Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7 Someone to Find Me That morning, the moment Sakuya opened his eyes, he felt vaguely uneasy. He had never been much of a morning person, but for some reason, on that particular morning, he had woken up early. Although it had rained heavily the previous night, the downpour had dried up, and the rays of the morning sun shone through the curtain and into his room. It was ten minutes before his alarm clock usually woke Sakuya up. On the other side of the door, he could hear his mother’s footsteps and her preparing breakfast. It was morning in the Tsuno house, no different than usual. Sakuya climbed out of his futon, changed his clothes, and left his room. He washed his face at the sink, where his towel hung, shaved, and then combed his hair and put it up with his hairpin. He entered the living room just as Uiko was setting out serving trays on the dining table. “Good morning.” “Good morning, Sakuya.” Sakuya grinned at his sweetly smiling mother. However, he still felt uneasy and tilted his head to the side questioningly. He didn’t see the girl whose presence had already become normal to him over the past few days. “Mother, where’s Asana?” Asana had been getting up earlier than Sakuya every day and helping Uiko with the housework. Considering her personal constitution, she wasn’t handling any knives in the kitchen, but aside from cooking, she had been doing the laundry, the cleaning, and anything else to help out. Yet she was nowhere to be seen that morning. “Oh, yes,” Uiko said in response to Sakuya’s question and made a perplexed expression. “Asana hasn’t gotten up yet this morning. She might not be feeling well since she got caught in a sudden rain shower yesterday and came home all wet. Sakuya, I wonder if you would go to her room and say something to her?” “Sure thing.” Asana’s room was right by the front door. The room had once belonged to the family’s live-in servant. They had furnished it sparsely, with a futon and a small desk. Asana had been extremely happy anyway. She’d said it had been a long time since she’d slept in a room with large windows. Sakuya stood in front of the door to the room and knocked softly. “Asana?” There was no answer. Thinking that perhaps she was sleeping deeply, Sakuya knocked again, a little harder. “Asana, are you awake?” However, there was no response. In fact, he didn’t hear a single sound or get the sense that anyone was in there. It seemed like Asana might not be in her room. A bad feeling slowly spread through Sakuya’s chest, and he decisively put his hand on the doorknob. “I’m sorry, I’m coming in.” The door creaked as he gently pushed it open. Sure enough, no one was inside. It also felt awfully chilly. And the room was too clean. The futon was folded up neatly, and the stationery was arranged in tidy order on top of the desk. Not a single speck of dust was on the floor, as if it, too, had been cleaned. “Asana?!” Sakuya looked around the room. But it wasn’t exactly a large space. No matter how wide he opened his eyes or how carefully he looked in every nook and cranny, it was obvious that no one was there. “Asana, where are you?!” An uncomfortable chill ran up Sakuya’s spine. His heart hammered in his chest, and an unpleasant sweat oozed from his pores. Has she been kidnapped? No, if that happened, there’s no way we wouldn’t have noticed. He was sure the Amamizu family was willing to break into his home if it meant taking Asana back, but the inside of the room was too clean for that to have happened. Furthermore, both Sakuya and Uiko were occupying the same small house. There was no way they wouldn’t have noticed the sounds of several other people. In which case, Asana must have left the house on her own. Suddenly, Sakuya spotted something familiar sitting on the desk. “These are Asana’s.” It was a pair of black lace gloves. He had seen Asana wearing them many times. Sakuya returned to the living room, taking the gloves with him. “Mother?” “Yes? What’s wrong? You’re making such a grim face.” “…Asana isn’t here.” “What?! Oh no, th-that’s terrible! What do we do?! A girl out on her own… It’s too dangerous.” His mother flew into a panic. Sakuya showed her the gloves. “These were left behind on the desk,” he said. Uiko took the gloves from him. “These gloves…” “I think these were Asana’s most treasured possession. She wore them often and always seemed to have them with her.” The gloves concealed the birthmark on Asana’s hand. But she had always treasured these gloves in a way that could not be explained simply by their utility. He could tell because she had always had them tucked away inside her kimono, carefully folded and deliberately placed in a dedicated drawstring purse. The fact she had left those gloves behind had to mean she was planning something. Uiko took a hard look at the gloves and seemed to be pondering something for a little while. Then she finally looked up at Sakuya. “I thought so,” she said. “These gloves used to be mine, a long time ago.” “Huh?” “Now, when was that…? I’d been falling down and hurting myself a lot, and I had torn my gloves, so I believe you brought me a spare pair, along with some bandages and medicine, right?” Sakuya didn’t need her to describe it to him. He remembered it well. He recalled the young girl he had encountered along the way, eight years earlier. Although the incident had been buried in his memory, after recalling it once, he could bring it back to mind easily. “They’re still a little bit big, but they suit you better than they suit my mother. So I’ll give them to you.” At that time, he had still been Sakuya Tsuno, not yet Sakuya Shigure, and he had said those words as he’d offered the girl the black lace gloves. He remembered thinking that the young girl who was mutilating herself as she wept was strange and pitiful, and not very childlike, and he had found it difficult to look her in the eye when she seemed