Oh goodness, she’s just so cute.
That thought came to Hazuki Kudou’s mind whenever she saw her future sister-in-law, Miyo.
“Hello, Miyo.”
“G-good day, Hazuki.”
One sunny late summer’s day near the Obon Festival. With the harsh rays of the sun scorching down on the world, Hazuki had arrived in an automobile, like always, to visit the house of her younger brother Kiyoka.
Miyo was standing at the door, her overly skinny arms overflowing with many different packages.
…Gifts of some kind?
The packages included boxes that were wrapped in paper with designs of many colors, paper bags from famous shops, baskets decorated with ribbons, and so much more.
At first glance, it was clear to see they were gifts for someone, and there were even more in addition to the ones in Miyo’s hands, piled up in a mountain that dominated the entryway.
Hazuki didn’t know the circumstances at play, but it appeared that Miyo and Yurie were in the midst of diligently bringing them all inside.
“Wow, look at all those gifts. I’ll help out.”
“Thank you very much. I appreciate it…”
Miyo looked happy as she softened her slightly sweaty face.
Hazuki joined in, and with the three of them at work, they quickly moved the daunting pile of gifts into the parlor in a few trips.
However, now the parlor was overtaken by them all.
While the packages may have been exciting to look at with their array of colors and shapes, they left no room for anyone to maneuver through, and when Hazuki considered the amount of cleanup that would come with unwrapping them, they seemed a bother.
Such an incredible number of gifts. As she was carrying them, Hazuki wondered why they were there.
“There is a lot of them… These must be get-well presents for Kiyoka, right?” Hazuki asked as she cooled herself with a folding fan, letting out an exhausted sigh, to which Miyo nodded with a wince.
“Yes, that’s right. It’s been one after another these past few days.”
“It really has been nonstop.”
Yurie nodded her head next to Miyo.
“A real bother, isn’t it?”
Just a week ago, Kiyoka had fallen during a mission at the Burial Grounds, losing consciousness for several days before waking up.
Being in an unconscious state—in other words, being in a long sleep—may not have sounded like something to worry much about. However, it meant one would be unable to eat, drink, or move.
Even Kiyoka, a man with the sturdy body of a Gift-user and exceptional stamina, hadn’t been able to get through it unscathed.
While unconscious, Kiyoka had rapidly lost bodily strength and had built up a lot of fatigue, and from this, the doctor determined he would have been in grave danger had he awoken just a bit later. Naturally, he had been given strict orders to rest and recuperate.
As such, he was still bedbound, not yet fully recovered.
Well, there’s not much anybody could have done about that.
An accident while out on a mission was an unavoidable risk. No one was to blame. However…
How exactly had news of his condition gotten out there in the first place? She found it unacceptable how these people who claimed to be close with Kiyoka had started sending him get-well gifts in droves after hearing some half-true gossip about him taking time off work because of an injury.
“There are letters and cards with the presents, too. I asked Kiyoka about it and started sorting them by how important they are, but…I simply can’t keep up.”
Miyo slumped, seemingly at a terrible loss.
Who wouldn’t have been? Even someone who wasn’t as unaccustomed to social decorum as Miyo would have had an impossible time trying to sort such large number of gifts.
Honestly, I can’t believe they would put Miyo through so much trouble.
Hazuki’s irritation grew at the people ostentatiously sending all these get-well gifts. She couldn’t overlook this situation.
“I’ll help out, too. I know which families we have associations with, and I have a general idea of who my brother has connections with through work as well.”
“Ms. Hazuki…! Thank you very much. That would be such a big help.”
With teary eyes, Miyo bowed over and over her again to express her thanks, looking deeply moved by the offer. It almost seemed like she was overdoing it.
But it did make Hazuki happy to see her sister-in-law had turned to her for help.
“Well then, let’s get down to business, shall we?”
“Yes.”
Together with Miyo and Yurie, Hazuki set about unboxing the enormous pile of gifts.
As they stripped the wrapping off one present after another, they all realized something. While the outside packaging for the get-well gifts themselves were multitudinous, the contents themselves were surprisingly similar.
“Honestly, more snacks? Who would make a sick man eat all this?” Hazuki murmured in annoyance, and Miyo also stopped her hands for a moment and spoke up, bewildered.
“More fruits here, as well… No one could ever eat this much.”
“There are plenty of bouquets, too. What are we supposed to do with them?” Yurie added, and the three women heaved a collective sigh.
Cookies and chocolates. Sweet buns and sweet bean jellies.
The treats were all either rare, imported goods or products from famous shops, but there were just too many for them to be happy about. As the exact same items cropped up again and again, they got sick of it all.
