✔ | At Least We Have Forever

Chapter 40 - Keeping Hope

For Kurama to get up early on a weekend wasn't something unusual to those who knew him. But for that particular day, it was different. He heaved a sigh upon recalling the dream he had which caused him to worry. He couldn't tell if it was a sort of premonition or something else. But it still had something to do with Riya.

Or to be clear, her mission as the deity's reincarnation.

"Shuichi, I know you're awake. Breakfast is ready. You better eat so you won't be late preparing for your date."

He couldn't help but smile at Shiori's words. "I'll be right down, Mother." As soon as he said that, he got up from his bed and did his morning routine.

It didn't take long before Kurama finished doing what he had to do. After that, he went to the dining room where, to his surprise, his whole family had gathered. Kazuya, Shiori, and Suuichi were there preparing breakfast. They were doing it as if they weren't that bothered despite already knowing his true identity.

That's right. A week after that declaration from Riya that she had forgotten about him, he failed to hide his pain and sadness from Shiori and the rest of his family. It was torturing him as days passed by. At that point, Shiori probably couldn't let him continue like that. He was left with no choice but to tell Shiori the truth.

And that means revealing his identity, as well. He was able to do so with the help of Ritsuko and Haruna. Those two women knew exactly what happened despite not being at the scene of the event themselves. All that time, he thought that it would be all over and that Shiori would hate him for keeping such a secret. But he received nothing like that.

Much to his surprise, his mother embraced him lovingly and full of understanding as if it didn't matter to her at all. He lost himself to tears that day, especially when his mother said that none of what he confessed mattered. He was still Shiori's son and nothing would change that.

"Riya-san still can't remember you yet?" Suuichi inquired sadly.

Kurama nodded the same way. Well, he knew it would be a long way to make her remember everything. Even if there was a way to recover those memories, he was still putting everything he had into a gamble that he wasn't sure if he was going to win.

"Don't pressure yourself too much about it. Time will come and it will happen. At least, I believe that her love for you would be one of the factors for that to happen," Kazuya said that only made Kurama smile.

It was about time Kurama finished his breakfast when he heard his phone ring. When he checked on who would call him that early, his heart jumped at the sight of Riya's name on the screen. In any case, he still decided to answer it.

"Hello? Riya?"

"Good morning, Shuichi-kun. Did I wake you up?" came an energetic reply from Riya on the other line that only made him smile.

"No. I've been awake for some time now. What made you call me?"

But at the time, he heard the doorbell ring which made him frown. Since he was near the front door, he decided to open it. Only to be surprised to see who pressed the doorbell. He could only look at the sight in astonishment. But Riya only grinned, her phone still placed on her ears.

"Surprised?" the girl asked. "Seriously, I don't know what has gotten into me when I decided to come here. But it doesn't matter now." Then she closed her phone and put it in her pocket. "You look good in your PJs, by the way."

That was when Kurama scanned himself. He was wearing a white shirt and black sweat pants.

"I just changed my clothes after taking a shower, so I believe I'm not wearing my PJs."