Life wasn't fixed overnight.
The headlines still called him a fraud.
The rich still looked down on him.
The money? Long gone.
But for the first time… Urime Atsumi didn't care.
Because now, he wasn't building an empire of lies.
He was building something real.
---
The community center echoed with the sound of hammers and brushes.
Chipped walls patched with fresh paint.
Broken shelves replaced with new wood.
It wasn't much.
But it was theirs.
Urime stood on a ladder, painting a wall sky blue.
Hinata, down below, tried—and failed—not to laugh as he nearly lost his balance.
> "You sure you know what you're doing?" she teased.
Urime grinned, paint on his cheek.
> "I built a company from nothing. I can handle a paint roller."
She tilted her head.
> "Didn't that company… y'know… crash?"
Urime chuckled, rolling his eyes.
> "Fair point."
---
Day after day, they worked.
Scrubbing. Fixing.
Laughing. Arguing.
Growing.
And slowly, brick by brick, Urime felt it.
Not just the center taking shape…
But himself.
Stronger. Steadier.
Real.
And every time Hinata smiled…
Every time she reminded him of who he could be…
The walls he'd built around his heart?
They cracked.
---
One evening, as they locked up, Hinata looked at him.
> "You're getting better at this."
Urime raised an eyebrow.
> "Painting?"
"Life," she corrected.
For once, Urime believed it.
---
To Be Continued…