Capítulo 26: Blinding for more than one reason.
"Wow… I wasn't expecting to see everyone here today…," muttered Chisaki, forcing
a smile and surveying the student council room. Touya sat at the head of the long desk in
the seat farthest from the door. To his right were Maria, Alisa, and Masachika—in that order
—and to his left were Chisaki, Yuki, and Ayano. Every member of the student council was
present. Of course, they had all gathered there that day because they had business to attend
to… They were waiting to be called in for parent-teacher conferences. The meetings took
place in the classrooms after they went over exams in the morning. Each meeting was thirty
minutes long, but when you got to go home depended on your seat number. Your meeting
could be right after lunch, or you could be there waiting until night. Many students used their
clubroom or the library to kill time until it was their turn. Each student council member found
themselves drawn to the student council room for some reason or another, as though they
had planned to meet here all along.
"Yeah, I never really thought about it, but our last names are really close alphabetically:
Kimishima, Kujou, Kuze, Kenzaki, Sarashina, Suou… Every one of us lands between Ki
and Su, huh?"
"That is a really big coincidence," Touya said, and replied to Chisaki's comment with
an awkward smile.
"Just to be clear, though, Ayano actually finished her student-parent-teacher meeting
yesterday," chimed in Yuki, eyeing Ayano beside her.
"Wait. Really? Then why are you still here? You could have gone home after class this
morning," questioned Chisaki. She blinked curiously.
"I told her she could go home, but, well…you know how she is."
"The only place I belong is by Lady Yuki's side," promptly replied Ayano as if the
thought of leaving was preposterous. With a slightly forced smile, Yuki shrugged as if to say,
"See?" The others smiled stiffly until Maria suddenly clapped her hands and suggested:
"Then how about I put on a pot of tea for us all?"
"Yes, please!" Chisaki cheered, and Maria stood up.
"Ayano, you can stay seated. Allow me," added Maria, smiling down at Chisaki without
even glancing in Ayano's direction.
"…?!"
Ayano, who had started to stand and was hovering silently over her chair like a shadow,
looked stunned. It was as if her eyes were saying, "What the…?! I could never!" as she stared
at Maria with a fixed gaze until Yuki lightly tugged her arm, and she sat back down.
"Ayano, let Maria take care of this."
"Lady Yuki… Very well."
Maria headed over to the shelf with the cups after waiting for Ayano to settle in her seat.
"Kuze? What's wrong?" Alisa asked with a curious tilt of her head.
Masachika had been quietly observing Maria.
"…It's nothing."
But he shook his head and faced forward before turning to Touya, seemingly having
suddenly remembered something.
"By the way, I was talking with Alya yesterday about changing our summer uniform,
and I was wondering how that was coming along. Doesitsound like we're going to be getting
new uniforms next year?"
It was a casual thought half-heartedly put into words, which was why Touya's reaction
was so surprising. He smirked proudly and replied:
"This is just between us, but we should have a new uniform ready for us at the beginning
of summer vacation if we're lucky."
"What?! Seriously?!"
"Yeah, I was planning on surprising everyone at the closing ceremony, but it's basically
a done deal already."
"Oh my. What wonderful news. While I do like this uniform, it is far too hot for summer
weather."
Yuki cheerfully put her hands together. But after cackling at her reaction, Touya looked
apologetic.
"But it hasn't been a completely smooth process…so I might need everyone's help
during summer break."
"That's not a problem at all. We'll gladly do everything we can to help, especially after
you went through all that trouble for us."
"Thanks… I have to admit, though, this plan would have fallen through without
Chisaki's help."
Everyone looked in Chisaki's direction as she stared back at Touya with an awkward
smile.
"That's not true. You made this happen because you never gave up and fought for it."
"Only because you were there to support me. Not a day goes by when I'm not grateful
to have you as my partner."
"Touya…"
"Chisaki…"
"Look at 'em. They're in their own little world now. I don't know how they do it."
Masachika rolled his eyes at the couple, who were passionately gazing at each other,
then turned to Yuki and shrugged as if to say, "Unbelievable." Yuki then shifted her gaze to
Ayano and began passionately gazing at her for whatever reason.
"Ayano…"
"Lady…Yuki…"
"Wh-what the…?"
A world of flowers and rainbows celebrating the love between two women materialized
before Masachika's puzzled, blinking eyes, but after exchanging a swift glance with Yuki,
he figured out what she was trying to say, so he decided to play along as well. He anxiously
scratched his head, then let out a deep breath to brace himself before he turned toward Alisa,
creating the sweetest mood he possibly could.
"Alya…"
"Not a chance."
"Oof!"
He was shot down the moment he faced her with that troubled expression, causing him
to collapse in defeat. Yuki, being herself, then provocatively leered at Alisa.
"Oh my. I thought they'd be closer by now, since they're running together."
"…!"
"Will they really be able to defeat us like that, Ayano? After all, nothing is more
important than teamwork when it comes to campaigning."
Yuki smiled softly as she traced her finger across Ayano's cheek, making Ayano shut
one eye and tremble as though it was tickling her. A rose seemed to bloom behind them as
if to bless their love, and Masachika's heart raced slightly, much to his surprise.
