Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6 If I Vanish with the Bubbles… Several days had passed since Asana had come to stay at the Tsuno house. They had been eerily peaceful days, like the calm before a storm. Little had happened, too little, and at unexpected moments, there was a vague, fleeting feeling of grief. But for Asana, those few days were precious, and they felt like a dream or an illusion. No one was taking her blood, and she could have friendly conversations with Sakuya and Uiko at breakfast and dinner. Just like most of the other students, she commuted to school by bus and on foot, and her body felt healthier than it ever had before. When she said, “I’m home,” someone answered, “Welcome home.” She wasn’t alone when she pressed her hands together before a meal. She never missed a chance to say “Good morning” or “Good night.” Over those first few days, Asana cried a lot. A simple exchange of greetings was enough to make her tear up. Hmm…somehow, I feel like my face has gotten rounder? Asana touched her cheek with one lace-covered hand. And just then, a shrill shout erupted in the classroom. “Look, it’s Professor Shigure and Kyouko!” From the classroom doorway, they could see Sakuya and Kyouko walking down the hall, side by side. Asana’s lifestyle wasn’t the only thing that had changed recently. Ever since the day Sakuya recovered from his cold and returned to work, Kyouko had stayed close to his side. Of course, that didn’t happen while they were in class. However, in the mornings and after school, as well as during breaks and free time, Kyouko never failed to approach Sakuya, and she wouldn’t leave him alone. Even during his commute to school, Kyouko came to pick Sakuya up in her family’s chauffeured private car. Ever since that day, Asana and Sakuya had been leaving the house at different times, and she made the trip to school on her own. “Sakuya. Today, I made you lunch. Here it is. I wonder, would it be all right for you to spend your lunch break with me?” Asana could hear Kyouko’s gentle voice. Her speech and manner were both refined. As always, she was a model young lady. “Ah, well, that would be fine, but…” In contrast, Sakuya answered her with some bewilderment. He was probably trying to avoid hurting Kyouko’s feelings. The way things are going, it looks like the professor isn’t going to make it to the Mermaid’s Garden for lunch today, either. Asana propped her chin up on top of her desk and sighed in disappointment. It was too bad, but there was no helping it. Even if they couldn’t spend time together in the Mermaid’s Garden, she could still treasure the time they had together at the Tsuno house after all. “Thank you very much, Sakuya. I’m delighted.” Just from the sound of her voice, she could picture Kyouko, all smiles. Asana was sure her friend also looked incredibly adorable when she was excited. She knew she was probably no match for Kyouko, even now that her complexion had improved somewhat. “Ah, Asana!” Kyouko called out to her as she returned to the classroom. She was done talking with Sakuya. Recently, every time Asana saw her flaunting she was with Sakuya, it made her feel guiltier and guiltier. “Kyouko…” “There’s a little something I want to talk to you about. Is that all right?” “Huh? Yes, sure.” There was something stiff about Kyouko’s expression. It was different from her usual cheerful attitude. “Come over here for a second.” She took Asana with her out of the classroom, and they stood in a corner of the hallway, away from the tumult of the other students. Kyouko had never done anything like that before, and it made Asana nervous. “Kyouko? What’s the matter, all of a sudden?” “Listen here, Asana.” She paused there and looked Asana directly in the eye with a cold, serious expression. “I wonder if you are aware of my feelings?” “Huh?” “My feelings toward Sakuya.” Asana gasped. It was the one topic she had wanted to avoid if possible. Her heart pounded hard, and a cold sweat ran down her back. She didn’t want to talk about that. But from Kyouko’s expression, she could tell she wouldn’t be able to deceive her. “…Kyouko, you have feelings for Professor Shigure?” With shallow breaths that were getting harder to take, Asana asked the question, and Kyouko nodded sharply. “Yes. I— I’m in love with Sakuya. So much so that I hope to become his wife in the future.” Finally, it had been confirmed, and in some way, Asana felt like it was happening to someone else. Up until that point, she had believed it might be true from the way Kyouko acted and what Sakuya had said, but there had still been a way out. But now it was out in the open. “Oh, you do?” “Yes. So listen, Asana—” Kyouko cocked her head, and her smile was frighteningly beautiful. “Can I count on you to support my love?” Asana was frozen stiff. “‘Support’…?” “Right. I don’t exactly need you to do anything in particular. If you could just listen to me talk from