like she had given up on everything. He had thought the gloves looked similar, however— “It can’t be.” It was impossible. If what Uiko said was the truth, it would mean that the girl he met back then was indeed Asana. And that he had encountered her again after traveling the world. Uiko shook her head side to side in response to Sakuya’s dumbfounded muttering. “I’m certain of it,” she said. “Even the pattern is the same… Look there, at the edge of the wrist. I fixed it where it frayed a little. But the color and texture of my thread were a little bit different from what was used to make the gloves… You can tell if you look closely.” Even after she said that, he simply couldn’t believe it. Sakuya reached back into his memory. He tried to recall the details of the girl’s face, but although he could remember the incident, it was difficult to remember her features. To say nothing of the fact that after eight years had passed, even if he had been able to remember, it probably would have been impossible to confirm she was the same person. “At any rate, I’m going to look for Asana.” “Yes, the sooner the better. It would be awful if something happened.” “I’ll be back.” Sakuya took the gloves from Uiko, put them in his pocket, and left the house. Assuming Asana had left before his mother had gotten up, he deduced that she’d left before the buses had started running. He wondered if she had walked off on her own. Sakuya boarded a bus with what little change he had on hand and headed for Yotsuru Girls’ Academy. It was still early for students to be at school, and he walked through the empty school grounds, heading straight for the Mermaid’s Garden. “Please, please be there.” He walked down the familiar path and pushed his way through the thick growth of camellia trees. Sakuya had expected the regular scenery to appear before him, just as it always had, but he found himself at a loss for words. “The Mermaid’s Garden is…” The pond must have overflowed with the heavy rain the previous night. The Garden, which had always been like a sanctuary, filled with a tranquil atmosphere, was a shadow of its former self. The whole area was flooded with mud and filthy water, and even the little shrine in the center of the pond was a mess, with mud, grass, and leaves stuck to it. And Asana was nowhere to be seen. “Why?” Sakuya didn’t know of any other places she was likely to go. The only places he’d seen her were at home or school. He didn’t think there was any way she had gone back to the Amamizu house. In which case, could she have gone to some other completely unfamiliar place? Ignoring the filthy mud, Sakuya paced around the pond, desperately trying to recall how Asana had been acting the previous day. Sakuya recalled that, after he had finished work and returned home, Asana had been at the house, helping Uiko with the housework. She had been worried when Asana had come back dripping wet, without her umbrella, but when he had seen her, he hadn’t noticed anything particularly unusual about her. And when they were conversing over their meal, she had acted the same as always and smiled— Really? Asana was very good at smiling. She concealed all sorts of things on the inside and didn’t let people worry over her. Even when her smiles were clearly fake, it was impossible to discern her inner thoughts. Sakuya’s disheveled hair stuck to his cheeks. He pushed it back roughly and groaned. “Asana is always so particular about smiling, so…” He gasped. He wondered how he hadn’t made the connection before. “I hope you can live your whole life with a smile, Professor. I’ve heard that good things come to those who smile.” “They say happiness comes to those who smile.” Those were the very words Sakuya had said to a particular young girl in the past. Which meant she had to be— Through his kimono, he felt around and made sure he still had the lace gloves tucked away. “I’ve got to find her.” Sakuya left the Mermaid’s Garden and ran toward the school building. There were already several teachers working in the staff room, but he greeted them simply, then hurriedly searched the building. She’s not here…not here, either. He searched every classroom one by one and peeked into Asana’s, too, but he couldn’t find her anywhere. He realized he probably should have concluded that she wasn’t on school grounds when she wasn’t in the Mermaid’s Garden. It would be impossible for him to go searching at random all around the capital. Asana didn’t have any money, so she couldn’t have gone far, but trying to track down just one person in the capital, where countless people were coming and going, would be a fool’s errand. He had no choice but to turn to someone he knew he could depend on. Sakuya left campus and ran to the nearest payphone. He told the operator who to call, and the line quickly connected. “This is Sakuya Shigure… Yes, hello. Could I ask you to get Shinsuke for me, please?” He was acquainted with many of the Honomi family’s servants. As soon as he gave his name, the person who answered passed the phone to Shinsuke. At that hour, even Shinsuke, who usually spent his days flitting from place to place, was bound to still be at home. “Sakuya? What are you calling for, so suddenly?” When Shinsuke answered the phone, Sakuya didn’t even greet him. Instead, he got right down to business. “It’s urgent. There’s something I need to ask you to do for me right away.” “I don’t mind, but…what’s going on?” “I want you to search for Asana Amamizu. You can use the police, or a private detective, anything you like. Ask all your contacts, please.” There was no answer. Maybe it really was impossible. After a few moments, he heard Shinsuke’s stiff voice come through the receiver. “Asana Amamizu has gone missing?” “Yes. That’s why I want you to look for her. Leave the issue of my marriage aside for now. A young woman is out there somewhere alone. There’s a chance she might have gotten dragged into some kind of trouble—” “I