"So... you really remembered it that well?" she asked in a quiet voice, as if afraid to shatter the moment.
"Yeah... well, at first I forgot some parts. It's been so long... but now, I remember everything clearly."
A soft smile bloomed on her face, like a weight had lifted from her chest just by recalling that distant memory.
"Back then, I said... 'I promise I'll always take care of you, because you'll be my princess.'"
"And I answered, puffing my cheeks, 'Then you'll be my prince... even if you're not strong or brave.'"
I couldn't help but chuckle a little, remembering how completely red I'd turned from embarrassment.
I had been too stunned to say anything back then.
And just then... Grandpa Hiroshi had walked into the room.
"Well then, it's settled," he had announced, his voice firm yet warm. "Haruki, you'll be the prince. And my beautiful Kaori will be the princess."
Even now, I could hear his kind voice echoing in my mind.
"Haruki, you'll always look after her. And you, Kaori, you'll support him when he needs it. Understood? I want this to be a promise."
She giggled at the memory.
"Of course I'll support him!" Little Kaori had said proudly, her eyes sparkling.
"Because he's my prince!"
And me, trembling and unable to even look up, had stammered:
"I-I'll take care of her... even if I'm scared and weak... but I'll try, s-sir Hiroshi..."
He had simply smiled, as warmly as ever.
"You don't have to call me 'sir Hiroshi,'" he said gently.
"You can call me Grandpa... or even Dad, if you want. I know it'll take time, little Haruki."
A soft laugh escaped my lips, thick with nostalgia.
"And that's how that promise ended, right, Aunt Kaori?"
She nodded, her eyes shining in the faint light.
"Yeah... that's how it ended. Thank you, Haruki, for remembering."
There was a brief silence.
Then, gathering my courage, I said:
"That's why... even though I know I'm in a huge mess with Ailany... I can't just leave you alone when you're hurting. After all... I'm still your 'lonely prince,' right?"
She let out a teasing laugh, but her eyes were full of warmth.
"Wow... pretty romantic for someone with a girlfriend, don't you think?"
"H-Hey! I'm just trying to be nice! To cheer you up, that's all!"
"I know, I'm just teasing," she said, giggling softly.
"And yeah, I'm still your princess, and you're still my prince. Although... it's kinda weird now, isn't it? Since Ailany's your girlfriend... or does that mean you're planning on a harem?"
I immediately turned bright red — way more than I wanted to admit — and stammered:
"Stop jumping to weird conclusions! Ailany's not even officially my girlfriend yet! And after everything that happened... I don't even know if she'll ever be!"
Kaori crossed her arms and pretended to think.
"Hmm... I see."
Then she glanced sideways at me with a mischievous smile.
"So... does that mean I still have a chance?"
"A chance?" I repeated, completely baffled.
"Forget it!" she said quickly, waving her hands like she was trying to shoo the thought away.
"You've got way more important things to worry about right now."
I looked around and realized night had already fallen.
She was right... there were way too many decisions I had to make: the farm, Ailany, her grandparents...
How was I supposed to handle all of this?
A silent scream echoed inside my mind:
What am I supposed to do...?
And to make things worse, Hikaru had probably taken this chance to get closer to Ailany.
That whole excuse about "just being friends"... I had never bought it.
Gods... why are you throwing all these surprises and emotions at me in one single day?
Kaori stepped a little closer, her expression serious, but her eyes still warm.
"Haruki," she said softly, "if you need help, I can explain everything to Ailany and her grandparents. You don't have to face it alone."
"You'd really do that?" I asked, feeling both relieved and a little uneasy.
Kaori nodded with a soft smile, but then added with a playful glint:
"Yeah... but on one condition."
"Condition?" I frowned.
"Call me by my name."
Her voice turned slightly more teasing.
"It's weird for you to keep calling me 'aunt' when we're only a few years apart."
I stood there for a few seconds, feeling kind of ridiculous...
but in the end, I gave in.
"Alright... Kaori."
The name tumbled out of my mouth in a clumsy, embarrassed whisper.
She giggled, clearly satisfied.
"Good. Now come on, before it gets any later!"
We walked together under the starlit sky.
