“…ARE you really okay with not saying anything to Misaki?”
“Yes. I’m going through with Daddy’s request. Misaki will hate me if I tell him that I want to marry him after all. I was the one who broke up with him, and so that’s what I’m going to do—put an end to our relationship.” Standing in front of the police station, looking like she could burst into tears at any moment, Sayoko tried to muster a smile.
If Misaki found out that Sayoko harbors lingering feelings for him, it would cause him unnecessary pain. Sayoko was probably thinking that as an adult, she shouldn’t put him in that position. The more this dragged out, the more it would prevent Misaki from moving on.
After considering this, Mia inquired, “Hey, you’re going back to Kyoto after this, right? You must be in a hurry. Do you have some urgent business back home?”
“Ah, yes. I am going to meet my future husband tomorrow.”
“Wow, that sounds awfully rushed. By the way, when did your father first bring up the idea of the arranged marriage?”
“…Three days ago, I think.”
Three days ago?! Mia and Aya were shocked. This was way too sudden. Maybe he did it to cut off any potential routes of escape for her, but Mia felt her blood boil at the idea of a father who disregards his daughter’s feelings to such an extent.
“…I understand the respect and love you feel for your father, but isn’t he going too far? Why didn’t you say something to him, Sayoko?” Mia huffed.
“You’re right,” Sayoko breathed out in a small voice, looking at the ground. “I have two elder sisters. Both of them have married according to Father’s wishes. So, you see, how can I marry the man I choose, when they couldn’t? That would be terribly unfair. That was why I couldn’t disobey my daddy.”
“What the heck? How much does he rely on marriages of convenience, this old—Ah, um, never mind. Hmm, well, if both of your sisters married in this manner, I can see how it might be hard for you to marry for love.” Aya was about to blurt out her true thoughts on the matter, but managed to catch herself in time and steer her tirade into a more sympathetic vein.
Sayoko stretched her lips in a thin smile. “…Maybe things would have been different if I were strong like Mia. In the end, I’m just a coward who cares too much about what other people think of me, so this was the only option for me. …It’s fine, I’ve made my peace.”
Sayoko looked like she had given up on everything. Ever since Mia met her that morning, she had seen different expressions flicker across Sayoko’s face, and each time she saw a new one, she thought, “ah, so beautiful and refined”, but Mia found herself repulsed by the face she was making now. It was rubbing her the wrong way for some reason.
“Sayoko, if you were like me, what would you have done?”
“Huh?”
“I’m saying, if you had my personality, what would you have said to other people?” Mia pressed on growing more agitated by the second, her hands on her hips.
Sayoko seemed a bit scared of Mia’s aggressive behavior, but after thinking for a moment, she opened her mouth, “I would properly refuse Daddy’s plans for me, and tell Misaki I want us to get married, I think. But because I couldn’t say that, I’m in this situation now… Haha,” Sayoko let out a hollow laugh just as the bus was pulling up to the stop.
The bus was headed for the train station. Sayoko stepped inside as the doors slid open and glanced down from the window at Mia and Aya. “Thank you so much for everything. I’m glad I could talk about this, even for a little bit. I’m especially glad I got to talk to you, Mia. …Take care.”
The vehicle’s doors closed, and off it took, snorting out a cloud of exhaust fumes. Aya and Mia watched it grow smaller and smaller, until it disappeared from view completely.
“Ugh, all this doom and gloom, and for what? I hate it.”
“I know. Hehe, Mia, you’re so honest with your feelings. You’re such a cutie!”
“Cutie?! I fail to understand how you came to that conclusion! I do not understand Sayoko! If she wants to say something, she should just do that! But she is so hesitant and wishy-washy… Ugh! I feel so mad!”
Aya affectionately looked at Mia, who was blowing up with frustration. Mia still lacked understanding of the intricacies of romantic relationships. Being in love was not only a pure, untainted feeling. Inevitably, somewhere along the way, ugly, dirty, unseemly feelings would get mixed in.
It wasn’t as if she couldn’t understand Misaki’s position, but Aya felt that she could relate to Sayoko’s point of view better as a fellow woman.
“I can understand the feeling of wanting to test your partner. Women always crave being loved. We want to be told that our man wholeheartedly adores us, is devoted to us, that he loves only us. Even when a woman harbors no tender feelings towards someone, she still wants to hear that she is loved, one-sided as it might be. Pretty selfish, isn’t it?” Aya mused.
Mia screwed up her face, looking more and more lost as Aya spoke.
It was probably still too difficult to comprehend for a child like Mia. Aya patted her on the head as if to say, “you’ll get it in due time”, and looked back at the station.
“Ah, but… A lot of our boys are wimps, don’t you think? I thought Ren was a bit wimpy, but Misaki is above and beyond him.”
“Hm? Wimpy? What do you mean?”
“Hmm… Wimpy refers to when someone’s being pathetic. Ren’s acting pretty pathetic, right? He’s quick to hug you, and kiss you, and fuss over you, but he can’t bring himself to tell you the most important thing.”
“You mean about why he’s acting like that? He explained that his kisses are just a way to spite me.”
Aya dissolved into bright peals of laughter at that. “See, he’s a wimp, just like I said!”
Mia, not really understanding what that was about, frowned. “…I have to say, I do not like this. I wonder why that is. It’s not as if ordinary citizens are in trouble, but I feel so irked, I’m just itching to do something. I can’t let it end like this.”
If Sayoko had really come to say goodbye to Misaki, Mia wouldn’t feel this way. But this was different. Sayoko was about to step right over her feelings and enter into an arranged marriage. This was, of course, her life and her choice. Mia didn’t have to step in. Nonetheless, she wanted to do something. This strange contradiction took root in her heart, making her clench her fist decisively.
“So,” Aya stared at Mia with the corner of her lips quirked up in a small smile, “Wanna call a strategy meeting?”
“Strategy meeting?”
“Yeah. Misaki’s on duty, so he won’t be coming, but the rest of the gang should be able to gather. I’m sure everyone wants to do something too. Hence, a strategy meeting.” Aya beamed, her previous gloom all but gone.
Normally, this would be where Mia would angrily burst out about how she would rather die than have a strategy meeting with the enemy, but on this occasion, she allowed herself to give an enthusiastic nod.