Read Novel Full Chapter 562: Yuko’s Sudden Laughter
Chapter 562: Yuko’s Sudden Laughter
The kitchen had transformed into a space of unexpected warmth, the kind that comes when two people who once clashed find themselves moving in sync.
I took the lead in preparing the dishes, my hands steady as I seasoned the meat and prepped the vegetables, while Yuko worked beside me—her knife flashing through the ingredients with practiced precision, her fingers stirring the simmering pots on the gas stove with an efficiency that spoke of years of quiet domesticity. The rhythm between us was easy, almost natural, as if we had done this a hundred times before.
Our conversation flowed just as smoothly, mostly revolving around Haruna—her quirks, her habits, the way she had brightened during our trip. I recounted the way she had laughed at the smallest things, how her eyes had sparkled when she tried something new, and Yuko listened, her expressions shifting between amusement and something softer, something almost fond.
Then, a voice cut through the warmth of the kitchen.
"Jack... Sister..."
We both turned to see Haruna standing in the doorway, her eyes wide with curiosity. "Jack, are you cooking?" she asked, her voice laced with disbelief, as if the idea of me standing in front of a stove was the most absurd thing she’d ever heard.
Yuko, ever the instigator, didn’t miss a beat. "Hmph," she said, a smirk playing on her lips. "Jack here claims he’s going to cook for you every day. Says he’ll turn you into a fat pig if you let him."
Haruna’s face scrunched up in annoyance. "NO! I won’t be a pig!" she protested, her hands balling into fists at her sides.
And then—something unexpected happened.
Yuko threw her head back and laughed.
It wasn’t a small chuckle or a polite giggle. It was a full, unguarded laugh, rich and warm, the kind that filled the room and made everything feel lighter. I found myself chuckling too, but my attention was drawn to Haruna, who stood frozen in the doorway, her eyes wide with shock.
"Sister..." she whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "You’re... laughing."
Yuko’s laughter cut off abruptly, as if she’d been caught doing something forbidden. She cleared her throat, her expression shifting back to its usual composure. "When did I—? You must’ve seen it wrong," she said, though the faintest hint of a smile still lingered at the corners of her mouth.
Haruna didn’t buy it. She stepped forward, her eyes shining with something that looked suspiciously like tears. "Sister, it’s been so long... since I’ve really seen you laugh like that," she said softly.
"I don’t know what happened to you when you disappeared, but after that... you stopped smiling. You stopped laughing. You stopped enjoying anything."
Before Yuko could protest, Haruna rushed forward and wrapped her arms around her sister in a tight hug. "Sister... I’m really happy," she murmured, her voice muffled against Yuko’s shoulder.
The words hit me like a punch to the gut.
I realized then—Yuko hadn’t laughed like that, hadn’t smiled like that, not since that dark day when her world had shattered. The day she had almost been broken beyond repair. The day she had nearly lost everything.
Something inside me tightened, a fierce protectiveness rising like a tide. I wanted to show her that life could still be good. That she could still laugh, still smile, still live—without fear, without shadows. I wanted to give her the love and care she had been denied for so long, to be the shield that kept the darkness at bay.
Yuko, still caught in Haruna’s embrace, stiffened for a moment before her arms slowly, hesitantly, wrapped around her sister in return. When she finally spoke, her voice was carefully controlled, but there was a tremor beneath the surface.
"Okay, okay... nothing happened to your sister when she disappeared," she said, though the words lacked their usual bite. "Didn’t I tell you? I started working as a translator. That’s why I’ve changed. The job requires me to maintain... seriousness."
She pulled back slightly, her hands resting on Haruna’s shoulders as she met her sister’s gaze. "Just think about it—if my boss takes me to a meeting with foreign investors and I’m laughing like some naive girl, what do you think will happen? Our company would never get the investment. We’d be looked down on."
Haruna wasn’t convinced. She shook her head, her grip on Yuko tightening just a little. "I know, Sister... but I like my sister," she said, her voice firm. "The one who laughs and smiles. The one who isn’t afraid to enjoy life."
Yuko’s breath hitched, her eyes flickering with something raw and unguarded. For a moment, she looked like she might argue, might retreat back into the walls she had built so carefully around herself. But then, slowly, she exhaled, her shoulders dropping just a fraction.
"Haruna..." Yuko murmured, her voice so soft it was almost swallowed by the quiet hum of the kitchen. The weight of the moment hung between us—heavy, fragile, like the first light of dawn after a long, suffocating night.
And in that silence, I knew.
This was just the beginning.
The beginning of healing. The beginning of something new. The beginning of Yuko allowing herself, however cautiously, to remember what it felt like to live—not just survive, but live—without the weight of the past crushing her every step.
Yuko exhaled, as if shaking off the vulnerability that had momentarily taken hold of her. She straightened, her usual sharpness returning to her voice, though it lacked its former edge. "Okay, enough talk about me," she said, turning to Haruna with a raised eyebrow. "Tell me—have you already talked to Hannah?"
Haruna nodded, her fingers twisting together nervously. "I have," she admitted, glancing at me before continuing. "Hannah already explained everything to Aunt Julie, and I apologized to her, too. But..." She hesitated, biting her lip. "Aunt Julie said she’s still angry at you, Jack. She wants you to apologize to her in person... tomorrow."
Haruna’s gaze dropped to the floor, guilt flashing across her face as she turned back to me. "Jack... I’m sorry. Because of me, you’re in trouble."
Without hesitation, I pulled her into a hug, my voice warm and teasing. "Don’t be sorry," I murmured into her hair. "For you, I’m willing to get into any trouble, my little fool girlfriend."