time to time, that would be fine. You’re my best friend, so now that I’ve shared my secret with you, I want you to cheer me on.” “Ah, um, but…” “I want it to be a secret from everyone else. I don’t want to make too big of a deal out of it. I just wanted a friend whom I could talk to about it in secret, is all. That’s okay, right? I know I can count on you.” She gave her no opening to answer and then left in a hurry. She was gone before Asana knew it. It was unlike Kyouko to have such an extremely one-sided conversation. Asana returned to the classroom on her own, in a daze. “Professor Shigure and Kyouko make a nice pair, huh?” “Yes, they really do. They seem to get along so well… They’re a model couple.” “They said they’re eating lunch together. Why don’t we go sneak a look? I’m sure it will be a feast for the eyes.” She could hear her classmates’ whispered conversation. Just recalling what Kyouko had told her made her head and heart ache. What should I do? That had probably been the right time to divulge she was engaged to Sakuya. However, the conversation had ended before she’d had the chance, and now, no matter how she tried to reveal the truth, Asana would still be a coward who associated with Sakuya in secret, knowing he was the object of her friend’s affection. No matter how it happened, once Kyouko discovered Asana was already engaged to Sakuya, their relationship would definitely change forever. “What to do?” Maybe she was hoping for too much. Maybe it was too much for Asana to hope for, trying not to lose this person or another, when she was a monster that was supposed to live her life in the shadows, destined to be alone. Afternoon classes began. For Asana’s class, that meant sewing lessons. In the sewing classroom, they all sat down at their desks to work on their assignment: making a shirt. Asana removed the glove on her right hand and set about cutting her cloth according to the pattern paper. She sliced through the practice material, a cheap white cotton, using sewing scissors, following the chalk marks she had made earlier that told her how to cut out the pieces. The students had all started working on their shirts at the same time in the spring, and although their progress varied somewhat, almost everyone had already finished drafting their paper patterns and was at the cutting stage, like Asana. Once they finished cutting things out, next would come the machines. Their matronly instructor walked around, keeping an eye on the classroom and offering guidance to the students. She was a gentle teacher and wasn’t very strict. She didn’t admonish the girls for having private conversations while they worked, so long as they didn’t make a lot of conspicuous noise. Most of the students seemed to be enjoying themselves, chatting quietly. J-just my luck. Asana grimaced slightly and stared intently at her piece of cloth. Unfortunately, Kyouko had taken a seat diagonally across from her. The students did not have assigned seats in the sewing room; they were completely free to pick their own seats. It was only natural, then, that Asana always sat in a seat close to her good friend Kyouko, as well as their other friends, and that she joined in the conversation as they all worked. However, at the moment, she didn’t want to be too close to Kyouko. “So, Kyouko, do tell, how was your lunch break with him?” One of their friends, her eyes absolutely sparkling, pitched forward as she asked. “Heh-heh. It was delightful. Sakuya has always been a considerate person, so even though he brought his own lunch, he was kind enough to eat the lunch I made.” “Wow!” The young ladies around them got excited all at once. But Asana, on the other hand, felt more and more depressed. She was perfectly aware. She knew she couldn’t possibly tell Sakuya not to eat lunch with Kyouko. She was the one who was thinking of trying to dissolve their marriage proposal, and she was Kyouko’s friend, so she felt she had no right to tell them what to do. More so because, in all likelihood, if Asana and Sakuya went their own ways, he would agree to marry Kyouko instead. But I hate the idea of Kyouko taking the professor away from me. That thought flashed through her mind, and she felt ashamed of her sad contrarianism. “So then, Kyouko, do you know what Professor Shigure’s favorite foods are?” “Yes! Well, I say that, but he ate everything and said it was all delicious. Out of today’s lunch, he especially complimented the minced myoga ginger salad. It seems he likes fragrant vegetables in particular.” As Kyouko was talking, looking slightly bashful with her hands on her faintly blushing cheeks, their friends let out enraptured sighs. Even I knew that. Sakuya liked flavorful potherbs like ginger, garlic, and myoga-type ginger, but spices weren’t really to his taste. He preferred fish over meat and liked nice, simple recipes. Also, he liked the anpan buns from the boss’s shop. She had heard