Chapter 8: The Lady Bewildered
IT had been a string of nothing but misfortune since I awoke that morning.
My cell phone battery died during the night, so my alarm never went off, I couldn’t seem to comb out my bedhead, and I had run out of the tea leaves I intended to have with my breakfast.
Not only that, but even my TV horoscope said today would feature “unforeseen happenings! Be sure to stay home for good luck!” Now, I didn’t just buy whatever the horoscopes said, but so many bad things had already happened that it was enough to bring me down.
And then, the pièce de résistance: dance practice was canceled.
“Good morning, Urara. Oboro just informed me that dance practice is canceled today.”
“Shizuku, good morning. That’s awfully sudden, isn’t it?”
“He said cleaners were coming to clean the studio today. He wished he could have given us sooner notice.”
Aww. I would have liked to get in there and stretch my body to relieve some stress, so this was a disappointment.
Not only that, but we had five days left until the competition, so we were supposed to begin polishing our performances, but if the studio was getting cleaned, there really was nothing to be done about it.
“I suppose now I’m free today,” I said to myself as I hung up the house phone. My sharp-eared sister rushed over to me immediately after.
“Hey, Sis! Did I hear you’re free today? Let’s go do something fun, then!”
The way she grabbed my hands and gazed up at me pleadingly was so cute. I realized then that I had been so busy with equestrian and dance practice that I had barely spent any time with Kirara.
Shizuku said she had made plans to go out with her family today since they were all off for Obon, so I wanted to spend time with my family as well. That being said, Mother and Father still had to work, so that left only Kirara.
“Good idea. Let’s go out,” I said, stroking her soft hair. She giggled, then scrambled upstairs to get ready.
While we were waiting at the bus stop, I suddenly remembered my brother.
“What about Haruto? I haven’t seen him since this morning.”
All the troubles of the morning and getting ready to go out had kept me so busy that I hadn’t checked the living room for him. He was usually home, but I hadn’t seen him all day.
“Perhaps he went to practice?” I guessed. “But I thought clubs were supposed to be on break, too.”
“I dunno. But he left pretty early carrying all his kendo stuff.”
When I asked what time he left, Kirara told me it was before we would have gone to school.
Where exactly was he going to practice at that hour? I had a hunch, but the bus arrived before that hunch could fully blossom into an idea, so I shifted my attention. It hadn’t been that long since I had been downtown, but still, perhaps because of the holiday, there were many more people this time around.
I was always uncomfortable in crowds. Kirara was the opposite. All the people gave her life, and she was running to and fro, looking at the different shops. Trying to keep up with her was a challenge.
Finally satisfied after looking through several stores, Kirara led me to a charming little café.
“Over here! I saw it in a magazine!”
“...Kirara, this might not be the best idea, though?”
Just beyond its charming exterior were long lines and crowds of people. Apparently, the wait time was over an hour. I was just about to suggest we give up when I heard a familiar voice from behind me.
“Oh, is that you, Urara? What are you in line for?”
“Mr. Agatsuru?”
That voice belonged to the grizzly ma—I mean, Mr. Agatsuru. Actually his beard was gone now, so any resemblance to a bear was gone as well.
“What a pleasant surprise, running into you here. Perhaps it was fate?”
Without his facial hair, Mr. Agatsuru could have been Shimozuru’s brother rather than his cousin.
The mature allure Mr. Agatsuru had, coupled with that air of success about him, attracted a great deal of attention, with just a hint of jealousy.
“I don’t think it was fate. Your boutique is nearby, isn’t it?”
He fixed me with a gaze, then burst into laughter. “That is true. But I also designed this café, so it’s only natural for me to be here as well.”
So this place Kirara so badly wanted to visit was also the work of Mr. Agatsuru. Shimozuru’s family really was something to marvel at.
“Would you like to come in? For you, I’ll gladly have them get you a seat.”
As soon as he said that, I heard Kirara squeal with delight. But we couldn’t possibly accept.
“But there are so many others waiting. We’ll just come another time. Right, Kirara?” I said. Kirara, knowing I wouldn’t budge, nodded, looking despondent.
“You’re just as I’ve heard you were.”
“I apologize for being so rigid.”
“I think it’s rather noble of you. Or perhaps I should say, pure-hearted?”
He used a rather exaggerated term to describe my diffidence.
And anyway, I thought noble was more appropriate for someone like Lady Chouko. Perhaps that thought shown on my face, because Mr. Agatsuru proceeded to ask me about her.
“By the way, weren’t you supposed to meet up with Chouko and the others?”
“Was I?!”