"Kuze…"
There wasn't even a smidgen of sweetness in Alisa's almost defiant stare.
"Just stop. You can't let people provoke you like that."
Masachika wanted to roll his eyes, but he ended up gazing into Alisa's because she
wouldn't look away for some reason. And when he saw her up close like this in the light…he
once again realized just how beautiful she was.
It's like she's from another world. Hard to believe she's really human, too… Wait! Just
how long are her eyelashes?! Iseriously feel like I'm being drawn into her eyes… Her almost
translucent skin is so beautiful, too. Not even a single wrinkle, either… Where the hell are
her pores? Is she seriously not wearing any makeup? …Hmm? Her skin is turning kind of
red… Wait. Is it just me, or is she slowly getting closer?
But the instant his numbed mind came to this vague realization, Maria's voice dragged
him back to reality.
"Sorry to keep you all waiting. ♪ Hmm? What's going on? Are we having a staring
contest?" wondered Maria, who couldn't be further from the truth. Nevertheless, Alisa
jumped in her seat the moment she heard her sister's voice and looked in her direction.
Masachika slowly blinked a few times before facing Maria as well, but the moment she saw
the look in his eyes,she winced, and hersmile tensed. She almost immediately began handing
out cups of tea as if nothing had happened.
"We ate all the snacks last time, so it's just tea today."
"Oh, we did?"
"Well, summer break is coming up, so we didn't have much of a choice."
"Oh, right… I guess we can't just leave snacks in a hot room during vacation. At any
rate, your tea's so good that we don't need any snacks to enjoy ourselves."
"Giggle. Thank you."
Maria smiled after hearing Chisaki's compliment, and she placed cups of tea on the table
before Alisa and Masachika as well.
"Here you go."
"Thanks."
"Th-thank you."
But Maria seemed to just barely avoid Masachika's gaze once more. He watched her
hand Yuki, Ayano, and the others cups of tea and gradually realized he wasn't imagining it.
She really won't make eye contact with me… The whole hypnosis thing from two weeks
ago must still be bothering her.
He'd apologized to Alisa once more the day after the hypnosisincident and wasforgiven.
Although she probably had plenty of things to complain about, she wasn't too harsh, perhaps
due to her sister being the main reason she got into that whole mess. Instead, she commanded
that he immediately forget what he saw, but there was no way he would ever forgetsomething
so exhilarating. Regardless, while Alisa had forgiven him, he had not seen Maria since the
incident, and she still seemed bothered by what happened.
Yeah… I should probably apologize again to her, too.
He didn't want to start summer vacation like this, so he decided he had to apologize to
her later that day. Just as Maria took a seat at the table, Touya suddenly spoke up as though
he were waiting for this moment.
"Oh, right… What's everyone doing during summer break? I was thinking we could get
together somewhere and hang out. Maybe stay the night at an inn or something. You know,
like what sports teams do when they go to those weekend training camps."
"An inn, huh?"
It wasn't common for the student council to do something like that unless it pertained to
student council work. At the very least, Masachika had never experienced anything similar
in middle school. Touya suddenly laughed to lighten the mood, seeming to have noticed the
first-year's bewilderment, and added:
"It's only to get to know one another better. I'm not going to make you work, and it's
not an actual training camp, either. Think of it like a vacation and my way of thanking you
in case I do end up needing your help during summer vacation as mentioned earlier. So what
do you say?"
"Sounds like a lot of fun to me!" said Chisaki enthusiastically.
"Yes, that does sound like a wonderful idea," Maria agreed.
The first-year students started to consider it once Chisaki and Maria expressed interest.
"Hmm… I believe I could open up my schedule as long as we do not wait too long to
decide on a date. Giggle. I have never done something like this in the student council before.
I cannot wait."
"Lady Yuki's wishes are my own."
"I'm fine with it as well…"
"Yeah, I don't have any plans, so I'm cool with that. Just like a weekend thing, right?
Where do you want to have it?"
"First, we need to check everyone's schedule to pick a date. And place? Well, I was
thinking about my family's vacation home if that was okay with you all."
"Wait. 'Vacation home'?"
Masachika and the others doubted their ears as Touya grinned confidently.
"My family has a small house by the ocean in a somewhat touristy city… It has its own
private beach, and they have festivals almost every year as well."
"Seriously?! Wait. Hold up… I don't mean to be rude, but never in a hundred years
would I have guessed you come from a wealthy family."
"I get that. It's not like my father is some top CEO or anything, but my grandfather was
apparently a pretty savvy investor, and the vacation house was one of his assets."
"Ha-ha. Ohhh. All right."
"Anyway, it's only an option. We don't have to go if everyone wants to go somewhere
else," added Touya, looking at the others. Chisaki thought it over for a few moments and
replied:
"It's not really a vacation home, but my relatives own a mountain, so I think I could pull
some strings if more people would rather go to the mountains than the beach."
"They own a mountain?! That's incredible!"
I swear, this school…! shouted Masachika in his mind at the startling admission, but the
next thing Chisaki said turned his face to stone.
