Chapter 194 You are the Haruko I know
Suddenly, Haruko heard approaching footsteps. She turned around with difficulty and found that it was Kakashi Hatake, who had returned.
"...Kakashi?" Haruko's weak, uncertain voice rang out.
"Hmm." Kakashi Hatake didn't say much, but walked straight to her side, sat down, and looked at her.
Haruko stared blankly into his narrow eyes. "Why... are you back again?"
Kakashi Hatake replied calmly, "Because you've been staring at me, as if you have something to say to me."
Haruko was genuinely surprised that he would notice this, and she felt a touch of indescribable emotion.
With a smile, Haruko's voice was filled with a hint of excitement, "Kakashi is so smart, he even noticed that!"
"I've been smart for a long time," Kakashi Hatake said humorously, trying to lighten the mood.
This made Haruko laugh out loud, "But this is the first time I've realized Kakashi is smart."
"..." Kakashi Hatake sighed inwardly again, thinking how really awful she was.
After Haruko finished speaking, neither of them spoke for a long time. They just looked at each other quietly, the contrast between the warm and cool colors conveying a silent, tacit understanding.
"I……"
Haruko opened her mouth, but then closed it again, as if she was having a hard time expressing her inner turmoil.
Kakashi Hatake rested his chin on his hand and looked out the window, saying something that didn't match his appearance: "You don't have to say anything. I happen to have nothing to do today, so I can sit here and keep you company while you daydream."
It's unclear what tickled her funny bone again, but Haruko pulled the blanket up to cover her laughter, though her slightly curved almond-shaped eyes betrayed her delight.
Kakashi Hatake couldn't help but glance at her, muttering, "What's so funny..."
Haruko pulled the blanket down again, calmed her voice, and then spoke, "Kakashi... It might sound strange, but everyone says I'm that star sister."
"Star Sister?" Kakashi Hatake was a little confused when he heard this unfamiliar title.
Remembering that he must have forgotten about it, Haruko pouted, "She was a heroic older sister who sacrificed her life on the battlefield."
"Really?" Kakashi Hatake asked in surprise, but his expression remained unchanged. "You're really something."
Sensing his slight perfunctory attitude, Haruko knew he didn't believe her, but she wasn't upset.
"Actually, I'm also confused, but Hiruzen, Jiraiya, and Minato all say that I am her, so I think... I must be her."
“They all call me Haruko affectionately, but I know that the Haruko they are talking about is not me, but the me from before.”
"I'm still a little uneasy, aren't I? To suddenly be told that the hero who is on par with the Sannin is actually me..."
"Because they all looked at me with expectant eyes, I couldn't bear to disappoint them, so I tried my best to please them. But in my heart, I was both afraid that I was not as good as I used to be and worried about their unreserved love."
"They liked the old me, not the me now..."
Haruko's pent-up anxiety and fear poured out at this moment, her voice trembling with sobs, terrified of not being able to achieve the version of herself they were so desperately seeking.
She's only seven years old...
She may have initially accepted this absurd identity out of childish fun, but later she found herself increasingly overwhelmed by the ties and responsibilities that came with it.
The doubts about "who she is" or the confusion about "who she should be" kept arising.
She should be Haruko Hayama, and she should be Haruko Uchiha, but she shouldn't just be Haruko...
She wanted to prove that she was "her", but they denied that she was "her" for various reasons. So she wanted to prove that she was her, but she got lost in the loving calls of "Haruko".
Haruko's moist eyes were fixed on Kakashi Hatake, as if pleading for an answer from him.
"Kakashi...who am I?"
Kakashi Hatake's nonchalance remained unchanged, but only he knew that his back straightened with each of her words.
After thinking for a long time, Kakashi Hatake finally decided to say what he wanted to say.
“You are you.” Through her quietly lowered eyelashes, Kakashi Hatake gazed at her tear-streaked face. “You don’t have to become anyone else, including your former self.”
Haruko stammered, wanting to object, "But...but..."
"If you're unsure who you are, just ask me."
This time, Kakashi Hatake followed his subconscious impulse, reaching out to gently touch her face and wiping away her tears with the back of his hand.
"I will tell you again and again that you are the Haruko I know."
With her lips pressed tightly together, Haruko sobbed, trying hard to suppress her unspeakable emotions, but she suddenly collapsed in front of his unusually gentle gaze.
Larger and more numerous tears fell one after another, soaking his fingertips and the back of his hands.
"Thank you... thank you..." Haruko's mumbled thanks echoed in his ears.
Thank you for recognizing me as who I am.
Kakashi Hatake quietly stayed with her, without withdrawing his hand, feeling the heat of her eyes sliding across his hand and the softness of her cheek.
It makes me realize that even the cheerful and lively Haruko has a side of self-doubt.
As the only witness, Kakashi Hatake didn't have many thoughts. After all, from beginning to end, there was only one Haruko he knew, only one Haruko who stood in front of him, made him angry, and called him Kakashi with joy.
After Haruko calmed down, Kakashi Hatake pulled out a tissue and carefully wiped away her tears. When he met Haruko's surprised gaze, Kakashi Hatake felt a little embarrassed and quickened his pace to continue wiping her tears before throwing the tissue away.
"So Kakashi has such a considerate side too," Haruko remarked with a hint of relief.
Seeing that she had returned to her normal personality, Kakashi Hatake breathed a sigh of relief. "But why did you choose to confide in me?"
"Huh?" Haruko didn't quite understand.
Kakashi Hatake patiently explained, "Rin is better at comforting people than I am, and Obito is closer to you than I am. Why did you choose to tell me?"
Haruko thought about it seriously and said sincerely, "Because Kakashi makes me feel at ease."
Unaware of his astonished gaze, Haruko spoke softly to the ceiling, "Kakashi is always so calm. He never panics when faced with unexpected changes. I always feel that if I tell you, I won't have to worry anymore, because Kakashi will definitely give me an answer!"
"You think too highly of me," Kakashi Hatake teased her, but a barely perceptible flutter of emotion stirred within him.
Perhaps it was witnessing her vulnerability firsthand that made Kakashi Hatake unable to resist focusing his gaze on her afterward. It wasn't until he truly began to pay attention to her that he realized…
It turns out that he had been trying hard to suppress the way he looked at her.
"Kakashi!"
What are you doing?
"Tell me again who I am!"
"……idiot."
You are Haruko, the one and only Haruko in my eyes.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com