from Sakuya himself that while he was abroad, he’d had trouble with the many pungent foreign dishes flavored with spices like black pepper. He seemed happy whenever there was grilled fish on the table, and his chopsticks moved more slowly when there were meatballs instead. Asana’s mind was filled with thoughts of Sakuya. It took a moment for her to come back to her senses. What exactly was she competing for? Even though she didn’t say anything out loud, it was like she was wrestling for supremacy with her own friend. Am I really such an awful girl? She knew it was wrong of her to think about such things, especially when she still hadn’t told Kyouko anything. “Well, I’m certainly jealous. What a lucky girl you are, Kyouko, to be able to marry a kind, beautiful man like Professor Shigure, who comes from a good family.” “Yes, I think so myself. But I worry that since he’s such a wonderful gentleman, many girls may fall in love with him.” When Kyouko said that, she sighed with a hopeless look on her face, and their friends made expressions of pity. “Ah, that would be a concern.” “We’re just admiring you, though. No one would think of approaching a man who has such a wonderful fiancée as you, Kyouko.” “Well, not everyone can tell the difference between daydreams and reality.” Asana didn’t want to hear any more. She stopped cutting her fabric. As she looked at Kyouko and listened to her talk, she felt steadily more ashamed of herself, and what little self-respect she had seemed to evaporate. She was ready to try to make up some suitable reason to move to an open seat somewhere else. Asana looked around the room for a spot, but— “Kyouko, I wonder if you would let us listen in, too?” “We want to hear about Professor Shigure as well.” Students sitting farther away spoke to Kyouko. Then they had a bit of a back-and-forth, and before Asana could move anywhere, Kyouko and the other girls decided to change seats. Thank goodness. As long as she didn’t go with them, she could get by without having to hear any more of their conversation. Asana sighed with relief and started to work on her assignment again. Kyouko and the other students quickly gathered up their cloth and sewing implements and stood up. Completely by accident—Kyouko’s sewing scissors fell on Asana’s hand. With a loud crash, they fell to the floor. On the way down, the blade grazed Asana’s right hand. “Oww…” Asana groaned and covered her right hand with her left. “Ah! I— I’m so sorry!” Kyouko fell to her knees in a panic, white as a sheet. However, Asana was the one who felt the blood drain from her face. She immediately covered the cut with her handkerchief as it bled. “It-it’s not much of a wound at all. I’m fine.” It was only a small cut. Luckily, it wasn’t too deep. It was nothing serious, just something that would give her a dull ache later. But that in itself was the problem. For her, such a minor wound would heal in mere seconds. It had probably already completely vanished. And if the others saw that spectacle—Asana would never be accepted at school again. As she broke out in a cold sweat, she smiled at Kyouko. She had gone completely pale and was trembling badly. “Asana…I—I—” “Truly, don’t worry about it. It will heal right away with proper treatment.” “R-really? Um, let’s go to the first aid room…” “I’ll go on my own, so you can stay where you are, Kyouko.” Kyouko looked a little relieved to hear her say that. Asana had thought that maybe she had seen her wound heal itself, but apparently, she’d been wrong about that. Thank goodness. It would be a problem if she had to stop attending school. She knew she would have to leave at some point, but she wasn’t ready for that just yet. Besides, Asana didn’t want to make Kyouko anxious, either. “Ms. Amamizu, is your hand all right?” the teacher asked. Asana nodded. “Yes, ma’am. May I go to the first aid room now?” “Yes, yes, of course.” The student in the seat next to hers gathered Asana’s things for her, so she thanked her and took them with her as she left the sewing room. There in the empty hallway, with everyone else in the classroom, Asana stealthily lifted the handkerchief away from her hand and took a look. Of course, there was not even a trace of an injury. Her morbidly pale skin was unbroken. Now what do I do? There was no way she could go right back into the sewing room, just like that, but at the same time, there was no point in going to the first aid room, since there was no wound. Asana went back to her regular classroom and put her sewing tools and her half-cut fabric away on her shelf. In place of a bandage, she took out a white scrap of cloth and tore it into strips. She wound it haphazardly around the spot where the cut had been and put her glove on over it. Maybe that will do. All she really had to do was make it look like she had a bandage beneath the lace. Asana considered waiting there until the class period was over, but she couldn’t