"Well, I guess the building on the mountain could be considered a vacation home. It is a
villa used for lodging athletes. Like, it has a big dojo in it. Anyway, while there isn't a beach,
there's a cemetery nearby, so we could go check it out at night, which might be fun…or
scary. Oh, they also have festivals in town every year. They're martial arts festivals, though."
"Sounds like we're comparing heaven to hell. 'There's no beach, but we have a
cemetery.' Uh… What? …Wait. Don't tell me the gravesin the cemetery belong to the people
who died in past martial arts tournaments…"
"Ha-ha-ha. No way."
"Y-yeah, I figured."
"Maybe some of them do, but it was mostly during training when—"
"President Touya! I vote we go to your vacation home!"
"I would prefer the beach as well."
"If that is what Lady Yuki wishes, then that is what I wish as well."
After Masachika interrupted by energetically raising his hand, Yuki and Ayano soon
followed. Alisa and Maria looked over at Touya as well, not uttering a single objection. Their
eyes said it all. Touya nodded with a troubled grin, then turned to Chisaki and admitted:
"While I am interested in the mountains, I don't think it would be the best place for us
to get to know one another better, so maybe some other time."
"Really? Then…maybe just you and me can go together?"
"…?!"
Touya's expression froze at Chisaki's slightly bashful reply, and as his girlfriend shyly
glanced up at him, he robotically forced his stiff lips into a smile.
"Yeah… That…would be nice… I'd love to go…if that's what you want to do…"
"Yesss! Then it's settled! I can introduce you to my master when we get there, too!"
"Your martial arts master…? Okay…"
Touya's mind naturally played out the situation in his head.
Introduced to Chisaki's martial arts master → "So you're the man who fooled my dear
pupil into going out with you. Let's see what kind of man you really are!" → Death.
There was a semivacant look in his eyes because of how easy it was to imagine such a
future, but Chisaki simply continued the conversation, showing no signs of even noticing.
"Oh, hey. Why not join the martial arts tournament at the festival while you're there?"
"Uh-huh…"
Enter tournament → Die.
The light in Touya's eyes faded into darkness as his girlfriend continued to obliviously
open doors that all led to his death.
"Don't worry! There's an amateur division, too! Anyway, I just want to see you fight.
You'd be so cool."
"Er…"
But he was no match for Chisaki's adorable charm.
"Then I hope you're ready for this because I'm going to give it everything I've got!"
"Really?! I'm so happy to hear you say that! I honestly cannot wait!"
"Ha-ha…"
He firmly nodded with a dry laugh. Now that's a real man, thought Masachika in
admiration…while clasping his hands together and promising himself that he wouldn't be
disgusted when he saw Touya next semester in his second form. "This isn't even my final
form," Touya might say, but even then, Masachika swore he would accept him for who he
was.
They chatted for a while after that. With cups of Maria's tea in hand, they discussed
the student council, talked about school, and announced their plans for summer break. After
around thirty minutes, Touya suddenly took out his phone and stood up after checking it.
"They're early… My parents seem to be here already, so I have to go."
"Oh, okay. See you later."
"Yeah, good luck… I don't know why I said that."
Touya promptly exited the student council room, smiling at his girlfriend's odd words
of encouragement. It wasn't long before Maria stood up and began collecting everyone's
empty cups and saucers.
"It's almost my turn, so I should start cleaning up. ♪"
"Oh, let me help you."
Now's my chance! thought Masachika, immediately standing and grabbing Ayano's and
Alisa's cups. Telling Yuki and Ayano to stay down with his eyes, Masachika stacked the
cups and plates before turning to Maria. As she held a tray in her hands, her eyes wandered
for a few moments before she smiled cheerfully.
"Really? That would be a huge help."
"Great. I'm right behind you."
After placing the plates and cups on the tray, he took the tray and left the student council
room with Maria. While there was an electric kettle, small fridge, and other similar
conveniences in the student council room, there was unfortunately no sink, so they had to
borrow another clubroom's sink whenever they wanted to wash dishes—which was a small
pain in the butt at times. They usually borrowed a sink in the home economics room, but they
used the science room from time to time as well. Of course, they only did that if they had
no other choice, since it didn't really feel all that hygienic. Fortunately, the home economics
room wasn't being used that day, so they decided to borrow the sink there. Standing side by
side and washing the dishes, Masachika subtly glanced over at Maria, who appeared to be
acting completely normal but still seemed uncomfortable in a way.
Yeah… It looks like I was right.
But right as he breathed a soft sigh of resignation in his mind and looked away, he
accidentally bumped his hand into hers.
"…!"
Flustered, she immediately pulled back, and the plate that was in her hand clanked.
"Oh, my bad."
"N-no, it's fine. Sorry about that. Must have been…static electricity or something."
I highly doubt there's much static electricity when it's this humid and we're washing
dishes, thought Masachika jokingly, but he kept his opinions to himself and replied:
"Oh, all right."
He stealthily glanced at Maria once more after that…and noticed her ears were slightly
red, and she was forcing a smile as though she was trying to hide something.
"…Masha."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"…You already washed that cup a few seconds ago."
"Oh my. Did I?"
