After being thoroughly chewed out by Nozomu and Hazuki about the importance of her studies, especially if she wanted to work for an ordinary company, Hana returned to her room exhausted.
When Saku dropped by to see her, she was lying spread-eagle on the floor.
“Hey, welcome back,” she said.
He gazed down at her with fascination. “Welcome back? I’ve been in the house the whole time.”
“Oh yeah? This place is too massive to know who’s here and who’s not.”
“This is the main clan residence we’re talking about. It’s only natural that it gets a lot of foot traffic.”
Although the living quarters and visiting quarters were under the same roof, they were separate from one another. No strangers had ever come as far as Hana’s room.
The grounds were big enough to fit a baseball field with ease, which gave rise to the problem that it was impossible to tell who was on the premises. Granted, the visitors were rigorously logged, so there should be no need to worry on that front, and indeed, numerous practitioners came in and out of the residence every day.
Saku was usually on the premises so that he could direct the practitioners serving the clan. Not only was he the current head of the clan, but he was also an Obsidian-rank practitioner, after all.
He did leave the grounds when his expertise was required, and there was no shortage of high-risk cases that necessitated the skills of an Obsidian practitioner.
He regularly risked his life in his line of work, but because of his composure and aloofness, most people didn’t realize.
He bore responsibilities that were unimaginable for someone who was only twenty-four, but he didn’t show a hint of the pressure he was under.
That was part of what made him so incredible.
If it were Hana, she would have made it widely known exactly how much she was sacrificing to help others, but Saku performed his duties without fanfare.
She knew such stoicism was beyond her, which was why, even though they argued like cats and dogs, she respected him.
“…Thanks, Saku,” Hana said, still lying on the floor.
Saku smiled softly and sat down next to her. “What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”
“You helped Hazuki,” she said. “You became her guardian and let her live here. Seriously, thank you. I never imagined that we would be able to talk like regular sisters again.”
Hana and Hazuki had both worked hard to pretend they didn’t care about each other. She hadn’t tried to speak to Hazuki, nor had Hazuki spoken to her. They had merely been two strangers living in the same house. All along, she had assumed that even once she moved away from the Ichise house, the distance would never shrink.
However, her marriage to Saku had brought major changes to their relationship.
She had never imagined that Saku would consent to becoming Hazuki’s legal guardian, sister or not, and the ease with which he had agreed had shocked her.
He had stepped up to bat for Hazuki. By doing so, he had not only salvaged Hana and Hazuki’s relationship, but he had given Hazuki her future back when the Ichises had bled her dry.
“I can’t thank you enough,” Hana said.
“You don’t say?”
“Yeah. I owe it all to you. I wasn’t strong enough to free Hazuki from that house myself.”
“…In that case, I should receive an appropriate reward.”
“Huh?”
Saku smirked suggestively. The wicked expression set off alarms in her head, but before she could escape, he caught her and pinned her down.
Hana broke into a cold sweat. This was an extremely dangerous position.
“Wh-wh-what do you think you’re doing?!” she demanded.
“Can’t you tell by looking? I’m showing my love for my darling wife.”
“Thanks, but no thanks! Get off me already!”
“I. Don’t. Wanna. Don’t you think it’s about time for us to become a real couple? I know you’re thinking it,” he purred.
She shook her head fiercely. “Not even a little!”
But his hand was on her cheek, and she couldn’t get away.
“Hana…,” he murmured, way too seductively.
Hana’s head went blank with panic. She couldn’t run, but she wasn’t mentally prepared to take that next step, either. She wished more than anything she could just faint right here and now.
No. She sensed that blacking out here would only put her in more danger.
As Hana tried to push away Saku’s lips, which were rapidly nearing her face, the door to her room slid open.
“Hana, I put together some problems for you to…,” Hazuki said as she walked in.
She froze when she saw Hana with Saku hovering over her.
Hana went as still as a stone, too.
A strange tension filled the room.
Hazuki snapped out of her daze. Looking uncomfortable, she started to close the door. “Sorry to bother you. Please continue with what you were doing…”
“Nooo, hold on a sec, Hazuki!” Hana cried. “You’ve got it all wrong.”
“Does she? She said we should continue, so don’t mind her, Hana,” Saku said.
“Zip it, you!” she snapped.
Having recovered her spirit, Hana kicked Saku off her and scrambled to grab Hazuki as she backed out of the room.
“It’s a misunderstanding. I’m serious!”
“It’s hard to believe what you say given what I saw a second ago,” Hazuki said. “What happened to ‘contractual arrangement’? Didn’t you say you were going to get divorced?”
Hana opened her mouth to argue that they were married by contract, but Saku interrupted her. “It might have been a formality at first, but it’s different now. Hana and I are in love. Divorce is out of the question,” he declared with a smug look.
Hazuki threw a dubious look at Hana. It was like she suspected Hana of lying.
She read the room, and it was clear that Hana was at a disadvantage.
“Hazuki, can you step out for a moment? I need to speak with Saku,” Hana said.
“Sure,” Hazuki agreed, and she rushed out of the room like she couldn’t wait to be gone.
Once they were alone again, Hana turned a glare on Saku and growled, “Saku Ichinomiya.”
Her tone made it immensely clear that she was furious. She stomped up to him and grabbed him by the collar.
“What nonsense are you spouting to Hazuki?! You’re going to give her the wrong idea!”
“How is it wrong? It’s the truth. I have no intention of divorcing you.”
“Stop that. I don’t want to hear it…”
She was worn out having the same old argument again and again.
“Then let me ask you.” He fixed her with a solemn stare. “Are you really fine with leaving me?”
She flinched at the intensity of his gaze.
“You could really divorce me without any regrets?”
“I—I…” She couldn’t bring herself to continue. “…”
Saku reached his hand toward the silent Hana. “I don’t intend to take anyone else but you as my bride.”
“—…”
A flush rose to her cheeks. He shed his serious mask for a devilish grin. In the next moment, he drew her face toward him and touched his lips to hers.
The kiss was fleeting, but it was enough to throw her off balance.
Saku chuckled. “Heh-heh, only a little longer now.”
“U-until what?!”
“Until you’re head over heels for me.”
“Nope, nuh-uh! Never gonna happen! I’m gonna be a normal office worker and live out my golden years in peace.”
“You seriously still intend to find work outside the clan?” Saku said, a trace of astonishment in his voice.
“Of course!”
There were no other options open to her.
“Why not join the Association right after you graduate? They’ve been nudging me about you. Obsidian rank is not a pipe dream for you, and I’m not just saying that to flatter you.”
“No. Way.” Being a practitioner was out of the question. “Spare me. I want to live a life free of shades and grow old in the countryside somewhere.”
“The countryside… How lovely. Shall I purchase a nice plot of land? There are the shikigami to consider, too, so it’ll have to be suitably spacious.”
“Why does it sound like you’re planning to come with me? Or am I just imagining it?”
“What are you talking about? Of course I’m going with you. I’m your husband.”
“Please, no. I’m begging you,” Hana moaned.
Saku sidled up to her with a wide grin on his face. “What? Do you want another kiss?”
“No thank you,” she refused.
Shot down point-blank, he clicked his tongue rudely at her, but facing his irritation was a small price to pay.
Saku’s kisses made her brain overload, and she ended up unable to think of anything else but him…
However, Hana sensed that admitting as much would put her in a dicey position, so she was determined to keep it a secret.