The cool night breeze brushed against us, and for a moment, it felt like we were sneaking back from a secret adventure.
In the distance, we spotted Mr. Hanabira's stand, parked beside Hikaru's old truck.
My nerves spiked when I saw the scene ahead — there were still so many unresolved issues.
Kaori noticed and nudged my arm lightly.
"You've got this," she murmured, grinning in encouragement.
As we approached, Mr. Hanabira welcomed us with a calm expression, though his eyes betrayed a trace of concern.
"Haruki, what happened?" he asked, his voice gentle but firm.
"Ailany didn't want to say anything... she just went home with Hikaru. Could you please explain?"
I swallowed hard and mustered up the courage to tell him everything.
Mr. Hanabira listened quietly, nodding here and there.
When I finished, he let out a short sigh.
"I see... I thought it might've been something worse," he said, pausing to meet my gaze.
"But you have to understand, Haruki: you made a mistake. You shouldn't have acted like that, even if your aunt suddenly appeared."
"I know... I'm really sorry," I said, bowing awkwardly.
"I promise it won't happen again!"
Mr. Hanabira chuckled softly.
"It's alright. But remember: trust is like a thread... once it breaks, it's hard to tie back together."
His words hit me hard.
"Also... I need to apologize too," Kaori said, bowing politely.
"It was mostly my fault. I acted impulsively. I'm sorry for the trouble, Mr. Hanabira."
He raised a hand in a forgiving gesture.
"No harm done. Hiroshi would be proud of both of you... truly."
A comfortable silence settled between us.
For the first time all evening, I felt like I could finally breathe a little.
"Well then, let's head home," Mr. Hanabira said, shifting the mood.
"Miyako must be worried."
"Thank you so much... Mr. Kazuo," I said, feeling deeply grateful.
"Oh, and your aunt is coming too, right?" he added, glancing at Kaori with a soft smile.
I immediately turned to her.
"Kaori, do you want to come with us?"
She hesitated, clearly not wanting to cause trouble.
"I don't want to be a bother... maybe I should—"
"It's no trouble at all," Mr. Hanabira interrupted warmly.
"In fact, there's always room for those who are important to us."
"Yeah! Plus, Mrs. Miyako's cooking is amazing," I added, trying to sound more cheerful.
"You shouldn't stay alone!"
Kaori wavered for a moment... then finally smiled shyly.
"Alright... I'll come with you guys."
The walk home felt lighter after that.
A part of me wanted to believe everything would work out.
But deep down, I knew it wouldn't be that simple.
When we arrived, Mr. Hanabira sighed in relief.
"We're home."
Mrs. Miyako welcomed us at the door, her warm smile lighting up the entrance.
"Welcome back!" she said brightly, but when she saw Kaori, her smile grew even warmer.
"Oh, and who's this lovely young lady?"
"She's Hiroshi's youngest daughter," Mr. Hanabira explained as we stepped inside.
"She came looking for Haruki... she was worried about him."
Kaori gave a shy but graceful bow.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Kaori Kiryuu."
Mrs. Miyako looked at her kindly.
"I see..." she murmured with a soft smile.
"Well, welcome to our humble home! Come in, come in!"
We stepped inside, and as was tradition, we asked if we could speak with Ailany.
While stirring pots and setting plates, Mrs. Miyako commented casually:
"First, you all need to eat. It's no good solving problems on an empty stomach."
"She's right," Mr. Hanabira agreed with a nod.
"And it wasn't anything serious... just a little misunderstanding."
I nodded silently, though the tight knot in my stomach refused to go away.
We settled into the cozy little living room.
The scent of home-cooked food filled the air, warm and comforting.
Then Mrs. Miyako called out:
"Ailany, Hikaru! Dinner's ready!"
My heart skipped a beat when I saw them coming out of the room together.
They were smiling... like nothing had ever happened.
Confusion slammed into me.
Was everything really okay...?
Or were they just pretending?
The image of Ailany crying earlier still burned in my mind.
Kaori, sitting next to me, glanced my way.
She didn't say anything — but her eyes said it all.
We both knew:
Tonight wasn't going to end peacefully.