Does she think she's going to find a clue if she keeps staring at it like that? thought
Masachika as she stared hard at the cup in her hands. He wasn't sure if she was panicking
or merely being a ditz. Regardless, it was clear she was still upset about what had happened
the other day, so he decided it was time to talk after they finished washing the dishes and
drying their hands.
"Hey, uh… Masha?"
"Yes?"
"I just… I wanted to apologize again for what happened the other day…with the hypnosis
and all…"
"Oh, it's perfectly fine. Besides, I was the one who wanted to do it…"
Slightly panicking, she told him to lift his bowed head, but the instant he did and their
eyes met, she blushed and looked away.
"Ah. Um… I forgot to ask the other day, but…did I do anything to you while I was
hypnotized?" she asked, bashfully glancing at him. Masachika swallowed his breath, caught
off guard by how unusually nervous she was, since she always gave off a mature air of
confidence. Absolutely embarrassed, he instantly attempted to take his mind off it and think
back to what happened that day…and he was hit with an unbearable sense of shame, almost
causing him to writhe in agony, which he desperately fought to contain.
"Well, uh… You held Alya and me in your arms…then rubbed our heads."
He gritted histeeth after putting the uncomfortable memory into words, but Maria simply
blinked slowly before a faint glow of relief brightened her expression.
"…That's it?"
"Yeah, basically."
He actually had his face buried halfway in her cleavage, but that fell into the realm of
being "held in Maria's arms." He technically felt her thigh from over her skirt as well…and
after thinking about it further, Masachika realized his fingers may have traveled to even
more risqué locations, but she didn't ask what he did to her. She asked what she did to him.
Therefore, there was no reason to bring it up. He was a gentleman, after all…with the broadest
definition of the word possible, of course.
"Oh… Thank goodness."
She sighed in pure relief, seemingly oblivious to Masachika's somewhat twisted logic,
but her innocent expression elicited an uncomfortable sense of guilt.
"Uh… Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes, if that's all it was. But…"
Maria swiftly wrapped her arms around her body as though she had remembered
something.
"Hey, uh… Did you see my…?"
"U-uh…"
Masachika's eyes naturally wandered as she looked up at him with an ever so slightly
angry, accusing gaze.
If my only options are if I looked or not, then yes, I looked. I mean, I looked away when
she started undressing, but what Chisaki did was so shocking that I instinctively glanced
over…and that was when I just happened to see her…in an extremely sexy pose without her
skirt on and her shirt already unbuttoned two buttons down from the top. Her sister's shirt
was already almost completely unbuttoned, though, so that definitely left a deeper
impression, but, well…I definitely remember Masha's also snow-white skin.
He racked his brain, trying to think of how he was going to explain that, but it was
already too late when he didn't immediately deny it. Maria pouted a bit resentfully as she
looked at him.
"Pervert."
"Oh, uh… Sorry. I didn't mean to."
While somewhat surprised things like this made her angry, he still lowered his head
apologetically. In fact, surprised was an understatement. He actually thought she would say,
"Don't worry about it. I don't care at all," and shoot him a bubbly smile. That was why he
wasn't really expecting her to react like any other girl would…and yet, at the very same time,
he enjoyed a small taste of the immoral delight he got from angering the school Madonna.
"Kuuuze?"
"Huh?! Yes?"
"Are you really sorry about what you did?"
She still pouted, but there was nothing scary about her sweet baby face glaring at him.
"Yes, very much."
If anything…
Thank you for this extremely rare experience, Masha. She looks so cute. There's
something about seeing this childish side of her, when she's usually so much more mature
than the rest of us, that almost brings a tear to my eye. I'm pretty confident that if she started
pointing at me and scolding me, I would immediately drop on all fours and scream, "Yes,
ma'am! Thank you, ma'am!" at the top of my lungs.
"Kuze! You're not sorry at all, are you?!"
Puffing out her cheeks, she reached for his face in the midst of his ridiculous daydream,
pinching each cheek and pulling them to the side as if she were playing tug-of-war with
herself.
"Wha' aww you 'ooin'?"
"I'm punishing you!"
Maria glared menacingly at Masachika and frowned asshe tugged his cheeks in opposite
directions, but even that didn't really hurt. In fact, compared to Alisa's relentless slap, it was
cute in more ways than one. If anything, Masachika felt like he was being rewarded right
now. She eventually let go, as though she was content with her work, before gently wrapping
her hands around his face, guiding his eyes until he was looking into her serious gaze only
inches away.
"Kuze, you shouldn't embarrass girls like that, okay? And when someone is angry, your
apologies need to be sincere."
And yet she still didn't really seem angry. In fact, one wrong move, and any spectator
would think they were going to kiss. There wasn't a teenage boy on the planet who would
be able to remain calm this close to a beautiful older woman. Whether Masachika realized
this was another story.
If I argue with her, maybe we can stay like this a little longer while she lectures me.
The thought swiftly came to mind, but he felt it might make his sweet older schoolmate
actually angry, so he decided to obediently nod back in agreement instead.
"…All right."
"Good."