sit still, so she left the classroom. She headed directly for the first aid room. She could approach the room, then just turn around and pretend she had gone there. As she passed in front of the other classrooms and heard the teachers’ voices, she somehow got the feeling she was doing something very bad. She wondered how she would explain herself if she happened across someone, like a teacher who didn’t have a class that period. She worried about it as she proceeded down the hallway. And then the very scenario that was worrying Asana immediately came to pass. “Is that Ms. Amamizu there?” The person who walked toward her from the other end of the hallway, waving and calling her name, was the teacher in charge of their mathematics classes. He was an older man, but he wasn’t particularly strict, so for a moment, Asana felt relieved. But she knew he wasn’t lenient enough to let her go without saying anything. Asana bowed cautiously. “Don’t you have class?” he asked. “I was in sewing class, but I cut my hand. The bleeding has stopped for now, but just to be safe, I was heading for the first aid room. But on the way, I got a bit turned around.” Asana chose her words carefully as she answered the teacher, showing off her hand with the white scraps of cloth peeking through. The math teacher nodded in understanding. “Hmm. I’m sorry to hear that. But this is actually perfect.” “What is?” “A letter was just delivered for you. Would you like to come get it now?” “A letter…?” Asana tilted her head. It wasn’t unusual for letters addressed to the students to be sent to the school. It was a method senders often used when they didn’t know where a particular student lived, for example. However, this was the first time Asana had ever received a letter sent to the school. “Um, yes, please. There’s a chance there may be some urgent business…” “Fine. Come with me, then, please.” Asana followed the math teacher to the staff room, where she retrieved her letter. She immediately opened it out in the hallway. Her hand was trembling, holding the plain brown envelope. It didn’t say who had sent it on the envelope, but the handwriting in the address was familiar. This is my brother’s handwriting. She had expected something might show up. There was no way her father and brother were going to keep turning a blind eye to Asana’s absence. The letter itself was extremely straightforward. Come back now. Don’t think that you can live apart from the Amamizu family. A haze filled her mind, and through it, she could hear the last words Ukiharu had hurled at her. “You’ll regret this!” Honestly, she didn’t regret it. However, there were some things she had learned since leaving home. Asana did not have the means to live properly apart from her family. No matter what, it would be difficult for her to live among normal people. In that unexpected moment, she realized something. Asana wasn’t even capable of assisting with kitchen work properly. If she cut her finger and even one drop of blood got into the food, she would kill everyone. She would always have to pay careful attention and be on high alert to make sure she never injured herself in front of anyone else, as she had that day. It had been right for her to be confined to her room in the Amamizu estate. But things would be different if she went out into the world. She would have to do everything for herself, and to do so, she would have to live much more carefully than others did. “I—” Things couldn’t stay as they were. It was something she had told herself countless times already. Asana did not have the right to such an easygoing life. Even though she had left the Amamizu house, that didn’t change the fact that she was a monster. Asana grasped the stationery tightly, and it crumpled in her hands. After school, Asana went to the Mermaid’s Garden, as she always did, but she couldn’t find tranquility the way she had before. Not in the perpetually blooming camellia flowers, nor in the pond filled with clear water, nor in the chirps of the songbirds, nor in the rustling sound of the grass. Before, even on gloomy, overcast days, the Garden had healed Asana’s heart. But now it made her feel profoundly empty. The way things are going, not only will I have to leave the professor’s side, but I’ll have to go back to the way I was living before. Asana feared that above all else. If one thing was plainly obvious, it was that as more time passed, it was getting harder to let go. I’m scared. Up until a short time earlier, she had simply enjoyed being in her special place. It was a profoundly beautiful place, where other girls with mermaid’s blood had suffered through life, died, and were laid to rest. However, now she had started to feel like it was a wretched place just because Sakuya was not there with her. She couldn’t help but be afraid at the thought that, without Sakuya, the Mermaid’s Garden might offer her no respite. “I have to go…” Asana