Jitsu -A different story-

"You really don't need me at all? Maybe you're hungry, but you haven't noticed. I'd better go make you something right now, I won't be long."

"Stop right there! Those excuses are useless! It's almost time for you to meet with Kurono-san, I won't let your nerves get the best of you." It was quite simple to describe that scene, Rena pushed her mom in against her will as she looked for any reason to avoid attending the event she had planned.

The night before, Shizune was still a little messed up with her emotions. She hadn't thought clearly since the feelings in her chest wouldn't let her do it, but after a good night's sleep, she realized everything had happened and fear and shame were generated in her when she remembered that she had agreed to meet with the person who caused all this.

"B-But…"

"I said no, now get out of here!" With one last push and closing the door right in Shizune's face, Rena had achieved her first mission of the day and she only had to wait for the good news.

Shizune had stayed quiet after being expelled from what was her home at that time and the same negative emotions were taking over her again... She really didn't want to go meet him, not because she didn't want to accompany Kurono, but because there were thoughts complicated in her mind, but having no choice but to face reality, she let her legs take her to that particular destination that was already very familiar to her.

…

…

The streets were changing as she moved, the summer heat was still present as always and you could notice that there was a quite peculiar calm in the environment. Shizune had followed the same path as always and she really wasn't feeling well, those thoughts wouldn't leave her mind, she was sure they were just nonsense, but she couldn't just avoid them, and when she arrived at her destination and saw the person sitting on the same bench as always while greeting her, she felt the need for this moment to last forever.

"Hi, Shizune-san…"

"Hi..." That was the only thing that came out of her as she took her seat, a new silence had appeared between them, but this time, it was awkward.

Shizune didn't want to say anything, she thought she could give Kurono one of her typical smiles so he would know that everything was fine, she even thought he would ask her the reason for her attitude, but instead, she heard some words that made her bad thoughts were stronger.

"Shizune-san, I... I'm sorry, I really did something very foolish yesterday..." They seemed quite simple, but Shizune didn't look at those words that way. She hadn't said anything since she was trying to control herself, but she couldn't help but continue listening to what Kurono said.

"I'm sure you think I'm an idiot right now... That's why I want to apologize to you."

Sincerity was undeniable in Kurono's words, he had also had a lot to think about last night, so much so that he couldn't sleep at all, and now he wanted to express himself as best he could to Shizune.

"So I wanted to tell you that…" But he couldn't even finish that sentence as he turned around to face the state Shizune was in and worried greatly as he listened to the words that came out of her.

"It's alright Kurono-san... You don't need to say anything more... It's obvious that it was all a mistake, isn't it?" Yes, Shizune had said that while some light sobs in addition to those tears that ran down her cheeks came out of her leaving Kurono speechless. "I'm sure you were just being nice to me and I was the one who misunderstood everything."

Tears kept coming out of her giving a very sad scene, Kurono really wanted to say something, but he couldn't since he wasn't sure how to feel at that moment at the same time that Shizune kept expressing what she hid inside of her.

"It's quite simple if you think about it, you are someone wonderful and I just had foolish illusions by confusing our friendship... Would there be someone who would notice me? I'm just an old woman with nothing special, haha..." Every word that she said had the objective of denigrating herself, even more, that was the shadow that was in Shizune's heart, she always thought about what she had just said, every year that passed she was losing the confidence she had, and she only looked at herself as a simple old woman and that everyone saw her that way.

That last laugh was out of place, no one besides her had laughed, which made the scene even more melancholic. Shizune had already said what she wanted to say, she herself deduced what the words Kurono said meant and finally, she could get rid of all that.

"Thank you for everything you've done so far, Kurono-san. I'm sorry for bothering you all this time, you can make sure I won't come looking for you again or you'll hear from me, but... Thank you for letting me experience that little happiness I had, now I..." Although it seemed that Shizune had said all that without any problem, the sobs that came out of her could not be ignored by Kurono as he finished listening carefully to the words she said and let the actions speak for him.

Shizune had already gotten back up from the bench and was about to leave in a hurry, but before she took a single step, she felt her hand being taken at the same time that she turned her eyes to look at the responsible.

Kurono had taken her hand to prevent her from escaping. He had already understood everything, so he took Shizune's hand harder and brought his body closer to hers so that a single action would express everything he felt and that scene would be repeated before.

It was something different that time, the same warm feeling but full of more emotions combined forming something that she hadn't experienced in a long time, that was what Shizune was feeling at the precise moment she felt how she was being kissed by Kurono, it seemed that those silly thoughts were she had moved away from her or she thought she was just dreaming, but that didn't matter, she wanted to continue experiencing that even if it wasn't real, so she put her arms behind Kurono's head to get even closer to him and fully experience that wonderful sensation.

The seconds passed, the sun was already at its highest and the typical summer sounds were heard around the place at the same time that two people were sharing a beautiful moment that nobody could understand how they really felt, neither wanted to separate, but the shortness of breath they felt would force them to do it and then stare at each other without knowing what to say.

"Kurono-san…?"

"Please... Don't say such horrible things ever again."

"But you…"

"I think you misunderstood me… I wanted to apologize to you for not making things clear yesterday. Shizune-san, it could be said that it hasn't been long since we met, and the way we did it was perhaps not the most pleasant." It was Shizune's turn to listen intently, as all the moments she had spent with Kurono and the situation they found themselves in flashed through her mind. "Spending time with you was something valuable for me, not only because I enjoyed it a lot, but also because from the first moment I met you I began to care about you. The date I invited you to was something important to me, every time I saw you smile, I felt very happy, there was nothing else I wanted more than to see and feel that joy you give off."

Shizune had calmed down enough for those words to reach her, but she couldn't say anything as she kept listening to Kurono's voice.

"And hearing you say all that, it really pissed me off. You should not think that way, Shizune-san, for me, you are the most beautiful and special woman that has appeared in my life, everything I did was not to be nice or because I felt sorry for you, I did it because I wanted, I wanted to get closer you, get to know you better, see those expressions that you didn't show to anyone else, and do you know why?"

"Why…?"

"Because I fell in love with you, Shizune-san, and that's the whole truth." With those only words, but completely special to her, Shizune felt something really difficult to explain and at the same time so simple, and even though she could say thousands of things to respond to it, she also performed a single action which was enough for Kurono.

A smile, a beautiful and warm smile, one that had never appeared on her until that moment, but there was only one word to describe it… Unique.