Maria let go of his face after he nodded and lightly rubbed his head as if to praise him
for being a good boy, then she faced the sink once more. But when she reached out to grab
the rag to dry one of the washed plates, her pocket vibrated and made a faint buzzing sound.
"Oh… It looks like my mother has arrived."
"Oh, great. Don't worry about the dishes. I'll take care of it."
"Mmm… I'm really sorry. Are you sure?"
"Positive. Now, go see your mother."
After Maria somewhat regretfully left the room, Masachika quickly finished drying the
dishes, restacked them on the tray, and returned to the student council room. The remaining
five members chatted for another thirty minutes until Chisaki had to meet her mother at the
school gate as well. Alisa's parent-teacher meeting would begin when Maria's finished, so
she got out of her chair soon after Chisaki left.
"See you all later."
"Have fun."
"See you."
"Enjoy."
The door closed. Only three students remained, and a few seconds of silence filled the
air. Yuki's usual archaic smile vanished, and she swiftly looked in Masachika's direction.
"It's finally just the two of us," she stated in an absurdly low, cool voice.
"Well, I guess I should go wait for Grandpa by the gate."
"Hey, wait! Don't ignore me!"
"Says the girl who's pretending Ayano isn't even here!"
Yuki threw herself over the table and roughly grabbed his arm—behavior unbefitting
someone believed to be a proper young lady at school. Masachika looked down at his sister
as if he were staring at garbage.
"What are you looking at me like that for?! It's been so long since we could just be
siblings together like this because things have been so hectic lately!"
"Oh… Now that you mention it, you're right."
His eyes wandered before he came to the realization that they hadn't been spending time
together as brother and sister lately. He also realized it had been over ten days since they last
hung out, which was rare for them.
"I'm sure you were fine, though, since you were having sooo much fun with Alya."
"What? No…"
After Masachika awkwardly averted his gaze to avoid the disdain in her eyes, Yuki rolled
onto her side over the table, then placed her hands under her eyes and began pretending to
cry in the most obvious way.
"Sniffle. Sniffle. I'm so lonely."
"Uh-huh. All right, all right. Let's get you off this table first, okay?"
Yuki smoothly slid off the table, her long black hair slowly crawling after her before
vanishing off the corner. She then flicked it back like wings, throwing her disheveled hair
neatly behind her and taking a seat in her chair, smugly reclining with her chin up.
"You may spoil me now."
"What happened to the whole 'I'm so lonely'–crying bit?"
He rolled his eyes at his sister's rapid mood swings, and Yuki overdramatically raised
her eyebrows as if she wasn't bothered in the least.
"What's wrong? Hurry up."
She was acting like a mean boss who asked far too much of her subordinates, but
Masachika still decided to play along, albeit reluctantly. He felt like a crooked banker being
forced to apologize in public, placing his hands on the table and pressing his lips together.
"Here…?" he asked, his voice trembling in bewilderment and humiliation.
"Yes, here. I told you to spoil me right now, Masachika."
"But look where we are! It's…!"
"It's what? Can you do it or not?"
"…!"
He deeply lowered his head, hands trembling, and painfully grunted:
"I—I can do it!"
After slowly sitting back down, he swiftly lifted his head and placed a hand on the back
of the chair next to his.
"Come here."
That was all he said in the coolest voice he could manage while doing everything possible
to look like a badass.
"Pfft!"
"That's it—I'm done."
Masachika promptly got up out of his chair.
"Awww. ♪ I was kidding. You're the coolest brother in the whole world. ♪" gushed Yuki
in a conveniently sweet voice as she ran over to his side. She was finally able to sit next to
him and be his sister for the first time in what felt like forever. Though he smirked wryly, he
indulged his sibling. Ayano, meanwhile, turned into air. Masachika continued on his quest
to make his sister feel better for the next fifteen minutes until his phone vibrated, telling him
that his grandfather had arrived.
"Oh! Looks like Grandpa's here."
"Oh, great. Have fun."
"Yeah, see you later… Where did Ayano go, by the way?"
He took a sweeping look around the room in search of his childhood friend, but she was
nowhere to be found.
"Huh? Maybe she read the room and decided to stand guard outside?"
"Seriously? You— No, I don't have the right to complain. I didn't notice, either, after
all."
Shaking his head, he gently opened the door to the student council room, revealing
Ayano, who actually kind of looked like she was standing guard just like Yuki had said. In
fact, it probably was safe to assume she was standing guard to protect her master's honor.
"Oh, hey… Uh… Sorry."
"…? For what?"
The guilt Masachika felt for completely forgetting Ayano's existence afterscolding Yuki
for the same thing was unbearable, but Ayano genuinely didn't seem to realize how he felt,
let alone why he felt that way, so she curiously tilted her head with a blank expression.
Nevertheless, he patted her on the head a few times in appreciation and for forgiveness,
causing her to close an eye as if ticklish.
"All right, I'll see you two later."
"Later."
"We await your return."
After saying good-bye to them with an indescribable feeling in his heart, Masachika
grabbed his bag and headed toward the front gate to meet up with his grandfather. Cutting
through the school building, he made his way to the shoe lockers at the entrance, where he
changed shoes before taking a step outside…and…immediately felt the uncontrollable urge
to make a U-turn. But it was already too late.
