# 049. Hikaru ga Chikyuu ni Itakoro......

## 01. Volume 1 - "Aoi"

### 001. Chapter 1: Aren't You Already Dead?

Uwaa... Why are they all girls?

Koremitsu Akagi surveyed the funeral, dumbfounded.

The combination of a high-class blazer and a black shirt composed the uniform of Koremitsu’s school, Heian Academy. There were also other uniforms at Heian like a one-piece, sailor uniforms, vests, bolero jackets with ribbons - so many that it was shocking, the girls in attendance wearing all kinds of distinct outfit.

But that was not all there was for Koremitsu to see.

There was a female university student presently in her own stylish black attire, screaming grievously.

“Hikaru! Hikaru!”

A sorrowful woman stood alongside the student, carrying an air of scholarship about her secretarial appearance, and she covered her face with a handkerchief as her shoulders quivered uncontrollably. Behind stood an opulent lady awash in tears, her eyes fixing the ground. Together in the crowd was a young girl who seemed to be a primary school student, and she was no exception with eyes swollen red, filled in tears.

Koremitsu used the school’s bulletin board to check the funeral’s date beforehand. However, he soon regretted coming along at all.

Among the weeping girls stood a high schooler with messy red hair, his back bent, glowering sharp eyes and a frown, making him look an obtrusive sight to be seen.

Those attending the funeral would occasionally glance suspiciously at Koremitsu Akagi.

Even the fellow girls of Heian Academy uniform were alarmed, wondering why the markedly infamous freshman was in attendance.

In spite of their discomfort, none of them dared to ask why he had come. They bit their lips and pretended to look at something asquint, averting their eyes uncomfortably to walk away.

Even if anyone were to ask Koremitsu the obvious, he himself couldn’t supply an answer.

Really, why must I come to the funeral of this bastard who lived such an abundant life, when I never even talked to him much?

Hikaru Mikado’s portrait was placed above some white sandalwood incense at the front of the hall, the space filled with mourners.

Hikaru’s corpse lay among the crowd like an angel, with a smile on his face and adornment from tulips, lilies, and carnations.

He had a slender face, the nose delicate and lips plump; his skin was an immaculate white and each of his irises possessed a crystalline transparency. These qualities lent themselves to an effeminate purity and sweetness in Hikaru Mikado’s resting body.

When they first met, Koremitsu wondered why a girl would be wearing a boy’s uniform at school.

This was thought only before Koremitsu learned that this very affable boy with unique voice was known to others as the ‘Imperial Prince’ of the school.

He was not simply the school’s ‘Prince’, but its ‘Imperial Prince’, a title befitting the elegance of ‘Lord Hikaru’ much better. Female middle school graduates and newly-enrolled high schoolers were chatting dreamily about Hikaru Mikado in this vein, and that was how Koremitsu learned of Hikaru’s place in Heian.

All the same, he was extremely popular, and many girls even started liking him when he was a student in the affiliated kindergarten.

Even in this school full of rich peers, his family background and wealth were considered outstanding. Despite this, he showed the same abundant affections and tenderness to every last girl.

“As expected, that guy is some handsome dude I have no affinity with whatsoever.”

That was what Koremitsu thought before meeting Hikaru.

But, for some reason, Hikaru Mikado called out to Koremitsu with a grin when they met for the first time.

“There’s something I want to ask you.”

Koremitsu felt there was something wrong with Hikaru’s statement back then.

He came to question whether he heard things wrongly after Koremitsu was told of Hikaru’s death before those words made sense to him.

It was said that Hikaru drowned in a flood caused by heavy rain while staying at a resort in Shinshu, during the Golden Week.

Even though they had merely exchanged a few words, the fact that Hikaru died at the young age of 15 was a huge shock to Koremitsu, making him aware once again of how life was not permanent - how fleeting it was. He recalled his father’s death and felt bitter in his heart.

Koremitsu harboured such complicated, incomprehensible feelings as he went to Hikaru’s funeral under the soft rains.

Koremitsu sat on the pipe chairs indoors with a forlorn expression, vacantly staring at the funeral leader surrounded by women’s anguished sobbing.

Hikaru was a beautiful child.

He was such a kind child.

He was a little stubborn, but I can’t bring myself to hate him for it.

He was a child who looked like he could carry all the happiness in the world.

Everyone present was mourning and weeping for this young man and his premature death.

The funerary songs of remembrance fell upon Koremitsu’s ears.

He really understood too little about this deceased person, and it was difficult for Koremitsu to understand the mourners’ feelings.

He was awash in waves of sadness, feeling annoyance, guilt, and unease.

At this moment, he noticed a woman sitting in a seat reserved for relatives.

She appeared young.

She was probably in her early twenties or so.

Her body was so frail-looking that she seemed like a flower about to snap at any time, and she was neither wearing a one-piece nor black kimono. Her hair was tied back.

The moment she entered Koremitsu’s vision, he held his breath from the sheer impact of what he saw.

Mikado...?

At that moment, he had the wrong impression that Hikaru Mikado himself was sitting before him.

She bore a shocking resemblance to Hikaru.

Her smooth, silky hair looked golden under the light; she had milky white skin, a subtle yet elegant nose, lips like petals and a slender neck.

Is she Hikaru’s older sister...?

The woman slowly smiled.

Those tears continued rolling down her delicate face, but the ends of her lips curled up a little.

It was a tranquil, pleasing smile.

Hers was a smile that did not fit a funeral scene. Koremitsu stood in front of the sandalwood incense, his nostrils heavy with its smell, and he gazed at her half-mesmerized.

Why...is she smiling?

She’s smiling so beautifully, so—happily.

Why, at his funeral...?

This woman who looked like Hikaru’s sister showed a smile that lasted for such a brief moment it felt like an illusion.

Koremitsu was so rapt by the display that he was beginning to space out. Before he could, a sharp voice in the crowd interrupted his thoughts.

“HE’S JUST A DAMN IDIOT!”

Startled, he glanced over at the source of the voice.

A girl wearing Heian Academy uniform was standing in front of Hikaru’s mourning post.

Her long, black hair was left behind her head, tied with black ribbon. She gave off a childish vibe, looking quite the refined princess. As she clenched her fists she could not help but shudder, her large eyes almost appeared to emit an aura of furious contempt as she angrily stared at Hikaru’s smiling portrait.

She let out scathing words from contrastingly quivering lips.

“YOU’RE REALLY AN IDIOT FOR DROWNING IN A RIVER LIKE THAT! THAT’S SO EMBARRASSING! I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE STABBED TO DEATH BY A WOMAN! IT’S BECAUSE YOU’RE TOO MUCH OF A PLAYBOY THAT KARMA STRUCK BACK!”

“Don’t do this, Aoi.”

Instantaneously, a taller girl wearing the same uniform walked over. She grabbed her by the shoulder, clearly wanting to take her outside.

Prompted by the suggestive hand, “Aoi” lifted her head to see Hikaru’s portrait again.

The side of her pallid, stiff face caused Koremitsu’s heart to skip a beat.

It was a face mixed with anger, anguish and bitterness. A dangerous expression—

The young girl howled in disdain.

“YOU LIAR!”

Koremitsu felt like his heart was stabbed by a sharp spear.

In fact, he even felt a sharp pang inside.

Whoa there...what kind of carnage is this?

The place fell silent for a moment to regain its relative clamour moments later.

Folks started murmuring about what had just happened to one another.

Liar—

Koremitsu’s mind was still thinking about her begrudging tone and her angry, yet pained expression.

Liar.

Mikado’s innocent face was right before her, but what could still have caused him to be told off like that?

“Liar.” The word painfully reverberated in Koremitsu’s ears.

Even though Hikaru was dead, she continued to vent her frustration on him. Exactly what kind of relationship did she have with him?

Exactly what kind of lie did Hikaru tell?

Well...it has nothing to do with me anyway...

The prayer recital started, and the place became thick in a solemn atmosphere.

The woman who looked so very similar to Hikaru, still sitting in the chair designated for family members, kept her head lowered.

The girl with the black ribbon who had been lambasting Hikaru started to fade away from Koremitsu’s mind.

When it was his turn to offer incense, he held onto the sandalwood, closed his eyes and lowered his head.

What exactly did he mean when he said ‘There’s something I want to ask of you’?

However, there was a question that he just couldn’t get his mind off of.

Of course, it was impossible for Hikaru’s corpse in the coffin to give any answers.

Once the funeral ended, Koremitsu left. It was still raining outside - the weather dark and humid.

It’s so troublesome to carry an umbrella around...

He trod through the wet ground as he walked out.

—Mr. Akagi.

For a moment, Koremitsu thought he heard someone call his name.

He stopped in his tracks and looked back.

...Maybe I’m just hearing things.

There were two girls in school uniform behind him - the ones who were demanding the funeral’s attention moments ago - their shoulders now cringing, their bodies shivering as they sunk in the soppy ground.

Koremitsu felt an acute bitterness at their spectacle, and arching his back he continued away with a step.

Why is it that such a vulgar person had to visit Mr Hikaru’s funeral?

Koremitsu clicked his tongue, hearing the funeral’s disapproving murmur of the girls behind him.

There were people in this world who were easily misunderstood.

The fifteen years of misfortune Koremitsu Akagi suffered was primarily due to his appearance.

He looked like he was brooding all the time, his eyes were often lowered and held an air of arrogance and derision, the mouth curled downward with unhappiness.

He had a stiff face that hinted of nothing amicable. His appearance was ominous - a sharp complexion, an arched spine, his scraggy body, and unkempt red-brown hair made him appear as though a complete delinquent should.

He replayed the host of misunderstandings he had experienced growing up.

When he was in kindergarten, students were scared of Koremitsu’s savage expression and would back away from him in any social exchange. During his entrance ceremony in primary school, the girl sitting beside Koremitsu suddenly broke into wailing, and the other children nearby started to cry as well after noticing her, causing a raucous uproar of tearful children.

As things turned out, Koremitsu was accused of bullying the girl, and the mothers would teach their children not to play with him. Consequentially, Koremitsu lived a lonely life.

During middle school, Koremitsu got tangled with some upperclassmen hanging around empty lots on the school compound. In the process of getting away from them, he inadvertently earned himself the monikers of ‘The King of Fighting’, ‘The King of Delinquents,’ and similar designations. With these names, he came to be viewed as a dangerous person. Koremitsu resultantly could not make a single friend in middle school.

And then, there was that unforgettable graduation ceremony.

While his classmates cried to one another as they parted ways, Koremitsu was isolated by them, an outcast left alone among the wilting sakura trees. There he thought to himself, “ I can’t let this continue.”

Once Koremitsu entered high school, he made it his priority to forge new friendships to avoid the scornful pain of being called ‘Red Devil’, ‘The Man of Disaster’, ‘The Savage-looking, Wild Dog’, and other things.

That was what he decided.

However, on the day before the high school entrance ceremony, Koremitsu got hit by a truck at an intersection with lots of traffic, and abruptly found himself hospitalized for a month to recuperate.

After the accident, Koremitsu’s aunt, who was also his guardian, went into a frenzy.

“Why do you get involved in one trouble after another! It was a miracle that you managed to pass the exam of a prestigious private school locally, and yet you ruin it by excusing yourself from the ceremony for the hospital? Even primary schoolers don’t get run over on crosswalks!”

And went on a furious display.

Koremitsu would finally be released from grim life in a hospital bed, and the time had come for that eventful day where he could come to his new school for the first time.

He had a crutch tucked under his right armpit, his left hand in a cast, and his head wrapped in bandages as he walked down the long courtyard corridor.

“Damn it...where the heck is the staff room?”

He wanted to ask for directions, but everyone frantically parted aside at his sight, and before realizing it, Koremitsu had come upon a place devoid of that great mass of humanity in the halls.

It was a large courtyard, where beautiful trees were neatly arranged, stones of all shapes and sizes bedighted the verdant landscape, and even sparkling bodies of water were found throughout.

Heian Academy was a school of remarkable fame that offered an integrated program of enrollment from its affiliated kindergarten to the university, and its dignitaries spent great sums of wealth specifically creating the courtyard.

During the previous winter, he came to Heian school for an entrance exam and was simply astounded by the school’s cleanliness and courtyard. He thought that since he could enter such a prestigious school, he would not have to face those upperclassmen who would go crazy without warning and pull out the knives from their modified uniforms and that he could look forward to getting along with his classmates.

However, people were sure to keep their distance from him when Koremitsu entered this new school for the first time, and even ended up lost.

Damn it...everyone’s judging each other based on looks.

They’re saying my parents got me into this school through Mafia connections - that I fought some sort of delinquent army from another school and nearly killed them all, and that I was hospitalized as a result.

Hey, I can hear your insults! If you want to badmouth me like that, do it somewhere I can’t hear it, okay!? I deserve to be treated with the bare minimum of manners, do you hear me!?

Sulkily, he proceeded down the corridor, his crutch sounding a tap with each start forward to accentuate his gait.

There seemed to be someone standing in the shadow of a pillar in front of him.

The person was simply standing there and looked like he was simply leaning on the pillar. He was wearing a blazer and slacks— is he a guy?

The morning sunlight that shone into the atrium lit this soft hair, radiating a golden brilliance from his profile.

Why was such a person standing at this place so early in the morning?

Anyway, Koremitsu felt saved by the sight of this lone figure.

He wanted to approach them to ask where the office was, but they turned toward Koremitsu before he could start.

Huh? A girl?

The person had a softly delicate face, and therewith confusion struck Koremitsu. He wondered why a girl should be wearing a boy’s uniform

No, wait, that’s a guy– right?

Their clear eyes narrowed, and a warm smile splayed across their remarkably amiable countenance. The person’s fine lips started to move.

“Mr Akagi.”

They let out a sweet voice.

Their voice almost held an allurement, as it reached the ears softly and gently, almost feeling like it had penetrated the very core of his essence. Koremitsu instantaneously froze.

“You’re the first year, Mr Koremitsu Akagi. This is the first time you’re stepping into the school, right?”

“...How do you know my name?”

Koremitsu eyed the boy wearily. Hikaru continued without a hint of dishonesty.

“Any freshmen like yourself would become the talk around here. It’s said that you fought against a delinquent army, beat ten opponents to near death, became the 27th gang leader and the legendary ‘King of the Delinquents’. It’s also said that the injuries you sustained were marks of honor from battle, right?”

There was no one who dared to approach Koremitsu and talk, let alone someone who did not fear him, facing him head on and exposing a blissful smile.

That was why Koremitsu felt somewhat puzzled instead of upset over being called a gang leader here.

For some reason, the boy felt he could really talk with someone called a gang leader so nonchalantly...

For someone who looked like a girl, he sure has guts, huh? Or is he just slow? Or is he planning something?

Koremitsu told Hikaru the truth - that his face of a rebel’s was something he was born with, that the injuries were a result of him being knocked down by a truck, that there were really no gang leaders around, and that he was not a delinquent.

“Then why did you block the truck with your body?”

He met the earnest question sidelong.

“...A coincidence.”

“That makes quite the coincidence!”

“It can’t be helped. It was just that - coincidental.”

“Hmm, but I don’t think a truck like that is something you could run into accidentally.”

“...”

He really didn’t want to talk about the incident.

To Koremitsu, who was not used to having others talk to him, the way this boy spoke to him so naturally caused him to feel butterflies in his stomach.

The manner in which the boy looked back at him was like he was staring at a rare animal on exhibition, and it felt repulsive.

“...Where’s the staff room?”

Koremitsu curtly inquired this original intent of starting the conversation with the boy to end the butterflies presently aflutter in his gut, but the other person did not seem to mind.

“Head straight down, and at the end, turn left, go up the stairs, and onto the second level.”

And he even guided Koremitsu.

“Oh, I see.”

The sound of the pine crutch clattered again, and as they were to pass by each other inside, Koremitsu had his name called again.

“Mr Akagi, I forgot my Classics textbook today. Can you please lend me yours?”

Huh?

Koremitsu stopped thinking for a moment.

Why ask me to lend a textbook all of a sudden?

Koremitsu turned around and saw the other person staring right at him with his clear eyes.

“...Our class doesn’t have Classics today.”

He answered as he tried to guess the other person’s intention.

“Eh, that’s too bad.”

He mused, giving off a meaningful smile,

“Then, I’ll come over to your class to borrow your textbook then, Mr Akagi. There’s something I want to ask of you, too.”

“Something you want to ask of me? What is it?”

It escalated from a simple request for borrowing a textbook to a request of personal favor, and this suspicious segue caused Koremitsu to frown.

“I’m Hikaru Mikado of Class 1. See you next time.”

He waved his arm widely and walked off to the courtyard.

The image of that dazzling smile, a smile he thought brilliant as the sun, etched itself deeply into Koremitsu's mind.

“Kyah! Lord Hikaru!” “Good morning, Master Hikaru!” The girls’ jubilant yells could be heard from the other side of a forest.

Koremitsu could only look stunned as he listened to the screams fade in the distance.

That was one week ago.

A week later, Koremitsu, who had his cast and crutch removed, saw the girls crying and wailing as he entered school, and heard the news that “‘Lord Hikaru’ has died.”

In the end, Mikado never borrowed the textbook from me, and we only managed to talk once.

The road was dark, and the rain caused Koremitsu’s vision to blur on his walk home.

He had been thinking about Hikaru’s situation ever since the moment he left the funeral parlor.

There’s nothing I can do...

Their sole meeting left a huge impact on Koremitsu, and the events of the funeral added to this experience.

Still, Koremitsu understood practically nothing about the person named Hikaru Mikado. Koremitsu still found himself thoroughly captivated by his casual attitude, his equally earnest demeanor and smile; it all remained an enigma.

What kind of person was Hikaru like, in reality?

If that guy didn’t die, if he’s still alive...will he really come over to borrow my textbook?

He will open the classroom door forcefully, give a radiant smile,

“Mr Akagi! I forgot my textbook!”

And it'll be in a cheery tone, I guess?

This scene flashed through his mind in an instant, and his very core seared with a grating sensation. Perhaps this was the little sadness he had for the life of a 15 year old who had his life ended.

The downpour grew stronger.

The wooden home his grandfather built was located away from city center, a place functioning as a calligraphy house. By the time he got back, his messy red hair was sticking on his eyelids and ears.

He opened the main entrance, and in the doorway his aunt Koharu stood, holding some coarse salt.

“Koremitsu, turn your back around!”

She ordered him sternly.

Koharu would normally dress herself up in a jersey with rolled up sleeves and hem, her hair neatly tied behind her head with grace. A divorcée, she had returned home to work on an internet marketplace business on the computer. At this point, she, Koremitsu and his grandfather were the only people living together.

He followed what she said and turned around, and soon after, the sound of salt being sprinkled on him rang.

Isn’t this too much salt for purification? Are you trying to marinate me with salt?!

But even though he thought so, he chose to remain silent in light of the fact that the highest seat of authority in the household was gradually transferring from his grandfather over to his uncle, he chose to remain silent.

“Alright, turn around again.”

He turned around, and a large helping of salt was sprinkled on his legs. His sopping wet clothes became littered with salt grains.

“The water in the bath is boiled. Go in a wash. Once you’re done, have dinner, and don’t dily-daly around.”

She spoke with masculine tone.

Suddenly, there was a snicker from behind.

“Mr Akagi‘s sister really seems to be violent and interesting. And she looks just like you.”

“Hm?”

At that moment, Koremitsu stopped in his tracks.

What is it?

He thought he heard some unfamiliar voice here....

No, I probably misheard.

Koremitsu thought that he was tired as he was not used to attending funerals. Taking the towel Koharu handed over, he put it over his head and went on towards the bathroom.

After a soak in the bath, his body would feel relieved, and his mind refreshed.

He took off his blazer, undid the buttons of the damp and uncomfortable shirt, and took off his chaps.

The moment he opened the glass door of the bathroom, he heard that sweet voice ring again.

"Heh - you look rather lean, but those muscles make you look much different from me. As expected of the king of the delinquents."

I'm not a delinquent.

No, before arguing back, who was the person talking to him just now?

His grandfather's voice was not this young, and his voice was too mild to be Koharu's.

"If I strip myself naked now, most of them will say that I'm pretty, look like a girl and have white silky skin or something. That really hurts my pride as a man here."

The voice seemed to be taunting him as its charming lure fell upon Koremitsu’s ears. This sweet voice seemed oddly similar to the voice of the boy he heard when they met in the corridor.

However, that boy should have died several days ago; Koremitsu did attend the funeral earlier that day and even burned incense.

"Your arms are rather lean too, but they sure look firm. That's my ideal size there."

Can a hallucination actually last this long here?

The voice felt so clear too, as if it was coming down from just above his head—

Incidentally, Koremitsu shifted his head to that direction, and in the next moment, screamed.

“UWWAAAHHH!!?”

How!? That boy with an angelic face - dressed in school uniform! Hikaru Mikado!

At the ceiling of the bathroom! Surrounded by steam!

He was floating in the air!

“Uh, huh? Are you able to see me here, Mr Akagi?”

With the possibility realized, Hikaru’s levitating body let out a cheer.

His hair, which looked golden with light partially filtered through its locks, lifted by a stray breeze as it swayed atop Hikaru’s small head.

Koremitsu grabbed the edge of the bathtub, his mouth still agape - his chin looked like it was going to fall to the ground. Hikaru reflexively widened his eyes peering down upon him. Hikaru’s vaporous figure seemed just like an angel’s, descended onto the Earth before Koremitsu. If he swapped his uniform for a bathrobe, the scintillating radiance could be to blindening effect.

Koremitsu met Hikaru’s eyes, panting in conflict with the incredulity of it all.

“Are– aren’t you already dead...?”

With no delay, his aunt Koharu slid open the glass panel and yelled into the bathhouse.

“What is it, Koremitsu!? Did you fall and hit your head? Don’t tell me you have to be hospitalized again!”

In her right hand was the kitchen knife, manifestly because she was halfway through with the preparation of dinner.

“Ko-Koharu...there...”

Koremitsu shuddered as he pointed to the ceiling.

There was an effeminate specter in uniform floating before them. It was unknown if Hikaru was naturally genteel or if he went out of his way to treat girls so kindly, as he showed a smile for Koharu.

If she were a girl in her teens, she would have melted like a soft-serve. Her voice was yet somehow fraught with a tone suggestive of murderous intent as she derided Koremitsu for this commotion.

“Hah!? Did a cockroach stick on you? You’re not a girl. Don’t yap around like that because of such a small thing.”

“Can’t you see!?”

“Well, I can’t see any cockroach or centipede from here.”

Isn’t there a guy wearing school uniform here!?

He wanted to yell it, but disposed of the thought after seeing her expression, signaling she might swing the menacing cooking knife upon him without hesitation.

Koharu shut the glass door and left.

“That’s a fierce older sister you have.”

Hikaru glazed over the fact that his trademark smile was ineffective as he said this.

Meanwhile, in Koremitsu’s mind.

Calm down... Calm down...

Koremitsu repeated this to himself as he frantically sought the composure to figure out what was happening.

Hikaru Mikado, who should, by all means, be dead, appeared quite alive in Koremitsu’s very bathroom.

He had legs, but his wispy body floated in the air.

And Hikaru was not visible to Koharu.

Koremitsu looked tentatively toward the mirror on the bathroom wall, saw that there was only his naked self. reflected with a haze of steam, and looked back to Hikaru again.

He was still there.

Koremitsu again looked at the mirror.

The red-haired, wiry boy with menacing eyes went pale to the image he saw.

“Well, Mr Akagi.”

The voice closed in.

“!”

Koremitsu turned, seeing Hikaru behind him like a pet trainer ready for work with an overexcited canine, who said calmly.

“It’s just like what you said, Mr Akagi. I truly am dead now. This is why I feel this form must be my ghost.”

Hikaru paused in contemplation.

“Yes, this much has to be the case. I’m not too sure of what it means to be a ghost, but I feel I am even without knowing a strict definition. I prefer the feeling of a fantastical existence over some convoluted science fiction, so it’s better this way. You should see me in this light, too, Mr Akagi.”

What good is that? How can you be so convinced you’re right!? A dead person suddenly appearing before the living is simply a fantasy to you!? This is a disturbance of reality, not imagination!

He felt this wave of derision in his heart, but Koremitsu did not express it.

The only time when he actually believed in ghosts was in his days as a fledgling in school—a product of immaturity. Withal, the mirror’s reflection bereft of a certain Hikaru still remained.

Koremitsu became tangled in the conflicted twine of common sense and observation.

“Here, have a look.”

Hikaru reached his white, slender hand to touch Koremitsu’s. It passed through him, and the skin and bone went through to the other side.

Koremitsu held in a powerful compellence to shriek. He did not want to see the sight of someone else’s hand passing through his like that. It was all too illogical to him. He had goosebumps all over his body as if there crept a centipede on his back.

Koremitsu reeled the shaken hand back to his chest, breathed a series of deep breaths, and said, “A—assuming that this is reality, and I’m not a ghost, even if you are a ghost, why must you appear in my bathroom?”

They were not friends.

They were not classmates at all.

They merely had that single interaction at Heian.

Hikaru gave a stunningly captivating look with those clear eyes to Koremitsu.

“It’s not sudden at all. I’ve been above you ever since you were at the funeral parlor. I called you ‘Mr Akagi’ during the funeral, and you looked back, remember?”

Koremitsu stupefied over Hikaru’s words.

It was true that I felt someone calling me when I was returning home. So this guy here has been floating above my head ever since that moment!? Has he been tailing me from behind when I walked home!?

“At that moment, I was wondering if I was stuck on you, Mr Akagi. Of course, that’s in occult terms.”

“Oi! Why me? What did I do to incur your vengeance? Did you want to become the 27 th chief or something? You want to fight me because I surpassed you? Did you talk to me on the corridor because of this? In that case, I’ll give that position to you. You can call yourself whatever you want here. Or I can go engrave it on your tombstone too, with a carving knife.”

Koremitsu’s forehead had crossed veins popping with agitation. Hikaru made a relaxed smile as he replied.

“Not at all. I don’t have a grudge with you at all.”

“Then why?”

Koremitsu eyed him, Hikaru returning the gaze shamelessly.

“Didn’t we have a promise?”

“Huh?”

Koremitsu was dumbfounded.

What promise?

“I had something I wanted to ask of you when I approached you to borrow the textbook.”

A charming grin splayed across Hikaru’s face as he looked at Koremitsu.

Koremitsu did not care about his awkwardness as he leaned his body forward to view Hikaru.

“Hey, what is it that you requested me for?”

Ever since he heard of Hikaru’s death, Koremitsu could not help but feel bothered by it, as if there were a bone stuck in his throat.

What was the “matter” Hikaru wanted to tell him of?

Hikaru requested him, someone, he did not know, someone whom he had met for the first time.

Hikaru requested Koremitsu, someone who was infamous for being a savage delinquent - someone others would shy away from.

Hikaru’s smile disappeared, and his expression turned to sadness. He averted his gaze and fell silent with Koremitsu’s question.

“...”

Hey, why isn’t he saying anything now? Why does he look so upset?

Koremitsu became impatient with Hikaru’s now-solemn expression.

He felt an uncomfortable cold sweat as he awaited a reason behind the silence. At this moment, Hikaru curled his lips and gave a thin smile.

“About that...forget about it.”

He muttered it softly.

“Huh!? What does that mean!?”

Koremitsu’s tone had inadvertently become gruff. The situation developed into something Hikaru would feel bad about, so the forcefulness of Koremitsu’s reply came to be lamentable.

“Don’t try to pull a fast one on me. You’d better tell me the truth here.”

Koremitsu puffed his cheeks as Hikaru clapped his powdery white hands together and apologized.

“I’m sorry. Actually, I think I had a little memory loss when I died. I can’t remember now.”

Are you kidding me!?

Koremitsu shot him an interrogative stare, Hikaru smiling back once more.

“However, it’s rare to have such a promise, and since we’ve met even after my death, I would like to ask you for another request.”

“Another request, you say!?”

Hikaru nodded obediently.

“Yes. I’m definitely stuck with you, so I hope that I can get your help here.”

Hikaru’s eyes peered into Koremitsu with an inexplicable gravity - like everything in the vicinity would succumb to their power.

The prince of the school.

Koremitsu could finally understand why everyone at school gave Hikaru this nickname; it was beseeming of his majestic, regal presence.

—I can be forgiven by anyone no matter what I do.

Koremitsu nearly agreed to do anything the other party wanted after beholding their lovely grin.

Not good!

He did not know why, but his instincts rang alarm from deep within.

He had the vexatious feeling that he would be pulled along by Hikaru’s front if things kept up. The realization jolted through him like lightning.

“Koremitsu! How long are you going to talk to yourself in the bathroom like that!? Have you become friends with the cockroach!? Get out once you’re done!”

Koharu had again slammed the glass panel open to yell.

“Oh, okay.”

Koremitsu hurriedly reached down to retrieve a bucket for covering his lower body.

“...She says I’m a cockroach?”

Hikaru mused, seemingly devastated by this.

“Wow! A Chabudai. To think that it still exists in Japan.”

While Koremitsu, Koharu and his grandfather were having dinner in the dining room, Hikaru floated about the house - seeming everything the princely magnate who had happened upon a lowly peasant’s home. He would exclaim whatever he could spot, observing with wide eyes each room’s contents, exposing an unaffected smile as he roamed.

“Ah, the yam’s cooked! It looks really delicious oily like this~ So good. It has that motherly flair to it. I want to try it out too~”

Koremitsu, who started to grab his chopsticks to cater to his salivating tongue, felt his hunger partially subsided with the famished set of eyes probing him at the table.

Aren’t you a ghost? You can’t eat.

Koremitsu wanted to speak, but he stopped himself after seeing Koharu and his grandfather continue their meal with their usual expressions.

Looks like gramps and Koharu really can’t see this.

The recurred proof of his situation caused another headache for Koremitsu.

“Hey, this piece of calligraphy is written expertly. Who wrote it?”

Gramps.

“What’s this raccoon decoration here for?”

Who knows?

“Ah, this sliding door is covered by sticking Washi over it. Ah, here too! Did you repair them by yourselves? That’s very handy of you.”

Don’t go cooing over such minor things.

Taking his chopsticks again, he grimaced at Hikaru.

“Koremitsu, what have you been looking at since just now?”

Koharu asked the question, not for an answer but to give Koremitsu a warning. Koremitsu’s venerable grandfather, having been born before the war, also lectured him.

“Don’t drop rice all over the place. You’ll get divine retribution.”

Koremitsu cringed his neck.

Hikaru was meanwhile admiring the sliding door with fascination, “Ah, this is covered up with chiyogami and cut in the shape of a tortoise shell...”

Koremitsu thought that this was all Hikaru was doing.

“Mr Akagi, Kokeshi Dolls! The Kokeshi Dolls are lined up. Do you collect them? They’re really cute! These narrow eyes are really a form of Japanese Beauty!”

Here Hikaru was thrilled over sundry baubles again.

Shut up over there! You’re already dead!

Koremitsu had stopped himself from speaking out of irritation for another time that day.

He would be troubled if Hikaru’s airy form might squat in a room of the house as a baleful ghost seeking vengeance for a misdeed.

Either way, he felt the need to make haste in taking Hikaru out of his sight, lest Koharu and his grandfather misunderstand anything more.

Koremitsu would normally eat an extra serving of rice for dinner, but that luxury had to be forgone.

“I’m going away.”

He let out a low growl as he muttered, “Why act so cool when you’re just returning to your own room here? You want to go raid a yakuza base or something here!?”

Koharu had yapped something back.

“First, sit down before we begin.”

Koremitsu returned to his room, closed the door, threw a cushion onto the tatami and ordered Hikaru.

“Mr Akagi, I am happy that you’re inviting me with a cushion as well, but I don’t suppose there’s any significance in giving me a cushion. However, I do understand your intentions.”

Hikaru bent his knees slightly over the cushion as he floated in the air.

Koremitsu started.

“WHO’S WELCOMING YOU HERE!? THE HAIRS ON MY BACK ARE STANDING WHEN YOU’RE FLOATING IN FRONT OF ME LIKE THIS. AT LEAST PUT YOUR FEET—no, wait, knees on the floor—ANYWAY, IF YOU WANT ME TO LISTEN TO YOU HERE, YOU’D BETTER SHOW ME THAT YOU’RE SINCERELY TRYING TO ASK ME HERE!”

Koremitsu’s face had changed colors as he yelled.

“Okay, I understand.”

Unexpectedly, Hikaru knelt down onto the floor and put his knees together to sit properly on the cushion.

Even so, he was practically sitting in a ‘Seiza’, and his back looked straighter than Koremitsu’s, who sat with his back arched. It was perfect other than the fact that the cushion did not sink at all.

“Is this good? Are you willing to listen to me now?”

Hikaru flashed his trademark smile of allure.

How do I say this? This guy...can really mess up my rhythm.

Koremitsu thought as he sat cross-legged on the floor.

“Well, I’ll just hear you out now.”

“If possible, I hope that you can help me, too. Actually, there is a girl I can’t let go of in my heart. Her birthday’s coming soon, and on the last day of Golden Week, I sent a letter attached with Lilacs to her home.”

Why must you use plant stems to tie the envelope? Can’t you send her a phone message?

Koremitsu was perplexed.

Then, Hikaru’s eyes and lips looked like they were emitting sweetness as he read aloud the envelope’s contents.

In a letter, he wrote, “This is the first present. I prepared another 6 gifts for your birthday. Please look forward to it.”

Are women greedy enough not to be satisfied without receiving 7 gifts? Don’t you have to spend lots of money if you have to give 7 gifts for every birthday? Before we even talk about that, how were you able to think of what 7 presents to give?

To Koremitsu, gift giving for a lady was a concept from another dimension.

Hikaru seemed melancholy now.

“As you can see, I’m already dead, and I’m unable to fulfill my promise. Would you please hand the presents to her in my stead?”

“So, you’re requesting me to do something related to a girl here.”

“Yes. To me, she is a very important girl.”

Hikaru’s eyebrows perked up as he showed his ever sweet, soft charm. Koremitsu showed a contrastingly unhappy expression.

“I’m not doing it.”

“Eh—!? Wa-wait, aren’t you rejecting me too quickly here, Mr Akagi?”

This was the first time Hikaru, who had been so carefree even after becoming a ghost, showed signs of faltering.

Koremitsu kept frowning, “I won’t talk about requests concerning girls.”

“Why!?”

“Gramps told me not to get close to girls.”

“What does that mean?”

“20 years ago, his wife - my grandmother - said that she wanted to start a second life, and left divorce letters before she went off.”

Ever since it happened to him, his grandfather’s catchphrase was that “women are all like this,” and he would often quarrel with Koremitsu’s aunt Koharu as a divorcée who often said in the same derisive manner that “men are all like this.” According to Koharu, it was to be expected that Koremitsu’s grandmother could not stand his grandfather.

“This...this might have been quite a shock to your grandfather, but your grandmother can’t possibly represent all females.”

“During the first year of my elementary school, the woman called my mother dumped my father and me, and eloped with another guy.”

“Uw!”

Hikaru was immediately rendered speechless.

“And also, the guy she went with was my homeroom teacher.”

“Ehh.”

“And then, half a year later, my dad died of a heart attack.”

“Is-is that so. You’ve really had it tough up til now. Your– your father really suffered quite a tragedy too...but this girlfriend of mine won’t hand me divorce papers or elope with another guy. It's not like I want you to go out with her or get married either. I just want you to send her the presents on her birthday, and then I can go to Heaven happily. See, it’ll be bothersome if I keep sticking alongside you all the time, right?”

The meaning hidden within those words was that Hikaru was threatening Koremitsu with continued haunting unless his request was made. Hikaru retained a pitiful expression.

“Please~? It’s a very important promise. I don’t have any real friends, so I can only ask you here, Mr Akagi.”

“You’re actually saying that you have no friends? Keep trying to bluff me here. Aren’t you some extremely popular socialite?”

He was born with a dazzling appearance, and his personality was so refreshing it was endearing. He was also the ‘Prince’ of the school, someone surrounded by obsequious followers. To Koremitsu, it was an infuriating thing someone like him could say they “did not have any friends.”

How could this flippant guy understand the pain of being left aside when the teachers instruct the students to ‘team up in pairs’ during Physical Education or Arts classes?

Everyone scattered from me like spiders when I was just walking around, asking for directions to the teachers’ staff room. There was no one I could talk with during class breaks, a ten minute duration that felt so much longer in solitude, and I could only use that time to keep revising work. How can some naïve young lord like you understand the pain of being excluded?

Hikaru shrugged his shoulders in spite of Koremitsu’s pain, muttering sadly.

“It’s true...I was always popular with the girls ever since I was in kindergarten, and all the girls in class wanted to be my girlfriend. During the class meetings in primary school, they went through a long discussion, which amounted to ‘Hikaru belongs to everyone, so no one can escape with him here,’ and this sort of pact was formed.”

...Is he just bragging? Besides, those elementary school students were just being a nuisance to use a majority vote to decide that.

The more Koremitsu listened, the more his lips started to twist in a frown.

“But, because of this, the boys would often exclude me.”

Koremitsu’s ears suddenly twitched to the admission.

You were...excluded?

“It was the same during Physical Education Class. Nobody would pair up with me.”

Koremitsu’s ears twitched again.

“It was the same when I entered middle school. I was called up by a group to the back of the sports hall who said that I had snatched their girlfriends. They were looking for trouble with me...making all sorts of bad rumors to a point where none of the boys in class was willing to speak up for me...”

Koremitsu imagined that scene and felt a pain in his chest as if there was something lodged within.

He understood more than anyone else the pain of being excluded due to vilified rumors.

He recalled how he had to eat lunch alone during noon break - how he would noiselessly move his chopsticks with the boisterous laughter and conversation of his classmates in the background. He recalled the unruly classmates overcome by boredom who would scrawl over his table with compasses, calling him undesirable names like “Sam,” “John,” and other maddening things.

Every time he played through those memories, his eyes felt hot.

Is that so? So this guy understands such pain?

So he’s lived through similarly bitter days?

He wants to fulfill a promise to a girl he can’t let go of in his heart, but he has no friends. He’s so lonely that he can only rely on me.

Is that so? Is that how it is?

This is really unbearable, damn it.

“It...it can’t be helped...I’ll just help send the presents in your stead.”

Koremitsu had batted his eyelashes, and looking away from Hikaru, said this with a stiff tone.

Hikaru heaved a sigh of relief.

“Thank you! I knew that you’ll help me, Mr Akagi. Really, thank you.”

The words so fraught with unadulterated graciousness and trust caused something hot to rise up Koremitsu’s throat.

“I have to go to...the toilet.”

Hurriedly, he left the room to avoid letting others catch glimpse of the acidic droplets collected on the corners of his eyes.

Koremitsu opened the restroom door, wiping away his tears on his way inside. Giving a sigh of relief himself, he took off his pyjamas pants and underwear at once—

“!”

There was a remorseful Hikaru floating above the toilet bowl.

“WAH!? WHY MUST YOU FOLLOW ME HERE!? AND YOU’RE EVEN EYING MY PRIVATES IN HERE! ARE YOU A PERVERT!?”

“I saw both front and back earlier when you were in the bathroom.”

In the face of a very flustered Koremitsu, Hikaru inhaled and made a stern expression.

“There is something unfortunate I have to tell you of.”

“Wha-what is it?”

Koremitsu held onto the air in his lungs as he listened, Hikaru trying his best to lighten the shock as he calmly explained.

“It seems that no matter where you go, I will be dragged along with you. Please, don’t mind me and continue normally.”

### 002. Chapter 2: It Seems His Highness the Prince Likes Girls the Most

After many trials, Koremitsu and Hikaru found that it was possible for Koremitsu to maintain a certain distance from Hikaru in spacious areas. They could only be distanced a maximum of three meters from one another. In cramped spaces like a porta potty, they would be forced together in proximity. If Koremitsu did not move, Hikaru would be unable to leave the space.

What kind of joke is this? Now we have to stick together just to use the toilet?

The occasional couple of friendly girls might have held hands before going into separate stalls, but sharing the same lavatory was downright awkward for two boys. Intensifying the issue for Koremitsu and Hikaru to share a washroom was the fact that, above all, they were mere acquaintances.

Koremitsu recalled the uncomfortable feeling of facing Hikaru and urinating, his face feeling like it seethed with fire as he blushed.

Nothing seemed more troublesome than Hikaru’s presence. Hikaru’s request needed to be fulfilled as soon as possible so he would ascend into Heaven.

The next morning, Koremitsu walked into school with this steadfast determination.

“This is my first time riding on a bus full of people.”

Hikaru poked out his head playfully from a gap in the mass of humanity aboard, the many passengers inside packed like a can of sardines. There seemed nothing more supernatural than the sight of his wispy face overlapping those of strangers in such a crowded setting.

He was not concerned about Koremitsu, who had been looking away from him deliberately. Hikaru went on muttering to himself once they each got off the tram and started for school.

Along the way, Hikaru turned to speak.

“I used to be a gardening rep, and we’re to bury seeds like Dahlia and Lemon Grass this May. What activity are you involved in, Koremitsu?”

Unaware of it, Hikaru had called him “Koremitsu” instead of “Mr Akagi.”

Koremitsu opened his mouth to chide Hikaru for being overly familiar with him, but Hikaru interjected.

“I said that because we are both ‘designated’ as friends from now on. It would be distant of me to call you Mr. Akagi at this point in time, right? You can call me Hikaru, too, Koremitsu.”

He continued instantaneously, making a segue away from any argument.

“So, what did you do? You joined a martial arts club, right? Was it boxing or kung fu?”

“I was a member of the Pet-Raising Committee in elementary school. At the time, I took care of turkeys and rabbits.”

Frowning, Hikaru gave a slightly subtle response.

“I see. So you liked animals.”

“Turkeys are delicious when baked.”

The words fell without any complement from Koremitsu.

“That red nose is really cute. Just like a Red Spider Lily.”

Hikaru did not seem to mind as he continued the conversation one-sidedly.

Was this carefree prince really aware that he had died?

Koremitsu held back from throwing a tantrum over him as they stepped through the elaborate school gate.

Heian Academy was a school with all educational facilities from an affiliated kindergarten to university. The middle school and high school had different gates, but were located in the same area of campus.

Koremitsu took his shoes from the locker and started changing into them.

“Ah.”

Hikaru let out a sigh.

He read a school news report with a photo of when he was alive pinned to the notice board in the corridor.

There were pieces of colored paper stuck beside it, with words of grief handwritten over each.

“Farewell.”

“I loved you most.”

“I definitely won’t forget you.”

“Lord Hikaru, you were once our youth.”

Even now, there were still girls crowding at the board, their eyes bleating red as they wrote messages.

Among them, there was a girl who was crying as she read each of their sentiments. She covered her face in both hands, her good friend beside her in consolation, despite being teary-eyed just the same.

Koremitsu felt his entire body being tied down to the ground.

I say, even though you don’t have friends, aren’t a lot of people sad over your death here?

His body felt a slicing agony, and his chest was ablaze with heat.

He thought that Hikaru might shed a tear, but a gentle voice rang beside him instead.

“You are like a Daisy swaying in the spring breeze. Please, don’t cry. Tears don’t fit you.”

Hikaru unexpectedly approached the sobbing girl, reaching his hands to her back.

He slipped his arms around and embraced her as though she were a fragile item with what seemed to be remarkable experience (however skillful the display was, though, his disembodied arms entrenched within the girl’s body). He proceeded to speak softly into her ear.

“Do you know what the Daisy represents in the language of flowers? It means to be ‘cheerful’. Here, smile. Show me that cheerfully smiling face of yours.”

The scene left Koremitsu at a loss for words.

What, exactly, was going on?

Hikaru closed his eyes slowly and let out a certain sweetness from between his lips. A glowing radiance seemed to emit all around him as he let out a spine-meltingly enchanting voice.

“...Oi.”

Koremitsu stood by with a frozen expression as Hikaru again approached another girl, held onto her trembling, little hand, and passionately brought his lips to her ears.

“Over here, you who are like a Blue Cornflower, please pull yourself together. Cornflowers represent ‘happiness’ here. Aren’t you normally bubbly and radiating with hope?”

He floated around and appeared among the girls who wept, stroking their hair and clasping their hands.

“To you, who is like a Buttercup in the wild: You look cute when you smile. Ah, the one who’s like a Snowdrop there, the same goes for you as well. If you cry like that, your beautiful eyes will melt away. Will you stop crying if I kiss you?”

He held the face full of large, rolling teardrops in both hands as he gently came nearer. At this point, Koremitsu could not contain himself.

“STOP IT RIGHT THERE, YOU BIG PERVERT!!”

Hikaru was taken aback as he turned to look at Koremitsu.

Koremitsu furiously stormed at Hikaru.

“What love messages are you spouting off!? Think of your own predicament here! This isn’t the time to talk about such squirmy things behind other people’s backs! Are you an idiot!?”

Hikaru wasn’t accepting of Koremitsu’s frustration as he rebuked.

“To me, I can’t imagine myself leaving a crying girl alone. If you see a wilting flower, won’t you feed it with water and fertilizer and take care of it with all your strength?”

“Like that has anything to do with me! I was a pet feeder! I wasn’t a gardening rep!”

“Then, if you see a wounded cat, you should cradle it gently and treat its wounds, right?”

“Of course not. Stray cats will just lick their own wounds.”

“There are some wounds that can’t be treated just by yourself...hey, Koremitsu, the others are looking at us here.”

The moment Hikaru pointed this out, Koremitsu felt paralyzed.

Of course, there was no way anyone else could hear Hikaru’s voice.

He looked around stiffly, realizing an empty space of some two meters in radius that came to form around him.

The girls ceased crying as they cringed at the sight of Koremitsu with horrified expressions. The moment their eyes met Koremitsu’s, their shoulders jerked, and they looked away.

Don’t I look like some dangerous guy who'd yell without warning in the corridor?

He had originally decided to act decently in school so that he would not be nicknamed anything embarrassing like ‘The Red Devil’ ever again. Would his plan be ruined now?

“Ah...erm...”

He strongly wanted to salvage the situation in some way, but stronger forces meant that he could only give off cold sweat. He was rendered speechless in the shock of the moment.

Slowly, his face was burning up.

This is bad. Is my face red now?

“I...I’m not talking to you guys—at all!”

He snarled with a flustered look on his face and hurriedly left the scene.

“Don’t worry, Koremitsu. Your reputation won’t be shaken just by entering the school and yelling in the corridor all of a sudden. Besides, you’re the 27 th king of delinquents, who single-handedly beat up an entire army of delinquents. There is no worse reputation than this, now, so please relax.”

What kind of consolation is that!?

He swore in his heart never to speak to Hikaru in front of anyone again.

Due to the shame and regret of his mishap, Koremitsu’s expression felt three times scarier than usual - his eyes ten times sharper. He reached the classroom, opened the back door, and found a petite girl standing before him, nearly passing out on the spot.

“Hah...good, good morning...Akagi.”

A plain, bespectacled girl who wore her hair in a short braid, she was the class representative.

Koremitsu did not know her name, and the other classmates called her ‘rep’ just as well.

He remembered the first day he stepped into this school after being hospitalized.

“I heard that he’s the legendary delinquent...”

“Students from other schools came looking for trouble with him during Middle School, and there was a bloody incident...”

“He beat 10 people to near death.”

There were all sorts of outlandish rumors about him.

He was avoided by his classmates, who came to believe these rumors as they became increasingly worse with time, and she was eventually the only person who would talk to him.

Even so...

“We-well...I’m the class representative...pl-please take care of me, Akagi. If- if there’s anything you don’t know, you may ask me.”

Her face was markedly tense. She was so nervous her greeting could only be uttered in a sort of shrill.

“Thanks. Where’s the canteen?”

That was what he wanted to say, but just as Koremitsu was about to answer back, the class representative hastily spoke.

“Th-the-then, in that case, I’ll take my leave.”

She seized the opportunity and darted back to her seat like a rabbit desperately fleeing ravenous wolves.

Koremitsu watched as she kept her hands clasped together; shuddering at her desk, obviously praying that he would not try speaking with her. If he actually got to ask where the cafeteria was back then, she would probably have screamed and hid herself under the table.

Even though it ended up this way, she still fulfilled her responsibility as a class rep, and whenever her eyes met Koremitsu, she would characteristically tell him “Good- good morning.” Or “Good- goodbye.”

Normally, she would walk away immediately after saying her piece, but she remained this time where she was, tentatively asking him a question.

“Akagi...you attended Lord Hikaru’s funeral yesterday, didn’t you– are you familiar with him?”

It seemed that she, too, was present at the time.

He wanted to answer that they were not really on close terms, but beside him, Hikaru nagged, saying that they were designated as friends.

“We are close friends now, Koremitsu.”

Since when are we close friends!?

There has to be a limit to your shameless attitude!

Just when he was about to yell out, he recovered, gritting his teeth with a frown.

That was a close call. I nearly scared everyone again.

The next moment, however, the class rep was jumping like a hare.

“So-sor-sorry for asking you in such an interrogative manner. It’s fine, you don’t have to answer here!”

Her face turned red and she ran off.

He looked angry when he gritted his teeth and frowned, so it came as no wonder that she was terrified. She returned to her own seat, her short braid trembling with prayer as before.

“A girl like her, who gets shy very easily, is really as cute as a plum blossom changing colors.”

Hikaru spoke in a relaxed tone.

No, that’s not being shy. She... looks terrified, no matter how I see it.

Koremitsu wondered that if he were to think about things enthusiastically like Hikaru, he would probably die with a smile on his face, too. He felt envy towards Hikaru for this, but did not want to allow these feelings to get the best of him as he went to put his bag onto his desk.

Koremitsu’s seat was closest to the corridor, on the last row.

He glanced at the seat opposite the narrow aisle. The girl seated there did not look cheery this morning as she pouted and frowned, handling her cellphone.

She composed messages by sliding her fingers rapidly across the screen.

She was always using her phone, whether it was before school or during a break.

Her bright, tea-colored hair went down her slender shoulders, covering the temples and nestling upon her ears. Koremitsu noticed her fingers did not stop. Her eyes carried a certain ferocity as they glared more intensely than before, and she seemed engrossed in the messaging as she stared at the screen of her phone.

She completely ignored the savage delinquent beside her.

It was one thing for Koremitsu to be troubled by everyone’s fear of him, but it was something worse that she paid him virtually no mind at all. She did not even make a glance at him, let alone greet him. One might wonder what her problem was.

The girl sat beside a frustrated Koremitsu, still minding her own business as if nothing was amiss. She had a strong will in her heart to match her utter fearlessness.

No, I guess she is also mistaken to have a violent personality because she was born with fierce-looking eyes and left alone because of it. This is why she’s been using her phone to pass the time. She’s probably someone very lonely.

This line of reasoning brought the flame in his stomach to quell.

But to Hikaru, hovering beside him, it seemed that no matter how strange the girl’s carelessness about anything around her was - no matter how she ignored Koremitsu’s presence - they were both points of attractiveness.

“A girl that’s thoroughly focused on doing something is just like a crimson Hibiscus. Is she sending a message to her boyfriend?”

Hikaru tried to peep on the contents of the phone.

“Hey, stop it.”

Koremitsu warned him softly.

The moment he said that, the girl beside him stopped her fingers from typing at the keys, and turned to glare at Koremitsu.

Her eyes were giving off a sharp glint, like a feline unwilling to be approached

He wanted to explain that he was not talking to her, but he did not say so.

He decided to glare at her, something he regretted doing.

A male classmate yapped loudly as he sprinted off to the classroom door.

“Oi! The Delinquent King suddenly went crazy at the shoe lockers! It seemed that he yelled at the sobbing girls leaving their messages at Lord Hikaru’s notice board, ‘WHAT ARE YOU CRYING ABOUT, YOU BUNCH OF LEWD FEMALE DOGS! I CAN LICK YOU ALL UP IF YOU REALLY WANT HIM THAT MUCH!’ That’s really barbaric, satanic—ack!”

He probably let out the ‘ack!’ at the end was because he sensed the murderous desire radiating from Koremitsu’s body.

At that moment, he became soaked in cold sweat, at a loss of what to do.

“No...er-erm...‘The Delinquent King’ doesn’t refer to our ‘Master Delinquent’ in this class...th-they’re from another class...well, erm, about that...I’M REALLY SORRY!”

The boy knelt down on the podium to beg for forgiveness, and his onlooking classmates had the color leave their faces.

I’m the Delinquent King no matter what now? What are you apologizing for, you idiotic bastard!?

As Koremitsu’s heart sank into despair, the culprit Hikaru spoke with amazement as he gave a look of lamentation.

“Wow, this is the first time I’ve seen someone kneel for forgiveness. It sure has an unforgettable impact on me. I’ll definitely do this to a girl next time.”

While the commotion continued, the girl sitting next to Koremitsu kept to her frown as went on messaging.

The freshman, red-haired delinquent had forced his classmate to kneel down and ‘apologize’.

Once that classmate apologized, he was unable to even walk properly, had difficulty talking, and retired for the day.

This rumor quickly circulated around school.

After class, a depressed Koremitsu arched his back as he sauntered down the 3 rd level corridor.

The students who brushed by him kept their distance, avoiding him like a plague.

“Cheer up! There’s nothing that can shake your legend as the strongest now.”

It still can’t be considered consolation at all!

My already-poor reputation just took a turn for the worse. Whose fault do you think it is here!?

This carefree bastard here’s already dead, and yet he’s still trying to hook himself up to girls without any restraint.

“...Don’t you realize that you have a responsibility here?”

He clenched his fists as he muttered the question.

“Eh, because of me? But Koremitsu, I still feel that when I see a crying girl, I should comfort her with my best effort.”

Hikaru spoke almost like he was narrating his beliefs.

“Well, once my wish is granted, I’ll go to Heaven peacefully. I’ll cause you a lot of troubles before then, but please endure for now.”

Hikaru’s voice carried an admiring tone, and it was hard to begrudge him any further.

He looked like an easygoing prince, but he was unexpectedly clever.

I know this and still hang out with him.

Koremitsu turned to look at Hikaru and question him.

“Let me ask you again. That girl’s definitely in the arts club, right?”

The moment those words were said, Hikaru’s eyes grew tender and that amorous drive of his kicked into gear.

“Yes. She would always be painting in the arts room after school. She’s like a princess from the Heian era. Her silky black hair is dazzling. She’s delicate, pure, extremely refined as a lady, and a very cute girl.”

Even if you talk about your own lover like that, I can’t feel anything at all.

This is a reference to the princesses of the Heian Era, such as those mentioned in the textbook who wore Ceremonial Dresses The raiment was often tight and the wearer’s body would bulge. Furthermore, the girl’s long hair would be troublesome to wash, and it seems disgusting to have many fleas and lice inside.

What exactly am I thinking of here?

“But she’s your girlfriend, and you are on good terms to the point that you were planning to celebrate her birthday together, right? It was your funeral yesterday. Won’t it be hard for her to attend club activities after such great loss?”

Perhaps she was resting at home, unable to attend school.

However—

“Ahh, yes, you don’t have to worry about this. Aoi will definitely be in the arts room like usual.”

Hikaru’s voice sounded vague all of a sudden as he looked away subtly.

“Huh?”

Koremitsu betrayed his concern about this aloud.

Well, it’s fine, I suppose. If she’s here, I can hurry up and settle this quickly.

He did not delve his thoughts into the matter any further as he arrived in front of the arts room. He then proceeded to open the door.

Wah! They’re all girls!

The aroma of perfume fluttered in the wide classroom. Bright sunbeams shone in through the wide windows, and there were tables, chairs, plaster statues, canvas littered all over.

There were probably eight girls inside.

They were doing their own designs, coloring, reading magazines that were left aside and doing manicures for each other as they chatted away.

To Koremitsu, all the girls looked the same to him.

At the same time, the girls on the opposite side were stunned by the arrival of the legendary red-haired delinquent who had suddenly barged in.

The classroom immediately descended into silence.

Their frozen expressions and terrified eyes signified a strong fear and helplessness. One of the girls doing a manicure was holding a cover in one hand and glass bottle in the other as she shuddered to Koremitsu’s glance.

“Ah...is someone called Aoi Saotome in?”

He felt a pain near his stomach, probably due to nervousness, and his expression was more stricken than usual. His wolf-like, sharp eyes were something he was born with, and he could not change it.

The club members were all afraid as they retreated to the window.

At this moment, there was a girl exuding certain pride who continued to paint alone.

Her locks were long enough to reach her waist, and had a pretty white butterfly ribbon tied on. She was a little shorter than average, and she looked thinner than average, too.

Huh? Where have I seen this person before...?

As he tried to recall the girl’s identity, she stood up and gave a menacing expression as she walked toward Koremitsu.

Her limbs were extremely thin, and her face was so small Koremitsu could cover it with his hands.

Her long hair without frills swayed sweetly to the girl’s stride. Long eyelashes were like a framed border to her eyes, which were so large they looked like they were about to drop, and she shot a belligerent look at Koremitsu.

The moment he saw her stern expression, he realized it.

I see! She’s the one who caused the commotion at Hikaru’s funeral!

“YOU’RE REALLY AN IDIOT FOR DROWNING IN A RIVER LIKE THAT! THAT’S SO EMBARRASSING! I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE STABBED TO DEATH BY A WOMAN! IT’S BECAUSE YOU’RE TOO MUCH OF A PLAYBOY THAT KARMA STRUCK BACK!”

There was no doubt that she was that girl.

“YOU LIAR!”

This voice rang inside his ears again.

Oh damn. Is she the one you can’t let go of in your heart!?

That girl, Aoi Saotome, walked towards Koremitsu and stopped in front of him.

Koremitsu intended to explain things first, but she interposed first.

“I refuse.”

A voice fraught with disgust filled the room, denying him.

I haven’t even said anything here!

Aoi again emphasized with a forceful tone.

“I refuse. I refuse anything you say! I don’t like men, and I don’t want to say anything to you here!”

After that, she bit her delicate lips and turned her back.

What in the world is with this woman?

At this point, Koremitsu was speechless instead of being infuriated. There was no way out; he could not back away from here even if it was for the sake of his life .

“Wait! Actually it’s about Mika- Hikaru...”

He wanted her attention, but unexpectedly, the flowing black hair flourished as she swung away.

“I-I-I-I-I- I really hate everything about that person! I felt... tainted the moment I heard his name!”

She seemed ready to kill with her eyes as she growled, slamming the classroom door right in front of a completely disconcerted Koremitsu.

“...Oi.”

Koremitsu was shut out, quietly whispering to Hikaru.

“What’s going on...aren’t you two dating or something?”

Hikaru, floating behind Koremitsu the entire time, gave a bitter smile.

“Instead of saying that we’re dating, I would say that...we’re betrothed.”

Betrothed!

This might happen in the Heian Era, but High School students are being betrothed in the modern day - the Heisei Japanese Era!? Well, I suppose that’s normal among the rich.

Koremitsu looked again at Hikaru, who responded with a cool expression.

“Aoi had always been upset with me, saying things like ‘You’re a useless harem prince’, and ‘You’re a guy in love who switches partners every day.’ Well, I don’t have any male friends, so I had been playing with girls since I was young. I would not refuse any request that came my way, and I would happily accept gifts if a girl had any good intentions. Whenever I see a pretty lady, I think it would be impolite of me if I don’t try to strike up a conversation with her; and when I see a cute girl, I’ll definitely go to her and tell her that she’s cute.”

“I can’t sleep when I’m alone as I’m scared of loneliness, and I can only relax when someone accompanies me. Right! Women are like flowers, and I think it’s a man’s responsibility to blossom their beauty! This is something that surpasses the exalted Law of Nature, something equivalent to the principles of religion– uh, huh? Koremitsu? Why are you holding your head? It looks like the veins are popping from your temples. Are you listening to me? In other words, my passionate love for the existence known as female is like my passionate affection for flowers—”

That’s enough. Don’t continue any further! Don’t talk about exalting or surpassing with such a serious look!

Koremitsu yelled in his heart, only more convinced that this person was really a playboy.

He probably tried to sweet-talk girls to gain their affections before, just like how he did so this morning. If his fiancée had witnessed it, she would definitely have called him out for cheating on her. There were only women at his funeral, so it was to be expected that she would give him an ear lashing.

To think that he could call her his ‘girlfriend’ unabashedly.

“...Can we end this partnership, Mikado ?”

Stunned, Hikaru answered in turn.

“But Koremitsu!”

Hikaru pleaded.

At this point, Koremitsu could only think of breaking away from Hikaru and returning home.

Koremitsu was fooled by Hikaru’s claims of having no friends at all. He, who could only eat alone at lunch, was different from Hikaru, who definitely had companionship to enjoy. Hikaru would be surrounded by girls, some of them even waiting to serve him their hand-made lunches.

There was no reason for Koremitsu to help this Casanova.

But if he did not help Hikaru move into the afterlife, Hikaru would be watching him whenever he went to the toilet, and when he might be bathing, sleeping or doing anything at all.

Koremitsu could not take this shameful play if it kept going. He was already viewed as a delinquent and avoided at all costs by fellow students, so he would be unable to take it if someone called him a possessed man who often spoke into the air.

As expected, he had to fulfill Hikaru’s wish as soon as possible.

Tch, never mind!

Koremitsu endured the unhappiness in his heart as he opened the arts room door again.

“Aoi Saotome. I—understand your feelings very well! Your fiancé Hikaru continued to fool around with other girls, and he’s the worst worthless harem bastard, but-”

Aoi came over and slammed the door shut again.

Koremitsu was not dejected, however, opening the door for another go.

“But—Mi, Hikaru always had a thought for you in his heart, and he let me, as a f-fr-fri-friend—“

SLAM!

The door was shut again.

The next moment he opened the door,

“Finish off what still needs to be done!”

“THAT’S ENOUGH!”

BAM!

Again, he tried. However, this time, there was a click from the other side of the door as it locked.

Damn it. The door’s locked from within.

“No! I still have a duty to pass on Hikaru’s words to you!”

Koremitsu yelled to the other side, hitting the barrier between them.

“I’ll reject any religious advice here.”

It elicited harsh reception from the halls.

“LISTEN UP, AOI SAOTOME!”

The moment he yelled, the door opened...

Splash!

Colored water was thrown onto him.

“I don’t want to hear anything about you or Hikaru. I don’t want to listen to anything involving men - especially anything that involves Hikaru! If I had to choose between hearing about Hikaru and a slug soup, I'd rather have the latter!”

Hikaru, who was beside them, clutched at his chest after taking this searing hit.

The door was slammed shut and locked again.

Koremitsu was dripping with dirty water from head to toe.

Are you kidding me...?

Flabbergasted, it took a moment for the full weight of everything to occur to him.

“That’s why I say women–!”

Miss Aoi is a pure princess.

Hikaru had been shielding his fiancée.

As her name suggests, impure things cannot approach a pure white Hollyhock.

Once he reached home, Koremitsu dipped himself in the bathtub, his eyes fixed upon the ceiling.

He was not in a stupor or anything of the like. He stared at the ceiling because Hikaru, still dressed in school uniform, was floating up there, surrounded by steam.

“Hollyhocks are flowers that bloom in midsummer. When there’s enough ventilation and sunlight, the green stems will grow straight and produce creamy pink flowers. They’re cute, but I find that white flowers suit Miss Aoi much better; they were ostensibly brought back from the Holy Land by the Crusaders. A flower that blooms in the Holy Land is perfect for Miss Aoi.”

He continued to prattle on, and it was impossible to tell if he was either defending Aoi or promoting himself as a gardening representative.

Why is it that I have to listen to a guy’s speech when bathing...?

“I don’t want to listen to anything involving men - especially anything that involves Hikaru!”

Koremitsu grew depressed thinking about the fiery angst in Aoi’s voice as she yelled. He was dealing with a princess who showed her disgust and opposition right from the get-go.

Hikaru’s wish seemed like it could never be fulfilled.

Will I end up as some delinquent haunted by a ghost for the rest of my life?

He felt that he should not have gone to the funeral.

If he could talk to his past self, Koremitsu would advise turning home from the funeral, lest he suffer more than he already was.

Besides, wouldn’t it be that I’m not the one? Won’t it be better for him to possess someone else?

It would be preferable if Hikaru chose a friendly and disciplined student. As Koremitsu saw things, Aoi would not have been so wary of this other person, and would have accepted the gifts without any hassle.

There would be a stark contrast made from the fierce-looking delinquent known as ‘The Wild Beast's Roar’ trying to approach her.

“I can only ask you for this favor, Mr Akagi.”

“I don’t have any real friends...”

He recalled the look Hikaru gave him in that earnest plea, and an inexplicable sense of responsibility came over him. A faint ache reached his heart.

“This is very important, a very important promise.”

Well, you said it there. Ugh - can’t you stick onto someone else? Do I really have to do this? Guh...

He leaned his face against the bathtub, muttering. Hikaru, who had finally closed on his Hollyhocks talk, spoke to him with a meek expression.

“Koremitsu, I just realized something.”

Don’t tell me you have a brilliant plan to win over Aoi’s heart, even as she’s starting to hate men more and more by the day.

Koremitsu looked up with anticipation, but what he saw was Hikaru dressed in a purple tuxedo as if he was in the Takarazuka Revue .

“Wha–!”

Koremitsu fell backwards at the sight, Hikaru following through with pride.

“I can change my clothes using my imagination. See, this is good too, right? This one’s also great.”

He proceeded to swap clothes, switching between tennis clothes, jockey attire, casual outdoor clothing, clothes befitting of a bespectacled elite salary man, and so on.

Hikaru made no reservations with his experimenting.

“Hey, this suits me most, right? I always wanted to try this out at least once.”

He even ended up in full Japanese Court Dress regalia. Worn during the Heian period , it was the most formal clothing worn by court officials.

“Hey, which do you think is the nicest one? It’s this one, right? Ah, I really want to take a photo, but I guess I won’t be shown. I can’t see myself on the mirror, which is really inconvenient. I can’t even see my own face.”

Hikaru sighed with regret.

Koremitsu really wanted to splash water on him, but held back knowing the water would just pass through.

Instead, he buried his head and shrugged his shoulders to show his frustration, bitterly speaking to Hikaru.

“You... bastard... whose sake do you think I’m suffering for!? Don’t do some fashion show so carefreely over there!”

Hikaru realized that he was in the wrong and felt ashamed of it.

He swooped down in front of Koremitsu, closed his shoulders, and got into Seiza position again (even so, his knees did not touch the floor at all).

“Well, yes, I’m reflecting on it. I was too excited before...and I’ve been troubled over having to rely on you all this time, Koremitsu. I tried everything I could to help - supernatural things like using telekinesis to move objects and possess animals, or to possess your body and talk to Miss Aoi directly.”

“Whoa, don’t enter my body now. I’ll get goosebumps.”

“Don’t worry, I didn’t succeed.”

“Is that so?”

Koremitsu heaved a sigh of relief.

“In that end, I could only change my clothing.”

That isn’t useful at all, you know.

“By the way, how should we move forward? Your fiancée finds your name impure because you’d been fooling around with girls back when you were still alive, and she’s rejecting us.”

“Hm, Miss Aoi is a serious person, but this is a cute point about her. It looks like we can only open her heart slowly until she’s willing to listen to us.”

“Uwa-! You want me to open her heart!? Why is it that I have to try getting into a woman’s favor? And you’re calling her cute? Are you out of your mind!?”

“Please do it! You’re the only one who can hear my voice, Koremitsu. If you’re able to beat an army of delinquents, you’ll definitely be able to open Miss Aoi’s heart.”

“I said before that this has got nothing to do with delinquents! Don’t look at me so expectantly! Besides, I couldn’t get along with women, kids and animals at all ever since childhood. My standing around alone and breathing is enough for those guys to hate me.”

“Leaving aside women and children, what about the animals? Didn’t you say that you were in charge of taking care of them when you were young?

The Heian Era-styled Hikaru held onto a fan and covered his mouth, and the crown with long cloth attached tilted sidelong with his head.

“Erm- yeah...I took care of the turkeys and the rabbits in elementary school, but they never approached me during the 6 years I dutifully fed them and cleaned their huts. Whenever I stepped into that rabbit hut, they would panic and run into a corner to hide, leaning on each other and trembling. The turkeys would also cringe whenever I looked in...”

Koremitsu recalled his past with gloom written on his face, Hikaru’s face showed a forced smile in return.

“Is- is that so?”

He changed the defeated tone in his voice to recover himself.

“But that’s still amazing! You still took care of them even though they were afraid! Not just anyone can do that. You’re like a modern-day Buddha to be able to put in all your effort despite the stereotypes thrown onto you!”

“I can’t bring myself to be happy with that kind of follow-up.”

“That’s why, when dealing with Miss Aoi, please use that compassionate attitude to fight again. It’s alright, Miss Aoi is very elegant. No matter how much she hates you, she won’t kick at you. The bucket’s too heavy, so she can’t use that to splash water on you; she had to use palette before instead.”

He continued with what could not even amount to an argument.

“Speaking of which, aren’t you a harem king beloved by everyone here? You’re an expert at luring in girls and understanding their hearts anyway. Don’t you have any useful suggestion here?”

“What expert do you mean? I’m not a host to any harem. Also, my methods may be too tough for you.”

Hikaru stared at Koremitsu, seeming to have a difficulty articulating what he meant by that.

“Never mind. Let’s try it.”

“Really?”

Despite offering, Hikaru was not enthusiastic.

“Anyway, try smiling.”

“Huh?”

“What I mean is that you show the ‘I have an interest in you, too’ look. Try smiling like me.”

*Smiles*

Hikaru gave a smile as gentle as the breeze.

It was a really cheerful smile - dazzling. That emotive feel the corners of his eyes seemed to display not to be forgotten.

“Woah...I think my heart just fluttered!”

Despite the other person being a guy.

“If that can’t work, try closing your eyes softly and saying ‘I don’t feel like going home today’ with a lonely look.”

Hikaru closed his eyes.

Effortlessly, he transitioned into a tragic expression. A fuzzy feeling that would encourage anyone to protect him wholeheartedly washed over Koremitsu.

“Woah...now I’m really captivated by that.”

This guy’s really amazing! As expected of the harem prince! No wonder everyone at his funeral were girls!

He thought these words to himself; words that would devastate Hikaru if said aloud.

“Alright, let me try this.”

Koremitsu rose from the tub optimistically, facing the mirror with a ‘smile.’

“Eh? What is it? Koremitsu?”

“Well, I can’t move my face muscles.”

How could this happen? He had gone long days without smiling at all in the past, and through this time, his facial muscles grew weak.

No. Thinking about it, Koremitsu realized that his baby and kindergarten entrance photos all showed him giving hideous looks, his eyes glaring like they were about to attack the camera.

Is that so? So I’m not good at smiling, huh?

But it was not in his nature to retreat before the battle began. He forcefully lifted the ends of his lips and tried flashing a ‘smile’.

The mirror reflected the devastating sight of a savage-looking boy, his facial muscles twitching. If a few blood stains were added onto the face, it was likely that any girl would faint upon seeing it.

Even Koremitsu was horrified by the look of that menacing person in the mirror. It was chilling even in spite of the fact that he was his own bathroom.

“Ugh - not giving up yet!”

He flared his nostrils and gritted his teeth to try again, but the harder he tried the more he could only see his reflection becoming increasingly horrendous.

“We– well, Koremitsu, you shouldn’t force yourself there.”

Koremitsu turned to Hikaru, his hands still pulling his face.

“Ah–a-a-and then, I think it’s better for you to have a serious expression than a smile given your personality, Koremitsu. You see, you’re really manly, unlike this tender me!”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah! I think you’re really suited to act in those cold-blooded acting roles or those V-cinema films! Men really admire that stuff.”

Hikaru tried his best to enliven the mood.

“Yeah. I guess it’s true that it’s unmanly to start smiling foolishly when there’s nothing funny.”

Koremitsu pulled himself through.

“Then, I’ll try to look bitter and lonely...”

He tried to show the “I don’t want to go home tonight” expression.

He closed his eyes and lowered his shoulders.

However, as he glanced up and eyed himself in the mirror, he found that there was a man looking back at him with black aura and vengeful attitude.

Instead of a “I don’t want to go home tonight” vibe, he was giving off a “Let’s start the hell’s banquet tonight” kind of vibe.

I’m really...

Koremitsu was dejected in front of the mirror.

“Actually, you look best when you’re naturally Koremitsu! I think you already have enough charm yourself!”

“I don’t need you to comfort me!”

Koremitsu lifted his head of red hair and shouted angrily.

“It’s impossible for someone like me to open a girl’s heart when no nearby female dog, cat, ferret or hamster will even approach me! I’ll be haunted by a perverted prince in costume floating over my head even when I bathe!”

“Don’t be like this! Don’t give up on yourself like that! If you’re unhappy about me wearing clothes, I’ll take them off. You see?”

Before he finished his words, the Heian-era noble clothes immediately vanished. Hikaru appeared nude as he floated about the rising steam.

Suddenly, this naked male had appeared before Koremitsu’s eyes.

“UWAAAA—!!”

He reeled back in shock, and this momentum caused his head to slam into the wall. He then slipped in all his confusion, landing with his body sprawled and facing up.

The glass door of the bathroom slid open, and there was Koharu, dressed in a flimsy pinafore, standing with her sleeves rolled up as she growled.

“Koremitsu! What are you doing alone in here!?”

“So-sorry!”

Koremitsu apologized, and at the same time, felt it was a good thing that Koharu could not see Hikaru.

That was because a stark naked Hikaru was floating in front of her, his mouth still showing no signs of stopping.

“Your older sister is either the Trifoliate Orange-type or the Mandrake-type. She’s really amazing.”

“Idiot, she’s not my older sister. She’s my aunt, divorced once, and is a 36-year-old hag.”

Koremitsu slipped out these words reflexively. Koharu returned them with a beating.

The next morning, Koremitsu found his bento placed on the chabudai.

He thought that it was to make up for the excessive beating from the previous day, and brought it to school. When he opened the lunch box during break, he found that it was filled with red bean paste.

“She wants a fight with me!? That 36 year old!?’

“Amaazing...it’s really red bean paste. That doesn’t seem appetizing at all.”

Hikaru muttered as he floated above. He was dressed in the white suit and black pants of the school uniform.

“Damn it.”

Koremitsu stuffed the bento box back into his bag and walked out of the classroom.

“Where are you going?”

“To the snack shop. I can’t possibly have red bean paste for lunch.”

He headed off to the snack shop located at the end of the second level.

However, he arrived a little too late as there remained only a slice of yakisoba bread, a piece of jam bread, a chocolate roll and a slice of sugar toast available.

Koremitsu did not like to eat sweet things. To him, the bread with jam and chocolate roll were evil.

Thus, he could only choose the yakisoba bread.

Well, I guess it’s good that there’s still yakisoba bread left, rather than having nothing to eat...

With a gloomy look on his face, he reached his hand forward.

“!”

Simultaneously, another hand reached in from the other side, also grabbing the yakisoba bread.

This is bad. My lunch is doomed if I can’t buy this.

Koremitsu immediately looked in their direction with his trademark glare.

In the face of his savage expression and hideous stare, any ordinary person would have crumbled on the spot. A devilish aura seemed to glow behind his slightly arched back.

However, the other person grabbing the yakisoba bread was someone Koremitsu knew.

The fierce-looking girl beside me in class!

This person next to him shared a shocked expression with Koremitsu. However, it quickly changed into an antagonistic stare.

She raised her eyebrows, her eyes burning like flames as she glared back at Koremitsu.

It was unbelievable to think that in the face of this person known to others as ‘The Hellhound,’ there was a girl who still kept her fighting will.

However, he would definitely not hand over the yakisoba bread to her.

“Ugh~”

“Uuu~”

The two of them were like wild animals that had just met their natural enemies, as each of their expressions, tense lips and quaking brows were trying to scare the other off.

“~~Uu (Hey, let go of it. That’s my prey.)”

“Uuu~ (No way. I touched it first!)”

Neither would back down as they argued intensely.

In the midst of the silence now between them, sparks flew.

What should I do?

In terms of strength, he definitely would not lose to a girl.

However, if he were to pull the bread by brute force alone, he may end up ripping the plastic packaging, and the bread may end up dropping onto the floor. If he tried pulling with a firmer grip, he would end up pinching the bread.

Got to think of a plan here...!

“Koremitsu, you’re dealing with a girl here. Just give her the bread! Ladies first!”

Behind him, Hikaru spoke in amazement.

“No way! Even though she’s a woman, I won’t hand over my lunch to her!”

He let these words slip and showed an opening in his regret for saying them. The fiendish girl proceeded to kick Koremitsu in the knee.

It was a brilliant kick, one encompassing the perfect harmony of speed, timing and power perfectly.

“Uooh.”

Koremitsu lost his footing, and the bread slipped from his hand.

“Wah, Koremitsu!”

The enemy took the bread mercilessly.

“Ack! You—”

Koremitsu looked over and found that she had already paid for and kept the yakisoba bread for herself.

“Despicable!”

She took the bread, turned around leisurely, and looked over at the enraged Koremitsu.

Her glossy, light beige hair swayed.

“It’s your fault for taking me lightly as a girl. ”

She spoke with an icy tone, seemingly mocking him, and took the yakisoba bread and a cup of latte coffee before promptly leaving.

Koremitsu watched her long, slender legs in a short skirt disappear gradually from his field of vision.

“Ugh, why is she so violent!? I let her get what she wanted.”

“Yeah, those are nice looking legs.”

Nothing was left on the counter for Koremitsu’s lunch.

“Why is the other stuff sold out already!?”

He yelled as he rattled the empty cases, frightening the bread shop lady.

“Damn it - that girl... I hope she becomes afflicted with a cellphone-reliant disease and sends so many messages that she develops tenosynovitis until her fingers drop off.”

Koremitsu, who was on the rooftop meant to be prohibited, ate his lunch of red bean paste, milk, vegetable juice, sports drink and vitamin water as he continued to lament away regarding the injustice he just suffered.

“That’s enough already. Isn’t it, Koremitsu? She’s a girl, after all. A delinquent like you will be hated by others, you know.”

“I’m not a delinquent.”

“If you want to deny it, you have to keep your actions in check.”

Hikaru’s chastising started to cause Koremitsu a migraine. Before now, the only one who complained was Koremitsu about Hikaru’s own mannerisms.

What in the world? Why is he acting all mature all of a sudden?

He remembered that when Hikaru was arguing with him in front of the shoe locker, he claimed that he “couldn’t leave a crying girl alone,” showing a stern expression.

In fact, this guy’s very gentle with girls. Is this the definition of a gentleman? Well, maybe it’s an overstatement, but I do feel unhappy that it’s somewhat true.

“Shut...shut up.”

“Also, the one sitting beside you in class is Miss Shikibu. You should get along better with others.”

“She’s named Shikibu? How do you know her name?”

“Really, Koremitsu, how can you not know the name of the girl sitting beside you? And she’s so pretty too; she has such cute eyebrows, and she’s a really attractive girl. Regarding this Miss Honoka Shikibu, she’s a rather popular person.”

“Huh? That cold-hearted girl who keeps sending messages?’

Koremitsu once thought that since she gave such a fierce look as she sent messages, throwing off an ominous presence, she was definitely the type of person to be isolated by the others in class.

“Miss Shikibu’s not only popular with the boys. There are quite a lot of female fans out there, too. She’s athletic, often helps others, and has a very keen sense of chivalry. She’s someone the girls really admire.”

Chivalry!?

As in, being helpful to others!?

“I don’t know. I don’t know what those people think at all!”

“Even if you look away and deny it...don’t you find that Miss Shikibu has very nice looking legs!?”

“AND YOU’RE TELLING ME THAT THE WEAPON USED TO KICK ME IS ATTRACTIVE!?”

“That feisty expression of hers really entranced me."

"I just find it disgusting."

"Her hair's an alluringly smooth, tan color."

"How is that squirrel-like color nice to look at?"

"...I say, Koremitsu, aren't you being too picky with girls?"

"Yeah. Gramps has always been telling me not to be too kind to girls."

Hikaru sighed, continuing.

"There's nothing more beautiful and cute than girls in this world. They're gentle, yet hardy."

The insistence carried in saying this was something Koremitsu felt he could never understand in all his life, and he wanted it to remain that way.

Women were an existence foreign to Koremitsu, as he would eye them with gloomy pupils at times - they in all their inexplicable fragility before him.

"If only you could understand the beauty of girls."

Hikaru muttered in a sad tone, quickly changing his voice to be cheerful again.

"Okay, how about you try dating a girl? Let's go a find a girl who can make your heart race. I'll demonstrate to you. Then, let's call in two girls and go out as a group of four. It'll be fun!"

"Aren't you already dead?"

"Ah, yeah."

"Seriously, this is something important, okay? I see you forgot that you're a ghost with his funeral rites done."

Hikaru let out a snicker.

"It's definitely your fault."

"HUH!?"

Almost in complete disregard of Koremitsu’s outburst, Hikaru spoke gently in a register that seemed to bleed a wonderful fragrance with each word.

"Because you were able to hear my voice, and you could talk with me. It feels like I made a friend. We can go to school and return from school together, we can go to each other's home - we can even chat with one another during class breaks or lunch break."

Koremitsu's head started to feel hot.

What in the world is this guy saying?

Koremitsu's heart started to waver for some ridiculous reason, and he was caught in confusion.

Is- is that so?... Is this what going to school, returning from school, and having lunch with a 'friend' means? I see, so that's how it is.

He mused what Hikaru said.

His face felt like it was in sweltering heat.

His chest began to itch so much, it was nearly unbearable.

"We aren't exactly real friends, but just 'designated' as such, right?"

As he spoke, he deliberately averted his eyes from Hikaru. The latter remained calm in reply.

"...Well, yeah. We're just 'temporary' friends until we give Miss Aoi her gifts."

Koremitsu realized that he may have hurt Hikaru's feelings when he said they were only 'designated' as friends. His heart ached at the thought with an abnormally strong sense of loneliness.

"Oh, so I'll just help you complete your wish and let you ascend to heaven! I really can't stand it whenever you start to explain things related to flowers. Speaking of which, flowers wilt very easily, and they can snap easily; they can be crushed easily, can't be eaten, and serve no other purpose whatsoever."

Koremitsu did not know what to do about this inexplicable loneliness inside him, his voice gruffer than before.

There was no reason for him to mention flowers.

Hikaru's was still as optimistic as ever.

"Ah, yet there are edible flowers, like dandelion, violets, roses, and more. They taste rather good as well. Oh yes, let's invite girls to pick some grass next time."

Koremitsu, trying to contain his unease until this point in time, could only show bewilderment in his eyes upon hearing Hikaru's proposal.

Picking grass?

Hikaru started to explain excitedly.

"In other words, let's go pick edible grass in the wild next time. Those girls who like to go outdoors to the hills and forests are really cute, and we can increase our intimacy with others as we make food. Also, it can satisfy your desire for food, you know? Ah, but I feel that girls prefer to have someone giving them the flowers instead of enjoying them. If you pick a simple flower that can only bloom in the wild, her affection for you will increase greatly!"

Koremitsu tried to picture the scene in his mind.

"You see! There are dandelions everywhere! Let's have dandelion tempura and boiled dandelion for dinner tonight!"

On some verdant grassland, Hikaru held dandelions in both hands, a radiant smile on his face.

For reasons unknown, there was Yodel music in the background.

He was surrounded by a hoard of unfamiliar girls.

"Kya! You're amazing, Hikaru!"

"I want to try out your cooking, Hikaru!"

They were jumping about and cheering with delight.

“—For example, a crown made from dandelions or White Clovers will be very effective. For a hardy boy like you, people will like it if you can make a flower crown clumsily. She will definitely feel very touched. Even if it’s only a flower, you can put it on the ring finger. That would be equally effective. I’ll teach you how to do it; it’s very simple, and I’m sure you’ll agree, Koremitsu—”

“Didn’t I tell you not to talk to me about flowers and women already, you harem prince!?”

Koremitsu’s harsh words were a thin veil over the regret he had for his insensitivity with Hikaru. The pain in his heart lingered, but heavy atmosphere was lifted with Hikaru’s suggestion.

As expected, this guy’s just a carefree harem bastard!

Hikaru shrugged his shoulders, feigning resignation.

“Looks like I failed.”

“Anyway, now’s not the time to try and hook up girls, but to seriously think about how you can pass your feelings on to your fiancée. Your fiancée is rather tough to deal with. The gifts you want to present her aren’t the sort that can be stuffed into a shoe locker, after all.”

This was the most troublesome thing for Koremitsu.

Hikaru promised to give Aoi six different presents on her birthday, but they were not things that could be bought in a shop and given to others so easily with a “Hi, please accept this.”

In order to make her accept all these presents, the notorious Akagi Koremitsu had to act as the messenger for Hikaru Mikado and make Aoi accept these presents willfully.

Can I really do this?

We’re just ‘temporary’ friends after all.

Koremitsu frowned with a groan, Hikaru speaking up.

“Ah, I just forgot something very simple.”

“Huh?”

“Only Miss Aoi and I know about my promise to give seven presents to her.”

“Oh.”

“In other words, if you tell her this, it proves that you’re my representative, and she may actually open her heart to you.”

“Ohh - this sort of thinking certainly can work!”

Koremitsu poked his body out.

“You should have said that right from the beginning, you bastard. Now we have some progress.”

“Ahaha, I was really absent-minded.”

“Looks like my days of going to the toilet and bathing alone are just over the horizon!”

Under the cerulean sky, they both held each other’s tender hands like genuine friends (even though it was impossible), and they took the moment to savor their happiness.

Lunch break ended, and once Honoka Shikibu could catch the sight of Koremitsu on his way from the roof toward the classroom, she glanced over with a wrathful expression.

Koremitsu also remembered his own grudge of having his yakisoba bread taken away, and intended to glare back; but the hope that he could still resolve the situation regarding Aoi prevented him from doing so.

Humph. I’m not some petty guy who sweats the details.

He chose to ignore her.

The school day came to an end. Koremitsu stood from his chair and headed off to the arts room on the 3 rd level to fulfill his responsibility as Hikaru’s messenger.

“Huh? Nobody’s around.”

“It looks like we’re a little early.”

There was no one in the classroom - only a stone plaster for design looked back at them. The canvas and easels were lying in a corner.

“This is...Miss Aoi’s painting.”

Hikaru floated to a canvas piece and smiled.

Koremitsu, too, walked over and took a peek.

“Eh- that’s unexpectedly...well-drawn.”

He was not simply complimenting her for the sake thereof, but was truly enchanted by it.

It was a painting of the school’s staircase drawn from the bottom stair and looking upwards. The painting was made to look like it was shrouded in a layer of golden mist, covered along with a splendid mix of calming hue.

Rays of light that shone in from the top of the stairs were warm, and one could not help but close his eyes and feel their embrace. However, there was a sense of loneliness in how this scenery had no one in it.

Is this gentle and slightly lonely painting that cynical girl’s...?

“Miss Aoi is very good at painting backgrounds, whether it’s the stairs, the school’s shoe locker, the corridor, the book racks in the library, the stage of an empty gym, the water cooler in school—she’s always able to use soft colors and depict the minor details ordinary people don’t normally notice.”

Hikaru looked like he was the one who painted the piece of art as he proudly smiled.

Gazing upon the painting, his eyes were intense - like they were protecting treasure - and were filled with what seemed a medley of powerful emotions. Sunlight danced off of particles in the air all around an open window, where they fluttered as Hikaru stood.

This guy’s an unrepentant playboy, but his feelings for Aoi are real...

Even Koremitsu, who was slow-witted in matters of romance, could understand a little of what Hikaru felt as he examined Aoi’s painting.

He, who was unwilling to help Hikaru before - only hoping to send him to Heaven - after seeing Hikaru’s sincere affection for his girlfriend, truly wanted to pass Hikaru’s feelings on to her.

I’m just your ‘temporary’ friend for now... but I ended up accepting your plea because of fate. I’ll definitely help you present your gifts to Aoi. I’ll definitely express to her your feelings.

He said this to himself as a commitment.

“What are you doing?”

A tense voice came from behind.

A pale-faced Aoi was standing in the doorway. She frowned slightly, biting her lips in anger.

“Please get out.”

Her slender shoulders trembled. Perhaps she was fearful of Koremitsu’s appearance.

“Miss Aoi, please listen to Koremitsu.”

Hikaru said this, ostensibly to try calming her down.

His voice could not reach Aoi’s ears.

“As I’d said yesterday, I don’t want to talk to you in any way.”

Koremitsu looked over to Hikaru with an expression that said “Leave it to me.” He stiffened his facial muscles, gave the most serious expression he could muster, and walked towards Aoi.

Aoi was not alone in her shock with this.

“I haven’t presented Hikaru’s second gift to you.”

Upon hearing this, Aoi’s body convulsed. Her eyes betrayed surprise. She was, without a doubt, rattled that Koremitsu referenced something only she and Hikaru could know.

Alright, it looks like I got her attention.

He glanced aside at Hikaru, who had been watching them tensely and giving a thumbs up, indicating that things were proceeding smoothly enough.

“Hikaru promised to give you seven gifts, and the remaining six are with me for the time being. I hope to give them to you on your birthday, so on that day, please—”

Suddenly, a bag was thrown at him.

As Hikaru called out, “Miss Aoi, please stop!” the bag hit Koremitsu square in the face.

“What- what in the world?”

Aoi looked like a cat with its hairs standing as she panted in heaves and glared at Koremitsu.

She was livid.

Her fists were now trembling more than before the moment Koremitsu spoke. She was biting her lips harder, and her eyebrows were lower.

Before Koremitsu could understand what was going on, she threw everything from paint brushes to wash pails to drawing pencils.

“Please don’t make such a lie! Why would Hikaru ask you such a thing before he died!? He died from an accident!”

Argh, I forgot about this.

The moment Hikaru gave Aoi her first present, he was unable to know that he was about to die.

“Miss Aoi. Koremitsu heard from me that I intended to give seven presents to a very important girl, and he decided to help me in order to fulfill this mission!”

Hikaru continued to explain as he stood beside them.

“Tha-that’s right! I’m Hikaru’s - friend! I heard about the seven gifts before—that he wanted to hand those gifts to a very important girl!”

He shouted as he dodged the brushes and pencils. As he was too anxious, he ended up saying things without order.

“You first entered school the day right before Golden Week. Asa said that you only appeared once in school before Hikaru’s death, and that you can’t possibly be Hikaru’s friend. She said that you intended to lie to me; she said that your words are all lies, and that I shouldn’t listen to you.”

Who’s Asa? Oi!?

“Miss Aoi. Please calm down. I’ve been close friends with Koremitsu for a long time.”

“That’s right! I’ve been sworn brothers with Hikaru for ten years already.”

“Hikaru never had any male friends ever since kindergarten! All his playmates were female! That’s what Asa said too! Hikaru can’t possibly have any male friends!”

Then again, who’s this Asa anyway!?

There were red, blue, black, and green paints tubes thrown right at him. Aoi, who was panting erratically on a canvas now, gritted her teeth as her eyes became hot flames.

“If what you said was even the slightest bit true, that means that Hikaru told others of the promise he had with me. He definitely leaked it out during a pillow talk with another woman, and that woman told others out of excitement, only for you to hear it.”

“That’s not true, Miss Aoi!”

Hikaru grew desperate.

Aoi lost control of her emotions. No matter how they tried to deny her accusations, she would refuse to hear them out.

“GET OUT! PLEASE GET OUT! PLEASE DON’T TREAT ME LIKE AN IDIOT! EVEN IF ASA NEVER SAID SO, I WON’T FORGIVE A DESPICABLE PERSON LIKE YOU!”

Aoi continued on the assault, looking like she would even throw the canvas and easels over.

“This won’t do, Koremitsu. Let’s try again another day.”

“I say, Mikado. You aren’t really trustworthy, aren’t you?”

“Please go!”

Koremitsu raised his bag face to block the projectiles thrown at him on his escape. Aoi did not cease until Koremitsu was out the door. He then opened it again.

“I’ll come back!”

He yelled as he poked his face out from behind the bag, and a palette hit his chin, knocking him back.

“Woah!”

He slipped and tried to regain his balance, but ultimately failed as he fell onto the floor in the halls.

“KYAA!”

There was a high-pitched voice, and Koremitsu’s nose picked up something sweet, his face buried in something soft.

Hm? What is it? Why are there cushions on the floor?

“This, this is bad, Koremitsu! Even I’ve never done such a thing in the school corridors before!”

Why is Hikaru so anxious?

At the next moment,

“YOU PERVERT!”

He was hit hard in the chest.

He lifted his head and found Honoka Shikibu’s face inches away. Her face was flushed red, and her murderous expression looked right back at him.

Shikibu’s breasts were right below Koremitsu’s face, confirmation that the cushion-like thing from before was Shikibu’s cleavage. The worst part was that Honoka’s knee pressed into his abdomen.

A more forceful impact came. Shikibu clenched her fist and hooked it from the right side into Koremitsu’s forehead.

“GUAH!”

Koremitsu rolled off her.

“PERVERT! MOLESTER! GO DIE!”

Shikibu proceeded to kick at Koremitsu’s shoulders and abdomen with her heels and toes.

Koremitsu cried in anguish as he took her kickboxer-like hits.

“Miss Shikibu, you’re mistaken! This was an accident!”

Hikaru tried his best to explain, but, as had already been proven once that day, his explanations were futile.

Shikibu gave a scornful gaze down at the walloped Koremitsu, who laid motionless in his disheveled uniform.

“If you dare to push down another girl in school and bury your head in her breasts again, I’ll beat you up good!”

With this declaration, she walked off.

A crowd formed around Koremitsu as onlookers started their exchanges over the fight.

“Shikibu’s so cool.”

“The delinquent sure has it rough.”

Aoi, who was standing at the door, had her input also.

“...It’s just like what Asa said. You’re the worst.”

She muttered it coldly, slamming the door shut.

Amid the strewn textbooks and stationery, Koremitsu sprawled on the floor.

Damn iiiit!!! Didn’t I crash into Shikibu’s breasts because of the palette you threw at me!? And that Asa or whatever definitely hates my guts, right!?

He vociferated in his mind.

A voice beside him rang louder than the others.

“Koremitsu! Hang in there, Koremitsu! Don’t die off too!”

Hikaru said some ominous things.

“As expected, women are no good. That fierce-looking girl kicked me without giving me a chance to explain, and that fiancée of yours just went crazy and threw all the brushes and paint at me! I’m not some shooting target, for goodness’ sake—! That’s why I say women—!”

Koremitsu sat down atop the tatami mat in his house, muttering his grandfather’s catchphrase to vent his frustrations.

He still felt sore from the beating he’d received from Shikibu; his wounds were so bad that he’d nearly been hospitalized.

“Anyway...I’m really sorry about all of this.”

Hikaru, carefree by nature, could only be seated and apologize to Koremitsu.

“For Miss Aoi to have deemed me so untrustworthy... It’s not as though I’d never expected it, but I couldn’t have imagined that it would be so serious... Has Miss Aoi taken my treatment of women to heart? But each flower has a charm of its own.”

“Your reflection on this had better be as deep as the sea, you big pervert.”

“Yes...”

Hikaru shrunk at his words.

“So what should we do now? She has treated you like a playboy who blabbered about this during a pillow talk with girls, and because of that, her defenses are even greater. Can we really open her heart before her birthday?”

“I forgot that Miss Aoi is different from the other girls.”

Hikaru frowned dejectedly.

“I can’t compose myself whenever I face Miss Aoi...even when I was alive, I did a lot more things to make her angry than to make her happy. Uu - I’m really a useless playboy.”

“Don’t say that you’re a pretty boy, alright? Besides, we can’t let this continue.”

“We may need someone who understands a woman’s heart to give suggestions.”

Koremitsu was surprised by the usefulness of Hikaru’s proposal.

“For example, we need a knowledgeable and gentle big sister, admired by all the underclassmen girls, someone everyone can talk to. Much like the flower of love from South America, Heliotrope - called purple fragrance in Japanese - a reliable woman with radiance, elegance and great knowledge.”

“Women again!?”

Suddenly, they both heard a cheerful song.

“Wh-what is that?”

It was a hit song from some popular band. The lyrics of the female vocals were an encouragement for love. However, one had to ask why it sounded in the first place.

“Koremitsu, your phone’s ringing.”

Koremitsu did not remember setting this song as his ringtone. That aside, it was unbelievable for him to ever receive a message.

He rummaged through his bag and found the phone flashing.

The phone was lavender in color, decorated with sparkling accessories, and there was the keychain of an ugly bear, or whatever it was, dangling from it.

“This phone isn’t mine.”

“It seems that it belongs to a girl.”

The phone continued ringing. Shall I pick it up?

He flipped the phone open, but he was unfamiliar with how it worked. He randomly pressed a few buttons, and the ringing stopped. Then, a message log appeared on the screen.

“To: Purple Princess: regarding the first date I had with Tomonori (>_<)”

“Purple princess?”

He continued to the other messages.

“Re: Purple Princess: I’m going to confess tomorrow~~”

“Purple Princess! Yuuki wants to talk to you regarding her ex-boyfriend!”

“Re: Purple Princess: I made up with K.”

He scanned through the list, and found the name Purple Princess all over the place.

“Purple Princess? That’s an idiotic name.”

He commented, and Hikaru injected.

“I heard of it before. It’s something the girls talk about between...well, wait, please let me recall. My memory increases tenfold as long as it has anything to do with girls. Oh yes, that was when I was walking back with the second year, Miss Reiko from Seibi Academy after we went to see the Renoir exhibition...”

He put his hand below his chin, and pondered for a while.

“Oh yes! She’s a mobile novelist!”

“A mobile novel?”

“Yes, it’s a sweet love story with lots of mood whiplash. Once she uploaded it onto the blog, there were a lot of replies asking for suggestions with love, and she’s hailed as the ‘expert in love’. Can your phone access the net, Koremitsu?”

“...I guess, but I never went online before.”

“Then, let’s try looking for this Purple Princess.”

With Hikaru guiding him, Koremitsu used his phone to enter the name ‘Purple Princess’ as a search query.

The top search showed a blog called ‘Purple Princess’s Mansion’.

“That one.”

Koremitsu clicked on it, and there was a dazzling, purple-based webpage with all sorts of functions on to boast.

There were a few sorted tabs that included ‘novel’, ‘love talk’, and ‘diary’. He clicked on ‘novel’, and there appeared prose in many paragraphs and line breaks.

“The breath sighing from the raccoon

Descends upon my face.

Cold.

Spicy.

My heart aches.

Not good.

It looks like I’ve really fallen in love.”

“???”

A spicy breath? Heart ache? I don’t understand at all. And speaking of which, this is a novel? Or is it a poem?

He tilted his head, clicking on the ‘love talk’ tab.

“Today, I’ll answer Miss Cactus Flower’s troubles!

This is the mail sent from Miss Cactus Flower!”

“Purple Princess, please listen to me.

I’m a first year high school girl who really loves K from my class.

K treats me as a mere friend and never treated me as a girl before.

K likes Y-bi, my clubmate, and he actually asked me to help him ask her if there's anyone she's going out with.

What exactly should I do here?”

After this question, there was the Purple Princess’ answer:

“Miss Cactus Flower!

You must definitely show your feelings to K.

I know you’re scared of breaking your relationship with K, but it will feel even more unbearable if K goes out with another girl.

You should take action now!

To make your confession a success, this Purple Princess will give you some tips.

First, you have to let K know that you, Cactus Flower, are a girl. This is the most important thing!

Your hairstyle, jewelry, and makeup should all be a little girlish.

And then, if K asks you what’s going on, you should look weak and answer feebly.

“There’s someone I like, and I hope he notices me.”

After that, K will probably wonder who the person you ‘like’ is.”

Such questions and answers about love continued on the page.

Koremitsu looked at the phone.

“...Hey, the owner of this phone inside my bag is the ‘Purple Princess,’ right?”

“From the title of the mail, it certainly seems that way.”

“I just got kicked badly by Shikibu in front of the arts room, right?”

“Yeah, her skirt was exposed quite a bit. Her pretty legs could be seen, and her thighs were in clear view.”

“Once she went off, I stood up - the stuff in my bag dropped everywhere when I got up. I was embarrassed and furious, and anyway, I just picked up everything on the floor and put them into my bag...”

“Yeah.”

Hikaru and Koremitsu looked at the phone with intrigue.

“Maybe Shikibu’s phone...is inside there.”

“That’s a possibility.”

“In other words, this phone...”

Koremitsu had a bad feeling as he spoke.

“Is Shikibu the Purple Princess?”

### 003. Chapter 3: Even Though Everyone Calls Me an Expert in Love

“Ah, really? Why isn’t anyone picking up?”

Honoka Shikibu, inside her room, grew nervous as she held the phone to her ear.

She had already been on the bus heading home when she’d realized that her cellphone was missing. She was reaching for her phone to update her blog, as she normally did, but was met with only an empty skirt pocket.

She immediately returned to school and frantically searched its entirety: in classroom desks, in corridors, and everywhere else she had been. However, she could not find her cellphone.

She’d even asked those she knew who were still at school to make a call to her cellphone, but the only response that received was a notification the cell phone was either low on battery or out of range.

What shall I do? Nobody brought it to the staff room either. Did I drop it back then?

After school, someone had suddenly barged into her as she’d been walking along the corridor.

The culprit was that classmate who sat beside her in class, the red-haired delinquent with those savage-looking eyes. As though to add insult to injury, he’d buried his face in her chest! That perverted, idiotic bastard - Akagi Koremitsu!

Maybe he’s still angry that I snatched the yakisoba bread from him during lunch break and made him hungry.

The more she thought of it, the more she wanted to give him a few good kicks, and her skin grew agitated as though breaking into a rash.

The cell phone could have slipped out of her skirt pocket when she’d stomped on him earlier; it was the only possibility she could think of.

If someone were to pick it up and see its contents...

Her vision darkened and she felt as though her throat were being wrung out; her pulse quickened.

No~, anything but that!

She grabbed onto the receiver as she hung up and shook her head sideways in a contorted manner. Her bright tea-colored hair slapped her face.

It’ll be alright. Someone kind may have picked it up and brought it over to the staff room. But, but what if someone unfavorable like Akagi pick it up and saw the contents... UWAAAHH, no, no, I mustn’t think any further.

She wished to push this thought from her mind, but her stomach continued to hurt; she wasn’t able to eat much of the sweet and sour pork she loved so much.

The day after, Honoka ran to the staff room in the early morning only to find her cellphone had yet to be returned, and she could do nothing but depart for her classroom.

“You don’t look too well, Hono. Did something happen?”

Her good friend, the bespectacled class representative who wore her hair in small braids, asked worriedly,

“It...it’s nothing.”

She put her hand to her stomach and answered dazedly.

At this moment, Koremitsu Akagi walked in and sat adjacent to her silently.

Had her phone not disappeared, she would have attacked him with a barrage of insults like “pervert”, “molester”, and whatever else she could think of, but nothing came to mind. She did not want to show any signs of wavering and was about to shoot him a glare, but, for some reason, Koremitsu was already looking at her!

For a moment, Honoka’s heart nearly ceased to beat.

“Geh!”

She hurriedly looked away.

Her chest was ringing like a morning bell.

Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-why is he looking at me!?

He looked at her with narrowed eyes, sealed lips, and furrowed eyebrows; his countenance showed his seriousness.

Her knees shook in fear and she dared not glance at Koremitsu thereafter.

Once Homeroom period ended, Koremitsu whispered to Honoka.

“Your precious thing is with me now. Come to the roof during class break.”

“!”

Her heart nearly froze again.

Koremitsu said such, and fell silent once more.

That perverted delinquent and molester, Koremitsu Akagi, definitely read through the contents of her phone.

He definitely knew Honoka’s secret.

During the break after first period, Koremitsu left the classroom.

Honoka left for the roof a minute after him, looking sick as a hospital patient.

He’s planning to use the phone to blackmail and threaten me, I guess. That’s the worst.

Exactly what sort of indulgent demands would he make?

Honoka felt extreme apprehension as she stumbled a few times, and her stomach ached as though something hard in her stomach was being kneaded.

She opened the door to the roof and found Koremitsu standing there with his hands in his pockets.

His back was arched.

His messy red hair swayed with the breeze.

Once he noticed Honoka’s arrival, he turned to face her. His sharp, vengeful seemed to challenge everything on this world as he scowled at Honoka.

No matter how one looked at him, they would see him as a delinquent, a dangerous person.

Honoka nearly fainted.

However, if she were to show him any signs of weakness, he would surely devour her, bones and all.

There was no way she could succumb to him.

She brushed her hair aside with one hand and returned Koremitsu’s scowl with a glare.

“What do you want with me? I’m quite busy.”

“This phone is yours, right?”

Koremitsu presented her the phone like the main character in Mito Kōmon displaying his seal case.

Honoka’s heart was pained.

“Th-th-tha-that’s right.”

She contemplated on whether she should smile and thank him, or whether she should resent him for not returning the phone earlier, during class.

Before she’d decided, Koremitsu said something which caught her off guard.

“Sorry, I accidentally saw it.”

“!”

“The mail topic with the name Purple Princess on it.”

“~~~~~~~~~~!”

“I read through this ‘Purple Princess’s Mansion’”.

“So-so-so-so-so-so-so-so-so—”

She wanted to maintain her composure and ask “So what”, but her tongue would not submit to her will.

Her body fluctuated in temperature, and she was unsure of whether her face was darkening or turning pale.

HE READ THROUGH THE BLOG!

In other words, he surfed through the mobile novels and the love talk.

“So you’re the ‘love expert’ everyone talks about.”

Koremitsu brought his face nearer to Honoka’s.

Honoka was rooted to the ground.

Wha-what is he planning? This delinquent! Molester!

She truly considered kicking him off of the roof if he were to touch her.

Honoka raised herself into a defensive stance, and Koremitsu’s lips curled into a frown. He raised his eyebrows and spoke with a serious bearing,

“First, that thing yesterday was an accident. I’m not a molester, and I’m not a pervert. Back to the real topic.”

Real topic? Is he going to settle his debt with me?

She gulped.

“Please teach me how to persuade girls and open their hearts!”

The red-haired delinquent lowered his head, and Honoka could do nothing but gawk at him.

In fact, Honoka herself was not adept at dealing with men.

This was because, on a spring day during her first year of middle school, she met a senile voyeur.

Honoka was cheerfully walking home after school, and the sun had yet to set.

She caught sight of a man wearing shades and a coat, kneeling down by the roadside.

“Are you okay!?”

Startled, she went over to ask, but that man stood and opened his coat, exposing his stark-naked self and that erect thing down below.

Honoka screamed and ran off.

What?

What was that?

What was that disgusting thing down at the groin?

Are all men like that? Nooo! It’s disgusting!

Ever since then, that scene would occasionally come to mind, and it was horrifying enough for her to scream.

There was a time when she would recall that pervert every time she looked at her male classmates’ faces; her body would stiffen, and she would look away, acting natural, but wondering whether she would find love if she could not forget about that incident.

If she could not bring herself to like men, she would have to accept that she’d been defeated by that pervert.

Honoka was perturbed by this, and was prideful enough to not give way.

That’s why, in order to best that pervert, she began to train in a kickboxing gym, learning techniques she could use were she to find herself in trouble, and started writing love stories in an attempt to increase her tolerance to men.

At first, she went overboard with how unrealistic and sickeningly sweet the stories were. “This kind of thing definitely won’t exist in reality! There’s no way such men will say such cliché lines here.” She would comment about them herself as she blushed and rolled around on the chair. As the days passed, her writing skills improved.

The numbers of readers increased with time, and at every update she would receive responses like, “This is really interesting.” and “Natsuno’s love story’s really touching.” Such responses filled Honoka with joy, so she would submit stories with greater frequency.

Someone left a comment on Honoka’s blog asking for help with love troubles, and once she responded to it, everyone else started sending in their own love questions.

Honoka had a “big sister” personality, and loved to help others settle their problems. She would answer all the questions put to her personally, and was unwittingly hailed as the “Love Expert”.

But, she had never dated a boy before.

“—Please.”

The delinquent was before her, his hands at his thighs as he bowed deeply.

“Please... be my heliotrope. Be my purple fragrance.”

Honoka was stunned by such sudden words, but the boy continued to plead with her, asking how he could open Aoi Saotome’s heart, and how he could woo girls.

Really, you’re a molester. Why are you asking me so seriously?

Cold sweat gradually rolled from her pores and down her temple.

What should I do now? It looks like he really believes that I’m the ‘Love Expert’. Uh, I pretended to be the perfect woman on my blog, but I’ve never actually dated a guy before. How am I going to say such an embarrassing thing?~

Koremitsu continued to hold his head low, like a statue.

Honoka could see only his messy red hair with a swirl in the center.

Her palms were sweaty, but her caring personality forced her onward.

She may have been somewhat in the wrong for kicking him unreasonably the previous day...

He held the resemblance of a delinquent, but he might be innocent at heart...

And he saw the contents of her phone, so he had control over her weakness...

“If you swear not to tell anyone that I’m the Purple Princess, I might be able to help you.”

And so, she finally uttered these words.

Thus, Honoka’s love counseling began.

“She’s not willing to hear a single word from you? And she threw brushes, buckets and pallets at you–are you an idiot? Her Highness Aoi of the Second Year is a real princess descended from actual nobles. Many of the people on our school’s campus, enrolled since kindergarten, can be classified as ‘nobles’; but she’s considered to be in a better class among them all. It’s obvious that you’ll be rejected by this flower at such lofty heights! Okay...it’s a little old-fashioned, but why don’t you try writing a love letter to her? Show that you’re serious with a passionate letter, an intellectual letter that surprises her with how refined you are.”

“...Will girls be happy when they receive some words?”

Koremitsu frowned as he grumbled.

“Not words, a letter! A note! How can anyone be happy with spoken words, which can be hastily uttered on the spur of the moment?”

Well, how is anyone going to be happy with those?

After hearing her words, Koremitsu thought to himself dispiritedly and sat at the table to he write his letter to Aoi.

Under Honoka’s guidance, he put thoughts to written word, formulated the sentences from these words into paragraphs, and incorporated the body of text together to form Aoi’s letter, which Honoka revised.

Honoka was awed by Koremitsu’s artful penmanship.

The strokes of his pen were easily legible, meticulously crafted, and held a certain firmness and masculinity in their structure.

The composition of the letter was like that of an elementary schooler’s, and Honoka couldn’t help but wonder if it was beyond repair. However, she considered how such beautiful handwriting alone could be adequate in expressions of love.

Honoka herself was anxious, and after meeting Koremitsu the next morning at the station, she left for the school and slipped the letter Koremitsu had copied at home into Aoi’s shoe locker.

The two of them then went to the side to watch, and an ivory-skinned Aoi arrived.

The ebony hair draped over her shoulders made the skin look much paler, and her body looked extremely frail.

Hm, now that I look at her, she’s really a princess who doesn’t match Akagi at all. Well, she is the fiancée of Lord Hikaru after all—

She remembered the countenance of the boy christened “Lord Hikaru”, and of his commander-esque charisma for which the girls exalted him.

Honoka was not fond of dainty men, but his gentle expression and resplendent smile bred conflict within her. No matter the number of scandals in which he was involved, his grandeur and purity were perpetual. She could understand the affection of the girls who were attracted to such characters.

There was a memorial for Lord Hikaru hung on the notice board next to the staircase, and five more colored papers were stuck to it by the girls, who were still writing on his memorial to convey their sorrow.

Any guy looks ugly when compared to a smiling prince.

But the marriage was arranged by their fathers, and Her Highness Aoi doesn’t seem to have any intention of agreeing with that. Perhaps she’s annoyed by Lord Hikaru’s Casanova behaviors. In that case, we’ll have to show her our sincerity.

Next to Honoka stood Koremitsu, staring at Aoi rigidly.

He probably wished for an austere expression, but to Honoka, he looked like he had an eternal grudge.

Uu...I think he’s more obsessed than sincere here.

It was then that Aoi caught sight of the letter.

She gave a slight frown.

A line of neatly written words adjacent to the sender’s name read, “I’m not a molester.”

Upon seeing this, she tore the letter.

“!”

She stacked the two torn pieces atop one another, tore it once more, threw it into a dustbin, and took her leave.

“Hey, ‘Love Expert’, that damned girl just tore the letter without reading.”

“Ne-next plan, then.”

“Got it? Once Her Highness Aoi passes by, I’ll give you the signal, and you’ll just walk over naturally. Pretend to accidentally drop the notebook. Her Highness Aoi will pick it up for sure. In that case, use this chance to apologize to her like a gentleman.”

“Oh, okay.”

It was the second class break.

They were lying in wait, having anticipated Aoi’s move from her first classroom to the biology room. It was an old-fashioned method, but this classic approach would work effectively against a princess with such delicacy..

“She’s coming!”

