Chapter 32 The Torment of Love (II)
The three of us exchanged a look, realizing there was no way to hide the truth anymore. The girls' eyes pierced through our lies like sharp blades, leaving us with no choice but to confess what really happened.
"Alright, we'll tell the truth." I was the first to speak up, looking at Momoko's expression. Her brows were tightly furrowed, clearly indicating she had no patience for any more evasive answers.
"So, here's what happened…" I took a deep breath and began to explain, "We first went to Myanmar. The ruby mines there are not only treacherous but also controlled by drug lords. At first, we thought we could be discreet, but we ended up getting ambushed by them. They bombarded us with RPGs, and all our phones got blown to bits. Luckily, we fought our way out and managed to deal with those drug lords."
"Drug lords?" Kaoru's eyes widened instantly, her fists clenched so tightly she seemed ready to strike at any moment. "You went up against drug lords?"
"You heard it right, drug lords," I said, trying to stay calm, but I still felt a bit scared. "And that's why all three of our phones got blown to pieces, which is why we couldn't contact you."
Hearing this, Momoko's face went pale, her brows furrowing deeply, clearly worried but trying not to show it too much. "You idiots! Were you throwing your lives away?"
"We… we were careful…" I stammered, then continued, "After barely dealing with the drug lords, we rushed to Sri Lanka, but we didn't expect the mines there to be even more heavily guarded." I knew her words were filled with concern and love, but at this moment, I had to keep going.
"Heavily guarded?" Miyako raised an eyebrow, her eyes filled with doubt and worry. "What kind of place did you get yourselves into?"
"Armed soldiers… they were aiming machine guns at us," Kagami chimed in, his expression still innocent as if describing something as ordinary as a walk in the park. "We had to dodge bullets and then find the sapphire in the chaos. But just when we thought we were done, the mine suddenly collapsed, and we almost got buried alive."
Tears started welling up in Miyako's eyes, her voice trembling as she asked, "Kagami… did you really do all that? Why didn't you tell us? Do you know how worried we were?"
"I'm sorry, Miyako… I just didn't want you to worry… but… we did manage to get the sapphire," Kagami replied weakly, with a hint of confusion in his voice, seemingly unable to understand why Miyako was so angry about this.
Kaoru, on the other hand, was visibly furious, her face now pale. She clenched her hands into fists and turned to Shigeru, demanding sharply, "And then? Aren't you afraid that if you keep taking risks like this, something terrible might happen?"
Shigeru gave a bitter smile, "We knew there were risks, but at the time, we all thought it was an adventure worth taking. After finding the sapphire, we rushed to Colombia. You know, Colombia is famous for its emeralds."
"And what happened then?" Kaoru crossed her arms, her gaze as sharp as a knife. "What did you encounter there?"
I continued describing our experience in Colombia: "When we got to Colombia, we thought we had already dealt with enough trouble. But no, the drug lords, armed forces, and guerrillas all decided to join the fun. They bombarded us with machine guns, AK-47s, and even grenades. It took a lot of effort to get rid of them, and we were finally able to dig for emeralds in peace—only to hit an underground water vein and almost get swept away by a subterranean river."
As soon as I finished speaking, the girls' emotions had reached their limit. Momoko suddenly stood up, tears welling up in her eyes. Her voice trembled slightly, "You idiot! Have you guys lost your minds? How could you go on such a dangerous adventure without telling us anything?"
Her words felt like a heavy punch to my heart. I wanted to say something in response, but it was as if my throat was blocked, and I couldn't speak. Seeing her tears finally fall, I felt a sharp pain in my heart. Her anger and sadness stemmed from her love and concern for me.
Miyako didn't hold back her feelings either. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and her voice shook, "Kagami, did you want me to lose you by doing this? Do you know… how important you are to me?"
Kaoru, on the other hand, looked both sad and helpless. Her tone softened, "Shigeru, I understand your intentions, but what you did was really unbearable. Aren't you supposed to protect us? Why did you end up making us so worried?"
I felt a deep sense of guilt and helplessness. We did intend to give them a surprise, but we hadn't expected that the surprise would hide so much danger, causing them such worry and sorrow.
