Chapter 30 Waiting for Summer to Arrive
Recalling the day his father specifically sought him out for a talk, the advice he gave was to stay away from his new friends, Uchiha Sasuke couldn't help but press for details.
My father paused in his steps as he walked away. His usually broad and imposing back, for some reason, slumped slightly as he stepped into the space where the light and shadow met, as if he were carrying too much imperceptible fatigue.
"Sasuke, strive to become a child I can be proud of."
After leaving those words, the father strode heavily into the darkness, leaving him standing there, stunned, watching the figure representing his father disappear.
He wanted to become someone his father could be proud of, someone the Uchiha clan and even Konoha could be proud of.
So... friends and stuff don't matter.
Uchiha Sasuke casually swung his leg, which was dangling over the edge of the wall, and couldn't help but wonder how she would distance herself from him after learning the truth.
The air was silent for a few seconds, then Haruko's affirmative voice rang out.
"Then let's play secretly without Uncle's knowledge!"
“Secretly…” Uchiha Sasuke was taken aback, his eyes widening slightly before quickly returning to normal so she wouldn’t notice. “Hmph, you’re making it sound like something shameful.”
"Sasuke is someone who can't be seen in public anyway."
"I didn't!"
Haruko added casually in the morning, "I can't stand seeing your dad."
"..." Sasuke Uchiha turned his head away in frustration, not wanting to talk to her.
Just then, Uchiha's mother brought them a fruit platter with apples and rabbits that she had specially peeled. The two of them lay down on the side of the bed, facing each other.
A cool breeze blew through the backyard, causing the leaves to rustle and dance, and their clothes to billow slightly in the wind.
Haruko took a bite of an apple in the morning and chatted with him indistinctly, "It surprised me quite a bit. Although Uncle looks a bit fierce, I feel like he likes us a lot."
"You're so narcissistic."
“It’s true!” Haruko’s voice rose a little when he didn’t believe her. “He also said before that we could go with you to the Uchiha clan’s fireworks festival.”
"When did you say that? How come I didn't know?" Uchiha Sasuke frowned.
“That was the day.” Recalling the scene, Haruko Hayama laughed. “I saw it all in the room the day Naruto fell and accidentally pulled your pants, almost making you lose your dignity.”
"..."
Sasuke Uchiha fell silent, then painfully closed his eyes. He had been relieved that no one had seen him when he looked around, but he never expected that Haruko Hayama would see him.
We continue to review his few embarrassing moments.
Haruko exclaimed admiringly, "Sasuke is so quick! He pulled up his pants right away. He truly is a genius!"
Never before had he so disliked hearing the word "genius." The words that Uchiha Sasuke managed to utter with difficulty were, "...Forget about that."
After chuckling a few times, Haruko suddenly had a flash of inspiration, sat up abruptly, turned around, and crawled over to him.
"Sasuke, when summer comes, shall we go to Konoha's fireworks festival with Naruto?"
Sasuke Uchiha's gaze, which had been filled with the azure sky and the cypress ceiling, was suddenly filled by Haruko Hayama's pretty and beautiful face.
As their eyes met, her long, glossy black hair fell on either side of Uchiha Sasuke's head, with a few strands brushing against his face, light and airy, making his cheeks itch.
The scent wafting around her was uniquely hers.
The scent of her hair was different from the scent of her body. Sasuke Uchiha couldn't quite put his finger on it, but perhaps the fragrance in her hair was sweeter, while the scent on her body was milder.
When they are close together and intertwined, it gives the illusion that you are completely surrounded by her.
And then... I smelled her scent.
"Sasuke, your face is so red."
Haruko looked at him as if she had discovered something unusual, and even tapped his cheek with her finger.
The warm touch lingered on his face even after her fingers left. Sasuke Uchiha felt inexplicably embarrassed and pursed his lips, trying to look away, but he couldn't. Her obsidian eyes seemed to be able to capture his gaze.
In his dizziness, Sasuke Uchiha remembered his mother saying that Haruko Hayama looked like his younger sister.
Was it because of the same black hair and black eyes? Sasuke Uchiha wondered vaguely, but her eyes were nothing like those of the Uchiha.
It is clear as a galaxy, yet it can captivate you with every glance.
"Sasuke? Sasuke!"
Sasuke Uchiha snapped out of his daze and saw the confusion in her eyes. Embarrassed and annoyed, he pushed her head up and hurriedly got up, looking somewhat disheveled.
With his back to her, Sasuke Uchiha couldn't help but place his hand on his chest. When he felt his heart beating faster than usual, he quietly tightened his grip, as if trying to grasp this throbbing, nameless emotion, but in the end, he still didn't understand anything.
"What's wrong with you..." Haruko rubbed her forehead, which had been pushed away, looking puzzled.
"N-nothing!"
Even without seeing his face, Haruko Hayama could tell from his tone that he was angry again.
But why? She didn't make him angry.
Haruko frowned in the morning, unable to figure it out no matter how hard she tried, so she simply gave up thinking about it, since Sasuke was easy to coax anyway.
"It's a date! We'll go to the fireworks festival together!"
The backyard was peaceful and harmonious, with the dim afterglow of the setting sun bathing the lawn, accompanied by the cawing of crows that grew louder as they approached.
After a long pause, Sasuke Uchiha awkwardly agreed, "...Mm."
*
In the end, no one lived to see the summer they longed for.
The entire Uchiha clan was wiped out, with Sasuke Uchiha being the sole survivor. The culprit is tentatively identified as Itachi Uchiha, who has disappeared.
That day, the rain was continuous and endless.
When Haruko heard the news from her father, she was in a daze. She instinctively wanted to refute it, but she fell silent when she saw the genuine grief on their faces.
How could that be...
The entire Uchiha clan was wiped out? And Sasuke is the sole survivor? That's outrageous...
Just two days ago, they were sitting together eating. Auntie smiled gently and told her to eat more. Uncle was as silent as ever. Sasuke saw the green pepper she picked up and quickly took his bowl away. Itachi also looked at them with a smile in his eyes.
The warm scene illuminated by the warm lights is still vivid in my mind.
How... is that possible...?
Large raindrops pounded on the ground, splashing up droplets that were then shattered by the rushing footsteps.
Haruko rushed out the door in the morning and ran all the way. Her throat was already filled with the taste of rust. She was panting heavily, and her mind was uncontrollably filled with memories of her time with the Uchiha family. Tears mingled with the cold wind and rain.
Auntie! Uncle!
After running for an unknown amount of time, she finally arrived at the entrance to the Uchiha clan. Feeling lost and helpless, she was so exhausted that she tripped over a protruding paving stone and fell to the ground.
In the midst of the dizziness, Haruko was in pain all over her body, and her neat clothes were stained with mud.
At this moment, she couldn't care less about anything else. Her eyes were fixed straight ahead. The gate, symbolizing the Uchiha territory, stood solemnly in the rain. Yellow warning tape wrapped around the thick pillar, and there was no sound inside, as if it were dead silent.
The Uchiha clan really... all of them...
Specks of white light drifted in her sorrowful black eyes, shimmering for a moment before vanishing without a trace.
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