Honoka gave the signal, and Koremitsu walked out.

~~~~Why must you put your hands in your pockets!? You’re practically a delinquent now!

Koremitsu planned to, with his hands in his pockets, ‘accidentally’ drop his student notebook.

Ahhh, seriously! Don’t lower your chin and arch your back like that! Why are you glaring and pouting!?

With Honoka watching him dubiously, Koremitsu dropped his notebook.

Aoi walked in the direction of Koremitsu’s dropped notebook.

She would surely retrieve his notebook—

Or not.

Instead, she stepped on it and left.

“Hey, my new notebook has a footprint on it now.”

“~~~, next!”

Thusly, Koremitsu complied with Honoka’s instructions and attempted to meet Aoi by coincidence, but it seemed that Aoi was steadfast on ignoring Koremitsu no matter the situation.

Despite the number of ways Koremitsu tried to capture Aoi’s attention, she would readily ignore him by looking forward with a fictitious blank stare. She would then go on to walk away from him.

After school, on the roof.

“Your strategies aren’t effective at all, ‘Love Expert’.”

Honoka’s quibble came in response to Koremitsu’s complaint.

“Your face is too savage, okay? Everyone will be wary of you when you approach them with that face of yours!”

“You want me to get cosmetic surgery!?”

“Uuu, in that case, we’ll have to use the reverse charm by making you a decent guy despite your delinquent looks. Alright, let’s do this, tsundere delinquent!”

“I’M NOT A DELINQUENT!”

The following day, Koremitsu equipped himself with an assortment of kittens’ things.

He bore badges of kittens on his chest and shoes, his socks had kitten footprints etched on them, his phone’s keychain strap help a kitten mascot, and the head of a toy kitten protruded from his schoolbag.

From the information Honoka had relayed to Koremitsu, Aoi liked cats. Her cellphone’s screen-saver was a photo of the beloved cat she raised herself.

The name of this cherished cat was Shellblue, and it was apparently procured from a cardboard box in the park. The cat was a stray, but Aoi gave Shellblue her adulation, and the two of them would snuggle whilst abed.

Once they had ascertained that Aoi traveled to school by bus, Koremitsu and Honoka waited by the bus stop for her, and commenced their endeavor.

On that morning, Aoi’s face was as pale as ever, and she gave the impression of being notably uneasy.

The duo ambled past her, conversing loud enough to be overheard.

“Hey, Akagi. The cats you saved from drowning in the river yesterday, are they okay?”

“Yeah, that was quite a stormy night. The four cats that were in a cardboard box floating down the river are still energetic.”

“I heard you saved a cat from a crow.”

“Oh, that pregnant calico cat? I helped deliver its baby.”

“You really like cats, huh?~ I admit it’s my fault for kicking you because I thought you were a molester. There isn’t a cat lover who’s bad at heart. Oh yes, I heard that you have a collection of cat photos?”

“Oh, I can lend it to you whenever you want.”

At last, Aoi, who had been walking behind them, interrupted.

“Well?”

Koremitsu and Honoka’s ears twitched.

It’s working!

However...

“Can you please not get in my way?”

The cold voice inquired.

“Ah...Sorry.”

Koremitsu hastily moved aside.

Aoi gave a look which evoked fear in the two of them as she passed.

“...Hey, ‘Love Expert’, I got ignored again, right?”

Koremitsu groaned.

“I say...isn’t it better for you to give up?”

It was lunch break.

Honoka and Koremitsu stood at the railing atop the school’s roof, admiring the scenery, and Honoka voiced her thoughts on the days’ happenings.

“I do feel sorry that I can’t help you out even though you’ve bowed to me and asked, but looking at Her Highness Aoi’s response, I do feel that it’s somewhat impossible.”

Honoka was reluctant to say something so discouraging, and she felt remorseful pangs to the heart as the words left her mouth.

“You’ve already tried hard. I thought you were just some delinquent molester - some bad guy, but it’s really impressive to see you being so serious about the person you like. Since you’ve done all you can, I don’t think it’s a bad idea to give up.”

Normally, it would be hard for someone to pick themselves up after being rejected by the one they liked. However, Koremitsu kept standing up no matter how many times he failed.

No matter how awkward or embarrassing Honoka’s instructions were, he would follow them steadfastly.

Even though he is a molester...

“If you don’t mind, I’ll introduce some girls who’re unattached.”

She accidentally let this slip.

This is bad...who do I introduce him to? Even though I know a lot of girls who don’t have boyfriends...well, maybe Riko can. Since she likes horror films, I think she has some resistance to a scary face...

She was mulling over whether she knew any girls who would be unaffected by Koremitsu’s appearance when she was interrupted.

“She has to be the one.”

Koremitsu’s gaze dropped to the handrail as he said this.

Honoka turned her attention toward Koremitsu and saw him frowning, his face filled with agony, and his hands trembling as they gripped the railing.

In spite of this downcast position, under the messy red hair hanging from his lowered head, his eyes bore an intense aura.

“I’ll never give up, no matter what.”

He made this declaration lucidly.

Honoka was mesmerized by both his sidelong look, and by the determination in his voice.

BA—DUM! Her heart jumped, and her face grew hot as though it were on fire.

Wha-what is it?

Why is my face turning red now!?

And my chest, it’s, feeling unbearable—what is this?

Is it because of Akagi?

Because Akagi said that he won’t give up?

Any other boy would have given long before. It was said that, after Hikaru’s death, there had been many boys to approach Aoi, but they all gave up soon after she coldly rejected them.

The boys to try and woo her were all handsome, academically outstanding, rich children, brimming with self-confidence—the children of the ‘nobles’ who had been in this school since kindergarten.

However, this Koremitsu, who was infamous for being a delinquent, who was deemed worse than a peasant, a wild dog - who fell far short of them, said that he would not give up.

Koremitsu turned his head to look at Honoka.

His foolishly straightforward expression - a resolute expression - stared right at Honoka.

“I’m really sorry to make you help me out when you’re so busy. Thank you, but I’ll try to continue on my own.”

He spoke ungracefully.

Upon hearing this, Honoka felt her face burn as her heart pounded still harder.

“Even if you try again, you might not succeed.”

Koremitsu also stiffened his face as he looked back at Honoka with fiery conviction.

“But even so, I have to try.”

The wind whisked Koremitsu’s red hair.

Honoka wavered at his determination.

Even though he’s a delinquent, a molester...

She muttered in her heart.

Why am I so concerned with Akagi?

He already said that he doesn’t need my love advice...

Once classes for the day had ended, Honoka packed her things dispiritedly.

The neighboring chair was empty, and he evidently ran off to Aoi.

That idiot. He’ll definitely get dumped anyway.

“Hono... you've been on good terms with Akagi lately."

“EH!?”

Honoka’s good friend with the braided hair, Michiru, interjected suddenly, and Honoka shrieked in surprise.

“Ah, I feel the same! You’re able to talk to Akagi. Aren’t you scared of him?”

“I heard that you managed to strike up a good conversation with Akagi on the roof. Is this true?”

The girls came to approach her with an enthusiastic interrogation.

The tips of her ears were burning up.

“Wh-what are you saying? How can anything happen between me and that delinquent? Anyway, it’s impossible. I like those who’re knowledgeable, bashful—right, I like those intellectual boys.”

She gave a firm denial.

Right, what kind of joke is this? To have a rumor about me and Akagi?

“See, there have been a lot of handsome boys who confessed to you before, Honoka.”

“But you rejected them all by saying ‘let’s just be friends.’ There’s no such thing as friendship between boys and girls, right?”

“Right.”

Every classmate, with the exception of Michiru, simultaneously gave their consent.

Michiru looked to Honoka through her large glasses and gave her late response.

“Honoka, you shouldn’t be too picky just because you’re cool. Be careful of spending your three years in high school without a boyfriend.”

“That’s right. How about we go for a joint party? It’ll be easy to get the boys to come along if they know you’re coming with.”

“Sorry, but I’m not in the mood for this now.”

Her answer was abrupt.

“Don’t say that. How about you try it out too, class rep?”

Michiru replied to the question with a troubled smile.

“A joint party for me is a little...”

It was then that an intelligent-sounding voice rang from the back door of the classroom.

“Is Miss Honoka Shikibu still around?”

Honoka turned to face the door, and upon seeing the source of the voice, rose frantically from her seat.

Sleek, long black hair easily capable of leaving an indelible impression rested neatly over the shoulders of a tall beauty standing at the door. Her very being suppressed the surrounding atmosphere in captivating abeyance.

Her black eyes narrowly stared at Honoka in silence.

It was no glare, yet the unyielding Honoka felt her chest tighten.

Why is the president—

She felt sweat roll down her back.

“I’m Shikibu.”

She could only think of one reason for her, an upperclassman whose reputation was higher than any other ‘noble’, to visit a peasant-like student who was not enrolled until middle school, and remembering this rumor about Koremitsu and herself only served to make her stomach ache all the more.

The president of the Heian Academy High School Student Council, Asai Saiga - dubbed the Matriarch Asa - spoke to a pensive Honoka in calm authority.

“There’s something I want to ask you about. Could you please come over to the Student Council room?”

Koremitsu was troubled as he stood in the arts room.

Aoi had turned her back to him and returned to painting.

Koremitsu, standing behind her, gave off the impression of a starving dog; but no matter how he agonized over things, it would not change the situation.

“Isn’t this Sunday your birthday?”

He spoke to her sincerely.

“...”

“Can’t you accompany me for just one day?”

“...”

Aoi continued to move her brush wordlessly.

On the canvas, there was a staircase on the semitransparent golden mist. The painting felt so warm, but Aoi’s back alongside looked as cold as the fluttering snowflakes. The other members of the art club were away from the two, fidgeting in their seats, uncomfortable to a point where one would have to feel sorry for them.

Darn, how am I supposed to make her look at me?

He had already told Honoka that he would handle the rest, but could he make Aoi change her mind before her birthday?

There was not much time left, and this predicament caused Koremitsu’s throat to dry up because of the anxiousness.

Your ‘girlfriend’ is too tough to handle.

He gave Hikaru a bitter look.

Hikaru responded with an equally distressed glance, but let known his determination by putting on a smile and passing by Koremitsu to stand next to Aoi.

“Miss Aoi.”

He looked to the side of an unmoving Aoi’s face with a gentle expression, and he called out to her calmly.

“The gifting of your seven birthday presents may be an imprudent act to you, Miss Aoi, but that is a very important promise to me.”

As the warm, gentle sunlight shone in through the window—his sweet, sentimental voice flowed out like a pure fragrance.

“I’ll continue to stay here in order to fulfill the promise I made with you, Miss Aoi.”

Aoi could not hear Hikaru’s words—

But after seeing Hikaru speak so earnestly, Koremitsu’s breath caught.

Hikaru’s voice slightly weakened.

“So my voice really can’t reach Miss Aoi’s ears at all...if you hear me, even if it’s a little bit, please put a finger to your lips to indicate so.”

Damn...what’s with that expression?

It was likely that Hikaru had known since long ago that no matter whether it was his voice or his silhouette, Aoi was unable to detect it.

Even knowing it was impossible, he continued to hope that Aoi, who painted still with her back to him, would turn to him and see.

As he gazed upon the seemingly distant petite figure that looked ever forward, Koremitsu remembered something he had forgotten long ago.

The silhouette of a back, vanishing into the darkness under the weak lighting of a street lamp.

During his adolescent days, when he continued to look out of the window blankly, there was no response no matter how he called out—

That back overlapped with Aoi’s.

Neither of them would turn around.

“...Aoi.”

Hikaru’s languishing voice called out once more, and ostensibly pleaded for a miracle.

In his adolescence, Koremitsu prayed for his mother to smile at him, for her to lift her head up to him, and for her to, even with the slightest smile, pat his head.

Please, please.

Please, God.

He prayed countless times in his heart

Please, please help me.

Tch, what was I thinking back then?

Nine years ago, on his mother’s birthday, he decided to gift his mother with her favorite word. After attending his grandfather’s calligraphy class, he sat atop the study table, ground some ink, and wrote the word on Japanese writing paper.

His calligraphy was not adept, so he had to rewrite it a few times.

As he wrote, he prayed to God for his gift to bring joy to his mother, and the ink with which he wrote spattered onto his hands and face.

On that night, before he could offer his present to his mother, she abandoned the young Koremitsu and ran away from home.

Her slender figure faded into darkness, and never to return.

—I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, Mitsu.

He continued to write, giving it his utmost effort as he tried to both cease the tears which fell from his mother’s face as she apologized, and make her smile. In the end, he never gave her his writings.

The day after his mother left, he drew crosses on each paper he wrote on. Snot dripped from his nose as he drew cross after cross.

As he gazed upon Aoi, he felt it was not her back he was seeing, but his mother’s - the feeling stayed for but a moment.

God never answered Koremitsu’s prayers.

When Hikaru showed to him that all too familiar praying expression, Koremitsu could not help but pray for him as well.

Even if it’s for just a little while, grant this guy’s wish. I can see this so clearly; can’t you let Aoi hear a little of it too?

Just as Koremitsu’s chest began to ache like it were being crushed, Aoi dipped her brush into the dark brown color on her pallet.

The brush made a long black line diagonally down from the top left corner on the canvas.

Hikaru’s expression immediately froze.

Koremitsu felt as though he were being sliced from the front.

Aoi went on to draw a line diagonally from the top right corner.

The large black cross he had drawn when he was a child was brought to mind again, and he felt as though his eyes were set aflame.

“What are you doing!?”

Koremitsu bellowed as he grabbed Aoi by the arm.

The other members looked on with horrified expressions; the members who had been perming their hair and giving each other manicures dropped their curling irons and nail polish.

There was a large, ugly cross on the canvas that had the breath of light on it.

“Please don’t, touch me.”

Aoi shook off Koremitsu’s hand.

Her skin was a ghastly pale, and her eyes held rage and resentment.

“You...why did you do that to the painting!?”

“I can’t—talk with you. That’s what Asa told me.”

Dang! That Asa again?

Aoi turned her face away from Koremitsu as she forcefully let out these words while seemingly restraining her inner emotions.

Aoi turned away from Koremitsu as she forcefully said such, but her true emotions seemed to be withheld.

“That’s why I’m just muttering to myself ...that Hikaru...”

Hikaru had been standing beside Aoi blankly, but, at the sound of his name, his shoulders jerked.

Koremitsu was filled with apprehension and held his breath.

What’s she going to say? Something worse?

“...As far as I know...Hikaru...”

Her tender lips seemed pain as she let out these words, and her hands trembled slightly.

“...He’s the most dishonest person...on this world...”

Her face steeled, and a pitiless glint showed in her eyes. Hikaru, who stood in front of her, lowered his eyebrows and looked to Aoi with pain in his eyes.

No. That’s enough, don’t say anything more.

“The worst—liar.”

Hikaru’s eyes were tinted with the color of agony.

Koremitsu’s heart felt like it had been slashed off.

Hikaru understood how extremely insincere he had been to Aoi, and yet, the words said in front of him, and the cross drawn on the canvas swallowed his heart whole; the agony of being refused by a person so precious brought his soul to lament.

“...! You don’t have to be so vicious, even though Hikaru himself is quite the playboy.”

Aoi folded her arms and muttered.

“That's a fact anyway...I hated Hikaru most on this world. He angers me all the time, and he lies to me most. There's no other guy worse than him. He's a completely rotten man inside despite his exquisite appearance on the outside.”

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SAYING!?”

Aoi disparaging Hikaru troubled Koremitsu, and it reminded him of his unanswered prayers, and of the emotions he had experienced as a child: pain and despair. These things were wrenched from deep within his heart, and the blood rushed to his head; his veins were throbbing with rage which rose from far below his belly.

“Koremitsu.”

Hikaru gave an effort to allay Koremitsu, but the rage devouring him only grew fiercer. Aoi bit her lips and breathed lightly, but continued to blame Hikaru.

“I don’t know exactly how many Hikaru went out with, but that’s because I can’t count them all. He’s always with different women, and when I ask him ‘Who is that person?’, he’ll answer ‘an acquaintance’, or ‘a friend’ with that saintly smile on his face. Anyway, he’ll answer me with a gentle smile on his face, even when I’m angry—he’ll smile and carry out those dishonest acts with other girls.”

Her typically pale face was dyed red.

Hikaru gave Aoi his support and continued to plead with Koremitsu, telling him, “I’m really okay here!”

“That’s—that’s why, that low-life of a man deserves my retribution!”

Upon hearing this, Koremitsu let out a roar.

“DON’T YOU DARE SAY THAT AS A MATTER OF FACT!”

His outburst rattled the window and startled Aoi.

“Calm down, Koremitsu! I’m fine here! Okay? You see, everyone’s scared now.”

Hikaru tried what he could to stop Koremitsu, but his overflowing emotions could not be contained.

“HIKARU’S NOT SOME TRASH! HE’S DEFINITELY NOT A LOWLIFE! HE’S TRYING HIS BEST TO FULFILL HIS PROMISE WITH YOU, EVEN NOW!”

He said that it was a very important promise.

He said that she was a very important girl.

Even now, he looked at Aoi with such passion, such tenderness, such melancholy! He continued to talk to her in vain, hoping she would notice him.

His mother turned her back and walked away.

Aoi drew the large cross on the canvas.

He kept pleading with her, and kept practicing to make her happy.

Why should she just ignore and abandon it so lightly!?

After noticing the art club members were huddled together in fear, he tightly clamped his teeth together.

“—”

He reflected on the outburst he had after losing himself, but it was due to the uncontrollable rage he felt at Aoi’s words.

“Fine, that’s enough.”

He shot Aoi his worst belittling glare.

“You have no right to accept Hikaru’s feelings. Who’s willing to do so here? It’s a waste to present them to someone like you.”

Aoi bit her lips as large teardrops streamed from her eyes, and she tried to pull away from Koremitsu.

“So...be it then. Even if he’s alive, he won’t keep to this promise anyway. He’ll treat this promise like it’s nothing.”

She let out a quiet choking sound, gave Koremitsu a cold glare, and continued to speak stiffly.

“...It’ll just be a spur of moment like before anyway.”

Koremitsu could no longer endure Aoi’s denial of Hikaru, and he was not willing to let Hikaru listen any longer either. He yanked open the door and left the arts’ room.

“Hurry up, forget about that kind of woman and just go to heaven! It’s just like what Gramps said, women are the worst!”

He shouted with a trembling voice as he walked down the hallway.

He was furious enough to ignore the stares that were on him. His chest felt like it had been sliced apart, and his head felt boiled. His eyes were hot, and his nose was stuffed.

“Are you crying, Koremitsu?”

Hikaru inquired in his state of awe.

“Th-this is why I say that—I don’t know how to appeal to women at all. They get sad, angry whenever they feel like it—they don’t talk when they don’t feel like it, they walk away when they feel like it—”

Despite his efforts to stop it, snot leaked from his nose, and he couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down his cheeks.

“That’s why I hate to get involved with women in any way...don’t kid around with me. Damn it, she wouldn’t even try to understand other people’s intention...she’s got to be joking.”

His chest was burning, and bitter, salty tears ran down his face.

He covered his face with his hands to mask his sobbing; for him, a man, to cry was embarrassing.

“...Koremitsu, let’s go over there.”

At Hikaru’s suggestion, Koremitsu staggered off to a relatively vacant corridor and squatted down in a corner. He let out his regret, and Hikaru quietly went about consoling him.

“...Sorry Koremitsu. It’s my fault for entrusting this to you. You were hurt as a result.”

It’s not your fault. Koremitsu wanted to answer.

The wrath he felt toward Aoi was no fault of Hikaru’s. The traumatic experiences he experienced in his childhood were the source of his anger, and he only worsened his situation by pushing this rage onto Aoi.

Hikaru’s voice was all too soothing, and it, like a warm hand, calmed Koremitsu’s heart. After being calmed, he inadvertently spoke.

“Don’t say sorry or anything now.”

“But,”

“I hate it when people say sorry. What can you change when you say that? Can it solve anything? It’s because nothing can be changed that we say sorry, right...!? So don’t say sorry to me.”

Until recently, receiving apologies from others was unfamiliar to Koremitsu.

Sorry.

Mitsu.

Sorry.

His mothers ashen face was turned towards the young Koremitsu; her cheeks were wet, and time and time again she would apologize with a weak voice. “Sorry, sorry.”

Her face was blurred, and Koremitsu could not recall it.

Yet, the tears which rolled down that face, the tender voice that said sorry continually, the slender body that disappeared. He would recall these occasionally, and his heart felt as though it had been torn apart.

—I’m sorry, Mr Akagi.

—Sorry.

His classmates would apologize to him with terror evident on their faces.

They would then leave with a ghastly complexion.

He never thought of making them apologize.

These words hurt his innermost being and created scars that could never heal.

That’s why I really hate it when you say sorry! Don’t end everything with sorry!

Koremitsu had no handle on his rising emotions, and he pouted like an unreasonable child, covering himself as he wailed. Hikaru gently laid his hand on Koremitsu’s shoulder.

Koremitsu looked to Hikaru’s hand and saw that it sank down into his shoulder. Hikaru gently lowered his gaze and approached the other half of Koremitsu’s body.

A ghost should have no body heat, but Koremitsu felt a warmth coming from the shoulder Hikaru’s hand touched; this warmth, along with Hikaru’s gentle expression, put his heart at ease.

This was his first time being comforted by another.

He had never before had a friend to listen to his complaints, even if that friend was only ‘temporary’.

“I...I’m not some ‘girl’ who’s crying.”

His protest was followed by sniffing.

“Hm, I already knew that you aren’t some pitiful poppy.”

Hikaru whispered gently.

“So, so why...must I be comforted by you? Aoi already said all sorts of unbearable things about you, and you’re dead; you should be suffering at least a hundred times more than me. In that case, I should be the one comforting you. Now I really want to cry when I see you show such a calm expression.”

Hikaru rested his hand once again on Koremitsu’s shoulder, and answered with a calm and mature demeanor.

“I can’t cry... I have no memory of crying. I don’t know how to cry.”

Hikaru looked back to the wide-eyed Koremitsu with a compassionate smile.

“My mother used to be my father’s mistress. She was frail, and she died when I was 4. Just before my mother died, she told me this. ‘ Hikaru, you have to keep smiling no matter what. If you do that, everyone will love you. If anyone does anything bad to you, fill your heart with love and smile back —’”

Hikaru narrated his dead mother’s words with a clear voice, and he showed a profound and still expression.

Hikaru repeated his late mother’s words with a halcyon voice and a profound yet still mien.

“My mother definitely knew that she would not live for long, and wanted to teach me a way to get along with my relatives and father’s family.”

He closed his eyes.

There was still no tear shed below his long eyebrows.

“What does it feel like to let the tears flow?”

The question came with an expectant tone.

—Please keep on smiling, Hikaru.

—Fill your heart with love.

His mother died when he was four, so how did he live on after that...whose house was he staying in? Who was he living with?

Hikaru’s words left no uncertainty; he was never accustomed to his new family, and his life was difficult. He simply continued to follow his mother’s advice and smiled.

“Please keep on smiling.”

Certainly, a smile was Hikaru’s sole defense.

Koremitsu mused over Hikaru’s life and how he spent it alone. His crying was reinforced by this, and, even with his best efforts, he could not stop.

Koremitsu forgot how to smile when he was young.

Nobody taught Hikaru how to cry.

“It’s really hard to tell from your appearance, but you really can cry, Koremitsu. That’s too bad. If I can cry like you, the girls’ maternal instincts will kick in and they’ll start comforting me. Most will definitely give me a wonderful service too.”

Hikaru spoke nonchalantly with an affectionate smile on his lips.

He probably meant to cheer Koremitsu up this way.

“You pervert.”

Koremitsu replied gruffly and wiped his tears on his sleeves.

The corridor in front of the vacant classroom was devoid of people, and the mystical space held a rejuvenating ambience which allayed Koremitsu’s scorching face.

He managed to stop his tears, but still wanted to sit beside Hikaru for a while. He felt a complex sense of empathy and trust as he tried to express this vague emotion while cuddling his knees.

He held his tears, but still desired to sit beside Hikaru for a while longer. His complex feelings toward Hikaru held both empathy and trust, and he tried to articulate what he felt.

“...H-Hey, didn’t I say...that flowers wilt easily and aren’t edible before...they can’t be used for anything...?”

“Yeah. We agreed to go on a picnic too.”

“What kind of agreement is that—”

“Haha, didn’t I mention it?”

“Well...when I was first hospitalized, Koharu brought me some flowers.”

“Heh.”

“They were white flowers on the stalks...and the buds were hairy. I thought that it might be a little too sinister to receive white flowers in a hospital, but my heart calmed down whenever I glanced at it from my bed...when I was anxious over the fact that I could not attend school during the start of the semester, but I just felt calm immediately after looking at them...I felt that there was nothing I could accomplish by being so anxious.”

A smile played on Hikaru’s lips, and his eyes narrowed.

His appearance gave off a happy radiance.

“Yeah, flowers do have that kind of power. It makes one happy to see them.”

“W-well...they might really have that kind of power. That’s why...I can hear you out on flowers once in awhile.”

Koremitsu’s willingness to listen to Hikaru’s talk of flowers delighted him, and he flashed a brilliant smile.

“Thank you.”

“But just once in awhile.”

“Got it. I won’t go to the extent of annoying you then. Speaking of which, I remember you’re hospitalized because you were hit by a truck, right? How did that happen? Will you give me an answer if I ask for it now?”

“Uu.”

The question left Koremitsu dumbfounded.

Hikaru resembled a childish prankster as he awaited an answer, and Koremitsu felt Hikaru too was hoping to gauge how close the two of them had become since his first appearance as a ghost.

Koremitsu answered dazedly.

“...Some old man wanted to cross the traffic junction even though the light was red...I told him to stop, but he trotted towards the truck while yelling ‘Ogre~’. I chased after him, and got hit by the truck.”

Someone, perhaps the driver or a passerby, gave a shout to warn him of the danger, but Koremitsu was sent flying before he had time to react.

Koremitsu awoke in the hospital, and in place of the old man, Koharu stood beside his bed.

“So you saved the old man, Koremitsu. What a hero.”

“I’m not. Don’t say it like it’s some glorious thing.”

The old man ran from Koremitsu after catching sight of his terrifying visage, and Koremitsu himself was struck by the truck. This catastrophe was beyond embarrassing, and he hadn’t the gall to call himself a hero.

Hikaru chuckled.

“Isn’t this good, hero? Your face is red, hero. You love to cry and get shy very easily, hero.”

“Alright, you had enough? Tch, let’s go home.”

Koremitsu realized that he was further flustered by his narrations, and they only fed Hikaru’s desire to tease him. Upon this revelation, he grew somber and stood.

He then turned away from Hikaru and intended to depart, but Hikaru’s chuckling was replaced with a sincere tone.

“Hey, hero, there’s a place I want to pass by. Will you come along with me? I’ll show you some cute flowers I’ve been keeping.”

### 004. Chapter 4: Where Do People Go When They Die?

Hikaru led Koremitsu to his upper class apartment which was a mere twenty minute walk from the school.

It was said that the apartment complex was owned by Hikaru’s father; Hikaru used to live alone in one of the apartments.

The entrance was equipped with an automatic lock, and the caretaker was a man well into his years.

“I’m Hikaru’s friend. Can I go to his room? There’s something I lent him.”

The caretaker eyed Koremitsu’s disheveled hair and uniform circumspectly.

“Nope, I can’t let in anyone I don’t know. Besides, how would I know that you’re Master Hikaru’s friend?”

As expected, he was refused.

Oh damn, what do I do now?

Koremitsu grimaced and speculated over his next move when he his thoughts were interrupted by Hikaru.

“Tell him you’ll bring him the limited chestnut-steamed Yōkan from Taiseido next time.”

What’s that? Koremitsu lowered his head in wonder.

“I’ll bring you the limited chestnut-steamed Yōkan from Taiseido next time as a gift, if you want.”

He secretly lifted his stare, and saw the caretaker’s eyes widen as he shuddered.

What’s going on! Does he have a heart attack!?

Just when Koremitsu was panicking, tears welled up in the caretaker’s eyes.

“Is that so...Young Master Hikaru said when he went to the villa that morning ‘I’ll bring you that limited edition chestnut-steamed Yōkan from Taisedo’. That’s because he saw this recommendation on television a few days ago and said ‘It’s looks really nice. Let’s go and try it together, Mr. Maezono’...Young Master Hikaru was very emphatic with others around him ever since he was young...”

He inadvertently choked on his words as he said this.

“It’s really great to see that Young Master Hikaru has a male friend. He always talked about how he wanted to have a friend of the same gender.”

He said delightedly as he let out snot, opened the lock, and brought Koremitsu to Hikaru’s room on the highest level.

“The room is kept in the same condition as when Young Master Hikaru was alive. Just give me a holler when you want to head back.”

The caretaker said this, and went back to his room.

“Mister Maezono used to be my father’s chauffeur, and I’ve been well taken care of by him ever since I was young. Even when I started living alone, he kept coming over to talk with me like a real grandfather, and he would worry about me whenever I returned home late.”

Hikaru spoke with a reminiscing voice.

“When did you start living here?”

“Since the first year of middle school.”

He answered without hesitation.

First year of middle school, huh? Wasn’t he still a kid back then?

Koremitsu felt a little shocked.

The room with the wooden-tiled floor was extremely wide, and there was no carpet laid out.

There were practically no furniture, let alone a television. There was a sofa, a large dining table that was inappropriate for someone living alone, with 4 chairs lined around it. The table looked like it had not been used before, and one could get a feeling that nobody lived here before.

The caretaker did say before that this was the condition of the room when Hikaru was alive. Did Hikaru live in this lonely room every day?

“I was the one who suggested that I should live alone. I’ll gain more freedom like this.”

Hikaru was dressed up in shirt and jeans as he moved around barefooted (this was most probably Hikaru’s casual attire), and Koremitsu felt a sense of loneliness when he saw Hikaru in this state.

Perhaps it was because he saw Koremitsu’s utter silence that Hikaru grinned and said heartily.

“My father was very rich, so I never had any worries financially, and I lived a carefree and lazy life. I don’t have to contact my family when I have girls living in my house. Nobody will tell me off even if I stay at a girl’s house for a few days, and I can go out in the middle of the night if girls call me.”

“Tch, you’re already a Casanova in middle school!?”

He felt a loss of words,

"—I can’t sleep alone because I’m scared of loneliness."

He recalled the words Hikaru used to say, and felt his chest tighten.

"—and I can only relax when someone accompanies me..."

Don’t tell me this guy dated so many girls because he’s too lonely?

The moment he thought of how Hikaru looked as he cupped his knees in the midst of this wide room, sparsely filled with furniture, Koremitsu showed a serious expression.

Koremitsu himself understood the loneliness of having no parents best.

After being with Hikaru for such a long time, there was one thing he understood.

His smile isn’t to be trusted.

Even if it was unbearable to a point where he had to cough out blood, even if the loneliness felt like it was going to pry a hole open in him, he would continue to smile.

This made Koremitsu really frustrated.

Hikaru opened his eyes gently as he gave a gentle smile.

“There should be a photo album in the closet. I brought you here to show it to you.”

“So the extremely pretty flowers you’re talking about refer to the photos?”

“Are you hoping for a blond maid to invite you in?”

“Shut up, I already told you that I hate women, you idiot.”

“Then, how about I change into a maid outfit and say to you, ‘welcome back, master~’?”

“No way, that’s disgusting.”

“But I feel that it should suit me somewhat.” As Hikaru rambled on, Koremitsu opened the closet embedded into the wall and took out several photo albums that were stacked inside.

He sat down on the wooden floor, flipped the albums, and found many baby photos inside.

Are these Hikaru’s photos?

Hikaru had an angelic face when he was a baby, a stark contrast to Koremitsu’s savage-looking face ever since he was born.

Some of Hikaru’s photos showed him smiling gently, some showed his sucking on the milk bottle as he widened his round eyes at the camera, some showed him reaching his small maple leaf-like hands as he chortled, and some showed him taking a nap with a furry puppy-like toy.

There were so many of these photos that could make it as the cover for a baby magazine, to a point where it felt endless.

“...Dude, are the pretty flowers referring to you? You want to show me your baby photos?”

His eyes were certainly large and round like a girl’s,

But even so, Koremitsu had no interest in such cute things. Even if there was certainly a rare beautiful baby, he would naturally get frustrated if he were to continue looking on at the same baby.

“They’re at the back.”

Hikaru said as he sat down beside Koremitsu, browsing the photo album.

“Tch, aren’t they all baby photos. And—”

Koremitsu spotted a photo, and his hand that was flipping through the pages stopped.

These were Hikaru’s photos as a baby, but there were no one else in the previous photos. However, there was a woman cradling Hikaru in the photo.

The young woman sitting on the chair smiled gently at the camera, and she looked exactly like Hikaru.

But this face...

“Hey, is this your mother? I saw someone similar to her during your funeral. Is she your relative too?”

The woman he was referring to was the woman dressed in black at Hikaru’s funeral, weeping and smiling.

Koremitsu himself was perplexed by this smile.

He wondered who that woman was, and why she was able to calm so calmly at the funeral.

“That person’s...”

Hikaru’s voice stopped out of a sudden.

Intrigued, Koremitsu looked over, and he spotted Hikaru’s gloomy expression.

Did I ask something I shouldn’t have?

Hikaru bit onto his lips hard, seemingly in deep thought, and Koremitsu had a bad feeling about this.

As he wondered about how to break this silence however, Hikaru immediately lifted his face and grinned heartily.

That clear yet transparent smile made the previous expression of tension seem like an illusion.

“Yup, that’s right. She’s a relative of my mother.”

“I see. No wonder the likeness is there.”

Koremitsu too answered with a clear voice. He felt that there was a need to do so.

He felt that he should not ask about that woman again.

“I want to show you what’s further behind. Keep flipping, Koremitsu.”

“Oh, okay.”

He flipped to the next page.

What appeared on it were not baby photos, but photos of Hikaru as a toddler. He continued to flip the pages, and found photos of Hikaru, aged 5-6, standing with girls of around the same age.

There were two girls on the photos; one of them was an intelligent looking girl with radiant black hair who stood a little taller than Hikaru, while the other was a girl, shorter than Hikaru by half a head, with a white ribbon tied on her loose and beautiful black hair.

There were many photos of the trio or two-man shots taken by one of the girls.

The tallest girl amongst the trio would give a serious look practically all the time when their photos were taken, and the shortest girl with the ribbon on her head would show varied expressions on the photos.

She would sometimes puff her cheeks, sometimes widen her eyes as her face was blushing, sometimes pout away with tears in her eyes, sometimes fidget away due to shyness, or would chuckle from time to time.

“Is the one with the ribbon Aoi?”

Hikaru answered gently,

“Yes, and the other one’s Asa.”

His expression was so gentle as he looked at the photo.

“Asa, as in the one who told Aoi to ignore me? So she’s Asa.”

Koremitsu glared at the intellectual looking girl on the photo.

“Asa’s name is called Asai, and she’s my cousin on the paternal side, Aoi’s close friend. Aoi and Asa are a year older than me, and they’re my childhood playmates. The three of us were together since we were very little.”

On one hand, Hikaru’s expression still looked so radiant.

When the trio was lined together, the calm and aloof Asai would stand in the middle. Hikaru stood on the left with the smile plastered on his face, while Aoi was shyly fidgeting away on the right side. It seemed that Aoi was glancing aside at Hikaru, but she would deliberately turn her petite face away whenever it was time for them to take photos together.

Koremitsu glanced aside at Hikaru, and discovered that their faces were nearly sticking together as the latter looked back with his clear eyes.

He then spoke with a gentle tone that was full of love,

“Miss Aoi was a little clumsy when she was young...and she’s shy...she always had Asa accompany her when she comes over to my house. She would blush and say something like, ‘Asa said that she wants to come to your house to play, Hikaru, so I came along’. She loves to drink the sweet milkshakes, but will scowl in front of me and drink sugarless coffee...that’s the kind of child she was.”

That was a really sweet expression.

That was really a gentle narrating voice.

As he listened on, Koremitsu experienced a new, fuzzy feeling in his heart.

He could not comprehend what this was, but he did not really hate this sickeningly sweet feeling that had a little warmth and a little sadness.

“When I secretly added sugar into Miss Aoi’s coffee, her eyes will widen into a round shape, and she would blush as she stared back at me. She’s really cute, so I could not help but start adding sugar into her coffee secretly. Miss Aoi would then look at the cup to prevent me from doing so.”

It was a like a blissful daily episode.

His expression looked like it was going to melt.

“Miss Aoi looks really cute when she’s shocked, and her reactions after that became interesting and cute too. Thus, I could not help but tease her again and again. However, it seemed that Miss Aoi was angry as she told me off for teasing her even though she was older than me, and that I’m rude like a delinquent.”

Hikaru’s voice got a little softer, and he showed a thin smile on his face.

“My betrothal with Miss Aoi was decided by our families, but I feel that it’s fine for her to be my ‘most beloved’...”

The eyes were full of gentleness and sadness as they glanced aside at Koremitsu.

“...Miss Aoi...was my ‘hope’.”

That was a silent voice that was ostensibly about to dye his heart.

Hope...? Her?

Before arriving here, Koremitsu was very infuriated with Aoi.

He even advised Hikaru to forget about this obstinate and incomprehensible woman.

However, the Aoi that was left in Hikaru’s heart was probably deeper than what Koremitsu could even imagine...she spat such overboard things in front of Hikaru’s face, but Hikaru’s affections for her had never changed.

Hikaru showed a tint of loneliness on his face.

“That’s why...even though it’s easy for me to embrace other girls, I just feel...that Miss Aoi is the only one I can’t touch. Maybe it’s because I’m scared that she’ll really say that she hates me. Because Miss Aoi...is really a very important person to me.”

Koremitsu’s heart was hurting.

The anger he had for Aoi faded gradually, and what came in place of it was a surge of sadness.

“Don’t you have many other women beside Aoi?”

“Yes.”

“Then, haven’t you thought of breaking up with them for the sake of Aoi?”

Once Koremitsu asked this, Hikaru’s eyes turned hollow.

“You haven’t?”

“...About that, it might be despicable of me to say this, but I should say probably not. That’s because I can’t just do all that for Miss Aoi’s sake...however, I guess I’ll have to clear a line with the other girls if I want to live with Miss Aoi. If I don’t do so, there won’t be a new beginning...the birthday gift was an opportunity, so I sent a letter before heading to the villa...and prepared the remaining gifts.”

His voice sounded a little harsh, and he suddenly shut up midway through.

The light brown eyes under the lowered eyelashes showed a darkness that was miry.

Koremitsu did not know how Hikaru managed to date so many women went out with, and did not know what Hikaru was planning to cut off in order to start afresh.

If one were to calm down and think, he would realize that breaking up with the other women for the sake of Aoi was a little too selfish.

Those who were unpopular with girls would definitely lash out at him after hearing such troubles, and the girls who were dumped may be vengeful enough to choke him to death.

But Koremitsu could not even say anything to tell off Hikaru—after seeing the latter’s sad and dull eyes.

Hikaru’s body was no longer on this Earth.

He could no longer be together with Aoi, who he described with such a gentle expression.

Hikaru remained silent.

“...”

And Koremitsu suddenly tensed up.

Th-this is a chance for me to repay him for comforting me at school. Pull yourself together, there’s still tomorrow—oh wait, this guy doesn’t have a tomorrow. He’s dead.

His temples rose up, and he decided to pat Hikaru on the shoulder first before talking.

But of course, his hand passed through Hikaru’s shoulder, and the momentum caused him to slap his hand on his chest.

As it was overly forceful, his body was knocked back in the face of this impact his chest was undefended against.

“? What are you doing, Koremitsu?”

Hikaru asked in a perplexed manner as he looked down at Koremitsu, who fell with his back on the floor after the hit.

“S-shut up! I’m doing gymnastics!”

“Why must you be doing gymnastics now? I think I just heard your head crash into the floor too.”

Koremitsu was flustered as he was flailing around helplessly.

And at this moment, an icy voice suddenly rang in the room.

“Are you someone who likes to roll about and mutter to yourself in someone else’s house?”

He got up in shock.

An icy cold stare was looking down on Koremitsu, and a tall girl with long radiant black hair was standing at the living room’s door.

This person is—

She had an elegant-looking face, she had wise-looking lips, a clear pair of eyes, and remnants of her childhood look.

Most importantly, one could tell who she was from the depreciating look she gave at Koremitsu.

“Asa.”

Hikaru called out the name that appeared in Koremitsu’s mind.

So she’s that Asai!

Hikaru’s cousin, Aoi’s close friend—

“You’re Koremitsu Akagi from class 1-5, I presume?”

Asai said out Koremitsu’s name as if she just uttered out something filthy.

The radiant black hair was in no way inferior to Aoi’s as it dangled down her shoulders, but it had a different atmosphere from the latter. Asai was a lot mature than the tender Aoi, and there seemed to be a chilly atmosphere surrounding her.

Aoi’s height was a little below the average for girls, while Asai herself was slightly taller. Both of them were slender, but Aoi’s thinness gave a fragile vibe, and in contrast, Asai gave the feeling of being firm from head to toe.

This forceful attitude caused Koremitsu to feel nary a good vibe about her in this situation, and that she was a disgusting and snobbish woman.

Speaking of which, wasn’t this Asai the one who calmed Aoi down and brought her away when the latter started the commotion at the funeral?

Koremitsu reminisced, getting up on his feet to glare back at Asai.

“So you’re that Asa.”

“I don’t remember allowing you to call me by this name.”

Unmoved, Asai coldly retorted.

“It can’t be helped. I don’t know your full name anyway.”

“Asai Saiga.”

“Is that so? Thank you for informing me. Now, why are you here?”

“I’m Hikaru’s cousin, and I was requested by his father to clear up the stuff he left behind. The key’s entrusted to me too.”

Despite Koremitsu scanning her in a bad mood, Asai was not afraid at all, and she looked back at Koremitsu and said,

“Then, what about you ? Why are you here? Mister Maezono actually opened the door for you. You look like a hoodlum with little verbal capacity, but you can talk, unexpectedly.”

Koremitsu frowned unhappily.

Hikaru immediately tried to calm him down.

“Asa’s trying to make you angry. Calm down and don’t get caught in her pace.”

Koremitsu immediately swallowed the words he wanted to utter out.

“I lent a book to Hikaru.”

“Which book?”

“Proust’s ‘In the shadow of young girls in bloom’.”

“Pr-Proust’s ‘In the shadow of young girls in bloom’.”

Koremitsu answered as what Hikaru told him to, and Asai raised her eyebrows slightly.

“I’ve been reading his ‘In Search of Lost Time’, and just finished reading the first volume ‘From Swann’. ‘In the shadow of young girls in bloom’ is the second volume.”

“He just finished reading the first volume ‘From Swann’ of the ‘In Search of Lost Time’ series. He got attracted to Proust’s work, and borrowed the second volume from me.”

Upon hearing this, Asai’s eyebrows twitched anxiously.

Koremitsu heaved a sigh of relief as he saw this reaction, but Asai pressed on.

“So that means you read through this ‘In the shadow of Young Girls in bloom’. What kind of content does it have?”

Hey, what kind of story is it, Hikaru?

He gave Hikaru a look, but the latter answered in a troubled manner.

“I’m sorry, but I haven’t had time to read it. I just left it alone as there were too many dates. But you see, this book looks like a theme that girls like, right? That’s an 85% chance of it to be a love story, you know.”

You idiot! What if it’s not! Besides, why would you tell me the name of a book you’ve never read before?

As Koremitsu continued to ask Hikaru while giving several expressions, Asai asked further.

“What is it? Can’t you answer?”

“It’s a book belonging to a relative anyway. Who knows what it’s about?”

He protested to remove himself from the situation.

“And to whom, might I ask, does it belong?”

“What has the owner of the book got to do with you?”

“Calm down, Koremitsu. Asa’s not waiting for an answer, but whether you’re guilty.”

Hikaru had already forewarned him, but Koremitsu, who gave a stiff expression as he stared into space, was deemed suspicious by Asai the moment he let out a trembling voice.

“Aren’t you the uninvolved party here, Mr Akagi.”

She sounded like a prosecutor interrogating a criminal.

“What do you mean?”

“I knew all about you approaching Aoi. How is it possible that you’re Hikaru’s friend? He doesn’t have a male friend at all, not only within school, but also out of it.”

“I’m his first friend.”

“That’s how you tricked Aoi, I suppose? Saying some stupid lie that Hikaru’s presents are with you for the time being; you’re the fourth one to pretend to comfort Aoi ever since Hikaru died. This caused Aoi to hate men all the more, and your method’s the most stupid of them all.”

“I said before that this isn’t a mean to approach Aoi, and I’m not lying to her! Hikaru requested me to pass on his feelings to her.”

“Hikaru’s feelings...?”

Asai narrowed her eyes to a slit, and her icy stare was like a sharp blade.

Koremitsu felt a chill on his back.

There seemed to be a tranquil fury going on around her, and she spoke with a voice colder than before,

“Then tell me about it. I’ll decide for myself whether these feelings are for Aoi to hear with my ears. Same for the presents; you’ll have to get my approval if you want to give them to Aoi.”

“But that will be meaningless! Hikaru requested me to pass them to Aoi , not you. I can only say those things to Aoi, and those presents are to go to her directly!”

He stared back at Asai as he concluded.

But the latter remained unmoved.

“Then, can you prove that these things you want to pass on really came from Hikaru?”

Koremitsu was speechless.

—You first entered school after Golden Week. Asa said it that you only appeared once in school before Hikaru’s death, and that you can’t possibly be Hikaru’s friend.

“I remember very clearly on the day you entered school that the rumored infamous freshman arrived with a crutch and bandages, causing quite a commotion in school. Why is it that he would request you, a student like you with a notorious reputation, to pass on his feelings for Aoi?”

My reputation isn’t for you to deal with. He muttered in his heart, but was unable to argue back.

That was because, if one were to consider this normally, it was impossible for Hikaru to request Koremitsu to present the presents to Aoi.

“And what exactly are Hikaru’s feelings? Don’t tell me Hikaru still likes Aoi? The way he likes girls is practically a disease now; he’s certainly not a match for the pure Aoi, and he’s been making her angry all this time.”

These stated facts caused Koremitsu to be even more at a loss of words.

Hikaru too showed a troubled and stiff expression.

Damn it, how can I lose to you!?

“Yeah, Hikaru’s one real playboy! He’s a harem bastard alright! But he still loves Aoi! It’s because there’s nothing fake about his feelings that I want to pass them on to Aoi!”

Koremitsu raised his chin as he exclaimed, and in response, fufu, Asai snorted.

“What’s so funny!”

“As expected—I can’t believe that you’re Hikaru’s friend. That’s because you’re the complete opposite of him. Hikaru looks very carefree on the outside, but he’s very inexplicable within—a complicated person who looks like he has something he wants to hide within. And you are gruff, simple-minded, savage-looking, and don’t look smart. I suppose Hikaru is certainly dumber than I thought for choosing you to pass on these words.

“What did you say!”

Asai then concluded without mercy,

“It’s impossible for you to express Hikaru’s feelings.”

She said with a heinous tone.

The smile had already disappeared off her face, and her icy cold expression ostensibly pierced through the heart as it fixated on Koremitsu.

It felt like she was saying: What can someone like you understand about Hikaru?

Anxiety rose up within him.

His head and ears were boiling, about to give off a shrill sound. Koremitsu yelled back, ostensibly trying to reflect Asai’s expression,

“I’M HIKARU’S FRIEND! WE ONLY MET ONCE WHEN HE WAS ALIVE, BUT WE DID MEET DURING THOSE FEW MINUTES! AND THAT’S HOW WE BECAME FRIENDS!”

At first, they were merely ‘temporal’ friends.

Hikaru’s ghost haunted him, asking him to do all sorts of strange errands, and he felt frustrated by it.

Hikaru would follow him to the lavatory, to the bath, and would often say some teasing things that caused Koremitsu to once wish for him to disappear into heaven.

He was perverted, loves women, was a fanatic over flowers, and was a bastard who had a meaningful life in a completely different world from Koremitsu.

They would never understand each other, ever!

His stomach would itch unbearably whenever he lied that Hikaru was a friend.

But once he understood that Hikaru’s affections for Aoi were sincere, his view of Hikaru changed for the better to a small extent.

He felt that he should help Hikaru pass his feelings to Aoi.

After that, Koremitsu’s trauma awoke, and when he was sobbing and bawling his heart out, Hikaru was the one who comforted him.

Hikaru listened to his unreasonable grievances, accepted them, and even said some shallow words to motivate him.

Koremitsu knew that Hikaru would use a smile to express the pain of his loneliness.

So—now!

“Hikaru’s a real friend of mine ! I don’t care if you’re God or the president, I won’t allow anyone to deny this! I can lift my chest and proclaim boldly to the entire world that Hikaru’s an important friend of mine!”

Beside him, Hikaru’s eyes widened upon hearing this.

Asai bit her lips tightly as she stared at Koremitsu coldly. A blue-white flame seemed to grow within her long narrow eyes.

“I’ll definitely pass on that guy’s feelings to Aoi! Just wait and see!”

He concluded with a determined will.

Asai replied calmly.

“You really annoy me to a point where I want to cut your mouth out with a chopper.”

“What a coincidence. I’m infuriated to a point where I want to stuff your mouth and eyes with spice powder, but I’ve said what I wanted to say, and there’s nothing left for me to say to you . I’m leaving.”

After saying this, he head off to the corridor.

Asai remained silent.

Koremitsu was unable to tell what her expression was as he had his back turned against her, but he sensed that she was definitely staring at him.

He said to her without looking back,

“If you find this Prout’s ‘In the shadow of the young women in broom’—return it to me. That’s gramps’ book.”

Once they left the apartment, Hikaru spoke up,

“Koremitsu...I’m sorry to say this, but the author’s name is Proust, not Prout; and the name of the book isn’t ‘In the shadow of the young women in bloom’, but ‘In the shadow of the young girls in bloom’. And speaking of which, I think you just mispronounced ‘bloom’ as ‘broom’.”

“Ack! I messed up! To think I tried to act cool here, damn it!! How embarrassing!”

The sky was starting to darken.

Koremitsu grumbled on as he walked down the quiet road under the street lamps, lined with the park and library beside him.

“You told me to calm down, but I ended up yelling. I really could not take it.”

“Yeah.”

Don’t agree to this without hesitation!!

He muttered in his heart.

“But I’m happy. You said to Asa that I’m a real friend of yours.”

Koremitsu glanced aside at Hikaru, and saw him smiling back. The white street lamp shone upon his face, and his hair, eyes and lips were radiant.

He looked overly delighted, blissful, and his image as a pretty boy dazzled even more, causing Koremitsu to be at a loss of what to do.

“T-th-tha-that’s because I was angered by that woman, so I accidentally...”

“Was that a lie?”

“No, that’s not it. I really, thought of it this way. That’s why I said it out...”

Upon hearing this, Hikaru felt all the more delighted.

Ahh, don’t show that expression. My ears are going to let out steam now.

“I suddenly feel like shouting now, okay? Others can’t hear me even if I shout out now.”

“Eh, oi—”

Koremitsu wanted to stop Hikaru, but he had already started yelling.

“KOREMITSU AKAGI IS MY FRRRIIIEEEENNNNDDDDD!!! WE’RE FRRRIIIEEEENNNNDDDDDSSSSS!!!”

“Shu-shut it, you!? It’s embarrassing!”

“FRRRIIIEEEENNNNDDDDDSSSSS! KOREMITSU AND I ARE REAL FRRRIIIEEEENNNNDDDDDSSSSS!!!”

“Shut up! I told you to shut up!”

Koremitsu’s face and head were about to boil in heat. Someone - anyone - please stop this drunkard!

“FRRRIIIEEEENNNNDDDDDSSSSS! WE’RE REAL FRRRIIIEEEENNNNDDDDDSSSSS!!!”

“Ah, right. We’re not temporary ones, but real friends. You had enough? Stop yelling. Please, stop it already!”

Koremitsu knew that nobody around them could hear it, but he was utterly embarrassed to near death.

Hikaru himself however probably felt relieved by this as he yelled all he wanted. “FRIENDS! WE’RE FRIENDS!” after this, he swapped his words,

“I LOVE MISS AOOOIII!!”

He yelled delightedly.

“I WON’T CHEAT ON HER ANYMORE~!!!”

“I’LL TREASURE MISS AOI WHOLEHEARTEDLY~!”

Hikaru looked up at the night sky with a dazzling expression in the middle of the road as he yelled out with his sweet voice.

Perhaps he was overjoyed, to a point where even Koremitsu was affected by him.

“Oh! I’ll bear witness!”

He raised his right hand forcefully.

“I too won’t lose to Asai Saiga! I’ll definitely pass on your feelings to Aoi.”

“Okay and once the birthday presents are given to Aoi, let’s go get some girls.”

“Wait, didn’t you say you’re going to be devoted to Aoi only? Why are you changing your mind so quickly?”

“But it’s not about me, but about getting a girl that matches you, Koremitsu. I’ve decided! I’ll get a girl who can really laugh for you.”

His eyes were bubbly, and he sounded really excited.

“Aren’t those women who like to laugh very noisy?”

“That kind of woman is suited for you. She’ll laugh for you too, and you’ll feel like laughing whenever you’re with her.”

“I can’t imagine that.”

“I can even hear your delighted laughter, Koremitsu.”

“That’s definitely your hallucination.”

The surroundings were filled with utter silence.

There was only one shadow cast onto the ground, but even so, the two good friends walked side by side under the sky dyed a thin black in nature’s ink as the stars began twinkling on their way home.

“Hey, Koremitsu, do you know where people go after they die?”

Hikaru asked in a sprightly manner.

“Who knows? I never died before.”

“I think they go to space.”

“Space?”

“Right.”

Hikaru lifted his head.

And Koremitsu too looked up at the sky.

In the blurry black sky, the little stars were twinkling.

Their lights were weak, but they were certainly twinkling.

This was the night sky of a city.

“See, don’t they say that people become stars when they die? The souls that leave the human bodies will leave Earth and enter space. Also, since the consciousness exists in an infinite space, souls can fly about freely. The stars we see might be the souls of the departed.”

Hikaru’s voice was soft, yet still very clear.

His meditative expression looking up to the sky shone a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Koremitsu felt the onset of tears welling up.

“I’ll head to space one of these days.”

Upon hearing Hikaru’s words, Koremitsu was assailed by an inflow of emotions.

“When the time comes, you’ll definitely be bawling your heart out.”

“I-I won’t cry, idiot.”

He glared back with his burning face to deny this, and Hikaru returned Koremitsu with a happy expression.

“Un, that will be better. I hope you’ll send me off with a smile.”

He spoke ever-clearly.

“It’s a promise, Koremitsu. Bid me farewell with your best smile when I head for space.”

Koremitsu’s whole body felt immobilized.

One of these days, Hikaru would leave Earth for space.

Until the day when his wish would be fulfilled—

Idiot...don’t make me sad now. Look at our current situation here. We finally became friends, you know.

He spoke to himself in his mind, but was unable to say it aloud, and talked about something else with a serious expression,

“I say, stop making empty promises like this. The way you go about doing this, you definitely have some promise with another girl.”

“It’s not a random promise. I’ll only honor important promises.”

“Don’t tell me your dating plan is an important promise too!?”

“Of course. This is a very important promise for me.”

“I never asked to come along and do that.”

“Then let’s make an appointment first.”

“No appointments.”

“How petty. Aren’t we friends?”

“Even if we’re friends, no way.”

“You’re really strict.”

Hikaru shrugged his shoulders.

“Speaking of which, when you met me in the beginning, I think you said something about ‘there’s something I want to ask of you or something’.”

“Ah, about that...”

Hikaru stared afar and smiled.

“It’s okay.”

“Hey, what’s with that little chuckle? Now I’m curious. Tell me.”

“I’ll say it if you’re willing to go dating.”

“What kind of request is that!?”

“Then what do you want to do?”

“Ugh, you’re really despicable. Besides, how are you going to date when you’re dead?”

Unaware of it, the pair had strolled through the riverside lane leading to the school.

Blades of grass on the campus lawn quivered under the nightly breeze, glistening verdantly in moonlit reflection.

The river flowed calmly, and there was a sweet fragrance lingering about the moist airful

Under the starry night sky, they both continued to tease one another as they walked on.

Just like companions with ten years’ friendship shared -

### 005. Chapter 5: Her Lies and Truths

“Listen up, we still have three days ‘til Aoi’s birthday. It’s Saturday tomorrow, so today will be the big day. Let’s buck up.”

“Right, Koremitsu.”

The following morning, a Friday, Koremitsu enthusiastically departed from his home. He disembarked at his bus stop and went along the path leading to school.

“Asa might be planning something to deal with us.”

Hikaru spoke worriedly.

“She gives off this vibe that makes her seem black-hearted, and her glare has weight to it. I guess she might be some boss commanding delinquents to do dangerous things or something.”

“I-I can’t really deny it completely, but.”

“Are you serious!? She’s the mastermind?”

“Probably not to that extent...yeah...”

Hikaru stumbled over his words.

“But Asa is a strong and wise person. She’s a lone child, so she treats Aoi like she’s her little sister. She often says I’m insincere to Aoi. She likes to help others, and is very understanding.”

“I say, aren’t you too protective of girls. Tch—wait, don’t tell me you dated that damn arrogant woman too?”

Hikaru merely answered a startled Koremitsu’s question composedly.

“Nope. Even if I’m the only man left in this world, Asa won’t go out with me. Even if the world’s about to end, we won’t be together.”

His voice was delicate yet unyielding.

“AKAGI—!!”

Koremitsu looked to the source of the voice and saw Honoka dashing toward him, entirely unconcerned about her disheveled skirt and tousled hair.

Her eyes were wide, and she scowled; she showed both her slight anger, and her fragility. She abruptly took hold of Koremitsu’s hand.

“Wha-what are you doing, Shikibu?”

“Thank goodness. You’re alright!”

“Huh? What are you saying?”

“I called you so many times, but you didn’t pick up your phone, so I was worried about you...”

“Phone?”

Koremitsu rummaged through his bag for his phone and found there were more than 10 missed calls from Honoka.

Such a long queue of incoming calls was new to him.

“Oh, I switched it off.”

“What kind of explanation is that?!”

Honoka’s eyebrows rose slightly.

“Well, actually, hardly anyone called me before.”

“Then why did you have a phone in the first place? Don’t you know how I felt when I called you—uuu?”

“What happened?”

Koremitsu asked dazedly; Honoka looked to him and answered with a grimace.

“The Matriarch Asa asked me about you yesterday.”

“Matriarch Asa?”

“President Saiga.”

“Saiga? Ahh, Asa, so she’s the president, huh?”

“A-Asa! You called the president Asa—!?”

Honoka was stupefied.

“What’s she shocked about?”

Koremitsu could not comprehend the situation, and glanced aside at Hikaru, who seemed to empathize with her as he shrugged his shoulders. However, this reaction confused Koremitsu all the more.

Koremitsu, not having the ability to comprehend the situation, glanced aside to Hikaru. His empathetic feelings toward Honoka were apparent, and he shrugged his shoulders. This served only to intensify Koremitsu’s bewilderment.

Honoka precipitously clasped Koremitsu’s collar and pulled him to her.

She pouted, her cheeks puffed out, and stared at Koremitsu.

“Really, don’t you~ understand the situation at all? If we’re talking about this Asai Saiga, the Matriarch Asa of the Second Year, we’ll be talking about the student council president of the high school department. Also, she was already the student council president in both elementary school and middle school! She’s of the top class elite among the ‘nobles’ here, one with extreme power. It’s said that even teachers don’t dare defy her.”

Honoka furiously described a rumor stating that an employee of the administration branch once defied Asai and was transferred out, and another explaining how a particular teacher, dissatisfied with Asai’s behavior, ‘resigned’ less than half a semester into the school year.

“Instead of calling them close friends—you might say that the president Saiga is like a guardian to Her Highness Aoi, and it seemed that all the boys who want to approach Her Highness Aoi were monitored by her. The president had a calm expression when she was asking me about you, but her eyes were really cold, and it really scared me...she definitely had her sights on you because you wouldn’t let go of Her Highness Aoi. You wouldn’t pick up the phone when I called you, so I thought you...”

Koremitsu regarded Honoka’s eyelashes - tears of uncertainty clung to them in spite of their feisty image.

...Why does she look so agitated and desperate?

Koremitsu had never before been so close to a girl, and an abnormal feeling came over him.

“Miss Shikibu’s worried about you. Such a good girl.”

Hikaru vocalized this daintily.

“I see, so you’re worried about me? Thanks.”

Not a second after the words left his lips, Honoka’s face was flushed red. She loosened her hands from his shirt with an impressive swiftness.

“Wh-wha-what are you saying!? Who’s worried about you here...you’re just someone who can get up even after being kicked a hundred times. I just don't want you to be provoked by president Saiga and advised you; nope, not worried about you at all—I’m just scared of getting involved because she thinks I’m your accomplice—”

She turned from him and spoke harshly.

“Miss Shikibu sure is cute.”

Koremitsu, who watched Hikaru as he snickered, was perplexed.

“Anyway, you’d better comply for the time being.”

“That’s impossible. We just had an argument yesterday.”

“HUH!?”

Honoka turned back to Koremitsu; her eyes were opened wide, and her exaggerated expression was befitting of a comedian.

“We met each other on the way home, and she bossed me around as if she were important. I lost my temper, and shouted ‘Who would listen to you, you bastard?’.”

“Why did you say that—!?”

Her gaze fell as she shouted.

“It can’t be helped. I couldn’t back down in that situation.”

Koremitsu’s answer came through pouted lips.

“You’re really an idi—”

“If Saiga tries to do anything, I’ll protect you.”

Idiot —before Honoka could finish her sentence, she was, for some reason, rooted to the spot.

Blood rushed to her face; both her ears and her neck were crimson. She averted her gaze from Koremitsu.

What’s going on? What’s with her? Why’s her face blushing?

“Koremitsu, you don’t have the right to call me a playboy. You do have talent.”

Hikaru babbled.

What nonsense are you spouting? Koremitsu thought in protest, but he repressed these words to hear Honoka’s response.

“You-you idiot! You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll protect myself. Humph, don’t look down on me. I-I-I-I-I-I don’t need your help, humph.”

She exclaimed this with her eyes moving about rapidly.

“Really—now’s not the time to worry about others. You don’t understand your own situation. Why are you acting cool, saying that you will pro-protect me or something...no, my face is all heated up. Everyone’s looking at us!”

Koremitsu, after he had recovered, found that there was truth in Honoka’s words; the students gave them surprised looks as they passed by.

“Keep your distance from me when you’re talking. I don’t want to be misunderstood for going to school with a delinquent.”

Honoka shied away, hiding her flushed, petite face, speeding ahead of Koremitsu.

“I’M NOT A DELINQUENT!”

“DON’T TALK TO ME!”

Honoka further increased the distance between them.

“Ugh, I really don’t understand women—”

He thought she was worried for him because of the way she approached him, but she became angry without explanation; she would go on to blush and her expression would be, for a moment, vulnerable. The next moment, she was bitter once more; her moody vacillations were too rapid.

Koremitsu followed Honoka, a distance of several meters between the two, with Hikaru’s enthusiastic chatter coming from his side.

“Miss Shikibu sure is cute. Her feisty personality and innocence is the best combination. She’s so adorable. You should now go forward, grab her hand and say ‘I want to go to school with you’. She’ll blush even harder, this Miss Shikibu. Ahh, I really want to see this.”

Seriously, you...what about Aoi?

Koremitsu glanced to Hikaru condescendingly.

Really, what am I getting all flustered for?

Honoka hurried onward, her heart in total disarray.

My face is definitely all red now.

The previous day, when Asai Saiga had summoned Honoka to the student council room, she’d thoroughly questioned Honoka about Koremitsu.

Because you seem close to him, Miss Shikibu— she said.

Her beautiful eyes emanated a pressure that made Honoka shudder in consternation.

“Akagi may look like a delinquent, but he’s really a serious and hardworking guy, and he really devotes himself fully to the girl he likes! He won’t be violent to girls—and he’s definitely a gentleman! He likes cats—I don’t know whether that’s true or not, but he’s articulate, and he’ll finish his assignments seriously—”

If Honoka were to defend Koremitsu, she would surely be deemed an accomplice. To make Asai her enemy would be foolish.

She understood this, but could not restrain herself.

“Koremitsu Akagi is a decent man who looks much better than his appearance!”

Why in the world did I say something like that? The president didn’t say anything after hearing it. It’s really scary.

Regardless,

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll make my leave.”

She spoke courageously and took her leave.

I can’t believe I actually did that.

Her actions were ludicrous; she had taunted the Matriarch Asa.

She was in no place to call Koremitsu an idiot.

The president won’t hold back now, no matter what. If she does anything to me...

“I’ll protect you.”

She recalled his words, the serious expression on his face, and her own searing face. She had never expected a hero’s line to cross over from a love story into reality.

“I’ll protect—.”

UWWAAAAHHH. NO! DON’T!

She reached the corridor, perturbed.

Huh?

Honoka noticed something unusual.

There was a crowd in the corridor.

The girls, their eyes filled with tears, said things like, “This is too much,” and “Who did this?”

What happened?

She hurriedly changed her shoes, and walked toward the crowd.

“Hono.”

Her braided friend, among others, greeted her.

“What happened, Michiru?”

Michiru glowered as she muttered.

“It’s too much—someone cut the little papers stuck beside Lord Hikaru’s news bulletin—”

Honoka turned her attention to the bulletin board.

The colored papers, full of memorial notes and messages to Hikaru Mikado, had large crosses carved into them.

What is this?

Koremitsu stood at the hind of the crowd, his demeanor especially serious. He stared at the news bulletin and the colored papers.

The bulletin and papers had crosses hacked into them.

“Thank you.”

“Farewell.”

“I love you the most.”

The words, etched across shredded papers in black ink, hung alongside Hikaru’s picture.

Koremitsu looked breathlessly to Hikaru, who was staring at the notes written for him which were now covered in large crosses.

What exactly is going on? Who did it?

Koremitsu pushed his way through the crowd, moving onward.

Those who saw Koremitsu’s stiff, vicious countenance shrunk away from him.

A path opened before him, and his surroundings calmed. With the crowd spectating him, he drew near the bulletin board and came to a still.

He stared at the notes and colored papers with pursed lips.

They were probably sliced through with a penknife. The surface was not jagged, but very neat.

The resemblance between these crosses and the cross drawn on that canvas weighed on his heart.

Two blacks lines jutting across the sunlight-filled stairs.

Two black lines.

He felt the sliced surface of the notes with his frigid fingers, and a small object fell from inside the envelope and landed atop his right foot.

“?”

He knelt to retrieve it. It was a small silver star, half the size of a grain of rice.

Hikaru leaned in to examine it.

“This is...”

Just as he began to speak.

“Akagi.”

Koremitsu turned to the voice and saw a rigid looking male teacher, a young female homeroom teacher beside him.

The homeroom teacher stood tentatively, but the venerable male teacher spoke firmly,

“Please, come with us.”

He could tell by the homeroom teacher’s troubled demeanor and the male teacher’s stern voice that there was no good to come of it.

“This is the Teaching Staff Head, Mister Nishidera.”

Hikaru spoke with a tense voice,

Koremitsu’s voice followed,

“Oh.”

With that as their answer, they followed the department head.

Spectators’ curious stares prodded them like needles.

Koremitsu, from the corner of his eye, saw Honoka worriedly watching him depart.

“Is he the culprit? He’s already been called over to the office by the Department Head, you know?”

Behind them, such chatter could be heard.

“A student stood up as witness, saying that you were the one who sliced the colored paper with a knife.”

He was led to the cramped counseling room, and the Teaching Staff Head spoke chidingly from across the conference table.

“Haa? Who?’

The words drained and stunned him.

The Teaching Staff Head spoke sternly,

“I can’t tell you who they were, but there were three students, not one, who reported you, saying that they personally saw you cutting the colored papers with a knife.”

What the!?

He came to a sudden realization.

Saiga did this, didn’t she?

If she hadn’t, why would three people have testified to witnessing him cut the notes when he was innocent?

Honoka said before that President Saiga would not forgive her enemies, and that all the students who opposed the president vanished for no reason.

Honoka had previously stated that President Saiga was unforgiving, and that all the students to oppose her had vanished with no ostensible reason.

Damn, this is too despicable, Asai Saiga. Is it your modus operandi to frame people?

His face stiffened, and his chest boiled.

Hikaru, after taking note of Koremitsu’s twitching eyebrows and fury filled eyes, offered some advice.

“You didn’t do this, Koremitsu. I can vouch for you since I’m with you twenty-four hours a day, so please calm down. Just hold on for now and listen to the Teaching Staff Head.”

Koremitsu took a breath to calm himself.

Were it not for Hikaru’s avocation, the situation would have worsened.

He probably would have shouted for the Teaching Staff Head to bring in both the students who framed him and the student council president, Saiga.

“I didn’t do this.”

He concluded as he stared at the Teaching Staff Head.

Both teachers, the Teaching Staff Head and the homeroom teacher, were slightly taken aback by his calm denial.

“But I heard that you yelled at the students sticking their notes on the board a few days ago, didn’t you?”

“Well...I wasn’t yelling at them, and I have nothing to do with this.”

“So, you mean that the witnesses were mistaken.”

“I don’t know since I’m not them, but I know all too well what I did yesterday. I left school before the final dismissal time, so if they really saw the culprit, it wasn’t me. Besides, I wouldn’t do that kind of thing anyway.”

“Then, is there anyone who can prove that you left school at that time.”

“I met President Saiga when I went over to Hikaru’s apartment. The president should be able to prove it.”

The name alone caused her vexation.

He tried his best to suppress the rage which rose in his chest as he spoke, but the Teaching Staff Head gave an arrogant look at Koremitsu, and said without wavering,

“I’ve already asked Saiga about that.”

What?

“You called yourself Hikaru Mikado’s friend, but were infuriated when Saiga pointed out that it was impossible.”

That was truly the case.

It sounded like Koremitsu was lying about being Hikaru’s friend, and was a lunatic with an inability to differentiate between fantasy and reality. Saiga definitely implied this when she spoke with the Teaching Staff Head.

“Maybe it was because you were overly excited that she was worried that you might do something overboard. She said you might have returned to school after that, and that you had enough time for you to do something like this.”

“Wha—“

WHAT KIND OF JOKE IS THIS!? He nearly exploded.

“Hang in there, Koremitsu!”

Hikaru restrained him.

“I get it, I get it, okay?”

He managed to calm himself, but his heart was racing, and his head was seething.

His breathing was erratic.

The Teaching Staff Head and the homeroom teacher were probably taken aback by his the fury displayed in his eyes and breathlessness as they froze.

“I didn’t—do it. Hikaru’s my friend; I won’t tear messages meant for a friend.”

His voice growled with fury, and his throat was burning.

“You really didn’t do this?”

The Teaching Staff Head asked again in an irked manner, and Koremitsu nearly lost his temper, but was stopped again by Hikaru.

“Never.”

The Teaching Staff Head sighed and said,

“I’ll talk with you again once I talk with Asai.”

Koremitsu was finally liberated, and the bell indicating the end of the first period rang.

“I heard that Akagi was summoned to the staff room by the Teaching Staff Head because he was the one who cut the news and the colored paper.”

“So that delinquent did it after all.”

“I’ve already thought about it. His facial expression was exaggerated when he roared at the girls on the corridor. He had that scary expression on his face this morning too.”

“How can he be possibly be Lord Hikaru’s friend? They’re so different it’s like a Prince and a slave.”

“Yeah, nobody will believe him—”

“Speaking of which, I think he attended the funeral?”

“He was. So what? He’s a ghost stalker? He definitely cut the papers because he was angry about everyone ignoring him when he said he was Lord Hikaru’s friend.”

“He’s the worst.”

These ramblings, and others like it, came from in front of him.

“Tch! That damned woman...I won’t forgive you, Asai Saiga.”

He gritted his teeth and walked through the corridor to the classroom.

She framed me as the vandal, so I’m completely isolated, but she’s too naïve. I was already isolated. I’m already used to such slander.

“...Did Asa really do this?”

Beside him, Hikaru closed his eyes slightly and muttered pensively.

“Doing this isn’t Asa’s style.”

“What are you saying?”

Koremitsu spoke softly.

It seemed like something that cold-blooded woman would do, but Hikaru’s normally clear face was clouded.

“It’s Asa’s style to frame you as the culprit, Koremitsu, but...the one who cut the news and papers might be someone else. Asa simply used it to her advantage.”

“Someone else...”

“Because if Asa knew who did this, she definitely wouldn’t slander you, definitely not. Asa wouldn’t do such a dangerous thing.”

The fervor in Hikaru’s eyes was quickly fading to nonexistence.

He seemed to be entirely preoccupied by himself, ruminating for an answer; his icy countenance that of a complete stranger to Koremitsu.

For Hikaru’s face to bear anything but a smile was disconcerting to Koremitsu, and when he recalled the cross drawn on that canvas, his chest ached as though it were being torn.

Honoka ran to him.

“Akagi, are you alright?”

She looked to be a combination of flustered and worried as she looked up to Koremitsu.

“Yeah.”

He answered.

“Did the Teaching Staff Head look for you?”

“He asked if I was the culprit, but I didn’t do anything.”

He was still furious with Asai and the Teaching Staff Head, but he gave his best apathetic look as to not worry Honoka; however, he still had the face of a scoundrel.

Honoka pouted her lips in an ostensibly embarrassed manner.

“Is, is that so. So nothing happened.” She muttered coldly.

“Why are you talking with the delinquent Akagi, Shikibu?”

“How disappointing. To think that you became a delinquent too, Shikibu.”

Koremitsu heard some people mutter,

And at the next moment, he bellowed,

“ALRIGHT, THAT GUY WHO SAID DELINQUENT! YOU CAN CALL ME ONE, BUT SHIKIBU’S NOT ONE!”

“What are you doing, Akagi—”

Honoka’s eyes widened, and she tried to stop Koremitsu.

Hikaru, who was immersed in his own thoughts, hurriedly advised Koremitsu too,

“Koremitsu, it’s like you to be angry for Honoka. You’ll cause trouble for Miss Shikibu too if you exacerbate things further!”

“...”

Koremitsu immediately stopped him.

“What’s he doing? Being angry back at us?”

“He’s the culprit who cut the paper on Lord Hikaru’s bulletin.”

Other voices rang, and Koremitsu clenched his trembling fist as his temple veins were about to explode.

At this moment,

“That’s not true. He’s not the one who cut the papers and the news cutting!”

Koremitsu doubted his eyes and ears.

Hikaru too stood there, unmoving.

The one exclaiming with a pale face was Aoi.

Why would Aoi!?

Koremitsu held his breath, and Aoi’s voice continued to ring.

“No! he didn’t do it...! It’s not him. It’s not him!”

Her trembling tender body was ostensibly about to snap, and her eyes were filled with anguish as she kept telling them.

Her pale face and straight flowing black hair was all messy.

Her voice was becoming weaker, and she cuddled herself, seemingly chilly, and lowered her head.

The second lesson bell rang coldly across the silent corridor.

Koremitsu’s arms were slumped weakly as he stood there, and he immediately had the image of the large cross on the canvas and Aoi drawing it in his mind.

During lunch break, while Koremitsu went to the roof with bento in stow, he heard rumors about the slashing.

“I heard that it was Lord Hikaru’s fiancée who did it.”

“Her Highness Aoi did belittle Lord Hikaru a long time ago, and even on that day...”

Hikaru, who was beside Koremitsu, remained silent with a stiff expression.

They arrived at the room, and Koremitsu sat his buttocks down with his legs outstretched.

“What do you think? Did Aoi really do it?”

He whispered hesitantly,

“I don’t know. But Miss Aoi does have a motive.”

He frowned as he answered painfully.

Aoi did not say that she was the one who cut the paper, but the ‘it’s not him’ line from her sounded like she was trying to shield Koremitsu, or rather, she might be guilty over her crime.

If Aoi was really the one who cut it all, who knows how cruel it’ll be to Hikaru...?

What would he have to do about the birthday presents he promised to give Aoi on Sunday? Hikaru’s expression was all gloomy, and Koremitsu was at a loss of words.

Damn it. I might as well be the culprit!

Frustrated, he bit into the extremely large Inarizushi .

Suddenly, something glittered beside Koremitsu.

“!”

And then, a chime rang, and a girl aimed her camera right in front of him.

She had tomboyish short hair, and though she had a petite physique, her silky thighs and the protruding chest on her shirt made her bewitching.

“Sorry, Akagi! Can I have a photo please? From this direction.”

She immediately darted in front of him without his permission, and her cellphone screen flashed again. A cackling sound rang, indicating that the photo shoot was done.

“What are you doing!?”

“Hello, I’m Hiina Oumi of the news club, the second girl in class 1-4. My blood type is AB, birthday is February 3 rd , Aquarius. As for my tastes in boyfriends, I like the intellectual kind with glasses on. I’m willing to do anything to get a quick breaking scoop, whether it’s to wear a school swimsuit, cat-ears or clean the toilet. My favorite food is pasta, and I prefer to sprinkle lots of cheese over it rather than have the Neapolitan meat sauce on it. I think it’s best to have Neapolitan pasta with cheese right? There’s a café called ‘April Fools’ in front of the station, and including coffee, red tea, herbal tea or their homemade mint ice-cream, the entire set is worth 850 Yen. That’s really the best one for me. Are there any other questions?”

She was speaking very quickly midway through, but the final few words were too faster that Koremitsu’s mind was utterly confused.

Wearing a school swimsuit, cleaning the toilet, or whatever, what was going on? No, before that.

“Why did you take a photo of me when I haven’t allowed you to?”

And in this situation?

He glared back like a beast, but the girl did not seem to mind.

“I did ask if I could take a photo.”

“But I didn’t allow you to.”

“Well, let’s not fuss over such trivial stuff. Now, the topic of our scoop, Akagi, you’re Lord Hikaru’s friend, right?”

“So what?”

She would probably say something like she could not believe it.

“I’m investigating into something regarding Lord Hikaru. Thus, I’m collecting all sorts of information.”

“You’re still going to write a Hikaru’s memoriam during this commotion again?”

“Ahh, you sure were unlucky this morning, Akagi, weren’t you? But I have no intention of focusing on this trivial matter of someone’s act of personal revenge. Well, a coming-out party from Her Highness Aoi certainly is exciting, but this is really a 3 rd -rate act. What I’m looking into is the issue of ‘The truth behind Lord Hikaru’s death’, that’s all.”

“The truth, behind Hikaru’s death?”

As Koremitsu remained puzzled, Hiina grinned as she said,

“It’s just...a little rumor—but Lord Hikaru didn’t die from an accident, but was actually killed by someone.”

“!”

Koremitsu let out a slight gasp.

Was Hikaru possibly killed by someone?

What’s going on, Hikaru!?

He turned to the man himself, and saw Hikaru give a grim frozen expression into the sky that could have frozen the atmosphere around them. Hikaru bit on his lips that were usual smiling gently, his face was face and his eyes were sharp.

Koremitsu immediately had goosebumps.

Was she telling the truth?

“Hello there, Akagi? Why are you looking behind?’

As Hiina called out to Koremitsu.

“So you’re here, Akagi!”

Honoka opened the door to the roof, and she exclaimed with a tone of desperation.

“What is it, Shikibu!?”

“Her Highness Aoi’s in trouble! She’s taken away by Lord Hikaru’s fans! The situation is very bad!”

“Aoi!”

Hikaru exclaimed.

“Ahh, Her Highness Aoi had been badmouthing Lord Hikaru up till now, making his fans really unhappy. With this incident, it’ll be past their breaking point.”

Hiina said this rather expectantly. Koremitsu left his bento behind and ran over to Honoka.

“Where did they go, Shikibu?”

“To the woods!”

Koremitsu dashed hurriedly down the stairs.

“Ah! Wait a moment! Akagi! I haven’t had my material yet—!”

Hiina chased after him with her chest bouncing about.

You’d better not have anything happen to you, Aoi!

He did not expect to see students being called out for personal revenge in this prestigious school of princesses and young lords. If women were to get hysterical, who knew what they could do.

As Koremitsu sprinted down the stairs, Hikaru exclaimed climatically,

“Listen to me, Koremitsu. I feel that Miss Aoi’s not the one who cut the paper. She may have a ‘motive’ for doing this, but it’s not her character to actually ‘carry out the act’. Of course, it’s not Asa too. Even if Asa knows that Miss Aoi drew a cross on her canvas, she won’t suspect Miss Aoi.”

Koremitsu darted through the corridor and ran out of the school building without changing out of his shoes. During this time, Hikaru continued with a serious expression,

“That’s right, Asa definitely didn’t know that Miss Aoi drew a cross on the canvas. That’s why, when there was the slashing incident, she felt that it could be used to her benefit, and she could frame you for this incident.”

Koremitsu panted, looked around, and ran straight to the woods.

Hikaru’s voice got more uptight,

“The crux in this situation is why the culprit would deliberately draw a large cross on the memorial. If it’s not a coincidence—there has to be an intention behind this, and the culprit will show up. Miss Aoi’s not the culprit, and it’s not Asa. That means—”

A voice rang, sounding like it ripped through the air sharply,

“You’re just betrothed because your parents decided the marriage!”

He turned his head towards where the voice came from, and saw Aoi standing with her back against a large trunk. She bit her lips tightly, and she was frowning with a pale face.

There were approximately 10 girls surrounding her.

And they were ostensibly taking turns to tell her off.

“Even if you weren’t loved by Lord Hikaru, it’s embarrassing that you still hate him after his death and rip the papers!”

“Lord Hikaru certainly is pitiful to have a vicious woman like you as his fiancée. No wonder he went to flirt around.”

No matter how much she was scolded, Aoi kept silent with a stiff expression. Her eyes were showing a firm glint, and her tightly shut lips were not saying a single word.

“What are you staring at? Say something? Are you looking down on us because you think you’re a ‘noble’ who’s been in the school since kindergarten?”

The girl who was irate by Aoi’s attitude raised her hand.

“I’ve always disliked you for a long time.”

Koremitsu sprinted over as he hollered,

“HOLD IT RIGHT THERE—!”

Aoi widened her eyes.

And the other girls looked over at Koremitsu.

Koremitsu barged his way amongst them and stood in front of Aoi, shielding her.

“Don’t you lay a hand on her! She’s a very important person! If you want to vent your anger, come at me! I’ll take a beating from you for her sake.”

Right! Aoi’s a very important person to Hikaru. That’s why I have to protect her!

Upon seeing the savage-looking Koremitsu with messy red hair pant as he hollered, the girls were rooted to the ground in fear.

“COME HIT ME!”

Koremitsu roared out at the girl who raised her hand.

“Wha-what are you doing? Didn’t she completely ignore you, splash you with the paintbrush water, and cut up the papers everyone wrote to Lord Hikaru? And you still want to protect her after all this? Are you an idiot?”

The girl glared timidly at Koremitsu.

At this moment,

Hikaru, who was beside them, spoke sternly,

“No, Miss Aoi didn’t do it.”

Koremitsu immediately turned towards Hikaru.

Hikaru’s expression was as firm as his will, unfettered, and he looked towards the girls surrounding Aoi.

They could not see Hikaru.

And they could not hear his voice.

But Koremitsu could hear him.

That was why,

“Miss Aoi isn’t the one who cut the colored papers and the news.”

That was why he had to convey Hikaru’s words.

He had to protect this Aoi Hikaru so loved.

The girls widened their eyes in shock, and Aoi, standing behind him, was taken aback.

Hikaru looked like an Archangel sent down by God as he pointed a long finger at one of the girls.

“You’re—the culprit.”

“You’re the one who did this.”

Koremitsu grabbed the hand of the girl Hikaru pointed to and raised it up.

“No!”

The girl who had been hounding Koremitsu up till this point let out a soft cry.

Honoka gasped, and Hiina took her phone out as she got ready.

The polished nail on the right hand’s finger dropped as Koremitsu grabbed it, and the stars and flower shaped glass fragments were glittering.

They were the same stars as the ones that dropped onto Koremitsu’s toes.

Hikaru spoke quietly,

“Why are there large crosses on the news and the papers—as for what this means, it means that the culprit was definitely in the arts room, and saw Miss Aoi draw the cross on the canvas. She did not like Miss Aoi, and did this to push the blame on her.”

Koremitsu digested the meaning of Hikaru’s words as he growled,

“You’re from the arts club, right? You saw me being scolded by Aoi, and also saw her draw that large cross on the canvas. That’s why you deliberately cut the news and papers in large crosses to shift the suspicion to her.”

The girl grabbed by the hand froze tersely, and then struggled like a fish biting on hook, trying to break free from Koremitsu’s hand. But once she knew she could not escape, her expression contorted, and she looked like she was hoping for Koremitsu not to speak on any further.

“Tha-that’s because...I couldn’t forgive her.”

The girl showed fear and apprehension on her face as she moved her dry lips.

“ That person kept calling Lord Hikaru useless, a scum amongst men, and even said something like he deserved this for what he did.”

Her tentative-looking eyes had anger and sadness as she said ‘this person’, and she growled these words.

“Wh-when Lord Hikaru was around, I couldn’t approach him because I was too nervous...but that person, even when she became Lord Hikaru’s fiancée so easily, said such...such overboard things—if I were her, I would have ripped my mouth out and not say anything...if I were Lord Hikaru’s fiancée, I’ll definitely treasure him more than that person. I’ll thank God every day...but this person keeps deriding him, and she’s his fiancée.”

When she finally finished, she broke down in tears.

Koremitsu weakened, not knowing what to do.

When Aoi drew the large cross on the canvas, Koremitsu too could not suppress his anger as he roared out at Aoi.

He understood all too well the feelings of the girl Aoi hurt.

Koremitsu let go of her hand, and she immediately knelt down, her skirt lying on the grassy patchy as she sobbed weakly.

“Lord Hikaru...has always been my idol. I was satisfied with just looking at him from afar, but he’s now dead...I won’t...won’t be able to see him again...”

Hikaru too showed a depressed look, and got down on his knees to clasp the girl’s hands, seemingly apologizing for not being able to accept her feelings.

“I-I’m sorry.”

Even though the one she hoped to meet was standing right in front of her, she could not sense him clasping her hand, and she continued while sobbing.

“I already knew...this is just envy on my part...but...it’s really painful...I couldn’t control myself...I’m sorry...I’m sorry.”

The other girls too apologized as they lowered their heads.

“I’m sorry.”

“Pl-please forgive me.”

Koremitsu, who was already apprehensive over being apologized at, had sweat dripping as his head started to heat up as he shouted,

“Idiots! Don’t apologize to me or anything! You shouldn’t have done this if you had known that you’re going to apologize like this!”

Suddenly, a hoarse voice came from behind.

“...Is that so.”

Aoi, standing behind Koremitsu, continued to mutter.

“...Please don’t...do this too. Please don’t...apologize.”

He turned around, and saw Aoi’s expression look paler than before. Her eyes were shut, and she seemed to be writhing as she breathed.

“I...wasn’t the one who cut the papers, but...I already thought about it.”

Startled, Koremitsu’s voice was stuck in his throat. Hiina watched on with a calm expression, Honoka and the other girls were shocked onlookers.

And then, there was a color tint of agony spreading in Hikaru’s eyes. For every moment Aoi spoke, her petite shoulders would tremble, and the agony got concentrated.

“As you have said, Hikaru never loved me. He was chasing other girls...and I despised him for it. He fooled people like that, and died in that manner...he didn’t consider the feelings of others until the end.”

Aoi suddenly could not continue any further. Her contorted expression showed that she was about to cry, and she had already revealed the sadness and bitterness within.

“I always thought of tearing down those colored papers so that I won’t have to remember them...whenever I see those things related to Hikaru every morning, I really can’t help but want to tear them off...so, that’s why, when I saw the slashed news and papers...I—I mistakenly thought that I did that...”

Aoi’s delicate body looked frailer than before, and her face got paler. Her large eyes were seething with agony.

“I THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE GREAT IF ALL MY MEMORIES OF HIKARU WOULD VANISH!”

The moment she cried out—Koremitsu felt he had heard the sound of Hikaru’s heart breaking.

Hikaru, who was the prosecutor of sorts before now, stood there like a convict being judged for heavy crimes.

He did not argue as he closed his lips, and his sad eyes showed helplessness—

Aoi then lowered her head and ran away.

“Wait!”

Koremitsu followed after her.

“Don’t follow me! Hikaru’s feelings—affections— for me are like the stars in the sky falling down on the ground; they don’t exist!”

Aoi exclaimed as she ran.

These words carved Koremitsu’s heart.

Why must she keep saying such things?

Hikaru was certainly right beside Aoi.

He still remained on this world to fulfill the promise he made with her.

And she actually said something like it’ll be great if he disappeared—that she can’t help but wreck it. Why must she let out such a heartbroken voice, such a painful expression, why—

His chest felt tight, and he had difficulty breathing as his body ached.

Hikaru said that you’re his hope! Even so—

“Please! Wait! Aoi Saotome! Listen to me!”

Aoi ran from the courtyard to the corridor, and Koremitsu tried his best to catch up. He felt Hikaru’s presence behind him, his pain, and continued chasing after her.

There’s not enough time.

Aoi’s birthday was on Sunday - two days from now. If Koremitsu could not open her heart before than, he would not be able to pass on the remaining 6 birthday presents, and he would not be able to pass on Hikaru’s feelings to Aoi!

Even though this was already Hikaru’s last chance!

Hikaru could not celebrate Aoi’s birthday with her already!

“Stop right there! Aoi Saotome! I have something I want to give you!”

Aoi dashed up the stairs.

The light of noon shot through the windows on the stairs.

“Hey! Aoi Saotome! Saotome! Aoi! – Miss Aoi !”

Miss Aoi.

The moment he called out to her, she stopped in her tracks.

However, she did not look back and knelt down weakly.

She was everything but alright.

Koremitsu sprinted to her.

Hikaru too.

“Miss Aoi! Miss Aoi!”

Aoi was still groggy as she closed her eyes, worn from it all, breathing with pain. Even when Koremitsu was carrying her, she showed no reaction. Koremitsu was shocked to realize how light Aoi was.

“Hikaru, where’s the infirmary?”

“First floor!”

“Lead the way.”

He carried Aoi as he ran to the infirmary.

On the way back, Koremitsu went by Honoka and Hiina, who caught up.

“Wait! What’s going on!? What happened to Her Highness Aoi!?”

“Wow, a Princess Carry! May I take a picture!?”

“Idiot! I’ll kill you if you dare to take one!”

He yelled these words as he ran off.

Koremitsu let Aoi lie on the infirmary bed, and finally heaved a sigh of relief.

His hair and clothes were drenched in sweat to a point where he could squeeze it out.

“Overexertion, lack of sleep, and malnutrition.”

The infirmary teacher frowned.

Koremitsu learned that Aoi felt uncomfortable during a lesson a few days ago, and came over to the infirmary to rest.

“At that time, I emphasized to her that she had to have the minimum amount of sleep and nutrition. Looks like she’s still thinking about Hikaru, really, who can blame her...?”

The teacher said with distress. Hikaru lowered his eyelashes, seemingly accepting this lecture.

Once lunch break ended, Koremitsu was advised by the teacher to return to the classroom, and he insisted.

“I want to stay with her!”

His attitude was unexpectedly adamant, and he hammered himself down to the bed.

“Teacher, please let Akagi stay here.”

The teacher finally relented, whether it was because of Honoka’s request, or that the teacher was terrified of Koremitsu’s intensity.

“Thanks, Shikibu.”

“No need to thank me. Her Highness Aoi...it’ll be great if she can get well.”

She whispered, and left the infirmary.

Koremitsu looked down upon Aoi, lying on the bad.

Lack of sleep? Overexertion? Malnutrition? What in the world?

“This person...she’s always trying to act tough, but always so reckless.”

She continued to insist on going to school, and continued to stay inside the arts room to paint after school—she looked like she was living the same life she had when Hikaru was still alive, but in fact, that was not the case.

She agonized all this time.

Aoi had been trying to force herself to act tough - maybe because she did not want others to notice this pain within her.

A tear slid from the corner of Aoi’s closed eyelid.

Hikaru knelt down beside the bed, his eyes filled with regret as he looked at Aoi’s sleeping face.

“...Miss Aoi, definitely realized that the one who cut the news and the papers was from the arts club...she felt that she herself had a motive for doing this, which is why she continued to blame herself...this is the kind of girl she is.”

—No! he didn’t do it...! It’s not him. It’s not him!

Aoi looked like she was almost in tears as she repeated these words in the corridor.

At that moment, Aoi was certainly defending Koremitsu.

Even though this was out of her own guilt.

—I...always thought of tearing down those colored papers so that I won’t have to remember them...

Those words were Aoi’s true thoughts too.

—when I saw the slashed news and papers...I—I mistakenly thought that I did that...

I THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE GREAT IF ALL MY MEMORIES OF HIKARU WOULD VANISH!

Aoi was trembling back then.

She never had any feelings for Hikaru in the first place.

Koremitsu thought of Aoi’s state of mind when she said this, and Hikaru’s feelings when he heard this, and felt hot inside.

“...Miss Aoi had always been like this. Whenever she’s extremely sad, whenever she felt like crying, she would force herself to say ‘there’s nothing wrong’, puff her face to look away...”

Hikaru said with melancholy.

She looked angry on the surface because her inner heart was saddened.

She saw herself as being unloved by Hikaru, causing her to be saddened and cry out in gloom.

Koremitsu recalled how, in his youth, he drew many crosses on the writing paper when his mother left him.

Aoi was just like him.

Like Koremitsu, she would protect her inner heart by denying everything.

Aoi in the photo album would glance at Hikaru when she was slightly away from Hikaru.

But when both of them were together, she would look away.

Hikaru knew more than anyone how clumsy Aoi was, the pain she had. Thus, when Aoi vented out her feelings, Hikaru’s heart felt like it was butchered through.

He lowered his eyes as he looked down at Aoi sadly.

He wanted to use his fingers to wipe the tears off Aoi’s crying face, but his fingers passed through.

Hikaru’s face was full of anguish.

Koremitsu observed this, and his heart felt like it was torn asunder.

He really wanted to tell Aoi that Hikaru was standing here.

He wanted to tell her that Hikaru was worried about her.

But no matter how many times Hikaru tried to touch Aoi, he failed, and he could only retract his hand in a forlorn manner.

He bit his lips, showed a depressed look as he looked at Aoi longingly, smiled, ostensibly trying to endure the pain—and said gently,

“Koremitsu...there’s a vending machine in front of the infirmary. Can you get a can of milk shake so that Miss Aoi can drink it when she wakes up?”

“Oh, okay.”

The bell indicating the end of the 5 th period rang.

Koremitsu stood up from the pipe chair and silently walked out of the infirmary.

His heart was still aching because of the smile he saw on Hikaru’s face.

He hesitated for a moment, dropped a coin into the vending machine, and turned to Hikaru anxiously.

“Well...I shouldn’t be asking this in this situation.”

He tried to remain calm as he pressed on the button indicating the ‘milkshake’ choice, but his throat was trembling as his fingers were dripping with seat.

“Were...you really...killed by someone?”

GATAN. The sound of the milkshake can dropping rang.

Hikaru gave an abnormally calm expression as he looked back at Koremitsu silently.

“That’s because the News Club girl said so.”

“...”

“I can ignore it if it’s made up.”

“I’m not too sure.”

He spoke with an adult-like tone.

“I’m a harem prince who goes around hooking up girls...so I guess there should be a lot of girls who wanted to kill me.”

He avoided this topic in such a vague manner.

Why did he want to avoid this topic?

Koremitsu thought about it, and he felt a chill up his back.

What exactly was the ‘rumor’ Hiina Oumi heard about?

Hikaru went silent.

Just when he felt something icy stuck in his throat.

“Akagi.”

Asai Saiga was standing there with an admonishing expression.

“I heard that Aoi fainted.”

“She’s resting on a bed now.”

He answered as he took out the milkshake can.

The can was still scalding, and his fingers were hot.

“Milkshake...?”

Asai suddenly frowned.

“It’s for Aoi to drink when she wakes up.”

Once he said that, Asai’s expression became sharper.

“...Did you hear it from Hikaru? That Aoi likes milkshake more than coffee.”

“Yeah.”

Koremitsu was about to return back to the infirmary, only to be stopped by Asai’s stern tone,

“Akagi, please return to the classroom. I’ll take care of Aoi.”

“I still have some things I want to say to her.”

“Your presence would only cause Aoi’s body condition to worsen. Speaking of which, did Aoi not faint because of you?”

Hikaru’s expression froze.

Koremitsu too stopped in his tracks.

It was true that Koremitsu was the one who kept chasing after Aoi, causing her to end up in the infirmary.

Also, the reason why the girl from the arts club blamed the paper slashing onto Aoi was because Koremitsu went over to the arts room every day, and Aoi kept badmouthing Hikaru.

Koremitsu kept running forward to express Hikaru’s feelings, but never considered the consequences, and did not notice that Aoi did not have her proper meals, did not sleep well, and was in agony the entire time.

He was enraged by Aoi’s words, and lashed out such overboard comments to her.

She must have been terrified to see a savage-looking wild dog hounding her, barking at her. What Koremitsu did may have opened the scars within Aoi all the more.

Right beside Koremitsu was Hikaru, who lowered his head sadly.

Koremitsu grabbed onto the milkshake can, his skin almost scalded as he was unable to argue back.

Did I force Aoi into despair?

Asai showed displeasure on her face.

“It’s my fault for not taking care of Aoi and leaving her alone today. I do have to reflect on this. From this moment, I won’t allow any of Hikaru’s fans to hurt Aoi.”

“Those girls have their troubles too. Don’t punish them for it. If Aoi knows about it, she’ll definitely blame herself.”

Koremitsu stared back at Asai.

“I don’t want to be advised by you regarding Aoi.”

Asai retorted with a berating tone.

She then looked at Koremitsu with an icy stare.

“If, even if, you’re Hikaru’s friend, you can’t use this as an excuse to hurt Aoi verbally. I definitely won’t recognize someone like you as a representative for Hikaru.”

All her words were piercing through Koremitsu’s chest.

His hand that was holding the milkshake got number and number.

“One more thing, Koremitsu Akagi, it’s impossible for you to express Hikaru’s feelings. Nobody can.”

He had to say something.

He was Hikaru’s real representative, and he had to fight back.

Right, I have to say something s-

He sank into deep thought while enduring the pain of his gut being ripped apart, looking for words he should say.

At this moment, a quiet voice rang,

“Koremitsu...that’s enough.”

He could not believe that these words came from Hikaru directly.

Hikaru stood between Koremitsu and Asai, showed a light smile on his face tersely, and shook his head,

“Forget about it.”

Forget about it?

What are you saying, Hikaru?

As Koremitsu was about to collapse on his knees, Asai said,

“I’ll celebrate Aoi’s birthday with her to make her forget all about Hikaru. Speaking of which, the burden of being Hikaru’s fiancée was already too much for her.”

As Hikaru listened to these words, his face was contorted with bitterness.

—I THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE GREAT IF ALL MY MEMORIES OF HIKARU WOULD VANISH!

Koremitsu saw Hikaru’s suffering expression as the latter was trying to get him to agree, and he could not counter Asai’s argument.

Damn it!

He handed the warm milkshake can to Asai.

“Give this to Aoi.”

He grumbled as he left the infirmary.

His body felt torn apart as he thought about how he did not finish the errand.

Hikaru remained silent as he followed Koremitsu sidelong. It was a weak existence, one almost devoid of existence.

They were about to reach the classroom.

Koremitsu whispered to Hikaru as he walked on,

“Do you really think this is for the best?”

Hikaru went silent for a moment, and then spoke,

“Asa might be right...”

His hollow expression was full of despair, and he let out words of regret.

“I kept hurting Miss Aoi up till now. It’s too late to try and salvage anything here. Maybe I’m just trying to satisfy myself by fulfilling this promise...and I made my beloved Miss Aoi—cry again.”

His lowered eyelashes trembled, and his voice was filled with unrestrained pain.

He lifted his head and smiled with an anguished expression.

“And Koremitsu, I can’t give Miss Aoi happiness as a ghost now. Maybe it’s time to give her a new start.”

“...”

“In the arts room, when I told Miss Aoi to move her lips if she could hear my voice...I still had that little hope even though I know it’s impossible...even though Miss Aoi was angry, even if she would look away angrily...but she never noticed me in the slightest.”

At that time, Hikaru and Aoi were almost sticking together.

Hikaru’s weak eyes were ostensibly pleading for Aoi to look at him.

But Aoi never looked back as she continued to draw the large cross on the canvas.

She said that Hikaru was the worst liar.

Koremitsu’s hand that was holding onto the milkshake can still felt hot.

He was unsatisfied, full of angst, and he had difficulty breathing.

He could not endure the sight of Hikaru’s smile again as he lowered his head.

What Asai said was true.

It was too much for the serious-natured Aoi to bear the burden of Hikaru’s fiancée. She must have been hurt, seeing Hikaru flirt around with so many girls to the point where he became infamous as a playboy.

But it was too snobbish of Hikaru to say that he wanted to express his love only at the point of his death.

Koremitsu too bore the crime as the representative, defending Hikaru even though he knew about this.

He kept repeating his one-sided approach, caused the incident, and forced Aoi into despair.

He really wanted to fall on his knees in regret.

But even so, is it really alright to give up like this?

Is it good to let Aoi’s birthday pass by without doing anything?

And am I—going to watch Hikaru give up like this without saying anything?

He arrived in front of the classroom.

Honoka was certainly worried over Koremitsu as she waited inside the classroom.

She left her seat, poked her head out from the rear door, looked around the corridor, and asked, “How’s Her Highness, Akagi?”

“She’s fine.”

Honoka heaved a sigh of relief, and at the next moment, she opened her eyes frantically,

“Wait—where’re you going?”

“Walk around.”

Koremitsu growled gruffly and passed by the classroom door.

The class bell rang from above.

“WAIT! AKAGI! COME BACK FOR CLASS! THE SIXTH PERIOD ISN’T OVER YET! AKAGI! AKAGI~!”

Honoka hollered out from behind.

But Koremitsu did not care as he ran forward in large steps.

“Koremitsu? What’s wrong? You just passed by the classroom, you know?”

Hikaru said with bewilderment.

Koremitsu wordlessly ascended the stairs.

He gritted his teeth and took one heavy step after another as he climbed.

“Koremitsu, hello, Koremitsu? Do you hear me?”

He climbed up onto the top level, and opened the door leading to the roof.

The wind blew towards Koremitsu from the front, and his crimson hair fluttered.

He stepped onto the roof, closed the door, and roared,

“I’M LISTENING!”

Hikaru’s eyes widened.

Koremitsu looked up, and vented out all the emotions he held within like a torrent.

“I CAME HERE BECAUSE I WANT TO TALK WITH YOU! DON’T YOU GIVE ME THAT WORTHLESS EXPRESSION! DIDN’T YOU HAUNT ME BECAUSE YOU WANT TO PASS ALONG YOUR FEELINGS TO AOI!? YOU’RE DEAD, BUT I CAN HEAR YOUR VOICE CLEARLY! I CAN DEFINITELY HEAR YOUR WORDS!”

He thumped his chest violently.

Hikaru was in awe at the declaration.

Koremitsu’s unwavering spirit could be realized from his expression.

It was an expression that said, Are you really going to give up here?

Were those feelings you showed when you looked at the album truly this downtrodden?

You looked at Aoi with such passion in the arts room - can you treat the feelings you showed back then as nothing?

“ISN’T AOI YOUR BELOVED!? DIDN’T YOU SAY THIS TO ME!? DON’T TELL ME THAT’S A LIE!? DIDN’T YOU SWEAR NOT TO CHEAT AROUND AND BE WITH HER FOREVER!? WERE THOSE ALL LIES!?”

Hikaru’s face turned pale, the ends of his lips curled up.

He smiled. It was no longer a warm smile, but a tense one that hinted at a searing pain inside.

“I’m not lying. I’ve always loved Miss Aoi.”

“Then...we have to tell Aoi this no matter what. Aoi has always thought that you never loved her.”

-For me, genuine affection is like stars in the sky falling down to the ground - it doesn’t happen!

Aoi’s voice echoed in his mind.

What were the chances of a meteor dropping? Why did she have such belief?

“DIDN’T YOU SAY THAT YOU WON’T LEAVE A CRYING GIRL ALONE? WON’T YOU WATER A FLOWER THAT’S WILTING? THEN TELL HER, TELL AOI HOW MUCH YOU VALUE THIS PROMISE WITH HER! I’LL PASS HER YOUR WORDS, YOUR FEELINGS! JUST SAY ‘PLEASE’, BECAUSE WE’RE FRIENDS—I’LL DEFINITELY PASS ON THE FEELINGS TO YOU! IF AOI’S TEARS CAN’T BE WIPED AWAY, I’LL USE A HANDKERCHIEF TO WIPE THEM OFF ON YOUR BEHALF! ARE YOU STILL GOING TO SAY ‘FORGET ABOUT IT’ HERE!?”

He roared aloud, his throat feeling like it was about to explode, continuing in his mind.

Say it out.

Just say the word ‘please’.

If you give up like this, Aoi won’t know your feelings for her forever.

She’ll just think that she’s not loved because she doesn’t know how you feel, and will think that she’s just designated as a fiancée.

Koremitsu’s mother left her family without leaving a single word to her son.

Koremitsu could not give his mother a present.

But Hikaru should have something he wanted to give to Aoi.

Aoi should have the privilege to accept Hikaru’s present.

That’s why, say it to me—

Hikaru closed his lips slightly and frowned as he looked back at Koremitsu.

His clear eyes were filled with bitterness and anguish.

Those lips trembling lips of his uttered words.

“Please...Koremitsu.”

This line was enough for him.

That night, after Koremitsu left the apartment, Hikaru shouted to the inked night sky that they were friends, and Koremitsu felt a rising sense of delight and embarrassment.

Those words alone allow me to overcome all difficulty to see all his wishes through.

Please.

I can agree to those words without asking for anything in return.

For a sake of a ‘friend’, I can do this confidently.

“Alright, leave it to me!”

His chest was filled with delight.

The delight rose from the bottom of his belly, and he exclaimed as he ran out.

Honoka was leaning at the side of the roof leading to the roof, feeling extremely nervous.

She skipped class and followed Koremitsu up to the roof because she was worried about him.

She heard a growl from the other side of the door.

Was he arguing? With who?

The moment she put her hand on the door handle, a hearty voice rang in her ears.

“Alright, leave it to me!”

The footsteps approached, and she hid behind the door. The door then opened, and a cheerful Koremitsu sprinted out with his red hair flowing.

Eh? Wait, what’s going on?

His stiff face looked extremely painful when he came back from the infirmary, but now, he looked radiant and dazzling, as if a light shone upon him as he shot out like a bullet.

The unforgettable bright red hair, that reliable yet reckless attitude of a bratty king, and the expression of invincibility of caused her heart to throb.

It felt like the moment she fell in love with a novel on first sight last night—

Koremitsu raced down the stairs like a wild dog that had been newly freed.

And he dashed through the corridor without hesitation.

Wings were ostensibly attached to his feet as he did not feel tired at all.

He reached his hand into his pocket.

It had the 2 nd present he bought from the ticket shop two days prior.

It may be the first time he bought such a thing, and the attendant was startled when he endured his shame to ask gruffly, “Please give me two.”

What he touched let out a rippling sound from within his pocket.

Aoi walked out of the infirmary with Asai supporting her.

Her petite face was still pale.

She wanted to endure her tears as she bit her lips and lowered her head.

Koremitsu called to her.

“Aoi!”

Aoi immediately raised her head, shocked.

She moved in front of Aoi, ostensibly trying to hide her, but Koremitsu did not mind as he dug out the item from his pocket and handed it to Aoi.

“This is the second present!”

Aoi looked even more startled.

The folded envelope was crumpled as it had been in his pocket all this while. He placed it in Aoi’s hands.

“It’s a ticket to the theme park! Let’s go there on Sunday!”

He looked at the rooted Aoi and quickly spoke with force to emphasize.

“We’ll meet at 1pm at the station near the school! It’s a promise”

“I’ll celebrate Aoi’s birthday.”

Asai spoke coldly and tried to snatch the ticket from Aoi’s hand.

But Aoi grabbed onto the envelope with the ticket firmly.

This caused Asai’s expression to freeze.

Aoi bit her lips painfully, not indicating whether she would go or not.

As he looked at Aoi’s eyes, Koremitsu gave her a confident nod.

“I’ll be waiting! Definitely! You definitely must come along! I’ll hand over the remaining 5 presents!”

Holding onto the ticket, his fingertips shuddered slightly with a twitch.

“You don’t have to listen to him, Aoi.”

Asai held Aoi’s hand and walked beside Koremitsu.

But Aoi eyed Koremitsu rigidly.

“You must come if you want to know Hikaru’s feelings! Aoi!”

Shocked, Aoi jerked as she turned around and looked forward.

Koremitsu watched Aoi move forward with her head down, and cried out to her in his heart.

You definitely must come, Aoi. You have the privilege to accept what Hikaru wants to give you.

At the same time, Hikaru—

Stood beside Koremitsu, rapt with the intensity of the moment, speaking to himself.

“I’ll be waiting, Miss Aoi.”

### 006. Chapter 6: If That Star Smiled at Me

“Happy birthday, Aoi.”

Asai, dressed in simple silk pajamas, pushed aside the French floral curtain as she turned her head back and spoke to Aoi.

Aoi sat on the bed as she rubbed her eyes.

It was Sunday morning.

The bright morning sun shone in from the outside, and the weather seemed fine.

Asai stayed overnight at Aoi’s house since Saturday night.

She came to make cake and food for Aoi today, hence her need to visit and prepare on Saturday.

Asai was a reliable childhood friend, and though she was actually a few months younger than Aoi, she was taller than Aoi for as long as she could remember, smarter than Aoi, more determined, and she cared for Aoi like a true older sister.

Aoi’s father also had a lot of trust in Asai.

Whenever Asai came to visit Aoi, Aoi’s father would commend and thank her.

“Aoi has always been in your care.”

“Please continue to take care of our Aoi.”

“Just eat a little for breakfast. I’ll make some sugarless pancakes to go along with fruit yogurt, how about it? You should be able to finish it all. I’ll make some vegetable soup too so that your body won’t go cold.”

Asai had decided all this with precision.

And Aoi merely needed to abide.

Aoi took off her nightgown with laces lined on the hem, and changed into a cotton one-piece dress comfortable for her skin.

This clothing, too, was bought when she went shopping with Asai.

“That attire’s good. It suits you, Aoi.”

Even in the early days of their friendship, she only needed to listen to Asai to avoid problems.

Right, even if it was related to Hikaru—

—Hikaru’s playboy tendencies will never be cured. He’s the kind that won’t live on if he doesn’t get a new love partner.

Asai spoke of Hikaru with such a critical expression.

Though the trio often played together when they were young, Asai showed no mercy to Hikaru. She really pampered Aoi, but would deal with Hikaru in an icy cold tone and attitude.

—Hikaru’s not a match for you, Aoi.

Asai had remarked in the past.

—Hikaru is definitely not an honest man who’ll simply protect you only, Aoi. He’ll continue with all sorts of shallow love relationships with many women, and will continue to hurt you.

Aoi also thought that she was right -

that Asa’s words were always correct.

—You should tell your grandfather to cancel your marriage with Hikaru. Do you want me to help you say it?

But she could not agree to this particular line from Asai alone.

We’re merely engaged in name, and even if I don’t try to cancel it, Hikaru won’t marry me sincerely.

Of course, I won’t become Hikaru’s wife.

That was what she said, but Aoi never formally cancelled the engagement.

This was despite Asai telling her to do so many times.

She kept saying that Aoi would not have any unhappiness, any painful memories.

If she had listened to Asai’s words back then, perhaps Hikaru’s death would not be so painful to her.

Perhaps she would not feel the anguish that lacerated her heart, and she would not feel suffocated in the middle of the night.

She received the lilacs stalks two days before Hikaru’s death, and once she learned of his death, she snapped the stalks and threw them away.

This is the first present. I prepared another 6 gifts for your birthday. Please look forward to it.

Aoi was pained to realize that this promise caused her heart to race—and her body felt like it was breaking apart—

She could not forgive Hikaru for breaking the promise in the worst way possible.

—Liar!

She tore the letter, snapped the stalks, and said several times with a hoarse voice,

—Liar! Liar!

Thus, when the person proclaiming himself as Hikaru’s good friend, Koremitsu, appeared in front of her, claiming he would celebrate Aoi’s birthday in place of Hikaru, Aoi was immensely furious.

And also, Koremitsu had an outstanding red hair, a savage dog-like sharp stare, and was very crude in his words—it was impossible to imagine that a primitive person like him would be Hikaru’s friend.

He definitely was trying to lie to her, just as Asai said.

She must not believe that he was trying to convey Hikaru’s thoughts.

That was what she thought before now.

—This is the second present!

The passionate stare was looking right through Aoi,

He reached his hand out to her.

—It’s a ticket to the theme park! Let’s go there on Sunday!

He forcefully handed the envelope with the ticket over to Aoi, and exclaimed with a serious voice.

—I’ll be waiting! Definitely! You definitely must come along! I’ll hand over the remaining 5 presents!

She sat up on the bed lightly, pulled out the antique drawer with the floral carvings on it, and stared at it uneasily.

The thing placed inside the drawer was the theme park ticket Koremitsu forcefully handed to her on Friday.

She told Asai that she had already thrown it away, but in fact, she kept it with her.

Just like how she did not break up the engagement.

—You must come if you want to know Hikaru’s feelings! Aoi!

Hikaru’s feelings.

Did they really exist?

They were only engaged in name, so what kind of feelings did Hikaru have for her exactly?

When he was still alive, he would say ‘Miss Aoi’s really cute, I really love you’ as easily as if he was breathing, to a point where it was practically his greeting. Once she learnt that he would say such things to other girls too, she felt extremely angry for being fooled.

—I can’t believe your ‘love’, Hikaru.

Aoi puffed her cheeks and glared at him, Hikaru however gave an angelic smile as he stared back at her eyes, saying,

—What must I do to make you believe that I really love you, Miss Aoi?

—Then, try making the stars fall down from the sky. If you can’t do that, I won’t believe whatever you say. You’re to blame for always saying such empty words to make fun of me.

Aoi turned her back towards Hikaru, and heard his laughter from behind.

—Then, I have to think about a way to make the stars fall when I want to confess to you that ‘I love you most’.

He said that teasingly.

Even though it was impossible to make the stars fall.

...That’s why, Hikaru’s feelings—for me are like the stars in the sky falling down. They don’t exist.

She muttered hoarsely, and her chest was ostensibly ripped apart.

The cat she kept in her house, Shell Blue, meowed as it leapt onto Aoi’s knees.

It was plump, its black and white fur looked like a cow, and its face was flat. It was definitely not a pretty cat.

But she fell in love with it on first sight when she saw how it was drenched in the rain as it was placed in the cardboard box.

Aoi cuddled that heavy body tightly.

I don’t want to know about any...of Hikaru’s feelings or anything.

“Argh~~~~~, why’s she not here yet!?”

It was 1.15pm.

Koremitsu suddenly grumbled as he stood at the gantry gates of the station.

The passers-by passing through the gates were shocked, and hurriedly walked away, ostensibly avoiding him.

“Damn, it’s been over 15 minutes already. Is that Aoi planning to make me wait here.”

“They’re girls, so maybe they’re late because they spent the time dolling themselves up. The longest time I spent waiting for a girl was 6 hours.”

“Tch, you really have the patience to wait, huh? Speaking of which, it’s amazing that she would appear even other you waited for her for 6 hours.”

Koremitsu was thoroughly speechless.

However, to him, who had never invited anyone out, and did not have much patience, a 15 minute wait was too long for him.

“Let me ask just to be clear. Is Aoi the type to be late because she’s dressing up?”

“Nope, she’s the type who’ll arrive 30 minutes earlier, walk around the area, return back to the appointed area 10 minutes before the time, and pout when her date appears, saying that she just came by early out of coincidence.”

“That means she’s not coming!”

Koremitsu got through the gantry and rode on the subway train that just arrived.

He could not wait for her any longer.

“If she’s not coming, I’ll go fetch her myself!”

The passengers in the train immediately looked over at Koremitsu in unison.

“The cake should be almost done.”

Asai indulged herself in the tasting of the sandwich and the red tea across the white table as she looked at the clock.

It was 1:45 PM.

Aoi’s heart was hurting with every beat.

The appointed time Koremitsu promised her was 1PM.

He must have returned back angrily.

She did not have the appetite to consume the sandwich and the red tea, and merely cuddled Shell Blue as she lowered her head.

Is this really alright?

Asai said before that there was no need to listen to that man’s words.

However...

On Friday, when she woke up in the infirmary, Asai brought in a can of milkshake and handed it unwillingly to Aoi, saying,

“It’s lukewarm. It may not be that nice to drink.”

Asai did not like the milkshake the school vending machines sold, and said that it was a drink that had preservatives and sugar mixed into the milk, that it was not good for the body, and she did not recommend Aoi to drink it.

It was true that it was not a refined taste, but Aoi loved that sweetness she could not taste at home, and bought it to drink from time to time while secretly hiding it from Asai.

“It’s okay. I’ll keep it then. Thank you, Asa.”

The milkshake had already cooled down, but she could feel the liquid gently soothing her body.

As Aoi drank the milkshake, Asai inadvertently looked over with a stern expression.

Did Koremitsu leave this can of milkshake behind?

Hikaru would gently hand her a can of milkshake from time to time,

“Keep it a secret from Asa.”

“Don’t treat me as a kid. I’ve stopped liking milkshakes since the first years of elementary school already.”

She would blush as she argues back. However, Hikaru would keep giving Aoi milkshakes, and not coffee or Oolong tea.

That was because he knew Aoi still liked milkshake.

Thus, the one who left the milkshake in the infirmary was not Asa, but Koremitsu—

No, I shouldn’t be thinking about this any longer.

The appointed time had long passed, and it would be meaningless for her to think any longer.

She would merely be adding on to her bitterness.

Right, she would simply not think about anything related to Hikaru—and forget everything about him, just like during that time after his death.

“I’ll go check on the cake.”

Asa walked out of the room.

She caressed her face on Shell Blue, which looked worried too as it let out a meow.

Suddenly, Aoi’s phone on the dressing table rang.

She picked it up, and found an unknown number calling it.

Normally, she would ignore this call.

But, maybe —this premonition rose in her heart, and she pressed the call button.

“Oi, Aoi!”

A gruff voice immediately entered her ears.

“It’s already past the appointed time!”

Why did Koremitsu know Aoi’s number?

This suspicion was unnecessary for her though, as her heart trembled the moment she heard his voice—it was not a feeling of fear of puzzlement, but something else—

“I’m now calling you in front of your house! Hurry up, get the ticket, and get out here!”

Koremitsu’s tone was very gawkish, but he was still trying to express himself.

It was the same voice he used when Aoi was surrounded by Hikaru’s fan, the same desperate pleading voice.

—HOLD IT RIGHT THERE—!

He yelled as he got in front of Aoi.

Even as Aoi was showing off the inner ugliness within her, he caught up to her no matter what.

“Meow—”

Shell Blue on the bed let out an unhappy cry.

She opened the drawer, pinched the envelope with the ticket inside, and ran out of the room without taking her bag, cellphone, purse, monthly pass, as she dashed right down to the entrance.

The sweet smell of butter and sugar whiffed in from the kitchen.

Asai was definitely taking the cake out from the oven.

I’m sorry, Asa.

She arrived at the entrance, hurriedly latched her sandal belts, and opened the door.

She ran to the entrance while seemingly lost in herself, and when she finally arrived at the door, she found Koremitsu there, waiting with the phone held beside his ear.

“You’re late.”

The wild dog-like eyes glared at Aoi as he frowned and grumbled this line with his coarse voice.

Aoi felt an incomplete feeling in her chest.

All sorts of feelings rose up Aoi’s throat, and she looked up at Koremitsu, shuddering slightly.

“Okay, you got the ticket, right? Let’s go.”

Aoi did not move however.

Koremitsu frowned.

“Tch, are you still hesitating?”

“...I”

“Huh?”

“I was so shocked that my legs couldn’t move...it’s all your fault.”

Her throat and eyes were heating up, and she could not process the messy thoughts within her. She begrudged Koremitsu as she looked like she was going to cry.

“Really, you really cause me quite a bit of trouble here, Princess.”

“I don’t remember asking for your care—kya!”

Aoi’s mouth let out a soft squeal.

Koremitsu carried Aoi up.

And her legs were flailing in the air.

“W-wh-wha-wha-what, what is this!?”

Koremitsu carried Aoi up in a Princess Carry.

“What are you doing? Please put me down!”

“Didn’t you say your feet can’t move? I’m moving you now! Your birthday will pass by if you dily-daly like this!”

“But you’re being too reckless here even if that’s the case! Put me down!”

“I carried you once before, so just shut up. Besides, it’s not tough for me since you’re so light.”

He actually said that he carried me before—

Koremitsu’s words caused Aoi to blush.

Speaking of which, she found herself lying on the infirmary bed when she woke up after she fainted on the stairs—Asai also said that she was not certain about Aoi’s situation before she was moved to the infirmary, so maybe, at that moment—!

Her face, ears, neck and head were burning hot, like they were on fire.

Her body shook about as Koremitsu carried her, and nearly dropped a few times; she subconsciously wrapped her arms around Koremitsu’s neck.

When Aoi got her foot injured at the tennis court at Asai’s house last year, Hikaru gently carried her in her tennis outfit back to the pain.

This pain is nothing. I can walk on my own! Don’t carry me like a kid!

As Aoi blushed and protested angrily, Hikaru gave her a gentle smile.

—But that’s because you’re a very important girl to me, Miss Aoi.

She felt embarrassed, delighted and yet furious at herself, and sealed her lips as she lowered her head, showing an unhappy look.

—She’s a very important person!

Koremitsu said the same thing as Hikaru, and Aoi felt her chest being pierced through as her inner heart was confused, not knowing what to do.

She did not want to recall.

Hikaru’s gentle smile, intoxicating voice, tender hands, flamboyant expression, his familiar movements, every word he said to her, the pain—she wanted to forget them all.

But her body was shaking in Koremitsu’s hands, her heart was wavering, and the scenery was changing. The wind caressed her face, and she kept recalling the past from deep within her memories.

When she met Hikaru for the first time, she found him to be as cute as an angel. When he told her ‘let’s play together’, Aoi was so speechless that she was unable to express her words clearly.

She would tag along with Asai whenever she visited Hikaru’s house, and observed that Hikaru seemed to be more delighted when chatting with Asai.

Asa’s wiser than me, more mature than me, and should be a better match for Hikaru than me.

This thought never disappeared within her.

Asai often said vicious things to Hikaru, but even so, it felt like the two had a consonance in their hearts, to a point where Aoi kept wondering if there was some kind of a unique bond between them.

For example, whenever she spotted Hikaru fooling around with other girls, she would give a chastising look without any signs of faltering, and would say coolly,

“I see your bad habit’s at work again. How long do you intend to keep this love line going?”

In response, Hikaru gave a warm smile and said,

“All flowers, all romances will continue to bloom within my heart.”

The moment he answered this,

Aoi felt that there was an understanding between them, to a point where there was no need for jealousy and excuses, and her heart started to ache.

Whether she met Hikaru, Aoi would keep lambasting him.

That was because he was always with another girl.

She could not remain as calm as Asai.

To Hikaru, Asai was most certainly different from the other girls—a special existence.

But Aoi kept thinking of herself as a fiancée in name because her parents engaged her in this marriage; she thought that she was not cute, and did not have any attractive charms at all.

Even so, Hikaru kept showering her with a dazzling smile.

He would talk to her with a voice full of love.

He would give her a prankster’s expression and hand over a can of milkshake.

He would often say words Aoi did not expect in a gentle tone, causing her to be confused.

Hikaru’s too much.

Hikaru’s very sly.

He’s always fooling me because I haven’t gotten used to interacting with the opposite gender.

The moment she thought this, Aoi’s chest would falter, and her face would heat up. Whenever Hikaru treated her gently, she would answer back with a cold attitude.

Aoi could not help but hate herself for drinking coffee, which she hated most, in front of Hikaru, and landed herself in such a pitiful state.

—Liar!

She swore to forget everything about Hikaru when she faced his smiling obituary photo, surrounded by white flowers.

If she did not do so, she would not be able to protect her inner heart.

She could not endure the despair brought about by Hikaru’s absence.

She would not celebrate whatever birthday or anything.

She would never believe that guy again.

That was what she decided.

Hikaru’s friend carried her to the station.

There were more passers-by moving through, and they were glancing over secretly. What is this? Are they filming a drama? Voices could be heard.

“It-it’s fine...I can walk on my own, so please-please put me down.”

She pleaded with a teeny-weeny voice.

“Is that so?”

Koremitsu lowered his arms gently and bent his waist.

Aoi glanced to look at the side of Koremitsu’s face, and found him completely drenched in sweat.

“Ah, I forgot to bring my purse out.”

“Since it’s your birthday, it’ll be my treat.”

Koremitsu said as he handed the train ticket he bought to Aoi.

—Consider this my treat.

She recalled the words Hikaru said when he handed her the milkshake, and her heart pounded even wilder.

“Thank you.”

This person was completely different from Hikaru,

But she was too conscious of this, and was so shy that she could not lift her head. Her neck was all hot too.

When they passed through the gantry, Koremitsu held Aoi by the hand.

“I think the train is coming.”

“Er-erm, the hand—”

Koremitsu too seemed to be at a loss of what to do as he saw the flustered Aoi, and tensed up,

“Well, he told me to hold hands.”

He glanced diagonally upwards.

“Hikaru, that is.”

—Let’s hold hands, Miss Aoi.

Aoi recalled the white slender hand Hikaru reached out to her, and her heart raced.

That was when everyone went for a picnic in the hills or swimming at the beach. Whenever Hikaru invited her, she would refuse by saying there was no need.

Koremitsu’s hand was sweaty and hard.

Hikaru’s hand, which she held in their adolescence, should be smoother and gentler.

But even so, Aoi felt his warmth and tension from his palm and fingers, and clasped the fingers back tightly.

Koremitsu widened his eyes in surprise.

Aoi looked away shyly.

Both of them continued to hold hands on the train ride.

They passed through the entrance of the theme park, and the first attraction they went to was the jet-coaster.

“I’m a little bad at those thrilling stuff that make me scream.”

“Don’t worry, I never heard of any incidents like the jet-coaster rail breaking, the coaster falling off in the air or running out of the rail.”

“I’m getting uneasy just by thinking about it. Please don’t say such things!”

“That’s why I say that it’s impossible for a rail to break. It’ll be a major accident if it happens.”

“Ahhh, please don’t say it! My mind’s filled with the image of the rail breaking in two!”

Both of them were chatting away as they queued up.

Once it was time for them to get up, they latched up their safety belts,

“I shouldn’t be riding on this after all.”

“Oi, it’s not good to give up now.”

Koremitsu held onto Aoi’s timid hand.

The coaster started to move.

“No~, it’ll drop, it’ll definitely drop down. I feel that it’s going to drop down.”

“Don’t say such ominous things. Even I’m panicking now.”

“See, I said that we’re definitely going to drop~!”

“What do you mean by definitely!?”

The car let out a jerk, GATANK! After that, it started rushing down.

“KYAAA~~~!”

Aoi let out a shriek.

She held onto Koremitsu’s arm as if she was clinging onto a lifeline.

And Koremitsu too screamed,

“WOOOOOAAAHHH~~~!”

The coaster dropped to the bottom, started to climb up due to inertia, and spun around in the air once. In the meantime, the duo continued to scream.

“NOOO~~~!! WE’RE FALLING~~~~!!”

“UWAAAAAAAAHHHH!!”

The coaster finally came to a stop.

Aoi was collapsed onto her seat, utterly terrified and unable to get off the coaster.

With Koremitsu’s help, she finally managed to get onto the ground.

“Really, I will never...ride on that wild thing again.”

While Aoi eyes’ were swelling with tears,

“Weren’t you being all happy yapping around ‘kya kya’ like that?”

“But I’m trembling because of fear! Didn’t you make such embarrassing screams too?”

“Well, I never rode on a coaster ride ever since elementary school, and I’m a little shocked too. But a coaster ride’s meant to make us scream, so shouldn’t we be screaming our lungs out and make noise? It’s meaningless if we’re not scared of it.”

Koremitsu said as he handed over a photo.

“See, don’t you look like you’re enjoying it on the photo?””

It was a photo of them riding on the roller coaster ride, purchased from the shop near the entrance of the ride.

Aoi was holding onto Koremitsu’s arm, her mouth wide open as her eyes widened.

“Really, what’s with that weird expression?”

Even her ears were all red.

“What are you saying? This expression looks much cuter than your pouting look.”

Koremitsu took out a fine golden marker from his photo and wrote something on the photo. The bright and dazzling words were neat and pretty, completely different from the image Koremitsu’s image would imply.

The words on it were,

“Your shocked expression is really cute. Miss Aoi at 17 years old.”

Koremitsu continued to write abashedly, drew an arrow pointing at Aoi’s expression on the photo, and finished it off by writing,

“Happy birthday”

He then handed it to a blushing Aoi.

“This is the 3 rd birthday present.”

Aoi widened her eyes as she received the photo with both hands.

—Your shocked expression is very cute too, Miss Aoi.

At the courtyard of her house, Aoi heard someone call her name, and turned her head behind. A Holstein cattle-like fat cat with a collapsed nose was handed over to her car, scaring Aoi, and Hikaru said with a sweet expression,

—I picked up this cat from the park, but I think it likes girls more than boys. Can you take care of it for me? Grandpa and the rest had agreed to it already.

Hikaru probably knew that Aoi had been feeding the cat left in the cardboard box at the park.

Please don’t do any necessary things. I intend to ask father to let me raise it.

Aoi insisted.

However, Hikaru did not seem to worry too much about Aoi dampening his enthusiasm.

—Your eyes are really wide, Miss Aoi. They’re really cute. If only I could have taken a photo of it.

He chuckled as he said this.

How can such an expression be cute? Please don’t make fun of me! She argued back as she embraced the fat cat that became a part of her family.

She recalled that memory on the day Shell Blue joined her family as she looked at the photo of her shrieking on the roller coaster ride, and nearly broke into tears.

Does Hikaru still remember that incident?

She was different from her usual self; her eyes and mouth were wide open. She pressed this photo upon her chest.

The taste of sadness, mixed with a tint of bittersweet spread deep within her heart.

“Then, on to the next one! We still got many presents left! Let’s go!”

Koremitsu grabbed Aoi’s hand and pulled her to the coffee cup attraction. Aoi heaved a sigh of relief as it was not a thrilling type of attraction.

However, Koremitsu spun the steering wheel of the coffee cup too quickly, causing it to spin rapidly, causing Aoi’s eyes to be dazed from the spinning.

Her legs were wobbly, and her head was dizzy.

She felt nauseous.

“Ack—sorry, I never played this before.”

Koremitsu hurriedly apologized.

Aoi laid down on the bench beside the fence of the coffee cup attraction limply.

“I’ll go wet the handkerchief.”

He said as he ran off.

You don’t have to keep taking care of me like this—the moment she wanted to say this, the bright red hair had already disappeared through the crowd.

For some reason, her heart was beating hard as she waited for Koremitsu.

It felt like she was waiting for Hikaru.

Even though Hikaru was no longer on this world.

And she already realized this.

But if—if Hikaru were to be celebrating Aoi’s 17 th birthday with her—this would certainly be the feeling.

He would also write a message on the photo and hand it to Aoi with a mischievous expression. When he sees her begrudging look, perhaps he would also say, “Eh, you’re very cute, you know”—

Just thinking about this alone caused her heart to race.

Finally, Koremitsu came running back, panting as he handed over the cold handkerchief.

“Thank you very much.”

Aoi, who finally calmed down, thanked as she received the handkerchief.

It was a large beige cotton handkerchief, and it felt chilly and refreshing when it touched her face.

She could not help but close her eyes.

At that moment, the fragrance of flowers came at her.

She opened her eyes, and saw Koremitsu blushing as he handed her a little bouquet of flowers.

“This is the 4 th present.”

He seemed to be very embarrassed as he said this stiffly—but continued to keep his eyes upon Aoi.

“Thank you very much.”

The bouquet of pink Gerberas and Red Roses was surrounded by Baby’s Breath grass. She took this adorable bouquet, and found a pink case right in the middle.

She put the bouquet at her knees, and opened the case.

A cute pendant appeared in front of her eyes.

She let out a long gasp.

The glamorous silver chain had a mysterious milky white moonstone placed in it.

“Hikaru chose this pendant personally and left it at the floral shop in the theme park.”

“Hikaru...”

Koremitsu took the pendant from Aoi’s hands, wanting to put it on her.

To Koremitsu, this was probably the first time he was doing such a thing too.

He undid the little hook as he put up a furious emotional fight that left him sweating; he brought the chain behind Aoi’s neck, accidentally caught Aoi’s hair in it, fumbled around with the hook, finally managed to latch it once, only for the chain to be twisted, and had to redo it. He groaned as he tried his best to latch the pendant on her.

During this time, Aoi’s face was nearly buried in Koremitsu’s chest a few times, and she had the urge to say that she would latch it up herself. But upon seeing Koremitsu work so hard, she found it ungrateful of her to say so. Her face was heating up, and her heart was racing.

Once the pendant was finally placed upon her, both Koremitsu and Aoi heaved a sigh of relief.

“Happy birthday. The pendant really suits you.”

Koremitsu said this with sweat dripping all over him.

—You’re like a Princess, Miss Aoi.

When she was young, Hikaru made Aoi a crown of white clovers he got from outside.

He said it with such innocence as he put it on Aoi’s head.

Aoi thought that she would not be happy when a boy cuter than her said this, and her face heated up as she said with her cheeks puffed.

—You should have a lot more Princesses other than me, Hikaru.

At that time, Hikaru looked slightly troubled as he lowered his stare.

At this point, Aoi was recollecting the past.

She recalled every single moment of how Hikaru spent the days with her, every word he said to her, every expression he made at her, every smile he made at her.

Koremitsu grabbed Aoi’s hand.

“On to the next one then.”

“Yes.”

Whether it was the appearance or the tone, Koremitsu and Hikaru were polar opposites.

But—for some reason, she would often see the image of Hikaru appearing so often in front of her when she looked at Koremitsu. Why was it that Hikaru’s gentle voice kept echoing in her ears?

Why was it that her heart was beating so wildly?

As Koremitsu held Aoi’s hand, they arrived at the next destination. It was a restaurant inside the theme park.

The interior decoration had the fairy tale theme of Alice’s tea party, and a waiter in black butler suit invited them in.

“You’re Master Mikado who made an appointment with us, I presume? We’ve been waiting for you.”

He led them to the table right in the middle.

They got to their seats, and the waiter immediately served a small cake with candles on it and two glasses of hot milkshakes with silver handles by the side.

The candles were in the shapes of ‘1’ and ‘7’ respectively, and the candle flames flickered on them.

“This is the 5 th item.”

Koremitsu said.

“Hikaru said that your favorite drink is a milkshake, Aoi.”

His gentle expression resembled a little of Hikaru. Hikaru too had shown this expression when he once handed her the milkshake can.

“...Were you the one who handed me the milkshake can?”

She asked.

“When you were in the infirmary? Well...it was me, but well, Hikaru told me to do so.”

He said disconcertedly.

So it was him after all.

Aoi’s heart was filled with sweetness, just like the time when she received the milkshake can from Hikaru.

“Well, after this...”

Koremitsu suddenly stammered.

He glanced up sideways in a perturbed manner, and muttered. “Am I really going to do this?” He then lowered his head, snorted, and suddenly looked over at Aoi.

“This is the 6 th present. Damn it.”

Koremitsu’s face was blushing as he raised his right hand up high and snapped his fingers.

And then, the Happy Birthday melody rang.

Unexpectedly, Koremitsu actually started to sing along with the rhythm.

“Haaappy—baaaaaddaaay~~~ Miss Aoi~~~~~”

This savage and primitive-looking boy seemed like a delinquent no matter what. His neck, ears and even his eyes were red as he raised his voice.

His singing was certainly not good.

It was certainly slightly off-tune too.

But he merely shrugged his shoulders, raised his eyebrows and sang wholeheartedly.

“Haaappy—baaaaaddaaay~~~ Miss Aoi~~~~~”

Koremitsu’s singing overlapped with Hikaru’s singing voice.

It was the 3 rd year of her middle school.

Aoi was dejected after the singing competition held by the school ended.

She was in charge of playing the piano in the class’ choir competition, but made a mistake midway through.

She cuddled her knees as she sat in a corner of the gymnasium’s stage, and at that moment, Hikaru arrived and sat beside her.

“I’m going to sing for you now, Miss Aoi.”

He said, and then started to sing with a delightful voice.

—Miss Aoi, Miss Aoi, a pure and white flower~~~~

He swapped out the ‘Edelweiss’ for ‘Miss Aoi’, and no matter how Aoi tried to stop him, “It’s embarrassing. Please don’t sing anymore”, Hikaru continued to sing softly and gently.

—Blooming forever, in the morning wind~~~~

—Miss Aoi~ Miss Aoi~, glowing purely~ a flower that blooms on the snowland~~~

The gym’s stage was dyed a madder red.

Hikaru tilted his head slightly as his clear eyes stared right at Aoi. His flowing hair was dazzling a golden color—

Unwittingly, Hikaru’s face was right in front of her.

She could slightly feel the breath Hikaru let out.

His expression was filled with gentleness and passion.

She thought that they were about to kiss, and her heart was racing.

Even though it was impossible, she wondered if Hikaru’s heart was racing too, and her heart beat faster.

Even though it was impossible.

Even though it was impossible for Hikaru to have feelings for her.

But,

However,

She saw Hikaru’s face redden a little.

Her eyes had a wavering of timidity, and her heart was beating so wildly it was about to break apart—

She could not look straight at Hikaru until he smiled and backed off.

He’s making fun of me again.

That was what she thought, but the throbbing in her heart could not cease.

Instantaneously, Hikaru...

Hikaru was really—

What, exactly, is he thinking?

Is he making fun of me? Or is he really—

At this point, the boy, who had the same color of red as the flickering flames on his messy hair, Hikaru’s friend was trying his best to celebrate Aoi’s birthday.

“Haaappy—baaaaaddaaay~~~ Miss Aoi~~~~~”

His rigid singing voice filled her heart, and her breath was shaken.

He was even unable to blow off the flames of the candles even after a few tries.

The customers and the employees in the shop applauded her.

Koremitsu was obviously embarrassed as he frowned.

“I’m never going to sing again. This is an exception.”

He panted.

“Thank you very much. This is the best birthday song I ever heard.”

Aoi tried to hide the wavering of her inner heart as she forced a delighted smile, and Koremitsu looked away, his lips relaxing a little,

“Is that so?”

But then, he continued with emphasis,

“I won’t sing again.”

The not-so-sweet birthday cake and the sweet milkshake brought warmth and happiness to Aoi.

However,

“Everything will end after this last one.”

The moment he said that, Aoi felt a sense of loneliness splashed onto her like cold water as her heart cooled down, just like how Hikaru stood up from the gym’s stage and pulled his distance from her.

The next item would be the 7 th .

Once she received it, Aoi’s birthday would be over.

And the promise Hikaru had with Aoi up till this point would vanish without a trace.

Koremitsu suddenly realized this, and his expression turned gloomy.

Perhaps he too felt the loneliness of this event ending, just like Aoi did.

“Yeah, there’s still one more.”

He seemed to be muttering to himself.

“...”

Both of them went silent. They were unwilling to look at each other in the eyes as they lowered their heads.

The white plate had the slightly melted candles of ‘1’ and ‘7’ on it.

“About that.”

Koremitsu lifted his head.

He stared at Aoi with a blazing expression and a blushing face.

“The 7 th present will take a while, so let’s play to any attraction you want to ride on, find anything you want to see, and go to any place you want to go to. Let’s enjoy ourselves.”

Aoi too lifted her face, and smiled.

This mysterious yet warm moment will soon end.

But before that—

“Yes.”

Aoi nodded without hesitation.

After that, they went to challenge a few of the thrilling attractions Aoi would normally never ride on.

“I’ll never ride on this ever again! This attraction is too dangerous, spinning around, going upside-down, dropping straight down so randomly!”

Aoi insisted, but she soon pointed to another thrilling attraction and said,

“It’ll be too downhearting to complain without riding on it. Let’s try that Viking ship too?”

And then, she started shrieking again with tears flowing out.

“You really don’t learn from your lessons.”

Koremitsu was almost at a loss of words as he glanced at her, but she argued back,

“But I like challenges!”

“Really? Let’s challenge that then.”

“Ehh? Isn’t that completely upside down!? Uu, I-I’m challenging it!”

Koremitsu looked on at Aoi with an amused—and gentle expression, just like how Hikaru used to look at Aoi.

And then—

“It’s about time.”

As they were seated on the box seats of the Ferris wheel, facing each other, they looked at the sunset outside the window, and Koremitsu commented with a melancholic expression.

Aoi too was mentally prepared as she waited for the end.

My mission’s about to end here.

Koremitsu thought as he looked outside the Ferris wheel window that was dyed a crimson red.

Aoi’s face was dazzling as she sat at the opposite seat, seemingly intoxicated as she looked at the sunset outside the window. She was still enjoying things until the end.

I also enjoyed myself here.

He muttered to Aoi—and the handsome friend sitting beside Aoi in his heart.

Hikaru, too, showed a gentle smile.

The past few days were full of ups and downs.

The dead Hikaru suddenly appeared in front of him in the bathtub, floated above him, said that there was something he could not let go of, and requested for help.

He accepted the request reluctantly, but as Aoi was too stubborn, Koremitsu was unable to open her heart.

After numerous challenges, he got harsh words and condescending looks in return.

—That’s why I say, women!

He yelled out his grandfather’s catchphrase several times, but was unable to change the situation.

At that time, Hikaru even tried to calm Koremitsu down,

—Miss Aoi is actually a straightforward but good girl. She’s really cute.

However, Hikaru too gave up because of Aoi’s tears and the words of his cousin Asai.

But now, Koremitsu and Hikaru were celebrating Aoi’s birthday together.

The light of the sunset lit upon Aoi’s petite and white face, dyeing it red. She looked outside the window, her eyes dazzling as her tender lips let out a smile.

—Miss Aoi’s cute, isn’t she?

At this point, he fully agreed with Hikaru’s words.

Aaah, that’s right.

Aoi kept screaming as she rode on the exciting thriller rides, and though her legs were wobbly to a point where she could not stand up, she still forced herself, grumbling as she held onto Koremitsu’s hand.

She showed that abashed expression when he handed her the photo and flowers.

She was completely red when Koremitsu struggled to put the pendant on her neck while she lowered her head, nearly buried in his chest.

After that, she smiled happily at him.

She shuddered slightly, ostensibly about to cry as she watched how Koremitsu sang her a birthday song desperately.

When she held onto the cup of milkshake,

“I can’t take hot stuff.”

She puffed a few times as she drank it.

“It’s sweet and tasty.”

She narrowed her eyes happily.

Even Koremitsu, who had been watching this from the side, felt a sense of happiness.

She would show a sniveling expression with her teary eyes from time to time, causing Koremitsu’s heart to race as it experienced sweetness. This heartbeat caused him to unexpectedly recall a few important things.

Ahh, that’s right, Hikaru.

Your Aoi is extremely cute.

The duo seated in front of Koremitsu really looked like a matching couple.

She was a cute girlfriend who was straightforward and yet a little stubborn, and he was a boyfriend who gently embraced all these aspects as he gently watched over her.

They looked like a blissful couple.

But Aoi’s eyes could not see Hikaru.

It must have been painful for Hikaru.

But he could only smile.

Koremitsu felt crushed as the sadness ate away inside, heating his body up—

I’ll pass her your feelings in your stead, Hikaru.

He muttered in his heart.

The Ferris Wheel stopped. Koremitsu held Aoi’s hand gently as he treated it as a fragile item, and supported her as she stepped onto the ground.

The sky outside had darkened, and the first star twinkled in the sky.

The street lamps lit up in the park, and the visitors that came here with their families returned home.

Koremitsu held Aoi’s hand gently as he brought her to the fountain in the middle of the theme park.

The water pillar shot into the deep blue night sky, while the scattered water droplets and the waterfall-like blue water pillar were lit by the blue, pink and bright yellow lights, dazzling like a fantasy.

Aoi was speechless, inebriated by the lights.

The light shone upon her white tender side face, and her flowing black hair looked more radiant than usual, making her look more alluring.

Her slender figure looked like it was going to dissolve into this rainbow-like light.

Hikaru stood in front of the fountain—in front of them Koremitsu and Aoi with and looked over with a gentle expression. His eyes were gradually filled with sadness.

Koremitsu harbored the same feelings as Hikaru as he looked over at Aoi.

Aoi looked towards the fountain, and suddenly spoke up,

“I’m really thankful to you for celebrating my birthday in lieu of Hikaru. I didn’t believe that you were Hikaru’s friend right from the beginning, but I feel like Hikaru’s with me when you’re standing by me, that he’s talking to me. Now I can firmly believe so.”

Aoi turned around and looked up at Koremitsu.

Her eyes were full of trust, and her face showed a light smile.

“You’re Hikaru’s friend, Mr Akagi.”

Koremitsu’s numb heart started to heat up.

A sweet feeling spread within his body.

Aoi’s words resonated with the memory Koremitsu had when he walked under the moonlight with Hikaru sidelong.

Right now, I think I look like I’m going to cry.

But no matter how happy I am, I can’t cry now. I have to pass on Hikaru’s feelings until the end.

Koremitsu swallowed the rising heat in his throat, and spoke,

“Then, as Hikaru’s friend, I’ll now present you the 7 th present, Aoi. The 7 th item is—Hikaru’s ‘heart’.”

Aoi widened her eyes, startled.

Koremitsu held the passion within him as he looked down at Aoi.

Hikaru was standing behind her.

He was looking at her with a gentle—sad, passionate expression.

“Hikaru loved you ever since he was young. As a friend, I can conclude that it wasn’t a lie.”

Aoi widened her eyes as her breath abated, listening on to Koremitsu’s words.

“Hikaru wanted to celebrated to your 17 th birthday like this, to provide you a surprise, and to express his true feelings about you.”

Koremitsu tried his best to declare.

He declared the feelings Hikaru had, who still remained on this world with regret even after his death.

He said out Hikaru’s true thoughts.

“You’re a very important person to Hikaru, Aoi!”

Tears and bewilderment appeared in Aoi’s eyes.

She could not believe it.

Her face was contorted as she showed this disbelief on her face, and at this moment, Hikaru followed.

He said out the thoughts he never had a chance to say when he was alive.

“Miss Aoi, I always felt that I couldn’t go out with you with a nonchalant attitude. That’s why, when I sent one of the presents to the floral shop before heading to the Shinshu Villa, I decided to start afresh with you. At that time, I really hoped that you would become my most beloved. If you’re with me, Miss Aoi, I think I’ll live through every day in a fruitful manner. At that time, I wrote on the letter with a hopeful and blissful attitude.”

Hikaru said with a gentle yet depressed voice as he faced Aoi’s face, and softly narrated the words Aoi could not hear.

Hikaru’s hope.

Hikaru’s future.

Aoi was very, very important to him - like a white flower blooming over a sacred field.

Koremitsu continued.

“You’re a special person to Hikaru, not the kind he could simply reach out to so casually. He really treasured you. You’re necessary for that blissful future Hikaru described! He really wanted to be with you forever!”

Aoi’s eyebrows and lips trembled.

Hikaru embraced Aoi from behind and confessed her passionately.

“You’re my beloved, Miss Aoi. And I really mean it.”

These words should not be able to reach Aoi’s ears—

But she raised her hands up slowly.

The water pillars shot high into the night sky, and the rainbow illuminating the fountain disappeared into thin air.

What replaced this were white, glimmering flashes that bedighted cascades of water flowing freely.

They looked like stars filling the sky!

The water, running upwards, was as dazzling as the stars in the sky, falling back to the earth in suspension and evaporating into a gleaming cloud.

Aoi’s eyes were agape.

“Stars...?”

She muttered with a trembling voice, and covered her mouth with both hands, seemingly swallowing her sobbing.

—If you hear me, even if it’s a little bit, please put a finger on your lips to let me know...

The voice back seemed to finally reach her.

Aoi cried as she put her fingers at her lips.

Hikaru narrowed his eyes too as he too was almost in tears. He gently moved his mouth a little as he let out a gentle, soft voice.

“Didn’t I promise to make the stars in the sky fall if I want to confess to you? Now I’ll surely show that I really loved you.”

Beads of tears rolled down Aoi’s large eyes.

She put her fingers at her mouth, choking a few times as she responded.

“...I love...you too.”

She confessed hoarsely.

“I too, wanted to spend more time with you, Hikaru...I love Hikaru most...I loved him more than anyone else ever since we were kids.”

The dazzling water pillars danced, now carrying with them the shimmering stars. They twinkled, smiling as they stood beside the two loves who had finally managed to express their feelings.

Koremitsu’s heart felt like it was flying in the sky as he basked in the light.

The actual 7 th present was a kiss.

"Actually, I intended to confess to Miss Aoi in front of the fountain and kiss her gently—" Hikaru did say to Koremitsu this with a radiant smile.

And then, I’ll be real lovers with Miss Aoi.

From then on, I’ll treasure her alone.

I won’t hurt Miss Aoi. I’ll hold her hand and open a new future, creating all sorts of important memories. No matter whether it’s rain or shine, whether it’s breezy or not, we’ll laugh and love each other all the way.

We’ll head to a wonderful future—a future filled with love.

—it will be the greatest happiness for me if Miss Aoi can become my beloved.

—I’LL TREASURE MISS AOI WHOLEHEARTEDLY!

Hikaru stood behind Aoi and whispered parting words to her.

“I really love you, Miss Aoi, how you try to act tough, how clumsy you are. If I’m still alive, I’ll keep loving you. I really want to go for picnics and beach trips just like how it was when we’re young. I still want to create a flower crown for you again, Miss Aoi.”

Aoi called his name in a low wail.

Hikaru could not kiss her.

Thus, Koremitsu followed Hikaru’s lead by embracing her.

He tried to pass on Hikaru’s warmth and passion, even if it was a little, as he embraced Aoi.

Aoi’s body was petite and slender, seemingly sinking into his chest, and Koremitsu held her in his arms gently, afraid that she would break if he exerted strength.

“I’m sorry for hurting you so much, Miss Aoi. Please continue to live happily and bloom.”

Hikaru’s voice was breaking.

He could no longer continue.

Aoi, Aoi, these are Hikaru’s true feelings, his inner thoughts. The final birthday present he wanted to give you, Aoi.

Aoi kept calling Hikaru’s name as she remained in Koremitsu’s embrace, weeping.

Though Koremitsu was embracing her, it felt like Hikaru himself was the one embracing her.

“Hikaru, Hikaru.”

Her hoarse sobbing voice continued to call out.

Hikaru made the stars above Aoi fall upon her.

He had proven to her that he loved her from the bottom of his heart, and he gave her the best birthday present on her 17 th birthday.

Aoi finally admitted her love for Hikaru.

She had loved Hikaru ever since young, and her small frame was filled with sweetness, bitterness, sadness, yet she continued to yearn for their togetherness.

However, she thought that Hikaru and Asai were a better fit. He would call her ‘Asa’, while he would call Aoi ‘Miss Aoi’ like an outsider, causing Aoi to be unable to be honest with herself.

After that, she would often say begrudging things to Hikaru whenever she saw him with so many pretty ladies around him.

Every painting Aoi drew was a place Hikaru appeared before.

Hikaru’s presence was in the paintings depicting the empty gym, the staircase in the morning, the vending machine in the evening.

He smiled as he looked over at Aoi.

“I love you most, Hikaru...I really love you...love you.”

She was finally able to say the ‘I really love you’ that had been hidden in her heart for 10 years.

She was forgiven—liberated.

She was saved.

She decided to keep the presence of Hikaru on this painting, that painting, how he gave her a smiling face.

What was his expression when he looked at her?

Now, she would definitely be able to use her true feelings to draw him, to leave the proof that Hikaru lived.

Farewell, Miss Aoi.

An airy muttering fell upon her ears. Perhaps she was hallucinating?

Aoi’s voice was already hoarse, and the tears continued to flow down. Hikaru’s gentle friend continued to embrace her tightly.

### 007. Epilogue: Back Then, When I Met You on Earth

You really are my hero, Koremitsu.

Thank you for passing on my feelings to Miss Aoi.

If you had not encouraged me on the roof back then, Aoi would never have received these presents.

Hey, Koremitsu. You may not realize it, but when I first spoke with you on the courtyard corridor in school, I said, “Mr. Akagi, I forgot my Classics textbook today. Can you please lend me yours?” Actually, that was an excuse I came up with to meet you again.

It was the same when I said, “I’ll come over to your class to borrow your textbook then.”

Back there, you looked at me without understanding what was going on at all.

But I wanted to approach you.

I wanted to get close to you.

That was because I personally witnessed you using your body to block the truck.

I suppose that was in late March.

I was on my way, when you suddenly shouted aloud.

“Gramps! Watch out! Come back!”

I heard it.

When I looked back, I saw a red-haired boy of the same age as me chasing after an old man.

“That’s dangerous! Gramps! Not that way!”

You kept yelling.

When the truck suddenly rushed over, it was about to knock into the old man, but you flew over without hesitation. You pushed him aside, and got yourself knocked down by the truck.

“Danger!”

I did yell this before.

You were sent to the hospital by ambulance, and had to be admitted there for a while. But you were amazing to be able to work hard with such risk for the sake of others.

Thus, once I knew that this hero at the cross junction is a freshman at my high school, I felt really excited, and felt that it was fate at work.

I heard about all sorts of rumors about you.

What infamous delinquent, hell hound, the red devil, how you beat another school’s delinquent army to near death.

But I didn’t feel scared at all.

That’s because I knew that you were that hero.

Everyone whispered about how you’re always one who always challenged others, one against many, and never bullied the weak.

Once I understood how you’re just a little clumsy and easily misunderstood, my opinion of you changed for the better, and I kept on hoping that you could be discharged and enter school someday.

So, that morning, when I heard you had finally appeared, I immediately ran to the courtyard, got in front of you, and waited for you to pass by the big pillar along the corridor.

You definitely didn’t know how overjoyed I was to meet with the hero I admired, and my heart fluttered as I wondered about how I could be friends with you.

Oh yes, I was the one who sent the flowers you liked to the hospital.

That flower’s name is called Magnolia Kobus.

The pure white flower signals the arrival of Spring, and I suppose it has this name because its protruded bud and stem look like a fist.

One of the floral meanings is ‘welcome’.

The other is ‘friendship’.

From that moment on, I always wished to be your friend.

I intended to head to your classroom and borrow the textbook. After you would lend me your textbook, and I returned it to you, I wanted to ask, “Can you be my friend?”

This was the request I wanted to ask of you.

Since I died before it could be done, you would be bothered if I ask to be your friend as a ghost, so I deliberately said that I forgot.

But I never thought you would be the one to say, “We’re friends.”

To me, that was the best thing that ever happened in my life.

I really felt delighted deep within - really blissful.

Why am I sticking with you?

On the day of the funeral, my photo was hung on the altar, and the girls were calling my name, weeping. I wanted to comfort them all, but couldn’t do anything, and felt despair as a result.

It was the same when Miss Aoi exclaimed “liar!”. I knew all too well how much I hurt her, and tried my best to think of what I could do to fulfill my promise.

But nobody could hear my voice, and I couldn’t move. When I thought that my soul would leave Earth like this, I saw you among the visitors.

“Mr. Akagi!”

I lost all control over myself as I yelled.

“Please help me! Lend me your strength, Mr Akagi!”

I thought that since you would stand up for an old man you are unfamiliar with at the cross junction, you might be able to help me.

That’s why I called out.

“Mr Akagi, Mr Akagi!”

I called out countless times, and you finally stopped and turned your head around.

At this moment, my body, which couldn’t move no matter what I did, immediately went towards you.

At that time, you were the one who responded to my desperate pleas.

After that, you accepted my one-sided request when we’re still not friends, I caused you lots of trouble, and yet you helped me.

To a point where we became friends.

It was great that I could meet you on this Earth when I was alive.

Thank you.

Really, thank you.

You’re my hero, the best friend I had.

......Are you crying, Koremitsu?

Didn’t we promise?

You must smile and send me off when I make my journey towards space.

That’s why—

On Monday morning, Koremitsu met Honoka in front of the shoe locker, and bowed his head to her.

“Sorry for causing you so much trouble, Shikibu. Thank you.”

“Don’t, well, don’t say it so formally. Hey, lift your head. People will think I’m your boss if they see it.”

Honoka said anxiously.

Koremitsu lifted his face with an, “Uu”, and she was at a loss of words. She stuttered, lowered her voice, and said with a slightly nervous tone,

“Sp-speaking of which, what happened—between you and Her Highness Aoi? Erm, did you go on a date on Sunday?”

“...Ahh.”

Koremitsu answered with a hoarse voice.

Recalling yesterday’s events brought him grief and anguish.

Honoka panicked.

“Ah! It’s alright if you don’t want to talk about it. So Her Highness Aoi didn’t show up after all. Your...eyes, they look red...it can’t be helped. Right, life’s not like you thought it was. Even I have lots of adversities in my life.”

“No, I went to the theme park.”

“Oh, alone?”

Honoka’s eyes watered.

“With Aoi.”

“Ehhh!? Ho-hold on, that means, everything went well? You became lovers with Her Highness Aoi!?”

Honoka, shocked, widened her eyes and made a fuss.

Koremitsu shook his head.

“Not lovers; it’s not what you think. I just had some things I needed to tell her no matter what, and I’ve finished saying what I had to. That’s all.”

“Is that so...so the theme park’s the last memory.”

“Yeah.”

“It’s great to be lovelorn in such a splendid manner.”

What do you mean by lovelorn? He wondered, while Honoka looked extremely relieved.

She reached out and patted Koremitsu on the head.

It was a warm, gentle expression. Her hand on his face was comforting.

“...Women.”

He would have, normally, yelled at her to stop touching him, but now, he could only murmur.

“Eh?”

“Up ‘til now, I’ve always thought that there were no decent women, but my view has changed...there’re good girls like you too, Shikibu.”

“Yeah, no way, I’m...”

“Women...are gentle and cute...”

He recalled Aoi in his embrace, and her face as she sobbed and called out Hikaru’s name, felt a pang feeling in his heart, and muttered.

Honoka’s hand, which was patting Koremitsu’s hand, stopped, and her face reddened.

“!”

“She felt really tender when I embraced her, like a twig that may snap if I’m not careful.”

“!!”

“And I was about to kiss her...”

Koremitsu was yanked from his reverie by a kick.

“Ugh! What are you doing!?”

“YOU’RE THE WORST!! T-T-T-T-THIS IS WHY YOU WERE DUMPED!”

She blushed as she yelled, and quickly left.

“What’s with her!?”

And, once again, Koremitsu thought women were ridiculous.

“Good morning, Mr Akagi.”

A cute voice called out.

He looked over to see Aoi standing there shyly.

“Good-good morning.”

Koremitsu greeted her in a slightly embarrassed manner.

“Thank you for yesterday.”

“Did you sleep well last night?”

Aoi’s eyes were still bright red, probably from crying so hard last night. However, a smile crossed her lips, and she answered,

“Yes, I had a proper breakfast this morning too.”

“I see.”

Koremitsu’s eyes were as red as Aoi’s, and he smiled back at her.

“Well, I want to draw, a picture...of Hikaru. Will you please look at it when it’s complete, Mr Akagi?”

“Yeah.”

Koremitsu answered without hesitation, and this brought delight to Aoi’s eyes.

“It’s a promise.”

She ran off, seemingly embarrassed.

Koremitsu watched her leave with relief.

That’s great, Hikaru.

Your thoughts have reached Aoi. She’s all energetic now, and you can head to heaven peacefully.

“Miss Aoi can paint portraits? Her sketch of Asa from elementary school was rather miserable though. I really hope she doesn’t draw me like that!”

“OI! WHY ARE YOU STILL AROUND!”

Koremitsu yelled as he pointed at the ceiling, scaring the surrounding students.

“AREN’T YOU SUPPOSED TO ENTER HEAVEN ONCE YOUR WISH IS FULFILLED!?”

That was supposed to be the case.

But at this point, he floated above Koremitsu, apparently carefree.

As he did before, he would follow Koremitsu to the toilet and bath, saying “Well, I won’t mind since I’m more or less used to it~” with a refreshing smile.

“Why did you come in school with such a dazzling expression!? And your hair’s all tidied up like that!

Veins protruded from Koremitsu’s temples, and Hikaru’s eyes smiled with delight.

“That’s because I still have to find a girlfriend who’s good at laughing for you, Koremitsu. How can I leave Earth like that after seeing you cry your eyes red?”

Koremitsu blushed at Hikaru’s words.

Last night, after walking Aoi home, Koremitsu had a heartfelt conversation with Hikaru, and he could not help but cry when thinking that it was time for Hikaru to depart. However, Hikaru said,

“Didn’t we promise? You’re to smile and watch me leave when I head to space. That’s why—I have to cure your habit of crying, and you have to learn how to smile before I leave.”

“I, I’m fine with myself right now. I don’t need a girlfriend either way.”

“I do want to make you happy though. Also...”

Hikaru’s eyes were slightly gloomy, and he seemed to be hiding something as he slightly lowered his eyelids, but his gaze lifted immediately afterwards.

“Actually, there are still another 4, 5 girls I’m very concerned with. No, maybe 40, 50 of them?”

Koremitsu, haunted by Hikaru, widened his eyes, and bellowed.

“WHAT DID YOU SAY!?”

“You’ll definitely help me, right? We’re close friends after all, right?”

Hikaru descended to the ground and ostensibly fawned over Koremitsu, grabbing him by the shoulders and smiling. After Koremitsu grasped that this annoying friend of his was truly still on Earth, he couldn’t help but clutch his head and groan.

“Ugh, what kind of joke is this!! HURRY UP AND ASCEND TO HEAVEN ALREADY, THIS HAREM BASTARD~~~~~~~~~!!”

The other students ducked aside in fear as they watched Koremitsu Akagi head towards the classroom with a sour demeanor.

Asai watched over this with a sharp glare.

Aoi came back late the previous night, and though her eyes were red, her expression was surprisingly calm.

“I’m sorry for going out without telling you, Asa.”

She did not apologize tentatively as she usually would,

“Did you go out with Akagi?”

And once Asai asked her, Aoi answered with a smile,

“Yes. I was really happy. It felt like I was reborn.”

Asai felt a sense of defeat she could not say.

Koremitsu Akagi...what exactly did he say to Aoi?

No matter how Asai persisted, Aoi did not say.

How much did Hikaru say to him?

Don’t tell me, even that—

“Are you very concerned about Akagi? President Saiga?”

Unwittingly, a petite, short-haired girl—Hiina Oumi of the news club—approached Asai and stood beside her. She played a sincere expression and chuckled at the frowning Asai.

“You hardly have anyone around you who’s actually straightforward, and even though he doesn’t look decent, and that’s refreshing for you, I guess? It’s the same for me too; there’re a lot of students in our school who look well-mannered, but are rotten and despicable. I suppose the nobles are like this, right? I’m a peasant who entered during middle school, so I’m not really well acquainted with that.”

She ignored Asai’s icy expression and continued quickly.

“Also—”

Hiina’s expression shone with the dazzling light of youth.

“Akagi proclaims himself as Lord Hikaru’s friend, so he probably knows how Lord Hikaru died. Ah, but about that rumor; I think you might have an idea, President Saiga.”

Asai intended to ignore it, but Hiina quickly raised her cellphone screen up to Asai.

Asai gasped.

Hiina continued with a tone of harassment in her voice.

“Because President Saiga smiled during Lord Hikaru’s funeral.”

The screen showed Asai, sitting alone amongst the many sobbing girls, a strange smile resting on her lips.

## Footnote

What kind of person is Hikaru Mikado exactly?

Is there really anyone who can truly understand the heart of the garden’s owner?

On the day of the funeral, when the chilling rain descended, there were a lot of flowers scattered around Hikaru’s coffin.

The blooming flowers basked under the radiance of Hikaru’s were dyed a black color of gloom.

It was like a wilted and desolate garden, having lost its owner.

While everyone was washing their faces with tears, I was the only one smiling.

How laughable.

The women who mourned for his death are really laughable. They don’t know anything. How pathetic.

I was the only one who knew of your final moments.

I was the one who ended your life.

Confusing others, yet incomprehensible.

The one beloved by all the flowers—Hikaru Mikado.

You sin will never be forgiven even once you die!

## Special Chapter 1: What You and I Prayed For When Our Childhoods Ended - Your Wish

In his 3 rd year of elementary school, Koremitsu did not have a single friend.

When they went hiking in the hills previously, he was the one sitting on the last seat in the bus. When they reached their destination, his classmates were gathered in groups, chatting and laughing away as they trekked on, but Koremitsu continued to keep his mouth shut, and his sharp expression was fixated forward as he wordlessly head towards the hilltop alone.

There were beautiful flowers beside his path, birds perched atop the branches, but he did not look at him.

He knew, at the tender age of 9, that if he were to meet them in the eyes, the birds would be fearful of him and run away, just like his classmates.

Even when they reached the hilltop, he would not talk with others, and would find a place where nobody would notice him. Once he found such a place, he would set his picnic cloth and eat his bento alone.

That was because, if the teacher saw it, he would probably say,

“Everyone, please let Akagi join in too.”

He might say such things.

In that case, the students who were chatting and eating happily would quiet down and avert their eyes as they lower their heads, fidgeting around.

—Akagi seems really scary. That red hair belongs to a delinquent.

—I heard he fought against a fifth year and injured him.

—I heard that he bit the bulldog Shingen belonging to Tanaka in front of the school.

He knew all too well these rumors that were said about him.

You’re too arrogant even though you’re just an underclassman. The 5 th years looking for trouble said this, and Koremitsu ducked past a hole in the metal fence in order to escape. The 5 th year too tried to follow through, but was stuck inside, and because he struggled as he was stuck, the tips of the wire fence cut his arms and back, causing him to bleed all over, and he wailed out in pain.

The famous bulldog, Shingen, which often barked at students leapt towards Koremitsu as its collar ring was released.

He tried to restrain Shingen and pressed his head down on its face. The passers-by, upon seeing this, yelled—3 rd year Akagi just bit Shingen—and the crowd gathered, creating quite a commotion.

“I...it’s fine even if I don’t have a friend.”

“Did you eat your bento with your friends?” his aunt Koharu asked as he came back from his trek, not thinking about what he felt at all, and he answered quietly,

Everyone, says that, I’m arrogant, unsociable, a delinquent, when they see my face.

Mom left me behind when she went off. I definitely have a face nobody likes. I might as well not hope for others. If I say that I don’t want to make friends right from the beginning, I won’t have any lonely feelings.

But his once divorced aunt, who returned to her maiden house, spoke with a serious look on her face.

“Koremitsu, you may look a little less cute than the average, more violent, and a little more lacking in gentleness, but this can’t be the excuse why you can’t make friends. Your grandfather looks like you, he does have a calligraphy class for 40 years, and he has quite a few Go player friends in the neighborhood. Even I have friends who’ll listen to my rambling.”

Koremitsu widened his mouth in shock.

It was true—that both his grandfather and Koharu both had savage looks like Koremitsu.

When the three of them were gathered at the dining table, it looked like they were discussing some devious ploy. When they go for their rare shrine visit together during the New Year, the other tourists who came along would instantly avoid them.

A few days ago, the Akagi residence had a thief, who collapsed in fear once he saw grandfather hold the carving knife with a savage expression on his face as the latter worked on his art print. He wanted to escape, but upon reaching the kitchen, found Koharu chopping the mackerel in the kitchen with a bloodied knife, and was immediately restrained.

I thought I just entered a demon’s lair— When he was questioned by the police, he shuddered as he admitted his guilt.

The neighbors muttered, seemingly pitying him...for entering that one particular house to steal.

But despite this, his grandfather and Koharu actually had friends.

Koharu taught him that despite his savage and scary appearance, these were not to be used as excuses for why he could not make friends. He was not to look for excuses, complain, give up easily, for that was not manly.

These were words of a senior who walked down the same arduous route, and they were immediately etched within the young Koremitsu’s heart.

At the same time, he lifted his head up in hope.

“...Can I make friends too?”

Koremitsu asked with a throbbing anticipation.

“Yeah, that’s why you have to try your best to form relationships with others. You won’t succeed easily, but that’s how you’ll make ‘real friends’.”

“Real, friends?”

“Friends that are together for eternity are ‘close friends’.”

Close friends.

Those words caused a tremor in his heart.

Koremisu checked on the meaning of the term ‘close friend’ in the dictionary, and went towards the calligraphy classroom. Once the students left, he sat down on the table alone.

He grinded the ink and wrote ‘close friend’ in large font on the writing paper.

He continued to write the same words on every single piece of paper, again and again, and for every piece he wrote on, his heart soared higher.

In the end, there were pieces of paper with the words ‘close friend’ all around the table.

Such wonderful words.

Such awesome words.

He wiped off the sweat on his forehead, and his face was all red as he looked at the many ‘close friends’ in life.

I’ll take the best written words and put it under the pillow when I sleep.

Maybe I might finally dream of this close friend.

## Special Chapter 2: What You and I Prayed For When Our Childhoods Ended - My Wish

“Hikaru’s too indecent! I hate him!”

“Eh, Miss Aoi!”

Hikaru, who was in his 3 rd year of elementary school, weakly called out.

“You made Aoi angry again?”

His cousin Asai came into the kids room, tagging out Aoi as she said coldly.

Asai and Aoi were 4 th years, a year older than he, and the trio would often play together.

Recently, Aoi had begun to say things like, “You’re a playboy, Hikaru,” or, “You’re happier with other girls, right?” more often than she had before. She would glare at him through teary eyes, her cheeks puffed out. This was cute enough for Hikaru to wish he could bring her home.

“Miss Aoi asked me who’s in my group for the school trip, and I just answered ‘Erika, Fumiyo, Yuna, Minami, Shiori,’ that’s all.”

Even though Hikaru didn’t understand the situation, Asai questioned him.

“Don’t you have any boys in your group, Hikaru?”

“Well, the boys hate me. None of them are willing to bring me along. My classmate Fujiwara told me today ‘Don’t you dare to be arrogant; you were born out of wedlock.’ Erika scolded them a lot to help me, but the class broke into a huge argument between the boys and girls.

“—Hikaru, you’re special! Don’t talk with those outrageous boys.”

“—Hikaru, ignore those boys and do homework with us. You can form a group with us for the trip.”

Ever since he was in kindergarten, the girls were the ones who had been helping him, protecting him, lending him textbooks when he forgot. Every girl was extremely gentle, and he felt as relieved as being in a flower field when he was with them. He really liked them all, but he wanted to play with boys too.

However, when he forgot his textbook, the boys would look away when he ask them for help, and would deliberately make things difficult for him by telling him ‘go borrow from the girls’.

“Hey, Asa, I really want to get along well with the boys and make friends with them. Erika keep saying things like “I want to be your bride, Hikaru” or “I want to be his girlfriend”, but this and being friends are two different things...what kind of people are willing to be my friends?”

The older, wiser, and calmer cousin went silent for a while, and then said without holding back.

“The one fatal flaw you have is that you’re too obedient to your desires, Hikaru, and I might say that it’s because you’re too much of a playboy. You should get a friend who’s prudent.”

Asai used adult terms that Hikaru did not know of. ‘Desire’ and ‘obedient’ were terms that she would say when she told him off. Perhaps she was saying that he was too straightforward with what he wanted to get, what he wanted to do.

But,

“What does prudent person means?”

“It means a wise person who thinks sensibly before acting and thinking.”

“But isn’t that like you, Asa?”

Hikaru looked over at Asai with a clear expression.

Though her expression was aloof, Asai’s shoulders jerked slightly.

“That’s because you’re the smartest and most reliable one amongst all I know, Asa. You taught Miss Aoi and I lots of things.”

He giggled.

“Oh yes! Can’t you be my friend, Asa?”

“No way.”

“Eh? Why?”

Hikaru lowered his eyebrows, and Asai said with a firm, cold expression.

“Boys and girls can’t be friends. Even if they’re temporary, it’s just appears to be, and can’t be real. It’s a fragile friendship that will soon break. That’s why you have to make friends with boys.”

“Fragile?”

“It means easily broken, like the icicles on the roof in winter.”

“Is that so...fragile...I can’t be friends with girls, is it? It’s a little unfortunate.”

Hikaru looked utterly devastated. He thought that he managed

Asai remained speechless as she looked back at Hikaru.

“If only you were a boy, Asa.”

Asai’s shoulders jerked slightly.

But Hikaru immediately shook his head, smiled and looked back at Asai.

“No, I think it’s good that you’re a girl after all, Asa. I get it! Asa! I’ll try my best to think of a way to make friends with boys.”

Asai looked away uncomfortably.

“...That’s good. If you play with boys instead of girls, you probably won’t make Aoi angry.”

And then, she said curtly,

“Aoi’s still waiting downstairs, probably wondering what to do. Go find her.”

“Yes, thanks, Asa.”

Hikaru ran out of the children’s room with a cheerful expression, and dashed down the stairs.

Just like what Asai said, the white ribbon could be seen from the corner of the staircase.

“Miss Aoi!”

He grabbed Aoi by the hands as she tried to run away, and smiled, saying,

“Wait for me. If I can make a male friend, you won’t go back angrily. And then, we’ll remain close to each other.”

Aoi blushed as she looked around, her lips opening and closing at times,

“I-I don’t know.”

She answered, seemingly angry and yet troubled.

At night, Hikaru laid on his bed and looked at the stars outside. He made a wish,

“I hope that I can make friends with boys. I’ve been too obedient to my own desire, and it’ll be good if I can make a prudent friend.”

But there was no boy in the class who was like Asa.

It seems that it’ll be difficult to find a prudent friend like what Asa described.

And speaking of which, if I want a prudent person, won’t Asa be enough...

I’ll add another condition then.

“A courageous person will do too.”

Right, like a hero who helps everyone.

That kind of friend must be great too.

He buried his head into the pillow, and closed his eyes delightedly.

It would be great if he could make a real, real friend one of these days.

That person may be from another class.

In that case, once class ends, he’ll run to the friend’s class and shout,

“Hey, I forgot to bring my textbook. Can you please lend me yours—”

## Author's Notes

Hello, I am Mizuki Nomura. Thank you for being the first volume “Aoi” of the new series “When Hikaru Was On the Earth......”.

As I previewed in the “Soft-boiled Author and the Book Girl Muze”, I based this story off of the “Tale of Genji”. There are also elements from another famous work in the setting too, and to the readers who understand, please read on with a hearty smile.

I wrote the “Soft-boiled Author and the Book Girl Muze” during the end of March last year, and though I gave ample time for this new series, all sorts of public and private affairs caused me to feel dejected, wondering, “I can’t possibly make the deadline and release this in May” anymore. It’s really~~~~~~ great that I can release this successfully!

The initial design for the protagonist Koremitsu is that he’s a healthy (?) delinquent growing up in a normal family. However, since ‘a delinquent is the second greatest enemy of an otaku’, I changed him to be an unfortunate boy mistaken for a delinquent. Then, I thought, ‘if he’s tall, handsome, he’ll feel like someone who has a good life, and the biggest enemy of an otaku is someone who has the good life’. After trimming and adding a few parts, I have this current Koremitsu.

That’s why,

THE PROTAGONIST IS NOT A DELINQUENT~!

It might feel a little weird now, but it will soon improve...I guess.

Speaking of which, how would the questionnaire look after 3 rd place? I am rather curious.

The name of this series is ‘When Hikaru Was On the Earth...”, and the name was derived from the drama troupe Caramel Box ‘When You Were On Earth’. When, I saw this title for the first time, I wondered what kind of story it was. Unfortunately, the public performance had already ended, but I chanced upon an opportunity to read the script after the public performance ended. This is true a heartbreaking story, and coincidentally, the protagonist’s little sister knows how to paint too. Her role overlaps with Aoi’s role in the arts clubroom, and it certainly is inexplicable.

A lot of things really happened when I was creating the first volume of “Hikaru”.

One of it is regarding my workplace. I had nothing to complain about my work environment and treatment, and I wanted to keep working there until retirement. However, bad financial performance caused it to close down at the end of the year.

I wanted to find a new job after writing the new work, but I still had not finalized the story in at the end of April. I had been staying at home for entire days, and it was winter, so the electric bills were certainly going to be high. When I saw the unknown astronomical number that far surpassed my imagination on the bill, I nearly fainted.

I had been putting on weight, my strength was becoming insufficient, and I could not take care of my beauty and health. I swore to myself: hurry up and find a new part-time job!

Recently, a lot of people had been asking me ‘Is being a writer not enough to feed you? Are you really living a distressed life?’. Perhaps this is because I once wrote about me working on part-time job in one of the afterwords.

Sorry to make everyone worry, but this is not the case. Ever since I started working with Famitsu Bunko, the work is enough for me to live a steady life, which is a fortunate. But I really do not like to have trouble, and like to stay at home; if I do not go out to work and snuggle at home like this, I may end up sleeping 12 hours every day...thus, I feel it is better for me to find a part-time job in this situation.

Wearing neat clothing and walking down the morning roads carefreely feels as relaxing as sleeping in like this. This is why I have to find work!

As preluded at the end of the volume, the second volume of the “Hikaru” series is “Yuugao”.

“Hikaru” is a story of separation. Once you finish reading it, you may feel sad, but you will feel a warmth feeling in your heart too. It will be great if I can write such a story. After “Yuugao”, I will try to continue with “Waka Murasaki” and “Oburozukiyo”. Please continue to follow me until the end.

Year 2011, April 30 th

Mizuki Nomura.

## Notes

- ↑ Jūnihitoe, literally translated as twelve-layered robe; worn by court ladies, starting in the Heian Era. Noted for their intricate and graceful designs.

- ↑ An all-female musical and theater troupe in Japan

- ↑ 衣冠束帯, Itai Sokudai

- ↑

- ↑ Sushi of Fried tofu filled with rice inside

- ↑ Kobushi means fist

### 008. Prologue

When did this happen?

Mikado Hikaru, who had all the sparkles gathered on him, who was beloved by all the flowers, suddenly died in an accident.

Before he was even 16–

I absentmindedly searched my memories as I listened to the news of his death over my cellphone.

I shed off the clothing called rationality because I wanted to see Hikaru.

My soul seemed to leave my body, flying in the night sky as I only cared about seeing him, seeing him, seeing him. I continued to run on the dirt path, let the grass cut my shins and ankles, let the icy cold rain pierce through my body, to where he was. Ahh, those were what happened yesterday.

Even if I were to become an evil spirit, I would still want to get to that person.

What enthralled me, more than that guy’s cruelty, stubbornness, love for lies, fear of loneliness...more than anything else, was my love for that person.

I knew right from the beginning that our love was a forbidden cardinal sin. It was not permitted by this world, and no one around us would bless us. My body felt like it was cut, stabbed through and burned–it was a tragic romance and bitter love that was accompanied with sadness and despair.

I definitely must not let anyone else know, and I will continue to love him in this darkness where the moonlight cannot shine into. Did we not lock our fingers and swear?

That this was a secret for a lifetime.

But why did Hikaru say those words last night?

Amidst the icy cold bone-chilling rain, on the brink of death, that expression Hikaru showed–

Only I saw it all. That expression, those eyes, that act.

That was a cruel betrayal to love.

Hikaru.

At that time...

What were you thinking?

### 009. Chapter 2: It Seems His Highness the Prince Likes Girls the Most

After many trials, Koremitsu and Hikaru found that it was possible for Koremitsu to maintain a certain distance from Hikaru in spacious areas. They could only be distanced a maximum of three meters from one another. In cramped spaces like a porta potty, they would be forced together in proximity. If Koremitsu did not move, Hikaru would be unable to leave the space.

What kind of joke is this? Now we have to stick together just to use the toilet?

The occasional couple of friendly girls might have held hands before going into separate stalls, but sharing the same lavatory was downright awkward for two boys. Intensifying the issue for Koremitsu and Hikaru to share a washroom was the fact that, above all, they were mere acquaintances.

Koremitsu recalled the uncomfortable feeling of facing Hikaru and urinating, his face feeling like it seethed with fire as he blushed.

Nothing seemed more troublesome than Hikaru’s presence. Hikaru’s request needed to be fulfilled as soon as possible so he would ascend into Heaven.

The next morning, Koremitsu walked into school with this steadfast determination.

“This is my first time riding on a bus full of people.”

Hikaru poked out his head playfully from a gap in the mass of humanity aboard, the many passengers inside packed like a can of sardines. There seemed nothing more supernatural than the sight of his wispy face overlapping those of strangers in such a crowded setting.

He was not concerned about Koremitsu, who had been looking away from him deliberately. Hikaru went on muttering to himself once they each got off the tram and started for school.

Along the way, Hikaru turned to speak.

“I used to be a gardening rep, and we’re to bury seeds like Dahlia and Lemon Grass this May. What activity are you involved in, Koremitsu?”

Unaware of it, Hikaru had called him “Koremitsu” instead of “Mr Akagi.”

Koremitsu opened his mouth to chide Hikaru for being overly familiar with him, but Hikaru interjected.

“I said that because we are both ‘designated’ as friends from now on. It would be distant of me to call you Mr. Akagi at this point in time, right? You can call me Hikaru, too, Koremitsu.”

He continued instantaneously, making a segue away from any argument.

“So, what did you do? You joined a martial arts club, right? Was it boxing or kung fu?”

“I was a member of the Pet-Raising Committee in elementary school. At the time, I took care of turkeys and rabbits.”

Frowning, Hikaru gave a slightly subtle response.

“I see. So you liked animals.”

“Turkeys are delicious when baked.”

The words fell without any complement from Koremitsu.

“That red nose is really cute. Just like a Red Spider Lily.”

Hikaru did not seem to mind as he continued the conversation one-sidedly.

Was this carefree prince really aware that he had died?

Koremitsu held back from throwing a tantrum over him as they stepped through the elaborate school gate.

Heian Academy was a school with all educational facilities from an affiliated kindergarten to university. The middle school and high school had different gates, but were located in the same area of campus.

Koremitsu took his shoes from the locker and started changing into them.

“Ah.”

Hikaru let out a sigh.

He read a school news report with a photo of when he was alive pinned to the notice board in the corridor.

There were pieces of colored paper stuck beside it, with words of grief handwritten over each.

“Farewell.”

“I loved you most.”

“I definitely won’t forget you.”

“Lord Hikaru, you were once our youth.”

Even now, there were still girls crowding at the board, their eyes bleating red as they wrote messages.

Among them, there was a girl who was crying as she read each of their sentiments. She covered her face in both hands, her good friend beside her in consolation, despite being teary-eyed just the same.

Koremitsu felt his entire body being tied down to the ground.

I say, even though you don’t have friends, aren’t a lot of people sad over your death here?

His body felt a slicing agony, and his chest was ablaze with heat.

He thought that Hikaru might shed a tear, but a gentle voice rang beside him instead.

“You are like a Daisy swaying in the spring breeze. Please, don’t cry. Tears don’t fit you.”

Hikaru unexpectedly approached the sobbing girl, reaching his hands to her back.

He slipped his arms around and embraced her as though she were a fragile item with what seemed to be remarkable experience (however skillful the display was, though, his disembodied arms entrenched within the girl’s body). He proceeded to speak softly into her ear.

“Do you know what the Daisy represents in the language of flowers? It means to be ‘cheerful’. Here, smile. Show me that cheerfully smiling face of yours.”

The scene left Koremitsu at a loss for words.

What, exactly, was going on?

Hikaru closed his eyes slowly and let out a certain sweetness from between his lips. A glowing radiance seemed to emit all around him as he let out a spine-meltingly enchanting voice.

“...Oi.”

Koremitsu stood by with a frozen expression as Hikaru again approached another girl, held onto her trembling, little hand, and passionately brought his lips to her ears.

“Over here, you who are like a Blue Cornflower, please pull yourself together. Cornflowers represent ‘happiness’ here. Aren’t you normally bubbly and radiating with hope?”

He floated around and appeared among the girls who wept, stroking their hair and clasping their hands.

“To you, who is like a Buttercup in the wild: You look cute when you smile. Ah, the one who’s like a Snowdrop there, the same goes for you as well. If you cry like that, your beautiful eyes will melt away. Will you stop crying if I kiss you?”

He held the face full of large, rolling teardrops in both hands as he gently came nearer. At this point, Koremitsu could not contain himself.

“STOP IT RIGHT THERE, YOU BIG PERVERT!!”

Hikaru was taken aback as he turned to look at Koremitsu.

Koremitsu furiously stormed at Hikaru.

“What love messages are you spouting off!? Think of your own predicament here! This isn’t the time to talk about such squirmy things behind other people’s backs! Are you an idiot!?”

Hikaru wasn’t accepting of Koremitsu’s frustration as he rebuked.

“To me, I can’t imagine myself leaving a crying girl alone. If you see a wilting flower, won’t you feed it with water and fertilizer and take care of it with all your strength?”

“Like that has anything to do with me! I was a pet feeder! I wasn’t a gardening rep!”

“Then, if you see a wounded cat, you should cradle it gently and treat its wounds, right?”

“Of course not. Stray cats will just lick their own wounds.”

“There are some wounds that can’t be treated just by yourself...hey, Koremitsu, the others are looking at us here.”

The moment Hikaru pointed this out, Koremitsu felt paralyzed.

Of course, there was no way anyone else could hear Hikaru’s voice.

He looked around stiffly, realizing an empty space of some two meters in radius that came to form around him.

The girls ceased crying as they cringed at the sight of Koremitsu with horrified expressions. The moment their eyes met Koremitsu’s, their shoulders jerked, and they looked away.

Don’t I look like some dangerous guy who'd yell without warning in the corridor?

He had originally decided to act decently in school so that he would not be nicknamed anything embarrassing like ‘The Red Devil’ ever again. Would his plan be ruined now?

“Ah...erm...”

He strongly wanted to salvage the situation in some way, but stronger forces meant that he could only give off cold sweat. He was rendered speechless in the shock of the moment.

Slowly, his face was burning up.

This is bad. Is my face red now?

“I...I’m not talking to you guys—at all!”

He snarled with a flustered look on his face and hurriedly left the scene.

“Don’t worry, Koremitsu. Your reputation won’t be shaken just by entering the school and yelling in the corridor all of a sudden. Besides, you’re the 27 th king of delinquents, who single-handedly beat up an entire army of delinquents. There is no worse reputation than this, now, so please relax.”

What kind of consolation is that!?

He swore in his heart never to speak to Hikaru in front of anyone again.

Due to the shame and regret of his mishap, Koremitsu’s expression felt three times scarier than usual - his eyes ten times sharper. He reached the classroom, opened the back door, and found a petite girl standing before him, nearly passing out on the spot.

“Hah...good, good morning...Akagi.”

A plain, bespectacled girl who wore her hair in a short braid, she was the class representative.

Koremitsu did not know her name, and the other classmates called her ‘rep’ just as well.

He remembered the first day he stepped into this school after being hospitalized.

“I heard that he’s the legendary delinquent...”

“Students from other schools came looking for trouble with him during Middle School, and there was a bloody incident...”

“He beat 10 people to near death.”

There were all sorts of outlandish rumors about him.

He was avoided by his classmates, who came to believe these rumors as they became increasingly worse with time, and she was eventually the only person who would talk to him.

Even so...

“We-well...I’m the class representative...pl-please take care of me, Akagi. If- if there’s anything you don’t know, you may ask me.”

Her face was markedly tense. She was so nervous her greeting could only be uttered in a sort of shrill.

“Thanks. Where’s the canteen?”

That was what he wanted to say, but just as Koremitsu was about to answer back, the class representative hastily spoke.

“Th-the-then, in that case, I’ll take my leave.”

She seized the opportunity and darted back to her seat like a rabbit desperately fleeing ravenous wolves.

Koremitsu watched as she kept her hands clasped together; shuddering at her desk, obviously praying that he would not try speaking with her. If he actually got to ask where the cafeteria was back then, she would probably have screamed and hid herself under the table.

Even though it ended up this way, she still fulfilled her responsibility as a class rep, and whenever her eyes met Koremitsu, she would characteristically tell him “Good- good morning.” Or “Good- goodbye.”

Normally, she would walk away immediately after saying her piece, but she remained this time where she was, tentatively asking him a question.

“Akagi...you attended Lord Hikaru’s funeral yesterday, didn’t you– are you familiar with him?”

It seemed that she, too, was present at the time.

He wanted to answer that they were not really on close terms, but beside him, Hikaru nagged, saying that they were designated as friends.

“We are close friends now, Koremitsu.”

Since when are we close friends!?

There has to be a limit to your shameless attitude!

Just when he was about to yell out, he recovered, gritting his teeth with a frown.

That was a close call. I nearly scared everyone again.

The next moment, however, the class rep was jumping like a hare.

“So-sor-sorry for asking you in such an interrogative manner. It’s fine, you don’t have to answer here!”

Her face turned red and she ran off.

He looked angry when he gritted his teeth and frowned, so it came as no wonder that she was terrified. She returned to her own seat, her short braid trembling with prayer as before.

“A girl like her, who gets shy very easily, is really as cute as a plum blossom changing colors.”

Hikaru spoke in a relaxed tone.

No, that’s not being shy. She... looks terrified, no matter how I see it.

Koremitsu wondered that if he were to think about things enthusiastically like Hikaru, he would probably die with a smile on his face, too. He felt envy towards Hikaru for this, but did not want to allow these feelings to get the best of him as he went to put his bag onto his desk.

Koremitsu’s seat was closest to the corridor, on the last row.

He glanced at the seat opposite the narrow aisle. The girl seated there did not look cheery this morning as she pouted and frowned, handling her cellphone.

She composed messages by sliding her fingers rapidly across the screen.

She was always using her phone, whether it was before school or during a break.

Her bright, tea-colored hair went down her slender shoulders, covering the temples and nestling upon her ears. Koremitsu noticed her fingers did not stop. Her eyes carried a certain ferocity as they glared more intensely than before, and she seemed engrossed in the messaging as she stared at the screen of her phone.

She completely ignored the savage delinquent beside her.

It was one thing for Koremitsu to be troubled by everyone’s fear of him, but it was something worse that she paid him virtually no mind at all. She did not even make a glance at him, let alone greet him. One might wonder what her problem was.

The girl sat beside a frustrated Koremitsu, still minding her own business as if nothing was amiss. She had a strong will in her heart to match her utter fearlessness.

No, I guess she is also mistaken to have a violent personality because she was born with fierce-looking eyes and left alone because of it. This is why she’s been using her phone to pass the time. She’s probably someone very lonely.

This line of reasoning brought the flame in his stomach to quell.

But to Hikaru, hovering beside him, it seemed that no matter how strange the girl’s carelessness about anything around her was - no matter how she ignored Koremitsu’s presence - they were both points of attractiveness.

“A girl that’s thoroughly focused on doing something is just like a crimson Hibiscus. Is she sending a message to her boyfriend?”

Hikaru tried to peep on the contents of the phone.

“Hey, stop it.”

Koremitsu warned him softly.

The moment he said that, the girl beside him stopped her fingers from typing at the keys, and turned to glare at Koremitsu.

Her eyes were giving off a sharp glint, like a feline unwilling to be approached

He wanted to explain that he was not talking to her, but he did not say so.

He decided to glare at her, something he regretted doing.

A male classmate yapped loudly as he sprinted off to the classroom door.

“Oi! The Delinquent King suddenly went crazy at the shoe lockers! It seemed that he yelled at the sobbing girls leaving their messages at Lord Hikaru’s notice board, ‘WHAT ARE YOU CRYING ABOUT, YOU BUNCH OF LEWD FEMALE DOGS! I CAN LICK YOU ALL UP IF YOU REALLY WANT HIM THAT MUCH!’ That’s really barbaric, satanic—ack!”

He probably let out the ‘ack!’ at the end was because he sensed the murderous desire radiating from Koremitsu’s body.

At that moment, he became soaked in cold sweat, at a loss of what to do.

“No...er-erm...‘The Delinquent King’ doesn’t refer to our ‘Master Delinquent’ in this class...th-they’re from another class...well, erm, about that...I’M REALLY SORRY!”

The boy knelt down on the podium to beg for forgiveness, and his onlooking classmates had the color leave their faces.

I’m the Delinquent King no matter what now? What are you apologizing for, you idiotic bastard!?

As Koremitsu’s heart sank into despair, the culprit Hikaru spoke with amazement as he gave a look of lamentation.

“Wow, this is the first time I’ve seen someone kneel for forgiveness. It sure has an unforgettable impact on me. I’ll definitely do this to a girl next time.”

While the commotion continued, the girl sitting next to Koremitsu kept to her frown as went on messaging.

The freshman, red-haired delinquent had forced his classmate to kneel down and ‘apologize’.

Once that classmate apologized, he was unable to even walk properly, had difficulty talking, and retired for the day.

This rumor quickly circulated around school.

After class, a depressed Koremitsu arched his back as he sauntered down the 3 rd level corridor.

The students who brushed by him kept their distance, avoiding him like a plague.

“Cheer up! There’s nothing that can shake your legend as the strongest now.”

It still can’t be considered consolation at all!

My already-poor reputation just took a turn for the worse. Whose fault do you think it is here!?

This carefree bastard here’s already dead, and yet he’s still trying to hook himself up to girls without any restraint.

“...Don’t you realize that you have a responsibility here?”

He clenched his fists as he muttered the question.

“Eh, because of me? But Koremitsu, I still feel that when I see a crying girl, I should comfort her with my best effort.”

Hikaru spoke almost like he was narrating his beliefs.

“Well, once my wish is granted, I’ll go to Heaven peacefully. I’ll cause you a lot of troubles before then, but please endure for now.”

Hikaru’s voice carried an admiring tone, and it was hard to begrudge him any further.

He looked like an easygoing prince, but he was unexpectedly clever.

I know this and still hang out with him.

Koremitsu turned to look at Hikaru and question him.

“Let me ask you again. That girl’s definitely in the arts club, right?”

The moment those words were said, Hikaru’s eyes grew tender and that amorous drive of his kicked into gear.

“Yes. She would always be painting in the arts room after school. She’s like a princess from the Heian era. Her silky black hair is dazzling. She’s delicate, pure, extremely refined as a lady, and a very cute girl.”

Even if you talk about your own lover like that, I can’t feel anything at all.

This is a reference to the princesses of the Heian Era, such as those mentioned in the textbook who wore Ceremonial Dresses The raiment was often tight and the wearer’s body would bulge. Furthermore, the girl’s long hair would be troublesome to wash, and it seems disgusting to have many fleas and lice inside.

What exactly am I thinking of here?

“But she’s your girlfriend, and you are on good terms to the point that you were planning to celebrate her birthday together, right? It was your funeral yesterday. Won’t it be hard for her to attend club activities after such great loss?”

Perhaps she was resting at home, unable to attend school.

However—

“Ahh, yes, you don’t have to worry about this. Aoi will definitely be in the arts room like usual.”

Hikaru’s voice sounded vague all of a sudden as he looked away subtly.

“Huh?”

Koremitsu betrayed his concern about this aloud.

Well, it’s fine, I suppose. If she’s here, I can hurry up and settle this quickly.

He did not delve his thoughts into the matter any further as he arrived in front of the arts room. He then proceeded to open the door.

Wah! They’re all girls!

The aroma of perfume fluttered in the wide classroom. Bright sunbeams shone in through the wide windows, and there were tables, chairs, plaster statues, canvas littered all over.

There were probably eight girls inside.

They were doing their own designs, coloring, reading magazines that were left aside and doing manicures for each other as they chatted away.

To Koremitsu, all the girls looked the same to him.

At the same time, the girls on the opposite side were stunned by the arrival of the legendary red-haired delinquent who had suddenly barged in.

The classroom immediately descended into silence.

Their frozen expressions and terrified eyes signified a strong fear and helplessness. One of the girls doing a manicure was holding a cover in one hand and glass bottle in the other as she shuddered to Koremitsu’s glance.

“Ah...is someone called Aoi Saotome in?”

He felt a pain near his stomach, probably due to nervousness, and his expression was more stricken than usual. His wolf-like, sharp eyes were something he was born with, and he could not change it.

The club members were all afraid as they retreated to the window.

At this moment, there was a girl exuding certain pride who continued to paint alone.

Her locks were long enough to reach her waist, and had a pretty white butterfly ribbon tied on. She was a little shorter than average, and she looked thinner than average, too.

Huh? Where have I seen this person before...?

As he tried to recall the girl’s identity, she stood up and gave a menacing expression as she walked toward Koremitsu.

Her limbs were extremely thin, and her face was so small Koremitsu could cover it with his hands.

Her long hair without frills swayed sweetly to the girl’s stride. Long eyelashes were like a framed border to her eyes, which were so large they looked like they were about to drop, and she shot a belligerent look at Koremitsu.

The moment he saw her stern expression, he realized it.

I see! She’s the one who caused the commotion at Hikaru’s funeral!

“YOU’RE REALLY AN IDIOT FOR DROWNING IN A RIVER LIKE THAT! THAT’S SO EMBARRASSING! I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE STABBED TO DEATH BY A WOMAN! IT’S BECAUSE YOU’RE TOO MUCH OF A PLAYBOY THAT KARMA STRUCK BACK!”

There was no doubt that she was that girl.

“YOU LIAR!”

This voice rang inside his ears again.

Oh damn. Is she the one you can’t let go of in your heart!?

That girl, Aoi Saotome, walked towards Koremitsu and stopped in front of him.

Koremitsu intended to explain things first, but she interposed first.

“I refuse.”

A voice fraught with disgust filled the room, denying him.

I haven’t even said anything here!

Aoi again emphasized with a forceful tone.

“I refuse. I refuse anything you say! I don’t like men, and I don’t want to say anything to you here!”

After that, she bit her delicate lips and turned her back.

What in the world is with this woman?

At this point, Koremitsu was speechless instead of being infuriated. There was no way out; he could not back away from here even if it was for the sake of his life .

“Wait! Actually it’s about Mika- Hikaru...”

He wanted her attention, but unexpectedly, the flowing black hair flourished as she swung away.

“I-I-I-I-I- I really hate everything about that person! I felt... tainted the moment I heard his name!”

She seemed ready to kill with her eyes as she growled, slamming the classroom door right in front of a completely disconcerted Koremitsu.

“...Oi.”

Koremitsu was shut out, quietly whispering to Hikaru.

“What’s going on...aren’t you two dating or something?”

Hikaru, floating behind Koremitsu the entire time, gave a bitter smile.

“Instead of saying that we’re dating, I would say that...we’re betrothed.”

Betrothed!

This might happen in the Heian Era, but High School students are being betrothed in the modern day - the Heisei Japanese Era!? Well, I suppose that’s normal among the rich.

Koremitsu looked again at Hikaru, who responded with a cool expression.

“Aoi had always been upset with me, saying things like ‘You’re a useless harem prince’, and ‘You’re a guy in love who switches partners every day.’ Well, I don’t have any male friends, so I had been playing with girls since I was young. I would not refuse any request that came my way, and I would happily accept gifts if a girl had any good intentions. Whenever I see a pretty lady, I think it would be impolite of me if I don’t try to strike up a conversation with her; and when I see a cute girl, I’ll definitely go to her and tell her that she’s cute.”

“I can’t sleep when I’m alone as I’m scared of loneliness, and I can only relax when someone accompanies me. Right! Women are like flowers, and I think it’s a man’s responsibility to blossom their beauty! This is something that surpasses the exalted Law of Nature, something equivalent to the principles of religion– uh, huh? Koremitsu? Why are you holding your head? It looks like the veins are popping from your temples. Are you listening to me? In other words, my passionate love for the existence known as female is like my passionate affection for flowers—”

That’s enough. Don’t continue any further! Don’t talk about exalting or surpassing with such a serious look!

Koremitsu yelled in his heart, only more convinced that this person was really a playboy.

He probably tried to sweet-talk girls to gain their affections before, just like how he did so this morning. If his fiancée had witnessed it, she would definitely have called him out for cheating on her. There were only women at his funeral, so it was to be expected that she would give him an ear lashing.

To think that he could call her his ‘girlfriend’ unabashedly.

“...Can we end this partnership, Mikado ?”

Stunned, Hikaru answered in turn.

“But Koremitsu!”

Hikaru pleaded.

At this point, Koremitsu could only think of breaking away from Hikaru and returning home.

Koremitsu was fooled by Hikaru’s claims of having no friends at all. He, who could only eat alone at lunch, was different from Hikaru, who definitely had companionship to enjoy. Hikaru would be surrounded by girls, some of them even waiting to serve him their hand-made lunches.

There was no reason for Koremitsu to help this Casanova.

But if he did not help Hikaru move into the afterlife, Hikaru would be watching him whenever he went to the toilet, and when he might be bathing, sleeping or doing anything at all.

Koremitsu could not take this shameful play if it kept going. He was already viewed as a delinquent and avoided at all costs by fellow students, so he would be unable to take it if someone called him a possessed man who often spoke into the air.

As expected, he had to fulfill Hikaru’s wish as soon as possible.

Tch, never mind!

Koremitsu endured the unhappiness in his heart as he opened the arts room door again.

“Aoi Saotome. I—understand your feelings very well! Your fiancé Hikaru continued to fool around with other girls, and he’s the worst worthless harem bastard, but-”

Aoi came over and slammed the door shut again.

Koremitsu was not dejected, however, opening the door for another go.

“But—Mi, Hikaru always had a thought for you in his heart, and he let me, as a f-fr-fri-friend—“

SLAM!

The door was shut again.

The next moment he opened the door,

“Finish off what still needs to be done!”

“THAT’S ENOUGH!”

BAM!

Again, he tried. However, this time, there was a click from the other side of the door as it locked.

Damn it. The door’s locked from within.

“No! I still have a duty to pass on Hikaru’s words to you!”

Koremitsu yelled to the other side, hitting the barrier between them.

“I’ll reject any religious advice here.”

It elicited harsh reception from the halls.

“LISTEN UP, AOI SAOTOME!”

The moment he yelled, the door opened...

Splash!

Colored water was thrown onto him.

“I don’t want to hear anything about you or Hikaru. I don’t want to listen to anything involving men - especially anything that involves Hikaru! If I had to choose between hearing about Hikaru and a slug soup, I'd rather have the latter!”

Hikaru, who was beside them, clutched at his chest after taking this searing hit.

The door was slammed shut and locked again.

Koremitsu was dripping with dirty water from head to toe.

Are you kidding me...?

Flabbergasted, it took a moment for the full weight of everything to occur to him.

“That’s why I say women–!”

Miss Aoi is a pure princess.

Hikaru had been shielding his fiancée.

As her name suggests, impure things cannot approach a pure white Hollyhock.

Once he reached home, Koremitsu dipped himself in the bathtub, his eyes fixed upon the ceiling.

He was not in a stupor or anything of the like. He stared at the ceiling because Hikaru, still dressed in school uniform, was floating up there, surrounded by steam.

“Hollyhocks are flowers that bloom in midsummer. When there’s enough ventilation and sunlight, the green stems will grow straight and produce creamy pink flowers. They’re cute, but I find that white flowers suit Miss Aoi much better; they were ostensibly brought back from the Holy Land by the Crusaders. A flower that blooms in the Holy Land is perfect for Miss Aoi.”

He continued to prattle on, and it was impossible to tell if he was either defending Aoi or promoting himself as a gardening representative.

Why is it that I have to listen to a guy’s speech when bathing...?

“I don’t want to listen to anything involving men - especially anything that involves Hikaru!”

Koremitsu grew depressed thinking about the fiery angst in Aoi’s voice as she yelled. He was dealing with a princess who showed her disgust and opposition right from the get-go.

Hikaru’s wish seemed like it could never be fulfilled.

Will I end up as some delinquent haunted by a ghost for the rest of my life?

He felt that he should not have gone to the funeral.

If he could talk to his past self, Koremitsu would advise turning home from the funeral, lest he suffer more than he already was.

Besides, wouldn’t it be that I’m not the one? Won’t it be better for him to possess someone else?

It would be preferable if Hikaru chose a friendly and disciplined student. As Koremitsu saw things, Aoi would not have been so wary of this other person, and would have accepted the gifts without any hassle.

There would be a stark contrast made from the fierce-looking delinquent known as ‘The Wild Beast's Roar’ trying to approach her.

“I can only ask you for this favor, Mr Akagi.”

“I don’t have any real friends...”

He recalled the look Hikaru gave him in that earnest plea, and an inexplicable sense of responsibility came over him. A faint ache reached his heart.

“This is very important, a very important promise.”

Well, you said it there. Ugh - can’t you stick onto someone else? Do I really have to do this? Guh...

He leaned his face against the bathtub, muttering. Hikaru, who had finally closed on his Hollyhocks talk, spoke to him with a meek expression.

“Koremitsu, I just realized something.”

Don’t tell me you have a brilliant plan to win over Aoi’s heart, even as she’s starting to hate men more and more by the day.

Koremitsu looked up with anticipation, but what he saw was Hikaru dressed in a purple tuxedo as if he was in the Takarazuka Revue .

“Wha–!”

Koremitsu fell backwards at the sight, Hikaru following through with pride.

“I can change my clothes using my imagination. See, this is good too, right? This one’s also great.”

He proceeded to swap clothes, switching between tennis clothes, jockey attire, casual outdoor clothing, clothes befitting of a bespectacled elite salary man, and so on.

Hikaru made no reservations with his experimenting.

“Hey, this suits me most, right? I always wanted to try this out at least once.”

He even ended up in full Japanese Court Dress regalia. Worn during the Heian period , it was the most formal clothing worn by court officials.

“Hey, which do you think is the nicest one? It’s this one, right? Ah, I really want to take a photo, but I guess I won’t be shown. I can’t see myself on the mirror, which is really inconvenient. I can’t even see my own face.”

Hikaru sighed with regret.

Koremitsu really wanted to splash water on him, but held back knowing the water would just pass through.

Instead, he buried his head and shrugged his shoulders to show his frustration, bitterly speaking to Hikaru.

“You... bastard... whose sake do you think I’m suffering for!? Don’t do some fashion show so carefreely over there!”

Hikaru realized that he was in the wrong and felt ashamed of it.

He swooped down in front of Koremitsu, closed his shoulders, and got into Seiza position again (even so, his knees did not touch the floor at all).

“Well, yes, I’m reflecting on it. I was too excited before...and I’ve been troubled over having to rely on you all this time, Koremitsu. I tried everything I could to help - supernatural things like using telekinesis to move objects and possess animals, or to possess your body and talk to Miss Aoi directly.”

“Whoa, don’t enter my body now. I’ll get goosebumps.”

“Don’t worry, I didn’t succeed.”

“Is that so?”

Koremitsu heaved a sigh of relief.

“In that end, I could only change my clothing.”

That isn’t useful at all, you know.

“By the way, how should we move forward? Your fiancée finds your name impure because you’d been fooling around with girls back when you were still alive, and she’s rejecting us.”

“Hm, Miss Aoi is a serious person, but this is a cute point about her. It looks like we can only open her heart slowly until she’s willing to listen to us.”

“Uwa-! You want me to open her heart!? Why is it that I have to try getting into a woman’s favor? And you’re calling her cute? Are you out of your mind!?”

“Please do it! You’re the only one who can hear my voice, Koremitsu. If you’re able to beat an army of delinquents, you’ll definitely be able to open Miss Aoi’s heart.”

“I said before that this has got nothing to do with delinquents! Don’t look at me so expectantly! Besides, I couldn’t get along with women, kids and animals at all ever since childhood. My standing around alone and breathing is enough for those guys to hate me.”

“Leaving aside women and children, what about the animals? Didn’t you say that you were in charge of taking care of them when you were young?

The Heian Era-styled Hikaru held onto a fan and covered his mouth, and the crown with long cloth attached tilted sidelong with his head.

“Erm- yeah...I took care of the turkeys and the rabbits in elementary school, but they never approached me during the 6 years I dutifully fed them and cleaned their huts. Whenever I stepped into that rabbit hut, they would panic and run into a corner to hide, leaning on each other and trembling. The turkeys would also cringe whenever I looked in...”

Koremitsu recalled his past with gloom written on his face, Hikaru’s face showed a forced smile in return.

“Is- is that so?”

He changed the defeated tone in his voice to recover himself.

“But that’s still amazing! You still took care of them even though they were afraid! Not just anyone can do that. You’re like a modern-day Buddha to be able to put in all your effort despite the stereotypes thrown onto you!”

“I can’t bring myself to be happy with that kind of follow-up.”

“That’s why, when dealing with Miss Aoi, please use that compassionate attitude to fight again. It’s alright, Miss Aoi is very elegant. No matter how much she hates you, she won’t kick at you. The bucket’s too heavy, so she can’t use that to splash water on you; she had to use palette before instead.”

He continued with what could not even amount to an argument.

“Speaking of which, aren’t you a harem king beloved by everyone here? You’re an expert at luring in girls and understanding their hearts anyway. Don’t you have any useful suggestion here?”

“What expert do you mean? I’m not a host to any harem. Also, my methods may be too tough for you.”

Hikaru stared at Koremitsu, seeming to have a difficulty articulating what he meant by that.

“Never mind. Let’s try it.”

“Really?”

Despite offering, Hikaru was not enthusiastic.

“Anyway, try smiling.”

“Huh?”

“What I mean is that you show the ‘I have an interest in you, too’ look. Try smiling like me.”

*Smiles*

Hikaru gave a smile as gentle as the breeze.

It was a really cheerful smile - dazzling. That emotive feel the corners of his eyes seemed to display not to be forgotten.

“Woah...I think my heart just fluttered!”

Despite the other person being a guy.

“If that can’t work, try closing your eyes softly and saying ‘I don’t feel like going home today’ with a lonely look.”

Hikaru closed his eyes.

Effortlessly, he transitioned into a tragic expression. A fuzzy feeling that would encourage anyone to protect him wholeheartedly washed over Koremitsu.

“Woah...now I’m really captivated by that.”

This guy’s really amazing! As expected of the harem prince! No wonder everyone at his funeral were girls!

He thought these words to himself; words that would devastate Hikaru if said aloud.

“Alright, let me try this.”

Koremitsu rose from the tub optimistically, facing the mirror with a ‘smile.’

“Eh? What is it? Koremitsu?”

“Well, I can’t move my face muscles.”

How could this happen? He had gone long days without smiling at all in the past, and through this time, his facial muscles grew weak.

No. Thinking about it, Koremitsu realized that his baby and kindergarten entrance photos all showed him giving hideous looks, his eyes glaring like they were about to attack the camera.

Is that so? So I’m not good at smiling, huh?

But it was not in his nature to retreat before the battle began. He forcefully lifted the ends of his lips and tried flashing a ‘smile’.

The mirror reflected the devastating sight of a savage-looking boy, his facial muscles twitching. If a few blood stains were added onto the face, it was likely that any girl would faint upon seeing it.

Even Koremitsu was horrified by the look of that menacing person in the mirror. It was chilling even in spite of the fact that he was his own bathroom.

“Ugh - not giving up yet!”

He flared his nostrils and gritted his teeth to try again, but the harder he tried the more he could only see his reflection becoming increasingly horrendous.

“We– well, Koremitsu, you shouldn’t force yourself there.”

Koremitsu turned to Hikaru, his hands still pulling his face.

“Ah–a-a-and then, I think it’s better for you to have a serious expression than a smile given your personality, Koremitsu. You see, you’re really manly, unlike this tender me!”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah! I think you’re really suited to act in those cold-blooded acting roles or those V-cinema films! Men really admire that stuff.”

Hikaru tried his best to enliven the mood.

“Yeah. I guess it’s true that it’s unmanly to start smiling foolishly when there’s nothing funny.”

Koremitsu pulled himself through.

“Then, I’ll try to look bitter and lonely...”

He tried to show the “I don’t want to go home tonight” expression.

He closed his eyes and lowered his shoulders.

However, as he glanced up and eyed himself in the mirror, he found that there was a man looking back at him with black aura and vengeful attitude.

Instead of a “I don’t want to go home tonight” vibe, he was giving off a “Let’s start the hell’s banquet tonight” kind of vibe.

I’m really...

Koremitsu was dejected in front of the mirror.

“Actually, you look best when you’re naturally Koremitsu! I think you already have enough charm yourself!”

“I don’t need you to comfort me!”

Koremitsu lifted his head of red hair and shouted angrily.

“It’s impossible for someone like me to open a girl’s heart when no nearby female dog, cat, ferret or hamster will even approach me! I’ll be haunted by a perverted prince in costume floating over my head even when I bathe!”

“Don’t be like this! Don’t give up on yourself like that! If you’re unhappy about me wearing clothes, I’ll take them off. You see?”

Before he finished his words, the Heian-era noble clothes immediately vanished. Hikaru appeared nude as he floated about the rising steam.

Suddenly, this naked male had appeared before Koremitsu’s eyes.

“UWAAAA—!!”

He reeled back in shock, and this momentum caused his head to slam into the wall. He then slipped in all his confusion, landing with his body sprawled and facing up.

The glass door of the bathroom slid open, and there was Koharu, dressed in a flimsy pinafore, standing with her sleeves rolled up as she growled.

“Koremitsu! What are you doing alone in here!?”

“So-sorry!”

Koremitsu apologized, and at the same time, felt it was a good thing that Koharu could not see Hikaru.

That was because a stark naked Hikaru was floating in front of her, his mouth still showing no signs of stopping.

“Your older sister is either the Trifoliate Orange-type or the Mandrake-type. She’s really amazing.”

“Idiot, she’s not my older sister. She’s my aunt, divorced once, and is a 36-year-old hag.”

Koremitsu slipped out these words reflexively. Koharu returned them with a beating.

The next morning, Koremitsu found his bento placed on the chabudai.

He thought that it was to make up for the excessive beating from the previous day, and brought it to school. When he opened the lunch box during break, he found that it was filled with red bean paste.

“She wants a fight with me!? That 36 year old!?’

“Amaazing...it’s really red bean paste. That doesn’t seem appetizing at all.”

Hikaru muttered as he floated above. He was dressed in the white suit and black pants of the school uniform.

“Damn it.”

Koremitsu stuffed the bento box back into his bag and walked out of the classroom.

“Where are you going?”

“To the snack shop. I can’t possibly have red bean paste for lunch.”

He headed off to the snack shop located at the end of the second level.

However, he arrived a little too late as there remained only a slice of yakisoba bread, a piece of jam bread, a chocolate roll and a slice of sugar toast available.

Koremitsu did not like to eat sweet things. To him, the bread with jam and chocolate roll were evil.

Thus, he could only choose the yakisoba bread.

Well, I guess it’s good that there’s still yakisoba bread left, rather than having nothing to eat...

With a gloomy look on his face, he reached his hand forward.

“!”

Simultaneously, another hand reached in from the other side, also grabbing the yakisoba bread.

This is bad. My lunch is doomed if I can’t buy this.

Koremitsu immediately looked in their direction with his trademark glare.

In the face of his savage expression and hideous stare, any ordinary person would have crumbled on the spot. A devilish aura seemed to glow behind his slightly arched back.

However, the other person grabbing the yakisoba bread was someone Koremitsu knew.

The fierce-looking girl beside me in class!

This person next to him shared a shocked expression with Koremitsu. However, it quickly changed into an antagonistic stare.

She raised her eyebrows, her eyes burning like flames as she glared back at Koremitsu.

It was unbelievable to think that in the face of this person known to others as ‘The Hellhound,’ there was a girl who still kept her fighting will.

However, he would definitely not hand over the yakisoba bread to her.

“Ugh~”

“Uuu~”

The two of them were like wild animals that had just met their natural enemies, as each of their expressions, tense lips and quaking brows were trying to scare the other off.

“~~Uu (Hey, let go of it. That’s my prey.)”

“Uuu~ (No way. I touched it first!)”

Neither would back down as they argued intensely.

In the midst of the silence now between them, sparks flew.

What should I do?

In terms of strength, he definitely would not lose to a girl.

However, if he were to pull the bread by brute force alone, he may end up ripping the plastic packaging, and the bread may end up dropping onto the floor. If he tried pulling with a firmer grip, he would end up pinching the bread.

Got to think of a plan here...!

“Koremitsu, you’re dealing with a girl here. Just give her the bread! Ladies first!”

Behind him, Hikaru spoke in amazement.

“No way! Even though she’s a woman, I won’t hand over my lunch to her!”

He let these words slip and showed an opening in his regret for saying them. The fiendish girl proceeded to kick Koremitsu in the knee.

It was a brilliant kick, one encompassing the perfect harmony of speed, timing and power perfectly.

“Uooh.”

Koremitsu lost his footing, and the bread slipped from his hand.

“Wah, Koremitsu!”

The enemy took the bread mercilessly.

“Ack! You—”

Koremitsu looked over and found that she had already paid for and kept the yakisoba bread for herself.

“Despicable!”

She took the bread, turned around leisurely, and looked over at the enraged Koremitsu.

Her glossy, light beige hair swayed.

“It’s your fault for taking me lightly as a girl. ”

She spoke with an icy tone, seemingly mocking him, and took the yakisoba bread and a cup of latte coffee before promptly leaving.

Koremitsu watched her long, slender legs in a short skirt disappear gradually from his field of vision.

“Ugh, why is she so violent!? I let her get what she wanted.”

“Yeah, those are nice looking legs.”

Nothing was left on the counter for Koremitsu’s lunch.

“Why is the other stuff sold out already!?”

He yelled as he rattled the empty cases, frightening the bread shop lady.

“Damn it - that girl... I hope she becomes afflicted with a cellphone-reliant disease and sends so many messages that she develops tenosynovitis until her fingers drop off.”

Koremitsu, who was on the rooftop meant to be prohibited, ate his lunch of red bean paste, milk, vegetable juice, sports drink and vitamin water as he continued to lament away regarding the injustice he just suffered.

“That’s enough already. Isn’t it, Koremitsu? She’s a girl, after all. A delinquent like you will be hated by others, you know.”

“I’m not a delinquent.”

“If you want to deny it, you have to keep your actions in check.”

Hikaru’s chastising started to cause Koremitsu a migraine. Before now, the only one who complained was Koremitsu about Hikaru’s own mannerisms.

What in the world? Why is he acting all mature all of a sudden?

He remembered that when Hikaru was arguing with him in front of the shoe locker, he claimed that he “couldn’t leave a crying girl alone,” showing a stern expression.

In fact, this guy’s very gentle with girls. Is this the definition of a gentleman? Well, maybe it’s an overstatement, but I do feel unhappy that it’s somewhat true.

“Shut...shut up.”

“Also, the one sitting beside you in class is Miss Shikibu. You should get along better with others.”

“She’s named Shikibu? How do you know her name?”

“Really, Koremitsu, how can you not know the name of the girl sitting beside you? And she’s so pretty too; she has such cute eyebrows, and she’s a really attractive girl. Regarding this Miss Honoka Shikibu, she’s a rather popular person.”

“Huh? That cold-hearted girl who keeps sending messages?’

Koremitsu once thought that since she gave such a fierce look as she sent messages, throwing off an ominous presence, she was definitely the type of person to be isolated by the others in class.

“Miss Shikibu’s not only popular with the boys. There are quite a lot of female fans out there, too. She’s athletic, often helps others, and has a very keen sense of chivalry. She’s someone the girls really admire.”

Chivalry!?

As in, being helpful to others!?

“I don’t know. I don’t know what those people think at all!”

“Even if you look away and deny it...don’t you find that Miss Shikibu has very nice looking legs!?”

“AND YOU’RE TELLING ME THAT THE WEAPON USED TO KICK ME IS ATTRACTIVE!?”

“That feisty expression of hers really entranced me."

"I just find it disgusting."

"Her hair's an alluringly smooth, tan color."

"How is that squirrel-like color nice to look at?"

"...I say, Koremitsu, aren't you being too picky with girls?"

"Yeah. Gramps has always been telling me not to be too kind to girls."

Hikaru sighed, continuing.

"There's nothing more beautiful and cute than girls in this world. They're gentle, yet hardy."

The insistence carried in saying this was something Koremitsu felt he could never understand in all his life, and he wanted it to remain that way.

Women were an existence foreign to Koremitsu, as he would eye them with gloomy pupils at times - they in all their inexplicable fragility before him.

"If only you could understand the beauty of girls."

Hikaru muttered in a sad tone, quickly changing his voice to be cheerful again.

"Okay, how about you try dating a girl? Let's go a find a girl who can make your heart race. I'll demonstrate to you. Then, let's call in two girls and go out as a group of four. It'll be fun!"

"Aren't you already dead?"

"Ah, yeah."

"Seriously, this is something important, okay? I see you forgot that you're a ghost with his funeral rites done."

Hikaru let out a snicker.

"It's definitely your fault."

"HUH!?"

Almost in complete disregard of Koremitsu’s outburst, Hikaru spoke gently in a register that seemed to bleed a wonderful fragrance with each word.

"Because you were able to hear my voice, and you could talk with me. It feels like I made a friend. We can go to school and return from school together, we can go to each other's home - we can even chat with one another during class breaks or lunch break."

Koremitsu's head started to feel hot.

What in the world is this guy saying?

Koremitsu's heart started to waver for some ridiculous reason, and he was caught in confusion.

Is- is that so?... Is this what going to school, returning from school, and having lunch with a 'friend' means? I see, so that's how it is.

He mused what Hikaru said.

His face felt like it was in sweltering heat.

His chest began to itch so much, it was nearly unbearable.

"We aren't exactly real friends, but just 'designated' as such, right?"

As he spoke, he deliberately averted his eyes from Hikaru. The latter remained calm in reply.

"...Well, yeah. We're just 'temporary' friends until we give Miss Aoi her gifts."

Koremitsu realized that he may have hurt Hikaru's feelings when he said they were only 'designated' as friends. His heart ached at the thought with an abnormally strong sense of loneliness.

"Oh, so I'll just help you complete your wish and let you ascend to heaven! I really can't stand it whenever you start to explain things related to flowers. Speaking of which, flowers wilt very easily, and they can snap easily; they can be crushed easily, can't be eaten, and serve no other purpose whatsoever."

Koremitsu did not know what to do about this inexplicable loneliness inside him, his voice gruffer than before.

There was no reason for him to mention flowers.

Hikaru's was still as optimistic as ever.

"Ah, yet there are edible flowers, like dandelion, violets, roses, and more. They taste rather good as well. Oh yes, let's invite girls to pick some grass next time."

Koremitsu, trying to contain his unease until this point in time, could only show bewilderment in his eyes upon hearing Hikaru's proposal.

Picking grass?

Hikaru started to explain excitedly.

"In other words, let's go pick edible grass in the wild next time. Those girls who like to go outdoors to the hills and forests are really cute, and we can increase our intimacy with others as we make food. Also, it can satisfy your desire for food, you know? Ah, but I feel that girls prefer to have someone giving them the flowers instead of enjoying them. If you pick a simple flower that can only bloom in the wild, her affection for you will increase greatly!"

Koremitsu tried to picture the scene in his mind.

"You see! There are dandelions everywhere! Let's have dandelion tempura and boiled dandelion for dinner tonight!"

On some verdant grassland, Hikaru held dandelions in both hands, a radiant smile on his face.

For reasons unknown, there was Yodel music in the background.

He was surrounded by a hoard of unfamiliar girls.

"Kya! You're amazing, Hikaru!"

"I want to try out your cooking, Hikaru!"

They were jumping about and cheering with delight.

“—For example, a crown made from dandelions or White Clovers will be very effective. For a hardy boy like you, people will like it if you can make a flower crown clumsily. She will definitely feel very touched. Even if it’s only a flower, you can put it on the ring finger. That would be equally effective. I’ll teach you how to do it; it’s very simple, and I’m sure you’ll agree, Koremitsu—”

“Didn’t I tell you not to talk to me about flowers and women already, you harem prince!?”

Koremitsu’s harsh words were a thin veil over the regret he had for his insensitivity with Hikaru. The pain in his heart lingered, but heavy atmosphere was lifted with Hikaru’s suggestion.

As expected, this guy’s just a carefree harem bastard!

Hikaru shrugged his shoulders, feigning resignation.

“Looks like I failed.”

“Anyway, now’s not the time to try and hook up girls, but to seriously think about how you can pass your feelings on to your fiancée. Your fiancée is rather tough to deal with. The gifts you want to present her aren’t the sort that can be stuffed into a shoe locker, after all.”

This was the most troublesome thing for Koremitsu.

Hikaru promised to give Aoi six different presents on her birthday, but they were not things that could be bought in a shop and given to others so easily with a “Hi, please accept this.”

In order to make her accept all these presents, the notorious Akagi Koremitsu had to act as the messenger for Hikaru Mikado and make Aoi accept these presents willfully.

Can I really do this?

We’re just ‘temporary’ friends after all.

Koremitsu frowned with a groan, Hikaru speaking up.

“Ah, I just forgot something very simple.”

“Huh?”

“Only Miss Aoi and I know about my promise to give seven presents to her.”

“Oh.”

“In other words, if you tell her this, it proves that you’re my representative, and she may actually open her heart to you.”

“Ohh - this sort of thinking certainly can work!”

Koremitsu poked his body out.

“You should have said that right from the beginning, you bastard. Now we have some progress.”

“Ahaha, I was really absent-minded.”

“Looks like my days of going to the toilet and bathing alone are just over the horizon!”

Under the cerulean sky, they both held each other’s tender hands like genuine friends (even though it was impossible), and they took the moment to savor their happiness.

Lunch break ended, and once Honoka Shikibu could catch the sight of Koremitsu on his way from the roof toward the classroom, she glanced over with a wrathful expression.

Koremitsu also remembered his own grudge of having his yakisoba bread taken away, and intended to glare back; but the hope that he could still resolve the situation regarding Aoi prevented him from doing so.

Humph. I’m not some petty guy who sweats the details.

He chose to ignore her.

The school day came to an end. Koremitsu stood from his chair and headed off to the arts room on the 3 rd level to fulfill his responsibility as Hikaru’s messenger.

“Huh? Nobody’s around.”

“It looks like we’re a little early.”

There was no one in the classroom - only a stone plaster for design looked back at them. The canvas and easels were lying in a corner.

“This is...Miss Aoi’s painting.”

Hikaru floated to a canvas piece and smiled.

Koremitsu, too, walked over and took a peek.

“Eh- that’s unexpectedly...well-drawn.”

He was not simply complimenting her for the sake thereof, but was truly enchanted by it.

It was a painting of the school’s staircase drawn from the bottom stair and looking upwards. The painting was made to look like it was shrouded in a layer of golden mist, covered along with a splendid mix of calming hue.

Rays of light that shone in from the top of the stairs were warm, and one could not help but close his eyes and feel their embrace. However, there was a sense of loneliness in how this scenery had no one in it.

Is this gentle and slightly lonely painting that cynical girl’s...?

“Miss Aoi is very good at painting backgrounds, whether it’s the stairs, the school’s shoe locker, the corridor, the book racks in the library, the stage of an empty gym, the water cooler in school—she’s always able to use soft colors and depict the minor details ordinary people don’t normally notice.”

Hikaru looked like he was the one who painted the piece of art as he proudly smiled.

Gazing upon the painting, his eyes were intense - like they were protecting treasure - and were filled with what seemed a medley of powerful emotions. Sunlight danced off of particles in the air all around an open window, where they fluttered as Hikaru stood.

This guy’s an unrepentant playboy, but his feelings for Aoi are real...

Even Koremitsu, who was slow-witted in matters of romance, could understand a little of what Hikaru felt as he examined Aoi’s painting.

He, who was unwilling to help Hikaru before - only hoping to send him to Heaven - after seeing Hikaru’s sincere affection for his girlfriend, truly wanted to pass Hikaru’s feelings on to her.

I’m just your ‘temporary’ friend for now... but I ended up accepting your plea because of fate. I’ll definitely help you present your gifts to Aoi. I’ll definitely express to her your feelings.

He said this to himself as a commitment.

“What are you doing?”

A tense voice came from behind.

A pale-faced Aoi was standing in the doorway. She frowned slightly, biting her lips in anger.

“Please get out.”

Her slender shoulders trembled. Perhaps she was fearful of Koremitsu’s appearance.

“Miss Aoi, please listen to Koremitsu.”

Hikaru said this, ostensibly to try calming her down.

His voice could not reach Aoi’s ears.

“As I’d said yesterday, I don’t want to talk to you in any way.”

Koremitsu looked over to Hikaru with an expression that said “Leave it to me.” He stiffened his facial muscles, gave the most serious expression he could muster, and walked towards Aoi.

Aoi was not alone in her shock with this.

“I haven’t presented Hikaru’s second gift to you.”

Upon hearing this, Aoi’s body convulsed. Her eyes betrayed surprise. She was, without a doubt, rattled that Koremitsu referenced something only she and Hikaru could know.

Alright, it looks like I got her attention.

He glanced aside at Hikaru, who had been watching them tensely and giving a thumbs up, indicating that things were proceeding smoothly enough.

“Hikaru promised to give you seven gifts, and the remaining six are with me for the time being. I hope to give them to you on your birthday, so on that day, please—”

Suddenly, a bag was thrown at him.

As Hikaru called out, “Miss Aoi, please stop!” the bag hit Koremitsu square in the face.

“What- what in the world?”

Aoi looked like a cat with its hairs standing as she panted in heaves and glared at Koremitsu.

She was livid.

Her fists were now trembling more than before the moment Koremitsu spoke. She was biting her lips harder, and her eyebrows were lower.

Before Koremitsu could understand what was going on, she threw everything from paint brushes to wash pails to drawing pencils.

“Please don’t make such a lie! Why would Hikaru ask you such a thing before he died!? He died from an accident!”

Argh, I forgot about this.

The moment Hikaru gave Aoi her first present, he was unable to know that he was about to die.

“Miss Aoi. Koremitsu heard from me that I intended to give seven presents to a very important girl, and he decided to help me in order to fulfill this mission!”

Hikaru continued to explain as he stood beside them.

“Tha-that’s right! I’m Hikaru’s - friend! I heard about the seven gifts before—that he wanted to hand those gifts to a very important girl!”

He shouted as he dodged the brushes and pencils. As he was too anxious, he ended up saying things without order.

“You first entered school the day right before Golden Week. Asa said that you only appeared once in school before Hikaru’s death, and that you can’t possibly be Hikaru’s friend. She said that you intended to lie to me; she said that your words are all lies, and that I shouldn’t listen to you.”

Who’s Asa? Oi!?

“Miss Aoi. Please calm down. I’ve been close friends with Koremitsu for a long time.”

“That’s right! I’ve been sworn brothers with Hikaru for ten years already.”

“Hikaru never had any male friends ever since kindergarten! All his playmates were female! That’s what Asa said too! Hikaru can’t possibly have any male friends!”

Then again, who’s this Asa anyway!?

There were red, blue, black, and green paints tubes thrown right at him. Aoi, who was panting erratically on a canvas now, gritted her teeth as her eyes became hot flames.

“If what you said was even the slightest bit true, that means that Hikaru told others of the promise he had with me. He definitely leaked it out during a pillow talk with another woman, and that woman told others out of excitement, only for you to hear it.”

“That’s not true, Miss Aoi!”

Hikaru grew desperate.

Aoi lost control of her emotions. No matter how they tried to deny her accusations, she would refuse to hear them out.

“GET OUT! PLEASE GET OUT! PLEASE DON’T TREAT ME LIKE AN IDIOT! EVEN IF ASA NEVER SAID SO, I WON’T FORGIVE A DESPICABLE PERSON LIKE YOU!”

Aoi continued on the assault, looking like she would even throw the canvas and easels over.

“This won’t do, Koremitsu. Let’s try again another day.”

“I say, Mikado. You aren’t really trustworthy, aren’t you?”

“Please go!”

Koremitsu raised his bag face to block the projectiles thrown at him on his escape. Aoi did not cease until Koremitsu was out the door. He then opened it again.

“I’ll come back!”

He yelled as he poked his face out from behind the bag, and a palette hit his chin, knocking him back.

“Woah!”

He slipped and tried to regain his balance, but ultimately failed as he fell onto the floor in the halls.

“KYAA!”

There was a high-pitched voice, and Koremitsu’s nose picked up something sweet, his face buried in something soft.

Hm? What is it? Why are there cushions on the floor?

“This, this is bad, Koremitsu! Even I’ve never done such a thing in the school corridors before!”

Why is Hikaru so anxious?

At the next moment,

“YOU PERVERT!”

He was hit hard in the chest.

He lifted his head and found Honoka Shikibu’s face inches away. Her face was flushed red, and her murderous expression looked right back at him.

Shikibu’s breasts were right below Koremitsu’s face, confirmation that the cushion-like thing from before was Shikibu’s cleavage. The worst part was that Honoka’s knee pressed into his abdomen.

A more forceful impact came. Shikibu clenched her fist and hooked it from the right side into Koremitsu’s forehead.

“GUAH!”

Koremitsu rolled off her.

“PERVERT! MOLESTER! GO DIE!”

Shikibu proceeded to kick at Koremitsu’s shoulders and abdomen with her heels and toes.

Koremitsu cried in anguish as he took her kickboxer-like hits.

“Miss Shikibu, you’re mistaken! This was an accident!”

Hikaru tried his best to explain, but, as had already been proven once that day, his explanations were futile.

Shikibu gave a scornful gaze down at the walloped Koremitsu, who laid motionless in his disheveled uniform.

“If you dare to push down another girl in school and bury your head in her breasts again, I’ll beat you up good!”

With this declaration, she walked off.

A crowd formed around Koremitsu as onlookers started their exchanges over the fight.

“Shikibu’s so cool.”

“The delinquent sure has it rough.”

Aoi, who was standing at the door, had her input also.

“...It’s just like what Asa said. You’re the worst.”

She muttered it coldly, slamming the door shut.

Amid the strewn textbooks and stationery, Koremitsu sprawled on the floor.

Damn iiiit!!! Didn’t I crash into Shikibu’s breasts because of the palette you threw at me!? And that Asa or whatever definitely hates my guts, right!?

He vociferated in his mind.

A voice beside him rang louder than the others.

“Koremitsu! Hang in there, Koremitsu! Don’t die off too!”

Hikaru said some ominous things.

“As expected, women are no good. That fierce-looking girl kicked me without giving me a chance to explain, and that fiancée of yours just went crazy and threw all the brushes and paint at me! I’m not some shooting target, for goodness’ sake—! That’s why I say women—!”

Koremitsu sat down atop the tatami mat in his house, muttering his grandfather’s catchphrase to vent his frustrations.

He still felt sore from the beating he’d received from Shikibu; his wounds were so bad that he’d nearly been hospitalized.

“Anyway...I’m really sorry about all of this.”

Hikaru, carefree by nature, could only be seated and apologize to Koremitsu.

“For Miss Aoi to have deemed me so untrustworthy... It’s not as though I’d never expected it, but I couldn’t have imagined that it would be so serious... Has Miss Aoi taken my treatment of women to heart? But each flower has a charm of its own.”

“Your reflection on this had better be as deep as the sea, you big pervert.”

“Yes...”

Hikaru shrunk at his words.

“So what should we do now? She has treated you like a playboy who blabbered about this during a pillow talk with girls, and because of that, her defenses are even greater. Can we really open her heart before her birthday?”

“I forgot that Miss Aoi is different from the other girls.”

Hikaru frowned dejectedly.

“I can’t compose myself whenever I face Miss Aoi...even when I was alive, I did a lot more things to make her angry than to make her happy. Uu - I’m really a useless playboy.”

“Don’t say that you’re a pretty boy, alright? Besides, we can’t let this continue.”

“We may need someone who understands a woman’s heart to give suggestions.”

Koremitsu was surprised by the usefulness of Hikaru’s proposal.

“For example, we need a knowledgeable and gentle big sister, admired by all the underclassmen girls, someone everyone can talk to. Much like the flower of love from South America, Heliotrope - called purple fragrance in Japanese - a reliable woman with radiance, elegance and great knowledge.”

“Women again!?”

Suddenly, they both heard a cheerful song.

“Wh-what is that?”

It was a hit song from some popular band. The lyrics of the female vocals were an encouragement for love. However, one had to ask why it sounded in the first place.

“Koremitsu, your phone’s ringing.”

Koremitsu did not remember setting this song as his ringtone. That aside, it was unbelievable for him to ever receive a message.

He rummaged through his bag and found the phone flashing.

The phone was lavender in color, decorated with sparkling accessories, and there was the keychain of an ugly bear, or whatever it was, dangling from it.

“This phone isn’t mine.”

“It seems that it belongs to a girl.”

The phone continued ringing. Shall I pick it up?

He flipped the phone open, but he was unfamiliar with how it worked. He randomly pressed a few buttons, and the ringing stopped. Then, a message log appeared on the screen.

“To: Purple Princess: regarding the first date I had with Tomonori (>_<)”

“Purple princess?”

He continued to the other messages.

“Re: Purple Princess: I’m going to confess tomorrow~~”

“Purple Princess! Yuuki wants to talk to you regarding her ex-boyfriend!”

“Re: Purple Princess: I made up with K.”

He scanned through the list, and found the name Purple Princess all over the place.

“Purple Princess? That’s an idiotic name.”

He commented, and Hikaru injected.

“I heard of it before. It’s something the girls talk about between...well, wait, please let me recall. My memory increases tenfold as long as it has anything to do with girls. Oh yes, that was when I was walking back with the second year, Miss Reiko from Seibi Academy after we went to see the Renoir exhibition...”

He put his hand below his chin, and pondered for a while.

“Oh yes! She’s a mobile novelist!”

“A mobile novel?”

“Yes, it’s a sweet love story with lots of mood whiplash. Once she uploaded it onto the blog, there were a lot of replies asking for suggestions with love, and she’s hailed as the ‘expert in love’. Can your phone access the net, Koremitsu?”

“...I guess, but I never went online before.”

“Then, let’s try looking for this Purple Princess.”

With Hikaru guiding him, Koremitsu used his phone to enter the name ‘Purple Princess’ as a search query.

The top search showed a blog called ‘Purple Princess’s Mansion’.

“That one.”

Koremitsu clicked on it, and there was a dazzling, purple-based webpage with all sorts of functions on to boast.

There were a few sorted tabs that included ‘novel’, ‘love talk’, and ‘diary’. He clicked on ‘novel’, and there appeared prose in many paragraphs and line breaks.

“The breath sighing from the raccoon

Descends upon my face.

Cold.

Spicy.

My heart aches.

Not good.

It looks like I’ve really fallen in love.”

“???”

A spicy breath? Heart ache? I don’t understand at all. And speaking of which, this is a novel? Or is it a poem?

He tilted his head, clicking on the ‘love talk’ tab.

“Today, I’ll answer Miss Cactus Flower’s troubles!

This is the mail sent from Miss Cactus Flower!”

“Purple Princess, please listen to me.

I’m a first year high school girl who really loves K from my class.

K treats me as a mere friend and never treated me as a girl before.

K likes Y-bi, my clubmate, and he actually asked me to help him ask her if there's anyone she's going out with.

What exactly should I do here?”

After this question, there was the Purple Princess’ answer:

“Miss Cactus Flower!

You must definitely show your feelings to K.

I know you’re scared of breaking your relationship with K, but it will feel even more unbearable if K goes out with another girl.

You should take action now!

To make your confession a success, this Purple Princess will give you some tips.

First, you have to let K know that you, Cactus Flower, are a girl. This is the most important thing!

Your hairstyle, jewelry, and makeup should all be a little girlish.

And then, if K asks you what’s going on, you should look weak and answer feebly.

“There’s someone I like, and I hope he notices me.”

After that, K will probably wonder who the person you ‘like’ is.”

Such questions and answers about love continued on the page.

Koremitsu looked at the phone.

“...Hey, the owner of this phone inside my bag is the ‘Purple Princess,’ right?”

“From the title of the mail, it certainly seems that way.”

“I just got kicked badly by Shikibu in front of the arts room, right?”

“Yeah, her skirt was exposed quite a bit. Her pretty legs could be seen, and her thighs were in clear view.”

“Once she went off, I stood up - the stuff in my bag dropped everywhere when I got up. I was embarrassed and furious, and anyway, I just picked up everything on the floor and put them into my bag...”

“Yeah.”

Hikaru and Koremitsu looked at the phone with intrigue.

“Maybe Shikibu’s phone...is inside there.”

“That’s a possibility.”

“In other words, this phone...”

Koremitsu had a bad feeling as he spoke.

“Is Shikibu the Purple Princess?”

## Notes

- ↑ Jūnihitoe, literally translated as twelve-layered robe; worn by court ladies, starting in the Heian Era. Noted for their intricate and graceful designs.

- ↑ An all-female musical and theater troupe in Japan

- ↑ 衣冠束帯, Itai Sokudai

### 010. Chapter 4: Where Do People Go When They Die?

Hikaru led Koremitsu to his upper class apartment which was a mere twenty minute walk from the school.

It was said that the apartment complex was owned by Hikaru’s father; Hikaru used to live alone in one of the apartments.

The entrance was equipped with an automatic lock, and the caretaker was a man well into his years.

“I’m Hikaru’s friend. Can I go to his room? There’s something I lent him.”

The caretaker eyed Koremitsu’s disheveled hair and uniform circumspectly.

“Nope, I can’t let in anyone I don’t know. Besides, how would I know that you’re Master Hikaru’s friend?”

As expected, he was refused.

Oh damn, what do I do now?

Koremitsu grimaced and speculated over his next move when he his thoughts were interrupted by Hikaru.

“Tell him you’ll bring him the limited chestnut-steamed Yōkan from Taiseido next time.”

What’s that? Koremitsu lowered his head in wonder.

“I’ll bring you the limited chestnut-steamed Yōkan from Taiseido next time as a gift, if you want.”

He secretly lifted his stare, and saw the caretaker’s eyes widen as he shuddered.

What’s going on! Does he have a heart attack!?

Just when Koremitsu was panicking, tears welled up in the caretaker’s eyes.

“Is that so...Young Master Hikaru said when he went to the villa that morning ‘I’ll bring you that limited edition chestnut-steamed Yōkan from Taisedo’. That’s because he saw this recommendation on television a few days ago and said ‘It’s looks really nice. Let’s go and try it together, Mr. Maezono’...Young Master Hikaru was very emphatic with others around him ever since he was young...”

He inadvertently choked on his words as he said this.

“It’s really great to see that Young Master Hikaru has a male friend. He always talked about how he wanted to have a friend of the same gender.”

He said delightedly as he let out snot, opened the lock, and brought Koremitsu to Hikaru’s room on the highest level.

“The room is kept in the same condition as when Young Master Hikaru was alive. Just give me a holler when you want to head back.”

The caretaker said this, and went back to his room.

“Mister Maezono used to be my father’s chauffeur, and I’ve been well taken care of by him ever since I was young. Even when I started living alone, he kept coming over to talk with me like a real grandfather, and he would worry about me whenever I returned home late.”

Hikaru spoke with a reminiscing voice.

“When did you start living here?”

“Since the first year of middle school.”

He answered without hesitation.

First year of middle school, huh? Wasn’t he still a kid back then?

Koremitsu felt a little shocked.

The room with the wooden-tiled floor was extremely wide, and there was no carpet laid out.

There were practically no furniture, let alone a television. There was a sofa, a large dining table that was inappropriate for someone living alone, with 4 chairs lined around it. The table looked like it had not been used before, and one could get a feeling that nobody lived here before.

The caretaker did say before that this was the condition of the room when Hikaru was alive. Did Hikaru live in this lonely room every day?

“I was the one who suggested that I should live alone. I’ll gain more freedom like this.”

Hikaru was dressed up in shirt and jeans as he moved around barefooted (this was most probably Hikaru’s casual attire), and Koremitsu felt a sense of loneliness when he saw Hikaru in this state.

Perhaps it was because he saw Koremitsu’s utter silence that Hikaru grinned and said heartily.

“My father was very rich, so I never had any worries financially, and I lived a carefree and lazy life. I don’t have to contact my family when I have girls living in my house. Nobody will tell me off even if I stay at a girl’s house for a few days, and I can go out in the middle of the night if girls call me.”

“Tch, you’re already a Casanova in middle school!?”

He felt a loss of words,

"—I can’t sleep alone because I’m scared of loneliness."

He recalled the words Hikaru used to say, and felt his chest tighten.

"—and I can only relax when someone accompanies me..."

Don’t tell me this guy dated so many girls because he’s too lonely?

The moment he thought of how Hikaru looked as he cupped his knees in the midst of this wide room, sparsely filled with furniture, Koremitsu showed a serious expression.

Koremitsu himself understood the loneliness of having no parents best.

After being with Hikaru for such a long time, there was one thing he understood.

His smile isn’t to be trusted.

Even if it was unbearable to a point where he had to cough out blood, even if the loneliness felt like it was going to pry a hole open in him, he would continue to smile.

This made Koremitsu really frustrated.

Hikaru opened his eyes gently as he gave a gentle smile.

“There should be a photo album in the closet. I brought you here to show it to you.”

“So the extremely pretty flowers you’re talking about refer to the photos?”

“Are you hoping for a blond maid to invite you in?”

“Shut up, I already told you that I hate women, you idiot.”

“Then, how about I change into a maid outfit and say to you, ‘welcome back, master~’?”

“No way, that’s disgusting.”

“But I feel that it should suit me somewhat.” As Hikaru rambled on, Koremitsu opened the closet embedded into the wall and took out several photo albums that were stacked inside.

He sat down on the wooden floor, flipped the albums, and found many baby photos inside.

Are these Hikaru’s photos?

Hikaru had an angelic face when he was a baby, a stark contrast to Koremitsu’s savage-looking face ever since he was born.

Some of Hikaru’s photos showed him smiling gently, some showed his sucking on the milk bottle as he widened his round eyes at the camera, some showed him reaching his small maple leaf-like hands as he chortled, and some showed him taking a nap with a furry puppy-like toy.

There were so many of these photos that could make it as the cover for a baby magazine, to a point where it felt endless.

“...Dude, are the pretty flowers referring to you? You want to show me your baby photos?”

His eyes were certainly large and round like a girl’s,

But even so, Koremitsu had no interest in such cute things. Even if there was certainly a rare beautiful baby, he would naturally get frustrated if he were to continue looking on at the same baby.

“They’re at the back.”

Hikaru said as he sat down beside Koremitsu, browsing the photo album.

“Tch, aren’t they all baby photos. And—”

Koremitsu spotted a photo, and his hand that was flipping through the pages stopped.

These were Hikaru’s photos as a baby, but there were no one else in the previous photos. However, there was a woman cradling Hikaru in the photo.

The young woman sitting on the chair smiled gently at the camera, and she looked exactly like Hikaru.

But this face...

“Hey, is this your mother? I saw someone similar to her during your funeral. Is she your relative too?”

The woman he was referring to was the woman dressed in black at Hikaru’s funeral, weeping and smiling.

Koremitsu himself was perplexed by this smile.

He wondered who that woman was, and why she was able to calm so calmly at the funeral.

“That person’s...”

Hikaru’s voice stopped out of a sudden.

Intrigued, Koremitsu looked over, and he spotted Hikaru’s gloomy expression.

Did I ask something I shouldn’t have?

Hikaru bit onto his lips hard, seemingly in deep thought, and Koremitsu had a bad feeling about this.

As he wondered about how to break this silence however, Hikaru immediately lifted his face and grinned heartily.

That clear yet transparent smile made the previous expression of tension seem like an illusion.

“Yup, that’s right. She’s a relative of my mother.”

“I see. No wonder the likeness is there.”

Koremitsu too answered with a clear voice. He felt that there was a need to do so.

He felt that he should not ask about that woman again.

“I want to show you what’s further behind. Keep flipping, Koremitsu.”

“Oh, okay.”

He flipped to the next page.

What appeared on it were not baby photos, but photos of Hikaru as a toddler. He continued to flip the pages, and found photos of Hikaru, aged 5-6, standing with girls of around the same age.

There were two girls on the photos; one of them was an intelligent looking girl with radiant black hair who stood a little taller than Hikaru, while the other was a girl, shorter than Hikaru by half a head, with a white ribbon tied on her loose and beautiful black hair.

There were many photos of the trio or two-man shots taken by one of the girls.

The tallest girl amongst the trio would give a serious look practically all the time when their photos were taken, and the shortest girl with the ribbon on her head would show varied expressions on the photos.

She would sometimes puff her cheeks, sometimes widen her eyes as her face was blushing, sometimes pout away with tears in her eyes, sometimes fidget away due to shyness, or would chuckle from time to time.

“Is the one with the ribbon Aoi?”

Hikaru answered gently,

“Yes, and the other one’s Asa.”

His expression was so gentle as he looked at the photo.

“Asa, as in the one who told Aoi to ignore me? So she’s Asa.”

Koremitsu glared at the intellectual looking girl on the photo.

“Asa’s name is called Asai, and she’s my cousin on the paternal side, Aoi’s close friend. Aoi and Asa are a year older than me, and they’re my childhood playmates. The three of us were together since we were very little.”

On one hand, Hikaru’s expression still looked so radiant.

When the trio was lined together, the calm and aloof Asai would stand in the middle. Hikaru stood on the left with the smile plastered on his face, while Aoi was shyly fidgeting away on the right side. It seemed that Aoi was glancing aside at Hikaru, but she would deliberately turn her petite face away whenever it was time for them to take photos together.

Koremitsu glanced aside at Hikaru, and discovered that their faces were nearly sticking together as the latter looked back with his clear eyes.

He then spoke with a gentle tone that was full of love,

“Miss Aoi was a little clumsy when she was young...and she’s shy...she always had Asa accompany her when she comes over to my house. She would blush and say something like, ‘Asa said that she wants to come to your house to play, Hikaru, so I came along’. She loves to drink the sweet milkshakes, but will scowl in front of me and drink sugarless coffee...that’s the kind of child she was.”

That was a really sweet expression.

That was really a gentle narrating voice.

As he listened on, Koremitsu experienced a new, fuzzy feeling in his heart.

He could not comprehend what this was, but he did not really hate this sickeningly sweet feeling that had a little warmth and a little sadness.

“When I secretly added sugar into Miss Aoi’s coffee, her eyes will widen into a round shape, and she would blush as she stared back at me. She’s really cute, so I could not help but start adding sugar into her coffee secretly. Miss Aoi would then look at the cup to prevent me from doing so.”

It was a like a blissful daily episode.

His expression looked like it was going to melt.

“Miss Aoi looks really cute when she’s shocked, and her reactions after that became interesting and cute too. Thus, I could not help but tease her again and again. However, it seemed that Miss Aoi was angry as she told me off for teasing her even though she was older than me, and that I’m rude like a delinquent.”

Hikaru’s voice got a little softer, and he showed a thin smile on his face.

“My betrothal with Miss Aoi was decided by our families, but I feel that it’s fine for her to be my ‘most beloved’...”

The eyes were full of gentleness and sadness as they glanced aside at Koremitsu.

“...Miss Aoi...was my ‘hope’.”

That was a silent voice that was ostensibly about to dye his heart.

Hope...? Her?

Before arriving here, Koremitsu was very infuriated with Aoi.

He even advised Hikaru to forget about this obstinate and incomprehensible woman.

However, the Aoi that was left in Hikaru’s heart was probably deeper than what Koremitsu could even imagine...she spat such overboard things in front of Hikaru’s face, but Hikaru’s affections for her had never changed.

Hikaru showed a tint of loneliness on his face.

“That’s why...even though it’s easy for me to embrace other girls, I just feel...that Miss Aoi is the only one I can’t touch. Maybe it’s because I’m scared that she’ll really say that she hates me. Because Miss Aoi...is really a very important person to me.”

Koremitsu’s heart was hurting.

The anger he had for Aoi faded gradually, and what came in place of it was a surge of sadness.

“Don’t you have many other women beside Aoi?”

“Yes.”

“Then, haven’t you thought of breaking up with them for the sake of Aoi?”

Once Koremitsu asked this, Hikaru’s eyes turned hollow.

“You haven’t?”

“...About that, it might be despicable of me to say this, but I should say probably not. That’s because I can’t just do all that for Miss Aoi’s sake...however, I guess I’ll have to clear a line with the other girls if I want to live with Miss Aoi. If I don’t do so, there won’t be a new beginning...the birthday gift was an opportunity, so I sent a letter before heading to the villa...and prepared the remaining gifts.”

His voice sounded a little harsh, and he suddenly shut up midway through.

The light brown eyes under the lowered eyelashes showed a darkness that was miry.

Koremitsu did not know how Hikaru managed to date so many women went out with, and did not know what Hikaru was planning to cut off in order to start afresh.

If one were to calm down and think, he would realize that breaking up with the other women for the sake of Aoi was a little too selfish.

Those who were unpopular with girls would definitely lash out at him after hearing such troubles, and the girls who were dumped may be vengeful enough to choke him to death.

But Koremitsu could not even say anything to tell off Hikaru—after seeing the latter’s sad and dull eyes.

Hikaru’s body was no longer on this Earth.

He could no longer be together with Aoi, who he described with such a gentle expression.

Hikaru remained silent.

“...”

And Koremitsu suddenly tensed up.

Th-this is a chance for me to repay him for comforting me at school. Pull yourself together, there’s still tomorrow—oh wait, this guy doesn’t have a tomorrow. He’s dead.

His temples rose up, and he decided to pat Hikaru on the shoulder first before talking.

But of course, his hand passed through Hikaru’s shoulder, and the momentum caused him to slap his hand on his chest.

As it was overly forceful, his body was knocked back in the face of this impact his chest was undefended against.

“? What are you doing, Koremitsu?”

Hikaru asked in a perplexed manner as he looked down at Koremitsu, who fell with his back on the floor after the hit.

“S-shut up! I’m doing gymnastics!”

“Why must you be doing gymnastics now? I think I just heard your head crash into the floor too.”

Koremitsu was flustered as he was flailing around helplessly.

And at this moment, an icy voice suddenly rang in the room.

“Are you someone who likes to roll about and mutter to yourself in someone else’s house?”

He got up in shock.

An icy cold stare was looking down on Koremitsu, and a tall girl with long radiant black hair was standing at the living room’s door.

This person is—

She had an elegant-looking face, she had wise-looking lips, a clear pair of eyes, and remnants of her childhood look.

Most importantly, one could tell who she was from the depreciating look she gave at Koremitsu.

“Asa.”

Hikaru called out the name that appeared in Koremitsu’s mind.

So she’s that Asai!

Hikaru’s cousin, Aoi’s close friend—

“You’re Koremitsu Akagi from class 1-5, I presume?”

Asai said out Koremitsu’s name as if she just uttered out something filthy.

The radiant black hair was in no way inferior to Aoi’s as it dangled down her shoulders, but it had a different atmosphere from the latter. Asai was a lot mature than the tender Aoi, and there seemed to be a chilly atmosphere surrounding her.

Aoi’s height was a little below the average for girls, while Asai herself was slightly taller. Both of them were slender, but Aoi’s thinness gave a fragile vibe, and in contrast, Asai gave the feeling of being firm from head to toe.

This forceful attitude caused Koremitsu to feel nary a good vibe about her in this situation, and that she was a disgusting and snobbish woman.

Speaking of which, wasn’t this Asai the one who calmed Aoi down and brought her away when the latter started the commotion at the funeral?

Koremitsu reminisced, getting up on his feet to glare back at Asai.

“So you’re that Asa.”

“I don’t remember allowing you to call me by this name.”

Unmoved, Asai coldly retorted.

“It can’t be helped. I don’t know your full name anyway.”

“Asai Saiga.”

“Is that so? Thank you for informing me. Now, why are you here?”

“I’m Hikaru’s cousin, and I was requested by his father to clear up the stuff he left behind. The key’s entrusted to me too.”

Despite Koremitsu scanning her in a bad mood, Asai was not afraid at all, and she looked back at Koremitsu and said,

“Then, what about you ? Why are you here? Mister Maezono actually opened the door for you. You look like a hoodlum with little verbal capacity, but you can talk, unexpectedly.”

Koremitsu frowned unhappily.

Hikaru immediately tried to calm him down.

“Asa’s trying to make you angry. Calm down and don’t get caught in her pace.”

Koremitsu immediately swallowed the words he wanted to utter out.

“I lent a book to Hikaru.”

“Which book?”

“Proust’s ‘In the shadow of young girls in bloom’.”

“Pr-Proust’s ‘In the shadow of young girls in bloom’.”

Koremitsu answered as what Hikaru told him to, and Asai raised her eyebrows slightly.

“I’ve been reading his ‘In Search of Lost Time’, and just finished reading the first volume ‘From Swann’. ‘In the shadow of young girls in bloom’ is the second volume.”

“He just finished reading the first volume ‘From Swann’ of the ‘In Search of Lost Time’ series. He got attracted to Proust’s work, and borrowed the second volume from me.”

Upon hearing this, Asai’s eyebrows twitched anxiously.

Koremitsu heaved a sigh of relief as he saw this reaction, but Asai pressed on.

“So that means you read through this ‘In the shadow of Young Girls in bloom’. What kind of content does it have?”

Hey, what kind of story is it, Hikaru?

He gave Hikaru a look, but the latter answered in a troubled manner.

“I’m sorry, but I haven’t had time to read it. I just left it alone as there were too many dates. But you see, this book looks like a theme that girls like, right? That’s an 85% chance of it to be a love story, you know.”

You idiot! What if it’s not! Besides, why would you tell me the name of a book you’ve never read before?

As Koremitsu continued to ask Hikaru while giving several expressions, Asai asked further.

“What is it? Can’t you answer?”

“It’s a book belonging to a relative anyway. Who knows what it’s about?”

He protested to remove himself from the situation.

“And to whom, might I ask, does it belong?”

“What has the owner of the book got to do with you?”

“Calm down, Koremitsu. Asa’s not waiting for an answer, but whether you’re guilty.”

Hikaru had already forewarned him, but Koremitsu, who gave a stiff expression as he stared into space, was deemed suspicious by Asai the moment he let out a trembling voice.

“Aren’t you the uninvolved party here, Mr Akagi.”

She sounded like a prosecutor interrogating a criminal.

“What do you mean?”

“I knew all about you approaching Aoi. How is it possible that you’re Hikaru’s friend? He doesn’t have a male friend at all, not only within school, but also out of it.”

“I’m his first friend.”

“That’s how you tricked Aoi, I suppose? Saying some stupid lie that Hikaru’s presents are with you for the time being; you’re the fourth one to pretend to comfort Aoi ever since Hikaru died. This caused Aoi to hate men all the more, and your method’s the most stupid of them all.”

“I said before that this isn’t a mean to approach Aoi, and I’m not lying to her! Hikaru requested me to pass on his feelings to her.”

“Hikaru’s feelings...?”

Asai narrowed her eyes to a slit, and her icy stare was like a sharp blade.

Koremitsu felt a chill on his back.

There seemed to be a tranquil fury going on around her, and she spoke with a voice colder than before,

“Then tell me about it. I’ll decide for myself whether these feelings are for Aoi to hear with my ears. Same for the presents; you’ll have to get my approval if you want to give them to Aoi.”

“But that will be meaningless! Hikaru requested me to pass them to Aoi , not you. I can only say those things to Aoi, and those presents are to go to her directly!”

He stared back at Asai as he concluded.

But the latter remained unmoved.

“Then, can you prove that these things you want to pass on really came from Hikaru?”

Koremitsu was speechless.

—You first entered school after Golden Week. Asa said it that you only appeared once in school before Hikaru’s death, and that you can’t possibly be Hikaru’s friend.

“I remember very clearly on the day you entered school that the rumored infamous freshman arrived with a crutch and bandages, causing quite a commotion in school. Why is it that he would request you, a student like you with a notorious reputation, to pass on his feelings for Aoi?”

My reputation isn’t for you to deal with. He muttered in his heart, but was unable to argue back.

That was because, if one were to consider this normally, it was impossible for Hikaru to request Koremitsu to present the presents to Aoi.

“And what exactly are Hikaru’s feelings? Don’t tell me Hikaru still likes Aoi? The way he likes girls is practically a disease now; he’s certainly not a match for the pure Aoi, and he’s been making her angry all this time.”

These stated facts caused Koremitsu to be even more at a loss of words.

Hikaru too showed a troubled and stiff expression.

Damn it, how can I lose to you!?

“Yeah, Hikaru’s one real playboy! He’s a harem bastard alright! But he still loves Aoi! It’s because there’s nothing fake about his feelings that I want to pass them on to Aoi!”

Koremitsu raised his chin as he exclaimed, and in response, fufu, Asai snorted.

“What’s so funny!”

“As expected—I can’t believe that you’re Hikaru’s friend. That’s because you’re the complete opposite of him. Hikaru looks very carefree on the outside, but he’s very inexplicable within—a complicated person who looks like he has something he wants to hide within. And you are gruff, simple-minded, savage-looking, and don’t look smart. I suppose Hikaru is certainly dumber than I thought for choosing you to pass on these words.

“What did you say!”

Asai then concluded without mercy,

“It’s impossible for you to express Hikaru’s feelings.”

She said with a heinous tone.

The smile had already disappeared off her face, and her icy cold expression ostensibly pierced through the heart as it fixated on Koremitsu.

It felt like she was saying: What can someone like you understand about Hikaru?

Anxiety rose up within him.

His head and ears were boiling, about to give off a shrill sound. Koremitsu yelled back, ostensibly trying to reflect Asai’s expression,

“I’M HIKARU’S FRIEND! WE ONLY MET ONCE WHEN HE WAS ALIVE, BUT WE DID MEET DURING THOSE FEW MINUTES! AND THAT’S HOW WE BECAME FRIENDS!”

At first, they were merely ‘temporal’ friends.

Hikaru’s ghost haunted him, asking him to do all sorts of strange errands, and he felt frustrated by it.

Hikaru would follow him to the lavatory, to the bath, and would often say some teasing things that caused Koremitsu to once wish for him to disappear into heaven.

He was perverted, loves women, was a fanatic over flowers, and was a bastard who had a meaningful life in a completely different world from Koremitsu.

They would never understand each other, ever!

His stomach would itch unbearably whenever he lied that Hikaru was a friend.

But once he understood that Hikaru’s affections for Aoi were sincere, his view of Hikaru changed for the better to a small extent.

He felt that he should help Hikaru pass his feelings to Aoi.

After that, Koremitsu’s trauma awoke, and when he was sobbing and bawling his heart out, Hikaru was the one who comforted him.

Hikaru listened to his unreasonable grievances, accepted them, and even said some shallow words to motivate him.

Koremitsu knew that Hikaru would use a smile to express the pain of his loneliness.

So—now!

“Hikaru’s a real friend of mine ! I don’t care if you’re God or the president, I won’t allow anyone to deny this! I can lift my chest and proclaim boldly to the entire world that Hikaru’s an important friend of mine!”

Beside him, Hikaru’s eyes widened upon hearing this.

Asai bit her lips tightly as she stared at Koremitsu coldly. A blue-white flame seemed to grow within her long narrow eyes.

“I’ll definitely pass on that guy’s feelings to Aoi! Just wait and see!”

He concluded with a determined will.

Asai replied calmly.

“You really annoy me to a point where I want to cut your mouth out with a chopper.”

“What a coincidence. I’m infuriated to a point where I want to stuff your mouth and eyes with spice powder, but I’ve said what I wanted to say, and there’s nothing left for me to say to you . I’m leaving.”

After saying this, he head off to the corridor.

Asai remained silent.

Koremitsu was unable to tell what her expression was as he had his back turned against her, but he sensed that she was definitely staring at him.

He said to her without looking back,

“If you find this Prout’s ‘In the shadow of the young women in broom’—return it to me. That’s gramps’ book.”

Once they left the apartment, Hikaru spoke up,

“Koremitsu...I’m sorry to say this, but the author’s name is Proust, not Prout; and the name of the book isn’t ‘In the shadow of the young women in bloom’, but ‘In the shadow of the young girls in bloom’. And speaking of which, I think you just mispronounced ‘bloom’ as ‘broom’.”

“Ack! I messed up! To think I tried to act cool here, damn it!! How embarrassing!”

The sky was starting to darken.

Koremitsu grumbled on as he walked down the quiet road under the street lamps, lined with the park and library beside him.

“You told me to calm down, but I ended up yelling. I really could not take it.”

“Yeah.”

Don’t agree to this without hesitation!!

He muttered in his heart.

“But I’m happy. You said to Asa that I’m a real friend of yours.”

Koremitsu glanced aside at Hikaru, and saw him smiling back. The white street lamp shone upon his face, and his hair, eyes and lips were radiant.

He looked overly delighted, blissful, and his image as a pretty boy dazzled even more, causing Koremitsu to be at a loss of what to do.

“T-th-tha-that’s because I was angered by that woman, so I accidentally...”

“Was that a lie?”

“No, that’s not it. I really, thought of it this way. That’s why I said it out...”

Upon hearing this, Hikaru felt all the more delighted.

Ahh, don’t show that expression. My ears are going to let out steam now.

“I suddenly feel like shouting now, okay? Others can’t hear me even if I shout out now.”

“Eh, oi—”

Koremitsu wanted to stop Hikaru, but he had already started yelling.

“KOREMITSU AKAGI IS MY FRRRIIIEEEENNNNDDDDD!!! WE’RE FRRRIIIEEEENNNNDDDDDSSSSS!!!”

“Shu-shut it, you!? It’s embarrassing!”

“FRRRIIIEEEENNNNDDDDDSSSSS! KOREMITSU AND I ARE REAL FRRRIIIEEEENNNNDDDDDSSSSS!!!”

“Shut up! I told you to shut up!”

Koremitsu’s face and head were about to boil in heat. Someone - anyone - please stop this drunkard!

“FRRRIIIEEEENNNNDDDDDSSSSS! WE’RE REAL FRRRIIIEEEENNNNDDDDDSSSSS!!!”

“Ah, right. We’re not temporary ones, but real friends. You had enough? Stop yelling. Please, stop it already!”

Koremitsu knew that nobody around them could hear it, but he was utterly embarrassed to near death.

Hikaru himself however probably felt relieved by this as he yelled all he wanted. “FRIENDS! WE’RE FRIENDS!” after this, he swapped his words,

“I LOVE MISS AOOOIII!!”

He yelled delightedly.

“I WON’T CHEAT ON HER ANYMORE~!!!”

“I’LL TREASURE MISS AOI WHOLEHEARTEDLY~!”

Hikaru looked up at the night sky with a dazzling expression in the middle of the road as he yelled out with his sweet voice.

Perhaps he was overjoyed, to a point where even Koremitsu was affected by him.

“Oh! I’ll bear witness!”

He raised his right hand forcefully.

“I too won’t lose to Asai Saiga! I’ll definitely pass on your feelings to Aoi.”

“Okay and once the birthday presents are given to Aoi, let’s go get some girls.”

“Wait, didn’t you say you’re going to be devoted to Aoi only? Why are you changing your mind so quickly?”

“But it’s not about me, but about getting a girl that matches you, Koremitsu. I’ve decided! I’ll get a girl who can really laugh for you.”

His eyes were bubbly, and he sounded really excited.

“Aren’t those women who like to laugh very noisy?”

“That kind of woman is suited for you. She’ll laugh for you too, and you’ll feel like laughing whenever you’re with her.”

“I can’t imagine that.”

“I can even hear your delighted laughter, Koremitsu.”

“That’s definitely your hallucination.”

The surroundings were filled with utter silence.

There was only one shadow cast onto the ground, but even so, the two good friends walked side by side under the sky dyed a thin black in nature’s ink as the stars began twinkling on their way home.

“Hey, Koremitsu, do you know where people go after they die?”

Hikaru asked in a sprightly manner.

“Who knows? I never died before.”

“I think they go to space.”

“Space?”

“Right.”

Hikaru lifted his head.

And Koremitsu too looked up at the sky.

In the blurry black sky, the little stars were twinkling.

Their lights were weak, but they were certainly twinkling.

This was the night sky of a city.

“See, don’t they say that people become stars when they die? The souls that leave the human bodies will leave Earth and enter space. Also, since the consciousness exists in an infinite space, souls can fly about freely. The stars we see might be the souls of the departed.”

Hikaru’s voice was soft, yet still very clear.

His meditative expression looking up to the sky shone a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Koremitsu felt the onset of tears welling up.

“I’ll head to space one of these days.”

Upon hearing Hikaru’s words, Koremitsu was assailed by an inflow of emotions.

“When the time comes, you’ll definitely be bawling your heart out.”

“I-I won’t cry, idiot.”

He glared back with his burning face to deny this, and Hikaru returned Koremitsu with a happy expression.

“Un, that will be better. I hope you’ll send me off with a smile.”

He spoke ever-clearly.

“It’s a promise, Koremitsu. Bid me farewell with your best smile when I head for space.”

Koremitsu’s whole body felt immobilized.

One of these days, Hikaru would leave Earth for space.

Until the day when his wish would be fulfilled—

Idiot...don’t make me sad now. Look at our current situation here. We finally became friends, you know.

He spoke to himself in his mind, but was unable to say it aloud, and talked about something else with a serious expression,

“I say, stop making empty promises like this. The way you go about doing this, you definitely have some promise with another girl.”

“It’s not a random promise. I’ll only honor important promises.”

“Don’t tell me your dating plan is an important promise too!?”

“Of course. This is a very important promise for me.”

“I never asked to come along and do that.”

“Then let’s make an appointment first.”

“No appointments.”

“How petty. Aren’t we friends?”

“Even if we’re friends, no way.”

“You’re really strict.”

Hikaru shrugged his shoulders.

“Speaking of which, when you met me in the beginning, I think you said something about ‘there’s something I want to ask of you or something’.”

“Ah, about that...”

Hikaru stared afar and smiled.

“It’s okay.”

“Hey, what’s with that little chuckle? Now I’m curious. Tell me.”

“I’ll say it if you’re willing to go dating.”

“What kind of request is that!?”

“Then what do you want to do?”

“Ugh, you’re really despicable. Besides, how are you going to date when you’re dead?”

Unaware of it, the pair had strolled through the riverside lane leading to the school.

Blades of grass on the campus lawn quivered under the nightly breeze, glistening verdantly in moonlit reflection.

The river flowed calmly, and there was a sweet fragrance lingering about the moist airful

Under the starry night sky, they both continued to tease one another as they walked on.

Just like companions with ten years’ friendship shared -

## Notes

- ↑

### 011. Chapter 5: Her Lies and Truths

“Listen up, we still have three days ‘til Aoi’s birthday. It’s Saturday tomorrow, so today will be the big day. Let’s buck up.”

“Right, Koremitsu.”

The following morning, a Friday, Koremitsu enthusiastically departed from his home. He disembarked at his bus stop and went along the path leading to school.

“Asa might be planning something to deal with us.”

Hikaru spoke worriedly.

“She gives off this vibe that makes her seem black-hearted, and her glare has weight to it. I guess she might be some boss commanding delinquents to do dangerous things or something.”

“I-I can’t really deny it completely, but.”

“Are you serious!? She’s the mastermind?”

“Probably not to that extent...yeah...”

Hikaru stumbled over his words.

“But Asa is a strong and wise person. She’s a lone child, so she treats Aoi like she’s her little sister. She often says I’m insincere to Aoi. She likes to help others, and is very understanding.”

“I say, aren’t you too protective of girls. Tch—wait, don’t tell me you dated that damn arrogant woman too?”

Hikaru merely answered a startled Koremitsu’s question composedly.

“Nope. Even if I’m the only man left in this world, Asa won’t go out with me. Even if the world’s about to end, we won’t be together.”

His voice was delicate yet unyielding.

“AKAGI—!!”

Koremitsu looked to the source of the voice and saw Honoka dashing toward him, entirely unconcerned about her disheveled skirt and tousled hair.

Her eyes were wide, and she scowled; she showed both her slight anger, and her fragility. She abruptly took hold of Koremitsu’s hand.

“Wha-what are you doing, Shikibu?”

“Thank goodness. You’re alright!”

“Huh? What are you saying?”

“I called you so many times, but you didn’t pick up your phone, so I was worried about you...”

“Phone?”

Koremitsu rummaged through his bag for his phone and found there were more than 10 missed calls from Honoka.

Such a long queue of incoming calls was new to him.

“Oh, I switched it off.”

“What kind of explanation is that?!”

Honoka’s eyebrows rose slightly.

“Well, actually, hardly anyone called me before.”

“Then why did you have a phone in the first place? Don’t you know how I felt when I called you—uuu?”

“What happened?”

Koremitsu asked dazedly; Honoka looked to him and answered with a grimace.

“The Matriarch Asa asked me about you yesterday.”

“Matriarch Asa?”

“President Saiga.”

“Saiga? Ahh, Asa, so she’s the president, huh?”

“A-Asa! You called the president Asa—!?”

Honoka was stupefied.

“What’s she shocked about?”

Koremitsu could not comprehend the situation, and glanced aside at Hikaru, who seemed to empathize with her as he shrugged his shoulders. However, this reaction confused Koremitsu all the more.

Koremitsu, not having the ability to comprehend the situation, glanced aside to Hikaru. His empathetic feelings toward Honoka were apparent, and he shrugged his shoulders. This served only to intensify Koremitsu’s bewilderment.

Honoka precipitously clasped Koremitsu’s collar and pulled him to her.

She pouted, her cheeks puffed out, and stared at Koremitsu.

“Really, don’t you~ understand the situation at all? If we’re talking about this Asai Saiga, the Matriarch Asa of the Second Year, we’ll be talking about the student council president of the high school department. Also, she was already the student council president in both elementary school and middle school! She’s of the top class elite among the ‘nobles’ here, one with extreme power. It’s said that even teachers don’t dare defy her.”

Honoka furiously described a rumor stating that an employee of the administration branch once defied Asai and was transferred out, and another explaining how a particular teacher, dissatisfied with Asai’s behavior, ‘resigned’ less than half a semester into the school year.

“Instead of calling them close friends—you might say that the president Saiga is like a guardian to Her Highness Aoi, and it seemed that all the boys who want to approach Her Highness Aoi were monitored by her. The president had a calm expression when she was asking me about you, but her eyes were really cold, and it really scared me...she definitely had her sights on you because you wouldn’t let go of Her Highness Aoi. You wouldn’t pick up the phone when I called you, so I thought you...”

Koremitsu regarded Honoka’s eyelashes - tears of uncertainty clung to them in spite of their feisty image.

...Why does she look so agitated and desperate?

Koremitsu had never before been so close to a girl, and an abnormal feeling came over him.

“Miss Shikibu’s worried about you. Such a good girl.”

Hikaru vocalized this daintily.

“I see, so you’re worried about me? Thanks.”

Not a second after the words left his lips, Honoka’s face was flushed red. She loosened her hands from his shirt with an impressive swiftness.

“Wh-wha-what are you saying!? Who’s worried about you here...you’re just someone who can get up even after being kicked a hundred times. I just don't want you to be provoked by president Saiga and advised you; nope, not worried about you at all—I’m just scared of getting involved because she thinks I’m your accomplice—”

She turned from him and spoke harshly.

“Miss Shikibu sure is cute.”

Koremitsu, who watched Hikaru as he snickered, was perplexed.

“Anyway, you’d better comply for the time being.”

“That’s impossible. We just had an argument yesterday.”

“HUH!?”

Honoka turned back to Koremitsu; her eyes were opened wide, and her exaggerated expression was befitting of a comedian.

“We met each other on the way home, and she bossed me around as if she were important. I lost my temper, and shouted ‘Who would listen to you, you bastard?’.”

“Why did you say that—!?”

Her gaze fell as she shouted.

“It can’t be helped. I couldn’t back down in that situation.”

Koremitsu’s answer came through pouted lips.

“You’re really an idi—”

“If Saiga tries to do anything, I’ll protect you.”

Idiot —before Honoka could finish her sentence, she was, for some reason, rooted to the spot.

Blood rushed to her face; both her ears and her neck were crimson. She averted her gaze from Koremitsu.

What’s going on? What’s with her? Why’s her face blushing?

“Koremitsu, you don’t have the right to call me a playboy. You do have talent.”

Hikaru babbled.

What nonsense are you spouting? Koremitsu thought in protest, but he repressed these words to hear Honoka’s response.

“You-you idiot! You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll protect myself. Humph, don’t look down on me. I-I-I-I-I-I don’t need your help, humph.”

She exclaimed this with her eyes moving about rapidly.

“Really—now’s not the time to worry about others. You don’t understand your own situation. Why are you acting cool, saying that you will pro-protect me or something...no, my face is all heated up. Everyone’s looking at us!”

Koremitsu, after he had recovered, found that there was truth in Honoka’s words; the students gave them surprised looks as they passed by.

“Keep your distance from me when you’re talking. I don’t want to be misunderstood for going to school with a delinquent.”

Honoka shied away, hiding her flushed, petite face, speeding ahead of Koremitsu.

“I’M NOT A DELINQUENT!”

“DON’T TALK TO ME!”

Honoka further increased the distance between them.

“Ugh, I really don’t understand women—”

He thought she was worried for him because of the way she approached him, but she became angry without explanation; she would go on to blush and her expression would be, for a moment, vulnerable. The next moment, she was bitter once more; her moody vacillations were too rapid.

Koremitsu followed Honoka, a distance of several meters between the two, with Hikaru’s enthusiastic chatter coming from his side.

“Miss Shikibu sure is cute. Her feisty personality and innocence is the best combination. She’s so adorable. You should now go forward, grab her hand and say ‘I want to go to school with you’. She’ll blush even harder, this Miss Shikibu. Ahh, I really want to see this.”

Seriously, you...what about Aoi?

Koremitsu glanced to Hikaru condescendingly.

Really, what am I getting all flustered for?

Honoka hurried onward, her heart in total disarray.

My face is definitely all red now.

The previous day, when Asai Saiga had summoned Honoka to the student council room, she’d thoroughly questioned Honoka about Koremitsu.

Because you seem close to him, Miss Shikibu— she said.

Her beautiful eyes emanated a pressure that made Honoka shudder in consternation.

“Akagi may look like a delinquent, but he’s really a serious and hardworking guy, and he really devotes himself fully to the girl he likes! He won’t be violent to girls—and he’s definitely a gentleman! He likes cats—I don’t know whether that’s true or not, but he’s articulate, and he’ll finish his assignments seriously—”

If Honoka were to defend Koremitsu, she would surely be deemed an accomplice. To make Asai her enemy would be foolish.

She understood this, but could not restrain herself.

“Koremitsu Akagi is a decent man who looks much better than his appearance!”

Why in the world did I say something like that? The president didn’t say anything after hearing it. It’s really scary.

Regardless,

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll make my leave.”

She spoke courageously and took her leave.

I can’t believe I actually did that.

Her actions were ludicrous; she had taunted the Matriarch Asa.

She was in no place to call Koremitsu an idiot.

The president won’t hold back now, no matter what. If she does anything to me...

“I’ll protect you.”

She recalled his words, the serious expression on his face, and her own searing face. She had never expected a hero’s line to cross over from a love story into reality.

“I’ll protect—.”

UWWAAAAHHH. NO! DON’T!

She reached the corridor, perturbed.

Huh?

Honoka noticed something unusual.

There was a crowd in the corridor.

The girls, their eyes filled with tears, said things like, “This is too much,” and “Who did this?”

What happened?

She hurriedly changed her shoes, and walked toward the crowd.

“Hono.”

Her braided friend, among others, greeted her.

“What happened, Michiru?”

Michiru glowered as she muttered.

“It’s too much—someone cut the little papers stuck beside Lord Hikaru’s news bulletin—”

Honoka turned her attention to the bulletin board.

The colored papers, full of memorial notes and messages to Hikaru Mikado, had large crosses carved into them.

What is this?

Koremitsu stood at the hind of the crowd, his demeanor especially serious. He stared at the news bulletin and the colored papers.

The bulletin and papers had crosses hacked into them.

“Thank you.”

“Farewell.”

“I love you the most.”

The words, etched across shredded papers in black ink, hung alongside Hikaru’s picture.

Koremitsu looked breathlessly to Hikaru, who was staring at the notes written for him which were now covered in large crosses.

What exactly is going on? Who did it?

Koremitsu pushed his way through the crowd, moving onward.

Those who saw Koremitsu’s stiff, vicious countenance shrunk away from him.

A path opened before him, and his surroundings calmed. With the crowd spectating him, he drew near the bulletin board and came to a still.

He stared at the notes and colored papers with pursed lips.

They were probably sliced through with a penknife. The surface was not jagged, but very neat.

The resemblance between these crosses and the cross drawn on that canvas weighed on his heart.

Two blacks lines jutting across the sunlight-filled stairs.

Two black lines.

He felt the sliced surface of the notes with his frigid fingers, and a small object fell from inside the envelope and landed atop his right foot.

“?”

He knelt to retrieve it. It was a small silver star, half the size of a grain of rice.

Hikaru leaned in to examine it.

“This is...”

Just as he began to speak.

“Akagi.”

Koremitsu turned to the voice and saw a rigid looking male teacher, a young female homeroom teacher beside him.

The homeroom teacher stood tentatively, but the venerable male teacher spoke firmly,

“Please, come with us.”

He could tell by the homeroom teacher’s troubled demeanor and the male teacher’s stern voice that there was no good to come of it.

“This is the Teaching Staff Head, Mister Nishidera.”

Hikaru spoke with a tense voice,

Koremitsu’s voice followed,

“Oh.”

With that as their answer, they followed the department head.

Spectators’ curious stares prodded them like needles.

Koremitsu, from the corner of his eye, saw Honoka worriedly watching him depart.

“Is he the culprit? He’s already been called over to the office by the Department Head, you know?”

Behind them, such chatter could be heard.

“A student stood up as witness, saying that you were the one who sliced the colored paper with a knife.”

He was led to the cramped counseling room, and the Teaching Staff Head spoke chidingly from across the conference table.

“Haa? Who?’

The words drained and stunned him.

The Teaching Staff Head spoke sternly,

“I can’t tell you who they were, but there were three students, not one, who reported you, saying that they personally saw you cutting the colored papers with a knife.”

What the!?

He came to a sudden realization.

Saiga did this, didn’t she?

If she hadn’t, why would three people have testified to witnessing him cut the notes when he was innocent?

Honoka said before that President Saiga would not forgive her enemies, and that all the students who opposed the president vanished for no reason.

Honoka had previously stated that President Saiga was unforgiving, and that all the students to oppose her had vanished with no ostensible reason.

Damn, this is too despicable, Asai Saiga. Is it your modus operandi to frame people?

His face stiffened, and his chest boiled.

Hikaru, after taking note of Koremitsu’s twitching eyebrows and fury filled eyes, offered some advice.

“You didn’t do this, Koremitsu. I can vouch for you since I’m with you twenty-four hours a day, so please calm down. Just hold on for now and listen to the Teaching Staff Head.”

Koremitsu took a breath to calm himself.

Were it not for Hikaru’s avocation, the situation would have worsened.

He probably would have shouted for the Teaching Staff Head to bring in both the students who framed him and the student council president, Saiga.

“I didn’t do this.”

He concluded as he stared at the Teaching Staff Head.

Both teachers, the Teaching Staff Head and the homeroom teacher, were slightly taken aback by his calm denial.

“But I heard that you yelled at the students sticking their notes on the board a few days ago, didn’t you?”

“Well...I wasn’t yelling at them, and I have nothing to do with this.”

“So, you mean that the witnesses were mistaken.”

“I don’t know since I’m not them, but I know all too well what I did yesterday. I left school before the final dismissal time, so if they really saw the culprit, it wasn’t me. Besides, I wouldn’t do that kind of thing anyway.”

“Then, is there anyone who can prove that you left school at that time.”

“I met President Saiga when I went over to Hikaru’s apartment. The president should be able to prove it.”

The name alone caused her vexation.

He tried his best to suppress the rage which rose in his chest as he spoke, but the Teaching Staff Head gave an arrogant look at Koremitsu, and said without wavering,

“I’ve already asked Saiga about that.”

What?

“You called yourself Hikaru Mikado’s friend, but were infuriated when Saiga pointed out that it was impossible.”

That was truly the case.

It sounded like Koremitsu was lying about being Hikaru’s friend, and was a lunatic with an inability to differentiate between fantasy and reality. Saiga definitely implied this when she spoke with the Teaching Staff Head.

“Maybe it was because you were overly excited that she was worried that you might do something overboard. She said you might have returned to school after that, and that you had enough time for you to do something like this.”

“Wha—“

WHAT KIND OF JOKE IS THIS!? He nearly exploded.

“Hang in there, Koremitsu!”

Hikaru restrained him.

“I get it, I get it, okay?”

He managed to calm himself, but his heart was racing, and his head was seething.

His breathing was erratic.

The Teaching Staff Head and the homeroom teacher were probably taken aback by his the fury displayed in his eyes and breathlessness as they froze.

“I didn’t—do it. Hikaru’s my friend; I won’t tear messages meant for a friend.”

His voice growled with fury, and his throat was burning.

“You really didn’t do this?”

The Teaching Staff Head asked again in an irked manner, and Koremitsu nearly lost his temper, but was stopped again by Hikaru.

“Never.”

The Teaching Staff Head sighed and said,

“I’ll talk with you again once I talk with Asai.”

Koremitsu was finally liberated, and the bell indicating the end of the first period rang.

“I heard that Akagi was summoned to the staff room by the Teaching Staff Head because he was the one who cut the news and the colored paper.”

“So that delinquent did it after all.”

“I’ve already thought about it. His facial expression was exaggerated when he roared at the girls on the corridor. He had that scary expression on his face this morning too.”

“How can he be possibly be Lord Hikaru’s friend? They’re so different it’s like a Prince and a slave.”

“Yeah, nobody will believe him—”

“Speaking of which, I think he attended the funeral?”

“He was. So what? He’s a ghost stalker? He definitely cut the papers because he was angry about everyone ignoring him when he said he was Lord Hikaru’s friend.”

“He’s the worst.”

These ramblings, and others like it, came from in front of him.

“Tch! That damned woman...I won’t forgive you, Asai Saiga.”

He gritted his teeth and walked through the corridor to the classroom.

She framed me as the vandal, so I’m completely isolated, but she’s too naïve. I was already isolated. I’m already used to such slander.

“...Did Asa really do this?”

Beside him, Hikaru closed his eyes slightly and muttered pensively.

“Doing this isn’t Asa’s style.”

“What are you saying?”

Koremitsu spoke softly.

It seemed like something that cold-blooded woman would do, but Hikaru’s normally clear face was clouded.

“It’s Asa’s style to frame you as the culprit, Koremitsu, but...the one who cut the news and papers might be someone else. Asa simply used it to her advantage.”

“Someone else...”

“Because if Asa knew who did this, she definitely wouldn’t slander you, definitely not. Asa wouldn’t do such a dangerous thing.”

The fervor in Hikaru’s eyes was quickly fading to nonexistence.

He seemed to be entirely preoccupied by himself, ruminating for an answer; his icy countenance that of a complete stranger to Koremitsu.

For Hikaru’s face to bear anything but a smile was disconcerting to Koremitsu, and when he recalled the cross drawn on that canvas, his chest ached as though it were being torn.

Honoka ran to him.

“Akagi, are you alright?”

She looked to be a combination of flustered and worried as she looked up to Koremitsu.

“Yeah.”

He answered.

“Did the Teaching Staff Head look for you?”

“He asked if I was the culprit, but I didn’t do anything.”

He was still furious with Asai and the Teaching Staff Head, but he gave his best apathetic look as to not worry Honoka; however, he still had the face of a scoundrel.

Honoka pouted her lips in an ostensibly embarrassed manner.

“Is, is that so. So nothing happened.” She muttered coldly.

“Why are you talking with the delinquent Akagi, Shikibu?”

“How disappointing. To think that you became a delinquent too, Shikibu.”

Koremitsu heard some people mutter,

And at the next moment, he bellowed,

“ALRIGHT, THAT GUY WHO SAID DELINQUENT! YOU CAN CALL ME ONE, BUT SHIKIBU’S NOT ONE!”

“What are you doing, Akagi—”

Honoka’s eyes widened, and she tried to stop Koremitsu.

Hikaru, who was immersed in his own thoughts, hurriedly advised Koremitsu too,

“Koremitsu, it’s like you to be angry for Honoka. You’ll cause trouble for Miss Shikibu too if you exacerbate things further!”

“...”

Koremitsu immediately stopped him.

“What’s he doing? Being angry back at us?”

“He’s the culprit who cut the paper on Lord Hikaru’s bulletin.”

Other voices rang, and Koremitsu clenched his trembling fist as his temple veins were about to explode.

At this moment,

“That’s not true. He’s not the one who cut the papers and the news cutting!”

Koremitsu doubted his eyes and ears.

Hikaru too stood there, unmoving.

The one exclaiming with a pale face was Aoi.

Why would Aoi!?

Koremitsu held his breath, and Aoi’s voice continued to ring.

“No! he didn’t do it...! It’s not him. It’s not him!”

Her trembling tender body was ostensibly about to snap, and her eyes were filled with anguish as she kept telling them.

Her pale face and straight flowing black hair was all messy.

Her voice was becoming weaker, and she cuddled herself, seemingly chilly, and lowered her head.

The second lesson bell rang coldly across the silent corridor.

Koremitsu’s arms were slumped weakly as he stood there, and he immediately had the image of the large cross on the canvas and Aoi drawing it in his mind.

During lunch break, while Koremitsu went to the roof with bento in stow, he heard rumors about the slashing.

“I heard that it was Lord Hikaru’s fiancée who did it.”

“Her Highness Aoi did belittle Lord Hikaru a long time ago, and even on that day...”

Hikaru, who was beside Koremitsu, remained silent with a stiff expression.

They arrived at the room, and Koremitsu sat his buttocks down with his legs outstretched.

“What do you think? Did Aoi really do it?”

He whispered hesitantly,

“I don’t know. But Miss Aoi does have a motive.”

He frowned as he answered painfully.

Aoi did not say that she was the one who cut the paper, but the ‘it’s not him’ line from her sounded like she was trying to shield Koremitsu, or rather, she might be guilty over her crime.

If Aoi was really the one who cut it all, who knows how cruel it’ll be to Hikaru...?

What would he have to do about the birthday presents he promised to give Aoi on Sunday? Hikaru’s expression was all gloomy, and Koremitsu was at a loss of words.

Damn it. I might as well be the culprit!

Frustrated, he bit into the extremely large Inarizushi .

Suddenly, something glittered beside Koremitsu.

“!”

And then, a chime rang, and a girl aimed her camera right in front of him.

She had tomboyish short hair, and though she had a petite physique, her silky thighs and the protruding chest on her shirt made her bewitching.

“Sorry, Akagi! Can I have a photo please? From this direction.”

She immediately darted in front of him without his permission, and her cellphone screen flashed again. A cackling sound rang, indicating that the photo shoot was done.

“What are you doing!?”

“Hello, I’m Hiina Oumi of the news club, the second girl in class 1-4. My blood type is AB, birthday is February 3 rd , Aquarius. As for my tastes in boyfriends, I like the intellectual kind with glasses on. I’m willing to do anything to get a quick breaking scoop, whether it’s to wear a school swimsuit, cat-ears or clean the toilet. My favorite food is pasta, and I prefer to sprinkle lots of cheese over it rather than have the Neapolitan meat sauce on it. I think it’s best to have Neapolitan pasta with cheese right? There’s a café called ‘April Fools’ in front of the station, and including coffee, red tea, herbal tea or their homemade mint ice-cream, the entire set is worth 850 Yen. That’s really the best one for me. Are there any other questions?”

She was speaking very quickly midway through, but the final few words were too faster that Koremitsu’s mind was utterly confused.

Wearing a school swimsuit, cleaning the toilet, or whatever, what was going on? No, before that.

“Why did you take a photo of me when I haven’t allowed you to?”

And in this situation?

He glared back like a beast, but the girl did not seem to mind.

“I did ask if I could take a photo.”

“But I didn’t allow you to.”

“Well, let’s not fuss over such trivial stuff. Now, the topic of our scoop, Akagi, you’re Lord Hikaru’s friend, right?”

“So what?”

She would probably say something like she could not believe it.

“I’m investigating into something regarding Lord Hikaru. Thus, I’m collecting all sorts of information.”

“You’re still going to write a Hikaru’s memoriam during this commotion again?”

“Ahh, you sure were unlucky this morning, Akagi, weren’t you? But I have no intention of focusing on this trivial matter of someone’s act of personal revenge. Well, a coming-out party from Her Highness Aoi certainly is exciting, but this is really a 3 rd -rate act. What I’m looking into is the issue of ‘The truth behind Lord Hikaru’s death’, that’s all.”

“The truth, behind Hikaru’s death?”

As Koremitsu remained puzzled, Hiina grinned as she said,

“It’s just...a little rumor—but Lord Hikaru didn’t die from an accident, but was actually killed by someone.”

“!”

Koremitsu let out a slight gasp.

Was Hikaru possibly killed by someone?

What’s going on, Hikaru!?

He turned to the man himself, and saw Hikaru give a grim frozen expression into the sky that could have frozen the atmosphere around them. Hikaru bit on his lips that were usual smiling gently, his face was face and his eyes were sharp.

Koremitsu immediately had goosebumps.

Was she telling the truth?

“Hello there, Akagi? Why are you looking behind?’

As Hiina called out to Koremitsu.

“So you’re here, Akagi!”

Honoka opened the door to the roof, and she exclaimed with a tone of desperation.

“What is it, Shikibu!?”

“Her Highness Aoi’s in trouble! She’s taken away by Lord Hikaru’s fans! The situation is very bad!”

“Aoi!”

Hikaru exclaimed.

“Ahh, Her Highness Aoi had been badmouthing Lord Hikaru up till now, making his fans really unhappy. With this incident, it’ll be past their breaking point.”

Hiina said this rather expectantly. Koremitsu left his bento behind and ran over to Honoka.

“Where did they go, Shikibu?”

“To the woods!”

Koremitsu dashed hurriedly down the stairs.

“Ah! Wait a moment! Akagi! I haven’t had my material yet—!”

Hiina chased after him with her chest bouncing about.

You’d better not have anything happen to you, Aoi!

He did not expect to see students being called out for personal revenge in this prestigious school of princesses and young lords. If women were to get hysterical, who knew what they could do.

As Koremitsu sprinted down the stairs, Hikaru exclaimed climatically,

“Listen to me, Koremitsu. I feel that Miss Aoi’s not the one who cut the paper. She may have a ‘motive’ for doing this, but it’s not her character to actually ‘carry out the act’. Of course, it’s not Asa too. Even if Asa knows that Miss Aoi drew a cross on her canvas, she won’t suspect Miss Aoi.”

Koremitsu darted through the corridor and ran out of the school building without changing out of his shoes. During this time, Hikaru continued with a serious expression,

“That’s right, Asa definitely didn’t know that Miss Aoi drew a cross on the canvas. That’s why, when there was the slashing incident, she felt that it could be used to her benefit, and she could frame you for this incident.”

Koremitsu panted, looked around, and ran straight to the woods.

Hikaru’s voice got more uptight,

“The crux in this situation is why the culprit would deliberately draw a large cross on the memorial. If it’s not a coincidence—there has to be an intention behind this, and the culprit will show up. Miss Aoi’s not the culprit, and it’s not Asa. That means—”

A voice rang, sounding like it ripped through the air sharply,

“You’re just betrothed because your parents decided the marriage!”

He turned his head towards where the voice came from, and saw Aoi standing with her back against a large trunk. She bit her lips tightly, and she was frowning with a pale face.

There were approximately 10 girls surrounding her.

And they were ostensibly taking turns to tell her off.

“Even if you weren’t loved by Lord Hikaru, it’s embarrassing that you still hate him after his death and rip the papers!”

“Lord Hikaru certainly is pitiful to have a vicious woman like you as his fiancée. No wonder he went to flirt around.”

No matter how much she was scolded, Aoi kept silent with a stiff expression. Her eyes were showing a firm glint, and her tightly shut lips were not saying a single word.

“What are you staring at? Say something? Are you looking down on us because you think you’re a ‘noble’ who’s been in the school since kindergarten?”

The girl who was irate by Aoi’s attitude raised her hand.

“I’ve always disliked you for a long time.”

Koremitsu sprinted over as he hollered,

“HOLD IT RIGHT THERE—!”

Aoi widened her eyes.

And the other girls looked over at Koremitsu.

Koremitsu barged his way amongst them and stood in front of Aoi, shielding her.

“Don’t you lay a hand on her! She’s a very important person! If you want to vent your anger, come at me! I’ll take a beating from you for her sake.”

Right! Aoi’s a very important person to Hikaru. That’s why I have to protect her!

Upon seeing the savage-looking Koremitsu with messy red hair pant as he hollered, the girls were rooted to the ground in fear.

“COME HIT ME!”

Koremitsu roared out at the girl who raised her hand.

“Wha-what are you doing? Didn’t she completely ignore you, splash you with the paintbrush water, and cut up the papers everyone wrote to Lord Hikaru? And you still want to protect her after all this? Are you an idiot?”

The girl glared timidly at Koremitsu.

At this moment,

Hikaru, who was beside them, spoke sternly,

“No, Miss Aoi didn’t do it.”

Koremitsu immediately turned towards Hikaru.

Hikaru’s expression was as firm as his will, unfettered, and he looked towards the girls surrounding Aoi.

They could not see Hikaru.

And they could not hear his voice.

But Koremitsu could hear him.

That was why,

“Miss Aoi isn’t the one who cut the colored papers and the news.”

That was why he had to convey Hikaru’s words.

He had to protect this Aoi Hikaru so loved.

The girls widened their eyes in shock, and Aoi, standing behind him, was taken aback.

Hikaru looked like an Archangel sent down by God as he pointed a long finger at one of the girls.

“You’re—the culprit.”

“You’re the one who did this.”

Koremitsu grabbed the hand of the girl Hikaru pointed to and raised it up.

“No!”

The girl who had been hounding Koremitsu up till this point let out a soft cry.

Honoka gasped, and Hiina took her phone out as she got ready.

The polished nail on the right hand’s finger dropped as Koremitsu grabbed it, and the stars and flower shaped glass fragments were glittering.

They were the same stars as the ones that dropped onto Koremitsu’s toes.

Hikaru spoke quietly,

“Why are there large crosses on the news and the papers—as for what this means, it means that the culprit was definitely in the arts room, and saw Miss Aoi draw the cross on the canvas. She did not like Miss Aoi, and did this to push the blame on her.”

Koremitsu digested the meaning of Hikaru’s words as he growled,

“You’re from the arts club, right? You saw me being scolded by Aoi, and also saw her draw that large cross on the canvas. That’s why you deliberately cut the news and papers in large crosses to shift the suspicion to her.”

The girl grabbed by the hand froze tersely, and then struggled like a fish biting on hook, trying to break free from Koremitsu’s hand. But once she knew she could not escape, her expression contorted, and she looked like she was hoping for Koremitsu not to speak on any further.

“Tha-that’s because...I couldn’t forgive her.”

The girl showed fear and apprehension on her face as she moved her dry lips.

“ That person kept calling Lord Hikaru useless, a scum amongst men, and even said something like he deserved this for what he did.”

Her tentative-looking eyes had anger and sadness as she said ‘this person’, and she growled these words.

“Wh-when Lord Hikaru was around, I couldn’t approach him because I was too nervous...but that person, even when she became Lord Hikaru’s fiancée so easily, said such...such overboard things—if I were her, I would have ripped my mouth out and not say anything...if I were Lord Hikaru’s fiancée, I’ll definitely treasure him more than that person. I’ll thank God every day...but this person keeps deriding him, and she’s his fiancée.”

When she finally finished, she broke down in tears.

Koremitsu weakened, not knowing what to do.

When Aoi drew the large cross on the canvas, Koremitsu too could not suppress his anger as he roared out at Aoi.

He understood all too well the feelings of the girl Aoi hurt.

Koremitsu let go of her hand, and she immediately knelt down, her skirt lying on the grassy patchy as she sobbed weakly.

“Lord Hikaru...has always been my idol. I was satisfied with just looking at him from afar, but he’s now dead...I won’t...won’t be able to see him again...”

Hikaru too showed a depressed look, and got down on his knees to clasp the girl’s hands, seemingly apologizing for not being able to accept her feelings.

“I-I’m sorry.”

Even though the one she hoped to meet was standing right in front of her, she could not sense him clasping her hand, and she continued while sobbing.

“I already knew...this is just envy on my part...but...it’s really painful...I couldn’t control myself...I’m sorry...I’m sorry.”

The other girls too apologized as they lowered their heads.

“I’m sorry.”

“Pl-please forgive me.”

Koremitsu, who was already apprehensive over being apologized at, had sweat dripping as his head started to heat up as he shouted,

“Idiots! Don’t apologize to me or anything! You shouldn’t have done this if you had known that you’re going to apologize like this!”

Suddenly, a hoarse voice came from behind.

“...Is that so.”

Aoi, standing behind Koremitsu, continued to mutter.

“...Please don’t...do this too. Please don’t...apologize.”

He turned around, and saw Aoi’s expression look paler than before. Her eyes were shut, and she seemed to be writhing as she breathed.

“I...wasn’t the one who cut the papers, but...I already thought about it.”

Startled, Koremitsu’s voice was stuck in his throat. Hiina watched on with a calm expression, Honoka and the other girls were shocked onlookers.

And then, there was a color tint of agony spreading in Hikaru’s eyes. For every moment Aoi spoke, her petite shoulders would tremble, and the agony got concentrated.

“As you have said, Hikaru never loved me. He was chasing other girls...and I despised him for it. He fooled people like that, and died in that manner...he didn’t consider the feelings of others until the end.”

Aoi suddenly could not continue any further. Her contorted expression showed that she was about to cry, and she had already revealed the sadness and bitterness within.

“I always thought of tearing down those colored papers so that I won’t have to remember them...whenever I see those things related to Hikaru every morning, I really can’t help but want to tear them off...so, that’s why, when I saw the slashed news and papers...I—I mistakenly thought that I did that...”

Aoi’s delicate body looked frailer than before, and her face got paler. Her large eyes were seething with agony.

“I THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE GREAT IF ALL MY MEMORIES OF HIKARU WOULD VANISH!”

The moment she cried out—Koremitsu felt he had heard the sound of Hikaru’s heart breaking.

Hikaru, who was the prosecutor of sorts before now, stood there like a convict being judged for heavy crimes.

He did not argue as he closed his lips, and his sad eyes showed helplessness—

Aoi then lowered her head and ran away.

“Wait!”

Koremitsu followed after her.

“Don’t follow me! Hikaru’s feelings—affections— for me are like the stars in the sky falling down on the ground; they don’t exist!”

Aoi exclaimed as she ran.

These words carved Koremitsu’s heart.

Why must she keep saying such things?

Hikaru was certainly right beside Aoi.

He still remained on this world to fulfill the promise he made with her.

And she actually said something like it’ll be great if he disappeared—that she can’t help but wreck it. Why must she let out such a heartbroken voice, such a painful expression, why—

His chest felt tight, and he had difficulty breathing as his body ached.

Hikaru said that you’re his hope! Even so—

“Please! Wait! Aoi Saotome! Listen to me!”

Aoi ran from the courtyard to the corridor, and Koremitsu tried his best to catch up. He felt Hikaru’s presence behind him, his pain, and continued chasing after her.

There’s not enough time.

Aoi’s birthday was on Sunday - two days from now. If Koremitsu could not open her heart before than, he would not be able to pass on the remaining 6 birthday presents, and he would not be able to pass on Hikaru’s feelings to Aoi!

Even though this was already Hikaru’s last chance!

Hikaru could not celebrate Aoi’s birthday with her already!

“Stop right there! Aoi Saotome! I have something I want to give you!”

Aoi dashed up the stairs.

The light of noon shot through the windows on the stairs.

“Hey! Aoi Saotome! Saotome! Aoi! – Miss Aoi !”

Miss Aoi.

The moment he called out to her, she stopped in her tracks.

However, she did not look back and knelt down weakly.

She was everything but alright.

Koremitsu sprinted to her.

Hikaru too.

“Miss Aoi! Miss Aoi!”

Aoi was still groggy as she closed her eyes, worn from it all, breathing with pain. Even when Koremitsu was carrying her, she showed no reaction. Koremitsu was shocked to realize how light Aoi was.

“Hikaru, where’s the infirmary?”

“First floor!”

“Lead the way.”

He carried Aoi as he ran to the infirmary.

On the way back, Koremitsu went by Honoka and Hiina, who caught up.

“Wait! What’s going on!? What happened to Her Highness Aoi!?”

“Wow, a Princess Carry! May I take a picture!?”

“Idiot! I’ll kill you if you dare to take one!”

He yelled these words as he ran off.

Koremitsu let Aoi lie on the infirmary bed, and finally heaved a sigh of relief.

His hair and clothes were drenched in sweat to a point where he could squeeze it out.

“Overexertion, lack of sleep, and malnutrition.”

The infirmary teacher frowned.

Koremitsu learned that Aoi felt uncomfortable during a lesson a few days ago, and came over to the infirmary to rest.

“At that time, I emphasized to her that she had to have the minimum amount of sleep and nutrition. Looks like she’s still thinking about Hikaru, really, who can blame her...?”

The teacher said with distress. Hikaru lowered his eyelashes, seemingly accepting this lecture.

Once lunch break ended, Koremitsu was advised by the teacher to return to the classroom, and he insisted.

“I want to stay with her!”

His attitude was unexpectedly adamant, and he hammered himself down to the bed.

“Teacher, please let Akagi stay here.”

The teacher finally relented, whether it was because of Honoka’s request, or that the teacher was terrified of Koremitsu’s intensity.

“Thanks, Shikibu.”

“No need to thank me. Her Highness Aoi...it’ll be great if she can get well.”

She whispered, and left the infirmary.

Koremitsu looked down upon Aoi, lying on the bad.

Lack of sleep? Overexertion? Malnutrition? What in the world?

“This person...she’s always trying to act tough, but always so reckless.”

She continued to insist on going to school, and continued to stay inside the arts room to paint after school—she looked like she was living the same life she had when Hikaru was still alive, but in fact, that was not the case.

She agonized all this time.

Aoi had been trying to force herself to act tough - maybe because she did not want others to notice this pain within her.

A tear slid from the corner of Aoi’s closed eyelid.

Hikaru knelt down beside the bed, his eyes filled with regret as he looked at Aoi’s sleeping face.

“...Miss Aoi, definitely realized that the one who cut the news and the papers was from the arts club...she felt that she herself had a motive for doing this, which is why she continued to blame herself...this is the kind of girl she is.”

—No! he didn’t do it...! It’s not him. It’s not him!

Aoi looked like she was almost in tears as she repeated these words in the corridor.

At that moment, Aoi was certainly defending Koremitsu.

Even though this was out of her own guilt.

—I...always thought of tearing down those colored papers so that I won’t have to remember them...

Those words were Aoi’s true thoughts too.

—when I saw the slashed news and papers...I—I mistakenly thought that I did that...

I THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE GREAT IF ALL MY MEMORIES OF HIKARU WOULD VANISH!

Aoi was trembling back then.

She never had any feelings for Hikaru in the first place.

Koremitsu thought of Aoi’s state of mind when she said this, and Hikaru’s feelings when he heard this, and felt hot inside.

“...Miss Aoi had always been like this. Whenever she’s extremely sad, whenever she felt like crying, she would force herself to say ‘there’s nothing wrong’, puff her face to look away...”

Hikaru said with melancholy.

She looked angry on the surface because her inner heart was saddened.

She saw herself as being unloved by Hikaru, causing her to be saddened and cry out in gloom.

Koremitsu recalled how, in his youth, he drew many crosses on the writing paper when his mother left him.

Aoi was just like him.

Like Koremitsu, she would protect her inner heart by denying everything.

Aoi in the photo album would glance at Hikaru when she was slightly away from Hikaru.

But when both of them were together, she would look away.

Hikaru knew more than anyone how clumsy Aoi was, the pain she had. Thus, when Aoi vented out her feelings, Hikaru’s heart felt like it was butchered through.

He lowered his eyes as he looked down at Aoi sadly.

He wanted to use his fingers to wipe the tears off Aoi’s crying face, but his fingers passed through.

Hikaru’s face was full of anguish.

Koremitsu observed this, and his heart felt like it was torn asunder.

He really wanted to tell Aoi that Hikaru was standing here.

He wanted to tell her that Hikaru was worried about her.

But no matter how many times Hikaru tried to touch Aoi, he failed, and he could only retract his hand in a forlorn manner.

He bit his lips, showed a depressed look as he looked at Aoi longingly, smiled, ostensibly trying to endure the pain—and said gently,

“Koremitsu...there’s a vending machine in front of the infirmary. Can you get a can of milk shake so that Miss Aoi can drink it when she wakes up?”

“Oh, okay.”

The bell indicating the end of the 5 th period rang.

Koremitsu stood up from the pipe chair and silently walked out of the infirmary.

His heart was still aching because of the smile he saw on Hikaru’s face.

He hesitated for a moment, dropped a coin into the vending machine, and turned to Hikaru anxiously.

“Well...I shouldn’t be asking this in this situation.”

He tried to remain calm as he pressed on the button indicating the ‘milkshake’ choice, but his throat was trembling as his fingers were dripping with seat.

“Were...you really...killed by someone?”

GATAN. The sound of the milkshake can dropping rang.

Hikaru gave an abnormally calm expression as he looked back at Koremitsu silently.

“That’s because the News Club girl said so.”

“...”

“I can ignore it if it’s made up.”

“I’m not too sure.”

He spoke with an adult-like tone.

“I’m a harem prince who goes around hooking up girls...so I guess there should be a lot of girls who wanted to kill me.”

He avoided this topic in such a vague manner.

Why did he want to avoid this topic?

Koremitsu thought about it, and he felt a chill up his back.

What exactly was the ‘rumor’ Hiina Oumi heard about?

Hikaru went silent.

Just when he felt something icy stuck in his throat.

“Akagi.”

Asai Saiga was standing there with an admonishing expression.

“I heard that Aoi fainted.”

“She’s resting on a bed now.”

He answered as he took out the milkshake can.

The can was still scalding, and his fingers were hot.

“Milkshake...?”

Asai suddenly frowned.

“It’s for Aoi to drink when she wakes up.”

Once he said that, Asai’s expression became sharper.

“...Did you hear it from Hikaru? That Aoi likes milkshake more than coffee.”

“Yeah.”

Koremitsu was about to return back to the infirmary, only to be stopped by Asai’s stern tone,

“Akagi, please return to the classroom. I’ll take care of Aoi.”

“I still have some things I want to say to her.”

“Your presence would only cause Aoi’s body condition to worsen. Speaking of which, did Aoi not faint because of you?”

Hikaru’s expression froze.

Koremitsu too stopped in his tracks.

It was true that Koremitsu was the one who kept chasing after Aoi, causing her to end up in the infirmary.

Also, the reason why the girl from the arts club blamed the paper slashing onto Aoi was because Koremitsu went over to the arts room every day, and Aoi kept badmouthing Hikaru.

Koremitsu kept running forward to express Hikaru’s feelings, but never considered the consequences, and did not notice that Aoi did not have her proper meals, did not sleep well, and was in agony the entire time.

He was enraged by Aoi’s words, and lashed out such overboard comments to her.

She must have been terrified to see a savage-looking wild dog hounding her, barking at her. What Koremitsu did may have opened the scars within Aoi all the more.

Right beside Koremitsu was Hikaru, who lowered his head sadly.

Koremitsu grabbed onto the milkshake can, his skin almost scalded as he was unable to argue back.

Did I force Aoi into despair?

Asai showed displeasure on her face.

“It’s my fault for not taking care of Aoi and leaving her alone today. I do have to reflect on this. From this moment, I won’t allow any of Hikaru’s fans to hurt Aoi.”

“Those girls have their troubles too. Don’t punish them for it. If Aoi knows about it, she’ll definitely blame herself.”

Koremitsu stared back at Asai.

“I don’t want to be advised by you regarding Aoi.”

Asai retorted with a berating tone.

She then looked at Koremitsu with an icy stare.

“If, even if, you’re Hikaru’s friend, you can’t use this as an excuse to hurt Aoi verbally. I definitely won’t recognize someone like you as a representative for Hikaru.”

All her words were piercing through Koremitsu’s chest.

His hand that was holding the milkshake got number and number.

“One more thing, Koremitsu Akagi, it’s impossible for you to express Hikaru’s feelings. Nobody can.”

He had to say something.

He was Hikaru’s real representative, and he had to fight back.

Right, I have to say something s-

He sank into deep thought while enduring the pain of his gut being ripped apart, looking for words he should say.

At this moment, a quiet voice rang,

“Koremitsu...that’s enough.”

He could not believe that these words came from Hikaru directly.

Hikaru stood between Koremitsu and Asai, showed a light smile on his face tersely, and shook his head,

“Forget about it.”

Forget about it?

What are you saying, Hikaru?

As Koremitsu was about to collapse on his knees, Asai said,

“I’ll celebrate Aoi’s birthday with her to make her forget all about Hikaru. Speaking of which, the burden of being Hikaru’s fiancée was already too much for her.”

As Hikaru listened to these words, his face was contorted with bitterness.

—I THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE GREAT IF ALL MY MEMORIES OF HIKARU WOULD VANISH!

Koremitsu saw Hikaru’s suffering expression as the latter was trying to get him to agree, and he could not counter Asai’s argument.

Damn it!

He handed the warm milkshake can to Asai.

“Give this to Aoi.”

He grumbled as he left the infirmary.

His body felt torn apart as he thought about how he did not finish the errand.

Hikaru remained silent as he followed Koremitsu sidelong. It was a weak existence, one almost devoid of existence.

They were about to reach the classroom.

Koremitsu whispered to Hikaru as he walked on,

“Do you really think this is for the best?”

Hikaru went silent for a moment, and then spoke,

“Asa might be right...”

His hollow expression was full of despair, and he let out words of regret.

“I kept hurting Miss Aoi up till now. It’s too late to try and salvage anything here. Maybe I’m just trying to satisfy myself by fulfilling this promise...and I made my beloved Miss Aoi—cry again.”

His lowered eyelashes trembled, and his voice was filled with unrestrained pain.

He lifted his head and smiled with an anguished expression.

“And Koremitsu, I can’t give Miss Aoi happiness as a ghost now. Maybe it’s time to give her a new start.”

“...”

“In the arts room, when I told Miss Aoi to move her lips if she could hear my voice...I still had that little hope even though I know it’s impossible...even though Miss Aoi was angry, even if she would look away angrily...but she never noticed me in the slightest.”

At that time, Hikaru and Aoi were almost sticking together.

Hikaru’s weak eyes were ostensibly pleading for Aoi to look at him.

But Aoi never looked back as she continued to draw the large cross on the canvas.

She said that Hikaru was the worst liar.

Koremitsu’s hand that was holding onto the milkshake can still felt hot.

He was unsatisfied, full of angst, and he had difficulty breathing.

He could not endure the sight of Hikaru’s smile again as he lowered his head.

What Asai said was true.

It was too much for the serious-natured Aoi to bear the burden of Hikaru’s fiancée. She must have been hurt, seeing Hikaru flirt around with so many girls to the point where he became infamous as a playboy.

But it was too snobbish of Hikaru to say that he wanted to express his love only at the point of his death.

Koremitsu too bore the crime as the representative, defending Hikaru even though he knew about this.

He kept repeating his one-sided approach, caused the incident, and forced Aoi into despair.

He really wanted to fall on his knees in regret.

But even so, is it really alright to give up like this?

Is it good to let Aoi’s birthday pass by without doing anything?

And am I—going to watch Hikaru give up like this without saying anything?

He arrived in front of the classroom.

Honoka was certainly worried over Koremitsu as she waited inside the classroom.

She left her seat, poked her head out from the rear door, looked around the corridor, and asked, “How’s Her Highness, Akagi?”

“She’s fine.”

Honoka heaved a sigh of relief, and at the next moment, she opened her eyes frantically,

“Wait—where’re you going?”

“Walk around.”

Koremitsu growled gruffly and passed by the classroom door.

The class bell rang from above.

“WAIT! AKAGI! COME BACK FOR CLASS! THE SIXTH PERIOD ISN’T OVER YET! AKAGI! AKAGI~!”

Honoka hollered out from behind.

But Koremitsu did not care as he ran forward in large steps.

“Koremitsu? What’s wrong? You just passed by the classroom, you know?”

Hikaru said with bewilderment.

Koremitsu wordlessly ascended the stairs.

He gritted his teeth and took one heavy step after another as he climbed.

“Koremitsu, hello, Koremitsu? Do you hear me?”

He climbed up onto the top level, and opened the door leading to the roof.

The wind blew towards Koremitsu from the front, and his crimson hair fluttered.

He stepped onto the roof, closed the door, and roared,

“I’M LISTENING!”

Hikaru’s eyes widened.

Koremitsu looked up, and vented out all the emotions he held within like a torrent.

“I CAME HERE BECAUSE I WANT TO TALK WITH YOU! DON’T YOU GIVE ME THAT WORTHLESS EXPRESSION! DIDN’T YOU HAUNT ME BECAUSE YOU WANT TO PASS ALONG YOUR FEELINGS TO AOI!? YOU’RE DEAD, BUT I CAN HEAR YOUR VOICE CLEARLY! I CAN DEFINITELY HEAR YOUR WORDS!”

He thumped his chest violently.

Hikaru was in awe at the declaration.

Koremitsu’s unwavering spirit could be realized from his expression.

It was an expression that said, Are you really going to give up here?

Were those feelings you showed when you looked at the album truly this downtrodden?

You looked at Aoi with such passion in the arts room - can you treat the feelings you showed back then as nothing?

“ISN’T AOI YOUR BELOVED!? DIDN’T YOU SAY THIS TO ME!? DON’T TELL ME THAT’S A LIE!? DIDN’T YOU SWEAR NOT TO CHEAT AROUND AND BE WITH HER FOREVER!? WERE THOSE ALL LIES!?”

Hikaru’s face turned pale, the ends of his lips curled up.

He smiled. It was no longer a warm smile, but a tense one that hinted at a searing pain inside.

“I’m not lying. I’ve always loved Miss Aoi.”

“Then...we have to tell Aoi this no matter what. Aoi has always thought that you never loved her.”

-For me, genuine affection is like stars in the sky falling down to the ground - it doesn’t happen!

Aoi’s voice echoed in his mind.

What were the chances of a meteor dropping? Why did she have such belief?

“DIDN’T YOU SAY THAT YOU WON’T LEAVE A CRYING GIRL ALONE? WON’T YOU WATER A FLOWER THAT’S WILTING? THEN TELL HER, TELL AOI HOW MUCH YOU VALUE THIS PROMISE WITH HER! I’LL PASS HER YOUR WORDS, YOUR FEELINGS! JUST SAY ‘PLEASE’, BECAUSE WE’RE FRIENDS—I’LL DEFINITELY PASS ON THE FEELINGS TO YOU! IF AOI’S TEARS CAN’T BE WIPED AWAY, I’LL USE A HANDKERCHIEF TO WIPE THEM OFF ON YOUR BEHALF! ARE YOU STILL GOING TO SAY ‘FORGET ABOUT IT’ HERE!?”

He roared aloud, his throat feeling like it was about to explode, continuing in his mind.

Say it out.

Just say the word ‘please’.

If you give up like this, Aoi won’t know your feelings for her forever.

She’ll just think that she’s not loved because she doesn’t know how you feel, and will think that she’s just designated as a fiancée.

Koremitsu’s mother left her family without leaving a single word to her son.

Koremitsu could not give his mother a present.

But Hikaru should have something he wanted to give to Aoi.

Aoi should have the privilege to accept Hikaru’s present.

That’s why, say it to me—

Hikaru closed his lips slightly and frowned as he looked back at Koremitsu.

His clear eyes were filled with bitterness and anguish.

Those lips trembling lips of his uttered words.

“Please...Koremitsu.”

This line was enough for him.

That night, after Koremitsu left the apartment, Hikaru shouted to the inked night sky that they were friends, and Koremitsu felt a rising sense of delight and embarrassment.

Those words alone allow me to overcome all difficulty to see all his wishes through.

Please.

I can agree to those words without asking for anything in return.

For a sake of a ‘friend’, I can do this confidently.

“Alright, leave it to me!”

His chest was filled with delight.

The delight rose from the bottom of his belly, and he exclaimed as he ran out.

Honoka was leaning at the side of the roof leading to the roof, feeling extremely nervous.

She skipped class and followed Koremitsu up to the roof because she was worried about him.

She heard a growl from the other side of the door.

Was he arguing? With who?

The moment she put her hand on the door handle, a hearty voice rang in her ears.

“Alright, leave it to me!”

The footsteps approached, and she hid behind the door. The door then opened, and a cheerful Koremitsu sprinted out with his red hair flowing.

Eh? Wait, what’s going on?

His stiff face looked extremely painful when he came back from the infirmary, but now, he looked radiant and dazzling, as if a light shone upon him as he shot out like a bullet.

The unforgettable bright red hair, that reliable yet reckless attitude of a bratty king, and the expression of invincibility of caused her heart to throb.

It felt like the moment she fell in love with a novel on first sight last night—

Koremitsu raced down the stairs like a wild dog that had been newly freed.

And he dashed through the corridor without hesitation.

Wings were ostensibly attached to his feet as he did not feel tired at all.

He reached his hand into his pocket.

It had the 2 nd present he bought from the ticket shop two days prior.

It may be the first time he bought such a thing, and the attendant was startled when he endured his shame to ask gruffly, “Please give me two.”

What he touched let out a rippling sound from within his pocket.

Aoi walked out of the infirmary with Asai supporting her.

Her petite face was still pale.

She wanted to endure her tears as she bit her lips and lowered her head.

Koremitsu called to her.

“Aoi!”

Aoi immediately raised her head, shocked.

She moved in front of Aoi, ostensibly trying to hide her, but Koremitsu did not mind as he dug out the item from his pocket and handed it to Aoi.

“This is the second present!”

Aoi looked even more startled.

The folded envelope was crumpled as it had been in his pocket all this while. He placed it in Aoi’s hands.

“It’s a ticket to the theme park! Let’s go there on Sunday!”

He looked at the rooted Aoi and quickly spoke with force to emphasize.

“We’ll meet at 1pm at the station near the school! It’s a promise”

“I’ll celebrate Aoi’s birthday.”

Asai spoke coldly and tried to snatch the ticket from Aoi’s hand.

But Aoi grabbed onto the envelope with the ticket firmly.

This caused Asai’s expression to freeze.

Aoi bit her lips painfully, not indicating whether she would go or not.

As he looked at Aoi’s eyes, Koremitsu gave her a confident nod.

“I’ll be waiting! Definitely! You definitely must come along! I’ll hand over the remaining 5 presents!”

Holding onto the ticket, his fingertips shuddered slightly with a twitch.

“You don’t have to listen to him, Aoi.”

Asai held Aoi’s hand and walked beside Koremitsu.

But Aoi eyed Koremitsu rigidly.

“You must come if you want to know Hikaru’s feelings! Aoi!”

Shocked, Aoi jerked as she turned around and looked forward.

Koremitsu watched Aoi move forward with her head down, and cried out to her in his heart.

You definitely must come, Aoi. You have the privilege to accept what Hikaru wants to give you.

At the same time, Hikaru—

Stood beside Koremitsu, rapt with the intensity of the moment, speaking to himself.

“I’ll be waiting, Miss Aoi.”

## Notes

- ↑ Sushi of Fried tofu filled with rice inside

### 012. Epilogue: Back Then, When I Met You on Earth

You really are my hero, Koremitsu.

Thank you for passing on my feelings to Miss Aoi.

If you had not encouraged me on the roof back then, Aoi would never have received these presents.

Hey, Koremitsu. You may not realize it, but when I first spoke with you on the courtyard corridor in school, I said, “Mr. Akagi, I forgot my Classics textbook today. Can you please lend me yours?” Actually, that was an excuse I came up with to meet you again.

It was the same when I said, “I’ll come over to your class to borrow your textbook then.”

Back there, you looked at me without understanding what was going on at all.

But I wanted to approach you.

I wanted to get close to you.

That was because I personally witnessed you using your body to block the truck.

I suppose that was in late March.

I was on my way, when you suddenly shouted aloud.

“Gramps! Watch out! Come back!”

I heard it.

When I looked back, I saw a red-haired boy of the same age as me chasing after an old man.

“That’s dangerous! Gramps! Not that way!”

You kept yelling.

When the truck suddenly rushed over, it was about to knock into the old man, but you flew over without hesitation. You pushed him aside, and got yourself knocked down by the truck.

“Danger!”

I did yell this before.

You were sent to the hospital by ambulance, and had to be admitted there for a while. But you were amazing to be able to work hard with such risk for the sake of others.

Thus, once I knew that this hero at the cross junction is a freshman at my high school, I felt really excited, and felt that it was fate at work.

I heard about all sorts of rumors about you.

What infamous delinquent, hell hound, the red devil, how you beat another school’s delinquent army to near death.

But I didn’t feel scared at all.

That’s because I knew that you were that hero.

Everyone whispered about how you’re always one who always challenged others, one against many, and never bullied the weak.

Once I understood how you’re just a little clumsy and easily misunderstood, my opinion of you changed for the better, and I kept on hoping that you could be discharged and enter school someday.

So, that morning, when I heard you had finally appeared, I immediately ran to the courtyard, got in front of you, and waited for you to pass by the big pillar along the corridor.

You definitely didn’t know how overjoyed I was to meet with the hero I admired, and my heart fluttered as I wondered about how I could be friends with you.

Oh yes, I was the one who sent the flowers you liked to the hospital.

That flower’s name is called Magnolia Kobus.

The pure white flower signals the arrival of Spring, and I suppose it has this name because its protruded bud and stem look like a fist.

One of the floral meanings is ‘welcome’.

The other is ‘friendship’.

From that moment on, I always wished to be your friend.

I intended to head to your classroom and borrow the textbook. After you would lend me your textbook, and I returned it to you, I wanted to ask, “Can you be my friend?”

This was the request I wanted to ask of you.

Since I died before it could be done, you would be bothered if I ask to be your friend as a ghost, so I deliberately said that I forgot.

But I never thought you would be the one to say, “We’re friends.”

To me, that was the best thing that ever happened in my life.

I really felt delighted deep within - really blissful.

Why am I sticking with you?

On the day of the funeral, my photo was hung on the altar, and the girls were calling my name, weeping. I wanted to comfort them all, but couldn’t do anything, and felt despair as a result.

It was the same when Miss Aoi exclaimed “liar!”. I knew all too well how much I hurt her, and tried my best to think of what I could do to fulfill my promise.

But nobody could hear my voice, and I couldn’t move. When I thought that my soul would leave Earth like this, I saw you among the visitors.

“Mr. Akagi!”

I lost all control over myself as I yelled.

“Please help me! Lend me your strength, Mr Akagi!”

I thought that since you would stand up for an old man you are unfamiliar with at the cross junction, you might be able to help me.

That’s why I called out.

“Mr Akagi, Mr Akagi!”

I called out countless times, and you finally stopped and turned your head around.

At this moment, my body, which couldn’t move no matter what I did, immediately went towards you.

At that time, you were the one who responded to my desperate pleas.

After that, you accepted my one-sided request when we’re still not friends, I caused you lots of trouble, and yet you helped me.

To a point where we became friends.

It was great that I could meet you on this Earth when I was alive.

Thank you.

Really, thank you.

You’re my hero, the best friend I had.

......Are you crying, Koremitsu?

Didn’t we promise?

You must smile and send me off when I make my journey towards space.

That’s why—

On Monday morning, Koremitsu met Honoka in front of the shoe locker, and bowed his head to her.

“Sorry for causing you so much trouble, Shikibu. Thank you.”

“Don’t, well, don’t say it so formally. Hey, lift your head. People will think I’m your boss if they see it.”

Honoka said anxiously.

Koremitsu lifted his face with an, “Uu”, and she was at a loss of words. She stuttered, lowered her voice, and said with a slightly nervous tone,

“Sp-speaking of which, what happened—between you and Her Highness Aoi? Erm, did you go on a date on Sunday?”

“...Ahh.”

Koremitsu answered with a hoarse voice.

Recalling yesterday’s events brought him grief and anguish.

Honoka panicked.

“Ah! It’s alright if you don’t want to talk about it. So Her Highness Aoi didn’t show up after all. Your...eyes, they look red...it can’t be helped. Right, life’s not like you thought it was. Even I have lots of adversities in my life.”

“No, I went to the theme park.”

“Oh, alone?”

Honoka’s eyes watered.

“With Aoi.”

“Ehhh!? Ho-hold on, that means, everything went well? You became lovers with Her Highness Aoi!?”

Honoka, shocked, widened her eyes and made a fuss.

Koremitsu shook his head.

“Not lovers; it’s not what you think. I just had some things I needed to tell her no matter what, and I’ve finished saying what I had to. That’s all.”

“Is that so...so the theme park’s the last memory.”

“Yeah.”

“It’s great to be lovelorn in such a splendid manner.”

What do you mean by lovelorn? He wondered, while Honoka looked extremely relieved.

She reached out and patted Koremitsu on the head.

It was a warm, gentle expression. Her hand on his face was comforting.

“...Women.”

He would have, normally, yelled at her to stop touching him, but now, he could only murmur.

“Eh?”

“Up ‘til now, I’ve always thought that there were no decent women, but my view has changed...there’re good girls like you too, Shikibu.”

“Yeah, no way, I’m...”

“Women...are gentle and cute...”

He recalled Aoi in his embrace, and her face as she sobbed and called out Hikaru’s name, felt a pang feeling in his heart, and muttered.

Honoka’s hand, which was patting Koremitsu’s hand, stopped, and her face reddened.

“!”

“She felt really tender when I embraced her, like a twig that may snap if I’m not careful.”

“!!”

“And I was about to kiss her...”

Koremitsu was yanked from his reverie by a kick.

“Ugh! What are you doing!?”

“YOU’RE THE WORST!! T-T-T-T-THIS IS WHY YOU WERE DUMPED!”

She blushed as she yelled, and quickly left.

“What’s with her!?”

And, once again, Koremitsu thought women were ridiculous.

“Good morning, Mr Akagi.”

A cute voice called out.

He looked over to see Aoi standing there shyly.

“Good-good morning.”

Koremitsu greeted her in a slightly embarrassed manner.

“Thank you for yesterday.”

“Did you sleep well last night?”

Aoi’s eyes were still bright red, probably from crying so hard last night. However, a smile crossed her lips, and she answered,

“Yes, I had a proper breakfast this morning too.”

“I see.”

Koremitsu’s eyes were as red as Aoi’s, and he smiled back at her.

“Well, I want to draw, a picture...of Hikaru. Will you please look at it when it’s complete, Mr Akagi?”

“Yeah.”

Koremitsu answered without hesitation, and this brought delight to Aoi’s eyes.

“It’s a promise.”

She ran off, seemingly embarrassed.

Koremitsu watched her leave with relief.

That’s great, Hikaru.

Your thoughts have reached Aoi. She’s all energetic now, and you can head to heaven peacefully.

“Miss Aoi can paint portraits? Her sketch of Asa from elementary school was rather miserable though. I really hope she doesn’t draw me like that!”

“OI! WHY ARE YOU STILL AROUND!”

Koremitsu yelled as he pointed at the ceiling, scaring the surrounding students.

“AREN’T YOU SUPPOSED TO ENTER HEAVEN ONCE YOUR WISH IS FULFILLED!?”

That was supposed to be the case.

But at this point, he floated above Koremitsu, apparently carefree.

As he did before, he would follow Koremitsu to the toilet and bath, saying “Well, I won’t mind since I’m more or less used to it~” with a refreshing smile.

“Why did you come in school with such a dazzling expression!? And your hair’s all tidied up like that!

Veins protruded from Koremitsu’s temples, and Hikaru’s eyes smiled with delight.

“That’s because I still have to find a girlfriend who’s good at laughing for you, Koremitsu. How can I leave Earth like that after seeing you cry your eyes red?”

Koremitsu blushed at Hikaru’s words.

Last night, after walking Aoi home, Koremitsu had a heartfelt conversation with Hikaru, and he could not help but cry when thinking that it was time for Hikaru to depart. However, Hikaru said,

“Didn’t we promise? You’re to smile and watch me leave when I head to space. That’s why—I have to cure your habit of crying, and you have to learn how to smile before I leave.”

“I, I’m fine with myself right now. I don’t need a girlfriend either way.”

“I do want to make you happy though. Also...”

Hikaru’s eyes were slightly gloomy, and he seemed to be hiding something as he slightly lowered his eyelids, but his gaze lifted immediately afterwards.

“Actually, there are still another 4, 5 girls I’m very concerned with. No, maybe 40, 50 of them?”

Koremitsu, haunted by Hikaru, widened his eyes, and bellowed.

“WHAT DID YOU SAY!?”

“You’ll definitely help me, right? We’re close friends after all, right?”

Hikaru descended to the ground and ostensibly fawned over Koremitsu, grabbing him by the shoulders and smiling. After Koremitsu grasped that this annoying friend of his was truly still on Earth, he couldn’t help but clutch his head and groan.

“Ugh, what kind of joke is this!! HURRY UP AND ASCEND TO HEAVEN ALREADY, THIS HAREM BASTARD~~~~~~~~~!!”

The other students ducked aside in fear as they watched Koremitsu Akagi head towards the classroom with a sour demeanor.

Asai watched over this with a sharp glare.

Aoi came back late the previous night, and though her eyes were red, her expression was surprisingly calm.

“I’m sorry for going out without telling you, Asa.”

She did not apologize tentatively as she usually would,

“Did you go out with Akagi?”

And once Asai asked her, Aoi answered with a smile,

“Yes. I was really happy. It felt like I was reborn.”

Asai felt a sense of defeat she could not say.

Koremitsu Akagi...what exactly did he say to Aoi?

No matter how Asai persisted, Aoi did not say.

How much did Hikaru say to him?

Don’t tell me, even that—

“Are you very concerned about Akagi? President Saiga?”

Unwittingly, a petite, short-haired girl—Hiina Oumi of the news club—approached Asai and stood beside her. She played a sincere expression and chuckled at the frowning Asai.

“You hardly have anyone around you who’s actually straightforward, and even though he doesn’t look decent, and that’s refreshing for you, I guess? It’s the same for me too; there’re a lot of students in our school who look well-mannered, but are rotten and despicable. I suppose the nobles are like this, right? I’m a peasant who entered during middle school, so I’m not really well acquainted with that.”

She ignored Asai’s icy expression and continued quickly.

“Also—”

Hiina’s expression shone with the dazzling light of youth.

“Akagi proclaims himself as Lord Hikaru’s friend, so he probably knows how Lord Hikaru died. Ah, but about that rumor; I think you might have an idea, President Saiga.”

Asai intended to ignore it, but Hiina quickly raised her cellphone screen up to Asai.

Asai gasped.

Hiina continued with a tone of harassment in her voice.

“Because President Saiga smiled during Lord Hikaru’s funeral.”

The screen showed Asai, sitting alone amongst the many sobbing girls, a strange smile resting on her lips.

## Notes

- ↑ Kobushi means fist

### 013. Footnote

What kind of person is Hikaru Mikado exactly?

Is there really anyone who can truly understand the heart of the garden’s owner?

On the day of the funeral, when the chilling rain descended, there were a lot of flowers scattered around Hikaru’s coffin.

The blooming flowers basked under the radiance of Hikaru’s were dyed a black color of gloom.

It was like a wilted and desolate garden, having lost its owner.

While everyone was washing their faces with tears, I was the only one smiling.

How laughable.

The women who mourned for his death are really laughable. They don’t know anything. How pathetic.

I was the only one who knew of your final moments.

I was the one who ended your life.

Confusing others, yet incomprehensible.

The one beloved by all the flowers—Hikaru Mikado.

You sin will never be forgiven even once you die!

### 014. Special Chapter: What You and I Prayed For When Our Childhoods Ended - Your Wish

## Special Chapter 1: What You and I Prayed For When Our Childhoods Ended - Your Wish

In his 3 rd year of elementary school, Koremitsu did not have a single friend.

When they went hiking in the hills previously, he was the one sitting on the last seat in the bus. When they reached their destination, his classmates were gathered in groups, chatting and laughing away as they trekked on, but Koremitsu continued to keep his mouth shut, and his sharp expression was fixated forward as he wordlessly head towards the hilltop alone.

There were beautiful flowers beside his path, birds perched atop the branches, but he did not look at him.

He knew, at the tender age of 9, that if he were to meet them in the eyes, the birds would be fearful of him and run away, just like his classmates.

Even when they reached the hilltop, he would not talk with others, and would find a place where nobody would notice him. Once he found such a place, he would set his picnic cloth and eat his bento alone.

That was because, if the teacher saw it, he would probably say,

“Everyone, please let Akagi join in too.”

He might say such things.

In that case, the students who were chatting and eating happily would quiet down and avert their eyes as they lower their heads, fidgeting around.

—Akagi seems really scary. That red hair belongs to a delinquent.

—I heard he fought against a fifth year and injured him.

—I heard that he bit the bulldog Shingen belonging to Tanaka in front of the school.

He knew all too well these rumors that were said about him.

You’re too arrogant even though you’re just an underclassman. The 5 th years looking for trouble said this, and Koremitsu ducked past a hole in the metal fence in order to escape. The 5 th year too tried to follow through, but was stuck inside, and because he struggled as he was stuck, the tips of the wire fence cut his arms and back, causing him to bleed all over, and he wailed out in pain.

The famous bulldog, Shingen, which often barked at students leapt towards Koremitsu as its collar ring was released.

He tried to restrain Shingen and pressed his head down on its face. The passers-by, upon seeing this, yelled—3 rd year Akagi just bit Shingen—and the crowd gathered, creating quite a commotion.

“I...it’s fine even if I don’t have a friend.”

“Did you eat your bento with your friends?” his aunt Koharu asked as he came back from his trek, not thinking about what he felt at all, and he answered quietly,

Everyone, says that, I’m arrogant, unsociable, a delinquent, when they see my face.

Mom left me behind when she went off. I definitely have a face nobody likes. I might as well not hope for others. If I say that I don’t want to make friends right from the beginning, I won’t have any lonely feelings.

But his once divorced aunt, who returned to her maiden house, spoke with a serious look on her face.

“Koremitsu, you may look a little less cute than the average, more violent, and a little more lacking in gentleness, but this can’t be the excuse why you can’t make friends. Your grandfather looks like you, he does have a calligraphy class for 40 years, and he has quite a few Go player friends in the neighborhood. Even I have friends who’ll listen to my rambling.”

Koremitsu widened his mouth in shock.

It was true—that both his grandfather and Koharu both had savage looks like Koremitsu.

When the three of them were gathered at the dining table, it looked like they were discussing some devious ploy. When they go for their rare shrine visit together during the New Year, the other tourists who came along would instantly avoid them.

A few days ago, the Akagi residence had a thief, who collapsed in fear once he saw grandfather hold the carving knife with a savage expression on his face as the latter worked on his art print. He wanted to escape, but upon reaching the kitchen, found Koharu chopping the mackerel in the kitchen with a bloodied knife, and was immediately restrained.

I thought I just entered a demon’s lair— When he was questioned by the police, he shuddered as he admitted his guilt.

The neighbors muttered, seemingly pitying him...for entering that one particular house to steal.

But despite this, his grandfather and Koharu actually had friends.

Koharu taught him that despite his savage and scary appearance, these were not to be used as excuses for why he could not make friends. He was not to look for excuses, complain, give up easily, for that was not manly.

These were words of a senior who walked down the same arduous route, and they were immediately etched within the young Koremitsu’s heart.

At the same time, he lifted his head up in hope.

“...Can I make friends too?”

Koremitsu asked with a throbbing anticipation.

“Yeah, that’s why you have to try your best to form relationships with others. You won’t succeed easily, but that’s how you’ll make ‘real friends’.”

“Real, friends?”

“Friends that are together for eternity are ‘close friends’.”

Close friends.

Those words caused a tremor in his heart.

Koremisu checked on the meaning of the term ‘close friend’ in the dictionary, and went towards the calligraphy classroom. Once the students left, he sat down on the table alone.

He grinded the ink and wrote ‘close friend’ in large font on the writing paper.

He continued to write the same words on every single piece of paper, again and again, and for every piece he wrote on, his heart soared higher.

In the end, there were pieces of paper with the words ‘close friend’ all around the table.

Such wonderful words.

Such awesome words.

He wiped off the sweat on his forehead, and his face was all red as he looked at the many ‘close friends’ in life.

I’ll take the best written words and put it under the pillow when I sleep.

Maybe I might finally dream of this close friend.

### 015. Special Chapter: What You and I Prayed For When Our Childhoods Ended - My Wish

## Special Chapter 2: What You and I Prayed For When Our Childhoods Ended - My Wish

“Hikaru’s too indecent! I hate him!”

“Eh, Miss Aoi!”

Hikaru, who was in his 3 rd year of elementary school, weakly called out.

“You made Aoi angry again?”

His cousin Asai came into the kids room, tagging out Aoi as she said coldly.

Asai and Aoi were 4 th years, a year older than he, and the trio would often play together.

Recently, Aoi had begun to say things like, “You’re a playboy, Hikaru,” or, “You’re happier with other girls, right?” more often than she had before. She would glare at him through teary eyes, her cheeks puffed out. This was cute enough for Hikaru to wish he could bring her home.

“Miss Aoi asked me who’s in my group for the school trip, and I just answered ‘Erika, Fumiyo, Yuna, Minami, Shiori,’ that’s all.”

Even though Hikaru didn’t understand the situation, Asai questioned him.

“Don’t you have any boys in your group, Hikaru?”

“Well, the boys hate me. None of them are willing to bring me along. My classmate Fujiwara told me today ‘Don’t you dare to be arrogant; you were born out of wedlock.’ Erika scolded them a lot to help me, but the class broke into a huge argument between the boys and girls.

“—Hikaru, you’re special! Don’t talk with those outrageous boys.”

“—Hikaru, ignore those boys and do homework with us. You can form a group with us for the trip.”

Ever since he was in kindergarten, the girls were the ones who had been helping him, protecting him, lending him textbooks when he forgot. Every girl was extremely gentle, and he felt as relieved as being in a flower field when he was with them. He really liked them all, but he wanted to play with boys too.

However, when he forgot his textbook, the boys would look away when he ask them for help, and would deliberately make things difficult for him by telling him ‘go borrow from the girls’.

“Hey, Asa, I really want to get along well with the boys and make friends with them. Erika keep saying things like “I want to be your bride, Hikaru” or “I want to be his girlfriend”, but this and being friends are two different things...what kind of people are willing to be my friends?”

The older, wiser, and calmer cousin went silent for a while, and then said without holding back.

“The one fatal flaw you have is that you’re too obedient to your desires, Hikaru, and I might say that it’s because you’re too much of a playboy. You should get a friend who’s prudent.”

Asai used adult terms that Hikaru did not know of. ‘Desire’ and ‘obedient’ were terms that she would say when she told him off. Perhaps she was saying that he was too straightforward with what he wanted to get, what he wanted to do.

But,

“What does prudent person means?”

“It means a wise person who thinks sensibly before acting and thinking.”

“But isn’t that like you, Asa?”

Hikaru looked over at Asai with a clear expression.

Though her expression was aloof, Asai’s shoulders jerked slightly.

“That’s because you’re the smartest and most reliable one amongst all I know, Asa. You taught Miss Aoi and I lots of things.”

He giggled.

“Oh yes! Can’t you be my friend, Asa?”

“No way.”

“Eh? Why?”

Hikaru lowered his eyebrows, and Asai said with a firm, cold expression.

“Boys and girls can’t be friends. Even if they’re temporary, it’s just appears to be, and can’t be real. It’s a fragile friendship that will soon break. That’s why you have to make friends with boys.”

“Fragile?”

“It means easily broken, like the icicles on the roof in winter.”

“Is that so...fragile...I can’t be friends with girls, is it? It’s a little unfortunate.”

Hikaru looked utterly devastated. He thought that he managed

Asai remained speechless as she looked back at Hikaru.

“If only you were a boy, Asa.”

Asai’s shoulders jerked slightly.

But Hikaru immediately shook his head, smiled and looked back at Asai.

“No, I think it’s good that you’re a girl after all, Asa. I get it! Asa! I’ll try my best to think of a way to make friends with boys.”

Asai looked away uncomfortably.

“...That’s good. If you play with boys instead of girls, you probably won’t make Aoi angry.”

And then, she said curtly,

“Aoi’s still waiting downstairs, probably wondering what to do. Go find her.”

“Yes, thanks, Asa.”

Hikaru ran out of the children’s room with a cheerful expression, and dashed down the stairs.

Just like what Asai said, the white ribbon could be seen from the corner of the staircase.

“Miss Aoi!”

He grabbed Aoi by the hands as she tried to run away, and smiled, saying,

“Wait for me. If I can make a male friend, you won’t go back angrily. And then, we’ll remain close to each other.”

Aoi blushed as she looked around, her lips opening and closing at times,

“I-I don’t know.”

She answered, seemingly angry and yet troubled.

At night, Hikaru laid on his bed and looked at the stars outside. He made a wish,

“I hope that I can make friends with boys. I’ve been too obedient to my own desire, and it’ll be good if I can make a prudent friend.”

But there was no boy in the class who was like Asa.

It seems that it’ll be difficult to find a prudent friend like what Asa described.

And speaking of which, if I want a prudent person, won’t Asa be enough...

I’ll add another condition then.

“A courageous person will do too.”

Right, like a hero who helps everyone.

That kind of friend must be great too.

He buried his head into the pillow, and closed his eyes delightedly.

It would be great if he could make a real, real friend one of these days.

That person may be from another class.

In that case, once class ends, he’ll run to the friend’s class and shout,

“Hey, I forgot to bring my textbook. Can you please lend me yours—”

### 016. Author's Notes

Hello, I am Mizuki Nomura. Thank you for being the first volume “Aoi” of the new series “When Hikaru Was On the Earth......”.

As I previewed in the “Soft-boiled Author and the Book Girl Muze”, I based this story off of the “Tale of Genji”. There are also elements from another famous work in the setting too, and to the readers who understand, please read on with a hearty smile.

I wrote the “Soft-boiled Author and the Book Girl Muze” during the end of March last year, and though I gave ample time for this new series, all sorts of public and private affairs caused me to feel dejected, wondering, “I can’t possibly make the deadline and release this in May” anymore. It’s really~~~~~~ great that I can release this successfully!

The initial design for the protagonist Koremitsu is that he’s a healthy (?) delinquent growing up in a normal family. However, since ‘a delinquent is the second greatest enemy of an otaku’, I changed him to be an unfortunate boy mistaken for a delinquent. Then, I thought, ‘if he’s tall, handsome, he’ll feel like someone who has a good life, and the biggest enemy of an otaku is someone who has the good life’. After trimming and adding a few parts, I have this current Koremitsu.

That’s why,

THE PROTAGONIST IS NOT A DELINQUENT~!

It might feel a little weird now, but it will soon improve...I guess.

Speaking of which, how would the questionnaire look after 3 rd place? I am rather curious.

The name of this series is ‘When Hikaru Was On the Earth...”, and the name was derived from the drama troupe Caramel Box ‘When You Were On Earth’. When, I saw this title for the first time, I wondered what kind of story it was. Unfortunately, the public performance had already ended, but I chanced upon an opportunity to read the script after the public performance ended. This is true a heartbreaking story, and coincidentally, the protagonist’s little sister knows how to paint too. Her role overlaps with Aoi’s role in the arts clubroom, and it certainly is inexplicable.

A lot of things really happened when I was creating the first volume of “Hikaru”.

One of it is regarding my workplace. I had nothing to complain about my work environment and treatment, and I wanted to keep working there until retirement. However, bad financial performance caused it to close down at the end of the year.

I wanted to find a new job after writing the new work, but I still had not finalized the story in at the end of April. I had been staying at home for entire days, and it was winter, so the electric bills were certainly going to be high. When I saw the unknown astronomical number that far surpassed my imagination on the bill, I nearly fainted.

I had been putting on weight, my strength was becoming insufficient, and I could not take care of my beauty and health. I swore to myself: hurry up and find a new part-time job!

Recently, a lot of people had been asking me ‘Is being a writer not enough to feed you? Are you really living a distressed life?’. Perhaps this is because I once wrote about me working on part-time job in one of the afterwords.

Sorry to make everyone worry, but this is not the case. Ever since I started working with Famitsu Bunko, the work is enough for me to live a steady life, which is a fortunate. But I really do not like to have trouble, and like to stay at home; if I do not go out to work and snuggle at home like this, I may end up sleeping 12 hours every day...thus, I feel it is better for me to find a part-time job in this situation.

Wearing neat clothing and walking down the morning roads carefreely feels as relaxing as sleeping in like this. This is why I have to find work!

As preluded at the end of the volume, the second volume of the “Hikaru” series is “Yuugao”.

“Hikaru” is a story of separation. Once you finish reading it, you may feel sad, but you will feel a warmth feeling in your heart too. It will be great if I can write such a story. After “Yuugao”, I will try to continue with “Waka Murasaki” and “Oburozukiyo”. Please continue to follow me until the end.

Year 2011, April 30 th

Mizuki Nomura.

### 017. Drama CD

## Novel Illustrations

## Prologue

Note: The following dialogue is translated from the Chinese fansubs (my hearing is non-existent, to say the least)

Hikaru: When Hikaru was on the Earth...Special Edition Drama CD

Koremitsu: Koremitsu Akagi’s Day of Suffering ~ Why do I have to go out wooing girls? ~

Koremitsu: It was that summer when I met that guy, the guy called the ‘Harem Prince of the school, who viewed every single girl as a beautiful flower, and that it’s a man’s job for them to compete and bloom to show their most beautiful side. To be honest, he’s just a winner in life, and there should be no way he would ever interact with this hoodlum in me who’s always going around fighting, labeled the ‘delinquent king’. However, he suddenly passed away one day, and continued to be with me as a ghost. Also, there’s still a girl he wouldn’t give up on, and he made this request, “Mr Akagi, can you fulfill some promises for me?”

Hikaru: Hollyhocks are flowers that bloom in midsummer. When there’s enough ventilation and sunlight, the green stems will grow straight and produce creamy pink flowers. They’re cute, but I find that white flowers suit Miss Aoi much better; they were ostensibly brought back from the Holy Land by the Crusaders. A flower that blooms in the Holy Land is perfect for Miss Aoi.

Hikaru: Flowers drenched by the rain really do give an enriching feeling in the body and mind.

Hikaru: I’ll get a girl who can really laugh for you.

Hikaru: You really are my hero, Koremitsu.

Koremitsu: This busybody, annoying harem prince who can’t shed a single tear when sad is my friend, and till today, I’ll recall his profile from time to time. I recall the gleeful expressions of his, dishing out his floral lectures like a chatterbox and yet is completely useless. Oh yes, he spoke up that day too. That summer when I spent that one rare dazzling summer with you, you suddenly proposed that I go out wooing girls...

## Chapter 1: Go Forth, Flirting delinquent!

Hikaru: Now then, Koremitsu, let’s do our best and woo some girls.

Koremitsu: Ack, are we really doing this?

Hikaru: Of course! Are you not the one who made such a request tome “Got it. Teach me the ways you pick up girls, (probably a sentai pose) and turn me into a delinquent great at wooing girls.” Koremitsu.

Koremitsu: I didn’t! Anyway, what’s this about a delinquent great at wooing girls?

Hikaru: Koremitsu, you are being too loud.

Girl: Mama! That red haired devil down there is muttering something dangerous over there!

Mom: Mami, don’t look. You’ll get (your head) eaten! Let’s hurry off!

Koremitsu: Who wants to eat you up? Damn it, it’s your fault here.

Hikaru: It is to be expected. You are the only one who can see me here.

Koremitsu: Ugh, I wanna go back.

Hikaru: No can do, Koremitsu. We agreed to go out and woo girls, right? To learn how to deal with girls and maintain an appropriate distance from them, no?

Koremitsu: Kuh...

Hikaru: Try and remember the commotion you caused yesterday at the pool with Shiiko and Miss Shikibu.

Koremitsu: Nargh...I don’t want to think about that.

Hikaru: I can understand how you feel. You have several girls fighting over you in a public place, your swimwear got pulled down, and your buttocks were exposed in public. That certainly was a rather perverted, or I should say, a troublesome matter at that.

Koremitsu: Argh, are women always so disobedient?

Hikaru: But that is what makes them cute. When you continue to serve your feelings towards them, their hearts will never open like a tightly shut flower bud. When they know of your feelings as true love however, their hearts will bloom beautifully like the flowers, embracing you gently within their arms.

Koremitsu: don’t you ever get embarrassed saying such things?

Hikaru: Hm? What?

Koremitsu: it’s nothing. I’m just a big idiot asking you such a thing.

Hikaru: But you are not an idiot, Koremitsu. You are kind and brave, the friend i am so proud of, my hero!

Koremitsu: What’s with this out of a sudden?

Hikaru: These are my true thoughts though. I really hope that you will be able to find your happiness. I do not know how long I can remain on this Earth, so I want to do my best in helping you while I am still beside you. no matter how little it may be.

Koremitsu: Hikaru...you...

Hikaru: (Sparkles) Now then, let us go woo some girls!

Koremitsu: You...! Ugh, seriously. Understood I’m a man, and I can’t take back what I say.

Hikaru: Right, so first, let me demonstrate to you.

Koremitsu: ...Okay?

Hikaru: Love or wooing, they both start from the stare. When you decide on who it is, look right at her, and when your eyes meet, she will most likely lower her stare shyly, or stop in their tracks. That is where you have to smile and talk to her.

Koremitsu: But what do I say?

Hikaru: You simply have to first find any outstanding qualities of that girl, and then lavish a whole lot of praise on her, like for example ‘your hair is really beautiful. I really have powerless to those with such hair. The tender inward curls are as cute as a White Clover. Do you know, the floral language of the White Clover is ‘a promise’? It feels similar to our situation now, for you see, my meeting with you today is definitely not a coincidence, but a destiny promised in the past. Hey, if possible, I want to know more about you. Do you want to have some tea with me?’ If you go about saying something like this, I guess it will be fine just like that.

Koremitsu: What ‘just like that’! Isn’t it dangerous to say something like fated person the moment we meet!?

Hikaru: That is not true though. I do feel that no matter what girl it is, an encounter is a destiny in life.

Koremitsu: So it’s a warehouse clearing of destinies?

Hikaru: How rude. I will not sell an encounter short. I simply chase up to it and grab it tightly.

Koremitsu: Ah, I see.

Hikaru: Now then, since you do understand, Koremitsu, how about we begin this?

Koremitsu: Eh, now?

Hikaru: Of course, come on, look around.

Koremitsu: Looking around, I do find both women and men backing away from me.

Hikaru: Koremitsu, you cannot lose to the hardship of life. It is okay; even if you are called the hoodlum king, lolicon delinquent king in school, you are just a red-haired delinquent with a savage look here. Use your eyes, use your eyes to look.

Koremitsu: Huh? What sort of an encouragement is that? Tch, guess I don’t have a choice. I’ll start with the woman wearing the white dress there.

Hikaru: Start with...it sounds like you want to murder someone here.

Koremitsu: Are you even on my side?

Hikaru: Oh yes yes, okay, do your best, fight! I am with you.

Koremitsu: Actually, it’s more like you’re haunting me, you bastard. Huh? That woman in the white dress’ gone.

Hikaru: Hm? That girl ran off after you gave her a look. Her skirt fluffed in the wind, cute as the fluttering flowers in the wind.

Koremitsu: Huh? Why did she run away after seeing me? What should I do before we even look?

Hikaru: Koremitsu, whatever goes, failure is the mother of success. Now then, on to the next one.

Koremitsu: Ugh, I guess it’ll be the one with the hair tied behind her head.

Hikaru: Koremitsu, that is called a ponytail. A girl with a ponytail always leaves the back of her neck undefended, and the fluffy hair does have an unadulterated sensual feel as it sways along with the footsteps like a rooster crown. Ah, huh, that crown girl ran off.

Koremitsu: Hey, Hikaru, if I look in the eyes, they’ll feel embarrassed, right? That crown-haired girl I just met in the eyes ran off without a second thought!

Hikaru: It is a common theme to fail once or twice. How about the next girl then?

Koremitsu: Which one?

Hikaru: That one, the short-haired girl standing there. An intellectual looking beauty with a cool expression like a Clemantis.

Koremitsu: Ah, that one? Tch, didn’t she run off?

Hikaru: Now then, try the cute girl with the round, puffy face like a Tulip.

Koremitsu: A Tulip girl. Ah, she got away.

Hikaru: Next one, try the girl with the unkempt hair like a Peony.

Koremitsu: Peony, unkempt. Ah, uhh, she got away.

Hikaru: Eh, next.

Koremitsu: Hey, Hikaru.

Hikaru: It is okay. Ah, yes. Greet the next girl the next time you meet her in the eyes.

Koremitsu: Greet?

Hikaru: Yes, it is still too early to give up now. Even a persimmon tree needs 8 years to bear fruit. You need to spend time to bear such sweet fruit.

Koremitsu: You want me to spend 8 years wooing a girl!? Ack, ouch! Who is it!

Hikaru: How wonderful to be hit on the head by an empty can. This surely hints at an encounter with a certain female later on. (Remember, this story is set in Suetsumuhana)

Koremitsu: How can such a thing be possible here!?

## Chapter 2: What am I doing here!?

(Buzzing)

Honoka: Hello hello? Michiru? What’s the matter...eh? You’re worried about me? Why? I’m not worried about what happened at the pool at all...I’m not lying, I’m fine...I’m really really fine here! I’m hanging up here!

Honoka: Ahh...seriously, now even Michiru’s worried about me. I should be having the image of a reliable big sister here, right? Why did I end up like this...?

Honoka: Akagi’s still angry, right? Uuu...I’m definitely hated here. What do I do? This is terrible! Ahhh, if only I did hold onto Akagi’s beach pants, he wouldn’t have his butt exposed like that...what am I thinking right now! No no! I can’t touch a boy’s beach pants at all!

Mami: Mama, that big sister seems to be muttering to herself, frustrated about something.

Honoka: Eek!

Mother: Shh, Mami, you’re too loud here. Don’t look at her in the eyes.

Honoka: And now I’m treated as a suspicious person...this is horrible! Argh, seriously, I might as well go home now. Even if I do see Akagi now, I can’t apologize when I’m like this now. Speaking of which, how does Oumi know about the cafe Akagi often frequents!?

Honoka: I’ll just send him a mail when I get back, but how do I apologize to him? Do I go to his house directly? No no no, this is too heavy, my love, it’s too heavy!

Koremitsu: Th-those legs of yours are thick and rough like a Cedrus tree. They’re nice.

Honoka: Eh? That voice is!

Koremitsu: Why did you have to run away...damn it. On to the next one. Hey, the woman over there...I say, stop running away already.

Honoka: It’s Akagi after all. Why’s he here? And what exactly is he doing?

Koremitsu: Hey, Hikaru. I don’t seem to be getting anyone for quite a while.

Hikaru: Koremitsu, wooing girls is not hunting here. It is best not to give off the beastly ‘I will eat you up’ kind of feeling. Carnivorous men are rare, but they are popular. If it is you however, Koremitsu, I would say you are a ‘cannibal’ instead.

Koremitsu: Can that already. Anyway, what do I have to do to woo girls?

Hikaru: How about changing methods here? There is the method of walking around the corners and colliding into people. After that, you gently hold the girl you knock down and not let her fall. Ask her ‘are you alright?’, and say ‘I am fine here. To be able to meet an outstanding, adorable flower in this city and view it from up close like this, this thing known as pain has long vanished. I suppose this is what everyone calls fate.’

Koremitsu: Like I’m able to say such a thing!?

Hikaru: It’s practice.

Koremitsu: A normal conversation is much more decent than this.

Honoka: Akagi...I don’t think it’s possible...but he’s actually wooing girls!? Why!? Ah, he’s talking again. Ah, the girl ran off. Eh? He’s going to continue? She ran away. Ahh, seriously...what’s he trying to do here!? How did I start stalking him discreetly too? I shouldn’t be this kind of person here...ah, huh!? That girl didn’t run away even after Akagi talked to her! You’re kidding!! He succeeded!!?

Poor Suffering Girl: E-er-er-erm, i-i-is there something!?

Koremitsu: Right, good thing she didn’t run off now. First stage, clear!

Hikaru: Koremitsu, that girl seems to be shivering. You have to sweet talk to calm her.

Koremitsu: Sweet talk? What’s that......

Poor Suffering Girl: Hiiii...

Hikaru: Do not feel frustrated, Koremitsu. Your eyes will glare when you do so, and you will frown, making your face more savage than usual. Come on, try flattering her. Are her arms not soft and charming?

Koremitsu: An-an-anyway, your arms are rather thick.

Poor Suffering Girl: Eh?

Koremitsu: You look rather healthy there. Well, very suited for strength work. Your hair’s decent look, wavy like an inchworm.

Hikaru: KOREMITSU!!!

Poor Suffering Girl: Th-that’s horrible~!!!

Koremitsu: Tch, what was that about? I was trying to say something. Why did you run away!?

Hikaru: That was...you fault, Koremitsu.

Koremitsu: Huh?

Honoka: So he failed after all. Thank goodness...not!! Why’s he wooing girls here!? Ah, Akagi’s moving now! What do I do now!? Do I chase after him? B-but, if I’m found to be peeping on him, I’ll definitely be hated here. No no, this is for Akagi’s good. This is proper invigilation to prevent Akagi from straying off the right path. I’m not peeping on him, and I’m not a stalker here—!!!

## Chapter 3: The Girls who met.

Aoi: Ah, so nice. It is better to have red tea with honey after all. It is really wonderful to be able to come here. Even I can come to a tea shop alone to drink some tea and do some shopping alone. Asa and Big Brother Shungo are worrying over me too much; it is too much of them to even come watching me at my workplace. I wanted to be strong enough not to cause Mr Akagi trouble.

(Bells. Door opens)

Waitress: Welcome.

Unfortunate victim 1: Woah, that was scary.

Unfortunate victim 2: Fuu, what’s with that delinquent anyway?

Aoi: Delinquent?

Unfortunate victim 2: I never expected him to suddenly come at me and talk to me. He has that scary look and the red hair. I’m so scared wondering if I’ll end up meeting him on the way home.

Aoi: (Scary look, red hair? Is it Mr Akagi?)

Unfortunate victim 1: Woah, look outside the window! That delinquent’s still wandering around this tea shop.

Unfortunate victim 2: You serious? He’s going to talk with someone again. That guy’s going far away to hunt down a girl!

Aoi: Outside the window...tea shop...its Mr Akagi after all, isn’t it!?

Unfortunate victim 3: Eh, i-is there something?

Koremitsu: Ah, erm, your eyes look pretty, like acorns. Looks like your head will drop if you tilt it a little.

Unfortunate victim 3: E-eek! P-pl-please don’t hit me!!

Hikaru: Koremitsu, try using a gentler tone and praise her with earnest lines.

Koremitsu: Even if you say so, I’m already being very gentle here!!!

Unfortunate victim 3: Please don’t hit me even if that’s the case!!!

Koremitsu: No no no, that wasn’t directed at you.

Aoi: Who exactly is the woman with Mr Akagi? She does not seem to be a classmate from school...Is that Mr Akagi’s girlfriend!!? Eh, erm, but that is...ah.

Unfortunate victim 1: Look, that delinquent looks like he’s about to be arrested. That guy’s does human trading after all!

Aoi: Th-this is bad! I am not sure what is going on, but it looks like Mr Akagi is about to be arrested...!!!

Some ruckus and knocking later.

Aoi: Ah, sorry! Are you okay?

Honoka: Ah, I’m fine here. Just that I’m shocked that the door opened...huh?

Aoi: You are...

Honoka: Your Highness Aoi? Why are you here?...Now’s not the moment for this though. Akagi’s chased by the police...!

Aoi: Yes, Mr Akagi is being chased by the police...

Both: Eh?

Honoka: Your Highness Aoi, did you just?

Aoi: Did you...just mention about Mr Akagi...

Koremitsu: (heavy panting) Finally shook them off.

Hikaru: Koremitsu, I do not think it is a good thing to suddenly run away when being questioned by the police.

Koremitsu: I had no choice. That policeman just looked at me like I’m a criminal here. I’ll definitely be taken away if I remained there.

Hikaru: I never expected you to be watched by the policemen just because you were trying to flirt with girls; that really was quite the turbulent development. I guess the road of love is filled with thorns after all.

Koremitsu: Don’t say that about me like you’re critiquing a movie here. Damn it, like hell I want to continue wooing girls.

Hikaru: Do not say that. Try challenging it again. Think positive. This is a corner; try knocking into a girl around the corner and tie the red string of fate.

Koremitsu: If it’s deliberate, it’s not fated.

Hikaru: But if it is not a coincidence, it has to be fated.

Koremitsu: Who knows.

Hikaru: ‘I’m a man, and I’ll do what I promised’. You are the one who made that statement, Koremitsu.

Koremitsu: You’re despicable.

Hikaru: You are a man of your word. You cannot simply take back what you said, can you?

Koremitsu: Ahh, I get it. I’ll do it, okay? I’ll show you what ‘fate’ is.

Hikaru: To be expected of you, Koremitsu! Do your best here! Listen, is there not someone coming around the corner? The footsteps are getting closer...

Koremitsu: Are you serious? It’s not a guy, is it?

Hikaru: There is no problem. These footsteps seem to be of a girl’s from what I can hear. A young, calm , intellectual lady.

Koremitsu: You can hear that much just from the footsteps? I guess it is to be expected of a harem prince without restraint.

Hikaru: It does not feel like I got praised here though...

Koremitsu: Really? Now then, I’ll try it for now...(footsteps, crashes hard.)...watch out!

Hikaru: Nice, Koremitsu! You got the girl by the arm before she fell. That is a high score.

Koremitsu: Sorry, are you alright?

Hikaru: Yes yes. It is important to pay attention to this part, no?

Koremitsu: Your hair is really beautiful, and I’m powerless against girls with such pretty hair. A cute city flower like you will be hurt by a wild dog like me. The God of Fate really did such a cruel thing here.

Hikaru: Not bad! It does have the right vibe even though it feels like plagiarism of my lines. Now this girl will...

Asai: I suppose. God certainly is cruel and incompetent to let me meet a wild dog at such a place.

Hikaru: Huh?

Koremitsu: Ugh, Asai Saiga!

Asai: Do not yell at my ears; this filthy voice will damage them. More importantly, let go of your hand.

Koremitsu: You, why are you here!?

Asai: It has nothing to do with you. Furthermore, I suppose you are a wild dog with your head boiling under the heat, saying such irrelevant words, no?

Koremitsu: How is it irrelevant?

Asai: How is it not? The moment we met, you blindly rambled about some God of Fate; is this not irrelevant here? Do you still wish to graduate from High School? A wild dog really thinks of the most uncouth things.

Koremitsu: That’s not it, Hikaru...

Hikaru: K-Koremitsu?

Asai: Hikaru? Are you saying that you wish to emulate Hikaru’s actions? Now you have fallen further in my eyes.

Hikaru: Asa...

Koremitsu: You...!

Asai: Hikaru’s philandering is something really troubling, and extremely useless at that; it is exacerbated however now that it is passed on to a wild dog like you.

Koremitsu: Hey, you can say whatever you want about me, but don’t badmouth Hikaru here. He feels the fates of all the girls and treasure them all; that’s all.

Hikaru: Koremitsu...

Asai: What do you know about Hikaru...uu?

Hikaru: Asa...! She was a little wobbly, was she not? Is it a lack of sleep? She does not look good here...

Koremitsu: Wha...? Hey, you aren’t looking too well here. Your legs are wobbly too.

Asai: ...It has nothing to do with you.

Hikaru: Koremitsu, bring Asa over to the park. It will be good to let her rest for a little while.

Koremitsu: Go rest in the park for a little while.

Asai: There is no need.

Koremitsu: Don’t force yourself, Asa.

Asai: ...! I do not remember allowing you to call me that...

Koremitsu: Watch out! Don’t collapse so suddenly like that.

Asai: I said that is not the case...

Hikaru: Koremitsu, lend Asa your shoulder.

Koremitsu: Seriously, looks like I got no choice.

Asai: Leave...me alone.

Koremitsu: I get it, I get it.

## Chapter 4: The increasing complications of the girls

Both: Ah, erm...!

Honoka: Wh-What is it, Your Highness Aoi? You may go first.

Aoi: N-no, you may go first, Miss Shikibu.

Honoka: Eh? But...

Honoka: Eh, how did it end up like this? How did I end up having tea with Her Highness Aoi in the tea shop?

Aoi: I wanted to save Mr Akagi, but I lost sight of him in all that commotion, and I ended up walking into this tea cafe with Miss Shikibu before I knew it. This may be a good opportunity however.

Honoka: I don’t really have many chances to talk with Her Highness Aoi in school. I think I should brace myself and ask about the relationship between her and Her Highness Aoi.

Aoi: Miss Shikibu has been with Mr Akagi quite often. What sort of relationship do they both have?

Both: E-erm...!

Honoka: Sorry, it happened again...

Aoi: No, I should be the one sorry here.

Waitress: May I ask if you have decided on your order?

Aoi: Ah, yes, milk tea with honey, please.

Honoka: I want Espresso, please.

Aoi: Ah, wait, please switch my milk tea to coffee, no sugar and no honey.

Honoka: I-I don’t want Espresso either. Please give me some milk cocoa.

Waitress: Understood. Please wait for a little while.

Aoi: How embarrassing for me to actually order such a childish thing...

Honoka: I completely lost here. Akagi definitely likes Her Highness Aoi’s girlish charms here.

Honoka: Erm! I’ll like to ask! What do you think about Akagi, Your Highness Aoi?

Aoi: Eh...!? Erm...!?

Honoka: You once dumped Akagi before, right? But you had a date with him during the holidays...

Aoi: D-date?

Honoka: Wo-woah...even as a girl, I find Her Highness Aoi cute when her cheeks are flushed red like that! I guess Akagi likes a girl he inadvertently feels like protecting after all, right?

Aoi: Which date is she talking about? The theme park was because it was Hikaru’s request, and I could not go to the art gallery in the end...

Aoi: You too, Miss Shikibu. You are often with Mr Akagi. Are both of you on good terms?

Honoka: Eh? Are you talking about me?

Aoi: Miss Shikibu’s slowly starting to blush too. They are both very close after all, I suppose?

Honoka: It may look like we’re on very good terms. But to me, I never thought of giving Akagi the benefit of the doubt, and even kicked him and got him angry. I confessed, telling him I ‘like’ him, yet I backtracked and said that I don’t.

Honoka: I-I’m just an ordinary classmate of Akagi’s..

Aoi: But you joined the Japanese Dance club, with Mr Akagi?

Honoka: Eh...that’s...to put it...I’ll be worried if I leave him alone as he is! Anyway, what about yourself, Your Highness Aoi? You’ve been on good terms with Akagi recently. Akagi’s been kind to you, and even concerned about you. He did say that he likes you before...

Aoi: But Mr Akagi is definitely concerned about me because he is Hikaru’s friend. It is not that he likes me...

Honoka: Why is Her Highness Aoi so unhappy about this? Akagi likes her like this, and keeps protecting her. I haven’t reached that level of intimacy. That’s too despicable of him.

Honoka: I see, so that’s how it is. I’ve been finding it strange, you don’t really match well with Akagi, Your Highness Aoi. Akagi’s a clumsy guy with a crude mouth, away frowning and scowling, never able to grasp a girl’s heart. There’s so way he should be approaching you...

Aoi: That is not the case! Mr Akagi is a nice man! A wonderful man!

Honoka: Eh?

Aoi: When we were at the theme park, he was extremely gentlemanly, and held my hand to calm me down!

Honoka: Held hands?

Aoi: With a blushing face, he handed me flowers, and put a necklace on me!

Honoka: Put a necklace!?

Aoi: When I was about to break down into tears, he even embraced me gently in his clutches!

Honoka: Embraced n his clutches!!?

Aoi: H-he really is very earnest with me, taking Hikaru’s place.

Honoka: He-he embraced Her Highness Aoi in his clutches!? That Akagi!!?

“This necklace with a diamond is a present for you. I’ll put it on you.”

“Mr Akagi~!”

“It matches very well with the white tender skin of yours.”

“I-it is embarrassing. Uu, I cried out carlessly”

“Aoi.”

“Mr Akagi?”

“Aoi, I’m the only one who can make you cry. I’m also the only one who can wipe your tears away.”

“Mr Akagi~!”

Honoka: “NOOOO!!! There’s no way that kind of Akagi exists! If it’s this Highness Aoi however, maybe it actually happened like that!! This girlish Highness Aoi is completely different from me who’s always there to give advice!”

Aoi: “Th-that is why I say, Mr Akagi is a very, marvelous person. You are mistaken about Mr Akagi, Miss Shikibu!”

Honoka: I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I—I’m not mistaken about him! I know a lot of good points about Akagi!

Aoi: Eh?

Honoka: Akagi’s always working hard, is straightforward, and is someone worth relying on. When he got involved with you, Your Highness Aoi, Akagi had been groveling to me, asking for advice. He also worked very hard when it was about Miss Kanai, and he was desperate for Shiiko’s happiness!! Akagi has a savage face, and is called a delinquent, but he’s a really, really wonderful guy. I say this with certainly as the one who agreed to give him advice.

Aoi: Discuss?...Did Mr Akagi ask you for advice, Miss Shikibu?

Honoka: Eh, isn’t that the case? ‘Be my Heliotrope’, ‘good to have you around’, ‘you’re a good person’, ‘really reliable’, ‘thanks’, he has been saying all these stuff to me every day!

Honoka: “Woah~ why do I feel competitive against Her Highness Aoi? No matter which situation he was, he was only discussing it with me hoping for advice, and said them when he’s working hard for other girls. Isn’t this proof that Akagi doesn’t think of me as a girl?”

Aoi: “I never knew about this. I thought Mr Akagi is firm-willed and capable, and never would ask others for help”

“What’s the matter, Akagi? You look like you’re suffering.”

“Shikibu.”

“A-ah, Akagi, what’s this out of a sudden?”

“Sikibu, let me hug you for a little longer, stay in my arms like this...I feel like I can get an answer doing this.”

“Akagi...erm, okay, please think about it slowly. I’m your partner after all.”

“Thank you, Shikibu. You’re the only woman I can rely on. You’re the only once who can see my everything.”

Aoi: Mature. It feels very mature, and contrasting that, I have been protected by Mr Akagi all this time. I cannot ease Mr Akagi’s worries like Miss Shikibu.”

Waitress: “Sorry to keep you waiting. Here is your coffee, and here is your milk cocoa...(places drinks) Enjoy.”

Aoi: (Espresso. Mature women able to order such drinks so naturally are who Mr Akagi would rely on. For me, ordering normal coffee is the limit for me.)

Honoka: (Honey milk tea. Those cut enough to order this drink so naturally are definitely the ones Akagi would want to protect. It’s too late for me to copy this now.)

Aoi: Too bitter!

Honoka: Too sweet!

Both: (sighs)

## Chapter 5: The Sleeping Beauty’s memories.

Koremitsu: Here now, Asa, the handkerchief’s here...she’s sleeping.

Hikaru: It feels like the tense nerves snapped the moment she sat on the bench. I suppose she really overworked herself...Koremitsu, wipe the sweat off Asa.

Koremitsu: Seriously, you leave me with no choice...this good enough?

Hikaru: Yes, thanks. I suppose Asa feels a lot better now.

Koremitsu: But what do I do with her?

Hikaru: Just let her continue to sleep this this. I am a little worried that that Asa would fall asleep in front of you so defenselessly.

Koremitsu: Well, yeah. I can’t leave a sleeping girl on a park bench...’kay.

Hikaru: How kind of you, to nonchalantly sit by Asa’s side to block the sun.

Koremitsu: You idiot, who would think for the sake of this cold-blooded woman? It’s just that this side’s a little wider.

Hikaru: You are right. I shall assume it to be the case then.

Koremitsu: Tch, more importantly, does this girl here collapse suddenly like this often?

Hikaru: Asa always pushes herself to the limits, and never ever showed her fragile side to others. Back when we were younger, Asa pushed herself too much and fell asleep in the storage room; it caused quite a commotion when the adults could not find her.

Koremitsu: Are you serious?

Hikaru: Yes. There was also once when she fell asleep in the bathroom and nearly drowned. The housemaid was worried that she did not come out after a long time, and when they opened the bathroom, Asa was floating on the surface; it scared the housemaid so much she shrieked.

Koremitsu: That was a horror flick, right?

Hikaru: Asa is easily misunderstood, but she really is someone who works really hard.

Koremitsu: Well, whether Asa’s a hard worker or a klutz, that Hikaru has such a gentle face looking at Hikaru. I see that though she’s a cold-blooded woman to me, she’s a precious cousin and childhood friend to Hikaru.

Hikaru: I wonder how many years has it been since I last saw Asa’s sleeping face. Life is short, and since young, she had a lot of things she wanted to do. Oh yes, her summer vacation plans are filled to the second.

Koremitsu: To the second? She can finish that much?

Hikaru: If it is Asa, it is possible. When she was halfway through however, she was worn out, and she did faint twice during summer vacation.

Koremitsu: Such a troublesome brat. Anyway, what’s that Saiga rushing about, doing all that stuff?

Hikaru: For example, she tried to hatch eggs.

Koremitsu: Eggs?

Hikaru: Hey, Asa, why do you have so many eggs on the table?

Aoi: I am curious about that too. The eggs have words and spells all over them.

Asai: You two, do not touch those eggs. I am now doing an important experiment.

Hikaru: “Experiment? What kind?”

Asai: “About the secrets of life.”

Hikaru: “The secrets of lie?”

Asai: “It is the secrets, of, life. I want to see a new life born.”

Aoi: “How are you going to do it?”

Asai: “Through these eggs. I have been shining a lamp to keep these eggs warm. Eggs that get heated up will hatch, no?”

Hikaru: “Oh, I saw it on television before.”

Asai: “But my experiment will not end here.”

Aoi: “What will you do?”

Asai: “To hatch healthy chicks, I will have to give them a proper amount of emotions. That is why I named these eggs, and every morning and night, I will call them by their names once.”

Aoi: “Are the words written on the eggs their names?”

Asai: “Yes. From left, their names are, ‘Tarou’, ‘Jirou’, ‘Saburou’, ‘Shirou’, ‘Gorou’, ‘Mutsumi’, ‘Nanami’, ‘Yae’, ‘Kokonoha’, ‘Tooko’.”

Hikaru: “Amazing! In that case, this means ‘Tarou’ will be born soon, right? That is amazing, Asa.”

Aoi: “I too want to see ‘Mutsumi’ born soon.”

Asai: “Do you want to call for them along with me?”

Aoi & Hikaru: “Yes!”

Asai: “Then, let us call them out politely ‘Please hurry and be born soon’”

Hikaru: “Understood! Then, now,”

All: “’Please hurry and be born soon!’”

Hikaru: Of course, the eggs were never hatched. It would have been bad if the eggs bought in the supermarket were to hatch.

Koremitsu: Isn’t that common sense? Why did Saiga do such a stupid thing?

Hikaru: That is because she really is interested. The emotions of her desire to see the chicks hatch seemed real.

Koremitsu: That girl should be rather smart, right?

Hikaru: Very. Asa is very curious about the unknown.

Koremitsu: Unknown? You’re talking about the eggs sold at 98 Yen special price>

Hikaru: Do you not think that it is strange how a soft chick would be hatched from a sturdy egg?

Koremitsu: ...Well, I guess those kinds of people would think that way.

Hikaru: Asa’s interests are not just limited to eggs alone.

Koremitsu: There’s more!?

Hikaru: “Asa, do you not have too much for your summer plans?”

Asai: “This is after I excluded quite a bit. Life is tragically short; there are many things to do.”

Hikaru: “But it looks it will be tiring to carry out tomorrow’s plan. Look for Tsuchinokos at 9am, find kappas at the nearest river at 9.30am, continue moving while eating lunch at noon, make contact with UFOs on Mount Takao.”

Asai: “But even so, I did reduce a lot of my plans. I intended to excavate an ancient grave to look for a Snowman, but if I am to collapse due to over-exhaustion, I will lose my ability to learn.”

Koremitsu: Tsuchinokos and kappas...was she serious?

Hikaru: Yes, Asa was very serious. She is a girl who is very naive and interested in the unknown.

Koremitsu: Naive, you say.

Hikaru: In regards to Santa Claus too. Even in 3rd grade, she believed in him and wrote letters to him every year.

Koremitsu: 3rd grade? Isn’t that about the same age is Shiiko? She never had any doubts about that?

Hikaru: Yes. I just felt that Asa stubbornly believed in them. Miss Aoi and I could not bring ourselves to say it to her.

Koremitsu: So you and Aoi already knew about it?

Hikaru: Yes. The one who gave me presents on Christmas Eve was not Santa Claus, but female relatives and the pretty big sister neighbors.

Koremitsu: Ah, I see...what about Aoi?

Hikaru: It seemed Miss Aoi already knew about it since kindergarten. According to her, she could see her father cosplay as Santa Claus every Christmas Eve, laughing ‘hohoho, this is Santa Claus, little Aoi. Merry Christmas’, and give her a present.

Koremitsu: That stupid father. But Saiga actually firmly believed in that. Looking at her current cold-blooded self, it’s hard to believe such foolishness happened before.

Hikaru: Asa really is a girl who admires the unknown, and is very free-spirited. She can observe everything with coolness, intelligence and wisdom, and has the enthusiasm to move even the stars in the sky.

Koremitsu: ...Some stars they are. That’s amazing.

Hikaru: At that time, Asa dreamed of becoming an archaeologist when she grew up, but she gave up on that dream.

Koremitsu: She realized it’s impossible?

Hikaru: No. The term ‘impossible’ does not exist for Asa. Asa has the ability to do anything, but she decided to focus it on something else.

Koremitsu: Something else?

Hikaru: Yes. For Asa is gentle.

Koremitsu: What do you mean?

Asai: Uu...unn...

Koremitsu: Ugh...

Hikaru: So cute! Asa actually placed her head on you, Koremitsu.

Koremitsu: You idiot, how can this be cute? Just troubling, right?

Hikaru: Why? Asa is light even if she leans over, right? It is nothing much for you to lend Asa your shoulder, no? Koremitsu?”

Koremitsu: Though you say that...

Hikaru: There are not many chances where you see see Asa’s sleeping face from up close. Do the long, pretty eyebrows curling up not resemble the cuteness of the Fringed Orchid?

Koremitsu: How can I possibly see that? It’ll be too perverted to peek from up close.

Hikaru: Eh? Too bad. It is a rare chance. Try having a look.

Koremitsu: Shut up, you perverted ghost... but it is the first time I have been with Saiga for this long. I thought she’s just a cold-blooded woman, but I do find her a little cuter after hearing Hikaru’s words

Asai: Unn...this is?

Hikaru: The sleeping princess has awakened.

Koremitsu: Yo! You awake?

Asai: Huh...? Wha...!

Koremitsu! Ow! What the? There’s no need to push me off immediately, right?

Asai: Why are you here?

Koremitsu: Isn’t it because you fell asleep?

Asai: Why did you not wake me up immediately? Such a useless man.

Koremitsu: There’s no need to be so harsh, right? You really aren’t a cure woman.

Asai: What would a mere dog like you know?

Koremitsu: ...I heard that you still believed in Santa Claus when you were in 3rd grade?

Asai: Wha...!

Hikaru: Koremitsu? Are you going to talk about that now?

Koremitsu: And you wrote to Santa Claus every year on Christmas Eve. How did you write your address?

Asai: I do not remember what happened when I was young.

Koremitsu: Really? You did not write anything about looking for kappas in your summer plans?

Asai: I do not remember what happened when I was young.

Koremitsu: And what about giving names to the chicken eggs to hatch?

Asai: I do not remember what happened when I was young.

Koremitsu: Don’t just forget about everything here. Even you have your own cute points.

Asai: What....!!!!

(Slaps!!)

Koremitsu: What was that for!?

Hikaru: Wow~! You got a perfect handprint on you face, Koremitsu!

Asai: Humph!

Policeman: What happened?

Koremitsu: A cop...

Asai: This dog is a pervert.

Koremitsu: What!?

Policeman: Come along with me for a while.

Koremitsu: N-no! I’m not a pervert!

Policeman: All perverts say that. Enough yapping and come along now.

Hikaru: Mr Policeman, Koremitsu is not a pervert! I can testify!

Koremitsu: He can’t hear even if a ghost tries to testify here! It’s useless!!

Policeman: What are you yelling? Say your excuses when you are there. Now then, come along with me.

Koremitsu: Hey!

Asai: Go cool that head of yours. Of yes, you may cover yourself in ice from head to toe.

Koremitsu: Damn it!! You’re my enemy after all——–!!!

## Chapter 6: Under the Gentle sunset.

Koremitsu: Seriously. Why did I have to be mistaken for a pervert?

Hikaru: It is great that you could resolve the misunderstanding however.

Koremitsu: What misunderstanding? That was just condescending, okay? Ah, seriously, I’m so unlucky today. I’m never going to woo girls again.

Hikaru: Eh? Do not say that. Try challenging it again next time.

Koremitsu: No, absolutely not. If you say that, I’m migrating to a place without women.

Hikaru: Please do not say that now. Huh?

Koremitsu: What?

Hikaru: I say, are those walking in front Miss Aoi and Miss Shikibu?

Koremitsu: Huh?

Honoka: Akagi doesn’t view me as a woman after all.

Aoi: Why am I so useless here? If this keeps up, Mr Akagi’s view of me will...

Girls: (Sigh)

Koremitsu: Yo, Shikibu, Aoi.

Girls: Eh?

Koremitsu: What’s the matter? Both of you are together.

Honoka: A-A-A-A-Akagi!

Aoi: You too. Mr Akagi, why are you here?

Koremitsu: Ah, erm...

Hikaru: Did something happen between Miss Aoi and Miss Shikibu? They look very depressed.

Koremitsu: Are you two alright? You look depressed.

Honoka: Eh? Erm... What do I do now? We actually met here. Is it better for me to apologize for what happened yesterday? But I’m with Her Highness Aoi here. Never mind then.

Aoi: I made Mr Akagi worry again. Why am I always like this?

Honoka: It’s nothing, nothing at all.

Aoi: Y-yes, just as she said.

Koremitsu: Really?

Hikaru: It is better not to force matters here. Gloomy faces do not suit girls. Look, the Hibiscus facing the sun in the flower bed there are so pretty. Are the large, soft petals not like a radiant smile. If such pretty flowers are to decorate the hair, any girl will be able to show a great smile.

Koremitsu: What...!? How do you expect me to say that?

Hikaru: Koremitsu, do not look at me like that. Do you not wish to learn how to deal with girls? You cannot woo them, but it is better for you to learn how to cheer up depressed girls.

Koremitsu: Seriously...you two, listen up, look at the Hibiscus over there.

Aoi: Eh? Hibiscus?

Honoka: Such a brilliant red! I never thought they would grow at such a place.

Koremitsu: You’ll be laughed at by them if you continue to be depressed. Anyway, how about you put one on your heads and smile?

Honoka: What’s Akagi saying out of a sudden? Is he trying to encourage us

Aoi: Mr Akagi is really kind after all!

Koremitsu: I don’t know what exactly happened, but this isn’t as bad as mine.

Honoka: Did you get into something today, Akagi?

Koremitsu: B-before I begin, I’ll say that it’s all a misunderstanding.

Aoi: A misunderstanding?

Koremitsu: I was mistaken for a pervert and brought to the police station.

Honoka: Wha...!

Aoi: A pervert?

Koremitsu: I didn’t do anything, but they wouldn’t listen to my explanation. I say that they judge me on my appearance...

Honoka: Akagi!

Aoi: Mr Akagi!

Honoka: I’m your ally!

Aoi: I know that!

Honoka: I’m your ally even if all the people in the world don’t trust you! Don’t forget that!

Aoi: I know that you are a kind, passionate person who’ll work very hard for others, Mr Akagi. You are really a wonderful person!

Koremitsu: Wow...what’s with you two?

Honoka: I-it’s nothing. Just giving you a special service after seeing you a little dejected. As for the reason...there’s none at all.

Aoi: E-erm, Mr Akagi. Can we go back home together? At least halfway back.

Koremitsu: Oh, sure.

Honoka: Ah, I’m going there too. Right. I’m on my way there too. I’ll accompany you two.

Koremitsu: Okay...then, let’s go back together.

Honoka: Okay!

Aoi: Yes!

## Epilogue

Note: Story is narrated in Koremitsu’s first-person perspective.

That day, when I was flanked by Aoi and Shikibu, Hikaru floated around in the air, telling me while I was looking embarrassed and tense,

“I really envy you, to be flanked on both left and right. Is this not a happy end instead of bad luck?”

And so I glanced aside at him, telling him, “You’re annoying.”

There were a lot of weird things happening when Hikaru was with me. Every single time, he just started a lot of incidents, and I really can’t take it. It’s really enjoyable though.

When he was still on the Earth, I really had a happy time.

It’s really great to be able to meet Hikaru.

Now that Hikaru’s no longer around, I keep recalling the happiness I had back then.

He taught me a lot of things, and left a lot of things.

And he kept repeating the words when he departed,

“Thank you. You are my hero.”

“Thank you I will always love all of you.”

I will never forget that my close friend once existed on this Earth.

“Thank you. Farewell.”

## Special Track: Heroines Interviews

Koremitsu: Now then, for the special track.

Hikaru: We shall tell everyone about Miss Shikibu, Miss Aoi and Asa’s secrets!

*Chimes*

Koremitsu: Hey Hikaru. Looks like Oumi from the news club sent something to my phone.

Hikaru: What is it, exactly? Erm, ‘Miss Shikibu and Her Highness Aoi and Matriach Asa special Interview’. Ohh~? Hurry up and look at it, Koremitsu!

Koremitsu: Stop yelling at my ears. Argh, I’ll start (beep)

Aoi: Normally, I’ll refuse this interview for any man, but when I think about how it’s a present for Mr Akagi...

Hikaru: Miss Aoi really is cute when she is tense like this...anyway, the first question is ‘Which princess did you most admire when you were young’?

Aoi: It is Snow White! The happy end after the prince’s kiss to wake her up was really wonderful!

Koremitsu: Why ask about princesses?

Hikaru: Girls always wish to be princesses.

Koremitsu: is it because they want to be wooed?

Hikaru: Ah, next up is Miss Shikibu!

Honoka: Cinderella, I guess? Even after being abused by her stepmother, the way she entered the ballroom through her own willpower, kicked the glass slipper onto the prince, and climbed up the branches to be a phoenix’s really the best here!

Koremitsu: Is that the story of Cinderella..?

Hikaru: I-I wonder...? Now then, last up, Asa!

Asai: Princess Kaguya, I suppose. The cold way she toyed the hearts of foolish men that swarmed her and ruined them is truly worth learning from.

Koremitsu: Even if you don’t learn from her, you’re pretty cold-hearted and sinister yourself.

Hikaru: Asa is actually a kind-hearted person.

Koremitsu: How exactly!?

Hikaru: Ah, anyway, the next question is ‘which nursery tune is your favorite’?

Aoi: I like the ‘lost little kitty’. The way the lost kitty interacted with the police dog is really cut! Eh? The actual name of the song is ‘police dog’? Well, I did not know about that!

Honoka: I like the ‘Ah, Lovely Meadows’. The loud singing really makes one energetic, especially that ‘heyo’ part!

Asai: Donna Donna, I suppose. Hearing the psychotic melody and the abyssal lyrics is soothing to my heart.

Hikaru: Speaking of which, it seems like Asa has a ‘Donna Donna’ ringtone.

Koremitsu: Ack, listening to ‘Donna Donna’ in the morning?

Hikaru: Now then, the next question is ‘which is your favorite animal’?

Aoi: Cats of course. My ‘Ciel Bieu’ is fluffy with sharp whiskers, really very cute. I give it (Cow) milk every night, and it gives a little humming after I give it milk every time. It sleeps on a sleep every night.

Honoka: Hm, let me thin. A panda? I had a panda lunchbox and a panda school bag when I was in kindergarten, so I guess these are derived from that. Ahh, on a side note, I only have that one panties with panda prints on it!! And it’s not like my entire drawer is filled with panda panties! I only wear it 2, 3 times every year!!! I’m really serious here!!! Argh, hurry up and forget about that panda thing already!!!

Koremitsu: Aren’t you the one reminding me about it?

Hikaru: Eh? She wears it only 2, 3 times a year? You really saw a rare thing there, Koremitsu.

Koremitsu: You don’t have to say that with that cheerful look. And that was just an accident...

Honoka: Uu...everyone, you should normally wear the sexy, mature kind of panties. This is an advice from the Purple Princess.

Koremitsu: Stop crying already, hey.

Hikaru: Ah, let us hear Asa’s answer.

Asai: Any animal...other than dogs.

Koremitsu: Ack...

Asai: Dogs alone, are a no go. Especially a savage looking dog with a foul barking and dirty red fur.

Koremitsu: Thi-this girl...

Hikaru: Koremitsu, your veins are popping out of your face...your eyes are silted now! Calm down!

Asai: I do like most animals, except for dogs. Oh, pigs are a thousand times better than dogs, better than dogs.

Koremitsu: You want a fight, Asa!?

Hikaru: Do not crush your phone, Koremitsu! Look down! Erm...’please imitate the animal you like!’

Aoi: Eh? It’s embarrassing. But, if it’s just a little...nya, nya~nya? Nyanya~meow~murumuru~I think a real cat will be much cuter...meow~

Hikaru: Miss Aoi is very cute, right, Koremitsu? Miss Aoi is really cute~she is no inferior to a kitty, nya~

Koremitsu: Yeah, but don’t add that strange tic at the end.

Hikaru: I really do look forward to Miss Shikibu’s performance too, nya~

Honoka: Eh...how does a panda cry? Lemme think, grrrrrr....eh, this feels more like a wolf here, doesn’t it? Gnaw gnaaaw~...doesn’t feel right. Prprr prrr prrrrrrr~that’s an elephant! Que~quu~now it’s a dog...

Hikaru: Koremitsu, bring Miss Shikibu out to the zoo to hear what sounds a panda makes. A growing panda has a sweet voice. Meep meep~ Just like that.

Koremitsu: Don’t tell me you’re that particular about pandas. Anyway, like hell I want to go.

Hikaru: I think Miss Shikibu will be delighted about that though. Last up is Asa. Erm, a pig, right...?

Asai: What...!

Hikaru: Woah, Asa looks like she hates it.

Koremitsu: Humph, serves her right.

Asai: Eh...ugh...buu...buu...

Koremitsu: Huh? I can’t hear you.

Asai: Ugh...boo...buubuubuu...buuhi...buu, bu...buubuu..buuhi!!

Hikaru: Asa, that is enough already.

Koremitsu: Yeah. I’ll spare you for today.

Asai: Buuuu...

Hikaru: Now for the last question, ‘Please say the one memory you had with Mr Akagi!’.

Koremitsu: What?

Aoi: Th-there are a lot of them, but the one most recent is...

Koremitsu: “I won’t cheat on anyone! I’m devoted!”

Aoi: “B-But...you called Miss Tsuyako as senpai...you must be on good terms with her...”

Koremitsu: “You want me to call you that too? I’ll call you that then, Aoi-senpai.”

Aoi: “Eh, well, that is...I-I think it is better to just...call me Aoi. “

Honoka: I-I too have lots of memories...but...

Koremitsu: “I haven’t forgotten, Shikibu.”

Honoka: “Eh?”

Koremitsu: “About you saying you like me.”

Honoka: “N-NOOOOOO!! FORGET ABOUT IT!!!”

Hikaru: You really do not have any right to call me a harem prince without restraint...you do have potential yourself.

Koremitsu: Shut up! Let’s look at the next one. Ah, it’s the last one.

Asai: “It’s impossible for you to express Hikaru’s feelings.”

Koremitsu: “Hikaru’s a real friend of mine! I don’t care if you’re God or the president, I won’t allow anyone to deny this! I can lift my chest and proclaim boldly to the entire world that Hikaru’s an important friend of mine!”

Asai: I feel awful whenever I think about it. I shall never accept that a mere uncouth dog actually proclaimed himself to be Hikaru’s friend. Can he ever stop with calling me ‘Asa’ so unabashedly? I do not remember allowing a dog call me then, and no way in the life I am to continue living that I will allow it.

Koremitsu: I too don’t want to meet you again in my life, Asa!

Hikaru: Please do not spit all over the phone, Koremitsu...erm, oh yes, the volume ‘Asagao, When Hikaru is on the Earth...’, centered around Asa, will be released at the end of 2012. You shall see the innocent, cute Asa here!

Koremitsu: Does a creature like a cute Asa actually exist? Well, anyway, coming soon, daze!

### 018. Prologue

Note: The following dialogue is translated from the Chinese fansubs (my hearing is non-existent, to say the least)

Hikaru: When Hikaru was on the Earth...Special Edition Drama CD

Koremitsu: Koremitsu Akagi’s Day of Suffering ~ Why do I have to go out wooing girls? ~

Koremitsu: It was that summer when I met that guy, the guy called the ‘Harem Prince of the school, who viewed every single girl as a beautiful flower, and that it’s a man’s job for them to compete and bloom to show their most beautiful side. To be honest, he’s just a winner in life, and there should be no way he would ever interact with this hoodlum in me who’s always going around fighting, labeled the ‘delinquent king’. However, he suddenly passed away one day, and continued to be with me as a ghost. Also, there’s still a girl he wouldn’t give up on, and he made this request, “Mr Akagi, can you fulfill some promises for me?”

Hikaru: Hollyhocks are flowers that bloom in midsummer. When there’s enough ventilation and sunlight, the green stems will grow straight and produce creamy pink flowers. They’re cute, but I find that white flowers suit Miss Aoi much better; they were ostensibly brought back from the Holy Land by the Crusaders. A flower that blooms in the Holy Land is perfect for Miss Aoi.

Hikaru: Flowers drenched by the rain really do give an enriching feeling in the body and mind.

Hikaru: I’ll get a girl who can really laugh for you.

Hikaru: You really are my hero, Koremitsu.

Koremitsu: This busybody, annoying harem prince who can’t shed a single tear when sad is my friend, and till today, I’ll recall his profile from time to time. I recall the gleeful expressions of his, dishing out his floral lectures like a chatterbox and yet is completely useless. Oh yes, he spoke up that day too. That summer when I spent that one rare dazzling summer with you, you suddenly proposed that I go out wooing girls...

### 019. Chapter 1: Go Forth, Flirting Delinquent!

## Chapter 1: Go Forth, Flirting delinquent!

Hikaru: Now then, Koremitsu, let’s do our best and woo some girls.

Koremitsu: Ack, are we really doing this?

Hikaru: Of course! Are you not the one who made such a request tome “Got it. Teach me the ways you pick up girls, (probably a sentai pose) and turn me into a delinquent great at wooing girls.” Koremitsu.

Koremitsu: I didn’t! Anyway, what’s this about a delinquent great at wooing girls?

Hikaru: Koremitsu, you are being too loud.

Girl: Mama! That red haired devil down there is muttering something dangerous over there!

Mom: Mami, don’t look. You’ll get (your head) eaten! Let’s hurry off!

Koremitsu: Who wants to eat you up? Damn it, it’s your fault here.

Hikaru: It is to be expected. You are the only one who can see me here.

Koremitsu: Ugh, I wanna go back.

Hikaru: No can do, Koremitsu. We agreed to go out and woo girls, right? To learn how to deal with girls and maintain an appropriate distance from them, no?

Koremitsu: Kuh...

Hikaru: Try and remember the commotion you caused yesterday at the pool with Shiiko and Miss Shikibu.

Koremitsu: Nargh...I don’t want to think about that.

Hikaru: I can understand how you feel. You have several girls fighting over you in a public place, your swimwear got pulled down, and your buttocks were exposed in public. That certainly was a rather perverted, or I should say, a troublesome matter at that.

Koremitsu: Argh, are women always so disobedient?

Hikaru: But that is what makes them cute. When you continue to serve your feelings towards them, their hearts will never open like a tightly shut flower bud. When they know of your feelings as true love however, their hearts will bloom beautifully like the flowers, embracing you gently within their arms.

Koremitsu: don’t you ever get embarrassed saying such things?

Hikaru: Hm? What?

Koremitsu: it’s nothing. I’m just a big idiot asking you such a thing.

Hikaru: But you are not an idiot, Koremitsu. You are kind and brave, the friend i am so proud of, my hero!

Koremitsu: What’s with this out of a sudden?

Hikaru: These are my true thoughts though. I really hope that you will be able to find your happiness. I do not know how long I can remain on this Earth, so I want to do my best in helping you while I am still beside you. no matter how little it may be.

Koremitsu: Hikaru...you...

Hikaru: (Sparkles) Now then, let us go woo some girls!

Koremitsu: You...! Ugh, seriously. Understood I’m a man, and I can’t take back what I say.

Hikaru: Right, so first, let me demonstrate to you.

Koremitsu: ...Okay?

Hikaru: Love or wooing, they both start from the stare. When you decide on who it is, look right at her, and when your eyes meet, she will most likely lower her stare shyly, or stop in their tracks. That is where you have to smile and talk to her.

Koremitsu: But what do I say?

Hikaru: You simply have to first find any outstanding qualities of that girl, and then lavish a whole lot of praise on her, like for example ‘your hair is really beautiful. I really have powerless to those with such hair. The tender inward curls are as cute as a White Clover. Do you know, the floral language of the White Clover is ‘a promise’? It feels similar to our situation now, for you see, my meeting with you today is definitely not a coincidence, but a destiny promised in the past. Hey, if possible, I want to know more about you. Do you want to have some tea with me?’ If you go about saying something like this, I guess it will be fine just like that.

Koremitsu: What ‘just like that’! Isn’t it dangerous to say something like fated person the moment we meet!?

Hikaru: That is not true though. I do feel that no matter what girl it is, an encounter is a destiny in life.

Koremitsu: So it’s a warehouse clearing of destinies?

Hikaru: How rude. I will not sell an encounter short. I simply chase up to it and grab it tightly.

Koremitsu: Ah, I see.

Hikaru: Now then, since you do understand, Koremitsu, how about we begin this?

Koremitsu: Eh, now?

Hikaru: Of course, come on, look around.

Koremitsu: Looking around, I do find both women and men backing away from me.

Hikaru: Koremitsu, you cannot lose to the hardship of life. It is okay; even if you are called the hoodlum king, lolicon delinquent king in school, you are just a red-haired delinquent with a savage look here. Use your eyes, use your eyes to look.

Koremitsu: Huh? What sort of an encouragement is that? Tch, guess I don’t have a choice. I’ll start with the woman wearing the white dress there.

Hikaru: Start with...it sounds like you want to murder someone here.

Koremitsu: Are you even on my side?

Hikaru: Oh yes yes, okay, do your best, fight! I am with you.

Koremitsu: Actually, it’s more like you’re haunting me, you bastard. Huh? That woman in the white dress’ gone.

Hikaru: Hm? That girl ran off after you gave her a look. Her skirt fluffed in the wind, cute as the fluttering flowers in the wind.

Koremitsu: Huh? Why did she run away after seeing me? What should I do before we even look?

Hikaru: Koremitsu, whatever goes, failure is the mother of success. Now then, on to the next one.

Koremitsu: Ugh, I guess it’ll be the one with the hair tied behind her head.

Hikaru: Koremitsu, that is called a ponytail. A girl with a ponytail always leaves the back of her neck undefended, and the fluffy hair does have an unadulterated sensual feel as it sways along with the footsteps like a rooster crown. Ah, huh, that crown girl ran off.

Koremitsu: Hey, Hikaru, if I look in the eyes, they’ll feel embarrassed, right? That crown-haired girl I just met in the eyes ran off without a second thought!

Hikaru: It is a common theme to fail once or twice. How about the next girl then?

Koremitsu: Which one?

Hikaru: That one, the short-haired girl standing there. An intellectual looking beauty with a cool expression like a Clemantis.

Koremitsu: Ah, that one? Tch, didn’t she run off?

Hikaru: Now then, try the cute girl with the round, puffy face like a Tulip.

Koremitsu: A Tulip girl. Ah, she got away.

Hikaru: Next one, try the girl with the unkempt hair like a Peony.

Koremitsu: Peony, unkempt. Ah, uhh, she got away.

Hikaru: Eh, next.

Koremitsu: Hey, Hikaru.

Hikaru: It is okay. Ah, yes. Greet the next girl the next time you meet her in the eyes.

Koremitsu: Greet?

Hikaru: Yes, it is still too early to give up now. Even a persimmon tree needs 8 years to bear fruit. You need to spend time to bear such sweet fruit.

Koremitsu: You want me to spend 8 years wooing a girl!? Ack, ouch! Who is it!

Hikaru: How wonderful to be hit on the head by an empty can. This surely hints at an encounter with a certain female later on. (Remember, this story is set in Suetsumuhana)

Koremitsu: How can such a thing be possible here!?

### 020. Chapter 2: What Am I Doing Here!?

## Chapter 2: What am I doing here!?

(Buzzing)

Honoka: Hello hello? Michiru? What’s the matter...eh? You’re worried about me? Why? I’m not worried about what happened at the pool at all...I’m not lying, I’m fine...I’m really really fine here! I’m hanging up here!

Honoka: Ahh...seriously, now even Michiru’s worried about me. I should be having the image of a reliable big sister here, right? Why did I end up like this...?

Honoka: Akagi’s still angry, right? Uuu...I’m definitely hated here. What do I do? This is terrible! Ahhh, if only I did hold onto Akagi’s beach pants, he wouldn’t have his butt exposed like that...what am I thinking right now! No no! I can’t touch a boy’s beach pants at all!

Mami: Mama, that big sister seems to be muttering to herself, frustrated about something.

Honoka: Eek!

Mother: Shh, Mami, you’re too loud here. Don’t look at her in the eyes.

Honoka: And now I’m treated as a suspicious person...this is horrible! Argh, seriously, I might as well go home now. Even if I do see Akagi now, I can’t apologize when I’m like this now. Speaking of which, how does Oumi know about the cafe Akagi often frequents!?

Honoka: I’ll just send him a mail when I get back, but how do I apologize to him? Do I go to his house directly? No no no, this is too heavy, my love, it’s too heavy!

Koremitsu: Th-those legs of yours are thick and rough like a Cedrus tree. They’re nice.

Honoka: Eh? That voice is!

Koremitsu: Why did you have to run away...damn it. On to the next one. Hey, the woman over there...I say, stop running away already.

Honoka: It’s Akagi after all. Why’s he here? And what exactly is he doing?

Koremitsu: Hey, Hikaru. I don’t seem to be getting anyone for quite a while.

Hikaru: Koremitsu, wooing girls is not hunting here. It is best not to give off the beastly ‘I will eat you up’ kind of feeling. Carnivorous men are rare, but they are popular. If it is you however, Koremitsu, I would say you are a ‘cannibal’ instead.

Koremitsu: Can that already. Anyway, what do I have to do to woo girls?

Hikaru: How about changing methods here? There is the method of walking around the corners and colliding into people. After that, you gently hold the girl you knock down and not let her fall. Ask her ‘are you alright?’, and say ‘I am fine here. To be able to meet an outstanding, adorable flower in this city and view it from up close like this, this thing known as pain has long vanished. I suppose this is what everyone calls fate.’

Koremitsu: Like I’m able to say such a thing!?

Hikaru: It’s practice.

Koremitsu: A normal conversation is much more decent than this.

Honoka: Akagi...I don’t think it’s possible...but he’s actually wooing girls!? Why!? Ah, he’s talking again. Ah, the girl ran off. Eh? He’s going to continue? She ran away. Ahh, seriously...what’s he trying to do here!? How did I start stalking him discreetly too? I shouldn’t be this kind of person here...ah, huh!? That girl didn’t run away even after Akagi talked to her! You’re kidding!! He succeeded!!?

Poor Suffering Girl: E-er-er-erm, i-i-is there something!?

Koremitsu: Right, good thing she didn’t run off now. First stage, clear!

Hikaru: Koremitsu, that girl seems to be shivering. You have to sweet talk to calm her.

Koremitsu: Sweet talk? What’s that......

Poor Suffering Girl: Hiiii...

Hikaru: Do not feel frustrated, Koremitsu. Your eyes will glare when you do so, and you will frown, making your face more savage than usual. Come on, try flattering her. Are her arms not soft and charming?

Koremitsu: An-an-anyway, your arms are rather thick.

Poor Suffering Girl: Eh?

Koremitsu: You look rather healthy there. Well, very suited for strength work. Your hair’s decent look, wavy like an inchworm.

Hikaru: KOREMITSU!!!

Poor Suffering Girl: Th-that’s horrible~!!!

Koremitsu: Tch, what was that about? I was trying to say something. Why did you run away!?

Hikaru: That was...you fault, Koremitsu.

Koremitsu: Huh?

Honoka: So he failed after all. Thank goodness...not!! Why’s he wooing girls here!? Ah, Akagi’s moving now! What do I do now!? Do I chase after him? B-but, if I’m found to be peeping on him, I’ll definitely be hated here. No no, this is for Akagi’s good. This is proper invigilation to prevent Akagi from straying off the right path. I’m not peeping on him, and I’m not a stalker here—!!!

### 021. Chapter 3: The Girls Who Met.

## Chapter 3: The Girls who met.

Aoi: Ah, so nice. It is better to have red tea with honey after all. It is really wonderful to be able to come here. Even I can come to a tea shop alone to drink some tea and do some shopping alone. Asa and Big Brother Shungo are worrying over me too much; it is too much of them to even come watching me at my workplace. I wanted to be strong enough not to cause Mr Akagi trouble.

(Bells. Door opens)

Waitress: Welcome.

Unfortunate victim 1: Woah, that was scary.

Unfortunate victim 2: Fuu, what’s with that delinquent anyway?

Aoi: Delinquent?

Unfortunate victim 2: I never expected him to suddenly come at me and talk to me. He has that scary look and the red hair. I’m so scared wondering if I’ll end up meeting him on the way home.

Aoi: (Scary look, red hair? Is it Mr Akagi?)

Unfortunate victim 1: Woah, look outside the window! That delinquent’s still wandering around this tea shop.

Unfortunate victim 2: You serious? He’s going to talk with someone again. That guy’s going far away to hunt down a girl!

Aoi: Outside the window...tea shop...its Mr Akagi after all, isn’t it!?

Unfortunate victim 3: Eh, i-is there something?

Koremitsu: Ah, erm, your eyes look pretty, like acorns. Looks like your head will drop if you tilt it a little.

Unfortunate victim 3: E-eek! P-pl-please don’t hit me!!

Hikaru: Koremitsu, try using a gentler tone and praise her with earnest lines.

Koremitsu: Even if you say so, I’m already being very gentle here!!!

Unfortunate victim 3: Please don’t hit me even if that’s the case!!!

Koremitsu: No no no, that wasn’t directed at you.

Aoi: Who exactly is the woman with Mr Akagi? She does not seem to be a classmate from school...Is that Mr Akagi’s girlfriend!!? Eh, erm, but that is...ah.

Unfortunate victim 1: Look, that delinquent looks like he’s about to be arrested. That guy’s does human trading after all!

Aoi: Th-this is bad! I am not sure what is going on, but it looks like Mr Akagi is about to be arrested...!!!

Some ruckus and knocking later.

Aoi: Ah, sorry! Are you okay?

Honoka: Ah, I’m fine here. Just that I’m shocked that the door opened...huh?

Aoi: You are...

Honoka: Your Highness Aoi? Why are you here?...Now’s not the moment for this though. Akagi’s chased by the police...!

Aoi: Yes, Mr Akagi is being chased by the police...

Both: Eh?

Honoka: Your Highness Aoi, did you just?

Aoi: Did you...just mention about Mr Akagi...

Koremitsu: (heavy panting) Finally shook them off.

Hikaru: Koremitsu, I do not think it is a good thing to suddenly run away when being questioned by the police.

Koremitsu: I had no choice. That policeman just looked at me like I’m a criminal here. I’ll definitely be taken away if I remained there.

Hikaru: I never expected you to be watched by the policemen just because you were trying to flirt with girls; that really was quite the turbulent development. I guess the road of love is filled with thorns after all.

Koremitsu: Don’t say that about me like you’re critiquing a movie here. Damn it, like hell I want to continue wooing girls.

Hikaru: Do not say that. Try challenging it again. Think positive. This is a corner; try knocking into a girl around the corner and tie the red string of fate.

Koremitsu: If it’s deliberate, it’s not fated.

Hikaru: But if it is not a coincidence, it has to be fated.

Koremitsu: Who knows.

Hikaru: ‘I’m a man, and I’ll do what I promised’. You are the one who made that statement, Koremitsu.

Koremitsu: You’re despicable.

Hikaru: You are a man of your word. You cannot simply take back what you said, can you?

Koremitsu: Ahh, I get it. I’ll do it, okay? I’ll show you what ‘fate’ is.

Hikaru: To be expected of you, Koremitsu! Do your best here! Listen, is there not someone coming around the corner? The footsteps are getting closer...

Koremitsu: Are you serious? It’s not a guy, is it?

Hikaru: There is no problem. These footsteps seem to be of a girl’s from what I can hear. A young, calm , intellectual lady.

Koremitsu: You can hear that much just from the footsteps? I guess it is to be expected of a harem prince without restraint.

Hikaru: It does not feel like I got praised here though...

Koremitsu: Really? Now then, I’ll try it for now...(footsteps, crashes hard.)...watch out!

Hikaru: Nice, Koremitsu! You got the girl by the arm before she fell. That is a high score.

Koremitsu: Sorry, are you alright?

Hikaru: Yes yes. It is important to pay attention to this part, no?

Koremitsu: Your hair is really beautiful, and I’m powerless against girls with such pretty hair. A cute city flower like you will be hurt by a wild dog like me. The God of Fate really did such a cruel thing here.

Hikaru: Not bad! It does have the right vibe even though it feels like plagiarism of my lines. Now this girl will...

Asai: I suppose. God certainly is cruel and incompetent to let me meet a wild dog at such a place.

Hikaru: Huh?

Koremitsu: Ugh, Asai Saiga!

Asai: Do not yell at my ears; this filthy voice will damage them. More importantly, let go of your hand.

Koremitsu: You, why are you here!?

Asai: It has nothing to do with you. Furthermore, I suppose you are a wild dog with your head boiling under the heat, saying such irrelevant words, no?

Koremitsu: How is it irrelevant?

Asai: How is it not? The moment we met, you blindly rambled about some God of Fate; is this not irrelevant here? Do you still wish to graduate from High School? A wild dog really thinks of the most uncouth things.

Koremitsu: That’s not it, Hikaru...

Hikaru: K-Koremitsu?

Asai: Hikaru? Are you saying that you wish to emulate Hikaru’s actions? Now you have fallen further in my eyes.

Hikaru: Asa...

Koremitsu: You...!

Asai: Hikaru’s philandering is something really troubling, and extremely useless at that; it is exacerbated however now that it is passed on to a wild dog like you.

Koremitsu: Hey, you can say whatever you want about me, but don’t badmouth Hikaru here. He feels the fates of all the girls and treasure them all; that’s all.

Hikaru: Koremitsu...

Asai: What do you know about Hikaru...uu?

Hikaru: Asa...! She was a little wobbly, was she not? Is it a lack of sleep? She does not look good here...

Koremitsu: Wha...? Hey, you aren’t looking too well here. Your legs are wobbly too.

Asai: ...It has nothing to do with you.

Hikaru: Koremitsu, bring Asa over to the park. It will be good to let her rest for a little while.

Koremitsu: Go rest in the park for a little while.

Asai: There is no need.

Koremitsu: Don’t force yourself, Asa.

Asai: ...! I do not remember allowing you to call me that...

Koremitsu: Watch out! Don’t collapse so suddenly like that.

Asai: I said that is not the case...

Hikaru: Koremitsu, lend Asa your shoulder.

Koremitsu: Seriously, looks like I got no choice.

Asai: Leave...me alone.

Koremitsu: I get it, I get it.

### 022. Chapter 4: The Increasing Complications of The Girls

## Chapter 4: The increasing complications of the girls

Both: Ah, erm...!

Honoka: Wh-What is it, Your Highness Aoi? You may go first.

Aoi: N-no, you may go first, Miss Shikibu.

Honoka: Eh? But...

Honoka: Eh, how did it end up like this? How did I end up having tea with Her Highness Aoi in the tea shop?

Aoi: I wanted to save Mr Akagi, but I lost sight of him in all that commotion, and I ended up walking into this tea cafe with Miss Shikibu before I knew it. This may be a good opportunity however.

Honoka: I don’t really have many chances to talk with Her Highness Aoi in school. I think I should brace myself and ask about the relationship between her and Her Highness Aoi.

Aoi: Miss Shikibu has been with Mr Akagi quite often. What sort of relationship do they both have?

Both: E-erm...!

Honoka: Sorry, it happened again...

Aoi: No, I should be the one sorry here.

Waitress: May I ask if you have decided on your order?

Aoi: Ah, yes, milk tea with honey, please.

Honoka: I want Espresso, please.

Aoi: Ah, wait, please switch my milk tea to coffee, no sugar and no honey.

Honoka: I-I don’t want Espresso either. Please give me some milk cocoa.

Waitress: Understood. Please wait for a little while.

Aoi: How embarrassing for me to actually order such a childish thing...

Honoka: I completely lost here. Akagi definitely likes Her Highness Aoi’s girlish charms here.

Honoka: Erm! I’ll like to ask! What do you think about Akagi, Your Highness Aoi?

Aoi: Eh...!? Erm...!?

Honoka: You once dumped Akagi before, right? But you had a date with him during the holidays...

Aoi: D-date?

Honoka: Wo-woah...even as a girl, I find Her Highness Aoi cute when her cheeks are flushed red like that! I guess Akagi likes a girl he inadvertently feels like protecting after all, right?

Aoi: Which date is she talking about? The theme park was because it was Hikaru’s request, and I could not go to the art gallery in the end...

Aoi: You too, Miss Shikibu. You are often with Mr Akagi. Are both of you on good terms?

Honoka: Eh? Are you talking about me?

Aoi: Miss Shikibu’s slowly starting to blush too. They are both very close after all, I suppose?

Honoka: It may look like we’re on very good terms. But to me, I never thought of giving Akagi the benefit of the doubt, and even kicked him and got him angry. I confessed, telling him I ‘like’ him, yet I backtracked and said that I don’t.

Honoka: I-I’m just an ordinary classmate of Akagi’s..

Aoi: But you joined the Japanese Dance club, with Mr Akagi?

Honoka: Eh...that’s...to put it...I’ll be worried if I leave him alone as he is! Anyway, what about yourself, Your Highness Aoi? You’ve been on good terms with Akagi recently. Akagi’s been kind to you, and even concerned about you. He did say that he likes you before...

Aoi: But Mr Akagi is definitely concerned about me because he is Hikaru’s friend. It is not that he likes me...

Honoka: Why is Her Highness Aoi so unhappy about this? Akagi likes her like this, and keeps protecting her. I haven’t reached that level of intimacy. That’s too despicable of him.

Honoka: I see, so that’s how it is. I’ve been finding it strange, you don’t really match well with Akagi, Your Highness Aoi. Akagi’s a clumsy guy with a crude mouth, away frowning and scowling, never able to grasp a girl’s heart. There’s so way he should be approaching you...

Aoi: That is not the case! Mr Akagi is a nice man! A wonderful man!

Honoka: Eh?

Aoi: When we were at the theme park, he was extremely gentlemanly, and held my hand to calm me down!

Honoka: Held hands?

Aoi: With a blushing face, he handed me flowers, and put a necklace on me!

Honoka: Put a necklace!?

Aoi: When I was about to break down into tears, he even embraced me gently in his clutches!

Honoka: Embraced n his clutches!!?

Aoi: H-he really is very earnest with me, taking Hikaru’s place.

Honoka: He-he embraced Her Highness Aoi in his clutches!? That Akagi!!?

“This necklace with a diamond is a present for you. I’ll put it on you.”

“Mr Akagi~!”

“It matches very well with the white tender skin of yours.”

“I-it is embarrassing. Uu, I cried out carlessly”

“Aoi.”

“Mr Akagi?”

“Aoi, I’m the only one who can make you cry. I’m also the only one who can wipe your tears away.”

“Mr Akagi~!”

Honoka: “NOOOO!!! There’s no way that kind of Akagi exists! If it’s this Highness Aoi however, maybe it actually happened like that!! This girlish Highness Aoi is completely different from me who’s always there to give advice!”

Aoi: “Th-that is why I say, Mr Akagi is a very, marvelous person. You are mistaken about Mr Akagi, Miss Shikibu!”

Honoka: I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I—I’m not mistaken about him! I know a lot of good points about Akagi!

Aoi: Eh?

Honoka: Akagi’s always working hard, is straightforward, and is someone worth relying on. When he got involved with you, Your Highness Aoi, Akagi had been groveling to me, asking for advice. He also worked very hard when it was about Miss Kanai, and he was desperate for Shiiko’s happiness!! Akagi has a savage face, and is called a delinquent, but he’s a really, really wonderful guy. I say this with certainly as the one who agreed to give him advice.

Aoi: Discuss?...Did Mr Akagi ask you for advice, Miss Shikibu?

Honoka: Eh, isn’t that the case? ‘Be my Heliotrope’, ‘good to have you around’, ‘you’re a good person’, ‘really reliable’, ‘thanks’, he has been saying all these stuff to me every day!

Honoka: “Woah~ why do I feel competitive against Her Highness Aoi? No matter which situation he was, he was only discussing it with me hoping for advice, and said them when he’s working hard for other girls. Isn’t this proof that Akagi doesn’t think of me as a girl?”

Aoi: “I never knew about this. I thought Mr Akagi is firm-willed and capable, and never would ask others for help”

“What’s the matter, Akagi? You look like you’re suffering.”

“Shikibu.”

“A-ah, Akagi, what’s this out of a sudden?”

“Sikibu, let me hug you for a little longer, stay in my arms like this...I feel like I can get an answer doing this.”

“Akagi...erm, okay, please think about it slowly. I’m your partner after all.”

“Thank you, Shikibu. You’re the only woman I can rely on. You’re the only once who can see my everything.”

Aoi: Mature. It feels very mature, and contrasting that, I have been protected by Mr Akagi all this time. I cannot ease Mr Akagi’s worries like Miss Shikibu.”

Waitress: “Sorry to keep you waiting. Here is your coffee, and here is your milk cocoa...(places drinks) Enjoy.”

Aoi: (Espresso. Mature women able to order such drinks so naturally are who Mr Akagi would rely on. For me, ordering normal coffee is the limit for me.)

Honoka: (Honey milk tea. Those cut enough to order this drink so naturally are definitely the ones Akagi would want to protect. It’s too late for me to copy this now.)

Aoi: Too bitter!

Honoka: Too sweet!

Both: (sighs)

### 023. Chapter 5: The Sleeping Beauty's Memories.

## Chapter 5: The Sleeping Beauty’s memories.

Koremitsu: Here now, Asa, the handkerchief’s here...she’s sleeping.

Hikaru: It feels like the tense nerves snapped the moment she sat on the bench. I suppose she really overworked herself...Koremitsu, wipe the sweat off Asa.

Koremitsu: Seriously, you leave me with no choice...this good enough?

Hikaru: Yes, thanks. I suppose Asa feels a lot better now.

Koremitsu: But what do I do with her?

Hikaru: Just let her continue to sleep this this. I am a little worried that that Asa would fall asleep in front of you so defenselessly.

Koremitsu: Well, yeah. I can’t leave a sleeping girl on a park bench...’kay.

Hikaru: How kind of you, to nonchalantly sit by Asa’s side to block the sun.

Koremitsu: You idiot, who would think for the sake of this cold-blooded woman? It’s just that this side’s a little wider.

Hikaru: You are right. I shall assume it to be the case then.

Koremitsu: Tch, more importantly, does this girl here collapse suddenly like this often?

Hikaru: Asa always pushes herself to the limits, and never ever showed her fragile side to others. Back when we were younger, Asa pushed herself too much and fell asleep in the storage room; it caused quite a commotion when the adults could not find her.

Koremitsu: Are you serious?

Hikaru: Yes. There was also once when she fell asleep in the bathroom and nearly drowned. The housemaid was worried that she did not come out after a long time, and when they opened the bathroom, Asa was floating on the surface; it scared the housemaid so much she shrieked.

Koremitsu: That was a horror flick, right?

Hikaru: Asa is easily misunderstood, but she really is someone who works really hard.

Koremitsu: Well, whether Asa’s a hard worker or a klutz, that Hikaru has such a gentle face looking at Hikaru. I see that though she’s a cold-blooded woman to me, she’s a precious cousin and childhood friend to Hikaru.

Hikaru: I wonder how many years has it been since I last saw Asa’s sleeping face. Life is short, and since young, she had a lot of things she wanted to do. Oh yes, her summer vacation plans are filled to the second.

Koremitsu: To the second? She can finish that much?

Hikaru: If it is Asa, it is possible. When she was halfway through however, she was worn out, and she did faint twice during summer vacation.

Koremitsu: Such a troublesome brat. Anyway, what’s that Saiga rushing about, doing all that stuff?

Hikaru: For example, she tried to hatch eggs.

Koremitsu: Eggs?

Hikaru: Hey, Asa, why do you have so many eggs on the table?

Aoi: I am curious about that too. The eggs have words and spells all over them.

Asai: You two, do not touch those eggs. I am now doing an important experiment.

Hikaru: “Experiment? What kind?”

Asai: “About the secrets of life.”

Hikaru: “The secrets of lie?”

Asai: “It is the secrets, of, life. I want to see a new life born.”

Aoi: “How are you going to do it?”

Asai: “Through these eggs. I have been shining a lamp to keep these eggs warm. Eggs that get heated up will hatch, no?”

Hikaru: “Oh, I saw it on television before.”

Asai: “But my experiment will not end here.”

Aoi: “What will you do?”

Asai: “To hatch healthy chicks, I will have to give them a proper amount of emotions. That is why I named these eggs, and every morning and night, I will call them by their names once.”

Aoi: “Are the words written on the eggs their names?”

Asai: “Yes. From left, their names are, ‘Tarou’, ‘Jirou’, ‘Saburou’, ‘Shirou’, ‘Gorou’, ‘Mutsumi’, ‘Nanami’, ‘Yae’, ‘Kokonoha’, ‘Tooko’.”

Hikaru: “Amazing! In that case, this means ‘Tarou’ will be born soon, right? That is amazing, Asa.”

Aoi: “I too want to see ‘Mutsumi’ born soon.”

Asai: “Do you want to call for them along with me?”

Aoi & Hikaru: “Yes!”

Asai: “Then, let us call them out politely ‘Please hurry and be born soon’”

Hikaru: “Understood! Then, now,”

All: “’Please hurry and be born soon!’”

Hikaru: Of course, the eggs were never hatched. It would have been bad if the eggs bought in the supermarket were to hatch.

Koremitsu: Isn’t that common sense? Why did Saiga do such a stupid thing?

Hikaru: That is because she really is interested. The emotions of her desire to see the chicks hatch seemed real.

Koremitsu: That girl should be rather smart, right?

Hikaru: Very. Asa is very curious about the unknown.

Koremitsu: Unknown? You’re talking about the eggs sold at 98 Yen special price>

Hikaru: Do you not think that it is strange how a soft chick would be hatched from a sturdy egg?

Koremitsu: ...Well, I guess those kinds of people would think that way.

Hikaru: Asa’s interests are not just limited to eggs alone.

Koremitsu: There’s more!?

Hikaru: “Asa, do you not have too much for your summer plans?”

Asai: “This is after I excluded quite a bit. Life is tragically short; there are many things to do.”

Hikaru: “But it looks it will be tiring to carry out tomorrow’s plan. Look for Tsuchinokos at 9am, find kappas at the nearest river at 9.30am, continue moving while eating lunch at noon, make contact with UFOs on Mount Takao.”

Asai: “But even so, I did reduce a lot of my plans. I intended to excavate an ancient grave to look for a Snowman, but if I am to collapse due to over-exhaustion, I will lose my ability to learn.”

Koremitsu: Tsuchinokos and kappas...was she serious?

Hikaru: Yes, Asa was very serious. She is a girl who is very naive and interested in the unknown.

Koremitsu: Naive, you say.

Hikaru: In regards to Santa Claus too. Even in 3rd grade, she believed in him and wrote letters to him every year.

Koremitsu: 3rd grade? Isn’t that about the same age is Shiiko? She never had any doubts about that?

Hikaru: Yes. I just felt that Asa stubbornly believed in them. Miss Aoi and I could not bring ourselves to say it to her.

Koremitsu: So you and Aoi already knew about it?

Hikaru: Yes. The one who gave me presents on Christmas Eve was not Santa Claus, but female relatives and the pretty big sister neighbors.

Koremitsu: Ah, I see...what about Aoi?

Hikaru: It seemed Miss Aoi already knew about it since kindergarten. According to her, she could see her father cosplay as Santa Claus every Christmas Eve, laughing ‘hohoho, this is Santa Claus, little Aoi. Merry Christmas’, and give her a present.

Koremitsu: That stupid father. But Saiga actually firmly believed in that. Looking at her current cold-blooded self, it’s hard to believe such foolishness happened before.

Hikaru: Asa really is a girl who admires the unknown, and is very free-spirited. She can observe everything with coolness, intelligence and wisdom, and has the enthusiasm to move even the stars in the sky.

Koremitsu: ...Some stars they are. That’s amazing.

Hikaru: At that time, Asa dreamed of becoming an archaeologist when she grew up, but she gave up on that dream.

Koremitsu: She realized it’s impossible?

Hikaru: No. The term ‘impossible’ does not exist for Asa. Asa has the ability to do anything, but she decided to focus it on something else.

Koremitsu: Something else?

Hikaru: Yes. For Asa is gentle.

Koremitsu: What do you mean?

Asai: Uu...unn...

Koremitsu: Ugh...

Hikaru: So cute! Asa actually placed her head on you, Koremitsu.

Koremitsu: You idiot, how can this be cute? Just troubling, right?

Hikaru: Why? Asa is light even if she leans over, right? It is nothing much for you to lend Asa your shoulder, no? Koremitsu?”

Koremitsu: Though you say that...

Hikaru: There are not many chances where you see see Asa’s sleeping face from up close. Do the long, pretty eyebrows curling up not resemble the cuteness of the Fringed Orchid?

Koremitsu: How can I possibly see that? It’ll be too perverted to peek from up close.

Hikaru: Eh? Too bad. It is a rare chance. Try having a look.

Koremitsu: Shut up, you perverted ghost... but it is the first time I have been with Saiga for this long. I thought she’s just a cold-blooded woman, but I do find her a little cuter after hearing Hikaru’s words

Asai: Unn...this is?

Hikaru: The sleeping princess has awakened.

Koremitsu: Yo! You awake?

Asai: Huh...? Wha...!

Koremitsu! Ow! What the? There’s no need to push me off immediately, right?

Asai: Why are you here?

Koremitsu: Isn’t it because you fell asleep?

Asai: Why did you not wake me up immediately? Such a useless man.

Koremitsu: There’s no need to be so harsh, right? You really aren’t a cure woman.

Asai: What would a mere dog like you know?

Koremitsu: ...I heard that you still believed in Santa Claus when you were in 3rd grade?

Asai: Wha...!

Hikaru: Koremitsu? Are you going to talk about that now?

Koremitsu: And you wrote to Santa Claus every year on Christmas Eve. How did you write your address?

Asai: I do not remember what happened when I was young.

Koremitsu: Really? You did not write anything about looking for kappas in your summer plans?

Asai: I do not remember what happened when I was young.

Koremitsu: And what about giving names to the chicken eggs to hatch?

Asai: I do not remember what happened when I was young.

Koremitsu: Don’t just forget about everything here. Even you have your own cute points.

Asai: What....!!!!

(Slaps!!)

Koremitsu: What was that for!?

Hikaru: Wow~! You got a perfect handprint on you face, Koremitsu!

Asai: Humph!

Policeman: What happened?

Koremitsu: A cop...

Asai: This dog is a pervert.

Koremitsu: What!?

Policeman: Come along with me for a while.

Koremitsu: N-no! I’m not a pervert!

Policeman: All perverts say that. Enough yapping and come along now.

Hikaru: Mr Policeman, Koremitsu is not a pervert! I can testify!

Koremitsu: He can’t hear even if a ghost tries to testify here! It’s useless!!

Policeman: What are you yelling? Say your excuses when you are there. Now then, come along with me.

Koremitsu: Hey!

Asai: Go cool that head of yours. Of yes, you may cover yourself in ice from head to toe.

Koremitsu: Damn it!! You’re my enemy after all——–!!!

### 024. Chapter 6: Under The Gentle Sunset.

## Chapter 6: Under the Gentle sunset.

Koremitsu: Seriously. Why did I have to be mistaken for a pervert?

Hikaru: It is great that you could resolve the misunderstanding however.

Koremitsu: What misunderstanding? That was just condescending, okay? Ah, seriously, I’m so unlucky today. I’m never going to woo girls again.

Hikaru: Eh? Do not say that. Try challenging it again next time.

Koremitsu: No, absolutely not. If you say that, I’m migrating to a place without women.

Hikaru: Please do not say that now. Huh?

Koremitsu: What?

Hikaru: I say, are those walking in front Miss Aoi and Miss Shikibu?

Koremitsu: Huh?

Honoka: Akagi doesn’t view me as a woman after all.

Aoi: Why am I so useless here? If this keeps up, Mr Akagi’s view of me will...

Girls: (Sigh)

Koremitsu: Yo, Shikibu, Aoi.

Girls: Eh?

Koremitsu: What’s the matter? Both of you are together.

Honoka: A-A-A-A-Akagi!

Aoi: You too. Mr Akagi, why are you here?

Koremitsu: Ah, erm...

Hikaru: Did something happen between Miss Aoi and Miss Shikibu? They look very depressed.

Koremitsu: Are you two alright? You look depressed.

Honoka: Eh? Erm... What do I do now? We actually met here. Is it better for me to apologize for what happened yesterday? But I’m with Her Highness Aoi here. Never mind then.

Aoi: I made Mr Akagi worry again. Why am I always like this?

Honoka: It’s nothing, nothing at all.

Aoi: Y-yes, just as she said.

Koremitsu: Really?

Hikaru: It is better not to force matters here. Gloomy faces do not suit girls. Look, the Hibiscus facing the sun in the flower bed there are so pretty. Are the large, soft petals not like a radiant smile. If such pretty flowers are to decorate the hair, any girl will be able to show a great smile.

Koremitsu: What...!? How do you expect me to say that?

Hikaru: Koremitsu, do not look at me like that. Do you not wish to learn how to deal with girls? You cannot woo them, but it is better for you to learn how to cheer up depressed girls.

Koremitsu: Seriously...you two, listen up, look at the Hibiscus over there.

Aoi: Eh? Hibiscus?

Honoka: Such a brilliant red! I never thought they would grow at such a place.

Koremitsu: You’ll be laughed at by them if you continue to be depressed. Anyway, how about you put one on your heads and smile?

Honoka: What’s Akagi saying out of a sudden? Is he trying to encourage us

Aoi: Mr Akagi is really kind after all!

Koremitsu: I don’t know what exactly happened, but this isn’t as bad as mine.

Honoka: Did you get into something today, Akagi?

Koremitsu: B-before I begin, I’ll say that it’s all a misunderstanding.

Aoi: A misunderstanding?

Koremitsu: I was mistaken for a pervert and brought to the police station.

Honoka: Wha...!

Aoi: A pervert?

Koremitsu: I didn’t do anything, but they wouldn’t listen to my explanation. I say that they judge me on my appearance...

Honoka: Akagi!

Aoi: Mr Akagi!

Honoka: I’m your ally!

Aoi: I know that!

Honoka: I’m your ally even if all the people in the world don’t trust you! Don’t forget that!

Aoi: I know that you are a kind, passionate person who’ll work very hard for others, Mr Akagi. You are really a wonderful person!

Koremitsu: Wow...what’s with you two?

Honoka: I-it’s nothing. Just giving you a special service after seeing you a little dejected. As for the reason...there’s none at all.

Aoi: E-erm, Mr Akagi. Can we go back home together? At least halfway back.

Koremitsu: Oh, sure.

Honoka: Ah, I’m going there too. Right. I’m on my way there too. I’ll accompany you two.

Koremitsu: Okay...then, let’s go back together.

Honoka: Okay!

Aoi: Yes!

### 025. Epilogue

Note: Story is narrated in Koremitsu’s first-person perspective.

That day, when I was flanked by Aoi and Shikibu, Hikaru floated around in the air, telling me while I was looking embarrassed and tense,

“I really envy you, to be flanked on both left and right. Is this not a happy end instead of bad luck?”

And so I glanced aside at him, telling him, “You’re annoying.”

There were a lot of weird things happening when Hikaru was with me. Every single time, he just started a lot of incidents, and I really can’t take it. It’s really enjoyable though.

When he was still on the Earth, I really had a happy time.

It’s really great to be able to meet Hikaru.

Now that Hikaru’s no longer around, I keep recalling the happiness I had back then.

He taught me a lot of things, and left a lot of things.

And he kept repeating the words when he departed,

“Thank you. You are my hero.”

“Thank you I will always love all of you.”

I will never forget that my close friend once existed on this Earth.

“Thank you. Farewell.”

### 026. Special Track: Heroines' Interviews

## Special Track: Heroines Interviews

Koremitsu: Now then, for the special track.

Hikaru: We shall tell everyone about Miss Shikibu, Miss Aoi and Asa’s secrets!

*Chimes*

Koremitsu: Hey Hikaru. Looks like Oumi from the news club sent something to my phone.

Hikaru: What is it, exactly? Erm, ‘Miss Shikibu and Her Highness Aoi and Matriach Asa special Interview’. Ohh~? Hurry up and look at it, Koremitsu!

Koremitsu: Stop yelling at my ears. Argh, I’ll start (beep)

Aoi: Normally, I’ll refuse this interview for any man, but when I think about how it’s a present for Mr Akagi...

Hikaru: Miss Aoi really is cute when she is tense like this...anyway, the first question is ‘Which princess did you most admire when you were young’?

Aoi: It is Snow White! The happy end after the prince’s kiss to wake her up was really wonderful!

Koremitsu: Why ask about princesses?

Hikaru: Girls always wish to be princesses.

Koremitsu: is it because they want to be wooed?

Hikaru: Ah, next up is Miss Shikibu!

Honoka: Cinderella, I guess? Even after being abused by her stepmother, the way she entered the ballroom through her own willpower, kicked the glass slipper onto the prince, and climbed up the branches to be a phoenix’s really the best here!

Koremitsu: Is that the story of Cinderella..?

Hikaru: I-I wonder...? Now then, last up, Asa!

Asai: Princess Kaguya, I suppose. The cold way she toyed the hearts of foolish men that swarmed her and ruined them is truly worth learning from.

Koremitsu: Even if you don’t learn from her, you’re pretty cold-hearted and sinister yourself.

Hikaru: Asa is actually a kind-hearted person.

Koremitsu: How exactly!?

Hikaru: Ah, anyway, the next question is ‘which nursery tune is your favorite’?

Aoi: I like the ‘lost little kitty’. The way the lost kitty interacted with the police dog is really cut! Eh? The actual name of the song is ‘police dog’? Well, I did not know about that!

Honoka: I like the ‘Ah, Lovely Meadows’. The loud singing really makes one energetic, especially that ‘heyo’ part!

Asai: Donna Donna, I suppose. Hearing the psychotic melody and the abyssal lyrics is soothing to my heart.

Hikaru: Speaking of which, it seems like Asa has a ‘Donna Donna’ ringtone.

Koremitsu: Ack, listening to ‘Donna Donna’ in the morning?

Hikaru: Now then, the next question is ‘which is your favorite animal’?

Aoi: Cats of course. My ‘Ciel Bieu’ is fluffy with sharp whiskers, really very cute. I give it (Cow) milk every night, and it gives a little humming after I give it milk every time. It sleeps on a sleep every night.

Honoka: Hm, let me thin. A panda? I had a panda lunchbox and a panda school bag when I was in kindergarten, so I guess these are derived from that. Ahh, on a side note, I only have that one panties with panda prints on it!! And it’s not like my entire drawer is filled with panda panties! I only wear it 2, 3 times every year!!! I’m really serious here!!! Argh, hurry up and forget about that panda thing already!!!

Koremitsu: Aren’t you the one reminding me about it?

Hikaru: Eh? She wears it only 2, 3 times a year? You really saw a rare thing there, Koremitsu.

Koremitsu: You don’t have to say that with that cheerful look. And that was just an accident...

Honoka: Uu...everyone, you should normally wear the sexy, mature kind of panties. This is an advice from the Purple Princess.

Koremitsu: Stop crying already, hey.

Hikaru: Ah, let us hear Asa’s answer.

Asai: Any animal...other than dogs.

Koremitsu: Ack...

Asai: Dogs alone, are a no go. Especially a savage looking dog with a foul barking and dirty red fur.

Koremitsu: Thi-this girl...

Hikaru: Koremitsu, your veins are popping out of your face...your eyes are silted now! Calm down!

Asai: I do like most animals, except for dogs. Oh, pigs are a thousand times better than dogs, better than dogs.

Koremitsu: You want a fight, Asa!?

Hikaru: Do not crush your phone, Koremitsu! Look down! Erm...’please imitate the animal you like!’

Aoi: Eh? It’s embarrassing. But, if it’s just a little...nya, nya~nya? Nyanya~meow~murumuru~I think a real cat will be much cuter...meow~

Hikaru: Miss Aoi is very cute, right, Koremitsu? Miss Aoi is really cute~she is no inferior to a kitty, nya~

Koremitsu: Yeah, but don’t add that strange tic at the end.

Hikaru: I really do look forward to Miss Shikibu’s performance too, nya~

Honoka: Eh...how does a panda cry? Lemme think, grrrrrr....eh, this feels more like a wolf here, doesn’t it? Gnaw gnaaaw~...doesn’t feel right. Prprr prrr prrrrrrr~that’s an elephant! Que~quu~now it’s a dog...

Hikaru: Koremitsu, bring Miss Shikibu out to the zoo to hear what sounds a panda makes. A growing panda has a sweet voice. Meep meep~ Just like that.

Koremitsu: Don’t tell me you’re that particular about pandas. Anyway, like hell I want to go.

Hikaru: I think Miss Shikibu will be delighted about that though. Last up is Asa. Erm, a pig, right...?

Asai: What...!

Hikaru: Woah, Asa looks like she hates it.

Koremitsu: Humph, serves her right.

Asai: Eh...ugh...buu...buu...

Koremitsu: Huh? I can’t hear you.

Asai: Ugh...boo...buubuubuu...buuhi...buu, bu...buubuu..buuhi!!

Hikaru: Asa, that is enough already.

Koremitsu: Yeah. I’ll spare you for today.

Asai: Buuuu...

Hikaru: Now for the last question, ‘Please say the one memory you had with Mr Akagi!’.

Koremitsu: What?

Aoi: Th-there are a lot of them, but the one most recent is...

Koremitsu: “I won’t cheat on anyone! I’m devoted!”

Aoi: “B-But...you called Miss Tsuyako as senpai...you must be on good terms with her...”

Koremitsu: “You want me to call you that too? I’ll call you that then, Aoi-senpai.”

Aoi: “Eh, well, that is...I-I think it is better to just...call me Aoi. “

Honoka: I-I too have lots of memories...but...

Koremitsu: “I haven’t forgotten, Shikibu.”

Honoka: “Eh?”

Koremitsu: “About you saying you like me.”

Honoka: “N-NOOOOOO!! FORGET ABOUT IT!!!”

Hikaru: You really do not have any right to call me a harem prince without restraint...you do have potential yourself.

Koremitsu: Shut up! Let’s look at the next one. Ah, it’s the last one.

Asai: “It’s impossible for you to express Hikaru’s feelings.”

Koremitsu: “Hikaru’s a real friend of mine! I don’t care if you’re God or the president, I won’t allow anyone to deny this! I can lift my chest and proclaim boldly to the entire world that Hikaru’s an important friend of mine!”

Asai: I feel awful whenever I think about it. I shall never accept that a mere uncouth dog actually proclaimed himself to be Hikaru’s friend. Can he ever stop with calling me ‘Asa’ so unabashedly? I do not remember allowing a dog call me then, and no way in the life I am to continue living that I will allow it.

Koremitsu: I too don’t want to meet you again in my life, Asa!

Hikaru: Please do not spit all over the phone, Koremitsu...erm, oh yes, the volume ‘Asagao, When Hikaru is on the Earth...’, centered around Asa, will be released at the end of 2012. You shall see the innocent, cute Asa here!

Koremitsu: Does a creature like a cute Asa actually exist? Well, anyway, coming soon, daze!

### 027. Translator's Afterword

Well, it took us 10 volumes (and two side chapters), but we finally got there.

I do suppose you enjoyed this series if you are reading this afterword, even if your favorite girl did not win this great Koremitsu War.

It all started when I was searching my local bookstore for Sword Art Online 11. I did say I was quitting translating on October 10th, but I did want to take some time reading it. Aoi-chan just so happened to be lying on the left rack on that fateful day, December 23th 2012, and I picked it up, browsed through it.

.........

......

...

By the time I realized it, 2 hours passed by the time I was done with that first volume. On that day, I snatched up the first three volumes and started reading through them that night. That was the fateful night where I felt I had to come back, for I wanted to present a different form of the ‘harem’ genre as compared to what most of us are accustomed to.

As a translator, one of my philosophies after joining Heretic (and later establishing hellping) is that if the story is good enough, I wish to share to others, for it does not belong to me and me alone (Shippai Kinshi is the notable exception since I was cleaning up Kira’s mess, and for our sanities and sanitary needs, let us not mention of this series again). Certainly, the author here is reputed for her (I assume based on the style) other series, “Bungaku Shoujo”, but I wanted to appraise series for what they are, and not simply how they fare compared to others.

As a whole, the Hikaru series is a deconstruction of the harem genre that is typical in the market. I might say that a lot of them are actually shallow (or skin-deep) because there is usually a formula for the protagonist and heroines, how certain archetypes apply to certain characters. Hikaru is not simply about that. It actually illustrates how the characters, given their personalities, would mesh with other characters (though not always for the dramatics). Like the original story based, it is a psychological breakdown of how a boy, in his desire for that one something, squandered everything else around him, and leaves behind the wreckage that is to be picked up and repaired. Of course, it also is the story of a beleaguered boy who had to be the repairman for everything...while searching for his own happiness. All the characters in the story are broken within (well to varying degrees. I guess Honoka got off lightly except for the tsundere parts on Koremitsu), but unlike broken glass, people, when interacting, can help to repair each other, which I think is the main point of the story, rather than it simply being a redux of Genji Monogatari.

Before working on this series, I took the time to do a poll back when this blog was on wordpress, and if you remember, it was a choice between Hikaru and Biblia. While that was going on, I did some research work on the characters involved in the story. Obviously, the Tale of Genji would apply since this is basically an adaptation of that story, and if you had noticed, there is a prevalence of floral themes in the story, most notably the Heliotrope. It is a challenge for me in this story since I have to use more ‘demure’ (not Magdala, mind you) language in this story as compared to the previous action series I was used to doing to fit the genre, to a point where Koremitsu’s dialogue is the easiest for me to do.

Another thing this has taught me is that I had to increase my vocabulary level, after my first editor AmbientQualia went through with such edits. I am grateful that it has forced me to raise my game as a result.

The Hikaru series in general also forced me to switch my style of translation. Typically, the translation would be similar in sentence structure to the original, that each translated phrase will be placed at their original position if possible. I do admit that I do take some liberties trying to fit the sentences this time however, a little more liberal, if you would. The reasoning behind this is that I am translating for an English audience, and that I should be presenting the story to the readers in such a manner, rather than leaving things untranslated like unless they are really specific things, like ‘yokan’. I know many of the readers here are pretty much uncomfortable with such a change from what fan translators typically do, which is to include honorifics like ‘-chan’, ‘-kun’, and such, but well, we are heretics after all.

One of the notable things is that my ‘evolved’ translation style also takes into account of the speaker’s status. My rendition of Hikaru’s text as a rich kid is meant to be left in proper text form, no contracted form, and is meant to look posh, a stark contrast to Koremitsu’s gruff demeanour, and also to reflect the social difference between them. This also means that Koremitsu, Honoka, Michiru (Class rep, until of course, the later volumes) and the normal ‘peasants’ have one way of speaking, while Hikaru, Aoi, Asai and the rest have the noble mannerism. The noble mannerism, I think, work perfectly for Asai because it makes her sound so haughty and condescending, and this is in contrast to Hikaru and Aoi, who are supposed to sound very polite.

Another note here. Hikaru’s dialogues in the original story never had the special font I had for him. The only reason why I did that is because I’m a ghos-cist. Okay, that was partly in jest; the reason is that I want to give that ‘supernatural’ feel for Hikaru, and to emphasize that yes, Hikaru is dead. It is unnecessary, I know, but I think this is part of my interpretation of the story, and I think it does help to distinguish between Hikaru and Koremitsu’s exchanges, which can be hard to read when all the Japanese honorifics are basically translated into a few words. It does say a lot that there are many different ways of saying ‘I’ in Japanese.

Starting from the 3rd volume, I started to eschew on translator notes. While I did do lots of research on the project, and if you had seen my work for the Sword Art Online series, you will realize that yes, I do put in a lot of effort on the research, sometimes even more than my actual translation like the Gundam Unicorn series. At the 3rd volume however, I started omitting them because of how busy I have been, so I do apologize (most of the stuff can be googled, so please help me cut some workload, ‘kay?)

It has been an enjoyable challenge to work on this series, and I wonder if I would get to do anything like this again. Well, there is one short story I do want to work on, a story akin to Yugao. The title is called ‘Riku and Chise’.

### Volumes

First, I will like to discuss about each volume in-depth. Do be warned however that there are spoilers for the entire series in this afterword. Of course, the basic assumption is that you have finished the series.

#### Volume 1 – Aoi

Hikaru’s fiancee, commonly known as the ignored woman in her original story. The age difference between Aoi and Hikaru here is...only about a quarter of the original story, but Aoi is still basically estranged from her fiance, even when he is dead.

The first thing I thought about when I started on this series was to wonder, why start with Aoi? If Aoi was not Hikaru’s true beloved, why did Hikaru not choose his most beloved in the first place? Naturally, by now, you should have known that Hikaru has quite the Oedipus Complex, but when I first started this series, Asagao was yet to be released, and it took me until the next volume to realize that there are more issues, and this was the beginning of Hikaru’s flaws as a character.

In an action story, the protagonist typically starts from nothing and goes on to be much more powerful. In a harem story, the protagonist typically starts from nothing and goes on to be the lead man. Welcome to this role, Koremitsu.

When you hear of people mistaken for delinquents, you think of guys like Kodaka from Haganai, Ryuji from ToraDora!. Koremitsu goes one step further by not having a single positive interaction with anyone else prior to this story. Thus, the theme of this first story, I feel, is not simply about a First Date, but also the First Friendship, a theme that both Koremitsu and Hikaru shared as you can see from their side stories. This meant that their relationship started off with a blank slate, and Aoi just so happened to be the one thing linking them at first, especially for Koremitsu, who was shunned by pretty much everyone before the story even began. This, I feel, is what makes the progress Koremitsu gets all the more remarkable. Typically for guys, the way to make friends is typically to do the same things, like playing online games, sports, any form of similar interests. I do find it amusing that both Koremitsu and Hikaru became friends through wooing girls.

Many of you who have read the English translated manga may be wondering why there hasn’t been any update since chapter 5, where Honoka’s revealed to be the Purple Princess. I do apologize for this part. There are 15 chapters altogether, and it covers the entire volume of Aoi, though some details may be altered accordingly.

Back to the concept of the First Date, I do find it vexing that Hikaru basically made Koremitsu pay for almost the entire date, especially when he is the rich guy and Koremitsu...is only doing okay, to say the least. If Koremitsu had to go on a first date by himself, I wonder what would he have done. He clearly is not the charmer Hikaru is, does not have the eloquence, and does not have any tangibles that would have wooed anyone’s heart.

Yet Koremitsu fulfilled the tasks required without a complaint thereafter. This, I feels, reflects more of the personality Koremitsu has. Yes, he has a scary face (in that universe at least), yes, he has practically no social interaction, but deep inside, he is still an immature boy trying to act tough and react accordingly to the surroundings, and more importantly, he is a kind-hearted straightforward kind of person whose devotedness to a single cause allows him to see things others do not often see. As we see in chapter 5, he is the one who made Hikaru change his mind, who spurred Hikaru on to make amends with Aoi. This is something else I feel separate Hikaru and Koremitsu; while the former may be the fool and the latter the serious guy, it is Koremitsu who plays the role of an optimist, and Hikaru who played the role of a cynic.

Of course, what I mentioned before also does apply to Aoi. When we first saw her, she was...pretty much the spotlight stealer in a bad way. The sheltered princess really could not have forgiven Hikaru for everything he did before this, and to be honest, who can blame her? Of course, the Kübler-Ross model kicks in, and though we have yet to see her go through all of these in-story, one had to wonder what Aoi was thinking in her mind, not eating much, venting her frustrations on Hikaru and later Koremitsu. In a sense, I shudder to imagine what would have happened if Hikaru’s ghost never lingered on Earth.

In chapter 4, Hikaru mentioned about Proust’s book, titled: “In the Shadow of Young Girls in Bloom”. Now, if anyone has read this book, he or she will find this book to be akin to whatever Hikaru went through, yet in his quest to find his one true love, he could never find the flower that could satiate him. Hikaru mentioned that he never managed to read the book, but my guess is that at that point, he was at a desperation point, and this book would have reminded him of the state he was in at that point of time.

The volume started a little slow, and with quite some cliches to boot. When I first read this volume, I could not get myself mentally involved until Asai’s confrontation with Koremitsu, which really was the thing I think that challenged Koremitsu to seek better inter-personal relationships. It did leave me wanting for more, and I do find that it is a good prologue to start with.

#### Volume 2 – Yugao

Now, Yugao is the next volume of this series, and this is where I admit I got slightly glued to the series (given that I have the attention span of a housefly). I will discuss further regarding the characters Yu and Tojo, but in the sense, it does feel like the story of a rich kid who had everything in the world except for the girl he liked, and the girl so happened to be wooed by someone else.

Rain is the prevalent weather in the story, to reflect accurately Yu’s name, which means ‘evening rain’. As a translator, I really want to play music and imagine the story to understand how the story flows, how I should be conveying things. It is probably an aftereffect of my upbringing where I attended drama classes, but I do prefer not to read stories for their details and events, but to vividly embrace the happenings that occur, and to resurrect them in my mind. For this reason, I chose to play the piano piece by Yiruma, ‘Kiss the Rain’, which I feel accurately reflects the loneliness both Koremitsu and Yu had. Sure, I do feel that Yu’s isolation in her room for so long seems a little exaggerated (Her name Kanai is a pun of kanai, ‘in the house’), but I also do feel that by killing off emotions and shelving everything deep within, we are killing our worths as humans, for humans emote. Of course, neither Hikaru nor Yu had the guts to actually stand up to their troubles, but as much as Koremitsu can try to be the catalyst, it is character development in a sense. Even if Hikaru did mention that he could never change, he certainly showed change in this volume.

Of course, we can never forget about how the volume started off. First, there are rumors of Hikaru being murdered, and then Hikaru hinted that yes, he was really murdered. If I were to say that the events that transpired thereafter was a mood swing, well, that would certainly be an understatement, and I do make a lot of these.

In this volume, we are also confronted with the fact that yes, the reset button after a date does not occur at all. This is not ‘The World God Only Knows’, though the premise may be similar to the first phase of the aforementioned title. Whatever cheesy things Koremitsu did for Aoi and Honoka will certainly linger in their hearts, and in ours (to our amusements).

Another important issue, besides the character interactions, is how Koremitsu is trying to express himself. One of the most frustrating things in the world is to be unable to get your to be understood by others. It already is a problematic theme for most of us, but for a guy who practically had no interaction with anyone other than his family members, the events that transpired after his meeting with Hikaru would be the best thing that could happen in his life, for it broke him out of his comfort zone, and that he had to adapt accordingly.

However, he never had proper guidance in how to talk to others, and perhaps it was due to his loner days that he seemed so unfettered, so decisive when making things happen. I do find the development of Koremitsu’s ability to converse remarkable, given how little support he had (most of the support useless anyway). Honestly, the only actual lesson Hikaru would actually give him is a stupid guide on how to woo girls (in volume 5) and ends in a lot of hilarity for the readers. While it is obvious that Hikaru really cares for his friend, Hikaru himself is also flawed, and due to him being so different from everyone else, I do feel it is difficult for him to empathize with how a commoner would think, causing him to act like a bumbling teacher at times, unlike Toko Amano from the ‘Bungaku Shoujo’ series. He does give the instructions, and naturally, Koremitsu is supposed to be the messenger, but it is the earnest attitude of Koremitsu, despite what Hikaru or anyone else would think, that drives the story on and brings the happy endings (well, mostly. Volume 10 has lots of heartaches).

The other form of support would be Honoka, and even then, she did not really help Koremitsu out (though the umbrella scene was sweet). In fact, she provided more help in resolving Yu’s situation than Koremitsu’s own, without them even meeting each other. I do like how this girl is also as bumbling as Koremitsu, haha. Two tsunderes, two people trying to act cool when they’re so hopelessly immature deep within, and the end result is the primary source of comic relief in this story. She however does seem like a satellite character until much later in the story, and when I first read this volume, I felt that her character was quite a waste for this story, given that she was not one of Genji’s heroines, but an avatar of the original author herself. She does fulfill her role in the volume however, and then some at the end.

This is the story of a boy who cannot truly express himself even though he wants to, and a girl who shuts her emotions in for she chooses to.

This is, what I think, the main theme of this volume, and I had to think a lot more over this volume, wondering what sort of feelings all the characters would have. Koremitsu the healer, Hikaru the client, Yu the patient, and Honoka the love counselor (I still get a kick out of seeing Honoka whenever she has to maintain her blog).

If I have to be honest, I do think the budding romance between Koremitsu and Yu was too sudden, probably because I do have a traditional mindset of letting love develop over some time. Perhaps it was due to the medium (hey, we have only 303 pages for this volume), but I still do feel that it was abrupt. It does leave a sweet aftertaste, though I do have complaints from people that this volume was too emotional for them. which I think was the point of the volume in particular.

When the rain parts, so do the lovers. Well, we cannot anchor a ship firmly when the story is supposed to continue on, but Honoka’s confession to Koremitsu at the end certainly took my editors by surprise. The return of Aoi too was quite cute as well, but unfortunately for them, they do have to make way for the next heroine...

#### Volume 3 – Waka Murasaki

Ah, yes, the adaptation of the earliest loli tale in Japanese fiction. Someone, please call the police before I start murdering her (Black Bullet is my favorite series as a translator. Loli homicide is something that causes pain in many a lolicon, which I revel in.)

Now, there is pretty much a lot of funny things going on, starting with the random bits. I do have to chime in particularly that the author does seem to be quite the fujoshi herself, given the not-so-subtle fantasies in her other series ‘I’m a royal tutor in my sister’s dress’ and the parts about Konoha and Kazushi. It is striking in particular that Koremitsu actually paid more attention to the ‘delinquent’ part than the ‘gay’ part.

And now, to the start of the main course. When you look at the cover, you probably knew it was coming. While Koremitsu had no intention of carrying out the ‘Hikaru Genji’ plan on Waka Murasaki in ‘The Tale of Genji’, when little Shioriko spoke of that ‘virginity’ talk, it probably sent our readers into a frenzy here, our reactions varied accordingly (proceeds to chop up more lolis). Moral of the story, kids, never ever go anywhere alone with a stranger, you might get your ***** taken.

Of course, current society certainly would not take kindly as to a lolicon, especially one already infamous as a ‘delinquent’ as Koremitsu. If it had been Hikaru who was exposed as one, how would society respond, I wonder?

Working on this volume, I had to use lots of imaginations. A few of you readers may know that I have quite three nieces whom I give tuition to (hence the jokes of me working on Papakiki, though it’ll last till volume 18, nyoron), so my mindset when approaching this volume is, if something were to happen to them or their family, what will I do. I cannot exactly relate myself to anyone who had lost their relative at such a young age, and someone they were so dependent on before that, let alone one who had dementia, so my only option was to begin reading articles about them and such. The translation in this volume may feel somewhat bland for my liking because I do not think I am able to fully bring out the emotions that were present in the original (well, except for a few parts, notably that studio box and gravure reading scene...what were you thinking, Honoka...)

While the first two volumes did hint of it, thanks to Asa-chan, this is the volume where Koremitsu gets the nickname, the red hound. It is a well-earned nickname, not just because of how he really acts like a Rottweiler programmed to automatic, but also how no matter what happens, he will really stick his head out for others. Certainly, his devotion to his master Hikaru is truly impressive, but when he sets his sights on his prey, the girls, he typically disobeys his master and devour them whole, making them his women...somewhat.

Regarding the issue of the scandal involving Kuze, again, do remember that the volume was released 2011, and that would mean the Marine Day of 2001 latest. It is a funny thing to note that despite my laziness not to put in translator notes starting this volume, I still bothered to research on them, for intellectual purposes. The copies of the Hikaru series I had seem to alternate the reading between Kuze and Kuse, but I cannot be bothered at this point...

While Koremitsu’s family was mostly in the background, this is where they get the most prominence, which I find is really unique amongst most LNs, since most probably do not involve their families this much. It is strange seeing a broken family itself taking in a girl themselves, but the effect certainly is positive. Masakaze (grandpa) and Koharu (aunt) would typically argue against each other, and Koremitsu cannot take sides because the family is so small. A man who had his wife run away from him, an aunt who had divorced her husband (giving away the one child she bore), and a boy who had his mother run away from home (gets pretty involved as the second woman in Utsusemi, but we will get to that later), his dad dead from grief. This is pretty dysfunctional for a family, I would say. It is amazing none of them were at each other’s throat.

Back to the positive addition of Shioriko, what it meant to a character.

For Masakaze, we get to see that he is the biggest tsundere in this series (a feat given that we have Koremitsu, Honoka, Aoi and the tsundara Asai). Specifically, though he always had the mantra ‘don’t get involved with women’, he really, really thawed with Shioriko around, either because he felt he owe her grandfather, Tomohiko, a purpose for saving him from his depression, or that he was just a closet lolicon after all. Either way, he really does dote on her quite a bit.

For Koharu, I think the impact may have been bigger. After reading Utsusemi, you probably would wonder what would have happened if her son (at the same age as Shioriko), was to stay with her instead of her ex-husband. The appearance of Shioriko gave her the second chance as a mother. Though she had been trying to be one when it came to Koremitsu, it felt more like a sibling relationship than a parental bond (mentioning Mega Kangaskhan before you folks think about it). Looking at her willingness to do most of the house chores and put in such detail when it came to cooking, perhaps she was really yearning to have her child back, or a child at least beneath that crude facade of hers, and that she really put in the effort of being a housewife before she got divorced.

Now, let us compare them to Tomohiko, Shioriko’s maternal grandfather.

When we talk about ideals in this age, we talk about people who have seen their dreams ruined, their hopes dashed by the reality, their fates betrayed by the world. Here however is a man who continued to live on blissfully no matter how many times he had been betrayed, how many times others have failed him, how, despite all the misgivings he could have had, he chose to remain in his garden, tending to his flowers, and most of all, being who he was. One has to wonder whether he chose to be oblivious to what had happened to him, or whether he actually chose to remain as he was. Personally, I think it is the latter given that he did advise Masakaze back then. I think, ultimately, he made the decision that no matter how anything betrayed him, he cannot allow his own self to betray himself, his ideals, for that would be admitting defeat to all the despair that he should have fallen into a long time ago, especially when his own daughter died before he did. I do apologize if there are any readers who experienced the pain of a younger kin dying before they did, but this is a mentioned topic that shapes Shioriko’s character herself, who I think had the qualities of Waka Murasaki when Genji abducted her, with the additional jilted nature caused by all the despair of this modern world.

I cannot say for certain how difficult it may be a acclimate to being stepchildren, but since this one does have a relatively happy ending, I suppose it is much better than Shioriko being left under Kuze’s care completely, left alone, and being a Hikaru Mikado 2.0. Certainly, I think Shioriko is similar to Hikaru amongst all the girls in terms of circumstances, and it took me a while to think, but when Hikaru mentioned that Shioriko was his ‘happiness’, I suppose that is because Hikaru did see a girl who had the fortune of being able to be with her loved one, her grandfather, until his last days, and because she was happy, he was happy.

Not much to be said about Kuze himself, except that he is the first actual ‘antagonist’ of this series (no, Asa-chan does not count), and his story felt a little similar to Sadasada in Gintama (except for the murder part). Lolicons should go to prison (remember, Riko is 14...depending on your definition of a loli, ask Sako Shuntarou.)

And to conclude, the theme of the volume, I think, is kinship.

By now, you should understand that had Hikaru and Koremitsu, who actually does what Hikaru would not do, been unavailable to fix the mess, you would be reading 10 depressing stories with no happy endings in ‘When Hikaru Departed from the Earth’.

Of course, since the title is ‘When Hikaru was on the Earth’, it means that our playboy wannabe Koremitsu will have to continue the gruelling work of raising a harem. I mean, would you expect both Honoka and Aoi to take action this early? This is amazing...

#### Volume 4 – Oborodukiyo

“What did you do with Her Highness Aoi!? ヽ(●`口′●)ノ”

Alright, I admit, I had a seizure at that part.

Those messages were not so much messages as they were orbital bombardments from Memento Mori. Honestly, Honoka’s antics always get me. By this time, if you have read the author’s previous work ‘Book Girl' (which I highly recommend to anyone), you would have noticed the comparisons with Nanase Kotobuki (though the author would admit that she is actually trying to diversify the characters.)

This is the volume where I really thought I should just stop with the translator notes because it really is tedious for me to do so, and also, I thought I might be able to force readers to continue researching into the stuff if they want to, rather than me having to feed the readers by the spoon.

Also, this volume is also the story where things really got darker. You think raising a harem is all fun and saccharine? Well, this volume clearly shows otherwise. Not only is there a Betty and Veronica situation happening between Honoka and Aoi (with poor Yu, the first love, deported to Australia faster than the original convicts who were sent there), but now you add in an additional member who’s not only sexy, but also quite the tease, hoping to latch onto Koremitsu to escape from her own troubles. Admittedly, such fears Tsuyako had would be seemingly nothing to readers like us, but given that the premise of the story involves a ghost floating around a delinquent, hoping to train him into a protagonist with enough guts to take on an entire Dead Or Alive assortment of girls, I’m willing to let it pass through my weirdness filter. I’ll cover more on Tsuyako’s fears in her character discussion, but for now, back to the story.

The introduction of Tsuyako as another member of the delinquent’s harem will clarify that yes, Hikaru did not die a virgin. Hey, it is all but stated here.

I know we have jokes about ‘please notice me, senpai’, but we start off the volume in a reverse situation ‘please notice me, kouhai’...which led to me using Earthmind music for the latter half of this volume.

One of the key dynamics would be Tsuyako’s position as compared to the other girls. While Tsuyako knows, and accepts that she’s just one of Hikaru’s ‘concubines’ in his conquest to philander more than the number of concubines King Solomon gathered in his lifetime, this places her as a contrast to Aoi, for obvious reasons. Later on, this will get complicated when Tsuyako is placed as the contrast to Asai (do note that I am leaving out Honoka because the girl has shown no affections for Hikaru. Why would she?)

For Aoi, she was the ‘chosen’ girl by those around her, but not the one Hikaru ‘chose’ until the very end of his life. In the original Genji story, Aoi, 4 years older than Genji, was the one betrothed to the latter, and it was only when she was dying (and died) did Genji treat her earnestly. Long story short, the roles were reversed. The love Aoi had for Hikaru was unconditional, but ultimately, she has the possessive vibe, for very good reasons.

For Tsuyako, she was a ‘chosen’ girl by Hikaru, but not the one ‘chosen’ by the people around her. When you have someone making your life a living hell, there are times where you are simply going to snap, and the reactions will vary. Honestly, I’m not sure how Tsuyako managed to hold it in for so long. The love for Tsuyako was unconditional, and she knew that though Hikaru does love her back, the actual value isn’t requited (well, given that Hikaru has his own issues with his beloved...this is also based on Genji Monogatari). Knowing that, despite Tsuyako claiming that she has no issues with Hikaru philandering with other girls and so on, and then joining in on the fun with Koremitsu, I do have a feeling that Tsuyako as a character really hates being alone. Most of the reason can be thanks to that.....for a lack of a better term, twit, but one really will get the idea that Tsuyako’s actions were mostly a facade, until she got liberated, at the very least.

Let’s face it, I like this volume for how much the mood changed with the introduction of a ‘Rokujo’. If you do know the source material, Rokujo is the infamous first yandere of classical Japanese literature (there’s a lot of firsts in Genji Monogatari), so it would be interesting to see how a delinquent would handle a yandere...though I doubt anyone would have expected who the yandere would be unless you’re the type to think that a character that suddenly pops up is always suspicious (thanks Keima).

The theme for this story, I feel, is hidden depths, what may be apparent on first sight was not what it seemed to be. Just like how Tsuyako had her own troubles she chose to keep hidden, so does he-who-must-not-be-named (you-know-who) has his own issues that would not be made known until 5 volumes later. Gosh, that volume’s scary, in more ways than one. Appearances typically deceive because as humans, we put on a facade for various reasons, to not make others worry, or to hide something malicious. In this case, this proves to be the case. However, there is only so long before a facade is shed to reveal the true nature of a person, and luckily for us, we have our delinquent king deliver a punch Kamijou Touma will always be proud of.

If I had to mention which was my favorite part of the story, it was...the kiss Tsuyako had with Koremitsu, with the other two girls watching. I was feeling...sadistic seeing the stunned looks on the girls faces. Boy, did it feel satisfying.

#### Volume 5 – Suetsumuhana

Alright, everyone...hana, tul, set.

Okay, leaving the bad pun aside, the sudden break in mood here reflects what I felt in this volume as compared to the first four. Main symptom, of course, is the overload in harem antics, and the other girls are basically going “You’re not building any new flags with the other girls now.” The irony being that they don’t know that there is a new girl. Koremitsu, you see what you started...

To note however, all the harem antics in the volume involve Honoka...so much for the self-professed love expert. XD. It’s nice to see that she a maiden at heart though, working hard for her love, yet maintaining that tsundere presence until later on when she had to compete against Michiru for Koremitsu’s affections. It’s like the cool onee-chan bring such a klutz. How do you let yourself hey bluffed by a kid that’s about half your age?

With regards to Aoi, seeing her want to step out of her shell and start being independent, while everyone else is scared of letting her do so. It feels like the Princess being followed by everyone else, like every single adult worrying for a baby learning how to walk. Given that the exposition clearly describes Aoi as a doll, I guess this is how collectors feel about their Nendoroids. Girl just wants to learn how to be independent; you don’t have to worry about her adding salt instead of sugar...

Of course, Koremitsu just so happened to chance upon the place because he has the power of a protagonist, and the café just had to be the meeting place. You’ll notice that I had been omitting Beni till this point. That’s a reflection of her pecking order in this story when she’s supposed to be the heroine of this volume, though admittedly, she has too much self-esteem issues to actually take the initiative to approach Koremitsu.

I suppose, if Hikaru was the doing the date, he would be getting more than a slap than what Koremitsu got. It’s sad enough that the latter got slapped because he had to handle his harem, but if it were Hikaru, I guess poor Beni’s self-esteem would be worse than it was. This is a guy who had as many girls in his harem as there are pokemon in the Kalos dex, or more.

Girls that are mimosa-like are pretty common, and Beni here would be similar to how Aoi was (and way worse than Aoi in understanding commoner terms...I think she’ll fit in well in Seikain.) except for that !#/& nose. However, as a reader myself, I’ll recommend reading this for the key theme: establishing friendship.

To be brief (and blunt), I’ll say that most friendships are never equal because humans are created different. Look at the friendship between Koremitsu and Hikaru for example. The only similarity they have is that they’re lonely people. That’s it. They differ so much they it’s a wonder they’re friends. Now contrast the friendship the guys have to the friendship the girls have in this volume. Of course, what boys bond over should be different from girls, as far as my memories are concerned. Guys bonding over which girls we like...yup, nothing wrong with that.

Now that I mentioned boys friendship and unequal, let’s look at the girls. In this story, I do feel that the dynamics between Tayu and Beni is to be contrasted against Honoka and Michiru. The two girls are typically together, with Honoka as the feisty tsundere while Michiru is the subdued, reserved one. There are also similarities in other stuff like backgrounds and school standings, so compare the relationships, and do read through Michiru’s back story; it’s practically the same. However, the main difference I want to talk about is the difference between Tayu and Michiru, the supposed weaker ones in their respective friendships, and this I shall discuss further in their character discussion. Of course, I would specify the volumes 5, 8 and 10 that define the friendship between Honoka and Michiru. This is act 1, of course.

When working on this volume, the main BGM I had, especially at the end, was the classic ‘Graduation’ (Friends Forever) by Vitamin C. Obviously, nobody graduated in this volume, but the nostalgia and positive vibe I got from the song really gives me hope that the friendship between Beni and Tayu will be long lasting. There’s a first for everything you experience, and there’s always a first friend to make. That friend will always be special.

And now, the topic that’s always a hit between guys.

Wooing girls.

Looking at Koremitsu’s attempts to woo girls in the story, I look back at my own experience (yes, one. *looks away*). Koremitsu just does not have the aptitude Hikaru had, primarily because of looks. At the same time however, after my one (obviously failed) attempt to do so, I realize that it’s better to just be yourself rather than be something you’re not (Koremitsu accumulated his own harem through his own dorky personality, not by what he did in the Drama CD, and the process and results were excruciatingly amusing. (My own experience was just 15 minutes of trying to talk to a girl, and then I realized I’m too kuu and absolutely not a talker to go about doing this)

Also, to state something that’s really obvious: not everyone is Hikaru. Most of us aren’t blessed with good looks and charm that results in dating experiences most other guys can only dream of, and certainly not to the extent that one can profess to be an expert in love and actually back it up. Either Hikaru’s really oblivious to his talent, or that he was trolling Koremitsu for the fun of it. I hope it’s the latter (ah who am I bluffing. Blame the author)

On a side note, I find it amusing that the only time Koremitsu didn’t flub his lines was when Asa-chan appeared. Textbook example of a gap moe when the flashback was revealed (and I’ll always mention it if I know of this to keep trolling her over and over again. Kukuku). If Asa-chan knows of Tohko Amano’s or Shizuku’s existence...

With the drama at the end of the volume, we now turn to take on the mid-boss, Psyco Gundam-like queen of ice. Gap moe, here we come...

#### Volume 6 – Asagao

その恋は, 毒のように

You know, when Asa-chan was announced to be the heroine in this volume, I already knew they she’ll be part of the harem; I just want to see how she ended up being part of that harem. Welcome to the club, Asa-chan.

We see the effects of Koremitsu’s words in the previous volume, that Michiru just transformed, Cinderella style...or to put it light novel style, more drastic than Rika Shiguma removing her glasses or Yozora with that haircut. If you really think jet actions were meant to matchmake Koremitsu and Honoka, you shouldn’t be hoping too much. Then again, I do suspect that Honoka was too reliant on the ‘main girl wins’ concept after the school pool incident, and honestly, Michiru’s sudden aggressiveness made Honoka more proactive than she was. I half-expected Honoka to ask the classic Japanese wife question, but that’ll be a bad influence on Shiiko (oh who am I kidding...Shiiko was so ready to slam the ladle onto her head.)

Of course, neither these girls are the heroines, and we proceed to try and melt the ice queen at the end of summer. I got lots of comments telling me Asa-chan best girl, something I really found to be interesting...most probably, the readers are masochistic in the same way they fawn over RyuZU.

Already overworked and weary from being the last line of defense for Fujino, I suppose her going to Granny is the culmination of her desperation, but when I look at Asa-chan, I see someone who blindly does whatever she thinks others want, but due to her hastiness, she failed to understand what others really want, as in the case of her utter devotion to Hikaru. Naturally, Granny knows this, and she really didn’t wish for Asa-chan to end up like herself. This story has two heroines, Asa-chan and Granny Orime, the latter being a (highly) possible look at what Asa-chan will be in the future (assuming that Asa-chan does get married...she’ll get lots of suitors in real life, I swear)

The main conflict is about the succession rights to the Mikados lineage (Ryugamine, please...), but the actual conflict is Granny vs grandson, something you-know-who is more than willing to seize advantage of. Blood is supposed to be thicker than water, but Granny has nothing to dry out of at this point. Behind the terrifyingly aloof facades of both heroines are the lonely faces of the ones left behind by their loved ones. The key difference is that one continued to devote herself to what she thought was the right course of action, while the other had already given up on doing anything because whatever she did never ended up reciprocated.

In a sense, I do see similarities in the grandson and you-know-who. Both are born with silver spoons in their mouths, and more importantly, both are considered unfavorites for Granny and the Old Master, second to Hikaru, and the main reason why they’re unfavourites is because...it’s Hikaru (Hikaru doesn’t spare grannies in his pursuit of his harem), and they didn’t work hard to earn that recognition. Perhaps if one side actually bothered to reach out, things would have worked out better.

And this brings me to the key theme of this volume: poor communications hurt. As you may notice, neither of the heroines are really good at conveying their feelings. Like the Morning Glories, they work hard behind the scenes, but their efforts would hardly be recognised. This is most prominent in the friendship breakdown between Asa-chan and Aoi, vs that of Granny and grandson.

For the former, it can be said that instead of a friendship, the relationship was more of protectorate. The relationship was on unequal standing in the first place, and here it harks back to what I said about most friendships being unequal in the first place. (Well, don’t you have the urge to protect Aoi? Just look at her. ) Nevertheless, disputes like this are necessary so that the differences can be worked out, and the bond can be stronger as Hikaru hoped. Fortunately for me, as much as one would hope so, the relationship will never be fully repaired because of Koremitsu. (Yeah I’m sadistic, reveling in schadenfreude)

For the latter, it really does remind me of my own relationship with my own grandma (though we’re on really good terms), given how grandma’s personality is exactly like Granny in this story. When working on this story, I had the intention of using it as a tribute to her, and also to reflect on what I would do if I’m the grandson in the story. Honestly, I do feel a home without any familial love is not a real home, just a house to stay in. Some tough love is needed from time to time, and honestly, while I do think the grandson got off lightly, imagine being prone on the floor with someone stepping on your neck. That’s what my grandma will do to her kids, and what I guess Granny in this story will do, so let’s enjoy more suffering.

A special note about the calligraphy contest in this story. While we know that Koremitsu will ultimately win such contests, I was already planning what I would do if the calligraphy came into place. Lo and behold, it actually happened. To be honest, I did plan to pay for a calligrapher to do the work. It’s impossible for me to be doing this in the first place since my handwriting is incorrigible. If you haven’t realized, I’m implementing my drama upbringing into my translation; I don’t just translate the text, I try to act out the text in my own words.

The BGM for this one showdown is the Ip Man theme, or more specifically, Koremitsu’s arrival. Hearing this theme basically gives me the feeling that ‘yeah, the master is here, all the kids can just beat it’. I don’t really care that the contest was obviously a ploy on Granny’s part just to see Koremitsu’s calligraphy, I want to see the work myself. It’s like the Bruce Lee movies; you don’t really watch for the plot, you watch it to see him thrash everyone else. Same logic.

The part where Asa-chan’s innocence is revisited really had me feeling way too nostalgic for me. I remember the days where I keep breaking bones every single year because of my reckless sports playstyle (even now, things have yet to change), going about doing all the crazy stuff. I like crazy. When you look back at what you used to do, all you can do is laugh at yourself, but accept it, for it is your experience.

Finally, I’ll like to have a laugh at how it’s the one allied side male character who asks the question most of the other characters are thinking ‘what do they see in that guy’. At the start of the series, Koremitsu could have been a starring member of the FFF. 6 volumes in, and he’s pretty much high on the bounty list. With Asa-chan now part of the harem, Hikaru can finally retire feeling that Koremitsu has surpassed him.

#### Volume 7 – Utsusemi

When I first read through this volume, I realized that I would be dealing with the most contentious volume of this series, given what it was dealing with. Looking at the reader comments, I guess it cannot be overly stated how accurate my predictions were.

We start off with the where Asa-chan started talking about Hikaru’s biggest secret. If you have done any basic research into Genji Monogatari, you would have known Hikaru has an Oedipus complex and ended up falling for his stepmother. Of course, piecing these large pieces together, you’ll clearly understand that Hikaru fell for his stepmother. This is the part that really put the nail in the coffin, completely shattering the image of Hikaru as a pure, angelic figure that is kind to girls. (then again, given that the story is based on Genji Monogatari, this is as close as the author can get without breaking the censors completely.) I suppose most readers would have sided with Koremitsu on the issue, that Hikaru gave in to the temptation way too easily, and this really is the best retort I have seen of Koremitsu in this story.

...And just when they were about to get down to the root of the problem.

......Another issue caused by Hikaru came back to haunt Koremitsu (as if he wasn’t haunted enough)

We know it isn’t Koremitsu fault, but I suspect that if any pregnant lady is to go to him for help, the immediate response is “I’ll take responsibility.” Unfortunately, that is not what anyone should be saying in such a situation, and another ‘crime’ is added to Koremitsu’s list. What was supposed to be another woman ended up being Asa-chan, and honestly, I do like the idea of pairing Koremitsu with Asa-chan (for sadism and bemusement). One could just sense the amazement Hikaru has of Koremitsu surpassing him when Asa-chan actually said the words, “It is fine for you...to call me Asa.”

On a side note, I get the idea that Hiina is more suited to be part of the paparazzi rather than a news reporter (the British tabloids might suit her). I really wish the illustrator included a picture of Asa-chan doing that Funabori face, but not even Koremitsu’s harem can save him if Hiina chooses to go full Ranko Hata. What makes the Koremitsu X Asa-chan ship all the more alluring is that nobody actually stopped to think, ‘wait, something’s not right’. They just accepted it as it is, as if saying ‘okay, you two scary ones can duke it out on the bed, kthxbye’.

The idea of false pregnancy never did occur to me when I first read this volume. To be honest, I really hoped that there would be an actual baby involved in the story, but I do understand that as much as it feels like a cop out, involving the baby would be a distraction from the story of Koremitsu moonlighting in his escapades of hunting his harem down.

Sora is another one of those girls with low self-esteem, with the added caveat of not hoping for anything because she’s scared of her hopes being dashed. It’s a lie she believed in, but let’s face it, the only girl to actually be completely immune to Hikaru’s charms so far in the story is Honoka, and that’s only because the latter never did interact much with Hikaru himself. Any of the other typical girls would be hoping that Hikaru ends up with them, ala a standard harem story nowadays. To be blunt, I don’t like this part of the story as much as the other part, but given that the concept of ‘Utsusemi’ is that of the only woman to actually manage to successfully escape from Genji in the original, I would have been fine with the little sister not being involved in this one.

This, I feel, is the author’s interpretation of Utsusemi’s thoughts after having escaped Genji’s advances, but given that Sora has shades of Akashi in her character, I suppose the covert romantic thoughts remained in her.

Looking at how the plot went, I suppose Sora was just the setup for the mother to appear in the story (aside from being obviously the setup man...err, lady for Fujitsubo aka Fujino). This would be the most poignant part of the story, and most definitely would have struck too close to home for anyone else who was abandoned by their parents.

On a side note, in the original, Genji, frustrated that Utsusemi escaped, raped the little brother, but this is just a little trivia. If this were included, the story would have been released under a BL publisher...

And now, here’s the extremely controversial part.

The part involving the mother.

I suppose every reader really hated the mother. What kind of a mother would dump her own flesh and blood just because ‘I can’t see him as cute in any way’. Honestly, nobody knows her motivation. Maybe she had some marriage issues that was affecting her (something I actually suspect since she and Koharu were still on very good terms. Probably Masakaze’s fault), maybe she was too immature to be married, I don’t know. However, no matter the result,

