Chapter 24 Please, Give Me His Warmth 1 (Hatsune's Perspective)

Please, Give Me His Warmth 1 (Hatsune’s Perspective)

“Hatsune, starting from high school, you’ll be attending Doujo High School.”

That announcement came during my second year of middle school.

While I was washing dishes after dinner, my father, seated on the living room sofa, suddenly said this.

“Eh? Isn’t that one of those schools where only kids from super-wealthy families can get in…?”

Sure, my family owns Kakizaki Farm, so we’re relatively well-off, but Doujo High School is in a completely different league—a place for children of powerful corporations or famous politicians.

Someone like me attending such a school… I’d definitely feel out of place, wouldn’t I?

“Haha… Kakizaki Farm has been doing so well, it might go public soon. That’s why you should attend a school that reflects that status, Hatsune.”

“Eh… seriously?”

Honestly, I didn’t want to go to Doujo High School.

No matter how I looked at it, I wouldn’t fit in, and I knew I’d feel uncomfortable.

“Hatsune… You’ve worked so hard, managing this family in place of your late mother. From now on, I want you to focus on your own happiness.”

Seeing my father smile as he said this, I couldn’t bring myself to argue anymore.

And so, I ended up entering Doujo High School.

At first, joining from high school meant dealing with awkward stares and forced interactions from the other students. But by the end of the first semester, I had made friends with everyone.

No, actually, the people there were incredibly kind and considerate. Back then, I truly felt glad I’d chosen that school.

My father’s business was also thriving, and although I teased him for bringing home tacky ornaments as his taste grew questionable, life was good.

In short, every day felt like smooth sailing.

But… around this time, something started to change.

My father began associating with suspicious people.

During my second year of high school, I suddenly became the target of harassment.

People scribbled on my desk, hid my textbooks… petty, childish stuff.

But replacing my textbooks every time they went missing became a hassle, so one day, I decided to hide in the classroom and catch the culprit.

The culprit turned out to be a first-year student. When I confronted her, she admitted she’d been acting under the orders of a girl named Mushakoji Mikoto.

Mushakoji was a name even I knew—one of the most prominent corporate families in Japan.

Their daughter, Mikoto, had specifically instructed her followers to pull this nonsense.

I was furious.

Not only did she avoid dirtying her own hands, but she also manipulated her so-called loyal friends into doing her bidding.

Then, conveniently enough, she showed up in person.

And so—

—Slap

“Because of your ridiculous orders, other girls were forced to do things they didn’t want to! That’s the worst thing a person in power can do!”

I slapped her—Mikoto—across the cheek and scolded her.

Sure, it was true her followers were troubled, but more than anything, I wanted Mikoto to face the consequences of her actions.

After that, the harassment stopped completely, and my school life returned to normal… or so I thought.

“S-Senpai… um…”

The first-year girl who had been ordered to harass me nervously approached my classroom.

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

“W-Well… actually…”

According to her, Mikoto had been struggling academically and having a really hard time.

Even though her followers wanted to help, Mikoto’s stubborn pride kept her from relying on anyone.

That’s why the girl, thinking I might be able to do something since I wasn’t afraid to stand up to Mikoto, came to ask for my help.

“P-Please! Mushakoji-sama is really in trouble!”

“…Why are you going so far to help her? Wasn’t she the one who made you do such awful things?”

“Mushakoji-sama has changed ever since you scolded her! Now, she’s incredibly considerate and kind to us… That’s why I want to repay her!”

Hmm… she’s really changed, huh?

I couldn’t help but find that impressive.

People don’t change so easily, yet she’d managed to transform herself.

“Ahaha… I get it. If there’s anything I can do, I’ll give it a shot.”

“Thank you so much!”

After that, I started approaching Mikoto regularly, forcing her to study with me.

At first, she seemed to hate it, but gradually, she began listening to me earnestly, and eventually—

“U-Um… Senpai, why are you doing so much for someone like me, after everything I’ve done?”

Mikoto timidly asked me, and I told her.

I explained how one of her followers, the girl she had been kind to, had come to me asking for help on her behalf.

“…Seriously, what an idiot…”

“What are you talking about! It just shows how much you care about everyone! That’s why they’re willing to help you in return!”

When I said that, Mikoto burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably.

She kept apologizing over and over, saying, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

Haha… But after that, Mikoto became so attached to me, always calling me “Senpai, Senpai” and clinging to me…

She turned into a genuinely kind and adorable junior who could openly admit her mistakes.

Around that time, I discovered my dream—to become a lawyer and help people in need—and started studying hard to achieve it.

When I told Mikoto that I was aiming for Chuho University, she was stunned… and then proudly declared, “I’ll go to Chuho University too!”

But… even though my school life was fulfilling, things at home were different—

“Haha! Well done!”

My father was always on the phone, laughing joyfully with suspicious people.

His once kind eyes had become sharp and ambitious, gleaming with an unsettling intensity.

We hired housekeepers for all the chores, leaving me with nothing to do. By then, I spent most of my time holed up in my room.

“No… I have to focus on what I need to do!”

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I threw myself into studying for the entrance exams.

Thanks to that—

“It’s here…!”

“Hatsune-senpai! Congratulations!”

I passed the entrance exam for Chuho University.

Haha… Mikoto cried tears of joy with me…

I picked up my phone to call my father and share the news, but in the end, I just slipped it back into my bag.

By that point, my father and I no longer saw or spoke to each other.

He stopped coming home, and I didn’t know how to reach out. I couldn’t even bring myself to call or send him a message.

“…I have to start preparing for enrollment.”

Although I could commute from home, I decided to live alone when I started university.

I rented an apartment, furnished it, and got everything ready… Haha, once Mikoto enrolls, I’ll definitely invite her over.

It was with those thoughts in mind, just two weeks before graduation—

—when the news broke about a massive fraud case involving Kakizaki Farm.