Chapter 195: The key to happiness.

“Don’t worry, baby. Kai really didn’t do much to him—he just made him angry, and you know how Kai is—he can be a bit explosive, so he ended up hitting him a little. But I can give you my word that nothing serious happened, and Kai healed him properly afterward.”

Seeing her daughter so downcast, Yumiko spoke in a gentle, maternal voice, delicately stroking her silky hair, which made Nejire hug her mother tightly, wanting to numb her feelings. At that moment, Momo got up from Kai’s lap, signaling him to come with her, and at the same time, Nemuri, Shino, and Ryuko gave him gentle pats, encouraging him to go as soon as possible.

As he got up, Kai quickly walked over to where Yumiko was, and Keiko shifted a little, leaving a space for him between the two of them. Kai sat down and began to gently stroke Nejire’s back, who took his hand and pulled it toward her, then pressed it against her chest, seeking the security she needed from the man she loved.

“… And do you think it’s true that he doesn’t want to steal the company?” After a while, Chatora asked tactfully as he looked at the others, and Keiko replied in a calm tone.

“Well, seeing is believing. Besides, with so much money at stake, anything is possible. But if he’s telling the truth, things will be much easier.”

“So when will we start with our plans?” Ryuko asked as she looked at Keiko, to which Yumiko responded in a gentle voice.

“My idea is to summon Haruto and that woman this very week to a neutral location so they can sign the documents we’ve prepared to give us full control over both companies. At that moment, we’ll fulfill the agreement we have with the creditors and make the payment we promised them, while also announcing the upcoming collection with great fanfare.”

“With that action plan, according to our projections, the company would be debt-free in less than a year, so we could liquidate that woman’s shell company, finally putting an end to this mess once and for all.” Keiko added in a calm tone, to which everyone nodded in agreement. At that moment, Nemuri, who sat down with Momo in the spot where Kai had been, commented in a serious tone.

“Then you can count on us for whatever you need. If you need more liquid funds or anything like that, the royalties payment from the last movie will be coming in soon, so you can use it however you see fit, right, Kai?”

In the end, Nemuri turned to look at Kai. After all, even though Kai didn’t want any credit for his ideas, to her, at least half of the money she made from her books belonged to Kai. And although at first he refused to accept it, after Nemuri’s tireless insistence, he finally ended up agreeing.

“It’s fine by me.” Kai replied calmly, to which Keiko shook her head and then commented.

“It’s not necessary. We’ve already reached an agreement with most of the creditors, and while injecting more money could speed things up, it could also end up being counterproductive—greed and the nerve of banks know no limits. It’s better to stick to the original plan.”

“Still, thank you so much for the offer. I know I can count on all of you, so thank you, guys.”

Yumiko added warmly, which made everyone present smile happily, sparking a casual conversation among them all. But as time passed, the heroes started glancing at Kai more and more, each with a different expression, though all seemed to convey the same message.

There were countless questions they wanted to ask but couldn’t find the words, something the blue-eyed boy quickly noticed. He opted to stay silent, giving them time to organize their thoughts. At that moment, Eva entered the room and greeted them in a timid voice.

“Good evening.”

“““Good evening.”””

Everyone turned to look at Eva and greeted her in unison, which made her chuckle a bit and allowed her to relax enough. She then bowed deeply, following Japanese etiquette, and spoke in a serious voice.

“Although I know I’ve said it many times, thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me. I’ll never be able to repay you for so much kindness.”

“Don’t worry about that. Why don’t you sit down and let’s chat a bit?”

Nemuri commented with a calm smile, pointing to an empty seat on her left, to which Eva nodded after straightening up, then walked over and sat down. At that moment, Shino asked with a smile.

“And tell us, how do you feel? Do you have any concerns?”

In response to Shino’s question, Eva smiled sweetly. Ever since she had been healed, she had felt amazing—her body felt more energetic than ever, and she felt much more lively and vigorous, as if she had magically returned to her youth. Even the bitter memories of that island, though they still hurt, now felt distant, as if many years had passed since she lived through them.

That magical feeling was so wonderful that Eva felt like a new woman, ready to face life, while her gratitude toward that brave blue-eyed young man and the little fairy became infinite, indelible in her heart, and beyond repayment. There was truly nothing she could think of that could repay such a debt, so with a calm smile, she turned to look at Kai and spoke in a gentle, melodic voice.

“I feel really great. I honestly never thought I could feel this way again. I really don’t know how to thank you, especially you, Kai. I owe you more than my life. If there’s anything you want from me, I promise I’ll do everything I can to make it happen.”

“Mmm, if you feel that way, I’d appreciate it if you avoided mentioning my powers to anyone else. If people ask, just say it was All Might who rescued you—don’t mention me.”

Kai replied after thinking it over for a bit, which left Eva a little bewildered—not just because the request was strange, but because it was far too simple. That would never make her feel as if she were returning even a fraction of the young man’s infinite kindness, so she responded in a serious tone.