stepped onto the grassy ridge surrounding the pond. She wanted peace of mind. She had a feeling that if she watched Sakuya from afar and he didn’t look her way, or if she could see him as just a teacher, as a stranger, and then come back to the Garden, maybe she could get some of the former tranquility back. Her steps felt incredibly heavy. Step by step, Asana’s feet felt like they had stone weights attached to them as they dragged her away from the Mermaid’s Garden. At that time of day, Sakuya was probably still in the staff room. Asana walked into the school looking for him. The wooden floorboards creaked as she walked down the corridor that was lit orange by the setting sun. When she got to the staff room, she quietly stood by the doorway and peered in. He’s not here… With a sharp sigh of disappointment, Asana walked off again. If not the staff room, where could he be? She wondered if they might have passed each other on the way and if Sakuya was in the Mermaid’s Garden. However, at the moment, she wanted to avoid meeting him there. If she did, things might turn out the way she feared. She hoped he was in a classroom somewhere. Asana approached the staircase, thinking she might go up to the second floor. When she did, she heard a voice that sounded like Sakuya’s coming from the landing of the stairs. Asana immediately pushed herself up against the wall and listened carefully. “Shinsuke. You can’t just come to the school. I don’t care what the circumstances are.” “The Honomi family holds a seat on the financial board of Yotsuru Girls’ Academy, so you’ve got no right to complain.” She hadn’t seen the face of the person Sakuya was talking to, but after hearing Sakuya call him Shinsuke, she knew it was his friend, the one they’d run into the other day. Apparently, Shinsuke’s family was connected to the school. “So you still have no intention of reconsidering? Even though the Amamizu family is selling deadly poison? Even though their products are being used in countless crimes?” “I told you, I already know all of that, and my thinking hasn’t changed.” Asana quietly gasped. Shinsuke knew all about her family’s evil deeds. “Shinsuke, give it a rest. You’re annoying me. If you say anything more on the subject, I won’t stand for it.” “But you’ve got Ms. Kyouko, haven’t you?” “It’s not like that with her.” “I’m sure her family intended her to be a match for you. I understand the Shigure family has some reservations about her, but there’s no other match with such favorable terms.” “In that case, why don’t you go marry her yourself?” Sakuya sounded like he was truly angry with his friend. But Shinsuke’s next words chilled Asana to the core. “If that’s how it is…why don’t you go abroad?” “……” There was no response from Sakuya. Shinsuke pressed his case further. “How can you refuse, when you sent me so many letters about how your studies were progressing overseas, how much fun you were having, and how rewarding it was?” “My grandfather’s not in good health, so I couldn’t possibly leave now.” “If you do as you’re told by the previous generations and let yourself get adopted out, you might never set foot in another country again, depending on the policies of your in-laws. It’s not as if you’re teaching here because you really want to be.” Instinctively, Asana clapped a hand over her mouth. She hadn’t even thought of that. She knew Sakuya had come back to Japan because his grandfather was in poor health. But she’d been sure that, to a certain extent, he had cut his ties with the West and returned to spend the rest of his life in his home country. She could hear it in the evasive way Sakuya spoke. He still had some lingering attachment to his studies abroad. Before she knew it, her whole body was trembling. “Listen to me, Sakuya. If you’re going to take a wife, make it Kyouko. If you’re with her, you can go overseas or wherever you like. Don’t waste your time like this with half measures. Hurry up and make a move.” “……” “Asana Amamizu is the only one who’s off-limits. Completely. I won’t stand for it. If necessary, I’ll go with you to persuade your grandfather. Got it?” Asana held her breath and listened attentively for how Sakuya would answer Shinsuke. And then the answer she heard from her fiancé was absolutely unequivocal. “—You’re right.” She couldn’t stand to hear any more. Asana covered her ears and quickly fled from that place. She felt like something was stuck in her throat, and she had long since lost sensation in her limbs. The only thing she could feel was the pounding of her heart. She ran frantically, trying to get to someplace where she couldn’t hear their voices at all. From the start…from the very start, I’ve been nothing but a burden to the professor. Because she was a monster and because her family was involved in evil deeds. From the beginning, the marriage itself, and everything else concerning Asana, had been a chain to bind Sakuya, who was trying to