I suppose every single reader was outraged when Koremitsu’s mother. Many were calling for her head, and honestly, that might be the most common reaction I would have thought of. The one scene I immediately compared this part to was that scene in ‘Fresh Prince of Bel Air’ where Will’s dad left, and Will was all “How come he don’t want me, man!” Very poignant scene, I must say. Nobody knows the reasons why Koremitsu’s mother left him behind, saying that he wasn’t cute or anything (which, to be fair, she had the courtesy not to mention that to young Koremitsu). One can only speculate why; perhaps it was due to an unhappy marriage that left her unable to love Koremitsu as he was (given how much disdain Masakaze had for women, except Shioriko, for which I’m going to call him a lolicon), or perhaps she realized that she was too immature as a mother back then (given that she remained on good terms with Koharu even after she left, I guess it’s not really that personal of a matter). The one possibility I’ll definitely pass on is that Koremitsu was born out of rape or wedlock given the above evidence. (Masakaze would probably kill Koremitsu’s dad if it was rape, not like dad lived that much longer either).

However, speculating aside, that is not the main point of the story.

What Koremitsu did, to forgive and let go of his mother, is never going to placate any of the readers hoping for justice. Some will call for blood, some will choose to move on and ignore her to hide the pain within them.

However, the key theme, as Hiina said, “If there is a choice to be loved by others or to love others, I’ll definitely choose the latter, because I’ll be happier this way”. As Acts 20:35 says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” and this works because one, it means that one has enough (and the heart) to give others, and two, it means that one recognizes another as someone in need, thus the concern. While psychological research typically support this argument, let us bring this to the emotional aspect.

In this highly pragmatic society, the common consensus is that emotions should be cast aside. In the context of a story driven by characters however, eliminating emotions altogether would just make a dull story. To me, the opposite of love is not hatred, it’s apathy, because love is the ultimate extension of emotions, the leading man. Whether it is tainted black to became hatred, blue to become worry, or red for fiery love and passion, there is no doubt that love is the embodiment of emotions.

In my opinion, if Koremitsu were to completely ignore everything about the mother (which he couldn’t, since it’s such a severe trauma), that will be a travesty because he won’t be able to love others as well as he could have. Holding in his anger at her for all this while would not be much better because that anger is not being directed for a positive cause. Yeah sure, he can continue to live on without her, but he won’t be able to love others as much as he would like to because there will always be the worry of being twice shy, even if the readers don’t want to admit it (let’s face it, we’re all just a bunch of wannabes behind the screen, hiding our pains within). It takes two to tango, but one to reach out. This is the perfect chance for Koremitsu to learn how to let go of those that has left his life, and at the same time, reconcile with the fact that his mother’s happy, he’s happy, and they’re willing to move on. A lot of divorces end up messy because they’re unable to accept their differences and move on, but perhaps if we do take a step back and reflect, maybe there are other ways to go about this (I’m really starting to sound like Honoka here...)

On a side note, there is actually a light novel that looks into reasons why people break up. It’s called Heartbreak Detective Momose.

You will have noticed that I chose not to talk about Koremitsu’s mother with regards to resolving the issue, and that is because the main issue is not about the mother, it is about Koremitsu’s putting his past demons behind him. Many of us think that yeah, we should love those who love us, and hate those who hate us, but ultimately, who start off with all those emotions, and were those emotions interpreted correctly in the first place? As we saw in the previous volume, tough love can be erred as utter contempt. That’s why Koremitsu’s action to forgive and smile at his mother is the ‘right’ choice in this story, for if the hatred and apathy lingered on, there isn’t a proper resolution to this story that will fit in well with the theme of the story, which is to learn how to let go, but this is really exemplified in this volume. Another main theme of this volume is that no matter how isolated you may feel, you have to keep reaching out, because nothing can be settled if there is no contact.

Of course, the mother definitely felt guilty about it (what’s with repeating sorry over and over again), and looking at the kid she had with the next husband, I guess she won’t dare to do such a thing again. The issue however was that Koremitsu was to finally learn how to let go, and though it pained him, he finally learned the taste of unrequited love, though bittersweet, was still sweet in some way. While the mother’s attempts to love Koremitsu may not feel as fulfilled, Koremitsu’s successful attempt to smile at his mother will probably give her some solace that yes, her love was felt. In a sense, the mother’s demon was also exorcised.

To summarize, I don’t expect a definite feeling, because the most human thing I will expect is conflicted emotions. To let go, but can’t do so. To hate, but can’t fully hate.

Of course, what I just typed out will lead to me regretting it in Volume 9, Rokujo, but I’ll live with that.

The two Utsusemis I mentioned so far show us both perspective of the coin, Sora being the one who escaped, and Koremitsu as the one who was left behind (of course the mother is the second Utsusemi...). How they dealt with their issues was seen in this volume, but there’s still one more Utsusemi whose issues were yet to be resolved...that Utsusemi is Koharu, to her own kid.

I suppose both Koharu and the mother had the same issues bothering them. In volume 3, it was clearly stated that if Koharu really wanted her child, she would not have gone down without a fight. One has to wonder why she remained widowed, and why she chose to remain with Masakaze, of all people, when she has her own social circle to begin with. Again, the motivations remains unknown, but what matters in the end is that the boy (obviously Koharu’s son) will end up reunited with his mother, just whether the ending will be a happy one. Now all we need is for Shioriko to end up paired with the kid.

There are many things people don’t understand why they work, but ultimately, the aim is not to understand why, but how to resolve it. Stop the bleeding, and then understand why the bleeding occurred.

Speaking of which, one thing Koremitsu will learn to understand is:

#### Volume 8 – Hanachirusato

...What is a culture festival? Is it edible?

Cliche aside, this volume looks into Koremitsu’s issues of a lack of social circle. I mean, looking at Ryuji Takasu, you’ll think that the culture festival is some elixir for one mistaken as a delinquent all the time, which in this case, turns out right. But enough with that for now.

This is the second of the three volumes looking into the friendship between Honoka and Michiru, the first being volume 5, and the last bring volume 10. In this particular volume, it looks at the conflicted emotions Honoka had between her infatuation for Koremitsu and her desire to see Michiru do well...which of course end up as a melee a trois at the end of the volume. While volume 5 looks at the issues Michiru had, this volume looks at the issues Honoka has, get conflicted feelings.

Koremitsu was all mentally checked out, like ‘right, I’m just going to chill out on the rooftop and have Hikaru yap all day, sighs’. It is certain that this will make a terribly boring story, and a very depressing one to boot, which Koremitsu would like to do. In a sense, he really had to thank his harem for involving him in so much stuff, though I think Asa-chan abusing her authority like Suharto was an unintentional black comedy on her part. (Well, it’s like declaring to the school that she has tamed the wild dog)

I would say Shioriko is the smartest character in this series, based on her comments about Koremitsu being a herbivore and going around shouting ‘I’ll protect you!’ She’s the most savvy of them all, an apt shout out to Lady Murasaki’s sarcastic comment at Genji when the latter went out to adopt another little girl, hoping to turn the girl into another wife. It’s scary how smart and sexually aware she is...I suppose many a lolicon had a nosebleed when she whipped out that photo of her in a school swimsuit. Hikaru definitely would be torn between scolding her and raping her.

Honoka’s rattled. You can feel it. First we have Aoi-chan getting the jump by holding Koremitsu’s hand (good job, girl), and now we have Michiru bring overtly aggressive in getting Koremitsu involved (and to seed discord). For all her self-professed love expert antics, it is a painful experience she would learn from. In a sense, her predicament is like Koremitsu’s; while Honoka was worried if she should betray Michiru’s hopes and gun for Koremitsu herself, Koremitsu himself was wondering if he should feast on Aoi-chan while ignoring Hikaru. It’s obvious at this point that if Koremitsu is to choose Aoi, Hikaru will haunt him for the rest of his life. Luckily for Honoka, Michiru won’t be haunting anyone in this story.

This volume confirmed it for me that Aoi would not be chosen in the end. Even after Hikaru’s death, Koremitsu chooses to abide by the Bro code of not to be with Aoi. He at the very least did have thoughts about it, especially when Shioriko mentioned it. (That guilty look). It hurts for Aoi, but I do applaud the girl for continuing to pursue Koremitsu even after the eavesdropping. (Girl can be an amazing ninja given how she just had to eavesdrop on Asa-chan twice without the latter knowing.)

Michiru is the plain girl heroine (and the biggest pain later on). I did expect her to be the heroine of a volume somewhere from the moment she mentioned that Koremitsu was at Hikaru’s funeral (I attribute my tendencies to pick up subtleties from reading too many volumes of the Kindaichi series back in the day). Of course, bring a heroine, this obviously means that Hikaru owes her something. But what happens if nobody knows exactly what the promise is?

...ah whatever, it’ll just end up being a date anyway.

While Honoka chose to resolve her issues by running away until she was actually prodded by Michiru, I do like how Koremitsu was kept busy the entire time to actually think about his harem. Guy finally puts his ‘delinquent king’ moniker to good use by commanding his troops as Balalaika would be proud of...

In all seriousness, Koremitsu being put in a leadership position really changed him. While he was never one for subtlety, he was still a lone ranger till this point, and while Hikaru told him off with regards to the girls’ feelings, the same can be said for Koremitsu’s interactions with anything. He used to live for himself, but now that he’s in charge, he’ll have to take care of others, just as he did with the girls.

However, I’ll say that both Koremitsu and Michiru were lucky that their classmates came to help them, because it could have really turned out different. Koremitsu could have ended up as jaded as Michiru was, for as we all know, being school leaders is usually a thankless job. This is a naive, happy ending, but I don’t fault the author here.

The main theme I feel about this volume is that one has to be honesty with his feelings, based on what Honoka was going through. When the flowers scatter (chiru), all there is left is the bare truth. Certainly, while Michiru had her issues sorted (for now), all that was left was for the girls to convey their feelings. Asa-chan obviously didn’t get the note because she’s just coming up with excuses to be with Koremitsu, which is cute in its own sense.

When Honoka first delivered her confession, I had a feeling that Aoi would follow next, given her amazing tendency to eavesdrop. BGM for this scene? Jaws. It gets better when Yu announces her return...though you-know-who returns to make an appearance as antagonist...

#### Volume 9 – Rokujo

...and heroine!?

Alright, I’m out. Too much for me.

I had apprehensions when I first touched this volume. It was obvious you-know-who would be the damsel in this volume, but I was really hoping for more than a punch in the face this time.

It’s sad for me that the two potential ‘nice boat’ moments in the story were ruined by comedic moments, both involving the only other guy in this story. Poor guy (okay, rich guy) ends up mistaken for a lolicon and doubted by the one little sister he really dotes on (too much, in fact). For such a guy who prides himself on being cold and collected, Tojo really is another Asa-chan at heart.

Of course, we can’t talk about this volume without mentioning a few things. The first of them is the royal rumble at Koremitsu’s house (which, though revealed to be planned by Michiru, doesn’t make it any less funnier). The BGM that immediately rang in my mind was the ‘Imperial March’, and that was the moment when Hikaru was about to welcome Koremitsu to the afterlife. It was just a moment of who was to begin the murder of Julies Caesar, only to end with the feeling as et tu, Asa-chan? Good thing Mark Antony was able to make it just in time to save Koremitsu, again. The new found confidence and aggressiveness shown by the girls is really refreshing though.

If there was a reason why the culprits failed in this volume, it is that they failed to understand the bonds the characters had with each other. While you-know-who tried to break the bond between Koremitsu, Honoka and Yu, he failed to understand that Koremitsu would always believe in them. Unfortunately, the situation was a lot most complicated than it should be because good girl Honoka decides to go out on an escapade alone to be Koremitsu’s Heliotrope.

Unfortunately for Yu, her reunion with Koremitsu went awry because of you-know-who, and to top it all, she betrayed Koremitsu’s trust because of her sense of duty even though it would end up hurting her. I do like the growth she showed however because it showed that she was willing to make decisions out of her own wishes, rather than how she was when she remained turtled in her room back in volume 2...by Toutatis, when she delivered that well deserved slap, one had to ask who that girl really is, and what has she done to Yu.

It is heartening to see that the main members of Koremitsu’s harem (and Hiina) was willing to help him with whatever means they could, tog Koremitsu would have wished that they kept him in the loop. This has the feel of Yuuji bluffing Akihisa over and over again while informing others of the strategy. ‘To fool others, first fool oneself’ is the name of the game...ah who am I kidding. The girls just don’t want Koremitsu to worry for them because they know he’ll just go about shouting “I’ll protect you!”

Speaking of which, if there’s something I like about this volume, it’s that it looks into the weight of the words. Too many times, we see protagonists go about shouting stuff like “I’ll protect this city, this world, you” or stuff like that, but while it’s definitely easy to say such words, not many do understand what it means to the ones who are supposed to be protected, because they don’t understand what the ones being protected need in the first place.

Take for example, any good parent raising a child. Yes, you’ll definitely want the best for your child, and yes, you want to protect him, to be there for him as best as you can, but how do you do that? You can guide the child along, but at the same time, you need the child to personally experience growing pains, and not do everything by yourself and coddle the child too much. What Koremitsu was doing to Yu wasn’t about protecting her, it was coddling her. He basically repeated the exact same mistake Hikaru did to Yu back in volume 2, and that fractured the relationship. This is the reason why Aoi chose to be independent, and why Yu was so torn on the situation.

I got weary when I realized I had to deal with you-know-who being the boss of this volume. Honestly, while I know that pretty much every reader wants something of a comeuppance, it’s never going to happen because of 3 reasons.

First, the rich can just weasel their way out of things. Look no further than the OJ Simpson case. The rich can pay for the very best defenses, and if that doesn’t work, they can bribe their way out.

Next, the theme of learning to accept. The main theme of the volume is to learn how to set aside differences, but honestly, I don’t like this one at all because of you-know-who, that we have to accept him. Call me a bigot all you want, but I’ll show the world how battered chicken is supposed to be done if you-know-who is within 1km from me.

Finally, author’s a fujoshi. Read any of her other series, especially the ‘Dress’ series, and you’ll realize that there’s at least ten instances of girls having fujoshi moments...and even some instances of girls love, notably the last volume of the Book Girl series. Sighs.

There are another two notable moments.

First is the confession Koremitsu delivered...or so it seems. I find it amusing that Koremitsu was worried of Honoka being another Hikaru, but it’s obvious that he treated her as a potential waifu, though Honoka ended up being so short of confidence that she ends up misunderstanding his words again (facepalm)

Next, Michiru as the final antagonist. I would say that I did expect it for a while, but many obviously didn’t expect it. I’ll detail my reasoning later on, but her being the antagonist will surely have everyone asking “her issues aren’t resolved yet?’

Well, that was a 12-6 to the groin for many, and this sets up the final chapters.

#### Volume 10 – Fujitsubo

If you get there before I do...

After so many detours, we finally deal with the core issue, the circumstances of Hikaru’s death.

To be honest, I hoped the story would be darker and more depressing than it was, something like Book Girl and the Famished Spirit. The issue of forbidden love and Oedipus Complex is a prevalent theme in this volume, and ultimately, a reflection of Hikaru as a broken hero. For all he could get in the story, he was unable to retain the maternal love of his mother, and as a result, his romantic love for Fujino was born. While there is the issue of NTR, it’s sad that for the two male Mikados, they do realise the awkwardness of the situation.

For the head, Fujino is the replacement for the love he was never able to obtain because they mistress died. I don’t blame the guy for looking elsewhere after having to deal with Hiroka, but having Fujino is like adding to a doll collection, albeit top billing. The man knows about the love between Hikaru and Fujino, but even though he wanted to grant his blessings, he ended up being the actual father of the child. Well, it’ll be controversial to have Hikaru as the father like how Genji was...

For Hikaru, his harem was ultimately a result of him looking for the one flower to replace the Wisteria he love romantically, which in turn was a replacement of the maternal love he could not obtain. He’s a selfish fellow, that Hikaru, choosing to escape from his pain and leaving everyone behind. At the same time however, he’s doing his best to devote himself to others, even though the he was ultimately unable to get what he really want. A wretched person he was, yet one to be sympathised with, just as Genji was in his own story.

Both Hikaru and Fujino loved each other romantically, but circumstances will never allow them. This obviously was a contentious issue for many, notably Michiru. Well, since there are different types of girls out there, it would be appropriate to have a yandere involved in Hikaru’s death.

On a side note, the cover of this volume is without a doubt my favorite of the series. The conflicted look on Fujino’s face really looks like someone who needs to be saved (like Aoi), and at the same time, the junihitoe does give a regal vibe befitting of a favourite concubine.

As I had mentioned, this is the final volume involving a closer look at the friendship Honoka and Michiru had. To be honest, it’s a negative take on the issues Beni and Tayu had in volume 5, and I find that one to be too idealistic, but at the same time, I really do admire that lack of dispute, how amicable they are about it.

Even between friends, there are always going to be differences that need to be resolved (except for the above instance, and I’m looking forward to that moment). In this instance, the self-esteem issues result in Michiru’s loathing of Honoka, but a lot of these issues could have been avoided if they actually tried to talk it out.

In any case, even if Michiru were to somehow revive Hikaru, it’ll probably end up involving equivalent exchange or something like that. Too bad it never happened, but it’ll be a different story altogether.

Koremitsu ended up in a hospital, just as he did. This time, he ended up drowned just like Hikaru did, but he ends up alive. I have a nagging suspicion that if Koremitsu was to die, the one haunted by him will probably die from fright. Let the chain continue...

Yu lost. Koremitsu chose Honoka in the end, so this means Yu had to return to Australia. Being the dreamy girl, it is fitting that her exit was fleeting, but not before she was pursued by Tojo again. The thing was quite awkward to me, but well, it fits their personalities well. (That tennis outfit was really cute)

Meanwhile, dear Heliotrope, please have more confidence in yourself. You don’t have to keep wondering whether Koremitsu will requite your love. Yeah sure, he’s a blockhead, but when he makes his decision, it’s always for real. Now go on and enjoy your happiness..

And now, the final moments of the story.

Hikaru has to say goodbye.

The story is ‘When Hikaru was on the Earth’, and given that the word ‘was’ is used, you know that Hikaru will have to go. The farewell tour feels like a recap of the series whenever possible, to see how the girls are doing, and also to see that Koremitsu’s efforts were not for naught.

However, all the girls sans Honoka and Hiina are part of the harem, and bring the Bro, Koremitsu would never pick, most notably Aoi, whom ends up being the one Hikaru chose in his final quest for redemption, though it was never to pass.

Once that was done, Hikaru had no worries left, and he’ll depart. I find it a fitting punishment that for all his fears of being lonely, his departure will lead to him being one of the stars out there, unable to communicate and remain all alone as he reflects upon his life on Earth. Farewell, sweet prince.

### Characters

Without further ado, I will like to discuss about the characters in the story.

#### Koremitsu Akagi (赤城是光, Akagi Koremitsu)

CV: Noriaki Sugiyama

Trace, on.

The 27th delinquent king, infamous for being a one man wrecking crew against other delinquents, vilified and scorned by all. Surely it’s almost impossible to make him a ladies man, no?

Challenge accepted.

How Koremitsu is at heart will never be changed, a brash, crude boy who’s kind at heart, always so transparent in his actions, a Rottweiler. Think of this series as an episode of Mr Congeniality where the rougher aspects of him are sandpapered into one who maintains his core personality, and yet at the same time, socially adaptable.

He’s a tsundere, but I don’t blame him. He had no social experience at all, and if not for Hikaru’s prodding, that oaf of his head wouldn’t be rolling anywhere.

His progress report includes the education in the charms of a woman, falling in love, responsibilities, letting go, interacting with classmates, and the crux for him, smiling.

The smile issue was the main reason I had Koremitsu tagged as a clone of Ryuji Takasu at first, only to realize that Koremitsu has more emotional baggage than anyone else because of his terrifying looks. I do find it unbelievable that he was never able to make any friends before this, but for story sake, let us ignore how gimped he is in this case, and remember that the smile is the final gift.

While he was the servant in the original story, here he’s the whipping boy. Once a slave, always a slave. Look down, look down, you’ll always be a slave. Look down, look down, you’re standing in your grave.

The voice work in the Drama CD certainly gives off that Shirou Emiya vibe, with that doofus personality really shining through when Honoka and Aoi latched into him at the end. He really sounds like he suffered a lot thanks to Hikaru, but Yorokobe, that harem...

#### Hikaru Mikado (帝門ヒカル, Mikado Hikaru)

CV: Yuuki Kaji

やっぱり変態さんですね？

Ah, Hikaru, Hikaru, Hikaru, our dead playboy.

In the afterword of volume 1, the author did mention that she took elements from another story. This story, I felt, was “No Longer Human” by Osamu Dazai, the same book used as the theme for the first Bungaku Shoujo series, until it was halfway through the story that I realized that it could have been ‘The Little Prince’...which the author just so happened to confirm in the last volume.. Hikaru in particular does seem akin to the protagonist of that story in some way too, the womanizing tendencies, the suicidal elements and such, but ultimately, a character is meant to be its own person.

He said that he couldn’t change, but I suppose it’s more likely that he’s afraid of change. He is a natural charmer, but his efforts in that end was ultimately to abate his loneliness, ignited by the death of his mother, and magnified by Fujino’s rejection. Koremitsu was his benefactor not just simply because of the errands fulfilled, but also another example of how to be a human. Alas, though he had learnt his lessons, it was too late for him to make amends proper as he died.

Nevertheless, his presence is both a curse, and also a blessing. He may be a bigger gigolo than Austin Powers, but the girls he met had their lives impacted, both positively and negatively. Perhaps his biggest impact however would be on Koremitsu’s life, literally creating the latter’s social life from basically nothing, and making him the final gift to the girls in his harem.

Ultimately, he vanishes just as the Little Prince did, and his ordeals of seeking the ideal woman roughly reflects that of the Prince seeking the ideal resting place. I do recommend reading this series if you want to understand more of Hikaru’s character.

For the text, I initially had plans to use formal text for nobles like Hikaru to designate their status and to contrast the gruff voice of Koremitsu. It was edited away in the earlier text, so I’m not sure if I’ll bother with editing it.

The voice actor performance reminds me of this quote: you really are a pervert, aren’t you? Exactly the same voice, and while I don’t know how the ‘rich sweet voice’ is supposed to work, I guess he got that ‘sweet’ part down.

#### Honoka Shikibu (式部帆夏, Shikibu Honoka)

CV: Haruka Tomatsu

I-it’s not let I’m worried about you or anything!

The only girl from the series to be voted on the most popular girl in the KonoSugoi rankings.

Well, to quote some readers for why she’s the best girl:

- Tsundere

- Dem legs

- Not one of Hikaru’s girls

- Tsurime

- Blonde

- Always there for Koremitsu

- Shares the same tastes as Koremitsu

- A klutz behind her tough exterior

- Perfect waifu material

- Primary source of comic relief

Anything else I missed?

This is as close to an author avatar you’ll get from this series; Murasaki Shikibu was the original author of the series, and Honoka in this car takes up the role of the author through her blog. Unlike the grace that was to be expected of the original author however, this one is so brash you can think of her as being a more sociable version of Koremitsu. Many have called her the successor to Nanase Kotobuki due to their similar personalities and looks (except for hair), and I’ll joke that Honoka winning was to make amends for the outrage when Tohko Amano won Konoha’s heart. (It’s not as bad as Tojo Aya losing, but well...)

Interestingly, the biggest reason why Honoka win was because she was able to fully shed that tsun personality and be honest with her feelings. Too many times have I read fiction with tsunderes winning and wonder how girls like Taiga Aisaka can be good mothers. That part of being honest resulted in Koremitsu finally understanding her, and so they kiss.

Regarding the drama CD, Tomato’s performance was the one I was most impressed by, being that tsundere yet nervous wreck whenever Koremitsu was mentioned. The meltdown she had after that delusion was priceless, followed by the panda-panties hysteria.

#### Aoi Saotome (早乙女葵, Saotome Aoi)

CV: Satomi Sato

Watashi kininarimasu

Here we have the fiancée, a thoroughly sheltered Princess that the text describes her as a doll. Everyone dotes on her, notably the siscon Tojo who has his own little sister fawning over him.

The original Aoi was tragic in the sense that though she was chosen to be Genji’s actual wife (at the age of 16 when he was 12), she was never loved by the latter until the moment she was dying, and even then, it was out of concern more than it was for romantic love. Of course, she died, presumably by the spirit of Rokujo haunting her, which was what I had expected to happen to Aoi in this story, but too bad. Being Aoi is suffering.

In this story, she finally ends up as the chosen one, and Hikaru was ultimately to convey this to her through his Pit Bull. Alas, they were still unable to be together, though now that she’s still alive I guess that’s good enough. She didn’t get corrupted the same way Anakin did, but she had feelings for Koremitsu partly because she find him to be a replacement for Hikaru. Alas, Koremitsu would never pick up the player option because he’s such a Bro. Being Aoi is suffering.

Aoi, I feel, has the biggest personality development in the story. Originally the rich sheltered Princess, she was spiteful, yet at the same time, heartbroken. After the stars in the sky at the theme park, she was a lot more relaxed, retaining her tsunpure personality, and becoming more sociable. After the abduction, she became more independent despite the worries of others, choosing to be more active, first with the part time job, and then later when she accompanied Koremitsu for a third of the volume. She then showed courage in her confession, and acceptance in the rejection, maturity to finally take care of Asa-chan when it was obvious the latter would be rejected. May you again meet a boy of your dreams, Aoi-chan..As much as I do like the choice of voice actress, it is a pity that the story didn’t die show much of her defiant personality. The cat performance makes me wonder if Wendy will be wearing cat ears anytime soon.

#### Asai Saiga (斎賀朝衣, Saiga Asai)

CV: Saori Hayami

Source: me

The beloved ice queen, cold, calculative and contemptuous. She was originally a girl who utterly rejected all of Genji’s advances in the original story, but here, she probably wished she could be the lover, if not for Aoi being there before her.

As I do say however, dere Asai is a miracle of the universe, the meltdown faster than you can say Yukino melting down for Hachiman (bonus point in that Saori Hayami voiced Asai in the Drama CD before she voiced Yukino in Oregairu), and I did have to think of how to reflect that change. Well, she ends up taking over the tsunpure personality from Aoi after her story, and I wonder if Ode to Joy was played when Asa-chan said those immortal lines in volume 7, in a Kaworu finding Lilith context.

Behind the cold exterior lies a childish personality only a select few knows of. I guess she’s lucky that the biggest blackmail on her was the Santa Claus proposal Koremitsu suggested.

The original outline had Asa-chan as more of an Aila. Let’s just hope she doesn’t change into a Meltlilith. The cold voice was refreshing when I heard it, but the moment when Asa-chan made that pig voice...not even Mastercard can buy that.

#### Michiru Hanasato (花里みちる, Hanasato Michiru)

The best friend of Honoka, a heroine...and an antagonist.

I’ll state the reasons why I doubted her, going by volume,

- Noted that Koremitsu was at Hikaru’s funeral, which means that she’s one of Hikaru’s girls. As we know, in detective stories, the culprit is always one of the introduced characters.

- Had a very unique ringtone that never rang when the first anonymous message came. Normally, all the girls should have been notified.

- None.

- Second slander is about Tsuyako. So far, two girls from Heian Academy. This is important because Beni was never targeted. (To be fair, not even Hikaru knew who she was) she also had no need to tag along with Honoka when she’s a student council representative (as an extension of her being the class representative)

- Sudden appearance after Honoka debacle. She said it’s a council meeting, but the text describes the school as very quiet. If it’s the student council, there’s supposed to be many more of them, and remember, Asa-chan’s so concerned with Hikaru that she probably can’t hold any meetings in school.

- None (well, is she trying to patch Koremitsu’s relationship with Honoka, or wreck it?)

- Not her, but Hiina’s honesty about her back story eliminates her completely, given that she remains on Shungo side, and has no reason to hurt anyone. Can’t be any of the other major girls who were featured, and Honoka. In a sense, volume 8 was a misdirection. The slander about Sora only works when the framer knows if Sora’s existence and pregnancy...namely the ones who gave gifts.

- There’s no reason to wreck your own work without a purpose. One would suspect that Michiru was trying to keep Honoka and Koremitsu apart, and only when Koremitsu finally took command was the plan foiled. Notice that it was always Koremitsu trying to contact Honoka, and not Michiru doing it even though she said she did. That would be a moment where she could have attempted to call Honoka. Her being too clingy to Koremitsu because he resembles Hikaru was a strange excuse too.

- Notice that all the relevant girls received messages except for Hiina, Yu and Michiru. Hiina’s out because of Shungo, and it’s expensive to send messages from overseas unless it’s LINE, and even then, the sender phone should be known, so that eliminates Yu. The sudden doubts Michiru had of Honoka contrasts heavily with Koremitsu’s belief of Honoka, and anyone would have known Honoka’s personality after a long while of being together.

Ultimately, Michiru is painfully aware of her predicament, and detests it, feeling helpless to do anything about it. In her despair, and feeling abandoned by everyone, she became Rokujo. Perhaps if she had been more honest about her feelings like Beni did, the hassle would never have happened, but alas...

Well, no matter what comeuppance one may wish upon her, the story is still about redemption. With this, a stronger bond of friendship is born. Given how she snapped after what Hikaru did at his death, I hope that you won’t begrudge her too much (oh who am I kidding)

The original story has Hanachirusato as the listener, a great friend. In this sense, she’s in the friend zone with Genji, and in this case, Koremitsu. Her name, Michiru, can be interpreted as ‘yet to scatter (clear up)’, which also reflects her true nature being muddled until the very end.

#### Hiina Oumi (近江ひいな, Oumi Hiina)

The messenger.

I had a thought that she would be another one in the harem, but her existence, like her body, is a tease. Despite her allegiance to only Shungo, she is still the best ally for Koremitsu with how vital her information is.

Nevertheless, her dedication to go above and beyond makes me wonder what other motives she has at times. I had doubts if she was the culprit, but it was after Shungo was introduced as her brother did I remove her from the suspect list. Now she’s just the tease.

#### Yu Kanai (奏井夕雨, Yū Kanai)

She’s so dreamy.

I did note that she’s my favorite girl, but that’s because the kind of girl she is will remain unattainable to me. Nevertheless, her release from her prison made her bolder than she was, and because she changed, she was no longer the winning girl.

Guys loved her because of her demure, introverted personality, and so did I. Her family name is also a pun on ‘NEET’, or ‘shut in’, which reflects her status in volume 2. The name is actually Kana-i, but when read as ka-nai, it means ‘inside the house’. She remains timid when she returns, but when push comes to shove, this new her showed a determination second only to Honoka.

The piano piece ‘Kiss the Rain’ always plays in my mind whenever she appears, and reminds me that no matter the loneliness, the rain will have to stop.

#### Shungo Tojo (頭条俊吾, Shungo Tōjō)

The aloof big brother who’s actually the klutz overprotective one. Characters like him are typically the popular ones, but this guy’s more hopeless at love than anyone else. He realized his own incompetence, but in the end, he’s not the protagonist, so he didn’t get as much development as needed.

May he get a girl to marry...though at this rate, he’s going to be the lolicon.

#### Shioriko Wakagi (若木紫織子, Wakagi Shioriko)

The loli.

Did I mention that I have a murderous vendetta against lolis?

And boy am I so furious to know that the Xmas special for fate grand order features lolis.

Anyway, this girl puts up a facade to hide her insecurities in the same way Riley did in Inside Out. It’s a common theme, but Shioriko is wiser, more jaded...and more sexually aware. If the story of Megumi Kato is titled ‘How to raise a boring girlfriend’, then the story of Lady Murasaki should be titled ‘How to raise a loli into your waifu’.

The intelligence shown by Shiiko reflects the wisdom Lady Murasaki showed back then. She basically outwits everyone in the story. It’s nice of Koremitsu to have a harem able to fend for themselves, even the loli.

I do find it amusing however that she’s at loggerheads with Honoka, since they’re assumed to be based on the same person.

The family name Wakagi can be interpreted as ‘young tree’, and yet at the same time, a combination of ‘w’ and ‘akagi’, which reflects the relationship in the story as non-blood siblings. Let’s just hope Shiiko doesn’t become as similar to Loki as she does...or maybe I should for the evil.

#### Tsuyako Udate (右楯 月夜子, Udate Tsuyako)

Stupid sexy senpai

Ahem,

I’ll say that amongst the heroines, she’s the one who changed the least. Since she’s always jovial unless confronted by her fears or due situations, I suppose it’s a good thing.

I do get the feeling that she would have made a move on Koremitsu if Honoka was not involved, but if she were to make her advances, you can arrange for Koremitsu to live in the morgue. Given that she was the most aggressive in pursuing Genji back in the original story, it did reflect how she changed, though her role as the confidant to Suzaku was changed to the 3rd Princess...and that one is messy to talk about.

#### You-know-who

No comments other than being based on Emperor Suzaku

#### Beni Hitachi (常陸ベニ, Hitachi Beni)

She has everything except for the nose. Well, there’s always the option of a nose job, so not a big issue down the road (but it’s her unique point, so let’s keep it steady and not turn her into a Korean pop idol where I’m having difficulty identifying one from another)

She’s a more positive version of Michiru, and at the same time, exhibits some of the innocence Aoi has, especially with regards to not knowing anything the peasants do. I suppose that innocence saved her from being vengeful.

Given her name, and her rich status, I would have hoped that the author put Beni as the heiress to the Hitachi corporation for the kick of it, but alas.

#### Tayu (太輔さん)

That slap

That should have gone to Hikaru.

The other Honoka, able to do everything, helpful, secretly insecure. Not much else I can say about her though. Would be funny if the two girls were the main heroines vying for Koremitsu, just like Kaoru and Niou did in the 3rd act of the original story. Nobody ends up happy except for me. Yorokobe shounen.

#### Orime Gonomiya (五ノ宮織女, Gonomiya Orime)

Granny.

She reminds me of my proud grandmother, willing to die rather than give up on the facade. This granny here is strict, but still yearns for a familial bond after all that she has lost. How she lost her hope to live on is something I do see in a lot of people in my line of work, but there is always a tomorrow.

Keep fighting, granny.

#### Sora Semigaya (蝉ヶ谷空, Semigaya Sora)

The girl without any wishes. Or I would say, the one who did not dare to dream.

When I realized this concept, my mind suddenly recalled the sci-fi ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep’, but ultimately, I remember that there is no way humans don’t have any wishes of their own, for it denies the concept of human desire, which is always there. Good to see that things worked out though.

#### Fujino Mikado (帝門 藤乃, Mikado Fujino)

The last heroine, and the first love.

To quote:

But I do myself injustice. Even then, in those light-hearted young days, I was not deaf to the voice of sorrow, when it called upon me, to the solemn strains floating to me from beyond the tomb. I remember, a few days after I heard of Zinaïda’s death, I was present, through a peculiar, irresistible impulse, at the death of a poor old woman who lived in the same house as we. Covered with rags, lying on hard boards, with a sack under her head, she died hardly and painfully. Her whole life had been passed in the bitter struggle with daily want; she had known no joy, had not tasted the honey of happiness. One would have thought, surely she would rejoice at death, at her deliverance, her rest. But yet, as long as her decrepit body held out, as long as her breast still heaved in agony under the icy hand weighing upon it, until her last forces left her, the old woman crossed herself, and kept whispering, ‘Lord, forgive my sins’; and only with the last spark of consciousness, vanished from her eyes the look of fear, of horror of the end. And I remember that then, by the death-bed of that poor old woman, I felt aghast for Zinaïda, and longed to pray for her, for my father — and for myself.

(Taken from Adelaide ebooks)

Yep. Some of you out there may remember Tohko Amano reading First Love by Ivan Turgenev. While the situation differs a little, that is the first thing I thought of when I read about Fujino’s struggles.

Alas, not all the mysteries are to be revealed, but may Kaoru continue to lead Fujino on...and not start another Ukifune situation again.

### Final thoughts

It was a fun 3 years. 3 years of working on this series (and lots of others)

Ultimately, looking at the entire series, the main theme is to learn how to let go of our doubts and go on without any regrets, and also about redemption. Looking back at the series as a whole, I’ll say that it’s a mostly pleasant read, bittersweet as a whole, migraine inducing in some instances, but ends up being what can be called a healing series. A fine interpretation of Genji Monogatari.

It isn’t a very mainstream work, and honestly, after all the hype series I did in the past, I’m grateful to have a relatively low-key work like Hikaru to do so that I can translate as a ‘hermit’, though I’m admittedly not doing a good job at this ‘hermit’ thing. (what’s with me taking sabbaticals on BT...)

For that reason, I really didn’t want to promote this series for the attention I’ll get, and I’m too lazy to upload the text onto BT. There are lots of people I want to thank, but I’m just grateful that I’m still here to do this work. Do thank the author, not me, for providing this work to you. I’m just the messenger.

Now then, off to the next main series...

Teh Ping

## 02. Volume 2 - "Yūgao"

### 001. Chapter 1: It's Already Troubling When You Faint.

“Flowers drenched in the rain are truly charming and fascinating. It really gives off a vibrant array of emotions.”

Hikaru spoke from Koremitsu’s side, his voice gentle.

If that sighing voice was to have an aroma, its elegant fragrance would spread through the humid air of that rainy day.

“The pale blue flowers carry such sweet dew, and the Commelina Grass works so hard to prevent them from falling; the Iris continues to look regal as its delicate body stands proudly; the Hydrangea dressed in water crystals looks so pure and dainty as it gives off a rainbow-colored light—these flowers look exceedingly alluring throughout the rainy season.”

The rainy season had come early; dark clouds loomed above even in the late of May.

Koremitsu walked to school on the pavement that morning.

He carried a dull, dark blue umbrella, and strode forward with an arched back. Hikaru floated at his side without an umbrella.

The school uniform was composed of a white blazer and slacks. This opulent and slick design contrasted starkly with Koremitsu’s gruff personality. It gave the appearance of a fine haute couture when worn on Hikaru.

“Koremitsu, don’t you find flowers and girls to be more mysterious and alluring on rainy days? Whether it’s their tender lips under the umbrella or their delicate neck, white limbs and exquisite hips, those are all so enchanting. The blouses of the uniform drenched by the rain are transparent, showing the lines of their underwear, making hearts race. The fragrance of shampoo from their drenched hair is also worth marveling at, and causes one to inadvertently close his eyes to enjoy, you know?”

“...Not at all.”

Koremitsu retorted with a bitter tone.

“Why would you smell a girl’s hair without a good reason? Are you a pervert?”

Being thought an oddball by his fellow students for talking to himself was an ever-present worry for Koremitsu, so he had refrained from answering Hikaru; however, he could not stop himself from retorting to Hikaru’s prattling of the relations between flowers and girls on rainy days.

“You pervert, harem prince, flower idiot, hook-up devil, self-indulging guy, perverted delusional dreamer, big liar, con artist.”

Even as Koremitsu scolded Hikaru, he attempted to keep his voice low enough to avoid being heard by others on their commute to school.

Hikaru complained with a pained expression,

“That hurts, Koremitsu! Why are you so unhappy?”

You’re asking me why I’m so unhappy?

Koremitsu glared at Hikaru; his eyes were sharp enough to terrify other students, even without glaring.

“Do you need me to tell you why, you lying ghost!?”

Right, Hikaru Mikado was a ghost.

This was why he could go about with no umbrella on rainy days and not be affected.

His shirt was invariably dry and clean, and his blazer constantly a sparkling white; his light brown hair swayed smoothly across his petite, feminine face.

The death of Hikaru, the boy heralded by the school’s students as a Prince, occurred a month ago.

Koremitsu had attended his funeral.

That was a mistake.

It was at that funeral where he found himself haunted by Hikaru’s lingering presence, his ghost.

“I promised the girl I’m engaged to that I’ll give her birthday presents. If I can fulfill this wish, I can ascend to Heaven without regrets. Please help me!”

This request troubled Koremitsu as it implied that he would be accompanied by Hikaru constantly; he would be followed to the bath and the toilet, and so, he reluctantly agreed. Although the mission was troublesome and immensely irritating, he completed it as a proxy.

However, Hikaru still lingered.

He had even continued to say frivolously,

“Actually, there are still another 4 or 5 girls that I’m very concerned about. No, maybe 40, 50 of them?”

Koremitsu had never agreed to aid him with this.

Isn’t 40 or 50 of them too many!? Do you really like to make so many promises with women!? To people other than Aoi!? You harem prince! Casanova! Go die a hundred times over!!!

The thought of it was infuriating.

“Okay now, you should have calmed down by now, right? I didn’t try to trick you deliberately anyway, I want to hurry up and ascend to Heaven too. It’s depressing that I can’t see myself in the mirror. No matter how well-dressed I am, or how handsomely I style my hair, I still can’t see it. I think that my skin is in tip-top condition today too, so springy. My hair feels smooth and elegant and my cuticle layer must be glowing...ahh, I want to see.”

Are you only worried about things like that?

“Koremitsu, you didn’t wish for me to disappear; weren’t you crying your eyes out?”

Yeah! Return my tears! And I wasn’t crying my eyes out!!

“Hey, please agree to my request? Please, Koremitsu! Help me a little more! Lend me your strength!”

40, 50 people is not a little !

No, if he were to count the women filling Hikaru’s funeral parlor,

“Actually, there are another 400, 500 of them.” might be Hikaru’s next sentence.

Hikaru’s countenance was clearly both innocent and effeminate, but he was an absolute Casanova. Koremitsu wanted no further involvement with him.

“I refuse. I don’t want to approach women for the sake of cleaning up your mess.”

Koremitsu grumbled with a frown, and Hikaru widened his eyes in shock.

“Oh? Don’t you already understand the charms of a woman? You said that Miss Aoi is very cute.”

“Eh...”

Koremitsu’s face grew hotter at his words.

It was true that he found Aoi’s various expressions adorable. He had accompanied her to the theme park in Hikaru’s stead, and when he embraced her effeminate, slender body, his heart inadvertently raced.

After finally accepting Koremitsu as a friend of Hikaru’s, she opened her heart to him and would even smile at him shyly.

Whenever they met at the school gate, she would blush and greet him courteously with a well-meaning expression.

“Good morning, Mr Akagi.”

As it was, she left for the art room after school each day and worked on her paintings of Hikaru. She and the other club members had a better relationship now than before.

It was true that Aoi was cute.

The problem, though, was his classmate—

At the thought of that feisty girl with fierce eyes, he curled his lips unhappily.

“Ah, Miss Shikibu!”

After catching sight of her, Hikaru called out to a girl holding a red and purple checkered umbrella.

The veins on Koremitsu’s forehead bulged.

“You see, Koremitsu? It’s Miss Shikibu. Go greet her!”

Hikaru called out to her, energetically urging Koremitsu to do the same. He completely ignored Koremitsu’s frown, either because he did not see it or because that was the expression Koremitsu always wore.

“Uwahh, Miss Shikibu’s legs are pretty after all! Those are really pretty legs, slender and straight~. She looks full of life when she walks. It really brings delight to my heart.”

Koremitsu’s stomach knotted at Hikaru’s profuse applause and the muscles around his mouth stiffened.

“Koremitsu? Why’re you eyeing Miss Shikibu?”

Hikaru, after noticing something was amiss, looked astounded.

At the same time, Honoka, who was about to step through the gateway onto school grounds, noticed Koremitsu.

Koremitsu tensed himself instinctively.

They stared at one another.

Honoka’s eyebrows were raised slightly in a proud manner, her eyes narrowed with an overall unhappy demeanor. The ends of her mouth curled downwards

Koremitsu’s lips shrunk down in reply.

But even so,

“H-hello.”

He greeted her.

“...”

Humph. Honoka snorted, turned away, and left.

Oi! You’re pretending not to see a classmate greeting you here!?

Once again his veins bulged, and he trotted off after her.

When someone greets you, you have to greet them back! Shouldn’t you be able to understand such basic courtesy!? What exactly did I do wrong!? Why’s she so angry with me!?

He gritted his teeth and made his way beside her.

Honoka raised her eyebrows further, hastening her steps. She replied to Koremitsu’s vehement chase by hurrying away. When he caught up to her again, she sped off.

The two raced each other, each trying to cut in front of the other.

“~~~~~~~”

“Kuuu!”

Damn, how can I be losing to a woman!?

He walked forward, forgetting his objective in that process.

“Koremitsu, why are you panting and sweating all over so early in the morning...there’ll be a lot of people staring at you, you know?”

Hikaru gently reminded him.

His inherited savage visage and nefarious aura earned Koremitsu terrifying nicknames during his years in Middle School; these nicknames were carried over to Heian Academy, where he was called ‘Hellhound’ and ‘King of Delinquents’, and was the subject of gossip.

Were anyone to see him as he were, they would probably say something along the lines of,

“The first-year Akagi’s chasing after a girl with a carnivorous look on his face, like a wild beast!”

“Don’t follow me, you delinquent!”

Honoka stopped in front of the stairs, pointing her umbrella to Koremitsu and shaking the residual water at him.

“WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!? YOU THINK I’M WILLING!? IT’S BECAUSE I’M IN THE SAME CLASS AS YOU, SITTING RIGHT BESIDE YOU! AND I’M NOT A DELINQUENT!”

“You look the part with that face of yours!”

Honoka finished her sentence in a vicious manner, and shook her light beige hair - the color reminded Koremitsu of a dead mouse - before walking over to her shoe locker.

What sort of attitude’s that!? There are no good woman after all!

When she had earnestly discussed Aoi with him, Koremitsu felt, for the first time, that there were some good women like her, and originally, he had intended to permanently seal off his woman-loathing grandfather’s catchphrase, “That’s why I say women—!”

But because of the grief Honoka gave him the week before, that notion was rejected.

“YOU SEE, HIKARU!? WOMEN ARE ALL LIKE THAT! I DON’T WANT TO GET INVOLVED WITH SUCH UNREASONABLE ANIMALS EVEN IF I DIE!”

Koremitsu was overly exasperated that he lashed out with no regard for the stares directed at him.

“Ah...un, but you do have to bear a little responsibility for why Miss Shikibu is being so unfriendly with you. Erm, I think I must have said too much here, right?”

He spoke hesitantly.

“What? Why’re you so indecisive when you’re a guy?”

“Yes, I better not say it or it would be offensive to Miss Shikibu. It’s fine, you’ll understand later, before your 18 th birthday... probably.”

He gave a cryptic smile.

Honoka was still close to her shoe locker, and was greeting her friends so cheerily that it made Koremitsu suspect her of having multiple personality disorder.

“Good morning, Michiru.”

“Ah, good morning, Hono~”

“I brought the DVD you said you wanted to watch last time!”

“Wah, thank you, Hono.”

The responsible looking girl with short braids and large framed glasses was their class representative. Everyone called her ‘prez,’ except for Honoka, who would call her by her name.

Oi, she’s so cold towards me and completely different to the others!

Koremitsu’s grievance resulted in a glare and when the braided class representative noticed this, she jumped in fear.

“Ah...go-go-goo-goo-goo-goo-goo-good morning, Mr Akagi.”

She stammered out a greeting.

“...Hello.”

It was impressive that she could greet him, the hated and feared delinquent, properly; she was a model class representative, and held the title properly by not looking in the other direction and trembling in fear of Koremitsu.

“Michiru, why are you greeting someone like Koremitsu?”

Honoka said unhappily.

This woman really annoys me! Koremitsu’s veins jutted out once more.

“Eh? Lord Hikaru was murdered?”

The sudden question shocked Koremitsu.

Hikaru was beside him, still and somber, with narrowed eyes.

Several girls were chatting in the corridor, sounding really agitated.

“This message says that it wasn’t an accident, but a murder!”

“No way! A chain mail?”

“Looks suspicious~”

“It’s strange for him to fall into the river on a rainy day though. Why would any sane person go to the riverside when there was such a huge downpour?”

“Yeah!”

“Was Lord Hikaru really killed by someone?”

“Oi...”

Just as Koremitsu began to approach them...

The melody of a famous band’s top hit song chirped briskly.

The sound came from Honoka’s phone.

She pulled her cellphone out from her skirt pocket with a frown and looked at the screen.

After pressing a few buttons,

“What is this...”

Dismay clung to her voice.

“What’s the matter, Hono?”

Michiru glanced at Honoka’s cellphone, and her eyes widened in surprise.

“Ho-ho-ho-Hono! Erm-thi-this is talking about Lord Hikaru’s—”

“Let me see!”

Koremitsu walked over to Michiru’s side and peered over at Honoka’s phone.

The small screen held shocking words.

“Lord Hikaru’s death was not an accident, it was a murder.

The murderer is in Heian Academy.”

“—!”

Koremitsu gulped dryly as the sound of ringtones filled the air.

“Hikaru Mikado was murdered in school!”

This message was first sent last night, but by the following morning, the rumor had reached the ears of every student that attend Heian Academy. During the breaks, the halls were filled with theories concerning the identity of the culprit.

“Maybe a boy did it out of revenge because his girlfriend was taken by Lord Hikaru?”

“No, it must’ve been a girl dumped by that harem prince.”

“The murderer is in the High School Branch, right?”

“Maybe the culprit is in Middle School, or even College.”

“Might even be a teacher.”

Koremitsu walked about gloomily and these speculations were not improving his mood. He made his way to the roof, ignoring the fact that it was forbidden from entry.

The sky that greeted him was tenebrous, and a steady cascade of rain fell from it.

He stood on the roof not far from the door, and leaned against the wall to avoid the rain. He questioned Hikaru quietly,

“...You didn’t fall into a river and drowned? Someone killed you?”

Hiina Oumi of the newspaper club did mention this before,

“It’s just...a little rumor—but Lord Hikaru didn’t die from an accident, but was actually murdered.”

She even said she was digging into these rumors.

Hikaru simply disregarded the rumors.

“I’m a harem prince who goes around hooking up with girls...so I guess there should be a lot of girls who wanted to kill me.”

He spoke with an uncharacteristically mature tone.

His eyes were dull, and there was no sign of confirmation or denial.

After that, Koremitsu could not find a chance to ask him properly, so he did not pay any mind to it, thinking that they were simply baseless rumors.

He did not expect such an uproar to stem from those texts.

Who sent these messages, and for what reason?

Was there a seed of truth to these rumors?

Koremitsu’s reaction to the message, an unpleasant stiffness in his countenance, contrasted greatly with Hikaru’s emotionless expression.

He was silent, only smiling, which was odd for such a talkative fellow. After a moment of silence, he muttered to himself,

“Who sent it?”

And he then resumed his silence.

Koremitsu was unsure of how to react to Hikaru’s spellbound state - he did not know if he should ask what had happened or not; there was a sickening feeling in his gut, and his stomach was knotted so severely he felt nauseous.

If Hikaru doesn’t want to say, I better not ask...

It was then that Koremitsu arrived at the roof; he could ask freely with no worries that others would overhear him, but he was still hesitant.

Maybe this might be related to the reason why he can’t ascend to Heaven and keeps clinging on to me. Some things are better said by someone else, so I can only exert a little pressure...

Koremitsu’s features were that of a delinquent - he was born that way. It was for this reason, and perhaps none other, that his classmates kept their distance from him; Hikaru was his only friend, and the only friend he’d ever had.

He was inexperienced in interpersonal relationships, and he was uncertain as to how much information he could rightfully request from Hikaru without hurting him.

There were many things Koremitsu did not understand.

He abandoned any hope of going on about this with delicacy, and decided to delve straight into the heart of the matter.

He wanted to hear the response of this ostensible gentleman, of this unfathomable troublemaker. He wanted to hear what his friend was thinking.

“What do you think, Hikaru?”

His words tumbled from his mouth awkwardly amidst the quiet rain, and carefully observed Hikaru.

Hikaru did not turn his head, but smiled slightly. His beautiful eyebrows drooped. It was a fragile, lonely smile.

“This is troubling.”

The mumbled words came from behind his smile.

“Why must these rumors surface now? My cause of death is irrelevant; the fact that I am dead remains.”

Koremitsu’s heart beat heavily.

He’s trying to avoid this topic again?

“But, Koremitsu...”

Hikaru slowly turned his stare to Koremitsu.

Eh!?

His elegant features were knit into a serious expression, and he spoke to Koremitsu, who listened attentively.

“If I said that I was murdered, would you catch my murderer?”

This is quite the broken apartment.

Koremitsu held his umbrella, his bag slung across his shoulder, and looked up blankly at the building in front of his eyes.

It was after class.

The aged, wooden apartment block he stood at now was a twenty minute walk from school. The buildings gave the impression that they would collapse from the pressure by even the slightest breeze.

The apartments on the block were all two stories high; the block was divided into approximately four separate apartment complexes. The fence and hedges were built from plywood, and the grey walls were full of cracks. However, it looked all the more dilapidated due to the dimness of the rainy day; the atmosphere wasn’t unlike what one would expect to see in a horror movie.

My house is already old enough, but this is worse than that...

Perhaps this truly was the hideout of Hikaru’s murderer.

“Will you catch my murderer?”

Hikaru asked.

“Do you know where the murderer is?”

Koremitsu’s eyes were wide, but he was undecided as to whether Hikaru truly had been murdered or not.

“Hm...I’m not too sure either. I just have a feeling the murderer is there.”

Hikaru’s answer was uncertain.

“Right, I’ll call the police!”

Koremitsu immediately fished out his phone, but Hikaru stopped him, saying,

“I’m not exactly sure, and if the murderer is not there, you’ll be scolded by the police. Besides, what reason do you want to call the police to search the murderer’s residence?”

“Uu...”

It was true that he couldn’t say he was instructed by a ghost.

“Anyway, let’s go in and check the situation out.”

How can you say that so simply?...

Although Koremitsu couldn’t easily agree to this, Hikaru was certainly serious and fervent enough to concern Koremitsu; there was nothing he could do but follow his instructions begrudgingly.

“You sure it’s this battered—erm, relic-like apartment that’s like a historic material?”

Koremitsu questioned him once more.

Hikaru’s mood was entirely different from what Koremitsu was accustomed to, and had been this way since they passed the school gates on their way out. He looked at the dirty fence, which was drenched black with rain, with a mixture of nostalgia and serenity on his face.

“Yeah, no mistake about it. Do you see the white flowers blooming at the foot of the wall? They’re shuddering gently, drenched by the rain.”

These sturdy flowers are blooming again... he said while making a dreamy, hazy expression.

“Let’s not talk about flowers now.”

Koremitsu was a little appalled.

“Which apartment?”

“The last one on the first level.”

The curtains of that room were shut, and the room was pitch dark inside.

But there seemed to be someone moving inside, and Koremitsu narrowed his eyes cautiously.

“Alright, let’s go.”

They passed through the fence, and walked to the last door of that building.

The room and the residence behind it were practically sticking to each other; the shadows shrouded the alley, and the visibility was dim. Koremitsu was so tense he was about to have cramps.

They stopped at the last door.

As there was no doorbell to ring, he could only knock at the door.

There was no response.

(No one’s inside? No, I thought I just saw someone moving behind the curtain...)

Kooonn... And there was a little thud that came from within.

The sound was low and soft—barely audible.

Koremitsu was so tense the back of his neck was itching.

“Sorry to disturb you. May I have a moment?”

He muttered and knocked on the door again.

A soft voice came from below the door.

(It seems weird for some reason?)

Why did no one open the door even though there was a sound inside? The location of the sound was very peculiar too.

(It sounds like it came from the bottom...did the person instead pass out?)

Maybe there was someone with his limbs tied up, mouth stuffed, crouched at the door, trying his best to knock the door with his shoulder and head.

This image immediately flashed through Koremitsu’s mind, and he hurriedly grabbed the door handle and twisted it hard.

His umbrella fell out of his hands and onto the alley.

“What’s the matter!? Did anything happen!?”

There was no response, but there seemed to be a groan, and he panicked the more he heard this.

“Damn it!”

He tried to twist and pry the door open as he slammed on it. The buckle must have been too old as it was immediately slammed loose, and the door fell off with a loud thud. The door was opened!

He immediately rushed in.

“Are you alright!?”

There was a stove and sink on the side of the corridor, while the kitchen was on the other.

This cramped 6-tatami sized room did not have its lights on, and visibility was bleak. It was practically a dump, where there were things littered everywhere, either furniture or trash.

“Er, huh...?”

There was no one inside?

Impossible—

Just when Koremitsu was stunned by this,

“Meow...”

He suddenly heard a cry at his feet.

He lowered his head, and found a white cat sitting there nonchalantly, its eyes giving off a bizarre glow in the darkness.

Was the knocking and groaning made by this cat?

(Uh oh, I ruined someone’s door.)

Cold sweat dripped down Koremitsu’s back, and he found something curled up into a ball in the shadows.

“...!”

He again gasped in shock.

Once his eyes were used to the darkness, he gradually saw the situation in the room.

There was a double-deckered bed on the left.

Right in front of him was a window with its curtains drawn.

There was a round short table in the middle of the room, with a notepad computer on it. Were the things on the right side an electric fan, a chair, a wardrobe, a cupboard, a golf bag? Besides this random stuff, there were a few photos and papers stuck on the wall.

Also...

There was something shaped like a hill on the empty space between the cupboard and the electric fan.

A blanket?

No, it was someone draped in a blanket...a girl.

She was crouched at the wall, and a little bit of white tender skin was shown from under the carpet as she looked over at Koremitsu with a worried expression...she was staring at the red-haired youth who broke the door and entered illegally.

What?

Who was this person?

What was she doing here?

Koremitsu’s mind was filled with questions.

I came here to catch Hikaru’s murderer, right? This girl is the murderer? She looks a little too fragile here.

Flabbergasted, he looked over at Hikaru.

Hikaru however passed by Koremitsu with a relaxed expression, and approached that girl.

Only Koremitsu could see Hikaru’s soul.

The girl used her small hands to tug gently at the carpet as she peeked at Koremitsu. The long hair sliding out from the carpet covered her face and forehead weakly.

Hikaru squat down in front of the girl, and gave a loving and gentle expression as he said.

“Don’t be afraid, Yū. Koremitsu is my reliable friend here. He’ll fulfill the ‘promise’ in my stead.”

Upon hearing this, Koremitsu realized he was tricked.

(You conman! Lying harem prince! What did you mean by ‘will you catch my murderer’!? Acting all serious like that; you were tricking me, weren’t you!? Go down to Hell now and let the king of Hell cut off your tongue!!)

Koremitsu cursed spitefully in his heart.

However, no matter how enraged he was, he could not change the current situation.

Even if he were to try and punch Hikaru, the punch would merely pass through his body; it would neither cause itch nor pain, an act that would merely make him look all the more foolish.

Also, the girl, who could not see Hikaru, was looking up at Koremitsu tentatively.

Even the white cat lifted its head, ostensibly sizing up Koremitsu as it stared at the latter with cold eyes.

(Oi, what do I do now?)

Koremitsu was tense, sweating all over profusely as he gritted his teeth.

Hikaru knelt down beside the girl, and gave a smile with the intent of ‘I’ll leave the rest to you’.

(Damn it, what are you smiling for!?)

Koremitsu tried his best to swallow his roar that nearly came out from his mouth, and stood at the corridor to explain to the girl.

“Ah, well...I’m not a bad guy, I’m Hikaru’s friend, and he requested for me to look for you.”

“Rain...”

The soft voice that nearly merged into the darkness came out from the girl’s lips.

“Huh? Rain?”

The girl was looking over at the door that was still not shut behind Koremitsu. Her eyes were showing a fear that was clearer, stronger than before.

Koremitsu looked over at where she was looking.

The rain seemed to have gotten bigger, and the sound of the raindrops entering his ears got stronger. The rain droplets falling sideways splattered on the umbrella in the alley, and sloshed off it.

“Sorry, I’ll repair the door.”

Koremitsu carried the door that was teetering, and turned to look at the girl.

And this moment, the girl suddenly collapsed, ostensibly falling off after the strings supporting her snapped.

“What’s wrong!?”

Koremitsu hurriedly took off his shoes and ran over. The floor rattled, and the trash leaning at the wall shook as well.

“Oi! Pull yourself together!”

He stared at the girl’s face as he shouted.

“Damn it, it’s too dark. I can’t see anything!”

He intended to switch on the lights, and tugged at the string dangling from the ceiling, but it seemed the bulb was faulty.

“It’s fine. Yū is very timid. She just passed out.”

Hikaru stood beside Koremitsu, encouraging him.

“YOU CALL THIS ALRIGHT!? DON’T SAY IT AS IF IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU!!!”

Koremitsu roared. The blue-eyed cat shrugged with an annoyed look and licked its fore paws.

### 002. Chapter 2: The Fleeting White Flower at the Bottom of the Wall (1)

“Anyway, she’s a very introverted girl. Ever since last year, she never left the house, and would never go to school.”

That night,

Hikaru was talking about Yū Kanai in Koremitsu’s room.

“Actually, she should be in second year this Spring, but because of her lack of attendance, she is unable to make the next grade, and is in first year just like us.

Her parents divorced when she began to shut herself in. Her mother then went to Australia for work, and her father married a young woman, so they are living separately from each other. Yū’s mother wanted to bring her along to Australia, but Yū had a bad relationship with her mother, so she lived alone in that tattered...no, antique apartment.

Her father used to pay all the living expenses, but his new family had a child recently, and the burden became severe. Sometimes, there would be no funds for months, so she lived a through frugal life. The utilities were suspended twice up till now, but she never complained at all, and insisted on hiding in the house, just like a Gourd flower spreading its white petals in the darkness.

Oh yes, a Gourd flower is an annual vine Cucurbitace. They bloom in the evening, and radiate silently under the moonlight in the night. When the morning dawn breaks in, they start to wilt. Those are delicate, beautiful and endearing plants; the curls on the vines are very cute too. Its floral language is ‘a night’s memory’ or ‘illusionary love’, and some people call it the Dusk grass...”

He would start a long discourse whenever it came to flowers and girls without stopping.

He was probably feeling very excited. He was dressed in a white T-shirt, tight-fitting pants, barefooted, floating around in casual clothing and chatting away in the sky.

(Goodness, you’re still in good spirits.)

Koremitsu, who had changed into a jumper worn in the house, was sitting on the tatami, frowning without a word.

He really did not want to recall what happened after that introverted blanket girl fainted.

While trying to take care of her, Koremitsu ran around the room in pitch darkness, knocked into a lot of things, tumbled quite a few times, and even knocked down a few boxes and overturned other things, causing a mess.

This commotion even shocked the neighbor, who thought a thief broke in, and the police were nearly called in.

If not for the blanket girl waking up in time, he would have been indicted for sure. If it had really developed to that extent, Koremitsu’s already rock-bottom reputation would have plunged further, and in the worst case situation, he might end up being forced to drop out.

“Please, Koremitsu.”

Hikaru’s knees were together as he knelt down in front of Koremitsu. His back was straightened, and his hands were placed elegantly; from his sitting posture, anyone could see that he had a good upbringing. Even Koremitsu was inadvertently amazed by the disposition of his gestures.

“Can I leave Yū’s matter to you just like Miss Aoi? No man can bear to leave such a delicate and pretty girl alone like that, no?”

Hikaru showed an innocent expression as he pleaded to Koremitsu earnestly. The inexplicable expression he showed was exquisite.

“... what does she look like? I couldn’t see in such a dark place.”

“Don’t worry, she’s really pretty. I can assure that.”

“It’s none of my business whether she’s pretty or not. Anyway, what kind of promise did you make anyway, you vowing devil.”

Koremitsu glared at Hikaru, but the latter answered with a silent mature smile.

“I can’t say now.”

“Huh?”

Can’t say? Why?

Hikaru probed his chin forward, showed a child-like innocent and frisky smile, and clapped his hands together.

“Anyway, please. Didn’t you promise Yū that you’ll repair the broken door? Given your personality, you won’t leave a girl alone after breaking her house’s door like that, right?”

“Guh.”

Koremitsu was unable to argue back after this was mentioned.

The next morning, Koremitsu left home two hours earlier than usual.

“What is this? Are you going for morning practice for some ball tournament or something?”

His aunt Koharu, just woke up with messy hair, and her jumper’s sleeves and pants were rolled up as she stared at him suspiciously.

“...somewhat.”

Koremitsu answered briskly.

“You’re bringing the toolbox?”

Upon seeing the item in Koremitsu’s hand,

“If you want to fight, go fight barehandedly. Only amateurs who don’t know the rules of fighting will bring such things.”

Koharu lectured with her eyes narrowed, and turned her shoulders by the joints as she walked into the kitchen.

“Is Miss Koharu an expert in fighting?”

Hikaru asked naively.

“... Don’t ask me.”

Koremitsu answered with a scowl.

They arrived at the apartment that still looked tattered after the rain, in the morning dawn.

Koremitsu knocked on Yū’s room door. A woman with hair curlers and thick makeup walked out from the next room, and stared at Koremitsu.

“You’re here again? I’m going to sleep, so don’t make a ruckus like what you did yesterday.”

“Sorry, I’m here to repair the door. There might be some noise, but I’ll try to finish as soon as possible.”

It would be bad if the police were to be called in just like what nearly happened the previous day, so he intriguingly lowered his head courteously.

The neighbor, who seemed to be from some night life business, glowered at Koremitsu with hatred.

“Oh, make it quick then.”

After saying that, she slammed the door.

“That big sister’s fierce to me too, and even told me off with things like ‘don’t come around in the middle of the night’, or ‘a brat actually won’t go home in the middle of the night? What are the education people doing’. But she’s a beauty with quite the nice figure too~. She’s like a bright red Geranium.”

Hikaru continued on with something Koremitsu was not concerned about.

“Good thing you didn’t make a promise with that woman next door.”

Koremitsu said with spite as he glanced aside at him, and then knocked on Yū’s door lightly again.

The parts he damaged the previous day were repaired by vinyl tape and duct tape.

“Oi, Yū Kanai... Are you awake? I’m here to open the door.”

After a moment of silence, the door opened slightly by a centimeter or so.

A pair of black eyes and blue eyes were peering from within.

The terrified black eyes belonged to the Hikikomori girl, and the blue eyes belonged to the cool-eyed cat.

Koremitsu showed the tool box in his hand.

The door opened by another centimeter.

She looked up at Koremitsu diffidently.

Koremitsu thought it would not be good for both sides to continue staring at each other without any progress.

“Please excuse me.”

He forcefully pushed the door aside.

The weak girl draped in blue blanket backed away impetuously, and retreated to a corner of the room.

She stuck herself between the double-deckered bed and the wall as she continued to look over at Koremitsu.

Koremitsu knew from his past experiences what effects his red hair and savage expression would have on an ordinary girl. The girls in school did not dare to look at him right in the eyes.

This frail girl was evidently aghast, but she kept staring at Koremitsu with an ambivalent expression.

The white cat of hers curled its tail as it sat down at Koremitsu’s feet, its cool blue eyes looking up at him.

Koremitsu opened the toolbox and took out a hammer and some nails. It was excruciating to work with the stares from the human and animal on him, and he felt apprehensive.

The culprit behind this, Hikaru, kept looking at Koremitsu with a carefree look.

“Wow, your hammering technique is good, Koremitsu. As expected of you, you really are worthy of respect. You, capable guy.”

(You can’t trick me no matter what pleasantries you tell me. You only know how to watch on.)

The sound of the hammer knocking rang in the quiet morning. Koremitsu was worried that the woman next door would run out and reproach him for being too noisy.

Yū was still hiding in the gap between the bed and the wall, and remained still like a decoration. She did not move the hair draped on the side of her face, and curled her body silently in the room.

It was morning and the window curtains were still drawn, but the sunlight shining through the curtains made the room a little brighter than it was yesterday.

There were photos of seas and fishes and ostensibly computer colored picture printouts stuck on the wall. The wind blowing in from outside the door caused the papers to flutter like waves breaking on the coast.

The electric fan, hangers, golf bag, and electric stove were placed together. There were shells, marbles and glass fragments. And the edges of the double-deckered bed had blue and red vinyl ropes dangling down like sea grass.

(What... that’s a really weird interior design.)

Hikaru had stated that she locked herself in the room for a year already, and all her necessity purchases like water and food were done through the Net. She normally would not take even a single step out.

(She always has the curtains drawn, has the blanket covering her, and wouldn’t budge from such a dark and humid place. Isn’t she scared of fungi growing? This lifestyle’s too unhealthy.)

The girl’s skin shown vaguely from within the carpet was white like snow, the fingers bared outside were pure white, and even her fingernails were white. This must have been due to lack of exposure to sunlight.

(Oh yeah... does she know Hikaru is dead?)

Upon thinking about this, Koremitsu inadvertently felt a jolt within him.

Since she had been shutting herself inside the house, and had not interacted with anyone, she might not have known that Hikaru died.

(This is bad.)

His heart suddenly raced.

There was no doubt Yū was one of Hikaru’s many girlfriends. In other words, Hikaru would be her lover.

Would it be good for Koremitsu, a stranger, to personally say her lover died?

He stopped what he was doing, turned his stare away from Yū, and said nonchalantly (though his voice was shrill),

“Eh... well, I said so yesterday, but the reason why I’m here is because Hikaru asked me to fulfill his promise. As for why Hikaru himself can’t make it here...Hikaru, well, died stupidly in an accident a little while ago.”

“...Koremitsu, I didn’t die ‘stupidly’, you know?”

Hikaru protested unhappily.

“...I know.”

It was a gentle voice.

Koremitsu looked back, and found that Yū, covered in the blue blanket, was looking at him.

A few strands of thin hair rested on that white face. Her face showed an emotion that was beyond despondent and tranquillity, similar to resignation.

The soft voice that nearly melted in the air calmly continued.

“...I received a mail.”

“Mail? I see. Did a friend notify you?”

Yū lowered her eyes and shook her head slightly.

“It was... an unknown address, and there... was no name on it.”

“Yū, do you still have that address? Can you show it to me?”

Hikaru asked, showing a serious look on his face.

“Do you still have the message? Do you mind showing it to me?”

Yū seemed very hesitant, and lowered her head to ponder for a while, before moving away and dragging the blanket.

There was a laptop on the short round table, and a Turkish Blue cellphone beside it.

The slender white fingers reached out from beneath the carpet, picked up the phone, opened the cover, tapped on it for a while, and handed it tentatively over to Koremitsu.

Koremitsu received the cellphone, and Hikaru read it too.

The message was sent one day before Hikaru’s funeral. The obituary was rather concise and was devoid of any hint of emotion; the location and time was also stated on it.

There was no sender signature, just as what Yū said.

The beginning of the mail address was listed as ‘upvkpv’—

The intent was vague, and they seemed to be a random assortment of alphabets rather than letters with hidden intent.

“...”

Hikaru frowned, bit his lips, and pondered.

“Thanks.”

Koremitsu was about to return the phone to Yū, but was suddenly startled.

“!”

Yū was weeping quietly.

Transparent drops of liquid rolled down her white face.

There was no sign of any intense pain, but the clear black eyes were soaked with tears as she wept quietly. She continued to weep, and it seemed the tears would stop without warning.

“Wa-wah, alright, don’t cry.”

Koremitsu panicked.

He was most fearful about seeing women cry, as it would remind him of the sight of his mother’s crying.

She once wept quietly like this too.

—I’m really sorry, Mitsu.

—Sorry.

The emotions quivered in his heart, and he was stertorous.

Damn, why am I thinking about that...?

Koremitsu gritted his teeth with all his might, and forcefully tightened his face and eyes.

Yū said with a weak voice as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

“... It was raining... on that day, when Hikaru’s funeral took place... I couldn’t go. I couldn’t see him a final time... I couldn’t see...”

Her stuttering voice was too ephemeral, too lonely, causing Koremitsu’s heart to ache as he heard this—

He wanted to tell Yū that Hikaru was present, but Yū could not see Hikaru, and she would probably think that Koremitsu was trying to comfort her.

Hikaru embraced Yū on the shoulders as he looked on with a somber look. The pretty fingertips that were unfitting for a man entered the blanket draped upon Yū.

“I’m sorry... Yū, if only I came here to see you earlier. You and Lapis must have been lonely, right? I’m sorry.”

The soft voice echoed deeply, causing the pain rising in Koremitsu’s throat to be more pronounced.

Yū did not know Hikaru was embracing her.

The blue-eyed cat was sticking at her feet, ostensibly comforting her.

Yū lowered her head weakly.

Clear water droplets trickled down her face again.

“Pl-please, don’t cry already! I understand how you feel. That idiot Hikaru died out of a sudden, and you must’ve felt like crying. I’m the same here, I was reduced to a crying mess the moment I thought he could possibly disappear, so I know it’s inconsiderate to ask you not to cry, but please, don’t cry!”

Koremitsu pleaded zealously. He really could not stomach the sight of a woman crying.

His heart was ostensibly about to rip apart.

But Yū continued to cry, and Koremitsu’s resistance wore down as he finally yelled out.

“Alright! I’ll fulfil that promise in Hikaru’s place! I’ll bear all responsibility here!”

Yū lifted her head at Koremitsu.

She was probably taken aback.

Her teary eyes widened slightly, and the tears stopped.

Koremitsu stared right into her eyes, and declared with a passionate tone again,

“I’ll help him fulfil his promise!”

His veins were popping, his eyes were frowning, and his expression must have been really horrifying. He hoped he did not scare that introverted girl.

Hikaru, who was embracing Yū, narrowed his eyes gently, curled his lips up, and stared at Koremitsu.

Yū’s eyes again showed concern and bewilderment.

She asked softly,

“Promise... what promise?”

“Heh?”

Koremitsu revealed a startled look.

(What... is it?)

“Ah, about that.” Hikaru mumbled as he slowly retreated from Yū.

“Didn’t Hikaru make a promise with you?”

“He did say so a few times... but I’m not too certain.”

(A few times?)

Koremitsu glared furiously at Hikaru.

And the latter,

“Yo, Lapis, how are you doing?”

Continued to pat the kitten on its head.

The kitten grimaced in confusion.

“...I think he said he wanted to put a glass collar on Lapis? Or maybe he wanted to color the fan? Or maybe he wanted to play some ‘sea-themed Shiritori game’ again? Or maybe he wanted to put two straws in the glass cup with blue juice and drink together? Whenever Hikaru is about to leave, he would give me a pinky swear and say ‘it’s a promise’...”

“Fufu, Lapis’s eyes are colored like the Earth, the Commelina-like blueish-purple is really pretty. Oh yes, the floral language for Commelina is ‘respect’ and ‘nostalgic friendship’, you know”

(Hey! What are you laughing for!? Stop playing with the cat! Is this the time for floral languages!? You promise-making devil!)

“...what did Hikaru request you to do?”

Yū stared at Koremitsu with blurry eyes, obviously curious about what Hikaru tasked Koremitsu to do.

“Uu.”

Koremitsu murmured as he glanced over at Hikaru.

The latter smiled awkwardly and clapped his hands together to beg Koremitsu.

“Damn, it’s that, that... the most important amongst all the promises! There should be one, right? Do you know?”

“The most important...?”

“Right, the most important promise.”

Class was about to start, and the door was not repaired.

Please, hurry up and think. Just say it out. No matter how hard it is, I’ll try my best to do it.

“Maybe...”

Yū lowered her head.

“You thought of it? Great! That’s definitely it!”

Koremitsu propped his body forward,

“Maybe... it’s to change the light bulb for me?”

Whilst Yū lifted her face and and said with a serious look.

The hammer fell out from Koremitsu’s hand.

“What exactly are you planning? What do you want me to do!?”

Koremitsu finally managed to repair the door, and dashed down the dirt path leading to the school as he muttered.

“I just want to fulfil a promise.”

Hikaru floated beside Koremitsu whimsically, and answered with that infuriatingly elegant expression.

“I’m asking you what sort of ‘promise’ did you make exactly!? You made some important promise with her that has to be fulfilled, right? If it’s a stupid thing like Shiritori, I’m not going to bother with you ever again.”

Hikaru’s expression immediately showed maturity.

“Hm, that’s a very important promise, and I can only ask of you, this good friend of mine. Just think of it together with Yū.”

He looked at Koremitsu with a clear expression full of trust, and said this gently. This expression caused Koremitsu to feel flustered, and he nearly fell over after tripping accidently.

(What exactly is this guy thinking?)

There were a lot of things Koremitsu wanted to ask, but it was of utmost importance to get to school on time.

Koremitsu finally managed to make it on time, and tried to catch his breath as he changed his shoes in front of the shoe locker.

“Haa... haa... anyway... if you want someone to help... at least explain what to do... how am I going to do this... wheeze...”

“Koremitsu, you just ran two kilometers. Catch your breath before talking...”

Hikaru showed a wry expression as he said.

“I heard that guy is the biggest suspect in Lord Hikaru’s murder.”

“!”

Koremitsu immediately lifted his head.

Is Hikaru’s murderer nearby!?

He looked around frantically, and found a human wall gathered around him without him knowing, with every person staring at him.

“Is that Lord Hikaru’s stalker?”

“I heard he has been going around declaring that he’s Lord Hikaru’s friend.”

“He must have murdered him because he was too engrossed in his own delusions.”

“Homosexual love sure is intense.”

(Hold it!)

The doubtful stares from all of them caused Koremitsu’s face to twitch.

(Me? Stalking Hikaru!? I killed him because I’m delusional? Homosexual love...?)

After processing the information he heard in his mind, Koremitsu was startled.

(Does everyone think that I’m the one who killed Hikaru!?)

That certainly seemed to be the case.

The people in the school seemed to have deemed Koremitsu Akagi as the lead suspect in Hikaru’s murder, and they would even form a path for him whenever he walked down the corridor. This was a common scene, but in the past, people merely deemed him as the son of some delinquent or Yakuza mob, and now...

“That person and Lord Hikaru...”

“Such twisted love.”

Koremitsu felt his back tingle with numbness as he heard these murmurs from behind.

He finally reached the classroom, only for the noisy atmosphere within to quiet down, and his classmates were staring at him.

The class representative with braided hair, who would always greet Koremitsu even though she was very terrified of him, retreated back to her seat, and did not dare to give him a look.

Honoka, who was seated beside Koremitsu, frowned as she glanced over. She was hesitant, but panicked and looked away once Koremitsu approached, and did not dare look at him during class.

During class break.

“I heard that guy killed Lord Hikaru.”

The gossips continued on, and Koremitsu felt that he could n bear with them any longer if he were to keep hearing them.

(How could I possibly kill Hikaru here!?)

“Because you’re too eye-catching. That’s why everyone’s making random guesses. I’m troubled. Is there a way to solve this?”

Hikaru frowned with an apologetic look beside Koremitsu.

“Well, it’ll be too stupid to take them seriously.”

Koremitsu deliberately gave a nonchalant look.

But in fact, he was already affronted, and his temples were throbbing.

At this moment...

“How stupid.”

A voice rang sternly beside him.

Honoka, who had her eyebrows raised in a disparaging manner, suddenly covered her phone.

She boldly proclaimed as the classmates looked in a confounded manner.

“You’re not kids, and yet you’re going all dizzy by such a slanderous chain message. If this person wanted to say something, he or she could have signed off. I won’t believe the words of a coward who only dares to spread rumors secretly.”

The classroom immediately descended into utter silence.

Honoka did not look at Koremitsu, and her ostensibly furious sharp eyes were glaring into space. Her tone and expression were devoid of fear, but there was an indignant sense hidden within. If one were to look closely, her hands pressing onto the table were trembling slightly.

The class representative with braids hurriedly stood up, and said,

“Tha-that’s right! Hono’s right. I-it-it’s wrong to suspect others on baseless assumptions.”

The classmates looked over at each other awkwardly.

This chancy atmosphere lingered for quite a while, before everyone returned back to what they were doing. Honoka however was surrounded by the class representative and some other friends.

“What’s the matter? Honoka?”

“Why did you say such things out of a sudden?”

Everyone asked worriedly.

“...it’s nothing. I just couldn’t stand seeing it.”

She answered with a pout on her face, and Koremitsu felt relief as he eavesdropped on her.

“There’s still another person in this class who supports you other than me, Koremitsu.”

Hikaru said delightfully.

“Shikibu!”

After class, just as Honoka was walking out of the classroom, Koremitsu hurried after her.

“Thanks for speaking up for me.”

He felt really embarrassed to actually need a woman to help him, but he was still touched—these two conflicting emotions collided in his heart, and he really did not know what expression he should make.

Honoka blushed immediately.

(Why’s she blushing out of a sudden?)

“Yo-you don’t have to thank me, I didn’t say those words for your sake. It’s just that I just said what I thought. Don’t be mistaken, I have no intention of helping a delinquent like you.”

She stated coldly and chided,

“I’m not familiar with you anyway. Don’t talk to me.”

Then turned and left.

Koremitsu remained rooted, unable to say anything.

(Why’s she so angry with me!? And she actually tells me not to talk with her...)

“DAMN IT! WOMEN ARE HARD TO UNDERSTAND AFTER ALL!”

He lashed out with veins popping.

“Miss Shikibu’s personality... is really pitiful. I find it easy to understand her, and really want to tease her until her face becomes as red as a Snapdragon, but this truly is too difficult for you.”

Hikaru sighed as he rattled on.

At this moment...

“Mr Akagi!”

A shrill voice rang in Koremitsu’s ears, and a short-haired petite girl with bouncing large breasts came running over.

It was Hiina Oumi of the news club.

She had a huge variety of expressions, and her large eyes were dazzling like a boy. She grabbed Koremitsu by the arm and rattled on,

“Everyone’s saying that you’re the lead suspect in Lord Hikaru’s murder! Wah, the Delinquent King has no road to go to! It’s like the Saturday Night at the Mysteries Theater! Do you want to clear your name by working with this cute partner to fish out the real culprit? Anyway, the one I suspect the most now is...”

It was unknown if she was pressing her breasts on Koremitsu on purpose, but Koremitsu merely covered her mouth without saying anyway.

“Mm—”

Hiina widened her eyes in surprise as she looked at Koremitsu. He stared back and said,

“All I need to know is what Hikaru said, nothing else matters.”

He recalled the words Honoka just said.

It would be too foolish to be fooled by such rumors. He just need to believe the people that were important, and even if he made a mistake, he would not regret it.

Hiina widened her eyes.

She let go of Koremitsu’s hand, and looked up at him in a dumbstruck manner.

Koremitsu turned away from Hiina, and before he left, he quipped,

“Also, I’m used to hearing such stupid rambling from others ever since I was young. These rumors are as painless as a mosquito bite.”

Hiina blankly watched the red-haired walk down the corridor, and suddenly turned back to say with excitement,

“...that’s what he said, prez.”

A tall beauty with long black hair—the student council president Asai Saiga walked out from behind the corner.

Hiina then rattled on to the frowning Asai in a rapid-fire manner,

“This is already a friendship beyond life and death, right? His tone indicates that he heard something from Lord Hikaru. He’s certainly not an ordinary delinquent; that’s true now that I think about it, those who could enter this high school through the entrance exams are definitely not stupid. Everyone knows that the students in this school are composed of the internal affiliated programme students whose families have connections and the external students with outstanding grades—ah, of course there are people like you who have such pedigree of growing up amongst the nobles since kindergarten and have outstanding grades! Anyway, it seems Mr Akagi got something important pertaining to Lord Hikaru; my instincts have always been sharp.”

Asai listened to Hiina’s words coldly, and the latter looked at her in a taunting manner, seemingly trying to agitate her into saying something.

“To me, it seems you’re also high up on the suspect list on who killed Lord Hikaru too, prez! Since you two are on the same position, what do you think about Mr Akagi?”

Asai did not fall for her trap.

Her expression remained as icy as ever,

“He’s simply a wild dog whose bark annoys me.”

She said with uppity, and proceeded to leave.

At this moment, Hikaru, who was beside Koremitsu, was very excited.

“I’m so touched! If I were a girl, I would have proposed to you on the spot! Wow, you’re so cool! I’m so touched that goosebumps are rising on my skin!”

(What sort of ghost would have goosebumps? And why am I blushing!?)

Koremitsu continued to give a sullen look as he said coldly,

“Don’t be silly, it’s not that I don’t care about you hiding something from me. I just feel that, well... even if we’re friends, there are still things you don’t want to say. I too have some things I don’t want to say... anyway, just say so when you want to... since we’re friends.”

Koremitsu got more embarrassed as he continued, and his face started to heat up. He really found it most difficult to say such things.

“Something you don’t want to say? You mean how old you were when you last wet your bed? Some embarrassing essay you wrote when you were young? You said you were the animal rearing rep in elementary school... ah! Are you implying that your first crush was a young kindergarten teacher?”

“NOT! Now’s not the time to talk about me, right!?”

Hikaru showed a carefree expression on his face, and he narrowed his eyes as he gave a blissful smile.

“Ah, I see. I too will wait for you to say it when you want to, Koremitsu.”

“Why are you smiling so heartily? I never liked my kindergarten teacher, and do you know how much trouble you’re causing me here!? Whose fault do you think is it that everybody is thinking of me as a murder suspect and a stalker!?”

Koremitsu grumbled in his heart.

But he had no choice. He just had to have the misfortune of being harassed by such a troublesome person, and even foolishly became friends.

“You’re worried about that introverted woman now, right? If I help her out, you’ll be one step closer in ascending to Heaven, right?”

“Yeah, I guess I can be closer by 100m.”

Hikaru nodded with a beaming smile.

“Seriously, just 100m? How many thousand light years until you reach space?”

“Well, isn’t there a saying that you have to make a first step before embarking on a long journey?”

“Kuuh, I’ll become an old man on the day I finish that journey. Anyway, let’s hurry up and settle it first.”

Koremitsu reluctantly said, and upon hearing it, Hikaru again nodded his head with a sweet blissful smile on his face.

“Right, then, how about you send Yū an email first?”

“Ah? An email?”

During lunch break.

Why do I have to do such a thing... Koremitsu gritted his teeth unhappily as he started tapping at his cellphone while seated at his desk.

(And I end up being led in by Hikaru, huh?)

“If it’s a sudden visit, Yū might be too scared to open the door, so you have to build up your relationship with her first. This is the moment when you should send a mail, as it’s the most suitable method to approach an introverted girl. You can also use this to practise and treat it as preparation to go out with a girl who likes to laugh.”

(Wha—you’re still trying to find a woman who likes to laugh? How many times must I tell you that I don’t need a girlfriend, and I don’t have interest in a woman who likes to laugh!)

Koremitsu grumbled silently in his heart as he typed the message with sweat dripping down his forehead.

“If you want her to reply, the most basic move is to end the message with a question. Also, try talking more about things she’s interested in.”

Hikaru beamed as he sat on Koremitsu’s table with his legs folded as he started teaching the latter the skills necessary when sending girls messages. His light brown hair continued to flutter gently in the calm wind of the classroom, and his eyes were full of exuberance.

Koremitsu however looked lethargic.

(Huh? A question? Something she’ll be interested about?)

“‘Is that cat guy energetic?’”

“Koremitsu...Lapis isn’t a male, but a female.”

“‘Is that furball in good spirits?’”

“Furball... what kind of antique nickname is that? Be more natural with your words.”

“‘What’s the name of your cat? Lapse? Lapel? Lupus?’”

“Hey, didn’t I say that it’s called Lapis? Are you listening to me?”

“Shut up. I am.”

Koremitsu grumbled irately and continued to send messages.

“‘What did you eat for lunch?’”

“‘Have you eaten some meat?’”

“‘Remember to take in enough Vitamin C.’”

Each line was unintelligible, and as expected, Yū did not respond.

“Koremitsu, think about what sort of message you would like to receive if you’re a girl. You have to write with more elegance and emotions, just like the nobles of the Heian Era.”

“Nobles of the Heian Era?”

The school uniform on Hikaru’s body became a Heian noble’s outfit.

It was a blue-purple robe of great regal.

Hikaru, who had become a ghost, gained a completely useless ability to ‘change clothes’. This set of Heian noble clothing was his favourite, and he always loved to changed the colors and patterns on it. His profile could not be seen off the mirror, so he could not see himself, but he continued to change clothes with such enthusiasm.

“Ki no Tsurayuki did mention in the "Kokin Wakashū" that reciting poems is about pouring your soul into the words and bring the emotions to the flowers, moon, mountains. Sometimes, upon seeing the smoke on Mount Fuji, we think of our romantic love; sometimes, when we hear the chirping of crickets, we think of our close friends; sometimes, when we see the dew on the grass or the bubbles in the water, we lament that life is so fleeting—a short Waka is suffused with emotions, right, just like this poem...”

Hikaru then recited with a gentle, serene voice,

“From the first moment I heard the faint calls of the geese, my mind lingered in the skies—whilst I ostensibly hear the vague cries of the geese from the North, and after hearing your voice, my soul remains restless all day, and my heart continued to long . The princesses of the Heian Era are hidden deep inside the Boudoirs; it would be impossible to meet them unless they have close relationships. This poem is used to express the love and admiration after hearing the other party’s voice, a longing thirst to meet, and any young lady who receives this Waka surely would want to invite the man in for the night.

Oh, there’s also this—the rising tide flow in the day may not be seen, and the sea scatters along the coast, waiting for the night —the high tide in the day can’t be seen, so one can only wait by the coast where the sea covers—and hope that they would meet in the night. The writing of this poem is very detailed and hard to understand. Anyway, it’s probably about asking a certain lady if he could meet her in the middle of the night. It’s really romantic~”

Koremitsu could never imagine hearing the cheesy term ‘romantic’ from a boy in his teens.

(Just meet if you want to. Is there a need to make a poem out of it!? Those people in the Heian Era are really indirect.)

Koremitsu’s patience was practically eroded completely as he worked on this unfamiliar work of composing a message. He really wanted to send a message with direct words stating ‘I’ll be going over after school. Open the door later!’ However, upon thinking about Yū’s pale face under the blue blanket, her uneasy expression and teary face, he inadvertently stopped his fingers again.

“...”

He had nary an understanding of women at all, and he did not want to try to appeal to them.

However...

This hikikomori girl had a little resemblance to his mother who left home. He really did not want to hurt her, and did not want to scare her.

—Yū’s very timid.

—If it’s a sudden visit, Yū might be too scared to open the door.

“Kuu.”

What exactly does Yū likes? What does she hope for?

The fleeting expression continued to linger in Koremitsu’s mind.

Her voice when she said ‘maybe it’s to change the light bulb for me?’ after pondering long and hard kept ringing in his ears.

Right. First, I have to improve the lighting in the room or it’ll be impossible to walk, and anyone would end up knocking into things after a few steps. Fluorescent tubes... light... something glowing... the room has photos of the sea stuck on the walls inside. Something that glows in the sea....

“‘I picked up an Angler. Do you want me to bring it to you after school?’”

He typed out the words, and then sent the message.

“Koremitsu, how do you find an Angler on the roadside? Even if it is a simile, you have to find something that's more sentimental, more elegant, more romantic. At least say it is a firefly or something."

Hikaru immediately reprimanded.

"Shut it."

Koremitsu grumbled, but he felt embarrassed

Koremitsu muttered, What sort of childish thing am I doing here? But he was actually ashamed, and he did not know what he was writing. At this moment, the phone rang.

“Ah...”

The reply came.

Koremitsu opened the message,

“‘Okay’”

This was the only message that came.

Koremitsu ostensibly heard a soft ‘yes’ in his ears, and was flabbergasted by it.

“Erm, that kind of content is okay? He should have raised his standards and have a few more goes.”

Hikaru muttered to himself, apparently very disapproving of this.

“What’s the matter, Hono? What are you looking at?”

Michiru called out, and Honoka turned her head around in surprise.

“I-it’s nothing!”

She was embarrassed to say she was staring at Koremitsu because she found the latter typing messages intently.

“Nothing at all.”

Honoka answered unhappily, and opened her cellphone with a blushing face.

(Akagi is sending mails... to whom?)

“Koremitsu, you seem rather happy.”

“Hm? Do I? Don’t I look normal?”

“But your lips are smiling.”

“Shut up. I said I’m being normal here.”

Koremitsu denied this in embarrassment.

After school,

With the light bulb he bought from a shop he passed by in hand, he went off to Yū’s apartment.

Koremitsu was certainly a little happy to finally get a reply after pondering high and low over what to type in his mails, but he was very embarrassed to have Hikaru point this out.

He frowned hard to hide the delight in his heart, and just when he was about to pass through the fence beside the apartment—

(Hm?)

“What is it, Koremitsu?”

Upon seeing Koremitsu stop abruptly and look back, Hikaru asked in surprise.

“No, I just felt an uncomfortable stare.”

“Uncomfortable?”

“The back of my neck feels itchy. Whenever I get this feeling, it’s very likely that some bastard with a chain or knife would appear.”

“You were ambushed so many times? So you really got the title of Delinquent King after going through so many deadly battles, huh?”

“I’m not a delinquent! ...there’s nobody around. Have my senses dulled?”

Koremitsu clicked his tongue in disgust, and proceeded down the path leading to the apartment.

The door beside Yu’s room was open, and the woman who was apparently involved in night life business, poked her head out and glared at Koremitsu.

“Men are not allowed here.”

“Never heard that.”

“I just made this rule. Recently, a few of my money sources ran off. You brats are making a ruckus right beside my room; if there’s nothing else, just scram.”

That woman squawked unreasonably, and slammed the door shut.

“Who cares about what you think anyway!?”

The mouthful of impertinent words used and abrasive attitude shown were really similar to his divorced aunt living with him. Would all women act like this when they grow older?

“Koremitsu, Yū will be terrified if you’re too loud.”

“O-oh.”

After Hikaru reminded him, he knocked on the door softly.

“Hey, I brought the Angler.”

After a while, the door opened slightly, and the girl with the blue blanket draped over her peeked out from behind.

“H-hello.”

He greeted nervously.

“Meow.”

The blue-eyed cat at the girl’s feet answered coldly in her stead.

Yū left the door and retreated to the back. On a closer look, she was barefooted, and stumbled as she walked.

(A lack of exercise, huh? This isn’t good.)

Koremitsu frowned, but did not say anything as he walked in silently.

“Lend me a chair.”

He took a chair as a platform, and started changing the light bulb.

Yū was still holed in a corner of the room, watching Koremitsu get to work uneasily.

Koremitsu removed the old light bulb, and just when he was about to put it on the floor, he saw a slender hand reach for him tentatively.

To his surprise, he found that it was Yū’s.

“Ah, thanks.”

“...”

Yū nodded lightly, received the light bulb, and placed it on the floor. She then retreated to the corner and looked over at Koremitsu worriedly.

Koremitsu was wondering if he should say something to her,

“When did this light bulb fail?”

He asked, and Yū merely answered flatly,

“...it started to flicker... about a month ago... and it broke down completely two days before... I received the mail informing me about the funeral... Hikaru died on that day...”

She lowered her sights dolefully, seemingly thinking that the lifespan of the light bulb was related to Hikaru’s life. Koremitsu was really terrified at the prospect of her breaking down into tears again.

“I see, that must have been really inconvenient. But you could have changed the light bulb yourself, right?”

“...I’m sorry.”

“No, I’m not really telling you off. Don’t apologize.”

Koremitsu was as terrified of hearing others apologize as he was of seeing others cry, and he was more flustered.

“Okay! Done!”

He exclaimed and leapt off the chair.

He pulled the curtains up, and the dim room immediately brightened. At this moment, he finally realized the color of the curtains was as blue as a tropical sea.

The photos of the fish shoals and printed images stuck on the wall could be seen clearly, and the fan, cooker, and golf bag still looked intriguing under the bright light.

(This fan and stove are faulty. The fan doesn’t have any blades, and the stove doesn’t have an inner lid and pot. These aren’t household appliances, but mere decorations, right?)

Yū stood up and tottered her way towards Koremitsu.

The room was very cramped, so she merely took two, three steps.

The moment she lifted her head, the blanket covering her body slid down, her soft silky hair subsequently fell, and her small white face was revealed.

Koremitsu widened his eyes.

This was the first time he saw Yū’s face clearly, and it was like a white flower floating on the sea.

She was really beautiful—it was just like what Hikaru said, she was truly a tranquil and beautiful girl.

The ephemeral and dreamy expression was staring at Koremitsu, and the clear lips were slightly ajar like peach-colored shells.

It was a thin smile.

But she was certainly smiling.

Smiling at Koremitsu.

She smiled shyly.

“...thank you.”

The moment she thanked him softly, Koremitsu felt his heart beat wildly.

(Wh-what’s going on? Why’s my face so hot out of a sudden...)

He did not understand why his body was experiencing such a change, and eked out a voice from his dry throat.

“It-it’s nothing, and Hikaru requested me to take care of you anyway. So, well...”

Hikaru narrowed his eyes and showed an amused expression, causing Koremitsu to be more flustered than before, but he continued awkwardly.

“Is it fine if I come back tomorrow?”

The moment Yū nodded slightly, Koremitsu felt dizzy.

On the way back.

Hikaru said with a teasing look,

“Hey, she’s really a pretty girl you can find only in your dreams, right?”

Upon hearing that, Koremitsu’s face started to heat up again; he was breathless, his mouth gave a frown and did not speak up.

The next day was the same as well...

“...Yo.”

“...”

Yū, draped in the blanket, showed herself from behind the door along with the white cat.

“Please excuse me.” Koremitsu frowned as he muttered. She nodded with a nervous expression, and retreated slowly to the back bare-footed.

(She hasn’t let her guard down...)

Koremitsu too removed his shoes tensely as he walked in.

The blue curtains were still shut, but the room was lit by the electric light so it was very bright. Yū retreated into the crevice between the bed and the wall, and her black listless eyes were staring at Koremitsu.

(What do I say now...)

He had been coming here for proper business like repairing the door or replacing the light bulb, but on this day, he had nothing to do.

“Ah... have you thought about your promise with Hikaru? I’m not talking about buying a collar for the cat, but something more important.”

Yū lowered her eyes and shook her head.

“We-well, it’s probably too tough to ask you to recall immediately. That guy loves to make promises all the time anyway.”

Koremitsu finished off what he wanted to say as he glared at Hikaru, and the latter merely shrugged, acting as if he was uninvolved in this.

(Seriously, this guy...)

Whenever they talked about Hikaru, the blue-eyed cat would tilt its head to wherever Hikaru was.

It was said that animals have sharp instincts, so perhaps it really detected something.

It did not matter to Koremitsu however, and his current priority was to find something to talk about.

The room was in complete silence, and Koremitsu’s palms were sweating from the tension.

Yū looked up at him from under the blanket, looking somewhat awkward as well. She raised her eyebrows, and the smile she showed before is nowhere to be seen, disappointing Koremitsu as a result.

“A-are the stove, fan and golf bag some decoration or something?”

Koremitsu pointed at the junk of shells and glass fragments as he asked. Yū stared at Koremitsu uneasily and whispered,

“...those are the graves of the fish, the... towers of prayer.”

“Huh?”

“To protect... the underwater world.”

“...”

(Damn, how do I continue on?)

Is her mind drifting far away? Has she entered some fairy tale world after locking herself in the house for so long? Or are all girls like this?

Koremitsu tried to change the topic.

“Those are photos of fish, aren’t they? Do you like them? I too prefer fish rather than meat, Yellowtail or salted Saba are pretty good.”

(Eh... I think I just went off point...)

Yū lowered her face dejectedly.

I shouldn’t have mentioned the Yellowtail collar. Don’t girls normally prefer something like smoked salmon here? He regretted.

“...Hikaru brought... the photos. He would bring something whenever he came to my house...”

Yū said with a lonely tone.

Koremitsu spotted her figure lower her eyes. Was she reminiscing over Hikaru again? She looked ready to cry again...

(T-t-t-th-thi-this isn’t good! What do girls like to talk about? Hey, harem prince, stop scratching the cat’s chin already. Help me think of something!)

Hikaru however did not respond as he continued to play with the cat with a calm smile. At his wits end, Koremitsu exclaimed,

“Speaking of Hikaru! What do you talk with him about?”

(I’m really an idiot! Why am I making her think of Hikaru again!?)

The moment he said it, he regretted his words.

“Tha-that guy has always been talking about getting a girlfriend who likes to smile for me... ah, I think I went off point.”

The more he wanted to strike up a conversation, the more awkward the situation got.

Yū raised her eyebrows slightly.

“...he often talked... about flowers.”

She said softly.

“Flowers? Oh, he’s always talking about disgusting things like how the Pansies in the garden are like, how the Narcissus beside the lakes are as delicate as girls...”

“You actually called me disgusting...”

Hikaru, who was playing with the cat, pouted unhappily. Koremitsu however was thinking, ‘If you’re listening, help me out here!’

Yū’s expression remained dreamy as she continued.

“He said... the Sakuras in the garden are as pink as a baby’s face... that the Tulips look like they’re laughing when they bloom.

Her white face gradually showed a clear radiance, and Koremitsu was astounded.

“...and also how the queenly Iris start to bloom... how the Dandelion started to grow from the cracks beside the concrete pavements... how the Rhododendron, Erigeron and Lily of the Valley charm him differently every single time... how he looked forward to the imminent blooming of the Acacia and Pyracantha... or something like that.”

Yū’s body was giving off a gentle presence, and her eyes were sparkling.

Koremitsu could imagine how those eyes looked when they saw Hikaru.

She looked with leisure as she sat with a leg pulled inwards, head tilted, with Hikaru in the room.

In fact, Hikaru was certainly scratching the cat’s chin, narrowing his eyes gently, giving Yū a tender and loving look...

There was a girl speaking softly, and a boy staring at her gently.

Yū, who remained confined in her own room on her own accord, showed a light smile that caused Koremitsu’s heart to race, and he even felt his chest ache somewhat.

The dream-like gentle smile rendered him unable to look away.

“...Whenever I hear Hikaru talk about flowers... I feel that I’m strolling in the garden alongside him...both of us side by side, watching the Sakuras and Wisterias...”

Yū showed a blissful expression she never showed before.

To her, the time she spent with Hikaru was certainly full of tranquillity.

Hikaru brought Yū the colors and odor of the outside world.

Thanks to Hikaru’s gentle voice, Yū could imagine the flowers blooming outside.

The shapes,

The colors,

The fragrances!

And with these wonderful imaginations, she could fall asleep while draped in the soft blanket.

Waiting silently for Hikaru’s next visit.

(She confines herself to this tattered apartment, is so poor that her utilities are suspended, is living a pitiful life where she can’t even change a light bulb, and... and can actually smile so happily, so blissfully...)

The dizziness and heart throbbing that appeared the previous day intensified, and his face got hotter...

Dumbfounded, Koremitsu stared at the pure white flower-like smile on Yū’s face.

(What’s going on!? What’s with her!?)

He yelled out repeatedly in his heart.

### 003. Chapter 3: The Fleeting White Flower at the Bottom of the Wall (2)

(It’s weird, definitely weird. What’s the matter with me?)

Due to the change in seasons, Koremitsu was wearing a half-sleeved shirt as his uniform instead. It became a duty for him to head to Yū’s house, and on a certain day after school...

He was standing in front of the food rack in a convenience store, muttering away.

From time to time, his heart would flutter, his head would heat up like a teapot, and his lips would stammer. Perhaps he caught some cold that came with the seasonal change?

The symptoms would become more pronounced whenever he was with Yū. Whenever Yū seemed to open her heart to Koremitsu and give a thin smile at him, these symptoms would worsen. Whenever he thought about Yū, the symptoms would occur, whenever it was at school or at home.

“—What is this?”

“This is ‘Kimchi with three times the spiciness’.”

Hikaru then pointed out,

“Are you going to buy six of those?”

Upon Hikaru’s mention, Koremitsu realized that the basket was filled with Kimchi bottles.

His face reddened. He returned them to the rack.

“If you’re buying them for Yū, I’ll advise you not to buy such spicy ones. You can’t just consider your own preferences, Koremitsu; you need to think and choose what Yū wants.”

“I-I-I-I-I-I-I’m not buying Kimchi for her. I’m buying them for myself.”

Koremitsu frantically explained.

“...What does Yū like?”

And then, he whispered with a frown on his face. Hikaru whistled.

“Damn you, what are you grinning for!? Speaking of which, aren’t you the one who asked me to take care of Yū?”

Koremitsu forgot that there were people as he lambasted Hikaru. The shop attendant at the register was taken aback.

(Argh!)

Upon seeing Koremitsu cringe his head guiltily, Hikaru, with a face about to burst into laughter, told Koremitsu,

“That’s right, thank you. Yū likes sweet and translucent food.”

After pondering for a little while, he bought some rock candy and went over to the apartment.

After he knocked on the door, the dreamy-eyed girl and the blue-eyed cat peered outside.

“Y-yo.”

Koremitsu greeted her stiffly. Lapis purred with a ‘meow~’, while Yū nodded at him with a gentle expression.

On the first time they met, she had a blue blanket draped tightly over her from head to toe. Though recently, she merely had the blanket on her shoulders.

Normally, her attire under the blanket would be a sleeveless dress. Her feet would be bare, without socks, and her neck and arms would appear from time to time. Whenever Koremitsu inadvertently notices her white slender calves and ankles, his heart would race without warning.

“A gift.”

He handed over a bag from the convenience store.

Yū received it, peered inside and immediately showed a beaming smile.

“Thank you... I really like it.”

Koremitsu did not expect that something like rock candy could cause her to have such a blissful expression; his heart raced, and his face got hotter.

Yū opened the packet and used her fingers to pick up a piece of translucent rock candy. She narrowed her eyes, her eyes apparently irritated by the light, placed the rock candy into her mouth, and nibbled.

There was a cracking sound as she bit, and she gave a more blissful, satisfied smile.

Upon seeing this expression, Koremitsu’s heart nearly exploded from the fast beating of his heart.

The room was small and the walls were thin. They could hear the sounds of the neighbor opening and closing the door, hard footsteps, and growls of a woman from time to time.

“WHAT THE HECK! THOSE MEN ARE SO PETTY ONCE THERE’S AN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN! THERE’S NO WAY I CAN LIVE ON! EH, MY FUTURE’S BLEAK, FROSTY! EVERYONE OTHER THAN THE MEN WHO SUPPORTED ME CAN GO DIE!!”

Upon hearing the loud voice, Koremitsu shuddered.

However, Yū merely continued to space out even at this point.

“That is... the sound of waves crashing at the rocks.”

“The whales are sneezing.”

She would say such things with a blank expression.

He knew, after these days of being together, that though she was timid and introverted, she was serene, strong-willed, and could face the daily difficulties normally.

He felt that in this sense, Yū was very similar to Hikaru.

At this moment, Hikaru was still crouched on the floor on one knee, playing with Lapis.

It seemed Lapis could actually see Hikaru, and even reached its fore paws to touch him. After missing a few times, it looked up at him in surprise.

Lapis was originally a stray cat, and wandered here soon after Yū locked herself in the apartment. Its ears were not too sensitive, so it had a strange habit of staring at living people and objects; perhaps it was because of this characteristic that he could accurately detect what normal people could not sense.

Hikaru too stared at Lapis gently, and would sometimes use his fingers to prod at its forepaws, and also pretend to scratch its chin.

I really can’t get this guy. Why isn’t he willing to say what promise he made with Yū? The only thing he does here is to play with the cat. What exactly does he want me to do anyway?

Koremitsu glared at Hikaru, and upon noticing this, Yū asked worriedly,

“What, is it...?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Well...how-how did you and Hikaru get to know each other?”

Koremitsu asked in a flustered manner. At that moment, Yū’s eyes brightened, and she whispered,

“...Hikaru... first appeared a week after Lapis appeared...”

It was the previous summer, on a drizzling night.

There was a boy dressed in Heian Academy uniform, holding an umbrella, standing in front of the apartment.

Upon seeing that effeminate pretty face appear under the road lights, she immediately recognized him as ‘Lord Hikaru’.

At that time, Hikaru was in his 3 rd and final year of Middle School, and Yū was in her 1 st year of High school, but there was nary a girl in the school who did not recognize the school prince ‘Lord Hikaru’.

(What... is he doing here?)

Hikaru was holding onto a light purple umbrella, staring at the fence beside the apartment. This act triggered Yū’s curiosity.

Why is he standing there all this time? It’s so cold, so dark outside, and it’s raining. What exactly is he looking at?

His expression was so tender, filled with affection.

Yū stared at Hikaru from the gap in the curtain, and at this moment, he suddenly lifted his head.

!

Their eyes met, and her heart was petrified.

Her immediate thought was to hurriedly pull the curtains, but Hikaru smiled at her.

That smile was very friendly, tender, and seemingly melted into her heart.

After that, Hikaru placed his umbrella on the fence for some reason, and walked to the apartment in the rain.

Skeptical, Yū did not know what happened outside, but unexpectedly, a few seconds later...

*Knock Knock*...the sound of knocking rang in her ears.

Covered in a blanket, she timidly approached the door, placed her ear on the door, and heard a sweet voice speak to her,

“I’m sorry for disturbing you at such a late time, but would you mind letting me hide from the rain here? I lent my umbrella to the beautiful flowers drenched by the rain, and I'm at a loss on what to do now.”

There was no sense of pretense in Hikaru’s tone, and the clear voice full of warmth attracted Yū. She opened her door, and found Hikaru soaked with transparent water dripping off him, his hair and shirt drenched, smiling radiantly at her.

“That was... our first meeting.”

Yū’s voice was soft and slow... she muttered,

“Hikaru said... he noticed the Gourd flowers growing at the feet of the wall... those flowers are fragile yet brave... as pretty as a fleeting dream... so he was stunned...”

—You see the white flowers blooming at the feet of the wall? The shuddering gentle flowers are drenched by the rain.

Koremitsu recalled Hikaru’s tone and expression as the latter stared at the foot of the wall in front of the apartment.

He said those flowers were tender and pretty.

Just like Yū.

—They bloom in the evening, and radiate silently under the moonlight in the night. When the morning dawn breaks in, they start to wilt.

At this point, Hikaru was giving a reminiscing expression as he patted Lapis’ head, similar to the moment when he stared at the foot of the wall.

His fingers could no longer touch Lapis, but whenever his white hand moved elegantly, Lapis’ whiskers would shudder slightly.

Yū did not realize her dead lover was in this room, but she still stared over at where Hikaru was with that dreamy expression of hers.

That must have been Hikaru’s usual spot.

Her loving yet lonely expression was heartbreaking to anyone who saw it—

Hikaru too would show a tender look to Yū from time to time.

As he saw them look at each other like this, Koremitsu started to feel uneasy, and had a sudden notion that he was getting in their way.

However, Hikaru would not say what sort of promise he made with Yū, and would not speak to Yū. He only cared about playing with Lapis, apparently not concerned about that promise...

“So, Yū... you became lovers with Hikaru like this?”

Koremitsu’s tone was glum and aloof, to a point where he was taken aback by it.

His stomach started to ache from cramps. Do I not want Yū to go out with Hikaru? Or am I unwilling to stand the fact that Hikaru is only concerned about playing with the cat and leaving his girlfriend with another man?

Damn it, why am I so angry?

Yū realized that Koremitsu was giving a gloomy expression; thus, she remained silent and stared at him worriedly. As Koremitsu tried his best to give a calm expression, she moved her mouth impatiently, and spoke with a teeny-weeny voice,

“You seem... to be mistaken... Hikaru and I... were not lovers...”

“What do you mean?”

Startled, Koremitsu leaned his body forward.

“Didn’t Hikaru often look for you? The woman next door even commented vexingly that he returned back home in the mornings before—”

Upon seeing Yū’s face turn red, Koremitsu’s face became hot.

“My-my bad. I’m being too nosy here.”

Yū shook her head as her eyes looked downwards, and her face reddened. She clasped her hands, hesitated for a moment, and whispered,

“Hikaru and I... really did not have that kind of relationship... I know...Hikaru had relationships with many girls... one time... I even asked him, why... wouldn’t he do anything to me... I felt it was weird...”

Yū’s neck reddened as well.

She grabbed at a corner of the blue blanket tightly, cringed her neck, and stuttered,

“And so, upon hearing that, Hikaru... smiled gently at me, and said that I... didn’t fall in love with him...”

Koremitsu’s face was still burning, yet he kept listening to Yū with bated breath.

Hikaru however nonchalantly lowered his stare as he scratched Lapis by the neck.

“Meow...”

Lapis purred quietly.

Yū looked up at Koremitsu with an uneasy expression.

“He said... by looking at the eyes, he knew whether the other party is in love... those in love, their eyes will show a desire to have the other party to themselves. Once he sees that expression, he will fall in love with that person, unable to break away, and at that moment, he wants to practically offer his entire being...”

Yū’s voice got softer, weaker, and once she finished, she lowered her head and remained silent.

She did not seem to be worrying that Koremitsu would not believe her words, but was reminiscing over Hikaru with a faltering heart.

Koremitsu too found it difficult to recover mentally. There was an inexplicable loneliness creeping out from his chest.

Perhaps it was because Yū really looked really depressed.

Also, Yū did not describe Hikaru’s usual radiant side, but also his lonely side.

She lowered her head, and muttered,

“Hikaru said that... there is only one exception... that though they were deeply in love with each other, they could not embrace each other... he looked really anguished when he said this...”

Hikaru seemingly did not hear Yū’s words as he scratched at Lapis’ chin serenely with a profound expression.

Lapis too stared coldly at Hikaru with its blue-purple eyes.

Yū continued to keep her head lowered as she remained silent.

At this point, Koremitsu did not know how to react.

Oi, Hikaru, stop pretending to be dead and say something. The atmosphere is awkward because of you here! Now is not the time to play with the cat!

Koremitsu glared at Hikaru, chiding him while his veins were popping.

However, Hikaru continued to play dead.

No, in fact, Hikaru was dead, a ghost in fact. Even if he spoke up, Yū would not be able to hear anything.

“I want to embrace Hikaru to remove his loneliness he carries...”

Yū spoke with a soft voice that could melt away in the air.

“But he said... that it’s not love.”

There was an unsteady vibe to her tone.

If even Hikaru, who was well-versed in love experiences, said so, Yū’s feelings for Hikaru should probably not be love.

While there was a sweet and fuzzy feeling seeping into his heart there was a feeling akin to anxiousness spreading gradually in him.

Yū wholeheartedly wanted to help Hikaru, to a point where she wanted to accept all his pain.

If he had asked for it, she might have accepted his request fully. She was so gentle and yet so hollow within.

Hikaru’s fiancée, Aoi, was a pure girl. A pure white flower who was not once stained.

Yū too was like a white flower, but a flower that could be dyed with other colors without warning. It seemed that if anyone were to touch her, they would damage and soil her petals.

It was probably because of this reason that Hikaru never viewed her as a girlfriend, for he wanted her to maintain her purity.

Could there be any other reasons? —Koremitsu glared over at Hikaru’s effeminate face that was still looking aside.

“Have you fallen in love before?”

Yū suddenly asked, startling Koremitsu.

She lifted her head, and stared at Koremitsu with a transparent expression.

Koremitsu took a deep breath, and answered,

“N-no.”

His palms were full of sweat.

(How is love different from other feelings? How do I differentiate between them?)

Koremitsu too did not understand what was the feeling fluctuating at the bottom of his heart.

Yū’s eyes showed an understanding expression akin to sorrow.

Koremitsu felt his heart being ruffled as he watched this, and she muttered with a lonely tone that nobody could ever forget,

“Then, we’re the same after all.”

“Love... what is it?”

On the way back,

There was a rain before, so the blinking stars littered upon the ink-colored night screen were brighter than usual.

With his back hunched, Koremitsu murmured as he walked with his head lowered. Hikaru, who was following beside at the same speed, answered with a gentle voice,

“It is a yearning for a certain person. This yearning is so powerful that it can change a person’s mental state, and... it’s fleeting.”

“Fleeting...”

Koremitsu’s heart started to ache again once he recalled Yū’s hollow expression.

Hikaru continued on with a mature expression,

“Yes... even if we know that there will be a moment when our feelings will fade away, we still feel bliss when talking about love... no matter how painful that love is.”

There was the one person Hikaru could not embrace.

(Is he referring to Aoi?)

That girl represented Hikaru’s hope.

He once said that in a self-depreciating tone, that he did not dare to pursue her carelessly as he was fearful of being hated by Aoi.

But Koremitsu could not ask.

Unlike Yū, he could see and hear Hikaru; the latter was always with him.

We are friends —Hikaru once said this.

Even so, Hikaru would occasionally show an expression of deep thought, the expression of a grown-up that would not allow Koremitsu to ask, that caused the latter not to ask out of fear.

At such moments, Koremitsu could not tell what he was thinking or what he was looking at. Though their ages were similar, they seemed so distant, and he did not know what to do.

(If I fall in love...will I understand what Hikaru is thinking...?)

If that is the case, will I see what Hikaru is seeing?

Upon recalling Yū’s face, Koremitsu was tormented with pain as if his heart was pinched.

The next day, after school.

Koremitsu was in the stationary shop, staring at the glass puzzles. The glittering blue transparent puzzle was assembled together, forming a mysterious underwater scenery.

He stared at the completed picture printed on the box.

“Ahh, Yū will probably like this.”

Koremitsu suddenly heard a voice.

“!”

Startled, he looked away with a blushing face. Koremitsu frowned with his eyes raised, but did not say a word; at this moment, Hikaru smiled at him, saying,

“So you have grasped what Yū likes.”

“...”

Koremitsu put the puzzle back, turned and walked away.

“Eh? You’re not buying it?”

Hikaru asked.

Upon hearing that,

“I’m just looking around.”

Koremitsu answered.

“...humph.”

But he turned to another direction, picked up a puzzle, and walked to the counter.

Hikaru was amused by his awkward attitude, and laughed secretly.

Upon seeing the puzzle pulled out from the blue wrapping, Yū’s eyes immediately sparkled.

She stared at the blue puzzle in the box, and said delightedly,

“...it’s pretty.”

She cautiously placed a piece of puzzle on her palm, marvelled at how it sparkled when reflecting the lights, apparently lost herself as she looked on, and smiled.

These actions and attitude caused Koremitsu’s heart to race.

It seemed she just took a shower as her hair was still drenched. Her white skin gave the vague scent of soap, causing Koremitsu to gasp for breath, his head overheated.

(Why is it that my heart just flusters for no reason recently? I hate girls so much... I’m only taking care of her on Hikaru’s request...)

The midterms were about to begin the next day.

He should be prompting Yū to remember ‘the important promise’ between Hikaru and her, solve it as quickly as possible, and end this relationship.

But unknowingly, his objective had changed to wanting to meet Yū.

He was excessively frustrated with himself.

(What in the world am I doing here!?)

Yū scattered the puzzle pieces on the floor.

She knelt down, bent her waist forward, and started playing with the puzzle pieces. The blanket unravelled, and her sleeveless dress revealed the white flesh of her neck at the collar. The fragrance of shampoo and soap whiffed into Koremitsu’s nose.

“Your hair...”

“?”

Yū lifted her head.

“Hurry up and dry your hair first!”

He inadvertently spoke with a gruff tone; his cheeks were stiff, his eyebrows were raised, and his expression was probably as savage as a wild dog.

Upon noticing how terrified Yū looked, he realized that he should not have done that.

(What idiotic things am I doing here!?)

“I-I-I-I-I’m not angry here! I’m not scolding you, just that I find your hair to be so long. If you don’t dry it quickly, you may get a cold...”

Koremitsu frantically tried to explain, his head seething.

“...Sorry, I don’t have a hairdryer... I can only let it dry...”

Yū said tentatively, her shoulders cringed as she looked dejected.

“Actually, I don’t use the hairdryer often either! I just leave it as it is after washing it! I’m really not angry at all! I may not look happy, and my expression looks savage but this is all hereditary—I’m always like this, okay! So I don’t know how to smile, and I rarely laugh. Hikaru said that he wanted to introduce a girl who likes to laugh, but I think she’ll be scared away immediately after seeing me... it’s meaningless to say this... this isn’t what I want to say...”

Koremitsu tried his best to explain, but the more he did, the more dejected she got.

If I can smile gently just like Hikaru now, I can calm Yū like this instead of spending so much time explaining to her.

Why can’t my face act however I want?

Why can’t I laugh whenever I want?

I guess this cringing face looks as twisted as a crying face now, right?

This will only terrify Yū more!

At this moment, Yū said silently,

“I don’t... hate your appearance...”

Koremitsu’s gasped.

Yū’s eyes looked up at him, her eyes filled with uneasiness. However, it seemed she was not terrified of him, but wanted to encourage him.

Koremitsu was unable to move, his eyes fixed upon Yū. She said with a soft, gentle drizzling-like voice,

“...You are, a gentle... person... and you are very affectionate... with me.”

His chest shook silently.

Some heat returned back to his icy cold fingertips too.

“One of these days, you will be able to laugh.”

She said in a prayerful manner.

“I too... find it harrowing to leave my house...”

Sadness rose beneath her transparent eyes. She lowered her head, remained silent for a while, and turned towards where the electric fan and golf bags were in a pleading manner.

There were shells and the majolica were towers of prayer and graves of fishes, and Yū said they were meant to protect the underwater world.

Koremitsu suddenly recalled about Yū’s parents divorce when she remained holed up in her room. His heart winced at this.

Yū too harboured a deep wound.

“But when I talk here with Lapis and Hikaru... I just feel so relaxed... so... you definitely can laugh by staying here...”

Yū’s words dripped onto Koremitsu’s heart, just like how the drizzle rained silently, seeping into the dirt.

Yū used her index and middle fingers to pick up a piece of rock candy from the glass container, and brought it to Koremitsu’s mouth.

His face blushed awkwardly, and he felt he was a wild dog being fed as he stiffly opened his mouth. The translucent sweet crystal touched his lips and tongue.

Once it entered his mouth, he immediately tasted an intense sweetness within.

Koremitsu, who preferred spicy food, felt his tongue go numb.

Yū too took another piece and placed it in her mouth. She played with it using her tongue for a little while. Her mouth let out little cracking sounds, then showed a blissful smile.

“As long as anyone stays here... they can feel... happiness.”

The rock candy remained in Koremitsu’s mouth, as he could neither swallow nor spit it out.

It truly was sweet enough to be aptly described as happiness.

But this was too sweet to him.

His chest throbbed, his pulse raced; he did not understand himself, and felt so tentative and helpless—

Yū cringed her body, closed her eyes, stuck her ear to the floor, and was supposedly listening to the sound of waves that did not exist.

“Pain... sadness... there are things happening in the world far away... in this world, it doesn’t even matter if I don’t use an umbrella...”

There was still more than half the rock candy inside his mouth.

Yū did not murmur anything, and did not move.

It seemed she had fallen into a deep slumber.

Koremitsu called her, but there was no response from her.

He bent his back over to approach her face; he whiffed upon the scent of shampoo, and could hear a weak snore.

He frowned as he tightened his mouth, got up and looked at the ceiling.

He let out a deep humming from his tightly sealed lips.

He widened his eyes, gritted his teeth, and stared upwards as if giving a vengeful glare to a sworn enemy.

Koremitsu said,

“Hey, Hikaru.”

A gentle voice responded,

“What is it? I thought you had forgotten about my existence here. It seemed you could not see me at all.”

Hikaru stared at Koremitsu with a bemused expression, descended onto the floor, sat on his knees, and let his delicate fingertips tap Lapis on the head.

Lapis cringed in shock, and stared over at Hikaru with a brooding expression.

“You’re the one who’s pretending not to see. Why’re you sticking to the ceiling, sleeping away like you’re dead or something?”

Koremitsu said with his cheeks puffed, and Hikaru showed that mature smile that Koremitsu repulsed.

“I am watching, both you and Yū. You two are important people I’m watching over now.”

(Are you serious?)

Koremitsu’s lips curled harder.

“It looks like you’re really bothered, hero.”

“Isn’t that your fault or something!?”

“Yū’s sleeping because she can already relax with you around. When she’s with me, she often falls asleep when talking. This shows that she really trusts you, so no matter what happens, don’t get all horny here.”

“NO WAY! DON’T PUT ME ON THE SAME LEVEL AS YOU, YOU PERVERT!”

Actually, he was not simply feeling concupiscent; he was feeling mushy all over, and his body was beating wildly all over.

The hand and delicate white feet revealed from beneath the blanket caused his head to be on the verge of boiling.

And at the same time—

There was also another feeling, another doubt, rising from within his chest.

The sweetness that still lingered on his tongue continued to ask at this point.

Koremitsu muttered,

“Hey... will I really be happy staying here?”

The moment he said this, the protruding feeling at the bottom of his heart strengthened.

“Can I really laugh... if I continue to stay here?”

Yū, who murmured with such a fleeting smile,

—You will feel happiness...

“Is this kind of lifestyle Yū’s living really happiness? What exactly is happiness?”

Is living this kind of life, locked alone in the house, meeting only with a select few, really happiness?

Lapis’ eyes were staring at Koremitsu.

Its eyes seemed to give the impression that there was a globe rotating in that small space within its eyes.

Hikaru suddenly showed an aloof expression akin to Lapis’,

“I’m just a ghost. I can’t answer this question.”

“Eh?”

Koremitsu asked back in surprise,

Hikaru stared at Koremitsu silently with a wise expression,

His tone too became aloof,

“This ‘happiness’ is something only the living have the privilege to think of after all.”

“Wait... why are you acting like a bystander now? You’re the one who brought me here!!”

He was bewildered upon hearing this, and inadvertently hollered,

“And why wouldn’t you say what promise you made with Yū no matter what? What are your plans for her!?”

He could not understand why Hikaru’s tone became so aloof.

Hikaru’s white handsome face lost all expression, seemingly gazing upon the events of a distant world. He murmured,

“This won’t do, Koremitsu... I can’t tell you the answer.”

Upon hearing this, Koremitsu felt his head seething with anger. In his furor, he roared,

“What kind of joke is this! You bastard!”

The neighbour started to knock on the wall, not once but a few consecutive times.

The wall rumbled, and Yū opened her eyes slightly,

“...the waves are... really big today... is the whale flapping its tail hard...”

She said in a stupor.

Then, she found Koremitsu frozen there with a stern look, and asked worriedly,

“...What’s the matter?”

Hikaru turned away from Koremitsu and continued to pat Lapis’ head.

Unable to vent his frustrations anywhere, he suddenly called out in exasperation.

“...Yū, how about we go to school?”

“Eh?”

Yū lowered her eyelids.

Koremitsu knelt down in front of Yū, his body leaning forward.

“It’s not normal to keep locking yourself in the room every day, and it’s not good for your health either. The line between reality and delusions will also become vague. Better get out and walk before your legs start growing fins!”

He really did not know if he should have said those words.

But upon seeing Hikaru being so aloof, he was so vexed within, and he inadvertently said out these impulsive words.

“If anyone bullies you, I’ll beat him up good. If you go to school, we can meet anytime! We may be in different classes, but I can accompany you during lunch break if you’re lonely... we can have lunch together...”

What in the world am I saying?

Koremitsu felt his throat parched, and his face scorched.

Yū’s face however paled, and with a teeny-weeny voice,

“No...”

She answered.

Koremitsu was perplexed.

Yū pulled her blanket tightly with trembling hands, and slowly backed away.

“Don’t. Why, must you say... such things? I don’t want to go to school.”

Normally, she was able to talk calmly in front of Koremitsu. However, at this point, she was terrified. To a point where her entire body was repulsed by the notion.

“Y-you can’t possibly hide inside the house for the rest of your life, right? And you need to think of how to earn money to pay your rent and living expenses. What’ll happen if your dad doesn’t provide money for you?”

Yū’s shoulders shouldered. Like a chided child, she winced, and said with a sobbing voice,

“I-I’ll hang on even if I’m hungry.”

“The gas and electricity might not be the only thing cut off next time. They may cut off the water.”

“I’ll hang on.”

“You’ll die.”

“I’ll hang on. That’s better than going to school. If I go to school, everyone will give me icy stares, and even say some bad things around me. I’ll be alone in school...”

She exerted more strength as she tugged at the blanket, cringed back, and draped herself under the blanket in the corner. Koremitsu felt his heart gorged apart, his head boiling over as he started to lose confidence.

(Did I say anything wrong here?)

He could not tell.

Hikaru continued to pat at Lapis’ head, his eyelids lowered, his effeminate pretty fingers gliding gently—and showed no reaction to Koremitsu’s words and Yū’s timidity.

Koremitsu was further incensed the more he saw this. I’m different from Hikaru, I’m really someone who cares for Yū here! He thought.

He could not stop once his temper flared up!

“I said it before! If anyone bullies you, I’ll beat him up good! I’m the same as you too! Everyone in school’s always giving me suspecting looks, spreading all sorts of baseless rumors everyone, saying I’m a delinquent, some murder suspect, and I can’t even get a friend as a result! Even so, I still go to school every day, and I will finish my homework obediently!”

The more serious he spoke, the more Yū’s heart seemed distant from him.

She did not want to look at his face any further.

A weak voice came from underneath the blue blanket.

“Because... you’re, very strong... I definitely can’t do that... if we go to school together, I’ll die. Since I’ll die either way, I’d rather starve to death here.”

“DON’T SPOUT NONSENSE HERE!”

At his wits end, Koremitsu furiously leaned forward, but his arm accidentally hooked upon the golf bag.

An unsteady feeling came about, and the bag immediately tumbled over. The electric fan and stove too flipped, while the shells and marbles fell all over the floor.

Yū revealed her face from underneath the carpet, and looked on blankly. She dragged the blanket as she ran towards the fallen golf bag and electric fan.

“Ah, m-my bad...”

Hikaru remained still.

That splendid side profile remained as still as a marble sculpture.

“Go back...”

Yū’s petite face was filled with fear as she whispered.

She knelt down, her hands trembling as she picked up the scattered shells,

“Go back, go back! Never come back!”

She continued, and sprawled on the floor, her face sticking onto it. It was obvious she was crying from her shuddering shoulders and choking voice.

Then, she spoke to the startled Koremitsu with a hurt voice,

“...you are different from Hikaru after all.”

(Damn it, I already knew it!)

The sky was dark as he headed down the path leading home, and Koremitsu gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and roared out deep within his heart.

(Hikaru and I are already different; I’m not as adept as him at handling girls. Hikaru wouldn’t do anything, so I thought I should do something for her...)

He did not expect her to be this unwilling to go to school.

“HIKARU! STOP PLAYING DEAD AND SAY SOMETHING! DON’T JUST BRUSH ME OFF WITH THAT ‘I CAN’T TELL YOU THE ANSWER’ LINE ALREADY! ISN’T YŪ YOUR WOMAN TOO!?”

He hollered out, his chest burning and his throat parched.

Hikaru continued to stare at Koremitsu while standing upright in the blue darkness.

The hair and skin that lacked pigments was seemed to be fading into the darkness, giving off an aloof and illusionary feeling. The hue in his eyes was lighter than before, and while it made him look exceptionally pretty, it also made him look more disjointed from the world, and it was hard to determine his feelings.

Koremitsu stared at him with a raging and pleading expression, and Hikaru finally showed a slightly more anguished expression.

“In the past, someone important... once chided me... why I made such a decision . At that time, I felt that my decision might not be the correct one...”

Koremitsu did not understand what Hikaru was saying.

All he felt was that there was a door sliding shut silently in front of him.

Right behind this transparent door was a pretty boy with white skin—the boy he viewed as a friend.

“And because of this... you want to ask me to make a decision!?”

Hikaru did not answer.

He closed his pale lips tightly, narrowed his eyes, and smiled in a lonely fashion.

(Why are you smiling at such a moment! You’re going to leave Yū alone like this? Yū’s still chasing after your illusion in the room, even now! She’s needs you, not me!)''

Koremitsu glared over at Hikaru, his irises about to pop out, and then shouted with a contorted expression.

“FINE! I WON’T RELY ON YOU!!”

### 004. Chapter 4: What, Worried? I'm Not Worried About You at All!

(What’s with Akagi...)

On the first day of midterms.

Honoka could not keep her mind off Koremitsu Akagi seated next to her.

He would sigh and moan without warning during the tests, or even scratch his red hair from time to time.

Honoka initially thought he was vexed because he could not think of the answers, but after glancing at him a few more times, she found that throughout the tests, his back was arched, his stare was as vicious as a wild beast, there were veins popping on his forehead, and he was scribbling answers on the papers.

However, he was sighing and scratching his head even then.

Once break time came, he whipped out his cellphone and fumbled at it, typing, deleting, retyping and deleting again. After sending the message, he would check if there was a reply. At various moments, he would groan, show gloomy looks, raise his eyebrows, or pant furiously.

It seemed he was not troubled over the exams.

(Did he have an argument with the person he’s sending emails to...?)

Since the end of last month, Koremitsu had been using his cellphone during class breaks.

Everyone was terrified of Koremitsu, thinking that he was a savage delinquent. As far as Honoka knew, he had nary a close friend in school; during class breaks, he would often arch his back and revise the materials for the next class.

But on a certain day, he was typing letters on his cellphone with rigid fingers, his face stiff and body sweating all over.

After sending a few emails, he kept frowning and groaning, probably because the other party did not respond. Once he got a response, he just stared at the cellphone blankly.

On the next day, he was typing messages intently like a child who just bought a cellphone.

This time, he seemed to have gotten an immediate reply, and started staring at the cellphone blankly.

His actions were eccentric; he would fidget distraughtly, would look away towards a direction no one was at without warning, pout while blushing, and slap his face with one hand, or stare into space while ostensibly in deep thought.

(Is he sending emails to a girl?)

Is he dating someone outside the school?

She immediately panicked the moment she thought about this.

(No, why am I so shocked here?)

This inexplicable response caused her to be further flustered, and her heart pounded readily. After reaching home, she continued to hug her plush toy as she sat on the swivel chair and spun around.

Honoka was also frustrated by how she had been giving Koremitsu Akagi the cold shoulder recently.

Actually, she knew that though Koremitsu had the appearance of a delinquent, he was an upright young boy on the inside.

—I’ll protect you.

This line Koremitsu said with a serious expression caused Honoka’s heart to flutter.

The one he liked was Aoi.

He kept chasing after Aoi persistently.

Honoka knew this, but she could not avert her eyes off Koremitsu.

She realized this about herself since he learnt that he was rejected by Aoi.

In the end, she simply did not want to admit it. That vicious looking bastard, whose verbal etiquette was lacking, who did not know what trendy restaurants he could choose for a date, was far different from her preferences.

However, she just could not help but remain concerned about Koremitsu. She would think of looking at him all the time; thus, she kept herself occupied whenever she was at her seat, by often looking away in the opposite direction, or by tapping at her cellphone.

The reason why she did not answer Koremitsu’s greetings and say such spiteful things at him was because she did not want to admit that her mind would turn blank whenever she met him, and that she could not say anything.

Honoka did not want to show Koremitsu the feelings even she was confused with, and was unyielding on this.

She tried her best to show an aloof attitude to Koremitsu, but her temper inadvertently flared once it seemed Koremitsu got a new girlfriend, who looked hesitant while messaging.

No, it is impossible for him to get a girlfriend. It’s probably just a wishful thinking on his part; right, that is definitely it.

Speaking of which, was it too frivolous of him to chase another girl so soon after being dumped by Aoi? He is the worst, rotten to the core. Hopefully, Akagi gets dumped by her soon.

Honoka sometimes would have such thoughts.

However,

She saw how frustrated Koremitsu looked as the latter remained on the seat beside her, and her worry soon overcame all other emotions.

(Akagi looks really tired...)

Perhaps he was not getting along well with the girl after all, and he was frustrated to a point where he could not sleep well at night?

(What exactly happened? Shall I ask him first? But I said so many bad things about Akagi before. His impression of me must have worsened. Besides, we aren’t friends...)

Perhaps she should have been honest the last time Koremitsu thanked him if she had known...if that had been the case, she could probably ask him naturally.

(Why am I being so childish here? I even told him not to talk to me...)

There was a World History Test, which relies heavily on memorization, in the upcoming period. It would be better to memorize a few year numbers.

Koremitsu covered his phone, slumped his shoulders, and sighed deeply...

At this moment, his stare turned towards Honoka incidentally.

(!)

His red hair was resting on his forehead, and his eyes looked weak; he was practically a wild dog ready to collapse any time soon.

The moment his eyes met Honoka’s, his expression seemed full of zeal for some reason; he lifted his head up to stare at her.

(Wh-what’s the matter... is there something on my face?)

Honoka’s face heated up, and blushed.

Koremitsu was apparently pondering over something as he continued to stare at Honoka.

“Lo...”

What are you looking at!? Just when she was about to blurt this spiteful line out, Koremitsu panted, and said,

“...looks like I can go to you for help.”

“Huh?”

Koremitsu frowned hard as he gave a pleading look, and said to Honoka, whose heart was pounding inside,

“Shikibu, do you mind going to the roof with me after the tests are over?”

“Please! Be my heliotrope, my purple fragrance again!”

It was a reenactment of the past as Koremitsu bowed deeply while his hands were placed on the side.

As the cloudy skies looked ready to rain upon them anytime soon, the whirl on Koremitsu’s hair appeared in front of Honoka’s eyes.

“I have to apologize to you for angering you in some way. I must have done something to offend you, and I’m really sorry for making you unhappy! If I caused you any harm, I’ll take responsibility!”

“W-well... I’m not hurt anyway.”

It was because of personal feelings that Honoka was acting aloof to Koremitsu, so she was shocked to hear this from Koremitsu.

His attitude was earnest.

“I’ll do whatever you ask of me in the future! I’m fine with being your servant for half a year! You can call me a wild dog if you want!”

(I don’t wanna! If I call you that, everyone will be glancing at me instead!)

“Well, Akagi.”

“I can let you kick me until your anger subsides! So...”

Koremitsu lifted his head.

He stared at Honoka with a troubled look of desperation.

Honoka’s chest suddenly tightened.

“...please.”

His eyes narrowed painfully as he said hoarsely.

The pained expression was crushing Honoka’s heart,

“Well, please, don’t hate me.”

“Heh?”

Upon seeing how Koremitsu was showing such pained expression, Honoka’s will weakened, and she nonchalantly commented,

“The reason why I said such things to you is because I have a bad personality.”

“Why are you talking about yourself like that?”

Perplexed, Koremitsu asked.

“Anyway, I’m not really asking you not to talk to me, so when there’s trouble, don’t beat around the bush and just tell me directly.”

“Is-is that so...?”

Honoka’s arms were folded in front of her as she showed a high and mighty attitude, but she continued to glance at Koremitsu secretly.

Koremitsu’s head was lowered, and his face was blushing as he poured out his troubles.

He mentioned of a Hikikomori girl called Yū Kanai.

That girl was detained for the year due to lack of attendance, and as of this point, she was the same year as them. He intended to advise her to continue attending school.

However, that girl would not accept his proposal, and got hurt as a result.

Even so, he felt that for her sake, this could not continue, and he definitely had to drag her out of her house.

“That damned useless Hikaru actually watched on like that! I don’t want to rely on someone like him again! He’ll definitely say that I’m too robust, that I don’t understand a girl’s heart, that it became like this because of this... I apologized through the emails, but there’s no response. I’m already at my wits end...”

Koremitsu’s rant was baffling, probably because he was overly distraught, and would frown and mutter from time to time.

Even so, Honoka got the feeling that Koremitsu was worried about Yū Kanai, and how he wanted to bring her out of the house. Whenever she saw him wince, bite his lips, lower his head helplessly, she felt her chest ache.

Honoka too had heard of Yū Kanai.

At that time, Honoka was in her third year of Middle School, and Yū was in her first year of High School. Thus, Honoka only knew that she was bullied by the girls in the same year, did not dare to go to school. She did not know of any other details other than a mysterious event involving her.

Also, Honoka knew that Yū was the beloved of a particular famous person in school.

Honoka never met Yū before, but she felt that the latter was a gentle cute girl any man would want to protect upon seeing her.

For even Koremitsu too was so worried over Yū Kanai...

“I never cared about how I’m isolated and being talked about behind my back, so I’m very insensitive when it comes to such things... after returning home, I calmed down, thought through things, and understood something. Yū’s a girl, weaker than me; there’s no way she dared to go to some place without any friend. Girls need their friends to accompany them to the toilet. They eat their lunches together too... girls always eat together...”

Koremitsu seemed to be furious with himself as he scratched his head violently, and murmured,

“I can’t accompany her to the toilet, and if she follows me, others will isolate her further and say worse things about her. I’m an idiot for not thinking about that... damn it!”

Frustrated, he frowned and clenched his fists.

“Yū still needs female friends. She needs a girl who is courageous, who doesn’t care about the eyes of the people around her, who values relationships, knows how to read the atmosphere, and helps her when she’s troubled. You’re the only one I can think of.”

Koremitsu was staring right at Honoka’s eyes.

It was the same when Aoi was involved.

Such zealous eyes.

Honoka was scorched by his fiery expression, and her body was aching within.

She did not understand why her heart was fluttering, and tried to speak in her usual tone,

“You certainly are working hard here, Akagi. Have you fallen for Kanai?”

The moment she said that, she regretted it.

For Koremitsu clearly looked astounded, and betrayed a look of weakness carelessly.

“...”

He widened his eyes, lowered his stare, took a deep breath, and remained silent with a dejected look.

Honoka’s words revealed the emotion Koremitsu himself had yet to realize, and brought his real thoughts to the surface.

Koremitsu might have thought his feelings for Yū were simply of sympathy and valor.

But at this point, he realized that there were other emotions mixed in.

And Honoka had to be the one who reminded him.

“S-stupid, why aren’t you saying anything? Your expression is really funny here. You’re pretending to look so sentimental even though you’re a delinquent.”

Honoka tried her best to sound positive.

She really wanted to treat what she said before as a joke.

“I’M NOT A DELINQUENT!”

Koremitsu too argued back with a bewildered voice.

It seemed he viewed her comment as a joke.

It’s fine, it’s fine now.

Honoka tried her best to comfort herself in her heart, but did not understand what was fine.

Then, she smiled and said,

“Fine, I can help you. You just need me to be friends with Yū Kanai? Don’t look at me like this? I used to be a girl scout, and I’m good at making friends with introverted girls. Just leave it to me!”

Upon seeing the glowing look on Koremitsu’s face as if basked under sunlight, Honoka suddenly felt an aching in her heart.

Afterwards, Honoka and Koremitsu headed towards the apartment Yū Kanai stayed at.

On their way there, the downpour got heavier, and Honoka opened her red-purple umbrella.

“Eh? You don’t have an umbrella? The weather report says that there’s a 50% chance of it raining today.”

“Doesn’t that mean it won’t rain today?”

“Of course not. Wouldn’t anyone think of bringing an umbrella if they know that there’s a 50% chance of rain today? Guess there’s no chance. Come in.”

She moved the umbrella over Koremitsu’s head.

“I’m fine here.”

“I won’t feel good walking with a man who’s thoroughly soaked.”

She forcefully tried to get Koremitsu under the umbrella.

It was unknown if Koremitsu was embarrassed or trying to be polite as he merely moved shoulder halfway under the umbrella.

Whenever Honoka tried to move the umbrella over to his side, Koremitsu would move away a little.

He was frowning, his lips were tense, and his face was blushing.

Upon seeing him like this, Honoka suddenly had a warm, fuzzy feeling within her.

She actually did not want to meet Yū, but because of Yū, she was able to patch her relationship with Koremitsu.

Thus, it would be best not to think too much, focus on helping Koremitsu, and try her best to build a relationship with Yū.

(Shouldn’t the guy be the one holding the umbrella this time?)

Honoka muttered in her heart, and smiled.

Because her heart was wrung as she felt this boy, who was frowning and tense all over, was being so cute.

They both bought beautiful red, orange jellies as gifts, and arrived at the apartment.

With a stiff face, Koremitsu knocked on the apartment door.

“Yū, it’s me.”

Koremitsu’s gentle and deep voice had a mix of courtesy and hesitation; it was completely impossible to imagine he would have such a tone from his usual demeanour.

“I mentioned in the email that it was my fault yesterday, and I want to apologize to you. I want to let you meet someone... can you open the door?”

It was silent inside; Honoka and Koremitsu waited silently.

“Meow...”

There was a cat’s purring, and the sound of the door being unlocked.

Honoka’s heart thumped loudly.

(What kind of person is Kanai...? Is she prettier than Her Highness Aoi?)

She suddenly felt tense.

The door opened slowly.

A white cat first poked its head out from the bottom of the door, and looked up at them with its clear blue eyes.

Then, a girl draped completely in blue blanket appeared in the five centimeter wide gap at the door.

Shockingly white skin.

Clear eyes.

Lonely looking lips.

Thin strands of hair reaching out from under the blanket.

What caught Honoka’s attention more was that frail, fleeting nature of this girl.

These impressions immediately appeared in Honoka’s sights.

Beside her, Koremitsu heaved a sigh of relief.

“It’s great that you’re willing to open the door, Yū. This is my classmate, Shikibu...”

Honoka tried her best to show her most cheery expression, and just when she was about to greet...

“—!”

Yū suddenly went pale as her expression froze, her eyes brimming with terror, and the blanket draped on her trembled like a wave in the midst of a storm.

This unexpected response startled Koremitsu.

“What’s with you?”

He said as he held the door.

But Yū was not staring at Koremitsu, but at Honoka behind him.

She was looking at Honoka... and the wet umbrella in her hands...

“NO!”

Her trembling lips let out these words of rejection in fear.

She held the door handle with both hands and slammed the door shut.

Cluck. The sound of the door being locked rang, followed by Yū’s sobbing.

“No... I don’t want to go to school! I don’t have an umbrella; I can’t go out! I can’t go to school! There’s nothing to cover me! I’ll be eaten! I’ll be eaten up!”

Honoka never heard such an anguished, poignant outcry before.

In her shock, she suddenly recalled the reason why Yū refused to go to school.

Perhaps... no, definitely.

“Yū! What’s with you!? OPEN UP! YŪ!”

Koremitsu continued to knock on the door and twist the handle, panicking to a point where he nearly damaged the door again.

Honoka grabbed Koremitsu’s hand from behind.

“Akagi, let’s go back for today.”

“What are you saying!? Isn’t it obvious that Yū doesn’t look okay now?”

Koremitsu said with an agitated look.

“It’s probably... because of me.”

“What?”

Koremitsu gave a sceptical look.

“I’ll explain later. Anyway, it’ll be better to leave this place first; Kanai can calm down if you do so. Just listen to me.”

Honoka spoke with an adamant expression and tone as she held onto Koremitsu’s cold and stiff hand tightly.

It seemed Koremitsu was unwilling to accept this predicament, but he suddenly glanced diagonally upwards in surprise, and then...

“...Yū, I’ll visit you another day.”

Dejected, he leaned on the door and said this.

—It’s best that you follow what Miss Shikibu says.

Hikaru said.

He showed an anguished expression, ostensibly enduring the pain.

This guy hasn’t given a single thought about Yū up till now, and now he’s pretending to be concerned? Koremitsu was actually very displeased with Hikaru, and decided not to ask the latter for help, but Honoka’s insistent tone and Hikaru’s expression were forcing him to relent, and he could only endure this heartache as he left Yū’s apartment.

Koremitsu and Honoka arrived at a park nearby.

The gardens had lush trees planted within, flowerbeds and pools with red bricks surrounding them, and a stage with a roof nearby. They went to the stage for shelter, and Honoka started talking about that incident.

“Kanai started to absent herself from school since the rainy season last year... did you know?”

Honoka herself too was in shock, but she continued to stare at Koremitsu with a worried expression.

“Yeah.”

“That time, Kanai was bullied by the others, like say, her items were hidden by people, she was looked down upon, and some deliberately said such vicious lines... the ones who kept bullying her, were all girls.”

“Why girls?”

Don’t you understand ...the wry expression on Honoka’s face seemed to lament this.

“Someone once saw Kanai share an umbrella with a very popular upperclassman in High School. I guess it’s because that upperclassman is a premier noble even in the school, and Kanai was just an ordinary person who managed to enter the school through examinations in Middle School. Everyone said that Kanai approached him herself to leapfrog herself.”

“What nonsense is that? Is there a need for such vicious words just because they shared an umbrella on a rainy day!? What’s wrong about getting in through the exam? What’s wrong with being born in an ordinary family!?”

“...hm, it’s really unreasonable, but... I did mention it the last time we talked about Her Highness Aoi. Our school really pays attention to when each student enrolls, and even segregates them in social classes like this... those people definitely won’t allow someone to break this boundary...”

— Many of the people on our school’s campus enrolled since kindergarten can be classified as ‘nobles’.

Koremitsu recalled the words Honoka said when she discussed about Aoi with him.

Also, when the art club members confessed their resentfulness of Aoi.

— Are you looking down on us because you think you’re a ‘noble’ who’s been in the school since kindergarten?

All the issues like family background were asinine.

Those had nothing to do with personalities.

But the undeniable fact was that the consciousness of social classes was deeply rooted in this school.

And Yū broke the rule.

As a peasant, she managed to latch on to a ‘noble’ male, and was hurt as a result.

In fact, one would have to wonder whether Yū took the initiative, or the upperclassman did... considering how introverted Yū was, Koremitsu felt it would be impossible for her to approach the upperclassman while hoping to scale up the ranks.

However, the others in the school did not care about this; they merely cared about how Yū shared an umbrella with a man of different hierarchy. The girls with a higher standing naturally would not be happy, and the girls who were of the same social class could not forgive her for ‘having a head start’.

— If I go to school, everyone will give me icy stares, and even say some bad things around me.

—I’ll be alone in school.

Yū said this with a shudder while crouched underneath the blanket.

A serene girl like Yū must have felt it unbearable seeing so many stares of hatred from strangers, and hearing so many spiteful words and mockery.

Koremitsu too felt as if there was a scald on his chest.

He was frustrated that he could not help Yū back then, and clenched his fists in distraught.

“The boys too pretended not to notice anything when the girls bullied her. It’s like they didn’t want to get smeared or something.”

Honoka spoke with a heavy tone.

Something happened that time.

One morning, there was a heavy downpour, and Yū’s umbrella disappeared suddenly.

Just when Yū stood in front of the umbrella rack with a crying face, the girls who loved to bully her most snickered and said lots of cruel things to her.

“Ah, your umbrella’s gone? It was there in the morning.”

“Go find a guy who’ll share one with you.”

“Yeah. You’re somebody who knows how to bewitch men anyway.”

“But upperclassman Tōjō doesn’t want to be bothered with such commoners hitching on the nobility’s position.”

And all sorts of random chatter.

Yū’s face paled upon hearing them, and could not say a single thing as she simply wept, shuddered and walked out of the school campus alone.

Many students saw her completely drenched. Her expression hollow like a living corpse as she trudged on.

But nobody shared an umbrella with her.

The next day, Yū did not attend school.

“And then... another major thing happened in school that day.”

Honoka’s tone was filled with tension.

Koremitsu too held his breath in anticipation.

The clouds covered the park’s stage and greenery in shadows, and the rain increased with intensity.

“Someone... saw a vengeful spirit.”

(Vengeful spirit?)

How could there be such a thing on this world? Koremitsu thought, but Hikaru’s soul was floating beside him, hovering silently under the lights of the street lamps.

And Honoka’s expression was dead serious.

“The girls who mocked Kanai in front of the umbrella rack lost their umbrellas, and their umbrellas were dangling on the window sill of the chemistry classroom like dead ghosts... splashed with black water.”

Koremitsu tried to imagine that scene.

The school’s chemistry classroom.

The window covered with rain.

The dangling umbrellas and the black water that dropped.

It certainly was scary.

However,

Koremitsu frowned.

“Isn’t it too farfetched to say they met a vengeful spirit?”

“But that’s not all.”

“There’s still more?”

Honoka nodded with a serious look, and seemed to have difficulty talking.

“Also, someone saw... Kanai running through the rain while holding an umbrella. Her body was dirty all over, her hair was wet and messy, and her expression... didn’t seem normal. It felt very scary...”

“I thought Yū didn’t attend school that day?”

“Right, that’s why there was a rumor going on that Kanai’s living spirit came back for revenge.”

Koremitsu really could not understand.

Yū’s living spirit suddenly came out for revenge, and dirtied the umbrellas of those girls who bullied her?

How could such a thing happen?

Besides, would Yū really have the courage to take revenge? If her personality was that feisty, she would not be hiding inside the house all day long, and would have started a new life.

In fact, Yū seemed terrified of the classmates who bullied her, and he could not detect any trace of malice.

The way she exclaimed ‘I’ll be eaten up’ resembled more of an inerasable fear with regards to this intangible vengeful spirit.

(What’s going on...)

Koremitsu gritted his teeth as he thought.

The only thing he could be certain of was that because of the mass bullying, Yū was terrified of rain, and shut herself in.

And nobody stood up to protect her.

What expression would Hikaru have shown if he heard this? Koremitsu would clearly be fuming if he saw Hikaru’s forsaken expression, so he resisted the urge to look in that direction.

However, his rage rose up his throat in a surging manner, and his abdomen was throbbing.

He held his breath as he listened to Honoka’s words.

“Kanai closed the door in fear probably because she recalled that incident.”

Raining.

Umbrella.

Girl in uniform.

(How did that...)

Those triggered Yū’s fear.

“Akagi...”

Honoka saw the grim expression on Koremitsu’s face as he clenched his fists, and called out worriedly,

“I’ll find a way regarding Kanai’s matter. Don’t act impulsively for now. The Matriarch Asa and the Head of Teaching Staff have their sights on you.”

“...Got it.”

Koremitsu sighed heavily, and growled,

“Thanks for accompanying me, and sorry for dragging you into this. I’m reflecting over this, and I hope this won’t cause you any trouble.”

“I don’t find this troublesome at all! Your opinion of me is now too low! Why don’t you rely on me more!?”

Honoka glared at Koremitsu as she said that.

That was a ferocious expression Yū definitely would not have.

“Thanks.”

Koremitsu bowed to her.

“If there’s any more problems, I’ll talk to you again.”

Honoka continued to stare at Koremitsu, her expression divided between worry and doubt.

The rain showed no signs of relenting.

“Sorry, Shikibu. You can head back first.”

“...what about you?”

“I’ll check on Yū first before heading back. I won’t do anything rash.”

Honoka gave a serious expression as she remained silent, and after a while, said,

“If I go back together... Kanai will definitely be terrified. I-I’ll accompany you until the apartment. You don’t have an umbrella anyway. I’ll wait there for you.”

“It’s fine. I’ll just buy one from the convenience store.”

Honoka raised her eyebrows as she stared at Koremitsu. Then, she pushed the handle of the wet folded umbrella into his hand.

“Use this.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll call home and get someone to pick me up. Otherwise, I’ll go to the convenience store to buy an umbrella or a raincoat.”

“This is your umbrella. Use it for yourself.”

Koremitsu wanted to return the umbrella to Honoka, but she pushed it back at him with more force.

“No, you definitely won’t buy an umbrella. Use it now, or I’ll go with you! I won’t just follow you till Kanai’s apartment; I’ll send you to your house while holding the umbrella.”

Honoka seemed to be throwing a little tantrum.

Do I look that feeble right now?

Just when Koremitsu was in self-doubt...

A white pretty hand rested gently on both Honoka and Koremitsu’s arms.

A clear delightful voice rang in the rain.

“Thank you. We will borrow it as a talisman.”

Hikaru showed a gentle smile that could melt the gloom in Koremitsu’s heart, and said softly,

“Right, Koremitsu?”

His golden, glittering, transparent hair was not drenched as he stood under the bright road lights, and fluttered beside his clear white cheeks. He raised his lips, smiled gently, and said this to Koremitsu with a mature expression.

(Why must you interrupt here?)

Koremitsu rolled his eyes at Hikaru,

“Then... I’ll use it... as a talisman.”

He said gingerly.

I’m not listening to Hikaru’s advice. This isn’t it...

Honoka’s hands and expression immediately relaxed as she showed a teary look, but she again immediately showed her usual feisty look.

“Right, it’ll definitely work.”

Her cheeks blushed as she said cheerily, and she pushed the umbrella to Koremitsu’s chest.

She was ostensibly saying, take it.

Koremitsu’s heart immediately lifted.

“Thank you...”

He said softly in an embarrassed manner, and opened the bright red and purple umbrella.

With Honoka waving him goodbye, Koremitsu walked into the cold rain and head for Yū’s apartment.

The apartment’s lights were not switched on as he could only see pitch darkness through the window.

With an uneasy feeling, he approached the door, and tapped it,

“Yū...”

A hoarse voice rang.

“Are you inside, Yū?”

A slight sound came from within the door; the anxiety and grief nearly caused his heart to explode.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought Shikibu along without informing you. But she’s a good person, different from those who bullied you.”

A soft sound came from behind the door.

“If you promise to go to school, Shikibu will definitely help you.”

The continual downpour drowned out Koremitsu’s voice, rendering it into fragments.

What can I say to remove Yū’s fear? What exactly can I do for her?

At this point, Hikaru too was beside Koremitsu, but the latter deliberately chose not to look in his direction. He did not want to ask for his help either way.

At this moment, a weak voice came from behind the door.

“...without an umbrella... I can’t go to school.”

The voice seemed to originate from somewhere close. Yū was behind the door. Koremitsu’s heart immediately raised, and he pricked his ears hard.

“That umbrella’s... my talisman... something that can provide shelter for me... but the umbrella is gone now...”

There was sobbing mixed with the voice. Yū was crying.

“I always... had the same dream... that the sea surface is rippling, that the waves are becoming tall... that there’s a black fish opening its mouth wide, and swallowing the umbrella whole. I wanted to grab onto the umbrella, but I couldn’t catch it... and then, even I was eaten up whole by the fish. I was discovered because my umbrella’s gone... I can’t escape...”

What could he do to stop Yū’s tears?

Would Yū ever have the courage to open the door again?

Hikaru remained silent.

He was being a busybody a moment before, but at this point, he simply stood silently beside Koremitsu.

She’s someone important to you! And you’re saying that you can’t do anything because you’re a ghost! You can see and hear, and yet you’re not doing anything at all! You’re just keeping your mouth shut, frowning away!

I won’t rely on someone like you again!

Koremitsu leaned his head on the door, and exclaimed,

“DON’T CRY, YŪ! I...I’LL GET YOUR UMBRELLA BACK FOR YOU!”

### 005. Chapter 5: The Excuses of a Noble

Is it possible to get back an umbrella that was lost a year ago?

(Logically, it should have been thrown away long ago...)

The next day, Koremitsu went to Yū’s classroom.

They were both in their first year of High School, but as there were a lot of students in their academic year, her classroom was very far from Koremitsu’s, located on the second floor.

There was an umbrella rack at the wall on the side of the corridor, and there were two to three umbrellas in there. The weather was pleasant, and the clear sunlight shining through the window was blinding.

There was a continuous downpour since morning on the day when Yū’s umbrella went missing, so there must have been a lot of umbrellas in there.

But only Yū’s umbrella disappeared.

Did the people who loved to torment Yū hide the umbrella?

But their umbrellas disappeared the next day, and were found dangling in the chemistry classroom.

—Someone... saw a vengeful spirit

—There was a rumor going on that Kanai’s living spirit came back for revenge.

Koremitsu did not believe such absurd words.

But who exactly hung the umbrellas in the chemistry classroom?

Who was the one who stole Yū’s umbrella? Or is it something else...

The window was opened, and a draft blew in immediately. The plants in the vast school yard were dazzling after being washed by the rain yesterday, and the lively voices of the students could be heard as well.

It was such a peaceful scenery.

(...to think that there’re bullying incidents in such a pretty and wholesome school.)

He was bitter about it.

When he was in Middle School, there were often delinquents from other schools who would trouble him, or even look for fights.

Most of the time, there were many opponents, and he was alone. He hated to run away, and did not want to surrender to the despicable them, who cowardly armed themselves and ganged up on him. Thus, he would try his best to fight back.

He thought such a thing would not happen again in High School...

However, he did not expect such a hideous act in such a peaceful school. Normally, if there were simple-minded delinquents looking for trouble with him, he could have settled it on the spot. Bullying was something done behind the scenes however, so it felt scarier.

Perhaps the more irreproachable it seemed on the surface, the more the opposite was true.

Perhaps they wanted to cover things up with a clean impression as the inside was too dirty.

Just when Koremitsu stared at the empty umbrella rack with a sharp expression,

“Ah! A-Akagi...”

A startled voice came from behind.

The class rep with braids was standing behind Koremitsu, and the eyes under the lens were widened.

“Wh-wha-what are you doing here?”

“I’m about to ask you why are you so startled”

“I-I-I-I-I-I-I was looking for Class 8’s representative to discuss about the next class representative, and saw you staring at another class’ umbrella rack on the way here... if you intend to install a bomb, I’ll advise you not to do so here... no, please don’t do it anywhere.”

The class rep backed away tentatively as she advised, fulfilling her duty as the class representative.

(Bomb... what kind of person does she see me as!?)

He lost all strength to be annoyed, and his shoulders fell.

At this moment, a children’s song ‘Uncle Policeman Dog’ rang in Michiru’s skirt pocket.

“Woah!”

Michiru panicked as she hurriedly took out her cellphone, and saw there was a new message on the screen.

Do you have to use such a tune ... just when Koremitsu was dumbfounded by this, he suddenly noticed Michiru’s expression turning pale.

Something similar seemed to have happened before.

There was an anonymous chain-email sent to Honoka’s cellphone, talking about Hikaru’s death.

“Hey, what’s going on?”

“Erm, I just received a strange email.”

With her trembling hands, Michiru showed the cellphone screen to Koremitsu.

And upon seeing this, Koremitsu was furious.

“The women who were with Lord Hikaru. First Act: ‘Yū Kanai’.”

“Give me that!”

Koremitsu snatched Michiru’s cellphone and read carefully.

“The vengeful spirit who refuses to attend school. Is Yū Kanai’s living spirit the one who killed Lord Hikaru?”

The content of the email was enough to make his head boil over.

(Damn it! Who sent this email!? I won’t forgive him!)

He returned the cellphone back to the terrified looking Michiru, and with a dark aura surrounding him, he stomped off.

Michiru, who was left alone, was looking around with a pale expression.

“W-w-w-wh-wha-what should I do? He looks really angry for some reason~ maybe he’ll go bomb someone. If someone from our class does such a thing, I will have to bear responsibility as the class rep. Wahh, th-that’s right! Got to notify Hono first! She’s strong since she learnt kick boxing at a gym, and she did beat up Akagi before. HONOOO~ AKAGI’S UP TO NO GOOD AGAIN!!!”

She hollered as she dashed back to her classroom again.

And so, Koremitsu—

“Yū’s not some vengeful spirit! I’ll prove that to everyone!”

His face was numb, and his eyebrows were raised higher than usual. All students within two meters ran away in fear.

“Who’s the one spreading such stupid messages around? What’s his aim?”

He grumbled on.

“Maybe that person didn’t have an objective in mind, but just wants to see everyone being toyed by these rumors.”

A solemn voice came from beside.

Koremitsu glanced over slightly, and stared at Hikaru’s melancholic face that was looming forward.

He immediately looked away and bit his lips.

(I won’t bother asking you here. Since you love to act like a ghost, I’ll just pretend that you’re a ghost.)

He grumbled.

He walked towards the third year classroom with fixated eyes.

He was going to meet Shungo Tōjō, the one they said Yū was trying to latch upon.

The students standing on the corridor were two years older than he was, and they resembled more like adults.

“Hey, isn’t that the freshman they’re talking about?”

“Why is he at the third year classrooms?”

“He really looks vicious. I heard he had been harassing the Prince for quite a while. Has our school fallen so much that we let such a hoodlum move around?

“I heard he was the one who killed Lord Hikaru. Is that true?”

There were icy stares from all around, as if they found an intruder.

Koremitsu did not back down as he raised his chin.

“I’m looking for a guy called Tōjō.”

He said at the classroom entrance, and there was an immediate buzz.

The students exchanged troubled looks with each other. “It’s better if we report this to the teachers as soon as possible...” somebody even muttered this.

At this moment, with stares upon him, a male student approached Koremitsu.

It was a handsome man.

His back was straight, and his walking posture was full of flair.

His black hair was combed neatly.

He had a masculine chin line, and his facial features were well chiseled.

His prim attire, fluid motions, and arrogant expression reeked of nobility.

Koremitsu frowned. He felt uncomfortable all over, as if his scabbed wounds were being scratched apart again.

“I’m Tōjō.”

The deep, sonorous voice was dolorous to Koremitsu’s ears as well.

“Upperclassman Tōjō’s ability to charm women is on par with Lord Hikaru’s.”

Honoka did say this before.

However, he was a completely different person from the latter.

This man in front of him did not have the gentle sense of transparency Hikaru had, and did not have the charisma that would soothe anyone.

There was a more masculine vibe to him, and he did not seem to be a youth, but a matured man. However, as he was already two years older than Hikaru, this impression was to be expected.

Once both of them moved to the corridor, Koremitsu went straight to the point.

“I’ve something to ask you. It’s about Yū Kanai.”

Tōjō frowned.

“I have nothing to say about that incident.”

“I heard that Yū refused to come to school because you two shared the same umbrella.”

Tōjō gave Koremitsu a cold stare.

“Ahh, that certainly was the case. But she merely shared an umbrella with me on a rainy day and walked with me for 10 minutes. Her refusing to come to school is her own personal matter, and there certainly is no need for me to be questioned by you.”

“What are you say-”

Koremitsu was completely infuriated by this.

What nonsense is this pretentious bastard actually saying!? It’s her own business that she refuses to come to school? Are you saying you don’t need to bear any responsibility!?

“That is just inappropriate behaviour done by a few girls in the minority. Once she stopped attending school, the slurs and slanders about our relationship disappeared, but she still refused to come to school even now. Thus, it is her personal matter.”

“The reason why Yū doesn’t dare to come to school is because someone hung the umbrellas of those girls who bullied her, and now there are rumors that she called in a vengeful spirit.”

“Isn’t that even less of my concern?”

Tōjō answered coldly and showed an aloof attitude.

Koremitsu felt his face stiffen and his breathing become hurried.

Tōjō however continued with his logical, business-like attitude,

“Are you implying that I toyed with Yū Kanai’s emotions and abandoned her? Let me make this clear, I am very clear on exactly what kind of woman I should go out with. My type is only those born in the rich and privileged, well-nurtured princesses with excellent upbringing. My relatives definitely will not accept girls that came in after Middle School, or even from families running small and medium Enterprises. Even if I really do, the differences in social classes on both sides will wear us out. I definitely can’t date such a person seriously. Why do those girls not understand this, and yet continue to envy Yū Kanai?”

Tōjō sighed with exasperation. In his furor, Koremitsu punched him in the face.

Tōjō tumbled backwards, his back slamming into the wall. At this moment, Koremitsu grabbed him by the collar and yelled,

“HAVE YOU HAD ENOUGH!? YŪ’S STILL TERRIFIED WHEN SHE SEES GIRLS WEARING SCHOOL UNIFORM, AND SHE’LL THINK OF HOW SHE WAS BULLIED! SHE’LL CUDDLE UNDER THE BLANKET AND SHUDDER WHENEVER SHE SEES RAIN, SAYING THAT SHE CAN’T GO OUT WITHOUT AN UMBRELLA! THAT MAY JUST BE SOME STUPID THING SOME FOOLISH WOMEN DID FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, JUST A THING OF THE PAST, BUT YŪ’S STILL NOT RELEASED FROM THAT PAST! SHE LOCKED HERSELF IN THE DARK ROOM FOR THIS PAST YEAR, SUFFERING ALONE, AND YOU DARE SAY THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU!?”

Yū was so timid that she covered her entire body with the blanket, whimpering, “I don’t want to go to school.”

She shuddered, and said that she rather starve to death than go to school.

Her face was deathly pale as she panicked from the mere sight of Honoka holding an umbrella—

What do you mean it has nothing to do with you!?

Koremitsu was completely infuriated.

Since he felt that Yū was not someone he should go out with, why must he share an umbrella with her?

Koremitsu did not know whether Yū took the initiative in approaching Tōjō, or that the latter did it on impulse.

But it did not matter who started it.

(But why didn’t you refuse her!? Why did you brazenly share the umbrella with her!?)

Since you feel that she’s not someone worth going out with for real because of the differences in family background, why did you approach her so casually!? If you don’t want to bear responsibility, why did you do that!?

He wrecked Yū’s daily life without remorse, and did not step up to protect her.

Such a man had no right to mention Yū’s name!

Koremitsu exerted strength in his hands as he forcefully grabbed Tōjō by the collar.

Tōjō winced.

A crowd started to gather, and even a teacher came by. The bell chime indicating the end of break time rang, clearly dissonant from this tense standoff.

Tōjō pushed Koremitsu’s hand aside,

“It’s fine.” He told the teacher with an unnatural voice.

The teacher gave Tōjō a troubled look, and then looked over at Koremitsu again.

Tōjō quickly tidied his hair and ruffled clothes.

“The tests are about to begin. You should hurry back to your own classroom too.”

After saying that, he left.

“H-hurry off now,” the teacher stammered.

Koremitsu continued to glare at Tōjō for quite a while, before he turned back and ran off.

Upon seeing Koremitsu dash back to the classroom, Honoka heaved a sigh of relief.

However, his expression was menacingly solemn, and she frowned worriedly. For the entire test period, she kept glancing over at Koremitsu.

The latter was scribbling hard, apparently venting his rage towards Tōjō. The graph on the maths tests resembled Tōjō’s face, and Koremitsu continued to groan as his eyes scorched with rage from time to time.

The test ended, and once break came, he still looked unappeased.

“Akagi...”

Honoka called him,

“I-I’m fine.”

Koremitsu muttered, dragged the door aside, and walked out of the classroom.

He was headed for the toilet, and as he continued to splash water onto his face at the basin, the water splattered everywhere.

Once the other students entered and discovered the red-haired delinquent washing his face with a massive killing intent, they ran away and they did not dare to use the toilet.

The contracting and swirling feeling of his organs did not dissipate however, and Koremitsu started to be furious with himself.

“Let’s go to school. If anyone bullies you, I’ll beat him up good.”

The moment he said these words, Yū merely stared at him timidly.

Beating others up was not going to solve this matter; it was not so simple.

I knew that—he was vexed by his shallow awareness. If he had punched Tōjō in front of Yū, he would have terrified her. The moment he thought of this, he started to regret doing that...

He probably spent more than 5 minutes washing his face.

Once his mind finally managed to calm down, he was drenched all over, and yet his throat was parched. What was reflected on the mirror was someone with a savage expression and dripping, messy hair.

Hikaru could not be seen on the mirror, but Koremitsu knew he was probably standing behind with a relaxed look.

“You don’t have to worry.”

A gentle voice came from behind.

Koremitsu grabbed the basin by both sides as he glared at the mirror. He did not want to look back no matter what.

“...I suppose it’s good that Mr Shungo got punched once.”

A comforting voice entered Koremitsu’s ears.

“As the heir of the Tōjō family, I suppose nobody in this school would dare to beat Mr Shungo up.”

(That guy knew who he was...?)

Koremitsu wanted to look back, but he still held onto the edge of the basin as he resisted the urge.

(Damn it, who’s going to listen to you here!? It’s useless even if you try to act sincere!)

He gritted his teeth in pain, but he was certainly curious about Hikaru’s relationship with Tōjō.

Hikaru ostensibly did not notice the complication in Koremitsu’s heart, and he continued with a tranquil voice,

“Mr Shungo’s family—the Tōjō family had always assisted the Mikado family. You have probably heard of the Mikado Group, I suppose? It has a large scale of operations that includes banks as well; and the Chairman is the head of the Mikado family, my father. However, some said that the ones controlling the Mikado Group is not the titular person, but the Tōjō family that was doing the actual operations. In other words, the relationship between me, born out of wedlock... and Mr Shungo, may be a little complicated...”

So one of them was the son of a Corporate Magnate, while the other was the heir of the family running the Corporation? If Hikaru were a prince, Tōjō would be the Chancellor’s son?

Koremitsu did not want to listen, but he could not help but do so. If he covered his ears or yelled at him to be quiet, he would be admitting Hikaru’s existence...

“Also, Mr Shungo is Miss Aoi’s cousin.”

(Aoi’s!?)

“On a side note, the cousin of the sister-in-law of the husband of Mr Shungo’s father’s third sister is the nephew of Asa’s father’s cousin’s cousin.”

“THIS RELATIVE RELATIONSHIP IS TOO COMPLICATED! WHO IN THE WORLD WILL UNDERSTAND THIS!!!???”

Uh oh! I wanted to pretend that I didn’t hear this, but I couldn’t help but react at this! Koremitsu hurriedly closed his mouth and stared at the basin.

“Yeah, the family relationship between those people is really hard to understand. Do you want me to slowly explain it to you?”

Suddenly, another person’s voice rang.

And it came from the toilet cubicle!

The door with a ‘faulty’ sign stuck on it opened with a creak, and a busty petite girl hopped out from within, shocking Koremitsu.

“WHA! YOU—THIS IS THE MALE’S TOILET!”

“So?”

Hiina Oumi of the news club was holding onto a toilet brush, smiling as she leaned onto Koremitsu, and continued in her usual rapid-fire manner,

“One of my hobby is to collect information while scrubbing the toilet in a lavatory. A lavatory is a place where anyone could relax, reveal their true selves, and spill out their inner secrets. Occasionally, I can find out about some things like lynchings or extortions, so it’s really intense! How about you hide inside the toilet with me next time, Akagi? You’ll definitely see the new world!”

“I don’t want to know about that kind of thing. Don’t stick to me with that toilet scrub in your hand. Get out.”

Koremitsu wanted to push Hiina aside, but she clung onto him with her extremely elastic breasts and thighs.

“It isn’t good to be so aloof, is it? I’m capable in other things besides cleaning the toilet. You seem to be troubled when you muttered to yourself. I might be able to provide information you want to know.”

“Wh-what do you mean?”

Hiina lifted her head, and her large eyes were staring at Koremitsu with hidden intent in them. He was shocked by the way she changed from a tempting little devil to a cheeky youth.

“It means that I can help explain the role Lord Hikaru plays in the Mikado family, and whoever gets the most benefits—after Lord Hikaru’s death.”

Koremitsu felt a jolt within, and nearly looked over at Hikaru, only to stop himself, “It’s none of my business” and quietly reminded himself.

“I don’t need! And aren’t you being too suspicious here.”

“Eh!? Such words really hurt my heart! I’m already being so honest, so what are you unhappy about, Akagi?”

“Normally, girls won’t dare to look at me in the eyes, and will run away upon seeing me. But you took the initiative to approach me, and you’re not scared of me. It’s really weird, and stop sticking onto me.”

Hiina backed away from Koremitsu, and showed a sorrowful expression.

“Such thinking... it really is a pity. You actually think that every woman who approaches you has some devious ploy.”

“Uu...”

Upon seeing her show a serious expression and speak with a soft tone, Koremitsu was at a loss of words.

(I-I’m not wrong when I say this... probably.)

But Hiina’s expression was slowly eroding away his confidence the more he looked on.

“When a woman approaches you, sometimes, it’s because she’s attracted to you as the opposite gender... don’t you feel this way, Akagi?”

(Impossible, definitely not.)

He was unable to hold in his feelings any further, and slowly backed away.

“I’m returning to the classroom. If you want to scrub the toilet, go to the girls’. Maybe you might get praised during morning assembly or something.”

“Please don’t run away!”

Hiina leapt onto his body.

“Oi!”

The warm fleshy body dripping in sweat was sticking onto Koremitsu, and he was utterly bewildered as he could feel her ample breasts through the thin short-sleeved blouse pressing onto his abdomen.

Hikaru stood beside them, and with a subdued voice,

“I suppose I should ask now, at what point shall I turn around? Can I see the kiss at least?”

Asked calmly.

“FORGET ABOUT IT!”

Koremitsu knew he should have ignored it, but he could not help but yell.

“Relax, I’ll make you feel completely good. Just leave it to me.”

“Wait, don’t stick your face onto my neck! It’s itchy!”

“Let me tell you this, Akagi. Yū Kanai ‘isn’t an unimportant person’ to upperclassman Tōjō.”

Upon hearing Hiina mutter this at his neck, Koremitsu immediately forgot to resist.

“Because upperclassman Tōjō ‘knew that Lord Hikaru would visit Yū Kanai’s apartment’... because he viewed Lord Hikaru as...”

Just when Koremitsu was gradually attracted by Hiina’s words.

“UWAAAAHHH!”

A scream came from the lavatory’s entrance.

“AKAGI DRAGGED A GIRL INTO THE MEN’S TOILET~!!!”

(WHAT!?)

Startled, Koremitsu pushed aside Hiina and ran out of the toilet with a ghastly pale expression. At this moment, there was buzzing on the corridor.

“I heard that delinquent Akagi did it in the toilet!”

“He forcefully brought a girl to such a place and pushed her down here!”

As Koremitsu remained startled, Hiina poked her head out from beside him,

“Wow, so we’re an official couple from today onwards. This love that develops from rape sounds like a shōjo manga~”

And gave a hypocritical grin.

“Congratulations Akagi.”

The Second Year Student Council President of the High School Branch, widely dubbed as the Matriach Asa, Asai Saiga, said to Koremitsu with an icy expression full of humiliation, disgust and ridicule.

“Your lewd act shall be recorded into the annals of the highly prestigious Heian Academy’s dark history, and will live on as a legacy forever.”

All the tests for the day had ended, and after school...

Koremitsu was fuming as he sat on the chair in the student counselling room, staring at Asai in front of him.

(Why is this person the one asking me instead of the teachers? Is the position of the Student Council President this high up?)

“The teachers all trust Asa a lot. Though she will sometimes use her authority to fire bad teachers, or force unruly students to drop out, but she is still just and capable. You don’t have to glare at her with such suspicious look.”

Hikaru was practically begging as he remained behind Koremitsu.

However, as she was someone powerful who could fire teachers and force students to drop out, even as a student, Koremtisu really could not let his guard down.

Even if they’re cousins, isn’t Hikaru too protective of this person!? Of course, Koremitsu chose to ignore Hikaru’s words.

“I said before that I didn’t pull her into the toilet, and I didn’t do anything bad to her. All I did was say a few words.”

“Is there a need to enter the male toilet?”

“Th-there’s a reason for that.”

“And what reason do you have for hugging a girl in the male’s toilet.”

“I didn’t hug her!”

“There were witnesses saying that you forcefully pushed Oumi down without caring about her resistance.”

“THAT’S JUST AN ILLUSION CAUSED BY BIAS!”

“Do they not have this bias because of your usual actions? If we consider everything, there is a possibility of you doing that.”

Asai deliberately raised her voice as she muttered to herself.

“Ugh!!!”

Looking at how the conversation had been going, it seemed he would simply continue to hear her snide comments.

“Anyway, I didn’t do anything. That’s all I want to say. Is there anything else?”

He stood up.

“Wait a moment. There’s still an important thing I haven’t asked.”

Asai said sternly.

Koremitsu stopped.

She sat on the chair unflinching as her sharp stare matched her voice.

“I heard you punched Tōjō?”

Tōjō was a third year, and was older than Asai, but she called him by his family name without honorifics.

“...that guy did something worth being punched for.”

Koremitsu suppressed his rage as he hissed.

“Is it about Yū Kanai?”

Asai’s question caused Koremitsu’s shoulders to jerk in surprise.

(She knew about everything? I can’t underestimate this woman after all.)

“Yeah.”

Koremitsu did not avoid her stare as he looked straight at her.

Asai raised her lips slightly.

“Because Hikaru went to Yū Kanai’s house when he was alive?”

“...yeah.”

“It looks like you’re still pretending to be Hikaru’s substitute.”

There was scathing criticism and impatience in her tone.

Koremitsu held his breath.

—It’s impossible for you to express Hikaru’s feelings.

What Asai said in the past appeared in his mind again.

Asai showed a vicious expression just as the one she showed back then, and continued,

“Someone as shallow as you will never ever understand Hikaru’s true wishes and hopes.”

If he had heard this line a week ago, he definitely would have argued with her till his dying breath.

He would have proudly said, Hikaru and I are friends, and since he requested me for help, I want to help pass his feelings.

But at this point, upon hearing Asai’s words, he did not have any confidence at all.

He really did not know what Hikaru was thinking.

He did not know what the latter was trying to get him to do, what Hikaru felt when the request to meet Yū was made, and did not know why Hikaru chose to remain oblivious about Yū. He did not understand Hikaru’s wishes, expectations, love life and so on.

He did not want to look back at Hikaru, who was eavesdropping on their conversation.

“...Hikaru really values Yū, and even if he dies, he won’t let Yū remain in that house forever. H-Hikaru’s really worried about Yū.”

Asai showed a sneer on her lips.

“You say that Hikaru really values Yū Kanai? She’s just one of the numerous playmates to him. No, perhaps she might not even be a playmate.”

(This woman... actually knew of the relationship between Hikaru and Yū?)

Koremitsu’s stomach churned, and Hikaru did not say anything as he stood behind. Normally, this person would interject even on the slightest matter, and he chose to remain silent at this point?

“No, Hikaru really values her. Why would that harem prince go to a girl’s house when the girl can’t possibly strip and make out with him?”

Koremitsu argued vehemently as he glared back.

Asai frowned as she showed disdain.

“Your verbal etiquette is really crude.”

“Yeah, I’m not some high-class noble after all.”

“So that’s why you sniff around like a dog? Do you not know how dangerous and foolish this is?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m saying you’ll have a vengeful spirit sticking to you.”

Asai snapped back.

Koremitsu was speechless by the boldness in Asai’s declaration, and she continued with a stern warning tone,

“Do you think that they don’t exist? In fact, there are such vengeful spirits in this school, whether in the past, or now. Yū Kanai is devoured by that thing; because of the rumors that she bewitched Tōjō, the envy and malice of the girls became a sentient apparition that attacked her. Things didn’t end there; even the girls who bullied her were hurt by this apparition as well. It continues to spread through the ears and mouth, creating new vengeful spirits as well. Akagi, if you continue to dig up that incident and remind everyone of it, you will bring about new rumors of malice, and this will not only bring no benefit to Yū Kanai, but also damage the reputation of Hikaru, who got involved with her, and wreck the order of the school. As Hikaru’s cousin, and the Student Council President of the High School branch, I definitely won’t sit back and watch you carry out your misdeeds.“

Asai sat upright, and her tone was calm and clear; she was a splitting image of Tōjō, and that infuriated Koremitsu.

But she was correct. These vengeful spirits are definitely built up from the dark emotions within the human heart.

His actions will definitely trigger a new wave of chaos and rumors in the school.

Asai’s worries were logical.

“Even so, if I leave her alone, Yū will never be able to shake off this vengeful spirit!”

Whenever he recalled the sight of Yū, cuddled under the blanket and sobbing away, his skin and chest would tear apart from the pain, and his head and heart will heat up.

“One year ago, nobody protected Yū.”

All the people in this school abandoned that fragile and kind girl.

Hikaru too said he was a helpless ghost after bringing Koremitsu to her, and did not interfere.

At this point, Koremitsu did not understand what sort of feelings Hikaru had for Yū, and what sort of promise he made with her.

Perhaps it was just as Asai had said, that he had no right to be Hikaru’s representative.

But none of these matter—

“I’LL PROTECT HER THIS TIME! IF THERE’S A VENGEFUL SPIRIT, I’LL BEAT IT UP GOOD SO THAT IT WON’T APPROACH YŪ AGAIN!!”

This intense emotion that rose up his throat was real.

No matter what Hikaru thought of Yū, It doesn’t matter. Even if Yū was simply one of Hikaru’s numerous playmates—as Asai had said, I’ll definitely not abandon Yū!

I’ll protect Yū!

I’ll fight with this vengeful spirit until the bitter end, until it runs away crying! I’ll make sure Yū won't show that timid, lonely expression, and live her school life happily!

Asai glared at Koremitsu furiously. She certainly must have felt that he was shallow-minded, but he did not bother with her.

He seized the opportunity to walk out of the student counselling room before he heard any discomforting words.

Behind him,

“Hold it there.”

Asai called out, but he did not stop at all.

Asai bit her lips at the room’s entrance as she watched the back of Koremitsu Akagi leave.

“So cool...”

A teasing tone came from behind the door, and she turned back in shock.

Hiina Oumi of the news club was giving a teasing look, and beside her, Honoka Shikibu was showing a pale expression; at this point, Asai inadvertently frowned.

Those two were certainly standing at the student counselling room entrance with the aim to eavesdrop on their conversation. Hiina Oumi had her own motives, while Honoka Shikibu was probably worried about Koremitsu.

“Sorry, I was... just passing through.”

Honoka lowered her head awkwardly as she said this.

Hiina however showed an unperturbed look,

“I’ll protect her—isn’t it? Wow, that’s so moving. Akagi’s really a good man after all. I’m about to fall in love with him.”

She said eagerly.

Honoka, standing beside her, looked startled however.

Asai stared at both of them, looked over at where Koremitsu stormed off to, and said in spite,

“It’s really sickening to see a man who’ll carelessly says he will protect anyone.”

(I’ll protect Yū!)

It was the midst of the midterms, and there was no one to be seen on the eerily quiet corridors. Koremitsu’s eyes were blazing as he stormed forward in large strides.

“I’ll chase away that spirit and terrify that poker-faced Asai Saiga!”

“I want to see Asa tremble in fear too... but Koremitsu, is this really good?”

A clear voice suddenly rang.

Koremitsu was intent on pretending not to hear Hikaru, but the latter’s heavy sigh and hesitant attitude sparked his concern.

(What? What’s not good about this?)

The awkward silence caused an urge to glance aside, but before Koremitsu could do so, he heard Hikaru’s solemn voice,

“If Yū manages to shake off her vengeful spirit, you will lose her.”

Koremitsu suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He looked back, and found Hikaru’s expression to be as somber as ever.

Hikaru showed a pensive expression as he was seemingly informing Koremitsu of an inevitable disaster, and said,

“I know how to avoid this situation, and I can tell you that. How about it, Koremitsu? Do you want to hear me out?”

### 006. Chapter 6: The Vengeful Spirit is Over There

Honoka switched on her home computer, accessed her homepage, and the luxurious wallpaper and fancy words on the purple wallpaper appeared in her eyes.

This “Purple Princess' Mansion” was a website she set up two years ago, could be navigated through computer or cellphone, and had publications of the novels she wrote.

The enthralling and sickly sweet love stories she wrote were popular with the girls, were highly rated, and her website was a hot favorite.

The author, Purple Princess, was hailed as a love expert, and the blog comments and mailbox were all filled with comments and mails about girls venting their love frustrations, asking the Purple Princess for suggestion.

And so, the Purple Princess—Honoka, personally answered all the questions one by one.

“Hello there, Purple Princess!

I’m a student in my second year of Middle School.

I just started dating with my boyfriend for around a month.

He’s a candid sporty boy, joins the tennis club, will bring me to watch soccer or tennis matches when we’re on dates, and may even play some basketball while we’re on the road.

I feel happy when I go out with him... but I’m completely useless at sports, and I don’t understand when I watch sports （≧д≦）ノ

Whenever I play tennis with him, I just can’t catch the ball; I really feel like a burden!

But he always tells me, you can improve if you practice more, A-mi, do your best! And will bring me to play tennis again the next week.

I really like him, but if this keeps up, I just feel that it’ll be painful going out with him at this rate!

What can I do? I’m really, really troubled here!

PS:

I’ve read the novel that updated this week! I was really excited when I saw the scene where Takuma chased after Natsuno from behind and hugged her tightly!! (ノノノ▽ノノノ)

“Hello there, Miss A-mi,

It’s really a troubling matter that his interests don’t match yours.

My friend complained before that on dates, she wants to go to pasta and crepes shops, but he would always bring her to ramen shops when she doesn’t want to!

She too is like you, Miss A-mi, in that she likes her boyfriend too, and doesn’t want to make him unhappy. That’s why she didn’t dare say that she prefers pasta.

One day, she finally summoned her courage, and her boyfriend was very surprised by it, Why did you keep quiet about it!? He even chided her angrily for this.

Later, when they dated, they would take turns going to ramen shops and the shops she recommended, and she happily said that though she doesn't like pork ramen, she does find salt ramen to be really delicious.

So, I think you should try talking it through with your boyfriend, Miss A-mi.

You may be scared and nervous.

That's why this Purple Princess will give you an advice.

Before you begin, hold him gently by the hands.

If he's shocked, and asks you “What's the matter?”, continue holding his hands, lower your head slightly, show tears in your eyes, and look at him with your most pitiful expression.

You must tell him your thoughts with a feeling that you mustn't let go of those hands. and he'll definitely understand!”

After finishing her reply, Honoka recalled something she did not want to recall, and started feeling depressed again.

She leaned her right cheek on the table, and let out a sigh.

(Why does my heart hurt whenever I think about Akagi...)

On the previous day, when she lent Koremitsu the foldable umbrella at the park's stage, he frowned hesitantly.

But after a moment of doubt, his stiff expression suddenly relaxed a little.

—Then... I'll use it... as a talisman.

When he said this line awkwardly, Honoka was nearly moved to tears. Her throat felt a little pricky, but she was still happy, smiling away like a fool.

—Right, it'll definitely work.

After saying that, she pushed the umbrella into Koremitsu's hands.

With a teary, smiling expression, she watched Koremitsu hold her umbrella, and walk into this windy, stormy night scene under the protection of that umbrella.

What was that feeling all about?

That night, she received a message from Koremitsu,

“Sorry to trouble you today.

The umbrella was very useful.

Thanks.

See you at school tomorrow.”

The dry content in this message caused a mix of emotions to swirl inside Honoka, and she felt happy yet uneasy within.

(Has he talked to Kanai yet?)

She wanted to ask, but was so terrified that she could not do so, and she did not understand why she was so terrified.

“It's good that I can be of help.

See you tomorrow.

Good night.”

She was overwhelmingly hesitant, retyped her message a few times, and only managed to type these words in the end.

After that, she kept waiting, but never received a response.

(Akagi's not that type of person in the first place...)

Honoka clearly knew, but she felt really lonely deep inside.

In the morning, Koremitsu returned the thoroughly dried, carefully folded umbrella to Honoka with both hands.

“Your umbrella really helped me out.”

When he bowed deeply, Honoka was staring at the swirl in the middle of that red hair. Her heart suddenly tightened and she felt very sentimental.

“I-It it's nothing, why must you exaggerate it this much? I want to know more about... how Kanai's doing?”

“Ohh...”

Koremitsu averted his eyes and coldly answered,

“I promised Yū that I would find her umbrella.”

“Umbrella? Are you talking about that one from one year ago? That's impossible!”

“Even if it's impossible, I have to do it.”

Koremitsu said with an adamant tone.

The determination revealed in his eyes as he looked aside caused Honoka to feel unbearable, as if someone squeezed her heart.

After that, Koremitsu squirmed and returned to his seat with an arched back.

Once the first period exam ended, he immediately walked out of the classroom, and did not return for a while.

With a drained expression on her face,

“Akagi is up to no good again, Honoo!”

Michiru ran over to notify her, and right at that moment, the second period bell rang. A while after the exam began, she spotted Koremitsu's return.

He was burning with fury all over, and it seemed he was really unhappy as he frowned while writing on his script.

After the exam ended, he immediately got up and walked out of the classroom.

(Argh, seriously, what's that Akagi doing!?)

Honoka was completely perplexed as she saw this, and was so tense her gut winced.

After that,

“I HEARD AKAGI RAPED A GIRL IN THE MALE TOILET!!!”

Once a certain boy ran into the classroom, yelling this, Honoka practically felt her eyes darken in front of her.

(AKAGI!! JUST WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING HERE~!!!!!!!)

Koremitsu was late for the next period's exam, and never gave Honoka a single glance. Once the exam was over, he was called by a teacher, and walked out of the classroom.

Unable to resist the urge, Honoka pursued him from behind.

As she continued to loiter outside the student counseling room, a petite yet busty short-haired girl called her.

“Are you waiting for Mr Akagi too, Miss Shikibu?”

It was Oumi Hiina of the news club.

She was purportedly the girl whom Koremitsu dragged into the boys toilet.

She, who was once Honoka's classmate in Middle School, pretended to be affectionate with Honoka as she said,

“Why is it that Mr Akagi was the only one called here? Isn't that too unfair? Is President Saiga pretending to use her authority to be alone with him, secretly playing a S&M game?”

Her heart full of doubt, Honoka whispered to Hiina, asking,

“O-Oumi, I heard Akagi rap—what is going on anyway?”

“Oh, that's how it is though. My purity's been stained. Mr Akagi will take responsibility, I suppose?”

Honoka was not amused upon hearing Hiina's joking tone.

“Don't be ridiculous. There's no way Akagi will do that sort of thing! He looks like a delinquent appearance-wise, but he's a real blockhead with an upright personality. He won't care about anything unless it's a girl he likes!”

Once she argued back,

“Ho ho, it looks like you really understand Mr Akagi, Miss Shikibu.”

Hiina smiled at Honoka with her eyes narrowed, causing the latter's face to blush all over.

“I-It's nothing. I just discussed some things with Akagi before, so I'm a little concerned about him.”

“Discuss? What did you talk about?”

“Nothing to do with you.”

As both of them discussed with hushed voices, Koremitsu's outburst suddenly came from behind the door.

“I’LL PROTECT HER THIS TIME!”

Even through the door, these words clearly rang in Honoka's eyes, and pricked her chest.

Hiina waited at the door, eavesdropping inside.

Honoka did not want to listen, but was unable to resist the urge as she too placed her ear at the door.

And immediately, she heard Koremitsu's voice, clearer than ever,

“IF THERE’S A VENGEFUL SPIRIT, I’LL BEAT IT UP GOOD SO THAT IT WON’T APPROACH YŪ AGAIN!!”

The footsteps approached, and the student counseling door suddenly slammed open.

Honoka and Hiina hurriedly ducked behind the door, and Koremitsu did not notice them as that red hair and slightly arched back departed in fury.

Honoka watched him with a nearly broken heart.

“...I’ll protect her, huh?”

With her face sticking to the table, Honoka muttered to herself.

Unknowingly, it started raining outside, and the lonely sound of raindrops could be heard in short bursts.

“So I'm not... the only one.”

Her heart started to ache again.

This was not an unbearable sudden pain, but ever since she heard those words from Koremitsu outside the student counseling room, her heart started to ache.

When she had a little scuffle against Asai because of Koremitsu, “If Saiga tries doing anything, I’ll protect you” Koremitsu said to her.

He said it impassionedly, without any pretense, treating it as the divine duty of a man.

It was different from the 'protect' he said adamantly that day.

The 'protect' he said did not have any special significance... why did her heart jump because of it? That was really stupid.

“...I don't have any special feelings for Akagi, he doesn't treat me as a love target, just someone he can discuss things with... I mistook him for a pervert at first, kicked him... and deliberately chose to ignore him... it doesn't matter to me who he likes...”

That should be the case–

But why was her head hurting so much?

Why was her mind always thinking of Koremitsu?

Honoka sat up and shook her head. She stared at the computer, and found there was a new message on the board.

“This is my first comment.

I've always been concerned about someone, and has been waiting for contact from him. When I don't see him, I feel sad. Why is this so?

I quarrelled with that person the last time.

He said my thinking was wrong, and I was shocked; I felt he did not understand my feelings at all.

That person's completely different from me, and sometimes, I'm really scared of him.

He sent a message to me, apologizing, but I didn't reply.

I hope he'll abandon me, not send a message to me, and not to look for me again.

In that case, I will be able to live my life peacefully again.

But once that person never sent me a message, I started to worry again, and I feel really lonely.

What is the matter with me exactly?

If we meet, we'll definitely argue with each other again.

That person's words will definitely hurt me.

But I still want to meet him.

I know I'll definitely regret it, but I want to meet him.

I'm still waiting for that person to send me a message.

My heart is really in a mess, and I just can't calm down.

Even if I close my eyes, I can't sleep.

What can I do to become my original self?”

This message coincided with Honoka's feelings, causing the latter to feel heavy-hearted and sad.

Once they met, she would feel anxious.

Even if he was in front of her, she would feel there was a divide between them for some reason.

But when they did not meet, she would always think of him.

In the past, that was definitely not the case.

(Seriously, what will be a good thing to do?)

“What is love, I wonder?”

This voice was feeble, to a point where did it not resemble hers, and she suddenly felt helpless, on the verge of breaking down in tears.

Honoka was supposed to be the one hearing others out, helping others...

However, she felt she was the frustrated one, the one who needs to look to others for help.

(If it's me, what sort of suggestion do I wish to hear? What exactly do I want to do?)

Honoka tentatively typed at her keyboard.

“It will be really difficult to regain your original self, so I can't give an easy answer to you...

But if you honestly face your feelings and try taking a step forward, perhaps you may understand.”

“...try taking a step forward...”

Yū muttered the words on the screen.

There was a clear blue curtain covering the window.

Raindrops continued to patter outside the window.

Yū recalled the feeling of the icy water pattering on her skin, seeping into her clothes, and immediately felt goosebumps rise. She tugged harder at the blanket covering her from head to toe, and cringed.

“I can't do it...”

Yū could take nary a step out.

—Yū, let’s go to school.

Koremitsu said.

He was frowning as if he seemed really angry, and spoke to Yū, who was utterly terrified.

—It’s not normal to keep locking yourself in the room every day, and it’s not good for your health either. The line between reality and delusions will also become vague.

His eyes were blazing like fire as he stared at Yū.

—Better get out and walk before your legs start growing fins!

Yū felt that Hikaru's friend, Koremitsu, was a good person.

At first, she was very terrified of him, with his red hair, savage eyes, and stiff expression, but soon, she realized though his manners were crude, his actions were sincere and gentle.

He brought the rock sugar Yū liked as a gift. He was blushing away when he gave her a transparent puzzle as blue as the sea. He helped her change the light bulb. Whenever Hikaru looked for her, he would sit at the middle of the room, smiling gently. Koremitsu however seemed to be worried about something as he sits at the wall near the entrance, slouching his back unhappily. However, ever since Koremitsu appeared there, she started to feel more at ease.

When Koremitsu blushed, saying that he had never fallen in love too, she saw the same loneliness she had in his eyes, and suddenly felt a sense of familiarity between them.

However, he said the one thing Yū did not want to hear.

After the divorce with her father, Yū’s mother moved to Australia for work, and would continue to send messages to her.

All the messages were talking about the same thing, every single time,

“How long are you going to shut yourself at home?”

“You can’t possibly lock yourself inside the house forever?”

“You dad has a new family and has a new child; there’s no way he’ll have time to take care of you. You’re 16 now, how about you wise up?”

Yū’s mother would keep telling her to be more mature, telling her this was the right thing to do, but upon seeing such commanding lines, Yū felt heaviness in her body, her body ostensibly sucked into the darkness of an abyss.

Recently, whenever Yū’s mother sent a message, Yū would delete them all without reading.

She always felt it was difficult to communicate with her mother ever since her parents divorced.

No, it started long before that.

When Yū was neglected and spited at by the other girls, her parents were busy talking about divorce, not realizing she was talking less at home, and not realizing her frustrations to the point where she could not eat.

When waking up in the morning, she knew she had to go to school, but was so terrified that she would break out in cold sweat.

Perhaps the indoor shoes would disappear from the shoe locker again.

Perhaps there would be graffiti all over her table.

Perhaps someone would curse her, “You’re just a lowly commoner, and you dare to brazenly approach a noble!”, “You look very obedient for a vixen”, “You’re really the best at seducing others”.

Whenever she raised her umbrella, she could hide her cheeks, red with shame, and her teary eyes. In there, she could at least gain some solace.

The bright blue umbrella with an angelfish printed on it was a birthday gift she received on her first year of middle school. After going out to eat with her parents, they went past a department store on the way back.

“That umbrella is pretty!”

She ran over to the store, her eyes dazzling.

And then, she carried the umbrella, wrapped with a golden ribbon, with utmost care as she returned.

That day, both parents were smiling brightly at Yū.

It was a really, really important umbrella to Yū.

An umbrella that would always protect Yū.

An umbrella that would always shelter her from the stares filled with malice.

A magic umbrella that could help her reminisce the wonderful moment.

But the umbrella disappeared.

That umbrella was the only thing barely supporting her heart.

The black, large fish had opened its mouth and devoured the angelfish full. The spiteful voices rang in her mind, shrilling echoing.

—I heard your umbrella disappeared?

—Too bad then, but I guess it couldn’t be helped.

—If you walk on with your uniform completely drenched, maybe an old man looking to hook up with a girl will call out for you?

The laughter continued to echo in her ears over and over again.

She again recalled the despair she felt at the school gate, when the heavy downpour nearly pierced through her skin, and her body tensed up, aching.

“You’re too strong... there’s no way you can understand...”

He did not know how terrifying it was for her to walk out of this cramped room, and did not know how painful it was for her to obey her mother’s command.

Like how a fish could only live in water, Yū could not breathe whenever she stepped outside the door. No matter how many unfriendly stares and words he faced, Koremitsu had the courage to fight back; that was why he could not understand.

Like his mother, Koremitsu felt her life was abnormal.

If he met her, he’ll definitely call her to go to school.

Yū’s wish did not meet Koremitsu’s hope.

“I’ll get your umbrella back for you,” Koremitsu had said.

But how could that be possible?

She did not believe Koremitsu, and did not believe in his fantasy.

At this point, even if she met Koremitsu, she would simply feel depressed, not knowing what to say next, and not knowing how to face him. She could no longer fall asleep in front of Koremitsu’s sights.

(Hikaru is not like Akagi... he won’t say such cruel things to me...)

He would not ask why she did not attend school, would not say it was an abnormal thing, or that she was peculiar, and would not tell her she should not continue on like this—

—You’re like a Gourd flower, Yū.

He gently narrowed his eyes, telling Yū what kind of flower she was.

—It is a fragile flower that cannot bloom under the sunlight, and that makes it all the more delicate, adorable... and pretty. The white petals that bloom under the darkness make it pure and gentle. When looking at it, you will feel that you are in a dream, able to gain that moment of peace.

Hikaru’s sweet gentle voice slowly wrapped around Yū’s heart.

—Hikaru, do you like Gourd flowers?

—Yes, I really do. I can continue to look at them for an entire night.

It will be best if you remain as who you are, Yū, and continue as a flower that blooms in the night.

That sort of flower had its own value. Those were gentle, moving words—words she would never ever forget.

He continued to describe the names and shapes of the beautiful flowers he spotted in the park or on the roadside, as Yū could not take a single step out from her apartment.

—Hikaru... are you, happy...?

He was too gentle, and had no request of her as he simply smiled. Thus, she could not resist the urge, and asked worriedly. With clear eyes,

—I am.

He answered.

His tone was very calm, and did not carry any sense of pretense.

—Then what about you? Are you happy?

And thus, Yū too showed a sincere smile, “I’m happy” and answered.

—As long as I stay here, I feel happy. Nobody will say anything cruel to me here... I don’t need to be scared, I don’t need to go around hiding... and I can go anywhere whenever I close my eyes... I can see all sorts of beautiful things...

She rubbed her cheeks on the blanket as she closed her eyes.

It was soft, gentle... a relieving touch. She really wanted to stay there forever.

Hikaru too answered her softly.

—Yeah, this place has everything... this is the most comfortable place in the entire world.

They both closed their eyes and let time pass as they listened to the gentle waves only they could hear.

But Koremitsu definitely could not hear the waves. He definitely could not see the scenery both Yū and Hikaru saw.

Only Hikaru could understand her. That was why she only needed Hikaru and Lapis’ company.

On this day, Lapis was seated at the window side, looking outside the window through the seam of the curtain.

It was the position Lapis took most of the time.

It had been almost a year since Lapis first came in. Its hearing sense was bad, and it was a cautious, slow kitten with a habit of staring at things.

Yū would occasionally recall what happened at school, and whenever she shuddered in fear, her heart would calm down whenever she stared at Lapis’ wise lapis-colored eyes that were looking back at her.

Lapis was always sitting beside Yū as the latter cried in despair, whether it was on the day her father called, telling her he could not protect her living needs, on the day her mother came to the apartment to look for her for the one and only time, “If you like to wait here, just starve to death!” and lambasted her, on the day she received news of Hikaru’s death through the phone.

But once she calmed down, Lapis would walk away on its own and sit at the window side.

And continue to look outside.

Lapis was a cat who liked its freedom, and perhaps it really wanted to get out. Like Hikaru, it might leave Yū one day.

(And I’ll be alone.)

Yū suddenly felt a sharp pain in her heart, and her hands, grabbing onto the blanket, started to shudder.

The golf bag her father once used, the electric fan and stove her mother treasured; at this point, those were trash they had discarded.

And Yū was abandoned by them.

So Lapis would... and Koremitsu would...

(No! It’s scary! I don’t want to think about it again!)

“Try taking a step forward, perhaps you may understand.”

Understand? What would she understand?

The oxymoronic feeling of fearing a meeting with Koremitsu, and yet hoping he would send a message?

Yū slowly turned her head to where Hikaru often waited at, and spoke with a faltering tone,

“Hikaru... if you’re here... you should be able to tell me, right?”

Hikaru had once gently told Yū, “Because you never loved me”.

He was staring at her with a sad clear expression, and said she would one day understand the delight of love.

At that time, Hikaru was bitterly clinging on to love.

No, he must have been bitterly clinging to love even until his death.

He continued to pamper her with pure, unadulterated love and tenderness, without hoping for anything in return, cared for her, comforted her, and at the same time, truly loved the one person he could not embrace.

Whenever he thought of that person, the sidelong profile of his clear face would darken with much loneliness—the dreamy eyes showed much pain and suffering, but continued to endure...

A few times she woke up from her shallow sleep, and saw Hikaru put his forehead on his tightly clasped hands, his eyes closed. Then, he would open his eyes, and show a light smile in a forsaken manner.

That smile made him look all the more in pain than when he closed his eyes hard... and more the lonelier.

Why did Hikaru want to have that painful love? Why did he not give up?

Yū tentatively looked over at the place covered by the curtain—where Lapis always looked at, and muttered blankly.

“Love... what is it?”

And at that moment, the cellphone on the table vibrated.

“!”

She shuddered in shock, and was practically unable to breathe when she checked the message.

Once she discovered it was a message sent from Koremitsu, her heart, which had skipped a beat, started beating intensely again.

The stiff finger opened the content of the message.

Yū widened her eyes in shock.

There was a short line on the screen.

“I’ll chase that vengeful spirit away tomorrow.”

It had been raining since morning on the third day of the midterms, and it was really cold.

The Heian Academy High School students who were carrying umbrellas as they headed to school found a mysterious line of words at the corridor near the shoe lock, and were all terrified.

“The vengeful spirit has cometh.”

There was a horizontal line of thick black words, written in brushstrokes, on the white wall, and the strokes tailing downwards and sideways could not hide the force used to write it. The ink sprayed everywhere was like scattered blood, life-like to a point where it could jump out from the wall.

The students were thoroughly shocked as they saw that line of words, and their hearts were apparently gripped by a black hand as they stood still, shuddering in fear.

It was not too long ago that the chain mail regarding Yū Kanai was circulated all around, so everyone immediately associated the school’s vengeful spirit with the words in front of them.

It was the same that time, when the umbrellas were hung up, dripping with terrifying black water, dirtying the windows and wall.

The vengeful spirit from the past was ready to strike again.

This was an omen.

It was a school with lots of traditions, filled with children descended from families lasting since ancient times.

In this unique sealed spaces where unscientific superstitions like divinations and curses were highly believed in, the power of this vengeful spirit would be fulfilled to the fullest.

The fear budding in the students increased the existence of this vengeful spirit, and scattered into every single corner of the school.

“The vengeful spirit has appeared!”

“What will happen this time?”

“Someone’s going to be eaten up again!”

Some of the girls were broken to the point of tears, and there was a massive commotion on the corridor.

Koremitsu kept his mouth sharp as he stared at this scene sharply.

He continued to stare at the terrified response from every single person, like a wild dog hunting its prey, and after a while, walked away from this commotion with his back slouched.

And so, Asai Saiga stood in front of him with a stern look.

“You really like to create commotions here, Mr Akagi.”

Her voice was filled with anger.

“What do you mean?”

“You wrote those words, did you not?”

“Who knows? Didn’t that vengeful spirit write it?”

Asai’s face immediately cringed, and she showed an icy glint in her eyes.

“I will know just by investigating into it a little, but even if I do not, I know that this tomfoolery is done by none other than you.”

“Is that a compliment?”

Upon seeing how Koremitsu intended to play dumb till the end, Asai raised an eyebrow.

“I did not expect you to be a beast lacking such common sense. What do you intend to do next?”

Koremitsu glared defiantly at Asai, his expression vicious to a point where she was momentarily at a loss of words.

“If you want to know what happens next, just watch quietly.”

In the meantime, Honoka was hiding behind a corner on the corridor, her breath abated as she watched Koremitsu depart and Asai, who was glaring at him.

(Did Akagi write those words?)

Koremitsu’s grandfather managed a calligraphy class, so Koremitsu must be well-skilled in writing brushstroke words. Honoka too once saw the words he wrote, and they were neat and pretty.

(But why must Akagi create such a large commotion?)

“Once the exams are over, come to the chemistry laboratory.”

Upon seeing the content of the letters slipped secretly into the shoe locker, the girl turned deathly pale.

It has arrived!

The fearful silence had continued on since a month ago.

Whenever she walked on the corridor, whenever she chatted with her friends in the classroom, she would feel a sharp stare, and would inadvertently turn behind to look.

She could not see that person, but that sharp stare continued to linger in her heart, and that cold voice was something she could not shake off in the end. Her back felt cold, and the blood was drained off her face.

Whenever she thought about this before their sleep, she would shake their heads hard in fear, and cringe her body.

Every day, she would be practically jittery.

When would it be over?

No, when would it ‘begin’?

Being observed for a long time brought her at the brink of collapse—but recently, it had finally started to improve for the better.

But at this point, the day of judgement had arrived.

Signed off at the end of the messages were the words,

“From the vengeful spirit.”

The girl averted the stares beside her and secretly hid the messages into the pocket of her uniform before proceeding down the chilly corridor.

It continued to drizzle outside the window, and it caused her gut to wince further in fear.

Right, it was raining that day—

The frozen fingers opened the door leading to the chemistry laboratory.

Five umbrellas were opened in a line, hanging off the window grids.

The black liquid dripped down from the tip of the umbrellas, and the smell of ink reached her nose, followed by the sound of screams,

“IT’S THE VENGEFUL SPIRIT!”

“THIS IS REVENGE!”

The screams continued to linger in their ears, as if a large black typhoon swirled and devoured them whole as they were unable to resist in any way. Some of them stared blankly at the black droplets dripping from the umbrella, something that should not be happening.

“...Kawai.”

Upon hearing someone call for her, the girl turned around in shock.

Once she opened the door, she closed her eyes in fear.

Once she opened them, she saw the window drenched completely in rainwater, the ivory-coloured curtains that were collapsed to the side, and the pale faces of four people.

“You... received the letter too?”

“...yes.”

“So, all of us are here.”

“...that’s... right.”

Silence descended upon the scene.

Every single person lowered their heads, ostensibly not wanting to look at each other. The sound of rain and the damp rotten smell of grass and leaves roamed in the classroom.

Finally, someone became impatient with the heavy atmosphere, and spoke up,

“...who wrote those words on the wall...”

Another person said with a shuddering voice,

“The one who wrote to us... is probably the same as the one who wrote those words, right?”

Another person said,

“I thought...this was already over.”

And then, they started to talk frantically,

“What do we do? Is Upperclassman Tōjō still mad at us?”

“Must be. He’s definitely furious. His tone was calm back then, but his expression was really scary. He must be the same one this time.”

“This has nothing to do with me! I wasn’t the one who stole Kanai’s umbrella!”

“Me neither!”

“Really? You’re the one who really loves to bully Kanai most.”

“Don’t kid around, Abe. You’re the one who went overboard, I only joined in later. You hid Kanai’s umbrella, right? That’s why things ended up like this...

“You want to push the responsibility onto me? Wasn’t Marika the one who suggested ostracizing Kanai and hiding her umbrella?”

“That’s not it. Kawai’s the one who suggested it first. I was simply following her. The umbrella has nothing to do with me.”

“No, the one who hid it was Marika. You were the one who spread the photo that Upperclassman Tōjō was sharing an umbrella with Kanai, and even said that we definitely mustn’t forgive her.”

“That’s what Abe said, right!? Abe said Kanai went overboard, and that we must teach her a good lesson.”

“I don’t know anything about that umbrella—before Upperclassman Tōjō scolded us, I...”

“I CAN’T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!!!”

Someone finally broke down, crying.

“I DON’T WANT TO BE OSTRACIZED BY EVERYONE AND STARED AT WITH COLD EYES AGAIN! WE WERE COMPLETELY TREATED AS BAD GUYS THAT TIME!”

“I HAD TO QUIT THE TEA CEREMONY CLUB BECAUSE OF THAT INCIDENT AS WELL!”

“And then we got lectured by Upperclassman Tōjō...”

“That’s because Kawai did something she shouldn’t have done!”

“DIDN’T YOU ALL AGREE TO JOIN IN TOO!”

“AND WE WERE ALL TREATED AS THE BAD GIRLS. UPPERCLASSMAN TŌJŌ EVEN SAID “YOUR HEARTS ARE SO BLACK THEY CAN’T BE HIDDEN. I DON’T WANT TO SEE SUCH WRETCHED STUDENTS IN OUR SCHOOL”!”

“Upperclassman Tōjō is obviously still fuming over it.”

“WHAT EXACTLY DID WE DO WRONG!? THIS WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED IF KANAI NEVER TRIED TO HOOK UP WITH UPPERCLASSMAN TŌJŌ!”

“THAT’S RIGHT! KANAI’S JUST A COMMONER WHO JOINED SINCE MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND SHE DARED TO ENTICE HIM!”

“IT’S ALL KANAI’S FAULT! SHE NOT ONLY SEDUCED UPPERCLASSMAN TŌJŌ, BUT ALSO LORD HIKARU... LORD HIKARU MUST HAVE BEEN KILLED BECAUSE HE WAS WITH HER! THAT’S WHAT ALL THE CHAIN MESSAGES SAID!”

“NO DOUBT ABOUT IT! KANAI’S DEFINITELY POSSESSED BY A VENGEFUL SPIRIT!”

“You girls really are all black-hearted.”

Koremitsu crawled out from under the table as he said furiously.

The girls, who were bickering furiously just a moment ago, screamed “HIIIII!!!” as they remained rooted.

With his back slouched, Koremitsu’s eyes were burning with anger, and he walked past the black heatproof tables as the footsteps echoed.

“Even till now, you continue to push responsibilities around, and you think you have no blame at all? If I squeeze your hearts out, there’ll definitely be black water flowing out, like ink.”

You wanna try this? He raised his eyebrows as he said this, and looked at them, one by one.

Those girls were utterly terrified as their face immediately cringed, and they shuddered all over.

(There’s no point in getting angry with them at all.)

Upon thinking about this, Koremitsu bared his teeth and raised the edges of his lips

“!”

The girls widened their eyes, and took a few steps back.

“Don’t you ever dare badmouth Yū Kanai again, and don’t you dare bully her, or you won’t even have to wait for the vengeful spirit to take action. I’ll rip those dirty mouths of yours out first!”

Koremitsu continued to keep his lips curled up as he said with a vicious stare.

He wanted to smile, but those girls,

“NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

Screamed in terror as they dashed to the door, their faces riddled with tears as they intended to escape, and crashed into each other in the end. They were unable to move, and were screeching in fear, yelling, collapsed on the corridor in a bunch like an avalanche, and without caring that their skirts were flipped and their hair were a mess. They scampered away with no regards for their lives.

Every single one of them fell twice, thrice before they completely calmed down.

Well, who cares about them anyway?

Koremitsu was more concerned by the fact that those girls screamed “HE’S SCARIER THAN A VENGEFUL SPIRIT!” when they were escaping, and that was something he could not comprehend.

Was that not too much of an exaggeration?

He was feeling depressed within, and beside him, a voice rang,

“I am starting to pity those girls a little.”

Hikaru showed a wry smile.

“Your 'smile' is way too potent. Remember, never ever use it in a love scene.”

“No need for any unnecessary remarks.”

Koremitsu answered unhappily.

Besides, was there any reason to pity them? He really liked to pamper girls.

“I just can’t smile anyway, and I’m still angry at you. Don’t you randomly talk with me.”

Hikaru shrugged and smiled slightly.

“But... after seeing how those black-hearted girls continued to push blame around, there’re some things I don’t understand, like Tōjō’s case.”

Koremitsu folded his arms as he tilted his head in doubt. Hikaru seemed to have understood everything as he showed a wise expression, saying,

“Then, I suppose we should look for Mr Shungo.”

Luckily, Tōjō had yet to leave school.

“He should be there.”

With Hikaru leading the way, Koremitsu arrived at a bamboo garden in a corner of the school. There were short shrubs growing at their feet, and the bamboo and plants bristled whilst the breeze blew.

After walking for a while, they could find a stone monument surrounded by rocks covered with algae, and Tōjō was standing beside it, holding a dark green umbrella.

He was standing still, and his eyes were closed as he was apparently meditating.

Koremitsu, holding a navy blue umbrella, approached Tōjō, and the latter must have heard the sound of train pelting on another umbrella as he opened his eyes, before giving Koremitsu a sharp unwelcoming look

Koremitsu too glared back, saying,

“I have something to talk to you about.”

“I however have nothing to talk with you about.”

The baritone rang clearly.

Tōjō was about to turn away and leave, but Koremitsu called out to him with a loud, clear voice,

“Just listen to me first I'm going to talk about the real identity of the vengeful spirit.”

The dark green umbrella stopped.

“I summoned the girls who tormented Yū and questioned them already.”

“They said so already?”

There was some doubtful undertone in the voice coming from behind the umbrella.

“Yeah. They sure talked quite a lot.”

Koremitsu pretended to remain calm as he answered coldly, silently observing Hikaru's reaction.

Hikaru was floating silently between Koremitsu and Tōjō, observing the standoff between both parties.

At this point, Koremitsu still did not understand what Hikaru was thinking, and did not understand the intent behind ‘those words’ he talked about the previous day.

(I don’t care anyway. I just want to help Yū as much as I can.)

There was no time to think about it; if he kept staring at Hikaru, Tōjō would be suspicious. He definitely could not show any form of hesitation or openings in front of the latter.

Right, the important thing was the guy in front of him, shrouded in arrogance befitting that of a noble.

For he could possibly be the mastermind behind the commotion of the vengeful spirit a year ago, causing Yū to be terrified of going to school.

Koremitsu tried his best to look away from Hikaru, and glared at the sturdy back under the dark green umbrella.

“They all said the same thing. To paraphrase them, I wasn’t the one who stole the umbrella .”

You hid the umbrella, didn’t you?

I didn’t. Wasn’t it you?

All the girls said they were not the ones who took the umbrella, and started pushing blame amongst each other. From their words, Koremitsu could not detect a trace of remorse in their words.

“Maybe they really didn’t steal Yū’s umbrella, but was treated by everyone as the culprits, and because they were frowned upon by their classmates, they panicked.”

—I DON’T WANT TO BE OSTRACIZED BY EVERYONE AND STARED AT WITH COLD EYES AGAIN! WE WERE COMPLETELY TREATED AS BAD GUYS THAT TIME!

—I HAD TO QUIT THE TEA CEREMONY CLUB BECAUSE OF THAT INCIDENT AS WELL!

The girls were screaming hysterically, at the top of their lungs, insisting they were innocent.

“Of course, they deserved it, since they were definitely bullying Yū. They saw that she was frustrated over the loss of her umbrella, and continued to mock her spitefully. However, they never thought about reflecting on their actions, and simply thought about how to change their unfortunate situation where ‘they were blamed because they never did anything bad’. They felt they’re the victims, thinking about how to protect themselves—that’s why they decided to ‘make themselves as victims that can capture the attention of others more’.”

The bamboos shook harder, releasing a rustling sound.

Tōjō looked around and frowned.

The rain fell from the sky like arrows.

The uppity expression under the dark green umbrella still did not show any weakness.

But he did not turn and walk away, but stood where he was, listening attentively to Koremitsu.

“The next day after Yū lost her umbrella, their umbrellas disappeared, and were found hanging on the window grill in the chemistry classroom. That was something they scripted and enacted themselves, to gain some sympathy, to remove themselves from suspicions.”

The wind made a mess of Koremitsu’s red hair.

Tōjō’s black hair swayed as well.

However...

“So what? Does it have anything to do with me?”

It seemed he had no intention of bothering with it as he asked coldly.

Koremitsu’s temper immediately flared.

As expected, he’s not some minor character who would reveal any openings. Fine, I’ll rip off that arrogant mask of a noble you have!

Koremitsu’s eyes were blazing with rage, and he concluded in a taunting manner,

“Of course it does. That’s what I think.”

Show me some panic, Tōjō.

Let me see your face contort, your voice shudder. The way you look lost.

“Because they’re obviously not scared of the vengeful spirit, but you, Tōjō! They never said anything about the vengeful spirit at all, and they merely parroted the words ‘Upperclassman Tōjō got angry’ over and over again.”

He showed the smile both Hikaru and the girls were highly disparaging of.

It was a horrifying smile that was definitely not something that could be used in a love scene where tenderness was required, but something very suitable for a duel.

He bared his teeth and raised the edges of his lips. His eyes were dazzling as he grinned.

For the first time, Tōjō looked shocked as he widened his eyes and cringed back.

“You said something to them.”

Koremitsu’s face had a terrifying face as he uttered out the words those girls said with pale faces.

“ Your hearts are so black they can’t be hidden. I don’t want to see such wretched students in our school .”

Tōjō’s face darkened as he narrowed his eyes. Koremitsu continued to attack relentlessly.

“It’s true that they dangled their umbrellas, but you’re the one who poured the ink on the umbrellas! The reason why they did all of these was all because of you, Shungo Tōjō!”

A vengeful spirit originates from the malice in a person’s heart.

However, the vengeful spirit that gained sentience was being manipulated by this person!

The black water dripping down the tips of the umbrella was the message he gave those girls.

Secretly implying the black hearts they could not hide.

He used such a method to threaten those shallow girls, and achieved some objective as a result.

In the midst of this bamboo forest, Koremitsu stared at the upperclassman with an uppity expression, dishevelled hair, and a contorted handsome face, roaring,

“WHAT EXACTLY WAS YOUR OBJECTIVE!?”

At this moment, a voice came from behind.

“It’s revenge. He wants revenge on Yū Kanai.”

### 007. Chapter 7: The Girl Sharing an Umbrella

Upon looking back, Koremitsu found Hiina Oumi and Asai Saiga standing there, sharing an umbrella for some reason.

With an unwilling look on her face, Asai was holding a dark red umbrella resembling a large flower, whilst Hiina, standing beside her, was holding a closed mint green umbrella, her expression lively to an astounding level.

(Was it Hiina who said Tōjō wanted revenge?)

“I just so happened to meet President Saiga over here, so I came here to eavesdrop.”

She said unabashedly as her thick lips were brimming with a smile.

However, Asai showed more distaste as compared to before.

“I am standing here as the Student Council President, having decided I have the right to know the situation. Do not associate me with you.” she said harshly.

“Oh my, don’t be so harsh with your words. Are we not eavesdropping partners sharing the same umbrella now?”

“You are the one who snuck under my umbrella.”

“It’ll be too obvious if both of us share the same umbrella. Of course I have to know how to respond to the situation here.”

“Is that so? Our cover has been exposed; you may proceed out now.”

“Are you not too cold, President?”

Koremitsu interrupted their never-ending conversation,

“Hey, Oumi, what did you mean when you said that?”

Like a fearless youth, Hiina stared at Koremitsu and everyone else present with a lively expression.

Then, she opened her umbrella.

“It’s nothing at all. I am just telling the truth.”

She raised the umbrella over her head and approached them as she talked, ostensibly testing the reactions from all the parties present.

“Heh, Upperclassman Tōjō.”

Hiina walked to Tōjō, looked up to him, and again showed a fearless smile as she rattled on,

“Were you vexed by the fact that Yū Kanai would not obey you? The reason why those girls, who had been tormenting Miss Kanai, probably hung their umbrellas because you did something to prompt them, and made everyone think that Miss Kanai was afflicted with a vengeful spirit, preventing her from attending school as a result. You must have felt she was a hindrance, right? For a mere peasant, who entered this school only in middle school, dared to dump you, and still be in the same school as you?”

Koremitsu felt his body heat rise as his glare got sharper.

(Is this the reason?)

Did he want to chase Yū away because of this reason?

Was this the aim of the vengeful spirit?

No, Hiina Oumi was just using this as a feint to incite, to confuse, and to lead Tōjō into telling the truth. It need not necessarily be true.

(Don't be fooled by this. Got to look into this clearer.)

Tōjō frowned hard as he heard these words, but once Hiina stopped talking and looked back with an expectant look, hoping for a response...

“...Yū Kanai was never someone I fell in love with.”

Just like how he conversed with Koremitsu, he answered with that stiff, business-like tone.

Asai watched over this with her long narrow knowledgeable-looking eyes, apparently wondering what the truth was truly all about.

Koremitsu.

Tōjō.

Asai.

All of them were looking tense, and Hiina was the only one grinning happily as she casually made a shocking comment.

“That's how it is. How can Upperclassman Tōjō, whose ego is higher than that of an ordinary person, endure the pain of being rejected by a dispensable woman. More unfortunately, after Miss Kanai started locking herself in her house and started living alone, Lord Hikaru even visited her apartment. You must have been all the more furious with that, right? Lord Hikaru was the young lord to the Mikado family, whom the Tōjō family served. As long as the situation does not change, your standing will basically be that of an eunuch assisting the prince Lord Hikaru. The Tōjō family is truly a prestigious one, but it is not at the highest order. You must have felt very incensed that someone, whose hierarchy was something you can never succeed against, who took the stares of admiration from half the female student population, was in the same school as you? In fact, even in terms of popularity, Lord Hikaru vastly exceeds you. Ah, I'm sorry. You probably do not care about who those girls fawn over Upperclassman Tōjō, but you do view Lord Hikaru as a rival. You must have been enraged that the girl who refused you actually accepted Lord Hikaru, for this means that Lord Hikaru has more masculine charm than you. Thus, your hate was not simply directed at Yū Kanai, but also Lord Hikaru .”

Upon hearing this, Asai shuddered.

Koremitsu too gasped in surprise.

(What is Hiina trying to get at here...?)

Tōjō however remained unfazed.

Hiina's shirt was soaked by the rain that splattered her sidelong, and the lines of her underwear were revealed, but she was unabashed as she raised her busty chest higher, continuing delightfully,

“I heard something when I was cleaning the toilet out of interest. Upperclassman Tōjō, you went to a resort in Shinshu during Golden Week this year. Oh my, it seems Lord Hikaru was in a resort at Shinshu that time too, right? Well, it doesn't matter, since it's a vacation hotspot for political and financial powers. It certainly is normal if the Mikados' resort is located near the Tōjōs'. There are few things you can do over there, so it must have been easy meeting someone you do not want to meet, I suppose? Thus, you two really met at the horse turf in the forest. I suppose this is a prank caused by God, huh? You had a quarrel with Lord Hikaru, whom you deeply resented, probably because he looked so dazzling riding on the horse. I heard you yelled at him, and grabbed him by the collar on horseback. This really isn't something the refined and courteous Upperclassman Tōjō would normally do.”

Koremitsu tried his best, telling himself not to be shaken by the facts Hiina revealed, but he still felt confused deep within, his throat heated.

She said Tōjō once met Hikaru at the holiday resort?

And had a quarrel with Hikaru?

(I never heard of it!)

It seemed Hikaru's cousin Asai had already known about this, and her poker face remained unmoved as she continued to stare at Tōjō intently, seemingly watching the latter's reaction.

Tōjō stared at Hiina silently.

His handsome face was contorted slightly, but his back was still straight, and his expression remained cold and aloof.

(What is this guy thinking anyway?)

Tōjō's remained as stoic as ever, causing Koremitsu to inadvertently feel anxious, and a little mystified.

(Is he hiding something?)

Hiina seemed to be teasing Tōjō as she raised her pitch.

“That evening, you visited Lord Hikaru's villa.”

Koremitsu's heart immediately jumped.

Asai's eyes showed a sharp glint.

“And then, what did you say to Lord Hikaru? Did that conversation cause you to increase your hatred for him?”

Tōjō did not answer.

He merely kept his lips sealed.

Hiina then continued,

“ Did you kill Lord Hikaru out of your hatred of him, that Yū Kanai was taken away ?”

The strong winds blew, and the bamboos let out a rustle as they tilted.

The raindrops slid off the bamboo leaves, and fell upon Koremitsu's face.

Hiina showed a boyish energetic smile,

Tōjō stared at Hiina with a condescending look, and just when he was about to open his tightly sealed lips...

“That is correct. Mr Shungo was really agitated, to a point where I felt he wanted to strangle me.”

Koremitsu heard this gentle, delightful voice.

Tōjō could not have heard this voice, but he kept his mouth sealed.

Hikaru's voice continued to echo in this bamboo forest as the rain descended.

“He yelled at me, saying ‘The only thing you know is how to befuddle a person's heart. It would have been great if you were not around’.”

At this point, like a beautiful flower, Hikaru stood silently between Koremitsu and Tōjō.

And at this moment, he finally did something.

Koremitsu stared at Hikaru in surprise.

This neat, delicate-looking youth was in the midst of a torrent, and yet was neither drenched nor stained.

The strong gales that brushed through the bamboos became a gentle breeze in front of his elegant face, and gently blew by that light brown hair.

Neither Tōjō, Hiina nor Asai could see him.

But Koremitsu could.

And only he could hear this sweet voice nobody else could hear.

Hikaru's voice, Hikaru's words.

“Mr Shungo said those words not because of malice or envy.”

Why did he suddenly interrupt?

Hikaru's deep-looking eyes turned towards Tōjō without hesitation.

Tōjō could not see those eyes, and could not hear that voice.

Of the ones present, Koremitsu was the only one able to see, hear, and pass on Hikaru's message. Did Hikaru decide to speak up because he timed this situation perfectly?

(Argh, he's asking me to pass the message again?)

I'm all confused now because you said this so suddenly! At least tell me of this beforehand! Koremitsu was overwhelmed by Hikaru's serious tone before he could complain, and exclaimed,

“Tōjō did not kill Hikaru!”

Tōjō showed an obvious, startled expression.

He widened his mouth slightly, and widened his eyes as he stared at Koremitsu.

“He was truly angry enough to kill, and even told Hikaru ‘It would have been great if you were not around’ . But that was not out of malice or envy.”

Why the heck am I speaking up for Tōjō?

Asai and Hiina looked surprised as they stared at him.

Koremitsu was furious, his veins bulging as he tried his best to listen to Hikaru's voice. The latter however did not give Koremitsu a look, but stared at Tōjō with a reasonable look, and his girlish, graceful lips continued to let out these words,

“Mr Shungo wanted to protect Yū. He wanted to save her.”

The clear voice had a tinge of sadness in it, coupled with a feeling of compassion that suppressed it. There was a cloud of haze fogging his eyes.

“Tōjō—actually wanted to protect Yū, to save her. That's what you hoped to do.”

Koremitsu passed on Hikaru's words as the latter's spokesperson, but he was more surprised than anyone else.

(Is that really the case? Tōjō? You did all that to protect Yū ? But you snobbishly said that girls who entered in middle school aren't those you like, and you even said you know what kind of girl you should date...)

Tōjō lost his breath. His lips shuddered as his eyes widened blankly. He never showed any reaction after Hiina said so many things, but he was clearly rattled by this person that he is not bothering to hide his expression. At this point, it seemed that whatever Hikaru said was true.

This caused Koremitsu to feel all the more inexplicable.

“On that evening, Mr Shungo looked for me because he wanted to apologize to me for the insolence he caused at the turf during the day. Mr Shungo was always a courteous, edified and dignified person.”

“That evening, you looked for Hikaru because you wanted to apologize to him about the unruliness you did at the turf that day, and you had reflected over your actions properly.”

Tōjō frowned, apparently at a loss for words.

Koremitsu too felt troubled.

He was shaken, and he was heating up. That aloof and arrogant Shungo Tōjō, who would trample on others mercilessly, was practically a changed man.

Was it that he was not the culprit behind all this?

Hikaru's gentle voice continued,

“Mr Shungo must have felt I was a very frivolous person, for he saw I was dating so many girls at the same time. I was riding on a horse with a girl back then, and even kissed while we were riding. It was obvious he would be angry as a result.”

“...well, it couldn't be helped. Anyone would have thought of punching that guy for making out so passionately outdoors in the middle of the day.”

Once Koremitsu said those words, Tōjō's eyes widened.

Why was it that he could describe it to such detail? It was like Koremitsu witnessed it personally at the scene, and was able to eloquently describe something only Hikaru and Tōjō knew...

Of course, Tōjō would be confounded by this.

Even Hiina and Asai were staring at Koremitsu intriguingly.

“When Mr Shungo met me at the villa, he was only talking about Yū. He even lashed out at me saying, ‘Is Yū Kanai merely just one of your playmates?’ That was the first time I saw him being that agitated. Obviously, he was really concerned about her. He was worried when he saw her shut herself in, unwilling to come out, and even hired a woman to stay next door and protect her... whenever I looked for Yū, that big sister would pop her head out to look and prevent me from doing anything bad. Whenever we were too quiet inside the room, she would worry that we were doing something bad, whether it would be knocking on the wall to create noise, break the atmosphere by playing some ballads or folk songs, or even start shouting loudly. She was acting as a hostess, but it was very unnatural for her to be home both in the day and at night. It would be more suitable if she were acting as a shut-in designer or manga artist.”

Hikaru's words were like a puzzle being rebuilt, gradually piecing together a complete image of the situation.

Upon hearing that, Koremitsu was amazed and full of admiration.

The glitzy woman next door, who would glare and lash out at him without warning, and even slam the wall, was doing those things for such a reason.

So Tōjō was really trying his best to protect Yū!

Koremitsu felt his chest tighten upon hearing this.

“You... were always thinking about Yū, to a point where you hired a woman to stay next door and protect her.

Koremitsu's voice was filled with pain, and Hikaru's voice and expression was full of bitterness,

“Mr Shungo had been secretly exerting his influence in school to prevent Yū from being expelled despite her not attending school for a year. I suppose it is most likely that Mr Shungo was the one who notified Yū of my funeral date after I died? The sender of the message was a series of unintelligible letters 'upvkpv', but if we swap them for the alphabet before them, it would become 'Toujou'—Tōjō.”

The little cellphone screen showed the message informing her of Hikaru's death.

That message was sent from Tōjō to Yū.

“You were the one who told Yū the funeral date. If the alphabets of the name was changed to the ones before, it would become your name—'Toujou'.”

The gale stopped, and the forest was left only with the weak drizzle sound.

Tōjō closed his eyes with a heavy heart, showing a weak expression very unfitting of him.

Hiina was staring at Tōjō, looking like she was about to break down for some reason.

Asai frowned, her expression condescending and yet sympathizing.

“In that case, it would be impossible for you to harm Yū.”

Hikaru did not say this, but Koremitsu did, and this was his thought as sadness and pathos lingered in his heart.

“You are right, Koremitsu. Mr Shungo was in a tight position when Yū was bullied by those girls, and it was inconvenient for him to interfere, but he did warn them.”

Koremitsu knew that too.

The girls said so in a terrified manner,

“Your hearts are so black they can’t be hidden. I don’t want to see such wretched students in our school.”

Those words were not said after they hung their umbrellas, but before then—he said this to the girls when they were tormenting Yū, before Yū's umbrella got stolen.

—I don’t know anything about that umbrella at all! Before Upperclassman Tōjō scolded us, I...

Right, they did say this with a pale face.

“You even warned those girls not to bully Yū, thinking that this would cause them to quiet down somewhat. But they saw how shocked Yū was because the umbrella was stolen, and started to have the urge to continue bullying her. That time however, they paid the price. They were deemed by everyone in school as the culprits who stole her umbrella and were ostracized. They then decided to take their umbrellas away secretly and act as victims, and you found out about their sneaky act,Tōjō. Thus, once they left the chemistry classroom, you poured ink on the umbrellas, telling them that you knew everything . Once they saw the blackened umbrellas, they were utterly terrified when they realized that was your warning. That was practically you telling them, your hearts are this corrupted . To them, being the target of your wrath was much more terrifying than facing a vengeful spirit. They definitely felt it was better being dead after being glared by you every single day.”

Koremitsu had left the letters in their shoe lockers.

“From the vengeful spirit.”

Upon seeing this name, they were shuddering all over, thinking Tōjō was the one who wrote it.

The time to make up for their sins had arrived!

“Right now, I guess Yū won't be bullied by anyone else again, but that day, something even you did not expect happened. Someone saw Yū running at school, dirty all over, holding her umbrella! This caused the rumors to spread, saying that the black umbrellas were hung up as Yū's revenge, and that she was possessed by a vengeful spirit.”

What was it about Yū's living spirit that was witnessed?

'That' was most likely...

In this hazy rain, where there was barely enough visibility, the truth that originally could not be seen was starting to reveal itself.

Hikaru stared at Koremitsu with an empty expression, causing the latter to recall the transparent yet hollow eyes of Yū, and recalled the words Hikaru told him the previous day. He suddenly felt gloomy in his heart.

However, Koremitsu did not say the truth behind this living spirit.

Tōjō too probably realized it.

But that would be a test that Yū would have to face in the future, and at this point, other truths had to be uncovered.

He too would have to tell them to Yū.

—You will lose her.

Hikaru's voice continued to echo in his ears.

—I know how to avoid this situation.

On the previous day, Hikaru was staring at Koremitsu with a gloomy expression, ostensibly revealing a tragic prophecy that was unavoidable.

And yet Koremitsu...

(You really know how to worry blindly...)

Raised his chin confidently as he shook off the worry in his heart.

And just like the choice he made back then, at that point, he only wished for one thing.

To save Yū.

To support her, prevent her heart from breaking down further, from corroding, he had to reveal the truth.

The crux would be the person in front of him.

Shungo Tōjō, who was forcefully holding the handle of the dark green umbrella, his face contorted bitterly and grimaced.

“Tōjō, you had been protecting Yū for a long time because you thought you had to take responsibility for Yū being seen as a vengeful spirit. Your actions were all for her sake.”

Hikaru too must have felt Koremitsu's determination.

With a sad expression, Hikaru said,

“Mr Shungo told me furiously at the villa, ‘Leave the other women and focus on dating Yū Kanai. If you can't do that, break up with her’. He then lowered his head and begged me, ‘Please let go of her. Please let go of her so that she can leave the house. If you keep looking for her, she may never step outside the house, for she may feel this is happiness’.”

Hikaru, who did not know how to cry, would always smile whenever he felt lonely or sad—

And at this point, Hikaru's lips showed a faint smile.

Koremitsu suddenly felt his heart tighten in agony.

“Do you think it doesn't matter anyway after seeing Yū lock herself in the house like this!?”

When Koremitsu questioned this, Hikaru merely answered quietly, “I am merely a ghost.” Perhaps he too knew he was one of the reasons why Yū shut herself inside.

“...you even begged Hikaru to leave Yū, telling him it was for her sake.”

Tōjō exerted more strength on the umbrella handle.

The rainwater pelted hard on the umbrella.

Hikaru said to Tōjō with a clear expression,

“I answered, ‘I understand’.”

“Hikaru answered that he promised.”

“For it was 'really time for me to separate from others'. Not just Yū, but also with the other girls... I went to the resort, 'having made my decision.' That was why I promised Mr Shungo to let Yū return to the outside world.”

The dark clouds blocking Koremitsu's eyes immediately dissipated, and he finally understood.

The 'promise' Hikaru made with was not Yū.

This agreement was something made between Hikaru and Tōjō!

The heat swirling within Koremitsu flushed towards the same direction.

There was no hesitation on his part, and he could say this decisively,

“There's no reason for Tōjō to kill Hikaru! Hikaru has promised to leave Yū, to liberate Yū!”

Tōjō continue to stare at Koremitsu, viewing the him as an equal in this case. He stood still as he remained silent for a moment.

“...let me tell you the story of a fool.”

He muttered, seemingly talking to himself.

“...that person really loved this corner of the campus, and would come here whenever he wanted to be alone. Most of the students knew about this, so there would hardly be anyone who would come here. However, she... probably did not know, for she had no good friend who could tell her this. One day, at noon, she arrived here, sat on this rock, and started eating.”

Tōjō stared at the rocks, surrounding the stone monument, with algae growing on them. His expression softened somewhat, and then became melancholic.

“She was alone, but looked very at peace, very satisfied... and then, that fool appeared. That fool did not want to scare her, and thus, merely stood at the side for a while, choosing not to make a sound, and returned to the classroom. The next day, she too was here, and once she saw him, trembled in fear. Even after hearing him say that she could continue to eat at that place, she remained hesitant, and after a moment of hesitance, said thanks with a tentative whisper, cringed back and continued eating shyly. The next day, she did not appear, and it would have been great if it ended... but a few days later, there was a sudden downpour, and he was hiding in a building to seek shelter from the rain. She was holding an umbrella, and just so happened to pass by. When she noticed him, she showed a hesitant look again. Neither of them knew each other, but she had a gentle nature, and could not pretend to ignore him. Thus, she tentatively raised the umbrella for him, and accompanied him to a place where he could hail for a taxi...”

Tōjō's tone was calm and insipid as he talked about Yū.

“He should have rejected her proposal back then. Even till this day, he really regretted walking under her umbrella.

Tōjō did not mention his feelings for Yū at all.

But the tone, filled with suppressed emotions, amplified them and expressed them clearly.

The bamboo garden, grass, the rocks covered with algae, the stone monument...

In the midst of this serene scenery, that girl, who stealthily crept into this space, was deeply attracted by him.

Her shocked expression and shy demeanour caused him to have great feelings for her.

Upon seeing that introverted girl summon the courage to share the same umbrella with him, he really could not refuse, for there was a sweet emotion involved.

I am very clear on exactly what kind of woman I should go out with.

Tōjō, who said those self-righteous words harshly, knew that if he fell in love with a woman of a different family prestige, the other party would be stacked with grievances.

At this point, Koremitsu understood the meaning behind those words.

The more Tōjō liked Yū, the more he did not dare to approach her,

But even so, he could not give up on her completely.

He even hid his family name, hid his identity, and protected her silently.

The stare Koremitsu felt in front of Yū's house must have been from Tōjō too.

—Mr Shungo was always a courteous, edified and dignified person.

Koremitsu stared at Shungo Tōjō as if he was meeting a man for a first time.

He stared at the upright body, the lips full of masculine vibe, the firm-willed eyes.

What did he feel when he, who could not love freely, saw Hikaru enter one love relationship after another as if he was viewing flowers?

One could only imagine how spiteful he was of the latter.

Koremitsu too, really hated Hikaru, and felt he was a popular cad, a casanova, a young lord without any worries.

But was that not admiration?

Was it not because Tōjō found Hikaru dazzling, for the latter was able to do something he could not?

(If we have to say this, I might be the same as him...)

And they fell in love with the same girl.

“...sorry for punching you yesterday.”

Koremitsu said awkwardly.

Hiina and Asai widened their eyes, but Tōjō showed a self-depreciating smile.

—I suppose it’s good that Mr Shungo got punched once.

Hikaru said this gently when Koremitsu was in front of the basin, feeling downhearted.

—As the heir of the Tōjō family, I suppose nobody in this school would dare to beat Mr Shungo up.

At this moment, Koremitsu recalled that when he raised his fist, Tōjō did not do anything to dodge.

Perhaps he took that punch willingly.

It was something unseen, undiscovered, unknown.

The fingertips, wrists, throat, heart that were frozen due to tension the previous day were gradually filled with a silent power.

Hikaru stared at Koremitsu quietly.

Hikaru's wish.

This was something that could be understood without words.

(Ohh, I finally get it now, Hikaru.)

The thing blazing deep within Koremitsu's heart immediately ignited, and the flame rose. Koremitsu yelled at Tōjō,

“AS A FRIEND OF HIKARU, I'LL FULFILL THAT PROMISE YOU MADE WITH HIM! I'LL DO WHAT YOU AND HIM AGREED ON!”

Hikaru narrowed his eyes, completely touched.

Hiina leaned her upper body forward in surprise, while Asai frowned and bit her lips.

With a serious look, Tōjō stared at Koremitsu.

“I shall leave it to you then.”

He said quietly—and gave a deep bow.

Koremitsu too answered with a deep voice,

“Leave it to me.”

He held onto the umbrella handle hard, turned away, and walked on the mud-troddened ground.

The raindrops continued to pelt upon the umbrella.

At this moment, he found Honoka standing at the back door of the school campus.

It seemed obvious she came here worried about Koremitsu.

“Aka...”

Before she could call out, she caught herself, probably because she saw the serious expression Koremitsu showed, revealing his steadfast attitude.

Koremitsu nodded slightly at Honoka, and walked out of the school gate.

Hikaru too followed silently, his expression as bleak and serious—and filled with decisiveness like Koremitsu's.

Both of them knew how great of an ordeal awaited them.

—You will lose her.

Those words kept ringing at Koremitsu's ears since the previous day, and Hikaru told him about how to avoid this.

On that night, as the cold rain descended upon the road, Hikaru told Koremitsu, who was looking aside stubbornly, how to avoid a tragic ending with a sincere attitude.

(Let's go, Hikaru, we're going to save Yū from the demonic clutches of the vengeful spirit.)

Koremitsu reached his hand into his pocket, and took out his cellphone.

After searching through the phone book, and upon finding Yū's number, he placed the cellphone at his ear with a glum expression.

### 008. Chapter 8: That Was Really Love

(Akagi still hasn't sent me a message yet...)

Having checked her phone ever since the morning, Yū let her shoulders collapse under the blanket as she lowered her head dejectedly.

“I'll chase that vengeful spirit away tomorrow.”

After sending this message the yesterday, Koremitsu had yet to contact her.

(Why... did Akagi send that message to me? What exactly is he trying to do?)

Shall she take the initiative to send a message to him?

No, she had already decided not to meet him again. Even if he knocked on the door, she could not let him in.

She could thus regain her peaceful life again.

And she would not have to feel bitter thinking about Koremitsu, and suddenly feel terrified or lost.

(But, what if... Akagi really finds my umbrella? What do I do?)

Such a thing could not happen.

Definitely not.

But if a blue umbrella with an angelfish swimming on it appeared in front of her eyes.

That umbrella—was the birthday gift Yū's parents gave her. If she could relive that blissful moment, and have it return to her hands...

Yū's heart was trepidating with excitement, but once she realized it was impossible no matter what, her heart was shrouded in the darkness of despair.

The rain that rang outside the window was ostensibly abusing her, causing her to hurt all over, as if she was stabbed everywhere by harpoons.

(That's enough, I can't take it anymore. I don't want to see anything, I don't want to hear anything.)

She did not want to hurt others, let alone herself.

She just thought about seeing such blissful events, and living a peaceful life in a place nobody else would notice.

(When will the rain stop?)

She tugged harder at the blanket draped all over her from head to toe, and was crouched in a corner of the room shivering.

At that moment, Lapis continued to sit at the window side, its bright Lapis-colored eyes looking outside through the gap of the window curtains.

(You want to go outside, Lapis?)

The white tail swayed slightly.

Yū held onto the cellphone tightly with both hands, and spoke with a weak voice,

“Don't... leave me, Lapis.”

Tears swelled helplessly as her throat was afflicted with a piercing pain.

The icy droplet rolled down her cheeks, and at this moment, Lapis slowly approached Yū rubbing its body at the blanket.

“Thank you, Lapis... for being so understanding. You'll accompany me forever, right...?”

Lapis’ eyes looked up at Yū.

—Lapis' eye color resemble that of Earth.

Those were eyes Hikaru once praised softly.

Yū really hoped to remain in that little world forever. She really hoped she could close her eyes, have a wonderful dream, and melt within that blue sea.

The phone in her hand suddenly rang.

“—!”

Startled, she stared at the screen.

It was from Koremitsu.

Not a message, but a phone call.

(What do I do now? I'm scared!)

Why did he not send a mail? Her heart would definitely falter upon hearing his voice.

The phone continued to vibrate.

Yū held her breath, pressed the call button, and slowly brought the phone to her ears.

“Yū, are you listening there? Yū?”

Koremitsu's voice rang through the thin and light cellphone clearly.

Her heart throbbed, and tears were almost welling from her eyes again.

A sobbing voice came from her mouth.

Koremitsu probably heard it, and he let out a heavy sigh on the other end.

Both parties have confirmed each other's existence, and after a while. Koremitsu started talking, with his usual, calm and deep voice.

“I just... chased the vengeful spirit away. It's not a spirit, but just some ordinary ghosts, and also an upright yet foolish person... they're all alive.”

Koremitsu tried his best to find terms as he stiffly described the incident with the girls that bullied Yū, what Tōjō did after knowing it, and how much he did for Yū up till this point.

Yū already knew Shungo Tōjō was the one who notified her of Hikaru's death.

When she sat at the stone monument behind the school campus, eating her meal alone, she spotted a tall bulky proud-looking upperclassman standing in the bamboo forest swaying about.

That person remained quiet as he gave a stoic expression, scaring her.

But once she stood up frantically, he told her that she could continue to remain there and have her meal.

On that rainy day, she found him standing at a building, frowning as he looked at the sky whilst the downpour continued. She hesitantly reached her umbrella over, saying she wanted to give him a lift, and upon hearing that, he gave an expression that was either of repulse or doubt,

“Thank you.”

He said.

“Let me hold this.”

In a gentlemanly manner, he received the umbrella from Yū's hand.

They merely spoke to each other twice.

They were both very tense and lethargic.

That person was of an outstanding family, handsome, capable, intelligent, and a person from another world. She merely found it perplexing that others said she was trying to seduce him, to hook up with him.

She thought that person would be troubled that such rumors persisted and spread, and might even be angry about it.

After locking herself in her home, she never thought about him again.

But that upperclassman felt he had responsibility, and kept protecting her.

This really confused her, and yet touched her.

“Then, is the vengeful spirit... gone?”

Yū asked tentatively.

“No, the last one is still not dealt with yet.”

Koremitsu's voice was very serious, causing Yū's heart to nearly stop once she heard it.

Why was his tone that terrifying?

“You're the only one who can chase this vengeful spirit away. It's in your heart.”

“!”

She felt a chill rise up her back.

The sound of rain seemed to have grown louder.

“My... heart?”

She did not understand what Koremitsu was trying to get at.

But she was already terrified, trembling all over.

“You went to school on the day after your umbrella went missing, right?”

“No, that day... I wasn't at school.”

Right, she was sprawled on the bed, crying that day. The pillow and sheets were drenched in the bitter and salty tears, and it had been raining outside the window continuously for two nights...

“No, you went to school before. Think about it carefully.”

Koremitsu continued to question.

Yū's heart beat and raced, and the raindrops splattering the windows got louder and stronger.

She stuck the phone at her ear with her pale face, and suddenly had a strange feeling, that the reason was hitting on her directly.

Like the day when she, in a despaired state, ran home in the rain.

She lost her umbrella, was mocked by those girls, and ran home in the torrent that rained down hard like arrows. She was shivering on the way back muttering “I'll get eaten, I'll get eaten”...

And after that, she remained at home...

“On the day the girls who bullied you acted out that plan, someone saw you at school. Everyone thought that's your living spirit, and the rumors haven't disappeared even till now. But that's not your spirit, but yourself.”

The visual images slowly replayed in her mind.

It was a heavy downpour that never stopped.

The white blouse was sticking on the body, and there was water dripping down the black pleated skirt.

Her uniform, hanging in the room, was thoroughly soaked, and the feeling of the skirt stuck on her thigh caused her to tremble in fear, to the extent of nausea...

Suddenly, she realized,

(Why did I wear a drenched uniform? Why did I wear a heavy skirt with the smell of rain?)

Where did she go while wearing that set of clothing?

She opened the door... walked down the stairs... and then...

Her mind was suddenly fuzzy, she was practically out of breath as she let out frantic panting.

Right, that day... I...

“Yes... I went... to school...”

There was only a plastic umbrella at the corridor, so she could only use that umbrella, continued to look around worriedly, and see if there was anyone else watching.

“What did you go to school for?”

“I wanted to go to the back garden... to get my umbrella back...”

Why am I saying such words?

It felt like it really happened. No, these are just words from a dream...

“Why did your umbrella end up there?”

“Because the umbrella dropped outside the window.”

She wanted to grab the umbrella, but could not catch it. The umbrella fell down.

It was an uneven black torrent below.

The waves rose, and a fish opened its mouth wide...

“Who threw it down?”

The fish swallowed the umbrella...

“I did...”

I was the one who threw the umbrella down.

A breaking sound rang in her head.

The memories sealed for a long time saw the light of day again.

The rain that thoroughly drenched the windows, the umbrella rack along the corridor, the blue umbrella amidst the umbrellas of various colors.

The treasured umbrella that had provided shelter for Yū.

As long as she had this umbrella, she would not be afraid of other people’s stare, not be afraid of other people’s sneers. Even when her indoor shoes disappeared, when she could only walk down the corridors on slippers, when she open her textbooks to find things written inside, like 'vixen' or 'hooker', she would not be afraid. It did not matter even when she was hit by a basketball during physical education, and when she heard a sarcastic, laugh-riddled ‘Sorry, I didn't mean it’...

Even if she were to be ostracized by others, it did not matter as long as she had an umbrella... it did not matter, it did not matter... it did not matter...

No, how could it not matter?

Those stares would continue to pierce through the umbrella, and their voices would sneak through the umbrella and enter her ears.

How long would she have to continue on like this? How long did she have to endure? Until the end of the first semester? The second? A year? Did she have to endure for three whole years?

I can't take this anymore!

As long as she had the umbrella, she could continue to endure.

Her parents were very happy when she could enter this highly prestigious, traditional school.

But later, her parents divorced; her mother went overseas, and her father made a new family with someone else.

In that case, what purpose was there to go to school again?

It was not because 'she could endure because she had an umbrella', rather 'she had to endure because she had an umbrella', was it not?

If the umbrella was gone, there would be no need to endure any further , was there?

For if she did not have an umbrella, she would have nothing to protect herself.

If she did not have the umbrella, she would not be able to go to school.

She would not need to go to school.

She fumbled about as she drew out that treasured umbrella of hers from the rack.

Once the window opened, the rain immediately fell on her face.

The sky was covered in thick clouds, and it was dark despite it being a day. Upon looking down, the clout of trees were roaring loudly like a black wave.

The strong winds blew, blowing the trees to a point where they bent down. After they straightened again, the cracks between the tree crowns resembled a fish's mouth, and she felt goosebumps rise on the back of her neck.

The hands reaching out of the window were stained with rain.

The fingers holding the umbrella handle lost their strength, and it immediately fell.

It slowly fell.

And it was gradually devoured.

The umbrella 'was eaten'.

Yū's mind went blank as she stumbled back to the classroom, and returned to her seat.

Something incorrigibly terrifying seemed to have just happened.

But what was it ?

At first, when she first thought about it, there was cold sweat and loss of breath. Thus, she decided not to think about it.

In the end, an ominous premonition continued to prick at her as it expanded in her heart.

After school.

Yū's premonition became reality, and her umbrella really disappeared.

The umbrella that had been in the rack since morning had disappeared.

(Yes, I deliberately forgot that I dropped my umbrella.)

But on the next day, when she stayed at home and chose to skip school, sobbing on the bed, she saw the image of the umbrella falling into a large fish's mouth again.

(I thought—I had to get my umbrella back...)

She was the one who personally dropped it... but she felt she had to take her precious umbrella from the fish's mouth. She then changed into her uncomfortable drenched uniform, held a plastic umbrella in the middle of the rain, and returned to school.

She tentatively avoided the stares of the passers-by as she returned to school, and started looking for her umbrella.

She could not find it.

She rubbed her eyes, hoping to see clearly, bent down as she walked around, and even snuck into the shrubs, and finally found it.

She reached her arm out, but could not get it. The twigs and leaves cut the skin, causing blood trails to flow.

The obstructive plastic umbrella was thrown aside, and it rolled away as the wind blew. In the midst of the ongoing torrent, she knelt on the muddy ground, climbed on, and snuck into the shrubs.

Her hands and feet were stained in mud.

She finally managed to grab the handle of the umbrella, and pulled it out.

What appeared in front of her however was not her precious umbrella, but the wreckage of it.

It was eaten!

She would never get it back!

Yū held onto the icy remains of it as she ran home in the rain, utterly terrified of the image of the large fish chasing her down.

In the midst of despair, she knew there was nothing that could protect her.

Thus, Yū started to fear the rain, and did not dare to step outside the house.

“I... did everything... I threw away what protected me, the precious umbrella papa and mama bought for me on my birthday... I...”

She widened her eyes and muttered in shock.

Her body was frozen all over.

Lapis was still looking up at her.

“I'm the vengeful spirit? I was the one who ruined everything? Was 'I'... the one who was going to devour myself? That large black fish... that terrifying fish, was me?”

She was unable to breathe, her throat was quivering, her eyes all dizzy, and her head in a mind-splitting pain.

“Did everyone bully me because they knew I had a vengeful spirit?”

Lapis' body started to contort.

The fish stuck on the wall started to sway and gradually fade away.

The sea kingdom had collapsed.

She could no longer fall asleep peacefully.

This place was no longer safe!

For she was the vengeful spirit—

At that moment,

“PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER! DON'T FALL INTO ANY RIDICULOUS DELUSIONS ANYMORE! DON'T GET YOURSELF SWALLOWED BY THE VENGEFUL SPIRIT IN YOUR HEART!”

A powerful voice rang in Yū's ears.

“I'M WITH YOU HERE! DON'T HOLE YOURSELF IN THE ROOM AND THINK OF SUCH PESSIMISTIC THINGS! OPEN THE DOOR!”

A firm voice rang from the cellphone.

(You're strong, but I...)

Yū was still hesitant, but that voice rang again.

This time, the voice came from beyond the door!

“DON'T LOSE THERE! YŪ! YOU HAVE TO LIVE ON WITH YOUR OWN STRENGTH!!”

Koremitsu was outside the door!

Yū's vision continued to waver.

But her heart had floated out of the door.

“But if you honestly face your feelings and try taking a step forward, perhaps you may understand.”

Why did she search through the internet for someone she could discuss her love troubles with?

Why was she really hoping to see him?

She was utterly terrified of him, but why did she want to hear that angry-sounding voice?

Why was her heart so befuddled?

Why—

Koremitsu remained silent.

The only things that could be heard in the room were Yū's breathing and the sound of rain.

After a short silence that drew her attention away, a passionate, rasp—weak and dejected voice rang

“Yū, I want to meet you...”

The blanket slid down Yū's head, and she, who was left only with a sleeveless one-piece, found herself walking to the door.

She tottered barefooted as she stared right at the door.

She was staring at Koremitsu, who was outside the door.

She too wanted to convey them.

She wanted to convey her feelings for him.

She was always afraid, worried.

In the past, she felt that if she wanted to fall in love, it would have to be with Hikaru, for he would wholeheartedly accept her for who she was. Whenever she was with him, she would not need to change.

She could keep the bliss she had up till this point.

But at this point, he was not the one who touched her heart, who supported her as she advanced on, but his friend—the owner of that clumsy, raspy voice.

Her fingers touched the door lock.

And there was the click of the door being unlocked.

And then, she turned the handle...

The first thing that entered her eyes was the red-haired youth with a serious expression, his mouth tightly sealed, his face looking very tense.

And then, it was the deep blue umbrella he held, followed by the rain behind him.

The sound of rain felt gradually distant and weaker as it reached her ears.

“I want to meet you too.”

She stared at Koremitsu with teary eyes as she said this with a trembling voice.

She expressed the budded feeling when he was with her, that nurtured when she was unable to meet him, and realized,

I want to meet you. I want to meet you.

Koremitsu widened his eyes and gasped.

He could not believe these words as his face was all red, his eyebrows raised as he stared at Yū with that terrifying savage expression.

“...I said I'll help you get your umbrella back.”

He muttered with his face numb. He closed his umbrella, left it at a side of the corner, removed his shoes, and walked in.

Upon hearing him mention about the umbrella, Yū suddenly recalled the terrifying memory she forgot for a while, and her bare shoulders started to shudder.

(My... umbrella...)

She held her breath as she watched Koremitsu's tense rear profile enter the room decisively.

Lapis wagged its tail as it followed behind.

At the wall, there were seashell decorations, the stove and fan her mother treasured, and the old golf bag her father used before.

Those were the towers of prayer for blessing for the fish.

Koremitsu grabbed the golf bag zipper and immediately pulled it open.

There was a space opened at that moment.

He then reached in, and pulled out the blue umbrella inside.

And he turned around.

Yū wanted to pull at the blanket and cover herself, but it had already dropped onto the floor.

His eyes blazing, Koremitsu stared at Yū,

“Found it.”

He said it clearly.

Yū's heart started to pound at a maddening rate, and Koremitsu remained where he was, his eyes unflinching as he opened the umbrella in front of her.

(Don't!)

The ribs of the umbrella were bent, the surface was stained all over, and there was a large hole.

What was originally a bright pretty visage could no longer be seen, and only those remained.

Lapis let out a soft squeal, ostensibly mourning for it.

(I did it...)

This was the decisive proof.

Her legs weakened, and looked ready to fall over anytime.

Koremitsu let go of the broken umbrella's handle.

It fell to the floor in its damaged state.

“This umbrella can't be used anymore.”

His tone was nonchalant, direct and without any restraint as he narrated the truth.

Once he let go of the umbrella, he reached his bare hand over to Yū, who was surprised.

“Let's go.”

He curled his lips aside in an embarrassed manner.

There was still rain on the outside.

There was no umbrella.

There was nothing that could provide shelter for them.

However...

“Okay.”

Yū nodded, and held Koremitsu's hand.

It was a warm hand.

The fingers were firm.

And they were holding onto Yū's hand tightly.

Koremitsu walked towards the corridor, and Yū nervously followed.

Lapis too arrived at the door, and sat down obediently.

“Do you have any shoes?”

“Y-Yes.”

Yū hurriedly opened her shoe closet, took out a pair, and put them on.

Those were the leather shoes she wore to school, but her feet had shrunk, probably because she was not wearing socks, or that she had not left home for so long, that her shoes were loose and wobbly. Once her toes went in, her ankle slipped in as well.

Koremitsu held on to her hand the entire time as she put on her shoes.

The door was still left open after Koremitsu entered,

And it was still raining outside.

“Meow!”

Lapis seemed to be watching them leave as it let out a soft cry.

Koremitsu did not take the umbrella he just placed at the side of the corridor.

He stared at Yū and held her hand apparently telling her it’s fine before walking outside.

The roof was not doing its job well, and the icy rain drops hit Yū on the face, shoulders and arms.

After walking through the passage, Koremitsu pulled Yū's hand hard as he ran towards the rain.

“I'm going to show you something you can only see outdoors!”

He proclaimed loudly and dragged Yū as he raced through the rain with blinding speed.

The sound of rain splattering brushed by above their heads.

Yū's hair, clothes and body were completely soaked, and her water-filled shoes dripped all over as they chase after the rain.However, Koremitsu continued to grab hold of her, and did not allow her to stop and be afraid.

Whenever her soles slid, and when she was about to fall, Koremitsu would exert strength and pull Yū up.

Yū was dragged along at his mercy as she continued to run hard.

She was panting, her mind heated.

Her heart was pounding to a point where it could nearly jump out from her throat.

I'm actually running in the midst of such a scary rain!

It was terrifyingly dark when she saw the outside through the apartment's corridor, but the outside was brighter than she thought.

The alley, which diverged into different paths, had bungalows or apartment blocks flanking it on both sides, and the door of a civilian residence was surrounded with flower pots of cute pretty red flowers flourishing. At the foot of the wall belonging to the next residence, there were yellow roses in full bloom.

The tree at the opposite yard had lush green leaves dripping with dew, and there were bell-shaped frills hanging between the twigs.

Such scenery appeared beside them as they raced through, and while running, Yū seemed to hear a gentle, delightful voice.

—On my way here today, I saw the Morning Glory planted here, and they were as bright red as a ribbon, as cute as a girl maturing early, asking her mother for help in tying it.

—The floral language of the yellow Rose is 'envy', 'departed love', or 'breaking up', so some do not think it is suitable for giving to others, but it also has a hidden meaning of 'trying to love', or 'friendship'.

—I do not hate the yellow Rose, so whenever I pass by those roses when I go to your house, I will stop and talk with them, hoping that they would see me in my best condition.

(Did Hikaru walk down this road?)

Were the clumps of yellow Roses and Morning Glories the ones Hikaru talked? That white flower too?

—The American Catalpa flowers grow between the green heart-shaped leaves, and the petals are like the frills of a skirt, fluttering in the wind, like a group of innocent princesses chatting away. Anyone will not help but smile when they see them. The white flowers also have purple and yellow spots on them, and they resemble some ingenious decoration. They are really cute, and I hope they blossom soon.

Whenever they talked about flowers, Hikaru looked adorable and excited, and his tone would become sweet, clear and refreshing.

She loved to hear Hikaru talk about flowers.

She would hear what sort of flower it was, how it looked, where it bloomed, how it grew, and would imagine it according to his description, which excited her.

She was really looking forward to it.

Towards the world he talked about, the flowers he described.

Like a beautiful, colorful dream.

But at this moment, Yū realized the assortment of colors was not a dream.

(There's so many vibrant colors outside!)

She continued to be dragged by Koremitsu, and continued to run as she whiffed at the sweet fragrance of the white Wisteria.

There was a park in front of her eyes, filled completely with green.

“Over there!”

Koremitsu, with rain all over his face, turned to face Yū as he said energetically,

“You must definitely see this! That's what Hikaru told me!”

(Hikaru...?)

Yū saw a blue world.

Soon after entering the park, there was a lake, and there were many coquettish flowers of white, purple, and pale blue. They resembled Rabbit-ear Irises and Sanguinea Irises, but were actually Japanese Irises!

Hikaru had told her of this before!

—The Japanese Irises growing at the side of the park's lake are like fair maidens. Their leaves are sharp, and they are hard to approach, but their petals are tender, delicate, refined and graceful. They're really enchanting.

—Do you know how to distinguish between Rabbit-ears, Sanguinea and Japanese Irises? If the bottom of the petals are white, they are Rabbit-ears. If yellow, they are Japanese Irises. Also, if there is a web-shaped floral pattern at the bottom, they would be Sanguinea. These flowers are similar, and vary a little, but they all have their own charm!

The floral bed surrounded by rocks were filled with pale blue and purple Hydrangeas. Hikaru mentioned before that the Hydrangea was a Japanese flower that existed since the Manyō era. Its name could be written as 'Gathering of Blue', for it was said it was named after this aspect.

The large violet flowers climbing up on the side must be the Clematis.

Hikaru once said with a delighted expression that it resembled a very intellectual looking, talented big sister staring at someone else.

There were budding little indigo flowers growing on the narrow stem of the Hummingbird Sage, and there was a transparent dew resting on the gentle petals of the Commelina.

—Once the blooming season ends, it will be the rainy season, the world will be nutritioned by the rain, and there will be blue and purple flowers there.

Hikaru mentioned before that there were all sorts of flowers that bloom in the rain, and that it would be prettier, brighter, more majestic and more full of life than what Yū could imagine.

(This is the scene Hikaru saw before, the flowers he treasured.)

(The blue on the land has filled the entire world!)

Koremitsu suddenly widened his eyes in surprise and muttered away. His stare continued to sway.

For some reason, he removed his shirt to reveal a T-shirt underneath, and with a blushing face, he handed the shirt over to Yū saying,

“Put it on. It's better than nothing.”

Yū found her thin one-piece drenched completely, to a point where it could be seen through, and blushed in embarrassment.

Koremitsu's shirt was already drenched—but it was large, and could cover her slender body within.

(It's warm...)

Koremitsu turned and looked away awkwardly. It was unknown who took the initiative, but they held hands again.

The touch of the fingertips felt cozy.

Yū continued to walk with Koremitsu, hand in hand, sometimes amazed by the dangling white Sorbara Sorbifolia, sometimes smiling at the needle-like blady grass at the lakeside, with several strands of silvery-white furs, and would sometimes stop in her tracks and lose herself as she stare at the light purple flowers at her feet.

(Even in the rain, all the flowers are trying their best to blossom. No, it's because they're in the rain...)

Whenever Hikaru visited Yū, he would bring along some photos of the sea.

But though he loved flowers so much, he would only describe them excitedly, and would never bring photos of them along, and never once did he take photos of them with his cellphone and show them to her.

Why was that?

At this moment, she started to understand what Hikaru was thinking after seeing all the flowers in the park on this rainy day.

“Hikaru... must have wanted me to see this.”

She held onto Koremitsu's hand as she listened to the rain, thoroughly touched as she said this.

The colors of the flowers.

The fragrance of the plants.

The breezy feeling of the wind, the grace of the rain bestowed upon the land. He hoped for her not to imagine it, but to witness it personally, to touch it, to feel it, to personally experience the wonder of nature.

He hoped for her to understand the beauty of the world.

He hoped she experience it with her mind and body.

That certainly must have been what Hikaru was thinking?

“Yeah.”

Koremitsu—Hikaru's friend, answered definitively.

Hikaru was right in front of Yū, nodding gently to her. Koremitsu looked aside, and then stared at Yū with a gentle expression as he said with certain happiness.

—That's right, Yū.

She could practically hear Hikaru's voice through Koremitsu, and saw an image of Hikaru smiling in front of them... suddenly, there was a sense of nostalgia.

“Is this Hikaru's promise?”

Koremitsu's eyes suddenly became gloomy.

He seemed to have trouble enduring the pain in his heart as he stared at Yū sadly, and after a pause,

“Yeah... that's right.”

Koremitsu answered with an adamant tone, seemingly to have made some sort of decision with conviction.

“It's a very important promise.”

His face was extremely tense, and his eyes looked more mature than usual. He seemed to know something Yū did not know of, but was enduring that pain alone. Upon seeing this, Yū felt her heart flutter.

Both of them were drenched in the rain together, viewing the same scene together, but she had a feeling, a lonely feeling of waiting for Koremitsu to visit, and a strong expectant feeling, hoping to erase that loneliness.

(What's with this feeling?)

It felt sad, anxious, sweet yet bitter, and there was some unrest—

(Why did Akagi look for me? After I said such harsh words to him, why did he still call for me so insistently? Because of his promise with Hikaru? Is that it?)

When she opened the door, she found Koremitsu, his eyes blazing, right in front of her; her heart felt riveted, impulsive, and the feeling infected her throat, eyes and fingertips.

Yū subconsciously held Koremitsu's hand, and he was startled as he turned to Yū.

His red hair was completely soaked, and the rain trekked down his forehead and cheeks.

He had lent his shirt to Yū, and the drenched T-shirt was sticking to his body. He looked really cold.

His troubled eyes were staring at Yū from under the raised eyebrows.

He seemed to be worried, thinking that he might have made Yū angry—and opened his mouth bewilderedly, but could only make a groan, unable to form a sentence.

That clumsy expression caused Yū's heart to ache, and she felt the urge to cry too as she continued to stare at him.

(Akagi... I—I)

Koremitsu's mouth opened in a stiff manner, his eyes showing weakness and pain as he gazed at Yū.

Hikaru once said that one could tell if the other was in love through the look in the eyes.

(Akagi, I really—)

Her intercrossed fingers felt the increased strength from Koremitsu. His hand was wet, but was it due to the rain? Or due to the sweat?

Yū too was no less nervous than Koremitsu.

But she tried her best to express with her eyes how special the feeling that filled her heart was.

She really wanted to see him, and was practically unable to control her impulse.

Whether it was Hikaru, Tōjō, or anyone else, she never felt this sad, this hesitant.

Her heart was racing so fast she was panting. Their stares were too fixated, even the eyes were burning.

(I really like...)

Koremitsu's eyes looked really passionate too. Her fingers, held in his hand, were almost breaking apart from the pain.

But upon seeing the similar hesitant look he showed, Yū felt really delighted, and his passionate stare caused her to feel emotionally uplifted from the sweetness.

(Yes, Hikaru... I can really tell from the eyes whether he's in love. No, not just the eyes, even the eyebrows, lips, fingers, the breathing...)

Koremitsu's eyes were blazing intensely.

The frustrated-looking tight eyebrows, the thoroughly red face, the trembling lips, the heavy breath from the mouth, and the sharp pain felt from the fingertips.

All these aspects revealed his feelings.

Her eyes soaking wet, Yū smiled.

(We're the 'same'.)

She lifted her head up with a blissful feeling, raised her lips, and stared at those eyes with a loving expression.

This must have been what it meant to attract others.

Wanting to pull the other person's heart over... a serious yearning of contact, for each other, for them to be one.

The moment Yū smiled, Koremitsu narrowed his eyes, ostensibly in sadness, and brought his face over tentatively.

The tightly clasped hands were held tightly.

Yū's fingers were numb to a point where she could not feel anything.

But her heart was filled with delight.

Her heart had pulled Koremitsu's heart close to her.

Their lips overlapped stiffly.

The moist softness was cold, and had the taste of sweat and rain.

She closed her eyes, allowed herself to be drawn into the ecstasy of her entire body melting within. She felt apprehension, fearful and embarrassed, but was yet delighted, infatuated, blissful.

Ever blissful...

—You will learn of the delight of love one day, definitely.

Hikaru was no longer on this world.

But Yū had the feeling he was always nearby, looking at her with gentle eyes, and said quietly in her heart,

(Hikaru, I've fallen in love! I've fallen in love with your friend!)

Thank you, Hikaru.

Thank you for teaching me about all these flowers! Thank you for letting me see this blue world, and these flowers!

I want to be stronger. No, I have to be stronger!

I definitely have to be stronger.

Yū's eyes opened, found the rain had stopped, and the light shining through the clouds brightened the park.

It felt like the last present Hikaru gave her.

—Farewell, Yū, I hope you will see more wonderful scenes in the future.

Hey, Koremitsu.

When I left the details vague after entrusting Yū to you, I did not do it just because I was amused by how you were panicking over your first love.

I am not that devious, and neither am I that mean. If my only friend misunderstands me, it will be really depressing.

Hm? You saying that I need to help out as a friend, and not pretend to play dead or give a cold bystander look as if I understand everything?

It cannot be helped. I am not 'pretending to be dead', I am already dead.

I left Yū to you not because I did not love her.

On the contrary,

Yū is not a girlfriend of mine, but she is a girl I really treasured, and I really hoped she would have a blissful life.

It is because of that that I am so hesitant.

To Yū, what exactly is happiness? Is it really the best thing to pull her out from that room? Even after death, I still could not answer the question.

In essence, Yū is just like me.

We are scared of being hurt, and scared of hurting others. We just want to remain in a quiet closed space, living in a peaceful, constant life.

I did not yearn for Yū in any way.

Yū too did not yearn for me either.

We just remained as who we were, and interacted while maintaining a fixed distance.

Our relationship was stale and relaxing. I could gain solace whenever there is anyone who can accept me for who I am.

Whenever I am tired of chasing after girls, or is wooed, but unable to return an equal amount of favor, and feel hurt or empty within, I will look for Yū and find comfort in that eternal silence.

Those were peaceful moments for me.

Thus, I understood more than anyone Yū's unwillingness to leave the house, and I did not find it to be anything bad.

Some flowers only bloom at night.

Nobody can decisively conclude the wonderful, fragrant white flowers that bloom in the cold moonlight are more unfortunate than those that bask under the radiant sunlight.

If it is a flower that is not imprisoned in the night, but that it liked it, and hoped for it, is it not happiness? Is it not too much to put a flower that is full of life under the moonlight to wilt under the harsh sunlight?

But because of certain circumstances, I can no longer become a frivolous harem prince.

At this point, I still cannot tell you the reason for it, and I am really sorry for that.

Because I still have not sorted out my thoughts. If I say it out not, I will definitely be more confused.

Perhaps on one of these days, I will tell you a long story...

Yes...it is because of this that I did something inappropriate before Golden Week, and enraged Mr Shungo and the others. But I really cannot continue on.

Anyway, there was a sudden transition, and because of that, I decided to break up with all the other girls and date Miss Aoi seriously.

You know about that...ah? Is kissing another girl while riding on a horse at the turf considered cheating? Eh, that is an accident...the girl invited me to kiss, so how can I refuse in front of others? This will cause her to lose pride...goodness, I did say that is not cheating!

Okay then, back to the main point. When Mr Shungo requested me to break up with Yū, I knew I had to leave her sooner or later.

Thus, I promised him that I would let Yū return to the outside world.

To be honest, it was really difficult.

I did just mention the reason too, for I really understood Yū's wish to continue staying in the house.

I suppose I would not be able to do so.

I love how flowers remain as their original selves.

I can accept everything about flowers.

I can express myself according to the other person's wishes, or say what the other person wants, and I want this to happen too.

But this is my limit.

It is a cowardly act to fully submit to the other person's wishes.

That is basically an avoidance of conflicts, redirecting of responsibilities, running from any hurt that may come with conflicts, refusal to improve—I, who is willing to accept everything, is too afraid to deny anything.

For my denial may hurt the other person, and break up a love that was built for a long time.

Since I chose to continue living a life where we could feel comfort, 'I had no right to make any decision'.

To put it simply, the reason why I acted aloof was actually because I had no confidence. Will you be less angry after hearing this?

You do not believe me? Because I am a frivolous harem prince seeking girls every single day? This is true. I am more knowledgeable of how to please a girl.

But Koremitsu,

I really had no confidence in my decision.

I was always feeling troubled alone.

Even I was hesitant about telling you the way to prevent losing Yū. I was worried you would be stuck in a labyrinth, unable to escape, just like I was, and choose the other path I chose...

But Koremitsu, you exceeded my limits every time.

You are really courageous, able to take the initiative, and straightforward.

You are not scared of being denied or destroyed, and rather think about others even if it means hurting both sides. You definitely would not abandon her, and continue to move forward.

That was why I chose this precious flower, my solace, to you.

I already guessed Yū would be attracted to you.

Yū and I are alike; there is no way she will not fall for my best friend, and will understand you well. I also know you will definitely change Yū.

You really did not fail my expectations.

Thank you for letting Yū see that scenery.

Thank you for letting her understand that the world outside is not just of pain and sadness, but is also filled with many beautiful flowers.

Yū will definitely grow stronger.

From now on, she definitely can walk on through her own will, and find many wonderful things in this vast world.

This is all the things you brought to her.

...hey, I am praising you here. Why are you crying away?

Well, since you are heartbroken, I suppose I shall let you cry on, right?

I already reminded you that if you chase Yū's vengeful spirit away and bring her outside, you will lose her.

Yū is a girl who is like a pixie.

She is gentle within, and is very shy though she is calm, and is as innocent as a child. Once she falls for someone, she will reach out to the other person, like a Gourd flower extending its vines, climbing up a nearby fence with its tendrils.

Like how the girls have an illusion of being the true love for me, the white Gourd flower can be dyed by any color, and is an illusion men look to.

It is a miracle that appears only at night, hazy yet magical.

Having fallen for Yū, you must have realized that for sure.

Once she step outside, Yū will not remain as she was.

In the morning, the flower will wilt, and the girl in the fantasy will gradually disappear like morning dew.

You once said to me adamantly that you do not care even if this is the case.

At that time, you refused the other choice, refused the advice I gave, and that really touched me.

You are saying a ghost being touched is not going to make you happy?

That you will cry harder in the future if you do not cry now?

Well, I guess it cannot be helped. I shall lend you my shoulder to cry on then.

You cannot lean on me anyway? Please stop flaring your temper while waving your fist at me. The sight of your twitching eyebrows is already a terrifying image.

Okay then, just lean over and cry.

You already worked hard.

You are really a hero.

Yū has fallen for you too.

Let me tell you this, Koremitsu. Love is just a temporal illusion, but the sweetness and blissfulness it brings to people is definitely not. Like even how a flower disappears, the color and fragrance will forever linger in your heart.

So I just want to bid a gentle farewell to the flowers who brought me happiness.

Even if it is selfish, self-conceited, I hope they will abstain from agony and tears, and head towards the future with a cheerful feeling. I want to give them the best farewell.

While I am still on Earth......

### 009. Epilogue: Someday, The Smiling Face

“Is all your luggage here?”

“...Yes. I threw away a lot of things after much thought and this is the only one left.”

Yū raised the bright sky blue suitcase and pet carrying case as she smiled radiantly.

It was a few days after Koremitsu dragged Yū out of the house, and ran in the rain...

The sky was clear, there were no clouds to be seen, and the bright sunlight rained down on their heads.

Yū was in front of her apartment, waiting for a taxi.

Later, she would be headed to the airport.

She chose to finish the school leaving procedures, live with her mother in Australia, and continue her education there.

“Oh...well, it certainly is more convenient to travel with.”

Koremitsu wanted to chat as if it was normal, but he was still sobbing away, and it seemed he would bawl out if he relaxed in the slightest.

—Once Yū's vengeful spirit is liberated, she will go to Australia.

On the day Koremitsu declared to Asai he would protect Yū, Hikaru said this to him with conviction.

—Yū's mother has been calling her, telling her to live together in Australia, but she refused every single time. However, her father is increasingly burdened and unable to pay for her living expenses.

There was no choice for Yū but to go to Australia.

However, she did not dare leave her apartment, let alone suffer in a foreign country with a language she was unacquainted with, and she’d rather die at home.

—If you do not do anything, perhaps you might be able to maintain the current situation.

Hikaru was ostensibly saying something he did not want to as his tone was weak and dejected, his expression gloomy and dull.

—There is no way Yū's parents will want to see their daughter starve to death...they will probably continue to send her financial aid. In that case, Yū will be able to have her usual happiness, and you can have Yū, who belongs to you.

However, Koremitsu stared at Hikaru, and answered that it did not matter even if he could not meet Yū. He had to chase the vengeful spirit away and prevent her from crying whenever she recalled the past.

On the day they were viewing flowers in the park, Yū and Koremitsu were seated side by side on the bench, talking,

“...Papa did not send any money over since the last month. He told me over the phone that his new wife has a new child, and he has no ability to provide any living means for me. He even apologized to me and told me to go to mama.”

The sun was shining brightly after the rain stopped, and Yū lowered her head dejectedly,

“I threw a tantrum and ignored papa and mama's advice. I thought they only cared about their new families or job, that nobody really cared about me, that I might as well just die, and I really hope I can die in my sleep...it's as you said, I'm...running away from reality...”

Though she was sad, she was trying her best to talk with her teeny-weeny voice.

Thus, Koremitsu was paying utmost attention to her.

“I don't know whether I can get along well with mama once I get to Australia. She's a very shrewd and practical person...she never liked my attitude, and always taught me to be more proactive, or told me to get out and move, and even said I'm very stubborn, and I need to make more friends. It really caused me a lot of pressure...I can't handle being in a school in Japan; it'll be much tougher for me when I go to Australia to study, and I may end up being bullied. I'm really scared when I think about this...”

Her hand, which was holding Koremitsu's, started to tremble, but she lifted her head gingerly,

“I...won't run away. You brought me out of that room, and showed me so many wonderful things in the outside world beyond my imagination.”

She was really trying her best to convey her feelings to Koremitsu.

“I'm going to look for mama there and work hard. I won't run away this time.” And so, Koremitsu answered her.

He resisted the urge to call her to stay, and tried his best to speak with an encouraging tone.

“Sure, go for it.”

(The furthest I went was Osaka during my Middle School graduation tour, and now she's flying to the Southern continent!? The seasons are complete opposite here! Isn't that too far, damn it!)

Koremitsu had cried out and voiced his grievances to Hikaru the previous day, and thus, on this day, he tried his best not to cry, and closed his eyes and lips hard. Hikaru however showed a mature expression as he watched Koremitsu from sidelong.

“Do you regret it?”

After Hikaru had asked this the previous day, Koremitsu answered with snot and tears riddled on his face,

“Don't be stupid. Of course I'm not regretting this one bit.”

The efforts would all be wasted if he were to cry at this point. Hikaru would certainly tease him for being such a crybaby despite his appearance.

But when he saw the taxi approach, he still felt his heart ache.

Yū too was startled, and looked over at Koremitsu worriedly.

Her hands that were holding onto the suitcase trembled, her eyebrows were drooping down, and her face was pale.

Koremitsu wanted to cry, and Yū looked ready to cry soon as she said with a perplexed tone,

“Akagi...actually, I...”

The taxi stopped in front of Yū.

With a crying face, Yū staring at Koremitsu with tears in her eyes.

If he spoke up and asked her to stay—if he reached out to grab Yū's hand, pull her close, and tell her not to leave—I'll think of a way to protect you somehow, perhaps Yū might nod her head.

Perhaps she might always stay with him.

This impulse swept through Koremitsu like a storm.

“Actually, I...”

Her moist eyes and pale lips were trembling with anxiety.

She was to head to a distant country with a language she was unfamiliar, with no friends. She would be alone, and for an introverted girl like her, there was no doubt she was terrified. She must have been afraid, terrified to a point where she was unable to handle it.

It was still not too late. There was still a chance for him not to lose her.

As long as he said not to go—

—I...won't run away. You brought me out of that room.

The words Yū managed to eke out with her voice at the park after the rain rang in his mind again.

This was the first time Yū, who was always hiding in a corner of the room, draped over with a blanket, decided something on her own will.

Koremitsu clenched his fists and yelled,

“WHETHER IT'S IN THE PAST OR THE FUTURE, TELL ME ABOUT ANY TROUBLE YOU HAVE IMMEDIATELY! WHETHER IT'S BY CALL OR MESSAGE! DON'T HIDE ALONE AND BROOD OVER IT! I'LL PROTECT YOU NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO!”

Yū's face showed a frown.

“Akagi...”

In fact, he really hoped to see Yū attend school again, make a bunch of new friends, and live her school life happily.

This was not because he was lavishly hoping she would have lunch with him, that they would attend and leave together school together. For him, it would be enough to see her being happy as long as they were in the same place.

This was the last little wish Koremitsu hoped for.

However, he did not regret it.

No matter whether it was chasing the vengeful spirit with all his might, or dragging Yū out to run in the rain,

Or it was when he kissed her with just apprehension in the park.

At this moment, he was to watch her leave.

And he would definitely, definitely not regret it!

Like Koremitsu, Yū too widened her eyes as she held her tears back, and clenched her fists tightly.

“Yes, thank you. I'm fine.”

She tried to act optimistic as she said with a trembling voice. At this moment, her pet carrying case shook.

“Eh...? Lapis?”

The lid opened, and it immediately leapt out agilely and crept to Koremitsu.

Lapis walked towards Koremitsu and Hikaru, and swayed its tail vigorously. It then proceeded to turn around and lie down. The Lapis-colored eyes were looking up at Yū, ostensibly ready to send Yū off together with Koremitsu's group.

Yū seemingly returned back to her life when she hid in the cramped room under the blue blanket as she showed a fearful, dumbfounded expression. Soon after, she bit her lips hard, ostensibly hiding her pain.

With a sense of loneliness and thanksgiving mixed within, she said,

“So Lapis...you want to leave me too. Up till now...I had been a scaredy cat, and wouldn't let you go out. I'm sorry...thank you for being with me all this while...”

Lapis let out a clear purr, seemingly saying she was no longer a scaredy cat.

With Lapis, Koremitsu and Hikaru watching, Yū sat on the taxi.

From the window, she said,

“Akagi, I won't be a flower that blooms in the night anymore. I'll become a flower that blooms towards the sun.”

Her cheerful eyes were filled with tears as she smiled.

“When we meet the next time, I'll show that I've become a girl who likes to smile.”

Koremitsu too wanted to smile to her.

But no matter how hard he tried to raise his lips or move his face, his body would not obey. His throat and eyes were heating up, and the salty and bitter fluids nearly overflow, to a point where he had to try his best to hold it in.

“Eh...yes.”

Koremitsu frowned and tried his best to squeeze out a flat voice. He wanted to smile and make Yū relax more, but he just could not do so no matter what.

The taxi departed away, and Yū's silhouette gradually shrank.

(If you have any trouble, say it out! I'll rush over to you...b-but...I hope such a thing will never happen again! It doesn't matter even if we don't meet. It'll be a thousand times better as long as you're happy! It's fine even if you don't call or send a message!)

Lapis was sticking at his feet, and Hikaru patted him on the shoulder.

“Uuu...~”

Koremitsu still ended up breaking down in tears.

The next day,

Koremitsu's eyebrows were raised higher than usual, his lips tightly curled, his eyes bloodshot as he went to school, and his classmates backed off from him in fear.

There was a new rumor in school, saying 'he was a delinquent more terrifying than a vengeful spirit'.

“I heard he challenged the vengeful spirit barehanded.”

“Even the vengeful spirit was scared away by that delinquent.”

This rumor of unknown origin instantly spread throughout the school, but Koremitsu was currently not in the mood to bother with that.

After school, he was at the parapet on the roof, and there was a breeze with a breath of summer.

A plane flew by the blue sky.

Yū must have reached there already.

The 'pixie girl' with the gentle smile had disappeared.

Despite some loneliness, he felt contented for being able to see such a radiant smile from Yū.

That was most likely Koremitsu's first love.

He inadvertently reflected on it, wondering how many times Hikaru went through such turbulent moments of meetings and separation?

Hikaru too floated beside Koremitsu and looked afar with a calm expression, albeit mixed with some loneliness.

—I want to give them the best farewell.

Hikaru had once stated this before.

He did not want to give his beloved flowers atonement or repentance, but a gentle farewell.

Every flower,

Every love,

He really loved them from the bottom of his heart.

Those were treasured memories that were irreplaceable.

Perhaps he was not just a frivolous casanova of a young man.

(I think I'm starting to understand what he feels)

Hikaru too would be lost, and afraid.

But he tried his best to think for others. His smile and sweet talk was not for himself, but to comfort the wounded hearts of others.

In his heart, there was a blue, lonely, peaceful ocean.

—In essence, Yū is just like me.

—We are scared of being hurt, and scared of hurting others. We just want to remain in a quiet closed space, living in a peaceful, constant life.

Why did Hikaru still remain on this world even after ?

Why would he sometimes look in a distant place alone?

There were still many things Koremitsu did not understand.

However...

(As long as Hikaru remains on Earth, I'll continue to be with him until the end.)

Koremitsu leaned towards the fence as he said to this enigmatic friend of his,

“Are you 100m closer to Heaven now?”

“Yeah.”

Hikaru answered gently, his golden dazzling hair swaying gently.

“Then I better get ready and practise how to smile.”

“Yes, if you send me off with that smile you showed to those girls in the chemistry classroom, I think I will still have some psychological trauma in my reincarnation.”

“OKAY, DON'T MENTION THAT INCIDENT AGAIN!”

“They said your smile is more terrifying than a vengeful spirit.”

“DON'T SAY IT!!!”

Koremitsu was flushed red as he roared out at the teasing Hikaru.

In the future, he would have to learn how to smile.

If, on one day, he would have to separate from an important person again, he had to brighten that person's heart with a smile.

He would have to endure the pain of separation and earnestly bless the person who was leaving.

He would have to show an indomitable, firm smile, and tell the other person he is alright.

“Koremitsu, do you know the floral language of yellow Roses? Not the large ones though. The small one. The very cute kind.”

“How do I know? Why are you asking me this out of a sudden? Stop acting now and just tell me directly if you want to.”

“Yes yes.”

Hikaru was ostensibly demonstrating as he showed his most radiant smile to the frowning Koremitsu.

“It is to 'leave with a smile'.”

“I heard Miss Kanai went to Australia to live with her mother.”

In the bamboo forest at the back yard, Hiina Oumi said this with a deliberate tone to Shungo Tōjō, who was staring at the stone monument.

“So Mr Akagi really fulfilled that 'promise'.”

“...I guess.”

He uttered without looking back.

“It seems he's really good friends with Lord Hikaru. He must have heard quite a few things from the latter, maybe he'll say everything if we agitate him.”

Shungo however showed a stern expression on his face as he interrupted that clear voice of hers.

“Don't spread that sort of message again. This method is too underhanded.”

“I would say it is the best method to lure out the murderer. Also, the one spreading the rumors about Yū kanai was not me. If you suspect anything...”

“I am not suspecting you.”

“...Are you still having a grudge that I stated you're the culprit behind this in front of Mr Akagi? That's an act to lure out information given about how Mr Akagi is like~ and also, the Matriarch Asa will view that I have no relationship with you, so it's a good plan that kills two birds with one stone. Did I go overboard with the acting?”

She said with an unconcerned tone.

“I'm not having any grudges over anything.”

“Of course, you aren't such a petty person after all, Upperclassman!”

Hiina spoke with a deliberate cheerful, voice, and then said sternly like a completely changed person.

“I do feel the one sending the rumors that hurt Yū Kanai through the mails...must have been someone who truly loved Lord Hikaru. Right, it must have been someone who loved him so much to a point of killing off.”

At this point, Shungo was wondering what kind of expression was Hiina showing on her face exactly.

Was it a mature, aloof expression that was very unsuitable for her?

Or was it that of an innocent youth's, enjoying the moment.

He pondered for a while, but did not want to look back and confirm.

However—

Shungo recalled the moment when he met Hikaru at the turf course in Shinshu, that hollow and fragile smile of his when Shungo acted rudely to him, and the wound on his wrist...

(I really couldn't ask at that sort of moment.)

This incident would still remain in his heart.

Perhaps one day, it would be an ace that would change the relationship between the Tōjōs and the Mikados...

Right, there was no time to be depressed over Yū Kanai.

The more aces he had in his hand, the better. Because of this, he silently accepted Hiina's presence.

Shungo continued on to the classroom, and never looked at Hiina once even till the end.

He seemed to hear Hiina's soft voice of admiration from behind,

“...We shall always be allies, big brother.”

It was really soft.

Shungo however pretended not to hear and walked off without looking back.

Koremitsu looked back, and found Honoka standing behind with a worried look.

“...It's about time for class.”

She said to him nervously.

Koremitsu had sent her a message the previous day, informing her of Yū's actions in finishing the procedures to leave school, and that she flew off to Australia the previous day.

Honoka did not mention about that, but rather, walked towards his side cautiously, and reached her hand to grab the fence. If he was to keep staying here and not attend class, it was very likely Honoka would stay behind to accompany him.

(As expected...she's really a good person.)

Just when Koremitsu was about to say, “Let's head back to class”, he found Honoka, with her head turned towards him, stare at him with a convicted expression.

“...?”

She stared at a puzzled looking Koremitsu with a timid look on her face, and with a trembling—and serious voice, she said,

“I'm sorry for saying this at this time—but, I think, I like you.”

## Footnote

I don't wish for this love to become a dream.

I definitely won't allow you to selfishly make any changes.

This would be a betrayal to those maddening days.

You definitely can't change it.

Whether it's your feelings, or mine, all will have to remain as they are.

So...

Hikaru, on that day, I stood behind your back

## Special Chapter: Shungo Toujou's view — That is Definitely Not Love!

The first time Shungo Tōjō met Hikaru Mikado, it was during the beginning of Winter in his second year of Middle School at Heian Academy.

He was with his parents, visiting their relatives, the Saotomes, and found a cute, pretty child playing with his cousin—Aoi—planting bulbs in the garden together. That would be Hikaru.

That child's round face was pink on the cheeks, and the wide eyes with long narrow eyebrows let out a brilliance of purity whilst his muddy hands were digging the dirt beside the bulbs.

That soft, light brown hair looked dazzling like gold under the clear sun of winter, and the person was practically an Angel from a picture book.

(Who is that girl playing with Aoi there?)

It was really rare to see the shy Aoi play with someone other than Asai.

Aoi's face was completely red, her mouth pouting tightly as she seemed to be angry.

Whenever that girl spoke to Aoi with a bright smile, Aoi would immediately look away flustered.

However, whenever she turned and talked to Asai, who was growing plants with her on the other side, Aoi would shyly glance to the side, and then blush and look to the other side again.

Aoi and Asai were in the First Year of Middle School, a year younger than Shungo.

Was that girl of the same age as them?

Unknowingly, that girl was the only thing in his eyes.

Aoi and her friend, Asai, had long, glamourous hair, and were exceptionally outstanding beauties with no particular defects to speak of. However, the girl beside them was no less inferior, and was even the fairest of them all.

Shungo felt an inexplicable allure from her, and that was a characteristic the girls around him never once had.

That girl suddenly stood up and tottered her way towards the storage shed in the garden.

She wanted to move a large bag of fertilizer, and though she managed to carry it, she was moving rather awkwardly.

“Seriously, what are you doing, Hikaru!? It's too dangerous!”

Her face blushing, Aoi immediately ran over.

Asai however continued to look on with a coy expression unfitting of a child.

Shungo managed to reach that girl faster than Aoi, and helped her carry the fertilizer bag.

The girl turned towards Shungo, and her large eyes grew larger. The eyes and hair were light brown in color, and from close up, they were so pretty he was infatuated with it.

Shungo felt his heart pound like crazy.

“This is too heavy for a girl. Let me carry this.”

“Big Brother...”

Shungo's sudden appearance caused Aoi to be shocked, and then, once she saw Shungo help carry that bag from behind the child, she immediately pouted unhappily.

Shungo wondered that Aoi must have been jealous after seeing him treat another girl so nicely. Aoi was a child, so this was to be expected.

Though he was just a year older than Aoi, this was the conclusion he came to.

“Erm, are you Miss Aoi's big brother...? I am not a girl though.”

A sweet, cute voice that matched the appearance came from close range.

(Huh!?)

This time, Shungo was the one flabbergasted as his eyes widened in surprise, his mouth ajar.

“I am a boy.”

The child said with an angelic voice.

(A boy!!!?)

Shungo felt cheated, and unhappily moved the fertilizer to the flowers.

“Thank you.”

The boy thanked him in a very cutesy manner, but he did not answer or look at the latter as he hurried back into the house.

Shungo’s second meeting with that child was during the New Year party hide at the Mikados'.

He overheard his 3 older sisters, who were natural chatterboxes,

“Look! That's the 'child who should not have been born'!”

He turned around, and found 'him', dressed in a child-sized suit and shorts.

That child was surrounded by a group of lavishly dressed big sisters, and then responded to them with an earnest, cute smile. They too started chatting with him with grins on their faces.

Shungo's sisters' interest in watching commotion was brazenly shown in this case.

“Eh? That child is 'Hikaru'? That cannot be! He looks really cute.”

“It is because he is brought to the Mikados main family that Kazuaki and his mother had to leave as a result.”

“So he is the heir to the Mikado family? He really is 'a child that should not have been born'.”

“But he is really cute, and his hair color is pretty too! He is like a foreign prince. I want to go over and talk to him!”

“Are you not blind? B-But, I think...I may have some interest.”

Shungo paid attention to their gossip.

In the past, when he eavesdropped on the adults, he learned of the existence of a 'child that should not have been born'.

Whenever the adults talked about it, all of them would frown and grumble.

(So the one I met at the Saotomes was Hikaru Mikado...)

From the attitudes of the adults, Shungo had assumed Hikaru was a gloomy child, and did not expect the latter to be so carefree, dazzling, to a point where he was practically engulfed in light. He could have enjoyable talks with women, old enough to be his mother, or women that were even older, and gain their doting love.

Right. If he were wise, he would definitely be unable to smile so carefreely.

Upon seeing that pretty face that was like a guy, Shungo suddenly recalled the awkward incident involving him at the Saotomes, and suddenly felt bitter.

The first person he ever felt his heart flutter towards was a boy...and it was to Hikaru Mikado of all people.

(That might be my first love...no, that is definitely not it! I am just mistaken! That cannot count!)

Good thing I found out about his gender soon after...

Shungo secretly heaved a sigh of relief deep within.

Because of these past incidents, Shungo never liked Hikaru afterwards, but because of their family standings, he could not ignore the latter, and this infuriated him.

For generations, the Tōjō had served the Mikados. Shungo was furious as he thought it was a misfortune how that lecherous, frivolous harem prince would become his future superior.

(But I never expected Hikaru to die at such a young age...)

And Shungo never thought there would be a day he would be so agitated after Hikaru died...

On a certain holiday, Shungo was in the family kitchen, preparing some breakfast though it was a little late. He strained the lettuce leaves that were to be used for the salad as he pondered.

On the day before Hikaru died, he promised Shungo he would break Yū Kanai free from her past demons, and walk out of that tattered apartment.

After that, Hikaru's friend, Koremitsu Akagi finished his wish and completed the promise.

It was great if Yū could continue enjoying her new life in Australia cheerfully.

The girl who ate lunch alone in the serene bamboo forest, her face filled with blissfulness.

Shungo really liked her silence and her shy attitude.

Shungo's taste was in females that were obedient, quiet and supple, for he had several vicious talkative older sisters who were frivolous, and would treat their little brother as a servant.

During the Heian Era, the Crown Prince that later became the Emperor Sanjō ordered his concubine Suishi to hold onto a block of ice, and said to her, “If you really loved me, you mustn't let go of the ice until I say to stop.” He then forgot about it, and by the time he recalled, the ice had melted, and Suishi's hands were frozen purple. But she held on to this ice block silently, and never grumbled a single word.

If Shungo had dared to say, “This is the ideal woman”, he would be lambasted to high heavens by all the women in the world, and his sisters would definitely beat him up good.

Even so, he could not help but find himself infatuated with abnormally docile females.

Unfortunately, such women normally would not dare to approach Shungo, and would run away before they even got acquainted.

Considering how there would be three potential sister-in-laws that would be hard to get along, his future in attaining a wife would be tumultuous, to say the least.

Even if he could find someone he could fall in love with, she might faint after seeing those sisters of him glare at her if she were that serene and introverted, let alone chat...there would never be a good outcome for him.

But speaking of which, the Concubine Suishi did have the casanova Minamoto no Yorisada wooing her, and it was a fact that they became husband and wife, and even conceived a child together...

When he heard of how Hikaru often visited Yū's apartment, he was furious and deflated within, dejected to a point where his gut hurt.

(I should not thank Hikaru after all...maybe it is because of his regular visits that Yū Kanai was unwilling to step out of her house. And he has countless relationships with so many girls...humpt, that person's heinous acts are unmeasurable.)

As he furiously shaved the red carrot...

“Big Brother Shungo!”

A pretty girl with long flowing black hair and a white sash tied upon it came running in with her cheeks puffed.

That would be his cousin Aoi.

Aoi had just celebrated her 17th birthday, and there was a trace of mature charm in her innocent nature as she had become prettier than before.

But in Shungo's eyes, Aoi would always be a cute cousin to him.

As the youngest child, he was oppressed by his three sisters, and thus, he doted on Aoi like she was his own little sister. The person who was born to be a part of the board of management must definitely not be like Hikaru, for he would be frowned upon by his subordinates. However, he was always amicable and caring to Aoi.

“Good morning, Aoi. Why did you look for me? What happened? Ah, I just baked some Quiches here. It's chicken and herb flavor, your favorite. There is still some Compote in the fridge too.”

Shungo's interest was cooking, and he was very detailed in the ingredients he used. Naturally, he had confidence in the flavor.

However...

“That isn't important!”

Aoi refused readily, surprising him somewhat.

“Seriously, everyone is so mean! They actually said Mr Akagi is more savage than a vengeful spirit, and said he even beat it down until it submitted, and devoured it fully! Asa even said, “It will be great if that sort of man better head off to a country full of vengeful spirits and stay there forever” . That was really cold of her!”

Aoi complained furiously.

It seemed she was angry about how Koremitsu Akagi's reputation in school had been freefalling...

“Everyone is so mean with their words; Mr Akagi will definitely be hurt if he hears that. He really is too pitiful, and Asa even added on to the wounds by saying “What a pity. If that person is so sensitive to this, he would have been embarrassed enough to lock himself in and never come to school.” No matter how much she hates Mr Akagi, there is no need for her to be so cruel in her words! I do not want to talk to her about Mr Akagi again! Big Brother, can you please help Mr Akagi somehow?”

She was huffing in fury as she stared at Shungo with a sincere expression.

It was because Asai, whom Aoi always relied on, would not help, that she chose to look for Shungo.

Asai grew up together with Aoi, and was her good friend and guardian. It was unexpected to see the gentle and obedient Aoi not listen to Asai's words, and because of Koremitsu Akai...

Aoi and Hikaru were once betrothed.

Whenever that playboy Hikaru, who had countless girlfriends, was mentioned,

“Daddy and the rest all decided on the marriage. I really hate Hikaru!”

Aoi would insist, but everyone who knew Aoi well could tell she really liked Hikaru ever since young. This was also one of the reasons why Shungo was unable to get along with Hikaru.

After Hikaru died, Aoi lashed out at his funerary photo, and created yet a ruckus, which really worried Shungo. However, it seemed she was a lot more emotionally stable recently, and she started to smile.

She also was on better terms with the arts club members, who she once disputed with.

Also, she never relied on Asai's influence to do this; she did all of this through her own efforts.

As for the reason why Aoi became so optimistic...

—Mr Akagi helped Hikaru present a present to her.

Aoi answered shyly with a gentle smile.

So that person not only changed Yū, but Aoi too?

Shungo had complicated thoughts regarding Koremitsu Akagi; though he marveled at the latter's attitude, he was not willing to recognize it. Besides, who was he exactly?

His family background and upbringing were completely different from Hikaru's, and their personalities were miles apart. How did he end up being Hikaru's friend?

How much of Hikaru's matters did he know about?

Aoi's voice however dragged Shungo back from his deep thoughts.

“Big Brother, please listen to me, okay? Mr Akagi looks scary on the outside, is very crude when talking, and looks prone to violence, but he is really a good person. When we went to the theme park...”

Aoi recalled about something, and her face suddenly reddened.

Suddenly, Shungo felt an ominous premonition in his chest.

“Why are you so worried about Akagi? Have you fallen for him?”

He tried to probe by asking nonchalantly.

However, Aoi immediately blushed, unable to say anything.

Her stare floated around continuously, her hands were pressed on her blushing cheeks, she was panicking, and then, she lowered her head,

“...Not...at all.”

She answered with a teeny-weeny voice.

And then, she raised her blushing petite face and insisted,

“But Mr Akagi is really a nice person! And he is Hikaru's friend! Because he really took care of me, I want to repay him somehow...so-so, I-I-I definitely, definitely, definitely do not like him!”

(THIS IS BAD!!!)

Shungo's face paled, and it seemed this ominous premonition became reality.

(Aoi, you must not! This Big Brother will definitely not agree to this!)

He hollered out deep in his heart like a foolish big brother doting on his little sister.

No, Aoi just had not recovered from the shock over Hikaru's death yet. She is just lost, unable to comprehend the situation, because she has been pampered since young, never met such a savage person, and suffered quite a culture shock.

Right! That is definitely not love!

## Author's Notes

Hello everyone, this is Mizuki Nomura! Thank you for purchasing “When Hikaru was on Earth......Volume 2”! As foretold in the foreword, the theme for the second volume would be “Yugao”.

Though Yugao in the original story of the “Tale of Genji” was struck down with misfortune, she was a gentle and cute woman, and one cannot help but feel a fuzzy warmth in the heart.

Speaking of the Yugao mentioned in the main story, the “Gourd flower”, I still could not decide if I should change it to the “Moonflower”, for there are some who call it Yugao. Also, the appearance of the Moonflower is full of intrigue, so I guess it should be more suitable...the real Yugao however is of the gourd subspecies, and perhaps because of this, I could not help but think of terms like boiled vegetables and kimchi...(tears).

However, the Moonflower was introduced in Japan only during the Meiji Era, and there was no such flower during the Heian Era. The flower mentioned in the “Tale of Genji” must have been the Gourd flower, so looking at this, I suppose it would be better to stick to the original...the Gourd flower is white and fluffy. It is cute, and the charm of Yugao as a woman was not that of a high class noble, but rather, like someone of the middle class...

And so, after much deliberation, I chose the Gourd version instead. During the preview at the end of the first volume, I listed it as the Moonflower because that was what I planned in my draft. I do apologize for the change later on, Miss Takeoka. On a side note, the Hollyhock mentioned in the first volume should be the Twin-Leafed Hollyhock, but the leaves are too plan, so I decided to use the Hollyhock instead.

There are many mentions of plants in “When Hikaru was on the Earth......”, and it was really difficult to write. Even when checking the pictures, I often found myself wondering, “Eh? Oh my? What kind of flower is this?” Also, I often had to head to the botanical garden, observe them seriously, record where I saw these flowers, at where, and this flower and that flower.

The Koishikawa Botanical Gardens and the Shinjuku Gyeon are more suitable for strolling, but the Akatsuka Botanical Garden in Itabashi was a good place few know of. The park is not back, but there are many explanatory signboards, and there is even a teaching area in the park. No matter how many questions I had, the workers would try their best to explain. I had to climb a slope if I had to get there from the train station, and I was sweating all over when walking in the summer, but I guess it must have been very useful for slimming.

Oh yes. There are two ellipsis at the back of the title “When Hikaru is on the Earth...”. Not one, but two. This is a very——————important thing to take note of, so when writing the name of this series, please do not write with one ellipsis only, and write the title with two ellipsis.

Well...as for the reason why this is important, it is similar to how the “Book Girl” series has the double quotation marks, and the “Rabbit Love” series has the Japanese period on it...it is embarrassing to explain the reason like this, but it is because the number of strokes make it more auspicious.

I am really sorry for coming up with such a stupid reason! Actually, I was just randomly checking the number of strokes, and was horrified to find terms like destruction, suffering, quagmire, darkness, frustration.

Because of this, I learned not to check on the number of strokes in the characters without a good reason, so for the currently web-serialized “Dress~” series, I am not going to check on it no matter what. However, I still want to find some auspicious words for the characters’ names. There is a website that lists a name with the suitable strokes once I enter the last name, and that is really a blessing to me. I can also create a name, and then adjust the number of strokes.

Now then, I shall report on some things.

The series “I’m a Royal Tutor in My Sister’s Dress” is currently edited into a manga and serialized on the AIR RAID online manga website. Miss Sakurana Haru is in charge of illustrator, and is known for her very attractive artwork with cute expressions, so please check it out. The first volume of Miss Rito Tousaka’s “Book Girl and the Famished Spirit” will be released on August 22 nd ! Ryuuto and Hotaru are really drawn fantastically! The 4 panel comic strip added on are very cute too, so please check them out.

The sub-theme of the next volume “When Hikaru is on The Earth” is “Waka Murasaki”. How would little Murasaki, the most distinguished loli of the Heian Era, look like under Miss Takeoka’s pen? I am personally looking forward to it. And so, that is all for now! See you at the end of the year.

July 17 th , 2011.

Mizuki Nomura

## Notes

- ↑ Actual name of the cat is こるり, little Lapis Lazuli, a deep blue precious stone.

- ↑ 古今和歌集, translated as ‘Collection of Japanese Poems (Wakas) of Ancient and Modern Times, is an anthology of poems commissioned by Emperor Uda. Ki no Tsurayuki was an imperial poet who led the compilation. Poems used are found here: .

- ↑ Hirohiko Takada (2009). Kokin Wakashū New Edition. Japan: Kadokawa Liberal Arts Publishing. Printed on June 25.

- ↑ Original source: Waka number 481, written by Ōshikōchi no Mitsune, one of the 4 commissioned to form the anthology.

- ↑ Original source: Waka number 665, written by Kiyohara no Fukayabu.

### 010. Prologue

The symptoms—had already appeared.

Everyone must have certainly thought about it.

Hikaru had been looking unnatural before his 16th birthday, before his dazzling life withered to an end.

His mood swings were very drastic, and he would often look into space with a lost look, then show a delighted smile. After laughing and fooling around with the girls around him, he would look down with a pale face.

The school news once published a photo of him nearly drowning in the school pool in the middle of the night.

It showed him lying at the edge of the pool panting, his drenched uniform clinging to his body, and his tender libidinous skin lambent under the moonlight.

“All of a sudden, I just thought of swimming.”

He smiled as he said that, his eyes fair like an angel.

He once overdosed on flu medicine, and fell down the stairs in the middle of the clearing.

When he woke up in the infirmary, he merely said,

“I have been unable to sleep recently, so I thought I could use flu medicine instead of sleeping pills, but I ended up overdosing.”

That spotless, resplendent face still brought about a smile.

He again caused this immature commotion, and abashed the hearts of numerous girls admiring him. On one day, he was like a changed man, and showed a serene expression.

Hikaru...

At that time, you decided on the choice in your heart.

If there was anything unnecessary, you would show it in front of me.

But what I wanted to see more, was what you were unwilling to show, something you cautiously hid deep within your heart, no matter how grotesque, bleak or harrowing it was.

However, you still made the decision on your own.

Hikaru,

The decision you made

Derailed everyone—

### 011. Chapter 2: The Fleeting White Flower at the Bottom of the Wall (1)

“Anyway, she’s a very introverted girl. Ever since last year, she never left the house, and would never go to school.”

That night,

Hikaru was talking about Yū Kanai in Koremitsu’s room.

“Actually, she should be in second year this Spring, but because of her lack of attendance, she is unable to make the next grade, and is in first year just like us.

Her parents divorced when she began to shut herself in. Her mother then went to Australia for work, and her father married a young woman, so they are living separately from each other. Yū’s mother wanted to bring her along to Australia, but Yū had a bad relationship with her mother, so she lived alone in that tattered...no, antique apartment.

Her father used to pay all the living expenses, but his new family had a child recently, and the burden became severe. Sometimes, there would be no funds for months, so she lived a through frugal life. The utilities were suspended twice up till now, but she never complained at all, and insisted on hiding in the house, just like a Gourd flower spreading its white petals in the darkness.

Oh yes, a Gourd flower is an annual vine Cucurbitace. They bloom in the evening, and radiate silently under the moonlight in the night. When the morning dawn breaks in, they start to wilt. Those are delicate, beautiful and endearing plants; the curls on the vines are very cute too. Its floral language is ‘a night’s memory’ or ‘illusionary love’, and some people call it the Dusk grass...”

He would start a long discourse whenever it came to flowers and girls without stopping.

He was probably feeling very excited. He was dressed in a white T-shirt, tight-fitting pants, barefooted, floating around in casual clothing and chatting away in the sky.

(Goodness, you’re still in good spirits.)

Koremitsu, who had changed into a jumper worn in the house, was sitting on the tatami, frowning without a word.

He really did not want to recall what happened after that introverted blanket girl fainted.

While trying to take care of her, Koremitsu ran around the room in pitch darkness, knocked into a lot of things, tumbled quite a few times, and even knocked down a few boxes and overturned other things, causing a mess.

This commotion even shocked the neighbor, who thought a thief broke in, and the police were nearly called in.

If not for the blanket girl waking up in time, he would have been indicted for sure. If it had really developed to that extent, Koremitsu’s already rock-bottom reputation would have plunged further, and in the worst case situation, he might end up being forced to drop out.

“Please, Koremitsu.”

Hikaru’s knees were together as he knelt down in front of Koremitsu. His back was straightened, and his hands were placed elegantly; from his sitting posture, anyone could see that he had a good upbringing. Even Koremitsu was inadvertently amazed by the disposition of his gestures.

“Can I leave Yū’s matter to you just like Miss Aoi? No man can bear to leave such a delicate and pretty girl alone like that, no?”

Hikaru showed an innocent expression as he pleaded to Koremitsu earnestly. The inexplicable expression he showed was exquisite.

“... what does she look like? I couldn’t see in such a dark place.”

“Don’t worry, she’s really pretty. I can assure that.”

“It’s none of my business whether she’s pretty or not. Anyway, what kind of promise did you make anyway, you vowing devil.”

Koremitsu glared at Hikaru, but the latter answered with a silent mature smile.

“I can’t say now.”

“Huh?”

Can’t say? Why?

Hikaru probed his chin forward, showed a child-like innocent and frisky smile, and clapped his hands together.

“Anyway, please. Didn’t you promise Yū that you’ll repair the broken door? Given your personality, you won’t leave a girl alone after breaking her house’s door like that, right?”

“Guh.”

Koremitsu was unable to argue back after this was mentioned.

The next morning, Koremitsu left home two hours earlier than usual.

“What is this? Are you going for morning practice for some ball tournament or something?”

His aunt Koharu, just woke up with messy hair, and her jumper’s sleeves and pants were rolled up as she stared at him suspiciously.

“...somewhat.”

Koremitsu answered briskly.

“You’re bringing the toolbox?”

Upon seeing the item in Koremitsu’s hand,

“If you want to fight, go fight barehandedly. Only amateurs who don’t know the rules of fighting will bring such things.”

Koharu lectured with her eyes narrowed, and turned her shoulders by the joints as she walked into the kitchen.

“Is Miss Koharu an expert in fighting?”

Hikaru asked naively.

“... Don’t ask me.”

Koremitsu answered with a scowl.

They arrived at the apartment that still looked tattered after the rain, in the morning dawn.

Koremitsu knocked on Yū’s room door. A woman with hair curlers and thick makeup walked out from the next room, and stared at Koremitsu.

“You’re here again? I’m going to sleep, so don’t make a ruckus like what you did yesterday.”

“Sorry, I’m here to repair the door. There might be some noise, but I’ll try to finish as soon as possible.”

It would be bad if the police were to be called in just like what nearly happened the previous day, so he intriguingly lowered his head courteously.

The neighbor, who seemed to be from some night life business, glowered at Koremitsu with hatred.

“Oh, make it quick then.”

After saying that, she slammed the door.

“That big sister’s fierce to me too, and even told me off with things like ‘don’t come around in the middle of the night’, or ‘a brat actually won’t go home in the middle of the night? What are the education people doing’. But she’s a beauty with quite the nice figure too~. She’s like a bright red Geranium.”

Hikaru continued on with something Koremitsu was not concerned about.

“Good thing you didn’t make a promise with that woman next door.”

Koremitsu said with spite as he glanced aside at him, and then knocked on Yū’s door lightly again.

The parts he damaged the previous day were repaired by vinyl tape and duct tape.

“Oi, Yū Kanai... Are you awake? I’m here to open the door.”

After a moment of silence, the door opened slightly by a centimeter or so.

A pair of black eyes and blue eyes were peering from within.

The terrified black eyes belonged to the Hikikomori girl, and the blue eyes belonged to the cool-eyed cat.

Koremitsu showed the tool box in his hand.

The door opened by another centimeter.

She looked up at Koremitsu diffidently.

Koremitsu thought it would not be good for both sides to continue staring at each other without any progress.

“Please excuse me.”

He forcefully pushed the door aside.

The weak girl draped in blue blanket backed away impetuously, and retreated to a corner of the room.

She stuck herself between the double-deckered bed and the wall as she continued to look over at Koremitsu.

Koremitsu knew from his past experiences what effects his red hair and savage expression would have on an ordinary girl. The girls in school did not dare to look at him right in the eyes.

This frail girl was evidently aghast, but she kept staring at Koremitsu with an ambivalent expression.

The white cat of hers curled its tail as it sat down at Koremitsu’s feet, its cool blue eyes looking up at him.

Koremitsu opened the toolbox and took out a hammer and some nails. It was excruciating to work with the stares from the human and animal on him, and he felt apprehensive.

The culprit behind this, Hikaru, kept looking at Koremitsu with a carefree look.

“Wow, your hammering technique is good, Koremitsu. As expected of you, you really are worthy of respect. You, capable guy.”

(You can’t trick me no matter what pleasantries you tell me. You only know how to watch on.)

The sound of the hammer knocking rang in the quiet morning. Koremitsu was worried that the woman next door would run out and reproach him for being too noisy.

Yū was still hiding in the gap between the bed and the wall, and remained still like a decoration. She did not move the hair draped on the side of her face, and curled her body silently in the room.

It was morning and the window curtains were still drawn, but the sunlight shining through the curtains made the room a little brighter than it was yesterday.

There were photos of seas and fishes and ostensibly computer colored picture printouts stuck on the wall. The wind blowing in from outside the door caused the papers to flutter like waves breaking on the coast.

The electric fan, hangers, golf bag, and electric stove were placed together. There were shells, marbles and glass fragments. And the edges of the double-deckered bed had blue and red vinyl ropes dangling down like sea grass.

(What... that’s a really weird interior design.)

Hikaru had stated that she locked herself in the room for a year already, and all her necessity purchases like water and food were done through the Net. She normally would not take even a single step out.

(She always has the curtains drawn, has the blanket covering her, and wouldn’t budge from such a dark and humid place. Isn’t she scared of fungi growing? This lifestyle’s too unhealthy.)

The girl’s skin shown vaguely from within the carpet was white like snow, the fingers bared outside were pure white, and even her fingernails were white. This must have been due to lack of exposure to sunlight.

(Oh yeah... does she know Hikaru is dead?)

Upon thinking about this, Koremitsu inadvertently felt a jolt within him.

Since she had been shutting herself inside the house, and had not interacted with anyone, she might not have known that Hikaru died.

(This is bad.)

His heart suddenly raced.

There was no doubt Yū was one of Hikaru’s many girlfriends. In other words, Hikaru would be her lover.

Would it be good for Koremitsu, a stranger, to personally say her lover died?

He stopped what he was doing, turned his stare away from Yū, and said nonchalantly (though his voice was shrill),

“Eh... well, I said so yesterday, but the reason why I’m here is because Hikaru asked me to fulfill his promise. As for why Hikaru himself can’t make it here...Hikaru, well, died stupidly in an accident a little while ago.”

“...Koremitsu, I didn’t die ‘stupidly’, you know?”

Hikaru protested unhappily.

“...I know.”

It was a gentle voice.

Koremitsu looked back, and found that Yū, covered in the blue blanket, was looking at him.

A few strands of thin hair rested on that white face. Her face showed an emotion that was beyond despondent and tranquillity, similar to resignation.

The soft voice that nearly melted in the air calmly continued.

“...I received a mail.”

“Mail? I see. Did a friend notify you?”

Yū lowered her eyes and shook her head slightly.

“It was... an unknown address, and there... was no name on it.”

“Yū, do you still have that address? Can you show it to me?”

Hikaru asked, showing a serious look on his face.

“Do you still have the message? Do you mind showing it to me?”

Yū seemed very hesitant, and lowered her head to ponder for a while, before moving away and dragging the blanket.

There was a laptop on the short round table, and a Turkish Blue cellphone beside it.

The slender white fingers reached out from beneath the carpet, picked up the phone, opened the cover, tapped on it for a while, and handed it tentatively over to Koremitsu.

Koremitsu received the cellphone, and Hikaru read it too.

The message was sent one day before Hikaru’s funeral. The obituary was rather concise and was devoid of any hint of emotion; the location and time was also stated on it.

There was no sender signature, just as what Yū said.

The beginning of the mail address was listed as ‘upvkpv’—

The intent was vague, and they seemed to be a random assortment of alphabets rather than letters with hidden intent.

“...”

Hikaru frowned, bit his lips, and pondered.

“Thanks.”

Koremitsu was about to return the phone to Yū, but was suddenly startled.

“!”

Yū was weeping quietly.

Transparent drops of liquid rolled down her white face.

There was no sign of any intense pain, but the clear black eyes were soaked with tears as she wept quietly. She continued to weep, and it seemed the tears would stop without warning.

“Wa-wah, alright, don’t cry.”

Koremitsu panicked.

He was most fearful about seeing women cry, as it would remind him of the sight of his mother’s crying.

She once wept quietly like this too.

—I’m really sorry, Mitsu.

—Sorry.

The emotions quivered in his heart, and he was stertorous.

Damn, why am I thinking about that...?

Koremitsu gritted his teeth with all his might, and forcefully tightened his face and eyes.

Yū said with a weak voice as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

“... It was raining... on that day, when Hikaru’s funeral took place... I couldn’t go. I couldn’t see him a final time... I couldn’t see...”

Her stuttering voice was too ephemeral, too lonely, causing Koremitsu’s heart to ache as he heard this—

He wanted to tell Yū that Hikaru was present, but Yū could not see Hikaru, and she would probably think that Koremitsu was trying to comfort her.

Hikaru embraced Yū on the shoulders as he looked on with a somber look. The pretty fingertips that were unfitting for a man entered the blanket draped upon Yū.

“I’m sorry... Yū, if only I came here to see you earlier. You and Lapis must have been lonely, right? I’m sorry.”

The soft voice echoed deeply, causing the pain rising in Koremitsu’s throat to be more pronounced.

Yū did not know Hikaru was embracing her.

The blue-eyed cat was sticking at her feet, ostensibly comforting her.

Yū lowered her head weakly.

Clear water droplets trickled down her face again.

“Pl-please, don’t cry already! I understand how you feel. That idiot Hikaru died out of a sudden, and you must’ve felt like crying. I’m the same here, I was reduced to a crying mess the moment I thought he could possibly disappear, so I know it’s inconsiderate to ask you not to cry, but please, don’t cry!”

Koremitsu pleaded zealously. He really could not stomach the sight of a woman crying.

His heart was ostensibly about to rip apart.

But Yū continued to cry, and Koremitsu’s resistance wore down as he finally yelled out.

“Alright! I’ll fulfil that promise in Hikaru’s place! I’ll bear all responsibility here!”

Yū lifted her head at Koremitsu.

She was probably taken aback.

Her teary eyes widened slightly, and the tears stopped.

Koremitsu stared right into her eyes, and declared with a passionate tone again,

“I’ll help him fulfil his promise!”

His veins were popping, his eyes were frowning, and his expression must have been really horrifying. He hoped he did not scare that introverted girl.

Hikaru, who was embracing Yū, narrowed his eyes gently, curled his lips up, and stared at Koremitsu.

Yū’s eyes again showed concern and bewilderment.

She asked softly,

“Promise... what promise?”

“Heh?”

Koremitsu revealed a startled look.

(What... is it?)

“Ah, about that.” Hikaru mumbled as he slowly retreated from Yū.

“Didn’t Hikaru make a promise with you?”

“He did say so a few times... but I’m not too certain.”

(A few times?)

Koremitsu glared furiously at Hikaru.

And the latter,

“Yo, Lapis, how are you doing?”

Continued to pat the kitten on its head.

The kitten grimaced in confusion.

“...I think he said he wanted to put a glass collar on Lapis? Or maybe he wanted to color the fan? Or maybe he wanted to play some ‘sea-themed Shiritori game’ again? Or maybe he wanted to put two straws in the glass cup with blue juice and drink together? Whenever Hikaru is about to leave, he would give me a pinky swear and say ‘it’s a promise’...”

“Fufu, Lapis’s eyes are colored like the Earth, the Commelina-like blueish-purple is really pretty. Oh yes, the floral language for Commelina is ‘respect’ and ‘nostalgic friendship’, you know”

(Hey! What are you laughing for!? Stop playing with the cat! Is this the time for floral languages!? You promise-making devil!)

“...what did Hikaru request you to do?”

Yū stared at Koremitsu with blurry eyes, obviously curious about what Hikaru tasked Koremitsu to do.

“Uu.”

Koremitsu murmured as he glanced over at Hikaru.

The latter smiled awkwardly and clapped his hands together to beg Koremitsu.

“Damn, it’s that, that... the most important amongst all the promises! There should be one, right? Do you know?”

“The most important...?”

“Right, the most important promise.”

Class was about to start, and the door was not repaired.

Please, hurry up and think. Just say it out. No matter how hard it is, I’ll try my best to do it.

“Maybe...”

Yū lowered her head.

“You thought of it? Great! That’s definitely it!”

Koremitsu propped his body forward,

“Maybe... it’s to change the light bulb for me?”

Whilst Yū lifted her face and and said with a serious look.

The hammer fell out from Koremitsu’s hand.

“What exactly are you planning? What do you want me to do!?”

Koremitsu finally managed to repair the door, and dashed down the dirt path leading to the school as he muttered.

“I just want to fulfil a promise.”

Hikaru floated beside Koremitsu whimsically, and answered with that infuriatingly elegant expression.

“I’m asking you what sort of ‘promise’ did you make exactly!? You made some important promise with her that has to be fulfilled, right? If it’s a stupid thing like Shiritori, I’m not going to bother with you ever again.”

Hikaru’s expression immediately showed maturity.

“Hm, that’s a very important promise, and I can only ask of you, this good friend of mine. Just think of it together with Yū.”

He looked at Koremitsu with a clear expression full of trust, and said this gently. This expression caused Koremitsu to feel flustered, and he nearly fell over after tripping accidently.

(What exactly is this guy thinking?)

There were a lot of things Koremitsu wanted to ask, but it was of utmost importance to get to school on time.

Koremitsu finally managed to make it on time, and tried to catch his breath as he changed his shoes in front of the shoe locker.

“Haa... haa... anyway... if you want someone to help... at least explain what to do... how am I going to do this... wheeze...”

“Koremitsu, you just ran two kilometers. Catch your breath before talking...”

Hikaru showed a wry expression as he said.

“I heard that guy is the biggest suspect in Lord Hikaru’s murder.”

“!”

Koremitsu immediately lifted his head.

Is Hikaru’s murderer nearby!?

He looked around frantically, and found a human wall gathered around him without him knowing, with every person staring at him.

“Is that Lord Hikaru’s stalker?”

“I heard he has been going around declaring that he’s Lord Hikaru’s friend.”

“He must have murdered him because he was too engrossed in his own delusions.”

“Homosexual love sure is intense.”

(Hold it!)

The doubtful stares from all of them caused Koremitsu’s face to twitch.

(Me? Stalking Hikaru!? I killed him because I’m delusional? Homosexual love...?)

After processing the information he heard in his mind, Koremitsu was startled.

(Does everyone think that I’m the one who killed Hikaru!?)

That certainly seemed to be the case.

The people in the school seemed to have deemed Koremitsu Akagi as the lead suspect in Hikaru’s murder, and they would even form a path for him whenever he walked down the corridor. This was a common scene, but in the past, people merely deemed him as the son of some delinquent or Yakuza mob, and now...

“That person and Lord Hikaru...”

“Such twisted love.”

Koremitsu felt his back tingle with numbness as he heard these murmurs from behind.

He finally reached the classroom, only for the noisy atmosphere within to quiet down, and his classmates were staring at him.

The class representative with braided hair, who would always greet Koremitsu even though she was very terrified of him, retreated back to her seat, and did not dare to give him a look.

Honoka, who was seated beside Koremitsu, frowned as she glanced over. She was hesitant, but panicked and looked away once Koremitsu approached, and did not dare look at him during class.

During class break.

“I heard that guy killed Lord Hikaru.”

The gossips continued on, and Koremitsu felt that he could n bear with them any longer if he were to keep hearing them.

(How could I possibly kill Hikaru here!?)

“Because you’re too eye-catching. That’s why everyone’s making random guesses. I’m troubled. Is there a way to solve this?”

Hikaru frowned with an apologetic look beside Koremitsu.

“Well, it’ll be too stupid to take them seriously.”

Koremitsu deliberately gave a nonchalant look.

But in fact, he was already affronted, and his temples were throbbing.

At this moment...

“How stupid.”

A voice rang sternly beside him.

Honoka, who had her eyebrows raised in a disparaging manner, suddenly covered her phone.

She boldly proclaimed as the classmates looked in a confounded manner.

“You’re not kids, and yet you’re going all dizzy by such a slanderous chain message. If this person wanted to say something, he or she could have signed off. I won’t believe the words of a coward who only dares to spread rumors secretly.”

The classroom immediately descended into utter silence.

Honoka did not look at Koremitsu, and her ostensibly furious sharp eyes were glaring into space. Her tone and expression were devoid of fear, but there was an indignant sense hidden within. If one were to look closely, her hands pressing onto the table were trembling slightly.

The class representative with braids hurriedly stood up, and said,

“Tha-that’s right! Hono’s right. I-it-it’s wrong to suspect others on baseless assumptions.”

The classmates looked over at each other awkwardly.

This chancy atmosphere lingered for quite a while, before everyone returned back to what they were doing. Honoka however was surrounded by the class representative and some other friends.

“What’s the matter? Honoka?”

“Why did you say such things out of a sudden?”

Everyone asked worriedly.

“...it’s nothing. I just couldn’t stand seeing it.”

She answered with a pout on her face, and Koremitsu felt relief as he eavesdropped on her.

“There’s still another person in this class who supports you other than me, Koremitsu.”

Hikaru said delightfully.

“Shikibu!”

After class, just as Honoka was walking out of the classroom, Koremitsu hurried after her.

“Thanks for speaking up for me.”

He felt really embarrassed to actually need a woman to help him, but he was still touched—these two conflicting emotions collided in his heart, and he really did not know what expression he should make.

Honoka blushed immediately.

(Why’s she blushing out of a sudden?)

“Yo-you don’t have to thank me, I didn’t say those words for your sake. It’s just that I just said what I thought. Don’t be mistaken, I have no intention of helping a delinquent like you.”

She stated coldly and chided,

“I’m not familiar with you anyway. Don’t talk to me.”

Then turned and left.

Koremitsu remained rooted, unable to say anything.

(Why’s she so angry with me!? And she actually tells me not to talk with her...)

“DAMN IT! WOMEN ARE HARD TO UNDERSTAND AFTER ALL!”

He lashed out with veins popping.

“Miss Shikibu’s personality... is really pitiful. I find it easy to understand her, and really want to tease her until her face becomes as red as a Snapdragon, but this truly is too difficult for you.”

Hikaru sighed as he rattled on.

At this moment...

“Mr Akagi!”

A shrill voice rang in Koremitsu’s ears, and a short-haired petite girl with bouncing large breasts came running over.

It was Hiina Oumi of the news club.

She had a huge variety of expressions, and her large eyes were dazzling like a boy. She grabbed Koremitsu by the arm and rattled on,

“Everyone’s saying that you’re the lead suspect in Lord Hikaru’s murder! Wah, the Delinquent King has no road to go to! It’s like the Saturday Night at the Mysteries Theater! Do you want to clear your name by working with this cute partner to fish out the real culprit? Anyway, the one I suspect the most now is...”

It was unknown if she was pressing her breasts on Koremitsu on purpose, but Koremitsu merely covered her mouth without saying anyway.

“Mm—”

Hiina widened her eyes in surprise as she looked at Koremitsu. He stared back and said,

“All I need to know is what Hikaru said, nothing else matters.”

He recalled the words Honoka just said.

It would be too foolish to be fooled by such rumors. He just need to believe the people that were important, and even if he made a mistake, he would not regret it.

Hiina widened her eyes.

She let go of Koremitsu’s hand, and looked up at him in a dumbstruck manner.

Koremitsu turned away from Hiina, and before he left, he quipped,

“Also, I’m used to hearing such stupid rambling from others ever since I was young. These rumors are as painless as a mosquito bite.”

Hiina blankly watched the red-haired walk down the corridor, and suddenly turned back to say with excitement,

“...that’s what he said, prez.”

A tall beauty with long black hair—the student council president Asai Saiga walked out from behind the corner.

Hiina then rattled on to the frowning Asai in a rapid-fire manner,

“This is already a friendship beyond life and death, right? His tone indicates that he heard something from Lord Hikaru. He’s certainly not an ordinary delinquent; that’s true now that I think about it, those who could enter this high school through the entrance exams are definitely not stupid. Everyone knows that the students in this school are composed of the internal affiliated programme students whose families have connections and the external students with outstanding grades—ah, of course there are people like you who have such pedigree of growing up amongst the nobles since kindergarten and have outstanding grades! Anyway, it seems Mr Akagi got something important pertaining to Lord Hikaru; my instincts have always been sharp.”

Asai listened to Hiina’s words coldly, and the latter looked at her in a taunting manner, seemingly trying to agitate her into saying something.

“To me, it seems you’re also high up on the suspect list on who killed Lord Hikaru too, prez! Since you two are on the same position, what do you think about Mr Akagi?”

Asai did not fall for her trap.

Her expression remained as icy as ever,

“He’s simply a wild dog whose bark annoys me.”

She said with uppity, and proceeded to leave.

At this moment, Hikaru, who was beside Koremitsu, was very excited.

“I’m so touched! If I were a girl, I would have proposed to you on the spot! Wow, you’re so cool! I’m so touched that goosebumps are rising on my skin!”

(What sort of ghost would have goosebumps? And why am I blushing!?)

Koremitsu continued to give a sullen look as he said coldly,

“Don’t be silly, it’s not that I don’t care about you hiding something from me. I just feel that, well... even if we’re friends, there are still things you don’t want to say. I too have some things I don’t want to say... anyway, just say so when you want to... since we’re friends.”

Koremitsu got more embarrassed as he continued, and his face started to heat up. He really found it most difficult to say such things.

“Something you don’t want to say? You mean how old you were when you last wet your bed? Some embarrassing essay you wrote when you were young? You said you were the animal rearing rep in elementary school... ah! Are you implying that your first crush was a young kindergarten teacher?”

“NOT! Now’s not the time to talk about me, right!?”

Hikaru showed a carefree expression on his face, and he narrowed his eyes as he gave a blissful smile.

“Ah, I see. I too will wait for you to say it when you want to, Koremitsu.”

“Why are you smiling so heartily? I never liked my kindergarten teacher, and do you know how much trouble you’re causing me here!? Whose fault do you think is it that everybody is thinking of me as a murder suspect and a stalker!?”

Koremitsu grumbled in his heart.

But he had no choice. He just had to have the misfortune of being harassed by such a troublesome person, and even foolishly became friends.

“You’re worried about that introverted woman now, right? If I help her out, you’ll be one step closer in ascending to Heaven, right?”

“Yeah, I guess I can be closer by 100m.”

Hikaru nodded with a beaming smile.

“Seriously, just 100m? How many thousand light years until you reach space?”

“Well, isn’t there a saying that you have to make a first step before embarking on a long journey?”

“Kuuh, I’ll become an old man on the day I finish that journey. Anyway, let’s hurry up and settle it first.”

Koremitsu reluctantly said, and upon hearing it, Hikaru again nodded his head with a sweet blissful smile on his face.

“Right, then, how about you send Yū an email first?”

“Ah? An email?”

During lunch break.

Why do I have to do such a thing... Koremitsu gritted his teeth unhappily as he started tapping at his cellphone while seated at his desk.

(And I end up being led in by Hikaru, huh?)

“If it’s a sudden visit, Yū might be too scared to open the door, so you have to build up your relationship with her first. This is the moment when you should send a mail, as it’s the most suitable method to approach an introverted girl. You can also use this to practise and treat it as preparation to go out with a girl who likes to laugh.”

(Wha—you’re still trying to find a woman who likes to laugh? How many times must I tell you that I don’t need a girlfriend, and I don’t have interest in a woman who likes to laugh!)

Koremitsu grumbled silently in his heart as he typed the message with sweat dripping down his forehead.

“If you want her to reply, the most basic move is to end the message with a question. Also, try talking more about things she’s interested in.”

Hikaru beamed as he sat on Koremitsu’s table with his legs folded as he started teaching the latter the skills necessary when sending girls messages. His light brown hair continued to flutter gently in the calm wind of the classroom, and his eyes were full of exuberance.

Koremitsu however looked lethargic.

(Huh? A question? Something she’ll be interested about?)

“‘Is that cat guy energetic?’”

“Koremitsu...Lapis isn’t a male, but a female.”

“‘Is that furball in good spirits?’”

“Furball... what kind of antique nickname is that? Be more natural with your words.”

“‘What’s the name of your cat? Lapse? Lapel? Lupus?’”

“Hey, didn’t I say that it’s called Lapis? Are you listening to me?”

“Shut up. I am.”

Koremitsu grumbled irately and continued to send messages.

“‘What did you eat for lunch?’”

“‘Have you eaten some meat?’”

“‘Remember to take in enough Vitamin C.’”

Each line was unintelligible, and as expected, Yū did not respond.

“Koremitsu, think about what sort of message you would like to receive if you’re a girl. You have to write with more elegance and emotions, just like the nobles of the Heian Era.”

“Nobles of the Heian Era?”

The school uniform on Hikaru’s body became a Heian noble’s outfit.

It was a blue-purple robe of great regal.

Hikaru, who had become a ghost, gained a completely useless ability to ‘change clothes’. This set of Heian noble clothing was his favourite, and he always loved to changed the colors and patterns on it. His profile could not be seen off the mirror, so he could not see himself, but he continued to change clothes with such enthusiasm.

“Ki no Tsurayuki did mention in the "Kokin Wakashū" that reciting poems is about pouring your soul into the words and bring the emotions to the flowers, moon, mountains. Sometimes, upon seeing the smoke on Mount Fuji, we think of our romantic love; sometimes, when we hear the chirping of crickets, we think of our close friends; sometimes, when we see the dew on the grass or the bubbles in the water, we lament that life is so fleeting—a short Waka is suffused with emotions, right, just like this poem...”

Hikaru then recited with a gentle, serene voice,

“From the first moment I heard the faint calls of the geese, my mind lingered in the skies—whilst I ostensibly hear the vague cries of the geese from the North, and after hearing your voice, my soul remains restless all day, and my heart continued to long . The princesses of the Heian Era are hidden deep inside the Boudoirs; it would be impossible to meet them unless they have close relationships. This poem is used to express the love and admiration after hearing the other party’s voice, a longing thirst to meet, and any young lady who receives this Waka surely would want to invite the man in for the night.

Oh, there’s also this—the rising tide flow in the day may not be seen, and the sea scatters along the coast, waiting for the night —the high tide in the day can’t be seen, so one can only wait by the coast where the sea covers—and hope that they would meet in the night. The writing of this poem is very detailed and hard to understand. Anyway, it’s probably about asking a certain lady if he could meet her in the middle of the night. It’s really romantic~”

Koremitsu could never imagine hearing the cheesy term ‘romantic’ from a boy in his teens.

(Just meet if you want to. Is there a need to make a poem out of it!? Those people in the Heian Era are really indirect.)

Koremitsu’s patience was practically eroded completely as he worked on this unfamiliar work of composing a message. He really wanted to send a message with direct words stating ‘I’ll be going over after school. Open the door later!’ However, upon thinking about Yū’s pale face under the blue blanket, her uneasy expression and teary face, he inadvertently stopped his fingers again.

“...”

He had nary an understanding of women at all, and he did not want to try to appeal to them.

However...

This hikikomori girl had a little resemblance to his mother who left home. He really did not want to hurt her, and did not want to scare her.

—Yū’s very timid.

—If it’s a sudden visit, Yū might be too scared to open the door.

“Kuu.”

What exactly does Yū likes? What does she hope for?

The fleeting expression continued to linger in Koremitsu’s mind.

Her voice when she said ‘maybe it’s to change the light bulb for me?’ after pondering long and hard kept ringing in his ears.

Right. First, I have to improve the lighting in the room or it’ll be impossible to walk, and anyone would end up knocking into things after a few steps. Fluorescent tubes... light... something glowing... the room has photos of the sea stuck on the walls inside. Something that glows in the sea....

“‘I picked up an Angler. Do you want me to bring it to you after school?’”

He typed out the words, and then sent the message.

“Koremitsu, how do you find an Angler on the roadside? Even if it is a simile, you have to find something that's more sentimental, more elegant, more romantic. At least say it is a firefly or something."

Hikaru immediately reprimanded.

"Shut it."

Koremitsu grumbled, but he felt embarrassed

Koremitsu muttered, What sort of childish thing am I doing here? But he was actually ashamed, and he did not know what he was writing. At this moment, the phone rang.

“Ah...”

The reply came.

Koremitsu opened the message,

“‘Okay’”

This was the only message that came.

Koremitsu ostensibly heard a soft ‘yes’ in his ears, and was flabbergasted by it.

“Erm, that kind of content is okay? He should have raised his standards and have a few more goes.”

Hikaru muttered to himself, apparently very disapproving of this.

“What’s the matter, Hono? What are you looking at?”

Michiru called out, and Honoka turned her head around in surprise.

“I-it’s nothing!”

She was embarrassed to say she was staring at Koremitsu because she found the latter typing messages intently.

“Nothing at all.”

Honoka answered unhappily, and opened her cellphone with a blushing face.

(Akagi is sending mails... to whom?)

“Koremitsu, you seem rather happy.”

“Hm? Do I? Don’t I look normal?”

“But your lips are smiling.”

“Shut up. I said I’m being normal here.”

Koremitsu denied this in embarrassment.

After school,

With the light bulb he bought from a shop he passed by in hand, he went off to Yū’s apartment.

Koremitsu was certainly a little happy to finally get a reply after pondering high and low over what to type in his mails, but he was very embarrassed to have Hikaru point this out.

He frowned hard to hide the delight in his heart, and just when he was about to pass through the fence beside the apartment—

(Hm?)

“What is it, Koremitsu?”

Upon seeing Koremitsu stop abruptly and look back, Hikaru asked in surprise.

“No, I just felt an uncomfortable stare.”

“Uncomfortable?”

“The back of my neck feels itchy. Whenever I get this feeling, it’s very likely that some bastard with a chain or knife would appear.”

“You were ambushed so many times? So you really got the title of Delinquent King after going through so many deadly battles, huh?”

“I’m not a delinquent! ...there’s nobody around. Have my senses dulled?”

Koremitsu clicked his tongue in disgust, and proceeded down the path leading to the apartment.

The door beside Yu’s room was open, and the woman who was apparently involved in night life business, poked her head out and glared at Koremitsu.

“Men are not allowed here.”

“Never heard that.”

“I just made this rule. Recently, a few of my money sources ran off. You brats are making a ruckus right beside my room; if there’s nothing else, just scram.”

That woman squawked unreasonably, and slammed the door shut.

“Who cares about what you think anyway!?”

The mouthful of impertinent words used and abrasive attitude shown were really similar to his divorced aunt living with him. Would all women act like this when they grow older?

“Koremitsu, Yū will be terrified if you’re too loud.”

“O-oh.”

After Hikaru reminded him, he knocked on the door softly.

“Hey, I brought the Angler.”

After a while, the door opened slightly, and the girl with the blue blanket draped over her peeked out from behind.

“H-hello.”

He greeted nervously.

“Meow.”

The blue-eyed cat at the girl’s feet answered coldly in her stead.

Yū left the door and retreated to the back. On a closer look, she was barefooted, and stumbled as she walked.

(A lack of exercise, huh? This isn’t good.)

Koremitsu frowned, but did not say anything as he walked in silently.

“Lend me a chair.”

He took a chair as a platform, and started changing the light bulb.

Yū was still holed in a corner of the room, watching Koremitsu get to work uneasily.

Koremitsu removed the old light bulb, and just when he was about to put it on the floor, he saw a slender hand reach for him tentatively.

To his surprise, he found that it was Yū’s.

“Ah, thanks.”

“...”

Yū nodded lightly, received the light bulb, and placed it on the floor. She then retreated to the corner and looked over at Koremitsu worriedly.

Koremitsu was wondering if he should say something to her,

“When did this light bulb fail?”

He asked, and Yū merely answered flatly,

“...it started to flicker... about a month ago... and it broke down completely two days before... I received the mail informing me about the funeral... Hikaru died on that day...”

She lowered her sights dolefully, seemingly thinking that the lifespan of the light bulb was related to Hikaru’s life. Koremitsu was really terrified at the prospect of her breaking down into tears again.

“I see, that must have been really inconvenient. But you could have changed the light bulb yourself, right?”

“...I’m sorry.”

“No, I’m not really telling you off. Don’t apologize.”

Koremitsu was as terrified of hearing others apologize as he was of seeing others cry, and he was more flustered.

“Okay! Done!”

He exclaimed and leapt off the chair.

He pulled the curtains up, and the dim room immediately brightened. At this moment, he finally realized the color of the curtains was as blue as a tropical sea.

The photos of the fish shoals and printed images stuck on the wall could be seen clearly, and the fan, cooker, and golf bag still looked intriguing under the bright light.

(This fan and stove are faulty. The fan doesn’t have any blades, and the stove doesn’t have an inner lid and pot. These aren’t household appliances, but mere decorations, right?)

Yū stood up and tottered her way towards Koremitsu.

The room was very cramped, so she merely took two, three steps.

The moment she lifted her head, the blanket covering her body slid down, her soft silky hair subsequently fell, and her small white face was revealed.

Koremitsu widened his eyes.

This was the first time he saw Yū’s face clearly, and it was like a white flower floating on the sea.

She was really beautiful—it was just like what Hikaru said, she was truly a tranquil and beautiful girl.

The ephemeral and dreamy expression was staring at Koremitsu, and the clear lips were slightly ajar like peach-colored shells.

It was a thin smile.

But she was certainly smiling.

Smiling at Koremitsu.

She smiled shyly.

“...thank you.”

The moment she thanked him softly, Koremitsu felt his heart beat wildly.

(Wh-what’s going on? Why’s my face so hot out of a sudden...)

He did not understand why his body was experiencing such a change, and eked out a voice from his dry throat.

“It-it’s nothing, and Hikaru requested me to take care of you anyway. So, well...”

Hikaru narrowed his eyes and showed an amused expression, causing Koremitsu to be more flustered than before, but he continued awkwardly.

“Is it fine if I come back tomorrow?”

The moment Yū nodded slightly, Koremitsu felt dizzy.

On the way back.

Hikaru said with a teasing look,

“Hey, she’s really a pretty girl you can find only in your dreams, right?”

Upon hearing that, Koremitsu’s face started to heat up again; he was breathless, his mouth gave a frown and did not speak up.

The next day was the same as well...

“...Yo.”

“...”

Yū, draped in the blanket, showed herself from behind the door along with the white cat.

“Please excuse me.” Koremitsu frowned as he muttered. She nodded with a nervous expression, and retreated slowly to the back bare-footed.

(She hasn’t let her guard down...)

Koremitsu too removed his shoes tensely as he walked in.

The blue curtains were still shut, but the room was lit by the electric light so it was very bright. Yū retreated into the crevice between the bed and the wall, and her black listless eyes were staring at Koremitsu.

(What do I say now...)

He had been coming here for proper business like repairing the door or replacing the light bulb, but on this day, he had nothing to do.

“Ah... have you thought about your promise with Hikaru? I’m not talking about buying a collar for the cat, but something more important.”

Yū lowered her eyes and shook her head.

“We-well, it’s probably too tough to ask you to recall immediately. That guy loves to make promises all the time anyway.”

Koremitsu finished off what he wanted to say as he glared at Hikaru, and the latter merely shrugged, acting as if he was uninvolved in this.

(Seriously, this guy...)

Whenever they talked about Hikaru, the blue-eyed cat would tilt its head to wherever Hikaru was.

It was said that animals have sharp instincts, so perhaps it really detected something.

It did not matter to Koremitsu however, and his current priority was to find something to talk about.

The room was in complete silence, and Koremitsu’s palms were sweating from the tension.

Yū looked up at him from under the blanket, looking somewhat awkward as well. She raised her eyebrows, and the smile she showed before is nowhere to be seen, disappointing Koremitsu as a result.

“A-are the stove, fan and golf bag some decoration or something?”

Koremitsu pointed at the junk of shells and glass fragments as he asked. Yū stared at Koremitsu uneasily and whispered,

“...those are the graves of the fish, the... towers of prayer.”

“Huh?”

“To protect... the underwater world.”

“...”

(Damn, how do I continue on?)

Is her mind drifting far away? Has she entered some fairy tale world after locking herself in the house for so long? Or are all girls like this?

Koremitsu tried to change the topic.

“Those are photos of fish, aren’t they? Do you like them? I too prefer fish rather than meat, Yellowtail or salted Saba are pretty good.”

(Eh... I think I just went off point...)

Yū lowered her face dejectedly.

I shouldn’t have mentioned the Yellowtail collar. Don’t girls normally prefer something like smoked salmon here? He regretted.

“...Hikaru brought... the photos. He would bring something whenever he came to my house...”

Yū said with a lonely tone.

Koremitsu spotted her figure lower her eyes. Was she reminiscing over Hikaru again? She looked ready to cry again...

(T-t-t-th-thi-this isn’t good! What do girls like to talk about? Hey, harem prince, stop scratching the cat’s chin already. Help me think of something!)

Hikaru however did not respond as he continued to play with the cat with a calm smile. At his wits end, Koremitsu exclaimed,

“Speaking of Hikaru! What do you talk with him about?”

(I’m really an idiot! Why am I making her think of Hikaru again!?)

The moment he said it, he regretted his words.

“Tha-that guy has always been talking about getting a girlfriend who likes to smile for me... ah, I think I went off point.”

The more he wanted to strike up a conversation, the more awkward the situation got.

Yū raised her eyebrows slightly.

“...he often talked... about flowers.”

She said softly.

“Flowers? Oh, he’s always talking about disgusting things like how the Pansies in the garden are like, how the Narcissus beside the lakes are as delicate as girls...”

“You actually called me disgusting...”

Hikaru, who was playing with the cat, pouted unhappily. Koremitsu however was thinking, ‘If you’re listening, help me out here!’

Yū’s expression remained dreamy as she continued.

“He said... the Sakuras in the garden are as pink as a baby’s face... that the Tulips look like they’re laughing when they bloom.

Her white face gradually showed a clear radiance, and Koremitsu was astounded.

“...and also how the queenly Iris start to bloom... how the Dandelion started to grow from the cracks beside the concrete pavements... how the Rhododendron, Erigeron and Lily of the Valley charm him differently every single time... how he looked forward to the imminent blooming of the Acacia and Pyracantha... or something like that.”

Yū’s body was giving off a gentle presence, and her eyes were sparkling.

Koremitsu could imagine how those eyes looked when they saw Hikaru.

She looked with leisure as she sat with a leg pulled inwards, head tilted, with Hikaru in the room.

In fact, Hikaru was certainly scratching the cat’s chin, narrowing his eyes gently, giving Yū a tender and loving look...

There was a girl speaking softly, and a boy staring at her gently.

Yū, who remained confined in her own room on her own accord, showed a light smile that caused Koremitsu’s heart to race, and he even felt his chest ache somewhat.

The dream-like gentle smile rendered him unable to look away.

“...Whenever I hear Hikaru talk about flowers... I feel that I’m strolling in the garden alongside him...both of us side by side, watching the Sakuras and Wisterias...”

Yū showed a blissful expression she never showed before.

To her, the time she spent with Hikaru was certainly full of tranquillity.

Hikaru brought Yū the colors and odor of the outside world.

Thanks to Hikaru’s gentle voice, Yū could imagine the flowers blooming outside.

The shapes,

The colors,

The fragrances!

And with these wonderful imaginations, she could fall asleep while draped in the soft blanket.

Waiting silently for Hikaru’s next visit.

(She confines herself to this tattered apartment, is so poor that her utilities are suspended, is living a pitiful life where she can’t even change a light bulb, and... and can actually smile so happily, so blissfully...)

The dizziness and heart throbbing that appeared the previous day intensified, and his face got hotter...

Dumbfounded, Koremitsu stared at the pure white flower-like smile on Yū’s face.

(What’s going on!? What’s with her!?)

He yelled out repeatedly in his heart.

## Notes

- ↑ Actual name of the cat is こるり, little Lapis Lazuli, a deep blue precious stone.

- ↑ 古今和歌集, translated as ‘Collection of Japanese Poems (Wakas) of Ancient and Modern Times, is an anthology of poems commissioned by Emperor Uda. Ki no Tsurayuki was an imperial poet who led the compilation. Poems used are found here: .

- ↑ Hirohiko Takada (2009). Kokin Wakashū New Edition. Japan: Kadokawa Liberal Arts Publishing. Printed on June 25.

- ↑ Original source: Waka number 481, written by Ōshikōchi no Mitsune, one of the 4 commissioned to form the anthology.

- ↑ Original source: Waka number 665, written by Kiyohara no Fukayabu.

### 012. Epilogue: Someday, The Smiling Face

“Is all your luggage here?”

“...Yes. I threw away a lot of things after much thought and this is the only one left.”

Yū raised the bright sky blue suitcase and pet carrying case as she smiled radiantly.

It was a few days after Koremitsu dragged Yū out of the house, and ran in the rain...

The sky was clear, there were no clouds to be seen, and the bright sunlight rained down on their heads.

Yū was in front of her apartment, waiting for a taxi.

Later, she would be headed to the airport.

She chose to finish the school leaving procedures, live with her mother in Australia, and continue her education there.

“Oh...well, it certainly is more convenient to travel with.”

Koremitsu wanted to chat as if it was normal, but he was still sobbing away, and it seemed he would bawl out if he relaxed in the slightest.

—Once Yū's vengeful spirit is liberated, she will go to Australia.

On the day Koremitsu declared to Asai he would protect Yū, Hikaru said this to him with conviction.

—Yū's mother has been calling her, telling her to live together in Australia, but she refused every single time. However, her father is increasingly burdened and unable to pay for her living expenses.

There was no choice for Yū but to go to Australia.

However, she did not dare leave her apartment, let alone suffer in a foreign country with a language she was unacquainted with, and she’d rather die at home.

—If you do not do anything, perhaps you might be able to maintain the current situation.

Hikaru was ostensibly saying something he did not want to as his tone was weak and dejected, his expression gloomy and dull.

—There is no way Yū's parents will want to see their daughter starve to death...they will probably continue to send her financial aid. In that case, Yū will be able to have her usual happiness, and you can have Yū, who belongs to you.

However, Koremitsu stared at Hikaru, and answered that it did not matter even if he could not meet Yū. He had to chase the vengeful spirit away and prevent her from crying whenever she recalled the past.

On the day they were viewing flowers in the park, Yū and Koremitsu were seated side by side on the bench, talking,

“...Papa did not send any money over since the last month. He told me over the phone that his new wife has a new child, and he has no ability to provide any living means for me. He even apologized to me and told me to go to mama.”

The sun was shining brightly after the rain stopped, and Yū lowered her head dejectedly,

“I threw a tantrum and ignored papa and mama's advice. I thought they only cared about their new families or job, that nobody really cared about me, that I might as well just die, and I really hope I can die in my sleep...it's as you said, I'm...running away from reality...”

Though she was sad, she was trying her best to talk with her teeny-weeny voice.

Thus, Koremitsu was paying utmost attention to her.

“I don't know whether I can get along well with mama once I get to Australia. She's a very shrewd and practical person...she never liked my attitude, and always taught me to be more proactive, or told me to get out and move, and even said I'm very stubborn, and I need to make more friends. It really caused me a lot of pressure...I can't handle being in a school in Japan; it'll be much tougher for me when I go to Australia to study, and I may end up being bullied. I'm really scared when I think about this...”

Her hand, which was holding Koremitsu's, started to tremble, but she lifted her head gingerly,

“I...won't run away. You brought me out of that room, and showed me so many wonderful things in the outside world beyond my imagination.”

She was really trying her best to convey her feelings to Koremitsu.

“I'm going to look for mama there and work hard. I won't run away this time.” And so, Koremitsu answered her.

He resisted the urge to call her to stay, and tried his best to speak with an encouraging tone.

“Sure, go for it.”

(The furthest I went was Osaka during my Middle School graduation tour, and now she's flying to the Southern continent!? The seasons are complete opposite here! Isn't that too far, damn it!)

Koremitsu had cried out and voiced his grievances to Hikaru the previous day, and thus, on this day, he tried his best not to cry, and closed his eyes and lips hard. Hikaru however showed a mature expression as he watched Koremitsu from sidelong.

“Do you regret it?”

After Hikaru had asked this the previous day, Koremitsu answered with snot and tears riddled on his face,

“Don't be stupid. Of course I'm not regretting this one bit.”

The efforts would all be wasted if he were to cry at this point. Hikaru would certainly tease him for being such a crybaby despite his appearance.

But when he saw the taxi approach, he still felt his heart ache.

Yū too was startled, and looked over at Koremitsu worriedly.

Her hands that were holding onto the suitcase trembled, her eyebrows were drooping down, and her face was pale.

Koremitsu wanted to cry, and Yū looked ready to cry soon as she said with a perplexed tone,

“Akagi...actually, I...”

The taxi stopped in front of Yū.

With a crying face, Yū staring at Koremitsu with tears in her eyes.

If he spoke up and asked her to stay—if he reached out to grab Yū's hand, pull her close, and tell her not to leave—I'll think of a way to protect you somehow, perhaps Yū might nod her head.

Perhaps she might always stay with him.

This impulse swept through Koremitsu like a storm.

“Actually, I...”

Her moist eyes and pale lips were trembling with anxiety.

She was to head to a distant country with a language she was unfamiliar, with no friends. She would be alone, and for an introverted girl like her, there was no doubt she was terrified. She must have been afraid, terrified to a point where she was unable to handle it.

It was still not too late. There was still a chance for him not to lose her.

As long as he said not to go—

—I...won't run away. You brought me out of that room.

The words Yū managed to eke out with her voice at the park after the rain rang in his mind again.

This was the first time Yū, who was always hiding in a corner of the room, draped over with a blanket, decided something on her own will.

Koremitsu clenched his fists and yelled,

“WHETHER IT'S IN THE PAST OR THE FUTURE, TELL ME ABOUT ANY TROUBLE YOU HAVE IMMEDIATELY! WHETHER IT'S BY CALL OR MESSAGE! DON'T HIDE ALONE AND BROOD OVER IT! I'LL PROTECT YOU NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO!”

Yū's face showed a frown.

“Akagi...”

In fact, he really hoped to see Yū attend school again, make a bunch of new friends, and live her school life happily.

This was not because he was lavishly hoping she would have lunch with him, that they would attend and leave together school together. For him, it would be enough to see her being happy as long as they were in the same place.

This was the last little wish Koremitsu hoped for.

However, he did not regret it.

No matter whether it was chasing the vengeful spirit with all his might, or dragging Yū out to run in the rain,

Or it was when he kissed her with just apprehension in the park.

At this moment, he was to watch her leave.

And he would definitely, definitely not regret it!

Like Koremitsu, Yū too widened her eyes as she held her tears back, and clenched her fists tightly.

“Yes, thank you. I'm fine.”

She tried to act optimistic as she said with a trembling voice. At this moment, her pet carrying case shook.

“Eh...? Lapis?”

The lid opened, and it immediately leapt out agilely and crept to Koremitsu.

Lapis walked towards Koremitsu and Hikaru, and swayed its tail vigorously. It then proceeded to turn around and lie down. The Lapis-colored eyes were looking up at Yū, ostensibly ready to send Yū off together with Koremitsu's group.

Yū seemingly returned back to her life when she hid in the cramped room under the blue blanket as she showed a fearful, dumbfounded expression. Soon after, she bit her lips hard, ostensibly hiding her pain.

With a sense of loneliness and thanksgiving mixed within, she said,

“So Lapis...you want to leave me too. Up till now...I had been a scaredy cat, and wouldn't let you go out. I'm sorry...thank you for being with me all this while...”

Lapis let out a clear purr, seemingly saying she was no longer a scaredy cat.

With Lapis, Koremitsu and Hikaru watching, Yū sat on the taxi.

From the window, she said,

“Akagi, I won't be a flower that blooms in the night anymore. I'll become a flower that blooms towards the sun.”

Her cheerful eyes were filled with tears as she smiled.

“When we meet the next time, I'll show that I've become a girl who likes to smile.”

Koremitsu too wanted to smile to her.

But no matter how hard he tried to raise his lips or move his face, his body would not obey. His throat and eyes were heating up, and the salty and bitter fluids nearly overflow, to a point where he had to try his best to hold it in.

“Eh...yes.”

Koremitsu frowned and tried his best to squeeze out a flat voice. He wanted to smile and make Yū relax more, but he just could not do so no matter what.

The taxi departed away, and Yū's silhouette gradually shrank.

(If you have any trouble, say it out! I'll rush over to you...b-but...I hope such a thing will never happen again! It doesn't matter even if we don't meet. It'll be a thousand times better as long as you're happy! It's fine even if you don't call or send a message!)

Lapis was sticking at his feet, and Hikaru patted him on the shoulder.

“Uuu...~”

Koremitsu still ended up breaking down in tears.

The next day,

Koremitsu's eyebrows were raised higher than usual, his lips tightly curled, his eyes bloodshot as he went to school, and his classmates backed off from him in fear.

There was a new rumor in school, saying 'he was a delinquent more terrifying than a vengeful spirit'.

“I heard he challenged the vengeful spirit barehanded.”

“Even the vengeful spirit was scared away by that delinquent.”

This rumor of unknown origin instantly spread throughout the school, but Koremitsu was currently not in the mood to bother with that.

After school, he was at the parapet on the roof, and there was a breeze with a breath of summer.

A plane flew by the blue sky.

Yū must have reached there already.

The 'pixie girl' with the gentle smile had disappeared.

Despite some loneliness, he felt contented for being able to see such a radiant smile from Yū.

That was most likely Koremitsu's first love.

He inadvertently reflected on it, wondering how many times Hikaru went through such turbulent moments of meetings and separation?

Hikaru too floated beside Koremitsu and looked afar with a calm expression, albeit mixed with some loneliness.

—I want to give them the best farewell.

Hikaru had once stated this before.

He did not want to give his beloved flowers atonement or repentance, but a gentle farewell.

Every flower,

Every love,

He really loved them from the bottom of his heart.

Those were treasured memories that were irreplaceable.

Perhaps he was not just a frivolous casanova of a young man.

(I think I'm starting to understand what he feels)

Hikaru too would be lost, and afraid.

But he tried his best to think for others. His smile and sweet talk was not for himself, but to comfort the wounded hearts of others.

In his heart, there was a blue, lonely, peaceful ocean.

—In essence, Yū is just like me.

—We are scared of being hurt, and scared of hurting others. We just want to remain in a quiet closed space, living in a peaceful, constant life.

Why did Hikaru still remain on this world even after ?

Why would he sometimes look in a distant place alone?

There were still many things Koremitsu did not understand.

However...

(As long as Hikaru remains on Earth, I'll continue to be with him until the end.)

Koremitsu leaned towards the fence as he said to this enigmatic friend of his,

“Are you 100m closer to Heaven now?”

“Yeah.”

Hikaru answered gently, his golden dazzling hair swaying gently.

“Then I better get ready and practise how to smile.”

“Yes, if you send me off with that smile you showed to those girls in the chemistry classroom, I think I will still have some psychological trauma in my reincarnation.”

“OKAY, DON'T MENTION THAT INCIDENT AGAIN!”

“They said your smile is more terrifying than a vengeful spirit.”

“DON'T SAY IT!!!”

Koremitsu was flushed red as he roared out at the teasing Hikaru.

In the future, he would have to learn how to smile.

If, on one day, he would have to separate from an important person again, he had to brighten that person's heart with a smile.

He would have to endure the pain of separation and earnestly bless the person who was leaving.

He would have to show an indomitable, firm smile, and tell the other person he is alright.

“Koremitsu, do you know the floral language of yellow Roses? Not the large ones though. The small one. The very cute kind.”

“How do I know? Why are you asking me this out of a sudden? Stop acting now and just tell me directly if you want to.”

“Yes yes.”

Hikaru was ostensibly demonstrating as he showed his most radiant smile to the frowning Koremitsu.

“It is to 'leave with a smile'.”

“I heard Miss Kanai went to Australia to live with her mother.”

In the bamboo forest at the back yard, Hiina Oumi said this with a deliberate tone to Shungo Tōjō, who was staring at the stone monument.

“So Mr Akagi really fulfilled that 'promise'.”

“...I guess.”

He uttered without looking back.

“It seems he's really good friends with Lord Hikaru. He must have heard quite a few things from the latter, maybe he'll say everything if we agitate him.”

Shungo however showed a stern expression on his face as he interrupted that clear voice of hers.

“Don't spread that sort of message again. This method is too underhanded.”

“I would say it is the best method to lure out the murderer. Also, the one spreading the rumors about Yū kanai was not me. If you suspect anything...”

“I am not suspecting you.”

“...Are you still having a grudge that I stated you're the culprit behind this in front of Mr Akagi? That's an act to lure out information given about how Mr Akagi is like~ and also, the Matriarch Asa will view that I have no relationship with you, so it's a good plan that kills two birds with one stone. Did I go overboard with the acting?”

She said with an unconcerned tone.

“I'm not having any grudges over anything.”

“Of course, you aren't such a petty person after all, Upperclassman!”

Hiina spoke with a deliberate cheerful, voice, and then said sternly like a completely changed person.

“I do feel the one sending the rumors that hurt Yū Kanai through the mails...must have been someone who truly loved Lord Hikaru. Right, it must have been someone who loved him so much to a point of killing off.”

At this point, Shungo was wondering what kind of expression was Hiina showing on her face exactly.

Was it a mature, aloof expression that was very unsuitable for her?

Or was it that of an innocent youth's, enjoying the moment.

He pondered for a while, but did not want to look back and confirm.

However—

Shungo recalled the moment when he met Hikaru at the turf course in Shinshu, that hollow and fragile smile of his when Shungo acted rudely to him, and the wound on his wrist...

(I really couldn't ask at that sort of moment.)

This incident would still remain in his heart.

Perhaps one day, it would be an ace that would change the relationship between the Tōjōs and the Mikados...

Right, there was no time to be depressed over Yū Kanai.

The more aces he had in his hand, the better. Because of this, he silently accepted Hiina's presence.

Shungo continued on to the classroom, and never looked at Hiina once even till the end.

He seemed to hear Hiina's soft voice of admiration from behind,

“...We shall always be allies, big brother.”

It was really soft.

Shungo however pretended not to hear and walked off without looking back.

Koremitsu looked back, and found Honoka standing behind with a worried look.

“...It's about time for class.”

She said to him nervously.

Koremitsu had sent her a message the previous day, informing her of Yū's actions in finishing the procedures to leave school, and that she flew off to Australia the previous day.

Honoka did not mention about that, but rather, walked towards his side cautiously, and reached her hand to grab the fence. If he was to keep staying here and not attend class, it was very likely Honoka would stay behind to accompany him.

(As expected...she's really a good person.)

Just when Koremitsu was about to say, “Let's head back to class”, he found Honoka, with her head turned towards him, stare at him with a convicted expression.

“...?”

She stared at a puzzled looking Koremitsu with a timid look on her face, and with a trembling—and serious voice, she said,

“I'm sorry for saying this at this time—but, I think, I like you.”

### 013. Special Chapter: Shungo Toujou's view — That is Definitely Not Love!

The first time Shungo Tōjō met Hikaru Mikado, it was during the beginning of Winter in his second year of Middle School at Heian Academy.

He was with his parents, visiting their relatives, the Saotomes, and found a cute, pretty child playing with his cousin—Aoi—planting bulbs in the garden together. That would be Hikaru.

That child's round face was pink on the cheeks, and the wide eyes with long narrow eyebrows let out a brilliance of purity whilst his muddy hands were digging the dirt beside the bulbs.

That soft, light brown hair looked dazzling like gold under the clear sun of winter, and the person was practically an Angel from a picture book.

(Who is that girl playing with Aoi there?)

It was really rare to see the shy Aoi play with someone other than Asai.

Aoi's face was completely red, her mouth pouting tightly as she seemed to be angry.

Whenever that girl spoke to Aoi with a bright smile, Aoi would immediately look away flustered.

However, whenever she turned and talked to Asai, who was growing plants with her on the other side, Aoi would shyly glance to the side, and then blush and look to the other side again.

Aoi and Asai were in the First Year of Middle School, a year younger than Shungo.

Was that girl of the same age as them?

Unknowingly, that girl was the only thing in his eyes.

Aoi and her friend, Asai, had long, glamourous hair, and were exceptionally outstanding beauties with no particular defects to speak of. However, the girl beside them was no less inferior, and was even the fairest of them all.

Shungo felt an inexplicable allure from her, and that was a characteristic the girls around him never once had.

That girl suddenly stood up and tottered her way towards the storage shed in the garden.

She wanted to move a large bag of fertilizer, and though she managed to carry it, she was moving rather awkwardly.

“Seriously, what are you doing, Hikaru!? It's too dangerous!”

Her face blushing, Aoi immediately ran over.

Asai however continued to look on with a coy expression unfitting of a child.

Shungo managed to reach that girl faster than Aoi, and helped her carry the fertilizer bag.

The girl turned towards Shungo, and her large eyes grew larger. The eyes and hair were light brown in color, and from close up, they were so pretty he was infatuated with it.

Shungo felt his heart pound like crazy.

“This is too heavy for a girl. Let me carry this.”

“Big Brother...”

Shungo's sudden appearance caused Aoi to be shocked, and then, once she saw Shungo help carry that bag from behind the child, she immediately pouted unhappily.

Shungo wondered that Aoi must have been jealous after seeing him treat another girl so nicely. Aoi was a child, so this was to be expected.

Though he was just a year older than Aoi, this was the conclusion he came to.

“Erm, are you Miss Aoi's big brother...? I am not a girl though.”

A sweet, cute voice that matched the appearance came from close range.

(Huh!?)

This time, Shungo was the one flabbergasted as his eyes widened in surprise, his mouth ajar.

“I am a boy.”

The child said with an angelic voice.

(A boy!!!?)

Shungo felt cheated, and unhappily moved the fertilizer to the flowers.

“Thank you.”

The boy thanked him in a very cutesy manner, but he did not answer or look at the latter as he hurried back into the house.

Shungo’s second meeting with that child was during the New Year party hide at the Mikados'.

He overheard his 3 older sisters, who were natural chatterboxes,

“Look! That's the 'child who should not have been born'!”

He turned around, and found 'him', dressed in a child-sized suit and shorts.

That child was surrounded by a group of lavishly dressed big sisters, and then responded to them with an earnest, cute smile. They too started chatting with him with grins on their faces.

Shungo's sisters' interest in watching commotion was brazenly shown in this case.

“Eh? That child is 'Hikaru'? That cannot be! He looks really cute.”

“It is because he is brought to the Mikados main family that Kazuaki and his mother had to leave as a result.”

“So he is the heir to the Mikado family? He really is 'a child that should not have been born'.”

“But he is really cute, and his hair color is pretty too! He is like a foreign prince. I want to go over and talk to him!”

“Are you not blind? B-But, I think...I may have some interest.”

Shungo paid attention to their gossip.

In the past, when he eavesdropped on the adults, he learned of the existence of a 'child that should not have been born'.

Whenever the adults talked about it, all of them would frown and grumble.

(So the one I met at the Saotomes was Hikaru Mikado...)

From the attitudes of the adults, Shungo had assumed Hikaru was a gloomy child, and did not expect the latter to be so carefree, dazzling, to a point where he was practically engulfed in light. He could have enjoyable talks with women, old enough to be his mother, or women that were even older, and gain their doting love.

Right. If he were wise, he would definitely be unable to smile so carefreely.

Upon seeing that pretty face that was like a guy, Shungo suddenly recalled the awkward incident involving him at the Saotomes, and suddenly felt bitter.

The first person he ever felt his heart flutter towards was a boy...and it was to Hikaru Mikado of all people.

(That might be my first love...no, that is definitely not it! I am just mistaken! That cannot count!)

Good thing I found out about his gender soon after...

Shungo secretly heaved a sigh of relief deep within.

Because of these past incidents, Shungo never liked Hikaru afterwards, but because of their family standings, he could not ignore the latter, and this infuriated him.

For generations, the Tōjō had served the Mikados. Shungo was furious as he thought it was a misfortune how that lecherous, frivolous harem prince would become his future superior.

(But I never expected Hikaru to die at such a young age...)

And Shungo never thought there would be a day he would be so agitated after Hikaru died...

On a certain holiday, Shungo was in the family kitchen, preparing some breakfast though it was a little late. He strained the lettuce leaves that were to be used for the salad as he pondered.

On the day before Hikaru died, he promised Shungo he would break Yū Kanai free from her past demons, and walk out of that tattered apartment.

After that, Hikaru's friend, Koremitsu Akagi finished his wish and completed the promise.

It was great if Yū could continue enjoying her new life in Australia cheerfully.

The girl who ate lunch alone in the serene bamboo forest, her face filled with blissfulness.

Shungo really liked her silence and her shy attitude.

Shungo's taste was in females that were obedient, quiet and supple, for he had several vicious talkative older sisters who were frivolous, and would treat their little brother as a servant.

During the Heian Era, the Crown Prince that later became the Emperor Sanjō ordered his concubine Suishi to hold onto a block of ice, and said to her, “If you really loved me, you mustn't let go of the ice until I say to stop.” He then forgot about it, and by the time he recalled, the ice had melted, and Suishi's hands were frozen purple. But she held on to this ice block silently, and never grumbled a single word.

If Shungo had dared to say, “This is the ideal woman”, he would be lambasted to high heavens by all the women in the world, and his sisters would definitely beat him up good.

Even so, he could not help but find himself infatuated with abnormally docile females.

Unfortunately, such women normally would not dare to approach Shungo, and would run away before they even got acquainted.

Considering how there would be three potential sister-in-laws that would be hard to get along, his future in attaining a wife would be tumultuous, to say the least.

Even if he could find someone he could fall in love with, she might faint after seeing those sisters of him glare at her if she were that serene and introverted, let alone chat...there would never be a good outcome for him.

But speaking of which, the Concubine Suishi did have the casanova Minamoto no Yorisada wooing her, and it was a fact that they became husband and wife, and even conceived a child together...

When he heard of how Hikaru often visited Yū's apartment, he was furious and deflated within, dejected to a point where his gut hurt.

(I should not thank Hikaru after all...maybe it is because of his regular visits that Yū Kanai was unwilling to step out of her house. And he has countless relationships with so many girls...humpt, that person's heinous acts are unmeasurable.)

As he furiously shaved the red carrot...

“Big Brother Shungo!”

A pretty girl with long flowing black hair and a white sash tied upon it came running in with her cheeks puffed.

That would be his cousin Aoi.

Aoi had just celebrated her 17th birthday, and there was a trace of mature charm in her innocent nature as she had become prettier than before.

But in Shungo's eyes, Aoi would always be a cute cousin to him.

As the youngest child, he was oppressed by his three sisters, and thus, he doted on Aoi like she was his own little sister. The person who was born to be a part of the board of management must definitely not be like Hikaru, for he would be frowned upon by his subordinates. However, he was always amicable and caring to Aoi.

“Good morning, Aoi. Why did you look for me? What happened? Ah, I just baked some Quiches here. It's chicken and herb flavor, your favorite. There is still some Compote in the fridge too.”

Shungo's interest was cooking, and he was very detailed in the ingredients he used. Naturally, he had confidence in the flavor.

However...

“That isn't important!”

Aoi refused readily, surprising him somewhat.

“Seriously, everyone is so mean! They actually said Mr Akagi is more savage than a vengeful spirit, and said he even beat it down until it submitted, and devoured it fully! Asa even said, “It will be great if that sort of man better head off to a country full of vengeful spirits and stay there forever” . That was really cold of her!”

Aoi complained furiously.

It seemed she was angry about how Koremitsu Akagi's reputation in school had been freefalling...

“Everyone is so mean with their words; Mr Akagi will definitely be hurt if he hears that. He really is too pitiful, and Asa even added on to the wounds by saying “What a pity. If that person is so sensitive to this, he would have been embarrassed enough to lock himself in and never come to school.” No matter how much she hates Mr Akagi, there is no need for her to be so cruel in her words! I do not want to talk to her about Mr Akagi again! Big Brother, can you please help Mr Akagi somehow?”

She was huffing in fury as she stared at Shungo with a sincere expression.

It was because Asai, whom Aoi always relied on, would not help, that she chose to look for Shungo.

Asai grew up together with Aoi, and was her good friend and guardian. It was unexpected to see the gentle and obedient Aoi not listen to Asai's words, and because of Koremitsu Akai...

Aoi and Hikaru were once betrothed.

Whenever that playboy Hikaru, who had countless girlfriends, was mentioned,

“Daddy and the rest all decided on the marriage. I really hate Hikaru!”

Aoi would insist, but everyone who knew Aoi well could tell she really liked Hikaru ever since young. This was also one of the reasons why Shungo was unable to get along with Hikaru.

After Hikaru died, Aoi lashed out at his funerary photo, and created yet a ruckus, which really worried Shungo. However, it seemed she was a lot more emotionally stable recently, and she started to smile.

She also was on better terms with the arts club members, who she once disputed with.

Also, she never relied on Asai's influence to do this; she did all of this through her own efforts.

As for the reason why Aoi became so optimistic...

—Mr Akagi helped Hikaru present a present to her.

Aoi answered shyly with a gentle smile.

So that person not only changed Yū, but Aoi too?

Shungo had complicated thoughts regarding Koremitsu Akagi; though he marveled at the latter's attitude, he was not willing to recognize it. Besides, who was he exactly?

His family background and upbringing were completely different from Hikaru's, and their personalities were miles apart. How did he end up being Hikaru's friend?

How much of Hikaru's matters did he know about?

Aoi's voice however dragged Shungo back from his deep thoughts.

“Big Brother, please listen to me, okay? Mr Akagi looks scary on the outside, is very crude when talking, and looks prone to violence, but he is really a good person. When we went to the theme park...”

Aoi recalled about something, and her face suddenly reddened.

Suddenly, Shungo felt an ominous premonition in his chest.

“Why are you so worried about Akagi? Have you fallen for him?”

He tried to probe by asking nonchalantly.

However, Aoi immediately blushed, unable to say anything.

Her stare floated around continuously, her hands were pressed on her blushing cheeks, she was panicking, and then, she lowered her head,

“...Not...at all.”

She answered with a teeny-weeny voice.

And then, she raised her blushing petite face and insisted,

“But Mr Akagi is really a nice person! And he is Hikaru's friend! Because he really took care of me, I want to repay him somehow...so-so, I-I-I definitely, definitely, definitely do not like him!”

(THIS IS BAD!!!)

Shungo's face paled, and it seemed this ominous premonition became reality.

(Aoi, you must not! This Big Brother will definitely not agree to this!)

He hollered out deep in his heart like a foolish big brother doting on his little sister.

No, Aoi just had not recovered from the shock over Hikaru's death yet. She is just lost, unable to comprehend the situation, because she has been pampered since young, never met such a savage person, and suffered quite a culture shock.

Right! That is definitely not love!

### 014. Author's Notes

Hello everyone, this is Mizuki Nomura! Thank you for purchasing “When Hikaru was on Earth......Volume 2”! As foretold in the foreword, the theme for the second volume would be “Yugao”.

Though Yugao in the original story of the “Tale of Genji” was struck down with misfortune, she was a gentle and cute woman, and one cannot help but feel a fuzzy warmth in the heart.

Speaking of the Yugao mentioned in the main story, the “Gourd flower”, I still could not decide if I should change it to the “Moonflower”, for there are some who call it Yugao. Also, the appearance of the Moonflower is full of intrigue, so I guess it should be more suitable...the real Yugao however is of the gourd subspecies, and perhaps because of this, I could not help but think of terms like boiled vegetables and kimchi...(tears).

However, the Moonflower was introduced in Japan only during the Meiji Era, and there was no such flower during the Heian Era. The flower mentioned in the “Tale of Genji” must have been the Gourd flower, so looking at this, I suppose it would be better to stick to the original...the Gourd flower is white and fluffy. It is cute, and the charm of Yugao as a woman was not that of a high class noble, but rather, like someone of the middle class...

And so, after much deliberation, I chose the Gourd version instead. During the preview at the end of the first volume, I listed it as the Moonflower because that was what I planned in my draft. I do apologize for the change later on, Miss Takeoka. On a side note, the Hollyhock mentioned in the first volume should be the Twin-Leafed Hollyhock, but the leaves are too plan, so I decided to use the Hollyhock instead.

There are many mentions of plants in “When Hikaru was on the Earth......”, and it was really difficult to write. Even when checking the pictures, I often found myself wondering, “Eh? Oh my? What kind of flower is this?” Also, I often had to head to the botanical garden, observe them seriously, record where I saw these flowers, at where, and this flower and that flower.

The Koishikawa Botanical Gardens and the Shinjuku Gyeon are more suitable for strolling, but the Akatsuka Botanical Garden in Itabashi was a good place few know of. The park is not back, but there are many explanatory signboards, and there is even a teaching area in the park. No matter how many questions I had, the workers would try their best to explain. I had to climb a slope if I had to get there from the train station, and I was sweating all over when walking in the summer, but I guess it must have been very useful for slimming.

Oh yes. There are two ellipsis at the back of the title “When Hikaru is on the Earth...”. Not one, but two. This is a very——————important thing to take note of, so when writing the name of this series, please do not write with one ellipsis only, and write the title with two ellipsis.

Well...as for the reason why this is important, it is similar to how the “Book Girl” series has the double quotation marks, and the “Rabbit Love” series has the Japanese period on it...it is embarrassing to explain the reason like this, but it is because the number of strokes make it more auspicious.

I am really sorry for coming up with such a stupid reason! Actually, I was just randomly checking the number of strokes, and was horrified to find terms like destruction, suffering, quagmire, darkness, frustration.

Because of this, I learned not to check on the number of strokes in the characters without a good reason, so for the currently web-serialized “Dress~” series, I am not going to check on it no matter what. However, I still want to find some auspicious words for the characters’ names. There is a website that lists a name with the suitable strokes once I enter the last name, and that is really a blessing to me. I can also create a name, and then adjust the number of strokes.

Now then, I shall report on some things.

The series “I’m a Royal Tutor in My Sister’s Dress” is currently edited into a manga and serialized on the AIR RAID online manga website. Miss Sakurana Haru is in charge of illustrator, and is known for her very attractive artwork with cute expressions, so please check it out. The first volume of Miss Rito Tousaka’s “Book Girl and the Famished Spirit” will be released on August 22 nd ! Ryuuto and Hotaru are really drawn fantastically! The 4 panel comic strip added on are very cute too, so please check them out.

The sub-theme of the next volume “When Hikaru is on The Earth” is “Waka Murasaki”. How would little Murasaki, the most distinguished loli of the Heian Era, look like under Miss Takeoka’s pen? I am personally looking forward to it. And so, that is all for now! See you at the end of the year.

July 17 th , 2011.

Mizuki Nomura

## 03. Volume 3 - "Waka Murasaki"

### 001. Chapter 1: Big Brother - The Little Girl Called With Her Innocent Eyes Looking Up

Koremitsu frowned, curled his lips downwards, and showed a troubled look.

It was a certain afternoon in June, the intense sun brought the torrid air of summer. The Classics teacher was at the podium, carrying out the lesson.

Mixed amongst these sounds was a sweet-filled voice descending upon him.

“The blossoms of an Acacia tree resemble an angel’s raiment. The long reddish stamens sway at the tips of the twigs, letting out a dreamy aroma. One will definitely feel entranced in Shangri-La upon sleeping within those soft flowers.”

The youth with the wonderful angelic voice did not have a raiment, but he still gently floated above Koremitsu.

His slender limbs, his dazzling blond hair and his effeminate beautiful face revealed an unrealistic beauty and clearness. Despite being in a half-sleeved shirt and pants, the standard uniform attire, his beautiful face was beyond that of the other students.

In fact, Hikaru was an irregular existence, what they called a ghost, and nobody, other than Koremitsu, could see how he looked, or hear his voice. Because of this, he continued to ramble on alone,

“And speaking of Acacia, there is a Kino Iratsume, famous as a singer of love songs, who once sang this line – ‘Bloom in the day, sleep at night longing for love... the silk flowers. Won't you come and enjoy them with me?’—Acacia flowers bloom in the day, and fall asleep unwillingly in the night. Is it really alright for only someone like me to marvel at this? I really want to marvel at this with you—well, that should be how it goes. If that intellectual big sister hears this gentle line, I probably will be told ‘the Acacia tree you talk about doesn’t exist at all’, just as what happened to Ōtomo no Yakamochi.”

Hikaru spoke in a forlorn tone.

For him, a harem prince who could accept a girl’s confession wholeheartedly, it would certainly be difficult for him to accept that someone would refuse a woman’s request, even if it was a love affair rumor from a thousand years ago.

(But no matter how you’re confessed to, there are times when you can’t accept their feelings, right?)

Koremitsu listened to Hikaru’s innocent words as he pouted harder, intensifying his frown.

He was not frowning because of the ghost floating in front of him, for he was used to hearing Hikaru chatter beside him, drifting around. At first, he really had difficulty accepting, but after more than a month, he was more or less used to it.

Rather than that—

With abated breath, Koremitsu glanced slightly to the left—

“!”

The girl seated beside him was as frozen as he was, looking over at him with a tense look.

(Woah!)

Once their eyes met, Koremitsu’ head sizzled, and he hurriedly looked away.

Speaking of which, her face was flushed red just a while back, and she was so tense the textbook fell from her hands. She hurriedly tried to pick it up, only to knock into the chair and tumble over. It was really dangerous.

“Miss Shikibu, watch out!”

Hikaru’s voice came from above.

Shikibu could not hear Hikaru, but as all the stares in the classroom were gathered on her ‘...sorry’, she whimpered and returned to her seat again. She then buried her head behind the textbook, preventing Koremitsu from seeing her face.

“...”

But Koremitsu could see her reddened nape through the white half-sleeved shirt, and his heart raced as if he was the one who tripped over. At that moment, he also recalled what happened before, and felt butterflies in his stomach.

“Miss Shikibu has been very careless recently. You have some responsibility for that as well, so it’s better that you take care of her and prevent her from getting hurt. I think you can try lending a hand and support her.”

Hikaru stated a feminist sounding line.

—I think, I like you.

A few days ago, after the rain, Honoka Shikibu confessed to Koremitsu on the roof with a trembling voice.

At that time, Koremitsu was completely bewildered.

Is this person serious!? Is she controlled by some suspicious electric wave!? Koremitsu wondered.

Suffice to say, Koremitsu was highly abhorred by the presence of women and animals since young. It was the same in middle school, as the girls felt red hair was a sign of hooliganism, viewed him as a delinquent and isolated him. There was even a rumor that the girl seated next to Koremitsu slimmed down by 6 kilograms in a week due to excessive fear.

Even Honoka had mistaken Koremitsu for a molester, kicked him while in public, and showed him a look of extreme contempt.

After that, Koremitsu consulted Honoka over Aoi and Yū’s matters, and Honoka finally realized that Koremitsu was an unexpectedly nice and straightforward person. Because of this, they managed to improve their relationship.

But why would she suddenly blush and say ‘I think, I like you’ to a crude delinquent?

To Koremitsu, Honoka’s confession was overly abrupt, and he felt there was nothing other than a trap to it.

Their eyes met each other for a long time, and it felt time had stopped; after that, Honoka lowered her head, looking ready to cry, but immediately turned her head aside, raised her voice, and said,

—J-Just as a classmate, that’s all! D-D-D-Don’t be mistaken here.

She insisted as she spoke with an agitated voice,

—It’s just, a simple ‘like’ between classmates, that’s all!

Honoka said as she retreated stiffly, nearly tumbled at the door, and dashed down the stairs with a crying expression.

Throughout this, Koremitsu was unable to say anything.

Hikaru, standing beside him, had witnessed the entire event and put his head into his hands saying,

—I am sorry, Koremitsu. I should have taught you how to handle such a situation. Miss Shikibu's actions are 3 times quicker than I expected, so I was careless.

After that, Honoka had been hiding from Koremitsu.

Whenever Koremitsu tried to talk to her, she would turn away and pretend to be focused on typing a message. Once break time occurred, she would immediately run from her seat, either to spend some alone time at an empty place, or to find her friend, the braid-haired class representative.

This forced action however showed how concerned she was about Koremitsu. Even Koremitsu felt the awkwardness between them and he froze all over, sweating.

“At this point, you might want to go out with Miss Shikibu.”

It was lunch break.

After Honoka covered her face shyly, she bit her lower lip, and hurriedly left the noisy classroom, Koremitsu strolled down the corridor with a sullen look.

Hikaru naturally floated beside him, and then proposed something completely outrageous.

“I actually intended to get a girl who likes to smile as your girlfriend, but Miss Shikibu really is pretty, and has nice long legs. Maybe it is a wonderful thing that such an alluring beauty blushes as she looks at you. Those nice legs of hers are top notch amongst our year, whether in terms of appearance or power. There are definitely a lot of boys who yearn to be kicked and trampled by her.”

“Tch, I don't have that sort of interest!”

Koremitsu grumbled bitterly with a frowning look.

Since Honoka had declared that she liked him only as a classmate, he felt that he should continue to treat her in the same manner.

Even if she had not said that 'like you as a classmate' line, and had confessed to him directly, Koremitsu would have been troubled.

No matter how pretty her legs were, Honoka Shikibu was a good person. Koremitsu however was hesitant on the aspect of liking her, on whether he wanted to date her.

It was merely a few days ago that he started his first love with Yū Kanai, only to break up with her.

His heart would flutter whenever he recalled her dreamy smile, her soft little hand grasped firmly in his, and the taste of rain as their lips touched.

She was a fantastic girl blooming in the night.

And in the morning, the illusion disappeared. The weak girl walked into the world of day through her own will, and though she had departed, Koremitsu kept longing for that love affair.

Either way, there was no way he could immediately divert his affections to Honoka, for he felt it would be disrespectful to both her and Yū. If it were Hikaru, he would definitely say with a beaming smile, “All the girls are like flowers, each flower has its unique charm, and are worthy of being loved”. However, Koremitsu knew he was not suited to be a harem prince, and that a wretched peasant such as him could only be the waterboy.

Honoka had declared she 'liked' him as a classmate, so Koremitsu was trying his best to face her with the same attitude as before. However,

(I feel a lot awake now that I caught some air... or rather... my face is all red now...)

Koremitsu scratched his head, and Hikaru showed a hapless smile.

“Well, it certainly is like you to not like Miss Shikibu after your affair with Yū had just ended, Koremitsu. I think she will be able to understand this.”

(Ugh... really?)

Leaving aside this, it would not be manly for him to remain aloof for Honoka's sake, and increase her burden heavily.

“Ahh, you are getting frustrated again, Koremitsu. It is not good for you to often frown when you are young. I told you that it is fine; Miss Shikibu will certainly want to talk with you normally. If you take a little initiative, perhaps things might become the same as it was before.”

Just when Hikaru was speaking with a matured tone,

“Akagi, do you mind if I have a few words?”

An unexpected voice came sidelong,

And it was from the third year, Shungo Tōjō.

This nobleman had a masculine face, a long body, and was the focal point of attention no matter where he went.

Koremitsu had some interaction with this person because of Yū's case, but it was still a rare sight for him, classified as a noble in this school, to especially look for Koremitsu, the worst, vile wild dog of all.

The students on the corridor were looking at them with shocked expressions, and Koremitsu felt somewhat awkward.

“What is it? Is it about Yū?”

“No, I heard the cat she raised is left in your care, but I do not plan to talk about this now. Rather...”

(Who told him about that!?)

It was true the white cat that was with Yū was in Koremitsu's house. After he broke up with Yū, the cat snobbishly stayed at Koremitsu's house, as if saying 'I'll let you take care of me for the time being'.

But Koremitsu never mentioned this to anyone else. Besides, the people around him were trying to avoid him, so there was no one else he could talk to.

How did he know?

Upon thinking about this, Koremitsu felt a chill on his spine. At this moment, Tōjō turned around and spoke to him,

“Akagi, are you dating anyone at the moment?”

“What?”

Koremitsu saw that Tōjō's eyes looked exceptionally serious, and felt skeptical in the face of this sudden question as he answered,

“Not for now...”

Tōjō's frown intensified once he heard the answer. It seemed he had discovered something serious.

“Then, assuming that you feel a girl staring at you from behind, what will you do?”

“I'll tell her that if she has something to say, just say it to me, no?”

“What if that girl approaches you with a troubled look on her face?”

“Even if a woman challenges me, I won't do anything to her.”

“If she blushes and starts stripping in front of you, what will you do?”

“Call the ambulance of course! Either her head's all burned up with a fever, or she's a perverted streaker!”

Tōjō then grabbed Koremitsu's shoulders firmly, and spoke with confidence,

“It is truly a gift that you have such healthy thoughts. Please continue to live on like this.”

He then patted Koremitsu twice on the shoulder, and turned to leave.

“...what's with him?”

“That is truly unexpected. Mr Shungo looked so serious... I thought he was going to confess to you.”

Hikaru's words left Koremitsu unable to laugh,

“You idiot. What're you saying!?”

He glanced to the side—

“Upperclassman Tōjō just grabbed the delinquent king's shoulders and gave him a passionate look.”

A mutter could be heard from the side.

And then,

“Upperclassman Tōjō just confessed to the delinquent king!”

“Upperclassman Tōjō fell in passionate love with the delinquent king!”

The mumbling soon got louder.

(That's enough! Don't call me a homosexual delinquent king now!)

Koremitsu lifted his chin and glared at the students around him, scaring them. At this point, his eyes met that of Honoka's friend, the braid-haired girl who was standing in the corner.

She widened her eyes behind the glasses, and it was unknown if she saw what just happened, or she heard the rumors spread really quickly, as she said,

“M-Mr Akagi... are you gay with Upperclassman Tōjō?”

She was trembling timidly,

“I-I think... love is not divided by gender, as long as people love each other...”

And then, she showed a stiff smile,

“HO~NOO~!!!”

She then turned around and sprinted off.

“HEY! WAIT!”

Koremitsu furiously gave chase after the bespectacled class representative, who was running with her braids sway from side to side, like a pig's tail.

“HO~NOO~! HO~NOO~! HO~NOO~!”

“Michiru!”

Honoka just so happened to be at the class door, looking startled as she called out to her good friend.

Koremitsu's mind immediately boiled over.

(STOP! DON'T TELL SHIKIBU!!)

“What's wrong, Michiru!?”

“Mr Akagi has become gay with Upperclassman Tōjō on the corridor!”

“!”

(ARRGGGHHHH!!! THIS BESPECTACLED GIRL!! SHE LOOKS DECENT AND SHY, AND YET SHE'S SO DIRECT WHEN SAYING THIS!!!)

Honoka really seemed to be startled by her friend's words, and once she spotted a panting Koremitsu, she shuddered.

She stared at Koremitsu. Her face showed a complicated expression filled with shock, only to change into one that stated 'please let this be a joke'.

(Shikibu, please don't believe her! I...)

“Upperclassman Tōjō just embraced Mr Akagi tightly and confessed to him! And Mr Akagi stared back at Upperclassman Tōjō with a passionate stare! They must have done something together!”

(DO YOU HAVE A GRUDGE WITH ME, YOU BESPECTACLED GIRL!!!???)

Honoka again shuddered once again as she heard this, and turned to glare at Koremitsu. Her expression conflicted between anger and disappointment.

“Let's go, Michiru.”

Honoka turned her back on Koremitsu, and dragged the class representative into the classroom.

As Koremitsu was left speechless, Hikaru said with sympathy,

“Well... Miss Shikibu must have been shocked, especially since she just heard that the person she recently confessed to had embraced a male upperclassman. Well, do not be this listless now. Let us observe Miss Shikibu's situation, and find a chance to explain to her. Do not be down-hearted.”

Hikaru placed his hand gently on Koremitsu's shoulder, but as he was a ghost, his hand did not leave a mark.

“...I'm not down-hearted—at all.”

Koremitsu clenched his fists as he said.

“Haa, if I think about it, even if Shikibu thinks I'm gay with Tōjō, it's nothing after all. Haha... I guess it's a good thing if she ends up thinking that she shouldn't approach a damned guy like me, hahaha.”

“Koremitsu, you may be thinking of laughing, but your expression is really scary. Your face is quivering, and your eyes are narrowed. You do not have to force yourself to make Shikibu hate you there.”

“I-I'm not forcing anything!”

He stammered a reply, and did not say anything afterwards

And upon seeing Hikaru sigh with a look of sympathy, Koremitsu said unhappily,

“Besides, how can I go around caring about what others say about me? More importantly, we need to hurry and deal with the next 'regret' you have!”

“Is it really good for you not to explain this to Miss Shikibu? She looked at you worryingly at times on the way home, and then shook her head a few times, and even nearly fell over.”

“Shut up! I said that I don't care about her now! Anyway, are you sure the place is correct?”

It was after school.

They arrived in front of a public elementary school in their task to complete Hikaru's unfinished wish.

The elementary school students were dismissed from school earlier than high school students, so there were only a few students walking out from the classroom.

There were a few children walking out with backpacks, and were terrified upon seeing a red-haired delinquent with a savage expression standing in front of them. Some shrieked and ran off in tears, while others winced as they retreated back to school. It would be troublesome if they looked for a teacher's assistance.

Hikaru seemed tentative as he answered vaguely,

“Yes... this is the place.”

(Hm? Is it a female teacher this time? Some student's mom? Please don't start an indecent relationship now.)

During lunch break, Koremitsu sent a message at the school roof, in accordance to Hikaru's instructions.

“To dear cute Shiiko, the promised item is prepared.”

Koremitsu was inadvertently impressed that Hikaru could remember the names of all the girls. According to Hikaru himself, it seemed his memory would increase tenfold as long as it had anything to do with girls.

This Shiiko was probably the name of the girl.

The reply he received was that he was to wait outside the school gate.

(But what's promised this time?)

And also, there was another mystery.

“Hey, is there any special meaning to this collar here?”

Koremitsu asked with veins bulging from his head.

There is a black dog collar on his neck, and he bought it at a pet shop as he made his way to this place.

Why a dog collar?

This, together with the eye-catching red hair, made him look like a delinquent king.

Hikaru suddenly smiled, and said,

“It is a mark, sort of.”

That certainly was a random answer.

“But it really suits you, like a vocalist in a punk band.”

“Isn't it weird to have a punk band vocalist stand at an elementary school gate? Ahh, damn, I'm feeling that something's weird here. Besides, it's been more than 10 minutes past the agreed time. Did she run away in fear after seeing me?”

“Certainly not. She should be able to respond, since you are exactly what she wants. ”

“What?”

Koremitsu asked.

Hikaru's expression became milder, and he continued,

“Shiiko is a firm-willed child, so she must have been observing you.”

(Firm-willed... child ?)

If it were a teacher, would it be inappropriate to call her a 'child'? Even if she were a civil servant, she should be older than Hikaru, who was in 10th Grade...

At this point, a cute voice came from below.

“Big brother...”

Koremitsu lowered his head, and found a girl carrying a red school bag and a grassy green sling pochette looking up at him.

The large black eyes seemed to be filled with tears as he looked over.

(What now? Is she crying because of my appearance!?)

Koremitsu was least adept at dealing with animals, children and women.

But he could not leave this girl alone, crying. If he took out a handkerchief and wipe her tears away, would she be more terrified than ever?

Just when he was at a loss of what to do, the girl then spoke with a demure, cute voice,

“Big Brother...are you Hikaru's friend?”

“Ah? Yeah.”

(Don't tell me this brat is...)

Cold sweat slowly rose on Koremitsu's forehead,

“Big brother... were you the one who sent me this message?”

“...yeah.”

Flabbergasted, Koremitsu stared at the girl again.

She had her silky straight black hair tied into two ponytails, and there were thick eyelashes around her large eyes.

She had glossy, milky skin, rosy cheeks, and pink lips. A delicate neck and legs with small hands holding to the straps.

Her round knees were exposed under the girlish, airy skirt, and she wore a pair of clean white socks.

She looks like a kid no matter how I see it! She's still a grade schooler!

She's at most 10! Maybe younger!

“Are you Shiiko?”

Koremitsu gulped.

The girl nodded, and sniffled,

“My name is Shioriko Wakagi. Sorry, big brother. I feel like crying now. I just thought about Hikaru, so...”

She said.

“Ah, erm, nice to meet you.”

The girl lowered her head in a loveable manner.

(Is she one of your unfinished wishes too!? She's still carrying a school bag! Hey!)

But Hikaru did not seem to hear Koremitsu,

“Ahh, Shiiko is really cute! No girl is more suited to wear white socks! The skirt length is also perfect! The knees have to show! The lips are glossy like peach! Ahh, the dangling black silky hair look so romantic. It is the best! Shiiko is really my little pixie!”

Hikaru had gone crazy.

(H...hey! I say, your face's melting from happiness! And besides, it's scary that you're staring at a kid with such a look!)

If Hikaru's admirers had seen him look so inebriated, they would certainly run away.

“Erm, big brother... why did you come looking for Shiiko?

“Ah, eh, well...”

“Of course it is to fulfill my promise with Shiiko, my little lady.”

Hikaru knelt down in front of Shioriko like a knight in the Middle Ages, beaming as he answered.

Upon seeing this, Koremitsu really had the urge to kick him.

“Did you have some promise with Hikaru? I'm here to help him fulfill it.”

Shioriko's thin shoulders shuddered.

“Promise?”

Her face immediately froze, and then, she blushed, fidgeted about and said,

“Well, if it's a promise... you're referring to that, right?”

Shioriko lowered her petite head shyly, and her black hair tied in twin ponytails swayed elegantly.

(Well, since it's a promise with a kid, I guess it's nothing big. Let's hurry up, finish this and go back home.)

If not...

“Shiiko really looks so cute~ in that pose! My heart is starting to race! Such a sinful little girl!”

He would be completely revolted by the friend creating a ruckus beside him.

(Besides, you don't have a heartbeat now!)

He turned to look at Shioriko, and she lifted her blushing face, holding his middle and index fingers on his left hand.

“Woah!”

Koremitsu was shocked, and Shioriko shyly lifted her eyes at him, saying,

“Then... big brother, you will take Shiiko's virginity in Hikaru's place, right?”

“!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

What did this brat say now!? This brat!?

Shiiko's virginity,

In Hikaru's stead—

(Hikaru–––––!!!!!!)

Koremitsu gave Hikaru a demonic glare, and even as a ghost, Hikaru felt his life in jeopardy as he took a step back.

“Ko-Koremitsu? Your expression looks a little terrifying... Shiiko will be scared! Calm down!”

(How can I possibly calm down now, you idiot!!!)

“Th-There is a reason for this! And I do not intend for you to take away her virginity right now!”

(ARE YOU SAYING YOU'RE INTENDING TO ENJOY IT ON A SPECIAL DAY OR SOMETHING!?)

“Guu, Hikaru was a very kind person, and even offered to buy Shiiko's virginity when Shiiko's troubled over the lack of money.”

(YOU BASTARD–––––!!!!!!)

“Koremitsu! If you continue to show such a savage look, you'll have problems trying to find a job! Control yourself!”

(WHOSE FAULT DO YOU THINK IT IS ANYWAY! BUYING A KID'S VIRGINITY!? YOU PEDOPHILE OF A HAREM PRINCE! CRIMINAL!)

If his aura could chase a ghost away, Koremitsu would have hoped to chase Hikaru to the ends of the universe.

As he was pondering about this, Shioriko raised his fingers.

“Well, if it's big brother... Shiiko can accept it.”

She lowered her head, blushing as she muttered, and upon hearing that, Koremitsu nearly fainted in anger.

(AS IF THAT CAN WORK OUT! AM I GOING TO TAKE HIKARU'S PLACE AND BECOME A LOLICON WITH AN ILLICIT RELATIONSHIP WITH AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL KID!?)

DON'T JOKE AROUND! I DON'T WANT TO BE SEEN AS A PERVERT'S FRIEND!

His mouth was ajar, and he was unable to say anything. During this time, Shioriko dragged him to the school.

“Eh... heh? Outsiders can't go in without permission, right? Let go of me.”

“Nobody's in school at this time.”

Shiiko seemed to have made up her mind as she lowered her head and continued in.

She was only holding onto Koremitsu's middle and index fingers, but the soft doll-like hand was grasping onto him firmly, and he was really unwilling to shake her off.

e you Hikaru’s frie“Sorry, Koremitsu, but please accompany Shiiko for a while.”

Hikaru clapped his hands together as he said.

(AS IF! I'M NOT A LOLICON HERE––!!)

As Koremitsu grumbled in his heart, he arrived at the shower room located at the swimming pool, located away from the classrooms.

“Nobody else... will come here, so.”

There was the smell of bleach lingering in the entire room, and Shioriko leans her back on the door, lifting her head shyly as she said.

(IT'S CRAZY TO DO THIS IN A SHOWER ROOM!)

“A shower room really is a nice place. I have been to the shower rooms in middle schools, high schools and even girl schools, but it is my first time going to an elementary school shower room.”

(DON'T LOOK AROUND AS IF YOU'RE SO INTERESTED! YOU BIG PERVERT OF A GHOST!!)

“Eh? This isn't good, right? I don't want to come here and help Hikaru do that. No, Hikaru himself wouldn't want to do that.”

As Koremitsu was sweating over this, trying to convince her,

“You don't want Shiiko, big brother? Do you hate Shiiko?”

She showed a tender expression as she asked,

“No, it's not about whether I hate you or not. How old are you?”

“9 years old. In fourth grade.”

(THAT'S COMPLETELY OUT OF THE PARK NOW–!)

Koremitsu felt a chill up his spine.

But Shioriko clasped her hands around Koremitsu's waist, and cuddled him.

She pressed herself at Koremitsu's chest, and the body warmth reached him through the thin shirt. A milk and sugar-like sweetness entered his nostrils, and the exceptionally soft black hair rested upon his hand.

Also, Shioriko actually undid his belt, loosened the buckle, and even pulled the zip down.

(Wh-What's going on? Why is she able to do it this well! HHHHEEEYYYY!! STOP IT!)

Koremitsu wanted to push her aside forcefully.

But suddenly, he felt chilly on his lower body.

(Huh?)

He was taken aback when he realized his pants and underwear were taken down, and there was a flash a second later.

*Snap*

Upon hearing this, Koremitsu's eyes widened, and he found Shioriko holding a phone, smiling.

(Uh? What?)

He did not know what was going on at all.

It was already a scary sight that his lower body was photographed, but what startled Koremitsu more was that Shioriko, standing at the door with the bag on her back, her legs spread apart, had seemingly become a completely different person.

The young girl, who looked up at him shyly with a blush just a while ago, showed an indomitable glint in her eyes, her pink lips raised proudly.

Also, the mouth that had just said 'big brother' shyly, let out a vastly different tone,

“You pervert.”

She then continued,

“How long are you going to keep showing that ugly thing?”

What? What's with this tone now? Where's it coming from?

“You followed a grade school student into the shower with indecent intentions. That's filthier than a maggot.”

“Wh-What are you saying?”

Koremitsu pulled up his underwear and pants as he exclaimed. Shioriko showed the photo she just took to him.

There was a red-haired youth on the photo, with raised eyebrows, a wide nose bridge, and a savage expression with his arms raised, his lower body completely naked.

His posture was such that he resembled a predator hunting its prey, and also, the school emblem on the uniform and the signboard 'Nagomi Elementary School-Shower Room Usage Times' could be seen clearly.

Suffice to say, he looked like a vile beast of a high school student, ravenously entering an elementary school's shower room.

A stunned Koremitsu watched Shioriko run away from his front, and the latter leisurely reached for the door.

She then put the phone at her lips, narrowed her eyes coldly, and stated arrogantly,

“If you don't want this photo to appear in your school, from now on, you shall be my dog.”

That night,

“Please, Koremitsu? I can only bequeath Shiiko to you, my trusted good friend.”

Hikaru was seated on the cushion, kneeling down, bowing earnestly as he begged. Koremitsu was seated in a cross-legged manner, his arms folded as he glared back.

Right beside Hikaru was the snowy white body of the kitten Lapis. It would occasionally stare at Koremitsu with its lapis-blue eyes, but soon quickly closed its eyes disinterestedly.

“Shiiko is a child who is like a blooming Purple Gromwell. At first glance, she may look like a petite white pitiful flower, but she has a noble, beautiful and arrogant personality befitting a Purple Gromwell. The locally produced Purple Gromwells in our country are an endangered species, so there is a need to protect and nurture Shiiko. If not, she may be trampled or weeded out at will, and may even wilt as a result. Shiiko is actually a good-natured child at heart, but children are quite reckless in their thinking, and do such things for the sake of money.”

“...looks like she's very used to this from the way she blackmailed me.”

Upon hearing Koremitsu laying on the floor say this, Hikaru responded with silence.

“...that brat's not a first time offender, I guess.”

“Th-that's because a lot of things happened to Shiiko... there is an issue with the adult who is raising her–ahh, I am not blaming you for being careless or anything however, Koremitsu. With a cute girl like Shiiko threatening me, I am even willing to give up on Christianity.”

“Don't say something that'll bring about protests from religious organizations!”

Koremitsu yelled.

Lapis opened her eyes in a silt.

Koremitsu however continued to glance aside at Hikaru, whose shoulders were lowered, and whose voice got gentler.

“Hey, how did you meet that brat in the first place?”

“I guess, we were at the park back then. Shiiko was beside the parterre, looking at the lilies, saying 'Big brother, there are pretty flowers here. I think there's a Thumbelina in there', She was as cute as an angel...”

“Stop lying. I remember very well that you bought that brat's virginity. You don't deny that, right?”

“Uu, but we really first met each other at the park.”

Hikaru seemed to ponder, and then said,

“Last Spring, I saw Shiiko at the roadside, selling her first night to a lolicon-looking fat uncle, so I bought her at a higher price. How much did she want? W-Woah!”

Koremitsu knew that his body would pass through, but he still swung a punch.

Hikaru tumbled back as he sat down, and Lapis retreated to a corner of the room, seemingly trying to avoid this calamity.

“Don't you run away! You damned lolicon!! You child sex offender bastard! Loli pervert prince!”

“But even if you tell me not to run away, my body will run away instinctively when I see someone looking like Yama chasing me around! And I just prepaid for Shiiko's first time; I haven't done anything yet! I plan to wait for another 4 years, so please cut me the lolicon tag for now!”

“Just 4 years!? A college student doing it with an eighth grader girl is a violation of children rights!!”

Koremitsu continued to hunt and punch the escaping Hikaru, but his fist could only pass through the latter's body, and not hit him.

“SHUT UP, KOREMITSU! GO OUTSIDE IF YOU WANT TO DO SPORTS!!”

His aunt Koharu growled angrily from the outside.

Koremitsu himself felt that he was simply wasting his strength for no good reason, and put his hands onto the floor weakly, panting hard.

“Good thing you can't live on for another 4 years, you bastard.”

“How depressing.”

“Since you have so much money, pay me back for what I paid for the theme park entrance tickets and for what I bought for Yū.”

Koremitsu reached his hand out.

“Eh, but I never had any friends, and I never had any interests, so I was happy that the pocket change and New Year money I saved up on were finally put to good use, so I said 'Don't worry, leave it to me'...”

“I don't know who else is rich enough to be the patron for an elementary school brat carrying a school bag. How much did you pay exactly?”

Hikaru showed a vague smile.

“It may be a little more than what you imagined. But it's worth giving up a billion if it's for Shiiko.”

Koremitsu again straightened his arm and swung it at Hikaru's face.

“Woah!” Hikaru shrieked.

“Please do not hit my face.”

“Shut up. Why're you complaining when you know it can't hurt you? You only gave her pocket change, and did nothing else to her, right?”

“Yes. Trust me.”

(It's because it's you that I don't believe you!!!)

Koremitsu thought as he glared furiously, but managed to abstain from saying this.

Besides, there was something else he had to be certain of.

“Didn't you ask me to wear that collar before I looked for the brat?”

“That is right. I felt that wild design really suit you, Koremitsu...”

“You say it's a marking, but you've been planning on letting me be her dog right from the beginning, right?”

Hikaru averted his glance slightly, but upon hearing the sound of Koremitsu rummaging through boxes and looking for weapons, he realized he was disadvantaged, and said,

“S-Shiiko said that she wanted to have a fierce-looking loyal dog, so I promised to get her one. You did fit her criteria very well, so I guessed she would definitely like it. As I expected, she really has taken a liking to you.”

“SO THAT'S WHAT YOU MEAN BY 'SUITS'!!!”

Koremitsu recalled the words Hikaru said at the school gate, and his blood boiled again.

“This damned happy-go-lucky prince! Alright, it's decided! I'm going to be a disciple of a priest and learn the art of exorcism!”

“I'm sorry!! Shiiko will be suspicious if you approach her normally, so the first thing is to gain her trust–this is the principle of winning confidence by inflicting self-injury.”

“What trust!? She's calling me her dog! Where's the trust!?”

“It certainly is true that it might be a humiliation for you, hailed as a Delinquent King, to let an elementary schoolgirl take such a photo of you and use it as blackmail to make you her dog, but this is for her sake, so please be her dog for the time being. You definitely can make a good dog! I guarantee that!”

“Don't call a human 'dog' here and there! And don't guarantee that!!”

You're noisy, Lapis seemed to show such an annoyed look.

“Anyway, even if you had promise that you'll give that brat a dog, I don't want to be the nanny for that damned brat.”

Koremitsu stated firmly, and Hikaru immediately lowered his shoulders dejectedly, saying with a forlorn look,

“Shiiko does not have any relative who would scold her.”

Koremitsu was taken aback by these words.

Hikaru continued to mutter,

“Shiiko had always lived with her grandfather, and they were financially poor ever since she was young. That is why she has such a pragmatic personality as a result, but she really is an innocent and gentle girl at heart. That is why I want to turn her into a fine lady. I want to mold her into an outstanding person when I was with her, just like you are, Koremitsu.”

Hikaru lowered his head, his eyes dulled having lost their luster, and his tone and voice were gloomy.

“But I disappeared and I'm worried about her, as she intends to continue doing such dangerous things.”

Hikaru bit on his elegantly curved lips, and lifted his head, showing an anxious expression as he said to Koremitsu,

“If this keeps up, Shiiko might get cheated and abducted by the Yakuza and sold off as a result. That is why I hope you can tell Shiiko that a fine lady cannot cheat and threaten others in my stead! P-Please, Koremitsu!”

His eyes were fixated on Koremitsu as he begged earnestly.

(...this guy is still so serious when it comes to women affairs.)

Normally, he would float around leisurely, being nonchalant about everything else, just as a ghost would–but when push comes to shove, his expression would become abnormally earnest and decisive.

Perhaps he was truly worried about that arrogant brat after all.

(Guess I have no choice. It's true that I don't know what she'll end up doing if I leave her alone like this, and I get a feeling that the bad guys will be after her.

Well, it can't be helped.

I did promise that I'll resolve all his 'regrets' regarding women.

He muttered as he started scratching at his hair.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~, but I'm not good at dealing with brats.)

Koremitsu stared at Hikaru, whose knees were bent together on the cushion, his body leaning forward, showing a serious look; he frowned, and said,

“I'll be her dog for the time being, I guess.”

### 002. Chapter 2: It's Time for Sparrow Hunting

The following day after school, Koremitsu received a call on the cellphone from Shioriko, who seemed to have waited for his dismissal time.

“Come over right now, dog.”

After giving the instructions, she hung up.

“Did you really teach that brat any etiquette on being a lady? She's not showing any manners at all!”

“Of course I did treat her as a fine lady. Whenever we walk, I would stand at the roadside, and I put a handkerchief on where she sits whenever we sit on a bench. I carry her up the stairs, I bring her to the arts museum or the theater during the holiday. Also, Shiiko looks cute in whatever she wears; there was that one moment when I bought five dresses for her. Shiiko said that she never ate any Japanese Spiny Lobsters before, so I requested a chef to prepare a full course for her. I wanted to order some personalized stationery for her—but well, it was refused because many stationery shops could not finish the order in time.”

“That's not educating her, that's pampering her. I think you were just irritating her, you bastard.”

Koremitsu grumbled softly as he walked down the corridor, headed towards the shoe locker.

Over there, he found Honoka who left the classroom earlier standing alone in front of the shoe locker.

(Ugh.)

Just as Koremitsu was unable to voice out,

“Well... about Upperclassman Tōjō,”

Her voice was shrill as she looked around slightly, frowning as she said so. And then, she became fidgety,

“I-I-I-I-I don't really care at all either way.”

She hurriedly said, but her face was completely flushed red, and her irises were rolling about.

“It's good after all!”

“Ah, Miss Shikibu!”

She did not respond to Hikaru's call to stop (naturally), and hurriedly stumbled off.

“Ah-Ah, she is going to fall down if she walks like that again. I have never seen her walk like that before.”

“~~~~~Tch, let's go.”

“Is it alright not to follow her?”

“She definitely ran off like that because she doesn't want to talk to me.”

“I do not think that is the case however...”

Hikaru showed a worried look, and Koremitsu frowned his lips in a scowl as he quietly put on his shoes and walked out.

(Damn it. I don't know what to say to her even if I chase her now.)

He muttered quietly in his heart.

“Seriously~, you're too slow, dog!”

Shioriko, carrying the school bag on her back, was at the meeting spot located at a bus station on a bustling street, stamping her little feet on the ground angrily.

Koremitsu glanced over, and saw that her black hair was bundled into twintails, a light grass colored pochette slinging diagonally.

“Ahh, you don't have the collar on you! You have to have the collar on you. You are my dog after all.”

She puffed her cheeks unhappily.

“Did you bring the collar along? Put it on! Right now!”

Who in the world wants to put on such a thing!? Koremitsu wanted to roar back, but he recalled that he decided, with an open heart to become her dog.

“Guh, is this good enough?”

And so he put on the dog collar obediently.

Shioriko's face reddened slightly as she looked up at Koremitsu and giggled,

“That's right. From now on, you have to keep putting the dog collar on.”

Though she sounded snobbish, her smile was innocent befitting her age.

“Shiiko aaaaalways wanted to have a dog, so she must be really delighted now. The plan to gain her trust by acting as a dog is a success.”

(Really?)

Instead of trust, it felt more like a master-slave relationship.

“Oi, I do have the collar on me now but my name is Koremitsu Akagi, not 'dog'.”

Though he did say to Honoka “You can call me a wild dog if you want!” when he consulted her regarding Yū, it was really infuriating for him to be called 'dog, dog' all the time.

Besides, she was a brat who was less than half of his weight.

However, the brat lowered her stare condescendingly.

“Calling someone like you a dog is enough. Do you want me to call you a pervert? Or a loli-dog? Or something else?”

“Hikaru may be a perverted lolicon, but I'm not!”

Koremitsu said without hesitation.

“That's too much, Koremitsu.”

Hikaru frowned and protested.

Shioriko however showed contempt at Koremitsu's words as she went down the street filled with people walking around.

“All the men in the world are like that, always thinking of lewd things.”

“Your view of men is way too harsh for a 4th grader, no?”

“A suuuper pretty girl like me has been harassed by many disgusting men ever since young.”

“Are you serious!?”

“When I'm walking on the roads, passers-by will often come over to me and say, 'little lady, let's go and play with gramps here, okay', or something like that. Some will take photos of me and upload them onto the internet, my gym uniform gets stolen at school, my recorder becomes wet for some reason, and there are a lot of lewd toys stuffed in my shoe lock for some reason. Ahh, seriously, thinking about them makes me have goosebumps now! I won't forgive them all, especially the pervert who stole my gym clothes! I had to eat curry for dinner for an entire week just to save enough money to buy a new set of gym clothes!”

Shioriko again stomped angrily as she continued to talk.

“That's why I never put my gym clothes at the gym locker after that. I brought everything home, and even have a buzzer and pepper spray with me at all times. Even though they are at a discounted price at a second-hand shop, these things are still very expensive. I had to eat Soy Pulp for an entire week for dinner just to pay for them!”

“I-Is that so... I never thought you had such a tough life.”

Koremitsu was sweating beads as he heard this.

“The country should allocate some budgets for the Special Police to guard cute children like Shiiko.”

Hikaru advocated with a serious look.

Shioriko angrily turned around,

“Because of which, I know very well how to deal with perverts like you who like little girls.”

“Who's interested in little girls here!? Don't lump me together with Hikaru.”

Koremitsu rebuked, but Shioriko turned her head around and said,

“Let me say this first. Hikaru may really be a perverted lolicon, but don't you say anything bad about him in front of me. I'll get angry.”

“Heh?”

Koremitsu's eyes widened.

Shioriko's pink lips pouted tightly, and showed an ambiguous expression, either because she was angry, or because she was flustered. And then, she immediately turned her head forward to prevent Koremitsu from seeing it, and took large strides forward.

(Did this brat just defend Hikaru!? That perverted loli... well, I didn't say it out exactly, but am I getting told off?)

Hikaru stood beside them, watching,

“Shiiko still remembers me after all.”

He muttered to himself. And with an utterly blissful expression, he turned to Koremitsu.

“You see? You see? Koremitsu, you just heard what she said, right? Shiiko really is a kind child!”

He said enthusiastically.

(You're being noisy, you loli prince.)

Koremitsu showed his annoyance as he scratched his ear.

During that time, Shiiko left the bustling street and entered an alley with few people walking through.

The grassy green pochette hanging on her waist swung about as she walked.

“Hey, where're you going?”

Koremitsu asked, and Shioriko stopped in her tracks, giving a sharp look as she looked around.

“Just wait here. If you see me in danger, come help me.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Shioriko gave the confused Koremitsu a look, her pink lips raised slightly. Her expression was filled with boldness one could not imagine from a nine-year-old.

“I'm hunting sparrows.”

Hunting sparrows, as in watching birds or something similar?

Would there be sparrows flying in this dark alley?

Before Koremitsu could ask Shioriko about the details, she ran off with her twintails swinging sideways.

“Koremitsu, chase after her! You must not let her hunt sparrows! Ahhh! She is doing it again!!! I deliberately forbade her from hunting sparrows already!!!”

It was rare of Hikaru to be distressed.

“She's just playing with sparrows. It's fine for an elementary school kid, no?”

“No, the sparrow here refers to...”

Kyaa! Suddenly, there was a voice coming from the front.

It was Shioriko's voice!

“Ahh~” Hikaru lamented as he lowered his head dejectedly.

Koremitsu hurried towards Shioriko, and found her squatting in a small alley filled with trash, with a middle-aged man dressed in a suit, looking flabbergasted.

“I'm sorry, uncle. I need to do something.”

“No, it's fine. Can you stand up, young lady?”

“Ah, it hurts!”

“You fractured a bone? I'll call an ambulance!”

“No, it's not that serious. Can you please rub it however?”

“Eh!?”

“Please... I'll feel a little better.”

Shioriko said hoarsely and anxiously, but the man's voice got shrill.

“I-Is that so...then?”

“Ah, uncle.”

(Wait wait wait wait wait! What are you doing now!?)

Koremitsu frowned, and screamed,

“Stop it!”

The moment the middle-aged man put his hand on Shioriko's ankle, his shoulders jerked as he shuddered

Upon seeing Koremitsu, he turned pale.

“Ahhh.”

“Big brother! This uncle just did something shameless to me!”

Shioriko, who claimed to have an injured ankle, dashed towards Koremitsu and leapt in him.

“Th-That's not it. I didn't do anything—that kid asked me to help her rub.”

“That uncle even wanted to touch that part.”

“I-I didn't!”

The man was so flustered it was pitiful. Hikaru, standing beside Koremitsu, could only put his hand on his forehead reluctantly, and just when Koremitsu was about to say something, Shioriko called out, wanting to stop him.

“You mustn't, big brother! Even if this uncle does something lewd to me, you can't beat him to near death like the last time or you'll be sent to the boys home again! You've been through it five times already, and got scouted by some organizations. You mustn't beat this uncle's bones and break his head apart~”

(Who was sent to the boys home five times!?)

Even when Koremitsu was called a delinquent or a homosexual at school, the rumors were never as exaggerated as they were at this point.

That middle-aged man was shrieking in fear, kneeling on the floor.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry.”

“Please, big brother. Forgive this uncle. If he's willing to pay for treatment, you won't have to ruin your reputation. You won't have to do something vengeful like pulling out his fingernails, marking his stomach, or dumping him into a drum and throwing him into the sea.”

Upon hearing these words, the middle-aged man immediately took out his wallet, drew a few notes, and handed them to Shioriko.

“Th-This is for you. Forgive me.”

He shivered.

(So this is how it is.)

Koremitsu finally understood what was going on.

She pretended to be injured, lure a perverted middle-aged man in to touch her, and then extort for medical fees once the savage looking big brother Koremitsu appeared—for an elementary school student, she really was such a liar.

“Thank you, uncle.”

Shioriko showed an angelic smile and wanted to receive the notes. Koremitsu however grabbed her hand.

“What are you doing?”

Shioriko widened her eyes.

“Hey, this brat's completely unhurt. Keep the money and hurry off now.”

“Wa-wait, big bro—what are you saying?”

“Go!”

“Eeekkk!!! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!”

The middle-aged man staggered to his feet, and scurried off in an instant.

“Ahhhh! You let my sparrow escape, you stupid dog~~~~~~~~~~~~!”

She was screaming with a sobbing look on her face.

She waved Koremitsu's hand aside, lifted her head at Koremitsu as much as she could, and stood on her toes, yelling,

“Why must you do such a thing!? I barely managed to catch that sparrow!”

“For goodness sake! What kind of sparrow hunting is that!? You're basically talking about the uncles here! What you're doing is coercion! It's illegal! You'll be arrested by the police!”

“Koremitsu, continue lecturing her. Teach her that a lady is supposed to be protected by a Knight! Tell her that she just needs to maintain a noble smile and bring happiness to everyone around her. She mustn't let the plump middle-aged men see her thighs so easily!”

“There's no way the police will arrest me.”

Shioriko retorted angrily, her cheeks puffing.

“If he admits that he wanted to pay for knocking into an elementary kid, it means that he'll be admitting that he's a perverted lolicon!”

“That's just an adult's way of apologizing! What if someone really attacks you!?”

“That's why I called you here, you stupid dog!”

“Shut up! I don't want to become an accomplice!”

“A mere dog wants to defy her master! Wait till I show the photo of you being a perverted lolicon!”

“Ah—damn it! You're despicable! Hand me the phone! I'm going to delete the photo!”

“Sorry, but I kept an extra copy at home.”

“Ugh—you're full of devious thoughts, you damned brat.”

“If you understand, obey me. You're just a stupid dog who can only help me hunt sparrows.”

“What did you say!!?”

“W-Wait a moment, you two are getting too agitated.”

Hikaru tried to pacify both sides.

However, Koremitsu and Shioriko would not budge as they glared at each other.

At this moment, Hikaru exclaimed,

“Ah! There's a grass snake on Shiiko's shoulder”

“Huh? Where's the snake!?”

Koremitsu's rage had yet to dissipate as he shouted.

“!”

Shioriko suddenly backed away.

She looked on her body and legs with a pale expression, and was yet unable to calm herself down as she continued to turn around, pat her hands, chest, shoulders and arms.

Koremitsu stared at her blankly for a while, and then muttered,

“There's a snake.”

“—!”

Shioriko hurriedly retreated.

“On your right foot.”

“!”

Shioriko stamped her right foot hard with a sobbing expression.

“So you're scared of snakes?”

Upon hearing this, Shioriko's face reddened as she stared at Koremitsu.

“Th-That's not true.”

She retorted stiffly.

“When Shiiko was about five years old, she was sleeping at the veranda, and found a snake on her face when she woke up. Ever since then, she has been weak against long slithery things. When I treated her to broiled eel back then, it was the first time that she could not finish the food, and the way she was practically in tears really looked cute.”

“I see. So you can't take eels too.”

“~~~~~~~~~~!”

Shioriko glared at Koremitsu with much more ferocity, and said falteringly,

“Y-You heard that from Hikaru right? It-It's nothing. I can't eat something so pricey like eel, so it was a great help. I-I'm not too scared of s-snakes now.”

She was practically acting tough.

Hikaru continued to observe Shiiko with a grin on his face.

Thanks to him, Koremitsu was able to calm down.

And Koremitsu stared at the stiff Shioriko, telling her off with a calm tone.

“I say, I know about your family background somewhat from what Hikaru has told me, and it's not like I don't understand what you're thinking by using your body to earn money. Lying is a no-go however. How about delivering newspapers?”

Shioriko's body shuddered, and she lowered her head, saying,

“...I refuse.”

“Eh?”

“The law states that anyone younger than a 7th grader can't be hired.”

“I-I see.”

“And also... delivering newspapers alone is not going to be enough. I want more money.”

“I am opposed to that too! A pretty girl like Shiiko will be easily abducted if she has to deliver newspapers before dawn breaks. Ah, a fast food restaurant worker will not do either. The uniform may fit her, but there will be weird customers. If she works at a bookshop, it will be very physically demanding.”

(~~~This damned overprotective prince!!)

Koremitsu inadvertently frowned as he thought.

Upon seeing this, Shioriko pouted her lips in protest.

“What about the acting industry? Your acting skills are decent, so you should be able to be a child actor, right?”

Koremitsu personally felt it was a good idea.

Hikaru had already certified that this girl was one of those few rare beautiful girls, and she does have courage, so she should be able to deal with the entertainment world.

However, Shioriko showed a condescending look, seemingly not considering this proposal at all.

“A stupid dog is a stupid dog after all, huh? Are you only able to think at such a level? The earnings most child actors get are basically all drained by the managing companies. In fact, the money they get is merely a scrap of what I can do when I go sparrow hunting.”

She kicked the ground, and then said,

“My mom was scouted by a large agency when she was 13, and was supposed to become an idol star, but bore the child of some nameless guy, and died when she had me at 15 years old. Our family finances got worse after that, and as for me, I won't join the entertainment industry no matter how anyone tries to sweet talk me!”

Her eyes were glancing aside as she said this, her jaw lifted as her long twintails swung. She was full of vigor, and one could ostensibly see a tall grey mountain growing behind her.

Koremitsu, having heard of her harsh childhood, was rendered speechless; this nine-year-old girl then gave a wry smile, like a middle-aged man who had experienced the harsh realities of the world.

“Anyway, if I need to fully make use of my cuteness to lure these perverts and earn more money to survive, I'll have to catch those sparrows. You have to play your part as a good dog and obey your master's orders. If you become too much of a busybody, I'm going to send you to the boys home.”

And then,

“That's it for today. Or else I'll be late for the evening discount services.”

She trotted off brazenly with her backpack and her green pochette.

“Hey, Hikaru, this brat has no intention of changing her habits. I'd say, she's very stubborn even though she's in elementary school, no?”

“There's definitely a way! I can tell you all of Shiiko's weaknesses if you want.”

“Does she have any weaknesses other than snakes?”

“Shiiko's ears are very sensitive, and she finds it itchy when I just blow on it. Also, her drawing is atrocious; when she had to draw a sakura tree for her art assignment, it ended up looking like a pink black hole. When she is hungry, she will become limp, like her bones have melted away. Once, when I threw the carrot skin in the fridge away, she would act like a cat with its fur standing up, looking really angry saying that it was to be cooked, and never talked to me for 3 days. She likes Baumkuchen, and though she looks cute when peeling the cake layer by layer, it really is cloddish of her, very unlady-like, so I really hope she improves on this. Also, the reason why she has long hair is because she wants to cut it if there is a need for money, but she does not know that nobody in Japan buys real hair anymore. Being a huge fan of the character Jo in “Little Women”, she probably will be distraught if she knew about this, so I never told her about this.”

“That's enough.”

Koremitsu turned away from his friend.

(It's no use at all.)

The alley is gradually filled with the sunset light, shining through the gap between the buildings.

This 'one regret' Hikaru had was not something to be dealt with easily.

However...

Koremitsu recalled the sight of Shioriko patting her shoulders with a sobbing look, glaring at him while pretending to be tough. Upon this, he muttered to himself,

“Well, I can only guide her through patience. You're right, she may be a little... cute, I guess.”

The next day, during break time.

Koremitsu was walking on the school corridor, reading a book 'How to raise a cat for first-timers'.

(—Unlike dogs, cats do not have the notion of servitude, and do not have the sense of duty to obey their masters' orders. For cats, the most important to them is—)

“Hey, Koremitsu.”

Hikaru moved beside him hesitantly saying,

“I am delighted that you are seriously concerned about Shiiko, but why are you reading this 'How to raise a at for first-timers' so enthusiastically?”

“Don't we have one at home?”

He frowned as he stared at a page intently, muttering back quietly.

“So you bought it for Lapis?”

“Yeah, but after I think about it, Lapis is smart and doesn't cause a fuss. Since I went to the bookstore to buy it, I thought I should make use of it. That brat is like a cat too.”

“Shiiko certainly resembles a cat, but...”

Hikaru stuttered as he muttered softly, prattling on, it certainly is a refreshing idea to to educate a girl just like training a cat...well, I did train Shiiko into an extremely alluring lady, not to act like a cat...

“I see. When cats do something bad, I have to immediately scold them loudly. Even if I scold them afterwards, it'll be completely useless. In contrast, if I yell at it and others see me do so, it'll revert back to being quiet and graceful—”

As Koremitsu was muttering to himself.

“Mr Akagi.”

A shy voice called out at him unexpectedly that interrupted his reverie.

He stopped and lifted his head.

In front of him was Aoi Saotome, her face reddened as she smiled at him.

Her long flowing black hair was elegantly draped on her petite body, her black eyes were gentle and clear, and her tender white skin was crystal clear, giving a dazzling glow from within.

“Yo.”

Koremitsu's expression naturally softened.

Perhaps it was because he realized that Hikaru, standing beside beside him, was giving Aoi such an expression too.

Aoi was Hikaru's childhood friend, and also his fiancee. When Hikaru was alive, Aoi always stated that she hated Hikaru, for she was incensed by his womanizing antics; however, once Hikaru did manage to pass on his feelings to her, she started to show such a gentle feminine appearance.

She, a princess-like pretty girl, would show a mature smile whenever they met recently, and she looked more alluring as a result.

Upon seeing Aoi, Koremitsu felt relaxed.

“It's rare to see you on the First Years' corridor.”

“Erm... I need to do some club work.”

She fidgeted as she lowered her head.

“I see.”

Koremitsu said, his face placid. Aoi then shyly lifted her face.

“Erm... Mr Akagi. Have you started raising a cat?”

She asked as she looked at the book in Koremitsu's hand.

“Ah, well... sort of.”

Back then, Koremitsu tried to open her heart and get on her good side by saying that he liked cats, and saved four kittens from drowning in a river. That was a lie however.

“Ah—well, cats are really troublesome, and I don't know what this cat is thinking. I've been trying to do this and that, but it just ran off looking very aloof. The moment I think it's a little obedient, it immediately raises its tail and hisses at me.”

Koremitsu was thinking about Shioriko, and not Lapis.

Aoi did not mention to Koremitsu that he once told her he was raising kittens.

“*Titter*, this is what makes them so cute. When you wonder where they disappear to, they suddenly appear right beside you, curled up.”

She tilted her head, showing a ladylike smile.

“I do know a shop that specializes in selling kitten toys and daily necessities. There are also many things like mouse plushies, felt balls and other things.”

“Heh~ such shops exist as well?”

“If you do not mind, do you want to check them out after school?”

Aoi stared at Koremitsu, seemingly interested in his reaction.

“Do you mind bringing me there?”

Once she saw that Koremitsu seemed extremely interested, Aoi immediately answered ‘Yes’.

Hikaru, standing beside Koremitsu was beaming brightly. He definitely must have been happy Aoi has become a lot more cheerful than before.

(This guy only has such an expression whenever he meets Aoi.)

Perhaps the gentle and sweet expression he showed was the reason why Koremitsu could forgive Hikaru's nonchalance of a young lord, seemingly not knowing the perils of the world.

Hikaru's pure feelings had slowly entranced Koremitsu's heart, causing the latter to show a more blissful expression that usual.

“Today after school then. Ah, you have club activities, right?”

“No, it is fine. The art club is on break today.”

Aoi hurriedly answered, and then blushed as she said,

“Erm... I have something to talk to you about... Mr Akagi.”

“What is it?”

“It is a little inconvenient to say so now... I will talk about it after school.”

After leaving this cryptic line, she immediately went away.

“What does she want to talk to me about?”

“Who knows?”

Hikaru too looked nonplussed.

At the same time—

“Found them!”

Oumi Hiina was around a corner of the corridor, saying this as she held the cellphone in her hand.

“What exactly are they talking about here~? Mr Akagi's expression is so gentle. What is it all about then?~ Her Highness Aoi is saying those ambiguous words, being all shy here, you know~”

“Eh, you're kidding—didn't Her Highness Aoi dump Akagi before?”

Honoka Shikibu, standing at the same corner, gasped with a pale expression.

Earlier, in a moment of impulse, Honoka had expressed her feelings to Koremitsu, but for the past few days, she was being so overly conscious of it that she never spoke a single word to him.

She even hugged her pillow on her bed, muttering ‘What do I do?’, ‘Argh, I shouldn't have said it’, ‘Akagi's definitely depressed that Kanai just went to Australia. He definitely still misses her!’ while rolling on the bed.

However, he was being so amicable with Aoi a little while back.

“Isn't that an invitation to a date? Wow~ will there be a birth of a couple with such a vast difference in standings?”

“!”

Hiina's words caused Honoka's heart to skip a beat.

Birth of a couple!?

(But Akagi just broke up with Kanai... will he date someone else so quickly? Uu...but Akagi always liked Her Highness Aoi, and even pursued her so earnestly. Because he couldn't get her, he changed sights and focused on Kanai...)

That was not all.

Recently, there were rumors of Koremitsu with the upperclassman Tōjō staring at each other passionately on the corridor.

Michiru shouted ‘Mr Akagi has become gay with Upperclassman Tōjō on the corridor!’ , she felt her legs quivering to the point of collapse.

Did he approach the upperclassman because he was overly shocked by the loss of Kanai?

Tōjō was a noble amongst the high school students, and there was a scandal of him being with Yū Kanai. He was intelligent, influential, and handsome; perhaps because they loved the same girl, they comforted each other over their loss, and developed that sort of relationship?

On the cellphone site managed by Honoka, there were numerous of such BL stories too!

—Did I just lose to a guy!!??

Honoka was dumbfounded, as if she took a hammer on the head.

No! That's impossible! There must be a misunderstanding here! With such a thought, Honoka waited for Koremitsu at the shoe locker, intending to ask him directly. But when she met him, her heart started to race again, and she had difficulty breathing.

(Never mind then!)

She then ran away.

Once she got home, she updated her blog, screaming “I was being too unnatural back then~~!”, spinning around the swivel chair she sat on.

But even so, she believed that Koremitsu would never end up dating with another man—

(And he got so close with Her Highness Aoi!!!)

Heian Academy includes all levels of educational institute, from kindergarten to college, and those who were in the school since kindergarten were called nobles. Aoi's family was highly prestigious amongst them. Her beauty and grace befitted her identity, and she could be said to be the flower on the peak.

There was no way Honoka, who only entered during Middle School, could compare with her.

(Her Highness Aoi's so happy that she's blushing when she's with Akagi. She definitely doesn't have any ill feelings towards him at all. If Her Highness Aoi falls for Akagi, there's no hope for me at all~. In that case, I would rather accept Akagi being together with Upperclassman Tōjō.)

She did not hear the words that were said innocently as she leaned at the wall around the corner, pondering.

Truthfully, she still had yet to fully comprehend her feelings for Koremitsu.

She felt it should be more or less love. But a contradictory mindset like ‘how can I possibly like such a person?’ lingered somewhere in her mind Recently, she would become so shy her face was practically on fire, her heart crammed with bittersweet feelings at times, sometimes frustrated to the point of wanting to punch a sandbag.

But when she saw Akagi converse with Aoi so cheerily, she felt her chest aching.

(That Akagi is an idiot! He's a delinquent scarier than a vengeful spirit, and he's now giving a girl such a gentle look!? That's a crime!!!)

(I can't seem to feel happy. No, that's probably just me...)

After school,

Koremitsu cringed his shoulders awkwardly as he stood in the pet shop Aoi often visited.

The shop had a fantasy vibe to it, with pink and aquamarine wallpapers in it, and the pet cases resembling that of candy houses were laid in a line. There were pet utensils with cute pictures, animal-shaped carpets, and all sorts of other things.

Aoi, who had the image of a reclusive princess, walked on as her long black hair swayed slightly, and the pleated skirt of her uniform swayed elegantly, her eyes sparkling as she walked on.

“Wah~ This kitty potty is so cute! Come and look, Mr Akagi! Once you use this cooling seat, it will feel a lot more comfy in the summer. Ah, my Shell Blue likes this extendable tunnel too. It likes to sneak in and out of it, but since it is a little pudgy, it sometimes gets stuck inside, but it still seems like it enjoys it. When it gets stuck in the tunnel, it will lie on the carpet and wait for me to pull it out; once I tell it to wait, it will hiss at me to protest.”

Aoi picked up one item after another, her face beaming as she spoke to Koremitsu.

If Koremitsu was simply a carefree high school boy, the sight of him together with Aoi would probably make them a couple who loves cat. His red hair, raised eyebrows, stiff expression, sharp glare, and grunts however made him practically a delinquent. The shop attendants and customers were giving them mystified looks, apparently unable to comprehend how the two of them were able to get together.

Back when they went to the theme park, Koremitsu was trying his best not to particularly mind them, for he was working his hardest in delivering the presents in Hikaru’s stead; Actually, he already knew Aoi and him were incompatible.

Are you an idiot!? You’ll definitely get dumped! It was no wonder Honoka had said that.

(Well, never mind. Aoi looks like she’s enjoying herself, and since Hikaru is happy too, I guess it doesn’t matter.)

Aoi was beaming, and Hikaru had a sweet smile on his face.

Hikaru’s expression towards Aoi was sweet and tender.

His lips were brimming with love.

His bliss seemingly transformed into particles of light, floating, dazzling around him. Even Koremitsu felt happiness upon seeing this.

(I really hope you can continue to maintain such an expression, Hikaru.)

(I hope you and Aoi can continue to smile like this.)

Feeling pleased, Koremitsu picked a toy mouse and the extendable tunnel Aoi had recommended for Lapis. They then entered a café.

Aoi poured a large amount of milk into her red tea, and glanced at the sugar pot by the side.

Koremitsu then took the sugar pot and placed it in front of her.

“You wanted some sugar, right?”

Aoi widened her eyes in surprise.

“Yes.”

She smiled as she picked up the golden spoon, and added two spoonfuls of sugar.

Hikaru was seated beside Aoi, his hands supporting his cheeks as he stared at Aoi, his face beaming as sweet as sugar.

“I always find that it is very immature to add sugar in coffee or red tea, but I do like to drink sweet stuff.”

She whispered as she tried her best to blow and cool the red tea. She then took a sip.

“It’s delicious.”

She narrowed her eyes happily.

Hikaru too narrowed his eyes in a similar manner.

It felt as if Aoi, Hikaru and Koremitsu were seated at the same table, enjoying tea amicably.

(If Hikaru is still alive, maybe such a day could have occurred...)

To drink with his friend and his friend’s love—the three of them.

If that were to happen, Koremitsu would definitely be intolerant about this loving couple, grumbling ‘stop flirting in front of me now!’ while feeling that warmth, that happiness.

But Hikaru’s physical body was no longer present.

Only Koremitsu could see Hikaru, the latter giving a blissful look at Aoi.

Once Koremitsu noticed a tinge of sadness in Hikaru’s eyes however, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest.

The happy feeling he experienced just a little while back vanished, and what replaced it was a pain throughout his body. Wanting to shake off the pain, he asked,

“Oh yeah, what is it you want to talk to me about?”

Aoi’s shoulders suddenly jumped once she heard that, and she lowered her head as she started to look a little fidgety.

Hikaru seemed a little worried.

“Well... Big Brother Shungo.”

“Tōjō?”

Ah, that’s right. Koremitsu remembered that Hikaru did once mention before that Shungo Tōjō was Aoi’s cousin, and Aoi always called him ‘big brother Shungo’.

After much hesitation, Aoi took a few gasps, seemingly panting, and then tentatively lifted her head to mutter,

“Did Big Brother... say something to you?”

“Oh, Tōjō did call for me when I was on the corridor. Well, what he said was weird.”

Because of that, he was deemed as gay by everyone else.

Upon recalling this, Koremitsu frowned and squirmed. The cup beside Aoi’s hand suddenly rattled.

“I-It’s all just Big Brother’s misunderstanding!”

Aoi frantically argued.

(Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding? Is it the rumor that Tōjō confessed to me? That’s a misunderstanding.)

“Big Brother may seem rational and stoic, but he is actually quite clumsy. He is thinking too much this time... I already told him ‘that is definitely not the case’.”

“Definitely not the case?”

(About me being gay?)

“It-It’s nothing! Anyway, please do not believe what Big Brother said!”

Aoi started to panic, her face blushing all over, her lips squirming.

On the other hand, Koremitsu had yet to understand what Aoi was saying.

(Is she worried about her cousin because there’s a rumor between him and me?)

Koremitsu wondered silently.

Hikaru too stared at Aoi in surprise. He fixated his stare upon Aoi’s eyes, seemingly wanting to affirm her thoughts.

Aoi’s hands were on her face as she lowered her head.

“A-And so... it is not really a discussion, but an explanation... there is something important I want to talk with you.”

Her voice was teeny-weeny.

“I want to talk about Hikaru... something Asa said that made me concerned.”

Hikaru’s expression changed again.

His expression seemed a little stiffer than before.

“What did Saiga say?”

Koremitsu’s tone too became serious.

Aoi’s head remained lowered as she spoke with doubt,

“ Love ... was what killed Hikaru—”

Koremitsu felt something strangling him.

Aoi lifted her head tentatively, and beside her, Hikaru was looking into space with a gloomy expression.

It seemed she wanted to rid herself of the melancholy in her heart as she said,

“Hikaru definitely died of an accident...but from what Asa said, there may be another reason. When the phone message was passed around, stating that Hikaru was murdered, I just felt it was some prank, but after hearing what Asa had said, I am starting to wonder whether it was an accident...because Asa understands things more than I do...”

Hikaru frowned, his expression gloomier by the second. Upon seeing this reaction Koremitsu inadvertently felt his chest ache and his ears rumble.

Did Hikaru really die from an accident?

Koremitsu too had always wondered about this. Whenever this topic was raised, Hikaru would often change the topic, show the same gloomy expression, and remain silent.

It is still not time for me to tell you some things—Hikaru had once told him that; he too had yet to sort himself out, and if he said so, he would definitely feel troubled.

That was why Koremitsu chose not to take the initiative and ask him about this.

He wanted to wait until the day Hikaru wanted to say so.

But Aoi did not know Hikaru was listening in on them.

Would he allow Aoi to continue on with her words in front of Hikaru?

Certainly, Hikaru must have felt arduous hearing his fiancée talk about his death, no?

And so, while seemingly wanting to stop Aoi from continuing, Koremitsu exclaimed,

“I have a question regarding the kitten potty!”

Aoi stopped talking.

She widened her eyes, looking dumbfounded; Hikaru too was the same. Koremitsu was ostensibly panting as he continued,

“A-About...the kitty potty sand... how often do I change it?”

“E-Erm...it is not actually changing the sand, but rather, replenishing it if you find that it is too little...”

Aoi answered blankly,

“I see? So there’s no need to change it all and swap for a new one?”

Koremitsu again raised his voice.

But then, he suddenly noticed the surrounding customers looking at them.

“I was too loud... sorry.”

Koremitsu retreated back.

“Well... there’s no need to worry that much about Hikaru. Hikaru definitely doesn’t hope for you to be so frustrated and anguished even after his death. Why don’t you paint a very handsome portrait of Hikaru? He’ll definitely be delighted with that.”

Aoi showed a sobbing expression as she clasped her hands, seemingly unable to accept this resolution completely.

“I guess so.”

But she forced a smile.

“...thank you, Koremitsu.”

Hikaru too was looking at Koremitsu gratefully.

“Ah, but though you do not have to clean up the cat’s faeces, if the potty itself is not kept clean, the kitten will pester you to hurry with the cleaning.”

Aoi tried her best to sound optimistic as she reminded him.

Suddenly, the phone in Koremitsu’s pocket rang.

He pulled it out, and immediately frowned.

It was from Shioriko. While Koremitsu wanted to pick up the call a little later, he was a little cornered.

“Sorry.”

He stood up and ran to the toilet, pressing the dial button on the way there.

The sobbing voice immediately reached his ears.

“Dog! Come over now! Come save me!”

After apologizing to Aoi, Koremitsu dashed out of the café and towards the location Shioriko described while sobbing.

She abruptly hung up midway through the call, and there seemed to be something urgent.

“Koremitsu, hurry!” Hikaru too looked anxious as he prodded Koremitsu on.

(Damn it! She’s definitely doing sparrow hunting again! I should have been stricter with her yesterday!)

Koremitsu’s mind was filled with terrifying images, to a point where his stomach was churning in pain.

He kept praying that she would be alright as she arrived at the dark warehouse, and found a middle-aged man dressed in a suit pressing upon Shioriko.

Hikaru’s face immediately paled.

“Shiiko!”

“Hey! You lolicon!”

Koremitsu grabbed the man by the collar, dragged him away from Shioriko, kneed him in the abdomen, and sent another punch.

“Wahh! Wait, I'm...”

“Shut up! Scram!”.

The man ran off with a nosebleed.

“Hey! You alright!”

Koremitsu carried Shioriko as he asked anxiously, only to receive a slap on his face.

Eh?

Shioriko curled her lips as she glared at him in his arms.

She was the one supposedly attacked, yet she seemed so lively.

She was completely unscathed however, her bag was still on her back, the grass green pochette was dangling nicely, and she only had two buttons on her blouse undone.

(Eh? Wasn't she crying when she called?)

Just when Koremitsu was feeling skeptical...

“You stupid dog!”

The first thing she did was to lambast him.

And then, she yelled at him from up close.

“You released the sparrow I wanted to get medical fees from! You have to demand for medical fees and get what I want before acting cool and calling someone else to scram! And you don't have the collar on! You're completely useless!”

“D-Didn't you ask me to save you...”

Shioriko pushed Koremitsu aside with her little hands, and stood up, snorting,

“I called you out thinking that a stupid dog can be used as an expendable tool even if it can't catch a single sparrow, but you ruined my plans twice.”

I got fooled —

Koremitsu finally understood the situation, and was seething in anger as a result.

“It-It is fine, Koremitsu. It's good that Shiiko is okay.”

Upon realizing that Koremitsu was utterly furious, Hikaru hurriedly said so to pacify him.

However, Koremitsu's rage was beyond the roof.

He clenched his fist and got up.

“YOU IDIOT!”

This growl was so loud it shook the tall walls of the warehouse, causing Shioriko to retreat back in shock.

Koremitsu brought his face to the terrified Shioriko, his eyebrows raised, his temples bulging, his eyes red as he yelled,

“It's because you asked for help while crying that I'm so worried! Don't toy with other people's hearts like that! Kids should go back home and do their homework once they're done with school! You damned brat!”

Upon hearing that, Shioriko's eyes too showed rage.

Her wide eyes showed a sharp glare, and just as Koremitsu was startled, she suddenly reached her slender arms and grabbed his face.

“Argh!”

Though she was a kid, it would hurt a lot to be scratched on the face, and his face was left sizzling as a result.

One could describe the feeling as eating red hot chili peppers.

“Woah! Koremitsu!”

“I'm not a kid!!!”

Shioriko yelled agitatedly.

Koremitsu knelt down with his hands covering his face, his sweating eyes looking through the gaps between his fingers. he found Shioriko gritting her teeth, glaring, showing a depressed look for some reason.

“Don't lecture me, you stupid dog!”

She screamed, kicked Koremitsu in the belly, and ran off with the red bag and green pochette in tow.

“Ugh~ if I'm a stupid dog, you're a crazy cat!”

Koremitsu finally released his hands from his face, ostensibly having bitten on the red chili, and Hikaru then gave a skeptical look as he looked away, muttering,

“Eh... Koremitsu, your face looks a little manlier than usual.”

The next morning.

Koremitsu was a lot more furious than usual as he trudged the dirt path leading to school.

There were bruises on the areas Shioriko scratched, and several lines were on his face, making it really intriguing.

It was no wonder then that such a face would garner so much attention.

The other students proceeding to school were startled upon seeing Koremitsu, peeked at him curiously, and then exchanged some words with each other.

“Argh, it's that damn brat's fault that I'm getting much more attention.”

Koremitsu grumbled softly, and Hikaru, following beside him, said,

“They will recover soon. I think it is a trendy thing to have scratch marks on the face.”

“Trendy!? Yeah right! I'm not a zebra! If you find it trendy, have scratches all over your body!”

“Eh... well...”

Hikaru was clearly intimidated.

“Can't you change your clothes at will!? Change into a tightsuit with stripes all over it, or you might as well turn yourself naked and paint yourself pink and green!”

“Erm... well...”

Despite Koremitsu being the only one able to see it, such outlandish dress-ups was still beyond Hikaru's acceptance. Thus, he stammered, unable to reply.

“Humph, so you're giving an embarrassed look now, huh? Control yourself with whatever you say.”

“No, your face is not to a point of being embarrassing. Ah...”

Hikaru suddenly stopped.

Koremitsu assumed that Hikaru was trying to avoid the subject of the stripes, but found the latter staring at the grass by the riverbank.

“...African Lilies. They were not here the last time... who grew them here...?”

Koremitsu looked over at where Hikaru was staring at, and found a stretch of thin, long green leaves glittering under the sunlight, their stems straightened, and their tips budding with purple-blue flowers. The flowers were small, but they were closely packed, like a bouquet or an umbrella.

Hikaru stared at the flowers with melancholy, and with an earnest expression, he floated to the flowers and patted them gently with tender loving care.

“When I was young... I always thought this flower was the reincarnation of the Wisteria flowers. After the Wisteria flowers landed, new Wisterias will grow again... the floral language of this flower is 'news of love'... or... lover...”

Hikaru stood in the cool morning sun, muttering with a depressed look and hollow eyes; he was practically an elegant prince in a portrait. Koremitsu, with stripes all over his face,

“Who cares.”

Could only answer this.

“Let's go.”

He said unhappily to Hikaru, and just when he was about to drag the latter away from the flowers, he found Honoka coming from the back.

“Ack.”

Koremitsu immediately covered his striped face with his bag, for it would be too embarrassing to let Honoka see it. He walked sideways like a crab, intending to hide from Honoka.

“...Akagi?”

But she still discovered him.

“Eh... yo.”

Koremitsu greeted with a deep voice as he guarded his face with his bag.

“Why're you covering your face with the bag?”

Honoka only gave a quick glance, so she had yet to discover the scratches on Koremitsu's face.

Koremitsu answered gawkily as he walked on,

“The sun's too bright.”

“Hm? Really?”

Honoka lifted her head to look at the sun and frowned skeptically. She then lowered her head and said,

“I'd say, did you go out on a date with Her Highness Aoi yesterday?”

“Ah?”

“I saw you with her.”

Honoka's tone was so terse his heart jumped.

“No-Not at all. It wasn't a date. It's my first time raising a cat, so I asked her for some suggestions.”

Koremitsu's voice was shrill as he sweated profusely.

(Why am I so anxious in explaining this to her!? Damn it, Hikaru! Stop looking at the flowers so reluctantly!)

He glared at Hikaru, and hastened his pace.

Hikaru could not move more than 3m away from Koremitsu, and could only float beside him as he reluctantly looked back at the African Lilies over and over again.

(Ugh~got to reach the classroom fast!)

Koremitsu's hand was gradually fatigued due to the bag he raised. Suddenly, Honoka looked up at him, and smiled.

“Thank goodness.”

“Huh?”

Koremitsu spotted Honoka's smiling face from the edge of his bag, and was inadvertently dumbfounded.

Honoka's tone became cheery.

“There's nothing to hide, right? You must be getting on well with Her Highness Aoi, right? There is no way she will go out with a guy she has no feeling for, let alone walk in the pet shop. You took a long detour, but your feelings have finally reached her. Since you said you never needed another woman, you didn't put my efforts as your Heliotrope to waste. Ah, I still have to update my blog. I'll be going then.”

“Wait, Miss Shikibu! Koremitsu was being nice to Miss Aoi because I requested him...!”

Hikaru probably felt that he should bear some responsibility, and wanted to call Honoka.

However, Koremitsu grabbed Honoka by the arm instantaneously.

Honoka turned back in surprise.

Hikaru too widened his eyes.

“There's nothing!”

Koremitsu glared at the startled Honoka, and adamantly clarified,

“There's nothing between Aoi and me!”

Honoka shivered again.

(Why am I so furious about this!)

Honoka stared at Koremitsu skeptically, and then asked with intrigue,

“Erm... what happened to your face?”

“Ignore my face! Don't mention it! Pretend that nothing happened!”

“How am I going to pretend that I never saw those scratch marks!”

“Don't mention that!!!”

Koremitsu inadvertently roared, and all Hikaru could do was to put her hand on her face with a sorry expression.

“An-Anyway, don't say such things while looking like you're about to cry!”

Honoka's face immediately flushed, and she hurriedly waved off Koremitsu's hand.

“I-I-I-I-I-I-I'm not crying at all!! Why am I crying for someone like you so early in the morning!?”

“Not my fault that you look that way! Your eyes are already all soaked, and your mouth's raised!”

“Why're you uttering your own illusions there! That's irritating! A-A-A-A-A-And, don't touch a girl by the arm so casually!”

She grabbed the arm Koremistu held, glared at him with a feeble yet forced expression, and immediately turned to run off.

“Sigh, what a throbbing development this is.”

Hikaru sighed.

“How unfortunate. If your face has none of those scratches, you will definitely be more handsome. Girls do pay particular mind to them, so you might want to challenge again once the stripes disappear, for Miss Shikibu's sake. It will be too unromantic for them if a male confesses to them with scratch marks on his face.”

“Hey, you just mentioned 'scratch marks' three times! And I wasn't confessing!”

“Eh? You were not?”

Hikaru blinked a few times in surprise, and Koremitsu suddenly felt his face sizzle as he hurriedly turned around and walked away.

“Idiot, how can that be possible?”

Hikaru followed.

“Did you not grab Miss Shikibu by the arm because you did not want her to misunderstand the situation between you and Miss Aoi?”

“...”

“And you have already viewed Miss Shikibu as a girl, no?”

“Well...”

(That's because she really looked like she's about to cry, and I got really depressed..)

“I'm just scared of seeing girls cry.”

Once Koremitsu casted out these words, Hikaru again blinked in surprise.

Koremitsu's face felt hotter.

(My mom cried and said 'sorry' to me over and over again...)

“When I see that expression, my chest just feels unbearable... I feel like shouting 'idiot, stop crying!'...that was simply the reason why I stopped Shikibu, not because I like her.”

His heart ached simply by saying these words, and a melancholic mist engulfed him.

Koremitsu was most afraid to see girls cry or at least close to crying, and could not leave them alone.

Hikaru then pondered like a philosopher, and said,

“It does not matter how many reasons you give, for I feel the most important reason behind your actions is that they are driven by your own heart... that really surprised me though. Sometimes, I really wonder whether you are being wise or dull.”

“I said that's not it already!”

He found more students as he walked on the dirt path. He kept quiet and arrived in front of the shoe locker.

Honoka, who had just ran off, was standing beside the shoe locker, her back facing the door.

Upon seeing this, Hikaru said,

“You see? Miss Shikibu is waiting for you. She must have been wanting to apologize to you 'sorry for saying those harsh things to you', or something like that.”

“Really...?” Koremitsu felt a little skeptical.

However, Honoka seemed to be acting a little strange.

It was a rare sight as more and more people gathered on the corridor, everyone seemingly looking at something.

On a closer look, he found a report stuck on the wall.

And once he looked at the details, he was taken aback.

“The Delinquent King is a Lolicon!”

This title was printed in large font on the report.

He read the article with trepidation, sweating more profusely by the moment as his body heated up.

On it was the title 'A certain High School freshman A, hailed as the Delinquent King, has an affair with a grade-school girl in the warehouse?' What!? There was also an attached photo of what looked like Koremitsu, whose eyes were blacked out, hugging (or what looked like it) a girl carrying a school bag.

Someone must have taken a photo of him picking Shioriko up the previous day.

“After that, A angered the cute kitty and got scratched on the face. Will A and the cute kitty get on good terms again? This reporter shall continue to keep track.”

And such a thing was written!

(Anyone can tell that it's me in the photo!! And they call me a lolicon—!!!!)

“Koremitsu, calm down, calm down, calm down, calm...”

Hikaru repeated the same line nervously.

“Move!”

Koremitsu pushed Hikaru and the human wall aside.

“It's the lolicon!”

“A loli-loving delinquent!”

“The loliquent!!”

Mutterings could be heard everywhere; the students moved aside without waiting for Koremitsu to take action, giving him vague expressions in response.

“Ugh—!”

(Wait, what am I scared about?)

“Shi...”

Koremitsu started to approach Honoka.

But she lifted her head furiously.

“I can think of oedipus, homo love, large breasts or maid fetishes as personal freedom... but I definitely won't forgive pedophila! You're the worst!” Her slender leg sliced through the air, and landed right in Koremitsu's solar plexus.

“Ack!”

“Koremitsu!”

Koremitsu knelt on the floor as he bent forward.

“Lolicons are disgusting!”

Such hushed denunciations were then heard.

Afterwards, Koremitsu encountered something unpleasant.

Koremitsu went to Hiina Oumi of the news club, who wrote the report, to protest but she did not seem to be concerned as she answered,

“I did receive information that Mr Akagi was to date Her Highness Aoi after school, so I followed. Though the date's atmosphere was so nice, you actually ran out of the café suddenly, Mr Akagi. What exactly happened? Ah, right, what exactly is the charm of lolis? From what age did you start to have such a preference?”

She even took the initiative to ask further questions.

And on the corridor, he met his hated enemy—the student council president Asai Saiga—and she too gave a look of disgust, saying,

“I never expected that you would be a lolicon. I suppose I should call for the elementary school students not to approach you within 5 meters.”

