text43171;"""It hadn't been that long since we left Tokyo, but when I walked out onto the platform of the capital's railway station, it seemed to me that the city had changed."""
text43172;"""Maybe it was because it got noticeably colder than before, winter was persistently knocking at the seasons' door."""
text43173;"""Of course, in this part of Japan winters weren't as severe as in Russia, so the weather would be more or less the same for the next few months, maybe excluding a few rare frosts."""
text43174;"""We reached my district by the subway."""
text43175;"""Naturally, I wasn't going to go back home, but Kagome desperately wanted to see her grandfather."""
text43176;"""So, we're in Tokyo again — what next?"""
text43177;"""I have to save my dad!"""
text43178;"""She came closer and looked me in the eyes pleadingly."""
text43179;"""Niko-san, I tried to live on, thinking it was all over, that my father was gone."""
text43180;"""I clung onto you, my feelings for you…"""
text43181;"""But it's not right!"""
text43182;"""Even if it hadn't been for your red-haired friend, they would've found us sooner or later anyway!"""
text43183;"""We can't hide from Kobayashi Corporation anywhere…"""
text43184;"""And even if we could — do you really want to live your life like that?"""
text43185;"""Yesterday you talked about children — do you want our children to grow up in constant fear?"""
text43186;"""I had nothing to say against her heartfelt monologue."""
text43187;"""…"""
text43188;"""Last time Kyosuke had reported that Moriyuki-san was doing well, but, of course, Kagome wasn't satisfied with that."""
text43189;"""My phone was most likely tapped, but Kagome remained adamant."""
text43190;"""She called her grandfather from a telephone box."""
text43191;"""Do you remember the place we'd meet when I was little?"""
text43192;"""It was something like a secret cipher that only the two of them knew."""
text43193;"""Do you really think Moriyuki-san won't be followed?"""
text43194;"""Even if he is…"""
text43195;"""She responded as if I'd upset her."""
text43196;"""If Kobayashi Jun ever wanted to hurt me, he had every opportunity and plenty of time to do so."""
text43197;"""Why didn't you talk to him when you found out? I mean, from your mother…"""
text43198;"""I finally summoned the courage to ask her, even though I was sure it wasn't the most fun topic for Kagome."""
text43199;"""And I was right."""
text43200;"""He wasn't burning with desire to contact me himself, even though he knew we were related! He knew how my mom had suffered…"""
text43201;"""Indeed, that day at the Kobayashi Corporation building I had been the only one invited to meet him."""
text43202;"""It had seemed strange to me even then!"""
text43203;"""I could understand his situation, but even when mom died…"""
text43204;"""Kagome sniffed, almost about to fall into tears."""
text43205;"""When I really needed help!"""
text43206;"""I finally understood the reasons for her attitude toward Ellie a bit better than before."""
text43207;"""Of course, it would've been easy to accuse Iwamura of envy: how come Ellie had it all, and she had nothing."""
text43208;"""But there was a clear realization in my mind that in Kagome's position I would've felt the same."""
text43209;"""Even after her mother, Kobayashi Jun's own daughter, died, he refused to act."""
text43210;"""It was no wonder that Kagome hated not only him but everyone associated with him."""
text43211;"""Although Ellie, of course, was blameless…"""
text43212;"""So, I just don't want to talk about it."""
text43213;"""Alright."""
text43214;"""…"""
text43215;"""We were meeting her grandfather by the waterfront, near their burned down restaurant."""
text43216;"""By then I'd already given up trying to apply any logic to the Corporation's actions (or lack thereof), so I'd also given up on looking over my shoulder all the time."""
text43217;"""Who would've thought!"""
text43218;"""Kagome suddenly smirked."""
text43219;"""What is it?"""
text43220;"""I've always hated this salty air, the constant smell of fish, all the noise and yelling, but now I feel…"""
text43221;"""Nostalgia?"""
text43222;"""I finished her line gently."""
text43223;"""Yes, I guess it is nostalgia."""
text43224;"""Nostalgia is when you remember fondly the things that used to seem ordinary."""
text43225;"""The last thing I want to remember is the stench of fish!"""
text43226;"""Kagome parried stubbornly but smiled."""