"Oh, Masachika! There you are!"
"Grandpa…"
Standing at the gate was a jolly old man with a perfectly bald head. It was his paternal
grandfather, the man who'd introduced Masachika to Russian culture and Russian movies
when he was a child. Unlike with his grandfather on his mother's side—Gensei Suou—
Masachika got along with this man, Tomohisa Kuze, extremely well. This was obvious,
considering Tomohisa had come all the way there to act as his grandson's guardian on behalf
of Masachika's father, who was extremely busy with work. Straightening his posture,
Tomohisa lifted his white fedora slightly, smiling mirthfully at the sight of his grandson. He
was what people usually imagined when they thought of a nice old man… The only problem
was his clothing.
"Why are you wearing a white suit?"
"Hmm? I look dapper, don't I?"
"The only people who wear white suits are massive narcissists or foreign mafiosi!"
shouted Masachika, laden with prejudices.
"Hmm… Oh, right… I know what I'm missing."
Sensing something was off, he readjusted his hat, then reached into his inner pocket
before pulling out a pair of sunglasses and putting them on.
"Now I look good."
"You look even more like you're in organized crime now! Like a retired don! All you
need is a massive trench coat or whatever those scarf things are they have around their necks,
and people would honestly be scared of you!"
"An ascot? I have one of those right here."
"Why do you have a scarf with you?!"
Tomohisa pulled a folded white piece of cloth out of his other inner pocket, but
Masachika immediately stopped him and brought him inside before he did anything else that
would make him stand out.
"Sigh… Couldn't you have worn something less embarrassing?"
"I thought I looked cool…"
"Let me guess. You saw a movie, and there was a guy in a white suit in it. I'm surprised
you even had a white suit."
"I was saving the little pension I had left for a day like today and bought it not long ago."
"I hope Grandma beats you," joked Masachika in a muffled voice of anger and
embarrassment as he briskly trotted toward the school building. In all honesty, he didn't want
anyone seeing him with this old man. After changing back into his school slippers at the
shoe lockers, he helped his grandfather into some guest slippers, then began walking straight
toward their destination.
"Hey, Masachika. We still have time before the meeting. Let's take a walk around
campus while I'm here."
"Absolutely not."
"Why? Are you really that embarrassed to be seen with your grandfather?"
"Yes."
"Hmph… Fine. Then I'll just go for a walk without you."
"I'd rather not have to talk to the police today after they get a suspicious-person call and
show up on campus."
Masachika somehow managed to calm his grandfather, who had way too much energy
for a seventy-one-year-old man, and got him into one of the chairs set up in the hallway
outside the classroom for waiting. A few minutes went by before hisfather eventually became
the topic of conversation.
"Hmm… So Kyoutarou's been busy, huh?"
"Well, he's apparently working at the embassy in the UK this year…so I guess he'd be
really busy."
Masachika's father, Kyoutarou, being a diplomat, had been working at the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs up until last year, but he began working at a diplomatic establishment abroad
starting this fiscal year. His father, who was usually never home to begin with, was now
coming home even less since he started working abroad. The man was so swamped with
work he even had to start asking his own father to show up to hisson'sstudent-parent-teacher
meetings like this.
"I see… But he could have at least been here for the parent-teacher conference."
Tomohisa frowned slightly.
"Eh, I can't blame him for not being here. I mean, it'd take him at least half a day to
even get here."
"You've always been a good kid."
"Quit it."
Masachika brushed his grandfather's hand off his head bashfully, a heartwarming scene
between a loving grandfather and his grandchild that you'd see in any neighborhood…but
the entire mood changed the instant the door to the classroom rattled open.
"Thank you for your time today."
"Thank you very much."
Alisa and a woman who appeared to be her mother stepped out of the classroom, and
the second Tomohisa saw them—saw Alisa—his eyes widened.
Oh, hell no! Things have been so hectic since he got here that I forgot to warn him!
Masachika regretted not mentioning it to his grandfather beforehand, but regret wasn't
going to fix anything now.
"Oh, Kuze. H—"
"An eastern European miracle!"
Tomohisa jumped out of his chair with his arms spread wide as if he was praising God.
"Grandpa, stop!"
Masachika desperately latched on to his grandfather and tried to pull him back down as
he attempted to explain things to his startled, retreating classmate.
"Alya, I'm so sorry. This is my grandfather, and he's kind of obsessed with Russia…"
"…?! Oh…"
"May I ask your name, young lady?"
The look on his face and the words he used made it almost clear he was trying to pick
her up.
"I said stop! Please!"
He grabbed his grandfather and dropped to his knees, begging the old man to stop before
he got any closer to Alisa.
"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. You can just ignore him, okay?"
"Oh, your grandfather seems very…cheerful."
Her thoughtful words unfortunately felt like being stabbed in the heart to Masachika. He
grabbed his grandfather's collar with his left hand while waving Alisa along with his right
in an attempt to get them to leave before his grandfather embarrassed them any further, but
the woman who appeared to be Alisa's mother took a step forward and asked:
"I don't mean to bother you, but…are you Masachika Kuze?"
