Chapter Seventy-eight: Saori Amamiya's Home Is Gone

The sudden departure of the Amemiya couple left Anhe momentarily stunned. He had expected at least a few days to prepare himself, but things unfolded much faster than he could have imagined.

He glanced at Amemiya Saori, kneeling on the floor with a vacant expression. Unable to bear her grief, he was about to offer some words of comfort when, unexpectedly, Amemiya Sayo picked up the phone that had fallen to the ground.

"Hello? Sir, are you still there?"

Her voice was calm, and as she spoke, she crouched down beside Saori and gently took her little hand.

There was a moment of confusion on the other end of the line at the sudden change in voice, but the man soon replied politely, "Ah, yes, I'm here. May I ask who you are?"

"I'm Amemiya Toshio's daughter," Sayo introduced herself, then continued, "Have you found any leads on the whereabouts of the Amemiya couple?"

There was a pause on the other end. Just as Saori's eyes began to fill with hope, the man's voice returned.

"So far, six bodies have been found near the wreckage of the president's private jet. Of these, two have been identified as the president and his wife."

Upon hearing this, Saori could hold back no longer. She threw herself into Sayo's arms and sobbed uncontrollably. Her anguished cries tore through the room, pulling at Sayo's heart as well. Sayo sniffled, struggling to contain her own tears, and responded quietly to the man on the phone, "I understand. Thank you, sir."

With that, she hung up. Holding Saori tightly, Sayo stared blankly at the phone screen as tears finally spilled from her eyes.

Family ties are strange things; no matter how much you resent someone, learning of their sudden death will always bring a pang of grief.

The two sisters clung to each other and cried for a long time. Eventually, Saori, exhausted from weeping, drifted off to sleep. Only then did Anhe step forward.

"I'll take her to bed so she can rest for a while," he said softly, gently lifting Saori from Sayo's arms and carrying her to the bedroom.

He glanced one last time at Saori, whose brow was still furrowed even in sleep, then turned and left the room.

Sayo remained kneeling on the floor. Seeing this, Anhe approached and helped her to her feet. They returned to the living room and sat together on the sofa. After a moment of silence, Sayo's voice broke the quiet.

"All my life, I've never felt any fatherly love from him—not even the smallest sign of care."

"I thought I'd already drawn a clear line between us. But... when I heard that he was gone, my heart still ached."

She looked up at Anhe, tears streaking her pale cheeks, her voice turning hoarse.

"I have no father anymore..."

Seeing her like this, Anhe gently pulled her into his arms, comforting her softly.

"You still have me, and you have Saori."

…

By evening, Saori awoke from her troubled sleep. Staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, she was momentarily confused, but soon, the memories from before she fainted flooded back.

"Father, Mother..." she whispered, tears sliding silently from her eyes. This time, however, she made no sound.

After a while, perhaps drained from crying, she gradually calmed down. Sitting up, she wiped the tear stains from her face, looked around, and, seeing no one, got out of bed and quietly made her way to the door.

As soon as she left the bedroom, she saw the other two nestled together on the living room sofa and walked over to them.

Noticing her approach, Anhe quickly made a shushing gesture and pointed to Sayo, who was sleeping in his arms. "Your sister just fell asleep. Let her rest a little longer," he whispered.

Saori looked at her sister's tear-streaked face and nodded.

After gently laying Sayo down on the sofa, Anhe stood and walked over to Saori.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine now," Saori replied, shaking her head. Then she took a step back, bowed deeply to him, and continued earnestly, "Thank you so much for helping me today, Anhe. I'd like to go home for a bit now."

"I'll take you," Anhe offered.

But Saori shook her head. "There's no need, Anhe. My uncle said he could come pick me up tonight."

She took her phone from the table and dialed a number. When the call connected, she went into the kitchen for some privacy.

"Uncle, could you come pick me up now?" she asked.

"Ah, Saori?" Her uncle's voice sounded odd, but Saori didn't notice and was about to reply when he spoke again.

"The accident with Toshio and his wife... it pains me deeply, too. But with Toshio gone, things at the company are a mess, and I have to stay to handle it all. I can't leave just yet. How about you stay at your friend's place for a few days? Once things settle down, I'll come get you, alright?"

"But..." Saori started to protest.

Her uncle cut her off brusquely. "Saori, I've always believed you were a sensible girl. Do you really want your father's life's work to be ruined just like that?"

"I..." Saori was left speechless and could only give a soft reply.

The call ended. Saori stood there for a while before returning to the living room.

"Um..." she began hesitantly, watching as Anhe tucked a blanket around her sister. "Anhe, could I stay here with you for a few days?"

Surprised, Anhe looked at her, but seeing how embarrassed she was, he didn't question her. He simply smiled and nodded. "Of course you can. After all, you’re my sister-in-law."

Relieved, Saori let out a quiet sigh.

For the next few days, Saori stayed at Anhe's home. She and Sayo shared the bed, while Anhe took the sofa.

During this time, Saori returned home once, only to find the doors tightly locked and all the servants gone without a trace.

She tried calling her uncle, but he kept deflecting with excuses—that she was still young, and that he needed help managing the company.

Gradually, Saori realized something was wrong.

She tried contacting her father's former subordinates, but none responded. It was as if, in an instant, everyone connected to her father had vanished.

With Saori now living with them, Anhe had lost the privilege of cozying up with Sayo.

But perhaps because of this, he settled down and managed to finish writing the first three volumes of "Sword Art Online," which he submitted to Japan's most popular light novel site.

Time slipped by, and a week passed in the blink of an eye.

On Saturday night, a heated debate erupted in Anhe's home.

After a week of vegetarian meals and sleeping on the sofa, Anhe could no longer contain his frustration and demanded to sleep in a bed.

Saori, of course, protested vehemently. But to her surprise, her own sister agreed with Anhe’s suggestion.

And so, when night fell...

First update of the day.

(End of chapter)