"Is this some kind of adventure movie plot?" Miyako's tone was filled with helplessness and shock.
"No, this isn't an adventure movie. This is our real experience from those seven days," I sighed, watching their reactions. I felt a heavy weight lift from my chest, but I also knew that this matter was far from over.
"Do you really think it was worth it?" Momoko looked at me, her eyes filled with a mix of emotions—from concern to anger to resignation.
"I know it sounds crazy, but to us, as long as we could give you the best, it was all worth it," I said, looking at them with sincerity and determination in my voice.
The girls were silent for a few seconds, and then they suddenly hugged each other, tears streaming down their faces. Seeing their reaction, the three of us finally realized just how much fear and torment our actions had caused them this time.
I stepped forward and gently held Momoko's hand, speaking softly, "I'm sorry. We'll be more careful in the future. We don't want to see you so worried again."
"You guys are really… so stupid and yet so hard to stay mad at," Momoko wiped her tears and smiled, but her eyes were still full of reproach. "I'll forgive you this time, but you'd better not do this again."
Kagami and Shigeru also took Miyako and Kaoru's hands, promising never to go on such reckless adventures again. Miyako and Kaoru nodded; although there was still some dissatisfaction, the anger in their eyes had subsided considerably. This "interrogation of love" finally came to an end, at least for now.
The girls' expressions softened a bit. "Then why didn't you tell us the truth when you got back?" Momoko asked, her eyes fixed on me as if testing my sincerity.
"You know," I scratched my head with a wry smile, "when we got back, we were really exhausted, and we knew that if we told you the truth right then, you would have killed us! It was already a miracle that we made it back alive; how could we risk telling you and getting beaten up?"
My brothers and I had already agreed—under no circumstances would we tell the truth in such a situation.
To be honest, at that time, we were like three cornered rats, facing not just any ordinary predicament but three girls who could explode at any moment. They say, "Women are like tigers," and I think that's no exaggeration.
Take Momoko, for example—when she gives you that glare, it feels like you're being turned into a sieve. At that moment, if I had blurted out, "Actually, we secretly went to dig for gems and almost died," that would've been more dangerous than jumping into a fire pit.
My brothers understood that angry girls are scarier than terrorists or drug lords. We three never fear a fight, but when it comes to facing the wrath of these girls, we'd rather face a street gang fight or the threats of a drug lord.
Honestly, compared to Him, the girls' fury is far more terrifying. No matter how powerful Him is, he doesn't have the kind of aura these girls do—like fierce beasts that could swallow us whole in one gulp. I bet that even if we were facing both terrorists and drug lords at the same time, it wouldn't be much easier than this.
"Hmph, I guess that's true." Momoko tilted her head. Although there was still some dissatisfaction in her tone, the anger in her eyes had faded.
"But you should know," Shigeru quickly added in a gentle and sincere tone, "our original intention was really just to give you a surprise. We wanted you to feel our love and commitment when you wore those gems."
Miyako's eyes softened a bit, and her tone became gentler. "Okay, surprises are fine, but no more shock and awe like this."
"Yes, yes, never again," Kagami quickly nodded, giving a sheepish smile. Compared to facing the girls' anger, he'd rather be in a street brawl.
Kaoru shot a glare at Shigeru, her tone still fierce but no longer as cold, "Next time, if anything happens, you'd better tell me in advance, or I might consider using wrestling moves to help you remember."
Shigeru laughed awkwardly and hastily agreed, "Definitely, definitely, it won't happen again!"
Just when we thought this "interrogation of love" was finally coming to an end, the girls suddenly gave a dangerous smile—a smile that mixed sweetness with a hint of malice, sending a chill down our spines.
"Well, Yuzuhiko, you really have a way with things!" Momoko's tone was light, but I could sense the hidden threat in her words.
The next moment, she stood up and walked toward me. I instinctively took a step back, but before I could react, she grabbed my ear and gave it a hard tug!
