Youko had given him Chisato options: either go straight home or head upstairs to see if he could talk to Kazusa.
Chisato had visited this mansion several times before, so he was familiar with the layout. He left the living room, climbed the stairs, and arrived in front of Kazusa's bedroom door.
As he knocked, the slightly ajar door swung open.
The room's lights were off, but the glow from the hallway and the streetlamps outside the window allowed him to see inside clearly.
A pure white rug lay in the center of the room. A desk was positioned by the window.
On the bedside table were two opened energy drink bottles and some snack wrappers. Overall, the room was tidy, not messy at all.
There were no scattered pajamas or underwear lying around as he had half-expected.
Chisato's gaze finally settled on a figure—Kazusa, sitting on the edge of the bed, head lowered, hands resting on either side of her.
The sudden opening of the door elicited no reaction from her, as if she had already anticipated his arrival.
In fact, she had hurriedly run back to her room after hearing the tail end of their conversation downstairs, deliberately assuming this posture.
"Kazusa..."
Chisato softly called her name. Without waiting for permission, he stepped into the room and approached her.
She didn't respond. He had no choice but to move closer, kneeling on one knee to bring their eyes to the same level.
He boldly reached out, attempting to take her hand.
Kazusa pulled her hands behind her back. She finally reacted to his actions, unable to maintain her silence any longer.
With a cold expression, she unwillingly lifted her gaze to meet his.
She was furious.
But, strangely enough, after nearly a week apart, her first instinct upon seeing him wasn't to punch him—it was to throw herself into his arms without a second thought.
This bastard had deceived her for so long!
What am I even thinking!?
Kazusa's chest rose and fell violently, her face darkening, giving off the impression that she might lunge at him and bite him at any moment.
Seeing her like this, Chisato's lips twitched slightly, and he hesitantly withdrew his hand.
Her reaction was understandable—he had gone too far, and he had never properly explained everything to her.
The mistakes he had made due to his own hesitation—he would have to take responsibility for them now.
Chisato silently met Kazusa's gaze for a moment before lowering his eyes. His Adam's apple bobbed as he prepared to speak, but before he could, she spoke first, her voice slightly hoarse.
"My mom once told me that I should stay away from men who are smooth talkers because they're usually up to no good."
She wasn't wrong.
Chisato wasn't sure why Kazusa was bringing this up, but since he was currently trying to seek her forgiveness, he had to go along with whatever she said.
"That's true."
"But I forgot her warning. I let my guard down and gave someone an opening. Honestly, when you first approached me, I should've kicked you away!"
Kazusa's voice grew sharper as she spoke, grinding her teeth in frustration.
Since she had already gone that far, Chisato figured there was no point in playing it safe anymore. He adjusted his posture and sat up straight in front of her.
His next move took Kazusa by surprise.
She suddenly felt his hand grasp her ankle, lifting it until her pale foot pressed against his chest.
"You're absolutely right. I'm a despicable guy. So if kicking me will make you feel better, go ahead. I won't dodge."
"What kind of joke is this? Do you think I'm playing around here!?"
The warmth of his palm against her skin was unmistakable. In that instant, the emotions she had thought were dead inside her suddenly flared back to life.
She didn't want to acknowledge it. She was furious at his sudden action. She started struggling, trying to break free.
But Chisato didn't let go.
He wanted Kazusa to vent everything she had been holding inside—all her frustration, all her pain.
Only after she had let it all out could they finally talk things through.
Their conflicting intentions inevitably led to a brief struggle.
The days of bottled-up resentment finally boiled over, and Kazusa, unable to suppress her emotions any longer, lashed out.
An accident occurred.
Thud!
A dull impact.
Outside the room, Youko, who had been secretly observing the situation, pulled back, covering her mouth.
Kazusa, too, felt the contact beneath her foot and immediately froze.
She stared at Chisato, watching as a thin trickle of blood dripped from his nose.
At that moment, she realized what had happened.
All the aggression in her expression vanished instantly.
The room fell into an eerie silence.
Chisato, though in pain, found it manageable. He had promised he wouldn't dodge, after all.
"Feel free to continue," he said calmly.
He said those words and resumed his proper sitting posture.
It wasn't until the blood from his nostrils trickled down to his upper lip that he belatedly realized what had happened.
He wiped it off haphazardly with the back of his hand, acting as if nothing had happened, his composed demeanor making Kazusa's nose tingle slightly with emotion.
They weren't truly cutting ties, never to interact again—there was no way she wouldn't feel even a bit of heartache.
She casually picked up her pillow and threw it at him. This time, she didn't use much force; it felt more symbolic than an actual action.
Then, suddenly, she got up and walked toward the door. Chisato didn't understand what she intended to do but instinctively stood up to follow.
Kazusa seemed to have anticipated this. The moment he rose, she immediately turned around and snapped at him,
"Sit down and don't move!"
This was the first request he had received from Kazusa after a whole week of not seeing each other.
Whether it was for forgiveness or atonement, Chisato would naturally comply without hesitation.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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