text43227;"""Moriyuki-san was already waiting for us."""
text43228;"""While they hugged each other, I stood aside, feeling awkward."""
text43229;"""Would it be a good idea to tell him Kagome and I were a thing?"""
text43230;"""Are you well? You seem to have lost some weight."""
text43231;"""Growing up then getting old, a person basically comes full circle and in a sense becomes a child again."""
text43232;"""Watching their reunion, I involuntarily smiled that natural, kind smile that comes to your face when you watch small children."""
text43233;"""I had to work a lot, grandpa. But we were doing fine, I didn't mind. And my experience working at the restaurant helped a lot too."""
text43234;"""Niko-kun."""
text43235;"""He released Kagome from his embrace and turned to me."""
text43236;"""I am very grateful that you've been taking care of my granddaughter."""
text43237;"""Then he gave me a low bow…"""
text43238;"""No, it's fine, don't!"""
text43239;"""I felt awkward."""
text43240;"""How have you been, grandpa?"""
text43241;"""Pretty well, thank God. Kyosuke-kun helped me a lot."""
text43242;"""He looked at me apologetically and smiled."""
text43243;"""Here, take this."""
text43244;"""He handed Kagome a pretty weighty bundle."""
text43245;"""What, no! I can't accept this!"""
text43246;"""Though after buying that yukata we could definitely use some money."""
text43247;"""I didn't know how much Tokyo hotels cost, but they would obviously be more expensive than a room in a mining village hundreds of kilometers away from the capital."""
text43248;"""Take it."""
text43249;"""I whispered quietly, but Kagome immediately turned to me and exclaimed:"""
text43250;"""Niko-san! How could we do that?!"""
text43251;"""Niko-kun is right — you two could use the money."""
text43252;"""He changed his approach and handed the package over to me."""
text43253;"""I quickly put it in my pocket, trying to ignore Kagome's angry look."""
text43254;"""Grandpa, where did you get so much money?"""
text43255;"""I remembered I had a deposit in a bank… There's no joy in getting old — you forget everything."""
text43256;"""But we can't keep hiding forever! We returned to Tokyo to…"""
text43257;"""Kagome stopped mid-word, as if something made her lose her train of thought."""
text43258;"""I think it's time for me to finally clear things up with Kobayashi Jun and get my dad back!"""
text43259;"""We've never discussed this, but mom…"""
text43260;"""She suddenly went quiet and cast a quick glance at me, as if looking for support."""
text43261;"""I've told Niko-san."""
text43262;"""Suddenly, Kagome laughed."""
text43263;"""How could I hide it from him after everything we've been through?"""
text43264;"""Grandpa, you know my mother was really Kobayashi Jun's daughter, right?"""
text43265;"""After those words Moriyuki-san kept smiling, not even batting an eye."""
text43266;"""It was clear he had no idea what Kagome was talking about."""
text43267;"""So, you didn't…"""
text43268;"""Kagome-chan, what are you talking about? Yuuno-san…"""
text43269;"""He suddenly knit his thick eyebrows together, and for the first time, I could see a glint of intelligence in his eyes."""
text43270;"""You do realize that Shinji and your mother hadn't always been on good terms."""
text43271;"""I knew Yuuno-san's mother a little, but I had no idea who her father was. And Shinji didn't talk much about his family life."""
text43272;"""That divorce hit him hard, so he threw himself into his work."""
text43273;"""Sorry to interrupt, but…"""
text43274;"""The old man and his granddaughter turned to me with the same expression of discontent in their eyes I had become so familiar with lately."""
text43275;"""It doesn't seem like Kobayashi Jun is particularly bothered by having illegitimate children, otherwise…"""
text43276;"""I stopped because what I was about to say was probably very insensitive."""
text43277;"""Or he would've dealt with the problem long ago?"""
text43278;"""Kagome finished for me."""
text43279;"""Is that what you wanted to say, Niko-san?"""
text43280;"""I didn't respond but averted my gaze in embarrassment."""
text43281;"""But, Kagome-chan, what're you going to do next? Where are you going to live?"""
text43282;"""I'll call you myself tomorrow. At more or less the same time."""