"Ouch, ouch, ouch! Momoko, be gentle!" I cried out in pain, but Momoko had no intention of showing mercy; instead, she pulled even harder. As she pulled, she scolded, "You big idiot! How dare you keep such dangerous things from me! And leave without telling me!"
While enduring the pain, I hurriedly pleaded, "Momoko, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I won't do it again! I'll report to you first next time!"
However, Momoko remained unmoved, continuing to tug at my ear, muttering, "Still thinking there'll be a next time? How naive!"
Kagami wasn't faring much better on his side. Miyako wasn't her usual gentle self; she was genuinely angry this time. She pinched Kagami's cheeks and pulled them hard, stretching his face like dough. "Kagami! Did you think you could just leave me behind and go on an adventure?" Miyako huffed, her grip not loosening in the slightest.
Kagami's face contorted from the pulling, and he could only mumble indistinctly, "Mmph… Miyako, I'm sorry, mmph… I shouldn't have said anything…"
Shigeru's situation was even worse. Not only did Kaoru pull his ear, but she also employed her wrestling skills! With a swift move, she pinned Shigeru to the ground, using her knee to press on his back while one hand wrapped around his neck. "Shigeru, didn't you say you were smart? Then why would you do something so stupid?" Kaoru asked with a cold smile, but it was clear she was genuinely worried.
Pinned down, Shigeru tried to calm Kaoru's anger with reason, "Kaoru, calm down… I-I really know I was wrong, I won't do it again! I swear!"
Kaoru wasn't buying it. She pressed her knee harder against his back, "Who cares if you won't do it again! Can't you just stop risking your life?"
Hearing my brothers' cries while having my ear pulled by Momoko, I couldn't help but feel sympathy for them. But we really did provoke these little firecrackers this time. I silently vowed never to act so recklessly again in this lifetime.
Finally, Momoko got tired of pulling my ear and let go, though she was still fuming as she looked at me. "Yuzuhiko, you sure have a knack for making me worry to death while doing these stupid things."
Then, suddenly changing her tone, she said somewhat coquettishly, "If I didn't love you, I'd have dumped you long ago!"
I was stunned for a moment, then smiled, "Thank you for still loving me, Momoko. I understand your worry, and I'll treasure you even more." I gently held her hand. Though my ear was still throbbing with pain, my heart was filled with warmth.
Miyako looked at Kagami's reddened face and finally softened a bit. She sighed and said, "Kagami, you idiot, if you do this again, I might really shoot you full of arrows like a hedgehog!"
Kagami nodded, looking pitiful. "Miyako, I won't do it again… really."
Kaoru also released Shigeru but still glared at him fiercely. "Shigeru, if you dare to do this again, I'll break your bones!"
Shigeru immediately nodded and repeatedly promised, "There won't be a next time, Kaoru. I'll remember every word you said."
After this round of "harsh interrogation," we three finally gained some temporary peace, and the girls' anger seemed to subside. Although we had just gone through quite an ordeal, seeing their expressions—filled with both love and frustration—made us feel deeply moved.
After the "interrogation of love" ended, the three of us barely escaped this ordeal. Though our ears were still throbbing and our cheeks still tingling, looking at Momoko, who was puffing up her cheeks but also looking a bit tired, I felt a complex mix of emotions.
This evening, this combination of "pain" and "joy" not only made me realize how much of a headache we are but also allowed me to see more clearly the love and concern the girls have for us.
When the three of us boys exchanged glances, it seemed we all had the same thought—we should say something this time. Maybe we always seem fearless, but deep down, we understand more than anyone how important the girls are to us. It's time we made our feelings clear.
I took a deep breath and walked toward Momoko. She was still catching her breath; the "lesson" she had just given seemed to have taken quite a bit of energy. I gently took her hand and brought her gaze to meet mine. She looked up at me, her eyes still filled with a bit of dissatisfaction and anger.
"Momoko, listen to me," I said seriously, with a sincerity that couldn't be ignored. The girls also stopped and looked at us, as if sensing our change in attitude.
I gazed deeply into Momoko's eyes, without any hesitation. At this moment, I needed her to understand my feelings. "I know these things made you worried and scared, and I'm really sorry. We truly didn't handle things well and made you worry so much. But I want you to know that, whether in the past or the future, I will always protect you, always be by your side."