spread his wings. Asana was nothing more than a hindrance to him. She ran, and ran, and ran. Asana left the school building and finally came to a stop. Then she noticed— “Ah…” Her hand was transparent. She looked down at herself and saw that her body was translucent. She could see right through herself to the ground below. Her whole body had changed. And it looked exactly as if it were made of water. She thought she was seeing things. But no matter how many times she rubbed her eyes and looked again, the results were the same. “Ha…ha-ha, ha, heh-heh.” At the ludicrous, unreal sight, dry laughter forced its way to the surface. I’m vanishing, aren’t I? I’m finally vanishing! She had always wished to become water. To turn into water and just drift around in the middle of the ocean, alone. She didn’t understand why this was happening, but maybe that wish was finally coming true. Asana would not only finally escape from the Amamizus, but she also still had time to set Sakuya free as well. And she wouldn’t make Kyouko resent her, either. There could not be a more favorable outcome. The word miracle was made for such occurrences. She was happy. She should have been happy. After all, she noted, at that very moment, a smile of delight was rising to her face. “Oh, huh?” Though she was certainly smiling, for some reason, her eyes felt hot. She could feel the warm trickles as the droplets streamed down her face. She ought to have been happy, so why? “How strange… Rejoice, rejoice now, Asana,” she muttered to herself, but she couldn’t keep her voice from trembling, and she quietly covered her face. After a little bit of time had passed, Asana’s body, which had appeared transparent, returned to normal. She was relieved, but at the same time, she was disappointed with herself for feeling that way. It was strange that she couldn’t be happy, even though the mysterious phenomenon had come at such a convenient time—just when she wanted to escape from everybody. She couldn’t believe she was dissatisfied. Asana headed home, without waiting for Sakuya and without going to the Mermaid’s Garden. Asana had always longed to commute to school on her own two legs. She didn’t mind walking alone, making the trip in silence. She had simply always wished to make her own way to school, like everyone else did. But now she wasn’t so sure. She didn’t feel any kind of deep emotion about walking alone. She was just lonely. For Asana, being in school was her lifeline. School was the one environment where she felt free. And that was still true now. She had always imagined that being able to walk around on her own would mean she was finally free of her family. But it hadn’t turned out that way. She did not feel like she could make her own choices. She proceeded down the paved road. However, when she noticed the people standing in her way, Asana came to a stop. “Ah…” She almost leaped in surprise. A cold chill surged up her spine, and Asana couldn’t move a single step from that spot. There were two people standing before her. One was a young man, and the other was a stout middle-aged man. Both were well-dressed—the young man in an unlined silk kimono with a checkered pattern, and the middle-aged man in a closely tailored three-piece suit, with a pretentious hat and walking stick. Even though the dazzlingly bright light of the setting sun was shining in her eyes, Asana recognized them immediately. It was Asana’s brother, Ukiharu Amamizu, and Asana’s former fiancé, Viscount Katsui. “Big Brother…Lord Katsui…good afternoon.” Trembling, Asana finally managed to mutter a shrill greeting. “Sister, why do you make that face? Surely my letter reached you? We went out of our way to come and meet you like this.” Why the two of you? The question surged inside her, but her mind wouldn’t work properly. No words would come out. Her brother spoke bluntly. His voice was cold and exasperated, and his face loomed over her, looking many times more serious than it ever had before. “Excellent. You’ve ripened quite nicely, haven’t you?” Hearing Katsui’s vulgar voice was like having cold water poured over her, and Asana shifted her gaze around awkwardly. Katsui, whom she had seen only occasionally since meeting him about two years earlier, was as fat as he had always been, and though his attire was extremely respectable, his behavior was shockingly vulgar. She couldn’t stop shivering as his gaze seemed to caress her all over. “For a while, I’ve been wondering how things were going to turn out, but apparently, the negotiations have been settled, which is good news for me. It would have been just unbearable if a darling little plaything like you had been snatched out from under my nose.” “Indeed. On our side as well, we are glad we’ve struck a good deal.” Ukiharu answered Katsui with an ingratiating smile and walked briskly toward Asana, his shoes clacking on the ground. Asana immediately tried to avoid him, but she