Chapter 28

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height



The sky is clear with no hint of any dark clouds hovering above. The weather is neither humid nor cold, the zephyr would blow once in a while, carrying with it the spring breeze. It's the perfect day to go outside and the cherry blossoms are in full bloom.



The clear sky seems to have been decorated with pink, along with the sidewalk where the cherry blossom petals fall from the trees whenever the wind blew.



"It's so pretty here!" Suki gushed as you and the little girl walked down the pathway, Kenma trailing beside you. "The cherry blossoms are so pretty!"



You're holding her hand and she tugs you forward, her big eyes reflect her eagerness and you found yourself smiling.



"Suki, don't run," Kenma said, looking up from his phone as he put the device in his pocket before he took Suki's other hand and she walk in the middle of you and Kenma.



Earlier this morning, before you three went to Ueno Park, Kenma talked to Suki. You've learned the little girl can be stubborn at times but she can also be forgiving. And now she seems to have forgotten all about what occurred a few days ago as she held Kenma's hand, jumping and hopping as she held both your and Kenma's hand.



The Park had already been crowded with people early in the morning, there were a lot of children around along with some pets. People would walk by with their cameras in hand, taking pictures of the beautiful cherry blossoms.



You were suddenly reminded of why you wanted to go to this place before.



"Kenma, should we take a picture?" you asked, looking at Kenma and you can see Suki looking at you.



"A picture?" the little girl asked. "Right, let's take a picture! Mommy, daddy."



She tugged you and Kenma forward, there is a place in the park where people take pictures, the cherry blossoms in the background.



You were going to take your phone out when Kenma suddenly asked. "What are you doing?"



"I'm going to take a picture of you and Suki-chan."



"Why?" he asked and Suki looked at you, tilting her head adorably to the side.



"Right, mommy, why?"



"No one's going to take a picture of us so I thought Kenma and I should take turns."



Not because you still don't feel like you belong with them. No, you've never felt that, even before. You chuckled lightly knowing that Kenma must have thought that before he shook his head dismissively, a small smile making its way to his lips before he and Suki walk ahead.



"Alright, on the count of three," you said, tearing your eyes from the two as Kenma picked Suki up. You looked at the screen of your phone and let it focus on them before you begin counting. "One, two..."



On the count of three, Suki turned her head to side and planted a kiss on Kenma's cheek. You can see the surprise look on his face when the little girl did that all of a sudden and you couldn't help the giggle that escaped your lips.



"So adorable," you muttered, looking back at the two.



"What was that about, Suki?" Kenma asked, looking at the little girl.



"Is it wrong for Suki-chan to kiss daddy?" she asked back. "Mommy kisses daddy so it's fine if Suki kisses daddy too."



At the mention of it, you suddenly felt your face heating up. Eyes wide and your cheeks started to redden. "No...Suki-chan we never..."



Never kissed in front of her.



"When mommy and daddy kiss," Kenma started, lifting his hand to cover the little girl's eyes. "You should close your eyes."



"But why?" she asked, taking Kenma's hand away from her eyes.



"Because it's something kids like you shouldn't be watching."



"Why?" she asked again.



"Because Suki-chan," you said this time as Kenma handed the little girl to you and took your phone. "Suki-chan might copy mommy and kiss a boy too. It's fine if it's daddy, but if it's another boy, daddy might get angry."



"But Suki-chan doesn't like any boys other than daddy," she said before she paused and in a mutter she said, "Ah, there's Hiro-kun in my class..."



"Hiro-kun?" you asked but before Suki can say anything Kenma's voice called you and her.



He's already standing ahead, ready to take your picture as you turned to him and smiled. When Kenma count to three, you turned to the little girl and were about to kiss her on the cheek when Suki did the same and it ended up with you and her giving each other a peck on the lips.



"Mommy taste like vanilla," she said with a giggle and you chuckled lightly, wiping the lipgloss stain on the little girl's lips.



"Now I feel relieved," Kenma suddenly said as you put the little girl down and took your phone.



"Relieved?"



"Because I know you're her first kiss and not some boy I don't know of."



You laughed at Kenma's silly reasoning until you suddenly stopped when you felt a hand on your head. Kenma brushed the petal on your hair before you looked at him. For a fleeting moment it felt like time stood still.



"Should Suki-chan take a picture of mommy and daddy?"