don’t think there’s any real need to look for her.” Sakuya was talking rapidly, arguing his case, but Shinsuke cut him off with that blunt assertion. “Isn’t this convenient? Without Asana Amamizu around, all your problems are over. I don’t see the need to go out of our way to track her down.” “…Are you seriously saying that?” Sakuya growled. Shinsuke was saying he should abandon Asana for his own convenience. He couldn’t believe it. No matter how many crimes the Amamizu family had committed, no matter how fastidious Shinsuke might be, he couldn’t believe his friend would suggest neglecting a girl who was only sixteen years old. “I didn’t think you were the kind of person who would say something like that. I always thought you were someone with more compassion.” “Sorry, but I don’t have any compassion to spare for monsters.” Sakuya suddenly felt something go cold inside him. Monster—he had never expected to hear his friend of all people use that word toward Asana. He felt a sharp pain, like the back of his brain had frozen solid. “Say that one more time—” “Asana Amamizu is a monster. She isn’t human. It’s not like she’s going to die or anything, so you should just leave her be.” “Shinsuke…!” “Plus, she was the one who decided to leave, right? That’s great. Even though she’s a monster, she understands her own position. You’re free.” It couldn’t be… “You didn’t say that to Asana’s face, did you?” Sakuya shivered at the repulsive thought. He wanted Shinsuke to tell him he was wrong. He prayed for it as he asked, but Shinsuke answered him nonchalantly. “I did. So what?” Sakuya felt all the strength leave his body, and he very nearly crumpled on the spot. He wondered how Asana must have felt having someone say something like that directly to her. He was certain it must have hurt her badly. How, he wondered, could Shinsuke be so calm about it? How could he slander an innocent girl as a monster and show such contempt for her? How? “…It’s very clear now.” “Great, if you’re seeing clearly, then forget about that monster and cut your ties with the Amamizu family. And then—” “No. The person I’m cutting ties with is you, Shinsuke Honomi.” “Huh?” “I can no longer call someone like you my friend. I will never turn to you for help again, and I expect you to never again show yourself before me, either.” “Sakuya, calm down.” “If this means Asana is never found, I will resent you for the rest of my life.” “Hey, hey, wait. Sakuya, hear me—” Sakuya ignored Shinsuke’s pleas and violently hung up the phone. He felt sick from the pit of his stomach. He stood there briefly without taking his hand off the receiver, letting his head hang. Since Shinsuke was his friend, he had expected him to understand sooner or later. Regardless of how much wrongdoing the Amamizu family had a hand in, he had expected Shinsuke to eventually understand what it was that Sakuya found so important and fight with him by his side. Especially since it was Shinsuke, who had always looked out for Sakuya. He had hoped he would one day have sympathy for Asana’s terrible situation. He had been wrong, terribly wrong. “Shit.” Sakuya picked up the telephone receiver again. Now that he could no longer rely on Shinsuke, he had no choice but to somehow leverage his own influence. He didn’t have many useful connections since he had just gotten back from overseas, but it was time to ask anyone he could for help, no matter how shallow their relationship. The first thing to do was to get in contact with the person who was managing the assets Sakuya had brought back with him and get him to look for an intermediary who might be useful. “—Hello, it’s me. Yeah. This isn’t about the thing I asked you earlier. Right, it’s a different matter…” Asana was alone in the Mermaid’s Garden. It was no longer raining. She had left the Tsuno house before sunrise to make her way to Yotsuru Girls’ Academy, where she saw with her own eyes the way the Garden had been completely transformed. Even so, it was the only place Asana wanted to be and the only place she belonged. Asana’s body had turned completely transparent, and nobody could see her. The previous day, she had somehow managed to turn herself back, but she didn’t know if that would happen again. Even in the early morning sunlight, her body showed no signs of returning to normal. “It’s kind of like I’ve turned into a ghost.” She could still touch things, but for some reason, she didn’t leave behind any footprints, even when she walked over the mud. Mirrors no longer reflected her image, either. Asana crouched on top of the stone wall surrounding the mud-smeared shrine, hugging her knees. She didn’t know whether she was alive or dead. Sakuya had come by earlier. He’d been in a terrible panic, and it had seemed like he was searching for her. She was making him worry. But there was nothing she could do in her current condition. She had held her breath, and while she was struggling over whether or not to answer him, Sakuya had left. Asana had always intended to leave the Tsuno house. That was why she had carefully tidied up her room and organized all the things she had borrowed, except for the clothing, which she had kept. However, she’d never meant to leave without even saying goodbye. “I’m so ungrateful…and rude, too…” Asana was exhausted with everything. At the same time, she thought that maybe this was for the best. If she could just die in obscurity here in the Garden with no one the wiser, everything would work out okay, and there wouldn’t be any more trouble. For her friends, for the Amamizus, for Katsui…and for Sakuya, too. She was sure that, at first, they would worry about and frantically search for her. But it wouldn’t go on forever. When they couldn’t find Asana, they would eventually give up, lose interest, and forget all about her. Just like how water that flowed into the sea was impossible to separate out again. “No…” Asana ought to have been happy with the