was too slow. Ukiharu grabbed her wrist firmly, and no matter how she pushed or pulled, she couldn’t get away from him. “Stop… Big Brother, what is this? What’s going on here?” “This is how things have turned out since you decided to run away with that man.” “Huh…?” “The engagement between you and Sakuya Shigure has been canceled. You will marry Lord Katsui, as originally planned. It was a mistake to accept that man as your groom. In the end, he was too greedy, and it seems like it will cause less trouble for us in the future if we marry you off to Lord Katsui instead.” “What a terrible thing to say,” Katsui said with a shrug and a smirk. “You make it sound like I’m the very embodiment of evil.” Ukiharu chuckled in response. “Ha-ha-ha! You are, aren’t you? But it’s a necessary evil. Because the business we do with you keeps the gold flowing.” “And nowadays, we’ve got suspicious strangers and unknown investors trying to throw their weight around, too. But we’re not defeated just yet!” Asana’s mind couldn’t follow their banter. Why had Katsui suddenly reappeared? Once they started the marriage talks with the Shigure family, the relationship between Katsui and the Amamizus ought to have deteriorated. Asana wondered if she was really such a valuable commodity from Katsui’s perspective. “Wait, wait a minute, please. Big Brother, does that mean…? Is this…what the Shigure family’s wishes are?” “Of course, we’ve contacted them and let them know we are turning down their proposal. And we’ve decided to hold onto the bride-price money, as consolation for when that man abducted you. They were somewhat reluctant about that part, but the head of their family is a fairly sensible man.” Her brother’s smiling face looked strange to her. The deep black darkness that filled his eyes started to coil itself around Asana, too. “Do you think we don’t have the right? That’s what you think, isn’t it? But, you know, the rest of us have been saddled with you, the girl with mermaid’s blood, this whole time. We’ve had to devote our whole lives to you. There’s no reason you should be the only one who gets to live as you like.” “Big…Brother…” She felt like all the strength was draining from her body. Ukiharu’s meaning was clear to Asana. He, her father, and her grandfather—the men of the Amamizu family—lived to enrich their household by exploiting the girls with mermaid’s blood. They couldn’t accept any other way of living. And then when the power in the girl’s blood waned, they beheaded her. They killed her with their own hands. If they didn’t, the next girl with mermaid’s blood couldn’t be born. In order to live like that, they had to kill their own emotions, too. All because I’m here. If she went right back to the Amamizu house, then things might peacefully return to the way they always had been. Asana would be married off to Katsui, and her father and brother would profit from their secret business with him. At any rate, the members of the Amamizu family were the only ones who knew how to handle the mermaid’s blood. His wife in name only, Asana would be Katsui’s plaything, while at the same time, he would drain the mermaid’s blood from her body and funnel it to the Amamizu family, who would sell it and give him a cut. Also, as compensation, in every deal they made, he would arrange things so that the Amamizu family was at an advantage. As one of the central figures involved with the black market in the capital, Katsui had the power to do so. However, if that happened, nothing would ever change. All of them would remain imprisoned in their houses, as restricted as they were then. Even Sakuya, who wouldn’t be able to escape after discovering her secret. “Let me go!” Ukiharu had probably believed that Asana would obediently follow orders like always. She waited for a moment when her brother’s grip slackened just a little and shook her hand free. In this instance, she couldn’t do as her brother said. She couldn’t get married off to Katsui. Professor! Nearly falling as she did, Asana managed to make her escape. “Wait, Asana!” Ukiharu shouted after her. Even so, she didn’t stop. At that moment, she just wanted to get away from there. She was sure there had to be some good way to do that. If she could follow Sakuya’s example and buy herself some time, then surely— Thunk! Something with great force struck Asana on the back. “Uagh—” A mass of stinging heat, like a bad sunburn, spread rapidly outward from the center of her back, growing steadily larger. She knew that sensation. It was the feeling of a blade being stabbed into her body. “I won’t tolerate an unmanageable shrew. Although it could be entertaining to force a girl like that to submit.” Katsui cackled mockingly. The man standing directly behind Asana had stabbed her. Immediately, she heard Ukiharu’s voice admonishing Katsui. “Lord Katsui. I told you it was dangerous to touch the creature’s blood directly.” “Ha-ha-ha, don’t you