Even Aoi was critical of him.

“You said that a relative was looking for you when you went off yesterday, and yet you went to see the girl on the photo? I did not know you would say such lies! I really hate those who lie.”

Tōjō however gave him some advice,

“I heard that you like young girls. While I am relieved somewhat, be careful not to do anything illegal.”

And the braided class rep placed her hands behind her back, teary-eyed as she backed away, saying,

“I-I-I-I-I always believed in you, Mr Akagi! I really didn't think you're a lolicon! Or that you like a loli! Or that you'll pant hard when you see a loli.”

Honoka, seated beside him, was staring at the cellphone like it was a close friend, typing away,

“Uu... so Her Highness Aoi, Kanai and Upperclassman Tōjō are all smokescreens to hide his anomaly.”

She grumbled regretfully.

Occasionally, she would turn towards Koremitsu, her eyebrows slightly frowned, looking somewhat angry, confounded and about to break into tears. However, she would immediately raise her eyebrows and continue staring at the phone, saying,

“There's no hope for someone who's into pedophilia.”

This prickly situation continued on until the end of school.

“Today... I finally experienced social death.”

Koremitsu's already slouched body was slouched further more as he trudged his way out of school. With a quiet tone, Hikaru said,

“I have been wondering, does the term loliquent sound like a delinquent with a loli fetish, or a delinquent that looks like a loli.”

“You bastard!! You were thinking about such stupid things when I was being criticized and laughed at!!!?”

“But the term loliquent really sounds weird.”

Koremitsu really had the urge to stuff this ghost bastard, who was saying such utter nonsense with a serious look on his face, into a vase and throw it far away.

At that moment, the cellphone in his pocket vibrated.

Hikaru stood beside him, glancing at the screen display, and immediately frowned.

“Is the 'Damned brat' here Shiiko?”

“Who else?”

He spat, and brought the phone to his ears, saying,

“I won't believe your fake crying again.”

“A mere dog dares to be this arrogant!? I still haven't forgiven you for treating me as a kid!”

Shioriko answered arrogantly with that cute voice of hers.

(You damn brat. You're small and flat-chested. Anyone will say that you're still a brat in elementary school!)

Just when Koremitsu was about to answer so, she snorted,

“I want you to know that I'm no ordinary kid. I'm going to give you a chance to get rid of your tag as a stupid dog! Come with me! This sparrow is on a different level from the rest! It's a monster!”

### 003. Chapter 3: King of Orchids

“An exhibition of Chimeric Neofinetia Falcata –what's that?”

Koremitsu was looking at the ink-written words on the signboard placed in front of the cultural hall, and read this loudly as he frowned.

On Shioriko's insistence, he put on the dog collar unwillingly.

“The Chimeric Neofinetia Falcata is a type of Orchid native to Japan. It is a horticultural species of Orchids, bred amidst sphagnum. The 11th general of the Edo era really loved it, and its fame grew as a result, till the point where only those with wealth and skills could cultivate it, so you can say that it had become a plant that symbolizes status. Currently, it is easier to purchase them as they are cheaper, but when the economy bubble occurred, five leaves alone fetch a price of 30,000,000 Yen in auctions.”

Hikaru continued to rattle on as he stood by the side,

(Ack, leaves for 30,000,000 Yen!?)

“The delicate leaves of the Chimeric Neofinetia Falcata and the flowers filled with fragrance are filled with feeble and yet alluring beauty. To me, they are as unnaturally white as the unnaturally white skin of a prostitute who loosened her clothes to reveal a little of her shoulders. It certainly is elegant yet noble.”

Koremitsu did not really care for Hikaru's explanation, but he was wondering what has the Chimeric Neofinetia Falcata got to do with sparrow hunting?

(Is she aiming for one of the customers walking out from the culture hall? But with so many people watching, isn't it impossible to do what she did before?)

He had yet to see Shioriko. She had called him here, so where did she run off to?

Just when he was looking around...

“Come here, dog.”

A hushed voice came from the shrub by the road.

There was a small maple leaf-like hand reaching out from there, waving at him.

“Oh.”

“Hurry over here!”

The hushed voice was a little anxious.

Koremitsu walked over and found Shioriko with her backpack on, crouched behind the shrub.

“Why're you squatting here like you're using a toilet bowl?”

“Shush! Hide yourself too!”

She pulled Koremitsu, wanting him to squat.

“Hey, what do you intend to do? What's the monster sparrow this time!?”

“Be quiet. Don't talk so much. Just listen to my order, you striped dog.”

(Isn't that your fault in the first place, you damned brat!?)

Koremitsu was grumbling deep within, but upon seeing Shioriko glare at the entrance of the culture hall with such a serious expression, he could only remain silent.

Shioriko widened her large puppy eyes, showing a frown on her milky white face, and cringed her body. She was holding the grassy green pochette tightly, intently focused to a point of nearly forgetting to breathe.

Hikaru, floating in the air, watched Shioriko worriedly.

He exchanged looks with Koremitsu and shook his head, indicating that he could not understand what was going on.

(I really don't know what to do with this damned brat.)

Koremitsu curled his lips as he squatted.

The daylight lasted longer as summer approached.

The dazzling sunlight before the sunset scorched the back of their heads, causing them to perspire.

And so, at this moment, Shioriko gasped as she said,

“He's here.”

An old man dressed in kimono walked out from the hall, accompanied by a man dressed in suit following from the back.

Koremitsu too was shocked.

(This is the monster sparrow?)

This man was completely different from the fat middle aged man from the past; he seemed gentle, looked regal, and appeared very relaxed.

Would the honey trap of an elementary school kid work on an old man in the higher ranks of society?

From above, Hikaru murmured,

“That man...”

“Dog, punch me.”

Shioriko hushed her voice as she commanded.

Koremitsu then inadvertently widened his eyes upon hearing this request.

“Huh!?”

“Hurry up, you stupid dog! You lolicon of a dog! If you're not going to listen to me, I'm going to show that dirty little thing of yours in my phone to the police!”

Shioriko stood up while grabbing the cellphone.

“Oi! Wait a moment, damn brat!”

Koremitsu hurried over.

“Damn you! Hand over the phone, now!”

Shioriko quickly raised her hand to prevent it from being taken. Just when Koremitsu was thinking of grabbing her hand...

“Ahh!”

Shioriko shouted out.

Koremitsu let out of her hand in shock, and Shioriko fell onto the middle of the stairs leading to the hall.

I didn't use that much force, I didn't try to lift her–and I didn't try to push her at all. Koremitsu panicked.

“Sorry, big brother! Don't hit me! I'm sorry!”

“What're you saying..!”

Shioriko covered her head as she crouched down, apologizing profusely, and Koremitsu was completely flabbergasted as he watched on.

“Stop it.”

Upon hearing this shout, Koremitsu turned around and found the regal-looking old man who just walked out from the culture hall.

“Eh... wait? You mean me?”

“Are you alright, young lady?”

The old man personally bent down to help Shioriko up.

Shioriko eked out a few tears from nowhere, sobbing as she went to Koremitsu, kneeling down with her arms opened wide.

“It-It's not big brother's fault... don't scold my big brother! Run away! ”

“Huh? What? But...”

“ Hurry !”

Shioriko latched herself onto the old man's leg, calling for her 'big brother' to run away.

“I'm sorry! I'm sorry! It's really not big brother's fault!”

“Ack!”

Koremitsu did not understand what was going on, but ran off as she ordered.

After running away for five minutes, he spent another five minutes returning to the culture center, and lost sight of Shioriko and the rest.

“Where did they go?”

He panted hard as he looked around.

The people walking out of the culture hall avoided him like a plague.

“Don't worry. Shiiko will be fine.”

“How do you know?”

“Because the one helping Shiiko is Mr Sōichirō Kuze.”

Koremitsu curled his lips, showing a frown on his face.

“Who's that?”

“You never heard of the Kuze Corporation? He's the ex-chairman of this Corporation. It has a lot of restaurant chains, and also manages all sorts of business. Though he is now retired, he still actively participates in charity events, and often appears on television. He is also a renowned lover of the Chimeric Neofinetia Falcata, and is known as the king of Orchids..”

“King of Orchids? Are you two friends or something?”

“Hm... We both like flowers, but his preferences are a little different from me. Anyway, he is a highly respected man; he will save an elementary grade girl from from an abusive savage looking big brother, so he is definitely protecting Shiiko now.”

“Savage big brother. You mean me!?”

Koremitsu yelled in rage.

“I suppose that is probably how you look to Mr Sōichirō. Shiiko must have planned this beforehand.”

“Humph. Shiiko wants to extort money from that old man called Kuze?”

Hikaru's expression darkened.

“Most likely... she can definitely fetch far more money from Mr Sōichirō than any of the other sparrows from before. I guess this is what she hoped too.”

“That idiot!! That's more dangerous!!”

It was too reckless of her to extort money from a celebrity who often appeared on television.

“She's still a damned brat after all!!”.

At this moment, the cellphone vibrated.

He hurriedly pulled it out to check the message. It was from Shioriko.

“Everything's going as planned. Go back for now.”

Once he saw this, Koremitsu's rage was through the roof.

“Going as planned!? Yeah right!? You want to leave me, pretending to be an abusive big brother aside, and now you want to chase me away!? You dare to look down on High School students!?”

Koremitsu had been taking it easy on Shioriko up till this point, for she was still an elementary school student, advising her patiently, hoping that she would change for the better.

However, her actions were sporadic at best, and she showed no signs of improvement.

During this time, Koremitsu had been treated as a delinquent lolicon and an abusive big brother.

If he were to leave Shioriko alone, she would definitely be arrested and brought to counseling for trying to trick an ex-chairman of a large enterprise. If that were to happen, Hikaru's hopes of guiding her back to the right path would be ruined.

(–Ugh, she intends to call me a stupid dog and leave me alone?)

“Hikaru, do you know where Shiiko and the rest will be going?”

“Yes.”

“Right. It's settled. I'm going to sternly educate her. I'm not going to take it easy even if she cries!”

Shioriko's house was a small apartment.

Though it was not as dilapidated as Yū's apartment, it was not exceptionally luxurious. It was a simple, ordinary apartment.

It was sunset, and Koremitsu, along with Hikaru, stood near the entrance of the apartments. Hikaru had mentioned that Shioriko lived here along with her grandfather.

“Shiiko's apartment is the one in the middle of the second level. It seems nobody else is around; I think grandfather is out at the moment.”

Hikaru stared at the window as he said.

And at that moment,

There was the sound of a car braking in the alley nearby.

Followed by the sound of a door being opened.

“Thank you very much!”

A cute childish voice was then heard.

It was Shioriko!

They watched out from a blind spot at the building, and found an elongated glossy black car parked at the alley. Shioriko, with her grassy green pochette dangling diagonally and the red school bag on her back, stood beside it and bowed.

It seemed someone inside the vehicle said something, and she nodded like an obedient child.

“Bye bye, Grandpa Kuze.”

She waved her little hand cutely, and watched the vehicle leave.

Once the vehicle departed, her expression suddenly gloomed, and she slowly lowered her head, biting her lips.

(What's with that expression...)

“Yo.”

“Ahh!”

Koremitsu hissed, and Shioriko jumped in shock, her twintails and pochette swaying along.

“Wh-Why're you here!?”

Shioriko hurriedly looked away. Having regained her composure somewhat, she showed a stiff expression.

“Didn't I tell you on the message to go home? Don't you understand human language or something? Stupid dog!”

“You think you can chase me away with just a simple message? You didn't return for quite a while; who knows where you and that Mr Kuze guy went off to.”

Shioriko widened his eyes in shock.

“You know him?”

“Sorta. I heard that old man loves to do charity work, often appears on television, and is called the King of Orchids.”

Koremitsu was simply regurgitating what Hikaru had just said, and looked a little embarrassed; however, Shioriko seemed mystified as she heard this.

“I didn't think a dog like you would watch the news.”

She muttered.

“I still don't believe that you're Hikaru's friend, but I do have a better impression on you now.”

“Thanks for that. So? Kuze's that monster sparrow you talk of?”

“Yeah.”

Barely able to hide her exhilaration, Shioriko fished out a namecard from her pocket, and gleefully showed it to Koremitsu.

It was Kuze's namecard.

“His cellphone number is written on the back too! He really believes that I'm a pitiful kid who got abused, and even says that I can talk to him if I'm troubled. He's really naive.”

“You really want to con that earnest looking old man?”

Shioriko was suddenly incensed as she raised her eyebrows and glared at Koremitsu furiously.

“You're a stupid dog after all!”

“What did you say!?”

She glared at the enraged Koremitsu furiously, and said adamantly,

“I'm aiming for 64 million Yen.”

“What!?”

(Sixty-four Million Yen!!!!!!?)

Koremitsu was left speechless by this large sum.

Hikaru merely frowned weakly, and it seemed he had known what was going on,

“Damn it! Do you know how much money is 60 million!? That's six thousand 10,000 Yen notes!”

“It's '6,400' Ten Thousand Yen notes. Don't be mistaken!”

“Like I care how many that is! I have never seen a Million Yen before! That's already surreal to me, and you're already dreaming of such a large sum even though you're a kid!?”

Shioriko's face was again flushed with anger.

“I already told you not to treat me as a kid!”

“You're a kid! You think you're playing a game!? You want to con this much money!?”

Shioriko clenched her hands hard and bit her lips. She then said with a hushed voice,

“...I have a way to get Kuze to hand over the money. The only question is how to spend it.”

Shioriko's face was filled with such malice it was chilling.

“What idea?”

“I have no need to tell you. Think, you stupid dog.”

“And to think I was so worried about you! If you want money, go work hard properly and earn it yourself! Don't take it from anyone else! I'll help you look for a job a grade schooler can do.”

Upon hearing how frenzied Koremitsu's tone was, Shioriko seemingly backed away tentatively, only to raise her eyebrows haughtily as she said,

“Humph. A mere dog wants to try and act like a big brother! What is this 'properly' you talk about? You want me to be a good person? I won't!!”

Shioriko's yelled with all her might, her face livid.

Her lips were trembling, her eyes were burning with rage, and yet her face was filled with a little anguish. Her face was contorted, yet showed the helpless expression of a child. She then held her green pochette with her little hands, showing that forced expression. Her eyes were soaked as she stared back at Koremitsu, and her tone was filled with anguish.

“Because... good people get conned and bullied! I don't want to be a good person! I rather con others than have others con me!”

(What... what's she saying!? Why's she being so unhappy?)

Shioriko's response troubled Koremitsu.

Upon seeing Hikaru pat her on the head with a melancholic look, he was all the more confused, unable to say anything.

At this moment...

“Riko, do we have a guest?”

An amicable voice came from behind.

“Grandpa!”

Shioriko hurriedly ran over.

That man was probably of a similar age as Kuze.

He was a short man, his personality befitting his voice.

“Are you Riko's friend? Thank you for taking care of her.”

Perhaps Riko was an affectionate nickname he had for her. The old man bowed graciously and gradually, his body bent to a point where one would worry that his head would hit the floor.

“Eh, no. I never really took care of her.”

Koremitsu too was taken aback, and he bowed.

“Th-That's right. I was the one taking care of him. Don't be mistaken, grandpa.”

Shioriko blushed as she said.

“Oh my. I'm really sorry. This child is really impolite in her words, but she really is kind.”

Shioriko's grandfather slowly said what Hikaru had said before.

“She really is obedient, can cook, and knows how to take accounts. She really is my pride and joy.”

“Really, grandpa! Don't say so much to him!”

Shioriko blushed as she tugged at her grandfather's hand, intending to pull him back into the apartment.

But as she did so, she dropped the book he was holding.

Koremitsu hurriedly picked it up.

('Healthy Living Go Club'... I think gramps has it too.)

“You know how to play Go ?”

Koremitsu returned the book to Shioriko's grandfather, and the latter thanked him, smiling amicably.

“I'm currently a lecturer at a culture school. Do you like to play it too? How about a match?”

“I don't really know how to. My grandpa is the one who knows.”

“That's enough already, grandpa. It's getting cold, you'll catch a cold! Be careful! You get sick easily.”

Shioriko continued to tug at him.

“Riko really likes to worry.”

“You're being too carefree, grandpa!”

“Eh, and your name is?”

“Koremitsu Akagi.”

“Young Akagi, how about you have dinner with us tonight?”

“Grandpa! Why're you inviting him!?”

“Eh, no need for that. My dinner share's already prepared at home.”

Shioriko's grandfather was being too earnest; Koremitsu felt ridiculously tense as he never received such hospitality before, and was fidgety as a result.

“I'll take my leave then.”

He bowed as he quickly hurried off.

On the madder red slope, Hikaru looked back with a serious expression.

“What's wrong?”

Koremitsu asked, and Hikaru answered with a gloomy tone,

“Shiiko's grandfather just called her Riko...”

“Isn't Riko her nickname?”

“Probably...”

Hikaru seemed unconvinced, but continued to follow Koremitsu.

“That brat's grandfather really is a good person, too courteous that I didn't know what to do. He's completely different from her.”

“...yeah, Shiiko's grandfather–Mr Tomohiko is really a good person.”

The handsome face lit by the sunset was showing a wry look.

“That is why... Shiiko said that she would not be a good person...”

“Hm?”

Koremitsu could not understand the meaning behind these words.

“She doesn't want to be a good person because she's raised by one?”

“Not that, actually. Perhaps Shiiko is not willing to be a good person because she saw how good people suffer for being too kind.”

“...has Shiiko's gramps suffered or anything?”

“Yeah, but I don't know the details.”

The chilly breeze blew upon Hikaru's bangs, and he lowered his head slightly. His clear mature eyes showed him in deep thought.

For some reason, Koremitsu felt it was better not to say anything at this moment, and remained silent.

Once Koremitsu reached home, he found his grandfather Masakaze playing Go alone.

Lying beside him was an opened book, the cover being Healthy Living Go Club .

“Is this the magazine published by your Go club, gramps?”

“Why you ask?”

Masakaze remained seated upright as he tilted his head slightly to stare at Koremitsu. His protruding eyes were like a Yakuza mob leader, showing a sharp glint, and yet he was neither angry nor intending to scare anyone; it was simply that his eyes were naturally like that.

“Gramps, do you know of a man called Tomohiko Wakagi? He seems to be a Go lecturer at a culture school or something.”

Upon hearing that, Masakaze frowned hardly, and answered,

“...such a memorable name. Mr Wakagi was once a professional Go player, and I heard he became a lecturer once he retired. I met him once at the Go club, and he guided me through a match once. He really is someone worth admiring. Do you know him?”

“Not really... he's a relative of my friend, so I went to greet him.”

“I see... is Mr Wakagi still doing well?”

“Sort of. I heard his granddaughter complain that he gets sick easily, and she was warning him to be careful. He seems to be a carefree person.”

Masakaze slowly closed his eyes and raised his lips solemnly, seemingly having recalled something.

He then opened his eyes, and frowned saying,

“Mr Wakagi... is really too kind... and he lived a tough life because of that.”

“Tough life?”

“I heard he was a guarantor for his friend, and bore a large debt as a result. He even sold his house to pay off the debt.”

These words from Masakaze bore heavily on Koremitsu's heart.

“Looking at how Mr Wakagi is, he definitely doesn't hate that person.”

These additional words weighed further on Koremitsu's heart.

With an ominous look on his face, Koremitsu returned to his room, and Hikaru said,

“Shiiko needs the money because she intends to buy back the house mortgaged to the debtor.”

“...she intends to extort 64 million Yen from Kuze. Is that the money needed to buy the house?”

“When I first met Shiiko, I told her 'I am willing to pay you any amount for your first time', and she glared at me, telling me 64 million Yen. She even said that she is willing to do anything as long as I can pay up, for she had to get this money no matter what.”

Shioriko was only eight years old back then; she was still in third grade.

What sort of feelings did she have back then?

A third grader girl was working hard, forcing herself to her limit just to buy her grandfather's house back.

“Once I asked her the reason, I spent 64 million Yen to buy her house back. Shiiko said that she would definitely save 64 million Yen to buy the house, and told me to take care of it for the time being, not to sell it to others, and for it to be a collateral for her first night. I then requested for her to allow me to send her gifts, bring her out to play, and accept my happiness as my own collateral. Shiiko's situation is a little similar to mine... I really had the urge to help her.”

Hikaru said, his eyes becoming melancholic.

(What do you mean by 'it may be a little more than what you think'!? How is 64 million Yen a little!? Damn you, you filthy rich bastard!)

Koremitsu wanted to say this, but chose to remain silent.

Hikaru's mother had died when he was young.

His father then took him in, but as he was the child of a mistress, he had a hard time adapting into the new family.

In Middle School, he left his family and lived in an apartment alone.

Koremitsu recalled the empty, lonely room that was practically devoid of any furniture.

He could imagine how lonely Hikaru must have felt in that frigid room.

Koremitsu too had lost his parents, and he could imagine how Hikaru was reminded of his lack of parental care when he first saw Shioriko.

Koremitsu's mother abandoned him when he was young, his memory of her merely her sobbing face.

His father then died soon after.

Even though his grandfather Masakaze and aunt Koharu were diligently taking care of him, he still wallowed in self-pity whenever he thought of how he was different from other children who had their parents.

If only mother was around.

If only father was around.

If only there were a pair of hands who would welcomingly embrace him, and protect his friends. If only there was someone he could wholeheartedly rely on.

He once shuddered, his head lowered as he prayed such in a corner of his room.

But he knew his mother would never return, and his father would never revive.

He could only suppress his anguish alone.

He would have to get back up if he fell.

He would hide and cry alone if he wanted to cry.

That was fine.

“Shiiko's grandfather, Mr Tomohiko is a very kind person. Shiiko felt that if she were to be a good person, she will not be able to protect her grandfather, and was adamant not to become one. She is working hard not for herself, but to protect her grandfather. She is yet so young... she must have been holding herself back too.”

Hikaru's words caused Koremitsu's heart to be distressed.

No matter how lonely he was.

No matter how depressed he was.

No matter how anguished he was.

Koremitsu had to bear everything alone.

Most probably, Hikaru too–

–I can't cry.

Even when Hikaru was suffering, he could only smile thinly.

Just as Koremitsu was unable to smile, Hikaru was unable to cry.

For he kept telling himself not to cry, and that he had to smile no matter what.

“Shiiko really can fake her cry, but when she is really depressed...she can only clench her fist hard and widen her eyes to hold back her tears.”

Hikaru's downtrodden eyes were hazed with sorrow.

His lowered neck and voice sounded feeble.

“I did not want to turn Shiiko into a girl who cannot cry.”

Koremitsu felt his chest tighten.

(Why is it that this guy always causes my heart to ache...)

Even after death, he was unable to cry, yet he was so sensitive to the pain of others, so compassionate...

(How can he possibly make all the girls around him happy...)

That person really yearned for that.

He sincerely loved every flower, every girl.

When he was alive, he definitely gave his all to them.

'That is my happiness', and even smiled saying this.

Hikaru, who truly loved all the flowers, had a final wish to give all these flowers a gentle farewell.

He hoped that when he whisper his farewell to them, that beloved person in front of him could smile happily.

And just as he loved all the flowers, Hikaru loved that girl who was forcefully putting on a front.

Currently, he too was worried sick about her. Even to a state of broken heart.

“I won't give up that easily.”

Koremitsu, who did not know how to smile, stared at this troublesome person of a friend, and frowned unhappily saying,

“I already promised you. I definitely won't allow her to continue fooling others!”

On the next day,

Shioriko walked out from the elementary school with the red backpack, and widened her eyes in shock as she spotted Koremitsu, wearing the dog collar, right around the corner.

“Wh-Why? Aren't High School students supposed to have lessons now?”

“I said that I'm going to pick up a relative's brat, and took an early leave.”

He answered with a serious look, and Shioriko's face was slightly flushed.

“I'm not a kid who needs someone to pick me up! And I'm not your relative!”

She looked unhappy.

“Don't let me see your scratched face until I call you. You mustn't come to my house either. Grandpa will ask 'Mr Akagi, what's with those scratch marks on your face?'.”

She spat back spitefully,

“Move aside.”

She pushed Koremitsu's arm, wanting to move out.

“Isn't my face like this because of what you did? It's a little better now anyway.”

“I see. Again, why did you come here? Didn't I tell you to wait until I call you?”

Shioriko's stare got sharper.

“How can I do that?”

“Huh?”

“I'm your dog. I'll follow you wherever you go.”

“What are you saying?”

Shioriko paused for a little while.

Koremitsu then stared back at her, and concluded,

“And so, I'm going to stop you from conning anyone again.”

Shioriko's pink lips shivered once she heard these firm words, and her cheeks were flushed with anger.

“I'll expose those photos of yours, you know.”

“Whatever. Somebody posted something like that in my school already. Now everyone thinks that I'm a delinquent lolicon.”

Shioriko was left speechless.

Her eyes rolled and stammered,

“Yo-You're a lolicon after all... yucks. You're disgusting. Don't come near me.”

She retreated, her grassy green pochette swaying around.

(Disgusting? Isn't what you're doing more disgusting?)

Koremitsu scowled.

“Since I, as a delinquent lolicon, is going to be with you, you better give up on conning others. Hikaru also said because that scamming others isn't something a lady should do. If he sees you like this now, he'll definitely be sad.”

This was not a lie.

But a fact.

Hikaru was between Koremitsu and Shioriko, staring at them worriedly.

(Hikaru is still worried about you and what you're going through even after his death. Don't disappoint him.)

Shioriko paled as she stared at Koremitsu, completely gobsmacked as her lips shuddered.

“But isn't Hikaru already dead...?”

She murmured, seemingly recalling something.

“He once said, 'I will be with you until you become a lady... you can command me all you want... rely on me all you want. You can buy as many clothes as you want, but do not buy anything that is redundant. There are prawn cakes on the table now... so please be a good child in front of me' that was what he would say.”

Her slender shoulders continued to shiver, and she choked on her words–it seemed then that she wanted to yell out her thoughts as she shrieked,

“Didn't Hikaru fall into a river and drown!!?”

Her mortified eyes were thoroughly filled with tears.

Hikaru showed a heartwrenching expression.

Koremitsu too grimaced bitterly.

–I'm not a kid!

Shioriko's eyes were blazing impetuously.

–Don't treat me as a kid!

Those words from her were probably due to the poignancy and furor she felt after Hikaru died. 'Be a good child', Hikaru had abandoned Shioriko with these parting words.

Koremitsu yelled,

“I'll protect you in Hikaru's place!”

Shioriko's shivering shoulders stopped.

Her mouth was slightly agape as she stared at Koremitsu.

In response to this shocked expression, Koremitsu stared back with conviction.

“If you have anything you want me to do, just tell me! If you have anything you need me to do, just ask me! If you want me to help you, call for me! I'll definitely get there! You're just a brat! There's no way you can handle so many things.”

Hikaru gave a thin smile, looking ready to cry as he listened in on what Koremitsu had just said.

Shioriko then spoke with a shuddering voice.

“Hikaru is... completely different from you. You never cut your sideburns, you reek of sweat.”

“Yeah. I'm no prince here, but I'll be your dog until you grow up. My friend asked this of me.”

His tone was so solemn.

Hikaru smiled.

“–so stop conning others already.”

Shioriko closed her lips as she stared at Koremitsu. She frowned a little, lowered her head, and raised her lips saying,

“I won't give up.”

She stubbornly insisted,

“The money I plan to get from Kuze... is for revenge.”

“What did you just say?”

“Anyway, the Kuze you know of is a charitable man, kind, sincere, often appears on television, some saintly man or something. The real Kuze however isn't like that. What that man did to my father–”

Shioriko became silent.

(Did she just talk about her father?)

“Hey, didn't you say before that you don't know who your dad is?”

“...”

Shioriko bit her lips and turned her back on him.

“Shiiko... what happened exactly?”

The moment Hikaru placed his hand on Shioriko's shoulder worriedly, the latter ran off.

“H-Hey!”

Koremitsu gave chase from behind as he watched that red backpack and green pochette sway. Agile as a cat, she darted through the fence of a house, and ran into an alley.

“You really are a cat!”

If the High School student Koremitsu were to continue the chase, he would definitely catch the police's attention.

“Damn it!”

He grumbled as he continued to chase after Shioriko, still carrying her red backpack, through the alley.

“Wait! You won't run away!”

He was chasing her crazily.

Shioriko would hide in a corner of some building from time to time, and stick to the walls to hide from his sights during other moments, causing Koremitsu to lose sight of her a few times.

At this moment,

“Koremitsu, over there!”

Koremitsu continued to chase on as per Hikaru's instruction!

“Stop right there! You idiot brat! I definitely won't forgive you if I see you cheating someone again!!”

“You can still go back to being an elementary school student now!!”

“Just give up already, you!!”

He continued to yell hoarsely as he chased after the small back.

And amidst this wind, an hour passed.

“Damn it... where did she go.”

Koremitsu was panting hard as he stood on the wide pedestrian lane as he looked around. At this point, he could no longer see Shioriko anywhere.

He tried calling her, but the line was busy the entire time.

“Has she blocked my number now!?”

His temples were bulging as he murmured, slamming the phone shut as he nearly broke it.

At this moment, Hikaru seemed to have thought of something.

“Speaking of which, Shiiko does frequent the park nearby. She really likes the waffles at the shop there.”

“Right, let's go.”

Koremitsu looked over from under the shade of the Maidenhair Tree, and found a cute twin-tailed girl standing in front of a waffle stall, tearing the waffle in half and accepting it with an angelic smile.

You won't get away this time. Just when Koremitsu was about to take a step forward, Hikaru stopped him.

“Wait, Koremitsu.”

“What is it?”

“Mr Sōichirō is over there.”

“What?”

An old man, dressed in ritzy clothing, was sitting peacefully on the bench, not too far away from where Shioriko was facing.

“They must have agreed to meet here.”

“Looks that way.”

Kuze smiled as he watched Shioriko walk to him with two pieces of waffle in both hands..

She sat on the bench, and handed the waffle over.

Kuze's eyes narrowed as he showed a gentle expression. He accepted the waffle, and reached his hand into his pocket–was he intending to take out his wallet?

It seemed that Shioriko did not want him to do so as she shook her head.

Both of them spoke for a little while, and in the end, Kuze kept his wallet. Delighted, Shioriko shyly smiled.

And so, both of them ate their waffles, smiling away as far as he could see.

Perhaps they were grandparent and grandchild to any onlooking bystander.

Shioriko had once said that she wanted to con money from Kuze for revenge, and even said that the real Kuze was not the altruistic, magnanimous man that was portrayed on television.

However, Kuze was eating the waffle daintily as he chatted with Shioriko. He clearly looked like a calm old man who liked children, and the latter even looked back at him fondly.

“Damn it. I can't hear anything this far.”

Koremitsu arched his back as he continued to watch their movements and slowly approach them.

There were lots of White Abelias behind the bench clustered together. Koremitsu snuck in, hid his body, and pricked his ears to eavesdrop on their conversation seriously.

“Big brother... always ordered me to prepare roasted bun or heat up the milk and he'll scold me badly if I don't do well. But...that's my fault.”

Shioriko gave an optimistic smile as she said this.

(That pipsqueak~ I won't bully a little girl! I won't ask anyone to warm up the milk too!)

Koremitsu grabbed the twigs, grumbling as he gritted his teeth.

Kuze answered with a compassionate tone,

“Your parents didn't do anything to make your brother stop?”

“.....Yes”

Shioriko nodded.

“They even scolded me, and told me to obey my brother.”

“Why? Your brother's being so mischievous.”

Shioriko looked all the more depressed.

“I'm...not related to them by blood.”

“Eh?”

“I'm an adopted kid, brother said.”

“Isn't that a lie your brother said to bully you?”

“No.”

Her large eyes were gradually filled with tears.

Her pitiful expression was such that even Koremitsu's heart was gripped with gloom despite the knowledge that she was acting.

“Brother said that my papa's called 'Mamoru Yoshikuni'. He said the man is a baddy who gives poisoned hamburgers to children to eat.”

“Mamoru...Yoshikuni”

Kuze, who had been pampering Shioriko and gentle in his tone to her, showed a slight change in tone at this moment.

Koremitsu was taken aback once he heard of this name, and the horrifying fact that the man had given poisoned hamburgers to children to eat.

(So is this the 'father' Shiiko talked about? What's with the poisoned hamburgers?)

Koremitsu glanced at Hikaru, and found the latter in deep thought.

“...”

Tears rolled down Shioriko's cheeks.

“I heard that papa was bribed to do something bad, and killed himself once it was exposed. That's what mama and brother said. They're wondering why they're taking care of a criminal's kid...bu-but, my papa's innocent! That's what he wrote in the letter.”

“Letter? What do you mean?”

Kuze's voice was a little different from before.

Even his face seemed a little stiff.

Shioriko sniffled as she choked on her words, saying,

“I found a letter from my papa written to my real mama. It should be mama's book...”

“What's the proof?”

“Papa's not a bad person. He's framed, and he has proof.”

“What proof?”

Kuze asked as his eyes widened at Shioriko.

Shioriko rubbed her eyes with both hands, and shook her head,

“I-It was very complicated. I didn't understand at all. But I still believe papa was framed by a baddie.”

Kuze then gave a calm smile.

“I too believe that your father is innocent.”

“Grandpa Kuze...thank you.”

Shioriko gave an innocent smile as she narrowed her teary eyes at Kuze.

“Oh yes. Do you mind giving me that letter? I'm on good terms with the police, so I can definitely help your papa clear his name.”

Shioriko's face suddenly gloomed as she lowered her head, showing a hesitant look.

“Bu-But...papa noted in his letter not to let anyone else see this letter...”

“Really? I guess it can't be helped then.”

Kuze heartily gave up.

Shioriko seemed to be worried about annoying this overly kindred old man as she stared at him worriedly. Once Kuze noticed this however, he gave a gentle smile, saying,

“Keep that letter carefully. That's the evidence that proves your papa's innocence. If there's anything you need help with, come look for me, okay?”

Shioriko nodded, and showed a smile.

“...Koremitsu. There is a car parked there.”

Upon hearing Hikaru mention this, Koremitsu turned to the road beside the park in surprise, and found a white car there.

There was a man wearing shades seated at the driver's seat, looking over at the bench.

(Is that Kuze's car...? No, what I saw yesterday was larger and more luxurious.)

At this moment, the large black limousine appeared in front of the park.

Kuze slowly stood up.

“My vehicle is here to pick me up. I'll send you home.”

“It's okay, there is no need for that. I need to buy some things at the supermarket later. I can go home by myself.”

“I see...the waffles are delicious. Let me treat you to something you like next time then.”

“Eh, erm, which one do I choose...takoyaki? Or soft serve?”

“You can choose something more luxurious. Just tell me the next time we meet.”

“Okay. Bye bye, grandpa Kuze.”

“Goodbye.”

Kuze got on the limo and left.

Shioriko waved with a delighted look as she watched him leave.

However,

Once the vehicle was nowhere in sight, she lowered her head, bit her lip–and showed a hideous expression.

“Monster.”

She hissed, and returned to the bench.

“Hey, Shiiko!”

Koremitsu stood up from the field of Abelias.

“–!”

Shioriko was left gobsmacked.

Her face was then flushed red. She puffed her cheeks angrily, looked away, and strided forward.

“Hey! You're ignoring me now!?”

Just when he was about to give chase–

A hand grabbed his shoulder from behind.

“Why're you stopping me! Hikaru!?”

“...Koremitsu, I am a ghost. There is no way I can touch you.”

Oh right.

Then who would grab him by the shoulder like a familiar person?

Koremitsu turned around and glared furiously, only to see a policeman in tight-fitting uniform.

“There is a police report saying that there is a savage-looking youth resembling that of a convenience store robber, hiding amongst the bushes, staring at a little girl passionately. Is that you?”

“Who's the robber here!?”

“I'll hear what you have to say at the station.”

“Hey! Shiiko! Come back! Tell him we know each other! Shiiiko! Hey! Shiiko! Damn it!”

Shioriko probably heard Koremitsu's yells, but trotted off without looking back.

The red backpack slowly distanced itself away from him.

At this moment, the white car from before started to move.

Suddenly, Koremitsu had a bad feeling about this.

“Hey, let go of me!”

He wanted to shake off the policeman.

“If you're not going to co-operate, I'm going to handcuff you.”

The policeman warned.

“DAMN ITTTT!!!”

And so, Koremitsu could only follow the policeman obediently.

“It is true that a delinquent king resembles a dangerous person to me when he is squatting in the bushes with such a savage look...”

From beyond his shoulder, Hikaru chimed in with a look of regret.

(This is good.)

Shioriko looked down as she strolled through an alley in the residential area. “Shiiko! Shiiko!” The voice of that stupid savage-looking dog continued to ring in her ears, but she chose to ignore.

–I won't let you cheat others again!

–Hikaru also said that because scamming others isn't something a lady should do.

(You're annoying.)

She tried her best to ignore the voice she could not shake off.

(I'm going to take revenge on Kuze. I'm going to move back to that house with grandpa!)

There was a small old wooden hut on the first level.

And there was a garden filled with trees and seasonal flowers. Shioriko knew how much her grandfather treasured that garden.

–Come and look, Shiiko. The Summer Camellia is blooming.

There were cute white Camellia-like flowers blooming on the tree branches under the blue sky.

–Wow, they're pretty, grandpa!

Both of them were together in the garden, marvelling the flowers for a long time.

Once they arrived at the apartment, her grandfather grew Rosy Periwinkles in pots, but would look in the distance whenever he watered them.

And whenever she saw him in this state, Shioriko would look over at the plants restrained in the pots, recall the flowers and trees living freely in that garden, and her heart would ache.

(If I can get that house back, grandpa will definitely call me Shiiko again...)

Suppressing her uneasiness, she lifted her green pochette and pressed it on her flat chest.

There was something very important inside.

It was a letter she found in a cabinet.

The letter that established her relationship with Kuze, the letter that propelled her reckless actions...

–You'll definitely end up hurt.

“...it doesn't matter.”

Shioriko exerted strength in her fingers as she whispered.

She suddenly felt a sting in her nose, hurriedly blinked, and moved forward.

The unexpected development had delayed her. If she did not return home soon, grandpa would be worried.

(I don't want to be some fine lady.)

If Hikaru were still alive, perhaps she would not have come up with such a dangerous plan.

But he could no longer wait till she became an adult.

(...it's all Hikaru's fault.)

His fault for falling into the river and drowning.

Shioriko had always insisted on getting a scary, savage yet loyal dog, but Hikaru gave a stupid disobedient dog who was completely useless.

–It is fine to say whatever you want to me. I will agree to any request you want.

–Just say whatever you want to me as much as you want! Rely on me all you want!

Hikaru's carefree smile and Koremitsu's savage look seemingly became one, causing Shioriko's heart to be agitated. Her throat throbbed.

She vehemently told herself to harden her weak heart.

(I mustn't trust him!)

And Hikaru too. He did say that he would be with her until she became a proper lady, that she should just be a child. And yet he left her.

(That guy will soon leave anyway.)

Once bitten, there is no second time. She had enough of seeing somebody kindle her hopes and open her heart, yet abandon her in the end.

She would no longer trust anyone.

She would no longer rely on others.

(I want to buy grandpa's house through my own strength.)

She snivelled as she closed her eyes tight.

It was not the time for her to cry.

She walked on with confident footsteps, climbed the stairs outside the apartments, and arrived in front of a room in the middle of the second floor. She then took a deep breath,

“I'm back, grandpa!”

She opened the door with a bubbly shout.

However, there was nary a hint of the usual reply.

Instead, Shioriko gasped,

“Grandpa...”

“Damn it. Why's that policeman asking the same questions over and over again?”

It was past evening.

With the sun setting, and the sky darkening, Koremitsu walked on with a look so savage he might be taken for interrogation again.

After the policeman had 'counselled' him in the park, he whisked him to the nearby station, and rattled on things like 'What're you doing over there?' 'I heard that you were glaring at a little girl passionately. What're you planning to do?'

Koremitsu insisted that he was squatting there because he had a tummyache, and was not peeping on them, that he was acquainted with the girl, and that his expression was heredity. He even showed a photo of his grandfather and aunt on the phone.

“How is it? We resemble each other, right? My family looks like this!”

He insisted, and after much difficulty, was released.

“The policeman looked terrified when you said you wanted to call in a relative to testify.”

Upon hearing Hikaru's words, Koremitsu again frowned.

The policeman must have assumed he had links to the Yakuza or something, for he was fidgety the moment he saw the photo, said 'No need for that. Okay, I understand', and hurriedly left.

“You should have said that you want to contact a relative.”

“Are you kidding me? Koharu will bash me for good if I really do so. That's my final trump card.”

“I wonder if Shiiko has returned...”

“I'll make a call.”

Just when Koremitsu was about to open his cellphone.

“Look at that, Koremitsu!”

Hikaru suddenly exclaimed.

Is there something in the bookshop or something? Koremitsu walked over with a frown, and saw Hikaru slowly drift to the shelf behind the window, pointing at a magazine being displayed.

There were several topics on this tabloid magazine cover, and upon seeing one of them, Koremitsu gasped.

There was a small line on it,

“The truth 10 years after the Poisoned Hamburgers Incident, Kuze Sōichirō's lie.”

### 004. Chapter 4: I Was Looking for a Flower

It was Saturday the following day, but Koremitsu woke up earlier than usual.

He checked his cellphone messages, and found that Shioriko had yet to reply to the message he sent her.

“Let’s go check her house after breakfast.”

“Yes.”

Hikaru, dressed in a singlet and pants for indoor use, nodded in response.

Laid on the tatami was a magazine he bought the previous day.

Inside it was the mass food poisoning incident during the Marine Day in Shimane Prefecture 10 years ago.

During that public event, the Kuze Corporation led by Chairman Kuze provided some seafood hamburgers to children.

However, approximately 30 of them complained of tummyaches, and were hospitalized.

The Chairman's Secretary, Mamoru Yoshikuni, who had attended the event, attempted to cover up this incident, but was discovered a few days later, and was lambasted by the mass media.

He had declared that he was acting on the Chairman's instructions, but Kuze was dining with associates in Tokyo that day.

Thus, everyone had assumed that Mamoru Yoshikuni was simply lying about following orders. It was also later discovered that Yoshikuni had accepted bribes from the food suppliers, and so people assumed that he had chosen to cover up this event itself, leading to a larger commotion.

Soon after, Mamoru Yoshikuni died. He was standing alone beside the train platform, and was knocked by the passing train. At that time, a witness had yelled “It's dangerous!”, but he remained still with a lethargic look. The news outlets had deduced that he had intention to commit suicide, and Kuze resigned as executive chairman soon after.

The press conference that time was massive, and he clearly showed a professional attitude admitting to his responsibility. This overly formal attitude however caused his reputation to skyrocket.

But 10 years later, there was a media outlet casting doubt on it.

The report had hypothesized that perhaps Yoshikuni's statement was true, that Kuze really did push blame onto his secretary, and the bribes collected by the secretary was simply a skillful maneuver he had planned during the associate meeting.

It was a magazine that had tabloids as its selling point, so not all the reports within could be true. However, the person named Mamoru Yoshikuni did exist, and it was affirmed that he died in a suspected suicide.

Was he really Shioriko's father? If that was the case, how did Shioriko learn this? Did she really intend to avenge her father?

“The time to appeal has long since expired, and Mr Sōichirō will probably not be wary of a nine year old girl...what we should be worried about however is whether Shiiko really has the evidence that proves Mamoru Yoshikuni's innocence.”

Koremitsu faced the basin as Hikaru floated behind him, saying this worriedly.

“First, we have to ask that brat.”

The biggest issue was whether she would come clean with what was going on...

On Koharu's command before breakfast, Koremitsu hurriedly repaired the bathroom's drainboard.

Soon after, he immediately hurried to Shioriko's apartment, but there was no reply no matter how many times he pressed the doorbell.

“Is she still sleeping? it's already past 10. Have they gone out or something?”

He tried calling Shioriko, but she did not pick up.

He then sent another message, 'Call me', and went out.

“I'll come back later...”

“Right.”

As he was pondering on where to go...

The cellphone in his pocket rumbled.

He assumed it was from Shioriko, but it was not.

Upon seeing the cellphone display, his eyes widened.

“Eh...Shikibu...?”

Why would she call?

She was pouting, glaring at him unhappily when he retired for the day early.

“...yeah, it's me.”

He answered nervously.

“Akagi, ar-are you available now?”

This was the first thing that stiff voice asked.

“Huh? Why?”

“Erm, well...just come by.”

“Huh?”

“Don't ask too much. Just come!”

Honoka stammered as she designated their meeting place.

After hanging up, Koremitsu muttered to Hikaru intriguingly,

“Why in a karaoke box?”

He reached there, and found that Honoka was already at the box. She was sitting there on the sofa, looking around as she blushed and fidgeted, while using her hand to tidy her hair and clothes from time to time.

It was a holiday, and Honoka was wearing a cut-soled shirt instead of a uniform, some flashy-looking accessories, and a mini-skirt. She was holding onto a large fabric tote bag.

“Miss Shikibu sure looks amped up for this.”

Hikaru looked through the window on the door as he looked at the mini-skirt that could only cover half of the pair of snowy white legs, blowing a whistle at that moment.

Koremitsu too,

(Isn’t that skirt too short!?)

Felt very anxious.

He opened the door, and Honoka lifted her head.

“So, sorry for calling you out so suddenly...erm, were you busy?”

She looked at Koremitsu worriedly.

“No, it’s nothing...I was just thinking about how to spend the time too.”

He blushed as he answered.

However, her face tensed up immediately as she said,

“Erm, just sit down here anyway.”

She patted the seat beside her, twice.

(As expected, the skirt is too short!)

Koremitsu sat down as she asked, and could not help but look aside. Suddenly, Honoka said with a serious expression.

“...I, thought about it a lot.”

“?”

“I was really confused during that time, and I did kick you once...you probably felt unhappy since Kanai’s gone, but you probably felt lonelier when I kicked you because I was so anxious, weren’t you...I’m worried that you’ll head down the lolicon route and never return if I were to leave you alone like this...”

Honoka stuttered as she played with her fingers. Hikaru looked completely interested as he listened attentively.

“Oi, you’re mistaken here. I’m not a lolicon.”

“I know! I understand that you’re going out with a little girl because you fell out of love.”

“YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND AT ALL!”

But Honoka looked like she did not hear it as she tried to force a smile,

“It’s fine, this is just a temporary thing. You’ll still love girls of the same age later on.”

“THAT’S WHY I SAID THAT IT’S A MISUNDERSTANDING!”

“I will become your Heliotrope and try my best to help guide you back onto the proper path.”

“Help...?”

After a pause, Honoka closed her lips and took out a photo album that had a swimsuit girl on the cover from her tote bag, and put it on her legs.

“Let’s look at this and correct your lolicon tendency.”

Her face was blushing red as she said with a remarkable expression.

“What are you saying? WAH! DON’T OPEN THAT!”

“You have to look at it no matter what. These may seem like photos of old grannies older than 10 in swimsuits to you, and might scar your eyes, but let’s do our best.”

Honoka raised her eyebrows as she told him off. She was like a female teacher who gave herself the mission to guide a youth back from the wrong path.

(ARE YOU SERIOUS!!?)

“Here, this page looks very racy, right?”

“UWAH!”

The photo that appeared below showed a large-breasted girl wearing a piece of cloth that either looked like underwear or a swimsuit, lying on the hammock and looking up.

“Thi, this looks exciting too, right?”

Honoka continued to flip the pages. Her face showed expressions of shock. She would bawl, and would even look away from time to time, but she never stopped moving her hand

“Hey, this is good, right?” “This butt feels very springy, right?” as she continued with an excited voice.

What moved her to work so hard?

There would be no other female classmate than her, with eye-catching breasts, nearly-panty-revealing buttocks, nicely shaped waist with a bare navel, who would read this kind of thing together with him.

“So that’s another way of using gravure magazines, huh? It sure is great to read ero-books with a girl.”

From above, Hikaru said this enviously.

As for Honoka—

(Argh. It’s so embarrassing that my eyes are burning. Why must she wear such a stringed swimsuit like that? Won’t it break if someone pulls it hard? Ahh, uuuu, this pose, the joints are almost separating. It looks painful. Hau, wearing only a shirt on a rainy day and sitting with her knees cuddled in? That’s impossible!)

She was secretly crying out.

This girl, Honoka, who was a cellphone romance novel author with the handle name “Purple Princess”, who helped solve females’ love problems and hailed as a master of love, was actually very late in her maturity.

Up till now, she had never went out with a boy, let alone a date, and now, she was in this cramped box reading an Ero-book with a boy!

(But this is for Akagi's sake. I must work hard to let him know that loliconism isn’t right!)

After much agony, she finally asked for help on the internet while hiding her identity as the Purple Princess, leaving a post “the guy I like ran off with a loli. What should I do?”

Normally, the senior onee-chans who were more experienced in this would answer such questions—but she definitely could not ask the Purple Princess’ followers. It would be too embarrassing, no, more like a great disgrace here.

She kept wondering about what would happen if her identity was exposed as she looked at the replies below,

“Why don’t you just show him the charms of a mature woman? Wear a very short skirt, read an ero-book together inside a closed room and slowly show your mature charms. Finally, show off a daring bikini at the pool to deal the final blow to him.”

These were written.

IMPOSSIBLE —Honoka said that as she sat and swivelled on the chair inside her house.

She would sometimes roll around on the bed as well.

(But I can’t just leave him as he is!)

And that was why, on this morning, she made up her mind and gave a phone call to Koremitsu’s cellphone despite a lack of sleep.

“A-Akagi, this should be enough, right?”

She continued to flip through the magazines as she asked.

Koremitsu’s face was very red too as he looked tense.

“I, I can say that...to you too.”

“Do you, have any feelings?”

“No...”

“Well, it’s fine if you don’t feel anything. Let’s take it one step at a time. You’ll definitely have feelings at that moment.”

Once she said that, she flipped to the next page, and there was a photo of a woman with a sexy pose, her breasts lying on the sand, and the straps on her back and waist were undone. Honoka was already dazed at this point, and her thighs and knees placed under the photo album were already full of sweat.

“~—-I, I really wish that I had such large breasts, but I wonder if my shoulders will be tired? Well, Akagi, which breasts do you prefer? This or that?”

She pointed at another photo album’s page as she asked.

There was a woman wearing a pink swimsuit, and her breasts were just large enough to be held as she floated in a ring and gave a wink.

“Which side, huh?”

(WHY THE HECK IS SHE ASKING SUCH A QUESTION ALL OF A SUDDEN HERE!?)

Koremitsu looked away as he was unable to make any sound.

Honoka frowned as she curled her lips sharply and stared at him seriously.

If he answered that he preferred the small ones, she would definitely call him a lolicon.

“This one...”

After thinking for a long time, he pointed at the larger ones.

“Eh!?”

She gave an unexpected voice, stared at the large breasts for quite a while, looked back at her own breasts, and lowered her head.

(What is it now?)

“Ah...erm, Shikibu, do you like such things?”

“Li-li-li-li-li-like as in?”

“Erm...photo albums of girls in swimsuits?”

“Idiot! How can I possibly like them!? I went to the bookstore to buy such things for your sake. I-I- I-I- I-I- I-I was so embarrassed when I went to pay up.”

“Is, is that so? Erm, thanks.”

“Okay, hurry up and get horny seriously!”

She said that and looked away.

(What does she mean when she says that she wants me to get horny seriously?)

Are these two things related?

There were a lot of things that could not be explained, but since Honoka was willing to do such things for Koremitsu like buying swimsuit albums and even trying to correct him, Koremitsu felt his chest heat up as he thought about this.

(It’s the same as before. Kicking me without warning, grumbling with such vicious words from her mouth...is it because she’s embarrassed...?)

—Miss Honoka Shikibu here is rather popular amongst the guys, you know.

At this point, he had to agree with what Hikaru said back then.

—There are a lot of fans of Miss Shikibu amongst the girls too. She’s someone they really admire; takes care of others, very frank and straightforward.”

“Why are you suddenly staring at my face?”

“It’s nothing.”

“If you have anything to say, just say it.”

“Now I know why you’re so popular.”

Upon hearing these words, Honoka widened her eyes.

“You, you idiot, wha-wha-wha-what are you saying now!? I, I’m not popular or anything?”

“Really? Aren’t you an expert at love?”

Honoka’s shoulders trembled, and she widened her mouth.

“Tha, that’s right. Ahaha. Well, I did gain some experience.”

She stammered.

“You’re really a good person to be concerned about someone like me. Thank you very much.”

“Uu.”

For some unknown reason, Honoka’s voice was stuck at her throat.

“You really have potential there, Koremitsu.”

Hikaru muttered to himself from above.

(What exactly do you mean?)

Koremitsu glanced at Hikaru. Honoka blushed as she said softly.

“Well, you see, I do ‘like’ you anyway...and I have free time now...well, I’m just accompanying you for a while. We, well...Akagi.”

Honoka suddenly turned her face up to look at Koremitsu as she stammered.

She looked like she was struggling inside her heart; her stare moved around, she kept changing expressions, and she blushed as she lowered her head to say,

“How about we go to the pool next time?”

“Heh?”

Why did she mention the pool out of a sudden?

Koremitsu was stunned to hear such words, and Honoka continued to stare at him seriously.

Unknowingly, Honoka’s knees were sticking right at his. Koremitsu realized this, and his face went hot and numb.

“See, Koremitsu? If you don’t say okay, Miss Shikibu will say something like ‘Never mind then’.”

Hikaru suggested with a sweet voice from above.

And just like the moment when Honoka confessed to him, her expression became sad.

“Never—”

“Okay.”

Koremitsu immediately answered as he did not want to see her crying face.

At this moment, the phone in his pocket vibrated.

This time, it was from Shioriko.

“Sorry.”

He knew it was rude, and apologized, but he had no time to leave the room first as he immediately put the phone to his ears.

Koremitsu gave a serious expression, and because of that, Honoka looked back at his face worriedly.

A sobbing voice could be heard from the other side of the phone.

Is this an act again? No, is she really crying—?

A weak voice could be heard as she said,

“Gra...grandpa, he...”

Hikaru floated down to Koremitsu’s side from above, got close to the phone, and gave a serious expression too.

“Shiiko’s grandfather’s heart isn’t good. He once fell sick this March and got hospitalized. Grandpa didn’t know what happened.”

Koremitsu’s heart immediately sank.

He yelled,

“OI! SHIIKO! WHERE ARE YOU RIGHT NOW!? I WON’T KNOW ANYTHING IF YOU KEEP CRYING! HURRY UP AND TELL ME!”

Soon after bidding farewell to Honoka, Koremitsu rushed to the hospital, and found Shioriko watching over Tomohiko, whose eyes were closed as he laid on the bed.

She sat on the chair, her body sprawled on the blanket, and she was asleep, ostensibly hugging Tomohiko. Her face was littered with tear marks, and there were still tears on her face.

According to what the nurse had said, Tomohiko fainted the previous night at home, and was rushed by the ambulance to the hospital.

Shioriko probably never slept after that.

She was no longer able to contain her distress, and made the call to Koremitsu. “I'll be right there!” Perhaps his reply caused her to relax a little as she fell asleep while waiting for him.

“Are you Mr Wakagi's relative?”

Koremitsu was summoned by the nurse onto the corridor.

“No, I'm not his relative, just an acquaintance.”

“Do you know any way to contact them?”

“I heard Shiiko's parents are dead.”

Upon hearing this, the nurse frowned with a troubled look.

“Is that so? When I talked to Mr Wakagi back then, he said he was living with his daughter.”

“Daughter...Shiiko's her granddaughter.”

“He seemed to have mistaken his granddaughter for his daughter then.”

Cognitive Impairment—this was the term he immediately thought of in shock. When he last met Tomohiko at the apartment, they were still able to converse normally...no, Hikaru had realized that Tomohiko was calling Shioriko 'Riko'.

(Is Riko Shiiko's mother or something?)

The nurse's frown deepened, and the tone was somber,

“Little Shioriko has said that he has been like this since last month.”

Koremitsu was stunned.

(In this case, Shiiko can't even rely on her only relative? Can a person's Cognitive Impairment be treated?)

He stared at Hikaru, and found the latter looking petrified, seemingly shaken by it.

Tomohiko must have become senile as a result of Hikaru's death. Having endured such shocks one after another, Shioriko still endured the pain silently.

His heart filled with bitterness, Koremitsu gritted his teeth.

“How's Shiiko's grandfather?”

He hissed, and the nurse still looked downcast, replying,

“His condition is stable, but may turn for the worst later.”

Koremitsu felt his gut wrench.

(If her grandfather's not around, what's she going to do?)

Koremitsu recalled his father's death, and felt breathless thereafter.

At that time, Koharu arrived at his elementary school and picked him up while he was attending class. When he arrived at the hospital, he found his father lying on the bed with his eyes closed. Masakaze was sitting beside the bed with his head slumped, and upon seeing his expression, Koremitsu knew that his father would never wake up again.

He was merely shellshocked back then, unable to react due to the abruptness, but felt an uneasiness of being dragged into a miasma.

Both Koremitsu and Hikaru knew how it would feel to have a relative pass away.

And Shioriko had only Tomohiko as her relative.

Hikaru bit his lips, his head slumped.

It seemed Tomohiko had to remain hospitalized for a while.

“What do we do about Little Shioriko? She slept in the hospital last night, but she can't go on like this.”

And then, Koremitsu said to the frowning nurse,

“Let her come to my house.”

Your grandpa still needs to be hospitalized for some checkups, so come stay at my house for the time being.

Shioriko did not disagree to Koremitsu's proposal.

She watched Koremitsu walk, and followed him with her head slumped.

“Koremitsu, hold hands with Shiiko.”

Upon hearing Hikaru say this, Koremitsu watched her hand, and found that her hands were clenched.

Once he held Shioriko's clenched left hand, her eyebrows sagged, and she looked ready to cry.

“Uu...”

She was holding back the tears that were about to roll out, her throat trembling as she held onto his hand.

(It's so cold...)

Koremitsu thought, a sharp pain suddenly poked at his heart.

They first went to Shioriko's apartment, and while she changed her clothes and packed her belongings, Koremitsu remained outside as he made a call home.

Masakaze picked up the line, and after hearing Koremitsu's explanation, remained silent for a little while.

“...”

Twenty years ago, Masakaze's wife left him after tossing him a divorce document, saying that she wanted to turn a new leaf of life. Since then, he always hated women.

Koremitsu's stock catchphrase 'That's why I say women' originated from Masakaze.

Masakaze had always warned Koremitsu about being too close to women, not to believe them, and even cruelly told his own daughter, “Women are useless”. Thus, the relationship between father and daughter was poor.

When Koremitsu brought Lapis home, Masakaze glared at it with a piercing look, asking,

“Just to be clear, is that cat female?”

“Eh, erm...it is...But it's aloof, and won't go about licking you on the face or climbing on your leg.”

After much clamoring from Koremitsu, Masakaze finally agreed to it.

“Koremitsu, you better chase this cat away sooner or later. Women are all like that.”

Masakaze said that with a frown.

His distaste and distrust of women was to an extent that includes animals.

Thus, Koremitsu felt that Masakaze would not be pleased upon hearing about bringing Shioriko home, and was tentative as he called home.

“...Alright then.”

Masakaze said solemnly.

“I'll tell Koharu.”

“Thanks, gramps. I'll bring her back later.”

“...Okay.”

He hung up.

“Good thing grandpa agreed.”

Hikaru, who was worried as he stood sidelong, heaved a sigh of relief as he chimed in.

“Yeah.”

Now, all Koremitsu had to worry was that Shioriko would not be terrified when she meets Masakaze and Koharu, for the latter two resembled ruffians.

He opened the apartment door, walked in, and found Shioriko standing at the door, carrying her backpack and the grassy green pochette slung diagonally. She was holding a luggage bag on her right hand.

“Woah!”

He was taken aback, not having expected that Shioriko was waiting at the door.

“Is this all your luggage?”

Koremitsu asked, and Shioriko nodded.

“I'll carry them.”

Koremitsu took the luggage back, and reached his other hand for Shioriko's hand.

Shioriko did not say a single word as they returned to the old wooden house of the Akagis. At his doorstep, Koremitsu was trying his best to explain,

“Eh...I have my grandfather and divorced aunt living with me, and well, they look like me. They may look like they're throwing tantrums, but that's just how they look; they aren't unhappy.”

“It is okay, Koremitsu. Shiiko has never been scared by your appearance.”

Hikaru said encouragingly.

(That's true.)

“But since you're so gutsy, you probably won't be scared.”

Koremitsu shook his hand that was holding hers intending to encourage her.

Shioriko widened her eyes in surprise.

“I'm back!”

Koremitsu pulled the door aside, yelling out as per usual.

Koharu was the first to come out from the room.

She was dressed in a rolled up sports shorts and a T-shirt as it was summer, and her hair was bundled up carelessly. This was her usual attire.

She carefully sized up Shioriko, and raised an eyebrow.

“Little Shioriko, is there anything that you're allergic to?”

This was the first thing she asked.

Shioriko was a little surprised, and she shook her head, answering,

“No, I can eat anything.”

“I see. Our house rules are that we aren't picky with our food, and we eat whatever we have. If you have something you can't eat, just tell this guy.”

She pointed her chin at Koremitsu.

“Shiiko can't eat long slithery stuff, so don't prepare any broiled eel in soy sauce or Yanagawa Pot.”

Once Koremitsu said so, Shioriko was immediately taken aback, and bit her lips.

“Relax, there's no way we're able to come up with such luxurious delicacies. Koremitsu, the stuff in the guest room isn't cleared up completely. She'll either sleep in your room or the calligraphy room for the night.”

“Oh, right. The guest room's like a storeroom now. I'll go clear it up later. Okay, come in, Shiiko.”

“...please excuse me.”

Shioriko removed her shoes tentatively, meek and quiet.

There were no slippers, a luxury, in this Akagi residence.

However, a white cat with blueish-purple eyes arrived at Shioriko's feet. It remained a little distant from Shioriko as it spun about elegantly, giving her a cold look.

Shioriko too gasped at Lapis.

“It's called Lapis...she'll play with you later.”

That last part was not directed at Shioriko, but at Lapis.

It shook its tail, apparently saying, 'If she has the mood', and immediately turned to walk away. Perhaps it was because it was acutely aware of Masakaze's imminent arrival.

With a hostile Yakuza boss-like savage appearance, Masakaze walked to Shioriko.

Due to his advanced age, the pressure exerted by him was more than Koremitsu and Koharu's. His eyes too were sharper than theirs.

Shioriko's cheeks and shoulders tensed up.

“Are you...Mr Wakagi's granddaughter?”

Masakaze asked with a deep baritone.

“You know my grandfather?”

Shioriko whispered back, and Masakaze spoke sternly, ostensibly fuming,

“I often play Go , so I saw him play. His playstyle is not about winning, but a highly upright manner that is very refreshing. I like it a lot.”

Shioriko relaxed her face and lips slightly, and Hikaru had his hand on her shoulder, giving a gentle expression as he seemingly supported her from the sides.

Koremitsu finally heaved a sigh of relief.

“You must have been worried about him, but don't worry too much when living here. Just stay here for the time being.”

“So-Sorry to trouble you.”

Shioriko's face was contorted as she looked ready to break down in tears. Her hands placed in front as she gave a formal bow.

Masakaze nodded slightly, and then returned inside with a frown.

“Koremitsu, the hot water's almost done. Let the guest have a bath before dinner. Don't let her use the cheap soap and shampoo you and gramps use; I got some samples from my workplace. Let me look for them.”

After saying this, Koharu too went in.

Koremitsu then said,

“Put down the baggage. Koharu said that the guest room is full of stuff. We can only finish clearing tomorrow, so just sleep in my room or the calligraphy classroom for the time being. Gramps has a calligraphy class there, so the classroom has the stench of ink. It's still much better than the animal stench in my room though. Ah, that room's separated from the main house, so I don't know if you'll be scared there...”

“...it's fine. I can sleep there.”

Shioriko calmly answered, her voice as lethargic as ever.

“Oh, is that so? Let's go there then.”

Koremitsu then carried her luggage as he led her to the calligraphy classroom outside the main house.

The Japanese-styled room was covered with tatamis and short tables.

He moved the tables to the wall, clearing out some space.

“Okay. You want a bath, right?”

Shioriko put her backpack down together with her pochette, and remained still with her head lowered. After Koremitsu spoke to her with a deliberate optimistic tone...

“Th...”

“Hm? What? You want to bathe later?”

“Thanks...”

Koremitsu saw her reply downheartedly, and was at his wits end.

“...I-It's nothing much. I don't want you to owe me anything, so you can just say whatever you want. Alright, go bathe now. You'll relax once you have a bath.”

Shioriko nodded slightly and headed off to the bathroom as per his instruction.

Koharu had prepared a towel, washcloth and a cute bucket containing a shampoo set and bar soap on the washing machine. Koremitsu handed them over to Shioriko, who took them obediently.

Koremitsu reached his hand into the water, and found that it was suitably warm.

The Akagis typically took hot baths, so Koharu must have cooled the water a little for Shioriko to bathe in, as it would be more suited for children.

“Just call for me if you need anything.”

Once he said this, he exited the bathroom.

He closed the door, leaned his back on the door, and took a long sigh.

“That Shiiko's being so obedient out of a sudden. I don't know what to do.”

Koremitsu would rather be agitated by her arrogant attitude than see her being so downhearted.

Hikaru too looked gloomy.

“Shiiko was like this the last time her grandfather was hospitalized, and I stayed at her house to accompany her. This is the second time, so I guess she's more worried now.”

“Can't we cheer her up?”

“We can only be with her for now and talk to her more.”

He said dejectedly.

As Shioriko was bathing, Koremitsu moved the blanket to the calligraphy room, placed the air dryer set inside, and made the blanket fluffy.

“Is it not too hot to put a dryer here in such weather? You can dry it out in the sun if you had known.”

“It'll get cold at night, so I guess it's fine.”

After that, Koremitsu returned to the bathroom, and saw Shioriko in a one-piece bathrobe and her hair wrapped in a towel. The towel bathrobe was knee-high, and could probably have been used as a pajamas.

“Erm...may I borrow the hairdryer?”

“Eh, okay. The dryer's on the wash basin. Just use it.”

“...Thanks.”

She shut the door.

And then, one could hear the sound of the dryer breathing out hot air.

“In the end, she is still a little girl at heart.”

Hikaru inadvertently chuckled.

They had hamburger steak for dinner, a rare sight at the Akagis.

There were thin slices of red carrots and green peppers. Koharu did tell them not to be picky with their food, but she still spent quite some effort preparing foods children liked to eat.

(Oh yeah. Koharu also has a kid the same age as Shiiko...)

Koremitsu suddenly recalled as he ate the hamburger covered with sweet sauce.

Koharu was divorced because her ex-husband had an affair, and at that time, her child, Koremitsu's cousin, was only 1 year old.

Koremitsu did not know how Koharu and her husband had negotiated things through, and though she often begrudged her ex-husband over and over again, she never mentioned her child, who was with him.

Koharu could never meet her child because of her parents-in-law demands. Given Koharu's defiant personality, this had to be something she had to agree to.

Though she looked and sounded aloof when dealing with Shioriko, one would notice her staring at Shioriko from time to time if he paid attention.

Perhaps she was concerned of Shioriko as her only relative was hospitalized, but as she continued to look at Shioriko, there was a seemingly sense of anguish in her eyes.

(I guess Koharu may have thought of her own kid when she looks at Shiiko...)

Koremitsu thought, and suddenly felt his heart wrench.

There were no conversations at the dining table, and it was extremely calm. Once Shioriko had finished her food,

“Thank you for the meal. It was delicious.”

She lowered her head in thanks.

Once dinner was over, Koremitsu brought Shioriko back to the calligraphy room.

The futon was already dried.

But it was 8pm. Even a child would not sleep that early.

“You want to play a game? I only have Flower Cards and Poker Cards. Ah, there's Go too. You know how to play Five in a Row?”

“I'm going to sleep.”

Shioriko calmly said and immediately snuggled into the futon laid on the tatami.

“Oh yeah, you didn't sleep last night, huh? Good night then. Call me on the cellphone if you need me.”

Just when Koremitsu was about to exit the room, a little hand was tugging at the buckle of his jersey shorts.

“What is it?”

He looked back and saw Shioriko looking up at him shyly, saying,

“Erm...well...”

“What? Just say it.”

“Well...”

She still had yet to let go of Koremitsu's shorts as she lowered her stare.

The silence continued as she seemed hesitant.

“...”

(Is she scared of being alone?)

“Alright, I'll give you a special privilege today. I'll be your watchdog for the night until daylight. Just sleep well.”

Koremitsu said as he slapped the futon.

Shioriko then spoke softly,

“Let's...sleep together.”

“Huh?”

Koremitsu was flabbergasted to hear this.

Shioriko cringed her neck and hid her face. She however continued to hold onto Koremitsu's shorts, and stammered,

“When grandpa was hospitalized the last time...Hikaru slept with me every night. That's why...”

(HEY, HIKARU!!! YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WEIRD TO HER, DID YOU!!?)

Though Koremitsu knew that Hikaru was trying to comfort her, he gave him a doubtful look.

Hikaru hurriedly waved his hands as he stood by the side,

“Of-Of course not, Koremitsu! Why are you looking at me like that? Even though I give my all when comforting women, I will not do anything to a nine-year old girl! I swear that I never did anything to her! I just slept with her normally!”

(THIS GUY'S DEFINITION OF 'NORMAL' CAN'T BE TRUSTED!! HIS IDEA OF MEETING A GIRL IS BY KISSING!!!)

“I really do not have any vile thoughts at all! Really! Are you saying that you can get excited by sleeping with a little girl asking you for help?”

“Y-You idiot! How's that possible!?”

Koremitsu inadvertently yelled, and suddenly sensed that something was amiss.

“No, I wasn't saying that to you, Shiiko.”

He then hurriedly explained matters to a worried-looking Shioriko.

Hikaru clapped his hands together, and apologized gently,

“Sleep with Shiiko for now anyway. Anyone, no matter whether adult or child, wishes for another person's body warmth when upset.”

Shioriko did not let go of Koremitsu's shorts as she retreated, biting her lips slightly, looking very fragile.

“Guess I got no choice.”

Koremitsu carelessly opened the futon, and Shioriko was startled as she clasped her hands in front of her.

“Hey, move over a little.”

Looking extremely tense, Shioriko moved a little, and Koremitsu sat beside her,

“This probably is the first time I'm sleeping with someone else!”

Perhaps he was cuddled by his mother to sleep during his infancy, which he had no memories of...

He laid the futon out, turned to Shioriko, and laid down beside her.

Shioriko immediately blushed.

“Don't look at me. Turn the other side!”

She pushed Koremitsu away with her hands

“Huh? You really are fussy.”

“I'm not! You have no delicacy at all!”

She grumbled, looking very embarrassed.

“Good grief. Is this alright now?”

Koremitsu turned his back on Shioriko, and immediately felt something soft sticking onto him. He was taken aback by this sense of touch he never felt before, and wondered,

(Kids are so warm.)

Hikaru too laid down beside Koremitsu, beaming as he looked on.

“It certainly is cute seeing Shiiko clinging on your back. How does it feel to be used as a hug pillow by a 9-year-old girl?”

(Shaddup! Stop laughing at me! Scram!)

Koremitsu glared at Hikaru, but the latter's grin remained as he observed them.

“Hey...want to switch off the lights?”

“...Leave it on.”

(How the heck am I supposed to sleep now?)

“I think it is better to remain as it is. I can see your embarrassed look when it is brighter.”

(You big pervert!! Did you say such lines to girls too!!?)

As long as Koremitsu opened his eyes, he would end up seeing Hikaru. Left without a choice, he kept his eyes closed.

Once he closed his eyes however, the sensation of Shioriko's body warmth and breath became more pronounced, and he began sweating nervously.

There was no way he could let his thoughts wander over a 9-year-old.

However...

(A kid's warmth...no, a human's warmth...feels very comforting. Why's it that I'm embarrassed yet relieved when it's like this?)

—and I can only relax when someone accompanies me...

I can’t sleep when I’m alone

Hikaru mentioned this before when they first met.

Don't talk about such weak things. Though Koremitsu had that thought, this first experience of body warmth spreading in his body was seeping into his heart, making it really relieving.

My back can at least provide some comfort for the kid, right?

Did I give some of it to her?

(If that's the case, that's good.)

It did not matter even if Hikaru teased him

Was that sweet grassy aroma coming from her?

His closed eyelids relaxed, as if melting.

His back, arms, legs were gradually losing all tangibility, seemingly becoming one with that soft thing.

(Damn...I'm starting to fall asleep too...how am I going to be her watchdog...?)

He was unknowingly falling asleep, breath by breath.

Hikaru's gentle voice rang at his ear.

“There's a big kid and a small kid. Sure feels like two kids are sleeping together.”

It was Sunday morning.

Shioriko had already woken up by the time Koremitsu did, and she had changed her clothes.

Through his sleepy eyes, Koremitsu could see her seated by the window, looking at her cellphone, probably checking through the messages. He immediately sat up in shock.

“Good morning, Koremitsu. You slept like a log.”

Hikaru giggled as the sun shone behind him. Lapis too was beside him as it stared at Koremitsu coldly with its indigo eyes.

(Don't block my vision now, damn it!)

Koremitsu glared at Hikaru, and found Shioriko staring at him.

He hurriedly greeted,

“Mo-Morning. You woke up rather early today, huh?”

He was a tad embarrassed upon realizing how he slept like a baby.

Shioriko too blushed as she calmly answered,

“...Morning.”

She turned her head away as she focused on the cellphone.

It seemed Shioriko too was embarrassed by this.

Lapis glanced aside, seemingly muttering 'what a brat' as it started combing itself nonchalantly.

Hikaru continued to beam.

Koremitsu pretended to ignore him as he said,

“Do you want to eat breakfast, Shiiko? After that, I'll go visit your grandpa with you, and I'll go to your house later to water the plants.”

Shioriko did not look back at him,

“...Alright.”

As she murmured.

The Akagi's typical breakfast was Japanese-styled.

On this day, breakfast included rice that was cooked to perfection, grilled saba fish slices, sticky natto, fragrant dried seaweed, and miso soup that included cabbage, mushroom and bran.

Also, there was milk and oranges, something that was uncommonly seen.

Shioriko finished her breakfast, and even brought her used cutlery to the kitchen.

“Erm...pl-please let me help.”

She whispered, and Koharu replied with relief,

“Really? Then please clear up with with Koremitsu then.”

“What? Me too?”

“Of course. You want to slack when the guest's doing work?”

“Guess I got no choice.”

Koremitsu washed the dishes, and handed them to Shioriko to dry.

Hikaru continued to watch blissfully, whilst Masakaze and Koharu pretended to be aloof as they watched on, scowling.

Bad news awaited them once they arrived at the hospital.

Tomohiko was still weak, and unable to revert back to his usual lifestyle. According to the hospital, it would be difficult for him to recover considering his age; Shioriko may have already realized this.

She clenched her fists, remaining silent.

Tomohiko laid on the bed, unable to get up, but he smiled once he saw Shioriko..

“You came to look for me, Riko.”

There was distraught in Shioriko's eyes, but she quickly showed a smile, and said,

“I'll take care of those flowers, grandpa. Don't worry.”

“Thank you, Riko. Have the Summer Camellias and Oleanders bloomed yet? The Kumquat should be golden now, right?”

Koremitsu saw Shioriko clench her fists a few times.

Their apartment was merely filled with a few pitiful light-colored flowers in several pots, and had no Summer Camelias, Oleanders or Kumquat.

Shioriko knew that Tomohiko was talking about the house they had before they moved, and she knew that he assumed he was talking to her daughter. She continued to force a smile however, and this wrenched Koremitsu's heart.

Hikaru too frowned despondently.

“I have to get back there before the Summer Camellias wilt.”

“Y-Yeah, let's go view some flowers together, grandpa.”

Shioriko nodded, and Tomohiko squinted his eyes tenderly. He could no longer differentiate between his daughter and granddaughter, but he really loved them all the same.

He also thanked Koremitsu,

“Riko has been in your care. Thank you for everything.”

“Not really. My family's rather happy too. It looks like they're happy with the change in our family.”

Koremitsu tried his best to sound courteous as he answered,

But Tomohiko's blissful smile was too heartwrenching for him.

After that, they arrived at the apartment, and Shioriko remained gloomy as they watered the pots indoors and at the balcony.

She clearly sensed that her grandfather was becoming feeble. Though he remained spirited in the hospital as he smiled, he was most likely trying his best to remain that way.

Shioriko's eyebrows were droopy, and she remained silent.

“Let's rest for a while.”

Koremitsu handed the baumkuchen and coffee milk he bought at the convenience store to Shioriko.

She was nudged and made to sit at the short, round table, but did not eat.

She merely took the cake out from the bag and held it in her hand.

“Don't you like to eat such things, Shiiko?”

Hikaru spoke to her as he floated to her side; naturally, she did not react.

Koremitsu picked up the baumkuchen from Shioriko's hand, peeled off the outermost layer, and put it in his mouth.

Hikaru's eyes widened in shock.

“Don't you hate sweet stuff, Koremitsu?”

Koremitsu ignored him as he peeled off one layer of cake after another, putting them in his mouth.

(Damn it. It's like my tongue's covered in sugar.)

Shioriko lifted her head as she watched him eat one layer of cake after another in shock. Scowling, Koremitsu then handed the cake to her, and she started peeling one layer after another, eating them.

“...”

Both of them ate silently

Hikaru had said before that it was unladylike to eat the baumkuchen one layer after another, and hoped that she would change. However, at this point, he merely watched over them silently.

After some time, the baumkuchen got smaller, and Shioriko put the last bite into her mouth. She lowered her head as she chewed on it, spaced out for a little while, and murmured,

“Grandpa is...a very kind person...”

Koremitsu did not know what to answer, and could only wait with bated breath.

She then continued,

“That's why...he ended up like that...”

She suddenly frowned, and hissed hoarsely,

“That's why I mustn't become a good person.”

There was a sinister tinge of emotion in these words, causing Koremitsu to worry and feel a little angsty.

“Why can't you? You liked your grandpa because he's very kind, isn't it?”

“...”

Koremitsu whispered to Hikaru in the toilet.

“What am I supposed to do in such situations? Don't you have any jokes that can make a woman laugh?”

“It is foolish. The situation will worsen if the joke fails to work”

“Argh. How am I supposed to cheer her up?”

“If only we can buy something to cheer Shiiko up.”

“Like a toy?”

“Hm...”

Both of them pondered for a while, but were unable to think of anything.

The aid came at an unexpected moment.

Once Koremitsu reached home, he found a large plushie sitting in the middle of the living room.

“What's this?”

It was a mysterious creature with a long face—the head and body as one, a creature akin to a kappa, a hamster or an ant.

“...It's a prize I got from pachinko.”

Masakaze scowled as he said,

“It's a waste to throw it away...so I brought it back. We so happened to have a young guest with us after all.”

(I thought gramps doesn't play pachinko at all?)

Koremitsu was gobsmacked upon hearing this flimsy lie.

Did his grandfather really assume that nobody would see through it?

(So gramps went out to buy the plushie? He carried it home like that? Didn't he think of how he looks like a bad guy with this...)

Koremitsu imagined the sight of his scowling, savage-looking grandfather walking down the street with a composite plushie of kappa, hamster and ant, and shuddered at the thought.

(Gramps probably did it to cheer Shiiko up.)

It was clumsy of him, but certainly something he would do.

“Your grandfather is really cool.”

Hikaru beamed.

Can this grandfather, born before the Second World War, be called cool...?

“What's this anyway?”

“I don't know.”

“How do you not know...?”

“The shop attendant recommended this, saying that it's a trendy thing girls like most...of course, I'm talking about the attendent at the pachinko shop.”

Masakaze gave two dry coughs.

“At least ask her what this name is...”

Koremitsu grumbled, but Shioriko murmured,

“A Capybara.”

Koremitsu turned around, and saw Shioriko holding the plushie whilst blushing.

“This thing's called a Capybara?”

He asked, and she continued to stare at it before nodding hard.

Hikaru then gently explained,

“It is a large hamster-like animal living in the Amazon River. There are a lot of related merchandises on the market, and it is popular amongst the girls.”

(This weird long creature is popular?)

Koremitsu was a little flabbergasted.

“Ah...Shiiko. Do you want that, erm, Capybara? This cute thing doesn't seem to go well with my family.”

Shioriko stared at Koremitsu.

It seemed she wanted it, but was too shy to say so,

“Take it.”

And so, Koremitsu took it and pushed it into her arms.

“...Thanks.”

Shioriko smiled as she embraced it.

Masakaze pretended to read the newspapers, but in truth, he was glancing at her.

With the plushie in her hands, Shioriko tottered towards Masakaze, and bowed, saying,

“Thank you, grandfather Akagi.”

“...I just so happened to win a prize.”

Masakaze hid his face behind the newspaper again, probably trying to hide his blushing face..

Koremitsu then ushered Shioriko back to the calligraphy room while she continued to lean her cheek on the plushie delightfully.

“I'm going off for a while now.Is that alright? You won't feel bored?”

“...I'm going to do my homework.”

Shioriko continued to hold onto the plushie as she answered and sat down on the tatami.

“I won't bother you then.”

Once he said this, Koremitsu and Hikaru left the room.

“Right. Now to clean up the guest room.”

“I really wished I could help. Shall I change into a maid costume and cheer for you 'do your best, master'? Or do you prefer to have a cheerleader?”

“I don't want any! Right, got to do something first.”

Koremitsu returned to the living room, and thanked Masakaze.

“Thanks for buying the plushie for Shiiko, gramps. She's much more livelier.”

“Just something I won as a prize.”

Masakaze continued to insist.

Well, I'll just assume that's the case.

Masakaze's face was shrouded in pessimism.

“Anyway...how's Mr Wakagi doing?”

Koremitsu's heart sank.

“It doesn't...look good.”

He repeated what he heard at the hospital, and upon hearing this, Masakaze's frown deepened.

“It looks like Shiiko will be staying with us for a while...I'll try my best to take care of her so that she won't trouble you.”

“I don't find it troublesome at all. It's rude to say such things to the guest.”

Masakaze warned harshly.

And with that sharp expression of his, he stared into the air, and looked gloomily, saying,

“Mr Wakagi was my savior. Twenty years ago, when your grandmother left me, I practically spoke with no one; I was frowning, my eyes sharp as knives...nobody in the Go club dared to talk to me, and I felt it was okay to remain like this.”

At that time, Tomohiko was the only one willing to talk to him.

—Would you like to have a game with me?

He sat down in front of Masakaze, and asked amicably.

When they were playing, he talked about his own family with a sincere and heartfelt tone.

Matters like his wife passing away, and him raising his young daughter, born to him at a late age.

Though his life was filled with trepidation and failures, that he had the arduous life, there were still things to be happy about.

—The older we become, the more things we will lose, but we will get certain things. I think those things are what we should treasure.

Masakaze was impetuous and distrustful because his wife left him, and upon hearing Tomohiko's words, felt a silent shock in his heart.

Even if he lost something, he gained something.

At this point, he realized they were important.

“The reason why this savage looking man, annoying old geezer isn't alone is because of those words Mr Wakagi said...”

Masakaze must have been reminiscing the past 20 years.

He closed his eyes, looking enlightened.

(Savior...)

Masakaze's words too throbbed Koremitsu's heart.

He muttered,

“Mr Wakagi...really is an unbelievably good man.”

—I definitely don't want to be a good guy.

Shioriko once said this in anguish.

But her grandfather saved Koremitsu's grandfather 20 years ago.

Even 20 years on, Masakaze spoke graciously of Shioriko's grandfather—Tomohiko Wakagi, that he was a good man.

This point itself blew aside all the darkness in Koremitsu's heart.

“Say these words to Shiiko next time, gramps.”

Masakaze clearly looked flustered upon hearing that, seemingly awkward before he answered aloofly.

“Humph, how would women understand such things?”

“I never thought Mr Tomohiko had such a wonderful conversation with your grandfather. It certainly is an enigma how humans can get along with each other through various ways?”

Hikaru spoke seriously as Koremitsu went from the living room to the guest room.

“I suppose the reason why we became friends is because I saw the moment you saved that old man you did not know from being knocked down back then.”

“Such an annoying coincidence.”

“But such small bonds have certain significances besides coincidence itself. It really is great that I am able to maintain this bond with you.”

“Really? I think it's during the time I went to your funeral...”

“Are you regretting it?”

“What do you think?”

Koremitsu answered coldly, for he was suddenly embarrassed at the mere mention of it, and slid the paper door aside.

What feelings will I have 20 years later when I recall what I did with this guy?

Perhaps Hikaru will no longer be with me...

Upon thinking about this, Koremitsu felt a prick in his heart.

“Right. Time to get to work.”

He tried to motivate himself.

It was a lot more work than what he had assumed, as everything inside was a mess. His first actions were to move the bulky items to his room first.

While Koremitsu was sweating away as he toiled, Hikaru floated above as he watched,

“You really are a blue-collared guy, Koremitsu. That is so cool. Ah right, construction work clothes will definitely suit you, like this kind.”

He said as he changed into a set of work clothes that did not suit him at all.

“Try wearing it one day and go out to hook some girls. They will surely be mesmerised by your savageness.”

(I'm really regretting the fact that I went to your funeral.)

Koremitsu grumbled in his heart.

After finally finishing the work, Koremitsu returned to the calligraphy room.

Shiorio was seated on the floor, staring at the phone

Her stiff sidelong expression shocked Koremitsu.

(Why's she looking so depressed again?)

The Capybara plushie was placed beside her as she leaned on it, looking grim as she stared at the cellphone.

Was she waiting for contact from the hospital?

(I thought she'll be a little happier once gramps bought the plushie for her. Is there something...?)

Koremitsu looked around the room, and saw no forms of entertainment, just inkstones and brushes.

(Oh yeah!)

He moved a short table that was leaning on the wall, brought it to Shioriko, and dropped it heavily in front of her.

Shioriko widened her eyes, and Hikaru too looked surprised,

“Alright. Let's do calligraphy.”

Shioriko's face was full of skepticism as Koremitsu laid out pieces of calligraphy paper in front of her. He then started to grind the ink in a fluid manner.

“Try writing something. Anything you think of.”

He placed the pen brush in her hand, and she merely stared at the papers blankly, not moving at all.

“What words do you like?”

“...”

“Ah, seriously...”

Koremitsu grabbed another ink brush, reached his arm out from behind her, dipped the brush into the ink, and drew a large word on the paper

Firm and vigorous black strokes.

The lines and curves were filled with utmost vigor.

With bated breath, Shioriko watched the word written on it—the marks left behind by the brushstrokes.

“...Purple?”

“Yeah. That's your name.”

Shioriko blushed as she stared at this word, filled with such vitality.

“Right. Now it's your turn.”

He then laid out another layer of paper.

She gulped, and slowly moved her ink brush.

And then, she wrote the word 'purple' cautiously.

“Your handwriting looks better...”

Shioriko complained, and Koremitsu suggested,

“You need to add more force here. Just write with more strength.”

He did a sample writing on the paper Shioriko wrote on, and once Shioriko took a look at it, wrote the word on a third piece of paper.

The sticky ink was splattered upon the Japanese writing paper, and she frowned, complaining,

“The ink's squirting out.”

“So be it then. Keep writing.”

“Argh, it got on my clothes..”

“It'll be clean after washing them.”

Shioriko puffed her cheeks as she wrote again, but she groaned dejectedly, unhappy with her attempt,

“How do I make this part a little thicker?”

“Tilt the stalk a little, and use this part to write.”

Shioriko continued to write 'purple' over and over again while this conversation continued.

The lifeless, feeble thin brushstrokes soon became thick, larger, and vigorous.

Whenever Koremitsu was depressed or agitated in his youth, he would sit in front of the short table alone, and write.

He wrote on the papers, venting his emotions on it.

And then, he would spread his arms wide, full of reprieve as he laid on the tatami covered in brushstroke words.

Back then, all he could see was a black ceiling, but this time, he saw an angelic boy with soft blond hair, smiling at him with a gentle expression.

It was dazzling, like all the light gathered upon a single point.

Shioriko too began to smile.

“Try writing something else this time.”

“Okay.”

Koremitsu wrote the words 'blameless', 'upright', 'honest poverty' and 'genteel', wanting her to repeat the words. However, Shioriko puffed her cheeks and defiantly wrote the words 'getting rich quick', 'fast profits', words that a 4th grader typically would not learn in school.

“Your desire's too strong. This 'rich' word is off-shape already.”

“What can I do? There're too many strokes.”

Koremitsu then wrote a proper looking word with his brush, and Shioriko looked on unhappily.

“If your inner heart is pure, the words you write will be neat and pretty.”

“What has that got to do with this!”

Shioriko was a little miffed, and wrote the same word a few times,

“Argh...if a dog can write it well, why can't I do it?”

“You're being greedy by using too much ink now.”

“Shut up!”

Shioriko drew a circle on Koremitsu's right arm.

“You!”

She drew two loach-like beard strands on him, and then burst into laughter.

“Hahaha, that's a stupid looking face.”

“You brat. This is payback!”

“Kya!”

A large circle was drawn around Shioriko's right eye.

“What're you doing!?”

Shioriko shouted, and drew a spiral on Koremitsu's cheek. In response, he fought back, resulting in both of them having black faces.

From above, Hikaru giggled,

“Both of them certainly are like kids.”

“What's with those faces!? Were you drawing on each other's faces!? Even your clothes are covered in ink!”

Koharu bellowed, and ordered them to shower.

Once Shioriko was done, Koremitsu wiped his face clean, and removed his clothes in the bathroom.

“It certainly looks like Shiiko has recovered somewhat. You seem more adept at cooing kids than me, Koremitsu.”

“Who cares about that. That's the only thing I could think of.”

Koremitsu retorted impatiently at his grinning friend.

After dinner, Shioriko and Masakaze were playing Five-in-a-line.

Koremitsu and Koharu were commenting,

“That's where you should put it next, right?”

“I'll put it here, if it's me.”

And Masakaze, upon hearing their comments, hissed at them,

“Just shut up already!”

However, Shioriko seemed really happy.

Once Koremitsu saw that Lapis was lying on her lap, he widened his eyes, exclaiming,

“That damned cat wouldn't let me touch it ever since it came to our house!”

“Really?”

Shioriko beamed, and tickled Lapis' throat and back to show off. It let Shioriko cuddle itself.

“Lapis likes to be near me too.”

Hikaru then proceeded to pet Lapis, and Koremitsu gritted his teeth vexingly. Koharu told him off with a ‘Don't be rude to the guest!’ for his actions.

Koremitsu moved Shioriko's luggage to the guest room, and laid out the futon. Shioriko stood by the side, looking forlorn as she lowered her head, and after a little silence, whispered,

“Erm...will you be sleeping with me today?”

“Oh, sure.”

Koremitsu was no longer as hesitant as he was the previous day.

“Heh, Koremitsu, you have matured quite the bit. You can answer like this if a girl invites you in with 'I don't feel like going home'.”

Hikaru chimed in.

(Shut up!)

Koremitsu frowned.

There was no difference between being a pillow for a day or two; it was needless for him to feel awkward again.

Shioriko shyly averted her eyes, and tucked herself into the futon together with the Capybara plushie.

“Do you still want the lights on?”

“No...it's fine. Switch it off.”

After dimming the light in the bulb, he laid down beside Shioriko, his back turned towards her.

And so,

“Not there. Turn...towards me.”

Shioriko whispered.

“You said the other way last night!”

“La-last night was different!”

“Goodness.”

He complied with her demands, and both of them were facing each other up close, causing her to be overly tense.

Koremitsu too had no idea where to look.

For the petite body, small enough to fit into his clutches, was right in front of him.

And this time, Shioriko, whilst holding onto the Capybara plushie, was leaning her head unnaturally beside Koremitsu's neck.

(Thi-This is harder to deal with than yesterday!)

The sweet aroma of tender grass and soft silky hair were resting upon Koremitsu's throat and collarbone, and the latter tried his best to resist the urge to jump up.

Shioriko whispered,

“...Hikaru...would stroke my hair and kiss my forehead before we slept.”

(HEY!!)

Koremitsu looked past Shioriko, and glared at Hikaru.

The latter was originally at the wall, petting Lapis on the back as he beamed at them,. Once he noticed this glare, he retreated, and flailed his hands,

“I simply kissed her lightly on the forehead like a mother putting her child to sleep cutely! I had no other intentions!”

So he replied.

Shioriko continued, clearly feeling lonely.

“And...he would say stories to me until I sleep.”

“Wait! Shiiko! That's—!”/span>

Hikaru flusteredly tried to prevent Shioriko from continuing.

But she could not hear him, and Koremitsu, who was often teased by Hikaru, finally had the chance for revenge.

“Oh? What kind of a fantasy story did that guy say?”

“A prince's story.”

“Oh?”

As Koremitsu expected, it seemed to be a fairy tale. Little girls probably liked such stories.

“In a certain kingdom, there was a handsome prince. The prince really liked flowers...he likes all the flowers in the world.”

(So he's the protagonist of his own story. How unabashed that is.)

Hikaru remained silent. Perhaps he had his head cuddled in the darkness, blushing in embarrassment. Upon thinking of this, Koremitsu was smirking within.

“However...the prince really loved a single flower, and that flower vanished. That's why the prince wanted to find a flower that he could love more. However, he just could not find one...”

Shioriko's tone had taken on a forlorn vibe, perhaps due to her loneliness.

The fleeting voice and feelings she would never be able to convey resonated somewhere within him, along with the voice of the girl, his first love which had just ended.

Upon hearing this, Koremitsu gave a grim look.

Why was that?

Certainly, Shioriko's voice and tone was different from Yū's,

Right.

Yū once lowered her eyes, and spoke with a fleeting voice.

—Hikaru said that...there is only one exception... that though they were deeply in love with each other, they could not embrace each other...

—he looked really anguished when he said this...

The lost flower.

He was looking for a special flower he could truly love.

(Yū's words are similar to Shiiko's. Is this...a coincidence?)

In the midst of the dim light, Hikaru's expression could not be seen clearly.

But Hikaru had his head cuddled, his neck lowered.

And because Koremitsu could not see it, he felt frustrated.

(The Hikaru I know is can be called a harem prince, and is good towards most of the girls. But which amongst them does he really treasure most...)

Shioriko's young voice was quivering.

“All the flowers in the world has their own form of beauty, their own cuteness...but the prince could not find any flower that could replace that lost flower...the prince...was really lonely...pitiful...”

Her voice became softer.

“Hikaru's...very pitiful.”

Why did Shioriko say such a thing?

Did she feel that Hikaru was similar to the prince who was looking for the flower?

The small hands grabbing onto Koremitsu's chest were tightening their grips.

“Hikaru couldn't find that special person...”

The moist breath was pressing on his neck.

“That's because, Hikaru's really lonely, really pitiful...I really have no choice...th-that's why I hope...when I grow up...I will be really charming...that I can become the good woman Hikaru speaks of, that I can be all he needs—”

She was stuttering, her slender shoulders shivering.

“I actually intended to be Hikaru's bride in the future...”

She murmured sadly.

“I wanted to be cultured, so that Hikaru won't fool around with other girls, but...”

Her little face was sobbing away on Koremitsu's neck,

“Hikaru is...isn't around anymore.”

And her nose, resting upon him, was a little moist.

At Hikaru's funeral—

Koremitsu suddenly recalled a little girl sobbing away, her eyes red as a rabbit back then.

Her fists were clenched, her teeth biting onto her lips as she cried with a furious expression.

That was Shioriko.

There was a middle schooler who could easily buy a house, and an elementary girl who went about conning middle-aged men.

There was such a vast difference between them, and yet an impossible meeting occurred —normally, there was no way they could have met. However, a bond formed and chemistry born between them .

Just like how Koremitsu and Hikaru became friends, slowly but surely.

Koremitsu's clumsy fingers took Hikaru's place as he stroked that soft tender black hair over and over again.

“No...I might say that Hikaru's right beside you.”

What emotions did Hikaru harbor when he spoke to her?

What did he feel when he heard that she wanted to be his bride?

(Maybe he regretted dying foolishly like that...)

Perhaps he was lamenting the fact that he could no longer touch her hair when she cries.

Shioriko leaned on Koremitsu's neck, snivelling.

“...Go on.”

“Eh?”

“The Prince's story...”

“Me?”

Koremitsu had never said a bedtime story to anyone, and was inadvertently flustered.

“Th...the prince's really pitiful if the story ends without him finding a flower...”

“Th-That's true...welll...”

Just as Koremitsu was frustrated, a voice came from the darkness.

“In his attempt to continue looking for the flower, the prince continued to travel, and on a certain day, he found a small Purple Gromwell”

A sweet voice arose, warming the heart within.

“The prince spoke to the white flower, 'don't think that I'm just a cute white flower. I'm a rare flower that dyes the entire world a royal purple. If you want me, you have to give me all your love, blood and money' she whimpered cutely, yet proudly.”

Koremitsu begrudgingly said,

“The prince continued to travel, and found a Purple Gromwell in the wilderness. That flower's a pesky brat, and sure is snobbish, yapping away, declaring herself to be a rare flower that can dye the entire world purple, and asked him to take care of her with his love and money.”

“What's that all about?”

Shioriko sounded a little miffed as she remained at Koremitsu's neck.

“That's how the story goes anyway. Shut up and listen.”

“The prince started to take care of the flower; this flower matured so quick, and was really reckless, shaking its body and petals to attract foul bugs. It was a chore to take care of her.”

“And that brat often created a ruckus, attracting bugs by shaking its body and petals, tormenting the prince to no end.”

Shioriko then scratched Koremitsu's neck with her fingernails.

“I didn't create commotions for no good reason! Can't you say it a bit more romantic?”

“I didn't say who that person is.”

Shioriko would kick Koremitsu, pinch his nose from time to time, but he continued to convey Hikaru's story.

The Purple Gromwell continued to grow day by day, changing little by little, and the prince was so delighted as he watched on.

He could see a different view of her every single day, and was really delighted by this.

He was really happy.

He continued to watch over her, never leaving at all—

Hikaru said elatedly, radiantly.

And Koremitsu conveyed the message.

Shioriko soon quieted down, leaning onto Koremitsu as she cuddled the plushie, listening attentively.

Soon after, snoozing could be heard.

Koremitsu's eyelids were soon bogged down.

Hikaru's voice seemingly faded.

“The prince knew that he'll never change...so he feels happy, blissful as long as he could see the flower change.”

The voice soon became distant, seemingly reflecting the loneliness in Hikaru's heart, causing Koremitsu's heart to throb—

However, Koremitsu soon fell into a deep sleep, lulled by that gentle voice.

(...Oh yea, what has this guy been doing while I'm sleeping? Do ghosts sleep...?)

He wondered before he lost consciousness.

Someone was shouting at Koremitsu's ear.

“Koremitsu! Koremitsu! Wake up! Koremitsu!”

There was a small, soft item pressing against his cheek.

“Please, Koremitsu, wake up!”

He opened his eyes, and found Hikaru staring at him anxiously.

Lapis was tapping his face.

The room was still pitch black.

“Ugh...what?”

He murmured in a daze, and heard a hasty response.

“Shiiko ran away!”

(WHAT!?)

Koremitsu hurriedly got up.

Shioriko, who was originally sleeping beside him, was gone.

He switched on the lights, and looked around.

Her luggage was still there.

But the Capybara plushie Shiiko cuddled was gone!

And also, there was a notebook, probably Shioriko's, laid on the tatami.

“Thanks for your care. I'm going to a relative's house. Please don't worry about me.”

Upon seeing the green words on it, Koremitsu was left flabbergasted.

(Where did you go, Shiiko!?)

### 005. Chapter 5: The Whereabouts of the Purple Grass

Hikaru said that there was a message sent to Shioriko's cellphone in the middle of the night.

Once Shioriko saw the message, she closed the cellphone with a gloomy look, pondered for a while, stood up, changed her clothes, left a message in the notebook, hugged her Capybara plushie uneasily, shook her head, and tottered out.

Hikaru could only move near Koremitsu.

He tried his best to wake Koremitsu up, but Shioriko had already left the house by the time Koremitsu woke up.

Masakaze and Koharu too did not realize that Shioriko left their house in the middle of the night.

Koremitsu was riding the bicycle, rushing towards Shioriko's apartment before dawn even broke. But she did not return there.

He went to the hospital, and after inquiring at the night shift counter, learnt that Shioriko did not go there. It was a miss.

“Maybe Shiiko went back to her old house.”

And so, Koremitsu followed Hikaru's lead as he raced over on the bicycle.

However, there was no human activity to be seen in the garden full of trees, shrubs and plants; the house was locked, and nobody responded despite him ringing the doorbell.

He returned home wearily. Masakaze and Koharu too were running around, looking for Shioriko; Koharu was asking people if there was a girl wandering in the middle of the night, whilst Masakaze asked the police for help, only to be rebuffed by the impatient policeman, who argued that she should be at her relative's house since she wrote it as such. That utterly nonchalant attitude from the policeman really enraged Masakaze.

(Relatives? Who?)

Shioriko had no relatives other than Tomohiko himself.

Finally, Masakaze and company went off separately to look for her.

Koremitsu and Hikaru went to Shioriko's school, her favorite park, and any possible places she could be, contacting Koharu and Masakaze from time to time. However, even at noon, they had yet to find her whereabouts.

Koremitsu then went to her apartment, where she lived when she was young, and the hospital.

Feeling guilty, he told Tomohiko that Shioriko went missing, but the he merely smiled and answered,

“Oh, Riko will probably come back when it's dinner.”

This made Koremitsu morose. He inadvertently gritted his teeth, frowning.

Upon seeing this,

“You don't have to worry. That girl's old enough now. Maybe she went to find her father...”

Tomohiko calmly stated.

(Father?)

Koremitsu exchanged looks with Hikaru.

Tomohiko mentioned that she was looking for the father. Would this father here be Shioriko's? But her father was already...

“Eh, Mr Wakagi, who's Shiiko's dad? Is he still alive?”

Koremitsu leaned forward and asked, but Tomohiko's eyes seemed to look into the distance as he vaguely answered,

“The father of that child in the tummy...should be somewhere in the Spring hall, feeding the bruins, travelling in the Silver World...carrying the sword of Seto around, watching the pitiful crickets...he may no longer be able to see Riko anymore...it's really tough for Riko to give birth without the father...if she hopes so, I too...wishes for her child to be part of my family.”

(Did he mix up the girl in elementary school with his daughter who gave birth?)

Koremitsu could not comprehend Tomohiko's words at all.

(Spring hall, bruins, what sort of fantasy is that? If he's in the clouds, that means Shiiko's dad is Mamoru Yoshikuni?)

Koremitsu glanced at Hikaru, and found the him pondering with melancholy.

And so, they were still without a clue when they left the hospital.

Shioriko did not return to the Akagis even at night.

The next day, after seeing that Koremitsu did not sleep a wink for the entire night,

“Koremitsu, go to school today.”

Koharu ordered him.

“Gramps and I will continue to look for Shiiko. If there's anything, we'll notify you firsthand.”

He was in no mood to head to school.

But he was too tense, too lethargic. Koharu advised him to first cool his head, and go to school for the day.

“Listen to Miss Koharu for now, Koremitsu. You'll faint at the rate you're going.”

Hikaru managed to convince Koremitsu to go to school.

Koremitsu sauntered into the classroom with large black eyes. Honoka, typing furiously at the cellphone, stopped in place completely gobsmacked.

The braided class representative, who would typically greet him tentatively, was standing far away, too afraid to approach as she watched on.

“Eh...Akagi, what's with you? You look very tired. You took leave yesterday, are you still not feeling well today?”

Honoka moved her chair over to Koremitsu, and asked this worriedly.

“Did something happen? You looked very jumpy last Saturday.”

Koremitsu grunted back,

“...the one at my house disappeared.”

“At your house? The cat you mean?”

“...”

Koremitsu dumped his bag and sat on the chair, a bitter groan escaped his dry lips.

It was useless of him to mention this to Honoka.

But he was at his wits end, forced into a corner.

“An elementary...school girl.”

And he inadvertently croaked.

“Elementary school girl...!?” Honoka gasped, “Is it that girl in the newspaper report? I see, so she's a relative of yours? What? That's how it is, huh? But, disappeared, as in?”

“...she wrote a message and left my house in the middle of the night. She still hasn't returned!”

“Left the house...?”

“I don't know. She wrote that she's going to a relative's place, but I have no idea who that relative is!”

He slammed his head with his hands in fury.

Honoka in response looked more worried by the moment.

“Did you go to the police?”

“Gramps contacted them, but he seems to be angry that they aren't going to seriously look for her. Damn it. If something happens to her–”

If only I had woken up earlier.

I guess it's not the time for me to come to school after all.

Koremitsu felt a knife twist in his gut, as regret and anxiety interwove within him.

“Please do not blame yourself, Koremitsu.”

Even Hikaru's consolation was unable to reach him.

At this moment, Honoka spoke adamantly,

“Akagi! I'll help you look for that kid too! I'm going to get everyone's help on the internet!”

Koremitsu lifted his head in shock.

“You...can do that?”

“I'm not sure since I never tried this before...but since you look so down, there's no way I can take this any further...I'll try it then.”

Honoka's expression and voice were filled with a yearning to help Koremitsu.

Those direct, straightforward emotions of hers caused the hesitant Koremitsu to harbor hope.

“Ask her for help, Koremitsu.”

Hikaru too sounded rather perked up.

“Please, Shikibu.”

“Right”

Honoka showed a reliable smile.

(This girl's eyes are really pretty.)

The situation was dire, but her blazing, lively eyes enthralled Koremitsu.

“I'll help out too~!”

“Woah!”

“Wh-What?”

Suddenly, a busty short-haired girl showed her face at the side of the table, causing Koremitsu and Honoka to be taken aback.

“Oumi! When did you come here?”

“Where exactly were you hiding!?”

Hiina Oumi of the newspaper club seemed relaxed as she faced the wraths of two angry glares.

“Well well, the pretty girl reporter appears whenever she wants to. I've already known the rough gist of things, so I can help out as well. Just think of it as atonement for that lolicon report.”

She prattled on.

“That report's all gossip anyway. I don't think you're the type to atone for such things.”

Veins were popping out from Koremitsu's forehead as he mentioned his grudge vengefully, but Hiina gave a teasing look as she curled her bewitching ample lips.

“Don't worry about such small things. My specialty is in search and investigation; I can do anything. If it’s to investigate the daily life of any male or female, I’ll even scrub the toilet to do that.”

“Well...we're in an emergency. I guess it's great that you can help me out. Thanks.”

Koremitsu glanced above, and saw Hikaru nod.

“It's decided then! Let's begin our investigation!”

“Hey! Wait! I never said Shiiko's name and school or anything like that!”

“I know everything!”

She answered cheerfully as she bolted from the classroom.

(Why does she know that!?)

Koremitsu was feeling jittery.

“Akagi, I'll begin now. Tell me all about Shiiko.”

Honoka had both hands on the reddish-purple cellphone, on standby as she raised her eyebrows, looking completely amped up as she said.

“I must find her before Oumi.”

She murmured to herself, but luckily, these words did not reach Koremitsu's ears.

She took the photo of Shioriko published on the lolicon report with black censor bars, uploaded it to her website, and asked for anyone to report if she was found.

Though this managed to gain a lot of replies, most of them were trolling remarks or ads for erotic websites. Honoka continued to watch the cellphone screen, tapping away at the keys quickly.

During break time, Aoi appeared at Koremitsu's classroom for some reason.

“Are you free now, Mr Akagi?”

Hikaru looked rather surprised, whilst Honoka, tapping at the cellphone, twitched her ears and shoulders.

Koremitsu got up and went to the corridor, whereas Honoka looked aside to peep on them.

“What is it, Aoi?”

Koremitsu walked to the window and looked outside. Aoi stared at Koremitsu with a serious expression, and said,

“Mr Akagi, I heard that a girl a relative of yours has disappeared. You must be really worried, aren’t you? Could you please let me help?”

“Where did you hear that!?”

“Miss Oumi...”

(That Oumi! Why did she mention that to Aoi!!!)

Hikaru already had a hand on his head, looking very troubled. He knew Aoi very well.

“You took care of me a lot of times, so I want to help you. I did not do anything for you the last time you were treated as a vengeful spirit, so this time...”

Aoi had a serious and earnest personality.

Koremitsu however was hesitant.

Though he was glad to see Aoi show such intent, she was ultimately different from Honoka and Hiina - a princess in a cage. She’s someone very precious to Hikaru. He did not wish to get Aoi involved.

“Thanks for your concern, but you don't have to worry about me.”

Hikaru lowered the hand on his head as he suddenly realized something, and interrupted Koremitsu with a poised tone,

“No. Let Miss Aoi help out. You may ask her about the latest events going on with Soichiro Kuze, any special events. Try and collect as much information as possible, no matter how tiny it is. Miss Aoi of the Saotomes will definitely be able to do it.”

(Soichiro Kuze? Shiiko's target? That monster sparrow?)

Koremitsu had long since forgotten that name due to the commotion over the hospitalization of Shioriko's grandfather. Upon hearing Hikaru mention this name, he suddenly felt a jolt.

Why investigate Kuze? And is it really good to ask Aoi to do this?

Koremitsu felt uneasy, but asked this to Aoi who has her head lowered in dejection.

“I guess I'll ask you for help then. Do you know about Soichiro Kuze? That old man who often appears at volunteer events.”

“Eh, I do...my father attended many of Mr Kuze's study seminars, and Asa is a member of the floral lover club Mr Kuze's chairs.”

“Great! Please investigate if there's anything strange going on around him, find anything you can find. Ah! Please remember to be safe too!”

Aoi widened her eyes skeptically at first, but soon broke into a smile. Her face reddened.

“I understand.”

“Don't be too reckless!”

Koremitsu too was overly protective when it came to Aoi.

It was not simply because Aoi was Hikaru's beloved, but also because she personally exudes a charm that would cause others to protect her at all costs.

Koremitsu watched the flowing black hair and clear white ribbon gradually disappear into the distance, and turned back to find Honoka inside the classroom, raising the back of her chair slightly, looking at him.

(Woah!)

Koremitsu was taken aback.

Honoka blushed once her eyes met his, and nearly lost her balance along with the chair. After panicking for a while, she puffed her cheeks, and said,

“So you asked Her Highness Aoi for help to find Shiiko?”

“Eh, yeah.”

“It doesn't matter, but be careful. Don't get expelled by the Matriarch Asa because you were flirting with Her Highness.”

“I wasn't flirting.”

“Oh really.”

Upon seeing Honoka pout, Koremitsu felt a little guilty.

After school, both Koremitsu and Hikaru went off to places Shioriko might have went to.

It was their third trip to the house Shioriko used to live in. Koremitsu conversed with Hikaru as they went on their way.

“Do you think Shiiko's disappearance has something to do with Kuze?”

“Yeah...it certainly is strange for Shiiko to take action now when her grandfather is in such dire condition. Mr Soichiro was her last target before her grandfather fell ill.”

Shioriko said that she wanted revenge.

Koremitsu recalled the report on the weekly newspaper regarding the incident ten years ago.

The mass food poisoning on Marine Day in Shimane Prefecture.

The children who ate the seafood hamburger at the community event the Kuze Corporation organized complained of tummyaches.

The Chairman's Secretary, Yoshikuni tried to cover up the incident, and was heavily criticized by the media.

Yoshikuni protested, decrying that the Chairman himself had asked for this to be done.

But Kuze had an alibi, and there was news of Yoshikuni receiving bribes from food manufacturers. Soon after, he died in a train accident.

“Mr Soichiro resigned ten years ago in response to this matter, removing himself from the role of Chairman, but in actuality, he still holds managerial authority in the company as an advisor. After that article was published however, I do think Mr Soichiro's position is a little unstable. Even if the timeframe for defamation has passed, Mr Soichiro definitely will not tolerate any little commotion. Also, if Shiiko really has evidence to prove Mamoru Yoshikuni's innocence...”

Hikaru lowered his stare in melancholy,

“What do you think? Does Shiiko really have evidence?”

–I found a letter from my papa written to my real mama..

Shioriko mentioned this to Kuze in the park back then.

And she said that her father said that he was innocent in the letter, and there was evidence.

Kuze seemed to be very concerned about that letter, and even asked the girl to hand it over to him.

If that was simply a lie to lure Kuze in...

“...I cannot be certain about that, but.”

Hikaru frowned uneasily,

“I did mention about the time when I stayed at Shiiko's house when her grandfather was hospitalized during March, didn’t I? At that time, she once threw quite the tantrum because she would not eat the dinner I prepared, and I merely answered 'is that so'. At that time, she sat down with her knees cupped in, so I was worried if she was frustrated over something. She then suddenly stood up, and exclaimed,'Why aren't you angry!'...”

–Why're you always smiling!? I said that I wanted to eat Carbonara, you made it for me, and I didn't eat it once you did it. Why did you simply smile and answer 'is that so'?

–Shiiko, you can eat it whenever you feel like it.

–Carbonara will become soft when left for too long; I can't possibly eat that! Why are you only showing a wry look! Why are you still able to smile! Grandpa, Hikaru, both of you are so weird; why can you forgive others so easily? It's because of that that you're tricked by others, toyed, and slandered–all the bad things happen to you!

She clenched her trembling fists as she shouted, her eyes squinting as she tried her best to prevent the tears from flowing.

Hikaru embraced her, and she slammed her little fists on his chest, sobbing.

“Perhaps Shiiko's reaction back then was because she saw her father's letter, and learnt of the incident ten years ago.”

Hikaru's tone was dreary.

He lowered his eyelids, and with a glum look, said to Koremitsu, who listened with bated breath,

“If Shiiko really wants to take revenge for her father, it's not going to be good for her whether she succeeds or not.”

Certainly, if Shioriko had credible proof, Kuze may try something to crush her.

Hikaru probably realized the worst possible situation, and looked extremely tense.

Even Koremitsu felt his gut being wrenched.

“Anyway, the most important thing right now is to look for Shiiko. Let us not think of anything else for now.”

“You're right.”

The duo moved through the silent residence in melancholy.

“Oh yeah. What did you do to Shiiko's old house after you bought it?”

“I would stay there once in awhile. It will decrepit if it is not inhabited for long, and the garden has to be maintained regularly. Shiiko insisted on staying inside only when she gets the money to buy the house back, but she definitely misses the place, and will sometimes head over there, but not often. She would stay by the outside to look into the apartment. In those situations, she looked happy, yet depressed.”

“What about the house now? The deed...”

“The deed...”

Hikaru's face darkened.

And then, he showed a thin smile

“After I died, the house is probably under a family member's name. I suppose they will not sell it immediately, however...”

For some reason, they were back on this topic again. It seemed Hikaru was not too willing to answer this, and so Koremitsu remained silent. Hikaru was always like this whenever his family was mentioned.

Perhaps it was because of his standing as the son of a mistress that makes it awkward; thus, there was some distance between him and his family.

They trudged on, and arrived at a small hut surrounded with fence.

The trees in the garden were rich in greenery, and Kumquat fruits were growing from the lush branches. There were also grass and orange lilies growing around. The Summer Cammelias were about to wilt, as several small white Camellia-like flowers were scattered upon the ground.

Koremitsu frowned, and just then, Hikaru widened his eyes.

He seemed stupefied as he remained still.

(Wh-What's it?)

Before Koremitsu could ask, Hikaru nervously said,

“Koremitsu...hide!”

“Huh!?”

Koremitsu did not understand, but hid behind the fence.

Hikaru eyes seemed to absorb everything in sight as he stared at the fence. He looked deathly pale, not blinking once as he watched on.

Koremitsu saw that there was a woman sitting alone there, and was stunned.

That beautiful woman had long blond hair that dazzled under the sunlight. Some of the hair was draped in front of her chest, while the remaining was bundled behind her neck.

She had white, near-transparent skin, goose-like neck, cute lips, and brown eyes with long eyelashes; At first glance, one would assume she was an exact duplicate of Hikaru...

Koremitsu once met this young woman before.

She was dresssed in a black dress, seated at the relatives' area at Hikaru's funeral.

Back then, Koremitsu was mystified by how much of a striking resemblance she was to Hikaru.

At this point, she was not dressed in mourning clothes, but a soft fabric blouse and a long pleated dress.

“Hey, Hikaru.”

Is that person your relative or something?

Just when he was about to ask this,

“...Please do not say anything for now. Just for this short time...please.”

Hikaru stammered as he pleaded, about to hyperventilate at any given moment. His tense expression gradually weakened, and he looked frail enough to disappear at any given moment, but the eyes that were staring at her were filled with an indescribable desire.

Hikaru continued to look on, his soul seemingly bounded, his eyes never averting the slightest..

Koremitsu watched from the side, and even he too was being smothered by the pressure, his pulse racing.

That woman placed her long slender legs gently on the floor, her skirt swaying as she strolled through the garden. Once she walked to a certain point, she suddenly stopped, and lowered her head.

That pretty yet crestfallen expression was fixated upon the bluish-purple flower in front of her.

The stem was growing out from the thin, long leaves, and there were tiny star-like flower gathered upon them, blooming.

Hikaru clasped his hands together, stopping the emotions from surging within him.

(That flower...isn't that the flower Hikaru was looking at when I was on my way to school? I remember the name's called the Purple Wisteria.)

–When I was young...I always thought this flower was the reincarnation of the Wisteria flowers, After the Wisteria flowers landed, new Wisterias will grow again...

–The floral language of this flower is 'news of love'...or...lover...

Just as Hikaru petted the flowers gently, the woman resembling Hikaru petted the light bluish-purple flower.

Her gentle actions, and even her mannerism of lowering her eyelids, were exactly like Hikaru's. This made Koremitsu skeptical.

She then showed a melancholic expression similar to Hikaru's, moved her lips slightly, and showed transparent beads of tears in her moist eyes.

The crystal-like tears silently slid down the white tender face.

She also wept back at the funeral.

It was a gentle, forlorn sobbing.

And yet, as she cried, her lips...

“Let us go...Koremitsu. It seems Shiiko is not here.”

Hikaru turned his face away, seemingly begging as he said.

(But that person's your...)

Hikaru clearly looked too anguished, his expression pale, his heart that had already ceased to beat, was almost splintered. Thus, Koremitsu did not ask anything, and quietly left, being mindful not to let the woman in the garden notice him.

(Don't you often go comfort women when you see them cry? It's not like you to see such a depressed beauty alone.)

Koremitsu muttered in his heart.

Once they left the house, Hikaru knelt on the roadside, cupping his knees as he lowered his head.

“...Sorry, I am really sorry about that...we have to hurry up and look for Shiiko, but...sorry...”

Due to the trauma caused by his mother, Koremitsu really hated it when people apologized to him. Hikaru clearly knew about it, but his mind was filled with thoughts regarding that woman, and had clearly forgotten about this fact. One could tell at first glance that Hikaru's feelings were not that simple; they were bitter, tormenting.

At this moment, Hikaru could say nary a 'sorry' as he remained silent, sealing his inner heart.

And Koremitsu stood beside Hikaru without saying anything.

The radiant sunlight indicating the arrival of summer rained down from the blue sky, scorching Koremitsu's face. He narrowed his eyes, thinking to himself that he hoped to at least be Hikaru's shelter when he is feeling down.

Curiously, Koremitsu did not know whether ghosts would feel heat...

“...”

Once the sunlight weakened slightly, Hikaru finally lifted his head.

He looked over at Koremitsu tentatively, and found him looking back docilely.

“Shiiko is not inside that house, right? Let's go look somewhere else.”

Upon hearing Koremitsu say this with his usual tone, Hikaru winced a little before relaxing his shoulders in relief, muttering,

“Thank you.”

“Oh...”

Koremitsu coldly answered.

At this moment, the cellphone in his pocket rang.

It was from Honoka.

“Akagi! I got information from someone who claimed to have seen Shiiko!”

Hikaru immediately sat upright.

The informant was a male who follows pop idols. He mentioned that during noon, while he was waiting for an idol to appear in front of the TV Bureau, he spotted a man in suit escorting a girl who was most probably in elementary school.

“He said that she's a pretty girl even all the current child actors can't hold a candle to, and regretted that he only watched without taking a picture. That twin-tailed girl has a grassy green pochette, and looks just like Shiiko.”

“Which TV studio is that?”

“Eh...?”

Honoka stated the name of the studio.

At this moment, another call came.

“Hello hello? Is that Mr Akagi? I heard that there's something similar to little Shiiko eating with a fat old man with an expensive watch at a hotel restaurant. It seems people are calling that old man 'director'.”

The posh hotel Hiina mentioned was near the TV studio Honoka had just notified him about.

Koremitsu cut the line, and exchanged looks with Hikaru.

“What's going on? That brat wants to be an artiste?”

“Impossible. Shiiko has been scouted so many times, but has insisted on not being an actress because of her mother. She would not accept any name cards at all.”

Hikaru spoke sternly, and this time, Aoi called.

“Mr Akagi, you asked me to investigate about Mr Kuze, so I asked father and the other elders. A friend of mine in school is also about to be betrothed to Mr Kuze's son.”

From what Aoi had gathered, it seemed that in Kuze's company, there was a power struggle between the secret backer Kuze and the current chairperson. Kuze wanted his sons to take over the company, but his three sons were very foolish, and the new chairman's party was hoping to expel Kuze's power entirely and take over it completely.

The director called Gohara was the main general under the chairman's side, and it was said he took a very cute girl away, hoping for her to be an image spokesperson artiste for the company.

(That image spokesperson is...)

This completely matched the information Honoka and Hiina gave.

Koremitsu stared at Hikaru, who nodded grimly.

Aoi then said tensely,

“I think that girl is Shiiko, the one you are looking for.”

And then, she suggested with a serious tone,

“Mr Akagi, how about we go visit the Goharas? I once met Mr Gohara at a party before. If I accompany you, perhaps you may meet him.”

Koremitsu begged many times to Aoi, telling her that she could just tell him the address, but she would not tell.

“I will not tell you if you do not let me come along.”

She insisted, and so, both of them arrived at the Gohras.

“I called the company, and was told that Mr Gohara is on leave today. He should be here if that is the case.”

“Hey, Aoi. You can just accompany me here. You already helped me out a lot here. You can go back now.”

The sky was dyed golden, and Koremitsu hoped she would return home before it got dark.

However, she swayed her long flowing black hair, and said,

“No. If you go in alone, they might think of you as a hooligan and call the police to take you away. You will gain some more unwarranted slanders in school again.”

She looked up at Koremitsu with clear sparkling eyes.

Koremitsu knew that she was worried about him, and was inadvertently touched, but felt worried,

“Miss Aoi sure is very stubborn.”

Hikaru too looked to have given up as he muttered,

“So you were with that wild dog after all.”

A chilly voice suddenly rang, and Koremitsu turned back to see Asai walking out from the back seat of an annoying looking Rolls-Royce.

“Asa...!”

(Saiga!)

“You retired for the day without telling me, and I was worried. I heard you went to your grandfather's factory, and even visited the uncles at the Konoes and Master Kiyoshi of the Takatsukasas.”

“Sorry, Asa, that is...”

Asai clasped Aoi's hands tightly, seemingly protecting her, and turned towards Koremitsu, giving a chiding look.

“Do not get Aoi involved in troublesome matters. Gohara and the girl you are looking for are not here. It is better for you to leave before things get out of hand, and before your infamous reputation in school worsens.”

“You are wrong, Asa. I insisted on helping. Mr Akagi did no wrong.”

Koremitsu hissed,

“...you knew?”

Aoi, who was protesting against Asai, gasped upon hearing this.

“Since you are so certain that Gohara and Shiiko aren't here, that means 'you know' where those two are?”

The blazing eyes were staring forcefully at Asai's pretty, stoic face.

Aoi and Hikaru held their breaths as they watched Koremitsu.

“What is it then!? Asai Saiga!”

The rage in his eyes looked as if fire could surge out from them. One had to wonder what would happen if it were to burn the ice-like stoic face of Asai's.

Asai coldly answered,

“I do know–”

Koremitsu clenched his fists.

“But I have no obligation to tell you.”

Upon hearing Asai's unsympathetic declaration, Koremitsu's face winced as he glared furiously, and he took a step forward.

The killing intent he gave off caused Aoi to shiver in trepidation, whereas Asai's condescending look remained unchanged.

“Are you seriously going to threaten me to spill the information with a barbaric method?”

(This woman is really, damn annoying. She's always thinking of me as an enemy or a lowlife. If she's not a woman, I would have beaten her up already.)

Koremitsu took the last step forward.

“Koremitsu!”

Hikaru frantically yelled.

The smile disappeared from Asai's face.

“!”

Koremitsu suddenly knelt down at Asai's feet, pressed his head heavily onto the floor, and yelled with a firm, determined voice,

“Please! Tell me where Shiiko is!”

### 006. Chapter 6: Father's Letter

(I can't remain as a kid.)

Shioriko held onto her grassy green pochette with her little hands.

Her legs were trembling, her heart was pounding wildly. Cold sweat trickled as her limbs got colder by the moment.

The vehicle transported her to an old Earl's villa.

The moonlight shone upon the English-styled garden and the retro mansion. Normally, this place would be open to the public; after a stroll in the garden, one could head in for afternoon tea.

However, the old earl's villa was booked for the day by Soichiro Kuze's charity organization. It was to be used as part of their regular meetings.

Gohara, who brought Shioriko along, said that the attendees were famous, prominent political and economical figures.

Soon after, Shioriko would head into their meeting.

–Do you want me to prove your father's innocence with you?

The man with the sinister smile, wearing a burnished watch, asked her this the previous day.

Before that moment, his subordinates had already contacted Shioriko.

It was during the moment when she deliberately mentioned Mamoru Yoshikuni to Kuze at the park, that there was a letter that could be used as evidence. On her way home, a white sedan drove near her, and a man in a suit, probably a white-collared worker, walked out from it.

–I am the subordinate of a certain person. May I ask whether you did that just now because you knew Mr Soichiro Kuze was the culprit who shifted the blame upon your father, tarnished his name, and drove him to suicide?

The man had seen through Shioriko's intentions, making her wary.

–If that is really the case, my superior has the same goals as you. If you really wish to take avenge your father, please call this number.

After that, the man gave her a calling card with a cellphone number and mail address.

Shioriko originally has no intentions to contact the man.

For she was still afraid.

However, Tomohiko was hospitalized again, and his health was worse than before, causing Shioriko to be at a loss to what to do. Anxiety, trepidation, jitters and despair rose in her, and she was almost breaking down.

Will grandpa die?

No, that's impossible. Grandpa will definitely be discharged soon. I'll be able to water the plants with him soon.

However, Hikaru, who was much younger than her grandfather, suddenly passed away. Perhaps he would really die.

The moment she thought of this, her heart was about to wither.

She decided that to help Tomohiko recover, she would con Kuze of his money, and buy the house back.

She found the envelope in the wardrobe, back when she was preparing the amenities needed for the hospital stay when Tomohiko was hospitalized for the first time.

The recipient was her mother, and in her curiosity, she took the letter out. Once she found that it was written by her father, who she had no awareness of, her heart instantly raced.

The sender was Mamoru Yoshikuni...

(This person's my papa?)

What kind of person is he?

Maybe I will be able to meet him.

Harboring such hopes, she searched the name on the cellphone internet, only to be met with startling news.

Mamoru Yoshikuni was a criminal.

He had pleaded innocence, but nobody believed him.Soon after, he stood at the edge of the platform, and was killed because he did not notice the incoming train. Others had claimed that he committed suicide...

All sorts of thoughts filled her mind, robbing her of her breath.

Some claimed that Kuze's alibi was forged, and some claimed that Kuze was the one who instructed Yoshikuni to cover the incident up. It was revealed that Yoshikuni received bribes–There were all kinds of speculations on the internet, and they caused Shioriko to falter.

At that point, Kuze continued to smile on the television as a famed philanthropist.

Shioriko wondered if her father was fooled by Kuze, just as the internet speculation had stated, and was made the scapegoat. This suspicion soon became firm belief.

Grandpa lost the house because he bore the debt for a friend. Papa must be like him too; he died because he was too kind!

–Grandpa, Hikaru, both of you are so weird; why can you forgive others so easily? It's because of that that you're tricked, toyed, and slandered by others–all the bad things happen to you!

She was unable to vent the turbulent emotions roaring within her, and could only take it out on Hikaru as she slammed his chest over and over again.

Hikaru practically embraced Shioriko for the entire night.

The next day, Shioriko was unable to look at Hikaru due to awkwardness, but the he merely smiled at her gently, saying 'Good morning'.

That warm smile was akin to her grandfather's, causing her to feel some form of solace.

If Hikaru was still alive, perhaps she would hide the contents of the letter deep within her heart.

However, he died, and Tomohiko had muddled her up with her deceased mother.

If she could get back her old house, perhaps her grandfather would get better.

For this cause, she needed money. Despite Hikaru's forbiddance, she continued to hunt sparrows; however, the savage dog that should be helping her got in her way, preventing her from achieving her means.

Feeling frustrated, she spotted the cover of the weekly magazine that contained conspiracy theories on the food poisoning case ten years ago.

She was practically tranced as she stood at the bookshop entrance, staring at the cover unflinchingly.

Kuze had such a massive company; surely he would be able to fork out 64 million yen.

Right, since Kuze was supposedly the bad guy who framed her father, there was nothing wrong for her to con Kuze's money.

It was revenge.

With this as her motive, she started investigations on him, and tried approaching him.

But at this time, Tomohiko fell ill.

“Grandpa! Grandpa!” Shioriko was shouting away in the ambulance.

She had no time to hesitate.

Perhaps Tomohiko would die the next day.

Back then, she received a call from Hikaru's, only to be told by a woman who claimed to be Hikaru's cousin the time and location of the funeral–perhaps one day, at any given moment, the hospital would call and say 'Your grandfather's dead'.

She writhed in anguish on the extra bed in the hospital ward, and got up to take her grassy green pochette. She took out the calling card, and dialled the number.

–I can meet your superior, and I can work together with him. However, since the 64 million Yen is something I wanted from Kuze, I want your superior to pay for it.

The other party requested for time to consider, and said that they would contact her again.

It was practically a deal with the devil, and she inadvertently felt fearful of it.

It was three days after her grandfather had fallen ill, in the middle of the night, when she received a reply.

The cellphone in her pocket vibrated, waking her up. She took it out, and found that it was that man.

There was only one line contained within that mail,

“We accept your request.”

Once she saw this, Shioriko changed her clothes immediately, and left the Akagis with her pochette and Capybara plushie.

The outside was completely dark, and the air was frigid to the point of freezing.

She called, and the man picked up the phone. She endured her trembling, and haughtily requested,

–Send someone to pick me up.

And so, Shioriko and Gohara were accomplices.

Gohara was the senior managing director in Kuze's company, and had always plotted to topple Kuze's current position.

Shioriko felt he was an arrogant prick, a good-for-nothing. However, since he was willing to pay 64 million yen, she had nothing to complain about.

Gohara brought Shioriko to the television studio, and introduced her to the news people.

–Isn't it very miserable to see a pretty elementary school girl plead for her father's innocence?

However, their reactions were not as expected, for she was too cute. One would assume that the news was fabricated, and not everyone would agree with it. There had to be bigger topic if they wanted to brazenly report something while taking the risk of going up against Kuze.

“We thought of something.”

Gohara explained his script; Shioriko was to barge into the charity meeting chaired by Kuze, with prominent political and economic figures in attendance, and face Kuze.

“If you create a commotion there, it'll ruin his image, and some might be willing to support you. In this case, the media will have to do something.”

It's all up to you–

Gohara said with a hideous sneer.

At this point, Shioriko was standing in front of the villa with Gohara.

The doors opened right in front of her eyes.

The torches were all lit within, and Shioriko was dazzled by the lights in front of her.

“Mr Gohara? We've been waiting. Eh? This young lady is?”

The attendant in butler uniform asked,

“A special guest.”

Gohara answered, and ushered Shioriko into the house as they scaled the red carpet staircase.

For every step they took, her gut was wrenched, and she was gradually finding it difficult to breathe.

It was scary.

Her legs were numb.

But she had to go on.

She suddenly recalled the amicable Akagis, probably out of fear, and as a result, was aching in misery.

(They were so nice to me, and even made such nice meals for me, bought this Capybara plushie for me, taught me to write calligraphy, slept with me, said bedtime stories to me...)

But if she were to stay, she would definitely weaken. She would then become hesitant and revert back to being a normal child! That was why she had to leave that family immediately. She should have left that Capybara plushie.

(I can't become a weak kid!)

For grandpa.

And for papa,who showed such concern to mama in the letter.

Papa definitely must be a good guy, just like grandpa and Hikaru!

They were about to arrive at the doors leading to the meeting room.

Shioriko grabbed the green pochette dangling on her shoulder, took a deep breath, placed her hand on the icy door, and pushed it...

“......What's......going on...?”

There were pots of orchids everywhere in this high-ceiling room.

There were orchids with narrow stems, orchids with long leaves and milky white orchids that were extremely glossy–each of them had a bewitching atmosphere to them as they gave off a sweet fragrance...

The window at the veranda was opened, and the moonlight should shine inside quietly.

In the middle was the director's table.

But there was only a person seated there, an old man with white hair, dressed in a posh kimono...

That man–Soichiro Kuze–was smiling gently at Shioriko.

“Good evening, young lady.”

Shioriko felt goosebumps all over her, her enthusiasm dampened.

“A-Ad-Ad-Ad-Ad-Advisor!? Didn't you have a regular meeting for the charity organization today?”

Gohara, who was standing beside Shioriko, was completely pale.

Kuze showed a calm expression as he answered,

“The meeting was cancelled. Didn't the secretary notify you? Did you forget in the spur of the moment? That is careless of you.”

“Please pardon me.”

The man who helped Gohara contact Shioriko suddenly appeared at the door.

Gohara looked back, and once he saw that person, he was speechless.

Shioriko felt her heart skip a beat.

(This man is actually Kuze's spy...)

Behind the man were a group of men dressed in suits, probably the security personnel.

There was no escape!

Gohara's face was flushed with fear and fury.

Shioriko held onto the pochette with her right hand tightly, her body stiff as she bit her lips.

Kuze stood up.

“–!”

Shioriko cringed in fear as Kuze deliberately closed in on her slowly. He stopped in front of her, and showed a calm smile.

The fragrance of orchids had gently ensnared Shioriko's body.

“I'm sorry that you had to make a trip tonight, but it is easier to talk when there are fewer people around. Gohara, would you mind leaving this place for the time being?”

“Director, this way please.”

“L-Let go of me, you traitor!”

Gohara's voice gradually trailed off,and the moment the doors were shut with a poignant boom, she found herself a little giddy.

“Alright. It's just between you and me now, so say whatever you want. Oh yes, I promised to treat you to whatever you like. What would you like me to serve you with? Is there anything you want to eat?”

Kuze sounded ever so calm as he spoke.

At that time, Shioriko felt a frail hand, dripping in poison, tickling her heart.

(Kuze saw through everything. He already set everything up!)

The despicable man she wanted to take revenge on was toying her, and this certain thought shook her greatly.

“Why aren't you answering? You're not hungry? Well, you may eat later. Would you please show me the evidence you have however?”

Shioriko held onto the edge of the green pochette as she retreated back.

“Y-You...you ordered papa to cover up the scandal, and made him bear all the blame! I know everything!”

“Is the father you're talking about Mamoru Yoshikuni? I never thought that he would have such a beautiful daughter. It certainly was reckless of him to do that.”

Kuze's eyes were filled with empathy, his expression anguished. One could not tell if it was either an act, or truly his thoughts.

“Yoshikuni certainly was a rare honest man. His only hobby is to go fishing on vacations, and will never indulge himself in luxury. Perhaps it was because of his serious personality that he personally decided to cover up the incident for the sake of the company. It really hurts my heart to think about that. Perhaps the reason why he would say that I, as the CEO instigated him to do so is that I would do certain things 'if I were around', and that he misunderstood that I was hinting for him to cover up the matter. But if I were present, there's definitely no way I would allow him to do so.”

Kuze sighed long and hard, seemingly feeling responsible for Yoshikuni's actions. This attitude of his rattled Shioriko.

“Even till now, I can't believe that Yoshikuni accepted corporate bribes. However, there were unnatural transactions recorded on his account...no matter how he tried to proclaim his innocence, no matter how I trusted him, I can't acquit him of his crime. Yoshikuni probably could not take the scrutiny from the public and the police, I guess. His parents died early, so I had to take care of the funeral...it was a real pity...there was no need for him to take his life.”

He showed his philanthropic face as he said such words.

Both Tomohiko and Hikaru would smile, and would never raise their voice to scold. No matter how unreasonable matters were, they would accept them calmly.

Though Kuze's smile was similar to them, there were marked differences.

“If Yoshikuni really gave evidence that can prove his innocence to your mother, please let me show it. Come, let me confirm it with you.”

Kuze spoke with a sweet orchid-like voice, and Shioriko shivered in fear in the face of the frail white hand that reached out at her, unable to say anything. Her legs were quivering as she held onto the green pochette tightly.

“Oh? You put it inside?”

Kuze grabbed the pochette.

“Ah...!”

The strap was snapped, and Kuze snatched the pochette away.

He pulled the zip, and took out an old folded letter. The post date was on July 20th, from Hamada. The recipient was a 'Midoriko Wakagi', while the sender was 'Mamoru Yoshikuni'.

He opened the letter, and read it.

Though frowning at first, his expression gradually relaxed, and he broke into cackles.

“This is just a letter to your mother. 'It's still hot today. Are you feeling already? I'll go meet father after that, telling her that you're pregnant and plead for his approval. I suppose it's better to get registered, so please take care of yourself and give birth to a healthy child'. Since he knew he has a child, what else is there to worry?”

Shioriko was flustered and furious, seething red.

As Kuze had said, it was a letter of concern for her mother.

There was nothing inside it that could prove his innocence.

It was because Shioriko read this letter that she believed her father was innocent.

That was why she believed he was a good man.

This letter was 'evidence', proving that he truly loved her mother, and proved that both were hoping to be her parents.

Kuze however viewed this talisman, which Shioriko kept with her at all times, as nothing, and even laughed at her.

She was unable to argue back; she had nary a weapon, and was practically empty-handed in front of her enemy.

“Alright now, young lady. It is a crime to try and threaten me with nothing and try to tarnish my name.”

He coldly stated, and then showed a warm smile again.

“Well, it is useless to say such a thing to you. A young girl like you can't possibly come up with such a plan. Certainly, a bad man must have ordered you to do so, right? Will you please tell that name to the police? You can admit that you're simply a victim.”

Kuze's objective was simply to get rid of Gohara, who opposed him.

For this, he had to pull Shioriko to his side.

Shioriko felt her body ostensibly being twisted once she understood Kuze's intent.

Everything had gone according to Kuze's plan.

She was a mere weak child!

“Are you willing to say so?”

Shioriko naturally did not want this man to get what he wanted. She clasped her hands tightly, bit her lips, and lowered her head, remaining silent.

“Oh? You don't wish to say so? In that case, I will have to hand you over to the police as a criminal.”

That gentle voice ensnared Shioriko's neck like a snake, and she closed her eyes and mouth tightly as if suffocating. She struggled like a person drowning in water.

(Hikaru, save me...)

No matter how she begged, Hikaru was no longer alive. He could no longer embrace Shioriko, and could no longer comfort her in her restlessness.

At this moment...

“I'll choke you to death if you dare do that!”

A passionate voice rang from a window at a corner of the veranda.

Shioriko lifted her head, and found a fiery-looking, tall lanky youth leap in through the window, his red hair swaying with the wind.

“!”

He was huffing and puffing like a dog barking madly, his dirty, soil-riddled sneakers stepping upon the thin carpet.

Kuze whipped out a cellphone from the inside of his kimono, intending to call for security.

The savage dog Koremitsu Akagi gave–Kuze widened his eyes, and in what seemed like an attempt to stop him, roared,

“Shiiko's your own daughter!”

She had no idea what Koremitsu meant when she said that.

That was the expression Shioriko had when she stared at Koremitsu

Koremitsu felt his heart being carved apart as he thought of the truth that would be revealed.

(I can't believe it either! Shiiko is Kuze's own daughter!?)

Asai told Koremitsu the original location of the meeting, that the charity organization's regular meeting which Kuze chaired was suddenly delayed.

“Figure out the rest with that slow-witted mind of yourself”, she said these words.

Whilst Koremitsu dashed towards the place, Hikaru spoke with a serious look,

“Shiiko fell into a trap.”

Hikaru even stated that it was likely Shioriko's father was not Mamoru Yoshikuni, but Kuze.

(This is too tragic to Shiiko, but Koremitsu, you still want her to know despite knowing that, right?)

Kuze had his cellphone by his ear as he remained speechless. Hikaru glared at him sternly, and stated poignantly,

“Shiiko's mother was an idol affiliated to a certain famous agency, and had yet to make her debut.”

And so, Koremitsu said to both Kuze and Shioriko,

“Shiiko's mom was an idol belonging to a famous agency, and did not make her debut back then.”

Surely, Kuze had yet to realize who Shioriko's mother was.

And so, he frowned slightly.

“She became an acquaintance with you, when you were a major sponsor. And then, you had an affair with this girl, whose age was young enough to be your daughter, or even your granddaughter.”

“At that time, you met her mother as a sponsor, but you had a relationship with her when she was still very young, and made her pregnant. As a result, she was fired from the agency.”

Shioriko widened her eyes, her face pale as she listened to Koremitsu. Her eyes were filled with confusion and conflicting emotions.

(I'll tell you every truth Hikaru said, Shiiko. I know this will make you sad, but listen to everything and have a new life from now on. I'll try my best to help you then.)

Koremitsu endured the anguish as he looked forward. Kuze, who finally recovered from his shock, calmly rebutted,

“What nonsense are you spouting? That child's father is Mamoru Yoshikuni. You see? It's what the letter stated.”

After saying that, he raised the letter with a smile on his face.

Hikaru immediately continued,

“Mr Yoshikuni stated in the letter that he wanted to ask his father for approval but you just said that his parents died early. His father is no longer alive! Who's he going to ask for approval”

Koremitsu snatched the letter and envelope from Kuze's hands.

Kuze flinched, and pulled his hand back like he was bitten.

“This letter contains something about 'asking father for approval'. You just said that Yoshikuni had no relatives to conduct his funeral! I heard it all on the veranda!”

Koremitsu handed the letter to Shioriko, and closed in on Kuze with a ferocious look, causing the latter to retreat in fear.

“Was he going to ask his father at his grave?”

“Who knows. He would not be able to get his father's approval either way, and if the family registration will not happen, why would he do that?”

Hikaru's eyes looked sharper than before, like a lake absorbing the moonlight.

Shioriko pressed the letter tightly to her chest, her expression faltering uneasily.

“If it had not been Mr Yoshikuni's child, but his superior's, which would mean you in this case...Shiiko's mom could not talk to you, and had to discuss matters with Mr Yoshikuni. That makes sense! When Shiiko's grandfather was talking about the child in the tummy, he once said, 'should be somewhere in the Spring hall, feeding the bruins, travelling in the Silver World...carrying the sword of Seto around, watching the pitiful crickets'–”

Hikaru prattled on, and Koremitsu pricked his ears as he was worried about missing out on anything, and passionately said,

“She can't be registered if he doesn't get the permission from his dead father? If this 'father' means someone else, it'll be more natural to think that Shiiko's mom looked to Yoshikuni for help. Shiiko's grandfather once said, 'Shiiko's father should be somewhere in the Spring hall, feeding the bruins, travelling in the Silver World, carrying the sword of Seto around, watching the pitiful crickets'–”

Kuze frowned.

“Spring hall...”

“The Spring Hall is a type of Neofinetia falcata orchids! Bear, silver world, seto sword, crickets, they all are! Shiiko's grandfather already knew that her father is you, the king of orchids!”

Hikaru spoke sternly,

And Koremitsu roared,

“These are all species of Neofinetia falcatas. Orchids! What Shiiko's grandfather wanted to say is that her father is often living amongst them! That person is not Yoshikuni, but you, the king of orchids! Kuze!”

Kuze was unable to smile anymore.

There was intense shock and confusion on his face, but his dry lips twitched slightly as it seemed he wanted to struggle on.

Hikaru then turned his head to Shioriko.

“Shiiko, what is your mother's name?”

“Shiiko, say your mom's name.”

Shioriko, who had been listening intently with bated breath, lowered her eyebrows, looking completely confused.

Her shoulders were shuddering as she stared at Koremitsu, and hoarsely replied,

“Midoriko...Wakagi. Her stage name is Riko...”

“!”

Kuze's expression clearly changed.

His eyes were wide, his face completely tense as he stared at her.

Hikaru then stated his final line calmly,

“If you do not believe it, please do a DNA test.”

And Koremitsu said coldly,

“If you have any doubts about it, go do a DNA test.”

But this line was unnecessary to Kuze. He no longer had Koremitsu in his sights, let alone Hikaru.

He stared at Shioriko intently, ostensibly wanting to devour her as he tried to find any form of semblance in her, in her eyes, mouth, nose, dangling black hair.

“You're Riko's child...really...”

A dry voice stammered.

Shioriko clutched the letter to her chest as she cringed tentatively, remaining still.

The man she thought was her father was not her father, and the man who she thought was the culprit was her real father.

Would she be able to accept this truth?

Hikaru stared at Shioriko in grief; perhaps he had known who her real father was once he heard her grandfather mention the names of the orchids.

That was why, when they went to Shioriko's house, he said in frustration that it would not be good no matter whether Shioriko succeeded in her plan.

Koremitsu wondered whether Hikaru would have kept this matter to himself if the situation had not played out like this.

Just as Shioriko's grandfather, Tomohiko, had done for the past ten years.

Koremitsu clearly sensed her fear, distress, and confusion. He was as grieved as she was.

Kuze too was shocked by this, but had no choice but to recognize this fact. He showed a feeble expression belonging to a normal old man as he reached his hand towards her, wanting to stroke her milky-white face.

Shioriko shivered, but was unable to move as she stared anxiously and fearfully at the man she realized was her father.

Right when the old man and young girl–father and daughter, exchanged fearful looks...

The cellphone in Koremitsu's pocket rang.

Koremitsu secretly grumbled the inopportune moment of the call, but was stupefied once he saw the screen.

It was from the hospital.

Koremitsu's heart was pounding furiously.

He pressed the dial button, brought the phone to his ear, and was greeted with a dysphoric message.

Shioriko's grandfather had passed away.

### 007. Chapter 7: The Savage Dog Protecting You

–Shiiko, the Summer Camellias have bloomed.

That was Tomohiko's final line.

Tomohiko probably was back to how he was before when he said this with a gentle smile, for he mentioned viewing the blooming white flowers with his granddaughter, and not his daughter.

Upon hearing this description by the nurse, Shioriko bit her lips, looking ever so remorseful.

What was she regretting about?

Was it about not seeing her grandfather in his last moments?

Or was she regretting fighting for his sake.

The funeral was simple.

Masakaze and Koharu were in-charge of handling all the preparations.

Masakaze was very begrudging against women, and Koharu had a strong distrust of men. Though their relationship was usually poor, they still worked together in such moments and went about doing things quietly.

Both Koremitsu and Hikaru stood by Shioriko.

Shioriko never said a single thing throughout the funeral as her hands remained limp on her thighs, her eyes hollow as she looked down.

Kuze too attended the funeral.

He proposed to take Shioriko in, and Masakaze answered that it would be for her to decide.

“Please come with me.” Kuze said with a fragile look, and Shioriko, dressed in a simple black one-piece, remained silent as her eyes remained lifeless.

“...”

She however nodded slightly.

Most likely, Masakaze was worried that Shioriko would not accept his proposal, and so he looked relieved once he saw her reaction.

However, both Koremitsu and Hikaru looked on with heavy hearts, looking hesitant on whether to speak out or not.

Two days later.

Kuze chose a cute laced blouse and skirt for Shioriko, and the latter changed into it obediently, carried her Capybara plushie, and bowed deeply, saying,

“Thank you for your hospitality.”

She then turned to Koremitsu, and frowned slightly.

“...Bye bye.”

Once she whispered this, she sat on the car Kuze sent over, and left.

Koremitsu, Hikaru, Masakaze and Koharu remained in front of their house, and looked in the direction Shioriko left until the car had disappeared.

“Right...time to wash the clothes.”

“I need to do some writings I was requested to do.”

“I need to go to school.”

“Koremitsu, you're wearing your left and right socks wrongly.”

Everyone began to move off awkwardly, ready to do their things.

Koremitsu clicked his tongue, wore his socks correctly, and left for school.

(It's not like I won't see Shiiko again.)

He knew where she lived, and could visit her anytime. If she was in trouble, he could still help her.

But no matter how Koremitsu tried to console himself, he was unable to cheer up.

Hikaru too was unable to cheer up after all...

(He's most probably thinking of the same thing as me.)

However, both of them could not say what they were thinking, and it was likely they were both distressed.

Koremitsu removed his shoes in front of the shoe locker, and suddenly, someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind.

“Morning Akagi!”

He looked back, and found Honoka staring at him cheerfully.

“...Morning.”

“Shiiko's returning to her father today, right? It's great that she can live with her family.”

Koremitsu had already notified Honoka, Aoi and Hiina through the cellphone, since they had helped him search for Shioriko. He told them that Shioriko's grandfather had passed away, that he would take absence for the time being, and that she would live with her father.

(They probably won't be staying with each other...but she has nobody other than Kuze as family...)

But Koremitsu was unable to say this as he saw Honoka looking happy that Shioriko was living with her father.

Kuze had bowed formally to Masakaze, thanking him for taking care of his daughter, and had vowed to be a good father.

“The best thing children can have, are their parents.”

“Miss Shikibu's right.”

Hiina suddenly interjected between Koremitsu and Honoka.

“The best thing is to live in a family. A family is a precious treasure!”

She grinned as she spoke with certainty.

“...I guess.”

Koremitsu turned away from the pair and hissed this as he walked down the corridor.

“...Yeah.”

Hikaru too chimed in lifelessly.

“It is really great that Shiiko can be with her father.”

“...Right, I, guess.”

While both of them plodded on with gloomy looks,

“Congratulations.”

Asai Saiga stood in Koremitsu's way.

She seemed extremely furious, her temples practically bulging as she glared at Koremitsu with acrimony.

Standing beside her was Aoi, who tried to pacify,

“Please do not do this, Asa.”

She was tugging at Asai's arm, but the latter was contentious as she said,

“It certainly was shallow of you to casually say 'it's great that she can be with her father'.That father of hers has other family members; if he brings a mistress' child in, it will ruin his image. He can only give her monthly pocket money and not admit to their relationship. He will send the child to a boarding school overseas, and will not intend to carry out his duties as a father! What happiness is there for the child!? You really are an imbecile!”

Koremitsu was speechless.

He never expected Asai, always so aloof and calculative, to lambast him so loudly, so agitatedly. What she said too...

(Shiiko will be sent to a boarding school!? I never heard of that! And if he's not going to admit their relationship...)

No, he could certainly realize if he thought of it. Kuze had a wife, children, and even grandchildren; on top of that, he had fame and prestige. How could he ever admit that he had an illegitimate daughter still studying in elementary school, let alone the fact that her mother gave birth to her at the age of 15?

For Kuze, Shioriko was a stain that was not to be revealed to the world...

(But Kuze personally visited us, and asked us to hand Shiiko over to him. It looks like he really likes her; Shiiko also didn't refuse, so I...)

Hikaru was completely aghast.

“Of course she's happy.”

Hiina suddenly interrupted, sounding confident as if it was a matter of fact, and continued,

“That father must have sent her to the boarding school for her sake. That's why the daughter will be happy to accept the father's decision.”

Asai looked at Hiina with disdain.

Feeling apprehensive as she was not too certain on the situation, Honoka stared at Asai, Hiina and Koremitsu in turn.

Hiina's words caused Koremitsu to be rattled for a second time.

(For Shiiko's sake? It's true that it's better to send her to live leisurely at a boarding school rather than let her be ostracized for being an illegitimate kid.)

Did Kuze protect Shiiko in his own way?

Does he truly love Shiiko enough, and made sure that she's not lonely?

Most importantly, is Shiiko happy?

Koremitsu did not know the correct answer; his heart was pounding wildly, his brains nearly exploding.

At this moment, Aoi slowly spoke up,

“I feel Shiiko...is like Hikaru.”

Koremitsu was startled.

“Hikaru too...his mother died when he was young, and he was brought into the Mikados...”

Hikaru shivered, and stared at Aoi.

There was a tinge of sorrow in his eyes, and his eyebrows slowly fell.

His expression reminded Koremitsu of Shioriko as she left.

Back then, she frowned as she quietly bid farewell in a lonely manner.

–Bye bye.

There was also the hollow expression she showed at Tomohiko's funeral.

Her eyes were red and swollen back at Hikaru's funeral, and she was sobbing away, clenching her fists.

She looked completely dazed as she nodded when Kuze requested to take her away.

She glared at Koremitsu, resisting the urge to cry as she shouted 'don't treat me as a kid'

She was sobbing and snivelling as she leaned onto Koremitsu's neck when they were sleeping together.

And she had a stoic expression on her face when the vehicle fetching her had arrived.

–I did not want Shiiko to turn into a child who cannot cry.

(Right! Shiiko never cried since the moment her grandfather died!)

Asai was right, he really was a fool.

He only realized it now!

Koremitsu gritted his teeth, and clenched his fists. His head was sizzling to a point of numbness.

“Shikibu.”

“Eh! Eh? Yes!”

Honoka was shocked to be called so suddenly.

“Tell the teacher that I'm leaving early.”

Aoi and Hiina widened their eyes.

Koremitsu then said to Asai in disdain,

“...Thanks.”

He then walked to the shoe locker.

(I actually owe this damn annoying woman two favors.)

“Wait! Akagi! What do you mean you're going off early!? You just arrived at school!”

Koremitsu ignored Honoka's holler as he continued to change his footwear, and walked out the school entrance whilst the morning sun shone brightly.

Upon seeing Koremitsu head the other way, the students arriving at school were intimidated by his raised eyebrows, stiff facial muscles and fiery glare, prompting to part and make way.

As Koremitsu strode forth, he asked the friend behind him,

“What do you say, Hikaru?”

He could sense a bewildered breath from behind him, followed by a hesitant voice,

“...I did feel that Shiiko currently needs a guardian. Since Mr Soichiro does seem to dote on Shiiko, and since she did not refuse, I really had no reason to object. It is not a bad thing for Mr Soichiro, who is wealthy and influential, to take care of her.”

(We're thinking of the same things, worried about the same things.)

“But when Asa said congratulations...I felt really shocked.”

(Yeah. That woman's words were like a sucker-punch onto my face.)

“I felt heartbroken when Miss Aoi said that Shiiko is like me.”

(Yeah. I realized when I heard Aoi say that.)

Koremitsu's pace hastened as he glared at the school gates in the front, and he yelled,

“Say, what do you want, Hikaru!? Don't tell me that you're already dead or that you don't want to cause trouble for me and my family or what Shiiko feels...I'm asking you what do you think !!!”

I've decided.

So Hikaru, tell me now!

A passionate voice rang.

“I do not want to hand Shiiko over to Kuze!”

“You really like to dilly-dally! Why do you think I want to hear your voice!? Don't keep your troubles hidden inside! Just tell me all the important stuff!”

And then, he puffed his chest.

“Leave it to me!”

He sprinted with all his might.

Shioriko stared blankly out of the window.

“It's about time for us to leave.”

Kuze prompted her gently.

In a while, Shioriko would be lodging in her new school.

“The new school is a good place with natural beauty everywhere.”

Kuze walked towards the corridor as he was seemingly comforting Shioriko, who listened in silence.

Kuze had been kind to her ever since he learnt that she was her daughter.

“Maybe you won't think of me as your father immediately, but I'll take care of you nicely as my daughter.”

Kuze once tested Shioriko's response back when she was with the Akagis.

He gave her a cute blouse and skirt that were laced, shoes, and all the daily commodities he prepared for her were all quality, high-end products.

However, the clothes, towel and pencil case she originally had were thrown away.

The pencil case was a birthday present Tomohiko bought for her the previous year, and she had always treasured it.

Even though it was thrown away, she was not angry, for her mind had become completely blank

She always thought of her amiable, kind-hearted grandfather, who always had a smile on his face. As she grew up with her grandfather, she felt that her grandfather needed her; thus, she had to protect him.

She was adamant in earning back her grandfather's house.

But he was dead.

He was unable to say his final farewells.

It felt surreal seeing him lying on the bed with a white cloth...

From that moment on, Shioriko felt as if she was on a separate plane from reality, feeling as if the transpired events was simply something she witnessed on television.

No matter how Kuze tried to be kind to her, or decided to send her to boarding school, she never expressed a single opinion.

Kuze felt the Capybara plushie Koremitsu's grandfather bought was too childish, and snatched it away the instant they reached home, stuffing it into a box.

She had no idea whether it would be delivered to the boarding school.

The letter from Mamoru Yoshikuni, which she had been keeping as a talisman, remained folded in her pocket, hidden within.

Though she knew Yoshikuni was not her real father, she was unable to let go of this letter of concern to her mother.

“What's the matter? You seem out of sorts. Are you afraid of living in a boarding school? It's fine. I'll look for you during the holidays. You can also stay in this apartment when you come back from Tokyo.”

Kuze said with a smile.

–It's fine.

That was what her grandfather always said.

He would always such words to a miffed Shioriko with a gentle smile, whether it was when the umbrella he left in the Go club vanished mysteriously, causing him to be completely drenched, when the persimmons were eaten by the crows, or when he lent all the money in his wallet to a needy friend.

When grandfather was hospitalized, Shioriko was extremely distressed, and Hikaru too spoke to her with a sweet gentle voice,

–It is alright, Shiiko.

Every night, he would kiss her on the cheek and neck.

Shioriko always felt that her grandfather and Hikaru were too kind, that they did not understand the perils of the world, that they were not strong enough to be her support.

Thus, she told Hikaru that she wanted a fierce, loyal, savage-looking dog.

If she could ever have such a dog, she could chase the creditors away, and she could use him to teach the bad guys a lesson..

Hikaru narrowed his pretty eyes and gently stated,

–I'll get you a good dog who can protect you, one you can rely on..

Hikaru promised.

–I'll put him in the house that is to be kept for you. You will come by often to meet him, right?

Shioriko understood very well that Hikaru gave her an excuse so that she would go back to that house.

But she thought that it would be a wonderful life to raise such a dog in her beloved garden with Hikaru, laughing away as they watch her grandfather do his gardening.

Soon after however, Hikaru drowned in a river...

Depressed and distressed, she bawled her heart out at the funeral.

There was no way he could fulfill his promise to give her a dog.

However, Koremitsu appeared.

This red-haired boy had a black dog collar, looked extremely ferocious, and though lanky, looked very strong, and matched all the criteria for the 'dog' she wanted.

She thought that it was the 'dog' Hikaru gave.

But this dog would not listen to her orders at all, and would retort back no matter how she scolded it. 'Argh, I don't want such a stupid dog', she would think at times.

(Kor...)

She never called his name once before.

She always treated him as a watchdog, and it would be too embarrassing to call him by his actual name.

(...mitsu)

But why was she thinking only about his name, that terrifying ever-angry face of his, that baritone voice?

–Alright. Let's do calligraphy. Try writing something. Anything you think of.

–Don't toy with other people's hearts like that! Kids should go back home and do their homework once they're done with school! You damned brat!

–I'll be your dog until you grow up.

Koremitsu had been frowning all the time, curling his lips as he watched her from the moment Shioriko decided to leave with Kuze, when she bade farewell to the Akagis and rode on the car that came to pick her up.

(Why show such an expression?)

(What can I do? I can't stay at your house forever right? Kuze's my only family left.)

Shioriko was already a 4th grader, and yet she understood the situation.

She just wanted to protect her grandfather, but in fact, it was the other way around.

She was still a weak child. She could not stay alone in that apartment, let alone buy back the house by herself.

She knew all that clearly.

The sunlight outside the apartment was strong, sizzling to a point of dizziness.

A black sedan was parked at the entrance.

The chauffeur opened the door respectfully, and both Shioriko and Kuze got on.

(There's nothing else I can do...)

(I'm just a kid.)

(I can only obey the adults.)

The car soon moved off slowly.

The image of Koremitsu curling his lips gradually faded away. Even the sound of Kuze speaking beside her felt distant.

It felt as if they were talking to her from another planet...

She was trembling due to her heartache; her heart was completely empty, and it seemed she was stepping on the brakes, telling herself not to think too much

(I felt very hollow too when grandpa died, I didn't shed a single tear. I cried so hard at Hikaru's funeral...will I ever cry again?)

The sweat seeping from her neck and back cooled, and her fingertips and toes were becoming icy.

Suddenly, the vehicle stopped.

Shioriko fell forward, and nearly knocked into the front seat.

“Wha-what's going on!?” Kuze, who also fell forward, yelled,

“Someone suddenly barged in!” The chauffeur said anxiously.

There was a youth, carrying a school bag, standing in front of the windshield, dressed in short-sleeve shirt and uniform pants, wheezing as he stood in the middle of the road.

The blazing red hair fluttered in the wind, and the savage dog-like glare was piercing the car.

Suddenly, the door lock was opened.

“You mustn't! Shioriko!”

Kuze wanted to stop her, but she opened the door and poked her upper body outside.

She stepped onto the ground, and Kuze grabbed her left arm.

“You mustn't go, Shioriko!”

Kuze harshly said.

At this moment, Koremitsu yelled,

“Shiiko!”

Her body shivered.

“Come here Shiiko! I'll take care of you until you become a real woman! I'll protect you...in Hikaru's stead!”

The red hair swayed in the sweltering wind, covering the forehead. Below it, a pair of blazing eyes were staring right at her.

The promise she made with Hikaru...

All emotions surged within her heart, causing her dried eyes to be moist with tears, blurring her vision.

She recalled Hikaru's voice.

–I am going to give you a fierce dog. When I am not around, he can protect you in my place, and you will not feel lonely again.

Hikaru gave a refreshing smile as he pointed his pinky at her.

He gave Shioriko a savage-looking, ferocious yet loyal dog with bloody red hair.

–This dog will improve our bond, so I have to choose carefully.

–Just tell me any requests you have, Shiiko. Fawn over me all your want. You're the one I dote on most.

–You will become a fine and proper lady in the future, Shiiko. Before then, will you allow me to take care of you and meddle in your affairs?

–To my cute Shiiko, once Golden Week ends, let us go choose a dog I promised.

I want to give you the best dog.

I want to give you a dog that will strengthen our bond.

A reliable, loyal dog that can protect you.

–It is a promise, Shiiko.

That was the last pinky swear they made.

Shioriko recalled Hikaru's voice, and then recalled the words her grandfather would often say with a sagely face.

–Shiiko, people will lose certain things, and will gain certain things back.

The two people supporting Shioriko were her most beloved, and had been pushing her on with gentle smiles.

The dog Hikaru promised her–Koremitsu–reached his arm out to her as his red hair fluttered.

Shioriko pushed Kuze's hand aside and immediately sprinted forward.

“Shioriko!”

Kuze called for her.

She ran into Koremitsu's chest and climbed upon the sturdy chest giving off a feral smell, tears flowing down her eyes.

“Koremitsu! Koremitsu!”

She called over and over again.

Tears flowed over and over again, drenching Koremitsu's shirt, but she could not stop. She again called his name over and over again, as if checking if it was really him.

Koremitsu! Koremitsu! Koremitsu!

Koremitsu too embraced Shioriko.

“Is this really okay, Shiiko?”

He asked unhappily, sounding rather clumsy,

Shioriko shook her head hard, and answered,

“I-I want to be with you!”

His shirt was completely drenched, and it was all wrinkled as Shioriko was grabbing onto it.

At this moment, Kuze's voice came from behind.

“Please let go of my daughter.”

Koremitsu continued to embrace Shioriko as he lifted his head.

Kuze was staring at him sternly.

(Humph...I knew things aren't going to be that easy.)

Both Koremitsu and Hikaru understood this well.

(But you've decided to bring Shiiko back right? Hikaru.)

He exchanged looks with Hikaru.

Of course. Hikaru's eyes were saying this, and he took a step forward.

“Let us make a deal, Mr Kuze. If you return Shiiko to us, we will not pursue the matter of Mamoru Yoshikuni.”

The angelic pretty sidelong expression spoke in a clear voice.

And Koremitsu conveyed his words as they were.

“Let's make a deal. If you hand Shiiko to me, I won't press on regarding Mamoru Yoshikuni.”

Kuze looked enraged.

“That again? You have no proof. Yoshikuni's letter only mentioned about the child.”

Hikaru remained unperturbed as he continued,

“It is true that Mr Yoshikuni's innocence cannot be proven from the content of the letter. However, you forgot something; the mail address on the envelope.”

“Have you carefully read the address on the envelope?”

The instant Koremitsu said this, Kuze frowned.

“Envelope?”

So what? He seemed to say.

Hikaru answered,

“The date on it was July 20 ten years ago, and the letter was sent from the post office in Hamada...”

“The date on it was July 20 ten years ago, sent from the Hamada City Post Office!”

Kuze gasped in shock.

He probably realized once he heard the date, and his face was completely frozen.

Hikaru continued without skipping a beat,

“The mass food poisoning incident Mr Yoshikuni tried to cover up ten years ago was regarding the marine day celebration in Shimane Prefecture. Currently, the festival is held on the 3rd Monday in July, but it was set on July 20th before the law was corrected in 2003. In other words, that day 10 years ago was the marine day, and it was sent on that day.”

“The July 20th ten years ago was the Marine day, when the mass food poisoning happened. This was delivered into the Hamada City post box on the day of the event!”

Kuze sneered, and said,

“...Of course. Yoshikune had instructed the people there to cover up the incident on the day of the event.”

“Right, and on that day, 'you were eating with associates in a Tokyo restaurant.”

“On that day, you were eating with associates in Tokyo, and you never took a step into the place of incident?”

“Of course. I had sufficient alibi.”

Kuze stared at Koremitsu with a sharp look.

Shioriko seemed uneasy, and tugged harder at Koremitsu's sleeve.

Hikaru then continued,

“But the letter Mr Yoshikuni wrote clearly stated that he would meet the father, which means you.”

“In Shiiko's letter, Yoshikuni wrote I'll meet the father immediately . That father is you!”

Shioriko rummaged her pocket.

She opened the folded envelope, read through the address, and then opened the letter, reading it with a trembling voice,

'“It's still hot today...Are you feeling already? I'll go meet father after this...telling her that you're pregnant and plead for his approval.”

The teary face winced childishly, and the fingers holding onto the letter was shuddering.

She blinked, and the tears rolled down her cheeks. She gritted her teeth, and gave Kuze a chastising stare.

Kuze was speechless, sweat filling his forehead.

“Ten years ago, on July 20, you were not in Tokyo, but in Shimane, and you ordered Mr Yoshikuni to cover up the food poisoning scandal. This letter and address is the proof.”

“You were at the scene of the incident on that day, you bastard. You even instructed Yoshikuni to cover up the mess, just as he had told the police. He was following your instructions back then, which means that the one lying wasn't Yoshikuni, but you Kuze!”

Koremitsu's bellow was as deafening as thunder.

Clearly, Mamoru Yoshikuni never told the police that he once wrote a letter to Shioriko's mother.

Perhaps he was worried that she would get involved, and with his superior pushing the blame onto him, the false alibi being validated, he felt that it would be useless to try and defend himself, and perhaps he was in despair.

He was last seen at the platform, knocked down by a passing train.

Nobody knew whether the cause was mental weakness due to excessive stress, or suicide.

But that letter showed a lot of things.

Mamoru Yoshikuni must have been a kind person.

And Kuze drove such a man to death. This notion caused Koremitsu to be completely infuriated.

(You hid yourself in a safe place and told your kind subordinate to bear all the blame, you bastard. Some philanthropist you are!)

Flames of rage were practically blazing from his eyes.

Even Kuze's own daughter was glaring at him furiously.

In the face of these furious looks, Kuze frowned, and insisted,

“Wh-What letter? You can make up as many of this as you want. That's not enough to be evidence!”

Hikaru calmly continued,

“Yes, but it is enough for the police to investigate the incident ten years ago again. Your company is undergoing a massive power struggle, do you think you can remain safe as you last did ten years ago? Maybe there would not be traitors like Gohara or tabloids on the weekly magazine ten years ago, but your influence is not as great as it was before. You will definitely lose if such shocking news is announced.”

Hikaru stared at Kuze with pity for an old man who was trying his best to hide everything, but was gradually wilting away.

Koremitsu barked like a wild dog in his heart.

(I won't pity you! I'm not revealing these things because of you, but for Shiiko's sake! I won't forgive you! Until your death, I want you to know that people know about the bad things you did!)

“Even if it can't be used as proof, your enemies can use this letter to look into the incident ten years ago and topple you!”

Kuze paled, and frowned as he gritted his teeth.

After panting unbearably for a while...

“Shioriko, do you mind handing that letter over to papa?”

He spoke with a coaxing tone,

“Papa will become poor if the police catches me, and you won't have any pretty clothes to wear, no pretty house to live in. Papa can't bring you overseas or to posh restaurants to eat.”

Shioriko however was no longer being the weak girl with a blank look on her face, as she reverted back to her feisty, courageous self that was willing to con adults. She leaned onto Koremitsu, holding that letter tightly.

“I don't need those things.”

She glared at Kuze.

“I want to be with Koremitsu. Even if you give me a billion yen, I won't hand the letter to you. This is a memento from papa. My papa was a good man!”

Hikaru smiled heartily.

The atmosphere around him was glowing, clearer than ever, as if the sun was shining all over him.

Koremitsu then said to the gobsmacked Kuze,

“Send all of Shiiko's luggage to my house.”

He then placed his hands on Shioriko's shoulders, and turned away.

Hikaru and Koremitsu were standing side by side along Shioriko as they walked off.

“Erm, Ko-Koremitsu...is it really fine? An elementary schooler needs to spend a lot, right? Like nutritious lunches, travelling fees, textbook expenses...ah, I'll work hard to earn my own money so that you won't be troubled. I just need to catch ten sparrows every month...”

Koremitsu flicked a finger on her forehead, “Ouch!” she cried out with a teary face.

“You're not allowed to catch sparrows, damn it. I'll hang you off the ceiling if you dare do that.”

“Koremitsu, what you said sounds like child abuse.”

“Shut up, it's education.”

“I didn't say anything...but really...about money...”

“There's a room in my house, and I can give some of my food to you. If there's a need for money, I'll go work. Didn't I say that I'll be a dog protecting you until you grow up? Don't worry about those things and be a brat.”

Koremitsu's mother eloped and ran away from home when he was young, and his father died. Masakaze and Koharu did everything for him after that, and he did not know whether he, as a high schooler, would be able to do what they did. The actual situation had to be much worse than what he imagined.

But at the school gate, both Koremitsu and Hikaru had the same thoughts, and Koremitsu had his mind made up as he sprinted.

“Hikaru's my friend, and you're the Purple Gromwell he so treasures. I won't let you wilt.”

With tears filling her eyes, she held onto Koremitsu's arm.

“I...wanted to say something to Hikaru when he was alive.”

She spoke hoarsely as she lowered her head.

“But I couldn't say it. If only I was braver back then.”

“Try saying it now. He'll definitely hear it.”

Koremitsu looked at Hikaru as he patted a hand on Shioriko's head. Hikaru's gaze met his as he showed a beaming smile.

Shioriko lifted her head, her teary eyes facing the direction Koremitsu was looking at. After some silence, she snivelled, and earnestly whispered,

“Hikaru...thank you. I really love you most.”

It really is a pity that I died, Koremitsu.

If I lived on, maybe Shiiko would have married me.

Hm? You are asking me how many wives I want? This is not the Heian Era where one man could have many wives, that I have to watch myself?

I-I understand.Please do not glare at me angrily with such a seething look.

But Koremitsu.

When I imagine the possible things I could have done if I were alive, I would be really happy, excited.

How beautiful of a woman will this child become in five, ten years?

How tall will she become? How alluring will her body curves be like?

Her eyes, nose, mouth, how will they develop? What kind of a beautiful flower will she bloom into.

I definitely am not harboring any vile intents; this is simply delight and blissf over the maturation of a young seedling sprouting its leaves and imagining what the colors and aroma of the flowers that will bloom in the future will be.

For I am 'someone who will never change'.

You say you do not understand? Anyone can change?

Well...

But I feel that there are some who will never change no matter how they struggle, how many times they met up and broke up with others.

Some people have their hearts lingering in a certain place in a past. No matter how they tried to break away, they end up returning there.

My time...had already ceased.

Like the prince who was unable to find that special flower.

I hope that I will never change, but I feel that my unchanging self is abnormal and lonely, like it was casted out from the world. I felt helpless, lonely, like pores being perforated in me.

Thus, I hope to be like the prince who gained solace in the ever changing Purple Gromwell. I feel really happy watching Shiiko's development, imagining her future.

Shiiko is my 'happiness'.

The time we spent together was refreshing, filled with surprise and new discoveries.

After I became a ghost, I became even more of 'an unchanging being'.

I hope that Shiiko will become a perfect, fine lady as she continues to grow.

She probably will remain hurt for a while since she lost someone important to her.

But I am relaxed for you are with her.

She is a good child, but she is too independent, and will not rely on others. Sometimes, she can be verbally uncouth, she does have a foul streak, and she may anger you from time to time.

Sometimes, she will be downhearted, slamming your chest while crying, causing you to be at a loss of what to do.

In such situations, I hope that you can listen attentively to what she had to say.

And then, pat her on the head, tell her,

'It is alright'.

If someone near her can tell her this, she will definitely feel a lot more relieved.

And this will become more effective if it comes from you.

For you are a hero.

I am not saying this at random.

You did all the requests I made to you, no matter how tedious they were, and did them impressively.

Thank you for taking Shiiko away from Kuze.

Thank you for being the loyal dog protecting Shiiko.

Thank you for fulfilling my wish.

I am a worthless ghost who cannot help with even the task of moving houses...

But I am still on Earth, harboring unchanging love, protecting all of you as you change.

### 008. Epilogue: One of These Days

The moving of Shioriko's belongings finally ended on a bright Sunday.

The Akagis' guest room became Shioriko's.

Koremitsu mumbled and fumbled, sweating profusely as he explained how he took Shioriko away from Kuze to Masakaze and Koharu.

He told them that though Kuze was Shioriko's relative, he could not acknowledge her, and had to send her to a boarding school in the countryside, that Shioriko herself wished to stay with the Akagis.

He was mentally prepared for any refusals that might come. Kuze was Shioriko's father after all, and even if he could not acknowledge her, Koremitsu should not have broken their relationship apart.

But an unexpected event happened.

The news broadcast on the television reported that Kuze was requested by the police to cooperate in their investigations due to a bribery issue of a politician. Also, there was news that the politician was involved with Kuze's alibi in the mass food poisoning incident ten years ago. Thus, all the media stations were investigating the truth of the matter.

Masakaze and Koharu assumed that Koremitsu's decision was based on this commotion, and allowed Shioriko to stay at the Akagis.

After Koremitsu said that he would work part-time to pay for Shioriko's food and school fees...

“What did you say!?”

“We're not so poor that you have to go out and work!”

He was immediately rebuffed.

Kuze did not ask anything, either due to being blackmailed by Koremitsu, or that he was occupied by the media and police scrutiny.

“Hikaru, was the police investigation just a coincidence?”

Koremitsu asked, and Hikaru answered with a wise expression,

“Who knows? Mr Soichiro's influence had waned gradually over the years. Perhaps it was only a matter of fact that this happened.”

“That's reaping what he sowed.”

But ultimately, Kuze was still Shioriko's father, and Koremitsu was unable to be happy over this turn of events.

Shioriko too watched the news with conflicting emotions.

But after the luggage was shifted in, and the guest room became a child's bedroom, she still gave a cheery smile.

“You're no longer a guest now, so you have to do housework too. I'll just call you Shiiko instead of little Shiiko now.”

“Okay, aunty Koharu.”

“Play five-in-a-row against me later.”

“Yes, grandpa Masakaze”

Shioriko got along amiably with Koharu and Masakaze.

And even Koremitsu...

“Thanks for coming to school with me, big brother Koremitsu ”

The next morning,

Shioriko was standing at the elementary school gate, smiling as she carried the school bag on her back and a grassy green pochette.

It was still early, and no students could be seen in school.

She was not formally inducted into the school until the procedures were done, but Shioriko would be attending this school from this day onwards.

“I did the procedures along with aunt Koharu on Saturday. I know all the places, including the staff room, so it's alright. You're going to be late if you don't go to school, big brother.”

“It's your first day at a new school. I'll accompany you.”

“You still don't trust me? I said it's fine already.”

Shioriko grumbled, but she was delighted that Koremitsu was showing her concern.

Big Brother –Koremitsu was not used to this honorific yet, and would blush whenever he heard this.

Hikaru beamed, and teased,

“Big brother Koremitsu here worries too much~ if you worry too much, Shiiko will say 'Big brother is so fussy'. Right? Big brother?”

(Don't you dare call me big brother! Are you doing it on purpose!?)

“Is that so? Well...give me a call immediately if something happens.”

Koremitsu turned away, ignoring Hikaru. He sounded like a real big brother, and was about to leave,

“Eh, big brother.”

Shioriko's wide eyes were looking up at Koremitsu.

“You said that you want me to become a real woman, so when I grow up you'll take my virginity in Hikaru's stead. It's a promise.”

Koremitsu was flabbergasted as he heard this, and Shioriko cheekily grinned as she stuck a tongue up, shaking her green pochette and bag about as she ran into the sparkling school.

Is that a joke!? Or is that serious? It's bad if it's the latter!

“That's not what I meant when I said that–!!!”

Koremitsu hollered, and Hikaru, on standby by the side, hurriedly warned,

“Koremitsu, you must not! No matter how charming Shiiko is, you have to wait another five years...no, another twenty!”

“Why're you becoming a sane person out of a sudden!? Of course I have no intentions of doing that!”

“But the two of you are living under the same roof. Maybe one day you will suddenly be enticed with lust...”

“Don't talk as if I'm you!”

Koremitsu bickered with Hikaru as he went off to his school.

The African Lilies growing by the roadside were in bunches, giving off a sweet aroma from their irises.

Upon seeing these African Lilies, Hikaru, who was smiling just a while back, suddenly showed a tender hazy expression.

Who exactly was that beautiful woman, who shed tears to the same kind of flowers, who resembled Hikaru so much?

Why was Hikaru so anguished when he looked at her.

–Some who will never change no matter how they struggle, how many times they met up and broke up with others.

Koremitsu felt his heart ache as he recalled Hikaru saying this with a thin smile.

“Hey...”

He spoke softly to avoid others from hearing him.

“You say that you'll never ever change, but I don't think that's the case.”

Hikaru widened his eyes slightly, and stared at Koremitsu.

Koremitsu lowered his head, and said unhappily,

“Even if you're dead, you're changing little by little. The same goes for me. I thought I would be treated as a terrifying delinquent for the rest of my life, and now I have friends, I have a cat, and an additional little sister. I would never have envisioned myself making such changes soon after I was hospitalized. Besides, isn't our relationship changing all the time? I understand you much better than when we first met on the corridor. I thought you were just an annoying handsome guy back then, and now I view you as my friend.”

Damn, this sounds just like a confession!

His lowered face was seething as he suddenly lifted his head.

Once he saw that Hikaru was listening attentively, he felt his ears and face heat up, and raised his eyebrow.

“What do you mean by you'll never change? Aren't you being too thick-skinned here? Do you want to remain as a ghost forever? You've got to be kidding me.”

He rubbed his nose as he said so. At this point, he was no longer concerned with the stares of the passers-by.

Hikaru widened his eyes.

Right. That day would come.

Until then, let's hope we'll continue to change.

Let's hope that we can continue to understand each other more.

The radiant smile on Hikaru's face was bubbling.

“Yeah. You always exceeded my understanding every single time. Perhaps I am changing because I was too shocked.”

“I should be the one saying that.”

Koremitsu retorted as he walked down the long dirt path.

He was a harem prince, a casanova, a martyr for women, and also a ghost...

Koremitsu met this troublesome being, became friends with him, and as he progressed into the new world day by day, his view of humans slowly changed.

He once thought Aoi was a gentle princess, but never expected her to be that decisive. Hiina Oumi of the newspaper club, who loved to cause ruckus everywhere, was unexpectedly fond of her family. The moment she saw what happened to Kuze on the news, she even commented with a serious look,

“No matter how many evil deeds he did, family's still family. If it were me, I would surely stay by my family.”

And Asai Saiga, ever the thorn in Koremitsu's existence, spoke spitefully,

“You brought that girl home? It really is pitiful of her to live with a wild dog like you.”

Hikaru however said,

“Asa may act like this, but she is really worried about Shiiko.”

Koremitsu did not know whether those words were to be trusted...

And also–

Koremitsu suddenly spotted a pair of familiar slender legs walking in front, and sprinted to them, calling out,

“Yo, Shikibu.”

“Wahh! Akagi...!”

Hikaru inadvertently chuckled upon seeing Honoka being so frantic.

“Miss Shikibu's response really is cute.” He commented.

Honoka's eyes were looking around.

“Eh, well, Shiiko moved to your house yesterday, right? Can I really say 'it's great' now?”

“Yeah.”

Koremitsu answered, and Honoka finally relaxed her shoulders in relief. She then blushed, looking rather shy as she said,

“I don't really understand the situation like the Matriarch Asa and the rest, but I'm being such a busybody. I was worried...and I couldn't help much in the end. But it looks like you're fine now. That's great...”

She smiled as she lowered her head.

Koremitsu too felt cheerful, Honoka's embarrassed smile was seemingly seeping into his chest.

“Thanks Shikibu. You being with me was a great help already.”

Honoka, upon hearing that, was boiling in embarrassment.

“Wh-What? Why're you saying such things!? I'll charge you consultation fees the next time! Don't just look for me whenever you need help! Really, y-yo-you, i-i-i-i-i-id-idiot!”

(I'm thanking you here. Why are you talking about consultation fees?)

Koremitsu looked completely confused, and Hikaru teased,

“From the looks of it, it seems you are still not sure as to why Miss Shikibu is being fidgety, aren't you? You still have lots to learn, Koremitsu.”

Koremitsu glared at him,

Shut up, you noisy ghost. Koremitsu thought.

Honoka, who had been calling him an idiot up till this point, pouted, and said,

“E-Erm...about the pool...”

“Huh?”

“Are you really going to the pool with me once you're done?”

Her voice trailed off towards the end.

That embarrassed sidelong expression caused Koremitsu's heart to pound. He recalled Honoka's confession to him on the roof, and felt a ticklish sweet feeling inside him. He was blushing as he pondered over it, and answered,

“Sure.”

“I-I'll be going then!”

Honoka had turned beetroot as she ran off with her skirt flustering. After running for some time, she suddenly stopped, and turned back with a blushing face. At this moment...

“Mr Akagi...!”

Aoi was panting as she ran towards Koremitsu.

Honoka gave her an intrigued look.

(Aoi...? What's it about?)

“Miss Aoi, the ribbon on your hair is loose”

Koremitsu, Hikaru and Honoka remained still as they watched Aoi show such an anxious look.

She suddenly stopped in front of Koremitsu, looked ready to burst into tears at any given moment, and said,

“Mr Akagi, please be my boyfriend!”

## Footnote

I grew these blue-purple Lilies of the Nile as I reminisced about you.

The way their thin stems straightened in the bright moonlight really resembled you, and I kissed every single one of them.

The Lilies of the Nile are also known as African Lilies.

Their floral language is 'the most beloved'.

I really hope that I could groom you, my most beloved, lock you within a beautiful box, and hide you from everyone else.

And then, Hikaru...

I will never be able to see your betrayal.

## Special Chapter: Asai Saiga's Holiday, and also, Hiina Oumi's Mumbling to Herself

Every month, Asai would spend a day amidst the 'tear-jerker' genre.

She would head to see a movie or drama that was critically acclaimed to 'cause tears', prepare lots of novels and picture books with taglines like 'tear-inducing' and 'millions have shed tears over this', and would spend an entire night reading them.

During the weekend, she went early to a cinema with the intent to watch a foreign movie, the theme being 'friendship between man and dog, kinship, a riveting work!'

As it was the holiday, there were parents carrying their children along, high school students, and many couples.

The child sitting beside her was yelping away, and there was a couple seated in front. The woman said 'I heard that it's really touching~I brought 3 handkerchiefs~ If Yuu cries too much, I'll wipe them off for you'.

Amidst the buzz, Asai leaned her back on the chair quietly.

(Why is it that couples get noisier the more unattractive they are?)

She grumbled, and awaited the commencement of the movie with a stoic attitude.

The movie finally began, and the opening scene was an abandoned dog trotting through the snowy ground. Sobbing could be heard everywhere.

The boy in front was bawling and shrilling, and the girl was hard at work, wiping his tears away.

Asai did not bat an eye at all.

(That's artificial snow, right? It's snowing unnaturally.)

She was picking at the background.

As the story progressed, there were sniveling echoing in the theater, sobbing to the point of choking and whimpering.

But Asai kept her cool persona as she continued to watch.

(The father's restaurant was going to close down the next day, and they had time to build a doghouse? They are talking about how dogs are important friends, but are they not filthy mongrels? They are not friends. The most important thing is that they have to think of how to revive the restaurant. This family will not have a future if they cannot do so.)

And so, an hour passed, and the riveting movie ended in the mix of emotions and praise.

As the credits rolled, the image of the harmonious family and dog appeared again. Some even bawled their hearts out, wiping each other's tears and snot off.

(This ending is made to be too popular with the common audience. 'I love you most in this world, my friend'. This old-fashioned line has been used in B-movies so many times.)

She watched with silent fury within her.

The most vexing aspect to her was the dog. Though it was reasonable that the dog died due to his injuries, the lamentations and anguish they showed was too exaggerated.

Asai wondered as she got ready to leave.

“What a coincidence, president.”

Seated behind Asai was a smiling Hiina Oumi, her eyes completely red as she snivelled.

“It really is unexpected of you to watch such movies, President Saiga. I feel that we're a lot closer now~”

Somehow, Saiga ended up heading to a curry shop with Hiina.

Hiina said that 'there's a great restaurant' as she continued to pester per usual. Asai was too lazy to refuse, and simply followed her.

“A movie about kinship is really great~ the doggie's really cute too. I ended up crying so hard when he died in the end though~”

“Miss Oumi, were you stalking me?”

“Nope~ Just a coincidence~”

“I do not like to beat around the bush. I have something later, so be snappy.”

Asai spoke coldly, and Hiina, upon hearing this, showed a boyish expression,

“Is that so? I'll get straight to the point then. The reason why the police started investigations on Mr Kuze was because of you, right?”

Asai frowned slightly.

“In Kuze's Corporation, Mr Soichiro, acting as advisor, is in a power struggle with the chairman. If you informed the chairman's side of such news, surely one can expect matters to end up like this.”

“Are you saying that I leaked the news?”

“Yeah~”

Asai continued to maintain her poker face as she coldly answered,

“I am a high school student. What benefit will I get if I interfere with a major enterprise's affairs.”

“President, didn't you abhor the notion of Mr Soichiro taking little Shiiko away?”

“...”

“You really raised your voice at Mr Akagi back then. It really isn't like what you would normally do.”

“...”

“Shiiko is someone Lord Hikaru really reached out to help and nurture. As Her Highness Aoi had said, her circumstances were too similar to Lord Hikaru's. You felt it unbearable when you saw that Mr Akagi handed her over to Mr Soichiro, right?”

Hiina tilted her head, observing the response from Asai.

Asai remained stoic, but coldly stated out of disinterest,

“He was willing to kneel down in front of me even though he really despised me, and yet gave up that easily in the end. I did not want such a half-hearted man to be Hikaru's representative.”

“It sounds like you have acknowledged Mr Akagi to be Lord Hikaru's representative. That's why you're angry, right?”

“How foolish.”

Asai impatiently stated, and Hiina suddenly dropped a bombshell.

“President, why don't you just go out with Mr Akagi?”

For a moment, Asai was practically unable to comprehend what she said.

Dating? You want me to go dating with that wretched mongrel?

In an instant, Asai gave Hiina her most condescending look.

“Miss Oumi, I will advise you to head to the hospital to do a CT scan. Maybe there is a cerebral illness.”

“Isn't it a classic storyline for two opposing people to fall in love with each other?”

“Humans cannot possibly fall in love with mongrels.”

“Don't people fall in love with dogs at first sight?”

“He is not of a superior breed like those in the pet shop.”

“Then what about a noisy alley dog on a rainy day?”

“I will never head to filthy places like bustling alleys, and surely I will never fall in love with them.”

Asai said decisively.

“Are you done with what you had to say? I shall be leaving for I have business to attend to.”

After saying that, Asai slapped a 1000 Yen note onto the table before going off.

“President, your mutton curry hasn't arrived yet.”

“You can have it.”

“Eh? But I ordered spinach and eggplant curry and some tandoori chicken! I'll grow fat if I eat two people's share~! The Naan they sell here is really big~”

Hiina continued to squabble, but Asai ignored her.

(Right. Time to buy some tear-inducing books at the bookshop.)

She wanted to read these and build a firm will that would never cry in any situations.

For the sake of her childhood promise.

(This is bad. I haven't asked her about some things.)

Hiina watched Asai leave the restaurant, and shrugged her shoulder slightly.

(For example, whether the power struggle on Kuze's side is like a certain megacorp, what she's trying to protect by plotting and building influences. Also, it does seem a coincidence that Lord Hikaru died at such a time...)

“Well, it's fine.”

She could continue to pester Asai the next day, the day after and so on despite the latter's annoyance.

And it was delightful to talk to her.

Hiina really admired Asai.

Her sharp icy stare and long flowing black hair were really great. The rational yet adamant narrow long eyes, firm nose bridge, thin lips were all very pretty.

Hiina too was envious of Asai's eternally straightened back and slender figure. Though Hiina's overly large breasts were assets when it came to information-gathering, she had mixed feelings about them.

Certainly, she really liked Asai's appearance.

But she really loved the intense emotions and determination hidden within Asai.

(The president is like me)

Asai was definitely like her, definitely willing to risk everything, even their lives, for a certain 'special' person that remained in their hearts.

And if that 'special' person said that he was struggling with life, and begged others to kill him...

“I'll definitely do that.”

She said with ecstasy on her face.

Her eyes were filled with happiness as she watched the movie pamphlet on the table.

(Movies about kinship are really great~)

And then, she opened her cellphone, summoned the photo of her most important kin, and blushed, saying something she would never say to his face.

“You're the one I really love most, Big Brother.”

## Author's Notes

Hello, this is Mizuki Nomura.

The third volume of this 'When Hikaru was on Earth......' series is about the prominent loli of the Heian era, 'Waka Murasaki'. After re-reading the part when Hikaru Genji abducted the young Murasaki to his home in the 'Tale of Genju', I suddenly had the thought, 'eh? he actually did such a thing?' and my impression of him fell by a lot. But after they started living together, young Murasaki's clingness onto Hikaru Genji was too cute~ I can totally imagine her actions and expressions.

Shiiko here is based on young Murasaki, but there were some changes In the prelude at the end of 'Yugao', she was drawn by Miss Takeoka to be really cute the way she looks at the sparrows, so after reading this volume, you might have a different impression on her. When I first received the illustration, (...we're going to have meatball rice today!) I had this voice dubbed in my mind.

The plushie Shiiko would not let go of in this volume is a product I fell in love at first sight on a shopping website. I thought that 'the most traditional types will be teddy bears...' and so I randomly browsed through the catalogue, only to be attracted by an unknown being. After that, I went to the plushie section in the department store to check the actual thing. The Capybara plushie I saw on the internet is not very similar to a real one, but both of them are very cute and adorable.

Also, regarding Mr Kuze's love for Orchids, there was actually an exhibition at the botanic park right when I was almost done with the second draft. The timing was so coincidental it surprised me. I learned a lot of things at the exhibition, and I got a lot of references. Most of the people at the exhibition were in their advanced ages, but everyone chatted with me enthusiastically. Despite how old they may be, those who attended were in high spirits, really impressive.

Hiina's dialect since the previous volume Yūgao was checked by Mr Yū Kogusa, and Mr Zabu of the editorial branch had been helping me answer certain difficult questions like 'how does the dialect of this area goes'. Thank you very much, both of you!

Now it's time for some announcements.

GANGAN Online will begin serialization of the manga version of 'When Hikaru Was On Earth...'! The illustrator this time is Mr CHuN, and the script is by Fua Yamasaki. CHuN's works are really great, and Teacher Yamasaki's skills at distilling the text is really amazing! Please read it and be amazed by their talents! It updates on Thursdays every month!

Also, the 'I'm a Royal Tutor in my Sister's Dress' series, published on the Fami official webpage will be released in book form on February 29, while the manga version will come out on March 1st! The illustrator Sakurai has drawn cute pages, and the story arrangement and pacing are really exciting, so please do buy them when you have time. I should not be saying such things, but the manga version looks more exciting than the LN version. Ah! do support the original work if you have the chance. This is a comedy concerning an ordinary younger brother taking the role of his genius older sister as a royal tutor in another country, and it is a work I really enjoy. I hope that I can continue to write about the passionate love between the younger brother and OOOO, so I will be really pleased if everyone can support by buying. I am currently writing the short stories from the perspective of the city people so that they will be used in the LNs themselves!

The 4th volume of this 'When Hikaru Was On Earth......' series is about the brother's wife~!!! The prettiest flower amongst Hikaru's collection will debut! I shall stop here, and let us meet again in the next issue of 'When Hikaru Was On Earth...' at the end of Spring, or 'I'm a Royal Tutor in my Sister's Dress' in early Spring!

November 18th 2011,

Mizuki Nomura

References:

Mitsuru Sakurai, 'Ten thousand flowers–the origin of floral living and culture' (1984). Japan, Yuzankaku Publishing. Printed on November 5th.

### 009. Prologue

If my wish were to become real, I would have given birth to you again.

You held on to me in my womb for 10 months and 10 days, and I let all the blood flowing in me ebb afflux into your body, place my hand quietly on the womb that is growing by the day. To me, the most wonderful thing is being intoxicated as I hear your throbbing resonate with me, and in return, I fell further in love with you.

I love you.

I always did.

I loved you more than my own happiness and future.

Even though it was deemed a sin, I still loved you, maddeningly till I could not control myself.

And then, I thought of hiding you soon after you were born, before anyone else saw you.

### 010. Prologue

If my wish were to become real, I would have given birth to you again.

You held on to me in my womb for 10 months and 10 days, and I let all the blood flowing in me ebb afflux into your body, place my hand quietly on the womb that is growing by the day. To me, the most wonderful thing is being intoxicated as I hear your throbbing resonate with me, and in return, I fell further in love with you.

I love you.

I always did.

I loved you more than my own happiness and future.

Even though it was deemed a sin, I still loved you, maddeningly till I could not control myself.

And then, I thought of hiding you soon after you were born, before anyone else saw you.

### 011. Epilogue: One of These Days

The moving of Shioriko's belongings finally ended on a bright Sunday.

The Akagis' guest room became Shioriko's.

Koremitsu mumbled and fumbled, sweating profusely as he explained how he took Shioriko away from Kuze to Masakaze and Koharu.

He told them that though Kuze was Shioriko's relative, he could not acknowledge her, and had to send her to a boarding school in the countryside, that Shioriko herself wished to stay with the Akagis.

He was mentally prepared for any refusals that might come. Kuze was Shioriko's father after all, and even if he could not acknowledge her, Koremitsu should not have broken their relationship apart.

But an unexpected event happened.

The news broadcast on the television reported that Kuze was requested by the police to cooperate in their investigations due to a bribery issue of a politician. Also, there was news that the politician was involved with Kuze's alibi in the mass food poisoning incident ten years ago. Thus, all the media stations were investigating the truth of the matter.

Masakaze and Koharu assumed that Koremitsu's decision was based on this commotion, and allowed Shioriko to stay at the Akagis.

After Koremitsu said that he would work part-time to pay for Shioriko's food and school fees...

“What did you say!?”

“We're not so poor that you have to go out and work!”

He was immediately rebuffed.

Kuze did not ask anything, either due to being blackmailed by Koremitsu, or that he was occupied by the media and police scrutiny.

“Hikaru, was the police investigation just a coincidence?”

Koremitsu asked, and Hikaru answered with a wise expression,

“Who knows? Mr Soichiro's influence had waned gradually over the years. Perhaps it was only a matter of fact that this happened.”

“That's reaping what he sowed.”

But ultimately, Kuze was still Shioriko's father, and Koremitsu was unable to be happy over this turn of events.

Shioriko too watched the news with conflicting emotions.

But after the luggage was shifted in, and the guest room became a child's bedroom, she still gave a cheery smile.

“You're no longer a guest now, so you have to do housework too. I'll just call you Shiiko instead of little Shiiko now.”

“Okay, aunty Koharu.”

“Play five-in-a-row against me later.”

“Yes, grandpa Masakaze”

Shioriko got along amiably with Koharu and Masakaze.

And even Koremitsu...

“Thanks for coming to school with me, big brother Koremitsu ”

The next morning,

Shioriko was standing at the elementary school gate, smiling as she carried the school bag on her back and a grassy green pochette.

It was still early, and no students could be seen in school.

She was not formally inducted into the school until the procedures were done, but Shioriko would be attending this school from this day onwards.

“I did the procedures along with aunt Koharu on Saturday. I know all the places, including the staff room, so it's alright. You're going to be late if you don't go to school, big brother.”

“It's your first day at a new school. I'll accompany you.”

“You still don't trust me? I said it's fine already.”

Shioriko grumbled, but she was delighted that Koremitsu was showing her concern.

Big Brother –Koremitsu was not used to this honorific yet, and would blush whenever he heard this.

Hikaru beamed, and teased,

“Big brother Koremitsu here worries too much~ if you worry too much, Shiiko will say 'Big brother is so fussy'. Right? Big brother?”

(Don't you dare call me big brother! Are you doing it on purpose!?)

“Is that so? Well...give me a call immediately if something happens.”

Koremitsu turned away, ignoring Hikaru. He sounded like a real big brother, and was about to leave,

“Eh, big brother.”

Shioriko's wide eyes were looking up at Koremitsu.

“You said that you want me to become a real woman, so when I grow up you'll take my virginity in Hikaru's stead. It's a promise.”

Koremitsu was flabbergasted as he heard this, and Shioriko cheekily grinned as she stuck a tongue up, shaking her green pochette and bag about as she ran into the sparkling school.

Is that a joke!? Or is that serious? It's bad if it's the latter!

“That's not what I meant when I said that–!!!”

Koremitsu hollered, and Hikaru, on standby by the side, hurriedly warned,

“Koremitsu, you must not! No matter how charming Shiiko is, you have to wait another five years...no, another twenty!”

“Why're you becoming a sane person out of a sudden!? Of course I have no intentions of doing that!”

“But the two of you are living under the same roof. Maybe one day you will suddenly be enticed with lust...”

“Don't talk as if I'm you!”

Koremitsu bickered with Hikaru as he went off to his school.

The African Lilies growing by the roadside were in bunches, giving off a sweet aroma from their irises.

Upon seeing these African Lilies, Hikaru, who was smiling just a while back, suddenly showed a tender hazy expression.

Who exactly was that beautiful woman, who shed tears to the same kind of flowers, who resembled Hikaru so much?

Why was Hikaru so anguished when he looked at her.

–Some who will never change no matter how they struggle, how many times they met up and broke up with others.

Koremitsu felt his heart ache as he recalled Hikaru saying this with a thin smile.

“Hey...”

He spoke softly to avoid others from hearing him.

“You say that you'll never ever change, but I don't think that's the case.”

Hikaru widened his eyes slightly, and stared at Koremitsu.

Koremitsu lowered his head, and said unhappily,

“Even if you're dead, you're changing little by little. The same goes for me. I thought I would be treated as a terrifying delinquent for the rest of my life, and now I have friends, I have a cat, and an additional little sister. I would never have envisioned myself making such changes soon after I was hospitalized. Besides, isn't our relationship changing all the time? I understand you much better than when we first met on the corridor. I thought you were just an annoying handsome guy back then, and now I view you as my friend.”

Damn, this sounds just like a confession!

His lowered face was seething as he suddenly lifted his head.

Once he saw that Hikaru was listening attentively, he felt his ears and face heat up, and raised his eyebrow.

“What do you mean by you'll never change? Aren't you being too thick-skinned here? Do you want to remain as a ghost forever? You've got to be kidding me.”

He rubbed his nose as he said so. At this point, he was no longer concerned with the stares of the passers-by.

Hikaru widened his eyes.

Right. That day would come.

Until then, let's hope we'll continue to change.

Let's hope that we can continue to understand each other more.

The radiant smile on Hikaru's face was bubbling.

“Yeah. You always exceeded my understanding every single time. Perhaps I am changing because I was too shocked.”

“I should be the one saying that.”

Koremitsu retorted as he walked down the long dirt path.

He was a harem prince, a casanova, a martyr for women, and also a ghost...

Koremitsu met this troublesome being, became friends with him, and as he progressed into the new world day by day, his view of humans slowly changed.

He once thought Aoi was a gentle princess, but never expected her to be that decisive. Hiina Oumi of the newspaper club, who loved to cause ruckus everywhere, was unexpectedly fond of her family. The moment she saw what happened to Kuze on the news, she even commented with a serious look,

“No matter how many evil deeds he did, family's still family. If it were me, I would surely stay by my family.”

And Asai Saiga, ever the thorn in Koremitsu's existence, spoke spitefully,

“You brought that girl home? It really is pitiful of her to live with a wild dog like you.”

Hikaru however said,

“Asa may act like this, but she is really worried about Shiiko.”

Koremitsu did not know whether those words were to be trusted...

And also–

Koremitsu suddenly spotted a pair of familiar slender legs walking in front, and sprinted to them, calling out,

“Yo, Shikibu.”

“Wahh! Akagi...!”

Hikaru inadvertently chuckled upon seeing Honoka being so frantic.

“Miss Shikibu's response really is cute.” He commented.

Honoka's eyes were looking around.

“Eh, well, Shiiko moved to your house yesterday, right? Can I really say 'it's great' now?”

“Yeah.”

Koremitsu answered, and Honoka finally relaxed her shoulders in relief. She then blushed, looking rather shy as she said,

“I don't really understand the situation like the Matriarch Asa and the rest, but I'm being such a busybody. I was worried...and I couldn't help much in the end. But it looks like you're fine now. That's great...”

She smiled as she lowered her head.

Koremitsu too felt cheerful, Honoka's embarrassed smile was seemingly seeping into his chest.

“Thanks Shikibu. You being with me was a great help already.”

Honoka, upon hearing that, was boiling in embarrassment.

“Wh-What? Why're you saying such things!? I'll charge you consultation fees the next time! Don't just look for me whenever you need help! Really, y-yo-you, i-i-i-i-i-id-idiot!”

(I'm thanking you here. Why are you talking about consultation fees?)

Koremitsu looked completely confused, and Hikaru teased,

“From the looks of it, it seems you are still not sure as to why Miss Shikibu is being fidgety, aren't you? You still have lots to learn, Koremitsu.”

Koremitsu glared at him,

Shut up, you noisy ghost. Koremitsu thought.

Honoka, who had been calling him an idiot up till this point, pouted, and said,

“E-Erm...about the pool...”

“Huh?”

“Are you really going to the pool with me once you're done?”

Her voice trailed off towards the end.

That embarrassed sidelong expression caused Koremitsu's heart to pound. He recalled Honoka's confession to him on the roof, and felt a ticklish sweet feeling inside him. He was blushing as he pondered over it, and answered,

“Sure.”

“I-I'll be going then!”

Honoka had turned beetroot as she ran off with her skirt flustering. After running for some time, she suddenly stopped, and turned back with a blushing face. At this moment...

“Mr Akagi...!”

Aoi was panting as she ran towards Koremitsu.

Honoka gave her an intrigued look.

(Aoi...? What's it about?)

“Miss Aoi, the ribbon on your hair is loose”

Koremitsu, Hikaru and Honoka remained still as they watched Aoi show such an anxious look.

She suddenly stopped in front of Koremitsu, looked ready to burst into tears at any given moment, and said,

“Mr Akagi, please be my boyfriend!”

### 012. Special Chapter: Asai Saiga's Holiday, and also, Hiina Oumi's Mumbling to Herself

Every month, Asai would spend a day amidst the 'tear-jerker' genre.

She would head to see a movie or drama that was critically acclaimed to 'cause tears', prepare lots of novels and picture books with taglines like 'tear-inducing' and 'millions have shed tears over this', and would spend an entire night reading them.

During the weekend, she went early to a cinema with the intent to watch a foreign movie, the theme being 'friendship between man and dog, kinship, a riveting work!'

As it was the holiday, there were parents carrying their children along, high school students, and many couples.

The child sitting beside her was yelping away, and there was a couple seated in front. The woman said 'I heard that it's really touching~I brought 3 handkerchiefs~ If Yuu cries too much, I'll wipe them off for you'.

Amidst the buzz, Asai leaned her back on the chair quietly.

(Why is it that couples get noisier the more unattractive they are?)

She grumbled, and awaited the commencement of the movie with a stoic attitude.

The movie finally began, and the opening scene was an abandoned dog trotting through the snowy ground. Sobbing could be heard everywhere.

The boy in front was bawling and shrilling, and the girl was hard at work, wiping his tears away.

Asai did not bat an eye at all.

(That's artificial snow, right? It's snowing unnaturally.)

She was picking at the background.

As the story progressed, there were sniveling echoing in the theater, sobbing to the point of choking and whimpering.

But Asai kept her cool persona as she continued to watch.

(The father's restaurant was going to close down the next day, and they had time to build a doghouse? They are talking about how dogs are important friends, but are they not filthy mongrels? They are not friends. The most important thing is that they have to think of how to revive the restaurant. This family will not have a future if they cannot do so.)

And so, an hour passed, and the riveting movie ended in the mix of emotions and praise.

As the credits rolled, the image of the harmonious family and dog appeared again. Some even bawled their hearts out, wiping each other's tears and snot off.

(This ending is made to be too popular with the common audience. 'I love you most in this world, my friend'. This old-fashioned line has been used in B-movies so many times.)

She watched with silent fury within her.

The most vexing aspect to her was the dog. Though it was reasonable that the dog died due to his injuries, the lamentations and anguish they showed was too exaggerated.

Asai wondered as she got ready to leave.

“What a coincidence, president.”

Seated behind Asai was a smiling Hiina Oumi, her eyes completely red as she snivelled.

“It really is unexpected of you to watch such movies, President Saiga. I feel that we're a lot closer now~”

Somehow, Saiga ended up heading to a curry shop with Hiina.

Hiina said that 'there's a great restaurant' as she continued to pester per usual. Asai was too lazy to refuse, and simply followed her.

“A movie about kinship is really great~ the doggie's really cute too. I ended up crying so hard when he died in the end though~”

“Miss Oumi, were you stalking me?”

“Nope~ Just a coincidence~”

“I do not like to beat around the bush. I have something later, so be snappy.”

Asai spoke coldly, and Hiina, upon hearing this, showed a boyish expression,

“Is that so? I'll get straight to the point then. The reason why the police started investigations on Mr Kuze was because of you, right?”

Asai frowned slightly.

“In Kuze's Corporation, Mr Soichiro, acting as advisor, is in a power struggle with the chairman. If you informed the chairman's side of such news, surely one can expect matters to end up like this.”

“Are you saying that I leaked the news?”

“Yeah~”

Asai continued to maintain her poker face as she coldly answered,

“I am a high school student. What benefit will I get if I interfere with a major enterprise's affairs.”

“President, didn't you abhor the notion of Mr Soichiro taking little Shiiko away?”

“...”

“You really raised your voice at Mr Akagi back then. It really isn't like what you would normally do.”

“...”

“Shiiko is someone Lord Hikaru really reached out to help and nurture. As Her Highness Aoi had said, her circumstances were too similar to Lord Hikaru's. You felt it unbearable when you saw that Mr Akagi handed her over to Mr Soichiro, right?”

Hiina tilted her head, observing the response from Asai.

Asai remained stoic, but coldly stated out of disinterest,

“He was willing to kneel down in front of me even though he really despised me, and yet gave up that easily in the end. I did not want such a half-hearted man to be Hikaru's representative.”

“It sounds like you have acknowledged Mr Akagi to be Lord Hikaru's representative. That's why you're angry, right?”

“How foolish.”

Asai impatiently stated, and Hiina suddenly dropped a bombshell.

“President, why don't you just go out with Mr Akagi?”

For a moment, Asai was practically unable to comprehend what she said.

Dating? You want me to go dating with that wretched mongrel?

In an instant, Asai gave Hiina her most condescending look.

“Miss Oumi, I will advise you to head to the hospital to do a CT scan. Maybe there is a cerebral illness.”

“Isn't it a classic storyline for two opposing people to fall in love with each other?”

“Humans cannot possibly fall in love with mongrels.”

“Don't people fall in love with dogs at first sight?”

“He is not of a superior breed like those in the pet shop.”

“Then what about a noisy alley dog on a rainy day?”

“I will never head to filthy places like bustling alleys, and surely I will never fall in love with them.”

Asai said decisively.

“Are you done with what you had to say? I shall be leaving for I have business to attend to.”

After saying that, Asai slapped a 1000 Yen note onto the table before going off.

“President, your mutton curry hasn't arrived yet.”

“You can have it.”

“Eh? But I ordered spinach and eggplant curry and some tandoori chicken! I'll grow fat if I eat two people's share~! The Naan they sell here is really big~”

Hiina continued to squabble, but Asai ignored her.

(Right. Time to buy some tear-inducing books at the bookshop.)

She wanted to read these and build a firm will that would never cry in any situations.

For the sake of her childhood promise.

(This is bad. I haven't asked her about some things.)

Hiina watched Asai leave the restaurant, and shrugged her shoulder slightly.

(For example, whether the power struggle on Kuze's side is like a certain megacorp, what she's trying to protect by plotting and building influences. Also, it does seem a coincidence that Lord Hikaru died at such a time...)

“Well, it's fine.”

She could continue to pester Asai the next day, the day after and so on despite the latter's annoyance.

And it was delightful to talk to her.

Hiina really admired Asai.

Her sharp icy stare and long flowing black hair were really great. The rational yet adamant narrow long eyes, firm nose bridge, thin lips were all very pretty.

Hiina too was envious of Asai's eternally straightened back and slender figure. Though Hiina's overly large breasts were assets when it came to information-gathering, she had mixed feelings about them.

Certainly, she really liked Asai's appearance.

But she really loved the intense emotions and determination hidden within Asai.

(The president is like me)

Asai was definitely like her, definitely willing to risk everything, even their lives, for a certain 'special' person that remained in their hearts.

And if that 'special' person said that he was struggling with life, and begged others to kill him...

“I'll definitely do that.”

She said with ecstasy on her face.

Her eyes were filled with happiness as she watched the movie pamphlet on the table.

(Movies about kinship are really great~)

And then, she opened her cellphone, summoned the photo of her most important kin, and blushed, saying something she would never say to his face.

“You're the one I really love most, Big Brother.”

### 013. Author's Notes

Hello, this is Mizuki Nomura.

The third volume of this 'When Hikaru was on Earth......' series is about the prominent loli of the Heian era, 'Waka Murasaki'. After re-reading the part when Hikaru Genji abducted the young Murasaki to his home in the 'Tale of Genju', I suddenly had the thought, 'eh? he actually did such a thing?' and my impression of him fell by a lot. But after they started living together, young Murasaki's clingness onto Hikaru Genji was too cute~ I can totally imagine her actions and expressions.

Shiiko here is based on young Murasaki, but there were some changes In the prelude at the end of 'Yugao', she was drawn by Miss Takeoka to be really cute the way she looks at the sparrows, so after reading this volume, you might have a different impression on her. When I first received the illustration, (...we're going to have meatball rice today!) I had this voice dubbed in my mind.

The plushie Shiiko would not let go of in this volume is a product I fell in love at first sight on a shopping website. I thought that 'the most traditional types will be teddy bears...' and so I randomly browsed through the catalogue, only to be attracted by an unknown being. After that, I went to the plushie section in the department store to check the actual thing. The Capybara plushie I saw on the internet is not very similar to a real one, but both of them are very cute and adorable.

Also, regarding Mr Kuze's love for Orchids, there was actually an exhibition at the botanic park right when I was almost done with the second draft. The timing was so coincidental it surprised me. I learned a lot of things at the exhibition, and I got a lot of references. Most of the people at the exhibition were in their advanced ages, but everyone chatted with me enthusiastically. Despite how old they may be, those who attended were in high spirits, really impressive.

Hiina's dialect since the previous volume Yūgao was checked by Mr Yū Kogusa, and Mr Zabu of the editorial branch had been helping me answer certain difficult questions like 'how does the dialect of this area goes'. Thank you very much, both of you!

Now it's time for some announcements.

GANGAN Online will begin serialization of the manga version of 'When Hikaru Was On Earth...'! The illustrator this time is Mr CHuN, and the script is by Fua Yamasaki. CHuN's works are really great, and Teacher Yamasaki's skills at distilling the text is really amazing! Please read it and be amazed by their talents! It updates on Thursdays every month!

Also, the 'I'm a Royal Tutor in my Sister's Dress' series, published on the Fami official webpage will be released in book form on February 29, while the manga version will come out on March 1st! The illustrator Sakurai has drawn cute pages, and the story arrangement and pacing are really exciting, so please do buy them when you have time. I should not be saying such things, but the manga version looks more exciting than the LN version. Ah! do support the original work if you have the chance. This is a comedy concerning an ordinary younger brother taking the role of his genius older sister as a royal tutor in another country, and it is a work I really enjoy. I hope that I can continue to write about the passionate love between the younger brother and OOOO, so I will be really pleased if everyone can support by buying. I am currently writing the short stories from the perspective of the city people so that they will be used in the LNs themselves!

The 4th volume of this 'When Hikaru Was On Earth......' series is about the brother's wife~!!! The prettiest flower amongst Hikaru's collection will debut! I shall stop here, and let us meet again in the next issue of 'When Hikaru Was On Earth...' at the end of Spring, or 'I'm a Royal Tutor in my Sister's Dress' in early Spring!

November 18th 2011,

Mizuki Nomura

References:

Mitsuru Sakurai, 'Ten thousand flowers–the origin of floral living and culture' (1984). Japan, Yuzankaku Publishing. Printed on November 5th.

## 04. Volume 4 - "Oborodukiyo"

### 001. Chapter 1: Do You Like the Pretty Upperclassman?

"The Chinese Trumpet Vine certainly is a fickle flower . Under the clear summer blue sky, its green vines will grow wildly upon trees, walls, and bloom bright orange flowers! The Chinese Trumpet Vines were originally plants that grew on the ground, but sometimes, to show its affections for a Pine tree, it would twirl its vines upon the branches, grow towards the sky, and bloom. However, its fickle-mindedness means that it will occasionally climb upon the nearby Cedar and Cypress trees, making the Pines jealous."

Lessons were still proceeding as Koremitsu scowled at the cellphone. Hikaru, as per usual, was talking about plants above him with the usual sweet effeminate voice.

The elderly male teacher was standing at the podium, teaching English, but his slow monotonous tone was enough to render anyone drowsy. Koremitsu's eyes were not closed however; they were blazing, his eyebrows were raised as he scowled.

(!!! THAT'S ENOUGH--ALREADY!!!)

He grumbled softly as he faced the cellphone screen.

His consternation was not caused by the ramblings of his friend floating in the air, for he was used to them.

The real cause of it was his classmate, seated beside him, her face pouting as she fiddled with her cellphone--Honoka Shikibu.

Honoka's stare was facing the front, her expression rigid as her fingers were tapping at the cellphone below the table fluidly. As a result, Koremitsu's phone was vibrating.

(That's the 5th one already!)

Lethargic, he opened the message.

"You weren't around during break time. Did you look for Her Highness Aoi (*ˋ･ω･ˊ)?"

There was also a JIS emoticon inside.

The message before that was,

"Where did you go during the break?"

And before that,

"You weren't around during the break."

And even before that,

"Your face is as red as a monkey's."

And before that one

"What's the matter?...Though I don't really care."

It was quite a long runaround, and though she was being overly aloof, this was the first time she mentioned Aoi by name, causing Koremitsu to be quite shocked

(Is there a need to specifically ask such a question in class!?)

Koremitsu curled his lips, and never replied. In response, Honoka frowned, twiddled her fingers, and Koremitsu's cellphone vibrated again.

"!!!"

He opened the mail,

"What did you do with Her Highness Aoi!? ヽ(●`口′●)ノ"

Well, that was a fastball.

"Wow! Miss Shikibu is flaring her temper! She certainly is worried about Miss Aoi; she was looking gloomy during break time."

Hikaru peeked at the cellphone from above, and commented,

(Damn it! Don't look!)

Koremitsu heard that effeminate pretty face chime in enthusiastically, covering the screen with his hand as he typed.

"Nothing much."

And after this reply,

"But Her Highness Aoi just confessed to you this morning, no?"

Honoka was seated beside him, gritting her teeth and frowning.

(What confession--that's not it...she did say that she wants me to be her boyfriend...but what she meant by this...)

Koremitsu's mind was trying to come up with excuse as he sweated profusely. Honoka's cheeks were blushing slightly as she stared at the blackboard frenziedly.

After seeing her expression, Koremitsu felt his throat shrink, and he had difficulty breathing as his face was completely tense.

(Damn it, this is troublesome!)

He continued to tap at the cellphone keys.

"That's not a confession."

"Then what is it (｡･`ω′ ･｡)?"

"She just had something on, and asked me to accompany her."

"A date."

"That's not it!"

"Don't lie! It's a date!"

"I said it's not!"

Hikaru could not bear to watch this any further, and said with diffidence.

"I say, Koremitsu, do not scowl that much and write some nice calming words for Miss Shikibu, will you not? For example, the floral language of Asian Hazel is ‘reconciliation', the lavender is 'a mutual understanding heart', and the Carnation is 'I believe in your love'. Either of these will be good. Be like a gentleman and gently write some floral words to her."

(You're noisy! Shut up, you flower-maniac of a ghost!)

Koremitsu grumbled in his heart, and replied back, "I said that's not it!"

In the end, both of them were going about with such meaningless exchanges, and Koremitsu got a last message,

"What? To think I was worried about you!

I don't care about you now! Don't ever send me a mail again! o(＞＜;)O!"

"I should be the one saying that!"

And so, this exchange between them ended.

Once it was break time, Koremitsu clicked his tongue and got up from his seat, while Honoka turned aside angrily.

"Goodness! Women are all like that! Why in the world must I be questioned by her?"

Koremitsu grumbled on the corridor.

He was originally deemed as a leader of gangsters because of his red hair and savage looks, and was ostracized as a result. At this point, his veins were bulging, his back was arched, and his walking posture was akin to a wheezing wild dog; all the ordinary students would hurriedly make a way for him.

Beside him, Hikaru chimed gently,

"But you are being very unfair to Miss Shikibu when you say such things. It was rare enough that both of you agreed to go to the pool, and right when the atmosphere was ripe, Miss Aoi came up and said, 'Please be my boyfriend'. How can Miss Shikibu remain unmoved after hearing those words?"

Koremitsu was speechless.

It was true...that the mood between him and Honoka was a little better...before Aoi said those impactful words.

At that time, Honoka did not show him that fierce glare, and neither did she pout.

"Let's go to the pool"

Her face was completely beetroot when she said that.

Koremitsu was so flustered he was at a loss of what to do, but he did answer her "Yeah" with an achingly sweet feeling.

And then, Aoi ran over to him with a pale look on her face, making a shocking request...no, she had her issues.

That reason was troubling Koremitsu.

"Ah...yo...what about that?"

Koremitsu was frozen all over, completely tense as he glanced at Hikaru.

And Hikaru spoke with a matured look,

"It is a wonderful thing to have a pretty, kind, honest girl with such beautiful legs like Miss Shikibu to be jealous about you. You should not ignore her."

The light shone in through the corridor windows, dyeing Hikaru's white tender face. His light brown hair was dazzling golden, and there was no signs of gloom on his gentle sidelong face. His tone and expression looked really gentle...

"Y-You...you're rather calm unlike Shikibu."

Koremitsu murmured, ostensibly testing him.

After what happened in the morning, Koremitsu was thoroughly vexed by Honoka's unhappiness, and was uneasy about Hikaru's reaction.

Why was it that he could look so aloof?

"Is there anything you want to say to me?"

"Hm?"

Hikaru tilted his head.

Koremitsu was left breathless and growled,

"...I'm talking about Aoi! You don't care!?"

(Damn it! This guy's definitely playing dumb!)

He inadvertently suspected.

–Mr Akagi, please be my boyfriend!

At the instant Hikaru's ex-fiancee Aoi said this with a pleading look, Koremitsu was at a loss of what to do.

"It's a little inconvenient for me now...we'll talk later!"

He was already exerting all his strength trying to raise his voice.

Honoka looked stupefied as she watched from the sidelines, and Koremitsu was flustered, sweat trickling all over him.

During break time, Koremitsu went to the Arts room to hear the details from Aoi. Aoi had her knees closed together as she sat on the chair, fidgeting about probably out of frustration or embarrassment.

"When I was looking for Shiiko, I asked Father and the elders in my family about the engagement between my friend and Mr Kuze's son...perhaps because of this...Father and the rest mistook that I was interested, and started talking to me about engagements..."

Aoi lowered her head, her petite body shrinking further.

"Hikaru just passed away recently, and I really do not wish to look for a new partner immediately, but Father and the rest said that it is better to make a decision sooner so that I can soon forget about Hikaru...so I carelessly told them..."

She swayed her legs, blushed, and after a while, lowered her head and spoke in a teeny-weeny voice,

"...I said that I had a boyfriend."

"Heh?"

"I told them that a certain friend of Hikaru often came by to comfort me after Hikaru had passed away, that the person is really nice and often talks to me about Hikaru, so we naturally had feelings for each other...I-I am sorry!"

"H-Hey!"

Aoi was complete abashed, her head and neck completely red.

"I could not think of any other man, so I could only talk about you, Mr Akagi. But Father and the others said that they want to meet you. I said that you will be troubled if Asa were to know about this, so we could only date each other secretly. I tried giving all sorts of excuses, like we met in school, and never talked to each other in front of others, but they would not listen...and even said that they would help me hide this from Asa, that I have to bring you along and introduce you to them."

Aoi's smooth flowing black hair was swaying weakly.

After seeing Aoi being so tentative, even Koremitsu felt sorry for her.

But the situation itself was already ridiculous.

How could Aoi, a refined princess, go out with a wild hound like him? Furthermore, Aoi was a girl Hikaru really treasured.

It was too despicable of him to have an affair with a friend's woman, especially when this friend was always beside him.

(But Aoi's forced to be betrothed because she helped me look for Shiiko.)

Koremitsu could understand how Aoi felt. She always loved Hikaru since she was young, and naturally, could not get engaged with anyone else immediately.

Koremitsu fell in love with a girl named Yū for the first time, and had to separate from her; at this point, he still could not bring himself to date another girl.

And so,

"Just once, please? During the garden party this week, d-do you mind acting as my boyfriend? It is a garden party, just a simple party where people just stand around eating. You just have to be with me and eat whatever you want. Please!"

Aoi pleaded him with a teary look,

"Alright."

Koremitsu had no choice but to agree.

Hikaru did not object, and did not look surprised at all as he merely watched over them with a reluctant silent expression.

"Why didn't you say anything back then? I know I don't have much love experience, but I think anyone in such a situation won't be very happy. I mean, who'll be willing to see their fiancee elope with another man? Even if there's a suitable reason, even if it's temporary, you'll find it unforgivable. You'll want to curse or kill that guy, right?"

Koremitsu glared at Hikaru while they were in a corner of the empty corridor, expressing his inner frustrations.

"It is fine. Miss Aoi is pretty troubled at the moment, and I do feel that you are most suited to be her boyfriend."

Hikaru spoke heartily.

His handsome face showed a pure smile.

(Isn't this guy going to thrash about furiously or something?)

It certainly was foolish of Koremitsu to feel guilty for agreeing to act as Aoi's boyfriend. Though he did not want to be hated by Hikaru, he was furious at the sloppy attitude shown by the latter.

As Koremitsu continued to grumble with a frown, Hikaru showed a clear Saint-like expression, and answered,

"I do not wish for Miss Aoi to remain single because of me. I do earnestly wish that she will one day be with her true beloved. That man however has to be more handsome than me, has a nicer voice than me, has better eloquence, has better familiarity with female interests, understands more about floral languages, more refined at kissing techniques, and will show more effort in protecting Miss Aoi than me."

"YOU'RE NOT ALLOWING ANYONE TO WOO HER AT ALL! THERE'S NO SUCH PERSON ANYWAY!!"

Koremitsu retorted.

It was likely that only one out of a thousand men would be well versed in floral language.

Hikaru then showed a dazzling smile,

"Love is a free thing after all, so I do not mind at all. However, it would be better that you do not remain too close to Miss Aoi, for she will be extremely tense."

Hikaru advised.

...Looks like he's somewhat worried.

Koremitsu heaved a sigh.

(I really don't know what this guy's thinking. I don't know whether he's simple minded or an enigma. He looks jovial most of the time, and yet unexpected gloomy at times...well, he became a ghost at such a young age, and he has all sorts of troubles, so I guess he's having it tough.)

Koremitsu pondered silently as he compared his plight with the ghost and himself, the one being afflicted.

"Also, Miss Shikibu will definitely get jealous if you and Miss Aoi have a better relationship."

"Ack–that has nothing to do with this, right?"

Hikaru gave a cryptic chuckle,

"It is better for you to be with Miss Shikibu. It certainly is rare to have such a nice girl; though she may act aloof in front of you, and is trying to act haughty, but you can make her laugh here and there."

"Y-You idiot, what're you saying!? I don't care! She's the one who likes to get angry! Why must I take the initiative to get along with her?"

"Both you and Miss Shikibu really are stubborn."

"Don't smile like you've seen through everything! It's annoying!"

"Yes, yes. Let us go see some flowers and calm down for a while. The Chinese Trumpet Vine in the courtyard is about to bloom, and the Oleanders and their thin, thread-like petals are pretty. They do resemble the peach blossoms, but have poison in them; this is where their charm lies. Oh, the Hibiscus is able to bloom soon."

"I don't have the time to look at flowers."

"Please, just a little while?"

Hikaru, who loved flowers so much, was pleading. "Tch, you leave me with no choice," Koremitsu grimaced as he went off to the courtyard.

"Just watch for a while. If you want to keep looking at them, we'll come back after school."

"Oh, thanks."

Hikaru beamed, chuffed that he could watch the flowers.

Koremitsu was often forced to accompany Hikaru in viewing the flowers after he was haunted by the latter. He was amazed at how Hikaru could watch them without getting tired of them.

Hikaru said that every single flower had a different appearance, but the utterly crude Koremitsu was not delicate enough to comprehend that and merely wondered aren't they all just flowers?

They arrived at the hallway; the scenery of the courtyard clearly shown before him.

This was the place Koremitsu first met Hikaru.

When he was anxiously looking for the staff room, he found an effeminate pretty student leaning by the pillar.

That boy was so pretty Koremitsu assumed he was a girl, and he was the only one not afraid of Koremitsu, who was shunned by everyone out of fear, even showing an earnest smile...

–Then, I’ll come over to your class to borrow your textbook then, Mr. Akagi. There’s something I want to ask of you, too.

The sweet voice he heard back then suddenly awoke in this soothing summer wind, and Koremitsu had the feeling that an effeminate boy with a crystal look was standing behind a pillar.

What flowers were blooming there back then?

He could not recall.

Currently, there were trumpet shaped Orange Chinese Trumpet Bells, thin red Oleanders swaying slightly in the wind, dangling from the racks; in the middle, the white Hibiscus with red tints on them were fighting for space, blooming.

"The floral language for Chinese Trumpet Bells have many meanings, including colorful life, overflowing love, femininity...there are lots of them."

Hikaru spoke cheerfully.

"Eh?"

He suddenly blurted in surprise.

"...There are a lot of fallen flowers."

Koremitsu, upon hearing this from Hikaru, noticed that there were lots of flowers scattered around the racks and trees. There are petals everywhere...

"Is it because the wind's too big?"

"If that were the case, the flowers at the top will fall as well..."

Hikaru stared at the crown of the flower racks, looking confused.

Suddenly, a strong gust blew.

Koremitsu raised his hand to protect his eyes.

The air, filled with intense light and sweltering air, ruffled Koremitsu's red hair.

As he widened his eyes...

He found his vision being dyed red.

He thought they were petals.

But it was red flowing hair, volant like petals.

A student walked out from behind a pillar, just as Hikaru did back then.

That person was dressed in a skirt, surely she was a woman.

Looking at the voluptuous breasts, slender waist, rounded figure, it was certain she was a female.

Her glistening, flowing red hair was draped gently upon her large humps, the curled ends of her hair swaying sublimely at her waist.

The noble, graceful face of hers was no inferior to her hair, as her long eyelashes were curled opulently, the plump lips showed a smile of decisiveness.

The surroundings were seemingly brightened the instant she appeared, fascinating red flowers apparently filled them.

Hikaru's catchphrase was 'girls are like flowers', and this student here was undoubtedly the crown of them all.

(When did this woman appear? Why's she smiling at me?)

Like Hikaru, she stared at Koremitsu fearlessly, her stare was earnest yet purposeful.

"Are you Koremitsu Akagi?"

Koremitsu's heart immediately raced the instant the other person called his name with such cheerful impressionable voice.

"How do you know my name?'

The girl narrowed her eyes, smiled, and answered,

"You are famous after all."

This conversation was similar to the one he had with Hikaru the first time they met.

And back then, Hikaru suddenly mentioned that he wanted to borrow the Classics textbook–

The girl slowly approached him, her red hair was swaying gently as her long slender limbs danced elegantly.

"Here, this is for you."

She suddenly handed him a textbook,

The Classics textbook!

"Wha...?"

"Lending this to you."

While Koremitsu was left speechless, she opened her plump red lips, and showed a mature smile, saying,

"Please return it to me at the Japanese Dance Clubroom after school. I shall be waiting there."

"Huh? The Japanese Dance–hey!"

The girl had already turned away, walking with light steps. Koremitsu hurriedly called for her, and she turned around with a smile on her face, saying to him with a cute cheeky expression.

"I have a request to make later."

"!"

His breath was stuck in his throat.

–There's something I want to ask of you.

The red hair swayed as it departed.

Koremitsu watched on with a nonplussed look.

"Koremitsu, the bell just rang. If you do not return to the classroom,"

Hikaru's voice cajoled Koremitsu to his senses.

"Hey! Hikaru! Who's that woman? Someone you know?"

Certainly, her quotes could not have been strikingly similar to Hikaru's if that was not the case.

As Koremitsu asked while running back to the classroom, Hikaru loosened his lips.

"Hm, I was surprised that she would appear so suddenly. It is rare that you would be so mesmerized by a girl, Koremitsu You even spaced out there."

"I-I wasn't!"

I just didn't hear the bell, that's all...!

Upon seeing Koremitsu pout unhappily, Hikaru looked ecstatic.

"You do not have to hide it. No man is able to withstand Tsuyako's charms."

"Tsuyako? That woman? You know her after all!"

Koremitsu panted as he raced down the corridor, while Hikaru spoke to him with a refreshing voice.

"Yes. She is Tsuyako Udate–the grandest, elegant of them all in the garden, the red weeping cherry blossom."

Koremitsu arrived at the classroom right before the teacher arrived, and was huffing as he sat at his seat.

He stared at the Classics Textbook in his hand, and found that it was for the second year.

(So she's older than me by a year? She's my senior? But I can't use this Second Year's textbook even if I borrow it.)

What was she trying to do?

At this instance, Koremitsu suddenly sensed a stare, turned around, and found Honoka watching him with her cheeks puffed.

(She's still angry?)

Koremitsu in turn glared back defiantly.

And Honoka pouted her lips as she turned away.

(~Argh!!! Women are that troublesome after all!!)

This standoff between him and Honoka lasted till classes ended.

And so–

"Hey, what does that woman want from me?"

"Who knows? I do not have a clue either. Perhaps she just wanted to talk to you."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Koremitsu whispered to Hikaru with a scowl on his face as he proceeded down the corridor on the fourth level.

"While you were hospitalized, I often talked with Tsuyako regarding you. I always lamented, yearning that you would arrive at school sooner, and once that happened, I could be friends with you and exchange textbooks."

The instant Hikaru talked about it using his sweet fragrant voice, Koremitsu felt his face sizzle a little.

And so, Koremitsu gingerly tried to change the topic.

"A-nyway, the Japanese dance you talk of, it involves dancing in kimonos, right?"

"Yes. The school style Tsuyako belongs to is the 'Your Shadow', one of the newest trend of styles often seen on television. She attained the right to inherit the style name at the age of 15."

"Is that amazing?"

"It really is. Though there are those who achieved such a privilege at a younger age, Tsuyako's dance is really special. The way she dances is elegant, like the red flowers falling from the sky."

Hikaru's eyes were dazzling as he boasted, ostensibly bragging about himself. However, Koremitsu did not really understand, for he was unfamiliar with the arts, and hardly watched television.

He soon arrived at the classroom with the 'Japanese Dance Club' signboard on it.

He knocked on the door.

"Come in."

A clear impressionable voice could be heard.

Koremitsu opened the door.

The inside was wider than he expected, large enough to lay out 8 tatamis.

However...

"Woah!"

He was taken aback to see her dressed in a white Juban, draped in a refreshing light blue color kimono.

The tender white nape and the thin undergarment revealed the alluring lumps of voluptuous breasts.

"I am currently changing clothes now. I am currently the only member of this club, so you do not have to worry."

Koremitsu was blushing in embarrassment, trying his best to avert his eyes. Tsuyako remained unabashed however as she combed her hair in a refined manner.

She tied her glamorous looking light red Obi and gently moved her hair to the side, tying it. During that time, Koremitsu remained in a corner of the room, facing the wall as he stood still, clenching his fists.

Looking rather amused, Tsuyako let out a chuckle.

"You cannot see anything when I have my Juban on, so you do not have to worry about that, Mr Akagi. Your appearance belies the gentleman within."

(You mean that I look like some perverted rapist or something?)

As Koremitsu frowned, Tsuyako said,

"Please, have a seat."

She knelt upon the tatami, her white tender hands placed elegantly on her knees.

Her actions were regal, gentle, feminine. Perhaps this was due to her dance training?

Koremitsu remained wary of her, but even he too was mesmerized.

Tsuyako was seated in a Seiza position, and Koremitsu was apprehensive about sitting with his legs folded. With his back slouched, he knelt upon the tatami gingerly, took out the Classics Textbook from his school bag, laid it out on the tatami, and handed it over.

"Here...I'm returning this."

"Oh? Thank you."

Tsuyako brought the textbook to her chest, smiling innocently like a child who had succeeded in a prank.

This mature beauty suddenly looked so cute, and Koremitsu's heart raced at that instant.

(What am I doing, idiot! She's just being polite with me! What's there to be panicky about? Hikaru's going to laugh at me again!)

At this point, Hikaru would certainly be watching Koremitsu's reaction from the sides, smiling.

With Tsuyako watching him with such intent, even Koremitsu, who never had interest in women, was itching all over.

It was not a feeling of anxiety he felt when he was at Yū's house; it was one more aggressive, causing his face and body to sizzle.

–the grandest, most elegant of them all in the garden, the red weeping cherry blossom.

Koremitsu assumed that all the flowers were the same, but this flower was certainly different from the rest.

To hide his nervousness, he scowled, trying to look aloof as he asked,

"...What do you want from me?"

Tsuyako smiled,and answered,

"I would like to have you as my boyfriend."

"What!?"

Koremitsu's back straightened as he was taken aback by her reply, nearly falling backwards.

She wants me to be her boyfriend?

"Oh, so that is how it is."

Hikaru murmured to himself.

(What's with that response? How in the world are you able to remain this calm?"

"Aren't you Hi-Hikaru's girlfriend or something?"

"Yes, I am one of Hikaru's many flowers. I would say however that rather than a girlfriend, we are accomplices, or you may call me his mistress."

Tsuyako sat still as she answered with a smile.

Cold sweat appeared on Koremitsu's skin.

(Why's a High School Student talking about things like a 'Mistress'!?)

"An-Anyway, you dated Hikaru before, right? How can you date Hikaru's friend afterwards? He'll be sad if that happens."

"I do not really mind as long as Tsuyako is happy."

(SHUT UP!!)

"Hikaru will support me no matter who I date. I have always been like this; love is free after all."

"You stop spouting nonsense too!"

"I am beautiful after all, and I do release pheromones that attract the opposite gender."

"So what about it!?"

She actually boasted that she was beautiful. Well, she certainly was beautiful, and certainly, she does give off lots of pheromones.

"I became single from the moment Hikaru passed away, so there are others clinging onto me every day, which is an annoying thing. It is dangerous and troublesome for women to be too attractive; if I have someone like you with that savage delinquent-like expression...no, feisty looking man, it will be much easier for me to repel the pests."

"That's what you're really aiming for!?"

Certainly, that man would not be called a boyfriend, but a guard dog...no, a pesticide.

"Well, with Koremitsu standing guard nearby, it is most likely that no male students will approach her."

(Why're you agreeing wholeheartedly like that !!?)

"I was joking about having you as my boyfriend."

"And you just admitted that so callously!? Why're you making such jokes!?"

"Sorry about that. Your reactions were too amusing, so I could not help but want to tease you a little."

Tsuyako giggled.

"I understand how she feels."

Hikaru nodded.

(I told you not to butt in!)

Koremitsu was utterly livid, his head broiling. Unwilling to care about Tsuyako any further, he stood up.

"Are you done with what you wanted to say? I'm going then."

"Please wait."

Tsuyako's tone seemed anxious for some reason.

"I really am troubled."

She lifted her head at Koremitsu, still seated in the Seiza position, her once lively expression is now hazy and looked extremely fragile.

Koremitsu stopped in his tracks, and asked in a serious tone,

"What happened?"

"Tsuyako?"

Hikaru too looked uptight.

Tsuyako cuddled her slender shoulders tightly as she lowered her head, her loosened hair dangling on her pale face, her red lips quivering.

"I really...do not know what to do...I am scared, worried..I cannot sleep at night..."

"Hey..."

Koremitsu knelt on the tatami, and nervously leaned forward.

"If this keeps up, I might end up destroying the flowers Hikaru treasures."

"Flowers?"

"Mr Akagi...can you help me...? Can you please keep watch on me so that I do not destroy them?"

"Okay, I guess."

Koremitsu nodded seriously.

Tsuyako, without lifting her head, handed a slip of paper right towards Koremitsu.

"Please sign on this club entrance form then."

### 002. Chapter 2: We Have a Date After Class

"Welcome back, big brother!"

The instant Koremitsu opened the door and said 'I'm back', he heard footsteps, and was greeted by a black-haired twintail girl and a smart-looking white cat.

One of them was Shioriko, who joined the Akagis just recently, and Lapis, who joined them before the former did.

Lapis' original owner, Yū, had once said that its hearing ability was not really good, but it suddenly snuck out from somewhere whenever Koremitsu returned home; perhaps it sensed the tremors in the air. It however would merely appear, and never tried to cling itself upon others, which Shioriko would do instead.

"Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back."

"Hey, once is already enough, Shiiko."

Koremitsu was unable to move forward, and tried to pull her away, but she climbed upon him.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time~ actually, tonight's dinner is made by aunt Koharu and me, you know~ there's the super spicy chicken in spicy sauce, mapo tofu and pickles. I heard you like spicy things, so I added lots of chilli inside, big brother!"

Shioriko lifted her head at Koremitsu, speaking with a cheeky smile.

Not too long ago,

"You stupid dog"

She had been calling him this, a stark contrast at this point.

Till now, Koremitsu was still confused, but Shioriko had completely adapted herself to the Akagis and his family members.

"Well, I'm happy with that, but it's meaningless if you can't eat it, Shiiko. If you make it too spicy, you'll be sobbing and snivelling like the last time when we had curry."

A few days ago, "I want to eat the curry adults eat!" Shioriko whined about wanting to eat the same curry Koremitsu and the rest ate, creating quite the commotion in the end. Once Koremitsu pointed this out, her face reddened, and she started slamming at his chest.

"I-I wasn't snivelling. I wasn't prepared, that's all. I tried it out when I added some so I'm fine. Don't treat me as a kid, idiot!"

She turned her face away angrily.

"Anyway, it's really delicious. Hurry and take a shower! Start eating after that!"

Once she said that, she trotted back into the kitchen.

And Lapis' indigo eyes were staring at their interaction coldly.

"It looks like Shiiko is a lot livelier than before."

Hikaru too spoke in his usual calm, gentle voice.

"Yeah. Too lively, if you ask me."

"It sure is tough being the big brother."

"Stop teasing me!"

"But I suppose she is this lively because you are with her."

"Yo-You idiot! Don't make it sound so cheesy!"

"You really are not used to receiving praise, Koremitsu."

Hikaru giggled, and Koremitsu remained silent as he stormed to the bathroom with a scowl.

"So?"

He removed his shirt in the changing room, threw it into the washing machine, and asked coldly,

"Your next 'unfinished business' is regarding Tsuyako, right?"

Koremitsu's scowling face was the only thing reflected on the mirror at the basin.

"Yeah."

A serious sounding voice could be heard from behind.

Koremitsu recalled the conversation he had with Tsuyako in the clubroom.

–I hope that you will join the Japanese Dance Club. This is what I am asking of you.

Tsuyako said.

She showed a teasing expression. Her shivering body and pale expression seemed to be an act.

–Though we call it a club, it is a problem that I am the only member. I will have to forfeit this room if I do not get more members. I have been trying my best to fight back, but the student council president, Miss Asai does seem to hate me.

–If you become a member, it will have the effect of shooing away other men. I did mention before that there has been a stalker recently. It is a bother, to be honest.

–I can only ask you for this. Please help me by joining the Japanese Dance Club. I will get mentally stressed out worrying over the lack of a clubroom and the stalker, and might end up doing something. I just plucked off many flowers in the courtyard today, those flowers Hikaru really treasured...

Hikaru did mutter before that the flowers were wilting strangely. That, of course, was not because he was worrying too much.

Tsuyako's voice and expression remained chirpy, ostensibly joking.

But once she mentioned about the plucking of the flowers, Hikaru, who had been listening from beside, looked gloomy, and requested Koremitsu seriously.

Do you mind joining for the time being, Koremitsu?

And Koremitsu could only answer,

"If it's for the time being.."

"Tsuyako has always been able to deal with her admirers well; she established the Japanese Dance Club once she entered the High School affiliate, and managed to handle everything perfectly. She is not the type to rely on others."

Koremitsu soaked himself within the bathtub, and Hikaru above him was surrounded in white steam as he uttered silently.

"Tsuyako Udate is a proud, elegant lady standing tall like the red weeping cherry blossoms swaying under the hazy moon."

He sounded serious, proud. His eyes filled with tenderness.

"The dim, blurry moon in the night of Spring is called the Hazy Moon. It will not shine brightly, but its light does not create any shadows. That dim light is like a fleeting fantasy, a Moon of unparalleled beauty...

The Heian musician Chisato Ohno once marvelled at it, said that there is none that surpasses the sight of the hazy moon night in the midst of Spring, and I must say it is aptly put. Try imagining it, Koremitsu, how alluring the red weeping cherry blossoms are as they dangle in the dim moonlight.

As the thin red petals absorb the moonlight, they shall give off a faint light, the stalks swaying about, seemingly bragging about its beauty, boasting that it is the queen of the garden. The trunk is firmly entrenched into the ground, unfaltering, yet its branches are curved in such a demure manner, maintaining its regal presence...that is the kind of flower Tsuyako is."

Hikaru's face was gradually becoming resplendent, his eyes tipsy in ecstasy, proud as if he was talking about himself, grinning from ear to ear..

His gleeful expression however gave way to melancholy, and he stared at Koremitsu, and said,

"I suppose it is weird for Tsuyako to ask you to join the club at this time. Even if Asa wanted to take that room back, she would definitely not do that. There has to be a catch or something."

Hikaru's austere expression was to a point of somberness, a far cry from the weak looking youth who would only talk about flowers.

(This guy must have been worried sick about those girls every day when he was alive...sure must be tiring...)

But Koremitsu had clearly witnessed the affections Hikaru had given to all the girls; he always treasured his promises with them and would do anything to live up to his bargain, whether it was to Aoi, Yū or Shioriko.

Thus, he surely must have been worried for that elegant, beaming upperclassman.

"Guess I got no choice."

Koremitsu grumbled amidst the steam.

"I don't have club activities to begin with. I have a lot of free time after school."

Hikaru's face lit up immediately,

"Thank you Koremitsu! I am relieved now that you are going to be with Tsuyako!"

Koremitsu felt embarrassed, his back itching as he stared at the eyes filled with trust.

"But there's also the matter about Aoi. My mind's in a mess now that I have to handle two women at the same time, damn it."

Could he possibly do it when he was not used to handling women? And if Honoka were to know about it, she would likely lambast him for being a cheating man.

And so, Hikaru gave an elegant smile,

"It is fine. During these past two months, your skills relating to girls must have improved quite a lot. You have this harem prince in me giving direct lessons to you after all."

"Don't brag about yourself like that! Aren't you just spewing knowledge about flowers!?"

Koremitsu stood up from the bathtub, and retorted at Hikaru's words, only for the bathroom door to suddenly open.

"Seriously, big brother, how long do you want to bath? Dinner's done a long time ago!"

An impatient Shioriko was puffing her cheeks as she said this.

"Woah! Don't just come in like this!"

Koremitsu hastily retreated into the bathtub.

"Humph, I've already seen you naked before. I still have that embarrassing photo of you in my cellphone."

"WHA!? You still haven't deleted that photo you took during our first meeting!? Hey, Shiiko! Hand me the cellphone and the memory card!"

"Don't wanna. Stop yapping and hurry up, or I'm going to show it to Lapis."

It would not be a problem if she showed it to Lapis. The problem however was that a fourth grader girl had such a photo in her cellphone.

"Wait, Shiiko! Damn it! Women are all like that! Even brats!"

Koremitsu hurried out of the bathtub, wrapped a towel around his waist, and chased after Shioriko, only to be caught by Koharu.

"Koremitsu! Don't run around the house in such a shameful getup! We have a girl in our house!"

She even smacked him with rolled newspaper.

Why am I the one being hit...!? Koremitsu angrily gritted his teeth, and Hikaru could only grimace elegantly as he watched from above.

"Hm...looks like your skills of dealing with girls could use some more work."

On the next day, after school,

"Argh, I'm late because of cleaning duty!"

Koremitsu sprinted down the corridor as he held his bag over his shoulder.

"That is because everyone who was supposed to work with you were scared of you, and ran off. You did finish up the work obediently however."

"What else am I supposed to do? I'm alone."

Koremitsu retorted unhappily, and right when he was about to open the door with the signboard 'Japanese Dance Club', he stopped.

(It'll be bad if she's changing clothes like the previous day, right?)

He first knocked on the door.

But there was no reply.

"Hey, I'm going in."

Koremitsu yelled, pulled the door apprehensively, and found Tsuyako inside, dressed in kimono. It was pink, littered with red flowers all over. The collar and sash are red in color.

Her clothing was as radiant as it was the previous day, but the hair tied near her neck was a little ruffled; her eyes were red, and there were tear marks down her cheeks.

(Was she crying?)

Koremitsu was utterly terrified of seeing women cry.

His heart suddenly raced.

(Is it because I'm late? Did the stalker appear? Was that real?)

Hikaru too was frowning worriedly.

Just when Koremitsu was wondering how he should talk to her, Tsuyako showed a completely different expression as she smiled cheerfully.

That vibrant smile was like a field of red cherry blossoms blooming in unison, the petals fluttering in the wind.

"Good. You have arrived."

She spoke cheerfully, seemingly delighted from within.

Koremitsu started to feel anxious again.

She had reverted back to her old self the previous day, and she held his hand while he was feeling flustered, pulled him inside, and spoke in a tone befitting an older sister,

"Let us begin then."

"Eh?"

"Mr. Akagi, your back is arched again, your neck, not just your upper body, has to remain straightened. The soles are to rest against each other. No, you cannot lift your ankles that high. Your arms have to be about two fists away from the body. Turn your head around...not the face, just the head. Move it slowly and carefully. Okay, let us repeat this again."

Tsuyako's cheerful voice and Koremitsu's gasping were the only things heard in the clubroom covered with tatamis.

"Again!? Haven't I been doing this same thing for an hour already!?"

"The fundamentals are the most important things, even in sports and studies."

Tsuyako insisted.

Koremitsu agreed to join the club for the time being, but he never expected himself to have to learn the proper seating postures, basic greeting manners, and basic standing posture.

From time to time, Tsuyako would hold Koremitsu's arms, touch his neck, and guide him along with clarity in her voice;

"Your shoulder is dropping again."

"Stretch your arm out."

Sometimes, she would even hit him on the shoulders or arms with a fan, and correct him sternly.

Koremitsu had always assumed that a Japanese dance was a slow, feeble kind of dance, but he was already gasping for breath before he even got to the dancing itself. He was sweating profusely.

In contrast, Tsuyako had yet to mess up the hem of her kimono as she touched Koremitsu on the shoulders and elbows elegantly, demonstrating to him.

"Like this."

The red hair, tied together in a knot, swayed gently along with her hems; even the movement of the arms themselves were etched in Koremitsu's eyes like a painting.

(Amazing)

He marveled in his heart over and over again, mesmerized as he watched on.

Whenever Tsuyako approached him however, there would be a sweet fragrance that nauseated him. He froze over, causing Tsuyako to be amused as she teased,

"Your neck has to bend."

She even reached her hand out at Koremitsu's face.

(Damn it, am I being teased now?)

He gritted his teeth, moving his body gingerly while Hikaru gleefully floated at the ceiling watching over them.

"If Miss Shikibu is to notice you being so cute now, she will surely be envious of Tsuyako."

(What has this got to do with Shikibu!?)

Koremitsu recalled that Shikibu had been frowning and glancing at him from her seat, located beside his, for the entire day, and could only curl his lips.

He was miffed at the rapid-fire messages sent to him the previous day, but he also found it annoying to be stared at for the the entire day. This vexed him to no end.

(Stop giggling already, you stupid ghost!)

Koremitsu glared at the ceiling, only for Tsuyako to correct the position of his neck.

"No, Mr. Akagi, it has to be the gold look, not moon look."

"Gold look? What's that?"

"It is the positioning of the stare when dancing. The moon look is to look high, the bell look is to roll your eyes back, the silver look is to look down, and the bronze look is to look right at your feet. The gold look is the basic of basics, to look at the front."

Tsuyako held Koremitsu by the cheeks with her hands. They felt silky and warm. Very comforting.

Koremitsu's face was adjusted, and he found Tsuyako's beautiful face right in front of him, causing his heart to race.

Tsuyako gently narrowed her eyes laced with long eyelashes.

"Right, this is the gold look."

Koremitsu's face was sizzling, his resistances nearly failing completely.

"Stop touching me, Tsuyako."

"Senpai."

Tsuyako pinched Koremitsu on the nose.

"The only one younger than me who can call me by my name is my lover. You are not my lover now, so you have to call me senpai."

"...Tsuyako...se-senpai!"

Koremitsu murmured, and Tsuyako was grinning merrily.

"Again."

"Se-Senpai."

Koremitsu raised his voice slightly.

He had never taken part in any club activity, and never had any upperclassmen he was close with.

It was really embarrassing for him to call her senpai, and his face was broiling.

The grin on Tsuyako's face became more pronounced, and she closed her eyes, and said,

"Again."

"SENPAI!"

Koremitsu yelled in distress,

"Aga–"

"THAT'S ENOUGH ALREADY!"

Upon hearing Koremitsu shout, Tsuyako opened her eyes, and giggled amusedly, seemingly pleased.

"Hm, you pass. I never thought that it would be so comforting to hear such a savage person call me with an honorific. I guess I might even get addicted to it; continue calling me 'senpai', okay?"

"Ugh."

It was impossible for him to call her that, given that she was being so expectant.

Hikaru tried to resist the urge to laugh as he teased,

"How about you call me senpai too? Or would you rather have me call you senpai? Koremitsu senpai?"

(Shut up, you idiot!)

"You are giving that moon look again. Why are you so concerned about the ceiling?"

"It-It's nothing. There just happened to be a fly up there..."

Koremitsu murmured awkwardly, averting his stare from Hikaru.

"Your concentration is faltering. How about we take a break."

"Ah sure."

"Hold on a moment, I shall prepare some iced green tea."

Koremitsu knelt on the tatami, like a dog ordered by its owner to wait.

She boiled some water using the electric kettle, took out some ice from the cooler box, quickly prepared some iced green tea, and poured it into a glass jug. She also took out some thinly sliced chestnut-steamed Yōkan.

The cooled green tea gave off a refreshing aroma that moistened his parched throat. The chestnut-steamed Yōkan was not too sweet, and even Koremitsu, who abhorred sweet food, found it delicious.

Hikaru continued to float leisurely in the air, and Tsuyako consumed her tea elegantly in front of Koremitsu.

"Oh yes, how did you and Hikaru become friends? Did Hikaru borrow a textbook from you, Mr. Akagi?"

Tsuyako asked, clearly looking very interested.

"No, well, he asked if he could borrow the Classics textbook from me, but there was no Classics lesson that day."

"Eh? Why did he not investigate things thoroughly? Since he was really hoping to be your friend, he should have investigated it thoroughly. I think he was so excited about meeting you after such a long time that he forgot about it."

Both Koremitsu and Hikaru blushed.

"And then, what did Hikaru do?"

"He said that he had something he wanted to ask of me, and that he wanted to come to my classroom, but he never did. He had been harassing me for the entire day, even when I'm using the toilet. I just can't chase him away."

"Koremitsu, that may be the truth, but the way you are talking about it indicates that I am a stalker or something."

"No way, he actually followed you to the toilet?"

Tsuyako chuckled, and giggled away, seemingly amused by it.

"I guess I lost to his persistence."

The instant he said this, Tsuyako giggled again, and said,

"Hikaru really liked you, huh? Maybe it is because of your hair."

She gradually reached her arm out to him, and twiddled his bangs.

This action caused Koremitsu's heart to race again.

"The hair?"

Koremitsu asked blankly, and Tsuyako gave a sweet expression, as if in a blissful dream.

"Yes. Hikaru first approached me because he fell in love with my hair, saying that it is like the red weeping cherry blossoms.."

Her plump red lips broke into a smile.

"I often felt dejected before because of that, wondering why I was born with red hair instead. Hikaru however said that my hair is beautiful, and even kissed my hair a few times, even in this classroom..."

She lowered her eyelashes as she smiled, her cheeks slightly reddened as she probably recalled something.

This made her all the more beautiful andnalluring,

(Hey! What did you do in this classroom!!!)

Koremitsu inadvertently panicked.

Hikaru too gave a sweet meaningful smile as he stared at Tsuyako, causing Koremitsu's heart to race. It felt as if there was a sudden erotic scene while a family was watching television together in the living room.

Tsuyako was smiling blissfully, but her expression gradually gave way to sadness.

Koremitsu felt his heart ache, as if he had just witnessed something he should not have.

(Oh yeah...I think she was crying when I arrived...)

"Erm..."

Koremitsu spoke hesitantly,

"Did something happen today?"

"Hm?"

"You were crying before I came, right?"

Her eyes were starting to flutter.

She seemed a little perplexed, and after a moment of silence, she smiled, holding Koremitsu by his hands as she stood up.

"How about a date with me, Mr. Akagi?"

"Huh?"

"I will tell you Hikaru's secrets."

Hikaru panicked the moment he heard that,

"Eh? What is that about, Tsuyako!?"

"Alright, let us go then."

She latched her soft arm around a panicky Koremitsu, and strolled out cheerfully.

"Hey, where're we going. Hey!?"

"Tsuyako, what is that secret about!? What topic about me do you want to reveal to Koremitsu?"

Both of them continued to ask, clearly bewildered, but Tsuyako giggled, and said,

"You do not have to be so nervous. The first date is a healthy one."

"Stop it. Let go of me!"

"Tsuyako, please keep the matter at the dormitory a secret! That goes for the culture festival, the gondola at the Tomakomai sky resort, and the swimming pool at the Imperial Hotel too...Koremitsu is rather inflexible about such things!"

Hikaru knew that she could not hear him, but he had his palms together as he earnestly begged.

Koremitsu really wanted to shake off Tsuyako's arm. She however was not a hoodlum looking for trouble with him, but was a delicate lady, his upperclassman 'senpai'. He could hurt her if he was too violent, and upon realizing this, he did not dare to flail his limbs wildly.

The students still left in the school were utterly speechless to see Tsuyako, dressed in the red-pink kimono, walk alongside the savage-looking, red-haired Koremitsu.

"No way! Isn't that the Moon Matriarch and the delinquent king?"

"Why's she with that delinquent freshman? Isn't she Lord Hikaru's mistress?"

"I thought Akagi's a lolicon?"

"The delinquent king managed to get the Moon Matriarch? Now she's his mistress!"

Such chatter could be heard from everywhere.

Was the Moon Matriarch referring to Tsuyako?

I'm not a lolicon! I'm not a delinquent! And I definitely don't remember having a mistress!

Koremitsu really wanted to yell, but if he were to do so, there would be rumors of the delinquent going berserk on the corridor again.

But if they were to make up such rumors, while it would be nothing for Koremitsu, would Tsuyako not be overly hurt?

"Hey, senpai. Those guys are saying things like mistress and such. It think it's better to let go of me..."

Koremitsu whispered, and Tsuyako widened her eyes as she stared back, before smiling gently,

"Are you worried about me? You sure are a good child, but it is fine. I am used to hearing others slander me, so I do not really mind."

Koremitsu was gobsmacked to hear her say such words with a straight face.

And just as she said, she lifted her face, looking very cheerful.

(Is senpai trying to act tough?)

Koremitsu found her to be dazzling.

"You see, Akagi, there was a girl who was so mesmerized seeing Hikaru that she missed a step and fell from the stairs there. Hikaru wanted to catch her, but he was not strong enough, and fell along with me. I ended up having to call the ambulance in the end."

Tsuyako giggled as she pointed at the stairs.

"Hikaru often came by to the High School Affiliate when he was in Middle School, and there was once when he was playing the piano in the music room. Many girls gathered there, to a point where the door was pushed down, and he was punished to write 10 reflection essays, 'I will not play musical instruments so carelessly in front of everyone'. He really was dejected about that."

She giggled as she said.

And so, she strolled lightly, saying,

"There were often girls handing the ohagi and chikuzenni they make to Hikaru in front of that cooking classroom. He would always accept whatever they gave him, and had to put all the food in the freezer and eat them."

And also,

"Sometimes, he would eat too much till he had a tummy upset, and would groan on the tatami in the Japanese Dance Club; because of that, it is necessary to prepare some stomach medication there."

And,

"There was a Valentine's Day where he ate 12 boxes of chocolate at one go, and suddenly had a nosebleed at the window here. The window and floor were all covered in his blood, but he kept covering his face with tissue paper, and even said, 'I will feel happy if I think of this as a trial of love. I do not know how many boxes I have to eat before I get a nosebleed next time. Sure is exciting'. That was really funny."

She started to reveal one of Hikaru's secrets after another(?).

And Hikaru was blushing, flailing in the air as he shouted,

"Tsu-Tsuyako, that is enough already. You are making me sound like a fool!"

He continued to yap unhappily in the air.

However, Tsuyako continued to reminisce about the past, her face beaming.

One could say this was a revisit of all of Hikaru's silly matters instead of a date.

Tsuyako was so happy talking about Hikaru,

(So this is the kind of people who likes to smile...)

Koremitsu felt an itch in his heart the instant he thought about this. Hikaru had always said that he was too serious, that he should date someone who liked to laugh.

He even mentioned that he would find such a girl.

It was true that anyone would be cheerful when being with a bubbly person. It would not matter to him then even if the people around him kept their distance.

"I said to Hikaru 'It is tough being everyone's prince', but he smiled happily while stuffing his nostrils with tissue paper. 'I simply love all the flowers in the world' That was what he answered. He then wrote the girls' names, the classes they belong to, and their unique traits on cue cards, trying his best to memorize them."

"Ahh~ please do not recall and say anything else, Tsuyako!"

This was the first time Koremitsu had seen Hikaru being so flustered.

He suddenly realized that the 'Hikaru' Tsuyako talked of was different from Aoi's, Yū's and Shioriko's accounts.

(Huh? You got nosebleeds from eating too much chocolates? And you memorized the girls' names through cue cards? You boasted that your memory increases tenfold if it's regarding girls.)

Koremitsu snickered as he teased Hikaru, but as he was not used to smiling, 'the delinquent king has such a vile expression', such chatter could be heard from the onlookers, and they put their distances from him.

"HIkaru is affectionate, but is too indecisive, and does have some mood swings, is half-hearted, really likes to woo girls, many at one go even..."

Tsuyako turned her head towards Koremitsu, smiling sweetly.

It was a gentle expression filled with love.

"But why did all the girls fall in love with Hikaru? Why did they love him so? Do you understand, Mr Akagi?"

She continued to stare at Koremitsu's eyes gently.

"...Who knows?"

Koremitsu murmured, feeling a little nervous.

"Because he gave the girls what they needed."

"What they needed?"

"Sweet talk, riveting emotions, honest love, promises...he gave them all without holding back. He truly loves all the flowers, as if he is watering upon them." That might be the case.

Hikaru had been giving them everything they wanted.

Hikaru's 'promises' were necessary for them all.

"Did you...make a 'promise' with Hikaru?"

Tsuyako lowered her eyes slightly.

"Yes, we made a very important promise."

Her voice and eyes were showing grief.

Hikaru too looked unsettled.

Tsuyako then whispered,

"But the promise Hikaru made with me...can no longer be fulfilled."

Koremitsu felt his heart wrench upon hearing this.

At this moment, two girls could be heard as they turned around the corner.

"Why don't we have gelato after school today, Hono? They're sold at half price today."

"Okay, I want the bitter chocolate flavor with extra bitterness."

One of them was Koremitsu's classmate, the braided class representative with braids. The other was the girl with fierce looking eyes–Honoka Shikibu!

(ACK!)

Koremitsu widened his eyes in shock, and Honoka too gasped.

Tsuyako's arm was intertwined with Koremitsu's.

Honoka's naturally raised eyes were raised further.

And her shoulders were quivering.

(Wait, calm down! I didn't do anything wrong to Shikibu! We're just classmates! Even if she sees me with other women, there's nothing to be anxious about...!)

While Koremitsu was struggling to convince himself.

Honoka looked dumbfounded and outraged as she shrieked,

"Y-You cheater!"

She then slammed the bag with the lunch box upon him, and turned to run off.

"Ho-Hono! Wait for me!"

The class representative with braided hair stared at Honoka and Koremitsu apprehensively before running off after the her.

Tsuyako widened her eyes in surprise and asked, "Eh? Is that your girlfriend? No way? You really have one?"

Hikaru could only mutter with sympathy, "Miss Shikibu...really picked an inopportune time."

"Since when was I cheating!? That violent woman!"

He growled as he pressed on his aching head.

### 003. Chapter 3: Oi, Isn't This an All-Out War?

(Ahh! What was I doing, seriously—!?)

At night.

Honoka was feeling completely dejected as she laid on her desk.

Even the red-purple cellphone was thrown aside.

She intended to send Koremitsu messages a few times, only to delete them, and rewrite again.

(I'm not his girlfriend, and I'm feeling jealous of other girls, yapping away on the corridor. Michiru and that Moon Matriarch’s there too. I even threw my lunch box onto Akagi and ran away—argh, I'm really a big idiot!!)

She leaned her face on the table, while flailing her limbs.

The instant she saw the upperclassman, the Moon Matriarch, latched bewitchingly onto Koremitsu with her snowy white arm, Honoka felt her head sizzle. She felt devoid of composure.

(He's locking arms with that famous Moon Matriarch; that's too sudden already!)

This Moon Matriarch, Tsuyako Udate, was of nobility similar to Aoi, and was a famous person, having appeared in a magazine interview as a shining rookie in the Japanese Dance circle.

She had silky red hair, a glamorous face, and an alluring body. Her still presence alone would attract the stares of those surrounding her.

If a hundred people were taken for a questionnaire, at least 99 of them would call her an absolute beauty.

There were all sorts of pretty girls amongst the normal high school students, like Honoka. Some of them are a little pretty, some are barely called pretty, and some are beauties who can only look pretty after dolling up. Tsuyako was not this case however; she was a certified, superstar level of a beauty.

(Why's such a super beauty with Akagi?)

Honoka had been concerned about Koremitsu and Aoi before this had happened, and even posted a comment on a love consultation forum,

" I am a little attracted to a certain guy in my class, but a super-cute princess asked him to be her boyfriend. What do I do?

By Hono Hono."

Normally, Honoka would post her sweet cellphone novels using her online avatar, the Purple Princess, and even settle some girls' love troubles.

"Ri-Right, let's go ask on the forum again."

She immediately got up, and hurriedly tapped on the cellphone, her heart practically clutching at straws.

" There's a super beauty being too close with a guy I have a crush on.

When I saw them walking with their arms latched together, I couldn't help but scold him for being a cheater...（p>□<q*）

Will he think that I'm annoying? ｡+( °´Д｀°)+｡

What do I do with him in the future?

By Hono Hono."

Soon after sending the message, Honoka's face was flushed red.

(Seriously...seriously...)

She continued to swivel along with the chair,

"WHAT AM I DOING HERE!!?"

And she yelled,

"I'm not supposed to be such an annoying bimbo!! I'm supposed to be the love expert, the Purple Princess! The reliable and friendly big sister!! What's with this Hono Hono!!"

"AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! THIS IS EMBARRASSING! I DON'T DARE TO LOOK AT MY CELLPHONE NOW!!"

Perhaps she should not think about Koremitsu again.

Right, why was she concerned with that cheater of a man? She had assumed that he was fully devoted to Aoi, but hooked himself up with a hikkikomori, had a scandal with an elementary school girl, and this time, got a beautiful upperclassman.

"Those cheating men are the worst!"

Though Tsuyako Udate was famous, her reputation however was bad.

Soon after she entered the elementary school branch from the kindergarten, she was transferred to a girls school of nobility in England, and suddenly returned to Japan soon after her 1 st year in High School.

There were gossips that she was expelled because she had a scandal with a boy, and there were also rumors that she was unabashedly meeting Lord Hikaru in the Japanese Dance clubroom. Some even said that if she had a fancy in a man, she would lure him in, and dump him when she had enough...the way she dumped others was as vicious as that of stabbing someone in the heart with a smile.

(Eh, Akagi looks very fierce, but he's very naive and has no immunity to girls. He definitely fell into the honey trap easily~~~~)

The next morning, Honoka continued to sit at her place, looking melancholic as she held onto her cellphone tightly.

(What do I do? Do I remind Akagi to be careful of the Moon Matriarch? But if I do that, he'll definitely hate me...)

At this moment, Koremitsu walked in from the back door, his back slouched like usual.

Michiru, the class representative who was on good terms with Honoka, spoke timidly,

"Go-Good morning, Mr Akagi."

"...Oh."

Koremitsu coldly replied.

"You're frowning more than usual today, Mr Akagi, you look really savage...forget I said anything!"

Michiru hurried back to her own seat, and Honoka was tensely listening to his footsteps, cold like his voice, her heart pounding wildly.

The footsteps stopped beside her, and the sounds of the bag being thrown onto the table and the chair being dragged out could be heard.

Honoka's heart was pounding madly, almost popping out from her mouth.

(Uu...I really want to ask why he was with the Moon Matriarch yesterday. I'm just his classmate who 'likes' him a little, and if I ask them whether they did some pervy things in that clubroom after that—no, Akagi's not someone so easily charmed like that. He just broke up with Miss Kanai, Her Highness Aoi, and he's Shiiko's big brother now. He can't possibly do something shameless that an elementary school kid will find shameful of. Bu-Bu-but, Akagi said that he likes big breasted girls the last time we saw those swimsuit photos. I only have a C cup; the Moon Matriarch has more to show if she strips herself...)

Honoka started to imagine the two of them being alone in the clubroom, Tsuyako dressed in a kimono opening her crumpled collar,

"Hey, my sash is loose...please help me tie it, Mr Akagi."

She leaned over as she said this, while Koremitsu looked panicky, his face completely red.

(STOP IT! DON'T TOUCH AKAGI!)

Honoka screamed in her heart, and at that moment.

"Hey."

Koremitsu, who was supposed seated beside her, was standing beside her this time, shocking her.

He placed the lunchbox she threw the previous day on the table.

"You forgot something."

He sounded and looked really unhappy.

Of course, it was natural for him to be angry.

"Ah, y-you picked it up for me...?"

(What am I playing dumb for!? I should at least thank him right? No, I should be apologizing to him regarding yesterday instead of that first...)

"I-I say..."

However, Honoka's words were full of spite.

"I want to warn you as a classmate. You don't have friends, so you probably never heard of the rumors. I saw you being so friendly with Tsuyako Udate."

Koremitsu's eyebrows rose.

However, Honoka could not stop.

Suppressing the urge to hide under the table, she continued,

"She's very famous in this school as the Moon Matriarch, but there are bad rumors about her, like she's very good at manipulating men, and that she dumps them if she gets tired of them..."

Honoka felt bitterness in her mouth.

Her throat was in agony, as if it was strangled.

(No, this isn't what I wanted to say to him.)

She did not want to say such vexing things.

She did not want Koremitsu to see herself in such a putrid state.

"Are you being fooled, Akagi?"

She tried her best to eke out a voice.

At this moment, Koremitsu glared at her, raised his voice, and said,

"Don't say something baseless. You aren't that type of person, right?"

Honoka felt her heart freeze.

(Akagi despises me now!)

She knew that Koremitsu never treated her as a girl, but she hoped to be at least someone he could trust and talk with, a classmate.

Her legs felt limp, and she felt an urge to cry, furious at this blockhead of a guy who did not understand her feelings at all.

"It-It's your fault though...we agreed to go to the pool...I was the first one..."

(Right, I made an appointment with Akagi before Her Highness Aoi did. He forgot about everything here! But Akagi only agreed somewhat because I forcefully invited him. Maybe he doesn't want to go there at all, but I've been looking forward to it...)

"What're you murmuring about. If you're not happy, just say it."

Koremitsu frowned.

All emotions swelled till her throat, and she lashed out,

"DID YOU FORGET THAT I SAID I LIKED YOU!?"

The instant these words came out, she was dumbfounded.

Wh-What am I doing...?

Koremitsu's mouth was agape, absolutely speechless.

And also,

The classmates greeting each other went quiet, her good friend, the braided bespectacled girl, was covering her mouth with both hands, looking astounded.

The class was completely quiet.

(WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!! I'M REALLY A BIG IDIOT!)

Honoka was so abashed her face was sizzling.

"Th-That's not it! I don't mean 'like'! Not that at all! I mean 'pike'! I haven't been going out for farming!"

(I might as well die right now...)

She had always played the role of the 'cool and reliable Miss Shikibu’.

But the image she worked so hard to cultivate was gradually breaking down.

At this moment.

A giggle could be heard from nearby.

Tsuyako was standing at the back door.

Her glossy red hair was draped upon her voluptuous breasts, the tail swaying gently by the waist.

She was akin to an actress standing in the midst of the spotlights, gracefully strolling to Koremitsu with everyone looking upon her, narrowing her eyes bewitchingly as she said,

"Thank you for speaking up for me, Mr Akagi."

"What do you mean?"

Koremitsu frowned, probably feeling awkward about this.

Upon seeing this, Honoka's heart sank further.

Tsuyako smiled, and said,

"I have come to invite you. Would you like to come to our club practice during noon break?"

Club practice? What's that about? Did Akagi join the Japanese Dance Club? For the Moon Matriarch?

Honoka watched Tsuyako carefully, and found her outstandingly beautiful. Her breasts are something Honoka could not hold a candle to.

(I-I'm just being a foul-hearted classmate here!)

She bit her lips anxiously, wondering whether to lock herself in the bathroom...

Tsuyako then turned to Honoka.

She showed an earnest smile, and told the leering Honoka,

"Would you like to pay us a visit?"

(Isn't this development too weird or something? When did things end up like this?)

A few days later, after school–

With his back slouched, Koremitsu was seated cross-legged in a corner of the tatamis.

Tsuyako was in the middle of the classroom, dressed in a red-collared blue kimono with a red sash around her, dancing elegantly with a red fan; Honoka and the class representative with braids were gaping from the side, mesmerized.

"Upperclassman Tsuyako's amazing..."

"Yes, she's really pretty, Hono."

A few days ago, Honoka was frowning, and said, "She's famous, but there are bad rumors about her".

Once Koremitsu heard her say these words she typically would not say, he could not help but refute her, and Honoka's loud declaration reverberated throughout the class...the situation was in shambles.

However,

"Would you like to pay us a visit?"

Tsuyako invited her, and she went to the clubroom while pouting, the atmosphere crippling. Once Tsuyako opened her crimson fan and started dancing, Honoka was enthralled by it all, and watched with her mouth opened.

Once Tsuyako finished dancing, Honoka seemed to have snapped out of a trance as her shoulders jerked, and turned her face away unhappily. Once Tsuyako spoke to her however, her face would turn red, flustered by this.

On the way back to the classroom, her face remained red, her vision swirling about as she spoke to Koremitsu,

"Erm...I-I think...I had a misunderstanding about her."

At that moment, Koremitsu realized that something was amiss.

At this point, Honoka had become a devout fan of Tsuyako, and would often drag the class representative in braids to the clubroom.

Tsuyako smiled as she closed the fan, and both of them started clapping passionately, running to her.

"That's amazing! Really amazing, upperclassman Tsuyako! Ahh, that was beautiful! I just searched your name on the internet, and everyone has been praising you, saying that you're the red dancing princess! I feel really proud too!"

"I-I found photos of your performances on the internet too! Your red hair on the white kimono was amazingly beautiful!"

Both Honoka and the class representative sounded really excited, and their smiles became more pronounced whenever Tsuyako smiled.

"Thank you. I have a dance exhibition this month. If you have the time, I would like to invite you."

"Ehhhh? Really!? I'll definitely go!"

"M-Me too!"

Both of them cheered and squealed as they flailed.

(Hey...)

Shikibu, isn't your attitude completely different now?

She always looked cold and aloof in front of Koremitsu, but became so chatty and noisy at this point. Though he had known that girls were temperamental like the weather, he was so amazed by this drastic change he had personally witnessed that he was unable to feel angry at all.

Hikaru sat beside Koremitsu with a knee tucked to his chest, showing a rational smile as he spoke with a clear and gentle voice,

"Girls are attracted by other beautiful girls after all. Tsuyako and Miss Shikibu are rather alike, straightforward, enthusiastic and pragmatic. Tsuyako too like girls like Miss Shikibu, so naturally, they do meet eye to eye."

"Is that so...I really don't understand women."

Koremitsu was worried when Tsuyako invited Honoka, wondering what would happen. He was flabbergasted to find out however that they got on so amicably.

Till this day, the stalker Tsuyako spoke of had yet to appear, and she had been living quite the pleasant life every single day.

(She asked me to help her, but it doesn't look like there's anything I can help.)

She said she was troubled, that she did not know what to do, that if she were to keep this up, perhaps the flowers Hikaru so treasured would be wrecked, and requested him to watch over her.

Was that simply an excuse for him to join the Japanese Dance club?

Koremitsu again turned to look at his friend.

Hikaru sat quietly, his leg still raised, maintaining this position even when Tsuyako danced, watching blissfully as his eyes narrowed.

The deep gaze was ostensibly loving every single move the hands made, every single twist her neck did whenever she danced, wanting to embrace her in his clutches.

"..."

On the way home after his date with Tsuyako in the school, Koremitsu and Hikaru were walking down the dirt path under the sunset.

–What's your promise with that upperclassman?

Koremitsu recalled the question he asked Hikaru before.

Hikaru's shoulders shuddered, looking gloomy.

He then replied hoarsely,

–When Tsuyako dances on stage next time, I will definitely be in the stands, applauding her more than anyone else.

The thin strands of hair draped upon the pale cheeks swayed weakly, the neck and shoulders slumped feebly.

The grass lying by the roadside swayed forlornly, seemingly reflecting Hikaru's feelings.

Koremitsu's voice too became hoarse.

–Well...you can't do that now. You're dead.

–Yeah...

–What do we do?

–What do we do, indeed...?

Neither of them spoke after that.

Hikaru often said that Tsuyako's dance was unique.

He promised that whenever she got on stage to dance, he would be in the audience marveling at her. Those definitely were his sincere thoughts.

But this promise would never be fulfilled.

Even Koremitsu would not be able to fulfill this for him.

Tsuyako should be hoping for Hikaru to watch her perform personally.

It was meaningless for others to take over.

(What do we do...Hikaru...?)

Koremitsu harbored bitter feelings as he asked quietly.

Tsuyako, Honoka and Michiru were chatting happily, and as Hikaru watched over them gently, his expression seemed so fragile.

Tsuyako seemed to be guiding the duo on their dance movements as she stood beside Michiru, sometimes raising the latter by the arm, sometimes turning her neck, causing Michiru to blush as she followed suit.

At this moment, Hikaru spoke gently with a warm yet forlorn voice.

He seemed to have sensed the melancholy in Koremitsu's heart,

"Koremitsu, I...I hope that Tsuyako can continue to dance, for her dance is really unique...when she dances, she looks like the red weeping cherry blossom."

The prayerful tone stabbed Koremitsu's heart.

What he and Hikaru could only do was to pray.

(She wouldn't tell me why she's crying, and she looks so happy, smiling whenever she talks about Hikaru...)

Tsuyako was probably strong enough to accept that the promise could not be fulfilled.

In that case, perhaps the reason why she pulled Koremitsu into the Japanese Dance club was simply to chat with Hikaru's friend, just as Hikaru himself had said. The date she had with Koremitsu in the school was probably to reminisce the places where she made her memories with him, to mourn for her dead lover...

(I really don't understand what women think about...)

If Tsuyako really hoped for it, Koremitsu could accompany her to the clubroom everyday after school, until the day she could let go.

(I really didn't like calling her 'senpai' at first, but I guess I'm used to it now...)

He was instead happy that he had someone he could call 'senpai', and that he had a place for himself.

For he used to be alone all the time, and never joined any clubs...

Such a notion was too embarrassing, so he never said this to Hikaru.

At this moment, Honoka walked towards Koremitsu, and sat beside him silently.

(Ack...)

Koremitsu was tense all over.

Honoka pouted as she tucked her legs to her chest, cupping them; after some silence, she muttered,

"...Sorry for causing you trouble recently."

"...No biggie. Maybe my attitude wasn't good either way."

Tsuyako was still guiding Michiru on the her dancing. Michiru was being embraced from behind, her braids swaying frantically.

"I was mistaken. Upperclassman Tsuyako's beautiful, whether she's walking or sitting, whatever she does is beautiful. She's like a celestial when she dances, unlike us high school students. She's so cheerful, straightful. I really admire her, I want to be like her."

"Really? You're like her, you know."

Koremitsu spoke as per Hikaru's opinion.

"No seriously, I'm not like her. She's of a completely different level from me!"

Honoka placed her hands on her cheeks, looking flustered.

And then, she smiled cheerfully,

"I know such a wonderful person can't possibly fall for you. I'm relaxed now."

Her refreshed expression was practically bleached through, showing nary a tint of spite as she seemed to sincerely think so.

"What do you mean by that!?" Koremitsu grumbled.

Upon eavesdropping on their conversation, Hikaru chuckled.

"It is great that Miss Shikibu has finally understood, Koremitsu. Your relationship with her is now as good as before."

(AS IF!)

"Are you making fun of me or something?"

"Not at all. I'm saying the truth."

"Isn't that worse!?"

"Stop yelling into my ear!"

"Isn't that your fault!"

As both of them continued to bicker, Tsuyako suddenly interjected,

"Oh ho, both of you have quite the relationship going there."

Both of them turned around, and found that Tsuyako and Michiru were already in front of them, watching.

Tsuyako leaned her body forward, giving a teasing smile like a big sister. Michiru's eyes widened beneath the glasses, looking really panicky.

"H-Ho-Ho-Ho-Ho-Hono! You and Mr Akagi are..."

"What are you saying, Michiru!? I already said things aren't like that! How can I possibly have something going on with this delinquent!?"

Honoka's face went beetroot as she exclaimed.

And Tsuyako then teased her,

"Is that so? Are you really not dating Mr Akagi, Miss Shikibu? You look quite compatible with each other, so I thought I was right."

"!!"

Honoka's eyes widened, unable to say anything.

Koremitsu too shrieked,

"Th-That's stupid! That's not it, senpai! Shikibu and I are just classmates..."

"Th-th-th-th-that's right! You're mistaken, upperclassman Tsuyako!"

"Uu...Hono..."

"Why're you looking at me suspiciously, Michiru!? Why're you retreating? It's really not like that!"

"Yeah, Miss Shikibu was talking about hiking back then."

"...!"

Honoka was unable to say anything for she was teased to such an extent. Tsuyako then leaned over to her ear, and whispered,

"Tell me about that 'hiking' next time. I would not tell Mr Akagi."

"Up-Upperclassman Tsuyako...! Th-that's...!"

Honoka's face was completely red as Tsuyako beamed.

"What're you whispering about."

"Just some little hushed words between girls, is that right, Miss Shikibu?"

"Th-This..."

Tsuyako giggled as she gently watched Honoka as the latter nervously fidgeted her fingers,

The earnest, innocent smile was exactly the same as Hikaru's as he floated beside Koremitsu, smiling.

Are lovers similar even in this? Or perhaps it was because they were similar in this aspect that they got on well with each other?

Well, never mind. Hikaru has as many lovers as there are flowers. There's nothing worth thinking about it.

At this moment, the door to the classroom opened.

There was a person with black flowing hair standing outside, a white ribbon tied upon it.

(Eh...? Aoi?)

Koremitsu was thunderstruck once he saw the delicate princess standing outside.

Aoi's stare was hovering around, looking timid. Once she saw Koremitsu however, her expression eased somewhat as she seemed relieved.

Right beside Koremitsu was Honoka, whose shoulders quivered slightly, looking tense.

"What's the matter, Aoi?"

Koremitsu walked to the door, and Aoi hesitated for a moment, her face flushed, before she spoke nervously,

"I want to talk to you about tomorrow...I just called you on the phone, but you never replied..."

"Ah, sorry, my phone's in my bag, so I didn't notice."

"No, it is fine. I should be the one to apologize. I should not have come here to look for you."

Aoi bowed deeply, her flowing black hair swaying along with her gesture.

However, once she lifted that pixie face of hers, she clearly looked tense.

With a harsh look, she glared behind Koremitsu.

(What? What's with her now?)

He turned around, and found Tsuyako walking towards them, her expression as tense as Aoi's.

(Eh? Why're they staring at each other?)

Hikaru sighed once he saw this, and could only cover his face with a hand reluctantly.

Once Koremitsu realized the bizarreness of this situation, Tsuyako had already shown a rigid smile, saying,

"...It has been a while, Miss Aoi. We have not met since Hikaru's funeral."

Her eyes and lips were smiling, but she did not look like she was; even her voice sounded stern.

Aoi remained silent as she scowled back; it seemed she was unwilling to greet the other party.

Tsuyako's voice was somewhat agitated,

"You did not look that well back then, but you seem rather lively. I am glad about that."

Suddenly, Aoi's face was flushed with anger.

"You do not have to worry about me! I still have yet to forgive you! I will despise you forever!"

"Hey! Aoi!"

Koremitsu was stunned, for such words were not something one would simply say so carelessly.

Honoka and Michiru too were stunned.

Aoi clenched her hands, her petite body shuddering as she took a deep breath to rein in her furor. She then turned away to leave.

"Wait Aoi! Sorry senpai, I gotta go!"

"Okay...go accompany Miss Aoi. She is still a child, she might need some time to collect herself."

Tsuyako looked as if she was trying to showcase her restraint as she spoke in a monotonous manner, and Aoi, upon hearing that, spat back,

"I am not a child! I was born earlier than you!"

"Yes, amongst the three of us, including Miss Asai, you are the oldest, Miss Aoi...but you are also the shortest."

"Please, Tsuyako, do not say anymore. Miss Aoi has always been sensitive of her height. Koremitsu, go chase after her!"

Hikaru looked lethargic as he broke into a frown.

Koremitsu grabbed his bag and gave chase.

As he went by Honoka, he noticed her biting her lips in a lonely manner. Having patched up after much difficulty, would she throw a tantrum again? Koremitsu was perplexed by that, but he had to first handle Aoi's business.

"See you later, Mr Akagi."

Tsuyako stood at the door with a mature expression, waving her hand silently.

"Hey, Aoi! What's your deal just now!"

Koremitsu huffed and puffed as he caught up to Aoi just as the latter was about to head downstairs. Aoi bit her lips, looking ready to break into tears as she angrily retorted,

"You can tell, right? I hate Miss Tsuyako!"

Koremitsu was in a dilemma once he heard her say this tearily.

"Ah...yeah...I guess..."

Thinking about it carefully, Aoi was betrothed, and yet Tsuyako had an affair with Hikaru, unabashedly proclaiming herself to be his mistress. Naturally, Aoi would not have tolerated it if Tsuyako had been like this when Hikaru was alive.

(Hikaru had so many girlfriends, but Aoi really hates senpai for some reason...)

Aoi's shoulders shuddered as she lashed out,

"Miss Tsuyako was betrothed to Hikaru's older brother! And she had an affair with Hikaru..."

(What!?)

Koremitsu turned over to Hikaru, and found the latter putting his hands together, looking apologetic.

(What are you apologizing for, you bastard!? Are you admitting that you had an affair with your brother's fiancee!?)

"Miss Tsuyako transferred to the boarding academy in England during her second grade, and...she had a meeting with Hikaru in the dormitory when it was forbidden for men to enter. A teacher so happened to witness it, and she was expelled as a result!"

(A meeting in the dormitory?)

Her face completely red, Aoi continued,

"Last spring, she returned to Japan, her engagement with Hikaru's brother broken off. She continued to date Hikaru, and at the turf club resort during the Golden Week, she kissed Hikaru in front of everyone!"

(Ugh–HIKARU!!!!!!!!!!!!)

From what Hikaru himself and others had said, Koremitsu already knew that Hikaru was a harem prince without restraint.

However, he found out that Hikaru never did anything to Yū, never dared to kiss Aoi, his fiancee, for fear of being annoying, and was akin to a bumbling father to the elementary school girl Shioriko. Because of these, his opinion of Hikaru changed slightly, that perhaps it was a misunderstanding that Hikaru was assumed to be someone without restraint, that he was a decent person.

(And you dated a girl in a girl's dormitory where it's forbidden for men to enter!? You're the scum of Japanese men! You continued to date her after that? Is that some sort of sick thinking or something? Don't you feel sorry for your brother and Aoi!? So you were alone with senpai in the Japanese Dance Clubroom for your own tomfoolery!? Tōjō talked about you kissing a girl while riding on the horse, that was senpai right!?)

Koremitsu's veins were bulging as he gritted his teeth, his eyebrows raised at Hikaru.

Apprehensive, Hikaru slowly retreated,

"Ko-Koremitsu, you are scary now. That expression is vilish! You will scare Miss Aoi! Be gentle!"

(DON'T USE AOI AS A SHIELD, YOU SCUMBAG OF A HAREM PRINCE!)

Koremitsu's blazing fury was not to be denied.

Aoi too could not control her anger as she continued to lash out in anguish,

"Hikaru soon died in the river after that, and I cannot forgive Miss Tsuyako when I think about how she had Hikaru's last kiss!"

Her declaration and expression seemed to have broken Hikaru's heart, for whenever she spoke, the he could only groan.

"Miss Tsuyako does hate me too. She has been bullying me since our childhoods, and deliberately came to my garden..."

Aoi looked very agitated, and once she spoke till there, she suddenly stopped.

It seemed she suddenly recalled the term 'being abashed' as her eyebrows dropped slightly, her expression fragile.

"So-Sorry...I started grumbling to no end...I just felt uneasy when I heard that Miss Tsuyako latched arms with you around school and invited you to the Japanese Dance club...I thought you would be lured by her, so I came by to look at the situation. I wanted to confront her calmly...but when I see her, all the memories from before just appeared in my mind, so I could not help...i-it is really embarrassing. You definitely find me annoying, right?"

Aoi covered her face with her hands as she turned around.

(What am I supposed to do now?)

The only one Koremitsu could plead for help to had already retreated out of the overt sense of guilt. It was because of this person that such a scenario occurred; naturally, Koremitsu could not ask him, and did not want to anyway.

Once he saw Aoi shrink back dejectedly, he blurted, wanting to encourage her,

"I won't cheat on anyone! I'm devoted!"

Aoi turned around in shock.

Her eyes widened, her mouth slightly ajar.

"E-Erm..."

And a stupefied voice could be heard.

Hikaru too was gobsmacked to a point of breaking out from his funk.

(Eh? Did I say something wrong?)

But those were his true thoughts.

He knew Hikaru had his own troubles, that Hikaru truly loved every single flower, every single girl.

He also knew that Hikaru lingered on Earth to fulfill the promises he made to all the girls.

But even so...he could not accept how Hikaru dated so many girls at the same time, and he was committed to dating only one girl.

Aoi finally managed to breathe normally as her coral-colored lips exhaled slightly. She placed a hand in front of her chest, glanced up at Koremitsu as she looked down, and stammered,

"B-But...you called Miss Tsuyako as senpai...you must be on good terms with her..."

"You want me to call you that too? I'll call you that then, Aoi-senpai."

"Eh, well, that is..."

She seemed to have mixed feelings as she pondered for a few seconds,

"...I-I think it is better to just...call me Aoi."

Aoi whispered shyly.

(Hm? What's she shy about? What's with her?)

Koremitsu seemed to be infected by her embarrassment, and both of them remained silent, looking down awkward for quite a while.

"Erm...let's go home. I'll walk you back."

Looking shy yet chuffed to bits, Aoi answered,

"Okay."

Behind Koremitsu, Hikaru grumbled,

"I am simply a useless harem prince after all. Miss Aoi has scolded me countless times around. She hates me for being insincere."

The pair walked to the bus stop three stops away from the one Aoi usually boarded.

Aoi walked slowly, and Koremitsu had to cautiously slow himself down to match her pace.

Hikaru looked as lethargic as ever as he followed behind them, his shoulders slumped.

He looked as gloomy as a ghost (though he was one), and would occasionally say ‘I am hated’ that would unnerve even Koremitsu.

"Erm, Asa is attending some enterprise management meeting tomorrow, so she will not be able to attend the garden party...I can say more things there."

"Oh, that's great. It'll be troublesome if Saiga's around."

"Actually, Asa is not that kind of a cold-hearted person."

"Really?"

Koremitsu questioned skeptically.

"She likes to collect animal pictures, and often go out to watch touching moves. She refused me when I asked to go with her; I guess that is because she does not want me to see her wailing."

(That Asai Saiga with the poker face bawl like a baby when watching movies!?)

IMPOSSIBLE! Koremitsu retorted silently.

(But she did help me when Shiiko was in trouble, and Hikaru often spoke up for her. Maybe she does have her good points.)

He then boarded the bus along with Aoi, and sent her home.

Aoi stood in front of her house, smiling as she said,

"Please take care of me tomorrow."

And Hikaru–

"Koremitsu, you do have quite the chemistry with Miss Aoi. Am I bothering you two just by being here? Shall I ascend to the afterlife sooner?"

Clearly, he was affected by everything that had transpired.

(AKAGI'S AN IDIOT!!!)

It was sunset, and Honoka was tapping at her cellphone, furious as she walked down the street.

"Hello there, Purple Princess.

I'm the Cinnamon Roll who talked to you about T from the handball club I belong to.

Thanks to your suggestion, my relationship with him has improved, and now we're going home together after club activities. Currently, we're just good friends in the club, but I want to confess during the summer camp.

Recently though, there has been a girl sketching in a corner of the school. That girl looks very demure like a princess, and is very cute. The male members are all excited, saying that the girl was looking at them.

T seems to be attracted to her, and even told me 'what do I do if she suddenly confesses to me'. Does that mean I have no hope now?

Please give me some suggestions, Purple Princess."

Honoka quickly tapped at the keys, replying to the questions flooding her message board.

"Hello there, Cinnamon Roll.

It's already a great improvement that you're able to go home together with T!

You did it! ＼(^∇^)／

I know you're worried about the girl who keeps sketching, but guys always admire those beautiful girls who are hard to attain.

Don't worry! T will choose you to be with him in the end, a cute girl who has the same interests as him–that's you, Cinnamon Roll!

You can try attracting his attention by saying something like 'I'll be troubled if that girl confesses to you...'

The most important thing is to say it carelessly though! T's heart will race because of that!

Do your best, Cinnamon Roll! I'm looking forward to good news from you~ y (`－゜)y

(Right, it'll be tough getting to a girl that's unattainable. It's easier to get along with a girl more approachable and who likes him back.)

Once she sent this message, Honoka felt an aching in her heart.

(Akagi doesn't understand at all...)

She was so shocked when she saw Aoi at the Japanese Dance clubroom that she forgot to breathe.

Aoi looked around the clubroom uneasily, and the way she smiled once she found him was really adorable.

She was Lord Hikaru's fiancee, dubbed as Her Highness, and was truly a Princess amongst the many nobles in the school. She had a pure, adorable look, but it was because of her purity that others found it difficult to approach her.

She never expected Aoi to show such a relieved, gentle expression.

(Every guy will fall head over heels when girls look at them with such trust. Definitely, Akagi too...)

It was really unexpected to hear her say such words about Tsuyako, but on a second thought, it was definitely reasonable. Aoi was once Hikaru's fiancee, and Tsuyako unabashedly proclaimed herself to be Hikaru's lover; naturally, Aoi would not be on good terms with her.

After Aoi stormed out of the room, Koremitsu hurried after her without looking at Honoka.

"...Akagi really like Her Highness Aoi after all...even after he was dumped by her, he must have really liked her..."

Honoka's thoughts became more pessimistic, and she slapped herself on the face.

"That's enough already. I'm becoming irritating again! Don't think about Akagi! I need to stop thinking about him."

She chided herself as she said this, but immediately thought,

(Akagi and Her Highness Aoi...where are they going tomorrow?)

Her heart ached further.

At this moment, her cellphone rang.

"Argh, who's calling now?"

Once she saw the caller, she felt angrier.

"What?"

Honoka's tone was not welcoming in the slightest, but the caller who annoyed her did not mind.

"Ah, is that Miss Shikibu~ I'm Hiina Oumi of the newspaper club, here to help troubled girls~ I'm sending over information this lovestruck Miss Shikibu will want~"

Honoka actually intended to hang up on the phone once she heard that rapid-fire teasing.

But before she could do so, Hiina spoke up first,

"Do you want to do some part-time work, Miss Shikibu?"

### 004. Chapter 4: The Maiden That Stands Amidst the Falling Flowers

"Hey, am I dressed too shabbily or something? Should I have borrowed gramps' haori hakama?"

That night, during the garden party.

Koremitsu's back was slouched as he wandered around the garden of Aoi's acquaintance, obviously looking lost.

"A haori here will look like a formal meeting; since you are a student, a uniform will do. Besides, the Heian Academy uniform is pretty too." Hikaru encouraged.

But even though he said so, Koremitsu could only see adults dressed in expensive suits or kimonos; he could not find anyone else dressed in a school uniform.

This English-styled garden was spacious, to a point one would not assume it to be part of a person's home. The lighting was as bright as noon, and there were a few round tables with pure white tablecloths on them, dishes of smoked duck and roasted beef laid out on silver platter, with professional chefs to cut them.

Aoi had said that it was a casual party where everyone stood around and ate, so Koremitsu imagined it to be like a barbeque at the seaside or the food stall, but that was not the case.

The female attendants were dressed in white shirts, black vests, and tight skirts, and they went around with silver trays in tow, serving glasses of champagne.

(I don't belong to this world. I wanna go home~)

"Koremitsu, do not panic. Just act like usual and raise your eyebrows, give that stiff expression, and that 'I'll kill you if you dare belittle me' look."

(I'm no different from a delinquent then!)

Hikaru was most probably used to being in such occasions, and thus, he was unable to comprehend why Koremitsu was being so restless.

(Of course that's to be expected of a Little Princeling with enough pocket money to buy a house for an elementary school kid!)

Speaking of which, when Koremitsu left the house, Shioriko pestered him, "Where're you going? It's not good to go out to play at such a late time. I'm coming along too!"

(Good thing she didn't come along.)

Koremitsu was so preoccupied that he could not be bothered to take care of his 'little sister'.

"Where's Aoi?"

He looked around, and subconsciously went off to a less crowded place.

"Mr. Akagi."

A person called out to him softly.

Tsuyako was standing in a dim corner, dressed in a red floral long-sleeved kimono and a crimson sash. A portion of her glossy red hair was bundled on her head, while the rest was draped naturally.

The dim moonlight was reflected upon her red hair and sleeves, the sight radiantly alluring.

"Senpai, why are you here?"

"Are you looking for Miss Aoi?"

Tsuyako revealed her face, which looked whiter than usual, and smiled silently.

"Yeah."

He never expected Tsuyako to attend the garden party, and this really was worse than meeting Asai at this place.

He recalled the scuffle that happened at the clubroom the previous day, and upon imagining what would happen if the two of them were to meet, he felt his gut wrench.

At that moment, "Koremitsu." Hikaru muttered with a stiff voice.

Koremitsu motioned his stare aside, and found the latter staring at Tsuyako's feet with a frozen, horrified look.

He too was shocked to see the red flowers scattered pitifully around. There were whole flowers and pruned petals, resembling a trail of blood when shown under the dim moonlight.

He felt his neck and shoulders stiffen, weighing him down, a chill occurring in his heart.

His stare slowly drifted from her feet to her waist, and knees to her chest. At that moment, he realized that the Crape Myrtle growing behind her were all devoid of flowers.

(Did she do it? The flowers by her feet are--)

A new chill wormed through Koremitsu's spine again.

Tsuyako did say before that she was the one who pruned the flowers in the school garden.

And that she did it in a moment of impulse, because of loneliness and anxiety.

At that time, her tone was cheerful and carefree, it sounded like a joke.

But was what she said real?

"You cannot leave."

A pair of frosty hands grabbed Koremitsu's arm.

Her eyes were lifeless, shrouded in haze like a shadowy moon. Koremitsu watched this scene in fear.

–I really am troubled.

Her eyes were this hazy when she stopped Koremitsu in the clubroom.

–If this keeps up, I might end up destroying the flowers Hikaru treasures.

She lowered her head, her red hair scattered upon her face, her lips quivered as she clasped her shoulders.

Was all those before really not an act?

–Mr. Akagi...can you help me...? Can you please keep watch on me so that I do not destroy them?

Was that anguished voice the real deal?

Tsuyako spoke to a still, dumbfounded Koremitsu with a monotonous tone,

"Be with me here. Do not go to Miss Aoi. I will 'prune' flowers like her if you do so otherwise."

The damp wind caused her red hair to flutter.

A sharp pain roamed about Koremitsu's bare elbow; Tsuyako was grabbing onto it, ostensibly telling him that she would not let him go. She continued to hold onto Koremitsu's arm tightly with both hands, and leaned her tender body upon him.

There was the scent of a monastery, the scent of poppy seeds added to the fire, the alluring fragrance whiffing past his nose.

Tsuyako's shoulders were quaking in fear.

But her eyes were still looking up at him hazily.

"Tsuyako is not being her usual self. It is strange, Koremitsu."

Hikaru's face too was filled with an apprehensive, confused look.

"Senpai, are you feeling unwell? Let's find a place to rest–"

There was sweat trickling down Koremitsu's back as he said this to Tsuyako.

At this moment, the cellphone rang shrilly in his pocket.

There was no doubt it was Aoi.

But Tsuyako continued to grab Koremitsu with her fingers, not allowing him to pick up the call. As he had forgotten to put his phone to silent mode, the shrill ringtone continued to ring.

"Please do not leave. Stay here."

Tsuyako continued to repeat this, panting over and over again.

"If you are not around, that woman will capture me. I will be ensnared by the spider web, unable to breathe and dance."

(Who is that woman!?)

Koremitsu frowned, his heart pounding. Hikaru watched on with bated breath as the moonlight shone on his back.

Tsuyako buried her face at Koremitsu's neck. The fragrance from the kimono gave off an alluring scent, and the shadows rained upon the scattered flowers. The wind blew the clouds, which slowly covered the moonlight.

Her body was quivering, her eyes widened slightly, showing a frantic lunacy, ostensibly terrified of that sight.

"No...if the spider covers the moon–that woman will appear–"

(Where is Akagi?)

Honoka, dressed in a waiter outfit, was serving the champagne glasses from the tray.

Hiina, dressed in a similar outfit was showing a passionate smile as she did the same.

–Do you want to do some part-time work?

She received this call from Hiina the previous evening.

"I will be working as a waitress for a party, but I heard that Mr Akagi and Her Highness Aoi will be attending it too."

Upon hearing that reply, Honoka hesitated before replying, "I-I just happened to be free on that day."

(Aren't I being like a stalker here!? What do I say if I meet Akagi!?)

Honoka was left frustrated, her gut cramped in pain. Beside her, Hiina taunted her and said,

"It is great that you are able to come, Miss Shikibu. We were short on hands in the first place, and though it is supposed to be a private internal party, the invited guests are all extremely rich. You can try knowing a few of them, if you took a fancy! Ah, I think you only have eyes for Mr Akagi however."

"Th-That's not the case."

"In that case, don't worry. I heard of some rumors that Her Highness Aoi will be revealing her lover at tonight's party."

Hiina whispered as she glanced up at Honoka with a boyish look.

Honoka felt her breathing cease.

"Ah, I found Her Highness Aoi."

"!"

Aoi was standing on the other side of the guests mingling around elegantly, dressed in a bright blue, long-sleeved kimono with large white flower patterns, full of summer flair. Honoka's heart shrank the moment she saw her.

Aoi's hair was tied in a bun, decorated with a larger white ribbon, making her much prettier and cuter than she normally was.

Honoka was dressed as a waiter, and she was dressed as a Princess, a guest-of-honor; they were of completely different levels, to a point of no comparison right from the beginning.

(Her Highness Aoi wants to declare Akagi as her boyfriend...that has to be a joke, right? Since when have things developed to that extent?)

An intense throbbing bellowed from her chest.

Aoi was looking around frantically, seemingly looking around. She lowered her head uneasily from time to time, took out her cellphone, and stared at the screen.

"Eh? Isn't Her Highness Aoi being a little strange now?"

Hiina narrowed her eyes sharply.

Aoi fidgeted as she pressed the buttons, and placed the phone at her ear. The expression gradually became gloomier.

(She's calling Akagi now, right?)

(Why is Mr. Akagi not picking up the phone?)

She dialled on the cellphone, only to be cut off by the voicemail.

As a result, she was more anxious than usual.

Normally, Asai would be right beside her whenever they had a party; Aoi had chosen to invite Koremitsu on such a day as Asai could not make it.

However, that Koremitsu was nowhere to be seen.

On the way back home the previous day, "I will give you a call if I cannot find you. Please make sure your cellphone is sufficiently charged." Aoi had requested Koremitsu this, "Got it." and the latter could only answer sheepishly.

(I do think he’s around here. If he is not, he will definitely contact me. Did something happen?)

Koremitsu's red hair should be extremely eye-catching amongst the crowds.

She really wanted to meet him as soon as possible, or she would be extremely uneasy.

She kept her cellphone, and again walked off, seeking Koremitsu. Her uncles approached her with smiles on their faces.

"Oh? Are you alone, Aoi? This is the day where you introduce your boyfriend to us. I am looking forward to it."

"I too want to know. Where is he? You managed to hide his identity from Asai too. Well, we understand about that too. I'll support you two wholeheartedly if he is a man that matches you."

Aoi was troubled.

Everyone was amicable to her, and had doted on her ever since her infancy. However, if she could not find Koremitsu, she would not be able to introduce him to them. And if she were to explain matters, they would be worried, wondering if she was in a successful relationship with him. Their impression of him would foul as a result. Aoi should be with the person I chose after all, this might be the opinion in the end.

(What do I do?)

Aoi did not know how she should deal with them in such a situation, for Asai had been handling everything right from the beginning.

Asai however was not present, and certainly, she would not help as she obviously utterly despised Koremitsu.

"Erm...he will be...a little late."

Aoi explained with a gradually softening voice, and her guardians surrounding her immediately frowned.

"He is late? This cannot do. There is no way he should make you wait, Aoi."

"I can't allow a man who leaves Aoi alone. I think you should at least meet the man I talked about for courtship, Aoi."

"Well, if that's the case, my wife's nephew is a fine youth himself."

"No no, I have a fine man amongst my subordinates well suited for her."

They continued to speak to Aoi with gentle tones, and the girl was nearly defeated by such gentle words and smiles.

She felt her legs weaken, her palms sweaty.

She did not know how to give them an acceptable answer.

(But if this is to keep up, I will have to be courted away.)

In such a case, Aoi expected the topic to end up being about her being betrothed, even if she stated her displeasure for it.

(I do not want that to happen. I still like Hikaru; I do not want others to take the place Hikaru once took.)

It should not be something that could be taken easily.

She could still remember his dazzling smile and rich, sweet voice. She could never forget the final gift Hikaru gave her.

The gentle stars that fell whilst sparkling.

Hikaru had said before "I really love Miss Aoi from the bottom of my heart."

And Aoi really loved Hikaru for expressing his true, honest feelings to her.

If–just if–there was anyone who could replace him, it would be Hikaru's friend, who did his best delivering Hikaru's presents.This savage-looking friend of Hikaru who was soft at heart–

"I-I do not–"

I do not want to be betrothed. Just when Aoi summoned all her courage and tried to utter those words.

"Aoi here is still dating me."

A gentle voice rang behind Aoi.

For an instant, Aoi had assumed that Hikaru had revived. That lush, sweet voice caused her heart to shiver.

He placed a hand gently on her shoulder to comfort her.

Her uncles widened their eyes in shock.

A slender bespectacled youth was standing there, looking extremely sorry.

He was dressed in a posh suit, but his shoulders were skinny, he lacked authoritative charisma, and seemed somewhat unreliable.

"I-It-it's you–? No, but."

The uncles, and even Aoi, showed bewilderment on their faces.

"Please continue to keep this a secret from the rest, especially to my mother and Asai."

Kazuaki Mikado chimed in as he lowered his eyebrows, showing a feeble look. He then turned to Aoi, and showed a naive smile.

"Let us go, Aoi."

"Let's follow them."

Hiina quickly moved off to the direction Aoi and the bespectacled youth went off to.

"Eh, wa-wait–Oumi!"

Honoka panicked, and hurried off after her as well.

Kazuaki continued to embrace Aoi's shoulder in a gentlemanly manner. It seemed he tried to nonchalantly pry her away from her uncles.

Aoi's eyes were completely blank.

"M-Mr. Kazuaki. What you just said was,"

"Sorry."

Kazuaki lowered his head,

"I saw that you were in some trouble, so I could only say such a thing. I think you would be really troubled to be mistaken for dating a foolish, airheaded person like me. Well, I really am sorry about that."

His forehead was full of sweat, and the eyes beneath the glasses look panicky as he lowered his head a few times, apologizing to Aoi profusely. This caused Aoi to feel guilty as well.

"No, you really helped me out there. Please lift your head. Thank you for your well intentions. Erm, actually..."

"Ah, yes, I understand. I did not mean that when I say dating. I will explain this to everyone when I do find the time. Even I will be in trouble if mother is to hear about it."

He shuddered slightly, probably recalling his mother who was deemed an iron lady

"Erm, if mother is to say something to you, please explain to her that I am not in such a relationship with you, Aoi."

It seemed he was really terrified of his own mother.

He continued to lower his head as he walked on, his legs failing him.

"Woah!"

He shrieked as he tripped.

"Are you alright?"

"Ahh...it seems I have twisted my ankle. Mother is going to tell me off with something like 'You fell because you do not have enough concentration'."

Kazuaki put on his spectacles, which had dropped off, and lowered his eyebrows pitifully. His eyes were moist with tears, probably due to the pain, and he hobbled on like that.

"Erm, let me help you."

"Sorry about that, Aoi."

"There is a bench there. Have a seat first."

"Okay."

The situation had been completely reversed, as Aoi supported Kazuaki towards the bench.

(Is this person really Hikaru's older brother...?)

They were alike only in the slenderness of their bodies and the gentleness of their voices; everything else was different.

The adults had said that Hikaru was often dazzling, shrouded in glory. In comparison, Kazuaki was a good person but overly bland.

Hikaru and Kazuaki did not share the same mothers.

Their father had admitted to the child of his mistress, Hikaru, and as the proper wife, Kazuaki was completely incensed and frenzied by this, bringing Kazuaki back to her ancestral home as a result.

Even so, the fact remained that both of them were brothers.

Aoi felt incredulous that she was helped out by Hikaru's brother, but at the same time, she recalled that he was Tsuyako's fiance, and a cloud of darkness shrouded her heart.

(It is true that Mr Kazuaki has an ordinary appearance and personality, and he may seem unreliable, but he is a nice, gentle adult. For him to be betrayed like this is really...)

She could not bring herself to like Tsuyako after all.

And just when she was wondering that,

"...Eh...? Tsuyako?"

Kazuaki muttered blankly, as if he had just seen a ghost.

The moon was hidden behind the clouds, and under such darkness, the radiant red hair swayed with the wind amidst the scattered red petals.

A feminine body with voluptuous curves was dressed in a long-sleeved kimono, shrouded in red flowers too venomous for the summer; the alluring charm unable to be contained.

The sash was partially loosened, her hair swaying together with the wind.

Tsuyako was not alone.

She was embracing someone in front of the Crape Myrtle.

And Aoi was shocked when she realized Tsuyako was tightly embracing Koremitsu.

Koremitsu's red hair was overlapping Tsuyako's own, the tense tender hands were on her back and waist.

Tsuyako had her back facing Aoi, and Koremitsu was facing them.

Once he noticed a dumbfounded Aoi, Koremitsu widened his eyes.

(Why is Mr. Akagi...embracing Miss Tsuyako?)

Aoi's limbs seemed petrified, unable to move.

The entity she did not want to see was right in front of her, yet it seemed she had forgotten how to blink.

She wanted to turn and run away immediately!

(Why am I unable to move!?)

(Why is Aoi here!? Who's with her!?)

Koremitsu felt the blood drained from his body.

Tsuyako continued to latch to him, and while he tried his best to calm her down, Aoi suddenly appeared in front of him.

She was the one person he could not show such a terrible scene to!

The bespectacled man Aoi carried along was standing there, his face tensed.

"Miss Aoi...Mr. Kazuaki."

Hikaru muttered, his eyes widened as he remained speechless.

(Anyway, I got to say something to Aoi! She's definitely mistaking my relationship with senpai here!)

Aoi remained still, her wide teary eyes showed an endless amount of anguish, a heartbreaking sight to any witness. Koremitsu too understood thoroughly how much he had hurt her. It felt as if his flesh is being scraped away.

Got to settle this misunderstanding quickly!

Koremitsu opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

At that moment, Tsuyako placed her hands on Koremitsu's cheeks.

During dance practice, her hands were warm whenever she touched him. This time however, the palms holding onto his face was chillingly cold.

"Tsuyako!"

Hikaru exclaimed.

(They're cold.)

Just when Koremitsu thought about this, the ice was pressing upon his lips.

Tsuyako's lips were covering Koremitsu's.

Right in front of Aoi–

(You got to be kidding! Akagi!?)

Honoka, remaining hidden in the bushes, felt a piercing shock through her heart as she clutched at her chest.

(Akagi just kissed Upperclassman Tsuyako!)

As for Koremitsu–

He too looked confounded, unable to comprehend immediately what was happening to him.

A soft, icy object was pressed upon his lips, and the alluring fragrance of burning poppy seeds spread, agitating his nose and skin.

Hikaru's face was contorted. The scenery depicted in Koremitsu's eyes seemed to become as hazy as the dimmed moon.

The only thing he could see was Aoi, looking angry yet about to burst into tears–an expression of fury.

(What's the matter with you, senpai!? Why are you doing such a cruel thing!?)

Koremitsu screamed in his heart, but his body was unable to move, seemingly bound by a spider’s web. While Koremitsu's lips were trembling, Tsuyako never let her lips leave his for a long time.

### 005. Chapter 5: That Woman's Name is–.

The following Monday.

The third year, Shungo Tōjō, brought his lunchbox to Koremitsu's classroom during lunch break.

"Come out. You know the reason."

Looking at his frowning face and stern expression, one could definitely tell that he was not looking for Koremitsu just to have lunch.

It was the time of the season where the summer heat truly starts to exert itself, but the shrubs in the school garden was as cool as ever. Two men were sitting on the rocks surrounding the stone tablets, eating from their lunch boxes. Hikaru too was seated on one of the rocks, watching the duo nervously.

Tōjō spoke up,

"Why did Aoi not ask me for help? Asking you to act as her boyfriend was a grave mistake, and we ended up having to get that foolish young master Kazuaki for help. Argh, why was I at a study meeting when Aoi secretly took action without Asai knowing."

Tōjō brought the lunchbox to his lips, the delicately made contents rich in color and balanced in nutrition. He scooped the food skillfully with his chopsticks while he uttered regretfully.

And then, he glared at Koremitsu and lambasted him,

"You were being too sloppy, Akagi. Since you agreed to act as her boyfriend, how can you let yourself fool around with Tsuyako? Do you not know about what happened to Hikaru?"

(How in the world does this guy know so much? It's like he saw it for himself.)

Koremitsu pondered, and answered,

"...I know."

He answered coldly, and Tōjō's frown deepened when he heard that.

"You should have known how shocked Aoi would have been right? That fiance of hers had been fooling around with other women, and she finally managed to steady herself after he died. Now a mistress of that scum of a fiance is trying to hook up with the one Aoi has feelings for–no, I would say it is about trusting that person rather than having feelings for, nothing else at all–anyway, Aoi has been distrustful of other men because of that foolhardy casanova of a fiance. Now the person she miraculously trusts is fooling around with that foolish fiance's mistress, and Aoi so happened to witness the entire scene."

In the face of Tōjō's merciless verbal beatdown, Hikaru clutched his chest in anguish.

"Mr. Shungo always had a very bad opinion of me. If I recall correctly, he has been aloof to me since young, though I do not really expect him to like me..."

Koremitsu too remained speechless.

"Aoi has been so dejected, it was pitiful. Yesterday, she was holding that fat cat, hiding inside the room, and unwilling to come out. Maybe, one day, she will say that she will bring that cat with metabolic syndrome out and be a nun."

"Mr. Shungo also hates Miss Aoi's cat...however, Miss Aoi may really say such things as she is overly pure."

Hikaru noted worriedly.

Koremitsu felt his gut wince.

He sent Aoi a few calls, and even a few mails, that Saturday evening. She never picked up the calls however, and never replied to the messages.

On this day, he immediately went to Aoi's classroom the moment he got to school. Asai however was right beside Aoi, her arm wrapped around Aoi's shoulder, preventing Koremitsu from entering.

Even so, Koremitsu shouted at her,

"Aoi!"

Aoi lowered her head with a stiff expression, and Asai approached him, saying with a condescending look.

"Aoi does not wish to speak to you. Do not show your filthy face to her again."

During that time, Aoi never turned to look at him again, remaining still as she cringed her shoulders.

(Damn it, I know it's my fault this time, but I can't stand being ignored by Aoi with such a painful look...)

"What in the world was that Tsuyako thinking? She caused quite some trouble with Hikaru back then. The women of the Udates, including 'that one' are all hard to deal with. Seriously, why did she do such a brazen act in front of everyone else? Is it because of the spider blood?"

(Spider blood...?)

Koremitsu remembered Tsuyako mention something about the spider, a chill gripped his heart.

"What does senpai have to do with the spider blood?"

He asked.Tōjō seemed hesitant, apparently choosing his words carefully before talking.

"It is said that the Udates' women are all descendants of a spider, that they have a very strong possessive urge, extremely obsessive."

Koremitsu inadvertently looked down at the arm Tsuyako grabbed; the scratch marks were still on it, and his skin felt an urge.

(Possessiveness...)

"No."

Hikaru suddenly spoke adamantly.

Koremitsu turned around, and found Hikaru to be staring at Tōjō sternly.

"Tsuyako never showed any signs of possessiveness towards me, and she never showed any obsession.."

Hikaru narrowed his eyes, giving the harshest tone and expression he ever showed at Tōjō, causing Koremitsu to be taken aback.

Tōjō, unable to hear any of Hikaru's words, continued on while frowning,

"I suppose this incident was meant to frustrate Aoi. Tsuyako has always been like this."

"You do not understand Tsuyako at all! She definitely is not someone who would deliberately bully others like that!"

"Ever since she came back from Japan, she has been much flashier in showing off."

"But Tsuyako always attracts lots of attention because she is really pretty! What is wrong with flaunting her beauty?"

"Even if I do ignore the thing about Aoi, I would advise you not to be so close with Tsuyako. The Udate women are all like a time bomb; even if she tries to woo you, you must not fall for her. She is the descendant of a spider that wrecks men."

"Those men were the ones who fell for Tsuyako's charms. It is not Tsuyako's fault! Besides, this thing about being the descendant of a spider, is not just some outdated ancient myth from a thousand years ago?"

Hikaru continued to unleash wave after wave of vehement protests.

( Please don't argue over my head like this, you guys!?)

"You need to be careful with choosing the woman to go out with, or are you a fool who accepts all comers like Hikaru"

"What is the matter now? Are you not being so picky even though you are still a virgin, Mr. Shungo?"

(Calm down here, Hikaru! Don't reveal other people's private information like that! That has nothing to do with being a virgin or not!)

Koremitsu beseeched in his heart, but of course, Hikaru could not possibly hear it. Even if Koremitsu wanted to grab Hikaru by the shoulder and stop him, his arm would only pass through him.

On the right side was Tōjō, insisting that he dissociate himself from Tsuyako, and on the left was Hikaru shouting, “Tsuyako definitely has a reason for doing that! It is not to make Miss Aoi unhappy! Tsuyako is like the red weeping cherry blossoms, proud and regal!”

(Ah, seriously!)

Koremitsu gritted his teeth, and exclaimed,

"I don't care about Hikaru and me, but stop pointing the blame on senpai!"

Tōjō's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"I do blame myself for being too careless to let that sort of thing happen in front of Aoi, and I really feel apologetic for that. Like Hikaru said however, senpai isn't that sort of woman who would deliberately do such annoying things."

Tōjō frowned hard, his stare harsh. Koremitsu however glared back, and concluded,

"I'll ask senpai as to why she did such a thing, and I won't let the same thing happen again."

Is that enough now, Hikaru?

"At least say something to defend me, please?"

Hikaru continued to puff his cheeks, but Koremitsu ignored him.

Tōjō gave a distasteful look, and said,

"This is depressing...I thought you would be a more reasonable man than Hikaru."

He sighed, gave a stoic, unemotional look, and declared,

"If you are going to continue getting along with Tsuyako, do not ever approach Aoi again."

He took his lunchbox wrapping and left for the school building. Koremitsu gave a bitter look, and grumbled,

"Argh, now on top of Saiga, even Tōjō has his eyes on me. I can't approach Aoi like this."

"Mr. Shungo is too inflexible. I really have to thank you though, Koremitsu, for rebuffing him about Tsuyako."

"I got no choice. You're the one yapping beside me. Besides...she's still my senpai."

Koremitsu believed that Tsuyako was not a woman who would kiss someone else just to annoy Aoi; he had the same feeling as Hikaru.

He was concerned about Aoi, but first, he had to solve the situation regarding Tsuyako.

"And then? What's the thing about the spider?"

"Sorry. I am not certain about it."

"Huh?"

Koremitsu stared back.

Didn't you argue to Tōjō ,that it's, a myth from 1000 years ago or something?

Hikaru curled his lips,

"There is a shrine worshipping the spider in the Udates' main house. It was said that during the Heian Era, a deceased Udate woman became a spider, but it was a taboo to reveal it openly back then. As far as I know however, the Udates all hate spider. I feel that regarding the spider, Tsuyako...seems afraid of it rather than despising it. She would tremble with a pale look even though there was only a little spider crawling by."

–If the spider covers the moon–that woman will appear–

Tsuyako murmured in anguish as her eyes showed a hazy expression akin to that of the hazy moon.

At that time, it seemed Tsuyako was a completely different person...

"Damn it. Time to get back to class. We'll talk about this later."

Koremitsu walked off with an anxious feeling, and at that time,

He found Honoka standing in front of the tall green bamboos.

"Ack, Shikibu–"

Honoka pouted her lips slightly, her eyes filled with firmness and weakness as she stared back at him.

(Damn it, when did she come here? Did she hear me talk to Hikaru? In that case, am I some dangerous guy who's talking to myself here?)

Koremitsu panicked, and Honoka said something that shocked him more,

"I was there, that Saturday night."

"There, as in..."

"The garden party."

"!"

"Working as a part-time waiter there."

Koremitsu's mind was drained of blood at that instant.

Hikaru too widened his eyes in shock.

Honoka continued to pout as she mumbled in a dry, monotonous tone,

"You and upperclassman Tsuyako."

"Hey!"

"Embraced each other."

"Wait!"

"And kissed each other."

"~~~~~~~~~~!!"

Honoka raised her eyebrows harshly.

(That usual thing's coming!)

Koremitsu instinctively exerted strength at his chest.

But no matter how he waited, the killer kick never came.

What replaced it was a feeble fist touching his chest, devoid of any strength.

"...Idiot."

A completely lifeless voice rang at his ears.

And another fist tapped upon his chest–

"Idiot, idiot...idiot."

For every 'idiot' Honoka said, there was a weak fist hitting her. Her head was lowered, and the light blond hair was draped over her face, covering her expression as she continued hitting him.

The fists tapping him were weaker than the instance Shioriko slammed at his chest–however, Koremitsu seemingly felt the impacts striking his heart directly.

Honoka's shoulders were trembling.

Koremitsu grabbed her slender wrist hesitantly, and she lifted her head.

"!"

Koremitsu's breathing practically ceased once he saw her crying look.

Those feisty eyes were filled with clear water, tracing her cheeks in the form of teardrops.

Honoka kept gritting her teeth, staring at Koremitsu furiously.

She moved her lips, wanting to say something. However, it seemed she could not let out a single sound as she choked and sobbed a few times. Whenever that happened, she would lower her eyebrows, her eyes teary; in the end, she shook his hand away, seemingly unable to endure this situation any further as she said again,

"Idiot."

And so, she ran off.

Koremitsu widened his eyes, watching the slender legs and back depart away gradually.

He exhaled slightly.

He took a short breath again, and exhaled again.

But in the end, his breathing could not be reverted back to normal.

His heart was pounding like crazy.

"Th-that shocked me."

Koremitsu still had his eyes widened as he muttered from deep within his heart.

He was really, really, really shocked by that!

(She actually showed such an expression.)

Koremitsu was really inept at dealing with crying women.

When he was in elementary school, his mother abandoned him and ran away from home, sobbing and saying ‘Sorry’ over and over again.

Whenever he saw a crying woman, Koremitsu would feel his chest tighten, suffocating him.

But when he saw Honoka's sobbing face, due to his shock, his heart pounded wildly before he could feel anguish.

"Hikaru, you said that women...."

Koremitsu was about to speak up, only to stop afterwards.

"? Koremitsu?"

"...It's nothing."

The bell indicating the end of noon break ran amidst the refreshingly hot summer wind. Koremitsu sprinted to the classroom.

(So women...can show expressions completely different from before.)

–DID YOU FORGET THAT I SAID I LIKED YOU?

Honoka screamed that in the midst of the classroom, her cheeks puffed.

(...As if.)

Koremitsu gritted his teeth, murmuring in his heart.

(How can I forget that, you idiot.)

And beside him, Hikaru showed a tender, anguished expression befitting an adult.

Honoka never once glanced at Koremitsu during the entire 5th period. She had her head lowered as she held the cellphone tightly under the table. Even so, her shoulders would twitch slightly whenever Koremitsu fidgeted or dragged his chair about slightly.

Koremitsu too was conscious of Honoka's reactions, causing his back and neck to stiffen.

(If senpai's problem can be settled, I'll ask Shikibu if she wants to go to the pool.)

There's a chance that I'll be rejected...but I have to ask her at least.

(But first, I need to know why senpai did that. Got to be sure about that.)

Koremitsu intended to head to the roof and plan out his actions with Hikaru as he went out of the classroom. At this moment,

"Mr. Akagi! This is bad!"

Hiina Oumi of the newspaper club came running over, her large breasts bouncing.

"Her Highness Aoi is hurt! She's sent to the infirmary!"

"What did you say?"

By the time Koremitsu and Hikaru rushed over to the infirmary, Aoi was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, what happened to Aoi!"

"Where is Miss Aoi?"

Koremitsu raised his eyebrows as he panted, and after asking the infirmary teacher, learnt that Aoi merely had an abrasion on her feet, causing them to be dumbfounded.

The young infirmary teacher tentatively said that Aoi's class had P.E. for their 5th period, and after returning from the sports hall, she changed from her sneakers into the indoors shoes. She was injured due to a ceramic fragment inside the shoes.

"Damn it. Why's that Oumi exaggerating things like this!?"

Koremitsu cussed on the corridor.

"But it really is dastardly to place a ceramic fragment in a shoe. Who did it? Miss Aoi has been bullied like this a few times before...even if she tries to act tough, she must have been really hurt inside."

Hikaru looked furious as he said worriedly.

"Yeah. It's unforgivable to do something like this to someone else's shoe."

Koremitsu went over to Aoi's classroom to have a look, and found that she had retired for the day. It seemed Asai too did the same, probably to send Aoi to the hospital for added precaution.

(Isn't she being too overprotective over Aoi?)

Both Asai and Tōjō would become overprotective when it came to Aoi. Hikaru ,too, was the same in that aspect.

"Koremitsu, do you mind heading to the entrance? They probably would call for a car; perhaps Miss Aoi has yet to leave."

Hikaru pleaded, probably unable to relax if he could not be sure of her safety.

Aoi looked frail, white, and had a pure and innocent personality. One would definitely worry over her safety, hoping that she would not be hurt. Koremitsu himself understood this feeling.

He quickly changed his shoes at the entrance, and found Aoi and Asai standing at the main gate.

He hid behind a tree to avoid Asai's detection, and slowly approached them. Aoi lowered her head dejectedly, while Asai stood beside her with a stoic look.

Hikaru's expression too became gloomy, probably because Aoi was too downhearted.

At this moment, a vehicle arrived, stopping in front of them.

Koremitsu had assumed it would be a black Benz, but unexpectedly, it was a refreshing blue colored car. Koremitsu could not tell what brand it was, but it seemed casually cute.

A bespectacled, skinny youth was seated at the driver seat, looking very happy as he chatted with Aoi and Asai cheerfully.

"That guy..."

Koremitsu narrowed his eyes sharply.

It was the person who was with Aoi at the garden party.

"Mr. Kazuaki..."

Hikaru murmured in shock.

"You know that guy? I remember you did call his name at the garden party too. Who is he? Why's he here to pick up Aoi?"

Hikaru answered with a hazy, hollow expression,

"That person is my older brother. He is the child of my father's actual wife, and I am the child of the mistress."

"What?"

He inadvertently shouted.

Aoi probably could not hear that voice clearly, but right when she was about to get on the car, she suddenly stopped, and looked back.

She stared over at Koremitsu's direction with a downhearted, feeble expression, seemingly looking for someone.

Upon seeing her being in such a mood, Koremitsu felt gloomy, as if his heart is being pinched.

If not for Asai's presence, he would have gone up immediately and apologized to her for what happened during the garden party.

Aoi got on the car as she turned back with a gloomy look.

(...Sorry about that, Aoi.)

Koremitsu watched her leave in agony.

At this moment, he smelled upon a scent.

It was a thick, rich sweetness, the aroma of putting the sacrifices into a fire when praying at a monastery...

Koremitsu felt a chilly presence on his back, and turned back abruptly.

Just like that night at the garden party, Tsuyako was standing right there.

He felt his hairs stand.

Hikaru too gasped in shock.

Tsuyako was not looking at Koremitsu.

She was staring intently at the direction where Aoi and the rest had departed, her eyes as hazy as the shrouded moon.

The hem of her skirt was messy, her short-sleeved blouse crumpled, three of her buttons were unbuttoned.

Also, her breasts were completely drenched, her underwear could vaguely be seen, and the wet areas of her skirt were showing a black color.

Her red hair was ruffled, draped upon her pale face like blood trails.

Engraved in Koremitsu’s eyes was a living demon with supernatural beauty and alluring charm that would befuddle his heart.

The red hair swayed in the stale wind.

With her back turned to him, Tsuyako walked away.

She was stumbling, struggling with her limbs as if they are gagged together. Unlike her usual perchance of taking light strides, dancing with a fan in hand.

"Senpai!"

Koremitsu called for her, but she never looked back.

"Koremitsu, after her!"

"Right!"

The bell indicating the 6th period had rung, but Tsuyako continued to the courtyard instead of the classroom.

With the sweltering summer sun above, the red hair rustled dryly.

"Wait, senpai!"

(Damn it, this is becoming just like the garden party. What's the matter with you, senpai?)

Koremitsu clearly recalled the unnatural coldness from her hands when his face was brought to her, and the coldness of the lips that came at him. These caused a chill on his back.

–Do not go to Miss Aoi .

– I will 'prune' flowers like her if you do so otherwise.

Like under the alluring hazy moon, Tsuyako's red hair swayed under the blazing summer heat, her gloomy expression watching Koremitsu.

(Don't tell me that the one who put the ceramic fragment in Aoi's indoor shoes–)

Hikaru had repeated over and over again that Tsuyako was not this sort of person; Koremitsu too believed in that.

But if it were this Tsuyako–

–If you are not around, that woman will capture me.

–I will be ensnared by the spider web, unable to breathe and dance.

Her fingertips were clawed deep into his flesh, as if to rip his arm apart.

That voice was filled with dread.

(Who's that woman? Is she the one commanding senpai? Where's that woman exactly?)

Hikaru, following by sight, looked solemnly at Tsuyako's back.

Koremitsu's palms were sweaty.

Tsuyako did not stop as she went around the school campus, arriving at the courtyard.

Suddenly, Hikaru remained still, seemingly jolted by a major shock.

Koremitsu too gasped as he looked over at the courtyard.

And then, he heard Hikaru's astonished voice,

"The flowers...have fallen."

There were the Orange Chinese Trumpet Bells, thin red Oleanders, the white Hibiscus with red tints in the middle.

These flowers Hikaru had praised with exuberance were ripped off pitifully, their remains scattered on the dirt and lawn.

Some of the flowers were crushed, some were trampled in the mud, and they were all scattered everywhere.

There were still flowers on the tree crowns, but only branches were left at the bottom. The green vines of the Orange Chinese Trumpet Bells swayed in a razed state with the wind, like a wrecked swing.

It was practically a scene of fallen flower remains.

The red-haired Tsuyako was in the midst of such remains, her back facing Koremitsu's group.

Her disheveled hair let out was alluringly beautiful. Her straightened back showed incomparable dignity. However, her tightly clenched fists were trembling, and upon seeing that, Koremitsu called out tentatively,

"Senpai..."

Tsuyako looked back, giving a relatively normal look, a helpless girl lacking vitality. Upon seeing this, Koremitsu relaxed slightly, and clumsily asked,

"Classes have started. You're skipping them?"

Her eyes were filled with trepidation as she stared at Koremitsu.

"...Mr. Akagi...you are not going to class either...?"

Tsuyako whispered back.

"I'll do so if you return back to class."

"...How cheeky of you."

Tsuyako curled her lips, but was unable to smile even though she wanted to, the voice stuck in her throat as she hoarsely replied in a pitiful manner.

"That thing I did...that night...I do apologize for that. Was that your first time, Mr. Akagi?"

"...No."

Koremitsu answered with a scowl, and Tsuyako lowered her eyebrows, seemingly relieved.

"Really? That's good."

She muttered.

"If it was your first kiss, you would have been left with a bad memory. It would have been a pity..."

Tsuyako's pained tone and expression seemed to indicate that she was really sorry about it.

"What happened to me doesn't matter. Since I'm a guy...I'll just think of it as an accident and forget about it. Anyway, instead of that, you should be apologizing to Aoi."

Tsuyako lowered her eyelids.

"..."

"Senpai, why did you do such a thing?"

"..."

She curled her lips in melancholy, not answering at all.

Worried, Hikaru placed his hand on Tsuyako's shoulder, and brought his face to her cheek.

After some silence, Tsuyako turned her back on Koremitsu, seemingly wanting to escape from him as she reached for the Oleanders. The white, silky hand stroked the red petals. Her shoulders trembling.

"The flowers...have fallen off."

The anguished voice sounded heartbroken.

The flowers fallen at Tsuyakos feet rustled on the grass.

"Hikaru...really likes the flowers. No, it was beyond that; he really loved each and every flower with all his heart...it is the same with the flowers in this courtyard...he has been taking care of them lovingly, very happily...'The first Hibiscus are budding flowers’, ‘the Purslanes are a little unenthusiastic, let us provide some shade for it', 'the Teddy Bear flowers are finally starting to bloom. They are a species of sunflowers, their petals as fluffy as a bear's fur..."

Koremitsu could not see Tsuyako's expression

But her words were filled with a tinge of sadness, causing his heart to inadvertently tighten upon hearing.

Hikaru too watched Tsuyako's slender shoulders in melancholy with his beautiful eyes.

If Hikaru were still alive, he would have embraced Tsuyako this instant; However, he was now a ghost, and could no longer water the flowers, build a shelter, and comfort a lover.

"...Hikaru took care of me the same way he took care of the flowers. I really hated my hair before I met Hikaru...I always cut my hair into a bob, trying my best to look unimpressive as I could...I did not dare to express my views back then, and always had my head lowered...I really did not want to study in a boarding school in England when my family demanded that I do so, yet I did not dare to refuse..."

Her feeble intermittent voice rang so hollowly in Koremitsu's ear.

The melancholy in Hikaru's eyes started to worsen.

"...after staying in the boarding school, I was still feeling self-abased...the girls around me were all very dazzling, cute, and looking very happy, but I am neither pretty nor cute...I was so pessimistic, thinking that I was different from everyone else...when I hear others talk about love, I would cringe back in pity, because I knew such a fantastical thing could never happen to me..."

Koremitsu could not understand why Tsuyako was lacking in self-esteem when she was in England.

The Tsuyako at this point was so beautiful and alluring even Honoka was envious of her looks. She was even hailed by everyone as the red dancing princess.

She actually had such an inferiority complex?

Koremitsu could not believe it at all.

"Back then, I always felt that I was a brat with rusty colored hair, that nobody would care about me. However, I met Hikaru."

Tsuyako's gloomy voice was mixed in with a tinge of delight.

Hikaru too was probably reminiscing of the past, his eyes filled with tenderness and anguish.

"It was during Spring, when I was 14, and I returned to Japan. There just so happened to be this garden party...it was dark...I did not want to feel neglected amongst the clouds, so I went to a place with few people. I saw a sakura tree that had yet to bloom, and felt that it was just like me...just like that, I lifted my head, and Hikaru walked out from behind that tree, basked under the gentle moonlight..."

When she saw this moon spirit-like pretty boy, she was so shocked her heart nearly ceased. "What were you doing?" she asked. "Viewing flowers," Hikaru answered.

–There are no flowers here.

–They will soon bloom. The branch here will cause the most beautiful sakura flowers to bloom. Ah, how beautiful they are. I am looking forward to it.

And then, Hikaru pointed his index finger at Tsuyako's unimpressive red bob hair, saying innocently.

–Your hair certainly is a beautiful red. If you leave it long, it will definitely resemble the red weeping cherry blossoms. I am looking forward to it.

Hikaru narrowed his eyes in an intoxicated manner, as if adoring an exquisite item.

Nobody had looked at Tsuyako with such an expression before.

Nobody had praised the rust-colored hair she had an inferiority complex with, and told her that it was like a red weeping cherry blossom.

"Because of the words Hikaru said, I became the red dancing princess."

On the night before she returned to England.

Hikaru suddenly visited the Udates, to her surprise. He snuck in during the middle of the night, with everyone else oblivious.

Tsuyako frantically pulled Hikaru into her room.

What are you going to do if my father or anyone else spotted you? Tsuyako was very anxious, and Hikaru smiled at her gently and said, "It is alright.”

–Why are you able to remain so calm? You just did something unbelievable. Are you not scared of that?

–I am not. I am someone who will be forgiven no matter what I do.

He said serenely.

The doubt, the fear in Tsuyako's heart seemingly melted away.

She could boldly entrust her all to Hikaru.

I definitely can change.

Tsuyako had this thought, and believed it.

"I dreamily fell in love with Hikaru, and he even visited me in England. When I found him sneaking around the dormitories, my heart was racing, thinking that I could do such a bold thing. I left my hair long, my teacher applauded my dancing, and I was really happy every single day...after transferring back to Japan, I could see Hikaru any day I wanted, so no matter how anyone criticized or spited me, I never cared about it. I was basically drowning in an eternal party...however, Hikaru seemed really fragile when I met him at the villa during the Golden Week this year...."

Tsuyako's voice broke up.

The tattered petals were quivering on the floor.

Tsuyako's back never showed any movement.

"Hikaru probably committed suicide."

She suddenly whispered these words, and Koremitsu gasped in shock. In the meantime, Hikaru's face lost all emotion.

"Because, there were slash marks on his wrists."

These words caused Koremitsu's heart to pound wildly, and he inadvertently turned to Hikaru's hands.

The white slender arms were reaching out from the summer uniform shirt.

The crystalline skin never had any marks or moles, and the two wrists showed nary a scar.

(But Hikaru's a ghost...I can't possibly be seeing the same body as the one when he was still alive...)

Koremitsu had this doubt as Hikaru showed a hollow expression, looking overly quiet.

He was typically so innocent and optimistic, but at this point, seemed a completely different person.

Whenever Koremitsu saw this face, he had a fear, thinking that he knew nothing about Hikaru, worried that he was only seeing the appearance Hikaru showed.

Hikaru drowned in a river.

That was a fact.

But was that death really due to an accident?

Or was the truth written in the past chain mails, that it was a murder?

Tsuyako said that he committed suicide.

Koremitsu had all sorts of hypotheses, doubts and views, but could not be certain on which was correct.

The only one who knew the answer, Hikaru, would not say anything.

What exactly was Hikaru thinking after hearing Tsuyako's words?

What was he thinking?

Tsuyako probably would not have imagined that Hikaru was right beside her listening.

She brushed her ruffled red hair, and wailed with an anxious expression, saying to Hikaru,

"I was scared. I did not dare ask him where those scars came from, but I just could not help but worry. That was why I kissed him."

Tōjō had furiously stated that Tsuyako kissed Hikaru brazenly at the turf club during Golden Week.

Aoi also said that she could not forgive Tsuyako whenever she thinks about how Tsuyako might have been the last one Hikaru kissed.

However, the kiss at the turf club contained the worries Tsuyako had.

She bit her lips, and lowered her eyes.

"After I kissed Hikaru, he stated with a calm look that we cannot do such a thing again, and he broke up with me."

She spoke in distress.

Hikaru remained stoic, but his eyes were showing anguish.

Yes, Hikaru decided to break up with all the other girls he dated, so that he could focus on being with Aoi.

We can no longer date like before.

I can no longer be your lover.

To those women, these words might have been so cruel.

But Tsuyako lifted her head abruptedly, speaking in a stiff tone,

"None of those matters. Even though Hikaru broke up with me, I just needed him to fulfill that most important promise, as long as he was in my world."

Her pale face was flushed slightly, her neck straight.

Only at this instance did she revert back to being her usual proud, regal self.

In the face of the might she showed, Koremitsu could practically feel a slap on her.

The most beautiful, imposing red weeping cherry blossoms in the garden..

However, her eyes showed a depressed tint, and in her misery, she spoke hoarsely,

"But Hikaru is dead..."

Her face was contorted, she tried her best to catch her breath, and held onto Koremitsu, seemingly unable to support herself.

In his panic, Koremitsu supported the warm, soft body. And the lump of red hair was draped upon his arms.

"Why? Why did Hikaru die? You can answer me that, right...Mr. Akagi!?"

Tsuyako narrowed her eyes, seemingly enduring this tremendous amount of pain as she yelled at Koremitsu.

The voice was filled with utter sadness.

The white slender fingers grabbing Koremitsu's shoulders were trembling.

"I..."

Koremitsu too felt his chest being carved out.

The seductive Tsuyako, the Tsuyako who loved to smile, the Tsuyako who remained poignantly unmoved by all the stares and gossips as she held her head high, Koremitsu's first 'senpai'–

She spoke to Koremitsu at the courtyard corridor fearlessly, danced elegantly in the club room, latched onto him by the elbow as they walked about in school, continued laughing beside Koremitsu; all these images in his memories were completely different from how she was at this point, causing his gut to wrench.

He really wanted to do something for her.

He really hoped that he could help her, that he could save her.

But he too did not know the answer to Tsuyako's question.

Koremitsu never heard anything from Hikaru about his feelings, his thoughts, his death, and the long story that encompassed everything.

Koremitsu did say that he would wait for the day Hikaru would explain everything.

He could not tell Tsuyako whether Hikaru did on his own will, or that he was murdered, or that it was due to an accident.

"Sorry..."

Koremitsu gritted his teeth as he answered.

At this moment, a stern voice replied beside him,

"If you can get the answer, will you revert back to how you were before? If I tell you what happened to me...tell you all the sins I committed fully, will you be how you were before?"

Koremitsu gasped as he looked over at Hikaru.

And Hikaru watched on with a solemn, stiff expression.

His eyes were filled with adamance, that if Tsuyako wished for it, he would fully explain everything if it could really help her. No matter how much of a taboo it was, how despairing it was, he would say it all.

Koremitsu felt a dizziness as he gulped nervously, and said,

"If...if you know how Hikaru died...will you become how you were before, senpai?"

Tsuyako looked up at Koremitsu, her eyes showed a great quiver.

She wanted to know, yet she was afraid of knowing–the complicated feelings caused her face to freeze, and then, she weakly let go of the hands grabbing Koremitsu's shoulder.

She then muttered in a lethargic manner,

"This...is how I already am. The rusty hair color, a woman filled with vengeance. I really hated the girl who was beloved by her fiance, and doted on by everyone around her. I grumble every single day, wondering why my hair is rustic, and not black..."

The dry lips showed a tragic smile.

Hikaru's eyes too were filled with distress, the glaring summer sun shining down on everyone.

The petals leaking red liquids were scattered all over the ground, and the shadows casted by Koremitsu and Tsuyako covered them. Hikaru was definitely present, but his shadow was not.

She shook her head.

"Well, I suppose it does not solve anything. Hikaru is no longer around, and the moon is still shrouded."

She spoke adamantly, her lowered stare trembling slightly.

"Once the moonlight vanishes, the spider will appear to bind everything together The flowers will all wilt as well."

"What's that about the spider, senpai? I heard that you have a shrine worshipping one at your house. Is it related to that? Also, the 'woman' you said before..."

At this moment, the clouds covered the sky.

Tsuyako's eyes lost all luster, now shrouded in haze.

Her expression was ambiguous, her lips, nose, eyebrows–her silhouette was becoming blurred.

"Locked in that shrine...is a woman who became a spider due to excessive love and envy, devouring her husband and the mistress...to prevent her from continuing her acts, she was worshipped as a goddess. That was a long time ago, probably in the Heian Era...I am her descendant."

Warm gales started to blow, and the red hair fluttered like fresh blood.

Hikaru, standing beside Koremitsu, gasped in shock.

The girl with Tsuyako's appearance stood in the middle of the flower remnants, her expression hazy, saying,

"The woman who ate her husband and the mistress–is called Rokujō"

### 006. Chapter 6: The Spider's Descendant

A few days after Tsuyako said those ominous words in the garden, trivial matters happened to Aoi one after another.

While on her way to school, her pleated skirt was torn by a small blade; there were plucked Hollyhocks placed on her desk and in her cupboard. She lost her books, pencil case, gym clothes, and the palette and brushes she left in the club room.

Whenever that happened,

"This is bad, Mr. Akagi!"

Hiina of the newspaper club would come notifying him.

On this morning, Hiina was standing in front of Koremitsu's table, putting her round face on the table as she rattled off,

"Who can the culprit possibly be? It seems Her Highness Aoi would be the victim of such annoying acts during the time she was Lord Hikaru's fiancee, but this is the first time the culprit has acted so overtly. The Matriarch Asa is getting scary though. If the culprit is caught, she'll definitely roll him in a Sumaki sushi roll and deport him on a ship to the freezing lands of Siberia."

She even pretended to shiver a little, and then gave a boyish smile.

"Let's look for the culprit together, Mr. Akagi. Her Highness Aoi might have an improved view of you if you do so. Perhaps even the Matriarch Asa will approve of your relationship with her."

"For me...it doesn't matter. We weren't dating in the first place."

Honoka was seated at her chair, playing with the cellphone. She had been trying her best to avert meeting Koremitsu in the eyes, and Koremitsu himself could not find the chance to talk with her. He wanted to have a proper chat with her one of these days, but he did not have the time at this point.

"According to the intel I collected, it seemed someone saw a black, long haired girl around the time the events occurred. Let's look for this woman."

"Alright now, just hurry back to your class."

"Ah, where are you going, Mr. Akagi?"

"Toilet."

"I'm joining you then."

"Don't follow me!"

He shook Hiina off his trail, entered the toilet cubicle, and sat on the seat with a bitter look on his face.

"It seems Miss Oumi has already suspected somebody, and only approached you as a formality. I guess even Asa has already known it, but could not make a huge ruckus out of it because of that person's status, and she must be really anxious about it."

Hikaru frowned as he spoke from the ceiling.

"Did...senpai do it after all?"

"Tsuyako will not do such a thing, but–"

Hikaru spoke harshly with a serious look.

"It might be possible if it is Rokujō."

–I am the descendant of the spider. The woman who ate her husband and the mistress–is called Rokujō

Tsuyako said with a hazy expression, the alluring whiff of poppy seeds coming from her.

–Are you able to stop Rokujō, Mr. Akagi?

Tsuyako's voice appeared in his mind together with the alluring fragrance, and he felt a heavy heart, his chest seemingly heavy, stuffed with stones.

(Is it really possible for a woman to become another one completely?)

However, Tsuyako was clearly afraid of Rokujō's shadow, troubled over it.

"Hm, anyway, there's no doubt that it has something to do with senpai."

Koremitsu gritted his teeth.

How can they possibly stop Rokujō's madness? Even Aoi would not be able to handle such things happening to her all the time.

Hikaru sank into deep thought with a serious expression, and soon spoke,

"First, we have to lure Tsuyako away from Miss Aoi. Once that happens, Miss Aoi will be safe, and Tsuyako will calm down. Anyway, Tsuyako needs a change of mood."

"So in other words, what do you mean?"

"Can you please ask Tsuyako out for a date?"

"Mr. Akagi?"

Upon seeing Koremitsu at the second year classroom before the morning homeroom meeting, Tsuyako showed a skeptical expression.

"Come with me for a while, senpai."

"Accompany you? Homeroom is about to begin, you know? Eh! Mr. Akagi–"

Koremitsu callously grabbed Tsuyako by the hand and left the classroom just like that.

"The delinquent king just kidnapped the Moon Matriarch!" "Are those two hooking up together after all?" He could hear such voices behind him.

Tsuyako rolled her eyes in shock as Koremitsu led her by the hand. Back then, it was Tsuyako dragging Koremitsu around the school on a date, but the situation has been reversed.

Both of them changed their shoes at the shoe locker, passed through the school gates, and proceeded down the pedestrian sidewalks.

"Mr. Akagi, there will be new rumors if you do such things again. It is best that you do not get involved with me. I did tell you before that you do not have to attend club activities."

"I heard them, but I can't agree to that. You're my senpai after all."

Koremitsu held Tsuyako by the hand as he said adamantly. Tsuyako looked shocked, her shoulders shivering.

"But."

"Senpai, you're still troubled about Rokujō, right? Just enjoy yourself and release your frustrations, you'll feel better. Hikaru did say this before, right?"

Tsuyako's eyes immediately watered the moment Koremitsu mentioned Hikaru's name, all sorts of feelings swirling in her.

"So, for today, let's try out the route Hikaru recommended."

(I'll let you guide us around, Hikaru.)

Koremitsu glanced diagonally upwards, and Hikaru gave a confident beam in return,

"First, let us head to the tropical gardens. Tsuyako does like the Banyan and banana trees."

"First, let's go to the tropical gardens! The Banyan and banana trees are waiting!"

They took the train, and arrived at the garden by the sea.

They passed through the main gates, marvelling at the soft, bent branches, the southern trees with the leaves shaped like a rooster's crown and the yellow Cannas as they strolled on. They passed through the dim forests, and there was a bowl-shaped coliseum surrounded by large cherry blossom trees. There was even a cat napping on the bench, the place was so serene. A little further on, and they would arrive at the large birdcage-like dome.

Amidst them, what welcomed them were the dazzling sunlight shining through the window, the sounds of ripples and splashes as the artificial waterfall roared on; the rich green canopy of coconut and ferns, the red hibiscuses, the flowers that were gathered together like the crimson birds, and the damp air.

"The English name of the Heliconia Rostrata is the Hanging Lobster Claw. Here, if you look at this crimson flower, it does look like the dried shrimps placed on the sushi rice, no?"

Hikaru quickly boasted the vast knowledge he had.

All the trees were growing high into the sky, showing the vibrancy they had. Many a leaves were rustling. The flowers too were dyed with bright colors like red, orange and yellow, capturing the eyes of many, being full of life.

Tsuyako, who had been looking bashful while riding on the train, blushed slightly while the train was moving, her eyes regaining life in them.

"Hikaru and I have been to this garden many times. Hikaru told me that whenever he wanted to cheer up, he would come by here, and get power from the trees and flowers here. You see the trees growing by the waterfall? The flowers with the patterns look like a kirin , right? It is called the Cyathea Mertensiana . Ah, and this Banana tree, I really like it."

There was a tall tree trying its best to spread its big leaves like a green fan; Tsuyako stood in front of it, and smiled as she looked up.

"I said to Hikaru before that I really want to dance while holding such a beautiful fan."

Tsuyako walked around in the park, and her expression brightened as she was seemingly reminiscing about Hikaru. Hikaru too gave a delighted, gentle look as he witnessed this.

(Senpai seems a lot more energetic now, Hikaru.)

As long as Tsuyako is stable, Rokujō would probably vanish.

It was merely an optimistic thought, but Koremitsu's heart finally calmed down.

After that, they walked around the dome for quite a while, had some Indonesian spicy rice, prawns and vermicelli salad at a restaurant, went window shopping, saw a ship on display in a pavillion, strolled about the plaza, did some workout at a gym, rested at a bench by the seaside while drinking juice, and by that time, it was almost evening.

Tsuyako laughed away loudly a few times beside Koremitsu.

They were on the way back, and Tsuyako suddenly stopped in front of the cherry blossoms tree that was starting to be dyed golden.

She stared quietly at the cherry blossom with a reminiscing look,

"When the flowers bloom...that is the beginning of it all...after that comes summer, and once autumn ends...there's winter to pass..."

She muttered in a lonely manner.

Koremitsu knew that the first time Hikaru and Tsuyako met was during a spring night, when the moon was shrouded, beneath the cherry blossom tree. At this point, one had to wonder if Tsuyako was praying for Hikaru to appear from behind the tree, smiling.

Her expression was akin to that of one hoping for a miracle that would not happen as she stared at the sturdy branches engulfed by the golden light.

Koremitsu's chest started to ache.

At this moment, Hikaru spoke warmly,

"Hey, Tsuyako, when we were still dating, I once said to you 'if my fiancee was not Miss Aoi, but you, what would have happen?' The sons of the Mikados have to marry the females of either the Udates or the Saotomes. The legitimate son marries Tsuyako of the Udates, and I will marry Miss Aoi of the Saotomes. On the other hand, the reverse might occur."

(Is that so? In that case, there's a chance senpai could have been Hikaru's fiancee.)

Hikaru stared at Tsuyako with clarity.

And Tsuyako had her eyes lowered in front of the cherry blossoms.

"Back then, Tsuyako smiled and answered, 'in that case, I will not be dancing right now, I will not be able to know of such intense love, and I will not be able to love you. I do not need a date other than this–"

Those words would not be able to reach Tsuyako's ears.

But the emotions she had back then echoed clearly in Hikaru's words,

"'I do not wish to change fates with Miss Aoi. Even if God allows that to happen, I shall refuse.' that was what she said."

Koremitsu's heart raced, for he seemed to hear that clear, proud voice.

"Back then, Tsuyako was strong and beautiful, always looking so proud, like the bright red weeping cherry blossom blooming in the middle of a garden."

Hikaru narrowed his eyes lovingly.

He was so proud of this firm, dignified Tsuyako, for how ravishing she was.

Hikaru's emotions have moved Koremitsu's heart.

"Hey, senpai. Hikaru did say that you're the most beautiful red weeping cherry blossoms that stands tall in the middle of a garden. It's true."

Koremitsu really wanted to convey Hikaru's feelings to Tsuyako, who had her head lowered and her back shrunk.

He really wanted to let her know of the love and delight Hikaru had showered upon her.

Tsuyako's shoulders shivered as she clasped her hands tightly, muttering guiltily as she said,

"I-I'm not like that..."

Hikaru spoke with an earnest expression,

"Tsuyako, what does Rokujō want you to do? Is there anything I can do for you?"

Koremitsu too asked with a serious look,

"Senpai, you must be feeling troubled now, right? Tell me, is there anything I can do?"

"...Mr. Akagi."

Tsuyako lifted her head at Koremitsu, trembling. She let out a weak, helpless look, her stare wavering; she was probably hesitant about it. After biting her lower lip slightly, she hoarsely replied, panting,

"...Rokujō."

Koremitsu too held his breath as he listened in intently.

"Rokujō...wants me to..."

Sudenly, Tsuyako winced.

"!"

"What's the matter, senpai!?"

Tsuyako stared at the cherry blossom branch with a pale look. There was a thread dangling from it, and on its tip was a spider swaying, so miniscule one had to focus on it.

Her eyes had lost all life, and reverted back to being hazy.

"No...no. Do not...so-sorry, I feel a little...I-I need the washroom. Please head back for now, Mr. Akagi."

"Hey, senpai."

Tsuyako darted off without waiting for Koremitsu's reply.

"Damn it."

Koremitsu glared at the spider, and gave chase after Tsuyako.

However, once he arrived at the toilet outside the dome structure, he could not find Tsuyako no matter how he waited.

"She's not in the toilet?"

He pulled out the cellphone, and dialled Tsuyako's number.

"Ugh, now I'm left on voicemail."

The result was the same no matter how many times he tried.

"I have a bad feeling about this, Koremitsu. Let us check the school."

"Oh yeah, maybe senpai went back to get her bag."

With no other ideas, Koremitsu could only rush back to the school, spending the same time he did coming to this place.

The sun had already set by the time he arrived, yet the school campus was lit.

Koremitsu checked Tsuyako's shoe locker once he entered. There was only a pair of indoor shoes, not the outdoor shoes.

"She didn't come by...?"

Hikaru stood by his side, sighing.

No matter how Koremitsu tried to call, he could not get through. If only she had returned home safely...

For added precaution, Koremitsu decided to check the classroom. Thus, he tried looking down the corridor from the entrance, and just when he started to move,

"Look at that, Koremitsu!"

Hikaru exclaimed stiffly.

Koremitsu too was shocked.

There was a woman, dressed in uniform under the hazy moon, standing in front of the Oleander tree in the garden.

The woman had glossy black hair reaching from her shoulders to her waist, swaying bewitchingly in the air.

There were ripped flowers scattered all around that woman, and just when Koremitsu's group watched her with bated breath, she peeled the flowers, crushed them, and tossed them away with her slender arms.

Oumi did say that after what happened to Aoi, someone witnessed a woman with long black hair.

(Is it her–)

"Hey!"

Koremitsu ran towards the garden.

The other person too started running, the glossy hair swayed around. At that instant, an alluring fragrance grazed past his nostrils; it was the aroma of poppy seeds being added to the fire! The sweet, alluring–!

"Wait, are you Rokujō!?"

The clouds covered the moon, and his vision was dimmed. The woman darted through the woods skillfully, her rich black hair only appearing sparsely.

His heart was throbbing wildly, ostensibly breaking apart, and it was sizzling deep inside his head. Amidst the darkness, Koremitsu stared at the target while gasping, but soon lost sight of it.

"Whew!"

(What's with that woman?)

"Hikaru, did you see her face?"

Koremitsu turned his neck around, and Hikaru, floating in the air, shook his head bitterly,

"It was too dark; I could not tell."

"Damn it."

Koremitsu sat on the ground, and groaned as he looked skyward.

Was that woman Rokujō?

(Her silhouette...seems rather tall for a woman. She's probably the same height as senpai here...I guess. But the hair's completely different. The woman has black hair, but senpai...did hated her hair before she met Hikaru; she felt unhappy about it, even complaining why she did not have black hair.)

This person seemed similar to Tsuyako, yet seemed a completely different person.

(Ugh, I don't know!)

At this moment, the cellphone in his bag rang.

It was from Tsuyako!

"Senpai!"

Koremitsu called out harshly, and Hikaru too brought his face over with a tense look.

A hoarse voice could be heard,

"...Mr. Akagi, leave me alone now."

The silhouettes of Tsuyako and the black-haired girl who plucked the flowers overlapped, causing Koremitsu's back to chill.

With a harsh–and trembling voice, Tsuyako continued,

"It is for your sake...there is no way to stop Rokujō. The stench can never be removed. It still sticks on me no matter how I try to wash it away. I cannot remove that odor...that foul stench–"

"Senpai, where're you now?"

Silence descended, with the sound of water in the background.

"...Do not call me senpai anymore."

She muttered with an utterly lethargic tone, and hung up the phone.

Standing beside him, Hikaru looked as if his heart was ripped apart.

"You got to be kidding. How else am I supposed to address her?"

The next morning.

With his eyebrows raised, Koremitsu walked down the dirt track leading to the school.

"If she's in front of me, I'll call her senpai a hundred times over!"

Beside him, Hikaru spoke quietly,

"Tsuyako does not wish for you to get involved, Koremitsu."

"Are we just going to leave her alone? Your worries over senpai aren't settled, right?"

"That is not the case. I am truly worried here, but I have been thinking, why would Rokujō–"

Just when Hikaru's eyes were about to sink into the abyss of thoughts.

The cellphone in Koremitsu's bag rang.

Was it Tsuyako?

He took it out to confirm, and then, his lips curled into a frown.

(An anonymous mail–some ad from a porn website or something?)

He was about to delete it, but stopped once he saw the title.

The women who were with Lord Hikaru. Second Act: 'Tsuyako Udate'.

At that instance, his throat was parched.

(Is this message just like the one sent to that braided girl?)

Back then, the name mentioned in the message title was Yū.

Hikaru, glancing from the side, frowned as well.

Once he opened the message, he saw the filthy terms like 'whore', 'lewd', and there were also contents regarding the 'spider's blood'.

During the Heian Era, one of the Udate's female ancestors became a lover, biting to death her husband and the mistress.

It was also written that during the beginning of the Showa Period, that was a woman of the Udate family who gorged her husband's mistress eyes at her maiden house, cut the hair off, killed the mistress, and dragged the husband into the sea as she committed suicide.

Even till now, there was still the demonic blood of the spider within the bodies of the Udates' females, and would react based on jealousy. Lord Hikaru was probably bitten to death by a Udate woman–Tsuyako. That was written on the message.

"!!"

Koremitsu deleted the message, and stuffed the cellphone into his bag.

"It was the same as Yū back then. This is disgusting! Who sent such messages in the first place?"

"But I must say, if it were someone who simply wanted to create commotion, I do feel that person knows too much about the Udates."

Hikaru too looked on grimly.

"Then is the sender someone you know? For what reason?"

"I do not know."

Hikaru answered stiffly, and kept his mouth shut, sinking into deep thought.

More students started to make their way to school around them, and Koremitsu too went silent. However, his head was sizzling due to rage.

(Damn it. If such messages are going around like this, everyone's going to think that senpai's the one who did such annoying things to Aoi. I don't know who sent this, but I won't forgive that person.)

His eyes were glaring, causing fear in the other students; he changed his shoes at the locker, and as he walked down the corridor to his classroom,

There was an apprehensive voice behind him.

"Akagi!"

Dashing towards him at a startling rate was Honoka, who had her eyes raised.

"Great, you're here in school now, Akagi! Come with me!"

Honoka panted as she grabbed Koremitsu by the elbow, and dragged him along.

Hikaru widened his eyes, and Koremitsu too looked anxious.

"H-hey, Shikibu! What's this all about?"

Even though she never wanted to look at him during the past few days.

(Isn't she still angry at me? Didn't she say something like 'I don't care about this guy anymore'? Didn't she think that I'm a lost cause?)

Honoka raised her lips, and said,

"The Lord Hikaru portrait Her Highness Aoi has drawn disappeared from the art room."

"What!?"

Koremitsu knew too that Aoi had been drawing a portrait of Hikaru ever since that birthday date at the theme park.

She had said abashedly to Koremitsu before that she was inapt at drawing human profiles as she did not have much practice, so she was really anxious about it. However, she would show it to him once she was done.

And now that portrait is missing?

(Don't tell me that yesterday–)

Koremitsu's gut wrenched as he recalled the Rokujō that plucked the flowers.

Hikaru too showed a solemn look.

Honoka dragged Koremitsu along, saying,

"It's said that the painting was discovered to be missing this morning, and everyone's thinking whether it was stolen. The Matriarch Asa even charged over to upperclassman Tsuyako, interrogating her if she stole it."

"Are you serious?"

Did Asai Saiga really go over to find senpai?

"This is bad, Koremitsu! If Asa's doing such a thing, it means her patience is at its limit. The Udates have deep ties with the Mikados, so she did not wish to blow this up. If she is looking for Tsuyako right away–!"

It was rare for Hikaru to be this anxious.

"Hurry, Koremitsu! Stop Asa before she stuffs Tsuyako into concrete and throws her into the Tokyo Bay!"

"Oh, okay."

Even the cousin and childhood friend Hikaru would see Asai as such a character; Koremitsu inadvertently sweated as he increased his pace.

Honoka let go of Koremitsu's hand, and both of them dashed down the stairs in large strides.

"The Matriarch Asa looks really scary with that killing aura around her. Upperclassman Tsuyako may be killed by her if we don't hurry!"

Honoka was brave enough, not being terrified of Koremitsu's savage looks when they first met, but at this point, she was shivering in fear all over.

Koremitsu knew that he should not be wondering about such things, but upon realizing how dangerous Asai looked in all sorts of ways, he inadvertently felt some sympathy for her.

Koremitsu himself had been a victim of such rumors, like how he beat a dozen hooligans or so from other schools to near death, or that a certain school's wrestling club president disappeared without a trace after getting a glimpse of him, or that how he took on a member of the yakuza with a dagger, and made the other party apologize.

Both of them darted down the corridor, and there was the classroom with the Japanese Dance Club signplate.

Asai's voice could be heard from within.

"Such a shameless woman."

(Ack!)

The cold, sharp voice was so strong it could have severed the other party's heart in half.

"It is great that a person like you is not married to the Mikados. The Mikados do not need to deal with a thief, a filthy whore, a flawed person."

Once he opened the door, he found Asa and Tsuyako, dressed in a sleeved kimono, were glaring at each other.

Asai's stare was as icy as that of the Siberian Winter, but the startling thing was that Tsuyako was not backing down. The latter shot back at Asai's stare with a proper, feisty stare of her own, causing one to be skeptical as to whether she was the one who called with such a weak voice the previous day.

"A whore? I am surprised you do understand those rotten terms really well, Miss Asai. Is it because you wrote them in the books you like? Are you not like one yourself, barging in here without a greeting and starting a ruckus?"

"Do you have the right to say such things? You have done annoying things since young, like plucking off all the Tulips in Aoi's garden, putting a rat's carcass by the windowsill of Aoi's room. Do you really hate Aoi that much?"

"What about you, Miss Asai? You love to show up for Miss Aoi whenever something happened to the her, but you have always been lax about protecting her. Or is that that you are being all confused the less you are able to protect Miss Aoi. Besides, where is the proof that I did so?"

"You are the same as usual, pretending not to know anything, pushing the blame onto others, acting nonchalant even while eloping with somebody's fiance."

"It is because the one who got betrayed was lacking in charm, I suppose?"

"Where is Hikaru's portrait."

"I do not know. Where indeed?"

The two girls practically had swords drawn as an icy chill filled the room. Embarrassingly for Koremitsu, he was standing at the door, unable to step inside.

(A women's spat...is really scary. My back's itching in fear.)

Honoka glared at Koremitsu, as if to ask why he had yet to step in.

But Koremitsu only felt that if he were to step inside, he would be chased out by the avalanche-filled air.

Like Koremitsu, Hikaru too peeked into the classroom at the door worriedly.

Speaking of which, it was the first time he heard of Tsuyako pulling pranks on Aoi–no, it seemed Aoi had said something of that sort before,

–Miss Tsuyako does hate me too. She has been bullying me since our childhoods, and deliberately came to my garden...

(Right, Aoi did say something like that even though she stopped midway through. Does Hikaru know?)

Koremitsu glanced to the side, and found his friend watching the verbal spat with a tentative look.

(For goodness sake...if you're the harem prince, at least you should know how to settle a dispute between girls, right? What will happen if there's a harem war going on?)

Just when Koremitsu was about to lower his shoulders.

Tsuyako suddenly lowered her tone.

The ferocious tone she used before had now changed to a calm, serious one,

"Hey, Miss Asai, do you not suppose that the premise behind all this is wrong? Hikaru's portrait is missing, but why is it that you are here, and not Miss Aoi? Is the portrait not hers? Miss Aoi, Hikaru's fiancee?"

"...Aoi has yet to arrive at school. She does not intend to tell you that the portrait is missing."

Asai replied unhappily, giving a look that seemed to say 'why do I have to answer this question?'

Tsuyako then asked with a mature expression,

"You have been protecting Miss Aoi all this while Miss Asai, but deep inside your heart, what do you really think?"

"What do you mean?"

Asai's eyes revealed a sharp glare.

"When you are protecting Miss Aoi, Miss Asai, you are doing it not for her sake, but for your own sake, right? Since you are very intelligent, you should be able to comprehend the feelings you have about her? To keep protecting her, to guard her from being hurt, to prevent her from being sullied, you-"

Asai's face looked as though it froze up.

There was anguish, shame and anxiety appearing from deep within the eyes.

"No Tsuyako. You must not say such things!"

Upon hearing Hikaru's tense yell, Koremitsu panicked.

At that moment, Asai raised her right hand up high, ready to slap Tsuyako's cheek.

A harp sound echoed, and Tsuyako staggered, her glossy, rich red hair scattered in an instance.

It was a merciless, proper slap.

Koremitsu darted into the room, and grabbed Asai by the arm.

"That's enough, Asai! Enough already!"

"...!"

Asai's face contorted once she saw Koremitsu,and she narrowed her eyes sharply.

Tsuyako had her head lowered as she placed a hand on the cheek Asai slapped.

Honoka was at the door, watching Koremitsu and the rest with bated breath.

Hikaru was embracing Tsuyako by the shoulders, comforting her. However, Tsuyako did not realize that Hikaru's hands were entrenched into her shoulders.

"Slapping someone to the point of making your hand swollen? This isn't something a girl should do, Asa."

Koremitsu brought the red and swollen hand to Asai, causing her face to redden, and shook off Koremitsu's hand immediately.

"I told you not to address me that."

Asai then bit her lips, rage and shame appearing briefly before reverting back to her stoic look. She spoke sternly,

"...Miss Tsuyako, if anything is to happen the next time, even your identity as one of the Udates will not help you. Please do remember this well."

Asai walked away, and Honoka frantically stepped aside.

"Miss Asai."

Tsuyako said as her hand remained on her cheek.

"It is time for you to tell the truth...Hikaru is no longer around."

Her silent voice was filled with anguish; it seemed she was worried for Asai, even giving the latter an advice...

Behind Tsuyako, Hikaru lowered his eyebrows slightly.

Asai's shoulders quivered as she stopped in her tracks, before she strode off again.

Once Asai passed by, Honoka hurried in,

"Upperclassman Tsuyako! Are you alright? Ahh, your face is completely red. I'll get a wet handkerchief."

Once she confirmed the condition of Tsuyako's face, Honoka ran back to the corridor.

Koremitsu missed out on the chance to talk, and Tsuyako did not look at him as she continued to mutter to herself,

"I think I said...too much unnecessary things to Miss Asai. But I am concerned about her. Our attitudes towards Hikaru...are so contrasting yet so similar."

(What does she mean...?)

So contrasting...so similar...

Hikaru probably understood, but he merely lowered his eyes and listened to Tsuyako's words, looking really feeble.

Tsuyako too started to smile faintly.

This smile was the same as Hikaru's whenever he was at a loss of what to do, and this caused Koremitsu to feel a throbbing pain.

"If I can only do what I advised, nobody would have to suffer...in the end, I am merely that brat with the red rusty looking hair."

Hikaru lifted his head and stared at Tsuyako painfully. It seemed he was apologetic for being unable to relieve Tsuyako's pain–dying while leaving her behind, and being unable to fulfill that promise.

Koremitsu too felt conflicted deep within.

Was dying and leaving those important to oneself such a tragic thing?

Honoka hurried back with a wet handkerchief, and placed it on Tsuyako's cheek, taking care of her worriedly and caringly.

It seemed Tsuyako calmed down somewhat with Honoka taking such sincere care.

"Thank you, Miss Shikibu. You brought Mr. Akagi here, did you not?"

"Eh, ah, well...Akagi's crude, foul-mouthed, and is like a delinquent, but he can be reliable when the time comes for it. That's why,"

Honoka's voice got softer as she spoke.

Tsuyako smiled, seemingly watching a cute underclassman, and then showed that smile at Koremitsu.

"Oh yes, thank you for coming here to stop Miss Asai, Mr. Akagi."

"No, I didn't do anything much. I was just standing by the sidelines."

Koremitsu's voice too got softer.

Tsuyako's eyes narrowed amicably as she watched Honoka and Koremitsu fidget abashedly, and then spoke with a gentle, lonely tone,

"I wish to cease all club activities at this time. You two do not have to come by anymore."

"I was...angry at Upperclassman Tsuyako."

It was break time.

Koremitsu and Honoka were standing at the fence surrounding the roof, and Hikaru floated gently behind Koremitsu.

Honoka stared at the fence as she continued to murmur,

"She did such a thing to you...I know I really don't have the right to be angry, but even so, I just can't feel good about it whenever I think about it...I really can't help but feel that I can't talk to her normally anymore. I can't even attend any club activities..."

A cool breeze blew by, and Honoka clumsily pulled the straight hair strands resting on her cheeks to the back of her ears.

"But after school...I was a little concerned, so I snuck out to look at the club room. Upperclassman Tsuyako has been practicing alone...and she dropped the fan onto the floor quite a few times."

"...The fan?"

"A few times...and she dropped it after picking it up...she looked unhappy as she picks it up, but she dropped it again once she started to dance. She looks extremely pale, her lips were bleeding because she bit them too hard...she's really suffering."

Through the bitterness in Honoka's tone, Koremitsu imagined the sight of Tsuyako dropping the fan a few times, and felt his chest tighten

Behind him, Hikaru must have been feeling glum too.

"...SInce then, I've been sneaking by to watch, and this morning too..."

Honoka hesitated, and sank into deep thought.

"..."

She lowered her head, looked around the fence, and spoke up again,

"Did she do anything to Her Highness Aoi?"

"I don't know."

Perhaps Tsuyako did something irritating to Aoi after becoming Rokujō. Tsuyako however did not deny this, and because of this, she might be feeling fearful and disgusted by the other person in her body, unable to dance because of the emotional turmoil.

But was it really the case?

Is there really an embodiment of the spider Rokujō within senpai?

Was the black haired woman he saw the previous day her?

Koremitsu felt a throbbing pain in his head, his temples stiffening.

Honoka lifted her head and stared at Koremitsu. Her eyes were flickering with sadness, and she spoke hoarsely,

"I think...I can understand Upperclassman Tsuyako's reasons for doing this...if I were in the same situation as her, even if I know I'm the third party, I'll still be jealous of the other person...actually, I already do so."

The terrified tone jolted Koremitsu within.

Within Honoka was an emotion of wanting to summon Rokujō...

Does every woman contain such conflicted, complicated feelings within them? Koremitsu did not know at all.

The secret Honoka let out caused Koremitsu to be slightly shocked.

(Women definitely aren't just the weak, gentle beings they appear to be.)

Even the firm-willed, carefree looking Honoka would have a feeling of wanting to hurt others out of jealousy.

Such a matter was twirling within Koremitsu's heart.

Honoka showed such a tragic expression as she softly muttered,

"...But, why 'now'...Lord Hikaru's already dead...even if she continues to be jealous of Her Highness Aoi, it's useless now. Or is it...that she did such things because...she feels lonely about his absence..."

Why 'now'?

Koremitsu too chewed upon the words Honoka just muttered.

(Yeah, why 'now'?)

Why would Rokujō appear at this point even when Hikaru was dead?

–I really...do not know what to do...I am scared, worried..I cannot sleep at night...If this keeps up, I might end up destroying the flowers Hikaru treasures.

Koremitsu recalled the words Tsuyako said when she invited him to join the Japanese Dance club.

At this point, he knew that she was not saying it out of pretense, but from the bottom of her heart.

What exactly was Tsuyako's 'anxiety'?

The crux that caused Rokujō to appear.

As long as he discovered that.

As long as he could eliminate that.

The pain throbbing through his mind got more intense. Koremitsu felt that like him, Hikaru too must have been feeling anxious.

"Erm, Akagi."

Honoka suddenly raised her voice.

She continued to look at Koremitsu with a pressing look.

"Regarding Upperclassman Tsuyako, I shall try to do my best to comfort her for the time being. Don't put all the burden upon yourself."

(Ah, is that so...?)

Honoka said such words worriedly after seeing Koremitsu frown and grit his teeth.

It was a little forced, but she still showed a smile to Koremitsu.

That smile, eked out with all her might, caused his heart to tighten.

He felt that Honoka was quite a good woman, to do her best for him out of her own volition even when she was feeling conflicted herself. Hikaru did appraise her to be a purple Heliotrope blooming towards the sun, firm-willed and filled with love; clearly, he was accurate here.

"You're supposedly angry with me, and now you're helping me. Thanks a lot, Shikibu."

Koremitsu stared at Honoka right in the eyes as he said that.

If possible, he too wanted to show a light-hearted smile; whenever he tried to raise his lips however, his face would stiffen, and he would show a glaring, savage look.

Honoka shivered once she saw such a face...

And then, her expression lightened up somewhat.

"Right."

She answered gently and shyly.

Koremitsu too felt abashed and a sweet sensation filled within.

"Okay then."

He nodded slightly.

"Time to get back to the classroom."

"Ah, you can go off first."

"Eh?"

"I'm going to the toilet first."

Honoka showed a shocked look, but later answered,

"Right, got it."

She seemed to realize that Koremitsu wanted to settle some private matters alone, and showed a slightly worried look as she turned her head back at the door, before smiling and leaving the roof.

Upon seeing such a scene, Koremitsu felt an itch in his heart.

And then, he muttered,

"...What do you think of Shikibu's words, Hikaru?"

Hikaru, floating behind Koremitsu, moved in front of him, and answered with a serious look,

"I am wondering about the same thing too. Why would Rokujō appear at such a moment? If her jealousy at Miss Aoi was the cause, it should have appeared when I was alive. Also, I did mention before that she was not jealous of me dating other girls."

"That's a little too strange, right? I don't really understand women, but normally, they do get jealous, right?"

I already did so. He recalled Honoka's mutter, and said,

"Saiga also said that senpai once plucked the flowers at Aoi's house when they were young, and placed a dead rat at her windowsill. She also said that she was jealous of Aoi before."

–I too am jealous of those blissful girls who were treated kindly by their fiances, loved and accepted by the people around them.

She did mutter such words with a gloomy look. If only I had black hair...

Was that not referring to Aoi?

Hikaru's eyebrows quivered slightly.

"That was before Tsuyako met me, during the time when she remained a shriveled body in the sturdy tree branches; before she bloomed, before the buds even grew."

Hikaru's expression was hollow, yet his tone was full of adamance, almost to near belief.

(Hm...well, Hikaru does know senpai longer than I do....)

Tsuyako did say to Hikaru that she did not want to change lives with Aoi, that she did not want to know of him through another way. She was truly a firm-willed, dignified woman as she said that.

She never expressed regret over her choice.

And she would never compare herself with others.

(But what about 'now'?)

The honest, optimistic eyes were shrouded in haze, becoming dim like the hazy moon.

Did she revert back to her old self because of Hikaru's death?

To vent the loneliness and sadness they could not handle, humans would exert stronger emotions upon them, just as how Aoi lashed out at Hikaru's funerary photo at the latter's funeral to maintain an emotional balance...

Did Tsuyako try to replace the emptiness in her heart by hating Aoi?

Koremitsu pondered silently in frustration, and Hikaru muttered in a prayerful manner,

"It will be great if Tsuyako can get back to being herself and start to dance again."

Koremitsu's heart was pricked again.

(...he must be really anxious, being unable to cheer for senpai himself.)

Hikaru lowered his eyes, and silently muttered,

"Hey, Koremitsu...fulfilling a 'promise' is really a tough thing to do. I might have been a fool who never thought things through when I was alive. Only after my death did I realize..."

–When you dance, I will definitely be in the audience. I will applaud you there more than anyone else.

This was the promise Hikaru made with Tsuyako.

At that time, Hikaru must have said those words out of his own sincerity, with such clarity, cheerfulness in his voice and eyes. Back then, he must have believed that he would fulfill that problem.

"...I really am a fool who does not think things through."

But at this point now, that was basically impossible...

If Hikaru could cry, he might even shed some tears.

The lowered sidelong face of his face merely showed a rich, sore sadness.

"...A fool can only be cured when dead."

Koremitsu muttered,

"So...after you died, you should be a little less foolish."

Hikaru lifted his head, and smiled.

He, unable to cry, would smile like this when he was sad. Koremitsu too understood that the smile was showing the will and endurance he had when suffering.

At this point, Hikaru was frustrated yet anguished deep within–yet he wanted to smile all he could.

"Then, I shall be a little smarter."

"Just a little, about the size of a crack."

"I do think you do not have to emphasize that."

"You'll get cocky immediately if that's not the case."

"There is no one more humble than me in front of a cute girl."

"What's that? Is that a joke? That's a lame one coming from you."

Both of them bickered as they returned back to the classroom.

During the next break, an unexpected visitor came by.

"Come with me here, Akagi."

Shungo Tōjō called for Koremitsu with a frown on his face, and dragged the him to an empty classroom.

Koremitsu had assumed the other party would chide him over Tsuyako's matter, but unexpectedly, Tōjō handed two tickets to him with a scowl,

"You, take these."

Tōjō was typically courteous when addressing Koremitsu, but was being crude this time around. Leaving that aside, Koremitsu stared at the items in Tōjō's hand, and frowned.

They were two entrance tickets to an art gallery.

"There's an art renaissance exhibition this coming Saturday."

"You're asking me out? You don't have any friends too?"

Veins were popping out of Tōjō's temples.

"Who said I am going with you? What is the point of two men going to an art exhibition together?"

"...am I wrong?"

"Ask Aoi out."

Tōjō snorted with a peeved look, and one could tell he did not wish to say such words.

"Miss Aoi?"

Beside them, Hikaru was saying something like 'I do feel that it is a refreshing thing for two men to attend an art exhibition together', and this time, he was muttering in shock.

Koremitsu too widened his eyes.

"Aoi, you say?"

Did he not say to never approach Aoi again?

The scowl intensified as wrinkles of frustrations appeared on Tōjō forehead.

"...Ever since you had that affair with Tsuyako at the garden party that evening, Hikaru's older brother Kazuaki has been looking for Aoi. I heard he has been chauffeuring her around because he was worried. Well, with Asai around, I do not think there would be any major incidents happening, and the foolish, incompetent Kazuaki might not have the guts to cause anything. However, there would be major issues for the son of the Mikados' legal wife to be with Aoi, the daughter of the Saotomes."

(Problems?)

"The engagement between Kazuaki and Tsuyako has been dissolved, and as everyone knows, Aoi's fiance, Hikaru fell into a river on a rainy night, dying in such a foolish manner."

"...Foolish, he says...Mr. Shungo still despises me after all."

Hikaru too started to lose his nerve.

"If Kazuaki is to start becoming intimate with Aoi, the people around us will consider that Kazuaki and Aoi will be married in the future. In terms of pairing, there will not be any problems. Rather, if we consider the family pedigrees, they will be the most suited."

(Aoi's going to marry Hikaru's older brother...!?)

Koremitsu recalled the fragile looking bespectacled youth that drove to school to fetch Aoi, but the impression he had of that youth was too vague; he could only remember the body build and the glasses.

(Then, what about Aoi?)

He recalled what Aoi said, that Hikaru had just passed away, and that she was unwilling to marry anyone else. His heart started to turn sour.

Unknowingly, the current situation had developed into an undesired direction for Aoi.

Hikaru too pondered with a serious look.

"Kazuaki is plain, but is not a bad person. He is too formal, trips over often, and will crash into some things."

Koremitsu did not know whether Hikaru's description was meant to praise or criticize the person himself.

"However..."

The veins at Tōjō's temples pulsated, and his eyes were glaring sharply at Koremitsu.

"There is a big, big, big problem with Kazuaki's mother. My 3 older sisters are really a huge headache to deal with, but that mother is scarier than them. She is arrogant, prone to envy and rage, acts on impulse rather than reason, and would drag everything around her in. She always insists that she is correct, and if things do not work out, she would make a ruckus until she gets her way, even at the cost of her pride. Kazuaki's mother has the blood of the Udates too, and even amongst the Udates, she is the strongest and worst of them all. There was once where she dumped a truck of horse manure onto her husband's mistress house. How can I allow Aoi to marry into such a terrifying old hag's household? It is easy to see that Aoi will suffer."

Tōjō prattled off with his eyebrows raised.

(This guy...gets very agitated whenever it involves Aoi...oh yeah, the mistress who had horse manure dumped onto her, was that Hikaru's mother)

Koremitsu could not catch on to what the other person was saying, and even calmed down as a result. It was probably because as a commoner, he could not understand the matters of the two great families Udates, Saotomes, and their complicated relationships with Hikaru's family.

To him, the concept of being betrothed before the coming of age was an alien concept to him.

"Aoi has been looking lethargic ever since she saw you had that shameless kiss with Tsuyako, and now with the recent despicable cases of bullying, she let down her guard. Normally, Aoi would clearly refuse Kazuaki's invitations to fetch her, and because of your betrayal, she might even think that she was betrayed by Hikaru again. It looks like she is still upset over that matter, and may have sealed her heart and listened to those around her blankly."

Upon hearing such a chiding, Koremitsu too felt entwined by his own guilt, for he too was at fault.

Tōjō again frowned, showed a glum look as he frowned for a while, and stuffed the tickets into Koremitsu's hand.

"To be honest, I really do not wish that you make amends with Aoi. You bragged that you would not let Tsuyako hurt Aoi, but you are still unable to do things even at this point. Such a useless man."

"Ugh."

"However, if this keeps up, the engagement between Kazuaki and Aoi will be unavoidable. Aoi might even accept it in self-defeat, and that is worse than being a nun. Also, I am worried that after seeing that dazzling fool of a harem prince Hikaru, who only had looks going for him, she would not have a higher impression on men, and would live in the shadow of Hikaru. Leaving aside Hikaru's brain and personality of wanting to flirt around, I do not suppose there is any other man who had the conditions any woman would want when it comes to love. I do not know what methods you used to win her heart when you are so completely different from Hikaru; though I felt there is a need to stop you, I do think that since there is Kazuaki's matter to deal with, letting you through might be for the better. After interacting with a bastard like you, her ability to judge characters would have fallen off the scales; perhaps she might be able to marry a decent man the next time."

"Hey, what do you mean by fallen off the scales here!?"

Koremitsu yelled as he clutched at the tickets in his hands, and beside him, Hikaru spoke with a pensive look.

"...that somehow makes sense."

Koremitsu inadvertently had the thought of wanting to punch Hikaru, but even if he did so, the fist would only pass through the latter's body.

Without waiting for Koremitsu's reply, Tōjō pointed at the former's nose with uppity and said,

"Listen you. What you have to do now, you bastard, is that you are to bring Aoi out to the art exhibition and bring her away from Kazuaki. Later, make sure not to hurt her as you vanish slowly from her sights. It will be better if she ends up leaving you out of fatigue, embarrassment or annoyance."

"Aren't you being too cruel here!? Those aren't humane words, alright!!"

"Not good. Class is starting. You should hurry back to your own class too, you bastard. Do not sell the tickets. You must invite Aoi out! You hear me? You must invite her out. This is a promise between men."

Tōjō hollered as he ignored the fuming Koremitsu, and frantically scurried off. Once class started, he must have combed his unkempt hair neatly, tidied the creases on his shirt, lifted his head, kept his chin back, and sat back at his seat with his back straightened.

"Since when did we have a promise?"

Koremitsu groaned as he stared at the art gallery tickets in his hand. Beside him, Hikaru mumbled,

"Mr. Shungo...is someone who becomes irrational whenever Miss Aoi gets involved after all."

### 007. Chapter 7: Everyone Is Lonely Under the Moon

On the next day, the tickets still remained inside Koremitsu's wallet.

"Goodness, what do I do now?"

It was noon break, and he was grumbling as he arched his back while strolling around.

Though he was told to invite Aoi out, he could not approach her due to Asai's presence by the side. And ever since that garden party, Aoi had yet to reply to his cellphone messages. It would be questionable to think if she had seen his messages in the first place. Aoi had a pure yet stubborn personality; perhaps she deleted the messages without even looking.

(And I can't just leave senpai alone.)

Why did Rokujō appear? Till this point, the reason was yet to be discovered.

Honoka and Michiru cleared up their lunch boxes, and went off to the Japanese Dance Club room.

"Upperclassman Tsuyako did say that she wishes to suspend club activities for the time being, but I think that she might be a little relieved to have someone with her and chitchat with her. Oh yeah, don't be mistaken here. This isn't for your sake. I'm just doing this because I'm worried about her. I'm a fan of Upperclassman Tsuyako here. Got to cheer her up before her performance."

She spoke in a cheerful tone.

(Shikibu really is a good woman...)

The recital was to be held two days later, Saturday evening.

Both Koremitsu and Hikaru hoped that Tsuyako would revert back to her usual self.

"Hey, what do you think I should do with these tickets?"

Koremitsu asked. Hikaru too showed an unenthusiastic look as he said,

"I too am worried about Miss Aoi...but I do think we cannot leave Tsuyako alone at this time."

"That's true."

Better return these to Tōjō...just when Koremitsu wondered,

"Eh, you are?"

A rich, sweet voice could be heard from the front.

(Hm? Hikaru...wait, he's beside me.)

The overly similar voice caused Koremitsu to be instantly confused.

He lifted his head, and found a skinny bespectacled youth standing over there.

(This guy is Hikaru's older brother–)

Kazuaki Mikado!

Beside Koremitsu, Hikaru widened his eyes in shock.

Kazuaki sized up Koremitsu hesitantly as the latter stared back, and ostensibly made up his mind as he said,

"Erm...you are that person who was with Tsuyako at the Shikatanis' garden party...right? And, you even...kissed her."

The voice quality was the exact same as Hikaru's, but the tone was somewhat courteous, and his back was slouched. He was acting rather refined, and seemed to be of a good pedigree, but as Tōjō had emphasized many times, he seemed a little air-headed, ordinary in appearance, and did not seem to leave any impression besides the glasses...

Koremitsu did not intend to glare back, but the moment he narrowed his eyes, Kazuaki shrank back, and started apologizing.

"Ah, I do apologize for this. You may not remember, but I was there with Aoi back then. I am an alumnus here, and I am looking for Aoi...so, about that, I just so happened to meet you at the garden, and I came to talk to you out of curiosity. A-are you angry...?"

"No..."

"I-Is that so...? Th-that is good...ah, my name is Kazuaki Mikado, an undergraduate. You are...?"

"...Koremitsu Akagi, High school freshman."

Koremitsu answered back stiffly, unable to tell the intentions Hikaru's brother had to talk to him. Kazuaki continued politely,

"Are you...going out with Tsuyako? Ahh, I am sorry for asking such a rude question so suddenly. It is just that...I used to be her.."

Koremitsu saw that Kazuaki was mumbling away, unable to say what he wanted, and filled in for the latter,

"You want to say that she used to be your fiancee, right?"

"Did you hear from Tsuyako?"

Kazuaki widened his eyes behind the glasses.

"Sorta...I guess."

He did not hear it from Tsuyako herself, but Koremitsu mumbled vaguely.

For some reason, Kazuaki showed a look of relief.

"Also, I'm just her underclassman."

"Really..? But you've kissed."

"Ugh."

Koremitsu was left speechless, and Kazuaki started panicking again,

"Ah, did I say too much again? Tsuyako...is rather carefree, so I went through quite some hardships when we were engaged...ah! She does not think of me as a partner, so please do not worry! I do find it surreal that such a glamorous, lively person like her was betrothed to this plain me. In lots of ways, Tsuyako is kind of like my mother, so I am not really used to handling her. Instead of that, I do find that Aoi..."

There was a reddish tinge beneath the glasses. Upon seeing that, Koremitsu was stunned.

(Has this guy really fallen for Aoi?)

Hikaru too frowned, probably troubled as well.

It seemed Kazuaki did not have the personality of reading the mood as he continued to fidget like a girl.

"I do find that a petite and quiet girl like Aoi would suit me better. Aoi used to be a potential fiancee for me. Tsuyako is a relative of my mother, and due to the overly close bloodline, the plan was for Aoi to be my fiancee. However, Aoi had already been betrothed to my younger brother, so I was chosen to be betrothed with Tsuyako. Right now however, Aoi and I are still single...that black hair Aoi has really is really pretty. I think black hair suits girls better; there is a refreshing, traditional Yamato Nadeshiko feeling."

Kazuaki narrowed his eyes in an intoxicated manner.

(You're saying too much, you skinny four-eyes.)

This guy really is Hikaru's brother in this aspect. Koremitsu frowned as he thought, for he was startled when Kazuaki looked infatuated as he praised Aoi's hair.

–I had been thinking that it would be good if I were a girl with black hair.

Tsuyako had a complex over her hair.

I really hated the girl who was beloved by her fiancee, and doted on by everyone around her. That was what she said too.

One of Aoi's companions had noticed a female student with long black hair.

That black hair plucking the red Oleanders in the garden–

–But, why...'now'...

–Lord Hikaru's already dead...even if she continues to be jealous of Her Highness Aoi, it's useless now.

Those were the questions Honoka asked.

Those doubts lingered in Koremitsu's mind, causing his heart to pound madly.

(No, wait. Senpai did go out with Hikaru before, right? That guy only got engaged because of family reasons...)

But, in that case, it all made sense .

The reason why Tsuyako had been targeting Aoi, the reason why she kissed Koremitsu in front of Aoi.

At that time, Kazuaki was with Aoi–

(Don't tell me that was not meant for Aoi, but for this guy...)

Koremitsu had the feeling that he was closing in on the answer to the riddle he had been circling around, and his heart raced as a result.

Why did she have to show it to others?

(Because to this four-eyes, senpai–)

Koremitsu was scowling in silence, and Kazuaki started panicking again.

"Ah, sorry, sorry. I have been saying too much myself. Well, even though I am Tsuyako's ex-fiance, my presence is too weak because of this, and I think she had already forgotten all about it. Currently, we are not communicating in any way, so please do not worry and get along well with her. I think, erm, I will try my best for Aoi. If only I can convey the message better to my mother...uu, mother certainly is an unpredictable and volatile woman, so Aoi might be troubled here..."

At the end, he muttered these words as he departed, stumbling along the way and putting on his tilted glasses.

It seemed Hikaru was worried for that brother of his as he watched the silhouette.

"I got it, Hikaru."

Koremitsu let out a crude snort as he said.

"Eh?"

Hikaru immediately turned to Koremitsu, widening his eyes.

"Senpai here is still jealous of Aoi, but she is not jealous of you and Aoi, but Aoi being with the skinny four-eyes–your older brother Kazuaki."

"Erm...in other words, Tsuyako likes Mr. Kazuaki...huh?"

Hikaru murmured, looking as if he did not understand.

"Oh, that is how it is. Why did Rokujō appear 'now'? That is because after you died, Aoi became single; senpai is worried that Kazuaki, who liked Aoi since then, would do something to her. In fact, if we go by what Tōjō says, senpai is unable to contain her jealousy. The reason why Rokujō is black haired is because maybe she wanted to have black hair like Aoi since Kazuaki likes the black-haired Aoi. And this wish manifested itself. If we consider it to be this case, it all makes sense."

Koremitsu seemed more confident as he said this, but Hikaru still looked skeptical,

"W-Wait a moment, Koremitsu! If Tsuyako likes Mr. Kazuaki, why did she go out with me instead?"

"That's what we call a woman's complicated heart. She hopes for Kazuaki, who does not care about her, to care, and chose to act that she is with another man. That is the same reason why she kissed me in front of Aoi!"

"A woman's heart...you are saying this now?"

"This shows that my skill regarding how to handle women has increased thanks to you being with me 24/7."

"Koremitsu, are you sure you have not eaten anything wrong? Like some mushroom grown in your house, or some red poppy? It really is unlike you to gleefully talk about girls like this!"

And this time, Koremitsu showed a sympathetic expression.

"Hikaru...even though you have been dating other women, senpai never showed any jealousy at all, right?"

"Hm, yes."

"Does that not mean that you are not senpai's true love, and that she was just fooling around with you?"

"Eh!?"

"If it is true love, there has to be something like envy, right?"

"B-but."

"I do understand that you don't wish to admit it. You're called the harem prince, and you think that all the women in the world love you, but you're actually being made use of!"

"I-Is that so..."

Hikaru still seemed a little disapproving.

"Well, being a playboy for 16 years, it's time that you get such payback."

"I was not born a harem prince in the first place."

Koremitsu ignored that protest.

On this day, his mind was being very awake. The situation where he was troubled by one question after another vanished like a lie, and he felt extremely clear headed.

"No matter whether it was back then or now, senpai's true love has always been Kazuaki. Her jealousy at Aoi has been burning, causing the appearance of Rokujō. In other words, if we can lure Aoi away from Kazuaki, everything will be settled."

Within Koremitsu's hands were the art gallery tickets Tōjō had given! To Aoi, who had a passion for drawing, this would be a place she would definitely like.

"Okay, Hikaru! I'm going to ask Aoi out."

"I say, Koremitsu."

Hikaru's voice became stiff.

He was blabbering things like 'I was too short-sighted', 'Is Tsuyako's true love really Mr. Kazuaki'? by the side. However, Koremitsu did not pay heed to him at all.

There was still a little time till the end of noon break. Koremitsu returned from the corridor to the connecting corridor to the school campus, advancing towards Aoi's classroom. The normal students were taken aback, and immediately made way for him.

Koremitsu was about to reach Aoi's classroom, and found her walking in front of him. The 5th period was probably to be held in a different classroom, as she had a textbook in her hands, her head lowered.

He hurriedly ducked into a corner at the juncture, for the one standing beside Aoi was Asai, showing a stern look.

(Damn it. I found a perfect solution here, and I forgot about that iron mask.)

With Asai around, there was no way Koremitsu could approach Asai.

Asai's guard was beyond that of usual due to the recent irritating acts happening to Aoi.

At that moment.

A short-haired, busty, petite girl ducked through below Koremitsu.

"Please settle this within 5 minutes."

She muttered with a mischievous, boyish tone as she rushed over to Asai and the rest.

(Oumi...!)

“Ah!”

Koremitsu watched Hiina in shock. She shouted as she dashed towards Asai's group.

"This is bad–, Matriarch Asa! A delinquent from another school intruded to take on Mr. Akagi for the biggest delinquent title!"

(Hey!)

Koremitsu' fingernails were scratching at the wall at the corner. If he did not do so, he would have leapt out to retort back.

"He's even swinging some nunchucks around, yelling 'where is Akagi!?'. It's dangerous."

Asai frowned with an icy expression.

"...Aoi, go ahead first."

However, she said this, and went off with Hiina.

"Hurry! Matriarch Asa! Over here!"

Hiina and Asai gradually went away.

Aoi looked over at where Asai departed worriedly. She had the textbooks clutched tightly to her chest; clearly she wanted to go too as she moved her slender legs about a few times. However, she lowered her head, unable to move forward from there.

"Aoi."

"!"

Koremitsu approached Aoi from the back and talked to her. She was immediately taken aback, and looked back with widened eyes. She looked flabbergasted as she remained silent.

"Are you going out with Kazuaki? Do you like him? It's important! Tell me honestly!"

Koremitsu continued to stare at Aoi unflinchingly, saying everything he wanted to say without a greeting. He did not have time; he did not know when Asai would be back.

"We-we are not dating. I do not have such feelings either."

Aoi was overwhelmed by Koremitsu's pressure as she answered, her eyes rolling around.

Koremitsu lowered his shoulders, and let out a long sigh.

"Great."

Aoi's face immediately turned red; even the fingertips on the textbook were all red. She widened her eyes in shock, staring right at Koremitsu without wavering.

"Give me one chance, Aoi. It's terrible to have you hate me. I'm sorry for what I did over the past few days! Please let me apologize for what happened back then."

Koremitsu handed over the ticket Tōjō had given him.

As he had grabbed onto it tightly, the ticket was already all crumpled; he only managed to flatten it after much effort.

"There's an art renaissance exhibition this Saturday. Let's go together."

Aoi looked at the ticket, her face completely red. It was like a reenactment of the scene where he handed her the theme park ticket to celebrate her birthday...

Aoi too probably remembered the same thing. Her eyes seemed to falter as she stared at the ticket.

With a groaning tone, Koremitsu said,

"Sorry, there's no time. Tell me 'I'm going' before Asai comes back."

Aoi mumbled, and moved her lips slightly,

"I have something... on this Saturday..."

Just when Koremitsu was assuming that she could not make it.

The fingers, now dyed pink, grabbed the ticket.

"No, I will go."

She quickly replied, and placed the ticket in front of the textbook, apparently treasuring it. She lowered her head, and in a bashful manner, showed a smile on her lips.

"I really like seeing arts renaissance."

"Really? I knew that."

Actually, it was Tōjō who chose the tickets. However, it was fine that Aoi liked it.

Aoi was smiling delightedly, and somewhat bashful.

Having decided on the time and place to meet, Koremitsu left, barely leaving before Asai came.

"Aoi? Why are you still here? I told you to leave first. Your face is red. Are you having a fever?"

"That...may be the case."

"Head to the infirmary then."

He even managed to hear such a conversation.

(Phew–that was dangerous.)

Koremitsu leaned his back on the wall, heaving a sigh of relief. Having witnessed the entire scene from above, Hikaru let out a troubled sigh as he muttered,

"I do think that he has talent...but Koremitsu's unawareness here is really terrifying. I can only pray that his talent will not blossom any further."

Koremitsu did not know why Hikaru was being so worried about, but he still sprinted off to the Japanese Dance Club Room.

It seemed Honoka and Michiru have returned to the classroom, and Tsuyako was the only one left. She was seated in the middle of the tatamis, staring into space with an anguished, pained look. Her lips moving at the same time.

(Hm? What's she saying?)

'Flutter, scatter'; Such mantras could be heard by the ear,

"The Songs to Make the Dust Dance on the Beams."

(Eh?)

Hikaru muttered, and Koremitsu turned sidelong to find him staring at Tsuyako in a concerned manner.

"It is an anthology of songs from the end of the Heian era..."

(I see. So senpai's reciting a song here, huh? That's quite classy.)

"Senpai!"

Koremitsu called out. Tsuyako immediately shook her shoulders, and her stare was directed at Koremitsu.

Koremitsu then strode forth towards Tsuyako clumsily, and said,

"I sorted things out with Aoi!"

"Eh?"

Tsuyako opened her mouth slightly.

"Also, regarding that guy Kazuaki, who was with Aoi that day, it seems he doesn't have anything to do with Aoi herself! If you're concerned by that, why don't you call Kazuaki out instead? In that case, you might have a chance of talking to him."

Tsuyako seemed dumbfounded. She sat back onto the tatamis again, staring at Koremitsu without blinking.

To Koremitsu, that expression of hers seemed akin to someone shocked at being seen through.

"Be honest with your own feelings, senpai! If there's anything you've accumulated in your heart, just let it all out. If you find it difficult to ask him out, I'll do so on your behalf."

He placed his hands and knees on the tatamis, and lifted his eyes to the same height, clearly proclaiming as he approached her.

With a conflicted expression on his face, Hikaru seemed to have given up, probably because he assumed that it would be useless to tell Koremitsu anything.

Tsuyako's mouth remained wide open, her eyes fixated on Koremitsu.

"Hm? Senpai, are you awake?"

Koremitsu asked uneasily. Suddenly, Tsuyako wrapped her arms around Koremitsu's neck, and embraced it.

"Woah!?"

"...No, why...must you say such things...?"

Koremitsu's body leaned back, and a hoarse sobbing reached his ears.

The body, one of a definite mass and warm tenderness, was shivering slightly.

(I-Is she crying?)

Koremitsu's heart shrank, his head cooling in an instant.

He was not adept at handling the tears of women, and would feel awkward about it. his thoughts ceased, not knowing how to handle such a situation.

"Se-senpai..."

"You...really are too straightforward...I told you not to call me senpai anymore..."

A hoarse voice could be heard again. He felt a damp breath lingering in his chest, a sweet, sour fragrance pricking at his nostrils.

"Why...why did you not listen to me? If you are like this...I..."

(S-sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-she's still crying.)

Koremitsu had his hands high in a celebratory manner, but did not know where to place his hands. He did not know whether to embrace her tightly, to keep them high up like this, or to push her aside in a gentlemanly manner and maintain his distance from her.

(Hi-Hikaru, help me.)

There was no voice coming from behind.

He turned his neck around, and found Hikaru staring at Tsuyako with an utterly tragic face. Hikaru's hands were lowered, his back straightened as he stood upright; his deep eyes were so hollow, so filled with sadness–melancholy.

"..."

Just when Koremitsu was feeling anguish in his heart due to that expression.

Tsuyako moved her arms away from Koremitsu.

"What do I do now? I really like you, Mr. Akagi."

"Like–"

Koremitsu could not say anything. Looking ready to either laugh or break down in tears, Tsuyako said to him,

"I really wish I had met you in a different way way."

(She said about meeting me through another way...what does she mean?)

Her eyes filled with tears, Tsuyako gave a thin smile,

"Yes...I suppose...it may be a good thing to listen to your advice. I shall invite Mr. Kazuaki along to the recital then. I might be cursed to death by his mother however."

She spoke in a jokingly manner, and stood up,

"I am really sorry for making you worry. It seems I have caused quite some trouble for both you and Miss Shikibu, Mr. Akagi."

It was unknown what kind of transformation was going on within her heart.

Or perhaps, due to the words that Koremitsu said, there was something to the 'wishing to meet through another way' she said.

However,

"It is alright now."

She said with a dignified voice.

It was after school, on the same day. Tsuyako was dancing about gorgeously in front of Koremitsu and the rest, her fan not dropping a single moment.

"That's amazing, Upperclassman Tsuyako! Is that the dance to be performed for the recital?"

Honoka was clearly mesmerized as she applauded.

"Yes."

Tsuyako showed a glowing smile to her.

"The original storyline in our traditional style is the love story between Ariwara no Narihara and the cherry blossom spirit."

"Ariwara no Narihara is the original protagonist basis for 'The Tales of Ise', right? It was said that he was a noble of the Heian Period, and also an amazing playboy."

"Yes. However, he is a multi-talented poet, an elegant prince who knows how to play. The females were all attracted to him as a result."

The class representative with braids too spoke in ecstasy,

"Ah, I know that~. Narihara's songs are so heartrending and sensual~. One can feel the rich emotions within it, and there's a story to it too."

"Upperclassman Tsuyako, you are performing the role of the cherry blossom spirit, right? Did the cherry blossom spirit fall in love with Narihara?"

Honoka asked in excitement.

"Please check out the performance. We did some really excellent setups there, you know."

"Wow, looking forward to it."

"M-me too."

The anxiety that appeared on Tsuyako's face had vanished completely, and she spoke to Honoka and Michiru with a clear expression. Koremitsu watched over them in relief.

"It was really great to let her know of Kazuaki's relationship with Aoi."

Koremitsu whispered softly.

"Is that so?"

Hikaru asked back in skepticism,

"Well, I guess you aren't feeling happy here. That skinny four-eyes is actually senpai's true love, huh?"

"You certainly are being long-winded here, Koremitsu."

Hikaru frowned in a peeved manner,

"It is great that Tsuyako is back to being like this however."

And then, he reverted back to his gentle expression,

"...It'll be great if the recital can end without a hitch."

"If it's the usual senpai, there's definitely no problems."

"...Yeah."

It seemed Hikaru was still a little worried.

The same events transpired the following day after school.

Tsuyako was so gorgeous as she danced; Honoka and Michiru were lauding her greatly.

"Ah, I can't wait for the performance on the stage tomorrow. You'll be going tomorrow right, Akagi?"

Koremitsu was sitting cross-legged in a corner of the clubroom, and beside him, Honoka asked as she sat with her knees cupped towards her.

"Yeah."

"Since the opening's in the evening, why don't we meet up somewhere and have some tea?"

Honoka invited cheerfully, her eyes filled with anticipation, with a little tinge of anxiety by her lips.

"Sorry, got something on at noon."

Honoka was obviously disappointed, and Koremitsu felt his heart, sweat seeping from under his armpits.

"What do you have going on?"

"None of your business, right?"

"Ev-even so, I don't have a good feeling hearing you say that."

"It's normal."

"Well, it's nothing even if you have something going on."

Honoka said this, her lips curled into a pout.

He wondered if he should tell her that he would be going to an art exhibition with Aoi before Tsuyako's recital.

(I don't think this is something I have to explain, Shikibu's going to give a bigger scowl if it gets revealed, right?)

Koremitsu glanced at Hikaru, ostensibly hoping for an opinion,

Hikaru floated in the air, making a cross. He probably hinted that Koremitsu should not answer.

"But is it something that cannot be said?"

"Of course not."

(Damn it, she's being really persistent.)

Just when Koremitsu was in a pinch, Tsuyako came over to talk.

"Mr. Akagi, I wish to head home with you today."

"EH?"

Honoka, not Koremitsu, was the one who blurted this out.

Looking apologetic, Tsuyako clapped her hands together and said to Honoka,

"I do apologize here, Miss Shikibu. Let me borrow Mr. Akagi for the day."

"N-No-no-no-no-no problems here. There's no need to ask for my permission! Akagi and I are just classmates here! Go ahead with it! Use him however you want to, whether it is to carry your stuff or be a bodyguard!"

She rattled off, her face completely red.

Tsuyako let out a giggle, and chuckled,

"Thank you."

(Are my wishes being disregarded here?)

Koremitsu was unhappy, but he remained silent as he felt it had something to do with Tsuyako's loneliness.

Tsuyako had told Koremitsu that she wished to change clothes, so he went out to the corridor and stood there; Honoka approached him from the front, her lips pouted, her eyes fixated at him, and she whispered,

"...Y-you mustn't kiss upperclassman Tsuyako, okay?"

And after saying that, she teetered off, her cheeks red.

"Wh-what nonsense is that? Of course I won't."

Koremitsu too grumbled, his face red.

He waited for Tsuyako with his back leaning on the corridor wall, his face burning. The sunset outside the window was dyed a reddish-black.

(How am I supposed to endure a second time of this...that Shikibu really worries too much..)

Hikaru cheerfully chimes in,

"Koremitsu, looking at how red your face is, Tsuyako might think you have the hots for her."

"I-it's because of the sunset."

"Your voice is becoming shrill."

"You're thinking too much!"

Koremitsu turned his head aside as he declared so softly. Hikaru chuckled in amusement, and he showed a sweet stare of melancholy.

"Tsuyako would often ask me out on the night before her recitals...a spell that would allow her to perform well."

"A spell...?"

What did he mean?

And so, Tsuyako appeared.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Akagi."

"It's fine."

Her hair, tied in a bundle during practice, was left scattered. The dry, glossy hair that stretched down to the shoulders were slightly curled, swaying alluringly along with her movements.

She narrowed her eyes that were surrounded by thin, long eyelashes, and opened the soft, feminine lips slightly, smiling at Koremitsu,

He was probably anxious due to what Honoka had said.

Tsuyako looked more serene and mature than usual, causing Koremitsu's heart to race.

–You mustn't kiss

The sight of Honoka pouting her lips echoed in his mind.

(I won't!)

"What is the matter?"

"...It's nothing."

"Then, let us depart."

"Okay."

Koremitsu and Tsuyako walked side by side with each other through the school campus that had been graced by the impending night.

He felt that Tsuyako did not give off the vibe of tender love he felt from Yū, nor did she give off the urge to be protected like Aoi.

Even so, Koremitsu's heart was racing, his palms sweaty as he watched her red hair sway, her slender, white neck, her glittering eyes; it must have been because she was truly alluring.

He never experienced a woman's charm before meeting Hikaru. Even after seeing a flower bloom, his feelings were straightforward, merely thinking, ‘Ah, it's a flower’.

But once he was with Hikaru, he would listen to floral knowledge every single day. And after interacting with the gender called female, his understanding was gradually being cultivated.

Was that a good thing, or a bad thing?

"Mr Akagi, you were in quite a tight spot when Miss Shikibu asked 'where are you going tomorrow', am I correct?"

"Ugh–a little."

"You are going out on a date with Miss Aoi, right?"

She went straight to the point with a gentle, clear voice, leaving Koremitsu speechless.

She descended the stairs elegantly, and giggled,

"Am I right?"

"..."

"Relax. I will keep this a secret from Miss Shikibu."

"Ugh."

"To where will you be going with Miss Aoi?"

"Th-the art exhibition."

"Is that so? Miss Aoi really likes paintings."

Koremitsu's face was red and green all over, his voice shrill and looked really strange. With a smile, Tsuyako continued the topic about the date.

Where will they meet? There are a lot of people at the station; a cute cafe or an illustration bookshop at a book center would suit her tastes better, no? Try going to such places the next time? If they are to meet at that time, what is their schedule after that? Have they decided on which restaurant to meet?

Koremitsu cringed, sweat dripping in masses as he answered Tsuyako's questions.

(Is senpai asking me to go home with her so that she can tease me...)

He had such a doubt.

Tsuyako tilted her face aside, and stared over at Koremitsu's face.

"Just kidding there. Am I being too nosy? Mr Akagi, it seems you are used to going out on dates with girls."

"HUH!?"

"You were quite an outstanding escort when you brought me to the tropical park. I was so shocked I was thinking 'this is a surprise'."

"Th-that's–"

Just when Koremitsu was panicking, Tsuyako muttered with a gentle voice,

"It feels as if I was with Hikaru himself..."

Once he felt the friction in his heart, Koremitsu murmured,

"It's because that Hikaru got nosy and taught me lots of things."

"...is that so?"

There was a warm sense of loneliness appearing in Tsuyako's eyes.

Hikaru too showed the same expression as her.

"Hikaru really is a great teacher."

She spoke cheerfully, causing Koremitsu to heave a sigh of relief,

"Well, I guess."

They were walking down the dirt track by the river, in the opposite direction of the usual. The air color became that of a blue hue, signifying the beginning of night.

Both of them took a turn there, and went through a narrow alley in the residential area.

(This path...leads to Yū's apartment.)

The old dilapidated building that was still in disrepair.

There lived a dreamy girl wrapped in a blanket, living her days peacefully like a white moonflower.

But Yū was no longer in that room.

The memories of the rock sugar sweetness in Koremitsu's mouth was reawakened within him together with the wrenching pain, and he showed a serious look,

(Is Yū doing alright over there...?)

Koremitsu never sent any messages or phone calls there, and Yū never did send any messages on her side either.

For this was the proof that both Koremitsu and Yū were doing their bests on their parts.

–When we meet the next time, I'll show that I've become a girl who likes to smile.

It was a little wish, not even a promise.

That was a fantastical vow.

One of those days, those words would be fulfilled.

Soon after, they arrived at the unforgettable park.

The last time he came, the Hydrageas and Irises were in full bloom amidst the rain. This time, the pure land was covered in blue and purple, with some bright colored tropical flowers, like the cute reddish-orange Anomathecas, gentle orange Trumpet Vines growing from the vines, and the red Cannas embracing the outdoor lights and the moon.

"How about we have a chat?"

On Tsuyako's invitation, both of them sat on the bench, side by side.

Koremitsu recalled the matter of him bidding farewell to Yū on this bench, and his heart gripped again.

Tsuyako probably had memories of Hikaru at this park too.

She seemed to be seeking Hikaru's shadow, and she scanned past the fence covered by the Trumpet Vines, the Common Cattails and Winged Lythrums growing on the lake, the flower beds of yellow Japanese Irises and red, orange Portulacas, her eyes moistening.

Hikaru too–

He was staring gently at the flowers and the tightly shut buds with a lonely expression of melancholy.

During that time, they remained in their silence for quite a while.

"..."

The residential area was so quiet, vehicles could not be heard; there was no wind, and the warm air engulfed the trio.

Tsuyako was the first to speak up,

"Mr Akagi...did you feel lonely after Hikaru died?"

The hoarse voice reverberated deep within Koremitsu's ears.

"I..."

He only became friends with Hikaru after the he had died and became a ghost.

Thus, he did not feel any sadness when he heard the commotion, the turmoil his classmates went through about hearing of Hikaru's accidental death.

Even at the funeral, where women were sobbing, he felt numb inside.

"I don't know at all...it was too sudden...I was shocked."

He could not lie to hide his feelings, and could only mutter the feelings he felt back then.

Tsuyako in turn uttered back,

"...is that so?"

She lowered her long eyelashes.

"I did not feel shocked. Ah...of course...that was what I felt."

She muttered these words bit by bit, her voice showing a helpless anguish.

Till this point, Tsuyako probably assumed that Hikaru had committed suicide.

"Everything is all blank...whether it is my mind, or my heart...I felt lonely."

Hikaru's white face was full of sadness, helpless anguish and misery.

The hair was dyed a golden hair due to absorbing the moonlight, draped upon the pale face, swaying in limbo.

Tsuyako had her head lowered, clenching her fists tightly on the knees.

"After Hikaru was gone, I became lonely...so lonely...it was unbearable."

As long as he was alive.

As long as he existed somewhere on this Earth.

This was what Tsuyako had said.

Even till this point, Hikaru was on this planet, standing right beside Tsuyako, giving her an anguished, transparent look.

But Tsuyako could not see that figure.

Hikaru could not erase Tsuyako's loneliness.

And Koremitsu felt an anguish wrenching his heart.

"I am still afraid...can I really dance on the stage tomorrow? Will I drop the fan? Will I stand in the middle of the stage with my head blank?"

Her shoulders were shivering.

Perhaps she was keeping a cheerful facade in the clubroom, and was truly anxious within.

Tsuyako liked Kazuaki, and Hikaru was just someone she fooled around with–yet Hikaru was also her emotional support.

(Damn it. What can I do to fulfill Hikaru's promise?)

Even if the now deceased Hikaru was to watch the stage in the audience, it would be meaningless if Tsuyako could not sense him. No matter how Koremitsu hollered saying "Hikaru's still here! He's still worried and watching over you, senpai!" those words would seem to be mere condolences.

(Is there nothing I can do here?)

"Before I ascend the stage, Hikaru...would often cast a spell on me. He would hold me gently by the hand, draw a circle on my palm, and mutter a few words, "the light shall always glitter upon you. You shall attract the crowds like the red weeping cherry blossoms basking under the moonlight–"

She clenched his fists that were resting on the knees, the fingernails entrenched into the flesh.

Koremitsu grabbed one of her hands, and pried the fingers open one at a time.

Tsuyako instinctively lifted her head, and watched Koremitsu's actions quietly.

The pink fingers were long and pretty; Koremitsu was frowning hard, trying his best to pry over the feminine fingers with his thick, clumsy fingers.

And after prying the 5 fingers to reveal a silky palm, he drew a little circle on it with his index finger.

Hikaru watched this scene with a quiet, lonely expression. After Koremitsu finished drawing the circle, he squeezed his eyes shut to endure his overflowing emotions.

"You definitely can do it."

He continued to grasp her head, his scalding face becoming tense as he raised his eyebrows, widened his eyes and tried his best to express his wish.

"Senpai, you'll be the one who'll move the audience most tomorrow. I'll watch in the audience with my eyes wide, in place of Hikaru."

Tsuyako could continue to dance.

That was Hikaru's wish

So, no matter what,

Her eyes teary, Tsuyako stared at Koremitsu, almost breaking into tears as she murmured with trembling lips,

"...You really...are unpredictable."

And so, she gave a slight smile.

"Thank you."

She clenched the fist lightly with the drawn full moon lightly, and placed it on her ample breasts.

"Hikaru must have felt that it was good to have you as his friend, Mr Akagi. Your existence must have been a powerful support to him. Even if it was a while, it is great for Hikaru to have such a friend..."

Her murmur was full of warmth, and Hikaru's response upon hearing it was to show a slight dreamy smile.

Both Tsuyako and Hikaru were lovers the world would never permit, and they showed the smiles at the same time, like it was a literal snapshot.

"I do feel hungry so suddenly. There is a shop selling chilli dogs at the entrance opposite the park. Hikaru and I ate it before...the sauce is a little too sweet, but it is still delicious. Can you buy one for me?"

It seemed Tsuyako wanted to weep alone.

Koremitsu thought as he saw her try her best to widen her soaked eyes.

"...Got it. Any flavors you want?"

"Your choice."

Tsuyako was barely able to maintain a smile on her lips.

Koremitsu turned away and ran off.

By the time Koremitsu returned with a bag of chili dogs, pork beans and cola in his hands, Tsuyako's eyes were all red, the tear marks still remaining on her face.

He pretended not to notice, sat on the bench, and started eating the chili dog.

He had requested for the spiciest flavor for his portion, and upon eating it, found it to be really spicy that his nostrils were agitated, and he was nearly breaking down in tears.

"It is...delicious."

Tsuyako looked rather cheerful as she ate her chili dog, but still felt somewhat lonely.

"Mr Akagi...will you really come by?"

"Definitely. It's a promise."

"Then...I have to dance well..."

Tsuyako spoke with a gentle voice, and Hikaru, standing by the bench, watched on sadly, his expression faltering.

Suddenly, Hikaru exclaimed,

"Tsuyako! I will be watching! I shall be in the audience, watching you dance!"

Tsuyako did not hear the voice.

The words could not be conveyed.

But even so, Hikaru was yelling hard, ostensibly unable to hold in his emotions.

Tsuyako's eyes were staring into the distance again.

Those eyes were staring at the moon the hands could not reach.

With a spicy feeling, Koremitsu heard Hikaru's voice vanish gradually into the summer air.

Hikaru closed his lips tightly, standing by sadly.

The moon was partially shrouded by the clouds, shining dimly and quietly onto the park in the night; it was very likely the trio was lonely.

### 008. Chapter 8: The Scattering Flowers are Calling, Are They Not?

The following day was a Saturday.

Koremitsu was tying the laces of his sneakers, and Shioriko, holding Lapis in her arms, looked devastated as she approached him.

"You're going out again, Big Brother? I thought I could be with you today."

Recently, Koremitsu had been really busy over the matters regarding Tsuyako and Aoi, and he did not spend time with Shioriko even at home. He felt a pricking pain in his heart, probably sensing that he had made her lonely.

"I'll play with you tomorrow."

Koremitsu hurriedly said. Shioriko then covered Lapis’ white fur over half of her face, and said pitifully,

"But...we can be together today. Can't I go out with you...? I'll be obedient."

"Th-That won't do. I'll be with you the whole day tomorrow, Shiiko. Play around with Lapis for today. Gramps will be happy if you play 5-in-a-row with him."

"...Hm."

Shioriko lowered her eyes, looking utterly devastated, and this caused the pain within Koremitsu to pronounce itself. With a reluctant feeling, he opened the doors leading to corridor.

"Koremitsu, look back for a while."

Hikaru whispered softly at Koremitsu's ears with amusement.

Koremitsu turned his head behind, and found that Shioriko, who had her eyes lowered gently just a while ago, was making a funny face like a mischievous child, gritting her teeth, 'ii–' and making such a sound.

She probably never expected Koremitsu to look back.

Once their eyes met, her face reddened in an instant.

"Idiot!"

She yelled, and teetered off to the inside.

Koremitsu was flabbergasted.

Hikaru was chuckling away, seeming thinking that this was unbelievably cute.

"No matter how young a girl is, she probably has all sorts of thoughts about boys in her mind. The impishness Shiiko showed at the end was really cute though."

"That devastated look she showed before was an act...women are really..."

Upon thinking about the future, Koremitsu felt a chill on his back.

"I do think it is true that Shiiko feels lonely because you ignored her, big brother."

"Don't call me big brother there...alright, I'll accompany her tomorrow."

Koremitsu grumbled, scowling to hide his embarrassment.

He had agreed to meet Aoi at 11am, at the train station nearest to the art museum.

Miss Aoi will arrive 10 minutes earlier; as Hikaru had said this, Koremitsu arrived 15 minutes earlier.

But even once the appointed time had passed, Aoi did not show up.

"That is strange. Koremitsu, try calling Miss Aoi."

"I say, if I'm going to call her at exactly the time we're supposed to meet, I'm no different from a super psychotic guy now, right? Also, aren't you proud of how you waited six hours for a girl?"

"That is another girl here. Miss Aoi is a serious person and will definitely not be late. Do this for precaution, please?"

"You guys are really overprotective of her."

Koremitsu grumbled, but as he too was a little concerned. He tried calling her on the phone.

The message he got was that the phone was either not in the service area, or the number could not be reached.

"She's probably on the train."

"It's good if that's the case..."

Hikaru's expression was getting more anxious by the moment.

15 minutes passed, and Aoi had yet to turn up.

And then, 20, 30 minutes have passed.

During that time, Koremitsu had called her 7 times, and every single time, there was a caller's response of the call being unable to pass through.

Even Koremitsu's face was becoming tense by the minute.

(Did something really happen to Aoi?)

What do I do? Do I go check out Aoi's house? But this is different from the theme park date. We won't meet if she's coming here.

"Damn it. Got to contact her again."

Just when Koremitsu wanted to call Aoi's number again, the cellphone in his hand vibrated.

(Is it Aoi?)

It was a private number, but Koremitsu hastily picked up the call.

The voice that reached his ear however was as stone cold as ice.

"Where are you?"

This sudden question came without an introduction.

Feeling incensed, Koremitsu let out a peeved voice,

"How do you know my number, Asai Saiga?"

Upon hearing Koremitsu's words, Asai Saiga replied back with more anxiety,

"There is no need for me to answer that question, I feel. Which aquarium are you at? Is Aoi with you?"

"Huh? Aquarium? What are you saying?"

"I heard that Aoi told her servants that she is going to the Aquarium, that the art museum is temporarily closed due to renovation works, so you switched locations. I also learned that you sent a message the previous day."

"A message!?"

Koremitsu hung up on Asai, and hurriedly checked through his mailbox.

Hikaru too looked on grimly from the side.

Both of them stared at the small screen, their faces nearly touching each other. It seemed Koremitsu did not have anyone to send messages to.

And thus, he spotted a message he did not remember sending.

The title was 'A change of meeting location'–

And the recipient was Aoi!

(What's going on...?)

He held his breath, and read the contents of the message.

The message signal was flickering from time to time; it seemed Asai was furiously trying to call back, but Koremitsu was not in the mood to be bothered by her.

"It seems the art museum is currently closed due to renovation works.

How about we go to the Aquarium instead?"

There was also the location and time after this passage.

(I don't remember sending such a message before.)

Koremitsu checked through the inbox, but did not see Aoi's reply.

"Koremitsu, Miss Aoi probably went to that place."

"Damn it. It'll take almost an hour for us to get there by train."

Koremitsu ran through the gantry gates, and barely managed to get on the train that was about to start moving.

He wanted to get over to the written location as quickly as possible.

He felt his gut nearly splinter as he rode on the train. The other passengers had moved aside due to this savage-looking youth gritting his teeth, his temples pulsating, and there was a wide space around him.

His dry eyes were flaring, and all he saw was the time the mail was sent, 7pm the previous day.

What was he doing at that time?

Who was he with?

Once Koremitsu recalled this, he grasped his cellphone firmly, nearly crushing it to bits.

"..."

He finally made it through the gantry on the concourse.

As there was a lot of people at the station, it was tough for him to move about without knocking into anyone. He and Hikaru split up to look for Aoi, but to no avail.

He took his cellphone, and dialled Aoi's number again.

Get through!

With such a wishful feeling, Koremitsu waited, only to be met by the voicemail again.

During this time, the messages from Asai probably kept increasing.

The cellphone vibrated again.

And Koremitsu picked up the phone, saying,

"Aoi's missing! Senpai probably knows something here. I'm going over to her now. Come along!"

Tsuyako was already at the rest lounge of the recital venue.

By the time Koremitsu arrived, she was dressed only in white undergarments, an alluring sight at that, and looked over at him with hazy eyes.

"Senpai...you sent Aoi the message using my cellphone, right? When I went to get the chili dog, you took my cellphone from my bag."

Koremitsu asked, his teeth gritting.

Beside him, Hikaru's face was frozen in bitterness.

If possible, they hoped that was not the case.

But at the time the message was sent to Aoi, Tsuyako was the only one who was with Koremitsu at the park at that time, and the only possible person who could have sent that message.

Tsuyako nonchalantly replied,

"Yes...Miss Aoi immediately replied, and I deleted that immediately."

The thin undergarments wrapped around Tsuyako was just like a mourning gown, and she stared at Koremitsu with those lifeless pair of eyes.

Koremitsu then clenched his fists,

"Why must you do such a thing?"

"...After Hikaru died, I felt very lonely, and I vented on Miss Aoi as my frustration. In the end, Hikaru chose her, and abandoned me."

The determined, alluring Tsuyako was gradually vanishing in front of Koremitsu's sights.

The silhouette that took the shape of Tsuyako was gradually becoming blurred, disintegrating into a weak, ambiguous line.

(So senpai likes Hikaru and not Kazauki? is she unable to forgive Hikaru for breaking up for Aoi's sake?)

Did she do such a thing because she was jealous of Aoi, because she hated Aoi?

Koremitsu felt his mind being pierced through hard. Lots of things, words, voices were jumbled up, echoing within him.

However.

"That is not the case."

Amidst the chaos, a singular voice rang with clarity.

"That is not the case, Tsuyako."

The straightforward eyes were staring right at Tsuyako.

Hikaru's eyes were looking at Tsuyako.

The eyes, the voice; thanks to them, Koremitsu too realized–

Tsuyako's lie. Tsuyako's true thoughts.

Koremitsu too exclaimed.

"That's not the case! If you're jealous of Aoi, instead of that, why did you leave this message after sending it in my name? Say it!!"

The hazy expression Tsuyako showed was infused with a little spark of emotion at that instant. That was true fear.

There was a heartwrenching feeling.

(Ahh, that's how it is, senpai?)

"You do not wish for others to realize, right?"

Hikaru asked in a tragic tone.

"You don't want me to find out right, senpai?"

With such suffocating pain, Koremitsu yelled,

"IF NOT, WHY MUST YOU GO ABOUT DOING THINGS IN A ROUNDABOUT WAY!?"

After sending the message, she could have deleted it with just a little finger.

However, she did not do so.

She left it behind.

She knew that if Koremitsu was to find out, she would be the first suspect!

Hikaru stared at Tsuyako with a condoling expression, his voice reaching Koremitsu's ears as he guided the latter to the truth,

"I was mistaken. It looked as if you were terrified of the blood of Rokujō that was inside you. You did not deny that either. However, that was not the case! What you fear is not the embodiment of the spider inside you, the fear of Rokujō. Because that is not you!"

"Senpai, you've always been scared of Rokujō, right? You're scared that you'll be like her, hurting others out of jealousy. You're scared that you'll ruin Hikaru's precious flowers. However, you never did those things!"

Tsuyako's eyes were gradually showing emotions. Pain, bitterness anguish–

She knelt weakly upon the tatamis, her body cringed as she lifted her head, staring at Koremitsu.

"After the flowers were plucked off, your palms and fingers were still so pretty. There was no traces of nectar, and no marks at all."

On the night of the garden party.

Tsuyako was standing in the midst of the ripped flowers, but the hands that clasped Koremitsu's face and pulled him in were so white, tender, beautiful, speckless, and there was an icy feeling to the touch.

When she told Koremitsu of Rokujō's name, her clothes and hair were ruffled, her eyes dangerous, and though there were many red flowers scattered everywhere, Tsuyako's hands were pure and pretty.

Koremitsu grabbed Tsuyako's hand and raised it.

Tsuyako trembled.

"Senpai, your hands have always been clean! I don't see any signs of you pulling the flowers out!"

"The black-haired Rokujō you so fear is someone else. That Rokujō is the one ordering you! You are a prisoner of Rokujō, meant to hunt prey down! Tsuyako, you, are, not, Rokujō!"

"You're not Rokujō, senpai!"

Tsuyako's face had turned completely pale. The eyes as hazy as the shrouded moon were gradually showing signs of life again.

At the same time, the fear that was sealed away when she shut her heart was probably striking her again.

She embraced her body tightly, starting to tremble.

Hikaru knelt down in front of her.

He lifted his head politely at her, like a knight saving a princess, and started to say with a serious look,

"Now that I think about it, you have been sending out warning signals, right? 'Rokujō' has been sealing you, but you tried to struggle from within, trying to send a message to us."

She said to Koremitsu before 'Can you please keep watch on me so that I do not destroy them?'

She indicated that she was jealous of Aoi, hoping that Koremitsu and the rest would focus their attentions on her, so that they could protect her.

She taunted him, 'are you able to stop Rokujō?', sobbing, 'there is no way to stop Rokujō. Do not get involved with me anymore.' All those were the most Tsuyako could do to resist.

"I am sorry for realizing it so late! I have noticed it now! I can be your strength!"

Koremitsu grabbed Tsuyako's hand, overlapping with Hikaru's white, slender hand.

However, that hand of Hikaru was unable to grab Tsuyako's hand.

So Koremitsu took his place and held it hand.

As the only person present who could continue to express Hikaru's will.

"You wanted to give us such notices, right, senpai? Tell me! Who's Rokujō!? Where's Aoi?"

Tsuyako lowered her head in trepidation. She wanted to lift her head, but shook her head intently again, and closed the lips that she wished to open.

She was so bounded by the fear of Rokujō, she was unable to let out a single voice.

"Tsuyako, you should be a firm-willed person, a bold, dignified person. You do remember the time when you were expelled from the English boarding school, right? At that time, did you not boldly proclaim to the teachers, introducing me as your lover? That was really amazing!"

"Senpai, you're someone even Hikaru has fallen for! The most beautiful, dignified red weeping cherry blossom! You shouldn't be a timid person! Hikaru said that you're a daring woman! That you were amazing when you were expelled from the English boarding school!"

From deep within her throat, Tsuyako eked a voice,

"But, Hikaru is no longer around...so–"

"As Hikaru's representative, I'll assure you that Rokujō's vengeance can be severed! I'll break it for you!!"

Koremitsu grabbed Tsuyako’s hand tightly, and swore this with all his might, causing his body to heat up. Hikaru too was looking at Tsuyako with an earnest, prayerful look.

"I'll protect you, senpai!"

Tsuyako's shoulder jerked again.

With a troubled expression, she lifted her face at Koremitsu again.

And Koremitsu glared back at her, ostensibly absorbing her eyes in.

"Trust me!"

She lowered her eyes, opened her lips a few times again–her eyebrows were trembling as she spoke of Rokujō's true identity and Aoi's whereabouts with a voice so small if felt it would vanish.

Hikaru's voice became gloomy as a result.

"Got it."

Koremitsu gently placed Tsuyako's hand on the knee.

And then,

"I'll be back before you appear, senpai! Leave it to me!"

He dashed out from the rest room.

Hikaru too moved along with a serious look.

At the entrance, they nearly bumped into Asai.

It seemed Asai had just overheard their words, and was scowling hard. Koremitsu did not give time for her to say anything as he snapped,

"Come with me! Asai Saiga!"

"Where is Mr. Akagi?"

Aoi asked warily.

The room was filled with a bright colored table, a sofa, exotic paintings and pots. The carpet no taller than the ankle was neat and glossy, and there was nary a speck of trash.

It did not seem to be a place for the wounded to be sent to.

–Mr. Akagi has an accident. He is currently undergoing treatment.

Aoi suddenly heard these words when she was waiting for Koremitsu, and in shock, got on the car.

However, after riding for a long time, she did not arrive at a hospital, but what seemed like a rural resort.

–Alright, come in then. For some reasons, we cannot send him into the hospital. We have called in a doctor to carry out treatment, so please relax.

The person spoke with a rich, sweet voice. With a gloomy feeling, Aoi entered through the door.

However, it was still too weird.

The building was too quiet within, and there was no presence of humans to be felt. There was something slightly sweet being burned drifting in the air, giving her a nauseous feeling.

"Please let me see Mr. Akagi."

This time, Aoi spoke with a harsher tone than before.

"Do not be anxious Aoi. Mr. Akagi has just underwent treatment, and is currently sleeping due to the anaesthetic, so let him rest for a while. I shall go brew some tea; please have a seat."

The other party gave such an excuse, and there was only one person left in the room.

Aoi did not intend to sit on the sofa; the anxiety and doubt started to intensify, her skin feeling prickly as well.

(Is Mr. Akagi really here?)

It was already abnormal that he could not be sent to the hospital.

(And also, why does he know of where Mr. Akagi and I are supposed to meet?)

He said that he was to convey Mr. Akagi's words to her, but if she were to think about it, it was unnatural.

Aoi tried calling Koremitsu on the phone, but after rummaging through the bag, could not find her cellphone.

(I did bring it when I went out.)

Suddenly, Aoi felt goosebumps near her neck.

(Was it taken away? When he talked to me at the station, and took my belongings onto the car...?)

Though she had said that 'I do not need help to carry my things', and wanted it back immediately, at that moment...

Aoi's heart was racing wildly, her heart breaking down, unable to make up her mind. The slight fragrance engulfing her nostrils caused the throat to be prickly, and her thoughts seemed blurry at that time.

(What is this fragrance...)

It came from the door at the side.

Aoi placed the hand at the handle, opened the door wide, and the sweet smoke came out immediately, causing her to cough softly.

Her eyes were teary, her head dizzy.

However, when she spotted a painting in an extravagant frame on the other end, she felt shocked, as if she was doused with ice-cold water.

(That painting–!)

That was a painting of Hikaru standing on the school staircase, whilst the bright sun was shining inside, looking back and smiling.

Aoi had decided on this image as she tried drawing him, but she could not draw well as she hardly drew human profiles.

Hikaru's nose was not like that.

His eyes should be clearer.

His smile should be sweeter, gentler.

She drew a little, and was troubled; she repeated this process over and over again, and finally, if it is this painting, I might be able to show it to Mr. Akagi , she thought.

(That painting was supposed to be missing!)

Asai gave lots of reasons stating that the painting was missing, but Aoi noticed that she was lying. The thief was probably the same person who stole her gym uniform, her textbook, and placed the wilted flower in the shoe locker.

She stumbled about as she entered the room.

She was engulfed in white smoke, the faint looming fragrance was causing her to be dizzy, and she covered her mouth with her hand.

There was a large mirror on the right, and a transparent cage on the rack beside it. There was a chameleon with green scales, hissing its long tongue out.

There was a crimson ceramic stove on the floor; the smoke was coming out from it.

The bed was covered in a bright red cover, as red as poppies, and the painting was at the wall by the side, covered in a golden frame.

Aoi was uncomfortable and hesitant as to whether she was to climb onto the bed, or to touch the bed; thus, she stood by the side, lifting her head to look at the painting.

(That...is my painting after all.)

And that was not all.

The familiar looking palette, brushes, gym clothes and textbooks were thrown into the trashbin. Upon seeing this, Aoi felt chilly.

(Is Miss Tsuyako not the one who did such annoying acts? But she hated me ever since we were young; she plucked out the Tulip buds Hikaru and I grew together, and placed a dead rat at my window.)

Aoi also recalled that Tsuyako had a scandal with Hikaru, for Hikaru was Aoi's fiance.

She was hated by Tsuyako to such an extent.

Originally, the Udates and the Saotomes were competing families surrounding the Mikados, supporting each other as relatives, and opposing each other discreetly in the shadows. This was the unique relationship the two families had.

Thus, Aoi had assumed that even if Tsuyako was unhappy with her, that was something that could not be helped.

When Hikaru was alive, there were girls other than Tsuyako, girls whose names Aoi did not know of, who did such annoying acts.

To them, it was useless even if she got angry or hurt by them.

The only thing Aoi could do was to despise them.

It was a coping mechanism she learnt, growing up in an elite environment where she was envied by others all the time.

(But, Miss Tsuyako was not the one who did it.)

The one who stole Hikaru's painting was–

"That painting was really well done..."

"!"

The rich, sweet voice cause Aoi to freeze.

She turned around, and found a slender, bespectacled youth holding a tray of red teacups. Hikaru's older brother, Kazuaki Mikado, stood there.

His thin lips showed a gentle smile.

That ordinary looking youth, or so he was described as, seemed to have become another creature altogether amidst the swaying milky steam.

"You have been watching Hikaru all this time, Aoi. You really liked him most."

That creature was slowly approaching her.

The chameleon slithered its long tongue in the rectangular cage.

"It looks to be incomplete however. I will be delighted if you can continue doing so, Aoi."

While the voice seemed as sweet and gentle as Hikaru's, the face was anything but; it was like a serpent, an ominous face and lips giving off such a voice.

(Who is this person?)

It definitely was not the polite, bumbling, goody, ordinary Kazuaki Mikado Aoi knew of.

"Hey, Aoi. Why are you trembling? You look pale."

He took a small step forward.

Aoi cringed back, and glared.

"Please do not approach me. You are the one who stole that painting, right, Mr. Kazuaki? Not only the painting too; everything else as well–also, what you said about Mr. Akagi being hurt, that he was sent to this house, it was all a lie, right? You lied to me, and brought me to this place. What do you want to do? Return me my phone right now! I am calling for a car to fetch me."

Kazuaki again showed a smile from behind the smoke.

His beady eyes were showing a condescending look.

He lowered his body as he held the tray, and said softly to the chameleon slithering its tongue in the cage.

"Eh, Third Princess, Aoi here is angry. That is strange? Why must I be scolded by her?"

"Please do not joke around. Think about what you did and reflect upon them."

The smoke was seeping into her throat, and her head was dizzy, her legs unable to exert strength. Her knees probably would have buckled if she was not angry.

(I cannot continue to inhale this fragrance.)

Sensing danger, Aoi tried to leave the room, but Kazuaki put the tray down, and blocked the door.

"You still do not understand, Aoi."

With a smirk, Kazuaki gently spoke.

The eyes looking down at Aoi were gradually becoming icy too.

"You were the one who did grievous things to me, Aoi. Cancelling the promise you made with me at the last minute, and wanting to go on an art exhibition with Mr. Akagi."

"Th-that."

Kazuaki stared at Aoi with an icy look, gradually approaching her.

Aoi backed away.

The smoke was spreading bewitchingly, and the chilling uneasiness and fear struck Aoi amidst all these.

After being invited to the art exhibition with Koremitsu, she cancelled the appointment with Kazuaki to go to the classical music concert, saying 'I cannot go as there is something at school...sorry'. That was a fact.

The guilt was pricking her chest, she wanted to patch things up with Koremitsu no matter what.

At that time, Kazuaki politely smiled, saying, "If it is a school matter, I guess there is no other choice."

However, this Kazuaki that appeared in front of Aoi was one that inspired fear and trepidation; the demonic smile was closing in.

"Hey, Third Princess, Aoi has been acting like she is a pure innocent girl with a cute face, but managed to hurt someone else so easily. It is scary. Annoying."

Aoi backed away little by litle.

Once the heel touched the wall, her heart chilled.

There was a bed with bright red covers by her side. Beside the bed was a golden-framed portrait of Hikaru gently smiling.

To prevent Aoi from retreating, Kazuaki pressed his hands on the wall. His flat face was right above hers.

The uneasiness and fear caused Aoi's petite body to tremble.

"This is not the only time, you know? Back then, you rejected me , Aoi."

The warmth in Kazuaki's eyes was diluting. To Aoi, frigid air was even seeping from his body.

"You were the first choice for my fiancee back then, Aoi. However, it was said that Hikaru would be a better choice, and your father, who really doted on you, used the reason of you wanting to marry Hikaru to reject my mother's proposal.

–Aoi, if Mr. Kazuaki's mother wishes for you to be her daughter-in-law, what will you do?

That was when Aoi started her elementary school life.

Her father placed her on his lap, asking this.

–It seems young Hikaru's father wishes for you to be Hikaru's bride. Who do you wish to marry, Mr. Kazuaki, or Hikaru?

At that time, Aoi was still young, and she did not know how massive a power the Mikados was, what relationship her family clan had with the Mikados, and how they intended to get along in the future.

But even so, she was about to tell from her father's tone that her reply would affect Hikaru's position in the future.

Hikaru was the child of a mistress.

There were a few times where she heard of the adults murmurings, saying that Hikaru was 'a child that should not have been born', that normally, Hikaru was an entity who could not even step into the Mikados household.

But if Aoi was to marry Hikaru, Hikaru would have the Saotomes backing him.

With such expectations, Hikaru's father unofficially tried seeking the possibility of Hikaru marrying Aoi

The daughter of the Udates and the daughter of the Saotomes were meant to marry the Mikados' heirs.

According to the conditions of Aoi's marriage, everyone would have to recognize Hikaru as a child of the Mikados, and Hikaru could be protected under the Mikados' name.

Aoi did not understand this much.

But even so, if he gets engaged with me, Hikaru might not be called a child 'who should not be born'.

That was what Aoi thought.

I want to protect Hikaru.

Thus, with her cheeks red, she pouted her lips in a seemingly angry manner, stealthily whispering her answer with her all might.

–If I am to get married to Hikaru, I can continue to play with Asa...I will choose Hikaru then.

The engagement was decided by the two fathers.

That was what everyone else said.

In fact, it was an unavoidable fate for her as the eldest daughter of the Saotomes main family to marry either Hikaru or Kazuaki.

However, Aoi herself was the one who chose Hikaru from the two.

It had been 10 years since that incident, and being chided by Kazuaki over this matter had caused Aoi to be confused.

Up till this point, Kazuaki had been interacting with Aoi as an elder, though unreliable older brother; they had never held such a conversation once.

However, he probably felt vengeful over Aoi's refusal to be engaged to him.

For 10 years!

Behind that smile!

With an icy stare of disgust and condescendence, Kazuaki glared at Aoi, curling his lips demonically as he smiled.

With a rich, sweet voice, he said,

"Ever since then, Aoi, you are the one I really hated most in this world."

At that moment, it seemed that even the breath Kazuaki let out was frozen. The numbing fear passed through her back, causing her limbs to become numb, her throat dry, her breathing ceasing. She felt as if her heart was grasped by a venomous claw, causing her to nearly shriek.

Till this point, she had been envied by others.

There were girls who liked Hikaru, heaving verbal abuse upon her before.

However, those paled in comparison; he was showing him such filth, distorted malice and hatred, causing her to tremble.

"However, you are Hikaru's most precious girl. I shall treasure you well."

Kazuaki's hand gently caressed Aoi's face.

The hand, as damp as a fish's fin, brought a sensation that caused goosebumps to rise on Aoi's skin again.

(Do-do not touch me. It feels disgusting.)

She only felt disgust from within, but was unable to let out a voice.

"I do know. Your body is still beautiful. You are unlike Hikaru's lustful partner, the utterly filthy, non-virgin Tsuyako. To his one most beloved, Hikaru never kissed you, keeping it so sacred. It was his bad however; he is already dead, unable to obtain such a beautiful, pure Aoi."

(What is he saying? N-no, do not touch me!)

The damp hand stroked Aoi's chin and ears, raised her dry, silky straight black hair, and dropped it.

"Ah, a girl with black hair is still the best. Your hair is so soft and straight like threads, Aoi; so different from the red rustic hair of Tsuyako. It is vexing that Tsuyako, who I do not want, is pushed onto me. However, as I am able to get Hikaru's beloved in you, I shall forgive her."

"I-I will not marry-you."

Aoi finally managed to say this.

But Kazuaki merely felt amusement as he cackled.

"Are you actually planning to go out with that ugly red-colored hound? You are so different in status from him. That hound said that he is Hikaru's friend or something, and you opened your heart to him out of remembrance over Hikaru? How foolish. Such an uncouth lowlife definitely cannot get together with a princess like you, Aoi. Ahahahaha, this is laughable~ third princess! Such a shaggy dog being with Aoi?"

Mr. Akagi is not a shaggy dog.

She was so terrified her legs were trembling, but once she heard him insult Koremitsu, Aoi was so furious her head was boiling.

Using her hands, she pushed Kazuaki away hard.

"Mr. Akagi is much better than you are! I cannot allow you to look down on him!"

It had nothing to do with pedigree.

It had nothing to do with identity.

The boy called Koremitsu Akagi was straightforward, honest, and a gentle person. Aoi knew all of that!

Kazuaki stumbled, but grabbed Aoi's shoulder immediately, pushing her back onto the wall.

With a loud thud on the wall, Kazuaki's fingers were entrenched into her shoulders.

As the head had hit the wall, she was starting to feel dizzy.

"What are you protecting him for? Huh? Why are you speaking up for him? Hah, do you understand your own position? Huh, huh, huh, huh, Aoi?"

The chameleon inside the cage let out a monotonous hiss from the throat.

"Let me tell you who is suited to be your partner, Aoi. I really hate you to the point of wanting to shake that beautiful hair of yours, but I shall forgive you. I will put you by my side, comb that hair of yours with a boxwood comb, litter your clothes and hair with fragrances, and treasure you like a doll. Come, Hikaru too will bless the moment I unite with his most beloved, Aoi."

Hikaru was staring at Aoi through the tawdry golden frame. As Kazuaki narrowed his eyes in ecstasy, a crude voice rang,

"Hikaru will never give you his blessings!"

### 009. Chapter 9: The Moon Descends Gently

In this room of vulgar tastes, there was a bed with red covers, a cage with a chameleon instead, a large mirror with messy decorations; the room was giving off smoke, scattering a thin fragrance. It was a terrible scene.

On the wall was Hikaru's portrait, placed in a glamorous golden frame.

Aoi was shivering as she stood upright, her back pressed against the wall; Kazuaki had a hand on Aoi's chin as he turned his face to Koremitsu.

"Mr...Akagi."

Aoi called out for Koremitsu with tears in her eyes.

At that moment, Koremitsu was already right in front of Kazuaki; he pried Kazuaki away from Aoi, and caused Kazuaki to fall onto the floor on his backside.

He then kicked down the smoking stove, and opened the windows wide.

Asai, looking on grimly, followed in after Koremitsu, and pulled Aoi to her side.

"Asa...!"

"It is alright now, Aoi."

Asai spoke with a comforting tone, hugging Aoi tightly.

Hikaru's tense face finally showed relief.

"Thank goodness, Miss Aoi."

Koremitsu stood tall, looking like he was protecting Aoi and Asai behind him with his back. His eyes were flaring as he glared at Kazuaki.

Kazuaki, seated on the floor, frowned,

"It was supposed to be locked...how did you get in?"

"I told the manager that there was a kidnapper here and made him open up."

Asai spoke harshly as she embraced Aoi.

"So he chose to listen to you, Asai, rather than his master. I am going to fire him."

Kazuaki spoke in disdain, seemingly not realizing the gravity of his actions. Because of this, Koremitsu was seething more than before.

(This two-faced bastard!)

"You set up all these, right!? Using senpai to lure Aoi away from me, pretend to have a heartfelt talk with me, wanting her to rely on you. Kazuaki! You're Rokujō, right!?"

Tōjō had said that Kazuaki was a member of the Udates.

That the Udates had a shrine worshipping the spider. Kazuaki probably heard of the spider curse related to all the Udate women.

And so, he became 'Rokujō'.

Why did Rokujō appear 'now', of all times?

It was because due to Hikaru's death, there was a vacancy for Aoi's fiance.

And because Aoi was starting to open her heart to Hikaru's friend, Koremitsu.

To Kazuaki, who was obsessed with Aoi, Koremitsu was an eyesore. That was why he tried to lure Koremitsu to another woman, and get Aoi to hate Koremitsu.

At the garden party, he too set an elaborate trap to ensnare Koremitsu, and to misdirect Aoi.

The modern spider's reincarnation, the Rokujō Tsuyako so feared was this seemingly ordinary looking Kazuaki.

(And I thought senpai liked this guy. What an idiot I am.)

He actually thought of pairing Tsuyako and Kazuaki together.

He recalled himself boasting arrogantly to Hikaru that his love skill has improved by a little, that Hikaru should just stay back and watch; upon recalling it, he felt so sheepish he wanted to roll about on the floor.

"What are you talking about? I do not understand."

Kazuaki continued to insist shamelessly.

It was unknown what exactly was he thinking.

There was Hikaru's portrait on the wall, Aoi's personal belongings in the trashbin, and also, there was a pile of what seemed to be black animal fur. In fact, that was a wig.

Koremitsu grabbed that wig, and threw it at Kazuaki.

The pitch black hair flew in the air, landing right on Kazuaki's head. The long black hair covered Kazuaki's face loosely.

"Here's the concrete evidence! Stop playing dumb here, you crossdressing pervert!"

With a sweet voice, Kazuaki cackled, causing Koremitsu to be shocked.

Aoi, embraced by Asai, trembled; Asai too scowled in a terrifying manner.

Hikaru watched this half-brother of his who so happened to have the same voice with a tense, stern look.

Kazuaki did not take off the wig that was draped messily over his face, but continued to cackle while on the floor. He was not laughing because it was funny; it sounded as if he was mocking those he felt was more wretched than he was.

The face was covered by the wig as he spoke with a rich, clear voice, sounding like a ghost hiding in the darkness.

"To think I was betrayed by Tsuyako~ That child would always listen to me obediently as my servant. After she started dating Hikaru and lost her virginity, it seems she was mistaken about something and became arrogant, becoming a female delinquent. She is supposed to be 'trash' whose hair is so ugly."

With a frozen face, Hikaru yelled,

"Tsuyako's hair is not some red, rustic color! That's a color as beautiful as the red weeping cherry blossom!!"

Rage was rising up within Koremitsu's throat.

"SHUT UP YOU PERVERT! DON'T YOU DARE SLANDER SENPAI WITH THAT FILTHY MOUTH OF YOURS! SENPAI ISN'T TRASH! SHE'S A WOMAN WITH BEAUTIFUL RED HAIR, IMPORTANT TO HIKARU HIMSELF! SHE'S NOT SOMETHING TO WORK AT YOUR BECK AND CALL!"

Kazuaki curled his lips.

"What an uncivilized barbarian you are. Do you not know? Let me tell you."

He pulled down the black wig covering his face with his effeminate fingers.

The narrow eyes were staring at Koremitsu alluringly.

"I can be forgiven by anyone no matter what I do."

And at the next instant, Koremitsu's wrecked Kazuaki's nose with his head.

The wig fell, and Kazuaki rolled back on the floor, his head hitting the wall, resulting in a tremendous thud. He covered his face with both hands, groaning.

It seemed the nose was broken. There was fresh red blood seeping through the gaps of the fingers. Kazuaki checked his face through the mirror, and once he saw that the part below his eyes were dyed red, he immediately shrieked,

"M-MY FACE! MY FACE! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!"

He probably was majorly affected by it as he covered his face with both hands, rolling about on the floor.

Koremitsu did not pity him at all.

"No matter whether its Aoi or senpai, I'll beat you up as many times as I want if you dare do anything to them! I'm a barbarian who can't be talked down!"

Koremitsu declared, and said,

"We're taking this with us too. It's nauseating to have a friend's portrait placed in your room, you wretch."

Koremitsu took down Hikaru's portrait along with the frame from the wall, tucked it under his armpit, and left the building with Aoi and Asai.

The Asais' vehicle was parked right in front of the door.

Aoi was probably feeling afraid; her pale face remained lowered as Asai supported her out, closing her eyes from time to time, trembling.

Hikaru too seemed worried.

Koremitsu felt an aching in his chest. However, it was good that he managed to save Aoi without a hitch.

And then, once they got to the vehicle, Asai suddenly shot an unhappy, icy stare at Koremitsu.

"I feel peeved here."

She spoke in a monotonous tone.

She still wants to taunt me at such a time? Koremitsu was feeling incensed deep inside, and Asai's scowl became more pronounced as she said to him,

"I wanted to beat him up. You beat him up before I could."

(Eh?)

Beat him...she wanted to beat Kazuaki up?

While Koremitsu was feeling flabbergasted, Asai and Aoi got on the car.

After frisking the portrait from Koremitsu quickly, she shut the doors, and the car departed.

"Hey! Let me get on too!"

Koremitsu yelled in the midst of the quiet place, where the lush greenery grew.

(Akagi!! You're too slow!!! What are you doing?)

Honoka was in the hall, waiting anxiously for Koremitsu's arrivial.

(The recital is about to begin!)

She had been dialing Koremitsu's number for some time, but the phone was either cut off, or left at the voicemail; she was unable to get through to him.

(Did he forget to charge his phone again?)

She hoped that Koremitsu would encourage Tsuyako before the latter would take the stage.

In the rest lounge, she saw Tsuyako dressed in peasant clothing, a black wig on her head, her face painted snowy white. She had her head lowered in such a state.

She looked extremely frail, fidgeting with her arms fold in front of her chest, switched about a few times, let out anguished sighs, bit her lips, and lowered her eyes.

She sounded and looked so cheerful when they went their separate ways after school the previous days; it seemed she had completely cheered up then.

What exactly happened with Akagi.

There seemed something strange when she went back...did she say something to Akagi?

Honoka felt extremely anxious, and recalled the conversation in the rest lounge.

"You'll definitely dance well, Upperclassman Tsuyako. That performance yesterday was so mesmerizing. Ah, I brought some Kuzumochi. How about you have some? You'll feel relaxed when you eat sweet things."

Honoka tried her best to improve Tsuyako's mood through her own way, but,

"Thank you...there is no need for these."

Tsuyako merely answered with such a stiff tone.

"Miss Shikibu. Is Mr. Akagi back?"

"No, I have yet to see him."

"Is that so..."

Her face became glum as a result.

Honoka did not know what was going on, but it seemed Tsuyako was waiting for Koremitsu to return.

And thus, Honoka hoped that if Koremitsu could make it in time, she would drag him to the rest lounge immediately as she waited at the lobby. The recital however was about to begin.

"Hono, it's about time to get seated. It'll be obvious if you enter once the recital begins."

Michiru came over to call her in.

"Uu...yes."

Honoka looked back at the entrance, and trudged forth with heavy steps.

(Akagi, you will make it in time...you will come by, right?)

(It is really scary to get onto the stage.)

Tsuyako's hands were trembling in the rest lounge, devoid of anyone else.

(With hands like these, I will drop the fan again.)

Just a while ago, Asai gave Tsuyako a call through the cellphone with an icy tone.

She said that Aoi was safely recovered.

"Your ex-fiance is a hopeless degenerate. I do think you have lived quite the wasted life, for you to obey such a hopeless man."

And she added some spite at the end,

"Why must you grovel to such a man? How about you dump him earlier?" From Asai's voice, Tsuyako could feel the lashing that befits Asai.

However, the fear Tsuyako felt because of Kazuaki was not something that could be removed so easily. Even after telling Koremitsu of Aoi's location, Tsuyako was trembling all the way. She had the sensation of a spider scuttling all over her body once she thought of the punishment Kazuaki would inflict of her.

Everyone else had assumed that Kazuaki was an ordinary, refined person, but that was not the real Kazuaki.

Kazuaki's real nature was that of an extremely persistent spider.

Kazuaki's mother and Tsuyako's father were cousins, so when the Udates had a banquet, Kazuaki was brought along by his mother.

To the adults, the older, feeble youth seemed to be a well-nurtured, honest, quiet child.

But when he was alone with Tsuyako, he would pull Tsuyako's hair, inspect it, and say,

"That is a filthy, dirty color like red rust."

And he would show a smile.

Tsuyako was so shocked she could not let out a voice.

–My hair is an ugly red rustic color.

Kazuaki's words echoed a few times deep within her ears, causing her to cover herself in the blanket, crying.

Ever since then, she was ashamed of others seeing her red rustic hair, becoming an introverted girl who often hid silently in a corner

She would try her best to avoid meeting Kazuaki.

But at the year Tsuyako entered the affiliated elementary school of Heian Academy, she was betrothed to Kazuaki.

Ever since then, it was hell for her.

Whenever Kazuaki saw Tsuyako, he would look at her hair with a despondent look, muttering,

"Aoi of the Saotomes is engaged to Hikaru, and has such beautiful hair. Why is your hair such an ugly rustic color, Tsuyako?"

Every single time, Tsuyako's chest would shrink tightly.

That was not all.

There was once when Tsuyako wore a frilly one piece dress her father bought from France and a hat with a ribbon. Kazuaki smiled at her, saying,

"Take off your clothes, Tsuyako. That dress and hat does not suit you at all. It definitely suits me better."

Tsuyako could not refuse.

She lowered her head, and removed her clothes, leaving only a thin, loose undergarment.

Kazuaki put on Tsuyako's dress, wore the hat, took a look at the mirror, raised the hems of the dress lightly, and spun around, looking extremely satisfied.

"See? I look much more beautiful~ wearing this."

He said these words and left the house in such a state.

And so, the plucking the tulips at Aoi's house was deemed to be Tsuyako's prank. On that night, Tsuyako was scolded by her parents.

It seemed the girl who plucked the tulips was dressed in a one-piece dress, wearing a hat, just like Tsuyako.

"That was Mr. Kazuaki."

Tsuyako summoned her courage as she said this. However, her father said 'do not say such foolish words', and was more incensed as a result. Her mother too sighed, saying 'it is embarrassing that you push the blame on someone else'. Even Kazuaki himself sighed and said,

"I thought you would not be the type of girl to do such a thing, Tsuyako. You even lied to avoid getting scolded. I really am disappointed here."

No matter what I say, nobody will believe me.

Once she had realized this, Tsuyako felt despair all over.

Because of this incident, when she decided to head over to England to study, Kazuaki smiled at her politely, and said,

"My fiancee is a girl with red rustic hair, lacking in charm, inapt in brains, and lacks basic etiquette. If everyone else is to know of this, you will be the one to be shamed, Tsuyako. It is for your sake that you are going to England to study, huh?"

She felt really lonely to be separated from her family, living alone in an English boarding school. Why was she the only one to have such unfortunate events? Tsuyako would often cry on the bed in her hostel.

Am I rejected because my hair is a red rustic color?

If I am someone with dry, smooth black hair, will everyone else accept me?

She was able to return back during her summer vacations and Christmas period, but when Kazuaki saw that she had grown taller and bustier, he said with a devastated look.

"Do you know that the smaller girls are the ones boys like? Aoi is so slender and tiny, but you seem to be growing, Tsuyako? Your breasts are so large it seems lewd. I think you should control them with some underwear. Aoi's breasts are really pretty and cute."

And from that day on, Tsuyako was often ordered by Kazuaki to hand her clothes over to him.

"Because these clothes suit me better than you, Tsuyako."

He would always say such a thing.

With such an appearance, he placed the rat carcass at Aoi's house, and continued to pluck the flowers belonging to others unrelated.

"Why must you pluck the flowers off?"

One day, Tsuyako asked this tentatively. Kazuaki raised his lips, answering sweetly,

"I feel happy doing this. They are easy to pluck, and when they fall, they look really ugly."

He answered with a sweet voice.

Kazuaki narrows his eyes in delight, showing an icy smile by his lips. That expression caused Tsuyako to shudder.

The Udates worship a spider.

She felt as if the embodiment of 'Rokujō' was residing within Kazuaki, and felt the silver strands of the spider were ensnaring her neck, choking her.

Even in England, she was unable to escape from Kazuaki.

The threads Kazuaki let out often entailed her.

That was once she felt.

When she grew older, her classmates started talking about love.

But when she saw them talk enthusiastically with blushing faces, Tsuyako's mind was only filled with the damp, soft smile of Kazuaki.

I am not allowed to love like everyone else.

Once I return to Japan, I can only marry Mr. Kazuaki.

I can never love in my life.

Ever since this moment, she started learning the 'Your Shadow' style of dance from an assistant instructor who came to England.

She studied it to learn some etiquette, but gradually came to love dancing itself.

But even so, when the dance was about the topic of romance, she would feel her chest being stumped, her face would become glum, and her limb movements stiffen.

"There is no 'color' in your dance, Tsuyako. If you have some romance in your life, maybe your dancing style might change."

Her instructor would often say this so casually.

However, Tsuyako felt as if her heart was about to be ripped out.

I never fell in love in my life.

The future for her was so bleak, so dark, and whenever she did a romantic dance, she felt anguished.

And just like this, when Tsuyako returned to Japan during her Spring park, she met Aoi at an evening garden party.

She only saw her once or twice from afar when they were young, but it was the first time she saw the her after having grown up.

Kazuaki had always praised Aoi's elegant black hair surrounding that white, tender face of hers, and whenever Aoi moved, the hair draped down to her small breasts and her slender waist swayed about.

Her eyes, nose and lips were so adorable like a doll. The adults surrounding Aoi watched her with an intoxicating gentleness.

"Our Aoi has liked young Hikaru since young. She pestered me, saying that she wanted Hikaru no matter what, and I have no choice in the matter."

And due to her father's words, Aoi's raised her eyebrows.

"I-I never said such things. Hikaru is so unfaithful and insincere, always going about to beautiful women. I really hate him most!"

She said, and then argued with her cheeks blushing.

"If I am to cancel the engagement however, Hikaru will play around more. I have no choice but to be engaged with him."

Seeing Aoi like this was enough for Tsuyako to realize that Aoi really loved her fiance. As a result, she was no longer able to watch on any further.

I am so jealous of Aoi!

I am so jealous that she is able to fall in love with her fiance! So jealous of her because she is blessed by the people around her!

Feeling a prickly pain all over, tears welled within Tsuyako, her throat nearly breaking apart.

Her inner heart was writhing in pain, like she was being tortured, and she ran to a dim place devoid of anyone else. She saw a cherry blossom tree that was without any flowers, basking under the moonlight's radiance, and the emotions that swirled within her rushed out.

I am just like this tree.

A tree nobody cares, forgotten without blooming

B-but, I too really wish to fall in love.

Her tears nearly fell as she lifted her head, watching the moonlight appearing between the twigs. The shrouded moon was too tall, too far; the crude tree branches that had yet to bloom seemed so cold, so lonely. Tears welled in her further as she swayed about hazily.

I want to fall in love.

I want to have some romance, even if it is just once.

I wish to be an important person to someone.

If only the moon can take the form of a beautiful youth and descend upon me. If only he can embrace me. If only that happens, I can give up my life at that instant.

With tears in her ears, Tsuyako hummed the song she learned during dancing class.

"If God is out there...please slowly descend...descend...what kind of God is it...are you shy?"

Why would the god in the sky not descend upon me?

Is it because I am an ugly girl with red rustic hair?

That no matter how I pray, this fairy tale-like story will not befall upon me! At this moment, the cherry blossom branches rustled slightly, and appearing on the other side was a slender, pretty boy shrouded by the moonlight.

"That just now was 'The Songs to Make the Dust Dance on the Beams', right? That is what a new miko prays to god, saying 'please do not be shy and come down'. Are you calling for such a god?"

He spoke with a rich, sweet voice.

The voice seemed similar to Kazuaki, causing Tsuyako to tremble.

At the same time, she recalled the half-brother of Kazuaki everyone was talking about.

He had the exact same voice as Kazuaki, but was much prettier than the latter; he had clear eyes, a charm that caused many a woman to be infatuated with, a boy who goes about philandering.

Is it this child? Hikaru Mikado–?

That was an encounter.

Hikaru said that he was watching the flowers. Tsuyako said that the flowers were not in bloom, and Hikaru answered that they would bloom from today onwards, praising Tsuyako's hair for being as pretty as the red weeping cherry blossom.

From then on, Tsuyako felt that everything has changed.

By the time the red hair grew below her breasts, she did not think that it was a red rustic color anymore, and did not hide herself as a result.

It felt as if the strands binding her had snapped, and her limbs were able to move freely, her dancing improved to a point where even the instructor was amazed. The stares everyone give to Tsuyako too had changed.

Hikaru had changed Tsuyako.

Hikaru allowed Tsuyako to bloom.

As long as Hikaru remained around, there was nothing Tsuyako was afraid of. She was not afraid to do anything bold.

However, Hikaru died.

Like the moon being shrouded by the clouds, so that the light dazzling in Tsuyako's eyes vanish.

And then, the spider, Rokujō, spoke softly to the perplexed Tsuyako.

–Mother is the one who said to abandon the engagement, but I never remembered agreeing to that. If I can get Aoi, I do not need that red rustic hair of yours, Tsuyako. You are to help me. Lure in that shaggy dog called Akagi and pull him away from Aoi. You should be able to do this, Tsuyako. You are no longer a virgin after all.

Tsuyako felt the blood freeze all over in her body, her body suddenly unable to move.

The notion that she was able to escape from Rokujō's clutches before this was completely wrong. Even till this point, she was trapped in the spider's threads. She was unable to move her fingertips, her throat unable to call out, and her eyes were unable to look away; these were the facts that told her of this truth. Again Tsuyako was pushed into the abyss.

She approached Koremitsu, and deliberately kissed him in front of Aoi at the garden party.

On Kazuaki's demand, she took off her uniform and handed it to him. The faint aroma remained on the returned uniform, and feeling repulsed, she scrubbed it with water quite a few times.

On the day she went to the tropical botanical gardens with Koremitsu, her witnessing the spider reminded her to Kazuaki demanding that she remove her uniform in the clubroom.

There was still a faint smell after he obtained Hikaru's portrait and returned the uniform smugly. Tsuyako continued to sob as she wore the uniform and doused herself with cold water at the swimming pool's bathroom. After that, Tsuyako apologized to Koremitsu a few times, for the latter showed concern for her.

I am sorry, Mr. Akagi, sorry.

Kazuaki's obsession with Aoi was abnormal.

–I want Hikaru's most beloved.

Kazuaki spoke with a demonic stare, his appearance vaguely human at best, an embodiment of the spider. Upon thinking about what sort of misfortune would occur to Aoi, Tsuyako felt her heart nearly cease.

She cannot allow Aoi to fall into Kazuaki's hands!

However, Kazuaki was terrifying.

She could not oppose him.

She hoped that someone could notice his intentions.

When she sent the message to Aoi using Koremitsu's phone, she merely deleted Aoi's reply when it came, leaving her original message behind. It was a bet on her part.

The fact that Aoi refused the prior appointment with Kazuaki, and chose to go out with Koremitsu instead caused Kazuaki to be thoroughly infuriated unlike before.

–This is unforgivable, Third Princess! That red wild hound is dating Aoi!

–Aoi here is being too frivolous here. Hikaru has just died, and now she wants to approach another man.

–And she despises me just like when we were young.

–I only treated her kindly because she is Hikaru's most beloved, cute, petite and has that unique black hair. This is vexing, Third Princess.

–Perhaps Aoi needs a little re-education~

–It is alright, I will not do anything too much. Aoi here is Hikaru's most beloved. I will just place her in a pretty box and take care of her. I cannot wait till my graduation; I must make her my bride immediately. I am so looking forward to it, Third Princess.

He showed such a demonic smile, sleazily petting the cage that had his pet chameleon inside. In the face of such a mystifying sight, Tsuyako barely managed to hold in her shrieks a few times.

Could Aoi, sheltered by her parents and Asai, raised in a delicate environment, withstand such terror?

Perhaps she would be toyed around by him, trodden upon. Hikaru's most beloved flower would be ripped apart by Kazuaki.

–Please, Mr. Akagi. Notice this.

Tsuyako told herself that she could no longer get Koremitsu involved in this. However, as Koremitsu called him 'senpai' with an earnest look, she inadvertently wanted to plead him for help, and earnestly prayed.

Koremitsu arrived.

He managed to decipher the words from Tsuyako, ensnared in her fear of Rokujō, and saved Aoi.

It was great.

The girl Hikaru chose at the end would not have to be Rokujō's sacrifice.

Really, thank goodness.

She hoped that Aoi at least was able to be the pure white flower Hikaru treasured

(But I am still imprisoned by Rokujō.)

Even when she tried to stop, her fingers kept shivering.

Her body felt heavy, as if tied down to the floor by strings.

She inadvertently thought about Kazuaki–Rokujō.

'That red rustic hair is so ugly' the sweet voice echoed deep within her ears, never vanishing.

(Why...did you die, Hikaru? If you are not around, I cannot go on. I will become this feeble, back to the lady with the red rustic hair.)

Before she danced on stage, Hikaru would do a spell on her.

He would gently raise Tsuyako's hand, and draw a circle on her palm using his slender, white finger.

–Now everything will be alright. The moon will not be shrouded by the haze. It will continue to shine above you.

He would show a gentle smile.

And a sweet, gentle voice that would enter her ears smoothly.

And as he always said, Hikaru would often appear in the audience, shining upon Tsuyako whenever the latter danced.

Praising her more than anyone else.

(If only you were still alive...Hikaru. As long as that happens...even if you truly love someone else.)

The world without Hikaru was so dark, lonely, and she could not dance.

A girl, her fellow student, came over to prompt her. "It is your turn to appear. Hurry."

Tsuyako slowly got up, and walked to the stage.

The lights, when viewed from the side of the stage, was so bright. The young girls were dressed in yellow kimonos, looking like field mustards as they danced cutely.

But to Tsuyako, it seemed as dark as a moonless night, causing her limbs to shrink back.

(It is scary)

The spiders were crawling out from the darkness.

Not one, but many.

They scampered across the stage in droves.

(Hikaru, come save me. Hikaru.)

I cannot dance.

I cannot dance at all.

"Miss Tsuyako, please come out!"

She was taken aback upon hearing this voice.

She should be dancing and appearing on the stage once the verse ends, but she missed the timing.

Tsuyako hurried onto the stage.

(What do I do? My legs are not listening to me, my hands are not nimble. I cannot hear the voices.)

The more anxious she was, the heavier her body got.

The trembling in her fingers did not stop.

The two levels of audience seats were already filled up.

But Hikaru was not there.

The gentle moon shining upon the stage was no longer rising.

At that moment–the door at the 2nd level audience opened, and a boy barged in.

He was probably very anxious.

His slightly curved shoulders were quivering in pain.

The sharp ends of his red hair was ruffling wildly.

(That is...)

Tsuyako's stare was directed towards the boy.

The boy walked down the aisle, arrived at the front of the balcony, and waved his right hand high at Tsuyako while the latter stood blankly on the stage.

(Mr. Akagi...)

The stiff face, unhappy scowl appeared as a fresh image in Tsuyako's mind.

The messy red-haired youth with a sharp expression was Hikaru's crude, honest, straightforward friend.

–I'll be here before your performance begins.

He said this, and darted out.

–I'll definitely come by to watch your performance.

He told her with a clumsy tone.

That boy raised his hand up, made the gesture of someone holding a pen, and slowly drew a large circle.

He drew a round moon in the audience.

–Senpai, you'll be the one who'll move the audience most tomorrow.