way things were going. However, the only thing she felt was a mixture of despair, bitterness, and distress. “…If the professor and everyone else can live happy lives, that should be enough.” For some reason, her eyes were brimming with tears. One after another, hot droplets collected in the corners of her eyes and trickled down her cheeks. They wouldn’t stop. Finally, Asana realized something. She recognized the emotion that had been consuming her. Although it seemed like it was too late, considering her transformation. “I’m lonely. I’ve always been lonely. I don’t want to be alone anymore…!” Between endless sobbing, Asana finally spoke the truth out loud. She didn’t think anyone was listening, but to her surprise, someone answered. “Asana?! Are you in here?!” It was Sakuya’s voice. When Asana lifted her head, she saw he had entered the Garden undetected and was standing on the muddy ridge of earth around the pond. Sakuya looked much worse since his earlier visit to the Garden several hours prior. His neatly bound hair had come undone, his kimono was all out of shape, and the hem of his hakama was filthy. He must have been out hunting Asana, running all over the place, and yet he had come back, eventually, to the Garden. “Asana, where are you?! If you’re here, I want you to show yourself to me.” Sakuya’s expression conveyed his anxiety. It was a look she had never seen on him before. It was the face of someone badly wounded. When she considered the fact that she was the reason for his hurt expression, she felt so ashamed and miserable that her chest seemed like it was about to burst… However, she was also absolutely overjoyed that he had come back to look for her. “I’ve been a terrible fool. I can hardly blame you for losing interest in me.” He muttered slowly, as if he was making a confession. “You never let go of the words I spoke to you a long time ago, isn’t that right? Even though I completely forgot about them. And you smiled, no matter how tough things got.” “……” “I’m sure you must have realized it immediately, right? And to think you’ve been carrying that burden alone, fighting against your isolation… I’m sorry, I’m really sorry.” “……” “—I’m sorry I didn’t realize until now that you are the same girl I encountered eight years ago.” He remembered now. He remembered his first time meeting Asana. Remembering must have made it clear. Why Asana was always putting on a smiling face. Why she had said she wanted Sakuya to smile. Why she had tried to get him away from the Amamizu family. And why Asana had gone to such lengths to try to protect him. Without thinking, she stood up and started wading through the muddy pond water, drawn toward Sakuya like a moth to a candle. “Professor.” Sakuya’s eyes were cast down, but when she called out to him, he looked directly at her. Although Asana didn’t think he could see her, he did seem to be able to hear her voice. “Asana—are you there?” “…Yes.” Asana reached out to him with her ungloved left hand, the one that carried the birthmark. She knew that if she wanted to make Sakuya happy, she should not reach for him like this. However— She had been reunited with Sakuya. They’d spent time together, and she had gotten to know his various expressions. He always had his eye on Asana and understood her well. And so he had recognized her loneliness and knew that she was suffering from being alone for so long and that she was so lonely she couldn’t stand it. She could no longer keep herself from reaching out to him with that hand. Sakuya’s right hand rose from his side. It fumbled around in the air like he was searching for something, then finally, he touched Asana’s left hand. They managed to make contact. Steadily, the warmth from Sakuya’s hand spread to hers. At the same time, Asana’s body gradually lost its transparency, and she began to return to normal. “Professor. I’m the one who should be sorry… I disappeared without saying anything and made you worry.” “I don’t care about something like that.” Sakuya gently squeezed Asana’s left hand, then pulled her body closer and hugged her tightly. It was warm in his arms. Wrapped up in the scents of the flowers and Sakuya’s tobacco, Asana felt her heart start to beat a little bit faster. It was comforting. Despite her best efforts, the corners of her eyes were hot with tears again. “I’m just glad that I found you and that you’re safe.” Asana sobbed out loud. Like a dam bursting, her tears spilled forth in endless streams. She had never felt so relieved before. She had never felt so secure. She had never been so reassured by someone’s words, ever. “Professor…Professor…” “You must be tired from smiling for eight whole years, after I said that to you.” “No. I—I only lived this long because I heard those words from you. Somehow, they made me stronger, and they gave me the strength to stand before my father and brother.” The back of her nose stung, and her voice was trembling. “But really, I was so lonely the whole time. I don’t want to live apart from everyone anymore.” “Right.” “But…but I hate the idea of my existence hurting you and my friends even more. I don’t want to become a burden for you, either, Professor.” “As far as I’m concerned, you are no burden— Let’s find a way. A way that you and everyone else can live with a smile. There’s no need for you alone to take everything upon yourself and vanish.” What Sakuya was saying sounded a little too convenient to Asana. She couldn’t imagine what this way of his might be. But still, she found herself wanting to believe him. Just like before. “From now on, you and I can carry that burden together. We’ll find a new path together. You can’t just vanish without a word.” “…Okay.” Asana’s body had regained its color. The cold, muddy water had seeped into her shoes, which felt terrible. But Asana felt like her heart, which had been under such strain, was finally at ease. “Asana.” “Y-yes!” When she heard him call her name again, Asana