Chapter 7: The Lady Has a Meeting
ARITOMO had her driver take us to her house for tea.
Seeing her enormous mansion surrounded by a vast yard and ornate gate made me truly realize just how rich Aritomo actually was.
The way she carried herself didn’t lend itself to that image, but her manor made me rethink my preconceptions. I felt guilty for misjudging her.
Aritomo led me up to her spacious, well-adorned room, where we were quickly served tea.
“Welcome to our home. Oh my, Shizuku, you never told me you had such a lovely friend,” her mother said, greeting me with a simple smile.
“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Urara Tendou. I apologize for showing up unannounced,” I replied.
“We’re fine, Mom,” Aritomo said, taking the tea and chasing her mother out of the room. Her mother looked disappointed, as if she had more to say.
“Your mother seems lovely. And your house is wonderful. It’s so big.”
“Really? Thanks. I mean, Mom’s kinda chatty, but I’m happy to hear you like it here,” Aritomo said flippantly, but she was blushing. It was clear to me she and her mother had a good relationship. Her eyes twinkled as she gave a broad grin. “The truth is, this place is pretty small for someone attending St. Delia’s.”
Really? If that was true, what would people think of my house? Based on what I saw earlier, mine was likely the size of her garage.
Without question, my house had to be the smallest of any student’s at St. Delia’s.
Well, I am a commoner, so it’s just right for me. I drank my tea as I continued turning those thoughts over in my mind.
The tea hit the spot after working up a sweat. I know it wasn’t polite, but I drank it in one go. I heaved a satisfied sigh.
“Hey, Urara,” Aritomo began, her face serious.
“Yes, what is it?”
“Who exactly...are you?”
It was a good thing I had finished drinking. If I’d had any tea left in my mouth, I’d have spewed it back out.
“Wh-Who am I...? I don’t know how else to respond but with my name...”
“Yeah, I know your name. I found that much out during my investigation.”
The way she said “investigation” so bluntly amazed me.
I knew people couldn’t understand why I carried myself the way I did without due cause, but I also didn’t think it so strange that it merited an inquest.
“I’m sorry for looking into you without asking,” she said, gazing up at me.
“It’s in the past...” I said, unsure of how else to respond.
“Look, this isn’t something I would normally do to a friend... It was before we saw each other as friends, so it really doesn’t count, now, does it?”
I truly appreciated her candor.
“It’s just, you were such a mystery to me. I mean, Tsukuyomi and the others likely researched you more than I did.”
“Uh-huh...”
Shinmyou had suggested I was hiding something. Surely he had been checking into my background as well.
“It’s an undeniable truth that you were born and raised a commoner. But you act so refined. I think anyone would find that strange.”
Perhaps...
“I mean, how can you dance so well when you’ve never studied it before?”
...it’s time...
“So I just have to ask...”
...to tell her.
“Who in the world...”
I quickly stood up before she could finish.
I grabbed the hem of my old dress. Bending deep at the waist and lowering my head to her as elegantly as possible, I introduced myself, speaking as clearly as possible.
“I...I am Annerosa Ortegamo. In my past life, I was the eldest daughter of Count Ortegamo of the Kingdom of Lacrofine, in a world apart from our current one.”
There was only complete silence and stillness.
Aritomo’s eyes were like saucers. She clearly had not expected an answer like this. Her mouth opened and closed rapidly. Was she breathing okay? I awaited her reaction, concerned and unable to move.
“Did you hear me...? Aritomo...?”
I couldn’t stand the silence for very long and so tried to prod a response out of her. She held up her left hand, signaling for me to give her a moment.
She lifted her yet untouched tea with her right hand and drained the cup in one gulp.
“Huhhh?! Hey, this is roasted green tea!”
Yes... I, too, had been surprised her mother had used a tiny teacup for roasted green tea.
“Aw, come on, what are you doing, Mom?! Make us black tea next time!”
She leaped to her feet, her cheeks bright red, but the look on her face told me she likely wasn’t genuinely angry.
“Well, it was delicious. Your mother is quite good at making tea.”
