“So, in other words, soothing Mother’s emotions is the higher priority, so the gift itself doesn’t matter at all?”
“To sum it up, yes.”
There were parts of the explanation that Miyo wasn’t fully convinced by, but Tadakiyo and Fuyu’s relationship was, in some respects, a departure from the norm, and she was hearing this from their own son. Perhaps this was how it was.
Convincing herself with these thoughts, Miyo parted from Kiyoka to get changed in their room.
Later on, Fuyu failed to show up to dinner.
Tadakiyo arrived and said they didn’t need to wait for her, so Miyo, Kiyoka, Hazuki, and Tadakiyo all sat down to eat.
Tonight’s meal was another multifarious offering of first-rate Western cuisine.
Beginning with an appetizer that used a colorful variety of seasonal vegetables, there was a thick, rich soup with a name Miyo had never heard before, along with fish-based and meat-based dishes. All of it was soft enough to melt in her mouth, with a complex seasoning of several flavors mingling together, and as such, despite the fairly large amount of food, Miyo ended up licking her plate clean.
While the quality of the dishes was to be expected, what really impressed Miyo were the flavors; she couldn’t imagine how the chef had arrived at them.
Kiyoka and Hazuki both happened to drink wine with dinner, while Miyo and Tadakiyo had water.
Hazuki enlivened the dinner as she grew tipsy, and Tadakiyo joined in with her. Kiyoka contributed no more than perfunctory acknowledgements to the conversation when they tried to draw him in, while Miyo only answered when something was asked of her.
The usual dinner scene continued on.
Finally, once they had finished dessert, they left the dinner table behind.
Miyo drummed up her resolve and called out to Tadakiyo as he went to leave the dining room.
“Um, Father.”
“What is it, Miyo?”
Miyo was met with Tadakiyo’s gentle smile, his outward appearance quite at odds with his actual age. He was a good father-in-law to her, always showing her the utmost kindness.
“Um, well… What about Mother’s dinner?”
“Oh, you’re worried about her? Thank you. I was planning on bringing it to her now.”
“You’re going to do that yourself?”
Miyo’s eyes widened in shock.
While he had passed on the mantle, he was still the previous patriarch of the Kudou family. It was unbelievable to think such a person would bring a meal to his wife himself.
That would have been unthinkable in a regular household. No matter how devoted a husband may have been, it had to be relatively rare for them to go that far.
I guess Father does truly and deeply love Mother after all.
Though it may have been rude, she couldn’t help being impressed. She also grew a bit envious of Fuyu, having someone care for her so deeply, and it warmed her heart.
However, it appeared that Miyo was the only one comforted by this, as a blank, disagreeable look came over Kiyoka as he listened beside her.
“Hee-hee, I didn’t disgust you, did I? Fuyu and I are always like this, really.”
“No, no, I’m certainly not disgusted. I…admire you two.”
To stop herself from grinning, Miyo covered both her cheeks with her hands as she talked.
At this, Kiyoka broke his silence for the first time.
“Admire them…? You admire this?”
“I do. I think it’s wonderful how they always show such love for each other.”
Miyo wasn’t sure what the issue was. She cocked her head slightly in confusion, but Kiyoka maintained his scowl and didn’t reply.
“Miyo, would you like to go to Fuyu’s room with me? Having you along might help her get back to her usual self. You too, Kiyoka, of course.”
“Yes, I absolute—”
“That’s not a good idea.”
Kiyoka had interrupted Miyo as she replied. However, Tadakiyo casually waved off his son with a smile.
“What’s the problem? Kiyoka, you’re our son, so you could at least try to cheer your mother up a little. Now that we’re on the same page, let’s get going, shall we?”
Miyo dwelled on Kiyoka’s reaction as she followed after Tadakiyo, quickly speeding off. Ultimately, Kiyoka appeared to have resigned himself, and he followed behind them after heaving an enormous sigh.
The group carried the meal, going up the stairs and arriving at Fuyu’s room on the second floor. Tadakiyo, going ahead of Miyo and Kiyoka, knocked twice on the door.
“Fuyu, I’m coming in.”
He seemed accustomed to this, opening the door before Fuyu could answer and entering without hesitation. This took Miyo slightly aback. She announced her presence and hesitantly followed after him.
Miyo had seen Fuyu’s room at the villa, and her room in the estate was similar, as everything—from the ceiling to the wallpaper, the rugs laid out on the floor, to the curtains and all the other furnishings—conformed to her tastes, straddling the line between flamboyant and refined.
Fuyu herself wasn’t doing anything, simply sitting in a chair and staring out into the pitch-black night.
“Fuyu, honey. I brought you dinner. Won’t you at least have a little to eat?”
“Thank you… However, I don’t think I could stomach a bite right now. Especially in front of a stranger.”
The “stranger” she had spoken of was clearly Miyo. Still, Miyo was used to Fuyu’s nastiness at this point, so she didn’t get bent out of shape over every little comment.
Mother’s voice lacks its usual spirit… She must be very depressed.
Miyo grew concerned upon hearing Fuyu’s tone, which lacked its usual vigor and pride.
From there, Tadakiyo said everything he could to appease Fuyu, until she finally decided to eat.
Although Miyo and Kiyoka watched on as it happened, they couldn’t help being bored without anything to do.
Miyo had wanted to help cheer Fuyu up, but once she was actually in front of the woman, she keenly understood that there wasn’t anything she could do.
“Kiyoka?”
She happened to look at Kiyoka, who was staring hard at something on top of a chest of drawers.
A collection of white ceramic fragments atop a white handkerchief.
This must have been the remains of the doll in question. The base and larger fragments were still vaguely doll-shaped.
“It must have been quite beautiful before it was broken…”