pulled away from Sakuya and straightened up just a little. When she did, Sakuya took both of Asana’s hands in his. “I want you to marry me. I will make you smile for the rest of your days.” Asana stared directly back into Sakuya’s eyes, as he trembled nervously and smiled. The inside of her heart, which had been so dark and hopeless, was now bright and clear. “Yes… I also want to smile…with you, Professor.” The sun was high in the sky. They hadn’t noticed its steady climb. Its brilliant rays shone down into the Mermaid’s Garden. The Garden’s beauty had been buried beneath a layer of filthy mud. But to Asana’s eyes, it sparkled even more than usual. Looking at it filled her with hope. The sun was setting, and a brilliant red light streamed in through the windows of the school building at Yotsuru Girls’ Academy. It struck a vivid contrast with the deep black areas where shadows had formed. Sakuya sat next to Asana on the sofa in the reception office on the first floor. Shinsuke sat across from them, facing them over a low wooden table. Honestly, Sakuya’s anger toward Shinsuke had not yet cooled. He could tell that he was unconsciously giving off threatening vibes and that the oppressive atmosphere was frightening Asana, who was sitting beside him. However, he felt like he couldn’t restrain himself. Sakuya really did plan to never see Shinsuke again, just as he’d declared. But Asana asked me to do this, so… When Asana had told him she wanted him to set up a meeting with Shinsuke, Sakuya had no choice but to listen. But be that as it may— “Could we have a moment before we begin this conversation?” Sakuya casually raised one hand and broke the ice. After checking that Asana nodded in response, he stood up. “Shinsuke, over here.” Sakuya’s emotionless voice surprised him. He stood facing Shinsuke in a spot a short distance from the table. Shinsuke stared directly back at Sakuya with calm eyes. He was furious. It was almost like Shinsuke was being defiant, knowing just what his former friend was about to say. Sakuya clenched his fist. “Asana, close your eyes,” he instructed her, as she stared at them anxiously. At the same time, he stepped forward on his left foot and struck Shinsuke in the face with his right fist as hard as he could. His punch landed with a heavy thud, and Shinsuke’s tall body was sent sprawling by the force of the blow. “Ah!” Asana’s brief shriek echoed around the room. Paying no mind to his aching fist, Sakuya looked down at the cowering Shinsuke and asked, “Shinsuke, do you have an apology for us?” Even knocking him down had not entirely satisfied Sakuya’s cold fury. “……” As he sat up, Shinsuke glanced in Asana’s direction. The look in his eyes was still as sharp as it had ever been, but it had none of its usual power. Shinsuke roughly wiped his split lip with his right hand, grimaced when he saw the blood on it, and let out a big sigh. “…I don’t think I did anything wrong.” “I see. So that wasn’t enough for you?” Sakuya reached out a hand to grab the collar of Shinsuke’s shirt, but Asana stopped him. “Professor! Wait, please. That’s enough violence.” Sakuya made a show of throwing both hands in the air. “It’s fine. I was just messing around.” The truth was that he had been completely serious, but at that moment, Asana’s wishes took priority. There was no point to what they were doing if he was going to make her feel uncomfortable, so although he was annoyed by it, Sakuya obediently capitulated. In the meantime, Shinsuke got to his feet and started indifferently fixing his shirt collar. “I hate the Amamizu family, and I hate you, too,” he muttered, looking at Asana. She didn’t show a shred of anger, even with someone telling her to her face that he hated her. She probably expected him to hate her, since he knew the true nature of the Amamizu family and Asana. She had always been realistic about her situation. “…Sakuya.” “What?” “Do you love that…girl? Do you love her enough to throw away your relationship with me and abandon your life just to protect her?” Sakuya could feel Asana stiffen beside him. Asana or Shinsuke—who would he choose? That was the question being posed to him. Previously, he would have chosen Shinsuke without any hesitation. Because he was a dear friend who had always stood beside him, even during tough times. However, he refused to accept Asana, who had suffered in the past just as Sakuya had. Far from it, in fact. Shinsuke seemed to despise her. Even without Sakuya around, he had plenty of places where he belonged. On the other hand, if Sakuya were to abandon Asana now, she would be entirely on her own. He didn’t want this girl, who currently appeared somewhat anxious, to be lonely anymore. He wanted to protect her. I’ve decided to stand beside Asana and support her. Just like what Shinsuke did for me. “Yes. I feel like I will come to love her enough to do all that.” Sakuya put on his most beautiful, charming smile. His attitude made it clear that he would not entertain any argument. He could tell Shinsuke’s breath had caught in his throat. “P-Professor…,” Asana mumbled, her face bright red. “I’m serious,” Sakuya reminded her. Sakuya was sure Asana had never expected that he would choose her. Certainly, there were many good women in the world. Looking at things objectively, Sakuya could probably find plenty of outstanding young women who would not be as troublesome as Asana. However, Sakuya had connected with her. She was the person who made him feel at ease. She was the one he wanted to support and protect. At his reminder, Asana started trembling even more, and she turned a deeper shade of red, all the way to her ears. She asked him, “You’re s-s-serious…?” “Mm-hmm.” When Sakuya peered over at Asana’s face and smiled, the ornamental hairpin on the back of his head made a little noise. Shinsuke, who had been silently watching the exchange between Sakuya and Asana, finally let out a defeated sigh. “…I see.” Shinsuke