaped as if she wanted to say something to answer and likely told him it wasn't the case.

"And it just until recently I realized it wasn't the case... Since the day you left us, I always tried to do my best in everything hoping you would come back to us if I became a smart child like I thought you always wanted.

Because of that, it made me able to enroll at the most prestigious school in Japan, Shuuchiin Academy. There, I met someone who later became my best friend. He was very easy going and annoying at the same time.

But, he was there whenever I needed him. Since I met him, my life was different than before. I got many friends, other students started to approach me even though I was an outsider to them, and I even got someone whom I love very much.

It made me realize, maybe this is what my mother wants me to do. Always tried my best, because what you're fighting for is what you'll get. It made me realize how foolish I was to think my mom was disappointed in me.

Although even before realizing that I never hate you, a part of me was scared to meet you because of that.

But after realizing that fact, all I want right now is to meet you and say, thank you very much, mom, and please come back to us." Miyuki said with a hopeful smile before he stood up and gently grasped Shirogane Mama's right hand.

I looked at Kei as she looked back at me. Then, I nodded with a smile causing her to display a tender smile before she stood up. I followed her to stand up to support her like I promised when we first met with my hand still holding hers.

"It's not that I hate your father. It's just that... love doesn't last forever… That was the words you said to me when you brought me back before leaving us once again. Those words have been lingering in my mind since that day.

I've been thinking... why? Isn't true love supposed to stay forever? Although I have my own answer, I was scared. I was scared about what if what you said was true and all this love that I held for my family will be gone…

Still, because I can't answer that and I can't just keep thinking about that for a long time, I tried to put it deep in my mind and also tried to not mind about it and just live normally.

It was until one day, I encountered someone who will be my most important person in a strange incident. That incident made my fear and question about that once again emerged. It made me cry thinking if it's true, then maybe my mother didn't love me anymore…

However, that person, whom I just met that day with a smile on his face, suddenly said 'I will accompany you to meet her at that time' after hearing that I was scared that mom might don't want to meet us anymore.

At that time, I was very happy with the way he wanted to help me. Even if we just met that day, from the deep of my heart, I believed in him. That's why even though I don't know what the future will hold, with a hopeful feeling in my heart, I accept his kindness and he became my senpai at that time.

Since then, a year has passed. That one year is the best year of my life because of him. It even made me forget about my fear of the feeling of love that doesn't last forever.

And without realizing, no, I realized that senpai's presence has already become the most important part of my heart. And then, with senpai in my mind, I tried to give him hand-made chocolate on Valentine's Day.

However, when I was about to give him the chocolate, that fear emerged once again. That day, although I didn't tell him I was scared, I told him about the words that you said when you left us. And then after using a metaphor, he said.

'For me, it simply means love didn't change because of time. It might be childish to believe eternal love might exist, but why can't we believe so? I think love is a wonderful thing. It connected people who never dreamed of them will be with their partner before together.'

That was as he said, a childish thing to believe as a teen. But those words crushed my fear altogether. My fear if mom doesn't want to meet us anymore, the fear if mom doesn't love us anymore, and the fear of a feeling of love that doesn't last forever.

And that day for the first time, in my heart, I admitted, I love my senpai without being scared by the fact this love won't last forever. Because I believed this love wouldn't change because of time.

Alongside that, I also noticed you never divorced dad. That's why, I know you still love him with all your heart, mom. That's why, please come back to us." Kei said with a smile on her face while her other hand gently grasped her mother.

"You hear them, my wife. We love you very much. That's why as Miyuki, Kei-chan, and I have said before. Please come back to us. This time, I, no, we won't make you suffer." Shirogane Papa said with a tender smile.

Then, after hearing such words from her family, the emotions that she held for a long time finally burst in the form of uncontrollable tears flowing from her eyes.

"I'm sorry���. I'm sorry for leaving you…. I'm sorry for being a foolish wife…. I'm sorry for being a bad mother…. And… I'm sorry for not being there for you all the time...From now on...please let me live with you forever…" Shirogane Mama said while crying.

Shirogane Papa, Miyuki, and Kei looked at each other and nodded with a smile.

"Yes, we forgive you. And welcome home, wife/mom."

---

Right now, I was in front of the apartment building with Kei beside me. It was already dark outside because, after the touching scene, Shirogane Papa ordered sushi to celebrate Shirogane Mama who finally came home.

Although she was a bit awkward at first, after a while, she was back like a kind mother Kei always saw her after Miyuki, Kei, and her dad showering her with affection all the time.

She alongside Shirogane Papa and Miyuki also thanked me even though all I did was being there. But as I can't say no to their grateful expression, I could only resignedly said 'You are welcome���

"You don't need to accompany me until here, you know? You still want to be with your mother, right?" I said with a smile.

"Hehe...it's fine, I will sleep with her later after all." Kei giggled and said.

"Is that so? Alright then," I smilingly said.

"Besides...I'm actually here to say my thanks. Thank you, senpai. And please don't say anything and just accept my thanks. Without you being there with me, I might not have the guts to say what I wanted to say. That's why, thanks for everything." Kei said with a dazzling smile.

"Then, you are welcome." I shook my head and said.

"And...I think you already heard it but…" Kei suddenly had lowered her head with a reddened face before she raised her head and adorably looked at me. Then, suddenly she tiptoed and kissed my lips.

"I-it's like that…S-see you tomorrow, senpai!" And said before she ran away to enter the building. Looking at that, I could only shake my head with a smile and shouted before she was able to enter the building.

"Kei! I love you too." I said in a bit of a loud voice causing some people who were still outside looking at us with a warm smile.

Then, Kei turned around and with a blushed face and dazzling smile on her face said, "I-I know…" before she entered the building and ran to her apartment room.

'What an adorable kouhai, no, girlfriend she is…'

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Author Note:

Good evening. I am making this author note to inform you about something.

I don't know if you read it or not, but I constantly said I was tired in the author's thought before. It was because I was busy with college and many things. Yes, even though I am 12 years old (according to a certain someone) I am a university student in the 7th semester.

No, I won't abandon the story. As long as there are people who read it, I will do my best to properly finish the story (I already prepared the ending, we only need to wait for the time). Alas, I can't upload every day like before. But I promise I will update it when I could (might be every two days but, it's uncertain).

So, I apologize for that. And as I said before, as long as you still read this, I won't forget to update it. So, don't worry about it.

Another thing is about requests (Story or character). Honestly, we already have too many characters(girls) in this fanfic. Although not as much as my favorite harem fanfic here, we already got many. I don't think I will have time to make another plot for that. It would end up cheaper than it already is.

So yeah, 'IF' I decided to add more, it 'MAY' be in after story (after epilogue). I hope you understand that.