Chapter 220 – Hide and Seek Begins (1/2)

Chapter 219 - Confession Chapter 221 - A Running Youran is Always Dangerous

Translator: Ranzan

「I’ve never felt her ever be weak. Not once.」

「Oh, that idiot’s weak all right.」

「Maybe she is, maybe I just don’t know, but it exists. But since I’ve never seen it, I can’t love her.」

「I’ve never shown you either.」

「I wonder.」

He said it with enough confidence to put a smile on his face as he said it.

「I’d kill you leaving no trace, so if you shame mean I’d rather bite off my tongue and die, and then explode taking you with me.」

With one shoulder turned, with on arm, he counted on his fingers in front of Youran.

「Someone who does that isn’t strong.」

「You have to really commit yourself to do that though.」

「That cliched phrase again, and it takes more courage to live on afterwards.」

「All the cliched things you say make you seem ridiculous.」

「I guess, but that has nothing to do with it.」

He took a breath, and then said it clearly.

「You’re weak.」

With the same tone as with Leticia, and the same implicit confidence.

「That’s why I love you too.」

「…」

Youran was silent, looked straight ahead, and didn’t move as Taiyou held her.

Her chest rose a bit as she breathed.

Maybe there was something in the breath, he thought, but didn’t pursue it.

Taiyou wanted to hear her speak.

At the most important time, for her to speak.

He knew how she was feeling.

So he waited, continued to wait.

「I…」

Finally, Youran opened her mouth.

He was expectant, and waited.

「I…I…」

Something was strange about her.

Her shoulders were shaking, as Taiyou could feel Youran’s emotions begin to rise.

「I am…Youran Shingetsu no Kami Juunishima! I…am strong!」

She shouted, that phrase Taiyou was used to hearing.

Suddenly she sprung from his embrace and dashed from the room.

Taiyou flinched back, staggered.

「Youran…」

Taiyou’s shoulders slumped.

Youran’s refusal made him wonder what he had said that caused it.

What was the mistake he made.

Grasping the answer was like trying to grasp water in your fingers, just like Youran had fled from his arms.

He had put all his power into this appeal, and now was disappointed.

His heart was broken.

「Husband…」

「…!! Kohaku!」

He was called suddenly, which jolted him again.

He turned to the voice and there was Kohaku in a uniform, sitting in the window.

「Kohaku, when did you get there?」

「That doesn’t matter now.」

Kohaku deflected his question in a rare tone that Taiyou hadn’t heard from Kohaku.

「Instead of that husband, you need to pursue her.」

「Yeah, but she just refused me…」

「When people can’t put into words things other than their own ideas, they can only express things they want or think they should do. It’s the same as those that fool others worrying about being fooled by someone else’s ideas.」

「Wait, what does that mean?」

「That girl’s wanted something from you from the beginning.」

「…from me?」

After Kohaku told him that, he searched his memory.

What Youran wanted from him, or what she told him she wanted.

He couldn’t find it, and thought there was nothing.

What Youran wanted from Taiyou…or had asked him…nothing.

He thought that far, and then try approaching it a different way.

Maybe not just me, but something that she wanted for me.

If that’s the case.

「As as slave?」

「…」

「She wants to surrender to me, to give in to me?」

「…」