walked over to Asana and lowered his head in a very shallow bow. “I think I went too far when I called you a monster. And I was wrong to assume that you were involved in the villainy of the Amamizu family and Viscount Katsui. I’m sorry.” Sakuya had thoroughly investigated everything Shinsuke had done and had already told Asana about it, too. Shinsuke had done his best to break off the marriage between Sakuya and Asana. He had convinced Katsui to purchase Asana from the Amamizu family for a higher price than before and had even lent him the money to do so. Then he had convinced the Amamizus to revive Asana’s marriage talks with Katsui, for a larger sum of money than before, and to forget about Sakuya, since they were having a hard time controlling him. The greed of the Amamizu men knew no bounds. Sakuya had been astonished to learn that even his friend Shinsuke had gotten involved, and he scorned them all from the bottom of his heart. A single punch could not possibly be enough to satisfy his anger. Asana stood facing Shinsuke and asked him, in an emotionless voice, “Were your actions…truly for the professor’s sake?” Although he hadn’t had the slightest intention of supporting their relationship, it was possible that Shinsuke had still been acting out of concern for Sakuya’s welfare. But how would it have gone if the roles were reversed? Would Sakuya have been able to go that far for Shinsuke’s sake? Even if it was for the sake of his close friend, Shinsuke had still paid a large sum of money and hurled an unbelievable amount of hatred at Asana. Shinsuke did not nod in agreement with Asana, who had questioned him calmly. “I won’t make any excuses.” Shinsuke’s expression was still stiff. No matter how Sakuya and Asana tried to explain things, they probably weren’t going to reach him. Asana pulled her chin in and straightened her back. When she smiled at him again, it was the one she had been perfecting for eight whole years. “Very well. I accept your apology.” “…I appreciate that.” Shinsuke squeezed the words out, raised his head, and turned on his heel. Without a moment’s hesitation, he said, “Excuse me,” and left the reception office. They could not see the final expression on his face as he left. “Leaving like that, he’s definitely not sorry… I can’t believe that guy,” Sakuya muttered under his breath as he watched the man who had once been his friend walk away. He seemed very unlikely to forgive Shinsuke, who had deceived them and showed no signs of remorse. Asana glanced at Sakuya beside her and noticed he was looking at her anxiously. Ah…I’m making him worry again. Without a doubt, it had been Sakuya’s intention to break off his relationship with Shinsuke and choose Asana, but she was certain that it pained Sakuya to lose a close friend on her account. “You’re brooding again, aren’t you?” Sakuya asked. He was suddenly very close. “Ah!” Asana jumped. “Please don’t startle me like that…” “You only got startled because you were lost in your worried thoughts.” Sakuya sighed. Then he gently stroked Asana’s head. “Don’t let it bother you. You didn’t do anything wrong. You didn’t do one single thing wrong.” “…Okay.” “Though I do like that about you.” “What?” Asana looked up at him inquisitively. But Sakuya purposely feigned total ignorance. Maybe I teased her a little too much. Asana looked cute with her lip stuck out in a pout. Sakuya couldn’t help but wish that she could always be like that, with her emotions on such rich display. The following day, Asana went to school as usual. Just like before, she and Sakuya left home at different times, and Asana made her own way from the Tsuno house to school. When Asana entered her classroom, her classmates’ eyes all converged on her. “Good morning.” In response to Asana’s greeting, a chorus of cheerful “Good mornings” came back at her. This, too, was no different than usual. However, when she set her bag down at her seat, Asana got an uncomfortable feeling. Come to think of it, where’s Kyouko…? Kyouko usually would have been the first person to return her greeting and approach her to chat. But she wasn’t there. This seemed strange to Asana, and she looked all over the classroom before she finally spotted her friend. Kyouko was chatting with other classmates, wearing the same beautiful smile as always. She was far away from Asana’s seat and didn’t appear to be paying any attention to her. I wonder what’s the matter? Asana considered whether she might have done something to upset her, though she hadn’t even said anything to her yet. Then she changed her mind and figured that Kyouko might still feel bad about causing Asana an injury. If that was all, then everything was fine. Asana decided to go talk to Kyouko. I have to tell Kyouko my own feelings. Asana headed directly for her. “Kyouko?” When Asana called out to her, Kyouko’s shoulders hitched in surprise. Then she turned to Asana with a smile that was just a little bit stiff. However, her eyes were not smiling. “Asana…” “Um…?” As Asana took one or two steps forward, Kyouko retreated a little and shouted, “D-don’t come any closer!” “Ah…” At her sudden outburst, not only Asana, but all the classmates around them also turned to look at Kyouko in surprise. Something like that had never happened before, not even once. Everyone knew Kyouko and Asana were close friends, not to mention that it was unthinkable for a perfect lady like Kyouko to raise her voice like that. All attention was on Kyouko, whose eyes were open wide like she had surprised even herself. Quickly, she struggled to compose herself. “Ah, I… I’m sorry. It’s… Never mind.” “…Kyouko?” Asana had been prepared for the worst. For some reason or another, Kyouko seemed to be ignoring her. However, that didn’t change the fact that Asana wanted to speak with her. “I’ve got something to tell you. Today, after school, could the two of us talk?” Asana asked her the question quietly, and Kyouko cast her