As The Wind Blows Your Scent To Me

While Yuina was browsing the book related to pregnancy later after dinner, her mind was inevitably drifted to the short yet funny thing that happened at school earlier. She burst into laughter the moment she recalled a certain dumpling's silly dreams. 

"Hehe, it seems like Teacher Kato's boyfriend is strict with his niece," mused Yuina with her lips tugged into a smile.

The chubby little dumpling eagerly narrated her dreams of having delicious and sweet snacks changed into a nightmare with the appearance of her uncle's face. Her round eyes got teary because her snacks were seized by that man even though it only happened in her dreams.

"Uncle's so bad ah! He's not here! How could he take away all of Chiharu's snacks?"

Teacher Kato's expression was funny as she tried to coax the dumpling. Yuina could only hold back her laughter seeing their sweet interaction. 

Hurm...

Yuina shifted her eyes from one page to the next. Her gaze fell on an image of a mother cradling her newborn. 

The photo gave off a heartwarming feeling.

Yuina placed one palm over her tummy. She had yet to show any signs of being pregnant. If one didn't know about it, he or she might assume she was just the same as before.

Tonight, this spacious and luxurious residential unit was as quiet as always. 

There was only a short message from Ryuu, saying he would contact her after his work was done today. It came a few hours earlier and now, Yuina's phone was still lying in silence on the table.

Yuina placed down the maternity book on the couch. She picked up her phone then slowly went to the bedroom. 

Although it was still early, Yuina was already sleepy. Her messy sleeping schedule currently was due to the little one growing inside her. Fortunately, it rarely made it hard for her.

This week would be a busy one for Yuina and the rest of the school. She could only hope there would be no drastic changes happening to her because of her early stage of pregnancy.

Kanna had given advice to Yuina, saying it was not uncommon for a new mother to experience nothing today but, felt her body so weak tomorrow.

"I should go visit home on the weekend. I haven't done so recently," murmured Yuina under her breath. She lowered her eyelids, a faint sorrow was concealed from her eyes.

Inside the bedroom, Yuina lied on the empty and cold bed. Her mind wandered to the events that occurred more than a decade ago.

Her family home was still in the neighborhood she used to live. But, the traces left behind by her parents were already gone because the house changed its owner without her knowing it.

As her guardian before she reached legal age, Aunt Shigeko managed to sell the house behind Yuina's back after being coaxed by her husband. With the help of his unlawful friends, the house was sold to an elderly couple who took a liking to the two-story house with a decent yard.

Yuina remembered she cried and threw tantrums for the first time once she knew her family home was sold by her aunt and her husband. It was total chaos.

On that night.

Her cries, her aunt's screams and the scum man's ugly insults almost tore the old house apart. If not for Hiro defending her, Yuina would be harmed by the couple for giving them a hard time. The hits and slapped landed on Hiro's body instead.

"You ungrateful wench! If not for selling that damned house, do you think we could afford to feed you?" The ruthless man roared at her, not feeling remorseful at all for committing such an act.

"That's my parents' house! How could you sell it? That house belongs to me!" Yuina screamed back, her voice was hoarse due to her crying so hard.

She didn't care about how much the house was worth but, that house was the only place that had the memories of her mother and father. It was the home where she grew up.

Through her blurred eyes because of the tears, Yuina saw the man came running to her with a hand raised up. Frightened, she lowered her head and closed her eyes shut.

Pap!

"AHHH!"

The anticipated slap didn't come to her, made Yuina stiffened. Aunt Shigeko's deafening scream blared in the little house, sending an unpleasant echo in its wake.

The moment Yuina opened her eyes, she was shocked to see Hiro's thin body standing in front of her, his face was tilted to one side as he received the slap for her.

"Hiro! Hiro! How could you... You're hurting ah!" 

Aunt Shigeko's frantic voice was the only thing that sounded as Hiro shot a hateful glare at his father. The middle-aged man gritted his teeth. He spat on the floor, took his jacket and wallet then walked out of the house, leaving a mess behind.

BAM!

The house seemed to be shaken by the loud shutting of the door. After the man left, the inside of the house turned quieter before Aunt Shigeko wailed. She stared angrily at Yuina.

"What are you making a fuss about? That money would be used to raise you! It's not like we're just selling the house for fun!"

Aunt Shigeko almost spat saliva every time she shouted at Yuina. Like her husband, she didn't think their action of selling the family home without Yuina's knowledge was a bad one. 

Horrified, Yuina looked at her aunt with widened eyes. Her lips were trembling, "Aunt... How could you say that?"

Her entire body shivered. For the first time, Yuina understood how low her aunt and her husband could stoop in the face of money. 

Throughout the time Yuina started living here after the death of her parents, she always saw Aunt Shigeko quarreled with her husband because of money but, in the end, she always surrendered the little bits of money she had saved to him.

"Aunt, Mom and Dad's insurance payout could feed me until I graduate from college! You don't even have to sell the house! That's my house! You sold it for yourself!"

Yuina was thoroughly disappointed.

She didn't say anything whenever she received little pocket money from her aunt. She also kept her silent about the insurance money as well as the money from the welfare council that her aunt received as her legal guardian.

But, she couldn't keep her calm this time.

They were too much!

"Ah! No matter how angry you are, the house has been sold! The money has been received! Don't make a fuss! You'd be benefited because of the selling too!"

"Aunt! It's only been three months since my parents died yet you already..."

BAM!

Aunt Shigeko ran inside her room. She slammed the door shut as if wanting to hide. Both Yuina and Hiro were left speechless in the living room.

"Sister..."

Hiro cautiously looked at the fuming Yuina. He didn't care about the stinging pain on his cheek as he focused on his sister.

Yuina pursed her lips. She regretfully glanced at Hiro.

"How's your cheek? You should put some ice on it."

Her voice sounded so weak as she spoke.

Because he wanted to defend her, Hiro received the slap on his face yet, only now did she look properly at the red print of the slap. 

"This is nothing," Hiro shook his head, ignoring the pain on his cheek, "About what Mom and the old man did, I..."

"It's not your fault," Yuina smiled bitterly, "Don't always say sorry to me because of what they did. You shouldn't do that."

No matter how much Hiro felt ashamed and angry over his parents' treatment of his sister, the only thing he could do was to protect her. If not, the time his sister lived here would really be pure hell.

"Enough talking about this," Yuina darted her eyes away, feeling guilty over something she shouldn't have. She pushed Hiro's skinny body to the kitchen, "Things have happened. Let's go and put some ice on your face."

As if nothing happened, Yuina treated Hiro's wounded cheek. Then, she returned to the cramped room that became hers the moment she lived here.

Inside the small and suffocating room, Yuina cried.

She stopped crying in front of Hiro but, right now, she buried herself inside the thin blanket and cried silently.

Yuina was lamenting the loss of her home, of the place where her memories with her parents were held.

She was nobody and was so weak. She could do nothing to counter her aunt and her husband.

"Mom, Dad, I'm sorry..."

Sorry for not defending our home.

The first night that Yuina knew she lost her home because of the underhanded tricks, she thought the only thing she could do after that was watching the house from afar, seeing how strangers lived in a home that was so dear to her.

In fact, she really did that. She often went back to her old neighborhood, walking around outside just to be able to stay nearer to her family home.

Yuina was relieved to see the old couple who bought the house took care of the house and its yard well. Vibrant flowers bloomed around the courtyard, reminding Yuina of her mother's hobby of tending to the garden.

To her, the possibility of getting the house back was almost close to none.

But, four years ago, the home was returned to her. 

The person who made it possible was Ryuu.

It was his belated birthday gift for her four years ago.