With so many school buildings partially destroyed by the explosions, classes were canceled for the time being, leaving Hana with plenty of time to lounge around at the mansion.
She was happy that she had come out of an incident injury-free for once, but Mio shot her down by shouting, “Being uninjured should be the norm!”
And to be sure, she was right. Hana had gotten injured too many times since marrying Saku. She wondered if this could serve as grounds for divorce, but she wavered on whether to discuss it with a lawyer.
Plus, while she didn’t get injured, she was exposed to something far more dangerous in the form of that curse, so Saku and Mio were even more worried about her than usual. As such, she was told to stay within the mansion to fully recover. Being stuck inside was inconvenient, but a life of eating and sleeping wasn’t half bad, so Hana regressed into an even greater slob as the days went by.
During that time, Yanagi and Hazuki came over to visit.
Back when Hana had found Yanagi, the large amount of blood made it look like he’d been heavily injured, but his wounds were lighter than they first appeared. The amount of blood lost was just because it was a head wound. Hana was relieved that it hadn’t been anything serious.
Since he’d been attacked from behind, Yanagi never thought that his assailant would have been Kazura, so he said it was quite a shock once he heard the details after waking up.
Speaking of Kazura, he would be placed under Association watch. The deaths of the Skull of Nirvana members, the missing Nijouin practitioner, whether he really even cut a deal to sneak into the Association Headquarters—the Association had a mountain of questions they wanted to ask him. Besides, the very existence of practitioners was top secret, so they couldn’t let him be judged by government laws or let him catch the death penalty. He’d have those power-suppressing talismans stuck on him and stay in confinement to the grave.
Hana had some complex feelings about that when she heard it from Saku. By no means were any of them sympathy or pity, of course; Hana wasn’t such a bleeding heart that she’d spare those feelings for someone who’d caused the chaos he had.
But when she thought of all the people he’d been close to, she found it a bit hard to reconcile. Kazura betrayed all those people. Did Kazura maybe have nobody he held dear?
It was a visit from Botan a few days prior that first gave her those thoughts. She hadn’t come to give more excuses to Hana, but instead to apologize for the trouble that a Yotsukado associate had caused. Of course, the Yotsukado clan lord had already stopped by to apologize to Saku directly, but this was a personal apology Botan wanted to make to Hana separately.
Along with her apology, Botan said, “Thank you for stopping Kazura.”
Botan lowered her head to Hana with sadness in her eyes. Hana accepted the apology; she didn’t think Botan was at fault to begin with.
“That hit of yours really did work wonders.”
As she said that, Botan rubbed the cheek that Hana had slapped during the festival and smiled.
“As you said, I will strive to retain my dignity as a Yotsukado.”
Sadness still dwelled within her eyes, but so did a powerful light. Hana couldn’t help but smile as she saw Botan off. She had a feeling their relationship would be a bit more laid-back the next time they met, which she was now starting to look forward to.
Hana sat in her room and got lost in thought; frequently, her thoughts circled around Kazura. The situation felt like it was over, and yet somehow not. For whatever reason, Hana couldn’t quite put it behind her.
Just then Saku entered her room and sat shoulder to shoulder with her.
“So Kazura… Do you think he had anyone he cared about? Like, Botan loved him so much, and being the strongest Obsidian-rank practitioner meant he must have had plenty of people look up to him, right? But he didn’t bat an eye as he watched people nearly die, and it felt like he only thought of other people as tools, even Botan. Was there really not a single person connected to him who he kept in his thoughts?”
“Beats me. Only Kazura himself knows what’s in his own heart.”
“Fair enough…”
Hana glanced gently at Saku.
“Saku, are you okay? You trusted him, right?”
“Good question… True, I certainly trusted him. He was someone I respected and was a goal I wanted to overcome. That’s why this incident really has made me feel betrayed. But at the same time, I’m the Ichinomiya clan lord. I slacked off on my duty to be an impartial leader and instead relied on my feelings, so this incident has been a wake-up call as well.”
Hana could hear the regret and frustration in Saku’s sullen voice.
“I’m a failure as a clan lord.”
Saku sneered at himself, his expression lifeless. He was surely beating himself up over the damage that’d been incurred as a result of his own poor judgment.
To comfort Saku and ease his burden, Hana rested her head atop his shoulder.
“Sure, you might be the Ichinomiya clan lord, but you’re a human being first. Humans make mistakes. As long as you don’t make the same one twice, you’re fine.”
“This whole ordeal has made me rethink whether I have any right being a clan lord.”
“That’s not the Saku I know. If nothing else, you’re way more suited to the job than that guy who only thinks about himself.”
Just remembering how Kazura only thought of others as tools irritated Hana.
“I know you’re always taking your responsibility head-on. Watching you makes me realize that’s the spirit a barrier master needs to serve their country. That’s why I believe in you as a clan lord.”
“Is that so?”
Saku finally gave a small smile, though he turned serious again soon after.
“Anyway, Hana. You were a huge help this time. Well, not just this time. You’re always stepping in to save me.”
“What, now you notice?”
Hana giggled, but Saku’s expression seemed calm, with a hint of loneliness. He then held Hana’s head close.
“If you stay my wife, you’ll surely be exposed to more danger. I wish I could say I’ll always be by your side to rescue you from whoever would do you harm, but I’m the Ichinomiya clan lord. My number one priority always has to be my duty as a barrier master. That might end up putting you in even more danger.”
“Okay…”
Hana knew all of that full well. And she was fine with Saku making that choice; there was nobody more dashing to her than Saku when he fully embraced his duty as the Ichinomiya clan lord.
“If the time comes when I have to choose between you and the country, I may choose to abandon you. But I still want to be with you, Hana. So please stay by my side.”
Hana had to laugh at seeing Saku plead with a vulnerability she rarely saw from him.
“Don’t be silly. I’m not some princess who needs to be protected. I’m not that weak. If I were trapped atop a tower and you never came to my rescue, I’d bust out on my own, so don’t worry.”
“You sure are reliable.”
“Damn right I am. That’s why you don’t need to bother keeping me in mind. Just think about how to live up to your role as clan lord.”
Hana refused to let anyone say she was holding them back.
“You don’t come across partners as forgiving as me every day. If it weren’t for me, you might not have found anyone who could’ve handled being your bride.”
Hana smiled half-jokingly. When she did, Saku leaned forward and pinned her down. Hana quickly saw something that made her wince—Saku’s old, indomitable smile. Into what garbage can had he tossed that vulnerability from a moment ago?
“I’m so glad to see how seriously you take this, Hana. It’s like you’re begging me to take you right now.”
“It isn’t at all!”
“Come now, don’t be shy. I know exactly how you feel.”
“I get the feeling you dooon’t!!!”
Saku’s face closed in, and he kissed Hana on the cheek. After watching her go beet red, he went for the lips next.
That much was just barely tolerable, but Saku suddenly had a glint in his eyes like he was a beast staring down his prey, and Hana felt she was in imminent danger. So she screamed loud enough to be heard throughout the mansion.
Not long after, her shikigami scampered in to save her.
“What do you think you’re doing to Master?! Hands off, dammit!”
“Master, are you all right?!”
There were still unanswered questions and unresolved concerns, but Hana had to chuckle at having her life at the mansion back to normal.