Chapter 256 - Can't be mended

Iori has been on her way to the apartment when she receives a call from Ren.

In the past year, she has met Ren sometimes at random places due to work. He always greeted her. So, it was hard to ignore him. In the end, she decided that she couldn't cut off everyone who was related to Takeshi. 

She takes the call. "Kawamoto-san, how are you doing? It's been a while."

[Iori-chan, your cousin is in the hospital.]

"What?" Iori exclaims. "What happened to her?"

[She sprained her foot. I am sending you the address. Come to the hospital soon. I have to go somewhere.]

Ren hangs up the call before she could ask more.  Her cousin sprained her foot? But why is her cousin with Ren? As much as she knows, her cousin hates Ren. Is it true that enemies meet at the narrow road? Her phone buzzes when the message arrives. She tells the cab driver to take her to the hospital. 

There has been no reply from Adachi. What should she do now? Tezuka Kohei hasn't contacted her mother recently. If she goes back to her mother's house, her mother would try to set her up with Tezuka Kohei again. She doesn't want to see that man again, but it seems to be her last choice. The relationship with her mother has turned sour. She is reluctant to talk to her mother. She clicks a selfie with a smile and sends it to her mother. 

[Mother, I miss you. Can I come over for dinner tomorrow?]

After five minutes, she receives a reply. [Only if you have lunch with my son-in-law first.]

"..." Who is her son-in-law? Yamashina is single. She's single. Heck! She's lonely now. When did she hold a man's hand last time? She never even had a relationship.

"I did hold his hand that day," She mumbles to herself. She even kissed him. It's so easy for him to throw her away from his life. Was it love for real? She doubts it now. She smiles at the phone's screen and types a reply.

[Alright, I will go. I will do this for you, Mother. I love you a lot.]

It's work. She has no interest in Tezuka Kohei. Senpai will set her up with a s.e.xy man if she does this. She is going to seduce that guy. She doesn't care about love or marriage anymore. It's frustrating to live this way. She wants to have fun while she can.

She gets out of the car and heads toward the hospital. She asks the receptionist about her cousin. After receiving the direction, she heads toward the general ward. She looks for her cousin among the patients. 

Her cousin, Yamashina Chiyo, is sitting on the bed. Her cousin is talking to the man next to her. Iori could only see the person's back. She goes to her cousin. "Sister, how did you get hurt?"

"I fell," Chiyo replies. "Who told you to come? I was going to leave with him in a while."

"Kawamoto-san called me." Iori frowns at her. "Were you going to leave with Kawamoto-san?"

She glances at the man and freezes when she sees his face. Why is he here? She opens her mouth to say the name, but no voice would come out. It's been a year, but it feels like ten years. 

Takeshi stares at her, suppressing his emotions. Her hair is tied up. In those wide eyes, he could see a rush of emotions. He has watched her for years and they are here now like this, unable to say each other's names. 

If Ren hadn't called and told him that he was at the hospital, Takeshi wouldn't have come to this hospital. When he came here, Ren was already gone. It was Chiyo Yamashina on the bed. He didn't expect Iori to show up. Damn that man!

"That man called you?" Chiyo's face turns dark. "He left without telling me. Who does that? That guy won't even say my name."

No one responds to her. Chiyo lifts her chin and stares at her cousin. Then, she looks at Takeshi. Both Iori and Takeshi are staring at each other as if they are competing who would look away first. Chiyo shakes her head. She has no idea what happened between them. Iori wouldn't say it, but it's clear that her cousin Iori still has feelings for this man and it's the same for Takeshi too. Then, why are they staring at each other like this?

That's why dead people are better. She can't understand why the living does things that they do. If they like each other, just say it. 

"Are you going to stare at him to death?" Chiyo snaps her fingers in front of Iori's eyes. "Help me get off the bed. I want to go home."

"Oh!" Iori breaks eye contact first. She grabs Chiyo's arm. "Sister, lean on me."

"Wait." Takeshi gestures Chiyo to sit down. "I will bring the wheelchair."

"I don't need that," Chiyo yells after Takeshi. He is already gone. She sighs. "Iori, do you like that man?"

"What?" Iori makes a face. "What's good about him?"

"You were staring at him as if you have never seen a man before," Chiyo squints her eyes.

"Sister, don't make baseless assumptions and sully my reputation." Iori wrinkles her nose. "I find him disgusting."

"Is that so?" Chiyo raises her brow. 

She doesn't believe her at all. Iori folds her arms and tells her, "I find him gross. He's not even the CEO of the Kamiyama group. He's always mooching off of his brother. Sister, you shouldn't talk to a man like him. If something happens next time, you should call me or someone from the family."

"I thought that he was your childhood friend." Chiyo scrutinizes Iori's face. "How can you say those words about him now?"

"I used to be his friend." Iori sits on the bed, feeling ugly as she continues to speak. She hasn't expected to see him today. She is irritated that her heart would skip a beat when she met his eyes. The bitter feelings from her past swell into her c.h.e.s.t, making her feel both sad and angry. "That's why I know him well. There's nothing good about him. No woman would ever like someone like him. I would rather go out with a homeless man than be with someone like him. In my eyes, there's no one worse than that man."

Yeah, there's no one worse. He could throw her out of his life. He could end everything between them. All the memories didn't matter to him. What's there to like in him? She has no feeling for him. "To be honest, I never liked him at all. Even as his friend, it was unbearable to be with him. If Haru wasn't our mutual friend, I would have never become his friend. I decided to endure because I used to have a crush on his elder brother. I am not the same little girl anymore. Besides, I don't have time for relationsh.i.p.s. I am already --"

"Takeshi, when did you come back?" Chiyo slaps Iori's arm to make her silent. Iori looks back and sees Takeshi standing beside a staff with a wheelchair. Iori's heart becomes still for a moment as cold sweat breaks down on her forehead. How much did he hear? She's been too annoyed to keep her mouth shut. 

"Just now," Takeshi lies. He senses Iori's gaze on him. He smiles at Yamashina Chiyo. "Yamashina-san, I think that your cousin can take over now. I have some prior appointment. Give me or Kawamoto-san a call when you reach home."

He walks away from them. He doesn't bother to look back once. Iori curls her fingers and asks the staff, "How long have you been here?" 

"For a while," The staff answers her awkwardly. "Mr Kamiyama stopped me from speaking."

"I see…" Iori lets out a bitter laugh. Why does it matter if he heard it or not? He seemed like he couldn't care less about what she thought of him. "I am sorry that you had to hear that."

"You went too far." Chiyo grabs Iori's hand and climbs off the bed. The staff helps her sit on the wheelchair. "My leg is not even broken and yet, he brought a wheelchair for me. Takeshi can't be that bad."

Yeah, he's not that bad. He's only bad to her. Iori walks beside Chiyo as the staff pushes the wheelchair to the exit. Some broken things can't be mended.