–I'll watch in the audience with my eyes wide, in place of Hikaru.

The clear moonlight shone in from between the clouds, raining silently, creating a gentle light in the dim space of black.

A weak light too shone into Tsuyako's heart.

Hikaru's friend, so different in terms of face and personality, drew a moon in place of Hikaru.

It was a hazy moon giving off a faint light, floating in the night sky!

Her body suddenly became light, and she naturally began to dance.

(Ahh...I am dancing right now.)

(Mr. Akagi.)

(I can dance now.)

The moon in the night was lured by the cherry blossom petals to the village girl out in the wild.

The girl happily received the cherry blossom petals fluttering down with her palms.

The innocent girl had yet to learn about love.

Narihira, who came from the capital, appeared in front of such a girl.

The girl fell in love immediately with this trendy prince with a gentle expression.

She continued to dance elegantly, ostensibly drunk in her first love.

Moving her toes just as if she was gliding on the floor.

Gently twirling her arms.

Shyly tilting her neck, shoulder.

The fingertips were grabbing the collar of her kimono slightly, showing a gentle, quiet moonlight.

She, having learned of what love was, was utterly elated.

She was truly chuffed to have fallen for such a beautiful, noble man.

She was blissful.

With such a delighted feeling, Tsuyako smiled at the audience.

The eyes looking up at the moon–

The boy standing in front of her was the one who came to fulfill Hikaru's promise.

Above the serious, earnest him, there was a vague sight of Hikaru smiling gently at her, and deep within her ears, there was a rich, sweet voice.

–Hey, Tsuyako. There will definitely be a lot of people who came from afar to watch you. They will be mesmerized by your actions, like how the flowers sway, how the branches move, sighing in amazement. You are the most beautiful flower in the garden.

(Hikaru, I was really happy when you came to my house.)

(You said there was nothing to be afraid of, and even held me gently by the hand. I was truly happy.)

(I was really happy that you praised my hair. You would promise me that you would be in the audience, watching me dance, and would be the first to praise me of my performance. Those made me really happy.)

(I feel really delighted, moved to tears whenever you draw the moon in my palm. I am able to be brave, dance with more beauty than anyone else.)

The clear moonlight shone gently upon the lonely tree without flower, muttering with a radiant voice, ‘The flowers will bloom one day’. At this point, that moon is shining upon Tsuyako.

Blessing its clear light right above her.

This was what Hikaru's friend told her.

That her promise with Hikaru was still continuing.

Koremitsu stood at the balcony, watching Hikaru's 'flower'.

She twirled her arms, swung her hands in an adorable manner, showing a smile on her lips as she revealed a bashful look. She looked just like a 14-15 year old innocent girl, captivating people to the point of them being unable to look away.

(Senpai is really beautiful.)

Hikaru too stood beside Koremitsu, watching Tsuyako dance, narrowing his clear eyes with ecstasy.

And then, he said proudly,

"Look, Koremitsu, this is the most beautiful red weeping cherry blossom in my garden."

(Yes, as long as I still remember my promise with Hikaru, the moon shall always shine above me.)

Whenever she raised her arms, tilted her neck, took a step forth, she would always think of Hikaru.

She would think of the happiness he brought her.

She would think of the love he brought her.

–The flower has yet to bloom.

–It will bloom tonight. The most beautiful cherry blossoms who bloom on this branch. These are the cherry blossoms I see. Ah, they are so beautiful. I am looking forward to seeing them.

–Your hair is really red and pretty. If you leave it long, it will be like the red weeping cherry blossoms. I really want to see them.

Tsuyako was not Hikaru's most beloved.

But that did not matter to her.

What she could be sure of was that Hikaru did love her before.

On the evening of their meeting, Tsuyako was earnestly hoping for love, to the point where there was practically a mark etched on her chest, and Hikaru himself fulfilled this wish of hers.

(Yes, I am in love with the moon floating in the sky.)

How many girls exactly have had such love?

Who exactly allowed themselves to experience such a fast-beating heart, dizziness and delight.

(And right now, at the moment when I am dancing–O moon, please shine upon me again.)

Tsuyako lifted her head and looked up at the shrouded moon appearing in the audience, not pleading feebly this time, but calling with an alluring smile.

She opened her faint red fan, fluttering gently in front of the faces.

The spring pixies danced about, putting new clothes upon Tsuyako from behind, removing her wig.

The plain village girl outfit was replaced by the long-sleeved golden red luxurious clothing littered with cherry blossom patterns. The hair combed upwards was undone, becoming red like a cherry blossom, scattering upon the breasts and back with gloss.

The ordinary village lady became the spirit of the cherry blossom, the queen of Spring.

The audience let out a huge cry of amazement, stares of praise raining upon Tsuyako.

At that instant, the moonlight fluttered into Tsuyako's heart.

Hikaru had descended upon Tsuyako's heart.

He was smiling in her heart, whispering in her heart, breathing in her heart.

–The floral language of the weeping cherry blossom is that of an outstanding person.

–It really suits you, Tsuyako.

Tsuyako felt the sweet sensation and agony of blissfulness all over her body, and embraced them fully.

(Even if God is to prepare a gentler, plainer fate for me, I shall reject it.)

(Even if it is Miss Aoi herself, I do not wish to exchange fates with her.)

For there will be heart-wrenching events loneliness and agony in the future.

For there will be moments where she looks up at the moon alone, weeping as she thinks about Hikaru.

However, she has to remove her tears in front of others, showing a beautiful smile.

For I am the most beautiful, dignified flower in the garden.

And I shall continue to be that flower.

The beauty was something everyone else has to marvel at, such elegance, allure could even reach a distant place. The name of the owner who caused such a flower to bloom would be greatly praised. She wanted to be such a beautiful flower–a flower who cannot be violated.

Tsuyako's appearance was to end.

The moonlight became dim, and Hikaru vanished from Tsuyako's heart.

She felt lonely, really lonely. It felt as if her chest was being wrenched.

But even so, she was no longer afraid of the clouds and darkness that shrouded the moon.

For she knew that on the other side of the thick clouds, the moon would be shining no matter what.

"Farewell, Hikaru. I shall love you forever."

The boy caused this tree, once devoid of any buds, to bloom red flowers. Her eyes were becoming blurry due to her tears as she whispered this to the boy.

"The same goes for me too, Tsuyako."

It seemed she heard a gentle farewell before the curtains fell.

It is a really tough thing to keep to a promise, Koremitsu.

My feelings when I make them were sincere, and I truly believed I could fulfill them.

At the moment I made a promise, I felt as if I had connected with the girl's heart. She would then be embarrassed, smiling at me happily. I really like this sacred and blissfully sweet feeling.

But there are some moments where I could not fulfill the promises I could have made.

Eh? 'You make too many promises'?

'Don't make any promises for everything. Try thinking about me when I've to go about fulfilling your promises', you say?

Yes, I have caused you to suffer all this while.

Especially this time.

It is not just about Tsuyako; both the matters of Miss Aoi and my older brother are beyond my expectations, to a point where my heart nearly broke a few times, given that it should not be moving. If anything had happened to Miss Aoi, I probably would have regretted to the point of not departing to the afterlife. It is really great that Miss Aoi is alright.

After that, you ran all the way to Tsuyako as fast as you can. You were abandoned at a place even the trains and buses do not appear, and even when trying to hitch a ride, your face looked as scary as someone who just murdered a person, so no car was willing to stop. You then got in front of a car and forced it to stop; at that moment, I thought of the moment where I first met you.

Like back then, you never thought about yourself at all, always going forward for the sake of others.

Koremitsu.

Am I able to fulfill my promise with Tsuyako?

I feel that the answer is on that stage.

The serious expression you showed, the large moon you drew at the balcony; after all that happened, Tsuyako was suddenly full of life, and started dancing radiantly.

That is because you gave Tsuyako the moon in place of me.

It is a moon bigger than mine, one that will continue to shine for eternity.

Tsuyako was once my 'pride'.

I was always mesmerized by her radiant smile, dazzling lively eyes, elegant arm movements, and the red hair that drapes down.

Just looking at her dance was enough for anyone to straighten their backs, their souls seemingly floating in the air.

How can such a beautiful girl ever exist?

The girl who yearned for love when we first met had bloomed into such a wondrous flower.

To Tsuyako, who smiled and concluded that she will never exchange her fate with Miss Aoi, I am truly proud of her.

Tsuyako never compared herself with others.

And she never was envious of what others had.

She accepted the risks and anguish that came with freedom, looking forward positively.

There were times where I felt of cursing my fate, and whenever I did so, I felt despair over how small, how powerless I was, wandering about in a dark maze.

Should I really be allowed to born? Was it really a mistake right from the beginning? I would have such pessimistic thoughts just like that.

But whenever I saw Tsuyako, as dignified as the red weeping cherry blossom, I felt that I too have to proceed forward.

I felt really happy when I shared secrets with Tsuyako in the Japanese Dance clubroom, when we embraced each other, kissed each other. We did lots of things together, whether they were terrifying or bad.

She is the best lover.

She is an accomplice.

Tsuyako said that her encounter with me caused her to change, but her might is something she earned through her hard work.

Thus, it did not vanish because of my death.

As long as she continues to dance, Tsuyako will definitely realize it, even if it is a matter of time.

And then, everyone will flock by from afar to watch Tsuyako. They will show amazement at the red weeping cherry blossom that sways, the sight of the flowers scattering, and summon their courage. Tsuyako's beauty shall be praised and become widespread.

If possible, I really wish that I am still alive and introduce you to Tsuyako through my own word of mouth, Koremitsu.

To introduce the friend I am so proud of, as the lover I am so proud of.

I feel that Tsuyako gets along surprisingly well with you, in terms of boldness, the might of being undaunted by what others say, and the devotion to those important to you.

Tsuyako is one who often likes to smile, so if you two are together, you might be affected by her, and able to smile too.

That will be great.

Now then, if you can talk about me with Tsuyako after I am gone, and remember me, I will be delighted.

I too will continue to watch Tsuyako dance; no matter where the place is, what the place is, I shall applaud her all the way.

I am currently on this land.

One day, I shall be in the distant sky.

If both of you, who I truly love, are able to laugh every single day, my heart will be filled with relief and delight even when I am floating alone in space.

Perhaps I will be able to endure my loneliness.

### 010. Epilogue: Once You Are no Longer Around

It was the last day of the first semester, and Koremitsu submitted to Tsuyako his request form to join the Japanese Dance Club.

To be precise, he was forced to submit.

"Please take care of us, Upperclassman Tsuyako."

Honoka was at his side, greeting cheerfully.

Her eyes were normally raised, scowling, but at this point, her face was beaming, her cheeks and mouth gentle.

She was grinning away during the end-of-semester ceremony.

"Hey Akagi, greet her properly. You're going to be an official member under upperclassman Tsuyako's care!"

Honoka said this as she pressed Koremitsu's head down from behind, causing him to bow.

"Why do I have to join too?"

"Goodness, stop coming now. Michiru and I have already submitted our request forms, so you come along too."

"I-I-I still have work as the class and student committee representative, so I can't really come by, but Hono said that she's joining too...erm, well...if you're to join in on the club activity, Mr. Akagi, your School Points will increase."

The class representative with braids said timidly.

"There's no other amazing club who will accept you as a delinquent, Mr. Akagi...this is the last chance for you to turn your life around."

"I'M NOT A DELINQUENT! YOU'RE MAKING IT SOUND OUT OF HAND!!"

Koremitsu hollered, and Michiru immediately hid behind Honoka in shock.

"Seriously, don't scare Michiru. Isn't it good either way, Akagi? You're bored, and this clubroom does feel comfy. You said it yourself that it's good to gather here and chit-chat after school, right?"

After hearing Honoka's words, Koremitsu's face sizzled.

He did say it.

After that incident was settled, he was feeling tardy.

He was furious whenever he thought about Hikaru's brother Kazuaki, and it was worrying that Aoi was still in a funk.

However, he managed to settle one of Hikaru's wishes.

And after school, while spacing out at his own desk,

"You're not going to the clubroom today?"

Honoka asked him.

"Well, I joined the club temporarily until senpai's problems are settled...but it doesn't feel that bad over there. Speaking of which, I do feel a little lonely if I don't have anything to do."

He really should not have muttered those words so carelessly.

"In that case, why don't you become an official member? I’m thinking of submitting my request form here; I'll get your copy too!"

Honoka said this, suddenly enthused.

"I don't need it. Just take yours!"

He panicked.

"Nope. I-it's meaningless if you don't come by...Akagi."

Honoka curled her lips and looked down at Koremitsu, her face completely red, causing the him to feel giddy and unable to say anything. In the end, Koremitsu could only fill in the club entrance request form with proper handwriting.

(Am I really going to improve my image by writing 'belonging to the Japanese Dance Club' on this form when I'm a guy? I just feel like I'm going to ruin the scenery...)

He murmured as he curled his lips into a frown. Beside him, Hikaru chimed in cheerfully,

"It sure looks like a harem now that there are three women and one Koremitsu."

"Tch! Who's having a harem!!!?"

Koremitsu inadvertently exclaimed.

Honoka raised her eyebrows, her face blushing.

"A-a harem!? Are you still thinking of such a thing, Akagi!? Idiot! Pervert!"

She yapped while kicking his butt. Michiru too was affected,

"I-I-I-I-I-I-I'm a no go too! I like the prince charming type; the beast, monster type is..."

"Wait! That's–"

Koremitsu hurriedly tried to refute, but at this moment a cheerful voice rang.

"Is it not good to be in Mr. Akagi's harem?"

Tsuyako was showing a relaxed smile, staring upon their conversation as she said such bold, unbelievable words.

While Honoka was staring at her, she winked back, and said another problematic line,

"There needs to be competition in love to make things more exciting. I want to join in too."

"No, wait! You with A-A-A-A-Akagi, upperclassman?"

"Yeah, what are you saying now, senpai?"

"Wow, isn't Mr. Akagi being rather popular now?"

Tsuyako watched her anxious underclassmen with delight, and threw in another bomb.

"Oh my, Mr. Akagi will become a very good man in the future. I think it is a win if you can take the initiative now."

She was completely enjoying things here.

"I too agree with Tsuyako, but Koremitsu, I think that you are a fine man now, a hero."

Hikaru too joined the conversation with a smile.

He had said before that both Tsuyako and Koremitsu were similar in certain ways, but this was clearly not the case!

(Senpai's similar to you instead, Hikaru!)

Having joined this club with such an upperclassman as the chairperson, Koremitsu was starting to feel uneasy. Honoka dragged his arm forcefully, closed in on his ear, and whispered,

"A-a harem is impossible for you, Akagi...this is an advice from your Heliotrope–"

Honoka warned him with a serious look. After seeing such a scene, Koremitsu felt some respect for her...

(This girl's always worried about me, even helping me.)

It would be a no go for him to think that it was to be expected.

And so,

"I haven't forgotten, Shikibu."

Koremitsu whispered.

"Eh?"

"About you saying you like me."

Koremitsu was still perplexed about Honoka's feelings for him.

However, he felt that to avoid turning what she said clumsily on the roof that day to waste, he had to reply to her sincerely in his own way.

Honoka was unable to say anything, her face as red as a beetroot as she took large steps away from him.

"N-NOOOOOO!! FORGET ABOUT IT!!!"

She cupped her head and squatted down, almost bursting into tears.

"Oh my, you made a girl's face so red, Mr. Akagi. What kind of delicate sweet words did you say to her?"

"I did not!"

"Koremitsu, you really have improved in your skills. I really am worried for the future."

Tsuyako and Hikaru teased him, Michiru watched on with her eyes wide, and Honoka was flailing her limbs about, telling herself, "Idiot idiot idiot, seriously, I'm never going to believe you again" Koremitsu was very intrigued that he was in the middle of this noisy commotion; his chest was prickly, but it was not a bad feeling.

Could he continue with such times with them in this place after school? Just when he was wondering about this, he saw Hikaru show a gentle smile, and suddenly had a chill in his heart.

–Were you lonely when Hikaru died?

At that time, he could not answer that question.

If Hikaru were to vanish in front of his sights.

As he wondered, Koremitsu's body began to descend upon a lull of silence.

Ah, if that moment is to arrive, I'll be really lonely.

My heart will be in anguish, to a point of nondescript, like a part of my body was taken away completely.

But even so, there definitely will be something to make up for my encounter with him.

Right now, he shall continue to be with this guy.

To enjoy, to chit-chat, and play together.

While this harem prince who brought lots of encounters and emotions to Koremitsu, the prince who brought lots of trouble to him, was still on the Earth–

"I heard Mr. Akagi was very proactive this time."

"..."

Asai ignored Hiina, who had come to disturb her, as she walked silently down the empty corridor.

"Isn't it about time for you to recognize Mr. Akagi's existence, president?"

"Impossible"

Yes, it was impossible.

It seemed to be the same thing regarding the matter of him officially joining the Japanese Dance Club Tsuyako had randomly created...

No matter what the reason was, Asai had no intention of showing pity to Tsuyako, who obeyed Kazuaki and forced Aoi into despair.

Even till this point, whenever Aoi thought about what happened back then, she would shudder from time to time. It seemed she was majorly affected by how feeble she was. She was frustrated.

For some reason, Tōjō, who really doted on Aoi, found out about this incident, and was furious at Kazuaki.

And then, he said to Asai.

–I already felt that Kazuaki does not have what it takes to be the leader; he is not only his mother's puppet, but also a monster with a much more hideous nature. The Tōjōs are going to follow the 'Wisteria' and not the 'Rose'.

–Are you not going to ally with me, Asai? There probably is not too much of a difference between your objective and my objective.

Asai pondered as she dealt with Hiina.

Her expression gradually stiffening as a result.

To Asai, an alliance with the Tōjōs would have its advantages.

Kazuaki might take action against Aoi again, and there was a need to crush him completely.

However...

Kazuaki was mistaken about one thing.

And it was a cruel truth to Aoi.

The truth was that Aoi was not Hikaru's 'most beloved’–

"Such a barbaric man, Third Princess."

Kazuaki spoke to the chameleon in the cage with a rich, sweet voice.

The reptile had a stoic look and green scales, feasting on the fly Kazuaki fed it with its long tongue. Kazuaki himself was in ecstasy as he watched this scene, his eyes narrowed.

"He actually hit my face. This is unforgivable."

There was still a bruise below his eyes and around his nose. The innerside of his upper lip was cracked, and whenever he tried to eat or drink anything, he felt a pain.

Whenever that happened, the hatred for the red-haired sharp-eyed youth intensified.

"I shall make him kneel at my feet one of these days."

Kazuaki left the cage, and lit the fragrance stove.

"I am really looking forward to that day."

White smoke came out, and a faint aroma floated in the room.

It was the beginning of the ritual to summon 'Rokujō'.

He stood in front of the full length mirror, swapped his shirt and pants for a red summer dress, put on the black glossy hair, added some concealer and cosmetic foundation on his bruise, scattered some powder, drew his eyebrows, curled his eyelashes, and put on some lipsticks, gradually becoming a 'woman'.

Shown in the mirror was a black-haired slender figure, the embodiment of the spider.

With a mystifying smile, Kazuaki muttered,

"Hey, Hikaru, I want to be prettier than any of the flowers in your garden."

## Footnote

Your 'most beloved' should be me.

For that is because I am the one closest to you, the one who got hurt for you, the one who suffered for you, the one who changed her fate for you.

That is why, your 'most beloved', should be me.

## Special Chapter: Shiiko's Ambition - From Now On, I Want to Call You Big Brother!

She was shocked to find that he turned his head around like Hikaru–

"Eh, he's going out again!?"

Shioriko raised her voice as she wiped the dishes Koharu washed with a dry cloth.

"Where? Where's he going to? Did Big Brother Koremitsu say anything."

"I'm not sure. Maybe he has an outing with some friends at school. He did go out at night in uniform before too."

It's worth celebrating if that guy is finally able to make some friends. Koremitsu's aunt, Koharu, said coldly with her lips curled into a frown, her eyes raised just like her nephew.

Shioriko however was unhappy about it.

(Uu, the weather's so good today. I wanted to ask him to bring me out somewhere. If only I had agreed with Koremitsu–since he doesn't have any friends, and is really free, I forgot about it.)

What friends? Probably a girl?

(No, Big Brother Koremitsu isn't the type to be popular with the girls. He looks like a hoodlum, so crude when talking, arrogant in attitude, and he'll say things everyone normally doesn't say without a care.)

At first, Shioriko herself thought that he was such an annoying, frustrating person.

It was really unbelievable that he was actually Hikaru's friend.

But when Shioriko was really feeling lonely, anguished, Koremitsu gave his all to help her.

When Shioriko's only kin, her grandfather died, he took her in as his 'little sister'.

She would never forget the moment when Koremitsu came for her after she was adopted by Kuze.

The Akagis had terrifying looks, whether it was the grandfather Masakaze or the aunt Koharu, and they were brash talkers, but they naturally showed concern for Shioriko. She also got along well with the aloof white cat Lapis, living with the Akagis. Though she had not lived with the Akagis for too long, she really liked this house and the residents in it.

And especially Koremitsu.

–When I grow up you'll take my virginity in Hikaru's stead.

She whispered at his ear with her back straight. Koremitsu's eyes widened, and panicked.

–Shiiko, don't say such things.

And so, she was lectured by the grim-looking Koremitsu.

–Such things, as in?

She pretended to play the fool, causing Koremitsu to blush and groan.

If she were to press the issue with him directly, the ever-serious Koremitsu will keep his guard up around her. Thus, she decided to keep the 'promise' in her heart for the time being.

‘Big Brother Koremitsu’, Shioriko had her own reasons for calling him this.

There definitely must have been others who would call him 'Akagi' or 'Koremitsu', but nobody else would probably call him 'big brother'. Because of this, by calling him 'big brother', Shioriko would be a special girl to Koremitsu.

And also, she would have a warm, fuzzy, comfortable feeling whenever she called him then...

She thought it might be good for him like this.

Right, even if she were to become his lover, become his bride, at this point, she wanted to enjoy the thrill of being his 'little sister'. In that case, her relationship with Koremitsu will improve.

But Koremitsu had abandoned such a cute little sister by the wayside, and has been looking really busy recently.

Whenever he was in the room alone, he would mutter to himself, sometimes even cupping his head, groaning, or murmuring and blushing. Even when Shioriko really wanted to play with him, and approached him innocently, he would chase her off saying, 'ah, I'm busy now. Wait'

But this time, she clearly had the attitude of 'I must do it today!'.

(If-If he's going out on a date with another girl, I won't forgive him.)

After helping Koharu, Shioriko peeked in on Koremitsu.

Just when Koremitsu was tying his sneaker laces at the door, she approached him from behind with Lapis in her arms, tugged at his shoulder, and looked devastated, saying,

"You're going out again, Big Brother? I thought I could be with you today."

Her eyes were teary.

She was really good at shedding crocodile tears.

Koremitsu in turn looked sheepish as he said, "I'll play with you tomorrow."

"But...we can be together today. Can't I go out with you...? I'll be obedient."

"Th-That won't do. I'll be with you the whole day tomorrow, Shiiko. Play around with Lapis for today. Gramps will be happy if you play 5-in-a-row with him."

"...Hm."

'Tch'. She thought in her heart, but nodded with a lonely, honest look. In a tactical sense, it was a mistake for her to try and make him stay by fawning at him.

The next conquest would be easier if she were to trigger Koremitsu's guilt here.

But even so,

(Why must you leave me behind and go out yourself? Big Brother Koremitsu, you big dummy!)

Shioriko was unable to restrain her anger, made a funny face at Koremitsu's back, gritting her teeth, 'ii–' and making such a sound.

And Koremitsu turned back.

"!"

Shioriko was taken aback, her breathing nearly ceasing.

When Hikaru was still alive, he would turn his head back at the opportune moment whenever she did a funny face, pointed the middle finger, or raised her lips, and would beam at her as she fluster.

At this moment, Koremitsu thoroughly resembled Hikaru.

The sight of the golden, transparent hair swayed freely, and the smiling Hikaru overlapped with Koremitsu's body for an instant.

Once that scene vanished, Shioriko found herself exchanging looks with the speechless Koremitsu, and her face sizzled.

Why? Why did he turn his head around like Hikaru? Big Brother's very dull-witted, and he doesn't know anything about a girl's heart!

Why did he suddenly look at me! This is too inconvenient for me!

She even felt a blazing heat deep within her eyes.

"idiot!"

Shioriko then turned away and ran to her own room.

"Ahhh~~~~~"

Shioriko hid in a corner of the room with Lapis in her arms, flailing her legs around.

It's just Big Brother Koremitsu, but he looked back, he looked back, he looked back.

As her embrace was too hard, Lapis was unable to bear with it anymore, and escaped.

"Humph, I-I won't lose."

Right, summer break was about to begin.

In that case, she was to make Koremitsu pay for all he had owed her.

She had a change of mood, placed her favorite grassy green notebook on her knees, opened it, and wrote down her summer plans with a sky blue pen.

Release some fireworks with Big Brother, eat shaved ice with Big Brother, eat the flowing noodles with Big Brother, watch the Morning Glories bloom with Big Brother, catch a beetle bug with Big Brother, do morning exercises with Big Brother.

"Next is..."

Right, this was something she could not omit.

She showed an innocent child-like smile, and wrote large words in the middle of the notebook.

"Go to the pool with Big Brother."

## Author's Notes

Hello, this is Mizuki Nomura.

The 4th volume of "When Hikaru Was On Earth" is about the sister-in-law, Lady Oborodukiyo! The encounter during the 'Flower Feast' chapter was really elegant and sweet, causing my heart to race.

I suppose the readers back then, the noble Princesses felt excited about the dangerous love between Hikaru Genji and Oborodukiyo. That princess is about to be the concubine of his older brother, and she is also the princess of the rivaling Udate clan. Shikibu Murasaki truly is able to construct a scene all girls yearn for, and I really marvel at it every single time.

Regarding Oborodukiyo, there are differing opinions from different people whenever I read the translated works or the works based on 'The Tale of Genji', and this one is interesting. Some said she is a vibrant, carefree female, some says she is a princess who fell in love; every single explanation, I think, is brilliant.

Miss Tsuyako in this series is an upperclassman. Miss Takeoka's character design is really splendid, and I cannot help but be amazed by how alluring she is when I received the cover draft (colored). The trendy flowers of the Heian era were the mountain cherry blossoms, but I feel that Tsuyako is different, so I swapped it for the red weeping cherry blossom. In my hometown, there is a red weeping cherry blossom tree that is over a thousand years old; whenever spring came, I would board the train together with my school friends or club upperclassmen on a picnic, watching the trees at the same time. We were always amazed by the dignified beauty.

At my current place, the cherry blossom trees by the river will bloom in unison when it comes to spring, and will be basking in the sea of flower petals. The cherry blossoms in the day provide a nice contrast to the sky, but it is riveting to see the night cherry blossoms glitter weakly in the darkness.

I suppose the reason why the Japanese cherry blossoms are so special to the Japanese is definitely because it is closely related to our personal memories.

The cherry blossoms continue to flutter and fall, whether it is when we stroll by the river, having the feeling of 'this is the best day of my life!' in the night, or walk in a crowd during the noon, almost breaking into tears thinking it is the end of the world.

'Oborodukiyo' is set in summer, I began work on this volume during the previous autumn, and the release date is at the end of Spring. To those living in the northern provinces, the cherry blossoms are about to bloom, I suppose. If this volume of mine is able to bring you delight and comfort like the feeling of marvelling at the cherry blossoms, I will feel ever so blissful.

The audio drama CD of 'Hikaru' is currently under work. The content is supposed to be original, and with that thought, I think it will be best if it is related to the next volume 'Suetsumuhana' rather than a completely independent story, so I began work in that pace. In this story, Koremitsu is finally taking the challenge of wooing girls on the streets. I really hope that the content of this story will allow everyone to realize 'ah, so that's what's going on' when they read 'Suetsumuhana'.

The voice actors have been chosen carefully, but the voices of both Koremitsu and Hikaru are really, really hard to do! Especially Koremitsu! If he sounds too shrill, it makes him too impish, but if he uses a deep voice, he will sound like an old man...I guess however that I can definitely bring the best actors to everyone.

There are five characters set to appear. As for who they are, I shall let everyone guess and anticipate. The release date should be around the same time as 'Suetsumuhana', at the end of summer. Please pay attention to the Famitsu Publishing main page. Maybe something is decided by the time this volumes is published.

And speaking of Suetsumuhana, it is the code name of the girl with that kind of appearance, but how will the cover look like? I am really looking forward to seeing Miss Takeoka's illustration.

Now then, let us meet again in volume 5 of 'When Hikaru Was On The Earth...... Suetsumuhana'.

March 10th, 2011

Mizuki Nomura.

References:

Hanayagi, Chiyo, 1981. Practical Japanese Dance Basics. 1st ed. Tokyo : Tokyo Shoseki Ptd Ltd.

Shinichi, Shinma, Natsuko, Tonomura, 1988. Classic Japanese - complete translation <34> Ryojin secret Extract. 1st ed. Tokyo : Shogakukan.

### 011. Prologue

At the moment you saw your 'most beloved', your expression looked languish and hesitant.

For you who loved every single flower, and was the owner of them all, it was the only flower you could not touch.

You were so demure in the face of that flower, foolish, despicable, fragile--but you became so pure it was maddening.

You always gave your all to all the flowers who expressed their love for you, never asking for any compensation. However, that was the only one you yearned for with all your existence.

Hikaru,

Your sin...

Your most–'beloved'...

### 012. Prologue

At the moment you saw your 'most beloved', your expression looked languish and hesitant.

For you who loved every single flower, and was the owner of them all, it was the only flower you could not touch.

You were so demure in the face of that flower, foolish, despicable, fragile--but you became so pure it was maddening.

You always gave your all to all the flowers who expressed their love for you, never asking for any compensation. However, that was the only one you yearned for with all your existence.

Hikaru,

Your sin...

Your most–'beloved'...

### 013. Epilogue: Once You Are no Longer Around

It was the last day of the first semester, and Koremitsu submitted to Tsuyako his request form to join the Japanese Dance Club.

To be precise, he was forced to submit.

"Please take care of us, Upperclassman Tsuyako."

Honoka was at his side, greeting cheerfully.

Her eyes were normally raised, scowling, but at this point, her face was beaming, her cheeks and mouth gentle.

She was grinning away during the end-of-semester ceremony.

"Hey Akagi, greet her properly. You're going to be an official member under upperclassman Tsuyako's care!"

Honoka said this as she pressed Koremitsu's head down from behind, causing him to bow.

"Why do I have to join too?"

"Goodness, stop coming now. Michiru and I have already submitted our request forms, so you come along too."

"I-I-I still have work as the class and student committee representative, so I can't really come by, but Hono said that she's joining too...erm, well...if you're to join in on the club activity, Mr. Akagi, your School Points will increase."

The class representative with braids said timidly.

"There's no other amazing club who will accept you as a delinquent, Mr. Akagi...this is the last chance for you to turn your life around."

"I'M NOT A DELINQUENT! YOU'RE MAKING IT SOUND OUT OF HAND!!"

Koremitsu hollered, and Michiru immediately hid behind Honoka in shock.

"Seriously, don't scare Michiru. Isn't it good either way, Akagi? You're bored, and this clubroom does feel comfy. You said it yourself that it's good to gather here and chit-chat after school, right?"

After hearing Honoka's words, Koremitsu's face sizzled.

He did say it.

After that incident was settled, he was feeling tardy.

He was furious whenever he thought about Hikaru's brother Kazuaki, and it was worrying that Aoi was still in a funk.

However, he managed to settle one of Hikaru's wishes.

And after school, while spacing out at his own desk,

"You're not going to the clubroom today?"

Honoka asked him.

"Well, I joined the club temporarily until senpai's problems are settled...but it doesn't feel that bad over there. Speaking of which, I do feel a little lonely if I don't have anything to do."

He really should not have muttered those words so carelessly.

"In that case, why don't you become an official member? I’m thinking of submitting my request form here; I'll get your copy too!"

Honoka said this, suddenly enthused.

"I don't need it. Just take yours!"

He panicked.

"Nope. I-it's meaningless if you don't come by...Akagi."

Honoka curled her lips and looked down at Koremitsu, her face completely red, causing the him to feel giddy and unable to say anything. In the end, Koremitsu could only fill in the club entrance request form with proper handwriting.

(Am I really going to improve my image by writing 'belonging to the Japanese Dance Club' on this form when I'm a guy? I just feel like I'm going to ruin the scenery...)

He murmured as he curled his lips into a frown. Beside him, Hikaru chimed in cheerfully,

"It sure looks like a harem now that there are three women and one Koremitsu."

"Tch! Who's having a harem!!!?"

Koremitsu inadvertently exclaimed.

Honoka raised her eyebrows, her face blushing.

"A-a harem!? Are you still thinking of such a thing, Akagi!? Idiot! Pervert!"

She yapped while kicking his butt. Michiru too was affected,

"I-I-I-I-I-I-I'm a no go too! I like the prince charming type; the beast, monster type is..."

"Wait! That's–"

Koremitsu hurriedly tried to refute, but at this moment a cheerful voice rang.

"Is it not good to be in Mr. Akagi's harem?"

Tsuyako was showing a relaxed smile, staring upon their conversation as she said such bold, unbelievable words.

While Honoka was staring at her, she winked back, and said another problematic line,

"There needs to be competition in love to make things more exciting. I want to join in too."

"No, wait! You with A-A-A-A-Akagi, upperclassman?"

"Yeah, what are you saying now, senpai?"

"Wow, isn't Mr. Akagi being rather popular now?"

Tsuyako watched her anxious underclassmen with delight, and threw in another bomb.

"Oh my, Mr. Akagi will become a very good man in the future. I think it is a win if you can take the initiative now."

She was completely enjoying things here.

"I too agree with Tsuyako, but Koremitsu, I think that you are a fine man now, a hero."

Hikaru too joined the conversation with a smile.

He had said before that both Tsuyako and Koremitsu were similar in certain ways, but this was clearly not the case!

(Senpai's similar to you instead, Hikaru!)

Having joined this club with such an upperclassman as the chairperson, Koremitsu was starting to feel uneasy. Honoka dragged his arm forcefully, closed in on his ear, and whispered,

"A-a harem is impossible for you, Akagi...this is an advice from your Heliotrope–"

Honoka warned him with a serious look. After seeing such a scene, Koremitsu felt some respect for her...

(This girl's always worried about me, even helping me.)

It would be a no go for him to think that it was to be expected.

And so,

"I haven't forgotten, Shikibu."

Koremitsu whispered.

"Eh?"

"About you saying you like me."

Koremitsu was still perplexed about Honoka's feelings for him.

However, he felt that to avoid turning what she said clumsily on the roof that day to waste, he had to reply to her sincerely in his own way.

Honoka was unable to say anything, her face as red as a beetroot as she took large steps away from him.

"N-NOOOOOO!! FORGET ABOUT IT!!!"

She cupped her head and squatted down, almost bursting into tears.

"Oh my, you made a girl's face so red, Mr. Akagi. What kind of delicate sweet words did you say to her?"

"I did not!"

"Koremitsu, you really have improved in your skills. I really am worried for the future."

Tsuyako and Hikaru teased him, Michiru watched on with her eyes wide, and Honoka was flailing her limbs about, telling herself, "Idiot idiot idiot, seriously, I'm never going to believe you again" Koremitsu was very intrigued that he was in the middle of this noisy commotion; his chest was prickly, but it was not a bad feeling.

Could he continue with such times with them in this place after school? Just when he was wondering about this, he saw Hikaru show a gentle smile, and suddenly had a chill in his heart.

–Were you lonely when Hikaru died?

At that time, he could not answer that question.

If Hikaru were to vanish in front of his sights.

As he wondered, Koremitsu's body began to descend upon a lull of silence.

Ah, if that moment is to arrive, I'll be really lonely.

My heart will be in anguish, to a point of nondescript, like a part of my body was taken away completely.

But even so, there definitely will be something to make up for my encounter with him.

Right now, he shall continue to be with this guy.

To enjoy, to chit-chat, and play together.

While this harem prince who brought lots of encounters and emotions to Koremitsu, the prince who brought lots of trouble to him, was still on the Earth–

"I heard Mr. Akagi was very proactive this time."

"..."

Asai ignored Hiina, who had come to disturb her, as she walked silently down the empty corridor.

"Isn't it about time for you to recognize Mr. Akagi's existence, president?"

"Impossible"

Yes, it was impossible.

It seemed to be the same thing regarding the matter of him officially joining the Japanese Dance Club Tsuyako had randomly created...

No matter what the reason was, Asai had no intention of showing pity to Tsuyako, who obeyed Kazuaki and forced Aoi into despair.

Even till this point, whenever Aoi thought about what happened back then, she would shudder from time to time. It seemed she was majorly affected by how feeble she was. She was frustrated.

For some reason, Tōjō, who really doted on Aoi, found out about this incident, and was furious at Kazuaki.

And then, he said to Asai.

–I already felt that Kazuaki does not have what it takes to be the leader; he is not only his mother's puppet, but also a monster with a much more hideous nature. The Tōjōs are going to follow the 'Wisteria' and not the 'Rose'.

–Are you not going to ally with me, Asai? There probably is not too much of a difference between your objective and my objective.

Asai pondered as she dealt with Hiina.

Her expression gradually stiffening as a result.

To Asai, an alliance with the Tōjōs would have its advantages.

Kazuaki might take action against Aoi again, and there was a need to crush him completely.

However...

Kazuaki was mistaken about one thing.

And it was a cruel truth to Aoi.

The truth was that Aoi was not Hikaru's 'most beloved’–

"Such a barbaric man, Third Princess."

Kazuaki spoke to the chameleon in the cage with a rich, sweet voice.

The reptile had a stoic look and green scales, feasting on the fly Kazuaki fed it with its long tongue. Kazuaki himself was in ecstasy as he watched this scene, his eyes narrowed.

"He actually hit my face. This is unforgivable."

There was still a bruise below his eyes and around his nose. The innerside of his upper lip was cracked, and whenever he tried to eat or drink anything, he felt a pain.

Whenever that happened, the hatred for the red-haired sharp-eyed youth intensified.

"I shall make him kneel at my feet one of these days."

Kazuaki left the cage, and lit the fragrance stove.

"I am really looking forward to that day."

White smoke came out, and a faint aroma floated in the room.

It was the beginning of the ritual to summon 'Rokujō'.

He stood in front of the full length mirror, swapped his shirt and pants for a red summer dress, put on the black glossy hair, added some concealer and cosmetic foundation on his bruise, scattered some powder, drew his eyebrows, curled his eyelashes, and put on some lipsticks, gradually becoming a 'woman'.

Shown in the mirror was a black-haired slender figure, the embodiment of the spider.

With a mystifying smile, Kazuaki muttered,

"Hey, Hikaru, I want to be prettier than any of the flowers in your garden."

### 014. Special Chapter: Shiiko's Ambition - From Now On, I Want to Call You Big Brother!

She was shocked to find that he turned his head around like Hikaru–

"Eh, he's going out again!?"

Shioriko raised her voice as she wiped the dishes Koharu washed with a dry cloth.

"Where? Where's he going to? Did Big Brother Koremitsu say anything."

"I'm not sure. Maybe he has an outing with some friends at school. He did go out at night in uniform before too."

It's worth celebrating if that guy is finally able to make some friends. Koremitsu's aunt, Koharu, said coldly with her lips curled into a frown, her eyes raised just like her nephew.

Shioriko however was unhappy about it.

(Uu, the weather's so good today. I wanted to ask him to bring me out somewhere. If only I had agreed with Koremitsu–since he doesn't have any friends, and is really free, I forgot about it.)

What friends? Probably a girl?

(No, Big Brother Koremitsu isn't the type to be popular with the girls. He looks like a hoodlum, so crude when talking, arrogant in attitude, and he'll say things everyone normally doesn't say without a care.)

At first, Shioriko herself thought that he was such an annoying, frustrating person.

It was really unbelievable that he was actually Hikaru's friend.

But when Shioriko was really feeling lonely, anguished, Koremitsu gave his all to help her.

When Shioriko's only kin, her grandfather died, he took her in as his 'little sister'.

She would never forget the moment when Koremitsu came for her after she was adopted by Kuze.

The Akagis had terrifying looks, whether it was the grandfather Masakaze or the aunt Koharu, and they were brash talkers, but they naturally showed concern for Shioriko. She also got along well with the aloof white cat Lapis, living with the Akagis. Though she had not lived with the Akagis for too long, she really liked this house and the residents in it.

And especially Koremitsu.

–When I grow up you'll take my virginity in Hikaru's stead.

She whispered at his ear with her back straight. Koremitsu's eyes widened, and panicked.

–Shiiko, don't say such things.

And so, she was lectured by the grim-looking Koremitsu.

–Such things, as in?

She pretended to play the fool, causing Koremitsu to blush and groan.

If she were to press the issue with him directly, the ever-serious Koremitsu will keep his guard up around her. Thus, she decided to keep the 'promise' in her heart for the time being.

‘Big Brother Koremitsu’, Shioriko had her own reasons for calling him this.

There definitely must have been others who would call him 'Akagi' or 'Koremitsu', but nobody else would probably call him 'big brother'. Because of this, by calling him 'big brother', Shioriko would be a special girl to Koremitsu.

And also, she would have a warm, fuzzy, comfortable feeling whenever she called him then...

She thought it might be good for him like this.

Right, even if she were to become his lover, become his bride, at this point, she wanted to enjoy the thrill of being his 'little sister'. In that case, her relationship with Koremitsu will improve.

But Koremitsu had abandoned such a cute little sister by the wayside, and has been looking really busy recently.

Whenever he was in the room alone, he would mutter to himself, sometimes even cupping his head, groaning, or murmuring and blushing. Even when Shioriko really wanted to play with him, and approached him innocently, he would chase her off saying, 'ah, I'm busy now. Wait'

But this time, she clearly had the attitude of 'I must do it today!'.

(If-If he's going out on a date with another girl, I won't forgive him.)

After helping Koharu, Shioriko peeked in on Koremitsu.

Just when Koremitsu was tying his sneaker laces at the door, she approached him from behind with Lapis in her arms, tugged at his shoulder, and looked devastated, saying,

"You're going out again, Big Brother? I thought I could be with you today."

Her eyes were teary.

She was really good at shedding crocodile tears.

Koremitsu in turn looked sheepish as he said, "I'll play with you tomorrow."

"But...we can be together today. Can't I go out with you...? I'll be obedient."

"Th-That won't do. I'll be with you the whole day tomorrow, Shiiko. Play around with Lapis for today. Gramps will be happy if you play 5-in-a-row with him."

"...Hm."

'Tch'. She thought in her heart, but nodded with a lonely, honest look. In a tactical sense, it was a mistake for her to try and make him stay by fawning at him.

The next conquest would be easier if she were to trigger Koremitsu's guilt here.

But even so,

(Why must you leave me behind and go out yourself? Big Brother Koremitsu, you big dummy!)

Shioriko was unable to restrain her anger, made a funny face at Koremitsu's back, gritting her teeth, 'ii–' and making such a sound.

And Koremitsu turned back.

"!"

Shioriko was taken aback, her breathing nearly ceasing.

When Hikaru was still alive, he would turn his head back at the opportune moment whenever she did a funny face, pointed the middle finger, or raised her lips, and would beam at her as she fluster.

At this moment, Koremitsu thoroughly resembled Hikaru.

The sight of the golden, transparent hair swayed freely, and the smiling Hikaru overlapped with Koremitsu's body for an instant.

Once that scene vanished, Shioriko found herself exchanging looks with the speechless Koremitsu, and her face sizzled.

Why? Why did he turn his head around like Hikaru? Big Brother's very dull-witted, and he doesn't know anything about a girl's heart!

Why did he suddenly look at me! This is too inconvenient for me!

She even felt a blazing heat deep within her eyes.

"idiot!"

Shioriko then turned away and ran to her own room.

"Ahhh~~~~~"

Shioriko hid in a corner of the room with Lapis in her arms, flailing her legs around.

It's just Big Brother Koremitsu, but he looked back, he looked back, he looked back.

As her embrace was too hard, Lapis was unable to bear with it anymore, and escaped.

"Humph, I-I won't lose."

Right, summer break was about to begin.

In that case, she was to make Koremitsu pay for all he had owed her.

She had a change of mood, placed her favorite grassy green notebook on her knees, opened it, and wrote down her summer plans with a sky blue pen.

Release some fireworks with Big Brother, eat shaved ice with Big Brother, eat the flowing noodles with Big Brother, watch the Morning Glories bloom with Big Brother, catch a beetle bug with Big Brother, do morning exercises with Big Brother.

"Next is..."

Right, this was something she could not omit.

She showed an innocent child-like smile, and wrote large words in the middle of the notebook.

"Go to the pool with Big Brother."

### 015. Author's Notes

Hello, this is Mizuki Nomura.

The 4th volume of "When Hikaru Was On Earth" is about the sister-in-law, Lady Oborodukiyo! The encounter during the 'Flower Feast' chapter was really elegant and sweet, causing my heart to race.

I suppose the readers back then, the noble Princesses felt excited about the dangerous love between Hikaru Genji and Oborodukiyo. That princess is about to be the concubine of his older brother, and she is also the princess of the rivaling Udate clan. Shikibu Murasaki truly is able to construct a scene all girls yearn for, and I really marvel at it every single time.

Regarding Oborodukiyo, there are differing opinions from different people whenever I read the translated works or the works based on 'The Tale of Genji', and this one is interesting. Some said she is a vibrant, carefree female, some says she is a princess who fell in love; every single explanation, I think, is brilliant.

Miss Tsuyako in this series is an upperclassman. Miss Takeoka's character design is really splendid, and I cannot help but be amazed by how alluring she is when I received the cover draft (colored). The trendy flowers of the Heian era were the mountain cherry blossoms, but I feel that Tsuyako is different, so I swapped it for the red weeping cherry blossom. In my hometown, there is a red weeping cherry blossom tree that is over a thousand years old; whenever spring came, I would board the train together with my school friends or club upperclassmen on a picnic, watching the trees at the same time. We were always amazed by the dignified beauty.

At my current place, the cherry blossom trees by the river will bloom in unison when it comes to spring, and will be basking in the sea of flower petals. The cherry blossoms in the day provide a nice contrast to the sky, but it is riveting to see the night cherry blossoms glitter weakly in the darkness.

I suppose the reason why the Japanese cherry blossoms are so special to the Japanese is definitely because it is closely related to our personal memories.

The cherry blossoms continue to flutter and fall, whether it is when we stroll by the river, having the feeling of 'this is the best day of my life!' in the night, or walk in a crowd during the noon, almost breaking into tears thinking it is the end of the world.

'Oborodukiyo' is set in summer, I began work on this volume during the previous autumn, and the release date is at the end of Spring. To those living in the northern provinces, the cherry blossoms are about to bloom, I suppose. If this volume of mine is able to bring you delight and comfort like the feeling of marvelling at the cherry blossoms, I will feel ever so blissful.

The audio drama CD of 'Hikaru' is currently under work. The content is supposed to be original, and with that thought, I think it will be best if it is related to the next volume 'Suetsumuhana' rather than a completely independent story, so I began work in that pace. In this story, Koremitsu is finally taking the challenge of wooing girls on the streets. I really hope that the content of this story will allow everyone to realize 'ah, so that's what's going on' when they read 'Suetsumuhana'.

The voice actors have been chosen carefully, but the voices of both Koremitsu and Hikaru are really, really hard to do! Especially Koremitsu! If he sounds too shrill, it makes him too impish, but if he uses a deep voice, he will sound like an old man...I guess however that I can definitely bring the best actors to everyone.

There are five characters set to appear. As for who they are, I shall let everyone guess and anticipate. The release date should be around the same time as 'Suetsumuhana', at the end of summer. Please pay attention to the Famitsu Publishing main page. Maybe something is decided by the time this volumes is published.

And speaking of Suetsumuhana, it is the code name of the girl with that kind of appearance, but how will the cover look like? I am really looking forward to seeing Miss Takeoka's illustration.

Now then, let us meet again in volume 5 of 'When Hikaru Was On The Earth...... Suetsumuhana'.

March 10th, 2011

Mizuki Nomura.

References:

Hanayagi, Chiyo, 1981. Practical Japanese Dance Basics. 1st ed. Tokyo : Tokyo Shoseki Ptd Ltd.

Shinichi, Shinma, Natsuko, Tonomura, 1988. Classic Japanese - complete translation <34> Ryojin secret Extract. 1st ed. Tokyo : Shogakukan.

## 05. Volume 5 - "Suetsumuhana"

### 001. Chapter 1: Do Your Women's Strife Elsewhere, Please

"Do you know about Cowslips, Koremitsu?"

An utterly sweet voice could be heard by the ear.

Koremitsu, covered in a blanket, had his eyes covered as the voice gently reached him like a lullaby.

"The Cowslips are yellow flowers that bloom wildly in the grassy plains during spring, as cute as the Japanese Primrose. The girls gather these flowers as a form of fortune telling, 'This one, or that one? Tell me, who shall I marry?' singing such songs innocently."

(This guy's still yapping away early in the morning...it's already summer vacation. Can't I just take a break...)

Koremitsu muttered quietly to himself as his body embraced the refreshing mattress, and the comforting feeling of the pillow.

During this time, Hikaru continued his flower lecture.

"In Nordic Mythology, the Cowslip is the flower the Goddess Frejya, the keywielder, holds. In the past, it has been known as the 'flower key'. It became widely known through the evangelism of Christianity as 'Saint Maria's Key' and 'Saint Petero's Key', a flower symbolising the revival of life."

(Ahh, I see...well, whatever. Anyway, are you always in such a lecturing mode when waking up with a girl too? Even if it's you, an effeminate pretty boy prince, you sure are noisy...)

"In ancient English, Cowslips are known as cow dung."

(Wait wait. Why are we talking about that early in the morning?)

"The bell shaped flowers are the beds for pixies, so they are also known as pixie cups. The situation here is similar to that too. Look Koremitsu. You have a very cute one right beside you."

Hikaru chuckled with his usual sweet voice.

(What kind of fairy tale are we talking about?)

However, he felt an intriguing warmth near his chest. There was a silky feeling beneath the blanket, and though it had some weight, it was still soft... sniffing a little, he smelled the scent of sweet fragrance of grass and milk.

"Hm?"

A scent?

"Good morning, big brother Koremitsu."

The wide-eyed girl with silky cheeks greeted with her pink, tender lips.

"Woah, Shiiko!"

Stunned, Koremitsu froze there, maintaining his sideways sleeping posture.

Shiiko, or Shioriko Wakagi, dressed in a bear pajamas, waa clutching at Koremitsu's chest tightly, her soft thin black hair scattered.

Hikaru was beside them, dressed in white robes like a god from Greek Mythology, smiling with amusement as he narrowed his pretty eyes.

(Goodness, this guy's acting like a Takarazuka actor–no, more importantly, Shiiko.)

Koremitsu got up from the bed sharply.

As it was summer, he was dressed in singlet and shorts. His muscular arms and legs were showing, and the sight of him in such a state, sleeping with a 4th grader girl is really a bad thing! The law would definitely not allow it!

"Hey, Shiiko! Didn't I say not to enter my futon whenever you want to!"

"You're petty. It's fine, right? We slept together before."

Shioriko looked unhappy as she puffed her rosy cheeks.

"That was different. You're a 4th grader already, sleep alone! If you want someone to sleep with, go sleep with Lapis!"

"But Lapis finds it annoying to sleep in the futon, and will run away."

"Well...it is the summer after all. It's hot."

At this time where the hot air blows through the open windows, Shioriko would find it tough sleeping while cuddling the cat.

"That's why I'm sleeping with you, big brother."

"No."

He refused adamantly.

Shioriko's first temporary stay at the Akagis’ was on the day where her grandfather was hospitalized. That day was special because she was in a complete funk.

After her grandfather Tomohiko died, she began living with them as Koremitsu's little sister, and had gotten livelier as a result. As an older brother, Koremitsu had to remind her that she must not enter a man's futon no matter what.

Koremitsu accepted Shioriko as family with such a serious attitude, and Hikaru, who had been yapping from the get-go 'Shiiko is cute, but she is off limits!' 'As Shiiko's original guardian, I shall only allow you to do so 10 years later!' , relaxed that Koremitsu would not abduct a loli. At this point, Koremitsu was extremely miffed that Hikaru was clearly enjoying seeing him panic at Shioriko's shocking actions, while trying to think of countermeasures.

"Big brother, you really are very petty. Petty, I tell you! Lapis~ big brother is being petty towards Shiiko!"

Shioriko even fussed a little at Lapis as the cat remained squatted at the sliding door, with a cool look. Its eyes remained still as it licked its furs with its pink tongue.

And upon seeing this, Shioriko again pouted her lips, slumping her shoulders.

"...I dreamt of grandpa. I felt lonely...that's why I came here..."

"Ack."

Koremitsu felt his chest tighten.

Was this her usual acting at work?

(No, I'm learning everyday too, even though we've only been together for a month or so. I guess it can't be helped if she wakes up in the middle of the night and wants to be with a relative...)

"Shiiko really is pitiful to be treated so coldly by her big brother."

Hikaru spoke with an empathetic tone,

"Ah...erm."

While Koremitsu watched that little back of hers, hesitating as to how he was supposed to tackle this issue, Shioriko looked over her shoulder, and quickly looked forward, looking on dejectedly.

"Uh, a-actually, if you really can't handle the boredom, you can come to me and...well, that."

"No, I'm already an adult. I'll handle it alone."

She continued to keep her back turned away from Koremitsu, letting out a soft, unenergetic voice, sobbing deep within her throat.

"No, there's no way you're an adult when you're still in 4th grade, right? I don't mean that when you're being so lonely you can't take it."

"But I'm not really a family member...I'll just cause you trouble, Big Brother..."

"Enough with that nonsense! You're not causing me trouble! You're already...something like a real little sister to me. If you're really troubled, just come to me however you want. Watch me settle everything for you nicely."

What am I insisting on so early in the morning? He felt his face burn upon thinking about this.

Shioriko turned her head around.

She continued to stare at Koremitsu with wary eyes, but soon after, showed a childish, innocent smile.

"Right, big brother."

She clung onto Koremitsu tightly, and began to rub her cheek onto his.

"Yikes, this is really itchy! You can only hug me when you're really troubled! Right now, go wash your face at the basin. It's time to go for the radio exercises."

Lapis watched Koremitsu whisk Shioriko off with a 'good grief' look, and Hikaru, dressed in a Greek outfit,

"It is good for siblings to be so amicable in the morning." Made such a comment.

Shioriko was feeling really chuffed, her cheeks glowing. Her sobbing had ceased.

(Have I been fooled again?)

Koremitsu had such a doubt in his mind. At this moment.

The cellphone on the table rang, playing the Godzilla theme.

"Shiiko, you changed my cellphone ringtone!?"

"I didn't find any hellhound theme when I looked through, so I used this as a makeshift."

"Don't search for such a thing! And stop looking through someone else's phone!"

He brought the phone over, and glanced at the caller's name.

"Shikibu?"

He murmured, and Shioriko's ears picked up on it.

He then pressed the receive button.

"It's me."

And answered bluntly.

"S-sorry! Was I too early? Are you still sleeping?"

Honoka in turn quickly replied in a shrill voice that struck his eardrums.

"No, I already woke up."

"Really? Th-that's good...sorry. I decided to call you immediately, Akagi. I thought something big might happen again if I didn't do so."

She rambled about such random matters.

And Koremitsu frowned.

"Seriously, how many times did you think of calling me? Don't tell me something happened?"

He asked seriously, Ack! And got such a response.

"...Instead of that...er-erm...we-we haven't set the date."

"Date?"

"About that."

"Koremitsu, the pool."

Hikaru reminded at Koremitsu's ear.

Speaking of which, they did affirm the promise to go to the pool at the end of semester ceremony

(Ah, is that so? She's referring to that? I should be the one proposing the time and location.)

Hikaru had always been the one advising Koremitsu on the locations when he invited Aoi and Tsuyako out. This time, Koremitsu was to do so himself, and he was careless.

His chest was slowly sizzling due to his mistake.

"Sorry, it's about the pool, right? When are you free then?"

Honoka heaved a sigh of relief, probably worried if Koremitsu had forgotten about the promise.

"I'm fine with whatever time it is. This week maybe? A little earlier is good, or my heart's going to tighten while waiting—uu, it's nothing. Anyway, arrange it this week! This week! I do have lots of things to do in the summer vacation unlike you!"

This time, she hurriedly rattled on.

"This week...well, I have nothing. I'm okay on Wednesday and Thursday."

Koremitsu said as he checked through his calendar.

"I wanna go too, big brother! It's alright, right?"

Shioriko suddenly shouted.

"Huh?"

She was shaking Koremitsu's knee with her little hands while he remained dumbfounded

"Okay, please, please, big brother? I—always wanted to go to the pool with you ever since summer vacation ended! Didn't you promise Shiiko to bring her out during summer vacation?"

She complained, her eyes wide.

"Ah, got it. I'll bring you out next time. Maybe next week."

"No, I'm free this week too!"

She shook her head and fawned, the twintails of straight hair swaying left and right.

Koremitsu sensed that Honoka was listening on the other side of the phone with bated breath, and was at a loss of what to do.

Before the summer vacation, he could not take care of Shiiko because of Tsuyako's matters, and as such, harbored the guilt that Shiiko might have felt lonely. Thus, he decided to make sure matters were settled during the summer vacation, and not leave her unattended.

"Guess I got no choice. But I'm definitely going to be worn out if I'm going to a pool twice."

"We're not going together. I want to tag along with you guys."

"What!?"

(Wait, with you guys, as in, she's coming along with Shikibu and me?)

Honoka too,

"!"

Was left thunderstruck.

Shioriko lifted her head, and stared at Koremitsu with an impish, innocent look.

"Besides, if I'm going to the pool with you, you'll be mistaken as a kidnapper, big brother. You'll be sent for re-education."

(WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT!?)

Hikaru let out a giggle, and on the other side of the phone,

"...It's very possible."

A feeble voice could be heard.

"If you're going to be locked up, I'll be really troubled, big brother Koremitsu. You'll be mistaken for a lolicon, a kidnapper."

"Akagi is a lolicon and kidnapper...!?"

The voice on the other side of the phone suddenly got shrill.

"In that case, you might be forced to quit school. If you can't get through the job applications and background checks, you might end up being a yakuza like Butaro in Little Maruko!"

"THAT'S VERY POSSIBLE!!"

"Shikibu! Don't just agree with her like that!!"

Koremitsu inadvertently exclaimed.

(Speaking of which, Hikaru, stop snickering away over there!)

Shioriko placed her soft, tender face on Koremitsu's coarse face, and said to the mouthpiece.

"Well, please, Miss Shikibu? Please let us go to the pool with you so that big brother Koremitsu's life won't have a bleak future. You're the only one I can ask!"

(Wait, the initial promise to the pool was between Shikibu and me! Now why do I have to ask Shikibu to allow Shiiko along!?)

It was too ridiculous no matter how he thought about it. Where had the premise been changed?

And while Koremitsu remained dumbfounded.

"Understood! I-I'll go to the pool with you and Akagi as your guardian, Shiiko!"

Upon hearing Honoka's determination.

Hikaru, floating beside Koremitsu, let out a wry smile as he commented.

”"Miss Shikibu really is the reliable yet easy-to-fool type, huh?"

And so, it was agreed that Koremitsu, Honoka and Shioriko would go to the nearby pool two days later, Thursday.

You are quite popular, Koremitsu."

It was after breakfast. Shioriko hurriedly ran out from her room and scampered across the corridor, saying 'I got to prepare early', and Hikaru was joking by the side. Certainly, it was annoying.

"That's not the case. I'm just going to the pool with my little sister and classmate. Besides, Shikibu helped me out a lot of times before this, so I guess this can be some sort of thanks. Right, that's it!"

"Normally, I do not think there is a need to specifically go to a pool with a female classmate alone just to repay her."

"It's not just the two of us. Shiiko's coming along too."

"Yes, Miss Shikibu must have been regretting things right now since she was the one who allowed Shiiko to come along. She probably is grabbing her pillow, rolling around on the bed. It really was a chance for her, and you will be bringing your little sister along for this rare date."

"It's not a date."

"It is not?"

With Hikaru staring back with wide eyes, Koremitsu felt an abrupt unease.

Eh? I-is it a date after all...?

For Koremitsu, who had girls fearing and evading him till this point, he was unable to draw the line between a date and a simple outing.

(But because Shikibu helped me so many times before, I want to go along with her if she asks me to go to the pool with her. I don't want to be the one being helped by others all the time. I think it's more like I want to maintain the friendship rather than wanting to treat her equally like how she treated me. But is a single date between a boy and a girl really a date?)

Hikaru looked dumbfounded, and said to Koremitsu while the latter murmured with his arms folded,

"Koremitsu, what exactly is your definition of a date?"

He came up with the hardest question to answer.

Am I not thinking hard about this thing now!?

Koremitsu frowned, and answered,

"I think a date is when, you kiss when the atmosphere is most intense. No, when you're holding hands."

"Eh?"/span>

Hikaru was gobsmacked.

"I don't think it's a date if we're walking without holding hands."

How in the world am I able to say such embarrassing things to a ghost? Won't others be thinking that I'm a guy who likes to clench his fists and mutter to himself on the corridor?

Hikaru looked back intently, giving a pitiful look either out of disinterest, or because he saw Koremitsu gritting his teeth silently.

"Well...that certainly is just like you."

He muttered.

"Just shut up already."

He tried to forget the embarrassing conversation from before, drew the cellphone out from his pocket, and flipped it open. Normally, he would not be checking his messages, but ever since the summer holidays began, he had been doing so often.

Surely he was still worried about Aoi.

–Thank you for coming over to help me.

Hikaru's older brother Kazuaki tried to abduct Aoi into a distant villa before summer vacation ended, causing quite a commotion. Aoi was left unscathed in the end, and during the end-of-semester ceremony, she even came to Koremitsu's classroom with Asai to bow and apologize.

Her life was not in peril back then, but it must have been quite a shock to her. Her face was pale, and looked tentative.

–I really am foolish for not knowing anything, to believe what Mr. Kazuaki said. I cannot allow myself to be this naive and let such a thing happen again.

Her body was curled up, her eyes were lacking vitality as she spoke in a self-depreciating tone.

On the other hand, the cold looking Asai,

–Yes, it's better for you not to be bothered with a shaggy stray dog like him.

Said that with derision, and there was a falter in Aoi's eyes.

–I really am sorry for causing you trouble, Mr. Akagi.

Aoi whispered with a teeny-weeny voice, and was dragged away by Asai.

Hikaru was worried for Aoi, and Koremitsu too had the same feeling, often exchanging messages with her.

–Are you alright?

–Don't worry about me. If something comes up, you must tell me.

–Summer vacation is starting. Are you feeling a little better?

It was the first time he had sent messages to a girl so frequently since Yū. Aoi's responses were brief in comparison,

–I am alright.

What exactly was she thinking? How had she been living? Was she really not suffering—Koremitsu became really worried given that he could not see what was going on exactly.

While Koremitsu was checking to see if Aoi had sent any messages, Hikaru grimly glanced at the screen from the side

"So there is no news from Miss Aoi?"

He muttered to himself, his eyes betraying the worry for Aoi.

"...Hm, with Asa and Mr. Shungo watching over her, I do not think something like that will happen again."

He probably remembered that extremely caring big brother.

I hate Aoi, but Aoi is Hikaru's most beloved. Kazuaki, the child of the Mikado's legitimate wife, treasured Aoi like a doll.

–I can be forgiven by anyone no matter what I do.

Even after his cross-dressing habits were revealed, he was still able to calmly state his own views with a cryptic smirk.

Tsuyako once trembled and said that Kazuaki was the embodiment of the spider.

That the Rokujō who personally murdered her cheating husband and the mistress was still alive.

As she had said, Kazuaki was ostensibly surrounded by a demonic, ominous aura of madness at that time.

Upon recalling it, Koremitsu felt a chill on his back, and at the same time, rage surged to his throat when he thought about what Kazuaki did to Aoi.

"If I see that perverted brother again, I'm definitely going to beat him up good."

He muttered to himself.

"How reliable."

Hikaru chuckled.

Hikaru never said anything about Kazuaki.

From the beginning, he never mentioned anything about his family.

(The brother does seem rather obsessed with Hikaru...what does this guy think of his brother.)

I am an illegitimate child, so I hardly have the chance to talk to my older brother. Hikaru once said this...

Koremitsu wanted to know the reason why the luster would fade from Hikaru's eyes, but at the same time, he was afraid of knowing.

Hikaru probably killed himself. Tsuyako's words echoed at Koremitsu's ears.

(I won't ask now, but when exactly will he tell me?)

When exactly will that day arrive?

Probably on the day they separate.

Upon thinking about it, Koremitsu could feel his heart breaking apart.

To change this gloomy atmosphere, he racked his brains, thinking of something else.

He heard a soft grumble from Shioriko's room.

"Ah, seriously, I don't like this one too."

She sounded really anxious, but there were also voices like 'this can't do', 'it's showing already', 'Lapis~Nice body~', and even the stomping of the tatamis.

"Arghhh, this is the worst!"

The stomping got louder.

"What's the matter, Shiiko?"

"Ah, Koremitsu, do not open the door now."

Hikaru reached his hand out, wanting to stop Koremitsu. However, the hand passed through Koremitsu's body like usual, and the door was opened.

At that moment,

"Kya!"

A cute cry rang.

"Woah!"

Koremitsu too exclaimed.

There were all sorts of swimsuits, pink, yellow, scattered on the floor like flowers, and Shioriko was standing in the middle, changing clothings.

The one-piece polka dot swimsuit with frills by the side was right at Shioriko's waist, and the sight of her snowy white back entered Koremitsu's eyes, who hurriedly rushed out.

"Ah, why did you suddenly enter, big brother! You're a pervert!"

Shioriko covered her flat chest with both hands, her face blushing as she protested.

"So-sorry!"

Koremitsu really hated the notion of having to apologize to others, and hated it when others apologize to him. At this point however, he had no choice but to apologize.

Shioriko hastily turned away.

"Y-you're really p-pe-perverted!"

She sneaked into Koremitsu's futon and opened the door to the bathroom while Koremitsu was bathing; all those were fine, but she looked regretful when Koremitsu saw her naked body, calling him a pervert over and over again.

"I told you already not to do so."

(That's too late.)

Koremitsu saw Hikaru sighing away by the sight, and resisted the urge to lash out at him.

"Sorry. You were changing?"

And then, he turned around to apologize again.

"Uuu, I'm choosing the swimsuit to wear at the pool. Hikaru bought a lot of them last year. I told him that I don't need any of these, but Hikaru kept saying that they all suit me, and would keep giving me a gift-wrapped swimsuit every day."

(Hikaru...your actions are basically that of a pervert's...)

How would the shop attendants think of a 9 th grader buying swimsuits for a 3 rd grader.

If it were a pretty boy like Hikaru, even if he was buying an elementary school girl-sized purple bikini in a shop, the attendants would be rather understanding. My, he is such a caring older brother, they might compliment.

Hikaru looked blissful,

"Every single piece does suit Shiiko after all. I cannot pretend to ignore such a sight; whenever I pass by the swimsuit shop, I find that they all suit her very well."

(That's just your own delusion. Also, a man shouldn't be lingering in front of a swimsuit shop, let alone pick the sizes of an elementary school kid.)

Koremitsu glared right at his floating friend.

"Uu". After that, Shioriko groaned behind him.

"I've received enough presents to last me a lifetime, but these are all too small. I can't possibly wear them."

"So you have grown, Shiiko."

Hikaru looked touched as he narrowed his eyes.

(Why are your words so disgusting here.)

"Well, it's not like the swimsuits shrank. You've grown after all. It's your puberty, and it can't be helped, right?"

"Even so..."

Her voice got softer.

"...It's rare to get a chance to go out with you, big brother. I want to wear the most beautiful swimsuit and play all I want. These are all what Hikaru left for me."

"Shiiko..."

Hikaru was dumbfounded.

How exactly does Hikaru think of that polka-dot one piece frill swimsuit? Just when Koremitsu was lost thinking about this.

"In that case, I can only upload my photos on a lolicon online shop and sell them all."

"Ack, aren't these what Hikaru left for you!?"

Koremitsu yelled back.

Hikaru too,

"Did I hear that correctly, Shiiko?"

Looked on grimly.

Shioriko barely managed to put on her swimsuit, but it was too small and tight fitting, causing her to shriek 'kya!'. She picked up the scattered swimsuits, cuddled them to the front of her chest, and covered her body.

Meanwhile, the slim-bodied Lapis continued to lick its own feet coolly.

"I think that instead of looking at these swimsuits I can't wear, reminiscing and crying over Hikaru, I might as well exchange these for money and get new swimsuits. Everyone's happy. The latter is more logical."

She went straight to the point.

"The 2 nd hand shops in town doesn't allow the sales of underaged stuff, but those weird online shops can sell them for a good price when done well. If Hikaru knows that I can use his presents in such a logical way, he'll definitely be happy."

"Uu, well, if Shiiko can be happy here, I do not mind."

"No, Hikaru will be devastated if he knows about it! He once wanted to groom you into a fine lady! A fine lady won't sell her own swimsuits at a weird shop! Anyway, pull yourself together and stop thinking of such ideas again!"

"But, the swimsuit...the pool...I have my own swimsuit for class...but, that kind of swimsuit won't get me any appeal, making me look like I'm an elementary school kid. It's not cute at all...won't I lose here?"

What in the world are you thinking about? Koremitsu personally felt that an elementary school girl should wear such a swimsuit, but Shioriko really looked troubled at such a proposition, fidgeting away.

"Well, Shiiko is a girl after all. She wants to show her most beautiful side to her big brother after all, especially when it is her first time going out with him."

Hikaru spoke up for Shioriko by the side. Koremitsu frowned, and said,

"I'll buy one for you."

An hour later.

Shioriko was beaming as she skipped beside Koremitsu on the streets.

"You'll help me choose one, right? Big brother?"

She frolicked.

"I don't really know anything about a girl's swimsuit."

"It's alright. I want to wear what you like."

"Leave it to me, Koremitsu! I guess, well, a bright grassy green separate piece swimsuit should fit Shiiko very well. I do have a dilemma here, whether the sweet pea pink bikini or the snowdrop white one-piece will showcase Shiiko's cuteness to its fullest. Ahh, I really feel wonderful to be able to choose Shiiko's swimsuit this year."

The sight of Hikaru being bashful was disgusting.

Both of them entered the swimsuit corner of the department store, and upon seeing Koremitsu, the staff members scowled.

A youth with red messy hair was glaring through the stores with an abnormally sharp glare; such a person would definitely be deemed as a dangerous person, and if not for Shioriko beaming so brightly beside him, he would have been whisked away for questioning.

Koremitsu was already used to seeing such stares, but it was somewhat unbearable for him to enter a women swimsuit counter. While he continued to lower his head and arch his back further, he heard a familiar voice.

"Ahh, seriously, which one do I choose? The purple one-piece here or the black bikini over there? Uu, I can't decide."

"You're so pretty, Hono. Any of these will suit you. It's rare to see you being so indecisive however. Normally, you're the one who made up your mind while I'm still thinking of what to pick."

"I'm betting on a woman's spirit here! I have to wear the best—swimsuit this summer!"

"The best swimsuit?"

"So-something that can make the breasts look big..."

"Hee? The breasts!?"

"He did say that he likes big breasts when I asked him whether he likes them large or small...uu, it doesn't matter. Anyway, I can't lose here."

As expected, Honoka was standing in front of the changing room, speaking to a bespectacled girl, wearing a bright purple one-piece swimsuit.

The swimsuit emphasized the cleavage greatly, and the elegant curves from waist to legs were as radiant as before.

"This one is really good, Miss Shikibu. It shows the charms of a mature woman to the fullest extent! This is really wonderful!"

Hikaru's eyes were dazzling.

Honoka in turn noticed Koremitsu.

"Wah!"

And shrieked in shock.

"What's the matter, Hono? Uh, Mr. Akagi!!"

The class representative with braided hair was stupefied as well upon seeing Koremitsu.

"Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-why are you at the women swimsuit corner, Mr. Akagi!? Are you a swimsuit collector? Are you the type to put all sort of designs in a room, and even rub them on your face to stimulate something?"

"Stop thinking of others as a pervert and give me that condescending look! I'm here to accompany this fellow!"

Honoka and Michiru looked over at the girl beside Koremitsu, the skirt reaching the knees.

"Y-you're a lolicon after—"

"I'M NOT!!!"

Upon Koremitsu's glare, Michiru's shoulders shivered as she hid behind Honoka.

Honoka used her right hand to pull the changing room curtain and cover her body, her face flushed red as she looked at Koremitsu, her mind blank. She then looked over at Shioriko, showed a surprised look for an instant, before frowning.

On the other hand, Shioriko gave Honoka a childish, impish smile.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Shioriko Wakagi, living with big brother Koremitsu and the rest. Are you Miss Shikibu?"

She lifted her head at Shikibu like an innocent bird.

Honoka's eyes faltered, and she greeted back with a smile.

"Yes. Hello there, Shiiko."

"I-I'm Mr. Akagi's class rep—"

Michiru too introduced herself, and upon hearing them, Shioriko showed a cuter smile.

Hikaru continued to marvel Shioriko's cuteness beside Koremitsu as he made a weird happy dance,

"Shiiko is so cute, she is an angel! A pixie!"

(What's going on? What's with this smile full of fighting spirit? It's Shikibu here, not some moneybag middle-aged man she likes!)

While Koremitsu remained confused, Shioriko raised his hand with her slender arms.

And Honoka's eyebrows twitched.

"Thank you very much for allowing Shiiko here to go to the pool with you and big brother. I come here with big brother to pick a swimsuit. Oh yes, you say you want to choose the best swimsuit for me here, big brother Koremitsu."

"Eh, I—!"

Right now Koremitsu was about to speak up, Honoka spoke in a tone shriller than usual.

"It must have been tough. Since it's tough for you to take care of a kid yourself, Akagi, I'll help you as well. It really takes a lot of effort to take care of a kid. Right, choose my swimsuit too."

She loosened the hand that was grabbing the curtain, and undid the Pareo at her waist. With a crisp sound, the deep adult-like purple one-piece swimsuit revealed the slender waist and the long thighs.

She even reached her right foot forward to showcase the curves of her legs, placing a hand on her waist.

"This is fabulous, Miss Shikibu! It is like a Heliotrope basking under the sunlight, brimming with passion!"

Hikaru was effervescent with his praises, but Koremitsu wondered,

(What's going on? Why did the atmosphere become so intense all of a sudden?)

He was completely mystified.

Also, he had to choose Shioriko's swimsuit and Honoka's swimsuit. This was absurd.

"But I don't know anything about a girl's swimsuit!"

Though Koremitsu insisted, Honoka and Shioriko had their game face as they bombarded him with one question after another.

"Akagi! What about this? Does your heart race after seeing this?"

"Big brother? Which one do you prefer? This bikini or that one-piece?"

"You prefer the swimsuits that emphasizes more on the breasts, right? In that case, I'll go try that leopard stripe swimsuit. Wait for me."

"Big brother, I'm done here. Tell me what you think."

"Look, it's the leopard stripes, Akagi. Look and tell me what you think."

Sweat was seeping from Koremitsu's forehead.

"Ahh, that's enough already. Shiiko, pick one with more fabric."

"As for Shikibu...forget about the leopard stripes. Wait, don't take the zebra stripes!"

He ended up chiming in hastily.

Meanwhile, Hikaru floated above Koremitsu as he requested selfishly,

"Speaking of girls swimsuits, it is best if you choose something that matches their personalities. Oh yes, Koremitsu. The yellow one with flower patterns on it will definitely suit Shiiko well. There is a vinyl silver swimsuit over there! I want to see Miss Shikibu wearing it. Please, Koremitsu."

(If you like it, go wear it yourself! You thoughtless ghost!)

"Why are you looking upwards, Akagi? Look at me!"

"Big brother! I can't tie the back. Help me here."

"Ahh, Akagi...! I'm having trouble with the string on the waist!"

"Big brother! I can't take off the swimsuit. It's too tight. Help me!"

"Akagi! The skirt hook's caught on a string. It's uncomfortable rubbing on my leg, and..."

"Hono...I need to go for cram school..."

"Hurry Akagi!"

"Help me, big brother!"

There were calls from both changing rooms.

The store attendants were left aside, unable to approach.

Koremitsu continued to run around to help, grumbling in his mind,

(Argghh, seriously, like I know anything here! You girls might as well stick seashells on the top and bottom!!)

After returning home,

Koremitsu was seated cross-legged in his own room, his shoulders slumped heavily.

"...I'm never going to shop for gold, jewelry or such things again, and I'm never going to go shopping with girls again."

What exactly was going on? Why would those two keep arguing like that? While they were on the way home, Shioriko was clutching at the bag with the bikini inside.

"I can't lose."

She whispered.

"I do find it enjoyable however. Miss Shikibu and Shiiko would actually have such a cute side to themselves. It really is quite a sight to me."

"...Cute? Their eyes were bloodshot, goodness."

Were they feeling emotional because it was the summer? If not, how else could he explain that strange tension going on?

"...I think I used up half of my summer vacation energy for this day alone. I still have to go to the pool with those two 2 days later. Ugh, can't this be finished faster?"

"You cannot let yourself be dejected, Koremitsu. I shall assist you however I can."

"Heck, you'll just say things like 'that polka dot swimsuit is good, this high leg is good'."

"Haha...that is a man's instincts."

Koremitsu let out a deep sigh.

"Well, never mind. Speaking of which, it's about time we deal with your 'wishes'."

"Ah, you still remember"

"Of course. I want this chatty ghost beside me to hurry up and depart into the afterlife. Let's just finish them over the summer vacations."

"Uu, you are being so cold today, Koremitsu."

Hikaru looked dejected.

"Like I care. Then? Who's the girl this time? Where is she?"

"Actually, I do apologize, but I do not know."

"Eh?"

As Koremitsu widened his eyes, Hikaru beamed cheerfully, giving a sweet, cheerful smile that could cause many girls' hearts to flutter.

"I do not know anything about the girl's real name, her age, where she lives, her face, her voice, nothing at all."

### 002. Chapter 2: Coffee Shop Where the Riddles Assemble

(This day has finally arrived) .

The 'Saffron' marked a final cross on the calendar with an orange fountain pen. She picked up the black seal coat hanging on the chair, which ostensibly had a spell that could calm her heart, and stroked it with her pale hand. She turned to the loyal servant who began serving her family since her mother's time, and even her grandmother's time.

"I'm eating outside for lunch."

After informing the servant, she left the house.

(I wonder if the Mr. Polar Star still remembers about the promise between us...)

She first met him through the internet during the previous Autumn.

And the chance encounter occurred because a person called the Mr. Polar Star left a comment on the blog 'Saffron' set up.

'Saffron' uploaded photos of all sorts of herbs she painstakingly raised onto the blog, and Mr. Polar Star commented, "Your good friend Miss Lilian has quite the vast knowledge, and is refreshingly honest to others. It certainly is amazing.' Because of it, the duo started conversing with each other.

'Miss Lilian' is the affectionate nickname 'Saffron' gave to her Sage flowers.

There were other kinds of herbs at the house 'Saffron' tended to, and they had their unique names. There is the Miss Cosette for the Chamomiles, Mr. Rui for the Lemon Balms, Lady Shear for the Fennels, Mr. Philip for the Aloes, Miss Stellar for the Rosemaries.

'Saffron' had the habit of giving names to her plants and personal belongings ever since young, and to a few male blog fans, she was hailed for having an innocent cuteness. There were however a few who felt that she was 'airheaded', that 'she spends too much effort forcing a character upon herself'. Perhaps most of the latter were females who were jealous of her.

But neither the male nor female readers were interested in Miss Lilian and the herbs, but were interested in 'Saffron' herself.

The contents on the comment columns were mostly about 'Saffron's personal matters.

If there were those who were interested in researching on herbs, they would probably visit the more professional blogs and websites.

'Saffron's blog was divided into a daily life about the dear princess section by the readers. They naturally would not be concerned about those herbs

However, the Polar star would passionately give her advice, like 'Miss Lilian looks energetic like usual today', or 'Miss Cosette does not seem to be spry. You might want to try switching places'.

And so, after constant replies from 'Saffron', both of them exchanged their mail addresses, gradually becoming intimate.

–I do wish to meet you personally. There are some things I wish to tell you. Can we meet this time?

On this Spring, soon before the Golden Week, Mr. Polar Star made such an invitation.

After receiving this message, 'Saffron's heart practically ceased, the tip of her nose itching.

Was the 'there is something I wish to tell you', a love confession?

She had such a premonition right from the beginning.

The wordings the Polar Star used in the messages sent to 'Saffron' were all so elegant, so romantic, like a gentle invitation.

But to meet the Mr. Polar Star offline?

Such a notion was a little terrifying to her.

From the mail messages, it seemed the Mr. Polar Star was a kind, somewhat cheeky person who would say some self-deprecating things at times, a man who loved to research on plants, and did not seem like a bad person.

However, if they were to meet offline, she wondered if he would be as frivolous sounding as he was in the messages.

And if Mr. Polar Star were to meet 'Saffron' in real life, what sort of thoughts would he have...?

She scratched her nose, feeling tense.

It was too scary!

She intended to reject this invitation as politely as possible, saying,

—If you are able to continue thinking about me before summer vacation, and if you can find me before summer vacation ends, I do not mind meeting you. I will also listen attentively to 'what you wish to say to me'.

And Mr. Polar Star in turn replied,

—Hm, I understand. It is a promise then. It will begin from the first Wednesday of summer vacation till the end of it. As for the location, let us set it at the shop which sells the red tea you like. I will be wearing a refreshing blue and white cap that reflects the summer sky, and until summer arrives, I will continue to yearn and think about it. In that case, no matter whether you are deep within the lush forests or the spacious grasslands, I will definitely find the amazing flower that is you.

He continued with his boastful words, but it was a sweet reply to 'Saffron'.

She was feeling exhilarated, and if she said something bad, to hide her true thoughts before summer vacation arrived, Mr. Polar Star probably would not wish to look for 'Saffron'.

On the other hand, even if Mr. Polar Star continued to think of 'Saffron' till the start of summer vacation, there was no way he could find her even if she showed up at the appointed place.

Definitely!

But there was no need to worry as such. Ever since Golden Week ended, Mr. Polar Star had ceased to exchange messages with her, and he never left any comments on the blog.

It was unknown what happened to him, but if he were someone who could read the mood, he would certainly understand the intention, that 'Saffron' did not wish to meet him, and would lose interest in her.

But either way, it was too early for him to back off.

Would it not be better to continue clinging onto her?

She could not deny that she had such thoughts, but she really was delighted that he gave up on her halfway through.

Even if she were to appear at the shop during summer vacation as promised, there was no way Mr. Polar Bear would appear at the shop again.

That was fine.

"But why did I end up coming to this shop anyway?"

The red tea shop 'Bonne Chance' was plain and cute, ostensibly a reconstruction of a fairy tale brought to life. 'Saffron' stood at the door dejectedly.

The rife summer sun shone upon her from above with ferocity.

"Mr. Polar Star definitely forgot about the promise. Better go back early."

But, what if—

If Mr. Polar Star did abide by the promise.

If he were to wear a refreshing blue and white cap, and appear in front of 'Saffron'.

The tip of her nose started to itch.

"I-I think...I'll have a look just for today."

Right. Neither Mr Polar Bear or anyone else would know that she was 'Saffron'.

(I'll wait...just for today.)

Only for today.

It was rare that she came by.

(Mr-Mr. Polar Bear does give the impression of a prince who always says such amazing stuff in his messages. He probably is a NEET, a herbivore of a shut-in who is unpopular, with a big belly, dimples on his face, a man who girls back away from, calling him 'disgusting'. He'll definitely disappoint me...but.)

She stepped into the shop, waiting for him as she heard her heart race. The shop had just opened for the day, and there were no other customers.

One hour passed and another, and there were people entering, sitting on the country-styled wooden chairs. The waitress girls were wearing white aprons, dressed in the famous cute, antique uniforms the hems of the aprons and skirts swaying around.

But the man with blue and white cap had yet to arrive.

(He won't come.)

(He won't be coming anyway.)

(Yeah. I don't want to meet him—but I do want to see him once.)

There were conflicted emotions surging within her, and her heart was practically about to break, the tip of her nose itching for some reason.

At that moment,

"Welcome!"

The bell at the door chimed, and there entered a male customer, a rarity at that.

He had a refreshing blue and white cap akin to that of the summer.

"!"

(I-is that—)

'Saffron' gasped.

Even the waitress who greeted him cheerfully shuddered her shoulders in shock.

And the other customers froze.

(Mr. Polar Star...is a shut-in...unpopular, herbivore...)

Standing at the door was a lanky person, whose back was arched, an abnormally sharp glare staring throughout the shop, had messy red hair, a stiff face, raised eyebrows—a youth who resembled a wild savage dog.

(Eh, why are the customers all females here?)

Koremitsu carefully examined the store, and his frown deepened.

His disgust was burning, for he saw that it was a foreign farm-styled shop that was very popular with girls. Both the interior and exterior gave a plain, cute image; the wooden tables and chairs gave a sense of comfort, and the walls were decorated with refreshing scenery paintings. There were also some flowers and greens in sleek looking pots, placed at the windows.

There was a calm looking middle-aged man at the counter, probably the shopkeeper. His eyes were widened at Koremitsu while holding the pot of imported red tea.

The waitresses dressed in fluttering white apron gave Koremitsu icy looks.

It was the same for the customers. There was a group of girls occupying a table, discussing so rabidly about the latest fashion trends, only to remain silent, the voices stuck in their throats. There was a customer who placed her bag on a seat beside her, ready to open the newspapers, only to use the newspapers to cover her face. Another big sister was seated at a single seat table, drinking her tea as she fiddled with her phone; the fingers holding the cup shuddered slightly. A young girl of similar age was seated in the far-most corner of the shop, browsing through a pocket novel, stopped as well, giving Koremitsu an icy, spiteful look.

(Argh, looks like these are the only young girls.)

Koremitsu recalled the words Hikaru said the previous day.

—I do not know anything about the girl's real name, her age, where she lives, her face, her voice, nothing at all.—

The ghost, which had caused him all sorts of trouble, said so with a nonchalant look.

—What's going on now?

Koremitsu's temples were trembling intensely as he got up to roar. And then, he was notified by a chuffed Hikaru that the duo became acquaintances through the internet.

—I knew of a blog called the 'Sunset blue', also called the 'sunset meeting', being quite popular amongst male readers, saying that it was very cute, littered with bits and pieces of the author's daily life. It is a popular blog many people pay attention to.

In fact, Koremitsu went on to access the 'Sunset Blue' through his cellphone.

And soon, he arrived at a blog with an intricate light blue background at the brink of sunset.

The blog owner was called 'Saffron'.

It seemed to be an online ID.

Saflloer —When both of us were conversing with each other, I would call her 'Miss Saflloer'

—Miss Saflloer?

—Yes. She said that the name is only used by those who are more intimate with her. She interprets this as the 'summer meeting', and so, I became her captive.

—'Sunset meeting'? What's that?

—This probably is a new term she came up after thinking about it, perhaps? Miss Saflloer is designated as a princess of a country with a sunset blue sky.

—Ahahah? Princess? The type that wants a flower ring on her, that? That's an airhead if I see one.

In response to Koremitsu's acrimony, Hikaru grimaced.

—Girls always have dreams of being the princess. Even Miss Shikibu, so feisty against men, started writing a cellphone blog called the 'Purple Princess', no?

Now that he mentioned it, that seemed to be the case.

Since the conversation involved Honoka, who often helped Koremitsu out, the latter had no choice but to fall back.

—Well...everyone does have their own moments of fantasies. As long as it doesn't cause trouble for others, I guess it's fine whether they're the princesses or goddesses or whatever. I just can't understand them either way.

—Miss Saflloer probably is the type of person who attends a rich girls school with its own elevators, and wears a coat because of the cold. She always thinks of McDonalds and Kentucky as human names, has nothing she can never take part in, attends all her harp practices without fail, her clothes are order-to-make, she often visits all sorts of famous tourist spots, like Parco, 109, Laforet. She even gives all sorts of nicknames to the herbs she grows in the garden. All these brought her cute innocent self to life, and she became famous.

Koremitsu surfed through the blog's diary, and found a black seal coat draped over an old bench, an old looking harp, the Miss Cosette for the Chamomiles, and the Mr. Rui for the Lemon Balms.

At this point, Koremitsu's face soured.

—You see? There is some part of Miss Saflloer's hair taken here. It really is a nice flowing black hair, right? The curves of the chin are perfect.

Hikaru chimed in enthusiastically as he pointed at the photo.

Though there was some taken, it was just a bit. Nobody could be certain to her body type and appearance.

—This little bit of exposure does gripe a man's heart, no? I understand the reason why Miss Saflloer's blog is so popular amongst the male readers. She definitely is the type that is shy and innocent, certainly a wonderful lady, one I cannot help but imagine. Ahh, but I really wish to meet Miss Saflloer in real life; it is causing my heart to race.

Hikaru narrowed his eyes slowly, his cheeks flushed.

(Goodness gracious, don't just date anyone without knowing how she looks like!)

And in his amazement, he arrived at the appointed shop.

The waitresses in the shop stood still, and nobody led him to a seat. Thus, he had no choice but to pick a random table to sit at.

The surrounding customers peeked at Koremitsu, pretending to be nonchalant.

Koremitsu clicked his tongue as he whispered.

"How about it, Hikaru? Anyone who looks like Saflloer here?"

Hikaru continued to float above Koremitsu's head, looking around.

"Hm...this is tough as there are a lot of girls. All of them are so cute..."

What off-topic stuff are you thinking about? As Koremitsu wondered, ‘Ah!’ , Hikaru exclaimed.

"You found Saflloer?"

"No, but I found someone more amazing."

(Someone amazing?)

"At the table with the houseplant there..."

Koremitsu turned over to stare, and was stupefied.

As it was a blind spot when he entered, he never noticed, but there was a male-female pair seated at the couple's seat.

The man was frowning hard, forming wrinkles on his noble-looking face, and the lady was an aloof-looking beauty–

(Ack, aren't they Tōjō and Saiga!?)

Why are those two here!?

Both of them were being so close, looking as if they deliberately chose to sit together like that. However, neither of them looked happy as they remained silent.

Asai was staring at the notepad computer, looking rather feeble. On the other hand, Tōjō's stare had never left the cellphone screen.

"Are Asa and Mr. Shungo actually dating...but those two do not seem like the type to develop relationships to such an extent. Asa always calls Mr. Shungo 'Mr. Shungo', something peers refer each other to. Mr. Shungo in turn does take care of both Asa and Miss Aoi since young, and the fact that Miss Aoi always complains to Asa first should be a dispute between them—"

Hikaru started analyzing things.

(Hey, stop using the term 'dating'. I can't imagine that!)

Just when cold sweat was trickling.

"Welcome. Please look at the menu."

A shy, stiff voice tickled Koremitsu's ears, and the most amazing person was standing in front of him.

"Aoi...!"

"Miss Aoi!"

The waitress was dressed in a neat uniform with a white frilly apron, her cheeks blushing. Standing in front of them was the princess who was formerly betrothed to Hikaru, Aoi Saotome.

The summer sunset shone upon the narrow, steep street, dyeing it a golden color—Aoi was dressed in her personal clothing as she walked out.

Once she spotted Koremitsu waiting for her outside, her face became red again as she slowly spoke,

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

Her black, silky hair was untied, swaying along with the wind.

"Oh..."

Koremitsu simply answered her as she lowered her head slightly, and they strolled down the street under the sunset.

(Great that Tōjō and Saiga went back first.)

Because of those two, he was able to walk alone with Aoi like this after her work.

It seemed they were very busy as they scuttled off soon after. Before he left, Tōjō even stared at Koremitsu for a little while.

"I have already arranged for a car to pick up Aoi. You do not have to send her home personally after her work is done. Also, no personal chatter when she is working."

He added those words with emphasis.

However, Koremitsu ignored Tōjō's words as he said to Aoi, who was serving him red tea.

"...Can we talk after you're done with work?"

He asked softly. Aoi's shoulders shivered in shock as she looked over at Koremitsu in surprise. She rushed back to the counter, and returned to Koremitsu with her face flushed, leaving a note on his table.

There was a neat line of words written on it,

"I am done with my work at 5. Can you please wait for me at the back door after that?"

After leaving the shop, Koremitsu whispered to Aoi, who was leaning her head towards him,

"Tōjō said that there's a car waiting for you. It's alright then, right?"

Aoi stammered as she walked on.

"Well...he is following us all this while."

"!"

Koremitsu turned around, and found a posh black car maintaining a distance of 10m away from them, slowly moving forward.

During this time, there appeared a ghost above his head, the sunset shining through his fringe. Koremitsu inadvertently placed his hand on his head.

"So-sorry about that. I did ask the driver to go back first, but he told me that he cannot do so. Well, after some negotiating, he did promise to not say anything about me going home with you to Big brother and Asa. I do not think Asa will begrudge you anymore. So, erm, about that behind us, please do not mind what is behind us."

There was no way Aoi could see Hikaru at all, but after hearing her say those words, Hikaru let out a moan and was pressing at his chest.

"Ah, you will still be distracted after all. Sorry, sorry about that."

"It's nothing..."

Koremitsu lowered his hand, and said with a bitter look.

"I'm already used to having others notice me, so it's fine. I think the driver's worried about your safety too, trying his best to be your bodyguard. It's quite a rarity, isn't it."

Ever since the incident with Kazuaki, it might not be a bad thing to be overly wary. Though it was difficult to mention such things to Aoi herself, she knew the significance behind those words. She however seemed confused about certain things, and lowered her head, saying,

"Yes...but I...I am too useless, always being protected by others..."

Her slender shoulders sagged weakly.

Hikaru too watched her worriedly. Upon seeing this, Koremitsu felt a slight aching in his chest.

The incident with Kazuaki probably left her with quite the shock.

"I suppose you started working part-time because of that."

Aoi closed her lips tightly.

After some silence, she answered with a soft yet determined voice.

"I do not think it is good to be as I am up till now. I have to be stronger...I must at least be someone who can settle my own matters. I want to be a person who is decisive and honest..."

She then lifted her face, and forced a smile.

"But I kept failing even till now. It is great that I made up my mind to go out to work. I now know that there are many things I do not know of, many things I cannot do. After that, I will learn to do things I have yet to learn, and try things I cannot do. I shall continue to work hard."

Koremitsu thought that Aoi was a princess who was innocent to the ways of the world, who would die if nobody reached their hands out to her and protect her. But at this point...

He looked back at Aoi with intense feelings.

So Aoi, who kept replying 'I am alright' at the end of every message to Koremitsu, was seriously thinking about this matter, and started to take action.

Upon thinking about it, he felt solace in his heart, a sweetness filling it.

"Amazing."

"I-it is not that great."

"No, you're already quite strong now, Aoi. I'll continue to support you."

"Thank you very much."

She clasped her hands in front of her chest, thanking him delightedly, before puffing her cheeks.

(Wh-what's the matter?)

Just when Koremitsu was feeling confused regarding her expression as she looked up at him,

"I wanted to see you again after I managed to improve myself, Mr. Akagi. I did not expect to meet you today."

She said remorsefully.

"I even told big brother Shungo not to say anything about it."

She grumbled, and shyly lifted her head, giving a demure look.

"But you came to the shop today, Mr. Akagi. We can chat like this on the way back, and I have you encouraging me."

As he watched the eyes that were staring right at him, Koremitsu recalled the girl that was his first love.

—I won't run away. You told me that, Akagi.

—This time, I will not run away. I am going to go for it.

The girl embarked on a journey to make herself stronger, like a feeble, fleeting light that seemed to flicker in the darkness in that instance.

—Thank you, I'm fine.

The memories of the farewell locked within his heart were being awakened, even the sight of his teary face, forcing a smile. His heart was filled with conflicted emotions.

"No, I guess I entered that shop as a coincidence..."

He endured the throbbing in his heart, and stammered.

Aoi got on the sedan at the fork under the sunset, and the driver gripped onto the steering wheel, leading her home.

It probably was going to rain. The wind was slightly heavy due to the humidity, and Hikaru combed his hair with his hand, saying calmly,

"Miss Aoi is slowly changing here...it is something really incredible, and I want to cheer her on, but..."

He remained silent, and revealed a faint smile,

"I do feel a little lonely after all."

There was sadness in the eyes that watched Aoi disappear into the distance.

Koremitsu could empathize with the loneliness Hikaru felt, for he watched Yū depart from him. To break the gloomy atmosphere, he spoke out loudly,

"Stop looking so bothered here. Don't we still have your wishes? Our schedule is messed up due to the shock of seeing Aoi there. We haven't found out who Saffron is; we're definitely going to find who that sunset blue princess is tomorrow!"

"A-argh, I can't believe it...! That cheating man!"

Once she reached home, 'Saffron' dashed straight to her room, threw her bag onto the bed, and yelled with her face flushed, the tip of nose buzzing.

She thought that the Polar Star was an unpopular herbivore, but she was utterly shocked to learn that he was a wild boy with red hair and a lupine glare, her heart nearly ceased.

What was more infuriating to her however was that he was supposed to meet her, the "Saffron', but was more concerned with the waitress in the shop.

That waitress had her dangling black hair tied to the back, and 'Saffron', watching by the sidelines, could tell that she had white delicate skin and a clear pair of eyes. She was a girl with such cuteness and beauty, she was practically a doll.

(B-but...even when he was ordering stuff, the eyes after that...never left her after that. Is that what it means to be love at first sight? Is my promise with him insignificant now? Have I been forgotten?)

That was not all.

That red-haired boy secretly whispered some words to the cute waitress when the latter served him some tea, causing her to blush, scamper off, and return to put a note on his table.

'Saffron' even saw him read the note on the table seriously.

(A-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-and after that, they even gave each other a few looks, did some hand signs...!)

Was he trying to woo her?

Speaking of which, the girl was actually preoccupied by such a gruff, wild boy. Did she have a beast fetish or something? She met up with the red-haired boy at the back door after their work was done, and went off with quite the amicable mood.

One had to wonder whether they knew each other as they kept a slight distance walking under the sunset, looking shy. 'Saffron' hid behind the signboard as she watched their back, her nose buzzing as she watched them leave.

In such a situation, her body would probably sizzle due to anger. Other than her ostensibly scorched nose, the typically docile 'Saffron' was frosted all over, probably due to the powerful air conditioning in the room.

Either way, she was not in a good mood.

"It-it's really unbelievable...is-is Mr. Polar Star that kind of person...!? Isn't Mr. Polar Star really a shut-in herbivore of a guy who backs away from girls and not dare approach them? Him, well, it's too much to call him a beast. The blue and white cap is too refreshing, doesn't fit him at all! I got bluffed!"

She groaned as she walked into a large room that was wide open.

(He sent me that message with so many meanings behind it, telling me that there's something he wishes to tell me, saying such cool things like 'no matter whether you are deep within the lush forests or the spacious grasslands, I will definitely find the amazing flower that is you.'"

"I really, really shouldn't have trusted him!"

After lashing out furiously, she calmed down, both mentally and physically.

She took the black seal coat on the bench, draped it over herself, and shivered.. It was summer, yet this chill was different from the usual. Leaving aside the fact that she was scared of the cold, she probably was feeling wintry due to the events that transpired on this day.

Her heart sank, and her body never warmed up in the slightest.

—XX had always been cute, huh?

Mr. Shūhei's voice rang at her ears.

Calm down. That steady voice said.

And then, the voice again repeated what Mr. Polar Star said back then.

—The name Mignon is given to a cute girl.

Her eyes were staring at the black seal coat, reaching out her clenched hands, spacing out as the lowered bangs nearly covered her face.

(I suppose Mr. Shūhei is the only one on this world who would call me cute after all...yes, with a nose like mine...)

She lowered her head dejectedly—

"N-never mind."

She then patted and lifted her face.

"H-h-h-h-h-h-he probably has no intention for seeing me. I won't be going tomorrow. Mr. Polar Star managed to woo someone; he pr-probably won't be coming back, I guess..."

The next day, Koremitsu arrived at the shop at 9am, right after the doors were opened. He picked a seat where he could spread his legs wide, sat down, and started observing the customers.

He did not have much time to spare, for he promised to bring Honoka and Shioriko to the pool in the afternoon.

There was a customer in the shop, seated by the toilet, reading the newspaper and rubbing her face from time to time. There was a girl reading a pocket novel at the wall, and a group of girls gossiping away regarding the latest fashion trends.

The customer reading the newspapers suddenly stood up, pulled the curtain, and returned to her seat, wiping her face. She was inadvertently tensed, probably due to a savage hound with a sharp glare in the shop. ‘This place specializes in tea and cake!’ ‘Eh? It's enjoyable, isn't it?’ Two girls were chatting away, about to enter, but were terrified upon seeing Koremitsu's eyes. ‘It-it's too crowded here. Let's change to another place, okay?’ ‘Y-yes, let's do so.’ they scampered off.

(Tch, I didn't come to this shop filled with sweets because I like it. A cup of red tea can't last me two hours.)

Whether it was 'Saffron' or 'Saflloer’, he just wanted to find the person whom Hikaru made a promise with, and end this matter.

"Hey, anything about Saffron?"

He continued to observe his surroundings as he whispered to Hikaru softly.

Hikaru was seated on the chair beside Koremitsu, watching the latter who wore a blue, white cap and a refreshing getup of white-based clothing. He even lifted the cup from the tea set (?) to pronounce the mood, "Hm, let me think." , he said, showing those sweet looking eyes.

"Miss Saflloer leaves all her laundry to a personal maid, and likes to collect all sorts of accessories, and really treasures them greatly, as far as I can tell from her blog. She even gave names to her earrings and necklaces. Such a cute girl, is she not? There was once where she bought a brooch she really liked from a bunch of sunstone accessories, and even after thinking hard about it, could never come up with a name for it, so she once asked me, 'Can you please help me out here, Mr. Polar Star'?"

It seemed Hikaru had given himself the online nickname Mr. Polar Star, abstaining from terms like harem prince, shining beauty and such.

"I called it Mignon. In French, it means cute. Miss Saflloer said that Mignon looks like it is smiling when placed on her chest, and cannot send me a photo due to embarrassment. She also said that since Mr. Polar Star came up with this name, she would treasure it well and wear it only on special occasions. I could not tell whether she was being deliberate, or she was innocently honest when she said that, but I felt a throbbing sensation."

(I can't use that as reference!)

It seemed this Saffron was certainly an airhead living in her own world, to give names to plants, and even her accessories. In contrast, Hikaru too was certainly another lost cause for being able to chat with her so amicably.

(Both of you are so alike. If you're able to continue talking with her like that, can you receive her electric signals or something? Also, stop asking for a photo of a girl's chest, you lecherous, frivolous prince!)

And all his enthusiasm had waned.

On one hand, he wanted to hurry and settle the matter here. On the other hand, he was overtly concerned by Aoi, moving about clumsily with the tea set tray in hand.

Aoi again had her hair tied up, and was dressed in a frilly white apron, her cheeks looking tense as she worked hard. As to be expected of a pampered princess, it was obvious that she was incompetent in such things, either toppling the tray or dropping the cups, sometimes even tripping over a few customers' feet. She was often lowering her head, apologizing.

(Eh, she's exerting too much strength in her shoulder, no? Her movements are still. Ah, she's too nervous trying to prevent the tea from pouring out of the cup; well, I can't say that I don't understand. You won't be able to watch your surroundings if you only look at the cups. Ah, damn it, her leg hit the chair. Argh, it hurts, right? That's why I say to look around—)

Aoi would space out at one moment, topple the cups at another, and scare the customers the next moment. During this time, Koremitsu's temples were throbbing.

At the same time, Tōjō, seated at the table with the houseplant, had his face covered with the cellphone, always reacting to Aoi's actions, standing and sitting down from time to time.

There was once where a male customer called Aoi over to make an order, and until she finished listening to the order, Aoi looked as if she would be killed if she did not do as he had asked.

On the other hand, Asai was seated at the table adjacent to Tōjō's, using the notebook computer. Unlike Tōjō however, she would turn her head around from time to time, not staring at Aoi intently, but watching on with a cold look of disdain. She seemed to ponder, and suddenly reached for the keyboard, typing at it furiously. It seemed from the frosty aura she was emitting means that she was not in a good mood.

(Saiga came to this shop just because she's worried about Aoi, huh?)

Saiga and Tōjō would whisper some words from time to time. Even so, they continued to look forward.

"It seems the Shimizus are joining the Roses. The lady amongst them has the bloodline of the 'right', and has close ties with the Roses."

Tōjō continued to pretend to twiddle with his cellphone as he whispered in a voice audible only for Asai to hear.

Typically, they would not be conversing in a place with so many people present. There was no reason for them to come to this shop just to dilly-dally. However, they both had the common view that Aoi was not to leave their sights, and having appointed themselves as Aoi's guardians, both of them came here to check on her work condition, and did not intend for them to be heard.

There rang an icy voice behind him.

"Even if the current master is a member of the Roses, and the eldest male is to marry the Higashihara that is part of the Roses...this will bring us lots of benefits."

"That may be the case, but the Wisterias are not to be cut off."

"..."

"If we reveal that at the perfect timing, it will be the decisive moment for this victory. The problem however is the attitude of the commander...what will happen if that happens."

"...I do not think...it will be a good thing...Kazuaki has yet to take action now, but it seems he is planning something."

"How can we give up here?"

"...We have a 50% chance of winning. But there will be a problem."

(Tōjō and Saiga are looking serious here. What are they talking about? Speaking of which, if they want to talk, why aren't they sitting together?)

Koremitsu watched the duo whisper amongst themselves, and beside him, Hikaru was looking ecstatic as he continued to reminisce his memories with Saffron, It got to a point where he was practically in a trance, dazzling as he spoke, like a prince from the Middle Ages.

"I think that Miss Saflloer is someone hidden amongst the thorns. That is the part that makes her most alluring."

"Thorns? Why talk about that?"

Koremitsu asked with a wry look, and Hikaru's eyes became gentler, clearer—his face showing a matured smile.

"Her words have some hidden thorns in them, I suppose. That sort of prickly feeling does make me excited."

"You're a pervert after all."

Koremitsu could only shrug his shoulders weakly.

(No, this guy's undoubtedly a pervert. I don't want to be discouraged by such a thing myself.)

"Speaking of which, what kinds of women do you think are weird?"

"Hm, this is a difficult one."

Just when Koremitsu thought that Hikaru was showing a serious look.

"All the girls in this shop are really cute. You see the rightmost girl amongst that group of high school girls? The vigorous girl dressed in the sunflower yellow T-shirt—that girl is called Kae, and I heard she is trying to diet using chocolate. It is a method to eat 200g of dark chocolate when having a meal. The pink Primula like girl with the cute round face is called Miyanon by everyone, and she only tries a new hairstyle, dye her hair during the summer vacation. The girl opposite her with the fluttering tunic, that Eustoma-ike girl has a devoted crush on Mr. Mitamura from her class, and wants to invite him out to the fireworks festival next week. She is asking everyone else for help—"

(...This guy is really...)

Koremitsu tried to restrain himself from throwing the cup on the table as best as he could.

"Every single flower has its own charisma. I suppose I should listen in on everyone's mail addresses here, and investigate them thoroughly."

"Hey, I'm not here to woo a girl. Start looking for her seriously."

Koremitsu was clenching his fists as he said, and Hikaru grinned, excusing himself with a sweet, gentle voice.

"But I am looking. If I can listen in on the girls' conversation, that is a form of information collecting, no?"

"That just your own personal interests, you Casanova of a ghost."

"How rude. I am observing them while pondering about who Miss Saflloer is right now. For example, that intellectual looking girl seated at the wall with the clear eyes just peeked at you, Koremitsu. Ah, you see?"

(The wall...?)

He turned over to that direction, and as Hikaru had said, the girl reading the pocket novel at the wall was staring at Koremitsu with clear ears.

She had long flowing black hair that reached her shoulders, was dressed in a white blouse, and gave a similar impression to the gaze in her eyes, one full of calmness. Once her eyes met Koremitsu's she averted them naturally, reading her pocket novel again.

"That Tolstoy's collection of Poems is an original copy. It is simply amazing that she is able to read Russian without the need of a dictionary. She had been drinking Mint Tea both today and yesterday. It really gives her a Miss Mint type of impression that matches her image really well."

Hikaru noted jubilantly.

Never mind. Ever since he entered the shop, Hikaru had been lively and cheery while looking for 'Saffron'.

(This guy really likes women.)

But in contrast, Koremitsu was somewhat intrigued by the fact that the girl peeked at him. He looked over, and got ready to get up.

"!"

The maid who came up to refill his water was terrified, and covered her face by raising the pot filled with water.

(Eh?)

What? Did I do something to her?

"D-do you need some ice water?"

The waitress asked with a shrill voice, one so unnatural one had to wonder how it happened.

The pot was still covering her face, guarding it at all costs.

"A-ahh, yeah, thanks."

Koremitsu felt that there was a hitch, but answered as such.

"Pl-please enjoy yourself. Ohoho."

And once the water was poured, she scampered off with the pot covering her face.

"What exactly is going on here?"

It was common for him to be feared and shunned by the girls. But this was too straightforward, no?

"I am a customer here after all."

Koremitsu muttered.

"I am sure she must have been touched by your wild charms."

Hikaru advised. However, such an innocent smile and wink had the opposite effect of draining him.

(Whose fault is it that I ended up like this?)

"Ah, goodness, I feel like I'm been hated here."</span

In such a relaxed atmosphere, surely there was no way a wild beast could linger here?

"Hey, Hikaru, tell me Saffron's mail address. I'll just contact her directly. Given that it is you, you would have memorized a girl's mail address, right?"

"Eh, y-yes."

Hikaru was observing the girls with his hands on his hips, or rather, affirming who the real girl was, perhaps? Once he heard Koremitsu's unsentimental words and saw the latter fish out his cellphone with a serious look, he slowly recited Saffron's mail address.

Koremitsu started to input the words.

"Hey, you're here, right? Stop wasting my time and hurry over here."

He typed out such a message, and pressed the send button.

"Wa-wait a moment, Koremitsu? A girl will not come over here if such a violent message is sent to her. You have to be more romantic, more elegant in your wordings, like for example, 'the evening mist had yet to fade, and you are a little unkind. My heart shall gain peace when the rain falls. Can you let this pitiful me see your gentle self?', something like that—did I not give you such a lecture regarding Yū?"

"Shut up. It's not raining right now. A little intimidation is required to make such a troublesome woman appear!"

"Ahh, my image..."

'Saffron' was confused

You got to be kidding! He came back!

Soon after opening the door, a wild hound-like boy with red hair, wearing a blue-white cap, was seated in the shop, observing the incoming customers.

(Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-why? Hasn't he lost interest in 'Saffron'?)

Is he targeting that cute doll-like waitress this time?

Certainly this seemed to be the case, he must have been here for her. However, why did he wear the blue-white cap that was meant to see 'Saffron', and even glaring at the entering customers with such a look?

He seemed like a police superintendent observing every nook and cranny left behind at the scene of the crime. No, he seemed more like a bandit ready to commit a robbery.

(It feels like he's very frustrated. He's also muttering alone to himself. It-it-it-it-it-it-it's scary!)

Once she saw that he was noticing him, 'Saffron's heart practically ceased at that instant.

The red-haired savage raised his eyebrows, his temples twitching, and muttered to himself again as he fished out his cellphone.

Soon after.

'Saffron's cellphone vibrated.

"!"

She received an anonymous message.

The sender was Mr. Polar Star.!

Her nose was itchy, and she opened this message with her trembling fingers.

"Hey, you're here, right? Stop wasting my time and hurry over here."

(He-he-he-he's actually fuming. He-he's definitely angry now!)

What should she do? If she were to appear using her identity as 'Saffron', she would definitely be robbed of all the valuables she had, be threatened with something like 'this isn't enough', and might even be dumped onto a fishing boat.

(Ca-ca-calm down. How can 'Saffron' reply now under such a situation? Right, calm down. It's fine. 'Saffron' is a love expert. If I continue to shudder, that wild beast will notice that I am 'Saffron'.)

She quickly replied.

"I certainly am here, and I can clearly see that unhappy look of yours as you stare at the screen. The blue-white cap over that red hair of yours certainly is eye-catching, but is a mismatch for that refreshing feeling, no?"

There was a reply from 'Saffron' !

Koremitsu widened his eyes in shock, and stared at the cellphone screen.

Hikaru too peeked in from the side.

"Ugh, what does she mean that I don't match that refreshing look? What mismatch? Such a busybody."

Koremitsu curled his lips to a frown.

But there was no doubt 'Saffron' was in the shop.

(Which once is she?)

He had already looked through everyone present once.

There was a person fiddling her cellphone amongst the chatty group of high school girls.

(Is that her?)

"Look, this is the newest video of my Mr. Lucky! He's really amazing, right?"

"Wow, he's biting the frisbee and twisting his waist. Lucky is really amazing."

"His tail is wagging, right?"

"Let's upload it onto a video site, Kae. Call it the 'waist twisting Tanuki'!"

So that Lucky was a Tanuki after all!? Not a dog!? Can Tanukis' be raised in the residential area!?

Koremitsu retorted in his heart.

He gritted his teeth, letting out a grinding sound, his shoulders trembling as he suppressed his fury. The customer reading the newspaper was probably terrified by such a scene as she opened the papers wide, shut the blinders, and wiped her face with a hand towel.

Not too far away from her was the suspicious waitress who served him cold water. She seemed to be up to something.

"Miss Sueko."

Another waitress called her, startling her in the process.

"I-I-I-I-I'll get going!"

She answered shrilly, and strut sideways to the counter like a crab.

She even looked around tensely.

The girl reading the original edition of Tolstoy's book at the wall was holding the cellphone in her slender fingers, staring at the screen calmly.

That girl lifted her stare from the screen, and looked over at Koremitsu.

It was a direct, refreshing expression.

"It seems Miss Mint just looked at her phone."

Hikaru muttered.

Koremitsu too leaned forward.

The girl immediately looked away from Koremitsu, closed her cellphone, and continued reading her phone, leaving the frosty sidelong face to be seen.

(Is that Saffron?)

Koremitsu watched the black hair that draped to her shoulders, the white face and the refreshing sidelong look, and was about to get up.

"Big brother Koremitsu!"

A cute voice resounded, and a pretty girl with twintails and a floral hairclip came scampering over to him, her twintails swaying in the air. She had a large vinyl bag hanging from her shoulders and a green pochette swaying about.

"Oh, Shiiko."

After the radio exercise was over in the morning, Shioriko finished the dodgeball practice for the annual district tournament .

"Ahh, seriously. Why do they have to get the elementary school kids to take part in some dodgeball tournament when it's the hottest time in the summer? The 4 th and 5 th graders are even forced to take part; even if it's because of declining birth rates or a severe lack of participants, it's tyranny!"

She had been grumbling ever since she left the house.

"But well, if it's today, we're going to the pool later."

However, her mood improved immediately.

"See you later then, big brother!"

And then, she ran off with fervor, waving her hand.

Koremitsu was supposed to meet Honoka and Shioriko outdoors after the dodgeball practice was over, but Shioriko was cuddling Koremitsu by his neck, sitting on his lap, giving a blissful chuckle as she said,

"Heh heh, I couldn't wait, so I came by here."

"Ack, don't hug me here, and stop sitting on my lap! That's rude!"

All the stares in the shop were focused on Koremitsu.

None of them had the 'this sibling relationship really is really a great thing' thought, for all they saw was a lecherous psychopath who seduced a young little girl.

Tōjō and Saiga, whispering amongst themselves, were also left speechless as they stared at Koremitsu coldly. Aoi, serving tea earnestly, widened her eyes, and then fidgeted, recalling that she should not be distracted.

The waitresses and customers were all giving him conflicted looks.

"This is terrible, everyone is looking over here, Koremitsu! Shiiko is just too cute after all!"

Hikaru chimed in zealously, like a foolish big brother going off point.

(What? What? A loli? That's a loli, right?)

The twintail black-haired girl that seemed to pop out from a pretty girl anime was sitting on the beast's lap, fawning at it as it cradled his neck.

She clearly was an elementary school student. It was a kissy-missy with the doll-like waitress the previous day, and now an elementary school girl on this today

Speaking of which, when they were talking about herbs, Mr. Polar Star did mention that the Chamomile was cute like the pure girls, and talked about wanting to twist the cheeks of Miss Saflloer's Miss Milfie like a little girl's silky skin. Clearly this fitted the description...

(Is-is that his true nature? Is Mr. Polar Star a lolicon!?)

### 003. Chapter 3: You Don't Do Goin' to the Pool with Women!

The meeting place was near the pool entrance.

Shioriko latched her milky white arm around Koremitsu's, probably due to the excitement at the prospect of going to the pool.

This aspect however clearly highlighted her innocence and cuteness as a child.

"Listen up, don't sit on my lap when in the middle of the public."

"Got it."

She answered obediently.

Honoka was the first to arrive, and was waiting for Koremitsu's group. This was the second time he saw her dressed in casual wear, but on this day, she was dressed in a sleeveless summer knit and a slim pair of pants. The ridiculously large earrings and pendant matched the brilliant summer, and her great figure, coupled with the long, refined legs, made her resemble a fashion model.

After seeing Shioriko latch onto Koremitsu's arm by the side, Honoka narrowed her eyes, her lips sharp.

"Hello, Shiiko."

A forced smile appeared on Honoka's lips.

"Hello, Miss Shikibu."

Shioriko in turn replied with a radiant smile.

It was practically a recreation of the events two days ago, though both of them looked courteous on the surface, there was a frosty atmosphere beneath, and Koremitsu inadvertently let out cold sweat as he watched on.

"S-s-s-s-sorry for being late!"

And the bespectacled class representative with braids ran over to them, huffing and puffing like a goldfish.

"I had something going on, so, erm, I left my house late."

She stopped abruptly in front of Koremitsu and the rest, adjusted the glasses on her nose bridge, and readjusted her breathing.

(Why is this girl here too!?)

Honoka responded to Koremitsu's skepticism.

"Michiru was invited by me. Thanks for you help, Michiru, even though you're really busy there."

"No, I just didn't have that many important things to do today."

While Michiru continued to catch her breath, Honoka whispered to her,

"I'll leave you with what I requested yesterday."

"Y-yes."

Michiru nodded seriously.

"Hey, what are you talking about?"

"Big brother Koremitsu, they seem to be whispering something. Let's go in together."

Shioriko tugged at Koremitsu's arm, ready to pull him.

At this moment, Honoka stood in front of them immediately.

"How thoughtful of you, Shiiko. I'm done with what I had to say though."

And then, she pulled Shioriko's milky white arm over.

"Now then, big brother Koremitsu here can't enter the girls changing room. Big sister Honoka will lead you in now."

"Eh, wait, I can walk this far myself. Ahh, big brother Koremitsu~~~~~~!!"

Koremitsu was dumbfounded as he watched Shioriko get dragged away by Honoka, one step at a time.

And so, Honoka dragged Shioriko through the gate.

"See you later then, Akagi."

"Y-yeah, I'll leave Shiiko to you."

"Wait, don't treat me like a kid!"

Michiru followed Honoka quietly from behind. On a closer look, she was dressed in school uniform even though it was the summer.

"Alright, time for us to go to the changing room and change, I guess. Wait, Hikaru, you don't have to change clothes."

Koremitsu whispered, and in turn, Hikaru's face was dazzling.

"Of course not. I have to get changed too! Get changed! Get changed, you know!"

And he was yelling excitedly like a child.

"Tch, you really want to go to wear trunks, huh?"

"This is the first time I am going to the pool with everyone! I often go to the hotel pools alone with another girl to play, but this is my first time going to a common pool. My heart is throbbing at this first experience."

(Sorry for only being able to go to a commoners' pool.)

Koremitsu's temples were throbbing.

And so, Hikaru changed clothes about 7 times in the men's changing room.

"Look? I can see the underpants logo under these surf pants! Is it not cool? Or is this pair of mesh better? Looky look, Koremitsu, have a look at these. Which is the best?"

Koremitsu turned his back on his friend as he silently changed his clothes.

(You are at the same level as Shiiko and Shikibu.)

He thought.

Even at the poolside, Hikaru's was grinning from ear to ear..

"Wow, this place is really crowded! So this is how a commoner's pool look during the summer vacation!"

Hikaru stared at the pool that was filled with customers, and looked over at the customers waiting to ride the slide, looking impressed.

After much contemplation, he picked a refreshing pair of pool pants that glittered as brightly as his marble white skin.

During their first encounter, Koremitsu assumed that Hikaru was a female, and after the androgynous Hikaru removed his clothes,

(This guy's a male after all.)

Koremitsu could not help but think about this.

No matter how silky white his skin was, how slender and refined his limbs, his skeletal structure betrayed the fact that he was male, and not female.

Hikaru himself was not typically particular about his body frame, but after seeing Koremitsu's chest, he pouted, moved towards Koremitsu, and compared their arms.

"Eh, my arms are not muscular after all. My arms are as thick as yours, Koremitsu, but your arms look really sturdy and firm."

He muttered.

"I may look like this now, but I did do push-ups every night when I was alive."

"Maybe it's due to the body types. Either way, it would be scary if you had such a pretty face and muscles all over your body."

"But it would have been great if there is something that can make me more manly, something that can make my body frame sturdier. If that happened, I will not have conversations like 'your arms are thinner than mine, how depressing'. There was once where that girl told me 'let us meet when my waist is 2cm thinner and yours is 2cm thicker.', and she put on the clothes she took off before leaving. She already bathed too. I thought that voluptuous body of hers was her charm. Girls really are hard to understand, no?"

"Seriously, stop worrying about such things."

While he interrupted this completely foolish worry, Honoka and the others, having changed their clothes, finally appeared.

"Big brother Koremitsu~"

"Kept you waiting, Akagi."

"E-erm, sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Akagi. Ooo, are you angry?"

"Wow."

Hikaru in turn exclaimed in amazement.

Shioriko was dressed in a white separate swimsuit with ribbon and flower decorations, coupled with flower-like frills surrounding the waist.

Honoka was dressed in a purple bikini with matching black trims that emphasized a mature vibe.

"This is really amazing, really amazing! Shiiko is like a snowy white Moth Orchid! The frills seem to be fluttering! White does suit Shiiko best after all. The tender milky skin is a perfect match for the white swimsuit, really too dazzling. Miss Shikibu's bikini is really bold and sexy! The waist and spaghetti straps really emphasize her figure greatly, really a striking sight. Miss Shikibu today is the Purple First Lady. Those slender legs of hers can beat those of Miss Universe!"

Hikaru narrowed his eyes to a seem, heaping effervescent praises of the the pair's swimsuits.

"Hurry and say something too, Koremitsu."

(Wait, you want this me to say something like Moth Orchid, Miss Universe?)

Koremitsu felt that something was stuck in his throat.

Honoka pouted her lips shyly, and Shioriko was bashfully staring at Koremitsu.

"Ho-how's my swimsuit?"

"Big brother, this swimsuit you bought for me, does it suit me?"

"I bought my swimsuit using money earned from my part-time job. How does it look on me, Akagi?"

"Shiiko here picked this to be a little sister worthy of you, big brother. This one's fine, right?"

"I-I suppose you'll be embarrassed about having to pick such a childish swimsuit, right, Akagi? This time, I decided to be different and pick a swimsuit that's more daring and mature looking than before."

"But you won't dare wear such a flirtatious swimsuit like now when you're older. It's better to wear something suitable now."

There brewed a tense atmosphere between Honoka and Shioriko.

And Koremitsu interrupted them.

"Th-they're both good, right? Shikibu's great, and so is Shiiko's. That...braid hair class representative's good too."

He uttered out such words awkwardly.

Both Honoka and Shioriko turned their heads aside.

"Eh? Are you talking about me?"

Michiru pointed at herself, shocked.

"..."

Honoka and Shioriko stared right at the swimsuit Michiru was wearing.

A deep-colored school swimsuit.

The most ordinary type of swimsuit worn during school swimming classes, to boot.

For Koremitsu, he could not simply praise Honoka and Shioriko wholeheartedly while ignoring the class representative with braided hair. Though both of them realized this fact, they could not help but bemoan.

"Are you a school swimsuit fanatic, Akagi?"

"Uu, I thought nobody would be wearing such school swimsuits. Is this a tactical failure?"

Why would both of them look so downhearted, giving Koremitsu conflicted looks of condescension and disappointment?

(What's with these eyes...didn't I praise them, saying that they're fine.)

"This is unexpected, Koremitsu. I thought school swimsuits are simply a representation of nostalgia."

Hikaru nodded as if he was a neutral party amidst all of these.

"Damn it, you girls better warm up before you enter the pool."

After saying such words, he started stretching his limbs, warming himself up.

However, he should not have raised his eyebrows at this moment, for the surrounding people gradually scattered, mistaking him for a delinquent.

"A-as-as-as-as expected of you, Mr. Akagi! Everyone's afraid of you! The once crowded pool is now completely spacious."

Michiru tried her best to console Koremitsu, but the latter felt a prickly feeling in his heart.

"Big brother, this pool slide looks really tall and steep, shocking and very thrilling. Let's go for it!"

Having recovered from her shock over the school swimsuit, Shioriko reached her little hand for Koremitsu's, and was about to walk off.

At this moment,

"Sh-Shiiko!!!!! I'll bring you there as a class rep!"

Michiru grabbed Shioriko by the elbow.

"E-erm, I want to try the slide there too. A-and, I want to know you better."

"B-but I wanna play with big brother!"

"Yes, yes, speaking of which, Michiru's dream is to be a kindergarten teacher! Just leave Shiiko to Michiru, Akagi. Let's go to the adult pool over there. The children's pool is too shallow that I can't spread my limbs wide. I'll leave Shiiko to you, Michiru."

Honoka shot Michiru a look, and the latter nodded firmly with all her might,

"Yes, I understand, Hono."

"Alright now, Akagi, this way."

Honoka suddenly looked a lot cheerier as she pat her hands upon Koremitsu's back, pushing him to the adult pool.

"Ah, wait!"

"Hold it!"

Shioriko shook Michiru's arm off.

"If you're going to the adult pool, big brother, I'm coming too."

"Sorry, but elementary school students have to use the children pool, Shiiko. If you want to use the adult pool, you have to grow another 30cm taller."

Honoka puffed her chest that was covered by the bikini, bragging haughtily.

Shioriko paused,

"My swimming skills are such that nobody can claim to be better. I can swim leisurely for 5km; I can hold my breath underwater for 3 minutes."

"Wow, amazing, amazing. But this has nothing to do with how long you can hold your breath underwater. It is dangerous for a kid to enter the adult pool when the feet can't touch the floor. You might even get called out of the pool by the lifeguard."

"Th-that's right, Shiiko. So you'll be playing with me at the kid's pool. If Mr. Akagi is to enter the kids pool, the other kids will be terrified to tears. It's better for him to use the adult pool with Hono."

"Yes, leave Akagi to me. I'll watch~ him good so that he won't do anything to girls in school swimsuits."

"Hey! Am I a pervert!?"

"Big brother, I want to be with you."

Shioriko hugged Koremitsu's waist, and lifted her head.

It was normal for Shioriko to do this. However, it was a different feeling having direct skin contact.

(Woah, it's itchy here. Hey!)

He felt ticklish on the belly, and nearly jumped due to the itchiness.

Honoka's eyes broke into a glare.

"Akagi, if you're going to stick with Shiiko so closely, you'll be mistaken for a lolicon again!"

"Shiiko, there's less people at the slide!"

"Big brother, even if the lifeguard comes to threaten me, I want to use the adult pool with you."

"Alright, all of you, just shut up for once!"

Koremitsu bellowed.

Honoka and the rest were shocked.

"Shiiko, you still can't use the adult pool now. No matter how good your swimming is, you have to obey the rules here."

"Ehhh!?"

"You just said something cool just now, Akagi! That's right. Rules are important, Shiiko!"

"Shiiko, I-I'll go play with you."

"And I'll go to the kids pool."

"Eh, wai—Akagi."

"Now there's no problem, right, Shiiko?"

Shioriko, who was looking glum before this, broke into a radiant smile immediately.

"Right, big brother."

And so, both Honoka and Michiru lowered their heads.

"Sorry to disturb you. Shiiko here will go play with big brother at the kids pool. Please go to the adult pool and try something exciting. Ah, you might want to find guys to date."

"—!! I-I don't have any interest in dating! I guess it's a good thing to go to the kids pool and experience some childhood memories."

"Th-th-that's right, Hono. I-I just remembered that I can't swim either! I-I guess it's better to go to a pool where my legs can touch the floor."

"I want to go wading too!"

Hikaru's eyes were dazzling abnormally as he said this. You're so pumped up in the changing room just now. Are you really glad to be at a commoner's pool?

In the end, the four people and one ghost head off to the flowing pool for children

Hikaru looked completely delighted as he looked around, and could not help but blurt out things like ‘that mother is wearing a swimsuit a child can play in. This is such a heartwarming sight!’

And upon seeing that unfettered smile

(Speaking of which, this is the first time I'm going to the pool with others.)

His heart raced as he suddenly felt tense.

Right, he was always feared by others at school, with nobody he could call a friend. He never entered the water other than the school pool. Regarding this pool, his excitement at going to the pool with others was the same as Hikaru's.

I see, this is the first place I'm entering the pool outside class. I'm not lonely either.

With an aberrant anticipation, they arrived at the flowing pool.

(Wow, the water in the pool is flowing. Amazing.)

Koremitsu sat beside the pool, placed his legs in the water, and was shocked when he felt the moving currents flowing to the side.

He entered the water, and it reached his waist. There was a levitating feeling at his waist, and he floated up comfortably.

(Wow, I'm moving. I'm really moving.)

(My legs are floating. It feels flurry.)

(So this is a flowing pool.)

"Koremitsu, there are many girls in swimsuits here. It feels like I have entered a fireworks parade, every single one of them looks cute. Ah, that girl's shoulder strap dropped. And she tied it up now. That bashful smile of hers is really cute, really alluring."

(Wow, even if I don't move my arms, I can continue to move forward.)

"Ahaha, this is really interesting, huh Koremitsu?"

"Yeah."

Koremitsu quickly responded to Hikaru's question, and the two men continued to enjoy the flowing pool.

"Uu, I finally picked a mature looking swimsuit, and Akagi has no interest in it at all. Would it be different if I wore a school swimsuit instead? Speaking of which, what's with him? Leaving the girls aside to enjoy himself alone? Is he going to ignore any girl who doesn't wear a school swimsuit?"

"Sorry for being unable to help in any way, Hono. I really shouldn't have worn the school swimsuit here. I don't have a slim figure like yours, Hono. A bikini would have looked bad on me."

Michiru closed her eyes as she lowered her head and apologized, her glasses covered with water droplets.

"That's not true. You'll definitely look cute if you spend the effort dolling yourself up. Doesn't that orange checkered swimsuit fit you well?"

"But the excess fat on my tummy is too obvious. Anything you wear will look good on you, Hono..."

"Seriously, you're too low on self-esteem, Michiru. You should try such things during the summer vacation. Right, it's decided. To thank you for today, let's go to the salon next week. Next, try changing your image."

"Ehh, isn't that...ahh, Hono! Shiiko's headed towards Mr. Akagi!"

"Ehh!?"

"Big brother, carry me!"

"Woah!"

With the weight suddenly added upon his back, Koremitsu's head dipped into the water.

"Hehe, it's like a tortoise parent and child."

Shioriko climbed upon Koremitsu's back, giggling away.

Her wet swimsuit was sticking tightly onto his back.

"Ah, you are really cute, Shiiko. Just like an angel. No, you are an angel."

Hikaru poked his head from the water surface, looking blissful.

"Hey, Shiiko, it's dangerous!"

"That's it, keep swimming!"

"I'm not a dolphin!"

"Ne, ne, this is Shiiko's request. Shiiko here will forgive you for leaving her alone in the future if you do this."

"A-alright."

And so, Koremitsu continued to carry Shioriko as he trudged forward.

"Wah~ I'm so happy~"

Shioriko in turn was buzzing away.

"I always dreamt on riding on a Great Pyreness or a Siberian Husky."

"Am I a dog here!?"

Koremitsu grumbled.

"How great this is, Shiiko. I want to ride too~"

And Hikaru, swimming (?) beside them, looked envious.

(Scram, you idiot.)

"Okay, getting on!"

Hikaru floated from the water and leaned on Koremitsu's back, looking like he was embracing Shioriko from behind.

But even so, he ended up passing through Koremitsu, only barely managing to maintain contact with the latter. Perhaps he liked this kind of fake riding (?).

"Waah, the Limited Express Koremitsu!"

(Hurry up and get off me, you ghost!)

Koremitsu grumbled quietly as he flailed about.

(Waaahhh. What are you two doing––––––––––-!!!??)

Honoka continued to whip up splashes with her hands as she saw Koremitsu carry a pretty elementary school girl, swimming through.

(Even though Shiiko is a pretty girl, and Akagi treasures her really well like a true little sister, he is really doting on her too much.)

The promise to go to the pool was only between the two of them.

Is this a date after all? Why am I feeling frustrated, spinning on the swivel chair alone in my room when summer vacation just started.

—I don't want to go dating with Akagi.

—Akagi probably feels bored because he has no friends to ask out during the summer holidays. I'm just going out with him out of kindness.

Why was it, that when she talked about him, her face sizzles?

—I might be able to use this opportunity to build my relationship with Akagi better.

Amongst other things, this was one thing she had been secretly wishing for.

Koremitsu however would not contact her no matter what. Well, it's to be expected, Akagi has never asked a girl out before, and he won't spend much thought on it anyway. This is bad of you, Akagi. What would have happened to you without this love expert in me leading you? Her face blushing, she dialed Koremitsu's phone.

And so, what was supposed to be a promise to go to the pool ended up with an elementary school kid popping in.

—Understood! I-I'll go to the pool with you and Akagi as your guardian, Shiiko!

She yelled for some reason.

Upon recalling about it, she realized she had fallen completely into Shioriko's trap.

Back then, Shiiko was still distraught, going through the pain and loneliness of losing her kin, and it was to be expected that she wanted to play with her big brother. Besides, Honoka did think of wanting to build a good relationship with her as she was the little sister.

But at the swimsuit counter at the department store, the naive thinking she had before this went up in smokes once she faced off against the real Shioriko.

She had already heard that the girl was a real beauty, and even from the little photo with the black censor bar over the eyes, she could tell that Shioriko's cuteness was outstanding.

The wonderful, silky hair was devoid of any split ends, that innocent expression of hers, the milky white skin, the rosy cheeks, the alluring pink lips that were glossy even without lipstick. Though the girl was underaged, her limbs were slender, to the point of seductiveness. She was dressed in a long skirt covering her knees, and she lifted her head up.

I have never seen such a cute kid before.

Is that an angel?

A pixie?

The angel-like, pixie-like pretty girl latched her slender arm onto Koremitsu's, ostensibly declaring to others that Koremitsu was her belonging, giggling away at Honoka. At that instance, Honoka understood her intent.

This kid is dangerous!

She was warding off Honoka, standing in front of her, letting Honoka know that the latter was the obstacle between her and her big brother Koremitsu.

Stop kidding with me! Even if she's a pretty girl who can be heads and tails above the rest in a contest, I can't possibly lose to a kid with flat chest and hasn't reached puberty yet! —Upon thinking about this, she undid the pareo, and got into battle mode.

She was really yearning for the pool date on this day, with the unyielding mentality.

She requested Michiru to assist her and get Shioriko away from Koremitsu.

—If-if you really wish for it, Hono, I-I'll be willing to do anything. Why do you want to take Shiiko away though? A-a-a-a-and when did you ask Mr. Akagi out to the pool? Even choosing a swimsuit with such deliberation. Are you intending to show it to Mr. Akagi? Hono, so you do have...!

Michiru widened her eyes under the glasses.

—Th-that's not it! I want to get Shiiko away from Akagi to control his lolicon tendencies! You see, didn't Akagi create a commotion back then because he was a lolicon? If such rumors continue to persist, the Japanese Dance Club he finally managed to join might be forced to shut down. If there's such a criminal in your class, you'll be troubled as the class rep, right? Michiru?

—Y-yes! I understand! I'll help you to stop Mr. Akagi from going on the criminal path of being a lolicon, Hono!

She got an affirmative response.

And after that, once Honoka's target Koremitsu saw the swimsuit, he muttered to himself for a while, and finally said,

"Shikibu's great."

But there was the sudden doubt that he was a fanatic for school swimsuits.

And in the end, because she got careless, Shioriko clung onto Koremitsu.

Honoka was positioned such that she could not see Koremitsu's expression from the front, but after seeing Shioriko gleefully playing on his back, Honoka could only think that Koremitsu was the same.

(Is-is it that Akagi's feeling shy because Shiiko's on him? Ahh no, I don't want to see Akagi looking all lecherous!)

What to do?

If she did not hurry, she as the Purple Princess would fail to live up to the title of the love expert that gave lots of advice to girls skeptical over their love.

"How about you do the same thing as Shiiko, Miss Shikibu?"

"Eh, how can I possibly do such a thing? –ACK!"

Honoka was startled due to a voice that should not be present. A short-haired boyish girl was leering at her.

"Oumi! Why are you here!?"

"Wah, Miss Oumi...!?"

Michiru held her glasses with both hands.

Why would Hiina Oumi of the news club be here?

(Does she know that I'm here to swim with Akagi? Or is this a coincidence?)

She pondered as she stared at Hiina's breasts.

Leaving aside her appearance, the massive humps wrapped under the refreshing green bikini were round like melons.

No, it would be more accurately to say that the bikini was about to burst out, or ripped apart at least.It felt like thin green clothes covering the most exposed areas.

Whenever Hiina moved her body slightly, the two lustrous round melons would dangle left and right.

And Honoka's eyes followed them.

(A-amazing. They aren't that obvious when she wears the school uniform, but I never expected them to be this big. Akagi said that he likes big breasts himself; if my breasts can develop to such an extent...)

"Miss Shikibu?"

After having her name called, she finally recovered.

She lifted her head, and stared at Hiina.

"What are you doing here, Oumi? Are you here to interview Akagi? I won't forgive you if you make a report about the lolicon delinquent king playing with an elementary school kid."

Hiina in return gave a boyish smile.

"You're so cool protecting Mr. Akagi like this, Miss Shikibu~ Aren't you quite the gallant one~ I can feel those feelings of yours~ if you wish for your feelings to reach Mr. Akagi, I shall do my best."

"Mind your own business."

"The way you blush and say this is really alluring~. If you go to Mr. Akagi, say 'Akagi, you've been taking care of Shiiko like this. Come play with me too' and hug him, you'll definitely succeed."

She said that spiel of words in one go.

"I-I won't do such a thing! I-I'm not an elementary school kid!"

If it was Shioriko, she could hug Koremitsu while maintaining an innocent look. If Honoka, as a high school student, was to do the same thing, Koremitsu definitely would be shocked, to say the least.

(B-but...if I don't do this much at least, that dimwitted Akagi won't treat me as someone of the opposite gender...)

But it was impossible. Definitely impossible for her.

No, no, no!

Honoka shook her head.

"If an elementary school kid can do it, why can't a big sister high school student who has finished puberty? Here, let me demonstrate."

"Eh, wait, Oumi?"

Hiina stood up, and sneaked upon Koremitsu.

"Ho-Hono!"

Honoka hurriedly pursued Hiina, and Michiru in turn followed them.

"Mr. Akagi~~~!!!"

Hiina grabbed Koremitsu's legs from behind.

"Warugh!"

As his legs were suddenly grabbed, Koremitsu fell into the water.

Shioriko too lost her balance and tumbled to the left. This too messed up Koremitsu's balance, and with weights on his back and waist, Koremitsu sank further.

"Big brother!"

"Mr. Akagi!'

The flustered voice gradually distanced.

"Wah, Koremitsu!"

Hikaru too exclaimed.

Koremitsu floated to the surface, and coughed hard as he choked on some water.

"Fuwah, ack ack. O-Oumi!?"

"Ahh, you look like you're still suffering. This can't do! Let me give you some CPR!"

Hiina closed her eyes, raised her lips, and closed in on Koremitsu's lips lecherously.

"You idiot, leave me!"

And after saying that, he pushed Hiina away.

"Why are you here!?"

"Ahh, why is it that when everyone looks at my face and give me such annoyed looks, telling me 'why are you here!?'. It is depressing."

Now that she had mentioned this, Koremitsu, who was usually shunned by others, felt a sense of guilt.

However.

"Well, it is a given that I am concerned by such things. Once I notice the stares around me, I won't be able to get things for the latest scoop. That's why I came here out of my own curiosity!"

"Wah!"

Hiina spread her arms wide and hugged Koremitsu.

Her large breasts were pressing onto his chest.

"!"

Shioriko gasped upon seeing the abnormally large volume of the springy breasts.

Hikaru too was effervescent in his praises,

"Miss Oumi today is like the pitcher plant or the Albany pitcher plant."

Aren't those carnivorous plants!?

"Hey, let go of me!"

The bouncy feeling pressing on his abdomen was really a bad thing to him.

"It is a rare time that we're at the pool. Let us fully feel each other's presence~"

"A pool isn't a place for such public lewd acts!" Koremitsu yelled.

If he were to push her off hard, her swimsuit might end up being ripped off. Thus, he did not dare to use all his might.

Shioriko in turn tugged at Hiina from behind,

"What are you doing to Shiiko's big brother!"

And later, Honoka caught up to them.

"Oumi, what are you trying to do! Let go of Akagi!"

While Koremitsu and Hiina were playing push and pull, Michiru yelled,

"Awahwahwah! Mr. Akagi's having an orgy!"

"You four-eyed braids! Know the term orgy better before using it!"

Hiina, Shioriko and Honoka were tumbled in a mess, and the surrounding onlookers watched this intense battle over Koremitsu,

"It's an orgy!"

"All the girls are cute."

"There's actually such a young girl amongst them."

"Lifeguard, that glaring delinquent over there is having an orgy!"

Such voices rang from the sidelines.

"I'm not having an orgy!!"

"Let go already, Oumi!"

"Only Shiiko is allowed to hug big brother Koremitsu like this."

"You're starting to feel excited now right? Mr. Akagi?"

"Shiiko, can you please stop grabbing Akagi's leg like that?"

"Miss Shikibu, your leg is twinkled with big brother's yourself."

"I-I just want to help Akagi."

"I'm okay with a 4P!"

"Hey, all of you, stop pushing and let go of me already!"

"E-e-ev-ev-ev-everyone! It's not a good thing to have an orgy in public. You'll be taken away by the police for questioning!"

Fulfilling her responsibility as the class representative, Michiru got in to help break them up.

But as they continued to nudge about in a frenzy, someone's elbow caused Michiru to be pushed aside, and she slid away, sinking into the water.

The pool was not very deep as it was designed for kids, but as she lost control of her legs, she started to flail about.

"Hey! That braid class rep fell into the water!"

"Michiru!"

Honoka let go of Koremitsu.

Koremitsu moved towards Michiru and leapt into the water.

But during this time, both Shioriko and Hiina had their hands on his waist, coupled with the fact that Honoka and Koremitsu's legs were tangled. This caused him to lose his balance,

"Big brother."

"Mr. Akagi!"

And both Shioriko and Hiina undid the drawstring on his pants, causing the pants to slip off.

(Ack!)

As Koremitsu brought Michiru out of the water, a pair of swimming pants floated slowly to the surface.

Michiru, coughing out water as she gasped for breath downwards, ‘Wah!’ exclaimed in shock.

The surrounding onlookers gave Koremitsu disapproving looks.

"It's an orgy after all."

"So that girl with braids is part of them too."

"A 4P!"

"Young kids nowadays."

(I'm not having an orgy!)

Koremitsu grumbled furiously in his heart.

Having vowed never to go shopping with girls again two days ago, Koremitsu made a vow 'not to go swimming with girls again' on this day.

After reaching home, Hikaru looked on grimly as he lectured Koremitsu, leaning at the wall,

"You need to reflect on some aspects"

"..."

"I do feel that you need to adapt to getting along with girls."

"..."

"You are no longer that lone wolf from before, and it is not just a matter of one or two girls looking for you. There will be many more girls you have to interact with in the future."

"..."

"Anyway, what I want to say is that if this keeps up, it will be a repeat of the commotion today."

"..."

"And with more people from the other gender, the competitiveness amongst them will increase further."

"..."

"Koremitsu, if your opponent is a girl, you cannot hit her or send her flying. That will only increase the number of casualties."

"..."

"You were called away by the lifeguard for removing your pants in the pool. That is not something that can be easily settled by being forbidden to enter it again."

"Ugh."

Koremitsu gritted his teeth, letting out a gnashing sound.

"I think I should go to a country without girls after all."

Before this, girls always shunned Koremitsu. Thus, he had never experienced the hardships of having to deal with them.

The mantra 'don't get involved with women' was something his grandfather had after his grandmother suddenly left home. Even so, it was not because Koremitsu paid the preaching to heed, but because the girls did not want to get involved with him

Ever since he got to know Hikaru, who really liked girls, and completed the latter's promises that were made before his death, Koremitsu had been appearing in front of girls like normal.

Such an improvement was certainly worthy of praise.

But Koremitsu still did not know how to get along with girls.

(I don't know what those girls are thinking at all. I tell them to 'shut up', and they start yapping more. Even when I told them 'leave me alone, you're noisy', they just won't stop.)

As Hikaru said, I think I better heed gramp's teaching before the victims start to increase, and break off with girls completely.

Hikaru started at Koremitsu with a pondering look, like a philosopher, and said,

"To be honest, Koremitsu, there is no place in the world without girls. It is completely impossible to live in an environment without girls."

"Then what do I do?"

Koremitsu laid weakly on the floor

"Looks like you need to do some training."

"Training, as in?"

Hikaru nodded firmly.

And then, he said

"Let us woo some girls tomorrow."

"Woo girls, you say!? Are you kidding me!? You just want to do that yourself. What do you mean by getting a girl that likes to smile by wooing her? I'm asking you a serious question here!"

Hikaru however continued to grin cheekily, and said to Koremitsu with a matured look while the latter was incensed,

"But I am being serious here. From now on, I shall teach you how to get along with girls, one step at a time—when I depart, I will not be able to help you even if you want some of the most basic suggestions..."

The clear expression gradually dulled.

And Koremitsu's voice was stuck in his throat.

"I do not know how long I can continue to remain in this human realm."

The rich, gentle voice throbbed Koremitsu's heart.

"Maybe I might even vanish suddenly in front of you tomorrow."

Unknowingly, he had gotten used to having Hikaru by his side.

Though he would space out or think most of the time, the presence of the refreshing voice beside him allowed him to relax.

But such a relationship could not continue forever.

Perhaps they would have to separate the next time.

Or even at this moment.

If it was not as Hikaru as said, that he would not be able to depart until his promises with the girls were complete, what exactly would cause him to remain in this world? Koremitsu could not comprehend.

With a slightly crestfallen look on his face, Hikaru said to Koremitsu while the latter pondered,

"Koremitsu, I wish to repay you as much as I can while I am still on this world. Just as you fulfilled for me one promise after another, I want to repay you with what I can do, within my capabilities. As a ghost however, I can only do so little."

"..."

(This guy is despicable.)

How was he supposed to reject Hikaru when the latter put it this way.

Koremitsu inadvertently gritted his teeth, gulped his saliva, and clearly spoke,

"Got it. Teach me the ways you pick up girls."

### 004. Chapter 4: How to Properly Handle a Girl

(Mr. Polar Star has yet to arrive...)

'Saffron' continued to look back and forth at the shop door and her watch, her nose buzzing.

It was the third day to fulfill the promise.

And so, 'Saffron' entered the shop when it was near noon.

The Mr. Polar Star she wanted to see was not the wild beast that would not discriminate between a waitress or an elementary school girl.

But if Mr. Polar Star had yet to give up on looking for 'Saffron', and came to the shop.

If he put on the blue and white cap that was a complete mismatch, picked a spot and set up base within, spread his legs out wide in an uncouth manner, arch his back, show a frown, and give a sharp glare that would obstruct the shop's business.

If her identity as the 'Saffron' was revealed, that barbaric man would probably be furious. He might even write some bad things about her, and vandalize her blog.

When that happens, the reputation of the popular blog host 'Saffron' would take a severe hit.

Though she did come to the shop for certain reasons—

It was almost noon. 'Saffron' managed to cool her limbs due to the shop's air-conditioning, but Mr. Polar Star had yet to show up.

(I guess this...'Saffron' thing does not matter to him any more...I think he prefers a girl who he can hold hands with in reality rather than a girl whose appearance and name he did not know of.)

And right beside Mr. Polar Star was a doll-like waitress who was extremely ladylike, and a cute elementary school student who was as sweet and cute as a pixie, sitting on his lap.

It was to be expected that he would lose interest in 'Saffron'.

(Besides...e-even if Mr. Polar Star sees me, he will only return in disappointment...)

–You are really cute, aren't you? There's no other person as cute as you in the world. Your nose is especially cute.

The only person who would let 'Saffron' sit on their lap and cuddle the nose while saying this was her father.

He was a Sheng musician of the Japanese Gagaku classical music genre, and had a 25 year age difference from her mother. When 'Saffron' was born, he was already an old man, and must have really doted on her as he was able to get such a princess in his late years. Whenever he saw her, 'you're cute', he would repeat these words over and over again, and guided her in the way of the koto

And so, 'Saffron' too believed that she was cute, that she had the most beautiful nose in the world.

It was only when she entered a kindergarten, where the princesses gathered, that she realized her thinking was wrong.

There were all kinds of cute girls there.

And then, she, who stood out amongst them, was like a tea stain on a white pamphlet, realizing the looks of pity and sympathy from the rest.

"Look at her nose."

"It's weird~"

"Teacher, why is XX's nose different from us?"

And when she heard this question, the tip of her nose sizzled.

Her father was a huge liar.

From that moment on, 'Saffron' would hide behind the princesses when she gathered with them to avoid attention, and lived her school life like this.

'Saffron' was born in a famous family, but she was not some rich noble. When she was in 5 th grade, her father suddenly passed away due to illness, and her lifestyle was prudent.

Her clothes were all made by her mother and maid, and it was unavoidable that the clothing was not trendy or such, and her stationery were all cheap. She thought it was foolish to doll oneself up, and was not unhappy at the conditions; she had no demands for her clothing other than it being good enough to last her through winter.

She had a frail body, and would never leave the seal coat her father left behind at the ends of the year.

Her mother was a lot younger than her father, but compared to others, she was definitely not some young, beautiful mother, and was a quiet princess who could not live on her own. The maid that was older than her mother and lived quite the carefree life herself.

If those two are to die, what am I supposed to do...?

'Saffron' did not have a friend, and never stepped into a fast food restaurant. She would hear her classmates chatter amongst themselves, saying things like 'let's go to the supermarket', let's go to 'KFC'.

(I always hear them talking about Mr Supermarket and Mr KFC. They're definitely popular boys. Are they from other schools?)

She had such doubts echoing in her mind.

And this misunderstanding lasted even into middle school.

Because of the family's economic issues, she did consider entering a public school, but the school of princesses were kinder, and she felt more at ease there.

There was once where she played alone at the park, and a group of boys bullied her, saying, 'You have a weird nose'. Because of the trauma caused by such memory, she fully understood that she lacked the courage to live in an environment of commoners.

Of course, her mother naturally thought that 'Saffron' would choose her alma mater, that after graduating from university, she would get married with a suitable man.

But this era is different from yours, mother. I can't possibly do such a thing!

On this world, the only one who would call 'Saffron' cute and praise her nose was her now-deceased father. Everyone else would think that she was an ugly duckling with a strange nose.

To such a person, her fated partner would never appear.

That she might as well live her life alone quietly, never hoping for anything.

At school, she tied the only thing that could be considered pretty, her long hair, and the uniform skirt were to her knees, as per school rules. Back home, there was the seal coat her father left behind, right? Isn't that right? Miss Mary, Miss Pascal, Miss Dorsey, and she would spend the time talking to the plants she nicknamed.

Nobody would talk to 'Saffron', and nobody noticed her.

This is fine, nobody will want to see such a nose. I don't want to be teased and get bad memories like that again.

And so, when she first entered middle school, she met 'her'.

The bright saffron color, the purple—

Her cellphone vibrated, dragging her back to reality.

(The sender's Mr. Polar Star?)

She read the content, feeling extremely tense as her fingers felt as if they were about to drop the floor.

"I can't make it today. I'll be there tomorrow."

After seeing such blunt words, she felt relieved, and yet disappointed.

Her nose slowly began to sizzle.

(It-it's nothing. Y-y-yo-yo-you don't have to send me a message just like that now. I won't have to come to the shop starting tomorrow, and it's more comforting to me. Thanks to you, I won't have to be in such an awkward situation tomorrow.)

She closed the cellphone, and pushed the door aside.

To be honest, I don't want to see the face of that wild beast again.

She rode on the bicycle parked in front of the shop, passed through the paths full of up and down bumps, and head off to the road.

(Speaking of which...she's not here today.)

Just when she was thinking about the face of the doll-like waitress whom the Mr. Polar Star seemed strangely concerned with.

(Eh...?)

There was a red-haired, savage looking youth standing at the main street as the passers-by moved through.

He arched his back like a cat, his lips curled to a frown, muttering some things as he glanced at the passers-by.

(Mr. Polar Star?)

She instinctively braked the bicycle, and there was heat simmering from the tip of her nose.

(What's he doing, giving such a grumpy look—ah, it's normal for him, I guess.)

At this moment, Mr. Polar Star approached a passer-by.

She was a beauty, a female college student.

Mr. Polar Star said something with a scowl, causing the girl's shoulders to shudder, running off in fear.

Mr. Polar Star then clicked his tongue, and this time, approached a female high school student dressed in a summer one-piece, and before he could speak up, she ran off in fear.

(Is he working part-time to get customers? Or...?)

Or was he trying to hook up girls...?

Hook up girls...!?

Her body became frosty, but the tip of her nose suddenly boiled over.

Did he send a message saying he could not show up just because he was trying to hook up with girls?

Was wooing all sorts of girls more important than the promise with 'Saffron'?

"It's...!"

The tip of her nose was throbbing.

No, not only her nose. Even her limbs were shaking.

"Yo-yo—yo-you're the worst~~!!!"

She then grabbed a can someone left behind, and threw it at the red hair.

"Ow! Who's that!?"

And then, she escaped, pedaling the bicycle hard.

And on the next day, after the wooing training called 'how to get along with girls'.

Koremitsu strutted off to the tea shop, Bonne Chance with a sour look.

(I have no talent in wooing girls after all...)

Having been fooled by Hikaru's words, he went to the streets, trying to woo girls he did not know of, and the results were completely wretched.

They were either terrified, crying, running away, or throwing cans at him. On top of that, he even met Asai...

(Why is it that Saiga has to appear there!?)

And it was that kind of moment, in that particular moment,

(—and I ended up trying to woo Saiga.)

She was staggering around, probably due to the summer heat or sleep deprivation, but her sharp tongue was as vicious as ever, saying things like a high school debut, that a dog's thoughts were so crude after all, that it was the worst situation for her.

And then, it seemed she was feeling really uncomfortable, and after resting for a while in the park, a lot of things happened, and he was chased by the police—

(Ahh—I really don't want to remember what happened yesterday. Is she really my nemesis in my previous life or something?)

And after that, he met Honoka and Aoi.

(I don't know what happened there either. Either way, it's good that everyone's happy. What happened back then however? Why were Shikibu and Aoi together? They said they just so happened to meet coincidentally and have some tea, but are they really on such good terms?)

Koremitsu recalled the sight of Honoka and Aoi walking down the street under the sunset dejectedly.

"Hey!" And when Koremitsu called out to them, they looked really flustered, their shoulders trembling, and they turned around.

—A-Akagi!

—M-M-Mr. Akagi!!!

—Erm, I so happened to meet Her Highness Aoi, and we ended up chatting over tea or something...

—Eh, yes, It so happened to be my rest day today, and I so happened to meet Miss Shikibu. We were having tea until just a while ago.

—Don't you want to chat with Her Highness Aoi, Akagi? She is refined, cute, and a rich girl. These make her an ideal target.

—I-I too want to be a determined, amazing girl like Miss Shikibu here.

Honoka sounded slightly shrill as compared to the usual, probably because it was the day after the incident at the pool, and did not look at Koremitsu right in the eyes. Aoi in turn looked somewhat restless, fidgeting from time to time.

"Well, it certainly was an eventful day yesterday."

Hikaru, floating beside Koremitsu, answered with a cool smile, and unlike the scowling Koremitsu, he looked like he was enjoying himself.

"Thanks to what happened yesterday, you managed to improve your relationship with Asa."

"Like how!? Because of her, I got called a pervert, and got pursued by the police everywhere!!!"

Koremitsu inadvertently lambasted, attracting the attention of the passers-by. Flustered, he hurriedly lowered his head and hushed his voice.

"...Anyway, I won't ever go wooing girls again."

"Eh? How about you try it again?"

"Shut up. It's more important to look for that Saffron. You better look for her seriously!"

"I understand!"

Are you being serious here? Koremitsu snarked back as he opened the door.

"Heh!?"

Instead of the usual 'welcome', there was a shocked cry.

Once Koremitsu entered through the door, a waitress hurriedly raised the tray to cover her face, and sneaked past Koremitsu.

It seemed to be the waitress who suddenly approached to refill his water. Koremitsu probably was way too intimidating, and soon after, she hid in the furthermost part of the counter.

"That person's cheeks are as red as a Geranium. Is it because she is intrigued by you?"

Hikaru grinned as he chimed in.

(She hates me, no?)

Koremitsu pouted his lips, and picked an empty table to sit down at.

The regular customer seated at the window, reading the newspaper, was starting to wipe her face with the hand towel, and looked somewhat uneasy as she lowered the blinders.

The female high school students too tried their best not to meet Koremitsu in the eyes.

(Goodness, they're all like that.)

The girl Hikaru called Miss Mint was seated at the window, silently reading the pocket novel at the wall.

(Saiga and Tōjō...aren't here today again.)

The table with the houseplant was empty.

Leaving aside Tōjō, the fact that Asai was not present was a slight solace to Koremitsu.

He would consider his attempt to woo Asai as the biggest failure of his life.

She was the one person he did not want to meet. Perhaps the reason why he could not see her was because she too was trying to avoid meeting him.

Koremitsu took the innermost seat, and looked around. At this moment, Aoi brought the menu to him.

Once she saw Koremitsu, she gave a bashful smile.

Koremitsu recalled what happened the previous day, and his face too became somewhat red.

"...Thank you for what happened yesterday."

Koremitsu whispered his thanks, and Aoi in response look increasingly pleased.

"Not at all."

She whispered back.

Hikaru rested his tender, loving eyes upon Aoi.

And after making his order,

"I understand."

Aoi politely responded, and returned to the counter. Soon after, she brought a red tea set on the tray cautiously.

While Aoi laid out one piece after another, Koremitsu looked over at the table, and said,

"Looks like you're used to working here."

"This still is not enough."

And after hearing this, Aoi shyly replied, and continued,

"I am working hard...because you do come by every day, Mr. Akagi."

"Is-is that so?"

Though he was really concerned with Aoi, Koremitsu's main purpose for coming to this shop was to look for 'Saffron', and stammered.

Aoi already was peeved at Hikaru's Casanova antics, and Koremitsu could not tell her that 'Saffron' was a friend Hikaru met on the internet, that both of them had a promise.

Hikaru too showed a gloomy look.

(Isn't this all because you dated a girl when you don't even know her appearance?)

And so, Koremitsu changed the topic clumsily.

"Erm, you're getting along well with your colleagues, right? You weren't bullied, right? Like the one walking at the wall like a crab."

He glanced over at the rude waitress from before, and Aoi turned over to the latter with a look as if to say ‘That is not the case.’

"No. Miss Sueko is a senior who started working here a little earlier than me, but she is very friendly. She is a rich girl from a famous girls school, but she knows everything, and can do anything. She is someone I really admire. Sometimes, she would use the remains of the red tea as a pesticide, sometimes making vegetable soup, and even use glue to repair stocking runs. Do you know about these, Mr. Akagi? You can use glue to stop the bleeding when you cut your finger on a chopper!"

Aoi was exclaiming somewhat excitedly.

Koremitsu's face was somewhat stiff.

(That was a rich girl? Isn't she too ill-tempered? Speaking of which, if Tōjō knows that Aoi stopped her bleeding using glue, he'll definitely faint on the spot...eh? Wait?)

What did she just say?

Miss Sueko is a senior who started working here a little earlier than me—

(Wait...! What if Saffron isn't a customer here, but an employee...!)

Koremitsu narrowed his eyes, and stared at the waitress that was Aoi's senior, terrified of meeting him in the eyes as she walked sideways.

(I remember Saffron is a rich girl from a girls school...)

Just when Koremitsu was unable to contain his curiosity about the waitress, Aoi suddenly whispered at Koremitsu's ears.

"Asa is not here today. I am really glad to be chatting with you like this, Mr. Akagi."

The voice, coupled with the sweet memory, caused his heart to race, and as he looked back at Aoi, he found the latter looking back with a similarly sweet and blissful look.

Feeling a little perplexed, Koremitsu panicked, and said,

"Sp-speaking of which, Saiga has been busy or something, ending up like she doesn't even have time to sleep. Be careful yourself, Aoi. Don't tire yourself out."

And Aoi's face showed surprise.

"How do you know about Asa's schedule, Mr. Akagi."

(Eh, I said something unnecessary.)

"I-it's because, before this...I think Saiga did say this before."

"When did you have a chat with Asa?"

Aoi's face became downcast.

(Ack!)

"I-I suppose I better get back to work here. There seems to be more customers now."

Aoi's showed a bashful look, and she lowered her head before returning..

"So-sorry."

However, a few steps later, she stopped in her tracks.

"Asa is too sneaky."

"Huh!?"

"She has been trying her best to stop me from talking to you, Mr. Akagi, and she herself talked to you secretly."

She gave a pouting look on her face, her back turned away from Koremitsu, before she hurried back to the counter.

(What's...with Aoi's expression?)

Not good.

His heart was throbbing.

He was showing such a reaction to a girl his friend truly treasured. Clearly, this was a bad thing.

Anxious, he felt the throbbing hasten.

"I am having mixed feelings now, Koremitsu."

Having witnessed their conversation, Hikaru spoke with a vague expression. The gentle expression that was staring at Aoi before this seemed a little hazy.

"Wh-what are you saying? Suddenly being all so serious like that. You're a little weird here. As for 'Saffron', that woman called Sueko, she's definitely weird."

Koremitsu changed the topic.

And the girl reading the pocket book at the wall was watching Koremitsu's every action with a poised look.

"..."

At the same time.

"Akagi, what is going on here?"

"Big brother Koremitsu...wh-when did you?"

Honoka and Shioriko were seated at the table with the houseplant, blue with shock.

The one who revealed the intel that Koremitsu was at this shop was Hiina Oumi of the news club.

Akagi's at a red tea shop?

It seemed surprising, but why Aoi of all people was working at this shop!?

(Ahh, Her Highness Aoi did say yesterday that she started working to learn more about society.)

On the previous day, Honoka was feeling crestfallen, for the enjoyable pool trip she so yearned ended up in such a state. She wanted to explain matters to Koremitsu, and went off to the shop she heard from Hiina, only to meet Aoi on the way there.

Aoi knew that Honoka was Koremitsu's classmate, and that they joined the Japanese Dance Club before summer vacation ended.

—You are the one...often with Mr. Akagi. And erm, you joined the Japanese Dance club, with him. Am I correct?

Aoi asked tentatively as she looked up.

Honoka too spoke without holding back,

—Your Highness Aoi, you did have a period when you got together amicably with Akagi, and that you went out today...Akagi did come to me for help personally because he liked you back then .

She did not say 'now', but emphasized on the 'back then'. Upon hearing that, Aoi looked utterly devastated.

Why would the two of them spend the time together drinking tea? Such a question was already unimportant.

Honoka was extremely skittish in front of Aoi, whom Koremitsu once liked, her mind in a state of pandemonium. She assumed that Aoi too was probably feeling uptight.

Whether it was unnecessary matters or foolish ones, she felt that she said a lot of them.

In the end, both of them left the red tea shop weakly, only for Koremitsu to appear to them. One had to say this certainly was a coincidence.

Even the cellphone novels Honoka wrote would not have such a deus ex machina.

It was because of Koremitsu's appearance however that Honoka managed to recover somewhat. And she came to this place because she wanted to continue talking with Koremitsu normally.

(I haven't apologized about the pool yet. I'll go to that shop again.)

This time, she ended up meeting Koremitsu's little sister, Shioriko, in front of the shop.

"A table for two?"

And once the waitress asked them this, they ended up sitting at the same table.

Also, Honoka was completely frozen when she saw Aoi, dressed in a maid outfit, looking blissful as the latter talked to Koremitsu.

Shioriko glanced over at Aoi, and muttered, seemingly realizing she had no choice,

"I was careless. There's another opponent...ah! And she's such a pure refined princess, the kind those manly guys with a code of honor really like—"

Honoka suddenly felt a mischievous impulse, and said,

"Akagi used to like Her Highness Aoi. Shiiko, you don't have any hope now."

Shioriko's little ears twitched,

"Her Highness Aoi. That's Hikaru's fiancee, right?"

She widened her eyes in shock. ‘I see, so it's her...’ She muttered to herself while staring at Aoi, and then gave an utterly defeated look.

"As to be expected of Hikaru's fiancee. She really is an ideal woman without flaws. Hm, so big brother Koremitsu likes Hikaru's fiancee. But if that's the case, isn't this just an act of pity to take care of his dead friend's fiancee? Big brother Koremitsu has no immunity against such women that needs protection."

She came up with a most critical analysis far beyond the thought process of an elementary school girl.

And even pointed the topic back at Honoka,

"In this case, I think you're the one with no hope here, Miss Shikibu. You're cool and pretty, and very popular amongst the girls, but you're too hot-headed and not cute at all, and treats people of the opposite gender no differently. I don't think you're the type big brother likes. In the worst case scenario, you're at most a classmate and clubmate to him."

(Ho-hot-headed...!? Not cute at all!? No no no no, she's an elementary school kid. I can't let myself get angry so easily like that time at the pool. I can't show the magnanimosity of an adult like this.)

She forced herself to eke a smile.

"Aren't you always living with Akagi under the same roof, Shiiko? You're at most siblings, right? You're the one with no hope."

"We just lived together for a month."

"Right now, the term 'live together' can be used even when there are different families. Well, there are some things elementary school kids don't know of."

"Big brother Koremitsu always say this about the mapo tofu and southern barbarian pickle I make, 'it's good, Shiiko', and asks me for extras."

"It's just cutting tofu after all. Cutting into quarters, at least."

"But I did cut them seriously. Have you made a lunchbox for big brother to eat before?"

"Ugh!"

"What? You didn't?"

"A-a lunchbox is so heavy, so a guy will feel annoyed by it. Unpopular girls won't know about this."

"Yeah, a lunchbox, even if it's a riceball, as long as it’s from someone he likes, he'll be really happy. If the lunchbox comes from a classmate, it's just a pile of garbage no matter how rich it is."

Honoka's lips were a little numb.

If she were to continue being dragged along like this, her reputation as the love expert would be wrecked.

"It might be too agitating to you, Shiiko, so I didn't say this beforehand. I got pushed down on the school corridor by Akagi before."

This was not a bluff.

"Akagi suddenly buried himself in my breasts. It really shocked me."

This was not a bluff either.

"Back then, if I didn't resist with all my might, our relationship might not be as simple as how it is now."

What...exactly was that?

Koremitsu suddenly charged out from the art classroom, and crashed into Honoka onto the corridor. Both of them fell together, and Koremitsu's head was buried in Honoka's cleavage. 'Go and die, you pervert!' she kicked Koremitsu with all her might, and their relationship after that could be said to be at its lowest point.

Back then, 'no no, it's alright. I spaced out while walking, sorry' if Honoka did say such a reply, and if Koremitsu remembered that incident and fell in love at first sight, it would have been very weird. Rather, that would be impossible.

"B-big brother even did such a perverted thing...!"

"Akagi is a carnivore after all. He stayed at an apartment with another girl for days (not me but another girl), kissed in front of others (not me but another girl), brought a girl into the toilet, causing a commotion when others gathered around (not me but another...)!"

"I knew that Hikaru would often do such things, but if even big brother Koremitsu..."

Though she behaved like an adult, she was still a child at heart.

After seeing Shioriko looked so rattled, Honoka finally felt somewhat relieved.

(Seriously, Akagi goes about having all sorts of rumors with other girls, and I only have that initial rumor. I never had something like that happen to me. Even when we were alone together, we never had that mood—)

She too started to feel angsty.

(Akagi was really formal when he spoke to me, and I thought he was not used to getting along with girls. Is that just an act in front of me? Does he show his savage beast's personality in front of others?)

Cold sweat started to trickle in large beads.

And Shioriko stood up, shouting,

"BUT I DID SEE BIG BROTHER KOREMITSU'S PoNoS, AND I STILL HAVE A PHOTO OF HIS PoNoSSS, AND HE PROMISED TO TAKE MY VIRGINITY!!!"

"!!!"

Shioriko's voice echoed through the shop.

All the people present shot their glances at Honoka's table.

On the other hand, a blushing Koremitsu, who was muttering something to himself, shut up once he noticed them. Aoi held onto the cups and tray, her eyes widened as she looked over at them.

And then, Shioriko clenched her fists hard, the twintails behind her head swaying hard as she yelled with all her might,

"BIG BROTHER KOREMITSU'S MY-MY-MY DDOOOOOOOOOGGGGGGG!!!"

There was silence.

Honoka's thought process, which had snapped, started to kick into gear again.

Standing in front of her at this point was an elementary school girl, huffing and puffing.

Charging towards them was her red-haired classmate, looking really panicky.

And there were the customers at their seats, the waitresses far away, their mouths agape.

(A promise to take her virginity? And dog, as in...)

Koremitsu was headed towards them, his eyes widened, his expression gloomy, his mouth opened, seemingly yelling something.

(Virginity, with an elementary school kid?)

Honoka aimed at Koremitsu's solar plexus, and deliver a right kick she practiced in gym during kick boxing class with all her might.

"YOU'RE THE WORRRSSSTTTT––-!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Honoka's powerful kick landed right at Koremitsu' abdomen, causing the latter to tumble backwards. During this commotion, he ended up involving the shopkeeper standing behind him. The shopkeeper was thinner and frailer than Koremitsu, his head hit the floor, and a large swollen bump appeared.

And so—

"Sorry about that!"

Koremitsu bowed deeply towards the shopkeeper.

And he maintained that position as he glanced to the side, muttering,

"You two, apologize too."

"S-sorry."

"I'm really sorry."

Left at their wits end, both Honoka and Shioriko lowered their heads at the same time.

(Seriously, these girls.)

Koremitsu's temples were twitching.

They started a commotion at the pool, and came here as well, creating such a ruckus.

He was stunned when Shioriko shouted, he promised to take my virginity!

Big brother is my dog! Those words caused quite the shock amongst the surroundings. To top off his misfortune, while he was about to stop Shioriko, he was kicked and sent sprawling by Honoka, who actually believed this.

It was too painful when he got hit. He nearly thought his intestines were crushed.

Because he got kicked, he tumbled back, having lost his balance, hearing a cry behind him.

He found the shopkeeper sprawled onto the floor, and it was a strenuous situation, some calling for an ambulance, and some hoping to get him on a taxi to the hospital. The shopkeeper managed to recover quickly, but there was a large mirror-shaped mochi-sized bump on his head.

"I-I'm fine here. Do-don't worry about it."

It was unknown if the shopkeeper was a nice person, or that Koremitsu was too scary. The shopkeeper continued to bow, but this matter was not over.

As Aoi watched on worriedly with her moist eyes,

"Sorry to cause everyone trouble."

Koremitsu bowed again to the shopkeeper, the customers, and the waitresses, and led the dejected Honoka and Shioriko out of the shop.

"Actually, Koremitsu, Shiiko and Miss Shikibu have reflected greatly about this incident. Do not be so peeved now."

Hikaru floated by the side as he said, but Koremitsu pushed the door aside grimly, dragged the duo a stone's throw away, and stopped.

Honoka and Shioriko's face were completely blue with shock.

"Koremitsu."

Hikaru in turn pleaded leniency for them, murmuring.

(I don't know how to get along with girls, but it's because I pampered them too much that they're so unruly now. Most importantly, they're always causing trouble for others. I'm never going to take care of girls and obey them anymore.)

Right, I can't strike a conversation with girls after all.

If they call for me, I'll just reject them with a louder voice. If that doesn't work, I'll yell at them and make them silent.

Koremitsu took a deep breath, and roared,

"DON'T YOU EVER STEP INTO THIS SHOP AGAIN, YOU TWO! IF YOU'RE GOING TO CAUSE A RUCKUS IN FRONT OF ME AGAIN, I'M GOING TO STUFF YOU IN THE GYM MAT LIKE A BAMBOO MAT WRAP! REMEMBER THAT WELL!!!"

'Saffron' waited for the red-haired boy to lead the two girls out of the shop, tailed them, and pushed the door aside slightly.

"I'M GOING TO STUFF YOU IN THE GYM MAT LIKE A BAMBOO MAT WRAP! REMEMBER THAT WELL!!!"

At that moment, she heard a roar, and saw a demon-like man standing in front of the girls, their backs facing 'Saffron', their shoulders shivering.

(Eekkk—!!)

She was not the one being scolded, but 'Saffron' cringed.

(He-he's scary, he's really scary—)

He immediately turned away, and stormed off in large strides. The two girls too followed him with their heads lowered.

And so, 'Saffron' remained where she was as she watched them leave.

(What was that just now?)

That little girl suddenly yelled, saying that her big brother will take her virginity or something, and the beauty with pretty legs sent a kick right at him...

(A harem war?)

A love triangle amongst those three?

(No, that waitress looks like she's also in love when she looks at him too. Is that a love square?)

It seemed the number of girls around him would increase whenever he arrived at the shop.

How exactly did he establish his relationships with the girls?

"And speaking of which, is he really looking for me—~~~!?"

It would be troubling if she was to be discovered by that wild beast of a man, but when he flirted around with other girls in front of her, creating a harem war that sparked quite a commotion, she inadvertently felt a little disappointed.

"..."

The tip of her nose started to itch, and she pushed out her bicycle dejectedly, stepping on the pedal.

(The girls that came to the shop today have nice figures, have good fashion sense, and look dazzling with some accessories on them. Really charming...)

The girls that can make boys fall for them must definitely be the showy type.

I thought Mr. Polar Star was supposed to be different from other boys....

She started a blog soon after entering middle school, and for some reason, it got really popular, with comments from boys left on the messageboard. She knew that most of them assumed 'Saffron' was simply a rich pretty princess, and were simply lapping up to her.

However, Mr. Polar Star fixated his stare on the little plant photos Saffron uploaded.

And he called 'Saffron's friends by their names.

As there was something he wished to convey, he even left a message to 'Saffron', "In that case, no matter whether you are deep within the lush forests or the spacious grasslands, I will definitely find the amazing flower that is you."

(He called my brooch, Mignon.)

—Mignon is a name given to cute girls.

At that time, her heart really fluttered.

It felt as if she could actually hear Mr. Polar Star's voice.

—I-I do not really pay particular mind to my appearance. When I was still a child, everyone looked surprised when they look at me, and I wondered why exactly was that. Because of my appearance, I never had any friends...

—But it is because of my appearance, that I spent a lot of effort to accept and love myself. I would sometimes face the mirror alone, talk to myself.

—But recently, when facing the mirror, I feel that my chest is about to break apart.

—Why was I born into this world with such a face, such a state...why did the me in the mirror never change at all?

After he revealed such troubles, a painful feeling struck 'Saffron' so severely.

—It has nothing to do with appearance. I think that no matter how you look like, you're an amazing person, Mr. Polar Star. Your every word is unpretentious, exciting. I think you definitely are this kind of an outstanding person.

She tried her best to console him.

Mr. Polar Star then replied immediately.

—Thank you. You definitely must be a kind person who understands others well.

When she received this reply, her heart raced.

(That's why...even though I know I won't have my fated partner...right now, I'm a little...really a little hopeful. Didn't Mr. Polar Star smile back at me when I'm not a pretty girl? He did think that I have inner beauty, no?)

'Saffron' recalled the gentle expression he gave when he chatted with the doll-like waitress, the flustered look he gave when the pretty little girl sat on his lap, and the usual tone to lash out at the girls. Her heart tightened.

"I guess...it's not about the looks after all."

The next morning, on the day after the commotion, Shioriko looked completely unenthusiastic, probably because she was reflecting her actions.

It was the same when she ate the sunny-side eggs and the cabbage miso soup, as she remained silent, not looking at Koremitsu.

When Lapis passed by her feet quietly, Shioriko tilted her head, looking as if she was about to cry.

She hung the staff card for the radio exercise on her neck, and was about to leave the house. Koremitsu was standing at the corridor, his arms folded as he looked at her, shocking her upon seeing him, giving a feeble look thereafter.

"Shiiko."

Koremitsu called out, and paused,

"You're going for radio exercise?"

"Eh, yes."

"I'll go with you for a while."

Koremitsu knelt at the corridor, and started tying his shoelaces. Shioriko asked tentatively,

"...Big brother."

"Yes?"

"...You don't hate me, right?"

Koremitsu knelt down there as he turned his head around. Shioriko was looking back at him with a feeble child's eyes.

He then spoke sternly,

"I won't. I'm your dog after all."

Shioriko's eyes became a little wet.

She blinked her eyes, spacing out for a little while, and wanted to say something, but was unable to let out a voice. The words were stuck in her mouth, and then, she timidly whispered,

"...Your hand please."

"Woof."

Koremitsu replied stiffly, and placed his bony hand on Shioriko's little palm grasping it tightly. He could feel warmth from the slender fingers he nearly broke apart.

Hikaru, standing beside the duo, was smiling, ostensibly watching a cute couple.

"Hurry up and put on your shoes. You're going to be late for morning exercise."

"Alright, big brother."

Shioriko's tender face gradually broke into a sweet, blissful smile.

"I'm leaving!"

She called out to Masakaze and Koharu, who were inside the house.

The duo probably would be relieved after hearing such an energetic voice.

Koremitsu too heaved a sigh of relief.

To be honest, he felt really embarrassed about the 'woof' response from before...

Though the surrounding children were shivering, he proceeded on to do the radio exercise with Shioriko, and after seeing a little of her dodgeball practice, he strolled off to the shop Bonne Chance leisurely.

(...I think it's better to send a message to Shikibu.)

At this point, Honoka undoubtedly was as dispirited as Shioriko before this.

Upon thinking about how Honoka must have been looking gloomy with her shoulder slumped, he felt anguish in his chest.

(Did I....go overboard the previous day...)

Honoka was always raging.

The biggest cause of it was always Koremitsu.

(But what do I write in the message?)

Koremitsu took the cellphone out of his pocket, and slipped it back. Hikaru muttered,

"If it is Miss Shikibu, you just need to do the same as for Shiiko. Reach your hand out, and go 'woof'."

"How can I possibly do that!"

"Miss Shikibu probably will suffocate due to happiness."

"Shut up!"

"And if I were not a ghost, I would really hope to film this episode by the side."

"Go die again!"

"Wow, so scary~"

Hikaru pretended to give such a look, and then showed a gentle, mature expression.

"If you can convey your own thoughts into direct words, it will definitely reach Miss Shikibu."

"Uu."

He paused, still holding the cellphone in his hand.

And before he knew it, he was standing in front of the shop.

Either way, he would deal with the message later.

He did forbid Honoka and Shioriko from ever stepping into the shop again the previous day, but he wondered if the people inside the shop were hopeful, thinking that it would apply to Koremitsu himself. Feeling extremely tense, he pushed the door aside.

There were the usual customers of the one at the window side, reading the newspapers with the blinders down, the chatty group of girls, and the Miss Mint reading a pocket novel at the wall.

"We-welcome!"

Greeting him with a higher pitch this time was Aoi.

It seemed she had something to say, but was quite fidgety as she approached Koremitsu, probably because of the shocking thing Shioriko said the previous day..

"A table for one? Over here please."

She said, and stiffly led him to a seat.

At this moment, Koremitsu felt somewhat touched.

After making his order, Koremitsu scanned the shop. Asai and Tōjō were not present on this day either. It seemed Asai was unable to spare some time because of her hectic schedule, and Tōjō probably had something similar going on.

And at that moment, there was a customer covering her face with a sugar pot, entering his sights.

She sat down 2 tables away from Koremitsu.

At that instant, he assumed it was the waitress called Sueko. On a closer look however, he found that she was not dressed in a white apron that fluttered with the window, but a simple shirt and a black pleated skirt, similar to the female Heian Academy summer uniform.

(Speaking of which, isn't that our school uniform?)

Hikaru too was surprised.

And also, the three braids and round glasses frame appeared from behind the sugar pot—

Koremitsu got up from his seat and approached her.

"Hey."

He came up to her, and the three braids shivered.

"Wa-was I seen...?"

The class representative with braids slowly poked her head out.

"You think you weren't? What are you doing here?"

"Well, Hono said that you suddenly raged at her, and that she probably will never be able to talk to you again. It seems she was really concerned about it.

Koremitsu nearly fell forward as a result.

"D-did Shikibu ask you to come here?"

Michiru took half a step back, and tried to defend herself shrilly, probably because his face was too close.

"Th-th-th-th-that's not it. Hono is really really despondent."

"..."

An image of a dejected Honoka appeared in Koremitsu's mind, and he felt astringent.

Michiru then waved her hands, saying,

"A-and, I already liked this shop for quite some time. I often came by during summer vacation."

"What!? I never saw you before, right?"

"But after I saw you enter the shop from my house. I didn't dare enter this place, Mr. Akagi..."

"What did you say!?"

"I-I-I-I-I'm fine with it however. I'm still rushing with my assignments. You're still angry after all, Mr. Akagi. Hono is still not in a good mood, Hono."

Michiru muttered to herself, and adjusted the chair such that it got lowered.

"!! Don't say anything to Shikibu."

After reminding her this, Koremitsu returned to his seat.

"Well, Koremitsu, I suppose you should give Miss Shikibu a call. It should be better to do that than to spend time sending messages."

"Guh!"

After hearing Hikaru's words, Koremitsu took out a cellphone from his phone, and stared at it.

"Sorry, we are currently full at the moment."

"My friend is in here. Over there."

A rhythmic set of footsteps stopped at Koremitsu's table.

Koremitsu lifted his head, and found a black-haired, tall and slender girl, Asai Saiga, staring down at him with a poised expression.

"Hey."

With a cool expression, Asai slotted herself in the chair opposite Koremitsu before he could speak up.

(We're not so close that we can sit together and talk, right?)

Or was it that Asai started to feel a little intimate with Koremitsu because of what happened two days ago ?

But just that?

(Speaking of which, I did try to woo Asai before. It's because she wasn't feeling well that I took care of her at the park. And she calls me a pervert in front of others, and I got chased by the police as a result.)

Hikaru too was extremely surprised by Asai's sudden change in attitude, muttering,

"I thought Asa really hated Koremitsu like an Echinococcus!"

(An Echinococcus!? Isn't that a parasite? Am I a bug now!? A parasite!? That's worse than a mad dog!)

He was completely seething, but Saiga remained seated opposite Koremitsu, not talking to him.

She kept her lips shut, watching him coldly.

And then, she said to the waitress, who came to take her order.

"One Earl Grey, straight up."

And remained silent again.

(Why aren't you saying anything? Hurry up and say something, you cold-faced woman!)

He was feeling completely restless within, and he gulped down what he wanted to say upon recalling how he tried to woo Asai.

But that day was certainly something both Asai and Koremitsu wanted to forget.

—Asa believed that there was Santa Claus until about 3 rd grade.

He nonchalantly mentioned what he heard, and though Asai remained calm in her tone, her face was gradually flushed. Koremitsu in turn continued saying things that made her embarrassed.

As payback, he got chased by the police for most of the day. Asai probably did not want to see Koremitsu after that.

(What's she thinking?)

He could not read her intent, and whispered,

"...Are you feeling a little better?"

"...Does that have anything to do with you?"

A brusque reply came at him in turn.

(!!! She's making me mad again.)

"Hey, Asa."

"How many times must I repeat myself that I do not allow you to call me that?"

"Are you sitting right opposite me just to use that iceberg-like stare to look at my face?"

"An ugly face like yours is not worthy of being looked at."

"Ah, I see. Now then, why are you still staring at my face when you don't want to look at it?"

Asai again shut her lips.

"..."

She frowned hard, looking displeased, ostensibly seeking an answer to Koremitsu's question as she watched him intently, before speaking up,

"I suppose it is better that you do not worry about Aoi."

"Aoi?"

Aoi, who was serving red tea at this point, looked over at Koremitsu's side worriedly, her tray shaking. Asai was supposed to utterly despise Koremitsu, and this time, chose to deliberately sit in front of him. She could not relax after all.

Asai's stare was sharp, and she coldly said,

"You came to this shop for Aoi, right? I suppose you can at least remove your claws from her. You who have declared to deliver Hikaru's presents to Aoi have done your job. Your duty is already over. You are completely unnecessary to Aoi's life from this point on."

Koremitsu glared back at Asai,

"It would be one thing if Aoi said this, but if you're saying it yourself, aren't you being too protective of her? It's not just about me here; You and Tōjō, we're all too protective of her. Aoi can't possibly be a pampered princess forever. She has to be strong-willed and learn how to survive on her own.

Hikaru heard Koremitsu's words in anguish from the side. At this point, he probably was aching in his heart.

To Hikaru, Aoi was someone he would be willing to open his umbrella for, a pure, speckless white flower that he treasured and protected.

At this point, he could only watch this changing girl with his unchanging eyes. Koremitsu too could feel the loneliness.

(But if Aoi wants to be stronger, I really want to help her out a bit. You'll definitely do that if you're alive too, right, Hikaru?)

Asai narrowed her eyes.

She showed a sharp glint in her eyes, her expression filled with frustration, rage and anxiety.

It was the same as when Koremitsu declared himself to be Hikaru's representative, an icy expression that showed all its rage—

Her thin lips curled into a sneer, letting out a chilly voice.

"Aoi is gradually becoming independent. Is that what you think?"

(He-he's talking to another girl with a serious look—!!!)

Seated opposite the red-haired was the tall, lanky intellectual beauty that had come to this shop before.

Before this, 'Saffron' always noticed her working at the notepad computer with a serious look, whispering things to the handsome man behind her from time to time.

(She's not a couple with that leader-like handsome man? Two timing? Such a flirtatious woman? As long as she's pretty?)

The tip of her nose started to itch, and her chest was throbbing.

(Mr. Polar Star is an idiot.)

Asai's words felt like an ice pick at Koremitsu's chest.

"I suppose you definitely do not know how important an existence she is to her family's kin?"

She stared at Koremitsu's eyes as the latter watched on with bated breath, and continued to ask,

"The Mikados is an old reputed family with massive financial and political clout, and the Saotomes served them for generations; you definitely do not know how many responsibility she has as the eldest daughter of the Saotomes, do you?"

The tinge of anger shown in her eyes was gradually surging.

(Why is it that she really hates me this much!?)

It had been the same since the first time they met; she always denied Koremitsu's existence, and was full of scorn and fury.

Hikaru was beside Koremitsu, staring at Asai from a distance with a gloomy expression. All he saw was darkness in front of him, an expression that was completely devoid of hope, which caused Koremitsu's back to feel a chill.

"As an outsider of the Mikados, you really do not know anything about Hikaru, about Aoi."

Koremitsu’s expression and body were rendered frozen, unable to move.

There seemed to be something more important than the rage Asai was venting upon him—Koremitsu did not know what was the thing forced upon him.

And Asai's face gradually became gloomy.

"You probably...do not know anything about me either."

There was a little bit of despair in that reverberating voice, causing Koremitsu to feel a gripping sense of loneliness. He whispered,

"...I do know that you believed in Santa Claus until your 3 rd grade."

Asai's lips curled into a frown.

However, this was not the awkward expression she showed at the park, her face blushing, but that she did not seem to hear his words at all. She maintained such a posture, and calmly continued with an intellectual tone.

"Aoi does not have the freedom to be allowed to act alone, and she will not."

She seemed worried for Aoi, and spoke with the stern tone of a big sister,

"...When she does this, she will be the one hurt in the end."

At least Asai's wishes to protect Aoi was something sincere. This was something both Hikaru and Koremitsu agreed on, but they felt some obvious spite in Asai's words.

He felt repulsed by her words, but was unable to fire shots back.

"What now? How am I supposed to understand when you don't finish what you want to say?"

Right now Koremitsu responded.

The cellphone on the table vibrated.

And so, Koremitsu opened the cellphone with a scowl, read the message, and was shocked.

"Come look for me. I am here with Mignon."

It was Saffron.

Saffron was at this shop, at this time, observing Koremitsu.

(Damn it, at the worst timing possible too!)

It was the perfect opportunity to look for Saffron, but at this point, he was having an intense battle against the woman he most hated.

Caught in an awkward dilemma, Koremitsu held onto the cellphone in his hand tightly.

And after that, there was the sound of ceramic breaking behind him.

"Kya!"

Followed by a soft squeal.

He looked back, and found the broken pieces of red tea cups at Aoi's feet. Her face was pale, not knowing what to do.

"So-sorry"

She knelt down to pick up the pieces, looking somewhat teary. The waitress called Sueko brought a broom and dustpan over as she rushed over.

"Don't touch it."

She wanted to stop Aoi.

"Ow!"

It seemed Aoi cut herself on the finger because of the pieces.

"Are you alright, Miss Aoi? I'll handle things here. Go to the kitchen to wash,."

"But,"

"It's okay, hurry back now. Ahh, you're bleeding a lot. Shopkeeper, please take the first aid box out for Miss Aoi."

Aoi shrank back as she watched Sueko handle things so smoothly, looking like she had someone to rely on. "Miss Saotome, please leave this to Miss Marinokoji," the shopkeeper said, and Aoi finally got up slowly.

Hikaru floated in the air, watching Aoi leave. Like him, Koremitsu had the urge to rush over and take care of her, but it was against common sense for the customer to take care of the employee, and there would be stares, probably causing a bigger commotion. Besides, he was not able to excuse himself at this point.

In contrast, he wondered if the overprotective Asai would rush over to Aoi and lecture her without any care.

Unexpectedly however, Asai remained seated, and the events unfolded in front of her did not faze her.

She remained seated upright in her chair, watching Aoi's actions with a terrifyingly collected, rational expression.

And then, she said, seemingly proving the validity of her statement.

"Look at this."

The calm tone, coupled with the unforgiving stare, were fixated right upon Koremitsu.

Aoi looked over at Koremitsu's side tentatively.

And once she noticed Asai's stare, her expression seemed a little abnormal.

Asai's expression was ostensibly declaring that everything Aoi did to this point was futile, that she could not be independent.

Aoi felt like running away. Her face reddened, looking disappointed and sheepish as she bowed her head deeply.

Koremitsu too was stunned by Asai's cruel words and stare, but was unable to argue back. Beside him, Hikaru too looked troubled.

There was a call sent to Asai's cellphone.

She brought the phone to her ear, and seemed to say something—

"Is that so? I understand."

It seemed she heard some good news as her frowning eyebrows eased up, and she got up from her chair.

"I shall make my leave. When I am not around, do not involve yourself with Aoi. This is for her sake."

After she stoically instructed him, she swayed her alluring long glossy black hair, and turned to leave.

The class representative was seated at a corner of the shop, watching everything that happened. At the instance Asai passed by, she hurriedly covered her face.

Koremitsu continued to grit his teeth as he glared at Asai, until the moment she left.

"...What's with that woman."

He finally spat out these words.

There were already droplets of sweat on his forehead before he knew it, and he could no longer contain the rage in his body.

Asai simply denied all of Aoi's hard work just because she failed once. And Koremitsu did not say anything because he was stumped by her.

"How can there be such a cold-blooded person? Though she may not agree with the fact that Aoi's working part-time, isn't she being too harsh here?"

He ended up grumbling like a loser.

"Aoi really looks very pitiful here. Did that woman really believe in Santa Claus? She really was a cute kid back then. What caused her to be so conceited and ruthless?"

"...I think it is because of me."

"Huh!?"

Koremitsu looked aside, and saw Hikaru show a gloomy look. His clear eyes were gradually becoming shrouded, his voice weakening.

"I suppose it is my fault that Asa became like this."

"What...do you mean by that."

"..."

Hikaru continued to endure the silent anguish, his long eyebrows lowered. After much endurance from Koremitsu's side, he finally heard a reply.

"...I had a promise with Asa when we were young."

(Promise...?)

With Asai?

Normally, Koremitsu would have told Hikaru off, calling him a date maniac even starting from young.

"That we will look for the tsuchinoko together."

"Heh!?"

Koremitsu was a little lost.

He had been hearing all sorts of strange things on this day.

(Speaking of which, this guy is speaking Japanese, right?)

He was really skeptical regarding such vague words.

The tsuchinoko's a creature like a serpent, right? During the previous century, it was deemed as a mystical being that looked very suspicious. Ahh...speaking of which, I think I heard that word when we were at the park two days ago. Did I mishear it?

Hikaru continued to look on grimly as he lowered his head. After that, he said,

"That if we capture the Tsuchinoko, we would take a photo as a memory."

"Hey!"

"And she said that if we can catch one male and one female, we would breed them."

"Hikaru."

"That if we continued on, we could build a museum for Tsuchinokos"

"Wait."

"We were certainly gullible back then. That was impossible."

Koremitsu immediately slammed his head into the table.

"..What is the matter, Koremitsu? Are you tired? Do you feel like crying? Is it because I said such depressing things?"

"Who in the world will cry here! I'm just feeling tired! I just want to calm down!"

Before Koremitsu knew it, the surrounding stares were fixated upon him, and he hushed his voice,

"Ah, damn it. Listen to me properly for once. It doesn't matter that Saiga has a bad personality or what. Rather, I should be really glad here. There's no way a tsuchinoko museum can ever happen. It's great that she's able to understand this before entering high school."

"...Yes"

Hikaru beamed back.

Was that smile what Hikaru would show when he was sad? Koremitsu was a little intrigued.

(That's definitely it. She thought that the tsuchinoko museum can be built, and was really shocked when she learned that she was lied to, that they were all fools. That's why she became such a stern woman. It's probably similar to the Santa Claus thing.)

He concluded.

"Leaving aside that, Aoi's fine, right? It looks like a deep cut."

"I suppose it should not be something major if she can continue to work in the shop...it really is tough for her to show her failure to Asa..."

Hikaru too was clutching at his chest with both hands, seemingly in anguish too.

"And if Mr. Shungo learns that Aoi got hurt, he will definitely force her to quit."

"...Hm, that makes sense."

They definitely had to keep this a secret from Tōjō. Speaking of which, it seemed Asai never told him about this...

"Ah, Miss Aoi is back."

Hikaru leaned his body to the counter.

Aoi exited the kitchen door with her head hung in shame. She had a plaster on her ring finger, and it looked extremely painful.

"It looks like she is not hurt too much."

"Yeah..."

But she seemed lethargic.

She raised the tray of red tea set, and her movements were tense and stiffer than before to prevent the tray from shaking, her shoulders and face looking rigid.

Hikaru looked really tantalized as he moved his lips.

And Koremitsu pretended to go to the toilet as he stood up, passing Aoi nonchalantly.

After she served the red tea to the table, Aoi let out a heavy sigh as she returned back, and there was a voice,

"Pull yourself together."

Hikaru too embraced Aoi from behind, and encouraged with his gentle voice to her ears,

"Do your best, Miss Aoi."

At that moment, it seemed Aoi's shoulders jolted.

Michiru, seated next to the toilet, widened her eyes as she saw Koremitsu talk to Aoi.

And after Koremitsu used the toilet, he met Aoi in the eyes.

Aoi gave a stiff smile, her pink lips seeming saying 'yes'. She then continued with her work.

At this point, there seemed to be nothing going on, at least. She seemed to have recovered somewhat, and was relaxed.

(Saiga told me to mind my own business. Maybe she's going to look at me with scorn again.)

At this moment, the bell hanging on the door chimed, and a customer walked in.

"Welc—"

Aoi, who was at the door, went up to greet the customer, only to stop halfway. She widened her eyes, her cheeks stiffened.

Koremitsu too widened his mouth when he saw the customer.

The other customers and waitresses in the shop showed one shocked look after another.

Michiru too looked stupefied.

The woman who entered was dressed in a one-piece dress with a deep bold neckline and a short skirt, dressed in a glamorous get-up. She had a little of her red hair, slightly curled at its tip, bundled, and the rest was lowered naturally. This woman was wearing sunglasses—

"An artiste?"

"Definitely. Isn't she a model?"

"Sure feels different from a normal person."

She did not mind the chatters, the amazement, and the appreciative looks as she entered.

(What's with that person...! She's gorgeous— EHHHH!? She's going to Mr. Polar Star!?)

The woman was as beautiful as the red weeping cherry blossoms, dyeing the shop with color, mesmerizing her surroundings as she approached Koremitsu, her heels rattling. She then stopped, reached out her long fingers, and removed her sunglasses.

And then, she smiled heartily.

"I have arrived, Mr. Akagi."

### 005. Chapter 5: I'm Not a Convenient Woman, Duh!

There were some girls, that even when they simply existed there, they would be the focal point of attention.

She in particular was one of those special girls.

She was a girl who transferred to the affiliated noble girls school 'Saffron' studied at.

On the day of the opening ceremony, 'Saffron' was in a new class, ignoring the buzzing voices of the other girls as she read her book quietly.

"Ah!"

A shocked voice could be heard.

"That book! I'm reading it now too!"

She said as she took out a book with a similar cover from her bag.

That was her.

The girl with a cheerful smile.

The girl who remained fearless even when dealing with the rich princesses.

She had a strong sense of justice, would often take care of others well, and was able to express all she wanted to say fluently.

She was extremely gentle.

— I like this flower very much.

— In Arabic, this flower means 'yellow'. It can be made into a yellow dye, but this flower is a beautiful purple color itself. Isn't it interesting?

— That's why my lucky colors are purple and yellow.

The glamorous purple and the radiant yellow.

She was like the flower with both these colors—

And before 'Saffron' knew it, she had many people surrounding her.

It was such that the princesses who were in the school since the affiliated kindergarten wanted to improve relationships with her, that they invited her to their houses.

But for some reason, she treated such a person like 'Saffron' as a friend. Whenever they were together, 'Saffron' would feel that she was being compared to, and she felt suffocated.

The only one willing to talk to 'Saffron' at school was her.

'Saffron' was not used to conversing with others directly, so she would lower her head and cringe, her voice sounding really tense, and she was unable to express herself very well. Whenever she wanted to talk, the tip of her nose would become red, and a miserable feeling was pricking her from within.

She kept reading books during rest time, and that was because she could not burn the 10 minutes of time if she did not do so. Whenever her classmates continued to buzz and chatter at the back, her body would stiffen, and her inner heart would seem very empty. She wanted to return home quickly, she wanted to escape to a place where she would not feel awkward even when she was alone.

There was only one girl who approached 'Saffron' like this, giving a warm smile, approaching her with light steps.

This made her annoyed.

This made her distraught.

But XX, you just need to doll yourself up a little better. Let me go shopping with you. I'll pick the clothes most suited for you. If you add a little touch to your hair, you can change your image, you know? Do you want me to cut it for you? You'll be happy if you become pretty. You'll feel a lot better when you wear your favorite accessory— but even after saying that, those words merely caused 'Saffron's heart to break in despair.

Even if it was a little accessory, it was something too shameful to 'Saffron', too pitiful, something she could not wear.

"Delicious."

She added the gooseberry jam into into the green tea cup with the gold hemming that was filled in tea, placed the liquid in her mouth for a little while, and closed her eyes, ostensibly analyzing the lingering taste in her mouth. After that, she said with satisfaction.

"The sweetness and sourness of the jam, when added into red tea, becomes a richer fragrance that spreads in the mouth.

Her pretty, long and curly eyelashes were raised upwards, and she broke into a thin smile, giving off the regal vibe of a few thousand flowers blooming at the same time.

"The interior decorations of the shop is similar to the foreign houses I see in the illustration books when I was young, simple and cute. The space between the seats is just right, and really is relaxing. This is a fine shop. The shop name Bonne Chance is brilliant too; in French, it means 'to wish someone good luck'. Ah, there is an afternoon tea set in the menu, two types of scones, clotted cream and my choice of jam, different types of sandwiches like seasonal fruits, petit four, and cookies...this is worth looking forward to. However, I am on a diet now...what do I do now, Mr. Akagi? Can you help me?"

"Senpai."

"What is it~?"

"I can't really help as I don't really like sweet stuff."

Koremitsu glanced at the three layers of photos of cake and tarts laid out on the silver plates.

"Eh? That is too bad."

Once Tsuyako said this, she giggled as she played with the menu using the slender fingers she trimmed every single day.

"Ahh, the afternoon tea set starts at 2. It is now too early though, so how about some cream tea? I want both types of scones here, the clotted cream and my choice of jam. What do I do with the jam? Which one will be better? Marmalade or blueberry? Ah, pineapple looks delicious too."

"If it is jam, pineapple and kiwi flavors are said to have the refreshing flavors that cannot be eaten elsewhere so I really recommend them. This is what a girl who often came here said. Personally, I want to try the honey jam myself."

Hikaru poked his head in from beside Tsuyako, and spoke with a soft, sweet voice.

Koremitsu stared at the events unfolding in front of him, and said,

"Senpai, are you here just to open a tea party?"

"Can I not come here to see my cute underclassman here? It will be a month and a half of summer vacation when we will not be seeing each other. You probably would have forgotten about me."

"I won't. Speaking of which, don't say cute to a guy here."

"So you do pay particular mind to this, Mr. Akagi. That is unexpected."

Tsuyako looked away from the menu, stared at Koremitsu, and laughed cheerfully. She was still the same as before, a woman who really liked to laugh.

"So you really came here to open a tea party."

"Can I not?"

"Not that you can't—but well..."

At least choose the right place! He however did not say the reason.

Micihiru was seated near the toilet, holding a sugar pot in her hands as she peered over quietly. She did not come over to talk to them, probably because she was worried about disturbing them.

And in contrast, Aoi had been scowling ever since Tsuyako sat at Koremitsu's seat, giving them a terrifying glare that caused his back to freeze over.

To Aoi, Tsuyako was a woman who was not to be underestimated, who did not care that she got involved in a scandal with her fiance Hikaru. Also, Tsuyako was heavily involved in the incident with Kazuaki back then.

Tsuyako too had her own troubles, and from the outcome, it seemed Tsuyako told Koremitsu where Aoi was. It was because of this that he was able to save Aoi.

But even so, it was probably impossible for both Aoi and Tsuyako to get along well. Leaving aside Tsuyako, Aoi, who had a pure mindset, would probably think about Tsuyako's scandal with Hikaru and the incident with Kazuaki whenever she saw her face.

(Hikaru, don't just stand there, giggle and talk to senpai like that. Don't you feel sorry to Aoi?)

Koremitsu knew very well that Hikaru really treasured Aoi.

And he knew Hikaru broke up with Tsuyako to improve his relationship with Aoi properly.

In spite of that, though Aoi could not see Hikaru, the latter looked completely unabashed as he whispered to Tsuyako sweetly in front of Aoi, and till this point, Koremitsu could not comprehend.

(This guy is a harem bastard to the soul after all.)

Koremitsu was sometimes left speechless by Hikaru, sometimes sympathetic to Aoi. Tsuyako stared at Koremitsu, seemingly harboring some thoughts, and said,

"It seems Miss Aoi will feel unhappy whenever I am around."

Koremitsu was left speechless.

"If you understand that, please take note at least. You're an adult right, senpai?"

"Ah, but Miss Aoi and I are of the same age. In terms of birthdays, Miss Aoi is even a few months older than me."

"But,"

"And I do not like it if I am told to watch myself. This makes me feel that that person is looking down on me."

"I don't have that intent."

"But you do think that as compared to Miss Aoi, I am more resilient."

"Uu."

"That is why you wish for me to be more adult-like, so that Miss Aoi will not be feeling uneasy, no?"

"Ugh!"

"Am I wrong?"

Koremitsu was again left speechless.

Why could this upperclassman give such a carefree look, a mischievous expression, and give one tough question after another, confusing him completely?

As Koremitsu scowled and muttered, Hikaru too seemed rather sympathetic as he gave a skeptical look.

Tsuyako used both hands to support her head and stared at Koremitsu with her alluring eyes. Suddenly, she showed a cute smile from her lips and eyes. This upperclassman that seemed older than him normally showed an innocent, cute expression that matched her age.

"Sorry to stump you there~"

She apologized, chuckling away, looking as if she was happy to be able to trouble Koremitsu.

Amongst the girls around Koremitsu, Tsuyako was more or less the most unreasonable yet the most feminine, stubborn, busty and alluring.

And it was because of these feminine features that Koremitsu was occasionally teased, occasionally troubled by.

"It is a fact that I came to see you, Mr Akagi, but I am not here for myself; I am here to talk about Miss Shikibu."

"Shikibu?"

This time, Tsuyako revealed the reliable expression of an upperclassman as she beamed,

"I do use the Japanese Dance club room for dance practice during summer vacation, no? And so, I came to the clubroom this morning."

"...!"

"She looked really~~~ gloomy, that there was a cloud of rain over her."

"..."

"What is the matter? I asked, but even so, she would not reply at first. However, if that feisty Miss Shikibu is being so dejected here, I guess something must have happened with you. After probing a little more, her expression got even more downcast. She continued to sit on the tatamis, her knees cupped together, and she shrank back like a tortoise."

"!!"

" I can never meet Akagi again, well that was what she said—"

Akagi felt his heart ached.

What in the world are you doing, Shikibu!?

"I have a rough gist of what is going on after asking Miss Shikibu about it, and while she is somewhat to blame for this, I cannot ignore her as an upperclassman when she is looking so dejected in front of me. Mr Akagi, would you mind paying a visit to her? She definitely must be withdrawn like a tortoise now, but I do not like the saying 'paying a visit'."

Tsuyako continued to stare at Koremitsu intently, her eyes clearly giving the vibe of a reliable upperclassman, exceptionally gentle.

That expression was very similar to Hikaru's, the latter watching Koremitsu from the side.

"...Senpai, if you came directly from school, why are you dressing in your own clothing?"

"I so happened to pass by a shop on my way here, and I bought these to let your heart aflutter."

Even in this aspect, she was similar.

Koremitsu answered with a serious look,

"...I understand about Shikibu. I'll get going now."

Both Tsuyako and Hikaru smiled at the same time.

And as Koremitsu stood up, holding the bill, Tsuyako whispered to him gently,

"Well, Mr Akagi. Miss Shikibu must have been rather nervous when she is in front of you. She wants to show you her good side, to make you like her no matter how little it may be. However, she is often flustered as a reason, unable to control her mood swings. In the end, she always shows her most violent, indecent self in front of you."

"Senpai...thanks for telling me all that."

He lowered his head.

"My pleasure."

She answered cheerfully.

And so, he turned to look at Aoi, who continued to scowl.

"!"

She closed her lips, and turned away, showing a distressed look from her sidelong face.

"...If Hikaru was still alive, I suppose Miss Aoi probably would not want to be independent...Miss Asai...probably has her own troubles."

She muttered.

—Miss Asai and I are so similar, yet so different.

When Aoi's painting was stolen, Asai stormed to the clubroom, and had a squabble with Tsuyako.

The self-deprecating words Tsuyako said back at that moment rang in Koremitsu's mind.

Hikaru too looked on glumly.

Though she seemed a little concerned, Tsuyako reverted into a bright smile immediately,

"I suppose honey jam is the best after all. It is what Hikaru likes. Have a good day, Mr Akagi."

She sent him off.

"Oh, yeah."

And Koremitsu began to walk.

He finished paying, and was about to exit the door, only to find Aoi standing beside it, giving a feeble look.

At that instance, it seemed she wanted to say something to Koremitsu, but she still smiled in the end.

"Thank you for coming. Erm...please come back again."

She whispered.

He felt a little uneasy about leaving Tsuyako and Aoi together alone, and the forced determined look Aoi showed, coupled with Hikaru's pained expression, caused his heart to ache.

(Senpai, I trust you here. Please don't busy Aoi.)

He muttered in his heart.

"Oh."

He answered, trying his best to sound gentle.

The girl seated at the window opened the pocket novel, watching everything that happened between Koremitsu and Aoi.

There was also Michiru, seated at the table next to the toilet—

After exiting, he checked the messages in the cellphone.

(So Saffron didn't send me any messages after that, huh?)

I'm with Mignon right now .

He finally had the chance to meet up with Saffron.

(Damn it. I got no choice here.)

He slipped the cellphone carelessly into his pocket, and raised his eyebrows as he ran down the slope.

(So Mr Polar Star went away...after all.)

Though she sent him a message, he never looked over at her.

'Saffron' grasped Mignon tightly with her icy hand.

He probably would never look for 'Saffron' again.

(Because there are so many beautiful girls around Mr Polar Star...)

There was the waitress who quietly waited the red-haired youth leave the shop looked so adorable with her moist eyes and her lips that wanted to say something.

The red-haired beauty that watched the duo with her elbows on the table, her hands supporting her head, giving off such an overwhelming regal.

There was the pretty little girl with rosy cheeks who called him 'big brother'.

There was the pretty looking girl who summoned her courage to call him 'Akagi' in spite of being clumsy, and had neat eyebrows and nice long legs.

There was also the intellectual beauty who had a serious conversation

Compared to them, she definitely could not be categorized as a woman herself.

She was a peculiar animal.

—Yaa, that is a weird nose.

—You definitely escaped from the zoo or something, right

She recalled the events of her being teased by the boys in the park when she was still a child, and the tip of her nose became red, her body became frigid, ostensibly frozen.

(So boys do like cute girls after all.)

As a girl who was not born as a beauty, she probably could only live on with her face covered, never to be shown to others.

There was an irritating comment left on 'Saffron' blog,

"In reality, you're probably just an ugly, unpopular girl right (LOLZ) You cover everything on your face other than your hair and chin because the rest of it is so ugly that you can't correct it anymore?"

Her heart felt as if mud had been flung onto it as she trembled and deleted the comment.

(Mr Polar Star probably thinks that too, right? That he doesn't want to see my face because I'm ugly.)

Was he feeling regretful that he gave the brooch 'Saffron' she owned the name 'Mignon'?

She felt really peeved.

The tip of her nose was searing.

(I-I-I-I-I might be an ugly girl, but 'Saffron' isn't.)

—Miss Saffron, the way you space out is cuteness.

—Miss Saffron, you are definitely a pretty girl in real life, no?

She hid her real face, and for the first time, she was praised as cute, amazing, pretty.

—That really is a beautiful black hair, so much that it surprised me. You definitely are a princess, are you not, Miss Saffron?

—Your chin is thin and small; it causes my heart to throb.

As a 17 year old girl, such words were never said to her before.

Right, she definitely could not let this end.

She did not want Mr Polar Star to assume that 'Saffron' was an ugly girl, and hid herself to avoid meeting him.

The nose tip that had accompanied 'Saffron' for 17 years buzzed, seemingly determined too. At that moment, her heart was oozing in pain.

Her fated person never existed.

And she was a fool to believe that such a dream-like encounter might truly exist.

There was no one in this world who liked her like this.

And nobody would ever praise her, calling her cute.

Her fated partner never existed right from the beginning! If she never hoped for it, she would not be disappointed, and that would be fine!

But if it was 'Saffron'—

As long as it was Saffron'—

The hands that were holding Mignon tightly were seeping sweat.

"Right...'Saffron' is a popular, pretty girl..."

(Akagi's definitely still mad now.)

Honoka cupped her knees, seated at a corner of the Japanese Dance Club.

She had been like that since morning, maintaining that posture for who knew how long. Noon should have passed quite a while ago, but she was not hungry in the slightest.

She repeated her thoughts over and over again, her regrets looping over and over again, repeating itself.

(I promised never to kick Akagi again, and I did it again without thinking, and even sent a staff member flying when he had nothing to do with it...)

There was a large lump on the shopkeeper's head.

(Why is it that I don't learn when it's about Akagi! I always wanted to be a cool girl in front of him.)

—DON'T YOU EVER STEP INTO THIS SHOP AGAIN!

Honoka was lectured loudly outside the shop by Koremitsu, who was fuming so much his hair was standing. He really was livid, and she was utterly stunned.

(Akagi definitely thinks that I'm just a stupid, violent girl who's not his girlfriend, a troublesome stalker girl who continues to harass him during the summer vacation~~!!)

Though Shioriko too was at fault for the commotion in the shop, she was still an elementary school student. There probably was no helping it either.

Furthermore, to Koremitsu, Shioriko was someone to be protected like a real little sister. Perhaps they might have made amends, and she was fawning over him, asking Koremitsu to carry her on the back.

(If I get Akagi to carry me, won't I look like a female pervert here? That'll annoy Akagi more.)

No, at this point, she was already hated to quite a state.

(If I just go to him and apologize...will he forgive me?)

But how many times had it been that she went to apologize to Koremitsu after going berserk like that?

She was so bashful every single time, looking ready to die as she apologized with a shrill voice. She always assumed that Koremitsu would take pity on her in this state, and never pursued the matter.

If this were to repeat itself continuously however, Koremitsu too would have had enough and reach his limit.

Honoka too did not know what expression to show when she face Koremitsu in the future.

"Uuu, I guess I might have to transfer schools..."

Just when Honoka was mourning, nearly breaking into tears.

She sensed the door being opened.

Certainly, it must have been Tsuyako who came back.

Honoka continued to keep her head buried into her knees while this happened, spacing out as she remained silent.

"Up-upperclassman Tsuyako, please tell me how do I keep calm in front of the person I like?"

Her heart was already filled with agony when she simply said those words, and she felt full of anguish, nearly overflowing.

It was that painful, such great pain, and she wanted to shout,

"What can I do to be myself in front of Akagi."

Tsuyako remained silent. No matter who it was, such a question would be difficult to answer.

Honoka lifted her head stiffly,

"S-sorry...it's nothing. Please forget what I just said."

But standing in front of her was not Tsuyako.

It was her classmate, the one with messy red hair, a sharp glare, a skinny body with his back arched, looking down at her with his face blushing, looking restless.

"!"

Why is Akagi here!!!!????

"Wai-wai-wai-wai-wai-wai-wait, why!?"

(Did he hear that?)

Koremitsu was blushing as he averted his eyes.

(He heard it after all!!!)

Honoka shook intensely, and just when she was about to stand, she pressed her hands on the hem of her skirt in her haste, lost her balance, and fell backwards.

"Wah!"

Her legs flew towards the air as she tumbled.

Her back crashed the tatamis, and on top of that, her head hit the wall with a loud thud.

(Uuu, this is really embarrassing.)

She wanted to hurry and stand up, before realizing that her skirt was flipped. Surely her underwear could be seen as well, and her heart jolted.

And of all days, she was wearing panda prints!

She hurriedly supported herself, flattened her skirt with both hands, bent her knees, and sat down again.

"~~!!"

She whimpered as she cautiously lifted her sight, and found Koremitsu standing still, blushing harder than before.

"Y-you saw...?"

"Eh, yeah..."

He turned away, stammering.

"You're not denying it? You saw?"

"It can't be helped!"

Koremitsu grumbled.

Honoka really hoped to break a hole in the tatamis and bury her head into it.

"I-it's not like what you imagined...I normally wear something more mature than that. I do have things like black lace, lavender silk and the like! B-bu-but when I'm depressed, and when I wear this...I feel that well, I revert back to being a kid, that I become even livelier...I-I just wear it on occasion, just occasionally. Prints, patterns...like panda, I really only have one of it! As-as-as-as the love expert, don't mistake me for liking to wear panda prints panties!"

(Seriously, why am I discussing about underwear so passionately?)

Koremitsu was rendered overwhelmed.

(I'm an idiot. Won't this make him more stunned?)

Why was it that she would always show Koremitsu such an unbecoming sight?

She felt bitterness in her chest, hapless. This time, she really was about to cry.

(Well, it's fine anyway.)

She closed her lips, and lowered her head.

And because Honoka suddenly became silent, Koremitsu called out to her softly,

"...Shikibu."

"Well...it's alright."

She felt a stinging pain in her throat as she eked out a hoarse voice.

She raised her eyebrows, and turned her face towards Koremitsu. She wanted to show him a feisty look, but perhaps she looked ready to burst into tears at this point. Koremitsu gasped as he frowned.

"It's fine already."

(Akagi's definitely incompatible with me here. No matter how I try to express myself, I'll definitely fail all the time, and the relationship between us will definitely worsen.)

If that was to be the case, it would be best if she did not approach him.

(I definitely will not be liked by Akagi either way.)

—I haven't forgotten

Koremitsu said this to Honoka with a serious look at this place, on the day of the semester closing ceremony.

I haven't forgotten, Shikibu, about you saying that you like me.

As it was too sudden, too embarrassing, she yelled 'forget about it' immediately, but once she reached home after that, she kept repeating those words over and over again in her mind, spinning around on the chair.

"Akagi has always...been working hard for girls...even when he had bad things said about him, even when he was scorned at, he would always act in the other person's interest..."

Koremitsu revealed a troubled look as he looked down at Honoka.

Honoka tried her best to hold the tears from falling out many times.

"I think you are really cool because of this, Akagi, but.."

If she were to say such a thing, he definitely would be stunned.

And she would be hated.

No, it would be better for her to be hated by him than to be a classmate on good terms with him.

"I'm different from Her Highness Aoi, Miss Kanai and Shiiko! You never did anything for me, Akagi!"

Koremitsu widened his eyes, ostensibly from the shock due to Honoka's words.

And as she saw him in such a state, she was filled with agony within.

She could no longer listen to Koremitsu say to her 'you're a good person, Shikibu'.

If she were to continue seeing his face, she would only be left with more anguish, so she stood up.

This time, she did not fall back, and stood up properly on the tatamis, storming out to the exit.

"Shikibu, wait."

Koremitsu spoke gruffly as he grabbed Honoka's arm.

(Why're you stopping me, you idiot! You don't have any intention, don't agitate a woman's feelings ! You're going to make things worse worrying for me as a classmate!)

She firmly shook aside Koremitsu's hand that was grabbing her arm.

"I just wanted the two of us to go to the pool together, Akagi. You might not think it's anything much, but I was really looking forward to it! That's enough now!"

She said everything she wanted, and did not take another look at Koremitsu as she stormed out.

"Argh, what exactly was that all about anyway?"

Koremitsu grumbled as he stared at the direction left towards.

She disappeared before he realized it, and left in his hand was the touch of Honoka's hand, and his dripping sweat.

Left behind as well were the uneasy eyes staring at him, and the flurry of intense words.

"That idiot!"

Koremitsu cupped his head and squatted on the corridor hard as if to break his knees.

And then, he remained like that, grumbling,

(That Shikibu actually expressed her feelings like this. Did I make her endure like that all this while!?)

Honoka had been by his side, grumbling 'I'm not doing this for your sake' as she offered him help.

She ostensibly said everything she wanted, any doubts she had, but it also did not seem to be the case.

—E-Erm...about the pool...

—Are you really going to the pool with me once you're done?

Honoka was ever so bashful back then, and once she got Koremitsu's affirmative reply, she looked really delighted.

—I'm different from Her Highness Aoi, Miss Kanai and Shiiko! You never did anything for me, Akagi!

That actually was the matter after all.

Koremitsu had been thanked by Honoka all this time, but was never able to repay her back in any way.

Her words continued to echo in his mind, his heart aching.

"Hikaru...I really don't understand women at all. I don't understand anything about what she's thinking."

—I haven't forgotten.

He said such words while pretending to look cool, and decided to face Honoka seriously at that. However, he never noticed how much pressure he brought to her.

(I'm really a bastard.)

He cupped his head, feeling really dejected. As Koremitsu remained like this, Hikaru spoke with a mature adult-like voice.

"Your realization of this can be considered an improvement by itself. If you find that you failed, you can try again."

Koremitsu slowly lifted his head, and found his friend squatted beside him in the same posture

"If it is you, you can definitely do it."

Koremitsu's inner heart calmed down, silence blowing by like a refreshing breeze.

As a ghost, Hikaru could not start again even if he regretted.

That was why those words of his could echo in Koremitsu's heart.

"...You're right."

"Well, it is like you to pull yourself together no matter how much you regret, and continue running forward, Koremitsu. You are my hero after all."

"You think too highly of me, idiot."

He muttered, and stood up.

He certainly was not something amazing like a hero.

He certainly had regrets. From this day forth, he would also have many things he would regret.

However,

He started worrying about what he could do for Honoka.

And besides, he did have a friend he could consult beside him.

He arched his back and leaned forward, his cheeks seering as he muttered,

"A-anyway...wooing other girls isn't something for me. I won't do that again. And...well...regarding a woman's feelings...can...can you teach me about them?"

Hikaru widened his eyes slightly, and said,

"My pleasure."

Hikaru seemed very delighted as he beamed, causing Koremitsu to feel very embarrassed. The latter placed his hands in his pockets, looked away, and walked down the corridor.

"Hey you—"

And at the corner, he stopped.

The bespectacled girl with braids looked devastated as she stood there.

"Sorry, I was worried about Hono...so I trailed you. And then...I heard your conversation..."

Koremitsu raised his eyebrows as he drew his hands out of his pocket, scaring the girl as the latter took a few steps back, shouting,

"P-p-p-please don't be angry."

"I'm not."

He lowered his raised shoulders, and spoke quietly,

"It's good that you're able to think for your friend's sake."

The class representative with braids stopped retreating, looking ready to burst into tears as she gave a hesitant look deep within her eyes, staring at Koremitsu,

"...This is the first time Hono is concerned about a guy."

Unlike the shrill voice she would use due to tension, she whispered,

"I had been friends with Hono ever since she transferred in during middle school. I came here through the affiliated school, but I look so plain, so easy to bully...like I got chosen to be the class rep by everyone...everyone just calls me the class rep...Hono however called me by my proper name Michiru, helped me complete my work, and she helped me say out whatever I wanted to say. Everyone was willing to listen to Hono...Hono really is cool."

She said with an admiring smile, and reverted back to a lonely look,

"I-I always hoped that I can be like Hono, so I bought the same accessory as her. You see, doesn't Hono have a glittery bracelet chain on her arm? Whenever she starts exercising, that chain would start shaking, rattling. She's pretty, and amazing...but it doesn't match me at all. In the end, I could only look at it and use it as a cellphone strap...ah, huh, what was I saying just now? I was supposed to be talking about Hono...please don't be concerned about me. Sorry!"

She used both hands to support her glasses, saying it like it was a joke.

Upon seeing Michiru like that, Koremitsu spoke to her, as if it was the first time they met.

"Do you hate the role of being the class rep?"

Michiru shook her head.

"I did at first, but it's different now. The me now is the best class rep in Japan."

Koremitsu was very impressed by that reply.

And beside him, Hikaru watched on with a gentle expression.

"Miss Hanasato, you are like the Tachibana flower, a pure white flower that hides deep within the green leaves. Perhaps you might not be noticed by the others, but you are determined and devoted, giving off a memorable fragrance. You are a charismatic girl yourself."

Michiru Hanasato.

For the first time, Koremitsu understood that this was the name of the bespectacled class representative in front of him.

And, feeling somewhat respectful to his classmate as well, Koremitsu called out,

"Hanasato!"

Michiru widened her eyes.

"You're like the Tachibana flowers. You're plain, but you have a gentle memorable fragrance. I think that's very good."

She probably was shocked because Koremitsu knew her name.

And she looked up at Koremitsu's face, not moving at all.

As she had been staring at him all this while, Koremitsu was worried if she had passed out on the spot.

Suddenly, a tear flowed out of her large, widened eyes.

A little tear alone glided down her face like a glittering, transparent dew, and Koremitsu gasped as he watched this.

"Can we sit together, Tōjō-senpai?"

Shungo Tōjō read the message on the cellphone with a frown, and lifted his head to stare at the girl who came to talk to him. The wrinkles on his forehead intensified.

"There are still other seats here, right?"

Shungo coldly answered.

"But this is the best one."

Hiina Oumi of the news club showed an impish smile on her boyish face, and sat beside him.

She folded her legs, ostensibly boasting about the thighs that were sticking out of her shorts, and leaned her body to Shungo, ostensibly boasting about the breasts that she barely managed to hold in with a tank top.

She was merely a 15 year old girl, but her slightly opened lips and moist eyes revealing a fragrant coquetry and an intellect that defied her appearance.

The aura she gave off was something Shungo did not like.

Or rather, he despised.

No, to be precise, he had no choice but to despise.

He could not let this girl's feelings rest upon him. That was what he swore when he brought her out of that place.

The relationship they would have was simply to be that of a user and a person being used, and they could not hope for more.

—It's fine.

She smiled back without any begrudging.

—Even if this is the case, I feel blessed to be with my family.

Is it really a happy thing to be with a family member who cannot admit you? Shungo was uncertain.

But the girl sitting beside him, looking up and spacing out was being so satisfied, looking ever so blissful.

"This is good once in a while."

Hiina turned her head around like a kitty, and narrowed her eyes.

"What will happen if Aoi gets suspicious?"

Aoi was a waitress at this shop, the one Shungo really doted on, and concerned by her actions. Hiina spoke with a harsh look,

"Her Highness Aoi will think it is just a shameless underclassman forcing herself besides her senior."

"So why are you not sitting opposite me, but beside me?"

"It's easier for me to whisper to you, that's why."

Shungo kept quiet, and Hiina probably deemed this as acceptance as she leaned her face to his ear, whispering everything she learned in a happy whisper.

The head of the Mikados was still taken ill. During this time, Hikaru died; was it not a coincidence.

It was probable that the head did not want to nominate Kazuaki, the legitimate wife's eldest son, as the heir, but Hikaru.

As for why, it was because Hikaru had the face most similar to the head's favorite woman.

"Do you think Lord Hikaru killed himself, senpai?"

Hiina asked, changing her tone.

Shungo personally witnessed the scars on Hikaru's arms.

When it was during Golden Week.

Shungo saw Tsuyako kiss Hikaru at the turf club located at the Mikados' villa, and inadvertently lashed out at him.

After that, Shungo wanted to apologize, and went to Hikaru's villa, seeing the injuries under his sleeves.

Those were scars from a blade.

But—

"Hikaru had no reason to seek death."

For he, beloved by the Heavens, the women, the boy who lived his life freely, why did he choose suicide?

Even so, Shungo noticed Hikaru's hollow expression at the last time they conversed with each other.

Hiina stared at him with with her clever looking eyes.

"The Matriarch Asa might know something."

Asai was Hikaru's cousin, and Shungo again pondered.

After Kazuaki committed the cardinal sin of locking Aoi up, Shungo was the one to propose an alliance.

Asai agreed with this proposal.

For the sake of the Mikados' future, the Tōjōs have switched over from the Roses to the Wisterias.

Asai's objective should be the same thing.

And so, both Shungo and Asai would have the same benefits and cons.

However, unlike the cute innocent Aoi, Asai was as sharp and cold as a knife, and even for him, she was someone he did not really want to get involved with. It was one thing that he had to handle the obnoxious ladies like his older sisters, but it was another to deal with the overly insightful Asai. The way she called Shungo 'Mr. Tōjō' when he was her senior made her an unpleasant person too.

But as an ally, she certainly was reliable.

And even if they had something going on, it was merely that of pros and cons, and not trusts.

"Asai—probably will not say anything."

The bond between Asai and Hikaru.

The thoughts Asai had of Hikaru.

What was built up since young was probably something stronger than what Shungo could imagine.

Asai's actions were still based on that dead boy.

And then, the one who most understood the boy called Hikaru on this world, the one who understood his thoughts, was Asai.

Hiina too had this idea.

"Yes, that's why I started investigating whether Lord Hikaru killed himself or was killed. If 'that person' was the culprit, it'll be killing two birds with one stone. I'll just investigate more on that side."

Shungo frowned.

"Won't that be too dangerous?"

After hearing her older brother's words, Hiina Oumi relaxed her face, and smiled.

At a distance where both of them could sense each other's breath, she stared blissfully at this important person to her who had the same bloodline, worried about her safety as he frowned away. She whispered,

"It's fine."

This is something the princess Her Highness Aoi cannot do.

But if it's for my brother's sake, I'll finish it even if I've to give up my life.

### 006. Chapter 6: Suetsumuhana

The next morning,

Koremitsu's eyes were bloodshot, his skin dry as he went up the slope leading to the red tea shop Bonne Chance.

He pondered over Honoka and the significance of Michiru's tear over and over again the previous night, unable to sleep.

His head and body were ostensibly seared by fire, and even as he tried to lie on his side on the futon and close his eyes, the images of those two would appear in his eyes; Honoka yelling 'it's alright', and Michiru, removing her glasses , rubbing her cheeks as she apologized 'it's alright, I was just shocked'. His heart ached.

He rolled about on the futon, and looked at the clock with his half-opened eye to check the time—then, he realized something.

Hikaru could not sleep at night.

The blue moonlight shone in from the window in the midst of the humid summer night, shining on Hikaru's gloomy sidelong face

It was a gloomy sight.

The cool and distant face.

The tightly shut, lonely lips.

(So Hikaru has been like that when I'm sleeping so soundly.)

There was no human voice, no sound, and shown in those eyes were merely just darkness.

He could not take a walk to ease his burden, and he could not read books to spend the time. Perhaps he could only stare at the sky like this.

Koremtitsu walked forth and he whispered, asking,

"Ghosts...can't sleep?"

Hikaru's gloomy eyes seemed to waver.

Perhaps he noticed the reason why Koremitsu was not in a good mood, and answered with a refreshing face,

"I was already used to having insomnia when I was alive."

Hikaru answered with clarity.

"I do wonder how many nights I end up unable to sleep even after switching off the lights...because the girls in my bed would not let me do so."

Koremitsu realized that Hikaru was trying to pass this off as a joke, and felt more anguished within.

"Eh, do not be like that. Why are you giving such a scary look, Koremitsu? It is not a big thing that I cannot sleep. I think it is interesting to count the tatami blocks and play a word chain by myself."

"Ugh, Hikaru!"

"Y-yes?"

"Even if it's a day earlier, I want you to be able to sleep properly."

After hearing Koremitsu's affirmed declaration, Hikaru showed a stiff smile, and said,

"I do feel those words seem to imply a different meaning."

However, Koremitsu in turn was completely pumped up.

(Right, if I continue to hesitate, it'll take a longer time for this guy to depart, and he'll continue living through such painful nights. I'm already suffering so much being unable to sleep for an entire night; if I'm going to be like this every night, it's no different from Hell. Better settle this guy's emotional issues and send him to the afterlife.)

First, he would have to look for Saffron.

"You better look for Saffron properly today!"

Hikaru too looked on calmly,

"You are right. She probably was getting impatient waiting for you."

"Uu, it's my fault for ignoring her message and leaving first. Shall I send a message back first?"

Koremitsu took the cellphone from his pocket, thinking hard, wondering about how he should respond.

"Well, when I told Miss Saffloer about how I could not sleep, Miss Saffloer sent me lots of herb medicinal recipes that promotes sleep, how to mix aroma oils, how to make Potpurri, and so on."

Hikaru spoke from the side cheerily,

"She even showed me photos of the processes one by one, and even added explanations that are easy to understand. She really sent me a lot, like a hill."

The face was dazzling like the sunlight under the bright morning sun, and the golden hair fluttered in the air as Hikaru beamed radiantly.

"What do you think? She is a good girl, right? She is a nice girl, right?"

Hikaru's sincere words and expressions really touched Koremitsu's heart.

One had to wonder why no matter which 'flower' it was, Hikaru was able to be so vivacious.

He spoke with a sweet expression, as if bragging to Koremitsu his most beloved lover.

"As her name implies, she is cute, and somewhat scatterbrained, cheering for me when I am downhearted. She is a girl like an orange flower."

(Hm? Saffron's color is orange?)

Koremitsu did not know much about flowers, but when he searched the images of Saffrons on the internet, it seemed the flowers with those names were all purple...

Well, for him, any color would do for the flowers. Certainly, there could be orange Saffrons.

"Anyway, help me think of what to write to Saffron, Hikaru."

"Hm, you are right here. First, we have to apologize about yesterday, and then—"

Koremitsu ascended the slope as he did as what Hikaru advised him, typing in the keys.

During this time, Koremitsu asked,

"Hey, to be honest, who do you think is more suspicious? If it's me, the most likely person is the rude waitress."

"Miss Sueko, you mean?"

"Yeah, that Sueko. Aoi said that she's studying at a noble girls school, and there are some hints that she just started work recently. She's been acting suspiciously when she looks at my face. Anyway, it feels like she's the one rather than being just the most likely person."

"Eh, ah...yes. But you see, Saffron has long flowing black hair, and Miss Sueko is a little brighter, a little curly, at that."

For some reason, Hikaru stammered weakly.

"That sort of things can be changed at times, right? Don't women always change hairstyles?"

"Eh, yes...that certainly is the case, but."

"No, it's definitely her. If that's the case, I'm going to grab her by the collar and interrogate her."

"Wait, Koremitsu! We are not policemen questioning a ruthless criminal here!"

Just when Hikaru was hurriedly trying to stop Koremitsu,

An uncouth voice rang into their ears.

"You got to be kidding me! That's a completely extra service charge! I won't continue working if you don't add some extra pay!"

There was a woman yelling loudly at the cellphone, standing in front of the duo.

That person was dressed in a long cut-and-sew skirt, had a large slingbag, and though her outfit was neat and tidy, her tone was coarse.

"...Is that Sueko?"

"Erm..."

Hikaru muttered vaguely, looking awkward.

(She does look like Sueko from her silhouette.)

But this tone makes her seem like a bar hostess rather than a rich princess, one who was violent, ready to cause a ruckus at all times. For some reason, Koremitsu felt that he heard that voice before.

"Anyway, I just want to talk about my basic pay increase! That's all! Argh!"

Sueko realized that there was the stare of a heinous hunchback high school student behind her, and turned her head around.

She saw Koremitsu standing right in front of her, and averted her eyes in fear, hurriedly raising her bag, trying to hide her face. However, Koremitsu had already seen her face completely.

"You're that gawdy big sister living beside Yū's room!"

"Ugh!"

Sueko was taken aback.

Right, at the time Koremitsu often visited Yū's apartment, there was often loud yells noise coming from the next door, talking about bad times, pay rises and such.

When he knocked on Yū's door, Sueko would poke her head out from the next door, looking vexed as she said such vicious things,

"Don't get lecherous and do bad things, you damn brat."

After that, Koremitsu learned that she was a bodyguard hired to protect Yū.

And this woman appeared in front Koremitsu as Sueko Marinokōji, a 3 rd year of a certain famous girls high school.

"You entered that shop to protect Aoi this time, did you? Did Tōjō ask you to do this again?"

"Guh!"

"Ahaha...this certainly is something Mr. Shungo would do."

Hikaru laughed wryly as he whispered.

"Miss Aoi was lavish in her praise, saying that Miss Sueko was very earnest, taught her all sorts of things, and helped her a lot. Miss Sueko was also the one to first help Miss Aoi when the latter dropped the tea cup."

"You're the one who taught Aoi how to heal wounds with glue, use the tea leaves remains as a pesticide and all sorts of other things, right?"

"Sorry for not having money here! This is all part of my life experience!"

Sueko did not care any longer now that her cover was blown, and yelled as she lowered her bag, revealing her face. She did not have as heavy a make-up as she did when living as Yū's neighbor, but it was thicker than any ordinary person, and was extremely gaudy.

"Speaking of which, you call yourself a high school girl with that age of yours? Isn't that being too shameless?"

"Aren't you quite the rude brat to ask a girl's age immediately? I just graduated N years ago."

"Don't you feel embarrassed for coming up with such a ridiculous alias like Sueko Marinokōji?"

"Sueko's my real name anyway."

"Your real name!? It doesn't match you at all!"

"Yeah, I know that myself. I'm the youngest of my four sisters, so if you've any issue, go complain to the parents who named me Sueko for convenience sake!"

"So Miss Sueko is the youngest of the four sisters. It does seem to match the story of Amy in Little Women; she is the most beautiful of them all, and finally married into a rich family."

Hikaru chimed in with some unnecessary tidbit.

A little while after the yelling, Koremitsu spoke softly in a lethargic manner,

"...In other words, you blocked your face with the tray, and pretended to sound posh. All that is because it'll be bad if I found out about your identity, right?"

And so, Koremitsu's idea that Sueko was the most likely suspect to be Saffron vanished.

Sueko suddenly lowered her waist, and begged,

"Anyway, can you please keep this a secret from Aoi? Of course, please also keep this a secret from young master Tōjō. Or else, my pay will..."

And then, she spoke with an erotic expression, sounding sexy,

"Hey? Will you? If you can keep my secret, this big sister will do some interesting things to you."

"No thanks."

"What's with that immediate answer!? And why're you giving that annoyed 'geh!' look on your face!?"

"She is right, Koremitsu. It is rare for such an invitation from a woman. That is being too rude. Even if she is not your type, you can us the experience to learn."

"Shut up, you sex maniac!"

"Sex maniac!? I'm a woman here! Ah, I'm going to be late for work. My pay—listen up? If you dare reveal this, I'll pour hot soup into your mouth!"

Sueko started running frantically.

"Ah, Miss Sueko. Your skirt is folded over. It is rare for you to dress up like a princess."

Hikaru whispered, sounding devastated.

"Hey, Hikaru. You knew about her identity before this?"

"Eh!"

Hikaru's shoulders jolted in surprise.

"No wonder you weren't exactly agreeing with me when I said she was suspicious."

"Is-is that so...? If that is the case, it is because I am in a bad state due to a lack of sleep. Ah, I feel dizzy."

"What do you mean dizzy!? Stop with that 3 rd rate acting! Why didn't you tell me she's the big sister living next to Yū!?"

Hikaru forced a smile while he was being glared at, and said,

"But did Miss Sueko not walk like a crab and cover her face with a tray, trying her best not to let you notice her? Her face was as red as a Geranium. It would be too pitiful for her if her hard work went to waste because of my own mouth. You see, I am an ally of girls."

"Stop messing around with me, you flirtatious bastard. Always saying such things like the big sister next door being like a red Geranium!"

"Ah, Koremitsu! Your cellphone is ringing!"

"Don't try to misdirect me! Ah, it is."

The cellphone in his hand was vibrated.

Once he saw who the sender was, his heart jolted.

"Hey, it's from Saffron."

"Eh?"

After opening the message, both Koremitsu and Hikaru streaked at the screen—

"I had enough of you treating me as a fool.

You never had any intention of meeting me, do you, Mr. Polar Star?

Chatting up other girls in front of me.

My impression of you has been destroyed completely."

"Ack, she's really angry here. Speaking of which, what does she mean 'chatting up other girls'? When did I do that in the shop?"

"...So you have no awareness of it at all. Well, I shall talk about that in the future. There is still some content after the message."

On Hikaru's reminder, Koremitsu dragged the screen down.

"I am not going to date you anymore, Mr. Polar Star.

I do not wish that you send me any messages, and I shall ban you from my blog."

"Ack, what do I do now. She's refusing me on her side."

"It cannot be helped that all sorts of charming girls appeared one after another. Rather than that, look down."

"She's still not done with her complains?"

"But before that, I wish to meet you one last time, because I want to give you a huge slap.

Today, you shall be slapped by Saffron, and you shall be dumped.

And with that, everything will be over."

"Haaaaa!? What's she saying here!? Why do I have to be slapped!?"

"This is amazing, Koremitsu!"

"Like how!?"

While Koremitsu continued to grasp the phone tightly, Hikaru's face and eyes were glittering,

"This does mean that Miss Saffloer will be making an appearance, right?"

Koremitsu understood.

"Yeah! If she wants to slap me, doesn't that mean I can see Saffron?"

The once crestfallen mood immediately improved for the better.

"Alright! If you're going to show up now, I'm going to catch you."

"...Like I said, this is not like a policeman catching a criminal."

Hikaru seemed a little worried.

It was the same red tea shop, the same door, and he opened the door with more apprehension.

"Welcome."

The first thing he heard was Sueko, who had her identity revealed, her eyes seemingly saying,

"If you dare reveal my identity, I won't forgive you."

She showed such a cheap smile as she welcomed Koremitsu, and led him to his seat.

Aoi was standing in a corner, her head slightly lowered as she showed a clear smile.

(Great, she looks lively now.)

Koremitsu too nodded as thanks. With that, Aoi was happy, showing a smile on her lips.

Hikaru too was chuckling by the side.

(Speaking of which, it seems Aoi really respects Sueko. If she knows that Sueko was hired by Tōjō as a bodyguard, she'll be really shocked, I guess.)

For Aoi's sake, it would be better for him to hide the truth...

After making his order, he looked around the shop.

There was the customer seated at the windowside with blinder, wiping her face with a towel as she read the newspapers; there was the group of high school girls seated in the middle of the shop, yapping away. At the corner was a girl flipping through the pocket novel, looking on with gloomy eyes—

That girl whom Hikaru dubbed Miss Mint lifted her head, staring in Koremitsu's direction.

(Is that...)

To Koremitsu, she was supposed to be the second most likely suspect after Sueko.

From her age, it seemed she was a high school girl.

She had been reading alone there all this while, sometimes giving Koremitsu an observing look or something.

(Is she?)

Saffron?

The eyes were cold, devoid of any warmth, ostensibly answering Koremitsu, 'that is me'. Koremitsu gulped, stood up, and was about to walk over to her.

"Mr. Polar Star?"

There was a voice from behind him.

"Eh? Yeah, that's me."

The moment he turned his head around, there was a loud sound on Koremitsu's right cheek.

The tremendous impact blew from his face to his mind, and it seemed his neck was snapped.

That person gave him a merciless slap.

Koremitsu tumbled from the chair, and landed on his butt in an unbecoming manner.

"Wh—wha?"

His cheeks were still searing, throbbing with pain.

There seemed to be something broken in his mouth, and the taste of blood could be felt.

All the stares in the shop were fixated on Koremitsu, and Aoi herself seemed to be stopping herself from screaming as she placed both hands on her mouth. Sueko was behind Aoi, grabbing the latter by the shoulders, supporting her.

"Koremitsu, are you alright?"

Hikaru was flabbergasted as he stared at Koremitsu sidelong, exclaiming with shock.

It seemed the face was really swollen.

Koremitsu blanked out for a little while as he was knocked to the floor, and finally recovered, remaining on the floor as he looked up at the person.

"So you're Saffron?"

He answered forcefully.

"That's correct, Mr. Polar Star."

Staring down at Koremitsu was a girl dressed in a bright purple tunic and a short denim pants, the refreshing and imposing sight akin to that of a Saffron.

(So she's Saffron?)

Koremitsu gritted his teeth as he continued to glare back. He heard a voice 'another harem war?', but it seemed everyone was already used to such a commotion as they pretended not to notice anything.

"Though we have finally met, it is too bad. This is the end of the line for you. I shall reject any messages from my address."

She spoke with clarity and emphasis, beaming like a purple flower basked in lots of sunlight.

The large hanging earrings and the pendant on the chest were dangling glamorously, and the silver chain hanging on her little arm were rattling.

Koremitsu had wondered who she resembled, and it was Honoka.

The amazing body, feisty expression, and a slender waist caused him to think this way.

(What's with this strange feeling? It seems off?)

Was the Saffron Hikaru talked of really her?

"Goodbye now. You weren't a bad person online, but I have nothing to say about you in reality other than mediocre."

The glossy long hair swayed in the air, and Saffron turned to leave.

The group of high school girl let out a sigh, seemingly watching the wondrous closing of a love drama scene.

"Hey—"

If she was to go away like this, Koremitsu's mission as Hikaru's representative would not be done.

And the day Hikaru gets to the afterlife would only grow distant.

Also, Koremitsu wondered what was the strange feeling in his heart, and had not given up on investigating it.

Something seemed off!

There seemed to be a minor mistake somewhere.

If he could understand the logic behind it—

The sweat seeping from Koremitsu's forehead entered his eyes, and his vision got blurry. And then, for some reason, the face of the class representative with 3 braids, the lonely tears that stroked her cheeks appeared in his eyes for some reason.

At this moment.

Hikaru's voice filled the place in the midst of this tense atmosphere.

"It does seem strange hearing those words from your mouth. I never met Miss Saffloer before."

Hikaru stared at Saffron's back seriously, the light shining through his soft hair, causing it to ostensibly glitter, and his face to become as clear as an angel of light.

In his delirium, Koremitsu yelled,

"I haven't met Saffron yet!"

'Saffron' stopped her elegant steps.

She kept her back turned away from Koremitsu, not saying anything.

Hikaru then continued with a calm tone,

"You may be Saffron, but the Miss Saffloer I exchanged messages with is not you."

"You're Saffron, but not Saffron herself. At the very least, the Saffloer Mr. Polar Star exchanged messages with isn't you!"

Hikaru's words continued to spread in Koremitsu's heart.

The latter's confused thoughts continued to piece themselves together, forming something tangible.

Once he had a strong awareness of it, he felt a painful shriek in his heart, and focused his ears on Hikaru's voice with all his might.

"In the online world, Saffron was a cheerful, somewhat airheaded rich princess. She is popular amongst the boys. In reality however, is Saffron really like that?"

"Saffron declared herself to be cheerful, somewhat clumsy and a little airheaded on her blog, and is really popular. Is the real Saffron like that?

The flowing waterfall-like long hair rested upon her back, and she shivered a little, probably because she was rattled. Perhaps she was wondering whether to turn around.

The silver chain on her wrist let out a soft sound.

The people in the shop probably assumed that Koremitsu was simply trying to get her to stay, and pretended not to notice.

But the girl with the icy expression in the corner of the shop, reading the pocket novel, was the only one to stop what she was doing, and stared in Koremitsu's direction.

And Aoi—

Too stared at Koremitsu with worry and confusion.

During all this, Hikaru did not stop,

"She did not know who Mr. McDonalds and Mr. KFC are actually names for McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken, not because she is a princess who does not know anything about the world, but because she does not have friends that she can go out with after school or during the holidays, no? The reason why she does not put on the accessory, but keeps it carefully, is because it does not match her, no? That she feels embarrassed wearing it, right?"

Koremitsu's mind again recalled Michiru's lonely expression.

—I always hoped that I can be like Hono, so I bought the same accessory as her.

—You see, doesn't Hono have a glittery bracelet chain on her arm? Whenever she starts exercising, that chain would start shaking, rattling. She's pretty, and amazing...

But later, she gloomily spoke of how the accessory did not fit her

—In the end, I could only look at it, and use it as a cellphone strap

Michiru's words were about how she admired Honoka, how she wanted to be like the latter. This image slowly overlapped with the profile of Saffloer when Hikaru spoke of her with clear eyes.

—Her clothes are order-to-make, and likes to collect all sorts of accessories, and really treasures them greatly, as far as I can tell from her blog. She even gave names to her earrings and necklaces.

—There was once where she bought a brooch she really liked from a bunch of sunstone accessories, and even after thinking hard about it, could never come up with a name for it, so she once asked me, 'Can you please help me out here, Mr. Polar Star'?

—I called it Mignon. In French, it means cute. Miss Saffloer said that Mignon looks like it is smiling when placed on her chest, and cannot send me a photo due to embarrassment.

It was merely an accessory used for looking at.

Saffron did not have the courage to put it on her.

For a plain getup fit her identity better, and made her feel at ease.

Just like how Michiru wore the school uniform even when she was outside school—

"Is Miss Saffloer in real life not a plain person, a girl who the adults would not look at? At least that is the girl I at least remember from my imagination derived from the diary."

"Isn't the Saffron in real life a plain, unpopular person in real life? If I have to say it, she's definitely that sort of person who'll hide in a corner of the classroom and not attract attention, no?"

Saffron turned around to look at Koremitsu.

She raised her eyebrows in fury, glaring at him with a terrifying expression. However, she closed her lips, shivering a few times, her feeble breaths looking like a sinking fish.

And her eyes glanced aside slightlty.

"Soon after we became more acquainted with each other, she told me to call her Saffloer. Speaking of Saffloer, in Dutch, it means Safflower, and also known as 'false Saffron' in English. Right, the fact is that Miss Saffloer has already revealed herself as a false Saffron right from the beginning through her blog title 'Sunset blue'."

There was some beauty in Hikaru's words.

And Koremitsu tried his best to convey the truth Hikaru led him to.

"Saffron wanted Polar Star to call her 'Saffloer' because it is a special name. That's why she wanted Polar Star to call her that. Listen up, Safflower isn't Saffron, but a fake Saffron!"

Saffron bit her lips, groaning.

There clearly was a faltering in her eyes.

The earrings dangled, and she again glanced aside.

"In that case, who is Saffron? I always thought that was the girl Miss Saffloer always admired, a glamorous girl who was used to socializing with others, and was such that accessories suited her. Of course, that is just like you, the one standing in front of me now."

"Saffloer wanted to be just like you, trendy with her clothing and put on cool accessories, but she can't do it, right? She wants to be like you, but she can't be like you. So she wanted to be like you in the online world, at least!"

—I always hoped that I can be like Hono

Michiru said those words.

Even if she could not do so in reality, perhaps she could become the one she admired in the online world, where the faces and names could not be known.

Perhaps she could be 'Saffron'.

Perhaps this was what Saffloer thought.

"Certainly, you are Saffloer."

"To Saffloer, you're 'Saffron'."

"At the same time however, you are not 'Saffloer'."

"But the Saffron Polar Star met isn't you, but Saffloer! Besides, you never showed up in this shop during this past week! If you call yourself Saffron now, that'll be too shameless of you!"

Of course, there was no way Koremitsu could not notice an attractive girl like her in this shop.

'Saffron' continued to keep her lips shut, remaining shut. The forced expression she showed at first remained, but it eased up greatly.

And her eyes were wavering about because of her lack of poise, glancing aside a few times.

As the sunlight shone through his hair, Hikaru walked to that direction.

"Now then, where is Saffron exactly? She definitely must be listening to our conversation, I believe."

Hikaru walked gracefully without letting out any footsteps on the floor, and Koremitsu too followed slowly. He then called out to Saffloer, hiding in a corner of the shop.

"Hey, Saffloer! You can hear me, right? Better show up now, or do I have to pull you out?"

Saffron moved her pale arm with the silver chain bracelet, trying to stop Koremitsu, but missed. 'Ah!' she then opened her mouth slightly, letting out a feeble cry.

"Miss Saffloer would give names for her houseplants, and treats them as importantly as her family. She also knows that when the summer sunlight is shining down, the leaves will change colors. This is why she let down the blinders, so that the plants do not take in too much sunlight."

"I know you give names to the leaves you like, and give them special care. You let down the blinders so that the plants won't get exposed to the sunlight too much."

Koremitsu's footsteps echoed.

Hikaru too slowly approached the seat at the windowside.

Seated over there was the customer reading the newspapers as per usual.

"Yes, you are Miss Saffloer."

Hikaru's slender finger was pointed at the customer reading the newspapers.

And those newspapers were lifted by Koremitsu forcefully.

"You're the 'Saffron' Polar Star had a promise with, Saffloer!"

With a rippling sound, the newspapers got thrown behind by Koremitsu, fluttering behind him.

Eek! The girl shrieked behind him, shivering as she curled up at the table.

Her long black hair was bundled behind, and her half-sleeved turtle-neck knitted shirt was matched with a plain colored shawl, the arms revealed from there looking long and thin.

On the chair beside her was a very old school bag, and there was a black cellphone on the table. There was also an orange sunstone brooch attached to a luxurious looking silver chain strap, glittering.

That definitely was the Mignon accessory Hikaru named.

Koremitsu grabbed it in his hand, and said,

"This is the proof that you're Saffloer!"

At the next instant, the girl lowered her head, grabbed the bag beside her, embraced it, got up, ducked below Koremitsu's arm, and escaped.

She kept running away, ignoring her image.

She bent her waist down, her butt raised, and fluttering in the air was her black bundled hair and the fringe that reached her chest, running out from the shop, ostensibly stumbling out. The shawl dropped as she ran out, but she did not stop to pick it up, probably not realizing it.

"Beni!"

The girl called Saffron shouted.

"Dear customer, please pay—"

The shopkeeper was about to call out as well, but Saffloer had already ran out of the door.

"Damn it."

Koremitsu stuffed Saffloer's cellphone into his pocket, took a note from his wallet and slapped it on the table as payment for both of them, and ran after her.

"Mr. Akagi!"

Aoi called Koremitsu's name, but the latter did not have time to look back.

(Hey, why did she start running away! I'm not done with what I have to say! I haven't conveyed what Hikaru wants to say!)

He slammed the door aside and ran out, looking around for the girl.

At this moment, he found the girl with her hair tied in a bundle, pedaling hard on her bicycle.

"You won't get away!"

And so, he ran off after her.

"Koremitsu, she is riding a bicycle. You cannot catch up to her by running!"

Hikaru exclaimed.

"I know!"

Koremitsu started running up the stone path leading to the high school.

He ran up three, four steps at a time, striding forth, ostensibly about to break his legs as he ran up. The scorching summer sun shone brightly upon him, and the sweat soaked his T-shirt, his heart pounding furiously.

Having gotten up to high ground, he looked down from the handrail surrounding the place. He found Saffloer riding forth furiously with her body leaned forth, the flowing hair behind her like a tadpole tail.

"Ahh, this is impossible. She is getting away!"

While Hikaru said with a frown,

"Leave—"

Koremitsu got his limbs over the railing as he yelled, leaping over,

"LEAVE THIS TO MEEE!!!!"

The red hair was standing, and the eyebrows, face, temples, were all seemingly ripped by the wind.

"Koremitsu!"

Hikaru's exclamation grazed by Koremitsu's ears like the wind.

Koremitsu landed right in front of Saffloer, who was riding the bicycle.

He felt a numbing pain in his knees, but did his best to stand upright.

The accelerating bicycle crashed into Koremitsu head on, and Saffloer shrieked from within the hair that was covering the face.

Koremitsu gritted his teeth, holding onto the bicycle handles hard.

He flexed his muscles, rubbing his sneakers against the asphalt greatly. He glared his eyes, gritting his teeth, like he was doing a serious contest with the bicycle itself, and after using all his might, he managed to stop it.

"W-wh-wha-wh-wha-what's going on...~~!? What's with you~~~~!?"

Koremitsu's reckless actions, when coupled with his savage, man-eating fiend-like appearance, caused Saffloer's voice to quiver in fear, nearly breaking into sobs. The bundle of long hair at the back was undone, and the scattered hair was such that Koremitsu was unsure as to which side was the front. Her slender arms were shivering.

Koremitsu grabbed onto the bicycle handles, and spoke with a serious stare,

"I'm Polar Star's representative! I'm here to tell you his words!"

Saffloer stammered from the other side of the blinding bangs.

"Re-representative...!? You're not Mr. Polar Star himself?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"So you aren't...Mr. Polar Star."

It seemed that Saffloer was whispering something to herself, seemingly relieved that this wild beast in front of her was not Mr. Polar Star.

But she immediately broke down into tears.

"But why isn't Mr. Polar Star showing up himself—!?"

And then, she wailed,

"He's dead."

"!"

Koremitsu could not determine the expression she showed due to the massive amount of hair. It seemed however that she was greatly shocked.

"You're lying..."

She muttered hoarsely,

"It's really true. He fell into a river during Golden Week and went to that—well, I guess it's better not to say where he went. Either way, he died. That's why he can't come here."

"...Koremitsu, is that explanation not too intense for her...?"

Hikaru muttered unhappily beside him,

"You see, Miss Saffloer is scared till a loss of words, no?"

(What do you expect me to say now? That he became a ghost and is floating beside me right now? Now that'll scare her.)

He grumbled in his heart.

And during this time, Saffloer got off from her bicycle, and knelt on the ground.

"Geh!"

Her shoulders were weakly slumped, and she lowered her head so much it felt as if it was touching the asphalt, sobbing as she snivelled.

"I-i-is that so? So Mr. Polar Star died soon after he made a promise with me? So ev-even if I want to meet with Mr. Polar Star...I won't be able to do so?"

(Woah, stop crying!)

Koremitsu was most unable to handle the tears of women, and started feeling fluttered.

And furthermore, they were on the road.

If any passer-by was to be around, Koremitsu would certainly be deemed as a bad person.

(What do I do? What do I do now, Hikaru!?)

He looked around, but Hikaru was nowhere to be seen.

While he assumed this, Hikaru had already floated to Saffloer, kneeling on one leg, giving her a tender, loving look.

"Hey, please do not be so sad for my sake. We finally managed to meet; come, please lift your head, and show me your cute face."

Hikaru coaxed.

(You~~rascal!!!!)

Koremitsu nearly fainted.

"Hey, your hair is so black and pretty, but it is too long. It feels like a bamboo screen of darkness separating you and me. I will not be able to see your face in this case."

Hikaru's eyebrows were lowered in earnest.

(So you aren't just hoping to look at her face after all?)

Of course, after having worked so hard, Koremitsu was curious as to the face beneath the black hair. However, rather than that, he wanted to settle the skirt touching the ground and the falling tears.

"Uuu. -but...it would be better if we didn't meet."

Saffloer sniveled as she tried to utter a complete sentence.

"B-because...if we do meet, Mr. Polar Star would definitely be disappointed."

Her voice broke together with her emotion as she continued to sob and snivel. Hikaru's expression too became one of sadness.

Koremtisu too was unable to remain silent, and he said hastily,

"Why don't you want Polar Star to see you?"

"Because I'm an ugly girl!"

She said determinedly, and then broke into tears again.

"I-I have a gloomy personality, I always wipe my face with a towel, and I'm like an old man, but when I get nervous, when I panic, my no-nose will got hot—and I wonder whether it'll get red, so I had to use a towel to cool it...a-and, as-as-as-as you said before, I'm always alone in a corner of the classroom in reality, because I have a weird face, so I was teased by the others...I can't even say anything. I never been invited out once, whether it was McDonalds, KFC. It's the same for the accessory; I used up half a year's worth of savings, but I never wore it because it's too embarrassing...that's why I hate myself for being so tragic, that I can't show my face to others...that's why I disguised myself as the very popular 'Saffron', and became the fake Saffron—!!"

"...Don't talk about whether you can show your face to others yourself."

Koremitsu said gloomily.

He had been terrifying the people around him since his infancy, all because of his appearance, and could not make a single friend. He could not however use this as an excuse, something his aunt Koharu told him.

Koremitsu too kept Koharu's teaching to heart, and went through 16 years of arduous journey.

"B-because I re-re-really can't show myself to others, and I'm really ugly. My-my nose looks weird too."

Lots of tears pattered upon the plain brown skirt, and the stains of tears spread about. Saffloer's shoulders became limp as the scattered hair multiplied.

Hikaru watched on with a tragic look.

Koremitsu parked the bicycle, and knelt beside him.

He then reached his hands out for Saffloer, raising her hair aside like a curtain.

"That's not true."

Koremitsu said,

"!"

And was speechless.

(Th-this is...!?)

An ugly woman !? Certainly not the case. But well, it's just normal! He could not say that either. He was at a loss of words.

First, her face was long.

She had a wide forehead.

Her eyes were a little sunk in.

Her lips gave a little vibe of the Heian Era—till this point, everything was alright.

The one big issue however was the nose in the middle dangling down. The tall yet flat nose bridge resembled that of an elephant, and the nose tip was dyed red, probably because of how emotional she was.

Normally, a girl's red face would cause anyone's heart to flutter for some reason. That sweet and sour heartbeat however was different; it felt like a pounding heart when seeing something rare.

How would he describe it, unique? No. Interesting? Definitely no. Rare animal—

(Not good!!! Nearly said that out loud!!)

His hands had spread the hair aside, and their eyes were staring at each other. The longer the silence continue, the worse the situation would deteriorate to a point of hopelessness. Even he, hopeless as he was at understanding a girl's heart, understood this well.

Saffloer's eyes were widened due to Koremitsu's violent action, and as time ticked by, she lowered her eyes, giving a look of despair.

(Got to hurry and say something!? Surreal? Avant garde? Alien? Idiot! Those aren't praises!)

Just when the situation was about to get really awkward.

"What about it? Is it not cute?"

Hikaru, standing beside Koremitsu, spoke heartily.

Koremitsu glanced diagonally upwards, and found Hikaru staring at Saffloer with glittering eyes.

(C-Cute? This guy's way too straightforward!)

Hikaru's beautiful face was showing a delighted look, glowing. He narrowed the eyes on his charismatic face, moved his lips slightly, and took a step forth.

"Your skin is white, your face is narrow, and you have a large forehead. Your lips are as rich as an apricot's petal, and I really wish to poke at it. That cute nose especially is something I have never seen before! How can there be such a cute nose? I cannot bring myself to look away because of it! It is mesmerizing! Such a beautiful nose."

Hikaru was able to rattle off what Koremitsu could not say like flowing water, and the latter was intimidated.

Koremitsu knew that Hikaru definitely was not lying. These were his true words.

This person really felt that Saffloer was cute.

Koremitsu was startled by this fact again, and touched.

(So you aren't just a flirty harem prince after all!)

No matter which flower it was, they all had their unique charm. Surely Hikaru had no pretense when he always said these words with a smile.

His vow to love all the flowers was never shaken in the slightest.

(Hikaru, you're the best handsome man right now! The man amongst men! I really respect you now!)

He had to convey Hikaru's words to Saffloer.

Right, he would do it.

(If not, it's pointless for me to be Hikaru's representative.)

"M-m-my-my-my face is-is-is-is weird after all, right?"

Saffloer was trembling all over, her reddened nose quivering violently. Koremitsu leaned forward to her, and yelled,

"That's not the case! You're cute! And so is that nose!"

"EHH!?"

Saffloer was taken aback.

"You're really cute! There's no other woman like you in this world! You're the best! If Polar Star's still alive, he'll definitely, definitely—say such a thing! He'll definitely say that you're cute!"

The nose, face, forehead, neck and even deep inside the eyes, all of it became red due to Koremitsu's words.

"When the Safflowers start to bloom, they are a bright orange, and as time passes, they gradually become red, just like you now, Miss Saffloer. And then, when you extract their little seeds, those seeds can be used to get high quality oil that can even be made into ink! You do know that the petals can be made into dyes, right? It can dye a pure white fabric into a gentle orange or a radiant red, and sometimes, it can even be lipsticks for women. It was said that thousands of years ago, the Egyptians used dyes made from Safflowers to color the clothes used for embalming the mummies. The love and demand for Safflowers has lasted this long, and even now, it has been a widely popularized flower in the world."

Hikaru spoke tenderly.

The words, and the passion, were all conveyed to Koremitsu.

"The Safflower is an amazing flower! Polar Star said before that the clothes the Egyptian mummies wear are dyed using Safflower dyes, and the dyes are widespread in the world. It can dye fabric, can be extracted for oil, and can make ink. It's a highly demanded, highly loved flower!"

"The Safflower has all sorts of names, and this is proof of its widespread use. In Japanese it is known as Kureai in Japanese, Safflower in English, Carthame in French, and Saffloer in French. It is called the fake Saffron, but that is because they have similar colors, and can be used to make dyes. There are no disadvantages, and they all have their own charms. In the Man'yōshū, it is hailed as the Suetsumuhana. That truly is a wondrous name too. The origin of Suetsumuhana has two means. The first is that when extracting it, the flower is plucked from the end of the stem; the second is that when extracting, the tip of the flower is taken, and then downwards. I do find the name Suetsumuhana to be really excellent. It is like how, when in the midst of the sea of flowers, basked under the morning dew, the maiden happily picking the many flowers appears in the scene."

"The reason why the Safflower has so many names is because its name is widespread, that everyone loves it. Amongst those names are Kureai, but Polar Star loves the name 'Suetsumuhana' best, because he says this reminds him of the people picking a large number of orange flowers happily."

"Suetsumuhana..."

"Right, the name is given because it has to be plucked from the tip of the stalk. That's what he said before."

Saffloer's little face was tearing up as she beamed.

"Amazing...I never thought Mr. Polar Star would know about such things. Saffloer, Suetsumuhana, Kureai. He already knew all these about the Safflower."

Hikaru pat his hand on Saffloer's nose like he was handling a fragile item.

"Yes, I do know how good a girl you are, how beautiful a Suetsumuhana you are."

Hikaru conveyed his thoughts with a sweet voice that nearly melted the air.

His crystal clear eyes were looking up at her, filled with his love for her.

And so, to Koremitsu's eyes, Saffloer's long face, little eyes, apricot-like lips, and even her nose, all became cute as a result.

With all his might, he declared,

"Right, Polar Star knows about it! That you're a Safflower of the highest order!"

This surely was the thing Hikaru wanted to convey.

He wanted to convey his overflowing love into earnest, gentle words.

To this flower that was about to wilt and shrivel, to moisten the flower—to pour water upon it, to bask it under the light.

"I really do love the unique flower that is ever so serious. I really love the bamboo shoots for treating the mushrooms as its friend. I really do love how the Saffloer thinks of McDonalds and KFC as human names. I really do like the you who taught me how to make herb tea and Potpurri when I was unable to sleep. I really do love the cute Saffloer who said that the face does not matter, and that she likes my inner heart. I truly love you. I wished to meet you directly and thank you before I say goodbye. I want to thank you for replying to my messages, for being so kind and gentle towards me, and I wish to say that I really love you for the way you are."

"Polar Star really wanted to meet you directly and say farewell now. Even now, he's grateful that you've been his companion, treating him so gently. He really loves you for how you are."

Saffloer's red nose was trembling, sniveling, and her beady eyes were teary as she said,

"So Mr. Polar Star knew that he would not live for long, and wanted to meet me for the last time in the end?"

(No, I just said that Hikaru fell into the river and drowned, right? Why does it sound like he died from an incurable disease?)

Hikaru broke up with the other girls not because he knew of his death date, but because he wanted to patch things up with Aoi.

"So Mr. Polar Star truly loved me like that."

She sniveled and sobbed, unable to say anything.

Beside her, Hikaru looked ready to break down into tears,

"Miss Saffloer, you are unable to see me as I am right now, but you are the wonderful girl as I imagined."

And she said,

"I-If I too were to meet Mr. Polar Star, I will definitely fall in love with him too. Even if he is a shut-in, an unpopular guy, someone who cannot be accepted at all, I-I-I-I'll definitely love him."

There seemed to be a little misunderstanding here, but Koremitsu kept quiet.

Saffloer felt the sweet love from Polar Star, and the love of Hikaru while the latter embraced her by the shoulders. There seemed to be something a little off, but those were the true feelings.

"Speaking of which, you forgot your cellphone."

Koremitsu pulled the cellphone out from the pocket, but the chain on the strap was broken.

"Ack!"

"Ah."

Koremitsu and Saffloer both called out at the same time, and Hikaru chuckled, muttering,

"I do suppose 'Mignon' wishes to break this lock on its own power, and be decorated on Miss Saffloer's chest."

Koremitsu's face was sizzling as he grabbed the orange sunstone brooch that fell off, and left it on Saffloer's chest.

Saffloer in turn withstood her embarrassment as she let Koremitsu fumble around with the brooch, her face completely red, tensing up.

"I guess 'Mignon' thinks that this is better."

After hearing Koremitsu's brusque words, she looked down at the brooch on her chest proudly,

"...Thank you."

And smiled, saying this.

To Koremitsu's eyes, the smile was refreshing and pretty, and looked really cute too.

(What? This girl's rather cute herself.)

"Anyway, do you want to see a photo of Polar Star?"

He asked as precaution.

If Saffloer wanted to see, he would ask Tsuyako to send a photo of Hikaru over to him.

In fact, if she were to see Hikaru's appearance, she would probably be shocked and overwhelmed by how different it might be from her expectations.

However, the sunstone brooch was beaming like a sun god on Saffloer, who shook her head, saying,

"I like Mr. Polar Star not for how he looks, but for how he appears within. Even if I do not see his appearance, it is fine."

Hikaru beamed delightedly, and Koremitsu too whispered with utmost relief,

"I see."

The breeze blew by them, and the transparent sunlight was reflected upon the brooch.

Saffloer lifted her chest, and spoke clearly,

"To me, Mr. Polar Star is the prettiest boy in the world."

Hey, Koremitsu.

My 'flower' this time is a little different, but she is rather cute herself, a pretty flower people cannot look away from, no?

I really feel lucky to be able to meet that flower in the midst of such a vast internet forest.

At that moment, I spent another sleepless night.

It was good when I could feel another girl's warmth.

But occasionally, when I spend the time alone in my room, I do wonder whether the long night would last for eternity.

Was I going to be locked in this prison of darkness, falling to the abyss? My heart was suffering.

The secret hidden within me was stained with guilt, and even if there was any reason for it, it would not be allowed.

I tried my best not to let others realize, did my best to hide it, but perhaps that guilt was seeping out from my body like black water seeping out from a cracked vessel. Did everyone else realize it, I wonder?

During such a long, arduous night, the only solace was her blog, which I discovered while surfing the internet.

The blog had uploaded pictures of green herbs, little flowers, cups, accessories, and all sorts of things. They all had their own names, and I feel relieved knowing that their owner really loved them.

I tried reading the blog diary, and found it to be cute. Soon after, I naturally found myself leaving messages on it.

And then, she responded to me, and we started exchanging mail addresses.

To me, it was a refreshing thing interacting with an enigmatic girl, whom I had no idea of her appearance, age, and even her name. It was delightful too.

What sort of girl would she be? I wondered as I anticipated.

Certainly, it must be a serene, shy girl who was a little careless, and somewhat airheaded. When I was depressed, she did her best to cheer me up; certainly, she must have been quite the gentle soul.

But Koremitsu.

What I am most attracted about her was not her cuteness, nor her gentleness, but the sharp thorns I felt from her.

The thorns hidden under the leaves of the Safflowers.

The thorns themselves are soft, but when stroking them for a short while, there certainly would be a prickly feeling. This is something the Saffron does not have.

The innocent airheaded girl is able to reveal a little of her true self slightly, and I felt a little of the heartbeat hidden within me as I continued to converse with her through the screen.

The moment I felt my affections for her at its highest was when she told me 'please call me Saffloer'.

When she explained how in the Sunset blue language, Saffron actually meant Safflower, I understood that it was not real.

The flower called Saffloer was actually a Safflower, a fake Saffron.

And that Safflower, the Suetsumuhana was an imitation of the Saffron.

Once I realized this, I felt an increase in my intrigue for her from the other side of the screen, my back felt chilly, and my heart was tense, ostensibly gripped. I had already fallen head over heels for her.

What? Are you saying that I lose to a girl too easily?

Did I already realize that the girl reading the newspapers was Saffron right from the beginning?

That I was just beaming nicely at you, floating leisurely in the air while you searched for her frantically?

Th-this is a misunderstanding!

Even I could not be certain immediately of her identity.

At most, all I could do was wonder whether it was her, and that was all. I really did not simply smile and watch you fumble around!

I do admit however that I just want to experience the ordinary, thrilling moments that was somewhat gentle.

To me, she is that kind of a gentle enigma.

But the thorns under the gentle petals, slightly deep within would definitely not bring a lung-ripping pain, but that of a gentle thrill.

When I conversed with her through the screen, I was able to avoid the curse of the lonely nights that plagued me.

I wondered about the sight of the flower I had yet to see in my heart, and with such a blissful feeling, I awaited the dawn.

We contacted each other using our words, our hearts, and our enigmas.

When I look at the mirror, I find myself to be repulsive. When I could not sleep, I took flu medicine in place of sleeping pills. In the middle of the night, I let myself into the pool. I prayed to God , hoping my existence would vanish. That Suetsumuhana however told me this.

That she liked my inner heart.

For that beautiful, enigmatic, Suetsumuhana, to be with my best friend in you, frustrated over this and that, searching about, that certainly was my best summer.

It felt like both of us were off looking for treasure.

I was with this now reliable partner, feeling really delighted, relieved, excited.

Is it not better than I imagined, to find a flower like this?

Certainly, that flower will become more charming in the future after that.

And having viewed through many flowers myself, I can conclude that this certainly is the case.

The men who have fallen to her charms definitely will not simply appear on the internet, but in real life too.

Hey, Koremitsu. Even if she cannot see me, there is a bond that can be maintained.

On a certain day, in the middle of a bright, radiant place, a plant will sprout, and gradually grow.

We were healed by that bond, redeemed by it.

If I am to leave this world, this bond will surely remain.

You definitely can hear me when I call from the other side of space.

Our little adventures will definitely be etched in your heart, I suppose.

When I look down on Earth, my heart too can definitely recreate the story that happened this time, I suppose.

Though it might be lonely, it definitely is a wonderful thing.

If, at a distant place billions of light years away, I am able to connect my heart with someone.

If, I can be your friend once I leave this Earth.

As long as there are still friends there.

### 007. Epilogue: The Secret the Two of Us Made That Summer

"So-so-so-so-sorry about that, Miss Tayū. I made you my stand-in, and I ran away at the end."

Having heard the message from Mr. Polar Star's friend, Beni sent a message to her friend, Ayaka Tayū, for them to meet at the park next to the shop, and was scratching her head.

"Goodness. After you ran out of the shop with that savage looking boy, I was the one who attracted the most attention after that. That's really embarrassing when I think about it."

Tayū puffed her cheeks as she said this, her eyes looking up as she seemed fidgety,

"But well, leaving aside that, I was dragged out without knowing what's going on, and even exposed myself as the cover. Sp-speaking of which, Beni, I didn't know anything about what that boy said, like making a blog, using a blog name like Saffron. It was only until I was asked to be your cover that I knew about all that...erm, do you find someone like me to be annoying, Beni?"

The usual feisty sun Tayū was actually showing such a feeble look, and now that she had expressed her fear of being deemed annoying, Beni was shocked and anxious.

"Tha-th-th-th-that's not the case at all. An ugly and ordinary girl like me can't be compared to you, Miss Tayū. I posted on the blog, pretending to be a rich princess using the name Saffron, and even asked you to be my stand-in. I-I think that I'm the one being looked down."

"Beni, you say that you're pretending to be a princess, but aren't you a princess yourself? You were already of a higher social status than me since the affiliated kindergarten, your dad's a Gagaku musician, a former noble himself, right? You live in that kind of a spacious mansion too. As for me, I'm a commoner who transferred in during middle school, There's no way I can be compared with you! It's like the Meiji Era in that people do always talk about social statuses, right?"

Beni in turn was getting confused,

"Bu-but my father died a long time ago, and my status as a noble has already became nothing. I treasured the bag father left behind because I needed to scrimp, and though my house's large, there's a lot of broken places after many years of not maintaining them. Ah, it'll leak sometimes too—you don't have to worry about family backgrounds, Miss Tayū...aren't you able to get along with those princesses?"

After hearing that, Tayū bashfully replied,

"But that's because of you, Tayū. I'm just the daughter of an employee at a SMC, and I had to go study at a school full of princesses. I wondered whether I would be the only one different from the rest, whether I would be able to make a single friend. I was really uneasy on my first day to school. After that, I found that you were reading the same book as me, Beni, so I let it slip."

—That book! I'm reading it too!

Tayū widened her eyes on the first day she entered the middle school, and excitedly approached Beni, who was in a corner of the classroom, reading the book.

Then, she took out a book with the same cover, looking delighted as she grinned,

—Thank goodness I have someone with the same interests! I'm Ayaku Tayū! Just call me Tayū! What's yours?

—Beni...Hitachi.

At first, Tayū looked as if she was completely fearless, not apprehensive of anything. Was she truly not feeling nervous however?

She stared right at Beni in the eyes while the latter was shocked, ostensibly unable to breathe, and said sternly,

"To me, that was like a fated meeting!"

Her nose was buzzing, and started to sizzle.

She never thought that she would ever have a fated moment.

Only her deceased father had ever viewed her as a unique child.

However, Mr. Polar Star's friend did say this.

That she was rather cute.

And that if Mr. Polar Star was on Earth, he definitely would say the same thing, for he truly loved Beni.

There was someone other than her father who would truly love her, and there was someone who would find Beni, who tried to hide her presence amidst the lively, pretty girls.

And so, she believed Tayū's words.

"That was like a fated meeting!"

Surely, there would be fated meetings in friendship too.

Tayū held Beni's hands tightly, staring at her. Beni could feel a tense atmosphere.

Her father and Mr. Polar Star had both said that the tip of her nose would redden when she was cute but even so, Beni said,

"So-sorry to make you be my stand in! Le-let's go eat at Mr. McDonalds."

A few hours after he bid farewell to Saffloer.

Saffloer sent an image to Koremitsu’s cellphone.

There was a photo of both Saffloer and Saffron holding burgers over their heads, smiling heartily as they took a photo together.

"It really is a great thing to be able to have friends."

"Yeah."

Koremitsu and Hikaru closed in on the cellphone screen. Both their voices were full of life.

However, there was still an unresolved doubt in Koremitsu's heart.

Upon thinking about that, he scowled.

(What do I do...about Shikibu...? Invite her to the pool again...? But she told me 'never mind already', and won't be willing to go with me again...it's so noisy down there too...I don't think it'll be suitable for some serious topics.)

Hikaru watched Koremitsu frown and wince in anguish, and chimed in,

"Koremitsu, you are thinking about Miss Shikibu, right?"

"Ack, you know how to read hearts?"

" I do not have to. You have clearly expressed your thoughts on your face."

"!!"

So my expression can be read so easily. Koremitsu muttered.

"Would it not be a good idea to discuss this with me instead of bottling it up and frowning? I do know and understand about girls better than you after all."

Hikaru stared at Koremitsu with an earnest, gentle expression.

"I wish to repay you as much as I can while I am still on this world." Koremitsu recalled the words Hikaru said.

"Just as you fulfilled for me one promise after another, I want to repay you with what I can do, within my capabilities."

"I-I'll leave it to you..."

Koremitsu said in a teeny-weeny voice, his cheeks searing, his sweat dripping, as he ostensibly struggled.

Hikaru raised his lips and cheeks, heartily responding,

"Sure. Leave it to me."

(Why's Akagi asking me out now...?)

It was 9pm, and they were to meet at the back gate of the school—

At first, Honoka assumed it to be a prank when she received the message.

That someone posed himself as Koremitsu and invited him out.

However, she really could not think of another who would do such a thing. After she replied back, she was certain that it was Koremitsu.

(I got jealous and started that commotion. I thought I wouldn't receive any of Akagi's messages again.)

Honoka's feelings for Koremitsu were one-sided, but back then, she grumbled that she never had an advantage compared to the other girls, 'ahh, it's alright!' and ran off. What sort of expression should she show in the new semester? Perhaps she should transfer schools after all. She brooded over this issue for quite some time.

As the Purple Princess, she would respond to the issues of girls who had failed in their love affairs with answers like,

"I can understand what you are thinking, but you have to calm down and think. You are just throwing out your thoughts, and not refreshing yourself in the slightest. You will simply be drowned in your own thoughts."

Or,

"Before you go crazy, calm your inner heart. Think about whether it's good or bad for your love. If not, you might start some crazy mess."

Or,

"You definitely~ mustn't say those words! You won't dare see his face again! That'll definitely be a failed love!"

And so, she became pessimistic..

Let's continue to compose a sweet story within the world of fiction. When writing the sequel to her cellphone novel, Takuma, who was supposed to be the lovey-dovey partner of the heroine Natsuno, suddenly confessed to the prettiest girl in school, and had lost interest in Natsuno.

"You don't care about me anymore!?"

Natsuno snapped,

"It's impossible for us to be together."

And broke up with Takuma.

"My heart aches after reading this. I still like seeing Takuma and Natsuno being in love with each other."

"Takuma actually likes a girl other than Natsuno!? I don't want this!"

"Even if it's for the sake of the plot, please don't change the character's personality like that! Takuma definitely won't say something like that!"

This depressing ending caused the readers to send scathing remarks.

And the source of her regrets and outrage, Koremitsu, sent her a message. It was to be expected that she thought it was a prank.

She stared at the message for about half an hour.

(What do I do? I think I better go. But these words alone are too short! I don't know what Akagi's thinking at all—!!!)

Did Koremitsu not think of Honoka's outburst as a big deal, or was he itching to shoot back some verbal barbs at her?

(Ahh—uuuu, if I'm to see Akagi today, I'll probably be nagging at him! Won't he hate me even more then?)

But even so, Honoka was not looking forward to apologizing on her own will, and then repeating the same embarrassing happenings over and over again.

(Yeah. I should have taken a step back now since the time Akagi dragged me out and told me off. I have to become the cool Miss Shikibu that's the ally of all girls. I can't continue to be flustered in front of a guy and be an annoying woman who shouts whatever she has on her mind...)

That was the case.

And so, she ended up worried all day long, rumbling about on the chair, spinning about, even though she definitely was not to become like that...

(And...and I came after all.)

And so, at 9 pm sharp, Honoka was at a corner of the school wall, observing the back gate of the school, where they were supposed to meet.

She was dressed in school uniform.

It was summer, and the weather was still very hot. The sweat felt a little unbearable sticking on her skin.

(What now? Akagi's not around? Is this some kind of prank after all...?)

Suddenly, someone tapped her on the shoulder from behind.

"Yo."

"!"

She instinctively raised her leg, and spun her body around.

And then,

She struck her leg out, but was grabbed by the shoe.

"That was close."

Sighing in front of her with a tense look was Koremitsu.

And Honoka's cheeks were quickly burning.

"Y-yo-you-your-your hand."

Her voice was rising.

"Let go of your hand!"

"Ahh!"

Koremitsu's face too went red as he let go of the hand grabbing her leg.

Honoka raised her eyebrows, and looked aside,

"Well, Shikibu, thanks for coming."

Koremitsu spoke stiffly.

Honoka in turn continued to look aside,

"...I didn't come because I want to. It's just that I'm a little curious, so I just came by to have a look...what do you want to do at such a late time?"

"About the pool, let's go there again, Shikibu. Ju-just the two of us! I want to go with you.."

Koremitsu tried his best to say these words.

Stunned, Honoka stared at Koremitsu.

The feisty red-haired classmate of hers was trying his best to look serious as he conveyed his voice, staring at her sternly. Suddenly, her heart was racing.

And at the same time, she felt incredulous.

"We're going to the pool now? Isn't it already closed? I didn't bring a swimsuit when I came up..."

But because Koremitsu grabbed Honoka by the hand immediately, she was at a loss of words.

(My hand! Akagi's grabbing my hand—)

She had never held hands with a boy ever since she entered high school, save the folk dance lessons they had to take.

And also, the hand grabbing her, not letting go, was uneven and rigid. It was Koremitsu's.

Koremitsu probably felt embarrassed by this too as he turned his face aside.

"You don't need a swimsuit now."

"No need? W-wait—Akagi!"

Koremitsu held Honoka by her hand as he walked to the back gate.

The back gate was locked, but Koremitsu immediately took the key out from his gym pants, and opened it.

"Eh? But how?"

Honoka widened her eyes.

With Honoka's hand still in his, Koremitsu marched into the school.

"Why do you have the key with you?"

"...I borrowed it."

"Eh? From who?"

"From someone who always claimed that he could be forgiven for anything no matter what he does."

In fact, the one who handed the spare back gate key to Koremitsu was Tsuyako.

That was something Hikaru used when he was alive, and Tsuyako handed it to Koremitsu.

"I suppose you heard about the key from Hikaru?"

"Yes."

"And you wish to borrow the key from me for Miss Shikibu's sake?"

"Yeah."

After hearing such a steadfast response, Tsuyako let out a sweet sigh.

"Miss Shikibu really does have it good there, does she not?"

She muttered, and handed the key to Koremitsu. But before that,

"Let me cast a spell."

She kissed the key with her soft red lips—

Hikaru never made any mention of how many events had passed before it landed in his possession.

However he forced a refreshing smile,

"I can be forgiven by anyone no matter what I do."

He merely answered.

"What do you mean by that? I don't get what you're saying at all! Speaking of which, i-isn't this an illegal entry of the school? If we're caught, there's going to be another commotion. We'll probably be suspended or something."

"We'll talk about that later."

"That's too reckless! Also, is the pool you're talking about not the one we went that time, but the school pool?"

"Yeah."

"Why the school poooooollllllll—!?"

Honoka was in an utter state of confusion as she let Koremitsu hold her hand and guide her into the school.

(I don't know what's going on at all!)

The hand that was being held was scorching, her face was scorching, and even her head was. It felt as if she had a sunstroke.

In the garden filled with lush greenery the branches and leaves swaying with the breeze, the clear moonlight was the only thing lighting their path, and she was ostensibly stuck in the middle of a forest, letting a red-haired sharp-eyed man drag her hand forward.

And so, they finally arrived at the poolside, surrounded by the fence.

"Okay, let's leap over."

"Wait, Akagi."

Koremitsu let go of Honoka's hand as he stepped on the fence, and easily climbed it like a monkey. He stood at the topmost part, looked down at Honoka, and reached his hand out to her.

"You coming?"

Koremitsu's face and body seemed more fearsome, more masculine under the clear moonlight. Glittering were his messy red hair and the sweat on his temples.

"Uuu, this is ridiculous."

Having given up on this, Honoka started climbing the fence one step at a time.

She never saw Koremitsu smile once, but upon seeing the corner of his lips, even if it was just for a short instant, she felt moved, and her cheeks slightly reddened.

Both of them landed beside the pool. The pool surface in the night looked like the looming darkness, ripples forming one layer after another under the gentle summer breeze.

Unlike the day, it gave a radiant, mysterious vibe.

Koremitsu caught his breath as he marveled at the moonlight reflection, and shyly said,

"..With this now, it's just the two of us."

—I really wanted to go to the pool alone with you, Akagi.

(Did I really say that?)

Was that why he brought her to this place?

Doubts rose into Honoka's heart.

Koremitsu, who was always a step slow understanding a girl, knowing how to make her happy, and never considered about such things, clearly put in much effort coming up with this plan.

Let's go to the pool then! This promise will be fulfilled.

He was that clumsy, yet so hardworking.

Her heart raced, and she was sweating.

(What do I do? It feels like I still like Akagi after all!)

She had already thought of giving up on him before this, and yet after all these events, she found herself liking him more.

(I guess I'll get more jealous in the future. Akagi's really a hopeless cause for being unaware of such things.)

If she wanted to run away, this was the only chance.

I never thought you're this kind of barbarian who never thinks this through, she did not say. What was I doing up till yesterday? If I'm to force myself to say something, I'll probably get laughed at.

"It's just the two of us after all."

However, Honoka said with a refreshed feeling.

"Thanks, Akagi! I'm really delighted to be able to go to the pool with you alone during the summer vacation!"

She was really delighted, for it was a plan Koremitsu came up with for Honoka's sake.

She was really happy that he was able to remember her words.

At this point, she probably was unable to express her joy into words, but it was fine. It was impossible for her not to fall in love with Koremitsu.

Koremitsu looked dumbfounded as he widened his eyes at her, and then, his eyes wavered about.

"Well, yeah, that's because I had a promise with you."

He whispered.

That dimwitted aspect of his too throbbed Honoka's heart.

"Ahh, if only I brought my swimsuit."

"Wait? You still want to swim?"

"Eh, but if we're coming to the pool, we're definitely here to swim, right? If you had said so before this, I would have brought my swimsuit along too."

"Is it that one with little fabric?"

As Koremitsu frowned,

"Eh...you do remember about it after all?"

She said, somewhat pleased as her eyes swimmed.

"R-rather than that...I'll say it's etched in my mind...how can I forget about such a thing?"

"Ehhh!?"

Honoka's face was flushed red with a poof.

(Wh-what? Akagi was looking unconcerned before that, but he did look at my swimsuit seriously? And he even remembered it? I'm really happy, but it's very embarrassing! But, I'm still happy; no no no, it's very embarrassing! But, but!)

Her body was heating up rapidly, and she was completely confused.

"I guess I want a swim after all."

She jumped into the pool.

"Ack, Shikibu!"

Koremitsu called out in surprise.

Honoka's entire body was covered in pool water, and the cold water covered her head. She wanted to cool her body and mind, but ended up feeling hotter.

Ahh, whatever, anything goes.

She splashed water about audaciously, and floated to the surface.

"Come down too, Akagi! It's a rare chance to swim in the pool at night! You'll regret it if you don't do it!"

"I say, you!"

"Okay now, hurry up!"

While Koremitsu was knelt at the poolside, she grabbed his arm and pulled him in.

"Woah!"

And so, Koremitsu fell into the pool.

"It's cold!"

"You're kidding! It's hot here!"

Her hands were splashing water at Koremitsu, and Koremitsu repaid her in kind.

With a beaming face, she sank into the water, trying to escape. Koremitsu gave pursuit.

And so, they spent time swimming, pursuing, frolicking, and staring off. After that, they shyly averted their eyes, and poked their heads out from the water at the same time.

"Fuwahh!"

"Haa! Fresh air's still the best!"

Both of them lifted their heads as they inhaled the fresh hair. With the moonlight shining upon them, the tiny spots of stars above theme were glitter.

"Poof, Akagi! Your hair's fallen on your forehead now. It looks like a kappa now!"

"What about yourself? You look like some devil's apron yourself."

"I never heard of such a monster before!"

She giggled,

"But the pool at night feels a little eerie. It feels like there's a ghost around."

"Yeah, maybe he's probably beside us right now, peeping on us."

"Wait, what are you saying? It feels scary!"

"Are you scared of ghosts?"

"That's not it! Bu-but it's the summer now. If we talk about ghost stories, there might really be something popping out, uu."

Honoka shivered slightly, looking around from time to time.

"When that happens, I'll protect you."

Koremitsu said without hesitation.

Honoka's ears immediately sizzled, and she lowered her head, muttering,

"!! It's because you...it's because you always..."

(Why is it that he's always able to say such words so easily?)

Upon thinking about it, she first started to be concerned about Koremitsu because of those words.

"Really...someone like you..."

Should not be saying this sort of thing to anyone. She could have said this and kicked him aside, but was surprisingly not fuming in the slightest.

After muttering, she placed her wet head on Koremitsu's chest with a ploop.

Ahh, I still find myself falling for Akagi so easily.

"You better protect me, okay?"

At lunch time, on the last day of July, the Akagis were having flowing sōmen,

There was a bamboo table placed in the garden, and the long and thin noodles were slowly flowing through. Shioriko watched on, cheering,

"Wow, this is the first time I'm seeing this!"

She picked up the noodle with her pink child chopsticks, cheering excitedly as she slurped the noodle.

Watching on silently were Koremitsu's grandfather Masakaze and his aunt Koharu. They however were not furious.

"It's good to eat such things once in a while."

"Hm, yeah."

The duo who would bicker all day long actually had a common view, a rarity at that.

The cat called Lapis in turn nibbled luxuriously at the milk and cat food mixed into it under the greenery.

The cellphone in Koremitsu's jeans pocket vibrated, and he opened it to find it that message was from Beni. It seemed she was to take a challenge at KFC.

Ever since that time, he had been exchanging messages with Saffloer, Beni Hitachi. No matter how minor the matter might be, they were unexpectedly able to get along well, for they had setbacks due to their appearances.

"So this is a penpal?"

"Ah, yes."

And so, Hikaru, floating in the air, beamed heartily.

"Your social circle of women is growing by the day."

"Ack, don't say it as if I'm a harem prince or something!"

"Eh, big brother Koremitsu, you're a harem prince? Who sent this message? Your girlfriend?"

Upon hearing Koremitsu's words, Shioriko frowned and approached to ask him, tiptoeing as she tried to read the contents.

"I said I'm not!"

"Koremitsu, I know that you are starting to show sexual interest in the other gender, but you better not do anything that will make the girl feel bad. If you do plan to date, you have to treasure her greatly."

Masakaze glanced aside at Koharu, and spoke solemnly,

"Women are great misfortune, Koremitsu. Never ever get involved with them."

After repeating his usual mantra, he noticed Shioriko, and pretended to cough, quipping,

"...Never get involved with any woman...at least 10 years old."

However, Shioriko looked troubled,

"But grandfather Masakaze, Shiiko here will be 10 in 3 months time. You won't be playing 5-in-a-row with Shiiko then?"

"Uu." She asked dejectedly, and Masakaze corrected himself, "Then, any woman at least 11 years old..."

Surely he would change that to '12 years old' when Shioriko reaches 11 years old.

In the afternoon, he went to the large bookshop in town to look at the reference books,

"Ah."

"Oh."

It was the girl at Bonne Chance who was often reading a pocket novel.

She was usually dressed in a refreshing white blouse and a skirt that reached below her knees, but this time, she was dressed in a shirt with a ribbon tied at the collar and a mini-skirt that reached above her knees. It seemed that was the school uniform of a nearby girls school.

Though they did meet at the same shop several times, they never talked to each other once, and she suddenly came to talk to him.

"Good afternoon."

"Oh, yeah."

"You haven't been to the shop, recently, have you?"

"Ah...after all the commotions I caused in the shop, I couldn't bring myself to go there, I guess?"

In truth, it was that he did not need to visit, for he had already found Saffron.

Aoi was still working inside, and he wanted to visit her sometime later. At that time, it seemed Aoi was working enthusiastically on the other side of the phone.

When Koremitsu sprinted out after Beni, Aoi, who was not used to watching from the sidelines, was wondering about their relationship, "I am really happy to receive your call, Mr. Akagi." and said delightedly,

"Next time, please let me be the one to call back."

He heard Aoi's words and stared at Hikaru's expression, finding the latter to be chuckling. His heart however was a little tense.

"Well, sure. If you got something you're troubled by at work, you can call me anytime you want."

He answered.

He recalled what had transpired before, and the girl in front of him spoke with intent,

"That's too bad. There seems to be something lacking in the shop when you're not around."

She whispered.

And then,

"See you later then, Mr. Akagi ."

She narrowed her refreshingly pretty, narrow eyes, beamed and left.

"How does she know my name?"

Perhaps she overheard it when he was talking with Aoi and Michiru.

Hikaru peeked on Koremitsu's expression as he giggled,

"You actually got wooed back."

"Huh? That's impossible, right?"

"Well, who knows? You have been quite the hot commodity nowadays. Did Miss Shikibu not enter your embrace at the pool and fawned, saying something like 'you better protect me, okay'?"

"I-I didn't hug her!"

Koremitsu refuted loudly, attracting the surrounding stares.

His face was starting to heat up, and he left the bookshop without buying anything.

He continued to move forward quickly, and whispered, correcting himself,

"We-well...just a little..."

"Eh, is that so? At that time, I felt that it would be uninteresting if I were to peep in on you two back then. I merely used the moonlight to glance at you two a few times. Besides, when you grasped Miss Shikibu's hand at that time, I thought you were about to go on a date."

"Ack."

"But well, as my disciple, it is to be expected that two people are to embrace each other tightly."

"Who's your disciple!?"

"Well, you do have a charm that makes the surrounding girls notice you. Regarding Miss Mint for example, you did not have the chance to talk with her at that time, did you not?"

Koremitsu noticed a hidden meaning to that smile,

"I say, are you hiding something again? Who's that Mint girl? Tell me all about it."

Koremitsu poked his chin out as he glared sharply, and Hikaru moved gently away from him, snickering with his sweet voice as he floated,

"Well, is that not a good thing after all? Is it not part of an allure for a girl to have her own mystery?"

"Don't play the fool with me, you bastard!"

He continued to yap away with Hikaru as he continued forth on the road as the sweltering rays of sunlight shone upon him.

This was the first summer he had with his friend.

And perhaps, this might be the last summer with him.

Also, Hikaru had a lot of secrets in his heart, sometimes lowering his head gloomily, blankly.

What was it about when he said that he felt a heartache whenever he looked at himself in the mirror? What happened before...? He did mention cheerfully how dejected he was when he could not see himself in the mirror.

This person was really a vortex of enigma, a hypocrite.

And even so, no matter how wide the world became, no matter how things developed, he was always beaming.

If only this summer can continue like this. Koremitsu remembered the words from back then.

This friend will vanish one day.

But still, Hikaru remained on this Earth, standing beside Koremitsu.

"Big brother...!"

Shungo Tōjō heard a shout from behind as he walked out of the shop, and turned his face back.

He had insisted that she would not call him that, and till this point, she abide to this promise.

One could tell from the displeased vow how important of a rule she had broken just moments before, and he stood there, staring at her. What he saw however was a pitiful person staggering in the back alleys, peeking at him, looking in anguish.

Her lips were slightly swollen, and there were still trails of blood on the edges of her lips.

Her short hair was messy, and the tank top and shorts were stained in mud. Even though she had multiple injuries to her knees, she continued to walk.

Hiina ran to Tōjō's, pulled out the memory card from her cellphone, placed it in his hand, and groaned in anguish.

"The Mikados' power balance has been toppled...! Mr. Kazuaki just did something unbelievable—!"

Aoi was walking down the school corridor with a paper bag of sweet dried cherries, tomatoes and baked muffins made from rich milk, which Asai liked.

It was her rest day, and she came to school as there was something on at the art club.

Asai should be at school as well, for she had student council matters. Thus, Aoi was going to bring the freshly baked muffins to her.

(Asa is probably working so hard that she has yet to eat lunch.)

Koremitsu did say before that Asai had been really busy recently, so she wanted to help Asai in some way.

She stood in front of the student council office, and was about to knock on the door, only to hear voices from within,

"...I met a suspicious person at Miss Aoi's workplace. She had a poker face, pretending not to know me at all."

Her hand stopped just when she was about to knock on the door.

(This voice. Is this Miss Tsuyako...?)

With regards to Tsuyako, who had a scandal with Hikaru before, Aoi still held her with contempt. Tsuyako's shameless, unabashed actions was something Aoi really hated.

Also, she had her sights on Koremitsu too, making the latter call her 'senpai' with such affection...

"She probably is observing that Miss Aoi who continues to rely on you. Miss Aoi, and even said that if something happens to Miss Aoi, she will inform you."

(...What is Miss Tsuyako saying?)

Her chest was feeling a little frantic.

Asai ordered someone to watch over Aoi...?

Did Asai not go over to Aoi's workplace to watch her every action coolly?

She did not charge out to check on Aoi like usual when Aoi failed.

She did feel ashamed that Asai witnessed her embarrassing side, but she thought, Asa did not help because she thinks that I can handle things by myself .

(But when Asa is not in the shop, she sent someone to watch over me..?)

This certainly was something Asai would do, but Aoi really hated the overprotectiveness, and adamantly decided to work while ignoring the protests of her family.

At this moment, Asai's voice rang from within the room.

"It will be too late if something happens to Aoi. I just do not wish for her to get hurt."

Asai's voice was solemn.

Recently, she had been saying this line often with some vexation, sometimes even declaring sharply in an unreasonable manner—

"You do not wish for her to be hurt? That is just sugarcoating things."

"Miss Tsuyako, it seems that you know something."

Recently—right, after Hikaru died.

"I know about it. You and I are the same type of person."

Aoi's heart let out a loud shriek.

She did not wish to continue eavesdropping,

But she could not move, for she was really too concerned by Tsuyako's words,

"Miss Asai, you are always pretending to protect Miss Aoi. In fact–"

The voice pierced through Aoi's ears and heart.

"You are looking down on Miss Aoi, am I correct?"

The paper bag in Aoi's hand fell.

The delicately packed muffins rolled by her feet.

(Asa has been looking down on me...?)

"Hono...Mr. Akagi is a gentle person."

"Wh-what? Why are you saying such things out of a sudden?"

Michiru suddenly said solemnly as they were picking accessories in a corner of the bustling streets.

Was the fact that she went to the school pool with Koremitsu revealed?

"Hono, you do like Mr. Akagi after all, right?"

Michiru again said seriously.

"Th-th-th-th-that's not the case. Akagi and I are just normal classmates! What do you mean by that anyway?"

She had been uttering all sorts of things, denying her association with him, saying that he was a delinquent, and had changed attitudes at this point, but it was tough for her to say that she liked him.

Michiru stared at Honoka intently, and the latter was flushed red.

"Really?"

"Of course. I do have strict conditions. I-I do think that guy's a kind guy, not too bad himself."

Michiru slowly looked away from Honoka, her face slowly becoming red.

Just when Honoka was worried, Michiru made up her mind, and said,

"Th-then, it's alright if I fall in love with Mr. Akagi, right?"

## Footnote

You were shrouded in mysteries, and when light shone upon them, there was only chaos left within.

They hid your gentle expression, your beautiful lips, your tender neck and fingers, the golden, silky hair.

That, was a grotesque, obscene guilt that was never to be forgiven.

But, ahh!

Why is it that I really love you this much?

Hikaru,

I loved you so much I wanted to wreck you.

## Special Chapter: Asai Saiga's Blunder ~ Just Who Is It That Believes in Santa Claus, Huh?

During her elementary school days, her dream was to be an archaeologist or an explorer.

To seek for unknown living creatures or relics, to continue to explore the world, how fascinating that feeling would be. That was what her immature mind thought and admired.

She wrote down everything she could think of in a schedule for her summer vacation.

- Catch a Tsuchinoko.

- Look for a kappa.

- Search for an Eel dog in the woods.

- Exchange mails with the UFOs on the hills.

- Excavate some relics in the forest.

- Pat the snowman sleeping in the summer.

Life was short, yet she had so many things she wanted to do. She could only look for a Tsuchinoko on the hills during this summer, fish for a kappa using a cucumber along the riverside, set up an antenna on the hill to call for a UFO, and check the skin texture of a snowman.

However, Asai was whisked off to the posh holiday inns in Switzerland, Canada, Karuizawa, and she was not pleased about this at all.

One of these days, let us go look for a Tsuchinoko together, Asa.

Let us help the kappas breed, and we can create a kappa-themed park.

Those were the promises she made to her younger cousin Hikaru.

(Such a foolish child.)

Now in the second year of High School, Asai reflected on her past coldly.

Currently, she was burdened with the duty of being the High School Student Council President in Heian Academy, and the eldest daughter supporting the Mikado's side family, embroiled in the complicated politics and power struggles in the family, an icy girl living in the harsh reality.

She had long forgotten about the time she had a cucumber on the fishing rod she leashed at the riverside and did not get anything after 7 hours.

However, the man she most hated at this point had his eyebrows raised, looking shocked as he said,

"I heard you believed there was a Santa Claus until your third grade."

(When was it that the Japanese summers started to become so hot?)

The intense sunlight was reflected upon the asphalt, and Asai's vision was filled with the swaying, sweltering heat as she walked down the shopping street.

No matter which street it was, there were young people of all types. Some were standing in the middle of the streets, blocking the way, some were standing around eating ice products and crepes, and some were making all sorts of weird noises; the scenery was in complete chaos.

(Why are there so many of these flippant people? It is certainly a mistake to stand out here in the summer heat and get drenched in sweat.)

Normally, Asai would pass by the crowds blocking the way with her head held high and an aloof look, forcing them to step aside and form a path quickly. However, on this day, Asai did not have the presence to intimidate them, for they did not notice her as they continued to chat away.

(...I am already like this after not sleeping much for 2 days. This is embarrassing.)

She remembered that for the past 2 days respectively, she had only slept for 2 hours or so.

Her daily chores had increased exponentially once summer vacation began.

The current candidate to be the head of the Mikado family, Kazuaki, was revealed to have forced Aoi to be his wife, and was forsaken by his clan. The Mikado family, Asai and Tōjō were involved and faced a severe crisis.

Though her preparations and plots went off perfectly, the unexpected duties and issues came one after another, and she was unable to proceed to the next step. Also, she heard that Aoi went to do some part-time work during summer vacation, so she often had to go to the shop to check on Aoi, feeling really tense, and not daring to relax in the slightest.

(I might as well make all the useless and despicable people in this world to disappear.)

While she had such terrifying thoughts as she staggered forth.

An unlucky flash of red suddenly came out of nowhere and entered her sights.

"Watch out!"

The clumsy fool in front of her called out as he knocked into her. Before she was about to be sent flying away, he reached out to grab her, and pulled her in.

A voice echoed in her ears,

"Your hair is really beautiful. I really am weak to a girl with such beautiful hair. I suppose the heavens are really cruel to let a cute city flower like you get injured by me."

If you are trying to try and get girls, do not look for me. Asai was about to wave this hand aside, but she was a little skeptical by what she heard.

This voice–

She lifted her head and stared at the person. Was it her imagination? An illusion? No, it was a mind-boggling truth.

She then coldly retorted,

"...Yes. I suppose the heavens are cruel and also incompetent to let me meet a wild dog like you."

It was the vulgar, vile, foolish, wild dog Asai so hated–"Ack!" Koremitsu Akagi called out.

"Hey, I say, you're not looking very good now. Your feet are really unsteady."

"This has nothing to do with a perverted high school seduction master."

"Go to the park over there and rest for a while."

"No need for that."

"Don't force yourself, Asa."

"I do not remember permitting you to call me that–"

Asai then waved Koremitsu's arm away as she sat on the bench in the park.

"I'll go wet the handkerchief. Just wait here obediently.

Koremitsu ran off to the drinking point.

"...uu, why is it that I have to listen to this wild dog?"

Normally, she would not concern herself with such a wild dog trying to accost on the streets. Due to sleep deprivation and the summer heat however, she would feel dizzy whenever she stood up.

"Looks like I do not have a choice...I shall rest here for the time being..." Her frowning face closed its eyes, and she fell into a deep slumber.

It was an hour later before she woke up again.

She opened her eyes, wondering why this pillow was so hard and uncomfortable. The sidelong view of Koremitsu's frowning, slightly tanned face was closer to Asai's sights than ever, causing her heart to nearly cease to beat.

Did I actually fall asleep on this dog's shoulder!? Why! This dog is too stupid. Could he not have stood up and pushed me away?

"Why did you not wake me up? Such a useless man."

"That's not what you should be saying, right? You're a woman with no cute points."

Koremitsu gave a grumpy look as he spat back with saliva flying everywhere. At this moment,

"I heard you believed there was a Santa Claus until your third grade."

He muttered,

"And you sent letters to Santa Claus before Christmas, and you went out of the way to drop it in the mailbox? How did you write the recipient and address?"

"...That was when I was very young. I do not remember at all."

She coldly retorted, but at the same time, she was completely rattled within.

(Why is it that this person knows about such a thing? Did Aoi tell him? Or did he hear that from Hikaru?)

She recalled that before she was in her third grade, she would request all sorts of presents from Santa Claus. She wanted the Swiss Army Knife or sleeping bags, necessities for an adventurer, but she would get antique dollhouses, accessories, or a basket full of tea sets for girls to use.

The worst of it all was during her third grade, early in the morning of Christmas; she found a gold card in her sock.

Santa Claus actually gave me a gold card?

She was thoroughly shocked to know of this truth.

This Santa Claus is actually my parents?

And to add insult to Asai's pride, Aoi and Hikaru, who she assumed to be more innocent, had already known about this.

"You see. The one who gave me these Christmas presents is not a bearded old man, but a pretty madam or big sister."

"During Christmas, Santa Claus would come to our house holding a Christmas bag. They always tell me, ‘Look Aoi, this is Santa Claus’, but no matter how I look at it, it is papa dressed in a red suit and a fake beard."

Am I the only one hidden in the dark about this!?

This shame of a memory was etched deep within Asai's mind, and ever since then, she loathed both Santa Claus and Christmas.

That past of her was mentioned by this abomination of a person that she was sick of–the person who proclaimed himself to be Hikaru's friend and representative, Koremitsu Akagi. To top it all, she was teased by him.

What a blunder!

And so, Koremitsu pointed it out as 'Asai's laughable past'.

"You wrote about going to catch a Kappa in your summer vacation schedule?"

"You talked about going for some cold endurance training so that you can climb a mountain and find a snowman, but you always stay in the house in winter because you always get colds?"

"You put a pie in the garden to lure out an Eel dog? So that you can eat together?"

Asai answered those questions with a cold face, ‘these are all things when I was young’, repeating this over and over again. Koremitsu however stared at her calmly,

"Aren't you quite cute in some way?"

This callous remark broke the limit of Asai's patience.

I do not wish to be called cute or anything by anyone in this world!

Let alone that Koremitsu Akagi!

Her face searing, she gave Koremitsu a slap the next instant.

"What are you doing!?"

Koremitsu frowned as he glared back.

At that moment, a policeman just so happened to appear.

"What happened?"

"This dog is a pervert."

She calmly stated as she pointed at him.

Koremitsu was whisked off by the policeman as he continued to lash at Asai.

"You're my enemy after all––––!!!"

It is best if I do not meet that sort of person who left me in a pig pen.

However, that man with the obstinacy of a cockroach will definitely appear in front of Aoi again after he is punished.

Once she thought about this, Asai's face was burning again, and she placed a hand on her reddened face, showing a demure expression as she whispered,

"–uu, I never believed in Santa Claus right from the beginning."

## Author's Notes

Hello, this is Mizuki Nomura. The fifth volume of 'When Hikaru was on Earth......' delves into the topic of 'Suetsumuhana'. In the Tale of Genji, 'Suetsumuhana' was a complete ****, but at least her inner heart should be very good, or not. She was a pitiful princess who did not know the ways of the world, nor knew how to read the atmosphere. She however became one of Hikaru's lovers, was summoned to his room, and never had any financial difficulties, living her own life happily, no?

This time, the ordinary version cover and the drama CD cover are different. For the ordinary cover, I requested not to show Beni's face. Miss Takeoka's illustration of 'imagining something that cannot be seen' was a masterpiece since the time we worked on 'Book Girl', and this time, I cannot help but be amazed when I see it.

The cover of the special edition is Koremitu's harem version. The original concept was that the flowers scattered around Koremitsu were meant to sense Hikaru's presence, but the idea of not letting everyone see him, but imagine him was certainly a brilliant idea.

The drama CD involves the story of Koremitsu and Hikaru going out to woo girls. I was in charge of forming the plot, supervising the scenario, and writing the extra bonus track. The plot is relevant to the story, but there were some lines that were different from the original script during the recording due to certain reasons, so regarding this, please be understanding. Regarding the issue of what happened between Koremitsu and Asai, Honoka and Aoi, these tracks and the following volumes will explain it clearly, so please be at ease.

I shall also be more in-depth with my explanation here! To all the readers, please hear out the drama CD filled with the beautiful voices of all the voice actors. Amazingly, the voice actors of the passers-by have taken part as main heroines of other works, and the policeman's voice does suit him well too. After the recording, it became a topic between the voice actors, the scriptwriter Miss Sawako Hirabayashi and me. Of course, the voice actors taking part as lead roles are brilliant too.

In the bonus track of this drama CD and the main story itself, there appeared the topic of panda. I wrote 'Suetsumuhana' during this January, and the additional script in May. It just so happened that during the recording period, I heard news of a panda being born, so it really was such great time. Though I was really delighted...I felt really depressed a few days ...my face turned blue with shock when I think back about it; the recording had already ended, but I thought it was impossible to write a panda as a kirin or a camel. Well, I guess I have to be sorry about that, and leave it as a panda. I wonder when is it that I can go to Ueno Zoo again and pray for a cute panda to be born again.

I shall be promoting some work here, and though it is not the right timing, and it had been a long time waiting, the first volume of 'Aoi' manga version is now being sold on the GANGAN Comics June version! The work and composition are really the best, and there have been lots of praises and comments about it. To the readers who have yet to read it, please do check it out. The Hikaru mini-character on the webpage is also extremely~ cute. Please do check it out too.

The second volume of 'Book Girl' 'Ghost' comic will be sold on August 22nd. The cover is about Hotaru and Kayano!

Also, I do apologize for keeping everyone waiting, but the second volume of 'Dress' will be sold next month, 29th September. Sherl and Princess Seria travelling incognito, Sherl (male version) visiting Annis' house, Prince Ryūjū's diary, the king's sweet fond talk, the blooming love with the princess. There are about 7 stories of them altogether, so please do remember to buy it. The WEB serialization ended without a hitch, and from this point, there are plans to publish them in pocket novels. Sherl's love affairs shall get more intense later on.

The sixth volume of 'Hikaru' is 'Asagao', and as the title suggests, it will be Asa's turn. That crossdresser who had yet to appear in the 5th volume will appear again, so please look forward to it too.

I shall see you next time then. 'Hikaru' at the end of the year, and 'Dress' in the coming month.

July 12th 2012,

Mizuki Nomura.

References:

Jin, Makabe, 1979. Red and Blue. Tokyo. Heibonsha.

Miki, Meshioka, 1997, Tokyo, Gaia Books (formerly Ubuchou Publishing). Translated from English, Anne, Mcintyre, The Healing Charms of Flowers,

2005-2006, The history and culture musuem of the Safflower. affiliated library of Yamagata University. Available at: [Accessed: 15th November 2014]

### 008. Prologue

You seemed to be dancing airily as you strolled through the flowers, dazzling beautifully in a breathtaking manner.

Your eyes used to be so pure.

Your lips used to be so pure.

Your hands used to be so pure.

Your breathing used to be so pure.

Hikaru–your entirety was hopelessly speckless, shining alone even in the midst of the darkness.

That is why, Hikaru–

Because of your beauty, I found myself attracted to you, fell for you, and then–

### 009. Epilogue: The Secret the Two of Us Made That Summer

"So-so-so-so-sorry about that, Miss Tayū. I made you my stand-in, and I ran away at the end."

Having heard the message from Mr. Polar Star's friend, Beni sent a message to her friend, Ayaka Tayū, for them to meet at the park next to the shop, and was scratching her head.

"Goodness. After you ran out of the shop with that savage looking boy, I was the one who attracted the most attention after that. That's really embarrassing when I think about it."

Tayū puffed her cheeks as she said this, her eyes looking up as she seemed fidgety,

"But well, leaving aside that, I was dragged out without knowing what's going on, and even exposed myself as the cover. Sp-speaking of which, Beni, I didn't know anything about what that boy said, like making a blog, using a blog name like Saffron. It was only until I was asked to be your cover that I knew about all that...erm, do you find someone like me to be annoying, Beni?"

The usual feisty sun Tayū was actually showing such a feeble look, and now that she had expressed her fear of being deemed annoying, Beni was shocked and anxious.

"Tha-th-th-th-that's not the case at all. An ugly and ordinary girl like me can't be compared to you, Miss Tayū. I posted on the blog, pretending to be a rich princess using the name Saffron, and even asked you to be my stand-in. I-I think that I'm the one being looked down."

"Beni, you say that you're pretending to be a princess, but aren't you a princess yourself? You were already of a higher social status than me since the affiliated kindergarten, your dad's a Gagaku musician, a former noble himself, right? You live in that kind of a spacious mansion too. As for me, I'm a commoner who transferred in during middle school, There's no way I can be compared with you! It's like the Meiji Era in that people do always talk about social statuses, right?"

Beni in turn was getting confused,

"Bu-but my father died a long time ago, and my status as a noble has already became nothing. I treasured the bag father left behind because I needed to scrimp, and though my house's large, there's a lot of broken places after many years of not maintaining them. Ah, it'll leak sometimes too—you don't have to worry about family backgrounds, Miss Tayū...aren't you able to get along with those princesses?"

After hearing that, Tayū bashfully replied,

"But that's because of you, Tayū. I'm just the daughter of an employee at a SMC, and I had to go study at a school full of princesses. I wondered whether I would be the only one different from the rest, whether I would be able to make a single friend. I was really uneasy on my first day to school. After that, I found that you were reading the same book as me, Beni, so I let it slip."

—That book! I'm reading it too!

Tayū widened her eyes on the first day she entered the middle school, and excitedly approached Beni, who was in a corner of the classroom, reading the book.

Then, she took out a book with the same cover, looking delighted as she grinned,

—Thank goodness I have someone with the same interests! I'm Ayaku Tayū! Just call me Tayū! What's yours?

—Beni...Hitachi.

At first, Tayū looked as if she was completely fearless, not apprehensive of anything. Was she truly not feeling nervous however?

She stared right at Beni in the eyes while the latter was shocked, ostensibly unable to breathe, and said sternly,

"To me, that was like a fated meeting!"

Her nose was buzzing, and started to sizzle.

She never thought that she would ever have a fated moment.

Only her deceased father had ever viewed her as a unique child.

However, Mr. Polar Star's friend did say this.

That she was rather cute.

And that if Mr. Polar Star was on Earth, he definitely would say the same thing, for he truly loved Beni.

There was someone other than her father who would truly love her, and there was someone who would find Beni, who tried to hide her presence amidst the lively, pretty girls.

And so, she believed Tayū's words.

"That was like a fated meeting!"

Surely, there would be fated meetings in friendship too.

Tayū held Beni's hands tightly, staring at her. Beni could feel a tense atmosphere.

Her father and Mr. Polar Star had both said that the tip of her nose would redden when she was cute but even so, Beni said,

"So-sorry to make you be my stand in! Le-let's go eat at Mr. McDonalds."

A few hours after he bid farewell to Saffloer.

Saffloer sent an image to Koremitsu’s cellphone.

There was a photo of both Saffloer and Saffron holding burgers over their heads, smiling heartily as they took a photo together.

"It really is a great thing to be able to have friends."

"Yeah."

Koremitsu and Hikaru closed in on the cellphone screen. Both their voices were full of life.

However, there was still an unresolved doubt in Koremitsu's heart.

Upon thinking about that, he scowled.

(What do I do...about Shikibu...? Invite her to the pool again...? But she told me 'never mind already', and won't be willing to go with me again...it's so noisy down there too...I don't think it'll be suitable for some serious topics.)

Hikaru watched Koremitsu frown and wince in anguish, and chimed in,

"Koremitsu, you are thinking about Miss Shikibu, right?"

"Ack, you know how to read hearts?"

" I do not have to. You have clearly expressed your thoughts on your face."

"!!"

So my expression can be read so easily. Koremitsu muttered.

"Would it not be a good idea to discuss this with me instead of bottling it up and frowning? I do know and understand about girls better than you after all."

Hikaru stared at Koremitsu with an earnest, gentle expression.

"I wish to repay you as much as I can while I am still on this world." Koremitsu recalled the words Hikaru said.

"Just as you fulfilled for me one promise after another, I want to repay you with what I can do, within my capabilities."

"I-I'll leave it to you..."

Koremitsu said in a teeny-weeny voice, his cheeks searing, his sweat dripping, as he ostensibly struggled.

Hikaru raised his lips and cheeks, heartily responding,

"Sure. Leave it to me."

(Why's Akagi asking me out now...?)

It was 9pm, and they were to meet at the back gate of the school—

At first, Honoka assumed it to be a prank when she received the message.

That someone posed himself as Koremitsu and invited him out.

However, she really could not think of another who would do such a thing. After she replied back, she was certain that it was Koremitsu.

(I got jealous and started that commotion. I thought I wouldn't receive any of Akagi's messages again.)

Honoka's feelings for Koremitsu were one-sided, but back then, she grumbled that she never had an advantage compared to the other girls, 'ahh, it's alright!' and ran off. What sort of expression should she show in the new semester? Perhaps she should transfer schools after all. She brooded over this issue for quite some time.

As the Purple Princess, she would respond to the issues of girls who had failed in their love affairs with answers like,

"I can understand what you are thinking, but you have to calm down and think. You are just throwing out your thoughts, and not refreshing yourself in the slightest. You will simply be drowned in your own thoughts."

Or,

"Before you go crazy, calm your inner heart. Think about whether it's good or bad for your love. If not, you might start some crazy mess."

Or,

"You definitely~ mustn't say those words! You won't dare see his face again! That'll definitely be a failed love!"

And so, she became pessimistic..

Let's continue to compose a sweet story within the world of fiction. When writing the sequel to her cellphone novel, Takuma, who was supposed to be the lovey-dovey partner of the heroine Natsuno, suddenly confessed to the prettiest girl in school, and had lost interest in Natsuno.

"You don't care about me anymore!?"

Natsuno snapped,

"It's impossible for us to be together."

And broke up with Takuma.

"My heart aches after reading this. I still like seeing Takuma and Natsuno being in love with each other."

"Takuma actually likes a girl other than Natsuno!? I don't want this!"

"Even if it's for the sake of the plot, please don't change the character's personality like that! Takuma definitely won't say something like that!"

This depressing ending caused the readers to send scathing remarks.

And the source of her regrets and outrage, Koremitsu, sent her a message. It was to be expected that she thought it was a prank.

She stared at the message for about half an hour.

(What do I do? I think I better go. But these words alone are too short! I don't know what Akagi's thinking at all—!!!)

Did Koremitsu not think of Honoka's outburst as a big deal, or was he itching to shoot back some verbal barbs at her?

(Ahh—uuuu, if I'm to see Akagi today, I'll probably be nagging at him! Won't he hate me even more then?)

But even so, Honoka was not looking forward to apologizing on her own will, and then repeating the same embarrassing happenings over and over again.

(Yeah. I should have taken a step back now since the time Akagi dragged me out and told me off. I have to become the cool Miss Shikibu that's the ally of all girls. I can't continue to be flustered in front of a guy and be an annoying woman who shouts whatever she has on her mind...)

That was the case.

And so, she ended up worried all day long, rumbling about on the chair, spinning about, even though she definitely was not to become like that...

(And...and I came after all.)

And so, at 9 pm sharp, Honoka was at a corner of the school wall, observing the back gate of the school, where they were supposed to meet.

She was dressed in school uniform.

It was summer, and the weather was still very hot. The sweat felt a little unbearable sticking on her skin.

(What now? Akagi's not around? Is this some kind of prank after all...?)

Suddenly, someone tapped her on the shoulder from behind.

"Yo."

"!"

She instinctively raised her leg, and spun her body around.

And then,

She struck her leg out, but was grabbed by the shoe.

"That was close."

Sighing in front of her with a tense look was Koremitsu.

And Honoka's cheeks were quickly burning.

"Y-yo-you-your-your hand."

Her voice was rising.

"Let go of your hand!"

"Ahh!"

Koremitsu's face too went red as he let go of the hand grabbing her leg.

Honoka raised her eyebrows, and looked aside,

"Well, Shikibu, thanks for coming."

Koremitsu spoke stiffly.

Honoka in turn continued to look aside,

"...I didn't come because I want to. It's just that I'm a little curious, so I just came by to have a look...what do you want to do at such a late time?"

"About the pool, let's go there again, Shikibu. Ju-just the two of us! I want to go with you.."

Koremitsu tried his best to say these words.

Stunned, Honoka stared at Koremitsu.

The feisty red-haired classmate of hers was trying his best to look serious as he conveyed his voice, staring at her sternly. Suddenly, her heart was racing.

And at the same time, she felt incredulous.

"We're going to the pool now? Isn't it already closed? I didn't bring a swimsuit when I came up..."

But because Koremitsu grabbed Honoka by the hand immediately, she was at a loss of words.

(My hand! Akagi's grabbing my hand—)

She had never held hands with a boy ever since she entered high school, save the folk dance lessons they had to take.

And also, the hand grabbing her, not letting go, was uneven and rigid. It was Koremitsu's.

Koremitsu probably felt embarrassed by this too as he turned his face aside.

"You don't need a swimsuit now."

"No need? W-wait—Akagi!"

Koremitsu held Honoka by her hand as he walked to the back gate.

The back gate was locked, but Koremitsu immediately took the key out from his gym pants, and opened it.

"Eh? But how?"

Honoka widened her eyes.

With Honoka's hand still in his, Koremitsu marched into the school.

"Why do you have the key with you?"

"...I borrowed it."

"Eh? From who?"

"From someone who always claimed that he could be forgiven for anything no matter what he does."

In fact, the one who handed the spare back gate key to Koremitsu was Tsuyako.

That was something Hikaru used when he was alive, and Tsuyako handed it to Koremitsu.

"I suppose you heard about the key from Hikaru?"

"Yes."

"And you wish to borrow the key from me for Miss Shikibu's sake?"

"Yeah."

After hearing such a steadfast response, Tsuyako let out a sweet sigh.

"Miss Shikibu really does have it good there, does she not?"

She muttered, and handed the key to Koremitsu. But before that,

"Let me cast a spell."

She kissed the key with her soft red lips—

Hikaru never made any mention of how many events had passed before it landed in his possession.

However he forced a refreshing smile,

"I can be forgiven by anyone no matter what I do."

He merely answered.

"What do you mean by that? I don't get what you're saying at all! Speaking of which, i-isn't this an illegal entry of the school? If we're caught, there's going to be another commotion. We'll probably be suspended or something."

"We'll talk about that later."

"That's too reckless! Also, is the pool you're talking about not the one we went that time, but the school pool?"

"Yeah."

"Why the school poooooollllllll—!?"

Honoka was in an utter state of confusion as she let Koremitsu hold her hand and guide her into the school.

(I don't know what's going on at all!)

The hand that was being held was scorching, her face was scorching, and even her head was. It felt as if she had a sunstroke.

In the garden filled with lush greenery the branches and leaves swaying with the breeze, the clear moonlight was the only thing lighting their path, and she was ostensibly stuck in the middle of a forest, letting a red-haired sharp-eyed man drag her hand forward.

And so, they finally arrived at the poolside, surrounded by the fence.

"Okay, let's leap over."

"Wait, Akagi."

Koremitsu let go of Honoka's hand as he stepped on the fence, and easily climbed it like a monkey. He stood at the topmost part, looked down at Honoka, and reached his hand out to her.

"You coming?"

Koremitsu's face and body seemed more fearsome, more masculine under the clear moonlight. Glittering were his messy red hair and the sweat on his temples.

"Uuu, this is ridiculous."

Having given up on this, Honoka started climbing the fence one step at a time.

She never saw Koremitsu smile once, but upon seeing the corner of his lips, even if it was just for a short instant, she felt moved, and her cheeks slightly reddened.

Both of them landed beside the pool. The pool surface in the night looked like the looming darkness, ripples forming one layer after another under the gentle summer breeze.

Unlike the day, it gave a radiant, mysterious vibe.

Koremitsu caught his breath as he marveled at the moonlight reflection, and shyly said,

"..With this now, it's just the two of us."

—I really wanted to go to the pool alone with you, Akagi.

(Did I really say that?)

Was that why he brought her to this place?

Doubts rose into Honoka's heart.

Koremitsu, who was always a step slow understanding a girl, knowing how to make her happy, and never considered about such things, clearly put in much effort coming up with this plan.

Let's go to the pool then! This promise will be fulfilled.

He was that clumsy, yet so hardworking.

Her heart raced, and she was sweating.

(What do I do? It feels like I still like Akagi after all!)

She had already thought of giving up on him before this, and yet after all these events, she found herself liking him more.

(I guess I'll get more jealous in the future. Akagi's really a hopeless cause for being unaware of such things.)

If she wanted to run away, this was the only chance.

I never thought you're this kind of barbarian who never thinks this through, she did not say. What was I doing up till yesterday? If I'm to force myself to say something, I'll probably get laughed at.

"It's just the two of us after all."

However, Honoka said with a refreshed feeling.

"Thanks, Akagi! I'm really delighted to be able to go to the pool with you alone during the summer vacation!"

She was really delighted, for it was a plan Koremitsu came up with for Honoka's sake.

She was really happy that he was able to remember her words.

At this point, she probably was unable to express her joy into words, but it was fine. It was impossible for her not to fall in love with Koremitsu.

Koremitsu looked dumbfounded as he widened his eyes at her, and then, his eyes wavered about.

"Well, yeah, that's because I had a promise with you."

He whispered.

That dimwitted aspect of his too throbbed Honoka's heart.

"Ahh, if only I brought my swimsuit."

"Wait? You still want to swim?"

"Eh, but if we're coming to the pool, we're definitely here to swim, right? If you had said so before this, I would have brought my swimsuit along too."

"Is it that one with little fabric?"

As Koremitsu frowned,

"Eh...you do remember about it after all?"

She said, somewhat pleased as her eyes swimmed.

"R-rather than that...I'll say it's etched in my mind...how can I forget about such a thing?"

"Ehhh!?"

Honoka's face was flushed red with a poof.

(Wh-what? Akagi was looking unconcerned before that, but he did look at my swimsuit seriously? And he even remembered it? I'm really happy, but it's very embarrassing! But, I'm still happy; no no no, it's very embarrassing! But, but!)

Her body was heating up rapidly, and she was completely confused.

"I guess I want a swim after all."

She jumped into the pool.

"Ack, Shikibu!"

Koremitsu called out in surprise.

Honoka's entire body was covered in pool water, and the cold water covered her head. She wanted to cool her body and mind, but ended up feeling hotter.

Ahh, whatever, anything goes.

She splashed water about audaciously, and floated to the surface.

"Come down too, Akagi! It's a rare chance to swim in the pool at night! You'll regret it if you don't do it!"

"I say, you!"

"Okay now, hurry up!"

While Koremitsu was knelt at the poolside, she grabbed his arm and pulled him in.

"Woah!"

And so, Koremitsu fell into the pool.

"It's cold!"

"You're kidding! It's hot here!"

Her hands were splashing water at Koremitsu, and Koremitsu repaid her in kind.

With a beaming face, she sank into the water, trying to escape. Koremitsu gave pursuit.

And so, they spent time swimming, pursuing, frolicking, and staring off. After that, they shyly averted their eyes, and poked their heads out from the water at the same time.

"Fuwahh!"

"Haa! Fresh air's still the best!"

Both of them lifted their heads as they inhaled the fresh hair. With the moonlight shining upon them, the tiny spots of stars above theme were glitter.

"Poof, Akagi! Your hair's fallen on your forehead now. It looks like a kappa now!"

"What about yourself? You look like some devil's apron yourself."

"I never heard of such a monster before!"

She giggled,

"But the pool at night feels a little eerie. It feels like there's a ghost around."

"Yeah, maybe he's probably beside us right now, peeping on us."

"Wait, what are you saying? It feels scary!"

"Are you scared of ghosts?"

"That's not it! Bu-but it's the summer now. If we talk about ghost stories, there might really be something popping out, uu."

Honoka shivered slightly, looking around from time to time.

"When that happens, I'll protect you."

Koremitsu said without hesitation.

Honoka's ears immediately sizzled, and she lowered her head, muttering,

"!! It's because you...it's because you always..."

(Why is it that he's always able to say such words so easily?)

Upon thinking about it, she first started to be concerned about Koremitsu because of those words.

"Really...someone like you..."

Should not be saying this sort of thing to anyone. She could have said this and kicked him aside, but was surprisingly not fuming in the slightest.

After muttering, she placed her wet head on Koremitsu's chest with a ploop.

Ahh, I still find myself falling for Akagi so easily.

"You better protect me, okay?"

At lunch time, on the last day of July, the Akagis were having flowing sōmen,

There was a bamboo table placed in the garden, and the long and thin noodles were slowly flowing through. Shioriko watched on, cheering,

"Wow, this is the first time I'm seeing this!"

She picked up the noodle with her pink child chopsticks, cheering excitedly as she slurped the noodle.

Watching on silently were Koremitsu's grandfather Masakaze and his aunt Koharu. They however were not furious.

"It's good to eat such things once in a while."

"Hm, yeah."

The duo who would bicker all day long actually had a common view, a rarity at that.

The cat called Lapis in turn nibbled luxuriously at the milk and cat food mixed into it under the greenery.

The cellphone in Koremitsu's jeans pocket vibrated, and he opened it to find it that message was from Beni. It seemed she was to take a challenge at KFC.

Ever since that time, he had been exchanging messages with Saffloer, Beni Hitachi. No matter how minor the matter might be, they were unexpectedly able to get along well, for they had setbacks due to their appearances.

"So this is a penpal?"

"Ah, yes."

And so, Hikaru, floating in the air, beamed heartily.

"Your social circle of women is growing by the day."

"Ack, don't say it as if I'm a harem prince or something!"

"Eh, big brother Koremitsu, you're a harem prince? Who sent this message? Your girlfriend?"

Upon hearing Koremitsu's words, Shioriko frowned and approached to ask him, tiptoeing as she tried to read the contents.

"I said I'm not!"

"Koremitsu, I know that you are starting to show sexual interest in the other gender, but you better not do anything that will make the girl feel bad. If you do plan to date, you have to treasure her greatly."

Masakaze glanced aside at Koharu, and spoke solemnly,

"Women are great misfortune, Koremitsu. Never ever get involved with them."

After repeating his usual mantra, he noticed Shioriko, and pretended to cough, quipping,

"...Never get involved with any woman...at least 10 years old."

However, Shioriko looked troubled,

"But grandfather Masakaze, Shiiko here will be 10 in 3 months time. You won't be playing 5-in-a-row with Shiiko then?"

"Uu." She asked dejectedly, and Masakaze corrected himself, "Then, any woman at least 11 years old..."

Surely he would change that to '12 years old' when Shioriko reaches 11 years old.

In the afternoon, he went to the large bookshop in town to look at the reference books,

"Ah."

"Oh."

It was the girl at Bonne Chance who was often reading a pocket novel.

She was usually dressed in a refreshing white blouse and a skirt that reached below her knees, but this time, she was dressed in a shirt with a ribbon tied at the collar and a mini-skirt that reached above her knees. It seemed that was the school uniform of a nearby girls school.

Though they did meet at the same shop several times, they never talked to each other once, and she suddenly came to talk to him.

"Good afternoon."

"Oh, yeah."

"You haven't been to the shop, recently, have you?"

"Ah...after all the commotions I caused in the shop, I couldn't bring myself to go there, I guess?"

In truth, it was that he did not need to visit, for he had already found Saffron.

Aoi was still working inside, and he wanted to visit her sometime later. At that time, it seemed Aoi was working enthusiastically on the other side of the phone.

When Koremitsu sprinted out after Beni, Aoi, who was not used to watching from the sidelines, was wondering about their relationship, "I am really happy to receive your call, Mr. Akagi." and said delightedly,

"Next time, please let me be the one to call back."

He heard Aoi's words and stared at Hikaru's expression, finding the latter to be chuckling. His heart however was a little tense.

"Well, sure. If you got something you're troubled by at work, you can call me anytime you want."

He answered.

He recalled what had transpired before, and the girl in front of him spoke with intent,

"That's too bad. There seems to be something lacking in the shop when you're not around."

She whispered.

And then,

"See you later then, Mr. Akagi ."

She narrowed her refreshingly pretty, narrow eyes, beamed and left.

"How does she know my name?"

Perhaps she overheard it when he was talking with Aoi and Michiru.

Hikaru peeked on Koremitsu's expression as he giggled,

"You actually got wooed back."

"Huh? That's impossible, right?"

"Well, who knows? You have been quite the hot commodity nowadays. Did Miss Shikibu not enter your embrace at the pool and fawned, saying something like 'you better protect me, okay'?"

"I-I didn't hug her!"

Koremitsu refuted loudly, attracting the surrounding stares.

His face was starting to heat up, and he left the bookshop without buying anything.

He continued to move forward quickly, and whispered, correcting himself,

"We-well...just a little..."

"Eh, is that so? At that time, I felt that it would be uninteresting if I were to peep in on you two back then. I merely used the moonlight to glance at you two a few times. Besides, when you grasped Miss Shikibu's hand at that time, I thought you were about to go on a date."

"Ack."

"But well, as my disciple, it is to be expected that two people are to embrace each other tightly."

"Who's your disciple!?"

"Well, you do have a charm that makes the surrounding girls notice you. Regarding Miss Mint for example, you did not have the chance to talk with her at that time, did you not?"

Koremitsu noticed a hidden meaning to that smile,

"I say, are you hiding something again? Who's that Mint girl? Tell me all about it."

Koremitsu poked his chin out as he glared sharply, and Hikaru moved gently away from him, snickering with his sweet voice as he floated,

"Well, is that not a good thing after all? Is it not part of an allure for a girl to have her own mystery?"

"Don't play the fool with me, you bastard!"

He continued to yap away with Hikaru as he continued forth on the road as the sweltering rays of sunlight shone upon him.

This was the first summer he had with his friend.

And perhaps, this might be the last summer with him.

Also, Hikaru had a lot of secrets in his heart, sometimes lowering his head gloomily, blankly.

What was it about when he said that he felt a heartache whenever he looked at himself in the mirror? What happened before...? He did mention cheerfully how dejected he was when he could not see himself in the mirror.

This person was really a vortex of enigma, a hypocrite.

And even so, no matter how wide the world became, no matter how things developed, he was always beaming.

If only this summer can continue like this. Koremitsu remembered the words from back then.

This friend will vanish one day.

But still, Hikaru remained on this Earth, standing beside Koremitsu.

"Big brother...!"

Shungo Tōjō heard a shout from behind as he walked out of the shop, and turned his face back.

He had insisted that she would not call him that, and till this point, she abide to this promise.

One could tell from the displeased vow how important of a rule she had broken just moments before, and he stood there, staring at her. What he saw however was a pitiful person staggering in the back alleys, peeking at him, looking in anguish.

Her lips were slightly swollen, and there were still trails of blood on the edges of her lips.

Her short hair was messy, and the tank top and shorts were stained in mud. Even though she had multiple injuries to her knees, she continued to walk.

Hiina ran to Tōjō's, pulled out the memory card from her cellphone, placed it in his hand, and groaned in anguish.

"The Mikados' power balance has been toppled...! Mr. Kazuaki just did something unbelievable—!"

Aoi was walking down the school corridor with a paper bag of sweet dried cherries, tomatoes and baked muffins made from rich milk, which Asai liked.

It was her rest day, and she came to school as there was something on at the art club.

Asai should be at school as well, for she had student council matters. Thus, Aoi was going to bring the freshly baked muffins to her.

(Asa is probably working so hard that she has yet to eat lunch.)

Koremitsu did say before that Asai had been really busy recently, so she wanted to help Asai in some way.

She stood in front of the student council office, and was about to knock on the door, only to hear voices from within,

"...I met a suspicious person at Miss Aoi's workplace. She had a poker face, pretending not to know me at all."

Her hand stopped just when she was about to knock on the door.

(This voice. Is this Miss Tsuyako...?)

With regards to Tsuyako, who had a scandal with Hikaru before, Aoi still held her with contempt. Tsuyako's shameless, unabashed actions was something Aoi really hated.

Also, she had her sights on Koremitsu too, making the latter call her 'senpai' with such affection...

"She probably is observing that Miss Aoi who continues to rely on you. Miss Aoi, and even said that if something happens to Miss Aoi, she will inform you."

(...What is Miss Tsuyako saying?)

Her chest was feeling a little frantic.

Asai ordered someone to watch over Aoi...?

Did Asai not go over to Aoi's workplace to watch her every action coolly?

She did not charge out to check on Aoi like usual when Aoi failed.

She did feel ashamed that Asai witnessed her embarrassing side, but she thought, Asa did not help because she thinks that I can handle things by myself .

(But when Asa is not in the shop, she sent someone to watch over me..?)

This certainly was something Asai would do, but Aoi really hated the overprotectiveness, and adamantly decided to work while ignoring the protests of her family.

At this moment, Asai's voice rang from within the room.

"It will be too late if something happens to Aoi. I just do not wish for her to get hurt."

Asai's voice was solemn.

Recently, she had been saying this line often with some vexation, sometimes even declaring sharply in an unreasonable manner—

"You do not wish for her to be hurt? That is just sugarcoating things."

"Miss Tsuyako, it seems that you know something."

Recently—right, after Hikaru died.

"I know about it. You and I are the same type of person."

Aoi's heart let out a loud shriek.

She did not wish to continue eavesdropping,

But she could not move, for she was really too concerned by Tsuyako's words,

"Miss Asai, you are always pretending to protect Miss Aoi. In fact–"

The voice pierced through Aoi's ears and heart.

"You are looking down on Miss Aoi, am I correct?"

The paper bag in Aoi's hand fell.

The delicately packed muffins rolled by her feet.

(Asa has been looking down on me...?)

"Hono...Mr. Akagi is a gentle person."

"Wh-what? Why are you saying such things out of a sudden?"

Michiru suddenly said solemnly as they were picking accessories in a corner of the bustling streets.

Was the fact that she went to the school pool with Koremitsu revealed?

"Hono, you do like Mr. Akagi after all, right?"

Michiru again said seriously.

"Th-th-th-th-that's not the case. Akagi and I are just normal classmates! What do you mean by that anyway?"

She had been uttering all sorts of things, denying her association with him, saying that he was a delinquent, and had changed attitudes at this point, but it was tough for her to say that she liked him.

Michiru stared at Honoka intently, and the latter was flushed red.

"Really?"

"Of course. I do have strict conditions. I-I do think that guy's a kind guy, not too bad himself."

Michiru slowly looked away from Honoka, her face slowly becoming red.

Just when Honoka was worried, Michiru made up her mind, and said,

"Th-then, it's alright if I fall in love with Mr. Akagi, right?"

### 010. Special Chapter: Asai Saiga's Blunder ~ Just Who Is It That Believes in Santa Claus, Huh?

During her elementary school days, her dream was to be an archaeologist or an explorer.

To seek for unknown living creatures or relics, to continue to explore the world, how fascinating that feeling would be. That was what her immature mind thought and admired.

She wrote down everything she could think of in a schedule for her summer vacation.

- Catch a Tsuchinoko.

- Look for a kappa.

- Search for an Eel dog in the woods.

- Exchange mails with the UFOs on the hills.

- Excavate some relics in the forest.

- Pat the snowman sleeping in the summer.

Life was short, yet she had so many things she wanted to do. She could only look for a Tsuchinoko on the hills during this summer, fish for a kappa using a cucumber along the riverside, set up an antenna on the hill to call for a UFO, and check the skin texture of a snowman.

However, Asai was whisked off to the posh holiday inns in Switzerland, Canada, Karuizawa, and she was not pleased about this at all.

One of these days, let us go look for a Tsuchinoko together, Asa.

Let us help the kappas breed, and we can create a kappa-themed park.

Those were the promises she made to her younger cousin Hikaru.

(Such a foolish child.)

Now in the second year of High School, Asai reflected on her past coldly.

Currently, she was burdened with the duty of being the High School Student Council President in Heian Academy, and the eldest daughter supporting the Mikado's side family, embroiled in the complicated politics and power struggles in the family, an icy girl living in the harsh reality.

She had long forgotten about the time she had a cucumber on the fishing rod she leashed at the riverside and did not get anything after 7 hours.

However, the man she most hated at this point had his eyebrows raised, looking shocked as he said,

"I heard you believed there was a Santa Claus until your third grade."

(When was it that the Japanese summers started to become so hot?)

The intense sunlight was reflected upon the asphalt, and Asai's vision was filled with the swaying, sweltering heat as she walked down the shopping street.

No matter which street it was, there were young people of all types. Some were standing in the middle of the streets, blocking the way, some were standing around eating ice products and crepes, and some were making all sorts of weird noises; the scenery was in complete chaos.

(Why are there so many of these flippant people? It is certainly a mistake to stand out here in the summer heat and get drenched in sweat.)

Normally, Asai would pass by the crowds blocking the way with her head held high and an aloof look, forcing them to step aside and form a path quickly. However, on this day, Asai did not have the presence to intimidate them, for they did not notice her as they continued to chat away.

(...I am already like this after not sleeping much for 2 days. This is embarrassing.)

She remembered that for the past 2 days respectively, she had only slept for 2 hours or so.

Her daily chores had increased exponentially once summer vacation began.

The current candidate to be the head of the Mikado family, Kazuaki, was revealed to have forced Aoi to be his wife, and was forsaken by his clan. The Mikado family, Asai and Tōjō were involved and faced a severe crisis.

Though her preparations and plots went off perfectly, the unexpected duties and issues came one after another, and she was unable to proceed to the next step. Also, she heard that Aoi went to do some part-time work during summer vacation, so she often had to go to the shop to check on Aoi, feeling really tense, and not daring to relax in the slightest.

(I might as well make all the useless and despicable people in this world to disappear.)

While she had such terrifying thoughts as she staggered forth.

An unlucky flash of red suddenly came out of nowhere and entered her sights.

"Watch out!"

The clumsy fool in front of her called out as he knocked into her. Before she was about to be sent flying away, he reached out to grab her, and pulled her in.

A voice echoed in her ears,

"Your hair is really beautiful. I really am weak to a girl with such beautiful hair. I suppose the heavens are really cruel to let a cute city flower like you get injured by me."

If you are trying to try and get girls, do not look for me. Asai was about to wave this hand aside, but she was a little skeptical by what she heard.

This voice–

She lifted her head and stared at the person. Was it her imagination? An illusion? No, it was a mind-boggling truth.

She then coldly retorted,

"...Yes. I suppose the heavens are cruel and also incompetent to let me meet a wild dog like you."

It was the vulgar, vile, foolish, wild dog Asai so hated–"Ack!" Koremitsu Akagi called out.

"Hey, I say, you're not looking very good now. Your feet are really unsteady."

"This has nothing to do with a perverted high school seduction master."

"Go to the park over there and rest for a while."

"No need for that."

"Don't force yourself, Asa."

"I do not remember permitting you to call me that–"

Asai then waved Koremitsu's arm away as she sat on the bench in the park.

"I'll go wet the handkerchief. Just wait here obediently.

Koremitsu ran off to the drinking point.

"...uu, why is it that I have to listen to this wild dog?"

Normally, she would not concern herself with such a wild dog trying to accost on the streets. Due to sleep deprivation and the summer heat however, she would feel dizzy whenever she stood up.

"Looks like I do not have a choice...I shall rest here for the time being..." Her frowning face closed its eyes, and she fell into a deep slumber.

It was an hour later before she woke up again.

She opened her eyes, wondering why this pillow was so hard and uncomfortable. The sidelong view of Koremitsu's frowning, slightly tanned face was closer to Asai's sights than ever, causing her heart to nearly cease to beat.

Did I actually fall asleep on this dog's shoulder!? Why! This dog is too stupid. Could he not have stood up and pushed me away?

"Why did you not wake me up? Such a useless man."

"That's not what you should be saying, right? You're a woman with no cute points."

Koremitsu gave a grumpy look as he spat back with saliva flying everywhere. At this moment,

"I heard you believed there was a Santa Claus until your third grade."

He muttered,

"And you sent letters to Santa Claus before Christmas, and you went out of the way to drop it in the mailbox? How did you write the recipient and address?"

"...That was when I was very young. I do not remember at all."

She coldly retorted, but at the same time, she was completely rattled within.

(Why is it that this person knows about such a thing? Did Aoi tell him? Or did he hear that from Hikaru?)

She recalled that before she was in her third grade, she would request all sorts of presents from Santa Claus. She wanted the Swiss Army Knife or sleeping bags, necessities for an adventurer, but she would get antique dollhouses, accessories, or a basket full of tea sets for girls to use.

The worst of it all was during her third grade, early in the morning of Christmas; she found a gold card in her sock.

Santa Claus actually gave me a gold card?

She was thoroughly shocked to know of this truth.

This Santa Claus is actually my parents?

And to add insult to Asai's pride, Aoi and Hikaru, who she assumed to be more innocent, had already known about this.

"You see. The one who gave me these Christmas presents is not a bearded old man, but a pretty madam or big sister."

"During Christmas, Santa Claus would come to our house holding a Christmas bag. They always tell me, ‘Look Aoi, this is Santa Claus’, but no matter how I look at it, it is papa dressed in a red suit and a fake beard."

Am I the only one hidden in the dark about this!?

This shame of a memory was etched deep within Asai's mind, and ever since then, she loathed both Santa Claus and Christmas.

That past of her was mentioned by this abomination of a person that she was sick of–the person who proclaimed himself to be Hikaru's friend and representative, Koremitsu Akagi. To top it all, she was teased by him.

What a blunder!

And so, Koremitsu pointed it out as 'Asai's laughable past'.

"You wrote about going to catch a Kappa in your summer vacation schedule?"

"You talked about going for some cold endurance training so that you can climb a mountain and find a snowman, but you always stay in the house in winter because you always get colds?"

"You put a pie in the garden to lure out an Eel dog? So that you can eat together?"

Asai answered those questions with a cold face, ‘these are all things when I was young’, repeating this over and over again. Koremitsu however stared at her calmly,

"Aren't you quite cute in some way?"

This callous remark broke the limit of Asai's patience.

I do not wish to be called cute or anything by anyone in this world!

Let alone that Koremitsu Akagi!

Her face searing, she gave Koremitsu a slap the next instant.

"What are you doing!?"

Koremitsu frowned as he glared back.

At that moment, a policeman just so happened to appear.

"What happened?"

"This dog is a pervert."

She calmly stated as she pointed at him.

Koremitsu was whisked off by the policeman as he continued to lash at Asai.

"You're my enemy after all––––!!!"

It is best if I do not meet that sort of person who left me in a pig pen.

However, that man with the obstinacy of a cockroach will definitely appear in front of Aoi again after he is punished.

Once she thought about this, Asai's face was burning again, and she placed a hand on her reddened face, showing a demure expression as she whispered,

"–uu, I never believed in Santa Claus right from the beginning."

### 011. Author's Notes

Hello, this is Mizuki Nomura. The fifth volume of 'When Hikaru was on Earth......' delves into the topic of 'Suetsumuhana'. In the Tale of Genji, 'Suetsumuhana' was a complete ****, but at least her inner heart should be very good, or not. She was a pitiful princess who did not know the ways of the world, nor knew how to read the atmosphere. She however became one of Hikaru's lovers, was summoned to his room, and never had any financial difficulties, living her own life happily, no?

This time, the ordinary version cover and the drama CD cover are different. For the ordinary cover, I requested not to show Beni's face. Miss Takeoka's illustration of 'imagining something that cannot be seen' was a masterpiece since the time we worked on 'Book Girl', and this time, I cannot help but be amazed when I see it.

The cover of the special edition is Koremitu's harem version. The original concept was that the flowers scattered around Koremitsu were meant to sense Hikaru's presence, but the idea of not letting everyone see him, but imagine him was certainly a brilliant idea.

The drama CD involves the story of Koremitsu and Hikaru going out to woo girls. I was in charge of forming the plot, supervising the scenario, and writing the extra bonus track. The plot is relevant to the story, but there were some lines that were different from the original script during the recording due to certain reasons, so regarding this, please be understanding. Regarding the issue of what happened between Koremitsu and Asai, Honoka and Aoi, these tracks and the following volumes will explain it clearly, so please be at ease.

I shall also be more in-depth with my explanation here! To all the readers, please hear out the drama CD filled with the beautiful voices of all the voice actors. Amazingly, the voice actors of the passers-by have taken part as main heroines of other works, and the policeman's voice does suit him well too. After the recording, it became a topic between the voice actors, the scriptwriter Miss Sawako Hirabayashi and me. Of course, the voice actors taking part as lead roles are brilliant too.

In the bonus track of this drama CD and the main story itself, there appeared the topic of panda. I wrote 'Suetsumuhana' during this January, and the additional script in May. It just so happened that during the recording period, I heard news of a panda being born, so it really was such great time. Though I was really delighted...I felt really depressed a few days ...my face turned blue with shock when I think back about it; the recording had already ended, but I thought it was impossible to write a panda as a kirin or a camel. Well, I guess I have to be sorry about that, and leave it as a panda. I wonder when is it that I can go to Ueno Zoo again and pray for a cute panda to be born again.

I shall be promoting some work here, and though it is not the right timing, and it had been a long time waiting, the first volume of 'Aoi' manga version is now being sold on the GANGAN Comics June version! The work and composition are really the best, and there have been lots of praises and comments about it. To the readers who have yet to read it, please do check it out. The Hikaru mini-character on the webpage is also extremely~ cute. Please do check it out too.

The second volume of 'Book Girl' 'Ghost' comic will be sold on August 22nd. The cover is about Hotaru and Kayano!

Also, I do apologize for keeping everyone waiting, but the second volume of 'Dress' will be sold next month, 29th September. Sherl and Princess Seria travelling incognito, Sherl (male version) visiting Annis' house, Prince Ryūjū's diary, the king's sweet fond talk, the blooming love with the princess. There are about 7 stories of them altogether, so please do remember to buy it. The WEB serialization ended without a hitch, and from this point, there are plans to publish them in pocket novels. Sherl's love affairs shall get more intense later on.

The sixth volume of 'Hikaru' is 'Asagao', and as the title suggests, it will be Asa's turn. That crossdresser who had yet to appear in the 5th volume will appear again, so please look forward to it too.

I shall see you next time then. 'Hikaru' at the end of the year, and 'Dress' in the coming month.

July 12th 2012,

Mizuki Nomura.

References:

Jin, Makabe, 1979. Red and Blue. Tokyo. Heibonsha.

Miki, Meshioka, 1997, Tokyo, Gaia Books (formerly Ubuchou Publishing). Translated from English, Anne, Mcintyre, The Healing Charms of Flowers,

2005-2006, The history and culture musuem of the Safflower. affiliated library of Yamagata University. Available at: [Accessed: 15th November 2014]

## 06. Volume 6 - "Asagao"

### 001. Chapter 1: Summer's Maidens Are Capricious

"If we are talking about pretty princesses that can be met in the Summer wild, I suppose they would be lilies."

It was summer vacation, and half of August had passed.

Koremitsu was sweating all over, starting from the forehead, as he worked on his holidays assignments in the room devoid of an electric fan. Hikaru, in turn, spoke coolly.

"The lush green grass shall absorb the heat of Summer, and on the other side of the grass, there stands the slender figure of a girl radiating a refreshing feeling, such that one can forget the searing heat with just a glance at her. Oh yes, there is such a waka recorded in the Man'yoshu."

Then, he sung with a richly sweet voice,

"‘On the grassy wayside, the lilies bloom. With a smile, shall I call you my wife?’ What it means here is that even amidst the green grass, if I am able to see your smile bloom like the lily, is that sufficient for me to call you my wife? The lily that appears here has to be pink, a cute Princess Lily. This 'hime' princess reminds of the 'himi' in the word 'secret', cute and yet has some voluptuous sense to her that causes a man's heart to flutter. Hey, Koremitsu, you do not have to frown like that and try to imagine it like solving an official event. Just imagine a girl amidst the tall, lush grass, peering at you. At the moment your eyes meet hers, she will say to you 'don't just call me your wife', her cheeks blushing."

"Like I know anything about that."

Koremitsu fanned himself with a circular silk fan as he answered nonchalantly.

"You look very hot there yourself. Anyway, since you're a ghost, hurry up and cool this room down."

"Please do not be unreasonable. You do know very well that I am a useless ghost who cannot do anything other than to cosplay, right? Oh yes, how about I try putting on a tennis outfit. I suppose surely it would be like living in a summer shelter. Perhaps I would be able to feel the cooling breeze blowing upon the silver birch grove."

Once he said that, he immediately transformed into a white tennis wear with white shorts, his light brown hair swaying gently in the air, radiating a clear smile. There was a blue wrist guard on his arm, and his head had a similar colored band on it.

"What do you think, Koremitsu? Do you feel refreshed like the blooming lilies at a summer shelter resort?"

Hikaru tried swinging his racket at Koremitsu, but no wind was blown at him. Quite the opposite, it caused Koremitsu's head to boil, and his body to sizzle.

"That's enough already and get back to the corner, shut up and sit in a Seiza."

"That is cruel of you, Koremitsu. It is rare to have a summer vacation, and you are focusing on doing homework since morning. The thing about summer vacation is that you have to wait till the end of it and copy from other girls."

"Stop saying such despicable things with that angelic pure smile. Also, if I'm going to ask someone to lend me homework with that bad man look of mine, it'll just be assumed as intimidation ."

One of them was Hikaru, hailed a harem prince with girls offering themselves freely to him. At the other end of the spectrum is himself, called a wild dog and being ostracized out of fear. Clearly, their positions were different.

"Hey you, let me copy your homework."

If Koremitsu were to say that, the girls would definitely leave their notebooks on his desk with trembling hands, and run off.

"Eh? But if it is Miss Shikibu, I suppose she will be willing to let you copy."

Koremitsu let out a groan,

"And her face will probably turn pink like the princess lilies, ‘I-I guess I have no other choice!’ saying something like that shrilly."

"D-Don't mention about Shikibu..."

As it was too embarrassing, Koremitsu's body started to heat up again, his face beetroot like it had been ironed through.

On a certain previous night, he sneaked into the school pool with his classmate Honoka Shikibu, splashing water at each other, chasing each other in the water—and on top of that, they did things that would cause people to blush. Ever since then, whenever Hikaru mentioned about Honoka, Koremitsu would sense an itchy, mysterious feeling in his heart.

In the end, Koremitsu would avert his eyes inadvertently and fidget. His voice would also sound strange.

And Hikaru would put an aloof, conceited face as he watched Koremitsu’s weird responses, which in turn would piss off Koremitsu.

"Hey, Koremitsu, forget about homework and ask Miss Shikibu out. Oh yes, how about calling Miss Aoi out too and we go on a double date, the 4 of us? Wow~ that might be enjoyable!"

"Won't the passers-by just look at me as if I'm a two-timer or something!?"

"Eh? You do intend to two-time on Miss Aoi and Miss Shikibu, Koremitsu?"

Hikaru was taken aback.

"Like I am! What are you talking about!? How can I possibly do something like that!? I'm not you."

"Well, that is true after all. Ah, that really shocked me. However, I do wish to make something clear. What do you think about Miss Aoi?"

"Wh-what do you mean...of course she's your fiancee."

"And then?"

"Wait, anything else?"

Hikaru approached Koremitsu with a suspicious look, and the latter panicked,

"Do you not find Miss Aoi to be really cute or something, like she is someone you have to protect?"

"Y-yeah, compared to the beginning when she just flat out ostracized everyone, I suppose Aoi has changed completely, and is really cute, or maybe her expression is somewhat gentle, and that she suddenly became rather feminine...I think she's a woman important to you, so I feel that I have to help her if something happens to her."

"Koremitsu, as expected, you..."

Hikaru again looked extremely rattled.

"I said it before already, it's not like that."

"Really?"

"You're annoying, damn it. Didn't you look really cheerful, saying 'oh, this is fine, I think' when you let me pretend to be Aoi's boyfriend?"

And so, Hikaru immediately puffed his cheeks,

"That was merely just to maintain a facade, and back then, Miss Aoi did look really troubled. At that time, that was all I could say. I really felt conflicted inside me, even if you and Miss Aoi were pretending to be a couple. Of course, it is not a lie that I wish Miss Aoi could be happy, and that you are my friend, my hero. Both of you are most important to me, b-but when both of you were chatting in front of me, I felt as if it was some sort of a penalty game. And and also, Miss Aoi's lover has to be more handsome than me, has a more pleasant voice than mine, is more interesting than me, is more knowledgeable about floral languages than me, and more..."

"I get it! I get it already! Calm down now! Approach me anymore, and your head's going to go through my own head!"

Koremitsu tried his best to curb Hikaru, his back leaning on the desk.

(This kid's hard to understand. Rather gloomy too.)

"I don't want to do anything to my friend's girlfriend, and Aoi won't have any thoughts about me."

"Is that really the case? You have become quite the popular man yourself recently, Koremitsu. Somewhat cool."

"W-what nonsense are you spouting?"

The description of being popular truly was a complete transformation from his old self, where girls started to shun him since the beginning of middle school. Koremitsu's face started to heat up.

Hikaru continued to pout as he wanted to continue, only for the cellphone on Koremitsu's desk to ring.

"Ack."

Once he spotted the caller, Koremitsu let out a weird sound.

Of all moments, it had to be Aoi.

(Damn it. What's with this timing?)

But just when he was still holding onto the cellphone, the ring stopped.

"Eh?"

Koremitsu was so shocked, he merely stared at the phone blankly.

"What was that? A wrong call?"

"So it was from Miss Aoi?"

Hikaru glanced aside, looking as if he had expected it.

(Argh, I'm not a woman here, so stop looking at me like some sort of widowed woman. Ah damn it, I can't call back now.)

"Well...I guess If she really had something to say, she'll call back."

Cautious about Hikaru's stare, Koremitsu said with a nonchalant tone, placing his cellphone back on the desk.

At this moment, the phone rang again.

"Woah!"

He felt his heart jump out of his mouth. However, he saw that the caller was not Aoi, but an anonymous number.

He received the call, placed the phone at his ear, and heard a timid voice,

"E-erm...Mr. Akagi? Do you know who I am?"

"Hanasato...?"

The image of the bespectacled class representative with braids appeared in his mind. She sounded really delighted, and answered,

"Yes, th-that's right. This is Michiru Hanasato. Ah, s-sorry about this. It's rather sudden...were you surprised? I got your number from Hono, Mr. Akagi..."

Why would Hanasato of all people call me at such a moment? Is this what a network is about? While Koremitsu pondered about it, Michiru stammered, before continuing,

"Mr. Akagi, d-d-do you want to go for a study meet?"

"Study meet?"

"Yes. At the library. Shall we do our summer homework together? I'm calling Hono along too, the three of us."

When Honoka's name was mentioned, he felt his heart jump.

"Erm, is that not good? Are you busy today?"

"No, I'm doing my summer homework now."

"I see. It will be more efficient for us to work together. Why don't you come along, Mr. Akagi?"

She invited him passionately.

"O-okay."

He answered, and she sounded more delighted, seemingly relieved,

"Thank goodness. I'll see you then. With Ho-Ho-Ho-Hono."

After she informed him the location of the library, the phone call was halted.

"A study meet with girls? I suppose that is some kind of a summer vacation event, no?"

His mood now uplifted, Hikaru spoke cheerfully,

"Hey, isn't Hanasato supposed to be terrified of me or something?"

"I do suppose it has to be because she knew that you are not a savage delinquent. And this probably is to help repair your relationship with Miss Shikibu. Girls always do like doing such things."

"Wha—"

"Okay now. It is not a good thing to keep a girl waiting."

While Koremitsu panicked, Hikaru chimed in cheerfully.

Koremitsu informed his aunt Koharu that he would not be having lunch as he was going to the library. Shioriko, carrying Lapis in her hands, overheard this and exclaimed,

"I wanna go too!"

"No, I got others with me this time. I'll bring you out next time, Shiiko."

Koremitsu recalled how at the start of the summer vacation, he brought Shioriko, Honoka and Michiru to the pool, creating such a ruckus, and because of that incident, firmly refused. However, Shioriko's eyes seemed uneasy as she asked over and over again,

"Who're you going with?"

"People from school."

After hearing such vague words from Koremitsu, she grabbed his arm, not too weakly, and not too strongly.

"I want to go too. I'll stay put obediently, okay? Pretty please, big brother?"

She continued to shake his arm gently as she begged,

"Uuu."

Because of his little sister begging him like this, Koremitsu faltered. While he groaned, the white cat Lapis got down to Shioriko's feet, and stared at Koremitsu coolly with her blue eyes like a passer-by.

And at that moment, there was a voice from the side,

"Shiiko, you have to go for dodgeball practice!"

"See, your friends are waiting for you now. It's important to remain in contact with your friends."

"Eh."

"Shiiko!"

"I'll go cheer for you at the tournament."

"Big brother."

Koremitsu left the still displeased Shioriko behind and turned to leave the house through the corridor,

"Ahh, she really is puffing her cheeks round there. You do have to give her quite the service when you get back home, big brother."

"Shut up!!"

Koremitsu went to the public library near the school. Under the midsummer sun’s rays which seemed ready to bake anything, entering through the automatic doors and into a wide open air-conditioned room felt like just like entering the freezer.

He spotted Honoka dressed in casual wear, her notes spread all over the table, approached her tensely, and called her out.

"Y-Yo."

"!"

Honoka lifted her head in surprise.

The chair let out a loud thud, and she, basked in the stares of the onlookers, shrank back, her cheeks red. She then looked up tentatively at Koremitsu, and whispered,

"Wh-why are you here, Akagi?"

"Huh? I got called here by Hanasato. The three of us are doing homework together."

"Michiru!?"

Honoka widened her eyes.

And suddenly, she became flustered,

"You're kidding...! That Michiru..."

While she continued to mutter,

"You didn't hear from Hanasato about me coming here?"

"I-I'm just invited here to do the summer vacation homework in the library..."

For some reason, Honoka looked really troubled.

And after that,

"Mr. Akagi, you came by!"

A delighted voice rang.

Koremitsu turned back to look, and his jaw dropped.

Honoka too looked dumbstruck.

Hikaru was left amazed.

Michiru, who said that she would wear the school uniform when going out, was at this point dressed in a lemon yellow one-piece dress fit for summer, coupled with a white cardigan with frills on it. Also, there was a little ribbon-shaped necklace around her neck.

That was not all.

She was not wearing her glasses, and her hair was not tied in braids. The soft, gentle-looking brown curls were rolled to her shoulders, swaying lightly. Perhaps she had put on contact lens, and the large eyes usually hidden under the spectacles were no longer covered. She looked up at Koremitsu shyly.

"Are you...Hanasato?"

He unconsciously affirmed.

"Yes, that's right. Erm...since it's summer vacation, I thought maybe...I could be a little more bold. Do-does it suit me?"

"Very cute~! The old-fashioned glasses give the vibe of a serious-looking girl, and it does look nice, but this one does suit you well too, adding quite some splendor to it. The refreshing Tachibana flower gives off a sweet fragrance that causes my head to get dizzy!"

Hikaru marveled,

(Anyway...that's quite the change.)

If he had not heard her voice, he would not imagine the plain, rigid and bespectacled class representative to be the same person as the one in front of him.

Koremitsu was left so surprised he could not say anything, and Honoka, giving the same stunned look, stated clumsily,

"That's not true. It really suits you there, and you really look cute, Michiru."

And so,

"Don't you think so too, Akagi?"

She looked up at Koremitsu worriedly, saying this to him.

"Eh, yeah, I guess. It's nice, I suppose."

Koremitsu could sense some seriousness in Honoka's stare for some strange reason, and could only stammer back. Michiru's face was dyed pink as she gave a bashful look.

And meanwhile, Honoka's expression was a stark contrast, completely frozen.

"M-Michiru, seriously there, why didn't you tell me Akagi was coming? It shocked me there."

"Sorry, Hono. But I thought that you'll be fine with Mr. Akagi around. Erm...is that a bad thing?"

Michiru suddenly became quite tentative.

Honoka's lips were lifted, becoming a pout,

"That's not the case. With Akagi here, I don't have to worry about him trying to woo other girls. It's just that...I was really shocked."

Honoka spoke with her usual carefree tone.

"Okay now, stop spacing out while staring at Michiru, Akagi. Hurry up and sit."

Saying such words to Koremitsu violently.

Koremitsu was about to retort back, saying that he was not looking, only to find that Honoka was already seated behind him, causing him to miss out on this opportunity.

And Koremitsu too pulled out the chair, sitting down uneasily,

"Ah, Koremitsu! You cannot sit there!"

It seemed Hikaru exclaimed something.

Michiru took the seat beside Koremitsu, and sat down.

Seated opposite Koremitsu was Honoka, her expression a little stiff.

"Ahh~"

For some reason, Hikaru had his head in his hands.

(What's bad about this seat? It's not like there's some doodle or glue on it.)

Hikaru was amazed by Michiru's transformation back then, praising her to be really pretty cute; at this point however, he looked feeble and timid, ostensibly at a loss of words. This caused Koremitsu too to be restless and unable to calm down.

"Mr. Akagi, may I know how far are you done with the maths paper?"

Michiru spoke to him shyly.

"Ah, erm."

Koremitsu flipped through the question pages with his fingers clumsily, and answered,

"Wow, Mr. Akagi. You did do your homework seriously."

Michiru responded.

"Can you teach me this question, Mr. Akagi?"

And whispered this and that to him.

As both of them were seated together, their shoulders were naturally touching each other, while Koremitsu backed away slightly, wondering if they were too close to each other. Michiru too looked as if she realized the distance between them, fidgeting about as she shrank back. She however did not seem to hate it, merely a little shy.

In response to Koremitsu's constrained explanation,

"Thanks. Your explanation was easy to understand Akagi. Ah, please teach me this too."

Michiru answered, and she approached Koremitsu, controlling her distance.

On the other side, Honoka was completely quiet, as if she forgot to breathe as she closed her lips tight, her shoulders and face frozen as she flipped through the dictionary, translating English.

She would sometimes show a feeble look as she stared at the hair swaying on Michiru's shoulder and pink cheeks. Whenever that happened, a weaker expression would show.

She tried her best not to look at Koremitsu in the eyes. She clumsily averted her eyes away from his face. Whenever Koremitsu said something however, her shoulders would jump slightly.

Honoka did not say anything ever since she sat down, and this caused Koremitsu some concern.

(I'm not sure since I've never been invited to a study meet, but is it this kind of thing? Isn't it supposed to be more friendly?)

The atmosphere at this point could not be called amicable. It was solemn.

Hikaru too looked perplexed as he watched over the trio.

It seemed that Hikaru did say Michiru was intending to patch Koremitsu's relationship with Honoka, no? That did not seem to be the case at all.

(Well, it's okay whether she does so or not.)

After about an hour, Michiru got up from her seat.

"I'll go to the washroom for a little while."

Once Michiru walked off, the atmosphere between Koremitsu and Honoka got worse immediately.

(...Is it better for me to talk to her...but it looks like she's concentrating on working on her homework...how am I supposed to talk to her...?)

"Ah...Hanasato changed."

Koremitsu could not find anything else to say, and said so gloomily.

After he said that, Honoka's shoulders jolted again.

"...yeah."

She answered, lowering her head.

And then, both of them went silent again. Koremitsu frowned, wondering, ‘Is this a bad topic to start with?’ At this moment, Honoka spoke up,

"About Michiru...when I told her she could be prettier, she refused, saying that it would not suit her, that it would be better for her to be like this..."

It seemed Honoka had some complicated thoughts about Michiru becoming beautiful. She sounded somewhat vague as she said this.

She then closed her lips shut, and when Koremitsu wondered if she was going to remain silent, she stood up and clumsily raised her bag, saying,

"I’ve got to update my blog now. I’m going back."

"Hey, wait."

Koremitsu got up anxiously, but Honoka whispered,

"...I think it's better for us to see each other less often."

Huh? What's she talking about?

Honoka suddenly said some ridiculous words, leaving a dumbfounded Koremitsu behind as she slung her bag on her shoulder, lowered her head, and hurriedly left.

What is going on here!?

"I don't know. I don't understand what's going on at all. Hey, Hikaru, can you translate what she just said there?"

He lifted his head, looking at the specialist of the girl's heart.

And so,

"Hm, it is not impossible, but well...the situation has become quite complicated. The friendship between girls can be unexpectedly tough to deal with. To put it, such a development is beyond my expectations... Which should be prioritized? Friendship or love? Even now, I am troubled by this."

Hikaru muttered, clearly of no use here.

At this moment, Michiru returned.

"Eh? Hono went back already? Th-then...I'll be alone with you, Mr. Akagi...anyway, how about we have lunch together?"

"Sorry, I'm going back too."

Koremitsu said as he stood up.

"I can't understand anything about women."

Koremitsu muttered with a bitter look as he strode off to the exit.

She was so happy at the pool, and then she placed her face at his chest.

—You better protect me, okay?

She said those words to him with a sweet voice.

What did she mean by keeping a distance between them?

While Hikaru looked perturbed as he watched on, Koremitsu frowned and slouched his back as he exited the library. The cellphone in his pocket vibrated.

When he finally pulled it out, the vibration stopped.

He checked the caller, and again, it was Aoi.

Koremitsu's eyes became sharp this time.

"Something happened to Aoi after all?"

This time, Hikaru did not show any jealously, merely looked worried.

"How about giving Miss Aoi a phone call, Koremitsu?"

Koremitsu immediately dialed back, but his line got cut off, only leaving a voice message beep.

He was sure she was on a day off from her part-time work at the cafe.

"Let's just go to her house, alright?"

Seeing that Hikaru nodded in approval, Koremitsu walked off.

There was a sharp looking, red-haired, delinquent-like Koremitsu wandering around the posh looking residence on the private land barricaded by tall walls; clearly, he did not fit in well with the surrounding elegance. The next question would be whether he would be deemed a suspicious person and get taken away by the police for questioning.

He actually wanted to give a serious look.

He gave Aoi a few calls on his way to this place, but as expected, it was hung up.

(Did something happen at her workplace? Did Hikaru's older brother do something again?)

Unlike Hikaru, Koremitsu did not have romantic feelings for Aoi. It was only because of Hikaru that Koremitsu was able to be on such terms with Aoi.

And thus at this point, his feelings of wanting to protect Aoi was not simply because it was at Hikaru's behest, but that he really wanted to protect her. He never denied this.

For Aoi was so pure, so pretty, yet so fragile...

For Aoi was the first girl Koremitsu felt was cute...

Suddenly, Koremitsu heard a grim voice,

"That is enough already, Aoi."

Koremitsu inadvertently stopped in his tracks.

Standing in front of Aoi's house was a tall, intelligent, mature looking girl, chiding Aoi loudly with an unnatural look.

"I know you are in the house. Why are you not picking up the phone? If I am willing, I can go to your house and ask someone to open the door."

(Saiga!)

"Asa!"

Hikaru muttered as he floated about.

Chiding harsh words into the phone was Hikaru's cousin, the student council president Asai Saiga.

"What are you playing at? If you are not going to come out, how am I to know? I called you not to hear the purring of that house cat that is always thinking about sausages. You also hid the fact that you decided to go do a part-time job from me, no—Aoi!"

It seemed the voice message had ended.

Asai frowned her thin long eyebrows, looking distressed as she stared at the phone. She dialed again, placed the phone at her ear, and closed her lips as she emitted fury. It seemed Aoi did not pick up the phone again as Asai's expression grew grimmer by the moment.

"What are you thinking...Aoi."

"You got into an argument with Aoi, Asa?"

Koremitsu asked as he approached Asai.

Asai's shoulders shivered, and she spotted Koremitsu. Her eyes looked like blades as she narrowed them.

"How many times do I have to repeat that I do not wish to be called Asa by you. Is your brain like a bird that forget everything after three steps?"

She spoke coldly.

"Why're you being so loud for? It's because your eyes became so sharp that Aoi's scared and hiding from you."

Asai's eyes shot an icy glint,

"Neither Aoi nor I have anything to do with a bird-brained wild hound. Why are you wandering around Aoi's house? If you continue to stalk Aoi, I will have to lock you into a mental asylum in the hills."

Asai raised her chin slightly as she stared at Koremitsu, but she did not seem to be in good condition. Is Asa pushing herself again? While Hikaru stared at Asai worriedly, the latter's upper body passed by him as she tumbled forward.

"That's dangerous—you didn't sleep again?"

Koremitsu frantically grabbed Asai, and she, now in Koremitsu's arms, froze, seemingly humiliated, and pushed him off hard.

"I slept—well enough. It is just that when I saw your obscene self, my body just felt uncomfortable."

Asai spoke with a cold, haughty tone.

"Aren't you swaying? Don't collapse now."

Hikaru too was beside Asai chiming, "That is right, Asa. It is better to rest now," in an enthusiasitc voice.

"Are those not unnecessary remarks from you?"

Asai averted her eyes, letting her long black hair sway in the air like a whip.

At this moment, her cellphone vibrated.

Once she checked who the caller was, her pretty face contorted inadvertently, and at that instance, a lethargic expression was betrayed. She then seemingly reproached herself as she reverted back to being steely as she picked up the phone,

"Yes...my intentions have not changed. Even if you do leave, I do intend to fight on until the very end, and it is not that there is no hope. As long as I can get the word of the Asagao Princess, the balance of victory will tilt to our side. No, I intend to topple it."

When Asai whispered the name 'Asagao Princess', Hikaru's eyes faltered for some reason, and he looked downcast.

(What is she talking about?) Koremitsu too wondered as he eavesdropped.

A black foreign vehicle suddenly appeared out of nowhere, stopping in front of Asai, and the chauffeur opened the door for her. She rode on that vehicle, and vanished from Koremitsu's sights.

Left behind was the stench of the exhaust gases that were released.

"And she wouldn't say goodbye! She's the same annoying woman as before! Argh, even if you kneel and beg me, I wouldn't want to get involved with you!"

Koremitsu's temples were bulging as he concluded,

"Koremitsu."

Hikaru suddenly spoke seriously.

"Wh-what now?"

After seeing Hikaru's serious look, Koremitsu could not help but back away.

Hikaru was staring at Koremitsu, looking really worried, and then he suddenly floated in front of the latter, and knelt down on his knees. He then lifted his head at the latter with a grim, meaningful look.

"There is something I wish to ask of you."

"H-hey, don't just kneel in the middle of the road. Speaking of which, your request is going to be about a woman—"

I get that already, so just stand up. Just when Koremitsu was about to say this, Hikaru groveled, lowering his head.

"Please fulfill my initial promise with Asa in my place no matter what."

### 002. Chapter 2: Princess Asagao's Place of Residence

On the day after she met the wretched wild dog (Koremitsu actually) in front of Aoi's house, Asai left her house right before noon.

She had a lot of issues to consider, so she did not let her chauffeur drive her out, choosing instead to straighten her back and walk at a regular pace towards a tranquil residence area.

She would stroll alone on the streets whenever her thoughts were in a deadlock. Thus, she would be able to sort out the main points of the issue and find a way to resolve them.

However, the intense rays of summer reflected off the asphalt, giving off a searing heat that caused her to lose her usual poise.

There had been one issue occurring after another in recent days regarding the one topic Asai had been most concerned with, the power struggle regarding the heir of the Mikados.

There is the Rose faction supporting the first wife of the Mikado's head, Kazuaki's mother Hiroka, and the Wisteria side supporting the second wife Fujino—till this point, both sides had been on equal standing. Asai joined the Wisteria faction, continuing her fervent support in secret.

Currently, the only child inheriting the bloodline of the Mikado head was the eldest son Kazuaki. If Kazuaki were to become the head, Hiroka and her main family, the Udates, would expand their power vastly. Hiroka herself was infamous of her cruel and stubborn personality, so many were utterly terrified of it. Leaving aside the assumption that Kazuaki was meek in personality, it would be a massive problem if that mother of his had such great authority.

It was because of this that Asai chose to join the Wisteria faction.

Kazuaki was the only child of the head.

Is that so?

There is still one final gambit with the Wisteria—

She muttered this to herself.

The Tōjōs, who had supported the Mikados in management, had just joined the Wisterias, and the results were startling.

However at this point, there was a major commotion amongst the Roses.

The opportunity came when Kazuaki did something in front of everyone that left his mother speechless.

Before that, everyone had assumed Kazuaki was a kind, dreamy, typical cultured rich boy.

No, that was what they were made to assume.

It was when all the important figures related to the Mikados were gathered at a summit. Because of a little verbal gaffe made by one of the subsidiary company chairmen, his mother let out a loud outroar in front of everyone, and Kazuaki in turn tried to coax her and ease the atmosphere.

Because of that incident, everyone related to the Mikados knew that Kazuaki was not a puppet who would respond to his mother's beck and call.

With that, there was no issue about letting Kazuaki take over the Mikado family.

To Asai, her biggest miscalculation was that the head of the Tōjōs, Masayuki, had thrown in his support for Kazuaki. Because of this, the heir to that family, Shungo Tōjō was so displeased by this arrangement, he wanted to slam his fist on the table.

"There is no way Kazuaki can be a leader of men. His true personality is still the spider of the Udates—Rokujō. Father however feels that no matter how this person is on the inside, it does not matter as long as he can maintain a facade perfectly in front of others. The momentum is shifting towards Kazuaki, and the Tōjōs will be serving the next head of the Mikados, Kazuaki."

Kazuaki's cruelty.

The madness within.

Asai knew all about them.

If Kazuaki, who was so obsessed to Aoi, was to become the head of the Mikados, there would be no way for Aoi to run.

And perhaps, Kazuaki might have known about Hikaru's secret.

"...Hmm."

She felt a cold hand grasp her heart firmly, and inadvertently groaned.

It was the secret Hikaru hid with all his might, and even at the cost of his life. If Kazuaki were to learn of that secret, he would certainly revel in delight, expose, demean and hurt him.

And Hikaru, together with all that he left behind, would sink into the dark abyss with the sin.

(This is what I have to avoid no matter what. I cannot allow the power to fall in Kazuaki's hands. Even if we have to stab each other, I shall be the shield and sword protecting you.)

The Saiga parents were not very approving of Asai being embroiled in the Mikados' powers struggle.

Normally, if Asai was already isolated, the situation being a lost cause, Aoi would immediately force Asai to avoid this situation.

When she visited the Saotomes' residence, she received a reply stating that Aoi was out, and when she asked if she could wait inside, the servants stopped her, looking really troubled.

Aoi's parents too looked troubled as they apologized,

"I am sorry, Asa. Do you mind heading home for today?"

"Aoi is probably in that difficult age too. We really apologize about this, Asa."

She knew with certainty they were lying about her not being at home. Even though she called Aoi, there was only the cry from the cat Aoi raised.

Thus, she decided to meet Aoi directly at the cafe where the latter worked as a maid, but other waitresses took her orders instead, and Aoi was trying her best not to look at Asai in the eyes. She bit her tender lips, her face pale as she passed by Asai stiffly.

"I am working."

Even when Asai approached Aoi, the latter turned her face aside and left

Once she got off work, she would say "I have something urgent going on", and take the car, leaving.

It felt like the moment when Hikaru died. Back then, Aoi was forcing herself, barricading a wall around her.

But even then, she never thought of avoiding Asai.

Asai had no idea what Aoi was thinking at this point.

They knew each other since young, but this was the first time such a matter happened. Asai was inadvertently uptight as a result.

Surely it had to do with Koremitsu Akagi's influence.

That wild dog probably intoxicated Aoi with something.

If that was not the case, it would not be reasonable to explain why Aoi would be so fervently opposed to Asai.

The intense summer sun shining from above was like that outrageous man.

Feeling peeved and hot, her usually rational mind was agitated by fury.

(Such a wretched man actually calls himself Hikaru's friend. Even if Aoi approves of him, I will not)

Of course, that wild dog surely would not know about the thing Hikaru risked his life to protect, why Hikaru put down all his flowers, and had to end his life like that.

When he was young, Hikaru inflicted wounds all over his white, pretty skin, and he looked up at Asai quietly.

—Asa...I cannot cry.

With that helpless appearance of a dreamy girl, his tragic eyes were clear, unable to let out any drop at all. The grave despair she thoroughly felt that day was accompanied by fury, and an intense pain swelled in her chest.

"...I cannot back away right now, for the sake of what Hikaru requested me to do."

She let out such a mutter from her mouth.

There is no other way— Shungo Tōjō let out this feeble voice from the other side of the phone.

She had no intention of relying on a man for help in the first place, but that was too feeble.

Even though he did say there was a final mean in the end.

There was the Gonomiya clan, who had a major influence upon the Mikados' power struggle. For the past few days, Asai visited the leader.

If she could get the word of proof from the 'Asagao Princess' as a guardian symbol—

The momentum would be changed.

The sun rays raining on her were getting more intense.

The summer sun was really discomforting.

And the appearance of Koremitsu Akagi in her mind caused her entire body to be filled with disgust.

What that wild dog said certainly had to be to be a lie. Even though Hikaru may have showed the dog his weakness, he would never mention to others the true thoughts within him, and no matter how much pain and despair he had, he would never ask others for help.

It was completely impossible that Hikaru, being such a person, would ask a stray, unrefined dog. Was Hikaru that kind of person to entrust his feelings to others?

But, what if,

What if that dog really was Hikaru's friend?

(I may have no choice but to kill that dog myself.)

Her face contorted in frustration, she was about to put her hand that wiped her sweat off—

But right in front of her eyes was the one thing that vexed her in this world.

Asai was headed to the Gonomiya Residence.

And standing in front of the shut, aged wooden doors.

The bright red hair was reflecting the sun's rays, and his lips were contorted into a frown as he stared at Asai with fiery eyes. That man—no, that dog barked at Asai.

"I'm here as Hikaru's representative to fulfill the promise he had with you."

—If it is Asa, she’s probably headed to the Gonomiya house.

Hikaru spoke to Koremitsu with a stern look.

On the previous day, this carefree frivolous prince knelt in the middle of the road, his smooth white forehead touching the floor.

"Please, Koremitsu. Please fulfill the promise between Asa and me."

In reality, being a ghost himself, Hikarus knees and head would float slightly once he approached the floor. It would be too surreal to call it a Seiza.

"I got it, I got it. Lift your head up now."

Koremitsu wiped his sweat as he repeated those words.

Koremitsu was already very displeased about having to get involved with Asai, the latter whom treated him with disdain like a wretched wild dog. However, the reality remained that the frivolous Hikaru would actually request him so earnestly.

And so, Koremitsu followed what Hikaru said, and waited for Asai at this place.

(Damn it, one troublesome thing is happening after another.)

Asai glanced at Koremitsu, ostensibly stumbling upon something filthy. Why is Koremitsu Akagi at such a place? Her eyes were anxious, practically saying, is he here to harass me? No, the expression clearly showed her intent of wanting to eliminate the existence called Koremitsu.

(I don't want to see your face so early in the morning either.) Koremitsu thought of saying those words, but he noticed Hikaru beside him give such a serious look,

(Ugh.)

He grimaced in his heart, swallowing his spiteful emotions as he handed Asai a piece of paper.

"Anyway, here's the schedule for the day."

Asai's cold narrow eyes scanned the contents of this paper.

He wrote these words on the long calligraphy paper in his grandfather's calligraphy classroom, and the words of thin handwriting were,

- Search for a Tsuchinoko in the mountains.

- Catch a Kappa.

- Exchange messages with a UFO on the hill.

- Hug a snowman sleeping in the summer.

And there were many more for this 'summer vacation plan'.

Asai's cheeks were gradually dyed red.

It was not because of embarrassment, but fury. Her eyebrows were raised, her lips were quivering, and her stare was icy as she pronounced each word clearly,

"These are the promises I made with Hikaru, I suppose?"

Asa believed in Santa Claus until she was in 3 rd grade. Hikaru had mentioned. She wrote in her summer vacation schedule that they would look for a Tsuchinoko and fish a kappa. They would then breed the Tsuchinoko once they catch them, and make a Tsuchinoko park for them.

This certainly was a black history for the flawless, aloof student council president Asai.

In the past, Asai passed out at the park, and when taking care of her, Koremitsu kept pestering her, asking her about this. As a result, Asai gave him a slap, and reported him to the police, calling him a pervert.

She emitted a cold aura as she read the schedule.

The sounds of flipping and ripping could be heard. She tore it up with both hands, and bit by bit, tore it down into small places.

"Ah, Koremitsu put all his effort into writing it though."

Hikaru lamented. For some reason, Asai's actions were predictable.

"Too bad for you. I got copies."

And Koremitsu handed out another piece of paper.

Asai again grabbed that piece of paper, shredding it to pieces.

"I still have another here."

Koremitsu said as he handed one copy after another over and over again.

Asai maintained her Siberian tundra-like eyes as she grabbed them and tore them up. At their feet were shreds of paper akin to snow.

After keeping this up for some time, Asai was starting to pant somewhat.

"Have you had enough?"

"What about you? Just give up already."

"I have no idea why I have to look for a Tsuchinoko with you."

"Asa, Koremitsu is my friend here. He is here to help me fulfill the promise I made with you back then."

Hikaru was beside Koremitsu, pleading with an ever earnest look. Koremitsu too added seriously.

"I'm here looking for you because I'm Hikaru's friend. Hikaru had a promise with you that he wants to fulfill so much he knelt down in front of me with his head down. Hikaru's really troubled that he could not go look for the Tsuchinoko with you!"

Koremitsu exclaimed, and cold blades were flashing in Asai's expression, her eyes filled with cold hatred.

It had always been like this.

Whenever Koremitsu insisted that he was Hikaru's friend, Asai would give Koremitsu a look that practically expressed her intent to kill him.

Standing tall on the scattered pieces of paper, she retorted coldly with a voice as icy as a blizzard.

"There is no way you can be Hikaru's friend!"

Koremitsu, incensed by Asai's loud outcry, gave an absolute-zero-stare back, yelling,

"No matter what you think, I'm Hikaru's friend!"

Both sides looked completely agitated, sparks ostensibly about to fly, and at that moment,

"Well."

An annoyed voice of one being out of patience could be heard.

A woman dressed in an apron poked her head out from behind the door of the elongated wooden shed

"Please do not leave your waste in front of our house’s door. It is a hassle having to clean it up."

"!"

Both Koremitsu and Asai were rendered speechless at the same time.

"Please pardon me."

Asai's cheeks were beetroot from the humiliation.

"Sorry. I'll clean it up."

Koremitsu instinctively replied.

Asai too helped gather the scattered shreds of paper. While she did so,

"It is your fault", she said with much hatred.

"What? Isn't it your fault for tearing the paper up?"

Koremitsu retorted back,

"Ah, please do not quarrel now."

And Hikaru clapped his hands together, begging them.

With the screech of the wooden door, the front door of the residence was opened.

While squatting down, Asai suddenly lifted his head.

And Koremitsu too did likewise.

Standing in front of the door was a small old lady dressed in a refreshing onion green kimono and a silver sash, looking very posh. That woman had her back straightened beautifully, and remained serene as she gave Koremitsu a reminiscing look, saying,

"Are you the one who calls himself Mr. Hikaru's friend?"

The blue and purple Morning Glories were blooming wildly in the large garden.

The pillars and floors were covered with young green vines, and there were round Morning Glory flowers on them. At the far end of the garden was a space cordoned by stone, and besides the little shrubs growing there, they were all Morning Glories. Even on the porch, there were Morning Glories. Some of them had sharp petals, swaying with the breeze like a goldfish tail. There were also weird shapes too.

(Are these all Morning Glories? Amazing...)

Koremitsu walked down the corridor leading to the room, and once he saw the garden scenery from there, he was left breathless.

He was the complete opposite of Hikaru in that he neither loved nor had any interest in flowers, but even his eyes were inadvertently mesmerized when he saw the bright, proud Morning Glories lined in rows.

The lady who warned Koremitsu and Asai earlier served them tea. Though the tea was accompanied with pickled turnip and cucumber, Koremitsu, who disliked sweet things, was really grateful for it.

Asai sat beside Koremitsu, looking extremely displeased as she sat on her knees, her back straightened. Facing her was the old lady who invited them in, now seated opposite them.

Her body was small, but for some inexplicable reason, she was a lady with much presence. Her upright posture and her sharp mouth were the reasons a firm presence could be felt from her.

Her name was Orime Gonomiya. She was the master of this Asagao Residence, and was living with her grandson and his wife.

"Mr. Hikaru would appear here suddenly ever since a young age, climbing onto the porch with his hands supporting his chin. He really looked blissful there, like he met a lover or something similar."

She narrowed her eyes lovingly while reminiscing.

As Orime had said, Hikaru was seated at the porch, his hands supporting his cheeks, his lips slightly closed as he stared at every single Morning Glory with a gentle expression. The gentle light brown hair gave off a glittering gold look due to refraction, and his originally white skin was paler, his lips slightly red, his limbs slender, his androgynous appearance tender, akin to an angel.

"Mr. Hikaru was a kind obedient boy with such a clear look in his eyes... I really hoped to meet him again this year, but alas, he died at such a young age."

Orime's expression gloomed.

Asai too clenched her hands that were placed on her knees, her eyes bleak as she looked down. Upon seeing this, Koremitsu felt his inner heart sink, and felt extremely solitary.

(Hikaru, you're here right now...looking at the flowers over there with that ever delighted face of yours. Nobody else can see you right now...)

As he thought about it, his nasals started to agitate.

(Damn it, the tears are about to fall from my eyes.)

How exactly was he supposed to contain these tears?

He widened his eyes with all his might to prevent Asai from noticing it.

Orime continued sadly.

"Mr. Hikaru's father will definitely come here once he loses his authority. To reminisce over Mr. Hikaru, and also to reminisce his most beloved."

(Most beloved, as in Hikaru's mother...is it?)

Not his real wife, but his mistress.

There was the photo of the young lady holding a baby Hikaru when Koremitsu visited his room. She was a beauty practically of the same mold as Hikaru himself.

Hikaru never mentioned anything about his family. However, after his mother died, his father took a young Hikaru under his care; as Orime had said, one reason may be because of how Hikaru's father had so much affectionate love for the woman who gave birth to Hikaru.

Even if that person was his mistress.

Suddenly, Asai, who had been looking somber all this while, silently lifted her head.

"We lost the Paulownia flower, but uncle still has the Wisteria flower."

She fixated her stare seriously at Orime, her tone filled with decisive will.

"To allow the Wisteria uncle loves to continue to bloom, I wish to have a word from you, Lady Orime."

(She called her Lady Orime?)

Koremitsu was truly shock to notice that Asai, who would treat her upperclassman Tōjō on equal standings, being so humble here.

(Hey, this old granny is that amazing?)

He wanted to ask Hikaru, but the latter was looking at Asai so worriedly, and is rather perturbed.

Orime quietly answered,

"I do apologize, Miss Asai, but I have reiterated many times that I am already advanced in age, ailing in health, and I cannot be of as much use as you think."

But Asai would not give up.

Her stern expression caused the mood to become abnormally tense as she appealed,

"No. Surely there is no one around who does not know of the 'Asagao Princess'."

(Asagao Princess? I heard her mention it on the phone. What kind of person is she exactly? Besides, what does she mean by getting the word? What exactly is Saiga planning here?)

When he tried to eavesdrop, his body naturally leaned forward.

At this moment, the breeze blowing from the porch blew at Koremitsu’s copy of the schedule.

Asai did not spare any piece that was given to her, and this was the last copy left.

This last copy slipped from Koremitsu's hands, and fluttered to Orime's knee.

"Ack!" Koremitsu opened his mouth in a startled manner, Asai turned her face over to him, and Hikaru widened his eyes.

Orime picked it up with her slender, wrinkled hand, and had a look at it.

She widened her eyes inexplicably, looking somewhat bemused. After reading it, she lifted her wrinkled face.

"Is this your work, Mr. Akagi?"

"Ah, yeah."

"I do apologize for letting you see such an absurd thing, Lady Orime. Those are things of folly he wrote."

(Hey, why're you apologizing now, Saiga? Calling them absurd too.)

Just when Koremitsu was unable to vent his anger, Orime marveled quietly,

"Those are nice words..."

"Eh?"

Asai was startled.

Koremitsu was stupefied to realize that he was praised, his eyes widened.

Hikaru too looked as if he was the one being praised as he beamed.

Orime then analyzed each word, one at a time, as she read the words on the schedule.

"The lines are straight and firm, and they really are pretty words all around. It is a rarity among the current generation of youths to be able to write such beautiful words."

Not knowing how to respond to the praises, Koremitsu's cheeks gradually reddened.

"Ah, well, my grandfather has a calligraphy class, and I practiced there since young."

He muttered.

Orime nodded. "I see. It is no wonder then that those words are nice." She repeated it over again, and Koremitsu's cheek got redder.

Beside him, Asai curled her lips unhappily.

"Madam Orime is interested in calligraphy. She herself has quite the nice handwriting, has contributed to the development of it in many ways, and even acts as a judge. You really are amazing to be recognized by such a person, Koremitsu."

Even Hikaru had his chest puffed proudly as he said.

(Shut up, you idiot. Damn it, this is embarrassing.)

"Mr. Akagi, if it is convenient, do you mind writing something now?"

After hearing these words, Koremitsu looked anxious and Asai narrowed her eyes.

"Please excuse me."

Though they were in the house, a young female dressed in a bright miniskirt, ostensibly about to head outside rudely opened the door as she walked in.

"It is time for your medicine, grandmother."

Though she did somewhat crude, she did watch Orime finish all the medicinal soup in the bowl.

"Now then, it's about time for your rest. You'll collapse if you force yourself too much."

Though she did show a proper choice of words, she gave Koremitsu and Asai a look of annoyance, indicating for them to leave.

Orime too looked conflicted, her expression somewhat unnatural.

"Well, it is that late already."

"Sorry to bother you for such a long time. I shall return to visit when Lady Orime gets better."

Asai lowered her head politely.

The woman who served them tea stared at Asai with spite, and Orime smiled quietly.

"Why yes. Come by to visit when you have time. You have to come here too, Mr. Akagi."

She turned her face over to Koremitsu.

And Asai raised her eyebrows in disdain.

Koremitsu panicked in the face of Orime's unexpected goodwill, and answered,

"Ah, yeah."

He assumed Hikaru would be a chatterbox over Koremitsu receiving such praises, but Hikaru in turn had his stare fixated on the woman who served Orime tea, looking somewhat concerned as he frowned.

Having just exited the Gonomiya residence, Asai showed all his anxiety. Her shoulders quivered and her fists clenched as she bit her lower lip.

"Hey, you done with your business? If you have nothing, go look for the Tsuchinoko with me."

Koremitsu was trying to communicate with Asai normally on his part.

But,

"Ahh, Koremitsu, saying such a thing now is..."

Just when Hikaru panicked and was about to intervene, Asai stamped hard at his foot with her all might.

"Ouch!"

His right foot was ostensibly aimed at, and after his foot got stomped hard by it, the pain continued to reverberate in his mind.

"I do not have even 0.01 second to play with a wild dog."

She retorted with words akin to icy blades, and strode off while leaving Koremitsu behind as the he hugged his foot.

"Damn it—! You're not being cute at all! My foot hurts!!"

While Koremitsu yelled with teary eyes, Hikaru floated about gently, his hand on his forehead,

"Even if it had not been Asa, I suppose most girls would have been angry at such a scenario."

The sun was still dissipating heat on his way back.

In response to Asai leaving him alone, Hikaru could only explain the situation with a solemn look,

"Currently, there is an intense struggle amongst the Mikados between the first and second wife of my father. Most of the reason, I feel, is because father's illness has yet to improve for the better..."

"Your dad's sick? In what way?"

"His heart is a little sick...he did do a surgery two years ago, but there is a chance of it being a relapse."

Hikaru's voice sank.

"That is really worrying..."

"Yes."

Though Hikaru nodded calmly, he would not mention much about his own family, and thus, Koremitsu could not tell how exactly Hikaru felt about his father's illness.

After some silence, Hikaru continued to explain,

"The ones supporting the first wife are the Rose faction, and the ones supporting the second wife are the Wisteria faction. Asa is in the latter group."

And thus, she needed to recruit supporters for the second wife. The Mikados had much prestige and authority, and the Gonomiyas had much power over the Mikados, so she wanted to recruit them.

"What, that sort of thing isn't something a high school student should be doing."

Koremitsu was dumbfounded.

Was there no way to enjoy herself? Like the seaside, fireworks or a concert? Well, he himself had no right to say that about others...

(Like me, she doesn't have friends either...it looks like she got into a quarrel with Aoi...)

Hikaru's eyes betrayed some sorrow.

"Being the head of the Gonomiya household, Madam Orime is known to be an influential person, and that is not all. Her word has a deeper meaning."

"Eh? Word?"

"The current head of the Mikados, previous, and before that all had a word sent from Madam Orime, and they framed it up to preserve those words. Thus, the words Lady Orime gives is like obtaining a seal of being the head of the Mikados. Of course, this originates from Lady Orime's wisdom and etiquette. The words given by the 'Asagao Princess' still plays a major role in the Mikados' power landscape."

"Saiga did mention what you said about that Asagao Princess too, saying that there is no one who does not know of the 'Asagao Princess'."

"The Gonomiya residence is filled with Morning Glory flowers, no? In respect of Orihime of Tanabata, they call her as the 'Asagao Princess'. The Morning Glory, or Asagao, was a species of flowers imported from China at the end of the Nara era, and the Chinese called them qianniuhua, the Ipomoea nil type of Morning Glory. Asagao was later called the Morning Glory too, and in the flow of time, Orihime was dubbed the Asagao Princess out of respect."

However, it was unknown when people started calling Orime the 'Asagao Princess' out of respect.

"The original species of Morning Glories are blue. It is the first to open its eyes at dawn, opening its petals with royalty while every other person is still sound asleep. It straightens its back, working hard seriously, and proudly shows off its proud blue flower like a pure, riveting girl—it does match Madam Orime in this way, and also Asa."

The gloomy expression Hikaru betrayed before gradually brightened.

He spoke lovingly with a gentle voice, muttering,

"Asa too is like the Morning Glory. Like Madam Orime, she is another 'Asagao Princess'."

Normally, Koremitsu would feel frustrated and not pay much attention whenever Hikaru praised those flowers and women effervescently, but this time, he inexplicably found himself agreeing with Hikaru's view.

Asai did seem similar to the Morning Glory.

(That girl's definitely not willing to let others see her wake up.)

She would wake up earlier than anyone else, comb her head, sort everything out, and begin work with a refreshed look.

"I woke up too late now. It has nothing to do with you."

He did hear such harsh words before—

Though that was the case, Koremitsu did do an observation diary of the Morning Glories for summer vacation during his elementary school days. He missed out on the important part about the Morning Glories blooming as he overslept, and when he woke up, the Morning Glories had already opened their blue flowers, and Koremitsu stomped on the ground in anger.

"Well, to put it, I don't really know Saiga much as a proper High School student, but anyway, I'll focus on fulfilling your promise."

"Yes."

Can Hikaru's wish ever be fulfilled? Upon thinking about that, Koremtisu lifted his head.

"I'm going to give her a hassle all the way. I'm going to drag her along to look for Tsuchinokos."

After he answered, Koremitsu showed a smile that was totally not a smile, one more terrifying than a ghost, a highly dreaded look amongst his schoolmates.

### 003. Chapter 3: Just Who Is Your Lover, Huh!

(Someone, just drag this wild dog to the veterinarian.)

Koremitsu mentioned about going to catch Tsuchinokos in front of the Gonomiya residence, and after a few days of laughable attempts to invite her, Asai's irritation reached its limit.

(All those things about a Tsuchinoko theme park, fishing for kappa, exchanging messages with UFOs are all things of the past, and I don't believe in any of them now. You should know about that without me saying that. Or are you so much of an imbecile lacking in common sense?)

At this point, Asai should be pulling back the people of the Wisteria faction who have casted their supported for Kazuaki, and continued to visit Orime, trying her best to convince the latter.

And right beside the extremely tense Asai was that wild dog, who would slouch his back and sit cross-legged, just relaxing and spending his time there. Whenever they talked about Orime, he would call her 'granny'. A little while later, he would say 'this pickled turnip is really nice', putting the pickles that came with the tea as he chewed on them hard, making a noise. Furthermore, he unabashedly asked for another bowl, irritating Asai's nerves to no end.

And more infuriating for her was that while Koremitsu remained like this, Orime simply smiled at him.

"Mr. Hikaru really liked the pickles back then. When I asked him 'Is it not boring to leave your sweets at home to come here?', he would say 'I can eat sweets when I am outside, but you do have such beautiful flowers here'. If I were not so old then, I would have fallen for him."

She recalled with a reminiscing look.

"That Hikaru already could say such things when he was a brat."

"Yes. It should be said that all the girls would be captivated by Mr. Hikaru. Even at parties, the atmosphere would gradually buzz whenever he appeared."

"That guy only has his looks and mouth as his selling points."

"Oh dear, that is harsh coming from Mr. Hikaru's friend."

Even when Koremitsu was gruff and coarse in his speech, it was a refreshing sight to Orime.

And the most unbearable thing for Asai was that Orime called him 'Mr. Hikaru's friend'.

"There is nothing more delightful than Mr. Hikaru's friend coming here to play, to recall bits and pieces about him, and talk about him together."

After hearing such an earnest mutter, Asai nearly ceased to breathe in her anger.

(Lady Orime has actually recognized that wild dog as Hikaru's friend?)

It was truly unbelievable to her.

How could such a wretched, unkempt, simple-minded, shameless man be Hikaru's friend?

It was not Aoi alone who felt this way; even Orime too!

(This is unforgivable!)

The cold killing intent and hatred lingered in her heart from the first moment they met. What of Hikaru's representative? What about looking for the Tsuchinoko with her in Hikaru's place? She really wanted to kill him.

It was true that she did make such a promise with Hikaru a long time ago.

It was during the winter of her 3 rd grade that she learned that Santa Claus was really her parents. It was a humiliation she gnashed her teeth over, but Asai, unwilling to lose, had a strong desire to personally witness whether the unknown creatures truly existed on this world, and fueled by it, came up with a summer adventure plan with Hikaru, then a 4 th grader.

(We really were children back then. Whether it was me, or Hikaru...)

Right, those was merely some immature words. The most important promise she made with Hikaru definitely was not something so dreamy, so idealistic.

(My promise with Hikaru is more sacred, stronger than that. This is not something a wild dog acting as a representative can do, and I do not wish for that dog to fulfill it.)

Whenever Koremitsu appeared in front of her unabashedly as Hikaru's friend, Asai would think that it was a sacrilege to Hikaru. Even so, she could not reproach Koremitsu so openly in front of Orime. She recalled the era names and the periodic element in her mind over and over again as she straightened her waist, her eyes icy as she forced herself to endure. Once she stepped outside, she growled,

"Do not come here, and do not get in my way. Do not enter my sights. You should simply die, wild dog."

The abusive words akin to an ice pillar came out of her frozen lips in such a manner.

Any other man who was given an icy look from Asai and insulted as a lowlife would have vanished without a trace. At this moment, Koremitsu took a step forward, following up on Asai's words,

"Yeah, I'll vanish. That'll be once your promise with Hikaru is done! So then, let's hurry and start looking for the Tsuchinoko."

"The Tsuchinoko is simply a creature that is imaginary. It does not exist anywhere on this world."

"This isn't something someone wishing to breed Tsuchinokos and create a Tsuchinoko theme park should say, Asa."

"If you call me Asa again, I shall call the police."

"I'll come by again tomorrow, Asa!"

"Hello there, is that the police? I have spotted a suspicious being, and I wish for you to arrest him . Yes. He is approximately 16 years ago, a man with savage looking eyes, resembling a wild dog with red fur."

But no matter how she obstructed him and reported him, he would simply appear nonchalantly in front of Asai the next day, asking Asai out to look for the Tsuchinoko, to exchange messages with UFOs.

"If you keep hesitating now, summer vacation's going to end!"

That truly was the case.

If she could not convince the Asagao Princess while the Morning Glories were in bloom, she would be in much trouble.

She was holding onto a trump card—

At this point, only a few people knew of it. However, when it came to Autumn, the situation would change drastically, and she would not be able to hide it anymore.

At that moment, what sort of action would Kazuaki and his mother Hiroka take? Whenever she contemplated about this, her temples will ache. If she could not erect a defense against them,

And when it came to winter—

The pale face of the now deceased Hikaru, overwhelmed with despair, would appear in front of her eyes, and her body would shiver from the cold. Hikaru's eyes were like a dark, bottomless abyss—

—Asa...like what everyone else had said, I might be a person who should not be born on this world after all...

That parched voice—

Perhaps she would not be able to protect it after all.

Regarding Hikaru's secret.

The evidence of Hikaru's guilt.

(No, I have to protect it.)

Because I am the only one who had seen Hikaru giving such a tragic look—

She had no time to waste with this wretched, pretentious wild dog.

And after sorting her emotions, she stood in front of the Gonomiya residence.

To avoid Koremitsu on this day, she specifically chose to visit in the afternoon.

As she expected, Koremitsu did come by in the morning, and left thereafter. It was a lowly tactic of hers she had to take, to allow that wild dog to be alone with Orime.

(I have to get the promise of the word while that man is not here...)

Just as she contemplated in her mind.

The chatter could be heard.

The servants could be heard whispering.

And she nonchalantly moved to the Japanese sliding screen, her ears eavesdropping.

"I heard that the Lady had an argument with the Young Lord. The Young Lord wishes to finance his investments, but the Lady denied him and was unwilling to talk about it."

"How many times has it been? The Young Lord should just stop already. The Lady herself is very strict even on her relatives, and he should learn that."

"But it seems that the Lady really likes that red-haired delinquent boy who has been coming by recently. I do not know her interests at all."

Of course, it was because she led such a wild dog to Orime that her interests and dignity was being questioned, no? There was a need to pull Koremitsu away from Orime after all—

"But that boy with scary looking eyes is Miss Asai's lover, no?"

Her thoughts were interrupted by this sudden, unexpected line.

Lover...?

Who?

"I heard that he declared himself to be her fiance. They both were arguing all day long, but they definitely love each other within their hearts, right?"

"Yeah. It is hard for us ordinary people to understand why such a gruff—no, it will be nearly impossible to be Miss Asai's husband if it is not someone who dares to challenge her head on."

By the time she realized it, her shoulders and hands were quivering. Her body was cold, her stomach churning, feeling nauseous—

She just experienced an amazing amount of humiliation. It would be great if it was just a hallucination on her part, but it was not; She heard every single word clearly, and the proof was the chill on her body that would not cease.

A groan filled with humiliation came out of her lips,

"Calling me and that wild dog lovers."

Koremitsu suddenly shivered.

"What's with the cold."

He was standing in front of the cooler; perhaps it was due to the seat below him.

It was the afternoon. After his visit at the Gonomiya residence, he decided to visit the cafe Aoi worked at on his way back. On this day, she again was dressed in a navy blue one-piece uniform with a white frilly apron over it, holding a silver tray as she served tea.

Whenever a customer came in, she would raise her voice, saying 'welcome' with a smile, though she would give a forlorn, gloomy look at times

Whenever she received a message, Aoi would immediately open it to affirm.

—Sorry. I mishandled the phone.

She would softly reply, and then say that she was busy before hanging up.

Feeling a little concerned, Koremitsu went to visit her at her workplace. When she saw him however, she looked somewhat perturbed, stiffening with a pale look,

"E-erm...I am still busy here."

Even when Koremitsu went to talk to her, Aoi would fidget and avert her eyes, scampering away.

"Did something happen between you and Saiga?"

When he asked this,

"No, that is not the case..."

Her voice gradually softened, before becoming silent.

Hikaru too was exceptionally concerned by Aoi's disparate behavior, and inadvertently frowned,

"Hey, what do you think?"

Koremitsu secretly glance aside, asking Hikaru,

"I can be sure that Miss Aoi is frustrated by something...but she is quite the stubborn person herself...it will be difficult trying to extract information from her under such a situation."

"Not even you can help?"

"If it is me, I would say that instead of my senses sharpening when it comes to her, I have been infuriating her all this while."

He showed an unhindered grimace. Though this person could make people fall heads over heels for him, he was totally of no use here.

In that case, he had to look for Miss Sueko, who was arranged by Tōjō to work with Aoi and act as her bodyguard, and try to ask something from her.

"Hyag! Wh-what?"

She stammered.

"I-i-i-it's nothing. Miss Aoi doesn't know that I'm hired by Young Master Tōjō here, and if it's me, I'm working hard here, you know? Just tell this to Young Master Tōjō himself. This beautiful and capable Miss Sueko is still undertaking such a difficult duty, so please give me a pay raise."

She whispered,

"If I continue to talk with you like this, Miss Aoi will get suspicious and not talk with me. My identity now is a rich princess from a noble girls school after all."

And after saying that, she left.

What rich princess of a noble girls school? Can't you just look at how old you are now? Even if you don't talk with me, you're being rather suspicious yourself. As he wondered about this, he wanted to vent somewhat.

Speaking of which, he had yet to see Tōjō over the past few days.

That person doted so much on Aoi that he hired a bodyguard to watch over her, and yet was a useless person who could not do anything at the crucial moment. Unwilling to vent out at this point, Koremitsu kept his frustration within.

"Koremitsu, your appearance is a little..."

Hikaru sounded a little concerned.

"The other customers are all terrified of you. I know that you are worried about Miss Aoi, and I do have the same feeling..."

"Ugh, brooding tentatively alone doesn't match my personality at all. Damn it, I better ask Aoi again."

Just when Koremitsu was about to get up,

"I suppose that should be enough."

There was an icy voice behind him.

He turned around, and found a girl with refreshing clear eyes. This girl was a customer who often visited this shop, always reading a Western language book at the wall, the girl Hikaru called Miss Mint.

"Girls do have moments when they wish to be left alone. She will not be moved even if a boy shows concern for her."

She spoke in a calm, serene tone, and vanished behind the door leading to the toilets.

(Did she say that because she knew my situation...?)

Till this point, Koremitsu had yet to figure out the true identity of this girl who said such meaningful things. Hikaru however seemed to have picked up on something.

"Perhaps it is as Miss Mint said. Let us simply look at Miss Aoi for a little while."

Though Hikaru had said so, Koremitsu still felt disgruntled within, and wanted to set aside the cafe issue first.

—Girls do have moments when they wish to be left alone.

The words were said with an icy tone, and it overlapped not only with Aoi's situation, but also with Honoka, who had been acting strangely recently, throbbing his heart.

—I think it's better for us to see each other less often.

He never met her ever since they went their separate ways at the library, and when he called her, she never picked up her phone.

(How's...she doing recently?)

(Mr. Akagi may not be feeling happy at the moment...)

Aoi watched Koremitsu leave the shop as the latter scowled, her heart felt ripped apart.

(It is rare that Mr. Akagi came all the way here to visit me because he is worried about me.)

However, she still could not tell Koremitsu.

If he were to show concern to her, she would spill out everything regarding Asa.

(I do not want to let Mr. Akagi know that Asa has been looking down on me.)

She recalled the event that transpired a few days ago, when she brought the muffins to school to meet Asai, and when she heard the conversation in front of the student council office, her body inadvertently shivered.

Asai was not alone; she was with Tsuyako.

—She probably is observing that Miss Aoi who continues to rely on you, Miss Asai, and even said that if something happens to Miss Aoi, she will inform you first.

Tsuyako did mention that Asai did arrange for someone to watch over Aoi at the cafe, and Asai did not deny that.

She merely replied coolly It will be too late if something happens to Aoi.

And also,

The chilling thing was the words Tsuyako said thereafter,

—Miss Asai, you are always pretending to protect Miss Aoi. In fact, you are looking down on Miss Aoi, am I correct?

The muffin Aoi made specially for Asai, the bag of muffins tied with the cute ribbon for Asai, fell at her feet.

Her mind was a complete blank as to how she could pick up the muffins, how she could leave without Asai detecting her.

By the time she realized it, she was already moving outside the school, spacing out.

(Asa has been looking down on me?)

(Has Asa always been like that.)

Tsuyako's words continued to repeat in her mind.

Ever since she was born, Asai had always taken care of Aoi no matter how difficult it may be, and the former always had this thought.

The most shocking was that even Aoi could not deny such a thought.

She even felt that it was to be expected that Asai would have such a thought.

(I am useless by myself after all. I cannot do anything well without Asai around; I always rely on her.)

Asai's spy surely must be in the shop at this point. She had originally suspected Sueko, who had always helped her out whenever she had issues, and Sueko in turn widened her eyes, flailing her hand as she concluded,

—I-I-I do not know anything about that. I dare swear to God that I was not hired by your friend Miss Asai to spy on you. Anyway, I do not have any relation with that lady called Asai. This is really the truth; if I dare lie here, I shall swallow a thousand needles

Aoi felt ashamed for suspecting Sueko in the first place, and immediately apologized.

—It-it is alright. I was not hired by Miss Asai to spy on you anyway. We are still friends.

Though Sueko did say this, she seemed a little perturbed by this, and had been somewhat distant from Aoi recently.

Her paternal cousin Shungo, who had been kind to her, seemed to be in some trouble, and did not appear recently.

Also, Aoi had no one to talk with regarding Asai.

In fact, she really wanted to rely on Koremitsu.

(Mr. Akagi is really kind, always willing to listen to my troubles, and would even console me.)

But if she were to do so, the more Asai would look down upon her, and even Koremitsu might think like Asai, that Aoi was a troublesome person.

It was the beginning of summer vacation when she coincidentally met Koremitsu's classmate, Honoka Shikibu, and they ended up having tea together.

Aoi was a person every other person knew of, but this was the first time she had tea alone with a stranger.

However, this person was always with Koremitsu. She had such beautiful legs and a feisty look; Aoi was concerned by this girl all this while.

At the cafe, Aoi ordered a milk tea filled with honey, while Honoka ordered an expresso. Thinking that she was being childish, and embarrassed about it, Aoi hastily corrected herself, saying, "Please give me a cup of coffee instead, without sugar and milk'.

Once their orders were taken, both of them stammered somewhat.

—Your Highness Aoi, I want to know what do you think about Akagi?

—I think Akagi doesn't suit you, Your Highness Aoi~ Akagi's crude and poor at talking. I don't think he fits you as a Princess.

She continued to say bad things about Koremitsu, giving a pretentious tone of understanding him better than anyone else. Aoi's felt hazy within, somewhat anxious.

—Mr. Akagi is a kind person, a marvellous person. It is simply that everyone else does not know about it

She argued back.

And after expressing some shock, Honoka raised her eyebrows, her eyes affirmed as she said,

—I-I know that Akagi's a good person too.

Honoka wanted to convey to Aoi that the latter was not the only one who realized Koremitsu's charm.

To Aoi, Honoka herself was filled with charm unlike Aoi, was definitely a person who could think on her own, and was a strong, amazing person.

That she was someone of equal footing to Koremitsu.

Koremitsu too probably loved Honoka for how she was. Whenever he talked to Honoka, he seemed to be calm and at ease.

(I cannot talk to Mr. Akagi about Asa after all.)

She did not want Koremtisu to think of her as being different from Honoka, a girl who always has to rely on others.

She did not want Koremitsu to look down on her.

She endured the emotions that were about to collapse as she slowly left the cafe—

"It has been a while, little Aoi."

The voice as sweet as Hikaru's rang at her ears.

And she felt her mind freeze.

The slender bespectacled youth stood in front of Aoi, brazenly smiling away.

It was Hikaru's half-brother, Kazuaki—!

Aoi recalled what Kazuaki did at the countryside villa, and felt her disgust and fear throbbing her throat, her body cringing.

Kazuaki was pretending to be kind, apparently forgetting what happened back then.

"Asa will know if I look for you in the shop. It looks that I will have to get past Asa if I wish to talk to you, Aoi."

He said.

After hearing these words, Aoi's movements stopped.

She should be running away as fast as she could at this point, but her feet could not move.

Even if she was not aware of the ways of the world, Aoi could understand that Asai sent someone to watch over her so as to ward the latter from Kazuaki.

(But I started working part-time to protect myself using my own strength.)

She tried her best to stand up straight, lifting her head at Kazuaki.

It seemed her resistance was amusing to Kazuaki, as if it was expected, as the eyes beneath the latter's spectacles narrowed.

And then, he bared his true nature as the spider, speaking with viscous tone,

"Do you know, little Aoi? The Mr. Akagi you so love right now is flirting with Asa~"

" To the Purple Princess.

My close friend and I fell in love with the same guy! (。>0<。)

That person is the playful kid from the next class, G. The way he shoots the soccer ball into the net when we have PE class together is so amazing, I thought.

And then, I started observing him for quite some time. I think I may have fallen in love with him.

But I'm so shy that I lied to my best friend, saying that I don't have anyone I like.

After that, right before the summer vacation, my close friend M said that she fell in love with G, and hopes to have me patch them up together! ∑(—ロ—|||)

I just answered with 'Eh~', and she said to me 'please, I can only request this from you', repeating it over and over again. I had no choice, so I could only agree.

Purple Princess, what do I do now?

Please help me here.(; ^ ;)

From Sunglasses Panda"

" To Sunglasses Panda,

It must be tough on you, falling in love with the same guy your good friend is in love with. I really~understand your feelings right now, Sunglasses Panda. o(i Д i)o.

You can't betray your close friend, but you can't cut away your thoughts about him.

My friend is a good person too, always relying on me, or maybe she doesn't have much initiative herself ('__` 。) I actually told her that I never thought much about him, and even said that we should keep our distance from each other. It was rare that we managed to get along so well; ahhhhh, I'm really a big idiot here!! (((p(≥口≤))))

Seriously, what do I do now (·/口\·)"

"Eh—I'm not replying to her at all! I'm just discussing this with her! What am I doing here!!?"—

Honoka immediately deleted all the words on the screen, and slumped her shoulders.

It was the afternoon of a hot, scorching summer day.

She was strolling about the residential area, updating her blog, but was perplexed as she felt she was not being her usual self.

Before knowing Koremitsu, Honoka was hailed by everyone else to be the love expert, was able to give fast and accurate responses to all the troubles the girls have expressed, and had received much gratitude.

Ever since she started conversing with Koremitsu however, Honoka became a girl with her own troubles.

But even so, there had been little development, and she did fulfill the wish of going to the pool before.

(Has Michiru fallen in love with Akagi?)

Why, back when Michiru asked her you do like Mr. Akagi after all , did she reply with that's not the case ? Even stating that she was just ordinary classmates with Koremitsu, that she had high standards.

It was too late when Michiru raised her moist eyes.

"Th-then, it's alright if I fall in love with Mr. Akagi, right?"

It was a voice filled with decisiveness.

Her cheeks were slightly dyed pink.

It was the first time Honoka had seen Michiru give such a serious look, even though she had been close friends with Michiru since their 9 th grade.

Normally, she would tie her hair in braids, wearing spectacles. She was never so pretty, and never attended any mixed dates.

She was a little introverted, would always work hard, but ended up making a mess out of matters, often panicked, and would often be downhearted.

And this close friend of hers undid her braids, removed her glasses, dressed in gentle fabrics and bright clothing, smiling shyly at Koremitsu.

So Michiru was such a beautiful person after all.

She thoroughly changed her image for the man she liked, a girl filled with feminine charms.

And because of love, Michiru became so beautiful. As a friend, Honoka was really delighted.

(But to support Akagi and Michiru's love, uuu, I can't do it after all.)

However, this was a fact she could not tell Michiru directly.

(What kind of a love expert am I here? I am so half-hearted when it comes to love and friendship; how useless I am.)

What was worrying to Honoka was not simply Michiru herself.

The reason why Honoka started talking with Koremitsu was because of that cute doll-like upperclassman who was the start of everything, and the image of her appeared in their minds.

Aoi Saotome—

The one Koremitsu first liked, the famed princess.

When she had tea with Aoi during the summer vacation, they conversed with each other with tense feelings, and Honoka thoroughly realized it.

That Aoi had feelings for Koremitsu beyond that of acquaintanceship.

Most likely, those feelings were of the same kind as Honoka's—

—It is simply that everyone else does not know about it

With her determined expression, Aoi was wholeheartedly devoted to shielding Koremitsu.

And Honoka's chest tightened at that moment, 'I-I know that Akagi's a good person too'.

Compared to the princess Aoi, she was closer to Akagi, and she knew how he was like normally.

But when she saw Aoi order the milk tea with honey with a naturally cute, girlish look, she felt as if she had lost.

And then, she changed her order to coffee, without any milk or sugar, inadvertently let out a comment 'bitter!'. Her shy, blushing cheeks made her looked really cute too.

Honoka herself ordered a cream cocoa with marshmallow added, and the sweetness in the mouth was too much even for her.

(Akagi...really likes those girls that give the urge of needing protecting protection after all...Miss Kanai is that kind of person too...)

She lost to Michiru, she lost to Her Highness Aoi, and she lost to herself.

When she analyzed it this way, she felt more devastated as a result. For some reason however, she found that her legs have dragged her to Koremitsu's house.

(I remember it's nearby...he said that his grandfather has a calligraphy class...)

"Wai—wh-what am I doing here exactly?"

The way she went about in circles in front of another person's house was worse than her spying on Koremitsu going to Aoi's part-time workplace. Clearly, her stalker tendencies were getting exacerbated.

(Right. When Akagi caught me that time, he really scolded me good.)

She could not do such a foolish thing again.

(Calm down, Honoka What you are doing now is lowering your value as a woman. Right, that is what the Purple Princess will advise. I should return home right now, take a cold shower, and cool my head off.)

But if she were to stay at home, she would continue to think about Michiru and Aoi, and would end up more depressed. She had told Koremitsu that they should keep their distance from each other, but she really, really, really regretted it—

"I-I'm just going to check out his house. Once I do that, I'll go back. I can't meet Akagi coincidentally like this...ev-even if it's probably alright, but it feels like I want Akagi to see me, wearing such skimpy shorts...no no no, this is about a girl's personal appearance...if my skirt flips and I show my panda panties, I'll just be shooting myself in the foot...m-my underwear today is rather mature too...ahh, it's not like I want to wear it for Akagi to see."

She tried to defend herself as she whispered, large beads of sweat seeping out as she proceeded forward step by step.

"Erm...the door sign's on the street here...ah."

She stopped in front of a wooden house surrounded by a thin wooden fence.

There was the name 'Akagi' on the sign board, and upon seeing this, a shy, lonely, miserable feeling rose within her.

(I am an idiot...I'm not being calm at all.)

She felt the feelings churn within her; it was stinging, hurting.

(I really want to see Akagi once after all~)

She cupped her knees in front of the door, her eyes teary.

"Lapis, wait."

A pure white cat suddenly rushed out from the door, and appearing immediately afterward was a cute young girl with black hair tied in twintails.

Her petite right hand was holding a beryl blue ribbon.

"It's rare that I want to tie a ribbon on you."

The pretty girl puffed her cheeks, and was taken aback once she noticed Honoka.

"Ah, uu..."

And Honoka remained still there, her knees cupped.

The other girl had her lips curled into a frown.

Honoka's body cringed.

(I-I'm so hapless being in such a situation now. Now I'm all teary. I can't give any appropriate reason either.)

But even as an older, amazing girl, she should be the one breaking the deadlock, and the moment she tried to speak up.

The pretty elementary girl, Shioriko Wakagi, had some intense skirmishes against Honoka at the pool and cafe during the first half of summer vacation, and it was unknown if she had some sympathy due to Honoka's appearance, but she turned her head aside, nonchalantly saying,

"...come in."

The white cat at Honoka's feet too did the same motion, purring coolly.

"Aoi is frustrated because she has some argument with Saiga after all."

He was on the way back during sunset.

Koremitsu said to Hikaru by his side. As his expression was grimmer than usual, his already savage looks were more pronounced than usual. Furthermore, he was muttering to himself, and it was no wonder the passers-by were giving him strange looks.

However, Koremitsu did not put them to mind as his head was filled with Aoi's matter and Hikaru's request.

"Saiga had been too concerned about Aoi; it's already weird that anyone can be with that Saiga for so long without getting annoyed in some way."

He recalled the vicious words Asai said at the Gonomiya residence, and was really infuriated. Whenever she saw his human face, she would call him a wild dog, a brute, tell him to die, call a veterinarian and such.

"!! She's the collective consciousness of all evil! That cold blooded woman!"

Asai's words and actions were always accompanied with a cool tone and a contemptuous look, and Koremitsu recalled them all, his fury voltage continuing to increase.

His temples were pulsating, his head and ears burning, and even his breath was boiling.

"Amongst all the people I met till now, there's no doubt she's the one woman who annoys me to no end. I can call her the most sinister person in this world."

And Hikaru continued to explain to Koremitsu,

"Asa is a kind person, actually."

"Huh? How?"

He exclaimed without thinking, raising his eyebrows, and Hikaru's expression became gloomier as a result.

"It is true. When I was young and teased for being a mistress' son, Asa would always defend me."

(...Oh, is that so?)

"She would catch any weakness of those children that bullied me, warning them not to harass me, set traps, showing their underwear in front of others shamefully, reporting to the teachers when there were bad things happening, write anonymous letters to taunt others."

(Ack.)

She started writing anonymous messages to others ever since elementary school. What exactly...

(So Asa has been like this ever since young.)

Koremitsu cringed back in turn.

"It is because of Asa that I was not bullied by others, but at the same time, Asa was feared by everyone else...."

Hikaru lowered his shoulders.

"Whenever she sheltered me, Asa would be the bad person, and slowly, she became unable to smile. Her eyes got sharper too...until she became a girl who could not cry."

His lowered eyes were gradually tinted with gloom, and upon seeing this, Koremitsu too felt moody within.

"I could not cry, and Asa herself could not either. I made such a promise with her when we were young, and because of that promise, she continued to keep it even after I died. I did not want to make such a promise..."

The tragic words from his friend caused his inner heart to sink as well.

He recalled the 'promise' Hikaru made with Asai, the one he told Koremitsu.

The initial promise was to look for a Tsuchinoko with Asai, at a dawn when when the Morning Glories bloomed.

And the final promise was—

—Since Hikaru cannot cry, I shall not cry either.

There was the one day where he saw the photo of the young Asai, Aoi and Hikaru together in Hikaru's apartment.

There was Aoi, biting her lips with her eyes teary, a beaming Hikaru giving an angelic smile in the middle, and a stoic, intelligent looking girl standing there. After hearing Hikaru's words, the calm voice of this girl continued to echo at Koremitsu's ears.

—I cannot cry.

—I will not cry either, definitely.

The faces of the young Asai and this current cold, aloof Asai overlapped each other's.

The sharp, blade-like eyes that stared right at Koremitsu.

(It requires a lot of determination...for a girl to decide never to cry...)

It definitely was not an easy thing to keep this promise.

Furthermore, their promise continued to last till this point, and yet she became the feared, talented and calculative student council president, Asai Saiga.

Hikaru, basked under the white light of sunset, lowered his eyes as he said in a dreamy voice,

"All would be well...if ...I could cry..."

His voice was filled with guilt,

"If I could cry out loud, if Asa would come over and console me, and then end this promise..."

He lowered his head in self-loathing—

The knife that was cutting at Hikaru's inner heart was cutting at Koremitsu's chest at the same time.

It definitely was not an easy thing to get rid of the things he kept swallowed within his heart.

Just as Koremitsu could not smile, Hikaru could not cry.

If Koremitsu could smile on the night he watched his mother apologize over and over again as she cried, perhaps he would not be at the child's room, standing at the window, watching that frail body depart gradually. Koremitsu himself did have this thought.

(But this is something that cannot be fixed. Thinking about this right now is not going to change anything.)

Right, it could not be helped, it was inevitable.

But even so, his chest was aching. Hikaru's regret filled Koremitsu's chest.

"Without that promise, I suppose Asa will definitely be a good person with a radiant smile, maybe somewhat clumsy, somewhat impish, a popular posh woman who often smiles."

"That's not the case."

Both Koremitsu and Hikaru were pondering, but Koremitsu had to retort back at this point no matter what.

That Asai Saiga would never become a good person with a radiant smile, maybe sometimes clumsy, somewhat impish, a popular posh woman who often smiles.

"But Asa would give her seat to the elderly on the train."

"That is normal."

"When she sees an empty can on the floor, she will pick it up and throw it into the trash bin."

"Those environmental volunteer uncles often clean up the places in front of the stations too, right?"

"When she sees a lost boy crying, she would bring him to a nearby policeman to handle."

"Didn't the boy cry because he saw Saiga's face?"

"Anyway, Asa is a kind person beyond what her appearance lets on."

Koremitsu felt his chest itch due to Hikaru's sorrowful, and beyond that, serious look.

(Don't show such an expression here.)

He murmured quietly.

And then, as he continued to walk, he whispered,

"I do have some grievances against Asai, but I definitely won't back out midway through."

"Thank you, Koremitsu."

The friend beside him whispered graciously,

"Can you also convey to Asa 'I have been crying beside you by your pillow every night'?"

"No, she'll definitely beat me up before I can finish saying such suspicious words, like I'm possessed by a ghost or something."

Are you an idiot? He gave such an expression as he walked on weakly. The equivocal solitude that could be felt from the pale sky before the sunset accompanied the duo until his doorstep.

"I'm back."

He pulled aside the sliding door of the corridor, saying brusquely.

He knelt down to untie his shoelaces, and a discrete set of footsteps could be heard approaching.

Shioriko would never be so meek.

He lifted his head, and found a pair of slender legs and shorts; he looked up, and found Honoka Shikibu dressed in a flowery apron, shyly looking at Koremitsu with her cheeks red.

"We-welcome back."

(Why is Shikibu at my house?)

Koremitsu looked perplexed.

The living room was filled with the kokeshi doll gift and the hanging scroll his grandfather wrote on; his grandfather Masakaze, aunt Koharu, foster sister Shioriko, and classmate Honoka was seated around the table with Koremitsu.

Koharu and Masakaze did not seem too pleased about this, but it did not mean they were angry; this was their usual expression after all.

Shioriko too curled her lips into a frown.

"Miss Shikibu was cupping her knees in front of the house like a scaredy-cat, so I went to protect her."

She spoke, obviously sounding very displeased,

"I-I'm not a scaredy cat...I-I just had heatstroke."

Honoka cringed her shoulders back as she whispered.

"I see, so you accidentally got heatstroke in front of our house? Anyway, how long are you going to wear the apron? Are you emphasizing yourself to be a woman staying at home?"

"Th-that's not the case. Sorry, I'll take it back and wash it first—"

As Honoka hurriedly undid the apron, Koharu spoke smoothly,

"Ah, don't worry about that. It's put in the shelves because it's meant to be given to others or something like that. A flowery apron like that doesn't suit me, so if you like it, I'll give it to you."

"Eh? That's."

"Didn't you help me with dinner just now? It's a repayment, as thanks."

"Bu-but that's."

Honoka panicked as she moved her knees. The usual feisty Honoka seemed to have changed to another person.

(Didn't you give me a serious look before this, telling me that we should keep our distance?)

Koremitsu had no idea what was going on.

After hearing those words, he wondered if he did something rude to Honoka, and was troubled by that.

However, she appeared at his house entrance with a flowery apron.

She was also able to talk with Koharu so normally. Masakaze, being a person who hated women, did not speak up, but it seemed he realized the relationship between Honoka and Koremitsu as he stared at the girl, and then moved his stare to Koremitsu. He seemed to be berating Koremitsu, haven't you forgotten my teaching that you shouldn't get involved with women? , and Koremitsu felt the hand holding the chopsticks sweat.

In a corner of the room, Lapis was nibbling at the cat food. It so happened to be Masakaze's blind spot.

Flowing at the ceiling was Hikaru, watching over them with a meaningful look.

(Damn it, what are you grinning away there for?)

He did not understand what kind of expression he should show, and in the end, he ended up puffing his cheeks.

And due to Koremitsu's attitude, Honoka looked more and more intimidated.

"Well, I did help a little, but I just helped to do salad, and cutting the bitter-gourd and ginger into slices, dress it with the can of tuna and bitter orange juice. Didn't you prepare the tempura yourself, Miss Koharu—"

"Big brother Koremitsu, Shiiko can also cut bitter-gourd too. Shiiko was the one who added the small pieces of sliced dried bonito, you know?"

"Ah, I see. No wonder it's so fragrant...bonito."

He merely responded.

Shioriko then rubbed a finger at her nose.

"Then, let's tuck in."

"I'm tucking in."

"S-same here. Tucking in"

Shioriko spoke up enthusiastically, and Honoka glanced at Koremitsu in a probing look, muttering to herself.

Masakaze remained silent.

"..."

Koremitsu too clapped his hands together, muttering, "Anyway, I'm tucking in."

The menu consisted of tempura, bitter-gourd salad, eggplant and Japanese parsley miso soup. On a side note, the Akagis do not use seafood for their tempuras, but chicken.

Koremitsu liked spicy food, so he liked lots of 7 spices blend on his tempura. He was the only one in his family who would eat it this way, and just when he was about to reach for the bottle of spices, there was another hand reaching from the opposite.

"Ah."

"Oh."

Koremitsu and Honoka's hands overlapped on the red cap of the small bottle.

They exchanged looks, blushed at the same time, and pulled their hands away.

"Sorry."

"N-no. That was my fault."

Honoka placed her hands on her chest tentatively, looking troubled as she fidgeted.

"I-is that so?"

Right, the 7 spice blend's not on the menu, right?

He picked up the bottle of 7 spices, and scattered the red powder on the plate of tempura.

"Ah."

Honoka again widened her eyes, exclaiming,

And then, she stared at Koremitsu's hand ostensibly seeing something unexpected.

"What? Is it weird? It's good, you know."

And Honoka replied,

"I-I know that."

She said as she took the bottle of 7 spices blend Koremitsu had put back, scattering the red powder on her chicken breast tempura.

"I normally eat like this at home too."

Her face was blushing in embarrassment as she looked up at him.

"Eh, well, I heard that it's good for slimming, and after trying it, I liked the flavor. I always have the 7 spices at home."

"I see. The 7 spices blend is good, right?"

"Eh, yeah."

Both of them nodded in unison.

"This is amazing! Both Miss Shikibu and Koremitsu have the same tastes!"

Hikaru squealed in excitement at the ceiling.

"I didn't think there would be anyone else who would add 7 spices powder on the tempura other than you. You found a companion here, Koremitsu."

Koharu stated calmly,

"Adding the 7 spice blend will numb your tongue there. You won't be able to taste anything after that, right?"

Masakaze scowled as he answered.

Koremitsu and Honoka continued to stare at each other, blushing, and Shioriko exclaimed,

"I want that 7 spice powder too! Hand me that bottle, Miss Shikibu!"

And then, she snatched it from Honoka's hand, peppering the tempura with lots of the powder.

"Hey, Shiiko!"

"Stop it now, Shiiko."

Koremitsu and Koharu tried to stop her, but Shiiko pinched her nose, her eyes filled with determination as she stared at it, and bit it like a red pumpkin.

"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

She coughed a few times, probably because it was too spicy, and hurriedly covered her mouth, her eyes teary, and her shoulders cringing. Every single being, including Hikaru and Lapis, watched her continue to quiver while she was unable to consume anything.

"Urk."

Her little throat moved, and it seemed she finally managed to swallow.

She received the glass of milk from Koharu with both hands, and gulped it down with tears in her eyes.

"Uu."

"That's why I told you to stop. Even the curry you eat is a kid's curry."

Koharu too looked flabbergasted as she said this.

"That is the 7 spices powder. It's fine even if you don't know how it tastes."

Masakaze sternly told her off, and Lapis gave a cool look as it went back to eating its own food.

"Ah, Shiiko is so pitiful now. Her mouth must be feeling like a sauna now."

Hikaru expressed his sympathies.

"Just eat your tempura normally, Shiiko. See?"

"Yeah, Shiiko. The Akagi's tempura is already rather delicious on its own, you now?

Both Koremitsu and Honoka leaned forward.

And Shioriko curled her lips, insisting

"Wh-what...even I can get used to the 7 spices blend taste!"

"Is it delicious?"

"I can't really..."

While watching Shioriko touch the tip of her lips with tears in her eyes, Koremitsu pulled the bitter-gourd salad over, saying,

"Ah, wow, this salad's good. It's special, especially when mixed with the bonito bits."

He continued,

"The bitter-gourd's cut nicely too."

Shioriko's ears twitched in surprise, and again, before reaching her tongue out again.

"And the bitter orange juice taste refreshing too, not bad."

"Really!?"

This time, the exclamation came not from Shioriko, but from Honoka.

(Damn it, Shikibu's the one who added the bitter orange juice.)

"Ah, yeah."

"Thank goodness."

Honoka's face radiated a delighted smile.

"Miss Shikibu certainly is cute here, being so delighted when the salad flavoring has been praised by you, Koremitsu."

Hikaru gleefully snicked.

Shioriko again puffed her cheeks, while Honoka in contrast was drowning in his blissfulness, her cheeks and lips glossy.

At this moment, Masakaze spoke grimly,

"...Koremitsu's grandmother, that woman, suddenly demanded a divorce selfishly when Koremitsu's father was in college, and left the house."

Due to these sudden words and the content itself, the dining table was rendered frozen

"Hey, gramps."

"Look at you, suddenly saying such things out of a sudden. The guest got scared by you."

But Masakaze ignored Koremitsu and Koharu's voices of appeal as he continued on,

"That woman, Koremitsu's mother, eloped with his homeroom teacher when he was in first grade, and never returned."

Honoka widened her eyes, not saying anything. Of course, this was to be expected, as any person would not know how to comment about this.

Koharu raised her chopsticks and pointed them at Masakaze's throat.

"Old man, look at the situation before you talk!"

"Shut it, Koharu! Settle down!"

Koremitsu joined in, wanting to stop Koharu, but he was sent flying by her, and in the meantime, made a hole in the sliding door. Lapis looked troubled as it shook its tail, "Stop now, grandpa, Miss Koharu." Shioriko exclaimed from the side, and the living room was rendered a mess.

And so—

"Sorry there, my old man really hates women, always saying not to get involved with them."

After that frantic dinner, Koremitsu led a flabbergasted Honoka to his room for shelter, lowering his head to apologize.

"You were shocked there, right? He won't do anything violent to you though, and leaving that aside, Koharu, no, Koharu won't just beat anyone up for no good reason."

Honoka finally recovered from the shock, shaking her head.

"No, I should be the one saying sorry since it looks like I was forcing myself in. It's obvious that your grandfather would be angry, or rather, I don't really pay much mind to it. Actually, I do find it heartbreaking. I won't have any other thoughts about you because of this; of course, I won't tell this to anyone else."

"...Thanks."

Honoka obviously appeared to be really lost as to how to respond, for her eyes were wavering about, unable to calm down, and she was unable to calm down. However, it seemed that she understood Koremitsu's intentions, her heart seemingly touched by the gesture.

By the time she realized it, the distance between them was quite close.

Both of them were standing, their bodies leaned forward.

If they were to move half a step closer, they would end up embracing each other—

Koremitsu recalled the painful yet sweet feeling of the night at the pool, when Honoka embraced Koremitsu at his chest, and his heart raced drastically.

Honoka too may have realized the distance, and went silent.

(We're not keeping our distance here...there's no distance here at all.)

His throat was exceptionally parched, and he felt weak.

Hikaru's body disappeared unknowingly from his sights, probably not intending to spoil the mood, or perhaps he hid in a corner of the room, watching with amusement.

"Speaking of which...why did you come to my house today?"

"..."

Honoka's lips quivered slightly in her hesitation.

After some time of silence, she raised her voice.

"It's nothing, just that..."

She looked aside, muttering vaguely.

The stiff response caused him to feel exceptionally hopeful, and his chest felt increasingly bitter.

"...I-I feel lost whenever I'm with you. What exactly, do you want me to do?"

He whispered, and Honoka looked shocked, tears in her eyes.

"Uu."

(What's with those eyes.)

For some reason, it felt like it was against the rules.

Honoka was normally feisty, but he was truly lost when she showed such a feeble look. His body temperature rose, and his sweat was dripping.

"I-I..."

Honoka whispered vaguely.

And she gave Koremitsu an imploring look.

"I-is it alright that...I find myself liking you?"

She lowered her voice, asking sadly.

She was lost as she could not get an answer.

It was a lack of self-confidence, a reliance to others—

Koremitsu's heart was throbbing.

It was beating wildly, like it was about to pop out.

(How would I know?)

Perhaps this would be a good answer.

He really turned his head around, wanting to ask his friend, very experienced in such situations, but the slender face could not be found.

(She's so feminine after all...?)

I want to protect her. With such feelings, Koremitsu reached for that arm that would seemingly snap, and the thin shoulder.

"Big brother Koremitsu! Teach me how to do my summer homework!"

Suddenly, the door was pushed aside, and Shioriko, holding her summer vacation homework, entered the room, her eyes furious.

"Woah!"

"Hya!"

Koremitsu and Honoka pulled their distance.

"Wh-what kind of question?"

"Ahhh, I think I should go back now. I need to update my blog." While they looked away, squirming, Hikaru continued to stroke (?) Lapis on its back, muttering,

"It is difficult to create a love scene with family members around, do you not think so, Lapis?"

### 004. Chapter 4: Breakdown

It was the next morning.

The road surface was still chilly in the morning, and Koremitsu strolled to the Gonomiya residence, brooding over the events that transpired the previous day.

"Are you thinking that you finally had a chance to deepen your relationship with Miss Shikibu?"

"Don't you lump me with you, you pervert ghost."

Koremitsu replied to the teasing Hikaru with a sour look.

(That's not the case...but why did Shikibu show such a face and ask me a thing? I don't understand at all...)

Is it alright that I find myself liking you?

Which boy in the world would refuse when asked with such a feeble look? Though he would say so, he could not simply answer 'yeah, whatever' so casually. What exactly do you want me to do? Koremitsu did ask Honoka before, but even he did not know.

(I just wonder how things should go between Shikibu and me...)

Should they continue to maintain their relationship as classmates? Or was he seeking a relationship beyond that phase?

(Speaking of which, do I even like Shikibu as a female?)

Though it seemed similar, the pain he felt from Yū and the bewilderment he felt from Honoka seemed different too. Koremitsu concluded that they did seem similar after all, and whenever he thought about this, his mind throbbed in agony, his heart winced like a cloth being strained.

(Ah damn it, this is harder than my holiday homework.)

Just when he was about to scratch that perplexed head of his.

"Erm, Mr. Akagi."

A tense voice could be heard.

"Huh?"

Koremitsu turned around to look, and found a blushing girl running to him from behind. It was a girl with fluffy, curled shoulder-length hair.

"Hanasato."

"Go-good morning, Mr. Akagi. I-it-it really was a coincidence."

Michiru, panting, said shyly.

On this day, Michiru still had her hair down and her glasses removed. Though she was dressed in the school uniform.

"I've something going on at school, so I'm rushing over now. I guess I got some benefit out of this too."

Michiru raised her head at Koremitsu, her lips showing a delighted smile.

"A class rep's job is really tough, huh?"

"No. I do it because I like it."

"I see. You're aiming to be the number 1 class representative in Japan, huh?"

"Right."

Shall he discuss Honoka with Michiru? Certainly, she is Honoka's friend, and as Koremitsu could not understand some things since he was a boy, perhaps a girl like Michiru could understand instead.

"Anyway, Hanasato."

"Actually, it wasn't a coincidence."

Just when Koremitsu was about to speak up, Michiru said bashfully, her head still lowered.

"Huh?"

"I've been waiting for you, Mr. Akagi."

"Huuh?"

(Wait, wait for me? Where ?)

In front of my house?

Or this road leading to the Gonomiya house?

(It's quite a distance from my house till here. If she's waiting for me in front of my house, and stalked me till this place, does that mean she overheard my conversation with Hikaru? If she's waiting here for me instead, that's quite some patience she has there.)

Perhaps she was looking for Koremitsu regarding something important?

Koremitsu was troubled at this point, just like the moment when he saw Honoka dressed in the flowery apron when he returned home.

(Are girls always act so suddenly? If there's something, can't she just send me a call or a message?)

He thought about how little time it would require,

"I see. What do you want?"

And asked her directly,

"E-erm..."

Like Honoka the previous day, Michiru looked away and stammered, unable to answer for quite some time.

"Koremitsu, I suppose your happiness will last longer if you do not ask too much right now. Also, do not give such a fiery, masculine expression when waiting for her answer."

Hikaru grimaced as he gave some mysterious advice.

"Is it about Shikibu after all?"

"Eh?"

Michiru was shocked as she looked up at Koremitsu.

If there was anything connecting them, it would undoubtedly be their classmate, Honoka.

There had to be a reason why she avoided him like the ordinary students, trying her best not to speak to him as she waited in hiding.

And speaking of which, Honoka's tone had sounded very strange recently, from the moment Michiru called them out to do their summer vacation homework in the library.

Perhaps Michiru was worried about Honoka, and came to discuss this with him.

When he thought about it, it really did make sense.

"I also think that Shikibu has been acting weird. She came over to my house for some reason."

"...Hono went over to your house, Mr. Akagi?"

Michiru widened her eyes as she stared at Koremitsu, looking completely startled. Hikaru was beside him, putting his hand on his forehead, going, "Ahh, he said it out anyway."

(What? Is it a bad thing to say that Shikibu came over to my house?)

"I-is that so...so Hono, went to your house, Mr. Akagi..."

Michiru's expression gradually became gloomy as she lowered her head sadly.

"Hey, what's with you."

"...as expected, Hono."

"?"

Michiru lowered her head more, and Hikaru too grimaced much more. While Koremitsu was feeling extremely squeamish.

A killing intent came from in front of him.

The icy stare was ostensibly trying to stab through Koremitsu's face.

(Ack, Saiga.)

Asai too was on her way to the Gonomiya residence.

It was such a perfect coincidence that she appeared during this mess, and Koremitsu frowned.

Also, her expression was sharper than usual, and he could feel the animosity and frostiness towards him being ten times that of normal.

"Asa looks really terrifying here."

Hikaru, who always took his cousin's side, was trembling because of that terrifying appearance.

And with that expression, she exchanged looks between Koremitsu and Michiru.

Michiru, having noticed Asai, gulped and froze in place. She was akin to a tragic house mouse caught by terrifying, murderous jackal in a savannah.

The frostiness emitted from behind her as she approached Koremitsu with icy footsteps. Tak...tak...

(Wh-what the? What's with this pressure? Is this some horror movie?)

Like Michiru, Koremitsu too gulped.

Asai was not glaring at Koremitsu, but at Michiru, speaking with a bone-chilling voice.

"You are a student from our school, right? What is your year and class? Your registration number? What is your relationship with this wild dog? Siblings? Relatives? Childhood friend? Girlfriend?"

It seemed Asai had yet to recognize Michiru as the braided class representative as she interrogated the latter in a rapid-fire manner.

And Michiru was so terrified she was unable to answer.

"Hey, Saiga."

"If you are his girlfriend, please allow me to express my pity."

"That's not it!"

"Yes, how can it be possible for a human to date a lowlife of a dog? Are you the master of this wild dog? If so, please drag it along to a place where I cannot see. It is because you let this despicable brute loose that I was called this wild dog's fiancee—"

And in the midst of her sentence, Asai froze, biting her lips in fury and remorse. A gust of wind ruffled her radiant black hair, causing the strands to blow over her face. That scene truly was reminiscent of a horror scene.

Michiru, thoroughly pale this time, stammered as she quivered her lips,

"E-erm, I just so happened to bump into Mr. Akagi just now. I-I still have some important things to deal with!"

Please excuse me! She shouted, and ran off at her usual speed without looking back. Her curly hair and the petite back soon disappeared without a trace.

Left behind was a heinous looking Asai and a similar fiendish looking Koremitsu.

After a long bitter silence, Koremitsu hissed,

"...Hey, don't scare a kind student from our school like that. Your expression's already rather intense normally."

Asai continued to give off that cold, freezing aura as she hissed back.

"I do not wish to hear those words from you. It is because of you that I suffered the greatest humiliation in my life."

"What's that about?"

The moment he asked this, the air around her chilled, and her eyes were brimming with thick killing intent.

"It has nothing to do with you."

"And you just blamed me for that."

"Yes. All the calamities in this world are your fault. Your existence by itself is already a catastrophe, bringing lots of hardships,disasters, and mass misfortune. And so, my expression became as heinous as yours. I am more concerned by this terrifying expression, rather than being humiliated and belittled by you. Please leave me alone."

Just when Koremitsu was nearly unable to handle Asai's intimidation, he realized it.

While Asai gave a startling cold look, dishing out such vicious words; Hikaru's eyes were filled with bitter guilt as he watched her.

—All would be well if I could cry.

(Argh, don't give me such an expression, stop giving me that look. Don't let yourself give that look, Asa.)

Whenever Asai said such vicious words, Hikaru's eyebrows would frown further, and the light in his eyes would dim. Koremitsu felt intolerable as he watched this, and his mind was burning as he yelled,

"That's not it!"

Asai stopped, her expression still sharp. Hikaru too widened his eyes.

"Aren't you the cute brat who wrote about looking for Tsuchinokos in your summer vacation plans or something?"

Her right eyebrow was slightly raised. The fury in her heart reached a new level as she suffered another humiliation, causing her lips to quiver slightly, her lips groaning vaguely,

"How many times...must I say the same thing? Do you really want to humiliate me?"

She glared back at Koremitsu's eyes, giving off such frostiness. And in seeming response to that cold, Koremitsu's head heated up,

"I never thought about that before. I just want to fulfill your initial promise with Hikaru. He really wants to fulfill that first promise with you, and he told me that if you grew up like that, you'll definitely become a kind, cute girl who likes to smile."

Hikaru, standing between both Koremitsu and Asai, looked ready to burst into tears because of the former's words. His clear eyes however did not shed any tears as he merely stared at Asai, seemingly wanting to convey something to her. It was a look of worry for Asai, till his heart got entangled.

The moment she heard Hikaru's name, a wavering glint appeared in Asai's eyes, and they narrowed in sadness. She reverted back to her firm-willed look the next instance however, and eked a voice out of her throat as she said,

"...If I become a cute girl, I will not be able to protect Hikaru, will I?"

His heart throbbed.

At that moment, he realized this was the first time Asai expressed her true thoughts.

And at the same time, he felt that something was amiss.

"Isn't Hikaru already dead?"

What Asai said made it seem that Hikaru was still alive at this point.

With an icy stare, she stared at Koremitsu.

"That may be the case for you, but it is different for me. It is because Hikaru is no longer present now that I have to continue to protect. Or else, Hikaru—"

"Hikaru? What about him?"

Asai was being strange after all.

She definitely did attend Hikaru's funeral there. Perhaps in her heart, Hikaru did not die? What exactly about Hikaru was she trying to protect?

Hikaru's eyes continued to look at Asai, his clear eyes increasingly clouded. The light brown, thin hair swayed feebly in the wind, and his transparent body looked ready to melt into the air at this point.

(Hikaru, do you know anything about 'the thing Saiga is protecting'...?)

Quite some time passed while the trio stood still.

The frigid air was slowly replaced by the summer heat.

And Asai reverted back to her stoic expression, showing a tinge of remorse.

"..."

She seemed to mutter something, and looked away from Koremitsu, walking off. She moved forward towards the Gonomiya residence without any signs of doubt.

"Wait for me."

Koremitsu immediately gave chase to the back that was moving quickly.

"Do not follow."

"I refuse."

"Disappear."

"I refuse."

"Die."

"I refuse."

Like a panting dog, Koremitsu continued to follow Asai while she never turned her head back.

"You really do not understand anything. Hikaru's always at my bed side, crying and telling me that he can't go to heaven if I don't look for the Tsuchinoko with you."

And upon reaching the doors of the Gonomiya resident, Asai turned back with a hideous look.

"There is no way Hikaru can cry! If you continue to harass me, I will kill you."

Upon hearing this, Hikaru lowered his eyes in anguish.

At this moment, a gentle voice came from the other side of the door.

"Do not say anything dangerous like killing now, little Asai."

After hearing that voice that was similar to Hikaru's, Asai scowled, and Koremitsu's eyes sharpened.

Using that relaxed, smiling face of his to counter the heinous glare that would cause most people to cringe, Kazuaki Mikado said,

"It is rare that I wish to see the Morning Glories bloom in this tranquil porch. If you are to give such an icy tone, the Morning Glories may mistake it for the looming winter and remain shut, unwilling to bloom.

In the room where they could see the Morning Glories from the corridor, Koremitsu and Asai glared at Hikaru's older brother, Kazuaki.

(What's this guy doing here? He dares to smile and have tea with us here after doing that sicko perverted thing?)

It was back before summer vacation ended.

Kazuaki wore a wig and paraded around the school corridors, dressed as a student, ripping off all the flowers Hikaru took care of. The wig he wore had long black hair, and the uniform was the girls summer uniform he forcefully took off from Tsuyako.

It seemed Kazuaki's cross-dressing fetish was already thoroughly ingrained. A long time ago, Kazuaki once snatched Tsuyako's dress and hat, put on it himself, and threw a dead rat carcass at the window of Aoi's house, even destroying all of the tulip buds Aoi and Hikaru planted.

After Hikaru died, his twisted personality escalated further, as he not only abducted Aoi, but also forced her to agree to marry him. He revealed his true personality as the descendant of the Spider in that room filled with Poppy aroma and white smoke.

"I can be forgiven by anyone no matter what I do."

And Kazuaki, who harped on this, was punched by Koremitsu.

His nose bleeding, Kazuaki panicked as he rolled about in a deranged manner, "M-My face!"

That was the only moment where Asai did not berate Koremitsu's actions,

"I wanted to beat him up."

Asai hissed nonchalantly back then, indicating clearly that she had the same feelings as Koremitsu.

Though she left him in the hills immediately afterward as if he deserved it.

But either way, both Koremitsu and Asai felt that Kazuaki was an incorrigible pervert who could not be understood, and that was to be expected.

(Has this guy forgotten what he did before? Anyone who revealed their cross-dressing fetish will be embarrassed by it, right? How can anyone just sample the tea so frivolously? Is he just a shameless person after all?)

Kazuaki narrowed his eyes beneath the glasses quietly, showing a serene smile at his lips.

There was none of the madness he showed at the villa.

And Hikaru too looked conflicted as he stared at his older brother.

Kazuaki's obsession with Hikaru was such that he stole Aoi's painting for Hikaru,

"Because Aoi here is Hikaru's most beloved."

And continued to harass her,

"And I wish to have Hikaru's 'most beloved'."

One had to wonder whether it was out of his favoritism for his half-brother, or whether it was malice.

Hikaru personally spoke little of the legitimate wife's son Kazuaki, and the latter was like a person from another world to him. From this sense, Kazuaki was pitiful in a certain sense. However, there was no sympathy for him.

Orime too could tell from Koremitsu and Asai's serious looks that they were not on good terms with Kazuaki, and perhaps she was able to remain so posited due to her many years of experience.

The granddaughter-in-law, always coming over to say 'it's time for medicine, grandmother', brazenly hoping that they would leave, was very welcoming of Kazuaki as she personally present him tea and sweets.

"This is what we bought for you, Mr. Kazuaki. Please take your time with it."

She showed him courtesy.

And so, Kazuaki put on the facade of a well-bred young lord, speaking courteously.

"Is that so? Why, thank you. I do really like the water yōkan of this shop. You really are very kind and efficient, Miss Kitoko."

"Well, that is..." and with such pleasantries, the granddaughter-in-law looked delighted.

(This two-faced bastard.)

If a glare could burn through a human, Kazuaki's face would surely be wrecked completely by both Koremitsu and Asai's bombardment. No matter how they glared at him though, he continued on nonchalantly.

And also, Kazuaki threw a bomb at them with a smiling face.

"Asa, Mr. Akagi, both of you have been looking terrifyingly silent for quite a while. Even if you had been jealous and squabbling since morning, it is rude to give such attitudes in an elder's house. It cannot be helped however, since both of you are in high school, still children after all."

Both Koremitsu and Asai's shoulders shivered.

(What jealous and arguing?)

"I never expected the rumors of little Asai and Mr. Akagi going out together to be true. I would not believe it either if I had not witnessed it personally."

(Who do you say are going out together!!!?)

Koremitsu's neck had goosebumps all over it as he screamed out in his heart, probably shouting the exact same things as Asai herself. She showed her cold eyes, her back straightened, and the hands resting on her knees were shivering.

Koremitsu was about to lash out 'you gotta be kidding me', but it was not wise to let out an outburst in front of Orime, so he kept it within himself.

"That thing about her is just completely bogus."

He whispered,

And Asai too concluded with a frigid voice,

"Eh, it is completely baseless."

But Kazuaki continued to laugh, as if not hearing them as he said,

"Ahaha, there is no need to be embarrassed about it. There is no way a couple not dating would say such words that would make people smile. I simply am embarrassed just listening to both of you."

(What do you mean words that would make people smile? I threatened to kill you here!)

"If Mr. Akagi cheats on you, you may think of killing him, and die together with him, will you? You really like him this much, I suppose, Asai."

The overly embarrassing topic left Asai and Koremitsu unable to say anything.

"Ahh." Hikaru, floating in the air gasped.

With a pretentious gentle look of a big brother on his face, Kazuaki smiled.

"That is good for you, Asai. You always had been independent and intelligent. Feared and isolated from the surrounding boys. So as a cousin, I do worry that you are unable to marry. However, Mr. Akagi does not have that sort of common sense, and he certainly is a match made in heaven for you. You should focus on being a bride, little Asai, and simply leave little Aoi to me as a member of the Mikados."

Asai's face was dyed beetroot, and the hands placed on her knees shivered again, even her lips were quivering.

Koremitsu too clenched his fists tightly, and just when he wanted to stand up, Hikaru could be heard from behind, trying to restrain him,

"Endure it, Koremitsu."

(Uugh, but that pervert brother really speaks whatever's on his mind.)

You cross-dressing pervert! He wanted to shout this and send him flying opposite the corridor with a kind.

"Even Asa as a girl managed to endure it. You have to do so too."

(Uuu, damn it.)

Asai seemed to have frozen her emotions as she spoke coldly,

"...That really is far from reality, far from the truth, such that it cannot even be considered a joke. And right now, Aoi has yet to give up her love for Hikaru, and never had the chance to meet you, Mr. Kazuaki."

"Hm, is that so? But I do still have the wish that little Aoi is married to me. Ah, Lady Orime, do you mind giving me a few words? When that happens, Aoi or the Saotome head will recognize my authority, will they not? Because, the only ones allowed to marry the Mikados' head is either the Saotomes or the Udates' daughter."

(What the?)

Koremitsu knew very well Orime's word was something Asai yearned so much.

That was why Asai came to visit the Gonomiya residence every single day.

Orime's word was also something Hikaru mentioned as special.

The current head of the Mikados, and even the former, were given a word from Orime.

If Orime handed her word over to Asai, perhaps the Mikados' power would favor the Wisteria faction—?

Hikaru widened his eyes greatly, and Asai leaned forward, giving a nefarious look.

"I was the one who asked for Lady Orime's word first—"

Kazuaki cut off Asai's words gently yet decisively.

"Little Asai, even if you do get Lady Orime's word, what can you do with it? The only ones able to receive the blessings of the Asagao Princess and her word are the males of the Mikados. Will that not mean me? Or is there another one worthy of being the head of the Mikados?"

After hearing this, Hikaru looked shocked as he watched from the sight and faltered. Koremitsu glanced aside slightly, and found his friend looking very pale, apprehensive and distressed.

Like Hikaru, Asai too seemed conflicted by something, her anxiety clear for all to see.

"Well, what is it about, actually? Little Asai?"

Kazuaki's tone got stickier at the moment, his expression seemingly pressuring Asai too, giving a lascivious glint.

Koremitsu had never heard of another Hikaru's brother other than Kazuaki, and at this point, with Hikaru dead, Kazuaki should be the only son of the head able to inherit the title.

However,

(Is there someone else after all?)

Asai looked as if she was enduring Kazuaki's interrogation, apparently frantically thinking in her mind with all her might. Also, there was Hikaru's fearful expression, wondering if Asai would mention that .

And while watching both their expressions, the doubt in Koremitsu's mind gradually became belief.

Was that Asai Saiga fighting a losing battle right from the start?

If however, there was a heir that could oppose Kazuaki, and that heir was hidden secretly by Asai—

Then why would Asai and Hikaru have such tense, grim looks? Should this topic not be led towards the hidden 'heir'?

Asai's closed lips opened slightly,

"Regarding the potential heir to the Mikados, it is not just you, Mr. Kazuaki..."

Hikaru's face was contorted.

"Another—"

There appeared a stern glint in Asai's eyes, willing to oppose Kazuaki. Just when Hikaru was about to turn aside.

Orime, who had been silent all this while, spoke gently,

"You are being too formal here, Mr. Kazuaki. My word is not such an amazing thing."

Her words immediately eased this volatile atmosphere, and the crowd gathered their sights upon her.

With a comfortable look, she continued her words,

"There is nothing significant in the words I write, but if you state your desire to have this old lady’s words, I will be willing to write a few words and hand them to you."

(Lady Orime just protected me just now.)

Asai left the Gonomiya residence as she walked down the scorching road that ostensibly melted her shoes, biting her lips lightly due to the shame of her own immaturity.

If Orime did not interrupt her words, she probably would have revealed all the important information to Kazuaki back then. Her intent to plead Orime for help had long been conveyed, which was why Orime proposed for Asai and Kazuaki to challenge each other, and for the winner to have a word. This helped to prevent Orime's short-sightedness and Kazuaki's probing.

Kazuaki too probably realized the trump card that was in Asai's hands.

But even so, she should not have spilled out what was going on in rage at that moment.

(I wanted to calm down, but I got riled up by Mr. Kazuaki, and became so emotional and impulsive.)

It was because Kazuaki continued to press the matter about her and Koremitsu, and brazenly proclaiming that he wanted to marry little Aoi.

(No, that cannot be the excuse for my failure.)

It was because she lacked patience and poise that she fell for Kazuaki's words. She would have to go through much emotional control against that Kazuaki, the smooth-talker who had been making one lie after another.

She too felt regretful, and was reflecting on her actions, but Orime's proposal really gave her a great chance.

—On Sunday, four days later, please write your favorite words in front of me.

