At that time, Junichi Sei and his group had already boarded a taxi and were on their way home.
However, ever since they got on the bus, the stepmother and her sister have been in low spirits, clearly influenced by the woman from before.
After a moment's hesitation, Junichi Sei finally spoke up: "Could you tell me about what happened before?"
The mother and daughter looked up at the same time.
"Of course, it's okay if you don't want to talk about it." Junichi tried to keep his tone gentle.
Hayakawa Sakuno glanced at her mother secretly, but didn't say anything.
At times like this, she is clearly still sensible.
Hayakawa Misae tightened her grip on her lap, and just as her long skirt was about to be crumpled into a ball, she whispered, "I'm sorry, Junichi-kun, I've caused you trouble."
Looking at the other person's helpless appearance, Seijun's eyes were full of pity. She gently placed her hand on the back of the other person's hand: "We are family. Don't say such things again."
Upon hearing this, Hayakawa Misae was instantly touched in the softest part of her heart. The usually reserved girl couldn't help but throw herself into Sei Junichi's arms and sob, releasing all her suppressed emotions in an instant.
"Waaaaah..."
You can imagine the bitterness in Hayakawa Miya's heart when she heard her stepson trying to kick them out this morning, and now she's being pressured by her former aunt.
Despite the soft, warm fragrance, Sei Junichi had no impure thoughts and was in no hurry. He simply patted the other's shoulder gently, trying to soothe her emotions.
"If you're feeling down, just say it all out loud, I'm listening."
Although Hayakawa Sakuno, who was standing to the side, felt a little awkward watching, she didn't say anything when she saw her mother was so upset.
Because she was afraid of getting carsick, Hayakawa Miki, the aunt, sat in the passenger seat with her eyes tightly closed, secretly counting sheep by herself, completely oblivious to what was happening in the back seat.
A few minutes later, with Junichi's patient reassurance, Misae Hayakawa's emotions gradually stabilized, and she slowly recounted her past experiences.
The situation is roughly as follows:
Because Misae Hayakawa was born in a rural area, and despite her family's difficult circumstances, her parents stubbornly insisted on having a third child, a younger brother.
Although in Sakura, it is common for weddings not to require a dowry, with both sets of parents preparing a dowry for the new family, a lot of effort was still put into the marriage for this younger brother, which made Hayakawa Miya, who was born into poverty, even less favored by her in-laws.
As for Takagawa Sonoko, the younger sister-in-law, who was the woman they just met at the hospital entrance, she also got involved. Under the pretext of preventing outsiders from eyeing the property, she urged the two elders to put pressure on their ex-husband to make a will and change the beneficiaries of the insurance (accident insurance) to their parents.
Originally, her ex-husband felt somewhat guilty, but after Hayakawa Sakuno was born, his attitude completely changed. Because of his deep-seated preference for sons over daughters, coupled with the whispers of his sister and parents, he eventually changed his will and insurance beneficiaries.
The result was that her ex-husband, Sang, really did drown in the river due to alcoholism, and the inheritance and accident insurance proceeds he left behind ended up in the hands of her parents. The two elderly people didn't need much money at all, so the real beneficiary was naturally their daughter, Takagawa Sonoko.
In other words, everything benefited Takagawa Sonoko.
However, after receiving the money, this younger sister-in-law not only refused to fulfill her obligation to support her parents and became independent from them, but also wanted to pass the trouble on to her daughter-in-law, Hayakawa Misae. What's worse, less than two months after her brother passed away, she took it upon herself to arrange a second marriage for him, almost selling him off with a price tag.
Hayakawa Misae should stay far away from this family.
Hayakawa Sakuno was well aware that her aunt had her eye on the survivor's pension (a life insurance policy for couples, in which the other spouse is entitled to 70% of the benefits after the other spouse's death, and this cannot be changed after marriage). In order to avoid entanglement, and because she had encountered Sei Junichi's father, she simply gave up her inheritance rights (she would no longer be entitled to the pension if she remarried).
So, in recent years, Misae Hayakawa has finally had a relatively peaceful life.
Meeting this person today was quite unexpected, but given their money-grubbing nature, they're probably after their stepmother's deceased second husband's annuity again.
This money has nothing to do with the other party, but judging from their eagerness to gain custody of Hayakawa Sakuno, they probably want to find a breakthrough through their niece to force Hayakawa Misae to return the money.
However, the other party had no idea that her second husband, Sang, was even more ruthless than her ex-husband, Sang. He had directly drawn up a prenuptial agreement, and the money was basically in the hands of her stepson. So, her wish was destined to be in vain.
Hearing about what had happened, Junichi felt so heartbroken he almost melted. He had only put one arm around the other person, but now he put both arms around them, burying the other person's head even closer to his chest, and gently resting his chin on the other person's hair, as if he wanted to give the other person more sense of security.
Because of her overwhelming grief, Hayakawa Misae instinctively snuggled up to the other person, enjoying this brief haven, and couldn't help but inhale the pleasant scent emanating from them.
The scent was very similar to her ex-husband's, but his chest was much more muscular, which calmed her anxiety and made her feel like she could find a safe harbor.
However, seeing the increasingly awkward posture of the two, Hayakawa Sakuno couldn't help but whisper a reminder: "Mother."
Upon hearing this, the two of them suddenly snapped out of their daze and separated as if they had been electrocuted.
While frantically fixing her bangs, Hayakawa Misae lowered her chin in embarrassment and explained, "I'm sorry, I was just too emotional."
You actually hugged Junichi the whole way in the car... and right in front of Sakuno... What's wrong with you, Misae!
Hayakawa Misae was in a state of confusion and felt embarrassed by her daughter's gaze, so she didn't dare to look up.
Sensing that the other person was breaking free, Seijun felt an emptiness in her heart and forced a smile: "It's okay, as long as you feel better."
After saying that, fearing it wouldn't be convincing enough, he added, "This is something I, as family, should share for you!"
"Mmm." Hayakawa Misae's brain was practically boiling over; she didn't want to continue the conversation, so she could only nod softly.
Hayakawa Sakuno muttered under her breath, "They call themselves family, but this morning they were trying to kick us out."
Upon hearing this, Sei Junichi blushed, but pretended not to have heard.
If it weren't for your foolish sister repeatedly questioning your brother's kindness, I wouldn't have resorted to such a desperate measure.
I'm just trying to comfort my stepmother as a family member. Why are you interrupting me? Don't you know that what my mother needs most right now is comfort from her family?
hateful!
Sakuno, you're so insensible!
A few minutes later, the group got off the car, each with their own thoughts.
Regarding the separation mentioned in the morning, the group tacitly refrained from bringing it up again.
"Mother, how about this, I'll switch rooms with you, I'll sleep in your bed, and you and Auntie can sleep in mine?"
Because Hayakawa Miki is particular about her bed, Sei Junichi was afraid that she would sneak over in the middle of the night again, so he made a suggestion.
If I don't lock the door, I'm afraid my aunt will barge into the room, but if I do lock it, I'm worried that the situation of sleeping outside the door all night will happen again.
The fever has just subsided; we can't let it get worse!
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