eyes down and gave a small nod. “Fine.” Over the course of the day, once classes started and even during break times, Asana and Kyouko didn’t speak to each other a single time and didn’t even approach one another. The friends who usually surrounded Asana and Kyouko let their gazes wander around aimlessly and seemed uncomfortable whenever either of the girls spoke to them. Asana felt terrible about that, but there was nothing she could do. And then, after school— Asana politely turned down offers from friends to stay and serve as mediators. She stood facing Kyouko across the classroom, leaving plenty of space between them. “Kyouko.” Asana slowly opened her mouth to speak. Once she said what she had to say, she would likely lose a cherished friend. Even though she had never been able to share her true feelings and secrets with Kyouko before, Asana still undeniably thought of her as a dear friend. Nevertheless, it would be cowardly not to say anything. This was something she had to hear from Asana’s own mouth. “I’m sorry, I—I can’t support your feelings for Professor Shigure, Kyouko.” She couldn’t really see Kyouko’s face since she was hanging her head. “I really ought to have told you about this much earlier. You see, I am engaged to Professor Shigure. He is a very important person to me as well. And so I cannot cheer you on or give you any advice.” She announced it decisively. Her heart pounded hard with nervousness, and it felt like her whole body was pulsing. Asana tried desperately to suppress the desire to flee and waited for Kyouko’s reply. “…Asana, you’re serious, huh?” After a long, long silence that felt like dozens of minutes, but was probably actually only a few, Kyouko muttered a short response. She slowly raised her head. Her expression was furrowed, as if she might cry at any moment, but was also full of hatred. “You really are dense, aren’t you?” she asked. “…Did you think I was being serious when I asked you to cheer me on and all that?” “Huh?” “I already knew. About your engagement to Sakuya. I learned about it recently, when I saw you coming out of Sakuya’s house.” “Oh…” Asana just stood there, dumbfounded, unable to even look Kyouko in the eyes. “Since you’re so earnest, you would have been upset if I’d just come out and said it, right? And I didn’t think you were likely to back down.” Kyouko’s lips trembled as she spoke, and she scowled at Asana with a desperate, angry expression. Kyouko had always wholeheartedly adored Sakuya, and now her friend had broken her heart. Asana now realized that. “I’ve always liked Sakuya, for much longer than you have, you know. I’m in love with him. That’s why I won’t allow you to marry him. You may be earnest, but you don’t really, truly care for Sakuya the way I do.” “Kyouko…I…” Asana took a step forward. She wanted to apologize. But just like that morning, Kyouko retreated and kept her distance from Asana. “Stay away from me.” “Why?” “I saw it. I saw the cut on your hand heal instantly.” Asana froze, body and mind. She felt instantly cold, and she couldn’t move. Kyouko must have been talking about the incident in sewing class. “I told Mr. Honomi about it, the man who was so interested in you and Sakuya. When I did, he told me that you are a monster.” Now Asana understood. Thinking back on it, Mr. Honomi—Shinsuke—had called Asana a “monster” once, with clear conviction. He wouldn’t have called her that unless he knew about the girls with mermaid’s blood and about Asana’s true nature. She suspected that Shinsuke’s knowledge regarding the girls with mermaid’s blood did not come solely from rumors and hearsay. In all likelihood, Shinsuke had also encountered Kyouko around the time he had had his meeting with Sakuya at the school, and the testimony she had given had been the conclusive evidence he’d needed. “What am I supposed to do now? I hate you— I can’t forgive you for stealing Sakuya. And besides, now I’m terribly afraid of you!” Kyouko’s voice trembled as she covered her face with both hands. The words of her friend, calling her unforgivable and frightening, gouged deeply into Asana’s heart. …I see now. She realized something for the first time. Having a place like school where she could spend time as an ordinary human, and have friends like Kyouko and the other girls, had given her even more peace of mind than she’d thought. The corners of her eyes burned, and her chest hurt. It felt awful, intolerable, even. It was much worse than just being called a monster. But I mustn’t cry. I don’t have the right. Kyouko stood there sobbing. Asana couldn’t think of anything to say. But Kyouko spoke to her in a tearful voice. “Asana, I…resent you. I always liked how deeply sincere you were and how you were always so mature and calm. I thought you were my best friend, and yet…” “…Me too.” Asana clenched her fists. Her own eyes were filled with tears of sorrow. Nevertheless, in a last desperate bid, Asana answered her friend, letting her thoughts flow out as they came to her. “Me too. I’ve always considered you a precious friend, Kyouko.” Kyouko’s face creased and crumpled even more. Then she spun around and ran out of the classroom. The look she gave Asana at the end was terribly sorrowful, and the emotion in her eyes was tragic and bitter. Asana fell to her knees. She could never again go back to being friends with Kyouko. Of course she couldn’t. She didn’t know how much Shinsuke had told her, but at the very least, Kyouko knew about Asana’s true nature. There was no way she could ask Kyouko to accept her, even knowing she was a monster. And yet. And yet she had hoped… She hoped the day would come when she could once again laugh with Kyouko, who, even after everything, had said, “I thought you were my best friend.” Can I believe that might happen? Can I be forgiven for having hope, even just a little bit? She felt like a monster for hurting Kyouko and for deceiving everyone. Asana spent a long time kneeling