—If I do like any of your words, I shall receive it as a gift, and return my own word.

And so,

—For fair judging of this competition, I shall invite judges other than myself.

She said.

Neither Asai nor Kazuaki raised any complaints.

And Kazuaki calmly smiled.

—This certainly is very elegant, is it not. It reminds me of the poetry contests held during the Heian Era, where people would compete in poetry recitals to determine the quality. In this case, our contest can be said to be 'calligraphy'. Please allow me to take part. What do you think, little Asai?

He turned over to Asai, looking very confident

—Yes, I too accept this challenge.

Asai too straightened her back and answered.

If she was to win this calligraphy contest, she would be able to obtain Orime's words. Also, it would convey to the judges and all those related to the Mikados who Orime would support, Kazuaki or Asai.

With that, the power struggle would change.

But if it went south, and if Orime gave Kazuaki her word—

Kazuaki would basically end up being the next head of the Mikados. If that were to happen, it would be nearly impossible to overturn the situation.

(I have to win no matter what.)

Asai continued to walk in the scorching day as the sun rays baked her head, her long legs trying their best to support her body that would collapse if she got careless. She looked aside clumsily.

The red hound she hated the most had his back slouched. His face in a scowl as he kicked his gangly legs out with the same stride as her, possibly to keep his pace with her. Though he was walking beside her, he continued to keep his lips shut, silently moving forward with that arrogant, insolent, sidelong expression of his.

Neither Asai nor Koremitsu said a single word ever since they left the Gonomiya residence. Koremitsu would never look at her once, let alone talk to her, but he still followed her.

Should she ask Koremitsu to write the words in her place? Asai felt perplexed as this skepticism lingered in her heart.

Orime really liked Koremitsu's words. If Koremitsu was to write instead, the chances of beating Kazuaki for Orime's words would greatly increase.

Asai wondered if Koremitsu himself was an advantage granted to her from Orime, given that Asai was fighting alone against the Rose faction.

(But do I have to ask this dog?)

Her body shivered whenever she thought about it, her cheeks froze, and her heart felt queasy.

This to her was nothing more than humiliation, and she did not wish to borrow the strength of this man who lied about being Hikaru's friend.

She would rather bite her own tongue than ask for such a request.

(But...that is something required to protect Hikaru.)

During the past few months, Asai met Hikaru quite a few times in her light sleep. When he was young, when he was in middle school, when he was in high school—

Each of those Hikaru would give her an anguished look, whispering hoarsely,

I cannot say.

To prevent Hikaru from showing such an expression, to prevent anyone from telling him if only you were not born on this world .

She would give up even her own heart. She could seal her own emotions completely, never to use them again.

Right, this was not a request , but utilization .

(I can lower my head to a dog as long as it is for Hikaru's sake.)

Koremitsu surely would not refuse.

He had been silent all this time, but it seemed he was waiting for Asai to speak up, his lips pouting as he followed her by the side.

Right.

She would not beg for help.

She would simply make use of this confounded dog, and dispose it when done.

She held her breath, imagining herself to be a corpse. A corpse would never feel shame or hatred, but this was not able to extinguish the fury in her heart completely, instead causing it to rage uncontrollably. She inadvertently clenched her fist.

And with such a worst mood, Asai tried her best to eke out her voice,

"For the calligraphy contest, can you..."

Koremitsu's ears twitched in surprise,

"Take...my place..."

She felt repulsed.

Though she had been taking the bare minimum of supplements these few days, her throat felt numb, and she felt nauseous. She had to endure this for Hikaru's sake, and she trained herself many times for that purpose.

And beside her, Koremitsu seemed interested as he focused his attention on his ears.

Suddenly, he stopped.

(What is the matter?)

Asai too stopped.

Koremitsu stared forward into the distance.

Aoi was standing there.

She was dressed in a simple white cotton one-piece dress and sandals. It was the dress she liked to wear at home. However, the ribbon usually tied on her hair neatly was a little messy this time around. She looked awful, tears welled in her eyes, her eyebrows drooped weakly, her lips tightly shut in the opposite direction. She looked extremely frail at this point, and also perilous.

"Aoi."

Asai immediately walked forward worriedly.

And she immediately heard Aoi's trembling voice,

"What Mr. Kazuaki said is true after all...Asa and Mr. Akagi are being on good terms."

Asai was stunned.

"You met Kazuaki? When?"

Asai did send someone to watch over Aoi while the latter did her part-time work, but she did not receive any report of Kazuaki meeting her! She should have known of Aoi's actions and whoever she had contact with.

"What did Kazuaki say to you?"

Flustered, she grabbed her elegant shoulders firmly, her tone seemingly berating Aoi sternly.

"Hey, Saiga." Koremitsu rushed in from behind, trying his best to stop Asai.

But before Koremitsu could pull Asai's arm around from Aoi, Aoi shook it off.

There was a small, sharp pain below Asai's right elbow that came with a snap, and Asai looked back at Aoi incredulously.

Did Aoi just shake my arm off...?

Aoi's eyebrows were raised, her eyes wavering as she clenched her fists tightly, shouting with a precarious voice,

"Please do not act as if you are worried about me!"

This was the first time Aoi had expressed her fury at Asai like this.

Whenever Asai badmouthed Koremitsu, Aoi would at most say things like 'that is too much! I am not talking to you again, Asa!’ That was simply the indignation of a child against an adult, a cute show of stubbornness.

At this point however, Aoi was glaring at Asai with a perilously heinous expression one could normally not imagine her giving. Her outburst too cause Asai to be startled furthermore.

"You sent someone to watch over me, pretending to protect me. You were just looking down on me all this time, right?"

The surveillance got revealed?

That was not all.

(Look down—wait!)

Asai recalled the conversation she had with Tsuyako in the student council office during midsummer vacation, and the blood flowing in her froze.

Tsuyako was berating Asai for sending someone to watch over Aoi.

In contrast to the Saotomes, the eldest daughter of the Udates was by nature a carefree individual, and not only did she cancel her engagement with Kazuaki, there was also the scandal with Hikaru, and even she told Asai off,

—It seems that you know something.

Asai shot Tsuyako some cold words, and the latter stared back with her bewitching pupils, answering I know about it. Answering,

—You and I are the same type of person.

Tsuyako's tone and expression was full of pity, and then, she became stern again as she clearly expressed to Asai.

—Miss Asai, you are always pretending to protect Miss Aoi. In fact, you are looking down on Miss Aoi, am I correct?

"...You overheard my conversation with Miss Tsuyako? Aoi?"

To Asai, it was a shock akin to the whole world freezing.

Aoi bit her lips, lowering her stare.

That was her answer .

Suddenly, darkness loomed upon Asai's eyes, and the light vanished.

Aoi's yell struck Asai's ears sharply,

"Please leave me alone! If you hate me, please do not get involved with me!"

Her eyes were teary as she ran out.

"Wait, Aoi!"

Koremitsu frantically tried to call for Aoi, but the she ran off without looking back.

"What happened there, Saiga? What did you discuss with senpai!? Hey, Saiga, Saiga!!"

Koremitsu continued to holler beside Asai, who had lost all expression, standing there blankly. She had already lost all strength to chase after Aoi, and to chase the noisy dog away.

At this point, she was as cold as a corpse.

(Aoi...knew.)

About Asai's true thoughts .

That ever since they were children, Asai had been condescending with regards to Aoi when they were together—

### 005. Chapter 5: Asagao Did Not Talk

"So...Miss Aoi overheard our conversation outside the door."

It was sunset.

While the school building was dyed red, Koremitsu and Tsuyako were having a discussion in the Japanese dance clubroom. This senpai of his whose long, radiant red hair akin to the red weeping cherry blossoms was tied loosely to the side in a knot, and was dressed in a water blue long-sleeved kimono. She frowned her pretty eyebrows, and let out a sigh.

On their way back from the Gonomiya residence, Aoi suddenly appeared in front of them, yelled, and vanished. After that, Asai simply froze there like an ice sculpture, unable to move.

No matter how Koremitsu tried to call her, she never responded. The moment he was at his wits end, she hurriedly took out her cellphone, and called for a vehicle to fetch in in a flat tone.

Once it came quickly, she got into the car, and disappeared.

She did not respond to any of Koremitsu's words at all while waiting for her ride, not even looking in his direction once.

Koremitsu knew that she was not intentionally ignoring him, but that she could not longer see him in her sights, so he did not leave her until the vehicle came.

He was really worried about what happened to Aoi,

"Asa! Asa!"

But Hikaru was worried about both Aoi and Asai, sounding uneasy as he said nervously,

"It will be good if Miss Aoi made it home safely. Ahh, Koremitsu, please give Miss Aoi a call for confirmation."

After watching Asai leave, Koremitsu dialled Aoi's cellphone, but she simply left it as a voicemail receiver, and never picked up a phone.

"Where are you right now? Call me back."

He left a voice message, and added on with a text message,

"I'm worried. Call me soon."

But even so, Aoi never responded to the message nor called back, and Koremitsu had no choice but to go to her house and the cafe where she worked part-time.

"I managed to contact Aoi! It seems she was alone in a manga cafe single room spacing out. Right now, she says she's cleaning the cat toilet."

Sueko, who was hired by Tojo, informed Koremitsu this, allowing the him to be relieved.

However, the problem was not truly solved in any way. To understand the reason for Asai and Aoi's discord, Koremitsu visited Tsuyako, who seemed to know something.

Tsuyako told him about what she talked to Asai about.

And after hearing it, Koremitsu too was greatly shocked, his heart crushed by sharp claws.

(Looking down on her—are you serious?)

Aoi definitely would be hurt if she heard that.

And this definitely was the reason why Aoi seemed so lethargic recently, why she had been evading Asai and Koremitsu.

Hikaru too remained silent with a gloomy face.

"..."

Koremitsu could sense gloom from Hikaru's eyes, but they did not seem overly surprised; this gave him hint that Hikaru probably suspected Asai's feelings regarding Aoi.

When Aoi's painting got stolen back then, Asai barged into the Japanese dance room to growl at Tsuyako, and the latter did mention a lot of things about Aoi back at Asai.

—Since you are very intelligent, you should be able to comprehend the feelings you have about her?

—To keep protecting her, to guard her from being hurt, to prevent her from being sullied, you-

At that moment,

"No Tsuyako. You must not say such things!" Hikaru yelled.

Once Asai left, Tsuyako seemed to be reflecting upon her own actions.

—I think I said...too much unnecessary things to Miss Asai.

Tsuyako muttered ardently, and forlornly.

At this point too, Tsuyako was giving the same pained look as she did back then, the remaining red sunlight raining upon her alluring sidelong face, creating a dark shadow.

"I was the one who caused Miss Aoi to know of Miss Asai's true feelings, and I do apologize about that...it is just that it is not a good thing to continue on with such an unnatural situation..."

Hikaru lowered his eyes and head as he stood at the red and bright window side. Most likely, he too had the same view as Tsuyako.

"Surely, if this is to continue for a long time, Miss Asai will be the one suffering."

"Saiga?"

Not Aoi who was being looked down upon? But Asai, who had been looking down?

The clouds in Tsuyako's eyes got thicker, and her expression became stern and stiff.

"Who do you think is suffering more? The one who knows that she has negative feelings about the one she is protecting? Or the one who continued to be protected without knowing anything?"

"That's..."

Naturally, it would be the person who realized her own dastardly unsightliness.

"For Hikaru, it was necessary for him to be betrothed to the eldest daughter of the Saotome’s, which would be Miss Aoi. If not for Miss Aoi's unique status, Hikaru would never be recognized as a child of the Mikados. Miss Asai probably understood that already since young. Even though she understood this logically however, it was to be expected that she had some annoyance against Miss Aoi emotionally, as the latter was betrothed to Hikaru as a matter of fact...to curb such negative feelings, Miss Asai probably had no choice but to look down upon Miss Aoi. Because of that, it was a convenience that Miss Aoi became a princess who is unable to do anything by herself and not know anything about the ways of the world.. That is why Miss Asai was able to establish herself as Miss Aoi's guardian, always protecting her, staying by her side, taking care of her."

After hearing Tsuyako's words, Koremitsu felt the bitter saliva in his mouth. His body became rigid.

Hikaru seemed to be reproaching himself as he remained at the window side, his body dyed red as he remained motionless and stuck there. This caused Koremitsu's gut to wince—

"!!, but that's not all, right...?"

He raised his voice, overpowering Tsuyako's voice.

"Saiga is really black hearted, hideous, cold-blooded, a woman who annoys me to no end—but she really showed some serious intent when she told me not to approach Aoi, and when I saved Aoi from Kazuaki, she was really worried about Aoi. She would visit Aoi's part-time working place every single day even when she got so busy she collapsed due to lack of sleep—"

Why in the world am I defending her!?

Asai probably did not wish for Koremitsu to defend her either. However, he did notice thoroughly how Asai treated Aoi as an important person, how she continued to protect Aoi, putting in lots of focus.

Both Tsuyako and Hikaru stared at Koremitsu with tragic, clear eyes. With those 4 eyes staring at him, he felt sadness in his heart. Tsuyako spoke with some bitterness,

"Yes...that is definitely not all. Miss Asai's feelings regarding Miss Aoi...however, Miss Asai right now will never admit to those feelings."

The gaze in Hikaru's eyes gradually diluted.

And while Koremitsu groaned, Tsuyako whispered to him with a gentle expression.

"A straightforward child like you, Mr. Akagi, will find this difficult to understand, I suppose? However, I cannot deny Miss Asai's rebellious personality after all. She and I are the same."

"You did say it before, senpai, about you and Saiga being similar yet different in some ways."

After seeing Koremitsu curl his lips into a frown, Tsuyako showed a mature adult smile.

"Miss Asai and I do wish to become special people to Hikaru."

"Special...to Hikaru...?"

Hikaru, engulfed in the sunset, twitched his eyelashes ardently.

With an adult's look, Tsuyako nodded.

"Yes...Hikaru truly loved every single flower equally, truly and deeply. To Hikaru, every flower is so special, so important. Even so, both of us wish to be the most outstanding to Hikaru himself, the best flower. I chose to accept the path Hikaru took, including to accept all the flowers Hikaru truly loved...and I offered my body, heart and fate to him. I nestled to him, wanting to become one with him. I continue to remain proud as the most beautiful flower in Hikaru's garden."

—There is no one who separates herself from jealously like Tsuyako.

That was what Hikaru said.

No matter who Hikaru dated, Tsuyako would never compare herself to them. Even if it was Aoi, she never thought of wanting to exchange fates.

Tsuyako chose to be the most beautiful flower in the garden that was highly exalted.

But Asai—

"Miss Asai chose a path of not becoming one of Hikaru's flowers. She would definitely not fall in love with Hikaru, never embracing Hikaru, never thinking of becoming one with Hikaru, and furthermore, to become the existence furthest from Hikaru. Perhaps Miss Asai was hoping to become such a person, to create an equal relationship with him—"

If she were to fall in love with Hikaru, Asai too would probably become one of his many flowers.

She would become one of the flowers waiting for Hikaru to pour in his love.

That was why she would not fall in love with Hikaru.

And she stood at a place closest to Hikaru, continuing to be Hikaru's confidant and guardian.

That was the path Asai chose.

"Because of my secret affair with Hikaru, I ended up returning to Japan, and whenever I met Miss Asai after that, I would think, this person truly loves Hikaru so much, protecting him with such a firm heart. She really is pure, like a unicorn that only allows the purest of heart ...this probably is the reason why Miss Asai hates me, but also why I do like her."

Koremitsu always thought of Asai, who always gave a cold stare, as a person he could not stomach.

And till this point, this fact still remained.

But Tsuyako's point about Asai loving Hikaru was ingrained deeply in Koremitsu's heart, and even the he imagined the sight of Asai's cool face changing into something else.

(Hikaru, you definitely knew about that too.)

Hikaru's eyes were looking into the distance as he remained at the dimming window side. It was a fleeting, gloomy look.

Perhaps he was thinking about the past.

About Asai's promise—

"I do wish for Miss Asai to be happy. Well, Hikaru is no longer around after all..."

After muttering this, Tsuyako then teased as she smiled,

"I suppose Miss Asai will hate me more if she knew that I said such things. Please keep it a secret from her."

On the next day, Koremitsu went to look for Aoi at her workplace, the cafe.

"Welcome. Ah—"

Once she noticed Koremitsu's face, she froze up.

She then quickly looked away, lowering her head, wanting to leave Koremitsu.

"Aoi."

Hearing hearing his serious call, she stopped in her tracks, her back facing him.

"S-sorry for letting you worry about me the previous day."

And then, she murmured,

"But, as I wrote in the message regarding my issue with Asa, I want to settle this on my own...Mr. Akagi, you do not have to do so much at this point."

She swept her hair behind, revealing her slender neck, also showing her trembling little shoulders. The shoulders looked frailer than Asai's, helpless.

(Senpai said that Saiga is suffering...but even Aoi herself is suffering here...this is the first time Aoi heard that the childhood friend she always relied on was looking down on her...)

If Aoi did not know about this, perhaps she could continue to live blissfully. However, she did.

"Miss Aoi..."

Hikaru reached his hand out for Aoi, but once he did so halfway, he showed a bitter expression, and pulled his hand back, lowering his head. Koremitsu's heart ached.

"Did Saiga contact you?"

"..."

There was no answer.

In that case, it seemed Asai did not bother trying to defend herself.

Koremitsu gnashed his teeth with all his might.

"I think that Saiga just wants to protect you as a guardian, that looking down on you is, well...it's like those parents saying 'our kid here can't do anything if we aren't around to keep watch'."

The back profile of Aoi looked so feeble, Koremitsu inadvertently wanted to say something. Even if that was just a one-sided wish on his part.

Aoi whispered softly,

"Am I...a useless person who cannot do anything without Asa protecting me?"

Hikaru lifted his head in shock, and Koremitsu too was flustered.

"No, that's not it. Saiga is just someone a little more complicated, always unwittingly saying such harsh words. Those aren't her true thoughts, she really treasures—"

"...you really understand Asa very well, Mr. Akagi, even though you always bicker with her when you meet."

"—That's what Hikaru told me."

"Hikaru?"

"Yeah, Hikaru told me that Asa's true personality's that of a good kid."

Aoi continued to lower her head, cringing.

Both Hikaru and Koremitsu watched her petite back with bated breaths.

And Aoi hushed her voice as she let out a whisper from her lips.

"Hikaru and Asa...would sometimes talk about things I do not understand, and they then go out together...whenever this happen, I feel that I am the one excluded."

"Urk."

"M-Miss Aoi, that is."

Both Koremitsu and Hikaru's faces were contorted at the same time.

(H-hey, Hikaru, is that really the case?)

He glanced at the latter, looking extremely anxious.

"Eh, I did not intend to leave Miss Aoi aside, but those are the things I can talk to Asa about, but not Miss Aoi."

(Seeing how you're so restrained, I guess it has to be about some other woman.)

"But you see, Miss Aoi cannot handle things like snakes and bugs, even saying that she hates kappas because they are sticky. Of course, it is not that I have intention of belittling Miss Aoi, but her skin is a little more sensitive, and catches cold more easily than Asa and me—"

Whenever the topic involved Aoi, Hikaru's mind would end up in a complete mess, panicking, saying some random ramblings that he did not comprehend. Though he was hailed as a harem prince, he really was of no use whenever it counted.

But as his friend, Koremitsu had no choice but to follow up.

"G-guys do have their issues to worry about...you see, Saiga doesn't have any charm there, no different from a guy."

"I suppose Hikaru finds Asa more reliable than me."

"-!! Why are you comparing yourself with her? Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that Saiga isn't forcing herself to be with you."

Aoi turned her body towards Koremitsu, but this did not imply that she had opened her heart. Instead, she looked really furious, raising her eyes sharply as she lambasted him,

"Are you standing on Asa's side too, Mr. Akagi? Do you also think that I am a weak, pitiful person who is unable to do anything? Is that why you are being so earnest to me?"

Koremitsu was overwhelmed by Aoi's presence, unable to say anything.

He wanted to murmur and say something, but Aoi suddenly lowered her soaked eyes, giving a feeble look as she looked ready to burst into tears.

That feeble expression caused Koremitsu's heart to jump. His heart faltered.

"So-sorry."

Aoi spoke with a hoarse voice.

The slender fingers were pinched into fists in front of her chest, her shoulders still quivering as she did her best to hold in her tears. All these caused Koremitsu's heart to scream.

Koremitsu was always unable to withstand a girl's tears; if a petite, feeble girl like Aoi was to show such an expression, his heart would pound uneasily, erratically.

"I-I am sorry. Do you mind going back, just for today? Mr. Akagi, you are the only one I do not want to think of me as a useless person..."

Aoi's voice sounded so fleeting, seemingly about to disappear at this point. Her frail shoulders continued to shiver...

(I'm the only one...what does she mean?)

The next instant he realized those words, Koremitsu's face went hot, and he was confused.

(Why am I blushing?)

This was not the time for him to get his heart racing, and furthermore, she was his friend's fiancee. Hikaru would certainly have a weird misunderstanding again, and start pouting.

The girl reading the book at the wall stopped her hands, giving a refreshing look at them.

And Sueko, standing at the counter, 'that's enough already', was giving him the middle finger, conveying that meaning.

"...Let us depart, Koremitsu."

Hikaru whispered at Koremitsu's ear.

It was true that Aoi would not open her heart to him even if he stayed her.

"Hey, I'll contact you again later, so pick up my call, or else I'll come look for you directly. I never thought of you as a worthless person."

He quickly said a few words to Aoi, and left the shop.

But even so, both Koremitsu and Hikaru were still concerned about Aoi. They roamed outside the cafe, and even brought their faces to the window to peer inside.

Aoi still looked as if she was about to bawl as she lowered her head. She blinked her eyes, as if to remove the remaining tears. She took a deep breath, blinked her eyes again, before reaching below her eyes with her elegant fingers to wipe her face.

(Damn it, I can't watch this any longer.)

Hikaru too kept his lips shut in anguish. At that moment, the shop doors opened again.

Even with tears in her eyes, Aoi turned around,

"Welcome."

And welcomed brightly.

In fact, her voice was still trembling slightly, and the smile on her lips were flimsy. Her eyes were red because of her tears.

However, the way she did her best to smile and speak positively permeated through Koremitsu's heart.

And Hikaru, right beside Koremitsu, leaning his face at the window, looked rather startled too as he opened his eyes wide.

(She's in no mood to continue with her work, but she's still doing her best in there...she held back her tears, and tried to smile and welcome the customers...)

Perhaps it was because he was touched by Aoi's determination to remain resilient that his eyes were inadvertently watery, at the same time sad and miserable thinking for her sake.

And there was a tinge of bitterness spreading in Hikaru's eyes.

"Let's go."

Koremitsu left the window.

"You are right."

Hikaru removed his lonely stare away from Aoi, but before he left, he could not help but look back again, feeling solitary again. Certainly, his feelings must be as conflicted as Koremitsu's.

And it was because Koremitsu knew this that he did not want to mention it.

"...Where do we go next?"

"Let us go to where Asa is."

"To that granny Gonomiya?"

"No, at this time, she should be at school."

"Ack...I have to go to school even during summer vacation?"

The shocking matter was that Asai really was at the school's student council, facing the computer alone as she worked.

When they went their separate ways the previous day, Asai lost all emotion, like an ice doll, and it was worrying.

He was relieved that at this point, Asai was showing her usual unhappy look.

"...Yo"

After hearing the brusque greeting from the door, Asai lifted her head and gave a sharp glare at Koremitsu.

"I am busy. Go back now."

"So cruel and without warning? Well, I guess it's good as long as you're not crying and wailing."

"It is less likely for me to cry than the world to be destroyed."

She spat back coldly.

Koremitsu saw Hikaru looking glum beside him because of these words, and he too felt anguished.

(Oh yeah...this girl did make a promise with Hikaru not to cry.)

—Since Hikaru cannot cry, I shall not cry either.

(But she's still able to remain so calm even after what happened with Aoi?)

The image of Aoi's feeble profile as she tried her best to make that face appeared in Koremitsu's mind, and felt as if an itch is stuck in his throat.

"I just went to meet Aoi."

Perhaps Asai already received a report from her informant.

"Do not do any unnecessary things."

Asai averted her eyes and spoke in a voice more chilly than before.

"At least send a message to her or something."

"If I send one now, Aoi will delete it without reading anything. That girl always has been stubborn and pure."

"But even so, you can tell Aoi what you think about her anyway."

"And so?"

"Eh, just use this opportunity to tell her that 'looking down' isn't what it actually means, but that you used the wrong term because Japanese's too tough or something."

"That was not a mistake."

"Huh?"

Koremitsu was left speechless.

"Asa."

Hikaru too called out for Asai, seemingly wanting to stop her.

And Asai remained seated on the chair as she stared at Koremitsu.

The eyes were not wet in any way, and there did not seem to be any faltering or weakness, just a sharp glint of a sword.

"In fact, I was looking down on her, condescending about her."

"Do not say any more Asa."

Hikaru pleaded Asa with a bitter look, but being a ghost, his voice could not reach her.

"Well, I suppose it is to be expected. Aoi herself is a fragile princess who does not know anything about this world after all. It does suit her to be taken care of and despised for the rest of her life."

Koremitsu felt completely infuriated, and yelled.

"You idiot! Even if it's a lie, you shouldn't say that!"

Hikaru knew that his voice could not reach out, yet he kept calling for Asai, for he knew that Asai was hurting herself as she said those words.

(Even you would be hurt after being rejected by Aoi like that! I could see you clearly when you stumbled into the car all dejected like that!)

But Asai did not stop her spite for Aoi.

"I am not lying. It is because Aoi is so fragile, so ignorant regarding the ways of the world, so incompetent, that I was able to remain with her, that I was able to pretend to like her."

"Was it all an act?"

Koremitsu's voice became vague, his blood sizzling as his blood ostensibly boiled.

Asai answered Koremitsu with an icy voice,

"That is correct."

Hikaru seemed to be enduring his pain as he frowned hard, muttering,

"That is not the case..that is not true, is it, Asa?"

Koremitsu inadvertently gritted his teeth. He recalled what Tsuyako said. His head hurt like it was being strained to its limits.

—Yes...that is definitely not at all. Miss Asai's feelings regarding Miss Aoi...however, Miss Asai right now will never admit to those feelings.

(That's not the case, is it, Asai?)

"But Aoi has already changed, and it is your fault that I cannot pretend to care for her."

Asai's frigid eyes suddenly revealed a fiery fury of hatred.

"If you had not showed up, Aoi would not have done such a foolish thing, like to be independent, and she would not have noticed my thoughts, and then she would have lived a happy life under my care. You are the culprit who ruined all of this. It is because you spread your lies everywhere that everything is ruined."

She was giving Koremitsu a glare filled with hatred, just as she did at Hikaru's apartment. She then asked with a sharp, egregiously menacing glare.

"And what do you know about Hikaru?"

It was an intense glare that revealed her all—her emotions.

"The only one who really knows Hikaru's heart is me. His sadness, his pain, his despair—I shall bear them all! I shall protect Hikaru! You are not needed!!"

Asai's face was contorted as she let out a shrill, maniacal scream.

While she continued to become one with Hikaru and deny Koremitsu, the latter did not show fury at her, merely feeling pain like a pound of flesh wrought off his heart.

Miss Asai wishes to be a special person to Hikaru, and for that wish, she chose a path of not becoming one of Hikaru's flowers, Tsuyako had said.

However—

"Saiga, don't you want to be Hikaru's 'most beloved'? Hikaru's 'lover'?"

The words Koremitsu said were not stopped by Hikaru, who was beside Asai.

Instead, Hikaru stared at Asai with tension and anticipation, hoping that Koremitsu could destroy Asai's twisted, passionate tower.

Suddenly, there was a loud sound at Koremitsu's face.

Hikaru widened his eyes in shock, and Asai's palm was red, her breathing erratic due to her fury as she yelled,

"My feelings for Hikaru are not that kind crude and commonplace thing!"

And that definitely was the taboo zone for her.

Koremitsu's face, slapped by Asai, was searing with heat.

"Disappear from my sights right now! I am not like Aoi! I do not need your help, or anyone else's! I do not need your suggestions nor your assistance!"

Koremitsu did not wish for the conversation to end at this point, but as he bit his lips, Asai shot him a volatile, cold stare as she hissed,

"As for Lady Orime's word, I will write it myself."

Asai refused any form of help from Koremitsu at this instant.

"I want to protect Hikaru using my own strength."

"Sorry for making you do all these annoying things, Koremitsu."

Having left the student council office, Hikaru whispered with a gloomy face on the warm corridor devoid of any person.

The corridor during this summer vacation was completely silent, and it felt wider than usual.

Koremitsu slouched his back as he proceeded forth while muttering,

"Don't worry about that. I'm already hated by that Saiga anyway. Tell me something though, Hikaru. What exactly is Saiga trying to protect? You're already dead."

Hikaru bit his lips tightly, hesitating over whether he should say it. The gentle effeminate face gave a troubled look.

"I know this is something you don't wish to mention, and I did promise that if you won't mention anything about your death, I won't pursue the matter."

Koremitsu continued with a quiet voice without looking over at Hikaru.

It was not that he did not want to know anything regarding Hikaru's family, Hikaru's death, and the reason why Hikaru lingered on Earth.

He also did have a desire to force Hikaru to spit everything the he knew. Hikaru certainly looked really distressed having to bear everything alone.

It was only recently that Koremitsu learned of it, that Hikaru did not close his eyes even when Koremitsu slept.

What exactly was he thinking about alone as he passed these long nights?

Whenever Koremitsu opened his eyes in the middle of the night, he would see Hikaru gaze into the darkness outside the window with his deep abyss-like eyes, the pretty face contorted into despair, his head leaning to the floor in ostensible remorse. When all of these happened, That's enough already! Just say everything out already! He wanted to shout.

Since you're dead already, it's alright to just tell me everything and put yourself at ease!

And yet Koremitsu swallowed this impulse back because he made such a promise with Hikaru.

It seemed Hikaru was bearing everything alone as a redemption for his own sins.

"This isn't just your problem this time; you got Saiga involved too. Can't you just tell me what Saiga is protecting actually, even if you don't want to reveal too much?"

Koremitsu glanced aside, and found Hikaru frowning, showing a feeble look as he whispered,

"...It is about my secret."

"Your secret?"

"Once that secret is revealed, a person will be destroyed because of it. That person is someone very precious to me—and thus, Asa is protecting my secret with that person in my place."

Who exactly was that precious person? One of Hikaru's flowers? What exactly was the secret that Hikaru feared so much? That he went to such painstaking efforts to conceal it?

—It’s just...a little rumor—but Lord Hikaru didn’t die from an accident, but was actually killed by someone.

Koremitsu recalled Hiina Oumi of the news club giving him a boyish look, whispering to him such a rumor. There was also the chain message that 'The murderer who killed Lord Hikaru is in Heian Academy', and this matter fogged the circumstances further.

"In other words, Saiga joined the Wisteria faction, hoping to let your stepmom beat Kazuaki, to protect that secret?"

Hikaru's face got pale as his lips quivered, and said,

"Yes...but Asa's aim lies after the Wisteria takes control over the Mikados."

"After...?"

Hikaru gave a frown.

"Asa wishes to let herself be at the top of the Mikados’ hierarchy."

"Can such a thing actually be done!?"

"But even if it is impossible, Asa will do it, and if it is her, she might be able to do it. In that case, Asa can protect my secret under the protection of the Mikados' head, protecting the one precious to me, protecting everything important to me."

Hikaru's face was contorted in anguish, the raging conflicts in his eyes appeared, and his tone agitated yet frail and erratic as he said those words.

"—But Asa is mistaken...that person and I, are not like what she thought...that person..."

Midway through his sentence, Hikaru suddenly went silent, probably because it touched a sore point for him, and continued with a look of grief. Soon after, he closed his eyes shut, waited for his emotions to calm down, before opening his eyes again. Those eyes were filled with sorrow.

"...Asa may look like the poised, stoic type, but she does have a silly personality to her...she is easily spited, acts on emotions, always reminisce the past, and fails because she is bound by memories. To be honest, Asa really is not suited to be an authoritarian, a leader."

The words Hikaru desperately eked out were filled with his thoughts about Asai.

"If I have to say it, Asa is much happier when she is experimenting and adventuring alone. Her favorite things are the unknown creatures, imaginations, and such things, and she is a girl who did say that she wanted to be an adventurer when she grows up. She is definitely not the type to lead an enterprise, and even she herself may say that she is not interested in such things—however."

Hikaru's hoarse voice was interrupted again, his hands ruffled his hair messily.

"But Asa."

The summer sunlight rained down on Hikaru's face that would not cry. His messy, soft hair was permeated with a golden color as it shook weakly.

"Asa always chooses a path that would hurt herself, taking the path of being an antagonist. Even now, she is walking down the path with the most hardship."

Hikaru lowered his head.

"Because I was the one who made Asa bear all of these."

These anguished words scrubbed at Koremitsu's heart.

"It is all because I left this secret behind, and because I died."

Hikaru had agonizing thoughts regarding Asai.

And Asai had miserable thoughts regarding Hikaru.

(Damn it, I just feel a throbbing pain inside.)

There was Asai, who screamed "His sadness, his pain, his despair—I shall bear them all!"

And as Hikaru as said, she was a stubborn, troublesome, klutzy woman.

With a pleading look, Hikaru lifted his head at Koremitsu.

"I became the curse restraining Asa. Please, Koremitsu, remove me from her heart! Save her from my curse!"

On the next morning,

Koremitsu was waiting for Asai in front of the Gonomiya residence.

The coolness in the morning was replaced by the stifling heat as time ticked by. Asai did not show up even as the asphalt was about to be burned.

But even so, Koremitsu’s lips scowled as he waited like a watchdog.

"Are you waiting for Miss Asai? In that case, instead of standing and waiting here, maybe you should come in and wait? I just made some fine eggplant pickles here, please try them out."

Orime went out to greet him,

"And I suppose Miss Asai may have slipped back after seeing you standing at the door with such a terrifying look."

"Ack."

While Koremitsu was rendered speechless. "That might be possible," Hikaru muttered this beside him with a serious look.

"...please pardon my entrance."

Left with no choice, Koremitsu could only pass through the Gonomiya doors with his back slouched.

Most the Morning Glories in the garden were closed, probably because it had been a long time since the sun rose. Nevertheless, there were many of these Morning Glories in full bloom, their petals covered with the standard colors of reddish-purple and blue, creating a perfect circle. Some of the Morning Glories had their petals covered, the whites in the irises resembling little stars. Some of the petals were white, some of them growing into stinging grotesque shaped ones. All kinds of Morning Glories were grown in this garden, overgrowing.

"Please have some."

Orime personally served the pickles and tea.

"I-I'm tucking in then."

Koremitsu reached his hands out clumsily, and then, using the toothpick that was served to him, he picked a piece of pickle, and popped it into his mouth. The eggplant pickle felt soft, and the salt amount was just right. It was nice.

Koremitsu continued to eat as he pricked his ears for any tiny movement, searching for Asai's rhythmic footsteps.

(Saiga's always scowling at me when I eat the pickles here...)

It felt annoying at first, but since then, it had became customary for him. Koremitsu was already used to Asai's choice words for him, her displeased reaction, and the frosty voice of spite.

Certainly, without that icy stare beside him, there seemed to be something missing...

(!! I'm not a masochist here!)

He tried to defend himself in his heart.

(That person's my...nemesis...rival or something, I guess...?)

Yes, a rival.

This would be most suitable.

Because of Hikaru, she and I are always loggerheads.

Maybe it is because we think of ourselves as the one who understands Hikaru most.

—You cannot possibly be Hikaru's friend.

—I do not recognize you as Hikaru's representative.

Asai had been giving Koremitsu that vicious look from the first day they met, and continued to deny him as being Hikaru's representative. Perhaps that was because Koremitsu invaded the area of work she assumed she should be doing. At this moment Koremitsu understood it all.

Hikaru sat at the veranda with his hands supporting his face, staring at the wilting flock of Morning Glories with his fleeting expression.

—I made such a promise with her when we were young.

—When summer vacation arrives, let us look for the Tsuchinokos, fish for the kappas, exchange messages with UFOs and play with the snowman.

The moment the Morning Glories bloom, that would be the signal of their adventure.

—That is the first promise Asa and I made.

And that promise could not be fulfilled even till his death.

After Hikaru died, Asai forgot all about that first promise.

And so, she continued to keep her last promise with Hikaru in her cold, frozen heart.

—Since Hikaru cannot cry, I shall not cry either.

(Damn it. Why won't that Saiga...come here.)

Koremitsu felt a sharp pain in his heart, his face contorted.

"Did you have a squabble with Miss Asai?"

A serene voice asked.

"Uu..."

Unable to noise, Koremitsu paused as he cringed his neck back.

"Well, to put it, we often quarrel...she really is good at making others angry."

Koremitsu muttered back. Orime listened intently, and upon hearing that,

"Miss Asai is similar to me, no?"

She whispered quietly once she made sure Koremitsu was silent.

"Really...? You seem far better than Saiga, granny."

Upon seeing Koremitsu look so surprised, Orime narrowed her eyes slightly and let out a chuckle.

"When I was younger, I was often told that I was obstinate, that my replies to every person is very cold, that I am an annoying woman. There were also others who said that I was haughty, so rational, and not cute at all, that nobody would marry me."

"You got to be kidding me. That's unbelievable."

Would people actually mellow out in personality along with their age?

(No, that old man at my house scares the neighbors from time to time when he goes out for a stroll. Even now, he continues to have a grudge against my grandma who left him 20 years ago.)

Orime looked into the distance with a nostalgic look.

She probably was thinking back to the time when she was of a similar age as Asai.

"After I got married with my husband, he would sigh and lament, 'I heard that you are not cute, but you really are not cute in any way'."

"Isn't your husband too rude?"

"He was an aloof, insolent man, but exceptionally upright. His verbal etiquette was also very crude. 'Are you not hated? We are even here.' that was what I often retort with. Both of us were betrothed to each other, and we were squabbling every single day..."

But even so, Orime was pleasant in her look and tone, filled with affection.

Was it because of the amount of time that passed? Or was it because both of them had a mutual thing they desired in their hearts even as they argued? Koremitsu did not understand a woman's heart very well, but he had a feeling the answer was the latter.

Hikaru too stared at Orime with a tender look.

Orime told Koremitsu that her husband died due to falling rocks from a mountain. It was less than two years since we were married , she sounded really depressed when she mentioned this, looking really serene.

And so, as a widow, she raised her child painstakingly, yet that son of hers got into a great dispute with her because of marriage issues, left home, and never made contact with her.

"My son and I...were rather obstinate, I suppose. He had a face resembling his father, yet he inherited my personality..."

10 years later, a person informed Orime of the deaths of her son and his wife, leaving behind a 2-year-old grandson.

"I was extremely harsh, and my grandson was never close to me ever since I took him in and started living with him...even now, it seems he is terrified of me. But even so, he does bring his wife to accompany me..."

Koremitsu recalled the granddaughter-in-law who was aloof and haughty to both Asai and him, informing Orime to 'take her medicine'.

It was truly impossible for the trio to live together in harmony.

But Orime herself did not change her expression.

"My parents...and my siblings, my husband, my son...they all died earlier than me... the Morning Glories in this garden are the only ones left, scattering their seeds every year, blooming at regular tunes. The first Morning Glory that bloomed in this garden was the one my husband bought from a floral market. I remember back then, when I found myself unable to help but say 'ah, what a wonderful blue', and my husband made a snide remark, saying 'yup, as blue as the relatives you talked down'. The next morning, I found a pot of the Morning Glories I liked lying on the corridor..."

Orime revealed the smile of a young girl.

"That person really was bad with words...a troublesome person."

She spoke so cheerfully.

"It was really intriguing. Both of us were loggerheads all day, and we were not passionately in love like how the world dictates, but after my husband died, I found myself longing for him more. And so, whenever summer came, the Morning Glories bloom, and I remember the first pot of Morning Glories he gave me."

Orime's smile became more radiant, her eyes showed a gentle expression.

Her lover was someone she could only reminiscence in her memories.

But even so, whenever she remembered his face, his voice, his actions, she probably felt as she she would melt in bliss.

For example, Koremitsu's mother, who wept as she kept apologizing to him 'I'm sorry, Mitsu', that mother of his who abandoned Koremitsu while he was still in elementary school, vanishing into the other end of the darkness; perhaps she would be like Orime, one day reminiscing about such events.

I hope she can do so. Koremitsu earnestly prayed.

Hikaru, staring at Orime with a pained, clear expression, definitely would have the same feelings as Koremitsu had, hoping that this pain in his heart would become dazzlingly pretty one day.

Orime looked over at the Morning Glories, seemingly hoping to look for something within as she showed a faint expression, and forlornly muttered,

"The first time Mr. Hikaru came to visit my house, it was when the Morning Glories were about to bloom..."

Hikaru's eyebrows quivered slightly, his expression filled with reminiscence and gloom.

"That time, he was still in kindergarten, and hid amidst the Morning Glories with his knees tucked in as he took refuge from the boys in his class chasing after him."

—I was a child often bullied back then.

Koremitsu recalled Hikaru saying such things back then.

—A mistress' child.

Some were even spiteful words.

Koremitsu saw Hikaru was so effeminately thin during kindergarten, so androgynous and petite. It was likely he was easily bullied by the boys..

For the first time, Orime frowned slightly.

"Mr. Hikaru had to learn of his own circumstances at such a young age, and with his mother's unfortunate death, was living alone in a new house. I suppose he had to be forlorn, anguished and uneasy back then. However, he never showed anyone even a single tear. He was not trying to hold back his tears, but that he really forgot how to cry ever since he was young."

After hearing Orime's words, Hikaru showed a modest smile.

That was a smile he would surely show whenever he was in grief and suffering miserably.

(I see...you couldn't cry even when you were a brat.)

Hikaru's profile overlapped with the memory of Koremitsu himself as the latter bawled his heart, looking completely erratic, and this caused his heart to wince in agony.

Hikaru had yet to cry.

Koremitsu himself had yet to smile.

Both of them were lonely children.

"When I went up to him, saying 'did you have a quarrel with your friends?', Mr. Hikaru shook his head bashfully, saying, 'I have no friends'. He then looked up at me, asking 'Am I a person who should not have been born? Am I a 'problem'?..."

—Am I a person who should not have been born?

What feelings would a child at age four or five have when saying such words?

Thinking about this, anguish again filled Koremitsu's heart.

An ordinary child would never think of such things, let alone say them out.

And this would not have happened if the people around Hikaru did not tell him 'you are a problem' or 'you are a child who should not be born'.

Koremitsu was sizzling all over, furious at those who said such spiteful words.

"I could deny those words to him back then...but I do know that Mr. Hikaru was in quite the complicated predicament amongst the Mikados...and I did not think it would be wise to simply let the matter slide and pacify him."

Orime certainly was a serious person, and she would not lie even to a child. No, it was because he was a child that she would not lie.

And then, Orime knelt down on her knees, her eyes level with Hikaru's, staring right at him as she said.

—You are still on a journey in your life, and if you want to find that answer, you have to keep walking. Even if you are unable to find that answer, even if you are feeling lost, it is fine. Do not be anxious. Take every single step, and proceed forth firmly. Perhaps you will find a correct answer at a certain point in your life in the future.

—Correct answer?

—Yes, this correct answer is not one others would give to you, but is something for yourself.

—Can I really find such an answer?

—There is a larger chance for you to find it if you go with the mindset of 'I will definitely find it', rather than 'I will not be able to find it'.

—Chance?

—Instead of just thinking about it, would it not be easier to find beautiful blooming flowers while walking down the road with an optimistic outlook? That is how it is.

Hikaru widened his eyes, staring at Orime's face intently, and soon broke into a smile, saying 'I understand'.

—I will find a correct answer that belongs to me.

—Yes. A correct answer only for you.

—If I understand what that is, can I tell you that, Madam Orime?

—I will be glad to listen to you.

—Then, if I cannot find a correct answer...can I come by to look at the Morning Glories from time to time? They give me a place of shelter, are really gentle, and pretty too.

Upon hearing Hikaru ask this question bashfully,

'Yes, certainly', Orime answered as she felt genial emotions within.

From that moment onwards, Hikaru would appear at the Gonomiya residence from time to time.

Basically, Hikaru would suddenly appear on the corridor, eating the pickled cucumbers and turnips Orime made, telling her about recent events that occurred.

—I have not made any male friends yet, but I am happy to have Asa and Miss Aoi to play with.

—Asa and Miss Aoi are a year older than me, older sisters. That is why when I call Miss Aoi 'Aoi', she would blush and tell me angrily 'add the honorific!'. It was fine when I called Asa that however.

—The boys were all playing football during break time, and they would not let me in. The girls however let me join them in playing house though.

—The girls are really cute, kind and cheerful, soft like flowers. I really love flowers and girls.

—I will be attending elementary school soon. It would be great if I can make a male friend.

—I have yet to make a friend yet, but there are a lot of beautiful flowers in the elementary school garden, and I am made in charge of them. Also, Asa and Miss Aoi are both in the same elementary school. They come to pick me up every morning.

Hikaru would cheerfully smile, apparently engulfed in bright lights all the time, whenever he went to visit Orime. He would never tell her anything deflating, only about the flowers he liked, and the cousin and fiancee he got on really well with.

—One of these days, I will definitely find that answer, and I can go on an adventure with Asa. I definitely must abide by the promise to go looking for Tsuchinokos with her.

It was the summer vacation during Hikaru's 4 th grade, and his tone suddenly became mature and serious as he told this to Orime. At that time, his face, arms and legs showed injury wounds.

"Though he was still smiling and eating the pickles like usual...I wonder what happened back then..."

Hikaru again showed a faint smile on the corridor.

He definitely must have smiled this way to Orime too.

Orime silently awaited the looming summer and the growing Hikaru.

"Mr. Hikaru truly was a beautiful child. Whenever he was seated at that corridor, he would be dazzling brighter than the summer sunlight...I was looking forward to what sort of adult that child would grow into, what answer he would find."

However, Hikaru died before Orime did.

Her face, once radiant, suddenly froze, her eyes devoid of life.

Her stare was fixated upon the wilted Morning Glories, and Hikaru, being in that spot, stared back lifelessly and miserably.

However, Orime could not see Hikaru.

She sighed, and muttered.

"Again, I watched another person depart."

Koremitsu felt a stinging pain in his heart.

He too realized that with people dying early like Hikaru, those surviving would feel miserable thinking about the memories that were made. Hikaru too looked melancholic.

Orime got up to walk towards the corridor, probably intending to head to the garden filled with memories of Hikaru. Her feet stumbled, causing her to nearly fall over.

"Watch out!"

Koremitsu hurriedly grabbed Orime.

Unlike Asai, who was relatively heavy despite her slim figure, Orime was as light as cotton.

"My eyes have been dizzy recently, and my head groggy. I suppose it is time for me to be sent off."

Orime sounded as if she was silently waiting for that day.

"Don't say such ominous things. The average lifespan is increasing."

Koremitsu puffed his cheeks angrily, and at this moment, the granddaughter-in-law came in with a bowl of medicinal soup.

"Grandmother, you will ruin your body if you exert yourself too much."

She glanced aside at Koremitsu, deliberately raising her voice for him to hear, and left the room.

(To think she was so polite to that Kazuaki. Now that's annoying.)

Koremitsu cursed quietly.

Orime took the bowl with both hands, and slowly drank the medicine.

"You've been drinking that medicine all this time. What's that?"

"I heard that it is the Greater Burdock tea. It is said to be able to boost the metabolism in my body. My grandchildren grew these flowers in the garden here. If I die, will they shed a tear or two at my funeral...or will they gleefully take the inheritance for investments...?"

Orime lowered her eyes as she calmly muttered quietly, slowly drinking the tea.

She sounded as if she was talking about another person.

Koremitsu frowned.

"Don't say that now."

Orime put down the medicine in her hands, looked over at Koremitsu,

And then, she gave a clear smile,

"I do apologize here. However, at this age, I do feel that nothing does matter at this point. All those that infuriated me back then, all the unforgivable acts, they all seem like nothing much now, and then I became disinterested in whatever I am good at. Now that I have nothing I wish to do, my body and feelings have all become numb..."

Orime quietly hummed a poem,

"'Our thoughts and lamentations in this world are merely like the dew on the Morning Glories'...this is what I am thinking right now."

"What do you mean?"

He asked indignantly,

"This world is so fleeting like the dew on the Morning Glory petals, so why do we worry so much? Why do we lament so much...?"

She answered coldly.

"!!"

What do you mean, fleeting? As Koremitsu ended up scowling more than before, Orime stared at Koremitsu with the expression of one looking ready to meet her demise, her eyes murky.

"However, Miss Asai is still young. She probably would not be able to let go of Mr. Hikaru's death no matter how painful it is, how much she mourned over it. She inadvertently felt that she had to do something for him after he died...and chose a life where she could continue living with him."

As Orime talked about Asai, Koremitsu felt his heart bog him down.

Hikaru too winced miserably.

Her words made Koremitsu realize that even after Hikaru had died, Asai believed that she was one with Hikaru. Release Asa of my existence, though Hikaru did plead this of Koremitsu, was it really salvation for Asai to remove his existence from her heart?

The garden was littered with Morning Glories that were growing wildly.

They opened their petals proudly in the morning, while people were still asleep, and gradually shriveled them.

Appearing in his sights was a radiant blue, a noble purple, and a sensual white.

Regal yet sensual, outstanding yet grotesque, this garden of the Asagao Princess—

Orime, Koremitsu and Hikaru stared at the garden of Morning Glories, filled mostly with wilted flowers, with forlorn looks.

Asai did not appear at the Gonomiya residence that day.

On the next day, Shioriko's elementary school held a dodgeball tournament.

As promised before, Koremitsu went to cheer for her.

Draped on his shoulders were the heavy lunchboxes and cooler box of drinks Koharu forced him to carry, and he was spectating amongst the other parents and siblings present. Standing beside him was Masakaze, tapping at the digital camera with a grumpy look.

"This is the only...pachinko prize left."

His grandfather explained to the family when he returned home the previous day, holding a new digital camera box. However, both Koremitsu and Koharu knew that he had no interest in pachinko.

"It's a waste to just leave it as it is. There's no calligraphy class due to a break anyway."

And so, he followed Koremitsu,

(Aren't you the one who suspended class for this day at the last minute because of Shiiko's tournament day, gramps?)

Koremitsu wondered, but did not retort back.

And he watched Masakaze grumble and wrestle against this digital camera he was not adept at, helping nonchalantly from time to time, saying some things. However, he himself was not particularly familiar with the latest technology either.

Thus, he reasoned with Masakaze the previous day, telling him to ask Koharu for help, for she was the best at using electronics in their household since she was always working on the computer.

'How can I lower my head to a woman!'

However, Masakaze roared back and refused.

Masakaze finally learned the basics of using it in the end, and then, he raised his white eyebrows, staring at the lens, ostensibly not wanting to miss out on any of Shioriko's heroics.

Soon after the match began, Shioriko was being extremely proactive.

She caught a ball that was flying straight at her, and charged forward to attack decisively. Her long hair was tied into two ponytails as usual, and now garnished with a twisted Japanese paper cord.

"That kid's really cute."

"A pretty girl, isn't she? She's definitely a child talent, right?"

She became the focal point of attention, and her petite body, wrapped under the gym clothes and spats, was sprinting from one end to another, ostensibly not knowing the meaning of lethargy. "Ehh! I can't take photos from here!" Masakaze anxiously moved around, chasing after Shioriko's movements.

"Gramps...pay some attention to your surroundings at least, will ya?"

However, it was unknown if Koremitsu's advice was paid to heed...

(Well, at least he won't be saying things like 'dew on a Morning Glory'.)

Thinking about the events at Orime's house caused Koremitsu to be somewhat relieved, yet downhearted.

He could not contact Asai at all.

He had been calling her since the previous day, but Asai would pick up and hang up on him immediately, and this exchange continued over and over again. Such obvious rejections were worse than simply refusing a phone call.

When he called Aoi, the voicemail was the only thing answering him. Soon after however, 'Sorry, there is nothing going on here. Please do not worry about me'. Aoi would send him such a message. In fact, this alone made her a lot better than Asai in this regard.

Hikaru too was frowning like Koremitsu as he stood by the side.

And Koremitsu felt his heart wince when he recalled the heartfelt words from Hikaru 'I became the curse binding Asai' .

—I became the curse restraining Asa. Please, Koremitsu, remove me from her heart! Save her from my curse!

Hikaru's wish was to pull Asai away from the Mikados' power struggle, to continue living and forget him.

(But isn't Saiga's wish to protect Hikaru even if she has to sacrifice herself?)

The first promise between Hikaru and Asai.

And the last promise.

They were completely opposite.

—However, Miss Asai is still young. She probably would not be able to let go of Mr. Hikaru's death no matter how painful it is, how much she mourned over it.

Orime's words echoed in his words.

—She inadvertently felt that she had to do something for him after he died...and chose a life where she could continue living with him.

Once Hikaru died, the desire to continue protecting Hikaru became the pillar of support for Asai. If she were to lose it, what would happen to her?

(I'm Hikaru's friend, and it is my responsibility to hear out any of his wishes.)

However, was it best to leave Asai as she were?

Was it okay for him to not attend the calligraphy duel the next day?

On that day he returned from the Gonomiya residence and met Aoi, Koremitsu was perplexed as to whether he should help Asai in the calligraphy duel until she denied him. While he would not boast about it, Koremitsu had been practicing calligraphy since young, and even when Shikibu called him a delinquent, she did praise him for having such a good handwriting.

If Asai had asked him for help, he would definitely take up the offer.

Hikaru wished that Asai would pull away from the Mikados' power struggle, and if Orime gave her word to Asai, it would mean that Asai would be recognized as being a representative of the Wisteria faction. Koremitsu knew that to Hikaru, this was not what he would be delighted about.

(How would that Saiga even speak up when she hates me this much?)

Instead of being a fragile girl weeping, awaiting help from others, Asai preferred to protect Hikaru using her own power.

(But am I really going to let her bear all this responsibility and fight alone?)

Koremitsu's lips got more contorted, and the frown on his eyebrows deepened.

Right beside him was Hikaru, who too was giving a solemn look.

Koremitsu's lips inadvertently let out a sigh.

And the cellphone in his pocket rang.

It was an anonymous mail, and once he noticed the title, he felt his rage soar through the roof.

"The women who were with Lord Hikaru. Third Act: 'Asai Saiga'."

Hikaru too looked surprised, his breath bated, his expression frozen.

"Ugh, this person again?"

The first was Yū, and the second, Tsuyako.

The third time, it was Asai. Asai Saiga, Lord Hikaru's cousin, had the facade of being an honor student, the student council president. Though she pretended to be aloof with regards to Lord Hikaru but in fact, she was forcing an illicit relationship with him, dominating him to satisfy her own desires.

Lord Hikaru wished to break off ties with Asai, and Asai killed him—

Koremitsu deleted the mail without reading the rest of it.

"What kind of person delights in sending such chain mails?"

The other students in school probably received the same message and read it.

Perhaps even Asai and Aoi too—

Though one could tell from the title that it was mere harmless gossip, the directed party would certainly be hurt even if it was a lie.

"This is unforgivable."

" But why Asa...? How exactly is the person writing this message choosing the girls?"

While Hikaru muttered grimly.

"Mr. Akagi!"

A cute, cheerful voice changed the entire atmosphere.

Koremitsu lifted his head.

"You..."

Dressed in a raunchy outfit of tanktop and shorts was a petite girl with large breasts, Hiina Oumi of the news club.

Her limbs were wrapped in bandages, and there was a bandage stuck on her face. However, she was smiling heartily at Koremitsu with her large eyes.

"Ahh, I got injured because of some stupid things. I'm recuperating."

"Are you sure you're alright coming to such a place? It'll be bad if you knock into someone and injure yourself while falling over. Anyway, what stupid thing did you do that caused you to be so wounded?"

"Ahaha, there was a dangerous scoop, and I got beaten up while getting my material."

"!!"

Koremitsu again widened his eyes, and Hikaru too opened his mouth wide.

"Aren't you a girl? Stop being so reckless!"

"Ah, you're worried about me? Thanks!"

"That's not funny in any way! Goodness!"

Hiina gave a frivolous smile as she looked back at Koremitsu, who was really infuriated. And then, she leaned forward, grinning,

"It's really nothing."

She blinked her eyes in a boyish manner,

"I got what I wanted anyway. These little injuries are nothing."

Koremitsu stared at the busty girl with a childish face, yet has an intelligent appeal.

Was she such a mature person? Was her speech mannerism so deep before?

She used to be yapping away all the time, never one to be apologetic even when bothering others, utterly fearless.

"Actually, I have an important piece of news to tell you, Mr. Akagi. The president will be faced with an arduous trial tomorrow."

"Huh? Are you some weird fortune teller?"

Koremitsu looked completely astounded, shocked within.

The next day would be the calligraphy duel against Kazuaki.

(Does that Oumi know something after all?)

With an innocent look, she said,

"It's not a fortune, but a prophecy! This trial has already begun though, it seems."

She said, showing her cellphone screen to Koremitsu.

Shown on it was the exact same message Koremitsu had read.

"Such news are really tasteless. There's no objectivity in such news. All the words include the grudges and hatred of the women Lord Hikaru got involved with. As a member of this industry, I can only find this laughable."

Didn't you gossip about me a lolicon before? A vengeful spirit of delinquent? Koremitsu had the urge to retort back.

"But can president Saiga remain calm after reading this message?"

However, he swallowed his words back in after hearing Oumi's serious tone.

Hikaru too listened intently, looking extremely worried.

"The Matriarch Asa will suppress her emotions and force herself to calm down, but she is a woman after all, one with great mood swings. If a part of her collapses, everything else will follow suit. You better support her well, Mr. Akagi."

(What exactly...is she.)

Koremitsu was left confounded.

"Please help her."

Hiina whispered,

"In place of brother..."

And continued.

However, Koremitsu did not hear the entire line clearly,

(What do you mean, oh bother?)

Just when Koremitsu was still thinking about what Hiina meant, she gave an earnest smile and a wink.

"Oh yes, I'll leave Miss Shikibu to you."

"Huh!?"

Stupefied, he turned back frantically.

And he spotted Honoka slightly distanced from the crowd.

Once her eyes met Koremitsu's, she widened her eyes in fright, and then looked around, ostensibly wondering if she should run away.

And for that reason, Koremitsu hurriedly ran over to Honoka.

Having lost the chance to escape, Honoka looked up at Koremitsu with an awkward expression.

Koremitsu, being Koremitsu, approached her anxiously, but had no idea what he wanted to say. In his panic, he opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"Do you think...I can like you?"

He recalled Honoka's voice as she said this to him, her large eyes teary, and his face sizzled red as a result.

Honoka's face was similarly beetroot, and she said,

"Erm, I heard that Shiiko's having the dodgeball match today. I came to support."

"I-I see."

Koremitsu's eyes revealed some surprise as he nodded.

"Well, I've been busy recently...haven't had time to do my homework."

(Why am I talking about some excuses here? Don't I have other topics to talk about?)

However, Koremitsu could only think about Asai, Asai and Asai at this point.

"Erm—well...there's a certain person going further down the wrong path, and I can't get that person back no matter how I called out."

He said with some desperation.

Honoka was stunned.

Ahh, what am I saying here?

However, what he said could not be taken back. Koremitsu could only lean forward, saying,

"But that person just can't see any path other than the one in front of her, and insists that finishing that path is something very important. What do I do with such a person? Do I grab that person by the chest, and pull that person back in? Or do I honor those wishes and watch that person walk till the very end?"

Honoka looked very perplexed, but she witnessed a serious-looking Koremitsu raise his eyebrows and widen her eyes,

She pondered, and answered,

"How about walking with that person?"

These words felt like a refreshing breeze in a sealed, humid room.

Koremitsu widened his eyes as he looked back at Honoka.

Beside him, Hikaru too revealed a similar expression.

"If you're going to be troubled and remain where you are, that person's just going to drift away from you, right? You may end up losing sight of that person after everything happened, never able to find that person. How about you follow instead of waiting and regretting? If anything happens, you can help that person, and that person might listen to your suggestions. If it's me, I'll definitely follow."

Hikaru's lip gradually broke into a smile, his stiff face easing up.

The darkness in his eyes were slowly dissipated by the bright light.

(Ahh, yes.)

Koremitsu's heart too was brightened like the summer sky.

The important thing was not for him to deny nor watch, but to follow that person and follow her until the very end.

This is definitely the right answer for us now.

Koremitsu reached his hands out, grabbing Honoka by the shoulders,

"Thanks."

And lowered his head while she was still flustered.

"You're really my Heliotrope."

"Wh-what?"

Her face was beetroot as she muttered. It seemed she just said what she thought of.

However, there was no one more reliable he could talk with. He finally understood the reason why her blog was popular. It was great that he could be Honoka's classmate, for she was not terrified of him, and was able to talk to him as an equal. It was really great to have Honoka around!

Her face was blushing,

"I-I'm going to cheer for Shiiko now!"

She spoke with apprehension, and left.

Filled with thanksgiving and heartfelt emotions, he watched Honoka leave. He then pulled out his cellphone, dialed Asai's number, and placed the phone at his ear.

After several beeps, Asai picked up the phone.

And before she could cut it off, Koremitsu declared firmly with vigor.

"I'll definitely go tomorrow!"

Asai did not answer.

But Koremitsu did hear a sigh of hesitation before the line was cut off.

He put down the phone, and looked down.

Standing there was Hikaru, giving a tender look, his blond hair swaying in the wind.

Both of them exchanged looks.

Is this alright?

Yes.

Hikaru grinned in a dazzling manner.

### 006. Chapter 6: That Day's Memory Is Far Away (1)

It was the morning of the calligraphy duel. Both Koremitsu and Hikaru were feeling the same.

"Alright, time to get writing!"

"I shall leave it to you, Koremitsu. I will dress up in some costume and cheer you on!"

"Ugh, forget about the tennis outfit, Heian outfit or Greek mythology look."

"Then, how about I dress up in an ancient, honorable high collar uniform?"

"Just watch with a normal uniform. That's the best way to cheer me on."

This exchanged occurred as they walked out of the corridor. And then, they found a pitch black car parked in front of the door.

"That is Asa's car."

"What?"

And Koremitsu got into a defensive posture.

However, it was not Asai who walked out of it, but the chauffeur dressed in a black suit and white gloves.

"Lady Asai has ordered me to welcome you."

He bent his body politely, in a refined manner, and opened the back passenger door.

"Perhaps Asa changed her mind because of yesterday's phone call? Koremitsu, you really are manly and cool there. Asa may be very aloof, but there definitely is a maiden called Asa who believed in Santa Claus inside that wall of ice."

"What are you saying now. A maiden Saiga? Thinking about that gives me goosebumps."

But leaving aside whether it was a bait dangled in front of him, Koremitsu certainly did feel uneasy about Asai having to fight Kazuaki alone. Certainly, this might be her way of asking him for help. Of course, such a stubborn person would never grovel her head and ask others for help with a teary look.

"Guess I got no choice."

Koremitsu raised his nose and snorted, looking like a dog that was praised for an outstanding job of fetching a lost item. He then sat inside the car, slumping his back on the soft seat.

This was the second time Koremitsu took this car, the previous time being when he had to rush to Kazuaki's villa to save Aoi. He could not concentrate on the softness of the seat the last time, but this time, he could enjoy it a little.

However, the vehicle was moving slowly at a speed that would not reach the Gonomiya residence quickly.

"Koremitsu, this seems strange for some reason."

"Hey, where exactly are we going now?"

"It seems there was a last minute change of venue."

"Let me off here."

"We are on the expressway at the moment. Please wait for a moment."

And such an exchange occurred.

"Please get off now."

The chauffeur opened the door, and appearing in Koremitsu's eyes was a lush forest and a wide grassland.

Speechless, he looked around.

"I shall be picking you up once the meeting is over."

And the vehicle drove off in front of Koremitsu.

"How in the world am I supposed to write at such a place!"

"Hm, Asa is Asa after all."

"Aren't you just saying something completely different from what you said before? There can't possibly be a maiden Asa in that ice wall after all! I'm dumped here now, no!?"

At this point, that wild hound who feared nothing would certainly be cussing away somewhere in the hills.

—I'll definitely go tomorrow!

Asai faltered when Koremitsu said this over the cellphone the previous day.

She had ignored him to such an extent, yet that man remained so annoyingly persistent.

As she found him too annoying, too infuriating, the noise continued to echo not only in her ears, but also in her chest. If she were to continue hearing that voice, she would lose the ability to decide calmly.

And so, she decided that on the next day, she would send him as far away as possible

She just received the news from the chauffeur that he had sent Koremitsu into the hills. It seemed there was no vehicle or human to be seen, so it would be hard for him to hitch a ride.

With that, she would be able to focus on her duel against Kazuaki.

Firmly believing this, she opened the doors to the Gonomiya residence. She sat on the tatami in a seiza, her back straightened as she quietly waited for the showdown to begin. However, her heart was as anxious as ever.

All sorts of thoughts appeared in her mind,

‘I'll help fulfill your promise with Hikaru!’ whether it was Koremitsu,

‘Leave me alone!’ whether it was Aoi,

‘Since Hikaru is dead, how about living for yourself for a change instead?’ or Tsuyako.

And also, there was a young Hikaru's face.

—You are so smart, Asa. You know so many difficult words.

There was the cute, innocent, angelic cousin who abruptly appeared in front of Asai one day.

Asai said that she wanted to grow up to be an adventurer, to unravel the mysteries of the world, to exchange messages with UFOs, to travel in space. Hikaru never laughed at her for any of these.

"I too want to look for Tsuchinokos, and try fishing for kappas with cucumbers, try riding on UFOs, and see how Earth is like from space."

It was the summer vacation when Hikaru was in 3 rd grade, and Asai in her 4 th .

Both of them had a promise to go on an adventure.

"Keep it a secret from Aoi. She has a frail body. If she gets a bug bite, it will swell; if she sees a snake or a kappa, she will faint. If it is known that both you and I went out to play, Aoi will pout and not listen to us."

"I understand. I will keep this a secret from Miss Aoi."

"Then, let us meet here tomorrow morning."

"Sure! When the Morning Glory blooms, that will be the signal for our adventure!"

However, the initial promise Hikaru and Asai had was never fulfilled.

Hikaru did not return home on the night before that meeting.

The children who bullied Hikaru locked him in the school storage room. When the teaching staff discovered him and rescued him, he was already covered with wounds all over.

They were all scrapes and such, but Asai felt her heart rip apart when she saw Hikaru's pure white skin littered with such wounds.

Hikaru said that he accidentally walked into the storage room, got locked inside, and could not get out.

Why will you not tell the truth? Asai was raging, but he calmly answered,

"But it is my fault. Mr. Yuuji and the rest said so. They said I am 'not a child to be born', and they said that I am not reflecting on my actions because I cannot cry. They would not let me out until I did cry."

And so, he smiled forlornly.

"But Asa, I...cannot cry."

The Morning Glory, which was supposed to be the signal for their adventure, had completely wilted.

In place of this promise that was not fulfilled, Asai and Hikaru made a new promise.

"In that case, I shall not cry either."

That was the final, strongest promise.

She wanted to gain power to protect Hikaru.

She would no longer have the dreams only children would have. She sealed the future she had mapped out.

She decided to look at reality coldly, without letting her guard down, all to protect Hikaru.

A Hikaru who would not cry.

He continued to smile in front of others, acting as if nothing miserable had happened to him— however, I know that this is not the case.

Hikaru will definitely continue to maintain a smile in front of everyone else.

Thus, I shall protect Hikaru.

To prevent his beautiful skin and pure white heart from being hurt again, she would gather power and climb higher.

Ever since then, she received everything in the name of the elders, and never let off anyone who blamed Hikaru in any way.

However, everything changed due to Hikaru's death.

When she heard of Hikaru's drowning at the river near the villa on that night, her vision became dark due to despair, ostensibly hearing the sounds of the torrent that gulped Hikaru in.

(I was unable to protect Hikaru's heart.)

Even after giving up her entire future, she was unable to save that most important existence.

And that was why she had to protect the last thing Hikaru left behind—

But was this really the best way?

Was there really nothing wrong about it?

—You promised to look for Tsuchinokos with Hikaru, right?

Koremitsu's words appeared in her mind again, her chest seared like a hot poker

Having done everything for Hikaru's sake, did Asai not make a single mistake?

Was that the reason why Hikaru was in such despair? Such anguish? Did he not die because he was completely hapless?

The reason why she carelessly revealed a smile at Hikaru's funeral was because she was relieved that Hikaru was finally liberated from the place where he was tightly bound to, and completely helpess.

Why was it that even after becoming such a person, she was unable to bring Hikaru out from that place?

When exactly did she start making mistakes?

Every single night, she would see Hikaru, both young and grown up, appearing in her eyes whenever she was depressed looking back at her silently. They did not plead for help, and they did not shed tears. They were simply looking over in Asai's direction calmly.

(Did I do something wrong after all? I should have saved you earlier, should I?)

No, perhaps she might get taken advantage of by Kazuaki if she were to deny herself till this point. Even if Hikaru died, the promise that day would still remain in her heart. If she did not fulfill it, it would continue to throb furiously in her heart, and if that was fulfilled, she would not need her future.

Asai's eyes filled with vigor as she straightened her back.

"Mr. Akagi is not here?"

Orime asked.

"He will not be coming."

Asai answered stiffly, and Kazuaki, waiting for the start in the same room, chimed in,

"Eh? A lover unwilling to help in times of crisis? I never thought Mr. Akagi would be such a ruthless person. Ah, since you are so strong and wise, he definitely believes that you are fine being alone, little Asai. Either that, or he is giving me a handicap."

He spoke with an amicable expression, but Asai ignored him.

"Is that so..."

Orime however looked on worriedly, before breaking into a tranquil smile.

"Let us begin then. I shall now introduce the judges. Please come in."

The sliding screen rattled.

Orime slid it aside, and there appeared a tall male with his back straightened, dressed in a fine tailored suit, together with a young, slender lady.

Once she noticed the duo, Asai froze.

The man was Masayuki Tōjō, Shungo's father, the current head of the Tōjōs. Till this point, he was a reliable partner of Asai's group—and currently, the leading vanguard of the Rose faction pushing for Kazuaki to be the successor.

(So Tōjō is a judge for the duel between Kazuaki and me?)

Masayuki was a realist, for better or worse. He did not put in too much emotions to his naive, idealistic son, and was a man who could calmly analyze the situation and take action.

That was why he was able to switch over from the Wisteria faction to the Rose faction without hesitation. What prompted him was not emotion or stubborn will, but cold, calculated decision making.

Instead of which word was good or bad, it would be correct of him to choose whose word in this situation, and how it would affect future developments. His decision would affect all the aspects.

Masayuki thought about everything with regards to the decision benefitting Kazuaki.

This was a disadvantage to Asai.

However, the one worrying Asai more than Masayuki Tōjō was the other judge—Fujino Mikado.

(I never thought she would be called in—)

No. Since Masayuki, an overt supporter of Kazuaki, was called in to be a judge, it would be fair to call in Fujino, who was of the opposing faction.

But she—Fujino, had an excessively close relationship with Hikaru, and they had similar appearances.

There was an age difference of more than 20 years between her and her husband, the head of the Mikados, and even though she was young, being in her 20s, one would mistake her elegant figure and transient appearance as being a girl in her teens if he did not pay attention.

Having done that, there was an increasingly striking resemblance to Hikaru.

Hikaru and Fujino were stepson and stepmother, nephew and aunt.

Hikaru's dead mother was the older half-sister of Fujino, who was conceived from a mistress. And both of them looked alike, the head of the Mikados had high expectations of them. It was natural that Hikaru would resemble her, for he inherited his beautiful mother's looks completely.

And Fujino, having appeared in front of Asai's eyes, was like a heavenly girl dressed in a feather coat, dancing as she descended.

Everything seemed so fleeting, so temporal, so clear. She had a feminine grace, extremely refined.

The most beautiful woman in this world—

Who exactly said this about Fujino?

She had fine eyebrows, crystal-clear look, thin lips and snowy white skin. There was also fluffy, silky light brown hair draped from her shoulders to her chest.

If basked under light, that hair would probably be dyed golden—like Hikaru.

Asai's heart was wincing in agony.

No, I have to calm down no matter what.

She forced herself to look away from Fujino, and re-exerted strength in her back and solar plexus.

Orime in turn explained the rules.

Asai and Kazuaki would take turns writing words, and in the end, the judges would choose the best of them.

"Well, it is nerve-wrecking having to write words while old man Tōjō and Miss Fujino are watching, no?"

Kazuaki spoke with a self-conceited expression.

For Kazuaki, Fujino was the woman who was taken in as the second wife after his mother, Hiroka, left the Mikados. It was to be expected that he did not have good feelings about her, but his ramblings and expressions betrayed no signs of negative emotions regarding Fujino, and he did not falter in the slightest.

Because Kazuaki did not know about that matter...

The calligraphy duel began.

Asai and Kazuaki were seated side by side in the spacious room.

And laid out in front of them was ink, inkstone, and penbrush.

Orime, Masayuki and Fujino were seated at a position by the side, where they could spectate over Asai and Kazuaki.

Amidst that, Orime's grandson and granddaughter-in-law could be seen.

They were in colludes with Kazuaki. The Gonomiya's fortunes was tightly managed by Orime herself, and they could not use it freely. It seemed they were involved in some strange investments, resulting in their financial difficulties, and Kazuaki probably said some enticing words to them. They definitely were around to support Kazuaki.

"Now then, please begin, Miss Asai."

Orime said.

"Please excuse me."

Asai bowed politely, took the penbrush, and wrote a word on the Japanese paper.

She cautiously lowered the tip of the brush, tensed herself, and wrote an intricate word.

Then, she placed the completed word in her hands, and went to the judges.

"My first word is 'Secluded (幽邃)'. The room Lady Orime resides in has a tranquil view that shows a serene mood."

"As expected of you to know of such a difficult term, Miss Asai. The word is pretty too."

Masayuki sounded very impressed.

"This truly is like you Miss Asai. A clever and neat word."

And Fujino too expressed her thoughts with a calm, quiet voice.

"Secluded—that is one of the words I like."

Orime smiled.

"It is my turn now, I suppose? Please excuse me."

Kazuaki finished a word easily.

And then, he showed the written word for Orime's group to read.

"'Green hills (翠巒)— a continual series of green peaks. It is fine to remain leisurely within the house, but it is fine to go out at times and see the green hills, I suppose? I will be willing to accompany you at any time, if you wish."

He spoke sweetly with a refreshing smile.

"Yes, I suppose. The hills are green and beautiful."

Orime too had a fine impression of it.

Masayuki looked pleased at Kazuaki's polished counter.

This duel was not to be settled simply on how good or bad the word was written.

It also involved the words used, the meanings hidden within them, the artistic appraisal, and also the comprehensive and insight abilities for those reading the words.

The second word Asai chose was 'Blue skies' (碧落).

"Lady Orime's heart is so vast and free like this blue sky. Even when she is in the garden of this house, she is able to understand how vast and limitless the sky is."

She praised Orime, deriding Kazuaki in the process.

But Kazuaki did not fault as he calmly wrote his word,

Youthful rain (瑞雨).

"Lady Orime's mercy is so vast, like this rain of blessings. Please allow this comfort and elegance to rain upon our hearts."

And so, the duel continued.

'Fleeting moment (玉響)', 'Morning Calm (朝凪)', 'Purity (清雅逍遥)', 'Translucent (玲瓏)', 'Greeting the stars (星迎)', 'Wander (逍遥)', 'alignment (整列)', There were many words laid on the tatamis like Karutas .

When Asai wrote the word 'Sincerity (至誠)' and explained her logic, Kazuaki wrote the word 'Reflux (還流)', saying that there is only one source of all river flowers, and after going around and around, it would return to the same source. He spoke with a voice similar to Hikaru's, that as the eldest son, it was logical that he was to take over his father.

The duel was not to be determined just like that. Though she would not lose if this kept up, she wanted to deal a decisive blow to assure victory.

After thinking about it, she wrote,

'Magpie (鵲)'

"Like the magpies that gathered to form a white bridge for Altair and Vega to be together, please allow my wishes to be connected."

These words were more direct than anything she had said before.

Orime's name came from Vega of the Weaver Festival, Tanabata. The moniker 'Asagao Princess' also referred to Vega. Perhaps there were thoughts or recollecting about Tanabata.

Amongst them, which bird exactly would tug at Orime's heartstrings?

"Magpie...the beautiful white bird...that helps lovers."

Orime muttered with strong feelings.

"I really love this bird."

Those words caused Asai's heart to throb. If she were to continue writing words related to Tanabata...

"Hm, this is to be expected of you, Asai. In that case, I shall"

Kazuaki again moved his pen fluently.

"Yes, it is done."

The moment he submitted he submitted his word, Orime's face froze.

Masayuki and Fujino both looked perturbed.

And Asai frowned when she saw Kazuaki's word.

"Abyss (深淵)"

He had been giving lavish praises to Orime all this while, writing words that anyone hoping to be the head of the Mikados would write.

One had to wonder, what exactly was Kazuaki planning in writing such a bleak word?

(Has he given up on winning?)

Or was it that he was thinking of showing off a trick?

Orime's face froze.

However,

"This is the first Morning Glory in this house, am I correct?"

Kazuaki asked, and Orime nodded,

"Yes."

She suddenly became quiet, showing a lovely look.

"This was the name of the blue Morning Glory my deceased husband bought for me at the floral market..."

(I have been had!)

Asai felt like biting her lips at this point.

Orime was blinking her moist eyes.

This was the proof that Kazuaki's word touched her heart.

And this was the trump card he had.

He used this move at such a moment.

It was perfect.

Masayuki nodded in approval, and Fujino too appeared impressed as she looked over at Kazuaki.

Kazuaki spoke with a sympathetic, tender voice,

"I suppose you must be really depressed that your husband and son departed before you. I do feel the same way, Lady Orime, when I lost my younger brother."

Asai's cheeks froze.

He actually talked about Hikaru at such a moment.

Kazuaki actually talked about feeling the same when it was the child of the mistress he despised. There had to be a limit to his obfuscating folly.

"I do regret a lot now that it would have been better if I had become more intimate with Hikaru. He is the only little brother I have on this world after all."

Kazuaki talked about Hikaru with a voice similar to the latter. Asai's skin pricked; her body sizzled.

Kazuaki intended to rattle Asai.

She would lose if she were to listen to Kazuaki's words head on.

However, the pretentious words of mourning, coupled with the voice similar to Hikaru, crept into Asai's ears, and she felt her chest tighten, ostensibly ripping apart.

"There is a saying that beautiful things would attract misfortune, and perhaps Hikaru was fated not to live so long after all. To an ordinary person like me, he was so languid, so carefree, and I really cannot help but worry..."

That is enough, stop despising Hikaru.

Do not let me hear that voice similar to Hikaru.

"Hey, little Asai, Hikaru did cause you quite a lot of troubles, no? I did receive an anonymous message that you have an illicit affair with Hikaru, though I do believe this is just some baseless rumor after all."

"..."

Did Kazuaki see the exact same slandering message Asai's cellphone received the previous day?

It was a crude, imaginative message, purporting that Asai killed Hikaru out of love.

But there definitely was no way any romance could occur between them!

—Don't you want to be Hikaru's 'most beloved'?

Such crude words inadvertently echoed deep within her ears, and her heart again was overcome with a tearing sensation.

(That is not the case.)

She never thought about becoming Hikaru's lover.

She never thought about being one of the many useless flowers who could only be loved by him, not even once—

Upon seeing a speechless Asai bite her lips firmly, Kazuaki turned over to Fujino this time.

"Miss Fujino, you too must have been distressed when Hikaru died."

Asai's breathing paused for an instance, her ears fixed on Fujino's words.

Fujino spoke calmly with a lovely, tranquil voice,

"During these few years...I hardly had any interest with Mr. Hikaru. As you all knew, I was ostracized by him."

Those words—

Asai fell into a frenzy when she heard those words.

The swirling heat in her convened at one spot, ostensibly ready to explode immediately as she lashed out,

"DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT WAY!?"

All the people present in the room looked over at Asai, flabbergasted. She however did not stop, the pain and anguish surging in her throat as she vented her fury upon the beautiful woman who resembled Hikaru so much.

"If you were not around, Hikaru—maybe he could have continued living."

Yes, Love killed Hikaru.

Hikaru's wishes.

Hikaru's hopes.

On that day, Hikaru,

His 'most beloved'.

"Miss Asai."

Orime called out sternly.

The voice, sounding extremely dignified due to age, caused Asai to gather herself again.

"...Pardon me for my verbal gaffe."

Fujino muttered a few words softly, and turned her head aside again.

"No...if I did not wed over, Hikaru may not have left the house..."

The room became extremely quiet.

Masayuki looked perturbed as he frowned, and Kazuaki looked back and forth at Asai and Fujino, probably thinking about something.

Orime asked Asai concernedly.

"Miss Asai, if it is inconvenient for you, how about a break for today?"

"No."

She held the penbrush clumsily.

If she were to stop the match here, the rumors would immediately circulate in the Mikados and between the associates. When that happens, nobody would trust Asai.

There was no way out other than to fight it out against Kazuaki and beat him.

"I will write."

She hushed her voice as she answered.

However, her hand was trembling, and she was unable to write.

What word do I write now?

What is the correct answer?

I do not want Hikaru to be hurt again. I want to protect him. But he is suffering so much.

I know that, but I am still unable to save him.

Is there still meaning in continuing this battle? Is Hikaru really hoping for this?

The young Hikaru, the 15 th year old Hikaru, the thoroughly wounded Hikaru, the tragic looking Hikaru, the Hikaru who got swallowed by the tide, the Hikaru who winced in agony; all of them appeared in her mind one by one, and her vision got blurry, her trembling hands unable to stop.

She did not know anything!

The instant the black ink landed on the white paper.

The siren of the police patrol car could be heard.

And there was a loud commotion approaching them, seemingly stopping in front of the door.

"Did something happen?"

"I shall have a look."

The moment the granddaughter-in-law stood up, the noises of commotion and shocked servants exclaiming in surprise could be heard. Suddenly, the sliding door opened.

Standing at the spot every person was looking at was a boy with messy red hair, a sharp glare, his hands on the sliding door, his feet spread far apart.

It was Koremitsu Akagi.

He looked at Asai's face and hands, and shouted,

"Hey, Asa! What can you write with those hands!?"

### 007. Chapter 7: That Day's Memory Is Far Away (2)

After pushing away the sliding door furiously with both hands, Koremitsu saw Asai's tense, grim face, the hand holding the pen still trembling.

He went through a lot of troubles from the moment Asai plotted to have him left in the hills, all the way till the moment he got to this place.

He found a bicycle with its tires punctured nearby, rode on it, and pedaled so hard it felt as if flames were soaring out of his eyes and nostrils. This resulted in a police siren approaching from behind, 'Hey, stop!' the policemen inside shouting at him.

It seemed there was a report that a savage looking youth was going berserk on a bicycle at the hills.

One of my family members got killed! Some trouble happened! After lying about such things that never occurred, he was sent here on the patrol car.

The calligraphy duel had already begun, and looking at Asai at this point, it was obvious that she was currently at a disadvantage.

But what mattered was that it was not over yet.

"What can you write with those hands!"

Koremitsu yelled at Asai, and the latter's frozen face looked ready to explode into anger, tears, and turmoil. All sorts of emotions were betrayed by her face.

(Now then, let's begin.)

He looked at that face, and took a step forward.

"Do not go any further. Koremitsu..."

Suddenly, an anguished voice rang beside him.

Koremitsu stopped.

He glanced aside, and found Hikaru with his head in his hands, looking extremely pale as he quivered. It was a timid, feeble expression, seemingly yearning for something as he stared at a woman.

It was the extremely beautiful woman seated beside Orime.

(Hikaru—!?)

No, that was not Hikaru.

However, Koremitsu did see this woman who resembled Hikaru so much, whether it was the white skin, the slender neck, the refined eyebrows, nose and lips.

He first saw her at Hikaru's funeral.

Back then, that beautiful lady was dressed in black clothes, her head lowered emptily, her eyes filled with clear tears as she smiled silently.

The second time was at Shioriko's house.

She was dressed in a plain blouse and skirt, watching the Purple Gromwells that surrounded her in the garden. She then slowly walked towards flowers, seemingly caressing them as she touched the petals, her eyes filled with tears again.

The hair, seen bundled together at the funeral and Shioriko's house, was left dangling naturally this time.

She looked a lot younger with that look, giving the impression that Hikaru was there.

But in fact, Hikaru was beside Koremitsu, his head tilted slightly aside, his lips quivering as his face contorted in agony.

That was the exact same reaction as when they met her at Shioriko's home.

At that time, Hikaru fell into panic, and looked extremely excruciating.

—Sorry, I am really sorry about that...we have to hurry up and look for Shiiko, but...sorry

He continued to apologize profusely, finally burying his face into his knees, concealing his inner heart.

And just like back then, Koremitsu was confused.

"Sorry, Koremitsu...we cannot stay here. Let us return back. We cannot stay here any longer. We cannot, cannot."

He continued to shudder and repeat his words.

(Go back? What? I don't understand what you're saying now! Who exactly is that woman!?)

That lady with an uncanny resemblance to Hikaru seemed somewhat intimidated, her expression frozen, probably because Koremitsu was glaring at her. With a soft voice, Orime explained to Koremitsu,

"These are the judges I have invited for today, Miss Fujino Mikado and Mr. Masayuki Tōjō."

(Mikado—!? And Tōjō!?)

Fujino, as in the 'Fuji' Asai had been advocating? In other words, she was the second wife of Hikaru's father, Hikaru's stepmother.

(So she's that young!?)

Both of them did not seem to have the relationship of mother and son, but more like siblings.

Hikaru stared at Fujino with fear and yearning, muttering ‘Do not go’ over and over again.

"We cannot be together. We cannot."

There was no way Fujino could see Hikaru, but Hikaru was utterly terrified, as if Fujino realized his existence. Even so, he continued to stare at Fujino, ostensibly attracted to her, as he moped around on the tatamis.

"Koremitsu...sorry. Sorry...I..."

I want to get away from that person as soon as possible. Hikaru's anguished expression and voice was stating this to Koremitsu.

If they were to continue to remain here, Hikaru would probably break apart.

(But if I'm to go away now, what will happen to Asai!?)

And as Koremitsu stood there with his eyebrows raised, Asai, seated on the tatamis, was looking at him with apprehension. Her long thin eyebrows were compacted together, and she was biting her pale lips, looking overly uneasy as compared to usual. The black ink was dripping from the tip of the pen she was holding, spreading on the paper.

Koremitsu yelled,

"PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER!"

And Asai widened her eyes in shock.

Orime, Fujino, and all the other people present looked stunned because of Koremitsu's sudden outburst.

Kazuaki, who was beside Asai, remained still with his mouth agape.

Hikaru too stopped groaning as he lifted his head at Koremitsu.

The beautiful, dreamy eyes were pleading for help.

Koremitsu continued,

"WE'RE HERE NOW, SO WHAT CAN YOU DO IF YOU'RE SO SCARED! STOP BEING SO UNBECOMING OF YOURSELF! DON'T YOU HAVE A PROMISE TO FULFILL!? IN THAT CASE, STOP FLOUNDERING, STRAIGHTEN YOUR BACK, AND JUST DO IT!"

Hikaru too clenched his fists, trying to stop his trembling using his own strength. There was some trust and courage in his eyes that were looking at Koremitsu.

That's right, Hikaru.

Your will brought me all the way here. Your feelings of wanting to help Saiga drove me here. That's why, Hikaru,

"You're not alone!"

Hikaru lifted his head, and narrowed his eyes, giving a sacred look of respect as he listened.

And Asai was seated over there as she listened in on Koremitsu like Hikaru did. She widened her eyes, her lips quivering—and then, she frowned slowly, and bit her lips firmly. It looked as if she was hastily concealing the emotions she nearly revealed.

It seemed Asai had assumed the words Koremitsu yelled at Hikaru was directed at her.

She straightened her back.

At the same time, Hikaru stood with a clear expression, right beside Asai, ostensibly protecting her.

Koremitsu too strode forth.

He placed his hand on Asai's shoulder, and hissed as he faced forward.

"Leave this to me."

With Koremitsu's hand placed upon her, Asai's slender shoulder shuddered slightly.

He took the pen away from Asai, and in her place, had the paper facing him. Asai did not stop Koremitsu as she straightened her body and sat beside him, her eyes still uneasy, seemingly yet to recover.

"I shall leave this to you then, Koremitsu."

Hikaru whispered.

Orime, Fujino, Tōjō's father, all those present awaited the first word Koremitsu would write with bated breath.

Kazuaki's eyes too stared at Koremitsu's hand from beneath the glasses.

Koremitsu held the pen firmly, dipped an ample amount of ink at the tip, and did not swap out the paper Asai dirtied as he wrote on it.

He drew thick lines with much conniption.

He wrote a large word that filled the entire paper.

It was free and impudent, like a child holding a pen and writing for the first time.

And he shoved the word he wrote to Orime and the rest.

Orime, Fujino and Masayuki again showed bewilderment on their faces. Orime's grandchildren, watching from the sidelines inconspicuously, were also left befuddled.

Kazuaki's mouth was wide open too, looking completely disconcerted. Asai widened her eyes speechlessly, and her eyebrows were raised due to anger.

"Tsuchinoko (ツチノコ)."

That was the first word Koremitsu wrote.

(What are you doing!? Are you making fun of me!?)

These words arouse in Asai's throat, and she nearly lashed out at Koremitsu.

What Tsuchinoko? And such an unrefined, childish handwriting, to boot!

Kazuaki, being right beside her, could not help but laugh.

"Ahahaha, your words are really bold there, Mr. Akagi! I never thought about Tsuchinokos or anything, you know~?"

He said as he fluently wrote the word 'Kirin (麒麟)'.

"A merciful and wise Kirin does fit you well, Lady Orime."

It was a word of elegance and intricacy, one Koremitsu's word could not compare to.

However, Koremitsu continued to remain silent as he scowled, writing,

"Kappa (河童)."

"Cucumber (キュウリ)."

"Snowman (雪男)."

"Alien (宇宙人)."

Asai's face was gradually reddening due to shame, and her hands on her knees were not quivering because of jitters, but because of rage at Koremitsu.

(I knew I should not have asked this man for help. Why did I feel relieved when he opened the sliding door? Why did I find him reliable when he placed his hand on my shoulder?)

Asai did not know whether he was here to assist or here to ruin the situation.

I wonder if he came all the way to this place on the police patrol car just to vex me to no end.

Kazuaki looked assured of his victory as he continued to write beautiful words that had multiple meanings, whether at first glance or not.

And his flattery of Orime was going extremely well.

"Tsuchinoko Park (ツチノコパーク)."

And Koremitsu again wrote Asai's dark history brazenly on the paper, filling it.

Asai was at her limit.

But just when she was about to complain about it, she widened her eyes in shock.

There was a smile on Orime's face.

Orime was not giving a wry smile due to shock from Koremitsu's childish words, but seemed to be reminiscing about something, sympathetic as she narrowed her eyes and opened her lips.

Fujino and Masayuki, flanking her from both sides, were staring intently at Koremitsu's direction, and not Kazuaki.

With an impassioned, fiery stare, Koremitsu stared at the paper as he wrote his words with his firm, muscular, slender arms spread wide, ostensibly scattering his sweat away.

He continued to write those robust words.

Kazuaki's words were light and thin, and this was stark contrast to Koremitsu's robust words, further emphasizing the difference.

What immediately attracted the attentions, and appeared in the sights was not the neat, tidy words of Kazuaki, but the simple, lively words Koremitsu wrote.

Asai too found herself inexplicably attracted.

(Why is my heart throbbing?)

Those words are so crude, so barbaric, like a child's handwriting.

Those words are supposed to be the one I dislike.

"Morning Glory (朝顔)."

Koremitsu wrote.

Unlike the childish, brazen words he wrote before this, it was a neat, riveting word that oozed comfort, a textbook example of a pretty word children could look at.

Asai's heart quivered intensely again, and she felt a clamping sensation.

What a pretty word.

What a dignified word.

What a dignified Morning Glory flower.

And as she had this notion, the next word Koremitsu wrote was,

"Stubborn person (意地っ張り裏番)."

(Is he referring about me?)

While ignoring Asai's scowl, he continued to write beautiful words at ease, 'obstinate(強情)' , 'haughty (高慢)' , 'conceited (生意気)' , 'cold (冷徹ツチノコ)' , 'Mastermind (裏番)' .

(I am just an obstinate, haughty, conceited, cold mastermind after all.)

But for some reason, when Koremitsu began writing those words, 'Deary me', 'you do not have to put it that way', even Orime was left muttering, her face reddening.

His lips curled into a frown, he wrote,

"Clumsy (不器用)."

Upon seeing those words, Asai's heart pounded shrilly.

And then, there was a gentle, flowing line.

"Promise (約束)."

At that instance, an image of the bright summer sky appeared in Asai's mind.

In the midst of the dazzling light, Hikaru, still in his elementary school days, was smiling as he reached his pinky at him. On that day, they had their first promise together.

That was when they were extremely innocent, extremely blissful—

Fujino Mikado, spectating this duel, seemed to narrow her eyes forlornly the moment she saw the words Koremitsu wrote.

Orime again showed the fleeting, distant expression that was filled with dreams.

"..."

It was Kazuaki's turn next.

But Koremitsu put aside the 'promise' paper, and continued writing on another piece.

"En route (途上)."

(This is the last one.)

Koremitsu stared at the paper, and drew sharp strokes on it with indignation.

Koremitsu, who wrote so many words till this point, had no plans or strategy.

He simply wrote the words he thought of, and the words his friend, the ghost beside him, wanted to convey.

But the last word was what he had decided on.

Koremitsu did not know whether Orime would like it.

But this was the word he wanted to convey to her.

And certainly, Hikaru too—

"En route (途上)."

He held the word he wrote firmly in both hands, and showed it in Orime's direction.

Orime stared at the words in shock, with bated breath, forgetting how to move.

(Hey, granny, you said that you're like the dew on the Morning Glory, and that you don't want to do anything now, just waiting for someone to take you, right? But your journey isn't over yet! You're still on a journey!)

Koremitsu said these genuine words to Orime in his heart.

Beside him, Hikaru too showed a clear expression at Orime, saying with such gentleness,

"Madam Orime once told me that I would not be able to find an answer if I do not move forth. Right now, I am still on my journey, and nothing can be done if I do get lost. She told me not to be impatient, simply move forward one step at a time, and one day, I will be able to find what I think is the correct answer."

If I understand what that is, can I tell you that, Madam Orime? When Hikaru asked this, Orime answered, I will be glad to listen to you.

If it was Orime, who was able to recall such an insignificant promise 10 years ago, she should be able to understand the meaning of the word Koremitsu wrote, even if he did not say it.

Hikaru's wishes probably were conveyed too.

"Madam Orime, please continue walking. Please do not say that your life has already ended."

With a gentle expression, Hikaru said to Orime,

"Madam Orime's path is still to be continued."

Hikaru's voice,

Orime would certainly be able to hear it as she reads Koremitsu's words.

She lived her life vacantly till this point, but she was currently awake, reverting back to her wise expression as she said calmly,

"My journey is still yet to end, huh?"

And so, with a gentle expression, she raised her eyebrows leisurely, showing a smile. She lifted her face, and spoke poignantly with intelligent looking eyes.

"I suppose I should give Mr. Akagi a prize of the highest order for the words that have taught me so."

Asai widened her eyes.

And Kazuaki bit his lips, looking extremely vengeful.

Masayuki spoke solemnly,

"If this is what the Asagao Princess wishes for, I shall have no dispute over this."

And Fujino too elaborated cautiously,

"I too am thoroughly impressed by Mr. Akagi's words. Especially...the word 'promise'..."

Hikaru too looked to be in an arduous state when Fujino spoke, but he maintained a thin smile as he endured it.

Orime then looked at every single person.

"Now then, it is decided that Mr. Akagi will be given the best prize."

Asai looked completely incredulous.

And at that moment,

"What are you saying here? This is too strange, is it not? Why are you admitting a person who has no relation to the Mikados, and suddenly barged in, as a participant!?"

The one who stood up to yell was Orime's grandson.

Koremitsu never noticed him at all as he had such a weak presence.

(Who is he?)

He wondered.

"He is Madam Orime's grandson." If not for Hikaru telling him this, he would have assumed the person to be one of the misters amongst the servants with quite the arrogant pomp.

And the granddaughter-in-law, biased towards Kazuaki, insisted along with her husband,

"Yes, that is too weird! Mr. Kazuaki's words are elegant and beautiful!"

The grandson then gradually raised his voice,

"It must have been your body feeling unwell, grandmother. Have some tea and some rest. Hey, you over there, serve grandmother some tea."

At this moment, Orime spoke calmly,

"I shall not be drinking your tea anymore."

Orime stared at her grandchildren with conviction.

At that instance, both of them were spooked as they exchanged feeble glances with each other, their bodies quivering in panic.

"B-bring grandmother out of here."

The grandson ordered the servants, and the daughter-in-law gave an excuse to Fujino and Masayuki,

"Grandmother is prone to saying strange things recently."

The grandchildren did not notice the atmosphere at all because they were panicking. Masayuki gave a frown, and Fujino looked uneasy.

Koremitsu too stared at them intently.

At this moment, he heard Hikaru's voice,

"The reason why you are being so frantic in wanting to excuse Madam Orime, is because you know it will be difficult for you if Madam Orime explains your schemes."

Hikaru's tone was not sweet like usual, and there was some seething fury betrayed by his eyes, a rarity at that, as he stared at the grandchildren.

"Madam Orime never said anything because she has been sheltering both of you till now, no? But!"

There was a harsh, loud voice echoing in the ears of a stunned Koremitsu. Hikaru actually spoke in such a manner,

"No matter what her true wishes are, I cannot allow this to continue anymore! Madam Orime is the one who accepted me and gave me encouragement, my savior, the Asagao Princess I so respected. If she is unwilling to speak because she is concerned about your welfare, I shall be the one condemning you to protect her!"

Hikaru's eyes were looking extremely harsh, unlike his usual self.

"It is best that everyone listens to this. I will not allow you two to do anything to Madam Orime again!"

"Hey! Put your hands off granny! I'm going to let everyone hear what you did to her!"

Koremitsu too spoke loud enough for everyone in the room to hear, conveying Hikaru's words.

'Let us see what you will say this time' Asai was giving Koremitsu a wary look, and Fujino, Masayuki, looked over at Koremitsu in shock.

While biting his lips, Kazuaki directed his stare towards Koremitsu.

The grandchildren were increasingly flustered.

"What are you insinuating that we did to our grandmother?"

"Yeah? You looking for a fight?"

They fervently refuted.

Orime stared at her grandchildren emptily, remaining silent.

Maintaining a serious look, Hikaru continued,

"Does everyone know that there is toxicity in Morning Glories? At first, the Morning Glories were imported during the late Nara period as medicine. The seeds were very effective in being diuretics and laxatives, but as they were extremely costly, there was a tale that a cow had to be exchanged for it. That is why the Morning Glory is called the 'Cow leading flower (牵牛子)'. As a medicine though, there was a terrifying toxin within those seeds,"

And Koremitsu in turn glared at the grandchildren, yelling,

"Do you know that the Morning Glory seeds can be used as medicine, but that they're filled with poison!?"

The grandchildren's shoulders jolted, their eyes wavering.

"Wh-what are you saying now?"

"Y-yes, why are you suddenly talking about Morning Glories? Is it not strange?"

Hikaru however continued with great clarity,

"There is one species especially amongst the Morning Glories called the Datura. It is a dangerous plant with a similar medicinal and toxic effects as the Belladonnas. There is a certain alkaloid that has numbing effects, and a few of its seeds can cause intoxication, eliminating a person of his cognitive ability. Because of this, it is used as an anaesthetic during operations."

"There's a specific troublesome thing amongst Morning Glories, called the Datura. It is used for numbing during operation, but if it's not used correctly, it'll be something bad."

"Dizziness, double vision, extreme parchness of the throat, inability to urinate, anxiety, hysteria, hallucinations; these are the symptoms that will occur, and soon after, the person will die."

"The person will have dizziness or whatever, can see two of the same thing, dry throat, anxious, hallucinating, and finally death. Do you know of this!?"

Koremitsu stared over at the duo as he approached the grandchildren immediately. Both of them cringed, continuing to shiver due to Koremitsu's terrifying glare.

And around them, Asai, Fujino and Masayuki listened to Koremitsu's words with bated breath. There was anxiety shown in Kazuaki's eyes hidden beneath the glasses.

Hikaru then pointed,

"Those dangerous Daturas are growing in this garden. Near that medicinal garden too! Is this a coincidence!?"

"Daturas are growing near the medicine plants in the garden! Do you know that!?"

"Those are Daturas."

Hikaru pointed his slender, white finger in a direction, and Koremitsu too stiffly raised his finger and pointed,

"Those are Daturas!!"

It was a little garden of medicinal plants, simply surrounded by stones. Beside it were blooming white flowers, with corrugated leaves and petals poking out. Wrapped by the vines, they were showing little spikes on the surfaces, giving off a menacing look.

The grandchildren paled.

"The Datura seeds are not the only poisonous part. Its flower, fruit, vines and roots all have toxicity. Daturas and Burdocks roots are similar looking, but it is impossible to mistake each other when Datura roots burrow deep into the ground, no? Is this really just an accidental mistake?"

"Datura are not only poisonous in the seeds, but also the roots! Both of you know about this, and yet you grew them there, right!?"

"The Burdock tea Madam Orime drinks is good for her body, but you two have been harvesting those things from the garden, brewing them for her every day."

"Granny drinks the Burdock tea every day, but is it really good for her body!? Maybe you weren't using Burdock to brew, but Daturas, right!?"

Orime could only watch her grandchildren forlornly whilst they were cornered.

Surely she knew.

Both about the fact that the Morning Glories growing by the medicine garden was Datura, and that her grandchildren were mixing Daturas in the tea.

When exactly did it begin?

How long exactly did it continue, that Orime continued to consume it even though it was corroding her body.

Having understood Orime's inner heart, Koremitsu felt a chill up his spine instead of fury or sadness.

(Granny, you just gave up on everything? You didn't want to live anymore?)

"The symptoms Madam Orime has, dizziness, double vision, parchness of throat, they all fit the description of symptoms caused by Daturas. If she had consumed a large amount at one go, there would be an obvious toxic reaction, and your schemes would have been revealed immediately. However, it seems that you were not anxious for the outcome. You just want to control the fortune that is available, hoping the death of your grandmother as she controls the money, shortening it even if it is little. No, perhaps you never had such radical thoughts. You simply wanted to use the Datura poison to weaken Madam Orime's body, so that her mind would not be as sharp, waiting for the day to force her to quit her position as the head of the household, control the household."

"GRANNY'S DIZZINESS GETS WORSE BY THE DAY BECAUSE OF THE BURDOCK TEA YOU GUYS BREWED! THAT CAN BE INVESTIGATED! YOU WANT TO USE THE FINANCES OF THIS HOUSEHOLD FREELY, AND FORCE GRANNY TO RETIRE, RIGHT!? YOU CAUSED GRANNY'S EYES TO BE BLURRY, SUCH THAT HER MIND'S UNABLE TO THINK RIGHT, ISN’T IT? YOU'RE SAYING THAT GRANNY OFTEN SAYS SOME WEIRD THINGS RECENTLY, BUT YOU GUYS ARE THE WEIRD ONES, RIGHT!? GRANNY'S NOT THE ONE BEING STUPID! THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE!!"

While Koremitsu bellowed, the grandchildren were slumped as they pricked their ears silently, looking at Orime's direction.

Right, it's too early to retire! Granny!

You said it before, right? Your journey is still ongoing!

"We-we do not know anything about Daturas or something. We never heard of that before!"

"Y-yes! How can we know about the Morning Glory species when we are not professionals? We do not know, we do not know anything at all!"

The grandchildren yelled haplessly.

The granddaughter-in-law looked over at Kazuaki, seeking his assistance.

"Mr. Kazuaki, I-I just brewed tea for her out of concern for her own health."

And Kazuaki showed the look of young, wise lord as he answered feebly,

"However, it is not a good thing to brew something for Lady Orime without knowing of the effects."

"But that is,"

"Mr. Kazuaki!"

The grandchildren's faces were filled with despair, knowing that they were not getting any protection.

Masayuki and Asai too stared at the grandchildren coldly.

At that moment, Orime placed her hands on the tatamis, her back facing the grandchildren.

And she gave a deep bow.

All of them were stunned as they looked at her.

She placed her head on the tatamis, and spoke solemnly and calmly,

"I have caused everyone worry because of my grandchildren's folly, and I do apologize for this. I shall focus on educating them after this, and please keep what you heard and saw today within your hearts, everyone."

There was silence in the room.

Asai and Masayuki, who had been giving the grandchildren icy glares, showed somber looks as they were affected by Orime's attitude.

Kazuaki too shrugged his shoulders.

"...It sure is a harmonious meeting today."

Fujino muttered softly, and Kazuaki too chimed in courteously,

"Yes, I too did find it enjoyable today. Please welcome me the next time too."

The grandchildren watched Orime with moist eyes.

And both Hikaru and Koremitsu gave disheartened looks as they watched Orime remain still, her head still lowered.

It was after the calligraphy duel.

Left inside the room were Koremitsu, Asai, Orime—and Hikaru, the four of them.

The early afternoon sun was shining down on the Morning Glory vines and leaves.

Koremitsu had just weeded out the Daturas near the medicine garden, leaving a lumpy hole there.

Orime was seated on Koremitsu's right under the roof as the latter wiped his sweat, and Asai was seated at the left.

Orime stared at the empty spot beside the garden that was suddenly vacanted, giving a forlorn look as she muttered,

"Actually...the Morning Glory I got from my husband was not the Abyss. The Abyss is a different species altogether, and there was no such species when my husband was still alive...however, when my grandson was still young, we were looking at the Abyss growing in the garden, and I told him about the Morning Glory market 'I saw a similar colored Morning Glory with your grandfather, you know'..."

—This is a flower with both grandfather and grandmother's memories, no? Its name is called Abyss, right? How do I write it? Please teach me, grandmother.

Her grandson, who was always terrified of her, always shriveling out of self-depreciation, showed her a rare smile.

"And so, I answered him 'yes'."

With a twig, she wrote the word 'Abyss' on the ground for him to see.

And he brought his face close to the ground, writing the word using a twig. As the word was too difficult for a child, he continued to tilt his head to observe, giving his utmost effort.

"...That child probably mentioned this to Mr. Kazuaki. He actually could recall that old incident..."

With a crying smile, Orime whispered.

'Abyss' was not the flower she had memories of with her husband, but with her grandson.

They both lived in the same household, yet were distant like strangers, and he in the end conspired with his wife to poison his grandmother using tea—

And yet, there was such a heartwarming event between them.

Orime was probably recalling those events.

And thus, when Kazuaki finished the word and showed it to Orime, the latter showed such a tender yet forlorn look as she smiled,

"I thought that my life could end at any moment..."

Orime continued to whisper as she looked over at the garden, and Asai's shoulders jolted.

Orime slowly turned her stare in Koremitsu's direction, showing a forlorn yet refreshing expression as she smiled,

"But my journey is still ongoing. There is still a future out there, no? I want to restart everything, whether it is this garden, or my grandson."

Her expression became convicted yet optimistic, filled with life, as if those were important, valuable things she had to do.

Hikaru too gave a dazzling smile beside Koremitsu.

And Asai's shoulders relaxed, seemingly relieved.

Koremitsu too was delighted.

"Now then, what word shall I give my savior?"

And because of Orime's words, Asai's shoulder cringed again.

However,

"I don't need one."

Koremitsu answered plainly.

"What!?"

Asai exclaimed in shock.

"I can't do anything even if I do have one. Ahh, but well, how about I write words with you, granny? That's enough for me."

"I see. That is an excellent proposition."

Orime narrowed her eyes.

Like Orime, Hikaru too stared at Koremitsu with clear eyes. It seemed as if he had anticipated this answer.

And Asai contorted her body, leaning forward, ostensibly unwilling to accept this resolution.

"What are you thinking? If you get the word from Lady Orime, Hikaru will—"

"Hikaru does not wish for such a thing."

With a convicted look, Koremitsu said this to Asai.

The latter raised her eyebrows, wanting to stare back. However, that expression quickly vanished, revealing a feeble one instead.

"Then...what exactly does Hikaru wish for exactly?"

This probably was the first thing Asai did not understand at all. She asked hoarsely.

And because of that feeble expression, Koremitsu was feeling unexpectedly tender.

Ah, yes, this person's a girl too.

That is why she made such a face.

The warm, tender emotions were slowly floating from deep within Asai, and Koremitsu held her hand like a fragile item.

"Come, let me teach you."

And beside him, Hikaru smiled,

"Let us go, Asa."

### 008. Chapter 8: Promise

It was a time where the vestiges of sunset rays dyed the air golden, and Asai, having changed into comfortable clothes for moving about and thick boots for trekking, came to a hill owned by the Mikados with Koremitsu.

This was the place where Asai abandoned Koremitsu behind, and she was thus inadvertently worried as to whether he would do the same thing back to her and leave her behind at this place.

But even if he did not abandon her in such a place, she would never have considered going out alone with such a savage-eyed, barbaric man like Koremitsu when the sun was about to set. Until yesterday, that is.

She actually followed Koremitsu obediently, whom she so hated and despised just a while back.

"Now then, let's start looking for Tsuchinokos, and then we're going to the river to fish for kappas, exchange messages with UFOs, and as for the snowman. Maybe they're hiding in a nest cuddling their ice pillows since it's summer. Anyway, let's start looking."

Koremitsu looked down at a copy of his schedule and he spoke with a deadpan look.

(Why is it that I am doing such a foolish thing with him?)

—You promised Hikaru, didn't you! I'll fulfill it on his behalf

Upon hearing those words, Asai had the impulse to push him down a tall building.

(It is supposedly impossible for me to recognize this wild dog as Hikaru's representative...)

—First, it is going to be the Tsuchinokos after all!

Asai recalled the summer vacation where she made the promise to go adventuring with Hikaru, recalling his dazzling cheeks the cheerful voice in her mind, and her chest tightened, her mind confounded.

—After that, we are going fishing for kappas at the river! We need to bring lots of cucumbers then.

—How do snowmen spend the summer? Do they make an ice pillow using cooler and spend all day sleeping?

Asai handed a soap bubble blowing straw over, and he grinned heartily. That was an expression as adorable as an angel.

Aoi stared at Hikaru, her face flushed red, and when Hikaru tilted his head skeptically, she suddenly puffed her cheeks and turned her head aside. Perhaps she was unwilling to admit that she was mesmerized by Hikaru when she saw him.

And from that day on, Asai, Aoi and Hikaru were always playing together.

Whenever Aoi went to Hikaru's house to play, she would definitely invite Asai along. Aoi herself wanted to play with Hikaru, but she was too ashamed to admit this 'Asa wants to go to Hikaru's place to play, and I want to play with Asa, so I have no choice', blushing red as she insisted on this with all her mind.

Asai was astounded to see Aoi like this.

It was clear for all to see that Aoi was infatuated with Hikaru.

And she was not the only one. The other girls too were infatuated with him, mesmerized by him.

During the school arts festival, Hikaru was set to be the prince in Cinderella, and so most of the girls in the class recommended themselves to be Cinderella. After a loud ruckus, the drama act became a comedy involving a prince and 13 Cinderellas.

And the scene of the dance hall became 13 Cinderellas surrounding one prince. Asai coldly watched the dancing girls who were dressed like flowers, and quietly made up her mind that she would not be one of them.

Even if all the girls were to fall in love with Hikaru, she definitely would never fall in love with him

However, perhaps she, who had such thoughts all this while, may have loved Hikaru after all.

—Don't you want to be Hikaru's 'most beloved'?

And Koremitsu's hypothesis was most likely correct.

There was an emotion of wanting to be Hikaru's most beloved, the feeling of wanting to be Hikaru's lover deep within her heart.

But if this were to keep up, she too would end up like those girls.

And that was why she became so cold and aloof, pretending to be chaste with regards to love.

Whenever she saw Aoi fret, furious and depressed over Hikaru's philandering, Asai inadvertently found herself thinking about how foolish Aoi was. Perhaps however, she was jealous of Aoi.

That she was jealous of Aoi's cute devotedness, that she was able to love Hikaru, that she was betrothed to marry Hikaru one day.

That whenever Aoi pouted and turned her blushing face aside, Hikaru was always there to pacify her gently with his sweet expression, and whenever she saw such a mood, her chest was prickling—she did not want to recognize that, and that was why she secretly despised Aoi for being a spoilt princess who knew nothing of the ways of the world to maintain the balance of emotions in her heart.

She was never as petite and cute as Aoi all this while, and she never wanted to be be a girl every single person doted so much that they would protect her.

And so, the dream she had when she was young was to be an adventurer.

Her belief in Santa Claus was betrayed, but there was many, many mysteries in this world that one would get excited over. When she was young, she wanted to go out and observe with her own eyes, personally investigate, and unravel all those mysteries.

Her parents giving disapproving frowns, saying that she was being unbecoming of a girl.

"There are many worms in the hills, and the kappas are slippery and disgusting. I think I would rather stay at home to draw after all."

Aoi too had the same view, but Hikaru did not laugh at her,

When summer comes, let us look for the Tsuchinokos, fish for kappas, and play with the snowmen. He said this to her, and because of these words, she added this appointment in her schedule.

Yes. Asai was not hoping to be assisted like a princess being saved and protected by a prince in fairy tales.

What she was hoping was...

"I'll go with you until the very end."

A sudden gruff, powerful voice suddenly rang, pulling Asai back from the past to reality.

The boy with bright red hair and sharp stare said sullenly as he was was basked under the red sunset. One had to wonder if his entire face was red, including the nose, because of the sunset, or out of bashfulness.

—Let us go together, Asa.

Hikaru's words again overlapped with his, and that clear, innocent voice entered Asai's ears like a refreshing, rustling breeze blowing in.

Hikaru's words, and Koremitsu's words, both riveted Asai's heart.

"Hey, where exactly do Tsuchinokos live in? In the grass? On the trees? Or in the caves?"

"How am I supposed to know about that?"

"Then investigate beforehand, model student."

"You are the one who brought me here so abruptly!"

"Well, it's fine. Let's just look for it however we like."

"What do you mean like that? Are you saying that you are fulfilling Hikaru's promise with just a nonchalant attitude?"

"Ahh whatever, let's get serious! We're looking for Tsuchinokos—something seemed to be slithering down there."

"We're in the hills. There has to be snakes."

"No, it seems to be something a little flatter."

"How is possible to find Tsuchinokos so easily? That is something that born out of imagination after all. There is no way such a thing exists in reality—"

"Woah! It's moving again! It really looks like something with a flat belly."

"How stubborn you are. Tsuchinokos—"

"If you're sure they don't exist, catch them first just to make sure. Hey, go over there and chase it from over there to me."

"I do not remember agreeing to that—hey, wait."

Before she realized it, Asai found herself running on the steep hill.

It was a good thing that she had changed her footwear before this, but on a deeper thought, she wondered what exactly was she doing, and was speechless.

She, together with Koremitsu, chased after the creature that was moving at quickly, but accidentally let it slip away, and felt bitter about it. Then, she heard the flowing sounds of the river, and walked towards there. Koremitsu tied the cucumber he brought to a twig, and dangled it over the water.

"Say, why do kappas like cucumbers?"

—Hey, Asa, why do kappas like cucumbers?

"Cucumbers are necessary items for offerings to the water god, so there is the rumor that kappas like cucumbers."

The sunset faded past the horizon, and the sky got darker. Asai placed a torchlight. The orange light shone bright upon the profile of Koremitsu Akagi as the latter continued to dangle his bait and fish.

"Ehh, you know quite a lot."

—Asa, you really are smart.

For some reason, Hikaru's face could be seen on Koremitsu's rough, gruff sidelong face.

Whenever Asai saw Hikaru's shadow on Koremitsu, her heart would pulsate shrilly, her heart felt bitter, ready to burst into tears.

This finally caused her to realize the reason why Aoi, ever the fastidious one who hated men, to like Koremitsu.

Hikaru and him were so completely different, yet they were so similar.

His words, his actions, and his expression that would soften from time to time evoked the voice and profile of Hikaru.

Hikaru's friend—

—Asa, I wish to have a friend.

That was one thing Hikaru yearned for so much.

—Actually, I want to play with boys too. I wonder what kind of boy will be friends with me.

At that moment, Hikaru was giving her an admiring look as he narrowed his eyes and spoke up.

'I might say that it’s because you’re too much of a playboy. You should get a friend who is prudent' , and when she said this so coldly to him, it was to hide the dissatisfaction in her heart.

The water surface with the reel poking out quivered and was glittering with light.

"Yo, lift your head and look."

Koremitsu called out, and lifted his head as high as he could, looking up.

Asai too was influenced as she lifted her head.

And then, appearing in front of her was a sky filled with stars!

They blinked in unison amidst the ink-like darkness like sands of light.

There was Vega of the Lyra Constellation, Altair of the Aquila Constellation, and Deneb of the Cygnus Constellation.

Yes, that was the Summer Triangle.

Vega was The Weaving Princes

And Altair was the Cow Herder.

In the middle of the two stars was a belt of stars. The stars were twinkling, clustered together, forming a stroke in space.

"Amazing! That's the Milky Way, right?"

And Koremitsu was showing his excitement beside her.

—Ah yes! Let us see the Milky Way, Asa!

Was the sky so vast?

Were the stars so dazzling?

Asai felt as if the world was reverted back to her childhood, filled with exhilarating mysteries, and the scenery riveted her chest, rendering her breathless.

"Alright, let's call for aliens!"

"What are you saying now?"

"Heey!!! Aliens! Come here now!!"

"Stop it already! What happens if another person hears you?"

"There are three people here though."

"Three?"

"Well, no, just you and me, Saiga."

"Y-you are right."

"Heey! Aliens!!! Come fishing for kappas with us!"

"The kappas will run away if you yell that loud!"

"You're noisy, yapping away like that. Come on now, you don't have to be so shy, Asa. Just yell all you want. Don't you want to contact aliens and ride UFOs?"

"Do not call me Asa! If we want to exchange messages with aliens, we need to call for them through telepathy."

"Then, use that telepathy."

"Do not make it sound that easy. Your soul has to be one with your mind. Even God cannot do it with an uncouth wild dog howling out loud."

"Alright then, I'll just shut up. I won't disturb you then, so just do it."

"..."

"Hello~?"

"..."

"Have you done it yet?"

"..."

"Hello~?"

"You cannot keep quiet for more than 30 seconds!?"

"Because you had your eyes closed, looking so serious. Anyone would have been worried."

"Did you not tell me to communicate with aliens through my soul."

"Ah, so you actually did it?"

"You—!!"

And Koremitsu patted a speechless Asai on her back.

"Very good, you finally have the enthusiasm. If you're calling for it so passionately, maybe a UFO will really come here."

(Why are you being so over-familiar with me?)

Her heart felt ticklish, and she suddenly turned her face away.

"Do...you believe in aliens, kappas, tsuchinokos and such?"

Koremitsu curled his lips and pondered for a while, before saying,

"Till just a while back, I didn't believe in them. Recently though, I'm starting to feel that there are strange things occurring on this world...or rather, I guess it might be interesting to think about it. That's why I believe in things like kappas, tsuchinokos, aliens— and ghosts ."

Asai could sense that there was emphasis in the word 'ghost' when Koremitsu said it. He then continued in a mocking tone,

"In that case, maybe the aliens themselves are originally Earthlings! Their souls floated to space after they died, and then they watch the place where they live from space."

In that case, did Hikaru go to space after all?

Perhaps Hikaru was in the midst of this starry night sky, watching the Earth from somewhere.

Koremitsu's tone and expression looked so optimistic, but when Asai thought of Hikaru's radiant smile, a suffocating breath rose up her throat.

Not willing to reveal her emotions to Koremitsu, Asai sealed her lips tightly, and pretended to focus on fishing for kappas.

Koremitsu did not speak to Asai after that, perhaps because he saw through her after all, and remained silent while dangling his reel onto the water surface.

Though he looked so gruff, so dim-witted, it seemed he was able to understand a person's emotions so acutely. This caused Asai to be reminded of Hikaru, causing her to falter further.

(Is he really Hikaru's friend...?)

It was something Hikaru really yearned.

A friend he could enjoy with, a person he could trust, a person he could share help with.

(So Hikaru left my matters to him too?)

Asai tried to accept this idea, and in the end, felt repulsed and disgusted by it.

However, Asai was not angry at the fact that they were beside a creek in the forested hills with the Summer Triangle and the Milky Way spread wide above them. The owls hooting being heard, the duo dangling their reels in silence, bickering over trivial matters from time to time; she found it inexplicable instead, and a warm sense of embarrassment arose in her.

(Did Hikaru and him spend such their time together like this...?)

She wondered.

After an inconsequential verbal fight, Koremitsu glanced aside slightly to peek at Asai while the she continued to fish for kappa, her side face looking embarrassed and frustrated, and he felt inexplicably relieved within.

(I actually don't feel annoyed after arguing with Saiga.)

He also felt it was refreshing and interesting that he was actually fishing with her in the middle of the night, arguing about trivial matters.

Asai was a woman who was not terrified of the night forest, and also a woman braver than anyone, able to fish for kappas with her back straight.

She was a reliable woman who granted comfort to those with her.

She was a feisty woman.

She was an intelligent woman.

She was a woman with frigid eyes.

And Koremitsu was seeing her charms one by one.

(Is this the real 'Asa'?)

Koremitsu asked quietly with his eyes to Hikaru, seated on the other side of Asai, cupping his knees as he watched Koremitsu and Asai with a delighted look.

And Hikaru answered with a gentle, tender look.

That is correct, Koremitsu.

Asa is really an amazing person.

The still darkened sky was gradually turning a blue hue, and as the stars gradually entranced, Koremitsu stood up,

"Come with me, Asa. There's a message from Hikaru for you to see."

"Do not call me Asa—"

She insisted, but before she could finish her words, Koremitsu was already walking far in front, yelling,

"Hey, hurry up. Or else you're going to miss it!"

"..."

(Such a rude man is Hikaru's friend? There has to be a mistake somewhere. When did Hikaru leave the message behind? It surely is just a lot of hot air.)

She thought as she muttered some wretched words in her heart, yet continued to pursue Koremitsu with all her might.

Koremitsu continued through the dark forest, holding a torchlight to light his path, pushing the plants aside as he continued with light steps. It was the first time he entered the Mikados' hill, but one had to wonder why he was able to continue walking without hesitation.

Feeling vexed within, Asai caught up to Koremitsu and walked by his side, sighing and raising her shoulders jauntily. Upon seeing her like this, Koremitsu gave a mischievous look

"What now?"

Asai glared at him, and he became flustered.

"It's nothing."

"If you have something to say, just say it to me."

"But if I do so, you will be angry."

"Are you thinking of something that will make me angry?"

"See, aren't you angry now?"

Koremitsu continued forward as he grumbled about her troublesome personality.

And then, he noted bluntly,

"The way you were panting with your face red makes you look like a brat."

"Wha—!?"

Asai's face was searing red, and just when she wanted to refute Koremitsu,

"Great, we made it on time."

Koremitsu sounded rather cheerful.

The path shrouded by the greenery opened wide, like the peak of a mountain they had climbed onto. The shallow darkness that continued to linger above them—was gradually revealing the color of dawn Appearing in their sights was a meandering path, a field of Morning Glories.

The Morning Glories were spreading their refreshing green leaves, wrapping their vines on the surrounding trees, and the tiny flower petals, once tightly shut, were waiting nervously for dawn to arrive.

And so, they slowly—

The flower petals slowly loosened its bent, concealed petals in this world of darkness—in this world that was approaching the world of dawn—loosening, opening, blooming.

—The Morning Glory buds are about to bloom, aren’t they?

Hikaru had his knees bent, his hands on his head as he watched with enthusiasm the Morning Glories Asai bought to record her observation diary for summer vacation.

The duo had promised that when the petals opened, they would go look for tsuchinokos and kappas.

—When the Morning Glories bloom, that is the beginning of our adventure.

But on the day they agreed to see the Morning Glories bloom together, Hikaru was locked in the school storage room, and was unable to arrive at Asai's house.

—Sorry, Asa. The Morning Glories withered.

Hikaru, who was thoroughly battered and feeble, was left smiling forlornly.

Hikaru, who was unable to cry.

Hikaru, who was never to be blessed when he was born.

And from that moment onwards, Asai dedicated her all to him.

She promised him that she would never ever cry, and swore in her heart never to allow anyone else hurt Hikaru.

And Asai slowly grew up, forgetting all about the initial promise, only remembering the last one.

—If Hikaru will not cry, I shall not cry either.

The karma Hikaru bore when he was born was steep, and as a child, there was a limit to what Asai herself could do. Even so, she swore never to cry, wanting to at least share the pain with him.

(Hikaru...I wanted to be your close friend, the one who understood you the most, to protect your heart. You are not a child undeserving of being born, and I definitely will not allow anyone to say it. I am the only who knows about your purity, your anguish, your suffering. This is what I thought, and thus—I shall never fall in love with you.)

And so, for Hikaru's sake, she gave up her dreams, restrained her heart, denied her womanhood, and set lofty goals for herself.

However, Hikaru always remembered the initial promise he had with her, the promise she had long forgotten.

She valued Hikaru greatly in her heart.

She valued the promise with Hikaru greatly.

And Hikaru too was the same!

Asai's thoughts were not simply that straightforward.

The Morning Glories gradually bloomed, opening their soft silky smooth round petals.

The radiant blue, the noble purple, the refreshing sky blue.

And the cute pink.

There were many flower buds in the midst of this refreshing morning air, having lived through many years, finally blooming in front of Asai.

A rich, sweet voice whispered at Asai's ears as the her chest throbbed, breathless as she watched on.

—When the Morning Glory flowers bloom, that will be the start of our adventure.

That was when Hikaru was still young.

And the grown-up Hikaru's voice overlapped and merged with it.

—This is our 'start', Asa.

—When the Morning Glory flowers bloom, that will be the start of our adventure.

—The Morning Glories have bloom. Let us look for tsuchinokos! Fish for kappas! Exchange messages with aliens!

—This is already enough, Asa. Our promise shall be fulfilled by my friend here. So Asa, it is time for a new beginning.

The stars slowly vanished, and the world gradually brightened.

Appearing in the distance was Hikaru's smile.

The wild, vibrant Morning Glory flowers were spread wide, waiting impatiently for dawn to arrive.

And beside them was a red-haired, sharp-eyed youth, standing with his back slouched slightly, his lips sealed as he gave a grim look.

Hikaru's friend—

Had conveyed Hikaru's heart to her.

He told her that the dreams she had was picked up by Hikaru, treasured and protected within Hikaru.

—Thank you for accompanying me till this day. I shall be heading off alone first; you are free now, Asa.

—Go to the place where you want to go, Asa!

—This is your 'start', Asa.

—Go out there and go on an adventure!

—You have to live for your own future, Asa!

—That is my wish.

After a while, the dazzling sun rays were shining on her, and before she realized it, there was a tinge of warmth on her face.

That was the first time she shed a tear, ever since she swore never to cry.

Dazzling. The sun was ever so dazzling, yet the Morning Glories looked so blurry, and Koremitsu's face too looked blurred; the acute pain in her heart, the clinging sense of guilt all flowed out along with the tears she shed.

Perhaps Hikaru remembered her words that boys and girls could not be friends when they were young children.

If only I can be friends with you, Asa. At that time, when Hikaru said so in such an innocent manner, Asai was taken aback, and told him ‘no way’..

But actually, Asai was really hoping for something so much her chest was ostensibly exploding.

Perhaps that was the beginning of the moment when she was closest to Hikaru, when she drew a line where she could not cross over.

And Hikaru probably hoped for a friend who did not draw a line against him, one he could share thoughts with, and one he could walk with when he was troubled.

The gender of that friend did not matter.

Right, just like Koremitsu.

"So...you conveyed Hikaru's message to me as his friend."

Asai spoke with a hoarse voice.

"Ah, yes."

And Koremitsu answered with a serious look.

"Thank you."

The moment Asai whispered these words, she looked away, seemingly faltering.

He was gruff, uncouth..yet kind-hearted within, had an iron-willed heart. And he, being such a person, was Hikaru's friend...the representative conveying Hikaru's thoughts.

Having been brought here to this forest, they did not find kappas or tsuchinokos, but they saw lots of different things.

The encounter that day with Hikaru

The encounter that day when she met him.

She could finally see the Morning Glory flowers bloom.

And the childhood Hikaru could be seen smiling cheerfully on the other end of the gradually brightening sky.

Ever since Hikaru's death, Asai's mind was always filled with images of Hikaru, always looking pale with despair, suffering, anguished. Whenever she thought of doing something for him, his face would look more dreary.

At this point, the young Hikaru in Asai's heart, and the grown up Hikaru, were finally smiling at her.

—He is my friend, Asa.

And Asai took a large gulp of the cool morning air, welcoming her younger self in her heart as she bade farewell to the deceased Hikaru.

"Farewell, Hikaru."

Asa here is my 'guardian', Koremitsu.

You are saying that it is useless of me to have a woman be my 'guardian'? Please do not say that to me with such a disgusted look.

There should be a firm-willed, sacred existence within your heart too.

When I was younger, I was always ostracized by the boys, never being able to make a single male friend. I was also always given curious, aloof looks. The fact that Asa and Miss Aoi were with me was undoubtedly a wonderful thing to me. This is the one aspect that made me thoroughly grateful to God.

I really thank God for having Asa be my cousin.

I really thank God for letting Asa and Miss Aoi be on such good terms.

I really thank God for having them accept me.

All of these are truly wonderful, beautiful coincidences.

If I had only met Asai and Miss Aoi as the two girls in my life, I probably would not be called a harem prince, and could have possibly lived on blissfully like this.

Living every single day with my fiancee Miss Aoi and the stern, yet reliable cousin, Asa, the three of us living happily together every single day.

I just care about myself, you say? Please do not glare at me so angrily. I know it is simply wishful thinking on my part.

But perhaps this may be what Asa wanted herself after all...

If not, there would be no way Asa would look down on Miss Aoi and stay by her side, watching over her. Asa is very clumsy herself, and she has to find a reason if she wishes to be on good terms with someone else.

I suppose the reason Asa would not fall in love in me is because she definitely wishes to maintain the relationship the three of us have.

Asa and I have an intimate, yet tense relationship.

We think of each other as our 'valuable partners', and yet we regulated ourselves strictly to prevent it from developing sweet feelings.

We shall always look at each other from each side of the border that shall not be crossed, looking at each other's existence and souls.

But no matter how much we understood each other, we definitely shall never cross that line and embrace each other.

And so, Asa kept her distance from me, watching over me. In a certain sense, this is a deeper bond than that of lovers.

And even if I died, Asa shall remain the same.

She would sacrifice her future to stand at the top of the Mikados, all to protect my secret.

She knew how much she would suffer, how much of a burden it would be, and yet she accepted all of my sins. This is all to redeem me.

Asa is strong, wise and stubborn, and it probably is unlikely to change her thinking.

But Koremitsu,

Seeing you and her squabble, I was wondering that perhaps you would be the one to change Asa's stubborn ideas. Regarding this, I have hopes over it.

You are the first boy of a similar age who did not submit to her, and took her head on.

The words you wrote moved the hearts of Asa and Madam Orime—the two 'Asagao Princesses', giving them a new leash of life.

At that moment, my heart was erratic, and when I showed you an unbecoming sight of myself, it was you lashing out that pulled me back in.

Looking at it, you gallantly saved three people at that moment.

The second happiness I have in my life is being friends to you.

After seeing your words, I too realized that my journey is still continuing, and I am on the way.

This Earth is just one stop of my journey.

So after finishing all that I have to complete in this world, I shall move on to the next destination.

And before I leave this heartrending, adorable Earth for my journey, allow me to write a long, long story with you.

It is regarding that secret of mine.

And I wish that my hero, my best friend, will listen to me.

Yes, soon after—

### 009. Epilogue: What I Want to Convey to You at the End of Summer

A few days before before summer vacation ended.

They were invited by Tsuyako to a fireworks festival at the riverbank near the school.

It was convenient when everyone brought their sparklers and rocket fireworks, enjoying themselves. Speaking of fireworks, it certainly was an exciting plan to Koremitsu, who normally planned sparklers by himself at his own house.

"It is the first time I am playing with fireworks by the riverbank too. So fireworks are not just played at private beaches, huh? Watching fireworks from pleasure boat or the top floor of a hotel does have their own charms, but the river does give a flowing vibe."

Hikaru too was delighted.

It will be great if you can bring your little sister along. Tsuyako said, and so, Koremitsu brought Shioriko along to play. Including the members of the Japanese dance club, Honoka and Michiru, there was also a sullen looking Tōjō and an overly chirpy Hiina Oumi.

"Why are you two here?"

Koremitsu asked as he stared at them, and while Tōjō's frown intensified, Hiina beside him poked her head out, speaking with clarity,

"Well well, isn't this a good thing? It's good for us to be able to improve the closeness between upperclassmen and underclassmen."

"I do not intend to improve my relationship with all of you, but rather, I am concerned that when Aoi comes here, if she gets hurt by the fire from the light or such, or if she gets hurt by the sparkers and rocket fireworks, so I came to have a look."

Koremitsu was about to retort that Tōjō was being too overprotective, but in contrast,

"Wait, Aoi will be coming?"

"...Ah, yes, Aoi...and Asai."

"Asa too?"

And just when both Koremitsu and Hikaru were looking extremely stunned.

"Welcome, Miss Aoi, Miss Asai. It is good that both of you are able to make it as promised."

Standing in front of the grinning Tsuyako was the frozen face Aoi and the stern looking Asai.

"I-I just want to play with some fireworks."

Aoi looked back and forth between Tsuyako and Asai, meeting them in the eyes before she answered, this, and Asai shot Tsuyako a frigid stare, answering brusquely,

"I am just here to supervise all of you so that you do not get into trouble."

Tsuyako gave a bewitching smile, saying,

"Is that so? But I am glad both of you are willing to accept my invitation. Please enjoy yourselves however you want."

Asai's eyes still seemed cold, and Aoi too turned her head aside, looking perturbed and annoyed, her eyebrows frowning.

Both of them left the scene without looking at each other

But after that, the candle used for lighting fireworks was blown out due to the wind, and Aoi tried using the lighter to light the candle again, only to no avail. At this moment, Asai approached her.

"If you are going to cover the candle from the wind using just your fingers, 10 years will be insufficient for you to light it. Please lend me that."

Aoi turned her head around in shock, and upon seeing Asai, immediately straightened her back as she showed a feisty glint in her eyes.

"I can do this myself. Please hand me that lighter."

And after she said this with a convicted voice, she reached her hand out.

Asai gave a cold stare back at Aoi, and after a pause of silence,

"...You are not supposed to just tap at it. You need to rub it hard."

She restrained her emotions as she spoke stoically, and placed the lighter on Aoi's hand.

Aoi widened her eyes, looking ready to burst into tears, and bit her lips, remaining silent. She then showed a serious look as she stared at the lighter.

"..."

After rubbing the fingers a few times, she managed to start a fire.

Aoi opened her lips slightly, her expression relaxed.

And Asai continued to stare at Aoi silently.

Once she finished lighting the candle, Aoi looked over at Asai tentatively.

And once their eyes met, both of them gave perturbed looks, averted their eyes again, and left awkwardly.

However, Aoi still went over to Asai's direction.

And Asai stared in Aoi's direction immediately afterwards. Koremitsu and Hikaru watched on from the sidelines.

"Asa and Miss Aoi may not be able to revert back to that sort of relationship back then. But as time passes, both of them should be able to have a new, better relationship than before."

Hikaru, right at the river that was glittering with moonlight, was basking under the clear moonlight, his expression tender as he spoke.

And Koremitsu spoke cheerfully,

"If you as the childhood friend says so, I guess it'll definitely end up that way."

The wind rustled at the river surface and grass, and it was a little humid and warm, with the summer still lingering.

While the stoic looking Asai held a stick firework in her hand, Hiina, holding two fireworks in her hands, approached the former.

Aoi looked troubled when Tsuyako approached her to mingle around with an earnest smile, helping to make some of the fireworks.

And Tōjō was staring intently at the cat called Lapis, now in Shioriko's clutches. He tried to reach his hand out to it, only for it to slip away, and he was left confounded.

Koremitsu saw Honoka playing with fireworks at the riverbank, and walked over to her.

And once she noticed him approaching, she looked around, pretending to sense that there was movement around her, only to give a quick glance in Koremitsu's direction.

And when Koremitsu took a step forward, Honoka backed away a little.

He took another step, and Honoka averted her eyes, nudging back a little.

(What is she so fidgety about?)

And so, Koremitsu took a large stride forward, closing the distance to Honoka in one go, and grabbed her hand, staring at her.

He seized the opportunity to speak up before Honoka could, clearly showing that he was unwilling to let go.

"Thank you for that talk we had just a while back. It really helped me out a lot. Well, that's not the only time; thanks for everything! I've been causing you trouble all this time right, Shikibu? I feel that I'm able to see something I never saw before after talking to you!"

And Honoka stared at Koremitsu with her face all reddened.

Enduring the shame within him, Koremitsu confessed earnestly,

"And well, I-I may be a little stubborn, and I hate keeping a distance from you, you know? It's like whenever I avoid you, I feel like I got a stomachache from food poisoning or something."

"E-erm."

"I don't really know what sort of feeling this is, and even though you asked whether you can like me, I still can't answer it now, but I'll definitely find an answer! S-so-so anyway, can I stay with you just a little?"

His face was scalding.

And his hand, now holding Honoka's, was so hot it was about to melt.

But Koremitsu felt that no matter how ashamed he was, no matter how disgraceful it was for him, he had to convey these honest, unpretentious feelings he had pondered so much to Honoka no matter what.

The other firework in Honoka's hand burned its final lights, slowly sizzling and reducing to ash, falling to her feet.

She lifted her head, and looked at Koremitsu, completely flabbergasted, nodding,

"Y-yes."

And then, she lowered her eyes bashfully, muttering,

"I shall be waiting."

After hearing this voice that oozed of sweetness, Koremitsu grew increasingly embarrassed, his entire body so ticklish he wanted to roll about on the floor. However, he scowled, groaned, and nodded with Honoka.

Hikaru behind him was enjoying himself, muttering,

"This is your first promise with Miss Shikibu. It will be great if I can be still on this world and hear the replies from your mouths."

At this moment, Shioriko suddenly barged in,

"Big brother Koremitsu! Shiiko wants to play with the mouse fireworks, wanna let it spin and bounce about!"

"It's too dangerous, no way."

"You can just watch over me, big brother."

She grabbed Koremitsu by the hand, and pulled him away from Honoka.

"But it won't bounce around with me watching."

"Then, how about we play with some normal sparklers instead?"

An obstinate Shioriko dragged Koremitsu with both hands, her cheeks puffed. Michiru Hanasato was in the other direction, raising her eyebrows as she placed her hands in front of her petite chest, looking at Koremitsu.

She seemed a little lethargic, but for an instant, showed a faint smile.

And then,

"Hono."

As usual, she ran off to Honoka.

Aoi and Tsuyako were lighting the fireworks by the riverbank, firing them in unison, and the red, blue stars glittered, lighting the river surface.

And at the same time, cheers and laughter of joy danced together towards the summer night sky.

(I can't see the Summer Triangle and the Milky Way here.)

But surely, on the other end of the atmosphere, the stars would be dazzling brightly, just as he had witnessed at that hill.

Shioriko and Hiina let one rocket firework after another, creating a ruckus.

"Hey, don't fire it at someone!"

He warned them, and looked over in Asai's direction, seeing her narrowing her eyes as she looked up at the sky. She seemed forlorn, but her back was straightened like usual, and she was giving a positive look.

And the moment she noticed Koremitsu staring at her, she lowered her lips slightly, pouting.

(I know what you were thinking about)

And Koremitsu too showed such an expression as he pouted his lips too.

Once Asai guided her eyes towards his side, she showed a tender expression.

And then, she turned her head aside again, showing an exceptionally grim look as she approached Koremitsu.

"Mr. Akagi, I have something I wish to talk to you about."

"About what?"

"About Hikaru."

"Hikaru?"

"Yes, as Hikaru's friend, you have to hear this."

Koremitsu was surprised to hear Asai say the words 'Hikaru's friend'. However, there was no time for any sentiments as she continued her words with a grim look,

"The true identity of the one Hikaru truly loves. This love that was unable to come true became his—"

Recalling Yū's words, Koremitsu was rendered breathless.

"Wait."

And a serene voice rang beside him.

With a pale face and a determined look, Hikaru stared at Koremitsu and the rest.

"Regarding that, please allow me to say it."

"I say, Third Princess, Hikaru's beloved is not little Aoi, no?"

There was a bewitching light glowing from the moon after.

Kazuaki was leaning by the rail at the villa's balcony, staring at the stars that were somewhat blurry, talking to the chameleon.

"We were completely fooled. It was...truly unexpected."

Amidst the rustling breeze, he continued to fiddle with the long black hair and the hem of the scarlet one piece dress, opening his lips smoothly.

"Hu hu hu, can you believe it, Third Princess? Hikaru's beloved is Hikaru's—"

## Footnote

I tried to hate.

I tried to show disdain.

But I could not.

The fact was that it was determined you were my 'beloved' the moment you said the first beautiful line to me.

Yes, my beloved is always you.

But Hikaru.

Your beloved—

## Special Chapter: Shungo Toujou and Tsuyako Migitate Saw It!

(Th-this cat! It is the one Yū left behind, no—)

The slender white cat was at this point in the hands of a girl who called Koremitsu Akagi 'big brother', and Shungo had his back bent, his chin pointed as he stared at it, looking engrossed.

It had cool beryl blue eyes and snow white fur.

There was no doubt it was the cat Yū Kanai named as Lapis and lived together.

Once he recalled that Yū was living in Australia, he understood why the cat was living at Koremitsu's house.

He was mesmerized by Yū, who was akin to a dreamy, pure flower, and continued to give Yū aid in the background. To Shungo, Lapis was a symbol of her.

Unlike the round pudgy Holstein cat Aoi doted on, Shungo did not know whether it had killing intent, since Koremitsu did take it in, but this noble Lapis caused his heart to quiver.

"...Do you mind letting me hug it?"

Shungo made a cautious question, and the girl holding the cat, Shioriko Wakagi, stared at him as if he was a lolicon pervert, backing away.

Having understood that his words were misinterpreted,

"No, I am referring to the cat in your hands."

He corrected himself immediately, reaching his hand at Lapis that was in Shioriko's hands.

But when he reached his hand out, Lapis snuggled out from Shioriko's chest, leaped off, and sneaked into the grass.

"Wait, Lapis!"

Shioriko then gave chase after Lapis.

But before that, she turned over to Shungo, saying,

"Lapis hates you."

And at this moment, Shungo was all the more dejected.

(Is it because I reached my hand out? Or is it because it was too sudden? Or I should let matters progress little by little? Or that it is fine if it is Akagi?)

As he continued to ponder,

"And you are showing another frown again."

Tsuyako stood there, watching with a teasing look.

On this day, Tsuyako had her hair bundled, her white nape exposed as she wore a short summer one piece dress with her shoulders showing, holding her sandals as she went barefooted. It certainly was an alluring, suggestive appearance.

"Miss Asai may be like this now, but you certainly do not looking like a high school student being like this, Mr Shungo. I should say you do lack the liveliness of a youth. If you have issues you are brooding over, how about you have a chat with me?"

Her lips were giving off a red similar to her hair, perhaps because she had lipstick on. Perhaps the gloss of her lips was the reason it started to glow radiantly under the moonlight.

"No need for that. It will be troublesome later on if I owe a favor to a woman of the Udates."

"You sure can say such a thing to women. That is why you will not be able to get a girlfriend."

"That is unnecessary banter. It is not that I cannot get one, but that I do not wish to have one. I do have other important issues to deal with."

Tsuyako again showed a sly smile,

"I see. However, even though you hate me, I do have to thank you for helping me invite Miss Asai and Miss Aoi out. I suppose the two of us will never have a common cause if I had not spoke up first"

Her expression softened gradually, and she spoke cheerfully,

"Thank you, Mr Shungo."

She lowered her head gently and gracefully.

And Shungo remained silent.

"Aoi...I do not wish to see her being hurt. I chipped in my effort for your plan for my own convenience. It was unexpected that you would suggest patching matters between Aoi and Asai."

And then, Tsuyako gave a mature look,

"It is because of me that Miss Aoi knew of Miss Asai's feelings, and this is my way of apologizing. Besides, I do like both of them, even though both of them—especially Miss Aoi, really hates me here."

"Of course."

Shungo concluded with a serious look.

"That is to be expected."

And then, he gave a bright smile.

For some inexplicable, this bright smile that finally appeared again was not filled with the disgust he had before this.

The scandal with Hikaru, the commotion that involved Aoi before the summer vacation, all those events were unforgivable. However, for this night, he called a ceasefire for Aoi's sake.

"It is good that Miss Aoi and Miss Asai...are able to get along well..."

(...Ah.)

He agreed silently, turned to look at Aoi,

"Hm."

And immediately raised his eyebrows.

Aoi was staring in a direction with yearning and sadness, the other end of her stare being Koremitsu Akagi, standing there and holding hands with his classmate Honoka Shikibu, their heads lowered shyly.

Aoi's eyes looked so heartbroken as she watched on, and till this point, he had yet to see Aoi show such a mature, feminine vibe, now appearing gradually on her face.

"Uuu..."

And while Tōjō groaned,

"Oh my."

Tsuyako, standing beside him, called out in surprise.

He looked over there, and found Asai staring at Koremitsu with a passionate stare.

It seemed to be self-explanatory as to why her expression got harsher, her girlish troubles and focus clearly displayed on her face. It was not really visible as it was night, but perhaps Asai's lips at this point were slightly dyed red.

She opened her lips amorously.

This was the first time Asai showed 'her feminine face'.

And she was looking at that Koremitsu Akagi!!

(Asai...you too!?)

Shungo inadvertently hugged his head.

At this moment, even Koremitsu's class representative, Michiru had her hands clasped in front of her chest, staring in Koremitsu's direction with much agony. That girl suddenly had a drastic image change in this summer, like a different person, and the reason was definitely clear to see.

Why exactly is everyone infatuated with that man!

No, Koremitsu Akagi did save Yū and Tsuyako before, and his assistance through calligraphy this time had to be recognized. Shungo did not do anything much during that incident, but he did hear of what Koremitsu did at the Gonomiya residence. Truly, he was filled with anxiety and regret—

"Big brother."

Shioriko in turn ran towards Koremitsu, holding the latter's hand like a child, forcefully pulling him away from Honoka's sights.

(Even that kind of a elementary school girl—)

He was left all the more speechless, rage swirling in his head as he inadvertently glared in Koremitsu's direction, before meeting Hiina Oumi in the eyes.

Hiina immediately let loose of the plump cheeks as she gave a hearty smile.

Though he felt relieved at this point, he felt guilt of his own inaptness for being unable to officially recognize his adorable little sister, and frowned harder.

Tsuyako continued to stare in Asai's direction as she muttered to herself,

"In this situation, I do not suppose Miss Asai and Miss Aoi can patch things together...Mr Akagi's lack of awareness is really a sin."

As she had said, that person was really the same breed as Hikaru, perhaps even changing his title from a delinquent king to a harem king. As Shungo frowned and wondered about this, a white cat was squatting down at his feet unwittingly, probably peering at Shungo with its head raised and its cool eyes, its pink petal-like tongue licking at its fur.

## Author's Notes

Hello there, this is Mizuki Nomura. As per the preview of the 6 th volume of 'When Hikaru Was On the Earth...' , the lead this time is Asa. The original basis of this character, the Saiin priestess Asagao was paternal cousins with Lord Genji, and ever since young, she had been pursued by Lord Genji, but she was a princess who protected her independence. She could be one of his formal wives due to her noble status, but she refused as she did not want to be like Lady Rokujō. I did find it enjoyable trying to imagine her personality, whether she was a proud, dignified person, or whether she was a paranoid person.

Asai's character at first was designated to be similar to Tsuyako in personality, Koremitsu's collaborator and the second heroine. However, when I tampered with the plot, I ended up turning her into an antagonist...and her personality got steadily sharper. After that, it seems she actually went on a fruitless efforts realizing her feelings for Koremitsu.

For the 'Hikaru' series, this volume marks the latter half of it. I hope to continue the rest with everyone.

In this December, when this volume is realized, Gangan Comics will be releasing the second volume of the 'Aoi , When Hikaru was On the Earth...' comic. The cover this time is really pretty, really amazing! It's a Honoka picture! I was too concerned with the title here that I could not see Honoka, the closest girl to Koremitsu, appearing on the cover, and when I saw it personally, I was really delighted. It is only published now, but since it is because of Famitsu Bunko's HP collaborating with the retailers, I will try to flesh out Honoka more. I do have pictures of Honoka dressed in kimono and gym clothing jumping around. Miss Takeoka too is doing her best, day by day, to improve Honoka's beauty greatly.

The next volume 'Hikaru 7' is Utsusemi. When I first began planning, I felt this was a volume I had to write no matter what, and I really feel blessed that I can write till this point. This volume will show a great change within Koremitsu.

The sale will be set at Spring like usual, and before that, there is the 3 rd volume of 'I am a Royal Tutor in My Sister's Dress'. I will continue to do my best while writing Seira, so please have a look at it. Let us meet in Spring then!

November 3rd 2012,

Mizuki Nomura.

References:

Kasuomi, Tada, 2009, Man'yōshū Explained, Tokyo, Chikuma Shobō,

Jun, Kubota, 2009, Kokin Wakashū New Edition Volume 6, Tokyo, Kadokawa Liberal Arts Corporation.

Hideo, Aragaki, Ryuta, Ida, Senei, Ikenobou ,Matsunosuke, Nishiyama, 1988, 4 Seasons Flower Calendar (Autumn), Tokyo, Kodansha Corporation.

Tomokichi, Inose, Hideo, Inose, 1985, Nature and Science 49, Asagao, Tokyo, Iwanami Shoten

Yoshiaki, Komeda, 2006, Classification of Flowers, Illustration book, Asagao, Shinagawa, Gakken

Miki Iioka, 1997, Translated from English, Anne, Mcintyre, The Healing Charms of Flowers, Tokyo, Gaia Books

### 010. Prologue

Everyone around you finds it unbelievable as to why you are being treated so coldly.

Why exactly would a person beautiful and spirited be rejected with aloof eyes and spiteful words?

Whenever I was being advised on this, my heart would be angsty within.

I wanted to yell, yell, yell, until my throat became hoarse.

No, no, no, this actually is not the case.

I actually did not wish to avert the clear expression of yours.

I wanted to respond to those sweet words of yours with the best smile I could ever give.

However, Hikaru–

What I did was what you most despised, the one thing you hated most on this world.

### 011. Prologue

Everyone around you finds it unbelievable as to why you are being treated so coldly.

Why exactly would a person beautiful and spirited be rejected with aloof eyes and spiteful words?

Whenever I was being advised on this, my heart would be angsty within.

I wanted to yell, yell, yell, until my throat became hoarse.

No, no, no, this actually is not the case.

I actually did not wish to avert the clear expression of yours.

I wanted to respond to those sweet words of yours with the best smile I could ever give.

However, Hikaru–

What I did was what you most despised, the one thing you hated most on this world.

### 012. Epilogue: What I Want to Convey to You at the End of Summer

A few days before before summer vacation ended.

They were invited by Tsuyako to a fireworks festival at the riverbank near the school.

It was convenient when everyone brought their sparklers and rocket fireworks, enjoying themselves. Speaking of fireworks, it certainly was an exciting plan to Koremitsu, who normally planned sparklers by himself at his own house.

"It is the first time I am playing with fireworks by the riverbank too. So fireworks are not just played at private beaches, huh? Watching fireworks from pleasure boat or the top floor of a hotel does have their own charms, but the river does give a flowing vibe."

Hikaru too was delighted.

It will be great if you can bring your little sister along. Tsuyako said, and so, Koremitsu brought Shioriko along to play. Including the members of the Japanese dance club, Honoka and Michiru, there was also a sullen looking Tōjō and an overly chirpy Hiina Oumi.

"Why are you two here?"

Koremitsu asked as he stared at them, and while Tōjō's frown intensified, Hiina beside him poked her head out, speaking with clarity,

"Well well, isn't this a good thing? It's good for us to be able to improve the closeness between upperclassmen and underclassmen."

"I do not intend to improve my relationship with all of you, but rather, I am concerned that when Aoi comes here, if she gets hurt by the fire from the light or such, or if she gets hurt by the sparkers and rocket fireworks, so I came to have a look."

Koremitsu was about to retort that Tōjō was being too overprotective, but in contrast,

"Wait, Aoi will be coming?"

"...Ah, yes, Aoi...and Asai."

"Asa too?"

And just when both Koremitsu and Hikaru were looking extremely stunned.

"Welcome, Miss Aoi, Miss Asai. It is good that both of you are able to make it as promised."

Standing in front of the grinning Tsuyako was the frozen face Aoi and the stern looking Asai.

"I-I just want to play with some fireworks."

Aoi looked back and forth between Tsuyako and Asai, meeting them in the eyes before she answered, this, and Asai shot Tsuyako a frigid stare, answering brusquely,

"I am just here to supervise all of you so that you do not get into trouble."

Tsuyako gave a bewitching smile, saying,

"Is that so? But I am glad both of you are willing to accept my invitation. Please enjoy yourselves however you want."

Asai's eyes still seemed cold, and Aoi too turned her head aside, looking perturbed and annoyed, her eyebrows frowning.

Both of them left the scene without looking at each other

But after that, the candle used for lighting fireworks was blown out due to the wind, and Aoi tried using the lighter to light the candle again, only to no avail. At this moment, Asai approached her.

"If you are going to cover the candle from the wind using just your fingers, 10 years will be insufficient for you to light it. Please lend me that."

Aoi turned her head around in shock, and upon seeing Asai, immediately straightened her back as she showed a feisty glint in her eyes.

"I can do this myself. Please hand me that lighter."

And after she said this with a convicted voice, she reached her hand out.

Asai gave a cold stare back at Aoi, and after a pause of silence,

"...You are not supposed to just tap at it. You need to rub it hard."

She restrained her emotions as she spoke stoically, and placed the lighter on Aoi's hand.

Aoi widened her eyes, looking ready to burst into tears, and bit her lips, remaining silent. She then showed a serious look as she stared at the lighter.

"..."

After rubbing the fingers a few times, she managed to start a fire.

Aoi opened her lips slightly, her expression relaxed.

And Asai continued to stare at Aoi silently.

Once she finished lighting the candle, Aoi looked over at Asai tentatively.

And once their eyes met, both of them gave perturbed looks, averted their eyes again, and left awkwardly.

However, Aoi still went over to Asai's direction.

And Asai stared in Aoi's direction immediately afterwards. Koremitsu and Hikaru watched on from the sidelines.

"Asa and Miss Aoi may not be able to revert back to that sort of relationship back then. But as time passes, both of them should be able to have a new, better relationship than before."

Hikaru, right at the river that was glittering with moonlight, was basking under the clear moonlight, his expression tender as he spoke.

And Koremitsu spoke cheerfully,

"If you as the childhood friend says so, I guess it'll definitely end up that way."

The wind rustled at the river surface and grass, and it was a little humid and warm, with the summer still lingering.

While the stoic looking Asai held a stick firework in her hand, Hiina, holding two fireworks in her hands, approached the former.

Aoi looked troubled when Tsuyako approached her to mingle around with an earnest smile, helping to make some of the fireworks.

And Tōjō was staring intently at the cat called Lapis, now in Shioriko's clutches. He tried to reach his hand out to it, only for it to slip away, and he was left confounded.

Koremitsu saw Honoka playing with fireworks at the riverbank, and walked over to her.

And once she noticed him approaching, she looked around, pretending to sense that there was movement around her, only to give a quick glance in Koremitsu's direction.

And when Koremitsu took a step forward, Honoka backed away a little.

He took another step, and Honoka averted her eyes, nudging back a little.

(What is she so fidgety about?)

And so, Koremitsu took a large stride forward, closing the distance to Honoka in one go, and grabbed her hand, staring at her.

He seized the opportunity to speak up before Honoka could, clearly showing that he was unwilling to let go.

"Thank you for that talk we had just a while back. It really helped me out a lot. Well, that's not the only time; thanks for everything! I've been causing you trouble all this time right, Shikibu? I feel that I'm able to see something I never saw before after talking to you!"

And Honoka stared at Koremitsu with her face all reddened.

Enduring the shame within him, Koremitsu confessed earnestly,

"And well, I-I may be a little stubborn, and I hate keeping a distance from you, you know? It's like whenever I avoid you, I feel like I got a stomachache from food poisoning or something."

"E-erm."

"I don't really know what sort of feeling this is, and even though you asked whether you can like me, I still can't answer it now, but I'll definitely find an answer! S-so-so anyway, can I stay with you just a little?"

His face was scalding.

And his hand, now holding Honoka's, was so hot it was about to melt.

But Koremitsu felt that no matter how ashamed he was, no matter how disgraceful it was for him, he had to convey these honest, unpretentious feelings he had pondered so much to Honoka no matter what.

The other firework in Honoka's hand burned its final lights, slowly sizzling and reducing to ash, falling to her feet.

She lifted her head, and looked at Koremitsu, completely flabbergasted, nodding,

"Y-yes."

And then, she lowered her eyes bashfully, muttering,

"I shall be waiting."

After hearing this voice that oozed of sweetness, Koremitsu grew increasingly embarrassed, his entire body so ticklish he wanted to roll about on the floor. However, he scowled, groaned, and nodded with Honoka.

Hikaru behind him was enjoying himself, muttering,

"This is your first promise with Miss Shikibu. It will be great if I can be still on this world and hear the replies from your mouths."

At this moment, Shioriko suddenly barged in,

"Big brother Koremitsu! Shiiko wants to play with the mouse fireworks, wanna let it spin and bounce about!"

"It's too dangerous, no way."

"You can just watch over me, big brother."

She grabbed Koremitsu by the hand, and pulled him away from Honoka.

"But it won't bounce around with me watching."

"Then, how about we play with some normal sparklers instead?"

An obstinate Shioriko dragged Koremitsu with both hands, her cheeks puffed. Michiru Hanasato was in the other direction, raising her eyebrows as she placed her hands in front of her petite chest, looking at Koremitsu.

She seemed a little lethargic, but for an instant, showed a faint smile.

And then,

"Hono."

As usual, she ran off to Honoka.

Aoi and Tsuyako were lighting the fireworks by the riverbank, firing them in unison, and the red, blue stars glittered, lighting the river surface.

And at the same time, cheers and laughter of joy danced together towards the summer night sky.

(I can't see the Summer Triangle and the Milky Way here.)

But surely, on the other end of the atmosphere, the stars would be dazzling brightly, just as he had witnessed at that hill.

Shioriko and Hiina let one rocket firework after another, creating a ruckus.

"Hey, don't fire it at someone!"

He warned them, and looked over in Asai's direction, seeing her narrowing her eyes as she looked up at the sky. She seemed forlorn, but her back was straightened like usual, and she was giving a positive look.

And the moment she noticed Koremitsu staring at her, she lowered her lips slightly, pouting.

(I know what you were thinking about)

And Koremitsu too showed such an expression as he pouted his lips too.

Once Asai guided her eyes towards his side, she showed a tender expression.

And then, she turned her head aside again, showing an exceptionally grim look as she approached Koremitsu.

"Mr. Akagi, I have something I wish to talk to you about."

"About what?"

"About Hikaru."

"Hikaru?"

"Yes, as Hikaru's friend, you have to hear this."

Koremitsu was surprised to hear Asai say the words 'Hikaru's friend'. However, there was no time for any sentiments as she continued her words with a grim look,

"The true identity of the one Hikaru truly loves. This love that was unable to come true became his—"

Recalling Yū's words, Koremitsu was rendered breathless.

"Wait."

And a serene voice rang beside him.

With a pale face and a determined look, Hikaru stared at Koremitsu and the rest.

"Regarding that, please allow me to say it."

"I say, Third Princess, Hikaru's beloved is not little Aoi, no?"

There was a bewitching light glowing from the moon after.

Kazuaki was leaning by the rail at the villa's balcony, staring at the stars that were somewhat blurry, talking to the chameleon.

"We were completely fooled. It was...truly unexpected."

Amidst the rustling breeze, he continued to fiddle with the long black hair and the hem of the scarlet one piece dress, opening his lips smoothly.

"Hu hu hu, can you believe it, Third Princess? Hikaru's beloved is Hikaru's—"

### 013. Special Chapter: Shungo Toujou and Tsuyako Migitate Saw It!

(Th-this cat! It is the one Yū left behind, no—)

The slender white cat was at this point in the hands of a girl who called Koremitsu Akagi 'big brother', and Shungo had his back bent, his chin pointed as he stared at it, looking engrossed.

It had cool beryl blue eyes and snow white fur.

There was no doubt it was the cat Yū Kanai named as Lapis and lived together.

Once he recalled that Yū was living in Australia, he understood why the cat was living at Koremitsu's house.

He was mesmerized by Yū, who was akin to a dreamy, pure flower, and continued to give Yū aid in the background. To Shungo, Lapis was a symbol of her.

Unlike the round pudgy Holstein cat Aoi doted on, Shungo did not know whether it had killing intent, since Koremitsu did take it in, but this noble Lapis caused his heart to quiver.

"...Do you mind letting me hug it?"

Shungo made a cautious question, and the girl holding the cat, Shioriko Wakagi, stared at him as if he was a lolicon pervert, backing away.

Having understood that his words were misinterpreted,

"No, I am referring to the cat in your hands."

He corrected himself immediately, reaching his hand at Lapis that was in Shioriko's hands.

But when he reached his hand out, Lapis snuggled out from Shioriko's chest, leaped off, and sneaked into the grass.

"Wait, Lapis!"

Shioriko then gave chase after Lapis.

But before that, she turned over to Shungo, saying,

"Lapis hates you."

And at this moment, Shungo was all the more dejected.

(Is it because I reached my hand out? Or is it because it was too sudden? Or I should let matters progress little by little? Or that it is fine if it is Akagi?)

As he continued to ponder,

"And you are showing another frown again."

Tsuyako stood there, watching with a teasing look.

On this day, Tsuyako had her hair bundled, her white nape exposed as she wore a short summer one piece dress with her shoulders showing, holding her sandals as she went barefooted. It certainly was an alluring, suggestive appearance.

"Miss Asai may be like this now, but you certainly do not looking like a high school student being like this, Mr Shungo. I should say you do lack the liveliness of a youth. If you have issues you are brooding over, how about you have a chat with me?"

Her lips were giving off a red similar to her hair, perhaps because she had lipstick on. Perhaps the gloss of her lips was the reason it started to glow radiantly under the moonlight.

"No need for that. It will be troublesome later on if I owe a favor to a woman of the Udates."

"You sure can say such a thing to women. That is why you will not be able to get a girlfriend."

"That is unnecessary banter. It is not that I cannot get one, but that I do not wish to have one. I do have other important issues to deal with."

Tsuyako again showed a sly smile,

"I see. However, even though you hate me, I do have to thank you for helping me invite Miss Asai and Miss Aoi out. I suppose the two of us will never have a common cause if I had not spoke up first"

Her expression softened gradually, and she spoke cheerfully,

"Thank you, Mr Shungo."

She lowered her head gently and gracefully.

And Shungo remained silent.

"Aoi...I do not wish to see her being hurt. I chipped in my effort for your plan for my own convenience. It was unexpected that you would suggest patching matters between Aoi and Asai."

And then, Tsuyako gave a mature look,

"It is because of me that Miss Aoi knew of Miss Asai's feelings, and this is my way of apologizing. Besides, I do like both of them, even though both of them—especially Miss Aoi, really hates me here."

"Of course."

Shungo concluded with a serious look.

"That is to be expected."

And then, he gave a bright smile.

For some inexplicable, this bright smile that finally appeared again was not filled with the disgust he had before this.

The scandal with Hikaru, the commotion that involved Aoi before the summer vacation, all those events were unforgivable. However, for this night, he called a ceasefire for Aoi's sake.

"It is good that Miss Aoi and Miss Asai...are able to get along well..."

(...Ah.)

He agreed silently, turned to look at Aoi,

"Hm."

And immediately raised his eyebrows.

Aoi was staring in a direction with yearning and sadness, the other end of her stare being Koremitsu Akagi, standing there and holding hands with his classmate Honoka Shikibu, their heads lowered shyly.

Aoi's eyes looked so heartbroken as she watched on, and till this point, he had yet to see Aoi show such a mature, feminine vibe, now appearing gradually on her face.

"Uuu..."

And while Tōjō groaned,

"Oh my."

Tsuyako, standing beside him, called out in surprise.

He looked over there, and found Asai staring at Koremitsu with a passionate stare.

It seemed to be self-explanatory as to why her expression got harsher, her girlish troubles and focus clearly displayed on her face. It was not really visible as it was night, but perhaps Asai's lips at this point were slightly dyed red.

She opened her lips amorously.

This was the first time Asai showed 'her feminine face'.

And she was looking at that Koremitsu Akagi!!

(Asai...you too!?)

Shungo inadvertently hugged his head.

At this moment, even Koremitsu's class representative, Michiru had her hands clasped in front of her chest, staring in Koremitsu's direction with much agony. That girl suddenly had a drastic image change in this summer, like a different person, and the reason was definitely clear to see.

Why exactly is everyone infatuated with that man!

No, Koremitsu Akagi did save Yū and Tsuyako before, and his assistance through calligraphy this time had to be recognized. Shungo did not do anything much during that incident, but he did hear of what Koremitsu did at the Gonomiya residence. Truly, he was filled with anxiety and regret—

"Big brother."

Shioriko in turn ran towards Koremitsu, holding the latter's hand like a child, forcefully pulling him away from Honoka's sights.

(Even that kind of a elementary school girl—)

He was left all the more speechless, rage swirling in his head as he inadvertently glared in Koremitsu's direction, before meeting Hiina Oumi in the eyes.

Hiina immediately let loose of the plump cheeks as she gave a hearty smile.

Though he felt relieved at this point, he felt guilt of his own inaptness for being unable to officially recognize his adorable little sister, and frowned harder.

Tsuyako continued to stare in Asai's direction as she muttered to herself,

"In this situation, I do not suppose Miss Asai and Miss Aoi can patch things together...Mr Akagi's lack of awareness is really a sin."

As she had said, that person was really the same breed as Hikaru, perhaps even changing his title from a delinquent king to a harem king. As Shungo frowned and wondered about this, a white cat was squatting down at his feet unwittingly, probably peering at Shungo with its head raised and its cool eyes, its pink petal-like tongue licking at its fur.

### 014. Author's Notes

Hello there, this is Mizuki Nomura. As per the preview of the 6 th volume of 'When Hikaru Was On the Earth...' , the lead this time is Asa. The original basis of this character, the Saiin priestess Asagao was paternal cousins with Lord Genji, and ever since young, she had been pursued by Lord Genji, but she was a princess who protected her independence. She could be one of his formal wives due to her noble status, but she refused as she did not want to be like Lady Rokujō. I did find it enjoyable trying to imagine her personality, whether she was a proud, dignified person, or whether she was a paranoid person.

Asai's character at first was designated to be similar to Tsuyako in personality, Koremitsu's collaborator and the second heroine. However, when I tampered with the plot, I ended up turning her into an antagonist...and her personality got steadily sharper. After that, it seems she actually went on a fruitless efforts realizing her feelings for Koremitsu.

For the 'Hikaru' series, this volume marks the latter half of it. I hope to continue the rest with everyone.

In this December, when this volume is realized, Gangan Comics will be releasing the second volume of the 'Aoi , When Hikaru was On the Earth...' comic. The cover this time is really pretty, really amazing! It's a Honoka picture! I was too concerned with the title here that I could not see Honoka, the closest girl to Koremitsu, appearing on the cover, and when I saw it personally, I was really delighted. It is only published now, but since it is because of Famitsu Bunko's HP collaborating with the retailers, I will try to flesh out Honoka more. I do have pictures of Honoka dressed in kimono and gym clothing jumping around. Miss Takeoka too is doing her best, day by day, to improve Honoka's beauty greatly.

The next volume 'Hikaru 7' is Utsusemi. When I first began planning, I felt this was a volume I had to write no matter what, and I really feel blessed that I can write till this point. This volume will show a great change within Koremitsu.

The sale will be set at Spring like usual, and before that, there is the 3 rd volume of 'I am a Royal Tutor in My Sister's Dress'. I will continue to do my best while writing Seira, so please have a look at it. Let us meet in Spring then!

November 3rd 2012,

Mizuki Nomura.

References:

Kasuomi, Tada, 2009, Man'yōshū Explained, Tokyo, Chikuma Shobō,

Jun, Kubota, 2009, Kokin Wakashū New Edition Volume 6, Tokyo, Kadokawa Liberal Arts Corporation.

Hideo, Aragaki, Ryuta, Ida, Senei, Ikenobou ,Matsunosuke, Nishiyama, 1988, 4 Seasons Flower Calendar (Autumn), Tokyo, Kodansha Corporation.

Tomokichi, Inose, Hideo, Inose, 1985, Nature and Science 49, Asagao, Tokyo, Iwanami Shoten

Yoshiaki, Komeda, 2006, Classification of Flowers, Illustration book, Asagao, Shinagawa, Gakken

Miki Iioka, 1997, Translated from English, Anne, Mcintyre, The Healing Charms of Flowers, Tokyo, Gaia Books

## 07. Volume 7 - "Utsusemi"

### 001. Chapter 1: Unforgettable Person

“—Mr. Akagi, I have something I wish to talk to you about.”

It was the end of summer vacation.

As the moist breeze blew by the riverbank in the night, Asai stared at Koremitsu with a glint of determination, saying this.

With a stern voice, she was hoping that Hikaru's friend, Koremitsu would listen.

“It is about the true identity of the one Hikaru truly loves. This love that was unable to come true became his—”

“Wait.”

Hikaru, being right beside Koremitsu, quietly muttered as Koremitsu gasped right at the moment when Asai was about to touch upon a core issue.

“Regarding that, please allow me to say it.”

And Koremitsu hurriedly tried to stop Asai.

“Hey, wait.”

However, Asai,

“The one Hikaru loves more than anyone else is,”

“Wait.”

“Hikaru's—

“Hey!”

“Most beloved.”

Koremitsu's words were seemingly not heard in any way.

“Didn't I tell you to wait, Asa!?”

Koremitsu raised his eyebrows as he yelled.

Koremitsu was delighted that Asai, who before this had treated him as garbage, stink bug, was finally able to recognize him as Hikaru's friend and representative. Koremitsu too was very anxious to know about Hikaru's secret, which she wanted to to say with such a heinous look. However, Hikaru himself was right beside Koremitsu, saying 'wait' with a serious look.

Asai could not see Hikaru in his ghost form, and that was probably the reason why she was able to say this so calmly. Koremitsu, the only one able to see Hikaru, was unable to hear the latter's secrets like this.

Also, there were others along the riverbank. including the people from school, Honoka, Aoi, Tsuyako, Michiru, Hiina, and Tōjō. There were also Shioriko, practically a sister to Koremitsu, and Lapis the cat, amusing themselves with the fireworks.

Though they were all far away from them, playing with the fireworks, it seemed Honoka and Aoi were staring at Koremitsu and Asai from afar, looking perturbed, and Shioriko, holding the fireworks in hand, was puffing her cheeks unhappily as she glared at them. Naturally, it was impossible to talk about anything significant in such a situation.

The student council president Asai, who was widely dubbed as cool and capable, would surely have noticed the stares of the people around her. She however was so focused on Hikaru's matter that she was unable to affirm the situation around her, and she looked displeased that Koremitsu was telling her to 'wait'.

“You tell me to wait? Till when?”

Her eyes got sharp as she said to Koremitsu.

That expression of hers was seemingly reproaching him, telling him that she was about to tell him this most important secret, but that he was faltering so much, and not being manly at all.

“I can't say exactly when...but not now.”

There was Asai's piercing glare from the right, Hikaru's pleading stare from the left, and Honoka, Aoi, Shioriko and the rest not too far away, staring at him, causing Koremitsu's armpits to sweat in tension. He had to calm Asai somewhat.

But before he could think of anything, Asai, being all angsty, yelled shrilly.

“If you keep on hesitating, that child will be born!”

Koremitsu was startled, and immediately embraced Asai, covering her mouth with his hand.

Asai's eyes widened.

(Did Asai just say a kid's about to be born!? Is it Hikaru's...!?)

Koremitsu frantically looked over at Hikaru, and found the latter frowning, looking perturbed.

(Hey, what's with that useless face!? Did you really have a kid!?)

He wanted to ask about that at that moment.

However—

By the time he realized, Honoka, Aoi were no longer peeping on them, but leaning over, staring at him. Shioriko's cheeks were puffed bigger than ever, and also, even Tōjō and Tsuyako looked enthusiastic as they looked over at the duo, their stares filed with reproach or amusement. If Koremitsu were to look down, he would be able to see Asai's vague expression of fury and bashfulness, and looking rigid all over.

“Ah, sorry.”

And then, Koremitsu hurriedly let go as he said to Asai. She was gritting her teeth as she stared back with a blushing face.

“Anyway, we'll talk about that later. Later as in, erm, the next semester, in school!”

Once they got home...

“Big brother Koremitsu, how is that annoying person, that haughty woman with that high stare, who always snorts and mocks others for their failure, related to you in any way? That person doesn't look like she has any interest in men, but it looks like she's the type to flaunt her authority and carry out sexual harassment; did she do anything to you that mustn't be mentioned? You're the only one who can't do this, big brother!”

Koremitsu evaded Shioriko, who had her cheeks puffed as she questioned him, and the cold eyes of Lapis staring at him as he hid inside his own room. Thus, he would be able to be alone with Hikaru. His legs were crossed as he sat on the tatamis, looking completely weary. And in front of him, Hikaru's languorous voice echoed like a mantra,

“...the Forget-me-not is a cute, petite flower that reflects the color of the sky. A knight once jumped into the waters for his lover, to retrieve a Forget-me-not on the surface, but lost his life...at the critical juncture of his life, he threw the bouquet to his lover, who was waiting at the riverbank, shouting 'forget me now!'...and his lover continued to reminiscence about him, and pined the forget-me-not for the rest of her life...and so, both of them remained in love even after death. To them, it surely must be the greatest happiness.”

His clear eyes upon the shadows, he muttered quietly. The somber shadows appeared on the beautiful effeminate white speckless face.

And Koremitsu continued on nonchalantly,

“Well, it's awkward to have a bouquet of flowers thrown at me when someone's being washed away by the currents. I'll be shocked if I hear something like 'forget me not' on top of that.”

“...Yes.”

Hikaru lowered her head.

“Anyway, stop trying to change the topic by talking about flowers. What's with the baby about to be born?”

“It is simply Asa's misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding?”

“For I was already dumped.”

Hikaru cast aside the strength in his arms, his frail shoulders shrinking.

(Eh? There's a woman who dumped this guy?)

This caused Koremitsu to be mildly surprised. Hikaru, hailed a harem prince when he was alive, was often surrounded by girls, and was beloved by them.

“There was someone I loved ever since I was young. Whenever I saw that person, my heart would unwittingly become sweet and fuzzy. I felt I was in ecstasy whenever she smiled, and I did have the thoughts that it would be great if the both of us were the only ones on Earth. I really loved everything about her; no, this was to a point even 'love' could no longer describe adequately. I really yearned, loved her so much that I could not help myself, but...she was already married to another person.”

“A married wife!?”

“And then, she became my stepmother.”

“Ack—”

Koremitsu was left speechless.

The judge presiding the calligraphy contest at the Gonomiya Residence, the young beautiful woman who resembled Hikaru so much was Hikaru's most beloved!

Koremitsu had a faint realization from his conversations with Yū and Shioriko the reason why Hikaru's love could not bloom.

And he realized that the woman was the one Hikaru truly yearned to have, the most beloved flower he could not get, but...

(Her name's called Fujino, if I remember. It's true that she's a beauty, and I guess the same goes for Hikaru if he's dressed in female clothing...wait, will anyone say that he loves a person who looks just like him? Is this guy's a narcissist? No, this isn't the problem here. The woman he loves is the wife of his dad. Is that a bad thing?)

“I was in sixth grade when she became the second wife of father, and my time with her became an agony. When I got to middle school, I left that house..”

(So that's how it is...)

The person he loved became his stepmother, and became a couple with his father before him. Surely it was depressing to think about it.

“But I could not bring myself to forget her...once I left, I ended up loving her more, and I committed the one cardinal sin I did...”

“!”

Upon hearing this, Koremitsu inadvertently straightened himself.

(A cardinal sin!?)

Hikaru lowered his sights, his body becoming all frozen. He lowered his head, wanting to endure the anguish in his heart as he bit his lips, just like the time when Koremitsu woke up in the middle of the night. That morose expression was heartbreaking to Koremitsu, who was watching all this.

“D-did you do it with your stepmother...no, even you would...”

Hikaru continued to keep his lips sealed, and the drooping eyes showed a thickened haze and torment. This expression, this tense atmosphere clearly vindicated the fact that Hikaru did have a male-female relationship with his stepmother.

(Are you serious...?)

It was true that it was a taboo, not something that could be easily said. There was no guarantee that after saying that, the other party would be hurt.

And then, Koremitsu said in surprise,

“Wait, you did that thing with your stepmother. In other words, the kid that's to be born is from you and your stepmother...”

Right when the blood in Koremitsu's blood was about to glaciate, Hikaru argued back with an adamant, vigorous voice.

“The one time I had that sort of relationship with that woman was in 8 th grade!”

“Huh, 8 th grade...?”

“That was the only time...really, it was the one time. That person had been evading me ever since then, and the most she conversed with me in front of everyone was the bare minimum greetings. The gentle words were never said to me again, and there were no words that allowed me to harbor hope. It seemed she wanted to forget about what happened back then, no, to pretend that it never happened.”

With a hoarse voice, Hikaru continued to repeat, 'the only time' .

(If it's as what Hikaru had said, a kid conceived during 8 th grade will not be born now...)

Koremitsu heaved a sigh of relief, and at the same time, his heart was aching because Hikaru's expression was too gloomy.

“That person..is now pregnant. Asa misunderstood and thought that was my child, and she was going about frantically for the child that is to be born. But the child in that person's belly is father's; I think it is best for me to forget about that person.”

Perhaps that was why Hikaru decided to break up with all the girls he was dating, and devote himself fully to his fiancee Aoi.

If only Miss Aoi can be my 'most beloved' . Koremitsu recalled the words Hikaru said with a faint look. However, Miss Aoi is my hope.

(Does Aoi...know about the woman Hikaru loved most?)

Koremitsu pondered with these bitter memories in his mind.

If that was really the case, Aoi, who had an close relationship with Hikaru, would be unable to accept this fact, just like how she couldn't accept the other girls because of her own purity.

And Hikaru chose Aoi in the end, but because of his end, he was unable to personally celebrate her 17 th birthday which he planned for her, and unable to personally provide the confession.

Hikaru fell into a river on a night filled with torrential rainfall.

Why did Hikaru go to such a dangerous place on that night, when it was raining furiously?

Tsuyako, Hikaru's mistress, did say that Hikaru did have slash marks on his wrists, and assumed that he killed himself. There were also rumors that Hikaru was murdered.

Now then, which exactly was the truth?

Hikaru clenched his fists.

“On the day I fell into the river, that person called me out using a letter. She would not look at me one bit, but she suddenly said that she wanted to see me...I did not know what that person was thinking, and I was feeling extremely uneasy within...but since the person I yearned hoped to meet me, I had to go...”

Hikaru then said that when he got to the promised place, he was unable to see the path in front of him very well due to the torrential downpour. The surging, violent rapids were crashing thunderously, as the visibility, and even his voice that was calling for the name was overwhelmed by this corroded rain. No matter how much the rain was lashing upon him, how much the gales struck him, Hikaru continued to search for his beloved so bitterly, wandering around. Finally, he lost his footing, and slipped into the river.

“So that means you died in an accident after all.”

Koremitsu asked Hikaru cautiously, and after some silence, the latter answered in anguish.

“...Yes.”

Koremitsu was truly concerned about the enigmatic silence, but before he could speak up, Hikaru lowered his eyes as he spoke with a crestfallen voice,

“There was someone...who grabbed me by the hand tightly the moment I fell into the river, wanting to pull me out. The feeling of those hands was something I still remember clearly.”

“Who else can it be? Isn't that your stepmother?”

“...It was night, and the rain was heavy...so...I really could not see clearly. The hands certainly felt like a woman's, definitely...”

And upon this, his eyes were filled with haze.

Hikaru must have been certain that the one who held his hand was his stepmother. However, for some reason, he was more anguished about this fact than what he had shown before. Like the knight who lost his life trying to get the sky-colored flowers floating on the river for his lover, one had to wonder what Hikaru was shouting to her the instance he was swept away by the river.

Or maybe, did that woman shout something to Hikaru after all?

In conclusion, a woman's frail hands were never able to pull up a 15-year-old boy. And thus, Hikaru was swept away by the river, and drowned.

“It is undoubtedly that I fell into the river due to my own carelessness...that person bears no responsibility in that...but...if the one who grabbed my hand was that person...I will have to bear the anguish of that person again...my love for me caused her to be thoroughly injured...bringing her misfortune...and beyond that, I...”

A person died in front of her. On top of that, he was her stepson, whom she had an illicit relationship with...there certainly was no way she would be able to remove the suffering in her heart.

With his hands grabbing his head, Hikaru shook about, shivering. His face was contorted weakly, his lips showing a pale glint.

“I am scared, Koremitsu. I am scared of knowing that person's inner heart...right now, at this moment, I wonder what that person is thinking, how exactly does she view me...how will she think of me in future...I am scared...scared...so scared...”

Hikaru could not stop his shivering, and shrank as he cuddled his head.

—I cannot do it, Koremitsu.

Koremitsu recalled Hikaru's behavior during the calligraphy contest, when the latter's face was pale, and he was being panicky all over. He kept begging to leave, but it was obvious to see that he was unable to cease the overflowing love, and the yearning emotions.

Koremitsu did not know what kind of love was such that two would want to be together without concern for taboos.

But he was finally able to empathize as well what caused Hikaru much anguish all this time, to a point where it was gouging out pieces of his soul.

“I understand.”

Koremitsu solemnly noted.

“So you can't ascend to the afterlife because you're too worried about what your stepmother thinks.”

After showing some shock, Hikaru became frail as he shrank back.

“...This is not all...and there are a lot more things I am concerned with, because I still have lots of people I cannot bid farewell to...I do worry what will happen to everyone else after I died...”

“Then just leave everything aside for now. You probably want to know why your stepmother called you to the riverside that night, right?”

“...”

Hikaru went silent, seemingly contemplating. His lips were sealed, his eyes flickering in anguish. It seemed he would say 'I am scared', and Koremitsu got anxious as he spoke with conviction.

“Right, let us ask her tomorrow.”

Hikaru widened his eyes speechlessly.

It was the next day, a Sunday morning.

Koremitsu arrived at a church in a quiet residential area. It was said that Fujino never once skipped a Sunday service.

Hikaru however was still grumbling, “Let us go back” , “I still cannot do it. My heart is aching so much I feel like I am dying.”

“But aren't you dead already?”

Koremitsu quietly snarked back, and quickly stepped into the chapel. Several of the worshipers were terrified to see a red-haired youth with savage looking eyes looking around while slouching his back, and froze in place.

And Koremitsu immediately noticed where Fujino was.

She was seated at the frontmost row, her head lowered silently. So fleeting and lonely were her white sidelong face, the slender nape of her neck, and the long, lowered eyelashes, causing Koremitsu to recall the day Hikaru's funeral was held.

She was a beautiful woman dressed in black, her eyes lowered as she waited at the relatives seats.

She had a face similar to that of Hikaru's, tears dampening it, yet her lips were raised slightly for some reason.

Did Hikaru see that smile?

That was not a smile that should be shown at a funeral.

It was clear and serene, yet there was no tinge of blissfulness to be seen. It was a smile so unnatural.

Koremitsu ostensibly witnessed the same smile back then on Fujino's face for an instant, and his back inadvertently chilled.

The organ's music flared, and worship began. Hikaru's eyes were fixated upon Fujino, seemingly wanting to devour her. The boy who was left helpless, wanting to leave in terror, had his eyes seemingly absorbed the moment she entered her eyes, and was nailed on, seemingly unable to move.

The eyebrows were frowning, the lips locked tightly; she looked so bitter, so broken.

Hikaru fell in love with the flower which he could not touch, and he poured into most of the other flowers in a way to replace her, hoping to forget that most beloved flower.

(I think she called him over to that place for his sake. If that stepmother found him to be a real bother, and sent the letter while intending to shut him up, only for Hikaru to die in front of her, causing her to be left a vengeful person, what will happen to this guy...?)

If he were hated to that extent, would he be able to release the emotional binds and ascend to the afterlife? Would his soul explode as it was due to excessive pain?

The pastor's sermon did not reach his ears at all, and as he continued to ponder with that terrifying face, the service was over.

“Let's go.”

After Koremitsu's prompting, Hikaru froze up.

The former strode forth towards Fujino, but he could hardly move forward due to the many people. Even so, he could not push them aside forcefully, and just when he was getting impatient,

“!”

Koremitsu bumped into a young woman, seemingly affiliated to the church, who was handing out bazaar leaflets. He merely bumped into her shoulder lightly when she raised her hands, handing out the leaflets, but she cringed back, seemingly protecting her belly.

And Koremitsu was greatly taken aback by her reaction.

“H-hey, don't tell me, you have a kid—”

This is bad! Did the impact hurt the fetus somehow?

He frantically tried to carry the woman cuddling the belly, and then noticed the little beauty mark by the left eye.

And once the other person noticed the red hair, rigid face and sharp eyes, she was startled,

“I-I'm fine here. It's 7 months, already in the stable period. This little knock is fine. Sorry to scare you there.”

She then bowed to Koremitsu, ostensibly scampering as she left.

(Hey, I won't steal a baby and eat it!)

He was disappointed, and yet relieved to hear that nothing had happened, but when he was about to give chase after Fujino,

“What do I do?”

A whisper could be heard beside him.

He looked aside, and saw Hikaru's pale face,

“Sora is actually pregnant.”

Sora...wait, actually pregnant!? Do you know this woman!?

The moment he wanted to ask, Hikaru groaned with a voice befitting the end of the world,

“The baby inside Sora may be mine.”

“What do I do, what do I do?” as Hikaru continued to rattle off this mantra, Koremitsu too was left stupefied as he quickly returned home, locked the sliding door of his room, and cried out,

“Didn't you just say that the baby's just Asa's misunderstanding here!? Now what's with that 'the baby may be mine' line here!”

With a hapless expression, Hikaru answered,

“So I say, the child inside that person—Fujino is definitely my father. However, it is likely the child inside Sora may be mine...no, it most definitely is mine if she was pregnant for 7 months. Sora had never dated anyone else before, and at that time, I was in shambles, so hurt, and I never thought of the consequences...”

“So that's basically no contraception!?”

“Please do not put it so directly!”

Hikaru squatted down with his head cuddled.

And then on, with a teeny-weeny voice, he explained how he met that woman at church, Sora Semigaya.

“Sora was the first woman I met after I was rejected by that person on the first day of Summer, I was thoroughly wounded, battered. I came to the chapel hall, squatting inside, and it was Sora who found me, comforted me.”

Sora's grandfather was the pastor of the church, and back then, she was studying in 11 th grade. Due to some family reasons, she was residing in the church building.

And then, Sora embraced the thoroughly wounded Hikaru, and so the two of them did a cardinal sin in front of the altar.

Koremitsu lashed out.

“I was that thoroughly wounded back then! If not for Sora comforting me, I would have been like Nello from 'A Dog of Flanders', with others finding my frozen corpse the next morning.”

“It's just a night outside in the summer! Like you would have died! Stop yapping!”

Hikaru was left devastated, and then he continued on about Sora. It was the beginning of this March when he, decisively rejected by Fujino, decided to visit that church again while feeling that he was about to die, and then again, he met Sora.

“Sora's grandfather died, and she no longer lived in the church, but she continued to work there as a volunteer, sometimes staying in the church. She appeared in front of me when I was at a dead end, embraced me, and to me, she was a goddess of redemption. At that moment, I continued to snuggle within her embrace, drown in her, and managed to preserve my heart . If not for that, I would have been frozen dead that time. Unlike the first time, it was March, and the temperature was no different from winter. Without Sora letting me into the warm room and embracing me, I definitely would have frozen like an ice pillar. It was wide however, so I was cold even after entering that warm room. Yes, it was snowing since morning on that day, and the pure white snow piled up.”

“Yeah, I get it, I get it. It's cold because it was winter, but you don't have to make that trembling voice like that. And then, you did that sort of thing in front of the altar again? Why not go to the room instead?”

“Being that hurt and thoroughly wounded, how could I have asked to go to a room? I was driven to a point where I forgot the contraception!”

“Why are you the angry one!? What about being worn out, frozen solid, when you have to put on something, put it on!”

“But you can say what a Board of Education member will say because you have no experience, Koremitsu.”

“Sorry for being a virgin here! If I were part of the Board of Education, I would have sent a brat with a secret affair in a chapel hall to a correction facility!”

After this meaningless squabble, Hikaru lowered his eyebrows with resignation as he grumbled,

“What do I do now~~~~~~~!!”

Events had developed to a point where there was absolutely no way of asking Fujino regarding her true thoughts at all.

The next day was the first day of the 2 nd semester, and while one should be awaiting the new semester with refreshed feelings, Hikaru was beside Koremitsu, lowering his head that ostensibly touched the floor, “If it has been 7 months, I suppose it must have taken a human shape” and “Why didn't my pocket have that thing back then” and “When did Sora realize that she is pregnant.” muttering on with an utterly pessimistic voice.

“Hey, you just said it's 7 months, right? It doesn't match up if we begin counting from March.”

“The number of months goes back all the way from the last period.”

“That sort of knowledge isn't something a 10 th grade boy should, have, right!? Anyway, we're going to the church after school.”

While he continued to walk down the path towards school with a scowling face,

“Go-good morning...! Akagi.”

Honoka Shikibu's voice could be heard.

“Yo.”

Once Koremitsu responded, Honoka walked beside him, letting out rustling sounds from her feet as she walked on. Nervous to speak up, she alternated between looking to her side and looking down to the ground. Finally, she spoke clumsily,

“The fireworks two days ago...were really fun.”

“Yeah. I guess.”

“Akagi, it seemed there was a really intimate atmosphere between you and the Matriarch Asa back then.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course.”

Honoka suddenly raised her voice, and glared,

“Didn't you suddenly embrace the Matriarch Asa from behind!?”

“Huh? I just didn't want her to say anything unnecessary, so I had to cover her mouth.”

“Do you think it's that easy to shut a girl's mouth!? Her Highness Aoi and Michiru were looking very shocked and worried there. I-I didn't really care about it though.”

“Aoi...and Hanasato? Why?”

“Ugh, you really have no awareness, Akagi!”

Honoka raised her eyebrows as she chided him,

“...I do agree with that opinion.”

And even Hikaru, who was supposed to be downhearted, agreed with a gloomy voice.

(Aren't you supposed to be in your useless state now? You can actually hear others out and retort!?)

While Koremitsu glared sidelong to Hikaru,

“Good morning, Hono, Mr. Akagi.”

Honoka and her good friend, the class representative, Michiru Hanasato approached them with a bashful face.

She had undone the braids she had before and removed the glasses. It seemed she was going through with this appearance during the new semester too.

Honoka was taken aback for some reason, and she looked away from Koremitsu with an awkward face, her feet dragging the ground as she kept a slight distance away from him.

“Morning, Michiru. Your hair's curled up nicely.”

“Thanks. Your hair's rather smooth and pretty too, Hono.”

Honoka again slowed her pace while this girls talk was going on, and gradually left Koremitsu. In contrast, Michiru was staring at Koremitsu from top to bottom.

“Mr. Akagi, have you finished your assignments?”

Koremitsu felt a little awkward to have such stares upon him, and averted his eyes. Then, he noticed a female on the other side of the road.

The woman's limbs were long, the standing posture beautiful yet reeked of a lonely atmosphere. The sun shone through her thin her, and she swayed in the fleeting wind.

(That's—)

Koremitsu let out a gasp. “Sora,” Hikaru called out.

Sora was standing on the pedestrian sidewalk, looking extremely melancholic, staring at the gates of Koremitsu's school.

She was dressed in a fluffy trimmed tunic, and carefully placed her hand below the chest that was hidden under it.

And with a pained, anguished expression, she stared at the students who were attending school.

Soon after, she again lowered her eyes, and left.

“Shikibu, tell the teacher that I'll be late.”

“Eh?”

“M-Mr. Akagi...!?”

Koremitsu went off running, ignoring the flustered Honoka and Michiru.

Due to the traffic congestion, he was not able to cross the road easily. He continued to move forward without regard for his surroundings, chasing the beautiful figure that was leaving him. He saw the hair that was tied behind her casually, and the slender nape and shoulders that swayed fleetingly. The coat above the tunic let out a dazzling light under the morning sun, seemingly clad in a veil. The hem of her dress too swayed gently along with her steps.

(Damn it. I can't close the distance!)

Her footsteps were so calm and slow, but he could not move forward much due to the crowd, and he could not give chase and catch up to her as much as he wanted to. Even so, to prevent losing sight of her, he continued to stare at her back, and finally arrived at a plain two storey block of apartments.

It seemed this was Sora's house. She ascended the stairs on the outside, opened the door with the key, and entered.

“So Sora actually lived in such a nearby place.”

Hikaru muttered with loneliness.

And Koremitsu too walked up the stairs.

Panting, he rang the intercom.

There was no response.

He again pressed the intercom button, and as felt restless due to the lack of response, he knocked the door.

And then, the sound of the lock rang, and the door opened.

“Sorry for intruding out of a sudden. I'm—”

The moment he was about to introduce himself as Hikaru's friend, he was left speechless.

Hikaru too widened his eyes.

Standing at the corridor was a young, pretty looking woman with a beauty mark under her left eye, Sora Semigaya.

For some reason, she was holding a fan-shaped broom, and with a feisty, ferocious look, she swung it down on Koremitsu's head of messy red hair.

“Somebody! A robber's here!”

Whacked by the broomstick, Koremitsu's ears were left ringing as Sora's desperate yell reached them.

And so, he continued to be walloped by her.

“You're mistaken! I'm—uwah!”

“Dear God! It's a robber!”

“Sora, stop! Stop!”

And Hikaru was left helpless.

“—Ugh.”

Koremitsu grabbed the broomstick, and glared at Sora through his messy hair.

“!” Sora gasped in fear.

Before she was about to yell about a robber and God, Koremitsu growled,

“I'm Hikaru's friend!”

“I'm really sorry. You have a really scary look, and I thought you still had a grudge over what happened before, so I was really scared. I finally made it back home, the bell rang, and I saw you outside the window raising your eyebrows, looking all sweaty...so I really thought that...I-I beat you up with the broom because of that...erm, does it hurt? I guess it does, huh? It's all swollen...uu.”

Sora knelt down on the tatamis, applied antiseptic on Koremitsu's forehead, lacquered some medicine, and slapped some bandages, deftly treating his wounds as she earnestly apologized. From up close, Koremitsu could see the clear eyes filled with concern, and the beauty mark at the eye left a lasting impression on him.

“It's nothing. This really isn't much. I should be the one apologizing for scaring you.”

“Of course. It is your fault for standing at a person's door as if you would have skinned him alive, and surely it was no fault of hers to mistake you for a robber.”

(Like you're one to talk!)

Koremitsu glared at Hikaru, who was seated beside Sora,

“It hurts that much? Erm, do you need some headache medication to kill the pain?”

And Sora panicked, looking into the medicine box.

“No, I'm really alright here.”

“Is that so?” Sora whispered, but still looked worried as she stared at Koremitsu, and once she abruptly noticed that they were overly close to each other, she became bashful,

“I shall go brew some tea.”

And so, she stood up.

This allowed Koremitsu room to look around the room.

The apartment included the kitchen, and was standard sized, giving off the same plain vibe as seen from the outside. It was cleaned tidily, such that every corner seemed to have been cleaned, and even the lace curtains were white and clean.

The aroma pot contained a mixture of green tea and dried grapefruit skin,and the refreshing scent came from it.

The calm colored wall ornaments and cushions seemed handmade, and at the basket placed by the table, there was a little pair of socks in the midst of being sewn. It seemed she was making it for the baby.

“This house only has green tea. I did hear that I cannot consume too much caffeine during pregnancy, but I guess a cup or two is still acceptable. This is the only thing that can calm me down. Mr. Akagi, are you fine with sour stuff?”

“Yeah.”

After hearing Koremitsu's reply, Sora served the glass vessel filled with preserved food like paprika and dried plums along with the warm green tea.

“I made a little too much of these preserved food. If you don't mind, please help yourself.”

Koremitsu received the fork that was handed, and moved the paprika to his mouth. It was a little sour as expected, but the aftertaste was refreshing.

“This...is nice.”

“Thank goodness.”

Sora gave a clear smile.

Sora was still a 11 th grader in high school when she first met Hikaru, so she should be around 20 years old. The reason why she gave a mature vibe however was not simply because of her appearance, but also because of her composed demeanour.

Hikaru's mistress, Tsuyako, was also an elegant, graceful woman, but unlike her astounding elegance that appeared every single day, Sora had a refreshing, transparent presence that blended into the tranquil daily life. Her speaking style was also calm, and her distinct alto voice felt nice when heard.

Her face was certainly not extravagant, but the beauty mark at her eye looked exceptionally bewitching. Her smooth light colored hair, her white skin, her slender nape and the transparent, forlorn sidelong face evoked memories of Fujino, causing the heart to stir.

Though Fujino was of a completely different level appearance wise.

The atmosphere evoked by them felt so similar.

And Hikaru too watched that sidelong face with heartbroken, moist eyes.

Koremitsu felt a little hesitant within, but he decided to break the ice and say,

“Is the baby inside Hikaru's?”

Sora let out a little gasp.

“I heard a few things about you, Sora, including what happened when you two met this March at the chapel...if it's the child conceived then, it'll be 7 months.”

Koremitsu continued to look at Sora, and Hikaru too watched on with a grave expression.

Sora did not avert her eyes from Koremitsu's body, and the latter saw that deep within her eyes was a soul filled with determination. She then straightened her waist, speaking with the composed alto voice.

“This is not Mr Hikaru's child.”

“Then why were you looking at our school with such a forlorn face?”

“I was often said to have a face of misfortune. Perhaps it is due to this beauty mark. I so happened to pass by there. There is nothing significant about that.”

“Hikaru said that you never dated anyone else before.”

“That is something I never said to Hikaru. It may not be the case after all. I only met Hikaru twice after all.”

While that certainly made sense, Koremitsu wanted to affirm as he looked over at Hikaru, seeing the latter leaned over to say,

“Please do not try to bluff here, Sora! We only met twice, but I have been pursuing you all this time, and I know that you are a restrained person who wards yourself. You said you were at the church since young, and that you continued to study hard at college for the sake of working in the church. Did you not say when we met the first time 'I shall continue to work for God for the rest of my life, and I shall be married to him'. You thought what you did with me was a sin to God, and that we should never meet again. The second time we did, you said to me 'I definitely can't do this sort of thing...I actually made myself in front of God twice...I'm afraid'...”

Hikaru's eyes were filled with anguish, his voice filled with agony.

Perhaps it was because Hikaru understood how pure a person Sora was that he was skeptical of Sora's words.

And Koremitsu wanted to convey Hikaru's words to Sora, saying,

“Hikaru said that you are not a frivolous woman, Sora. He said that you wanted to marry God.”

Sora's eyes narrowed.

Koremitsu had no idea what to make of the ambiguous expression, whether she was holding her tears back, or whether she wanted to smile.

“Tell me then. If it's not Hikaru's child, who is the father?”

He did not notice any male items in this apartment, and even though the child would be born a few months later, it would be strange not to notice signs of a man's presence entering and leaving the apartment if the father was around.

Sora gently placed her hand on her chest.

It was a gentle, tender action that caused Koremitsu's heart to pound.

And then, Sora gently raised her lips, showing a peaceful smile before speaking with a distinct voice,

“The father does not exist. This is the child of an angel.”

“Sora...is a woman resembling the broom tree.”

Hikaru was walking beside Koremitsu on the dirt track leading towards the school, and spoke with a crestfallen face.

—This is the child of an angel.

With Sora concluding such words with such honest eyes, he could no longer ask further, and left the house.

He was sweating profusely under the sweltering summer, his throat parched as ever. The cries of the cicadas seemed to come from nowhere, overpowering Hikaru's voice from time to time.

“The Kokin Wakashū included the poem by Sakanoue no Korenori 'As the broom tree that grows by the lowly hut on Sonohara Plain, manifest to the eye, but beyond arms' reach are you, my love'...this broom tree distinctively resembles a broom hanging, and can be seen when viewed from afar, but cannot be seen from up close. The poem itself is born from this legend. The people that cannot meet no matter how close they are...the people who vanish when nearby despite being visible from afar...like the broom tree, do you not wish to meet me...this poem depicts such an agonizing cry.”

Hikaru hung his head, the eyelashes casting shadows in his eyes.

And the cicada chirping got louder.

“After I first met Sora, I woke up in the morning, only to find that she vanished, leaving me with only a blue gray cardigan that resembled the color of the sky during a rainy day, and my body was filled with tenderness...the body scent, warmth and weight surely existed, yet they vanished like an illusion...leaving behind a coat akin to a veil.”

The young naked body of Hikaru woke up clad in a female cardigan, basked in the clear morning sun that shone through the chapel's windows, and was left forlorn, a sense of loss.

The memory caused Hikaru's expression to be clouded with agony.

“It was the same during the winter...when I woke up, Sora was no longer around as expected, and the shawl that was as white as snow wrapped me within. No matter how I tried to meet her after that, I was unable to. No matter how much I seek, yearn and angst for her, I could not grasp...like the tree in the legend...this aspect...really resembles that person.”

The sunlight at the end of summer was really dazzling, and the sweat continued to trickle profusely no matter how he wiped it off, yet Hikaru’s eyes were gloomy.

The sight of Fujino’s melancholic sidelong face and Sora’s forlorn sidelong face overlapped, inadvertently causing Koremitsu heartache, and he asked with a clumsy voice,

“Is Sora your replacement for Fujino?”

Hikaru however had his head hanging as he shook it, saying,

“No, that is not the case. The silhouette of hers is similar to that person, and that did cause my heart to throb. Sora however is Sora, and no matter whether it was the 1 st or 2 nd intercourse, I was saved by Sora. I really wanted to spend more time with her.”

“Did you make a promise with Sora?”

“No. Sora did not wish for a promise.”

Hikaru lamented with a teeny-weeny voice.

“When I proposed that I would make a promise with her, she replied that she hated promises as they were definitely things that would never be fulfilled.”

And then, he frowned as he looked over at Koremitsu.

“So I made a promise with her that one day, I would make a promise with her. That was a promise that would definitely happen no matter what. Sora merely smiled back skeptically, and never accepted this one-sided wish of mine...but to me, this has always been an important promise!”

The words contained Hikaru’s thoughts regarding Sora.

Surely Sora was an important woman to Hikaru

(It’s his first time though, so I guess she’s really special.)

But like the woman whom Hikaru loved most, the woman who took Hikaru’s first did not accept his thoughts.

“I suppose...Sora would definitely hide this from me and raise the child alone even if I am alive, and she will tell me that it is not my child, but an angel’s.”

Hikaru’s eyebrows sank further, before he soon lifted his head abruptly, saying with a powerful voice filled with conviction.

“It is a certainty that the child within Sora is mine, definitely. Is there anything I can do for Sora? I cannot embrace my child with my own hands, and I will only cause him to fall if I do so. Ahh, I cannot call for an ambulance either.”

“Calm down. You can’t even pick the kid up, let alone drop it.”

“I cannot attend the parents meeting, nor can I appear in the photos of the seven-five-three, and I cannot play catchball.”

“Ugh, hey, are you listening to what I’m saying!?”

“I feel so much despair thinking about how I want to install a vinyl pool in the garden, spraying water at each other using hoses, and I cannot plant seeds in the garden. That child is too pitiful to not have a father training him in riding a bicycle and doing back flips!”

“My dad never planted seeds with me in the garden, and he never trained me how to do backflips, but I’m not unfortunate in any way.”

After hearing Hikaru’s lament, Koremitsu too began sighing for some reason.

“Okay okay, I know you’re worried sick about Sora and that kid. If there’s anything I can do, I’ll help think of it with you.”

But though he said so, Koremitsu did not know anything about children...

After a while, Koremitsu finally arrived at school. He grimaced as he passed through the school gates, and arrived at the entrance, only to find Asai standing in front of him with an imposing pose.

“Now then, how long do you intend to keep me waiting?”

“Ack, I forgot.”

(Akagi said that he’ll be late, but when does he intend to come to class? Third period is already over.)

Honoka was feeling anxious as she stared at the seat beside her.

(Who’s that woman we saw in the morning? She looks like she’s older than us? A college student? An office lady? What kind of relationship does she have with Akagi?)

He skipped classes the moment the 2 nd semester began, and gave chase with such ferocity.

(What does he have with that person?)

The delusions continued to emerge in her mind, and her heart was pounding so much it was about to explode.

She stood up, walked out of the classroom, and headed to the entrance.

How many times had it been on this day?

Honoka would make her way to the entrance whenever class ended.

(That Akagi could have at least sent me a mail.)

And just when she was grumbling away, she noticed the red hair.

(Akagi!)

She was about to rush over to him, but was shocked.

Standing with an imposing posture in front of Koremitsu was the student council president Asai Saiga. Surrounding her was an aura that could freeze all existence, and she glared at Koremitsu heinously.

“Were you trying to run away? This is not your own problem alone.”

She seemed to be saying something.

“I’m not running away. What about class?”

And Koremitsu muttered back with a scowl.

“It is fine not to attend class.”

And with those words, Asai strode forth, seemingly wanting to drag Koremitsu along.

And the latter arched his back, looking extremely peeved.

(What now? What just happened!? What’s with that ‘this is not your own problem alone’?)

And while Honoka was flabbergasted about what was going on,

“I have a feeling it’s a scoop.”

Hiina Oumi of the news club popped in abruptly, showing her face.

“Wah, Oumi. You again?”

“Let’s go now, Miss Shikibu.”

Her large breasts jiggling around, she gave chase after Koremitsu and Asai with a bounce in her steps,

“Wa-wait—”

And Honoka too let out a shriek as she too gave chase.

“So I say, that’s just a misunderstanding on your part.”

Koremitsu was facing Asai in the student council meeting room, explaining gruffly.

“The child inside Hikaru’s stepmother is not Hikaru’s.”

“How can you be certain about this? Hikaru has always loved that woman, and that woman has been evading him, reminiscing about him. When she returned to her hometown in March, he went out of his way to visit her. It is not strange for anything to happen at that point, no? Ever since he returned from that place, Hikaru had been acting eccentric.”

“But that is not the case, Asa. I did go to her house to meet her, but I was chased out because I was deemed a hindrance.”

“Hikaru told me that he did meet that woman before, but he was chased out. There’s nothing that happened between him and his stepmother.”

“When did Hikaru tell you this? Your first meeting was after you enrolled in this school this year, no?”

“Well...to put it, it was a short time, but we had quite the deep talk regarding our lives....”

Asai looked skeptical as she glanced aside.

“It is likely Hikaru lied to you to hide this secret. This is such a significant issue, and if revealed, will cause a massive commotion in the Mikados.”

“So I say, that’s not it. That’s not Hikaru’s child.”

He let slip because of Asai’s stubbornness, and the latter’s eyes showed a sharp blade-like glint.

“That’s?”

She hissed.

“Does Hikaru have another child?”

Koremitsu felt his shoulders shiver.

(Ack, this is bad—)

“Calm down, Koremitsu. It will be trouble if this is revealed to Asa. Try to mislead her calmly.”

(Calm down? How—)

Either way, he decided to keep his mouth shut and nonchalantly avert his eyes. However, that action caused Asai to be filled with belief.

“Is that so? Say it, when did it happen? Where? Who is the one pregnant? When is the due date? Which hospital? Who will be adopting the child? Have you thought about all that?”

Asai raised her eyebrows as she leaned forward, bringing her face close.

“H-hey, your face’s too close, Asa.”

“Do not try to mislead me! You too have to bear responsibility for this!”

Asai grabbed Koremitsu by the shirt and pulled him over, causing the tips of their noses to be practically touching each other.

Her face too showed the look ‘you are going to bear this responsibility and raise this child with me’.

“You are mistaken again, Asa! Koremitsu does not need to bear this much responsibility! He is not at fault here! Sora got pregnant because I failed my duty as a man!”

And Hikaru was yelling away hysterically.

At that moment, the door opened. Hiina and Honoka tumbled inside.

“A-a kid? Akagi...!?”

“Mr. Akagi got the president pregnant! Wow, now this is a big scoop!”

There was a speechless Honoka, whose eyes were widened,

And a frolicking Hiina, yapping so loudly her voice echoed down the corridor.

And Asai’s face was flushed red as she left Koremitsu.

“What are you saying now! That is incorrect! Please correct it at this moment!”

She yelled,

“This is all my fault...even if my heart was completely wounded, I should have thought about the girl. A gentleman should have manners to have that thing in his pocket at all times. I had so many packets of those cute, aromatic things I bought in my house.”

And Hikaru, standing beside a dumbfounded Koremitsu, lamented.

### 002. Chapter 2: The Retreating Figure That Disappears Into the Night Is—

By the next day, news of Koremitsu impregnating Asai had reached the entire Heian High School Affiliate.

No matter where he went,

“I heard that the delinquent king made the Matriarch Asa pregnant.”

“I heard it's been 4 months now.”

“Is it true that the Matriarch Asa threatened the delinquent king to get married with her?”

There were such whispering that caused Koremitsu much consternation.

And Tōjō,

“So you are the type of man to act early, you bastard...!? The thing about you being on bad terms with Asai is all a fake!? I still have no understanding however what is good about Asai, no, before that, what does Asai see in you, you bastard, in other words, what sort of development caused this event , no this is truly a coarse way of asking. My apologies, please forget about that. Everything that happens between man and woman is really beyond what I can imagine. Asai is still a woman after all. Hah! Are you thinking of doing such incorrigible things to Aoi too! Never with Aoi! Not Aoi!”

Was threatening him,

“Congratulations, Mr. Akagi, do you mind asking Miss Asai whether she wants paper diapers or cloth diapers?”

Tsuyako too teased him. And Beni Hitachi, the pen pal from another school he met during summer vacation, sent him a mail, stating,

“Mr. Akagi, is it true that you're going to get married? The rumors that the student council president of Heian Academy did it with the red-haired delinquent king have circulated around our school like crazy. Does this have to do with you?”

And inside the classroom,

“I-I-I-I-I-I-I do believe in you," Michiru stammered.

Though she had a change of hairstyle, Michiru's personality did not. And Honoka, sitting beside him,

“Akagi's kid...Akagi's kid...”

Was muttering a mantra with hollow eyes.

During the break, Asai sent him a mail that was filled with murderous intent,

“Ignore what anyone else say at this point. If you dare say anything unnecessary, I will kill you.”

Nonetheless, she was unable to hide her usual poker face whenever they met, and she was pouting her lips, blushing.

“That Matriarch Asa is all dere here!”

“That Matriarch Asa's stomach contains the delinquent king's baby after all!”

The commotion got increasingly chaotic, and there continued the vicious cycle of Asai gritting her teeth, giving a murderous look of wanting to eviscerate everyone.

That was merely the commotion that happened before lunch break.

(I didn't do anything that would have made her pregnant...)

Making his way back, Koremitsu was too tired to even raise his eyebrows that he slumped into the chair. Hikaru, right above him, was either having his hands clapped together or his head lowered.

“A-Akagi...I can believe you, right?”

Honoka, who was entranced in her own world, suddenly turned his face to Koremitsu and stared at him as she said that,

“!!! Of course.”

“Y—yeah. There's no way Akagi and the Matriarch Asa would...do such a thing...”

One had to wonder what she was thinking as her face went beetroot.

And even Koremitsu was blushing,

He spotted a delicate, pretty girl with long black hair at the corridor, seemingly looking for something.

Aoi!

She looked extremely pale, her shoulder shivering slightly as she peeked into Koremitsu's classroom. Once their eyes met, her shoulders jerked in shock as she showed a feeble, hesitant look, seemingly wanting to say something as she looked back at him.

Koremitsu immediately stood up and went off in Aoi's direction.

“Akagi!”

Behind him, Honoka let out an unreliable voice.

Once Aoi noticed that Koremitsu was headed in her direction, she averted her eyes, intending to leave in a hurry.

“Miss Aoi, please wait.”

Hikaru pleaded with a desperate expression, and Koremitsu, in his delirium, grabbed her arm without a care.

Aoi was shocked.

And Koremitsu spoke with a serious tone,

“You came here wanting to tell me something, right? I got some things to say to you too, Aoi. Do you mind being with me for a while?”

And so, he lowered his head as he held a thoroughly skeptical Aoi by the hand, heading to the roof,

Within the shade formed by the overbearing sunlight, Koremitsu let loose of Aoi's hand. She looked at her feet, and let out a little whisper,

“I...Asa...Mr. Akagi's child...erm...”

“I don't have a kid with Saiga, and it's not mine.”

Koremitsu was worried if Aoi was fretting too much over this matter.

While the relationship between Aoi and Asai showed signs of recovery during the fireworks festival Tsuyako organized, the relationship was still delicate. She probably let her thoughts run too much when she heard that Asai was pregnant with Koremitsu's child or something.

She was the only one Koremitsu had to explain matters to no matter what.

Naturally, it was difficult for him to mention that the child within Sora may be Hikaru's.

But after hearing Koremitsu's words, Aoi's face went pale.

“If it's not your child, Mr. Akagi...then, does it mean that it is Hikaru's?”

Both Koremitsu and Hikaru widened their eyes in unison.

Both Asai and Aoi were probably too sensitive when it came to Hikaru's matters.

Well, Hikaru himself was probably the worst form of existence to cause others to immediately assume 'pregnant with a child = is it Hikaru's child?'.

(Isn't this all your fault for saying that all the girls are pretty flowers, wandering around and having fun?)

“Is the child within Asa's belly Hikaru's?”

Aoi leaned forward, the silky black hair blown by the breeze at the roof.

“Mislead her, Koremitsu!”

“Th-that's not it! It's another woman who got pregnant!”

“Another...! Then is it true that Hikaru has a child!?”

“Ahhh, you revealed it Koremitsu!!!!! Was that actually deliberately? Hey, was it deliberate!?”

Hikaru was in the air, hugging his head as he writhed.

You're blaming me now!? Isn't this all because you're fooling around too much!? Koremitsu lambasted in his mind as he saw Aoi's teary face, muttering away what do I do now

The tears slowly seeped out from her eyes, and she quivered.

She probably heard all sorts of rumors of Hikaru fooling around when the latter was alive, but it was too much for her to hear that he had a child. She could no longer chide him for he had already left.

Well, the culprit was certainly beside him, writhing around. Fortunate or not, she would no longer be able to see that person or hear his voice,

(Damn it, you're always causing me trouble.)

He was extremely furious at his Casanova of a friend, but still, he placed his hands on Aoi's shoulders.

And Aoi widened her eyes in shock.

“The thing is that Hikaru may have a kid, and that's because he's that sort of person! The one he chose in the end is you, Aoi! His feelings for you aren't a lie!”

“What Koremitsu said is correct, Miss Aoi!”

Hikaru too was seemingly revived as he clenched his fists and nodded.

“Hikaru broke up with the other girls so that he can protect and be with you alone, the important person to him. Please believe that about him!”

“Please believe Koremitsu's words here, Miss Aoi!”

Hikaru too was serious.

Aoi initially stared at Koremitsu in surprise, and then, the eyes were gradually hazed with anguish,

“...I understand. If you say so, Mr. Akagi.”

She whispered, but she did not seem convinced.

Her red teary eyes were lowered slowly, and she remained silent.

“...”

The strand-like black hair swayed fleetingly, and Aoi looked more fragile than before, to a point where anyone was able to feel the skepticism and sadness emitting from her slender shoulders. Seeing this, Koremitsu felt really depressed.

I'll be the one to protect her.

For an instant, Koremitsu felt this feeling surge within him.

That was something he could never say to Hikaru or Aoi.

It was after class, and with the complicated feelings he got from Aoi, Koremitsu went off to Sora's apartment, still feeling perplexed.

(I guess I feel this way, guilty...definitely because of Sora.)

Aoi was never able to be united with Hikaru when he was alive.

But Sora was entrusted with Hikaru's child.

And because Hikaru died, that was something Aoi could never ever do...

One had to wonder who was the blissful party between Aoi and Sora, and as a boy, Koremitsu would never know...

He stood in front of the door, the intercom rang, and Sora exited.

“Why are you here?”

She looked extremely shocked.

“I have something that I want to be certain of.”

He responded with a sullen, serious look, ostensibly plotting something as he looked hesitant, and walked in.

“Come in. It's no different from yesterday.”

Koremitsu placed a plate of pickled paprika that was served on the plate in this room filled with the aroma of green tea and paprika, gulped down the tea, and stared at Sora and said,

“You said that the father of the baby is an angel, right?”

“Yes.”

“But an angel can't give you living expenses, and he can't change diapers. How do you intend to raise him when he's born? What about college?”

“I intend to take leave from college.”

Sora answered without a second thought, her gentle tone not showing any signs of being worked up.

“I do intend to do some part-time translation work involving English and Chinese. The Church will also assist me however they can. I'll get past this by being a little frugal.”

“But.”

That's still too hard for you, while Koremitsu was worrying about this.

“I am a frugal person.”

Sora tried to pacify Koremitsu with a cheerful voice,

“With 100 Yen, I can make 3 cans of side dishes, and the Church speaker will help me with the recycling. The water used to wash rice especially can be reused quite a lot. I was very good at that when I was still in elementary school.”

The sincerity in her expression was never frivolous, and her thorough explanation was such that there was no way to refute it.

“Did your family say anything, Sora?”

Sora smiled.

The mole beside her eye became more apparent, and there was a tinge of loneliness reaching him,

“I didn't let anyone in my family know about this. Father has just started a new family. I can't be bothering him now.”

“Sora's mother died when Sora was still in elementary school. I suppose her father was remarried.”

Hikaru chimed in with melancholy.

(I see...she doesn't have any family to rely on...)

At this moment, he remembered Yū, now residing in Australia.

Back then, Yū had her money supply cut off due to her father's remarriage, and she lived alone in that tattered apartment.

But unlike Yū, who seemed to be disappearing like a dream, he could feel that Sora's tone, attitude and heart were exceptionally sturdy. The room was as neat as how he saw it the previous day; the alluring sunlight shining in from outside the window.

Sora herself took up a piece of pickled tomato, and popped it into her mouth.

“It's sour.”

She curled and twisted her lips,

“I suppose sour is the best taste after all.”

“Sora, the pickles.”

“But in fact, I really am not good with sour things. However, once I got pregnant, I saw everyone eating a lot of sour things, so I thought it may be good to do this. Any mother would wish for their child to have something nice to eat after all. There is a certain person who wrote a thesis saying that a pregnant lady should be eating honey-covered bean jam and fruit 3 times a day. Thinking about that, I think that I can eat anything.”

“...Stop with the nonsense.”

Looking over at the kitchen, he found many cans of dried plums and radish pickles,

“You don't like eating them, but you made quite a lot.”

Sora narrowed her eyes, her smile this time tender and warm.

“I am a klutz of a mother who dotes on her child very much.”

She answered with a delighted alto voice.

Koremitsu's heart was filled with a little tension.

And Hikaru's eyes too were filled with heavy tension.

To cushion herself, Sora reached her legs wide and sat down, getting into her usual posture as she began to knit a sock.

“This sock too...is already the 5 th pair. I accidentally knitted too many of them. The child will soon grow up, so after I knit this pair, I have to make a larger pair the next time.”

The clear sunlight at the end of summer shone upon the natural, long hair, reflecting a golden color. The eyes lowered were that gentle, and the fingers holding the sewing needle were white and slender.

“It seems that when the child is born, I'll be knitting a sock as large as Santa's Christmas bag.”

She continued to knit one step at a time, gently doing so with love for the fetus in her tummy. The threads were a clear blue, and a cheerful sky gradually cleared as the white fingers weaved the golden needle about.

“I really am a klutz of a mother here.”

The tender words were oozing with earnest love, causing his heart to tighten.

She probably was not confident in raising a child alone...

Yet there was nary a panic to be felt from Sora. One could see her knit socks for the child that was to be born with a blissful expression. From time to time, she would pat her hand on the tunic above her belly, smiling gently.

A gentle yet determined profile.

There was no sense of sadness from her at all, and furthermore, one could sense a solemnness from her—

Koremitsu endured the bittersweet feelings in his heart as he watched her.

(The only 'mother' I know of is one that keeps crying every time...)

On his way home,

Koremitsu heard the chirps of the cicadas as he dragged his feet, recalling the scene of his mother leaving home when he was still in elementary school.

—I’m really sorry, Mitsu.

—Sorry.

The mother who continued to sob with her head lowered.

Feebly apologizing 'sorry' over and over again whenever she saw Koremitsu's face.

Though she was not too fond of going out, and often lingered in a corner of the room, making small, felt things, apparently engrossed in her own world...the thin, slender silhouette looked increasingly tragic.

—I’m really sorry, Mitsu.

There was the petite figure holding the large luggage bag, gradually departing under the dim road lights in the middle of the night.

And on the other side was his young self, standing and clinging to the window, praying for his mother to return.

That wish was never granted.

Koremitsu continued to scowl, and Hikaru did not disturb him. All this time, Hikaru had been pondering silently and solemnly, seemingly recalling something once he heard Sora's decision.

“I'm back.”

Koremitsu reached home, opened the sliding door, and the white Lapis poked its head out from the living room.

Lapis did not ask where Koremitsu was, merely staring at him coolly with its Lapis-colored eyes.

Recently, whenever Koremitsu returned home, Shioriko would come scurrying out and greet him, shouting, “Welcome back! Big brother Koremitsu!” She however did not appear today.

In contrast, Koharu, wielding a kitchen knife, poked her head out from the kitchen.

“Welcome back, Koremitsu. Go clean up the bathroom before dinner.”

It was Koharu's style to leave her red hair unkempt, and wear a T-shirt and trousers with messy hems. She would wear a short apron around her waist whenever she was working in the kitchen.

“Got it...” he answered, and then, he asked, “Where's Shiiko?”

“We ran out of soy sauce, so she went out to buy it with the old man. She said that the old man could came along as it's too dark and dangerous, but it's just a 10 minute trip to the supermarket, and isn't the outside rather bright too? He said that he's going out to buy some Go magazine in the meantime, but the issue this month's already sent over, and he even yapped saying that he saw it. I'll say he's one clumsy grandpa doting on Shiiko rather than bonehead.”

She answered with a stunned look, shrugging her shoulders,

—I really am a klutz of a mother here.

Sora's soothing alto voice rang in his ears, and his heart ached yet again.

And suddenly, he asked Koharu, who was headed to the kitchen,

“Erm...when someone's pregnant, is there something I can get or help out with?”

“Huh?”

Koharu frowned hard, contorting the tip of her nose, and she glared furiously,

“Did you make some Missy pregnant or something here?”

And she pointed the kitchen knife at Koremitsu's nose.

“I didn't!”

“Really? That lady who came to eat with us that day looked like she had a lot on her mind.”

“You're talking about Shikibu? Shikibu's my classmate—anyway, I didn't do anything, whether it's to Shikibu or any other girls.”

I can't stand being mistaken for a scoundrel who made a girl pregnant by my own family! He denied this with all his might.

And so, he asked,

“It's not me...an acquaintance I know of is going to give birth. The kid's dad died...and there were some things she couldn't leave it to in the family. Well, I guess giving birth is quite the big thing...huh?”

“Of course. It's a matter of life and death.”

Koharu put the knife down as she concluded. And she probably thought of something, for she asked,

“How many months now?”

“7 months.”

“I see...”

Koharu sank into a long, deep thought.

She probably recalled the time when she gave birth. Perhaps too, as a woman in a similar circumstance, she was worried about Sora, who was to give birth to a child alone. The child Koharu gave birth too was soon taken by the father after the divorce, and she never saw him again. It was said that she found out about her husband's infidelity when she was pregnant, and adamantly proposed a divorce. Either way, it was not a happy pregnancy.

Finally, with a scowl, Koharu spoke up,

“I'll come up with a list later stating all the preparations needed before a pregnancy. If you feel that there are needs you really need, take as much as you want.”

“O-okay.”

(Akagi's reading stuff about child raising again...)

A few days after the furor over the pregnancy caused by Koremitsu Akagi.

Koremitsu was reading a book titled 'First labor and child raising' solemnly, one page at a time, and Honoka, seated beside him, was fiddling with her cellphone as she watched on tentatively,

“The classmate I'm interested in made a girl pregnant 。 ゜( ゜´Д `゜ ) ゜。'

What do I do now?

By Hono Hono.”

She left this message on an internet imageboard without any anonymity.

The ones answering this question would probably be torn on what to do. Even Honoka would be troubled by anyone asking her similar questions on her own website.

And the moment she thought of that, she received her message on her blog address.

“Purple Princess, please hear me out!

I think I may be pregnant here! (T□T)

And it may not be my boyfriend's kid, but B's kid, whom I have an affair with! Σｗ(ﾟдﾟ`)ｗ. Do I lie and say that it's my boyfriend's kid here, or do I ask B for compensation and abort the kid? I'm so troubled by it that I can't sleep for nights （∩ ∩）

I've been without my period for 3 months already.

My weight has increased by 10kg.

At the rate this keeps up, I feel like I'll give birth tomorrow.

Purple Princess, please give me some advice here + ~ 。°(>o<)°。”

(~~Like I would know what to do there!)

And also,

“Purple Princess, I'm troubled here.

I bore a baby, but my boyfriend wouldn't recognize it.

He actually said 'Is this really my kid' (;△;)

What do I do now? (つД `)。*

(Why are these messages coming one after another~~~!!!)

Actually, she recalled what she updated on her mobile phone noel a few days ago, that a rival to the heroine Natsuno appeared, pregnant with the lover Takuma's child, and had an impulse to slam her head on the table.

(I accidentally added this into the novel because of the shock about Akagi!!! Ahhhh, what do I do now anyway?)

She hastily erased the urge to beat her face up in her mind as she reverted to the love expert Purple Princess, answering the questions,

“First, go buy some medicine to check for pregnancy, and see if you're really pregnant. Try summoning your courage and visit the nearest drug store （°`▽`°）”

“I think that if you really love your boyfriend, you'll actually want to give birth to the kid (・ω・)

If you actually believe in your feelings, try saying to your boyfriend 'this is the kid of my beloved, you, and I'm not willing to abort it. I'm going to raise it alone even if I have to do it alone'.

The most important thing is not to say it with a hateful tone, but to say it with a determined smile.

If the boyfriend says 'I'm sorry, I'll be a good dad and allow this kid to be born', it'll be all okay`“(@^▽^@)/

But if he's to leave it as it is, and think that it's too inconvenient, I'll say it may be better for you and the baby inside not to give birth （。> O <。）

I hope that you'll have a good outcome (￣+￣)

Once she was done sending the messages, she looked over at the imageboard she posted on, and found a few replies,

“In this case, I think you can only give up now.”

“This guy you like is just someone you're really infatuated with, isn't it, Hono Hono? I think it's better for you to find another guy you're more fond of.”

“A student, and he already made a girl pregnant? What's so good about such an irresponsible guy here?”

After looking at the replies in front of her, Honoka felt sharp stabs in her heart, and felt regretful that she asked for help here.

(L-look for another guy I'm fond of—I-I”m just thinking of Akagi's matters here. But Akagi's just thinking of that girlfriend he impregnated here—ahhhhh seriously, my mind's going crazy!!)

At the very least, she understood that Akagi's partner was not Asai.

Two days ago, a teacher said to Asai 'do you mind coming to the counselling room', and in front of the other students,

Is something the matter? Is it that I have to take a virginity test here or something?”

The latter asked with a frigid tone and expression capable of freezing the entire classroom over.

After hearing that, the teacher retreated slightly,

“N-no, I guess there is no need after all. Just a misunderstanding.”

Such a rumor immediately spread through the school, and at this point, everyone knew that Koremitsu's partner was not Asai.

In other words, anyone who was to casually spread such malicious rumors would definitely receive a calamitous amount of vengeance if Asai were to hear about it, so everyone was probably terrified of such a prospect. Furthermore, the delinquent Koremitsu and student council president Asai had such differing positions and personalities.

And in the end, everyone concluded that nothing happened between those two.

However, the rumor remained as to who Koremitsu actually impregnated, and this was the source of Honoka's troubles.

(If it's not the Matriarch Asa, who else can it be? Oumi once said that Akagi's been to a college girl's apartment many times...don't tell me it's the girl he gave chase to that day!?)

That definitely had to be the case.

At that moment, Koremitsu was practically in a trance, and paid no heed to anything other than the girl.

At this time, he paid no heed to the surrounding stares and rumors, reading intently the books on how to raise children.

From her seat afar, Michiru had her head tucked in, shocked as she watched on.

What exactly did Michiru think about the rumors of Koremitsu impregnating a girl? Would her attitude towards him cool down a little because of this incident?

(I...)

Honoka too reevaluated matters from her own perspective.

She was still terribly shocked that Koremitsu's child was to be born soon.

But he looked so serious holding the books about child raising. To Honoka, this was the forthright attitude of Koremitsu Akagi that really moved her.

(Akagi's just a high school kid...and he's already taking responsibility for what he did here. He wants to be a dad...)

The world would be harsh on him, and it would be a difficult, arduous ordeal.

(But that's because...Akagi's serious.)

Her heart throbbed, Honoka shut her cellphone and lifted her head.

(I can't leave him alone like this after all!)

“Akagi!”

Honoka, seated beside him, fiddling with the phone with her eyes raised, looked over grimly as she suddenly stood up.

(Wh-what now?)

Hikaru, floating above Koremitsu's head, was too taken aback as he leaned forward.

Honoka slammed her hands onto Koremitsu's table.

And then, she gritted her teeth, shouting,

“I'm going to help you as your Heliotrope!”

The next day,

There was a pile of baby magazines laid out on Koremitsu's table,

“My friend's older sister gave birth last year, and sent a pack to me saying that these aren't of any use now. She said that the 'Eggs Club' is a magazine to be read before labor, and the 'Chicks Club' is to be read after labor. There's a summary of the methods selected by the hospitals, the fees for pregnancy tests and so on. Looks, the summary for baby foods here is really detailed, right?”

Honoka laid the books out as she gave Koremitsu a forced smile.

There was a similar situation before.

It was a similar expression to the one back in the first semester, when Koremitsu was reported to be suspected of being a lolicon, Honoka brought him to a karaoke suite, and suddenly laid out a pile of gravure magazines with a blushing face to read with Koremitsu, trying to correct his lolicon tendencies—

(This again...Shikibu?)

Koremitsu understood that Honoka was doing it for himself. He was grateful to her for preparing all these revealing gravure and baby magazines and researching (?) on them with him, and was sheepish about it.

(But something just feels wrong about it.)

“This baby food here looks delicious, isn't it? It's called fruit udon. Eh, shred the cooked udon, add some diced peaches and bananas, mix them together, and cook them together. Add in some snapper shreds, and you can chew it as an ordinary dinner. Hey, Akagi, which one do you want?”

“...I-I'm bad with baby food.”

And the child was yet to be born.

“It's not good for a pregnant lady to not move at all. It looks like they can do a little yoga. How about this cat pose? Relax your limbs, tuck your tummy in and raise your buttocks. I say you should try this in the Japanese Dance clubroom after school.”

“...Why do I have to do gymnastics here?”

The moment Koremitsu got up,

“Akagi, where are you going?”

“To the changing room for PE next. Anyway, you're to go as well, right?”

“You can't do intense sports like soccer and basketball here! What if the belly is wrecked here! Try enduring a bit and do that cat pose!”

“I say, I'm not the one giving birth here! I'm not going to do either that cat pose or the dolphin pose here!”

It had been like this since morning.

“Miss Shikibu really is conflicted between her feelings of wanting to wish you well as a father, Koremitsu, and the unbearable feelings that you actually became the man for another woman.”

Hikaru earnestly muttered,

(I say now. I'm not the father here! Aren't you the papa here! Go do that cat pose!)

Koremitsu glared aside at Hikaru, muttering in his heart,

“Akagi, look at me. Listen to what I say here!”

Honoka held Koremitsu's face, and forcibly tilted it towards herself,

“I say, Shikibu.”

“Wh-what?”

Honoka's hands remained on Koremitsu's face, probably because of Koremitsu's serious look back at her.

“I'm really grateful that you're helping me out with the kid, but there's no need to be so serious here, right?”

“I-I'm not being so...”

Honoka stammered.

Ah, did I say too much here? Koremitsu too had his voice stuck in his throat.

Honoka pried her hands away from Koremitsu's, and with a complicated look of feisty and weakness, she lifted her head at Koremitsu,

“I-I just want to help you out here...Akagi.”

After hearing this reply, Koremitsu felt an aching in his chest.

“If you say that you want the kid born, I want to help you with that, Akagi.”

“I already said that it's not me...”

While his shoulders were slumped weakly, this time, it was Michiru who came running towards them,

“M-Mr. Akagi! I-I-I'd like to help you too in getting the kid born like Hono. I-I'll keep watching until your kid's born.”

She exploded with these words that left Koremitsu all the more lethargic.

“These are my little tokens, a baby towel, underwear, diapers, and warmers.”

She stuffed these things, packaged in all kinds of colorful ribbons and wrappings, into Koremitsu's arms.

“I-I-I heard that warm baby diapers are better than cold ones here.”

The serious class representative seemed to have done her own research.

“...Thanks.”

At this point, he could only say these words.

Later, at noon break, Tōjō and Hiina appeared one after another.

“It looks like it is not Asai's child. I was wondering why would there be a man willing to be with that Asai here, but I suppose it is a pity. I assumed incorrectly that Asai became a mother, but since I did ask others to send it over, do give it for that child to use when it is warm. These are customized baby bottles, customized bibs, and a silver spoon.”

“It is expected to be born in winter, right, Mr. Akagi? This is a classical music CD for the fetus. Make sure to listen to it; it'll calm people down. These are some dried sardines here. Hope that a strong baby will be born after eating these.”

She laid out the items one after another.

“All of them are good people.”

Though Hikaru did say this with a gracious feeling, Koremitsu, being blessed “Please have a healthy baby” with his classmates staring at him, was not the direct beneficiary.

During noon break, he evacuated to the Japanese Dance Research Club with a lunch box in tow, only to find Tsuyako there.

“Miss Shikibu and Miss Hanasato came to me asking to come up with a party celebrating the birth of your baby, Mr. Akagi. You really are beloved here, papa.”

And she teased him.

“I don't want a party or anything like that. Don't think of adding on to the mess here, senpai.”

“Oh ho ho, the more you say you do not want it, the more I feel like doing it.”

“Spare me already. The kid's going to be born, but it's not mine.”

“Oh my. I heard that you are devoted to researching on the baby books.”

“That's because...this kid doesn't have a dad, so I thought I could at least do something here. It's not like I'm not involved however.”

After this exchange, Tsuyako's face darkened,

“Is it...Hikaru's child?”

Koremitsu was left speechless.

(Ack, I blurted it out again...!)

And Hikaru's face showed a feeble smile incapable of putting up any resistance.

“Is that so? Hikaru's child, is it? Ah, why did I not notice it before? There is no way you would cause a girl to be pregnant, Mr. Akagi, but since you are researching on books about babies, I cannot think of any reason other than it being Hikaru's child.”

After saying all these in excitement, trails of tears suddenly appeared on Tsuyako's face,

“Sen-senpai!”

After seeing the crystal clear tears trickle down before his eyes, Koremitsu, inapt at dealing with women tears, immediately panicked.

Hikaru too was embracing Tsuyako by the shoulders saying, “Tsuyako. Do not cry anymore! I am sorry!” looking extremely lost. Naturally, Hikaru's hands were unable to touch Tsuyako's shoulders, and his voice could not reach her.

“What do I do now? I am happy now.”

“Eh?”

Hikaru widened his eyes.

Tsuyako placed a hand over her face, showing a little opening,

“Hikaru's child would actually be born. I assumed that I would never be able to see Hikaru again, yet the child that will inherit Hikaru's blood will be born...will he resemble Hikaru in looks? Is he a boy, or a girl? I am chuffed to bits here. What do I do here, Mr. Akagi? I really...really am delighted...my tears cannot stop...”

Her shoulders quivered as she continued to sob,

Tsuyako, never to show her own suffering and tears to Koremitsu or anyone else, was so overwhelmed with joy and tears, and her expression was etched deeply in Koremitsu's heart. Hikaru too looked ready to cry without tears as he embraced Tsuyako tightly, his cheeks caressing hers.

Tsuyako continued to sob as she said,

“Thank you for informing me of such an important thing.”

“No...the kid's not born yet, actually.”

And while Koremitsu sat down shyly and fidgeted,

“Please allow me to assist with the baby. I shall order a customized baby cot, a customized baby car, and a customized music box.”

She said to him,

“Eh?”

It was after school. Sora looked a little annoyed when she saw Koremitsu visit her apartment again, this time with a large number of baby items in both hands,

“There is no need for you to visit me every day, you know.”

She said as she brewed some tea.

“Hey, don't do that. I'll do that!”

Just when Koremitsu placed the items down and frantically ran off to the kitchen,

“You really like to worry here.”

She beamed serenely.

The moment he looked back, the thin fragrance of green tea and grapefruit spread from her hair, to all over the room.

“It is good for the child inside if I move about a little.”

“But, if there's a little mistake.”

He did realize that he was a little overly paranoid, but Koremitsu memory of pregnancy was fuzzy as he was still in elementary school when Koharu gave birth, and he never was pregnant himself. He was always worried if the child would pop out from the belly if anything was to happen.

Sora again was wearing a loose tunic. The belly itself did not seem too overly obvious, or perhaps Sora herself was slender, for even though it had been 7 months, there was no obvious change to the belly. This however caused Koremitsu to worry that a little impact would hurt the baby, and cold sweat trickled down.

Thus, whenever Sora stood up, squat down, or tried to walk,

“I'll do it.”

“You can just sit down, Sora.”

“Wait! Don't touch!”

He ended up standing, squatting and surrounding her from behind,

“You really like to worry, Mr. Akagi.”

And every single time, Sora would respond with a troubled smile.

Koremitsu was not the only one experiencing 'labor' from up close, for Hikaru too was no better,

“Sora, you cannot move such a heavy thing. Ahh, if you squat down now, the burden on the belly will—”

He would dither,

And while the two boys were left flustered, Sora's eye, with the mole beside it, looked a little relaxed,

“I'm fine.”

She answered with a delightful alto voice.

And then, she gently knitted socks for the child, placing the hand on the belly from time to time to calm them down.

But anyhow, Koremitsu would end up seeing his mother's silhouette over the scene in front of him.

“Hey...aren't you worried, about giving birth to a kid alone?”

Recalling the sight of his sobbing mother who was always curled every day, his heart continued to ache as he asked this stiffly. Sora placed her hand gently on her tummy, answering with a calm down,

“This child continues to encourage me.”

“You love...this kid?”

“Of course.”

There was no hesitation in the gentle voice.

And she narrowed her eyes blissfully.

While thinking about why Sora would show such a blissful look, Koremitsu felt conflicted emotions of joy and sadness, his nose itching.

(Did my mom put her hand on the tummy and smile gently like this when I was in her tummy..?)

Did such a thing happen before?

He could only remember the sight of his mother crying.

Lead astray by his past memories, Koremitsu's emotions collapsed into darkness, and he clenched his fists.

“Actually, you don't have to be so worried. You still have your studies and club activities to worry about, right? It seems that you came earlier than yesterday.”

“Well, actually, the 6 th period's self-study, so I scribbled some stuff on the printouts and came over.”

Suddenly, his forehead was hit with a smack.

“I say, this isn't a good thing, you know. Self-study is still part of the lessons, so you have to stay in the classroom until the very end. If you dare slack off again, I won't let you inside again.”

She puffed her cheeks, her tone similar to a big sister telling off a child. Her face then sizzled, and the area around her mole was gradually dyed red.

“Ah, I'm sorry. I mistook you for my long lost brother, so I.”

She muttered shyly.

Koremitsu remained stunned as he stared back at Sora.

It was the first time he was lectured so gently. Whenever Koharu got angry, she would end up swinging her arms and legs at him, and his mother who left house kept crying and apologizing, never once telling off Koremitsu.

Due to the soft hit, the heat on his forehead gradually dissipated.

Feeling surprised and bittersweet within, Koremitsu recalled the time when he was still a child, probably loving his mother.

(Wh-what stupid things am I thinking about here?)

He immediately felt embarrassed by it, but for an instant, he was unable to escape the gentle touch that surrounded him,

“Mr. Akagi...?”

A worried voice rang at the ears of Koremitsu, who was lost in his own world.

Stunned, Koremitsu looked back,

“D-don't ever slack off in class again, okay?”

She lowered her reddened face, curtly telling him off.

And then, she raised her head tentatively, easing the eye with the mole beside it as she watched Koremitsu. The tender expression of a mother protecting a young child caused Koremitsu's heart to wrench further.

“But I'm Hikaru's friend here, so I want to help you out in his place, Sora.”

“Didn't I say that this isn't Hikaru's child?”

She lowered her eyes, her expression ostensibly telling 'what a troublesome kid'. To him, this image of her looking a little teary reconciled with the image of his mother who left home.

Unable to find the source of his stinging emotions, Koremitsu muttered,

“Hikaru always yapped here and there about promises and such, so there definitely is one, isn't there? Let me be the one to fulfill it then! Please tell me anything you wanted Hikaru to do when he was alive.”

He wanted to do something for Sora.

Not just for Hikaru's sake, but for himself.

He wanted to do something for Sora, who was protecting the fetus in the tummy, who was to become a mother.

However...

“There's nothing.”

With a tragic expression, Sora answered,

“I personally have no wishes for myself.”

Hikaru, having anticipated that Sora would reply as such, looked back bitterly at her.

Koremitsu too grimaced, transiting from the surrounding tender atmosphere to one where cold water was splashed upon him.

From the aroma pot rose the green tea and apricot fragrances Sora brewed, and the room was bright and warm.

I dislike promises.

Because they will never be fulfilled.

Sora once said this to Hikaru.

And she placed her hand on her tummy, narrowed her eyes as she smiled. Her face was so peaceful, so wise, and so satisfied...

But Koremitsu's heart tightened when he saw Sora's expression suddenly vanish and gradually grow distant.

The petite image that gradually faded away under the street lights flashed by in his mind.

Hikaru too bit his lips tightly, looking at Sora with anguish.

“...Kaoru, Izumi. I guess it is Kaoru after all.”

Once he got home.

Koremitsu entered his grandfather's calligraphy classroom in his house, and with the brushpen and ink, wrote out words on the calligraphy papers laid out on the writing table.

Hikaru was thinking of a name for the child, so Koremitsu accompanied him and recorded all the names Hikaru said.

“Kaoru (薰).”

“Izumi (泉).”

He wanted to write out the names with thick lines, but the lines just seemed so feeble and weak.

“I suppose it is best to have a child both girls and boys can use...for I do not know how long I can still remain on this Earth.”

And after muttering this,

“An-anyway, it's still too early to start worrying about this, isn't it?”

He vented out the emotions he kept within.

“Anyway, Sora is more important here. Sora was always like that; when I was in middle school, she would go to Church every day, and I would not be able to meet her. Sora had a little brother in kindergarten back then, and I kept accompanying him, waiting for Sora to appear. I once requested for the little brother to sneak Sora some letters, but Sora never once replied to me.”

Don't go about asking kids to do such things here! While Koremitsu was dumbfounded, Hikaru gave a sheepish look.

“I dated many girls later on, and understood a lot from them, but I have yet to understand Sora.”

The hushed voice, coupled with the lowered eyebrows, looked so heartbreaking; the lucid eyes showed anguish and turmoil.

“All the girls are like pretty flowers, needing the water called love to hydrate them, but no matter how much is given to them, they will never be satisfied. This is the path needed for them to bloom splendidly; as long as I am needed, I will give it all to them no matter how much it is. Sora however—did not need it.”

If you had wanted it, I could have given it all to you no matter how much it is; even if you want me to hold the blooming blue flowers by the river and fall in.

Hikaru definitely protected the women he loved with utmost might, and definitely watered them so that they would bloom fully.

Except for Sora—

“Why exactly did she reject my feelings and promises, and yet accepted me? Girls would normally begin with 'no' at first, but they were never sincere about it. Sora's 'no' is different from the other girls'—yet the arms that embraced me were so filled with love, so tender. Thus—I suppose Sora did not hate me...”

It was extremely rare that Hikaru finally concluded that there was a place for him in her heart.

(No, with this guy, I know that he'll end up falling for himself if he meets himself in the eyes.)

In any case, perhaps it was a rare experience for him to be rejected by a girl after all.

Leaving aside his stepmother Fujino, Sora, who both accepted and rejected Hikaru, was an anomaly herself.

(She actually caused the harem prince Hikaru to show such a bewitched look...is there a chance that he never pursued any girls other than Sora?)

Fujino herself was a taboo.

But Sora, who resembled Fujino so greatly, could not be obtained no matter how he tried to pursue her. Even if he felt that he did enter her arms, she had already vanished before he realized it.

And Hikaru's shoulders slumped as he continued,

“The first time we met, I said to Sora 'you are like a Japanese Cypress, Sora'. Now that I think about it, that was not a good idea. The next time we met, she said 'I did see the Japanese Cypress, but it looks like a large, bushy moss ball, not a pretty flower at all.', and I told her 'that is definitely the Japanese Cypress. It can also be called the Hahakigi, but the fabled Hahakigi does not exist any more. I cannot explain very well what sort of plant it actually is, but it should be the same as the Japanese Cypress, with a thin, tender stem, and has a cute, round and lush shape of a broom, what a beautiful flower'. And once I said this 'but it doesn't have any flowers, and it's not like a flower—”

There was heat in Hikaru's voice, and surely he told Sora these words so desperately in the Church at the beginning of March, when the piled up snow had yet to melt.

“That is because the Japanese Cypress blooms as strangely as a ball of fur. The little fruits growing on the twigs can be eaten, and they are called the caviar of the fields. They do have a strange scent, but they are called 'flowers'.”

He clasped his hands tightly, looking on like a puppy,

“So I said to Sora 'That is not the case. The Japanese Cypress is very beautiful, marvelous when the red leaves appear, like the coral reefs—so beautiful that I have to wonder if the fabled Hahakigi was like this. Let us go look for it next time'. Sora however turned her head aside, telling me so forlornly 'I don't want to make a promise'. Argh, I really do not understand. Hey, Koremitsu. What do you know?”

“How will I know anything even you don't know of?”

He growled back at Hikaru, who had his head cuddled.

(Ugh, I don't know anything...about women at all.)

Why give birth to me if you're going to dump me...

He practiced on the papers over and over again his mother's favorite word so that he could give it to her on her birthday.

It'll be good if mom can be happy.

It'll be good if mom can smile.

With such anticipation filling his heart, he practiced over and over again.

And the words 'love', 'dreams', 'stars', 'hoped' littered the floor—

(I never gave a single one to her.)

Hikaru watched on worriedly, wondering what exactly happened as Koremitsu gripped the brush tightly. Korwmitsu's face froze as he gritted.

At that moment,

“Koremitsu.”

Koharu came in.

“Didn't I tell you to come for dinner at 7?”

“Ah, sorry...it's that time already?”

Koharu glanced at the words Koremitsu word,

“What's with these words?”

“Ah, erm, the kid's name. I'm thinking about which one's the best right now.”

“This isn't something you can decide, right?”

“Though you say that, I think it's good to have a backup. Ah, the Wakame and Shimeji mushrooms pickles you gave me aren't very sour, Koharu. She's glad to be able to eat a lot of it.”

“Is that so...”

“She can't take sour stuff very well, but she's still trying her best...is this what a mother's about?”

“...”

“Taking tender care even before the kid's born.”

—I’m really sorry, Mitsu.

There was Sora, who eased the corner of the eye with the mole, smiling gently.

There was Sora, who had a blissful look as she placed her hand on her tummy.

And on that Sora was the image of his mother's sobbing face and her hoarse voice, utterly contrasting Sora's.

—Sorry.

“Are all of them like that...even my...”

Did my mom ever love me before?

Yeah, I want to ask her that.

Does she love her even if her life's in danger?

Did I ever, love my mother?

But all the words remained stuck in his throat, becoming a pool of bitter saliva.

Perhaps Koharu knew very well what Koremitsu was about to ask. She curled her lips and scowled, remaining speechless.

“...”

Hikaru too stared at Koremitsu worriedly.

Koharu then sighed, and said,

“Your mom...got remarried again. Not with that teacher, but another guy again. You also have a little brother.”

Now that was the first time he heard about it

“You want to meet her?”

He felt a stab in his heart, and the images of his mother's gloomy expressions appeared in his mind one after another.

“I don't know.”

“Is that so?”

It seemed Koharu knew of his mother's address.

For Koharu herself did have heart-to-heart talks with his mother in the past...

He recalled the sight of his mother embracing Koharu tightly, sobbing incessantly.

She threw out the little felt bear mascots she made onto the floor. At that moment, they both had a long talk, and Koremitsu, who was still in elementary school back then, should have overheard them.

He was standing behind the sliding door, curled up as he listened intently on the surrounding movements.

At that moment, his mind was shrouded in darkness. His body was scalded by the hot water-like heat and pain.

(Yeah, back then, mom—)

Damn it! Stop!

The gradually awakening memories were severed by his heart.

Don't recall any more.

The more he recalled it, the more his body was scalded and ached all over. In an instant, Koremitsu closed his eyes.

Hikaru worriedly called out,

“Koremitsu.”

Koharu remained silent.

While Koremitsu gritted his teeth to endure the pain, scampering footsteps could be heard,

“Aunt Koharu, grandpa Masakaze's prompting you for dinner. Shiiko too is too hungry here!”

Shioriko's cheerful voice rang.

Koremitsu opened his eyes, and found the twintails swaying about, scuttling towards Koremitsu with a cheery face as she latched onto his arm.

“Come quickly too, Big Brother. Tonight's dinner is your favorite spicy Jjigae stew.”

Gradually thawing Koremitsu's heart were the tender, warm arms and the innocent sparkling eyes that lifted with the head.

At Shioriko's feet was Lapis, lifting its head as it looked up at Koremitsu, calmly purring away.

“Wait, Shiiko, you can't take spicy stuff. What if you hurt your tongue again?”

“Don't worry. It won't be spicy if I add mayonnaise.”

“Mayonnaise? That's heresy.”

“It's fine. Shiiko wants to eat whatever Big Brother Koremitsu eats.”

“Well then, I'll try some mayonnaise too.”

“Yes! It's delicious!”

The innocently beaming Shioriko, his petite stepsister, dragged him out of the calligraphy room.

Hikaru looked rather relieved as he watched Koremitsu, while Koharu looked on with an unchanging scowl.

### 003. Chapter 3: I Made My Younger Sister My Substitute

The next day,

Koremitsu's table was still surrounded with the usual buzz.

“Akagi, I heard that the most important thing in giving birth is the breathing! If the correct breathing technique is mastered, the kid will follow suit and come out! Someone uploaded the video onto the internet. I'll send the address to you.”

“M-M-M-Mr. Akagi, they do sell something called a diaper cake in a baby shop. I bought one thinking that I had to show you this. Look, the towels, diapers and underwear are all packaged in a cake decoration, very cute.”

Honoka and Michiru were holding baby magazines and childbirth supplies, taking turns to talk to Koremitsu. Also, even the second year Tsuyako was in Koremitsu's classroom.

“Hey, I do think this is good as a design for the baby cot. While there is some Japanese flair added, do you not think it has a modern feel to it? This one here is decorated by Italian lace; I really have a hard time picking. Which one do you think is better, Mr. Akagi?”

Honoka and Michiru were already attracting a lot of attention, and with a glamorous, stupendous beauty like Tsuyako beside Koremitsu, it attracted a lot more attention at this point.

The sight was akin to a garden of flowers suddenly popping out around Koremitsu.

“What's that? A harem?”

“I think I saw that before...like when Mikado was still alive.”

“The harem delinquent, huh?”

There were murmurs from all around.

(Don't give me such a weird nickname here!)

Koremitsu shouted in his heart.

For some reason however, Hikaru was dressed in the clothing of a Persian Prince, floating in the air, looking moved as he said,

“Thank you all for thinking so much about my child.”

Koremitsu did hear the depressing words from Koharu the previous day, but with the girls surrounding him, he was kept so busy that he did not have the time to brood over it.

(Seriously, these guys...)

Though he was grimacing on the surface, there appeared some form of relief from somewhere in his heart.

(Oh.)

He suddenly spotted Aoi standing at the entrance of the classroom.

Perhaps Aoi came to see Koremitsu, worried about Hikaru's child. She looked vexed and tentative as she peeked into the classroom, and looked flustered as she opened and closed her lips over and over again.

Aoi had been standing a little distant from Koremitsu over the past few days, and never once approached him.

On this day too, the moment she met Koremitsu in the eyes, her shoulders would jump slightly, and she would frantically turn her head aside, and scamper off.

(That's a normal reaction, I guess...?)

It probably was difficult for Aoi to be like Tsuyako, sincerely delighted that the boy she loved would have a child soon.

Hikaru too looked on docilely as he whispered in anguish,

“Miss Aoi has a tendency for purity, so she probably is angry and hurt now. If I were still alive, perhaps she would ignore me for at least a year or so...”

After school, Koremitsu again paid a visit to Sora's apartment. There was a sweet, refreshing fragrance of green tea and grapefruit drifting in this neat and tidy room, giving one a sense of comfort and modesty. He spent the time looking at Sora, who continued to knit clothes, and sometimes even make paprika marinade.

Whenever he thought about Aoi, he would feel guilty about being together with Sora like this.

And intertwined in his thoughts were the pricks of his already remarried mother, the thoughts he was unable to express in words.

“Sora, you really don't have any wishes you want fulfilled?”

Koremitsu asked.

“None.”

Sora immediately answered without hesitation.

“There has to be 1 or 2 of them. Like for example, live in a more spacious, luxurious house, or take a luxury cruise on a trip or something. Ah, I don't have enough money to pay for that if these are what you're thinking. If you're really thinking about that, I-I'll definitely think of something.”

Sora cheerfully looked back at Koremitsu, who seemed to have taken the metaphor to the literal extreme, the smile in her eyes akin to one watching over a child with the wish 'I want to be the president when I grow up'.

(Ugh, she's not taking my words seriously here.)

And a mesmerizing alto voice entered a blushing Koremitsu's ears.

“It takes a lot of effort to clean up a house that's too big, and I get seasick easily, so I'll pass on the house and cruise.”

“I-in that case, how about eating lots of what you like and wearing beautiful dresses or something?”

“If I eat a lot of what I like, I'll end up disliking it in the end. While pretty dresses are nice to look at, it definitely isn't convenient to move in them if I do wear them.”

“Then, how about doing nothing for a day? I'll do all the housework that day.”

“Koremitsu, that is a privilege for Mother's day.”

And Hikaru chimed in.

“Fo-forget I said that.”

Koremitsu blurted in a panic, and Sora chortled.

“—Fufu.”

And while Koremitsu was left embarrassed,

“Thanks for thinking for my sake here. You really are a good kid, Mr. Akagi.”

She spoke with a motherly tone.

This left Koremitsu's face sizzling more and more, and he was rendered speechless.

“This is to be expected, Koremitsu. Even I was treated like a child by Sora here.”

Hikaru consoled,

(Wait, will anyone do such things to a kid!?)

Koremitsu retorted quietly, looking very remorseful.

In this silent room, the cicadas could be heard chirping.

“It's been lively nowadays too...”

Sora looked out of the window, muttering.

It wasn't a particularly interesting topic to talk about, but Koremitsu was relieved,

“When I was young, I did look for the shed skins of cicadas...in the summer.”

And he blurted.

At that instance, Sora's eyes became melancholic.

“What happened to the shed skin?”

“I put it in a plastic bag and left it on the table, but a breeze unexpectedly blew it to the floor, and I stepped on it accidentally, crushing it.”

“Is that so...that's a pity.”

There was a tinge of loneliness in those words.

The mole under the eye seemed to become a tear.

Koremitsu too became gloomy as he recalled how he gathered the shed skin, and remained silent.

Both of them remained silent until the cicadas could no longer be heard.

“I'll come by tomorrow.”

Koremitsu told Sora just as he was about to head back.

“Please don't make promises. I really dislike making promises.”

She said with a phlegmatic voice.

While on the way back.

The sun continued to set as Koremitsu walked through the narrow alleys between the houses, his emotions clearly bleak.

From beside, Hikaru whispered,

“...Sora's reaction was a little strange when you talked about cicadas.”

“...”

“You too...have bad memories about cicadas, do you not?”

And while Hikaru expressed his worry, Koremitsu brusquely answered,

“It's nothing...it's just like what I told Sora. I gathered the shed skins, but they were accidentally crushed , that's all.”

However, the one who accidentally crushed the skins was not Koremitsu, but his own mother. After that, his mother merely continued to weep and apologize to Koremitsu, “I'm really sorry, Mitsu”, just like that...

(Even till now, I still feel hurt whenever I think about that person. That's definitely because I still haven't given up hope, I guess.)

He continued to hope that the mother who abandoned her child still had that little bit of love for him.

—I'm really sorry, Mitsu

The mother who was always sobbing.

If he could have smiled cheerfully, perhaps his mother would be able to stop weeping.

And thinking that, Koremitsu tried his best to show a smile, trying his best to raise his lips. All he showed however were bloodshot eyes, a stiff face, and he was unable to smile.

Koremitsu never smiled again ever since his mother left him.

And he could not smile.

“Hikaru...your mom told you to 'keep smiling', right?”

Koremitsu asked Hikaru with a deep whisper, and Hikaru answered with a forlorn, clear voice,

“Yes...she told me that I could be loved by everyone if I could do this, that I would not be alone.”

—Hikaru, you have to keep smiling no matter what.

If you do that, everyone will love you.

If anyone does anything bad to you, fill your heart with love and smile back

She repeated these tender words to the young Hikaru over and over again

And just as Koremitsu could not smile, so Hikaru became a boy who could not cry.

Hikaru's sickly mother already knew that her end was nigh, and out of her love for her son, she imparted these teachings to Hikaru, who was to be left alone on this world.

—What does it feel like to let the tears flow?

Koremitsu recalled the expectant tone Hikaru used to ask and the lukewarm expression he used when he quietly muttered this.His heart winced.

The atmosphere brimming towards Autumn, the nights would quickly become frigid and forlorn. The crimson sunset flaring just a while back was gradually dimming.

“...was your mom someone who always smiled?”

“I suppose...my mother was my father's mistress, and his legitimate wife came looking for trouble, so mother must have been suffering...I do not recall mother showing any face other than a smile however.”

Hikaru's expression, even his lips, were smiling as he talked about his mother. However, his sidelong face looked as tragic as ever.

Will the day when I can smile come?

Will the day when this guy can cry come?

(How exactly does it feel to smile?)

Koremitsu recalled the girls around him who had the cheerful smiles,Shioriko, Tsuyako and Honoka, and inadvertently started to wince within.

(Hm? Who's that guy?)

At this moment, Koremitsu noticed a little boy of 4 th , 5 th grade standing in front of his door, fidgeting uncomfortably as he looked around Koremitsu's house.

(An elementary school kid...? Shiiko's acquaintance?)

“Hey.”

Koremitsu called out, and the boy jolted in shock before turning around.

His hair and clothes were tidy, and it seemed he was a well raised child. He had a cute and wise face, but the lips are pouting due to tension gave a conceited impression.

At the same time, Koremitsu seemed to have an impression of seeing the child before, curious that the boy resembled someone he knew.

And the boy was utterly terrified to have a savage looking red haired high school student talk to him.

To hide that little insecurity, his lips curled and winced more than before.

“Anything you want with us?”

Koremitsu asked, and the boy widened his eyes in shock as he stared intently at Koremitsu.

“Ah, wait!”

The boy then ducked under Koremitsu's arm, and sprinted off, soon disappearing around the corner.

“What was that about?”

“Is that not a boy who has a crush on Shiiko? He definitely came to confess to her, met a terrifying big brother, and had to run away.”

“Sorry for being a scary big brother.”

Koremitsu looked on sullenly at the place the boy disappeared to.

(He does look like someone I know...either fully, or somehow...)

During dinner, Koremitsu recounted the elementary school boy he met in front of the house, and how the boy immediately paled the moment he spoke up, and ran away.

“No way, that's definitely a boy who has a crush on Shiiko here. He actually came all the way here like a stalker. Thank goodness Big Brother Koremitsu was there to chase him off.”

Shioriko puffed her cheeks before saying it cheerfully, and Masakaze roared,

“A stalker!? That won't do, Shiiko. Do you have any preventive buzzer or a spray? I'll make a notice on the board to get the neighborhood council to take note, and send any suspicious people to the police station.”

And Koharu, upon hearing this, scowled, chiding,

“You're saying to arrest an elementary school kid if you find him? That makes you look like your Alzheimer's worsening. Stop it already.”

“What's with that? You think of your own dad as an old man with Alzheimer's? That's why I say women...this eggplant miso soup's too bland.”

“It's not like it's better when saltier. Your tongue will go numb if you eat stuff too flavorful. You're a lost cause like Koremitsu, but what'll happen if even Shiiko can't figure out the fine tastes? Anyway, stop complaining to the one who worked hard to make dinner!”

“Seriously, Aunt Koharu, grandpa Masakaze. Stop fighting already.”

It was only after Shioriko stopped them did the duo snort and look aside.

The next day.

In his quest to eat alone in peace and avoid the assaults from Honoka and the rest of the girls, Koremitsu went about looking for a suitable place in school. He then found Aoi, squatting alone at the garden deep within school. It seemed she was brooding over something alone, for she had yet to eat her lunch.

(I wonder if Aoi will run away if I try talking to her...)

Unwilling to leave Aoi alone, Koremitsu slowly approached her.

“!”

However, Aoi looked shocked as she suddenly got to her feet.

And Koremitsu too was taken aback.

A figure appeared from behind the building, and it was a youth wearing some refined looking glasses, his slender shoulders tilted forward,

(Kazuaki!!)

Hikaru's older brother, Kazuaki, had a strong obsession with Aoi. He had a frivolous smile on his face as he stood in front of Aoi, and spoke to her,

“Good afternoon, Aoi.”

Aoi in turn remained standing still due to fear.

“Miss Aoi!”

Hikaru yelled in a panic, and Koremitsu dashed off towards Aoi, hollering,

“Back away from Aoi! You perverted big brother!”

“Mr. Akagi...”

A pale looking Aoi turned to look at Koremitsu.

Upon seeing that there were tears welling in Aoi' eyes, Koremitsu was further incensed,

“What are you doing here!? I'm going to smash your head into the wall if you dare do anything to Aoi!”

“Deary no. I had to wonder how many days my face swelled after you punched me. I could not help but despair whenever I look into the mirror and see the band-aid on my nose, wondering what would happen if I were to have a band-aid on for the rest of my life. I really had the urge to die back then.”

Kazuaki shivered in fear, covering his face with his hands.

“If you're so worried about your face and don't want me to wreck you, lock yourself in your home safe and don't ever show me that goody-goody smiling face.”

“Hau! So mean. I just decided to pay an occasional visit to my beloved Alma mater. I just so happened to find Aoi here all lonely and forlorn, so I just wanted to comfort her.”

“Like hell I'll believe your words, you two face crossdressing sicko!”

Kazuaki sighed, looking convinced that he was unable to get through to an uncouth man. His expression then changed, showing an earnest smile.

In turn, Aoi was taken aback, and grabbed the hem of Koremitsu's shirt.

“There is no need to be so tentative, is there? If I had a 100% interest in you back then, Aoi, it can be considered to be 50% now.”

And with a condescending look, Kazuaki stared back at Koremitsu, speaking with the same sweet voice as Hikaru's,

“For it does seem that Aoi here is not Hikaru's most beloved.”

Aoi's face froze.

Hikaru gasped, and a stunned Koremitsu glared back.

(This guy, did he...)

Did he already figure out who Hikaru's 'most beloved' is?

Is he intending to tell Aoi the truth?

“Such a tragic lie it is~ He would actually do things that are supposed to be done with the woman he loved most after all. On the other hand, he always treated Aoi like a child, a little sister.”

Aoi's face became increasingly stiff, her face paler than before, and the fingers grabbing Koremitsu's shirt were shivering slightly.

“Please do not say anymore, Mr. Kazuaki!”

Hikaru yelled in an anguished over.

And just when Koremitsu was about to slam a fist into Kazuaki,

“Oh yes. I heard that Hikaru's child will be born in winter. The mother seems to be a college girl, I heard? A single woman wanting to raise a child in such a cramped apartment? I am moved.”

The latter's expression became increasingly leery as he continued on.

(Raising a child alone in the apartment...did this guy mistake Sora for Hikaru's 'most beloved'!?)

“How will the child turn out to be like? I suppose, as Hikaru's child, that child will inherit Hikaru's splendor after all, no? It will be wonderful if it can be born.”

Hikaru too realized Kazuaki's misunderstanding, but he was tense for a different reason.

(Sora will be in danger if Kazuaki has his eyes on her!)

A chill went up Koremitsu's spine.

“I really am looking forward to it. Can the child be born soon? I will have a niece soon, and I will take care of the child, making sure not to devour it."

The warm breeze whiffed Kazuaki's hair, causing his tender voice to scatter in the wind. An alluring glint flashed by his eyes, and the lips that slowly curled up were instantly red like blood.

That was the embodiment of the spider.

Rokujo.

A shiver went up the spine, through Koremitsu's entire body, and he stopped moving forward.

“!! Kazuaki, you...!”

Evading Koremitsu's outstretched arm that was aiming for the shirt, Kazuaki pulled his distance away.

“Bye now, Mr. Koremitsu, Aoi. Please do not show such terrifying faces the next time we meet.”

After saying such words with a grin, Kazuaki departed.

Aoi was standing there, shivering.

The narrowed eyes oozed tears, and Aoi tightened her lips and continued to blink, trying to stop the tears.

Aoi here is not Hikaru's most beloved.

Hikaru had a child with the woman he loved most, and that child would be born in winter.

That was what Kazuaki said.

One had to wonder how hurt Aoi was to be mocked by Kazuaki's voice that was as sweet as Hikaru's.

“Miss Aoi. Even if that was the case, you were my final choice. I am willing to use my entire life to ensure your happiness, Miss Aoi.”

Hikaru desperately pleaded beside Aoi.

And Koremitsu too tried to placate Aoi, his heart filled with the impulse to embrace her shivering shoulders.

But if Kazuaki were to set his eyes on Sora instead, she and the child inside her would be in danger.

Koremitsu had to hurry to Sora's side.

With a hoarse, desperate voice, Aoi murmured to Koremitsu.

“Even if Mr. Kazuaki did not say so...I do know that Hikaru has a very special person to him.”

And Hikaru, eavesdropping, was left dumbfounded.

“N-no matter how unaware I am of what is going on...I do know about that at least...so please head over to that lady as soon as possible.”

Hikaru lowered his head deeply, looking extremely apologetic as he whispered to Aoi,

“Sorry for being unable to bring you happiness, Miss Aoi. I am sorry for dying alone myself.”

With a heartbroken feeling, Koremitsu too lowered his head,

“Sorry.”

After saying that, he sprinted out.

His heart ached increasingly as he thought of how Aoi was left alone, crying by the tree alone.

“Ah! Mr. Akagi!”

A petite girl with short curls came running over to him on the corridor.

It was Michiru.

“I've been looking for you. Erm, there's a shop selling imported baby products, and they all look very cute. I thought I want to go with you, Mr. Akagi...”

“We'll talk about that later. I'm in a hurry.”

Koremitsu glared as he said that to Michiru, causing the her to flinch. He left Michiru behind as he went sprinting out of the school gates.

(Damn it! That bastard Kazuaki! If I could only knock him out before he could say anything more to Aoi!)

Koremitsu's mind was in a mess, whether it was due to his rage at Kazuaki, the complicated feelings for Aoi, or his worry for Sora, and it was suffocating him.

If something were to happen to Sora.

If something were to happen to the child within Sora.

He was supposed to be the one protecting Sora in Hikaru's place!

Sora was so earnestly endearing the child that was to be born!

(How can I let Kazuaki, that pervert, do something to the woman precious to Hikaru, to Hikaru's kid!)

Hikaru, following sidelong, looked tense as well; he looked blurred due to the sweat seeping into Koremitsu's eyes.

Koremitsu was left panting furious once he got to Sora's apartment, his bones creaking all over as a wail rang deep within him.

He pressed the bell,

“Sora!”

And the moment the door opened, Koremitsu yelled her name, sprinting into the apartment.

Sora widened her eyes in shock.

Koremitsu had a look at Sora's face and the tummy hidden under the fluttering tunic. Once he was sure Sora and the child were fine, he continued to ask, still worried,

“Sora, did anything happen? Did anyone come by? Were you threatened or attacked? Is there anything troubling you? If something's to happen to you, I...”

Koremitsu's tears were oozing out, unable to hold in the intense emotions.

He knew a man would not be one to cry easily; however, was it really good for him to not be able to cry in this situation? He was utterly furious at how weak he was.

And Hikaru, right beside him, collapsed on his knees as he smiled,

“Thank goodness...Sora is safe.”

Sora in turn embraced Koremitsu gently by the shoulders to calm him down, leading him into the room, asking,

“What's the matter? Did something happen, Mr. Akagi?”

Koremitsu however remained in a frenzy, and he obeyed Sora's advice to sit on the cushion, easing his panting.

“I was really worried about you, Sora. So I came running over here...if...if anything were to happen to you...and your kid...what am I supposed to do?”

Koremitsu's eyes were entirely red as he continued to rattle on. And so, Sora suddenly reached her white, slender arms forward, embracing Koremitsu within.

Just like a mother embracing a child.

Something warm and tender touched Koremitsu, engulfing him gently within.

“Calm down, Mr. Akagi.”

An amicable alto voice rang, the voice akin to a lullaby.

“I'm completely fine here, and so is the child.”

She then continued with a soothing, serene voice.

“Hey, it's alright.”

The sweet aroma of green tea and the refreshing whiff of grapefruit blended and fused together, causing the torrent of emotions swirling within Koremitsu to subside.

Even though he had the experience of being embraced before, Koremitsu never experienced the rare sensation of being embraced in the arms.

He did not feel his heart race, and neither did he feel flustered and embarrassed. He merely felt extremely moved to feel such peace and healing.

At this point, he finally understood how Hikaru, utterly battered within, was redeemed by Sora, not just on the surface, but by personally experiencing it.

He felt fortitude, tenderness and relief from Sora, and it felt like she would accept and retain everything about himself, protecting him.

That was the charm he had never experienced from Hikaru's other flowers, and he felt himself drowning within.

In the distant past, if that mother of his had embraced him like this when he was still immature, perhaps this might be the feeling.

The peace within his heart and the desire to fawn about coagulated together, and he did not want to leave; he wanted to continue remaining like this.

He felt very awkward when he wondered what expression Hikaru would show when looking at him, but he could not refuse Sora's embrace, and he could feel his heart pounding in Sora's chest.

At this moment, the intercom chimed.

Not once, but twice.

(Kazuaki's here!?)

Koremitsu got up in a panic.

And Hikaru too looked wary as he stood beside Sora.

“Mr. Akagi?”

“Stay there, Sora. Don't move.”

Koremitsu said, and approached the door with a skeptical looking Sora behind him.

The intercom rang again, and it seemed the person outside knew that there was someone inside, practically ordering someone to open the door as soon as possible.

Koremitsu narrowed his eyes, and looked through the peephole.

Standing there was...

“Eh...Saiga?”

All he saw in the peephole was a peeved looking tall, lanky girl with long black hair, Asai Saiga.

Koremitsu opened the door, and Asai's usual blade-like stare was looking back at him.

“Is Hikaru's partner inside?”

She interrogated Koremitsu with a heinous voice,

“Move aside.”

And shoved him aside before he could answer,

“H-hey, Saiga—”

“Asa? Why are you here too?”

Hikaru, standing right beside Sora in the apartment, too widened his eyes.

Koremitsu did not tell anyone, including Asai that Sora was one of Hikaru's mistresses, and she was living in such an apartment.

The rumors of Asai bearing Koremitsu's child had vanished completely once Asai coerced the teachers into giving a diagnosis that she was innocent.

She did not send any messages to Koremitsu over the past few days, probably because she was afraid of starting another misunderstanding, or that she was left red faced after she herself started off that sort of rumor in the first place. This caused the impression that Asai would not look for him.

If Asai wanted to, it would be easy for her to investigate who Hikaru's partner was.

Furthermore, Koremitsu had been visiting Sora's apartment over the past few days, and it was obvious as to the reason why.

Asai seemed extremely peeved. Displeased that Koremitsu hid the fact about Sora's pregnancy from him.

Though she may seem cerebral and rational, Asai was one who easily let her emotions overwhelm her, and there was nothing anyone could do when she was like that. Her cousin, Hikaru, naturally knew about it, and Koremitsu only understood this recently.

The moment he saw the seething look on Asai's face,

(This is bad.)

He immediately had this premonition.

“Wait, Saiga.”

“I had enough of your waiting already.”

Asai retorted with an icy voice, and stood in front of Sora.

Sora too got up, and asked with a skeptical look,

“Erm, who may you be?”

“Hikaru's cousin, Asai Saiga.”

Sora widened her eyes,

“Mr. Hikaru's cousin?”

“You must be Miss Sora Semigaya, right? I heard that you are pregnant with Hikaru's child, am I correct?”

“Hey! I said already...”

“That was too straightforward, Asa.”

Koremitsu and Hikaru frantically tried to stop Asai, but she could not hear Hikaru's voice, and Koremitsu's pleas fell on deaf ears.

Sora gave a frown on her little forehead, the mole under the eye looking exceptionally forlorn by the moment.

With a scowl, Asai diverted her eyes to Sora's abdomen.

“It seems that you have not decided on the hospital yet. What do you intend to do? If it is really Hikaru's child, you cannot allow the child to be raised in such a cramped apartment. Also, there is a need to do a DNA test immediately after the child is born.”

And Sora frowned harder than before.

She then covered her belly, ostensibly shielding it from Asai's eyes as she stared back.

That feisty expression was the exact same as when she raised the broom high, unlike the feeble, pacifist woman image.

And that infuriated Asai.

“Do you understand your...?”

Current situation? Before she could say those words, Koremitsu grabbed her arm, and forcibly dragged her out of the apartment. He closed the door, and led her downstairs.

“Let go of me, Mr. Akagi.”

“Calm down already, you! It's not your call for the hospital or a DNA test here!”

And Hikaru too looked on in dismay from the sidelines.

Asai waved Koremitsu's hand off, chiding,

“That child may be Hikaru's, and I cannot leave it alone like this, can I? You too, do not act on your own without consulting me.”

A scathing criticism was in the eyes. Perhaps Asai was utterly infuriated that Koremitsu never voiced out his problems to her.

And Koremitsu reflected a little upon the feelings Asai must have felt, lowering his voice as he apologized,

“I'm in the wrong here, but Sora said that the child inside her was not Hikaru's, and she intended to give birth to the child alone. I don't want to cause a huge commotion until she can understand where we're coming from. I want to do something for her knowing that the child may very well be Hikaru's, and I understand that you can't remain calm. However, the one being the mother this time is Sora.”

“...”

Asai closed her lips tight.

But even so, she still reflected on her actions, and did not retort back as she kept her lips shut, pouting in dissatisfaction.

“Anyway, I'll definitely look for you when I need your help. Can't you just wait this for the time being?”

Koremitsu earnestly pleaded with Asai.

“...I am not going to bother with you if something is to trouble you and you do not look for me.”

Asai turned her face aside, saying it so stiffly.

“Ohh! You're rather reliable, Asa.”

“Do not call me Asa...”

Those words she always repeated stopped midway through. For some reason, her face was slightly flushed,

“It is fine for you...to call me Asa.”

“Heh?”

“If it is you.”

Asai glimpsed at Koremitsu's face, and quickly showed a poker face...or so one would think, before she eased her face and curled her lips into a smile,

“I shall wait for your call then.”

After saying that, she departed.

(Wh-what the? She said that I can call her Asa...is it a special discount day today or something? She just felt a lot better out of a sudden.)

“I am amazed, Koremitsu.”

Hikaru, beside him, looked extremely impressed as he said,

“I have no idea since when exactly you became so adept at handling Asa.”

“Now what are you saying all of a sudden?”

“Perhaps I may have to start consulting you sometime down the road.”

“I really don't know what you're talking about here.”

Such a conversation continued as the duo scaled the stairs, returning to Sora's room.

While wondering how to explain Asai to Sora, he opened the door.

“I'm coming in, Sora.”

And then, the scenery that appeared to Koremitsu caused him to freeze.

Hikaru too gasped.

The nose could scent upon a strong fragrance.

Scattered all over the floor was a large amount of tea leaves and scattered grapefruit zest.

The fragrance of Japanese tea and grapefruit continued to fill Sora's apartment.

Sora did tell him before it was an air freshener she brewed, and that she kept them in a jar after making them. When using them, she would scoop it out with a ladle and put it in an aroma pot.

But the tatamis were in tatters, not because the jar fell accidentally, but because she slammed it down onto the floor.

Still cuddling her belly, Sora lowered her head as she knelt on the tatamis.

Her left arm was bleeding, and the tatamis were stained with it. Spinning by the side were the fragments of the broken cup.

That cup had a Japanese design.

And Sora had always used it to brew tea.

The baby magazines and items Koremitsu brought were also scattered everywhere.

(What's going on? What just happened?)

It was just several minutes ago when Koremitsu's group left the house.

And in such a short time...

“Sora!”

Hikaru's yell caused Koremitsu to recover,

And the latter dashed over to her,

“Sora, what happened! Are you alright? You're bleeding—”

“The cup broke...I cut myself when I tried to clean things up.”

Sora said with a trembling voice,

The thin hair was in a mess, strands all over her forehead, sticking on her face. The lips continued to shiver, and the shoulders and hands were quivering slightly.

“You cut your arm? Got to treat it fast. First we have to clean the wound...”

“No need!”

Sora waved Koremitsu's arm off.

“No need to clean the wound.”

“But...”

Why was it like this?

Why did Sora lower her head so timidly?

Did Sora cause the mess in the room?

Feeling completely befuddled, Koremitsu's head was sizzling, and the contrasting cold was swimming throughout his back.

Sora continued to remain kneeling, seemingly determined not to move.

There was blood from the wounds on her left thumb and index finger, dripping onto the tatamis.

“Sorry.”

She suddenly said this with a hoarse voice.

She twisted her body, lowered her head deeply, and continued to sob.

And so,

“Sorry.”

She continued to repeat the word over and over again.

“I actually should not be giving birth to this child. I let my little sister take my place! It's because of me that my sister, my family...I'm an ugly person who has no right to bear this child! I'm sorry, sorry.”

—I’m really sorry, Mitsu.

The words Sora struggled so hard to eke out, coupled with the dripping tears and shivering look, caused Koremitsu to be overwhelmed with a tremendous pain and shock all over his body.

—Sorry.

—I’m really sorry, Mitsu.

Sora's profile and covering face became one with Koremitsu's sobbing mother, causing a shrill in his ears, and shaking in his vision.

—Koharu, I....

There was his mother sobbing as she leaned on Koharu.

—I'm a terrible mother....

There were little felt bears thrown all over the floor, each with their limbs broken.

His mother's pale hands were covering the face.

There was red blood seeping from Sora's face.

There were tears trickling down her face

The stinging fragrance.

Koremitsu's feet were wobbly, as if abandoned in the viscous darkness.

“Pull yourself together, Koremitsu! Sora is not your mother!”

If not for Hikaru's shout, Koremitsu's inner heart could have vanished into the tatamis.

Awakened by Hikaru, Koremitsu picked up the towel meant to celebrate the baby's birth, soaked it in water, wiped Sora's arm, and used another towel to wrap the wound.

The sobbing Sora let Koremitsu handle her wounds as she continued to weep incessantly,

“Sorry...it's all my sister's fault. I'm sorry...”

And those words became softer and softer.

Soon after, after exerting all the strength in his body, he loosened his shoulders, and stared blankly at the items scattered all over the tatamis.

After seeing the broken fragments, the thin eyebrows sank in depression, and the eye with the mole near it dampened again.

“...It was the one cup I chose with Mr. Hikaru.”

She whispered.

And she stared at the cup.

For some reason, Hikaru was taken aback when he saw it.

At this point, Sora too continued to reminisce the past.

Koremitsu slowly tidied the room, for he was afraid that he would sink into that viscous darkness again if he did not move.

While cleaning up the magazines, he found a postcard.

And there was a photo attached to it.

There was a woman wearing a Holland, or Swiss tribal clothing, an elegant apron with red frills around the hem of the skirt, holding a baby in the hands.

However, neither she nor the baby could be seen.

For the places above the neck of the child were cut off neatly by a pair of scissors.

Koremitsu found something amiss, and froze. Hikaru too went beside Koremitsu as he peered in on the postcard, his expression becoming somber too.

There was a message written in marker ink at the bottom of the postcard.

“I really miss you, big sister. From Ogi.”

(Big sister? So the woman in this photo is Sora's little sister?)

Hikaru too continued to stare at the photo.

And at this moment, Sora looked down at the cup in her hands, still looking forlorn.

She never stood up until the end.

I'm fine by myself here, so it's best for you to head back now, Mr. Akagi. After she pleaded, Koremitsu left the apartment.

The night got darker, and Koremitsu lowered his head as he returned home.

I let my little sister take my place!

I'm an ugly person who has no right to bear this child!

Sora's yell continued to linger in Koremitsu's ears.

And the sight of her continuing to apologize and sob remained for a long time.

“Koremitsu.”

While Koremitsu walked on with heavy steps, Hikaru whispered,

“I never did choose a cup for Sora before.”

That night, Koremitsu gave Sora a call on her cellphone, but she never picked up.

And he was left unable to sleep, opening his eyes umpteenth times in the night. After seeing the darkness in Hikaru's eyes as he stared at the void with an empty look, Koremitsu was left further depressed, and closed his eyes again. Such actions repeated themselves until the next morning.

Once he got to school, Koremitsu gave a few calls and messages to Sora, but the calls never got through, and the messages were never replied.

Why exactly did Sora start sobbing and become frenzied? Like a completely different person?

Did Asai's visit cause such a great shock?

It was true that an ordinary woman would have been intimidated by Asai being uppity and giving commands.

But the impression Sora gave Koremitsu over the past few days was that she was a composed, firm-willed woman. She really loved the child in her belly, saying that she had nothing to fear raising a child alone through her own strength. Koremitsu would not believe that Sora would simply be rattled just because of some harsh words from Asai.

Hikaru too must have felt the same thing, and it was apparent from his gloomy face that he was thinking about something.

(I shouldn't have gone home just like that after all.)

Sora said that she was fine, but she could not even stand up on her own.

—Sorry.

The sobbing image of Sora overlapped that of his mother.

—I’m really sorry, Mitsu.

“Ugh.”

A sharp pain ran rampant in his heart, and his head was aching.

(Sora and my mom are different. She's stronger than mom, warmer and more gentler than her, and she does like her own kid.)

I'm an ugly person who has no right to bear this child!

There was the photo attached to the postcard, with a straight cut above the baby's head.

“I really miss you, big sister. From Ogi.”

Was Sora the one who cut the photo?

(Why? Why did she do such a thing? She said that she let her sister take her place? What exactly happened between Sora and her family?

There was a huge pile of things Koremitsu could not understand, and his head was increasingly aching.

Koremitsu kept checking the messages on his phone during classes, and Honoka, from the side, watched on worriedly.

Michiru did not approach Koremitsu on this day because of the cold shoulder she got the previous day. Tsuyako did not attend school as she had to practice for a public performance.

And Honoka was the first one to ask Koremitsu,

“What's the matter? Your eyes are red. Lack of sleep?”

“Nothing...at all.”

Koremitsu replied curtly.

“Did you get into some troublesome thing again?”

“...It's nothing, at all.”

“I see.”

Honoka curled her lips slightly, and continued,

“If there's anything, tell me.”

She then returned back to her seat.

At this point, she too was worried about Koremitsu, peeking at him over and over again.

Honoka's worry had reached Koremitsu's heart, and Koremitsu too felt concerned that others were worried.

(I just can't keep relying on Shikibu here.)

And at this point, he still had yet to inform Honoka that Sora was bearing Hikaru's child.

Furthermore, he was extremely gloomy not because of Sora, but that Sora's profile kept overlapping that of his mother that left home, and he was unwilling to clarify that to Honoka.

(It's been 10 years since mom left home, and yet I still have a longing for her.)

Honoka's smile was so bright as she tried to cheer Koremitsu, yet the he merely showed a poker face, and he could not even smile and answer, 'I'm fine'. This caused him to be angsty and peeved.

(If only I can smile.)

He tried curling up his lips, but they remained stiff like usual.

After waiting anxiously for time to pass, it was finally time for school dismissal.

(Let's go check out Sora's place.)

“Right, Koremitsu.”

Koremitsu conversed with Hikaru as he hurried towards the school gates.

At this moment, the cellphone in his pocket vibrated.

He took it out, and found that the call was from Sora.

He hurriedly picked up the phone, and heard the tranquil alto voice from Sora,

“Mr. Akagi? I do apologize for what happened yesterday. I just so happened to recall some past events because of what Miss Saiga said.”

There was none of the usual vigor in Sora's voice, but it was not as erratic as it was the previous day, and there was no weeping to be heard.

“I'm going over now, Sora.”

“Sorry, but I'm not in the apartment now. I'm at a distant place.”

“Distant...place?”

Hikaru, listening from the side, too showed an incredulous look.

“Hey, Sora, where are you at now? What time will you be back?”

“Not for the time being. I just thought of going to a place I went with Mr. Hikaru before. It seems I'm a little too early though, and I probably won't be back until Autumn ends.”

She said with a lovely voice.

And there was a melodic harmony intertwined in her words.

That was the melody the kindergarten teacher played on the piano when Koremitsu was much younger, and there seemed to be lyrics to it. It apparently was a simple, cute tune.

“The glittering stars...”

Hikaru whispered, his voice as light as breathing.

(What's with this? Some cellphone tune? No, a music box?)

“That's it for now. Thank you for everything till now, Mr. Akagi.”

“Wait, Sora!”

“Wait!”

Hikaru too exclaimed in unison.

“Isn't there anything I can do? Didn't you make a promise with Hikaru? I'll do anything for you. Tell me what you wish for!”

Koremitsu pleaded.

If there's something troublesome, tell me.

I'll definitely help you!

I'll protect both you, and the baby inside you!

So I'll fulfill your promise with Hikaru! Tell me your wish!

The glittering stars melody continued to ring clearly,

And Sora, ostensibly wishing to end the call sooner, said,

“Nothing...I'm as empty as the name Sora implies, the shed skin of a cicada.”

The line was cut.

Koremitsu gripped the phone with enough force to crush it, and turned to Sora.

“Where's the place you went with Sora?”

“I do not know.”

Hikaru answered with a pale voice.

“Because we never went traveling together.”

—I never did choose a cup for Sora before.

Koremitsu and Hikaru stared back at each other's faces.

Hikaru looked extremely awkward, and Koremitsu too must be showing the same look.

“...What's going on?”

“I do not know. Perhaps Sora did lie, or perhaps we did really choose a cup before, and did travel together before. ”

The mist of darkness filled the heart.

While both of them were pondering, the sweating hand holding the cellphone vibrated ominously.

An anonymous message.

When the contents were shown on the screen, both Koremitsu and Hikaru had tense looks on their faces,

“The women who were with Lord Hikaru. Fourth Act: ‘Sora Semigaya’.

The culprit who sold the youth of a girl, her little sister, to a teacher.”

### 004. Chapter 4: Utsusemi

In any case, he first had to find Sora's whereabouts.

Kazuaki had his eyes on Sora, and Sora herself was emotionally unstable, so Koremitsu was extremely worried.

The first place Koremitsu and Hikaru head off to was the Church where Sora served as a volunteer.

Sora's dead grandfather was the pastor of the Church, and Sora's family lived in the house built on the Church grounds. Looking at them, perhaps the people there would have some understanding about Sora.

However, the pastor serving in the Church apologized,

“Miss Sora's father is no longer serving the Church, and had broken off ties with Miss Sora to start a new family. The new family's address is not something that can be found easily, and this does implicate personal issues, so I can't tell you that easily.”

Also, Sora did notify the Church early that she wanted to stop volunteer work for the time being.

She said that with her usual calm voice, and showed exceeding ability for her age, so I wouldn't be worried about her...so he said.

(I too thought that Sora was firm-willed and capable, until yesterday.)

—I'm an ugly person who has no right to bear this child!

Her hair was in a complete mess, blood continued to seep from her palms as she wailed and yelled. There was no way he could simply wait for Sora to return after seeing her maniac state.

(Did Sora really go back there? She said that she had to be there until the end of Autumn, but...)

The calendar had progressed into September, and the new semester had begun. The weather was still hot, and the sun shining down showed no signs of fading.

Ultimately, he never heard anything about Sora's household from the Church, and neither did he hear anything about the little sister.

“We do know there is a younger brother with a large age difference, but Miss Sora never said anything about a little sister.”

So he murmured.

Sora typically would not talk about her family affairs, and would help out at the Church even during the Summer holidays or Christmas, apparently never returning home.

“You said that you never met the little sister before, right?”

Koremitsu asked Hikaru as they left the Church, walking sidelong from each other as the cicadas continued to chirp atop the branches of the thick trees.

Frowning, Hikaru said,

“I never met her when I went to the Church looking for Sora back when I was in 7th grade, at least. When I handed the letter to Sora's little brother 'please hand this to your sister', he never answered 'which one'?”

Leaving aside the fact that Hikaru coerced a child into passing a letter, if one were to reconsider Hikaru's words and believe them, there should only be one 'older sister'.

In that case, what exactly was the thing about Sora regretting letting her sister take her place?

The photo that got cut, and that—

The message sent to his cellphone again appeared in his mind. His mouth was filled with bitter saliva, his chest wincing in agony. One had to wonder who exactly was the one sending those messages. It started from Yū, followed by Tsuyako, and then Asai, and this time, Sora was the topic.

All the messages were slandering, revealing the secrets of the women related to Hikaru.

If those words were simply malicious and nonsensical nonsense, the person sending this, if related, would have written something he did not know of.

“The one who sold the little sister to the teacher was the promoter who sold the youth of girls.”

One had to wonder to what extent were these startling words reliable.

(Sora isn't the kind of woman to do that.)

She always had the goal of working in the Church, and she had been working hard on it from the moment she first met Hikaru, or even when she first entered high school.

I'm married to God. That was what she said.

What I did with you was a betrayal to God, an impure act.

How could this pious Sora possibly be a promoter for another girl?

And of all things, she sold her sister to a teacher

“Is the 'Ogi' on that postcard Sora's 'little sister'?”

“And there is that word sister there, and that she wants to meet her.”

“Did Sora cut the postcard because she doesn't want to see her?”

“...I do not know. Speaking of which, is 'Ogi' really Sora's little sister? I am a little concerned about the cut postcard, if Sora did actually do it. Even if Sora did so, why did she keep the bottom half with her? Does she not want to meet her little sister, as you say? Or is it that they could not meet?”

—I'm an ugly person.

The cut baby head photo.

A gently smiling Sora placing her hand lightly upon her belly.

There was a contradiction in these two actions; one that should not exist.

While the contradiction gradually got bigger in Koremitsu's heart, the chirping of the cicadas intensified. The shrill chirps agitated the ears, reminding Koremitsu of a baby's cries, and his back became chilly as a result.

“Who exactly is the baby in the photo? Is that Ogi's child?”

“Logically thinking, I suppose that is the case. The child was born, so she sent the postcard along with the photo. 'Our family has expanded'.”

“She's a mother, but she's wearing quite the loose skirt. There's red embroidery on the skirt and that apron, so I'm wondering if she can actually do her housework properly like this.”

That loose, fluffy skirt looks like some ethnic dress, and what's with that bright apron Koremitsu blurted out what he thought with a gloomy look.

“There is quite a lot of Tyrol tape used.”

“Tyrol—?”

“The red hem, I mean. There is a lot of ethnic embroidery tape from the Tyrol region, floral patterns, fruit patterns, and so on. You can get a lot of these things from a handicrafts shop. And that clothing...I think I do recall seeing it somewhere for some reason.”

“At Sora's?”

“No, I suppose not. I only met her twice in the Church before this. Hm...where exactly was it?”

Hikaru again frowned, pondering.

And Koremitsu scowled as he went silent.

The chirping of the cicadas got louder.

I'm as empty as the name Sora implies, the shed skin of a cicada.

The soft whisper rang by his ears.

(What does she mean, saying that she's the shed skin of a cicada?)

As a child, he once collected the shed skins of cicadas in the forest during summer vacation.

The dried, brown skins did have the appearance of young insects, but they were hollow within, as light as air, and so feeble they would be powdered if stepped on.

When he mentioned this to Sora, “Is that so...that's a pity.” Sora's showed a little reaction, whispering with a gloomy look.

(But why did she call herself the shed skin of a cicada...?)

And what exactly was with the satiated smile she had when she placed her hand gently on her belly, checking the child inside?

I do not have any wishes—

Was the meaning of that line not that she would feel blissful as long as she had the child?

(Is Sora as unhappy as mom after all?)

Koremitsu recalled the sight of his mother weeping, and he gritted his teeth, as there was something deep within his chest wincing in pain.

(Damn it.)

Don't think about it.

Mom's different from Sora. Right now, I should be focusing on Sora.

But again, Koremitsu lost sleep on this night.

No matter how he closed his eyes, appearing in front of his eyes was the powdered cicada skins, the bleary eyed Sora, and the face of his mom weeping 'I'm sorry, Mitsu.' over and over again.

The next day, Koremitsu went to Sora's college.

Hikaru remembered which seminar Sora took her lectures at, and so they visited that research lab.

There were a few students left,

“I got some questions.”

And Koremitsu asked with a sharp glare, his back slouched as he walked into the room, causing all else present to freeze in shock, sweat all over, avert their eyes, cringe their bodies and so on. Everyone knew about Sora.

“It is rare to find a woman aiming to be a clergy.”

“Her clothes are plain, she doesn't do makeup, and she definitely wouldn't go out for parties when we invited her.”

“I heard that her uncle's a pastor in the Church, and she's very familiar with Church work since young. She probably never had any intention other than to serve God, no?”

While he asked if Sora did have any lover she was dating, the students shook their heads in unison.

“Impossible. She's pure all over, basically a bride to God.”

“I don't think she has the luxury of that when she's busy with her studies and volunteer work.”

“I suppose there's that aura she emanates which you practically can't touch her. She's sometimes lonely, and has that pretty face that'll make your heart pound, but even if you do approach her, it feels like she'll break away from you.”

The students all agreed in unison that Sora did not have a lover.

And then, they noted that Sora preferred to converse with God alone than to make merry with friends.

“Did Sora mention anything about her little sister?”

“Little sister? She has one?”

“Hm...well, I never heard about that before. We aren't exactly that close.”

“Ah, but I did hear that she has a younger brother who's much younger than her, two siblings. Her mother passed away after she gave birth to the little brother, so she helped change his diapers and fed him milk and so on.”

In the end, he never heard anything about the little sister.

“Maybe Sora doesn't have a little sister after all?”

They were on the way back from college.

Koremitsu whispered as he toiled down the road dyed by the red-black sunset, the sun shining on his back down the narrow path, his face glum as ever.

Hikaru too sighed,

“It will be good if we can meet this 'Ogi' on the photo, but the address as cut off...it seems Sora does not have any intimate friends, so we cannot possibly hear anything about 'Ogi'.”

His eyes hazy as he said this, his expression unbearable as his whispered,

“...It looks like Sora really intends to give birth alone.”

She had no close friends.

She had no family to rely on.

And she was alone in such a situation.

Her father was no longer around.

She said this was the angel's child.

Koremitsu's heart got increasingly cold within, and he became forlorn.

(I want to be Sora's strength, and her child's too, in Hikaru's place. That's why I've been going to her place every day, but Sora definitely hasn't forgiven me here.)

Perhaps Koremitsu's visits caused her distress.

He provide one pile of baby magazines and products after another, and furthermore, there was that incident when Asai paid a visit, causing quite a commotion.

Was that why Sora became so erratic? That she toppled the air freshener?

(Sora looked so happy even when she's alone.)

There was Sora with her hand patting her belly gently, her eyelids slightly raised, the corners of her eye with the mole relaxed as she smiled.

She looked so blissful like that, as elegant and transparent as looking at a religious painting.

Koremitsu wondered if that blissfulness was disturbed by him, and his body ached all over.

—I'm as empty as the name Sora implies

—The shed skin of a cicada.

(That isn't it. Sora should be very satisfied and happy.)

There's no other reason to suggest why Sora would smile like that.

If he was the one who took that smile away, who trifled with that peace, who caused Sora to apologize over and over again, saying that she was the shed skin of a cicada or something, he really had no idea how he was to make up with her.

(Because of me, mom...)

The images of Sora and Koremitsu's mother overlapped each other, and he gritted his teeth, clenching his fists.

“Hey, Koremitsu, you are wincing in agony again.”

Hikaru told Koremitsu worriedly.

And he too showed a worried expression, ostensibly realizing the pain spreading in Koremitsu's heart, whispering,

“You recalled about your mother because of Sora, and it must have been painful to you, Koremitsu.”

While Koremitsu was gnashing his teeth due to the awakened prior trauma, Hikaru's heart too winced in agony as he watched sidelong, wondering if he too caused Koremitsu some painful memories.

Koremitsu never mentioned to Hikaru that his mother was one to apologize profusely. The apparent airhead yet insightful Hikaru however might already realized long beforehand.

The reason why Koremitsu could not handle apologies was—

“...It's nothing.”

After answering glumly, his eyebrows again curled back tightly.

“Please do not try to fool me, Koremitsu.”

Hikaru spoke with a serious voice.

“You did say the exact same thing to Miss Shikibu too. I do understand very well that you did not wish for us to worry, and that may as well be what I would have thought in your shoes. You became depressed however, Koremitsu, but I do not feel that complaining or grumbling at others is not a sign of distress or condescension. I have already caused you much trouble, Koremitsu, and it is unreasonable for you to bear it all alone. Allow me to share some.”

“...This thing isn't something that can be solved by dividing the load.”

“What I am expressing here is that you can show some more weakness, Koremitsu! If you are not going to do so now, then when? If you do not show some weakness now, you will never become like that.”

“Don't tell me to show some weakness here and there. It-it's not like I can do that just because you say that, right?”

The conversation he had with Hikaru under the sunset soon got foolish.

What are we both doing here?

However, he felt a little more relieved within by the time he realized it, and it felt as if he broke free from the restrains in his body.

“...Well, I do feel some pain...but I do have to save a woman important to you, right? And there's a chance that the child in her body is yours...I may show some weakness, but I got to continue on now.”

He said it in Hikaru's direction bashfully.

“You really are made of a hero, Koremitsu, none of a flawed personality. Where you are facing though, Koremitsu, is where I am facing too.”

And so, Hikaru too answered Koremitsu such gaudy words with a clear tone.

Thanks to him, the head that lost its direction did not return back to its original position as Koremitsu walked on with his neck tilted unnaturally.

“Anyway, let's investigate on 'Ogi' again.”

“Yes. Let us head to the high school Sora was at, and see if what was written on the chainmail was real.”

“I don't really like it, but she might be doing well now.”

“Perhaps I will be able to recall where I saw the clothes of the girl who sent the postcard if I think harder about it. My memory regarding girls should be the best, and there should be no way it could have dulled even though I am dead for 4 months.”

Hikaru said such embarrassing words, and suddenly exclaimed.

“Ah!”

“You recalled something?”

Koremitsu instinctively turned towards the direction Hikaru was looking at.

Hikaru's eyes widened as he stared at Koremitsu's apartment.

“No, that isn't it. That child is back again.”

“Hm?”

He stared closely, and found that the 4 th , 5 th grade body was wandering in front of the Akagis' again. There were times where he stopped in his tracks and stood there, staring in the direction of the door, before he began to wander anxiously again.

(Is that Shiiko's stalker?)

In that case, he had to say something to the boy as an older brother, and he strode forward.

“Ah.”

Hikaru exclaimed.

“What now?”

“That child might be Sora's little brother.”

“What?”

“I was not too certain, for I last saw him in the kindergarten. Perhaps the prior impression was that he was quite an intelligent boy. Ah! He ran away!”

“What did you say!?”

The boy began to run, perhaps having noticed Koremitsu.

And Koremitsu frantically gave chase.

“Wait! Hey! Are you Sora's little brother!”

The boy's face certainly did resemble someone, and Koremitsu too did have this impression when he met him. Perhaps it was because he was similar to Sora.

“Are you looking for me!? If you're Sora's brother, stop!”

The boy did not stop, running at a speed unfitting for a young master. Perhaps he was sprinting for his life once he saw Koremitsu as a demon, for he simply continued to sprint.

“I told you to stop, didn't I?”

In contrast, Koremitsu's breathing got heavy as he did not sleep well for the past two days.

The boy darted through some tiny gaps between buildings, taking advantage of his small size, and gradually pulled the distance.

“Koremitsu, your face is red, and you are sweating profusely. It is time for you to stop!”

Hikaru exclaimed sidelong.

“—Tch, I let a little brat get away.”

Koremitsu continued to pant as he bent his knees on the now darkened asphalt.

His head was dizzy, and he really lacked sleep. The asphalt that had absorbed the heat from the lingering summer sizzled, causing it to feel like a seared futon. He really had the impulse to head home and sleep.

“Ko-Koremitsu...”

At that moment, Hikaru called out with a pathetic voice.

And while Koremitsu was still unable to get up, he felt something cold at his knees.

The rain?

No, there was a plump little black dog strolling about, raising its hind legs at Koremitsu as it peed at him.

“WHAAAAAATTT ARE YOU DOING, YOU DAMN DOG!!!”

“R-Rina! That isn't the toilet!”

A middle-aged woman, probably the owner, shrieked with a pale face.

Rina, with a sash wrapped around its small, sharp ears, looked completely satisfied once it was done, and hurriedly scurried off once it was prompted by its owner.

“Uh, my legs are still hot. It's disgusting. I'll kill that dog the next time I see him!”

While he showed a heinous glare,

“Ah.”

Hikaru again exclaimed.

“What? Did a crow shit on me or something?”

He asked with a depressed look.

“I see! It is Lina, Koremitsu!”

He leaned his body forward, showing a face that could not be any brighter.

“What? Another of the girls who had an affair with?”

“No. Tyrol Tape and Rina. That is Tyrolina. That apron and skirt is the waitress uniform at Tyrolina!”

After dinner, Koremitsu searched for 'Tyrolina' on the cellphone.

He originally assumed it to be the name of a hooker, only to discover it was a family cafe hidden in the residential area.

The owner was part of a Tyrolian Dance group, liked Tyrol a lot, had a lot of the ethnic art pieces laid all over the shop, and also sold handmade Tyrol tapes. Looking inside, there were a lot of the bright colored patchworks, cushions covered with Tyrol tape, and also dolls made of wool.

“There was once I came to this place with a girl, and the waitresses were really cute, wearing the Tyrolian uniforms. They poured cappuccino into had fruit, flower shaped cups, and used the cream to draw some rabbit, cat shapes on the top. I do remember that they have an embroidery class here, and there were only girls in the shop.”

“...I say, you're a guy and you go to such places.”

And you're invited by a girl of all things. Don't you feel any shame. If it were Koremitsu, he would definitely not last more than 3 seconds, certainly feeling like he was on needles.

(Well, I guess there won't be awkwardness if it's this dazzling prince in the middle of all those girls.)

It definitely would be impossible for Koremitsu however, who had messy red hair and the appearance of a delinquent.

“You sure that's the uniform, right?”

“Yes. Look, there is the photo of a waitress here.”

There was a girl shrouded in a fluffy dress and apron with red Tyrol tape by the sides, smiling while holding a tray with a cup decorated in mushroom and flower patterns for some reason.

It was the exact same dress as the one seen in the postcard.

“...”

I guess I have to go to that shop to ask about Ogi. Got to go there even if I'm to step into the shop, scare all the girls, be viewed as a suspicious person and get led away by the police.”

Koremitsu groaned, and said,

“Okay, looks like we got no choice but to go.”

But even so,

(I can't do it alone after all!)

During the rest period the next day, Koremitsu scanned through the map on his phone, searching for Tylorina's location. While he frowned, Hikaru suggested,

“It is just my thought, but perhaps you should go with a girl.”

“A girl?”

“Yes. Like Miss Shikibu.”

Koremitsu was startled, and glanced to the seat beside him.

Honoka, fiddling with the phone too, turned towards Koremitsu tentatively, and the moment their eyes met.

“!”

She frantically bit her lips, tightened her face, and stared forward gingerly, beginning to type messages at an astonishing speed, her face gradually flushed.

“Hm, it will not be out of place for you to head to a fancy cafe with a girl than it is to go alone. Miss Shikibu too will surely be delighted if you ask her out like an invitation to a date.”

(A date,you say!?)

You idiot! Now's not the time to slack around like this!

“Come on. You should be hurrying up and inviting Miss Shikibu, Koremitsu.”

Hikaru prompted.

(Uggghhhhh.)

It would be embarrassing for him as a boy to head into a fluffy shop filled only with women, and they certainly would be wary of him. Surely he would more trustworthy if he was to head there with Honoka together.

(But calling this a date is—)

It certainly was not an event this formal, and perhaps inviting Honoka out for something more casual, for other reasons would be more appropriate.

Also, how was he supposed to explain Sora's situation to Honoka.

If he was to mention that a pregnant girl disappeared along with the child in her belly, there definitely would be some unwarranted misunderstanding again.

And while Koremitsu was rubbing his temples with all his might, Honoka again peeked at him.

At that moment,

“M-Mr. Akagi. I have to talk to you for a while. Is it fine?”

Michiru, who had been avoiding Koremitsu the past two days, said this with her face flushed as she approached Koremitsu's table.

And Honoka, typing her messages, stopped her hands.

“Talk about what?”

“Not here. A-a-a-a-at the roof please.”

The moment Koremitsu got up, Honoka shuddered her shoulders in fear, and looked in his direction tentatively.

Koremitsu too noticed those eyes that were so desperate, wanting him to stay.

He left the classroom along with Michiru, and ascended the stairs towards the roof. Michiru's face was flushed as she kept her head lowered, not saying a single word.

“Koremitsu, just in case, do you understand what it means to be called up to the roof by a girl?”

Hikaru quizzed with a perturbed look.

(? Are you worried that Hanasato's going to challenge me to a due or something? That's impossible, right?)

To Koremitsu, back when he was in Middle School, the roof was a battlefield, and the school's delinquents gathered at the roof would summon delinquents from other schools to the roof with something akin to a letter of challenge, and start their own battles.

Thus, Koremitsu had no idea as to why Hikaru was giving a frown.

What exactly was Michiru hoping to talk about.

And even after they arrived at the roof, Michiru continued to remain silent.

The sun did not appear as it was a cloudy day, and the air was a little humid.

Soon after, Michiru began with her head lowered,

“Mr. Akagi, who do you like? Hono or me?”

“Huh?”

Koremitsu's mouth was ajar.

What was that about?

Hikaru too was taken aback, his eyes widened at Michiru, muttering something, “Hm, I suppose there is this kind of a confession...maybe.”

“Eh, which one, huh?”

Michiru lifted her head at Koremitsu with her bleared eyes.

She let her hair ends curl nicely and dangling at her chest, and Michiru, who removed her glasses and braids, looked more feminine and prettier as compared to the first semester.

And their classmates surrounded Michiru.

“What happened, class rep? It's amazing, you're cute.”

“So the class rep has such a face? Not bad.”

She caused quite a commotion.

And in the midst of the circle, Michiru was feeling troubled, tentative.

Koremitsu did not know the reason why Michiru would change her hairstyle, but surely something di happen. This question however caused Koremitsu to be further confounded.

“I can't answer that, and it's not something I can compare. Shikibu's Shikibu, and you're you, Hanasato.”

Once he said this, Michiru looked despondent. She then continued to stare at Koremitsu with brooding eyes.

“Then...do you like Hono?”

The gentle breeze blowing by ceased completely.

The roof, with only the duo on it, became abnormally tranquil, only their breaths could be heard.

Hikaru too could not be seen.

Surely he was right behind Koremitsu, staring at the latter.

“Yes, I like her.”

Koremitsu's lips let out this baritone.

Michiru's eyes widened at that instant, and after a temporary silence, she lowered her eyebrows.

“Thank you for answering me.”

She said with a trembling voice,

“I shall be heading back to the classroom then.”

And so, she ran back.

Koremitsu merely remained rooted there for quite some time.

“I never expected you to be so honest.”

Hikaru looked amazed as he floated before Koremitsu.

“My heart felt like it was going to stop.”

“Hasn't your heart stopped already?”

“However, I really am shocked at you were able to say that you 'like her' from your mouth without any faltering.”

And Koremitsu said stiffly,

“If I'm asked if I like her or not, I can only answer like here. I do think Shikibu's a nice person.”

“Like...as in you 'like'?”

“...Yeah.”

Hikaru looked up to the sky and lamented.

“Miss Hanasato was definitely mistaken. Ahh, I wanted to record what you just said for Miss Shikibu. I am very disappointed.”

“Why are you so disappointed?”

“I do wonder if you really do have any awareness at all? I really pity Miss Shikibu here.”

But after muttering, he quickly broke into a grin,

“However, if you do like Miss Shikibu, perhaps you can invite her out for a date once. I suppose you should invite Miss Shikibu to Tyrolina.”

“No, I'm not going to invite Shikibu.”

“Why?”

“I don't really know...”

If the question was if he liked her or not, surely the answer would be that yes, he liked her.

While others shunned him for having the appearance of a savage delinquent, the one girl who established such an intimate relationship with him was probably Honoka.

He was always helped by Honoka.

And he was shocked when he made her cry.

And when he was embraced tightly by Honoka at the pool at night, his chest ached sweetly.

Taking all these incidents into account, if anyone were to ask him if he liked Honoka Shikibu, he would reply that yes, he liked her. As for what sort of 'like' it was, he was however still uncertain.

However, he could clearly understand that the 'like' Honoka had for Koremitsu was beyond goodwill.

Thus, Koremitsu felt that he could not simply invite her out to a date, as that would lead to a misunderstanding.

“If I can't invite her out properly for a date, that won't do.”

And the moment he said these words, Koremitsu's face sizzled.

What in the world am I saying here?

“In other words, you do have some awareness.”

And so, Hikaru said as he broke into an adult chortle.

“You did consider thoroughly the fact that Miss Shikibu is a girl”

“!!”

Koremitsu remained speechless, but surely he was seen through due to his blushing face, and the proof was Hikaru's cackling as he looked back at Koremitsu.

“But what do we do about Tyrolina? Do we ask Asa for help? If she is to know of Sora's disappearance, surely she will be infuriated, wondering why we did not notify or or something.”

“Saiga...?”

While thinking of Asai's fuming face, Koremitsu gave a scowl,

“Mr...Akagi.”

And there was a soft voice from behind.

He turned his head back, and standing at the roof entrance was Aoi, who was looking over at him tentatively.

“Miss Aoi.”

“Aoi.”

Hikaru drifted straight towards Aoi, and Koremitsu too followed.

After the incident with Kazuaki in the backyard, Koremitsu sent Aoi a message, but the latter replied 'please do not worry about me', and there was no message from her thereafter.

Koremitsu was already busy looking for Sora, and did not have time to help Aoi, but he was concerned about the latter.

Compared to Koremitsu, Hikaru's feelings were stronger, and he drifted around Aoi with a wince, Are you really alright? You did not encounter anything awful these few days, did you? giving such a face as he looked over at her.

Aoi fidgeted about as she lowered her eyes, and they were shifting about. Soon after, her face got beetroot, and with a desperate look, she looked up at Koremitsu.

“I really am sorry for not being able to greet you all this time.”

“No, I should be the one apologizing.”

Koremitsu did not expect Aoi to suddenly apologize, and he was unable to calm down.

Though she showed some weakness on her face, she immediately clenched her fists, and declared,

“I-I was really shocked...about Hikaru's child...I really cannot endure the pain.”

Hikaru was devastated.

“That's to be expected.”

Koremitsu replied with a voice even Hikaru could hear, and Aoi glanced aside, saying,

“But Miss Tsuyako, Miss Shikibu, and the rest are all so worried about the baby that is to be born, helping you out, Mr. Akagi. I am the only one hesitant on this. Miss Tsuyako is supposed to be in the same position as I am.”

Koremitsu was astounded that Aoi admitted she assumed Tsuyako was in the same position as she was.

Tsuyako was one whom Hikaru had an affair with, and Hikaru's fiancee Aoi had always despised and reviled Tsuyako.

“Well, senpai's love for Hikaru, and yours, to put it, i-it's a little different...”

Tsuyako was utterly delighted to tears when she learned of Hikaru's child that was to be born, and it would be cruel for Aoi, one with a purity streak, to have the same reaction as Tsuyako.

“No, Miss Tsuyako is impressive. I do know everything, that there are many of Hikaru's lovers who are the same, and that Hikaru does have a special someone he liked...but I just bawled out when Mr. Kazuaki merely mentioned it. Even if you are to mention it again; I suppose it is a good thing even if Mr. Kazuaki mentioned it.”

“Am I that much of a hopeless philanderer? I am delighted that Miss Aoi has said that she is yet to lose to Mr. Kazuaki's words, but it is, a little conflicting...”

Hikaru muttered with a pathetic look.

(Anyway, you're a philandering harem prince who shouldn't have your punishment reduced here. Start reflecting more on your own actions.)

And Koremitsu had this thought as he glared at Hikaru.

Aoi placed her hands in front of her chest, clenching them, and said to Koremitsu with a look filled with conviction,

“I-I too wish to meet the person who is to give birth to Hikaru's child, and I wish to bless her. So, please allow me to help.”

One could feel the conviction from within in these words she weaved with much difficulty.

Surely she would be in great pain after Kazuaki said such damning words, and Hikaru, whom she liked since young, had a child with another woman, which really would have caused her much distress.

Yet she adamantly declared that she wanted to help.

(Seriously, it's a waste for Aoi to be with you.)

Hikaru too was amazed by Aoi's determination.

Surely in Hikaru's heart, Aoi was the fragile, cute princess, who did not know anything about the world.

If Hikaru was still alive, Aoi would surely be so infuriated that she would not speak to him for half a year, as he had stated. She would have been condescending towards the woman whom Hikaru had that affair with.

“Erm, I really am willing to do anything. If you have anything you need help with, please tell me, Mr. Akagi.”

If it were Aoi at this point, perhaps he could explain Sora's issues to her.

(Is that the case, Hikaru?)

While listening in on Aoi, Hikaru's eyes showed astonishment, some pride and despondence; it became a conflicted expression.

And again, Koremitsu said to Aoi with respect,

“Actually, there's something I want to ask you for help, Aoi. Do you mind accompanying me after school?”

“Her Highness Aoi and Akagi?”

Upon noticing Aoi and Koremitsu descend the stairs together, Honoka frantically hid herself in a corner under the stairs.

(How? Wasn't Akagi supposed to be talking with Michiru on the roof?)

Honoka had the urge to give chase when Koremitsu and Michiru left the classroom, and had conflicted feelings on whether to do so, to a point where her stomach was aching.

Surely, Michiru was intending to confess to Koremitsu. No matter how curious she was, she could not be eavesdropping from the side.

She intended to focus on love consultation when replying on her blog, but her fingertips gradually got colder, and the chatter from the surrounding conversations felt more like noise to her.

(How will Akagi respond to Michiru. Michiru got cute because of Akagi, so maybe Akagi will answer okay. But Akagi still has a pregnant lover, and he'll be committing infidelity. No no no, it's not a good thing to do such a thing!!)

Her mind churning about, she was unable to endure this any longer.

(Neither Michiru nor Akagi came back...if-if they're to do something on the roof—I-I guess I should check on them a little. If anything really happens, I have to stop them!)

She searched hard for a reason, and left the classroom.

And so, just when she arrived at the stairs leading to the roof, she witnessed Koremitsu being together, descending the stairs.

(Why is Akagi together with Her Highness Aoi?)

Aoi's face was so tense, so flushed, and Koremitsu showed a solemn face.

And once they arrived at the second level, where Aoi's classroom was, they faced each other, saying,

“I'll leave it to you after school then.”

“Yes!”

Aoi answered Koremitsu's words with much enthusiasm.

They were completely aware of each other's presence, and there was a sense of trust between them to be felt; Honoka's chest tightened.

(What did Akagi ask Her Highness Aoi to do? I told them that he could talk with me if he got any troubles, and he answered me so lethargically 'no', like that.)

He requested something for Her Highness Aoi. Leave it to you. He said.

“Akagi you idiot. You said that I'm a Heliotrope.”

After school.

Koremitsu waited for Aoi not too far away from the school gates,

“I'm sorry for talking with Aoi without consulting with you.”

He bitterly whispered, and Hikaru, with calmness on his face.

“Your decision is not incorrect. I am really delighted that Aoi is able to accept Sora and the child within her.”

Replied as thus,

“Speaking of which, Koremitsu, you invited Miss Aoi instead of Miss Shikibu here.”

“? What do you mean?”

Hikaru gave a vague smile.

“You did show some aware with regards to Miss Shikibu, but not when it is Miss Aoi, I suppose.”

“?”

“It is fine even if you have not noticed. It is definitely a little better off not noticing it, for your sake, Koremitsu, and for Miss Aoi.”

“What are you saying now?”

And with a teasing tone, Hikaru continued,

“I am saying that you are so cool, Koremitsu.”

“I say, what are you getting at?”

While Koremitsu grumbled, Aoi appeared.

“So-sorry. Was I late?”

“Ah, no, I just so happened to be talking to myself.”

While Koremitsu was all flustered, Hikaru drifted above,

“Let us go forth then.”

Saying with a clear tone.

(Seriously, what in the world is this guy thinking about?)

Glaring aside, he began to walk with Aoi.

They got off the train, and head straight for the cafe in the residential area. It appeared to be a house with the ground floor renovated into a cafe.

Twisting the door knob with the handmade bunny doll, the door opened, and Koremitsu witnessed what he saw on the internet.

There were cloths, threads used for embroidery, ribbons laid out all over the tables, and the handicrafts were displayed everywhere in the shop. It felt messy, yet at the same time, inexplicably tidy, and many female customers were having tea at the many tables there.

“Truly a wonderful shop.”

Aoi marvelled in amazement.

As he had expected however, Koremitsu was intimidating the customers and waitresses as they gave him terrified looks, and it was unbearable for him.

“E-erm, welcome. 2 customers, am I correct?”

A waitress, dressed in skirt and apron lined with red Tyrol tape by the side, inquired.

The pretty girl Aoi with the vibe of a princess looked relatively surprised as compared to Koremitsu, who clearly looked nothing else other than a delinquent. They were led to an empty table.

(Damn it, it's unbearable for me after all.)

He sat on the wooden chair with floral embroidery on the cushion, opened the menu, and appearing in front of him were photos of coffee with rabbit and kitten, and cake with lots of cream on them.

(Speaking of which, is Cappuccino Tyrolian? Am I wrong?)

“I want a Cappuccino with a kitten.”

“...Coffee.”

“Eh. I suppose if you do order the 'Miss Pixie likes the rose-petaled Herb tea, their attitude towards you will increase dramatic due to the gap moe.”

And Hikaru casually chimed in from above.

(Shut up or I'm going to smack you with the cushion.)

The waitress served their order, and placed them on the table.

While trying his best not to scare anyone, Koremitsu began to converse with the waitress.

“Is there someone called Ogi in this shop?”

“Eh!”

The waitress was suddenly taken aback, her shoulders shivering.

“Actually, that is me.”

“What!? You're Ogi!?”

Koremitsu too was dumbfounded, staring back.

Ogi was a very healthy woman with a slightly rounded face, large in bust and hip.

He had assumed she was an adult woman due to the baby she had on the postcard, but she had a face that could be passed off as a high school girl.

(Well, she wouldn't be looking any older than Sora if she's the little sister. Sora looks rather mature herself, but she's only around 20.)

He introduced himself to be an acquaintance of Sora Semigaya, and that he heard of this shop from her. Ogi's eyes widened.

“Ehhhh, sister? Really? Goodness, my big sister wouldn't make any contact with me, I thought she rejected me completely. Is that true? Did sister really tell you about this shop?”

“Ah, yeah.”

Koremitsu's voice was a little shrill, for he actually did not hear about this shop from Sora herself.

However, he never expected this 'little sister' to be such an energetic girl, and there was a major contrast to 'sold youth', 'to the teacher', and 'substitute'. Aoi too was stunned, and Hikaru stared back in shock.

Ogi's full name was Ogina, and the owner of this shop was her husband's mother. The owner would be busy taking care of the child every day except on Mondays, when she would hold her embroidery class, and really helped Ogina out there. She blurted out a lot of talk without waiting for Koremitsu to ask.

“It's been 9 months now. Amazing cute. You wanna look?”

“No, anyway, you're really Sora's 'little sister', right?”

Ogina nonchalantly answered,

“Yes, though it's about 2 years.”

“Two years?”

“Ah, you never heard of that? My mom and sister's dad were remarried with kids, and we became siblings. That was when I was in 9 th grade, and sister was in 10 th grade.”

(I see.)

In that case, it would explain why Sora's acquaintance only knew of the little brother, and that Hikaru never saw Sora's little sister.

“I did something a little bad when I was in 10 th grade, and due to that, mom divorced with sister's father. Well, there wasn't any passion left when they remarried, but I suppose that was the decisive event.”

—I actually should not be giving birth to this child. I let my little sister take my place! It's because of me that my sister, my family.

There was such a constrasting difference between Sora's anguished voice and this little sister who continued on carefreely with a smile, and Koremitsu was confused.

“Decisive event? What did you do?”

Once he tried to probe in, she continued nonchalantly,

“My affair with my high school teacher was discovered.”

And after she answered so honestly, Aoi's face was flushed.

Ogi stuck her tongue out,

“I was expelled, and the teacher was fired. Mom and dad had a quarrel, and they divorced. Ah, that teacher's now my husband. Everyone found out that I did those perverted things in the classroom, and the teacher said, 'I'll take responsibility and take care of you for the rest of my life'. It was really cool, and I fell for him again. I get on well with mother-in-law, and I do enjoy helping in the shop. I even gave birth to a child very similar to my husband, and I don't feel any regrets about it.”

Sorry...it's all your sister's fault. I'm sorry...

The discrepency just kept expanding.

At the same time, the black fog-like vagueness deep within Koremitsu's heart gradually spread.

“Did Sora say anything to you when you were expelled?”

“Eh—I don't really remember. Sister's very devoted to marrying God, so she was rather shocked like a normal person, I believe. Ah, my husband actually liked my sister at first.”

He was stunned by Ogina's words.

The culprit who sold the youth of a girl, her little sister, to a teacher. the words in that message appeared in his mind.

However, the little sister did not seem to mind to much.

“He's a teacher, and yet he got mesmerized by his own student. Now that's a crime. Sister however was really determined, and was very troubled when my husband asked her to go buy some stuff for club activities together. I too had feelings for my husband, so I felt this was a chance, and we did everything we had to that day. My husband was really disappointed to be dumped by my sister, and that allowed me the chance to slip in.”

Plan succeeded she said, showing a bright smile.

As she had said, based on the results, Ogina got what she wanted, and felt blissful as a result.

Sora requested Ogina to take her place just to excuse herself from the teacher's request, but Ogina was the one who willingly allured the teacher, and there was no need for Sora to feel any guilt.

Sora bore some unnecessary guilt, and was tormented thoroughly.

(Why? Why's she apologizing so much just because she let her sister take her place?)

—I'm an ugly person who has no right to bear this child!

She said with such anguish.

And as she continued to shiver, the transparent tears slid down the contorted face.

—I'm sorry, sorry.

Hikaru too frowned, ostensibly unwilling to agree with this.

(Why did Sora disappear?)

At that moment.

"Ah, Miss Takamine. Welcome."

Ogina looked in the direction of the door, and asked with an earnest voice.

It seemed a customer came.

“You're here for the embroidery class today, right?”

“Ah yes, it seemed I was a little earlier.”

A fine voice rang.

(This voice—)

And it was a long time back when Koremitsu last heard this voice. 1 st grade, in fact.

However, the voice that rang countless times in his mind, that caused his heart to chill and wince—

It was terrifying for him to turn his head back, but he had to do so to be certain.

He slowly turned his head around, and appearing in front of his sights was a petite woman.

The hair was shorter.

And the eyebrows were lowered forlornly.

The eyes were moist, apparently always crying.

The small white face that looked as if it would melt if one were to touch it.

The slender shoulders.

And that woman too had her lips slightly opened, her face tense.

(MOM!)

The yell that rose up his throat was hurting so much it was ripping at the throat, and surely, to suppress the surging emotions, he would look up, grit his teeth with all his might, and glare heinously, showing a very terrifying face!

Why, why was she here? It had been 9 years since they met. Why, now, of all places, did she appear?

—I’m really sorry, Mitsu.

The voice rang deeply within his ears again, and the fury rushed up his head, hurting it so much his head was going to split.

He could not do anything except to stare.

And on the other hand, he was terrified within—shivering like a feeble animal.

His mother again looked back at him, and paled like a patient, her eyebrows lowered, her eyes widened. As compared to how she appeared in his memories, she looked much weaker than before, more unreliable.

“Eh? Miss Takamine? Are you acquaintances with this man?”

Ogina too felt something was amiss as she noticed Koremitsu staring with a stiff face and the mother rooted with a pale face, yet she asked without thinking too much.

Aoi too stared at Koremitsu, her breath bated. Hikaru probably understood from this situation who that woman was, and tilted his head, showing a wince as he stared at both mother and son.

In the midst of this tense silence, his mother answered with a sighing, feeble voice,

“...No.”

Just like that, she lowered her eyebrows further, averting her eyes to expel something she did not want to witness.

Koremitsu felt a searing sensation within him, and it appeared his eyes got redder. The fury gradually rising in his body, Koremitsu clenched his fists as he stood up.

And with a thud, the chair fell behind him.

Aoi, Ogina and the mother were terrified as they cringed back, and Hikaru frowned harder.

“I...don't know you either!”

The words he blurted out was akin to the roar of a wounded beast.

A dying howl after being grazed, slashed and toppled around, it contained all his pride.

Once he saw the terror of the woman who abandoned him 9 years ago and left home, Koremitsu sprinted out of the door with the feeling of one with his heart dug out.

He did not hear what Aoi and Hikaru were yelling from behind.

And he simply continued to run aimlessly in the cursive alleys of the residential area.

(Like hell I know a person like you!)

That's not my mom! I don't know that person! I never met her, and I don't know her!

He was yelling in his heart, howling, but even so, the voice ringing deep within the ears could not vanish.

—I’m really sorry, sorry, Mitsu.

The mother who continued to weep.

The tears that continued to fall.

—Sorry.

(Stop apologizing! Nothing will change even if you do, right? Isn't everything still the same!)

And Hikaru yelled from the side.

That voice, his howls, the frantic breathing, and the voices that continued to ring in his heart vanished in an instant.

Somebody, anybody, make it stop!

I don't want to hear anything!

I don't want to see that face that';s always crying and apologizing!

Just stop it already! Stop crying! Why are you crying! Why must you apologize!?

The voices surged within him several times, forcibly pushing aside his memories, expanding like waves, and a tremendous impact arose as the red bubbles appeared and broke in the air.

That was the little felt bears with the head and body dismembered.

The crying mother who cried in Koharu's arms.

And the stuttering voice.

—Koharu, I really am a terrible mother

Those were the words he heard behind the sliding door, his body stiff as he held his breath.

—I can't think of that child as cute in any way! How am I supposed to love him! I can't love him!

The voice got broken.

His mother's face was broken.

The heart got broken.

—I’m really sorry, Mitsu.

She weeped as she apologized, for she felt guilt that she could not love the baby she gave birth to no matter what.

As the mother, it was a cardinal sin that she could not love her own child.

However, she just could not do so.

He really was not cute in any way.

—That child definitely realized it. That's why he can't smile, and he blames me.

Koremitsu did not really understand what his mother was saying, and what he only heard was the timid voice uttering the words that he wasn't cute, that he couldn't smile. They stung his chest, and it got hot near his earlobes.

I've to forget it.

I didn't hear anything about mom not finding me cute..

If—if I could only smile, mom wouldn't be crying like this.

Will she stop apologizing and finally smile?

It's going to be mom's birthday soon. Let's try writing some words mom liked most.

And so, I'll smile and hand the word to her, telling her that I love her.

Yet at the roadlights outside, there was the petite figure gradually departing.

God, I hope that mom can turn back.

Please God

However, there was nothing similar to a wish fulfilled!

(That woman never turned back, and I didn't give her the birthday present. I still can't smile now.)

Even after 9 years, nothing changed. The woman who was his mother paled her face timidly, averted her eyes from him, and when questioned if they were acquaintances, she replied with a soft voice.

—...No.

There was the sight of Sora, gently smiling as she placed her hand gently on her pregnant belly.

—Is a mother that sort of person?

—Was she always so loving before the child was born?

Was I once loved like that?

And even in high school, he never gave up on the one wish he had.

However, he understood when they met again.

(I wasn't loved at all!)

Whether it was the past or present, the crybaby of a mother had no love for Koremitsu at all, just fear and terror—

—...I'm really sorry, sorry, Mitsu, .

—I'm sorry for not being able to love you.

His mother was not really one without much emotion, and neither was she one to abuse her child. She was a normal, honest, weak-willed woman, and thus, she was anguished that she could not love her own child, chiding herself, unable to endure the face of her own child with the stiff look. On that night, she left home.

She vanished like the dried brown husk left by the cicadas.

Towards the place the unsmiling Koremitsu could not see.

### 005. Chapter 5: If Only You Were

Koremitsu had no idea as to how exactly he managed to get home.

And he went straight to his room without saying a 'I'm back', locked himself in the futon the entire time, and left Shioriko worried,

“It's time for dinner, big brother Koremitsu.”

But though she called him, Koremitsu never poked his head out from his futon. “I'm not eating. My head hurts.” it took him his utmost effort just to give this reply.

Shioriko insisted on watching over Koremitsu, and indicated that she would not leave his bedside for a while.

“Leave him alone, Shiiko. This guy's stubborn. He'll get well in 2, 3 days.”

After Koharu said this, Shioriko left the room reluctantly.

He continued to keep his eyes closed in the futon, and could not see Hikaru.

Again,

“Koremitsu.”

Upon hearing this worried sounding voice call out to him,

“J-just let me show some weakness now...”

He answered with a feeble voice.

“I understand...it is fine.”

After hearing the gentle reply, there was no conversation between them.

And into the next morning, the gut-ripping pain continued to linger, and the covered blanket was soaked due to tears and sweat.

He got up a lot later than usual, and lifted the head that was having a splitting migraine.

“Good morning.”

Hikaru was seated in a seiza, showing a tender expression as he said,

“...”

And Koremitsu merely muttered something as he walked out of the room. Even he did not hear what he said exactly.

There was a note written on half a sheet of paper, and written with grassy green pen was,

“To big brother Koremitsu,

Shiiko's going to school now.

When Shiiko comes back, Shiiko's going to make lots of snacks you'll like.

Shiiko.

Upon seeing this, his throat throbbed, and his heart winced again.

When he arrived at the living room, Masakaze was reading the newspaper leisurely, and glanced aside to Koremitsu with a sharp glare, saying,

“You're so weak that you can't get out from bed just because of a little headache. Don't make Shiiko worry now.”

And then, he continued to read the newspapers,

“I cleared up the leftovers thinking that you were not going to eat. If you're hungry just eat some of the leftovers.”

Koharu said with the usual uncouth tone, but a look at the kitchen revealed some edible rice balls and some pickles.

He was going to be late, so he wrapped the food in aluminium foil and left home.

Lapis was at the corridor, staring at Koremitsu with its blue glass eyes. Its soft white tail was curled upwards, and this was a great service from the usually aloof Lapis.

Things remained as they were on the way to school, as Hikaru remained silent beside Koremitsu. Though he would show a tender smile when their eyes met, he would remain silent. Surely he intended to remain like this until Koremitsu took the initiative to talk.

Koremitsu's chest was searing due to the concern from his family and friend.

He wanted to cry, and he was pathetic, yet he could not show such an expression.

(I got to look for Sora.)

One had to wonder what exactly was Sora doing at this point, having disappeared and harboring Hikaru's child.

But whenever he thought about Sora, the image of his mother overlapped, and he would recall the incidents where she would utter the word 'sorry' in her apologies, and 'no' the timid look on her face when she answered softly. He was hurting as if he was scalded.

(Ugh, damn it.)

The memories he kept suppressing within him were awakened; he should have known that he was never loved by his mother.

Why however did he continue to bang his head on this. Could he never forget that crying face and the feeble voice.

(That's not my mom. I never had one in the first place. Isn't that fine?)

But no matter how he thought about it, the voice and the face would appear. He walked in during class, sat down in the midst of his classmates' stares, gnashing his teeth as he clenched his fists and kept his head lowered.

(How long is this pain going to keep up. If something's going to happen to Sora during this time.)

The more anxious he got, the voice ringing by his ears got louder.

—I'm sorry, please forgive your sister.

—I'm really sorry, Mitsu

And at this moment, a cheerful voice rang from beside.

“Akagi, I made these. Have a try.”

Before he knew it, it was lunch break.

He lifted his face, and found Honoka brandishing a cute red and purple bottle, smiling brightly.

It was rare that Honoka, who had been biting her lips lightly and fiddling with the phone, would talk to Koremitsu with such a cheerful look.

And her voice got louder.

“It's soy cookies with added calcium. It's a test, but I want you to try it out, Akagi.”

There were heart shaped cookies in the bottle.

“I'm full now, so forget about it.”

He turned his head aside.

“But seriously, you can at least eat one cookie, right?”

And so, she shoved the bottle towards Koremitsu.

"I really don't need it.”

She had been looking at Koremitsu with a worried look till the prior day, fiddling with her cellphone. One had to wonder why she was being so enthused.

“Calcium's good for emotional anxiousness. You're always scratching your head, showing such a scary face, like you have a lot of stress piled up. It'll be much better for you to eat this.”

Koremitsu understood very well the reason why Honoka would earnestly bake biscuits for him.

And the reason why Sora would continue to make things for the child in her belly.

However, the stinging pain in his chest just would not subside, and he did not want Honoka to see his unhappy face.

“I said I don't need it!!!”

The moment he shoved the cookie bottle back, he accidentally knocked his hand on it, and the bottle slipped from Honoka's hands.

The brown cookies scattered upon the floor.

The sound of the bottle hitting the floor caused all the classmates to stare at him. Michiru widened her eyes, and the others were giving Koremitsu berating looks.

“How cruel you are, delinquent.”

“What's with you dropping Miss Shikibu's cookies all over the floor?”

“You're horrible.”

Everyone began to mutter, but compared to them and the now deformed heart-shaped cookies on the floor, Koremitsu's heart chilled when he saw Honoka's flabbergasted look, and at the next moment, his body seared.

What do I do now? Got to say something to Shikibu here.”

“So...”

But the instant he was about to apologize, the image of his mother lowering her head, apologizing, spread within his mind, and his feet got wobbly.

—I'm really sorry, Mitsu

“!!!”

(Nothing can be done even if I do apologize! Don't apologize! Stop apologizing!)

Koremitsu could sense the stares of his classmates piercing through him. He could do whatever he wanted as he was always reviled by them, and just when he began to give up on himself.

Honoka said with a gloomy look,

“But I made these cookies to cheer you up, Akagi.”

And right when those words stabbed into Koremitsu's chest like a knife, Honoka raised her right leg in a ripping manner.

“You can't be showing a girl such an attitude! Akagi you idiot!!!”

And Honoka's kick landed right at Koremitsu's chin.

His mind became as white as snow, the impact ostensibly knocking his head off.

As he was large in size, he tumbled backwards, knocking into a few tables and chairs. The pain continued to linger behind him, and with some shockingly loud thuds, Koremitsu landed on the floor with his backside.

“Miss Shikibu's scary!”

“She went that far?”

“She's really scary.”

The classmates who were berating Koremitsu before this looked on with pale faces, staring in Honoka's direction with terrified faces.

Honoka spun once and lowered her leg onto the ground, glaring at Koremitsu with her eyebrows raised; however, there were some tears to be seen in those eyes. She however looked away, went for the cabinet with the cleaning tools, and took out a broom and dustpan.

“Miss Shikibu deliberately kicked you there. She let herself be the villain so that you will not be the bad guy.”

It was noon break.

While Koremitsu continued to look into the distance as he leaned on the roof's railings, Hikaru too did likewise as he said this.

Hikaru's slender hands were sinking deep into the railings, and the light brown hair gave a transparent, blonde glow when basked under the sun. The cooling breeze filled with the presence of autumn blew by gently.

“...”

Koremitsu bit his lips.

There was a footprint left at the lower chin where Honoka kicked him, and it remained obvious. It still remained hot, and painful.

(She kicked me without thinking.)

—Miss Shikibu's scary!

Even after involving her classmates and raising her eyebrows stubbornly, Honoka swept all the cookies that dropped onto the floor.

And after that, she returned to her seat, scowling as she fiddled with her phone.

—She's really scary.

Those were whispers she could somehow hear, but she merely pouted her lips and stared at the cellphone screen.

(Who's the idiot here. You became the bad guy for someone like me.)

Koremitsu recalled the weak expression she showed in a fleeting instant after kicking him in the chin, and the moment his chest ached again.

A voice came from behind,

“I heard all about it~ You got kicked by Miss Shikibu or something~”

It was Hiina Oumi, aiming her cellphone camera at Koremitsu, giving a boyish, mischievous look as she stood there.

(I kicked Akagi again...)

And in the backyard that was devoid of people, Honoka sat beside a flower bed as she ate her lunchbox alone.

Surely there would be curious looks and little chatters if she was to stay in the classroom. While that was nothing much, she would think of Koremitsu if she looked at the seat beside her, and would have the urge to cry.

“I got something to do.”

She said that to Michiru, and left the classroom.

Michiru too was at a loss of what to do after witnessing Honoka do that to Koremitsu, and did not exchange looks with her, “Y-yes, I understand.” merely saying that before she left.

(The cookies were wasted like this.)

Her heart was crushed when she witnessed Koremitsu and Aoi meet outside the school, preparing to head somewhere after school.

(Am I no longer Akagi's Heliotrope.)

After she got home, she sat on the swivel chair, cupping her knees. She was brooding as she hated being so indecisive, and began to bake cookies.

(It's to be expected that Akagi has other girls he like. I just have to do what I can do.)

Recently, it seemed he was troubled by the child that was to be born. Perhaps he would feel a little better after eating those cookies.

But on the next day, Koremitsu arrived while class was still going on, and remained as despondent as ever, even the aura was simmering.

His face was scowling more than usual, and his expression unbearable as he gritted his teeth. Due to that utterly terrifying expression, not even the teacher dared to ask why he was late.

(Did something happen the previous day?)

She just could not let the matter rest no matter what, and tried talking with him using the cookies.

(But if I'm the one who dropped the cookies, Akagi's the bad guy now...doesn't that mean I haven't helped him out at all.”

The sweet egg roll felt bitter.

“I fail as a Heliotrope...”

She muttered despondently.

“E-Erm.”

Honoka looked up at the owner of the voice, and felt as if the egg roll was stuck in her throat.

(Her Highness Aoi!)

The adorable upperclassman had a neat white ribbon tied on her long black hair, and she had her hands clasped together above her knees, her face blushing.

“I-if possible, can we eat together?”

“Eh, ah, of course.”

She answered with a voice different from usual, and moved her butt to create some space. “Please pardon me.” Aoi gave a fly-like whisper as she sat down beside Honoka.

“Where's your lunch, Your Highness Aoi?”

Honoka noticed that Aoi was not holding anything, and asked.

“Ah, I accidentally left it in class.”

And Aoi answered so bashfully.

“Please have some then.”

“No, you may continue on.”

“But you will be hungry if you do not eat something.”

“It is fine. Please do not mind.”

“In that case, have some fruit juice at least. There's a vending machine there. I'll go get something.”

“No, please allow me instead.”

And after such an awkward conversation that lasted for 5 minutes, but of them had canned drinks in hand as they sat at the same place.

Honoka was holding honey milk in her hand, while Aoi was holding sugarless coffee. The latter sipped the coffee she could not ake, and asked,

“Mr. Akagi was really strange yesterday.”

Aoi went with Koremitsu to look for a certain person, and went to the cafe that person worked at.

Over there, they met a petite woman who was around 40 years old.

And Koremitsu was greatly taken aback when he spotted that woman who resembled a typical housewife. That woman too was as shocked as Koremitsu.

But when that woman said “I don't know him”, Koremitsu too yelled “I don't know you either!!” and ran out from the cafe.

“I gave Mr. Akagi a few calls and messages, but he never replied. This is the first time such a thing happened, so I am very worried...I then heard rumors that you kicked Mr. Akagi down, Miss Shikibu...”

It seemed Aoi began looking for Honoka thereafter.

“A woman who's around 40...! Isn't that about the same age as Akagi's mom? Maybe that's Akagi's mom!”

Koremitsu’s mother eloped with his homeroom teacher when he was in first grade. The grumpy looking old man once said this when Honoka visited the Akagis'.

(I can't think of any other reason why Akagi's so shaken.)

After explaining what happened to Aoi, Aoi's face froze, and her eyes too became melancholic.

“...His mother left home when he was so young...”

She whispered.

“If that woman we met yesterday was Mr. Akagi's mother, Mr. Akagi really is pitiful.”

Saying this, she grasped the sugarless coffee in her hands tightly, and lowered her head.

—She said that she did not know him, to Mr. Akagi.

A cold breeze blew by the shade, rustling the leaves of the forlorn trees in the garden.

Honoka's heart ached again as she remained silent.

Even for her, hailed a love expert, did not know what she could do for the one she liked.

Taking a nice photo of the footprint at Koremitsu's chin, Hiina bent down, beaming.

Her busty chest dangled about, and one could clearly see the deep cleavage in the blouse with 2 of its buttons undone.

“Ahh, it really looks like it hurts. Looks like this mark will remain for a while. Now there's a new chapter in the delinquent's legend. Miss Shikibu definitely did this on purpose however.”

“...I know.”

Once Koremitsu hissed despondently, Hiina stared back with some caution,

“I see.”

And then said that with a beaming face.

Then, she reverted back to her usual tone, saying,

“That college girl seemed to have vanished.”

Koremitsu was startled when Hiina suddenly mentioned Sora, and unlike her usual motor spiel of a tongue, Hiina continued on slowly,

“The child in her is Lord Hikaru's, am I correct?”

“...”

Koremitsu remained silent with a scowl.

And sidelong, Hikaru stared back at Hiina with some caution.

“Perhaps she did not wish for the child to be raised as part of the Mikados. In that case, it may be better off for the child...if the reason for the disappearance is due to her love for the child, I think that is a good thing.”:

Hiina's tone was rather serious, and the expression she showed Koremitsu all this while was so wise, it was troubling him.

“In this world, there are mothers who'll go far away, give birth to a child in a public toilet, and abandon the child.”

In his shock, Koremitsu gasped.

Hikaru too widened his eyes.

“Well, that was to be expected.”

Hiina continued on calmly, showing some loneliness in her smile.

“Not all the mothers love their children.”

Koremitsu's heart was creaking away as he recalled his own mother.

— I can't think of that child as cute in any way!

“I suppose that kid really was filled with vitality, as she was wailing out loud and gathered all the people here. That mother was found immediately, but she said she didn't need this child, and so this child was sent to an orphanage. If it was a small town, everyone would know that famous child abandoned in an orphanage, and that child's always called the public toilet. If she really stayed at that place, perhaps she really would be called a public toilet...”

Is that child maybe...

(Is that kid Oumi...?)

Neither Koremitsu nor Hikaru were able to say anything as they listened in on Hiina.

And Hiina, who continued to rattle on with an earnest expression, thawed.

Her face, eyes, mouth all relaxed.

“But brother came to find me. He's really an amazing person. It's a dream for me to have a family member like that. I had a feeling that I can do anything just for this person, that I can simply be with him, even if I can't inherit the name of the family.”

It was a delighted, optimistic tone.

One could immediately understand how much she loved her brother from that voice and expression.

“I feel blissful, my breath would probably stop immediately when I simply think about how I have such a family member with me.”

And she ended off her words with a Kansai dialect. One had to wonder if she had noticed it.

It was a comforting, tender, wise tone.

Was that Hiina's actual verbal style?

Koremitsu was taken aback by Hiina's motorspiel of words, and the latter showed a riveted face as she said.

“If there is a choice to be loved by others or to love others, I'll definitely choose the latter, because I'll be happier this way.”

The words and that satiated smile slammed at Koremitsu's heart.

The sun shining down basked upon Hiina's boyish face, making her so dazzling.

Both Hikaru and Koremitsu were left bedazzled, envious as they looked at her.

What I said just now was all a secret —Hiina said with an impish look before she left.

I only said it because it's you, Mr. Akagi.

Because I'm worried about you, Mr. Akagi.

Do you believe all the words I said?

Ahh, no, you don't have to answer me now. I'm just having expectations about you, Mr. Akagi, so please remember.

The boyish eyes were smiling.

After school, Koremitsu and Hikaru were walking down the dirt path.

Both of them remained silent.

“...”

Surely, Hikaru too was pondering about the fluent words Hiina said in that Kansai dialect.

This day, and the one prior, were the worst days in Koremitsu's life.

He met his mother again, and the truth he did not want to recall pierced through his body. Why was it that the wish he always had never heard? He just continued to suffer, unable to do anything.

Because of that, he could not accept the goodwill from others properly, made his family worry, and hurt Honoka.

Honoka again returned to her seat after the break, stubbornly raising her lips and eyebrows as she continued to fiddle with the cellphone.

She continued to stare at the screen, ostensibly unwilling to lose to something, and never looked over in Koremitsu's direction once.

Koremitsu wanted to apologize to Honoka, but he didn't know what to say at all.

(I guess...I'll give Shikibu a little apology tomorrow.)

It was impossible that he would be the only unfortunate one in this world.

Surely, everyone would have their own troubles as they move on.

“Hey, Koremitsu, you should try smiling a little.”

Hikaru suddenly said.

It was a cheery expression of one excitedly telling him to go play at a game corner.

“I'll practice how to cry.”

Hikaru drifted from Koremitsu as far as he could, turned back, and called out to Koremitsu with his arms spread under the bright sunlight.

(Smiling practice, huh...?)

Perhaps that was a good thing.

And that goes too for things he could not do, yet try his hardest to do.

Even if he did come off like a fool.

“Okay, let's try this.”

Koremitsu too sprinted down, ostensibly gliding down the grassy patch.

Hikaru answered with a smile.

“Stop grinning away, you. Try bawling your eyes out.”

“You too, Koremitsu.”

“Yeah, I'll smile.”

“I will cry then.”

“Hahaha!”

And with that stiff face of his, Koremitsu let out what sounded like a laugh.

“Uu.”

Hikaru too contorted his face as he eked out an anguished.

Koremitsu's eyebrows were trying their hardest to rise up, and his eyes were bloodshot, his lips stiff as he was unable to open his mouth properly.

No matter how many times he blinked or stopped his breathing, Hikaru tried to exert his throat and temples, but was unable to let out a single tear.

But even so.

“Haha, hahahaha.”

“Uuu, uuu.”

They continued on with their laughing and crying practices.

“Hahaha, wahahaha, Hikaru, you look like you ate a dried plum or something.”

“Uuu, What about you, Koremitsu? You open your mouth and eyes so wide, you look like a dark demon lord.”

“Ahahaha, it's difficult for me to relax my eyes like a smile.”

“Gh, uu, it feels like I am going to have hiccups, yet crying is so difficult.”

“Wahahahaha, if I open my mouth wide and practice very day, my face won't be so stiff and soften, I guess.”

“Gh, uu, if I add chili powder into my eyes, will I be able to cry? But I never cried when I was cutting onions during a camping trip, uu.”

“Ahaha, ahahahaha, I think I got a cramp in my face. Wahaha, my saliva's flowing out of my mouth.”

“U, uuu, I think I too snorted my nose too much the mucus is coming out. I am going to be teased by the girls.”

“Kukukuku, hey, runny nose king does fit you, kukuku.”

“Zuzu, in that case, I am going to call you the spit delinquent.”

While the world became clear before the sunset, an inexplicable period occurred.

One could sense the arrival of autumn, and they were squatted on the rustling grass as the chilly breeze blew by. They continued to face each other, making wrinkles on the tips of their noses, lifting their faces, opening their mouths as they made all sorts of expressions.

Surely, if any bystander was to see it, they would be deemed as lunatics.

(But isn't this a good thing?)

Isn't it nice to do stupid things with friends?

There was Koremitsu who could not smile, and Hikaru who could not cry.

And this duo met, forging a friendship, laughing and crying together; they could not do it well, but they were encouraging each other in their own clumsy ways.

Moving forward together.

Hikaru, who said that he 'would never change', was trying to change. Koremitsu, who assumed he would never smile in his life, was pulling his face, his eyes widening, practically popping out as he tried to smile.

They continued to practice while scenting upon the aroma of grass, basked in the atmosphere dyed golden.

And in the end, they laid on the grass field with their limbs spread wide, looking into the sky.

Koremitsu could see a vague light at the clouds, a thin red veil ostensibly covering this beautiful light red sky..

“Hahaha...my face and chin's hurting. It's really hard to laugh.”

“Uu...it is really, really difficult to cry too.”

“But I really want to laugh.”

“I really want to cry too.”

It would be great if he could earnestly laugh.

To smile to the most important people to him.

And it would be great if Hikaru could cry.

Koremitsu made a wish under the gradually darkening sky.

(It's definitely not something that can't happen.)

That was a wish that would definitely be fulfilled.

“So beautiful...now the riverbank is dyed pink under the sunset.”

Hikaru narrowed his eyes blankly.

And Koremitsu laid on the grassy patch in ease.

“Ah, yeah.”

“It feels like the riverbank has become red leaves.”

Suddenly, Hikaru got up.

“What is it?”

Koremitsu too got up in response, and Hikaru yelled with an agitated look.

“Koremitsu, I think I have an idea as to where Sora is! Give Asa a call!”

“What was that about? Okay.”

Koremitsu drew the cellphone out from his pocket, and impatient dialled Asai's number, yelling again,

“Asa, it's your turn!”

### 006. Chapter 6: That Day I Met an Angel

For a long time, she had a poor tendency of looking at things in a pessimistic manner.

She always thought of things in the worst way.

Hoping that she would get 100 marks in a test, she would be despondent getting 80 marks. While feeling defeated because she assumed she would get 60 marks however, she was delighted to get 80.

There was a boy she liked in class, but even when she exchanged looks with that boy, she never wondered if that boy ever liked her.

When she thought of how it was a coincidence, thinking that he never had his sights on her in the first place, she did not feel as depressed upon learning that he was dating the prettiest girl in their year.

She was always thinking in the most pessimistic manner possible.

And when that happened, it would be better off for her if anything bad actually happened.

Sora shielded herself by not having expectations in life.

That she would never make promises because they would never be fulfilled.

That she would not look at dreams because she would wake up from them.

However, that her was as hollow as a shed husk of a cicada, and she assumed the name 'Sora', sky, was actually the meaning of hollow, that she was just a dried, brown, feeble, empty container, overly normal, overly boring, and that was her.

—How about we invite Miss Semigaya to upperclassman Sakagami's live concert at the autumn festival? Isn't it a lot more exciting to invite some girls along?

—Eh, forget about it. That person's so serious, she'll definitely look down on us if we party too hard.

—Her dad's a pastor, and she'll go to the Church for volunteer work during vacation. Isn't it more enjoyable for her to pray to God in church than to go to a festival with us?

—Ah, I get it. Feels like Miss Semigaya's married to God or something.

Sora would head home immediately after school so that she would take care of her much younger brother in her mother's stead, the latter having died a long time ago. The narrative that she was a by-the-book person began sometime, and stuck with her. After half her Middle school life passed, nobody invited Sora out to play.

Her father remarried when she was in 10 th grade.

Her stepmother too had a child, a girl a year younger than Sora.

Unlike the feeble, skinny Sora, she was a round girl blessed with assets, her skin and lips gave a healthy gloss, and she was a cheerful, personable person.

“If you win a 30 million Yen lottery, how will you use it?”

“If I become a high school girl, I'll definitely work in a shop with a cute uniform, and have some love at the workplace.”

“The handsome guy Naitou sitting beside me lent me an eraser. Does he like me? Isn't that great?”

She was so jovial when she said.

Sister, sister she greeted Sora as such,

“Sister, you'll be a beauty if you change your hairstyle and put on some makeup. It's a waste that you cut off your hair. Your skin's white, so a bright color really suits you. Look, you're wearing a cardigan with the color of a rainy sky. Ahh, it's really a waste that you're born a girl and not enjoy this fact.”

She lamented in such an exaggerated motion.

“Hey, the classics teacher Mr. Tomizawa seems to have interest in you, sister.”

And it was the little sister who made this little gossip.

While Sora was in her second year of high school, and her sister in the first,

“He said that he's so moved to see a traditional high school girl with such a serious personality and so capable in modern Japan. I told him that you're working at the church as a volunteer, and he was becoming increasingly delighted, marveling, 'As to be expected of Semigaya'. When I told him that the PTA will be notified if a teacher does anything to a student, his face was blushing, saying that's not it and becoming frantic. Hey, Mr. Tomizawa's really cute, right? He's rather handsome, and he's only 24. he's very popular amongst the girls.

She was chirping so delightedly.

“Mr. Tomizawa took Miss Morikawa's place as your club advisor because the latter's on maternity leave. Wow. You're now his target. It's blatantly obvious now!”

The high school Sora studied at required all students to attend a club.

And Sora belonged to the reading club, which only had one club activity a week.

Thus, she did not have any intimate contact with the club advisor, and could not believe her sister's words at all.

“Mr. Tomizawa's still having a hangover today. He's weak to alcohol, yet his bad friends forced him to drink it down. He had some medicine in the infirmary, but he'll definitely be delighted if you dress up as a white angel and take care of him.”

Her eyes dazzling as she said this to Sora,

Please do not say such foolish words.

Sora coldly retorted.

It's immoral for a teacher to have an affair with a student, and surely it's a one-sided wish of my sister that Mr. Tomizawa likes me. How can a masculine adult like this plain, old-fashioned Sora?

Surely my sister's mistaken about something.

No, maybe it's just a prank to tease this older sister who doesn't have interest in any man, let alone a first love, after she entered high school.

By then, Sora had already decided on being a clergyman, and surely, those around her assumed she was to be God's bride. Sora herself knew that she did not have any feminine charms, and no outstanding talents to speak of. All she could do was that thing, and she had already given up on having such a thought.

The first time she met Hikaru was not long after the indecent relationship between Mr. Tomizawa and her sister was revealed. It became a scandal at school, and Sora's father and stepmother divorced due to this matter.

Her father's redeployment was determined, and that was the moment where Sora and her brother had to live in the church her grandfather worked at.

It was midsummer, a night she could not sleep due to the humidity.

She had some uneasiness all that while, and was having difficulty falling asleep. While she was finally able to sleep due to fatigue, her eyes opened immediately.

Her frail body was covered in sweat due to the heat, and even though she opened the window, humid air would blow in. Unable to sleep, she thought she might as well read the Bible, only to find that there was none.

She recalled that she left her Bible in the chapel hall during the day when she had her prayers, and was about to go get it.

She put on the cardigan, which her sister described as the color of a rainy sky, over the pajamas that was like a one-piece dress.

It was as hot as a sauna outside the building, and she could scent upon the aroma of the plants growing lushfully in the summer.

The dim moon shone upon the courtyard, and there was something of a salacious atmosphere in this place as compared to how it was in the day. There seemed to be something awful hidden somewhere, like an alluring stare continuing to spy upon her.

There was some noise as she stepped on the dry grass, and finally, she arrived at the chapel. There was a teaching that the doors were to be opened for all lost souls to enter, so the chapel doors were not locked. As she opened the old, heavy doors, they let out a creak.

She took the bible she left in front of the altar, and just when she was about to return to her room, there was some noise from the many benches.

“Is there someone there?”

If it is a supernatural being, I'm not afraid. God is protecting me.

However, if it was a criminal with the blood of humans dripping down him, or a homeless wanderer,

The sweat dripped from her body, sapping the heat from her as she asked, and appearing between the benches was a slender figure standing there.

(An angel...?)

The moonlight from outside the window shone in on the white body and the messy, soft hair, showing a silver glow. That clear, pretty face was exceptionally eye catching in the dim chapel hall.

And the eyes staring at Sora were practically pleading her, so clear they appeared to have absorbed light, and those petal like lips were quivering slightly.

“I am really sorry for entering without permission.”

It was difficult to determine if it was a boy or a girl, and that inexplicable clear, rich voice echoed in the forlorn chapel hall.

That voice was something Sora assumed to have come from the heavens, listening piously.

“I have no place to go to...”

That's not an angel.

That's a human boy.

No, he's an angel after all, is he? I never met such a pretty body before.

But if he's a human boy, did he leave home? If that's the case, I can't leave him alone!

“I-I'll call for uncle—the pastor.”

Once she said that and turned to leave.

“Please, do not leave!”

The boy ran towards Sora, wrapping his slender arms around her, embracing her tightly.

There was the sweet scent of flowers the moment he embraced her, and she was left bewildered.

“Please, stay here. I can no longer go home...I can no longer be with that person...I do not know what I can do right now.”

The slender arms wrapped around Sora were quivering, and the little face pressing at Sora's neck was very cold.

Sora did not know what was going on, but surely, this child had quite the damage.

And feeling the same pain within, Sora was overcome with the urge to protect the child, a strong desire to help this child.

Perhaps it was due to the humid air lingering in that summer night, and the beauty of that boy that was practically superhuman, for she was unable to make a rational decision.

“Are you...in pain now?”

She asked the boy with a tone even she was startled by.

“It hurts, like my heart is being stabbed continuous by a spear.”

“Are you depressed”

“Very, very depressed, so much that I wish to vanish.”

The boy's arms were so slender, so fleeting, so white like snow, ostensibly able to melt into the moonlight. Sora turned towards the boy, and took the initiative to embrace him.

And the boy too embraced Sora tightly, like a lost child chancing upon his mother.

He was unable to obtain the love from the one he truly loved, and lamented with a depressed tone.

He had always loved her since young, and with that person around, he did not need anything else.

To the boy, that person was everything to him in the world.

But they could no longer be together.

They could no longer embrace each other like that.

And Sora merely embraced the boy.

In place of that woman that boy loved so much, and yearned for.

In place of that woman who could no longer reciprocate the boy's desire, and in the midst of the forlorn moonlight, Sora gave everything she could give to the boy.

She knew God was watching her when the boy pleaded him, that she should not be doing such a thing, and that it was not the right thing to do, a defiance of God's teachings, an impure act as a bride of God, something she should not do. Her conscience was continually pricked by the guilt.

No, I can't accept this! No!

I can't go along with him!

I can't be doing such a thing!

I'm God's bride!

This child is just thinking of me as a replacement for another woman!

He's just seeking this coincidentally bystander in me for help, rejected by his beloved.

I can no longer be with God, unable to be his bride!

No matter how much she refused in her heart, her entire body forgave and accepted the boy, whether it was the arms wrapped around him, the legs intertwined with the boy's icy legs, and the lips on the boy's tender face.

—Sora, you are like a cypress.

The hoarse, lukewarm voice rang softly at her ears, and there was that numbing sweet pain.

However—

The boy placed his head upon Sora's feeble knees, and fell asleep.

Shrouded by the glittering moon particles, the slender, naked body, the long eyebrows etched onto that little face, that high nose bridge, and the petal-like lips were scarily beautiful.

She really did not match him at all.

The sunlight replaced the moon immediately, shining in, and that dry skin and pathetic appearance of hers would surely be shown in front of this angel.

Too flustered and ashamed, her body was searing like fire.

I am just a hollow husk, one shed by a cicada. There is no way I can be with an angel—

The boy would open his eyes immediately, and she was terrified of how she would look in his eyes. She put on the rainy sky-colored cardigan on her speckless white body, and escaped the chapel hall.

Ever since then, the boy would look for Sora a few times, but never found her.

After school, the boy would arrive at the church, playing with Sora's brother in the yard as he waited for her.

He was most probably looking for her, looking in the direction of the chapel hall, and at those moments, Sora's heart would jump.

However, they never met.

She hide herself in the shadows of the building, never revealing herself from there.

She, such a boring person who was like the hollow shed skin of a cicada, would only cause that angel to be disappointed.

The cries of the cicadas gradually got silent, and the wind got colder. Red leaves began to appear on the trees, and the boy's appearances at the church became less frequent.

For the shed cicada brown husk that fell to the bottom of the tree, she felt it was for the best.

They would no longer meet again.

She should forget about that night, and revert back to being that pious, holy woman, for that was the lifestyle that fitted her.

However, they met again a few years later.

Sora became a college student.

Her grandfather died, and though she no longer stayed at the church, she continued to be a volunteer, and just so happened to appear at that chapel hall on that night, when the snow pelted heavily.

The door opened, and along with the turbulent winds and the icy snow, that angel, Hikaru, entered.

Hikaru peered into the church through the window in a corner of the building, and the sunlight shining through the foliage was so dazzling, as Hikaru, standing in front of her, looked ready to die immediately, his limbs and body that icy. However, Sora never embraced Hikaru.

She immediately ran away on first glance.

But a second time—she probably would not be able to run away.

Perhaps she had fallen for Hikaru after all.

That was a terror that could rivet her heart.

The snowy light shining through the window caused Hikaru's limbs to be whiter than the snow, and there was the heart aching beauty and purity. The then middle school Hikaru probably had thought of Sora as an aunt, herself being a college student. She was not pretty, and had no unique specialty. This boring self of hers surely was not a match to him after all, and she firmly believed that if she was with him, all that would end up with was a tragic scenario.

Like back then, and even in this state, Hikaru prioritized another woman over Sora, and though he was begging for Sora, surely he would return to that prettier flower the next day when dawn struck.

Seeking that brighter fantasy.

And then, Sora, as a hollow husk, would not be able to fly, simply falling to the floor, tragically watching his back grow distant.

So instead of that, perhaps it would be better for her if she chose to turn around—

“It is fine for me not to have such conflicted feelings.”

It was soon before night was about to arrive.

The lime green bush that was bundled in a circle like a broom stood there like a pack of sheep laid out to pasture, and Sora recalled all that had happened between her and Hikaru, saying that.

She gently placed her hands on her belly.

And so, her palms and belly gradually got warmer, her heart becoming tranquil.

“Hikaru has passed away, and will never show his back to him. He is disappointed in me, annoyed by him.”

Within Sora's belly was the Hikaru that belonged only to Sora, the Hikaru that definitely would not turn his back on her, and would definitely never leave her.

“Please be born soon.”

She said gently to the child in the stomach with a gentle tone.

Hikaru taught me that the round lime green bush of thin twigs is called the broom tree.

—You are like a cypress, Sora.

The summer night when they met.

While the sweat and fluids dripped and mixed with each other, the hoarse, lukewarm voice rang by her ears.

Once she saw the actual broom tree, she was very disappointed to find it being a messy green bush instead of a flower.

And when they met, Hikaru embraced Sora by the arms, holding her tightly.

—It is great that you are able to remain as a cypress.

“I saw it already, It isn't a pretty flower at all, just like a ball of green moss.

Feeling a little begrudging, Sora replied.

”That definitely is not a cypress. That is a broom tree.

Hikaru answered.

“The broom tree too is a soft, thin plant, and when made into a round bush, it looks just like a broom. It really is a beautiful flower.”

“Is that so? It does not have any flowers, and does not look like one.”

And so, Hikaru desperately leaned his body forward.

“That is not the case. The broom tree is really pretty, and more so when it has red leaves, like a coral. I suppose the legendary Cypress tree is the same too. Let us go look for it next time!”

He said that with a dazzling, innocent face, just like a tree.

The green broom tree surely looked plain even after she looked at it again, and was not pretty. It was a flower that could not be considered as one.

Hikaru lavished praise on Sora, saying that she was like the legendary Cypress tree, but she in fact surely was like this broom tree.

A plain, boring flower...

(But even so, I'll stay here until autumn ends.)

She made this promise with Sora.

And placed her hands on the belly, showing a satisfied smile.

“I'll tell you that I love you everyday once you're born.”

Suddenly, she heard Hikaru's voice.

—The Cypress will vanish if you approach it.

Though it appeared like a broom if she was to stand and watch from afar, there would be nothing if she approached it, and thus, she was unable to do so.

What she really wanted would vanish if she approached it, and she could not touch it with her hands as it disappeared.

There was the sight of red blood dripping in front of her eyes, and in an instant, she felt a red color dyeing her vision. She was suddenly struck with unease.

She embraced her belly tightly.

It's okay, this happiness won't disappear.

Appearing on the other side of the clock tower behind the hill of cypress trees was a melody of glittering stars.

The original tune of that was probably 'Ah! Vous dirai-je, maman'.

And the girl in love was blushing, full of life as she told her mother.

Ah! vous dirai-je, maman,

Perhaps, if her mother was still alive, would Sora be able to tell her everything?

Would she be able to explain the bitterness in her heart to the one who shared her life?

Would this child that was to be born tell her so honestly, so naively 'mama, please listen to me', when he surely fell in love with someone?

The wind again got colder.

And the little Hikaru seemed to be kicking as Sora gently hummed that cute, lively melody.

Amidst the bunch of lime green broom trees that swayed gently, she spotted a red haired youth running over to her.

He was leaning forward, his shoulders a little round.

His face was stiff, staring at Sora with dazzling light from his eyes as he slowly approached her.

That boy was Hikaru's friend—...

“Mr...Akagi?”

While Sora continued to quiver, Koremitsu stopped in his tracks, hissing,

“Found you.”

### 007. Chapter 7: Who Is It That Looks Up at the Sky and Prays

While the confounded Sora widened her eyes, the impressionable mole under them, Koremitsu slowly stopped in his tracks, and stood in front of her.

“How, do you know...where I am?”

She sounded perturbed as she asked.

The cold breeze swayed the thin lime green branches, and that breeze stroked at Hikaru's soft hair, his eyes tranquil as he answered,

“You mentioned that it is too early, and that you will not be returning before autumn ends....I was wondering why it would be autumn, for the child is to be born in spring.”

And with a heinous look, Koremitsu stared at Sora, saying,

“You said that you're going to stay here before autumn ends.”

“And then, I recalled that I invited you to see the red leaves of the broom tree together. You refused me, saying that you would not make promises with me, but you did remember that moment.”

“Hikaru said that you're like the legendary Cypress tree, but you saw the broom tree that is of the same name, and said in disappointment that it can't be considered a flower. Hikaru then promised you to see a beautiful broom tree filled with red leaves.”

Sora's thin shoulders quivered, probably due to recalling the past, and the 'promise' she made with Hikaru. Her pale, forlorn face showed surprise and sadness.

And upon seeing Sora like this, Hikaru's eyes too faltered due to sadness.

“If we made that promise, if I were still alive...we would surely be looking at the broom tree filled with red leaves.”

“Sora, you told me that 'you can't make promises'. But that time, you made a promise with him. If Hikaru was still alive—he'll definitely fulfill that promise, and both of you will be together looking at the broom tree with red leaves.”

Sora's eyebrows that were already lowered and drooped further, her eyes and the mole contorted in anguish as she looked completely despondent.

“Upon thinking about that, I was firmly convinced you will be here looking at this broom tree.”

The pain and sadness in Hikaru's eyes continued to expand,

But even so, Koremitsu continued on steadily,

“That time, there was the melody of Twinkle, Twinkle little stars in the background, so I asked Asa to look for a place with broom trees and playing the tune of the glittering stars.”

He also informed Sora that Hikaru never forgot about that promise with her, and it was because of that memory that led him to this place.

“The melody of the Twinkle Twinkle little stars rang during our conversation, so I got Saiga to check if there's any place with broom trees growing and such a melody playing. Such investigations is this girl's specialty.”

But the moment Koremitsu mentioned Asai's name, Sora showed some timidity in her eyes, and her shoulders jerked. After that, she could be seen folding her arms, ostensibly protecting the child within.

And this caused Koremitsu's chest to ache.

Hikaru's eyes too became cloudy.

“For a long time, I had no idea what you were thinking. After meeting you for a while, I at least know what sort of a person you are.”

The broom trees rustled, and the forlorn autumn winds swayed fleetingly.

“You are a timid person.”

“Sora, you may appear strong, but that's not the case.”

While the world was in the golden evening sunset, she became white, pale, increasingly transparent, and everything became so transparent in this vague illusion, to a point where the truth was about to vanish as well.

While Sora continued to lower her head while cupping her tummy, Hikaru continued on sternly as he showed an anguished face,

“You said that promises are hollow because they will never be fulfilled...but the reason why you never made any promises is not because promises are empty, but you are terrified that they may never be fulfilled. You are afraid of waking up from your dreams, and did not dare to dream—that is the kind of feeble person you are.”

“Sora, you're really a weak, timid person.”

The eye with the mole quivered as Sora's face contorted. The sealed lips too shuddered, and perhaps she wanted to refute Koremitsu's claims, yet she could not.

Hikaru too remained anguished as he continued,

“When Asa came to the apartment, you said that you had no right to bear the child because of your little sister. I went to meet the little sister you mentioned, and she was living quite happily. No matter whether it was the bond with her husband, or that she took your place, it was all out of her own will. You did not sell out your little sister, but that your little sister wanted to do so.”

“I met your little sister, Ogina.”

“!”

Sora's eyes widened in shock.

And she lifted her face, looking back at Koremitsu timidly with a pale face like a child waiting to be chided.

“Your little sister's getting on well with her husband and her family. The baby's born, and she looks really happy. She told me happily that she loved her husband, and took the initiative on him. Though this led to her being expelled, her husband to lose his job, and your parents to be divorced, she had no regrets at all.”

Sora averted her eyes, saying,

“Don't say it.”

She shook her head about, refusing to listen any more.

“Please, stop. Don't talk about Ogina.”

“You have no reason to harbor guilt over your little sister!”

“You don't have a reason to apologize to your little sister, Sora!”

Sora's slender body jerked before she cringed back again. She lowered her head, closed her eyes tightly, and the mole under the eye seemingly became a large tear, not a transparent one, but a black tear of anguish.

“Why must you continue to suffer like that? You did cut the postcard in half, yet keep it?”

Hikaru said with an adamant voice,

“That is to escape from your guilt.”

“Sora, you used your little sister as an excuse.”

At this moment, Sora still looked utterly devastated as she cringed back, covering her belly with both hands, enduring the pain that was not supposed to be there.

But Hikaru did not stop in his reproach,

“Sora, were you not envious of your little sister's carefree personality? Perhaps you did like that teacher after all? When you were hesitant, your sister took your place and bonded with the teacher, so you had no choice but to sculpt your sister as a helpless, unfortunate girl. Why is that? That is because you are unable to move forward. You think of the negative no matter what, locked yourself within, restrained yourself, and did not dare to move forward. You did not dare to yearn for happiness. It was the same when you were with me; you could not make a promise because you were scared of it being broken. You refused me whenever I proposed a promise, so in fact, it was impossible for us to head out together, and we did not choose a cup together.”

But even in the fact of these cruel words, Koremitsu tried his best to convey while ostensibly crushed by the lingering pain in his heart.

His eyes widened, his eyebrows raised and his face sear, he yelled with all his might to convey those words to Sora's heart.,

“Sora, did you not have a crush on that teacher in any case? It's because you're too serious, so hesitant on whether you can be in love with that teacher, that your sister took the opportunity and did it with that teacher! Isn't it because you refused to admit it that you painted your little sister as an unfortunate person? It's because you can't give up on everything to get what you want, as what you sister did! Isn't that the reason why you hate promises because you're afraid of it betraying you!? That's why you never made a promise with Hikaru! What you said about going on a trip with Hikaru and choosing a cup with him is all a lie!!”

The broom trees rustled with the wind.

And Sora continued to embrace herself, her face frozen due to despair, her body still in tension.

“But Sora! I really noticed that you really wanted to make a promise with me! You reenacted everything after I died! You pretended to go on a trip with me, chose a cup with me, made love with me, and had my child !”

Yes, that's really the case, Sora.

You actually want to see the broom tree with Hikaru.

The fantasy Sora swore to keep and protect; Koremitsu's heart was gripped in anguish as he stared at that place.

—This child encourages me.

—Do you love him?

—I do.

The sight of Sora placing her hands on her belly, looking satisfied and blissful, was what Hikaru so yearned, the sight of an ideal mother.

“It's all your wishes, Sora...to go choose a cup together...to go travelling with Sora...you actually wanted to make promises with Hikaru...”

And even the child she protected so lovingly in the belly was...

“Sora, you do not have my child inside.”

“Sora, you're not pregnant.”

And in the midst of the broom trees, Sora suddenly collapsed to her knees.

Like a puppet with its strings severed, her shoulders sank, and also, her head sank. But even so, Sora continued to hug the belly with her hands, never removing them.

Gently and sadly, Hikaru inquired,

“Hey, Sora, you did notice it before, right?”

“Sora, you already noticed, didn't you?”

Sora continued to remain silent, her lips firmly sealed.

Both the expression contorted by the mole and the sight of the weakly shivering shoulders caused Koremitsu to be despondent.

Hikaru too was unable to rid himself of the anguish and melancholy in his eyes,

“Perhaps it was a mix of fantasy and the reality that caused you to stubbornly believe that you have a child...at least that was the case before Asa paid a visit...why did you go about spraying fragrances all over the room when Koremitsu and Asa were talking? Why did you cut your hand with the cup? Why did you remain squatted on the tatami, not getting up? You scattered fragrance because you wanted to mask a smell; you cut your hand to cover up a scar, and you were on the floor because you noticed some change in your body.”

With his face frowning, Hikaru continued,

“The blood on the floor was not caused by the one flowing from your hands, but your menstrual blood. The moment you saw it, you realized the baby inside your body did not exist. That was why you panicked, and to cover up this fact, to not make the blood on the tatami obvious, you broke the cup and cut your arm, but that was not enough. That was why you went about scattering your homemade fragrance, yet that could not cause you to relax. You threw all the magazines and baby toys onto the bed, and once you heard Koremitsu returning, you hurriedly got onto the floor. You stubbornly refused when Koremitsu wanted you to stand up and tend to your wounds, and that is because you got blood on your pants, and could not get up. You then vanished..”

Asai's visit.

Perhaps that was the cause of it all, as Hikaru mentioned.

Koremitsu too did know that there were women who had similar psychological pregnancy symptoms due to wanting to have children.

And surely that was the case with Sora.

When Asai laid bare the reality to Sora, and when the period that had long stopped for months finally dripped, Sora knew.

She knew that she was empty within.

That Hikaru's child did not exist anywhere.

Koremitsu's heart was filled with anguish as he wondered about how Sora felt back then, how she embraced the belly that had nothing inside.

Yet he continued to grit his teeth, telling Sora,

“The blood from your cut arm was meant to hide the other blood on the tatami, and the fragrance of green tea and grapefruit, and the reason why you wouldn't stand up; that's the reason. You knew the truth, Sora, yet you wouldn't admit it. That's why you ran away!”

The night thickened, and in the transparent, cold air, Sora continued to cuddle the belly just like that day, stammering these distressed words,

“B-because, Hikaru never left me with anything...”

Some transparent tears fell from the eyes filled with despair.

The lime green broom trees continued to rustle in the cold breeze. Sora's thin hair was messy as she bent her slender body, eking out all her strength into her voice as she said,

“I was really shocked when I heard that Mr. Hikaru passed away. How did that pretty, glowing boy die like that? When we first met, I thought I met an angel...he was so pretty, so innocent, and I felt ashamed just being with him...even the fact was that he lived and breathed in a different dimension from me. Basked in the stares of others, beloved by everyone, he was a special person so dazzling...I met him many times near his school, and he was always surrounded by many girls. All of them were so cute, pretty, young and fresh; surely they are all outstanding princesses...that Mr. Hikaru will be a better match for him...perhaps I too can believe Mr. Hikaru's feelings for me if I'm of the same age as him, pretty, innocent like those girls...but I'm not that kind of girl!!”

Sora's holler scattered in the white, blurry world, and the branches of the round bush of the broom trees were extended, ostensibly tugged away as they fell to a side. It looked to be shrieking along with her.

“Compared to Mr. Hikaru, I really am just an old aunt. I am not compatible in terms of looks to Mr. Mikado, just a stubborn, unchanging woman who's stuck reading the bible—I don't really love God, but everyone says that I'll be married with him, and yet I'm a woman who can't refute that. The reason why Mr. Mikado had that spur of interest in me, and that he let my brother pass on this message, is because I'm just avoiding Mr. Mikado. I never made a promise with him, that's all! I'm just a naive, curious kid chasing an escaping cicada! If I didn't run away, Mr. Hikaru definitely wouldn't be chasing me!”

And Sora's words caused Hikaru's expression to anguish.

Koremitsu knew that Sora had self-esteem issues with regards to Hikaru.

To all the girls in the world, being proposed by a dazzling prince was a wonderful dream to them.

However, Sora was not a woman who dared to dream.

That was why she was fearful with regards to Hikaru's love.

How could such a pretty boy actually fall in love with this older, boring woman? Surely it was not his true thoughts, and surely his interest in her would wane, and she would be tragically abandoned.

They were definitely not a match for each other even if they were together. Surely she would feel the distance between them, and she would feel depressed within.

Thus, she definitely would not make promises, never making foolish dreams.

Yes, Sora feared Hikaru.

And not because she feared Hikaru's feelings, Hikaru's love.

She feared of letting Hikaru learn that she was a boring woman unworthy to be pursued, so fearful that she could only leave a thin coat of cicada skin behind, escaping.

And she cuddled the empty belly, her pale lips trembling as she shivered,

“But after I learnt of Mr. Hikaru's death, I recalled the sight in the church, when I found him completely injured, and the comfort I gave him...and I regretted it...no, this surely is just me whitewashing matters. I'm a timid person, giving up immediately when I can't get what I want , and my heart becomes unbearable, with me wanting to escape this fact. I too was like this with regards to my little sister...why is it that I can't go shopping with the teacher alone? It was me he invited, and not my sister. My sister's just taking my place. When they got married and had a child, I couldn't bless them. I could only think of my sister as one stained by the teacher, a laughing stock of everyone at school, an unfortunate, pitiful girl who got expelled by the school. I really—am ugly.”

And while the broom trees continued to rustle, Sora ruffled her hair as she squatted down. While Koremitsu watched on in anguish as she continued to hurt herself with her words, he thought of Ogina, her little sister.

Ogina was a cheerful, optimistic woman who would boldly say what she wanted, and would do her best to plan for that cause.

Perhaps she was shallow for being expelled from school because her love with her teacher was exposed.

But the way she smiled and declared 'I have no regrets at all!' was so cheerful, convicted.

A woman like Ogina probably would not feel intimidated even if her partner was an Arabian millionaire or a European prince.

No matter even if it was a dream that lasted for a night, she would devote her cause to it, play with it, reveal in it, and never feel a single regret about it, narrating it to others as the most wonderful dream she had.

Sora could do none of that.

The more she was allured by the other party, she would first think of the devastation, despair, dark future.

And before that dark future arrived, she would escape first, leaving only a shed skin behind.

And then she would continue to be imprisoned in her escape.

At that moment, if she had accepted him.

At that moment, if she had chosen to move forward.

“You're right that even with regards to Mr. Hikaru, my mind was a complete blank, and my heart was completely broken, regretful. Tha-that's why, as you said, I chose a cup with Mr. Hikaru, and went on a trip with him...perhaps all those would happen if I did really accept him...that was my wish that seemed real, but was not. The child too...if Mr. Hikaru had my child...if I could have given birth to Mr. Hikaru's child...I thought of this every single day, and my period stopped, I found difficulty in eating meat, and I vomited a few times, like morning sickness, and that was when I began believing that I had Mr. Hikaru's child. This child was growing in my belly, with my blood flowing in him, and surely it would not cause me to hallucinate, and never will it abandon me. It's a Mr. Mikado that belongs to me. If this child's to be born, I'll protect it with all my might, to love him. I can say the words I couldn't say to Mr. Hikaru, 'I love you, I really love you. I love you, I really love you.'”

One had to wonder what sort of feelings Hikaru had hearing Sora convey her love.

And Hikaru, standing beside Koremitsu, was wincing, his head lowered as he looked down at the hollow, tragic sight in Sora's eyes. The breeze rustling the broom trees stroked Hikaru's hair as he showed a melancholic look.

Sora continued to sob as her voice continued to crack,

“B-but, when Mr. Hikaru's cousin Miss Saiga said that the baby can't be born in that cramped apartment, and when she said that the baby has to take a DNA test when born...when she gave me that 'a crude, boring person like you can't possibly have Mr. Hikaru's child'...I felt someone pinching deep within my belly...that something warm was flowing from my buttocks, my thighs...at that moment, I knew that my belly was as empty as my name...I'm just a hollow cicada skin; the one who loved Mr. Hikaru and was pursued by him; a shrieking cicada, and I'm just the skin that fell onto the floor! I have nothing! Nothing at all!!”

Sora continued to cuddle her empty belly as she lowered her head deeply, her shoulders quivering.

Koremitsu finally understood why did her eyes become that hollow when he mentioned the cicada skins.

When he mentioned the gathered cicada skins blown to the floor and crushed, Sora looked so forlorn.

—Is that so...that's a pity.

He recalled that day when Sora's mole looked like an eye, and his heart gripped.

—I'm as empty as the name Sora implies, the shed skin of a cicada.

And he also finally understood why Sora sounded so forlorn in that phone call...

To Sora, who deemed herself the shed husk of a cicada, 'Hikaru's child' was her hope and emotional crutch.

And she lost it.

(Sora right now definitely will have despair in the future. The sights she once he in front of her vanished just like that, leaving behind an endless hole. How am I supposed to deal with this?)

Koremitsu's mouth secreted an unbearable taste, and he could not find a way to stop Sora's tears and laments. It was just like the scene when his mother kept apologizing to him, where he could not do anything.

(What am I supposed to do now?)

Sora continued to sob, looking extremely lethargic as she looked around at the rustling broom trees.

Once she awoke from her dream, she was left with the icy reality. Her expression contorted, ostensibly told that the Cypress Hikaru passionately dubbed her was all a fantasy.

“I'm not some legendary Cypress, I'm just a broom tree that can't be compared to a flower!”

“That is not true! The broom tree is no inferior to the Cypress tree in being a beautiful flower!”

And Hikaru's yell seemed to be blocking the winds.

The voice contained such intense, agitated emotions, striking Koremitsu's ears and heart directly, causing him to shout.

“That's not true! The broom tree's an outstanding flower itself!”

“Stop lying...”

Sora slowly lifted her lowered head, trails trickling down her face.

“It doesn't have any petals, no bright colors, just a messy, crude pile of grass. How can such grass be considered flowers?”

Sora's face could not be seen, but one could see through the blinds of her thin hair the tears that dripped, and the wailing words grazed Koremitsu's heart, for he knew Sora had no intention of his words.

“You have yet to see the blooming red flowers, the broom tree dyed.”

“Sora, you haven't seen the broom trees with red leaves on them.”

“Mr. Hikaru did say that, but ever since I came here, I've been looking at these trees, and I finally know. No matter how I look at it, the broom tree doesn't have flowers, just some branches gathered together. Even if it's autumn and the tree's dyed red, that's just it. It's really disappointing.”

Hikaru's eyes had all kinds of emotions as he looked at Sora, and with a forceful tone, he said,

“Are you still going to set a safety net for yourself, Sora!? Are you going to determine that the broom tree with red leaves are just some unimpressive, boring flowers...to deny that they are flowers? Now then, I shall show you how wonderful the broom tree is, and that it is no lesser than the legendary Cypress!”

“Stop being depressed at the future that's yet to come because of that insufficient imagination of yours! I'll now show you the best broom tree there is! The broom tree that's no lesser than a Cypress tree!”

“Stand up, Sora!”

“Come with me Sora!”

And while holding Sora by the right arm, Koremitsu dragged her up.

Sora's arm left her empty belly, and her knees straightened with ease.

“Mr. Akagi...”

With tears covering her face, Sora looked up at Koremitsu timidly. She flailed her arms, stamped her feet and continued to struggle, trying to escape Koremitsu's hands.

“I'm not letting you get away!”

Koremitsu widened his eyes, yelling.

That voice and expression startled Sora, her shoulders jerked as she was unable to say anything.

With determination not to let go of her, Koremitsu held Sora's arm firmly as he moved forth to where Hikaru was headed.

Hikaru's eyes were as adamant as ever, looking poignant and more masculine than usual. He floated in the air, continuing to move towards the hill of broom trees. The breeze blowing by caused his soft hair to flow towards the back.

And behind him was Koremitsu's quick steps.

And Sora, held in Koremitsu's arm, was behind him, breathless.

They arrived at the top of the hill, and upon looking back, the sunset that yet had to fully descend gave off a dazzling light, shining upon Koremitsu and Sora's eyes.

And Hikaru's cheerful voice rang,

“Have a look, Sora.”

Both Koremitsu and Sora narrowed their eyes in unison due to the light that was too dazzling.

The sun was slowly setting on the other end of the trail of hills, and the broom trees growing upon them gave off a phantasmic, faint red color.

That place was dyed a dazzling gold and hue of red, resembling a paradise in the heavens.

Majestic, riveting, cute, a reverie.

The flowers dyed in the red hue extended their leaves in the accompanying breeze.

And Sora, right beside Koremitsu, widened her eyes, watching this scenery breathlessly.

And basked in this dazzling light, Hikaru too was dyed a faint red along with the broom trees.

With his rich, sweet voice, he said,

“The broom tree has the same name as the legendary Cypress, that one cannot see its true beauty if approached too closely. That is why it has to be seen from far. Hey, this is a beautiful 'flower' is it not? It really is an impressive 'flower', is it not? As with the autumn air, the green flowers will be dyed a light paint like the faces of girls in love, and the advancement of the months will cause this delicate pink to slowly become a refreshing, passionate red. The magnificently refreshing green broom tree is slowly morphed by the early autumn into a faint red, and one cannot help but gasp and amaze at how adorable it is, how much of a masterpiece it is. The flowers of a broom tree may never bloom, and perhaps they are just some crude, unimpressive flowers. The broom tree itself however is a 'flower'. You said that a green broom tree is not impressive, no Sora? No other 'flower' can sweep away the bitterness in a person's heart like it can. Rich and beautiful, one can obtain a peace of mind growing such a plant in the garden. It really is an outstanding flower.”

Hikaru's tone revealed his longing and love for Sora.

One had to wonder how much Hikaru actually loved Sora.

And with added power and emotions, Koremitsu conveyed Hikaru's words to Sora.

“You see, this thing's really breathtakingly beautiful, right? If you get too close to it, the broom tree's just like a simple, rich bunch of branches and leaves, but if you look at it from far away, it's really a magnificent 'flower', Hikaru once told me with such passion on his face that even a green broom tree dyed with the color of autumn can cause one to feel at peace, and anything that feels hazy in the heart can be swept away by this broom tree!”

And after hearing Koremitsu's words, Sora remained unmoved as she stared at the faint red grove of broom trees, tears seeping from her eyes.

“Sora, perhaps I could not see your true self as I was trying too hard to pursue. Perhaps you were a broom tree more than being a Cypress. However, after looking at you clearly, I can loudly state that no matter whether you are like the Cypress or the broom tree, I really love you!”

His eyes cheerful, Hikaru professed these words with conviction.

And Koremitsu yelled with all his might,

“No matter whether you're the legendary Cypress or not, you're a wonderful woman, Sora! You're an outstanding flower, like the broom tree with this color here!”

Sora's hands were no longer resting on her abdomen, naturally dropped to the sides.

Surely she moved her quivering lips for her emotions were about to overflow.

And Hikaru embraced Sora's shoulders, saying softly, ostensibly wringing out her courage,

“Sora, you are the outstanding flower that enthralled me within. A beautiful, wonderful person like you cannot possibly have a dream you cannot have fulfilled.”

Hikaru's voice could not possibly reach Sora; however, Sora seemed to hear it on the hill dyed red by the sunset, and she raised her eyebrows, looking at Koremitsu with bated breath.

“Make a wish, Sora.”

“Say your wish, Sora.”

“Do not think of a bad future. Do not run away, and say your wish.”

“I'll tell you that your wish will definitely be fulfilled.”

“I...”

Her eyebrows dropped, and her lips quivered as she lifted her head at Koremitsu, tears glittering in her eyes,

“I wish to say goodbye...to Mr. Hikaru.”

The next day,

Sora had a sky-colored cardigan over her shirt, waiting for the wish to be fulfilled under the sunset at the main entrance plaza of her college campus. The hem of the skirt could drift in the air, and there was a transparent cloth on her skirt, ruffling.

Koremitsu stood by the doors, anxiously checking the time.

It was to be the time of the promise.

With trusting eyes, Hikaru whispered.

“Please help fulfill Sora's wish.”

“Leave it to me.”

Koremitsu answered with a deep voice, and strode forth.

While the students wandering around the plaza stopped in their tracks, muttering away, Sora too turned to where the commotion was.

There was a boy with messy red hair and a sharp expression dressed in high school uniform, his back slouched and eyes raised as he approached Sora.

The crowd was staring at the boy in amazement, whether it was due to that red hair, or that he was dressed in a high school uniform, appearing in this college campus.

The students naturally parted to the side, forming a path in front of Sora and the boy.

Both Sora and the boy walked down that path leisurely, shortening the distance between each other.

The boy pouted his lips unhappily, surely because he was finding it awkward to be in the school, and got tense due to the surrounding stares. Looking at how desperate he was, Sora's lips showed a smile.

That boy, Hikaru's friend, pulled Sora towards himself and carried her up.

That scene was akin to a scene in a drama.

The thin, firm, boyish arms lifted Sora's slender body with much strength.

And while everyone was looking, Sora too raised her toes, reached her arms out, and latched herself around the boy's neck, embracing him back with all her might.

And the startled stares assaulted them.

However, Sora still showed no fear. At this time and place, she certainly was the heroine with the biggest shine upon her.

At this point, she would be bidding the best farewell person to her beloved.

Yes, the best, blissful farewell possible.

“Farewell, Mr. Hikaru.”

And with the vibrant array of emotions contained in this soft whisper, Sora moved her lips, almost touching the boy's, and the boy, Hikaru's friend, froze still, seeming a little hesitant, blushing all over.

However, he did not push Sora aside; instead, he embraced Sora's body forcefully, rendering both almost breathless.

Hikaru's representative was gentle.

And he fulfilled her promise with Hikaru.

Sora was no longer the shed skin.

Sora's name no longer meant the 'hollow', but the endless blue 'sky'.

To become greedy, she would have to make new wishes.

And even if there were things robbing her, no matter whether there were things unable to be fulfilled, she would no longer remain rooted, and no longer cup her head and scurry.

When things were not going well, she would not fear pain and farewell, enjoy a little hurt, and bid farewell properly.

The hope that vanished could be replenished with new hope.

She would fill her heart with dazzling memories.

She would put on pretty clothes, wear high heels, let her hair down, and walk out of the door.

Once Sora released the strength from her arms, Hikaru's friend too let his arms loose.

And both of them remained silent as they head off in different directions.

“Farewell, Sora. Thank you for saving me twice.

Hikaru's rich words appeared to reach Sora's ears in this sweet golden mist of the sunset, as the latter's skirt fluttered, her thin hair swaying as she strode off cheerfully.

The street lights began to light on the way back home.

And at the street near his house, Koremitsu spotted an unexpected person, stopping in his tracks.

“Aoi.”

Aoi looked up at Koremitsu, looking bashful and worried.

“Sorry, but I was worried about you, Mr. Akagi...”

It seemed Aoi was worried for Koremitsu after their visit to Sora's little sister, and Koremitsu ran out screaming. Realizing this, Koremitsu's heart tightened.

He did send a message to Aoi before, but he never apologized.

“Sorry about what happened before. I ran off on my own.”

“No, that is alright.”

Apparently, Aoi was more worried about Koremitsu doing such a thing rather than herself being abandoned, and seemed afraid of Koremitsu suddenly turning to run away. She kept frowning, staring right at him.

Due to the overly direct stare filled with all her vigor, Koremitsu felt a lot feeble, depressed.

(So it's not just Shikibu. I even worried Aoi.)

Back then, Koremitsu was always alone.

Whenever he did something, he did not have to consider what others would think, and never did he make anyone like Aoi worry for him.

(But now, I'm...)

At this point, Koremitsu knew that ever since he met Hikaru, after getting involved with many different people, his actions would affect others around him, unnerving them.

So whenever Koremitsu wanted to say or do something, he could not simply think about his own matters, but also the people around him.

But though that was his thought, Koremitsu could not do it fully. It was fine for him however to take every single step, and slowly becoming strong yet gentle.

And Hikaru, standing right beside him, watched over Koremitsu and Aoi tenderly.

“Thanks for coming...but I'm fine now.”

Koremitsu too looked back at Aoi with the same honest expression, and answered seriously. Perhaps , he matured a lot more compared to how he was at the beginning.

“About Hikaru's kid, and Sora...I managed to settle them.”

After that, Aoi's shoulder could be seen jerking slightly.

“...I'll tell you the rest later.”

Yes And Aoi nodded, whispering.

“Where's your car, Aoi?”

“I came alone.”

“Isn't that dangerous?”

“I wanted to do this.”

It seemed Aoi matured a lot more than how she was 3 days ago, as she gave Koremitsu a somewhat matured look.

While Koremitsu was skeptical about Aoi's change, “It's dark now. I'll send you back.” and just when he blushed, saying that.

“!”

Koremitsu spotted a petite woman standing quietly in front of his house.

(Mom...)

There was a 1 st grade boy standing beside him, and her unreliable, frail shoulders were shivering as she held onto that boy's hand. Her face again looked ready to break into tears, looking straight at Koremitsu with guilt in her eyes.

Aoi too noticed at the the woman was the same as the one they met at the shop Sora's sister was working at, and she too cringed nervously as she stood beside Koremitsu.

Koremitu frowned hard, causing his face to stiffen as he continued to look at his mother.

(Why...why do you have to come? You said you don't know me, and you're giving that teary face. Are you going to say sorry to me again?)

The inside of his throat became bitter as his body ached all over. His mind was boiling hot.

He was so infuriated, so vengeful, and his clenched fists were quivering. However, rising up his heart was not rage, but the desire for his mother in his childhood.

This person never loved him.

She did not find him cute, and she did not know how to love him. She just kept crying and complaining to Koharu, sobbing away and apologizing to her son, repenting over and over again...and she's so thin and lethargic as a result. And then as a result, she abandoned her duties as a mother, leaving Koremitsu as she left home.

She was such a feeble, despicable mother, so cruel, so inept as a mother...

(But I like this mom.)

He hope she could smile and turn back to look at him.

He loved his mother, and thus, he hoped she would be able to stop crying, and tell her 'I'll protect you, so please stop crying'.

After his mother left him, Koremitsu was obsessed about not getting any love from her. His eyes are so savage, and he was just a brat, not cute at all. He could not smile even after pulling faces. That was why mom worked so hard, and suffered so much. No matter how she cried, he could not make her love me.

It was like Sora who said that she was the shed skin of a cicada, saying that she was just a boring woman, not a match for Hikaru, and despaired over it. Pondering hard over it, Koremitsu too struggled and brooded over it, before he finally giving up.

However, was not what he really needed was not to be loved, but to love others?

Koremitsu repeated the words Hiina said in his heart.

—If there is a choice to be loved by others or to love others, I'll definitely choose the latter,

—Because I'll be happier this way.

She concluded with a sweet smile.

She was a family member who could not profess her love for her beloved brother, but if she really had a blood relation with that sort of an outstanding person...it was fine for her to simply be with him, so blissful that she would be rendered breathless.

(I really, really love her.)

His hatred and rage were no longer within him.

The burning sensation surging his throat continually lingered there, and that was left.

The more important things were, the more likely it would be impossible to see them after being too close.

And thus, he would pray to be loved, to be treated gently. When all that became impossible, and when he despaired, the more he could not see what was important to him, and he remained in the darkness of the hole, lost within himself.

But after separating, he finally understood, and finally saw it.

(I want mom to be able to smile.)

While they separated, he kept wondering if his mother was beating and torturing herself. Whenever he thought of how his mother was crying, his heart was in so much hurt it felt it was going to split.

The boy holding the mother's hands had a blue felt bear tied to the bag slung diagonally, and it dangled in the air.

“Mama, I'm hungry. Let's go back.”

And he looked at his mother, smiling innocently.

(Ahh, looks like that guy's able to smile properly.)

That was an unrestrained smile that firmly believed in the mother, and Koremitsu felt conflicted emotions all over.

Thank goodness, mom's definitely able to smile properly in front of him.

Surely she loved him well.

And lived on happily.

Thus, Koremitsu's brother was holding his mother's hand firmly, giving a big grin.

That little thing alone caused Koremitsu such unmatched happiness.

The happiness accompanied the surging tears, causing the throat and eyes to feel spicy and painful.

Mom, you don't have to show such a crying face again.

You don't have to show guilt for me again, or suffer because of me.

Even if we don't meet again, even if you're never able to love me, I'll continue to love you forever, mom. As long as you remain happy and smiling.

Go get your happiness.

Go smile brightly,

And never show any hatred or despair. That was his only wish from the bottom of his heart.

The voice was stuck in his throat, and he was unable to convey it into words.

And so, he gathered his strength in his mouth, trying his best to raise his lips.

And he realized Aoi beside him was watching, startled.

She was watching him look at his mother, looking ready to break into tears, and suddenly widened her eyes, before she looked ready to break into tears again.

I really love you, mom. Really.

Am I smiling now?

Did my feelings reach you?

The facial muscles he forcefully lifted were numb. Tears fell as he exerted too much strength.

But he was smiling.

For the one important to him.

What else was he supposed to do other than to smile?

(I'm fine here. Even if mom isn't around, I'll continue to smile and live properly. I made friends.)

Koremitsu continued to snivel and smile.

And slender fingers quietly grabbed Koremitsu's frozen stiff hand.

It was Aoi.

And in response to that warm, tender hand, Koremitsu instinctively grabbed it back.

His mom frowned hard, tears forming in her eyes as her lips moved. However, the words could not be formed as she simply lowered her head deeply, very deeply.

“What's the matter, mama? Why's that big brother crying and smiling? Why are you crying too, mama?”

And while the boy felt inexplicably skeptical, his mother patted his head to calm down, held his hand, and turned to leave.

The street lights shone on his mother's slender back.

He would no longer pray for that back to turn.

Replacing that was a prayer, that his mother would continue to be happy and smile with that boy with her.

And a slender figure, accompanied by a small figure, slowly vanished into the other end of the street lights.

Aoi's hand, which he was holding so firmly to, was so warm, and the tears sliding down his face felt so warm.

Koremitsu held Aoi's hand with his own trembling hand, and Aoi tightened her grip on his hand.

Their hearts were trembling in unison.

If one were to notice, Hikaru too was watching over the duo with a tragic, beautiful smile at that point.

Koremitsu, do you know about the 'starry time'?

In his story 'Momo', Michael Ende mentioned that,

‘At certain junctures in the course of existence, unique moments occur when everyone and everything, even the most distant stars, combine to bring about something that could not have happened before and will never happen again.’

This special instance is truly a miracle.

To me, Sora was that sort of a person.

When I was in such unbearable pain, she miraculously appeared in front of me, giving me a hug..

There was the one I admired, the one I could not get.

There was the one so distant from me.

And the one who purified me from such despair and pain was Sora.

At that moment, the one who embraced me and redeemed me was Sora.

I viewed her as being too sacred, and neglected the delicate parts of Sora as a female. It is because of my neglect that Sora kept suffering, and left you much tragic memories.

Perhaps the more important that thing is, the more people dared not to look straight at it.

But even after knowing that Sora is so feeble, so timid, I still find her cute.

No, perhaps it is because I witnessed her weakness that I became increasingly in love with her.

I suppose others too were attracted not only by her will and beauty, but also by her weakness.

Humans are supposed to be weak, who need others to lend them a hand.

Hey, Koremitsu.

Back then, Miss Aoi held your hand firmly, and you held back hers.

At that moment, did the stars in your hearts not meet?

Stars resonate with each other, letting out a pretty, crisp sound. Did that not cause your heart to tremble?

Even if that emotion was for just a fleeting moment, it was a special moment, truly unforgettable.

Back then, when I saw both of you supporting each other...

Koremitsu,

Surely both of us will slowly change.

Surely there is not a lot of time for me to stay on this Earth.

Right now, I can be certain that like the changing positions of the stars, all sorts of changes will occur.

You smiled for the one important to you.

That smile showed your thoughts for your mother, so brave, so tender, a warm, determined smile.

The practice finally paid off.

Truly, it was a heartfelt smile, and if I had a physical body, I would surely embrace you, praising you, telling you it really is a good job.

After many years, your mother will be redeemed thinking about your smile.

And you too will continue to change, continue to grow.

After 10 years, who will be standing by your side?

No matter who stands beside you.

No matter who stands beside Miss Aoi.

I shall love both of you from the skies above.

### 008. Epilogue: The Reason You Averted Your Eyes Is......

Two days later.

After informing Asai that Sora did not have a child, the former narrowed her eyes, and hissed in a rampage, “What is the matter with that woman? I actually arranged for her to live peacefully in a place nobody else will know of, and came up with a list of potential hospitals for the birth!”

After a long spiel of sniding and complaints, Koremitsu retreated with a defeated look.

“I really caused you trouble there, Asa, but I never expected you to find out where Sora was that fast. That's a great help.”

And after he said that, Asai sealed her lips tight, turning her head sharply to the side as she said.

“Of course. You could have requested me for help right from the beginning. It was entirely your miscue, Mr. Akagi.”

After saying that coldly, she turned her head towards Koremitsu with much pressure, glaring at him sharply,

“You hear? You are to report to me the first thing if you are in trouble because of Hikaru again.”

And she continued with her chiding.

“...But if it is your personal problems, it is not that you cannot look to me for help.”

Muttering that, she turned to leave.

“What's the matter now? Asa's becoming very mature here.”

After hearing Koremitsu mutter this, Hikaru smiled wryly,

“Just to you.”

And he said those inexplicable words.

Tsuyako too was devastated when she learned that Hikaru's child did not exist.

“Mr. Akagi, comfort me.”

It took him a lot of effort just to placate her, and Tōjō, who had assumed the child within Sora to be Koremitsu's, gave a deathly scowl.

“You were fooled by a woman's lie because you did something guilty yourself. Even if she does have a child, and you want to admit it, or that you want to compensate her to abort and make her a crying wanderer, you could have rejected her if you did not do anything guilty in the first place. You should reflect on your actions and exercise caution.”

Perhaps it was because he had his own experiences with regards to the matter that he took the entire break to give Koremitsu a long sermon.

And Hiina herself appeared while giving her usual cheerful look.

“Too bad that you can't be a papa here, Mr. Akagi. If he's born, I'm prepared to record down a diary of you raising a kid here. Ah, do you want to have a baby with me? You'll be a dad in another 10 months and 10 days later.

She continued on with her incessant chatter, and Koremitsu asked grimly,

“Oumi, thanks for what you said back then. Also, do I know your brother?”

And Hiina showed an impish face.

“It's a pity to say it now. That's a secret.”

She then turned to leave.

Koremitsu was also prepared to apologize to Honoka for toppling her cookies.

“It's fine...I'm not angry.”

Honoka looked a little forlorn as she smiled.

After informing Honoka that the child was a hoax.

“Is that so. Now then, you'll be able to sleep well, Akagi.”

Though she sounded optimistic, she averted her eyes from him, looking forlorn. It was a fleeting instance, so Koremitsu wondered if that was just him seeing things, but,

“Hey, Shikibu.”

“What?”

“...It's nothing.”

For some reasons, he couldn't blurt out what he wanted to ask.

Hikaru too did say some strange things before...and ever since then, his periods of silence and pondering became frequent.

Back then, Aoi held Koremitsu's hand because the latter cried upon seeing his mother. In any case, surely Hikaru did not have to brood with such a serious look...

The sensation of Aoi's hand still remained on Koremitsu's hand, and surely, that had to be because it was an overly unique situation.

“Hey, I'm not going to fall in love with my friend's fiancee. Stop giving me that bitter brooding look.”

On their way back from school.

Koremitsu scowled and complained at Hikaru, who was brooding alone again.

“Eh, was I showing such a bitter face?”

Hikaru answered with ambiguity.

“Well, Koremitsu, you should not judge things too quickly here. Things may happen between man and woman at any given time. Even after being ruined, I still cannot abandon my love for the one I could not love.”

Hikaru stared afar, giving a faint smile.

(Of course, this guy still hasn't settled his issues with his stepmom.)

The circumstances that led to Hikaru falling into the river was ambiguous, and Hikaru himself seemed to be hiding something—

(Really, did he just slip and fall into the river? Was that all ?)

And at that moment, there was a commotion coming from the direction of Koremitsu's house.

“Wah!”

“Stop trying to run away now! You're the one wandering around my house trying to stalk me, right?”

Koremitsu frantically dashed over, and found Shioriko swinging a broom down in front of the door, smacking the buttocks of a boy who fell onto the floor.

The boy tried his best to escape from Shioriko's assault as he tried to excuse himself.

“Y-you're mistaken.”

He replied.

“Are you peeking into our house! You want to try running away from here?”

“Big brother Koremitsu! This guy's a stalker after all! Are you a student at my school? What year and class? What's your registration number? I'm reporting this to the principal!”

Shioriko swung her twintails as she swung the broom again—

“That's enough already, Shiiko.”

And there sounded a gruff voice.

Koharu appeared from the door, dressed in a short apron over her jersey.

Koharu and Koremitsu both had faces of a hoodlum, and when the former looked down at the boy, the boy's face turned beetroot, looking as scared as he was when Koremitsu hollered at him.

“That's enough already.”

“But.”

“That's fine.”

Once Koharu ordered sternly, Shioriko left the boy unwillingly. In the meantime, the boy scampered away, looking like his legs had a missile attached to them.

“Ahh! Wait!”

“Shiiko, don't chase him.”

“Why?”

And while Shioriko puffed her cheeks in ostensible protest,

“...It's fine.”

Koharu quietly muttered, and in response to that silent voice, Shioriko seemed to realize something as she clicked her tongue, putting down the broom in her hands.

Koremitsu too was dumbfounded by Koharu's words.

(He's someone Koharu knows?)

Speaking of which, Koharu's son, whom her divorced husband claimed, should be of a similar age to Shioriko, about 9 too.

“That child does not look like he is Sora's brother.”

Hikaru flatly stated.

“Wait, Koharu, was that your...”

Yes.

The way he had his lips curled into a frown did resemble someone. It was very similar to the sharp of the mouth he would see in the mirror every day, and in other words, should be similar to Koharu's—

Shioriko and Koremitsu probably had the same thoughts, and they turned to look at Koharu.

However, Koharu coldly stated,

“Who knows. I don't know that kid, I guess.”

She muttered.

However, there was a rare, fleeting expression she showed behind this tone, she then turned away from Koremitsu and Shioriko to avoid showing them the face.

—No.

When Ogina inquired about Koremitsu, his mother replied as such, her eyes fleeting. The image of that overlapped with that fleeting, despondent look on Koharu's.

Why exactly did Koharu choose to give up on the child? Why did she not see him even after he left her at such a young age? Koremitsu could not comprehend.

However, the aloof words and the drooping face clearly stated the love for the child she gave birth to after 10 months of labor that could not be held back.

So, in that case.

When Koremitsu's mother answered 'no' while showing that fleeting expression, perhaps there was some form of a lingering feeling in there.

Just like how it could not be noticed when up close, but only discovered when afar.

9 years ago, Koremitsu's mother abandoned her love for him, and the fact remained that she left him. Perhaps it was a meaningless fantasy for him to continue thinking about such matters now...

(Maybe I am useless to Akagi already.)

After school, Honoka was updating the blog on her cellphone alone in the empty classroom, recalling the events over the prior days as she gave off a gloomy vibe.

Once she learned from Aoi of the coincidence that was Koremitsu's encounter with his mother, she was so worried about him that she tried approaching him near his house.

Later on, there was a woman with a child standing in front of Koremitsu's house, with Koremitsu and Aoi standing there as the former kept staring at the woman.

Surely that was Koremitsu's mother.

From a corner on the street, she watched Koremitsu attempt to smile at the woman with bated breath.

It was the first time Honoka saw that Koremitsu, who usually pouted with his cheeks puffed, who always looked grouchy, show a smile.

That was a forced smile of happiness that griped anyone's heart, a smile that practically said to the mother who abandoned him 'I'm fine here'—

There were tears in his eyes, yet he continued to smile, and Honoka, witnessing this, was about to cry. When she saw Aoi hold onto Koremitsu's hand tightly, and the latter doing the same back, Honoka's heart was practically ripped out.

After Koremitsu's mother lowered her head and left, the duo continued to hold hands tightly, never once letting go.

(Why was it that I wasn't the one beside Akagi, but Her Highness Aoi instead?)

If Honoka had been beside Koremitsu back then, surely she would have done the same thing. However, the one there back then was not Honoka, but Aoi. Surely, this was a confounding of fate.

(I couldn't help Akagi when he was trying his best to smile.)

“Hono.”

Honoka lifted her head after hearing someone call out for her, and standing over there was Michiru.

She flusteredly blinked to avoid Michiru seeing her teary eyes, and closed the cellphone.

“The committee meeting's over? I'm hungry, Michiru. Let's get something to eat before we head back; I want some ice cream, the double flavor of caramel and custard kind.”

“Hono, you aren't the sort of person to like that.”

“I guess it's fine to eat some sweet things that'll cause me to vomit once in a while.”

Surely she would break down into tears if she did not show such optimism, and once she answered, Michiru stared back grimly, before breaking into a chuckle.

“You're lying, Hono. You really like Mr. Akagi, don't you?”

The hair, short enough to reach the nape, swayed along with the hem of the skirt as Sora strolled through the school cheerfully.

Thinking about it, how foolish was she before she bid farewell to Hikaru?

(I actually believed that I'm bearing Mr. Hikaru's baby.)

Surely there was no way she could have bore Hikaru's child.

(On that winter night when I was reunited with Hikaru again, I embraced him tightly as he was rejected by the one he loved, completely worn out and wounded emotionally. When Mr. Hikaru fell asleep in my arms however, his face was so pretty when lit by the snowy lights, like God. And I ran away as a result .”

She wrapped Hikaru in the cloth from the altar, and got on her toes, doing her morning prayers while mesmerized.

Yes, on that night, Hikaru and Sora did not so anything that would have caused a child to be born.

“How laughable it is, Third Princess.”

With the black wig on his head, Kazuaki had a red one-piece dress fluttering about, sealing his bright red lips as he said with a sweet, rich voice.

“The 'beloved' of thaaaat beautiful Hikaru is actually that Sora Semigaya? Surely she is just an ordinary college girl. I knew that right from the beginning.”

The chameleon suddenly reached his long tongue out to catch its prey, and Kazuaki narrowed his eyes, looking hopelessly mesmerized, before saying snide words.

“That is a bitch of a non virgin who immediately had sex with Hikaru after meeting him. How can she possibly be Hikaru's 'beloved'. Mr. Akagi however panicked like that when I merely said a few words, and he got fooled completely by a lying non-virgin!!”

Surely Hikaru's 'beloved' was far in comparison to Sora Semigaya, for she was the best.

“So basically, she is a bitch who is 10 times worse off compared to Sora, no?”

Feeling peeved by this, his face was completely twisted.

Hikaru's 'beloved' was,

Raising the icy cage, Kazuaki placed his face onto it, and spoke with a sweet, rich voice.

“Hey, Third Princess. I want to have Hikaru's child. How am I supposed to make it mine? My thing?”

## Footnote

Summer is ending, and the orange Forget-me-nots had already wilted, but I definitely cannot forget about you. My eyes are always allured by you, and my body and mind yearns strongly for you, like a burning fire.

So, I decided,

Hikaru.

I shall forget all my love and hatred for you, and let them flow with the river.

And that day, please turn back and look at me—

## Special Chapter: Tsuyako's Temptation ~ The Boy on My Mind

“Eh!! So, the matter about Hikaru's child being born is completely false?”

Once Tsuyako said this, the underclassman Koremitsu Akagi puffed his temples weakly, and clearly stated,

“Yeah, Sora isn't pregnant. Sorry to make you worry so much over Hikaru's kid, senpai.”

And then, his ruffled red hair drooped along with his head.

“How can that be?'

It was after school. Tsuyako, dressed in a pale green Furisode with red sakura decorated all over it for club activities, collapsed butt first onto the floor, her shoulders slumped weakly.

“How terrible. I did think of 50 names for the child, and I already requested for a designer I like to design.”

To Tsuyako, Hikaru, who had long died, was like a glowing moon in the sky. This round, elegant, and bright moon shone itself fully onto the flower called Tsuyako. He was her eternal lover.

Once she learned of a baby that would inherit Hikaru's bloodline, she broke down in tears, delighted due to her overwhelming emotions.

However, this was all.

And Koremitsu, Hikaru's stiff-face friend, could only watch this utterly devastated Tsuyako and contort his terrifying face, his eyes glaring everywhere as he muttered.

This vicious-looking delinquent king Koremitsu was shunned by the other students, deemed a wild dog. His true personality was actually an extremely kind boy, and surely, he felt that he bore a huge responsibility.

“Mr Akagi, come comfort me.”

Tsuyako remained seated as she slowly lifted her head, and sounded a little miffed as she said that.

“What?”

Koremitsu gulped.

“Sit in a seiza.”

“A seiza?”

“It's senpai's orders.”

“What are you saying now?”

“I am saying this because it happened. Now that it is like this, what can I do?”

Though a little flabbergasted, Koremitsu sat down with his face blushing.

Koremitsu closed his knees together tightly in an overly serious manner, and Tsuyako leaned her head on them, causing him to widen his eyes in shock.

“Wh-what are you doing, senpai!?”

“A lap pillow. Hikaru often gave me this treatment once I am worn out from my Japanese dance practice.”

“He actually did such gaudy things!?”

For some reason, Koremitsu glared at the roof, yelling.

“After Hikaru played with the girls during the day, I will do this for him as well when his legs are fatigued and wobbly.”

“!! You bastard!'

Again, he glared at the roof.

“Mr Akagi, your knees are stiff and uneven. Hikaru's knees are so tender, they make one dreamy.”

“Like I got a say in the matter! If you don't like it, hurry up and get up!”

“Not wanna~”

She continued to pretend to sleep.

“You have yet to console me. Now I am so lethargic due to the shock that I cannot get up.”

“Then what am I supposed to do?”

“Caress my hair, and then praise me saying that I'm the most charming woman in the world.”

“Hey!”

“If not, I will continue to remain like this. Miss Shikibu will come looking for us. Oh, remember to caress the hair tenderly.”

“!!!”

In contrast to Hikaru's delicate fingers, Koremitsu had bony, clumsy fingers, and the latter placed one down a few strands of Tsuyako's hair, before moving the entire hand.

(This hand is so large and full of bones, so hard...yet it feels so tender...it certainly has Mr Akagi's flair.)

There was the scent of sweat, and a noticeably faint scent of ink, coming from Koremitsu's body.

Unlike Hikaru's sweet scent, Koremitsu's was a little repulsive, but it was a mixed scent that would cause one to feel comfort—a masculine scent.

“Sen-senpai, you're...th-the, prettiest, i-i-i-in, th-th-the wo-world...!”

And he kept stuttering, ostensibly struggling.

So strange yet cute was his words that Tsuyako bit her lips hard to contain the impulse to laugh.

And on the other hand, her heart gripped when she recalled the rich sweet voice Hikaru used to say to her so fluently, 'you are the most beautiful red weeping cherry blossom in the garden, Tsuyako'.

The owner of the garden was more dazzling than anyone else, so much of an infidel, yet so devoted...

“Do you know...back then, I was really, really delighted, to learn that Hikaru's child would be born into this world.”

She turned around on this lap, and turned towards Koremitsu, curling herself as she whispered.

Koremitsu, who had been caressing her hair all this while, paused. He then continued on again, but the effort this time was more tender and delicate.

“I was really delighted...to be able to see a child inherit Hikaru's blood and protect him from up close.”

“...”

“I was thinking that I can send some cute Ubugi when he visits a temple. I would have given blessings for the Peach Festivals or the Dumpling Festivals, I just felt agitated whenever I thought of what sorts he would be wearing for Shichi-Go-San. If it were a girl, I would have gone shopping with her, and if it were a boy, I would have taught him how to be an escort for girls, and dance to add on to the fun...”

“...Senpai, how old you will be at that time? Could you complete a song without panting then? Either way, you're thinking too far.”

Koremitsu retorted with a serious face.

“This is the time where you should be saying 'you're an eternal dancing princess, senpai'.”

“No, gramps back home keeps yapping that he's still working, but his bones just ache like bad whenever winter comes.”

(Have you associated me with your grandfather, Mr Akagi?)

After sighing,

(I cannot allow myself to be belittled any further.)

Tsuyako again turned towards Koremitsu's face, widened her eyes to look up at him in a mesmerizzing manner, and leisurely opened her lips,

“Mr Akagi.”

“What now?”

“You never experienced anything other than a kiss, no?”

“!”

Koremitsu widened his eyes as he looked down at Tsuyako. He then stammered,

“Th-that has nothing to do...with this now, right?”

“If you are willing, Mr Akagi, I am willing to be your first time, you know?”

“!”

Koremitsu's face was blushing so much, he was at a loss of what to do.

“How about it? Am I not enough to satisfy you? I will keep it a secret from Miss Shikibu, you know? Of course, that applies for Miss Aoi and Miss Asai.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. Resting on Koremitsu's knees and the floor of the clubroom were the red hair curled at the tips and the radiant sleeves dyed a bright blue, dancing along with the red sakura in the air.

And at the next moment, Koremitsu raised his eyebrows, chiding harshly.

“I can't make a joke about that, senpai! If it's someone as charming as you, I'm a little shaken even if I know it's a joke! I don't have much restraint myself, so won't it be bad if I'm to take action in this mood!?”

(Mr Akagi, those words are truly irresistable to me.)

And Tsuyako's face was sizzling red.

(I really have to hand it to you.)

She wanted to tease this immature, cute underclassman of hers, only to end up blushing instead.

(Hikaru, your best friend really is not to be underestimated.)

And Koremitsu seemed delighted as he snuck in a smile, before curling his lips into a frown again.

As that overly serious expression was too strange, Tsuyako placed her cheek on the stiff knees, letting out a chortle that got increasingly louder.

“Hey! I'm serious here!”

“Hoho, of course I know. I will not be joking the next time I approach you, for I will be for real. In that case, I will be mentally prepared to be attacked by you.”

“!!! I say, stop saying such erotic things!”

Since she could not longer watch over Hikaru's child, she would instead watch over the boy Hikaru recommended.

Mr Akagi, who exactly will you fall in love with in the future?

Amongst the girls who were mesmerized by your devoted, clumsy, determined tenderness, who will you choose in the end?

As I am told off by this underclassman who likes to carelessly dampen moods, I shall continue to observe from now onwards.

If you are to continue saying those words with such a face, perhaps even I may accidentally fall in love with you.

## Author's Notes

Hello there, this is Mizuki Nomura.

The character in this 7th volume of 'When Hikaru Was On the Earth...' is Utsusemi. 'The one who bore the child...' does have the image of 'Akashi', so I was wondering if I should have titled this volume 'Akashi' during the planning phase, but this is obviously Utsusemi. The first mistress in the original work Utsusemi left quite an alluring profile when she left only a veil behind.

Both Utsusemi and Asagao were women who rejected Genji, but unlike the Asagao Princess who had noble status and looks that set her at a higher bar that made her a mismatch for Genji, Utsusemi, who kept rejecting Genji while having conflicted feelings within her was much a much more realistic target. Rereading it again, the feelings of bitterness continues to gripe the heart, and it really is wonderful. Utsusemi is not as glamorous as the Highness Murasaki and Oborodukiyo, but I do think she is a woman that is more flavorful when experienced more.

And so, the theme of 'doing it...' was determined to be 'Utsusemi, with some elements of 'Akashi' mixed into it. Miss Takeoka's character setting of Sora is simple yet somewhat cute, a perfect compliment to the impression given in the work.

Sora really likes to drink green tea in this story, and makes grapefruit fresheners. However, there is a limit to the amount of caffeine and aroma to take in based on the actual pregnancy situation, so please be careful when intaking them!

There was a rash of baby boom for a certain period in my workplace, so a lot of people tried doing different things for the sake of the babies. There were some who had the photos of their babies stuck in a corner of the room, and they all look so round and cute, the room became the healing spot in the workplace.

Getting back on topic, I did mention in the previous volume 'Asagao' that this series will be progressing into the latter half. That will imply that the story will be ending in 12 volumes, so there was a lot of confusion...I do apologize for this. The latter half does include 'Asagao'. There is a total of OO volumes, and so, OO volumes are expected to be left. There will be lots of disruptions and events happening while I continue to write, so currently, the details are a little vague. I do wish to write when the release dates will be, but I cannot be certain until the official release, so I do apologize for keeping things vague. The original draft ends at OO voolumes, so I have to wait patiently while I check with the HP brand under Famitsu Bunko.

As for Koremitsu's love, it will be a royal rumble beginning in the next volume. Relating to this, there are many readers who mentioned something they were really puzzled with right from the beginning. Why is Kotobuki from 'Book Girl' so similar to Honoka? Perhaps it is because the narration of their appearances make them appear to be tsunderes, no? Personally, I wanted to write a girl with a completely different personality and habits, so I was troubled by it. If I have to say, Honoka should be similar to Kotobuki's friends, Yuuka and Mori.

There seems to be a lot of readers worried if Honoka's love will end up like Kotobuki's, but 'Book Girl' and 'When Hikaru Was On the Earth...' are two completely different stories.

And before long, please continue to read on to see who Koremitsu finally chooses.

No matter who matches up, or not, please continue to watch on with kindess.

The next volume, the 8th, is 'Hanachirusato', themed around Michiru, but Koremitsu does have his own troubles with other girls, and at times, he will remain still, while at others, he makes up his mind. The volume is expected to be released at the end of summer vacation, so I hope to meet you with again.

See you again!

Year 2013, March 15 th

Mizuki Nomura.

References:

Yukio, Haruyama, 1968, Haruyama Yukio Journals 1, About Flowers, Flower Symbolism and Folklore, Tokyo, Heibon (Ordinary) Publishing,

Tatsuo, Iguchi, 1990, Sanseido Selects 155, The Book of Flowers in Classics, Tokyo, Sanseido Co. Ltd.

Fumito, Minemura, 1974, Kokin Wakashū New Edition (revised), Tokyo, Shogakukan

Michael, Erde, 1973, Translated from German, Kaori, Ooshima, Momo, 1976, Tokyo, Iwanami Bookstore

## Notes

- ↑ Here's where the confusion is as a translator. 帚木 would be a Japanese Cypress, and the second chapter of Genji Monogatari (with Utsusemi following immediately after). 箒木 would be broom tree, and that's a completely different plant. God, I hate translating this part.

### 009. Prologue

When I first met you, I thought you were an angel. You smiled quietly amidst the fragrance of the flowers, embalmed by the clear, transparent light.

The white, beautiful sidelong face of yours looked so forlorn, seemingly yearning for salvation.

I swallowed my breath, and with all my strength, I tried to listen to your amazing voice.

From that day onwards, I lost my way.

Stop it already.

Forget about it already.

This aching continued to linger in my chest as I wished for an umpteeth time, but no matter how many times it was, I kept coming back to you. The orange Daylilies bloom in the summer wild, and is called the forgetful plant; the one who taught me that, was you.

That was why I placed those flowers resembling lilies in my garden, those flowers colored radiantly like the bright summer.

Hikaru, it was all to forget about you.

### 010. Chapter 2: The Retreating Figure That Disappears Into the Night Is

## Chapter 2: The Retreating Figure That Disappears Into the Night Is—

By the next day, news of Koremitsu impregnating Asai had reached the entire Heian High School Affiliate.

No matter where he went,

“I heard that the delinquent king made the Matriarch Asa pregnant.”

“I heard it's been 4 months now.”

“Is it true that the Matriarch Asa threatened the delinquent king to get married with her?”

There were such whispering that caused Koremitsu much consternation.

And Tōjō,

“So you are the type of man to act early, you bastard...!? The thing about you being on bad terms with Asai is all a fake!? I still have no understanding however what is good about Asai, no, before that, what does Asai see in you, you bastard, in other words, what sort of development caused this event , no this is truly a coarse way of asking. My apologies, please forget about that. Everything that happens between man and woman is really beyond what I can imagine. Asai is still a woman after all. Hah! Are you thinking of doing such incorrigible things to Aoi too! Never with Aoi! Not Aoi!”

Was threatening him,

“Congratulations, Mr. Akagi, do you mind asking Miss Asai whether she wants paper diapers or cloth diapers?”

Tsuyako too teased him. And Beni Hitachi, the pen pal from another school he met during summer vacation, sent him a mail, stating,

“Mr. Akagi, is it true that you're going to get married? The rumors that the student council president of Heian Academy did it with the red-haired delinquent king have circulated around our school like crazy. Does this have to do with you?”

And inside the classroom,

“I-I-I-I-I-I-I do believe in you," Michiru stammered.

Though she had a change of hairstyle, Michiru's personality did not. And Honoka, sitting beside him,

“Akagi's kid...Akagi's kid...”

Was muttering a mantra with hollow eyes.

During the break, Asai sent him a mail that was filled with murderous intent,

“Ignore what anyone else say at this point. If you dare say anything unnecessary, I will kill you.”

Nonetheless, she was unable to hide her usual poker face whenever they met, and she was pouting her lips, blushing.

“That Matriarch Asa is all dere here!”

“That Matriarch Asa's stomach contains the delinquent king's baby after all!”

The commotion got increasingly chaotic, and there continued the vicious cycle of Asai gritting her teeth, giving a murderous look of wanting to eviscerate everyone.

That was merely the commotion that happened before lunch break.

(I didn't do anything that would have made her pregnant...)

Making his way back, Koremitsu was too tired to even raise his eyebrows that he slumped into the chair. Hikaru, right above him, was either having his hands clapped together or his head lowered.

“A-Akagi...I can believe you, right?”

Honoka, who was entranced in her own world, suddenly turned his face to Koremitsu and stared at him as she said that,

“!!! Of course.”

“Y—yeah. There's no way Akagi and the Matriarch Asa would...do such a thing...”

One had to wonder what she was thinking as her face went beetroot.

And even Koremitsu was blushing,

He spotted a delicate, pretty girl with long black hair at the corridor, seemingly looking for something.

Aoi!

She looked extremely pale, her shoulder shivering slightly as she peeked into Koremitsu's classroom. Once their eyes met, her shoulders jerked in shock as she showed a feeble, hesitant look, seemingly wanting to say something as she looked back at him.

Koremitsu immediately stood up and went off in Aoi's direction.

“Akagi!”

Behind him, Honoka let out an unreliable voice.

Once Aoi noticed that Koremitsu was headed in her direction, she averted her eyes, intending to leave in a hurry.

“Miss Aoi, please wait.”

Hikaru pleaded with a desperate expression, and Koremitsu, in his delirium, grabbed her arm without a care.

Aoi was shocked.

And Koremitsu spoke with a serious tone,

“You came here wanting to tell me something, right? I got some things to say to you too, Aoi. Do you mind being with me for a while?”

And so, he lowered his head as he held a thoroughly skeptical Aoi by the hand, heading to the roof,

Within the shade formed by the overbearing sunlight, Koremitsu let loose of Aoi's hand. She looked at her feet, and let out a little whisper,

“I...Asa...Mr. Akagi's child...erm...”

“I don't have a kid with Saiga, and it's not mine.”

Koremitsu was worried if Aoi was fretting too much over this matter.

While the relationship between Aoi and Asai showed signs of recovery during the fireworks festival Tsuyako organized, the relationship was still delicate. She probably let her thoughts run too much when she heard that Asai was pregnant with Koremitsu's child or something.

She was the only one Koremitsu had to explain matters to no matter what.

Naturally, it was difficult for him to mention that the child within Sora may be Hikaru's.

But after hearing Koremitsu's words, Aoi's face went pale.

“If it's not your child, Mr. Akagi...then, does it mean that it is Hikaru's?”

Both Koremitsu and Hikaru widened their eyes in unison.

Both Asai and Aoi were probably too sensitive when it came to Hikaru's matters.

Well, Hikaru himself was probably the worst form of existence to cause others to immediately assume 'pregnant with a child = is it Hikaru's child?'.

(Isn't this all your fault for saying that all the girls are pretty flowers, wandering around and having fun?)

“Is the child within Asa's belly Hikaru's?”

Aoi leaned forward, the silky black hair blown by the breeze at the roof.

“Mislead her, Koremitsu!”

“Th-that's not it! It's another woman who got pregnant!”

“Another...! Then is it true that Hikaru has a child!?”

“Ahhh, you revealed it Koremitsu!!!!! Was that actually deliberately? Hey, was it deliberate!?”

Hikaru was in the air, hugging his head as he writhed.

You're blaming me now!? Isn't this all because you're fooling around too much!? Koremitsu lambasted in his mind as he saw Aoi's teary face, muttering away what do I do now

The tears slowly seeped out from her eyes, and she quivered.

She probably heard all sorts of rumors of Hikaru fooling around when the latter was alive, but it was too much for her to hear that he had a child. She could no longer chide him for he had already left.

Well, the culprit was certainly beside him, writhing around. Fortunate or not, she would no longer be able to see that person or hear his voice,

(Damn it, you're always causing me trouble.)

He was extremely furious at his Casanova of a friend, but still, he placed his hands on Aoi's shoulders.

And Aoi widened her eyes in shock.

“The thing is that Hikaru may have a kid, and that's because he's that sort of person! The one he chose in the end is you, Aoi! His feelings for you aren't a lie!”

“What Koremitsu said is correct, Miss Aoi!”

Hikaru too was seemingly revived as he clenched his fists and nodded.

“Hikaru broke up with the other girls so that he can protect and be with you alone, the important person to him. Please believe that about him!”

“Please believe Koremitsu's words here, Miss Aoi!”

Hikaru too was serious.

Aoi initially stared at Koremitsu in surprise, and then, the eyes were gradually hazed with anguish,

“...I understand. If you say so, Mr. Akagi.”

She whispered, but she did not seem convinced.

Her red teary eyes were lowered slowly, and she remained silent.

“...”

The strand-like black hair swayed fleetingly, and Aoi looked more fragile than before, to a point where anyone was able to feel the skepticism and sadness emitting from her slender shoulders. Seeing this, Koremitsu felt really depressed.

I'll be the one to protect her.

For an instant, Koremitsu felt this feeling surge within him.

That was something he could never say to Hikaru or Aoi.

It was after class, and with the complicated feelings he got from Aoi, Koremitsu went off to Sora's apartment, still feeling perplexed.

(I guess I feel this way, guilty...definitely because of Sora.)

Aoi was never able to be united with Hikaru when he was alive.

But Sora was entrusted with Hikaru's child.

And because Hikaru died, that was something Aoi could never ever do...

One had to wonder who was the blissful party between Aoi and Sora, and as a boy, Koremitsu would never know...

He stood in front of the door, the intercom rang, and Sora exited.

“Why are you here?”

She looked extremely shocked.

“I have something that I want to be certain of.”

He responded with a sullen, serious look, ostensibly plotting something as he looked hesitant, and walked in.

“Come in. It's no different from yesterday.”

Koremitsu placed a plate of pickled paprika that was served on the plate in this room filled with the aroma of green tea and paprika, gulped down the tea, and stared at Sora and said,

“You said that the father of the baby is an angel, right?”

“Yes.”

“But an angel can't give you living expenses, and he can't change diapers. How do you intend to raise him when he's born? What about college?”

“I intend to take leave from college.”

Sora answered without a second thought, her gentle tone not showing any signs of being worked up.

“I do intend to do some part-time translation work involving English and Chinese. The Church will also assist me however they can. I'll get past this by being a little frugal.”

“But.”

That's still too hard for you, while Koremitsu was worrying about this.

“I am a frugal person.”

Sora tried to pacify Koremitsu with a cheerful voice,

“With 100 Yen, I can make 3 cans of side dishes, and the Church speaker will help me with the recycling. The water used to wash rice especially can be reused quite a lot. I was very good at that when I was still in elementary school.”

The sincerity in her expression was never frivolous, and her thorough explanation was such that there was no way to refute it.

“Did your family say anything, Sora?”

Sora smiled.

The mole beside her eye became more apparent, and there was a tinge of loneliness reaching him,

“I didn't let anyone in my family know about this. Father has just started a new family. I can't be bothering him now.”

“Sora's mother died when Sora was still in elementary school. I suppose her father was remarried.”

Hikaru chimed in with melancholy.

(I see...she doesn't have any family to rely on...)

At this moment, he remembered Yū, now residing in Australia.

Back then, Yū had her money supply cut off due to her father's remarriage, and she lived alone in that tattered apartment.

But unlike Yū, who seemed to be disappearing like a dream, he could feel that Sora's tone, attitude and heart were exceptionally sturdy. The room was as neat as how he saw it the previous day; the alluring sunlight shining in from outside the window.

Sora herself took up a piece of pickled tomato, and popped it into her mouth.

“It's sour.”

She curled and twisted her lips,

“I suppose sour is the best taste after all.”

“Sora, the pickles.”

“But in fact, I really am not good with sour things. However, once I got pregnant, I saw everyone eating a lot of sour things, so I thought it may be good to do this. Any mother would wish for their child to have something nice to eat after all. There is a certain person who wrote a thesis saying that a pregnant lady should be eating honey-covered bean jam and fruit 3 times a day. Thinking about that, I think that I can eat anything.”

“...Stop with the nonsense.”

Looking over at the kitchen, he found many cans of dried plums and radish pickles,

“You don't like eating them, but you made quite a lot.”

Sora narrowed her eyes, her smile this time tender and warm.

“I am a klutz of a mother who dotes on her child very much.”

She answered with a delighted alto voice.

Koremitsu's heart was filled with a little tension.

And Hikaru's eyes too were filled with heavy tension.

To cushion herself, Sora reached her legs wide and sat down, getting into her usual posture as she began to knit a sock.

“This sock too...is already the 5 th pair. I accidentally knitted too many of them. The child will soon grow up, so after I knit this pair, I have to make a larger pair the next time.”

The clear sunlight at the end of summer shone upon the natural, long hair, reflecting a golden color. The eyes lowered were that gentle, and the fingers holding the sewing needle were white and slender.

“It seems that when the child is born, I'll be knitting a sock as large as Santa's Christmas bag.”

She continued to knit one step at a time, gently doing so with love for the fetus in her tummy. The threads were a clear blue, and a cheerful sky gradually cleared as the white fingers weaved the golden needle about.

“I really am a klutz of a mother here.”

The tender words were oozing with earnest love, causing his heart to tighten.

She probably was not confident in raising a child alone...

Yet there was nary a panic to be felt from Sora. One could see her knit socks for the child that was to be born with a blissful expression. From time to time, she would pat her hand on the tunic above her belly, smiling gently.

A gentle yet determined profile.

There was no sense of sadness from her at all, and furthermore, one could sense a solemnness from her—

Koremitsu endured the bittersweet feelings in his heart as he watched her.

(The only 'mother' I know of is one that keeps crying every time...)

On his way home,

Koremitsu heard the chirps of the cicadas as he dragged his feet, recalling the scene of his mother leaving home when he was still in elementary school.

—I’m really sorry, Mitsu.

—Sorry.

The mother who continued to sob with her head lowered.

Feebly apologizing 'sorry' over and over again whenever she saw Koremitsu's face.

Though she was not too fond of going out, and often lingered in a corner of the room, making small, felt things, apparently engrossed in her own world...the thin, slender silhouette looked increasingly tragic.

—I’m really sorry, Mitsu.

There was the petite figure holding the large luggage bag, gradually departing under the dim road lights in the middle of the night.

And on the other side was his young self, standing and clinging to the window, praying for his mother to return.

That wish was never granted.

Koremitsu continued to scowl, and Hikaru did not disturb him. All this time, Hikaru had been pondering silently and solemnly, seemingly recalling something once he heard Sora's decision.

“I'm back.”

Koremitsu reached home, opened the sliding door, and the white Lapis poked its head out from the living room.

Lapis did not ask where Koremitsu was, merely staring at him coolly with its Lapis-colored eyes.

Recently, whenever Koremitsu returned home, Shioriko would come scurrying out and greet him, shouting, “Welcome back! Big brother Koremitsu!” She however did not appear today.

In contrast, Koharu, wielding a kitchen knife, poked her head out from the kitchen.

“Welcome back, Koremitsu. Go clean up the bathroom before dinner.”

It was Koharu's style to leave her red hair unkempt, and wear a T-shirt and trousers with messy hems. She would wear a short apron around her waist whenever she was working in the kitchen.

“Got it...” he answered, and then, he asked, “Where's Shiiko?”

“We ran out of soy sauce, so she went out to buy it with the old man. She said that the old man could came along as it's too dark and dangerous, but it's just a 10 minute trip to the supermarket, and isn't the outside rather bright too? He said that he's going out to buy some Go magazine in the meantime, but the issue this month's already sent over, and he even yapped saying that he saw it. I'll say he's one clumsy grandpa doting on Shiiko rather than bonehead.”

She answered with a stunned look, shrugging her shoulders,

—I really am a klutz of a mother here.

Sora's soothing alto voice rang in his ears, and his heart ached yet again.

And suddenly, he asked Koharu, who was headed to the kitchen,

“Erm...when someone's pregnant, is there something I can get or help out with?”

“Huh?”

Koharu frowned hard, contorting the tip of her nose, and she glared furiously,

“Did you make some Missy pregnant or something here?”

And she pointed the kitchen knife at Koremitsu's nose.

“I didn't!”

“Really? That lady who came to eat with us that day looked like she had a lot on her mind.”

“You're talking about Shikibu? Shikibu's my classmate—anyway, I didn't do anything, whether it's to Shikibu or any other girls.”

I can't stand being mistaken for a scoundrel who made a girl pregnant by my own family! He denied this with all his might.

And so, he asked,

“It's not me...an acquaintance I know of is going to give birth. The kid's dad died...and there were some things she couldn't leave it to in the family. Well, I guess giving birth is quite the big thing...huh?”

“Of course. It's a matter of life and death.”

Koharu put the knife down as she concluded. And she probably thought of something, for she asked,

“How many months now?”

“7 months.”

“I see...”

Koharu sank into a long, deep thought.

She probably recalled the time when she gave birth. Perhaps too, as a woman in a similar circumstance, she was worried about Sora, who was to give birth to a child alone. The child Koharu gave birth too was soon taken by the father after the divorce, and she never saw him again. It was said that she found out about her husband's infidelity when she was pregnant, and adamantly proposed a divorce. Either way, it was not a happy pregnancy.

Finally, with a scowl, Koharu spoke up,

“I'll come up with a list later stating all the preparations needed before a pregnancy. If you feel that there are needs you really need, take as much as you want.”

“O-okay.”

(Akagi's reading stuff about child raising again...)

A few days after the furor over the pregnancy caused by Koremitsu Akagi.

Koremitsu was reading a book titled 'First labor and child raising' solemnly, one page at a time, and Honoka, seated beside him, was fiddling with her cellphone as she watched on tentatively,

“The classmate I'm interested in made a girl pregnant 。 ゜( ゜´Д `゜ ) ゜。'

What do I do now?

By Hono Hono.”

She left this message on an internet imageboard without any anonymity.

The ones answering this question would probably be torn on what to do. Even Honoka would be troubled by anyone asking her similar questions on her own website.

And the moment she thought of that, she received her message on her blog address.

“Purple Princess, please hear me out!

I think I may be pregnant here! (T□T)

And it may not be my boyfriend's kid, but B's kid, whom I have an affair with! Σｗ(ﾟдﾟ`)ｗ. Do I lie and say that it's my boyfriend's kid here, or do I ask B for compensation and abort the kid? I'm so troubled by it that I can't sleep for nights （∩ ∩）

I've been without my period for 3 months already.

My weight has increased by 10kg.

At the rate this keeps up, I feel like I'll give birth tomorrow.

Purple Princess, please give me some advice here + ~ 。°(>o<)°。”

(~~Like I would know what to do there!)

And also,

“Purple Princess, I'm troubled here.

I bore a baby, but my boyfriend wouldn't recognize it.

He actually said 'Is this really my kid' (;△;)

What do I do now? (つД `)。*

(Why are these messages coming one after another~~~!!!)

Actually, she recalled what she updated on her mobile phone noel a few days ago, that a rival to the heroine Natsuno appeared, pregnant with the lover Takuma's child, and had an impulse to slam her head on the table.

(I accidentally added this into the novel because of the shock about Akagi!!! Ahhhh, what do I do now anyway?)

She hastily erased the urge to beat her face up in her mind as she reverted to the love expert Purple Princess, answering the questions,

“First, go buy some medicine to check for pregnancy, and see if you're really pregnant. Try summoning your courage and visit the nearest drug store （°`▽`°）”

“I think that if you really love your boyfriend, you'll actually want to give birth to the kid (・ω・)

If you actually believe in your feelings, try saying to your boyfriend 'this is the kid of my beloved, you, and I'm not willing to abort it. I'm going to raise it alone even if I have to do it alone'.

The most important thing is not to say it with a hateful tone, but to say it with a determined smile.

If the boyfriend says 'I'm sorry, I'll be a good dad and allow this kid to be born', it'll be all okay`“(@^▽^@)/

But if he's to leave it as it is, and think that it's too inconvenient, I'll say it may be better for you and the baby inside not to give birth （。> O <。）

I hope that you'll have a good outcome (￣+￣)

Once she was done sending the messages, she looked over at the imageboard she posted on, and found a few replies,

“In this case, I think you can only give up now.”

“This guy you like is just someone you're really infatuated with, isn't it, Hono Hono? I think it's better for you to find another guy you're more fond of.”

“A student, and he already made a girl pregnant? What's so good about such an irresponsible guy here?”

After looking at the replies in front of her, Honoka felt sharp stabs in her heart, and felt regretful that she asked for help here.

(L-look for another guy I'm fond of—I-I”m just thinking of Akagi's matters here. But Akagi's just thinking of that girlfriend he impregnated here—ahhhhh seriously, my mind's going crazy!!)

At the very least, she understood that Akagi's partner was not Asai.

Two days ago, a teacher said to Asai 'do you mind coming to the counselling room', and in front of the other students,

Is something the matter? Is it that I have to take a virginity test here or something?”

The latter asked with a frigid tone and expression capable of freezing the entire classroom over.

After hearing that, the teacher retreated slightly,

“N-no, I guess there is no need after all. Just a misunderstanding.”

Such a rumor immediately spread through the school, and at this point, everyone knew that Koremitsu's partner was not Asai.

In other words, anyone who was to casually spread such malicious rumors would definitely receive a calamitous amount of vengeance if Asai were to hear about it, so everyone was probably terrified of such a prospect. Furthermore, the delinquent Koremitsu and student council president Asai had such differing positions and personalities.

And in the end, everyone concluded that nothing happened between those two.

However, the rumor remained as to who Koremitsu actually impregnated, and this was the source of Honoka's troubles.

(If it's not the Matriarch Asa, who else can it be? Oumi once said that Akagi's been to a college girl's apartment many times...don't tell me it's the girl he gave chase to that day!?)

That definitely had to be the case.

At that moment, Koremitsu was practically in a trance, and paid no heed to anything other than the girl.

At this time, he paid no heed to the surrounding stares and rumors, reading intently the books on how to raise children.

From her seat afar, Michiru had her head tucked in, shocked as she watched on.

What exactly did Michiru think about the rumors of Koremitsu impregnating a girl? Would her attitude towards him cool down a little because of this incident?

(I...)

Honoka too reevaluated matters from her own perspective.

She was still terribly shocked that Koremitsu's child was to be born soon.

But he looked so serious holding the books about child raising. To Honoka, this was the forthright attitude of Koremitsu Akagi that really moved her.

(Akagi's just a high school kid...and he's already taking responsibility for what he did here. He wants to be a dad...)

The world would be harsh on him, and it would be a difficult, arduous ordeal.

(But that's because...Akagi's serious.)

Her heart throbbed, Honoka shut her cellphone and lifted her head.

(I can't leave him alone like this after all!)

“Akagi!”

Honoka, seated beside him, fiddling with the phone with her eyes raised, looked over grimly as she suddenly stood up.

(Wh-what now?)

Hikaru, floating above Koremitsu's head, was too taken aback as he leaned forward.

Honoka slammed her hands onto Koremitsu's table.

And then, she gritted her teeth, shouting,

“I'm going to help you as your Heliotrope!”

The next day,

There was a pile of baby magazines laid out on Koremitsu's table,

“My friend's older sister gave birth last year, and sent a pack to me saying that these aren't of any use now. She said that the 'Eggs Club' is a magazine to be read before labor, and the 'Chicks Club' is to be read after labor. There's a summary of the methods selected by the hospitals, the fees for pregnancy tests and so on. Looks, the summary for baby foods here is really detailed, right?”

Honoka laid the books out as she gave Koremitsu a forced smile.

There was a similar situation before.

It was a similar expression to the one back in the first semester, when Koremitsu was reported to be suspected of being a lolicon, Honoka brought him to a karaoke suite, and suddenly laid out a pile of gravure magazines with a blushing face to read with Koremitsu, trying to correct his lolicon tendencies—

(This again...Shikibu?)

Koremitsu understood that Honoka was doing it for himself. He was grateful to her for preparing all these revealing gravure and baby magazines and researching (?) on them with him, and was sheepish about it.

(But something just feels wrong about it.)

“This baby food here looks delicious, isn't it? It's called fruit udon. Eh, shred the cooked udon, add some diced peaches and bananas, mix them together, and cook them together. Add in some snapper shreds, and you can chew it as an ordinary dinner. Hey, Akagi, which one do you want?”

“...I-I'm bad with baby food.”

And the child was yet to be born.

“It's not good for a pregnant lady to not move at all. It looks like they can do a little yoga. How about this cat pose? Relax your limbs, tuck your tummy in and raise your buttocks. I say you should try this in the Japanese Dance clubroom after school.”

“...Why do I have to do gymnastics here?”

The moment Koremitsu got up,

“Akagi, where are you going?”

“To the changing room for PE next. Anyway, you're to go as well, right?”

“You can't do intense sports like soccer and basketball here! What if the belly is wrecked here! Try enduring a bit and do that cat pose!”

“I say, I'm not the one giving birth here! I'm not going to do either that cat pose or the dolphin pose here!”

It had been like this since morning.

“Miss Shikibu really is conflicted between her feelings of wanting to wish you well as a father, Koremitsu, and the unbearable feelings that you actually became the man for another woman.”

Hikaru earnestly muttered,

(I say now. I'm not the father here! Aren't you the papa here! Go do that cat pose!)

Koremitsu glared aside at Hikaru, muttering in his heart,

“Akagi, look at me. Listen to what I say here!”

Honoka held Koremitsu's face, and forcibly tilted it towards herself,

“I say, Shikibu.”

“Wh-what?”

Honoka's hands remained on Koremitsu's face, probably because of Koremitsu's serious look back at her.

“I'm really grateful that you're helping me out with the kid, but there's no need to be so serious here, right?”

“I-I'm not being so...”

Honoka stammered.

Ah, did I say too much here? Koremitsu too had his voice stuck in his throat.

Honoka pried her hands away from Koremitsu's, and with a complicated look of feisty and weakness, she lifted her head at Koremitsu,

“I-I just want to help you out here...Akagi.”

After hearing this reply, Koremitsu felt an aching in his chest.

“If you say that you want the kid born, I want to help you with that, Akagi.”

“I already said that it's not me...”

While his shoulders were slumped weakly, this time, it was Michiru who came running towards them,

“M-Mr. Akagi! I-I-I'd like to help you too in getting the kid born like Hono. I-I'll keep watching until your kid's born.”

She exploded with these words that left Koremitsu all the more lethargic.

“These are my little tokens, a baby towel, underwear, diapers, and warmers.”

She stuffed these things, packaged in all kinds of colorful ribbons and wrappings, into Koremitsu's arms.

“I-I-I heard that warm baby diapers are better than cold ones here.”

The serious class representative seemed to have done her own research.

“...Thanks.”

At this point, he could only say these words.

Later, at noon break, Tōjō and Hiina appeared one after another.

“It looks like it is not Asai's child. I was wondering why would there be a man willing to be with that Asai here, but I suppose it is a pity. I assumed incorrectly that Asai became a mother, but since I did ask others to send it over, do give it for that child to use when it is warm. These are customized baby bottles, customized bibs, and a silver spoon.”

“It is expected to be born in winter, right, Mr. Akagi? This is a classical music CD for the fetus. Make sure to listen to it; it'll calm people down. These are some dried sardines here. Hope that a strong baby will be born after eating these.”

She laid out the items one after another.

“All of them are good people.”

Though Hikaru did say this with a gracious feeling, Koremitsu, being blessed “Please have a healthy baby” with his classmates staring at him, was not the direct beneficiary.

During noon break, he evacuated to the Japanese Dance Research Club with a lunch box in tow, only to find Tsuyako there.

“Miss Shikibu and Miss Hanasato came to me asking to come up with a party celebrating the birth of your baby, Mr. Akagi. You really are beloved here, papa.”

And she teased him.

“I don't want a party or anything like that. Don't think of adding on to the mess here, senpai.”

“Oh ho ho, the more you say you do not want it, the more I feel like doing it.”

“Spare me already. The kid's going to be born, but it's not mine.”

“Oh my. I heard that you are devoted to researching on the baby books.”

“That's because...this kid doesn't have a dad, so I thought I could at least do something here. It's not like I'm not involved however.”

After this exchange, Tsuyako's face darkened,

“Is it...Hikaru's child?”

Koremitsu was left speechless.

(Ack, I blurted it out again...!)

And Hikaru's face showed a feeble smile incapable of putting up any resistance.

“Is that so? Hikaru's child, is it? Ah, why did I not notice it before? There is no way you would cause a girl to be pregnant, Mr. Akagi, but since you are researching on books about babies, I cannot think of any reason other than it being Hikaru's child.”

After saying all these in excitement, trails of tears suddenly appeared on Tsuyako's face,

“Sen-senpai!”

After seeing the crystal clear tears trickle down before his eyes, Koremitsu, inapt at dealing with women tears, immediately panicked.

Hikaru too was embracing Tsuyako by the shoulders saying, “Tsuyako. Do not cry anymore! I am sorry!” looking extremely lost. Naturally, Hikaru's hands were unable to touch Tsuyako's shoulders, and his voice could not reach her.

“What do I do now? I am happy now.”

“Eh?”

Hikaru widened his eyes.

Tsuyako placed a hand over her face, showing a little opening,

“Hikaru's child would actually be born. I assumed that I would never be able to see Hikaru again, yet the child that will inherit Hikaru's blood will be born...will he resemble Hikaru in looks? Is he a boy, or a girl? I am chuffed to bits here. What do I do here, Mr. Akagi? I really...really am delighted...my tears cannot stop...”

Her shoulders quivered as she continued to sob,

Tsuyako, never to show her own suffering and tears to Koremitsu or anyone else, was so overwhelmed with joy and tears, and her expression was etched deeply in Koremitsu's heart. Hikaru too looked ready to cry without tears as he embraced Tsuyako tightly, his cheeks caressing hers.

Tsuyako continued to sob as she said,

“Thank you for informing me of such an important thing.”

“No...the kid's not born yet, actually.”

And while Koremitsu sat down shyly and fidgeted,

“Please allow me to assist with the baby. I shall order a customized baby cot, a customized baby car, and a customized music box.”

She said to him,

“Eh?”

It was after school. Sora looked a little annoyed when she saw Koremitsu visit her apartment again, this time with a large number of baby items in both hands,

“There is no need for you to visit me every day, you know.”

She said as she brewed some tea.

“Hey, don't do that. I'll do that!”

Just when Koremitsu placed the items down and frantically ran off to the kitchen,

“You really like to worry here.”

She beamed serenely.

The moment he looked back, the thin fragrance of green tea and grapefruit spread from her hair, to all over the room.

“It is good for the child inside if I move about a little.”

“But, if there's a little mistake.”

He did realize that he was a little overly paranoid, but Koremitsu memory of pregnancy was fuzzy as he was still in elementary school when Koharu gave birth, and he never was pregnant himself. He was always worried if the child would pop out from the belly if anything was to happen.

Sora again was wearing a loose tunic. The belly itself did not seem too overly obvious, or perhaps Sora herself was slender, for even though it had been 7 months, there was no obvious change to the belly. This however caused Koremitsu to worry that a little impact would hurt the baby, and cold sweat trickled down.

Thus, whenever Sora stood up, squat down, or tried to walk,

“I'll do it.”

“You can just sit down, Sora.”

“Wait! Don't touch!”

He ended up standing, squatting and surrounding her from behind,

“You really like to worry, Mr. Akagi.”

And every single time, Sora would respond with a troubled smile.

Koremitsu was not the only one experiencing 'labor' from up close, for Hikaru too was no better,

“Sora, you cannot move such a heavy thing. Ahh, if you squat down now, the burden on the belly will—”

He would dither,

And while the two boys were left flustered, Sora's eye, with the mole beside it, looked a little relaxed,

“I'm fine.”

She answered with a delightful alto voice.

And then, she gently knitted socks for the child, placing the hand on the belly from time to time to calm them down.

But anyhow, Koremitsu would end up seeing his mother's silhouette over the scene in front of him.

“Hey...aren't you worried, about giving birth to a kid alone?”

Recalling the sight of his sobbing mother who was always curled every day, his heart continued to ache as he asked this stiffly. Sora placed her hand gently on her tummy, answering with a calm down,

“This child continues to encourage me.”

“You love...this kid?”

“Of course.”

There was no hesitation in the gentle voice.

And she narrowed her eyes blissfully.

While thinking about why Sora would show such a blissful look, Koremitsu felt conflicted emotions of joy and sadness, his nose itching.

(Did my mom put her hand on the tummy and smile gently like this when I was in her tummy..?)

Did such a thing happen before?

He could only remember the sight of his mother crying.

Lead astray by his past memories, Koremitsu's emotions collapsed into darkness, and he clenched his fists.

“Actually, you don't have to be so worried. You still have your studies and club activities to worry about, right? It seems that you came earlier than yesterday.”

“Well, actually, the 6 th period's self-study, so I scribbled some stuff on the printouts and came over.”

Suddenly, his forehead was hit with a smack.

“I say, this isn't a good thing, you know. Self-study is still part of the lessons, so you have to stay in the classroom until the very end. If you dare slack off again, I won't let you inside again.”

She puffed her cheeks, her tone similar to a big sister telling off a child. Her face then sizzled, and the area around her mole was gradually dyed red.

“Ah, I'm sorry. I mistook you for my long lost brother, so I.”

She muttered shyly.

Koremitsu remained stunned as he stared back at Sora.

It was the first time he was lectured so gently. Whenever Koharu got angry, she would end up swinging her arms and legs at him, and his mother who left house kept crying and apologizing, never once telling off Koremitsu.

Due to the soft hit, the heat on his forehead gradually dissipated.

Feeling surprised and bittersweet within, Koremitsu recalled the time when he was still a child, probably loving his mother.

(Wh-what stupid things am I thinking about here?)

He immediately felt embarrassed by it, but for an instant, he was unable to escape the gentle touch that surrounded him,

“Mr. Akagi...?”

A worried voice rang at the ears of Koremitsu, who was lost in his own world.

Stunned, Koremitsu looked back,

“D-don't ever slack off in class again, okay?”

She lowered her reddened face, curtly telling him off.

And then, she raised her head tentatively, easing the eye with the mole beside it as she watched Koremitsu. The tender expression of a mother protecting a young child caused Koremitsu's heart to wrench further.

“But I'm Hikaru's friend here, so I want to help you out in his place, Sora.”

“Didn't I say that this isn't Hikaru's child?”

She lowered her eyes, her expression ostensibly telling 'what a troublesome kid'. To him, this image of her looking a little teary reconciled with the image of his mother who left home.

Unable to find the source of his stinging emotions, Koremitsu muttered,

“Hikaru always yapped here and there about promises and such, so there definitely is one, isn't there? Let me be the one to fulfill it then! Please tell me anything you wanted Hikaru to do when he was alive.”

He wanted to do something for Sora.

Not just for Hikaru's sake, but for himself.

He wanted to do something for Sora, who was protecting the fetus in the tummy, who was to become a mother.

However...

“There's nothing.”

With a tragic expression, Sora answered,

“I personally have no wishes for myself.”

Hikaru, having anticipated that Sora would reply as such, looked back bitterly at her.

Koremitsu too grimaced, transiting from the surrounding tender atmosphere to one where cold water was splashed upon him.

From the aroma pot rose the green tea and apricot fragrances Sora brewed, and the room was bright and warm.

I dislike promises.

Because they will never be fulfilled.

Sora once said this to Hikaru.

And she placed her hand on her tummy, narrowed her eyes as she smiled. Her face was so peaceful, so wise, and so satisfied...

But Koremitsu's heart tightened when he saw Sora's expression suddenly vanish and gradually grow distant.

The petite image that gradually faded away under the street lights flashed by in his mind.

Hikaru too bit his lips tightly, looking at Sora with anguish.

“...Kaoru, Izumi. I guess it is Kaoru after all.”

Once he got home.

Koremitsu entered his grandfather's calligraphy classroom in his house, and with the brushpen and ink, wrote out words on the calligraphy papers laid out on the writing table.

Hikaru was thinking of a name for the child, so Koremitsu accompanied him and recorded all the names Hikaru said.

“Kaoru (薰).”

“Izumi (泉).”

He wanted to write out the names with thick lines, but the lines just seemed so feeble and weak.

“I suppose it is best to have a child both girls and boys can use...for I do not know how long I can still remain on this Earth.”

And after muttering this,

“An-anyway, it's still too early to start worrying about this, isn't it?”

He vented out the emotions he kept within.

“Anyway, Sora is more important here. Sora was always like that; when I was in middle school, she would go to Church every day, and I would not be able to meet her. Sora had a little brother in kindergarten back then, and I kept accompanying him, waiting for Sora to appear. I once requested for the little brother to sneak Sora some letters, but Sora never once replied to me.”

Don't go about asking kids to do such things here! While Koremitsu was dumbfounded, Hikaru gave a sheepish look.

“I dated many girls later on, and understood a lot from them, but I have yet to understand Sora.”

The hushed voice, coupled with the lowered eyebrows, looked so heartbreaking; the lucid eyes showed anguish and turmoil.

“All the girls are like pretty flowers, needing the water called love to hydrate them, but no matter how much is given to them, they will never be satisfied. This is the path needed for them to bloom splendidly; as long as I am needed, I will give it all to them no matter how much it is. Sora however—did not need it.”

If you had wanted it, I could have given it all to you no matter how much it is; even if you want me to hold the blooming blue flowers by the river and fall in.

Hikaru definitely protected the women he loved with utmost might, and definitely watered them so that they would bloom fully.

Except for Sora—

“Why exactly did she reject my feelings and promises, and yet accepted me? Girls would normally begin with 'no' at first, but they were never sincere about it. Sora's 'no' is different from the other girls'—yet the arms that embraced me were so filled with love, so tender. Thus—I suppose Sora did not hate me...”

It was extremely rare that Hikaru finally concluded that there was a place for him in her heart.

(No, with this guy, I know that he'll end up falling for himself if he meets himself in the eyes.)

In any case, perhaps it was a rare experience for him to be rejected by a girl after all.

Leaving aside his stepmother Fujino, Sora, who both accepted and rejected Hikaru, was an anomaly herself.

(She actually caused the harem prince Hikaru to show such a bewitched look...is there a chance that he never pursued any girls other than Sora?)

Fujino herself was a taboo.

But Sora, who resembled Fujino so greatly, could not be obtained no matter how he tried to pursue her. Even if he felt that he did enter her arms, she had already vanished before he realized it.

And Hikaru's shoulders slumped as he continued,

“The first time we met, I said to Sora 'you are like a Japanese Cypress, Sora'. Now that I think about it, that was not a good idea. The next time we met, she said 'I did see the Japanese Cypress, but it looks like a large, bushy moss ball, not a pretty flower at all.', and I told her 'that is definitely the Japanese Cypress. It can also be called the Hahakigi, but the fabled Hahakigi does not exist any more. I cannot explain very well what sort of plant it actually is, but it should be the same as the Japanese Cypress, with a thin, tender stem, and has a cute, round and lush shape of a broom, what a beautiful flower'. And once I said this 'but it doesn't have any flowers, and it's not like a flower—”

There was heat in Hikaru's voice, and surely he told Sora these words so desperately in the Church at the beginning of March, when the piled up snow had yet to melt.

“That is because the Japanese Cypress blooms as strangely as a ball of fur. The little fruits growing on the twigs can be eaten, and they are called the caviar of the fields. They do have a strange scent, but they are called 'flowers'.”

He clasped his hands tightly, looking on like a puppy,