We didn’t have any such plans, at least not that I knew of. Come to think of it, I hadn’t heard from her since that day at his boutique.
“Oh? I was sure Chouko was going to meet someone named Tendou. Maybe it was my mistake?”
Wh-Which Tendou could that be...?
“Did Chouko really say that? That she was going to meet a Tendou?”
I was shocked at his words, and perhaps my tone was a tad biting, as he took a step back, surprised.
“No, I told Oboro that I had finished making the dress alterations and that I wanted him to bring you both by today. He said he had other business to take care of. When I pushed him to prioritize you girls…”
“He told you Chouko was going to meet with Tendou?” I finished for him.
“Yes, yes. He just ended up asking me if we could have you try on the dresses tomorrow instead. He didn’t tell you?”
No one had said anything to me. Not that I minded going to the boutique tomorrow. It was the reasoning behind it that bothered me.
“Plans to see Chouko...”
The pounding in my heart was getting louder. Perhaps Mr. Agatsuru had misheard. But coupled with what he said about the dress alterations, the Tendou in question had to be me.
And then I remembered. Lady Chouko had met another Tendou. Just once.
“...Haruto!”
“Huh, Haru? Where?”
As soon as I said his name, Kirara began looking around.
“No, Kirara. Not here. You said he left with his kendo gear, right?”
“Yes. He took off with it on his bike like he always does.”
If he left on his bike, there were plenty of places he could have gone, but if he had his gear, that meant one of two destinations. Either his middle school gym, or the kendo dojo where he practiced—
Wait. Based on their conversation the other day, he had attended the same dojo as Shinmyou and Mikazuki. And the same one as Lady Chouko. How could my admittedly small social circle have so easily overlapped with Haruto’s? My heart was pounding faster and faster. I couldn’t simply stand here any longer.
“I’m sorry, Kirara. I just remembered something. I know it’s a little early, but let’s go on home.”
“Aww, but it’s been so long since we got to hang out. Do we have to? There’s so many places I still wanna go.”
I felt terrible, but I couldn’t leave things as they were. I had to hurry up and find out what was going on.
Kirara grumbled and I tried to comfort her, but luckily Mr. Agatsuru stepped in to save the day.
“Urara, you’re the only one who needs to go, right? If so, we could keep an eye on your sister for you.”
“Really?”
I hadn’t noticed that the lady from the other day who had helped me try on clothes was standing next to Mr. Agatsuru.
“I mean, you wouldn’t be leaving if I hadn’t said anything, so it’s the least I can do. I’ll make sure to get her home.”
“We could have our own fashion show,” the lady from the shop whispered to Kirara.
After seeing so many pictures our mother had taken in her youth in cosplay, Kirara had a soft spot for glamorous clothes. She gave me a pleading look, one that was hard to refuse. I glanced at Mr. Agatsuru.
“Leave it to us.”
I decided to accept. I had always had a good feeling about Mr. Agatsuru.
“I apologize for asking. But is it really all right?”
“I apologize for sticking my nose in your business. Now, come along, young lady.”
“Okay.”
I warned Kirara not to cause any trouble, then took off for the kendo dojo.
I hoped against hope that my fears were unwarranted as I sped off.
✦ ✦ ✦
☾☾☾
FINALLY, I reached the dojo, despite it having been so long since I last visited.
The last time I had come, I remember hearing the din of children practicing. But today, the only commotion I could hear was the sound of crickets.
Thinking I had worried for nothing, I breathed a sigh of relief. However, my reprieve was only momentary, as I recognized a familiar black car on the other side of the road. Wasn’t that the same car that belonged to Lady Chouko’s family? The one she used to take me to that rose garden? I stared into the driver’s seat. The driver noticed me and quickly started the engine.
So Lady Chouko was here. Likely with Haruto.
I rushed over to the building. I grabbed the lattice beneath an open window and pulled myself up, peering in to see who was there. As I did, I could see two people in kendo armor facing off against each other, their bamboo swords at the ready.
I could tell one of them was Haruto right away. His armor was familiar, right down to the name “Tendou” embroidered on the strip that hung down from it.
Then there was his opponent. His opponent’s uniform was bright white, a strong contrast to Haruto’s, which was dyed indigo. They were both in position, their swords in alignment.
I couldn’t see beneath the mask, but that slender form had to be—
“Chouko!”
I shouted without meaning to, but my voice echoed in time with Mikazuki’s “Begin!”
Both combatants eased into a standing position, their eyes locked on one another as they tried to read the other’s movements.
As I watched, questions flooded my mind. Why were they doing this?