there in the classroom, alone. Sakuya slowly climbed the stairs, headed for Asana’s classroom. He was worried about Asana, who had said she was going to speak with Kyouko alone after school. He wanted to go to her and see how things were going. He hadn’t asked Asana what they were going to talk about specifically. Sakuya suspected it was the kind of thing he shouldn’t probe into too deeply. He made it to the top of the stairs and proceeded down the empty hallway. He wasn’t far from his destination. However, in the hallway, Sakuya ran unexpectedly into another girl. “You are…?” He came to a halt face-to-face with the young girl who was standing right in front of him, as if to block his way. “My name is Tomono Yuhata, Professor Shigure.” Tomono bowed elegantly with a prim, composed expression. Though everything else about her told him that she was still young, the way she carried herself was extremely bold. Sakuya was taken aback and stood motionless in the hall as Tomono stared him down with a stern, sharp look in her eye. He wondered why she was radiating such hostility. “It seems you are engaged to be married to my dear big sister Asana.” “Huh? Ah, yeah… Wait, where did you hear that?” “That doesn’t matter.” She ruthlessly disregarded Sakuya’s bewildered question. He wondered what she was going to do. Tomono pointed her finger directly at him and continued. “Listen up. You should know that if you hurt my big sister in any way, I will not stand for it.” “……” “Do you know how much it will hurt her if you don’t give up your womanizing? In fact, even now…” Tomono frowned as if she was in pain, eyes downcast. But she soon raised her gaze again. “At any rate, is it safe to assume you understand me? This is me asking you sincerely not to make my dear big sister cry with half-hearted sentiments.” Tomono finished her announcement, then briskly walked past Sakuya without waiting to hear his answer and proceeded down the stairs. What the hell is going on here? He was almost certain that this girl loved Asana dearly, but he got the feeling she might cause them a bit of trouble. He felt like he’d been censured, without any room for rebuttal, and it was not a particularly nice feeling. “Haaahhh.” After breathing out a single sigh, Sakuya resumed his trek to Asana’s classroom. When he peeked in through the open door, he saw Asana, kneeling there on the floor. “Asana?” Her slender shoulders shivered at the sound of Sakuya’s voice calling her name. Perhaps she was crying. He approached her quietly, but before Sakuya could say anything, she stood straight up and turned around to face him. “Professor. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to keep you waiting.” “No, you didn’t make me wait, but…” Asana’s eyebrows were low, and she was wearing a slightly feeble-looking smile. But there was no trace of tears in her eyes. Seeing her crumpled on the floor, he had assumed something had happened. However, Asana was especially good at hiding her feelings. “…Are you all right?” Sakuya asked. Honestly, he wasn’t sure what he should say, and his mouth had moved on its own before he could give it any deeper thought. However, although he had expected Asana’s expression to cloud over, she smiled as she always did. “Professor, please don’t coddle me.” “I’m not coddling you.” “You are. Because when you ask after me like that, it makes me want to depend on you even more… Professor, are you going home now?” “I think I have a little bit of work left to do. What will you do? It’s still early. Are you going to your usual spot after this?” Asana pondered the question briefly, then answered, “I’ll do that. It got all messed up by the rain, so I’d like to clean and tidy things up.” Sakuya recalled the atrocious state of the Mermaid’s Garden. Without a doubt, it would take quite a lot of labor to get it back to its pristine state. He decided he would go visit again and help with the work. The two of them walked to the staff room together. Asana didn’t say much along the way. But at one point, she muttered, “I think I’ve come to understand your feelings a little bit, Professor.” “My feelings?” “Your desire to trust someone because they’re your friend.” Sakuya figured she must be talking about what he had said to Shinsuke. Both Asana and Sakuya had their secrets, and neither of them had many close friends. Their situations were somewhat similar, and so she understood him. Friends were so precious to them, and they didn’t want to lose any. They hoped their friends would understand and wanted to believe in them until they did. Sakuya still wanted to be friends with Shinsuke. But his conduct had been utterly unforgivable. So Asana also split from Kyouko… Neither Asana nor Sakuya could live normal lives. The ties of obligation to their families and to their own fates constantly followed them around. They had no freedom, and it was difficult for them to trust people. Amid all that, they had each met one special friend, a person they really wanted to trust. It was painful to have to part from those people. He knew just how wretched Asana must have felt. “…I’ll come get you after I’m done with work. We can walk home together.” Asana had suffered through such solitude and now had a new pain to carry. From the bottom of his heart, Sakuya wanted to make her happy. I’ve got to find something I can do. And someday, they would both escape from the binding curse of fate that haunted them and walk through life as ordinary people. The first step was to change the Amamizu family. And preparations for that were already drawing to a close. Now then, I wonder when I should tell Asana about my other profession…? He gazed at the girl by his side. Their eyes met as she looked up at him alluringly. He was startled by the little smile he saw on Asana’s face. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt himself falling, hard, into a complex web of happy and anxious emotions. Sakuya smiled back.