text43283;"""But…"""
text43284;"""Moriyuki-san froze for a moment, then shifted his gaze to me and bowed, not so deeply this time."""
text43285;"""I'm counting on you, Niko-kun."""
text43286;"""After he left, I slowly counted the money in the bundle."""
text43287;"""Wow!"""
text43288;"""I whistled in surprise — it was a solid roll of large bills."""
text43289;"""Don't you want to give them to me, Niko-san?"""
text43290;"""No. Let's consider it payment for my services."""
text43291;"""What services?"""
text43292;"""My services! You know!"""
text43293;"""Kagome was about to express her indignation but said nothing in the end."""
text43294;"""Alright, it's going to get dark soon — we've got to find a safe place to sleep."""
text43295;"""…"""
text43296;"""The cheap Tokyo hotel I chose didn't look much different from the one we'd been living in just yesterday."""
text43297;"""Yes, it looked a bit newer, but mostly followed the same budget-friendly style."""
text43298;"""Maybe we should have gotten a room somewhere fancy with Moriyuki-san's money — they weren't as likely to look for us there."""
text43299;"""Besides, why not enjoy a little luxury before death!"""
text43300;"""Kagome entered the room, gave it an examining look, and sat on the bed."""
text43301;"""So, what made you choose this room?"""
text43302;"""She asked playfully, patting the invitingly bouncy mattress."""
text43303;"""I wasn't even thinking about that!"""
text43304;"""Fine…"""
text43305;"""First, I need to change."""
text43306;"""Kagome did indeed stand out — a yukata isn't exactly something you wear daily."""
text43307;"""Oh, yeah, of course…"""
text43308;"""So, what are you waiting for?"""
text43309;"""What am I waiting for?"""
text43310;"""You've got the money!"""
text43311;"""Right! Sorry."""
text43312;"""…"""
text43313;"""Kagome went to a clothing store by herself, I just asked her not to go too far from the hotel."""
text43314;"""Meanwhile, I had to think things through."""
text43315;"""I hadn't stopped Kagome from coming to Tokyo, but I also couldn't let her go alone."""
text43316;"""But what were we supposed to do next?"""
text43317;"""Obviously she could no longer fight her desire to save her father no matter what."""
text43318;"""But after that failed attempt at blackmail, we had no other ways to influence the Corporation."""
text43319;"""And, to be frank, I doubted more and more with each passing day that Akira Shinji was still alive."""
text43320;"""…"""
text43321;"""I didn't know what Kagome used to wear before, when she was living with her mother, but she bought more or less the same clothes she'd been wearing: a pair of jeans and a simple sweater."""
text43322;"""At least she wouldn't stand out in a crowd."""
text43323;"""But it was already got dark when she returned."""
text43324;"""What took you so long?! I was worried!"""
text43325;"""Niko-san, I am a woman, you know."""
text43326;"""Yeah, right."""
text43327;"""I smirked, giving a meaningful look to the clothes she'd bought."""
text43328;"""Kagome threw a bag at me, the yukata falling out of it, and threw herself onto the bed."""
text43329;"""I waited for her to calm down."""
text43330;"""Maybe now you'll tell me your plan?"""
text43331;"""While she was shopping, I'd been desperately trying to come up with something, but to no avail."""
text43332;"""As if I were being forced to resolve one of the millennium challenges — I, a simple minded straight С student."""
text43333;"""I seemed to have hit an impenetrable wall."""
text43334;"""If you have one, of course…"""
text43335;"""She grinned and looked like she had already personally brought Kobayashi Jun to court."""
text43336;"""Do you think I'm as reckless as you are, Niko-san?"""
text43337;"""I think you shouldn't forget that by kidnapping Ellie you made the old man choose which of his granddaughters matters more to him."""
text43338;"""Kagome's facial expression immediately changed and she grit her teeth."""
text43339;"""He made his choice long ago."""
text43340;"""Exactly my point…"""
text43341;"""So, you want to say I dropped everything and came back to Tokyo without having thought what I'll be doing here?"""
text43342;"""Well, we had a good reason to drop everything."""
text43343;"""Although I really did believe Kagome had been acting on emotion."""
