She didn’t know what to do with the contradictory ball of emotions inside her.
“Now that this stuff’s all out there, I’ve got nothing left to say. I’m not looking for you two to do anything specific from here. That said, I’d thank you kindly to keep this to yourselves as much as you can.”
Looking completely haggard, Komon flashed a self-deprecating smile.
“I don’t reckon our sins should be covered up. That said, we’ve got a whole host of idiots in this family who get puffed up and conceited about their lineage, and there’s a chance they’ll boil over if you start saying stuff to provoke them.”
“…Of course,” Kiyoka answered.
Miyo nodded along with the sentiment.
She agreed that the Miyakoujis had committed heinous, unforgivable crimes. Nevertheless, it wasn’t a matter for a complete outsider like her or Kiyoka to meddle in.
The Miyakoujis were the ones who needed to confront how to address their sins.
As such, there was still something else Miyo was concerned about.
“Um, may I ask you something?”
“Of course. Go right ahead.”
“Um, while those men were trying to carry me off, they said, ‘Mr. Wood was right.’ Would you happen to know who that is…?”
“‘Mr. Wood’…?”
Komon furrowed his brow and tilted his head, puzzled. Kiyoka was the one to react instead.
“They said ‘Mr. Wood’?”
“Yes. That’s the name I heard.”
“They couldn’t have meant Eugene Wood, could they?”
When she heard the name “Eugene,” the image of that grinning foreigner rose in the back of Miyo’s mind.
Kiyoka crossed his arms with a stern look.
“That’s the name of the man Godou told me about. The blond-haired, blue-eyed man he met abroad goes by Eugene Wood. Is this just a coincidence…?” said Kiyoka.
“Now that you mention it, I heard some of the Miyakoujis have gotten buddy-buddy with a young foreigner. Was he the one they were talking about…?” asked Komon.
The young man named Eugene, the one who had brought up the word “shaman,” was a dead ringer for an acquaintance of Godou’s. There was also a man named “Wood” residing in the old capital at present, most likely a foreigner.
Even if they assumed the name “Eugene” or the family name “Wood” were commonplace abroad, it couldn’t have been coincidence that the facts were lining up like this.
“That’s an oversight on my part for not knowing the details of the situation… I’ll begin looking into this foreigner on my end, though I know that’s a poor excuse for an apology.”
Komon’s apologetic proposal prompted Kiyoka to rub his forehead.
“I’ll leave that to you. On our end…I think it would be best to summon Godou after all. We won’t get anywhere without hearing from him directly.”
“But…”
Miyo instinctively protested.
No matter how desperate they were for clues, Miyo felt ashamed to force Godou to abandon the Earth Spider case and come out here after Kiyoka had entrusted him with the Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit.
It was all the more embarrassing given Miyo herself was the impetus for Kiyoka’s decision.
If anything happened in the imperial capital while both Kiyoka and Godou were gone, it would be a disaster.
“I know. But if everything’s going to be left up in the air, then it would be better to wrap this up fast and focus everything on the Earth Spider. We can just hear what he has to say and immediately send Godou on the next train back.”
Kiyoka had delivered those heartless words with a straight face. Miyo pitied Godou terribly when she imagined him spending half a day on a train to come to the old capital, only to simply to be asked some questions and immediately sent back. She could hear Godou’s exaggerated laments clear as day.
“Regardless, I can no longer leave you, Miyo, in the manor while I’m out conducting my investigation elsewhere.”
“That’s a given… We lost any trust you may’ve had.”
Kiyoka’s trust in the Miyakoujis had evaporated. Though it hadn’t been for long, Miyo had developed a close friendship with the Miyakouji women, and she regretted that bad blood had cropped up between the two families.
Eugene… He didn’t seem like a bad person.
Despite his incessant flirting, compared to the Miyakouji men from earlier, he had been mild-mannered, his eyes free of the same wickedness.
Of course, it was possible he had masterfully disguised ill-intentions. However, if he was planning on going that far, then it wouldn’t have made sense for him to give them his name.
If this “Mr. Wood” and Eugene were, in fact, the same person…
For what reason had he approached Miyo, and why had he gotten to know the Miyakouji men and riled them up?
There was no longer any doubt he was planning something.
Still, the chronology of events meant Eugene had been in contact with the Miyakoujis since before he had met Miyo.
“Going forward, I’m going to entrust Miyo to the care of the Second Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit when necessary.”
“Sounds good.”
“We’re going.”
Kiyoka stood up, and Miyo did the same.
When they opened up the sliding screen, Miyo’s eyes shot to the Miyakouji women who were standing a slight distance away from them, looking tensely in her direction.
Miyako was at the head of the group.
Miyo looked silently up at Kiyoka. He didn’t say a word, either, but with an exasperated look on his face, he used his eyes to tell Miyo to do whatever she wanted.
Now that she had gotten his permission, Miyo quickly trotted over to the other women.
“Miyako,” she said.
“Miyo, I got the full story… I am so sorry about the repugnant men in our family.”
“It’s okay…”
The other women laid bare their own guilt and indignation as well, making comments such as, “I’m so sorry, dear,” “I cannot believe them,” and “We’re never letting those vulgar boars live this down.”
“Are you all right? They didn’t hurt you or anything, did they?” Miyako asked.
“I’m fine. Thankfully, I got through it safe and sound.”
“Sure, but you must’ve been scared stiff. Surrounded by three big men grabbing your arms—how horrible.”
Miyako took both of Miyo’s hands. The woman’s palms were extremely warm.
Miyo had been scared. No matter what she did, a woman like her couldn’t beat a man’s arm strength. She was capable of putting them to sleep to protect herself, but she generally wanted to avoid using her Gift, and the situation may not have warranted using it in the first place.
She shrank back from fear as she recalled that moment, imagining the possibility of being pinioned and whisked away.
Even now, her hands and legs began to tremble.
“Goodness, your fingers are ice cold. Clearly, you were scared—just look how much you’re trembling. I’m so sorry this happened.”
“…I was scared.”
Miyo nearly broken down in tears from Miyako’s warmth and consideration for her safety.