You quickly averted your gaze from Kenma, suddenly being brought back to reality from that fleeting trance when you were lost in his amber hues that reminded you of the golden hour before dusk.



"How about I take a picture of you three?"



Suddenly a voice of a man came from behind and when you and Kenma turned to look at its source you saw a man along with a beautiful woman and a boy around Suki's age.



"Ah? Hiro-kun?" Suki asked, taking a peek from behind Kenma. "And mister?"



The man smiled before he turned to you and he inclined his head, prompting you to the same in exchange as you bowed in greeting as well.



"I'm Aihara Mori,"



At the mention of the name, you suddenly remembered what Kenma told you prior to this. Right when he came back from meeting this man, he told you all about it. Because he doesn't want to keep anything from you at that point.



"Aihara Mori..." you muttered before you shook your head. "Mr. Aihara, I'm L/n Y/n."



Following that short introduction, you gave him your phone and he took a picture of the three of you. While you and Kenma stood beside each other, Suki stood in front. And behind are the cherry blossoms in full bloom along with the rain flower.



The spring that will never be forgotten, you thought to yourself.



Afterwards Suki run along with the little boy she called Hiro-kun while Kenma talk to Aihara Mori. So the only ones left were you along with the beautiful woman whom you presume is Aihara's wife. You two sat on the bench while Suki and Hiro play tag along with other kids.



"Hello," she said and you turned to her, inclining your head. "I'm Aihara Misa."



"L/n Y/n," you said, brushing your hair behind your hair as you straightened up.



She looks like a refined lady exuding elegance. Her hair tied in a low ponytail, long and curly at the end. She wears a simple dress that she paired with flats.



"Do you know, Ms. L/n?" she asked and you followed the direction where she's looking at to see that she's staring at Suki and Hiro.



"Kenma told me," you muttered.



And then silence followed, lingering about but you didn't feel any uncomfortable with her around. She's like a gentle older sister, you thought to yourself. The silence was only momentary as she continued.



"You must be wondering why I haven't left him," she said along with a light chuckle.



"Actually, I am wondering about that. Was it really that easy to forgive?"



"It was never easy to forgive, and it's harder to forget. There was a point in time that I wanted to leave him and file a divorce. But do you know what kept me from doing that?" She looked at you, a mild smile on her lips, before she continued. "Our son," she said.



"Your son?"



"Because I know that if there's someone who will be affected the most here, it's not me or him, it's our son."



"You must be a really kind mother," you found yourself saying that, truthfully, she must be.



Her smile is still on her lips, but you saw it waver when she averted her gaze ahead. Somehow you knew she holds a certain amount of loneliness inside her. Whether it's because her husband did that or because of something else, you had no idea.



"Y/nβ€”ah can I call you Y/n?"



"Sure, I don't mind, Misa...-san?" you asked and she chuckled lightly.



"You know, I had a daughter once. But she left this world a few hours after she was born, I had complications during birth and I had undergone an operation. The doctors told us I will never be able to conceive again."



You didn't know why, perhaps because you are a woman too, but you felt a sudden ache in your heart when she told you that. "I'm sorry," you muttered.



"So if she is Mori's daughter, even if she didn't come from me, I will accept her as my own."



No, you thought to yourself. You wanted to tell her that you are Suki's mother. But you couldn't, you don't want to deny her honest words. She is so kind as to accept her husband's child from another woman.



But somehow, her candid words made you feel a slight sting in your heart. Until you heard her continue.



"I will accept her just like you did," she said, looking back at you with the kindest smile you've ever seen but somehow held a loneliness within. "You will be a good mother someday, I know, I can tell."



"A mother," you repeated, averting your gaze from her to look at Suki just in time when the little girl saw you looking at her and she waved her hand while shouting 'mommy'. "I'm already a mother, you see."



"You're right," she said, looking ahead as well. "But I'm talking about you and Kozume-san's biological child."



At the sudden mention of Kenma, your ears heat up along with your cheeks as you chuckled lightly, feeling a bit flustered all of a sudden. "Misa-san, I think it's too early for that."



"Hmm? You never know. Ah, young love, it's like a lukewarm breeze on a spring morn."



It was truly a spring that will never be forgotten. And if possible, you want time to move as slow as possible, for you know how fleeting spring can be.



It's as short-lived as the flower petals thatwere carried along by the breeze, falling down from the branches until theylanded on the ground and eventually they withered once the rainy season touch the land.Β 




You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net