“So I said to Sora 'That is not the case. The Japanese Cypress is very beautiful, marvelous when the red leaves appear, like the coral reefs—so beautiful that I have to wonder if the fabled Hahakigi was like this. Let us go look for it next time'. Sora however turned her head aside, telling me so forlornly 'I don't want to make a promise'. Argh, I really do not understand. Hey, Koremitsu. What do you know?”

“How will I know anything even you don't know of?”

He growled back at Hikaru, who had his head cuddled.

(Ugh, I don't know anything...about women at all.)

Why give birth to me if you're going to dump me...

He practiced on the papers over and over again his mother's favorite word so that he could give it to her on her birthday.

It'll be good if mom can be happy.

It'll be good if mom can smile.

With such anticipation filling his heart, he practiced over and over again.

And the words 'love', 'dreams', 'stars', 'hoped' littered the floor—

(I never gave a single one to her.)

Hikaru watched on worriedly, wondering what exactly happened as Koremitsu gripped the brush tightly. Korwmitsu's face froze as he gritted.

At that moment,

“Koremitsu.”

Koharu came in.

“Didn't I tell you to come for dinner at 7?”

“Ah, sorry...it's that time already?”

Koharu glanced at the words Koremitsu word,

“What's with these words?”

“Ah, erm, the kid's name. I'm thinking about which one's the best right now.”

“This isn't something you can decide, right?”

“Though you say that, I think it's good to have a backup. Ah, the Wakame and Shimeji mushrooms pickles you gave me aren't very sour, Koharu. She's glad to be able to eat a lot of it.”

“Is that so...”

“She can't take sour stuff very well, but she's still trying her best...is this what a mother's about?”

“...”

“Taking tender care even before the kid's born.”

—I’m really sorry, Mitsu.

There was Sora, who eased the corner of the eye with the mole, smiling gently.

There was Sora, who had a blissful look as she placed her hand on her tummy.

And on that Sora was the image of his mother's sobbing face and her hoarse voice, utterly contrasting Sora's.

—Sorry.

“Are all of them like that...even my...”

Did my mom ever love me before?

Yeah, I want to ask her that.

Does she love her even if her life's in danger?

Did I ever, love my mother?

But all the words remained stuck in his throat, becoming a pool of bitter saliva.

Perhaps Koharu knew very well what Koremitsu was about to ask. She curled her lips and scowled, remaining speechless.

“...”

Hikaru too stared at Koremitsu worriedly.

Koharu then sighed, and said,

“Your mom...got remarried again. Not with that teacher, but another guy again. You also have a little brother.”

Now that was the first time he heard about it

“You want to meet her?”

He felt a stab in his heart, and the images of his mother's gloomy expressions appeared in his mind one after another.

“I don't know.”

“Is that so?”

It seemed Koharu knew of his mother's address.

For Koharu herself did have heart-to-heart talks with his mother in the past...

He recalled the sight of his mother embracing Koharu tightly, sobbing incessantly.

She threw out the little felt bear mascots she made onto the floor. At that moment, they both had a long talk, and Koremitsu, who was still in elementary school back then, should have overheard them.

He was standing behind the sliding door, curled up as he listened intently on the surrounding movements.

At that moment, his mind was shrouded in darkness. His body was scalded by the hot water-like heat and pain.

(Yeah, back then, mom—)

Damn it! Stop!

The gradually awakening memories were severed by his heart.

Don't recall any more.

The more he recalled it, the more his body was scalded and ached all over. In an instant, Koremitsu closed his eyes.

Hikaru worriedly called out,

“Koremitsu.”

Koharu remained silent.

While Koremitsu gritted his teeth to endure the pain, scampering footsteps could be heard,

“Aunt Koharu, grandpa Masakaze's prompting you for dinner. Shiiko too is too hungry here!”

Shioriko's cheerful voice rang.

Koremitsu opened his eyes, and found the twintails swaying about, scuttling towards Koremitsu with a cheery face as she latched onto his arm.

“Come quickly too, Big Brother. Tonight's dinner is your favorite spicy Jjigae stew.”

Gradually thawing Koremitsu's heart were the tender, warm arms and the innocent sparkling eyes that lifted with the head.

At Shioriko's feet was Lapis, lifting its head as it looked up at Koremitsu, calmly purring away.

“Wait, Shiiko, you can't take spicy stuff. What if you hurt your tongue again?”

“Don't worry. It won't be spicy if I add mayonnaise.”

“Mayonnaise? That's heresy.”

“It's fine. Shiiko wants to eat whatever Big Brother Koremitsu eats.”

“Well then, I'll try some mayonnaise too.”

“Yes! It's delicious!”

The innocently beaming Shioriko, his petite stepsister, dragged him out of the calligraphy room.

Hikaru looked rather relieved as he watched Koremitsu, while Koharu looked on with an unchanging scowl.

### 011. Chapter 6: That Day I Met an Angel

For a long time, she had a poor tendency of looking at things in a pessimistic manner.

She always thought of things in the worst way.

Hoping that she would get 100 marks in a test, she would be despondent getting 80 marks. While feeling defeated because she assumed she would get 60 marks however, she was delighted to get 80.

There was a boy she liked in class, but even when she exchanged looks with that boy, she never wondered if that boy ever liked her.

When she thought of how it was a coincidence, thinking that he never had his sights on her in the first place, she did not feel as depressed upon learning that he was dating the prettiest girl in their year.

She was always thinking in the most pessimistic manner possible.

And when that happened, it would be better off for her if anything bad actually happened.

Sora shielded herself by not having expectations in life.

That she would never make promises because they would never be fulfilled.

That she would not look at dreams because she would wake up from them.

However, that her was as hollow as a shed husk of a cicada, and she assumed the name 'Sora', sky, was actually the meaning of hollow, that she was just a dried, brown, feeble, empty container, overly normal, overly boring, and that was her.

—How about we invite Miss Semigaya to upperclassman Sakagami's live concert at the autumn festival? Isn't it a lot more exciting to invite some girls along?

—Eh, forget about it. That person's so serious, she'll definitely look down on us if we party too hard.

—Her dad's a pastor, and she'll go to the Church for volunteer work during vacation. Isn't it more enjoyable for her to pray to God in church than to go to a festival with us?

—Ah, I get it. Feels like Miss Semigaya's married to God or something.

Sora would head home immediately after school so that she would take care of her much younger brother in her mother's stead, the latter having died a long time ago. The narrative that she was a by-the-book person began sometime, and stuck with her. After half her Middle school life passed, nobody invited Sora out to play.

Her father remarried when she was in 10 th grade.

Her stepmother too had a child, a girl a year younger than Sora.

Unlike the feeble, skinny Sora, she was a round girl blessed with assets, her skin and lips gave a healthy gloss, and she was a cheerful, personable person.

“If you win a 30 million Yen lottery, how will you use it?”

“If I become a high school girl, I'll definitely work in a shop with a cute uniform, and have some love at the workplace.”

“The handsome guy Naitou sitting beside me lent me an eraser. Does he like me? Isn't that great?”

She was so jovial when she said.

Sister, sister she greeted Sora as such,

“Sister, you'll be a beauty if you change your hairstyle and put on some makeup. It's a waste that you cut off your hair. Your skin's white, so a bright color really suits you. Look, you're wearing a cardigan with the color of a rainy sky. Ahh, it's really a waste that you're born a girl and not enjoy this fact.”

She lamented in such an exaggerated motion.

“Hey, the classics teacher Mr. Tomizawa seems to have interest in you, sister.”

And it was the little sister who made this little gossip.

While Sora was in her second year of high school, and her sister in the first,

“He said that he's so moved to see a traditional high school girl with such a serious personality and so capable in modern Japan. I told him that you're working at the church as a volunteer, and he was becoming increasingly delighted, marveling, 'As to be expected of Semigaya'. When I told him that the PTA will be notified if a teacher does anything to a student, his face was blushing, saying that's not it and becoming frantic. Hey, Mr. Tomizawa's really cute, right? He's rather handsome, and he's only 24. he's very popular amongst the girls.

She was chirping so delightedly.

“Mr. Tomizawa took Miss Morikawa's place as your club advisor because the latter's on maternity leave. Wow. You're now his target. It's blatantly obvious now!”

The high school Sora studied at required all students to attend a club.

And Sora belonged to the reading club, which only had one club activity a week.

Thus, she did not have any intimate contact with the club advisor, and could not believe her sister's words at all.

“Mr. Tomizawa's still having a hangover today. He's weak to alcohol, yet his bad friends forced him to drink it down. He had some medicine in the infirmary, but he'll definitely be delighted if you dress up as a white angel and take care of him.”

Her eyes dazzling as she said this to Sora,

Please do not say such foolish words.

Sora coldly retorted.

It's immoral for a teacher to have an affair with a student, and surely it's a one-sided wish of my sister that Mr. Tomizawa likes me. How can a masculine adult like this plain, old-fashioned Sora?

Surely my sister's mistaken about something.

No, maybe it's just a prank to tease this older sister who doesn't have interest in any man, let alone a first love, after she entered high school.

By then, Sora had already decided on being a clergyman, and surely, those around her assumed she was to be God's bride. Sora herself knew that she did not have any feminine charms, and no outstanding talents to speak of. All she could do was that thing, and she had already given up on having such a thought.

The first time she met Hikaru was not long after the indecent relationship between Mr. Tomizawa and her sister was revealed. It became a scandal at school, and Sora's father and stepmother divorced due to this matter.

Her father's redeployment was determined, and that was the moment where Sora and her brother had to live in the church her grandfather worked at.

It was midsummer, a night she could not sleep due to the humidity.

She had some uneasiness all that while, and was having difficulty falling asleep. While she was finally able to sleep due to fatigue, her eyes opened immediately.

Her frail body was covered in sweat due to the heat, and even though she opened the window, humid air would blow in. Unable to sleep, she thought she might as well read the Bible, only to find that there was none.

She recalled that she left her Bible in the chapel hall during the day when she had her prayers, and was about to go get it.

She put on the cardigan, which her sister described as the color of a rainy sky, over the pajamas that was like a one-piece dress.

It was as hot as a sauna outside the building, and she could scent upon the aroma of the plants growing lushfully in the summer.

The dim moon shone upon the courtyard, and there was something of a salacious atmosphere in this place as compared to how it was in the day. There seemed to be something awful hidden somewhere, like an alluring stare continuing to spy upon her.

There was some noise as she stepped on the dry grass, and finally, she arrived at the chapel. There was a teaching that the doors were to be opened for all lost souls to enter, so the chapel doors were not locked. As she opened the old, heavy doors, they let out a creak.

She took the bible she left in front of the altar, and just when she was about to return to her room, there was some noise from the many benches.

“Is there someone there?”

If it is a supernatural being, I'm not afraid. God is protecting me.

However, if it was a criminal with the blood of humans dripping down him, or a homeless wanderer,

The sweat dripped from her body, sapping the heat from her as she asked, and appearing between the benches was a slender figure standing there.

(An angel...?)

The moonlight from outside the window shone in on the white body and the messy, soft hair, showing a silver glow. That clear, pretty face was exceptionally eye catching in the dim chapel hall.

And the eyes staring at Sora were practically pleading her, so clear they appeared to have absorbed light, and those petal like lips were quivering slightly.

“I am really sorry for entering without permission.”

It was difficult to determine if it was a boy or a girl, and that inexplicable clear, rich voice echoed in the forlorn chapel hall.

That voice was something Sora assumed to have come from the heavens, listening piously.

“I have no place to go to...”

That's not an angel.

That's a human boy.

No, he's an angel after all, is he? I never met such a pretty body before.

But if he's a human boy, did he leave home? If that's the case, I can't leave him alone!

“I-I'll call for uncle—the pastor.”

Once she said that and turned to leave.

“Please, do not leave!”

The boy ran towards Sora, wrapping his slender arms around her, embracing her tightly.

There was the sweet scent of flowers the moment he embraced her, and she was left bewildered.

“Please, stay here. I can no longer go home...I can no longer be with that person...I do not know what I can do right now.”

The slender arms wrapped around Sora were quivering, and the little face pressing at Sora's neck was very cold.

Sora did not know what was going on, but surely, this child had quite the damage.

And feeling the same pain within, Sora was overcome with the urge to protect the child, a strong desire to help this child.

Perhaps it was due to the humid air lingering in that summer night, and the beauty of that boy that was practically superhuman, for she was unable to make a rational decision.

“Are you...in pain now?”

She asked the boy with a tone even she was startled by.

“It hurts, like my heart is being stabbed continuous by a spear.”

“Are you depressed”

“Very, very depressed, so much that I wish to vanish.”

The boy's arms were so slender, so fleeting, so white like snow, ostensibly able to melt into the moonlight. Sora turned towards the boy, and took the initiative to embrace him.

And the boy too embraced Sora tightly, like a lost child chancing upon his mother.

He was unable to obtain the love from the one he truly loved, and lamented with a depressed tone.

He had always loved her since young, and with that person around, he did not need anything else.

To the boy, that person was everything to him in the world.

But they could no longer be together.

They could no longer embrace each other like that.

And Sora merely embraced the boy.

In place of that woman that boy loved so much, and yearned for.

In place of that woman who could no longer reciprocate the boy's desire, and in the midst of the forlorn moonlight, Sora gave everything she could give to the boy.

She knew God was watching her when the boy pleaded him, that she should not be doing such a thing, and that it was not the right thing to do, a defiance of God's teachings, an impure act as a bride of God, something she should not do. Her conscience was continually pricked by the guilt.

No, I can't accept this! No!

I can't go along with him!

I can't be doing such a thing!

I'm God's bride!

This child is just thinking of me as a replacement for another woman!

He's just seeking this coincidentally bystander in me for help, rejected by his beloved.

I can no longer be with God, unable to be his bride!

No matter how much she refused in her heart, her entire body forgave and accepted the boy, whether it was the arms wrapped around him, the legs intertwined with the boy's icy legs, and the lips on the boy's tender face.

—Sora, you are like a cypress.

The hoarse, lukewarm voice rang softly at her ears, and there was that numbing sweet pain.

However—

The boy placed his head upon Sora's feeble knees, and fell asleep.

Shrouded by the glittering moon particles, the slender, naked body, the long eyebrows etched onto that little face, that high nose bridge, and the petal-like lips were scarily beautiful.

She really did not match him at all.

The sunlight replaced the moon immediately, shining in, and that dry skin and pathetic appearance of hers would surely be shown in front of this angel.

Too flustered and ashamed, her body was searing like fire.

I am just a hollow husk, one shed by a cicada. There is no way I can be with an angel—

The boy would open his eyes immediately, and she was terrified of how she would look in his eyes. She put on the rainy sky-colored cardigan on her speckless white body, and escaped the chapel hall.

Ever since then, the boy would look for Sora a few times, but never found her.

After school, the boy would arrive at the church, playing with Sora's brother in the yard as he waited for her.

He was most probably looking for her, looking in the direction of the chapel hall, and at those moments, Sora's heart would jump.

However, they never met.

She hide herself in the shadows of the building, never revealing herself from there.

She, such a boring person who was like the hollow shed skin of a cicada, would only cause that angel to be disappointed.

The cries of the cicadas gradually got silent, and the wind got colder. Red leaves began to appear on the trees, and the boy's appearances at the church became less frequent.

For the shed cicada brown husk that fell to the bottom of the tree, she felt it was for the best.

They would no longer meet again.

She should forget about that night, and revert back to being that pious, holy woman, for that was the lifestyle that fitted her.

However, they met again a few years later.

Sora became a college student.

Her grandfather died, and though she no longer stayed at the church, she continued to be a volunteer, and just so happened to appear at that chapel hall on that night, when the snow pelted heavily.

The door opened, and along with the turbulent winds and the icy snow, that angel, Hikaru, entered.

Hikaru peered into the church through the window in a corner of the building, and the sunlight shining through the foliage was so dazzling, as Hikaru, standing in front of her, looked ready to die immediately, his limbs and body that icy. However, Sora never embraced Hikaru.

She immediately ran away on first glance.

But a second time—she probably would not be able to run away.

Perhaps she had fallen for Hikaru after all.

That was a terror that could rivet her heart.

The snowy light shining through the window caused Hikaru's limbs to be whiter than the snow, and there was the heart aching beauty and purity. The then middle school Hikaru probably had thought of Sora as an aunt, herself being a college student. She was not pretty, and had no unique specialty. This boring self of hers surely was not a match to him after all, and she firmly believed that if she was with him, all that would end up with was a tragic scenario.

Like back then, and even in this state, Hikaru prioritized another woman over Sora, and though he was begging for Sora, surely he would return to that prettier flower the next day when dawn struck.

Seeking that brighter fantasy.

And then, Sora, as a hollow husk, would not be able to fly, simply falling to the floor, tragically watching his back grow distant.

So instead of that, perhaps it would be better for her if she chose to turn around—

“It is fine for me not to have such conflicted feelings.”

It was soon before night was about to arrive.

The lime green bush that was bundled in a circle like a broom stood there like a pack of sheep laid out to pasture, and Sora recalled all that had happened between her and Hikaru, saying that.

She gently placed her hands on her belly.

And so, her palms and belly gradually got warmer, her heart becoming tranquil.

“Hikaru has passed away, and will never show his back to him. He is disappointed in me, annoyed by him.”

Within Sora's belly was the Hikaru that belonged only to Sora, the Hikaru that definitely would not turn his back on her, and would definitely never leave her.

“Please be born soon.”

She said gently to the child in the stomach with a gentle tone.

Hikaru taught me that the round lime green bush of thin twigs is called the broom tree.

—You are like a cypress, Sora.

The summer night when they met.

While the sweat and fluids dripped and mixed with each other, the hoarse, lukewarm voice rang by her ears.

Once she saw the actual broom tree, she was very disappointed to find it being a messy green bush instead of a flower.

And when they met, Hikaru embraced Sora by the arms, holding her tightly.

—It is great that you are able to remain as a cypress.

“I saw it already, It isn't a pretty flower at all, just like a ball of green moss.

Feeling a little begrudging, Sora replied.

”That definitely is not a cypress. That is a broom tree.

Hikaru answered.

“The broom tree too is a soft, thin plant, and when made into a round bush, it looks just like a broom. It really is a beautiful flower.”

“Is that so? It does not have any flowers, and does not look like one.”

And so, Hikaru desperately leaned his body forward.

“That is not the case. The broom tree is really pretty, and more so when it has red leaves, like a coral. I suppose the legendary Cypress tree is the same too. Let us go look for it next time!”

He said that with a dazzling, innocent face, just like a tree.

The green broom tree surely looked plain even after she looked at it again, and was not pretty. It was a flower that could not be considered as one.

Hikaru lavished praise on Sora, saying that she was like the legendary Cypress tree, but she in fact surely was like this broom tree.

A plain, boring flower...

(But even so, I'll stay here until autumn ends.)

She made this promise with Sora.

And placed her hands on the belly, showing a satisfied smile.

“I'll tell you that I love you everyday once you're born.”

Suddenly, she heard Hikaru's voice.

—The Cypress will vanish if you approach it.

Though it appeared like a broom if she was to stand and watch from afar, there would be nothing if she approached it, and thus, she was unable to do so.

What she really wanted would vanish if she approached it, and she could not touch it with her hands as it disappeared.

There was the sight of red blood dripping in front of her eyes, and in an instant, she felt a red color dyeing her vision. She was suddenly struck with unease.

She embraced her belly tightly.

It's okay, this happiness won't disappear.

Appearing on the other side of the clock tower behind the hill of cypress trees was a melody of glittering stars.

The original tune of that was probably 'Ah! Vous dirai-je, maman'.

And the girl in love was blushing, full of life as she told her mother.

Ah! vous dirai-je, maman,

Perhaps, if her mother was still alive, would Sora be able to tell her everything?

Would she be able to explain the bitterness in her heart to the one who shared her life?

Would this child that was to be born tell her so honestly, so naively 'mama, please listen to me', when he surely fell in love with someone?

The wind again got colder.

And the little Hikaru seemed to be kicking as Sora gently hummed that cute, lively melody.

Amidst the bunch of lime green broom trees that swayed gently, she spotted a red haired youth running over to her.

He was leaning forward, his shoulders a little round.

His face was stiff, staring at Sora with dazzling light from his eyes as he slowly approached her.

That boy was Hikaru's friend—...

“Mr...Akagi?”

While Sora continued to quiver, Koremitsu stopped in his tracks, hissing,

“Found you.”

## Notes

- ↑ Here's where the confusion is as a translator. 帚木 would be a Japanese Cypress, and the second chapter of Genji Monogatari (with Utsusemi following immediately after). 箒木 would be broom tree, and that's a completely different plant. God, I hate translating this part.

### 012. Epilogue: The Reason You Averted Your Eyes Is......

Two days later.

After informing Asai that Sora did not have a child, the former narrowed her eyes, and hissed in a rampage, “What is the matter with that woman? I actually arranged for her to live peacefully in a place nobody else will know of, and came up with a list of potential hospitals for the birth!”

After a long spiel of sniding and complaints, Koremitsu retreated with a defeated look.

“I really caused you trouble there, Asa, but I never expected you to find out where Sora was that fast. That's a great help.”

And after he said that, Asai sealed her lips tight, turning her head sharply to the side as she said.

“Of course. You could have requested me for help right from the beginning. It was entirely your miscue, Mr. Akagi.”

After saying that coldly, she turned her head towards Koremitsu with much pressure, glaring at him sharply,

“You hear? You are to report to me the first thing if you are in trouble because of Hikaru again.”

And she continued with her chiding.

“...But if it is your personal problems, it is not that you cannot look to me for help.”

Muttering that, she turned to leave.

“What's the matter now? Asa's becoming very mature here.”

After hearing Koremitsu mutter this, Hikaru smiled wryly,

“Just to you.”

And he said those inexplicable words.

Tsuyako too was devastated when she learned that Hikaru's child did not exist.

“Mr. Akagi, comfort me.”

It took him a lot of effort just to placate her, and Tōjō, who had assumed the child within Sora to be Koremitsu's, gave a deathly scowl.

“You were fooled by a woman's lie because you did something guilty yourself. Even if she does have a child, and you want to admit it, or that you want to compensate her to abort and make her a crying wanderer, you could have rejected her if you did not do anything guilty in the first place. You should reflect on your actions and exercise caution.”

Perhaps it was because he had his own experiences with regards to the matter that he took the entire break to give Koremitsu a long sermon.

And Hiina herself appeared while giving her usual cheerful look.

“Too bad that you can't be a papa here, Mr. Akagi. If he's born, I'm prepared to record down a diary of you raising a kid here. Ah, do you want to have a baby with me? You'll be a dad in another 10 months and 10 days later.

She continued on with her incessant chatter, and Koremitsu asked grimly,

“Oumi, thanks for what you said back then. Also, do I know your brother?”

And Hiina showed an impish face.

“It's a pity to say it now. That's a secret.”

She then turned to leave.

Koremitsu was also prepared to apologize to Honoka for toppling her cookies.

“It's fine...I'm not angry.”

Honoka looked a little forlorn as she smiled.

After informing Honoka that the child was a hoax.

“Is that so. Now then, you'll be able to sleep well, Akagi.”

Though she sounded optimistic, she averted her eyes from him, looking forlorn. It was a fleeting instance, so Koremitsu wondered if that was just him seeing things, but,

“Hey, Shikibu.”

“What?”

“...It's nothing.”

For some reasons, he couldn't blurt out what he wanted to ask.

Hikaru too did say some strange things before...and ever since then, his periods of silence and pondering became frequent.

Back then, Aoi held Koremitsu's hand because the latter cried upon seeing his mother. In any case, surely Hikaru did not have to brood with such a serious look...

The sensation of Aoi's hand still remained on Koremitsu's hand, and surely, that had to be because it was an overly unique situation.

“Hey, I'm not going to fall in love with my friend's fiancee. Stop giving me that bitter brooding look.”

On their way back from school.

Koremitsu scowled and complained at Hikaru, who was brooding alone again.

“Eh, was I showing such a bitter face?”

Hikaru answered with ambiguity.

“Well, Koremitsu, you should not judge things too quickly here. Things may happen between man and woman at any given time. Even after being ruined, I still cannot abandon my love for the one I could not love.”

Hikaru stared afar, giving a faint smile.

(Of course, this guy still hasn't settled his issues with his stepmom.)

The circumstances that led to Hikaru falling into the river was ambiguous, and Hikaru himself seemed to be hiding something—

(Really, did he just slip and fall into the river? Was that all ?)

And at that moment, there was a commotion coming from the direction of Koremitsu's house.

“Wah!”

“Stop trying to run away now! You're the one wandering around my house trying to stalk me, right?”

Koremitsu frantically dashed over, and found Shioriko swinging a broom down in front of the door, smacking the buttocks of a boy who fell onto the floor.

The boy tried his best to escape from Shioriko's assault as he tried to excuse himself.

“Y-you're mistaken.”

He replied.

“Are you peeking into our house! You want to try running away from here?”

“Big brother Koremitsu! This guy's a stalker after all! Are you a student at my school? What year and class? What's your registration number? I'm reporting this to the principal!”

Shioriko swung her twintails as she swung the broom again—

“That's enough already, Shiiko.”

And there sounded a gruff voice.

Koharu appeared from the door, dressed in a short apron over her jersey.

Koharu and Koremitsu both had faces of a hoodlum, and when the former looked down at the boy, the boy's face turned beetroot, looking as scared as he was when Koremitsu hollered at him.

“That's enough already.”

“But.”

“That's fine.”

Once Koharu ordered sternly, Shioriko left the boy unwillingly. In the meantime, the boy scampered away, looking like his legs had a missile attached to them.

“Ahh! Wait!”

“Shiiko, don't chase him.”

“Why?”

And while Shioriko puffed her cheeks in ostensible protest,

“...It's fine.”

Koharu quietly muttered, and in response to that silent voice, Shioriko seemed to realize something as she clicked her tongue, putting down the broom in her hands.

Koremitsu too was dumbfounded by Koharu's words.

(He's someone Koharu knows?)

Speaking of which, Koharu's son, whom her divorced husband claimed, should be of a similar age to Shioriko, about 9 too.

“That child does not look like he is Sora's brother.”

Hikaru flatly stated.

“Wait, Koharu, was that your...”

Yes.

The way he had his lips curled into a frown did resemble someone. It was very similar to the sharp of the mouth he would see in the mirror every day, and in other words, should be similar to Koharu's—

Shioriko and Koremitsu probably had the same thoughts, and they turned to look at Koharu.

However, Koharu coldly stated,

“Who knows. I don't know that kid, I guess.”

She muttered.

However, there was a rare, fleeting expression she showed behind this tone, she then turned away from Koremitsu and Shioriko to avoid showing them the face.

—No.

When Ogina inquired about Koremitsu, his mother replied as such, her eyes fleeting. The image of that overlapped with that fleeting, despondent look on Koharu's.

Why exactly did Koharu choose to give up on the child? Why did she not see him even after he left her at such a young age? Koremitsu could not comprehend.

However, the aloof words and the drooping face clearly stated the love for the child she gave birth to after 10 months of labor that could not be held back.

So, in that case.

When Koremitsu's mother answered 'no' while showing that fleeting expression, perhaps there was some form of a lingering feeling in there.

Just like how it could not be noticed when up close, but only discovered when afar.

9 years ago, Koremitsu's mother abandoned her love for him, and the fact remained that she left him. Perhaps it was a meaningless fantasy for him to continue thinking about such matters now...

(Maybe I am useless to Akagi already.)

After school, Honoka was updating the blog on her cellphone alone in the empty classroom, recalling the events over the prior days as she gave off a gloomy vibe.

Once she learned from Aoi of the coincidence that was Koremitsu's encounter with his mother, she was so worried about him that she tried approaching him near his house.

Later on, there was a woman with a child standing in front of Koremitsu's house, with Koremitsu and Aoi standing there as the former kept staring at the woman.

Surely that was Koremitsu's mother.

From a corner on the street, she watched Koremitsu attempt to smile at the woman with bated breath.

It was the first time Honoka saw that Koremitsu, who usually pouted with his cheeks puffed, who always looked grouchy, show a smile.

That was a forced smile of happiness that griped anyone's heart, a smile that practically said to the mother who abandoned him 'I'm fine here'—

There were tears in his eyes, yet he continued to smile, and Honoka, witnessing this, was about to cry. When she saw Aoi hold onto Koremitsu's hand tightly, and the latter doing the same back, Honoka's heart was practically ripped out.

After Koremitsu's mother lowered her head and left, the duo continued to hold hands tightly, never once letting go.

(Why was it that I wasn't the one beside Akagi, but Her Highness Aoi instead?)

If Honoka had been beside Koremitsu back then, surely she would have done the same thing. However, the one there back then was not Honoka, but Aoi. Surely, this was a confounding of fate.

(I couldn't help Akagi when he was trying his best to smile.)

“Hono.”

Honoka lifted her head after hearing someone call out for her, and standing over there was Michiru.

She flusteredly blinked to avoid Michiru seeing her teary eyes, and closed the cellphone.

“The committee meeting's over? I'm hungry, Michiru. Let's get something to eat before we head back; I want some ice cream, the double flavor of caramel and custard kind.”

“Hono, you aren't the sort of person to like that.”

“I guess it's fine to eat some sweet things that'll cause me to vomit once in a while.”

Surely she would break down into tears if she did not show such optimism, and once she answered, Michiru stared back grimly, before breaking into a chuckle.

“You're lying, Hono. You really like Mr. Akagi, don't you?”

The hair, short enough to reach the nape, swayed along with the hem of the skirt as Sora strolled through the school cheerfully.

Thinking about it, how foolish was she before she bid farewell to Hikaru?

(I actually believed that I'm bearing Mr. Hikaru's baby.)

Surely there was no way she could have bore Hikaru's child.

(On that winter night when I was reunited with Hikaru again, I embraced him tightly as he was rejected by the one he loved, completely worn out and wounded emotionally. When Mr. Hikaru fell asleep in my arms however, his face was so pretty when lit by the snowy lights, like God. And I ran away as a result .”

She wrapped Hikaru in the cloth from the altar, and got on her toes, doing her morning prayers while mesmerized.

Yes, on that night, Hikaru and Sora did not so anything that would have caused a child to be born.

“How laughable it is, Third Princess.”

With the black wig on his head, Kazuaki had a red one-piece dress fluttering about, sealing his bright red lips as he said with a sweet, rich voice.

“The 'beloved' of thaaaat beautiful Hikaru is actually that Sora Semigaya? Surely she is just an ordinary college girl. I knew that right from the beginning.”

The chameleon suddenly reached his long tongue out to catch its prey, and Kazuaki narrowed his eyes, looking hopelessly mesmerized, before saying snide words.

“That is a bitch of a non virgin who immediately had sex with Hikaru after meeting him. How can she possibly be Hikaru's 'beloved'. Mr. Akagi however panicked like that when I merely said a few words, and he got fooled completely by a lying non-virgin!!”

Surely Hikaru's 'beloved' was far in comparison to Sora Semigaya, for she was the best.

“So basically, she is a bitch who is 10 times worse off compared to Sora, no?”

Feeling peeved by this, his face was completely twisted.

Hikaru's 'beloved' was,

Raising the icy cage, Kazuaki placed his face onto it, and spoke with a sweet, rich voice.

“Hey, Third Princess. I want to have Hikaru's child. How am I supposed to make it mine? My thing?”

### 013. Special Chapter: Tsuyako's Temptation ~ The Boy on My Mind

“Eh!! So, the matter about Hikaru's child being born is completely false?”

Once Tsuyako said this, the underclassman Koremitsu Akagi puffed his temples weakly, and clearly stated,

“Yeah, Sora isn't pregnant. Sorry to make you worry so much over Hikaru's kid, senpai.”

And then, his ruffled red hair drooped along with his head.

“How can that be?'

It was after school. Tsuyako, dressed in a pale green Furisode with red sakura decorated all over it for club activities, collapsed butt first onto the floor, her shoulders slumped weakly.

“How terrible. I did think of 50 names for the child, and I already requested for a designer I like to design.”

To Tsuyako, Hikaru, who had long died, was like a glowing moon in the sky. This round, elegant, and bright moon shone itself fully onto the flower called Tsuyako. He was her eternal lover.

Once she learned of a baby that would inherit Hikaru's bloodline, she broke down in tears, delighted due to her overwhelming emotions.

However, this was all.

And Koremitsu, Hikaru's stiff-face friend, could only watch this utterly devastated Tsuyako and contort his terrifying face, his eyes glaring everywhere as he muttered.

This vicious-looking delinquent king Koremitsu was shunned by the other students, deemed a wild dog. His true personality was actually an extremely kind boy, and surely, he felt that he bore a huge responsibility.

“Mr Akagi, come comfort me.”

Tsuyako remained seated as she slowly lifted her head, and sounded a little miffed as she said that.

“What?”

Koremitsu gulped.

“Sit in a seiza.”

“A seiza?”

“It's senpai's orders.”

“What are you saying now?”

“I am saying this because it happened. Now that it is like this, what can I do?”

Though a little flabbergasted, Koremitsu sat down with his face blushing.

Koremitsu closed his knees together tightly in an overly serious manner, and Tsuyako leaned her head on them, causing him to widen his eyes in shock.

“Wh-what are you doing, senpai!?”

“A lap pillow. Hikaru often gave me this treatment once I am worn out from my Japanese dance practice.”

“He actually did such gaudy things!?”

For some reason, Koremitsu glared at the roof, yelling.

“After Hikaru played with the girls during the day, I will do this for him as well when his legs are fatigued and wobbly.”

“!! You bastard!'

Again, he glared at the roof.

“Mr Akagi, your knees are stiff and uneven. Hikaru's knees are so tender, they make one dreamy.”

“Like I got a say in the matter! If you don't like it, hurry up and get up!”

“Not wanna~”

She continued to pretend to sleep.

“You have yet to console me. Now I am so lethargic due to the shock that I cannot get up.”

“Then what am I supposed to do?”

“Caress my hair, and then praise me saying that I'm the most charming woman in the world.”

“Hey!”

“If not, I will continue to remain like this. Miss Shikibu will come looking for us. Oh, remember to caress the hair tenderly.”

“!!!”

In contrast to Hikaru's delicate fingers, Koremitsu had bony, clumsy fingers, and the latter placed one down a few strands of Tsuyako's hair, before moving the entire hand.

(This hand is so large and full of bones, so hard...yet it feels so tender...it certainly has Mr Akagi's flair.)

There was the scent of sweat, and a noticeably faint scent of ink, coming from Koremitsu's body.

Unlike Hikaru's sweet scent, Koremitsu's was a little repulsive, but it was a mixed scent that would cause one to feel comfort—a masculine scent.

“Sen-senpai, you're...th-the, prettiest, i-i-i-in, th-th-the wo-world...!”

And he kept stuttering, ostensibly struggling.

So strange yet cute was his words that Tsuyako bit her lips hard to contain the impulse to laugh.

And on the other hand, her heart gripped when she recalled the rich sweet voice Hikaru used to say to her so fluently, 'you are the most beautiful red weeping cherry blossom in the garden, Tsuyako'.

The owner of the garden was more dazzling than anyone else, so much of an infidel, yet so devoted...

“Do you know...back then, I was really, really delighted, to learn that Hikaru's child would be born into this world.”

She turned around on this lap, and turned towards Koremitsu, curling herself as she whispered.

Koremitsu, who had been caressing her hair all this while, paused. He then continued on again, but the effort this time was more tender and delicate.

“I was really delighted...to be able to see a child inherit Hikaru's blood and protect him from up close.”

“...”

“I was thinking that I can send some cute Ubugi when he visits a temple. I would have given blessings for the Peach Festivals or the Dumpling Festivals, I just felt agitated whenever I thought of what sorts he would be wearing for Shichi-Go-San. If it were a girl, I would have gone shopping with her, and if it were a boy, I would have taught him how to be an escort for girls, and dance to add on to the fun...”

“...Senpai, how old you will be at that time? Could you complete a song without panting then? Either way, you're thinking too far.”

Koremitsu retorted with a serious face.

“This is the time where you should be saying 'you're an eternal dancing princess, senpai'.”

“No, gramps back home keeps yapping that he's still working, but his bones just ache like bad whenever winter comes.”

(Have you associated me with your grandfather, Mr Akagi?)

After sighing,

(I cannot allow myself to be belittled any further.)

Tsuyako again turned towards Koremitsu's face, widened her eyes to look up at him in a mesmerizzing manner, and leisurely opened her lips,

“Mr Akagi.”

“What now?”

“You never experienced anything other than a kiss, no?”

“!”

Koremitsu widened his eyes as he looked down at Tsuyako. He then stammered,

“Th-that has nothing to do...with this now, right?”

“If you are willing, Mr Akagi, I am willing to be your first time, you know?”

“!”

Koremitsu's face was blushing so much, he was at a loss of what to do.

“How about it? Am I not enough to satisfy you? I will keep it a secret from Miss Shikibu, you know? Of course, that applies for Miss Aoi and Miss Asai.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. Resting on Koremitsu's knees and the floor of the clubroom were the red hair curled at the tips and the radiant sleeves dyed a bright blue, dancing along with the red sakura in the air.

And at the next moment, Koremitsu raised his eyebrows, chiding harshly.

“I can't make a joke about that, senpai! If it's someone as charming as you, I'm a little shaken even if I know it's a joke! I don't have much restraint myself, so won't it be bad if I'm to take action in this mood!?”

(Mr Akagi, those words are truly irresistable to me.)

And Tsuyako's face was sizzling red.

(I really have to hand it to you.)

She wanted to tease this immature, cute underclassman of hers, only to end up blushing instead.

(Hikaru, your best friend really is not to be underestimated.)

And Koremitsu seemed delighted as he snuck in a smile, before curling his lips into a frown again.

As that overly serious expression was too strange, Tsuyako placed her cheek on the stiff knees, letting out a chortle that got increasingly louder.

“Hey! I'm serious here!”

“Hoho, of course I know. I will not be joking the next time I approach you, for I will be for real. In that case, I will be mentally prepared to be attacked by you.”

“!!! I say, stop saying such erotic things!”

Since she could not longer watch over Hikaru's child, she would instead watch over the boy Hikaru recommended.

Mr Akagi, who exactly will you fall in love with in the future?

Amongst the girls who were mesmerized by your devoted, clumsy, determined tenderness, who will you choose in the end?

As I am told off by this underclassman who likes to carelessly dampen moods, I shall continue to observe from now onwards.

If you are to continue saying those words with such a face, perhaps even I may accidentally fall in love with you.

### 014. Author's Notes

Hello there, this is Mizuki Nomura.

The character in this 7th volume of 'When Hikaru Was On the Earth...' is Utsusemi. 'The one who bore the child...' does have the image of 'Akashi', so I was wondering if I should have titled this volume 'Akashi' during the planning phase, but this is obviously Utsusemi. The first mistress in the original work Utsusemi left quite an alluring profile when she left only a veil behind.

Both Utsusemi and Asagao were women who rejected Genji, but unlike the Asagao Princess who had noble status and looks that set her at a higher bar that made her a mismatch for Genji, Utsusemi, who kept rejecting Genji while having conflicted feelings within her was much a much more realistic target. Rereading it again, the feelings of bitterness continues to gripe the heart, and it really is wonderful. Utsusemi is not as glamorous as the Highness Murasaki and Oborodukiyo, but I do think she is a woman that is more flavorful when experienced more.

And so, the theme of 'doing it...' was determined to be 'Utsusemi, with some elements of 'Akashi' mixed into it. Miss Takeoka's character setting of Sora is simple yet somewhat cute, a perfect compliment to the impression given in the work.

Sora really likes to drink green tea in this story, and makes grapefruit fresheners. However, there is a limit to the amount of caffeine and aroma to take in based on the actual pregnancy situation, so please be careful when intaking them!

There was a rash of baby boom for a certain period in my workplace, so a lot of people tried doing different things for the sake of the babies. There were some who had the photos of their babies stuck in a corner of the room, and they all look so round and cute, the room became the healing spot in the workplace.

Getting back on topic, I did mention in the previous volume 'Asagao' that this series will be progressing into the latter half. That will imply that the story will be ending in 12 volumes, so there was a lot of confusion...I do apologize for this. The latter half does include 'Asagao'. There is a total of OO volumes, and so, OO volumes are expected to be left. There will be lots of disruptions and events happening while I continue to write, so currently, the details are a little vague. I do wish to write when the release dates will be, but I cannot be certain until the official release, so I do apologize for keeping things vague. The original draft ends at OO voolumes, so I have to wait patiently while I check with the HP brand under Famitsu Bunko.

As for Koremitsu's love, it will be a royal rumble beginning in the next volume. Relating to this, there are many readers who mentioned something they were really puzzled with right from the beginning. Why is Kotobuki from 'Book Girl' so similar to Honoka? Perhaps it is because the narration of their appearances make them appear to be tsunderes, no? Personally, I wanted to write a girl with a completely different personality and habits, so I was troubled by it. If I have to say, Honoka should be similar to Kotobuki's friends, Yuuka and Mori.

There seems to be a lot of readers worried if Honoka's love will end up like Kotobuki's, but 'Book Girl' and 'When Hikaru Was On the Earth...' are two completely different stories.

And before long, please continue to read on to see who Koremitsu finally chooses.

No matter who matches up, or not, please continue to watch on with kindess.

The next volume, the 8th, is 'Hanachirusato', themed around Michiru, but Koremitsu does have his own troubles with other girls, and at times, he will remain still, while at others, he makes up his mind. The volume is expected to be released at the end of summer vacation, so I hope to meet you with again.

See you again!

Year 2013, March 15 th

Mizuki Nomura.

References:

Yukio, Haruyama, 1968, Haruyama Yukio Journals 1, About Flowers, Flower Symbolism and Folklore, Tokyo, Heibon (Ordinary) Publishing,

Tatsuo, Iguchi, 1990, Sanseido Selects 155, The Book of Flowers in Classics, Tokyo, Sanseido Co. Ltd.

Fumito, Minemura, 1974, Kokin Wakashū New Edition (revised), Tokyo, Shogakukan

Michael, Erde, 1973, Translated from German, Kaori, Ooshima, Momo, 1976, Tokyo, Iwanami Bookstore

## 08. Volume 8 - "Hanachirusato"

### 001. Chapter 1: Is Culture Festival Edible?

“Do you know, that King Solomon had a harem of 700 wives and 300 concubines. The Bible records the liberal love of King Solomon and the women, applauding each other's charms.”

It was a Sunday afternoon near the end of September.

Koremitsu was grimacing as he sat cross-legged on the corridor, supporting his chin with his hand and elbow. Hikaru, dressed in ancient Hebrew garb for some reason, began to recite Solomon's Songs of Songs with a rich voice,

"Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride; milk and honey are under your tongue. The fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon."

Hikaru was mesmerized in his own words, closing his eyes gently. Also, the longer eyebrows formed a faint shadow in the eyes, showcasing his angelic face. The faint colored, lofty hair gave a golden glitter when basked under the clear autumn sunlight.

Before he became a ghost and latched onto Koremitsu, Koremitsu's friend, Hikaru, was the harem prince in school, and he was a fine, dashing young man.

However, he was overly jovial and flirtatious, a natural philanderer at heart. As the nickname implied, he was always in the embraces of girls when he was still alive, talking about love matters as he grinned sweetly whenever he talked about love.

At this point, only Koremitsu was able to see him, and his voice would not reach anyone else. Thus, Koremitsu could only act as the extremely bored friend hearing that sickeningly sweet story.

“Hey, do you feel the refreshing fragrance coming from the beautiful garden? I too, want to be embraced by the thousands of fragrances.”

(If I'm to get involved in that crazy mess of flowers, am I not going to suffer? Like if I'm in some girls changing room or a train carriage for girls only, just thinking about that's going to cause my nose to explode!)

Koremitsu's lips got increasingly tense.

(This guy's always so glittery when talking about flowers and girls. If he's still alive, that Solomon's 1000 member harem's going to get overtaken by him easily.)

It was a good thing for Hikaru to randomly ramble as compared to passing the time being all gloomy. If he was too cheerful however, that would cause Koremitsu some unease.

(Is this the time to wear such fluffy clothes and talk about a thousand fragrances and such?)

Koremitsu scowled as he looked towards the garden. The cat Lapis curled her slender body as she basked in the sun. She had her eyes closed, looking aloof as usual as her white fur swayed under the cooling breeze.

There were other cats around the house. One of them was a Siamese cat belonging to Mr. Hyoudo, a Nagauta teacher, and his family living down the street; another was a calico cat belonging to a property company president Mr. Daikan, and the last was a pussy cat with black patches around the mouth, belonging to the 'Right General' of an Izakaya. They were scattered all around the garden, warding each other off as they approached Lapis.

(Looks like...we got a lot more cats now.)

There was a lot of puffing in the garden the previous night, and Koremitsu was grumbling 'shut up' in the futon.

(Has our garden become a cat party?)

Koremitsu raised the tip of his nose as he pondered, and at this moment, Shioriko rushed out of the house, flailing a broom about.

“You guys are flirting with Lapis again! Shoo shoo! Get away from Lapis!”

Shioriko's little palms held onto the broom as she swung it vertically to shoo the cats. Her milky cheeks were dyed red, her long twintails swaying about.

“Ahh, Shiiko. A lady cannot be swinging a broom about. I have no memory of teaching you such things.”

Hikaru lamented, and Koremitsu remained on the corridor, reminding her.

“Hey, after sparrows, you're now hunting cats? It's not good to abuse animals.”

“I'm not abusing them.”

Shioriko huffed and puffed, her tender body wheezing as she turned around, saying,

“I'm protecting Lapis from being ogled. It's too early for her to get a boyfriend.”

“Eh, so those cats are aiming for Lapis?”

Koremitsu turned his stare towards Lapis, and beside him, Hikaru too turned his eyes.

“Lapis' as white as snow, and really is refined. The lapis eyes look mysterious, so it's expected that she's popular. There's definitely news of an unearthly cute pretty cat in our house circulating on the cat internet, and that's why they're gathered here.”

(How strange. Is there really such a network?)

However, that Lapis remained as nonchalant as ever as she got to her feet elegantly, licking her fur with her pink tongue. The black pussy cat of the 'Right General' Izakaya hid behind the tree, peeking at Lapis with much longing, only to depart sadly after Shioriko scared it away. Certainly, it looked pitiful when seen from behind.

Koremitsu tried to placate her.

“Speaking of which, cats age differently from humans. Lapis may look like this, but isn't she already an adult herself?” He said.

In terms of cat age, surely Lapis was a lot older than Shioriko as an elementary schoolgirl. Perhaps she was even older than Koremitsu, a big sister to him.

And Hikaru too mentioned worriedly like a parent,

“Lapis may be left behind if she cannot get a groom soon.”

Shioriko puffed her cheeks, raising her little fists as she said.

“No no no, Lapis' still a kid. She's going to remain chaste before you make me an adult, big brother. I don't want Lapis becoming an adult before I do!”

And such a childish logic developed.

“Hey, did you just say something very problematic here?”

“L-Like I know!”

She glanced aside with her face blushing. One had to wonder if she was acting, or whether she was really embarrassed.

“If Lapis' late because of that, it's all your fault, big brother Koremitsu.”

“It's none of my business here, right?”

“It does! It's pitiful that Lapis' unable to get a boyfriend if you continue being such a carnivore!”

“Koremitsu, even if it is for Lapis sake, I do forbid you from embracing Shiiko in another 7, 8 years. Even if I extend the leash quite a bit you have to hold it in for another 6 years.”

(Hey! How did you get that specific number! Didn't you say that she's a no go until she's 20!?)

And after saying that, Shioriko came scampering over, putting her hands on Koremitsu's knees, and leaned forward, her large, watery eyes scanning him from bottom to top, and she asked with a serious tone,

“Did any oestrus kitty yearn for your love, big brother?”

“Watch your language! Hikaru's going to be sad here!”

“But I'm worried. You have a savage look, big brother, but you're a stupidly good guy. Whenever you see a feeble girl, you'll go running, shouting 'I'll protect you' or something!”

“I guess this is to be expected of you, Shiiko. You really understand Koremitsu well!”

(Shut up! You flirting ghost!)

“I-I thought that you wouldn't be popular, big brother, but it looks like you're very popular...”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

Popular? Surely that was a word Koremitsu could not envisioned himself being associated with.

However, Shioriko leaned towards Koremitsu,

“For example, that Miss Shikibu, that really~ pretty Japanese Dance Club upperclassman, that student council president who's always harassing you at work, and that quick-mouthed newspaper club member with those bouncing breasts.”

“They aren't related to this!”

“And there's Hikaru's fiancee, the princess.”

“Ugh!”

An adorable, pretty girl appeared in Koremitsu's mind, and he was left speechless as he recalled the flowing black hair resting on those slender shoulders.

(Damn it, what am I being shaken about?)

Koremitsu's palms slowly sizzled, and his heart was pounding loudly, the tender, white hand ostensibly holding his again.

(St-stop thinking about it already! That's...)

Koremitsu suddenly noticed Hikaru's stare beside him. If he could not calm down soon, surely that would arise Hikaru's suspicions again.

“How suspicious.”

But the one who suddenly frowned and mentioned this was Shioriko.

“Why aren't you talking? Did something happen between you and Hikaru's fiancee?”

“It's nothing!”

Shioriko continued to lean her face close to Koremitsu, her entire weight practically pressing on his knees. Koremitsu faced her, sweat dripping as he yelled.

(Yeah, it's really nothing! You know that, Hikaru!)

His mind sizzling, Koremitsu dared not to turn towards Hikaru.

Suddenly, the weight was removed from his knees.

Shioriko puffed her cheeks, moved her body away, and reached her hand out to Koremitsu, saying,

“Big brother, hand me your phone!”

“There's nothing weird inside here.”

“It's fine, just hand it over to me.”

She got into that stubborn child mode, and upon seeing that she was unwilling to back down, Koremitsu fished his phone out of his pocket and handed it over. Shioriko too took her phone out, and proceeded to do something suspicious.

“Okay. Here's a protective charm.”

And saying that, she returned him the phone.

Koremitsu lowered his head, and found that the wallpaper was changed to Shioriko in a swimsuit; not the frilly miniskirt swimsuit she bought for the pool trip in summer vacation, but the school swimsuit! It seemed the photo was taken in the bathroom at home, and Shioriko was sitting in the empty bathtub, cupping her knees, grinning away! The innocent smile of a child, the bathtub, and the school swimsuit felt so awry, so gaudy!

“Wow, that is quite the show.”

From sidelong, Hikaru marveled in amazement.

“What's with this photo, Shiiko! Are you planning to post this on the internet and sell this to those lolicon old men!?”

Shioriko was delighted to see Koremitsu worried about her.

“Relax. This is for your personal use, big brother. You love school swimsuits, don't you? That's why I took this personally for you. Hey, isn't Shiiko's school swimsuit cute? You have to think of Shiiko when you see this during class. If you're hooked by another other woman, use this as a talisman. This will definitely scare them away.”

“Well. This definitely will cause any girl in a 2m radius to run away.”

“ARRRRRGGGGGGHHH! You're going to make me a lolicon delinquent again!? And I don't like school swimsuits!”

“You don't have to hide your fetishes from Shiiko, big brother Koremitsu.:”

“AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL KID SHOULDN'T BE SAYING THE WORD FETISH HERE!”

“Yes. Shiiko should learn the etiquette of being a fine lady. That will allow her to fetch boys.”

(Stop giving her suggestions with such a cheerful look!)

Koremitsu retorted furiously, but after seeing him look leisurely as he floated in front of Shioriko, he too felt relaxed.

Yes, Hikaru did not change too much from usual.

He was always so effervescent, always loving flowers and women.

He was always smiling, no different from behind.

However, Koremitsu would feel unease whenever he saw Hikaru lower his gaze and remain silent. Surely that was because of what the latter said.

—After 10 years, who will be standing by your side? No matter who stands beside you. No matter who stands beside Miss Aoi. I shall love both of you from the skies above.

Hikaru whispered this to Koremitsu, showing a transparent, tender, forlorn smile, his serene eyes staring at Koremitsu.

“You idiot! What are you misunderstanding now!? How can I be together with Aoi? The reason why Aoi held my hand is because...she just wanted to comfort me when I met that mother of mine who left home!”

Koremitsu scowled as he retorted harshly. Hikaru's smile remained so serene.

“Yes, perhaps I have been thinking too much. I have to forewarn you. No matter what path you choose, I shall continue to bless you forever, so that I can proceed to vanish from this world.”

Hikaru seemed to be stating his will explicitly, his tone wise yet at ease. Koremitsu kept a bitter face, unable to say anything.

(But seriously...I never had any thoughts about snatching Aoi.)

The day after Shioriko forcefully changed the wallpaper.

Koremitsu was walking down the riverbank, joining the other students headed towards school as he continued on his meaningless thoughts as per the day before.

(Also, Aoi and I don't match at all. I'm a shunned guy called a delinquent king, and she's a princess. At most, Aoi simply knows me as Hikaru's friend.)

And Hikaru's cheery voice came from the side.

“Hurry and look, Koremitsu. There is a lot of Cosmos blooming by the river! The floral language of Cosmos is the true heart of a maiden! Look at the patch of Cosmos swaying with the wind. Do they not look like girls whispering about love?”

“It's scary seeing girls gathered in packs at the riverside.”

Koremitsu retorted dejected.

(Speaking of which, this guy hasn't mentioned his own troubles at all. Are there no more girls he's worried about?)

Due to the issue about Sora's pregnancy, details about Hikaru's 'beloved' Fujino became vague. Hikaru himself did not seem prepared to break up with Fujino. Perhaps Hikaru had a load off his mind after confessing to Koremitsu that he loved his stepmother.

If that was the case, it was not strange for Hikaru, an ethereal being, to ascend to the afterlife.

That might be the reason why he said 'my will given the condition that I may disappear at any given time'.

Surely Hikaru too realized that there was a change happening within him.

(This woman-lover ghost's always so troublesome. I did have some thoughts of wanting him to ascend to the afterlife sooner...)

Hikaru had been floating beside him all this while, cheerfully chatting about flowers; if he were to disappear...upon thinking about that, Koremitsu's heart chilled.

(Tch, I'm being really sissy here.)

This meaningless brooding really was not befitting of him.

And he tensed his face, trying to disperse the fog in his heart as he proceeded forth.

Once he entered the classroom and sat at his seat, Honoka, fiddling with her phone, jolted her shoulders.

“Yo.”

Koremitsu tried greeting in an awkward manner.

“...Hm.”

Honoka replied with an aloof face and a vague tone, and went back to typing messages again.

Her neatly trimmed eyebrows gathered softly, and her lips were sealed. It seemed she was furious, yet enduring something, as she flailed her fingers stiffly.

(This girl's acting strange too.)

It was not the first time Honoka had been aloof and unhappy with Koremitsu. However, it seemed she was fearful of meeting Koremitsu in the eyes, rather than being peeved with him.

Whenever she did not talk to Koremitsu, Honoka would put on a cold front, looking unmoved. One had to wonder why she was so intimidated by him.

(Is Shikibu still mad about me flipping her cookies?)

When Koremitsu apologized for that, Honoka merely smiled at him, saying 'it...it's fine'.

However, that smile looked so forlorn, so unlike her usual self. That was the beginning of her attempts to shun him.

In that case, the reason was...

“I suppose the reason is not because she is still thinking about the cookies.”

The voice that came from behind the ears caused Koremitsu's heart to jump.

He turned around, and saw Hikaru gave a meaningless gaze.

(Is this guy able to read my heart? Am I showing what I'm thinking on my face? If the cookies aren't the reason, what is it?)

Koremitsu frowned, and asked with his eyes,

“Girls do have their own major issues.”

That was such a contentious, ambiguous attitude.

(How am I supposed to understand!? You're making the important parts vague here, and that's really vexing me here!)

But even so, it would be infuriating for Koremitsu to keep asking Hikaru, and even if he did, surely the latter would just let it pass ambiguously.

(Damn it, now my heart's all ruffled.)

Koremitsu gritted his teeth as he watch the sidelong face of Honoka while the latter continued to tap at her messages.

“Go-goo-goo-good morning, Mr. Akagi.”

The class representative, Michiru Hanasato, scampered towards Koremitsu like a little animal, and this caused Honoka's shoulders to jerk again.

“Oh, yo.”

Koremitsu greeted back. Michiru again flailed her limbs hastily.

“E-erm, we'll be deciding on the committee members for the culture festival in the homeroom meeting later. Eh, erm, I'm wondering, if you like culture festivals.”

“...Not at all.”

Koremitsu frowned, curtly replying.

How could he, shunned by others, possibly be joining in class activities all merry and such? A culture festival? What is that? Can it be eaten? That was probably how it felt to him.

“Eh!?”

Michiru leaned back, looking perturbed.

“Ho-how is that possible...b-but, the culture festival at Heian Academy is held in conjunction with the elementary and middle schools branches. It's really big, and there's a lot of authentic, fancy stuff. You'll definitely like it, Mr. Akagi...I think. I-I'll do my best here, so you have to do your best too!”

Michiru's face was flushed red, stammering a few times as she finished her words. Before Koremitsu could reply, she hastily got back to her seat.

(What's she saying?)

Koremitsu tilted his head, wondering, and Hikaru looked on with an understanding look, saying,

“Well, you see, is the culture festival not where couples are formed?”

(Ah, yeah, speaking of which, I did see a few popular guys in middle school making out and walking around the culture festival. They're in the way, so I really had the urge to just kick them.)

Either way, like couples, culture festivals were not a thing for Koremitsu. The correct method to spend a culture festival was to find an empty classroom and stay there until the closing ceremony.

(But—I'm with Hikaru this here. Am I going to hear him ramble about flowers for the entire day?)

Upon thinking about how annoying it would be, Koremitsu had the urge to wish for Hikaru to ascend to the afterlife sooner.

Honoka remained still as she continued to tap her the messages. Perhaps she was updating the blog of the love expert 'Purple Princess'.

Soon after, the homeroom meeting begun, and in the teacher's place, Michiru got to the podium.

“I-I'll be deciding on the committee members for the culture festival.”

She hosted the meeting, seemingly unable to calm down.

“Eh, you can recommend yourself or others to be the committee members. If anyone wants someone to do so, please raise your hands.”

There was an overwhelming silence from everyone. Surely, anyone involved would be bogged down by the duties of a committee member, and they wouldn't be able to go dating with their lovers.

“Eh, erm...”

After fidgeting for quite a while, Michiru said,

“If nobody has any suggestions, I-I-I do have someone I like to recommend.”

“Eh? Isn't that a good thing?”

“You can do so, rep.”

“I agree.”

The voices this time were lacking in enthusiasm, or certainly, they found it to be a hassle.

Just when Koremitsu was about to feel sympathy for Michiru.

Michiru gave the look of a puppy abandoned in a cardboard box on a rainy day as she stared over at Koremitsu.

“I-In that case...I recommend, Mr. Koremitsu Akagi as an executive member of the culture festival.”

“What were you thinking!? Didn't I say that I have no interest in culture festivals, and I don't like that!”

“Th-that's why, it's my responsibility as the class rep to make you like the culture festival, Mr. Akagi!”

Once first period ended.

Koremitsu finally managed to hunt down Michiru, the latter scampering everywhere in fear of his wrath, only to be stuck in a corner of the corridor, and interrogated her. Shivering, Michiru answered Koremitsu.

“A-an-an-and, didn't you readily accept the task in front of everyone?”

“Yes, you did say 'please take good care of me here', Koremitsu.”

Hikaru beamed as he chimed.

(This guy's~~ so enjoying things now that I'm an executive committee member of the culture festival.)

He did give the salutations, but that was because of Michiru's sudden nomination. His mind was blank, and for some reason, it was decided he would be the one doing it. He naturally gave the salutations...and even became shrill due to tension.

“Pl-please take care of me.”

And there was silence in the classroom after Koremitsu whispered these words, the only thing the latter remembered vividly was that nobody applauded him. It was a nightmare for him, and he was practically in hot water.

“It-it-it's fine for you! You'll be able to overcome all difficulties with your powers as the delinquent king, Mr. Akagi!”

“I'M NOT A DELINQUENT!”

“Sorry!!!”

Michiru crouched down, cupping her head.

“Anyway, I never became a class rep, and I have zero participation experience in the culture festival. It's impossible for me to do this.”

“Ho-how can that be, Mr. Akagi...!”

With her eyes looking like an abandoned puppy again.

“What are you doing to Michiru.”

A stiff voice caused Koremitsu to turn around, and he immediately spotted Honoka holding a cellphone with one hand, looking heinous as she stood there.

Perhaps Honoka assumed Koremitsu was grudgeful against Michiru regarding the culture festival, and that Koremitsu was about to exact vengeance.

“I didn't...”

While Koremitsu tried to explain, Michiru got herself in his way.

“We-we're just discussing about the culture festival...there's nothing that'll make you worry, Hono.”

This was a rare show of insistence from Michiru.

Honoka frowned, her eyes sharpened.

“Is that so...I guess it doesn't matter then.”

Honoka replied curtly, and tapped at the keypad as she left.

And Michiru seemed to be thinking about something as she watched Honoka leave with a forlorn look.

(What's going on? It feels like there's something different between Shikibu and Hanasato...did they get into an argument or something?)

Speaking of which, he did not see them walking together recently. Before then, Michiru would follow Honoka from behind, calling “Hono, Hono'.

“Did you quarrel with Shikibu? Both of you look really gloomy.”

Michiru looked over at Koremitsu timidly,

“If possible, I can help you two out.”

If Honoka and Michiru really were on bad terms, Koremitsu would not be able to let the matter rest.

“...No, this is between Hono and me.”

Michiru however showed a perturbed look, averting her eyes sadly as she whispered softly,

“I do feel that it doesn't matter what Hono does to me. Bu-but I don't want to give up without doing anything...”

Koremitsu could not understand.

Just when he frowned, Michiru turned towards Koremitsu, and gave him a deep bow.

“Please.”

The wavy curls swayed on her petite shoulders like a puppy's tail.

“P-please continue with the culture festival committee work. I-I'll assist you too.”

“Hey...”

Koremitsu was puzzled, wondering why Michiru would mention this again. Was the awkward situation between Honoka and Michiru related to this culture festival? Personally, he was not the type to manage as a committee member, and surely the other classmates were unwilling to face such a situation.

However, Michiru continued to lower her head and remain still. With a skeptical look, Hikaru placed his hand on a grumbling Koremitsu's shoulder (?).

“It looks like you have to do it, Koremitsu.”

“Uu...l-looks like I got no choice.”

And thanks to that, Koremitsu stood in front of all his classmates for the first time in his life of 16 years and few months.

“Hey, we're going to decide what we're going to do during the homeroom meeting tomorrow! You guys better come up with something at least!”

Koremitsu notified in the class during the class meeting after lessons ended, and it caused the atmosphere to freeze over. The students seated in the middle of the third row, whom Koremitsu was glaring at, and they were frantically lowering their heads, not wanting to meet him in the eyes.

Koremitsu himself was feeling nervous, and this caused his face to be more tense than usual. His eyebrows were raised, and his voice sounded like a coercion that intimidated his already faint-hearted classmates.

“Do your best, Koremitsu.”

Hikaru beside him was wearing a chouran uniform and a bandana, encouraging Koremitsu and cheering him on; however, this caused Koremitsu to feel dejected.

(Is our class really able to participate in the culture festival?)

No matter how he tried to recall the culture festival in his middle school, Koremitsu ended up with miserable memories.

He, hailed as a delinquent king, was definitely unable to either be cast as an acting role or be a frontline staff member in an eatery. He was the only one not notified of any work to be done after school, and was alone on the day of the culture festival. He wanted to stroll about at his own whim, only to scare away the ghosts acting in the ghost house. When he went to listen to the brass band club perform in the gym, there was an empty circle around him.

Once it ended, he met other delinquent gangs who snuck into the culture festival. After fighting a few waves, he finally chased the enemy away, only for rumors that the delinquent king went berserk to run rampant, dyeing the back of the gym bloody. This added on to Koremitsu's already infamous reputation.

(Arrggh, I really don't want to think about it.)

And the black history Koremitsu had with regards to the culture festival caused him much heartbroken, his expression increasingly menacing as a result. This too caused his classmates to start making prayer chants

In the meantime,

“...”

Honoka continued to type messages under the table.

The class meeting finally ended, and Koremitsu dragged his lethargic body to the Japanese Dance Club Room.

“I heard that you are appointed a culture festival committee member, Mr. Akagi?”

The club president Tsuyako grinned radiantly as she said that.

The fiery red hair was tied into a knot draped on a shoulder, and she, dressed in a faint blue kimono, was looking elegant like a spirit of the red weeping cherry blossom, the radiant, pretty lips exemplifying her remarkable looks.

“This culture festival surely feels exciting. I really wish I can be retained for a year so that I can be your classmate, Mr. Akagi.”

Tsuyako deliberately riled the atmosphere, perhaps having noticed the awkward situation between a scowling Koremitsu, a shivering Michiru and Honoka turning her head again.

“Ahh, too bad however. It was a rarity that I wanted to act in 'Momotaro' or 'The Crab and the Monkey'.”

“Why 'Momotaro'? Or 'The Crab and the Monkey'?”

Koremitsu retorted. And Hikaru too pondered seriously,

“If 'Momotaro', Koremitsu will be the demon, and Tsuyako will...if it is the 'Crab and the Monkey'...hm, is Koremitsu going to be the monkey? Then Tsuyako will...”

Honoka and Michiru probably thought of the casting, and both gave gaudy looks.

Tsuayko in turn giggled in a bubbly manner,

“In that case, since that dream cannot be fulfilled, the Japanese Dance Club will be taking part in the culture festival.”

“WHAT!?”

“Tsuyako-senpai, you're going to dance? 'Momotaro'?”

“I-I-I don't have any on stage dancing experience, let alone being your partner, Tsuyako-senpai!”

Tsuyako in turn chuckled,

“I suppose. Ability is something to be accumulated through practice, so we shall perform next year instead. How about we open a shop this year?”

“A shop?”

“Oh? What kind of shop?”

(Something like takoyaki or shaved ice?)

Koremitsu racked his brain for common items he would see in a typical culture festival shop.

“We shall all decide on this. Which do you prefer? I do want to try all kinds of clothing.”

Tsuyako laid out several copies of pictures on the tatami, giving off the vibe of a fan being waved elegantly with all its fragrance.

And upon seeing that.

“Ack.”

“Wah!”

“T-Tsuyako-senpai!”

Such exclaims could be heard.

“Wow.” Hikaru too widened his eyes as he watched on.

Printed on the copies were Cheongsams with slits on them, fluffy maid outfits, witch outfits, nurse uniforms, armor, and all kinds of cosplay outfits, 12 of them in total!

Tsuyako chimed in excitedly.

“This is my first time partaking in a Japanese Cultures Festival. I had been studying overseas all this while, and I was alone with Hikaru in the clubroom last year, so i did not see anything. Of course, that sort of pastime had its own benefits, but Hikaru is no longer here this year.”

(What were you two doing alone during the culture festival!!)

Koremitsu glared furiously at Hikaru, floating in the air.

“Surely, Tsuyako decided to participate in this culture festival to bury the pain of losing me. Right now, she certainly is swallowing her tears and forcing a smile.”

(No no no, she's just so into this no matter how I look at things.)

“I suppose a Cheongsam is the appropriate choice here, definitely suited for Miss Shikibu with her nice long legs. However, please do try out the witch outfit. The maid uniform here is cute too. There is a mini skirt version, and also the formal long skirt version. Ah, I do admire the maid outfit too.”

“Certainly it will be so lewd and dazzling seeing Tsuyako wearing such a nurse uniform. This Cheongsam will emphasize her elegance. I do want to see Tsuyako and everyone else wear the witch outfit though. Ahh, it really is difficult for me to make a choice between all the clothing here.”

Hikaru excitedly prattled on as he quickly switched into different clothing, from a butler, to a priest garb, and finally, a Cheongsam.

And in the meantime, Koremitsu glared back coldly, having come to the conclusion,

(So, senpai's so into cosplay because of this guy's influence...)

“Hey, Mr. Akagi, which do you prefer?”

“Koremitsu, which do you prefer?”

Tsuyako and Hikaru both looked bubbly as they glanced at Koremitsu.

Michiru's shoulders jerked slightly, and Honoka continued to lower her head and look down, her lips sealed tightly.

“Even if you ask...”

And while Koremitsu was looking perturbed, Tsuyako added,

“How about you decide, Mr. Akagi?”

What the!?

“M-M-M-Mr. Akagi, if you wish for me to wear something...I'll summon my courage and open the unknown door...!”

“...”

“You see, Koremitsu, everyone is so expectant here. You have to choose for them.”

Hikaru remained effervescent,

Tsuyako, Michiru and Hikaru were staring intently at him, and Honoka too seemed to be pricking her ears.

“Ugh.”

Don't I look like a pervert no matter which once I choose? Koremitsu grumbled.

And there was an announcement chime from the speakers above them, followed by a cold, stoic voice echoing,

“Mr. Koremitsu Akagi, please head to the student council office immediately.”

“Asa?”

“Ack, Saiga!?”

She suddenly summoned him through the school's public announcement system. What happened!

“Sorry, I'll go take a look.”

“Ah, Mr. Akagi!”

“That is an abuse of authority, Miss Asai.”

Tsuyako and the rest could be heard from behind. To be honest, this broadcast really saved him there.

(Nice timing! I gotta thank you here, Asa!)

“Koremitsu, you seem really happy...”

Koremitsu quickly got down the corridor, down the stairs, and soon arrived at the student council office.

“Yo, I'm here.”

“Now that was fast.”

Asai was alone in the room, as usual. Koremitsu himself wondered, Isn't it better to change the nameplate of the room from the 'student council office' to the 'student council president office?

“Aren't you the one who asked me to hurry over? What's the problem? I can do anything for you right now.”

“Anything...?”

“Yeah.”

“...”

Asai frowned hard, pondering about something, and answered,

“I suppose not. I am still not that deplorable to a point where I need you for assistance.”

“You really aren't being cute here. What do you want?”

He asked, feeling a little vexed. Asai slowly folded her arms, and said haughtily,

“Mr. Akagi, I hereby command you to be part of the culture festival special security group.”

### 002. Chapter 2: Little Bird's Returned Favor?

A culture festival committee member, a shop by the Japanese Dance Club, and the special security team!? How do you expect me to do these three things at once?

During break the following day, Koremitsu grumbled as he walked down the corridor, his eyes despondent.

His face became gloomy as he recalled the conversation he had with Asai in the student council office.

“Special security? What's that about?”

“It is meant to safeguard against suspicious people like you on the day of the culture festival, and quickly eliminate savage wild hounds like you before they can cause any commotion. This special branch is also meant to bring customers to the places they wish to visit before scary looking delinquents like you do anything to me.”

“Why are you blaming all these commotions on me! And why are you asking me here!?”

“This is because I suppose you, who had always been doing this, know the mentalities and weaknesses of those unruly hoodlums. As they say, fight fire with fire. This is not a 'request', but an established 'notification'. You have no right to refuse.”

(~~~~~Ugh, that Asa. I thought she had been a little cuter nowadays, how mistaken was I!? I already have my class and club activities. That's impossible for me to handle!)

If you refuse, I shall scrap the Japanese Dance Club and forbid your class from participating in the culture festival.”

Asai's eyes looked extremely serious, and so Koremitsu accepted the task anyway.

Hikaru cheered on enthusiastically while Koremitsu grumbled away,

“Things will be alright when it comes. I had to attend to 7 dates on Christmas, and though I had moments when I thought of giving up, I still managed to attend to them.”

“Don't associate me with your unrestrained flirting, you bastard!”

Koremitsu accidentally yelled, scaring the students passing by.

“A-ahem.”

And he cringed his head and snorted to hide the awkwardness.

Hikaru chuckled, and his expression became tender,

“But I am as excited now as I was before Christmas Eve came. I did not have much wonderful memories during the culture festival. I was casted as the prince in Cinderella, but there was a ruckus over who got to be Cinderella, and finally, all the girls in class got to be Cinderella, but I was ostracized by the boys as a result. When we had the folk dance, there was another huge commotion as the girls were crowding me, and I was ostracized by the boys again. The takoyaki I bought was toppled for some reason, and the girls argued again. I was called to the back of the gym by the boys, and the girls immediately rushed over to them, interrogating 'what are you planning to do to Lord Hikaru'?”

“You're bragging about your popular history again. That's a lot better than me who's shunned by the entire class and can't even touch the class exhibits ”

“That is not the case. There was once when I was ostracized by all the boys and girls in my class. That was when I was in 9 th grade...”

Hikaru smiled forlornly.

How's it possible for this guy to be shunned by the girls? Koremitsu was stunned.

And just when Koremitsu was about to ask what it was about.

“Ah...!”

A breath-like mutter grazed by his ears.

(Aoi!)

A pretty, adorable girl with long, black, silk-like hair was standing at a corner of the corridor, looking completely skeptical as she stared at Koremitsu timidly with her large, black, glossy eyes.

She did not turn away to leave immediately, but instead, she went towards Koremitsu when the latter approached her.

And while both were much closer than before, they stopped in their tracks.

(Damn it. Why's my heart pounding like crazy?)

“Ah, erm...are you feeling okay?”

The moment she voiced out, Koremitsu's ears were burning red.

(What am I saying here? We just met.)

Back then however, Koremitsu did not have the courage to meet Aoi directly. Also, he was concerned about how Hikaru would be looking at him, and thus, he merely said 'thanks' and 'sorry to make you worry about me'.

After meeting Aoi that day, he met his mother near his house, bringing a boy along.

While Koremitsu continued to cry and force a smile, it was Aoi who held his held, and continued to do so even after his mother bowed and left.

The one woman Koremitsu should be protecting in Hikaru's stead, the most precious woman to Hikaru, reversed the situation by supporting Koremitsu. This was so embarrassing to Koremitsu his face seared.

Aoi's fingers were so slender, so delicate, yet they filled Koremitsu's heart with determination and tenderness. Till this point, Koremitsu still continued to recall the feeling on the fingers, and in his palm.

Back then, he was out of character.

Surely it was Hikaru's fault for those strange words that he became so concerned about it.

And at this point, his mind would sear whenever he faced Aoi, and he would panic.

“Erm.”

Aoi too looked tensed as she lifted her face at him, and though she finally summoned her courage to say those words, her voice got increasingly softer.

“I am fine.”

And her face was blushing.

“Th-that's good.”

Koremitsu stammered. Aoi again summoned her courage, asking,

“It looks like you became a committee member of the culture festival planning.”

“Eh, ahh...I guess you heard of it.”

“I heard your classmates mention it.”

Aoi answered bashfully, her black, glossy eyes giving off a glint of tenderness.

“Surely your classmates understand how reliable you are, Mr. Akagi.”

(No...that's not really the case.)

But Koremitsu could not bring himself to deny this after seeing Aoi look so elated, and he felt itchy within.

“Break time is almost over...that's all, I guess.”

“Yes. Erm...see you later.”

“Y-yeah.”

Will they really meet again? Or would she contact him by messages? Koremitsu really could not understand what Aoi was thinking.

And upon seeing Koremitsu's clumsiness, Aoi let out a sigh of relief, smiling brightly. She then nodded, and left.

“Koremitsu.”

Hikaru's voice came from the side, seemingly summoning an audience with Koremitsu.

“Ah damn it. Class meeting's up next. Got to decide what we're going to do for the culture festival. Can we do it well?”

Koremitsu raised his voice, wanting to avoid the topic, fearing that Hikaru would say such strange things again.

“I don't have time to think about any other stuff with this on my mind now.”

He continued forward, making sure not to look in Hikaru's direction.

(I really don't have the time to think about it. The culture festival itself is driving me crazy.)

Koremitsu defended himself in his heart as he returned to the classroom. He met Honoka in the eyes, but the latter immediately looked away.

“...”

Besides Honoka, the other students enjoying their break tensed up and averted their eyes from Koremitsu, remaining silent.

It appeared that time was rewinded back to May, when Koremitsu first entered the classroom.

Recently, everyone in class was beginning to adapt to the existence of a wild dog that did not fit in with the rest, and gradually reacted less dramatically in response to his actions. They however began to do so again, and cringed their heads whenever they heard Koremitsu drag his chair. They were all seated way before the bell chimed, and Michiru was the only one looking at Koremitsu worriedly.

(Am I seriously able to be a committee member?)

Koremitsu was angsty with regards to this outlook, cold sweat trickling down his armpits.

“Hm? What's this?”

There was a brown envelope the size of a notebook, placed at Koremitsu's table, one he had never seen before. It contained a few pieces of printed papers, and the recipient 'Koremitsu Akagi' was written on the envelope. There was no sender written on the back, but there was a little picture.

“It is a bird, is it not...?”

Hikaru, peering from the side, whispered.

Yes, it was the drawing of a bird. Though the lines looked simple enough to pass off as a drawing of an elementary school student, there was no doubt it was a bird.

(Why a bird?)

Koremitsu did receive letters of challenges and other strange messages in his shoe locker. This probably was a similar kind of prank.

He drew out a piece of paper from the envelope, and stared at it,

“Class 1-1. Kimono Cafe.

Class 1-2. Musical drama: Lord Hikaru and the Thousand Roses.

Class 1-3. Floral Exhibition.

Class 1-4. Our Lord Hikaru's Exhibition.”

(What's this? What's with the 'Lord Hikaru and the Thousand Roses.' and Our Lord Hikaru's Exhibition'?)

“Koremitsu, this looks like the events the other classes will be having. All the investigation is done; wow, even the clubs exhibits too.”

Hikaru hollered excitedly,

“This information is amazing. With such information, we have something to talk about in the class meeting.”

“Ah, sure.”

Koremitsu replied blankly. It certainly did not seem to be a prank, but rather, an assistance from a kind person.

(But who'll do such a thing,,,?)

Koremitsu sensed a stare from sidelong, and turned to meet Honoka in the eyes.

The latter was taken aback, and immediately pouted her lips, turning her head away.

The feisty sidelong face was dyed red.

(Did Shikibu do it?)

The teacher had yet to arrive, and homeroom period began.

Holding the papers in hand, Koremitsu got up to the podium. Michiru too stood beside Koremitsu anxiously, telling him with her eyes 'it's okay'. On the other side, Hikaru drifted about leisurely, wearing the same chouran uniform and bandana, dressed like a cheerleader, telling him 'you can do it, Koremitsu'.

(Well, I guess it's better than wearing a cheerleader girl's uniform.)

Koremitsu pondered with exceptional calmness.

“As announced yesterday, we're going to decide on the exhibits to be shown for the culture festival. I'll first announce what the other classes plan to do as reference, so I hope you guys will give some suggestions.”

His body tense due to anxiety, his voice however was more fluent than the previous day, and he did not bite his tongue or make any meaningless grumbles.

It seemed everyone was listening attentively as Koremitsu announced the items on the list to ease the tense atmosphere in the classroom. Perhaps everyone was amazed that a bonafide delinquent would actually do some reason, and there was a slight change in their stares towards him.

Honoka continued to lower her head and look at the cell phone under her table, but it was obvious she was not doing anything to it.

“—That's all. I suppose everyone has noticed that there's a lot of themes relating to 'Lord Hikaru'. We can follow suit...”

“How about you do a timeline of me? I can provide photos of myself from young till now. That will be really popular!”

Hikaru said with such unabashedness.

“But I do think a different theme's good too. It'll be easy to clash if everyone's doing the same things.”

“I am disappoint, Koremitsu.”

Koremitsu decided to ignore Hikaru, who had his shoulders drooped.

Michiru mentioned timidly,

“But a haunted house and a cafe is very common too.”

“We'll just think of some new ideas. Anyway, say what you want to do, guys.”

Silence again descended upon the classroom, and his classmates invariably lowered their heads.

“Yo, student number 10!”

“WAH!”

There was a boy seated in the middle of the 3 rd row from the front, and he suddenly got to his feet.

“What do you want to do?”

“Er-erm, dango...?”

“A dango shop, huh? Write it down, Hanasato.”

“Y-yes!”

“Student number 23! What about you!?”

“Hii! Erm, s-sh-sh-shaved ice!”

“Okay, next! Student number 15!”

“Arrghh!!!!”

Whenever Koremitsu called out the student numbers with that terrifying voice, shrieked of agony echoed throughout the classroom. Koremitsu looked around, and the voices would hastily answer 'haunted house' or 'butler cafe', trying their best to escape from Koremitsu's glares as soon as possible.

“W-w-wait a sec! I-I-I'm still writing! Eh, erm!”

A panicking Michiru's writing speed could not keep up with Koremitsu.

“It's a Yukata cafe.”

Koremitsu snatched the chalk, and scribbled a few words on the blackboard.

Michiru widened her mouth in astonishment as she looked up, and the classmates watched Koremitsu's abnormally pretty words in unison with amazement.

Hikaru beamed.

“Now then, that should be enough. Let's vote on this.”

Koremitsu slammed his hand on the blackboard, hollering.

And it was 5 minutes before the homeroom meeting ended when they decided the exhibit Koremitsu's class was to showcase, 'Supernatural! Home of the vengeful spirit!'

“You're amazing, Mr. Akagi! That quick action was really amazing! You really are a capable delinquent, Mr. Akagi! Always hiding your talents!”

“...You don't intend to change the delinquent part, do you?”

It was lunch break, and Koremitsu, having passed the first obstacle, was overwhelmed with fatigue as he laid prone on the chair. Right in front of him was Michiru, exclaiming that he was amazing over and over again.

Hikaru too seemed delighted,

“That really was cool, Koremitsu. The way you called out everyone by their student numbers without any room for rejection feels like a ruthless, demonic sergeant, it was mesmerizing. The 'Yukata Cafe' you wrote on the blackboard too caused everyone to widen their eyes and marvel. It really is wonderful and cool that a 'Yukata Cafe' has so many strokes in them; I suppose there is not much effect if it had been a 'Maid Cafe' instead. Even the heavens' luck is on your side.”

And Hikaru patted Koremitsu on the back as he said this, but even so, his hand was merely sinking into the latter's body.

Blushing, Michiru looked up at Koremitsu.

“Speaking of which, when did you begin to investigate the exhibits of the other classes, Mr. Akagi?”

“It wasn't me.”

Honoka looked extremely despondent as she tapped at the keys. She could hear the conversation between them, but she continued to ignore them. Concerned about Honoka's actions, Koremitsu curtly mentioned,

“That wasn't done by me. Some kind person put it in my table.”

“Eh, y-you don't have to be so humble, Mr. Akagi”

It seemed Michiru did not know how to respond to some special person actually being kind to Koremitsu.

Koremitsu pouted, glancing aside at Honoka.

(Did...Shikibu do it after all?)

After that, the envelopes with little bird pictures on them continued to be sent to Koremitsu's table drawer.

There was all kinds of information, containing the schedule until the closing ceremony of the culture festival, the list of request forms the student council received, the information with regards to monsters, how to assemble mazes,shopping lists, and even a list of cheap shopping outlets.

“Amazing. You really know everything, Mr. Akagi.”

Whenever Michiru blushed and looked impressed with Koremitsu, the latter would curtly deny it, and look towards Honoka.

“This isn't done by me.”

Honoka continued to scowl and tap at the messages. Michiru however was further convinced that Koremitsu was bashful.

“Erm..yes, I understand how you feel.'

And after seeing her nod away shyly, Koremitsu felt that he could not get through to her.

(I really didn't do it though.)

It was after school, and Koremitsu complained to Hikaru in the empty classroom as sunset shone in.

envelops “Right now, it appears that Miss Hanasato will probably clap and say something 'Sorry about that, Mr. Akagi. I shall arrange the table' if you are to flip the table and cause a ruckus.”

“Don't mention it...can the guy sending the messages hurry up and tell me who he is? Why's the only thing drawn a bird?”

Koremitsu felt that he was being taunted, and felt extremely jumpy, unable to calm down. While he continued to complain with an increasingly sharp glare, Hikaru calmly mentioned,

“Was there not an additional line added recently?”

“Ugh, I really don't understand what you mean.”

Koremitsu curled his lips,

“Rainy night.”

That was the first line attached to the side of the little bird.

“Hey, what does the rainy night mean? It's sunny today and yesterday.”

“Hm, a handle name?”

It was after school when Koremitsu and Hikaru had such a conversation, and there was another envelope with a little bird on it, with the words “The encounter with a friend on it.”

“You sure that's a handle name?”

“Eh, perhaps it is a code name. Like a treasure appearing on a rainy day, when friends meet.”

“This isn't some fantasy story! Be serious!”

The next envelope that was sent had the words “Unfinished Journey on it.” , followed by “Rainy night.” and “Jade Piercing Moon.” ...the recent one was “Meeting the little sister.”

“All these do contain elegant words, but what are they trying to convey to us?”

Hikaru placed his hand under his chin, pondering.

“The only thing that hasn't changed is the picture of the bird.”

“Ah, I see.”

“What!”

“Koremitsu, did you help a hurt bird before? That bird may be repaying you for your kindness.”

“Did I!?”

Koremitsu yelled while raising his eyebrows, and Hikaru cackled away mischievously.

“I am merely joking. Surely it is a girl who likes you wanting to help you, Koremitsu. For example, there is that feisty, worrisome girl who is like a Heliotrope.”

Hikaru gave Koremitsu a wink, causing the latter to blush.

Did Hikaru too think it was Honoka?

(I guess...Shikibu's the only strange one who'll help me out...if it's Shikibu, she can just stuff the envelope easily into the next table...)

Koremitsu inadvertently reminiscence the itch had he first had. Hikaru beside him was dyed red, his eyes melancholic as he whispered,

“Speaking of which, when I was shunned by the girls in my class, I was helped by this Little White Flower.”

“Little White Flower?”

While Koremitsu was wondering if Hikaru was going to narrate his history as a popular boy again, the latter recounted with his richly sweet voice.

“There was a Cupid statue in the backyard of the Middle School Campus, and it was said that couples could be together forever as long as they made an oath in front of it. During the culture festival in my 3 rd grade, I made flower rings for 5 girls, and swore oaths of love with them.”

“Huh? 5?”

“Yes.”

“Why did you make oaths with 5 girls at once!? Didn't you say you spent time with 5 girls on the culture festival too!?”

“But you see, is the culture festival and sports festival not a time when emotions get tempest, and do they not wish to confess? With girls asking me out saying, 'I have something to say to you in front of the Cupid Statue. Please come', do I not have to fulfill the promise?”

(THIS GUY~~~~~~~~~~~~~!!!!!!!)

Surely it would not be a strange sight for Hikaru, who dated 7 girls on Christmas Eve, to receive confessions from 5 girls in a day. Koremitsu however never expected that the boy would actually agree to them.

(This guy's a harem prince since you. A really annoying brat!)

“I do remember back then, it was the season when the Cosmos and Dianthus flowers were in bloom. I plucked them, tied the stems into a circle and formed a ring. I then gently raised the hand of the girl, and slotted the ring into her finger, telling her 'I do love you too, Erina'.”

“...So, starting from Erina, you received confessions from Yumi, Misaki, Sayaka or something like every hour?”

“Yes, that certainly seemed like it.”

“Stop admitting that with a smile!!!”

Koremitsu yelled, and Hikaru got dejected,

“Everyone was really happy. However, the fact that I gave rings to 5 girls was quickly revealed.”

The girls, absolutely elated thinking that they were the only ones who made promises of love with Hikaru, were naturally furious. They then complained to the other girls, saying Hikaru was 'terrible'. As a result, Hikaru was isolated from not only the boys, but also the girls too.

“That truly was a tragedy. Before then, I had assumed that the girls would surely stand by me no matter what happened.”

“That's just what you deserved.”

Koremitsu concluded with a harsh face.

“But on those days of suffering, there was someone encouraging me every day, even returning me my stolen recorder and drawing instruments.”

Hikaru narrowed his eyes, his expression showing life again.

“Someone actually helped you? That's a strange one.”

It appeared Hikaru paid no heed to Koremitsu's spiteful words as a sweet smile appeared on his face.

“That person would always fold papers into a flower of 5 petals and slip the into my drawer or shoe locker. That was when I placed a letter with the words 'To Little White Flower' in it. It was soon taken away. During the 3 days before I was forgiven by the other girls, I had a dreamy conversation with that person...”

“They forgave you after 3 days!? Those girls are too soft-hearted.”

“It seemed they could not handle ignoring me for so longer. After that, there was a promise made during the class meeting that Lord Hikaru belongs to everyone, and that taking a head start was forbidden.”

“Are you serious!?”

Koremitsu lost all strange to retort as he shrugged. Hikaru beside him however spoke with a sickeningly sweet expression.

“I wrote down 'can you be my flower', and the reply I had from Little white Flower was 'Okay'. That became our final conversation however...ever since then, the messages with the white 5-petaled flower never appeared in my shoe locker again.”

The angelic lips betrayed a sweet, tender smile. Surely, if any girl was to see it, they would be utterly mesmerized.

But Koremitsu maintained a bitter look, saying,

“Hey, are you asking me to find out who made that promise with you?”

“I will not.”

This time, Hikaru smiled so innocently.

“A love where we cannot meet is wonderful too. There is the memory of prettier, fragrant flower, and one will be wondering without being hindered what kind of person she was? Is it a face of a Galanthus popping out from the snow, the poignant White Camellia blooming in the winter cold, or is it the pure white Acacia that scatters its petals in the beginning of summer?”

How much does this guy love flowers and women? Koremitsu was flabbergasted, and turned to the seat beside him.

It was empty...but his mind recalled the profile of Honoka staring at the cellphone screen seriously, sliding her fingers up and down, and his heart ached again.

(Damn it. If you're the 'bird', let me thank you at least.)

The following day, Koremisu decided to question Honoka. His heart had been giddy all this while, unbearable.

“Shikibu.”

Once break time came, Koremitsu got up from her seat and spoke to Honoka.

“Ah, Sayuki.”

However, Honoka got up earlier, and quickly shook off Koremitsu as she head off towards another classmate.

“I can go for the group date later.”

“Great! There'll be more guys joining if you're joining, Honoa.”

“Do I invite Hori? She just broke up with her boyfriend, and is looking for a new one okay.”

“Okay.”

“Horriii!! After school!!”

Honoka was surrounded by a lot of girls, and Koremitsu felt like a dog barking away.

It had been like this unlike school ended. Once homeroom ended, the girls would surround Honoka, enthusiastically leaving the classroom.

And Koremitsu could only place at hand on his face, watching her leave.

“Is the bird really Shikibu?”

Koremitsu had such a doubt upon seeing Honoka's attitude, asking with a dejected voice.

“Hm...”

Hikaru too weakly muttered,

(Argh, I don't care about Shikibu now.)

“M-M-Mr. Akagi!? Why are you angry!? Did I do something wrong!? I'm sorry!”

It was after school.

Koremitsu and Michiru were alone in the classroom, and they were seated at the same table, facing each other, going over the details of the haunted house. Michiru was pale, shivering.

“I'm not angry. I'm just born with this brooding face.”

In fact, Koremitsu was fuming because Honoka had been ignoring him. It was peeving that Honoka was chatting with other girls, but what infuriated him further was that he could only watch her and grovel about.

(Shikibu's not my personal consultant, and she's not the one who's in-charge of helping me. She has her own relationships with other people. For some reason, whenever I feel troubled, I just expect Shikibu's encouragement and help to come.)

That was supposed to be the case, he was furious that Honoka merely ignored him and went on a group date with other girls. Even if he was shameless, there had to be a limit to it.

(Hikaru did say that Shikibu's a pretty girl, has a nice figure, and will take care of others. She's popular amongst the guys and girls. All the incidents I had with her were just unique situations.)

Koremitsu tried to convince himself, but his face tensed when he saw Honoka frolicking around with others with her back facing him, and he gritted his teeth.

(I'm really close-minded.)

He was apologetic for scaring Michiru too.

“Sorry.”

Koremitsu placed his hands on the table, lowering his head to apologize.

He would feel uneasy whenever he was apologizing, or apologized to. Ever since he got over the memory of his mother leaving house however, he did not feel so constrained and suffocated apologizing to others.

He had to apologize for those he had to. Only then was he able to convey his feelings to the other party.

“...Mr. Akagi.”

Michiru's eyes widened. Also, she flailed her hands.

“I-it's fine. You're not angry here, Mr. Akagi. Eheheh, thank goodness. Really.”

She smiled.

It was not a radiant smile at all. However, it was a plain, refreshing smile, and Koremitsu heart fluttered.

“Miss Hanasato's smile really is amazing, is it not?”

Hikaru muttered, and Koremitsu nodded.

(Y-yeah.)

She beamed away, apparently wanting to cheer on Koremitsu with all her might,

“This is the cast for the monsters. We got the materials here, and we submitted the request form to the student council. All that is left is the maze and the construction of the clothes. It really is going to be successfull thanks to you, Mr. Akagi.”

(Successful, huh?)

Koremitsu inadvertently began to suspect.

(It's true that we didn't get into any trouble, and things are proceeding as planned on the schedule...is the preparation work for a school festival really like this? Isn't this more like more people working together, everything all bustling?)

Leaving aside the ghost Hikaru, Michiru and Koremitsu were the only ones in the classroom. All the details till this point were handled and prepared by the duo.

The classmates too had the attitude of leaving things to Koremitsu, but it was not because they trusted him, but that they were shying away from him, not wanting to get involved with him...

“A culture festival...should involve the entire class, right?”

Koremitsu grumbled softly, “eh?” and Michiru called out in surprise,

“Isn't it just you and me taking part, Hanasato? Don't you find it strange?”

He asked with a serious face. Michiru however looked perturbed, fidgeting a while before saying,

“Eh, everyone has their own things to handle...it's common for such things to happen as a class rep, so it's not really strange, right? I'm used to doing things alone...”

Michiru had her head lowered as she cautiously narrated, yet to Koremitsu, she looked so forlorn, and it caused his heart to be ostensibly stabbed.

(Speaking of which, isn't there something strange between this girl and Shikibu? Shikibu's been hanging out with other girls, and this girl's always alone. She's even coming to me to have lunch together...)

And Koremitsu's group was isolated from the girls in the class.

(Is it because this girl's shunned for being with me? Unlike Shikibu who has many friends, this girl's like me, not really the kind to handle other human relationships.)

As he wondered about these probable things, Koremitsu's head froze.

“Hanasato, you don't have to accompany me all the time. Don't you have your own stuff too? You...got to patch things up with Shikibu too.”

Perhaps it was Koremitsu just worrying too much, for he did not have the right to talk about it, him being shunned by Honoka himself.

Michiru looked increasingly perplexed, and she lowered her head for a while, whispering,

“...Mr. Akagi...is there something...from the bird envelope?”

“Eh? Y-yeah.”

Koremitsu had assumed Michiru would be using it as excuse to hide the awkwardness caused by him, but it seemed that was not the case.

And while Koremitsu remained perplexed over the sudden change in topic, Michiru continued,

“Why didn't she just admit it?”

Michiru looked ready to break into tears.

“It's despicable...to remain anonymous.”

Perhaps Michiru too did assume that Honoka was the sender behind all these messages. Koremitsu remained silent as he watched Michiru lower her head and frown, her lips quivering, looking tragic.

Hikaru too stared at Michiru with melancholy.

What can I say here? The moment Koremitsu was about to say something, Michiru lifted her head, wanting to pass it off with a laugh.

“Aha...ahaha, sorry for saying such strange things. Thank you for worrying about Hono and me, Mr. Akagi, but we aren't arguing. It isn't what you think...erm...anyway, it's fine. Instead of that, let's have some baked sweets.”

Michiru hurriedly took out a blue box from her bag, ostensibly remembering it.

“Erm, let's see...ahh! Mr Akagi, do you mind sitting here?”

Michiru suddenly became lively as she pulled the chair to the windowside.

“Huh? Can't I sit here?”

“It-it's brighter here.”

“There are a lot of particulars girls are concerned with, Koremitsu. Especially when they are giving others their home-made snacks.”

Hikaru cheerfully noted.

(What's that about?)

Was there any particular etiquette in eating by the windowside? Koremitsu could not understand at all.

However, Michiru, seated by the windowside, was staring back with puppy eyes, and Koremitsu could only stand up, get over, and sit down on the chair.

“Is this good enough?”

Michiru's face was completely flushed, and she nodded.

(Speaking of which, the sun's too bright here. It's too direct and hot here!)

This light was not only dazzling, it was baking Koremitsu's head. However, Michiru looked completely flushed, her face like the setting sun as she said,

“It-it's better to button up that one, I think.”

And to satisfy Michiru's wish, Koremitsu buttoned up the first button, which he normally would never do.

“P-please straighten your back too...”

And he subconsciously straightened his back too.

“And.”

“There's still more!?'

Koremitsu raised his voice, half-scaring her,

“P-please be gentler in the way you speaking...”

“Ugh.”

Koremitsu shut his mouth, and Michiru's eyes looked mesmerized.

“A dreamy Miss Hanasato really is cool. Right now, you surely must be a prince to her.” Hikaru teased.

“Hey, Koremitsu. Your back is arched again. You are a prince now; how can you not arch your back? Ahh, don't raise your leg. Put your legs down.”

(Who's the prince?)

Koremitsu resisted the urge to raise his eyebrows and lash out.

Michiru looked absolutely elated. There was a lot of trouble caused for her for this culture festival and thus, he decided to play along with her 'etiquette' for the time being.

(But it's still so bright. It's so hot. My throat's so dry, it's crying.)

Michiru looked completely blissful as she looked up at Koremitsu, and she opened the blue box, handing it to him,

“P-please have some, Mr. Akagi.”

The pastel colored macarons were neatly arranged in the box.

Koremitsu, weak against sweets, hesitated, but Michiru's eyes were filled with expectations. Hikaru cheered on from the side “do you best, prince.”

“O-okay.”

And Koremitsu reached his hand out.

Trying his best not to feel the smell of the yellow macaron, Koremitsu held his breath. It was crushed the instant it touched Koremitsu's teeth, and something sticky was stuck on his tongue.

(Ugh, it's sweet...)

The sickeningly sweet fluid spread in Koremitsu's mouth, and he felt his mind slammed hard by a hammer.

“H-how is it?”

“Ah...uu, it's very sweet, on the outside, and the inside too.”

It seemed Michiru deemed Koremitsu's words as a praise as her cheeks became increasingly illuminated.

“It's honey macarons. There's honey added on the outside too.”

“Wow. This really looks good. I want to try some too."

(You damned ghost! I really want to stuff this entire box into your mouth.)

“Mr. Akagi! There's still a lot! Please have some more!”

(What!?)

A single macaron alone caused Koremitsu much numbing damage, so the thought of finishing up everything in the box caused Koremitsu to be so despondent.

“I really don't eat a lot of sweets here...”

Koremitsu instead tried another way of hinting to Michiru that he could not take sweets.

“Eh?”

But Michiru lowered her eyes, looking ready to break into tears. This caused Koremitsu to feel like he was bullying a small animal.

“Uggh, I'll have another one then.”

And Koremitsu stuffed another orange piece into his mouth.

It was so sweet his teeth were melting.

“You really are a prince, Koremitsu.”

Hikaru changed into a frilly costume of the middle ages as he floated leisurely above Koremitsu, taunting Koremitsu enough to unleash some murderous intent. At the same time, Michiru pushed the box towards Koremitsu,

“This orange one is a combination of Acacia honey and White Chocolate.”

At that moment, Koremitsu shivered.

He snatched the box from Michiru's hands, and got up.

“It's really nice! Let's share it with everyone! Senpai wants me to show up at the Dance club! I'll end up rising to heaven if I'm to eat all these alone!”

—If it is what you wish... the little forlorn emotion Michiru showed caused Koremitsu to feel guilty as he arrived at the Japanese Dance Club, only to be surprised finding Aoi there.

“H-hello there, Mr. Akagi.”

Aoi nodded, her fingertips resting against the tatami. Her cheeks were dyed red, her long, black hair draped on the shoulders, wrapped around her slender body. As a princess, surely this was an etiquette she was trained to do since young, but unlike Tsuyako's alluring, pretty actions, Aoi's actions were overflowing with cuteness.

“Miss Aoi wishes to help up in our shop during the culture festival.”

“Wha—”

He let out a startled voice, and Hikaru too widened his eyes.

“Hey! Senpai! Isn't the exhibit for the Dance Club that—!?”

“A juice stand of Nurses! Was that not because you chose it, Mr. Akagi!”

There was an elegance filling the room as Tsuyako said those words.

“Isn't that because you just flipped the papers around and asked me to choose one!? It's not like I like nurses!”

“Of course. You really had a hard choice choosing, Mr. Akagi, whether it is the miko outfit or the Cheongsam.”

“I didn't!”

And Aoi was blushing as she heard the volleys between Koremitsu and Tsuyako.

Koremitsu then anxiously leaned towards Aoi.

“You just mentioned that theme, senpai! I'm not a sucker for nurses!”

“E-ehhh”

Aoi's face got increasingly red, and she fidgeted.

“Anyway, Aoi, are you serious? You have to wear nurse uniforms that day, you know?”

“Y-yes, I did hear about that. Miss Tsuyako did show me information about the clothing. That's...a-acceptable, I guess...”

“It is!?”

“Yes.”

While he expected Hikaru to actually stop her,

“Miss Aoi in a nurse uniform will be really cute. A white angel~!”

Contrasting his expectations, Hikaru was marvelling away.

And at this moment, a cheerful voice rang,

“Coming through! Hiina Oumi of the news club is here!”

A petite, busty girl with a short haircut appeared, filled with enthusiasm.

“Oumi!? Don't tell me you're going to be wearing a nurse uniform too!?”

Hiina's breasts and meaty thighs were already so big, wearing the uniform alone would have greatly emphasized them. If she was to wear a nurse uniform, surely there would be trouble.

And in a teasing manner, Hiina looked up from below Koremitsu.

“Uh huh? Are you looking forward to me in a nurse uniform, Mr. Akagi! I'm here to get materials for a special scoop before the culture festival begins, but if you request for it, I'll be okay with a doctor's play!”

“Wow, Koremitsu! Hurry up and ask her! I really want to see Miss Oumi in a nurse uniform!”

And Hikaru was pleading with such zest.

(You, shut up already!)

“Of course, you can choose between a Cheongsam or a black suit.”

Hiina said as she leaned her chest over, her shirt unbuttoned down to the second. Her actions were so different from the wise self when there was the commotion about Sora's pregnancy, so Koremitsu was left perturbed. Though he believed her flaunting appearance defied the down-to-earth personality within, he still could not accept her alluring him with everyone looking.

“Don't do this.”

Koremitsu pushed Hiina aside gently.

“That is right. Th-that is shameless.”

And Aoi, seated on the tatami as she knelt down, said so unhappily. Her face was flushed red, and she lowered it.

“Oh my, are you jealous, Your Highness Aoi?”

“!”

Aoi's face got increasingly red. Tsuyako too continued to strike the iron while it was hot.

“Yes, Miss Aoi is a vat of jealousy. Whenever I was with Hikaru, Miss Aoi would glare at me with her cheeks puffed. She really is innocent and cute, and I really wanted to make her more jealous than before.”

“I-I am not...a vat of jealousy.”

“Enough already, all of you!”

Once Koremitsu let out this violent roar, Tsuyako chortled.

“Sorry. I am afraid of making Miss Aoi hate me more. I shall be more careful.”

“I'll focus on getting material then.”

Hiina too nonchalantly mentioned this.

“You have to promote this well and lure the customers.”

“Ah, in that case, please give me some photos. Surely there'll be a long line of customers if there's a photo of the Moon Matriach in a nurse uniform.”

“Ah, but if all of it is seen from the beginning, there's no fun in that. I shall only reveal a little here and give the customers some expectations.”

“I see. How about I publish news of the nurse uniform, and that the Moon Matriach will be wearing it on that day?”

“That is fine.”

Tsuyako and Hiina seemed to have caught on the same wavelength as they enjoyed themselves.

And Aoi cringed back shyly, turning her face towards Koremitsu. Once their eyes met, she frantically lowered her head again.

As a result of that, Koremitsu felt his heart race, and he lowered his voice, asking,

“Are you seriously going to help out at the Japanese Dance Club stall?”

“Will I cause trouble?”

“No. Senpai's been complaining about a lack of people.”

“Mr. Akagi...”

“Eh.”

“No, it is nothing. I...I just want to help.”

“I-Is that so.”

Hikaru too watched Aoi and Koremitsu slightly from the side. This caused Koremitsu much anxiety, his heart tingling.

Suddenly, he realized he forgot about Michiru, and immediately turned back.

(Damn it!)

Michiru was holding her bag, squatted quietly on the tatami, her head lowered. That lonely, forlorn look caused Koremitsu much heartbreak within. He understood that while most would be cheerful and cause a ruckus, she would be unable to join in, and was unable to endure this loneliness.

(I pulled you here, and I left you aside. Sorry about that, Hanasato.)

Koremitsu hastily raised his voice, saying,

“Ah, Hanasato made some sweets, called macarons or something.”

“I , myself, like macarons.”

“Macarons are like a field of flowers in a childhood world. Let me have a look, Miss Hanasato. My, how cute. Nicely made.”

Hiina and Tsuyako immediately squealed with joy upon seeing Michiru's macarons.

Aoi looked conflicted, but she too whispered,

“...How cute.”

It seemed that the vibrant colored sweets, no different from poison to Koremitsu, was a magical-like food that would render girls flabbergasted. The trio grabbed the orange and pink macarons, popping them into their mouths.

“How delicious, Miss Hanasato. Is this honey? It really is wonderful.”

“Ah, so sweet, so wonderful.”

“It really is delicious...erm, do you mind telling me the recipe for this orange one with white chocolate?”

Things suddenly got lively around Michiru.

And her expression too brightened slowly, before she answered flusteredly,

“Ah-erm, that recipe is...”

“Miss Hanasato's macarons really are delicious. Your method of eating really was too intense, Koremitsu. I thought it would merely look good outside, and filled with sugar blocks inside. It really is great to have everyone taste it.”

Hikaru chimed in cheerfully.

Koremitsu too felt relieved seeing Michiru look over at him in such a worrisome, yet cheerful look.

And the box of macarons was soon empty.

“I'll follow you for material during the culture festival then, Mr. Akagi.”

Hiina said this before she left the club room.

“I ate a lot. I have to practice to expend the calories.”

After hearing Tsuyako's words, Koremitsu's group too left the club room.

“I-I'll be headed this way.”

Once they got out of the school gates, Michiru bid farewell.”

“Okay. We'll start designing the maze for the haunted house tomorrow.”

“Thank you very much for your macarons, and for telling me the recipe too.”

Aoi politely bowed towards Michiru, and the latter frantically flailed her hands, saying,

“N-no need for that.”

She looked extremely bashful, her face flushed as she continued to bow back over and over again before she left.

October was beginning, and the sun was setting much earlier than before. Koremitsu and Aoi were walking side by side down the dim alley.

(Damn it...now we're alone together.)

Before summer vacation ended, Aoi gave up on taking the bus to school every day, and instead had her family chauffeur ferry her...that should have been the case, for she remained silent as she continued to walk silently and bashfully beside him.

With a tender look, Hikaru stared at Aoi.

“...”

(Got to find something to talk about. This is awkward...)

Koremitsu clumsily opened his mouth,

“Well, about today...I was really shocked. Didn't you hate senpai, Aoi? You decided to help out with the Dance Club though.”

Aoi too timidly answered,

“I still have some reservations...but I can understand Miss Tsuyako's charms that attracted even Hikaru...it will be too immature for me to have such reservations.”

Aoi cringed her shoulders and lowered her head, seemingly perplexed as she chimed.

It seemed she was really impressed by how Tsuyako was able to honestly provide a baby cot and diapers during the commotion that was Sora's pregnancy. Tsuyako's actions showed no jealousy towards a woman who bore Hikaru's child, and neither was she holding in any anguish. She was simply thrilled to see that Hikaru's child would be born.

Though it was a misunderstanding, Koremitsu was still relieved that Aoi could let go of her hatred towards Tsuyako.

And surely, Hikaru too would have been relieved about it.

“Also...I never was able to enjoy the school festival with Hikaru.”

Koremitsu inadvertently shivered, his heart seemingly shaken by something close.

Aoi, who had her face lowered all this time, showed haze in her eyes.

“Hikaru had so many vibrant people like Miss Tsuyako around him...and I could not be honest as a result.”

Why did Aoi choose this moment, of all times, to reminiscence about Hikaru with such a helpless look?

Koremitsu was again shaken by Aoi, and Hikaru beside him was watching her silently with a tragic face. The former's heart raced, and something buried deep within his heart seemed to have been stabbed through.

The sky gradually darkened, and a faint glint lit the roads. Their shadows were shown on the floor, except for Hikaru's.

However, Hikaru was present, his expression forlorn as he listened to Aoi's words.

“As Miss Tsuyako had said...I was often jealous like a child...that was why I was unable to convey my true thoughts to Hikaru...th-that is why...I wish to change. If I can have a happy culture festival this year...that was what I thought.”

While she looked ready to break into tears, Aoi turned around, saying,

“Sorry, I shall stop here.”

A black sedan silently arrived, and parked beside Aoi. Surely it had been tailing Koremitsu.

The chauffeur opened the door.

“Bye then, Mr. Akagi.”

With a soft voice, Aoi said, and her long black hair swayed as she vanished behind the door.

Soon after, the car Aoi rode on vanished at the end of the dim path.

Both Koremitsu and Hikaru watched the car leave silently.

After some itching silence, Hikaru sputtered, his eyes melancholic,

“...The culture festival. Back then, Miss Aoi, she merely glared at me. She would not approach me...whether it was in Middle School...or whenever I was alive. During the last culture festival she had in high school...whenever I called out 'Miss Aoi', she would blush and say 'I really hate you, Hikaru', and leave me...if back then, had I grabbed her hand, I wished I would have traveled around with her whether she puffed her face or remained furious or not.”

In stark contrast his melancholic face, Hikaru's voice was as tender as ever.

Even though it caused Koremitsu's heart to wince further.

Hikaru stared at Koremitsu, saying,

“If it had been you, Koremitsu, surely you would not have made her angry...”

“Why are you saying such things now?"

Koremitsu could not give a reply,

“If you really do love Miss Aoi, Koremitsu, you do not have to worry about me.”

—I shall inform you first. No matter the path you choose, Koremitsu, I shall continue to bless you, so that I have no problems leaving this Earth at any given time.

On that night, when Koremitsu held onto Aoi's hand, Hikaru said this with a transparent, tender yet forlorn smile. Back then, the smile showed on his lips, eyes and face.

—After 10 years, who will be standing by your side? No matter who stands beside you. No matter who stands beside Miss Aoi. I shall love both of you from the skies above.

An aching pain rose up Koremitsu's throat.

“Like I can do that! You idiot!”

And he began hollering in the middle of the road.

“Don't just say those words and be mentally prepared for such things! Get down, roll on the floor and start thinking! No, you may have thought of it yourself, but if you're going to conclude so decisively like a fine gentleman and speak with such a haughty attitude, won't that be misunderstood as you not liking Aoi instead! That's why Aoi's always saying 'I really hate Hikaru'!”

Yes. Koremitsu understood that Hikaru loved Aoi, and that since childhood, she had been the most important girl to him.

Despite her not being his beloved, if Hikaru did not fall into the river, and if he was still alive, Aoi surely would have become that. Aoi was Hikaru's future, his hope. Koremitsu understood all that, because they were friends!

And because of that, Hikaru should be act all mature. It was better for him to follow his nature, to be stubborn and say that Koremitsu should not do anything to Aoi.

“Why are you playing dumb for in front of me!?”

His mind sizzling, his throat parched, Koremitsu body was practically ready to explode.

Hikaru closed his lips, showing a despondent look as he listened to Koremitsu.

The dragged shadow on the ground too remained lonely.

Hikaru's body was so fleeting in the icy night breeze, so pretty, about to disappear at any given time.

He said,

“Koremitsu. A policeman is looking over here.”

“Eh?”

Koremitsu turned aside, and found a policeman on a bicycle, staring at Koremitsu like how one would look at a suspicious personnel.

“Ack.”

He cringed his neck, and strode forth. Hikaru too followed leisurely.

“It's because you said something strange, damn it.”

Koremitsu's face was flushed as he grumbled, his veins popping. Hikaru again kept quiet.

Surely, Hikaru had yet to completely give up on Aoi.

And because he knew that, Koremitsu felt so conflicted, so anguished within.

### 003. Chapter 3: What If I Had a Beloved Person

“So—everyone slacked off.”

It was the following day, after school.

They were in the classroom, the tables and chairs moved to the side to form space for work, and Koremitsu's fists and shoulders were trembling with rage.

“M-M-M-Mr. Akagi! D-do-do-don't be angry at them...c-calm down!”

Michiru was shivering as she pacified Koremitsu by the side.

Koremitsu did notify the entire class during the homeroom meeting that they were to build the parts for the haunted house, and requested those that could stay behind to do so. The classmates however slipped out of the classroom one by one, and both Koremitsu and Michiru were the only ones left in the classroom.

“What in the world are they doing!? Don't they have any enthusiasm!?”

As for Honoka, she went out of the classroom first while on the phone, saying, “Ah, homeroom's over now! Yes, I'll be there. Yeah yeah, I'm fine. Completely okay.”

There was an instance when Honoka passed by Koremitsu and met him in the eyes. She however gave him a fierce glance and left, while Koremitsu folded his arms, remaining silent.

(But there's this bird envelop here. I don't understand at all! Is she a tsundere!?)

He recalled the envelope he found after PE class for some reason, and there were words beside the bird drawing. Koremitsu's facial muscles became extremely stiff as a result.

“Devoted love.”

The moment he saw those words, he felt his heart tighten.

Hikaru did say that there was a soul in those words, so one would have to wonder what the intention of the sender was when sending this short line...

(What's Shikibu thinking...and how does she view me?)

He felt his heart wince in agony, and inadvertently gritted his teeth as he pieced together the words and Honoka.

(But right now, Shikibu isn't the one I should be thinking about. I have to think about how Hanasato and I have been the only ones working since yesterday. Hikaru's around, but he can't even pick up a stapler. He's completely useless.)

Hikaru himself was floating leisurely in the air, looking around the empty classroom, and said, “It really is terrible. You were too serious when you made the announcement during homeroom meeting; you should not have scowled with your eyes so red. Everyone else was scared of you.”

(!! I was born with this face!!)

“Let us do our best, Mr. Akagi! If it's the two of us, a haunted house maze can be done in jiffy!”

“Like hell it's possible!!”

He instinctively exploded, and then reflected on his actions.

(Throwing a tantrum at Hanasato isn't going to solve the problem.)

Koremitsu squatted down with his shoulders and head drooped, sinking into a short moment of self-loathing.

Michiru frantically added, stating some very naive words,

“I-it's fine! I've always been doing tasks for others, and I did a lot of chores during Middle School, so I really am good at woodcutting or sewing. When the uncle of the school faculty injured his waist, I helped him change the light bulb! If you're tired, I can do it all myself...’’

Koremitsu looked up, and found her sniffling like a little puppy.

—I'm used to doing things alone...

It seemed she said something similar the prior day, that everyone was so busy they could not help out, and as the class rep, she was already used to doing things like this.

“That's not it. This is a class exhibit. Including me, everyone should be involved.”

Koremitsu lifted his head as he said this seriously, and Michiru was shocked.

“You too. If you hate being a jobber for others, just say it out.”

And with a forlorn face, Michiru looked down at Koremitsu.

“Well...I do find your efforts amazing for being willing to do what others don't want to do because you're a class rep.”

And Koremitsu's words caused Michiru's face to be dyed a little pink.

He got up, and stretched his back.

“Okay, we can't just keep slacking around like this. Let's just work together today then. Let's see. We'll just stick some PVC glue on some cardboard boxes—”

“You really are kind, Mr. Akagi...”

Michiru beamed. Koremitsu was taken aback upon being told this, and his face sizzled.

“Ugh, don't say that.”

“Yes, you are very gentle. You surely would give up your seat if there was an old man on the train. You would have scared anyone if you tried talking to him like a normal person, so you deliberately chose to get up and head to another carriage.”

And even Hikaru chimed in. Surely that would have embarrassed him further, no?

“Mr. Akagi, I brought some honey jam waffles together. Let's do our best and eat them later.”

A shiver trickled through Koremitsu's entire body,

(We're going to eat those super sweet snacks!?)

In that case, if they were to continue working together, he would have to eat those sweets that would melt his teeth?

“Tch, I'll tie those slackers up and drag them here tomorrow.”

The next day, Koremitsu glared at each and every one of his classmates like one ready for a showdown, and declared,

“Hey! We're going to do the sets after class!”

“Eek!!”

“You dare slack, and I'll unleash some vengeful spirits on you guys!”

“Sp-spare us!”

“Enough yapping. Stay back after school!”

“Waahh!!!”

And whenever break time came, there would be shrieks coming from all over the classroom, as fear struck all the classmates.

“Will this not cause a reverse effect, Koremitsu? Be kinder when you ask them.”

Hikaru chimed in with skepticism.

“Damn it. I'll try that smiling attack.”

Yes. Koremitsu did show his smile towards the mother he had a feud with. Surely it would be a piece of cake showing it to his classmates.

Koremitsu raised his lips, smiling with much goodwill as he said,

“Make sure you come even if you die.”

“!”

“Huh, this guy just passed out...hey, pull yourself together!”

“Ah! Koremitsu! That was more of a 'weapon' than a smile! And something akin to a 'final weapon' to boot.”

Hikaru had his hand on his forehead.

“The delinquent's scary!!!”

“Is that the legendary smile of death that's 'scarier than a vengeful spirit'!?”

“I heard that those who saw his smile will have their souls sucked out!”

“I-I'll go to the toilet!”

“Me too!”

And the classmates scurried out of the classroom one after another.

During noon break, the only ones left in the classroom were Koremitsu, Michiru and Honoka, the latter merely staring at the cellphone screen.

“...”

The envelop with the bird drawing was yet to be delivered to Koremitsu's table on this day.

(I'll try asking Shikibu for help...try talking to her.)

Perhaps the reason why she stayed in the classroom was that she was hoping for Koremitsu to grovel and say 'please'.”

“Shi—”

But just when he was about to call out with skepticism.

“...”

Honoka quickly got to her feet and walked out of the classroom.

“Miss Shikibu...too walked away.”

Hikaru lamented.

“—Ugh.”

Koremitsu clenched his fists on the table, gritting his teeth hard.

(I never thought of relying on Shikibu. I never thought of including her.)

And while Koremitsu forced himself, Michiru watched him worriedly, her eyebrows lowered.

Is it going to be honey hell today again? Koremitsu had already given up. As expected, he and Michiru were the only ones left in the classroom after school.

(Why aren't things going well at all. I did my best asking them for help...is it really because I really look like a delinquent?)

Just when Koremitsu was feeling dejected, he too sensed some gloom from Michiru's face, and pretended to be nonchalant, saying,

“I'll try asking those guys in class tomorrow.”

“It'll...be the same tomorrow.”

Michiru lowered her stare, whispering,

“Even though you did so, you'll only feel dejected, Mr. Akagi...no matter how much you ask for help, you'll just be ignored, rejected...it's too pitiful, so sad...because I know all that.”

Her eyebrows continued to fall, and she looked ready to break into tears. Called the class rep since Middle School, surely Michiru would have many more experiences of the helplessness Koremitsu felt.

Back then, Koremitsu felt that Michiru was amazing for declaring that she wanted to be the number 1 class representative in Japan.

But even after changing the mental perspective, the painful events would never vanish completely.

“Th-that's why...I never intended to ask others from the beginning...and I thought it's better for me to work alone.”

“Then didn't you ask me for help and made me be some culture festival committee member or something?”

Back then, Michiru really was desperate when she lowered her head and pleaded him for help.

She lifted her head, showing a smile, and that forlorn smile caused Koremitsu's heart to jump.

“Because I know you will not refuse me, Mr. Akagi.”

The classroom seemed to become more tranquil than before. He could not see Hikaru, just standing face to face with Michiru. His heart was so cold, anguished, perturbed,

“E-erm...I think we're going to work on the parts for the culture festival, right?”

A timid looking boy appeared from the back door, one Koremitsu had some recognition of. Was that not the boy seated in the middle of the third row? The boy behind him too looked familiar, and though Koremitsu did not know the name, surely that was his classmate.

Behind them were a group of boys and girls, huddled up as they entered the classroom. One of them boys was shivering, supported by another two people. That was the one classmate who was given the 'Come even if you die' knockout from Koremitsu.

“Y-yeah. We're starting with the work now...sorta.”

Koremitsu stammered.

They looked like young boys and girls ready to be offered as human sacrifices, remaining tense and still.

“Surely it is because of your request that everyone is gathered together, Koremitsu. Thank goodness. Let us share the workload then.”

Hikaru drifted towards Koremitsu, earnestly happy for the latter.

Michiru herself stood blankly, and Koremitsu remained skeptical.

(Did everyone actually believe my words that any slackers will be haunted by a vengeful spirit?)

And all of them looked extremely terrible.

“Now then, let's start packing the tables and chairs.”

After saying that, everyone looked relieved, probably understanding what they had to do, and they entered the classroom to move the tables and chairs.

Michiru herself continued to stare at this scene with a blank face.

Ever since that day, there were no less than 10 people staying back after class to work, and the parts forming the haunted house were slowly forming shape.

All of them tried to avoid making eye contact with Koremitsu or say anything when working. Surely, the sight of that was akin to the laborers forced to work in the 'Cannery Boat'.

Though everyone did stay back, and Koremitsu was pleased that there was progress in the work, but...

(I guess...it's different from the 'Culture Festival' I imagined it to be...it's so dead, rather than gloomy...)

He felt conflicted within.

(Everyone's here because they're scared of me...though it's better than them not being here.)

And Honoka herself never participated in the work after school.

He could occasionally hear from the girls that Honoka was joining the volleyball and handball team as a part-timer for friendly matches. She was not only going to be a sales girl for the Japanese Dance club, but also a model for the photography club and help the shogi club pull in customers, so she was really busy. Perhaps she had no time to take part in the boring class exhibits.

(Stop thinking about Shikibu already.)

Koremitsu tried convincing himself, but the profile seated beside him, staring at the cellphone screen seriously, would always enter his sights. The messages from the bird continued to come, and his erratic thoughts continued to linger on.

The last time he actually had a proper conversation with Honoka was a few days before the culture festival, in the Japanese Dance Clubroom.

Once he was notified by Tsuyako to try some clothing, Koremitsu skipped the class work with Michiru, muttering 'why me too', and arrived at the Japanese Dance club.

“Woah!”

“!!”

Aoi and Honoka were blushing as they turned towards Koremitsu.

Aoi was dressed in a long, fluffy, one-piece dress with a white frilly apron over it. The long, black hair was tied up, and she had a nurse cap on her head, white tights and sandals on her legs. She really was cute.

Honoka herself was wearing a nurse cap, and she was dressed in a fitting miniskirt nurse uniform. That emphasized on her thin, long legs, very lewd.

“M-Mr. Akagi...”

“...!”

Both of them cringed bashfully, and Koremitsu's face and ears were sizzling, ostensibly having witnessed something he should not have.

Both Honoka and Aoi were the ones he really wanted to avoid at this moment.

Yet they suddenly appeared in front of him in nurse uniforms. Koremitsu did not know how to respond.

Ignoring Koremitsu's feelings completely, Hikaru marvelled above Koremitsu's head.

“Wow. Those really do suit Miss Aoi and Miss Shikibu! Miss Aoi is really cute, and Miss Shikibu really makes my heart flutter. Hey, Koremitsu, hurry and praise them.”

“P-praise them...!? That's a tall order for me!!”

“!! Isn't this a white coat?”

“Yes. A nurse's lover is a doctor after all.”

And saying that, she slotted a stethoscope around Koremitsu's neck.

“Hm, now you do look like an unlicensed, wild doctor with that on you. The wild aspect is amazing, but I suppose it is better to have you a little neater.”

“What's with the wild doctor!? Does something like that even exist?”

Tsuyako began to apply some hair dressing on Koremitsu's head, and combed his fringe forward with both hands. The side hair was combed back, and she then slipped a pair of fake glasses on his nose.

“Okay, it is done.”

“Woah, what happened to me?”

“You are really cool, Koremitsu!”

Hikaru's eyes sparkled as he chimed in enthusiastically.

““!””

Aoi and Honoka watched with bated breath, and their faces paled.

Tsuyako again chortled.

“Pfft, now you've become a terrorist disguised as a doctor, like you will use a surgical knife as a weapon.”

And then, she was rolling on the floor, laughing.

Koremitsu stormed to the mirror in the room, and exclaimed,

“WHAT IS THIS!?”

His red hair was combed all the way back, and the sadistic eyes were framed with glasses, the stethoscope hanging on his neck, and the white coat draped on him. He was glaring back at himself, his back arched. Truly, as Tsuyako did mention, he looked like a terrorist sneaking into a hospital rather than a doctor.

“It really fits you, Mr. Akagi. This is really amazing. My tummy hurts.”

“That's a lie! Stop laughing as you say that!”

“It really is. Is it not, Miss Shikibu, Miss Aoi?”

Honoka averted her eyes, and Aoi too fidgeted.

“...Isn't this good?”

“I-I too think, it is amazing.”

Both of them said with their teeny-weeny voices.

An awkward atmosphere froze the place again.

At this moment, Michiru appeared, dressed in the same clothing as Aoi, and upon seeing Koremitsu, she widened her eyes.

“Well, that is cute. I guess an antique style does fit you after all, Miss Hanasato.”

Tsuyako cheerfully stated, and Aoi too added on with a tense voice, “Yes, it does suit you.”

“You're cute there, Michiru.”

Honoka said clumsily, and after panicking a little, Michiru too answered back clumsily,

“Th-thanks...you're cool too, Honoka.”

However, both of them did not continue with this conversation as they averted their eyes.

Tsuyako squat on the tatami, stroking the hem of Michiru's skirt as she said,

“I suppose it is better to roll the skirt up a little. Do you mind helping to make some changes, Miss Shikibu?”

“I-I can do it myself in that case!”

Michiru said flusteredly.

“It is more convenient to make adjustments while wearing it. Miss Shikibu herself is good at sewing, and will finish it soon, no?”

Honoka gave a bitter look, but she knelt down in front of Michiru.

“Don't move, Michiru.”

And then, she began to sew Michiru's skirt.

Michiru lowered her stare, looking at Honoka with a frozen look. Honoka too looked extremely tense as she made one stitch after another.

(Shikibu and Hanasato haven't patch things up?)

Koremitsu was curious as to what happened between them.

(...What's Shikibu thinking?)

One had to wonder, what exactly was the reason why Honoka was so aloof to Michiru, and even to Koremitsu.

“Miss Shikibu really is well skilled in sewing. The salad she did for you was decent too, Koremitsu. Surely she will make a good bride.”

Hikaru said with tenderness.

Upon hearing Hikaru's words, Koremitsu recalled the incident in the summer when he returned home, and found Honoka suddenly standing in the corridor, welcoming him back.

—We-welcome back

He recalled the day when she stared at him with a blushing face.

He recalled the moment when his hand touched her when they were about to scatter the 7 spice powder on the tempura.

Back then, Koremitsu knew that Honoka preferred spicy food, like him.

And then, there was the moment when she was in Koremitsu's room, staring at him feebly.

—I-is it alright that...I find myself liking you?

Till this point, he had yet to convey his answer to Honoka.

He felt solace whenever he was with her, and joy whenever he conversed with her. He was elated that Honoka unexpectedly had similar tastes to him, and he would be dejected when Honoka ignored him. He felt terrible.

One had to wonder, what were those feelings?

She was the first one to interact with Koremitsu, so feared and shunned by others, but Koremitsu wondered how Honoka, who kept interacting with him thereafter, viewed him.

—I haven’t forgotten, Shikibu. About you saying you like me.

(I still haven't forgot.)

However, he still could not give her an answer.

Suddenly, he sensed Aoi staring at him uneasily, while he himself was looking at Honoka, and he felt a jolt inside.

He was so overly concerned with Honoka, his feelings for Aoi were also shaken all this time.

(Now I don't have a right to call Hikaru a playboy.)

While he was ostensibly wandering through a dim maze with no exit in sight, he could feel Michiru's hand pinching his white coat.

“Mr. Akagi...it's about time to head back to the classroom...we still have a lot more to do...”

Once he learned of this excuse to leave Honoka and Aoi, Koremitsu heaved a sigh of relief.

“Oh, okay.”

He nodded, feeling peeved at his own cowardice.

With a tragic look, Aoi watched Koremitsu and Michiru leave together. Honoka herself merely pouted her lips, scowling as she looked elsewhere.

His heart still yet to be at east, Koremitsu returned home, and handed a culture festival entrance ticket to Shioriko.

“Wow, thank you big brother!”

Shioriko was squealing about.

“Lapis, look, it's an entrance ticket! Amazing, isn't it?”

Even Lapis was look.

The cat merely puffed away, an leisurely bent her body, beginning to comb her fur.

'Thank goodness' or 'calm down already' or 'ah yes', what the purr meant, nobody had an idea.

Masakaze's shogi coach was going to participate in a tournament on the day of the culture festival, and Masakaze was going to give his support. Koharu was going to attend her friend's wedding, so neither could accompany Shioriko to the culture festival.

Koharu insisted that Shioriko, as an elementary schoolgirl, could not attend a high school festival alone. Masakaze was overly worried that there would be strange men wooing her, voicing his disapproval.

“I'll be fine going there alone.”

Shioriko insisted on going alone, but after realizing that Koharu and Masakaze would not budge, she proposed a compromise.

“In that case, I'll ask my classmate Yū and her dad to come along. Yū said that she had some tickets from her cousin, so she'll be going.”

“Okay, that'll do.”

“Got to hand it to you.”

And so, Masakaze and Koharu agreed.

“Can the culture festival come sooner?”

While Shioriko beamed innocent, Koremitsu felt a lot more relieved, yet he remained so gloomy.

“Big brother Koremitsu? Did something happen in school? You don't look very lively.”

Shioriko asked worriedly.

“It's nothing.”

And he patted Shioriko's tender black hair. The girl then puffed her cheeks, saying,

“Stop thinking of me as a kid! If there's anything you're sad about, you can tell Shiiko here! Shiiko will help eliminate big brother's enemies from society.”

“...Stop with that already.”

And Koremitsu curled his lips into a frown.

(Now even Shiiko's worried about me. I really got to buck up here. Got to do my best for the culture festival.)

“What's your class going to do, big brother?”

“A haunted house.”

“You're going to act as a ghoul?”

“Like I'm going to!”

While Shioriko clung onto Koremitsu cheerfully as they conversed without restraint, Hikaru watched over the blood siblings-like duo with his tender eyes.

Two days before the culture festival began, the maze of cardboard and glue was basically done. What was left was to assemble the parts before the opening ceremony.

The work after school ended early, and once the classmates left, Koremitsu looked around at all the cardboard walls leaning by the walls to dry, feeling gratified.

“Now that we're here...got to make it succeed.”

Koremitsu whispered to Michiru, who was looking at the same time from beside him.

“Really had you taking care of me all this while, Hanasato.”

And Michiru said so lifelessly,

“No...I didn't do anything.”

She replied,

“The one who helped you is the sender with the bird, I guess...”

He looked towards her, and found her lowering her head in a glum manner. He could not help but wonder what happened to her actually. With her head lowered, she continued to ask Koremitsu hesitantly,

“Mr. Akagi...do you have any plans for the culture festival?”

“Huh?”

As for his plans, it would be the class exhibits, the Dance Club's exhibit, and the special security branch Asai commissioned him with.

Michiru continued to clench her fists,

“I...don't have any. When I was in middle school, Hono's very busy because she's very popular, so she can't be with me, and I could only read in the library...but...I really want to be with someone I like, strolling in the stroll while holding hands, eating cotton candy, fishing water balloons, shooting toys at the gun shop, dancing a folk dance after the night festival...I really want those things lovers do...and thought that if I had a boyfriend, I'll do that...”

For some reason, Michiru merely stood blankly, stating her desires for the culture festival. Beside Koremitsu however, Hikaru was giving a 'this is bad' look, so the former understood that he was not in a good situation.

He did feel so uneasy before. Back then, his gut was aching, and cold sweat was trickling.

It was soon after the second semester started, and he was called up to the roof to talk about something. The sky was dark that day, the sun could not be seen, and he could only feel some humid air. Back then, Michiru lowered her head, asking him with a teeny-weeny voice.

—Mr. Akagi, who do you like? Hono or me?

Back then, he really did not understand why Michiru was asking this question. He felt his back chill, and he suffocated as she continued to stare at him with those moist, helpless eyes.

Surely, he could not compare this, and could not answer. That was what he said back then.

Then, Michiru stared back with a stare filled with more intent, asking,

—Then...do you like Hono?

By the time he realized it, Koremitsu current atmosphere was as tense as it was back then, so still he he could hear the erratic breathing from each other.

And Michiru lifted her head, starting at Koremitsu with a thoughtful look.

Hikaru too stared at Koremitsu and Michiru with such tension.

“Mr. Akagi, I...”

A soft voice entered Koremitsu's ears, numbing his mind. While he gasped for breath due to his anxiety, a nonchalant, uppity voice came from above.

“Mr. Koremitsu Akagi, please come to the student council office immediately.”

Asai's voice echoed from the speakers, breaking the tense atmosphere.

“You know the consequences if you delay any further. Come now.”

That uppity voice certainly knew how to command others as it prompted Koremitsu again.

“Sorry, gotta go.”

Michiru's eyes became despondent, and Koremitsu felt overwhelming guilt in his heart, but his feet were already headed for the door.

“Do you know what day is it today? Mr. Akagi.”

Once he opened the door to the student council office, Asai was glaring at him furiously,

“It is 2 days before the culture festival.”

And again coldly stated without waiting for his reply.

“Why do you not show up when others call you. Do you realize that you belong to the special security team?”

“Y-yeah...sorry.”

Michiru's teary eyes lingered in Koremitsu's mind, and he became a little startled. Asai frowned, “This really is strange.” muttering,

“I suppose there is quite an anomaly for you to actually apologize to me directly.”

“That’s not it, alright? Even I’ll apologize to anyone if I offend that person. I’m already extremely busy with the stuff in my class, and I admit that I forgot all about the special security group.”

"...I see. Well, I will not be commending you for that."

Asai coldly retorted,

“Well, it is a good thing to be able to reflect on yourself, if you do not repeat the same mistake over and over again.”

Saying that, Asai handed him a map of the school campus on the culture festival, a 'special security' armband, and the documents for the patrol time slots and locations he would be supervising.

“Memorize this map before the opening.”

“Hey, I got the Middle and Elementary School branches too? I can't do that in 2 days.”

“You are mainly in charge of the high school faculty floor, but it is better to memorize everything just in case. Do it, perfectly.”

Asai's direct words were like a chopper, not allowing any refusal.

“O-okay.”

Surely he would have to burn the midnight oil on this night. He however would feel peeved to have Asai deem him to be a useless fellow.

(I'll do this, perfectly.)

And with a business-like tone, Asai briefed him everything about the work that day, and all he was to pay particular heed to.

Since she would not allow him any time to take notes, surely that meant he would have to memorize with his mind, and that meant Asai did not want such incompetence where he could not remember such things.

In fact, Asai was briefing him without looking at her notes.

That was why Koremitsu stared at Asai intently, pricking his ears, remembering every single word she said.

“Both Koremitsu and Asa really are not willing to lose.”

There was Hikaru's sweet tone and chuckle from the side.

And after more than 30 minutes passed, Asai said unflinchingly,

“Have you noticed, Mr. Akagi?”

“What?”

“You and I are the only ones in this room.”

No, Hikaru's around too. The moment Koremitsu wanted to answer this however, he realized Asai would have been furious if he said that.

“Is that so?”

And so, he muttered. Asai stared at Koremitsu with her long, sharp eyes.

“I have finally found a chance to talk with you for real.”

Koremitsu was stunned by those words.

For some reason, he had a bad feeling about it...

“About Hikaru's 'beloved'.”

(It's about that after all.)

Koremitsu scowled, and Hikaru hid his smile.

(Saiga did mention about Hikaru's stepmom.)

Fujino was pregnant.

And Hikaru did say the child in the belly was not his.

Hikaru had always loved Fujino since young. A few years back, Fujino did have that cardinal sin with Hikaru back then, but later on, she kept rejecting his advances. That thus could not have been Hikaru's child.

(Saiga however thinks that it's Hikaru's child.)

The illegitimate child was growing day by day in the belly of Hikaru's most beloved. If it was to be born one day, even the strong-willed Asai would not have been able to calm down.

“That's not Hikaru's child.”

Koremitsu said earnestly, not evading Asai's stare.

“Hikaru himself said so, and I believe him.”

Asai frowned,

“Looking at the circumstances, I do not suppose Hikaru had the time to talk about this complicated event.”

“I can only try to make you believe me somewhat. Hikaru told me everything about him and his stepmom. Back in March, when his stepmom returned to her hometown, Hikaru could not hold back the pain in his heart, and went to the Mikados villa where his stepmom was to reunite with her. The stepmom told him that she didn't love him, and chased him away, thinking he's an eyesore. A dejected Hikaru went to the Church, got reunited with Sora, and so nothing happened between Hikaru and the stepmom. If back then, if Hikaru and the stepmom were really honest with each other, I suppose Hikaru wouldn't have been so dejected. Anyway, that's not Hikaru's kid.”

Koremitsu used his own method to think and convey what Hikaru confessed to him.

Hikaru loved Fujino, but the latter rejected him.

That would be the entire truth.

But after that, Hikaru's words and memories of the Golden Week in May was very ambiguous. Was the one who asked Hikaru out at night really Fujino?

Hikaru slipped and fell into the river Was the one who tried pulling Hikaru out from the river the same person; as for that, he did not know.

Also, relating to that, Koremitsu felt that there was something important Hikaru was still hiding.

And when he said this to Asai, Hikaru listened in dismay. The profile appearing in the eyes became gloomy, causing Hikaru to show a blank look.

With a heinous stare, Asai stared back at Koremitsu.

“It really does not fit with the current situation...but I shall believe what Hikaru confessed to you. This however does not determine who the father of the child is.”

Surely there was a strong hint of denial in Asai's voice.

“Only the mother knows who the father of the child is. It is not strange for Hikaru not to know.”

“So that means nothing happened between Hikaru and the Stepmom—”

Asai cut off Koremitsu, saying,

“On that night, after refusing Hikaru and chasing him away, she left the villa, and did not stay there. The servants were silenced, but the locals did say that she left the villa. Perhaps she did go after Hikaru.”

“Wha—”

Koremitsu inadvertently gasped.

Hikaru too widened his eyes, his body swaying. Perhaps he did not know either.

“And then, she and Hikaru—”

“Stop it, Asa!”

Hikaru exclaimed in hysteria.

“I spent the night with Sora that night. That person never loved me, and left me aside, never willing to betray my father. Please do not sully that person's name and slander her.”

Hikaru's lips were quivering, his eyes clearly flickering in anguish, and he looked ready to explode at any given moment as he kept begging. That yell was bellowing furiously at Kormeitsu's chest, stabbing it.

“Stop it already, Saiga!”

And Koremitsu bellowed in turn, causing Asai to be stunned, unable to talk.

“Please...stop it already. Stop slandering Hikaru's love. Hikaru...will be dejected.”

The painful undertone lingered in Koremitsu's words, and the stare too was filled with anguish.

Asai herself looked mortified as she stared at Koremitsu for a while, and then, she said with a stiff tone,

“Understood...I shall leave this topic aside until I obtain concrete information.”

Hikaru lowered his head, biting his lips. Surely he was still in agony.

Koremitsu too frowned hard, and lowered his head.

“Sorry...”

“...It really is strange hearing an apology from you.”

And he was responded with a conflicted voice.

“Speaking of which, it seems like Kazuaki knew that Aoi isn't Hikaru's favorite. I was worried if he would do anything to Sora, but Sora was fine. Maybe he's planning to do something to the stepmom...”

While Koremitsu expressed his doubts, Hikaru too began to worry.

“Kazuaki probably will not be able to do anything for the time being.”

Asai said.

“Why?”

“Fight fire with fire. I did something.”

There was a blade-like glint in Asai's thing eyes.

“I caused the people around Kazuaki's mother to set things such that she will be against her own son. She herself would be troubled that her supposedly obedient son tried to escape from her control, so it was not too difficult to do this. Kazuaki is an important piece to her, so she will not try to hurt him. The fact remains that they are our enemies.”

(Asa really is a scary woman to be able to talk about this so calm.)

Cold sweat began to appear on Koremitsu's face.

“Kazuaki is currently in England. On the surface, it may look like a short-term study trip; in fact, it is a convenient plan to avoid his mother's attacks.”

Hikaru too felt relieved, “Thank goodness.” heaving a little sigh of relief as he muttered.

(Well, things are much better off with that perverted bastard of a crossdresser not in Japan at the moment.)

Feeling relieved, Koremitsu praised Asai,

“Ohh! You're rather reliable, Asa.”

“...Of course.”

And Asai batted her eyelids, whispering as she looked aside.

At that moment, silence filled the time.

“...”

The pretty sidelong face was facing Koremitsu, and with a stoic tone, she said,

“I heard that Aoi...had been busy helping with the Japanese Dance Club.”

The ruptured relationship between Asai and Aoi during the summer vacation was not repaired, but there were signs of it.

Though Asai may act cold and aloof, she certainly was still worried about her close childhood friend Aoi.

Koremitsu never thought Asai would suddenly mention Aoi's name, and faltered. Even he was shocked by this.

“I-I didn't force her into helping out.”

His heart was pumping, his face sizzling.

(This is bad. My face seems red now.)

Whenever he heard Aoi's name, he would show such a reaction, a heavy symptom itself. Asai frowned, and stared at Koremitsu intently.

“That's, just something Aoi herself wanted...no, it's just that, even though she's not in the Japanese Dance Club. It's the same intent working part-time back then...Aoi just wanted to change herself...so, Aoi's...”

Koremitsu wanted to surmise matters, but his face kept sizzling, his words erratic. Hikaru, by the side, looked melancholic, and this caused Koremitsu much distress and confusion.

(Damn it, I'm reacting too much.)

Perhaps it was best for him not to say anything. Koremitsu chose to keep quiet.

Asai purused to the matter, asking,

“Mr. Akagi. Do you like Aoi?”

Blood rose into Koremitsu's head, and his body was searing. A fanatic black emotion gushed out, and Koremitsu yelled out, unable to hold it in,

“Aoi's the only one impossible for me!!”

### 004. Chapter 4: The Flowers Quietly Scatter

“Miss Aoi, do you mind heading over to Miss Asai and request her to stamp this application form?”

Upon hearing Tsuyako's request, Aoi's petite body shivered, not knowing what to do. Honoka in turn was packing her uniform for the culture festival, looking on.

“Eh...but.”

The lowered eyelashes covered her eyes, and she sealed her peach-colored lips, pondering seriously

“Mr. Akagi was just summoned by Miss Asai over the PA system. You must be feeling worried, right?”

Tsuyako said this, revealing an alluring smile.

Honoka too was taken aback, sensing that these words were said for her.

(I-I, won't be so worried about Akagi...I haven't been talking to him for quite a while, and I've been trying my best to avoid eye contact with him...)

But for some reason, whenever the image appeared in her mind, that of the red, ruffled, messy hair, the sharp eyes, the boy with his back arched, her heart would flutter in angst.

(Akagi...probably thinks I'm ignoring her...I kept clinging to him, causing him much trouble. While Akagi became a committee member of the culture festival, all busy over the culture festival, I slacked off and went back. He's definitely angry at me now...I feel like I'm no longer that reliable Heliotrope...)

—You're really a good person.

—It's great to have you around, Shikibu..

Surely those were not words to be spoken to a girl. He did not comprehend a girl's heart, merely jesting.

But even so, whenever she thought of how she was trusted by Koremitsu, her cheeks would inadvertently broil, and the more she thought of him, the more she would swirl around on the swivel chair.

(Even though we're classmates, I'm happy exchanging messages with Akagi, going to the pool with him.)

She could no longer converse with Koremitsu as she did before.

—You're lying, Hono. You really like Mr. Akagi, don't you?

It was after school, in the empty classroom, when Michiru went straight to the point, causing her heart to wince in bitterness.

She instinctively denied Michiru's words.

—Th-that's not true! Didn't I say so many times already that he and I are just classmates?

And with forlorn eyes, Michiru stared at Honoka, so impudent in defending herself. She then sputtered and shivered, saying,

—Then, please don't be so nice with Mr. Akagi in front of him. Don't tease him. Don't talk to Mr. Akagi with a red face. Don't worry over Mr. Akagi. If you don't like him...pl-please don't get in my way...

Michiru, who used to be tentative about aggravating others, and would never state obstinate matters no matter how maligned she felt, actually stated her thoughts clearly, not shunning from Honoka's eyes. The latter was completely crushed by Michiru.

—Okay...

And she nodded stiffly.

Michiru heaved a sigh of relief, and then, with a teary look, she turned her back on Honoka, departing alone.

Honoka was left alone, and pricking kept striking her chest, regret and guilt conflicted within her.

She was Michiru's friend, and yet she lied to the latter.

And till this point, she continued to maintain this lie.

Whereas Michiru actually conveyed her feelings to Honoka.

(It would have been fine if I said that I like Akagi back then, right?)

And while she continued to endure the ripping inside her heart, she continued to peek at Koremitsu and Michiru, the latter having recommended the former for the culture festival committee, the two of them working together to prepare the props during break or after school, and she reflected upon her actions.

Michiru was doing her best, trying to help Koremitsu; that should have been what Honoka should have been doing, yet even when Koremitsu came to talk to her, she would ignore him with a frozen face.

The expression Michiru showed Koremitsu was so honest, so full of vitality. When she saw Michiru present her homemade sweets to Koremitsu during the break, Koremitsu received them with a sour look, cautiously taking one bite after another. After he expressed his thanks in such a tentative manner, Michiru was beaming so brightly, so captivating; even a girl like Honoka felt this way, and surely to Koremitsu, she must have been very cute too. Koremitsu was beginning to realize Michiru's good points, and surely he would approach her. Thinking about this, she was a little peeved a Michiru, and more so at herself.

(And besides, the one Akagi has his eyes on—isn't Michiru...)

Her heart, and her entire body, was tense.

Aoi again lowered her head flusteredly.

Honoka heard of the awkward relationship between Aoi and the student council president Asai, hailed the Matriarch Asa. The talented woman, a close confidant of the Mikados, had been protecting over the pure, innocent girl called Her Highness Aoi. This was the relationship all the students in Heian Academy would know of, and yet there was some change in their relationship.

Both of them were invited to the fireworks event held by Tsuyako at the riverbank, but they deliberately shunned each other.

“Hey, Miss Aoi, is Mr. Akagi still at the student council office? I sent him a message asking me to come here for the timeslot allocation, but he has been completely ignoring me. Do you mind calling Mr. Akagi back here when you ask Miss Asai to stamp this document?”

Surely Tsuyako knew of some discongruence between Asai and Aoi, but she still tried getting Aoi to go to Asai, perhaps to mend the relationship between them. Tsuyako, looking so carefree, was probably a sentimental woman who cared for others.

Asai and Aoi both showed contempt at Tsuyako over the scandal involving Mikado Hikaru, and yet Tsuyako was trying her best to be the matchmaker. The same thing happened when she got Aoi to assist in the Japanese Dance Club exhibition, as she cheerfully spoke to Aoi, prudent in her choice of words, showing concern so as to not let the latter feel downhearted.

Surely it was Tsuyako's kind intentions to let Aoi handle Asai.

Aoi probably would understand this.

Surely however, it would be awkward for Aoi to head over. The sight of her lowering her head, sealing her lips tightly was really heartwrenching. Honoka herself did have an awkward conversation with Michiru, and the memory of it was inadvertently reflected on Aoi.

“Erm, can I go with you?”

Aoi widened her eyes at Honoka.

And Tsuyako giggled.

“Oh yes, I suppose it is better to have two people go drag Mr. Akagi from Miss Asa. Please do so, Miss Shikibu, Miss Aoi.”

“Okay, let's get going, Your Highness Aoi.”

“Eh-ehhh!?”

While Aoi let out a soft whisper, her shoulders raised apprehensively,

“Righto, we're going, Tsuyako-senpai!”

Honoka stood at the door, deliberately raising her voice.

“Be careful on the way, Miss Shikibu, Miss Aoi.”

Tsuyako's radiant, red lips too bloomed as she showed a cheerful smile.

And so, with Aoi beside her, Honoka walked down the corridor.

It was the eve of the culture festival, so the dismissal time was later than usual, and she could hear the buzz from the surrounding voices, and the ripping sounds of work.

While walking with her head lowered, Aoi whispered bashfully.

“Thank you for accompanying me. I may find it a little awkward going alone...thank you.”

The long black hair dangled down her shoulders, swaying with the breeze. Her petite body retreated, her cheeks slightly flushed, and she looked so prim, so proper, so fleeting, it was impossible to see that she was Honoka's upperclassman.

(Ahh, she's so cute...)

Honoka's heart too started to ache.

And then she sheltered those emotions, answering with her usual tone.

“No, I just wanted to come out and get some air.”

Aoi's expression became increasingly docile and demure, and she sealed her lips together, asking tentatively,

“Mr. Akagi has been busy preparing the class exhibition, has he not? I have yet to see him appear at the Dance Club...”

“Eh? Ah, yeah.”

Upon hearing Aoi inquire about Koremitsu, Honoka felt a stab through her heart.

Her mind immediately recalled the sight of Aoi and Koremitsu holding hands.

Once she learned from Aoi that at the cafe, Koremitsu inadvertently met his mother who left home, she really could not rein in her worry, and that night, she approached Koremitsu's house.

There was a woman she never met before, standing in front of Koremitsu. There was a boy beside the woman, holding her hand. In turn, Aoi grasped onto Koremitsu's hand while the latter remained teary.

At that moment, she felt that she lost.

Having witnessed that scene, Honoka had given up.

When Koremitsu's love, Yū Kanai, chose to head to Australia to live with her family, Honoka felt that she was not a part of Koremitsu's love, and yet she continued to fight on. She got conceited in thinking that she, not Yū, was the one woman closest to Koremitsu.

She tried conveying her feelings to him many times. Even though Koremitsu could never forget about Yū, he never shunned Honoka, and did go to the pool with her, telling her 'I haven't forgotten, Shikibu, about you saying you like me'. He even made a promise with her to respond to her feelings.

And so, she ended up liking him more.

And the hope grew in her heart.

Even though they were classmates on good terms with each other, surely Koremitsu would view Honoka as a woman and fall in love with her.

And yet the conceited fantasy vanished the instant she saw Aoi hold hands with Koremitsu.

The princess Aoi certainly did not match the gruff civilian Koremitsu.

They were polar opposites, yet with similar feelings, they bonded together firmly.

Honoka could not comprehend.

She was torn within.

(So Akagi has fallen for Her Highness Aoi...)

Surely she could not convey her intentions to Michiru for she knew that she had already given up.

So she silently nodded when Michiru warned her not to get in her way.

(What kind of a love expert am I? A reliable advisor for those girls who lost their way in love? I'm so foolish and timid, it's embarrassing.)

And as she continued to brood so incessantly, she felt the distance between them increasing.

Aoi lowered her head silently, perhaps because they were approaching Asai.

Or perhaps...

(She's thinking about Akagi, isn't she...?)

Once they reached the door, Aoi took a little breath, and was about to knock on the oor.

Only for a shrill voice to ring behind the door.

“Aoi's the only one impossible for me!!”

Koremitsu hollered at Asai, his throat ostensibly ripping out, and his head, mouth, ears and throat flaring.

He was blazing.

Asai had her arms folded in front of her, a scowl on her pretty face.

And Hikaru too watched Koremitsu agonisingly.

Agitated, Koremitsu knew that he would be in a tight spot, but he could not stop himself from lashing out.

When Michiru questioned him on the roof, asking if he did like Honoka, he immediately answered 'I do'.

He always felt Honoka was a good girl.

So when he was asked if he 'liked' her, he answered in affirmation without a single hesitation.

He blurted it out, gasping for breath.

But he certainly could not answer Asai's question.

Yes, definitely, even if he had to be interrogated or tortured! He could not day this even if his body was torn apart.

He could not think about it!

His body started to sear, his breathing discomforting, his eyes were bloodshot as his temples throbbed.

“Aoi's the most precious girl to Hikaru, and I can't ever like her in this aspect because of that!”

“I can't ever like her in this aspect because of that!”

Koremitsu's bellow echoed into the ears of Aoi and Honoka behind the door.

The roar, a wild beast's cry, shook the ears to numbness, and the heart ached slightly.

Aoi widened her eyes, her body shivering. Her serene, pure face was smeared with shock and despair, and her eyes grew increasingly moist. Her slender throat was choking silently, and the raised hand that was to knock on the door just remained there, lost.

Once that hand continued to clench like one hoping to latch a safety belt, Aoi chose not to knock on the door, instead turning to run away.

And Honoka frantically gave chase.

“Your Highness Aoi, please wait!”

With bated breath, she gave chase with all her might.

Aoi herself galloped and stumbled as she dashed down the corridor and scaled the stairs. The black glossy hair swayed behind her head.

“Your Highness Aoi, wait!”

Perhaps Aoi did not hear Honoka's voice; Surely she was stupefied to hear Koremitsu's comments.

She stumbled, and placed her hand on the wall, possibly due to having exhausted herself running down the corridor. She remained collapsed on the floor.

“Your Highness Aoi.”

Honoka hastily got over to her, and proceeded to kneel down as well. The moment she held those slender shoulders, the tears dripped from the round doll-like eyes, dampening the snowy cheeks.

“M-Mr. Akagi was being so kind with me...because I am Hikaru's fiancee.”

Aoi sobbed as she whispered.

And she placed her small hands under her mouth, clasping them together. She continued to shiver and speak out, unable to rein in her tears.

“I too...will probably never like Mr. Akagi ever.”

Honoka's body and heart throbbed.

(That isn't the case. Even—even if Akagi himself said this—)

She felt an itching in her throat, her chest compressed, and she was so suffocated, in such pain. She knew she would be left in a disadvantage, Honoka felt that she had to express these words.

How was she supposed to let Koremitsu's intent be ruined by those words?

“That isn't it...Akagi...! His feelings for you are...!”

“...Aoi...just Aoi...”

Koremitsu's voice became increasingly hoarse.

And while the rampant heat flowed throughout his body, the regret that struck him left him with remorse.

(Why am I yelling like an idiot here?)

Hikaru too looked on worriedly.

Asai was fuming, scowling, her face increasingly stoic as she watched this foolish man in front of him. This caused the latter to be increasingly anxious.

“...Sorry. I got a little agitated.”

He muttered.

“How many times have you been apologizing?”

Asai coldly noted.

“If you are going to keep apologizing, the value of it will decrease. That reckless, infuriating attitude of yours certainly fits you better.”

She was aloof in face, but perhaps she was encouraging him.

“I shall pretend that I did not hear your words then. In fact, I suppose I just heard a mad dog howling away, and I am not so sure what it was all about.”

“Saiga...”

“If you are intending to thank me, I suppose you can forget about it. I may feel worse off to be thanked by you.”

The vicious words were sweet as nectar to Koremitsu.

And thanks to her, Koremitsu managed to basically calm down.

Asai again turned her head aside.

“Mr. Akagi, do you understand why I placed you in the special security group?”

Upon being questioned this so suddenly, Koremitsu answered without hesitation.

“Because you hate me? You want to cause me trouble?”

Asai, who had disdain at Koremitsu, was actually shoving him work. Those two reasons were the only ones he could assume.

Asai was immediately left fuming, and scowled.

Was that the wrong answer?

“You are the only boy I allowed to call me Asa.”

“Yeah, you don't have any friends in the first place.”

“...That is not what I meant.”

Asai's lips pouted further, and she showed some displeasure in her eyes.

For some reason, she sighed.

“I still have a lot of documents to read through.. Since I have no time to continue chatting with you, please head out.”

She coldly retorted.

Once they exited to the corridor, Hikaru grimaced, saying,

“Koremitsu, has your obliviousness increased by 70% with regards to Asa?”

“Huh?”

“Well, do not mind about it. It does appear that you are able to get along with Asa there, but I suppose she might be feeling angsty within. This may be the first time for Asa...but it is said that first loves never work out...”

“What are you getting at!?”

“What I am saying is that anyone will feel anxious dealing with this for the first time, and panic, unable to do anything.”

“...I really don't get what you mean.”

Koremitsu kept his scowl, but he felt relieved within after seeing that Hikaru, in front of him, was able to talk with him.

(I'm not a brat here...I can't keep yelling away like this...)

Once he returned to the classroom, he found it quiet.

(Did Hanasato go to the Dance Club?)

Tsuyako said that they were to be allocated timeslots manning the beverage stand, so he was to head over as well.

Once he bent down to pick up the bag hanging by his table, he was taken aback.

There was someone lying down there.

It was Michiru!

With her hands clasped together on her chest, she was lying on the floor in her uniform, facing upwards, her eyes closed.

“Hey, Hanasato!”

Koremitsu hurriedly leaned forward.

“What is the matter, Miss Hanasato!?'

Hikaru too panicked as he yelled.

“Ah...Mr. Akagi.”

Michiru slowly opened her eyes.

She then closed her eyes again, looking very sleepy.

“So you returned.”

Her voice was a little slurred, perhaps because she was sleepy.

“Like that's the point here! Why are you sleeping on the floor!? You scared me into thinking you're a dead body here! Anyway, isn't the floor hard and cold!? If you really want to sleep, go to the Japanese Dance Clubroom. There's still some tatami there!”

Michiru widened her eyes, and looked down at Koremitsu while lying face up.

Her eyes again looked as forlorn as a forsaken puppy.

And then, both their faces were so close to each other's; upon realizing something was amiss with this position, Koremitsu suddenly got flustered.

“Anyway, g-get up for now.”

He turned aside, saying this gruffly, and heard Michiru's anguished voice.

“The flowers have scattered...”

He turned around, and found Michiru still lying down, looking at the ceiling in grief. However, they were not staring at the ceiling in particular, probably staring at something instead.

“Flowers? Will flowers bloom at this time?”

Hikaru looked stupefied.

And agony continued to flick in Michiru's eyes.

“You haven't realized...I guess...this can't be helped...if I'm to...just silently...wait for it all to scatter...nobody around them will notice...and they won't notice it scattering...it slowly piles up...and then it gets buried.”

Michiru did not seem to be sleeptalking here.

However, the eyes staring at the ceiling looked a little damp.

“Hey, what will happen to the scattered petals?”

“Won't they become fertilizer?”

Koremitsu asked.

“...Is that so?”

She weakly muttered.

“Did something happen?”

“...Nothing.”

“Then get up. Sorry to keep you waiting. I never thought that you'll be waiting for me.”

“It's nothing, just that I wanted to wait for you, that's all.”

“Hurry up and get up now.”

He held Michiru by the hand, and pulled her up.

Michiru sat upright, and stared at Koremitsu's hand that was grabbing hers.

“Mr. Akagi, your fingers...”

“Eh? Wh-what is it?”

Michiru wrapped both hands around Koremitsu's, and leaned her face over, using her own fingers to touch each of Koremitsu's, staring at them intently, and making him angsty.

“Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-what are you doing here!?”

Whenever Michiru's slender fingers touched Koremitsu's fingertips or the gaps between them, he would feel itchy.

And Hikaru, watching sidelong, widened his eyes.

“...They're rough.”

“Huh?”

“The fingers...are so hard and bony...and they're large...firm.”

Michiru's eyes again dampened. She lowered her eyebrows, looking anguished and forlorn as she stroked at one of Koremitsu's fingers, touching it, and bringing it to her lips.'

“!”

Koremitsu was taken aback, and his face and neck were completely beetroot.

Hikaru too inadvertently leaned forward.

“Ha-Ha-ha-Ha-Hanasato!!”

His tongue was a little numb to his commands.

He pulled his hand from Michiru's, and continued to shiver.

Speaking of which, if Tsuyako herself was to do this, he could understand, even though he would be a little startled.

It would not be strange for that upperclassman, so cheerful and flirtatious, to do such things.

However, Michiru was not this kind of person; to Koremitsu at least, she was Michiru Hanasato, the serious class representative.

“You overslept, right!? That's definitely it! Huh? You didn't sleep last night, did you?”

“...I always sleep 8 hours a day.”

“This amount of time isn't enough! You got to sleep 10 hours a day!”

“Eh...okay.”

“Go back and sleep now. It's the last day before the culture festival tomorrow, so things will get busy. Get some good rest for today!”

With puppy-like eyes, Michiru stared at Koremitsu's frantic self, and twirled the curls of her hair.

“No, Mr. Akagi, you're going to the Japanese Dance Clubroom, right? I'll go as well. Upperclassman Tsuyako called me there.”

“I-I see. Erm—”

The cellphone in the pocket vibrated.

Flipping it open, he found that the message was from Tsuyako, prompting him to hurry over.

“Not good. Let's hurry over, Hanasato.”

“Yes.”

Michiru still looked as lethargic as before.

What Michiru did just now was undoubtedly strange for her usual self. It felt strange ever since she started rambling about the full course of a lover's progression.

Perhaps Michiru did encounter something troublesome herself. Koremitsu had an ominous feeling.

And Hikaru, floating in the air, looked nonplussed as well.

“How slow you are, Mr. Akagi.”

Tsuyako beamed as she welcomed Koremitsu's arrival.

“Did Miss Asai not let you go? I did request Miss Aoi and Miss Shikibu to go fetch you, but they came back running, terrified. I even asked if they actually saw the both of you making out in the student council office.”

“Upperclassman Tsuyako...! I-I-I didn't see such a thing!”

Honoka stood up, yapping away, and Aoi sealed her lips tightly as she turned her head aside.

Recalling what he hollered at Asai in the student council office with regards to Aoi, Koremitsu began to feel a little jumpy.

(Damn it. If Shikibu and Aoi came to the student council office, maybe they did hear those words!)

Surely it was great that they came back running.

“Oh, Mr. Akagi, you are being sweaty here. Did you and Miss Asai actually—”

“That's impossible! I just reported to her about the culture festival!”

“I suppose that is the case then.”

Tsuyako gave him a wink.

Koremitsu tried his best not to look in Aoi's direction. Having just squabbled with Asai, surely he would be unable to remain calm if he were to look at Aoi.

Right in a corner of his eyes was a tense-looking Honoka, glancing her head aside. She pouted her lips, looking a little tense.

There was no change there as well...

(I didn't manage to find out if the bird's envelopes are from her.)

His chest felt tightened.

Michiru looked gloomy beside Koremitsu, and only Tsuyako was beaming away, cheerfully chatting with them; if not for that, the entire room would be in somber silence.

By the time he realized it, even Hikaru was staring in a certain direction bitterly.

The forlorn look was certainly staring at Aoi.

(Why must you...show that face...)

The love, anguish and longing Hikaru showed for Aoi was crushing Koremitsu's chest, and he tried his best to look away from her.

(I can't meet her in the eyes.)

But Hikaru's eyes became increasingly agonized, and Koremitsu's consciousness was gradually focused on Aoi.

So their eyes met.

Enduring the shock in her heart, Aoi had her head lowered as she endured her suffering, placing a hand on her knee onto her other hand.

The eyes were dripping with tears, and at this moment, Aoi looked in Koremitsu's direction, her heart ostensibly pierced.

“!”

Once their eyes met, Aoi widened her eyes in shock, a tear falling as a result.

And the tears began to flow as she hurriedly turned aside and got up.

Honoka was taken aback, and so was Tsuyako.

“Miss Aoi, what is the matter? Wh-why are you crying...?”

“S-sorry...I got, sand in my eyes.”

Ekeing those words out, Aoi dashed out of the classroom.

“Miss Aoi!”

“Aoi!”

The moment Koremist wanted to give chase.

“Hold it there, Akagi!”

Honoka yelled, her eyebrows raised as she widened her eyes. She was fuming, but more than that, she was distraught.

And that sadness struck Koremitsu, thunderstruck and perturbed, unable to move.

“...You're really an idiot, Akagi.”

Once she muttered this, Honoka gave chase after Aoi.

“Why, can't I...help?”

Koremitsu continued to remain dumbfounded, and Michiru watched him in sadness.

The one clearing the wreckage after all that was Tsuyako.

“Well, Miss Shikibu does seem to understand why Miss Aoi is crying. Please leave it to her for now.”

She spoke with the tacticum tone an upperclassman should have.

Hikaru himself watched the door Aoi left from with a clear, anguished expression.

And he kept watching, like an angel with its wings clipped, unable to fly...

Neither Honoka nor Aoi returned to the clubroom on that day.

Honoka did send a message to Tsuyako, stating that Aoi's chauffeur would be here to retrieve her bag, and that Honoka will bring their bags to the chauffeur.

They would return home just like that.

There was nothing on Koremitsu's phone, and neither Honoka nor Aoi sent any messages to him.

On the way back at night.

Koremitsu gritted his teeth as he walked down the cold street with the cold breeze blowing at him, clenching his fist and grumbling.

“Tch, why did Aoi cry, and why is Shikibu fuming at me, telling me not to come? Did I really do something? I really don't understand!”

Honoka was an important classmate to him, and Aoi was the one woman important to Hikaru.

Koremitsu wanted to protect both sides no matter what, and would not allow anyone to hurt them.

Once Aoi bawled and raced out of the classroom, Honoka gave Koremitsu a disappointed look, not allowing him to pursue.

Tsuyako did say that Honoka seemed to understand the reason for Aoi's tears.

(What's with her anyway?)

His gut began to wince.

His teeth were gritted too tightly, and his head a little swelling.

“Do you really not have a single clue?”

Hikaru, who remained silent all this while, inquired.

And when Koremitsu turned his head to Hikaru, the latter was staring back sternly.

“You are a little ditzy and dull-witted when it comes to dealing with Asa, but this method does not actually work on all women. At first, you could barely understand a woman's feelings because you had so little interaction with them, that you lacked experience.”

With a mature, tacticum tone, he said to a dumbfounded Koremitsu.

“But as of now, you are no longer the same as you were before.”

The eyes showing earnest trust reflected Koremitsu's face as the latter curled his lips.

“Koremitsu, the intent you have in dealing with others is neither of arrogance nor laggard, and you are not a coward who pretends to look annoyed. You are a person who will treat others precious to you earnestly without begrudging anyone or regretting.”

Hikaru's white skin and tender hair could be seen clearly under the shimmering silver moon.

It was a forlorn, yet tender and refreshing look.

And the rich voice added on to a layer of melancholy in Koremitsu's heart.

“So do think hard again about why Miss Aoi cried, and why Miss Shikibu was furious. In that case, surely you will understand their feelings. It appears however that there is a thought within you that you cannot approach Miss Aoi any further.”

Hikaru's face became increasingly grim, startling Koremitsu.

“That is creating a reverse effect.”

And Hikaru spoke with a terrifyingly ominous tone that shook his heart.

“You were attracted by her in such a helpless manner, unable to be forgiven as you wanted to forget. Your heart was latched tightly, never ever able to escape.”

Hikaru's eyes became bleak and dreary.

Koremitsu could understand that he was talking about Fujino, and there was a pressure in his heart.

Hikaru fell in love with the stepmother he should not be loving, causing his downfall, and because of her, he gave his life.

“This is from my personal experience.”

After chiding with much somberness, Hikaru tried to advise Koremitsu, looking worried for his friend,

“If you do think that Miss Aoi is someone very important to you, Koremitsu, do not create a taboo for yourself, and do not come up with wrong feelings. Convey your true thoughts to Miss Aoi, and love her as a girl. This is a wonderful thing for you and Miss Aoi.”

There was some forlornness mixed in Hikaru's steady, tender eyes, and they lingered for quite a while.

Those words pricked at Koremitsu's chest.

“I guess it's impossible...to go after the woman my friend had fallen for since young.”

“Koremitsu, I am already dead.”

And while Koremitsu yapped away, Hikaru frowned, looking perturbed,

“But there's still more of them, right!? There are still many flower buds drooping around, clinging onto me, right!? And to do that to Aoi in front of you...that's impossible!”

“...”

“If you're to swap positions with me, what will you do!? If I become a ghost, and entrust my most beloved lover to you as my replacement to make her happy, what will you do?”

“Of course, I will become lovers with all of them, and make them happy.”

They were discussing about the most depressing thing they had talked about, yet Koremitsu felt that he was too foolish.

Hikaru too watched Koremitsu grimly, conveying that his words were unfiltered and serious, and that caused the latter further troubles.

“Stop answering me so directly, you harem prince! Anyway, what do you mean by all of them!? I don't have any lovers! I'm always alone!” And just when Koremitsu lashed out.

“Wah!”

He could hear a girl's voice behind him.

Turning back to look, he found a person collapsed on the floor.

“Is that not Miss Hanasato?”

“What!?”

He hurried over, and found Michiru's soft hair littered with grass as she was about to get up.

“Hey, you alright?”

“Ah, M-Mr-Mr-Mr-Mr Akagi, you were going so fast...the distance between us was increasing, and I saw you stop, so I tried to approach you, an-and I tripped over.”

“Isn't your house in the opposite direction?”

Michiru lowered her eyes, looking teary as she grabbed the hem of Koremitsu's shirt.

“It-it's the culture festival soon...if I don't go now, the flowers will...”

“What are you saying now?”

Seeing Michiru act a little strangely, Koremitsu inadvertently felt a chill down his back, and wanted to stand up.

But Michiru tugged at Koremitsu's shirt, lifting her head up at him like an abandoned puppy.

And then, she pleaded.

“Did you forget the promise we had?”

“Promise?”

“I-if you don't abide it well...the flowers will be scattered. They'll wilt in a place nobody can see...! In that case, I'll...”

Crystalline tears slowly welled in her eyes.

Koremitsu managed to overcome the trauma caused by his mother, but he was still hapless against a girl's tears. He made Aoi cry, and even Michiru...

Michiru seemed utterly terrified of something as she grabbed onto Koremitsu's shirt tightly, shivering like a frail flower swaying in a breeze.

“What's the promise you're talking about? What's with you? Did something happen? Tell me everything, Hanasato!”

But no matter how Koremitsu tried to get through to Michiru, the latter closed her eyes and kept shaking her head.

In the meantime, Michiru remained silent in thought while Koremitsu carried her and sent her home.

Michiru's house was a classic, antique build with sturdy doors. Walking down the wall covered with tall trees, the scent of sweet tangerines could be whiffed.

“...T-thanks for bringing me back.”

With tears in her eyes, she timidly entered the doors.

After reaching home, Koremitsu soaked himself in the bathtub, asking Hikaru.

“Did I make a promise with Hanasato?”

And in the bathroom filled with mist, Hikaru too answered with a serious look,

“Probably not, I suppose.”

### 005. Chapter 5: I Hate You

As it was the day before the culture festival, classes ended at noon the following day.

Upon seeing Michiru arrive at school with her shoulders slumped and face all gloomy, Koremitsu decided to inquire about the 'promise', but things did not go as planned.

“Hey, about the promise you talked about yesterday—”

“You forgot?”

With Michiru staring at him with much despair in the eyes, Koremitsu's words were stuck in his throat.

If he were to answer here 'ah, I can't remember', he could feel a guilty unease of a compass stabbing at his neck.

And so he had no choice but to play dumb.”

“Ah, erm, it's not that I actually forgot. I-I just want to confirm. I-is it about the culture festival?”

“Koremitsu, if you wish to lie to someone, you have to act nonchalant, or it will cause suspicion.”

(I'm not good at lying in the first place.)

Back then, his nose would buzz whenever he tried to say what he did not believe in.

Michiru stared at Koremitsu tentatively, and as Hikaru had said, it aroused her suspicions.

Thinking that he would be seen through if he could not continue with the topic, Michiru suddenly changed the topic.

“...The fluorescent lamps are about to fail.”

“Huh?”

“It's been blinking...for quite a while since just now.”

Koremitsu lifted his head at the ceiling.

And Hikaru too lifted his head.

The 5 fluorescent lamps above them did not flicker.

(Anyway, there's no need to switch on the lights during the day. It's definitely going to blink.)

“Look closely. The power's not switched on.”

“No... it's flickering. Why do you not understand? Hasn't anyone noticed it?”

Michiru's voice was quivering, and with a pale face, she returned to her seat.

“This girl's a little strange after all.”

“Yes.”

Hikaru too nodded sternly.

Michiru was distracted by the fluorescent lights above during class, lifting her head to peek at it from time to time, only to lower it in trepidation.

(What's the promise about it? What's with the flowers wilting if I don't fulfill it, the lights flickering and so on? I really don't get her.)

Speaking of which, she did say things like 'the flowers wilted', 'what will happen to the scattered flowers' when she laid face up in the classroom.

Back then, Michiru was looking so despondent...

(I don't know what to do myself.)

Michiru was different from the other girls Koremitsu interacted with to complete Hikaru's wishes.

There was too little information.

What exactly was Michiru frustrated about? Yearning for? In any case, what kind of person was Michiru Hanasato? Koremitsu only managed to interact with her for half a year.

Furthermore, Koremitsu only managed to talk with Michiru for approximately 2, 3 months.

(If it's Shikibu...she's Hanasato's friend. Maybe she knows the reason why Hanasato's acting weird.)

Again, Honoka deliberately shunned Koremitsu since morning, never looking at him and never talking to him. She never did explain the reason why she never returned after chasing after Aoi the previous day, and she sat beside Koremitsu, her eyebrows raised as she edited the message with a grim look.

Even if Koremitsu was to consult Honoka about Michiru, perhaps Honoka did not want to discuss about this in any case.

(But Shikibu isn't the type to abandon her friends.)

Even though the situation between her and Michiru was a little awkward, surely Honoka would assist if Michiru was in any trouble. Koremitsu still trusted this woman called Honoka Shikibu.)

Yes, she may look aloof, but if he was to secretly pass a message to her telling her what he wanted to talk about...

Koremitsu fished out the phone from his pocket, and began to compose the message under the table.

Soon after he sent the message, Honoka's fingers stopped.

And she deleted it without reading the content.

She was staring at the screen, her lips sealed as she seemed to ponder about something.

Koremitsu stuck his leg out, kicking the leg of Honoka's chair.

“!”

Honoka's shoulders jolted, and she stared at Koremitsu.

Her eyebrows were raised as she stared him, but Koremitsu's temples were pulsating, basically saying 'read the message'. And so, Honoka unwillingly opened the message he sent.

Hanasato's weird.

I want to talk.

Come to the rooftop once classes end.

The words were few, but Honoka kept staring at the screen, widening her eyes slightly, before fiddling her fingers again.

Koremitsu kept waiting on the rooftop with Hikaru beside him, and then, he spotted a girl with the hem of her skirts fluttering, as Honoka appeared in front of him with a scowl.

“Thank goodness! You came!”

“It's not for your sake, Akagi. I'm a little curious about Michiru. She just went to the janitor saying that the fluorescent lamps are spoiled, and asked him to swap them...even though that's not the case.”

Honoka said so awkwardly.

Her tone was such, and even her face was aloof, not meeting Koremitsu in the eyes. Even so, Koremitsu was delighted that Honoka did come to the roof after reading his message.

He talked about Michiru's eccentric actions till this point, and Honoka tilted her head aside, looking peeved as she listened.

“She fell asleep face up in the classroom, and starting from yesterday, started to talk about the flowers wilting or something. Now that I think back about it, Hanasato has changed before then. She gave me honey sweets when we were working together. I don't mind if it's once in a while, but I already said that I can't handle sweets, but she said that's not the case, and gave me such honey sweets every day.”

Honoka frowned furiously.

“I know...I saw Michiru giving them to you during noon break. You ate them up very carefully.”

“I'm swallowing them little by little when I can't taste a single thing.”

Honoka looked a little perturbed in the eyes, and she scowled.

“I suppose...so. You prefer the spicy flavors though. I was finding it a little strange that Michiru said that you like honey, so she wanted you to try some of her sweets. She was really enthusiastic about it...”

(She said, I like honey...?)

Koremitsu never did say such a thing before.

Typically, the one liking honey was not Koremitsu.

(Wait, did Hanasato,)

Koremitsu ruffled his head as he stared at Hikaru, floating in front as the latter overheard their conversation. Hikaru too lowered his head at Koremitsu, ostentiously realizing something.

(Did Hanasato— somehow think of me as Hikaru or something ?)

“The fingers...are so hard and bony...and they’re large...firm.”

Upon recalling the sight of Michiru touching Koremitsu's stiff fingers with such anguish, Koremitsu heart jolted.

Hikaru's hand was different from Koremitsu, as effeminate and silky.

At that moment, Michiru was comparing between them...

“Hey, did Hanasato think of me as Hikaru or something?”

Once he noted so curtly, Honoka looked dumbfounded, and her face, originally turned aside, immediately turned towards Koremitsu.

“Are you an idiot!? How do you resemble Lord Hikaru in any way? You don't!”

“No, I mean she has the image of me as Hikaru's friend being Hikaru.”

“You two don't match! Not at all! If you're going to say such things, Lord Hikaru's legion of fans are going to pelt you with rotten eggs!”

(Ack, she actually said it to that point...it's true thought that I don't have a princely vibe at all.)

He glanced aside at Hikaru floating in the air, and sneered apologetically..

And Honoka, who quietly clicked her tongue, found her face too close to Koremitsu's, and abruptly turned it around.

“A-Also, Michiru isn't actually Lord Hikaru's fan. If I have to say, she hates him.”

“Eh? Someone actually doesn't like him?”

“Koremitsu, did you just chuckle a little at the end? Are you actually chuffed to bits that I am hated by a woman?”

Hikaru asked with a conflicted tone.

“She's not exactly antagonistic towards him, but back when everyone was discussing day and night over Lord Hikaru, she would quietly leave. Whenever Lord Hikaru's surrounded by girls, she would go walk another path.”

“Is that true? She once talked about her white knight, so doesn't Hikaru actually meet her demands?”

After hearing Koremitsu's words, Honoka was left seething.

“Yeah, Michiru did like having white knights, but right now, as to why she has fallen for someone like you, I-I did swear that I'll work hard to pair Michiru with the one she likes, so even now, I still want to cheer for her.”

Once she said this, she became frantic and helpless, so unlike her usual self.

“Wait, Hanasato likes me!?”

Koremitsu widened his eyes, and the moment he said that, he got kicked in the stomach.

“Ugh!”

This sudden impact rendered his feet unsteady, and his body bent in two.

“What are you playing dumb for!? Aren't you already doing those things I said!? Yo-you really aren't reliable at all! Enough already! You're an idiot, a bonehead, Akagi! Doofus!”

“...Koremitsu, I do have the same thoughts as Miss Shikibu. I did say that you are not dull-witted before, but I suppose I should correct myself, no?”

(Hey! Stop sighing too! Stop looking so shocked, Hikaru! Like I can do anything about that! I was shunned by girls since kindergarten, and I lack experience!)

Honoka had her eyebrows raised , still fuming, and her widened eyes were a little teary. Upon seeing such a scene, Koremitsu felt a little nauseated, his body crumpled.

“!!! Seriously, why does it have to be you! Not only Michiru, but Her Highness Aoi too. Why...actually, I really don't want to cheer for either side, and to you, I too—but I had enough. My mind's completely blank. I don't know what I'm thinking now.”

And with his temples throbbing, Koremitsu yelled.

“YOU SAID THAT YOU LIKE ME, SO WHY ARE YOU CHEERING FOR OTHER GIRLS!?”

“Haa...!”

Honoka's jaw dropped, and she was left speechless.

Her face was immediately flushed, and tears welled in her eyes.

“...You...you...”

Honoka was ostensibly filled with conflicted emotions, either furious, startled, or ready to break down into tears.

“...Akagi, you idiot.”

She contorted her eyes, trying her best to hold that contorted face, lips and eyebrows, and feebly said,

“W-why are you able to say such a thing so easily? It-it's because of you, being like that...th-that I...”

She blinked her eyes, her throat buzzing, and with quivering lips, she whispered.

“You...really do whatever you want.”

Thinking about how to answer this, Koremitsu was left guilty.

And just when he was about to express himself formally.

“!!”

Honoka's eyes shuddered suddenly.

Her face contorted she was gasping for breath.

Koremitsu was taken aback by her expression, and did not know what happened. Hikaru's fleeting voice could be heard from behind.

“Miss...Aoi.”

(Aoi!)

Koremitsu too turned his head around with bated breath.

Aoi was leaning on the door, looking extremely pale.

With her lips tightly sealed, Honoka frowned and lowered her head. She then lifted it again, adamantly.

“Have a talk with Her Highness Aoi!”

She let out shrill words at Koremitsu's ears, and strode forth towards the door with the hem of her skirt and the bright brown hair swaying, moving her slender, straight legs.

Honoka seemed to say something when she brushed by Aoi, and the latter's shoulders jolted, looking ready to break down.

Honoka passed through the door, and vanished.

And in contrast, an obviously nervous Aoi came over.

Koremitsu's heart raced, his throat still a little suffocated as the heat in his brain was turned up.

The distance between them decreased little by little.

The sun at noon blazed upon them like a dagger, and the sky was so blue it was dazzling.

Koremitsu's heart was pounding furiously, practically about to pop out from his mouth.

Hikaru, who should be behind Koremitsu, was probably feeling no different as well, or perhaps he was calmly observing them.

Hikaru did say, You are a person who will treat others precious to you earnestly without begrudging anyone or regretting.

So since Aoi was someone precious to him, Koremitsu wanted Aoi to know of his true feelings.

(But..what are my true feelings?)

And upon facing Aoi on the roof, Koremitsu realized.

What he was truly hoping for.

Aoi stopped in front of Koremitsu.

Her petite body kept shivering, and her thin, black hair was swaying in the autumn breeze.

Hikaru's white, pure Hollyhock.

The one and only important girl who was supposed to be united with Hikaru.

Hikaru's hope.

Back when she had yet to open her heart to Koremitsu, Aoi was beside the window in the arts classroom, saying 'I do not wish to talk with boys'.

She was obstinate, had a clean streak, and never did show a smile no matter how much Koremitsu tried his best to do so.

—And that's why I say women!

He did not know exactly how many times he said those words.

Koremitsu intended to finish the work of delivering Hikaru's presents to her, and never to get involved in her afterwards.

But when he held her hand in Hikaru's place, when they went to play at the theme park, Koremitsu saw Aoi's honest, innocent self.

For the first time, he felt that his antithesis, the creatures known as women, were cute and needed much care. The one who taught him that, was Aoi,

And so, Aoi finally opened her heart to Koremitsu, accepting his goodwill.

—Good morning, Mr. Akagi.

—Actually, you can talk to me.

—Can I send messages to you?

There was Aoi, with her cheeks slightly flushed, smiling bashfully.

It was a maidenly voice.

The eyes were so innocent as she lifted her head.

Those were things Koremitsu never saw before, like a blooming white flower in the middle of a barren land, and Koremitsu really had the urge to protect her—

But from the moment Aoi clasped her petite hand on Koremitsu's stiff, icy hand, Aoi, who had been shielded, ended up shielding and protecting Koremitsu's inner heart.

It was so filled with pain, memories, forgiveness and chaos, and the moment the emotions were intertwined, Koremitsu found himself utterly mesmerized by Aoi.

(But Aoi is Hikaru's...)

Aoi opened her pale lips, shivering as she said,

“I-I heard it all, back then, yesterday, what you said to Asa in the student council office, Mr. Akagi, that you would never ever like me.”

Koremitsu felt a hammer pound his head.

Did Aoi hear all that!?

So in other words, Honoka, who accompanied Aoi to the student council office, did—

“Th-that's because...Saiga suddenly said some weird things...I can't ever like you because you're someone precious to Hikaru, so I can't have indecent thoughts about you...I'm not saying anything bad about you.”

Cold sweat trickled down his best.

Devastated, Aoi lifted her head at Koremitsu.

The large, quixotic eyes were basically saying, those were not the words she wanted to hear.

However, those were the words Koremitsu could only think of.

His feelings for Aoi were blazing like a fever, and his teeth biting at his lower lips as he prepared himself to say that he could not see Aoi as a lover.

—That will not do, Koremitsu.

Echoing in Koremitsu's mind was Hikaru's foreboding voice.

—That is creating a reverse effect.

“Mr. Akagi.”

Aoi's face was contorted as she called out Koremitsu's name despondently.

At that moment, the blood flowing in Koremitsu's body boiled, his body seething.

—You were attracted by her in such a helpless manner, unable to be forgiven as you wanted to forget..

Just as when he yelled at Asai, saying that he surely would never fall in love with Aoi.

His emotions were reaching his throat, unable to be contained.

He was angsty as he was unable to rein in the emotions, and when he saw Aoi shiver and lift her head, his yearning of her was aroused. He really wanted to embrace her, to protect her.

—Your heart was latched tightly, never ever able to escape.

Even his breathing because arduous.

His heart was ostensibly taken.

That his all was approaching a single person,

And that he could not think at all!

—This is from my personal experience.

Koremitsu reached his hand out to Aoi.

And at that moment of despair.

Aoi took a step back, exclaiming,

“I-I do not have any intentions about you at all...! I really hate you, Mr. Akagi!”

And Koremitsu's hand stopped in front of Aoi.

His body went from hot to cold, and the impulse that dominated the heart gradually faded away.

Looking apprehensive, she gave Koremisu a feeble look.

“I...really want to say this to you...I really hate you. I-I really, really hate you...I really adh..”

The final words remained stuck in her throat, and again, she turned around and scampered away as she did the previous day.

Koremitsu's legs wobbled, and he immediately tumbled over.

His body was as mushy as mud.

“I suppose...it is unbearable to have Miss Aoi say she despises you.”

Hikaru appeared beside Koremitsu without warning, and the latter stared at the door forlornly as he noted demurely.

“I suppose...I'm really useless.”

And so, he remained limp on the scorching concrete, ruffling his hair with his hands as he collapsed his shoulders, spread his shoulders wide, and lowered his head hard.

It was neither Aoi's intentions nor Honoka's he could not comprehend.

It was his own.

Whether it was his impulsive urge to embrace Aoi or driven by a screaming Honoka, he said such obstinate words, and felt so remorseful it was ripping his guys. Even he did not know what he would say or do the next time.

He was moved by Honoka, and impressed upon by Aoi; however, he was rejected by both parties no matter who he wanted to choose, and he remained so incompetent.

(Wh-what's the matter with me!? Was I ever so timid before...? I'm really so stupid. What exactly am I doing here...?)

There was Honoka, almost breaking down in tears as she muttered 'you idiot'.

Aoi too showed such a face as she exclaimed “I hate you” before turning to leave.

To love, to hate; surely it would be more convenient if the world had such terms that defined things in black and white.

However, Koremitsu already understood the weight of the word 'like', and the hidden, conflicted feelings in the word 'hate'.

(Seriously, what am I doing here...)

“Damn it, I really want to meet Yū!”

He continued to ruffle his head, eking a call.

There was the feeble, dreamy girl who crouched in the dark apartment, dreaming away, like a fish sleeping at the bottom of the sea.

That was the fleeting first love Koremitsu had that vanished in a trice.

—When we meet the next time, I'll show that I've become a girl who likes to smile.

She did her best to smile radiantly when they went their separate ways.

Back then, he assumed he would never have fallen heads over heels for a person in such a manner for the second time.

Whenever it rained, he recalled the scene of them holding hands, watching the blue flowers bloom, and his heart would ooze sweetness.

But after bidding farewell to summer, and as the autumn winds cooled, his memories of Yū gradually faded. He still loved her, but whenever rain came, the unfathomable melancholy gradually faded.

(I wonder...if Yū's doing well in Australia.)

There was no letter or message.

Yū said that she did not need Koremitsu, and the latter did say that it was fine if she could begin her life anew. If there was anything painful for her, he said that he would fly over to her and find her no matter where he was.

If he was to meet Yū again, this veil of ambiguity would vanish along with the smoke.

And that would clearly indicate what the conflicted feelings were about.

Tranquil and forlorn, Hikaru noted,

“Perhaps you should meet her...just elope...head to an island nobody else knows of, and only have eyes for each other, and...love as you watch over each other...”

“Idiot...how's that possible for me...?”

Just when Koremitsu refuted with his head lowered,

A shrill bell rang in the school.

“What now? A fire!?”

Koremitsu got up in an instant.

Once news came that the fire alarm was a hoax, Koremitsu returned to the classroom, and found his classmates in confusion.

“Th-this is really bad.”

“Wh-wh-wha-what do we do?”

“Are you fuming, Akagi?”

“I-i-i-it-it-it's not our fault!”

“But he's furious! We'll be killed!”

“Noo! Don't!”

“Le-le-let's run away now.”

And the moment they spotted him, the classroom went dead silent.

Koremitsu too scanned the classroom, flabbergasted, and Hikaru too gulped softly.

(Horrible...)

The floor, tables and blackboards were drenched.

And furthermore, the cardboard sets they diligently worked on were completely soaked.

Michiru, dressed in a half-sleeved gym shirt and half pants, and for some reason, covering her hair with a nurse cap, flusteredly explained the situation to Koremitsu.

“It-it looks like the sprinklers were faulty...and the water splashed out, becoming like this. Everyone went out to shop, so there wasn't anyone in the classroom, and we couldn't move the sets out in time...”

But even if anyone was around, no way would they be able to prevent the sets from being wet.

The soaked cardboard were soft and limp, unable to stand at all, and the paintings on them were dissolved by water. The vengeful spirit on the window became vague as a result, and even the appearance had collapsed, identifying it was impossible.

“So-so-so-so-sor-sor-sorry, Mr. Akagi. It's my fault for going to the Japanese Dance Club and leaving the classroom empty.”

Michiru suddenly burst into tears, apologizing.

The classmates were all terrified, fearing that Koremitsu would explode upon learning that the prop sets, which they made by staying behind after school, were ruined. With pale faces, they stared towards Koremitsu with apprehension.

“Hey...what's with Miss Shikibu?”

“Honoka's probably the only one able to stop Akagi now!”

“I think she went to the photography, shogi, ballet and handball club to discuss stuff.”

“Please hurry back, Miss Shikibu!”

There was such mutters going on.

Koremitsu raised his eyebrows, his temples and cheeks pulsating as he pouted his lips, glaring at the soaked sets.

Till this point, he shed much blood and tears.

The only memories he had of the culture festivals were all bad, and he did not really like them at first, to a point one would say he abhorred them. However, he was suddenly tasked to be a committee member of the culture festival.

The little bird envelopes contained information that assisted him, but his classmates did not look like they wanted to be involved, and nobody would have bothered with him if he did not give clear instructions with decisiveness.

Basically, the work was done only by Koremitsu and Michiru, and everyone else slacked off on the first day. On the second day, he went to coax one by one, and finally managed to gather everyone to work, with the prop sets almost taking shape...

Koremitsu was barely able to get along with his classmates, and yet everyone was shunning him in apprehension.

This was completely different from the 'culture festival' Koremitsu imagined. The surrounding students were afraid of him as they worked with him, and perhaps they were not happy at all.

But even so, he worked together with Michiru the previous day, and when he saw them at the point of near-completion, there was something surging in his heart.

Either way, Koremitsu clearly felt involved in the preparation of the culture festival, and he really was grateful to Michiru and the sender for helping him.

He wanted to continue on as it was, and make the culture festival a success.

It was a little different from the feelings of what those born winners in life would enjoy in the festival.

That was what he felt back then.

But the scene appearing in front of him was of soaked, limp cardboard, and fudged illustrations—

“Koremitsu...to put it...I understand how you feel. The sets you worked so hard on can no longer be used, and the culture festival tomorrow is wasted...”

Hikaru consoled.

And Koremitsu hissed,

“...How can we give up now.”

Hikaru was shocked, and the classmates' shoulders jerked.

“M-M-M-M-M-M-M-Mr. Akagi, no-nobody else's at fault here! The one at fault is me for being in charge and not being in the classroom. So-so-so, please calm down!”

Michiru stood in front of Koremitsu, shrieking as she appeared to shield her classmates.

“Stop apologizing! I'm not blaming anyone!”

Michiru widened her eyes.

Their classmates shriveled, fearing that the onslaught was beginning.

But Koremitsu ignored them as he raised his voice further, his eyebrows raised,

“NOBODY COULD HAVE PREDICTED THE FIRE ALARM TO GO HAYWIRE, AND WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT! WE CAN'T USE THESE, AND I'M PISSED AND ALL, BUT WE CAN ONLY DO THIS ALL OVER AGAIN! NO POINT IN DISCUSSING WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO! WE'RE JUST WASTING TIME! LET'S GET TO WORK!”

“B-bu-bu-bu-bu-bu Mr. Akagi, the materials are already.”

“Hanasato, you're on good terms with the janitors, right? See if you can get any usable materials for them. Those two guys down there! Go down to the student council office to explain. That president Matriarch Asa's someone fair and capable, so make her do some stuff to. If she's unwilling to help, tell her that I'll reveal those things if she doesn't do so! Those 5 guys down there, move those cardboard that can't be used, and wipe the floor. Hurry!”

Koremitsu barked orders.

“Yes, understood!”

“Got it!”

And after these responses, they ran out.

“How can we just give up here! Damn it! The culture festival has yet to start!”

Yes! How can they just give up without giving their all until the bitter end?

“Whatever excuses we can make about being unable to make it, leave it when we really can't make it!”

“Koremitsu! I support you!”

“Yeah, just stand by the side and pray.”

The classroom was suddenly bustling with live.

All the idle people ended up busting their all working, with no exceptions.

Michiru gave a call asking for some materials from the janitors, and got a few people to move them.

The student council too was about to give help.

“I shall make you repay this favor, Mr. Akagi.”

“Yeah, I don't mind even if I have to cosplay as Santa Claus.”

And with that response, Asai was left red faced.

Once she heard that the cardboard sets in the classroom were rendered unusable, Honoka, discussing about the ballet performance that was to occur the following day, returned in a jiffy. She. Went back, worrying if Koremitsu was feeling down in the classroom, only to find her classmates scurrying around, some sticking dry cardboard on the soaked ones, some ironing the materials and some using bamboo poles to hang them.

None of them looked devastated as they kept calling each other and worked with all their might.

“Mr. Akagi, th-the repairs here are done.”

“Okay, there's still a pile there.”

“M-Mr. Akagi, are the ones at the windows okay?”

“Great. I'll leave that side to you.”

The classmates, who used to shun Koremitsu, let alone avert their eyes from him, were obeying his orders.

Koremitsu kept addressing the problems everywhere, so busy as he cut and pasted cardboard; perhaps he never realized the admiring looks from his classmates.

As usual, he simply tried to pass this hurdle with simple brute force.

(Seriously...you really defied my expectations...)

Honoka heaved a sigh of relief, blinking her eyes, and left the classroom with a smile to continue with her previous work.

The number of people the student council sent over to help got increasingly fewer, and the sky outside the window got increasingly darker as the patchwork labyrinth was finally completed.

“M-Mr. Akagi, the sets are completed, but we don't have time to change the illustrations.”

One of his male classmates said, sweating all over.

As he said, the colors on both sides of the sets were fudged. They all looked over at him, wondering what to do.

“We won't be doing the Western style. We'll be doing Japanese.”

Koremitsu clarified as he prepared a bucket filled to the brim with ink and a thick brush he borrowed from the calligraphy club. He set up the marble, and wrote on it.

The words were all terrifying, vengeance, hate, and with all his muscles, he moved his body, extending his hand as he got down to writing them.

The stoppings were firm, the splashings sharp, the brushstrokes were straight, and the dots were bold!

The wall was gradually filled with powerful words, and his classmates stared, dumbfounded.

“You really showcased your ability, hero.”

Hikaru muttered.

(Shut up.)

Koremitsu grumbled in his heart as continued to write.

Michiru was standing alone behind the classmates, and Koremitsu never did notice that she was staring at him with forlorn eyes.

“...”

Her eyes were filled with tears.

It was already 1 hour beyond the school's permitted time for dismissal when they were done with their work.

Asai deemed this one hour to be an exception, and got the teachers' permit.

Everyone was blushing in happiness as they looked at the completed maze.

“Amazing...I thought it wasn't done.”

“It feels...more intimidating than before.”

“Yeah, feels like a vengeful spirit will really pop out from the words.”

They chirped away, and after they left...

Koremitsu and Hikaru were left lethargic as they looked at the maze.

“It is finally completed, Koremitsu.”

“You idiot, the culture festival hasn't started. Tomorrow's the key.”

“Yes, surely it will be an unforgettable day. I do look forward to it.”

Hikaru giggled.

“Let's go back, Hikaru.”

“Ah, are you a little shy?”

“Like I am!”

The stiff-faced response echoed down the silent corridor.

Only Koremitsu's footsteps could be heard, and all the classrooms were decorated intricately for the culture festival, with some flowers placed in the large vases at the stairwell.

The sweet scent engulfed Koremitsu's nose.

“Ah, Fragrant Olives.”

Hikaru stared at the orange flowers, beaming,

“These Fragrant Olives appear to have absorbed the essence of the stairs, snickering away. Upon whiffing the scent, surely I will naturally think 'ah, autumn is here'. Also, there is a power in this fragrance that arouses my memories. For example...”

“No wonder I thought there's the smell of the toilet air fresheners.”

“Toilet...”

Hikaru, who was boasting his knowledge, could only sigh.

Truly, a lot of things happened on this day.

Koremitsu recalled about Honoka and Aoi, his heart aching.

Also, there was Michiru...she never greeted him when he returned, and vanished without him knowing. Perhaps nothing did happen to her.

The sweet scent of Fragrant Olives caused much heartache.

“Doesn't this scent stink?”

Koremitsu grumbled, and as he went to change his shoes,

“Huh?”

There was a white paper folded into a flower, left quietly in his outdoor shoes.

—I call that person the White Flower.

“Hey, this is!”

Koremitsu picked it up and looked back, and Hikaru too looked flabbergasted.

“Koremitsu, open it.”

“O-open it?”

“Open it, and see if there is any message inside.”

Following what Hikaru said, Koremitsu anxiously opened this piece of paper that was folded in a complicated manner,

“The cuckoo in the village where the orange blossoms fall, sings and sings on many and many a day.”

After seeing the words lined the same way as it was on the little birds envelopes, Koremitsu gasped.

(Is the 'white flower' that saved Hikaru the same as 'the bird'!? Then, Shikibu's—)

Honoka transferred into Heian Academy during Middle School.

So she was not the one who sent the little bird envelopes!

And while Koremitsu lowered his head to read, Hikaru stared at it grimbly, seemingly affirming something as he slowly said,

“The white 5 petal flowers...scent...blossoms...cuckoo...ah, I see, I see.”

### 006. Chapter 6: There's a Red-haired Demon at the Heian Academy

“Be careful, Big Brother Koremitsu! Shiiko will be there later!”

It was the morning of the culture festival.

With the beaming Shioriko and the stoic Lapis sending him off at the door, Koremitsu got up earlier than usual.

Once he got to school, he arrived at the empty classroom.

He slipped on the 'Special Security group' armband he received from Asai.

And after that, he cautiously set the alarm of his cellphone.

“Okay, let's go.”

And with that, he said that with vigor.

The culture festival of Heian Academy started after the fireworks display.

The high school, middle school and elementary school campuses had their doors opened to ticket holders, so that the latter would enter and marvel at the traditional school of elegance of the autumn roses blooming in the exquisite garden.

The school garden contained classic shops like crepes and takoyaki, and other items being sold included Sablés with candy on them, almond Florentine biscuits, raisins with crumples like the drapes of a skirt, plum-filled cakes—Gugelhupf, a western delicacy, Kiritanpo from Akita, and set meals of Okinawa's soba noodles and purple yam. These were stalls rarely seen at a typical culture festival.

Furthermore, there were also classes who commemorated the premature death of the school prince Hikaru Mikado by having concerts for Lord Hikaru, love dramas themed after him, photo exhibitions of him, and even a school flower map themed 'The journey of Lord Hikaru's favorite flowers'. The festival was far livelier than it was in prior years.

“Mr. Akagi! As I said before, I'll be collecting materials from you, so please take care of me!”

“Ack, you're here!? But I'm really busy here!”

Koremitsu was squeezed amongst the school girls and some female visitors, jostling for 'Lord Hikaru's treasured photos'.

“Hey! Line up in four lines! No cutting queues! You can't buy them if you don't have the numbered tickets!”

He bellowed.

“It's dangerous here, Oumi. Go over there!”

“I'm grateful that you're worried about me, Mr. Akagi, but I'm already very used to such a situation.”

“Hey you, over there! Stop squeezing in! I told you to line up in fours! Ah damn it, the numbered tickets are gone! Hurry and get some more!”

“Mr. Akagi, I just got intel on my phone that there's a student from another school fighting against one of ours in front of classroom 2-3.”

“What!?”

' Please assist.' Koremitsu's phone too picked up the SOS request from the in-charge of the security group

He ruffled his hair, and found a waitress in an apron and another girl dressed in plainclothes.

“Kazu's going out with me! You sly vixen!”

“You're the only one thinking about that!”

They were volleying abuse upon each other as a catfight broke out. A member of the security team was sprawled on the floor, an eye swollen due to being punched.

“The ones fighting now aren't guys, but girls now!?”

Hikaru gently whispered from above,

“Ah, the girl in plainclothes is of the cheerleader squad from Sakuragaoka High School, Miss Yumkia Kojima. She is like a Red Spider Lily, swaying along with the breeze with so much affection, but she really is an innocent girl at heart. Miss Yumika did ask me for love consultation, and we kept talking while riding on this good mood until the following morning...”

“She's an ex of yours, huh?”

“The girl dressed in the waitress outfit is the second year, Miss Tsuru Ikenohata of the tea ceremony club. She does give off a distinct vibe of a Lily of the Valley. She was perturbed by her boyfriend's casanova antics, and when she consulted me, she once—”

“Ack, the other one too!?”

Startled, Koremitsu butted into their argument, and spread his arms wide to pry them apart.

“Enough already, you two!”

He bellowed, snorting as a result.

“Wahh!!”

“Save me!!!”

For some reason, both parties shrieked.

They were crouching on the floor, shivering as they apologized profusely, and the girl in plain clothes hurriedly scurried away thereafter.

“I guess this is to be expected of you, Mr. Akagi, for settling this in an instant.”

Hiina then diverted her cellphone at him, taking a few photos. Koremitsu looked very conflicted.

“Ah, Mr. Akagi! We got two indecent guys at class 3-4's 'Japanese Festival House', harassing a waitress and not leaving.”

“Upstairs now!?'

Koremitsu dashed up the stairs, and ducked through the corridor as the crowd parted to the sides.

“Ohh, as expected of you!”

And Hiina too took a photo of this scene as she tailed him.

Upon arriving at the Festival House, he faced the 2 harassers,

“We still have people at the back. Do you mind leaving if you're not getting anything?”

He hissed,

“Ack! Akagi!?”

“The 27 th boss!!”

The two males shrieked.

It appeared they heard of Koremitsu in his pomp during middle school. Someone probably caused trouble for Koremitsu, and got punished heavily as a result.

“W-w-w-we got nothing!”

“Y-yeah, we're getting ready to leave!”

With their backs arched, they snuck through the door.

“Don't you dare woo girls in our school!”

Koremitsu bellowed,

“Ohh, the infamy of the delinquent king is off the charts!”

“You sent them running with a glare, Koremitsu! That is amazing! The legend of you defeating 10 delinquents with a single glare is really true!!”

Both Hiina and Hikaru marveled effervescently.

(I beat 10 delinquents with a single glare? Do my eyes look like they fire lasers or something?)

Surely Koremitsu was feeling very conflicted.

“Mr. Akagi, the intel this time is that there's a little girl crying in the corridor of the courtyard!”

“Why is it that your cellphone's receiving news faster than me!?”

“This is the result of me setting up my network far and wide!”

This time, they hurried down the stairs, and found a little girl sobbing away, shouting “mama mama!”. Koremitsu became her protectorate, and went around asking, “Does anyone know who's the mother!?”

He put the girl on his shoulders without uttering a single word, and this caused the girl to cry.

“Mama! Save me!”

“Koremitsu, will it not be faster to use the PA system?”

“Mr. Akagi, this really is quite the interesting image, but maybe you should try broadcasting through the school?”

“Makes sense.”

On the way to the broadcasting studio,

“Luna!”

A young, glamorous looking mother came rushing over.

“Mama!”

Koremitsu handed the girl over, and the mother embraced her tightly,

“Thank goodness. I heard that a boy looking like a terrorist abducted a girl, so I was wondering if it was you. I was so anxious.”

She rattled off,

“Sorry for having the face of a terrorist!”

“It has been a while, Miss Satomi. So this girl is Luna? She really has grown up. When I was dating Miss Satomi, Luna was still learning baby talk. Ah, Miss Satomi is as alluring as a Japanese Iris, one of the old girls of our school. The enthusiastic single mother raising little Luna alone does look cute panicking...”

“Another one of your girls!?”

Koremitsu roared. The mother was started, and the little girl hurriedly hid behind her,

“So-sorry to trouble you!”

Before lowering her head and scampering away.

“...Sure is nice to have a family.”

Hiina chimed in tenderly.

The raptured emotions slowly spread in her cheeks and lips.

And even though he was mistaken for an abductor, it did not matter to Koremitsu after seeing such a blissful look, whispering,

“Yeah...you're right.”

“Miss Satomi has yet to change. It really is great that she is still full of life.”

Hikaru too looked elated.

Hiina stared at her phone,

“You got work, Mr. Akagi. Lord Hikaru's Premiere Bromide is already sold out. The ladies will yap if you don't hurry with a new batch, or even start a ruckus—”

“Hey you, stop right there!”

Koremitsu bellowed as he dashed off to where he was first in-charge of.

And so, Koremitsu was scrambling around as a member of the security team, settling arguments, directing people, and even helping with his 'Haunted House'.

There were lots of crowd around, perhaps, because the massive commotion the prior day became an attraction.

“I heard this maze was done in a day.”

“Eh, that's impressive.”

“The words here look really intimidating.”

“Like Hoichi the Earless.”

The response was positive.

And once the walls turned, the cast dressed in white robes and words doodled over their faces appeared in front of them.

”Waahhh!!”

“Nooo!!”

Shrieks could be heard.

Those words were written by Koremitsu early in the morning.

“Koremitsu! This is really, really amazing! Listen, there are more shrieks!”

“Stop getting excited and yapping away. You should have been used to that, right?”

A human soul made of red cellophane suddenly appeared from the set, holding a light that was swaying by the end of a rod, muttering this.

However, he really was a little delighted with that.

When Koremitsu returned to his position as a member of the security team, the boys in his class said coyly,

“Go-good work there, Mr. Akagi.”

Koremitsu himself felt elated.

“Y-yeah.”

According to Hiina's report, Honoka was assisting the volleyball club in an exhibition match, and it was the climax.

“Our school representatives have cat ears on, and our opponents have dog ears.”

“What's that about?”

“It's the culture festival after all. Also, all the participants in the handball match later on have to wearing tiny miniskirts.”

“That's no longer handball, is it?”

“Cute is justice.”

Hiina snickered.

“Are you going to cheer her on? Mr. Akagi?”

“No time for that. Got to go for the Japanese Dance Club, and I still have lots of work as part of the security team. I guess I don't have time for lunch at all.”

“Oh? This does seem a little different from my copy of your schedule today.”

“Some got sick and took leave, so the initial plan had some sudden changes.”

“Now that's troublesome.”

“So I say, I can't go watch the volleyball and handball matches.”

He noted as he cautiously stared at his watch.

“Really? That is a pity.”

“I do feel the same too. I have yet to see Miss Shikibu playing volleyball while wearing cat ears. Her legs are long and pretty, and if she is to play handball while wearing a miniskirt, the spectators will surely have some nice scenery to view.”

Hikaru probably was imagining that scene, narrowing his eyes as he said that. He then beamed heartily.

“Well, you do not have a choice anyway. You are everyone's Koremitsu for today.”

Koremitsu continued to maintain a frown as he kept quiet.

(Is Akagi helping at the classroom at this time?)

Honoka recalled the words Koremitsu said to her the day prior as she returned an exhilarating spike back to the opponent's court.

('You said you like me, so why are you backing someone else'...that's so stubborn of him.)

You're the one who said that I'm fooling around, but don't just stand around and say that. Are you kidding me?

(I'm bothered too.)

Ever since Honoka entered this school in Middle School, Michiru was an important friend to her. And this Michiru, who too was inept at dealing with the opposite gender, and fell in love.

She did her best to change her appearance, for Koremitsu's sake.

Honoka herself could not betray Michiru as the latter was.

Michiru however was being queer. Was she not getting along with Koremitsu?

Again, Michiru looked lethargic in the morning.

Even if anything earth-shattering was to happen, “Good morning.” she would greet others cheerfully.

However, she did not greet anyone on this day, and her face was pale as she lowered her head.

As Honoka herself was busy with her own matters, she could not involve herself.

(Sorry, Michiru. I lied to you. I like the same person.)

However, Honoka's lovelorn might have been inevitable.

Before the match began, she met Aoi, dressed in a nurse uniform, at the beverage stand run by the Japanese Dance Club. Like Michiru, Aoi too looked lethargic.

Honoka did not ask what Koremitsu and Aoi talked about on the roof, but after seeing the somber look, she had a rough gist of it, and never tried to ask.

Surely, Koremitsu must have said something about a friend's most important woman being off limits or something.

Surely, he was a foolish, obstinate, useless person.

(Akagi, I really want to tell you the truth, and even if I'm not the one liking you...I don't want to be misunderstood by you. After hearing your explanation, I guess you never will give up easily in times of trouble.)

Honoka leapt high, and spiked down the tall lofting ball.

And then, she found herself to be hypocritical with what she said.

For Honoka herself did say some misconstrued things to Koremitsu and Michiru.

(What is Mr. Akagi doing at the moment...)

Aoi blended the fruits, honey and milk together as she kept thinking about Koremitsu.

The beverage stand was clustered with queues, partly because the cosplay outfits of the Japanese Dance Club beverage stand was announced beforehand by the news club, and partly because of the expectations.

Honoka had to take part in the volleyball exhibition match, and took off her uniform off soon after wearing it. To make up for this regret, Tsuyako showed off her extremely alluring, tight fit miniskirt nurse uniform, causing the males crowding to fall heads over heels for her.

And Michiru, here to take Honoka's place at the stall, was as gloomy as Aoi was. Tsuyako was the only one beaming away.

Aoi felt so incompetent and worried for leaving the entire stall to Tsuyako.

When the proposal to open the beverage stand was made, they all had their own duties assigned.

And even if it was for a little while, Aoi simply wanted to experience the culture festival along with Koremitsu.

But when she accidentally overheard Koremitsu telling Asai “Aoi is the only one I won't love”, she felt so unbearable within, and even though she wanted to pretend nothing happened, she ran away crying upon seeing that Koremitsu was unable to calm down. On the next day, she again said some harsh words to him.

(I hate him...I never thought about that.)

She said she would never be able to like Mr Akagi or something like that.

(I do find...Mr. Akagi taking care of me tenderly, so I got callous, thinking that Mr. Akagi may be thinking about me now...when he said that he liked someone, I thought he was confessing to me...)

She was so ashamed.

Koremitsu was only taking care of Aoi on Hikaru's behalf.

(Mr. Akagi was frowning hard on the roof. He looked really troubled.)

When Koremitsu frowned and reached his hands out to Aoi, she thought he was going to embrace her.

His face was really in pain, and he looked to be at his wits end.

But even if he did embrace her, it would be the same thing as when he embraced her during her birthday day, just a replacement for Hikaru.

(He was worried that I don't have anyone to rely on, so maybe that was why he was taking care of me as Hikaru's representative. This may be a burden to him...and that may be why he looked to be in so much pain.)

She could not bear to see Koremitsu should such an arduous look again.

And she did not want Koremitsu to give her an embrace in Hikaru's stead.

That was definitely what she did not want to accept.

I really hate you! Aoi yelled.

(I have yet to mature even from the time when Hikaru was still alive.)

—I hate Hikaru.

She actually did love him, but was never able to be honest.

It was the same during the culture festival, when Hikaru gently asked her,

—Shall we go together?

—Hikaru, you still have a lot of people to accompany, right? Go out with them all you want. I hate philanderers.

She turned her head away, saying this.

And so, she regretted why she did not tell Hikaru that she really liked him, that he should not go with the other girls, and asked him to just focus on her.

If she could have told him that back then, even if Aoi was not Hikaru's 'most beloved', but that he still liked her.

(Then it would have been the same for Hikaru back then.)

She not only caused trouble for Koremitsu, but also for his classmate Honoka. While Aoi was sobbing away, Honoka gave chase, and even encouraged her on the roof, saying 'Akagi definitely likes you, Your Highness Aoi. Do listen to what he has to say'. At that point, Aoi was unsure of who exactly was the upperclassman.

(Miss Shikibu definitely likes Mr. Akagi too, but.)

She felt vexed within, and wanted to cry again.

“Aoi! Th-this attire...!”

She lifted her head upon seeing this shaken voice, and found her cousin, the 3rd year, Shungo Tōjō, staring at her.

Shungo was dumbfounded, the graceful etiquette and beautiful face ostensibly collapsed. He looked flustered and furious, his lips quivering a few times, wanting to say something as the emotions overwhelmed him. Finally, he was barely able to say something.

“Why are you wearing such an indecent attire?”

“...It is the clothing for the culture festival.”

Shungo was already languid, no longer able to maintain his overprotective attitude as he said nonchalantly,

“Should you not be wearing an outfit like hers?”

Shungo pointed at Michiru, and called her over.

Michiru was wearing a fluffy, one-piece nurse uniform with the skirt covering the knees. It was similar to the attire Aoi wore when working at the cafe, classic and cute in its own way.

Aoi herself wanted to wear that.

But in the morning, she requested to Tsuyako,

“I want to wear the same clothing as you and Miss Shikibu, Miss Tsuyako. There should be an additional outfit inside, right?”

The fitting clothes showcased the curves of her breasts and hips, and the skirt was only half as long as her thighs, so she was a little embarrassed.

But she regretted Koremitsu treating her as a child, and really could not stand the thought of always being in Koremitsu's safety zone, wearing a frilly, cute uniform.

“Change it already! Argh, if only I came earlier! Now is not the time to handle the 'Lord Hikaru movie exhibition'! I already said no to the plan, and objected to it, but the girls raised their hands, stating democracy—it is useless to talk about it now. More important, what is with your outfit, Aoi? You too, Tsuyako! Why did you not stop her? Did you make her wear this?”

Tsuyako relaxed her lips, perhaps perked by Shungo's frantic attitude as the latter glared back.

“Calm down, Big brother Shungo. This has nothing to do with Miss Tsuyako. I wanted to wear this.”

“Wh-what did you say?”

Shungo began to panic incessantly.

“You really worry and complain too much. Please do not get in my way.”

Once Aoi harshly told him off, he looked completely bewildered.

“C-complain...Aoi says that, I complain too much...”

Shungo muttered away, lowering his shoulders.

Aoi wanted to chase him off, but a sense of guilt arose in her, and she felt gloomy within.

(I know that I want to dress up as mature as possible, but I am still immature within....)

She lowered her head, and then, there was a plastic cup of juice served with a straw.

“It is banana and blueberry juice mixed with honey. Hikaru used to love this combination.”

Tsuyako leaned over, and handed the juice over.

“Have a little break, will you not? You will feel your courage for love filling your chest. Trust me.”

She again caused Tsuyako to worry.

Till the end, Aoi remained so spineless and dejected; like an adult, Tsuyako said with a reliable voice,

“Hey, Miss Aoi. If Hikaru was still alive, and you did summon your courage to tell him 'I like you', perhaps I would have been lovelorn earlier.”

Aoi looked to the side, and Tsuyako was smiling away like a tender, poignant flower.

That smile was really alluring.

“Where is big brother Koremitsu exactly?”

Shioriko, with a pink rucksack on her back and a grassy green pochette by her side, was looking around as she moved through the crowds of the culture festival.

She lied, saying that a classmate's father would be accompanying them, and came to Koremitsu's school alone.

Or to be precise, she came with a cat.

After putting on her shoes, Lapis approached Shioriko, appearing to wait for the latter as it looked back.

Shall we go? Shioriko asked, and once Lapis gave an aloof purr, the former placed the cat in the rucksack, and carried it along.

(If I'm going with a friend's dad, I can't go around freely; this is a rare chance to find out how big brother's life is like in school. I need to promote myself to his classmates that he has such a cute future bride.)

A boy dressed in uniform approached the pretty girl Shioriko, saying,

“Is something wrong? Are you lost? Do you want me to help you find him?”

With a childish voice, Shioriko said,

“I'm looking for my big brother. He has red hair, and a scary face. It's the first year, Koremitsu Akagi.”

“Ack! Akagi!! As in that delinquent king!? So-sorry! I got something on!!”

And so, he ran away.

The other students too scampered, muttering,

“Akagi's little sister?”

“You're kidding! Even if they're dissimilar, there has to be a limit to that!”

“Wait, I think I saw this kid before!! Ahh! Isn't that the elementary school girl whom Akagi had a scandal king!?”

“That's the lolicon delinquent's girl!”

“Woaahhh!! If we do anything to her, we'll receive a one-way ticket to the hospital from him!!”

It seemed that Shioriko's ambition to establish herself as Koremitsu's wife in school was not something that could be easily accomplished.

“I'm called big brother Koremitsu's woman.”

Her cheeks reddened as she giggled.

If she continue to ride the momentum and say that she was Koremitsu Akagi's little sister, the rumors would spread, and the girls would shy away from him.

“But the problem is that I still can't find him.”

Either way, she decided that she first had to head over to his class.

The rucksack on her back shook, and the seal was opened as a white cat popped out from it.

“Ah, Lapis!”

Lapis darted by the feet of the packed crowd with great agility.

“Ah! What is that?”

“Urk, a cat.”

“Hey, someone let a cat in!”

Voices could be heard from everywhere.

“What do I do now? Wait, Lapis!”

Shioriko gave chase, almost breaking down in tears.

(Am I no longer someone important to Aoi?)

Shungo Tōjō was slumped in a chair in an empty classroom far from the buzz of the culture festival, his head lowered.

Aoi, whom he doted on like a little sister, chided him for being too nosy, and his mind went completely white.

His three older sisters, who were scathing in words and incorrigible in personalities, were saying “You keep calling Aoi here, Aoi there. That is disgusting.” “You have the rare prestige and appearance, and yet you started acting like a stalker for a female relative since middle school. If it is to be revealed, any woman will find it revolting!” “Leaving aside a love interest, you practically dote on her like a little sister. Are you celibate or something?” they kept ragging on him, and perhaps even Aoi too found him disgusting.

(No, am I no longer necessary not only to Aoi, but also to the Mikados?)

Compared to Asai, who took on Kazuaki and his mother Hiroka and sealed Kazuaki's actions accordingly, he felt himself to have not grown at all, unable to defy his father.

He took in Hiina, whom his father gave birth out of wedlock, from the facility while keeping it a secret from him. It was a defiance to his father, and something beneficial to him when he had to deal with his father.

He decided that one day, he would surpass his father, and become an indispensable existence to the Mikados.

But in fact, when his father sided with Kazuaki, he was unable to do anything. The Shungo that would have said those words as his own person rather than being his father's son did not exist at all. It was the same when he wanted to use Hiina for negotiations with his father. Shungo was unable to do that; at this point, he was still immature.

Should he be more flexible instead? Should he try to change his close-mindedness? On the way here, he wanted to ask the woman with long black hair and that posh, pretty back profile, but he never did.

(I guess I will never be able to be married.)

While he was mired in the darkness of his thoughts.

“Meow.”

He heard a cat purr.

There was an elegant white cat in front of the door, standing there courteously.

It had blue eyes, and was an aloof, intelligent looking cat. Shungo felt that he met it somewhere before.

(I-it feels like...)

Shuno recalled that the cat Yū Kanai raised, and felt this cat to be similar.

That cat had the name Lapis, and it appeared to be raised by Koremitsu Akagi at this point. It was with his little sister Shioriko when they had the fireworks outing by the riverbank at the end of summer.

—Do you mind letting me hug?

The moment he said that, Shioriko glared back at him as if he was a lolicon. He hurriedly explained “No, I am referring to the cat in your hands.” , but Lapis slipped out from Shioriko's clutches and escaped, possibly running away from him.

“Lapis hates you.”

Once Shioriko said that, Shungo was a little dejected.

After that moment, he recovered, and found Lapis tidying its fur by his feet. “Surely, this time...” he tried reaching his hand forward, and at that moment, he got stared at again.

He wondered if he was hated, and was very dejected...

That white cat, the same as Lapis, suddenly appeared in front of him for some reason. Those glass blue eyes were staring at him with an aloof look, approaching him without making any sounds.

“Ohh.”

It curled itself into a ball at his feet, and closed its eyes.

(I-I guess I can pat it this time. No, maybe it will run away again. I cannot pat it or hug it. Maybe it is fine for me to look at it from up close...)

He had a thought that the cat would run away if he twitched even a little. His breathing, let alone his body, stopped.

His lungs were gasping for breath, but he wanted to try out this little happiness, even if it was for a fleeting second. While he was conflicted with such a sour face, that white cat opened an eye.

It gently rubbed its face at his feet, looking annoyed as it stared at Shungo, who was all frozen.

Perhaps Shungo was dreaming due to the massive shock of Aoi ostracizing him.

No, surely there was a tender feeling coming from the sock on his right ankle.

While he was all rattled and confused, the cat did a little jump, and leapt onto Shungo's knees, before curling into a ball again.

(Th-this is...!)

His knees felt heavy.

Yet it was such a blissful weight.

The white cat looked to have its eyes closed, sleeping on his knees.

(Perhaps it knows that I am dejected, so it came all the way here to console me?)

Upon thinking about this, Shungo became elated.

He stared at the cat resting on his knees with tenderness.

He could not move, and he was cautiously breathing, but even with the restraints hindering him, Shungo really treasured this little cat that was just like Lapis.

(Where is this cat from? It has a collar, so it does have an owner...if the owner does not show up, I wonder if I can bring it home.)

“I-i-i-i-it has been a while, Mr. Akagi!”

“You came by, Beni? You could have contacted me before you came.”

Koremitsu, manning the beverage stand of the Japanese Dance Club as an attendant, was dressed in a white coat and glasses with his back slouched as he talked to Beni Hitachi.

She was an acquaintance he met in the summer, and even now, they often exchanged messages. She had long, black glossy hair, was a pretty girl, had a nice figure, and left many boys marvelling as they watched her from behind. When they peeked on her sidelong face however, they widened their eyes, and their bodies froze as they frantically averted them.

Koremitsu was already used to the common folk having such a reaction. He was focused on Beni herself, rather than the snake queuing in front of Tsuyako.

“That cute nose has yet to change, Miss Saffloer.”

Hikaru's eyes sparkled as he said this. The name Saffloer was a secret identity between him and Beni. The latter's unique red face too was something Hikaru found to be extremely cute, and so did Koremitsu when she smiled, and the nose reddened.

“Mr-Mr. Akagi, you said that you were busy be-because of the work you had in the culture festival, so...so I thought I should come over and look. Th-that is what they call cosplay, right? A doctor...? It is really scary.”

Beni, raised in a girl's school, was not really used to speaking with boys. She still remained a little tense when facing and talking to Koremitsu.

“A-and then, Miss Tayu is playing in the volleyball match, so I came to cheer her on.”

“Tayu's the Saffron, right? As for the volleyball match, I guess it's the one where they have to wear dog ears?”

“Yes, it really does suit here. Sh-she lost the match, but it was really a close fight. I agreed to meet up with her later, an-and we are going to visit other stalls too.”

“I see. I'm really grateful that you're here to see me. I will contact you through messages later.”

“Yes, I will send you messages, too.”

Beni took a cup of juice Koremitsu prepared, waved her little hand in a bashful manner, again, there was a large empty space in front of Koremitsu.

He stared at the clock hanging on the wall.

2.45pm.

(It'll be a little while longer...)

“I will have a Mint and Banana juice with honey added.”

“You?”

“Hello there, Mr. Akagi.”

It was the intellectual girl who often frequented the cafe Aoi worked at, the one Hikaru dubbed as Miss Mint. She spoke to Koremitsu in a tranquil manner, and the latter widened his eyes,

“What a coincidence. You have an acquaintance in our school or something?”

“I suppose it is something like that. I am here to meet you, however.”

The transparent expression seemed to harbor some intent as they stared at him. When they met in the bookshop, she would stare at him in such a manner, and say some really interesting things.

“My master wishes to talk to you.”

“Master? Who?”

In the face of such doubts from Koremtisu, the girl gave an earnest smile, and with her wise, stoic voice, she spoke slowly,

“The prettiest flower in the world, an angelic woman.”

Hikaru, standing beside Koremitsu, frowned.”

“Miss Mint, you...”

Hikaru seemed perturbed, yet had affirmed something as he muttered. While skeptical about Hikaru's words, Koremitsu listened in on him.

(Angelic woman? Who's that?)

The girl placed a name card on the table.

It was a simple name card with only a mail address on it.

“If you are interested, please contact me.”

“Hey, wait. At least tell me your name!”

Koremitsu yelled, but the girl left without looking back.

“...”

Hikaru watched the girl leave from behind, and seemed to be pondering about something.

Koremitsu too picked up the namecard the girl left behind, wondering,

“Can I really send a message to this address? I won't end up on some strange website, right?”

“Really, Mr. Akagi, I cannot underestimate you after seeing two female acquaintances approach you.”

Tsuyako cheerfully served the hordes of customers as she turned her face to him, teasing him, and winking,

“It really is great that Miss Shikibu and the rest are not around.”

“That's not the case, senpai.”

“I see. But you did keep that name card in your pocket, no?”

“I can't just throw it away.”

“I will keep it a secret. If there is any development, do let me know.”

“I said that isn't the case already.”

While Tsuyako snickered away, Koremitsu sharply retorted back,

The cellphone alarm, which he had set beforehand, buzzed.

It was 3pm.

“Good work there, Mr. Akagi. You can head back to rest. Miss Shikibu should be here soon, or perhaps you want to see her in the nurse uniform? You have yet to meet Miss Shikibu and Miss Aoi today, no?”

Koremitsu's heart tightened when he recalled Honoka's tearful, furious face and Aoi's fleeting look,

“No, gotta go.”

But he answered as he took off his coat.

After this, the final, and most important activity awaited him.

He ruffled his hair, reverted back to his usual look, and shot down the corridor.

And he took off the armband.

“Koremitsu.”

“Leave it to me.”

He answered the floating friend beside him with a vigorous voice, darting towards the chaotic crowds.

When was it that she first developed the habit of coming to this tree whenever she encountered something depressing？

She was at the Cupid statue in the backyard of the middle school branch. Surely no one knew the name of the tree growing at the back, bearing the refreshing white flowers and the scent of May.

It was not as extravagant as a Rose, as alluring as a Cherry Blossom, and as neat as a Lily.

The ordinary white flowers silently bloomed as they hid themselves in the lush green leaves.

The sight of the flowers wilting were not as dramatic as that of a Cherry Blossom; the flowers merely fell silently and gently in a forlorn manner.

Whether it was Spring, Summer, Autumn or Winter, the lush leaves continued to grow throughout the year, and it was the best for an elementary schoolgirl to hide herself. For the middle school student Michiru, it was her favorite place.

—The older sister are really outstanding, but Michiru really is normal, is she not?

Michiru was already used to being compared to the sister older than her by three years.

Whether it was games, conversing with friends, or greeting her seniors, she wanted to be proficient with them, and the more she did not want to fail, the more her body became stiff, and her voice became shrill.

But even so, she did her best to engage in conversations, her limbs flailing about. Everyone else merely snickered, saying,

—Michiru really is weird.

—When I told her to help me do the next duty roster, she stammered and answered 'Y-yes, thanks.'

—Did she not understand what it means? I was just shoving the work to her, and yet it feels like she had to say thanks first.

—Ah, yes, there are many instances of her being like this.

Michiru did not know exactly when some words were appropriate, and what words she should say so as not to be mocked.

She was unable to converse with the classmates successfully, and if she kept doing this, would she be mocked by them? Would the teachers and her parents lament that while her sister was outstanding, she was spineless? Michiru became tentative.

But even so, though she could lock herself in her room at home, she could not do that in school.

Whenever they played dodgeball in PE class, did group research during science classes, or when she recited in front of everyone during language classes, these were all things she was inapt at.

Whenever she failed, she could hear everyone else in class laughing, ostensibly mocking her, and was embarrassed as a result. She would then run to the tree in the backyard, and cup her knees in as she hid there.

She was comforted by the thick green leaves that formed a layered foliage, solaced by the white flowers that bloomed in the beginning of summer.

In a particular instance during summer, she came to school early in the morning, before anyone else did, and took down a branch of the white flowers, placing it in the classroom vase.

Nobody knew of the white flowers that bloomed so healthily, and she wanted to let everyone in class know.

Perhaps someone would like this flower.

However,

—Eew. I made the effort to get a Rose from my house, but there seems to be something placed in it.

—Eh? What is this flower?

—I don't know. I think the Rose Mayuka brought is prettier.

—Let's throw it away.

The girls in the class grabbed the branch and threw it away, and Michiru watched on with the feeling that she was 'unwanted'.

Please, don't throw it away.

It's unimpressive, but it's a pretty flower.

And it does give off a nice scent too.

Stop. She wanted to say so, but she never did, for she feared that she would be mocked again. Just when the tears were about to well in her eyes.

—This is called the Tachibana.

There came a tender voice reminiscent of a sweet, fragrant flower..

—Hikaru.

The girls were suddenly elated, for the one speaking to them was Hikaru Mikado.

Everyone did say that even amongst the students in the middle school branch of Heian Academy, who were all from rich families, he in particular was of an exceedingly prestigious family.

Also, his white skin, cute effeminate face, and dazzling golden hair under the light made him just like an angel.

No matter which girl it was, their faces would redden whenever they met Hikaru, and they were captivated by him, wanting to be with me. Since the affiliate kindergarten, there were girls surrounding Hikaru, centered around him, beaming happily.

Michiru found herself to be a foreigner to him, an existence far from hers.

Such a notion never changed ever since she entered the middle school and was assigned to a class. No, after seeing Hikaru's slender limbs, the speckless white skin and the cute beaming face, she felt that he was of a completely different level compared to her.

Surely, Hikaru would have felt Michiru was not someone he would not stop and offer his time for.

Perhaps he never did notice the girl with the name Michiru Hanasato in his class.

Yet that Hikaru knew of the name of the unimpressive flower from the backyard, which nobody else knew of.

While the morning sun shone in through the window, he stared at the flower delicately, opened his petal-like lips, and smiled sublimely.

—I really do like this flower. It is cute seeing how conservative it is, and really looks full of life. It appears to give off a memorable sent.

The rich, sweet voice he used to say this made Michiru cry more than before, but this time, it became tears of joy.

There was someone who knew of that flower's existence!

He called it cute and energetic, and says that he liked it!

Her heart was pounding furiously, and her face sizzled.

—I suppose we can put the Rose Miss Mayuka brought in another vase. Surely the janitor uncle will give another one to use if we asked him.

He placed his hand on the classmate's, and that girl in particular went beetroot.

—I-if you say so, Lord Hikaru. I too, do, find this flower cute.

And so, the other girls agreed, saying, “me too.”, “I too, do, find this fragrant”, chatting away.

Though the girls never did show much concern to those Tachibana flowers.

Until the white flowers wilted, Hikaru kept staring at them every single day with sonority, and he narrowed his eyes blissfully as he brought his innocent face closer to the flowers.

Michiru's heart pounded as she watched him since then.

Ever since, Hikaru became her prince.

There were many glamorous girls surrounding Hikaru, beaming as they came to him. Michiru however had a dream, wondering if one day, Hikaru would smile at him just as he smiled as he approached the flower.

Yes, like the soot-riddled Cinderella becoming a beautiful princess, and then becoming the bride to him.

Would he place the glass slipper beside her, saying “I have been looking for you”?

Hikaru did once say that the Tachibana flowers were cute in how conservative they were.

And so, Michiru's heart became clearer as a result.

In the middle school, there was a rumor that those that made their love confessions under the Cupid statue in the backyard would end up as an eternal couple.

During the culture festival in their 9th grade, Hikaru placed rings made of Pansies, Nadeshiko flowers, and Cosmos as he swore love with them.

—I swear that I will forever be in love with you.

On that day, Michiru too had her knees cupped as she hid behind the Tachibana tree.

Hikaru was making love oaths to girls, not to Michiru herself, and the dizzying admiration and heartbreaking pain struck her as she peeped on them.

Hikaru's slender hands plucked the flowers to make rings, and they were alabaster and pretty.

The moment they were plucked, the flowers too squealed in happiness, ostensibly quivering.

I too wish to be plucked so tenderly.

Nobody could see her, and they would not scatter due to the cold breeze. If they scattered in those fingers.

If he could make an oath of love,

If I have a pure, exquisite heart like Cinderella, when would Lord Hikaru notice me?

Will he hold my hand and slip a ring on me?

If that case, surely the Tachibana flowers would not wilt so forlornly.

During the next summer, she would not be alone. She would probably be viewing the Tachibana flowers with Hikaru.

She did her best during the work nobody else wanted to do.

She never slacked off, made a fuss, nor complained about it as she maintained a beautiful heart.

But by the time she noticed it, she realized that nobody called Michiru by her name.

Class rep—

That was what they called her. She would continue to do such troublesome matters without hassle, and that meant that she was an easy picking for odd jobs.

—I think you should be the class rep.

—Class rep, I'm busy here, so please help do these too.

—The class rep will finish everything anyway, so it's fine to go back.

But even so, Michiru could not do anything other than to work hard. She accepted all that she was tasked with.

She could not grumble.

Surely, if she worked hard, she would be able to gain happiness.

One day, people would find the scent of Tachibana flowers and the beautiful souls they contained to be more better than the Roses, Cherry Blossoms and Lilies.

Hikaru was the school prince from the moment she entered the middle school, and one had to wonder when exactly did they start calling him Lord Hikaru.

It was impossible that such a pretty, glamorous, special person would choose a plain bespectacled woman like Michiru.

It was painful for her to return to reality and think of those matters; whenever the girls began to talk about him, she practically escaped from them. Whenever the girls surrounded Hikaru in the corridor and passed by, she would make a detour.

But occasionally, very occasionally, if she found Hikaru alone, she would hide herself in a corner of the corridor, not wanting to be discovered by him as she stared at him.

Please, hurry and notice me.

Please show your smile to me.

She kept repeating those words.

However, Hikaru fell into the riverbank during Golden Week soon after he entered the high school affiliate.

“It's 3pm now...ah.”

Michiru was seated at the counter in front of the haunted house, staring at her watch as she muttered. The other girl in charge of the counter vanished as she went to meet her boyfriend from another school.

“If it's you, you can do it, class rep.”

“Y-yes, I don't have any plans, personally.”

With a frozen smile, Michiru watched the girl hold hands with her boyfriend as she departed, saying with a sweet voice “I want some cotton candy. Let's go do some divination for our compatibility later~'

(There's still 2 hours until the public opening ends...)

The people passing by in front of her were either friends or lovers, looking elated. Michiru herself was alone, seated at the chair, and nobody noticed her.

The chatter and whispers filling the corridor pricked her skin like needles, and her heart chilled.

In her damp eyes, there appeared a fleeting figure of a white flower wilting gently, one nobody else knew of.

Little by little.

It looked so forlorn, so tragic.

(Not this year too...)

Whenever the culture festival approached, she would recall the image of Hikaru presenting the flower rings to the girls in front of the Cupid statue, and herself peeping on them under the Tachibana tree.

Surely, this time, she would be like them. She harbored such expectations, only to despair.

During May this year, when the Tachibana flowers began to bloom, Hikaru passed away, and this became an eternal despair.

The white flower wilted without a sound, and, and she hid herself in the middle school backyard as night approached, cupping her knees as she basically mourned the death of that beautiful, dazzling girl. Nobody else would say the name of the Tachibana flowers ever again! That gentle boy really died!? A piercing pain struck all over her, and she felt the realism.

Just when she wanted to give up on numbing her heart and forget that despair, to continue living those days that would never change—

Koremitsu himself said that Michiru was just like a Tachibana flower.

He had crimson red hair, his eyes were as terrifying as a savage dog, and his verbal etiquette was crude. Her legs would quiver whenever he glared at her.

And yet that delinquent with the terrifying face, Koremitsu,

—Hanasato

He called her by the name nobody else did, and with a straightforward expression, he said.

—You’re like the Tachibana flowers. You’re plain, but you have a gentle memorable fragrance. I think that’s very good.

It felt as if Hikaru came to fulfill the promise with Michiru, and possess Koremitsu's body to return.

Since then, the image of Koremitsu and Hikaru's expression overlapped, something she had never thought of before. Her heart quivered silently, as Koremitsu's words were like a spell cast on her.

Just as Cinderella changed her dress and put on the glass slippers as she went off to the ball, Michiru too undid her braids and removed her glasses.

And appearing in the mirror was basically a completely different person.

—Wow, what's with this out of a sudden. You're cute, rep.

—You're unexpectedly pretty. Class rep

It was the first time her classmates actually lavished praise on her.

This surely was the Cinderella spell. She spaced out, thinking that she could finally choose the prince belonging to her.

But Koremitsu was only worried about Aoi or Honoka, and never paid any heed to Michiru. The classmates too did say “Her appearance did improve a little, but she's the same as usual inside. She really can't read the mood, can't hold conversations well, and anyway, she's just fussy.”

If she was not chosen by the prince, the Cinderella spell would surely be broken.

As she recalled how Koremitsu made requests and bossed his classmates around, her throat was breaking apart, and her heart was wincing in agony as it struck her like a thunderstorm.

Surely Koremitsu too did not need Michiru's help, and Michiru would never appear in his sights.

Again, this year was a no go!

She would again be in that place the next year, watching the Orange flowers wilt!

She watched the forlorn flowers wilt, and the lonely cuckoos that were similarly lonely. No matter how they chirped on, nobody would approach them. The red thing in their mouths was due to them practically coughing blood as they chirped, but even so, the only one willing to watch the white flowers wilt was that one winged cuckoo.

The petals were falling silently as Michiru sat on the chair, her body shrinking in pain and sadness.

The white petals fall one by one, like the glow on a firefly.

They glittered one by one.

No matter how forlorn and lonely they were, it felt that they would be alone as they wilted right in the middle of where the other Tachibana flowers wilted.

Surely that was the case, and that she would remained alone there. She always thought of herself as lonely, hearing the lonely cuckoo chirps as she whispered with a trembling voice,

“The cuckoo in the village where the orange blossoms fall, sings and sings on many and many a day.”

In my orange blossoms, nobody else can come in other than me.

In my orange blossoms, nobody will respond to the cries of the cuckoo, except me!

“Hanasato!”

At that moment, she heard a voice.

She looked over at the white blossoms that glittered and wilted, and there was a clear, vigorous voice from there.

Over there was her classmate with messy red hair and a sharp glare.

Koremitsu Akagi grabbed Michiru by the hand, saying,

“Let's go for a culture festival date!”

### 007. Chapter 7: Eternal Flower

“M-M-M-M-Mr. Akagi...!”

Michiru, who had her hand held by Koremitsu, widened her eyes, her mouth half opened as she panicked.

Koremitsu's face too sizzled as he said,

“Don't refuse me now. I did my best to set aside time for this moment, to go around school with you.”

Unlike Hikaru, who was used to inviting girls out, Koremitsu himself was rather embarrassed by this situation.

And furthermore, how could he endure this any further if Michiru was to run away in fear?

Feeling anxious, he grabbed Michiru's fingers firmly, and exerted strength on them.

While seated on the chair, Michiru looked up at him, her face beetroot.

“B-bu-bu-bu-but, I-I'm in charge of reception. I-I'm the only one here right now.”

“There's still one more supposed to be here, right? Where did she go?”

“She went out with her boyfriend?”

“What? She left everything to you to go dating with her boyfriend?”

“Th-th-th-th-th-th-that's because I don't have any plans. So-sorry...please don't glare at me like this.”

Michiru's neck cringed.

“Koremitsu, you cannot be so furious towards a girl. You have to talk to her gently, for you are the prince today.”

Hikaru floated above him, cheerfully chiming in advice.

“Yes.”

Koremitsu weakened his tone.

Michiru assumed that she would be chided again as she looked up.

“Tch.”

Koremitsu clicked his tongue, tapped Michiru on the forehead with a fist, barely touching it...and knocked on it.

“You're too kind-hearted.”

Michiru widened her eyes in shock.

Koremitsu diverted his bashful face aside as he held onto Michiru's hand, yelling into the classroom.

“HEY! CAN ANYONE DO THE RECEPTION?”

The remaining students stared at Koremitsu, and upon seeing him grasp Michiru's hand firmly, they were shocked.

Both Michiru and Koremitsu had such red faces.

What exactly happened on the corridor!?

Surely, they had all sorts of imaginations going on in their minds.

And amongst them, a boy timidly raised his hand.

“Erm, if I can.”

The plain looking face certain did seem to register in Koremitsu's mind. Was that not the one seated right in the middle of the 3 rd row? Koremitsu did also see him staying behind after school to deal with the work.

And so, another boy raised his hand as well.

“Me too.”

That boy too was someone he often spotted after school.

Koremitsu inadvertently felt touched.

“Thanks. Then you two are...?”

They worked together, but Koremitsu did not know their names at all. It was only till this point that Koremitsu actually noticed this, and he frowned.

And so, the duo spoke apprehensively,

“I-I'm Yoshida.”

“I'm Onodera.”

They responded.

And just like that, Koremitsu's heart warmed.

“Many thanks, Yoshida and Onodera! I'll repay you guys!”

He was really grateful as he answered them.

And so, he again faced Michiru,

“Now you don't have any reason to refuse. Let's go.”

“Mr. Akagi, but, that?”

He dragged Michiru by the hand just as the latter continued to fuss, and they walked off.

Behind them, their classmates seemed to be chatting about something.

“When did Akagi and the class rep...!?”

“Speaking of which, did Akagi not smile when he said thanks!? It wasn't as scary as a vengeful spirit. He just smiled.”

“I-I-I-I-I-I saw that too!”

“That Akagi actually smiled!?”

“Wait, Mr. Akagi!”

“Time for you to give up now. If we go back to the classroom now, both you and I will be embarrassed. We'll be embarrassed either way, so might as well enjoy ourselves a little.”

Koremitsu walked on as he led Michiru by the hand, and the students passing by were staring at them with surprised looks, like their classmates did.

“Bu-but, why...why a date out of the sudden?”

Michiru's voice got increasingly softer, probably because she was bashful due to the surrounding stares. Koremitsu grasped onto his hand firmly, perhaps to encourage her.

“Because you made a promise, with Hikaru.”

“!”

Michiru's shoulders jolted.

With a crude voice, Koremitsu continued passionately,

“In Middle School, back when Hikaru was surrounded by both female and male classmates, you were the one who folded the white flowers and sent him notes to encourage him, right?”

And right beside Michiru was Hikaru, watching tenderly over her, saying,

“Placed inside Koremitsu's shoe locker was the same note put inside mine, and there was a song about the Tachibana flowers written on it. I so happened to scent upon some Fragrant Olives, and I recalled about you putting the Tachibana flowers in the classroom vase. Back then, there was a refreshing scent similar to the Tachibana flowers from you, which meant that you were the one who put those flowers there. I already knew back then, Miss Hanasato.”

“You brought the Tachibana flowers to class and decorated it, right? I thought of it, and I immediately understood. This note, and the song written about the Tachibana flowers; you were the one who placed it there.”

There was an intense, perturbed look on Michiru's face.

“Th-that's a lie. Nobody else would have known about me bringing the Tachibana flowers to the classroom. I was the earliest to arrive in the morning, so I secretely—”

“Back then, you had the same refreshing scent as the Tachibana. Hikaru then noticed that you were the one who placed the Tachibana flowers into the classroom vase.”

Michiru's face again showed surprise, and some bewilderment, followed by some emotions mixed with anguish.

“...I see. So...Lord Hikaru knew...that I brought the Tachibana flowers...”

Michiru's emotions were conveyed in her stammering voice.

“So he knew, it was me.”

She continued to stammer, feeling so touched, and appeared ready to break down at any given moment.

Hikaru remained beside Michiru as she was, embracing her as he whispered by her ears,

“You never talked to me, and appeared to shun me, so I felt that I was never loved by you, and I could not talk to you. When I was ostracized by everyone, I never thought you were the one who sent me the message, and never noticed the white Tachibana flower.”

Hikaru's voice was filled with sweetness, filled with the thanksgiving and love for the girl who showed him tenderness and encouragement when he was younger.

They merely exchanged messages for 3 days.

But he was so elated, so warmed.

Even when talking about that, he would still show a tender smile at this point.

“Hikaru actually thought that you hated him, because you're the serious class rep, and he's the damned harem prince. He was actually worried about that, so he never greeted you.”

Hikaru liked girls, but even though he would drift from one flower to another, surely he would have an innocent side to him.

For example, not doing anything to the girl, his childhood friend who had a clean streak, for fearing that she would say that she 'hated him'.

For example, loving a certain person even though he could not do so.

For example, not wanting to cause trouble for a pure, serious, easily flustered class rep.

And so, Koremitsu was the one conveying the feelings in Hikaru's stead.

“That guy's rather innocent himself.”

Michiru's eyes quivered.

Her heart too was overwhelmed by the fragrance of the Tachibana flowers as she stared at the memories of the days with Hikaru.

Perhaps she recalled that figure, voice, and movements Hikaru did when he was younger..

With a cheery face, Hikaru said,

“The white flower you gave me was the Tachibana flower, am I correct? The one who retrieved my recorder and the drawing tools, the white flower encouraging me is the Tachibana flower, and this spirit of the Tachibana was the one whom I said to.”

“The white flower that helped Hikaru, and the bird that assisted me was you, right?”

He had been assuming that the one sending the letter with the little bird, the one who compiled a list of what the other classes were doing, and all the work that was to be done in the culture festival.

However, the one that helped him was Michiru, who was always beside him during the preparations of the culture festival.

She never denied those statements, looking perturbed as she curled her lips tensely, stammering softly as she appeared to utter something; that was a reply more affirmative than anything else.

And while Michiru remained so, Hikaru gave a tender smile,

“That bird is the cuckoo, is that not? There are often hymns pairing the Tachibana flowers and the Cuckoo, including the Man'yōshū, which includes poems pairing them. The words written on the bird were from those poems, I suppose. The rainy night comes from Ōtomo no Yakamochi's poem 'The Scent of the Orange flowers and the chirps of the cuckoos linger on scantily in the rainy night', and the line 'When friends meet come' from the poem by Ōtomo no Fumimochi 'The Oranges and cuckoos chirp when friends meet'. The message written in the flower was 'The cuckoo in the village where the orange blossoms fall sings and sings on many and many a day', of Ōtomo no Notabito's. The other poems too are the same; and they really do fit you, the ever studious Miss Hanasato.”

“If we're talking about the Tachibana flowers here, I can only think about the Cuckoos. Those words are written beside the picture of the birds, and I guess you probably copied them from some hymns about the orange flowers and cuckoos. That really was a roundabout way of doing things, and I really ain't good at such elegant stuff like Hikaru. I guess Hikaru wouldn't have realized it if he didn't have a hint or whatsoever.”

Again, Michiru looked perturbed as she muttered something, her face again blushing as she lowered her head. The hand held by Koremitsu seemed torn between bending the fingers to grasp it back, and letting it go. She was a terrified dog.

For the straightforward Koremitsu, the creatures called women had extremely complicated, bizarre thought patterns.

Due to Hikaru's requests, Koremitsu managed to establish relationships with a few women, and yet he was amazed by the thought in this. He was astounded as to why she had put in so much thought.

Michiru herself gave Koremitsu some suggestions discreetly, slipping information at Koremitsu desk anonymously, and even drew a picture of the cuckoo there. She even left a Tachibana flower note in Koremitsu's shoe locker on the day before the culture festival.

Hikaru, who noticed the white flower note was the Tachibana, noticed that the bird drawing was a cuckoo, and understood that the one who helped both Koremitsu and Hikaru was Michiru.

However, surely Koremitsu would not understand if he was to see the white flower note by itself. Michiru herself probably never thought that Koremitsu would know who placed the flowers in the classroom, let alone the fact that Koremitsu could hear the words of the deceased Hikaru beside him.

Why did she draw the cuckoo on the envelopes however?

Why did she hint at the words related to the Tachibana flowers and the cuckoos?

Why did she leave the Tachibana flower note in the shoe locker?

Why did she whisper “It’s despicable...to remain anonymous.” with such a forlorn look?

Koremitsu was earnestly pondering about this with his all as he patrolled the school as a security member, moved the human lights around, and blended bananas and blueberries at the beverage stand.

He wondered what Michiru was thinking for not revealing that she was the cuckoo, and what her wish was as she continued to slip notes in Koremitsu's table.

“You saw me as Hikaru himself.”

Michiru's hand, resting in Koremitsu's grasp, suddenly shivered.

And Koremitsu firmly grasped the icy hand that tried to escape, saying,

“You made me sit while facing away from the sun, deliberately gave me honey sweets, and tidied my clothing. My face wouldn't be that visible when I was sitting there.”

—Erm, let’s see...ahh! Mr. Akagi, do you mind sitting here?

Her face was blushing as she stood up, placed the empty chair beside the window, and stared at Koremitsu with a look of yearning and expectancy.

After Koremitsu sat there, she gave a delighted look.

—It-it’s better to button up that one, I think

—P-please straighten your back too...P-please be gentler in the way you speaking...

Her face practically melted as she watched Koremitsu nibble on the Macaron.

—It’s honey macarons. There’s honey added in the skin too.

—Wow. This really looks good. I want to try some too..

—Mr. Akagi! There’s still a lot! Please have some more!

“Are you an idiot!? How do you resemble Lord Hikaru in any way? You don’t!” Honoka exclaimed in rage as she heard that, but back then, Michiru clearly was not seeing Koremitsu, but Hikaru himself.

“So-sorry.”

With tears in her eyes, her face contorted due to sobbing.

She lowered her head and shrank, and looked very apologetic, to a point where if there were dog ears on her, they would fold.

“Because you said the exact same words as Lord Hikaru, Mr. Akagi.”

She said with a barely audible voice.

“The same words?”

“Ab-about me, being like the Tachibana flowers...that although they're ordinary, they have a nice scent, very memorable...and that, they're fine that way. Lord Hikaru too did say he like that scent...that there's a memorable thing about it...”

Michiru lifted her head at Koremitsu.

A tear trickled down her face due to the anguish.

(Ahh, I see. Back then, Hanasato cried.)

I-I always hoped that I can be like Hono, so I bought the same accessory as her. I did at first, but it’s different now. I’m me now, the best class rep in Japan.

And while Michiru said that so forlornly while trying her best to act positive, Hikaru noted tenderly,

Miss Hanasato, you are like the Tachibana flower, a pure white flower that hides deep within the green leaves. Perhaps you might not be noticed by the others, but you are determined and devoted, giving off a memorable fragrance. You are a charismatic girl yourself.

And so, Koremitsu too conveyed the words to Michiru, his words resonating with Hikaru's,

You’re like the Tachibana flowers. You’re plain, but you have a gentle memorable fragrance. I think that’s very good.

Back then, Michiru stared at Koremitsu's face for so long, and silently shed some tears.

Surely, that was the moment where she began to see Hikaru in Koremitsu.

Michiru would remember every single word Koremitsu did say, and engraved everything about Hikaru within her. She kept observing him like one looking to save everything in a folder within her. This itself shook Koremitsu's heart.

What was Michiru thinking when Hikaru suddenly died?

Surely she had been weeping alone again.

And after that, she could not forget about him, and kept thinking about him.

Hikaru, who certainly was no longer able to become her lover—

Caressed Michiru's arm gently from sidelong, and with a forlorn, gloomy look, he stared at her.

Hikaru never held back the earnest love and sweet talk necessary for girls to bloom into beautiful flowers.

He complimented them, loved and showed them the affectionate smiles, like one tending to them with clear water.

To Hikaru, all the flowers were so precious, so adorable; but he too noticed that after he died, the words he said back then became the source of their agony.

Surely they would find it unbearable.

Koremitsu's body too was wincing, stabbed by needles as he felt that bitterness.

And to prevent Michiru from being more hurt and intimidated, he did his best to sound calm and serious,

“Sorry for not being like Hikaru, with my rough hands, and my face and hair like this...”

The image of a prince certainly was beyond his grasp.

And he could not show a sweet smile, speak beautiful, flowing words with a transparent voice, or even how to think like that.

“However,”

Koremitsu himself was proud to be Hikaru's friend.

Koremitsu himself felt elated and honored to be able to convey Hikaru's words.

“Until this culture festival ends, I'm Hikaru's representative.”

And so he turned to Michiru, shivering in sadness, and told her with such directness.”

“I'll fulfill your wish in Hikaru's stead. You're really looking forward to that lover full course, right?”

The tears kept flowing down Michiru's tender face, and with a skeptical look, she looked up at Koremitsu, her eyebrows lowered.

With his empty hand, Koremitsu wiped her tears off.

“Let's go try it out together!”

The rough fingers gently caressed Michiru's cheeks, wiping the tears off her.

“Let's go try it out together!”

The moment she heard Koremitsu say this with such a positive look, the voice, and that serious expression reverberated loudly in her heart.

(I saw Mr. Akagi as Lord Hikaru himself, but Mr. Akagi's not angry with that?)

Anyone else would have found it revolting or delusional upon learning that someone saw another person on them and had some delusions themselves.

As Hikaru's representative however, Koremitsu remained as Michiru's lover until the end of the culture festival.

And he was showing such a prideful, cheerful face.

With his overly large hands, he grabbed Michiru and darted towards the bustling crowd.

“Oh yeah. You set off the sprinklers, didn't you? Back then, you combed your hair, put on the nurse cap, and had a half-sleeved gym clothes because your clothes and hair were wet, and you hurried off to change your clothes, am I right?”

Michiru's heart nearly ceased to thump.

Even the issue about the sprinklers was revealed! Did Mr. Akagi see through everything?

“Th-the fluorescent lights were flickering, and I wanted to change it, so even after asking the janitor, he said it was fine, and wouldn't change it for us, so I...put the chair on the table, and fell off. I hit the sprinklers, and I-I think I wrecked it.”

“So, how did you end up setting off the sprinklers?”

“W-well, everyone would have been concerned about that, so I didn't say that out.”

After she muttered,

“Well, we managed to make it in time, and did it well, so it's not all that bad.”

Michiru's tense shoulders relaxed, and those, along with her legs, wobbled like Tokoroten as she nearly collapsed on the floor.

And that did not happen due to Koremitsu's large, sturdy hand that was holding her hand tightly.

Michiru too...held that hand firmly to not sit on the floor.

Koremitsu bashfully averted his stare, his face beetroot.

“Because of the special security work, I had the entire map of the culture festival memorized, so I got to thank Asa for that. We don't have much time left, so let's just make a brief trip around. First, let's go get some Takoyaki, and then, some cotton candy.”

“Bu-but, Mr. Akagi...you, don't really take sweets, don't you?”

“Well, that's the case, but...”:

For some reason, he glanced above, frowned a little, and then turned his face forward, looking tense.

“Leave it to me.”

He concluded.

With Koremitsu holding Michiru's hand, they went downstairs towards the courtyard filled with stands. The latter's face was sizzling, her heart pounding furiously.

“One takoyaki, two picks, and as for mayonnaise...”

He looked at Michiru, apparently affirming,

“N-normal will do.”

“Normal amount of mayonnaise.”

“Ah.”

“What?”

“That...Katsuobushi.”

Koremitsu again averted his stare,

“Give me a little more of that.”

He eked these words in front of Michiru.

“That's enough, right?”

“Y-yeah.”

And while Michiru nodded slightly, he poked a pick into the takoyaki he received, and handed it to her.

“For you.”

“Th-thanks.”

Just when Michiru was about to reach her hand.

“Th-that's not it.”

She received a glare.

“Y-you're just showing this to me?”

“That's not it.”

Koremitsu again glanced diagonally above, appearing to ponder over something. Then, he stared at her, saying,

“Open your mouth.”

“Ehh?”

“Do-don't lovers do this? Or that's what Hikaru told me. Damn it, well, I'll definitely do this if it's me!”

“B-bu-bu-bu-bu-but!”

The folks surrounding both Koremitsu and Michiru outside a radius of approximately 3.5m were all staring at them, their eyes widened as their bodies froze.

It was so embarrassing!

But Koremitsu served up the Takoyaki, with lots of Katsuobushi topping, and brought it to Michiru's mouth.

(Mr. Akagi is embarrassed to be doing this too.)

But he still did so, for Michiru's sake.

They were lovers for just two hours, but he wanted to play this role as best as he could.

That emotion was certainly not an act, but ostensibly something to be conveyed from something swirling in the heart.

With determination, she opened her mouth, and ate it. The fragrance of the sauce and katsuobushi spread in the mouth.

“I-it's naice.”

She wanted to express her worry if the food was too hot, but it was just right.

And while she expressed her thoughts as she chewed,

“Uu, I-I didn't eat much since morning. I'm hungry.”

Koremitsu too muttered, his voice increasingly softer.

“!!”

He closed his eyes.

“Hanasato, f-feed me too!”

He yelled, and opened his mouth.

“Eh!?”

“Hurry!”

“Y-y-y-yes!”

She took the other pick from the Takoyaki box Koremitsu had, stuck it in, and timidly popped it into Koremitsu's mouth.

And so, Koremitsu kept his eyes closed as he closed his agape mouth.

“!”

“Woah!”

She placed the food deep inside, depth notwithstanding, and because of that, Koremitsu had Michiru's fingers in his mouth too.

Shocked, Koremitsu opened his eyes.

His eyes met hers at such a close distance, and the sensation of her fingers lingered between his lips as they both blushed.

Koremitsu opened his mouth, and Michiru retreated her fingers.

Koremitsu swallowed the Takoyaki without chewing on it much, and began to cough. Michiru frantically patted him on the back.

“Are you alright, Mr. Akagi!?'

“A-ack, so-sorry.”

Koremitsu straightened his body, and their eyes met again, their cheeks flushed.

Upon seeing Koremitsu's eyes teary due to him choking on his food, her heart throbbed, and she picked up another Takoyaki.

“Th-this time, please have it slowly...okay?”

She said as she served it to Koremitsu, and the latter was left red faced as he again ate it.

“You too, Hanasato. Have some.”

Koremitsu said that as he too picked up another Takoyaki. Once she saw the Katsuobushi littered over it, her heart got fuzzy, with some itchiness aroused within her.

“Yes.”

She too showed a natural smile, her mouth opened.

And so, both of them ate the 8 Takoyakis in the box, 4 each. Koremitsu's face was tense and flushed, and Michiru's was sizzling in embarrassment; yet both of them enjoyed themselves.

“Hey, will lovers actually eat in such an embarrassing manner? Did I get fooled by Hikaru or something?”

“No, right now, that's exactly how lovers should be eating takoyaki. That's why my heart's really pounding like crazy.”

“Is that...so? Then, no, forget about it.”

Koremitsu diverted his stare to the sky, and gruffly muttered.

“Alright, now for the cotton candy. I feel a little thirsty now. Let's go get something to drink, 'kay?”

He held a red-faced Michiru by the hand, and walked off.

They bought soda water and cotton candy from a stall, and shared them.

Koremitsu drank a quarter off the soda water can, and Michiru frantically retrieved it, drinking. Both of them divided the cotton candy in half, peeling scraps and feeding them to each other.

Koremitsu really had issues dealing with sweet foods, and he frowned as he forced himself, saying,

“We-well, I'm still good with this.”

The soft cotton candy slowly melted on Michiru's mouth, lingering there as it became a sweet, sugary liquid. The parts that were yet to dissolve completely remained delicious too.

After that, they went fishing for water balloons, and entered a haunted house.

Koremitsu remained serious as he handed a balloon with blue and white patterns to Michiru.

And that balloon bobbled in Michiru's palm.

“Ehhehe, I wanted one when I was young.”

“You never been to a festival?”

“My family's strict, so I'm really happy to be able to fulfill my wishes.”

Michiru let out an umpteenth number of screams in the haunted house as she latched onto Koremitsu, who embraced her firmly with his slender, yet sturdy and muscular arms and chest. The stench of sweat, and ink, could be scented from his body, yet Michiru found that to be a wonderful scent.

No matter where they went, the focus was upon them.

That delinquent king was holding hands with a girl? They were even flirting with each other, causing the onlookers to look extremely dejected.

Michiru's neck retreated as she whispered that,

“Right now, I'm only seeing you alone.”

And Koremitsu answered,

“Also, my ears can only hear your voice.”

It started to get hot deep within Michiru's eyes.

(Mr. Akagi just said something really amazing.)

And he was so earnest with it.

But as Koremitsu kept leading her by the hand, she got noticeably less distracted by the surrounding stares. Furthermore, she felt like a princess at a ball, basked in the onlookers' stares as she danced with a prince.

That was the scene Michiru saw in her dreams.

That day, Hikaru walked towards Michiru with a gentle smile, saying, “So the flower messages are from you? Thank you for helping me. As promised, will you be my lover?” reaching his hand out to her.

And so, Michiru would hold Hikaru by the hand, their hands clasped together as they strolled through the bustling campus during the culture festival.

Koremitsu's hair was red and messy, and his face was so terrifying, it was unbefitting of a prince's face.

He was the complete opposite to the graceful, grandeur Hikaru.

But though he may be gruff, he kept taking care of her; there was some tenderness conveyed through his crude verbal etiquette; he unexpectedly knew how to gain a girl's favor.

“Speaking of which, I haven't thanked you properly. Thanks to you, I managed to complete the committee member work, and I feel that the culture festival isn't such a bad thing. Thanks a lot for helping both Hikaru and me. Thank you, Hanasato!”

—Thank you, Miss Hanasato.

While Koremitsu thanked her so bashfully, Michiru seemed to recall Hikaru saying such words with a dazzling look as well.

Koremitsu's face was utterly red, his lips a little ostentatious, the red hair soaked in sweat looking so dazzling under the sunset. Michiru found it to be as pretty as Hikaru's, her heart throbbing.

(Mr. Akagi today really is like a prince.)

The public closing time slowly approached.

“Want to look at the Tachibana flowers at the end?”

Michiru gritted her teeth as she nodded in the face of Koremitsu's question.

The backyard of the Middle School campus was basked in a faint orange sunset.

“It has yet to change since the time when I was in Middle School.”

He stared at the Cupid statue with an affectionate stare, and there was the Nadeshikos and Cosmos growing on the flower bed by the feet.

“You see, Koremitsu? That is the Tachibana tree.”

The place Hikaru pointed at appeared to have oval, glossy leaves. Behind the Cupid statue, in the midst of the green leaves, the blue fruits could again be seen basked under the golden sunset.

Michiru too was basked under the same color, looked moved as she touched those trees.

The breeze gently swayed the Cosmos and and her hair, but did not sway the sturdy leaves and fruits of the Tachibana flowers as they remained there silently.

Hikaru moved his slender hand towards the leaves.

“It will be great if it is May now. It is a pity that you were unable to see the extremely vibrant, vigorous white flowers, Miss Hanasato.”

He stared at the green leaves that got increasingly brighter with a sacred expression of yearning and love, and diverted his eyes towards Michiru, looking a little tense beside Koremitsu.

“But well, it is fine, for the flowers will again bloom the next year. Do you know why people swear eternal love under this Cupid statue? That is because this Cupid statue is surrounded by the Tachibana flowers, which in turn represents eternity. In the distant past, the Emperor commanded the Tajimamori to bring back a rich, fragrant, immortal fruit from the Toyo no Kuni, the timeless fruit called the Tachibana, or orange.”

That rich, sweet voice lingered in the backyard under the forlorn sunset.

“Hanasato.”

When Koremitsu called out to her, Michiru's shoulders jerked in shock, and she turned towards him.

She obviously looked a little tense, clumsily lifting her head.

This classmate of his was showing a puppy-like expression,. Even without others knowing, this girl kept working hard, for her class...

“Hey, do you know the reason why the rumor that there'll be eternal love if people swear their oaths here?”

Michiru shook her head.

Hikaru gently muttered,

“This flower will continue to bloom no matter how it wilts. Even as people depart, countries change, it continues to remain there. In the early summer, it will give off a refreshing aroma, and upon scenting it, people will recall the past, reminiscing wonderful memories, and surely they will smile.”

Koremitsu too looked at Michiru tensely,

“The Tachibana flowers signify eternity, or that's what Hikaru said. Even if they wilt, they'll keep blooming in the next year, or the year after, giving off a refreshing fragrance or sorts.”

He conveyed Hikaru's words to Michiru, who kept yearning for Hikaru.

Unlike Hikaru, Koremitsu did not have a tender expression or pretty lips, and did not have the nice voice the latter had.

However, he was earnest, seriously conveying Hikaru's thoughts, Hikaru's love, and Hikaru himself to the girls he loved.

He wanted to convey to them that it was wonderful for them to be able to love Hikaru, that Hikaru was fortunate to be born in this era, this world, that he wanted them to think this way.

And so, he wanted them to know.

How much Hikaru actually loved them.

The luxurious stems of the Cosmos swayed gently with the breeze, and Koremitsu snapped it crudely.

Taking in a short breath, Michiru straightened her back slightly.

Upon seeing this, Koremitsu again exerted strength, as it appeared he was about to confess to Michiru again.

(Well, it's definite that without Hikaru haunting me, I won't be able to become a member of the committee, and I won't know what's good about Hanasato.)

Surely she did not garner much attention, but this girl was like a Tachibana flower, leaving a tender fragrance in the heart, her expression as adorable as a puppy.

Koremitsu himself too received lots of help from Michiru.

With Hikaru watching over him, he heard the pounding of his heart as he twirled the stem of the Cosmos, stopped at the base of the flower, and formed a ring.

And then—

While his face was beetroot—

As he stared right into Michiru's eyes—

He slipped the flower ring onto Michiru's slender finger.

Michiru kept staring at that ring.

“I'm Hikaru's representative...and the flowers already bloomed in spring. After scenting upon this fragrance, you'll recall about what happened today.”

Even if they were lovers for just two hours.

Whether it was the brightness of the sunset, the refreshing sensation of the breeze, the sensation of the dirt and grass inside the shoes, the brown hair swaying around the slender shoulders, the lips opened in delight, or the emotions, the bashfulness he could sense, Koremitsu could sense happiness, love.

Also, there was also the time when they were facing each other at a single table in the classroom after school, discussing about the culture festival. His heart throbbed due to the lively, puppy-like eyes, the itchiness caused by the slender fingers that gently caressed Koremitsu's rough fingers, and the sweetness of the colorful Macarons of blue, orange and yellow.

Surely he would recall them over and over again.

The broadcast indicating the end of the public showing could be heard from afar.

Michiru wiped the tears off her face, smiling,

“I...too will like to thank you, Mr. Akagi.”

Thank you—

These words encompassed all the heartfelt thanksgiving Michiru had, and she conveyed it to the red-haired boy, standing there bashfully with a frown.

This was the most blissful, special day.

For the wish was finally granted.

From behind the Tachibana tree, Michiru had long watched the girls who swore oaths with Hikaru, and admired them, feeling bitter, her heart pricked.

She was envious that they were able to get flowers from Hikaru, and was anguished as a result.

She really wanted to grab those hands.

She really wanted to stare into those eyes.

She wanted to give him the pain, the bitterness, and the sweet delight.

And then, she would become lovers with him, not just alone, but with him, to watch the white flower blossoms.

“Can you be my girlfriend?”

“Yes, I will.”

That was the deal they had written on the letters, and the three days were like a treasure.

The miracle once happened, and she lifted her head, hoping for it to happen again. She never complained about inequality, and maintained a pure heart. Countless times she had to watch the wilting Tachibana flowers alone, and her heart was crushed.

Perhaps after the flowers scattered, she would be left alone.

She felt that perhaps it would be easier for her to give up.

But Hikaru's friend fulfilled this in his stead.

And those thoughts glittered as they ascended.

The aroma of the white Tachibana flowers spread all over her chest, making her blissful.

Surely, even if the Tachibana flowers did wilt, she would no longer despair over the future.

And there would no longer be a cuckoo chirping in agony due to suffering.

“I cannot keep waiting on my own. I have to walk on with my own feet, push the lush leaves aside with my hands, and see the prince. I couldn't believe Lord Hikaru's death, Mr. Akagi, and I never bade farewell to him at the funeral. So since you are representing him, can I, say it to you, Mr. Akagi?”

Koremitsu nodded.

Michiru said to the younger Hikaru, that day,

Her lips smiling,

“Farewell.”

### 008. Epilogue: At the Time of Farewell

I do remember very well the name of that bespectacled girl who always worked hard.

As the class representative, you really did your best without any grudges. You were always panicking, but that is definitely a show of the utmost effort.

When things are not going your way, you would lower your shoulders dejectedly and shed tears. After that however, you would approach the other party gingerly, yet head on.

I do feel that you were really cute being like that.

I am hailed as a harem prince, and you would lower your head whenever you saw me, running away from me. I never had a chance to talk to you.

We were linked by the same thoughts.

During the days when I was called the useless person by the girls in the class, the white flower pixie supporting me was an instant 'grace'-like existence.

There was a faint fragrance when you passed by.

I never did see you, but my body and soul silently remembered that scent.

There was once when I made a request to you 'can you be my girlfriend'.

And you answered me 'yes'.

Back then, I never saw the shape of the white flower that gave off such a refreshing scent...

It really is great that I can fulfill the promise I made with you, though I have no idea when it was.

Surely, this will be my final culture festival on this world.

It really is great to have you spending this special culture festival with me, and I truly feel this way.

You showed the prettiest smile possible when I placed the ring of Cosmos flowers on you.

Hey, Koremitsu.

Were you also not moved by that smile?

There is nothing to be ashamed of. This is a natural result after being dosed by pretty flowers.

Did you also not think how fortunate you are to have such a cute, adorable girl as your first female partner in this culture festival?

Surely Miss Shikibu, Miss Aoi and Asa will not be rest assured.

And surely, it will become a topic starting tomorrow.

That you, the delinquent king, was sharing takoyaki, cotton candy with such a cute girl at the culture festival, fishing for water balloons.

Why is it that your face suddenly became so red?

You're the only one I can see, and your voice is the only thing I can hear! actually, I did hear such cool lines from you, you know?

And then, what did you think?

Ahh, there is no need to cup your head and squat down.

Surely you will be hailed the flirting delinquent king starting tomorrow, you know? And that will be a bad thing for Miss Hanasato too?

Though I may conclude this, I can be certain that Miss Hanasato would not have such thoughts.

At first, she was bashful when you two were walking together, but starting midway through, did she not smile so cheerfully?

Surely, the 'thanks' Miss Hanasato said is from the bottom of her heart.

Have you also noticed too, Koremitsu?

Unlike before, amidst the expressions and voices in the rumors when talking about you, there was some goodwill laced in them.

It was when you stopped the girls from quarreling, chased down the boys from another school flirting with the waitress in the festival house, and when you desperately went about carrying the crying little girl on your shoulders, looking for her mother.

You have a terrifying face, but there are people who do think that perhaps you are a serious person.

That includes your classmates too.

While everyone was ready to give up after the background sets were soaked in water, saying that they could not make it in time, you shouted at them, telling them that they should only say that when they really cannot make it.

You really are an amazing person, a really trustworthy person, viewed by all with respect.

And thus, there was a different scene from before; when you asked for someone to take over the reception, did Mr. Yoshida and Mr. Onodera not help to take over?

Hey, Koremitsu.

Surely, little by little, everyone is beginning to like you.

And you are able to enjoy a happy school life with everyone.

That personally was what I wished to do, and what I could not accomplish, you did.

This truly is something worth celebrating.

You will not be alone once I depart from this world.

And you will surely be able to make friends.

Really.

So, even if I am no longer around, you will be fine. Until that time comes, I will be able to leave the Earth in relief, and begin my own journey.

Surely with a smile—

Once the closing ceremony ended, the students returned to their classrooms, and after a brief meeting, class was dismissed.

"Er-erm, Mr. Akagi."

The duo who took Michiru's place as receptionist spoke to Koremitsu, their shoulders tense.

"Ah, Yoshida and Onodera, right? Thanks for that."

Koremitsu briefly recalled their names, and said so in an awkward manner. The duo too looked jumpy as their eyes swam about, elbowing each other.

(What? Do they have something they want to request from me? Well, I did say that I'll pay them back.)

While scowling as he pondered, Yoshida spoke up,

“E-everyone in class decided that after this, we're going to a karaoke box to celebrate the success of the culture festival today. So, you too, Mr. Akagi...”

Yoshida trailed off, and Onodera continued,

“W-w-we'll like to invite you as well.”

“Yes.”

Yoshida too muttered.

Koremitsu was shocked, and for a short while, was left speechless.

“Now then.” Hikaru himself seemed to be egging Koremitsu on from the side as he beamed.

“It's...fine for me to go too?”

This was the first time someone actually tried to invite him out to a success party.

Till this point, the class had yet to include him in the class contacts list.

Did I mishear that? After he asked this blankly, the duo answered in unison,

“Y-you're our committee member in the culture festival, Mr. Akagi.”

“Yeah. You were the one who encouraged us and prepared everything for the class exhibit, and that's why we could succeed.”

“You're not coming after all, Mr. Akagi!?”

The other classmates in the classroom were also anticipating Koremitsu's reply as they stared at him.

“Yes, Mr. Akagi will definitely participate, right Hono?”

The one asking this so cheerfully was Michiru.

Honoka's shoulder jerked in shock, and then,

“...Well, Akagi's very free anyway, so he'll go.”

She continued to fiddle with her cellphone while looking away from Koremitsu, looking nonchalant.

(This is bad...I feel like crying.)

Koremitsu felt something hot rising up within his throat, and covered his face with his right hand, his lips quivering, and he widened his eyes, apparently shocked by his classmates.

It was incorrigible of him, but his throat kept shivering.

—You are able to enjoy your school life with everyone.

Hikaru's words became reality.

“Koremitsu, if you do not hurry...”

Hikaru, by the side, gently spoke.

Koremitsu opened his mouth, and put his hands down stiffly, his face sizzling as he answered everyone with a trembling voice.

“Oh...yeah. I-I'll come along too...I guess.”

Yoshida and Onodera beamed, seemingly relieved.

After seeing their expressions, Koremitsu's heart became warm as a result.

“So then, this is the map of the shop.”

He received a message from Yoshida.

“...Okay.”

“See you later then, Mr. Akagi.”

“O-okay.”

He was no longer able to say anything else. Surely he did not think that he did not like the culture festival or something.

Michiru went by Yoshida and Onodera as she approached Koremitsu, smiling as she whispered,

"I'll be going there first, Mr. Akagi... do be there."

She gave him a meaningless stare.

But after hearing that, Koremitsu recalled that he had something he had to do.

He turned to Honoka, and the latter pouted her lips, staring at her cellphone screen.

The actions Michiru did to Koremitsu a while back did seem very intimate. Honoka looked absolutely terrifying as she practically decided not to face him.

With a finger on her lips, Michiru slipped out from the classroom.

And the other classmates began to move.

"...Shikibu."

With a rigid voice, Koremitsu hissed.

Hikaru floated in the air as he watched over them, silently supporting them as he practically cheered them on.

Honoka's fingers, which were fiddling with the message, stopped, but she did not reply Koremitsu as her lips curled increasingly, and she then continued to type her message.

"..."

"I got something to say. Mind hearing me out a little?"

"..."

She did respond to Koremitsu's words, but perhaps she could not speak up as she had already ignored him once. The perplexed stare was swimming about, her face increasingly tense.

"Please?"

Sweat was trickling down Koremitsu's forehead and armpit.

And finally, cold words came from Honoka's mouth,

"...It's not good to keep Michiru waiting."

Honoka was practically saying that she would be joining Michiru and the rest at the shop, and also hinting that Michiru was waiting for Koremitsu.

"Hanasato already went off to the shop."

"Eh!?"

Honoka lifted her face, and looked around the classroom.

There was basically nobody else in the classroom except for Koremitsu, Honoka and a few girls. The girls chatted as they left the classroom, and it got quiet.

After that, only Koremitsu and Honoka were left behind.

"...!"

Honoka muttered, and raised her eyebrows,

"I'm going too."

She slipped her phone into her pocket, carried her bag, and stood up.

"Wait. Listen to me, just for a moment."

Honoka was too stubborn, and Koremitsu got anxious as he grabbed Honoka by the wrist to make her stop. The former then looked away from him.

"What? Are you going to announce that you're dating Michiru?"

Honoka retorted bluntly. Her eyes became feeble, and she quipped gloomily,

"...I heard that you and Michiru were feeding cotton candy to each other...and that you walked about with your hands held together, Akagi, and all sorts of things..."

"The one liking Hanasato was Hikaru. I just took his place and accompanied her until the culture festival ended. We aren't really dating!"

"Huh!? You're still saying the nonsense about Michiru seeing you and Lord Hikaru's faces together?'

Honoka gave Koremitsu a chiding stare, but she froze there after seeing him give a serious look.

She looked ready to break down in tears, perhaps because she was unable to evade his eyes.

"B-but...Michiru's feelings for you..."

"Hanasato's the one who told me to have a proper talk with you, Shikibu."

Honoka's eyes looked extremely mystified

"Michiru...?"

—Hono has been evading you because of me, Mr Akagi."

At the backyard basked with hope, after Koremitsu slipped the flower ring on Michiru's hand, the latter looked elated as she whispered,

—I said to Hono that if she just viewed you as a classmate, she shouldn't be getting in our way. I didn't want Hono and you to be just on friendly terms, Mr Akagi.

—So Hono's been concerned about me, and unwilling to talk to you.

Sorry. Michiru lowered her head deeply.

And then, with a smile on her face, she lifted her head.

—It's definitely a lie if that Hono view you as a mere classmate, Mr Akagi. That's obvious from her attitude.

—Please patch things up with her.

"Hanasato said that you were the one who asked the classmates scared of me to help out after school."

"!"

Honoka again gasped.

"In exchange, you had to participate in the friendly matches, take part in the volleyball exhibition game, and the Shogi reception or whatsoever."

Koremitsu's face was filled with bashfulness and confusion as she stared back at him.

—Hono has been worried about you all this time, Mr Akagi. She's been thinking only about you.

Upon recalling Michiru's words, Koremitsu's face grew increasingly hot.

Michiru was the one who had been giving suggestions to Koremitsu, supporting him as they prepared for the culture festival.

But Honoka had been acting aloof, secretly helping Koremitsu.

It was not a complete mistake to think that the sender of the cuckoo envelopes was Honoka.

Honoka opened her mouth, dumbfounded.

And Koremitsu let go of Honoka's hand, lowering his head towards her,

“Thanks, Shikibu.”

One had to wonder how many times had he thanked Honoka.

It was always when he realized Honoka had been helping him out, that he felt some hint from Honoka's words, gained some courage from her, was moved in some way; that was the feeling filling his heart.

Again, Koremitsu nudged his body and stared at Honoka. Hikaru vanished from his sights before he knew it, surely watching over him.

“I-I didn't exactly....speak up to everyone else in the class for your sake...”

Honoka eked those words out,

“And then, I took part in the friendly matches, not because of you...”

And then,

“No.”

After several seconds of silence, a fleeting expression appeared.

“This isn't it.”

She spoke with a hoarse voice.

That calm face and voice was completely different from her usual feisty self. Koremitsu's heart jolted, his breathing paused.

“I did it...because of you.”

With damp eyes, she lifted her head tentatively.

It was dark outside the window, and one could practically hear the pounding of the heart inside the window.

“I actually wanted to tell you the truth, Akagi. No matter who you went out with, if it's based on your real intentions, I'll give up. Michiru was angry at me, and said that if I just thought of you as a classmate, I shouldn't be talking to you. That's because I lied. I will never do this again; I won't try to bluff, nor will I be lost.”

She stared at Koremitsu as the latter watched with bated breath, and with much thought in her eyes and words, she confessed,

“I like you, Akagi. Not in the usual like, and not as a classmate. I like you, Akagi.”

Koremitsu's head immediately sizzled.

But at that moment, there was an extremely anxious voice.

“I too...like Mr. Akagi!”

Both Koremitsu and Honoka were practically repelled as they turned to the voice in unison.

Standing at the entrance of the classroom was Aoi.

“Miss Aoi...”

Koremitsu could hear a little murmur from Hikaru behind his head.

(What did Aoi just say!?)

Honoka stared at Aoi with a petrified look, and watched the latter shout with all her might, summoning all her courage as she slowly approached.

Aoi stood in front of them, and spoke with a near-teary look.

“Sorry.”

Was she saying sorry to Honoka, Koremitsu, or to the both of them?

With a pained, suffocated voice, she said,

“But I too like Mr. Akagi. I do not wish to lose to you, Miss Shikibu. I wish to like Mr. Akagi as a male.”

The posh Aoi actually had such an agitated side to her.

Actually, Aoi was a girl who had that side to her. There was the time when she yelled at Hikaru's corpse 'you liar'—

That agitation and devotedness was being conveyed to Koremitsu.

With a stifled voice, Honoka said,

“I-I too won't lose to anyone in my feelings for Akagi, whether it's you or anyone else, Your Highness Aoi...! I won't back down!”

And while both girls unleashed all their emotions, Koremitsu was left as confused as a raft stranded in a thunderstorm.

Hikaru too hid himself, not voicing anything.

Koremitsu could not be bothered with what emotions Hikaru had with regards to Aoi's confession. All he cared about was that he was in no man's land between the two girls pursuing him.

He did not know how to deal with the issue at hand.

And beyond that, he could not express his feelings for both Aoi and Honoka.

Did he have to answer immediately? Did he have to answer at this place?

Koremitsu, basked under the harsh stares, was at his wits end as he stood in front of the blackboard, unable to solve a tough maths question he had yet to fully comprehend. His heart nearly ceased, the sweat pouring like a waterfall.

Suddenly, the cellphone in his pants pocket vibrated.

He was unable to give an answer, but he managed to escape from their sights, and after a little sigh, he checked the sender.

At that moment, he felt a numbing shock racing through his mind.

While Koremitsu widened his eyes and jerked his shoulders, Honoka and Aoi watched on with bated breath.

The message was sent from Yū Kanai in Australia,

Koremitsu did not dare to blink even once as he stared at the message left on the cellphone screen,

“In a few days, I will be visiting Japan.

I hope to meet you again.”

(Did my message reach Mr. Akagi...?)

In the yard lit by the outdoor lights and the moonlight Yū's delicate finger pressed the send button, and stared at the cellphone screen for a long time even after the words vanished from it.

“Did you send a message to your boyfriend that you are heading back?”

She turned to the rich sweet voice.

There was a bespectacled youth with feeble, slanted shoulders and a tender face standing in front of the Poplar trees growing in the vast garden of the luxurious nursing care facility; he gave a serene smile as he remained basked under the moonlight.

"E-erm, that is..."

Yū's face was completely flushed, not knowing how to respond. Upon seeing her fidget, he narrowed his eyes, beaming as he said with a lukewarm voice,

"Good to see that you are going to be reunited with your beloved boyfriend."

He, Hikaru's half-brother, looked to be as gentle a person as he appeared, and had the same tranquil voice. Perhaps it was for this reason that Yū, ever so weary, was able to calm down.

"I came to call you in as the after-meal tea is prepared. Come, do come inside and hear me out."

He never did ask who Yū sent the message to, and prompted the girl in. The latter placed the shut cellphone at her chest, saying with a voice that was ever so chirpy.

"Yes, Mr. Kazuaki."

The culture festival was over, and the bustling atmosphere in the school campus cooled. Surrounded by silence in the student council office was Asai, who was giving a conflicted look as she sat on the chair,

"There is another 2 months until labor, is it?"

The stoic voice appeared to be restrained in emotion as she inquired the secret contact.

"Do you think that the child inside her is Hikaru's?"

The girl had straight, neat, short hair resting on her shoulders, and a refreshing, intellectual expression; with a voice of clarity, she answered,

"I do not know."

Even at this point, Asai had been observing Hikaru's heart up close, closer than anyone else, and was conceited at this fact. This girl standing in front of her was the one who was closest to Hikaru's most beloved, Fujino Mikado, and she knew of Fujino's actions, and her heart.

"However,"

That girl cautiously continued.

Asai's face paled as she listened with terror,

"On that snowy night in March when Mr. Hikaru returned to Shinshu, the one Mr. Hikaru bonded with at the Church was not the Japanese Cypress, but the Wisteria."

## Footnote

Hikaru,

I never did forgive you.

I will never forgive you for only looking at others when you should have been looking at me, and being blissful.

I will never forgive you for escaping alone from the world that was just the two of us.

I will never forgive you for loving me, swearing an oath of love with me, hurting me, and deserting me.

I will never forgive you, for letting out of the clasped fingers as you showed that beautiful, cruel smile.

Thus, I had no choice but to kill you.

## Special Chapter: Asai Saiga's Miscalculation ~ You're Too Bad at Sympathizing

Asai Saiga had always assumed herself to be a cerebral woman.

She felt that she could use this cerebral mentality of hers to command others as she pleased.

“...But why is it that it simply does not work on that person?”

Appearing in her mind was that galling underclassman of hers with a lush red hair, sharp eyes, the rash presence of a mutt all over him, and she frowned hard.

“Yo, I'm here.”

“Now that was fast.”

While Koremitsu Akagi opened the door to the student council office, Asai coldly faced him as she muttered.

“Aren't you the one who asked me to hurry over? What's the problem? I can do anything for you right now.”

She did anticipate an anxious figure appearing in front of her after being summoned through the public announcement system, but Koremitsu in turn was abnormally enthused. There was no way this person would have been delighted to be summoned by Asai...

“Anything...?”

“Yeah.”

Koremitsu's lips and eyes were showing delight after all.

“...”

The list of what Asai wanted him to do flowed through her mind in that instant.

(What exactly shall I make him do...)

She raised her eyebrows, trying to ponder over it. However, rationality overcame her immediately, and she coldly said,

“I suppose not. I am still not that deplorable to a point where I need you for assistance.”

“You really aren't being cute here. What do you want?”

Yes, she had given him too much leeway. She could no longer let him continue with this insolence, or rather, to make sure he did not view her as an enemy, and to cultivate his goodwill and respect towards her, before he would be eventually controlled by her—

While Koremitsu curled his lips, Asai folded her arms presumptuously, as she said,

“Mr. Akagi, I hereby command you to be part of the culture festival special security group.”

And thus, her chances of interacting with Koremitsu would greatly increase with the veil of work. While Koremitsu would stumble his way through the work, Asai would then follow nonchalantly, force him to recognize her ability, and gain a favor from him

(I suppose it might be very interesting to tease Mr. Akagi with words when he fails.)

And as she continued to secretly contemplate about this, hidden under that stern expression of hers was a minuscule, probably even a speckle's worth of expectations hopping inside her.

“Do you know what day is it today? Mr. Akagi. It is 2 days before the culture festival.”

Asai anxiously summoned Koremitsu through the school's PA system, and yet Koremitsu did not rush over to her, for he, completely overwhelmed by his class and Japanese Dance Club events, did not pay any particular heed to the work Asai tasked him,

“Sorry.”

Koremitsu weakly apologized.

(What is with that feeble apology? You made me wait so long. The same thing happens whenever we talk about Hikaru; is there not a more dire topic we have to talk about? It feels like you are deliberately trying to avoid the topic whenever I mention Hikaru...)

She got furious, and inadvertently frowned.

“I suppose there is quite an anomaly for you to actually apologize to me directly.”

“That's not it, alright? Even I'll apologize to anyone if I offend that person. I'm already extremely busy with the stuff in my class, and I admit that I forgot all about the special security group.”

“...I see.”

(He really did forget about all...)

She clicked her tongue.

“Well, I will not be commending you for that.”

She really had the impulse to give him a cold lashing, only to think through rationally,

“Well, it is a good thing to be able to reflect on yourself, if you do not repeat the same mistake over and over again.”

And she did a slight dig at him.

Asai then gave Koremitsu an enormous amount of work instructions, and while the latter grumbled, he finished them obediently. The fact that he did not simply give lip service, but actually backed up his talk, was firmly recognized by Asai. When Koremitsu remained wary against Kazuaki, and had a private conversation away from the mother,

“Ohh! You're rather reliable, Asa.”

His face immediately broke into marvel.

“...Of course.”

She loosened her lips, and turned her head aside.

Everything went well till this point.

“Mr. Akagi. Do you like Aoi?”

Only that things went wrong afterwards.

Koremitsu suddenly looked strange when Asai mentioned Aoi, and his eyes swam anxiously, his voice a little shrill. An ominous premonition arose within Asai.

“Mr. Akagi. Do you like Aoi?”

Once she asked, Koremitsu hollered with extreme insanity, “Not at all!”

Surely he would not have reacted so violently if it was right on the mark. While Koremitsu continued to excuse himself with his eyebrows raised, face flushed, temples pulsating, his actions completely defied his words, and Asai faltered again once she realized this Koremitsu could no longer control his own emotions.

(Wait, did he actually fall for Aoi?)

Koremitsu had been taking good care of Aoi till this point, and tried his best to be gentle to her. Though Asai herself refused to admit it, he had been very gentlemanly towards Aoi. Asai had been pondering if Koremitsu intended to be Aoi's knight in Hikaru's place, yet she believed that Koremitsu would not do anything to Aoi, Hikaru's ex-fiancee.

And yet he was being so flustered over Aoi!

While he continued to deny it, he was practically confessing that he was head over heels with regards to Aoi, and that he could not help it.

Asai's heart throbbed in pain.

(It is vexing. Why is my heart hurting so much? My nervous system should be flawless. Ahh, yet it really hurts.)

And after Koremitsu hollered for a while, he regretted it, and calmed down.

“I shall pretend that I did not hear your words then.”

Asai stubbornly hid the pain in her chest as she watched Koremitsu dangle his head in agony.

Yes, forget about it. Pretend not to hear it.

And it had to be Aoi of all people!

(No, perhaps he never noticed my true feelings till this point. I just need to divert those feelings to someone else. Yes, that is how I should do it. Him being with Aoi will only lead to misfortune. I in turn is able to establish a rational, appropriate relationship.)

“Mr. Akagi, do you understand why I placed you in the special security group?”

“Because you hate me? You want to cause me trouble?”

Asai raised her eyebrows at Koremitsu's instantaneous reply, and held in her fury,

“You are the only boy I allowed to call me Asa.”

“Yeah, you don't have any friends in the first place.”

“...That is not what I meant.”

How was it that this man just could not read the mood?

Having stating everything so plainly till this point, he still remained so oblivious!

And Asai let out a sigh from her lips,

“I still have a lot of documents to read through.. Since I have no time to continue chatting with you, please head out.”

For some reason, she was feeling lethargic.

(Is Koremitsu Akagi a dog after all? I cannot convey human language to him?)

No, there was still a chance in the culture festival.

And Asai Saiga was not a weak-willed woman to change her own objectives.

On the day before the culture festival.

Koremitsu's class misused the sprinkler, resulting in the tools to be used for the culture festival soaked by the water.

Koremitsu pleaded with Asai for help, and Asai immediately deployed a large number of people to salvage the scene.

“I shall be looking to reclaim this debt another time, Mr. Akagi.”

The agony lingering in her heart finally dissipated.

“Yeah, I don't mind anything, even if it's a Santa Claus cosplay.”

He actually stated that personal matter so brazenly in front of everyone. Such a useless person; yet when she stared back coldly at Koremitsu, there was no sense of disgust with him.

The relationship between those two would definitely become stronger during the culture festival on the following day.

Yet—

Asai's optimistic planning went amiss again.

On that day, Asai's cellphone received reports regarding Koremitsu one after another.

“Koremitsu Akagi managed to settle down a sudden dispute between girls in front of class 2-3. Both of them fell on their butts, and one of them got scared off by him.”

“I see...”

“Akagi scared off a boy harassing two waitresses in class 3-4's 'Festival House'! With just a glare!”

“I see...”

“Akagi's protecting a lost girl—ah, I think they found the mother. She thanked him, carried the child, and ran off.”

“I see...”

“This really is amazing. Everyone was worried what sort of nonsense Akagi will cause when you recommended him, president. That Akagi really is impressive. His light footwork and sharp eyes really make him appropriate for this job!”

“...Of course. I did personally choose him after all.”

It was a good thing that Koremitsu's standing in school was improving, and Asai was proud of it. However, Koremitsu was running about everywhere, and Asai too was so busy that she could not leave her position, so neither managed to meet each other once.

That should have been the case...perhaps she should call him through the PA system again.

(No. If I am to use the same method again, the effect will weaken, and I will be underestimated.)

While Asai remained bitter as she thought about this, time gradually passed by.

Once she learned from a student council member that Koremitsu was at the Japanese Dance Club's juice stand wearing a white coat and glasses as a waiter.

(White coat? With glasses too...!? They really do not match.)

She was a little shocked.

(But, I want to have, a little look...)

Yes, she wanted to personally see how unfitting that was...

And with such a reason, she moved towards the juice stand.

“Oh, Miss Asai. I do apologize, but Mr. Akagi just so happened to leave. If only you were here 30 seconds earlier.”

“...”

Asai was left speechless in the face of the vexing declaration by the president of the Japanese Dance Club, Tsuyako.

“If you want to, you may come in. This is honey juice with banana and blueberry mixed in. Your courage to fulfill your love will rise once you do drink this.”

I have no need for this, and I do not need you to worry about my personal worries after chiding the smiling Tsuyako, she took the plastic cup filled with juice from the latter's hand.

(And so...I never managed to meet Mr. Akagi after all.)

Once the closing ceremony ended, Asai remained alone in the student council office, giving an icy look at the back of the chair right at the desk.

That Koremitsu Akagi was probably holding hands with his classmate, Michiru Hanasato, having their own date on their own whims. It was not Aoi, not Honoka Shikibu, but the plain girl with braids and glasses till the end of the first semester. Her charms and intellects were far inferior to Aoi and Asai, and even Hikaru did not do anything to that girl.

(What a humiliation.)

Koremitsu was probably dating Michiru Hanasato at this point. No, surely there had to be a reason why he had to do this, like before. She will soon coerce a confession out of him soon.

Yes, she will again call out for Koremitsu again.

The culture festival remained a culture festival until everyone returned home, and Koremitsu would not have any classmates asking him out, so he probably would be returning him alone.

The cup of juice she received from Tsuyako remained untouched in a corner of the table.

This juice that fulfills love is definitely a bogus. After all, I do not have anyone I like till this point

“Hm.”

She snorted condescendingly, and reached for the cup, using the straw to suck up the juice with its fruit fibers at the bottom of the cup after being left for so long.

## Author's Notes

Hello there, this is Mizuki Nomura.

The 8 th volume of ‘When Hikaru Was On the Earth…’ is about ‘Hanachirusato’.

The Hanasato in the original work is not exactly a beautiful woman, but has a beautiful soul. She is an outstanding, conservative woman, and at the same time, apt at reading the mood, earning the trust of Genji. In the chapter of ‘Hanachirusato’, Genji was filled with comfort and relief when he visited her, and his soul was practically cleansed.

She was not one to arouse others as a woman, but surely one would find solace when being with her, no? She was requested to be the stepmother of the recently born Yūgiri, son of Her Highness Aoi, and though this proved that he did prioritize her amongst the many wives Genji had, he was afraid that Yūgiri would end up like him, falling in love with his stepmother. He chose not to allow Yūgiri to meet the beautiful Highness Murasaki, yet he did not have such worries when it came to Hanachirusato. How rude.

Though Hanachirusato herself took care of him as a kin, Yūgiri did find her relatively unpleasant appearance to be particular grating, and told his father that the latter placed particular importance in Hanachirusato as a wife because he was being too kind; that truly was something rude to think about…

That probably was the flow of things, and after reading ‘The Last Love of Prince Genji’ in the ‘Oriental Tales’ by Marguerite Yourcenar, I cried upon feeling how tragic Hanachirusato was. Please read it along with the original story.

As a change of topic, there are times when an author will subconsciously make use of a particular issue over and over again. In my case, one of the ideas was the ‘switching of the light bulb’. I had this pointed out to me after I was done writing, and woah, was I blushing. I do remember it being 3 times or so, or maybe there are more of such things which I don’t remember. As for why I like to use this, that’s because a few years back, my pet peeve was changing the light bulb . There is a cover on top of the 5 light bulbs lined side by side, and I could not remove it very well, so I spent an hour, practically in tears, fighting against this cover. Also, the ceiling is too tall, and it is difficult for me to work! I will stack a chair on the table, and the day after I maintain a banzai position, my back and neck would really hurt, so I had to adjust my body. Whenever the fluorescent lights break down, I will look to the ceiling and pray that it does not break down again, and I would really black out when I begin to work. Well, it appeared in this work. The lights have changed nowadays, and compared to the past, changing lights is easier right now…or that should have been the case. (the fluorescent lights I have been using the past two years have not failed, so I am not certain if it was changed, “It’s fine!” but the renovation company put it this wa. On a side note, this is not because I had no other troubles. There are bigger ones!)

The next volume, Rokujō, is slated to be sold at the end of this year. This series will end once the next two volumes are printed. As the ‘Hikaru’ series is well-received by the readers, the sales figures are stable; I was able to begin writing earlier than planned, so I had finished the epilogue in the prior autumn, and I will be headed into the next series.

I had completed the 1st volume of the new series in Spring this year! It is slated to be sold after the final volume of the ‘Hikaru’ series. The theme is actually about the recently popular ‘vampire’, and I am worried if it is getting too popular when it is sold. I suppose it will be really busy given that I am writing such information in the afterword.

First off, there will be ‘Rokujō’ at the end of the year and the 4th volume of ‘I’m a royal tutor in my sister’s dress’, and again, I will like to ask of everyone to take care of me again.

Year 2013, July 14 th

Mizuki Nomura.

References:

Noriyuki Kojima, Masatoshi Kinoshita, Akihiro Satake, 1972, Complete Japanese Classics Literature Collection 3 (Man’yōshū 2), Tokyo, Shogakukan.

Noriyuki Kojima, Masatoshi Kinoshita, Akihiro Satake, 1976, Complete Japanese Classics Literature Collection 5 (Man’yōshū 4), Tokyo, Shogakukan.

Mitsuru Sakurai, 1984, Flower of Ten Thousand Leaves-Origin of Flowers and their Way of Life, Tokyo, Yuzankaku Publishing.

Takii Yasukatsu, 1994, 366 Days of Flower Divination, Tokyo, Sangokan.

## Notes

- ↑ Manyoshu 1473, when literally name drops 'Hanachirusato'. Translation copied, but I'll leave a reference note at the author's notes.

- ↑ Poem number 3916

- ↑ Poem number 1481

- ↑ Poem number 1473

- ↑ Note, it's not a typo. This is deliberate...

### 009. Prologue

I gave my all trying to forget you.

With a cold attitude, I became aloof to you, never looking at your face, never hearing your voice, and I did my best, but I could never forget you.

Instead, how about you?

I suppose you did come visit me in the spur of the moment, thinking of those moments when our hearts were linked, when we spent our time in such passion and happiness. My hands were twined with yours, our legs locked together, and there was the melting, aching sweet despair.

Hikaru

In that stormy night

At the riverside when the waters surged.

I wonder whether my profile remains in your heart when you betrayed and rejected me.

I still wonder if I am your beloved.

But I suppose I will never be able to forget you.

### 010. Prologue

I gave my all trying to forget you.

With a cold attitude, I became aloof to you, never looking at your face, never hearing your voice, and I did my best, but I could never forget you.

Instead, how about you?

I suppose you did come visit me in the spur of the moment, thinking of those moments when our hearts were linked, when we spent our time in such passion and happiness. My hands were twined with yours, our legs locked together, and there was the melting, aching sweet despair.

Hikaru

In that stormy night

At the riverside when the waters surged.

I wonder whether my profile remains in your heart when you betrayed and rejected me.

I still wonder if I am your beloved.

But I suppose I will never be able to forget you.

### 011. Chapter 5: I Hate You

As it was the day before the culture festival, classes ended at noon the following day.

Upon seeing Michiru arrive at school with her shoulders slumped and face all gloomy, Koremitsu decided to inquire about the 'promise', but things did not go as planned.

“Hey, about the promise you talked about yesterday—”

“You forgot?”

With Michiru staring at him with much despair in the eyes, Koremitsu's words were stuck in his throat.

If he were to answer here 'ah, I can't remember', he could feel a guilty unease of a compass stabbing at his neck.

And so he had no choice but to play dumb.”

“Ah, erm, it's not that I actually forgot. I-I just want to confirm. I-is it about the culture festival?”

“Koremitsu, if you wish to lie to someone, you have to act nonchalant, or it will cause suspicion.”

(I'm not good at lying in the first place.)

Back then, his nose would buzz whenever he tried to say what he did not believe in.

Michiru stared at Koremitsu tentatively, and as Hikaru had said, it aroused her suspicions.

Thinking that he would be seen through if he could not continue with the topic, Michiru suddenly changed the topic.

“...The fluorescent lamps are about to fail.”

“Huh?”

“It's been blinking...for quite a while since just now.”

Koremitsu lifted his head at the ceiling.

And Hikaru too lifted his head.

The 5 fluorescent lamps above them did not flicker.

(Anyway, there's no need to switch on the lights during the day. It's definitely going to blink.)

“Look closely. The power's not switched on.”

“No... it's flickering. Why do you not understand? Hasn't anyone noticed it?”

Michiru's voice was quivering, and with a pale face, she returned to her seat.

“This girl's a little strange after all.”

“Yes.”

Hikaru too nodded sternly.

Michiru was distracted by the fluorescent lights above during class, lifting her head to peek at it from time to time, only to lower it in trepidation.

(What's the promise about it? What's with the flowers wilting if I don't fulfill it, the lights flickering and so on? I really don't get her.)

Speaking of which, she did say things like 'the flowers wilted', 'what will happen to the scattered flowers' when she laid face up in the classroom.

Back then, Michiru was looking so despondent...

(I don't know what to do myself.)

Michiru was different from the other girls Koremitsu interacted with to complete Hikaru's wishes.

There was too little information.

What exactly was Michiru frustrated about? Yearning for? In any case, what kind of person was Michiru Hanasato? Koremitsu only managed to interact with her for half a year.

Furthermore, Koremitsu only managed to talk with Michiru for approximately 2, 3 months.

(If it's Shikibu...she's Hanasato's friend. Maybe she knows the reason why Hanasato's acting weird.)

Again, Honoka deliberately shunned Koremitsu since morning, never looking at him and never talking to him. She never did explain the reason why she never returned after chasing after Aoi the previous day, and she sat beside Koremitsu, her eyebrows raised as she edited the message with a grim look.

Even if Koremitsu was to consult Honoka about Michiru, perhaps Honoka did not want to discuss about this in any case.

(But Shikibu isn't the type to abandon her friends.)

Even though the situation between her and Michiru was a little awkward, surely Honoka would assist if Michiru was in any trouble. Koremitsu still trusted this woman called Honoka Shikibu.)

Yes, she may look aloof, but if he was to secretly pass a message to her telling her what he wanted to talk about...

Koremitsu fished out the phone from his pocket, and began to compose the message under the table.

Soon after he sent the message, Honoka's fingers stopped.

And she deleted it without reading the content.

She was staring at the screen, her lips sealed as she seemed to ponder about something.

Koremitsu stuck his leg out, kicking the leg of Honoka's chair.

“!”

Honoka's shoulders jolted, and she stared at Koremitsu.

Her eyebrows were raised as she stared him, but Koremitsu's temples were pulsating, basically saying 'read the message'. And so, Honoka unwillingly opened the message he sent.

Hanasato's weird.

I want to talk.

Come to the rooftop once classes end.

The words were few, but Honoka kept staring at the screen, widening her eyes slightly, before fiddling her fingers again.

Koremitsu kept waiting on the rooftop with Hikaru beside him, and then, he spotted a girl with the hem of her skirts fluttering, as Honoka appeared in front of him with a scowl.

“Thank goodness! You came!”

“It's not for your sake, Akagi. I'm a little curious about Michiru. She just went to the janitor saying that the fluorescent lamps are spoiled, and asked him to swap them...even though that's not the case.”

Honoka said so awkwardly.

Her tone was such, and even her face was aloof, not meeting Koremitsu in the eyes. Even so, Koremitsu was delighted that Honoka did come to the roof after reading his message.

He talked about Michiru's eccentric actions till this point, and Honoka tilted her head aside, looking peeved as she listened.

“She fell asleep face up in the classroom, and starting from yesterday, started to talk about the flowers wilting or something. Now that I think back about it, Hanasato has changed before then. She gave me honey sweets when we were working together. I don't mind if it's once in a while, but I already said that I can't handle sweets, but she said that's not the case, and gave me such honey sweets every day.”

Honoka frowned furiously.

“I know...I saw Michiru giving them to you during noon break. You ate them up very carefully.”

“I'm swallowing them little by little when I can't taste a single thing.”

Honoka looked a little perturbed in the eyes, and she scowled.

“I suppose...so. You prefer the spicy flavors though. I was finding it a little strange that Michiru said that you like honey, so she wanted you to try some of her sweets. She was really enthusiastic about it...”

(She said, I like honey...?)

Koremitsu never did say such a thing before.

Typically, the one liking honey was not Koremitsu.

(Wait, did Hanasato,)

Koremitsu ruffled his head as he stared at Hikaru, floating in front as the latter overheard their conversation. Hikaru too lowered his head at Koremitsu, ostentiously realizing something.

(Did Hanasato— somehow think of me as Hikaru or something ?)

“The fingers...are so hard and bony...and they’re large...firm.”

Upon recalling the sight of Michiru touching Koremitsu's stiff fingers with such anguish, Koremitsu heart jolted.

Hikaru's hand was different from Koremitsu, as effeminate and silky.

At that moment, Michiru was comparing between them...

“Hey, did Hanasato think of me as Hikaru or something?”

Once he noted so curtly, Honoka looked dumbfounded, and her face, originally turned aside, immediately turned towards Koremitsu.

“Are you an idiot!? How do you resemble Lord Hikaru in any way? You don't!”

“No, I mean she has the image of me as Hikaru's friend being Hikaru.”

“You two don't match! Not at all! If you're going to say such things, Lord Hikaru's legion of fans are going to pelt you with rotten eggs!”

(Ack, she actually said it to that point...it's true thought that I don't have a princely vibe at all.)

He glanced aside at Hikaru floating in the air, and sneered apologetically..

And Honoka, who quietly clicked her tongue, found her face too close to Koremitsu's, and abruptly turned it around.

“A-Also, Michiru isn't actually Lord Hikaru's fan. If I have to say, she hates him.”

“Eh? Someone actually doesn't like him?”

“Koremitsu, did you just chuckle a little at the end? Are you actually chuffed to bits that I am hated by a woman?”

Hikaru asked with a conflicted tone.

“She's not exactly antagonistic towards him, but back when everyone was discussing day and night over Lord Hikaru, she would quietly leave. Whenever Lord Hikaru's surrounded by girls, she would go walk another path.”

“Is that true? She once talked about her white knight, so doesn't Hikaru actually meet her demands?”

After hearing Koremitsu's words, Honoka was left seething.

“Yeah, Michiru did like having white knights, but right now, as to why she has fallen for someone like you, I-I did swear that I'll work hard to pair Michiru with the one she likes, so even now, I still want to cheer for her.”

Once she said this, she became frantic and helpless, so unlike her usual self.

“Wait, Hanasato likes me!?”

Koremitsu widened his eyes, and the moment he said that, he got kicked in the stomach.

“Ugh!”

This sudden impact rendered his feet unsteady, and his body bent in two.

“What are you playing dumb for!? Aren't you already doing those things I said!? Yo-you really aren't reliable at all! Enough already! You're an idiot, a bonehead, Akagi! Doofus!”

“...Koremitsu, I do have the same thoughts as Miss Shikibu. I did say that you are not dull-witted before, but I suppose I should correct myself, no?”

(Hey! Stop sighing too! Stop looking so shocked, Hikaru! Like I can do anything about that! I was shunned by girls since kindergarten, and I lack experience!)

Honoka had her eyebrows raised , still fuming, and her widened eyes were a little teary. Upon seeing such a scene, Koremitsu felt a little nauseated, his body crumpled.

“!!! Seriously, why does it have to be you! Not only Michiru, but Her Highness Aoi too. Why...actually, I really don't want to cheer for either side, and to you, I too—but I had enough. My mind's completely blank. I don't know what I'm thinking now.”

And with his temples throbbing, Koremitsu yelled.

“YOU SAID THAT YOU LIKE ME, SO WHY ARE YOU CHEERING FOR OTHER GIRLS!?”

“Haa...!”

Honoka's jaw dropped, and she was left speechless.

Her face was immediately flushed, and tears welled in her eyes.

“...You...you...”

Honoka was ostensibly filled with conflicted emotions, either furious, startled, or ready to break down into tears.

“...Akagi, you idiot.”

She contorted her eyes, trying her best to hold that contorted face, lips and eyebrows, and feebly said,

“W-why are you able to say such a thing so easily? It-it's because of you, being like that...th-that I...”

She blinked her eyes, her throat buzzing, and with quivering lips, she whispered.

“You...really do whatever you want.”

Thinking about how to answer this, Koremitsu was left guilty.

And just when he was about to express himself formally.

“!!”

Honoka's eyes shuddered suddenly.

Her face contorted she was gasping for breath.

Koremitsu was taken aback by her expression, and did not know what happened. Hikaru's fleeting voice could be heard from behind.

“Miss...Aoi.”

(Aoi!)

Koremitsu too turned his head around with bated breath.

Aoi was leaning on the door, looking extremely pale.

With her lips tightly sealed, Honoka frowned and lowered her head. She then lifted it again, adamantly.

“Have a talk with Her Highness Aoi!”

She let out shrill words at Koremitsu's ears, and strode forth towards the door with the hem of her skirt and the bright brown hair swaying, moving her slender, straight legs.

Honoka seemed to say something when she brushed by Aoi, and the latter's shoulders jolted, looking ready to break down.

Honoka passed through the door, and vanished.

And in contrast, an obviously nervous Aoi came over.

Koremitsu's heart raced, his throat still a little suffocated as the heat in his brain was turned up.

The distance between them decreased little by little.

The sun at noon blazed upon them like a dagger, and the sky was so blue it was dazzling.

Koremitsu's heart was pounding furiously, practically about to pop out from his mouth.

Hikaru, who should be behind Koremitsu, was probably feeling no different as well, or perhaps he was calmly observing them.

Hikaru did say, You are a person who will treat others precious to you earnestly without begrudging anyone or regretting.

So since Aoi was someone precious to him, Koremitsu wanted Aoi to know of his true feelings.

(But..what are my true feelings?)

And upon facing Aoi on the roof, Koremitsu realized.

What he was truly hoping for.

Aoi stopped in front of Koremitsu.

Her petite body kept shivering, and her thin, black hair was swaying in the autumn breeze.

Hikaru's white, pure Hollyhock.

The one and only important girl who was supposed to be united with Hikaru.

Hikaru's hope.

Back when she had yet to open her heart to Koremitsu, Aoi was beside the window in the arts classroom, saying 'I do not wish to talk with boys'.

She was obstinate, had a clean streak, and never did show a smile no matter how much Koremitsu tried his best to do so.

—And that's why I say women!

He did not know exactly how many times he said those words.

Koremitsu intended to finish the work of delivering Hikaru's presents to her, and never to get involved in her afterwards.

But when he held her hand in Hikaru's place, when they went to play at the theme park, Koremitsu saw Aoi's honest, innocent self.

For the first time, he felt that his antithesis, the creatures known as women, were cute and needed much care. The one who taught him that, was Aoi,

And so, Aoi finally opened her heart to Koremitsu, accepting his goodwill.

—Good morning, Mr. Akagi.

—Actually, you can talk to me.

—Can I send messages to you?

There was Aoi, with her cheeks slightly flushed, smiling bashfully.

It was a maidenly voice.

The eyes were so innocent as she lifted her head.

Those were things Koremitsu never saw before, like a blooming white flower in the middle of a barren land, and Koremitsu really had the urge to protect her—

But from the moment Aoi clasped her petite hand on Koremitsu's stiff, icy hand, Aoi, who had been shielded, ended up shielding and protecting Koremitsu's inner heart.

It was so filled with pain, memories, forgiveness and chaos, and the moment the emotions were intertwined, Koremitsu found himself utterly mesmerized by Aoi.

(But Aoi is Hikaru's...)

Aoi opened her pale lips, shivering as she said,

“I-I heard it all, back then, yesterday, what you said to Asa in the student council office, Mr. Akagi, that you would never ever like me.”

Koremitsu felt a hammer pound his head.

Did Aoi hear all that!?

So in other words, Honoka, who accompanied Aoi to the student council office, did—

“Th-that's because...Saiga suddenly said some weird things...I can't ever like you because you're someone precious to Hikaru, so I can't have indecent thoughts about you...I'm not saying anything bad about you.”

Cold sweat trickled down his best.

Devastated, Aoi lifted her head at Koremitsu.

The large, quixotic eyes were basically saying, those were not the words she wanted to hear.

However, those were the words Koremitsu could only think of.

His feelings for Aoi were blazing like a fever, and his teeth biting at his lower lips as he prepared himself to say that he could not see Aoi as a lover.

—That will not do, Koremitsu.

Echoing in Koremitsu's mind was Hikaru's foreboding voice.

—That is creating a reverse effect.

“Mr. Akagi.”

Aoi's face was contorted as she called out Koremitsu's name despondently.

At that moment, the blood flowing in Koremitsu's body boiled, his body seething.

—You were attracted by her in such a helpless manner, unable to be forgiven as you wanted to forget..

Just as when he yelled at Asai, saying that he surely would never fall in love with Aoi.

His emotions were reaching his throat, unable to be contained.

He was angsty as he was unable to rein in the emotions, and when he saw Aoi shiver and lift her head, his yearning of her was aroused. He really wanted to embrace her, to protect her.

—Your heart was latched tightly, never ever able to escape.

Even his breathing because arduous.

His heart was ostensibly taken.

That his all was approaching a single person,

And that he could not think at all!

—This is from my personal experience.

Koremitsu reached his hand out to Aoi.

And at that moment of despair.

Aoi took a step back, exclaiming,

“I-I do not have any intentions about you at all...! I really hate you, Mr. Akagi!”

And Koremitsu's hand stopped in front of Aoi.

His body went from hot to cold, and the impulse that dominated the heart gradually faded away.

Looking apprehensive, she gave Koremisu a feeble look.

“I...really want to say this to you...I really hate you. I-I really, really hate you...I really adh..”

The final words remained stuck in her throat, and again, she turned around and scampered away as she did the previous day.

Koremitsu's legs wobbled, and he immediately tumbled over.

His body was as mushy as mud.

“I suppose...it is unbearable to have Miss Aoi say she despises you.”

Hikaru appeared beside Koremitsu without warning, and the latter stared at the door forlornly as he noted demurely.

“I suppose...I'm really useless.”

And so, he remained limp on the scorching concrete, ruffling his hair with his hands as he collapsed his shoulders, spread his shoulders wide, and lowered his head hard.

It was neither Aoi's intentions nor Honoka's he could not comprehend.

It was his own.

Whether it was his impulsive urge to embrace Aoi or driven by a screaming Honoka, he said such obstinate words, and felt so remorseful it was ripping his guys. Even he did not know what he would say or do the next time.

He was moved by Honoka, and impressed upon by Aoi; however, he was rejected by both parties no matter who he wanted to choose, and he remained so incompetent.

(Wh-what's the matter with me!? Was I ever so timid before...? I'm really so stupid. What exactly am I doing here...?)

There was Honoka, almost breaking down in tears as she muttered 'you idiot'.

Aoi too showed such a face as she exclaimed “I hate you” before turning to leave.

To love, to hate; surely it would be more convenient if the world had such terms that defined things in black and white.

However, Koremitsu already understood the weight of the word 'like', and the hidden, conflicted feelings in the word 'hate'.

(Seriously, what am I doing here...)

“Damn it, I really want to meet Yū!”

He continued to ruffle his head, eking a call.

There was the feeble, dreamy girl who crouched in the dark apartment, dreaming away, like a fish sleeping at the bottom of the sea.

That was the fleeting first love Koremitsu had that vanished in a trice.

—When we meet the next time, I'll show that I've become a girl who likes to smile.

She did her best to smile radiantly when they went their separate ways.

Back then, he assumed he would never have fallen heads over heels for a person in such a manner for the second time.

Whenever it rained, he recalled the scene of them holding hands, watching the blue flowers bloom, and his heart would ooze sweetness.

But after bidding farewell to summer, and as the autumn winds cooled, his memories of Yū gradually faded. He still loved her, but whenever rain came, the unfathomable melancholy gradually faded.

(I wonder...if Yū's doing well in Australia.)

There was no letter or message.

Yū said that she did not need Koremitsu, and the latter did say that it was fine if she could begin her life anew. If there was anything painful for her, he said that he would fly over to her and find her no matter where he was.

If he was to meet Yū again, this veil of ambiguity would vanish along with the smoke.

And that would clearly indicate what the conflicted feelings were about.

Tranquil and forlorn, Hikaru noted,

“Perhaps you should meet her...just elope...head to an island nobody else knows of, and only have eyes for each other, and...love as you watch over each other...”

“Idiot...how's that possible for me...?”

Just when Koremitsu refuted with his head lowered,

A shrill bell rang in the school.

“What now? A fire!?”

Koremitsu got up in an instant.

Once news came that the fire alarm was a hoax, Koremitsu returned to the classroom, and found his classmates in confusion.

“Th-this is really bad.”

“Wh-wh-wha-what do we do?”

“Are you fuming, Akagi?”

“I-i-i-it-it-it's not our fault!”

“But he's furious! We'll be killed!”

“Noo! Don't!”

“Le-le-let's run away now.”

And the moment they spotted him, the classroom went dead silent.

Koremitsu too scanned the classroom, flabbergasted, and Hikaru too gulped softly.

(Horrible...)

The floor, tables and blackboards were drenched.

And furthermore, the cardboard sets they diligently worked on were completely soaked.

Michiru, dressed in a half-sleeved gym shirt and half pants, and for some reason, covering her hair with a nurse cap, flusteredly explained the situation to Koremitsu.

“It-it looks like the sprinklers were faulty...and the water splashed out, becoming like this. Everyone went out to shop, so there wasn't anyone in the classroom, and we couldn't move the sets out in time...”

But even if anyone was around, no way would they be able to prevent the sets from being wet.

The soaked cardboard were soft and limp, unable to stand at all, and the paintings on them were dissolved by water. The vengeful spirit on the window became vague as a result, and even the appearance had collapsed, identifying it was impossible.

“So-so-so-so-sor-sor-sorry, Mr. Akagi. It's my fault for going to the Japanese Dance Club and leaving the classroom empty.”

Michiru suddenly burst into tears, apologizing.

The classmates were all terrified, fearing that Koremitsu would explode upon learning that the prop sets, which they made by staying behind after school, were ruined. With pale faces, they stared towards Koremitsu with apprehension.

“Hey...what's with Miss Shikibu?”

“Honoka's probably the only one able to stop Akagi now!”

“I think she went to the photography, shogi, ballet and handball club to discuss stuff.”

“Please hurry back, Miss Shikibu!”

There was such mutters going on.

Koremitsu raised his eyebrows, his temples and cheeks pulsating as he pouted his lips, glaring at the soaked sets.

Till this point, he shed much blood and tears.

The only memories he had of the culture festivals were all bad, and he did not really like them at first, to a point one would say he abhorred them. However, he was suddenly tasked to be a committee member of the culture festival.

The little bird envelopes contained information that assisted him, but his classmates did not look like they wanted to be involved, and nobody would have bothered with him if he did not give clear instructions with decisiveness.

Basically, the work was done only by Koremitsu and Michiru, and everyone else slacked off on the first day. On the second day, he went to coax one by one, and finally managed to gather everyone to work, with the prop sets almost taking shape...

Koremitsu was barely able to get along with his classmates, and yet everyone was shunning him in apprehension.

This was completely different from the 'culture festival' Koremitsu imagined. The surrounding students were afraid of him as they worked with him, and perhaps they were not happy at all.

But even so, he worked together with Michiru the previous day, and when he saw them at the point of near-completion, there was something surging in his heart.

Either way, Koremitsu clearly felt involved in the preparation of the culture festival, and he really was grateful to Michiru and the sender for helping him.

He wanted to continue on as it was, and make the culture festival a success.

It was a little different from the feelings of what those born winners in life would enjoy in the festival.

That was what he felt back then.

But the scene appearing in front of him was of soaked, limp cardboard, and fudged illustrations—

“Koremitsu...to put it...I understand how you feel. The sets you worked so hard on can no longer be used, and the culture festival tomorrow is wasted...”

Hikaru consoled.

And Koremitsu hissed,

“...How can we give up now.”

Hikaru was shocked, and the classmates' shoulders jerked.

“M-M-M-M-M-M-M-Mr. Akagi, no-nobody else's at fault here! The one at fault is me for being in charge and not being in the classroom. So-so-so, please calm down!”

Michiru stood in front of Koremitsu, shrieking as she appeared to shield her classmates.

“Stop apologizing! I'm not blaming anyone!”

Michiru widened her eyes.

Their classmates shriveled, fearing that the onslaught was beginning.

But Koremitsu ignored them as he raised his voice further, his eyebrows raised,

“NOBODY COULD HAVE PREDICTED THE FIRE ALARM TO GO HAYWIRE, AND WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT! WE CAN'T USE THESE, AND I'M PISSED AND ALL, BUT WE CAN ONLY DO THIS ALL OVER AGAIN! NO POINT IN DISCUSSING WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO! WE'RE JUST WASTING TIME! LET'S GET TO WORK!”

“B-bu-bu-bu-bu-bu Mr. Akagi, the materials are already.”

“Hanasato, you're on good terms with the janitors, right? See if you can get any usable materials for them. Those two guys down there! Go down to the student council office to explain. That president Matriarch Asa's someone fair and capable, so make her do some stuff to. If she's unwilling to help, tell her that I'll reveal those things if she doesn't do so! Those 5 guys down there, move those cardboard that can't be used, and wipe the floor. Hurry!”

Koremitsu barked orders.

“Yes, understood!”

“Got it!”

And after these responses, they ran out.

“How can we just give up here! Damn it! The culture festival has yet to start!”

Yes! How can they just give up without giving their all until the bitter end?

“Whatever excuses we can make about being unable to make it, leave it when we really can't make it!”

“Koremitsu! I support you!”

“Yeah, just stand by the side and pray.”

The classroom was suddenly bustling with live.

All the idle people ended up busting their all working, with no exceptions.

Michiru gave a call asking for some materials from the janitors, and got a few people to move them.

The student council too was about to give help.

“I shall make you repay this favor, Mr. Akagi.”

“Yeah, I don't mind even if I have to cosplay as Santa Claus.”

And with that response, Asai was left red faced.

Once she heard that the cardboard sets in the classroom were rendered unusable, Honoka, discussing about the ballet performance that was to occur the following day, returned in a jiffy. She. Went back, worrying if Koremitsu was feeling down in the classroom, only to find her classmates scurrying around, some sticking dry cardboard on the soaked ones, some ironing the materials and some using bamboo poles to hang them.

None of them looked devastated as they kept calling each other and worked with all their might.

“Mr. Akagi, th-the repairs here are done.”

“Okay, there's still a pile there.”

“M-Mr. Akagi, are the ones at the windows okay?”

“Great. I'll leave that side to you.”

The classmates, who used to shun Koremitsu, let alone avert their eyes from him, were obeying his orders.

Koremitsu kept addressing the problems everywhere, so busy as he cut and pasted cardboard; perhaps he never realized the admiring looks from his classmates.

As usual, he simply tried to pass this hurdle with simple brute force.

(Seriously...you really defied my expectations...)

Honoka heaved a sigh of relief, blinking her eyes, and left the classroom with a smile to continue with her previous work.

The number of people the student council sent over to help got increasingly fewer, and the sky outside the window got increasingly darker as the patchwork labyrinth was finally completed.

“M-Mr. Akagi, the sets are completed, but we don't have time to change the illustrations.”

One of his male classmates said, sweating all over.

As he said, the colors on both sides of the sets were fudged. They all looked over at him, wondering what to do.

“We won't be doing the Western style. We'll be doing Japanese.”

Koremitsu clarified as he prepared a bucket filled to the brim with ink and a thick brush he borrowed from the calligraphy club. He set up the marble, and wrote on it.

The words were all terrifying, vengeance, hate, and with all his muscles, he moved his body, extending his hand as he got down to writing them.

The stoppings were firm, the splashings sharp, the brushstrokes were straight, and the dots were bold!

The wall was gradually filled with powerful words, and his classmates stared, dumbfounded.

“You really showcased your ability, hero.”

Hikaru muttered.

(Shut up.)

Koremitsu grumbled in his heart as continued to write.

Michiru was standing alone behind the classmates, and Koremitsu never did notice that she was staring at him with forlorn eyes.

“...”

Her eyes were filled with tears.

It was already 1 hour beyond the school's permitted time for dismissal when they were done with their work.

Asai deemed this one hour to be an exception, and got the teachers' permit.

Everyone was blushing in happiness as they looked at the completed maze.

“Amazing...I thought it wasn't done.”

“It feels...more intimidating than before.”

“Yeah, feels like a vengeful spirit will really pop out from the words.”

They chirped away, and after they left...

Koremitsu and Hikaru were left lethargic as they looked at the maze.

“It is finally completed, Koremitsu.”

“You idiot, the culture festival hasn't started. Tomorrow's the key.”

“Yes, surely it will be an unforgettable day. I do look forward to it.”

Hikaru giggled.

“Let's go back, Hikaru.”

“Ah, are you a little shy?”

“Like I am!”

The stiff-faced response echoed down the silent corridor.

Only Koremitsu's footsteps could be heard, and all the classrooms were decorated intricately for the culture festival, with some flowers placed in the large vases at the stairwell.

The sweet scent engulfed Koremitsu's nose.

“Ah, Fragrant Olives.”

Hikaru stared at the orange flowers, beaming,

“These Fragrant Olives appear to have absorbed the essence of the stairs, snickering away. Upon whiffing the scent, surely I will naturally think 'ah, autumn is here'. Also, there is a power in this fragrance that arouses my memories. For example...”

“No wonder I thought there's the smell of the toilet air fresheners.”

“Toilet...”

Hikaru, who was boasting his knowledge, could only sigh.

Truly, a lot of things happened on this day.

Koremitsu recalled about Honoka and Aoi, his heart aching.

Also, there was Michiru...she never greeted him when he returned, and vanished without him knowing. Perhaps nothing did happen to her.

The sweet scent of Fragrant Olives caused much heartache.

“Doesn't this scent stink?”

Koremitsu grumbled, and as he went to change his shoes,

“Huh?”

There was a white paper folded into a flower, left quietly in his outdoor shoes.

—I call that person the White Flower.

“Hey, this is!”

Koremitsu picked it up and looked back, and Hikaru too looked flabbergasted.

“Koremitsu, open it.”

“O-open it?”

“Open it, and see if there is any message inside.”

Following what Hikaru said, Koremitsu anxiously opened this piece of paper that was folded in a complicated manner,

“The cuckoo in the village where the orange blossoms fall, sings and sings on many and many a day.”

After seeing the words lined the same way as it was on the little birds envelopes, Koremitsu gasped.

(Is the 'white flower' that saved Hikaru the same as 'the bird'!? Then, Shikibu's—)

Honoka transferred into Heian Academy during Middle School.

So she was not the one who sent the little bird envelopes!

And while Koremitsu lowered his head to read, Hikaru stared at it grimbly, seemingly affirming something as he slowly said,

“The white 5 petal flowers...scent...blossoms...cuckoo...ah, I see, I see.”

## Notes

- ↑ Manyoshu 1473, when literally name drops 'Hanachirusato'. Translation copied, but I'll leave a reference note at the author's notes.

### 012. Chapter 7: Eternal Flower

“M-M-M-M-Mr. Akagi...!”

Michiru, who had her hand held by Koremitsu, widened her eyes, her mouth half opened as she panicked.

Koremitsu's face too sizzled as he said,

“Don't refuse me now. I did my best to set aside time for this moment, to go around school with you.”

Unlike Hikaru, who was used to inviting girls out, Koremitsu himself was rather embarrassed by this situation.

And furthermore, how could he endure this any further if Michiru was to run away in fear?

Feeling anxious, he grabbed Michiru's fingers firmly, and exerted strength on them.

While seated on the chair, Michiru looked up at him, her face beetroot.

“B-bu-bu-bu-but, I-I'm in charge of reception. I-I'm the only one here right now.”

“There's still one more supposed to be here, right? Where did she go?”

“She went out with her boyfriend?”

“What? She left everything to you to go dating with her boyfriend?”

“Th-th-th-th-th-th-that's because I don't have any plans. So-sorry...please don't glare at me like this.”

Michiru's neck cringed.

“Koremitsu, you cannot be so furious towards a girl. You have to talk to her gently, for you are the prince today.”

Hikaru floated above him, cheerfully chiming in advice.

“Yes.”

Koremitsu weakened his tone.

Michiru assumed that she would be chided again as she looked up.

“Tch.”

Koremitsu clicked his tongue, tapped Michiru on the forehead with a fist, barely touching it...and knocked on it.

“You're too kind-hearted.”

Michiru widened her eyes in shock.

Koremitsu diverted his bashful face aside as he held onto Michiru's hand, yelling into the classroom.

“HEY! CAN ANYONE DO THE RECEPTION?”

The remaining students stared at Koremitsu, and upon seeing him grasp Michiru's hand firmly, they were shocked.

Both Michiru and Koremitsu had such red faces.

What exactly happened on the corridor!?

Surely, they had all sorts of imaginations going on in their minds.

And amongst them, a boy timidly raised his hand.

“Erm, if I can.”

The plain looking face certain did seem to register in Koremitsu's mind. Was that not the one seated right in the middle of the 3 rd row? Koremitsu did also see him staying behind after school to deal with the work.

And so, another boy raised his hand as well.

“Me too.”

That boy too was someone he often spotted after school.

Koremitsu inadvertently felt touched.

“Thanks. Then you two are...?”

They worked together, but Koremitsu did not know their names at all. It was only till this point that Koremitsu actually noticed this, and he frowned.

And so, the duo spoke apprehensively,

“I-I'm Yoshida.”

“I'm Onodera.”

They responded.

And just like that, Koremitsu's heart warmed.

“Many thanks, Yoshida and Onodera! I'll repay you guys!”

He was really grateful as he answered them.

And so, he again faced Michiru,

“Now you don't have any reason to refuse. Let's go.”

“Mr. Akagi, but, that?”

He dragged Michiru by the hand just as the latter continued to fuss, and they walked off.

Behind them, their classmates seemed to be chatting about something.

“When did Akagi and the class rep...!?”

“Speaking of which, did Akagi not smile when he said thanks!? It wasn't as scary as a vengeful spirit. He just smiled.”

“I-I-I-I-I-I saw that too!”

“That Akagi actually smiled!?”

“Wait, Mr. Akagi!”

“Time for you to give up now. If we go back to the classroom now, both you and I will be embarrassed. We'll be embarrassed either way, so might as well enjoy ourselves a little.”

Koremitsu walked on as he led Michiru by the hand, and the students passing by were staring at them with surprised looks, like their classmates did.

“Bu-but, why...why a date out of the sudden?”

Michiru's voice got increasingly softer, probably because she was bashful due to the surrounding stares. Koremitsu grasped onto his hand firmly, perhaps to encourage her.

“Because you made a promise, with Hikaru.”

“!”

Michiru's shoulders jolted.

With a crude voice, Koremitsu continued passionately,

“In Middle School, back when Hikaru was surrounded by both female and male classmates, you were the one who folded the white flowers and sent him notes to encourage him, right?”

And right beside Michiru was Hikaru, watching tenderly over her, saying,

“Placed inside Koremitsu's shoe locker was the same note put inside mine, and there was a song about the Tachibana flowers written on it. I so happened to scent upon some Fragrant Olives, and I recalled about you putting the Tachibana flowers in the classroom vase. Back then, there was a refreshing scent similar to the Tachibana flowers from you, which meant that you were the one who put those flowers there. I already knew back then, Miss Hanasato.”

“You brought the Tachibana flowers to class and decorated it, right? I thought of it, and I immediately understood. This note, and the song written about the Tachibana flowers; you were the one who placed it there.”

There was an intense, perturbed look on Michiru's face.

“Th-that's a lie. Nobody else would have known about me bringing the Tachibana flowers to the classroom. I was the earliest to arrive in the morning, so I secretely—”

“Back then, you had the same refreshing scent as the Tachibana. Hikaru then noticed that you were the one who placed the Tachibana flowers into the classroom vase.”

Michiru's face again showed surprise, and some bewilderment, followed by some emotions mixed with anguish.

“...I see. So...Lord Hikaru knew...that I brought the Tachibana flowers...”

Michiru's emotions were conveyed in her stammering voice.

“So he knew, it was me.”

She continued to stammer, feeling so touched, and appeared ready to break down at any given moment.

Hikaru remained beside Michiru as she was, embracing her as he whispered by her ears,

“You never talked to me, and appeared to shun me, so I felt that I was never loved by you, and I could not talk to you. When I was ostracized by everyone, I never thought you were the one who sent me the message, and never noticed the white Tachibana flower.”

Hikaru's voice was filled with sweetness, filled with the thanksgiving and love for the girl who showed him tenderness and encouragement when he was younger.

They merely exchanged messages for 3 days.

But he was so elated, so warmed.

Even when talking about that, he would still show a tender smile at this point.

“Hikaru actually thought that you hated him, because you're the serious class rep, and he's the damned harem prince. He was actually worried about that, so he never greeted you.”

Hikaru liked girls, but even though he would drift from one flower to another, surely he would have an innocent side to him.

For example, not doing anything to the girl, his childhood friend who had a clean streak, for fearing that she would say that she 'hated him'.

For example, loving a certain person even though he could not do so.

For example, not wanting to cause trouble for a pure, serious, easily flustered class rep.

And so, Koremitsu was the one conveying the feelings in Hikaru's stead.

“That guy's rather innocent himself.”

Michiru's eyes quivered.

Her heart too was overwhelmed by the fragrance of the Tachibana flowers as she stared at the memories of the days with Hikaru.

Perhaps she recalled that figure, voice, and movements Hikaru did when he was younger..

With a cheery face, Hikaru said,

“The white flower you gave me was the Tachibana flower, am I correct? The one who retrieved my recorder and the drawing tools, the white flower encouraging me is the Tachibana flower, and this spirit of the Tachibana was the one whom I said to.”

“The white flower that helped Hikaru, and the bird that assisted me was you, right?”

He had been assuming that the one sending the letter with the little bird, the one who compiled a list of what the other classes were doing, and all the work that was to be done in the culture festival.

However, the one that helped him was Michiru, who was always beside him during the preparations of the culture festival.

She never denied those statements, looking perturbed as she curled her lips tensely, stammering softly as she appeared to utter something; that was a reply more affirmative than anything else.

And while Michiru remained so, Hikaru gave a tender smile,

“That bird is the cuckoo, is that not? There are often hymns pairing the Tachibana flowers and the Cuckoo, including the Man'yōshū, which includes poems pairing them. The words written on the bird were from those poems, I suppose. The rainy night comes from Ōtomo no Yakamochi's poem 'The Scent of the Orange flowers and the chirps of the cuckoos linger on scantily in the rainy night', and the line 'When friends meet come' from the poem by Ōtomo no Fumimochi 'The Oranges and cuckoos chirp when friends meet'. The message written in the flower was 'The cuckoo in the village where the orange blossoms fall sings and sings on many and many a day', of Ōtomo no Notabito's. The other poems too are the same; and they really do fit you, the ever studious Miss Hanasato.”

“If we're talking about the Tachibana flowers here, I can only think about the Cuckoos. Those words are written beside the picture of the birds, and I guess you probably copied them from some hymns about the orange flowers and cuckoos. That really was a roundabout way of doing things, and I really ain't good at such elegant stuff like Hikaru. I guess Hikaru wouldn't have realized it if he didn't have a hint or whatsoever.”

Again, Michiru looked perturbed as she muttered something, her face again blushing as she lowered her head. The hand held by Koremitsu seemed torn between bending the fingers to grasp it back, and letting it go. She was a terrified dog.

For the straightforward Koremitsu, the creatures called women had extremely complicated, bizarre thought patterns.

Due to Hikaru's requests, Koremitsu managed to establish relationships with a few women, and yet he was amazed by the thought in this. He was astounded as to why she had put in so much thought.

Michiru herself gave Koremitsu some suggestions discreetly, slipping information at Koremitsu desk anonymously, and even drew a picture of the cuckoo there. She even left a Tachibana flower note in Koremitsu's shoe locker on the day before the culture festival.

Hikaru, who noticed the white flower note was the Tachibana, noticed that the bird drawing was a cuckoo, and understood that the one who helped both Koremitsu and Hikaru was Michiru.

However, surely Koremitsu would not understand if he was to see the white flower note by itself. Michiru herself probably never thought that Koremitsu would know who placed the flowers in the classroom, let alone the fact that Koremitsu could hear the words of the deceased Hikaru beside him.

Why did she draw the cuckoo on the envelopes however?

Why did she hint at the words related to the Tachibana flowers and the cuckoos?

Why did she leave the Tachibana flower note in the shoe locker?

Why did she whisper “It’s despicable...to remain anonymous.” with such a forlorn look?

Koremitsu was earnestly pondering about this with his all as he patrolled the school as a security member, moved the human lights around, and blended bananas and blueberries at the beverage stand.

He wondered what Michiru was thinking for not revealing that she was the cuckoo, and what her wish was as she continued to slip notes in Koremitsu's table.

“You saw me as Hikaru himself.”

Michiru's hand, resting in Koremitsu's grasp, suddenly shivered.

And Koremitsu firmly grasped the icy hand that tried to escape, saying,

“You made me sit while facing away from the sun, deliberately gave me honey sweets, and tidied my clothing. My face wouldn't be that visible when I was sitting there.”

—Erm, let’s see...ahh! Mr. Akagi, do you mind sitting here?

Her face was blushing as she stood up, placed the empty chair beside the window, and stared at Koremitsu with a look of yearning and expectancy.

After Koremitsu sat there, she gave a delighted look.

—It-it’s better to button up that one, I think

—P-please straighten your back too...P-please be gentler in the way you speaking...

Her face practically melted as she watched Koremitsu nibble on the Macaron.

—It’s honey macarons. There’s honey added in the skin too.

—Wow. This really looks good. I want to try some too..

—Mr. Akagi! There’s still a lot! Please have some more!

“Are you an idiot!? How do you resemble Lord Hikaru in any way? You don’t!” Honoka exclaimed in rage as she heard that, but back then, Michiru clearly was not seeing Koremitsu, but Hikaru himself.

“So-sorry.”

With tears in her eyes, her face contorted due to sobbing.

She lowered her head and shrank, and looked very apologetic, to a point where if there were dog ears on her, they would fold.

“Because you said the exact same words as Lord Hikaru, Mr. Akagi.”

She said with a barely audible voice.

“The same words?”

“Ab-about me, being like the Tachibana flowers...that although they're ordinary, they have a nice scent, very memorable...and that, they're fine that way. Lord Hikaru too did say he like that scent...that there's a memorable thing about it...”

Michiru lifted her head at Koremitsu.

A tear trickled down her face due to the anguish.

(Ahh, I see. Back then, Hanasato cried.)

I-I always hoped that I can be like Hono, so I bought the same accessory as her. I did at first, but it’s different now. I’m me now, the best class rep in Japan.

And while Michiru said that so forlornly while trying her best to act positive, Hikaru noted tenderly,

Miss Hanasato, you are like the Tachibana flower, a pure white flower that hides deep within the green leaves. Perhaps you might not be noticed by the others, but you are determined and devoted, giving off a memorable fragrance. You are a charismatic girl yourself.

And so, Koremitsu too conveyed the words to Michiru, his words resonating with Hikaru's,

You’re like the Tachibana flowers. You’re plain, but you have a gentle memorable fragrance. I think that’s very good.

Back then, Michiru stared at Koremitsu's face for so long, and silently shed some tears.

Surely, that was the moment where she began to see Hikaru in Koremitsu.

Michiru would remember every single word Koremitsu did say, and engraved everything about Hikaru within her. She kept observing him like one looking to save everything in a folder within her. This itself shook Koremitsu's heart.

What was Michiru thinking when Hikaru suddenly died?

Surely she had been weeping alone again.

And after that, she could not forget about him, and kept thinking about him.

Hikaru, who certainly was no longer able to become her lover—

Caressed Michiru's arm gently from sidelong, and with a forlorn, gloomy look, he stared at her.

Hikaru never held back the earnest love and sweet talk necessary for girls to bloom into beautiful flowers.

He complimented them, loved and showed them the affectionate smiles, like one tending to them with clear water.

To Hikaru, all the flowers were so precious, so adorable; but he too noticed that after he died, the words he said back then became the source of their agony.

Surely they would find it unbearable.

Koremitsu's body too was wincing, stabbed by needles as he felt that bitterness.

And to prevent Michiru from being more hurt and intimidated, he did his best to sound calm and serious,

“Sorry for not being like Hikaru, with my rough hands, and my face and hair like this...”

The image of a prince certainly was beyond his grasp.

And he could not show a sweet smile, speak beautiful, flowing words with a transparent voice, or even how to think like that.

“However,”

Koremitsu himself was proud to be Hikaru's friend.

Koremitsu himself felt elated and honored to be able to convey Hikaru's words.

“Until this culture festival ends, I'm Hikaru's representative.”

And so he turned to Michiru, shivering in sadness, and told her with such directness.”

“I'll fulfill your wish in Hikaru's stead. You're really looking forward to that lover full course, right?”

The tears kept flowing down Michiru's tender face, and with a skeptical look, she looked up at Koremitsu, her eyebrows lowered.

With his empty hand, Koremitsu wiped her tears off.

“Let's go try it out together!”

The rough fingers gently caressed Michiru's cheeks, wiping the tears off her.

“Let's go try it out together!”

The moment she heard Koremitsu say this with such a positive look, the voice, and that serious expression reverberated loudly in her heart.

(I saw Mr. Akagi as Lord Hikaru himself, but Mr. Akagi's not angry with that?)

Anyone else would have found it revolting or delusional upon learning that someone saw another person on them and had some delusions themselves.

As Hikaru's representative however, Koremitsu remained as Michiru's lover until the end of the culture festival.

And he was showing such a prideful, cheerful face.

With his overly large hands, he grabbed Michiru and darted towards the bustling crowd.

“Oh yeah. You set off the sprinklers, didn't you? Back then, you combed your hair, put on the nurse cap, and had a half-sleeved gym clothes because your clothes and hair were wet, and you hurried off to change your clothes, am I right?”

Michiru's heart nearly ceased to thump.

Even the issue about the sprinklers was revealed! Did Mr. Akagi see through everything?

“Th-the fluorescent lights were flickering, and I wanted to change it, so even after asking the janitor, he said it was fine, and wouldn't change it for us, so I...put the chair on the table, and fell off. I hit the sprinklers, and I-I think I wrecked it.”

“So, how did you end up setting off the sprinklers?”

“W-well, everyone would have been concerned about that, so I didn't say that out.”

After she muttered,

“Well, we managed to make it in time, and did it well, so it's not all that bad.”

Michiru's tense shoulders relaxed, and those, along with her legs, wobbled like Tokoroten as she nearly collapsed on the floor.

And that did not happen due to Koremitsu's large, sturdy hand that was holding her hand tightly.

Michiru too...held that hand firmly to not sit on the floor.

Koremitsu bashfully averted his stare, his face beetroot.

“Because of the special security work, I had the entire map of the culture festival memorized, so I got to thank Asa for that. We don't have much time left, so let's just make a brief trip around. First, let's go get some Takoyaki, and then, some cotton candy.”

“Bu-but, Mr. Akagi...you, don't really take sweets, don't you?”

“Well, that's the case, but...”:

For some reason, he glanced above, frowned a little, and then turned his face forward, looking tense.

“Leave it to me.”

He concluded.

With Koremitsu holding Michiru's hand, they went downstairs towards the courtyard filled with stands. The latter's face was sizzling, her heart pounding furiously.

“One takoyaki, two picks, and as for mayonnaise...”

He looked at Michiru, apparently affirming,

“N-normal will do.”

“Normal amount of mayonnaise.”

“Ah.”

“What?”

“That...Katsuobushi.”

Koremitsu again averted his stare,

“Give me a little more of that.”

He eked these words in front of Michiru.

“That's enough, right?”

“Y-yeah.”

And while Michiru nodded slightly, he poked a pick into the takoyaki he received, and handed it to her.

“For you.”

“Th-thanks.”

Just when Michiru was about to reach her hand.

“Th-that's not it.”

She received a glare.

“Y-you're just showing this to me?”

“That's not it.”

Koremitsu again glanced diagonally above, appearing to ponder over something. Then, he stared at her, saying,

“Open your mouth.”

“Ehh?”

“Do-don't lovers do this? Or that's what Hikaru told me. Damn it, well, I'll definitely do this if it's me!”

“B-bu-bu-bu-bu-but!”

The folks surrounding both Koremitsu and Michiru outside a radius of approximately 3.5m were all staring at them, their eyes widened as their bodies froze.

It was so embarrassing!

But Koremitsu served up the Takoyaki, with lots of Katsuobushi topping, and brought it to Michiru's mouth.

(Mr. Akagi is embarrassed to be doing this too.)

But he still did so, for Michiru's sake.

They were lovers for just two hours, but he wanted to play this role as best as he could.

That emotion was certainly not an act, but ostensibly something to be conveyed from something swirling in the heart.

With determination, she opened her mouth, and ate it. The fragrance of the sauce and katsuobushi spread in the mouth.

“I-it's naice.”

She wanted to express her worry if the food was too hot, but it was just right.

And while she expressed her thoughts as she chewed,

“Uu, I-I didn't eat much since morning. I'm hungry.”

Koremitsu too muttered, his voice increasingly softer.

“!!”

He closed his eyes.

“Hanasato, f-feed me too!”

He yelled, and opened his mouth.

“Eh!?”

“Hurry!”

“Y-y-y-yes!”

She took the other pick from the Takoyaki box Koremitsu had, stuck it in, and timidly popped it into Koremitsu's mouth.

And so, Koremitsu kept his eyes closed as he closed his agape mouth.

“!”

“Woah!”

She placed the food deep inside, depth notwithstanding, and because of that, Koremitsu had Michiru's fingers in his mouth too.

Shocked, Koremitsu opened his eyes.

His eyes met hers at such a close distance, and the sensation of her fingers lingered between his lips as they both blushed.

Koremitsu opened his mouth, and Michiru retreated her fingers.

Koremitsu swallowed the Takoyaki without chewing on it much, and began to cough. Michiru frantically patted him on the back.

“Are you alright, Mr. Akagi!?'

“A-ack, so-sorry.”

Koremitsu straightened his body, and their eyes met again, their cheeks flushed.

Upon seeing Koremitsu's eyes teary due to him choking on his food, her heart throbbed, and she picked up another Takoyaki.

“Th-this time, please have it slowly...okay?”

She said as she served it to Koremitsu, and the latter was left red faced as he again ate it.

“You too, Hanasato. Have some.”

Koremitsu said that as he too picked up another Takoyaki. Once she saw the Katsuobushi littered over it, her heart got fuzzy, with some itchiness aroused within her.

“Yes.”

She too showed a natural smile, her mouth opened.

And so, both of them ate the 8 Takoyakis in the box, 4 each. Koremitsu's face was tense and flushed, and Michiru's was sizzling in embarrassment; yet both of them enjoyed themselves.

“Hey, will lovers actually eat in such an embarrassing manner? Did I get fooled by Hikaru or something?”

“No, right now, that's exactly how lovers should be eating takoyaki. That's why my heart's really pounding like crazy.”

“Is that...so? Then, no, forget about it.”

Koremitsu diverted his stare to the sky, and gruffly muttered.

“Alright, now for the cotton candy. I feel a little thirsty now. Let's go get something to drink, 'kay?”

He held a red-faced Michiru by the hand, and walked off.

They bought soda water and cotton candy from a stall, and shared them.

Koremitsu drank a quarter off the soda water can, and Michiru frantically retrieved it, drinking. Both of them divided the cotton candy in half, peeling scraps and feeding them to each other.

Koremitsu really had issues dealing with sweet foods, and he frowned as he forced himself, saying,

“We-well, I'm still good with this.”

The soft cotton candy slowly melted on Michiru's mouth, lingering there as it became a sweet, sugary liquid. The parts that were yet to dissolve completely remained delicious too.

After that, they went fishing for water balloons, and entered a haunted house.

Koremitsu remained serious as he handed a balloon with blue and white patterns to Michiru.

And that balloon bobbled in Michiru's palm.

“Ehhehe, I wanted one when I was young.”

“You never been to a festival?”

“My family's strict, so I'm really happy to be able to fulfill my wishes.”

Michiru let out an umpteenth number of screams in the haunted house as she latched onto Koremitsu, who embraced her firmly with his slender, yet sturdy and muscular arms and chest. The stench of sweat, and ink, could be scented from his body, yet Michiru found that to be a wonderful scent.

No matter where they went, the focus was upon them.

That delinquent king was holding hands with a girl? They were even flirting with each other, causing the onlookers to look extremely dejected.

Michiru's neck retreated as she whispered that,

“Right now, I'm only seeing you alone.”

And Koremitsu answered,

“Also, my ears can only hear your voice.”

It started to get hot deep within Michiru's eyes.

(Mr. Akagi just said something really amazing.)

And he was so earnest with it.

But as Koremitsu kept leading her by the hand, she got noticeably less distracted by the surrounding stares. Furthermore, she felt like a princess at a ball, basked in the onlookers' stares as she danced with a prince.

That was the scene Michiru saw in her dreams.

That day, Hikaru walked towards Michiru with a gentle smile, saying, “So the flower messages are from you? Thank you for helping me. As promised, will you be my lover?” reaching his hand out to her.

And so, Michiru would hold Hikaru by the hand, their hands clasped together as they strolled through the bustling campus during the culture festival.

Koremitsu's hair was red and messy, and his face was so terrifying, it was unbefitting of a prince's face.

He was the complete opposite to the graceful, grandeur Hikaru.

But though he may be gruff, he kept taking care of her; there was some tenderness conveyed through his crude verbal etiquette; he unexpectedly knew how to gain a girl's favor.

“Speaking of which, I haven't thanked you properly. Thanks to you, I managed to complete the committee member work, and I feel that the culture festival isn't such a bad thing. Thanks a lot for helping both Hikaru and me. Thank you, Hanasato!”

—Thank you, Miss Hanasato.

While Koremitsu thanked her so bashfully, Michiru seemed to recall Hikaru saying such words with a dazzling look as well.

Koremitsu's face was utterly red, his lips a little ostentatious, the red hair soaked in sweat looking so dazzling under the sunset. Michiru found it to be as pretty as Hikaru's, her heart throbbing.

(Mr. Akagi today really is like a prince.)

The public closing time slowly approached.

“Want to look at the Tachibana flowers at the end?”

Michiru gritted her teeth as she nodded in the face of Koremitsu's question.

The backyard of the Middle School campus was basked in a faint orange sunset.

“It has yet to change since the time when I was in Middle School.”

He stared at the Cupid statue with an affectionate stare, and there was the Nadeshikos and Cosmos growing on the flower bed by the feet.

“You see, Koremitsu? That is the Tachibana tree.”

The place Hikaru pointed at appeared to have oval, glossy leaves. Behind the Cupid statue, in the midst of the green leaves, the blue fruits could again be seen basked under the golden sunset.

Michiru too was basked under the same color, looked moved as she touched those trees.

The breeze gently swayed the Cosmos and and her hair, but did not sway the sturdy leaves and fruits of the Tachibana flowers as they remained there silently.

Hikaru moved his slender hand towards the leaves.

“It will be great if it is May now. It is a pity that you were unable to see the extremely vibrant, vigorous white flowers, Miss Hanasato.”

He stared at the green leaves that got increasingly brighter with a sacred expression of yearning and love, and diverted his eyes towards Michiru, looking a little tense beside Koremitsu.

“But well, it is fine, for the flowers will again bloom the next year. Do you know why people swear eternal love under this Cupid statue? That is because this Cupid statue is surrounded by the Tachibana flowers, which in turn represents eternity. In the distant past, the Emperor commanded the Tajimamori to bring back a rich, fragrant, immortal fruit from the Toyo no Kuni, the timeless fruit called the Tachibana, or orange.”

That rich, sweet voice lingered in the backyard under the forlorn sunset.

“Hanasato.”

When Koremitsu called out to her, Michiru's shoulders jerked in shock, and she turned towards him.

She obviously looked a little tense, clumsily lifting her head.

This classmate of his was showing a puppy-like expression,. Even without others knowing, this girl kept working hard, for her class...

“Hey, do you know the reason why the rumor that there'll be eternal love if people swear their oaths here?”

Michiru shook her head.

Hikaru gently muttered,

“This flower will continue to bloom no matter how it wilts. Even as people depart, countries change, it continues to remain there. In the early summer, it will give off a refreshing aroma, and upon scenting it, people will recall the past, reminiscing wonderful memories, and surely they will smile.”

Koremitsu too looked at Michiru tensely,

“The Tachibana flowers signify eternity, or that's what Hikaru said. Even if they wilt, they'll keep blooming in the next year, or the year after, giving off a refreshing fragrance or sorts.”

He conveyed Hikaru's words to Michiru, who kept yearning for Hikaru.

Unlike Hikaru, Koremitsu did not have a tender expression or pretty lips, and did not have the nice voice the latter had.

However, he was earnest, seriously conveying Hikaru's thoughts, Hikaru's love, and Hikaru himself to the girls he loved.

He wanted to convey to them that it was wonderful for them to be able to love Hikaru, that Hikaru was fortunate to be born in this era, this world, that he wanted them to think this way.

And so, he wanted them to know.

How much Hikaru actually loved them.

The luxurious stems of the Cosmos swayed gently with the breeze, and Koremitsu snapped it crudely.

Taking in a short breath, Michiru straightened her back slightly.

Upon seeing this, Koremitsu again exerted strength, as it appeared he was about to confess to Michiru again.

(Well, it's definite that without Hikaru haunting me, I won't be able to become a member of the committee, and I won't know what's good about Hanasato.)

Surely she did not garner much attention, but this girl was like a Tachibana flower, leaving a tender fragrance in the heart, her expression as adorable as a puppy.

Koremitsu himself too received lots of help from Michiru.

With Hikaru watching over him, he heard the pounding of his heart as he twirled the stem of the Cosmos, stopped at the base of the flower, and formed a ring.

And then—

While his face was beetroot—

As he stared right into Michiru's eyes—

He slipped the flower ring onto Michiru's slender finger.

Michiru kept staring at that ring.

“I'm Hikaru's representative...and the flowers already bloomed in spring. After scenting upon this fragrance, you'll recall about what happened today.”

Even if they were lovers for just two hours.

Whether it was the brightness of the sunset, the refreshing sensation of the breeze, the sensation of the dirt and grass inside the shoes, the brown hair swaying around the slender shoulders, the lips opened in delight, or the emotions, the bashfulness he could sense, Koremitsu could sense happiness, love.

Also, there was also the time when they were facing each other at a single table in the classroom after school, discussing about the culture festival. His heart throbbed due to the lively, puppy-like eyes, the itchiness caused by the slender fingers that gently caressed Koremitsu's rough fingers, and the sweetness of the colorful Macarons of blue, orange and yellow.

Surely he would recall them over and over again.

The broadcast indicating the end of the public showing could be heard from afar.

Michiru wiped the tears off her face, smiling,

“I...too will like to thank you, Mr. Akagi.”

Thank you—

These words encompassed all the heartfelt thanksgiving Michiru had, and she conveyed it to the red-haired boy, standing there bashfully with a frown.

This was the most blissful, special day.

For the wish was finally granted.

From behind the Tachibana tree, Michiru had long watched the girls who swore oaths with Hikaru, and admired them, feeling bitter, her heart pricked.

She was envious that they were able to get flowers from Hikaru, and was anguished as a result.

She really wanted to grab those hands.

She really wanted to stare into those eyes.

She wanted to give him the pain, the bitterness, and the sweet delight.

And then, she would become lovers with him, not just alone, but with him, to watch the white flower blossoms.

“Can you be my girlfriend?”

“Yes, I will.”

That was the deal they had written on the letters, and the three days were like a treasure.

The miracle once happened, and she lifted her head, hoping for it to happen again. She never complained about inequality, and maintained a pure heart. Countless times she had to watch the wilting Tachibana flowers alone, and her heart was crushed.

Perhaps after the flowers scattered, she would be left alone.

She felt that perhaps it would be easier for her to give up.

But Hikaru's friend fulfilled this in his stead.

And those thoughts glittered as they ascended.

The aroma of the white Tachibana flowers spread all over her chest, making her blissful.

Surely, even if the Tachibana flowers did wilt, she would no longer despair over the future.

And there would no longer be a cuckoo chirping in agony due to suffering.

“I cannot keep waiting on my own. I have to walk on with my own feet, push the lush leaves aside with my hands, and see the prince. I couldn't believe Lord Hikaru's death, Mr. Akagi, and I never bade farewell to him at the funeral. So since you are representing him, can I, say it to you, Mr. Akagi?”

Koremitsu nodded.

Michiru said to the younger Hikaru, that day,

Her lips smiling,

“Farewell.”

## Notes

- ↑ Poem number 3916

- ↑ Poem number 1481

- ↑ Poem number 1473

- ↑ Note, it's not a typo. This is deliberate...

### 013. Epilogue: At the Time of Farewell

I do remember very well the name of that bespectacled girl who always worked hard.

As the class representative, you really did your best without any grudges. You were always panicking, but that is definitely a show of the utmost effort.

When things are not going your way, you would lower your shoulders dejectedly and shed tears. After that however, you would approach the other party gingerly, yet head on.

I do feel that you were really cute being like that.

I am hailed as a harem prince, and you would lower your head whenever you saw me, running away from me. I never had a chance to talk to you.

We were linked by the same thoughts.

During the days when I was called the useless person by the girls in the class, the white flower pixie supporting me was an instant 'grace'-like existence.

There was a faint fragrance when you passed by.

I never did see you, but my body and soul silently remembered that scent.

There was once when I made a request to you 'can you be my girlfriend'.

And you answered me 'yes'.

Back then, I never saw the shape of the white flower that gave off such a refreshing scent...

It really is great that I can fulfill the promise I made with you, though I have no idea when it was.

Surely, this will be my final culture festival on this world.

It really is great to have you spending this special culture festival with me, and I truly feel this way.

You showed the prettiest smile possible when I placed the ring of Cosmos flowers on you.

Hey, Koremitsu.

Were you also not moved by that smile?

There is nothing to be ashamed of. This is a natural result after being dosed by pretty flowers.

Did you also not think how fortunate you are to have such a cute, adorable girl as your first female partner in this culture festival?

Surely Miss Shikibu, Miss Aoi and Asa will not be rest assured.

And surely, it will become a topic starting tomorrow.

That you, the delinquent king, was sharing takoyaki, cotton candy with such a cute girl at the culture festival, fishing for water balloons.

Why is it that your face suddenly became so red?

You're the only one I can see, and your voice is the only thing I can hear! actually, I did hear such cool lines from you, you know?

And then, what did you think?

Ahh, there is no need to cup your head and squat down.

Surely you will be hailed the flirting delinquent king starting tomorrow, you know? And that will be a bad thing for Miss Hanasato too?

Though I may conclude this, I can be certain that Miss Hanasato would not have such thoughts.

At first, she was bashful when you two were walking together, but starting midway through, did she not smile so cheerfully?

Surely, the 'thanks' Miss Hanasato said is from the bottom of her heart.

Have you also noticed too, Koremitsu?

Unlike before, amidst the expressions and voices in the rumors when talking about you, there was some goodwill laced in them.

It was when you stopped the girls from quarreling, chased down the boys from another school flirting with the waitress in the festival house, and when you desperately went about carrying the crying little girl on your shoulders, looking for her mother.

You have a terrifying face, but there are people who do think that perhaps you are a serious person.

That includes your classmates too.

While everyone was ready to give up after the background sets were soaked in water, saying that they could not make it in time, you shouted at them, telling them that they should only say that when they really cannot make it.

You really are an amazing person, a really trustworthy person, viewed by all with respect.

And thus, there was a different scene from before; when you asked for someone to take over the reception, did Mr. Yoshida and Mr. Onodera not help to take over?

Hey, Koremitsu.

Surely, little by little, everyone is beginning to like you.

And you are able to enjoy a happy school life with everyone.

That personally was what I wished to do, and what I could not accomplish, you did.

This truly is something worth celebrating.

You will not be alone once I depart from this world.

And you will surely be able to make friends.

Really.

So, even if I am no longer around, you will be fine. Until that time comes, I will be able to leave the Earth in relief, and begin my own journey.

Surely with a smile—

Once the closing ceremony ended, the students returned to their classrooms, and after a brief meeting, class was dismissed.

"Er-erm, Mr. Akagi."

The duo who took Michiru's place as receptionist spoke to Koremitsu, their shoulders tense.

"Ah, Yoshida and Onodera, right? Thanks for that."

Koremitsu briefly recalled their names, and said so in an awkward manner. The duo too looked jumpy as their eyes swam about, elbowing each other.

(What? Do they have something they want to request from me? Well, I did say that I'll pay them back.)

While scowling as he pondered, Yoshida spoke up,

“E-everyone in class decided that after this, we're going to a karaoke box to celebrate the success of the culture festival today. So, you too, Mr. Akagi...”

Yoshida trailed off, and Onodera continued,

“W-w-we'll like to invite you as well.”

“Yes.”

Yoshida too muttered.

Koremitsu was shocked, and for a short while, was left speechless.

“Now then.” Hikaru himself seemed to be egging Koremitsu on from the side as he beamed.

“It's...fine for me to go too?”

This was the first time someone actually tried to invite him out to a success party.

Till this point, the class had yet to include him in the class contacts list.

Did I mishear that? After he asked this blankly, the duo answered in unison,

“Y-you're our committee member in the culture festival, Mr. Akagi.”

“Yeah. You were the one who encouraged us and prepared everything for the class exhibit, and that's why we could succeed.”

“You're not coming after all, Mr. Akagi!?”

The other classmates in the classroom were also anticipating Koremitsu's reply as they stared at him.

“Yes, Mr. Akagi will definitely participate, right Hono?”

The one asking this so cheerfully was Michiru.

Honoka's shoulder jerked in shock, and then,

“...Well, Akagi's very free anyway, so he'll go.”

She continued to fiddle with her cellphone while looking away from Koremitsu, looking nonchalant.

(This is bad...I feel like crying.)

Koremitsu felt something hot rising up within his throat, and covered his face with his right hand, his lips quivering, and he widened his eyes, apparently shocked by his classmates.

It was incorrigible of him, but his throat kept shivering.

—You are able to enjoy your school life with everyone.

Hikaru's words became reality.

“Koremitsu, if you do not hurry...”

Hikaru, by the side, gently spoke.

Koremitsu opened his mouth, and put his hands down stiffly, his face sizzling as he answered everyone with a trembling voice.

“Oh...yeah. I-I'll come along too...I guess.”

Yoshida and Onodera beamed, seemingly relieved.

After seeing their expressions, Koremitsu's heart became warm as a result.

“So then, this is the map of the shop.”

He received a message from Yoshida.

“...Okay.”

“See you later then, Mr. Akagi.”

“O-okay.”

He was no longer able to say anything else. Surely he did not think that he did not like the culture festival or something.

Michiru went by Yoshida and Onodera as she approached Koremitsu, smiling as she whispered,

"I'll be going there first, Mr. Akagi... do be there."

She gave him a meaningless stare.

But after hearing that, Koremitsu recalled that he had something he had to do.

He turned to Honoka, and the latter pouted her lips, staring at her cellphone screen.

The actions Michiru did to Koremitsu a while back did seem very intimate. Honoka looked absolutely terrifying as she practically decided not to face him.

With a finger on her lips, Michiru slipped out from the classroom.

And the other classmates began to move.

"...Shikibu."

With a rigid voice, Koremitsu hissed.

Hikaru floated in the air as he watched over them, silently supporting them as he practically cheered them on.

Honoka's fingers, which were fiddling with the message, stopped, but she did not reply Koremitsu as her lips curled increasingly, and she then continued to type her message.

"..."

"I got something to say. Mind hearing me out a little?"

"..."

She did respond to Koremitsu's words, but perhaps she could not speak up as she had already ignored him once. The perplexed stare was swimming about, her face increasingly tense.

"Please?"

Sweat was trickling down Koremitsu's forehead and armpit.

And finally, cold words came from Honoka's mouth,

"...It's not good to keep Michiru waiting."

Honoka was practically saying that she would be joining Michiru and the rest at the shop, and also hinting that Michiru was waiting for Koremitsu.

"Hanasato already went off to the shop."

"Eh!?"

Honoka lifted her face, and looked around the classroom.

There was basically nobody else in the classroom except for Koremitsu, Honoka and a few girls. The girls chatted as they left the classroom, and it got quiet.

After that, only Koremitsu and Honoka were left behind.

"...!"

Honoka muttered, and raised her eyebrows,

"I'm going too."

She slipped her phone into her pocket, carried her bag, and stood up.

"Wait. Listen to me, just for a moment."

Honoka was too stubborn, and Koremitsu got anxious as he grabbed Honoka by the wrist to make her stop. The former then looked away from him.

"What? Are you going to announce that you're dating Michiru?"

Honoka retorted bluntly. Her eyes became feeble, and she quipped gloomily,

"...I heard that you and Michiru were feeding cotton candy to each other...and that you walked about with your hands held together, Akagi, and all sorts of things..."

"The one liking Hanasato was Hikaru. I just took his place and accompanied her until the culture festival ended. We aren't really dating!"

"Huh!? You're still saying the nonsense about Michiru seeing you and Lord Hikaru's faces together?'

Honoka gave Koremitsu a chiding stare, but she froze there after seeing him give a serious look.

She looked ready to break down in tears, perhaps because she was unable to evade his eyes.

"B-but...Michiru's feelings for you..."

"Hanasato's the one who told me to have a proper talk with you, Shikibu."

Honoka's eyes looked extremely mystified

"Michiru...?"

—Hono has been evading you because of me, Mr Akagi."

At the backyard basked with hope, after Koremitsu slipped the flower ring on Michiru's hand, the latter looked elated as she whispered,

—I said to Hono that if she just viewed you as a classmate, she shouldn't be getting in our way. I didn't want Hono and you to be just on friendly terms, Mr Akagi.

—So Hono's been concerned about me, and unwilling to talk to you.

Sorry. Michiru lowered her head deeply.

And then, with a smile on her face, she lifted her head.

—It's definitely a lie if that Hono view you as a mere classmate, Mr Akagi. That's obvious from her attitude.

—Please patch things up with her.

"Hanasato said that you were the one who asked the classmates scared of me to help out after school."

"!"

Honoka again gasped.

"In exchange, you had to participate in the friendly matches, take part in the volleyball exhibition game, and the Shogi reception or whatsoever."

Koremitsu's face was filled with bashfulness and confusion as she stared back at him.

—Hono has been worried about you all this time, Mr Akagi. She's been thinking only about you.

Upon recalling Michiru's words, Koremitsu's face grew increasingly hot.

Michiru was the one who had been giving suggestions to Koremitsu, supporting him as they prepared for the culture festival.

But Honoka had been acting aloof, secretly helping Koremitsu.

It was not a complete mistake to think that the sender of the cuckoo envelopes was Honoka.

Honoka opened her mouth, dumbfounded.

And Koremitsu let go of Honoka's hand, lowering his head towards her,

“Thanks, Shikibu.”

One had to wonder how many times had he thanked Honoka.

It was always when he realized Honoka had been helping him out, that he felt some hint from Honoka's words, gained some courage from her, was moved in some way; that was the feeling filling his heart.

Again, Koremitsu nudged his body and stared at Honoka. Hikaru vanished from his sights before he knew it, surely watching over him.

“I-I didn't exactly....speak up to everyone else in the class for your sake...”

Honoka eked those words out,

“And then, I took part in the friendly matches, not because of you...”

And then,

“No.”

After several seconds of silence, a fleeting expression appeared.

“This isn't it.”

She spoke with a hoarse voice.

That calm face and voice was completely different from her usual feisty self. Koremitsu's heart jolted, his breathing paused.

“I did it...because of you.”

With damp eyes, she lifted her head tentatively.

It was dark outside the window, and one could practically hear the pounding of the heart inside the window.

“I actually wanted to tell you the truth, Akagi. No matter who you went out with, if it's based on your real intentions, I'll give up. Michiru was angry at me, and said that if I just thought of you as a classmate, I shouldn't be talking to you. That's because I lied. I will never do this again; I won't try to bluff, nor will I be lost.”

She stared at Koremitsu as the latter watched with bated breath, and with much thought in her eyes and words, she confessed,

“I like you, Akagi. Not in the usual like, and not as a classmate. I like you, Akagi.”

Koremitsu's head immediately sizzled.

But at that moment, there was an extremely anxious voice.

“I too...like Mr. Akagi!”

Both Koremitsu and Honoka were practically repelled as they turned to the voice in unison.

Standing at the entrance of the classroom was Aoi.

“Miss Aoi...”

Koremitsu could hear a little murmur from Hikaru behind his head.

(What did Aoi just say!?)

Honoka stared at Aoi with a petrified look, and watched the latter shout with all her might, summoning all her courage as she slowly approached.

Aoi stood in front of them, and spoke with a near-teary look.

“Sorry.”

Was she saying sorry to Honoka, Koremitsu, or to the both of them?

With a pained, suffocated voice, she said,

“But I too like Mr. Akagi. I do not wish to lose to you, Miss Shikibu. I wish to like Mr. Akagi as a male.”

The posh Aoi actually had such an agitated side to her.

Actually, Aoi was a girl who had that side to her. There was the time when she yelled at Hikaru's corpse 'you liar'—

That agitation and devotedness was being conveyed to Koremitsu.

With a stifled voice, Honoka said,

“I-I too won't lose to anyone in my feelings for Akagi, whether it's you or anyone else, Your Highness Aoi...! I won't back down!”

And while both girls unleashed all their emotions, Koremitsu was left as confused as a raft stranded in a thunderstorm.

Hikaru too hid himself, not voicing anything.

Koremitsu could not be bothered with what emotions Hikaru had with regards to Aoi's confession. All he cared about was that he was in no man's land between the two girls pursuing him.

He did not know how to deal with the issue at hand.

And beyond that, he could not express his feelings for both Aoi and Honoka.

Did he have to answer immediately? Did he have to answer at this place?

Koremitsu, basked under the harsh stares, was at his wits end as he stood in front of the blackboard, unable to solve a tough maths question he had yet to fully comprehend. His heart nearly ceased, the sweat pouring like a waterfall.

Suddenly, the cellphone in his pants pocket vibrated.

He was unable to give an answer, but he managed to escape from their sights, and after a little sigh, he checked the sender.

At that moment, he felt a numbing shock racing through his mind.

While Koremitsu widened his eyes and jerked his shoulders, Honoka and Aoi watched on with bated breath.

The message was sent from Yū Kanai in Australia,

Koremitsu did not dare to blink even once as he stared at the message left on the cellphone screen,

“In a few days, I will be visiting Japan.

I hope to meet you again.”

(Did my message reach Mr. Akagi...?)

In the yard lit by the outdoor lights and the moonlight Yū's delicate finger pressed the send button, and stared at the cellphone screen for a long time even after the words vanished from it.

“Did you send a message to your boyfriend that you are heading back?”

She turned to the rich sweet voice.

There was a bespectacled youth with feeble, slanted shoulders and a tender face standing in front of the Poplar trees growing in the vast garden of the luxurious nursing care facility; he gave a serene smile as he remained basked under the moonlight.

"E-erm, that is..."

Yū's face was completely flushed, not knowing how to respond. Upon seeing her fidget, he narrowed his eyes, beaming as he said with a lukewarm voice,

"Good to see that you are going to be reunited with your beloved boyfriend."

He, Hikaru's half-brother, looked to be as gentle a person as he appeared, and had the same tranquil voice. Perhaps it was for this reason that Yū, ever so weary, was able to calm down.

"I came to call you in as the after-meal tea is prepared. Come, do come inside and hear me out."

He never did ask who Yū sent the message to, and prompted the girl in. The latter placed the shut cellphone at her chest, saying with a voice that was ever so chirpy.

"Yes, Mr. Kazuaki."

The culture festival was over, and the bustling atmosphere in the school campus cooled. Surrounded by silence in the student council office was Asai, who was giving a conflicted look as she sat on the chair,

"There is another 2 months until labor, is it?"

The stoic voice appeared to be restrained in emotion as she inquired the secret contact.

"Do you think that the child inside her is Hikaru's?"

The girl had straight, neat, short hair resting on her shoulders, and a refreshing, intellectual expression; with a voice of clarity, she answered,

"I do not know."

Even at this point, Asai had been observing Hikaru's heart up close, closer than anyone else, and was conceited at this fact. This girl standing in front of her was the one who was closest to Hikaru's most beloved, Fujino Mikado, and she knew of Fujino's actions, and her heart.

"However,"

That girl cautiously continued.

Asai's face paled as she listened with terror,

"On that snowy night in March when Mr. Hikaru returned to Shinshu, the one Mr. Hikaru bonded with at the Church was not the Japanese Cypress, but the Wisteria."

### 014. Footnote

Hikaru,

I never did forgive you.

I will never forgive you for only looking at others when you should have been looking at me, and being blissful.

I will never forgive you for escaping alone from the world that was just the two of us.

I will never forgive you for loving me, swearing an oath of love with me, hurting me, and deserting me.

I will never forgive you, for letting out of the clasped fingers as you showed that beautiful, cruel smile.

Thus, I had no choice but to kill you.

### 015. Special Chapter: Asai Saiga's Miscalculation ~ You're Too Bad at Sympathizing

Asai Saiga had always assumed herself to be a cerebral woman.

She felt that she could use this cerebral mentality of hers to command others as she pleased.

“...But why is it that it simply does not work on that person?”

Appearing in her mind was that galling underclassman of hers with a lush red hair, sharp eyes, the rash presence of a mutt all over him, and she frowned hard.

“Yo, I'm here.”

“Now that was fast.”

While Koremitsu Akagi opened the door to the student council office, Asai coldly faced him as she muttered.

“Aren't you the one who asked me to hurry over? What's the problem? I can do anything for you right now.”

She did anticipate an anxious figure appearing in front of her after being summoned through the public announcement system, but Koremitsu in turn was abnormally enthused. There was no way this person would have been delighted to be summoned by Asai...

“Anything...?”

“Yeah.”

Koremitsu's lips and eyes were showing delight after all.

“...”

The list of what Asai wanted him to do flowed through her mind in that instant.

(What exactly shall I make him do...)

She raised her eyebrows, trying to ponder over it. However, rationality overcame her immediately, and she coldly said,

“I suppose not. I am still not that deplorable to a point where I need you for assistance.”

“You really aren't being cute here. What do you want?”

Yes, she had given him too much leeway. She could no longer let him continue with this insolence, or rather, to make sure he did not view her as an enemy, and to cultivate his goodwill and respect towards her, before he would be eventually controlled by her—

While Koremitsu curled his lips, Asai folded her arms presumptuously, as she said,

“Mr. Akagi, I hereby command you to be part of the culture festival special security group.”

And thus, her chances of interacting with Koremitsu would greatly increase with the veil of work. While Koremitsu would stumble his way through the work, Asai would then follow nonchalantly, force him to recognize her ability, and gain a favor from him

(I suppose it might be very interesting to tease Mr. Akagi with words when he fails.)

And as she continued to secretly contemplate about this, hidden under that stern expression of hers was a minuscule, probably even a speckle's worth of expectations hopping inside her.

“Do you know what day is it today? Mr. Akagi. It is 2 days before the culture festival.”

Asai anxiously summoned Koremitsu through the school's PA system, and yet Koremitsu did not rush over to her, for he, completely overwhelmed by his class and Japanese Dance Club events, did not pay any particular heed to the work Asai tasked him,

“Sorry.”

Koremitsu weakly apologized.

(What is with that feeble apology? You made me wait so long. The same thing happens whenever we talk about Hikaru; is there not a more dire topic we have to talk about? It feels like you are deliberately trying to avoid the topic whenever I mention Hikaru...)

She got furious, and inadvertently frowned.

“I suppose there is quite an anomaly for you to actually apologize to me directly.”

“That's not it, alright? Even I'll apologize to anyone if I offend that person. I'm already extremely busy with the stuff in my class, and I admit that I forgot all about the special security group.”

“...I see.”

(He really did forget about all...)

She clicked her tongue.

“Well, I will not be commending you for that.”

She really had the impulse to give him a cold lashing, only to think through rationally,

“Well, it is a good thing to be able to reflect on yourself, if you do not repeat the same mistake over and over again.”

And she did a slight dig at him.

Asai then gave Koremitsu an enormous amount of work instructions, and while the latter grumbled, he finished them obediently. The fact that he did not simply give lip service, but actually backed up his talk, was firmly recognized by Asai. When Koremitsu remained wary against Kazuaki, and had a private conversation away from the mother,

“Ohh! You're rather reliable, Asa.”

His face immediately broke into marvel.

“...Of course.”

She loosened her lips, and turned her head aside.

Everything went well till this point.

“Mr. Akagi. Do you like Aoi?”

Only that things went wrong afterwards.

Koremitsu suddenly looked strange when Asai mentioned Aoi, and his eyes swam anxiously, his voice a little shrill. An ominous premonition arose within Asai.

“Mr. Akagi. Do you like Aoi?”

Once she asked, Koremitsu hollered with extreme insanity, “Not at all!”

Surely he would not have reacted so violently if it was right on the mark. While Koremitsu continued to excuse himself with his eyebrows raised, face flushed, temples pulsating, his actions completely defied his words, and Asai faltered again once she realized this Koremitsu could no longer control his own emotions.

(Wait, did he actually fall for Aoi?)

Koremitsu had been taking good care of Aoi till this point, and tried his best to be gentle to her. Though Asai herself refused to admit it, he had been very gentlemanly towards Aoi. Asai had been pondering if Koremitsu intended to be Aoi's knight in Hikaru's place, yet she believed that Koremitsu would not do anything to Aoi, Hikaru's ex-fiancee.

And yet he was being so flustered over Aoi!

While he continued to deny it, he was practically confessing that he was head over heels with regards to Aoi, and that he could not help it.

Asai's heart throbbed in pain.

(It is vexing. Why is my heart hurting so much? My nervous system should be flawless. Ahh, yet it really hurts.)

And after Koremitsu hollered for a while, he regretted it, and calmed down.

“I shall pretend that I did not hear your words then.”

Asai stubbornly hid the pain in her chest as she watched Koremitsu dangle his head in agony.

Yes, forget about it. Pretend not to hear it.

And it had to be Aoi of all people!

(No, perhaps he never noticed my true feelings till this point. I just need to divert those feelings to someone else. Yes, that is how I should do it. Him being with Aoi will only lead to misfortune. I in turn is able to establish a rational, appropriate relationship.)

“Mr. Akagi, do you understand why I placed you in the special security group?”

“Because you hate me? You want to cause me trouble?”

Asai raised her eyebrows at Koremitsu's instantaneous reply, and held in her fury,

“You are the only boy I allowed to call me Asa.”

“Yeah, you don't have any friends in the first place.”

“...That is not what I meant.”

How was it that this man just could not read the mood?

Having stating everything so plainly till this point, he still remained so oblivious!

And Asai let out a sigh from her lips,

“I still have a lot of documents to read through.. Since I have no time to continue chatting with you, please head out.”

For some reason, she was feeling lethargic.

(Is Koremitsu Akagi a dog after all? I cannot convey human language to him?)

No, there was still a chance in the culture festival.

And Asai Saiga was not a weak-willed woman to change her own objectives.

On the day before the culture festival.

Koremitsu's class misused the sprinkler, resulting in the tools to be used for the culture festival soaked by the water.

Koremitsu pleaded with Asai for help, and Asai immediately deployed a large number of people to salvage the scene.

“I shall be looking to reclaim this debt another time, Mr. Akagi.”

The agony lingering in her heart finally dissipated.

“Yeah, I don't mind anything, even if it's a Santa Claus cosplay.”

He actually stated that personal matter so brazenly in front of everyone. Such a useless person; yet when she stared back coldly at Koremitsu, there was no sense of disgust with him.

The relationship between those two would definitely become stronger during the culture festival on the following day.

Yet—

Asai's optimistic planning went amiss again.

On that day, Asai's cellphone received reports regarding Koremitsu one after another.

“Koremitsu Akagi managed to settle down a sudden dispute between girls in front of class 2-3. Both of them fell on their butts, and one of them got scared off by him.”

“I see...”

“Akagi scared off a boy harassing two waitresses in class 3-4's 'Festival House'! With just a glare!”

“I see...”

“Akagi's protecting a lost girl—ah, I think they found the mother. She thanked him, carried the child, and ran off.”

“I see...”

“This really is amazing. Everyone was worried what sort of nonsense Akagi will cause when you recommended him, president. That Akagi really is impressive. His light footwork and sharp eyes really make him appropriate for this job!”

“...Of course. I did personally choose him after all.”

It was a good thing that Koremitsu's standing in school was improving, and Asai was proud of it. However, Koremitsu was running about everywhere, and Asai too was so busy that she could not leave her position, so neither managed to meet each other once.

That should have been the case...perhaps she should call him through the PA system again.

(No. If I am to use the same method again, the effect will weaken, and I will be underestimated.)

While Asai remained bitter as she thought about this, time gradually passed by.

Once she learned from a student council member that Koremitsu was at the Japanese Dance Club's juice stand wearing a white coat and glasses as a waiter.

(White coat? With glasses too...!? They really do not match.)

She was a little shocked.

(But, I want to have, a little look...)

Yes, she wanted to personally see how unfitting that was...

And with such a reason, she moved towards the juice stand.

“Oh, Miss Asai. I do apologize, but Mr. Akagi just so happened to leave. If only you were here 30 seconds earlier.”

“...”

Asai was left speechless in the face of the vexing declaration by the president of the Japanese Dance Club, Tsuyako.

“If you want to, you may come in. This is honey juice with banana and blueberry mixed in. Your courage to fulfill your love will rise once you do drink this.”

I have no need for this, and I do not need you to worry about my personal worries after chiding the smiling Tsuyako, she took the plastic cup filled with juice from the latter's hand.

(And so...I never managed to meet Mr. Akagi after all.)

Once the closing ceremony ended, Asai remained alone in the student council office, giving an icy look at the back of the chair right at the desk.

That Koremitsu Akagi was probably holding hands with his classmate, Michiru Hanasato, having their own date on their own whims. It was not Aoi, not Honoka Shikibu, but the plain girl with braids and glasses till the end of the first semester. Her charms and intellects were far inferior to Aoi and Asai, and even Hikaru did not do anything to that girl.

(What a humiliation.)

Koremitsu was probably dating Michiru Hanasato at this point. No, surely there had to be a reason why he had to do this, like before. She will soon coerce a confession out of him soon.

Yes, she will again call out for Koremitsu again.

The culture festival remained a culture festival until everyone returned home, and Koremitsu would not have any classmates asking him out, so he probably would be returning him alone.

The cup of juice she received from Tsuyako remained untouched in a corner of the table.

This juice that fulfills love is definitely a bogus. After all, I do not have anyone I like till this point

“Hm.”

She snorted condescendingly, and reached for the cup, using the straw to suck up the juice with its fruit fibers at the bottom of the cup after being left for so long.

### 016. Author's Notes

Hello there, this is Mizuki Nomura.

The 8 th volume of ‘When Hikaru Was On the Earth…’ is about ‘Hanachirusato’.

The Hanasato in the original work is not exactly a beautiful woman, but has a beautiful soul. She is an outstanding, conservative woman, and at the same time, apt at reading the mood, earning the trust of Genji. In the chapter of ‘Hanachirusato’, Genji was filled with comfort and relief when he visited her, and his soul was practically cleansed.

She was not one to arouse others as a woman, but surely one would find solace when being with her, no? She was requested to be the stepmother of the recently born Yūgiri, son of Her Highness Aoi, and though this proved that he did prioritize her amongst the many wives Genji had, he was afraid that Yūgiri would end up like him, falling in love with his stepmother. He chose not to allow Yūgiri to meet the beautiful Highness Murasaki, yet he did not have such worries when it came to Hanachirusato. How rude.

Though Hanachirusato herself took care of him as a kin, Yūgiri did find her relatively unpleasant appearance to be particular grating, and told his father that the latter placed particular importance in Hanachirusato as a wife because he was being too kind; that truly was something rude to think about…

That probably was the flow of things, and after reading ‘The Last Love of Prince Genji’ in the ‘Oriental Tales’ by Marguerite Yourcenar, I cried upon feeling how tragic Hanachirusato was. Please read it along with the original story.

As a change of topic, there are times when an author will subconsciously make use of a particular issue over and over again. In my case, one of the ideas was the ‘switching of the light bulb’. I had this pointed out to me after I was done writing, and woah, was I blushing. I do remember it being 3 times or so, or maybe there are more of such things which I don’t remember. As for why I like to use this, that’s because a few years back, my pet peeve was changing the light bulb . There is a cover on top of the 5 light bulbs lined side by side, and I could not remove it very well, so I spent an hour, practically in tears, fighting against this cover. Also, the ceiling is too tall, and it is difficult for me to work! I will stack a chair on the table, and the day after I maintain a banzai position, my back and neck would really hurt, so I had to adjust my body. Whenever the fluorescent lights break down, I will look to the ceiling and pray that it does not break down again, and I would really black out when I begin to work. Well, it appeared in this work. The lights have changed nowadays, and compared to the past, changing lights is easier right now…or that should have been the case. (the fluorescent lights I have been using the past two years have not failed, so I am not certain if it was changed, “It’s fine!” but the renovation company put it this wa. On a side note, this is not because I had no other troubles. There are bigger ones!)

The next volume, Rokujō, is slated to be sold at the end of this year. This series will end once the next two volumes are printed. As the ‘Hikaru’ series is well-received by the readers, the sales figures are stable; I was able to begin writing earlier than planned, so I had finished the epilogue in the prior autumn, and I will be headed into the next series.

I had completed the 1st volume of the new series in Spring this year! It is slated to be sold after the final volume of the ‘Hikaru’ series. The theme is actually about the recently popular ‘vampire’, and I am worried if it is getting too popular when it is sold. I suppose it will be really busy given that I am writing such information in the afterword.

First off, there will be ‘Rokujō’ at the end of the year and the 4th volume of ‘I’m a royal tutor in my sister’s dress’, and again, I will like to ask of everyone to take care of me again.

Year 2013, July 14 th

Mizuki Nomura.

References:

Noriyuki Kojima, Masatoshi Kinoshita, Akihiro Satake, 1972, Complete Japanese Classics Literature Collection 3 (Man’yōshū 2), Tokyo, Shogakukan.

Noriyuki Kojima, Masatoshi Kinoshita, Akihiro Satake, 1976, Complete Japanese Classics Literature Collection 5 (Man’yōshū 4), Tokyo, Shogakukan.

Mitsuru Sakurai, 1984, Flower of Ten Thousand Leaves-Origin of Flowers and their Way of Life, Tokyo, Yuzankaku Publishing.

Takii Yasukatsu, 1994, 366 Days of Flower Divination, Tokyo, Sangokan.

## 09. Volume 9 - "Rokujō"

### 001. Chapter 1: ...... of the First Love Who Returned.

Honoka said it.

There was no ambiguity and no hesitation as she said this to Koremitsu with an honest expression.

"I like you, Mr. Akagi "

And Hikaru's fiancee, Aoi, too said that said with such fervor in her eyes.

The culture festival ended, and in the classroom where all his classmates had left, Koremitsu was cornered as he received the synchronic confessions of the girls.

And at that moment, the girl, his first love who departed to Australia, texted him,

"In a few days, I will be visiting Japan."

And Koremitsu was completely stupefied as he looked down at the phone.

His face, and even his hair remained still as he stood there, not twitching his head or fingers at all as his body was practically taken for granite.

Both Honoka and Aoi were staring intently at Koremitsu at this moment, causing his gut to wince. They were awaiting his reply.

This boy, dubbed a wild dog with savage eyes even till his high school days, was always shunned by everyone else, and notably, had no experiences of talking with girls.

Yet at this point, he got two confessions at once!

(What do I do at this moment!?)

This was the moment where he really needed the earnest advice of this friend of his who was so completely different, always receiving confessions from girls.

But no matter how Koremitsu tried to turn his head towards Hikaru, the latter was not betraying a hint in the slightest. This was the moment where this ghost friend drifting above his head would come in handy, yet Koremitsu could neither see his face nor hear his voice. One had to wonder what expression Hikaru was showing now that Koremitsu had confessions from two girls, one of them being Hikaru's ex-fiancee

Having thought of this, Koremitsu wondered if it was a form of cruelty to ask Hikaru for help.

(But I can't possibly settle this by myself!)

Sunset had already passed, and the outdoors was dyed ink as the second hand of the clock could be heard ticking in the classroom filled with suspense.

Cold sweat trickled down Koremitsu's back as his gut winced, and his breathing got so heavy one had to wonder if he was being suffocated.

"I..."

Either way, as a man, he had to say something, and his dried lips hissed a suffocated bellow, causing both Honoka and Aoi to gasp.

The palm holding the cellphone was sweating away as he exerted more force into gripping it. Just as he was composing his words—

A young lady with long black hair tied in two tails suddenly barged into the classroom with tears in her eyes.

"Shiiko?"

Shioriko Wakagi, the non-blood related little sister living in Koremitsu's home, quickly darted by Aoi and strode past Honoka, before staring at Koremitsu.

The latter inadvertently backpedalled, sensing that Shioriko was faulting him for being caught in this dilemma with two girls confessing to him in unison. however, he saw the two trails of tears trickling down those rosy cheeks.

"Woah, wh-what now?"

"WAAAAHHHH!! BIG BROTHER KOREMITSUUU!!!"

She raised her voice, bawling away.

The situation seemed dire, and even Hikaru, who became one with the wind, leaned his body forward,

"What is the matter? Shiiko? What happened?"

In other words, this was not the usual crocodile tears.

"Sobs, he-he took it..."

She buried her petite face into his chest, whining away. At that moment, Koremitsu raised his eyebrows.

"What now? Hey, speak to me, Shiiko!"

And while Koremitsu was shouting in exasperation, the 3 rd year Shungo Tōjō appeared. It seemed he was giving chase after Shioriko, and he yelled, panting furiously

"Wait!! I really do apologize for hurting your young heart, but it just happened to be an inevitable coincidence. No, looking at how I actually wanted to resist, this really is fate!"

Once he showed that hapless look on his face, he noticed the presences of Koremitsu and the others, "Uuh...!" and was left speechless at the classroom entrance, tensing up.

In response to Tōjō's appearance, Aoi's face paled as she gave him a chiding look,

"Big brother Shungo...what happened here? Did you..."

Honoka too raised her voice,

"Mr. Tōjō, you robbed Shiiko of her—"

Shioriko herself got increasingly shrill in her wailing, lamenting hoarsely,

"B-big brother Koremitsu, he-he took tha-that precious thing of mine!!"

"That...I thought Mr. Shungo would be someone serious and still a virgin into his 3 rd year of high school."

Sweat trickled down Hikaru's face.

Basked in the condescending looks from Aoi and the others, Tōjō shook his head furiously, his eyes widened as he rambled.

"Th-that is not it! It is a misunderstanding! Surely I will not force an elementary school girl. Well, she first sat on my lap. I-I'll bear responsibility for this! I will not cause her any inconveniences in life, and I will make her happy—"

Tōjō bent forward as he approached everyone, and Koremitsu shielded an uneasy Shioriko behind him, saying,

"What the hell!! What did you do to my little sister!!!?"

He instinctively unleashed a clenched fist right at Tōjō's face.

Bam! With such a sound, Tōjō, whose body was larger and taller than Koremitsu, was sent flying backwards, and Aoi and Honoka squealed.

His backside tumbling on the floor, Tōjō's radiant black hair was ruffled.

"!! I do apologize for causing your little sister to cry! But I will not give up on this!"

"Shut up! I won't hand Shiiko to you!"

"Please! Let me keep Lapis!"

"Huh?"

Koremitsu let out a skeptical voice, and Hikaru too muttered in surprise,

"Lapis...?"

Honoka and Aoi too looked at each other.

"Lapis, as in the cat Shiiko brought along for the fireworks?"

"The cat...?"

"Meow."

A smart white cat elegant strode into the classroom as she let out a cool voice. She then jumped onto Tōjō's knees, patting the front paws as she practically dominated what appeared to be her resting place, curled her tail and closed her eyes.

(Why is Lapis in this school? Did Shiiko bring her along? Wait, Tōjō just talked about wanting Lapis handed to him. Does that mean that what Shiiko's robbed off...is Lapis!?)

While Koremitsu remained dumbfounded, Shioriko stood by the side, staring at Lapis furiously as the latter curled itself on Tōjō's lap, bawling,

"Lapis, you heartless cheater!!!!"

Several hours after the commotion,

Koremitsu was sitting cross-legged on the tatami in his room, frowning away.

Shioriko, having worn herself out bawling away, placed her little head on his thighs, her slender fingers gripping firmly at his pants, her closed eyes still seeping tears.

Masakaze and Koharu were extremely worried when they got home, wondering Shioriko, who went to the culture festival, was able to return home safely. Once they learned that Shioriko lied and went to the culture festival alone, they frowned, wanting to lecture her. However, they just let the matter slide after seeing her cry so furiously.

Upon learning that Lapis was to be living with someone else, Masakaze glumly stated, "See? Women are creatures that just like to walk out like that. Even cats apply too."

Tōjō cautiously held Lapis in his chest and brought her home, saying,

"I'll definitely make her happy. I'll report her situation to everyone and send photos of her. You can come over to visit her however you want. Whenever you need her around, give me a call, and I will send her here."

He was forced into such a solemn, old-fashioned declaration, but was still unable to convince Shioriko, and the latter blurted with teary eyes.

"I hate you, I really do...you pimp."

Shioriko had strong feelings for Lapis. Having lost her only kin, her grandfather, when she first visited the Akagi's, Shioriko was accompanied by the haughty Lapis sitting on her knees from time to time, licking Shioriko's hands and spending the time with her. She would not hand Lapis over and anyone else, even if it was Koremitsu.

But Lapis was originally a stray cat, and as Masakaze had said, it was not unexpected for her to vanish just like that. Koremitsu himself too had this premonition, and since Lapis decided not to leave Tōjō and elope with him, even Koremitsu had no say in stopping her.

The tears kept dripping down Shioriko's face once they got home, not drying up for a single moment.

"I don't care about Lapis anymore. I-I just need big brother Koremitsu now. I won't let Lapis in even if she does come back."

Shioriko kept the facade as she wept, and Koremitsu could only wipe off her tears with his fingers and a handkerchief.

Shioriko had strong feelings for Lapis. Having lost her only kin, her grandfather, when she first visited the Akagis, Shioriko was accompanied by the haughty Lapis sitting on her knees from time to time, licking Shioriko's hands and spending the time with her. She would not hand Lapis over and anyone else, even if it was Koremitsu.

But Lapis was originally a stray cat, and as Masakaze had said, it was not unexpected for her to vanish just like that. Koremitsu himeself too had this premonition, and since Lapis decided not to leave Tōjō and elope with him, even Koremitsu had no say in stopping her.

The tears kept dripping down Shioriko's face once they got home, not drying up for a single moment.

"I don't care about Lapis anymore. I-I just need big brother Koremitsu now. I won't let Lapis in even if she does come back."

Shioriko kept the facade as she wept, and Koremitsu could only wipe off her tears with his fingers and a handkerchief.

"It really has been a tough day, Koremitsu."

Shioriko shrank into a ball and closed her eyes, still snivelling away, and Hikaru muttered as he watched her with a melancholic, tender face.

"...Goodness gracious."

Koremitsu glumly agreed as he wiped off the tears gathered by Shioriko's eyes.

He assumed he could relax once the culture festival had ended, only to receive confessions from both Honoka and Aoi, and even Yū who was overseas sent a message stating that she would be returning...

"Now then, what do you intend to do, Koremitsu?"

"..."

Hikaru's words again caused Koremitsu's gut to sink, and the former again spoke with a serene tone,

"Whose words move your heart best, Miss Aoi, Miss Shikibu, or Yū?"

Koremitsu was inadvertently left speechless, gritting his teeth firmly. He then stuttered, uttering his true thoughts.

"—Well, I-I do find Aoi cute, and I think of Shikibu as a good woman. As for Yū, well, she's my first love. I don't know who to choose even if you ask me to choose now."

"How about going out with all three? —I suppose that is impossible for you."

With Koremitsu glaring at him, Hikaru could only raise his hands and sigh.

Of course, you harem prince of a ghost.

Koremitsu shrugged his shoulders as his head drooped. His mind was as erratic as one hunted down by savage-eyed mongrels. There was no way he could get an answer while being anxious, and his shoulders stiffened, his ears searing.

He continued to look down, letting out a despondent sigh.

"...Is it really okay for me to go meet Yū like this?"

One head to wonder when exactly was the 'soon' in Yū's message. Would he be able to give an answer by then?

It was just a while back when Koremitsu showed weakness to Hikaru as he harbored gloom, saying that he wished to meet Yū again. Back then, his body was searing with the desire of wanting to meet Yū, who was far beyond the seas.

From the moment Yū sent the message "I hope to meet you again" however, Koremitsu was anxious as to whether he should be meeting her.

He was simply left in a panic after receiving confessions from girls, and could not comprehend his own feelings, let alone give a proper reply. Was it really okay for him to meet Yū in such a gaudy state?

"Argh, damn it, damn it..."

Koremitsu blushed as he muttered away, and Hikaru burst into giggles.

"Wh-what's with you? What are you laughing at?"

He lifted his head in protest, and Hikaru narrowed his eyes, beaming,

"Sorry. I do find it somewhat refreshing to see you so frustrated and saying such dejected words, Koremitsu. It is amusing to see you, well, perhaps I can call this...a gap moe? Girls will be mesmerized seeing you like this. Ah, how cute you are."

"To hell with that! You stupid ghost!"

But even though Koremitsu lashed out at Hikaru, his fury would not last for long.

Upon hearing Shioriko grumble in her nightmares while resting on his thighs, Koremitsu hurriedly hushed up, gritted his teeth, and lowered his eyes, muttering,

"I'll be really troubled."

Hikaru then descended in front of Koremitsu, staring at the latter as he beamed,

"Why yes, any bystander will be able to tell. As a friend, I shall impart this advice to you. Do not overcomplicate matters and go meet Yū. Perhaps you may be able to get an answer."

The rich voice was filled with comfort and encouragement.

And just like his words,his expression was cheery.

"...O-okkayy."

There was still doubt lingering in Koremitsu's heart.

But with his friend's words encouraging him, Koremitsu fished out the cellphone from his pocket, and with his clumsy fingers, tapped a reply to Yū,

"I'll be waiting."

"So, you finally managed to tell Mr. Akagi that you 'like' him, Hono? That's really great!"

Once the culture festival celebratory event ended, Honok and Michiru bid farewell to the classmates who were going to party together again, instead arriving at a family restaurant.

Koremitsu could not attend the party.

—Eh, Akagi had to go home because of personal reasons.

Honoka played the message Koremitsu recorded on the cellphone.

"Sorry! I'm really grateful that you guys would invite me, really grateful! I just had something really important going on now!"

Shioriko's wailing could be heard behind Koremitsu "Waahh!! You heartless cheater! I hate you!". The classmates were left dumbfounded, and they were muttering away.

"Eh, yeah...I guess it's that kind of an urgent business."

"I think it's a little girl crying there. Is Mr. Akagi a lolicon after all?"

"Eh? Akagi's not going out with prez?"

"Yeah yeah. I heard that they held hands and went out for a date or something."

"I heard that she fed Akagi some takoyaki."

Michiru smiled as she responded to the classmates' words.

"That's not it. Mr. Akagi's very kind. He just wanted to accompany me back then."

Again, she showed Honoka a smile, indicating to the latter not to mind about it.

"Well, for me, I always wanted you to convey your true thoughts, Hono. Thanks to Mr. Akagi, I was able to bid farewell to the person I like."

Michiru's voice came from the other end of the table, her eyes filled with grit and composure. She was a lot more matured, a stark contrast to back then when she would act flustered whenever the two girls were alone.

Michiru stated that she liked the Hikaru Mikado who fell into the river during Golden Week, and that she merely transferred the feelings onto Koremitsu. Thus, Honoka she did not to be worried about her.

Koremitsu and Hikaru were so different in personalities, so Honoka could not understand what Michiru for merely treating Koremitsu as Hikaru's replacement.

But the matter was that Michiru was able to convey to Honoka how Michiru was really grateful to Koremitsu, and how she was able to mature due to his actions.

"It's because of me that you weren't able to speak to Mr. Akagi, Hono. it may be shameless of me to say this now, but I really wish that you can patch things up with me. I do think that Mr. Akagi really does like you. When both of you weren't talking to each other, Mr. Akagi was still worried about you."

Touched by Michiru's revelation of the truth, Honoka returned a smile, saying,

"Thanks, I'll try my best."

But once she recalled the frozen face and anguished expression Koremitsu showed during the confession, her heart just winced.

(Akagi...seems worried about how he's going to reply Her Highness Aoi and me. From whom did the message come from anyway?)

His shoulders simply jerked the moment he saw who sent the message, and he was staring at the phone.

The bitterness could be clearly seen from those eyes—

(I like Akagi. I won't try to hide these feelings again, and I won't try to fool myself again. If my love for him is causing him pain however, what do I do?)

There was a lingering ache in her heart.

(And if Akagi chooses Her Highness Aoi...)

Just thinking about it was enough to cause pain and searing heat deep within Honoka's head, her heart wincing in agony. Suddenly, her phone buzzed.

It was an anonymous message.

(Another of those again?)

Honoka frowned, wanting to delete the message, but once she saw the title, her face froze.

(This is...)

At this moment, Aoi too was embracing her beloved cat, Shell Blue, immersed in her memories as she laid on the bed.

She vented her frustrations on Shungo, who sent her home,

"Big Brother Shungo, are you more concerned about Lapis than me?"

Shungo stared at the white cat with lapis colored eyes, which Koremitsu passed on to,

"O-of course that is not something that can be compared...! You are still my precious little sister, but I managed to get Lapis after begging, so I have a responsibility to take care of her! I hope that you will allow me to research on making a healthy menu for Lapis while I make some of your favorite Souffles."

He frantically excused himself,

"It does not matter. I prefer Shell Blue over you, Big Brother Shungo."

And with that cold retort from Aoi, his shoulders were slumped dejectedly as he returned home.

Aoi regretted venting her erratic rage at Shungo, and even though she did so, it did not eliminate any uneasiness in her heart.

"I-I said it."

She buried her face in the belly of her black and white pet cat, murmuring nervously.

Once Aoi spotted Honoka confessing to Koremitsu in their classroom after the culture festival, she was unable to hold in her feelings, blurting out, "I, too, like Mr. Akagi!"

(I did such a shameless thing...because I did not want to lose to Miss Shikibu...)

But those were Aoi's true intentions, and she would not regret saying it out.

She would act aloof when she was in love with Hikaru, and would ignore Hikaru whenever he was out flirting with other girls.

She would lie to herself, thinking that she never intended to her Hikaru's wife, that she did not mind about whoever Hikaru went out with, and that she really hated Hikaru for being so unfaithful.

(I can no longer lie about my true feelings like how I was back then...)

With a rival present, it meant that she had to declare war, to go for a straight fight, to grab the heart of the boy she liked.

Miss Aoi—her heart was practically winced in agony upon recalling that beautiful call and the dazzling smile, and she felt like bursting into tears.

Her feelings for Hikaru would probably never ever change in her life.

But even so, Aoi still fell in love with Koremitsu, and to Hikaru, perhaps she herself was someone unfaithful herself.

(I suppose Mr. Akagi may not like me as a lover as I was once Hikaru's fiancee.)

But even so, Aoi decided to work hard.

Due to the tight embrace, Shell Blue let out an uncomfortable protest.

"Sorry."

Aoi apologized as she eased the strength in her arms, and Shell Blue immediately landed on the bed, snorting with uppity.

At that moment, the cellphone placed on the side table with the cat paw design let out a calming melody.

"...Who is it?"

She opened the anonymous message that was sent, and gasped.

That day, as the crimson flowers swayed, I met that red-clothed woman in front of the temple.

Once I got home, I had a fever that would not subside for another 3 days, and I was bedridden.

In my dreams, that woman was dressed in a Jūnihitoe, smiling. The bewitching, erotic crimson flowers surrounding her kept swaying, and her hair slowly reached towards me, entangling my body, trying to pull me over.

The crimson flowers were all aimed at me, and the black iris in the middle of those thin petals wanted to devoured me.

I pleaded for my mother to save me, but she remained unmoved, giving me a terrifying glare.

With a heinous face, she said to me with bloodshot eyes.

"Your father has another woman other than your mother, and even let that wretch of a woman bear a child."

Yes, I have to pass judgement on those wretched women.

My finger proceeded to press the send button.

The day following the culture festival was a holiday.

Shioriko kept clinging at Koremitsu since morning, not willing to move even a step away from Koremitsu as she brushed her teeth and washed her face beside him. Even when eating, she was clinging to Koremitsu's side at the Chabudai as she had egg over her rice, miso soup of seaweed and stock, and broccoli salad.

And she kept clinging at Koremitsu's shirt even though it was time for elementary school students to go to school.

"I suppose the incident with Lapis caused quite some shock. I do find that Shiiko has been looking cheerful recently, but there are times where she looked forlorn. Those were the times when Lapis was comforting her."

Hikaru muttered.

"Guess I got no choice."

And so, Koremitsu found himself sending Shioriko over to her elementary school.

*Sobs* "You have to sleep together with Shiiko today and tomorrow, and go to school together, and play together after school. You have to be with Shiiko all 24 hours."

With the stares of the elementary students and staff headed to school upon them, Shioriko wept as she pleaded in front of the school gate, and Koremitsu was left speechless.

"Well, that's..."

Shioriko's black hollow eyes immediately dampened, and the tears welled in her eyes.

"How pitiful Shiiko is. She is being so insecure here? Go hug her, Koremitsu."

(You think I can do that now!? Those teachers have been holding their cellphones and staring at us now. They'll probably be calling the police if I do such a thing now, and the cops will be coming after me here!!)

"Well, I won't disappear. Didn't I promise you that I'll continue to take care of you until you become an adult?"

"But that kind of thing isn't certain here~~!"

Tears continued to flow down Shioriko's cheeks.

"Hey, enough, stop crying now. Everyone's looking at you. I can't be with you if I'm taken away by the cops. Now, blow your nose."

He clumsily coaxed Shioriko as he brought a piece of tissue paper to her face, and finally managed to send her into through the school gate.

Shioriko turned her head back many times, before finally disappearing past the staircase.

After seeing this, Koremitsu let out a deep sigh,

(Don't tell me this is going to continue on every morning for some time now.)

"Uu, big brother Koremitsu..."

It was less than a minute after their farewell that Shioriko felt forlorn, wanting to head back to Koremitsu.

She wanted to act more mature than girls of her age, but Lapis, whom she had such deep feelings for, went over to that disgusting, brooding, uppity man, and this caused her to lose the pillar of support in her heart.

No matter what she saw or heard, her thoughts always deviated to the most pessimistic possible, and tears dripped out of her eyes.

"I'm really a strong girl..."

She was adept at making crocodile tears, but she was still displeased and embarrassed to be crying for real.

While Shioriko was about to wipe the tears of her face with her hand,

The cellphone dangling by the grassy green pochette at the side vibrated.

(Maybe it's from Big Brother Koremitsu.)

She quickly fished her phone out, and opened the message.

The sender was not Koremitsu, but the content of the message sent clearly mentioned Koremitsu's name.

And Shioriko showed a heinous stare unbefitting of a child as she stared at the phone, the other empty hand grabbing firmly at the hem of her skirt...

"I do suggest that you send Shiiko a message. This might be the moment when she is really wishing to go home."

Hikaru spoke to Koremitsu from diagonally above. For some reason, he was dressed in black, tight-fitting pants and a short mantle, the outfit of a matador. At this moment, Koremitsu was not really in the mood to look over at Hikaru.

"Is that so..."

Saying that, he fished out the cellphone from his pocket.

"No, if I send the message now, it'll make her more depressed, won't it. It's also important for me to let things be and watch from afar."

And he slipped it back.

"Do not say that now. Shiiko may be crying now. No, surely she is. She is feisty, but she really is a forlorn one."

"No, you're just doting on her too much. I'm more of the Spartan type."

"You may say so, but who is the one more flustered than I am whenever Shiiko breaks into tears before you?"

"Ack. T-that's..."

How's that possible? While Koremitsu wanted to deny this decisively, the cellphone in his pocket rang.

"It is definitely Shiiko."

Hikaru confidently noted.

"Listen up, I'm not going to be so overly doting on her."

Yes. No matter how much Shioriko wailed and wanted to return home early, wanting him to pick her up, it was his responsibility as an older brother to teach her to hang on until the very end.

However, the sender of the message was anonymous.

"Doesn't look like it's Shiiko."

"Eh?"

How strange. I never made a mistake as to when a girl would make a call. Hikaru said, floating in the air with the matador cape flowing.

"Have your instincts dulled or something, you harem prince?"

Koremitsu let out some spiteful words as he opened the message.

"Ack."

And at the next moment, he took back what he said.

Hikaru, peeking at the phone, too exclaimed in surprise "Wah!"

"I see. This really is something way beyond my expectations."

The message was from Yū, and written on it was 'I am sending this message from the phone'.

In other words, she would be arriving at the airport in a few hours.

He received the message from Yū stating that she would be returning to Japan, but this was too quick.

He was yet to be mentally prepared!

"Hey, can you send a message in a plane? Is someone pretending to be Yū fooling me here?"

While Koremitsu raised his eyebrows, Hikaru calmly stated,

"I do suppose foreign flight companies do provide such services. Either that, or it is a private jet."

"But there's no way it's a private jet, right? Seriously, is this message really from Yū? Is she really flying back to Japan?"

Koremitsu's heart suddenly raced, the blood surging in his mind, and his legs got wobbly as he did a funny dance on the road.

"Koremitsu, calm down! We agreed that you are going to find Yū and confirm your feelings!"

"Y-yeah."

Yes, he did reply to Yū "I'll be waiting."

He wanted to meet Yū, and he would get it.

His ears could practically hear the tender drizzle, and the frail girl with that fleeting smile ostensibly in front of him. His heart was griped.

After confirming the time, Koremitsu went off to the airport.

The estimated arrival of the flight mentioned in the message was just before noon.

It was the first time Koremitsu entered the airport, but with Hikaru dressed in a pilot uniform leading the way, he arrived at the gate she was supposed to pass through, and waited.

There were businessmen dressed in suits, flocks of madams gossiping away furiously, and foreign tourists of all kinds of eye and hair colors.

Groups of people passed by, and Koremitsu frantically searched through the crowd. The throbbing of his heart was as fast as that of a second hand.

Where?

Where is Yū?

When will she come by? Is she yet here?

There was some anxiety brewing deep within his heart, but once Koremitsu made the decision to meet her, he had an unbridled impulse to meet her. This emotion got more agitated, practically about to explode from deep within him.

Floating in the air, Hikaru's eyes suddenly dazzled.

Koremitsu too saw her!

He spotted a serene girl with wavy, flowing hair, dressed in a prim skirt that reached her knees, walking through the wave of people.

It seemed she too was looking for Koremitsu, her petite head shaking left and right like a tweety.

Soon after, she noticed Koremitsu, and the faint coral lips bloomed slightly, her face showing her hearty smile.

Ahh, Yū had become careful!

That smile was blooming with all its might, causing Koremitsu's heart to race, his heart to sear.

Lost in his emotions, Koremitsu ran towards Yū.

And Yū too beamed as she ran towards him.

"Mr. Akagi..."

Her face beaming, her hair bouncing, warm tears welled in her eyes as she stared at Koremitsu.

It had been a few months since he last saw Yū, and she became so cheerful, so dazzling, that Koremitsu inadvertently looked away, not ready to look at her directly.

"What's the matter...?"

Yū worriedly inquired.

The soft voice was exactly the same as the one on that day of farewell, and Koremitsu's heart trembled.

"My heart...just feels like exploding whenever I look at you directly..."

He felt the temples steaming away, and he stammered.

Upon saying that, a pair of white, pure hands reached over to him, gently sticking at Koremitsu's cheeks.

Ostensibly absorbing the excessive heat Koremitsu had were the cooling, soothing hands.

And while Koremitsu was taken aback,

"Please look at me..."

Yū whispered shyly.

Koremitsu shyly turned his face to her, and saw her blushing face and moist eyes staring right at him.

Once their eyes met, they got more flustered.

And both of them remained still as they stared at each other with flushed faces.

"We-welcome back."

Koremitsu realized that he had yet to say those words, and suddenly chimed in.

"I'm...back."

Yū too answered with a voice of bashfulness and contentment.

"Want to get something to eat...?"

"Yes..."

They ordered some snack at the airport cafe, and Yū informed Koremitsu of the reason why she returned to Japan.

"I did some volunteer work at Australia...helping out at the Nursing Home, chatting with the elderly."

Yū did her best too while attending school at the same time.

It was a tough, busy stretch for her, but there was always something worth reminiscing over every day, which helped alleviate her loneliness.

She met an old man over there who had a son, and the latter was married in Japan, bearing a child, and lived a family life. His son, now a father however, had disputes with the old man himself, and the man himself left Japan, so much that they never met each other.

That son would put a photo of his family every year in a Christmas postcard and send it to the old man, but the latter just would not give any proper thanks because of how stubborn he was.

"The old man got sick...and the doctor gave a diagnosis saying that he doesn't have much longer to live...so he pleaded me to meet that son of his before he died, and say a few words."

But that old man continued to pout even at that state, saying "I don't want to go to Japan where I can't understand what they're saying."

At that moment, an acquaintance visiting the old man said.

"In that case, how about having Yū accompany you back to Japan? She can head back to Japan herself; she knows the language and geography there, and with her around, you have reason to go to Japan, no?"

The old man, intending to visit his son and grandson himself, grudgingly agreed.

"If Yū is willing to go with me."

That old man's acquaintance heard of this, and immediately pleaded Yū,

"Please Yū. You will have to take a few days of vacation, but just leave the hospital and accommodations in Japan to me."

"If...I can come along."

Yū herself agreed.

"I want the old man to visit his grandson...and I wanted to visit you, Mr. Akagi."

Yū even whispered, mentioning that she intended to craft a personality that could be confident enough not to visit Koremitsu by herself.

Whenever Yū stared at Koremitsu with her clear eyes, the latter felt suffocated.

"So the one who arranged to send you back is...?"

Koremitsu asked, and Yū politely curled her lips, smiling,

"Well...it's still a secret. I'll definitely introduce him to you though. He is a nice person, surely you'll be surprised to meet him..."

(Who's that person I'll be really surprised by?)

Koremitsu did not really know who that person was, but after seeing how confident Yū was in him, Koremitsu too believed he was a good man.

He never noticed Hikaru around, and perhaps the latter was trying not to appear in front of him for his sake.

Koremitsu however believed that Hikaru was definitely watching from somewhere, and his ears began to sizzle as he thought about what expression Hikaru would be showing as he watched over them.

(It's great that Yū's doing her best out there...)

She became more empathetic towards others, wanting to help them. This was something she would not have done when she went through the phase of rejecting the outside world, shutting the windows and locking the outside windows, and was an improvement he never thought of.

(It's the right decision to let Yū be with her mom.)

Koremitsu was delighted about Yū's change, and his thinking changed as a result.

After their meal, Koremitsu asked Yū where she wished to visit.

Yū's expression, however, looked dreamy as she answered,

"I do wish...to walk in the park with you, Mr. Akagi."

Koremitsu inadvertently recalled that raining day, when the duo, soaked thoroughly, held hands in the park.

The park in that memory welcomed the end of Autumn.

The frosty, transparent daylight shone upon the entire park. The innocent children were playing at the sand pit, and an elderly couple were seated on the bench, basked in the sunlight.

The duo walked side by side under the dazzling daylight, and on a closer look, Koremitsu's hand touched Yū's pure white hand, their fingers intertwined.

Koremitsu was holding Yū's hand bashfully.

And Yū too held his hand demurely.

Unlike their clasped hands from back then, it seemed they were a little more courteous with each other's feelings according to how they held hands.

But even so, the tenderness of Yū's hand in Koremitsu's crude, massive one caused the latter's heart to practically explode.

The flower beds in the garden consisted of orange Marigolds, and yellow and purple Pansies, while the Silver Grass at the lakeside swayed along with the breeze.

One could see a few fiery red fruits on the chunky, wide branches of the Firethorn, and there were round yellow fruits the size of 2 tennis balls on the branches off the Quince dangling.

The firm green stems and the bright yellow Farfugium decorated the floor, and the plain-looking white and pink Chrysanthemum Japonense bloomed healthily,

"These are the Gomphrena. The ones over there with some spots are the Taiwanese Tricyrtis...the one that looks like a little tree and has Ametrine-like fruits are the Winter Cherry..."

In Hikaru's stead, Koremitsu informed Yū of what he was told.

They trolled through the path formed by yellow, wilted leaves, and there were occasionally the rustling of some brown leaves under their footwear.

"The garden during the beginning of summer...that rainy day, it was really pretty...but the garden in the clear autumn isn't bad either..."

Yū, beside Koremitsu, blissfully whispered.

"Ah, yeah."

And Koremitsu's ears itched, his gaudy response extremely poignant.

They spotted a bush of indigo flowers as tall as a human, and Yū's eyes dazzled.

"That's the Hummingbird Sage."

Koremitsu too had an impression of that flower. It was the same flower he saw with Yū on that rainy day.

"It bloomed again..."

Yū cheerfully whispered, and Koremitsu's heart again got really hot.

It was unfathomable, when they separated, that he would ever be able to see the flower they saw together in early Summer, with Yū again under this Autumn sun.

At that moment, Koremitsu wanted to send the uneasy, forlorn Yū with a smile, but his cheeks kept cramping, and he was unable to smile. The most he could do was to tell her that he would be flying straight to her if she told him something had happened.

But even so, a teary Yū gave Koremitsu a smile back then. At this moment, she smiled, giggling,

"Mr. Akagi, the white flower that resembles a spring onion must be the Japanese Onion. You can soak its root in vinegar to make an onion-like taste, you know?"

Due to the impoverished life she lived through, what she said was exceptionally poignant.

(She really became a bubbly girl...Yū's actually able to laugh like this...)

—When we meet the next time, I'll show that I've become a girl who likes to smile.

Koremitsu recalled the words Yū declared back during their separation, and his heart inadvertently jolted. Suddenly, Yū began to cough.

"Hey, you alright?"

Yū herself continued to cough,

"I'll go buy some drinks—"

While Koremitsu was intending to run off, Yū pulled Koremitsu by the hand, shaking her head as she said,

"I'm...fine here. It's just difficult for me to keep laughing."

She confessed with her cheeks blushing.

(Ack. Was that a pretentious laugh?)

Koremitsu himself felt guilty, but even so, his heartache became honey.

"You don't have to force yourself to laugh."

Yū lifted her head at Koremitsu, whispering,

"But Mr. Akagi, your girlfriend...is someone who likes to laugh, no?"

Koremitsu's heart again shrieked in a jolt.

"Have I become someone who likes to smile?"

Yū stared at Koremitsu intently.

Her clear eyes were brimming with passion.

That was the expression she gave Koremitsu in the rain, before they kissed.

Her eyes were practically luring him over.

Koremitsu's head was sizzling away once he realized she was yearning for a kiss.

His consciousness were focusing on Yū's lips. The faint, coral-colored lips were fleeting and tender, and the impulse to touch them again and kiss her surged within him.

The area under Yū's face too was dyed red.

Was it alright for him to kiss her?

But he still had his replies to Honoka and Aoi. Furthermore, that Hikaru was definitely watching him from somewhere.

He was lost in ecstasy when he kissed Yū back then, to a point of forgetting Hikaru's existence. After recalling the past, Koremitsu had an image of Hikaru gleefully watching them, leery and lucidly lewd, nodding away in approval from time to time right in front of him.

Koremitsu stopped himself just as he approached Yū as he sensed the stare from the side, and the children playing in the sand pit were squatted by the side, looking up at them.

"!"

Koremitsu and Yū hurriedly turned their heads aside.

The mothers hurriedly ran over, apologizing profusely as they dragged their children by the arms, leaving the scene.

But neither Koremitsu nor Yū had any intention of looking at each other anymore.

"Ah, too bad. You could have kissed despite all that had happened."

Hikaru, who had been posing as a bystander, leisurely floated in front of Koremitsu as he lamented.

(You're annoying. Shut up.)

Koremitsu thought as he glared back.

But what could he do after all this? It was too awkward.

"Anyway, perhaps you will be able to find something new to talk about? Anything Yū may be interested in?"

Hikaru chuckled as he watched Koremitsu being caught in a pinch, advising him.

(Anything Yū may be interested in? Sea? Rock sugar? No, those are too sudden."

"Then perhaps you can talk about something both you and Yū have in common."

"Y-yeah! After you left, Lapis came over to our house—!"

Koremitsu blurted out whatever came out in his mind, and Yū quickly turned over to him, leaning over.

"Lapis is at your house, Mr. Akagi? I really want to meet her."

(Ack, Lapis is at Tōjō's place.)

Koremitsu panicked.

"Ah, well, she was still napping at my corridor just a while back. I'm not lying, but now...it's, a little inconvenient to find her."

"Did something happen to Lapis? Was there an accident...Lapis is a little hard of hearing?"

"Th-that's not it! Lapis' very healthy now...eh, wait."

After pulling some distance from Yū, Koremitsu pulled the cellphone out from his pocket, and dialled the number Tōjō gave him the previous day.

"Ah, it's about Lapis. Can I go over to your house? No, wait, you mind bringing Lapis over to my house? Please?"

And so, the situation ended up with him going home together with Yū.

"It really is fiery of you to bring your girlfriend home and introduce her to your family on the day of your reunion."

(Like hell it is.)

And Koremitsu retorted back at Hikaru, floating above him.

"Shall I bring a gift for your family, Mr. Akagi...am I...able to greet them well...?"

While Yū mentioned that with apprehension,

"I don't have any rich family members here, and well, those guys are as savage looking at me. They won't eat you up though, so you don't have to be scared."

He said as they walked back.

Clearly, Koremitsu felt that he made a mistake once he saw the many ladies shoes lying on the entranceway.

(These...aren't Koharu's shoes, right? Shiiko's friends? No, they aren't of kid sizes...)

"Welcome back, big brother."

Shioriko came out to greet him, clearly feeling unhappy.

"We-Welcome back, Akagi."

"Erm...sorry to intrude, Mr. Akagi."

"I just happened to pass by because of student council matters."

"Can I have an interview with you, Mr. Akagi?"

"Sorry, sorry! Hono's too embarrassed to come here alone."

One after another, the girls appeared at the Akagi's' entranceway. There was the blushing Honoka, a hesitant looking Aoi, cold looking Asai, Hiina poking her body forward excited, and Michiru apologizing profusely.

"Wow! Everyone's present."

Hikaru marvelled as he floated above.

"Ah, there's still Tsuyako left."

If that glamorous looking upperclassman is to appear here, how am I going to last!?

The moment Koremitsu thought of that however, a beauty with bright red long hair poked her head out from behind him.

"Good afternoon everyone. Oh, you actually came by, Miss Asai."

Koremitsu was practically living a nightmare.

(This is impossible.)

Koremitsu glanced aside, and found that Yū had her eyes widened. It seemed she was wondering if those girls were the 'savage looking' family members Koremitsu talked about.

(...)

At the same time, Honoka's face froze the instant she saw Yū, who was supposed to be in Australia, right beside Koremitsu.

"Miss Kanai...!"

Koremitsu felt a chill in his heart the instant he heard Honoka's shocked voice.

She knew that both Koremitsu and Yū were in love. She was the first one to read his feelings.

—You certainly are working hard here, Akagi. Have you fallen for Kanai?

Once she saw Koremitsu remain silent with a serious look, Honoka tried to joke around and divert the topic. At that time, she had already realized that he had feelings for Yū.

(And Shikibu ended up meeting Yū in such a situation!)

Though Yū had never met Asai, Aoi and Tsuyako directly before, they probably had heard rumors of Hikaru visiting her apartment. At this point, Asai was frowning at Yū, and Aoi harbored mixed feelings as she looked on.

Yū should have known that Aoi was Hikaru's fiancee, and that Asai was his cousin. She immediately tensed up, looking terrified.

(Argh, what a mess this has become!)

It was beyond Koremitsu's capability to handle such situations.

At this moment, Koharu went out, calling for them,

"What're you doing, making the guests wait on the corridor like this? Welcome them properly."

After Koharu had prompted him, the gang went off to Koremitsu's room.

There was practically no space left once everyone sat on the tatamis in the room.

(What're you girls here for anyway?)

And all on the same day, to boot.

Honoka and Aoi probably came here, hoping for a reply to their confessions after the commotion involving Shioriko the previous day. What about Asai though? Why did Tsuyako came by too?

It was strange.

There was a tense, silent atmosphere permeating through this cramped room, and they seemed to be testing each other.

Hiina was the first one to start things off.

"Eh, it seems that everyone has a question to ask, so I'll ask this on behalf of everyone here. In other words, are Mr. Akagi and Miss Kanai dating?"

"!"

The females gathered at this place gasped in unison.

He sensed Honoka's stare.

It was helpless, sad, the same expression she showed when she asked whether Koremitsu liked Yū.

Naturally, Koremitsu was unable to say such words that would make it seem that he was running away. Yū's feeble expression was harboring expectations as she lifted her head at Koremitsu. Might as well admit this, maybe this can solve everything.

Yū was Koremitsu's girlfriend, the girl he wanted, and there was no room for anyone else to interferer. That would be fine.

But the moment he was about to say this—

His words were stuck in his throat the mom

Once she sensed Koremitsu's tentativeness, Yū lowered her eyes slightly.

At this moment, Shioriko, who had her cheeks puffed, yelled,

"I'm Big Brother's girlfriend! I just slept with him in the same bed last night!"

She placed her round knees upon the tatami as she pushed herself onto Koremitsu.

"Didn't you say it? You said that you'll take care of me until I grow up!"

Honoka's shoulders quivered, her eyebrows raised.

Is she about to kick him? But since she was seated on the tatami, she might hit him with the hand instead of the leg, or maybe she might throw the tea bowl at him. Koremitsu got down to guard himself, but Honoka lifted her head, saying.

"Sorry Shiiko. I'll make Akagi fall for me before you grow up."

"Wow. This new version of Miss Shikibu sure is different."

Hikaru marveled.

Aoi widened her eyes in shock, and Asai's shoulders were trembling.

Yū stared at Honoka tentatively, while Tsuyako and Hiina were grinning away.

"That's right, Shiiko. Hono's a strong opponent."

Shioriko pouted, and argued,

"Don't get cocky just because you dare to eat the 7-spice tempura! I can also eat some adult curry once I reach 10!"

At this moment, Aoi spoke seriously,

"I can only eat sweet curry, and I am not good at taking sugarless coffee. But I want Mr. Akagi to try some spicy curry I make."

Asai was looking more enraged, her eyebrows crammed together.

Tsuyako was smiling away like a blooming red flower, saying,

"Oh my, I shall feed Mr. Akagi some super spicy red wine with my mouth then. I do have feelings for him; I will be angry if Miss Aoi and Miss Shikibu are to monopolize him."

"Se-Senpai!? What're you saying now!?"

"I can be a mistress, Mr. Akagi."

"Goodness me, don't make such a joke."

"I am only half-joking about that though. Depending on your decision, I can add on to the seriousness in my words."

Tsuyako narrowed her pretty eyes as she said.

"Ev-Even if my opponent is you, senior Tsuyako, I won't hand Akagi to you."

"I will not lose to you either, Miss Tsuyako. I also will not lose to Miss Shikibu and Shiiko."

Honoka and Aoi declared.

"Big brother's cellphone screen saver is a photo of me in a school swimsuit! There's lots of pervy photos of me inside there!"

"Me! Me! I'll join in too! If the Moon Matriarch is Mistress 1, I can be mistress 3 or 4. How about that, Mr. Akagi?"

Hiina showed Koremitsu her cleavage as she slowly leaned towards him.

Michiru's eyes were spinning about as she said,

"M-M-M-M-Mr. Akagi! I-I-I don't think it's good to-to-to have something li-like a mis-mistress 1, 2 and 3! If you are really going to woo so many, I can be mistress 7...no-no, that was just me talking to myself, Hono!"

"Mr. Akagi, if you date me now, I can let you touch these breasts."

"Oh? My breasts are much more beautifully curved. They're more bouncy too."

"Mr. Akagi does not look at others by their chest size."

"Right, Akagi does like big breasts!"

"Is that true, Mr. Akagi!?"

"Shiiko here still has room for development, Big Brother!"

While everyone else was yapping away, Koremitsu had no idea as to who he was supposed to argue against or retort. There were several voices wailing away in his mind.

"You do have potential as a harem king after all, Koremitsu. Just as I had said."

Hikaru floated about Koremitsu, speaking in a matter-of-fact tone.

(Is this a harem!? I don't feel happy at all! Were you always smiling away in the middle of such commotions? Can you still talk about flower knowledge so calmly in such situations?)

This isn't something a normal man can do!

Koremitsu was incredulous and amazed at Hikaru, unable to lash out at him.

While all the girls were insisting on themselves, surprise lingered on Yū's face, and Asai was still frowning, her arms folded.

After being in this state for quite a while, Asai finally spoke up.

"That is enough already, all of you!"

This sharp sword-like voice severed the commotion.

The dominion was such that everyone could only watch her silently.

Asai looked around with a chiding expression, saying,

"Such ruckus in someone else's house is going to sully the pride of a Heian Academy student. Do you not feel embarrassed by this? As the student council president, I cannot condone such acts that will damage the reputation of the school."

Aoi and Honoka were dejected, Hiina and Tsuyako were looking on with wry grins, seemingly thinking that they went overboard. Shioriko closed her mouth and glared at Asai, having made the decision not to oppose her when she was exerting so much pressure.

(That's some great help, Asa!)

He did not understand why Asai would be around, but it was great that she was around. That was what Koremitsu had thought.

"A love confession has to be fast and effective."

Asai spoke coldly.

And then, she turned her eyes at Koremitsu.

"I hope to have a relationship between opposite genders with you, Mr. Akagi."

Asai coldly declared.

Aoi widened her eyes, and everyone else were taken aback, their mouths open in shock.

Koremisu too was stupefied, ostensibly thrown into a different dimension.

"Well, this certainly is Asa's way of confessing."

Hikaru too grimaced.

(A love...confession?)

That term too was something of a different dimension, something he could not comprehend.

At this moment,

"This is bad, Akagi!"

Frantic footsteps could be heard, and Tōjō, carrying Lapis in his hand, opened the door with a look of terror.

"I just checked with the vet! Lapis' pregnant! Which cat's the father!? It has to be a noble blood one that can match her, right!? I won't forgive that cat if it's a stray, especially those fat, slobby ones with black and white all over it!"

After shouting all that, it seemed Tōjō realized the surrounding atmosphere.

"Eh, Aoi..."

"Big brother Shungo, that fat, black and white cat you talk about is just like Shell Blue at my house, no?"

Tōjō gasped as he saw Aoi glaring at him in annoyance.

"Lapis...is pregnant?"

And upon noticing Yū mutter this, Tōjō widened his eyes.

"Miss Kanai...! If there's any other guests around, at least tell me beforehand!"

Tōjō raged.

He could only hum away, after having shown his silly side in front of Aoi, whom he doted, Yū, whom he had affections for, and the many girls present. Lapis elegantly leapt out from his clutches and went towards Yū.

"Meow."

It purred, ostensibly asking her if she was doing well.

It was evening, and after everyone had left for home, Koremitsu sent Yū back. It seemed Yū was staying in a hospital in the city with the cutting edge medical treatment and the best inpatient care facility, with a lot of private rooms for the nursing staff to live in. Such accommodations were arranged by that kind acquaintance.

Hikaru informed him, "that is a hospital artistes and politicians will go to, and the personal staff rooms are as comfortable as a hotel rooms."

The white hospital appeared to be a fortress. Koremitsu walked down a paved avenue that was ornamented beautifully, with the sunset shining upon them.

"Sorry for today...it's the first time everyone's gathered at my house like this..."

Koremitsu stammered as he excused himself.

"Mr. Akagi...you're rather popular."

Yū, who had been silent all this while, muttered.

"Well, most of them are Hikaru's exs. It's his fault for making all those random promises, and I fulfilled them for him, so..."

"It's the same...for me too..."

She muttered.

"Everyone likes you for how you worked hard to fulfill Hikaru's promises, Mr. Akagi..."

Koremitsu was speechless. It was impossible to read her mood from her serene, sidelong face.

(She's angry...?)

Her tender fingertips touched Koremitsu's fingers, and she clasped his hand.

"!"

While Koremitsu was startled, Yū bashfully lowered her head, whispering,

"Mr. Akagi, the girl with that white ribbon in your room...is Her Highness Aoi, no? Hikaru's ex-fiancee...a blooming white, Hollyhock in the sacred place...there's also Hikaru's cousin...the proud Morning Glory that wakes up earlier than anyone else at sunrise...the Matriarch Asa. There is the Moon Matriarch...the most beautiful, poignant flower in Hikaru's garden...the weeping cherry blossom. That little girl is Shiiko, the young Murasaki.

Perhaps these were all what Hikaru told her about in that room that was akin to the bottom of the sea.

Yū's voice was so serene, tender as she mentioned the names of the flowers Hikaru loved. Hikaru, floating in the air, watched over the duo with a gentle expression; surely, he must have told Yū about this with such a face. Yū too might have listened to him with such a mood.

"The girl with the short haircut is...?"

"Oumi of the news club. She's been sticking to me so that she can get a report on Hikaru."

"What about that girl with wavy hair?"

"That's our class rep, Hikaru's Tachibana. She's unimpressive, but she's a premier flower with a nice fragrance."

Yū lifted her head, seemingly probing at Koremitsu's face. With a tone full of hesitance, she asked,

"Erm, that girl with the long legs, brown hair...and those feisty eyes is?"

"Shikibu's...?"

For some reason, he hastily stopped talking.

Honoka's appearance was so distinct in front of him, yet he could not find any way to describe her.

"She's...the one whom you brought to my apartment...right, Mr. Akagi?"

"Yeah."

That was when Koremitsu assumed that Yū, holed up in her apartment, needed a female friend, and so he requested Honoka for that. Honoka herself heartily agreed, saying "Leave it to me."

"...Shikibu's my classmate, a good person...Hikaru once said that she's like a Heliotrope."

"A Heliotrope...?"

"It's a purple flower originally from South America, that blooms towards the sun."

"Towards the sun..."

Yū muttered.

"She's definitely a cheerful, determined...wonderful person, no?"

"...Yeah."

Upon sensing the ambiguity in Yū's words, Koremitsu started to stammer. With a worried expression, Yū stared at Koremitsu.

"There were a lot of girls...I was shocked today, and I'm a little jealous..."

The guilt began to grow within Koremitsu.

"It is great to meet you again, Mr. Akagi. I suppose I will be staying here for a little longer...can I still meet you again...?"

She asked tentatively in front of the main hospital entrance.

Feeling relieved from these words, Koremitsu answered.

"Yeah...of course."

"I'll send you a message."

Yū bashfully whispered, turning her head around to hide her blushing face as she passed the doors.

In the midst of this sunset, Koremitsu watched that fluffy long hair vanish miserably.

That gloom was booming, swirling sweetly yet bitterly in his heart, a gloom or unknown form.

"Welcome back, Yū."

Yū opened the private staff room, and found a bespectacled, handsome looking boy with slender shoulders welcoming him.

"I did guess that it was time for you to come back, so I was waiting in your room. Did you speak with Mr. Akagi?"

"Yes..."

Yū nodded, and the boy narrowed his eyes, seemingly worried as he asked.

"It seems that you're a little unhappy though. Was the schedule too packed for you? Or did...you have some premonition?"

Yū was startled.

"That...isn't the case..."

The boy placed his hand on Yū's shoulder.

"Anyway, come in first. I have brewed some tea for you, and there are some delicious Meringue too. It is sweet enough to melt in your mouth."

"E-erm...Mr. Kazuaki...do you have something for me?"

Yū fidgeted once she realized someone was worried for her. Kazuaki himself gave an alluring, comforting smile, saying to her with the same rich, sweet voice Hikaru had.

"Yes, there is something I wish to ask of you, Yū. First, let me hear about this Mr. Akagi. In details, of course..."

### 002. Chapter 2: Koremitsu Akagi Is Condemned

It was the next morning.

Koremitsu scowled as he walked down the riverbank leading to school, and Hikaru spoke to him,

"What do you think, Koremitsu? Did you get an answer after meeting Yū?"

"Um..."

Koremitsu's lips sank as he groaned.

He was brooding in his futon the previous night, but he still could not understand. He was happy to be reunited with Yū again, and his heart was pounding like crazy when they held hands at the park. When Hikaru mentioned about this however, the feelings he had for Aoi and Honoka did not seem to be much different from how it was towards Yū.

(Am I being a Casanova here...?)

"What do you think?"

Koremitsu hissed a question.

"What do I think?"

"From the perspective of a harem prince, who do you think I like best?"

Hikaru however gave a matured smile.

"Only you know the answer, but well, if I have to decide, I do wish that you pick Asa."

And nonchalantly stated something earth-shattering.

"Ack! You're asking me to choose Saiga?"

"Miss Shikibu, Miss Aoi and Yū are all wonderful girls, and even if they are dumped by you, the people around them surely will not allow them to remain single, and one day, they should be able to get their best suited partner in life. It is a miracle in itself that Asa was able to fall in love, and I assume that it may never happen again. I suppose it is a rarity to have an eccentric— no, a brave man who can understand Asa's charms, so open-minded in accepting her. I do get the feeling Asa will continue to remain dateless and search for Tsuchinokos, or set up some nursery for them or something like that."

Koremitsu's temples were popping as he listened to Hikaru's words. Soon after, he raised his eyebrows, yelling,

"That girl isn't someone who likes to laugh out loud at all, is it!?"

"Of course not. Asa will give a hearty heart when she does find something really amusing."

"You're kidding me."

"It is true. When she was younger, she kept laughing when she saw a dog with eyebrows, until she went limp..."

Hikaru continued to promote (?) Asai, but Koremitsu ignored him as he walked through the door, only to be called up by Tōjō.

Tōjō glared at Koremitsu, and the latter assumed the former was about to begrudge him for what happened the prior day, only for him to say.

"I wish to give Aoi my support, and I do not want to make her cry. However, I hope that you can grant Asai her promise. I suppose Aoi will have lots of opportunities in the future, but as for Asai, despite her good looks and beauty, given her condescending attitude towards men...it will be troublesome if she is to remain single and became the aloof, obstinate advisor of the Mikados."

During the break, Hiina too cheerfully chimed in,

"I do hope that you choose the Matriarch Asa amongst those girls. It seems that it will be 'her first love and her last love', no? I will recommend a nice person for Miss Shikibu."

During the following break,

"Come along, Mr. Akagi."

Koremitsu was dragged by Tsuyako into the Japanese Dance Club room.

"You are incapable of being like Hikaru. Hikaru was able to love so many girls equally and make them happy because he was special, and also because he was unable to be united with his most beloved. You can only go along with your usual honest self and do what you can do."

After imparting some advise, Tsuyako then gave a cheeky expression, saying,

"Personally, I do wish you will be together with Miss Asai."

"Why is everyone pairing me up with Asa!?"

It was lunch break, and Koremitsu was walking down the corridor with his back arched, grumbling away. No matter who he met since this particular morning, every single person had been recommending that he get together with Asai.

"Because you are the only one who can change Asa into a cute, smiling girl."

"Am I a tamer now!?"

Thanks to all that, while Koremitsu himself never thought of Asai as a love interest, the piercing stare and frosty expression just appeared in his mind.

(Well, she's a lot more relaxed now as compared to how she was at first...and I do find her personality rather interesting...but it's impossible for me! I can't imagine Asa laughing here!"

While Koremitsu was hollering in his heart.

Appearing in front of his eyes was a stoic-looking Asai.

"Ugh."

While Koremitsu readied himself,

"Do not be mistaken."

A blizzard-like voice rang as she coldly noted,

"Do you think I will fall in love with you? I declared that in front of everyone else so that we will not be suspected whenever I am with you."

Hikaru, floating above, "Ah~" could only cover his face as he groaned for some reason.

(Why yeah, it's impossible for Asa to be associated with love or falling in love. She's someone condescending, always talking to others with that annoyingly haughty tone.)

Koremitsu himself found the reason plausible, and was quietly relieved.

"Goodness, I went to visit your classroom after the culture festival ended, and even Mr. Tōjō was there. It was a ruckus..."

(Huh? She was there at that time?)

Before Koremitsu could retort, Asai's eyes grew rigid as she muttered.

"Also, it seems that something grievous centered around you is going to happen."

"What do you mean?"

Was it about the confessions he suddenly received? However, Tsuyako and Hiina were just adding on to the fire, and the only ones he never actually responded to were Honoka and Aoi...

But even so, Koremitsu had a rough idea of what it was, and was left dumbfounded. Asai's face got increasingly heinous as she pulled her cellphone out, showing it to Koremitsu.

"I received this message on the night before yesterday."

Koremitsu looked at the screen, and gasped.

Hikaru's too froze as he peered from the side.

"Koremitsu Akagi shall judge the women of Lord Hikaru under the name of the Poppy."

(What is this...?)

The voice was stuck in his throat.

The chain of messages that were themed 'The women of Lord Hikaru' appeared in his mind as grimy, black words.

It was too much even as a joke, and this anonymous message was nauseating. This time, it mentioned his name! Koremitsu felt enraged terrified, a chill running down his spine.

"Saiga, did anything bad happen to you after this message came?"

Koremitsu angrily asked, and Asai calmly answered,

"No, nothing has changed. This message themed 'Lord Hikaru's women' was simply sent to me, just as before. However, this time, it contained the active verb 'judge', and actually mentioned that you of all people are to do this."

The words got tangled into a black mist, spreading in Koremitsu's heart.

Hikaru's expression too gloomed.

"..."

Till this point, the women mentioned in the messages were Yū, Tsuyako, Asai and Sora. Since they were Hikaru's women, there was a chance Aoi herself could be in danger.

"I feel we should go about pretending to date and agitate the culprit. Of course, it is just a pretense."

"I'll go over to Aoi! I'll go check on Upperclassman Tsuyako to see if she got any strange messages."

Koremitsu cut off Asai's words as he sprinted out.

Tsuyako never mentioned anything about the message when the duo chatted in the clubroom in the morning. However, she and the other girls all gathered at Koremitsu's house; perhaps they were going to discuss the mysterious message with him?

"Mr. Akagi, I am yet to be done—"

Asai hollered at Koremitsu, trying to get him to stay, but the latter never stopped.

"I had not finished what I wanted to say. He really is a simpleton of a wild dog."

Asai anxiously watched the messy red hair leave the scene.

"Yes...we were not to be real lovers, just false ones. That should have been the most efficient..."

Once she sensed her face blushing, she muttered to herself, ostensibly searching for an excuse. At this moment, her cellphone vibrated.

With a scowl, she opened the message. "!" And with a heinous glare, she stared at the screen.

Koremitsu panted furiously as he reached Aoi's classroom. Once he got there, he glared around with his sharp eyes, and spotted Aoi fiddling with her phone, her face frozen.

Koremitsu felt a frost air scale his spine.

Hikaru too looked on grimly.

"Aoi."

Once Koremitsu called for Aoi, the latter's petite shoulders shivered. She looked over at Koremitsu tensely, her face looking very uneasy, perturbed as she approached him.

"Is something the matter, Mr. Akagi?"

"Did you just see the mail? Was there something strange sent to you?"

Aoi's shoulders shivered again.

She turned her eyes away from Koremitsu, stammering.

Affirming that Aoi received a message, Koremitsu sounded agitated.

"You received it, right? You came to my house yesterday to discuss about this, didn't you?"

"E-erm...but! I received such a message two days ago. While I am used to receiving such scathing messages....I would immediately delete them and forget about it whenever I have them."

"Can I see that message?"

"Sorry. I deleted it."

After inquiring about the message, it seemed it was the exact same content as what Asai received, stating the infuriating words that Koremitsu was to deal judgement on all the girls surrounding Hikaru.

"Of course, I do not believe that you will do such a thing, Mr. Akagi."

Aoi pleaded.

"Thanks."

But while Koremitsu thanked her, when he inquired if there was any further matter, she merely tried to pass it off by repeating over and over again, "Well, I am fine."

And when he went to ask Tsuyako,

"Oh? It reached you?"

Tsuyako simply admitted that she received the message.

"But there are people who enjoy seeing others suffer. Besides, this is not uncommon in this school filled with children from many traditional families. You do not have to mind, Mr. Akagi. It is pointless to be befuddled, intimidated or infuriated by those things. All you will accomplish is to delight that sender."

But Koremitsu, himself, was the one encouraged.

Lunch break was about to end, and Koremitsu still felt something was amiss as he prepared to return to the classroom.

And while he was clicking his tongue agitatedly, Hikaru spoke with a grim look above him,

"I did think those messages were just being sent, and nothing will actually happen..."

"I won't be judging Saiga and the rest. No way you want such things to happen, right?"

"Of course. But—"

"What? That you actually have a wish for me to help you take revenge?"

"No. That is not what I want to talk about."

Hikaru frowned.

"All I am thinking is, are the messages all that is to come?"

Such words caused Koremitsu's temples to twitch.

"It does feel like this is different from before...I am worried. Miss Aoi does look like she has something she could not say..."

"Something she could not say?"

"Or maybe it is something she does not wish to talk about..."

In any case, they should head back to the classroom first. First off, he had to give Yū a call just in case, even though he did not think she would be involved after staying in Australia for so long.

(Let's try asking Oumi...and Shikibu.)

Koremitsu did not say anything to Honoka in the morning, besides the usual greetings. She beamed, saying,

"Good morning...Akagi! It's great to see Miss Kanai back. But I won't lose to her!"

Her energetic voice sounded a little forced, and one had to wonder if she was concerned about the reply to the confession and the matter about Yū.

She kept peeking at Koremitsu during the lessons, but she never did talk to him.

(I got to give a proper reply. To both Shikibu...and Aoi...)

Would he be able to get an answer while Yū stayed in Japan?

With such matters happening at this point, it was not a time when he could simply ponder over the relationship between boy and girls...

Feeling utterly vexed, his back was slouched more than ever.

And just when he arrived in front of his classroom, the cellphone in his pocket vibrated.

Having an ominous vibe, he opened it.

"Koremitsu Akagi shall torch Yū Kanai alive under the name of the Poppy."

Feeling a jolt inside his heart, he hurriedly grabbed the phone sliding out of his hand.

"Koremitsu! This!"

Hikaru too sounded tense.

The bell indicating the beginning of the 5th period chimed, but Koremitsu ignored it as he gave Yū a call.

His gut was griped, wincing, and sweat trickled down his body.

"Mr...Akagi?"

Yū's skeptical voice came from the other end of the receiver.

Anxiety pressed down on Koremitsu as he exhaled, caressing his skin.

"Yū! Are you hurt in any way?"

He asked agitatedly.

"Eh?"

"Are you hurt?"

"Erm...just a little scalded."

Koremitsu felt hammered. The words 'torch Yū Kanai alive' was magnified greatly in front of his eyes.

Yū was actually physically hurt, and not just as how the message stated. Being scalded was as close as it was to being torched, and Koremitsu felt a chill down his spine.

"Yū, where are you right now?"

"At...the hospital."

"The hospital? I'll be there right away."

Koremitsu hung up without hearing Yū's reply, and sprinted off.

Upon seeing Koremitsu sprinting down the corridor like a man possessed, Honoka's chest ached as she stood at the classroom entrance.

"Yū!" She did hear Koremitsu yell at the phone, the conviction and turmoil of emotions he showed, and her body felt scorched as she clenched her fist to endure.

(Akagi, were you talking to Miss Kanai just now?)

Koremitsu called out to her with such a voice, such an expression, and one had to wonder that surely, he was only thinking about her. Was his desire to meet her so great that he skipped classes and ran away from school?

"Koremitsu Akagi shall judge the women of Lord Hikaru under the name of the Poppy."

Two nights ago, she received this strange message, and was feeling very worried. At this moment, Michiru gave Honoka a call, and after discussing about this,

"Let's visit Mr. Akagi."

Michiru suggested, and so they visited Koremitsu's house.

They spotted a hesitant looking Aoi at the entrance, following by a grim looking Asai, and even Hiina appeared.

"Wow. Is everyone here to meet Mr. Akagi? He's becoming quite the popular item recently. Come on, let's go."

And with Hiina dragging them along, the predicament was that every single one of them visited his house.

Koremitsu was not at home, so everyone else was waiting in his room. Shioriko had her cheeks puffed as she served them tea. Asai remained silent with a frosty look on her face. Aoi had her head lowered, looking frustrated about something. Honoka herself was feeling awkward.

And when Koremitsu finally returned home, there was a dreamy, slender girl standing beside him, Yū Kanai.

—Have you fallen for Kanai?

Honoka could never forget the stunned look Koremitsu gave when she asked.

It was a defenseless, feeble look.

A flustered look of one who noticed he was in love.

At that moment, Koremitsu was really in love with Yū Kanai.

And Honoka herself too realized that she fell for Koremitsu, who in turn had fallen for Yū Kanai.

—I think, I like you.

Once Yū flew off to Australia, Honoka confessed at the school rooftop with a blushing face and a trembling voice.

Ever since then, she had been hoping for Koremitsu to devote his attention to her.

She was heartbroken to realize from up close that his feelings were veering towards Aoi, and she felt all hope was lost when a teary-faced Koremitsu held hands with Aoi.

However, she finally decided to confront Koremitsu with her true feelings.

She had no hope of beating Aoi, and with Yū of all people returning to Japan, it was too much for her. She started thinking whether there was no God in this world, and when she accidentally spotted Koremitsu being so attentively, running towards Yū, her heart was ripped apart.

(No. I can't continue to like Akagi if I admit defeat because of this.)

She understood when she saw the girls gathered at Koremitsu's house.

Many girls liked Koremitsu. She had assumed she was the only one who liked such a crude, eccentric boy, and got careless. Clearly, this was completely wrong.

Koremitsu Akagi was popular.

(Everyone now knows that Akagi's scary looking, but he's really a nice guy inside. Even so, I've decided not to give up, and I won't be dejected because of it. I'll do my best.)

The teacher entered the classroom, spotted Koremitsu's empty seat, and asked "What happened to Akagi?"

Honoka immediately stood up.

"Akagi's feeling unwell. He's off to the hospital."

And returned to her seat.

The teacher never did pursue the matter, perhaps because Honoka was a studious student.

But under the table, she was slowly answering the inquiries of girls, frustrated with their love live, under the guise of the love expert Purple Princess.

"Purple Princess, please listen to me （:△:). I had a crush on F for 5 years, and it seems like he knows that I like him~~~~~（。>O<。）Now he's trying to avoid me. What do I do know?"

"I really like T, but he's going to transfer to another school next month. (TωT) I want to convey my feelings to him."

"Purple Princess, I want to give the one I like a really shocking birthday present, but I'm troubled as to what I should give. Please let me hear your suggestion. m(__)m."

(Everyone's working hard. I got to do my best too.)

Honoka's lips curled, her eyebrows frowning as she tapped her fingers.

Suddenly, a message reached her.

Once she opened the message, Honoka gasped. The words were written in large red font.

"Yū Kanai is the culprit."

Mother would harass father's mistress, insisting that she was the wretch who bewitched him, an ugly woman, and told her to die.

The child born with that woman's blood is also wretched, filthy.

A child that should not be born.

My brother...

Mother told me never to talk to him, so I could only watch that child from afar, unable to approach him.

Mother said he was a filthy child, but that child was truly beautiful, smiling blissfully with everyone surrounding him.

He never did notice me, never gave me a glance, and continued to smile under the spring sun and the cooling breeze.

Koremitsu indicated his name at the hospital counter, and was taken to the ward

He ascended the glass elevator, advanced down the wide corridor, and knocked on the door.

The knob could be heard turning inside, and Yū tentatively poked her head through the gap between the door.

It was a direct echo to when Koremitsu first went to find Yū when she locked herself inside her apartment. Yū stared at Koremitsu tentatively, unwilling to open the door.

"Mr. Akagi...don't you have classes?"

"I played truant."

Once he said that with a grim look, she lowered her shoulders.

Yū looked rather forlorn, causing Koremitsu's head to cool, and in turn, flustered.

"Did I cause you trouble by suddenly coming here...?"

Yū lowered her head, tentative as she answered.

"Sorry. I was worried when I heard you got scalded. Are you bandaged already? Is it alright for you not to rest?"

Yū opened the door.

"Please come in..."

"O-okay."

Koremitsu stepped inside tensely.

Unlike the cramped, dim apartment back then that was filled with rubbish, the ward room behind the door was wide and spacious, the bright sunlight shining through the large windows.

As Hikaru had mentioned, it was a room similar to a hotel room, not simply a commercialized one, but a luxurious suite.

"I got scalded...but it's really nothing much."

Yū reached her hand out, looking a little embarrassed, her speckless, tender fingers giving the OK sign.

"I wanted to brew some tea...but I got careless...so...I scalded my hand...a little."

Her white cheeks was increasingly crimson.

"Is that it?"

Koremitsu held Yū by the hand as he lowered his head, his tone relaxed.

"...Yes."

Yū nodded as she whispered.

"I-is that so?'

"Thank goodness, Yū."

Hikaru, right beside Koremitsu, heaved a sigh of relief, and Koremitsu himself too was relieved. Upon recalling the impulsive actions of his, the fiery embarrassment caused his face to sizzle.

He let go of Yū's hand, his body fidgeting.

"So-sorry for yelling into the phone. I received a strange message, so I was really worried about you."

"Strange...message?"

"Erm, that's..."

Koremitsu did not want to talk about the message stating that he was going to torch her. Yū herself was once bullied by other girls, and shut herself in. Perhaps she would be horrified if he was to mention this to her.

"Just some usual harassing message. Did you receive any spam message yourself?"

"Like I can get a high income staying at home...Mika of the Pink Club or something...my husband was eaten by a Polar Bear...something like that?"

"Yeah. There's a lot of them. There's no need to really think too much into it."

Koremitsu bluffed his way too.

And he told himself, "it's a coincidence that Yū scalded herself."

But Yū kept looking at Koremitsu worriedly.

And Koremitsu too found the situation awkward.

"Argh, I'm really unbecoming of myself. My face is hot, I'm sweaty, and I'm upset. Don't mind if I use the washroom. Which room is it?"

He wanted to wash his head to cool down, and walked forward.

"N-no!"

Yū grabbed Koremitsu by the sleeve of his uniform.

"Eh?"

"So-sorry, but you can't go there...the washroom, that is...I'm cleaning it at the moment, and I'm not done yet...i-it's dirty now...and...I'm sorry."

Yū kept looking at the door, her voice squeaky.

"Ah, I-I see..."

Yū did not seem to mind how messy her apartment was back then though? Koremitsu was perplexed.

Hikaru too looked bewildered by this.

However, Yū showed no intention of wanting to allow Koremitsu into the room, and her slender fingers were tugging firmly at his sleeve.

"E-erm, I'll go get a wet towel...please...wait here, Mr. Akagi...do-don't move. And...no peeping."

She gave him a feeble look, ran towards the washroom, and cautiously opened the door.

She peered inside carefully, wary of a spirit popping out as she opened the door just wide enough to squeeze through, and when she entered, she locked the door.

"Koremitsu."

Hikaru suddenly noted grimly,

"Look over at the sofa."

Koremitsu did as he was told, turning towards the sofa.

There was a laptop at the side table, and it was opposite the sofa, covered by a white cover that would be conspicuous with any stains on it. He spotted a red flower on top of that.

That flower had a few thin, near translucent petals, the iris was red, and it looked salacious.

(What's that...Gerbera? Tulips...doesn't look like it.)

Koremitsu did remember seeing a flower similar in appearance, as he was not as interested in flowers as Hikaru was, and he could not remember the name.

(What's with this flower? Why's Hikaru looking so grim?)

Hikaru gave Koremitsu a grim look, stating,

"It is a Poppy plant."

(!)

Koremitsu's heart jolted.

(A Poppy?)

He leaned forward towards the alluring, feminine flower in the red veil, resting on the white sofa. At this moment, Yū returned with a wet cloth.

The door opened, startling Koremitsu, and he turned around.

Her cheeks reddened, Yū's face was slightly lowered as she tentatively brought the towel to him.

"Please...use this to wipe your sweat."

"Ah, thanks."

The towel was a little cold. Yū was surrounded with a fragrance unbefitting of her.

While Koremitsu wiped his sweat, Yū lowered her head worriedly, her eyes turning towards the washroom from time to time.

While she was feeling worried,

"Hey, what's with that flower?"

Koremitsu hissed, and Yū's slender shoulders jolted timidly.

"F-flower...?"

"On the sofa."

"I-it's a flower...someone gave as a get well gift. I found it pretty...so I had him give me one..."

Yū whispered, her eyes not meeting Koremitsu's.

"Isn't it better to put it in a cup or something? Make sure not to let it wilt. You did ask that person to share it with you."

"You're...right."

Yū again peered towards the door, and cringed, answering,

"I'll put it in."

She was acting like a bullied child.

Koremitsu was getting angsty.

"Yū, do you know the name of the flower?"

Yū was silent as she hesitated, and soon after, she continued with her faint, fleeting voice,

"...The Poppy..."

While it was not strange for Yū to know the name of the flower, her tentative voice and the feeble expression that was peeping at the washroom caused Koremitsu to feel incessantly anxious.

There was probably something beyond that door. What would happen if he was to ignore Yū and open the door?

Such an impulse grew within Koremitsu, and he glared at the washroom door.

At this moment, Yū's voice grew increasingly softer.

"Sorry...Mr. Akagi...I do have plans later...so, please return for today."

(Miss Kanai is the culprit...what's with that?)

It was night.

Honoka had her elbows resting on the desk in her bedroom, staring worriedly at the message she received at noon.

"Yū Kanai is the culprit."

The large red words formed this line.

Who was the sender? Who knew about Yū, and knew that she met Honoka...?

There were only a few choices.

She thought of the girls gathered at Koremitsu's house, and immediately shook her head.

She was not willing to think of the possibility that there was a wretched person who would send such a despicable message.

But if the person was really amongst them.

Would the aim be to eliminate Yū, the focus of Koremitsu's attention?

(In that case, I guess I better convey the message to Akagi...and I'm not sure what's the objective of the "Koremitsu Akagi shall judge" part...is the sender this time...the same as the ones before...)

In that case, it would be all the more confusing as to why the person sent such a message.

Was it just to provoke others?

Honoka wanted to delete the message, and moved her finger towards the delete button, only to stop.

"What if...it's real?"

What if Yū Kanai really did so something criminal?

Honoka could not ignore the slender, shy Yū, prone to hiding in the room and not coming out, would dare to do something so audacious. Something was amiss.

(But, what if she's fooled...or something.)

Yū herself seemed quite innocent, and in her case, it was possible. Upon thinking about this, Honoka felt stifled, her head turbulent.

(Maybe that had something to do with Akagi skipping class...)

Koremitsu, who was contacting Yū on the phone, was looking grim. It seemed he was worried for her.

(Do I discuss the message with Akagi? No, can't do this. I don't know whether this is real here, and if it's just a prank, he'll just be worried for no reason."

"I'll be there."

Honoka recalled Koremitsu looking so agitated as he sprinted off, and did not want him to look so hideous again.

"Argh, what do I do know? I'll leave a message on a forum...I can't possibly do that now! There's no way I can say 'my love rival may be a criminal. What do I do?'"

Honoka threw her phone onto the table, cupping her head as she thought hard, swiveling around on her chair.

At this moment, the phone chimed, indicating a message.

"!"

The sender was anonymous.

Honoka nervously opened the message.

This time, it was a line crammed with words.

"Yū Kanai has betrayed Koremitsu Akagi, having an illicit affair with other men."

"She returned back to sell off the drugs imported from overseas."

"The codename is the Poppy."

"Yū Kanai's fragile sight is merely a facade."

"Her heart is of complete darkness."

The words shot into Honoka's eyes as arrows, stabbing through her heart.

(Illicit relationship with other men—selling drugs—Poppy? Isn't that the same message the sender gave—?)

There was also a website indicating a forum where Yū was said to be involved drug trafficking.

What if—

If this message was the truth.

Or if not all, that there was at least some truth in it.

(How am I supposed to say this to Akagi!?)

Honoka stared at the website so intently, her eyes got numb, and clicked on it.

Your personality has to be fitting of a prestigious family.

You cannot be a wretched person.

You cannot be a despicable person.

You cannot fall into treachery.

Mother kept repeating these words at me.

Mother was strict in my upbringing.

She would yell. Why can you not do this? It is embarrassing that the child of a prestigious family cannot understand such a simple matter. If others are to feel that my child is useless, I, along with my family, will not be as highly regarded.

Mother's family had lasted since the Heian era, and is one filled with a long history. She mentioned that she too was raised in such a harsh manner.

My hands would be hit whenever I played the piano, when I wrote words, when I made calculation mistakes. My body would freeze whenever I wondered when I would be hit.

At this moment, I would imagine my brother would give that blissful smile in the tender, dazzling light.

And then, the red flowers swayed at the bottom of my head.

Alluring me with a sweet, tender voice.

Pluck me.

I shall grant you the power of the spider.

I shall devour all that you despise.

Come, first, fixate on your enemies using my 'eyes'.

Reveal the secrets of the filthy women, who, so akin to the white flowers with their feeble, slender vines, lean upon men and latch onto them as a parasite.

### 003. Chapter 3: Let's Hang the Impure Woman

"The Poppy flower is the name of the flower held by the Conqueror's beloved consort Yu."

Hikaru explained with a gloomy look on the night they returned from the hospital.

"The hero Xiang Yu, active during the late Qin Dynasty, lost to another hero Liu Bang. Consort Yu followed him until the very end, and killed herself—In the Chinese lessons, some said that Xiang Yu, pursued at the very end, was singing, "Ah, Yu, my Yu. What will your fate be?" You have heard of this story before, no? It was said that bloody red flowers bloomed from the consort Yu's grave, and that was how the name 'Yu flower', or 'Poppy' came about. The wavy petals would flap with a mere breeze, and while it may look pitiful, it does seem to allure you in a bewitching manner. It is that kind of flower with an unstable charm."

The name of the flower Koremitsu received in the message was the Poppy.

Surely, the fact that there was a flower with the same name in Yū's room would be linked to this.

"I don't understand. Maybe it's just a coincidence."

Hikaru frowned hard, and the tense atmosphere pervaded, his face looking conflicted.

"But the Poppy flower is not one that will bloom at this time. It probably was displayed in flower shops over a month back or so. It is not a flower that can be obtained so easily in this season..."

Hikaru himself was a little curious that she never did put such a rare flower in a vase, merely dumping it on the sofa.

Yū mentioned that it was a flower from a visitor, but that explanation was fallible.

She merely gave a glance at the washroom, and already, she wished for Koremitsu to quickly return.

"The floral language of the Poppy is solace, delusion—that is what it means. Another name for Poppy is Papaveraceae. Perhaps it had such a floral language for it was it is a breed of Poppy that can be extracted for drugs."

Drugs —Koremitsu's heart jolted upon those words.

"The Papaver Poppy itself is non-toxic, and it is not a criminal act to grow them at home. It does have a similar appearance however."

Hikaru's face again sobered as he mentioned this.

"Yū was acting strange."

"Yeah...she does not seem happy to meet you today. She even looked a little troubled."

One would hope that she merely had trivial matters to attend to...

After worrying about it, he sent a message,

"Sorry for visiting you so suddenly."

Yū's reply came in the next morning.

" I, too, apologize for what happened"

It was hard to understand through words alone what Yū was 'apologizing' for. There were so many issues Yū had yet to talk about, so he could only deduce from what he received.

Koremitsu ate his breakfast while listless, and saw Shioriko with that face devoid of energy.

"Big brother Koremitsu...I'm going to school along with you."

She pleaded with a gloomy voice.

"Okay."

Koremitsu answered glumly. It was the first time he departed from home early with her due to her school arrival time, but she remained silent for quite a while.

"Are you still angry about Lapis?'

"No..."

"Then, is it about Shikibu and the rest at our house before this?"

"..."

Koremitsu seemed to be saying "No" with that faint voice of his, and he remained silent till they they reached the elementary school.

"Lapis ran away, and Shiiko's beloved big brother got snatched by other women. She really must be feeling lonely."

Hikaru muttered.

Koremitsu felt a little heartbroken within to see Shioriko depart haplessly with her backpack, but at this point, he was simply thinking about Yū.

He was planning to look through Shioriko's homework on one hand, but on the other, he was sending messages to Yū, asking if he could visit her after school. He was troubled.

Perhaps she would find him annoying. Having said that, Koremitsu did not know how long Yū would reside in Japan. He finally had the chance to be reunited with her, and he could not allow such dissatisfaction cloud their farewell.

And of course, was Yū really safe?

He wondered as he entered the classroom, and the seat beside him was empty.

(Shikibu isn't here yet?)

Though he was thinking (I'm early today though) at that moment...

Noon break had already passed when he realized something was amiss.

The classroom was the same as usual, and so was the corridor. There were also his familiar classmates, acquaintances.

However, something seemed to be amiss.

Something seemed to be changing little by little, subtle enough not to be detected, and he was feeling tense, wondering where everyone else was.

Honoka never did attend school on this day, and the seat beside Koremitsu was empty.

"It's rare for Hono to take leave. There was a flu outbreak in middle school that caused the school to be closed, and she was the only one feeling alright."

I sent some messages, but I didn't get any replies. I wonder if she's sleeping due to a fever...or is her belly rumbling due to ache... Michiru worriedly asked.

Koremitsu too felt angsty seeing the seat beside him empty during class.

When he was strolling down the corridor during break time, he noticed Aoi looking dejected, whispering something.

And just when he tried to approach her, the chime rang from the side, and she vanished..

After that, he went to the student council office to discuss the message with Asai later on.

"I am busy. Return back."

Asai spoke with an uncannily frigid voice.

That was not all.

During the following break, he was concerned about Aoi, and went to her classroom, only to notice Aoi and Asai walking in opposite directions.

Neither of them did notice Koremitsu, and upon seeing each other, they averted their eyes elsewhere, the atmosphere frozen the moment their eyes met.

"Is something the matter with Asa and Miss Aoi?"

Hikaru wondered with a frown.

After Aoi learned of Asai's true feelings during the summer vacation, a rift developed between them. Even beyond that however, they were important childhood friends to each other, and there were signs that the relationship between them was improving. Aoi was doing her best to avoid reliance on Asai, and Asai too kept taking care of Aoi not because Aoi was a fragile childhood friend, but as an equal.

That was the analysis Hikaru gave as he watched them calmly. Koremitsu too was relieved.

But having met the duo, he could only sense acrimony and contempt towards each other.

He hurried off after Aoi.

"Hey! Did something happen between you and Asa?"

He called out to Aoi, and the latter was startled as she noticed Koremitsu's face.

"Nothing at all. Please do not worry about me."

She answered, her eyes looking away from Koremitsu before she left.

Tsuyako probably would know a thing or two, and during that noon break, he hurried towards the Japanese Dance Clubroom. He found Tsuyako seated in a seiza, spacing out at the roof, and even after Koremitsu spoke to her,

"Eh, yes, I suppose."

She gave a vague answer.

"Sorry, I was up the entire night, and my mind is not really functional now. Maybe another time."

There was none of the usual luster on her beaming face.

In that case, Koremitsu decided to look for Hiina, but he never did. He went to her classroom, looking for her, only for her classmates to state that she had returned home.

"What is going on?"

Koremitsu let out a displeased voice.

It had been one strange thing after another since morning.

"Everyone's saying things completely different from what they're thinking. It's uncomfortable having that itchy feeling on my back."

While Koremitsu grumbled, Hikaru grimaced worriedly.

"Maybe...there is something that cannot be said."

What do you mean? He wanted to ask.

At that moment however, the cellphone in his pocket vibrated.

Koremitsu clicked his tongue, and affirmed the sender.

"Another anonymous message?"

He opened the inbox, and the message showed.