worry. There would be no pleasure in having her if I feared danger. Listen, it’s the same feeling as eating blowfish or eel, knowing they have poison.” The vulgar sound of Katsui’s voice was distant and muffled. Pain. Heat. Burning. Agony. Every time she took a breath, an unbearable sharp pain ran through her. As long as the knife was still stuck in her, the wound wouldn’t close. Asana pulled out the knife that had pierced her back. A groan escaped from her throat, and shivers ran through her from the pain. It was a miracle she was able to stand. And yet she didn’t fall. Asana walked forward on her own two feet. “I thought I told you to wait!” She sensed Ukiharu behind her, reaching out for her. However, the sensation of being grabbed again never came. “…You…your body is…” “It looked like she went transparent for a second. What on earth…?” She heard their voices, overcome with surprise, but she paid them no mind and continued on. They seemed to have stopped chasing her already. Her wound closed, and the pain eased bit by bit. Sweat beaded her forehead. Because she had bled, the cold air felt harsher than it had before. Professor… She had an overwhelming desire to see Sakuya’s face. Just being near him gave Asana a sense of calm like nothing else. “Professor… Professor.” Ah, she thought, how badly she relied on Sakuya. Not only did she cling to her memory of him, but she was also totally dependent upon the man himself. A gust of chilly wind blew past her. The knife she had pulled out of her back clattered to the ground with a high-pitched ring, and as if that was their cue, small droplets of water fell from the dark clouds that had suddenly gathered low in the sky and began to strike Asana’s cheeks. The water droplets multiplied in a flash, and it was suddenly raining. The pain in her body vanished, and in its place, Asana felt a sudden chill. It was the first time since leaving the Amamizu house that she had experienced such pain, as well as the mental fog that came from losing too much blood. “So…cold.” Droplets trickled from her drenched bangs, and beads of rain streamed down her forehead. Her hair was in disarray, and damp strands clung to her cheeks and the nape of her neck. She carried no umbrella, but she kept trudging forward, even though she was soaking wet. She realized she was getting odd looks from people passing by. However, she didn’t have it in her to care. Ahead of her, in her hazy field of vision, stood the figure of a man holding an umbrella. Asana came to a halt. Her feet felt as heavy as lead. Who…? Perhaps Ukiharu and Katsui had chased her down. Or maybe the person Asana was hoping to see had come to meet her. “Asana Amamizu.” When she heard her name, Asana raised her head. It was a familiar voice. Just a short while ago, she had heard it at the school. “Mr.…Honomi?” The person was tall and slender, dressed in a suit. The umbrella was in the way, so she couldn’t see his face. It must have been plainly obvious that there was something wrong with Asana, but the man did not extend a helping hand. “I know all about your mermaid’s blood.” “……” “Perhaps you are aware yourself? You are a monster. A fiend pretending to be human. A foul, repulsive, inhuman thing.” The truth was mercilessly thrust into her face. They were the same words Asana had repeated to herself countless times over the past eight years. But coming from another person, those words were even more painful to hear. Before she knew what she was doing, Asana opened her mouth. “I know that…all of that,” she replied. “In that case, set Sakuya free. “……” “Do you want to make him miserable?” he asked forcefully. There was an uncomfortable stirring in Asana’s chest. But she could not deny her feelings. Up until that point, and going forward, she felt only one thing. How could he say that when he doesn’t really know anything? He knew the Amamizu family’s secret, and Asana’s secret, so he thought he understood it all. From the bottom of her heart, she was upset. “You don’t need to tell me any of that—” A tearful cry surged up out of her throat. “The one thing I want, the thing I want more than anything, is the professor’s happiness! I want it more—much more than someone like you!” Even if everything Asana had done to try to protect Sakuya had been pointless, even so, the feelings behind it were real. She didn’t need anyone else to tell her that. Asana kept walking, and her shaky feet carried her right past the man standing in her way. Shinsuke did not try to stop her. I’ve had enough. Sakuya, and Kyouko, and…her family, too. Asana hated the thought that she ruined the lives of every person who had anything to do with her. “…Smiling is best. Happiness comes to those who smile…” Asana’s mumbling voice reached no one’s ears and was quickly swallowed by the rain. What can I do to keep everyone from losing their smiles? There was no need for her to think about it. The way was already clear.