There were also gifts of apples, peaches, and other fruits.
While these were welcome treats in moderation, there were far too many here for anyone to consume.
The same was true for the flowers. There was a limit to how many bouquets they could decorate the house with. The place would be a flower shop if they set them all up.
“Thank goodness some people just sent get-well letters.”
Miyo and Yurie both nodded at Hazuki’s comment.
“Oh, this one looks practical, though.”
Hazuki then noticed that the present she had opened while they were talking contained a hand towel.
It was rather fashionable, decorated with a flower and ripple pattern. More importantly, the gift wouldn’t pose any issues, as it wouldn’t spoil or take up too much space, even if they received many more of them.
Hazuki was so fed up with all the food items that the towel seemed exceptionally thoughtful in comparison.
She checked to see who it was from.
“…Ah, it’s from the Ookaitos. I’m not surprised; perhaps military men are accustomed to sending get-well wishes.”
A bitter taste spread in her mouth as she read out the name of the family.
Her ex-husband’s gift instilled Hazuki with slightly complicated feelings. While the wounds of her heart had already healed, she still couldn’t forget the unpleasant things that had happened in that house.
Even so, she almost felt proud that Ookaito had been so considerate.
Unaware of the circumstances, Miyo blinked her eyes and cocked her head.
“Mister Ookaito… He’s Mr. Kudou’s boss, isn’t he?”
“Yup, that’s him.”
“They have a very important relationship, then… Now that I think about it, a lot of his military acquaintances just sent get-well letters.”
Now that Miyo had pointed it out, Hazuki realized she was right. Hazuki was impressed that Miyo had picked up on this subtle detail while giving her own thoughts on the matter.
“They must know that sending items like this is a bother for the recipient. Most soldiers have probably been hospitalized from injuries before or have a close work colleague who experienced the same thing.”
“That makes sense…”
Hazuki and company chitchatted away, opening present after present all the while.
They separated the foodstuffs, flowers, and other gifts to ensure they knew who the senders were.
Despite the sheer volume of gifts, they gradually chipped away at the unwrapping until the end was almost in sight.
Along the way, Miyo’s hands came to an abrupt, unnatural stop.
Finding this curious, Hazuki glanced what she held in her hands, but it wasn’t anything especially unusual. Just a box covered in half-torn wrapping paper.
“What’s wrong, Miyo?”
“…”
Hazuki looked at Miyo, who was silent and stiff.
When Hazuki looked closer at the partially opened package, she saw there was a small card with a brief message attached to it.
There must have been something quite serious written on it.
While Hazuki was sure no one would send outright disparaging remarks to someone who was infirm, it was possible that one or two cards contained strong words. Or perhaps the penmanship was too idiosyncratic for Miyo to read.
Hazuki timidly peered down at the card, feeling a bit tense.
“This is from…”
The sender of the card was one Yuriko Yagi.
Yagi… The Yagis? Hmmm. Oh, they’re the ones who’ve been on a bit of an upswing since their business has taken off. So then, their daughter would be…
Hazuki searched her memories, and an image of the person gradually came to mind.
“I—I know this woman,” Miyo mumbled. “…She’s very, very pretty, isn’t she?”
“She really is.”
“I’ve heard…people have even given her a nickname. The Fragrant Lily.”
Hazuki remembered hearing the same thing.
Yuriko was one or two years younger than Miyo. Thanks to her considerably attractive features and highly social personality, there were a great many anecdotes about suitors trying to court her.
She was rather famous in high society, which explained why the stories about her had reached even Miyo’s ears.
However.
“Were our families ever more than friendly with each other?”
Nothing came to mind for Hazuki. The Yagi family weren’t Gift-users, nor were they connected to the military. There shouldn’t have been anything linking them and the Kudous. In which case, that meant…
“If it was sent under Ms. Yuriko’s name, then that would have to mean that she and Kiyoka must be personally acquainted in some—”
Now she’d done it. Hazuki quickly shut her lips. A careless slip of the tongue.
“…”
“Wh-what did the card say, then?”
Hazuki stared at the contents of the card that Miyo, who had fallen silent, held in her hand. Then she froze just as Miyo had.
Mister Kiyoka Kudou. The dance we shared together at a prior party felt like a waking dream. It is sure to be a lifelong memory of mine. When you have fully recovered, I hope you will invite me to dance again. Yuriko Yagi.
Hazuki read the card once more, dumbfounded, before putting her head in her hands. What in the world was Yuriko doing sending this?! Hazuki barely managed to hold back her urge to shout.
…Yuriko’s engaged, right?! Just what are the Yagis teaching her over there?!