Chapter 153: The Confession Beneath the Mask
"Hayasaka Ai, I like you."
"I will definitely take you back from the Shinomiya family."
"No matter how difficult it is, no matter how many obstacles stand in my way."
"You, and the entire Hayasaka family—I will reclaim them with my own hands. I swear it."
"If it means helping you live a life of freedom—free from the shackles of duty, deception, and despair—then I'm willing to do anything."
Yukima Azuma's voice was gentle, like a soft breeze brushing across her cheek, yet it held a steel-like conviction. Each word he spoke reverberated with quiet strength—unshakable, undeterred.
His hand, warm and reassuring, rested gently on Hayasaka Ai's face.
Her breathing quickened.
Though her eyelids remained closed and her expression still, her heart pounded beneath her ribs like a drum echoing through a quiet battlefield.
She was pretending to be asleep. That much was true.
But after hearing those words—after hearing him—Hayasaka Ai could no longer focus on keeping up the act.