“If you ask me to, you can be sure I won’t say a single word, but I feel like it’s too little—I don’t feel like I’m repaying you just by doing that.”

“Well, the thing is, I really don’t want anything in return for what I did. I’m not a pro-hero, so I don’t need the fame; I’m already wealthy, so I don’t need money, and I have my family by my side, so there’s really nothing else I want.” Kai replied in a calm tone, although for some reason, his words faded a bit at the end, prompting Eva to comment with a smile full of admiration.

“You’re a very fortunate person, Kai… There are so few people in the world who could say the same as you. I’ve had the chance to meet people from all walks of life, from multimillionaires to people in very tough situations, and still, I could count on one hand the number of people I’ve met who think like you do.

“Most people, no matter what they have, still feel like something is missing for them to be truly happy—whether it’s money, fame, reputation, love… In short, almost nobody is satisfied with what they have, which has led me to think that happiness comes from within, from the incredibly valuable ability to truly appreciate what you have, to be content with it, yet still keep building little by little to improve. And I can see you have that, Kai.

“That’s why I’d like to congratulate you—you already have the key to happiness. And if you know how to cultivate that skill properly and don’t forget it, I’m sure you’ll continue being one of the few genuinely happy people in this world full of insatiable ambitions—a truly fortunate person.”

“The key to happiness…?” Upon hearing Eva’s words, Kai paused to reflect for a moment but quickly shook his head, setting his thoughts aside for later. He then looked at Eva again and commented in a calm tone,

“Thank you; I hope it stays that way. But since we’re on the topic, what are your plans for the future? Do you want to stay here in Japan or do you want to leave?”

“Well, actually, today I got in touch with Oliver’s grandparents, and they’re very excited to hear that we’re okay. They’re going to catch a flight to come get us—they should be here by tomorrow afternoon.”

Eva replied with a small smile, still feeling surprised by the drastic change those two elderly people had undergone. Before, they couldn’t even stand the sight of her and barely acknowledged Oliver as their grandson. But now, the moment she contacted them, they almost had a heart attack from the shock, but even so, they didn’t stop apologizing in the midst of bitter tears for their past actions.

As they told her after they had calmed down enough, after her shipwreck, they were left completely alone in the world. And even though they hadn’t been particularly close— their relationship consisting mostly of occasional visits and calls to Oliver—losing him made them fully aware that they no longer had any family left in the world. It was as if they were lentils scattered in water, with nothing to hold on to, delivering a harsh dose of reality to the elderly couple that left them on the verge of depression.

For months, the elderly couple refused to declare them dead, spending most of their savings trying to find them. They even kept her apartment exactly as she had left it, ready for her to return at any moment with their beloved grandson—the only thing they had left in the world and the most important part of their lives, a realization they only came to after almost losing him forever.

“Oh, so you’re leaving us. It’s a little sad, but do whatever you think is best. You know that if you ever come back to Japan, you can count on us for anything you need.” Ryuko said in a cheerful tone, to which Eva replied with a smile.

“Thank you so much; you’ve all been so special to me. But I feel like I need to return to my country—everything I know is over there, and here I don’t even speak the language. Besides, Oliver’s grandparents are already old and deserve to have their grandson with them in their final years.”

“Well then, we wish you all the best in the world, and rest assured we’ll come with you to the airport to see you off.”

Chatora commented with a cheerful smile, which sparked a pleasant conversation that lasted for several hours, even cheering up Nejire. After a while, Nejire got off her mother’s lap and sat by her side. The conversation finally ended when Eva yawned a little, visibly tired, prompting Shino to comment.

“It seems you’re tired, Eva. You’d better go to sleep. We can talk some more tomorrow.”

“All right, I’ll get some rest. It really has been a busy day.”

After yawning, Eva spoke in a tired voice, then said goodbye to everyone and went to her room. But the moment her figure disappeared from view, a brief silence fell over the group, which ended when Tomoko looked at Kai and asked in a soft, conflicted voice.

“…Kai, why did you save Eva…?”

Upon hearing the question, Kai turned his head to look at the ceiling for a moment, as if considering his next words. After a few seconds, while everyone watched him with different expressions, Kai began to explain in a slow, slightly reflective tone.

“To be honest, I’m still not really sure why… but maybe it was because she reminded me of someone, and before I realized it, I had already revealed myself. From that moment on, all I could do was move forward, and things just kept getting more and more complicated, with no chance to run away.”

“…”

At Kai’s response, everyone fell completely silent, looking at him contemplatively, almost as if savoring his words. That answer was enough for them to imagine what Kai must have been thinking at that moment—a mother with her young son on the verge of death. It was a scene that would undoubtedly stir emotions in Kai, someone who had to watch his own parents die right before his eyes.

But as the minutes passed, one question wouldn’t leave everyone’s mind, so Chatora, with a solemn expression, asked as he looked at the calm Kai.

“… And what do you plan to do about that place?”

***

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