---- It's been a year since the last time I updated this fanfic ----
The next morning, Hiroki woke up in his new bed, staring at the ceiling. The blond stretched, feeling refreshed after all the stress he had endured over the past few months.
"I hope it's a good day," Hiroki said as he got up.
It was Saturday, so he didn't have classes and planned to use the day to fetch his belongings from his "mother's" house.
After getting dressed, Hiroki took the keys and left his house, heading to his old home. His body tensed the entire way; being in that place brought back very bad memories.
---- Mori Residence ----
Kaede was sitting on the sofa with dark circles under her eyes, visibly depressed from losing her son.
Kaede looked up as she heard the door open. Seeing who entered, her eyes widened in surprise.
"H-Hiroki?" She stood up, looking at Hiroki at the door.
"Kaede," Hiroki said with a serious expression.
"Son," Kaede said, looking at her son.
He was no longer the skinny child she had raised; now he looked like a handsome young man.
"I'm just here for my things," Hiroki said coldly as he entered the house, walking past Kaede, who just lowered her head and began to cry.
Hiroki climbed the stairs to his old room. As he opened the door, he could only feel disgust; this house brought back nothing but horrible memories.
With some suitcases, Hiroki packed all his things: clothes, photos of him and his father, his shoes, and other items. He didn't need to take his bed or desk since the new house was already equipped with everything necessary.
He was truly grateful to Principal Ren and the Aikawa family for all the help they had provided.
After a few minutes of packing, he left the room and headed for the stairs, but frowned when he heard someone calling him.
"Hiroki, wait!" Kanoko said, hurrying out of her room to catch up with her "brother."
"What do you want, Kanoko?" Hiroki asked, turning to look at what was supposed to be his older sister.
"Why are you leaving? We're your family," Kanoko said desperately.
"Family? You have the nerve to ask why I'm leaving and call this a family??!!" Hiroki shouted, punching the wall.
"Natsuki is right; what kind of older sister would do something like that to her sibling?" he said, looking at Kanoko harshly.
What the blond said made Kanoko lower her head and start sobbing, which earned a growl of annoyance from Hiroki.
"It's too late to cry now. Do you know how many times I cried knowing what you were doing behind my back??!!" Hiroki shouted angrily. His yell made Kaede come up the stairs, witnessing the scene.
"I'm sorry," Kanoko barely whispered through her sobs.
"Sorry?" Hiroki's eyes turned into the black stars that shone through his hair. "Do you really think a damn 'sorry' will fix things?" he said, looking at Kanoko with anger.
"… No," she whispered.
"Do you know the horror of finding out that the most important women in my fucking life were sleeping with the bastard who ruined my life!!!" Hiroki shouted, losing control.
What the blond boy said only made Kanoko and Kaede's cries intensify.
"I'm so sorry, I regret being so weak, I regret not being a good mother to you," Kaede whispered while hugging Hiroki from behind, making him tense up even more.
"Save your regrets for someone who wants to hear them because that someone is not me," Hiroki said, breaking free from Kaede's hug and taking his suitcases, leaving the place.
Kaede sobbed, hugging herself, and Kanoko collapsed on the floor, crying.
Hiroki walked down the stairs to the front door, intending to leave and never return to that house.
"Eh?" He was confused to see a car parked outside. Suddenly, the window rolled down, revealing Shigoku in the driver's seat.
"Get in, kid," Shigoku said as the door lock clicked open. Hiroki shrugged, walked to the car, put his suitcases in the trunk, and then got into the passenger seat.
"Can I ask what you're doing here?" Hiroki asked, raising an eyebrow at the very Yakuza man.
"Ren called me and told me to help you with the move. How did she know what you were doing at this moment? I don't know; I stopped trying to figure that out years ago," Shigoku said simply.
"That's creepy," Hiroki said, learning that.
"I know. Better get used to it; it's quite common," Shigoku said as he drove through the city towards Hiroki's house.
The trip was quiet, allowing Hiroki to calm down from his argument with his mother and sister. After a few more minutes, they finally arrived at his house. Hiroki got out with his things and walked to his house.
"Thank you, Mr. Aikawa!!" Hiroki said gratefully as he took out his keys and opened the door.
"You're welcome, kid," Shigoku said as he drove away, heading back to his own home.
"Well, time to unpack," Hiroki said as he carried his suitcases to his room.
---- The Next Day ----
Hiroki realized he had no food in his kitchen, so he decided to go shopping for the upcoming week.
"Wait, I don't have any money... damn," Hiroki said aloud, realizing he was short on cash. "Huh? What's this?" he wondered aloud as he picked up an envelope that was placed on the table.
Opening it, he saw a considerable amount of money, which left him wide-eyed. Along with the money, there was a small note:
["I know you don't have money right now, so I'll give you a considerable amount monthly for any needs you might have… Sincerely, Ren Yamashiro."]
Hiroki didn't know what to say. Miss Ren had been helping him a lot since she learned about his situation, for which he was immensely grateful.
"Wait a minute... This envelope wasn't here yesterday," Hiroki said, looking around.
"Mr. Aikawa was right, it is creepy," he said, shrugging.
Hiroki took enough money and left the house for the supermarket. He needed to buy many things, not just for the kitchen but also for personal hygiene and other necessities.
He could be seen walking through the shopping center, ignoring the stares he attracted due to his appearance.
"Look how handsome he is," a girl said to her friends, who nodded.
"He looks like a model," said another.
"Or an idol," said another while they all watched Hiroki, who rolled his eyes.
'Do I really look that attractive?' Hiroki thought, rolling his eyes as he heard the group's murmurs.
"Uh? Hiroki-kun?" asked a woman's voice from behind him.
Hiroki turned upon hearing the woman's voice. He knew that voice. Turning around, he saw a beautiful woman with brown hair.
"Huh? Miss Miyako? What a surprise," Hiroki said, looking at the woman, who was... Nao's mother.
"That should be my line. Look at you, you've grown so much, and now you're even more handsome," Miyako said with a smile, which embarrassed Hiroki.
Miyako had always been very kind to him.
"And you still look as young and beautiful as ever," Hiroki said with a smile.
"Oh, you flatter me, Hiroki-kun," Miyako said with the same beautiful smile.
"Nao is very lucky to have you as a boyfriend," she continued with a smile that faded when she saw Hiroki's sudden discomfort at the mention of Nao.
"Did something happen between you two?" She asked, concerned.
"Could we talk about this in private?" Hiroki asked, looking at Miyako, who nodded.
"Sure, we can talk at my house," Miyako said, and Hiroki nodded.
Hiroki continued his shopping now alongside Miyako, whom he told he had moved out due to problems with his family.
Miyako, of course, didn't want to ask further, seeing Hiroki's seriousness as he recounted it.
Once they finished their shopping, they got into the mature woman's car, and she drove to her house to talk with Hiroki.