text43344;"""Deep down she must have been sure Kobayashi Jun wouldn't hurt her."""
text43345;"""I wanted to believe that when we were hiding in that village she'd been thinking of my safety first…"""
text43346;"""All we've really done so far is exchange one hotel for another — this one closer to Kobayashi Corporation's office."""
text43347;"""Kagome said nothing, covered herself with a blanket, and turned away."""
text43348;"""If you really don't know what to do next, there's nothing wrong with that. You can talk to me…"""
text43349;"""She didn't like showing her weaknesses, and no matter how you looked at it, having no plan was one."""
text43350;"""If we think it through together… we'll definitely come up with something!"""
text43351;"""In reality, I didn't even believe that myself."""
text43352;"""Niko-kun, if you have nothing to say, it's better to say nothing."""
text43353;"""She grumbled without turning around."""
text43354;"""I could understand her condition, at least I wanted to think so, but this kind of reaction to everything I said was starting to get on my nerves."""
text43355;"""You're acting like it's all my fault!"""
text43356;"""Isn't it? Who decided I shouldn't know your red-headed friend was going to that festival?"""
text43357;"""I told you, Himitsu said she wouldn't go…"""
text43358;"""Himitsu said! Ha!"""
text43359;"""Who's more important to you — her or me?!"""
text43360;"""Kagome, please don't start this again…"""
text43361;"""I walked to the window and looked outside — more for the sake of it than because I really hoped to see something there."""
text43362;"""What, are you looking for her?"""
text43363;"""…"""
text43364;"""I loudly clicked my tongue, putting all of my frustration into the sound."""
text43365;"""I'm not keeping you here, Niko-san."""
text43366;"""Enough already!"""
text43367;"""I shouted, no longer able to deal with her unprovoked attacks."""
text43368;"""Surprisingly enough, the whole time we'd been living in the village, we'd never had a serious fight…"""
text43369;"""I couldn't even recall any small ones."""
text43370;"""It took only twelve hours in Tokyo for Kagome to start treating me like a public enemy."""
text43371;"""Stop venting your anger on me! If you'd told me earlier that you're Kobayashi Jun's granddaughter, maybe we wouldn't be in this situation in the first place!"""
text43372;"""What situation?"""
text43373;"""Kagome asked snidely, finally turned to me, and threw the blanket off."""
text43374;"""No longer happy I came into your life, huh? You probably would've preferred to stay with your Himitsu and not have to deal with all these extra problems?"""
text43375;"""And you only slept with me because there was no one better around!"""
text43376;"""…"""
text43377;"""I was about to get offended and object, but then I realized that there was actually some truth to Kagome's words."""
text43378;"""Meeting her had really put an end to my steady, peaceful, and even boring life."""
text43379;"""It had made me lose Himitsu's love and our friendship."""
text43380;"""I could persuade myself all I wanted that that wasn't true, but most importantly — what had I gotten in return?"""
text43381;"""You know, maybe you're right… But we always find and lose something in life."""
text43382;"""I'm… really glad I met you, and fell in love with you. Even if my life changed because of it."""
text43383;"""Kagome clearly hadn't expected that from me. She sat up in bed and stared at me without even trying to conceal her surprise."""
text43384;"""And I don't want to go back to what I used to have. I want to move forward, together!"""
text43385;"""I'm just worried it might get us killed, that's all!"""
text43386;"""And I really want you to understand that… And not hide anything from me! So we can overcome difficulties together, even if they seem impossible."""
text43387;"""Niko-san…"""
text43388;"""Tears swelled in Kagome's eyes."""
text43389;"""Sorry, I didn't mean that at all… I just don't want you to get hurt because of me."""
text43390;"""Overcome by emotion, I walked to her, hugged her, and stroked her hair."""
text43391;"""I understand."""
text43392;"""I just really don't know what to do next. And I'm afraid to admit it even to myself."""
text43393;"""I'm sorry…"""
text43394;"""She was sobbing."""
text43395;"""I understand. We'll figure this all out somehow."""
text43396;"""The springy mattress really was conducive to intimacy, and here I was lying on top of Kagome, kissing her on the lips, then on the neck, then lower…"""