Hana didn’t know how Saku had changed since his student days. Had he changed for the better or for the worse? Well, Hana only had to look at how Yukizasa was cracking up to know, so she said nothing and continued with her meal.
When she’d finished eating, Hana rubbed her full tummy with a look of satisfaction on her face.
“Whew, that was a lotta food. I couldn’t eat another bite!”
“You overdid it. Show some restraint for once.”
“I’m impressed you put all that away. Did I make a mistake by giving you that ticket? I’m worried you’ll start living at that café…”
It was no wonder that Saku and Yukizasa were so fed up; after Hana cleaned up every crumb of her gourmet full-course meal, she ordered seconds of luxurious desserts three more times. Her stomach was filled to the brim.
“Okay, I’m happy. Let’s go home.”
“Hold on, now!”
Hana tried to leave, but Saku hurriedly stopped her.
“What?”
“You’re leaving already?”
“Shouldn’t I?”
“Why do you think I made you keep your shikigami at home? We’re already out together, so let’s stop by some other spots.”
Hana already had a full stomach, so she had absolutely no problem with going straight home… If anything, she wanted to get out of there, but the look in Saku’s eyes told her she had no such option.
“Ooh, count me in!”
“You go home.”
Yukizasa playfully tried to tag along, but Saku just shot him a cold glare.
“C’mon, what’s the harm?”
“You’d get in the way. I already told you, this is a date! I tolerated you at dinner, but for the rest of the night, we need some alone time as a couple.”
“Awww…”
Yukizasa looked disappointed, though he was also clearly getting a kick out of the expressions on Saku’s face. Hana could applaud how amicably these old friends bantered with each other, but she really wished she had the option of not being a part of it.
Just then a voice called out to the three.
“Lord Ichinomiya. Sankourou.”
Hearing their names called, Saku and Yukizasa put their conversation on hold. They glanced over to see two girls walking toward them, their ages probably just around Hana’s. Both of them had beautiful faces.
“Botan…”
“Oh, well, if it ain’t the Yotsukado’s Botan and Seiran!”
“It’s been some time, you two.”
The girl named Botan smiled pleasantly at Saku and Yukizasa. Her smile was refined, suggesting that she had a very high-society upbringing. Her long, halo-topped hair, which reached down to her hips, didn’t appear to have the slightest hint of damage, and it was so smooth and shiny that she looked like she was on her way to film a shampoo commercial. Her mannerisms were beautiful from head to toe; she looked like a lady of wealth through and through. Her eyes were a tad sharp, but that just made her seem all the classier, so her expression was hardly out of place.
Following a step behind her was a girl who had the dignified air of a fairy-tale princess’s loyal knight, with the long bangs of her otherwise short hair parted straight down the center. Refraining from taking the spotlight away from her escort, she gave Saku and Yukizasa a deep, silent bow.
“Quite the coincidence for us to meet in a place such as this.”
“Sure is. Have you been well?”
“Why yes, of course. A pleasure to see that you are as well, Lord Ichinomiya.”
Hana could also feel the rich-girl energy pouring off Botan when she spoke. The other girl was definitely not the type of person Hana saw on a regular basis.
“I’ve been told that Sankourou has reached Obsidian rank, so I must offer my congratulations.”
“Awww, thanks!”
She seemed pretty familiar with Saku and Yukizasa. If nothing else, her saying “Obsidian rank” confirmed that she came from a practitioner family. And she had to have some high status to so casually chat up a clan lord and a future clan lord, of all people.
Hana stared at Botan intently, until all of a sudden, their gazes happened to meet, and Botan switched to a spiteful glare.
“Huh?”
Hana was so confused as to what she’d done to warrant a glare that she was less shocked and more dumbfounded. Saku then patted Hana on the back and pushed her forward.
“Hana, this is Botan Yotsukado. As you can guess from her name, she’s the daughter of one of the five clans, Yotsukado. She was about the same age as Nozomu last I saw, so she should be the same age as you now.”
“Oh!”
Hana had thought she seemed high society, and it turned out that that was exactly where she came from. Being the daughter of a main family put her in the same position as Kikyou, but Hana had some mixed feelings as she compared how different two main clan well-to-do ladies could be. She felt bad about putting Kikyou down, but in terms of first impressions, this Botan girl seemed much more like what she expected a high-class daughter of a main clan to be. Hana had a hard time imagining the fretful Kikyou as a girl belonging to such a celebrated clan, much less as a candidate to be that clan’s next lord.
Before Hana could ask if Botan was also a candidate to be the next lord of her clan, Saku introduced the girl standing behind Botan.
“This other person is Seiran Shidou. She’s the daughter of a branch family that has served the Yotsukado clan for generations. She’s been with Botan since they were little.”
Once her introduction had finished, Seiran bowed to Hana. Her gesture was beautiful—she’d obviously been very well trained to have good manners.
“I am Seiran Shidou. Please feel free to call me Seiran.”
Hana scrambled to bow her own head.
“Oh, nice to meet you. I’m Hana.”
Hana never learned etiquette, so lowering her head like this was the most she could do. Botan gave a small chuckle at her attempt, like she was taking Hana for a fool.
“Lord Ichinomiya, who might this commoner be?”
“Com…moner…”
Okay, it was true the Ichise family, which Hana was born into, might have been considered commoners when comparing them to the five clans, but they were definitely better off than the average household. And all that aside, calling someone you’ve only just met a “commoner” was an astounding show of rudeness. Hana was a bit irritated, but she couldn’t exactly make a scene in front of the esteemed daughter of the Yotsukado clan, so she forced a smile instead.
“This is Hana. My bride.”
“Oh my, is that so? I assumed that someone so homely and poor-mannered simply had to be yet another one of those unsightly insects that always seem to buzz about you. In that case, I do suggest you have her brush up on her etiquette.”
It seemed like this girl was trying to pick a fight. Hana forced herself to smile even harder as she prepared to oblige with a two-for-one special on knuckle sandwiches, but Saku interjected with a sigh.