“...Well, if you say so, Urara... Ah well...” She flopped down on her sofa for one and gave a long sigh. “I see. I thought that might be the case.”
I don’t know if it was the roasted green tea that had calmed her, but she was finally returning to her usual self.
“I considered that possibility when nothing came of my investigation. That maybe the reason you weren’t telling me anything was because you had been reincarnated like I had.”
It was natural only because we were in the same situation. It wasn’t something that would normally come out.
“It was just, how do I put this...? You didn’t seem to have some ulterior motive for behaving the way you did, and though you quickly got caught up in what I was doing, you didn’t behave like a usual NPC.”
Oh, so she actually realized she was dragging me into things?
“But I never...NEVER expected that you had also been reincarnated from a completely different world. ...Pf...haha!”
“Right. I never thought I’d been reincarnated into an otome game, either. ...Hahaha!”
We both glanced at each other and immediately burst into laughter.
Neither of us could stop laughing for a long while.
“Well, speaking of your life in another world, the fact that you were actual nobility makes you the very definition of a lady.”
The very definition?
“I’m not making fun of you. It just means you’re the ultimate example, a perfect lady.”
It felt strange being called that. After all, in this life, I was born and raised a commoner.
I looked out of the corner of my eye and realized she was staring at me.
“You do have an uncanny talent for dance, horseback riding, and piano, but it’s your manners that are especially perfect. The way you exude elegance, no matter how hard you insist you’re just a commoner, no one will ever completely believe you.”
She was as good at reading my mind as ever.
“Hmm... Still...”
“Yeah! No matter how much I looked into your background, all I could find was proof that you were nothing more than a commoner. That’s why everyone is so baffled.”
I knew that. That was why Shinmyou treated me with such reservations.
“So does that mean everyone views me with suspicion?”
The thought made me a bit sad.
Lady Chouko...that’s right. Lady Chouko said she wanted me to explain it to her someday. Had she asked me that because she was skeptical of me? The thought alone made my heart ache.
“Wha? I don’t think that’s the case,” she said, quickly denying it. “I think they’re curious because they don’t understand you, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they find you suspicious.”
“I see.”
“Saku acted weird toward you because, well, that’s who he is. Probably.”
Who he was? I didn’t want to push too hard, so I sat silently listening to Aritomo’s appraisal of the situation. Lately I had been realizing she tended to be spot-on about many things.
“But, I mean, I guess most people wouldn’t believe you if you told them you were reincarnated, so I guess you gotta be a little vague. You know, revel in that sense of mystery.”
...I stand corrected.
“...Wh-What?!” she asked when I eyed her funny.
“No, I’m just amazed at how quickly you told me,” I said with a laugh.
She clicked her tongue. “But it worked out, right? I mean, neither of us have any other friends we could spill our guts to about this stuff, right?”
“That’s true...”
“Right! Well, that’s enough of that for now. I’m satisfied just knowing how it is you can be the very definition of a proper lady. Let’s focus on enjoying the last challenge for now,” she said, sounding exhilarated. Then she used a phone in her room to call for more tea.
I had also kept the truth of my reincarnation locked away inside, so being able to actually share it with someone left me feeling lighter, too.
However, I still wasn’t sure whether it was safe to tell Lady Chouko. Maybe it was better to keep it to myself as Aritomo suggested for now? When I tried to picture how she might respond, my chest began to hurt.
I shook my head, trying desperately to clear away the gloom forming in my heart, and then I remembered the argument that had broken out between the boys. I had been whisked away by Aritomo, but what happened to Haruto?
“Sometimes it’s best to let boys settle things among themselves. They get so caught up, they probably wouldn’t even notice if we tried to step in.”
“...You’re right.”
They had been discussing someone I must not have known. If I had poked around for more information about this old guy friend, I might have only made things worse.
“Sometimes it’s best not to pry.”
“Right. Just let it be. They might all be better off if we do.”
“I certainly hope so.”
“More importantly, let’s talk about our dance steps.”
As we sat drinking our refilled tea and eating the snacks that had been delivered, we began chatting about dancing. We were both getting excited.
But I couldn’t let my concerns about Haruto and the others go.