Hana was lazing about in her own room after their discussion. Her thoughts were occupied by Yanagi’s confession.
She hadn’t imagined their family had been embroiled in such a struggle before she had been born. She now knew that there was a reason for her father’s animosity toward her.
That said, knowing was hardly enough to make her suddenly warm up to her parents.
If anything, she only felt more anger toward her father, and it was growing stronger as time passed. She didn’t know where to release her pent-up rage.
“I won’t feel better until I punch him,” she said.
But alongside her anger was disbelief.
“Who would have thought he has an insect shikigami, too?” she muttered to herself.
In that case, had he also been ridiculed for being a good-for-nothing like she had been?
After the birth of his talented son, had he suffered from the comparisons?
Question after question popped into her head.
“What’s with this feeling…?”
She felt an inexplicable unrest swirling in her heart.
That was when Saku came into her room.
Hana sat up from her prone position on the floor.
“You okay?” he asked.
“What do you mean?” she replied.
It wasn’t as if anything had been done to her.
She had merely listened to Yanagi’s story.
Granted, just remembering what he had talked about was enough to make her feel nauseated.
“Did you know?” Hana asked. “About the Ichises’ situation?”
“I found out recently. I judged that it was too heavy a burden for Yanagi to bear alone, so I created an opportunity for him to talk to you and Hazuki. Did I stick my nose in where it didn’t belong?”
“Yes, but maybe it was for the best.” She paused. There was an air of sadness around her when she began to speak again. “I never knew… I never knew why my parents—my father in particular—hated me so much. True, I was a failure compared to Hazuki, but now that I think about it, there are plenty of people with insects as shikigami, right?”
“Yeah.”
Practitioners summoned their shikigami for the first time when they turned ten.
However, since they were still children, yet to mature fully, many of the produced shikigami were insects.
Over time, their powers strengthened, and they created new shikigami.
Just like Hana. Once she had awoken to her powers, she had summoned Aoi and Miyabi. Human shikigami were the rarest of the rare, but on the other hand, an insect shikigami was hardly proof that a practitioner was talentless.
Of course, it was undeniable that practitioners with insect shikigami were looked down upon. However, it had been premature to jump to conclusions just because she had summoned a butterfly.
There were even practitioners who used the bare minimum power during the process in order to create an insect shikigami on purpose because they were easier to control.
In Hana’s case, because Hazuki had been next to her and had summoned a human shikigami, and because she herself had shown no signs of growth, she had been called worthless and her sister’s scraps. However, a weak insect shikigami did not equate to having no skill as a practitioner.
But her parents had treated Hana as the villain.
“I understand his feelings of inferiority, but to me, he is a failure as a father and as the head of the house,” Hana said.
“I agree.”
As the master of an insect shikigami—just like Hana—he should have understood her feelings and extended a helping hand instead of turning his back on her…
She might have been able to breathe easier in the Ichise house.
She might have gotten along with her brother.
Hana couldn’t stop thinking about the what-ifs.
She hugged her knees to her chest and buried her face in them.
Saku came closer to her and stroked her hair gently.
She couldn’t remember her parents petting her head even once, but Saku did it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Are you feeling down?” he asked.
“It’s not that, but I feel restless,” she admitted. She felt antsy when she thought about Yanagi, too.
Hana was glad they had talked. She had never known the reason her parents hated her and had blamed herself for being a failure. She used to pour her heart into her studies, working herself to the bone in the hopes that her parents would look her way.
Not realizing it was wasted effort.
Saku was right. The Ichise siblings needed to use their words more.
“I have you to thank…,” Hana said.
She finally knew the reason behind her mistreatment in the Ichise house.
If Saku hadn’t stepped in, Yanagi would likely have kept the knowledge a secret.
Saku was still stroking her hair. He pulled her head toward his chest. She felt like she could already hear his heartbeat.
Normally, Hana would have resisted, but just this once, she couldn’t muster the will. She let her head be guided to rest on his chest.
She soaked in his pleasant warmth.
Saku chuckled. “This isn’t like you. You usually fight me tooth and nail.”
“Don’t talk about me like I’m some sort of vicious brute,” she said sulkily.
He laughed. “There’s your usual bite. If you have something to say, say it. Sticking together in tough times, that’s what it means to be husband and wife.”
He continued petting her head, which leaned against his chest. His hand was gentle and soothed the turmoil in Hana’s heart.
When had Saku become a place of repose for her?
The one who was most surprised to notice the truth was Hana herself.
Hana abruptly tilted her head up and locked eyes with Saku.
“I…might like you.”
The confession slipped out of her mouth without any prompting.
Once the words were out of her mouth, she found herself badly embarrassed and hid her face from Saku.
However, she immediately became anxious to see his reaction and peeked up at him.
He did not seem about to tease her and was watching her with gentle and fond eyes.
“You’ve finally caught on to my charms,” he said.
Hana was amazed that, even in a situation like this, he was such an egomaniac. She grabbed his face.
“That hurts,” he complained.
“Where do you get your bottomless confidence from?”
She was peeved that she was the only one who seemed to be nervous. She had expected a bigger reaction from him, but he was acting surprisingly normal.
But this was par for the course for the two of them.
“What can I say? I was born extraordinary,” Saku bragged.
Hana stared at him coolly. “Aren’t you embarrassed to say that about yourself?”
He was unaffected by the scorn in her gaze.
Saku’s bluster and arrogance drove away the indescribable unrest she had been feeling.
“Whenever I talk to you, everything else starts to feel trivial,” Hana said.
“That’s good. Worrying alone won’t solve anything. At times like this, you should come to a genius like me for help.”
“Stop making fun of me! I’m way smarter than you.”
“Says the one failing all her courses. Even in my rebel days, I never had a red mark.”
Nestled against each other, Hana and Saku continued to argue.
Their equilibrium had been restored.
Even as they shrieked at each other, their expressions were soft.