Completed Chapter 34: "Sincerity"

Chapter 34 of Completed

After Eiko left the cafe, she decided to go back home. She took the train back home. When she got back home, the sky had already turned dark. She walked past the gates and used her keys to open the door. Her parents greeted her back home. Her mom said, “You came home back late. Were you out with your friends?” Eiko nodded. Her dad asked, “Are you hungry?” Eiko shaked her head and said, “I already ate. I’m just going to do my homework.” 

She went straight upstairs and then she heard a door opening. She saw Kenshin leaving his room. Kenshin looked at Eiko and said, “Wow, this is rare. I never thought you would get back home later than me. Where did you go?” Eiko paused for a moment and said in a low voice, “I went to Shibuya.” 

Kenshin raised his right eyebrow and he said in a confused tone, “Why would you go there? That’s pretty far away.” Eiko nervously scratched her head and said a bit nervously, “No specific reason.” She continued walking towards her room. Kenshin leaned his back on the hinge of the door.  

Before Eiko could go into her room, Kenshin crossed his arms and said, “Did you go by yourself?” Eiko stopped moving and sighed. She said in a defeated voice, “You always see through me. You know that I can’t lie to you.” 

Kenshin smirked and said in a proud tone, “Well what can I say? It’s the power being a wise older brother.” Eiko’s right eye twitched and said, “Okay I get it. Come inside my room and then we'll talk.” He walked into her room. Eiko shut the door and sat down on her chair. Kenshin sat on her bed and said, “I heard everything from mom and dad about what happened at the party and Hiroyuki.” 

Eiko laid her hand on her desk. Her pointer finger was gently scratching its surface. She wasn’t directly looking at Kenshin. She just nodded in response and looked down on the desk. Kenshin stared at her for a few seconds and asked bluntly, “What are you going to do?” Eiko’s finger immediately stopped scratching the desk’s surface and curled back into her fist. She bit her lower lip and slammed her fist on the table. 

She cried out, “I have no idea! I don’t know why this whole situation is making me feel extremely upset! I really want to see him again! I want to help him but...I have no power. There’s nothing I can do!” 

Kenshin asked, “Is he precious to you?” Her eyes widened and looked up from the desk. She repeated the word precious. Her right hand was placed on the chin. She was thinking about how to answer and said, “He is an important friend to me.” Kenshin said in an unconvinced tone, “Do you really think that?” 

Eiko blinked and raised her right eyebrow. She looked confused and said, “I do. Why are you doubting me?” He scratched his head and grunted, “It’s not that I am doubting you but I can’t believe just how dense my sister is.” Eiko stood up from the chair and yelled, “I am not dense!” 

Kenshin snickered and said, “You are. Dense as a brick.” Eiko’s right eye twitches. She starts to make a fist. Kenshin smiled and said, “Before you hit me, let me enlighten you by asking a few questions.” Eiko sits back in her chair and folds her arm. She puffs her cheeks and said, “Fine.” 

Kenshin asked, “Does being around Hiroyuki make you feel happy?” She nodded and said, “To be honest, I hated him at first. But when I got to know him more, we started to grow closer. I started to feel more comfortable and content with his company. And out of nowhere, my eyes were drawn to him. I couldn’t stop staring at him and growing fond over everything he does. And being with him, makes me feel unbelievably happy.” 

Kenshin’s lips formed a small grin and asked, “Then do you love him?” Eiko’s face instantly turned red and said surprised, “L-love??!! What makes you say that?!” Kenshin tapped his chin with his finger and said, “When you realized he wasn’t in your life anymore, didn’t it drive you mad? All you could think was of him. It made you upset that everything reminded you of him. It made you feel uncomfortable not being by his side. It even drove you to do something crazy without a second thought like chasing after him barefoot at the party and taking a long train ride to Shibuya after school. You have a hard time controlling these emotions because you love him.” 

Eiko’s eyes brightened and said, “These words... you said something similar before.” Kenshin said, “I am glad you remembered. When you asked me about what you were missing in your life, and I told you the thing that helps you enjoy life. I told you that, This thing that helps you enjoy life…it’s a wonderful thing, but it can also drive you to madness. At times, you will do crazy things without a second thought. You can’t help it, and you can’t stop it. It’s not in your control, but you don’t care because you’re unbelievably happy. That’s all. And that thing ended up being love.” 

Eiko became stunned from his words. She asked herself, “I love Hiroyuki?” Her face became flushed and warm. She placed both hands on her cheeks. She repeated again, “I love Hiroyuki.” She felt embarrassed saying those words again. She said, “Big brother is right. I am dense. I can’t believe that I couldn’t realize these feelings till now.” He stood up from her bed and walked over to her. He gently pats her head and said, “Now that you know how you feel, what are you going to do?” 

She puts both her hands up in the air and shouted, “Find a way to get him back. I can’t give up on him! There’s got to be a way!” Kenshin smiles and rubs her head. He said, “That’s my brave little sister.” 

Author's Note

ignore grammar problems, please tell me what you think of it? I hope you enjoy chapter 34 and thank you for waiting patiently for each chapter! I created a discord group that I can give you updates when a new chapter comes out. Here's the link to my group: https://discord.gg/vyQrfME