Dinner was over.
After pushing Ren, who had intended to wash the dishes, out of the kitchen, Mahiru finished the task and took off her light blue apron, hanging it on the hook.
The TV in the living room was playing various meaningless commercials. Ren neither watched it nor turned it off, just letting it play in the background.
Walking slowly into the living room, Mahiru let down her long hair that she had tied up while washing dishes and snuggled up to where Ren was sitting.
A kitten lacking love is just like this; after receiving the love it needs, it will involuntarily want to stick close to the object giving it love. This is a very normal dependency reaction.
Mahiru didn't speak; she just sat quietly beside Ren. She felt satisfied with this lifestyle, even if she did nothing.
When a person has enough food and warm clothes, they should have a greater pursuit.
For example...
"Mahiru, do you have any dreams?"
Sensing Mahiru's current idle state, Ren turned a page of the book in his hand and spoke plainly.
Mahiru, who had always played the role of a good child solely to get her parents' care before meeting him, shouldn't be lost anymore.
"Dreams?"
Mahiru looked puzzled.
She had never thought about such distant things as dreams.
Being educated and reasonable, treating others gently, knowing how to take care of others—all these were just means Mahiru learned to get love. In front of Ren, she didn't need these things at all to get the love she wanted.
When the goal was no longer clear, Mahiru began to feel lost.
"You could also say hobbies."
"Dreams" covered too much ground, so Ren narrowed the scope for Mahiru.
"Hobbies..."
Mahiru fell silent.
She discovered she couldn't answer Ren's question at all.
Only now did Mahiru realize... before becoming Ren's fiancée, she seemed to have never lived for herself for a single day.
There was nothing she was interested in, no so-called hobbies. She did whatever and learned whatever would be beneficial for gaining her parents' concern.
Those skills she had maxed out were merely tools to please her parents, not rewards obtained after pleasing herself.
Lifting the dazed Mahiru onto his lap, Ren rested his chin on Mahiru's head. He didn't make a sound to disturb her thinking and continued reading the book in his hand.
"Ren, what do you think my hobbies are?"
"Think for yourself."
Mahiru, who was starting to feel lost inside, wanted to throw the question to Ren. The girl once again thought of using herself to please others.
Mahiru thought that by asking her this, Ren wanted her to develop a so-called hobby.
In that case, whatever hobby Ren decided on, she would learn it.
Seeing through Mahiru's inferiority complex, Ren refused without thinking.
"Then what is Ren's dream?"
Seeing that her attempt was fruitless, Mahiru wanted to know if Ren was as lost as she was.
"Going home."
"Going home?"
"Going home!"
Ren stated his dream without any hesitation, his tone full of determination.
"But aren't we at home right now?"
"This place with Mahiru right now is a small home. My dream is to take everyone back to the big home."
"Ugh... I don't understand."
Mahiru thought Ren was being a riddler and puffed out her cheeks in protest.
Extending two fingers to pinch the puffed cheeks of Mahiru in his arms, Ren didn't explain further. He turned another page of the book.
Unable to figure it out, Mahiru stopped overthinking it. She nestled quietly in Ren's arms and read the same book with the boy.
His finger moved forward. Just as Ren, who could read ten lines at a glance, was about to turn to the next page, Mahiru suddenly grabbed Ren's finger. "Ren, wait... I haven't finished reading."
"No problem. Then Mahiru can turn the pages."
Retracting his finger, Ren waited quietly for Mahiru to read, a faint smile unconsciously hanging on the corner of his mouth.
It is a good thing to have one's own opinions. Whether it is liking someone, dating, or even marriage in the end, the status of both husband and wife should be equal. Blindly yielding will only make oneself more and more aggrieved.
The current Mahiru finally showed signs of change.
Mahiru didn't know what was in Ren's heart; she just read the book Ren was holding seriously.
The story was about flower farmers and flowers. There was a strange flower field. In spring, flower farmers came to plant seeds and then began to accompany the seeds they planted day and night, using various methods to let the seeds sprout. Among them, roses had the highest value.
Some flower farmers chose to talk to themselves beside the seeds they planted, talking to the seeds, expecting them to grow up according to their own ideas and become beautiful roses.
Some flower farmers meticulously took care of the environment around the seeds, expecting their seeds to grow strong and become what satisfied them.
Some flower farmers chose to try to help the shoots grow by pulling them upward, constantly fertilizing the seeds, hoping they would bloom as soon as possible so he could harvest the flowers early.
Each seed seemed to have its ending arranged long ago, taking root and sprouting in the way the flower farmers wanted, blooming into different flowers.
Because the degree of care of each flower farmer was different, the flowers that bloomed from the seeds they planted were also different, and their spiritual outlooks were different.
"Wonderful! This is the rose I wanted!"
The speaker was the flower farmer who talked to the seeds all day long. He looked at the rose he grew with excitement, his heart filled with pride.
It was just that... why did his rose... look so sickly?
"Sunflower facing the sun, you have done very well."
This was the flower farmer who meticulously took care of his seeds. Looking at the sunflower in front of him, which was clearly the cheapest, his eyes were full of spirit.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it! Why can't you bloom? Why won't you bloom! I clearly gave you the best of everything! I gave you all the good things!"
Looking at the withered flower bud in front of him, which might never have the chance to bloom, the flower farmer who pulled up the seedlings to encourage growth roared in anger.
It looked like he planned to reach out and pull out this flower bud that had no future to vent his anger.
The story ended there.
"Ren... which kind am I?"
Without turning to the next page, Mahiru looked up at Ren, who was gazing at her gently.
"Mahiru is none of them."
"Mahiru is a very special flower. Grow however you want to grow. You don't necessarily have to grow into a rose."
"Even if the whole world expects Mahiru to grow into a rose, I hope Mahiru-chan can be yourself."
Leaning down to touch his forehead to Mahiru's, Ren shook his head dotingly.
"Ren, I want to write novels!"
"No problem. It just so happens I know there is an interesting club at school that might be helpful to Mahiru."
Mahiru found her dream.
She wanted to write the story of her and Ren into a story that belonged to her.
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