"Huh? Oh, yes. That's me. You're Alisa's mother, correct?"
He instantly let go of Tomohisa and politely greeted her. Good manners had been beaten
into his head ever since he was a child, after all. The woman placed a hand over her lips as
if she was impressed by his entirely composed demeanor, despite the fact that he had been
freaking out up until a few seconds ago. Alisa's eyes were wide in shock as well.
"Oh my. What a polite young man you are. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Akemi
Kujou, Alisa's mother. I've heard so much about you from her."
"I really hope only good things."
"Giggle. Her eyes light up with joy whenever she talks about you."
"…Really?"
While he didn't know exactly what they'd talked about, he at least knew that Alisa
enjoyed talking about him. That alone was enough for him to get a good idea of what was
going on. He carefully examined the woman in front of him once more. She had gentle,
refined features with wavy shoulder-length black hair and a body brimming with both a
maternal vibe and sex appeal. It was easy to imagine how popular she must have been back
in the day. Her face…resembled Maria's.
I guessthisis what Masha would look like if you took away her Western features. Maybe?
But I guess it's her overall energy that resembles Masha more than her face.
She had a very motherly aura overflowing with kindness and acceptance, as if she were
the Holy Mother—a Madonna—herself. If she were an actress, she'd surely be a huge hit
with the middle-aged and older demographic. But she wasn't just beautiful and kind; her
eyes also sparkled with wit.
Wait. Is she trying to see what kind of person I am? I should probably be careful with
what I say, then…
Masachika came to that conclusion after observing her with a smile for only two seconds
before sharpening his gaze. Akemi's lips curled even more, albeit slightly, as though she
could tell he wastightening his guard…which made him tighten his guard even more. A tense
air reigned over the space. Akemi slowly opened her mouth to speak as Masachika braced
himself behind his smile.
"By the way, are you a good ballroom dancer?"
He froze for a few seconds at the completely unexpected question,slowly blinking before
naturally repeating:
"'Ballroom…dancer'?"
"Yes," promptly replied Akemi, causing him to be even more confused.
Ballroom dancer… What? Is that code for something? What's she trying to ask me,
dammit?! It doesn't make any sense!
Perhaps he should be honest and admit he wasn't that bad of a dancer? No, a mediocre
reply like that wouldn't be enough. He debated his options in his mind, but Alisa spoke up,
clearly aggravated, before he could give an answer.
"Mom, why are you asking him that? You're making him uncomfortable."
"Hmm?"
"Why'd you ask him if he could ballroom dance?"
"'Why'? Because he has slightly sloping shoulders," replied Akemi unexpectedly with
an innocent look on her face. There was no hidden meaning behind what she was saying, let
alone critical thinking. She really was Maria's mother.
Masachika's body almost went limp, especially since he'd had his guard so tight, but his
relief was short-lived. Tomohisa smoothly slid over to Alisa's side and wrapped his hands
around hers in an alarmingly natural manner.
"Will you be my granddaughter, my fair lady?"
"H-huh?"
"Hey?!" Completely forgetting his good manners, Masachika shouted at his grandfather,
who looked like he was about to propose.
"What do you say? Are you interested in being the wife of my grandson, Masa—"
"Shut up already!"
Masachika covered his grandfather's mouth from behind and forced him to shut up while
peeling him off Alisa.
"So, uh… We've got a meeting to get to, so I'll see you later!"
"Oh. Yes."
"See you again soon, I hope."
Cutting the conversation short, Masachika said good-bye to Alisa and her mother. Only
once they finished bowing and started to walk away did he let go of his grandfather.
"So, Masachika, are you gonna marry her or what?"
"Shut up."
"So, Alya, are you going to marry this Masachika Kuze boy?"
"Be quiet."
Around the same time he resentfully glared at his obstinate grandfather, he heard Alisa
and her mother having a similar conversation in the distance. Lookslike we both have itrough,
he thought, deeply empathetic. But it was now time to collect himself and face the classroom
before them…where his homeroom teacher was sitting with a tense, awkward smile.
"He heard everything, didn't he…?" Masachika whimpered, gazing up into the heavens.
"Thank you for your time…"
"Much appreciated."
After finishing the student-parent-teacher meeting, Masachika and Tomohisa exited the
classroom, and perhaps since they wrapped up somewhat earlier than planned, there was no
one waiting outside yet.
"So about that—Alisa, was it? About her…," he asked as they made their way to the
staircase.
"Can you stop already?"
Masachika was relieved that the meeting was over, even if it meant he had to deal with
his grandfather still pressing him for answers… And that ended up being a mistake. There
was still one thing he should have been careful about, but it had completely slipped his mind,
perhaps due to his grandfather wearing him down the whole time. It happened right when
they stepped into the hallway that led to the entrance: a fateful encounter.
"…!"
The instant Masachika saw her, he could feel the blood leave his head, and when she
saw him, her eyes widened before she swiftly averted her gaze.
"Oh! If it isn't Yumi. Long time no see."
"It has been a while…Grandpa."
