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ONCE we had our fill of biscotti, we leisurely enjoyed a fruit tea session and basked in our satisfaction after the party was over. That is, until Techi and Kon went out into the garden to fetch their staffs so that they could burn some calories through training. Seeing that, Rei stood up and made his way to the kitchen, but not before he turned around and secretively beckoned me over with his hand.
I slowly stood up from my seat and joined him in the kitchen. There, Rei watched over the garden carefully and whispered to me in a hushed voice, “Hey, there’s something I figured I should only let you know… It’s about our uncle.”
Rei and Techi’s uncle… I searched through my memories about him. Ah, if I remember correctly, was that the man who was pestering Techi to get married as soon as possible? He doesn’t have a proper job at the moment, is single…and badmouthed Techi, didn’t he? Oh, that reminds me, I don’t think he attended our wedding either?
I pressed my lips together into a thin line. “Our uncle? Correct me if I’m mistaken, but I have a feeling I didn’t see him at our wedding.”
Rei nodded with an awkward smile and said, “Yep. We’ve got an uncle who didn’t come to your wedding, didn’t send you any congratulatory gifts, and only wants to tell you everything that’s wrong with you and how you should live your life. Thing is, that guy’s been voicing his objections about your wedding with Tokatechi recently. Yeah, I know, I don’t get why he’s complaining this late either.
“He goes on about all kinds of nonsense that your children won’t be pureblooded beastfolk or something… A whole lot of rubbish, basically. I mean, beastfolk and humans have lived within the same island country for thousands of years. It’s obvious to everyone and their dogs that we’ve definitely got some genetic mingling going on here. But that’s what he keeps insisting. Knowing him though, he’s just got so much spare time on his hands that he wants to find fault with someone, anyone, and is using that as an excuse to justify his whining.”
Rei didn’t look like he was happy with this relative, because he wasn’t finished yet. In fact, he even dropped a bomb on me. “He hasn’t even settled down with a life partner of his own, but he keeps poking his nose into Tokatechi’s marriage… I guess he’s just being petty because he couldn’t use her marriage for his own convenience since you two foiled his plans, and he feels he’s lost face. If everything had gone as he’d planned, he would have gotten some money from that elite he was trying to set her up with as a bonus, but even that’s gone… And it sounds like he wasn’t a happy camper.”
I was both shocked and appalled by what I’d just heard. I could only flash him a wry smile as I replied, “That’s, well… Hmm… I honestly don’t know what to say, but he sounds like a rather difficult person.”
There was a look of surprise on Rei’s face. “Uh, that’s what you say, but you seem kinda calm. Or like it doesn’t bother you that much. Wait, did you already know about this?”
I shook my head. “No. Though I did hear that we have an eccentric uncle from Techi, the rest of the information is news to me. But well… I figured I didn’t have to mind it too much since it’s not anything too significant.”
He gave me a scrutinizing look. “It’s not anything too significant, hm? I gotta say you’ve secretly got nerves of steel. I’ve heard about your childhood, the events that led up to you deciding to inherit this house, and how you readily decided on marrying Tokatechi, who’s a beastwoman… Feels like nothing can faze you.”
“I mean…” I scratched my head awkwardly. “It’s not like my life’s been turned upside down. I wouldn’t say I’m used to things of this scale, but I can deal with it. Back in my previous workplace, I had to associate with people who were more… Unhinged? Quirky? Let’s just call them fun fellows.”
Rei’s eyes widened. “It was that crazy? Are all big corps on the other side of the border like that? It’s to the point that you can develop mental fortitude like yours at such a young age?”
I gave it some thought. “Good question… Let’s see… I guess you’d have conversations where units of over a hundred million yen were tossed around frequently. Or be assigned to work where if you make an unfortunate mistake, tens of millions of yen would evaporate in seconds. And deal with people blinded by greed, watching like a hawk to get their hands on that kind of money. Even if you don’t gain anything else from it, I suppose it’s good training for your mental strength, yeah.”
He shook his head. “Today I learned that my brother-in-law is way more frightening than I ever expected…” Then, he shrugged before reassuring me. “I know that I phrased things in a way that’s kinda worrying, but trust me, it’s not a problem at all. The problem, in fact, will solve itself even if you guys don’t lift a finger. Above all, our parents are hopping mad about this, and their fury is propelling them to take all kinds of action, which should settle the issue before the word spreads to you guys… But I figured I’d let you know ahead of time just in case so that you can brace yourself.”
“I see…” I said slowly. “Now I feel bad. It sounds like I caused a lot of trouble for Mom and Dad.”
Crossing his arms, Rei interrupted me. “Stop right there, young man. It’s obviously the opposite! We’re the ones causing you unnecessary trouble. In the eyes of our parents, they’re livid that he wants to ruin the happiness Tokatechi finally found. On top of that, he’s practically trampling on the wishes of everyone who attended your wedding and gave you their heartfelt congratulations. I can’t even describe how outraged they are.
“It should be fine to trust them with this…” He hesitated. “Well, I think so, at least. All our relatives that attended the ceremony are on their side as well. In fact…” He lowered his voice even more. “Some even started entertaining the thought of building a room for confining criminals or lunatics in a house somewhere and throwing him inside. You know, the type they used in the Edo period for imprisoning people for personal reasons. I already knew that making an enemy of people with old-fashioned thinking is a terrible idea, and through this experience, I’ve reaffirmed that they’re terrifying as enemies…”
That caught my attention. “Um… Are you sure we don’t have to interfere with that? If our relatives get arrested by the police under charges of criminal confinement, wouldn’t our uncle get all self-important about it and use it to his advantage?”
“Hm?” Rei swatted his hand casually. “Ahh, don’t worry, it’s totally fine. Privileges of an autonomous region and all. We can take some liberties with our interpretation of the law, and our judges can choose to be more flexible with our case, so it will work out somehow even if something like that does happen. Well, if we go as far as murder though, that’s when you need to start getting worried.”
I hesitated. “Just wondering… This is just a big if, but wouldn’t that mean that if you or I messed up majorly somehow, the same thing will happen to us?”
He shrugged. “Pretty much. But that’s how things work in the world. If you do bad things because your greed gets the better of you and you cause trouble for other people, you have to be prepared to pay an equally steep price. In the case of a mistake that isn’t malicious or something you did because of someone else’s deception, beastfolk wouldn’t go this far. Most people would even take pity or show compassion. But in the case of that uncle of ours, he’s acting out of pure spite and malice alone, sooo…”
Clearing his throat, he continued, “So yeah, that’s the gist of it. Stay on your toes just in case. Oh, and make sure Tokatechi doesn’t learn of this. Knowing her temper, the moment she learns about it, she might grab her staff and charge right into Uncle’s house.”
Color drained from Rei’s face, and he shuddered. He peered at the garden gingerly, as if there was a dreadful monster lurking there.
I reassured him. “I’m sure that’s not going to happen. When she picked up the call last time, Techi replied coolly and relatively politely. She’s a determined person with a strong will, yes, but she isn’t that kind of reckless. Even if she does have such plans, I’m sure that she’ll discuss it with the two of us or our parents first.”
Rei’s gaze moved from the garden to me. His mouth was gaping with astonishment. After a moment’s delay, a meaningful grin quirked up the corners of his lips as he let out hearty laughter. “Huuuh! I see, I see! It sounds like you already know Tokatechi better than I do! Gosh, you lovebirds are making me blush!” He gave me a couple of friendly smacks on my shoulder before muttering, “Sheesh, I need a cup of coffee right now, or I’ll get diabetes.”
And then he walked off, boiling some water in a kettle to make some coffee for himself.