The game between Grandma and Seijurou just took 15 minutes. In the final seconds, Seijurou couldn't hold on himself to not to grin when he saw his victory and said proudly to Grandma with his smirk that got wider, "I win."
Grandma's forehead was frowning again. She just couldn't believe it that she, Momoi Shiori, was defeated by the least person she liked. She had won so many game in this town, even her late husband never succeed to defeat her even though she knew that he had the chance to win the game. But … this boy?
"So, Grandma," he spoke again, "I wait for this one."
She sighed heavily. "Okay, I admit that you're the winner. But I'm not crybaby just because I lose for the first time. Because of that, I will try to accept you as my grandson in law—if it is what you want."
Yes! I knew this would be working on her!
"It's okay, Granny. It doesn't matter if you lose or win the game. At least, Seijurou has proved his talent in shogi to you like I said yesterday. And thank you so much for trying to accept him. I know you will like him," Satsuki said happily.
"Whatever, darling. It's better if you both go to sleep immediately. I will…," she tried to stand but she almost cried out when felt her waist in pain, "God! It hurts so much!"
"What's the matter, Granny?" Satsuki asked her after saw her Grandma's facial pain.
"My waist … it hurts so much."
And then Satsuki turned to Seijurou. "Could you help me to bring Granny into her room?"
He nodded and then came to Grandma. He put her left arm on his shoulder while Satsuki took the other arm.
"Just go sleep in your room, Satsuki. Let him to handle this alone," Satsuki almost confused with Grandma's commanding words. But she thought there was something that her Grandma was going to talk with her husband and it seemed that she didn't want her to hear their conversation. So, she gave up and followed her request.
"Err, okay."
Seijurou helped her to walk slowly toward her room. After they arrived, he helped her again to lay down on her bed before he wrapped her body with the blanket. He almost left the room if Grandma didn't hold his hand and telling him to sit on the edge of her bed.
"What's wrong, Grandma?" he asked. He saw her took the ointment on the buffet and rubbed it on her waist.
"Can you do me a favor?" she asked with a strange gaze.
"Sure, what is it?"
Suddenly she pointed to the wardrobe. "Can you take photo book inside the wardrobe? I want to show you something."
He stood and then walked to the wardrobe and searching for the photo book. After he found one, he came back to sit beside her and handed her that thing. She grabbed it and opened the cover and then he saw there was "Momoi's Photo Album" on the first page. Suddenly her index finger pointed to the first photo. It was a baby with no hair on her head but a pink headband, she was sleeping peacefully.
"This was baby-Satsuki. I remember my husband who was taking this picture when we visited Reika, Satsuki's mother, after the giving-birth in hospital. I can't explain how happy we were when my husband and I saw our first granddaughter. Baby-Satsuki was the most beautiful baby I've ever seen."
"She was…," he paused, trying to find the right answer, "… nice."
Grandma smiled on the sly of his strange answer. "And then … ah, I also remember this one! It was when we visited her again in Tokyo, Satsuki was in elementary school. I remember when my husband and I just arrived in front of her house, she ran to us with a little boy followed her from behind. Satsuki told us that she had friend named Aomine Daiki and introduced him to us proudly."
Now his gaze was focusing on the picture where Grandma, Satsuki, and Daiki were blowing out the fire on the candle. It seemed like they celebrated Satsuki's birthday and … why Daiki should do that too? Couldn't it be Satsuki's Mom or her Dad?
"Seijurou," she called him.
He turned his head to her. "Yes?"
"How come you know Satsuki?"
He cleared his throat. "Well, it's long story, Grandma. My first meeting with Satsuki was in middle school."
"You were her classmate?" she asked again and Seijurou shook his head.
"No, we never got in the same class in middle school. Daiki was her classmate for … 3 years," he chuckled, "I knew her when Daiki and I were in the basketball club. And then I saw her existence in the court while we were, the first string, training as usual. Until when all of us took a rest, Daiki came to us with Satsuki and introduced her as his childhood friend and our manager too."
"I don't know that you also know Daiki … and what's that? You were in the first string with Daiki? You should be as great as him too. I really remember how great Daiki when he played with that orange ball. Maybe someday you also have to show it to me. And then what happened after you met my granddaughter? Did you fall for her immediately?"
"What? No," he chuckled again, "I was too young to think something like romance stuff. Moreover I've been thinking that she was Daiki's girlfriend. So I removed the thought about her and focused with my grades in school and the victory for Teiko's Basketball Club. And, actually, I almost asked her to come with me to the Rakuzan. But before I asked her, I knew she was going to the same high school with Daiki or Tetsuya. And she chose Daiki, so yeah, it's okay for me."
He continued. "And then we met again in Winter Cup when we were in first year. After the match between Rakuzan VS Seirin, I accidentally met her when I was going to Rakuzan locker room. She handed me a drink that I thought was for Daiki, but she bought it for me. I felt guilty that I acted so cold to her, but I was speechless when I saw her in the first day in Tokyo University. And all just happened—besides, she was my first woman."
"You never had relationship with another woman before with Satsuki?" she asked in surprise. Seijurou looked at her confusedly. Well, he doubted if his face really looked like a playboy just because he was very wealthy.
"Yeah, that's right. I don't really understand too why in the end I chose her to be my wife."
"I think it's not just because you didn't have any romance stuff with woman, Seijurou. Despite that fact, I think I understand enough," her words sent him confused again, "You have been in love with Satsuki even before you met her again in university."
He gasped. "What?"
She shrugged. "I don't know really, but I think I do. Look at me. I'm old enough to understand those things. Don't try to fool me with such romance stuff."
"I-I doubt that, Grandma."
"It's not like you doubt the truth behind my words or not. The problem here is that you don't have a will to admit it to yourself. If you don't believe with your heart, how come you want to say the truth to everyone? Love needs a brave heart and trust. If you want someone you loved believes with your feeling, you have to believe the feeling in your heart by yourself."
He was in silent after heard her words. He wanted to say something like protested her that she was wrong and didn't know him well so she didn't have a right to say something like that to him. But somehow, he did know that there was something inside him that couldn't help to not to say no for Grandma's statement. Perhaps she was right that it was himself who didn't let his heart to give its opinion to his brain.
.
.
.
He woke up since annoyed by the squawking birds out there. It looked like the sun almost reached its top place. Wow, he never woke this late. Perhaps it was caused by last night where he talked with Grandma until midnight. He snorted funnily, remembering the time when he thought that Grandma was an annoying person moreover because their first meeting was not really good. But he knew that it was wrong. It made him to release his longing toward his late Grandma.