Maybe she hesitated because she didn't know if she should still call him "Grandpa,"
since she and his son were divorced. Or maybe she was concerned about their relationship,
since they weren't family anymore. Maybe it was both. Whatever the case, Tomohisa cracked
a smile, showing no concern and demonstrating only kindness toward her.
"I'm glad to see you're in good health. What about you, Yuki? How have you been?"
"I have been doing very well, Grandpa. By the way, you're dressed…very interestingly
today."
"Oh? I look dapper, don't I?"
"Giggle. Very much so."
"Right?! Masachika here has been criticizing my attire since he saw me forsome reason,"
he added, cheerfully grinning at his granddaughter's compliment before glancing at each of
them once more and asking:
"Are you and your mother getting along?"
"Yes, of course. Isn't that right, Mother?"
Yumi nodded modestly at her daughter's elegant yet innocent smile…as Masachika
watched with cold, dead eyes.
Yeah, that's a load of bull. Fake smiling and all. If they were really getting along, then
Yuki would be showing her real self right now.
And she calls herself Yuki's mother. She can't even get Yuki to be herself. And because
of her, Yuki…
"…!"
Tightly clenching his teeth, Masachika frantically pushed down the hatred that burned
in his chest, but the sight of his mother revived old memories he had sealed away long ago,
and a muddy stream of nauseating emotions began to well up from the pit of his stomach.
A chill ran through his body and down to his fingers and toes with every breath he took to
calm himself, and sweat beaded on his skin. Nevertheless, Masachika didn't take his eyes
off Yumi—as though that would mean defeat. Yumi, on the other hand, wouldn't even look
directly at him. Despite it being the first time she'd seen her son in who knew how long, she
had no words for him, nor would she look at him. She had nothing.
…Hmph. That's what I thought.
It wasthen that the fire burning hislungs and the flames brushing against hisskin passed,
and he was swallowed in perhaps despair or maybe even resignation. It didn't matter to him
either way. Nothing did anymore.
"We should get going, Grandpa. I don't want anyone seeing us here," suggested
Masachika in a voice void of all emotion. Tomohisa seemed to show a little concern about
being seen as well and lightly nodded.
"Oh, right… See you two around."
"I will see you again during summer break, Grandpa."
"…! …See you around."
Yumi opened her mouth for a brief moment as if she was going to say something, but
whatever she wanted to say perished before it could escape her lips. After slightly bowing
their heads, Yumi and Yuki left and headed toward the staircase, but Masachika promptly
changed into his shoes without watching them leave. Even Tomohisa changed out of his
slippers without saying a word.
"Oh, wow. I almost forgot how hot it was outside." Tomohisa frowned, squinting at the
blinding sunlight outside the entrance.
"You wouldn't be so hot if you weren't wearing that ridiculous suit."
Masachika rolled his eyes.
"I couldn't just wear a polo shirt, though."
"Honestly, that would have been way better than this…"
"Well, Yuki said I looked good."
"She was obviously just trying to be nice," replied Masachika with a half smirk. After
frowning at the comment, Tomohisa looked up at the sky and commented:
"Yuki looks more like her mother every time Isee her… She'sstill a little short, though."
"…Yeah," he perfunctorily replied to his grandfather, who then felt compelled to answer,
albeit with a slightly cruel smile on his face:
"What? Do you still hate your mother?"
"…"
After Masachika replied to the straightforward question with silence, Tomohisa stroked
his chin as though in deep thought.
"It really is strange. If you ask me, you and your mother are so much alike."
"Excuse me? Ha-ha!"
He scoffed at what seemed like a bad joke, but Tomohisa calmly nodded back.
"You do. While you look just like your father did on the outside when he was your age,
you are just like your mother on the inside. I feel like Yuki's the opposite. She has Yumi's
looks but Kyoutarou's personality."
"…"
"But, well, neither you nor Yuki have your parents' eyes. I wonder whose DNA you
got those from."
"Beats me."
Masachika touched his eyes, the only identical feature he and Yuki shared—a sign that
they were siblings—and shrugged. Tomohisa shrugged back at his grandson, who was still
sticking to his stubborn, brief replies, before changing the subject.
"Anyway, I stand by what I said, and it's hot out today. Want to go grab some shaved
ice?"
"Shaved ice? That's not really something you can find just anywhere."
"Really? Let me check…"
Tomohisa whipped out his smartphone and actually began searching for a place. I can't
believe how with the times he still is, thought Masachika in both admiration and shock before
lethargically replying:
"No, wait. I think I'll pass. I just wanna go home."
"What? Are you tired already? Oh, you don't look so good. Hold on…"
Masachika stepped away from his grandfather's approach and worried gaze, facing
forward.
"It's just the strong sunlight making me look pale. Anyway, I just want to go home and
take a shower. That's all."
"That's it? That's cold, boy."
"Maybe if you were wearing something at least seminormal, I would have gone with
you."
He glared at his grandfather, who was fanning his face with a folding fan that seemed
to have had magically appeared in his hand. Masachika looked like his everyday, ordinary
self…but there was also something about him reminiscent of a small child who had cried and
cried until he wore himself out and couldn't cry anymore.
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