After saying this, I felt Momoko's hand tremble slightly. Her eyes seemed to waver, her lips slightly parted as if she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.
I held her hand tighter and continued, "I know you might think I'm reckless sometimes, but that's just my way of loving and being dedicated to you. I'm willing to do anything for you, as long as I can see you smile, as long as you feel happy. I know you worry that we're always getting into trouble, but we're willing to grow more mature and more reliable for you. So, Momoko, please believe in me, believe in us."
Meanwhile, Kagami and Shigeru also took Miyako and Kaoru's hands, imitating my actions, and looked into their eyes, speaking seriously, "Miyako, I will always be by your side. You are my only choice. No matter what happens, I will protect you with my katana and not let you get hurt." His voice was calm and firm, nothing like the usual goofy Kagami.
Shigeru also gently took Kaoru's hand, his gaze equally sincere and filled with deep affection. "Kaoru, I know I might make you worry sometimes, but trust me, I will protect you with my life. We've been through so much, and I will stay by your side in the future, walking with you all the way."
Miyako's eyes showed a hint of surprise, but then a small smile appeared on her lips, as if she had a newfound respect for this man. She nodded and spoke softly yet with strength, "Kagami, I know you're serious. I will believe in you."
Kaoru's reaction was more direct than I had imagined. She let out a cold snort but then blushed and lowered her head, showing a faint smile. "You idiot, talking about protecting and all that—just don't make me worry again."
After listening, Momoko's firm gaze gradually softened. She looked deeply at me and then spoke softly, "Yuzuhiko, I know you love me. But you need to understand that we love you too, so please don't scare us like this again, okay?"
I nodded, feeling a weight lift from my heart. These words were truly heartfelt from all of us boys. It seemed that this "interrogation of love" and "counterattack" had not been in vain; instead, it made us all understand our places in each other's hearts more clearly.
As the atmosphere around us grew increasingly warm and ambiguous, I could feel the temperature between us gradually rising. Momoko's face began to blush, her eyes flickering as she occasionally glanced at me, seeming both expectant and apprehensive.
My heartbeat gradually sped up; the distance between us grew closer, and our breaths became quickened. As our faces drew nearer, I could feel her body heat, as if the air between us was beginning to ignite.
"Yuzuhiko..." she softly called my name, her voice tinged with a hint of uncertainty. Her cheeks grew even redder, as if she was struggling internally about whether to take the next step. I think our feelings have reached this point; words are unnecessary in this moment of fluttering hearts.
However, in the next second, I gently placed a kiss on her cheek. When I saw her expression freeze for a moment, I couldn't help but chuckle. "It's getting late; you should go to bed soon. We have to get up early tomorrow," I said lightly, trying to cover up the nervousness in my heart.
A mixture of indescribable disappointment and helplessness flashed in her eyes. She slightly opened her mouth as if wanting to say something, but in the end, she just nodded quietly, seemingly still trying to calm the turmoil in her heart.
Next to us, Kagami and Shigeru "followed suit" by kissing their respective girls on the cheeks. Miyako and Kaoru's cheeks turned just as red; it seemed the ambiguous atmosphere just now had also affected them. Kagami and Shigeru casually held their girls' hands as they walked back to their respective places, kindly reminding them to "go to bed early."
However, after we parted, I could sense the girls' feelings of helplessness and frustration. Momoko turned her head to look at me, her eyes filled with countless unresolved questions and a sense of being disturbed. She probably couldn't understand what was on our minds or why everything had to stop here. In her heart, there were probably a million llamas running wild: "What's with these boys' brains…"
I couldn't help but chuckle secretly to myself, but at the same time, I felt a twinge of guilt. Maybe we really should give them more security and be a bit more proactive in letting them understand how we feel about them.
Yet, at this moment, I couldn't shake off that feeling of both joy and mischief. As the ambiguous warmth slowly faded into the night, we returned to our respective places, silently looking forward to what tomorrow might bring. Perhaps, this is the sweetest flavor of love.
