The Yakuza’s Mute Bride novel Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The final day of the ceremony arrives.

–

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Today, I must stand beside them the family of Masayoshi Shun- and give my last respect to the man who showed me what it meant to belong.

The winter sky above Kyoto is pale and brittle, like porcelain about to crack.

Snow falls softly over the temple courtyard, clinging to the dark lacquered roofs and the black umbrellas of the mourners.

Yuka helps me into the kimono she has chosen – a deep indigo silk embroidered with faint silver chrysanthemums.

It’s beautiful, too beautiful for someone like me.

I can feel the fabric’s weight against my skin, heavy with meaning.

The scent of incense and pine lingers in the air, and when I step outside, dozens of eyes turn toward me.

I can feel their stares – some curious, some judging, some merely surprised to see a foreign girl among them. But my gaze doesn’t waver. It finds him.

Masayoshi Shun ash lies surrounded by white flowers, peaceful at last.

The man who once called me little sparrow when I first arrived, shy and silent, stands now at rest beneath the same sky that once heard his laughter. My throat tightens painfully.

I kneel, bowing low until my forehead almost touches the tatami mat, and tears spill silently from my eyes.

“Sayonara, Shun-sama…”

My voice trembles, fragile as wind, but it escapes – just enough for the sound to exist. Just enough for him to hear.

I sense it

Tadashi.

–

a shift in the air.

Even without looking, I can feel his eyes on me, sharp as a blade and heavy with something unspoken. Slowly, I lift my gaze. Our eyes meet across the distance – his dark, unreadable; mine filled with everything I can’t say. For a single heartbeat, the world stops. The snow, the prayers, the whispers – all fade into silence.

And then I stand. I turn.

Because if I stay one second longer, I will break.

There’s a flight waiting. A life I’m supposed to return to.

Yuka and Ai walk beside me as we leave the temple grounds, they help me changed into my normal clothes but forced to bring the kimono because it turned out to be a gift from Tadashi./

He give me the Kimono?

Why….

Sighed, I decide to move forward and changed quickly.

Yukito follows quietly, his usual teasing replaced by solemn duty.

10:38 Tue, Jan 6

Chapter 17

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The black car waits near the gate, its surface reflecting the falling snow. My hands clutch my small purse the only thing that’s truly mine.

London….

The name feels hollow in my mind. Cold. Foreign.

There’s nothing waiting for me there no family, no home. Just memories I’ve tried to bury beneath silence.

Will Yuka, Ai, and Yukito leave me once we land?

Will I be alone again?

The thought squeezes my heart until I can barely breathe.

But before we can step into the car, I freeze.

What….

—

All around us, members of the clan – men and women dressed in black are waiting. They stand quietly, forming two respectful lines. And then, as one, they bow deeply.

My breath catches.

“Naomi-sama.”

The word hits me like a storm.

I stare, eyes wide, trembling. ‘Sama’ – a title of honor, respect. No one has ever called me that. Not in my life.

One of the older men steps forward, voice thick with emotion.

“We’ve known of you since the day you arrived, Naomi-sama. We saw how Masayoshi Shun-sama smiled again because of you. He changed because of you. Please accept our gratitude… for what you did før him.”

My vision blurs. I bow my head, biting my lip to stop the sob rising in my chest.

Tears spill anyway, falling silently onto my hands.

No one has ever thanked me before.

No one has ever looked at me like I mattered.

When I finally step into the car, the estate begins to fade behind us – the snow-covered roofs, the stone lanterns, the memory of him.

My chest aches as if part of me is being left there, among the quiet mountains and the scent of incense.

So this is goodbye.

As the car moves toward the airport, I find myself remembering small moments – my short trip with Tadashi through the city, the way he stood beside me during our shopping day, his rare, fleeting smile when I pointed at the koi in the pond.

Short time but means a lot.

Why did I only realize now that I always feel warm when I’m with him?

Simple moments that felt ordinary then- but now they hurt, because they’ve become precious.

10:38 Tue, Jan 6

Chapter 17

We reach the airport in short time.

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I step out, ready to face the cold air – but stop short when I see six enormous suitcases being unloaded from the trunk.

I blink. Six?

I turn to Yukito, eyebrows raised. He smiles faintly.

“All of Tadashi-sama’s purchases from that day. He said they belong to you.”

I stare at the luggage – designer brands, fine silks, beautiful things I never asked for.

Wow…

It’s more than my father ever gave me in my entire life.

We enter through a private side door, escorted quietly by airport staff. Instead of heading toward the check-in area, Ai gestures for me to wait in a private lounge.

“We’ll take care of the luggage,” she says gently. “Please rest here for a moment.”

She and Yuka disappear, leaving me alone with Yukito, who stands by the door.

“I’ll be just outside,” he murmurs, bowing slightly before closing it behind him.

The room is silent.

Too silent…

My heart beats fast. Something feels… wrong.

Why am I here?

Why are they leaving me alone here?

And then-

“Naomi.”

The sound freezes me in place.

That voice-low, rough, unmistakable.

Slowly, I turn.

There, standing by the doorway, dressed in a black suit and long coat, is Tadashi Masayoshi.

k suit and long c

10:38 Tue, Jan 6