“As you say, Miss Satsuki,” Shindo responded. He gazed into her eyes before returning her smile. Only when looking at Satsuki would his eyes, which were colder than ice, grow so soft and gentle.
The two exchanged their feelings through interlocked fingers. She simply wanted him to be with her... He merely wanted to stay by her side... The feelings they harbored for the other were undiluted and pure.
Such was the nature of the “promise” made under the wisteria trellis. Given by hearts horrifyingly innocent and woefully pure...it was a promise impossible to keep.
Rather than tumble to the ground, the wisteria petals continued to dance endlessly around the two. As if trying to hide them as they made their foolish promise, the pale purple petals flittered up one after the next, only to rain daintily back down... As they fluttered down, it almost seemed as though the petals were trying to conceal the innocent love blossoming between the two...as if they knew what the future held...as if they were wrought with pity...and wept for two foolish children.
✦ ✦ ✦
14 Years Later
“IF you had the ability to read minds, what would you do?”
The bizarre question drew bug-eyed stares from both men.
“Really, now. That childish flight of fantasy is a rather strange thing to ask, miss,” said one of the men. There’s no such thing! This brat gives me the heebie-jeebies! I swear, I can’t tell what’s going through Little Miss Daydreamer’s head.
He was a stout man with a slightly receding hairline. President of Takai & Co., he had clawed his way from the bottom all the way up. He may have been passionate about work, but he was also extremely passionate about women. Case in point, his head had been filled with nothing but nudes of the beautiful girl before him who asked that random question.
“You shouldn’t put her down, Father. Satsuki only said it as a joke. Isn’t that right, Satsuki?” said the other man. I wish I had that power. Then I could see how the hell the gears in her head turn and play her like a fiddle till that haughty expression on her pretty face crumbles into a sobbing mess.
This man was wearing a suit somewhat inappropriate for new money. Approaching his thirtieth year, he would follow in his father’s footsteps and take over Takai & Co. He wasn’t particularly gifted and most women wouldn’t find him terribly attractive. Yet thanks to the power of money, he never suffered for want of a woman’s company.
However, not even he could lay his mitts on this girl, who was several rungs higher than him on the social ladder. As if to vent his frustration, his mind had been racing with nothing but wild fantasies of forcing himself on the girl who sat gracefully before them carrying a teacup to her charming lips in a fluid motion.
He imagined disheveling the girl’s beautiful black hair that flowed like silk, tearing the pale emerald green dress right off of her, and raping her as she begged for mercy... He was completely oblivious that her mind “read” all of it without fail...
“If someone had that power, you could hardly call them human anymore,” Satsuki remarked. She held the men helplessly spellbound as she offered such a bewitching smile, it was hard to believe it came from a girl on the verge of turning eighteen. “They would be a monster.”
Yes, that’s right. And monsters like that don’t exist, Little Miss.
If those monsters of yours are real, I’d sure love to see one!
“......” As if to shield herself from these leering fools who assumed she was utterly oblivious, Satsuki softly shut the door to her heart.
✦ ✦ ✦
FROM an early age, people sung praises that the young lady was “delicate as a flower; beautiful as an angel.” Boasting tremendous talent, she also became renowned as the “Tsujikawa Sacred Blade.”
This young lady was Satsuki Tsujikawa, the only daughter to the president of the Tsujikawa Corporation. In contrast to her raven-black hair that reached to her waist, her perfect skin was porcelain white. She had intelligent, fragile eyes and adorable pink lips that never ceased to smile.
Although she was charming from her early years, Satsuki’s beauty only seemed to increase with age... It was hardly surprising for men to entertain obscene fantasies when their eyes fell upon her.
There was one more reason behind her title. Satsuki possessed “inhuman powers.” Some might call them “supernatural powers.”
From the time she was formed as a baby in her mother’s womb, Satsuki spoke to her parents. Even as a newborn infant lacking the gift of speech, she continued to communicate telepathically.
Neither of Satsuki’s parents possessed a supernatural power of any kind. In essence, she was the product of a spontaneous mutation.
Despite her unique abilities, neither of her parents treated her with hatred or loathing. They raised her with the same loving care they would have if she were normal. There was always the possibility Satsuki could lose these abilities someday. Or so they hoped. But instead of fading away, Satsuki’s powers seemed to be growing stronger with each passing year.
✦ ✦ ✦
“SOON... He should be back any minute now,” Satsuki said. Surrounded by the gentle flowers, she lightly shut her eyes as a happy smile spread across her lips. “Hurry home...”
She was eagerly awaiting the man who served as her retainer.
“...Shindo...”
Aside from her parents, he was the only soul who knew of her powers.