"Koremitsu Akagi shall execute Yū Kanai by hanging in the name of the Poppy."

"—"

First torching, and now hanging?

He hurriedly sent a call to Yū's cellphone, but she was busy.

Perhaps it was another prank. There was still some time till lessons ended, and he already did play truant the previous day, so not this day.

However, at this moment, if Yū was to be some form of danger.

"Koremitsu."

While Hikaru was calling out for him, Koremitsu had already walked away.

(Damn it. Who sent such messages?)

He really wanted to fish out this culprit, who had been hiding his identity while reveling in hurting others from the darkness.

His eyes got fiery, his rage suffocating as it seared, and he dashed towards the hospital he was at the previous day, ignoring how sweaty he was. He signed in at the counter, only to be told that Yū was out, not in her room.

"Where did she go!?"

"She didn't say."

Koremitsu asked Hikaru of any possible places she could have gone to.

Hikaru however looked defeated as he answered,

"I cannot think of any other places besides your house and her old apartment. Yū had always been the indoor type."

He kept calling her, only to reach the voicemail every time, and while he paced around the corridor grimly,

"Akagi..."

"Shikibu!"

For some reason, Honoka appeared.

Koremitsu himself was surprised, but Honoka widened her eyes, shaking her head about as she appeared to be looking for a place to hide.

"You took the day off today? Why are you in uniform? I don't think you're here to got some flu prescription."

"Er-erm, I-I-I'm here because of a relative! He's hospitalized here due to a sudden illness! I'm here to visit!"

"Visit?"

Honoka's shoulders suddenly jolted in shock. Her eyebrows were clenched for just a moment, and she showed a cowed look, before tensing her face and saying,

"I got to go. That relative asked me to buy the weekly magazine that's sold today. See you then!"

"Hey, Shikibu."

He called out to her, but she never did look back as she ran off at startling speed.

"Koremitsu, you should give Miss Shikibu a word of advice that she cannot be running down the corridors of a hospital at full sprint."

Hikaru chimed with an austere look.

(Shikibu's being rather lively today, isn't she? But wasn't she showing a helpless look for a moment just now?)

While Koremitsu squirmed his lips as he pondered, Yū, passing by Honoka, returned.

"...Mr. Akagi."

Yū widened her eyes upon seeing him, and again, she looked perturbed.

"Erm...sorry about yesterday."

"N-no, I was wrong too for rushing over here out of a sudden."

Yū did not appear to be hurt in any way. Surely it was a prank message stating that she was to be hanged or something, and Koremitsu's ears seared in fury and regret for being lured in by such a thing. However, he was relieved to see that she was fine.

"I received some...Chinese...floral tea. Do you mind...having some too...Mr. Akagi?"

"You sure?"

Yū nodded.

She was a little terse, but she did not seem too bothered that Koremitsu was present.

"Thank goodness, Koremitsu. You are finally able to patch things up with Yū."

Hikaru beamed.

(Oh, yeah.)

His nose gradually heated, Koremitsu walked along with Yū.

"When we mention Chinese tea, surely they are to be classified as artistic. The flowers will slowly bloom when you pour hot water into the buds, and a fresh aroma will spread."

Hikaru floated above them, displaying his trivial knowledge.

Yū opened the door carefully.

"P-please..."

"Thanks."

Koremitsu was as tense as one making a home visit to his girlfriend's house for the first time.

And such a sight entered his eyes.

"!"

There was a crimson umbrella hanging on the rack beside the wall, with a handle that was atypical of an umbrella, a rope tied around it, dangling off the protrusion on the wall.

Black water dripped down the front end of the umbrella, leaving black trails on the wall, and black marks on the carpet.

It was an umbrella dangled downwards—

That was akin to a corpse hung on the head by a noose.

Yū, right beside Koremitsu, whimpered.

Her eyes widened, the massive terror spreading in her eyes. Her white skin instantly paled, and her slender shoulders kept shivering.

Back then, Yū tossed her favorite umbrella out, and she was covered in dirt after she went to look for it in the rain.

It was later on that she hanged the umbrella, covered in mud, in the school chemistry lab.

Because of these, Yū was dubbed the vengeful spirit, and shut herself in. She became terrified of the rain and umbrellas. She personally put back the wrecked umbrella into her father's golf bag, which she called the tower of prayer.

Clearly, if the sight of the swaying black, stained umbrella dripping black water was meant to harken Yū's nightmares, and it worked.

Yū's body began to stumble.

Koremitsu hurriedly helped Yū to stand.

He took the umbrella away, brought it out of the window and handed it to a staff member. The fury practically blew his head apart, and when he handed the black umbrella to the staff member, his nefarious eyes caused the staff member to shudder.

"Damn it, did that sender do this?"

He muttered as he entered the room. Hikaru too frowned.

"I am worried about Yū. What happens if she ends being reclusive again?"

When Koremitsu returned however, Yū was done wiping off all the marks on the wall and the floor.

Her face remained pale, and fear could obviously be felt from her eyes, yet she continued to scrub the wall with vigor.

That sight caused Hikaru to widen his eyes.

Koremitsu too had originally assumed that Yū would have a towel draped over her, shivering and shriveling in a corner of the room, or that she had fainted from the shock. He was taken aback by Yū's actions.

However, this did not mean that such a dastardly act had never happened.

"Absolutely unforgivable."

Koremitsu clenched his fists firmly, his temples tightened. While he murmured and unleashed his rage, Yū looked up at him tentatively.

Koremitsu knelt down in front of her, and the latter was taken aback, her body shivering.

"Yū! Do you know who did this?"

"...I don't."

She shook her head.

"Either way, I'm going to find him and beat him up. I'll be with you always, Yū, I'll protect you."

I definitely won't allow her to do such a despicable thing again. I'll protect Yū!

The blood flowing in his body was pumped due to his rage and determination, his muscles tensed, and the core of his head was buzzing.

What Poppy! I don't care what your orders are!

I don't care what kind of execution it is! There's no way I'll do that! I'll definitely smash the head of that sender in, and force him to grovel and apologize to Yū!

While Koremitsu was rampaging due to his rage, Yū looked up at him with her fleeting eyes.

Her eyes fluttered the moment she heard the word 'protect', and though her lips twitched, she did not say anything.

After that, Yū was endangered all the time.

Every day, Koremitsu would receive messages from the Poppy.

"Koremitsu Akagi shall execute Yū Kanai in the name of the Poppy by stoning."

Koremitsu went off sprinting after seeing such a message, and saw that Yū had a stone thrown at her head as she was walking through a crowd, leaving a small wound on her.

The methods of execution varied, including 'burial', 'stabbing', 'poison'. What happened thereafter was that events befell upon her, like dirt falling from a veranda, hurt by a thumbtack on the corridor, and mixing salt in the sugar pot.

These were not threatening situations; they were more akin to childish pranks.

However, Koremitsu clenched his fists quite a few times, terrified that the little things around him could be used for such things, and worried of Yū's mental stress as she endured all this.

He said he wanted to protect Yū, but he never did.

He was peeved, and remorseful. Whenever the prophecies of the Poppy was carried out, his head began to sear.

If anything was to happen to Yū when I'm at school. Once he thought about this, he was unable to calm down and attend classes. He did not attend school for the past 3 days.

When he woke up in the morning, he rushed off to the hospital where Yū was at. While Yū went to talk with the old man from Australia, he waited quietly in the room.

When Yū returned, he was tense and wary. Whenever she went, he would scowl and follow.

But even so, she got hit by a stone.

And when Koremitsu went back at night, it appeared that Yū went out again.

This was a seed of discord between them.

"I told you to tell me when you want to go out, right? Isn't it dangerous to go out alone?"

"There's a car fetching me...so...I'm fine here."

"Where were you at every night?"

"I was requested...to be a volunteer."

"Volunteer?"

"I was to go visit an old man living alone...give him flowers, chat with him or something."

"Why do you have to do that in the night? Can't you do it in the day?"

"I need...to take care of the other old men in the day...so."

"You didn't refuse?"

"...It's someone who often helped me out, and he asked me...to take care of the old man, so I wanted to do my best...to take care of him..."

"What kind of person is that acquaintance like?"

"...That's.."

"What's his name? What does he do? How old is he?"

"...I still can't say."

Once the conversations end up like this, Yū would typically avert her eyes and not say anything.

Why could she not mention the name of the one taking care of her?

Did she really become a volunteer at night?

Yū's attitude and voice were so rigid, Koremitsu was increasingly suspicious that she was lying.

Yū lowered her eyebrows awkwardly, and as she did, Koremitsu was left breathless by the anxiety that came.

The Poppy was again placed in the room.

There was a bundle of flowers placed on the table, and another by the basin in the kitchen, with plenty of thin, crimson petals scattered all over the carpet.

They were startling, vibrant and ribald flowers, the flowers with the name of the beloved consort of the Conqueror, smiling with a sweet chuckle. This caused Koremitsu's gut to wince.

"You received these flowers again? Looks like you like them."

"Y-yes. They're...really pretty."

However, these flowers don't match you at all, Yū. They're flaunting, raunchy,. My heart just sickens whenever I see them. I hate them.

Koremitsu was unable to say those words, and he swallowed them.

When Yū remained shut in her apartment, unwilling to head out, the time Koremitsu spent with her together was like a recess at the bottom of the sea, one filled with peace.

But at this point, whenever he tried to talk to Yū, he could only sense that she was hiding something, and he felt restless.

Koremitsu was worried about Yū, and wanted to protect her. For some reason, it appeared that she was very defenseless herself, and even after asking why she wouldn't give up on her volunteer work, she would simply avert the topic or not talk at all, and this caused Koremitsu much vexation.

Hikaru watched Koremitsu frown all day long, and looked worried as he said,

"If you are being so tense at everything, you will be the first to fall. Yū is no longer the same as the one who kept herself locked in that apartment. She will think for herself and take action, even if you do remain with her at all times."

He tried to appease Koremitsu, having considered the latter's feelings.

Koremitsu realized that he was being petty now that he had this pointed out. Once he noticed it, his head sizzled, but if he were to go out, and Yū was to be hurt before he came back.

"That's why I said to stay here already, didn't I!"

He gave Yū such a chiding tone.

Koremitsu did not take the time to calm down, and as he remained anxious, Yū stared at him in an apologetic manner, her smile gradually faded.

And so, on the sunset after Koremitsu refused to attend school for the 4 th time.

She stared at him in a tragic manner,

"Please...just go to school. I feel pained...to be with you, Mr. Akagi."

It was truly a plea.

Her eyebrows were lowered, her eyes damp, her lips quivered as she hushed her voice. All those caused Koremitsu to be stupefied.

Yū herself should have known that these words would hurt Koremitsu, but it was really a state where Koremitsu's existence was causing her to suffer, and she was suffering so much she had to say it. It was as if a part of her body was being ripped away from her.

Hikaru too gave Koremitsu an anguished look.

"I..."

A slurred voice slipped between his lips.

He did not have any intention of causing her to suffer. He was simply worried about her—

But no matter what he said, it would merely cause more moisture in Yū's eyes, and her to feel more anguished.

His hands clenched rigidly, he gritted his teeth, and remained silent.

"I understand...if there's anything, call me."

He said, and left the room.

"You had a quarrel with Mr. Akagi, did you not?'

Yū's chest was practically ripped by a thousand blades as she watched Koremitsu leave, and a rich, sweet voice entered her ears.

The washroom door opened, and standing there was a bespectacled, tender looking boy with slender shoulders.

"...Mr. Kazuaki."

"Sorry. It was my fault."

He approached Yū with elegant steps, watching her face with a worried look. He bore no similarities to Hikaru in any way other than the rich sweet voice, but the tenderness and words caused her to be reminded of Hikaru.

"No...it is not your fault."

She shook her head silently.

He however looked at her worriedly. Their faces were close, but her heart did not flutter as it did when she was with Koremitsu, or perhaps it was because Kazuaki gave a genial atmosphere, and that she knew that Kazuaki was a fine gentleman.

She first met Kazuaki, Hikaru's older brother, in Australia.

He was an acquaintance who often visited the care center where Yū did her volunteer work.

"You are Yū Kanai, right? I heard that you are on good terms with Hikaru, no? I am his older brother. Woah, this is quite a coincidence."

He came to chat with her happily.

The rich, sweet voice was just as when she spoke to Hikaru, and this caused her to immediately let her guard down. If she had closed her eyes, Kazuaki's voice would have sounded just like Hikaru's.

"Hikaru and I are agnate brothers. My mother is a very proud person, and it appeared that she would not forgive father for secretly letting Hikaru be born. When father decided to let Hikaru enter the household, she angrily sent me to another place to stay at, so I hardly had the chance to talk with him. I did hear that Hikaru is very popular amongst the girls, and also about you. If possible, do you mind if you talk about Hikaru with you? I really wanted to get along with him, actually."

As he said that, there was some scene of loneliness appearing in his eyes, and her heart gripped as she felt the impulse to comfort him. Yū recalled the memories she had with Hikaru, and talked about them. Kazuaki narrowed his eyes happily, sometimes envious, sometimes forlorn as he smiled.

"...I see. You already had your promise with Hikaru fulfilled. That is wonderful. That...can never happen for me now."

Kazuaki's attitude, tone and expression had been gentlemanly the entire time, and never did coerce Yū into doing anything. He always treated her, younger than him, with an overly humble attitude.

"Yū, perhaps you can take care of Mr. Collins, no? He will be able to visit his son in Japan."

And thus, Yū's return to Japan was encompassed in the planning.

Kazuaki too remained gentle in the plane. When Yū showed a gloomy look.

"What is the matter? Is there something you have to worry about?"

He asked with the tone of a close family member.

Yū shook her head.

"...Perhaps Mr. Akagi doesn't like me as how I am right now..."

She revealed what she had been secretly thinking.

"What are you saying now, Yū? Are you not a fine woman now? Surely Mr. Akagi will fall for you again."

Kazuaki said.

"But...Mr. Akagi...wouldn't let go of me...because I was so fragile back then, that I couldn't do things by myself...that's why he worked hard, and brought me to the outside world...he just held my hand because I...was unsteady...I felt like I was about to fall...If I'm able to walk on my own, surely Mr. Akagi...doesn't need me anymore...I guess..."

"Then, when you do meet Mr. Akagi, perhaps you can try again. Will Mr. Akagi again hold your hand when you are cheerful and able to smile? Surely you will understand that you are just worrying too much."

The conclusion was made with that voice filled with clarity, just like an encouragement from Hikaru, causing her heavy heart to relax slightly.

"But even so, you really do like him, Yū. I really wish that Mr. Akagi would be able to hear your words, Yū. What will you do if I say that our conversation was recorded?"

"Eh...th-that's."

"Ahaha. That was a lie. Were you shocked?"

"Y-yes."

"That is how it works. You were shocked, and then all your worry suddenly vanished, no?"

He noted tenderly to Yū as the latter widened her eyes, and then,

"Hey, Yū. I suppose it is better not to mention about me to Mr. Akagi."

He said with a steady voice.

"It is not a good thing to hear that one's girlfriend is riding a plane with another boy, and staying in an apartment arranged by him. Surely he will be jealous."

Girlfriend—now that this term is used, am I Mr. Akagi's girlfriend? Her face blushed as she thought of this, Mr. Kazuaki is Hikaru's older brother. Will Mr. Akagi be jealous? Though she wondered, she never had any experience of dating a boy, and never had proper conversations with boys other than Hikaru, so she did not know.

However, one could tell from Kazuaki's tender eyes that those words were not a lie, so she did as he said. It was impossible for this gentle, smiling Kazuaki to actually do anything diabolic.

"Actually, I was misunderstood by Mr. Akagi."

It was when they were arriving at Japan that he mentioned it.

Back then, it was not anything particularly poignant.

"It seemed my mother did something terrible to Hikaru's mother...Mr. Akagi must have thought I did the same thing to Hikaru. He really glared at me the first time we met."

Kazuaki chuckled.

So Yū made a promise.

"I'll introduce you to Mr. Akagi, Mr. Kazuaki. I will tell him that you are a kind person."

"I will be glad to. Can you do that? Please keep it a secret, and then slowly reveal it later."

As Kazuaki beamed and requested Yū of this, the latter smiled and answered,

"Yes."

When exactly could she talk about Kazuaki to Koremitsu. It would be great if Koremitsu would clear his misunderstanding of Kazuaki and get along. Yū was really looking forward to it.

But at this point,

"I am sorry...Yū. I suppose Mr. Akagi's misunderstanding was a lot more serious than what I told you on the plane."

He first began to say these words on the ward room sofa, the day when Yū accidentally got scalded brewing tea.

"I really do like it that Aoi was Hikaru's fiancee. I really did like her ever since I was young, but because I knew Aoi liked Hikaru, I hid my feelings for her and treated her like an older brother. Hikaru however died, and I could not leave Aoi as she was...I really hoped that she would be better, so I got her to a resort. Aoi suddenly felt unwell, and it just so happened that Mr. Akagi, worried that I would do anything bad to her, came over, and deemed me to be a pervert who did something terrible to Aoi. I even got hit by him."

Clouds appeared in Kazuaki's eyes.

"The swelling remained for quite a while...and after that, he would not listen to my explanation at all. He would simply hiss at me 'you perverted scoundrel' 'you wanna get beaten!?' whenever he saw my face, even raising his fist at me. Mr. Akagi has a strong sense of justice. It was my fault for doing something that roused his misunderstanding...it really is troublesome to be hated by Hikaru's close friend like that."

Kazuaki looked forlorn as he placed his fists on his knees and remained silent; Yū felt pity for him.

"Actually, I already knew that Mr. Akagi does like you, Yū. Perhaps you will be able to quell the misunderstanding Mr. Akagi had, or so I hoped. It really does seem that I am making use of you. I really do apologize."

I lowered his head deeply, and Yū held his hand.

"Please don't apologize...I don't think...I'm being made use of. It is thanks to you that I was able to return to Japan and meet Mr. Akagi again...I'm...really grateful to you....so, I-I'll do my best...to make sure you two get along..."

Surely Mr. Akagi will understand that Mr. Kazuaki is such an honest, kind person.

No, I hope he will

She wanted to clear Koremitsu's understanding by talking about him, little by little.

And so, Kazuaki lifted his face, and beamed graciously.

Then, he continued with that clear voice akin to Hikaru's,

"There are lots of people around me who wish to harm me, so I absolutely cannot let my guard. It is for my own safety, but I do find it tragic that I have to continue living on while keeping my guard up...but you are my ally, no, Yū? I shall believe in your words then."

He concluded, seemingly delighted with this. Yū's heart too, calmed, down.

After that, whenever Koremitsu visited over and over again, her heart was practically about to stop, and Kazuaki,

"Now is still not the time to meet him. If he tis to see us together in the room, it will be just as what happened with Aoi. Mr. Akagi will definitely beat me up without hearing my explanation."

He was angsty, and hid at the basin.

Koremitsu's eyes were bloodshot as he appeared, his eyebrows frowning as he gave a heinous glare. If the incident about Kazuaki was to be revealed, it appeared that the latter would be beaten to death. Yū's heart was about to break apart.

She heard some sounds from the basin, and was really terrified as she turned her head there.

When Koremitsu said that he wanted to use the washroom,

"N-no!"

Yū yelled without thinking,

"E-erm, I'll go get a wet towel...please...wait here, Mr. Akagi...do-don't move. And...no peeping."

She cautiously opened the door to prevent Koremitsu from looking inside, and Kazuaki was seated in the bathtub, cupping his knees.

"Does Mr. Akagi know that we know each other?"

"Erm...I suppose not."

Perhaps he sensed something however.

And maybe he would suddenly barge in.

Once she began to doubt, she got increasingly tense, almost groggy. Thus, she told him that she had something going on, hoping that he would return back.

That night, she received the message from Koremitsu, "Sorry for visiting you so suddenly." , and the guilt pricked her body, so she replied with " I, too, apologize for what happened" .

She wanted to explain Kazuaki to Koremitsu.

Having decided that, what immediately happened was the black umbrella dangled from the rope. Back then, the red umbrella dripping black water appeared in her sights, and she knelt in the mud in the garden, looking for the umbrella—she was reminded of the clapping of the rain, and the touch of the muddy ground; as a result, her body was frozen.

She barely managed to regain her consciousness, shivering as she scrubbed the wall and bed, the image of the damaged umbrella swirling in her mind.

If Koremitsu had not been around, perhaps she would not have been able to shake off those fears.

However, Koremitsu said that he surely not never forgive the person who did such a thing, and would definitely beat him up. The moment he swore to protect Yū, the latter felt a tinge of sadness in her terrified, confused heart.

Koremitsu said 'I'll protect you', but why did she feel so sad? Back then, she did not understand.

After that, little things happened every day, and Koremitsu stopped attending school to remain with her. While he kept worrying for her, agony struck her.

Whether it was the umbrella incident, the dirt that fell from the veranda, or the salt mixed in the sugar pot, Kazuaki said with a worried look.

"I guess it is definitely my fault here, Yū. Surely you were thought to be my lover."

That is why you were troubled like this. Kazuaki said, appearing to have an idea.

"I guess it is better for you to return to Australia. I cannot allow you to suffer any more danger."

Kazuaki stubbornly insisted, Yū answered, saying that she wanted to stay in Japan until that day.

If she was to return at this point, all her efforts for Koremitsu and Kazuaki would be wasted.

And surely she would be left with regrets.

"Really?"

"Yes."

Though she said so, Yū was frustrated that Koremitsu wanted to protect her so much, and that she had to explain why she was being targeted.

If she were to talk about it, she would have to explain about Kazuaki. Koremitsu might feel enraged because Kazuaki caused Yū much danger, and he would feel increasingly vengeful.

Having thought about that, she was unable to say anything.

This guilt, coupled with the agony that struck her from time to time, kept her breathless all time.

Koremitsu's eyes too got increasingly savage because of Yū.

Yū really was unable to endure this, and felt apologetic, depressed.

"Please...just go to school. I feel pained...to be with you, Mr. Akagi."

She pleaded Koremitsu,

(I'm sorry...Mr. Akagi.)

Yū whispered this, and Kazuaki gave her an apologetic look.

It was something Yū decided for herself, and she certainly could not let Kazuaki feel that it was something he had to bear responsibility for. Having thought that, she did her best to lift her head and smile,

"I will...contact Mr. Akagi...later on...more importantly, where are we going today...?"

"Forget about the volunteer work today. You should take a rest."

"No. I guess I'll be relaxed...when I go out to talk..."

Kazuaki requested for her to deliver flowers to old people living alone. The adorable, radiant crimson flowers were called Poppies. He told her that.

It is a beautiful color that would cheer a soul, Kazuaki said with a cheerful look, and Yū too felt the same.

"Yes, surely he will feel this way."

Kazuaki beamed, the eyes behind his glasses narrowed. It was such a genial, serene, sweet, sweet smile—

"Now then, I shall prepare a bouquet...one much larger than usual..."

Love will make anyone pretty. However, that love contorts my face, making it hideous. It threw a my heart a pungent, filthy mud.

The girl in front of you is more wretched than me. Why are you not smiling at me, but at her?

Why must you reach out to that wretched flower, caress her face and scent upon her aroma? Your promise with me was never fulfilled. Why must you swear an eternal swore with that girl, with your fingers intertwined?

The fact cringes, the lips contorts, and the eyelids continue to shiver.

I cannot allow myself to be ugly. I cannot be as wretched as them. I cannot allow myself to be as filthy as those women.

However, the contorted face, the creaking body, and the ripped bleeding heart happened. The bright red blood became a crimson flower, swaying gently, drawing me in.

Stop.

If I become ugly, mother will lash out at me. I will be harshly hit on the hand.

But if I am to pretend. Yes, if I am to just do that, I will be someone else when I play pretend.

The crimson one-piece dress that really suits mother's dance seem to allure me, forcing me to put it on.

I felt that I was not myself.

Ever since that day, I began to play a game.

I imagined—trying to be someone else. I am loved, and hated, releasing my inner heart like a torrent, free, bored, and I accepted it all, becoming a crimson woman.

I became Rokujō.

Having obtained that power, I began to change amidst the swaying crimson flowers, becoming his Cherry Blossom, his Lily, his Pansy, his Camellia, his Orchid, and his beloved—Wisteria.

Ah, such a sweet, wondrous time.

The ones preventing this cannot be forgiven.

In the name of the crimson flower, 'I' command.

To dig out the wretches, hang them, and let them kill each other

After dinner, Koremitsu locked himself in the room, brooding.

"Is my desire to protect Yū causing her trouble? Is that why she lost her smile?"

He noticed that he was the one who caused Yū that anguished look.

But Koremitsu firmly believed that if he was to keep preventing her from getting hurt, surely she would again smile like how she did that day. He wanted to protect Yū for that—and ended up hurting her more.

Hikaru carefully warned,

"Koremitsu, your desire to protect her is stronger than an ordinary person. This time, Yū is hurt because of your name, so I do understand that you cannot allow yourself not to do anything. It is not a bad thing to take a step back and calm down, however. I feel this is Yū's way of telling you to calm down."

His words were so tender, so calm and fair, and they entered Koremitsu's heart effortlessly. However, they were shrill.

Koremitsu sat on the tatami with his legs crossed, his hands on his forehead as he scowled. In the meantime, Hikaru whispered with melancholy,

"I too...only cared about my own feelings. Perhaps I never noticed some things that were important..."

The tender, effeminate sidelong face gloomed at this moment.

Perhaps he thought of Fujino.

The one most beloved person to Hikaru in this world, whom he could never embrace with.

Even he, who spent much time with many girls, would be perplexed, filled with regrets.

The more he wanted to cherish, hope and love, the more intense that trepidation got.

Surely there were many days where he buried his head and grimaced.

(Is that guy talking about the one he liked...?)

Koremitsu himself was yet at the point where he could get an answer.

The fusuma slid open, and this time, he spotted the face of Shioriko, now dressed in pajamas.

"...Big brother Koremitsu, can we sleep together?"

Shioriko had been lackluster recently, seemingly thinking of something complicated alone.

"Did anything happen?"

"...No."

Even though Koremitsu asked her, she never replied.

"I just...want to sleep together."

She whispered, and her shoulders dropped as she remained silent.

While Shioriko remained as she was, Hikaru looked at her worriedly, and Koremitsu too found himself very pitiful.

"Okay, come here."

He answered curtly.

If Shioriko wished for it, they would sleep together. She would be able to calm down, and he would be able to get closer to the answer.

She hugged her pillow, approaching him tentatively. Koremitsu stood up and laid out the blanket. It was a little too early for the high school boy Koremitsu to sleep, but the moment he laid on the futon, Shioriko snuck in.

Her hair gave off the scent of shampoo from a while back, and her skin gave a milky scent. She buried her little face firmly into his chest, and closed her eyes. The room was silent, and the wind was howling furiously outside the window.

Was Shioriko already asleep, or that she could not sleep even though she had her eyes close? Even now, perhaps that little heart of hers was still in agony...

He could see a little curl of hair in his sights. It was practically a fit into his chest, the adorable sight causing his gut to wince again.

(Hey, Shiiko...if I'm to force you to say what's troubling you when I want to take care of you...will you be hurt and refuse me...?)

Hikaru, unable to sleep, sat with a knee tucked by the windowsill, watching Koremitsu and Shioriko with his anguished, jaded eyes.

### 004. Chapter 4: Revengeful Ghost Is Ruling

The next morning, after four days of absence, Koremitsu attended school.

"Mr. Akagi, you caught a cold?"

His classmate Yoshida asked while they were at the corridor.

"Eh? Ah, yeah."

It appeared he missed classes because he was assumed to be ill. Surely, it was much different from when he took a little break, and ended up rumored to be off for a country delinquent tour.

"If you don't mind, I can lend you my notes during the break."

After hearing that, Koremitsu was touched.

He entered the classroom, and saw Honoka at her seat, fiddling with her phone with a terrifying face. She was frowning, pouting, staring at it intently.

"Yo..."

She was taken aback by Koremitsu's sudden greeting, and hurriedly hid her phone, turned her face aside, and said,

"M-morning."

And then, she continued to fiddle with her phone again.

(What's with her? She's looking flustered after seeing me.)

Just like the expression she showed at the hospital Yū was staying at...

Just when Koremitsu was starting to be concerned about Honoka's attitude, his cellphone suddenly vibrated.

His face immediately stiffened, but the sender was Michiru.

(huh)

Koremitsu lifted his head, and spotted Michiru holding a cellphone, staring at Koremitsu at his seat.

(Why must you send a message? Can't you just come over directly?)

He opened the message.

"Please come to the roof during the break. Don't let Hono know about it."

"I suppose it is not a love confession."

Hikaru too spoke grimly as he watched the stern expression on Michiru's face.

During the break after the first period.

Koremitsu went to the roof, and Michiru was already there.

The sky before Winter was clear, and the blustery gales caused one to shiver due to the cold.

Koremitsu slowly approached Michiru, and the latter went straight to the point, worried about the lack of time,

"Shiiko came to our school yesterday. I told her that you were on leave, and she was shocked. You didn't inform your family members that you weren't attending school, Mr. Akagi?"

"Well, yeah."

Koremitsu answered, feeling startled,

(Shiiko actually came to school?)

Koremitsu and Hikaru stared at each other.

(Did Shiiko ask me to sleep with her because of this? Why didn't she ask me why I skipped school? What was so urgent that she had to come to our school?)

"You're going to talk about Shiiko, right?"

"There's still more..."

Michiru's words remained vague, her expression gloomy.

"I also wanted to talk to you about Hono, Mr. Akagi. She has been acting strange recently."

"Strange?"

Michiru lifted her head, and gave Koremitsu a serious stare,

"Hono had been either late for school or taking early leave when you were on leave, Mr. Akagi—this had never happened before, and when I asked her, she merely said that something serious happened to a relative. She was fiddling with her phone at school, doing something, and sometimes, she never noticed that I was trying to talk to her."

"Isn't she always like that...?"

Honoka would spend most of the time playing with her phone in class. One could say that it would be strange for Honoka not to be on her phone.

"That's what you assume when you don't pay attention to her carefully, Mr. Akagi. Hono looked really scary when she stared at the phone. Her eyes were red, and her lips were purple."

Doesn't she always have that fierce look... Koremitsu wondered, but he was still curious as to Honoka's earlier reaction. Also, she was acting as 'strange' as what Michiru said when they met in the hospital.

While Koremitsu remained silent and pondered, Michiru looked hapless as she explained.

"Did Hono do something to Miss Kanai...?"

"What do you mean?"

Koremitsu raised his eyebrows, scaring Michiru enough to shrivel. Hikaru too casted a harsh stare at her,

"Y-you can't mention this to anyone else, and not to Hono, okay? She definitely won't want you to know about this. She usually won't do such a thing, so you must keep this a secret between us."

Michiru kept asking for an assurance, and whispered,

"A-a while back, I was using her phone, and I so happened to see what was inside...there's a folder titled 'Kanai' inside, with a lot of Miss Kanai's photos in there."

"!"

Koremitsu gasped.

Hikaru too looked thunderstruck.

"Hono has been acting strange ever since you and Miss Kanai were reunited. I feel that Hono won't do a bad thing, but I'm imagining bad things out of this."

"I'll go ask Shikibu..."

Koremitsu hissed.

"Eh!?"

Michiru raised her voice in surprise.

"Wa-wait, Mr. Akagi...! I told you not to tell Hono—I said it's to be kept a secret between us—wait, Mr. Akagi!"

Michiru scampered after Koremitsu, the latter storming towards the stairwell door.

"Koremitsu, I do not think it is wise to interrogate directly."

"I know."

Koremitsu answered, his eyes looking forward.

Once he got back to the classroom, he spotted Honoka staring at the cellphone with bloodshot eyes. The thin chain bracelet attached to the wrist swayed gently.

"Shikibu."

Honoka was startled, and hid the phone under the table before turning towards Koremitsu.

"We met in the hospital, right?"

"...!"

Honoka was shocked.

"We did, once."

She raised her voice, answering shrilly.

"Is there a problem?"

"Who's the relative there?"

"Eh?"

"What kind of relative?"

"Wh-what's with—"

Honoka was flabbergasted.

"Your grandpa? Uncle? Or cousin?"

"Wh-wh-wh-wh-why are you asking these now?"

Koremitsu stared at Honoka, restraining himself as he hissed,

"Nothing. I just want to know what were you doing at that place."

"!"

Honoka gasped.

"Answer me, Shikibu."

Honoka bit her lips as she stared back, her eyes looking lost. Just when she was about to weep in her weakness, she suddenly raised her eyebrows, yelling,

"It's my great-great grandpa!"

She grabbed the phone, got up, and ran out of the classroom.

"Ah, Hono!"

Michiru, returning from the roof, gave chase after Honoka.

Koremitsu slumped into his seat, folded his arms, and gritted hard.

"Tch, your great-great grandpa's still alive!?"

Honoka left Michiru aside while the latter kept inquiring into what she said to Koremitsu, "Sorry, got to use to the washroom", and she proceeded to the cubicle.

(What do I do now!? Akagi will definitely realize it! He's definitely suspecting me now!)

She sat on the lid of the toilet bowl, her hands grabbing the phone firmly as she murmured.

—Answer me.

She recalled Koremitsu's furious glare when she was interrogated, and felt her gut wince. Koremitsu already knew that she was not at the hospital to visit a relative.

It was a grave misfortune for Honoka to actually meet him.

(How can I possibly say that I was at the hospital to investigate the message stating that Miss Kanai was dealing with drugs!?)

—She returned back to sell off the drugs imported from overseas.

Honoka initially did not believe in this suspense drama-like turn of events. How could that gullible Yū actually be so bold and proactive?

Thus, Honoka tried to convince herself that this was some harmless rumor, and secretly investigated Yū.

She did not expect to see Yū walk out of the room with crimson flowers in her hands. The bouquet of flowers she held was the Poppy, the codename in the message. Yū also was not alone.

There was also a lanky, bespectacled youth dressed in a suit.

He looked frail and unreliable, but he was dressed in quite the pompous clothing. He was also abnormally close to Yū, and the latter did not seem wary of him.

(I think I saw that man before...)

She tried to recall who he was, but was unable to remember when exactly did she see that plain face.

All she knew that he was intimate enough to spend a long time with Yū in the same room, and that caused her mood to worsen.

She recalled the message stating that Yū Kanai betrayed Koremitsu Akagi and had an illicit relationship with other men; her imagination took a turn for the worst.

(Did Miss Kanai betray Akagi to date that guy?)

Honoka too did her investigation on the drugs based on the message.

The address and codename included in the address immediately appeared in front of her.

The seller was the 'Consort Yu', the codename was the crimson Poppy flowers.

Honok did a site search regarding eyewitness reports on the 'Consort Yu', and the appearances and attire matched that of Yū who was holding crimson flowers.

She also once took a taxi to tail Yū. The latter's car stopped in front of a dated residence some distance away from the residential block, and Yū walked over with bouquet in hand, only reappearing two hours later.

Yū did not have those flowers in her hand when she left.

Because of that, Honoka handed all of her part-time work salary earned from street sample distribution to the taxi driver.

If one was to open the 'Kanai' folder in Honoka's phone, one would be able to discover a vast amount of photos taken over the past few days.

Yū holding the crimson flowers.

Yū riding a car with the bespectacled youth.

Yū smiling as the youth cupped her shoulder.

(What am I doing actually!?)

How despicable was she to stalk her love rival and secretly take photos of her with another boy?

She peeked into another person's private life, and left a large amount of evidence.

(But if Miss Kanai's really the 'Poppy', the drug dealer...I can't leave her alone.)

The bell chimed, and silence befall the toilet .

Michiru probably gave up and returned to the classroom.

Honoka remained seated on the toilet bowl, the cellphone again vibrating in her hand, and an unread message appeared.

Feeling that there was no turning back, she opened it.

More than 10 minutes had elapsed by the time Honoka returned to the classroom.

She excused herself to the teacher, explaining that she felt unwell, and sat down beside Koremitsu.

In fact, she was looking pale. The teacher even told her worriedly, "You may head to the infirmary'.

"I'm fine."

Honoka whispered,. Michiru was at her seat, and she turned to Honoka with an anguished face.

Koremitsu too was feeling under the weather, his gut aching.

After that, Honoka ran out of the classroom during the breaks, and only came back right when classes were about to begin.

Clearly, she was trying to avoid Koremitsu and Michiru.

"I gave Hono a message, but she never replied"

Michiru noted dejectedly.

During noon break, Hikaru quizzed Koremitsu with a grim look.

"Do you think Miss Shikibu did something bad to Yū?"

"She's not that kind of person."

Koremitsu answered.

The purple Heliotrope would never be so conniving; it would face any situation head on, and fight it. If the enemy was disadvantaged, it would reached its hand out to help. That was the kind of person she was.

"You really do trust Miss Shikibu, Koremitsu."

Hikaru answered gently.

Feeling bashful, Koremitsu answered.

"Yeah, if there's only one person in the entire school I'll choose to trust, that'll be her. It's that kind of trust."

Till this point, Honoka helped out Koremitsu so many times as an earnest Heliotrope with her sincere actions.

He thought of the pouting face staring at him, the earnest busybody of a classmate...

"So, between me and Miss Shikibu, who do you trust most?"

"Shikibu. You're hiding too much stuff, and you'll bluff me with those nonchalant faces."

"Now that hurts."

Hikaru showed a hapless face, and chuckled,

"You are the one I trust most in this world, Koremitsu. Since you believe in Miss Shikibu, I shall believe in her too. I do believe she is not one to look for trouble, and even if she did, there has to be a reason."

"Yeah..."

That was the issue.

A groan escaped from Koremitsu's sealed lips.

"It'll be great if Shikibu isn't caught in some dangerous matter."

He really hoped she was not bullied like Yū.

Surely the feisty Honoka would never be cowed, and would search for the culprit alone. However, he had yet to understand why she had so many photos of Yū, why she appeared at the hospital, and what was with this entire chain of events...

"I can be certain however that she has reasons for not saying this to you."

"Damn it. How am I supposed to make her speak? She's tougher to deal with than Yū."

"Perhaps you can try embracing her and tell her 'I'm worried about you' with an anguished voice. I suppose however that at the end of it all, Miss Shikibu will simply remain silent, saying 'I still can't tell you'."

While Koremitsu was blushing over Hikaru's preposition, speechless.

Hiina appeared on the rooftop,

"It's been a while."

With a boyish, mischievous face, she approached Koremitsu, her greeting lively as ever.

"You were on leave for so long, I thought you eloped with Miss Kanai."

(What's with that out of a sudden?)

Before Koremitsu could reply, Hiina suddenly looked grim,

"But it is great that you are here. Everyone has been acting strange when you weren't around, Mr. Akagi."

—She has been acting strange recently.

Michiru's voice suddenly reconciled with Hiina's words.

Was she referring to the one being strange all over school?

Before Koremitsu got himself preoccupied with Yū however, Asai, Aoi and Tsuyako were already acting strange...

"The Matriarch Asa and Her Highness Aoi have been glaring at each other with frosty eyes, remaining silent. Nobody around them dared to talk."

That was just as what he saw before.

(Was it like that afterwards?)

Hikaru too inadvertently frowned.

"The Moon Matriarch had all kinds of spider paintings and toys into her clubroom every day; she has been acting cheerful, but she must be feeling pressurized within, I guess."

"Spider!?"

"That is terrible! Tsuyako is really terrified of spiders!"

Tsuyako's family, the Udates, worshipped a woman who transformed into a spider and ate her husband and the mistress. She was always afraid of that myth.

Koremitsu remembered how she would pale whenever she saw a spider, no matter how small it was. Surely she would not be able to last if she was to see them every day.

"Why's this happening?"

"Some chain message was spread around saying that she's scared of spiders."

Hiina showed her phone to Koremitsu.

Red words were lined on the phone.

"Tsuyako Udate shall be judged in the name of the Poppy. All that resist fate shall have calamity wrought upon them."

The colloid, corroded feeling lingered in Koremitsu's stomach.

The Poppy's judgment was not limited simply to Yū!

While Koremitsu's attention was focused on Yū, the entire school was caught in the dominion of the Poppy.

(Damn it!)

The strong sense of fury boiled in his heart.

Hiina spoke with a calm tone.

"Back then, it seemed a vengeful spirit lingered around in school. No, even now, it's—"

"A vengeful spirit..."

There exist a vengeful spirit —Asai did mention this before. The fear created by the student nobles in the sealed room was coupled with their guessing, causing it to actually exist.

Perhaps the students who threw the spider toys into the Japanese Dance clubroom were afflicted by the spirit.

"How stupid."

But that was the case.

Hiina gave Koremitsu an expectant look.

"It is you who dispelled the rumors of Miss Kanai's spirit reviving, so maybe this time, you can..."

At this moment, Hiina's cellphone chimed. Once she had a look at it, she became tense.

"It looks like the Matriarch Asa and Her Highness Aoi have an argument. Let's go."

"Asa and Miss Aoi!?"

"Hey, Oumi! What's with that!?"

Koremitsu yelled as he ran alongside her.

"As I said, it appears that they're having a go on the corridor!"

"Perhaps Asa and Miss Aoi are fighting each other, pulling each other's hair, and punching each other!?"

(That's impossible!!)

If that was to happen, the only explanation would be that they were possessed by some spirit.

Huffing and puffing, Koremitsu ran to the second level corridor.

"Over there!"

Hiina pointed at a group of people; arguments could be heard from there.

"That is enough already. I know that you are the one who placed the chopper from the home economics room in my drawer, Aoi."

"I do not know about that. Did you not put a pin holder from the floral arrangement club in my shoe locker, Asa?"

"Enough with the irrational assumptions. You are actually able to remain so calm after getting so many dress pins from the dressing room and putting them in my locker."

"You are the shameless one here, Asa. You soaked my gym clothes in water, threw it in front of the arts room, and even revealed the side with my name on it."

"Did you also not trim my skirt, put it on a hanger, and left it on the student council office door while I was having PE? Even writing a nameplate over it?"

"I did not!"

The voices clearly were from Asai and Aoi, but the arguments were such that Koremitsu doubted his ears many times.

Hikaru too gulped and widened his eyes from time to time.

"Enough already, you two! How undignified can you be!"

"Be quiet, Big Brother Shungo!"

"Mr. Tōjō, do go bake some milk-flavored Chiffon cake for her."

"Do not look down on milk-flavor. Do you think you are amazing for drinking sugarless coffee?"

"Did I say that?"

"You said it, in the message!"

"I never did send any message. Did you not send a few weird ones yourself?"

"How can I possibly be sending any to you when we are on harsh terms!"

Koremitsu broke through the crowd, and poked in.

Asai and Aoi were not 'fighting' each other, but their heads were almost hitting each other as they glared. Tōjō, on the other side, was giving a wry face.

"Hey, give it a rest already!"

Koremitsu shouted, and the duo turned to him in unison, their faces blushing.

"Mr. Akagi..."

"...Uu."

Their faces were beetroot as they stared at him with frozen looked. The bell indicating the end of noon break rang, and they awkwardly turned their faces aside, returning to their classrooms.

"Why did they stop when Akagi suddenly shouted...they would not listen to me..."

Tōjō muttered, looking extremely incredulous.

The students that were flocked together too dispersed. Everyone was talking about what just happened, and the murmurs spread around the corridor like unnerving vengeful spirits. Koremitsu looked on grimly.

Hiina, standing beside Koremitsu, gave a wise, boyish stare,

"The Matriarch Asa and Her Highness Aoi said that they received messages, no? As for whether it is that 'Poppy's work, I do have some interesting rumors that I can look into."

"What rumors?"

"Give me a day. I'll report to you."

Hiina cheerfully noted, looked over at the dejected Tōjō with a chortle, and left.

It was the 5 th period break.

Koremitsu scowled as he watched Honoka scamper out of the classroom, and walked towards Tsuyako's classroom.

"You finally came to school."

Tsuyako appeared delighted once she spotted Koremitsu, beaming.

"Oh? What is with that grim look? Ah, I heard that Miss Asai and Miss Aoi just had a spar with a chopper and a pinholder, Miss Aoi throwing some pinholders, and Miss Asai parried them with the chopper. I really wanted to have a look at it myself."

Tsuyako chuckled, being as cheerful as ever.

Her cheeks however looked a little slimmer, her eyes red.

"Senpai, I heard you got a lot of spiders thrown into the clubroom..."

"Oh that? Just some paintings and toys. They are not real. I was terrified of them at first, but I am used to it."

Koremitsu felt pained to see Tsuyako smile and pretend to be strong.

Hikaru too looked pained.

"Can't I just write some words on a piece of paper 'Spiders are forbidden' and stick it onto the door?"

"Thank you. Surely your words will be highly effective."

On this day, Koremitsu made the promise to write the words at home and hand it over the next day, and left Tsuyako's classroom.

He walked down the corridor, and sent Asai a message, "I got something to talk to you. You mind?"

Asai's reply was prompt— "I do not have anything to say to you".

"!!—she's the one who openly summoned me through the PA system. What's with this?"

"Asa really likes to seize advantage over the weaknesses others have, but she does not want to show her weaknesses."

"That's terrible of her! Humans shouldn't be like that!"

Koremitsu retorted at Hikaru's follow up (?), the ends of his lips curled.

He sent the same message to Aoi, and this time, he got another quick reply.

"Understood. I shall wait for you at the rooftop after school."

Koremitsu was relieved that Aoi did not refuse him.

After school, Koremitsu went to the roof, and found Aoi waiting for him with a teary look.

"I-I am really sorry...to show you such an uncouth side of me."

Her large black eyes were oozing out tears, and her white face was scarlet. The long black hair flowed as Aoi bowed, embalming her petite body..

Her face was so heinous when she had that argument, yet she cringed and lowered her head when facing Koremitsu. At this point, she was the exact same person as the one with the usual cleanliness streak.

Koremitsu felt relieved—but at the same time, he was heartbroken by Aoi's ailing self.

"Did something happen between you and Saiga? If there's anything bothering you, just tell me."

Aoi lowered her head as she remained silent, and Koremitsu waited patiently.

"I am...very troubled."

She lifted her head, whispering,

"But,"

Her clear eyes were looking up at Koremitsu,

"This time, I want to do my best by myself."

With earnest eyes, Aoi pleaded to the startled Koremitsu with a desperate voice.

"I had received lots of care from you all this while, Mr. Akagi. Whenever I felt troubled or worried, you would come to me and lead me by my hand; for that, I am happy. However, I cannot be letting you hold my hand forever, Mr. Akagi, for it is no different from letting Asa do the same. So—I am in trouble, but I wish to handle my own troubles."

Koremitsu was speechless, and while he remained dumbstruck, Hikaru's face became increasingly stupefied from the side.

Aoi smiled bashfully.

"Once everything is over, I will confess to you again. At that time, please think about me."

Her determined, earnest eyes pierced through Koremitsu's heart, and Hikaru's eyes wavered in a fleeting manner.

The blooming white flower on the Sacred grounds were no longer carrying out its own prettiness. Instead, it wanted the glint and sturdiness of the sword to dazzle—yet it was heartbreaking.

"...Understood."

That was all Koremitsu could answer at this moment.

Aoi's cheeks blushed happily, and as she leisurely bowed, the long black hair swayed in the wind. After that, she left.

Koremitsu sat on the icy concret; he, along with Hikaru, stared into the sky like idiots.

The sky was like a canvas dyed completely blue. It was radiant, yet forlorn.

Koremitsu blurted a weary voice,

"...I always took the words 'I'll protect you' so lightly..."

Perhaps that was a phrase more burdensome than what he had immediately.

"..."

Hikaru pondered with a melancholic look, looking hesitant to speak, his eyes lowered.

Koremitsu, too, gritted his teeth with bitterness and stared into the sky. The dazzling sun brought discomfort to his eyes.

Was it not a form of arrogance to boldly proclaim that he would protect? That was why...

—I feel pained...to be with you, Mr. Akagi.

The way he said the word 'protect' was too simplistic and comforting to him, so he never thought of the other party's will, reasons and reservations.

Whether it was Aoi's feelings...or Yū...

The loneliness spread in his heart.

Feeling skeptical, he opened his phone, and gave Yū a call.

He placed the phone at his ear, and waited with bated breath, only to be left on voicemail. He sighed, and put the phone back into his pocket.

(That Shikibu too...what am I supposed to do...)

He recalled the forlorn silhouette of the back that left the classroom, and his heart got increasingly pained.

"Let's go back."

"Yeah..."

He raised his heavy hips, and left the rooftop. While walking down the stairs, he heard the siren of an ambulance.

"What's the matter...?"

The crowd was bustling.

The students returning home chattered, their whispers reaching Koremitsu's ears.

"—she fell."

"She is unconscious."

"The news club—"

The vengeful spirit struck, amongst such words, the name Oumi was mentioned.

A sudden shock came, Koremitsu's head practically hammered.

(Oumi!?)

"Koremitsu!"

Hikaru too was stupefied.

"Hey! What happened to Oumi of the news club!?"

The whispering students lifted their heads in response, and let out startled voices. They then answered Koremitsu with quivering voices, saying that Oumi fell from the stairs, lost her consciousness, and was carted by the ambulance to the hospital.

Another shock struck Koremitsu's head.

—"I do have some interesting rumors that I can look into."

—"What rumors?"

—"Give me a day. I'll report to you."

Half a day had yet to go by after he bade farewell to Oumi. One had to wonder how that nimble, energetic girl fell down the stairs and lost consciousness on this day.

Was it a coincidence?

The sound of a bug buzzing could be heard in his ears. Several people were muttering, and though he could not hear what they were saying, they were all female—

—The vengeful spirit is at work.

(How can such a thing be possible here!)

He shook off the ominous cloud roaming over his head, and went to the stairs Hiina slipped down.

There was nobody at all. Nobody dared to approach, possibly because they were terrified of a vengeful spirit possessing them.

The transparent sun rays shone upon the forlorn, mystifying corridor.

Suddenly, he spotted a glittering item.

"There seems to be something over there, Koremitsu."

Hikaru muttered. Koremitsu went over to the glittering item, and bent down.

It was a long, thin silver chain.

It appeared to be a bracelet.

Startled, Hikaru widened his eyes. Koremitsu too immediately realized upon seeing that reaction.

(Doesn't Shikibu always have such a chain with her?)

Koremitsu himself was unable to discern girl accessories. A chain was already a simple thing, and there were many similar ones sold at the shop. It seemed Hikaru had determined that it was the same as the one Honoka had.

Koremitsu too recalled the silver chain dangling on the wrist, and the hand holding it now became icy.

Here was the item similar to the Honoka always wore, and the stairs Hiina fell from.

What exactly did this mean—

Koremitsu held the chain firmly. Suddenly, footsteps could be heard.

Honoka came upstairs, appearing to be checking on what was going on.

Once she saw a heinous looking Koremitsu on the stairs, she gasped.

"...Akagi,why are you."

"Oumi fell from the stairs, and got sent to the hospital."

"...I just heard about that."

She whispered.

"...I heard that she fell here."

"Why did you come all the way here?"

"Can't I? Didn't you come here?"

Honoka turned her face aside.

Koremitsu approached her, and grabbed her right arm.

She widened her eyes,

"Wha—"

While Honoka tried to swing Koremitsu's hand aside, the latter exerted more focus in his grip, and looked up at her.

Then, he saw that the silver chain bracelet on Honoka's wrist, the one he saw in the day, was gone. Upon seeing that, the irises of his eyes cauterized along with his head.

"Let go."

"Your bracelet, what happened to it?"

"Huh?"

Honoka looked completely perplexed.

"I'm asking where exactly is your bracelet. Didn't you always have it on your wrist?"

Overwhelmed by Koremitsu's presence, Honoka's eyes weakened a little.

"I lost it today..."

"Where?"

"At the classroom veranda. It fell."

Her eyes and tone got feisty as she said, and she forcefully removed herself from Koremitsu's grip.

Koremitsu handed the bracelet to Honoka, and the latter was flabbergasted.

"This is mine...!? You picked it?"

"Yeah, on these stairs."

"Eh?"

Honoka's face again looked perplexed.

"And then?"

Koremitsu pressed on with an intimidating voice,

"What were you doing, Shikibu? You weren't paying a visit at the hospital when I met you there. Stop trying to bluff me. Say it!!"

Fury and anxiety ascended Koremitsu's throat.

Honoka Shikibu would not belittle or hurt others without any baseless reason.

Koremitsu knew that very well.

It was because of that however that Honoka took action alone behind Koremitsu back, and that was making his anxious and furious, his head about to explode.

What was she thinking exactly? Why did she want to search through Yū's photos?

Did she take them while stalking her? Why?

(Why's your bracelet at the place Oumi fell from!?)

He wanted to understand, even when it meant grabbing Honoka's shoulders.

If not, Honoka would continue to do some strange things behind Koremitsu's back. There was a chance Honoka herself could be in danger, just like Hiina who was hospitalized—if it were to end up being an irreversible trauma—

If she was to to lose her life because of that!

Honoka's lips quivered as she stared at him.

"Why must I be yelled at by you!?"

"I'm worried about you!!"

Upon seeing Koremitsu vent his erratic feelings upon her, Honoka showed a faint expression for just an instance. Her eyes became a little moist, and she then pouted, giving Koremitsu a tragic look...

She then raised her eyebrows, and in her protest, gave Koremitsu an emotional outburst.

"I don't need your worry! You're always skipping classes to meet Miss Kanai!!"

Koremitsu was speechless.

Honoka's expression contorted, and she kept yelling.

"There's no way you can protect two at once!"

Koremitsu stood there, dumbfounded, seemingly slapped in the face.

Was it wrong for him to say he would protect? Was it shallow? Arrogant?

The conflicted feelings swirled in his mind, ensnaring his heart.

—I'll protect you!

He said this to Honoka, and to all the other girls.

If anything was to happen to them, he would definitely help them.

I'll definitely protect you.

To Koremitsu, it was a matter of fact that he was to protect those weaker than him.

He just wanted to protect those in trouble.

But as Honoka had said, it was impossible for him to protect two at once.

Honoka kept clenching her fists, yelling with such agitation,

"I'm strong enough that any half-hearted worry is troublesome to me! Stop caring about me!!"

The thin brown hair and mini-skirt spun half a round in the air, and she turned to leave, her long slender legs strode off, not caring to be with Koremitsu for even a second longer.

He had to chase.

If he did not, Honoka would continue to leave, be distant, and vanish.

If he was to chase—

The cellphone vibrated in his pants pocket.

He stopped in his tracks, wanting to yell as he fished the phone out, and opened the anonymous message.

"Koremitsu Akagi shall execute Yū Kanai by beheading in the name of the Poppy."

An image appeared in his mind; one with a chilling, shiny blade cutting at Yū's slender neck—and then at Honoka's, and then Koremitsu's.

Koremitsu felt a chill down his back, his body covered in cold sweat.

"Koremitsu, give Yū a call."

Hikaru's anxious voice could be heard from the side, and while his vision remained blurred, Koremitsu gave Yū a call without a second thought.

Tak...an emotionless sound was followed by the voicemail.

—I can't protect, can I?

—Two at once?

—I can't protect, can I?

He had to chase after Honoka.

He had to be with Yū.

He had to—leave one behind.

Honoka's dashing footsteps down the stairs could no longer be heard.

"!"

Feeling incapacitated as he tried to save his hide, Koremitsu darted down the stairs.

To the hospital.

To Yū.

I'm like a spider resting on the petal, eyeing its prey. This is to rid the other women trying to bewitch him.

Everyone thinks of me as an honest, harmless person, so I can blend into anything no matter what happens.

Nobody that approach and talk to me will put their guard against me.

Most would open their hearts when they feel I am more foolish than them, and they can be manipulated.

For example, her.

She's not used to seeing her love interest being lured by a girl more tender and weaker than her, that he kept being with her all the time, doting on her like a princess.

On the surface, she appeared to be a trusted assistance. She believed she could act nonchalant if she could just offer herself to her, but she had only hate for the girl beside him.

What can she do to remove that girl from his side.

Yes. There are many girls other than her who thought they were the one special to him.

There's the one who assumed herself to be more collected, more manipulative than anyone else, yet she makes decisions based on emotions, her plan completely flawed.

There's that one girl who grew up sheltered by the people around her, feeling conflicted about it, and tried to gain independence by working at a cafe.

There's that one girl who's carefree, always saying things boys like to hear, pretending to be a good woman, but is a flirtatious one.

There's that girl who went everywhere sniff, the area below her nose like a rotten mongrel.

There's the girl who used her prepubescent as a weapon, latching onto her target with innocence.

And there is the one who deemed herself to be the righteous one, obsessed with the superiority of protecting those weaker than her—

I, fused with the Rokujō, is able to see with her eyes, use her power.

While the foolish—wretched women are buried in distrust, I shall flame the unrest, and stoke the hatred.

He betrayed you.

He's fooled by that woman.

You're the only one who can save him.

Wretched people will cannibalize each other, destroying themselves.

They should reveal, slander, despise, curse, and sink to the bottom.

In the name of Rokujō, 'I' shall command.

### 005. Chapter 5: It Means That I'll Protect You

"Mr. Akagi..."

It appeared Yū was about to head out. She was holding a little bag, standing at the door.

She had just turned around, and widened her eyes when she spotted him. Surely his hair and clothes were all sweaty, his cheeks and fringe tense, his eyes bloodshot, his shoulders puffing, and he appeared to be a step away from death.

The emotional brake Koremitsu had completely broke by the time he arrived, and he grabbed Yū by her slender shoulders, pressing her onto the door.

"Didn't I tell you not to go out! Why—why don't you just understand!?"

"Koremitsu, calm down!"

Hikaru treated to stop Koremitsu, but the latter's penting emotions broke through his chest, ripped his throat apart, and went amok. Yū's slender shoulders were practically about to be crushed.

"If you're to go out alone—if-if-if something's going to happen to you, what will I do? Do you understand your situation? Someone already sent me a text saying that you'll be executed 'by the guillotine'! I can't protect you if you're still so careless! I—I won't have a purpose coming to where you are, right!?"

He just repeated his words over and over again, not allowing any time for others to talk, and he fully expressed his shattered feelings.

He was unable to protect either Yū or Honoka, and his chest was practically ripped apart as he ran towards her. Yet Yū wanted to head out as if nothing had happened—

"I gave up on Shikibu just to be with you, Yū!"

"Calm down! Koremitsu! Yū's terrified by you!"

Hikaru raised his voice, and Koremitsu finally composed himself.

The little white face looked eerily pale, the fleeting eyes showing fear. The shoulders grabbed by his hands were shivering.

(W-what did I just do...?)

"...!"

He relaxed his fingertips, suffocated by his pathetic self, slammed his head above Yū's shoulder and onto the door, keeping it lowered.

"Mr...Akagi."

Yū spoke tentatively.

"Let's go inside and talk...I won't be...going anywhere..."

Koremitsu was unable to lift his head, and Yū whispered, "I'm fine...I just got a little cut...on the fingertip...from a knife..." her right index finger was wrapped in a band-aid, "There was...a little blade between the door gap...it was dangerous..." she spoke as if nothing happened.

"Hey...I-I'm still fine. I'm here, right?"

"......"

"It's just a little cut on the finger. Nothing happened, okay?"

"..."

The cold fingertips touched Koremitsu's face. Yū got on her knees in front of Koremitsu as she looked up, looking very worried.

"But why are you crying, Mr. Akagi...?"

"..."

Salty water trickled down the stiffened face; the icy bullets fell upon the clenched fists placed on the knees.

With her slender fingers, Yū again wiped Koremitsu's tears away.

Right in front of the blurred vision was the fleeting, worried face looking up at him. Hikaru too watched Koremitsu with a tragic expression from there.

"Mr. Akagi...what are you worried about right now? You seem...to have mentioned, about Miss Shikibu just now..."

—I gave up on Shikibu just to be with you, Yū!

Koremitsu whimpered as he recalled the crude, barbaric words he said to Yū.

I'm horrible. I was the one who decided to come to Yū and I'm the one throwing my tantrum...

"Tell me...Mr. Akagi. What happened between you and Miss Shikibu...?"

He could not rein in the regret tore at his heart, and the oblivion struck at his head. It was really embarrassing for him.

"Mr. Akagi."

Yū held Koremitsu gently by the hand. The latter lowered his head saying,

"Shikibu...well, it appears that she got too involved in something bad. I understand that well, but I can't do anything—"

"Mr. Akagi's Heliotrope...her legs are pretty...and she is a girl with pretty eyes..."

Mr. Akagi's Heliotrope —why did Yū mention it at this moment?

Perhaps she was trying to mean 'she is not one of Hikaru's girls', and Koremitsu was not in the mood to think further into it. He had difficulty breathing the moment her name was mentioned, and his heart was shattered.

"Shikibu's really a good person. She helped me out a few times—really, she's always with me whenever I was in a rut, encouraging me, giving me hints...if she's in trouble in any way, I too want to help. She's a girl too, so I have to protect her. But Shikibu said that she doesn't want my help."

—There’s no way you can protect two at once!

He already knew about that.

The word protect was filled with lies and fallacies.

—I'm strong enough that any half-hearted worry is troublesome to me!

Honoka's eyes were tragic as she yelled.

—Stop caring about me!!

The sight of her storming off in a huff and quivering appeared in his mind, and his heart again felt ready to be ripped apart. If he was to chase after Honoka back then, he would have knelt down haplessly in front of her, worried about Yū.

"...Mr. Akagi, you came to me, instead of Miss Shikibu...?"

Yū quietly murmured.

"So that's why you're in pain..."

Her voice was filled with agony.

"Miss Shikibu...must have been someone very important to you, Mr. Akagi."

"...Yeah."

Koremitsu answered hoarsely, and Yū remained silent. She again looked hurt, but sounded determined as she slowly spoke,

"I think...I can understand what Miss Shikibu is feeling...just like you, she's the type who wants to protect others...she's not the only one...Mr. Akagi, you're always protecting girls, but girls, too, do want to protect those they love..."

Yū's words trickled silently into Koremitsu's heart.

Do girls really want to protect those they love?

"They don't want...those they love...to experience unpleasant memories...of those they love end up hurt because of the desire to 'protect'...they'll be sad...so..."

Hikaru watched Yū and listened to her words with a pained expression.

Koremitsu too felt a pricking pain in his heart, recalling what Aoi said.

The words, Whenever I felt troubled or worried, you would come to me and lead me by my hand; for that, I am happy.

And also, However, I cannot be letting you hold my hand forever, Mr. Akagi.

—So—I am in trouble, but I wish to handle my own troubles. Once everything is over, I will confess to you again. At that time, please think of me.

Aoi, whom he assumed to be a weak, gilded princess, smiled with such an earnest face—

"Mr. Akagi, you're suffering...just to protect me. I...don't like that at all. I too...have my own issues...that I want...to protect. I want to be with you, to help you..."

The pain Hikaru felt when he heard Aoi's words, Koremitsu felt it too.

A scorching flame ached deep within his his heart.

He was riveted by Aoi's attitude, trying to rein in the loneliness.Yū's words again caused Koremitsu to fully accept it.

As Yū had said, while Koremitsu wanted to protect others, the ones being protected end up hating it. He did not know what to protect, or how to go about doing it.

(Yū's... suffering because of my protection...was she always suffering this much...)

Back then, Yū remained shut in her apartment, unwilling to exit, and was so fragile that she was terrified of raindrops. She was a girl who could not live without the help of others. However,

—I won't run away anymore.

Back then, Yū shivered as she explained to Koremitsu in the park that she was going to Australia.

What exactly were her feelings back then? She did not send a single message or a make a call to him, and remained in foreign land all the time. What exactly did she experience? Was Yū's hard work all denied because of his selfish desire to protect her?

Koremitsu grabbed Yū's arms as the latter wiped his tears off.

The tender arms cringed in surprise when met with Koremitsu's coarse hands.

Koremitsu held onto those arms, and lowered his head, devoid of confidence, hissing,

"It's a stubborn request for me—you'll be frustrated and troubled, but, please, don't go out today."

He wanted to respect Yū's feelings, to understand her feelings, but at this point, he was not in the mood to do so. He had yet to understand the enemy's real identity while he continued to be toyed with. All he could do was to protect the one in front of him—

Yū again remained silent. She stared at Koremitsu intently while the latter lowered his head, saying,

"Okay, it's a promise."

The soft voice answered.

Koremitsu, overwhelmed by the anxiety, was engulfed in the tenderness of an older sister wanting to soothe him.

"Can I, come back again?"

He lifted his head wearily, and Yū showed a faint smile.

"Yes."

Yū's face felt very similar to the tragic smile Hikaru would show.

"Mr. Akagi, I...wish to have a date with you next time. Can you go out with me next time?"

"Yeah..."

"I'm relieved. Now we have a promise too."

Yū reached her pinky out.

Koremitsu too reached his finger at the white, slender finger.

Yū again showed that faint smile as she sent Koremitsu off, and whispered before she closed the door,

"You have to...properly convey your feelings to Miss Shikibu, Mr. Akagi."

The door closed silently.

With his anguished, arduous feelings, Koremitsu stood at the door, watching it.

"Let us go, Koremitsu."

If Hikaru did not speak up, perhaps Koremitsu would have stayed there the entire time.

"Mr. Akagi...I'm sorry."

Yū stared at the closed door, whispering.

A long time passed after she watched Koremitsu leave, and she stood there, looking anguished.

He was forceful and earnest when he grabbed Yū's hand and pulled her to the outside world. He kept coming after her, hurting himself, and kept weeping, unable to stand up at all.

When she decided to return to Japan, Yū felt so delighted, so blissful that she was able to meet Koremitsu again, her elation to a point where she could fly.

(I...caused Mr. Akagi so much pain.)

Koremitsu was simply worried about Yū. The first lie, coupled with others, meant that there was an increasing number of things she could not say to Koremitsu.

If it's Miss Shikibu, what will she do? Yū thought of the girl who was Koremitsu's classmate.

Unlike Yū, she was a cheerful, feisty girl. Her clothing and hairstyle were pretty, and surely she had a lot of friends. If Koremitsu called her the Heliotrope, that probably meant that she was not lying to him.

Honoka boldly stated her own opinions to Koremitsu—that was probably the reason for the conflict.

With that, Honoka was able to speak to Koremitsu on equal standing. Yū was envious of her.

Koremitsu said that he chose Yū, but that was because Yū appeared to be more feeble than Honoka...Koremitsu would never leave such girls behind.

(When exactly...can I tell Mr. Akagi...the truth...?)

Or was it that she could only continue to lie?

While her heart remained engulfed in anxiety, the cellphone placed on the table rang.

Other than Koremitsu, the only one who would give Yū a call was...

With a heavy heart, she received the call, and placed the phone at her ear.

"Yes, I know...I'm fine...I'm going out now."

The utterly lifeless voice stopped, and she got ready to head out.

Night quickly arrived, and Koremitsu walked down the narrow path leading to his house under the lonely sky.

With the frigid winds blowing, the slouched Koremitsu slowly dragged his feet dejectedly, and Hikaru quietly talked about flowers.

"The Patrinia did appear in the Man'yōshū. It is one of the 7 herbs of Autumn...'From Summer to Autumn, there are yellow flowers blooming at the tip of the fine green branches...the name Patrinia refers to 'overwhelming', where even beauties cannot beat it. Some say that the little yellow flowers were similar to the millet rice the women of that time ate—in other words, the 'beauty rice'. The same too goes for the bride too; back then, they use the terms noble daughters or madame."

Koremitsu listened without a comment rather than remain by the side and remain silent with a gloomy look. Hikaru too just wanted to continue rattling.

"There was also themed around 'Patrinia'. A wife had mistaken assumed that her husband had abandoned her, and jumped off the cliff. There was a spot of Patrinias growing by the tombstone, but whenever the husband approached the the flowers, they would wobble...when the husband left, it would grow back to its original position...it would fade backwards again when he approached...the husband felt rejected like his deceased wife...and in his despair, he too jumped off the cliff where his wife died from."

In any case, they should have talked it out more, right?

(There wasn't any outcome?)

This isn't the time for such words now, right? Koremitsu's body got increasingly heavier.

Hikaru again stared at the feet with a melancholic face, saying,

"...The wife never had trusted love, and the husband never had trusting love. Which exactly is in the wrong?"

The anguished voice caused Koremitsu's heart to tense.

The woman never felt trusted love, and the man never trusted in love.

Surely the woman was timid, and the man lacked communication skills.

"I always thought that the husband was in the wrong."

Hikaru spoke in the past tense.

"The man had to let the pretty flower bloom, to grant them the water, nutrients, and sun. If he truly loved that flower, he would have to do his best to convey his own love. Without that, the flower would wilt. But..."

The clear moonlight shone upon the side of Hikaru's fleeting face, and the long eyes were lowered, showing a loneliness from the endless void within.

"No matter how one tried to convey his love...there are those that he would be unable to get through to. That was what I thought—even if I had to face it with my unkempt self—all I saw was the one showing me the anguished face..."

(Are you talking about your stepmother?)

That was what Koremitsu had assumed, but he never said it.

After hearing Hikaru's words, Koremitsu too thought about Yū and Honoka.

Yū, whom Koremitsu wanted to protect, ended up dejected and unable to smile. Honoka wailed and yelled, saying that she did not need his help.

Hikaru got increasingly pained.

"It does feel like the Patrinia that sways away to escape whenever you want to touch...you were rejected so many times, and in your despair, you jumped off the cliff."

Koremitsu felt a chill as Hikaru showed a faint smile, saying these words.

—I suppose Hikaru killed himself.

Whether Tsuyako's words were doubts of truth, one did not know.

Hikaru said that he fell from the riverbank, saying that it was an accident. It was still unknown however whether that was the truth.

Also, there were the injuries on the wrist. Hikaru never explained them to Koremitsu.

As a ghost, Hikaru did not have those injuries on him.

Tsuyako said that she saw them before.

Did Hikaru feel despair over the love that could never be fulfilled, and sought death thereafter?

—and in his despair, he too jumped off the cliff.

The words he just heard continued to echo in his ears, and he felt a chill.

"...Was that your personal experience?"

He cautiously asked, hushing his voice.

Hikaru maintained his smile,

"It is just a drama theme."

And curtly replied,

"You have to be careful not to allow that to happen. It is too late for me, but your is just beginning."

"I won't be jumping off a cliff or anything."

Koremitsu curled his lips as he replied.

"Is that so?"

Hikaru continued with a tender expression,

"But when you were rejected by Miss Shikibu and Yū, all I could see was you blaming and hurting yourself."

"Ugh."

Koremitsu recalled how uncouth he looked when he ran all the way to Yū's room, and went speechless, his face gradually sizzling.

"You too, will become self-loathing, just as I was when I was rejected by that person."

"Do-don't put me on the same level as you! I-I'm not going to be a crybaby like you...wait."

"Have you forgotten? I cannot cry. You will cry when you indulge in alcohol, and that, really is a crybaby."

"Don't say that I'll cry when I drink!!"

Koremitsu bellowed in the middle of the streets. Any passers-by would have assumed he was drunk if they heard his words, but it seemed relieving to Koremitsu that he was able to pent out all the frustrations gathered within him."

Though his heart was still burning like fire.

(Is this guy angering me on purpose?)

If it was Hikaru, it might have been possible.

He glanced to the side, and found Hikaru giving a mischievous chuckle, following with a buoyant voice,

"Hey, let us continue with the topic."

"What topic?"

"Whether the man or the woman was in the wrong, that I thought the man was in the wrong."

"Stop talking about the past!"

"Well, do hear me out. You are the only one on the planet whom I can talk with. Also, this has something to do with you."

"...What?"

Koremitsu remained wary as he retorted, and Hikaru gave an amicable face, saying,

"Till this point, I always assumed that I had to protect my flowers, water them, give them fertilizer, remove the parasites, and care for them earnestly. Perhaps the flowers, girls...are sturdier than what we think. After looking at Miss Aoi, Yū, and Miss Shikibu...that was my conclusion."

The effeminate lips opened and closed, beaming. Though they looked tender, there was a trace of solitude in them.

"Now then...what do you think I need to do?"

If the girls were strong enough not to require protection.

"I guess. What should you do?"

Hikaru folded his arms and nodded away in response.

"You're not giving me any advice?"

"Ahaha. I do not have a choice. I only did realize this after I did. Let us think about this together."

"O-okay."

Koremitsu gruffly responded.

'Perhaps the girls are sturdier than what we think.' Hikaru's words kept repeating in Koremitsu's heart.

Girls are fragile.

That was Koremitsu's assumption.

To fulfill the promises Hikaru had yet to fulfill, he got involved with girls, and helped them. It appeared that at this point, they were fragile flowers, easily snapped by the wind. If he did not run over with arms spread out to protect them, they would wilt.

(What about Shikibu?)

That girl is strong, has her own thoughts, and can protect herself. Yet why am I still concerned about her?/em>

If Koremitsu, till this point, had been taking action because of the 'frailty' exhibited by Hikaru's flowers, what exactly was Honoka...?

Koremitsu curled his lips, sinking into his own thoughts.

Suddenly, "Ah." Hikaru blurted.

There was a girl with a neat, pretty face dressed in a local city girls uniform, standing near the doors of Koremitsu's house. The black hair was shoulder-length, combed to the back, and those clear eyes—

It was the girl who often visited the cafe Aoi worked at, the one Hikaru dubbed as 'Miss Mint'.

Once he approached her, she spoke with a voice as refreshing as her face.

"I did provide you with my address, but you have yet to contact me."

On the day of the culture festival, she paid a visit to the juice stand Koremitsu was manning as a member of the Japanese dance club, and left him a name card with a mail address recorded on it.

—My master wishes to talk to you.

—The prettiest flower in the world, an angelic woman

There seemed to be another meaning to those words...

Hikaru seemed to have noticed something back then, and he kept staring at the girl.

Koremitsu too seemed to have a premonition. He actually intended to contact her after the culture festival ended and meet that master. The commotion that happened thereafter resulted in him forgetting about it.

The namecard still remained in his student handbook.

"Sorry. A lot of things happened."

"It appears so."

She answered, sounding as if she knew of Koremitsu's predicament.

"Mikoto."

Hikaru suddenly called out.

Koremitsu turned to him, and he showed a nostalgic face—followed by a melancholic one.

"You are Mikoto one? That person's 'favorite prized possession', Mikoto who resembles cool Mint?"

"Are you Mikoto?"

Koremitsu tensed his face as he confirmed, and she merely widened her eyes slightly.

"Yes. I suppose you have heard about me from Mr. Hikaru?"

"Yeah."

After Koremitsu's reply, Hikaru inquired quietly,

"What do you want from my friend? Mikoto?"

"What do you want to talk to me about?"

"About the Wisteria Mr. Hikaru does not know of."

Hikaru looked startled.

Mikoto averted her glance for just a while. The straight black hair fluttered near the shoulders.

"However, I shall return another day. Please do settle your issues as early as possible, and not spend too much time about it."

I shall return. After saying that, Mikoto strode away with elegant steps, her back straight, and she vanished into the other end of the narrow residential street..

"That person...what I do not know of."

Hikaru stated blankly.

(Wisteria? As in Hikaru's stepmother? Is Mikoto her servant?)

At this moment, the cellphone in his phone rang.

"ENOUGH ALREADY!"

He gruffly opened his phone, and then the message, only to gasp.

Execute Yū Kanai! Execute Yū Kanai! Execute Yū Kanai! Execute Yū Kanai! YOU SLUT! Execute Yū Kanai! Execute Yū Kanai! Execute Yū Kanai! Execute Yū Kanai! YOU FILTHY BITCH! Execute Yū Kanai! YOU NYNPHO! Execute Yū Kanai! I'LL CURSE YOU! Execute Yū Kanai! Execute Yū Kanai! BURN! Execute Yū Kanai! Execute Yū Kanai! I'LL WRECK YOU! Execute Yū Kanai! RIP YOUR SKIN OUT! Execute Yū Kanai! YOU BLACK HEARTED WOMAN! Execute Yū Kanai! HANG YOU! Execute Yū Kanai! STAB YOU! Execute Yū Kanai! YOU FUCKING BITCH! Execute Yū Kanai! Execute Yū Kanai! CRUCIFY YOU! Execute Yū Kanai! Execute Yū Kanai! OFF WITH YOUR HEAD! Execute Yū Kanai! YOU WHORE! Execute Yū Kanai! Execute Yū Kanai! Execute Yū Kanai! Execute Yū Kanai! POISON YOU! Execute Yū Kanai! Execute Yū Kanai! Execute Yū Kanai! Execute Yū Kanai! Execute Yū Kanai! IN THE NAME OF THE POPPY! Execute Yū Kanai! KARMA! Execute Yū Kanai! Execute Yū Kanai! Execute Yū Kanai! Execute Yū Kanai! GORGE YOUR EYES OUT! Execute Yū Kanai! RIP YOUR VAGINA OUT! Execute Yū Kanai! YOU PIECE OF SHIT! Execute Yū Kanai! Execute Yū Kanai! CUT YOUR NOSE OFF! Execute Yū Kanai! YOU ROTTEN FLESH! Execute Yū Kanai! Execute Yū Kanai! Execute Yū Kanai! STAB YOU WITH A HOT POKER! Execute Yū Kanai! BEAR A BESTIAL CHILD! Execute Yū Kanai! KILL! KILL! KILL! Execute Yū Kanai! BE HAUNTED BY A VENGFUL SPIRIT! Execute Yū Kanai! Execute Yū Kanai! Execute Yū Kanai! YOU UGLY WOMAN! Execute Yū Kanai! LET YOUR FACE ROT! Execute Yū Kanai! Execute Yū Kanai! Execute Yū Kanai! DRINK SOME ACID! Execute Yū Kanai! YOU WRETCHED SLUT! Execute Yū Kanai! Execute Yū Kanai! Execute Yū Kanai!

The screen was crammed with words, drifting and floating. He had a feeling that his throat was bitten, he had difficulty breathing, and he let loose a groan from his dry lips.

Hikaru too looked pale as he watched from the side. Koremitsu's sweat-soaked fingers dialled Yū's number immediately.

But nobody picked it up! It was a voicemail.

"Let's get back to Yū!"

"Yes."

Koremitsu turned around, and sprinted off.

He tried calling Yū a few times, only to be met by the voicemail over and over again. Koremitsu gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

It would be great if it was just a lousy prank like how it was till this point. He kept praying, his head practically lopped off.

Once he got to the hospital, he stormed to the reception with his eyes bloodshot, only to be told that Yū went out. The blood in his body froze.

—It's a promise.

Yū answered with that soft, gentle voice when Koremitsu pleaded with her not to head out on this night.

Yet, she did.

"Where did she go?"

"I didn't ask."

The female receptionist answered skeptically.

He pestered her, stating that he forgot something very important, and wanted to go in, emphasizing that he had to be the one to find it. Finally, he was allowed in.

If there was some sort of a hint in the room—

The first thing that entered his sight was the bouquet of crimson flowers placed on the sofa. They were wrapped in tape and wrapping paper.

"It is the Poppy..."

Hikaru's face contorted.

The petals looked translucent, and the flowers were left on the sofa, not placed in a vase or something, yet it remained alluring, bewitching. The black iris in the middle looked so salacious.

Koremitsu's face tensed as he held the bouquet in his hands. The crimson flowers swayed due to his carelessness, and a few fell onto the sofa.

"Hm...? What's inside..."

"What is the matter, Koremitsu?"

"There's a little bag inside the bouquet of flowers."

He turned the bouquet upside down, and a transparent bag fell onto the sofa along with the crimson petals.

(Drug capsules...?)

But if it was for flu or gastric issues, why was it put here? It appeared to be put inside deliberately—

"Koremitsu, this is an illegal drug! I saw it before! It was still legal back then, but it causes hallucinations, and has a high chance of addiction. It is now prohibited."

"What did you say!?"

Koremitsu's blood again boiled due to Hikaru's words.

"Why is such a thing in Yū's room!?"

"I do not know. But, maybe—"

Hikaru raised his voice slightly.

"Perhaps the one taking care of Yū has some involvement in drug dealing."

Yū did say that he helped arrange for the accommodations, flight and everything else, that he was a sincere man.

She even said that the identity of that person was still a secret.

At first, she was delighted. Whenever Koremitsu asked about him later on however, she would look perturbed.

(She said that it's because of him that she became a volunteer. Is that actually—)

His stomach was wrecked.

"Koremitsu, switch on the computer."

With Hikaru's prodding, Koremitsu darted towards the notepad computer on the table, and switched on the power.

Once he affirmed the records, he connected to a suspicious website.

Hikaru, watching from the side, let out a sharp gasp,

"As I had expected...! This is a site for drug dealing! It is done through codename use, but there is no doubt this is it!"

"!!"

The panel also showed a record of drug dealing, and the records was the red flowers—upon seeing that the seller was the Poppy, the palm holding the mouse was covered in sweat.

The long hair and slender body indicated on the website was a girl in her teens. This girl with the appearance of the Poppy was Yū!

It appeared that there was another deal later on. Koremitsu's eyes remained on the seller, the Poppy, and the customers hoping to make a purchase—and he shivered.

"Hey, this customer is!"

—The name is Heliotrope

—Hello, Mr. Heliotrope.

Wait...it isn't possible—but—

"Shikibu...?"

The moment he uttered that word, he felt dizzy.

"If it is Miss Shikibu, it is possible."

Hikaru's words again reached his heart.

Yes, it might possibly be Honoka. He could not think of anyone else who would use an uncommon plant, the Heliotrope, as an online nickname.

The seller was Yū!

The customer was Honoka!

(What is going on here!?)

Koremitsu tried calling Honoka on his phone.

"I'm not getting through!"

"What do we do now, Koremitsu!?"

"What else!? Get to the trading place!"

Just when Koremitsu was about to dash out.

Yū, holding crimson flowers, looked surprised as she stood there.

"Mr. Akagi...why?"

"Yū! Didn't I tell you not to go out!!"

Yū cringed, fidgeting as she answered.

"I dropped...my phone...there's a map of the place where I'm supposed to work at...so...I came back to get back."

Yū, who broke the promise, was terrified to know if Koremitsu was furious. She averted her eyes towards the sofa, and showed an awkward face.

"Why...is there another...bouquet...of flowers? Mr. Akagi...did you bring it here?"

Over there were the Poppies, exactly the same as the one Yū was holding onto. It was thrown there, the petals all over.

"What are you saying now? Aren't there drugs inside this one? You're going to the customer, right? The flowers there are—"

"Ah!"

Koremitsu seized the flowers from Yū's hand, and inspected it himself.

However, there was nothing other than the faint red flowers. He undid the sash and unraveled the bouquet, only to find none of what he had assumed.

"Yū's flowers...do not have any drugs...that is..."

Hikaru too frowned.

Yū in turn was terrified by his sudden action of snatching the flowers, and she cringed back, her eyes filled with fear.

Koremitsu brought the drugs to Yū.

"This was inside that bouquet. The computer records also showed the sales history of the 'Poppy'! Yū, isn't the place you were where the deal was?"

Yū's face paled, and she said,

"Drugs...wh-what? The computer history...I only gave the flowers to the old men and chatted with them..."

"Where's the volunteer work today?"

Frightened, Yū mentioned the location; it was a different place from where the Poppy and Heliotrope were supposed to strike the deal, completely opposite directions.

What exactly was going on?

While his mind was in chaos, the only thing he could affirm was that the one in danger was the Heliotrope Honoka.

"Koremitsu, if we do not stop Miss Shikibu now!"

"Yū, before I get back, don't you go out! I don't need a promise now, but anyway, just stay here! Have a look at that computer!"

The voice echoed in the room, causing Yū to shiver.

Without waiting for Yū's response, he darted out of the room, and ran towards where Honoka was along with Hikaru.

That idiot Shikibu!!

Don't just use the Heliotrope name for fun!

What are you doing!! You idiot!!

Koremitsu's eyes were bloodshot, his breathing erratic as he glared at the phone like a demon. The other passengers moved away from him, terrified.

(Why did Shikibu know that Yū may be a drug dealer, and didn't say anything to me. She just did things by herself, and not only that, told me that she doesn't need help. You got to be kidding!)

Inside his mind was a lot of things he wanted to say to her.

"It is fine, Miss Shikibu will be fine even until you reached her. She is strong. You do know that, right?"

Hikaru encouraged Koremitsu.

(Yeah, that girl's kick is invincible. I should know after who knows how many kicks I took. If she's attacked by an assailant from a corner or surrounded by many, what can she do? It's reckless for her to be trapped, even if she's strong.)

"Stop ignoring me! Pick up the phone, you idiot!"

One had to wonder how many times he had mentioned the word 'idiot'. He gritted his teeth as he sent the message, but he yet yet to receive any contact from Honoka.

What should he do at this point.

The train seemed to be moving slower than usual, and his face got more hiduous.

He felt anxious, impatient, and to calm himself down, scanned through Honoka's site, at the blog entries filled with colored words, the cellphone novels that were as sweet as poems, love consultation, and so on.

"Hello, Purple Princess ヾ( ′ ▽ ｀) ノ. Please hear out some of Yuyu's love troubles."

"Hello, Purple Princess! Help me ° ° (≥Д≤) ° ° !! I said some terrible things to the Mr. Y I like!"

"Hello there, this is Macaron <{_ _*)>, I have something I am very troubled by. Before this, I told Mr. T sitting next to me that I wish to go out with him. I do like him, but I don't really know whether it's really a like. I feel anxious. I'm not really sure of my own feelings o(:△;)o"

"The advice I received from you a few days back was really helpful, (o^▽^o)l Thanks to you, I managed to confess to Mr. U, Purple Princess~~~~~~~~~~~\o(^▽^)o/ . You really are the love expert, Purple Princess. My real real real savior here o(*^ ▽^*)o."

The comments were all filled with the love troubles and discussions girls had. Honoka was dubbed the Purple Princess, the love expert, answering every issue intimately and cheerfully.

"Congratulations on your successful confession λ (⌒ －⌒)o∠★! Good for you, Miss Kuya! This isn't my power here; it's your hard work that managed to get to him."

"Do apologize to Mr. Y immediately, Miss Snow! Don't send him messages. Tell him directly that you're sorry. Then, tell him honestly why you said those words. It's fine. He'll definitely understand! (^-^)☆"

"Miss Macaron, it is worth cheering that you managed to improve your relationship, but you might be feeling uneasy (¯ ^¯ ;;;), that your good relationship till this point may be broken. Isn't your reply already there though? (*^ ▽^*) 10 years later, when you think of the boys you were with, if the first face you think of is Mr T, that means he's your 'special one'."

Koremitsu could practically hear Honoka's cheerful voice.

—Okay! Leave it to me, Akagi!

—You really, really, really don't understand a girl's feelings at all!

—Guess I got no choice. As the love expert, I'll help you out here.

There was neither a speckle of dust, nor a fragment of an illusion.

It was just Honoka, with her chest puffed, her eyebrows raised as she opened her lips, trying to act tough.

The purple Heliotrope blooming towards the sun.

Till this point, one had to wonder how much encouragement, how much help he had received.

Though she was grumbled at a lot when Aoi would not listen to Koremitsu, Honoka still did her best to think of ways to break through Aoi's heart. Also, she was with Koremitsu, watching the shoe locker since morning, and went through serious rehearsals with the rigid Koremitsu in front of the cat shop.

—Hey, Akagi. The cats you saved from drowning in the river yesterday, are they okay?

The same happened when Yū remained shut in her room. "Okay, I'll help. I'll be Miss Kanai's friend. She smiled as she accepted the request. Even when Koremitsu was anxious after being rejected by Yū, she lent him her foldable umbrella, letting him use it as an umbrella.

—No, you definitely won’t buy an umbrella. Use it now, or I’ll go with you!

It'll definitely be useful. She smiled as she handed it to him.

When Shioriko disappeared, and his gut was about to be wrecked, "I'll look for that girl through the internet." she began to search through the internet.

When Tsuyako was troubled, after seeing her kiss Koremitsu, she should have been furious, but when Asai raided the clubroom, when Tsuyako was in grave danger, and when Koremitsu came yelling,

—I'll do my best to take care of upperclassman Tsuyako. I'll encourage her. Don't think too hard by yourself.

She was always worried about Koremitsu, thinking about him.

And when Koremitsu was frustrated because of Asai.

—How about walking with that person?

—How about you follow instead of waiting and regretting? If anything happens, you can help that person, and that person might listen to your suggestions. If it’s me, I’ll definitely follow

The earnest words caused Koremitsu to not remain perplexed.

Back then, the wide path was paved in front of him.

The same happened during the commotion over Sora's pregnancy, or when Koremitsu became a committee member during the culture festival, a role he was unfamiliar with, or whenever he was overwhelmed by the workload, Honoka would always push aside her own matters to help him.

One by one, he recalled that clumsy earnesty of Honoka, that obvious worry, the riveting, powerful encouragements, the pure innocence of not need anything in return.

They oozed out, causing bitterness in his chest.

"To be honest, I'm not a love expert at all."

At the end, there was Honoka's entry.

"I never had a dating experience with a guy, and I have crush on my classmate. Like everyone, I'll feel flustered whenever I think about that guy I like. That guy has the appearance of a delinquent, and has a gruff way of speaking. However, he's really kind at heart, very manly, and won't leave anyone alone when they're in trouble. He's a really, really good guy. A good man. I always swiveled around on the chair, wondering how do I convey these feelings to him."

Koremitsu was momentarily breathless as he stared at the words shown on the little screen.

He did not hear the tremors of the train, nor the departure bell.

All he heard was Honoka's voice echoing in his ears.

"I was never viewed as a girl by that guy. That guy likes someone completely opposite of me. She's a graceful, delicate girl, and I have no hope at all. Even so, I still can't stop loving him. I don't mind if my love is unrequited. I don't mind if he just thinks of me as a friend. I love that guy, and I want to be his strength.

Why did Honoka keep this secret from Koremitsu and investigated on Yū alone?

Why did she have to do such a dangerous thing, to buy drugs.

Honoka yelled that he did not need to protect her—Honoka would protrude her lips when in doubt—Honoka would seem ready to burst into tears whenever he was not available—the different sides of her appeared in front of him.

"I'm not a love expert, and I'm sorry for not saying this all this time. However, my feelings of wanting to cheer everyone on isn't a lie. Whether this love will actually happen or not, the efforts clearly aren't for naught. That's why, let's do our best, everyone. I'll do my best!"

He continued to scroll down the cellphone, but he could not do so, for it appeared to be the perfect ending.

Koremitsu read everything down to the last line, and dejectedly muttered,

"...You idiot."

### 006. Chapter 6: The Snare of Field Poppies

You see, you got baited.

Did you not realize? You have long fallen into the trap of the Rokujō.

You can't move.

You are ensnared in the crystal, glowing threads, struggling within them, fading away as the filthiest woman on this world.

This is my revenge.

He forgot the promise we made.

Wretched women like you are insolent enough to lure him away from me.

You leashed him firmly, pulling all sorts of strings to prevent me from approaching him.

Thus, I have the right to strangle all the wretched, filthy women in this world to death.

And at the moment when you cease to breathe, I shall sneer at you, you who looked down on me and assumed I was harmless, and I shall say.

You are the one I truly despised.

(Well, whatever, I won't be getting Akagi's love.)

One had to wonder how many times Honoka deleted Koremitsu's messages, and she nervously strolled alone down the bustling street in the middle of the night. She was wearing glasses, her hair tied into twin ponytails.

She was to meet the 'Poppy' at the alley in front of her.

She gave herself the codename Heliotrope, for even though Koremitsu was annoyed with her, she wanted to be his Heliotrope.

Surely, she did such a reckless action because of Koremitsu Akagi.

If not, she would not have thought of doing the dirty work of heading to such a dim street to buy drugs.

Surely she would be expelled if the school was to know about it. There were a few members of the Yakuza waiting over there, holding drugs. Not all of them were dealing drugs.

Honoka knew that she would be in danger, but she wanted to affirm if the 'Poppy' was Yū. If Yū was indeed the drug dealer, she would have to convince her to stop.

If possible, she wanted to end this before Koremitsu found out—

(I know that it's just me being selfish and trying to satisfy myself. Even so, I don't want to see Akagi suffer, and this is something I have to do...)

—What were you doing, Shikibu?

After school, Koremitsu glared at Honoka fiercely, interrogating her with a terrifying howl.

—You weren’t paying a visit at the hospital when I met you there. Stop trying to bluff me. Say it!!

Koremitsu was infuriated that Honoka was spying on Yū.

Perhaps the crazy messages that were circulated in school were sent by her.

It was said that Hiina of the news club fell from the stairs due to the work of a vengeful spirit, and was taken away by ambulance, so she ran off the stairs where Hiina fell from.

She then found Koremitsu looking grim, a heinous atmosphere surrounding him, and he stormed agitatedly towards her, grabbing her arm, interrogating, "Your bracelet, what happened to it?"

Once Honoka said that she dropped it, Koremitsu followed up by asking where did she drop it, his other hand handing it over to her.

It was the exact same bracelet as the one she dropped.

—"This is mine...!? You picked it?"

—"Yeah, on these stairs."

At first, she did not understand his intent at all.

However,

Maybe he's suspecting if I pushed Oumi down? Once she had this realization, she was utterly furious, and it was most probable that she felt as ashamed as she was furious.

Why will I do such a thing!? Akagi's doubting whatever I do here! Does he have no confidence in me at all?

She was peeved and shamed, the furor exploding in her mind.

She grumbled, "Why must I be yelled at by you!?" , and Koremitsu yelled back "I’m worried about you!!"

Koremitsu's eyes conveyed an intense, stern feeling that pierced through Honoka's eyes.

(Ahh, Akagi's really worried for my safety. That's why he's so angry at me.)

Honoka realized it,

And thus, she inadvertently felt depressed about it.

Her nose buzzed, and she looked ready to break down in tears, but if she did, Koremitsu would be left flustered, and would give his utmost to help her.

But even if it was such an arduous thing to do, even though he was completely battered, Koremitsu would treat her just as he treated the other girls.

However, that was what she really hated.

She really hated herself from showing her weakness to others, and she would not allow herself to do it. If she were to, Honoka would not be Koremitsu's Heliotrope anymore.

Koremitsu probably would not have thought of Honoka as the reliable Heliotrope anymore.

(I really decided to be Akagi's Heliotrope.)

She already made up her mind once she revealed on her website that she was actually not a love expert at all.

Even if this love was never to blossom, she would continue to persist.

She wanted to continue being the sturdy, cheerful purple flower Koremitsu cannot live without with.

Koremitsu was dumbfounded as she exclaimed that she did not need his help anymore.

—"There’s no way you can protect two at once!"

After saying that, her heart was again pierced once she wondered if he was hurt as a result.

She could not look at his face directly, and ran down the stairs.

(I love Akagi.)

She was hopelessly in love with him, and she really, really, really loved him.

(But Akagi's favorite isn't me.)

Boys typically flock towards those weaker girls who gave off the need for protections.

(Akagi surely won't end up liking people like me.)

But even so, she wanted to be involved with him.

She did all she could for Koremitsu's sake.

(Even if we can't be lovers...I hope to at least be a Heliotrope that can help you.)

She went to the back of an old building down the street, and it was a stark contrast to the clear, bright street outside, being a path that was dark and empty, devoid of people.

One would get the feeling of a ghost appearing there.

Honoka did not believe in superstitions, and was not afraid of ghosts.

However, the damaged building windows were rattling due to the wind, and there was a phantom hand reaching between the gap of the two buildings, grabbing her neck, causing her to feel goosebumps.

(There aren't any ghosts at all.)

She said as she entered deeper into the alley. Whenever the rustle of the leaf grazed her neck, she would shiver in fear.

(Where's the Poppy at all?)

She gripped the cellphone in her hand firmly.

At this moment, there was some dim light shining from the road outside, a slender female figure appeared in front of her.

It was a slender body, a pale head.

Long hair draping down.

Dressed in a skirt, holding a crimson bouquet of flowers called the Poppy.

(Miss Kanai...!)

The appearance of Yū Kanai, ever the fleeting figure who stood by Koremitsu, sheltered by the latter, overlapped with the woman holding the bouquet of crimson flowers, and she was startled.

At that moment, the herm of the skirt and the fluffy long hair turned, and the 'Poppy' escaped.

"Wait!"

She hurriedly fished out the cellphone to take photos, and began to give chase after the 'Poppy'.

(Did she find me? Is the 'Poppy' Miss Kanai after all!?)

The ponytails behind the head swayed violently, and once the glasses slipped, Honoka threw it aside, giving chase as she held the phone with one hand and she pressed the camera shutter.

The crimson flowers the 'Poppy' held was scattered, and she dashed off to an alley deep within the darkness within the cluster of buildings. Finally, she ran down to the basement of a 4 level building.

Honoka too dashed down the stairs.

Her footsteps echoed along with the 'Poppy's, and she heard the sound of a door opening and closing.

The 'Poppy' had reached the level below, and had vanished without a trace. Honoka nudged aside a heavy metal door, and entered the basement, finding it completely pitch dark.

(Miss Kanai...where are you?)

She cautiously entered by using the light from the cellphone, and the crimson flowers from before suddenly appeared.

There was probably a light inside the bouquet. The thin, translucent petals that covered the stems became a lamp, as dim as a flickering, burning candle, swaying away.

"Are you in there?"

Feeling completely tense, she approached the flowers.

Once her eyes got used to the darkness, she could at least see who was the one holding the flowers.

A slender body, with long wavy hair.

"Miss Kanai...?"

Honoka's voice echoed from the icy walls, only to have something powdery thrown at her face out of a sudden.

"!"

The numbing fragrance entered her nose, and she was left coughing helplessly. While she snivel and coughed with teary eyes, it appeared the other party ran out of the basement.

As the bouquet was thrown aside, the crimson flowers spread in the darkness, scattered all over the flower. She heard the door being shut, and though she kept coughing, she continued yelling,

"Miss Kanai! Listen to me! I won't tell Akagi or anyone else that you're selling drugs! I'm willing to delete the photos I have if you will stop! So—"

Her head got dizzy, probably due to the powder kicking on. She stumbled to the door, but could not open it.

The door was locked from the outside?

She felt chilly within, and at the same time, blue smoke came through the gap in the door.

A sweet fragrance.

The same scent as the powder she was thrown with!

(I can't breathe it in!)

She instinctively realized, and held her breath, trying to pry the door open, but no matter how she tried to turn the handle, push or kick at it, the door would not budge.

"Miss Kanai! Please open the door! Miss Kanai!"

No matter how much she yelled, there was no response. She did not know whether there was anyone opposite. Perhaps the other party had already left for quite a while.

(Got to call the police—)

She fished out the phone from her pocket. Even in the darkness, she was familiar with the positions of the buttons, and she could input the characters accurately without looking.

The moment she began however, she suddenly stopped.

(If the police come, Miss Kanai will be arrested.)

At the very least, they would question her on what actually happened. Even if Honoka did not mention, the former would be investigated as the Poppy, and the potential drug trade would be looked into.

Honoka's fingers stopped on the button.

(What do I do? I have to to get out of here. But how?)

She made use of the light from the cellphone to wander around the room, looking for other exits, if there was anything to unlock the room.

It appeared that this basement was abandoned, and there was a lot of broken items scattered all over the floor, such that one had to wonder how many times she tripped over those items.

Just when she was at a loss on what to do, a sweet scent drifted in from between the gap of the door, filling the entire room, and she was left faint and limp.

She lost her poised decision making ability, anxiety rose in her head.

Once she heard the sound of fire burning outside the door, she was shocked.

(You're kidding...a fire!?)

She hurried off to the door.)

She held the handle, and the sharp heat caused her to relax her hand.

"!!"

She hurriedly retreated, and the phone on her other hand dropped off.

A fire blazed on the other side of the door.

Honoka bent down to pick her phone up, breathing in some of the sweet smoke drifting between the door, and collapsed onto the floor.

She kept coughing, the scenery in front of her swirling.

(Where's my phone?)

She tried to reach her hand out, only to collapse weakly.

Her heart was pounding so fast it seemed she just went through a track meet, and her head got increasingly tense. A gong rang at her eyes, and the building was swirling around.

(I can't find my phone.)

The temperature of the icy floor was gradually increasing. If this was to keep up, she would probably be burned to death

(I never got to date a guy)

Her personal Purple Princess website was filled with lots of love stories, but she secretly admired those that could kiss their boyfriends on the ferris wheel in a theme park, hold hands and watch the stars at the coast while the moonlight shone upon them, those that would book a karaoke box with their flustered boyfriends, making them sing love songs, and wanting to sing another one for them.

From the moment she got interested in Koremitsu, whenever she had an idea of the date, the idealized partner would be him.

(I-I've only been to the pool and karaoke with Akagi. I never did go to a theme park, an aquarium, a zoo, a game center, a seaside, skiing or anything like that.)

At this point, she was curled up, coughing away, unable to move. What am I thinking of right now? she was still peeved at herself for being so carefree, and looked ready to burst into tears at any given moment.

(There's no way I have a chance to kiss Akagi on the Ferris Wheel or something.)

Akagi likes girls who are completely different from me, and that will remain the same.

(But Akagi, I like you.)

She loved his determined eyes.

She loved his rigid, yet earnest words.

She loved his roar, and his stammer whenever he got flustered.

She loved his stiff, yet cheerful 'Yo' whenever he greeted her.

She loved his bony hands, and even the way he raised his eyebrows, give that cringed face, and remained silent.

No matter who Koremitsu loved at this point, Honoka could not contain her deep love for him.

(Akagi's really a bad person. Whenever I want to resist him thinking 'what kind of joke is this? What is it about him that I like?' he always shows me that cool side of his.)

—I'll protect you!

The first time she felt interest in him was when she first heard those word, when she saw Koremitsu giving her a grim look.

Once she knew this man was different from others, Honoka gradually gravitated towards him.

—"I haven’t forgotten, Shikibu. About you saying you like me."

—"I don’t really know what sort of feeling this is,"

—"And even though you asked whether you can like me, I still can’t answer it now, but I’ll definitely find an answer!"

—"S-so-so anyway, can you please wait for just a little?"

It was the end of summer vacation, on that night when everyone was gathered at the riverbank. Back then, Koremitsu stared at Honoka, his face blushing as he said this.

I'll definitely find an answer, so anyway, can you please wait for just a little?

Honoka's cheeks were flushed, and she nodded.

—Y-yes.

It was an important promise.

Koremitsu definitely would not lie about it. Thus, he would not let Honoka's confession come to pass for nothing, and he definitely would give her a response.

No matter the final outcome, Honoka was delighted that Koremitsu was willing to think about her. Once she heard that she had to wait, her heart began to throb.

(I've yet to hear Akagi's answer. No, I don't want to die yet. Not yet! I can't die like this without hearing his answer.)

Suddenly, an intense melody rang in the darkness.

It was the passionate love song from her favorite band.

The ring tone indicating Koremitsu!

With her utmost, Honoka reached her hand out to the source of the melody.

Her fingertips touched them, and once she received the call, she heard Koremitsu's voice.

"You finally picked it up, damn it! Where are you right now!?"

Once she heard Koremitsu bellowing, Honoka's chest was filled with agitation.

"I-I'm in the basement...A-Akagi. There's a fire."

She could no longer think. She reported on her position, and it appeared Koremitsu could tell that Honoka was in a critical situation.

"I'm going over now! Hang in there!"

He encouraged.

"Akagi, my confession, give me a reply."

"Huh?"

"Give me a reply now."

"Wh-what are you saying?"

"I-I can't wait anymore. I may be burned to death before you even get here."

"You idiot! Don't die now!"

"I definitely won't be able to ascend to the afterlife if I don't hear your answer."

"Who allowed you to die? Stop thinking such nonsense now and live on!"

"Yeah! Live on! So tell me right now! I'll possess you if I become a ghost without hearing your answer, Akagi~~! I don't want to do such an indecent thing!"

"If you are to haunt me as well, what am I to do?"

"So give me a response!"

She wanted to be dumped before she departed.

With that, she would leave her mortal life without regrets.

"Seriously, you are the classmate who just so happened to sit beside me!! You aren't my love interest!!!!"

Honoka yelled as she placed her ear on the phone.

Suddenly, the door opened.

The smoke came roaming in.

Standing on the other side was a panting Koremitsu, his face completely contorted.

After that, he yelled at Honoka, the latter still dumbfounded.

"You're one huge idiot!! Honoka Shikibu is not an ordinary classmate to me!!! She's a woman I like!!!!"

Honoka Shikibu is not an ordinary classmate to me!!! She's a woman I like!!!! Koremitsu yelled the moment the door was opened.

His heart was pounding furiously from the moment he dashed through the ticket gantry till the moment he found this room in the basement.

Please be safe He prayed quietly as he darted through the crowd, putting his phone at his ear. Even after he managed to get through however, she demanded a confession from him. He was shocked and furious, almost crushing the phone in his hand.

(What are you thinking when your life's on the line, you idiot! You say that you'll haunt me as a ghost? Hikaru alone is enough to cause me much trouble! If you're going to come into the bathroom with me, what am I to do!?)

I definitely won't let you die!

Thanks to Honoka's interrupted words, he dashed down the stairs leading to the basement, and found an abnormal situation in front of him, one beyond expectations.

There was a censer in front of the door, and sweet smoke and flames rose from there. The door was already scalding, and a burning pain permeated through his body the moment his skin touched it. However, he did not care as he turned the knob, and pushed the door down.

I worked so hard at such a crucial moment; breathing this is —he grimaced, his mind about to melt. Honoka however shouted, Seriously, you are the classmate who just so happened to sit beside me!! You aren't my love interest!!!!

You're really a troublesome woman! A dolt of a woman!

You aren't just some ordinary woman! If you're just an ordinary classmate, why am I being so heartbroken!?

She was always like this. She never held back when she talk, and suddenly, she told him "I think I like you" , and then she blushed, following it up with "like, not love!" , and never gave him a chance to answer.

After that, she kicked Koremitsu, having assumed he was a lolicon. To correct his lolicon tendencies, as she said, she proceeded to read some gravure magazines in a karaoke box with him.

And there was the moment when she suddenly appeared at Koremitsu's corridor.

The time when the duo sneaked into the school pool in the middle of the night, when she placed her head at his chest in a bashful manner, sweetly asking,

"You better protect me, okay?"

That caused his heart to throb. After that, when they met in the library, she said

"...I think it’s better for us to see each other less often."

But when she was at Koremitsu's house.

"I-is it alright that...I find myself liking you?"

The way she lifted her head bitterly to look at him caused his heart to throb.

Koremitsu had always caused trouble for her, always needing her help. However, his heart kept pounding whether he got her involved. Her words and actions were always so ludicrous that he could not understand, let alone think about it.

There was no woman as troublesome as she was.

If they were just mere classmates, he would have kept his distance without saying another word.

The reason why he never did so however was that she was no ordinary classmate to him.

—"Yeah, if there’s only one person in the entire school I’ll choose to trust, that’ll be her. It’s that kind of trust."

The words he said to Hikaru were not a lie.

He trusted Honoka.

It was neither a boast nor a wish. Looking at Honoka's utmost efforts, Koremitsu gradually realized that the goodwill she showed her never changed in the slightest.

—"I'm your Heliotrope after all."

Honoka had a cheerful face, candor tone, and blabbermouth of a tongue. That appeared to be for granted.

Yū herself did call Honoka 'Mr. Akagi's Heliotrope'.

And when he thought about it, while all his interactions with the other girls were due to the promises Hikaru had to fulfill, Honoka was the only one different.

He recruited Honoka for assistance to understand Aoi's true feelings, but Honoka was not one of Hikaru's flowers.

She willingly approached Koremitsu, and she was the one who got down to interact with him verbally, a wildflower who bloomed for no one.

Then, she became Koremitsu's Heliotrope.

She did her best to help Koremitsu, to support him, and finally fell in love with him.

—I think I like you.

He could not forget.

That was the one actual confession Koremitsu received.

Honoka was the first to love Koremitsu, the one shunned by everyone else. She did not love Koremitsu for being Hikaru's representative, but for how Koremitsu was.

That was why there was no way he could forget about it!

That was why they were no mere classmates!

Before he got to this place, Koremitsu kept recalling the words he read on Honoka's webpage in the train, all the efforts she put in for his sake, the times they were together. While being in such dire stress, he vented all his restrained emotions with gusto,

"Honoka Shikibu is not an ordinary classmate to me!!! She's a woman I like!!!!"

Having witnessed Koremitsu's new hairstyle for the first time, Honoka, still sprawled on the floor, looked up at him.

He grabbed her arm, and stormed off.

However, the entrance was blocked. They could not get out.

"Damn it!"

While he cussed, Hikaru said,

"Koremitsu, there is a fire hose at the wall."

Koremitsu turned to where Hikaru was pointing, and had a closer look. He was unable to see it clearly however, as it was probably too dark.

"Over here! Hurry!"

Koremitsu followed Hikaru's lead,

"Wait for me."

He let go of Honoka's arm, raised the fire hose, and grabbed it without a second thought. He held the lever, pointed the hose at the fire, and the foam proceeded to extinguish.

The foam mixed with the fire, and after a while, the fire was finally weakened, only extinguished completely when the fire was completely put out.

"Haa..."

"Thank goodness."

Koremitsu then climbed the narrow staircase, dragging the lifeless Honoka with him.

Honoka's feet were already unstable, but she still wanted to push him aside.

"Enough alright. Just lean on me!"

Having said that, he grabbed Honoka by the shoulder and pulled her over.

Though she was weeping, Honoka continued to put up a facade.

"Wh-what's with that...why, did you save me—I told you I don't need your protection. You idiot, idiot...idiot."

It seemed there was such a scene before...Koremitsu's heart was suddenly griped.

It was after he had a kiss with Tsuyako in the garden party.

At the backyard of the school, Honoka wailed as she slammed at Koremitsu's chest.

—Idiot, idiot...idiot.

He recalled the bittersweet feeling of Honoka sobbing and flailing her fists weakly at his chest.

Like before, her hands and hair were resting on him, her breathing beating down on his throat and face, her trickling tears gradually dampening Koremitsu's shirt.

And just like before, he was shocked by Honoka's petite shoulders.

"You're the big idiot here. Why didn't you hurry up and call me for help?"

"Th-that's because..."

"You're definitely thinking that if the police knows that Yū's selling drugs, things will get complicated, right?"

Once he said this,

"Ugh."

Honoka, stammering away, was left speechless.

"I guess that's it. The reason why you tailed Yū is because you got evidence that Yū's the 'Poppy', right?"

"..."

Honoka averted her eyes, pouting, and remained silent

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"..."

"You think I'll falter because of that?"

"..."

Honoka's shoulders shook a little. She worriedly lifted her head at him, hesitant to speak.

That was the answer.

He already knew of Honoka's intentions the moment he browsed through that personal website.

Everything was for Koremitsu's sake.

—Just like you, she’s the type who wants to protect others.

Right.

This girl here is definitely like me.

They were similar in how they had the heart to protect each other, how they worked so hard that they failed, how they kept ignoring their surroundings as they kept moving forward with zest, and even how they remained morose.

Honoka kept her lips sealed, and that clumsy sight of her dour self caused Koremitsu to feel love for her.

"You said that I don't have to protect you...but I want to. I can't leave you alone when I know that you're in danger."

He immediately conveyed his feelings.

Yes, he wanted to protect.

It did not matter whether Honoka was weak or strong.

It was because it was Honoka that he wanted to protect her.

Honoka's face was contorted, her eyes again glittering, and she chided him,

"I say, why must you keep saying such things...y-you just said that you like me. That's a lie. I won't be haunting you as a vengeful ghost even if you do tell me that you don't have any feelings for me."

"I say, it's not like I don't have any thoughts at all?"

Why did she remain this obstinate even at this point? Did she still think Koremitsu did not love her.

Even on her personal website, she ranted about how he never thought of her as a girl, how she would have an unrequited love, how she kept swiveling on the chair—

But even so, didn't you provide lots of love advice, Purple Princess? Argh, you aren't a Love Expert after all. I'm completely fooled by you.

If I don't clarify things now, this stupid woman won't understand.

Feeling completely vexed, Koremitsu declared solemnly,

"I like you, Shikibu Honoka!"

He tried to repeat himself, but this girl falling in love with Koremitsu for the first time, let alone a love expert, had yet to completely understand what was going on. There seemed to be something probing her chest, as Koremitsu proceeded to embrace Honoka.

Honoka's body froze for a while, and remained in Koremitsu's clutches, unwilling to part.

And then, with a choking voice, she said,

"I'm so happy I can die right now."

"You idiot. I won't let you die like that."

Love gradually aroused in them as they embraced each other with increasing might. The stench of sweat could be scented upon, and their heartbeats could practically be heard, the sounds beating in harmony—

At this moment,

"Erm, Koremitsu, I know this is a critical situation where we finally made it out of a crisis, and I do know that I am being a hinderance here, but I suppose we should be leaving here. A love scene in a night alley is probably a little too much for you to handle."

"!"

Koremitsu abruptly released his hands from Honoka.

Koremitsu could only watch on wryly.

"A-Akagi..."

Why did you let go so suddenly? Honoka stared at Koremitsu unhappily. If Koremitsu was to give a dodgy excuse, Honoka would misinterpret it as him not liking her in one bit, and would give him a flying kick.

Feeling fidgety, Koremitsu racked his brain for an answer.

"Speaking of which, erm...why did you think Yū was the drug dealer?"

No matter how tense Honoka was, surely she would not have suspected others for no proper reason? There definitely had to be be something.

Honoka suddenly scowled, remaining silent and somewhat hesitant.

"Yū's not the drug dealer. Tell me all you know."

Once Koremitsu said that, Honoka finally spoke.

"I got a message saying that Miss Kanai's selling drugs."

"A message?"

As expected, Honoka received a message from the Poppy. Who was the person, and for what purpose, did she do such a thing.

While Koremitsu looked on grimly, Hikaru noted,

"I suppose Miss Shikibu did take a few photos of Yū before this. There should be a photo of that person who arranged for Yū's return, no?"

"Hey, show me the photos you took."

Honoka handed her cellphone over to Koremitsu with a stoic face.

He opened a folder titled 'Kanai', and the photos were displayed one by one.

There was Yū holding the bouquet of Poppies in her hand, riding on a car, entering a serene looking isolated house.

From there on—

Koremitsu stopped his hand from flipping to the next image.

"...!"

Hikaru too watched on with a stiffened face.

Shown on Honoka's screen was a genial, bespectacled youth with frail shoulders.

### 007. Chapter 7: The Her Inside of Me

"I have returned~ Third Princess."

Kazuaki returned to the mansion that was meant for his private time, and stated this triumphantly the moment he pushed the doors of the living room aside.

A grin appeared on his red lips, the soft long hair with slight curls, and the hem of the skirt swayed gently as he strode forth in a dancing manner, sticking his face on the cage as he chuckled in delight.

The chameleon in the cage stuck its tongue out with a stoic expression.

"I did it! I tricked that Honoka Shikibu who is on good terms with Koremitsu Akagi and locked her in the basement. She thought I was Yū Kanai, shouting at me "Miss Kanai! Miss Kanai~!". Ha, how funny is that? I lit the incense there, and now she might be having hallucinations of seeing Yū Kanai. Honoka Shikibu might have hallucinations of killing Yū Kanai here? Either way, I really am looking forward to seeing such things happen in the real world, Third Princess~"

He brought his cheeks to the cage for the umpteenth time, brought out the cricket feed, and the chameleon instantly feasted upon them before they could scatter.

Mesmerized by everything, Kazuaki spoke with a sweet voice,

"I was really shocked that Honoka Shikibu was wandering around the place where the deal was supposed to go through, and really shocked that she entered the chat room. If Koremitsu Akagi is to know that Honoka Shikibu was locked in the basement by Yū Kanai, he will definitely be feeling upset. I suppose I should enjoy the sight of her being intoxicated, and call in a report the following morning. What a perfect victory, Third Princess!"

He leisurely spun around, the hem of his skirt swaying.

He looked at himself in the mirror.

"Hm, this hairstyle is pretty rough too."

He scowled.

"The curls on the hair really do not feel nice, and the light brown color really looks ugly...Hikaru and Koremitsu Akagi really have bad tastes to be infatuated with women of such hair colors."

He noted with spite, took off the wig with those little curls, and put on the wig with the long black hair he liked.

He saw the black, glossy hair draped down his slender shoulders to his waist, and his fingers felt an icy sensation; upon this, he finally showed a satisfied smile.

"You see? I am prettier than they are. Hey, do you not feel this way too, Third Princess?"

Kazuaki lit his favorite incense, and the sweet aroma spread in the room, agitating his heart further.

"Black hair go well with women all, and it has to be long black hair. Those sluts with their brown hair permed into curls can just die for all I care. It will be great if Yū Kanai is told off by Koremitsu Akagi 'you are a whore of a non-virgin', take up the chopper, cut her arm off and kill herself. Koremitsu Akagi will go crazy as well."

The reason why he approached Yū while the latter was in Australia with her mother was so that he could get his revenge on Koremitsu.

Through his investigations, he found that Koremitsu had feelings for Yū, who was one of Hikaru's lovers.

Kazuaki first contacted her, Yū, and convinced her.

His voice was similar to Hikaru's, and by speaking to her with that voice, and showing that usual harmless, tender face, he was able to obtain her.

That was why he called her a frivolous non-virgin.

She talked to a man she was unfamiliar with, looking so cheerful, but she was so deplorable, she basically spread her buttocks wide, telling him to enjoy.

But while he was secretly resenting her, on the surface, he pretended to be an ordinary, honest, kind-hearted older brother to Hikaru, and managed to lure Yū to Japan successfully.

Then he let her be reunited with Koremitsu, to allow them to feel the sweetness back then.

"Please do not mention about me to Mr. Akagi."

But at the same time, he sealed off Yū's lips.

"He probably will not be happy to see his girlfriend being on good terms with another boy. There is no need to do anything that could cause a misunderstanding."

While his tone was cheery at first, starting from the middle,

"I will be misunderstood by Mr. Akagi. He will hate me. There is no one around me that I can trust."

He plotted to seek Yū's sympathy.

"As I expected, women can be calculative in some ways, but they are fools after all. They are fooled so easily after all~!!"

He had been despising the creatures called women for quite a long while.

Kazuaki, raised as the lone son of the Mikados' head wife, was told from a very young age that he was to continue the family corporation as he was the oldest son. His mother, infamous for her impatient personality, would lash out at the people around them every day.

She said that she wanted pancakes, but when others served it to her on a platter, she would angrily declare that it would be fattening because it was covered with butter and syrup. She yapped that those troublesome picnics should be cancelled, hoping that they would rain, but when it actually did, she lashed out, saying that she finally bought a new dress, and the heavens would not let her wear!

With regards to Kazuaki, attaining good grades alone was not enough for her. She kept teaching him how to order others around, but she was infuriated when he let his classmates copy his homework. If Kazuaki's grades were to slide in the slightest, she would rage at him for being so incompetent, that she could not put on a good face in front of others. Kazuaki's personal tutors too had textbooks, set squares, and compasses thrown at them.

Women are unreasonable.

Women are too stubborn.

To sum it all up, it was because they were women.

Kazuaki's fiancee was utterly terrified of him whenever they met, and it really infuriated him. However, as they were relatives, Tsuyako's appearance was strikingly similar to Kazuaki's mother, and the splendid red hair reminded of Kazuaki of his mother, who would head to a member salon to dye her hair in such an unnatural manner. This further incensed him.

Little Tsuyako is so introverted, always wailing away, cannot make a proper greeting, always making mistakes when she dances, always unable to please me. Is she forgiven because she is a girl? Why is it that I am the one who always gets scolded by mother."

I hate women.

It is too despicable of them to be wearing such pretty red dresses without putting in much effort.

I am more suited than Tsuyako to wear them.

I cannot have cute clothing and toys because I am a boy.

I prefer women clothing.

I prefer girly colors

I do not want to be a boy!

That was the moment when he learned of a shrine hidden in Tsuyako's garden, one dedicated to the 'Rokujō'.

Legend had it that she was a terrifying transformed into a spider during the Heian era, and devoured her husband and the mistress.

Kazuaki was not terrified in the least when he heard of that rumor.

Instead, 'Rokujō' was thought to be purging those filthy women, and he admired her.

The dazzling, terrifying, cruel image of 'Rokujō formed in his heart. His cheeks seared, and he prayed that if he was to be born a girl, he wished to be a woman like 'Rokujō'.

Kazuaki's mother was one of the Udates.

Kazuaki had the blood of the Udates within him.

Ever since then, Kazuaki would feel jumpy whenever he touched the things he liked, the fluttering red skin, the long black wig, the sweet perfume. It seemed there were voices in his ears, You accepted me, and shall become one with me. Now that you have obtained the spider's power, you can exact your vengeance on those filthy women.

The first time he put on the red skirt, he stared blankly at the alluring figure shown on the mirror, and inadvertently brought his face close to it.

Why, this dress suits me much better than it does to Tsuyako.

Yes, yes, yes— I am more suited for this.

Ever since then, he kept snatching Tsuyako's clothes, stealthy stole the clothes from his mother's wardrobe, and stood in front of the mirror, looking at how cute he was.

He wanted others to marvel at his beauty, and he wanted the praise of others, but that was a wish that would never be granted.

Whenever he saw his little brother Hikaru, how the latter was cuter than the girls, such an innocent gentle smile.

Whenever he saw that smile, he felt his heart punctured.

"You are not allowed to talk."

Kazuaki's mother had completely abandoned Hikaru. That is not a person meant to be born on this world. He is the child of a demon, born of the filthiest person in this world.

But Hikaru looked to be shone upon by the clear sun in front of him. His face showed a sanguinic smile that surpassed that of a child, one Kazuaki had never seen before. Kazuaki felt that he was purified just by looking at Hikaru.

Hikaru was always looking at the other girls, never once looking Kazuaki's direction.

But on a party on a certain day, Kazuaki wore the clothing he stole from Tsuyako, and approached Hikaru while crossdressed.

Hikaru smiled, and held Kazuaki by the hand.

"The Tulips I grew have bloomed. They are pretty. Let us look at them."

Just when Hikaru was about to drag Kazuaki along, the latter said,

"I have to go now."

And let go of the hand.

"Well then, let us play together next time."

Hikaru did a pinky swear.

That Hikaru is a fool, so easily bluffed. —but at the following meeting, Hikaru never once looked at Kazuaki, then dressed in male clothing.

Kazuaki was vengeful.

No matter how many years passed, he still could not forget the initial grief he felt back then. Whenever Hikaru was surrounded by women, Kazuaki would be utterly livid.

I am prettier than any of the other flowers you have when I put on the dress. I should be the one!

Why is it that Hikaru cannot realize it

Why is he not spending time with me? Why is he wasting his time with those filthy women!?

He was livid, spiteful, so much that he was suffocated.

Hikaru died because he interacted with those filthy women. And because he did, he got sullied like them. Those women killed Hikaru.

But even after Hikaru died, there was the wretched hound called Koremitsu Akagi going around, saving those women.

Kazuaki wished for all that Hikaru left behind to be completely eradicated.

He wanted to be a women to purge those ugly, filthy women, just as Rokujō did when she devoured the wretched mistress. He wanted to isolate the women Hikaru loved—especially the most beloved, and shatter them.

That was his vengeance upon Hikaru for not knowing his actual identity until the very end, and did not fulfill that promise.

The vengeance on Koremitsu for shaming him—

First, he wanted to use Yū Kanai to crush Koremitsu, the eyesore to him. Then, he would snatch Hikaru's child from the 'most beloved', and raise him up, such that he would only have eyes for Kazuaki, that he would love Kazuaki alone.

"Great if he is born a boy. If a girl, I shall have her undergo a sex change."

While he was daydreaming as he held the chameleon cage.

"You're still that perverted bastard with those damned intentions."

Koremitsu stood at the center of the living room, glaring at Kazuaki Mikado—Hikaru's half brother, with a furious, condescending glare.

Kazuaki lifted his head.

The sweet scent, black hair, white face, silky shoulders, flat chest, slender waist were all giving off an alluring vibe.

It was the first time Koremitsu saw Kazuaki dressed in female clothing so brazenly, but it was chilling how much he looked like a 'woman'.

Leaving aside the body, there was the long, narrow eyes, the red lips that were pouted petulantly, the musky atmosphere. It felt as if the blacks of a woman was taken down and assembled as a human.

Kazuaki narrowed his eyes at Koremitsu—and then looked over at Yū, who was shriveled by the side. After doing so, his lips slowly opened.

He straightened his body, showing an alluring smile—the smile of a 'woman'.

Yū gasped.

Hikaru stood behind her, ostensibly trying to support her as he watched his half-brother tensely.

Kazuaki spoke with the voice that was strikingly similar to Hikaru.

"Ah yes, I did give Yū the card key."

Yū's shoulders again shivered, her fleeting eyes showing fear.

Koremitsu returned to the hospital where Yū was, and admitted Honoka as a patient. It was Yū who requested to follow Koremitsu to Kazuaki.

This was too much for Yū after all, and Koremitsu immediately felt regretful. She was fooled by someone she trusted, and that person was smiling demurely at her while crossdressed.

Kazuaki's lips curled increasingly, his eyes reprimanding as he slowly continued,

"You are unexpectedly brazen to bring a man into my room. Ah, well, there is nothing to be shocked about. You are that kind of person after all, Yū. In any case, you were the one smiling away and skipped classes to come back to Japan with me. I was the one who paid for the flight and accommodation."

"I, did not..."

Yū's face froze as she whispered back in defiance.

Koremitsu raised his eyebrow, and right when he was about to growl, Kazuaki shot him a condescending look as he scanned the former from head to toe, before looking at the chin.

"Hey, Mr. Akagi, this Yū whom you love is this kind of a woman. Your illusions have been shattered, no? I really do want to wish that Yū is arrested as a criminal and corrected, but it is a pity that events were revealed a tad too early."

"!!"

A voice came from Koremitsu's throat.

It was the first time he was so furious that the voice came out. Clearly it showed how this man in front of him, no, this 'woman' really infuriated him.

Kazuaki did not shut up, perhaps having realized the fury surrounding Koremitsu.

The chameleon in the cage maintained its stoic face as it stuck its tongue out.

"Well, listen up then! The fact remains that Yū imported drugs and sold them to earn pocket change. The female drug dealer holding the Poppies has been becoming quite popular on some improper websites out there. How do you feel seeing your favorite girl becoming famous? Huh~!!!"

(I really want to murder this guy!)

Koremitsu wanted to kick Kazuaki down, grab the neck, and smash him. There was a tremendous killing intent in his rage.

Luring out the violent beast in Koremitsu's heart were Kazuaki's eyes, voice, and the sweet scent lingering in the room. Just when Koremitsu was overwhelmed by a dangerous impulse.

"The one who sold the drugs was not Yū, but you, Mr. Kazuaki!"

Hikaru, standing behind Yū, spoke with a clear voice that struck through the heinous atmosphere.

That expression and voice was devoid of hesitation, and Koremitsu regained his composure, yelling,

"That was you!"

"Poppies are no longer in the Japanese market, and there is no way any shop will sell them. If it is you however, Mr. Kazuaki, you can import them by air, or grow time in the breeding nursery under the Mikados conglomerate. There is no way Yū is able to do all this."

"Poppies only bloom in Japan during November, right? There's no way she has any means of obtaining them unless you gave her those flowers!"

At first, there was a bouquet left on the sofa .

After that, there were thin, crimson petals scattered on the floor when Koremitsu visited Yū again.

Following that, on the night he received the ominous message, there was the drug he found in the Poppy bouquet that was placed on the sofa.

It was then that he suspected Yū for the first time based on the computer browser history that indicated the deals.

Yū was merely requested by Kazuaki to hold the bouquet of Poppies and visit the old folks homes as a volunteer.

And during that time, Kazuaki put on the red lipstick, wearing a skirt, wandering around leerily, doing whatever he wanted.

"Mr. Kazuaki hates Koremitsu because of the incident involving Miss Aoi. He wanted revenge, so he approached Yū, brought her back to Japan, and made her a criminal."

"You pretended to be goody-goody and lured Yū back, prepared the cutter on the door, the nails on the corridor, the umbrella with ink on it, and kept causing trouble for her in every way, and you kept sending me one message after another! That's despicable of you! And now you planned to have Yū be a drug dealer?"

The residence of Kazuaki's mother contained that forbidden shrine.

The woman who became a spider and devoured her husband and the mistress was sealed in there. That woman's name was 'Rokujō'; this was what Koremitsu learned from Tsuyako.

The women of the Udates contained Rokujō's blood.

And this slender, black-haired woman , sneering away bewitchingly with her red lips contorted, was the abomination of that spider.

Spitting out those fine threads the eyes could not see, weave its web, and hid itself, awaiting its prey to fall.

"In fact, the one who sold the drugs was Mr. Kazuaki! The one who wore the wig and female clothing, holding that bouquet, pretending to be Yū was—"

"You're the one who crossdressed and sold the drugs, you damned pervert!!!"

Koremitsu's bellow echoed throughout the room. Both Hikaru and Koremitsu were glaring furious at the malicious long black hair called 'Rokujō'.

The red hairs curled.

Showing delight, Kazuaki eked a venomous breath, saying,

"What are you saying now? I do not understand at all~."

A malicious aura oozed from the hair that was as black as darkness itself.

"I do not have any impressions on the pin holders and the umbrella~~~"

There was a sickening sweet trail at the end, and he narrows his eyes, pretending to be curious.

"Ahh~ however, it appears that girl at the hospital reception wants to be my lover, and has viewed as a love rival. Perhaps she was the one who did it. Well, Yū here appears to be easily bullied, always looking so honest and obedient. It is to be expected that she is to be maligned.~"

For the umpteenth time, Koremitsu's rage hit the roof on this day.

What nonsense is this guy saying now!?

Why's he still so shameless at this moment, playing dumb?

He's blaming others for his own crimes

"That classmate of yours, Miss Shikibu, had been tailing Yū here with a scary face, Mr. Akagi. However, their grudges do not have anything to do with me."

Koremitsu again clenched his fists, and Yū paled as she stood by the side. Upon seeing Yū widen her eyes with timidity, Koremitsu felt a deep pricking pain within him.

At the same time, his rage at Kazuaki was boiling.

"The photos Shikibu took has you crossdressing. You can't say that you aren't involved here."

"But that is simply what it appears to you, no? That is because you do not wish to admit that Yū is the culprit. She is not that kind of woman you think of."

"What did you say!?"

Yū too appeared to be on the verge of breaking into tears. The moment he swung his fist, Kazuaki narrowed his eyes curiously.

"It seemed Yū knew that Miss Shikibu learned that she was involved in drug dealing, and located her in the basement, and drugged her~"

"...I know. Shikibu's now lying on the hospital bed. You drugged her, and nearly burned her alive."

"Ehhh~ a fire too? I did not know at all."

"!!! Yū was in the room the entire time when I went to Shikibu. She was on the way to do that volunteer work you told her to do, but went back to her room because she left something. Looking at the time, it's not possible for Yū to lock Shikibu. Also, Yū has the alibi of doing volunteer work all this time while you were going around doing your deals. I just need to get those old men to prove it, and those guys in the hospital would have seen Yū entering!"

Yes, there was a lot of evidence indicating that that Yū was not the Poppy, that Kazuaki was.

The situation at this point was highly disadvantageous to Kazuaki.

(But why's he still being so calm at this point? While being that crossdressing pervert wearing that wig and skirt.)

It felt that Koremitsu's group was the one pressured instead, and he felt anxious within.

"Well everyone, if you can prove it to me."

"Wha—"

While Koremitsu remained speechless, Hikaru spoke with disdain,

"It is impossible, Koremitsu. The old men and everyone else at the hospital must have been under Mr. Kazuaki's command. That is how it is right now."

"They're all his goons!?"

Was that receptionist woman not the only subordinate working under Kazuaki? Was everyone involved with Yū under his watch?

Or perhaps to Kazuaki, the heir to the Mikados conglomerate, he was confident in his power to create false alibis from everyone involved?

What intimidated Koremitsu more than Kazuaki's words was that the latter showed absolutely no remorse over his despicable actions.

What's wrong with this guy's mental construct!?

"Did I not mentioned it before? I can be forgiven for whatever I do, you know~?"

Kazuaki glanced at his phone. That sickeningly sweet voice he spoke with was like a song.

"This here is data that proves the drug deals Yū did as the Poppy. What do you think will happen if I give it up?"

Hikaru gasped, and Yū's face froze.

Koremitsu too felt a chill in his heart.

(Kazuaki's phone doesn't contain any evidence. It's all fabricated. This liar. But what if the hospital guys and the old folks are sided with Kazuaki as he said)

Most would probably think of it as a photo of Yū holding a bouquet of crimson flowers, and perhaps she would be the target of much interest?

Could the delicate Yū actually handle this!? At this moment, Yū, standing right beside Koremitsu, had lost luster in her eyes.

Kazuaki raised the phone, and pressed his finger on the send button. Hikaru tried to snatch the phone away, but he just could not touch it.

"Okay then, let us upload it for the world to see."

"Stop ittt!!!!"

Koremitsu leapt at Kazuaki, toppling the incense burner that was oozing a sweet fragrance. The long, fine black hair swayed in the air like spider threads, scattering onto the floor in an alluring manner.

"Ah, I uploaded it."

Kazuaki, lying on the floor, pressed the button.

"!"

Koremitsu froze. Hikaru and Yū too remained rooted, looking tense.

The chameleon in the cage snapped its tongue, devouring the bug.

Kazuaki got up, sneering as he approached the table. He opened the computer placed on the table, and switched it on,

"Hey, come and look. See? This uploading site is really so popular at the moment~Ahh, how~~ great it is to be able to upload this here. Yū's face should be rather clear here too—"

Kazuaki grinned as he had a look at the computer, but his expression suddenly changed.

It was a look of utter disbelief as he widened his eyes.

Koremitsu and Hikaru too had a glance at the screen, and were dumbfounded.

(What is...going on here?)

The computer screen clearly showed the photo of a woman holding crimson flowers.

The woman was wearing a skirt, her body looked delicate, and she had long, slightly permed brown hair.

White skin, little face.

Red lips.

Intriguing, mysterious eyes.

(...This isn't Yū.)

Shown on the screen was a crossdressing Kazuaki!

"!!"

Kazuaki's lips were shut, his eyes widened as he kept clicking the mouse, and new photos were shown.

The woman holding crimson flowers in this photo was all Kazuaki, and even the photos of him in usual male clothing were uploaded.

It seemed these photos were taken at a party held in a hotel hall. The bespectacled Kazuaki was dressed in a pricey suit, holding a glass of bubbling champagne, smiling genially.

"W-what in the! Why are my photos—! Yū's photos are supposed to be uploaded instead!"

Kazuaki's quivering fingers continued to click the mouse, his face increasingly contorted, large beads of sweat continued to fall, and his breathing was erratic.

An icy voice rang at this moment.

"What you uploaded is proof of your own misdeeds."

His hair still messy, Kazuaki lifted his head agitatedly.

Koremitsu too looked over at the source of the voice.

The tall, intellectual beauty strolled into the room with her long hair swaying.

"Asa!"

Hikaru called out in surprise.

Koremitsu too widened his eyes.

"Saiga!"

That was followed by other voices,

"We have made arrangements with all parties. Even with you abusing the name of the Mikados, you have nowhere to go with the evidence laid out in front of you."

Entering Koremitsu's eyes was the poised, handsome face of Shungo Tōjō.

Followed by a cheerful, noisy voice,

"Wow. The view count is just growing now. I guess my efforts for swapping the photos isn't for naught."

Staring at the phone and talking was Hiina Oumi of the news club, who was supposedly unconscious and hospitalized.

Standing right behind them was the cute, doll-like girl, Aoi, whose lips were curled together, seemingly putting on a facade. Koremitsu was left dumbfounded.

(Even Aoi's here! What's going on here!)

Hikaru remained rooted, his mouth wide open, and he was completely stumped. It was most probable that Koremitsu too was showing a similar look himself.

Kazuaki got on his feet, his face contorted as he yelled from the top of his lungs.

"What!? Why are you here!? I never recalled having invited you here!! Also, how did you get in? Did Asai threaten the manager and forced him to open the door? Why are they listening to Asai and not to me? None of them are of any use. I shall fire them, fire them all!"

To put it bluntly, the dazzling look and swaying hair truly was like that of a woman.

Asai gave Kazuaki a condescending look while the latter was in that state.

"The manager did not obey my words. He obeyed the will of the Mikados' head and unlocked the door."

"I do not know what you mean~"

Kazuaki glared at Asai spitefully.

(The head, as in Kazuaki and Hikaru's dad? I remember he's still lying sick out there..."

"No matter how poor his condition is, as the head of the Mikados, he has to fulfill his duty when the eldest son is to be doing such a thing, no?"

"Father!? He saw it!?"

"Yes."

Asai coldly nodded.

Kazuaki glare so angrily, his blood vessels were about to burst, his face contorted to a point of speechless.

"Why~! Why, why did you do such a thing!? This is overboard! Too much! That is too cruel of you, Asai! Hey, Third Princess! Asai is being too overboard! Like a demon! Wh-what did I do to offend Asai!? Yo-you are are the devil!"

Kazuaki vented his complaints as he held the chameleon cage, and Asai raised her eyebrows.

"— To avoid the judgement of Koremitsu Akagi, put a wet handkerchief in 'The Aoi flower table' You were the one who sent such a weird message, did you? After I ignored it, I had a wet handkerchief placed at my table that day, and after that, there was a dead cicada put in it, followed by pin holders, and then, the requests got increasingly worse. Whenever I received a message, I would have the same items mentioned in the messages onto my table.

—I know that you are the one who placed the chopper from the home economics room in my drawer, Aoi.

—I do not know about that. Did you not put a pin holder from the floral arrangement club in my shoe locker, Asa?

Koremitsu recalled the intense squabble Asai and Aoi had on the school corridor that day.

Back then, he was startled to hear things like chopper and pin holders.

Following that were the messages—

—I never did send any message. Did you not send a few weird ones yourself?

—How can I possibly be sending any to you when we are on harsh terms!

"I do not know! Your personality is so gloomy and cruel, Asai, that you are hating people like a demon. Was it not a certain person in school who did this?"

"Well yes, but someone was ordered by you to do so , I suppose?"

Kazuaki was left speechless.

Any attempts to retort or defend himself were overturned.

"You tried to make me suspect Aoi, but your intentions were completely wrong. The reason why we had that argument so openly was to make you careless."

Asai straightened her back, giving a sharp glint in her eyes; once she was done speaking, Aoi nervously spoke,

"I too received a message telling me to put dress pins and chopper in the 'Morning Glory table', and I had the same items put at my table. It seemed Asa was the one who did it—but."

Aoi's eyes showed a determined glint.

"No matter how much Asa hates me, she definitely is not the kind of person to do such a thing. I know this very well, having grown up with her since young."

Asai restrained all her emotions, pretending to be stoic as she listened to Aoi.

And then, she calmly stated,

"...I have no reason to suspect Aoi. You chose the wrong targets this time, Kazuaki."

After hearing Asai's words, Aoi's cheeks were slightly blushed, looking delighted and proud.

Hikaru's expression too tendered as he stared at them. He had been worried that Aoi and Asai were unable to reconcile their differences since Summer began; surely he must be really happy to know that the bond between them did not vanish.

Kazuaki's face in turn got increasingly contorted, and he hugged the chameleon cage tightly,

"I-I do not know anything...I do not know anything at all~~! Hey, that is right~, yes~, Third Princess~?"

He pressed his forehead onto the chameleon cage as he said that.

The chameleon merely swiped its tongue, unable to provide any defense for Kazuaki.

Kazuaki remained pale and silent, perhaps rattled that his beloved pet was treating him so coldly.

Koremitsu in turn had no intention of showing sympathy.

Hiina too gave a tomboyish smile, saying nonchalantly,

"I, too, pretended to be knocked out and hospitalized. It really is great that I was able to go all out hiding in the darkness."

And just like Aoi and Asai's quarrel, what appeared to be Hiina carted into an ambulance and taken to the hospital was all a sham.

(Really, these guys—)

If only they had given a heads-up. While feeling enlightened, Koremitsu was a little miffed.

How much do you think I worried because of you guys?

However, it may seem that Asai and the others toiled on, endured skepticism and distrust, and fought on with indomitable wills in places Koremitsu could not see.

Tōjō, who was all flustered when Asai and Aoi were arguing, had reverted to his usual self at this point, speaking with a solemn tone,

"Even with the Mikados' influence to censor this incident, and even if you do get escape the legal punishment, the facts that were greatly publicized will never be removed. Those people nominating you as the next head of the Mikados will be thinking about it again. This too includes my father"

There was a war between the Roses and the Wisterias over the next head of the Mikados.

The Roses were led by Kazuaki's mother, and the Wisterias were led by Hikaru's stepmother, Fujino.

Tōjō declared the defeat of the Roses.

Kazuaki stuck his face on the chameleon cage, slightly shivering.

Asai then dealt the final blow.

"Your mother must be feeling enraged now. She may be thinking that this son of hers is useless, and will abandon you. I suppose you should hurry and find a way to appease her."

Kazuaki had his back turned on Koremitsu and the others this entire time, suddenly shivered violently,

"...No...I do not know. I do not know anything~. Not the messages, not the drugs."

The stammering words got increasingly louder, and became spiteful words.

"I just brought Yū back for a little while. I just wanted to show the red dog who shamed me who the boss is here. No! I hate this!! I should have realized it back then! I feel filthy talking to all the women related to Hikaru!!"

Kazuaki immediately turned around.

The black hair fell, and his eyes were utterly vengeful as he glared at Yū, who was shriveled behind Koremitsu. He opened his red lips, yelling with all his might,

"Of course! Stop pretending to be pure! You definitely slept with Hikaru in that tattered apartment and enjoyed yourself there! You are undoubtedly a bitch!"

In any case, he decided to counter the combined assault from Asai's group, and aimed for the weakest amongst them,Yū.

(This guy's rotten to the core!)

Hikaru's face cringed, and Koremitsu charged forward with a clenched fist. Tōjō too approached Kazuaki with a grim face simultaneously.

But at this moment, some long, soft, frilly hair gently passed by Koremitsu from the side.

(Eh?)

And it suddenly stopped.

At that instance, Yū got right in front of Kazuaki, and delivered a resounding slap at Kazuaki's right cheek.

(!)

Koremitsu could not believe it.

She slapped him!

Yū actually slapped him!

Hikaru, floating around, watched on with his mouth agape. Asai, Aoi and Hiina too looked astonished.

Tōjō in turn widened his eyes, looking dazed, his hands cupped over his head as he knelt down on the floor.

He had assumed that Yū was a feeble, honest girl, had a crush on her. What exactly caused her to actually slap someone else, , perhaps he was completely shocked.

"This has to be a nightmare..." Kazuaki stammered.

Kazuaki too must have predicted that he would be beaten up by Koremitsu and the others, but never in his wildest dreams would he have expected Yū to return a slap in kind to him.

He was left at a loss.

Yū stared at Kazuaki's face, and whispered,

"That was for...slandering Hikaru and me without any basis."

Kazuaki collapsed onto the floor.

"Unbelievable...that is why..."

His lips let out a vague voice.

And then,

"THAT'S WHY I HATE WOMEEENNN!!!!"

He bawled.

"Women...what about women!! They are weak, foolish, filthy, inferior species. They just need to lower their heads and obey, yet they just use their looks to attract others, feebly rely on others, and say 'I cannot live on without you. You have to protect me'. But they in fact are stubborn, foolhardy beings, I cannot kill them all no matter how many I tried to. Others got fooled by their delicate, sheltered selves, yet they just go about frolicking with the flowers through their own faces !!!"

Large beads of tears melted his mascara, eyeshadow and formation, and he was a terrible wreck.

If Kazuaki was to have a mirror in front of him at this point, surely he would have committed suicide at that instance.

(Anyway, you aren't a girl .)

Perhaps Koremitsu was not alone in this thinking, maybe everyone else had the same thought, but nobody retorted.

It was likely that nobody was in the mood to retort due to how awkward they felt as they saw Kazuaki weep like a bawling child.

"Ugh, but why does Hikaru like women!!! I am much cuter than they are!! I have such nice, white skin, and I am prettier than them. Why...why is he so gentle towards girls! I-I...was never in his sights! The women around Hikaru are all sluts, they lost their virginity! Compared to such filthy brown hair swine, ugh, what am I lacking in!! How can I possibly lose!?"

At first, Koremitsu did not understand what Kazuaki was saying.

At one moment, Kazuaki mentioned Koremitsu's name; at another, he said he was cuter. Was there a link?

Asai raised her eyebrows, and Aoi widened her eyes.

Tōjō continued to cup his head with his heads, and Hiina gave a solemn, tragic look at the weeping Kazuaki.

"..."

Yū too watched Kazuaki sadly,

And Hikaru—

Watched Kazuaki with the exact same expression Yū did.

"M-mother—said that Hikaru was a child born of that wretched woman, so she forbade me from speaking to him...to ignore him...I-I could not look at him at all...if our eyes were to meet, I was to look away...but, I was the one, ignored by Hikaru."

The mascara caused the tears to be dyed black, trickling down the chin, and black beads formed on the skirt.

The son of the wife, and the son of the mistress.

The son who was raised to be the successor, and the son who was not supposed to be born onto this world, slandered by others.

Kazuaki was assumed to be more outstanding than Hikaru in every aspect, that he should be the leading man.

But in fact, it was Hikaru, who should be hiding in a dark corner, overwhelming everyone with that dazzling, brilliant light of an adorable smile of his.

—You have to keep smiling at all times. Everyone will love you because of this.

Hikaru's mother, who passed away when he was young, kept repeating these words, that even if he was teased, he was to continue smiling with sincerity.

Koremitsu knew that Hikaru abided by this promise, and kept showering the people around him with his love, always maintaining his smile, and grew into a boy who was yet to cry.

He too knew that Hikaru was always alone.

But to Kazuaki, Hikaru was probably better than his wretched self, for the latter was always smiling brilliantly.

That was why Koremitsu felt that Kazuaki was jealous of Hikaru, hated him, and wanted to rob him of his true love.

But there was something amiss.

While there was such a feeling, that did not seem to be all—

(Is this guy also one of Hikaru's?)

Kazuaki sniveled.

"Sobs...I wore Tsuyako's red one piece dress, and approached Hikaru...he smiled and held my hand...we even had a promise saying that we will play together next time...after I put on male clothing, even when I did approach him...staring at him intently, he would just smile at other girls— and would not look at me!!!"

(As I thought, it's about Hikaru—)

Hikaru watched the many black trails that glided down the cheeks of his wailing older brother.

One had to wonder what Hikaru was feeling when he heard this sudden confession from this older brother he was estranged from.

The clear eyes were dyed with a little haze.

"H-he would not look at me because I am a boy...did he? Would he come back to speak to me, if I keep wearing that red dress and continue to crossdress? Will he continue to play with me? Will he look at the Tulips in the garden with me? Hey! Hikaru! Tell me! Hikaru!!"

Hikaru watched on in anguish as Kazuaki continued to call his name over and over again.

Asai, Aoi, Tōjō, Hiina respectively scowled, watch on tearily, give a conflicted look, and remained silent.

Koremitsu whispered,

"...Kazuaki, do you like Hikaru?"

Perhaps he was not jealous at Hikaru, but at the flowers Hikaru loved?

His hair ruffled as he glared at Koremitsu, Kazuaki's face, now looking like a bawling child, was devoid of any presence.

However, he continued to put up a facade.

"I-I do hate him, of course!! Hikaru kept ignoring me, always fooling around with those frivolous non-virgins, and even had a scandal with that Tsuyako who is so much uglier than I am! I really hate him!!!"

His voice echoed through the entire room.

Like Hikaru, Yū too looked on with sadness, and whispered,

"Mr. Kazuaki...you told me before that he wanted to talk to Hikaru. That was...his...true intentions? Also...when I mentioned that Mr. Akagi has fulfilled my promise with Hikaru, you told me with sadness that 'to me, that is impossible'..."

Kazuaki lowered his eyebrows, his lips curled into a frown, his face looking utterly hapless, before he eked out those words.

"Fuu...that was...that was just a lie to bluff you...I really despise Hikaru. Th-that is why...I removed all the Tulips Hikaru grew from the root. But even so, Hikaru never realized that I did it...everyone thought it was Tsuyako's fault...Hikaru then grew new flowers the next day, and went off to play with Aoi and Asai..."

Aoi and Asai widened their eyes.

When Hikaru and the others were younger, that was the incident about Tsuyako ripping out the Tulips grown at Aoi's house.

That was Kazuaki's doing while he was dressed in Tsuyako's clothes.

Was that not because Tsuyako was furious at Aoi for being betrothed to Hikaru, when she had hoped to betrothed to Hikaru herself rather than with Kazuaki?

When confronted with Kazuaki's eccentric thoughts, Koremitsu was left flabbergasted, and at the same time, he felt rage surging from the bottom of his belly.

That incident caused a tremendous psychological trauma to Aoi, and also to Tsuyako.

How could be continue to say such selfish things and cause trouble for others!? Such a callous person!

"!!—Kazuaki, you became so vengeful because you wanted Hikaru to look at you? Are you an idiot?"

Everyone present turned their eyes to Koremitsu.

Feeling utterly humiliated, Kazuaki stared back,

"I-I do not wish to be called a fool by a brute..."

He groaned with vengeance.

But Koremitsu did not hear Kazuaki's words to the very end, as he glared at Kazuaki, quipping,

"The reason why Hikaru never paid attention to you is because you never took the initiative to approach him! Hikaru always wanted friends of the same gender! If you had told him that you wish to be friends with him, he would have gone right at you immediately!"

Koremitsu thought of his own situation with Hikaru.

Hikaru gave his all so that they could be friends.

He waited in the corridor for Koremitsu to pass by, and talked to him "May I borrow your textbook?".

Without that encounter, they would not have become steadfast friends.

"The thing about being friends is that you have to work hard for it! It's a must! If you want to make friends, no matter how scared you are, you have to approach! It's impossible if you don't talk!"

One has to approach another little by little. By repeating the same thing—both sides would get closer, understand each other, and finally become friends.

That was how Hikaru and Koremitsu became friends.

Hikaru was delighted to hear Koremitsu's words—weeping as he heard them. He then slowly approached Kazuaki, speaking with a voice filled with tenderness,

"Brother...even if that girl in the had taken off that red dress and removed that wig, saying that we should go out, I would have nodded. I would also hold your hands and watch the Tulips."

He spoke with an apprehensive, yet distinctively warm smile.

That was what Kazuaki had always dreamed of.

But even so, Kazuaki, being so obsessed with Hikaru, could not see the latter.

Kazuaki too was the same.

The same as the other girls who lost their light called Hikaru, sealed in the labyrinth of sighs.

Kazuaki continued to snivel.

"E-even if I do work hard now, my wish can no longer be fulfilled...because—Hikaru, he is already..."

Leave it to me. Koremitsu thought of his melancholic friend, and faced his friend, saying this.

Then, he yelled,

"I’ll be your friend in Hikaru’s stead! I'll stay with you! What you did to Aoi, Tsuyako senpai and Yū was criminal, incorrigible things no human should be doing! I won't forgive that! But after this, no matter what you do to me, I'm not going to ignore you, and I'm not going to run away! I'll fight you head on and blow up a ruckus! If you dare make another mistake, I’m going to come over no matter where you are and stop you, yelling not to do it! The world may quietly accept your insolence, but I definitely won’t let it slide!"

Kazuaki, collapsed on the floor, looked up at Koremitsu in surprise.

"W-w-what are...you saying...?"

It seemed he was extremely bewildered, not knowing what to say.

Kazuaki was not the only one feeling that way; Asai and the others too were left dumbfounded.

Koremitsu reached out his hand.

First off, they started with an initial greeting.

"Be friends with me! If you want to see Tulips, I'll go with you!"

Kazuaki's teardrops, mixed with mascara, fell from the sullied eyes, his lips quivering. He wanted to spite, but could not eke out a voice.

Koremitsu grabbed Kazuaki's right hand firmly, and pulled him up.

Kazuaki did not resist.

He held onto Koremitsu's hand, and never let go, sobbing as the black hair covered his face like a curtain.

Hey, Koremitsu.

Perhaps I been purposely limited myself in this little world till this point.

I did boast about, saying that I hope to make friends, but in fact, I was never able to do anything.

When I was shunned by the other boys and bullied by them, perhaps I should have taken the initiative to approach them instead.

I did not know when it started, but deep inside, I gave up on greeting them.

Koremitsu, until I met you.

I really wanted to get closer to you no matter what; I called for you, wanting you to turn back.

Ever since that moment, my world expanded.

Also, during the days I was with you, I experienced all kinds of things I had never experienced before realizing things I had been oblivious to.

I boasted, saying that I knew everything about girls; perhaps that is not the case.

Girls are certainly not people who are so feeble they need to be taken care of.

They dedicate themselves, able to proudly do the most foolish things for the ones they love.

Yes, flowers are not simply frail.

They are strong, and tender.

Humans love flowers, but flowers love humans too.

What do you think, Koremitsu?

You saw Yū's determination.

You saw Miss Shikibu's dedication.

Right now, the flower blooms within your heart—

Only you know the name of that flower.

But before you allow me to hear what it is from you, I too have something I wish to end.

No matter the outcome, I will not run away.

I want to share the history of my love, and my experiences when I was alive.

I wish to meet that Wisteria, understand the heart I had yet to.

So this is my final wish.

Can you accompany me?

Are you willing to witness everything until the very end?

While I am on this Earth—

### 008. Epilogue: The Day Heading Towards the Ending

The following day, during the morning of the rest day.

Kazuaki brought a cage with the chameleon in it, and arrived at Koremitsu's house.

"This is what I feel. I do wish to marry this child I took utmost care of as your wife, Mr. Akagi."

The sparkling, expectant expression appeared as he said so bashfully. This sudden, drastic change in attitude was really a little terrifying, but Kazuaki forced the cage into Koremitsu's hands.

"The name is Third Princess, you know~it likes live crickets as food. It does not really show much of its feelings, but do take care of it well."

One had to wonder if the chameleon in the transparent cage had feelings or not, let alone whether it could express its feelings. In the end, it spat its tongue out.

"H-hey, marry—I don't have an interest in marrying reptiles..."

"You cannot accept my feelings? You are the one who asked to be friends after all."

Kazuaki suddenly gave a despondent look as he brought his face over worriedly. At the same time, he shoved the cage onto Koremitsu.

"Well, not really. To suddenly hand me a chameleon here is..."

"But did you not adopt Yū's cat here? If you can take in a cat, you can take in Third Princess, no?"

"I didn't take Lapis in as a wife. And she's with Tôjô now, not with me."

"Well, cats are such frivolous beings after all. Third Princess is still a virgin in the palm of my hand now. Surely she will not veer away."

"Virgin—ack, a female!? I can't tell at all. Whatever, take it back."

"Why must you refuse Third Princess? You do hate me after all, no? You were lying when you said you wanted to see the Tulips with me, right?"

"I say, that's something completely different—"

(ARRRGGGGHHHH, this really is annoying me! Any ordinary guy would have refused it alright. Now he wants me to take over the chameleon?)

3 mere minutes of negotiations with Kazuaki was enough of a hassle for Koremitsu.

The previous night, he left Kazuaki, left a sobbing wreck, obedient, face covered in tears at the apartment, and returned home.

Asai remained silent the entire time, but when they left, she spoke with an icy tone,

"You really are a fool. You will definitely regret being Kazuaki's friend."

Aoi too sounded conflicted,

"Mr. Akagi...I hope you do not get imprisoned by Mr. Kazuaki, or be poisoned by him. Please be on your guard."

She said worriedly. Tôjô too frowned.

"Be careful when making friends."

He gave this solemn advice. Hiina herself looked delighted, chiming in,

"Do remember to inform me when you go see the Tulips. I'll get you a photo to commemorate."

Koremitsu broke away from Asai and the rest on the way back, and ended up being alone with Yū,

"Mr. Kazuaki...is someone different...from what I thought...but I was, really lonely...when I didn't have anyone around me to rely on..."

She whispered,

"Thus, I feel...it's great that you're willing to be his friend, Mr. Akagi."

"Yū, you don't hate Kazuaki at all?"

Once Koremitsu asked this, Yū answered with her clear eyes.

"I suppose so. I guess...it really was a shock to me, but it was thanks to him that...I was able to meet you again, Mr. Akagi."

The fleeting smile appeared on the white, speckless face, and Koremitsu's heart was gripped.

Yū showed a smile, but perhaps she was rather despondent.

"Erm, Mr. Akagi, that promise about the date...is it still valid?"

"...Yeah."

After some hesitation, he answered, and then,

"I got a few things I want to ask you about, Yū."

He gave her a serious look, and she gave a faint smile,

"I understand"

At that moment, Hikaru was at a place Koremitsu could not see, watching over the latter.

They sent Yū back to the hospital, and walked down the frigid street in the middle of the night that was otherwise devoid of human presence.

—My final wish.

Koremitsu's heart ached increasingly once Hikaru said that.

Surely, soon after, many things would come to an end.

"Hey, Mr. Akagi, what is the matter~? You are lying to me after all, are you~? How cruel! How cruel of you~"

Koremitsu was harassed on the corridor as Kazuaki spoke with the same voice Hikaru had. The tranquil atmosphere that occurred the prior day was dissipated completely.

Hikaru chuckled in the air,

"Do accept it, Koremitsu. A chameleon will become cute once it starts feeding. Shiiko will have another new friend."

And rambled irresponsibly.

(Who do you think is the one going to catch live crickets here!?)

But if Kazuaki was to continue harassing him, Masakaze would end up suspecting their relationship here. Any bystander hearing this would misunderstand that Koremitsu fooled another man.

(Good thing Shiiko isn't at home.)

He sighed,

"Got it. This bride—well, leaving that aside, I'll take her in. You fine with that?"

Once Koremitsu said that reluctantly, Kazuaki immediately sparkled,

"Yes! You are the best after all! So different from the rest!"

Koremitsu found Hikaru to be annoying at first when he was haunted, and the older brother too was rather annoying himself. You guys have the same blood after all Koremitsu stare at the cage grumpily, and Kazuaki again leaned forward.

"Ah, yes! Allow me to say this first. I did not write any one of those messages Asai and the rest talked about. The pranks done on Yū was by the receptionist herself. I did affirm it myself, but the slut aiming to be my lover just went crazy because she was jealous of Yū. About the fire underground, all I did was to light the incense there, and it was not supposed to be that big...I did not intend to send Honoka Shikibu information about Yū that often. She was being active around her, so I thought I could use her, but I did not rile her intentionally. It is tragic if everything is blamed on me."

"Hey, wait!"

Koremitsu stopped Kazuaki's motor spiel, and asked with a sharp glare,

"Are you sure you didn't send those messages?"

Kazuaki pouted his lips,

"Hm, that receptionist slut said she was ordered by my representative, that it was for my sake, crying when she said that. That really angered me."

Koremitsu and Hikaru exchanged looks, and Hikaru's face ffroze.

(Wait, Another Poppy?! )

Kazuaki was the one who sold the illegal drugs, but there was another mastermind who sent the messages and spread the seeds of discord amongst Koremitsu's group.

Feeling cold sweat trickling down his back, Koremitsu continued to ask,

"You mean, till this point, not just this point? You never did send any messages slandering all the women related to Hikaru?"

"I say, I do not know anything. I will not lie to a friend."

Suddenly, the cellphone in Koremitsu's pocket vibrated.

Koremitsu placed the cage in the corridor, checked the sender, and found it to be another anonymous message.

Once the message was shown on the screen, Koremitsu gasped.

(Akagi said that he likes me...)

Honoka got up from the hospital bed, spacing out.

Her body showed no anomalies, and she should be discharged on this day.

But it seemed her mind was unable to function properly.

In the basement, she heard Koremitsu shout "I like you, Honoka Shikibu!" when embraced in his arms, and kept repeating the words in her mind.

Honoka Shikibu is not an ordinary classmate to me!!! She's a woman I like!!!! Koremitsu exclaimed that with a serious look, and she felt that she could have dropped dead there without a single regret.

(It's Akagi, s-so, he doesn't like me as a lover, but as a friend, in a platonic manner, maybe...but even so, I'm happy.)

She could not be too hopeful about it.

But she wanted to drown in the happiness, the sensation of Koremitsu's arm embracing her, the angry growl of a manly voice, while the image lingered in her mind.

Just when Honoka wanted to repeat the same sight in her mind again.

The ward door was opened, and a dreamy girl with long, faint wavy hair appeared.

"...Miss Kanai."

While Honoka remained shocked, Koremitsu's lover Yū Kanai appeared to be thinking of something, and she whispered,

"Miss Shikibu, I wish to talk to you...about Mr. Akagi."

"What is it, Mr. Akagi?"

While Koremitsu stared at the phone with a grim face, Hikaru paled as he watched from the side, shivering incessantly.

The words appearing on the little screen were what Hikaru wanted to hide with all his might; those were the perilous words that ruined everything.

"The child in Fujino Mikado's belly is Lord Hikaru's."

At a nearby park, Shioriko glared furiously.

"I never thought I would be called out by you, Shiiko. You really shocked me."

"You're the one who sent me messages saying that big brother Koremitsu lied to me, that he's dealing with Kuze, right?"

The other party played dumb, widening her eyes.

"Eh, what's with that?"

"When we met at the school, you told me 'Mr. Kuze may have caused you trouble, but do your best'. Even Miss Shikibu does not know about Kuze's name. You knew that big brother Koremitsu didn't go to school at that moment, and you sent the message to me, saying 'Koremitsu Akagi went to meet Kuze'. You made me come to school to confirm, and doubt him."

Once Shioriko said this, the other party narrowed her widened eyes, beaming,

"You're an elementary schoolgirl, Shiiko. You're so smart though."

"Why did you do that? What's your aim?"

Shioriko wanted to discuss this with Koremitsu, but it seemed the latter was involved in something troublesome, so she did not want him to worry.

And also, the topic Shioriko was most sensitive about was that Kuze was her real father, so she missed the chance to talk.

"Don't laugh, and tell me."

The moment Shioriko's tone became arid, the other party pulled out a little canister, and sprayed it in front of her.

Shioriko wanted to hold her breath, but was unable to do. Her consciousness began to fade, and she slowly collapsed onto the floor.

Within her blurred vision was the girl acting as Koremitsu's class representative, giving a demonic, alluring smile, saying,

"My other name is Rokujō."

## Footnote

The crimson flowers gently swayed.

The spider spirit hidden in that flower lingers in my body, granting me power.

It's name is 'Rokujō'.

Hey, Hikaru.

On that stormy night, I may have ended your life.

But I regretted it.

So, I buried those wretched women who stained you, and brought a new sacrifice over, towards the place where our hearts passed, the place where it all began, and ended.

So that you shall be reborn in this world again.

## Special Chapter: Kazuaki Mikado's Bewilderment ~ Though I Loathe You.......

At the ancestral home of Kazuaki's mother, the Udates, there was a shrine dedicated to worshiping Rokujō, the woman who transformed into a spider and devoured her husband and the mistress.

The Udates were terrified of this blood flowing in their body, and were ashamed about it, never revealing it.

Kazuaki too learned of this from the servants in the next door while the latter were whispering to each other.

—The madam herself is a descendant of the spider..

They mentioned that the definite reason why his mother treated his father and the mistress so cruelly was because of the spider blood.

They even said that in the past, a woman called Lady Rokujō was married into the family, and that she transformed into the spider during to envy, devouring her husband and that mistress.

Kazuaki also knew about that shrine.

When he accompanied his mother to the Udate residence, he noticed an ancient shrine behind the greenery, one that was deliberately hidden. He also recalled the crimson flowers swaying in front of the shrine, looking so alluring.

(There is that Rokujō person sealed inside that shrine, if I remember correct?)

Having thought that, Kazuaki was utterly terrified, and even froze there.

How wonderful it is to devour and murder those wretched women! I too wish to be like this Rokujō person, to rid all the wretched, filthy, unreasonable women in this world.

While admiring the existence of women, Kazuaki himself wished to be a woman, and also wanted to eliminate all that he despised—he was trapped in such conflicting emotions within him.

Yes, he wanted to be a beautiful, powerful woman like Rokujō, and punish the flirtatuous, puny women.

Wearing the clothing of one of his Udate relatives, Tsuyako, whom he was betrothed to, Kazuaki snuck outside.

He often visited the Rokujō shrine, and would be utterly mesmerized by the crimson flowers swaying in front of the shrine, his cheeks practically sticking towards them; I bullied that girl today in this manner, that girl too suffered such a punishment , he reported.

There was a gathering at the Udates on that day, and Kazuaki removed the red one-piece skirt from Tsuyako's body, wore it, and put on a black wig. The black wig belonged to his mother, so it looked a little too big for his head, the long hair covering his eyes, swaying with the wind. While enjoying the fluttering sensation of the one-piece skirt, he went to the corner of the garden, where the shrine was.

Over there, he found a frail little girl with large glasses staring at the swaying crimson flowers...

"I heard that those flowers are so red because they suck blood."

Kazuaki went to speak to the girl, and the latter cringed her neck in fear, before turning around.

And once the latter spotted him, she cringed in shock, the eyes behind the glasses filled with fear as she remained rooted.

Kazuaki was intrigued by this timid girl, narrowed his eyes, and continued,

He said that the shrine was decided to a terrifying and powerful woman called Rokujō, who transformed into a spider and devoured her husband and the mistress.

He even mentioned that Rokujō used the power of the spider to mutilate all the filthy women.

The petite, bespectacled girl shivered increasingly, her face paled as she listened to Kazuaki.

And so, while trembling,

"Why did Rokujō eat her husband?"

She asked.

"To be one with him forever, to obtain that eternal love."

Kazuaki once read from a book the meaning of the word 'eternal'.

It meant something that could continue to live on, even after the ethereal body was lost.

Something that glittered in the sky.

"Only a special woman like Rokujō can obtain eternal love."

The girl widened her eyes, shivering as she watched Kazuaki, and continued to ask timidly,

"How...do you know about this?"

The crimson flowers swayed with the breeze, and the black hair swayed by Kazuaki in an alluring manner.

At this moment, he felt a powerful force rising within his body. Raising his lips that were covered in red lipsticks, he smiled, and answered,

"Because I am Rokujō."

The reaction of that girl thereafter really delighted him.

She was fidgeting like a turkey, and shrieked. Her eyes could not be any wider, and her face contorted as she ran away in fear.

She tripped over while on the way back, staggered to her feet, and continued to run.

(Ahh, girls really are fools after all. Whose daughter is that anyway? Whatever, I probably will not remember an ugly frail, unimpressive troll like her the next time we meet.)

He giggled as he watched her leave.

"Why am I dreaming of my younger days?"

The following morning.

Kazuaki was dressed in his loose pajamas, his hair ruffled and unkempt, and he began to speak to the caged chameleon placed on the table beside the bed.

"That plain girl broke the legs of her glasses when she turned back to run, and they got stuck to her face. She ran away with all her might, looking so foolish and dimwitted too. Well, Rokujō is a powerful existence after all; it is no wonder that girl got terrified. Little Tsuyako was shocked when I put on girls clothing and became Rokujō herself, staring at me so intently. I say, Third Princess, 'Rokujō' is really such an indomitable, absolute presence. I can be forgiven for whatever I do."

The chameleon Third Princess maintained a stoic facade as it spat its tongue out. She was being so adorable so early in the morning, covered in an alluring jade color. It feasted on the Crickets it liked, catching them effortlessly and devouring them.

Upon seeing that, Kazuaki continued to muttered,

"But for some reason...that man was not terrified of 'Rokujō'. He wanted to be friends with me..."

Rage gradually rose up his forehead, and he pressed it onto the cage.

—I'll be your friend in Hikaru's stead.

That gruff voice was akin to a mongrel's howl, his eyes filled with vigor. Such a scene appeared in Kazuaki's ears and mind, and his body was seething red.

"What a farce that was. That mongrel wants me to be friends with such such a lowly creature. Such a stooge who does not know his place."

With regards to Koremitsu Akagi, the one who paraded himself to be Hikaru's representative, Kazuaki never took heed of him before this.

Kazuaki's face was wrecked because of the incident involving Aoi, and he had a nosebleed. Thereafter, Kazuaki despised him, plotting his vengeance, and for that end, he brought Yū, whom Koremitsu still had feelings for, back to Japan, intending to frame here.

Thanks to Asai and Tojō's interference however, due to some messages, pin holders, gym clothing and so on, the issues Kazuaki paid no heed to came to haunt him, and photos of the evidence and him cross-dressing were uploaded onto the internet. The previous day was the worst day in his life.

At this moment, the Mikados were surely doing their best to delete such photos off the internet. They would also involve the best lawyers possible to deal with the drug issues, so a leniency in judgement would be possible, let alone acquittance.

The vacancy of the Mikados head has nothing to do with Kazuaki at this point. The latter did not wish to take up that position in the first place, and his mother did say that he did not need to be obsessed with standing at the top of the Mikados. What that woman truly desired was something completely different, and Kazuaki was at most a pawn to fulfill her wish.

Perhaps she would be utterly furious that Kazuaki was unable to be of use to her.

Upon imagining his mother being so furious, her teeth gnashed, Kazuaki found it to be laughable, not fazed by the slightest.

(I do feel a lot more relieved that I do not have to take up the troublesome role of being the head of the family.)

He really did have to thank Asai and the rest for being so relieved.

However, he could not accept Koremitsu's request as it was...when Koremitsu grabbed his hand, the reason why Kazuaki never shook it off was because the grip was too firm, and his hand was numb from it...he really disliked those callous, crude brutes that only rely on their physicality and arm strength, and surely he was not something to be easily convinced like that.

—If you dare make another mistake, I'm going to come over no matter where you are and stop you, yelling not to do it.

—The world may quietly accept your insolence, but I definitely won't let it slide!

"...He actually said such disrespectful words to me, the one who will be forgiven for whatever he does...it really is unbelievable. I forgot to grumble about it because I was shocked. Looks like the cells of idiocy has infected. Oh deary me, why is my heart fluttering like this? My face is really burning wildly."

Looking flustered, he placed his forehead on the cage.

And soon after, bashfulness filled his eyes, and he whispered his frustrations,

"Hey, Third Princess...if I am to be in female clothing when we go see the Tulips, will Mr. Akagi hold my hand...?"

## Author's Notes

Hello everyone, this is Mizuki Nomura. The 9th volume of ‘When Hikaru Was On the Earth... is about 'Rokujō". The cover this time follows up on 'Suetsumuhana', a mysterious person! Well, everyone finally got a chance to see that it's really an alluring, wonderful person. Miss Takeoka's blue artwork is really pretty, but to me, her red artwork brings an impact that differs from blue, and I really like it too! Ah! Speaking of which, Miss Takeoka's yellow artwork does give a warm, fuzzy feeling. I suppose I do like all of the color works Miss Takeoka does. (laughs).

This story has finally developed till this point, and all that is left is the final volume. I did mention in the 1 st volume that this story is derived from 'Genji Monogatari' and one other story. Having read the final volume, surely you will be able to realize what that title is.

On a slight change of topic, I did mention to everyone in the 4 th volume of 'Dress' that the final volume of Mr Rito Kousaka's 'Book Girl' manga adaptation will be sold in November. It includes a final chapter created by him, and I would say it is a suitable creation to end off the 'Book Girl' series. I really do thank Mr Kousaka for his care, that he was able to summarize the lines in the original work under his pen. It is beautiful, and I really thank him from the bottom of my heart. The interesting dialogue between Tohko and Konoha really did amuse me. This really is a heartwarming yet painful final chapter for me, and I do wish everyone do read it.

Having read this final chapter, the 'Book Girl' series has finally come to an end, and I'm really gracious about it. 'This series is a fortuitous work where all sorts of things happened, and all that were involved in the work really liked it; everyone put in their love into this work, making it a great work.

The original final chapter of 'Book Girl' had Konoha say that he'll keep 'Book Girl' contained in the world of novels, but that is just his own thoughts, and has nothing to do with me. Also, I do find an unexpectedly high number of people who equate the thoughts of the characters with that of the author's, and sometimes, I'm left at a loss. Wh-why is this happening? I don't have any complicated love affair, and I didn't have any intense hunger for my parents love. My student life has been peaceful, and when I am frustrated, it is mostly about forget about the PE lessons already or something like that. (Because of that, my college life was basically heaven for me since there are no actual sports classes there.)

As a result, this is why I am happily sharing the media mix of my work. Now the only thing I am anxiously looking forward to is a live-action movie adaptation. If the actress acting as Tohko is my favorite, I will have to see it!

The 'Hikaru' series is left at the last volume, but I have to announce a new series once it ends! The illustrator, of course, is Miss Takeoka. Atmosphere-wise, it does feel something similar to both 'Book Girl' and Hikaru', healing-type series, and the themes involved are 'vampires' and 'club activities'. It is a club that most schools will have, so please imagine what kind of club it is until the volume is to be sold.

The new work has about X volumes worth of manuscripts. I was able to prepare this much beforehand, so I still have some time to prepare for it. I can continue to write a volume and some side stories. They will be sold once the new series is sold.

The 5th volume of 'Dress' and the final volume of 'Hikaru' will be sold next Spring. It will be a long series of publications thereafter, and I will be delighted if you can buy them.

I look forward to meeting you again in the 5th volume of Dress'.

Year 2013, November 11 th

Mizuki Nomura.

References:

Haruno Nishino, 1998, 'New Japanese Classic Literature series 57. 100 Noh Songs', Iwanami Bookstore Corporation.

### 009. Prologue

Do you mind hearing a story of me when I was a child, Hikaru?

There was a party, and I got seperated from my mother because there were too many people, winding up in the garden.

I was never a child of outstanding looks and talents, and no matter how troubled I might had been, the adults would not be bothered with me. What they found interesting about me is the thing behind me, my heritage. Tragically, I knew from young that I was not someone worth talking to without this name bestowed on me.

As I wandered around the garden under the moonlight, I found a shrine of stone amidst the lush, green shrubs.

It glittered silver under the faint moonlight, and a stretch of crimson flowers bloomed alluringly, beautifully in anonymity, swaying in the damp breeze caressing the skin. The petals were like quality silk, fleeting and thin, glistening as it absorbed the moonlight.

Through the tender skin, I could see the blood vessels. It was terrifying, yet at the same time, a captivating color.

There was a tinge of malice, lust engulfing the black iris amidst the petals.

—Snap me.

—Take me away.

I faintly heard a rich, sweet voice, and turned over to find a woman dressed in red there.

The crimson flowers swayed alluringly, and the long black hair danced in furor as the woman continued to speak with the sweet voice that lingered in my ears.

—I bestow the power of the spider upon you, the power of the one that obtains the one you love, the one that kills, and the one that possesses.

And then, Hikaru,

I became one with 'her' at that moment.

### 010. Epilogue: The Day Heading Towards the Ending

The following day, during the morning of the rest day.

Kazuaki brought a cage with the chameleon in it, and arrived at Koremitsu's house.

"This is what I feel. I do wish to marry this child I took utmost care of as your wife, Mr. Akagi."

The sparkling, expectant expression appeared as he said so bashfully. This sudden, drastic change in attitude was really a little terrifying, but Kazuaki forced the cage into Koremitsu's hands.

"The name is Third Princess, you know~it likes live crickets as food. It does not really show much of its feelings, but do take care of it well."

One had to wonder if the chameleon in the transparent cage had feelings or not, let alone whether it could express its feelings. In the end, it spat its tongue out.

"H-hey, marry—I don't have an interest in marrying reptiles..."

"You cannot accept my feelings? You are the one who asked to be friends after all."

Kazuaki suddenly gave a despondent look as he brought his face over worriedly. At the same time, he shoved the cage onto Koremitsu.

"Well, not really. To suddenly hand me a chameleon here is..."

"But did you not adopt Yū's cat here? If you can take in a cat, you can take in Third Princess, no?"

"I didn't take Lapis in as a wife. And she's with Tôjô now, not with me."

"Well, cats are such frivolous beings after all. Third Princess is still a virgin in the palm of my hand now. Surely she will not veer away."

"Virgin—ack, a female!? I can't tell at all. Whatever, take it back."

"Why must you refuse Third Princess? You do hate me after all, no? You were lying when you said you wanted to see the Tulips with me, right?"

"I say, that's something completely different—"

(ARRRGGGGHHHH, this really is annoying me! Any ordinary guy would have refused it alright. Now he wants me to take over the chameleon?)

3 mere minutes of negotiations with Kazuaki was enough of a hassle for Koremitsu.

The previous night, he left Kazuaki, left a sobbing wreck, obedient, face covered in tears at the apartment, and returned home.

Asai remained silent the entire time, but when they left, she spoke with an icy tone,

"You really are a fool. You will definitely regret being Kazuaki's friend."

Aoi too sounded conflicted,

"Mr. Akagi...I hope you do not get imprisoned by Mr. Kazuaki, or be poisoned by him. Please be on your guard."

She said worriedly. Tôjô too frowned.

"Be careful when making friends."

He gave this solemn advice. Hiina herself looked delighted, chiming in,

"Do remember to inform me when you go see the Tulips. I'll get you a photo to commemorate."

Koremitsu broke away from Asai and the rest on the way back, and ended up being alone with Yū,

"Mr. Kazuaki...is someone different...from what I thought...but I was, really lonely...when I didn't have anyone around me to rely on..."

She whispered,

"Thus, I feel...it's great that you're willing to be his friend, Mr. Akagi."

"Yū, you don't hate Kazuaki at all?"

Once Koremitsu asked this, Yū answered with her clear eyes.

"I suppose so. I guess...it really was a shock to me, but it was thanks to him that...I was able to meet you again, Mr. Akagi."

The fleeting smile appeared on the white, speckless face, and Koremitsu's heart was gripped.

Yū showed a smile, but perhaps she was rather despondent.

"Erm, Mr. Akagi, that promise about the date...is it still valid?"

"...Yeah."

After some hesitation, he answered, and then,

"I got a few things I want to ask you about, Yū."

He gave her a serious look, and she gave a faint smile,

"I understand"

At that moment, Hikaru was at a place Koremitsu could not see, watching over the latter.

They sent Yū back to the hospital, and walked down the frigid street in the middle of the night that was otherwise devoid of human presence.

—My final wish.

Koremitsu's heart ached increasingly once Hikaru said that.

Surely, soon after, many things would come to an end.

"Hey, Mr. Akagi, what is the matter~? You are lying to me after all, are you~? How cruel! How cruel of you~"

Koremitsu was harassed on the corridor as Kazuaki spoke with the same voice Hikaru had. The tranquil atmosphere that occurred the prior day was dissipated completely.

Hikaru chuckled in the air,

"Do accept it, Koremitsu. A chameleon will become cute once it starts feeding. Shiiko will have another new friend."

And rambled irresponsibly.

(Who do you think is the one going to catch live crickets here!?)

But if Kazuaki was to continue harassing him, Masakaze would end up suspecting their relationship here. Any bystander hearing this would misunderstand that Koremitsu fooled another man.

(Good thing Shiiko isn't at home.)

He sighed,

"Got it. This bride—well, leaving that aside, I'll take her in. You fine with that?"

Once Koremitsu said that reluctantly, Kazuaki immediately sparkled,

"Yes! You are the best after all! So different from the rest!"

Koremitsu found Hikaru to be annoying at first when he was haunted, and the older brother too was rather annoying himself. You guys have the same blood after all Koremitsu stare at the cage grumpily, and Kazuaki again leaned forward.

"Ah, yes! Allow me to say this first. I did not write any one of those messages Asai and the rest talked about. The pranks done on Yū was by the receptionist herself. I did affirm it myself, but the slut aiming to be my lover just went crazy because she was jealous of Yū. About the fire underground, all I did was to light the incense there, and it was not supposed to be that big...I did not intend to send Honoka Shikibu information about Yū that often. She was being active around her, so I thought I could use her, but I did not rile her intentionally. It is tragic if everything is blamed on me."

"Hey, wait!"

Koremitsu stopped Kazuaki's motor spiel, and asked with a sharp glare,

"Are you sure you didn't send those messages?"

Kazuaki pouted his lips,

"Hm, that receptionist slut said she was ordered by my representative, that it was for my sake, crying when she said that. That really angered me."

Koremitsu and Hikaru exchanged looks, and Hikaru's face ffroze.

(Wait, Another Poppy?! )

Kazuaki was the one who sold the illegal drugs, but there was another mastermind who sent the messages and spread the seeds of discord amongst Koremitsu's group.

Feeling cold sweat trickling down his back, Koremitsu continued to ask,

"You mean, till this point, not just this point? You never did send any messages slandering all the women related to Hikaru?"

"I say, I do not know anything. I will not lie to a friend."

Suddenly, the cellphone in Koremitsu's pocket vibrated.

Koremitsu placed the cage in the corridor, checked the sender, and found it to be another anonymous message.

Once the message was shown on the screen, Koremitsu gasped.

(Akagi said that he likes me...)

Honoka got up from the hospital bed, spacing out.

Her body showed no anomalies, and she should be discharged on this day.

But it seemed her mind was unable to function properly.

In the basement, she heard Koremitsu shout "I like you, Honoka Shikibu!" when embraced in his arms, and kept repeating the words in her mind.

Honoka Shikibu is not an ordinary classmate to me!!! She's a woman I like!!!! Koremitsu exclaimed that with a serious look, and she felt that she could have dropped dead there without a single regret.

(It's Akagi, s-so, he doesn't like me as a lover, but as a friend, in a platonic manner, maybe...but even so, I'm happy.)

She could not be too hopeful about it.

But she wanted to drown in the happiness, the sensation of Koremitsu's arm embracing her, the angry growl of a manly voice, while the image lingered in her mind.

Just when Honoka wanted to repeat the same sight in her mind again.

The ward door was opened, and a dreamy girl with long, faint wavy hair appeared.

"...Miss Kanai."

While Honoka remained shocked, Koremitsu's lover Yū Kanai appeared to be thinking of something, and she whispered,

"Miss Shikibu, I wish to talk to you...about Mr. Akagi."

"What is it, Mr. Akagi?"

While Koremitsu stared at the phone with a grim face, Hikaru paled as he watched from the side, shivering incessantly.

The words appearing on the little screen were what Hikaru wanted to hide with all his might; those were the perilous words that ruined everything.

"The child in Fujino Mikado's belly is Lord Hikaru's."

At a nearby park, Shioriko glared furiously.

"I never thought I would be called out by you, Shiiko. You really shocked me."

"You're the one who sent me messages saying that big brother Koremitsu lied to me, that he's dealing with Kuze, right?"

The other party played dumb, widening her eyes.

"Eh, what's with that?"

"When we met at the school, you told me 'Mr. Kuze may have caused you trouble, but do your best'. Even Miss Shikibu does not know about Kuze's name. You knew that big brother Koremitsu didn't go to school at that moment, and you sent the message to me, saying 'Koremitsu Akagi went to meet Kuze'. You made me come to school to confirm, and doubt him."

Once Shioriko said this, the other party narrowed her widened eyes, beaming,

"You're an elementary schoolgirl, Shiiko. You're so smart though."

"Why did you do that? What's your aim?"

Shioriko wanted to discuss this with Koremitsu, but it seemed the latter was involved in something troublesome, so she did not want him to worry.

And also, the topic Shioriko was most sensitive about was that Kuze was her real father, so she missed the chance to talk.

"Don't laugh, and tell me."

The moment Shioriko's tone became arid, the other party pulled out a little canister, and sprayed it in front of her.

Shioriko wanted to hold her breath, but was unable to do. Her consciousness began to fade, and she slowly collapsed onto the floor.

Within her blurred vision was the girl acting as Koremitsu's class representative, giving a demonic, alluring smile, saying,

"My other name is Rokujō."

### 011. Special Chapter: Kazuaki Mikado's Bewilderment ~ Though I Loathe You.......

At the ancestral home of Kazuaki's mother, the Udates, there was a shrine dedicated to worshiping Rokujō, the woman who transformed into a spider and devoured her husband and the mistress.

The Udates were terrified of this blood flowing in their body, and were ashamed about it, never revealing it.

Kazuaki too learned of this from the servants in the next door while the latter were whispering to each other.

—The madam herself is a descendant of the spider..

They mentioned that the definite reason why his mother treated his father and the mistress so cruelly was because of the spider blood.

They even said that in the past, a woman called Lady Rokujō was married into the family, and that she transformed into the spider during to envy, devouring her husband and that mistress.

Kazuaki also knew about that shrine.

When he accompanied his mother to the Udate residence, he noticed an ancient shrine behind the greenery, one that was deliberately hidden. He also recalled the crimson flowers swaying in front of the shrine, looking so alluring.

(There is that Rokujō person sealed inside that shrine, if I remember correct?)

Having thought that, Kazuaki was utterly terrified, and even froze there.

How wonderful it is to devour and murder those wretched women! I too wish to be like this Rokujō person, to rid all the wretched, filthy, unreasonable women in this world.

While admiring the existence of women, Kazuaki himself wished to be a woman, and also wanted to eliminate all that he despised—he was trapped in such conflicting emotions within him.

Yes, he wanted to be a beautiful, powerful woman like Rokujō, and punish the flirtatuous, puny women.

Wearing the clothing of one of his Udate relatives, Tsuyako, whom he was betrothed to, Kazuaki snuck outside.

He often visited the Rokujō shrine, and would be utterly mesmerized by the crimson flowers swaying in front of the shrine, his cheeks practically sticking towards them; I bullied that girl today in this manner, that girl too suffered such a punishment , he reported.

There was a gathering at the Udates on that day, and Kazuaki removed the red one-piece skirt from Tsuyako's body, wore it, and put on a black wig. The black wig belonged to his mother, so it looked a little too big for his head, the long hair covering his eyes, swaying with the wind. While enjoying the fluttering sensation of the one-piece skirt, he went to the corner of the garden, where the shrine was.

Over there, he found a frail little girl with large glasses staring at the swaying crimson flowers...

"I heard that those flowers are so red because they suck blood."

Kazuaki went to speak to the girl, and the latter cringed her neck in fear, before turning around.

And once the latter spotted him, she cringed in shock, the eyes behind the glasses filled with fear as she remained rooted.

Kazuaki was intrigued by this timid girl, narrowed his eyes, and continued,

He said that the shrine was decided to a terrifying and powerful woman called Rokujō, who transformed into a spider and devoured her husband and the mistress.

He even mentioned that Rokujō used the power of the spider to mutilate all the filthy women.

The petite, bespectacled girl shivered increasingly, her face paled as she listened to Kazuaki.

And so, while trembling,

"Why did Rokujō eat her husband?"

She asked.

"To be one with him forever, to obtain that eternal love."

Kazuaki once read from a book the meaning of the word 'eternal'.

It meant something that could continue to live on, even after the ethereal body was lost.

Something that glittered in the sky.

"Only a special woman like Rokujō can obtain eternal love."

The girl widened her eyes, shivering as she watched Kazuaki, and continued to ask timidly,

"How...do you know about this?"

The crimson flowers swayed with the breeze, and the black hair swayed by Kazuaki in an alluring manner.

At this moment, he felt a powerful force rising within his body. Raising his lips that were covered in red lipsticks, he smiled, and answered,

"Because I am Rokujō."

The reaction of that girl thereafter really delighted him.

She was fidgeting like a turkey, and shrieked. Her eyes could not be any wider, and her face contorted as she ran away in fear.

She tripped over while on the way back, staggered to her feet, and continued to run.

(Ahh, girls really are fools after all. Whose daughter is that anyway? Whatever, I probably will not remember an ugly frail, unimpressive troll like her the next time we meet.)

He giggled as he watched her leave.

"Why am I dreaming of my younger days?"

The following morning.

Kazuaki was dressed in his loose pajamas, his hair ruffled and unkempt, and he began to speak to the caged chameleon placed on the table beside the bed.

"That plain girl broke the legs of her glasses when she turned back to run, and they got stuck to her face. She ran away with all her might, looking so foolish and dimwitted too. Well, Rokujō is a powerful existence after all; it is no wonder that girl got terrified. Little Tsuyako was shocked when I put on girls clothing and became Rokujō herself, staring at me so intently. I say, Third Princess, 'Rokujō' is really such an indomitable, absolute presence. I can be forgiven for whatever I do."

The chameleon Third Princess maintained a stoic facade as it spat its tongue out. She was being so adorable so early in the morning, covered in an alluring jade color. It feasted on the Crickets it liked, catching them effortlessly and devouring them.

Upon seeing that, Kazuaki continued to muttered,

"But for some reason...that man was not terrified of 'Rokujō'. He wanted to be friends with me..."

Rage gradually rose up his forehead, and he pressed it onto the cage.

—I'll be your friend in Hikaru's stead.

That gruff voice was akin to a mongrel's howl, his eyes filled with vigor. Such a scene appeared in Kazuaki's ears and mind, and his body was seething red.

"What a farce that was. That mongrel wants me to be friends with such such a lowly creature. Such a stooge who does not know his place."

With regards to Koremitsu Akagi, the one who paraded himself to be Hikaru's representative, Kazuaki never took heed of him before this.

Kazuaki's face was wrecked because of the incident involving Aoi, and he had a nosebleed. Thereafter, Kazuaki despised him, plotting his vengeance, and for that end, he brought Yū, whom Koremitsu still had feelings for, back to Japan, intending to frame here.

Thanks to Asai and Tojō's interference however, due to some messages, pin holders, gym clothing and so on, the issues Kazuaki paid no heed to came to haunt him, and photos of the evidence and him cross-dressing were uploaded onto the internet. The previous day was the worst day in his life.

At this moment, the Mikados were surely doing their best to delete such photos off the internet. They would also involve the best lawyers possible to deal with the drug issues, so a leniency in judgement would be possible, let alone acquittance.

The vacancy of the Mikados head has nothing to do with Kazuaki at this point. The latter did not wish to take up that position in the first place, and his mother did say that he did not need to be obsessed with standing at the top of the Mikados. What that woman truly desired was something completely different, and Kazuaki was at most a pawn to fulfill her wish.

Perhaps she would be utterly furious that Kazuaki was unable to be of use to her.

Upon imagining his mother being so furious, her teeth gnashed, Kazuaki found it to be laughable, not fazed by the slightest.

(I do feel a lot more relieved that I do not have to take up the troublesome role of being the head of the family.)

He really did have to thank Asai and the rest for being so relieved.

However, he could not accept Koremitsu's request as it was...when Koremitsu grabbed his hand, the reason why Kazuaki never shook it off was because the grip was too firm, and his hand was numb from it...he really disliked those callous, crude brutes that only rely on their physicality and arm strength, and surely he was not something to be easily convinced like that.

—If you dare make another mistake, I'm going to come over no matter where you are and stop you, yelling not to do it.

—The world may quietly accept your insolence, but I definitely won't let it slide!

"...He actually said such disrespectful words to me, the one who will be forgiven for whatever he does...it really is unbelievable. I forgot to grumble about it because I was shocked. Looks like the cells of idiocy has infected. Oh deary me, why is my heart fluttering like this? My face is really burning wildly."

Looking flustered, he placed his forehead on the cage.

And soon after, bashfulness filled his eyes, and he whispered his frustrations,

"Hey, Third Princess...if I am to be in female clothing when we go see the Tulips, will Mr. Akagi hold my hand...?"

### 012. Author's Notes

Hello everyone, this is Mizuki Nomura. The 9th volume of ‘When Hikaru Was On the Earth... is about 'Rokujō". The cover this time follows up on 'Suetsumuhana', a mysterious person! Well, everyone finally got a chance to see that it's really an alluring, wonderful person. Miss Takeoka's blue artwork is really pretty, but to me, her red artwork brings an impact that differs from blue, and I really like it too! Ah! Speaking of which, Miss Takeoka's yellow artwork does give a warm, fuzzy feeling. I suppose I do like all of the color works Miss Takeoka does. (laughs).

This story has finally developed till this point, and all that is left is the final volume. I did mention in the 1 st volume that this story is derived from 'Genji Monogatari' and one other story. Having read the final volume, surely you will be able to realize what that title is.

On a slight change of topic, I did mention to everyone in the 4 th volume of 'Dress' that the final volume of Mr Rito Kousaka's 'Book Girl' manga adaptation will be sold in November. It includes a final chapter created by him, and I would say it is a suitable creation to end off the 'Book Girl' series. I really do thank Mr Kousaka for his care, that he was able to summarize the lines in the original work under his pen. It is beautiful, and I really thank him from the bottom of my heart. The interesting dialogue between Tohko and Konoha really did amuse me. This really is a heartwarming yet painful final chapter for me, and I do wish everyone do read it.

Having read this final chapter, the 'Book Girl' series has finally come to an end, and I'm really gracious about it. 'This series is a fortuitous work where all sorts of things happened, and all that were involved in the work really liked it; everyone put in their love into this work, making it a great work.

The original final chapter of 'Book Girl' had Konoha say that he'll keep 'Book Girl' contained in the world of novels, but that is just his own thoughts, and has nothing to do with me. Also, I do find an unexpectedly high number of people who equate the thoughts of the characters with that of the author's, and sometimes, I'm left at a loss. Wh-why is this happening? I don't have any complicated love affair, and I didn't have any intense hunger for my parents love. My student life has been peaceful, and when I am frustrated, it is mostly about forget about the PE lessons already or something like that. (Because of that, my college life was basically heaven for me since there are no actual sports classes there.)

As a result, this is why I am happily sharing the media mix of my work. Now the only thing I am anxiously looking forward to is a live-action movie adaptation. If the actress acting as Tohko is my favorite, I will have to see it!

The 'Hikaru' series is left at the last volume, but I have to announce a new series once it ends! The illustrator, of course, is Miss Takeoka. Atmosphere-wise, it does feel something similar to both 'Book Girl' and Hikaru', healing-type series, and the themes involved are 'vampires' and 'club activities'. It is a club that most schools will have, so please imagine what kind of club it is until the volume is to be sold.

The new work has about X volumes worth of manuscripts. I was able to prepare this much beforehand, so I still have some time to prepare for it. I can continue to write a volume and some side stories. They will be sold once the new series is sold.

The 5th volume of 'Dress' and the final volume of 'Hikaru' will be sold next Spring. It will be a long series of publications thereafter, and I will be delighted if you can buy them.

I look forward to meeting you again in the 5th volume of Dress'.

Year 2013, November 11 th

Mizuki Nomura.

References:

Haruno Nishino, 1998, 'New Japanese Classic Literature series 57. 100 Noh Songs', Iwanami Bookstore Corporation.

## 10. Volume 10 (Finale) - "Fujitsubo"

### 001. Chapter 1: Wistaria Tempts From the Past

"Have you heard of the story of Narcissus?"

The rich, sweet voice pursued Koremitsu from behind.

"He is the son of the river god Cephissus and the nymph Liriope, an outstandingly suave man, and girls naturally fell in love with him. Narcissus never accepted anyone's love however; because of that, he was cursed by the vengeful goddess Nemesis, he fell in love with his image reflected on the water surface. Every day, he would look at the water, tormented by the love he could not fulfill, lamented it, was frail as a result, and finally became a noble, slender Narcissus flower."

Koremitsu kept his back slouched as he scowled and moved forward, but that intoxicated voice would follow him around.

"The vengeance and envy of women are really terrifying. They do become completely spiteful once they learn that a handsome young man has no feelings for them. Ahh, now this is really irritating. My back is all chilly now. I do feel a lot happier looking at my pretty face than seeing that ugly woman with a similarly wretched personality within. Do you not agree, Akagi?"

(Ugh, somebody , do something about this guy!!)

Koremitsu's face was taut, and he kept groaning within.

He wanted to visit Honoka at the hospital, but Kazuaki kept pestering him.

Kazuaki had an infatuation for his half-brother Hikaru, and caused quite a commotion that implicated Yū, the one close to Koremitsu. Back then, Koremitsu definitely did shout the words "I’ll be your friend in Hikaru’s stead! I’ll stay with you!"

Kazuaki was weeping, "What are you saying", and looked utterly displeased, but on the next day, he immediately got to Koremitsu's house.

—I do wish to marry this child I took utmost care of as your wife, Mr. Akagi.

With a guiltless smile, he stuffed the cage containing the stoic-looking chameleon to Koremitsu.

He said, "I wish for my dearest Third Princess to be doted well by my good friend, Mr. Akagi."

After seeing the expectant eyes and the blushing face, Koremitsu understood that Kazuaki was really trying to establish a friendship by marrying the chameleon, not out of spite. Thus, Koremitsu could not refuse Kazuaki and took the chameleon in.

He thought Kazuaki would be satisfied with that, but Kazuaki kept it up with excuses like,

"Mr. Akagi, you never learned how to take care of chameleons, right? Allow me to teach you."

He seized the opportunity to barge into Koremitsu's room.

"Wow, your room is as I thought, a small plain room befitting of a commoner."

He looked around the room curiously,

"I'll be going out."

He statedly indirectly that he hoped for Kazuaki to leave, but the latter,

"Is that so? Then I shall follow you. We are friends after all."

And nonchalantly followed Koremitsu. Koremitsu tried his best to act indifferent, but Kazuaki did not mind, instead dabbling away with floral knowledge like a certain flower otaku of a ghost, using the exact same sweet, rich voice.

Hikaru had his position taken by his big brother, and kept his usually chatty mouth shut, grimacing beside Koremitsu. Surely he too must be feeling conflicted.

(Was I too anxious to be friends with him? I never thought he'll be this annoying. It's really reminding me of Hikaru haunting me. Seriously, you guys are brothers, so alike.)

Koremitsu inadvertently glanced aside to glare at Hikaru, and the latter continued to maintain a grimace.

(It'll be troubling to got Hikaru's big brother along to visit Shikibu, so I don't...)

Honoka mistook Kazuaki, who was crossdressing and selling illegal drugs, as Yū. As a result, she was lured to the basement of a building, locked inside a room, was drugged, and nearly burned to death.

Koremitsu went over to save her, and said the most embarrassing confession he ever made to Honoka.

(Ugh...It's because Shikibu kept misunderstanding and goes in foolhardy, saying nonsense like she hopes that I dump her properly before she dies, or else she can't ascend to the afterlife—)

—You’re one huge idiot!!

—Honoka Shikibu is not an ordinary classmate to me!!!

(Ahh~~~)

Koremitsu resisted the impulse to yell out loud.

How was he supposed to face Honoka after saying such an embarrassing line? With Kazuaki following him, he was really troubled, not knowing what to do.

"Eh, Mr. Akagi, you are headed to the hospital Honoka Shikibu is at."

"Ack."

A refreshing sweet voice rang at his ears, and he was taken aback.

(This guy looks like a doofus, but he's unexpectedly sharp.)

I guess it's to be expected of Hikaru's brother.

"Wait, a, second, Mr. Akagi! Did you have sex with that Honoka Shikibu because of that little commotion? That is an illusion, a carrot dangling in front of you! That girl with those raised feisty eyes will kick you hard for every little quarrel here! A violent kangaroo! I utterly object to this as a friend! I object! I object!"

"Just go back already!!"

Koremitsu yelled as he pushed away Kazuaki's face, the latter having brought his face close.

In any case, did Kazuaki really have any right to criticize Honoka?

(You're the gloomy, hideous one.)

However—

Not all that happened the past few days were caused by Kazuaki's ploy.

Koremitsu recalled the message he received in the morning, and a chill suddenly arose in his chest.

—"The child in Fujino Mikado’s belly is Lord Hikaru’s."

Hikaru's face paled as he lowered his head, peering at the little screen from Koremitsu's side; he was left speechless, his face frozen.

Kazuaki had insisted "I did not do it." , insisting vehemently, "I have no interest in either the Rose faction or the Wisteria faction. I do have interest in Hikaru's child, but I will not go out of my way to inform everyone."

And he said, the messages titled "The women around Lord Hikaru" that slandered the women involved with Hikaru were not sent by him.

He did not put the ink-covered umbrella in Yū's room, and did not rile up Asai and the rest to turn them on each other. He merely lit the incense when he locked Honoka in the room, and did not set fire.

Kazuaki did not appear to be lying.

There was another 'Poppy' other than him.

It was likely that the same sender was the one who stated that Fujino was pregnant with Hikaru's child.

(Who did it? What's the motive for doing such despicable things?)

For Hikaru, his relationship with his stepmother Fujino was the biggest secret.

Even after he became a ghost, Hikaru would not talk too much about this with Koremitsu. Other than the actual parties involved, it appeared only his cousin Asai knew what happened between the duo...but that girl called Mikoto Ono, the girl with the clear eyes who called herself Fujino's messenger, might know a thing or two...

Fujino was pregnant at this point, and in the following month, Hikaru's little brother or sister might be born.

Hikaru concluded to Koremtisu that he could not possibly be the father, that during this time, he was clearly rejected by Fujino, and never did anything that would make her pregnant.

Fujino typically kept her distance from Hikaru, and thus, despite such rumors running rampant, they probably would be deemed as baseless.

However, Hikaru looked despondent and heavy-hearted as he lowered his head, staring at the message, his eyes looking anguished.

(How is anyone supposed to calm down now?)

Just thinking of those messages flying around would be enough to unsettle anyone.

Koremitsu wanted to find a way to catch the culprit.

So that such pranks would never happen again.

While he was scowling hard, gritting his teeth as he sank into deep thought,

"Mr. Akagi, you do not have to give such a troubled look. If you wish to break up with Miss Shikibu, I can pretend to be your lover, and she will back away immediately."

"Seriously—"

The brooding time was immediately snapped by Kazuaki.

(Yeah. If I'm to go out dating with this perverted big brother, Shikibu won't be the only one terrified, any girl will be thoroughly scared.)

The image of Kazuaki beaming and blaring at Honoka's face "Mr. Akagi's girlfriend is me , so you do not have to appear now. Shoo shoo~. Ahaha, that is quite a sad face you are making~" appeared in Koremitsu's face, and he was overwhelmed with a migraine.

The hospital appeared in front of him, but he was pondering seriously perhaps he should first grab Kazuaki by the neck and drag the latter back to the Mikados.

"Ah."

While Koremitsu was in serious thought, Hikaru let out a little murmur.

A girl with slightly curled long hair, slender body and a fleeting presence stood in front of the hospital doors.

(Yū...!)

Koremitsu too was taken aback.

(Why is Yū at the hospital Shikibu's at now—)

It appeared that Yū had been waiting for Koremitsu to arrive. She approached with her usual forlorn expression, the white skirt swaying slightly above her slender ankles, the soft strands of hair swaying gently in the frigid winds.

She gave the same fleeting presence as the one when she locked herself in the apartment. Koremitsu watched her with bated breath.

"Ahh, no!! How scary!! Yū is going to be violent at me again!!~"

Kazuaki ducked behind Koremitsu's back.

One had to wonder if Kazuaki was traumatized after the incident when he slandered Hikaru and was slapped by Yū, or that he was being dramatic for the sake of it. In any case—

(Hey, big brother, I really want to beat you up here.)

Koremitsu's shoulders were quivering as he fumed.

"Koremitsu, hang in there."

Hikaru gently encouraged.

Koremitsu tried his best to calm down, ignoring Kazuaki grabbing his shirt with both hands from behind as he asked Yū,

"What's going on? Why are you here.?"

Yū gave a surprised look at Kazuaki, and with those fleeting eyes staring at Koremitsu, she whispered,

"I came...to visit Miss Shikibu."

"I-is that so?"

Koremitsu was quietly taken aback.

Were Yū and Honoka on such good terms that the former would visit the latter? They probably did not say anything more than a few words...

"Miss Shikibu...has already been discharged."

"Really? I heard that she was at the hospital in the morning."

Yū stared at Koremitsu silently, her eyes causing the latter to be a little breathless.

"I suppose a family member would be picking her up, but...she went back."

"Why?"

"..."

Yū remained silent.

It seemed Koremitsu could not press on any further.

Yū stared back at Koremitsu, her expression as poised as she was the previous day when she asked, "'is the date still valid'?" .

At that moment, "...Yeah" , Koremitsu answered, "I got a few things I want to ask you about, Yū" .

Back then, Yū gave a faint smile, whispering, "I understand."

He had to talk to Yū about Honoka.

(—in such a situation?)

Hikaru watched over Yū and Koremitsu from the side, his breath bated. The big brother clinging by the back, poking his head out from the side, looking somewhat fearful and vengeful at Yū.

It was impossible no matter how he thought about it.

However, Yū appeared to be waiting for Koremitsu to speak, her eyes never did leave him.

(Yū did meet Shikibu after all...what did they talk about in the ward room?)

Curious as he was, Koremitsu was unable to ask.

Just when his heart was racing due to anxiety—

The cellphone in his pocket vibrated.

"Woah!"

Koremitsu's shoulders inadvertently quivered.

"Sorry."

He hastily grabbed his cellphone from his pocket, had a look at the message, and found it to be another anonymous one.

(Again?)

Koremitsu's face got grim immediately.

The title of the message was ' the promised...' .

"!"

Once he opened it, an unmitigated chill seemed to rush through his spine, causing him to widen his eyes.

"Hikaru, I shall offer the purest, speckless Comfrey in your garden to revive you.

Come to the place where you and I first began.

To the place where you betrayed me.

Time to fulfill the promise."

Hikaru, staring at the phone from the side, let out a gasp.

The message was signed off with the name 'Fujino'—Hikaru's stepmother, the woman he so loved most!

Furthermore, there was a photo attached to the message, one of an elementary schoolgirl with her hair tied in twintails, her eyes closed as she laid on the floor.

"Shiiko...!"

Koremitsu's heart jumped, his mind blank.

Shioriko was barefooted, her milky legs exposed from her fluffy knee-length skirt to her ankles, and her pretty pink fingernails could be seen clearly.

"Koremitsu, Shiiko is!"

"Ack, what do I do now?"

A groan was eked out from Koremitsu's mouth.

Kazuaki and Yū too did realize something was abnormal, showing perturbed looks.

Koremitsu instinctively made a call to Shioriko's cellphone.

The response from the phone was a voicemail, 'the cellphone you are attempting to reached may not be switched on, or may be beyond reception'.

"Ugh!"

Koremitsu then called home. His aunt Koharu picked it up.

"What's Shiiko doing now!?"

He yelled, his teeth practically gnashing.

"What's with that out of a sudden? Shiiko left home after breakfast. She hasn't returned home."

Koharu answered.

"Also, there's a package for you. Someone called Fujino sent it."

"!"

Both Hikaru and Koremitsu's shoulders shivered in unison.

"I'll be right back."

Koremitsu hung up the phone, and made a mad dash home.

"Wait, Mr. Akagi! Please do not leave me with Yū alone~!"

Kazuaki's yell could be heard from behind, but Koremitsu was not in the mood to be bothered with that.

Upon seeing Koremitsu return home, sweating profusely and panting furiously, Koharu scowled.

"Where's Shiiko?"

"Not home yet."

"The package?"

"Over there."

She pointed her chin at the chabudai .

"It was placed at the corridor. The sender only left a name, not an address. What happened, Koremitsu? Did something happen? Is it something to do with Shiiko not being back for lunch?"

Koremitsu was so impatient he waved off Koharu's question, and ripped off the packaging hastily. Written on the surface was the neat handwriting of a woman, with the recipient being 'To Mr. Koremitsu Akagi', addressed to his house. The back was as Koharu said, just the name 'Fujino' written on it.

Soon after, Koremitsu found a pair of stolen girls shoes inside. They were little track shoes with pink shoe laces, the shoes Shioriko just wore!

Koharu too sounded agitated.

"These are Shiiko's shoes. Koremitsu, explain what's going on here!"

"!! Shiiko got abducted."

"What did you say!? What's going on here?"

Koremitsu too did not know what was going on. Why was Shioriko abducted?

—I shall offer the purest, speckless Comfrey in your garden to revive you.

(What the heck!?)

Koremitsu's eyes were bloodshot, his rage directed at the one who did this. He took out the namecard of Mikoto Ono, which he kept in his student notebook the entire time, and dialled the number written on it.

To meet Hikaru's stepmother—Fujino Mikado.

Mikoto immediately picked up the call.

Koremitsu held in the rampaging emotions inside him as he stated that a person calling herself Fujino abducted an elementary school girl living in his house, even forwarding the message with the photo over. Once she heard of it, Mikoto remained silent for a while on the other end of the phone.

Soon after, she calmly noted,

"We cannot call the police right now. I shall get someone to retrieve little Shiiko."

She hung up, and after a while, called back,

"Miss Fujino is currently at the resort in Shinshu. I explained the situation to her, and the culprit's request is...may I ask if you are able to make a trip with me to her?"

"...That person and I...first met at the village in Shinshu, my mother's birthplace."

Hikaru muttered with a feeble voice.

—Come to the place where you and I first began.

The contents of the message appeared in Koremitsu's mind, and he felt his gut shrink as he answered,

"Got it. Where are we meeting?"

Koremitsu then told Koharu that he would definitely bring Shioriko back, and begged her not to call the police, and not to tell his grandfather who was away at a Go tournament. With a solemn look, Koharu told Koremitsu,

"I'm calling the police if Shiiko isn't back home by tomorrow."

If his grandfather was to know about it, surely Koremitsu would end up beaten. However, this old man would become a fool when dealing with Shioriko, and surely he would not wait for Koremitsu to bring Shioriko back. Koremitsu was mentally prepared for his jaw to be snapped, a rib or two broken, and he proceeded to ride on the black sedan Mikoto prepared for him.

While on the sedan, he gave Asai a all.

Koremitsu notified Asai of what happened to Shioriko, that he was going to meet Fujino. Asai gasped,

"I've yet to call the police. I got the Mikados to help me figure out where Shiiko is."

"What am I supposed to do then?"

"Can you help me check on the identity of the Poppy again?"

He informed Asai that other than Kazuaki, there was another one calling herself the 'Poppy', and Asai's breathing became grim.

"And just in case, help me check if Kuze's involved in this too."

Shioriko's biological father, Sōichirō Kuze, wanted to have Shioriko in a place where he could control her. Now that his past crimes were exposed, he was convicted by the public as a result, and probably was unable to deal with this daughter born out of wedlock. However, such a possibility was not impossible.

Asai's tone was stern, and she answered,

"Understood. I shall have Tōjō assist as well. If anything happens, contact me immediately."

"...I'll leave it to you."

Koremitsu's heart was being ripped apart, and he lowered his head.

"Who do you think I am? Trust me."

Asai muttered, and hung up the phone.

Hikaru's face paled as he watched Koremitsu and Asai's conversation.

Seated opposite Koremitsu, Mikoto Ono too, watched Koremitsu with those poised eyes under the neat, trimmed black hair.

There was a space between the comfortable back seats and the driver seat, so the conversation they would have would not be overheard.

There was practically no tremor to be felt in the car, and it felt as though they were riding on a glider on the road. Koremitsu gritted his teeth, the hands on his thighs clenched as he lowered his head, his face frozen.

In the meantime, his phone kept receiving messages.

"I grew these blue-purple Lilies of the Nile as I reminisced about you.

The way their thin stems straightened in the bright moonlight really resembled you, and I kissed every single one of them.

The Lilies of the Nile are also known as African Lilies.

Their floral language is 'the most beloved'.

I really hope that I could groom you, my most beloved, lock you within a beautiful box, and hide you from everyone else.

And then, Hikaru...

I will never be able to see your betrayal."

"Everyone around you finds it unbelievable as to why you are being treated so coldly.

Why exactly would a person beautiful and spirited be rejected with aloof eyes and spiteful words?

Whenever I was being advised on this, my heart would be angsty within.

I wanted to yell, yell, yell, until my throat became hoarse.

No, no, no, this actually is not the case.

I actually did not wish to avert the clear expression of yours.

I wanted to respond to those sweet words of yours with the best smile I could ever give."

"I knew right from the beginning that our love was a forbidden cardinal sin. It was not permitted by this world, and no one around us would bless us. My body felt like it was cut, stabbed through and burned—it was a tragic romance and bitter love that was accompanied with sadness and despair.

I definitely must not let anyone else know, and I will continue to love him in this darkness where the moonlight cannot shine into. Did we not lock our fingers and swear?

That this was a secret for a lifetime."

"I tried to hate.

I tried to show disdain.

But I could not.

The fact was that it was determined you were my 'beloved' the moment you said the first beautiful line to me.

Yes, my beloved is always you."

"I suppose you did come visit me in the spur of the moment, thinking of those moments when our hearts were linked, when we spent our time in such passion and happiness. My hands were twined with yours, our legs locked together, and there was the melting, aching sweet despair."

"Hikaru,

I never did forgive you.

I will never forgive you for only looking at others when you should have been looking at me, and being blissful.

I will never forgive you for escaping alone from the world that was just the two of us.

I will never forgive you for loving me, swearing an oath of love with me, hurting me, and deserting me.

I will never forgive you, for letting out of the clasped fingers as you showed that beautiful, cruel smile.

"Your 'most beloved' should be me.

For that is because I am the one closest to you, the one who got hurt for you, the one who suffered for you, the one who changed her fate for you.

That is why, your 'most beloved', should be me."

"I was the only one who knew of your final moments.

I was the one who ended your life.

Confusing others, yet incomprehensible.

The one beloved by all the flowers—Hikaru Mikado.

You sin will never be forgiven even once you die!"

"Hey, Hikaru.

On that stormy night, I may have ended your life.

But I regretted it.

So, I buried those wretched women who stained you, and brought a new sacrifice over, towards the place where our hearts passed, the place where it all began, and ended.

So that you shall be reborn in this world again."

The neatly arranged words of love on the screen seemed to give off a rich floral scent, yet they were filled with chilling, vengeful words, hinting at the attack that happened on that stormy night, the confession that she killed Hikaru by the riverside—. All the messages were indicated to be sent by 'Fujino'

Whenever he slid the screen, words would appear.

Those words were murmuring directly into Koremitsu's ears, digging into his eyes, lips, and his nostrils, even teasing his inner heart, corroding it little by little.

It felt highly discomforting, rather than sweet. Koremitsu's back shivered a few times.

Certainly, the one sending such messages was not normal.

(Is Shiiko alright?)

"To the place where you betrayed me.

Time to fulfill the promise."

Koremitsu swallowed his bitter saliva as he read the message that was sent along with Shioriko's photo, and Hikaru groaned from the side.

"The promise that person and I made can never be fulfilled, for..."

His voice got increasingly feeble.

Koremitsu too gripped the cellphone firmly.

No matter how many times he replied, he was left at the voicemail. The messages kept coming, and Koremitsu was so anxious his throat was about to break.

"Damn it!"

He muttered, and a calm voice replied,

"We are arriving."

Koremitsu lifted his head, and saw Mikoto Ono's poised, calm smile.

It was not the emotionless face of a doll, but a colorless, transparent expression that could calm an agitated heart. If she was actually showing such a face on purpose, surely it was a lot of self-restraint that the highly emotional Koremitsu could not imagine.

Soon after getting on the car, Koremitsu heard that Mikoto was the maid serving Fujino's family.

And he learned that Mikoto was studying at an all-girls school in the city, a senior, 2 years older than Koremitsu.

Though there was an age difference between her and her master Fujino, they were close since young, and Mikoto knew about Hikaru from Fujino's mouth.

Hikaru used to say that 'Mikoto' was the one that person was really concerned with.

"...S-so Shiiko really wasn't taken by Hikaru's stepmom?"

Koremitsu's eyes were grim, and with that gentle, refreshing voice, Mikoto calmly answered,

"Miss Fujino will never send such an obvious message. She never will reveal her feelings except when conversing with me. This also goes for Mr. Hikaru."

Hikaru's shoulders quivered, his eyes tentative and intimidated as he looked over at Mikoto.

"Miss Fujino and Mr. Hikaru's relationship will never be officially recognized. The two of them can never be together. Both of them should know about it."

"Because she's his stepmom?"

Hikaru's expression was gradually clouded, causing Koremitsu unease as he asked, and Mikoto whispered,

"That is not all. Hikaru's mother, Miss Kiriyo, is the half-sister of Miss Fujino, same father, different mothers. They are related by blood as aunt and nephew."

Aunt and nephew!

Koremitsu quietly gulped.

Hikaru's face was slowly contorted into anguish.

(Aunt...but yeah...when I saw that stepmom at the funeral, I thought she was his older sister.)

They resembled so much to such an extent.

It was the same when he saw Fujino kiss the Wisterias at Shioriko's house, the same when he met Fujino at the calligraphy contest held at the Gonomiyas.

It was as if Hikaru had swapped genders—

How could such a pair, so strikingly similar, not be blood-related in any way?

(But the aunt and nephew can't get married?)

Koremitsu's heart was ostensibly at knife-point, a chill rampant in him.

Surely this was why Hikaru never spoke up? That he was so frenetic whenever he spotted Fujino, saying that he could not be here, that he kept begging Koremitsu to head to a place where he could not see her.

For he knew how grave a sin they had committed.

He fell in love with the woman who became his father's wife, and even bonded physically with the body of his blood-related aunt. Even in the other world, he continued to feel the guilt of yearning for her, and surely, that was why Hikaru showed such a gloomy expression.

Hikaru committed two great taboos with Fujino!

He bit his lips, staring at the hollow, despondent eyes.

Koremitsu too went silent, his expression tense,

Mikoto then calmly continued,

"It was when Mr. Hikaru was 5 years old, when they were living at his mother's ancestral residence in Shinshu that they met...Mr. Hikaru's mother was born from Miss Fujino's father, only of a different lady, and she was not recognized as a result. However...Miss Fujino always viewed Miss Kiriyo as an older sister, and really respected her, so she wanted to see Miss Kiriyo's son. Miss Fujino once smiled, telling me that Mr. Hikaru is pretty, innocent, and cute, and that she promised to God that she would get him a wonderful angel. After that, whenever Mr. Hikaru paid a visit to the ancestral home during summer and spring break, Miss Fujino would visit him. They would play by the river, picnic in the forest, and every year, once Spring arrived, they would spend the time together, viewing the Wisterias—once they wilted, they will look for for other similar flowers...I suppose during that time, they were aunt and nephew on very good terms."

Fujino's home was so close Hikaru's mother's, so whenever Fujino stayed at the home of Hikaru's mother, it appeared that she would be there all day.

Perhaps she felt pity for her nephew, whose mother passed away, and who had mutterings behind his back by his father's family in Tokyo, saying 'The daughter of a mistress gave birth became a mistress that bore a child'.

Perhaps she was simply delighted to be taking care of her cute angelic nephew, staring up and admiring her.

"...Never...did I once view her as my aunt."

Hikaru muttered bitterly.

Mikoto could not hear Hikaru's voice. She continued calmly.

Hikaru's father, the head of the Mikados, fell in love with Fujino on first sight, for the latter resembled Hikaru's deceased mother so much.

He proposed to Fujino, hoping that she would marry him once she graduated from college.

"When Mr. Hikaru's father made this request, Miss Fujino..."

Hikaru lowered his head despondently.

Mikoto abruptly went silent.

"..."

Mikoto, who till this point narrated everything stoically as a bystander, appeared to be pondering for the first time, causing Koremitsu to wonder if Fujino did lower her head as feebly as Hikaru did, what sort of feelings she had when Hikaru's father proposed to him.

However, Mikoto regained her poise immediately.

"Mr. Hikaru's father was always an honest person. Miss Fujino's parents too wished for this, and so she, having realized how arduous it will be being the partner of the Mikados' head, made her decision to proceed."

But this incident utterly ruptured the relationship between Hikaru and Fujino.

What would the feeling be like, to have the woman dearest to him became his stepmother, and they were leaving under the same roof?

She never did talked with him except when they had to, and she did not meet him in the eyes. Hikaru too felt anguished to be with Fujino as he was, and for that reason, he left home. In spite of them, he still yearned for the one dearest to him, Fujino.

But, what was Fujino thinking?

While Mikoto kept explaining, the messages were sent to Koremitsu's cellphone, boldly stating the utter infatuation 'Fujino' had for Hikaru.

She loved him so much she was suffering.

That even though she had to bear the guilt, she could not hold in those feelings.

She wanted to sink with him to the bottom of basin filled with Wisterias.

However, the real Fujino was—

"It appears that we have arrived."

Mikoto mentioned, and Koremitsu noticed that the car has stopped.

The elderly chauffeur opened the door.

The outside was still dazzlingly bright..

But the refreshing was icy, chilling.

A Western-styled mansion stood with the snowy white sky and the ostentiously grey and white forest as the backdrop.

A rustling could be heard from the trees, swaying with the wind. Koremitsu listened to these sounds as he stepped onto the damp,grassland.

It appeared they were at the atrium of this mansion.

And perhaps, without Koremitsu knowing, they went through the main doors.

(Did Hikaru...spend his final moments here...?)

Hikaru too looked gloomy and forlorn as he stared at what appeared to be a house out of a fairy tale.

Suddenly, the front doors were opened to the sides.

"!"

Hikaru shuddered.

Koremitsu too gasped.

The little feet covered by the white sandals gently landed upon the stone floor.

Swaying in the air was the thin, blue-grey skirt and the faint violet shawl on the shoulders, and the white blouse clung to her body, emphasizing her shockingly thin upper body.

The faint brown strands of hair absorbed the cold sunlight, giving off an alluring golden glitter that spread from atop the shawl; the slender white nape stood elegantly, and atop it was a petite face with an anguished look on it. The eyes were filled with melancholy, the face pale, the petal-like lips giving off a destitute presence.

(Hikaru—no.)

He understood she was not Hikaru, but he was still bewildered.

The friend stood beside Koremitsu, looking despondent.

That beautiful woman had the same face as that face of his.

She was like a goddess dressed in a Hagaromo , amidst the petals of the falling Wisteria, descending from the skies—

She was such a beautiful woman, one could have a hallucination of her being otherworldly.

Hikaru's stepmother—Fujino Mikado lifted her head at Koremitsu, saying with an utterly anguished voice.

"I have been waiting for you for a while...Mr. Akagi."

### 002. Chapter 2: Rokujō Offers a Sacrifice

It was said that she was about to give birth in December, this young woman with an anguished face was seated on the sofa, not looking like someone who was about to give birth.

Her upper body was slender, and another reason for that was the skirt and shawl covering her belly; however, the gloomy expression practically lamented everything, and unbefitting of the woman carrying a dazzling life in her belly.

The prettiest flower in the world.

Certainly, this description was as appropriate as it could get. The tenderness and elegance of her beauty was masked with gloom, and it was because of that gloom that made her prettier, more akin to something out of a fantasy.

"I have been waiting for you for a while."

The helpless, expectant eyes back when she welcomed Koremitsu were now looking at her slender, white fingers.

Her despondent eyes were lacking in life, like a hollow abyss, only showing some life when looking at Koremitsu from time to time.

Koremitsu was seated on the sofa facing Fujino.

Mikoto in turn was seated at the sofa perpendicular to the duo, and Hikaru was standing right opposite her, facing Koremitsu sidelong.

Like Fujino, Hikaru's face was pale and in anguish, his eyes showing the same gloom. It appeared their hearts were linked, that he too was able able to sense the pain and anguish she had.

"...This morning, I too did receive messages signed using my name ."

Fujino informed Koremitsu with that beautiful yet gloomy voice.

Koremitsu requested for Fujino to show her phone, and the words shown on the screen were practically the same as the one sent to Koremitsu.

The only difference was that the messages sent to Koremitsu were calling for 'Fujino', but the messages sent to Fujino were addressed as 'I', 'I' have to start over at that place again, 'I' have to go out again tonight, actions to prompt her.

"I have no clue as to the incidents in the message...and I do not understand what it means by 'that place' and 'start over'..."

Fujino's eyes lowered as she whispered.

The white, speckless face looked increasingly fleeting, perhaps because her face was already pale.

Did she really not have a clue? Or was it that she was masking her true thoughts out of fear out revealing the scandal involving her and her nephew? Fujino's voice and expression were too tragic, tranquil that Koremitsu could not determine.

Hikaru too could only stare at Fujino in pain. He never spoke ever since they got here, and it appeared he was about to vanish at any given moment as he chose not to give any opinion, merely rooted to the spot.

The setting sun outside the window was starting to grow dark.

At this moment—

Hikaru suddenly widened her eyes.

He stared at the window that was dyed golden.

No,

Not the window.

Hikaru was staring at the silver knife placed beside the window, between the jewel box and the china dolls.

It was as big as a fruit knife, and the hilt and grip were finely ornamented.

Looking at how it was placed, it appeared to be a decoration rather than for use. However, it seemed different compared to the jewel box and the doll, and appeared rather intimidating. However, Koremitsu probably would not have such a huge reaction if Hikaru did not.

(What's with that knife?)

Hikaru was still staring at it.

His face showed anxiety and shock, watching it intently with bated breath.

Soon after, Hikaru's face slowly became that of deeper anguish. He looked away from it despondently, and never looked at it again, merely keeping his head low, biting his lower lip.

Koremitsu felt restless, frustration and apprehension rising up his throat.

Both Hikaru and Fujino were hiding something.

Koremitsu was guessing that they had something they did not wish to talk about.

But at this moment, Shioriko was in danger.

With a stiff, stern voice, Koremitsu said to Fujino,

"That night, when Hikaru drowned in the river, he sent me a message telling me that you sent a message, that he's going out later."

"Why is Aoi here?"

Asai gave Tōjō an utterly berating look.

The field could be seen from the student council room of Heian Academy, and the sunset shrouded upon it. The light was lit in this room, and inside the room were the most powerful figure in the school, the master of the room—the student council president Asai Saiga, Tōjō, a year older than Asai, and deeply involved with the Mikado Corporation, and there was Tōjō's cousin, Asai's childhood friend—Aoi.

Furthermore.

"Miss Tsuyako, Miss Oumi, may I ask why are you here?"

Asai's temples were throbbing more than before.

"Tōjō, did you inform them of this?"

Asai treated Tōjō as an equal, despite the latter being older by a year.

"Aoi just so happened to be at my house when you contacted me."

Like Asai, Tōjō too was showing a displeased look. Aoi popped out from the side, looking serious.

"I was helping Lapis with her labor. Please allow me to help with Shiiko's matter."

Tōjō probably was easily coerced by Aoi when the latter said something "If you will not let me go, I will never talk to you again, big brother Shungo." It was Asai's miscalculation that Aoi was at Tōjō's house, but the latter was utterly spineless. Unlike her meek, demure appearance however, Aoi was a stubborn girl who would never back down once she made up her mind. As a childhood friend, Asai knew this best...

(Guess I got no choice.)

Just when Asai sighed.

"Your Matriarch Asa, I shall help too."

"You thought you could exclude me? How cruel of you, Miss Asai."

Hiina and Tsuyako too chimed in heartily. One had to wonder what sort of means they used to find out.

"Please do not underestimate my information network."

"Miss Oumi informed me."

(Goodness...)

Asai again sighed—only for someone unexpected to open the door and pop in, and the sigh got stuck in her throat.

"Do you mind if I join in too~~~, Asai?"

All the people gathered in the student council office turned towards the door in unison.

Tōjō looked on grimly, Aoi's face froze, and Tsuyako shrank back in fear. Hiina merely widened her eyes, and showed a boyish chuckle.

Asai's eyes were coldly staring at Kazuaki Mikado.

He, who wailed and bawled so hard as he sat on the floor, ruining his formation and lipstick in the process, interjected calmly, ostensibly having forgotten what happened the previous day. One had to suspect his mental makeup.

"You are investigating Shioriko Wakagi's abduction, am I correct? I wish to have Mr. Akagi owe me a favor. Ah, no, I suppose it is strange to put it this way. Perhaps I should have said that I wish to show my sincerity after all? Ah, but you have to tell Mr. Akagi that I did provide some information. I suppose it is useless if I am to explain this myself, no? Also, I do feel that all of us here do have similarities. Mr. Shungo is someone who cannot have anything less than a virgin for a girlfriend, no?"

"Ugh!"

Tōjō's face cringed.

"It seems Asai too will remain a virgin forever."

"!"

Asai too was speechless.

Kazuaki then chirped,

"See. We do get along."

"Do not associated us with you!" "As if we do!"

Asai and Tōjō refute resonated in unison.

"Aoi too, I hope you do not hate me here—I shall pretend that your cold rejection towards me never happened before."

"...Now you are putting this strangely. It sounds like I am the one who did such cruel things to you, Mr Kazuaki."

Aoi muttered.

Kazuaki then continued,

"However, I cannot accept Tsuyako no matter what. Tsuyako is no longer a virgin, and also a large ugly woman. Those breasts too are lewd and unappealing, and I am embarrassed to be with you. Ah, yes, you can simply stay away from my sights. Great, I shall do this from now on. I shall not look at you, Tsuyako, so do not enter my sights nor talk to me. You have to ignore me, and I shall do the same."

"...Should I be happy here?"

For a long time, Tsuyako was bounded mentally and tortured by Kazuaki. The one hailed as an absolute beauty by many showed a conflicted look.

"I suppose it is fine to have Mr. Kazuaki help—"

"Why, thank you. I do hate such uncouth girls like you with huge breasts, but I will thank you."

The self-centered Kazuaki incited a murderous vibe from Asai, and Tōjō's face remained constricted.

Hiina was the only one grinning away, not minding Kazuaki's presence at all.

"Well then, I shall begin. I did ask the counter girl who wanted to be my lover, who placed the blade and thumbtacks in Yū's room. That girl's name, well, it is either Miss Sawachi or Sawamura, but anyway, I heard what are the characteristics of the one who called herself my representative. Let me think, about 15-16 years old, 150cm or so..."

Kazuaki enthusiastically provided the information; it appeared he really wanted to assist Koremitsu.

Asai had many issues with this, but first, she held her emotions in check as she paid attention to the exact rich, sweet voice Hikaru had.

Who was able to obtain the information in all the chain messages?

Who was able to obtain a chopper from the Home Economics room, pins from the floral arrangement club, and slipped them into Asai and Aoi's drawers?

Who exactly did the school surveillance cameras catch during that period?

The culprit had to be one of the people in school.

And not just an ordinary student.

It had to be of someone with quite a family prestige—someone close to the Mikados.

Someone who could control the students, and obtain information.

And despite that, the presence being low-key.

Using all the information at hand, and after proposing and refuting several possibilities, there was only one possible person.

"Is that..."

Tsuyako muttered, her voice clearly rattled.

"That girl...?"

"I cannot believe it either..."

Aoi's face too showed surprise.

"I am surprised too, but this deduction matches the testimony from that counter girl at the hospital. About 150cm tall, petite, a round face, curly hair that reaches the shoulders."

Hiina said, her eyes poised and sharp. Asai herself was quietly confident.

That person was from Koremitsu's class—

"It's already past 5..."

Once she saw that the sky outside the window was dark, Honoka checked the time on her cellphone, and muttered to herself,

(How's...Akagi doing right now? Did he meet Miss Kanai...?)

She was seated in front of the desk in her room, tucking her legs onto the swivel chair, her forehead on her knees. Back then, she would eagerly swivel around on the chair, but on this day, she was not in the mood to do so.

(I really want to give Akagi a call...I really want to talk to him directly...)

However, she already made a certain bet in the hospital with Yū in the hospital, so she could not call.

Yū probably would be calling sometime soon regarding the result...however, Honoka's cellphone showed no activity, and not knowing whether it was a good thing or not, she could only cup her knees firmly.

At this moment, a pompous melody rang from the cellphone on the table.

"He-hello!"

Honoka picked it up without affirming who it was, answering with a shrill voice.

But the voice that entered the ears was not Yū's.

It was an older woman...

"Michiru's...mother...?"

"That night, when Hikaru drowned in the river, he sent me a message telling me that you sent a message, that he's going out later."

Koremitsu glared at Fujino, gauging her response.

Hikaru hurriedly leaned forward,

"Koremitsu!"

He pleaded. His eyes looking frenetic, ostensibly wishing for Koremitsu not to mention it.

However, Fujino's lowered eyebrows quivered slightly, and with those gloomy eyes, she watched Koremitsu quietly, whispering,

"I did not write a letter to Hikaru."

The pale face showed pain and anguish, just like before, but she did not seem to falter because of Koremitsu's words. She slowly shrank back, and it appeared all emotion, other than anguish and depression, had vanished from her heart.

Mikoto too,

"..."

Showed no sign of shock or anxiety on her calm Japanese doll-like face. Never once did she interrupt Koremitsu and Fujino's conversation, only listening to them attentively.

Hikaru was the only one staring at Koremitsu, his eyes frantically moving around, his lips quivering, wanting to say something, but he seemed lost, not knowing what to do.

(It's like Fujino's the dead one here...)

Compared to Hikaru, she was lacking in response—no. Fujino practically showed no response at all. She was a beautiful corpse called anguish, and it got Koremitsu more infuriated.

At this moment, the cellphone in the pocket vibrated.

It was from Asai.

He received the call, and brought the phone to his ear.

"It's me."

"Mr. Akagi, we know who has been sending the slandering messages. Your little sister should be with her now."

Asai noted sternly.

"Who is it!!!?"

Koremitsu yelled agitatedly, but the name that entered his ears was one he never once thought of.

"Michiru Hanasato."

"Hanasato?"

A dumbfounded voice slipped from Koremitsu's lips.

"Yes. Your class representative."

Asai's voice was more monotonous than usual. Surely she wanted to inform Koremitsu as calmly as she could.

Thanks to that, Koremitsu was able to quickly recover.

"Koremitsu? What is the matter with Miss Hanasato? Is she—"

Hikaru's face was stiff as he asked.

The petite, plain looking Michiru Hanasato appeared in Koremitsu's cooled head.

Michiru, who had her hair tied in braids.

Michiru, who had her glasses removed, let her hair down to reveal little curls.

—Good, good morning...Mr. Akagi.

Both Michirus would widen their eyes, and their voices will shrill.

He then recalled Michiru saying that she wanted to be the number 1 class representative in Japan, showing that determined smile; his mind then got increasingly cooled.

She was unimpressive, but she had a faint aroma, an honest classmate who was deemed by Hikaru to be a Tachibana flower.

"Hono, Hono! she would often go around shouting this, looking so fidgety and hapless around Honoka.

Michiru's family too had a long, ingrained relationship with Hikaru's.

Since elementary school, she had been the class representative. She knew of the students information, and was able to obtain more information independently.

Asai's poised voice stated these facts to Koremitsu's ears.

Hikaru too remained silent midway through, his expression grim as he listened to the message that came from Koremitsu's phone.

Mikoto too watched Koremitsu silently with those refreshing eyes.

Fujino's expression too seemed to show worry for Koremitsu.

Once Asai's report was over, Koremitsu sank into silence, and echoing in his mind was his own dumbfounded voice.

(Hanasato...is the Poppy?)

The passionate, intense melody chimed just as Honoka picked up the phone, shocking her. It was the personalized ringtone for Koremitsu.

"Akagi?"

The reason why her tone was so stiff was because of the phone call she received the previous day. Since yesterday, her good friend, Michiru—

"Shikibu, you feeling okay there?

Koremitsu sounded really anxious. It appeared he was not worried about Honoka's condition, and wanted to ask something else, but he was stammering.

After fumbling over his words a few times, he asked gingerly,

"Erm...I want to ask about Hanasato...has she been acting weird recently?"

Normally, Honoka would have found this question to be very weird. However, she quickly answered.

"Michiru's mom just called me, saying that she hasn't been home since yesterday!"

Koremitsu seemed to let out a groan.

"Any place where you think she might be?"

"I don't know. I did call Michiru, but I couldn't get through. Did something happen to her?"

Koremitsu definitely knew something. His grim voice and vague tone indicated that something bad was going on. With bated breath, Honoka quizzed nervously. After a long groan, Koremitsu hesitantly answered,

"I'm guessing...that Shiiko might be with Hanasato."

"With Shiiko? Why?"

"...I'll tell you later. Have a rest first. Listen. Don't do anything crazy like yesterday. Just stay there."

"—What?"

The phone hung up.

"What's going on..."

Just when Honoka was about to call back, another call came.

"Miss Shikibu...? Erm, it's about Mr. Akagi..."

A fleeting voice rang in her ears.

Honoka agitatedly asked,

"Miss Kanai? Akagi just called me—he seems weird. Do you know anything?"

(...My butt feels cold.)

Shioriko's consciousness was blurred, and that was the first thing she thought of.

She was seated on a hard, icy place.

(Yucks. I don't like this place.)

She tried to touch the floor with her hands to confirm the texture, but found that her arms could not move.

(Eh? What?)

Her arms could not move freely, and neither could her legs, as no matter how she tried to stand up, her legs were tied together, unable to be free.

(No way, I got tied up...?)

Shioriko was fully awake.

She was seated inside a black metallic box. Through her eyes, Shioriko knew that it was a metal box as large as a cooler room, and it terrified her.

Luckily, the door was not sealed.

However, Shioriko's arms were tied to the back, and her hands were sealed by something akin to duct tape. Furthermore, there was more duct tape attached to her ankles, and her body too was tied up in rope.

It was no wonder then that she could not move.

That was not the worst for her however. She could see a black skirt and legs in black kneesocks right outside the storeroom door.

That was the girls uniform of Koremitsu's school.

"Ah, so you're awake?"

That person leisurely spoke.

The owner of the voice bent down, looking at Shioriko, who was taken aback as a result.

The earnest round eyes.

The round face.

The swaying curls of the hair by the shoulder.

A genial smile on the lips.

However, she did not seem gentle in a slightest, and neither did she look leisurely. Shioriko felt that the eyes staring at her were giving a vibe of squashing the innocence of a bug, and delighting in morbid emotions, thoroughly terrifying Shioriko.

(Michiru Hanasato!)

Yes. Shioriko was sprayed with something at the park, and she was rendered unconscious.

Shioriko noticed that Michiru was sending a few suspicious messages titled as 'the Poppy', aiming to sow discord around Koremitsu.

Once she questioned what Michiru was aiming at, suddenly—

At that moment, as she fell to the ground, Shioriko saw Michiru give an ominous smile, and the image of that appeared in her mind. It overlapped with the image of the current Michiru, now bending down to look at Shioriko, and the latter felt a chill down her spine.

It was a voluptuous smirk, a fiendish one!

Shioriko's first impression of Michiru when they first met at the park was that she was a clumsy, yet serious class representative.

However, the Michiru at this point was completely different from before.

It appeared that a woman much older, innocent and lethal, had possessed Michiru's body, smiling with her face, speaking with her voice.

"Where did you take me to? What are you planning?"

Shioriko had difficulty breathing, her throat ostensibly choked. That, coupled with the pressure on her chest caused her to nearly lose consciousness several times, yet she continued to glare back defiantly.

She did not know where this place was, and with her limbs tied up, she could not escape. All she could do was to wait for someone to save her, and buy some time.

Don't worry. Big brother Koremitsu will definitely come. It's fine. I don't have to worry.

I definitely won't be scared.

Michiru narrowed her crescent, alluring eyes, tenderly speaking with the tone of one lecturing a child,

"When I was younger...I met a girl, a relative of mine called Akari...her father found a mistress and left home, so she ended up living together with her mother. She was 2 years younger than me, just like a little sister to me, a very cute girl."

What is she saying?

The tender voice seemed to caress Shioriko's skin, and the latter had goosebumps rising on her.

The smirk on Michiru's face got increasingly tender, and bewitching.

"But when she was playing in the storeroom door, the door was accidentally locked. She could not get out, so she suffocated as a result."

Shioriko gasped. Wait,

"Akari's mother cried really loudly at the funeral, but immediately got married with another man. It was said that man really hated Akari, so everyone was badmouthing the mother, saying that she sacrificed Akari for her own happiness. That however was the truth. The mother was smiling brightly when I met her a week later, and she did not seem to be grieving over Akari's death. Surely, she sacrificed to be one with her dearest, and attained happiness. Since you are cuter than Akari, Shiiko, God will surely be willing to fulfill my wish—"

Shioriko was shivering; she understood was Michiru was after.

"Stop it, Miss Hanasato."

She tried to retort back firmly, but the voice that came out was feeble,

"Miss Hanasato? Who's that?"

Michiru merciless taped Shioriko's mouth, showing a sneer.

That sneer was filled with malice, instantly freezing the struggling Shioriko.

"My name is Rokujō, and I shall become Fujino, his dearest."

Yes, that was what Michiru called herself before Shioriko passed out.

She called herself Rokujō.

While Shioriko widened her eyes, the heavy doors let out an icy sound, slowly closing.

### 003. Chapter 3: That What Dwells Inside of Her

It was pitch dark outside the window, and there was a downpour. The rain pelted upon the windows, ostensibly trying to smash them; the winds roared.

The winds were also howling on the night Hikaru died.

It was said that he was engulfed by the flooded river, and swept away by it.

The Heavens practically arranged the same stage as before.

(They still haven't found Hanasato and Shiiko?)

Koremitsu could only spend arduous moments waiting after Asai contacted him. Why Michiru? Is Shioriko okay? Such thoughts surged in his heart, and he felt a hand with sharp fingernails gripping his heart, not letting go.

Whenever the windows were rattled by the winds, Koremitsu got jumpy.

Mikoto was not around; she was probably out to contact the ones searching for Shioriko. The only ones in the room were Koremitsu and Fujino, and Hikaru the ghost.

Fujino was seated on the sofa, lowering her head sadly. The dim lights and the flames from the fireplace shone upon Fujino's clear white skin.

The light brown hair strands draped upon the shawl resting on her frail shoulders, and fell from it; despite this, she was so beauty it was breathtaking. She lowered her snowy nape, her long eyelashes casting a cast on the gloomy eyes.

Hikaru again lowered his head.

He too lowered his beautiful eyes beside Koremitsu, his lips curled into a knot, looking utterly distraught, rooted at his place.

(What exactly is this guy thinking now...?)

Was he worried about Shioriko's safety? Or was he left utterly heartbroken seeing his beloved woman being so despondent?

Assuming that it was Hikaru being his usual self, if there was a really depressed woman in front of him, he would embrace her even though knew he could not touch her, and say some sweet words in an attempt to console her.

But in Fujino's case, he was unable to look at her directly.

But even so, they do really appear to be a chip off the block, really identical.

They were blood-related aunt and nephew, and they were so similar in appearance, but that was not all. The reason why Hikaru had such an uncanny resemblance with Fujino was because their expressions and mood were so alike.

The movements of their eyebrows, how their lips squirmed, how they lowered their eyes.

And even the way they lifted their heads was so alike.

Was Hikaru like this when he was alive?

Hikaru once said in his anguish that he pursued Fujino numerous times when he was alive, and Fujino always rejected him...

—I had always loved her since I was young. Just seeing her causes my heart to feel warm and fuzzy. I feel like I am in Heaven whenever she smiled.

—I once thought that it will be fine if she and I are the only ones alive on this world. I love her so much that I cannot stop myself.

—But...she married someone else.

—I was in 6 th grade when she became the second wife of my father. It was tormenting to be with her, so I left home during Middle School.

On that day when Hikaru confessed everything he had kept secret in his heart, he lowered his eyes despondently.

Back then, Koremitsu did not know that Fujino was a blood-related aunt to Hikaru.

But even so, he knew that Hikaru could not forget the person who became the wife of his father, was suffering as a result. This too caused Koremitsu's heart to be gripped.

—After we went our separate ways, I fell deeper in love with her, and I...committed that one grievous sin.

The gravity of this confession weighed on Koremitsu's heart more than that instance before, causing the latter to be suffocated.

Hikaru continued to talk about that one instance he shared with Fujino back then.

He never did mention what were the circumstances.

But it was just once, and ever since then, they never did it again.

—It was just once...really, just that once. After that, that person would keep shunning me, and the most she did in front of everyone was to greet me at bare minimum. She never did say any tender words that would give me hope. It appeared that she wanted to forget about what happened back then—no, she wanted to pretend that it never happened.

What exactly were Fujino's feelings when she committed that one grievous sin with her nephew? Was it because she was unable to resist Hikaru's passionate advances? Or did Fujino too wish for it?

The sight of her eyes and head lowered slightly resembled that of a nun, and one could not imagine the exuberance and passion Hikaru once mentioned.

Fujino's thoughts were harder to comprehend as compared to Hikaru, and nobody could determine her true intentions. Did Fujino really not send a letter to Hikaru on the night he passed away?

Fujino was not rattled by Koremitsu's words.

However.

Koremitsu tried to recall Hikaru's narration of what happened that night. Having done so, he found Hikaru's words to be someone ambiguous as well.

—On the night I fell into the river—I was called out by her through a letter. She never wanted to make eye contact with him, but she suddenly wanted to meet me...I was really uneasy, I did not know what that person was thinking...but she wanted to meet me, and I had to go...

Hikaru said that his vision was blurred by the turbulent winds and rain, his body staggered, and he slipped into the flooding river.

—The moment when I fell into the river...someone grabbed my hand, trying to pull me up. I still remember the feeling of those hands that tried to grab me.

—Someone? Not your stepmom?

—It was night, and it was raining furiously...I...could not see clearly. However, those hands certainly felt like a woman's so they are...

Those slender hands could not grab Hikaru's body, and Hikaru was finally swept by the river, ending his 16 years of life.

—...I fell into the river...this is without a doubt. That person was not responsible...but...if that person was the one who tried to grab my hands...I will cause her another layer of guilt...I already hurt her thoroughly because I so loved her...

—I am scared, Koremitsu. Scared—of that person's heart...what was that person thinking at that moment? What exactly was she thinking about me? How will she view me in the future—I am terrified, really, really terrified, so much that I cannot take this anymore...

Hikaru quivered.

Was Fujino the one who wrote the letter? Or was it someone else? If it was Fujino, was there a reason why she had to do it on a stormy night? Why did she have to hide such a thing?

The flames flickered in the fireplace, and the rain pelting on the windows got more intense. Only the sounds of the rain, winds and flames were left in the house.

The blade of the knife placed by the window glittered a frosty light under the lamps.

Hikaru continued to keep his head lowered, the dangling hands clenched firmly. Fujino too had her eyes lowered, not moving at all.

The room was filled with such painful agony.

(Speaking of which...why does Fujino want to meet him?)

Fujino had been shunning Hikaru when the latter was alive. After he died, she claimed to not know anything about Hikaru at all.

But through Mikoto, she went through the effort to make contact with Hikaru's friend—Koremitsu. Surely something was amiss here? If she really did have Hikaru's child, she should be more willing to forget the sin she committed with Hikaru.

Koremitsu recalled the expectant eyes Fujino seemingly had when he arrived at the resort, followed by the words "I have been waiting for you for a while...Mr. Akagi", which seemed to imply that she was expectant.

Suddenly, Fujino's sealed lips opened slightly.

"...Mr. Akagi."

Koremitsu's heart jolted.

Hikaru's shoulders too shivered as he looked over at Fujino.

With her beautiful, melancholic eyes, she stared at him, her expression the same as whenever Hikaru mentioned his depressing past. She did try to restrain her emotions and talk calmly, but her eyes and lips showed a tranquil melancholy, a fleeting expression—

The feeble voice came from Fujino's pale lips,

"When...did you first become friends with Hikaru?"

Fujino's words were no different from a mother asking the friend of her son, an older sister asking the friend of her little brother, and this caused Koremitsu, so tense as he was, to feel surprised.

Hikaru's expression was slightly relaxed.

That beautiful woman who was said to be a Goddess in a legend was looking at Koremitsu with clear eyes, causing him to stiffen, and answer stiffly,

"...I entered High School with Hikaru. He borrowed a textbook from me a day before Golden Week started."

"Textbook?"

"Classics—he said he forgot it, but I didn't have Classics lessons that day, so I didn't have it."

Koremitsu recalled the story he told Tsuyako. Perhaps Fujino was just like Tsuyako, hoping to hear what happened to Hikaru when he was alive.

Perhaps she just wanted to lament the death of the stepson she could not love when he was alive.

Tsuyako cheerfully noted 'Hikaru really did not do his homework' upon hearing that Koremitsu did not have the textbook, but Fujino looked depressed.

"Golden Week...this year?"

She whispered.

"Ah! I only got to talk with him on this, but we promised to be friends—that day feels like it was 10 years ago or something!"

Koremitsu frantically excused.

He was worried if Fujino would suspect if Hikaru would privately message somebody he only interacted with for one day.

But Fujino looked afar with anguished eyes, muttering with a forlorn, clear voice,

"I suppose...such things are possible too. Everything can be decided based on a certain moment..."

Tears of sadness welled in Fujino's eyes, and Koremitsu was left breathless by the beauty shown.

Was Hikaru's encounter with Fujino just like that? If Hikaru was 5, and Fujino married after graduating from college, that means she would be around 15...

Like Fujino, Hikaru too was looking afar.

—...Never...did I once view her as my aunt.

Koremitsu recalled Hikaru's bitter murmur, and his heart too was griped.

Could humans fall in love even when they were 5 years old?

Was it really love at first sight?

(I don't really know about it. I'll say that 5-year-olds are little brats with snot all over their faces...)

He thoroughly remembered yearning for the love of his always sobbing mother, so much that his heart ached.

Thus, he could understand the pain and suffering children go through in desiring others. Despite growing into adults, the intense feelings that lingered in the heart back then were special, unable to be forgotten.

Fujino again asked Koremitsu gently,

"It seems you have been calling yourself Hikaru's representative."

"I made a promise with him."

"Promise..."

The beautiful eyes faltered slightly.

It seemed her heart was gripped by the word 'promise'.

"He promised me not to let the flowers wilt. That guy will always give a serious look, saying 'Girls are flowers, so there is a need to take proper care of them'."

Melancholy gradually filled Fujino's eyes, but the eyes were clear as heartbroken.

"What kind of person...do you think Hikaru is?"

Why did Fujino appear to be suffering so much? Why was it that despite Hikaru not being on this world anymore, she never did show a sign of forgetting the pain...?

"Well, Hikaru looks lively, but he's quite a lonely guy. He appears frivolous, but is unexpectedly a serious guy."

For Koremitsu, Hikaru was such a complicated boy. He had many secrets, and was unwilling to reveal his true thoughts. No matter where he was, he would be with the ones thinking about him, devoting his all to them.

"Then, what kind of person do you think Hikaru is?"

Fujino again lowered her head.

Her eyelashes lowered, and there was silence. She looked lonely, but soon after, she muttered,

"Hikaru—is a tragic child."

Her tone was filled with anguish.

Hikaru, listening in on Fujino's words, too showed grave sadness in his eyes.

"Hikaru probably suffered through many unbearable things since his childhood...but he was always smiling."

Fujino's distressed voice, coupled with Hikaru's bereft expression, gripped Koremitsu's heart hard.

"Yeah. It looks like...he made a promise with his mother. That he has to smile even when he's sad."

—You have to smile no matter what happens. By doing that, everyone will love you

That was the talisman Hikaru's ill mother left for her child before passing away early.

Even if others do bully you, give them an earnest smile.

Even though the one bullying him was 'fate' itself...

With tears welling in her eyes, Fujino muttered,

"If only he was able to cry..."

After hearing those words, for an instance, Hikaru looked utterly distraught.

However, in his attempt to dispel this emotion, he immediately raised his already sealed lips, softened his eyes, and showed a tender—beautiful smile.

That was the faint smile Hikaru would show when he was truly depressed.

Hikaru could not cry.

So he could only smile.

Upon seeing Hikaru being like this, Koremitsu too bit his lower lip.

—How does it feel to cry?

The admiring voice he once heard lingered sadly in his ears.

"!! Hikaru..."

Was there anything he could say for his friend, that friend who was much more sentimental than anyone else, yet could not cry?

Just when Koremitsu was about to speak up.

A commotion sudden occurred outside the door.

A furious female growl came from outside, and it seemed there was some kind of dispute. That was followed by footsteps headed towards this room.

Fujino raised her eyebrows slightly, and Hikaru nervously stared at the door. At this moment, a tall woman dressed in black fur coat and a scarlet one-piece dress stormed in without knocking.

Fujino stood up.

"Miss Hiroka...!"

The one giving that anxious exclamation was Hikaru.

(If I remember, Hiroka's—)

Upon recalling the identity of the guest causing this commotion, Koremitsu too was taken aback.

Kazuaki's mother, the ex-wife of Hikaru's father. Tōjō once scowled and exclaimed "I cannot let Aoi marry into that family with such a terrifying mother-in-law." Hiroka Udate appeared with her eyebrows raised, glaring at Fujino so furiously that sparks could fly, hollering,

"Your husband is dying, and you are moonlighting with a high school boy? You are the death of me, you woman!"

Hiroka berated Fujino with a shrill voice, and Koremitsu stared at her, dumbfounded.

Was this the infamous mother of Kazuaki, Hiroka?

Her eyeshadow and rouge was thick, and her face was pretty, but she did not appear as her age. As Kazuaki's mother, it appears she was more than 40 years old, but she appeared to be in her twenties. She was tall, had large breasts, a slender waist, and a nice figure comparable to that of a foreign actress. The make-up probably had something to do with it, but the shape of her grim looking face was distinct. The red hair had elegant curls at the end, and the hair was let down.

She really resembled her relative Tsuyako. In contrast to Tsuyako's cheerful, alluring presence, Hiroka might have the alluring presence down, but the initial impression of her was that of being unapproachable.

If Tsuyako was the red weeping cherry blossom blooming elegantly, tenderly alluring others, Hiroka would be the thorny red rose.

(This aunt here came to complain about me getting together with Fujino. You got to be kidding me!?)

Koremitsu got up from the sofa, and Mikoto, who caught up to Hiroka, naturally slipped in, standing in a position where Koremitsu's face was blocked, stating calmly,

"Miss Hiroka, Mr. Akagi is a guest I brought over to visit Miss Fujino What you just said is not a fact at all; Miss Fujino is currently recuperating in this resort, and it is due to the Head's kindness for she is about to give birth. Please do understand."

"And you should have known about the Head being in critical condition last night, Miss Fujino."

Hikaru widened his eyes in shock. Koremitsu too let down his clenched fists.

(Hikaru's father is in critical condition!?)

Koremitsu did hear that Hikaru's father was not in a good condition.

That was why he supported the factions lead by both his ex-wife, Hiroka, and the current wife, Fujino, to set up the position for his successor, for them to carry out a skirmish secretly.

In that battle, Hiroka's only son, Kazuaki, did a gaffe that could not be overturned, and the Wisterias were deemed to be more likely to wind. However, the reason why Hiroka suddenly barged in did not seem to be because she was peeved, nor out for revenge.

"Why are you not with him right now!? I am not that man's wife now, you are, Miss Fujino! For him, you and I are just other women, not that Miss Kiriyo who gave birth to that dead brat! Now that he is dead, that man has nothing he loved left behind, and does not have any longing for this world now. That man has, and will always love Miss Kiriyo! You can at least be her replacement!"

Hiroka's holler were like blazing arrows, piercing through the atmosphere of anguish.

Koremitsu was stupefied.

Neither Fujino nor Hikaru spoke up as they listened to Hiroka's words painfully. In contrast to the lively Hiroka, Fujino was akin to a corpse.

"You really are just like that hateful woman! Miss Fujino! When that man married you as his wife, I was really terrified, seeing how you resemble that woman so much, I thought that man used the Mikados' research facilities to create a clone of Miss Kiriyo. For that man, you are just a replacement for her, but you already knew that when you accepted that man's request to marry into the Mikados! Even so, you still became the Head's wife, so you have to fulfill your duty until the very end! Just stay by his bedside and pretend to be Miss Kiriyo! If Miss Kiriyo is to tell him to remain alive, that man will come back even if he is in Hell! Or will he think that Miss Kiriyo has come to welcome him, and he will die? I suppose that is a good thing to you."

Hiroka vented her feelings onto Fujino, not giving a room to breath. Fujino merely closed her eyes, and Koremitsu knew that action would further incense Hiroka.

"...I will not be going back."

Fujino muttered.

Hiroka scowled deepened, her face contorted as she yelled,

"Why!? Because you have a reason not to meet him? Because the child in your belly is not that man’s, but that devil’s?"

Obviously, the 'devil' here referred to Hikaru.

Hikaru shrieked,

"That is not my child!"

Koremitsu too stood in front of Fujino,

"Hey! I'm Hikaru's friend. She definitely has the child of Hikaru's dad here! Hikaru's stepmom wasn't willing to talk to him."

Perhaps Hiroka saw the scathing messages, lost her cool, and started yelling without checking the details.

However, Hiroka gave Koremitsu the look of one looking down on a mongrel, saying,

"I received a message saying that the child in Miss Fujino is that devil's. I thought it was baseless slander, but I had someone investigate just in case."

She then turned her eyes towards Fujino.

"Miss Fujino, that child did meet you when you lived in this resort back in March, no?"

Fujino remained unmoved, merely standing there, her eyelids lowered, looking gloomy.

"I did visit her, but that was because I could not hold in my emotions. I was the one who came here, but she did not let me in at all."

Hikaru frantically explained.

"Yeah, Hikaru did come to this resort, but he said that he was not let in at all! The kid in the belly has nothing to do with Hikaru!"

Hiroka continued on, not giving Koremitsu a look,

"Yes, you did chase him away, Miss Fujino. However, you caught up to that child afterwards, and spent the night with him at the Church! That was when you were impregnated!"

(What!?)

Koremitsu felt a rock slammed at his head.

Hikaru too paled as he stood there.

Hikaru said that on the night Fujino rejected him, he met a woman at the Church to comfort his broken heart. He was reunited with the woman in that Church, Sora, embracing her tightly in the darkness, while the moon was shrouded by the clouds, until the morning.

"I...that night...I should be...with Sora..."

The quivering lips continued to stammer. Hikaru was probably recalling what happened back then.

Perhaps—

Though he kept thinking, he could not deny it. Doubt, fear, despair entwined in Hikaru's heart.

Koremitsu too could not refute.

There was no way such a thing could happen. Right, this should not be true.

Koremitsu felt the pain of his brain suffocated, his neck choked as he slowly looked towards Fujino's belly.

It was covered by the shawl, so it was not obvious on first glance. Perhaps the life growing inside it however was Hikaru's—

"...This is not Hikaru's child."

Fujino continued to keep her head low, muttering,

"Hikaru and I...never had such a relationship before."

Fujino's pale face looked utterly perturbed, her lips quivering. She said that she never did have a relationship with Hikaru, but that was a lie. Fujino did have that one instance with Hikaru when the latter was in 8th grade.

Thus, what Fujino denied was not a factual refute.

Perhaps it was a lie when she said that the child was not Hikaru's!

Rage was blazing from Hiroka's eyes. Her shoulders were huffed, her eyebrows raised, and her face was red due to rage. She took out a horizontal envelope from her bag, and tossed it to Fujino.

The envelop hit Fujino right in the face.

Mikoto was taken aback, and Hikaru too leaned forward. Fujino merely kept her eyes closed while the envelope hit her, and she then lowered her head. her white face was cut by the side of the envelope, causing it to bleed, yet she lowered her eyelids, remaining silent.

"We shall know the truth once the child is born and the investigations are done. if you continue to insist that the child is his, go ahead. If you dare say that your child is that of your blood-related nephew, I will never forgive you! I will never allow him to be born, even if you do, I will choke it! I already regretted not doing that when Miss Kiriyo gave birth to that devil."

The red hair danced in the air as Hiroka stormed out of the room.

Mikoto bowed as she watched Hiroka leave.

And with the footsteps departing, Mikoto approached Fujino, picking up the envelope that dropped by her feet, before reaching her hand onto Fujino's back—

"Please allow me to treat your wounds."

She brought Fujino out.

During that time, Fujino continued to look down, her eyelashes lowered, her lips sealed, and her eyes remained hollowed as she lowered her head.

Koremitsu and Hikaru were the only ones left in the room.

The storm that was overpowered by Hiroka's words started to buzz again, declaring their presence, and the damp windows were rattling due to the winds.

There was a fire in the fireplace, but it appeared the room was much colder than before.

Hikaru collapsed to the floor.

"Hey—"

Surely it felt strange to say to a ghost 'hang in there', but Hikaru was utterly pale, his skin looking as though it would vanish at any given moment. His limbs and lips were quivering.

"How...did I not realize it..."

Hikaru's feeble stutter was so despondent, so feeble, it was horrifying.

"That night...when Sora embraced me...it was so warm...so comfortable...during then...I fell asleep...and then...I woke up in darkness...Sora was looking down at me...and I reached out to her, calling her 'Sora'...I pulled her close, and she embraced me...and then...we remained...until the morning...when I woke up, Sora vanished...I had...a white shawl on me...that shawl...was of fine quality...something really expensive...the usually thrifty Sora cannot possibly have such a thing..."

Hikaru kept his head lowered, the soft hair strands draped upon his face, covering his pained expression.

However, he never did try to disguise the pain and despair in his voice.

"That night...the one who comforted me...was Sora. But the one, who bonded with me...was not Sora..."

He had a secret encounter with his dearest. Normally, it was something worth being happy about, or something of a blessing.

However, if the life that was not desired resided in her.

That it was the child of the blood-related aunt and nephew—

"That person...has...my child...in her? Can such a child...be born?"

Hikaru's misery caused Koremitsu to feel gloomy as well.

It was unlike the moment when Sora confessed to be pregnant.

If the father of Fujino's child was really Hikaru, it would be out of wedlock, a child born out of incest.

Fujino and the child would continue to bear that crucifix for the rest of their lives.

Hikaru, who was told by many 'if only you were not born', would leave behind a child that should not be born.

Fujino should know it was a sin.

(Why did she send Hikaru back after he came all the way to the resort, and yet gave chase after him? Why did she pretend to be Sora and embrace Hikaru?)

They could not do such a thing.

For that would bring about misfortune.

She knew that, so why did she!

Hikaru lifted his head, and grabbed Koremitsu, his hands and arms entering Koremitsu's body. Even so, he continued to look at Koremitsu, his face completely contorted as he yelled,

"What do I do now, Koremitsu! That person intends to give birth to that child! She will do it no matter who objects! What do I do now! I am already dead—"

Koremitsu too realized the gravity of the situation, and remained silent.

His body, with Hikaru's hands reaching inside, was shivering.

The fact Asai was worried about became reality.

(What do we do now!? If the kid's going to be born, that kid's a lost cause just like Fujino!)

Would Hikaru go insane?

Would he continue to linger and wander around the world?

Would Fujino live the rest of her life, unable to smile or yell, just like a living corpse?

Such a notion caused Koremitsu to feel his chest being ripped apart.

Suddenly, the cellphone in his pocket vibrated.

Koremitsu fished out the phone with one hand, and checked the message.

Another anonymous message!

He opened the message, and attached to it was a photo of Shioriko tied up with duct tape and rope, collapsed somewhere.

"To Hikaru,

Come to the place where you betrayed me, at the same time as that night."

That was the line in the message.

The message was signed off with the name 'Fujino'.

While Hikaru remained in utter despair at this point, Koremitsu gritted his teeth as he glared at those words—and the photos of Shioriko tied up.

(You too, Hanasato. What's wrong with you! What are you thinking!?)

The moment she firmly believed Lord Hikaru was in Koremitsu Akagi's heart was when Koremitsu compared her to the Tachibana flowers.

—Hanasato!

He called out Michiru's name, and with a serious look.

—You're like the Tachibana flowers. You're plain, but you have a gentle memorable fragrance. I think that's very good.

It was almost the same words as what Hikaru said during their elementary school days, that he liked the Tachibana flowers. Those words throbbed Michiru's heart.

But something was amiss.

Koremitsu was definitely a gruff, crude person, and it seemed he would not know of any flower names at all.

—Hono, does Mr. Akagi like flowers?

—Eh!? How's that possible? He probably has an interest in eating flowers. Ah, but...

—But

—H-he does know of a species called the Heliotrope...it's not a common flower name...he said that a friend taught him that.

As far as Michiru could see, Koremitsu Akagi had no friends at all. It was said that was the same before he entered the Heian Academy High school branch, that the people around him kept shunning him.

It seemed Koremitsu told Aoi and Asai that he was Hikaru Mikado's friend.

There was no chance for Hikaru and Koremitsu to interact. The only day where they could meet was right before Golden Week, the day Koremitsu attended school.

She was surprised to see Koremtisu attend Hikaru's funeral, but back then, Koremitsu was scowling away, looking peeved, and did not seem to be mourning the death of a good friend.

So when did he become Hikaru's friend?

Aoi, who had been ignoring Koremitsu at first, ended up greeting Koremitsu cheerfully whenever they met. Koremitsu too was making visits to Yū Kanai, whom Hikaru visited at her apartment numerous times. Shioriko, whom Hikaru reached out to, was adopted by Koremitsu's family. Tsuyako, who was the prettiest flower amongst Hikaru's garden, started to trust Koremitsu. having observed these, Michiru was thinking "Maybe—"

And then, once Koremitsu said those words to Michiru, she understood.

Hikaru's body was haunting Koremitsu. He was living inside Koremitsu, with a will of its own.

That had to be the reason why Koremitsu knew of things only Hikaru did, and how she would occasionally see them as one entity.

Hikaru is not dead.

He is still alive!

This firm saved the other Michiru inside her heart, that battered soul would kept stating all her grudges to the one she loved.

That Michiru too loved Hikaru. No, it was a deeper love than that.

On that spring, when she was 14, she arrived at the resort in Shinshu, and heard that Hikaru too was at a nearby resort, in a retreat with his family.

She came to the Mikados residence, thinking 'Can I meet him? Just a peek will do.' She nervously wandered around, and Hikaru appeared.

Michiru was very delighted, and from that day onwards, at the resort, she would tail Hikaru.

On a certain day, she saw that beautiful, dreadful sight.

The beautiful, violet flowers hanging off the wild Wisterias.

Hikaru was standing under them.

His white skin and faint brown hair sparkled under the dazzling light, the violet Wisterias seemingly raining upon him like a waterfall as he reached his slender arms towards them.

And then, he dotingly embraced those fallen petals.

They were like cicada skins, scattered all over the floor, none of them in his grasp.

But even so, Hikaru reached out to embrace those flowers, his sidelong face looked anguished.

After Hikaru left, it was a beautiful woman who had the exact same face as Hikaru, stealthily appearing while seemingly evading others, squatting on the piled Wisterias. She touched the violet petals Hikaru touched with her white hands, giving an endearing, tragic kiss.

A pearl-like tear slid down her white cheek.

Soon after, she sat in the middle of the Wisterias, curled up, ostentiously sinking in the abyss of the Wisterias.

The violet flowers made no sounds as they gathered about her slender arms, breasts, throat and legs.

A secret love—

Michiru's heart race, and her cheeks, ears and head were searing.

She practically forgot how to blink, and everything was kept in her heart like a special present.

Those two so loved each other.

But even after shying away from the public eye, they could neither meet, let alone talk.

Even so, Michiru understood.

That Wisteria was the dearest to Hikaru—

Michiru was aware that she was just an unimpressive, boring girl, unable to remain in Hikaru's eyes.

If I'm to maintain a pure heart, one day, Lord Hikaru will find me. Just as he said I am like the Tachibana flowers he like.

That was what the Michiru on the surface wished.

The other Michiru however felt that it was merely a daydream, and had long given up on it.

Because of that, she admired the forbidden relationship between Fujino and Hikaru.

The only one who was a match for the beautiful Hikaru was the similarly beautiful Fujino.

But they could never fall in love in this world.

Such a tragedy.

Such a sweetness.

She saw how they yearned each other, and wanted to touch their world—no matter how little it was. That was why she stalked Hikaru and Fujino, and kept following them.

Whenever the Mikados had a party for those relevant, she would surely attend and observe them.

Hikaru and Fujino would never converse with each other in front of others, but when nobody else was looking—

She saw Hikaru pick up the champagne glass Fujino used, miserably kissing it; she saw Fujino stroke the chair Hikaru sat on, lower her head, and show a teary sight in her beautiful eyes.

She saw Hikaru give a forlorn stare at the painting Fujino saw, and saw Fujino pick up the rose Hikaru approached and had a whiff of, hurt by the thorns on the rose, covering her fingertips with such guilt, lowering her head—

Whenever Michiru saw such sights, she became increasingly expectant.

And then, she ended up hoping that she would one day become like Fujino, able to have the forbidden love with Hikaru.

Michiru knew that it was an unhealthy thinking, and so she found herself to be shameful for thinking that way, burying such thoughts deep within her heart.

But the other Michiru became 'Fujino', inciting the forbidden thoughts she had for Hikaru.

The reason why Hikaru could never converse with Michiru in front of everyone, wander through the flowers, create scandals with girls was that they were secretly in love.

His true love was Fujino.

Ironically, this thinking saved the Michiru on the surface. Hikaru kept ignoring Michiru because he was trying to hide his secret romance with Fujino.

Due to that, the sadness and despair of being omitted by Hikaru vanished, and even the sweet loving words Hikaru said to other girls became sweet pain to her.

The Michiru on the surface, and the one on the other side co-existed as such, wandering around each other.

Michiru knew that the other Michiru was just her imagination.

When exactly did it begin?

The woman called 'Rokujō' would begin to sweet talk by her ears.

—Hey, remember me?

When she was little, she met a red-clothed woman in front of the shrine at the Udates.

She could no longer remember the face and profile of that woman; all that remained in her heart was that red one-piece dress and the red flowers swaying in front of the shrine.

It was a terrifying, noble woman with power—

The embodiment of the spider.

—I have been growing inside your heart. Pluck the flower, and let me out.

—With that, I will grant you the power of the spider. Get the lover in your hands, crush him, and let him be yours forever.

The venomous red flowers were swaying.

And so, Michiru plucked it.

Thus, the Michiru on the other side was able to hear 'Rokujō's' voice, and use its power.

—To get the one you love to love you back, just devour the thing that person loves and replace yourself with it. Sometimes, you will have to devour the one you love..

—You are to devour the Fujino if you wish to become the real Fujino..

Michiru Hanasato was gradually disappearing.

But even so, it did not matter to her. Michiru was never needed by anyone. Nobody would call her by her name; even her own family hardly did so.

Michiru's mother was very strict, and would slap Michiru's palm whenever the latter did something wrong, always compare her to her outstanding older sister, lamenting "Why is it that your older sister can do it, and you cannot?" Her mother was also spiteful that her father bore a little brother with another woman, and she kept nagging at Michiru, "Even though he's a boy, a child born out of wedlock is still a child born out of wedlock. You two are the legitimate children of your father, so you have to be smarter and more elegant than that mistress' boy." But despite hiring a few tutors, Michiru never displayed any outstanding talents, and remained an unimpressive, dull-witted girl. It seemed her mother was vexed by it, for one day, she sighed, saying, "That is enough." and stopped scolding Michiru.

She had no hopes for Michiru!

Even Honoka too, the only one who called Michiru by her name, felt pity for the dull-witted Michiru, who was in Heian Academy since kindergarten. She was with Michiru, only wanting the latter to be her foil.

So whenever Honoka called her Michiru, the latter's heart would ache, and she felt suffocated.

Michiru too was displeased to see Honoka being interested in Koremitsu, Honoka blushing and flustered because of him.

When Koremitsu fulfilled the promise Michiru had with Hikaru, she thought she would no longer be any inferior to Honoka.

But she was wrong.

The feelings she had for Honoka, whether it was anxiety, restlessness or hatred remained etched in her body, and never vanished.

Why? I should be satisfied?

I should be happy!

I should be blissful!

At that moment, Rokujō again muttered.

—No. Michiru may be satisfied, but Fujino is yet to be. The promise Fujino made with Hikaru has yet to be fulfilled. You will continue to remain so pathetic until the promise is made, a human inferior to Honoka Shikibu, always being pitied.

"I shall...never allow anyone to look down on me again."

Michiru muttered to herself, her black eyes giving off a cold glint as she stared at the black metal safe.

Some kicking could be heard from the inside of the door, only for them to completely vanish.

The storm continued outside the window.

It was just like that night, the night when Hikaru betrayed, the night when Fujino betrayed.

Let it begin all over again.

And then, fall in that pure love with that most dazzling boy in the world, completing that process neither Honoka Shikibu nor anyone else could obtain.

Michiru switched off the light, only holding a torchlight, and opened the cabin door.

The winds were strong enough to rip the door down.

Michiru's face was dampened by the rain, her soft hair strands swaying in the wind. She was about to be knocked over by the winds, and she took a step into the dark storm while wearing her school uniform.

"I will go on to fulfill that promise... Hikaru ."

It was near midnight when Asai and the rest learned of a high school girl resembling Michiru Hanasato bringing an elementary schoolgirl onto a taxi, and they asked the driver for Michiru's destination.

Leaving aside Michiru, the driver had quite an impression the bright-eyed pretty girl. It seemed Michiru told the driver, "We'll be headed to our relatives' home later, but my little sister is too tired that she's sleeping."

Asai sent a message notifying Koremitsu that they were off to save Shioriko, and with Tōjō and Aoi, they got on a car to give pursuit.

(Michiru Hanasato is not sane at the moment. We have to stop her before it is too late.)

And if Shioriko was to have nary a scratch on her, Asai would be too ashamed to meet Koremitsu.

The torrential downpour meant that it was difficult for the car to move forward. Right when she was feeling frustrated, a call reached her.

Hiina notified Asai that Michiru went to a mega electronics shop to purchase a vault, and the destination was a cabin of Michiru's relative in Shinshu. That relative was overseas, rarely in Japan. This matched the destination the taxi mentioned, and it appeared Michiru was hiding there.

Rather than feel relaxed however, the fact that Michiru bought a safe unnerved Asai.

Once she heard that the safe was large enough to stuff an elementary school girl inside, Asai felt a chill running up the spine.

Tōjō and Aoi heard the call inside the car, and they probably thought of that incident too. Their faces froze.

This incident was revealed.

But to Asai and the rest, it was a tragic incident of an elementary schoolgirl close to them accidently locked inside a safe.

The victim was of a similar age, so for quite a while, Aoi would tug at Asai's arm firmly whenever they passed by the safe at home.

That girl was a relative of the Hanasatos—Michiru's family. In that case, Michiru probably had a deeper impression of it.

"Is...Miss Hanasato actually going to put Shiiko—"

Aoi shivered, and Tōjō grabbed her shoulders, trying to encourage her. Asai's tone too blackened,

"We have to hurry."

(I feel suffocated.)

Shioriko realized that the more she struggled, the lesser the air inside, and so she curled herself in an unnatural position, silently waiting.

However, the air was thinning. She could not hold on for much longer.

(Save me, big brother Koremitsu!)

(Were you walking down the riverside in such a large rain?)

The winds did somewhat calm down, but the rain continued to pour, stabbing at the land. His feet were muddy, and the umbrella was of no use at all.

Koremitsu went off to the riverside where Hikaru died, along with Mikoto and Fujino.

Both Mikoto and Fujino were wearing hooded raincoats, and large, bead-like raindrops fell from them. Fujino kept her hood as low as possible as she lowered her head and moved forward. Her eyes could not be seen, but the face and lips being lit by the torchlight was pale.

Before she went out, Fujino stared at the knife placed by the windowside miserably, and kept it in her clothes.

Koremitsu saw Hikaru shiver as the latter saw this, his face contorted, seemingly fearing something.

—You're going to bring the knife out? It's dangerous. Don't do that.

In response to those words,

—This is...a talisman.

A lifeless Fujino answered.

Her voice was flat, and an ominous feeling grew in Koremitsu's heart.

Mikoto merely watched Fujino with those refreshing eyes, and did not stop her from bringing the knife out. Neither did she stop Fujino, who was about to give birth, from going out in this stormy night—

As they approached the river, the waters whipped harder and harder. The river was practically throwing a tantrum.

(Going out now is already dangerous. Coming to the riverbank is suicidal.)

What sort of feelings did Hikaru have when he arrived at the river?

And if Fujino did call Hikaru out, what sort of feelings did she have?

Once he knew that Fujino might be bearing Hikaru's child, Koremitsu was left wondering about her thought process.

What was she thinking when she took action.

Why did she shun from Hikaru, and yet did something that could have caused Hikaru's child to be born?

Fujino lowered her head, covering her face.

Hikaru too appeared to be in great distress. Both of them looked as though they were about to be executed.

(Damn it! I can't see the road in front! What's Hanasato planning to do in this weather?)

The message that was sent along with Shioriko's photo stated that the promise with Hikaru was to be completed.

After reading the content, one would know that it was not directed at Koremitsu, but at 'Hikaru'.

But Hikaru was already dead.

(Or is Hanasato able to see Hikaru?)

But even so, Hikaru did say at the resort that if the sender was 'Fujino', that the promise between 'Hikaru' and 'Fujino' could be fulfilled, then there was no way it could be fulfilled.

Hikaru was in such despair when he said this, and had no strength to sigh. His expression and voice were utterly languid—only filled with misery.

—Because, there was only one promise I made with that person when I was younger, for us to be together before.

This happened a long, long time ago, and can no longer be fulfilled. Now that I am dead, it is absolutely impossible.

It was true that unless Hikaru revived, such a promise was impossible.

No, there was still a way.

However, that was too frivolous, and Koremitsu decided not to think about it.

(Anyway, let's find Hanasato first and talk it out.)

Suddenly, he found a swaying light amidst the grass patch opposite the river, akin to ghost lights.

Koremitsu shone his flashlight, and the raindrops falling diagonally were revealed in the orange light. He saw Michiru wearing the school uniform, her hair ruffled by the wind as she stood there.

Michiru did not hold an umbrella, and was thoroughly soaked by the rain. One had to wonder if it was because of the hair sticking onto her face, or because of the little smirk on her lips—

Michiru was giving off an alluring presence, one drastically different from before.

Right, just like Kazuaki was wearing the wig and female clothing—

And with an intonation similar to Kazuaki's, she said,

"You are rather punctual there, Hikaru~~~~"

### 004. Chapter 4: Rokujō's Confession

(Michiru, why aren't you picking up the phone?)

Honoka was in the taxi racing towards the Mikados' resort, calling Michiru over and over again. She sent a few messages, but never got any replies.

She placed the phone by her ear, her gut almost ripped apart. Seated beside her was an uneasy looking Yū.

Koremitsu called regarding Michiru in the evening, and then, Yū anxiously called.

That was when Honoka learned of Shioriko being abducted.

That was the reason why Koremitsu stammered, asking if there was anything strange with Michiru.

Honoka gasped a few times as she heard Yū's words.

Koremitsu was saying that Michiru was with Shioriko. In that case, did it mean that Michiru abducted Shioriko?

She could not believe that the ever serious Michiru would ever do such a thing!

Koremitsu told Honoka to wait quietly, but the latter just could not do so. She decided to give chase after Koremitsu, and Yū too requested the same.

Honoka found it strange that she was working together with her love rival Yū. However, she was a lot more relieved that she was not going alone.

Honoka heard from Yū that Koremitsu went off to the Mikados' resort, so she gave a call to Tsuyako, but could not get through. Thus, she could only give calls to the students at school asking for the address.

They took the train to the location, and then got on the taxi they had arranged for beforehand.

The car was bumping about on this road that was not practically not paved at all. The windshield was dampened by the rain, and the front was completely dark.

Suddenly, she saw an orange light in the darkness.

(Michiru!)

Only a section of the riverbank was lit, and Michiru stood there, wearing her school uniform, showing a faint smile. On a closer look, Koremitsu too was holding a torchlight, standing in front of Michiru. The ruffled red hair was soaked by the rain, sticking onto his face.

Koremitsu shone the torchlight at Michiru, glaring at her. Two women in raincoats were standing behind him, seemingly leaning upon him.

Honoka then exclaimed to the driver,

"Please stop the car!"

"Where's Shiiko?"

Koremitsu scowled as he glared at Michiru, inquiring,

If it was the usual Michiru, she probably would be flustered and answering shrilly once Koremitsu glared at her. At this point however, she gave Koremitsu a bewitching smile,

"Watching home~"

She answered.

The only things shining on each other was merely the torchlight both parties have. In the glaring light was Michiru, soaked all over in her blazer, pleated skirt and knee socks, grinning away.

Before he came to this place, Koremitsu did receive the message from Asai, notifying him that they found Shioriko's whereabouts.

Shioriko probably would be saved by Asai and the others, unless Michiru had an accomplice. In any case, Koremitsu could not forgive her for involving the elementary school girl Shioriko.

And so, his voice got sterner as he asked,

"Why did you kidnap her?"

"Did I not say it already? To revive Lord Hikaru, of course."

Hikaru, standing beside Koremitsu with a grim face, was pained so much, his face was writhing. The rain was slightly abated, permeating through his slender body, and the tender hair strands swayed silently in the rain. Such a scene was really fleeting, empty, and Koremitsu again realized that Hikaru was a ghost.

"That's impossible."

"How is it impossible? Is Lord Hikaru still not on this world? Living inside your body, Mr. Akagi. It is useless to try and bluff me. I do know. Lord Hikaru can hear this, right?"

Michiru spoke with a sickeningly, sweet voice, shocking Koremitsu.

Hikaru too widened his eyes.

(She's able to see Hikaru, for real? She just called me 'Hikaru', right? No, that's impossible. If she can't see, she'll probably ignore me and talk to Hikaru himself.)

It was likely that Koremitsu, who was supposed to pass on Hikaru's words, caused Michiru to think that Hikaru had possessed him. In fact, Hikaru could not leave Koremitsu, so in a certain sense, she was right.

But if Koremitsu was to admit to this, the situation will get complicated. Surely Fujino and Mikoto, watching from behind, would be completely confused. And so, Koremitsu spoke seriously,

"So what do you want? Calling the dead back? Didn't you already bid farewell to Hikaru?"

The smile instantly vanished from Michiru's face.

She lowered her head, her eyes showing a gloomy shadow.

"Yeah, Michiru said it. But I have not."

That sight of her unnerved Koremitsu.

"If you aren't Hanasato, who are you?"

He asked, and she slowly raised her face.

The damp skin showed an alluring gloss, and the lips curled into a confident smile, the pale flames flickering in the eyes.

" Rokujō. "

Hikaru gasped.

Koremitsu's heart immediately shrilled.

(Rokujō—!)

The embodiment of the spider that was worshipped in the garden of the Udates, having devoured the husband and his mistress.

Michiru blurted from her lips the woman's name that horrified Tsuyako, whom Kazuaki worshipped, with a malicious smirk on her face, and that caused Koremitsu to be dumbfounded.

At that moment, a familiar yell was mixed in the rain,

"Michiru!!"

The one running towards Michiru in jacket and thigh pants in the cold rain, tumbling in the mud and nearly falling over was Honoka, who should be recuperating at home

And Koremitsu immediately told off Honoka, whose pants were covered in mud, running towards them,

"Shikibu! How many times must I tell you to stay at home and wait! Ack, even Yū's here!"

Koremitsu saw Yū's long hair as she walked silently behind Honoka, soaked in the rain. He widened his eyes. Yū's long skirt too was soaked, sticking to her legs.

"...Sorry. I-I was worried about you, Mr. Akagi..."

"Yeah, how can I just sit by and wait!? Michiru's my friend!"

Honoka insisted, shaking her damp hair aside.

Suddenly, a sarcastic voice could be heard.

"Friend? Is Michiru Hanasato not simply a foil to Hono?"

Michiru gave Honoka an icy glare, and Honoka's face immediately froze.

"Michiru, what are you saying?"

"Michiru Hanasato is so stupid, so plain, a poor lackey everyone calls 'rep'. That's why you pretended to help her, to indulge in that superiority of yours, right? Just pretending to protect Michiru, and everyone will think Hono is one with a strong streak of righteous, a good person who cares for her friends, right? 'Why's it that Honoka is with that useless girl of a class rep' 'probably because Honoka's enthusiastic about helping others, and couldn't leave her behind, I guess. She's feisty, but she's kind at heart'—You know that everyone else in class is saying that, don't you? You know, right~~~?"

Honoka was speechless. However, she immediately clenched her fists, yelling,

"If I did, I would have sent them kicking! I didn't become friends with you for such reasons, Michiru—"

"Ah, shut up already! I don't want to hear your pretentious kindness! You're an eyesore, Hono!"

Michiru shouted like a child making a tantrum, and again shot an icy glare,

"If only you had died in the fire."

She muttered with a sweet voice.

Both Honoka and a scowling Koremitsu, listening in on their conversation, were dumbfounded.

"I set the fire, and you got saved."

Fear appeared in Honoka's eyes, and she asked Michiru.

"That was...caused by you, Michiru?"

One could hear from Honoka's trepidating voice that she did not wish to believe. However, Michiru naively answered,

"I am not Michiru. I am Rokujō. Mr. Kazuaki wished to frame Yū Kanai in the name of the Poppy, so I decided to use the chance for this. I felt that if I could inform you of this, Hono, you will definitely interfere."

"So you’re telling me that Shikibu taking photos of Yū was deliberate!?"

While Koremitsu glared, Michiru answered,

"Yes. I suppose Hono will be devastated to learn that the one she loves is doubting her. I said I love you to torture Hono. The bracelet you picked up at the stairs was placed by me too. That was not the bracelet Hono dropped from the veranda, it was a similar one Michiru has. Michiru is scared of wearing the same thing as the 'cool Hono' would wear, that she will be compared with Hono again, looked down upon. That is why she never wore it."

Koremitsu recalled the silver bracelet.

The bracelet was placed at the steps Hiina fell from. He thought that definitely was Honoka's, was rattled as a result, and questioned Honoka.

Yes. Michiru did say that she too bought a bracelet similar to Honoka. That was actually left there by Michiru!

The smirk on Michiru's face intensified.

"The reason why Hono lost the bracelet was because I knocked her."

Honoka's face was contorted, and she was utterly confused as she yelled,

"You're lying! Michiru isn't that sort of person!"

"She is that kind of person. It is simply that everyone thought of Michiru as a fool, and never did notice it. That was why they got careless, telling her everything, including their secrets. Even if I am to do something harmful, I just have to play dumb so that nobody else would have noticed it, right? The fire alarm that triggered on the day before the culture festival was one such instance. I did say that I actually touched it, and you believed it, no, Mr. Akagi? That was deliberate too."

"Wha—"

Koremitsu let out a suffocated voice. Michiru glanced aside at him, looking intoxicated, saying,

"I want to make you isolated, Mr. Akagi. Just like how Lord Hikaru was isolated because of his issues with the girls when Michiru was in elementary school. Back then, I was really delighted to have Lord Hikaru rely on me for the first time. I even stole his recorder and art box. Once I found those things back for him, and bought new ones for him, Lord Hikaru would thank me."

This time, it was Hikaru giving the same reaction Koremitsu did.

When Hikaru was in the elementary school, he declared an oath of love to 5 different girls in the back garden, a ripe place for confessions. After that happened, Hikaru was neglected for a few days, and at that moment, a kind girl sent letters of folded white flowers to him.

Hikaru called her Miss White Flower, and back then, he talked about that temporary moment of exchanging letters with that girl with that tender smile. He said, "Someone was willing to encourage me, and retrieve my stolen recorder and art box" .

The culprit harassing him was actually that White Flower herself.

Michiru was not ashamed in the slightest, even raising her eyebrows regrettably,

"I really wished you did rely on me back then, Mr. Akagi, that you will end up liking me more than you like Hono. You actually solved everything yourself however, and I am disappointed. In that case, I could only pretend to support Hono and obstruct her."

Honoka's mouth was half-opened, but it seemed she could not say anything as she curled her lips painfully again.

Koremitsu too finally managed to squeeze out his voice,

"...So the one who placed the umbrella and the blade in Yū's room...was you?"

"Yes. I did tell the big sister at the hospital counter. That big sister wanted to be Mr. Kazuaki's lover. To her, Miss Kanai is a huge eyesore—so she was very willing to help me in bullying Miss Kanai."

"So the one who sent those messages to Saiga and Aoi in the Poppy's name, and taunted them, was you!?"

Koremitsu was so infuriated his head was about to explode.

"It was me."

His ears were hot, before they finally cooled off quickly. On the day of the culture festival, Koremitsu acted as Michiru's boyfriend for one day, and accompanied her around school. Back then, she was so delighted that her cheeks were red. They fed each other takoyaki and cotton candy, and at the back garden in the elementary school, Michiru wore the Cosmos ring Koremitsu made for her, smiling weeping as she said

"Thank you".

The difference between that Michiru and this smirking Michiru was way too huge, and caused a migraine in Koremitsu's head.

"Didn't...you give that nice smile at the culture festival when you bid Hikaru farewell? Was that an act?"

Michiru's face suddenly turned serious.

"No. She really was delighted. Michiru was delighted that you took Lord Hikaru's place to be her boyfriend in the culture festival and made her a Cinderella, Mr. Akagi. Later, when she met Hono, the frustration within her never disappeared."

Honoka's shoulders shivered.

"When she was wondering "Huh, something is weird", Rokujō . She said fulfilling Michiru Hanasato's promise is not going to cut it. She said that there is still a promise yet to be fulfilled. The promise between Fujino and Hikaru —"

Michiru's eyes again flicked a bewitching glint.

The rain pelted upon her cheeks and forehead, the droplets dripping from her chin and eyebrows.

Fujino probably was standing together with Mikoto behind Koremitsu, yet she did not say a single word.

Why was it that Michiru's frustrations with Honoka was related to the promise between Fujino and Hikaru? Koremitsu was left flabbergasted.

Hikaru too remained silent.

"Why did Rokujō suddenly talk to you?"

"Well, it was not sudden at all. It started from a long, long time ago; Rokujō was already in my heart back then. When I was younger, I attended a party at the Udates, and met a woman dressed in red at the shrine. She was the one who told me the way to obtain the one I love. She said that I just need to devour the ones in the way."

Michiru's words shocked Koremitsu. Hikaru too looked dumbfounded.

Did Michiru see the shrine in the Udates?

One had to wonder whether her meeting with Rokujō was just a delusion when she was young, or something actually happened that caused her to think this way.

But the existence of Rokujō was ingrained in Michiru's heart back then, showing on her from time to time, seeding calamity.

It started when she was very young—in elementary school, in fact.

Now that Hikaru died, Rokujō still remains alive!

Koremitsu was thoroughly soaked by the rain, and by the time he realized it, he found his mouth to be dry.

"So the chain messages titled as 'Women around Lord Hikaru'...were sent by you, right?"

Michiru slowly raised her lips.

The white face shown by the torchlight was innocent, yet at the same time, showcasing the alluring charm of a matured woman.

"That is because Hikaru does not need any flower other than his dearest~~~~his garden only needs that prettiest flower."

She was smiling, but the icy hatred, malice, bitterness and frustration spread in her eyes. Those were the dark emotions targeted at Hikaru's beloved.

Hikaru was staring at Michiru. He was shivering in fear, yet he could not look away from her—

"What Hikaru really wants is that purple Wisteria. Nobody knows. They thought they were loved by Lord Hikaru, and got gleeful as a result. I have to let them know no matter what. All of you are replacements. Her Highness Aoi was wreaking havoc at the funeral, and I had a feeling she would self-destruct, so I started from Miss Kanai, whom Hikaru visited every night."

Yū, standing silently beside Koremitsu, shivered slightly, her petite face looking terrified.

Michiru's hair was sticking to her face.

She never did sweep it aside, and hissed with a vengeful voice,

" Michiru Hanasato will only wait for Hikaru to take an interest in her, but I am different . I want to uproot all the flowers other than the Wisteria dearest Hikaru, and I shall be that wisteria. The Wisteria standing there is the one that sinned."

The one that sinned?

Hikaru was about to shout.

But Michiru was faster, the frosty light in her eyes flickering with intense emotions as she gently raised her hand, clearly pointing at the one behind Koremitsu.

"That Wisteria killed Hikaru ."

### 005. Chapter 5: Then He......

"I saw it~. You tried to stab Hikaru with that knife."

The calmed winds suddenly bellowed around Michiru, and every word of rebuke she said echoed in the icy darkness.

Koremitsu could not look back. His face was frozen, as he listened to the spite appearing in Michiru's words, the rain falling upon her icy body.

Hikaru's face was contorted, his lips slightly opened.

"No..."

It seemed he said that, but the word was overpowered by the sounds of the winds, the rain, and Michiru's voice.

Michiru's malicious words were like the poison falling onto the water surface, spreading upon it, corroding even Koremitsu's heart. He could not move; the poison had practically spread all over his body.

"That night, I knew that Hikaru was living in the resort, so I ran out of our resort, and had a peek at the window to Hikaru's room. I saw Hikaru slip out in the middle of the night. It seemed he was waiting for someone at the river, and then, when you appeared, he called out "Miss Fujino.". Back then, you whispered,"

Michiru muttered,

"Why did you decide on that?—"

Hikaru's face got increasingly contorted. He winced bitterly, and his eyes silted.

Koremitsu had an impression on those words from Fujino Michiru talked about.

That was back when Yū was shut in her room, unwilling to head out. Back then, Hikaru did nothing, merely watching on from the sidelines lifelessly, and he explained to a rowdy Koremitsu,

—In the past, someone important... once chided me... why I made such a decision. At that time, I felt that my decision might not be the correct one...

Back then, Hikaru gave a fleeting, forlorn smile to Koremitsu, who was unable to accept this answer.

(So those were what Fujino said!?)

In that case, what Michiru was narrated about actually happened? The one who called out Hikaru was Fujino, and that night, Fujino appeared to Hikaru—

"And then, you held the knife with both hands, running right at Hikaru."

Koremitsu felt a hard smack at his head.

Was that the knife that was placed by the window, that was too dangerous to be an ornament?

Hikaru was obviously rattled when he saw that knife.

Before she left, Fujino stared at that knife in melancholy, and kept it in her clutches. At that moment too, Hikaru's shoulders shivered, his face contorted.

The uneasiness felt back then was engulfing Koremitsu completely at this point.

He turned his stiff neck, and once he finally turned his head around, he saw Fujino lower her head, her eyelids slightly downed. The raindrops fell from her raincoat hood, dampening her hair. The hems of her skirt was drenched along with her feet.

But even so, Fujino was breathtakingly beautiful.

She never did refute a single word Michiru said; the eyes welling tears were looking down, her thin fleeting eyebrows eyebrows lowered, her petal-like sealed together, as she merely remained silent with anguish and pain.

Just like when she was chided by Hiroka.

A lifeless, beautiful corpse—

(Why aren't you saying anything!? Please! Say something! Refute it!)

Koremitsu kept screaming in his heart.

Both Honoka and Yū looked over at Fujino, uneasiness and shock appearing on their faces.

In stark contrast to Fujino, for every word Michiru said, Hikaru's face would contort, his shoulders and lips quivering. The reason why he was so flustered was definitely because what Michiru said was the truth.

That night, Hikaru saw Fujino charge at him with a knife!

—The rain was heavy, and I could not see anything in front.

Hikaru thoroughly insisted that he died in an accident. The feeling Koremitsu had back then, that Hikaru was hiding something about his own death, was not merely a feeling.

Suddenly, Mikoto, standing beside Fujino all this while, entered Koremitsu's eyes.

With a grim face, she accompanied her master, whose head was lowered. However, she did not show the stupefied faces Honoka and Yū showed. Perhaps she too knew that Fujino called for Hikaru, and pointed the knife at him.

As the storm intensified again, Michiru glared at Fujino with fiery eyes, venting all her hatred on the latter.

"You murdered Hikaru!"

Fujino continued to keep her head lowered, not moving at all.

The beautiful eyes were merely showing tears due to gloom and misery. Just as the flowers would never speak, Fujino too did not say anything.

At this moment, Hikaru yelled in anguish,

"No! I slipped into the river! I never got stabbed by Miss Fujino!"

Koremitsu too yelled agitatedly,

"Hikaru didn't have any stab marks on him, right!? Fujino never did stab him, and Hikaru wasn't killed by her! Isn't that right? You didn't stab him, right?"

He kept calling for Fujino desperately, and the latter merely folded her eyebrows, not answering at all.

Michiru then refuted sharply,

"Hikaru tried to dodge that woman's attacks, and slipped into the river as a result. You can say that that woman killed him."

"Miss Fujino grabbed my hand!"

"You did grab Hikaru's hand when he fell into the river, right? You wanted to save Hikaru, didn't you?"

Please, tell me that's the truth!

Tell me that you never intended to kill Hikaru! Even though the fact remained that you pointed the knife at Hikaru, you regained yourself and grabbed his hands, trying to save him, didn't you!?

That you tried to save Hikaru right when he's shivering and pale, wanting to trust you!

Koremitsu begged, his fists clenched so firmly that blood was about to seep from his hands.

Honoka and Yū probably had the same feelings as Koremitsu. Both of them were giving pleading looks to Fujino.

Mikoto was the only one who was mentally prepared, and it appeared she was going to accept Fujino's words wholeheartedly.

Fujino opened her sealed lips.

She lowered her head, and stated calmly,

"No, I did not grab him."

At that instant, the rain weakened.

Fujino's voice clearly echoed into everyone's ears.

Hikaru looked utterly devastated, while Honoka and Yū gasped too, frowning, contorting their faces miserably.

Koremitsu too widened his eyes, looking utterly stupefied.

Mikoto in turn kept her stoic face.

Michiru gleefully curled her lips.

"Yes~~that woman was just standing there with a knife. The one who grabbed Hikaru, was me! "

Hikaru's eyes faltered, his pale face looking utterly stunned.

For Hikaru did not know of this either.

For Hikaru thought that Fujino was the one who grabbed him.

On that night, there should only be Fujino and Hikaru.

"That woman wanted to kill Hikaru, and I tried to save him. That is why—I am more suited to be his dearest~~~!! I am the real Wisteria!"

Michiru never gave anyone a chance to pause as she spewed out those words like rapid fire arrows, her rain soaked face appearing to be in ecstasy, standing there like an omnipotent god.

"Hikaru's fated loved is me! Hikaru's dearest is me! This is why I will set this straight! I shall save Hikaru, become his Wisteria, we shall be the best couple, living in our pure garden alone, always loving each other~~~"

The maniacal delight. The delight of victory.

For Michiru, the rain pelting upon her might be sweet dew of blessings.

Koremitsu felt a chill down his back, and gulped his bitter saliva.

Michiru had lost all sight of the boundary between reality and delusion. How was she supposed to revive Hikaru, cremated into ash and buried in a grave, and start all over again?

That was impossible.

(Damn it! How am I supposed to chase that Rokujō out of Hanasato's heart!?)

Honoka too was staring at Michiru with fear and anxiety, as her friend continued to inch closer towards being a monster beyond common sense.

The rain embalmed Michiru—Rokujō, and she appeared to be surrounded in light, the torchlight glowering her..

The rapid lashing of the flooding river echoed in Koremitsu's ears.

Suddenly, Fujino asked,

"You wish to save Mr. Hikaru?"

Michiru being in such ecstasy at this point, suddenly shivered.

Fujino gently lifted her head and eyes, staring at Michiru silently with those eyes of agony and overwhelming beauty, asking again,

"When you did reach out for Mr. Hikaru's hand, what did he do?"

For some reason, Michiru could not answer.

She widened her eyes, her expression frozen, and her face got contorted. Her mouth, half-opened, seemed to be gasping for air, and her eyes showed something akin to fear.

Upon hearing Fujino's question, Hikaru too remained frozen.

"Did he grab it? Or did he let go?"

The monotonous voice was filled with some misery.

Michiru still did not answer.

She held onto the torchlight firmly, and looked away from Fujino, biting her lips; it seemed she was trying her best not to shiver.

Why did Fujino keep asking this question? Why did Michiru show such a frantic expression? Koremitsu did not understand.

However, the tide had turned. Fujino, filled with anguish in her eyes, calmly asked the questions, dominating Michiru.

Hikaru's pale, handsome face too showed a serene agony, seemingly having given up.

"..."

And even the rain echoed sadly and weakly as Fujino's voice; all that replaced it was the lashing of the river echoing clearly in the ears.

Mikoto, who was so loyal to Fujino, watched her beautiful master with an unflinching stare.

While Koremitsu and the others watched on with bated breath—Fujino then said to Michiru, the latter biting her lower lip, seemingly wanting to affirm.

"He let go, did he not?"

Hikaru's face was faint as he stared at Michiru, agony clearly filling his eyes.

Michiru widened her eyes slightly, before shivering. She covered her ear with her empty hand, shaking her head slightly, seemingly having heard something ominous. She kept on shaking her head, over and over again. One might feel that she was pleading for Fujino not to continue, and not that she was denying it.

Fujino then lowered her eyebrows, the serene despair appearing on her face along with misery.

"I suppose...Mr. Hikaru really wanted to die after all."

"!"

Michiru shivered again, and she shrank back.

Koremitsu and the others gasped.

Hikaru, whose face was exactly the same as Fujino, showed the same sorrow, the same despair—the same agony as he stood in the tranquil rain.

Mikoto merely stared at Fujino.

And Fujino too was embraced by the rain, just like Hikaru, showing the same look of agonizing despair at Michiru, seemingly admitting her guilt as she muttered feebly,

"Both Mr. Hikaru and I were suffering. We wanted to make this end. Our hearts could never be at ease."

Michiru shrank back, seemingly shielding her body as she muttered weakly,

"No..."

She timidly lifted her head, but the moment she saw those clear, beautiful eyes that were clouded in despair and misery, all the words she could mustered vanished in her mouth.

Fujino's pain and despair was so deep.

"The message you sent me stated that you wish to start all over...to be the one fated partner of his in this world...but you have nowhere to escape. That means you had no other options. The meaning of the other half is an existence that cannot be cut away—that you cannot leave him at all. That fated partner you talk of is merely a curse you cannot escape from, even after escaping to the ends of the world."

Fujino's tone was gentle.

She did not glare at Michiru.

But her calm tone and anguished eyes clearly conveyed a pain, darkness, and despair she experienced till this point.

"That i-is not..."

Michiru's face was contorted as she tried to counter, but her words melted lifelessly before she could say anything.

Surely, no matter how much she was berated, no matter how much she was called a murderer, the agony and despair Fujino possessed would never falter.

Upon thinking of how deep the darkness within Fujino was, Koremitsu felt a chill raising in his body, his heart wincing so much he was about to be overwhelmed.

The beautiful Fujino, who was so alike to Hikaru, continued calmly,

"If you had experienced that despair and suffering caused by that partner, whom you cannot leave at any given moment...you can never call it 'love is sweet'. When you wake up in the morning, you will think of that person. When you are awake, that person's voice will continue to echo in your ears. Even when you are dreaming, he is smiling at you. You never have a chance to rest, let alone breathe—that can be considered a curse."

Fujino once appeared at Shioriko's garden, kissing the Comfrey alone, in anguish.

The tears fell down her white cheek, and the sight of her eyelids lowered was painful.

Just seeing that image alone was enough to suffocate anyone.

That 'dearest' meant that all five senses—and the soul would be dominated, a love to be devoted to even in the past, or in the present.

That was a curse.

Fujino, whom Koremitsu saw back then, was like a beautiful prisoner.

Michiru glared at Fujino.

Koremitsu again recalled those words of love Michiru sent to his cellphone,

I knew, right from the beginning, that this is a love that can never be allowed, a grave sin that breaks the taboo, one where nobody will bless me.

I knew very well that I was practically gouging myself, incinerating myself...just a bitter love that will bring about pain and despair, an arduous love.

It can never be revealed to anyone, and we shall continue to love in the darkness, where the moonlight cannot shine upon us. Did we not entwine our fingers and promise?

That it was an eternal promise.

I love you.

I always did.

I loved you more than my own happiness, my own future,

Even though it is a sin, I still love you, so much that it is maddening.

My beloved Hikaru, your 'dearest' will always be me.

Michiru talked about that arduous love, but in fact, she never did understand that suffering in the slightest.

She said that it was a grave sin never to be committed, but she did not understand the weight of it.

She merely admired in the highly forbidden love.

Indulged in the sweetness of the secret love.

When the times change, will you remember me? Remember how our hearts are connected in that time, the blissful, bewitching and pure moments?

Will you remember our hands intertwined with each other, our legs folded together, the sweet despair that came with the frigid pain?

The eloquent prose that were ornamented with sadness immediately faded in the face of real despair.

What Michiru viewed as a treasure, the unparalleled love, gradually collapsed with every word Fujino said—in her eyes.

What she was saying was basically, The love in your delusions is never pretty, never sweet in reality.

The love Michiru talked about was unrealistic. She was just admiring it.

"Having met Mr. Hikaru, I was cursed. It was my sin to fall in love with him, and my pain and suffering continued whenever he lived. I assumed that I could relax after he died, but it never did. Right now, all i feel is just a hollow emptiness and despair. This too will continue to happen in the future."

The dark abyss continued to spread in Hikaru's eyes.

That was the same abyss Hikaru would occasionally show when he first got to meet Koremitsu.

The dark despair.

A love of only pain.

However, she wanted to repeat it again. She wanted it to end, but she could not end it. The determination and despair continued. Do not look at him, stay away from him. It felt like his whispers could never be heard—she kept thinking of the same thing over and over again, telling herself the same things over and over again, that this love was a mistake, this love was a sin, this love would bring destruction.

But even so, she could not sever the love.

"You are not me, so you do not understand."

Fujino, who became the wife of Hikaru's father, decided to flee from Hikaru, who became her stepson, and committed that one grave sin.

Ever since then, she refused Hikaru over and over again.

Yet she pretended to be Sora, and again bonded with Hikaru; perhaps the child flowing in her body had Hikaru's blood.

She had to forget him, she had to flee from him, she had to have him far away from him.

But her soul and body were all attracted by Hikaru, and never was she able to forget him, even for a moment. This caused her to again commit the sin she should not have.

The rising emotion of despair in Fujino accompanied the tide, and Koremitsu understood those inexplicable acts of hers were all born of her love to Hikaru.

"Never once did I call Mr. Hikaru by his name affectionately, and never did I once think that Hikaru belongs to me. My feelings for Hikaru were never sweet to me, and I do not feel that my feelings for Hikaru are pretty. I was never able to obtain happiness from it."

Fujino's words too etched into Koremitsu's heart.

It seemed Hikaru could no longer yell nor beg for mercy, and he too was showing the same look of despair Fujino showed, standing there. This left Koremitsu breathless.

(Are you the same too, Hikaru?)

Were you pursuing Fujino on your part, loving her, and yet hoping to forget her?

"It does not matter whether we are blood-related or not. The reason why I am so alike to Mr. Hikaru is because we are thinking of each other too much, and this will only cause us pain. If reincarnation is possible, I—"

Fujino's voice paused.

She swallowed the emotions rising in her heart, lowered her eyelids, and concluded with a feeble, yet clear voice,

"...I wish to live in a world without Hikaru."

Those words stabbed right into Koremitsu's heart.

Honoka and Yū too were pained so much, they winced.

Michiru widened her eyes like a person lost in a storm, looking completely perplexed.

As the rain continued on, pausing at intervals, Fujino continued on by the side of the lashing riverbank,

"Hikaru too will surely say the same things to me. Never once did we think that this love will ever be reciprocated, that both of us will be happy; we both knew that this will only continue in pain. If he wanted to continue living despite that...he would have held your hand. Since he let go, it means Hikaru wanted it to end, to end the days filled with only despair."

Koremitsu noticed that Hikaru, who was staring at Michiru, was staring at Fujino with an anguished, bleak face.

He stood still, appearing to vanish at any given moment

—Hikaru probably killed himself.

Koremitsu recalled the words Tsuyako muttered to him, and those words continued to echo in his ears, unnerving him.

There was no sign of cut marks on Hikaru's wrists when he became a ghost, but Tsuyako said that something was amiss with him when she rode on the horse with him at the turf.

She said that Hikaru looked feeble.

She was worried, and so she could not help but kiss Hikaru.

(So you chose to die, Hikaru?)

—You want to know the reason why your stepmom called you to the riverside, right?

—....

Koremitsu asked, and Hikaru bit his lips, remaining silent.

It appeared that he was afraid of knowing the truth.

But in fact, that was not the case.

(You already knew of Fujino's feelings, didn't you?)

He knew that Fujino rejected him, and yet at the same time, loved him.

Hikaru, who was able to tell on a single glance who had fallen in love, could not possibly have omitted the passionate thoughts in Fujino's heart.

Yes, Hikaru knew.

He knew why Fujino called him out.

He knew why Fujino pointed the knife at him.

—I slipped into the river...that is correct. It is not that person's responsibility.

—I know that I love that person so much, that I hurt her so thoroughly...I was the one who caused that person to be so unhappy...

No matter how he tried to refuse, he was lured by that person. Even after looking away, averting his eyes, he could only feel that other party's existence.

He could never forget the other party, from the moment he was awake in the morning, to the moment he slept at night. Even in his dreams, do the thoughts pursue him.

The only way left in which he could end this cursed, despairing love, was to end his own life—

—I am scared, Koremitsu. I am scared—of that person's heart...what was she thinking of at that moment? What was she thinking about me? How will she think about me later on—I am scared, really, really scared, so terrified it is unbearable...

The reason why Hikaru was terrified was not because he did not understand Fujino's thoughts.

It was the opposite! It was because Hikaru understood Fujino so well, that their hearts could empathize with each other that he feared the love he could never escape nor sever.

And then, at the dim riverbank, with the storm bellowing, Fujino held the knife with much determination in her anguished face, and charged at Hikaru.

Hikaru tried to dodge, but fell into the river; Michiru reached her hand out to him, trying to pull him up, yet he rejected her by letting go, and was swept away with the current.

(Is this the truth of that night?)

Koremitsu felt hammered in his head over and over again, and he gritted his teeth.

Tsuyako once stated adamantly that no matter how much pain she was in, she would never swap her fate for anyone else, and would continue to fall in love with Hikaru.

But the most beloved, Fujino, the dearest to Mikado, who was deeper in love with him than anyone else, was showing despair on her face at this point, concluding that she wanted to live in a world without Hikaru.

What would Hikaru be feeling after hearing those words?

Hikaru's face was calm and fleeting as he stared at Fujino.

It felt that he would have vanished at at this instance.

Did he show such an expression when Tsuyako met him at the turf?

The soft strands of golden hair swayed forlornly, and the weakening rain was absorbed by Hikaru's body as he appeared to merge within them.

(Hikaru, why must you look like you can give up on everything?)

The petal-like lips too showed a faint smile,

"Even if he is still alive, Mr. Hikaru will never find happiness."

Fujino noted sadly.

She gave Michiru a pained look, and with a languid expression, having given up on everything, she said,

"Mr. Hikaru should never have been born."

—This child should never be born.

Those were the words the adults around Hikaru said to him since he was young, and now, the woman dearest to him actually said it!

Koremitsu saw a smile appear slowly on his face, and was left in agony.

"..."

Mikoto too lowered her eyes.

Honoka began to mutter something,

"How cruel..."

It appeared that was what she said.

Yū, who knew that Hikaru had a special someone he loved, appeared to be on the verge of breaking down in tears.

Michiru in turn appeared to have completely crumbled.

She tried to start over from where the mistake happened, but was declared that everything was a mistake. No matter how much she admired it, hoped for it, they were all crushed; she was told that the dazzling love she so yearned was just pitch darkness, and this caused her legs to quiver as she bent down, widen her eyes, and stammer softly,

"No...this is not how it is...our love...is beautiful...the purest love in this world...the prettiest of them all...why...must you lie...because that Wisteria...is a fake...yes...this is not it... Lord Hikaru did not wish to die... Lord Hikaru would not reject this love...that he would not reject me..."

All the personalities inside Michiru were completely rattled, and she was stupefied.

"...Got to save Lord Hikaru."

Michiru staggered towards the river.

"With that...Lord Hikaru will again thank me...he will find me from those noisy, wretched women, and choose me...and love me alone..."

"Michiru, that is—!"

Honoka frantically exclaimed.

"Hanasato, stop!"

However, it appeared Michiru neither heard Koremitsu nor Honoka's voices as she stumbled to the river.

The uneasiness arose in Koremitsu's heart.

Michiru, imprisoned by the madness that was Rokujō, said that she wanted to revive Hikaru to fulfill the promise between Fujino and Hikaru.

But that was impossible. In that case, the only method would mean 'Fujino' giving chase after Hikaru, and choosing death—

"Koremitsu! Stop Miss Hanasato now!"

Hikaru probably realized what Michiru was up to as well as he frantically called out.

Koremitsu dashed towards Michiru.

"Michiru, wait!"

"Don't come here!"

Koremitsu lashed out at Honoka as he reached his hand out towards Michiru.

"Listen...Lord Hikaru is calling for help."

"Hikaru isn't over there!!"

His nose touched Michiru by the arm, and he ended up grabbing at the damp air. Tripped by the mud, Koremitsu tumbled, and hastily stepped firmly onto the ground.

Then, he saw Michiru fall slowly into the river.

That happened in an instance.

With a smile, Michiru fell forward, and the sight of her falling into the river was etched in Koremitsu's eyes. Honoka shrieked, and Hikaru too shouted, "Miss Hanasato!" as the black water splashed.

The growling currents immediately engulfed Michiru's petite body, and only the slender arm swept gradually by the river appeared in the eyes.

"Damn it!"

Koremitsu tossed the torchlight aside, and jumped into the river after Michiru.

"Akagi!"

The river water was so chilly, it could have frozen Koremitsu's body, and he nearly fell unconscious countless times.

Following that was a ripping pain that pressed upon his body.

The black currents raced on, and it appeared 10 times faster than the flowing pool he went to with Honoka and the other sin the summer, as he could not move his limbs freely at all.

"Koremitsu! Koremitsu!"

Hikaru kept calling for Koremitsu.

At this moment, Koremitsu spotted what appeared to be Michiru within his range.

He moved his body, now swept by the current, over to that body. No, it would be precise to say 'swept towards it'.

"!"

It seemed Michiru had passed out, and she would be swept further down the river. The river water entered his mouth, eyes and ears, and he was almost crushed by the water pressure.

"How—can I give up now?"

He reached out his arm that was practically ripped off, and this time, he grabbed Michiru's body.

"Ugh!"

And so, Koremitsu pulled Michiru up, hugging her firmly.

Michiru was completely limp not moving at all. I won't let go! I'll definitely get her up to the surface together with me!

"Koremitsu! Behind you!"

Hikaru's voice caused Koremitsu to turn back.

A large tree fell before the duo as they flowed forth. The water lashed upon it, causing large splashes, and flowed to the other end of the tree.

Koremitsu narrowed his eyes, and firmly embraces Michiru with his arms.

"Watch out, Koremitsu!"

Hikaru exclaimed the moment Koremitsu's back hit the trunk.

He felt a sharp pain from his back, and it felt as though his heart was crushed from behind, causing him to wince in pain. However, Koremitsu did so deliberately.

With Michiru in his arms, he moved along the trunk. The currents continued to surge, and he was unable to get onto the riverbank successfully. He was already at his limit trying to protect Michiru and get to land.

"Hey! Hanasato! Wake up! Hanasato! Hanasato!!"

Koremitsu kept yelling her name by her ears.

"Open your eyes! Hanasato!"

Michiru groaned, and opened her eyes.

Once she saw Koremitsu, she was taken aback, and started to struggle.

"Argh! Why? Let go of me! No!"

'You idiot! If I let you go, you'll be swept away!"

"It's fine...! I want to go over to where Lord Hikaru is. I shall be the Wisteria over there!"

"You're still saying such nonsense now!? Pull yourself together!"

Koremitsu embraced Michiru firmly, protecting her from the branches, rocks, glass fragments, and cans that came with the river, and lashed out at her.

"I don't know where you're going, but Hikaru's definitely not there! You said it yourself! Hikaru's in me! In that case, just think of what I say as what Hikaru said!"

Koremitsu was so furious, he caused Michiru to shiver, speechless. From up close, he glared at Michiru,

"You're not Fujino, and you're not Rokujō! You're Michiru Hanasato! Why is it that after being Michiru Hanasato for more than 10 years, you're pretending to be another woman!?"

Michiru's face winced. It was the same perplexed, helpless, childish look she gave when Fujino said, 'you are not me', and she bawled,

"Be-because, nobody wants Michiru! Nobody will call the name Michiru Hanasato! I don't need...such a name."

Everyone just calls me rep...

Koremitsu recalled Michiru saying those forlorn words, and was immediately left speechless. Michiru's contorted face got increasingly tragic,

"Lord Hikaru too. When he let go of my hand, he said 'that is enough'! He said the same thing mom did...'that is enough'—'that is enough'! Nobody wants Michiru!"

An anguished cry was eked from deep within the throat, cutting at Koremitsu's heart.

Though he was unable to understand what Rokujō was thinking, 'Michiru' felt pain and desire. For Koremitsu, who was shunned by everyone else since he was young, never had a friend who called his name, who had his own mother abandoned him, he really could empathize with her."

'That is enough'—Michiru, who was rejected by the one she desired, recalled the words from her mother that were similar, and Koremitsu could feel the despair.

How depressing, how tragic it is to realize that one was not needed by anyone. Those too came with the regrets and heartbreak, "If only I was not born with this look", "If only I didn't have such a personality", denying oneself.

But if he was to tell Michiru that he too felt the same, he would only be told 'then leave me alone'.

Right, he would never admit to feeling the same as Michiru!

He would never agree to Michiru's excuse!

With Hikaru's stern eyes watching them, Koremitsu again lashed out,

"There are people who need you, right!? Just listen? Somebody has been calling for your name for a while!"

A voice came from beyond the rivers' lashing.

That probably was not an auditory hallucination on Koremitsu's part,

"—ru!"

Michiru too pricked her ears.

And then, she widened her eyes. She too probably heard it.

"Michiru—!"

A flash could be seen by the riverside.

Honoka, holding the torchlight, was crouched on the ground. Surely, she came running here desperately. Her damp hair was sticking onto her face, her clothes were completely wet, and her cleavage and thighs were mostly covered in mud, most probably because she fell over. Her face and forehead too were littered with mud, her reddened eyes filled with tears as she kept calling for her friend's name. She was worried!

Michiru's eyes and lips—quivered,

"Hono..."

"Why do you think Shikibu stayed with you? Do you think she really looks down on you? Stop making your presumptuous decisions. Get up shore, and ask the girl herself!"

Koremitsu let go of Michiru, now lowering her head timidly, and supported her body from behind, telling her, "Grab the tree! Just go on like this!" Michiru then began to slowly move on.

Honoka, raising a torchlight by the riverside, was watching them with bated breath.

Hey, you're leaning too far forward. What do I do if you fall in too, Shikibu?

Koremitsu too scowled as he moved forward little by little. The splinters on the truck cut his hand, and pain could be felt.

Honoka reached her hand towards Michiru, who had reached land.

Michiru grabbed firmly onto the tree, and lifted her head to see Honoka and the latter's hand. Her face was stiff; she was still hesitating, apprehensive, still afraid.

Honoka gritted her teeth and leaned forward, touching Michiru's hand.

Michiru shivered in shock.

This time, it was the muddy Honoka grabbing the hand that Hikaru let go of that day, pulling Michiru onto shore.

Having seen that, Hikaru narrowed his eyes, appearing to have seen something marvellous. Koremitsu too,

(Yeah, Hanasato. Don't let go of those hands. Don't give up. Hold it firmly.)

Right when Koremitsu's body relaxed.

A strong gust of wind came from the front.

"Woah!"

Koremitsu fell backwards, his upper body facing the sky.

"Akagi!"

"Koremitsu!"

The river water surged on; Koremitsu felt his head hitting something hard, and sank into the river before he could sense pain.

### 006. Chapter 6: By Ones and Twos the Wisteria Calyxes Are......

(Damn it, I got careless.)

Koremitsu drifted in the water, thinking glumly.

(I just relaxed carelessly after seeing Shikibu pull Hanasato up.)

He actually let his guard down at the end. At this point, Honoka must be panicking.

(That girl is so feisty and short-tempered, but she's unexpectedly a crybaby.)

Koremitsu could not help but imagine Honoka charging towards him angrily, her face all teary, and his heart ached. He wished she too did not jump into the river and try to look for Koremitsu.

It was terrifying, and it was rather plausible.

Also, if he was to be discovered as a floating corpse, Koharu would surely give him a good scolding.

—Why are you always causing trouble! It's a miracle that you're able to get into a prestigious, refined private high school! And you end up absent from the opening ceremony because you're hospitalized! You say that you were knocked down by a truck at the red light? You think you're an elementary school kid or something?

Ahh, that was the moment when Koremitsu was hospitalized and bandaged like a mummy.

Because of that, Koremitsu's plan to actually make friends once he entered high school, and spend his life like an ordinary student, was drastically altered. He was completely devastated, but he was feeling frustrated to hear his uncompromising aunt nag at his ear.

—Shut up already! Just put my change of clothes down and go back!

Once he said this to Koharu, his ear was nearly ripped off.

—That Koharu. She's abusing me now that I can't move. Damn it, damn it!!

Once Koharu returned, Koremitsu grumbled away, and then, he saw the flowers sticking into the vase by the windowside.

They were refreshing white flowers blooming from the stem, a soft little feather growing on the bud, akin to a newborn's hair.

Isn't it inauspicious to have white flowers in a hospital?

Koremitsu wondered as he stared at the white, fluttery petals. he felt the anxiety and frustration in his heart silently dissipating.

It was useless of him to be so frenetic.

This is fate. Friends too are the same; when the ripe is ripe, maybe I will have friends.

Koremitsu managed to force himself to think positive.

After that, he kept staring at the flower whose name he did not know of.

On the day before Golden Week, he went to school on crutches.

After that, he passed through the central corridor, meeting a handsome boy standing by a pillar.

The morning sun shone upon his soft hair, and he dazzled with light. The boy's lips, eyes and nose, everything was the completely opposite to Koremitsu, so soft, so tender.

Is this a dude? Or a lady? Right when Koremitsu was wondering, with a rich, sweet voice.

—Mr. Akagi

The boy called out to him,

—You are the first year Koremitsu Akagi, no? Is this your first day attending school?

He looked at Koremitsu, beaming cheerfully.

(Hm? What's going on? Why is it that I'm thinking of the first time I met Hikaru? Is this the dying light I see before I die? I'm doomed.)

He still could not end up becoming like Hikaru. He would be scolded by Koharu, and make Honoka cry; neither was a fine option for him.

He anxiously looked around,

—Where is this place?

Before he realized it, Koremitsu found himself in a place filled with lush, just like a forest.

He lifted his head, and found a cloudless sky above him, the bright sun shining upon him. Purple Violets, yellow Dandelions, and white Clovers.

(Is this the fabled garden in heaven?)

If it was, surely it was getting worse for Koremitsu.

He heard that in such moments, the departed family members or close ones would come to welcome the dead. In his case, would it be the father of his who died when he was in elementary school? or Hikaru?

(I'm definitely not going with them.)

In any case, he had to find a way to get away from this place first. Koremitsu decided to walk towards the forest.

There was warm air, birds chirping, and the rippling sound of flowing water. The atmosphere was extremely tranquil, and the grass at the feet were soft. The grass at the feet were also tender, and the flowers in the Spring swayed with the gentle breeze.

(Maybe it's not a bad thing if I can live my life leisurely in such a place after I die...ack—I'm not dead yet.)

Koremitsu shook his head firmly.

Suddenly, giggles could be heard.

(Is there anyone?)

There was delighted laughter, akin to birds chirping. There was not one, but two people laughing heartily.

This blissful atmosphere was such that Koremitsu worried that if such a savage looking man was to suddenly barge in and interrupt them, it would be awkward. Thus, he hid behind the trees, watching them.

(!)

The sight in front him caused him to gasp.

The numerous Wisterias entangling the trees were draping many purple Wisterias. Whenever the wind blew, the little petals would sway left and right, gently falling.

The falling petals gave off a tender light under the sunlight, and new Wisteria petals fell upon them. They were elegant, tender, falling one after another, and it felt as though this would last all of eternity.

It was a waterfall of Wisterias.

A girl, probably 15, 16 in age, was side by side with a boy in 1st grade, seated in the pile of purple Wisterias gathered at the bottom.

It seemed they were whispering something to each other, and they brought their faces to each other, giggling.

Their faces were extremely identical. Both of them had crystal clear white skin, clear eyes, and soft lips. The girl's soft hair was long enough to reach her hair, and was absorbing the sunlight, looking utterly dazzling. The boy's hair too seemed to be glowing like an angelic's halo.

The Wisterias falling from above surrounded the duo, and the girl with dazzling hair and slender shoulders sat with her legs crossed, her skirt spread. A boy neatly piled the petals upon her legs.

Such a beautiful, sacred scene riveted Koremitsu's heart more than any painting or movie he had seen.

With her white, long fingers, the girl grabbed a violet petal that landed on the boy's tender lips, showing a smile.

The boy happily showed a smile.

Both of them loved each other so much they could not help themselves. They were thoroughly lost in their blissful world just be being together.

They were smiling at each other with such eyes.

The boy approached the girl, his eyes sparkling with innocence.

—Hey, are you willing to be with me forever? For you are the one I love most in the world.

The girl acted like the boy's older sister, gently answering his childish whim.

—It is impossible to do so 'forever'. Do you not have to return back to Tokyo once Spring break ends?

—I do not wish to go back. I want to stay here—I want to be with you.

—No can do. If you do not go back, your father will be sad.

But...

The boy looked lonely, and the girl kissed him gently on his cheek.

It was a touch on the most precious item.

—You do not have to worry. We can meet again in the next vacation. During that time, I shall be here no matter what.

—You will be here during the next summer vacation and the vacation after that?

—Yes, always.

The boy's cheeks blushed, and again his eyes showed a glint of delight.

—Can we watch the Wisterias together?

The girl's lips curled into a sweet smile.

—The Wisterias only bloom in Spring, but we can look for flowers that resemble Wisterias together.

—Yes! It is a promise then! We shall look at the Wisterias together in Spring, and once they wilt, we shall look for the Wisterias fallen on the ground together. We will do this, forever.

Anyone would probably smile upon hearing the word 'forever' from such a young boy.

The girl's eyes squinted amicably,

—Of course. It is a promise.

And she raised her pinky.

However, the boy suddenly got up, bent down, and placed his tender lips on the girl's lips.

—Men and women do this when they promise to be together forever, right?.

The girl blushed, and covered her lips with her hand.

The boy in turn looked worried,

—Am I wrong?

He asked, and the girl put her hand down, smiling,

—No. But...you cannot do this to any other girl.

The boy's face glittered, and with all his might,

—I understand! So, please do this to me too.

The girl widened her eyes, and again, she lowered her eyes, looking slightly flustered as she faltered. She lifted her head tentatively, and in an instance, kissed the lips of the boy who was giving her an expectant look.

The boy beamed as brightly as the sun at noon.

—So we will be together next year, the year after, and every year after that!.

—Yes, we shall always be together.

The girl blushed, and with a shy, tender look, she muttered,

—While we are away from each other, I too will pray. I pray that—I will become the happiest person in the world.

—Then I will too! I will also pray to God! I will pray—that you will have a very, very happy life, always smiling.

The happy lovey dovey moments filled the blissful time. So embarrassed, so delighted they were, and yet what a sacred time passed.

The sweet stares entwined around each other gave the vibe of a fantasy.

During this time, the violet Wisterias fluttered with the breeze, and the petals fell silently upon them, gathering by their feet.

So elegant, yet so sweet, they gently fell.

It was a silent gentle waterfall of Wisterias.

Koremitsu's heart was griped as he watched such a scene.

The promise they both had would never be fulfilled.

Koremitsu knew that.

The girl called out the boy's name endearingly,

—Mr. Hikaru.

And the boy looked delighted as he answered.

—Miss Fujino.

A gust blew.

The Wisterias swayed violently, and his vision was clouded by their violet petals. They danced in the air, and it was a tender, elegant, sacred, and adorable violet.

On the other side of the petals, the laughters of the girl and the young boy, Fujino and Hikaru, gradually faded.

The violet Wisteria petals filling the vision gradually lessened, and once his vision cleared again,

Replacing the girl and the boy standing in front of Koremitsu was a 15-year-old Hikaru, showing a faint smile.

He was dressed in school uniform, white-sleeved shirt and trousers, not even a single elegant Wisteria to be seen in his Wisteria fence, and the many petals that fell had completely vanished.

The season transpired from Spring to Summer, and the green grass swayed with the breeze, giving off a refreshing fragrance.

"Was that you and Fujino just now?"

Koremitsu asked, and Hikaru answered,

"Yes..."

With that beautiful, forlorn smile,

"This place was where I first met that person...she was standing under those falling Wisteria, and asked me "You are Mr. Hikaru, no?" Her voice was delightful, like a goddess."

Koremitsu recalled the duo chortling away under the fluttering Wisteria branches.

They were both innocent and pretty, looking utterly blissful.

Back then, Fujino was of a similar age to Koremitsu was at this point. Though she remained a beauty, the past Fujino was so optimistic, so vibrant, compared to the current self, though beautiful, had a face clouded with gloom. Her lips were often beaming like the petals, and she was radiant.

If it was that girl appearing on the other end of the violet waterfall, smiling, surely Koremitsu would have assumed her to be a goddess.

Fujino once looked afar with an anguish look, indicating that there existed a special encounter that would occur in an instance.

Just as Hikaru fell in love with Fujino on first sight, Fujino probably felt that the effeminate boy looking back at her, piling the petals on her hair and shoulders was adorable, and was mesmerized by him.

What Koremitsu just saw was certainly the scene lingering in Hikaru's heart.

"During that period, we were not really bothered by the relationship of aunt and nephew, stepmother and stepson, and it was really a wonderful time...we would chat under the Wisterias until the sun set, and we were covered by the petals, falling into dreamland, or leisurely strolling through the forest together, learning flower names...or play in the river while in our clothes, getting ourselves wet..."

The playful girl and boy.

Made a promise to view the Wisterias in the next Spring together, and the following Spring, and the one after.

An eternal oath.

So naive, so innocent—yet so heartfelt.

—It is a promise.

—Yes, it is.

Fujino was never always so gloomy, anguished.

She did not become an adult so suddenly. She had a time when she was still a youthful, radiant girl, a history of being with Hikaru. As a bystander, Koremitsu felt his heart gripped by the warm, blissful history.

Perhaps, during the painful moments when Fujino began to stray away from him, when both of them did not talk with each other, Hikaru would open this inner room to reminisce the past.

And then, he found the beautiful days they could no longer head back to, his heart left broken as a result.

With a distant look similar to Fujino's, Hikaru said,

"When I had a fever, that person was always beside me, taking care of me...she kissed me while I was asleep...so...I too kissed her when she was tired and sleeping."

"You really were a pervert since a young age, huh."

"I do wish to kiss her if she is someone I do like, it is normal."

"What is normal about preferring kissing to a pinky swear?"

"But I really believed that I had to kiss if I wanted to make a promise."

"You weren't playing dumb there, right?"

Koremitsu looked utterly skeptical, and Hikaru immediately denied,

"No, of course not. I was never such a scheming person."

"But you never abided by your promise not to kiss other girls."

Once he retorted, Hikaru gulped,

"Erm, that, I thought, was that I could not kiss any other girl when the promise was in place..."

"You gave girls flower rings at the back garden in your 3rd grade, and swore that you would love them forever. You're telling me that you never kissed them?"

"I did not! Not at all!"

"Not at all?"

"Erm...I would do so from time to time after I grew older...that promise was invalid once that person married my father."

"You really are a perverted prince."

"Do not call me that! At least call me a harem prince instead!"

Hikaru exclaimed in protest, and suddenly lowered his head, his eyes looking bleak,

"...I suppose it is because of this fact that our wishes were never fulfilled."

He muttered sadly,

"If I had only kissed that person in my entire life, will we be able to be together forever?"

Koremitsu's heart was gripped.

The promise between man and woman, Hikaru and Fujino, would never be fulfilled.

And because of that, both of them had to be tortured endlessly.

As Fujino had said, their meeting was a misfortune in itself.

Koremitsu muttered to Hikaru as the latter kept his head down,

"...When you received that letter from Fujino, you knew why she called you out, didn't you?"

"..."

Hikaru bit his lower lip, remaining silent for a little while, and started explaining,

Perhap Hikaru dragged Koremitsu to such a place because he wanted to explain this matter...

"...I graduated from Middle School, and once I was thoroughly rejected by that person at the resort, I was really anxious. I began to consume a pile of flu medication, nearly drowned myself in the pool in the middle of the night, slit my wrists, and played such tomfoolery that the ambulance was required to deport me to hospital. I nearly died, and I had a hard time living."

"You're really calm at this."

The slash marks Tsuyako was concerned about were probably from that time. Looking at how few people knew about it, perhaps Hikaru bandaged it himself after all? Humans do not die that easily.

But even so, Hikaru was suffering so much, struggling. Even though Hikaru went out with so many girls, Fujino was still the dearest to him, his first love, the lone, unrivalled flower.

"But during Spring break, when I saw you knocked down by the truck to save the old man, my heart was filled with hope. I really wanted to say 'If I have him as my friend, will things take a turn for the better'?"

"Why mention this so suddenly?"

Koremitsu frowned, asking.

He was thoroughly bandaged, lashed at by Koharu, and did not attend the opening ceremony. Would anyone else of the same age, having witnessed someone knocked down by a truck, think of a bright future as Hikaru did?

Hikaru quietly smiled,

"You really were a fated encounter for me. The reason why I decided to actually go out with Miss Aoi for real was because of you...it was only a few days before you came to our school that I learned of that person's pregnancy, but I did not think of the possibility of the child being mine, so I was really so depressed, so heartbroken because of that. But I was thinking "Ahh, now it is really over. I can really end it now...I want to be friends with you, and I shall protect Miss Aoi and Miss Aoi alone"..."

Hikaru seemed to be watching a distant dream as he muttered,

"I arranged for the birthday presents to Miss Aoi before I left for the resort during Golden Week. That person just so happened to be there too, and I told her that I wanted to date Miss Aoi. I thought it would all end like that, that she and I could finally be liberated from the long suffering we had. Alas—"

Hikaru's face lost its smile, his eyes looking bleak.

"That person did not look happy at all."

Hikaru's little hiss caused Koremitsu's heart to jolt.

"Instead of that, she gave me a look of despair."

Koremitsu could easily imagine Fujino's expression.

Because that was surely the same face as what Hikaru was showing.

It felt as though Hikaru was pushed into the darkness, an endless abyss as he showed that dark, hollow expression. His frozen face was coupled with his slightly quivering lips.

Hikaru clasped his hands together, looking as though he was giving a confession as he lowered his head weakly,

"Back then, Koremitsu...I was thoroughly lured by the despair shown in that person's eyes, and my soul was about to rush out of my body...I had decided to spent my future with Miss Aoi—my heart felt so warm, so satisfied because of that, and I thought I could forget about that person once and for all. I thought that together with her, I could be forgiven, liberated and happy.

The anguished voice of one robbed of his chance for redemption stabbed into Koremitsu's heart, one knife at a time.

Hikaru did love Aoi. He really yearned a future to be with Aoi.

(But even so, that wasn't good enough?)

Again Koremitsu felt Hikaru's despair, and quizzed in his heart.

"When that person gave me a chiding look, I understood. The pain will never end. No matter who I ended up with in the future, I could never give up my thoughts for that person. The moment I was encapsulated by those person's dark, alluring eyes, I again understood that I could never forget about that person."

The reason why the two of them were so similar was because they yearned each other so much.

Fujino once said that such a rabid love was no different from a curse.

Narcissus, who fell in love with his handsome self reflected on the water surface, became frail and feeble because of the love that could never be fulfilled, and finally, he became a flower. However, Narcissus was the fortunate one for finally meeting his end, for he did not have to suffer anymore.

Hikaru and Fujino's love never reached a conclusion. They both knew very well that the one they loved most was each other. Thus, no matter how painful it was, they could never put an end of it. The new hope because a new despair.

It was because they realized this that Hikaru was utterly weary.

It was because he once had such a hope that his despair was stronger than it used to be. It was so painful it felt as though his gut was bitten. Even so, he had to continue living.

What Tsuyako was so worried about, and what Asai predicted, all became reality.

Hikaru yearned death.

"I came to the riverbank in the middle of the night, and that person pointed the knife at me, asking 'Why did you have to make this decision'. I would have been fine with it if it was jealousy at Miss Aoi, but that was not the case.

—Why did you make that decision?

As the storm blew and the rains poured onto the dim riverbank, Fujino pointed the knife at Hikaru, asking,

Why did you make such a decision? It is futile for you to do this.

How much more despair do you still wish for?

"That person gave me a painful look, saying that she wanted to end our suffering, that there was no other way other than for our existences to vanish completely from this world. I...too did think that way...I thought that person was the one who grabbed my arm when I fell into the river, and was about to be swept away. It was impossible for a girl to pull a boy like me up with her strength, and if that kept up, she would have drowned as well. I knew that even if I did make it onto land and save my own life, that person and I will suffer the same regrets, the same pains, so..."

Koremitsu muttered,

"So—you said ' that is enough' ."

Back then, Hikaru surely did give a relieved smile.

And then, he let of of her hand.

That was what happened in the stormy night, everything that Hikaru withheld from Koremitsu till the very end.

Hikaru however frowned sadly,

"In the end, even though I died, nothing did change. Everyone wept at the funeral, Miss Aoi yelled angrily at my photo 'You liar'...yet that person, she continued to smile. Even though I am to vanish from this world, nothing will change. The pain will continue. Once I died, that person understood that what was supposed to be salvation was not it at all. The me inside her heart remains a curse...so, she could only smile."

Koremitsu recalled the smile Fujino showed at the funeral.

The tears rolled down her cheeks, yet her lips showed a smile.

It was serene, genial, somewhat delighted. Having witnessed Fujino's pain, and having heard her confession, Koremitsu understood that it was not a smile born out of delight.

As Hikaru said, all Fujino could only do was smile.

Hikaru bore the same guilt, and he died.

But even so, she could not be redeemed.

She could not give up on her obsession.

Nothing could end.

Realizing this anguish and sorrow was supposed to be a routine for him. Nothing else, other than a smile, could maintain his sanity.

Aoi directed her anguish into hatred, trying to forget Hikaru's death, and just like her, Fujino continued to accept the torment upon her guilt-ridden future, and barely managed to maintain her sanity.

Both Fujino and Aoi, the flowers who anguished at Hikaru's demise, caused Koremitsu's heart to writhe.

"You idiot."

With a heavy tone, he muttered,

"Why did you have to give up, saying that 'it's enough'? It's just as you did when we were supposed to deliver Aoi's presents. You just said 'that is enough', wanting to give up. Like that's going to happen."

—Koremitsu...that is enough.

—Forget about it.

Hikaru knew very well that Koremitsu was trying his best to approach Aoi,and was pushing her to her limit. Back then, he muttered with such a frigid, faint smile.

He said that he could no longer give Aoi any happiness because he was a ghost.

Koremitsu yelled at Hikaru at the roof, saying that he would convey Hikaru's feelings to her, so Hikaru should not give up,

Hikaru noted wearily,

"Yes. It was insufficient at all. I should not have let go of my hand back then. I should have struggled until the very end. If I could have been your friend sooner, perhaps the outcome would have changed. I should not have given up until the very end, just as how we delivered the presents to Miss Aoi. Perhaps this might save that person's heart, and I may still remain on this world."

With an anguished look, he said, showing a poised look thereafter,

"However, it is pointless to talk about it now. Let us think of what is to come."

Hikaru's voice became optimistic.

Ever since then, Hikaru never said the words 'that is enough'.

So Koremitsu said,

"Right, we can't be yapping away right now. Got to convey your feelings to the woman you love most."

The conversation they had on the roof.

Just speak up, and I'll definitely fulfill your wish.

That apprehensive stare Hikaru gave back then was now filled with utmost trust, directed at Koremitsu,

"I shall leave it to you, Koremitsu."

"Alright, leave it to me."

Koremitsu too gave the radiant smile he could not give back then.

"Akagi, wake up! Akagi!"

The first voice entering his ears was Honoka's, pleading for him.

Koremitsu opened his eyes, a soft towel draped around his body, and found that he was not outdoors, but indoors. Honoka's eyebrows were raised, and it appeared she was desperately trying not to cry—giving Koremitsu a feeble yet feisty look. Upon seeing that face, Koremitsu heaved a sigh of relief.

(Ah, I'm back.)

The flower of love that blooms towards the sun—the purple Heliotrope.

Koremitsu's flower.

"Shikibu..."

Koremitsu's cheeks and lips naturally relaxed.

"You id—"

Honoka looked to be on the verge of tears, and just when she was about to tell Koremitsu off furiously, she blushed, unable to say anything.

"Big brother Koremitsu!"

Pushing aside Honoka and grabbing Koremitsu was Shioriko.

"Thank goodness! You finally woke up. Miss Shikibu isn't the only one calling for your name. Shiiko has been doing so too! It just so happened that Miss Shikibu managed to squeeze by your side and shout right at you! Shiiko has been shouting your name more times than her."

Shioriko buried her head near Koremitsu's neck, wailing as she yapped.

"You're alright, Shiiko."

Koremitsu felt relieved inside, and he reached a hand out to pat Shioriko on her head. The latter then lifted her face, her large eyes filled with tears as she puffed her cheeks, glaring at Koremitsu,

"Why didn't you come to save Shiiko? Shiiko has been waiting for you to save her, big brother! Shiiko's hands and legs were tied, her mouth were sealed tight, and she was locked inside a safe. She couldn't breathe, and nearly died, but Shiiko kept believing that you would definitely come save her, big brother! A-an-and in the end—Shiiko doesn't want that kind of person saving her!!!!!"

Shioriko bawled out loud as she pointed a finger with much disdain. The 'kind of person' she despised was Tōjō.

It seemed he was the one who saved her.

Ever since Shioriko's good friend Lapis went to the Tōjō, Shioriko had despised him as though he was an abductor, and she probably felt displeased to owe him a favor.

"I thought it was big brother Koremitsu who arrived, but when I woke up, I was holding to this guy! It's terrible! My body and soul is stained! Disinfect me now!"

"Akagi, I swear that I did not do anything."

Tōjō hastily explained.

"Ah, I got it. Thanks for saving Shiiko, upperclassman Tōjō."

Tōjō was flabbergasted to hear Koremitsu address him as 'upperclassman' for the first time.

"I never thought there would be a day when you would actually call me 'upperclassman'."

"Shiiko, thank everyone properly now."

"Uu...thanks. But, I won't forgive you for carrying me here—I thought it would be a Princess carry. I was so nervous my heart's pounding when I had my eyes closed! And it hurt when the tape was ripped off me!"

"That was not me. It was Asai—"

Tōjō's stare was directed at Asai, who did not speak till this point.

"The pain will only last for that moment if I were to rip it off at once, no?"

Asai noted coldly.

Beyond that—

"...Asa, I did ask you to please be gentle about this, right?"

"Ahaha, Miss Asai certainly looks rather delicate, but is unexpectedly clumsy."

"Ahh~, so this is how the Matriarch Asa is really like."

"Yes yes, Asai never showed any delicacy at all~"

Aoi, Tsuyako, Hiina joined in, followed by Kazuaki. This left Koremitsu dumbfounded.

"I do not wish to be told off by any of you for not being delicate."

Asai coldly frowned, and explained the situation to Koremitsu. Tōjō, Asai and Aoi went off to save Shioriko, and in the meantime, Tsuyako and Hiina were headed to Koremitsu and the others by the riverside. Kazuaki only joined them later.

It seemed the one who got Koremitsu out from the river was the rescue team called in by Mikoto.

They contacted Koremitsu's family member the previous day, stating that Shioriko was fine. However, Koremitsu was curious as to who the 'family member' was, whether it was his aunt Koharu or his grandfather Masakaze. If the was the latter, Koremitsu would be in trouble. Surely Masakaze would kick up a fuss and ask why such a serious matter was hidden from him alone.

Mikoto, Fujino and Michiru were not present.

Honoka followed up, stating that Fujino and Michiru were resting in their rooms. Mikoto was with Fujino.

"How's Hanasato doing?"

"She's not hurt because you protected her, Akagi. I don't think she slept at all the past few days. She is sleeping soundly now."

Honoka looked a little gloomy.

However, she immediately beamed, saying,

"I'm relieved that you finally woke up. I'll be going over to Michiru now then. I hope that I can be by her bedside when she wakes up.'

"Oh...go ahead then."

"Right, see you later."

Honoka walked out of the room.

At that moment, Koremitsu realized that on a closer look, Honoka's eyes were red.

She was not the only one. Aoi, Asai, Tsuyako, and Shioriko who had her body sprawled over Koremitsu, puffing her cheeks, "Miss Shikibu doesn't have to come back now", had red eyes. Even Yū, standing silently right beside them, giving him a fleeting, hollow stare, was the same.

(I made everyone worry...)

Koremitsu's heart was griped, and at the same time, once he realized how many people were worried for him, a warmth slowly flowed through his body.

"Goodness, I was really worried too, Mr. Akagi! There is no way you can get a decent doctor in a rural resort, and I said many times to get a helicopter to a Mikados' hospital, but that evil Asai kept refuting my suggestions. It is all her fault if you are to die~!! But it is a good thing that you are alive~! That is because I infused my power of friendship into you~!"

Leaving aside whatever that power of friendship is, I'm thinking that you were trying to get to me in some way, Koremitsu immediately decided. It seemed Kazuaki did believe in the power of friendship once Kazuaki woke up,

"To make you livelier than before, I shall infuse more friendship power into you, Mr. Akagi~"

and he grabbed Koremitsu from opposite Shioriko.

"Woah!"

Koremitsu sat upright in shock.

The sudden action caused Shioriko to nearly slip from the bed,

"Ya!"

She exclaimed.

"Hey, stop it already."

"There is no need to be ashamed about it. It is normal for friends to do this."

Kazuaki grabbed Koremitsu by the neck, unwilling to let go.

( You're not normal at all!)

Just when Koremitsu was about to push Kazuaki away,

"...Mr. Kazuaki. If you wish to be Mr. Akagi's friend...I do feel...that is not...how you should do it..."

Everyone present gathered their eyes upon the owner of the voice.

The once staring at Kazuaki with a fleeting expression was actually Yū.

(That was Yū saying that, right?)

Kazuaki, who was chided, looked as stupefied as he was when he got slapped by Yū.

And Tōjō, who had a one-sided crush on Yū, widened his eyes as well.

"You can't...just keep conveying your feelings...if you are friends...you have to think of Mr. Akagi's sake..."

Yū's voice was soft as she stammered. However, her tone was adamant, and surely,nobody would not have missed out on what she said.

Kazuaki's cheeks immediately blushed. He let go of Koremitsu, and said in a huff,

"I-I know that! You do not have the right to be nagging at me here, Yū~! Also, I am much~older than you are, and my social etiquette is much better than you ex-NEET."

Tsuyako, who remained terrified of Kazuaki even till this point, and Aoi, who remained wary of Kazuaki, gave Yū startled and admiring looks.

Asai scowled, and Hiina beamed, having found this to be amusing.

(Yū...got stronger.)

Koremitsu felt a delight in his warming heart as he witnessed first hand the change Yū had.

(I guess she's fine even without me taking care of her)

Koremitsu pulled the blanket aside, and stepped onto the floor. Aoi noted worriedly,

"Mr. Akagi. You should have a rest."

Tsuyako too stopped him,

"Yes. Do not force yourself."

Koremitsu diverted his stare beyond them.

His friend was showing a tender expression, standing there.

He exchanged looked with Hikaru, and his lips curled into a smile.

"I'm feeling fine now. Right now, I still have something to do."

Feeling extremely relieved, Koremitsu declared to Aoi and the rest.

"I made a promise with a friend."

Fujino was not in her room.

Koremitsu got onto the car Asai arranged for, and went to the hometown of Hikaru's mother From there, he walked to a nearby forest.

The forest was about to welcome a winter colder than it was. The trees were covered with red leaves, and the brown leaves fallen onto the ground were dried. The air too was frosty, but the sun shining down from above was bright and clear.

With the eyes as clear as that sunlight, Hikaru walked beside Koremitsu.

Soon after, Koremitsu found the scene he saw in Hikaru's inner room when he passed out.

His field of vision suddenly widened, and the rack of wild Wisterias entered his sights. Fujino had her hair let down as she kept her back turned on Koremitsu, seated under them.

Mikoto, who was standing quietly behind Fujino, noticed Koremitsu, and stealthily backed away from Fujino.

It was Mikoto who informed Koremitsu of this place when the latter inquired with regards to Fujino's whereabouts. For a long time, Mikoto watched Fujino suffer from the forbidden love; one had to wonder what thoughts she harbored...

Koremitsu walked forth, hushing his footsteps.

The instance he passed by Mikoto, they met each other in the eyes.

Koremitsu nodded at Mikoto, and with her refreshing eyes, Mikoto indicated "Please."

What Koremitsu saw in his dream was the green Wisteria vines that bloomed; whenever the spring breeze came, violet Wisterias would rain upon them. At this point, those Wisterias did not exist; only the vines, a little brown at this point, were left behind. Fujino stared at this void, and Koremitsu stopped beside her.

"You met Hikaru at this place, right? He said he thought you were a goddess."

The white, slender shoulders quivered slightly.

With tears lingering in her eyes, Fujino looked forward, not saying anything at all.

"..."

"You two would play at the river, not caring that your clothes got wet."

"..."

"You two also checked on the names of the flowers, strolling in the forest."

"..."

"When Hikaru had a fever, you remained by his side and took care of him."

"..."

"You made a promise with Hikaru that you'll be together forever—"

"Why are you stating this now?"

Fujino finally spoke up.

The feeble voice asking Hikaru sounded so feeble, and it was a hidden plea, hoping that Koremitsu would not continue to pester her. Her faltering eyes were filled with anguish.

Upon seeing Fujino being like this, Hikaru too looked anguished.

Koremitsu noted seriously,

"Because I want you to remember. The time you spent with Hikaru wasn't just filled with sad things."

Fujino pulled the shawl on her shoulders, and shrank back, lowering her head. The feeble, tender voice eked from her pale lips.

"This morning...I received a notice from the Mikados main house. My husband is still alive..."

Isn't that a good thing? While Koremitsu nearly blurted that out, he noticed the gloom in Fujino's eyes, and swallowed those words back.

"But I do feel guilty for being unable to return to that man. When Miss Hiroka...brought the will my husband wrote...I read it. That person...knew everything about my relationship with Mr. Hikaru."

Hikaru gasped, and Koremitsu was stunned.

(Hikaru's dad knew about their relationship!?)

He knew of the relationship his wife and son had? he knew that his wife might not be bearing his own child, but his son's child?

Hikaru widened his eyes, his face frozen.

With her eyebrows in a frown, Fujino shrank back invariably, seemingly guilt-ridden.

"But even so...that man never rebuked me, and he apologized to me many times for breaking the relationship between me and Mr. Hikaru. He said that I looked really happy when I was with Hikaru, and he felt as though Mr. Hikaru's mother was still alive. So, he married me so that I could always be with Mr. Hikaru...he wanted to personally protect me, who really resembled my older sister Kiriyo, and the child she left behind, Mr. Hikaru...no matter what happens, the child inside my belly...will be deemed as the son of the Mikados' head..."

Fujino's voice was filled with helpless despair and agony, and Koremitsu too felt his heart writhe.

Hikaru was thoroughly stupefied by the shocking facts Fujino divulged, remaining still.

When did Hikaru's father knew of the relationship between his wife and son?

What sort of feelings did he have when he viewed them? Why did he forgive them?

He forgave the twisted betrayal of the one he loved most—

Fujino embraced her quivering body.

"Nobody...wishes to judge me. Hikaru...chose death so that I did not have to take action...nobody is left to judge me..."

She confessed her sins, was fearful because of her sins, suffered because of her guilt, but nobody was willing to judge her. She was never judged, nor forgiven. The fear she had as a survivor caused her to despair.

The white face paled further, and her eyes were filled with utter malaise.

The sin she committed with Hikaru was grave. At this point, she could not continue to live without being impeached.

However,

"You already suffered enough punishment. You have to continue living even after Hikaru died."

Koremitsu solemnly noted, the voice heartfelt.

Hikaru, standing beside Koremitsu, too straightened his back as he sealed his lips.

I'm correct here, right, Hikaru? That's what you wanted to say to Fujino, isn't it? You didn't want to ascend to the afterlife because of this incident, did you?

Koremitsu silently affirmed in his heart, and he slowly voiced out every word in the tense air.

"Don't restrain yourself too much. Don't think of everything between you and Hikaru as a curse."

"..."

Fujino kept her head lowered, not moving at all. None of the words could reach Fujino's heart, for she rejected redemption.

So Koremitsu asked,

"Why did you want to meet me? Why did you contact me through Mikoto Ono?"

Fujino's eyebrows quivered; the fingers clutching at the shawl shivered a little.

"Isn't it because you want me to confirm the existence of Hikaru, which you denied, as his friend?"

Fujino utterly denied Hikaru, saying that it was fine if he was not born.

At the raging riverside in the middle of the night, she showed such a pale face, a gloomy expression.

But in fact,

"Isn't it because you wish for me to say, that it's great that Hikaru's around? Isn't it because you want someone to tell you that Hikaru too went through happy times?"

Koremitsu's heart got increasingly hot as he watched Fujino with her eyelids lowered and lips sealed; with a firm tone, he declared,

"So I'm going to tell you this. Hikaru had a romantic relationship he could never get anything from; he was sad, really in pain, but he met many flowers, and he really treasured them."

How did Hikaru love.

How did Hikaru live.

"You know of Hikaru's childhood friend, the white Hollyhock, right? Hikaru was afraid of being hated by her, so he never did anything to her. Because of that, she thought Hikaru never loved her, and lashed out loud at his funeral photo. Hikaru really treasured that Hollyhock though, and prepared 7 presents for her birthday, planning to confess to her. The presents were delivered by me to him though. That Hollyhock was really happy, and cried a whole lot, saying that she loved Hikaru since young over and over again. Hikaru's feelings were actually conveyed to her."

—I love you most, Hikaru...I really love you...love you.

Back then, Aoi lifted her head as she watched the water droplets that fell like shooting stars, covering her mouth with her hands, muttering "I love you" to Hikaru, conveying the thoughts in her heart.

The pure, white Hollyhock dearest to Hikaru.

Hikaru's 'hope'—

"The Moonflower who was bullied at school, and shut herself in an old, tattered apartment was also saved by Hikaru. Hikaru would visit her and tell her about the many beautiful flowers growing outside. That Moonlight is now standing firmly on her feet, saying what she wants to say whenever she wants to!"

The fleeting Moonflower that bloomed in the middle of the night was Hikaru's 'healing'.

For her, the peaceful, tender time spent with Hikaru was solace for her forlorn soul.

With Hikaru around, Yū was able to have peaceful dreams in that dim room. Because of that, she was able to venture the world outside in her dreams, and then she walked out on her own will.

"The Purple Gromwell, whom Hikaru helped buy the house back and took care of, is now my little sister. That grandpa of mine who hates women so much really dotes on her. Thanks to her living in our house, it has gotten lively. It's Hikaru who got us to know each other. Hikaru was worried about her, and didn't wish for her to become like himself, unable to cry. She's still young, so even though she's so haughty and a brat at heart, Hikaru continued to watch over her kindly, minding that she doesn't fall over."

—Hikaru...thank you. I really love you.

Back then, she grabbed Koremitsu by the arm, saying the words she really wanted to say to Hikaru before he died. She then lifted her head towards where Koremitsu was looking at, crying as she said that. That girl was Hikaru's 'joy'.

Hikaru once noted with a look of ecstasy that he was really looking forward to seeing how much of an outstanding lady the girl would become.

"The red weeping cherry blossom kept thinking that she's ugly, and obeyed what others told her to do. However, Hikaru found her before she bloomed, when she was still a pile of brown branches, and told her that one day, he would make her the most beautiful flower in in the garden. Right now, the red flowers on the branches have bloomed, making everyone stop to look at her and be mesmerized by them. It's Hikaru who let her bloom! That red weeping cherry blossom also confided that even if God is to allow her to change fates with others, she'll choose her fate now!"

—I really fell into an enchanting love with Hikaru.

—Hikaru's words allowed me to becoming the red dancing princess.

The one often showing a bright smile on her red lips was Hikaru's 'pride'.

Hikaru's face was so radiant when he said that he could not find a girl any prettier.

No matter when it was, Hikaru was really devoted to his flowers.

He really loved the flowers he met, listened to their words, and continued to infuse them with the water called love.

"The Saffron Hikaru met over the internet was actually the Saffloer. He never did see her face, but he really liked her, saying that she's serious, gentle and unique, mysterious and charming. That Saffloer called Hikaru the 'Polar Star', saying that she'll definitely love him if she met him." I like Mr. Polar Star not because of his appearance, but because of his inner heart. I don't need to know how he looks like, because to me, Mr. Polar Star is the most handsome boy in the world . Beni, with the orange sunstone Brooch pinned to her chest, declared this—she was Hikaru's 'mystery'.

Having seen Beni's unique face, Hikaru did not falter in the slightest, instead saying 'it is cute!' from the bottom of his heart. This caused Koremitsu to realize that Hikaru was not simply a frivolous harem prince, and a different opinion was formed, that Hikaru was a man amongst men.

"The Morning Glory closest to Hikaru gave up her dreams of building a Tsuchinoko Theme Park to protect Hikaru, becoming a dictator who likes playing those conspiracy plans. Hikaru knows that the infuriating Morning Glory is actually a devoted, cute girl. Since elementary school, he made a promise with that Morning Glory to go on an adventure together!"

—You...came to pass on Hikaru's message to me, as his friend?

Asai cried as she watched the field of blooming Morning Glories. She was a reliable girl, Hikaru's guardian'.

Hikaru was so concerned with his infamously overbearing childhood friend, always stating, 'Asa is a kind person at heart'.

"Hikaru was sincere to the Broom Tree that was so similar to you. Like you, the Broom Tree kept trying to escape from Hikaru, and Hikaru really was grateful for encountering her. Because of Hikaru, that broom Tree understood how charming of a flower she is, and I can say that she's a changed person."

—Goodbye, Mr. Hikaru.

Sora, who embraced Koremitsu in school as everyone else looked on, whispered farewell. She was Hikaru's 'yearning',

"The Tachibana flower that tried to replace you, and that Poppy that did a lot of bad things loved Hikaru so much they lost control, but Hikaru never gave up on them."

—Koremitsu, I do think I understand how Miss Hanasato became like that. I too was on the verge of going mad when that person told me that she had father's child. Miss Hanasato is still the 'grace' of that instance, a cute white Tachibana flower that has a memorable fragrance.

—I do apologize for what happened with my brother, but I do wish that you get along well with him. He is born as the eldest son of the Mikados, and he probably was suffering, having to live while hiding his true self.

Hikaru really showed utmost care for those flowers.

He really watched over them.

He really loved them.

The flowers loved by Hikaru were so blissful.

Hikaru's eyes were so tender, so satiated as he watched those beautiful flowers bloom.

Fujino continued to keep her head lowered, her eyes showing some deep anguish.

But her lips slowly opened, and a voice she desperately eked out entered Koremitsu's ears.

"Did Hikaru...really live a happy life?"

Koremitsu sensed that the voice that might freeze in the air contained Fujino's earnest wishes, and he felt his heart filled.

—While we are away from each other, I too will pray. I pray that—I will becoming the happiest person in the world.

Fujino, who was still a young girl back then, made that promise with the young Hikaru with her clear voice.

Mikoto once said that when Fujino first met Hikaru, she found him to be really beautiful, innocent, cute, an angel whom she swore to God she would keep happy.

(You always wished for Hikaru's happiness, right? You thought you ruined his happiness.)

This, more than the pain of being unable to touch him, more than the fear of being unable to see the future, tormented Fujino more, and till this point, was lashing at her heart.

It was she who made the dearest person to her so unhappy.

It was she, more than anyone else, who wished for Hikaru to be happy, and she robbed the bright future Hikaru should have.

She said they should not have met.

She said Hikaru should be born in a world without Fujino.

And with that, Hikaru would attain happiness. Hikaru would not be tormented and despaired by his 15 years of life, and lost it.

She actually loved Hikaru, earnestly hoping that he would be happy—wishing that he would be the happiest person in the world!

Fujino bit her lower lip, her shoulders shivering. The lowered eyelids were showing tears. Hikaru watched her with an anguished expression.

Fujino could not hear Hikaru's voice.

So Koremitsu kept pouring his emotions into his shout,

He loudly declared Hikaru's thoughts to the flower dearest to him,

"Yeah!! Hikaru really had a fortunate life!"

Fujino only saw Hikaru's sad looks. It was this friend of Hikaru informing her that that was just one side to Hikaru.

She said Hikaru was unfortunate?

That he should not have been born?

Not at all!

"How can anyone not be happy, to be loved by so many flowers, to love all his flowers with all his might?"

Koremitsu filled his chest with the refreshing winter air below the Wisteria vines where both Hikaru and Fujino made their promises, saying,

"I'm fortunate to meet Hikaru too! A lot of wonderful things happened! A lot of happy moments occurred! It's Hikaru who brought these moments to me!"

Hikaru would talk with his gentle, sweet voice to Koremitsu, who was only able to name a few flowers, rattling about stories of the Silk Tree or the Chinese Trumpet Vine, or preaching that the girls were all flowers. Thanks to Hikaru's appearance, Koremitsu did not feel shunned by his classmates as he was before.

Surely, he never would have a chance to go to the theme park or the pool if he did not become friends with Hikaru. Ever since that encounter, Hikaru yelled at the riverbank "Koremitsu is my friend!", and consoled Koremitsu whenever the latter was feeling downhearted. Because of the culture festival, Koremitsu was accepted by his classmates, and they shared their delight with him.

There really were countless incidents where Koremitsu would be so fortunate, thinking "It's great to have Hikaru around!"

With a teary smile, Hikaru listened to Koremitsu's words. His lips were quivering slightly, and the eyes that should not be able to cry were actually filled with tears.

Fujino too lifted her exquisite face stiffly, looking up at Koremitsu with the same teary eyes as Hikaru.

Koremitsu stared back at Fujino passionately, telling her adamantly,

"Hikaru's definitely fortunate! But he still has his lingering thoughts to his flowers, and he can't leave!! That's why I promised to be his representative. You're the last one!!"

The wisteria Hikaru loved.

Hikaru's final burden.

"Didn't you make a promise with Hikaru that you'll be with him forever? I don't care whether you sinned or not; if you can't forget about Hikaru, don't forget about him then. You got to remember Hikaru and make sure he lives in your heart forever. Your happiness is Hikaru's greatest wish!"

In the distant past, Hikaru looked up at the girl Fujino under the Wisteria vines, earnestly stating,

—Then I will too! I will also pray to God! I will pray—that you will have a very, very happy life, always smiling.

Just as Hikaru built a room in his heart to reminisce the wonderful days he spent with Fujino, Koremitsu too wished for Fujino to firmly lock the wonderful memories she made with Hikaru in her heart.

Fujino's lips were quivering. Perhaps she recalled the innocent conversation they had under the Wisterias back then. She sobbed, her eyes filled with tears.

"You got to live on. When you're finally able to smile even after bearing all the guilt and punishment, Hikaru won't have any more wishes left!"

Hikaru gave Fujino a pleading look.

The promise and wishes could never be fulfilled. Even so, as long as their beloved obtained happiness, as long as she felt that this encounter was irreplaceable—

Fujino trembled, eking each word with a feeble voice,

"I am...fortunate."

A beautiful tear fell from her eye.

"That Mr. Hikaru was able to be born...that I met Mr. Hikaru..."

The frigid, white whites clasped in front of the shawl. Koremitsu—and Hikaru watched with bated breath as Fujino's voice melted in the frosty forest air.

With tears in her eyes, a heart-wrenching glint filled her eyes.

"I...loved Mr. Hikaru."

That was the other feeling Fujino had.

The truth Fujino hid.

Even though it was painful, even though she denied it, she loved Hikaru.

She was happy when both of them made the promise.

Koremitsu saw clear, transparent droplets seep from Hikaru's eyes, a few of them dripping onto the white cheeks, fluttering like the Wisterias.

(Hikaru, have you realized it? You're crying.)

A depressed Hikaru would note forlornly 'I cannot cry'. At this point, he was crying.

(Ah, such beautiful tears.)

They struggled at the bottom of the vortex of violet Wisterias, suffocated by the love. At this point, the love finally ended.

"Thank you. Now Hikaru will be able to head off to the other world."

Koremitsu bowed.

Fujino continued to weep, with an adorable, tragic expression on her face as she looked to Koremitsu's side. Did she notice Hikaru beside him? Or was it that she was speaking to the distant past where they both spoke innocently under the Wisterias?"

Fujino sobbed, muttering,

"Goodbye."

And so, Hikaru, with tears on his face, beamed, answering gently,

"Farewell."

It really does feel good to cry, Koremitsu.

It feels like all the sticky, vexing emotions within my body was washed away with the tears.

Right now, I am able to reminisce many things with a thoroughly refreshed attitude.

I loved that person so much that my heart was breaking, aching so much I wanted to shout.

I experienced the dark days where I could not see the future, and also others.

With the thoughts I could not sever no matter what, that person and I were only despairing in the bottom of the Wisteria abyss.

I had to give up on that person.

But I could not.

Once I saw the mirror, that person's tragic face would appear on it. I really wished to go mad immediately, but I was in such pain that I was almost there. In fact, I could not allow myself to go past my breaking point.

At those moment, whenever I returned home, I could hear the Middle School boys in front of me talking.

One of them had his head lowered dejectedly, and the other was patting him on the shoulder, saying,

"Cheer up. You only had a breakup. Don't you have me?"

"Thanks...it's great to have you as a friend."

Before I realized, I found myself staring at the back of those two with admiring eyes.

I wish to have friends.

With a friend, I could discuss with him in such situations. I could share this pain, and surely I could move forward.

I yearned for it.

And that wish came true. I met you, Koremitsu.

A red-haired who ran right at a truck to save an old man—a boy of my age was willing to fight for others. Back then, I thought you were strong and amazing, like a hero.

Right, the friend I wished to have back when I was younger was a boy who was like a hero!

I want to be friends with him! Surely I will be able to change.

Be friends with him! Change myself!

And so, I sent the Japanese Magnolias, and visited you at the hospital. I told you before, the floral language for the Japanese Magnolias is friendship.

I was so nervous, and once I handed the flowers to the reception, I ran off. However, I earnestly prayed that once you got to school, the floral language would come true.

To be friends with you—

The moment I decided that, I felt that everything became bright and cheery.

The future I could not see appeared clearly in front of me.

You would scowl and watch me hold hands with Miss Aoi. You will hear me out impatiently, smiling from time to time, giving a tender look.

I would fall in love with Miss Aoi.

I would introduce you to her as my dearest.

And then, you will have a cheerful girl who likes to smile as a partner, and the 4 of us can go out together.

That dream never happened. On that night when the winds blew, I did something Miss Aoi would scold me for, calling me "Liar", something I cannot refute. Miss Aoi is not the only one however; I too had many people mourn for me.

But you heard my plea for help, and turned your head back.

You were willing to be my friend, listen to my one-sided wishes, and granted the flowers in my heart a tender farewell, lending me strength with all your might.

It really is great to have you.

And I can finally say goodbye.

The days where I loved that person, and suffered for it.

With the first tear I ever shed in my life, farewell.

### 007. Chapter 7: The Fact That I Was in Love With You—

Michiru slept for two straight days, and due to her family's request, she was transferred to a hospital in Tokyo during this time.

Koremitsu too was arranged by Asai to be warded in the same hospital as Michiru due to the scrapes and cuts all over him, and had a few days of check ups.

"You guys are making too much of a fuss out of this."

Koremitsu muttered bashfully as he saw Aoi, Tsuyako and the other classmates bring in flowers and fruit baskets, only for Koharu to pinch his ear spitefully again.

"Stop giving a patronizing look. How many times must you get hospitalized before you're happy!? And I thought you calmed down a little."

Shioriko's abduction was discovered by Masakaze.

"Grandpa Masakaze is really furious at you, big brother...he said that you hid it from him even though I was in danger...Shiiko kept saying that it wasn't big brother's fault, but grandpa wouldn't listen. He's flailing his fists in the garden, saying that he's going to teach you a lesson when you get back...big brother Koremitsu, I think you should be safer if you remain hospitalized for another 6 months..."

Shioriko lowered her shoulders dejectedly as she peeled the apple into a bunny.

(Well, that is to be expected.)

Koremitsu was already mentally prepared. In any case, he hoped that the elderly Masakaze would not sprain his back while being so amped.

It was during this time that Michiru woke up.

In the morning, Koremitsu, who was discharged earlier, went to visit Michiru along with Honoka. Michiru had her hair let down, glasses put on as she lowered her head blankly. But once she saw Honoka, her face stiffened as she stared at the latter warily.

Honoka too looked tense.

(Hey, what's going on now?)

The tense atmosphere caused Koremitsu to frown. At this moment, Honoka put the cake into Koremitsu's hands.

"Hold this."

And then, she rushed towards Michiru, giving her a slap.

The sharp sound shocked Koremitsu, and he nearly dropped the cake.

"Hey, Shikibu—"

Koremitsu wanted to stop her, but he could not do so as he was holding the cake. In the meantime, Honoka raised her eyebrows, exclaiming,

"When have I ever shown you any pity and thought of you as a foil? I never did!"

Honoka's voice was so loud, one would worry that the nurses would rush in. Michiru placed her hand on the cheek Honoka just slapped, and she grimaced unhappily, glaring back at Honoka.

"I was happy to have you as a classmate when we got into High School. The reason why I remained with you is because you're my friend! You don't think of that? If you hate me, and you find that it's unbearable, then it is—"

Michiru suddenly exclaimed,

"Don't say 'that is enough'!"

Honoka was taken aback, and went silent.

Michiru scowled, covering her ears with her hands, and shivered like an adolescent child.

"M-mom...just came by, gave me an impatient look and told me 'that is enough'—mom still has my older sister she can be proud of as a daughter—someone inferior like me can only be told off 'that is enough'—"

Michiru eked her voice, painfully venting,

—Lord Hikaru too. When he let go of my hand, he said ‘that is enough’! He said the same thing mom did...!

Koremitsu recalled Michiru saying the exact same words when he jumped into the river to save her.

And just as she did back then, Michiru was shivering and whimpering. Honoka embraced her, looking to be on the verge of breaking down into tears as well.

She brought her face close to Michiru as the latter covered her ears, saying,

"I won't say that...we'll always be friends after all."

Michiru lowered her hands tentatively, but she continued to weep as she remained wary, putting on a facade as she said,

"I-I hate how you're always on the heroic side, Hono..."

Honoka too sobbed as she answered,

"Yeah. If you thought so, you could have told me this. I wouldn't have known otherwise. I'm reckless after all."

"I might end up stealing Mr. Akagi...away from you."

"I'll make sure not to let that happen."

"I-I hate you for being a goody-goody."

Michiru tugged at Honoka's clothes firmly.

And the latter embraced the former firmly.

(Looks like things have calmed down...)

Koremitsu heaved a sigh of relief, and turned his eyes to the side.

Hikaru was standing there, beaming with a tender smile as he watched Honoka and Michiru.

Despite bidding Fujino farewell and finishing all his wishes, Hikaru had yet to vanish,

"Will I end up like Princess Kaguya and have someone pick me up? I will have to leave in any case, and I do wish to stay till Christmas."

Hikaru leisurely noted.

The strands of his hair was dazzling golden as the sunlight shone in through the hospital window.

Perhaps it was because he had no lingering wishes that he looked more dazzling than before, and Koremitsu felt conflicted within, wondering "Is it really alright for a ghost to be dazzling like this?"

At this moment, the rich, sweet voice entered Koremitsu's ears.

"Miss Hanasato was not satisfied even though my promise with her was fulfilled, and that is because she needed to establish another promise—together with Miss Shikibu's words. This time, Miss Hanasato will surely be fine."

Koremitsu silently agreed.

Ah, yeah.

Shikibu's the flower of love guaranteed by Hikaru. She definitely won't let go of your hand.

After embracing Michiru, crying with her, and finishing all her consoling words, Honoka left the hospital along with Koremitsu, and lowered her head, fidgeting.

(Is she embarrassed that I saw her give Hanasato a slap?)

"Well, it's great that you're able to talk with Hanasato."

The moment these words were said, Honoka's face immediately turned beetroot.

"Eh? Ah, yes!"

She stammered, her eyes swimming about before she lifted her head at Koremitsu,

"E-erm,! I did tell Michiru that I'll do my best, but it's a little—no, I'm very nervous about this! But, I-I'll do my best! I'll snatch you back even if you do change your mind, Akagi."

Honoka finished off her words, and gave a feeble look on her face, blushing as she ran off.

"What was that?"

Koremitsu was dumbfounded as he watched the back vanish beyond the street in an instance, accompanied by those nice, long legs.

"Maybe she's worried if you have fallen for Miss Hanasato."

"Not at all."

He grumbled as he strode forth.

(That Shikibu's thinking too much. Or is it that I'm unreliable?)

Just when Koremitsu was frowning, the cellphone in his pocket rang.

It was from Yū. Koremitsu took the phone out.

Mr. Akagi..."

"Hm? What's the matter?"

"You are discharged..today, right?"

"Yeah. Just left the hospital."

"Sorry...that I wasn't able to visit you."

Koremitsu did notice. Aoi, Asai and Kazuaki took turns to visit, but Yū did not send a message, let alone visit him.

However, Koremitsu felt that it would be strange of him to ask Yū "What are you doing". thus, he was hesitant on contacting her.

Yū whispered,

"I will...be headed back to Australia tomorrow. Can you go on a date with me before then?"

That was the promise they made before Shioriko was abducted.

Koremitsu too a deep breath, calming himself.

And then, he gave a serious answer,

"Got it. I'll go wherever you want to meet up."

Once he got home, Koremitsu was worried that he would be visiting Yū after being beaten by Masakaze with a bamboo sword, and that she would be terrified. Would he have to go on a date with her while in bandages? Luckily for him, all he took was an iron punch to the face.

Koremitsu took a punch from Masakaze, and crashed into the fusuma of the living room, and fell along with it into the neighboring room. However, Shioriko grabbed Masakaze's arm, wailing as she pleaded,

"If you continue to punish big brother Koremitsu, Shiiko won't talk to you again, grandpa. Shiiko likes you, so Shiiko will be sad if Shiiko can't talk to grandpa. Please forgive big brother Koremitsu."

Masakaze, who really doted Shioriko, clenched his trembling fists, and after groaning for a while, he muttered, "Humph. You got sent flying from such a weak punch. You're lacking in training. Not enough effort." He turned his back on Koremitsu.

"Thank you, grandpa Masakaze. Love you."

Once Shioriko hugged him, Koremitsu's grandfather blushed.

And then, upon seeing the damaged fusuma , Koharu hollered "Why didn't you fall the other side! Of course you have to make sure the doors and windows are open!" She punched Koremitsu on the top of his head, and ordered him to repair the fusuma

And again, Shioriko,

"Shiiko is big brother Koremitsu's savior. Big brother has to treasure Shiiko well."

And Koremitsu was forced to make a promise with Shioriko to go to the zoo, aquarium and planetarium.

Shioriko then gave a nonchalant look, which Koremitsu realized that she was shedding crocodile tears, inevitably feeling pity for his grandfather. However, Masakaze made a promise with Shioriko to go to the Go club together, and was happy about it, so Koremitsu decided to quietly accept the truth. If not, his grandfather, who was finally cured of his bias against women, would probably end up not trusting them more than before.

In any case, though there was a bruise on his face, Koremitsu decided to go on a date with Yū on that particular day.

And 10 minutes before the appointed time—

The place Yū designated was an indoor tennis court for country club members only.

"I have been to this country club. The requirements to join as a member are very strict."

"You sure this is the place?"

Koremitsu saw the counter that was as posh as a luxury hotel, and murmured in a shocked state.

Member? Entry requirements? This was a foreign concept to the ordinary high school student Koremitsu.

(Yū's family is probably ordinary too. What's going on?)

Koremitsu did not dare approach the counter as he brooded before it. Hikaru then advised,

"Koremitsu, the security guards are looking at you. The passers-by having been gossiping about you too, so before you get whisked off as a suspicious person, do hurry and register at the counter, or you will be late for your date."

"Damn it!"

Koremitsu approached the counter, deciding to watch how things played out.

The two ladies at the counter were obviously terrified, but the moment Koremitsu awkwardly stated his name—

"Mr. Koremitsu Akagi? Yes, we have a reservation."

Suddenly, they were being polite. Another staff member even approached him with an overly courteous attitude, saying, "this way please." and led the way.

"Thank goodness you were not chased out."

Hikaru gave a wink from the side, and was glared back.

Soon after, Koremitsu arrived at a posh changing room.

"Please change your clothes here."

The staff member handed him what appeared to be tennis wear and shoes,

(Ack! Do I have to wear these!?)

Koremitsu widened his eyes.

The top was a collared white shirt, while the bottom was shorts.

"Wow! Hurry and wear it, Koremitsu!"

"Like hell I'm wearing it!"

"Eh? Why?"

"It doesn't match me, right?"

"That is not the case. You will gain quite some attention entering the court with how you are dressed now. You will be embarrassing Yū."

"Ugh."

Once Hikaru pointed that out, Koremitsu could only change his clothes. His temples were twitching as he removed the parka and T-shirt.

(Why do I have to wear this?)

Koremitsu wore a white tennis wear, wore a borrowed jumper over it, and sealed it up tight.

"I do feel it is cooler of you to have it a little unzipped."

Hikaru too changed into tennis wear like Koremitsu did as he chimed in from above. He, wearing tennis wear, looked so suited for it it was infuriating, and he looked 10 times as refreshed as he was before."

"Shut up. I'll feel chilly if I open the zip too much."

Koremitsu impatiently responded, swapped his sneakers for tennis shoes, and went to the court.

The indoor court felt warmth even in Winter, and the air-conditioning was adjusted to a very suitable temperature. However, there was no one other than Koremitsu to be seen.

"Is this club always lacking in business or something?"

"No. I do suppose that the entire court was booked."

"What!?"

Koremitsu again widened his eyes.

"Mr. Akagi...I kept you waiting."

The fleeting voice echoed, and upon looking back, he found Yū standing there.

"Woah!"

"!"

Both Hikaru and Koremitsu were greatly taken aback.

Yū was actually in tennis wear.

No. Koremitsu too was in tennis wear, so it was very likely that she was wearing a matching outfit. Koremitsu's impression of Yū however was that she would wear knee-length skirts, and he never did see her in uniform before, so the impression was set. At this point however—

(A miniskirt?)

The white tennis skirt was reaching midway through the thighs, and the pure white legs reaching out from the skirt were so shockingly slender that Koremitsu was looking there.

It was not the first time he saw a girl's legs, but that Yū actually wore that, giving an unexpected and rare, intrinsic value in itself. This cause Koremitsu to stare at them for quite a while before he recovered.

(Am I a pervert with a leg fetish or something!?)

He gingerly lifted his stare, and found Yū showing a smile on her face.

Her white face was a little beetroot, and though she was nervous, her stare at Koremitsu was neither of disgust nor belittling. One might say that she looked utterly delighted.

The soft, long wavy hair was parted into two tails below the ears. That hairstyle too looked really refreshing and cute, causing Koremitsu's heart to pound.

Hikaru ribbed Koremitsu with his elbow, but of course, the elbow sank into Koremitsu's arm. That however probably meant 'praise her already'. He was giving a vague grin.

Koremitsu averted his eyes, uttering,

"Ah...you're wearing something different from usual. Well...that's a lot."

"Is it strange...?"

Her voice sounded a little worried.

"No, not at all, I guess?"

"Koremitsu, do you not know of any other words to praise Yū? The last time you went to the pool with Miss Shikibu and the others, you drove them crazy by telling them 'yeah, it's fine'! Using that line more than once is a show of laziness!"

(Shut up! It's rare to find a 10th grade boy like you who can just make up a spiel of sweet talk on the fly!)

Koremitsu bellowed in his heart, but at the same time, he wished for Yū to be as happy as she could be on this day, so he added,

"It's a refreshing feeling...I'll say that it suits you."

For Koremitsu, this was all he could muster. He glanced at Yū, who was beaming away.

"Thank you..."

She softly replied, her voice filled with delight over Koremitsu's praise.

Just when Koremitsu was feeling awkward—

"It does suit you too...Mr. Akagi."

"!"

And those words dragged him back into reality.

(Oh, right. I'm wearing the same clothing too!)

Yū's tennis wear was so shocking that Koremitsu forgot about this.

(Yū says that this suits me? No no no, it doesn't suit me at all. Doesn't look like it no matter how I see it.)

Koremitsu understood very well that there are times where kindness would hurt others.

"I-is that so? Thanks."

He turned to the side, muttering.

"Mr. Akagi...can you let me take a photo?"

"Huh?"

Koremitsu turned his head back, exclaiming,

"When I'm dressed like this!?"

"Koremitsu, you cannot be too loud when talking. Yū will be scared."

After being told off by Hikaru, Koremitsu hushed his voice.

"Y-you can, but can you do so after I'm done changing out of this?"

Yū silently lowered her eyebrows.

"...Mr. Akagi...the condition to rent the court...was to take a photo of you in tennis wear..."

"Condition?'

"Mr. Kazuaki..."

"Kazuaki booked the court and borrowed these clothes?"

Koremitsu was utterly dumbfounded, and Yū nodded.

"I never did much sports, so I wish...to experience it with you, Mr. Akagi...I went to request Mr. Kazuaki for help. He was furious...and said I was bold."

Rather than bold, one would say that Yū was fearless. Speaking of which, Yū did give Kazuaki a verbal lashing at the resort.

Back then, Koremitsu felt moved that Yū had gotten stronger; at this point however, he was speechless. Yū did not seem to have realized how astounding a thing she did as she continued calmly with her fleeting voice,

"However...he gave me a condition to take a photo of you in tennis wear, Mr. Akagi...so I accepted it with reluctance..."

Back when Yū was envied and bullied by the girls at school, she was utterly terrified when Honoka came to her apartment along with Koremitsu, worried that she would be bullied again. At this point, even though Kazuaki did all he could to frame Yū, the latter was earnest to him, and Koremitsu could not understand.

Leaving aside how Kazuaki might appear, Koremitsu did not think that Kazuaki, having shown his real personality, was likeable, approachable in any way, though it might be conflicted with what he said about being friends...

Perhaps it was because Kazuaki was Hikaru's half-brother, and had the same voice. Surely, Hikaru's existence was so important to.Yū.

"You...do hate taking photos after all, right?"

Yū asked, looking devastated. Her slender fingers were already grabbing the cellphone firmly.

(Ugh, looks like I don't have a choice.)

Koremitsu did not want Yū to show such a face on this day.

"Don't show anyone else other than Kazuaki."

Yū's eyes immediately sparkled.

"Yes."

She looked really elated, and began snapping away excitedly.

"Koremitsu, perhaps you can try smiling and not stand there with such a terrifying face, okay? How about a pose with the racket?"

Hikaru gave a bunch of advices from above.

"Will I enter the photo?"

He was holding a racket that appeared in his hands, and bent his back, standing behind Koremitsu, giving a swinging pose.

(Wait, what if this ends up as a photo with a supernatural phenomenon and published in an occult magazine?)

Koremitsu wanted to kick Hikaru aside to shoo him off, but he knew it was meaningless, and could only endure it impatient.

With a scatterbrained, fleeting expression, Yū adjusted her position as she continued to snap photos of Koremitsu.

"Erm...can you...please take a photo with me?"

Yū asked tentatively,

"I won't show it to anyone else...not even Mr. Kazuaki...I'll treat this...as a treasure for myself."

Koremitsu gave a serious look back at Yū, and after a while, he answered,

"...Of course."

Yū smiled, and silently leaned towards Koremitsu.

She then reached her hand out, turning the cellphone camera towards themselves.

Koremitsu's lips still remained tense as he looked at the phone. Once Yū saw that the photo was taken, she showed the brightest smile on this day.

There was a cold looking Koremitsu on the photo, coupled with Yū showing a sunny smile.

"Thank you."

Koremitsu's lips remained stiff as he watched Yū embrace the photo and mutter this.

"Koremitsu, I shall be waiting. Have fun playing."

Hikaru muttered, and vanished from Koremitsu's sight.

"Let's play tennis, Yū. It's my first time playing, and I don't know the rules at all, but I think it's interesting to hit the ball back and forth."

Koremitsu said, and Yū gave a glowing smile as bright as the sun, answering,

"Yes...I'll definitely be happy whenever I'm doing something with you, Mr. Akagi."

After holding the racket, running around on the court and hitting the ball to each other, it appeared to Koremitsu that Yū's proficiency in sports was worse than he thought.

She threw the ball high into the air, but the swing could not match the speed of the falling ball, and it would land by her feet every time. Whenever she threw the ball higher, thinking that it would work, the ball would land 2m away from Yū.

Yū then threw the ball higher, and the ball landed on her head. She knelt down, and Koremitsu hurriedly ran over from his side of the court.

"Hey! You alright?"

"I-I'm fine."

Yū put her hand on her head, and shyly answered,

"I-I'll...hit to your side next time, Mr. Akagi."

She declared that with a determined face, and she tried to stand up, only for her hand to slip, and she fell again.

"Yū!"

"I-I'm fine...I'm fine."

Koremitsu grabbed her arm to pull her up, and she shyly lowered her head.

He muttered,

"Ah, serving is unexpectedly hard. I'll try it this time."

"O-okay..."

Koremitsu took the ball, and returned to his side.

"I'm hitting it over—!"

He deliberately yelled, and like what Yū did, he threw the ball up with one hand. And then, he swung the racket down hard when the ball fell.

He felt something!

(Alright!)

Koremitsu yelled in his heart.

However.

"Eh, eh?"

The ball flew by Yū and the baseline, hitting the wall at the back, and finally fell.

"Eh...you see, a serve's really hard."

Koremitsu blushed as he said that, and he looked back and forth between Yū and the racket. Both of them obviously were left at a lost.

"Sorry! I cannot watch this any longer!"

At this moment, Hikaru drifted towards Koremitsu, holding a ball and racket he created, and played the role of a coach.

"It is too hasty for you and Yū to start doing overhead services, Koremitsu. First, get used to the feeling of hitting the ball. Let the ball bounce off the floor once, and swing the racket as though you are scooping it out. Do it like this. Bend your waist down."

Hikaru probably was used to tutoring girls. Koremitsu did as Hikaru said, and let the ball bounce off the floor once before hitting it. The ball then landed in Yū's court, and bounced up.

"You're amazing, Mr. Akagi."

"So-sorta."

Both their faces brightened.

"Hm, your sports proficiency is good after all, Koremitsu. You just need to practise a bit to get the hang of things. Now, try aiming at the area in front of Yū. Swing it like this, and tilt the racket to this angle. Also, make it slower so that Yū has an easier time hitting the ball back."

Koremitsu glanced aside at Hikaru as the latter explained and personally demonstrated. He let the ball bounce on the floor, and hit it towards Yū's court.

The ball was hit a little awry, but Yū raised her racket to hit the ball courageously.

It appeared Yū wanted to hit the ball before it landed, but she missed, and was dejected as a result.

Hikaru advised her,

"Do not mind about that, Yū. Try waiting for the ball to bounce off the court before hitting it."

"Hey, I guess it's easier to hit the ball after it bounces off the floor. Try again and go for it!"

"Y-yes."

Yū too gave an adamant nod.

Hikaru again demonstrated, and Koremitsu followed suit. The ball glided through the air with a gentler arc, and landed in front of Yū.

Yū stared at the ball intently, waited for it to land, and cautiously swung her racket.

The ball passed the net weakly, gently landing on Koremitsu's court.

"You did it, Yū!"

"Mr. Akagi!"

"Congrats!"

The trio ran towards the net, appearing as though they just won the Wimbledon, their faces showing delight.

"Okay! Now try hitting a rally to each other! Try hitting at least 5 times."

"We're hitting a rally now."

"Yes."

Both of them ran to their sides of the court, and started hitting.

Yū kept missing at first, and even though she would hit, the ball would not pass the net, so they could not continue the rally. As Hikaru was an outstanding coach however, the two of them could maintain their rallies.

Once there was some improvement, they felt elated.

"Okay! 7 times next! And after that, 10 times!"

They slowly aimed for their target, and finally, had a rally of 16 hits.

Koremitsu would hit his shots lighter for Yū to hit back, but it was interesting trying to control his power. Whenever Yū swung her racket hard, he felt happy.

Yū too was the same; whenever her racket hit the ball towards Koremitsu successfully, and when the latter desperately ran for the ball, her eyes sparkled.

Hikaru vanished midway through this, and by the time they realized, it was noon.

"This is the first time I went through such an intensive exercise."

Yū cheerfully noted as she let out a lot of sweat.

"I made a lunch box. Mr. Akagi, please have some."

"Oh, I'm feeling hungry now."

Yū cheerfully took out a multi-layered lunchbox, and it was filled with Nori rice balls.

"I do think...sandwiches are cute...but I think you would prefer...rice balls, Mr. Akagi...so I made many flavors out of them."

With a smile on her face, she handed the rice balls to Koremitsu.

"Yeah, I do prefer rice balls."

"I'm glad."

Koremitsu grabbed a rice ball Yū made, and it was filled with a large, flavorful piece of fried chicken.

"It's really good."

Once Koremitsu said this, Yū's lips showed a smile, her face blushing.

Besides fried chicken, there were salmon, meat-potato, hamburger fillet fillings, and other rich assorted flavors. As Yū was looking delighted, Koremitsu ate 5 of them, and felt that his belly was about to be busted.

They played tennis again to help each other digest, and after that, due to Yū's request, they went to an arcade.

Koremitsu had never made a friend before, and thus, he never stepped into such a place. All the games were a new experience for him.

He played a fighting game with Yū, lost himself with the crane game, and because Yū said,

"Mr. Akagi...that one...looks interesting..."

They went to the photo booth.

In the bustling Southern country-themed booth with coconuts and dolphins drawn on it, Koremitsu's scowling face was shown. He was so nervous that his face was frozen, and he tried to force himself to smile, only for his face to look scarier.

Yū too was a little surprised, beaming, her smile looking happier than usual.

She gave an earnest smile, holding the seal in the photo booth and the dolphin toy she obtained from the keychain in front of her chest.

"The treasures...have increased."

Suddenly, Koremitsu felt his heart ache.

The time for Yū's flight back to Australia approached, and there was still some time till sunset, so they went their separate ways in front of the station.

There were several pedestrians moving past Koremitsu, and it was really noisy, with the vehicles rushing through and the people chatting away.

Yū looked up at Koremitsu with her fleeting eyes, muttering her earnest wishes,

"Thank you for today. I did many things I didn't think I could do before...I'm...really happy. Mr. Akagi...will you go on a date with me again?"

"No, this is the last time. I got a woman I like, so I can't date any other women."

With a serious look, Koremitsu blurted this to Yū.

A smile quietly surfaced on Yū's face.

The noise overlapped with this silence. Soon after, Yū calmly said,

"It is Miss Shikibu, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"When I...paid a visit to Miss Shikibu...I had a wager with her, whether I can earn your heart back through this date, Mr. Akagi...she must be feeling worried now."

Koremitsu recalled the uneasiness Honoka showed when they went on their separate ways, and inadvertently frowned.

(—Seriously, that girl.)

The surrounding was noisy, but it seemed there was a silent space emptied here at the place both Koremitsu and Yū stood.)

Then, Yū gave a forlorn look, saying,

"When I met Miss Shikibu at your house...I had a feeling that you would be with her...the one you really love is definitely...a girl like Miss Shikibu..." On the day Yū went to Koremitsu's house...

Once Koremitsu got home, he found Asai and the others gathered in his room, and he was feeling panicky.

At that moment, what expression did Honoka show?

Koremitsu felt that she was peeking at Yū nervously.

When he sent Yū back, Koremitsu told her that those were the precious flowers to Hikaru.

Amongst them, Honoka was the only one unrelated to Hikaru, and she was the one girl Koremitsu approached, the girl who fell in love with him.

—...Shikibu's my classmate, a good person...Hikaru once said that she's like a Heliotrope.

In response to Koremitsu's words,

She's definitely a cheerful, determined...wonderful person, no?

Yū muttered those words.

"You're very kind, Mr. Akagi...so you can't leave any girl weaker than you alone...you helped me too...but if I wasn't that weak...you definitely wouldn't be concerned about me, and you would not have thought that you were in love with me...that is what I think. If I really wanted to have you, Mr. Akagi, I shouldn't have left that apartment. You would be with me forever if that happened..."

Yū's soothing voice dragged Koremitsu back into the cramped room that was akin to the bottom of the sea, filled with a mysterious hill of trash, and sealed windows.

During the peaceful, agonizing time he spent with the weak and feeble girl with the fleeting eyes...Koremitsu felt a sweet and sour throbbing, and he was feeling angsty back then.

"But even though you loved my old, weak self who wasn't willing to leave my house, that was different. I wish that you choose me now that I've become stronger..."

"That wasn't just a feeling."

Yū widened her eyes.

"I did fall in love with you, Yū. You'll always be my first love."

Koremitsu told her firmly.

He stared at the startled Yū.

For Koremitsu, the time he spent in the little world Yū locked herself in was filled with first-time experiences, sweetness, angst and pain.

It was an irreplaceable time.

Yū slowly raised her lips, showing a fleeting smile.

"My first love shall always be you, Mr. Akagi."

Then, with a cheerful face, she said,

"Goodbye."

Her slender back turned towards Koremitsu, and she quickly entered the crowd, her flowing long hair swaying in the air.

She walked on fearlessly with her own legs.

The love Koremitsu had with Yū definitely ended at the moment they held hands in the rain and saw all kinds of flowers in the park.

Hikaru once said that Koremitsu would lose Yū if he was to let her outside.

Once she stepped outside, Yū would not be simply a dream created by any man.

Surely, she would sprout and bloom new flowers. Her serene grace would contain grit, always blooming proudly.

Koremitsu's heart ached as he watched Yū vanish into the passing crowd.

And then, he let out a long sigh, scowling.

Alright, now what do I do with this reckless love rookie who doesn't know what's going on?"

Koremitsu squirmed, and whispered to the friend who should be right behind him,

"Hikaru, lend me your knowledge."

(I guess Akagi went back to Miss Kanai after all)

Honoka was restless since the morning. One moment, she would be staring at her phone in front of the table. The next moment, she would be hugging her pillow on the bed, and then she would stand up and wander aimlessly around the room.

On that morning, she received a message from Yū,

"I'll be having a date with Mr. Akagi now."

Honoka felt her heart wince. This day finally came.

While Honoka was hospitalized, Yū came to visit her, and she said with a fleeting face,

—I made a promise with Mr. Akagi to go on a date. If Mr. Akagi changes his mind and falls for me...can I go out with him?

Yū's tone and expression were calm and delicate, but Honoka was overwhelmed by her, as she had never conversed with Yū before, and the latter asked her for permission. Honoka answered,

If Akagi really falls for you, it's not an issue of whether I allow it or not. If that happens, I can't do anything about it.

Honoka tried her best to remain calm, but her mind was in complete chaos. If she was to meet Koremitsu at that point, surely she would be flustered and tell him, "Don't go on that date with Miss Kanai! Didn't you say you like me?" That was why Honoka scampered back home once she got discharged, without waiting for her family members to pick her up.

Yū said that she would message or call Honoka with regards to the outcome. After that, Shioriko was abducted, and it was not the moment for that. Shioriko returned safe and sound however, and Koremitsu was discharged after he was hospitalized for checkups.

—I will be returning back soon. Do you still remember that date?

Two days ago, Honoka received a call from Yū.

—O-o-o-o-of course I do. You can choose a time you want to date Akagi, Miss Kanai.

Honoka answered shrilly.

"I'm really an idiot! I shouldn't have made such a promise with her. Akagi would have fallen for Miss Kanai again. She's so slim, delicate and feminine, so anyone will have the urge to protect her. She's right in Akagi's sweet spot!"

Honoka collapsed onto the bed, hugged her pillow, and rolled about.

He does like that Miss Kanai that much after all

Koremitsu returned home with Yū on the day everyone went to his house, and he sent Yū back alone. The atmosphere between them was very good.

"I got to believe in Akagi. The date's because Akagi goes by his word. This will definitely be the last time—ahhhh!!! I never dated Akagi before!"

Despite Honoka's unforgettable memory of the two of them sneaking into the school pool in the middle of the night, that did not seem to fit the atmosphere of a normal date.

"If we're to break up without even dating, auu~, I should have known this would happen. I should have dated Akagi earlier."

Honoka again rolled about on the bed, her eyeballs rolling with tears welling from them. She hugged the pillow and muttered for a while, and then—

"Their date should be done by now, right? I don't know what will happen. Shall I call Miss Kanai or Akagi to confirm...? I can't do it!"

She sat upright, and shook her head hard. It was too terrifying for her to do so.

"Go-got to update my blog..."

The "Purple Princess's Mansion'.was a blog for Honoka to publish her cellphone novels, but the comments column was where girls would share their love troubles.

There was a period when Honoka was called the 'love expert', and she got giddy as a result. A few days ago however, she admitted on her blog that she never dated a boy before, and she had an unrequited crush on a boy.

She was already mentally prepared to receive a backlash from her viewers for lying to her, that there would be a lot of protesting messages. In fact, Honoka did have them, but there was an overwhelming number of messages 'Knowing that you have an unrequited crush just like us and is worrying about love makes you more approachable, Purple Princess. Let's work hard for our romances to succeed. please continue to hear our troubles'. The number of clicks sharply increased, and there were more love inquiries as compared to before.

Honoka opened her blog, and scanned through the comments, readying herself to answer.

"To the Love expert, Purple Princess.

This is my first time leaving a comment here. Right now, I'm feeling troubled because of love, so I decided to discuss this with you.

I recently confessed to someone I like.

That person's my classmate, the one seated next to me.

That person has scary eyes, a poor attitude, is always staring at the phone, and she has a tendency to kick, always ready to raise her leg to kick. At first, I thought that person was really unbelievable.

But when I was in trouble. That person was always listening to my troubles earnestly, helping me.

That person worries about others more than being selfish about it, a really good person who'll always help others.

I'm starting to understand that person's good points more and more now, and I think I do like that person, but that's just a like as a classmate.

But once that person confessed to me, I started to be more aware about that person."

For some reason, this clearly resembled her relationship with Koremitsu.

"I was kissed by someone else, and that person saw me. She scolded me, calling me an idiot, and slammed at my chest. My heart was pounding like crazy."

Honoka gasped.

"No way."

"That person once booked a karaoke box, and suddenly started reading a swimsuit gravure magazine with me inside. We even had a commotion at the pool, and my pants slipped as a result. There was once when I got back, and saw that person welcoming me with a floral-patterned apron."

"No way..."

Honoka's heart jumped, her cheeks searing.

"It's basically..."

"That person assumed that I made someone pregnant, and baked calcium-rich cookies for me. Once that person's friend confessed to me, that person then said to keep the distance from me."

"Isn't that person referring to me now?"

"I don't know when exactly did I start to have feelings for that reckless, crass person, feelings beyond that of a classmate."

"That person was in danger because of me, and nearly died as a result. That was when I realized that I love that person, not like as a classmate. It's because that person is that person that I like that person."

Honoka's heart raced, and the face staring at the screen got increasingly scalding, her fingers unable to stop as she rolled the mouse.

"I clearly told that person that I like her. That person however isn't just reckless, she's a blockhead. She's unlike the Purple Princess, an utterly hopeless rookie at love. Right now, she's still worrying if I'll move on to another person."

"I-isn't it you whose actions are weird...you're the stupid one? What's with that 'rookie at love' anyway?"

"What do I do to convince that bipolar, reckless, foolhardy, incorrigible love idiot of my feelings? Please answer me."

The message was signed off with the ID 'red hound'.

Honoka did not know whether she should be angry, embarrassed, or swirling around on her swivel chair. In her confusion, her cellphone rang, indicating a message,

It was Koremitsu!

Koremitsu sent a message!

Honoka hastily opened a message, and the topic was 'love consultation'. Attached to it was Honoka's blog address,

"Come to the riverside for the reply".

That was the text attached.

Honoka got into action faster than she could think.

She got up from her chair, grabbed her cellphone and the travel pass, and dashed out of her house.

The sky was dyed orange by the sunset, and the clouds was beginning to have a pink hue on them. Honoka raced down the road under the setting sun, her heart ripping apart. She went through the gantry, darted into the carriage, and was puffing away as she tapped away at the message,

"To Red Hound,

Is there anything else you'll like to say? All I remember is that strange matter of booking the karaoke room to read the gravure magazines!"

After a stop, the reply came.

"I do.

If you want to hear it. Come with your reply."

Honoka then texted back,

"You idiot. I'm on my way."

Another station later, and the other party replied,

"Don't run away, you love rookie."

"Which one of us it it?"

Honoka texted back, and once she arrived at the train station closest to school, she started running away.

While the orange sun continued to set, Honoka continued to wheeze as she dashed down the riverside that was dyed red, turning her head around to look for the sender.

The water and grass were dyed a burning red, and the cool breeze rustled the silver grass by the riverbank. Standing there was a boy holding a cellphone, with a head of messy red hair—like a red dog.

Koremitsu looked up and stared at Honoka with his sharp eyes.

Honoka, utterly delirious, got ready to run down to the riverbank,

"You idiot! It's dangerous!"

And Koremitsu ran over.

The grass by the river caused Honoka to slip and fell on her butt, and she slid down with amazing force.

Honoka inched towards Koremitsu.

Koremtisu scowled as he ran towards her, reaching his arms out to embrace her, and they tumbled around a few times on the grass.

On the silent grassland, the only thing they could hear was their erratic breathing. They felt each other's breathing on their faces.

Honoka looked down, and found Koremitsu's face right in front of her.

His lips curled, Koremitsu stared back at Honoka seriously.

He, who nearly drowned in the stormy night, woke up in this position the following morning, and at this moment, it was more embarrassing. His hands were on Honoka's waist and back, and their legs were intertwined.

Neither of them knew who brought their faces closer in, Koremitsu, or Honoka.

Honoka felt her heart breaking apart, and her cheeks were flushed red, tears welled in her eyes and she gently placed her lips on Koremitsu's.

At the same time, she muttered in her heart.

(Akagi, this is my 'answer')

"Thank you for sending me off, upperclassman Tōjō.."

"Not at all. You did not notify Akagi?"

It was the airport hall, and Yū was conversing with Tōjō.

"I bade Mr. Akagi farewell before I got here."

He probably was off to visit Honoka.

(Miss Shikibu...I suppose you do not have to report the result to me. I lost the bet. Mr. Akagi did not falter. He told me that he likes you...)

She should have been mentally prepared, but her heart ached so much.

"Upperclassman Tōjō...which me do you think is more charming...the old me...or the current me?"

"Wha—th-that is..."

Tōjō was speechless, appearing to be at a loss.

Shungo Tōjō had once told Koremitsu that he preferred the old Yū. To protect her, he arranged for a female bodyguard to live in the apartment beside Yū, and even made sure Yū was not expelled due to a lack of attendance by pulling some strings.

And that Tōjō was unable to answer Yū's question.

(I suppose...upperclassman Tōjō...finds my old, tender self more attractive after all...)

Just when Yū began to feel downhearted about this,

"Is this even a question? The current Yū is a thousand times better!"

Kazuaki stormed in with a huff. With the rich, sweet voice of Hikaru's, he rattled on,

"The old Yū was a shut-in and so gloomy, I can tell that she is a slut who puts up the facade of a weak virgin that sleeps around with other men; it is to be expected that she is abused by her fellow females. The current Yū is natural and bold, and though infuriating, I do not have to worry about your feelings all the time. I do find you much better than before."

"...Mr. Kazuaki, didn't you tell me over the phone 'How can I possibly send you off'..."

Yū was dumbfounded that Kazuaki suddenly appeared at the airport, and she softly inquired. The latter then raised his eyebrows,

"I did not come to send you off. I came to grumble at you! What happened to the photos of Mr. Akagi wearing his tennis outfit? Just standing there? A jumper on his upper body? What in the world? An elementary school kid can take better shots than you. An-anyway. the ones that say that old Yū is better are those that can only accept their fates as virgins forever."

Kazuaki concluded, not realizing that he too belonged to that group. Tōjō in turn looked utterly devastated.

Surely, this was an encouragement for Yū who was rejected...though he would say so, Kazuaki would probably lash back with ten times the furor.

Thanks to Kazuaki, Yū felt a warm feeling in her heart, and smiled,

"Yes. I do prefer my current self."

"Hey...big brother. I can understand how you feel now, but we should be going home now, right?"

Yū got onto the plane, and Kazuaki left, leaving Hiina to call out to Shungo, now crouched on the airport hall.

Shungo had reminded her over and over again not to call him brother with others around, but he had no strength to even rebuke her,

"I-I did not segregate women...by whether they are virgins or not...I just wish for women to be cautious and not be promiscuous...uuu, my pride as a man lost to Kazuaki."

Hiina too knelt down, patting Shungo on his shoulder.

"You haven't lost, big brother. You're cooler than anyone else."

She chirped, and with a matured, tender voice, she spoke,

"If you like virgins, I shall remain a virgin forever, big brother."

### 008. Chapter 8: The Last Good-bye—

It has been a month since Yū returned home.

Hikaru continued to remain with Koremitsu, leisurely dousing the latter with floral language.

For example, 'In the pure white color of Winter, the passionate red decorates it after all', or 'the sight of the Camellia fluttering really is riveting', 'do you know the 10 graces of the Camellia', 'the red color of the Nandina is wondering, but the bell-like red fruits hanging on the fiery, thick branches really make this a hard decision for me', 'The Winterberry is as adorable as a girl's little lips, and I really cannot help but kiss it' ...

Is this guy intending to haunt me for the rest of my life Koremitsu began to worry.

Due to that, he never did kiss Honoka ever since that moment at the riverbank.

They were officially dating, but there was no way they could become passionate lovers so suddenly.

However, whenever they were headed home together after school, or alone in the Japanese Dance clubroom, or out together during the holidays, or whenever they were to bid farewell, Honoka would shyly lift her head at Koremitsu, fidgeting, looking as though she had something to say. This would be the moment when Koremitsu would be worried about Hikaru, and play dumb, averting the topic by saying 'Ahh, I'm hungry'. 'I just saw a fly. There're flies in winter?'.

Koremitsu knew that Honoka was frustrated because of his attitude, and in some sense, he too was feeling angsty.

Also, there has been lots of 'such an atmosphere' brewing recently, and this further tormented Koremitsu to no end.

(Speaking of which, did that Shikibu became so sexy looking out of a sudden...she would hold my hand when we're going home together, blushing hard. She'll peek at me from time to time when we're in class, and that's making me tense. The way she puffs her cheeks and look up at me causes my heart and head to heat up. Back then, I just wondered whether she wants to use the toilet whenever she was blushing and fidgeting. Now I'm having trouble holding it in.)

Once he realized his feelings for Honoka and began dating her, Koremitsu found that those legs were long and pretty, her light brown hair silky, and nice to touch, her lips looking tender and glossy, and he was getting jumpy.

He had the feeling that they could take a further step.

I might as well ignore Hikaru.

No, I don't have any interest in exhibitionist play.

And with Hikaru being his brake, Koremitsu was able to hold in his feelings for Honoka. Without Hikaru around, he had the feeling that it would not be just a little development, and that would be a problem too—

He was seated on the tatami with his legs folded, looking glum. Hikaru floated to Koremitsu's side asking with a dazzling face,

"This is the first time that I am spending Christmas with a friend. Do you celebrate it every year with your family, Koremitsu?"

"We're Buddhists, so we don't really celebrate Christmas."

"Eh, that is a rarity. But what about this year? We do need to get Shiiko a Santa Claus."

"Uu...I guess."

It would be too cruel to tell the 4 th grader Shioriko we won't have Santa visiting us' . Surely his grandpa, who dotes on Shioriko so much, would be willing to cosplay as Santa for her sake.

"Got to make this Christmas a pleasant one though. The living room has to be decorated. Ah, you have to prepare the Christmas Tree too. Order a cake, and get Miss Koharu to bake a stuffed turkey. And get a Christmas ring on the corridor too."

Upon seeing Hikaru come up with Christmas plans with a grin, Koremitsu lamented, He's getting so excited while ignoring how busy I'll be However, he got up,

"Wait, I'll take notes."

That was because the words Hikaru confessed before lingered in his heart,

—At that moment, will someone be welcoming me like what happened to Princess Kaguya? I will have to leave in any case, so I do wish to stay till Christmas.

Once Christmas passed, would Hikaru really vanish from this Earth? Would this end up being the first Christmas they spent together—and the last?

Koremitsu had such a feeling, so he followed Hikaru's wishes to spend a wonderful Christmas together.

And so, it was a morning, a week before Christmas Day, when Mikoto notified Koremitsu that Fujino gave birth.

The labor process was long and arduous.

The one born was a boy, named Kaoru.

That was the name Hikaru thought for his child during the commotion involving Sora—one had to wonder if it was a coincidence, or that Hikaru mentioned to Fujino or his father to name his child as Kaoru.

But when Mikoto mentioned the name, Hikaru seemed to be overwhelmed by some emotions, narrowing his eyes sadly as he raised his lips, showing an elated smile.

At this moment, he smiled silently, staring at the photos Mikoto took with her cellphone, the photos of Fujino smiling amicably, cradling her baby.

The DNA test results proved that the child was not Hikaru's.

Mikoto noted with a stoic tone, devoid of any emotion, stating that It was undoubtedly the child of Hikaru's father.

Hikaru did not leave anything behind on this world.

But those ethereal, precious things would surely live on in the ones Hikaru loved, and the ones who loved Hikaru.

Hikaru will continue to live on within Fujino.

But one would hope that it was not a curse, but a blessing.

Fujino's face was tender as she cradled the baby. It was the same as when she was beaming with Hikaru under the Wisteria flowers, back when she was still a young girl, a satiated, blissful face.

One would hope for it to continue living.

And also, hope that she would use those warmth, adorable memories to reminisce Hikaru.

"Hey, Ono, you don't have say it now, but can you tell me about the story of Fujino and Hikaru that you know of one of these days?"

He asked, and with those refreshing eyes of hers, Mikoto stared right at Koremitsu,

"Sorry, I refuse."

She answered.

"Miss Fujino only told me of her secret...when I was little, she enthusiastically told me 'I finally met Hikaru today'. That was the start of it all, and after that, she would tell me all the stories of her with Hikaru, including all her sins. Those are important presents to me. They were startling, heavy, filled with anguish, yet filled with glitter—they are like gemstones to me, leaving me frenetic. I intend to keep them within me forever."

Mikoto raised her hands to her chest.

"I see."

Koremitsu sounded relieved as he muttered.

What kind of stories did Fujino tell Mikoto?

When did she begin to realize her love for Hikaru, tormented herself, and yet continued to love him?

What sort of feelings did she have when she married Hikaru's father?

Surely she would have suffered and despaired. Surely she would have envied and betrayed.

But surely, those were sparkling, gemstone-like stories to Mikoto, who concluded with the wise-looking eyes.

A few days later, Koremitsu received Aoi's confession on the school rooftop during lunch break.

"I should have chosen the season better."

Aoi was wearing a uniform, not even a coat or a scarf as she cuddled herself, shivering as she waited for Koremitsu.

The sky was exceptionally clear, and though the air remained stagnant, it was frosty. Aoi's lips began to purple, her face slightly reddened. Koremitsu got up here once his lessons ended, but one had to wonder how long Aoi waited.

"Do you want to talk inside?"

The moment Koremitsu asked, "No, we can do so here." Aoi looked on stubbornly, saying,

"I decided to come to the roof a month back."

She noted adamantly.

Then, she lowered her hands, and straightened her back, lifting her large black eyes at Koremitsu, saying,

"I like you, Mr. Akagi. Please go out with me."

Koremitsu lowered his head.

"Sorry but I got a girlfriend."

Two seconds later,

"I understand."

Aoi answered calmly.

"Thank you for giving me a clear answer."

She too lowered her head as Koremitsu did, and lowered her eyes, looking a little distraught, saying,

"...Mr. Akagi, assuming that I was not Hikaru's fiancee, would you be willing to have me be your girlfriend?"

"I got Shikibu now, so no. And if you weren't Hikaru's fiancee, I suppose we won't be talking like this."

"I guess. There will not be a chance after all."

Aoi's face showed a clear smile.

"It really is wonderful that Hikaru has you as his friend, Mr. Akagi. I know of Hikaru's feelings thanks to you, and that I can still continue to fall in love again. I am rejected, but from now on, I will still love you, just as I did for Hikaru. I will continue to love you, and I will love the one who recreated these feelings in me."

The clear, sparkling eyes filled Koremitsu's heart.

Hikaru, watching the duo from the side, must be feeling the same thing as well.

He was probably beaming away, watching Aoi being so energetic.

It was Aoi who taught Koremitsu that girls are cute creatures. Aoi would greet him bashfully whenever they met on the corridor, looking gaudy. It was Aoi who held his hand when he met his mother, was left at a loss, and shed tears. Back then, he once embraced Aoi on the roof when the latter acted out of impulse.

Aoi really was the good girl whom Hikaru said would be too good for him, a cute girl, a pure white Hollyhock blooming in the Sacred lands, a demure girl that would soothe others. Thus, one day, she would surely find the most wonderful love for herself.

"Yeah, do your best."

Aoi mustered the most brilliant smile she could, and answered Koremitsu's cheer,

"Leave it to me!"

(I was dumped...)

After Koremitsu left, Aoi stared into the sky for quite a while, and forgot how cold she was.

The blue, cloudless sky became hazy, and a trail of tears trickled down both sides of Aoi's faces.

(I do know that Mr. Akagi is different from Hikaru. Once he chose a woman, he will not philander on anyone other than that woman.)

Thus, while Aoi felt really depressed, it was wonderful that she was able to continue moving forward.

She wiped her tears away, voicing out to the one behind the door Koremitsu stepped through.

"I know you are there, Asa."

The door that was slightly ajar swung open, and Asai, wearing a coat, scowled as she walked out.

"I brought a coat for you."

Asai coldly noted, putting the coat in her hand on Aoi's shoulder.

A warm, fuzzy feeling engulfed Aoi's icy body, and she tugged at the coat—

"Haha, it feels warm."

She beamed,

"Asa, my romance failed."

"..."

"I do feel relieved now though. How about you confess to Mr. Akagi too, Asa?"

Asai, standing silently beside Aoi, widened her eyes immediately, and immediately frowned, scowling.

"I will not act impulsively based on love. Besides, there is no use loving a man with a girlfriend."

Asai seemed to indicate that she had no reason why Aoi would mention the name Koremitsu Akagi, and she snorted with disdain, turning her head away.

Upon seeing Asai act this way, Aoi snuck her neck into the warm coat, looking a little blissful as she beamed.

"You really are a tough one to deal with, huh? I will comfort you when you are rejected though, Asa."

(I'm definitely spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with big brother Koremitsu this year. I won't let him be alone with Miss Shikibu!)

Shioriko made up her mind as she tied the children boots and socks on the Akagi's corridor.

Once she knew that Koremitsu was dating Honoka, Shioriko was so shocked that she could not swallow the Baumkuchen that was her tea.

Koremitsu never did view Honoka as one of the opposite gender, so when did they have such a relationship going on?

And from the moment they first began dating Koremitsu would anxiously pull out his phone to check anxiously. Whenever Shioriko mentioned Honoka's name, he would blush.

What is going on!? Why is he so lovestruck for Miss Shikibu!? Shioriko was very displeased as a result.

And even when she voiced her complaints to the chameleon that took Lapis' role, the chameleon merely stuck its tongue out with a stoic face, further incensing Shioriko.

(I won't lose! The match begins now! In another 4 years, I'll be a beauty even Miss Shikibu isn't a match for.)

In any case, she was headed to Tôjô's place. She wanted to embrace the cute kittens Lapis gave birth to and heal her soul.

The hatred Shioriko had for Tôjô snatching Lapis had yet to vanish.

But whenever Shioriko went to look for Lapis and the kittens, Tôjô would line up a batch of animal cookies he personally baked, doused with an assortment of butter pancakes, and apple pies with homemade ice cream dabbed on them, trying to appease Shioriko.

Shioriko never was ensnared by the sweets, but she started to have a feeling that Tôjô was not as bad as she first thought. Once she finished all the sweets he made, his handsome face would relax slightly, looking very delighted.

(He may be a lolicon. I will eat the sweets, but I got to make sure not to let my guard down. I got big brother Koremitsu.)

She tied her shoelaces, and got out from the house. Once she stood right the doors, her eyes met a boy who was of her age.

(Ah! Heis!)

It was the boy who came to spy on the Akagis, and was chased away by Shioriko with a broom. Back then, Koharu came out to say 'stop it, Shiiko', and the boy scampered away.

Koharu said that she did not know the boy, but looking at her response and her stammer when she spoke to Koremitsu and Masakaze, the sharp-witted Shioriko realized it.

This boy was Koharu's son.

It was said that he was still a baby when Koharu divorced. He was taken by the paternal family, and Koharu never did meet him.

(But aunt Koharu definitely wants to meet him. I can tell from her expression.)

Koharu was very languid after that incident. Surely she was thinking of the boy.

The boy probably assumed that he would be whacked by Shioriko with the broom again, and he stared at her warily, backing away little by little. Shioriko too stared at him intently, pointing her thumb to the door, and stated coldly,

"...Come in."

"It's almost time for Christmas Eve. Big Brother, who are you having it with?"

Shioriko sent a message stating that she could not make it, so Shungo was having tea together at the fireplace. He was giving a call to Hiina, asking if she was available, and the latter responded by saying to meet at the fireplace.

Hiina got there first, saying, "Bogged down by the family, huh?'. She deliberately changed her mannerism to disguise her birthplace and accent, but at this moment, she reverted back to her usual mannerism.

Shungo showed no intention of blaming her.

"I do not have any plans for Christmas Eve."

He answered formally, maintaining his poised tone as he laid out a piece of paper on the table, and turned to Hiina.

"I wanted to find a chance to give this to you. Since I have the time now, I wish to end this quickly for you."

Hiina's face looked a little glum; perhaps she had assumed it to be cash. However, a look of surprise slowly spread on her face, and the tears in the eyes continued to twirl.

Her hands were holding onto the piece of paper, and she re-read the contents over and over again, her fingers and shoulders quivered, her face gradually contorted, before she finally burst into tears.

"Brother...this is, a copy of the family registration, right...? It has my name on it. Am I recognized now? Did you request for it, brother?"

"..."

A lot of realization and tactical planning was required of Shungo when he requested for Hiina to be officially recognized, knowing that his father thought of him as a hapless lad. After lots of arduous negotiations, his father finally recognized Hiina as his own daughter, and he finally felt somewhat vindicated, his entire body quivering.

"You may not reveal to the public that you are a daughter of the Tôjôs...but I shall do my best to help you out."

"It is okay. This is fine enough for me. I am as happy as when you got me out from Shiga, big brother."

—Are you my big brother? I have a family?

Hiina widened her eyes and stared at Shungo when they first met at an orphanage in rural Shiga, and beamed.

I am elated.

Truly, it is a wonderful thing to be born into this world.

I will do anything for the sake of my family.

While he recognized Hiina, it was not merely just out of pity of this little sister without a given name; Hiina could not call Shungo 'big brother' in front of everyone else.

But for Hiina, she was utterly elated, and Shungo too thought of her as a family member with the same blood flowing in him.

"Do you have any plans for Christmas Eve, Hiina?"

It was the first time Shungo called his little sister 'Hiina' .

Hiina's face grew increasingly contorted.

"No."

She sobbed.

"Then, let us spend the day together. Christmas is supposed to be spent with family."

Hiina's lips were quivering, perhaps unable to say anything, and she nodded over and over again.

3 days before Christmas, it was the closing ceremony.

Michiru was discharged from the hospital, tampering both her genial voice and spiteful tongue as she conveyed her intents to her classroom, and as the class representative, she trained them well.

She would bicker with Honoka from time to time, but they were on good terms. The next day was the 23 rd , and they intended to play at a theme park until their legs jellied.

"I have a date with you on the Eve...Akagi, so I spared some time."

Honoka shyly explained, and reached her hand out to hold Koremitsu's hand causing the latter's heart to pound, his face red.

Tsuyako had been performing overseas all year long. The media had been paying much attention to her.

"I will continue to work hard to show everyone the red weeping cherry blossom of Japan that is highly regarded."

She cheerfully declared.

Her alluring, riveting dance were as graceful as the red flower petals swaying, and surely, it could allur all the people of the world.

The closing ceremony ended, and Koremitsu was on the way home.

"Mr. Akagi! Will you like a ride?"

A handsome bespectacled youth got out from the driver seat of a small blue car, beaming.

"Ack, Kazuaki."

"There is no need to be courteous. How about a trip around? Or to the airport so that we can head off to my family resort in Hawaii and enjoy the winter break? Maybe a cruise touring the Mediterranean Sea?"

"No, that's too kind of you. My family's tradition is that we're to spend Christmas Eve and Day together."

In Kazuaki's case, it would be terrifying if Koremitsu was to get on the car with him and actually get deported overseas.

"Is that so? That is a pity~"

Kazuaki frowned a little, and shut off his car engine.

"Well then, let us have a conversation about my mother..."

He parked the car by the side, and approached Koremitsu, speaking of the ex-wife of Hikaru's father, Hiroka.

"Mother was not that kind of a fiery person from the moment she was born. She may appear this way, but when she was young, she would write on pink slips 'I love you, I hope that we will hurry and grow up so that I can marry you', and personally went to the door of her first love to deliver the letter in the postbox; that was really cute of her. That person she first loved however never did choose mother, but another woman."

"Wait...is that Hikaru's..."

"Yes. Mother's first love was father, and yet the latter was so devoted to Hikaru's mother. It was because of family reasons that mother was able to be the main wife, but father kept clinging onto Hikaru's mother, loving her so much, and even bore a child. Because of that, mother was envious, and went insane."

Koremitsu recalled meeting Hiroka at the resort.

She looked younger than she was, and had a face similar to that of Tsuyako's; She was a beauty with red rose-like long hair.

That violent-tempered woman lashed out furiously at Fujino, stuffed the envelope in her hands to Fujino's face, and turned around to stormed off—

That letter contained the will filled with the feelings of Hikaru's father.

The way Hiroka handed the letter over to Fujino was akin to her younger days, when she delivered her handwritten letter to the postbox outside the house of her first love.

"Mother still loves father, just as she did when she was young~"

Kazuaki noted with melancholy.

"So when Fujino gave birth to father's child, I suppose the one most relieved was mother. I saw mother sit on the bed alone when the DNA results came out, embracing the Bible on her chest with both hands, thanking away with tears 'Thank you, God'."

Kazuaki again lifted the bridge of his glasses, still maintaining that melancholic figure.

Koremitsu too felt his chest tighten once he heard those words.

When he was at the resort, Hiroka admonished Fujino thoroughly for not returning even though her husband was in critical health.

Hiroka knew that she was incapable of being a replacement for the beloved to Hikaru's father, Kiriyo, and perhaps, she was hoping for Fujino to be by the side of Hikaru's father.

"I really cannot deal with my mother. She has an eccentric personality, and irascible in personality she is; she probably thinks of me as a tool to leash father down. But even so, when I look at her, I feel a little itchy within. This is why I came here to talk with this about you~. That is all. I shall prepare for a lonely vacation to refresh myself."

Kazuaki ended this conclusion briefly, and adjusted his glasses, lowering his head.

His mother was still a woman after all. Koremitsu began to think of his own mother, how this woman, a conflicted person, was someone Koremitsu had a tough time dealing with. Perhaps he was grasping an inexplicable sense of forgiveness however...

Kazuaki might have been feeling spiteful yet forgiving at the same time.

"...Sorry for being unable to go on vacation with you."

Once Koremitsu muttered this,

"Well, that is fine. I just need you to accompany me and see the Tulips in spring after all."

He said as he got into the car, poking his head out from the window, and finally,

"But personally, I do find it a tragedy that the child that was born was not Hikaru's."

After ending this with a tragic note, he left.

Koremitsu looked back, and found Hikaru too to have an anguished face.

"Miss Hiroka probably wished to be with Father all this time, I suppose..."

He muttered.

Koremitsu too gave a frown.

"Let's go. We got to get a present for Shiiko. In the meantime, help me choose a present for Shikibu too. Without you around, I don't know what sort of things girls will like."

While Koremitsu noted this anxiously, Hikaru's face too beamed as he followed.

"Yes. Let us choose presents that will delight both Shiiko and Miss Shikibu."

His voice clearly benign, Hikaru's eyes began to sparkle, and Koremitsu felt a shrill feeling in his chest.

"There is still 3 days till Christmas. I thought it will take some time, but time really passes by quickly."

"I guess..."

"We have the Christmas tree decorated, and we ordered the cake and turkey; we are going to buy gifts today, so I will say we are completely done with the preparations."

Why was there an abrupt forlorn feeling when he heard Hikaru's voice?

Hikaru was supposedly chatting away excitedly.

Was it because Christmas was approaching?

(Once Christmas is over, will this guy...?)

Koremitsu felt his chest gripped, and Hikaru cheerfully spoke,

"Hey, Koremitsu, do you mind accompanying me tomorrow for the entire day?"

It was 2 days before Christmas Day.

The morning sky of the 23 rd was a clear blue.

The weather report noted that it was likely to snow in the afternoon, and that the white Christmas might come early.

The place Koremitsu went early to was the Church he visited with Hikaru.

Once the sermon was over, he found Sora, who was serving at the Church as a volunteer.

"Yo."

He called out, and Sora's face immediately glowed.

"Mr. Akagi! It has been a while!"

Her hair was cut short, and she looked prettier than before. Most importantly, her face was vibrant.

"I'm going to Italy for studies next year, taking theology, and at the same time, visiting the Churches and the art galleries! I will send you some picture postcards too, Mr. Akagi."

She began to talk about some things that will happen in the future.

Hikaru too listened cheerfully as he waited beside Koremitsu, and when they went their separate ways.

"Farewell, Sora."

He spoke with a tender voice.

The duo then went to the cafe where Aoi worked at.

It was Aoi's rest day, but the pretty girl with long black hair was already there, covering her nose with a wet wipe.

"Sorry for making you wait, Beni."

"No...I-I was here early. It was cold outside, so I entered this warm cafe, and my nose got red again."

Beni covered her face, looking a little flustered.

"It's fine. That red nose of yours is rather cute too."

"Y-yes...well, you already have a girlfriend, Mr. Akagi. You cannot be saying such things! That will cause misunderstandings! But, thank you."

Beni, who was so bashful to meet anyone at first, was able to converse with Koremitsu normally.

"I'll take note next time." Koremitsu noted, and rubbed his temples.

Having been used to Hikaru's style of greeting, he was feeling numb inside. He did not want to end up like this with Honoka too.

After asking Beni on what she had been doing, her iconic nose got redder,

"Miss Tayū will be coming to spend the night with me on the Eve, and my classmates will be here the next day. We will have Christmas party then, and she will helping too."

She answered heartily.

"Well, as expected of the Safflower. You made other friends too."

"Yes, it is due to Miss Tayū's help. And thanks to Mr. Polar Star and you, Mr. Akagi."

Beni then excitedly talked about what they were going to do at the party, and once she said that she had plans on the next day, she stood up.

While Beni was being animated, Hikaru, being right beside Koremitsu, beamed with a tender expression.

"Farewell, Miss Saffloer."

He muttered with the same tone as he showed in his expression.

"Where are we going to next?"

Koremitsu asked, and Hikaru beamed, answering,

"To the Asagao Princess."

"My my, Mr. Akagi, you really had the heart to come visit me."

Orime Gonomiya, dubbed the Asagao Princess, was in Gonomiya Residence that was surrounded by tall fences, smiling as she welcomed Koremitsu in.

It was noon, so they had lunch in the guest room facing the greenery. On the menu was a variety of refreshing foods including fragrant, grilled salmon kasuzuke, turnip and cucumber pickles, steamed radish with grapefruit miso marinated on it, and clam soup. Orime too was enjoying her food with Koremitsu.

"I will be having a great-grandson in the summer."

"Eh? Is that so? So your grandson and his wife have a kid now, Granny?"

"Yeah. It appears that they have realized that they are parents, and they do try to abide by what I teach them. They will try to find loopholes and fool me from time to time, but I intend to be strict with them, and train them little by little. My life has yet to end after all."

Orime beamed, and Hikaru watched her with calm eyes.

After the meal, Orime chirped,

"Miss Asai will be here later."

(Ack, Saiga's coming!?)

For some reason, after Koremitsu and Honoka began dating, Asai's attitude towards Koremitsu was as aloof as before, and it was troubling to the latter.

"Well then, I'll get going, Granny."

Hikaru then voiced out to stop Koremitsu.

"Wait, Koremitsu. Let us meet Asa too. I do intend to meet her later."

(Wait, are you serious?)

Koremitsu again sat down.

"No, I guess I'll continue to sit for a while."

Soon after, Asai appeared.

Once she saw Koremitsu, her face froze, and then, she gave a little frown.

(See. She's angry again. I don't know why though...)

That was her default look as time passed, and she hardly talked with Koremitsu.

But when Koremitsu got up to leave the Gonomiyas with Asai, Orime whispered,

"Do try to get along with Miss Asai."

Hikaru beamed as he turned back to watch Orime while the latter sent the duo off, and whispered,

"Farewell, Madam Orime."

Koremitsu was frowning more than before, and walked alongside the silent Asai in the tranquil residential area.

He knew that Asai was not a bad person, but could she at least change that aloof attitude of hers? How was he supposed to 'get along' with Asai?

While Koremitsu was pondering, Asai said,

"Mr. Akagi, I have something to say."

Asai stared forward, her tone forced, and it appeared what she was to say next was arduous to her. At the next instance, her tone sharpened again,

"No, I shall not talk about it."

She showed a red face to a dumbfounded Koremitsu.

"My preparations are only half-done at this point, so it is not perfect—how can I allow Aoi to simply comfort me?"

She just said some bewildering matters to him.

"Anyway, you cannot fool around with your girlfriend too much just because it is winter break, Mr. Akagi."

She glared at Koremitsu, and turned her face away, before striding away.

"What was that about...?"

While Koremitsu remained dumbfounded, Hikaru drifted by the side, giving a little snicker as he muttered,

"Farewell, Asa. I hope that you will be able to convey your feelings honestly one day."

Koremitsu turned to the side, and was taken aback when he found Hikaru's profile to be more transparent than usual.

"Hikaru...what..."

(He's body is becoming transparent? From when?)

Entering December, Koremitsu had a feeling that Hikaru's presence was becoming more faint than before.

Back then, whenever Koremitsu talked to anyone, Hikaru would then drift to the front to interject, and voice his displeasure. Recently however, there was an increasing occurrence of him staying behind Koremitsu.

Whenever they were alone, Hikaru would cheerfully chirp on his floral knowledge, and so Koremitsu decided not to pay heed to it. He assumed that Hikaru would be worried since he had a girlfriend.

But,

In the clear, afternoon sun, Hikaru lips curled into a beautiful smile, and he stared at Koremitsu with clear eyes.

Koremitsu swallowed down the words he was about to say, for he felt that if he was to affirm this with Hikaru, he would hear an answer he did not want.

Hikaru calmly noted,

"Shall we go to school, Koremitsu? —I do wish to view the flowers."

It was the start of winter break, and the school was dead silent, with nary a soul.

The cherry blossom trees at both sides of the main entrance would take some time before they would sprout, and at this moment, only the brown twigs accompanied the frigid winds. The arch of roses by the yard and the rose garden within were completely devoid of color.

The twigs were barren, and the dirt covering the flowerbed showed no signs of any sprout.

Hikaru strolled through the bleak landscape that showed nary a flower, looking around with a doting, tender face, appearing to be seeing the blooming flowers.

"I heard that when the cherry blossoms are waiting to bloom, the branches will show a faint pink...like a girl ready to fall in love. At the end of March, surely its branches will be littered with flowers, cheering on those preparing to embark on a new journey, a new life. In May, the rose garden will surely be filled with haughty queens, every single flowers insisting that they were the prettiest, lifting their heads proudly, blooming red, yellow and orange. The flowerbed will also have Pansies, Marigolds and Kniphofias. The Leather flowers growing at the fences of the tennis courts will bloom too."

Hikaru narrated cheerfully with his rich, sweet voice, his profile increasingly transparent. The faint brown hair looked blurred, the shoulders and limbs increasingly vague.

Hikaru too may have realized it.

But he chose not to say anything about the changes happening to his body, his face showing a warm face as he stared at the bare garden and the uneven black branches, being amped for this as he continued,

He proceeded through the school, exited the backyard, and arrived at the garden,

"There will be the cute white and orange Crocosmiiflora flowers by the feet, as adorable as the girls gossiping away! Elegant Lilies will bloom in the summer, along with the Water Lilies floating on the pond. The Chinese Trumpet Bells will bloom in a pretty, alluring manner as well."

The clear sky was gradually shrouded by the covers, and the air was covered in a white mist. Hikaru's body too appeared to melt within it, and it got blurry.

(Hikaru, now's not the time to hear you giggle and chat about flowers now, right? Your body's definitely being weird.)

Koremitsu felt his throat shrink, his breathing difficult.

Hikaru too definitely realized that Koremitsu was pretending not to notice anything.

"The Golden Osmanthus will give off a sweet fragrance in the Autumn, the Cosmos will sway with the winds like an emotional maiden. There are also flowers that bloom in the winter, Koremitsu. Have a look."

Hikaru was beaming brighter than before, and he pointed at the red Camellia.

"I do feel delighted every winter to be reunited with this old-fashioned flower."

The grey clouds got thicker, and the coldness in the air increased. Hikaru's body too became increasingly vague.

The faint brown hair was almost transparent.

Hikaru knelt in front of the Camellia, putting his hands on his cheeks as he beamed at it for a while.

"Koremitsu, Tsuyako should be in the clubroom. Let us go greet her."

He looked composed, seemingly having braced himself.

Tsuyako was in the Japanese Dance clubroom, dressed in a vibrant scarlet kimono held together by a red sash, practising her dance. Once she saw Koremitsu, her eyes widened.

"What is the matter, Mr. Akagi? You look really gloomy. Do you have any love troubles? Did you have a quarrel with Miss Shikibu?"

"...It's nothing. I just want to cheer for you before you leave, senpai."

Koremtisu could not let Tsuyako worry before she step on the stage. Hikaru's presence grew increasingly faint beside Koremitsu, and surely, the latter would not be happy about it.

Hikaru narrowed his eyes, seemingly staring at Tsuyako while her eyes dazzled.

Tsuyako's face showed a smile.

"Thank you. I am a little nervous, actually, so can you cast a spell on me in Hikaru's place? Or will your girlfriend be angry about that?"

Tsuyako reached her right hand out, the scarlet sleeve swaying elegantly in the air.

"Today's...an exception."

Koremitsu raised Tsuyako's hand, and drew a large fully moon on her silky palm.

Tsuyako's lips curled into a smile, and she gratefully whispered,

"Thank you. I will be able to give my best dance. Surely Hikaru will look at me, yes, in this sky..."

This thanksgiving did not seem to be for Koremitsu's alone; it also included Hikaru.

Hikaru brought his face close to Tsuyako's lip, gave a lips on her lips, and whispered,

"Farewell, Tsuyako. I hope that you can continue to dance proudly. I will be in the stars, applauding you before anyone else can."

The sky grew darker once they exited the school, and the air cooled.

According to the news report, there might be snow at night.

Hikaru's body was finally about to vanish, his legs were practically transparent, and he looked just like a ghost.

"It appears there is not much time left. Koremitsu, do you mind giving Yū a call? It really is impossible to head off to Australia now."

Hikaru joked as he advanced towards the school gate.

Koremitsu again was so anxious his gut was aching, and he drew his phone out, giving Yū an international call.

The phone got through immediately, and a fleeting, feeble voice rang from the receiver.

"Mr. Akagi...? I was shocked..."

"It's a bit sudden...but I thought of you. You doing okay there?"

Like his conversation with Tsuyako, Koremitsu was trying his best to sound energetic, for Hikaru was smiling.

Yū probably was perturbed that Koremitsu was giving her a call, but she chirped,

"Yes...I am decorating the Christmas Tree now...it's summer here, so there are lots of fist ornaments. They are very cute."

With clear eyes, Hikaru showed a smile as he listened in on Yū's dreamy, fleeting voice through his now-transparent ears.

"Farewell...Yū."

After talking with Yū for about 3 minutes or so, Koremitsu walked down the dim riverbank. On Hikaru's request, he gave Michiru a phone call.

Michiru sounded very surprised.

"Ehh? Mr. Akagi? Why? Are you cheating? Hono is beside me. I'm going to tell her. Erm—Hono, Akagi wants to go on a date with me and not tell you about it."

Honoka's faltering shriek could be heard from the other end of the phone, and it was followed by Michiru's teasing and Honoka's refuting.

It sounded as though they were good friends having a little bicker. Surely Hikaru too felt the same, as he let out a hearty chuckle while eavesdropping on them.

Honoka was left flustered, and surely, she would be asking what the phone call was about...

"Farewell, Miss Hanasato, Miss Shikibu...I shall leave Koremitsu to both of you."

Hikaru said, looking relieved.

After that, it was a call to Shioriko.

"Ah, Shiiko, I'll be a little late later. Tell Koharu that you guys can start with dinner without me."

"Eh? Big brother Koremitsu? What's going on? You aren't with Miss Shikibu now, right?"

"Shikibu's out with her friend..."

"Hmm..."

Shioriko sounded displeased, before harping excitedly,

"Ah! I got some wonderful for you as a Christmas gift, big brother. Do look forward to it."

"I see. Santa Claus will definitely give you a present."

"Seriously? I'm not a kid who believes in Santa Claus! I'll be looking forward to it though!"

Hikaru raised his lips and narrowed his eyes as he watched Koremitsu converse with Shiiko.

"Farewell, Shiiko. You have to be an outstanding, fine lady."

The night sky of pitch darkness started to snow, and Koremitsu finally arrived at Aoi's house.

He stood at the door, calling Aoi out. The latter was dressed in a long one-piece and a knitted cardigan, white breath coming from her mouth.

"Sorry to call you out in such a cold weather. I want to hand this to you."

Koremitsu handed over a red Poinsettia he bought from the florist on the way here, and placed it in Aoi's hands. The latter widened her eyes.

The Poinsettia had bright green leaves, and vibrant red leaves growing on those of them. It was weared in transparent cellophane used for gifting.

"Hikaru gives you these for Christmas every year, right? So this year..."

Aoi showed a tender expression filled with memories and sadness as she lowered her head at the Poinsettia.

She probably thought of Hikaru.

Hikaru too gave a melancholic, tender stare as he watched Aoi.

If he was still alive, he would probably be spending Christmas Eve with her too.

The snowflakes began to fall, draped on Aoi's long black hair like stars ornaments, melting fleetingly.

Tears welled in Aoi's eyes.

But she immediately lifted her head, smiling.

"Thank you. I will accept this and think of this as Hikaru's final Christmas gift."

"Yes, that shall be it."

Hikaru smiled.

"Mr. Akagi."

Aoi embraced the pot of Poinsettia, her eyes sparkling as she spoke cheerfully,

"Goodbye."

There was no way Aoi could see Hikaru, and she was just bidding farewell to Koremitsu, yet the latter was taken aback by those words.

"Ah, yeah."

Hikaru was so transparent the scenery behind him could be seen, and he stood beside Koremitsu as the latter whispered, tears welling in his eyes as he smiled,

"Farewell, Miss Aoi."

After leaving Aoi's house, the duo walked past a few stations.

Soon, they arrived at a shopping street where the white snow fluttered.

There were lightings of Santa Claus and the reindeers, shops had Christmass rings on them, and the melody of 'Jingle Bells' could be heard with the chimes of the ringing bells.

Hikaru's lower body had completely vanished, his face and body so faint it was like a jellyfish drifting in the sea. His moments were limp and weak, and he appeared to sway if there was a breeze.

"It appears that I have to leave Earth now."

Transparent as he was, Hikaru muttered at the cross junction devoid of crowds.

The asphalt with glass bottle fragments littered over them was glittering, and fine snow gently fell upon them.

"Nobody from the moon will be here to pick me up, but I have a feeling that my spirit is becoming increasingly faint."

"Ugh...you're not going to stay till Christmas?"

The feelings Koremitsu contained all this while suddenly rose to his throat, and his face was contorted as he groaned.

Koremitsu already had a premonition when Hikaru mentioned that he wanted to see Beni and Sora. Whenever he said 'farewell' so tenderly, Koremitsu was increasingly anxious, angsty, his throat being choked.

It doesn't have to be this day, right? It's Christmas two days later. It's the Eve tomorrow. This is too sudden!

Hikaru too smiled forlornly.

"Yes, I do wish to celebrate Christmas with all of you. However, I am already pleased to be planning this and that with you. We have chosen Shiiko's gift, and you are spending the Eve with your girlfriend, so I have to let you two be alone. Miss Shikibu will be really pitiful to have a ghost haunting during the Eve."

Hikaru's presence was the reason why Koremitsu never did anything, not even a kiss, and the latter was troubled by it. At this point however, he was utterly heartbroken, tears welling in his eyes.

The melody of 'Jingle Bells' and the bell chimes echoed from the shopping street. It should be a hearty tune, but it sounded so painful to Koremitsu's ears.

"Just hang on for another two days...go bid farewell to Shiiko. No need for the phone."

Koremitsu eked his voice from his sizzling throat.

However, the top of Hikaru's knees had vanished.

"I do find it a regret to be unable to say goodbye to Shiiko and Miss Hanasato in person... but I do not have my legs to support me anymore."

"Stop being so cheery about it, you idiot."

The tender snowflakes fluttered in the air, dampening Koremitsu's cheeks and lips, permeating through the upper body of Hikaru.

The sky was pitch dark, the stars nowhere to be seen.

In its place were the glass fragments on the path, glittering like stars. The white snow silently landed on them.

"Thank you for everything."

Hikaru muttered with a warm voice.

"The flowers I have in my garden will surely be more lively than when I was alive. It was all thanks to you, Koremitsu; you allowed my precious flowers to bloom, for you conveyed the important aspects to them in my stead."

There appeared to be a garden appearing beside the now blurred Hikaru.

The pure Hollyhocks.

The fleeting Moonflowers.

The cute Comfreys.

The radiant red Weeping Cherry Blossoms.

The mysterious Safflower.

The proud Morning Glory.

The tender Broom Tree

The fragrant white Mandarin Orange flower.

And finally, the violet Wisteria that sways with the breeze, the petals slowly falling.

Hikaru stood in the middle, smiling, the golden, clear hair swaying with the breeze.

—I wish to give them a tender farewell.

Hikaru said these to Koremitsu.

—I wish for them to be far from pain and tears, headed towards the future with a cheerful heart I wish for them to have the best farewell.

Hikaru said that he had to douse the wilted flowers with lots and lots of water. With much seriousness, he said that the girls were all flowers.

The flowers Hikaru loved were all smiling blissfully. One would suppose they would continue to bloom with their might. The precious intangible Hikaru gifted them will continue to dazzle in their hearts.

"Thank you, Koremitsu. You are my hero."

Hikaru's figure in the snow became more blurred, and he was gradually fading.

"Thank you for meeting me again. Thank you for being my friend."

Those were the words Koremitsu wanted to say.

Hikaru took the initiative to approach Koremitsu, whom others dubbed a wild dog, who never had single friend before then.

He sent the Magnolia to Koremitsu's ward room. He was willing to be Koremitsu's friend.

He'll be with me! He'll comfort me! He'll encourage me!

(This is the first time I am relied on by others, the first time someone is available to listen to my grumbles, someone I could chat with when going to and back from school, someone to fool around with—it's all the first time.)

Tears welled in Koremitsu's eyes, and he was left speechless.

The first friend Koremitsu made was vanishing with a slight smile.

He will vanish from this Earth.

Hikaru said before that he hoped for Koremitsu to smile and bid farewell when he embarks on the journey to space.

It is a promise.

(You're already making things difficult. H-how am I supposed to smile at this time!? You bastard—!)

Tears slid down the cheeks. The chest and throat were unbearable, pained.

(But this is my promise with you.)

For it was a friend's wish.

Koremitsu's eyes and lips exerted their all, and he smiled.

He wanted to tell his friend I really enjoyed my time with you! You gave me many memories! We're always friends!

Surely he was able to smile.

The moment Koremitsu smiled, Hikaru, giving a genial smile, suddenly scowled, the tears continuing to flow from his eyes. The tears filled Hikaru's face, his extraordinarily handsome face drubbed, and transparent tears fell to the floor with the snow.

But even so, Hikaru spoke with his rich, sweet voice. With that tender voice, he replied,

"Thank you. I really love all of you."

Koremitsu cried as he smiled.

Hikaru smiled as wept.

His profile vanished completely—leaving behind a genial, delightful voice that rang along with the melody of 'Jingle Bells'.

"Thank you. Farewell."

### 009. Epilogue: When Hikaru Was on the Earth......

The following year, Spring—

The Cherry Blossoms had wilted, and it was a warm day where one would sweat wearing a coat out.

Koremitsu had entered the second year of high school.

He made new friends in his new class, and during lunch break, was able to eat his meals with them, and chat with them.

Michiru was still his classmate, and unlike before when she was nominated to be the class representative, she nominated herself to be it. She also intended to run for the presidency of the student council, and requested, Mr. Akagi, please help me with my speech.

He was streamed into a different class from Honoka, but the duo would meet after school at the Japanese dance club room, and they would leave school together, going on dates during vacations. They watched an action movie Koremitsu really liked, and this time, he was to accompany Honoka to watch the suspense-themed love story she liked.

"There's a lot of amazing plot twists here. You don't have to worry about being bored, Akagi."

With their hands clasped with each other, Honoka spoke with a cheerful face.

She had her hair, usually let down, tied in a ponytail, and she was dressed in a long one-piece dress with frills on the hem. Whenever they went on dates, Honoka would wear clothes cuter than usual.

"You should praise me well, Akagi. That's why I'm working hard here."

She smiled cheerfully.

Koremitsu would usually be at a loss of words as to how to praise Honoka whenever they went on dates, but the friend who no longer existed did say before, "'Isn't it good' is a line that can only be said once. You have to praise girls well when they work hard to dress smart."

Honoka started to chat happily about what happened in class.

(This girl's always smiling now...back when we first met, her eyebrows were usually raised, and she was glaring at me.)

As he recalled how Hikaru said that the latter would help him search for a girlfriend who liked to smile, his eyes and lips naturally began to smile too.

And Honoka suddenly immediately looked up at Koremitsu, whispering bashfully,

"It seems you've been smiling a lot recently, Akagi. Your smiling face...is very gentle. I like it."

—It seems that whenever you are with her, you too would be cheerful and uplifted, influenced to smile too.

The rich sweet voice rang within his eyes.

A fiery lump rose up his throat, and used his hands to cover his face and lift it up.

"Hm, what's the problem?"

"Ah, it's nothing. I just so happened to think of a ghost."

"What's that about?"

Honoka spoke with interest. Koremitsu held his tears in, and then rubbed his hands that were on his face on Honoka's cheeks.

"Let's hurry. The movie's about to start."

Saying that, he walked away.

"Ah, you're buffing me here! Is my foundation ruined? What about the rouge?"

One of these day, he would tell Honoka Hikaru's matters.

The story of this important friend of mine, who brought me a flower that likes to smile.

Yes. Perhaps that guy's somewhere on this Earth.

—The next time, I will head to your classroom to borrow a textbook, Mr. Akagi. When that comes, I have a request to ask of you.

## Special Chapter: A Teary Christmas Eve

(You got to be kidding! Why is Akagi crying?)

While the chorus of the 4th movement of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, ‘Ode to Joy’ echoed at the concert hall, Honoka was left dumbfounded as she saw the large tears trickle down Koremitsu’s face.

As high school freshmen, December 24th, the 1st Christmas Eve, was the first Eve Honoka and Koremitsu spent as lovers.

—R-remember to spare some time for the 24th.

Of course, Honoka was left dumbfounded that Koremitsu, who neither dated a girl nor showed any interest to such events, would say that to her with a blushing face.

She never expected that he would ask for a date on the Eve itself, and was wondering herself how she was supposed to mention this so naturally, if Koremitsu would find it annoying to have a date on the Eve itself.

And with Koremitsu actually taking the lead, Honoka’s face, and even her ears, were left reddened. She answered.

—Y-yes...

What was more surprising however was that Koremitsu actually planned the route for their date.

It was a choice every girl yearned for, listening to the 9th Symphony, eating at a restaurant, watch the Christmas lights on the pretty, dolled up streets as they returned home.

And Koremitsu even told her to feel free to state whichever place she wished to go to, and there was no need to follow Koremitsu’s own plan.

—No, I think this is good too! Aren’t you forcing yourself, Akagi? Is this really fine? But speaking of which, how are you so certain about what a girl likes?

And while Honoka’s eyes dazzled, Koremitsu scowled, stammering,

—Well, I got a friend... who’s very clear on such stuff, very annoying in how he always tells me to do this and that. I’m not focusing myself here; it’s my first time inviting a girlfriend out for a date on the Eve itself, so I guess it’s refreshing... or rather, I want to try experiencing a normal date with you, Shikibu... well, such things aren’t so bad after all.

Koremitsu apparently was bashful as his voice got softer, and he even turned his head away.

Did he actually have a bosom friend where they could discuss date routes? Were they the male classmates who often greeted him? Skepticism arose in Honoka, but the words ‘I want to try experiencing a normal date with you, Shikibu’ was too overpowering that it caused her hear to flutter, with no room to question.

—I’m happy...thanks. Let’s have some memories on the Eve itself.

She said, feeling really touched.

(But why is Akagi crying as he hears this symphony?)

The singing and the orchestra reached the climax, yet Koremitsu was grittinng his teeth, tear-eyed as his fingers sank into the armrest of the seat, the gushing tears dripping onto his knees.

(It doesn’t sound like he’s moved to tears from the music itself.)

Koremitsu had been looking out of sorts when they met at the train station, their meeting place.

His eyes were red, his eyelids looked to have bawled out.

Honoka worriedly asked what happened to those eyes, and Koremitsu abruptedly answered,

"I didn’t sleep well last night... got tense waiting for the Eve."

But surely Koremitsu’s eyes were not lacking in blood and deprived of sleep, and more importantly, he looked so downhearted.

Koremitsu was never a sociable one, and looked fuming all the time; it was the first time she had witnessed him looking so feeble and lethargic. He might have claimed that nothing happened, but Honoka was able to tell that there was something going on.

Once they entered the hall and sat down side by side, Honoka kept observing him, still worried about him.

Perhaps he wanted to hide his tears through the darkness as the audience area got dimmer after the performance began, or perhaps he was riveted to tears by the joy as the tears kept gushing out of his anguished eyes

(You’re really being weird here, Akagi!! What happened!?)

The concert was still going on, and Honoka could not assk as she grabbed Koremitsu’s by his hand on the armrest.

The large, icy, hard hand quivered in Honoka’s palm.

Perhaps he was shocked that Honoka realized he was sobbing.

(It’s fine.)

Honoka gently caressed his arm as she conveyed such words silently, and then, she held it firmly.

The sobbing eked from the throat, and Koremitsu lowered his head, wanting to hide his tears.

And his shoulders quivered as he let Honoka hold his hand, his voice suppressed as he sobbed away.

Once the concert ended, Honoka and Koremitsu sneaked into the crowd headed for the exit.

Koremitsu continued to hang his head.

"S-sorry... I didn’t expect it to be like this... I just wanted a normal date with you, Shikibu, spending the Eve together... but I... I’m... really sorry."

Koremitsu did his best to eke a hoarse voice as he apologized.

(Akagi always hated to apologize and stuff like that.)

While holding in her exploding emotions, Honoka grasped Koremitsu’s hand firmly, saying with a tender voice,

"It’s fine."

They were supposed to have dinner in a restaurant.

However, Koremitsu did not look prepared to enter the restaurant, for he did not have any appetite.

"Let’s have a little walk."

Changing their plans, Honoka held Koremitsu by the hand as they strolled through the wide pathway flanked by trees, illuminated by lights.

The snow that fell the previous day melted due to the sun in the day.

The air was chilly, causing white breaths from anyone who breathed.

But Honoka did not find it chilly, perhaps because she was thoroughly worried about Koremitsu all over.

"Did something happen, Akagi?"

Honoka asked as they strolled.

Koremitsu did not speak up, and instead, he murmured.

"I won’t force you to say it out... but does it have anything to do with the call you gave Michiru yesterday...?"

The previous day, Honoka and Michiru went to a theme park together.

At the evening, Koremitsu gave Michiru a call,

And the latter teased Honoka, saying,

"Mr Akagi is cheating on you!"

After bidding farewell to Michiru, Honoka tried calling Koremitsu, but the latter never picked up his phone. She sent a message to inquire, and Koremitsu immediately sent one back.

"I’m not cheating on you. I’m looking forward to the date tomorrow. Don’t look forward to the date with your cheeks puffed."

(What? I’m not doubting you here. I’m not that petty.)

Honoka felt miffed, yet at the same time, relieved.

But surely Koremitsu’s anguish must have somethijng to do that.

And perhaps Koremitsu was trying to encourage himself when he replied,

"Uu..."

Koremitsu was speechless.

But that surely was his response.

"It’s fine. You don’t have to say so."

With a tender voice, Honoka gently held Koremitsu’s hand.

Koremitsu suddenly stopped in his tracks, stammering.

"Sh-Shikibu... I’m... really sorry."

"Seriously, stop apologizing so much."

Honoka said cheerfully, and shook the hands that were clasped together. She then released her hand, and with both hands, cuddled Koremitsu’s lowered head.

His hair was as icy as the snow, so hard, with the stench of ink lingering.

"Hey, I’m really not angry at all. I just want to be with you since you’re so sad, Akagi."

Back then, Honoka hid behind a building and witnessed Koremitsu holding Aoi by the hand as he wept, and Honoka herself had the urge to run over to him and comfort him, yet she could no. It was such a bitter, painful feeling that practically ripped her body in half.

Why was it that the hand Koremitsu held was not hers? She pondered about it, and felt anguish and despair.

At this point, Honoka was able to embrace Koremitsu and comfort him.

It was a little selfish, but she was extremely elated.

Surely, those words could never be said to Koremitsu himself.

That in the midst of this sadness and anguish, there was contentment for Honoka.

And no matter the suffering that befell Koremitsu, Honoka was able to take it all in.

"My friend..."

Koremitsu sputtered,

"My friend... he went to a place far away... I won’t... be able to meet that guy again."

"Your friend went to a faraway place?"

Koremitsu remained silent.

And Honoka exerted strength in her arms as she coddled Koremitsu’s head firmly, rubbing her face on his icy hair.

Honoka did not know who Koremitsu’s friend was, and where he went.

And she did not know the reason why they would never meet again.

She just wanted to console and protect Koremitsu, anguished about the departure of his bosom friend.

"I won’t be going anywhere. I’ll always be with you, Akagi, always being your Heliotrope."

Honoka repeated over and over again.

The reindeer and Santa Claus lights above them continued to flicker silently.

And the passers-by by did not simply stop by to stare at them as Honoka continued to embrace him.

Koremitsu continued to snivel as he handed Honoka her Christmas present.

And Honoka too presented her present to Koremitsu.

Honoka’s present was a muffler, and Koremitsu’s was a little silver 5-sided star pendant.

With gaudy hands, Koremitsu put the pendant on Honoka.

"It’s cute, thanks."

He stared at her beaming face, and then stared at the dangling pendant intently, before tears of nostalgic seeped out of his eyes again.

And while Koremitsu continued to rub his tears off, Honoka wrapped the muffler around him.

Suddenly, something icy landed on her nose. It was snow.

The snowflakes were like feathers amidst the colorful lights, fluttering gently.

Koremitsu wordlessly embraced Honoka, and with an unrestrained, gasping voice, he said,

"It’s great... to have you around, Shikibu."

Honoka too reached her arms to embrace him back, wanting to provide some warmth to this gruff, sturdy and icy body.

The white snow descended slowly.

For some reason, Honoka thought of the lyrics to the Ode of Joy, the people who obtained the irreplaceable friends and lovers.

And these fluttering snowflakes were practically Christmas gifts from the heavens.

With such thoughts and sweet anguish, she continued to quiver and embrace her wounded lover.

## Special Chapter: The Flawed Secret Room, Koremitsu and Honoka’s After Story

"I guess we shouldn’t be studying at my house after all."

"Eh? Your house isn’t convenient, Akagi? How about coming to my house then?"

"No, your house isn’t good either."

It was a certain day in May, after school, when Koremitsu and Honoka had this conversation.

It had been more than half a year since both of them went dating.

Once they entered their second years, they were streamed into different classes, but they attended the same club, and went home together.

It was right before their mid-terms, and all club activities were suspended. They were already revising the contents of their lessons since two days ago.

They were planning to head to Koremitsu’s house on this day...

"Why is it that your house and mine are a no go, Akagi? Is there something urgent?"

While Honoka leaned her body forward to inquire, Koremitsu averted his eyes in a gaudy manner.

"Eh...it’s not much, but how about we go to the library instead? The atmosphere there’s more comfortable."

"Why? Why not at our homes?"

Feeling unconvinced, she inched in on Koremitsu little by little.

Given her feisty personality, it appeared that she would not give in easily.

And upon seeing him panic, she was curious as to what he was hiding in his words.

"Hm? Why? Why’s it more relaxing in the library?"

The passing students watched the heinous-looking, savage eyed Koremitsu let out a weird cry as he got cornered by Honoka.

"Isn’t Koremitsu Akagi that delinquent king. I heard that he can talk to that third year, President Saiga on equal standing without flinching, but he’s actually so weak against his girlfriend."

"Yeah, he does have some unexpected cute charms."

After hearing others comment, Koremitsu’s face sizzled.

(Hey! Who’s the cute one!)

Perhaps he would send others scurrying in fear if he was to glare back and bark like he used to do, so he chose to retain the words in his heart.

More importantly, he had to convince Honoka.

While Honoka raised her eyebrows and glared back, Koremitsu tried to appease her,

"Well, if you come to my house, Shiiko will always play pranks on you, and we can’t settle down."

Shioriko was staying at the Akagis, and was like a little sister to Koremitsu. Even till this point, she was peeved that Honoka became Koremitsu’s girlfriend, and whenever Honoka visited them, Shioriko would spy on them every 10 minutes, even spiking Honoka’s tea with chilli peppers or wasabi.

Whenever Koremitsu chided her, Shioriko would complain with teary eyes,

"But you promised to make Shiiko a woman, big brother. Miss Shikibu’s just someone who dares to add pepper powder on tempura and eat spicy curry here. She’s not a match for you, big brother! Adding pepper powder into the tea’s not a big ddeal for someone with numb tastes."

Shioriko caused Koremitsu much distress.

However, Honoka in turn did repay Shioriko once with Siewmai filled with mustard.

"I can’t be losing to an elementary school kid here. I do find something to be lacking if I’m not squabbling with Shiiko at your house, Akagi, and her pranks are starting to get stale."

Surely Shioriko would be fuming mad if she was to hear those words.

"Ah, is that so? I guess that’s really amazing. Don’t you find it annoying to see the Third Princess?"

"Isn’t a chameleon cute?"

"I-is that so?"

Koremitsu stared back at the stoic chameleon, wondering whether Honoka was really thinking that the chameleon was cute. Recently however, Koremitsu himself was starting to develop feelings for her.

"And so? Even if you do use Shiiko and 3rd Princess as an excuse for not going to your hourse, why can’t we go to my house, Akagi?"

"Won’t your family be worried letting a delinquent like me into the house, Shikibu?"

"But you’re not a delinquent. Mom was stunned at first, but she does like you after knowing that you’re very polite."

It seemed Koremitsu’s repair of the damaged shelf caused Honoka’s mother to sweep off her prior impression. This made Koremitsu happy too.

"My little brother really respects you, and he’s always standing in front of a mirror, trying to imitate how you glare at others."

"Stop him already!!"

Honoka’s little brother was an 8th grader, and loved fighting manga. He seeked the path of the strong in his judo club, and so he really admired Koremitsu for being able to be authoritative just by standing around.

Whenever Koremitsu appeared in Honoka’s house,

"Yo! Bro Akagi!"

Her little brother would greet him as such.

Koremitsu was delighted that Honoka’s brother would call him as such, but he certainly wished that the latter would not assume that he was a delinquent boss.

"You haven’t met my dad yet, Akagi, but he’s usually not at home. Anyway, my family won’t hate you here!"

"Got it. Sorry about that. Your family’s very welcoming of me, even adding chilli powder into my tea."

Koremitsu apologized for his words beforehand, and Honoka lifted her nose to snort, proudly humming.

"Right, there’s no reason why we can’t go to any of our houses to study. Now then, why aren’t you willing to study at home?"

Saying that, Honoka closed in on him again.

(Argh, damn it.)

"I’m scared that I’ll do something bad when I’m with you."

"Ack.."

This time, Honoka was left speechless.

Their eyes met, and Honoka’s face slowly flushed, while Koremitsu scowled, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"I’ll feel angsty whenever I’m in a cramped place with you, and I just feel perverted inside. You’re just reading your notes so defenselessly, giving off a nice smell, and r-recently, you’ve been looking rather sexy. I guess I won’t be satisfied with kissing alone."

"!"

Honoka’s face was completely beetroot.

And upon seeing that, Koremitsu’s face too was practically boiling away.

"That’s why, in other words...I really do treasure you."

With a blushing face,

"O-okay."

Honoka nodded in agreement of Koremitsu’s words, and she lowered her head, her lips curling.

"Thanks. I’ll treasure you well too."

"Y-yeah!"

Koremitsu too answered tensely. It appeared that Honoka understood his intentions...

"Alright, let’s go to the library then."

He suddenly butted in, trying to hide his embarrassement as he tried to walk off, only to be stopped by Honoka tugging at his sleeve.

"No, let’s go to your house then."

"Eh? Didn’t you hear those shameless things I just said?"

Honoka then grinned.

"It’s fine. Shiiko will come disturb us every 10 minutes or so, so I’ll feel safe even if you start to get rowdy."

(Now that she mentioned it...that’s how it is.)

And just when Koremitsu was enlightened,

Honoka suddenly approached him, whispering at his ear,

"And I do like flirting with you when the both of us are studying alone at home."

Koremitsu heart practically jumped out once she said that.

"Let’s go then."

After saying that, Honoka beamed as she went forth.

(This is bad, Hikaru. I guess I can’t hang on for 10 short minutes myself.)

Koremitsu grumbled quietly as he watched her back.

## Author's Notes

Hello, this is Mizuki Nomura.

The series 'When Hikaru was on the Earth......' finally ends at the final volume 'Fujitsubo'. Whenever I write a new story, I will first think of the ending, before working my way to the end.

My heart really pounds when whenever I write, thinking about how to reach the end, to meet the expected number of volumes, and to see the readers' satisfaction at the end. Once I do manage to reach the destination, I will heave a sigh of relief, going 'Ahh, thank goodness'.

Thanks to everyone, the 'Hikaru' series managed to end without a hitch.

I really do wish to thank all the readers who sent their messages, the readers who helped promote the books, and the readers who bought the book on the days the volumes were released. I will like to earnestly thank all the readers who kept reading the 'Hikaru' series and supported this work.

The plot of 'When Hikaru was on the Earth...' includes the 'Genji Monogatari', and also 'the Little Prince' by Saint Exupery. The biggest hint would be the 'smiling flower'. Well, the Prince is the star that gives me the 'smile'.

Hikaru gave a smiling flower to Koremitsu.

The child Fujino gave birth to is named 'Kaoru', not 'Izumi'.

Hikaru never left anything tangible behind, but he bade farewell, leaving behind many ethereal things.

I hope this is the kind of story I wrote.

There will be a new series starting from the upcoming 31st May.

The title is, "You Who Became a Vampire Begin an Eternal Love'.

It is the story of a boy who became a vampire, fell in love, felt conflicted within, and continued to move forward. It is a slightly depressing story.

In the month after, on 30th June, there will be a one-shot released,

'Riku and Chise ~ The Boy who distributed the leaflets of the world, and the girl in the resort'.

This is a story I really, really want to write, and now it finally happened. It is a plain story, but an important start-off story for me.

Currently, there is a campaign wherein that any reader who buys the three stories, including the last 'Hikaru' volume, will be gifted a book containing side stories and design illustrations, so do participate in it. It really is just a little, but I do wish to write a story of Koremitsu and Honoka spending Christmas Eve together.

Now then, I do hope that we will meet in the next month, or the month after that.

February 7th, 2014 (Volume was released in April)

Mizuki Nomura

### 010. Prologue

The thin purple Wisterias gently falls, and that person I love embraced it.

His eyes forlorn in the tender light, he stood under the Wisteria Trellis, his supple hands reaching towards the Wisterias dancing in the air, gently embracing them into his chest.

The petite, thin Wisteria petals weakly slid off the gaunt arms of his, and yet he kept embracing them.

He continued on, over and over again, and the thin, purple petals, akin to the lips of a maiden, fell gracefully by his feet.

The petals continued to escape from that person's shoulders.

And that forlorn person vanished afterwards.

Evading anyone's sights, I left a kiss on the Wisteria petals that were embraced by that person's milky, effeminate fingertips.

It was during this chilly spring, amidst the purple Wisterias petals that continued to fall upon us.

This is our secret love, one we cannot say to anyone else.

What sank into the basement of the Wisteria vortex, rendering me breathless was a sweet, anguishing, heartbreaking yet endearing thing, the treasure most cherished by me.

It really is my most treasured.

### 011. Special Chapter: A Teary Christmas Eve

(You got to be kidding! Why is Akagi crying?)

While the chorus of the 4th movement of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, ‘Ode to Joy’ echoed at the concert hall, Honoka was left dumbfounded as she saw the large tears trickle down Koremitsu’s face.

As high school freshmen, December 24th, the 1st Christmas Eve, was the first Eve Honoka and Koremitsu spent as lovers.

—R-remember to spare some time for the 24th.

Of course, Honoka was left dumbfounded that Koremitsu, who neither dated a girl nor showed any interest to such events, would say that to her with a blushing face.

She never expected that he would ask for a date on the Eve itself, and was wondering herself how she was supposed to mention this so naturally, if Koremitsu would find it annoying to have a date on the Eve itself.

And with Koremitsu actually taking the lead, Honoka’s face, and even her ears, were left reddened. She answered.

—Y-yes...

What was more surprising however was that Koremitsu actually planned the route for their date.

It was a choice every girl yearned for, listening to the 9th Symphony, eating at a restaurant, watch the Christmas lights on the pretty, dolled up streets as they returned home.

And Koremitsu even told her to feel free to state whichever place she wished to go to, and there was no need to follow Koremitsu’s own plan.

—No, I think this is good too! Aren’t you forcing yourself, Akagi? Is this really fine? But speaking of which, how are you so certain about what a girl likes?

And while Honoka’s eyes dazzled, Koremitsu scowled, stammering,

—Well, I got a friend... who’s very clear on such stuff, very annoying in how he always tells me to do this and that. I’m not focusing myself here; it’s my first time inviting a girlfriend out for a date on the Eve itself, so I guess it’s refreshing... or rather, I want to try experiencing a normal date with you, Shikibu... well, such things aren’t so bad after all.

Koremitsu apparently was bashful as his voice got softer, and he even turned his head away.

Did he actually have a bosom friend where they could discuss date routes? Were they the male classmates who often greeted him? Skepticism arose in Honoka, but the words ‘I want to try experiencing a normal date with you, Shikibu’ was too overpowering that it caused her hear to flutter, with no room to question.

—I’m happy...thanks. Let’s have some memories on the Eve itself.

She said, feeling really touched.

(But why is Akagi crying as he hears this symphony?)

The singing and the orchestra reached the climax, yet Koremitsu was grittinng his teeth, tear-eyed as his fingers sank into the armrest of the seat, the gushing tears dripping onto his knees.

(It doesn’t sound like he’s moved to tears from the music itself.)

Koremitsu had been looking out of sorts when they met at the train station, their meeting place.

His eyes were red, his eyelids looked to have bawled out.

Honoka worriedly asked what happened to those eyes, and Koremitsu abruptedly answered,

"I didn’t sleep well last night... got tense waiting for the Eve."

But surely Koremitsu’s eyes were not lacking in blood and deprived of sleep, and more importantly, he looked so downhearted.

Koremitsu was never a sociable one, and looked fuming all the time; it was the first time she had witnessed him looking so feeble and lethargic. He might have claimed that nothing happened, but Honoka was able to tell that there was something going on.

Once they entered the hall and sat down side by side, Honoka kept observing him, still worried about him.

Perhaps he wanted to hide his tears through the darkness as the audience area got dimmer after the performance began, or perhaps he was riveted to tears by the joy as the tears kept gushing out of his anguished eyes

(You’re really being weird here, Akagi!! What happened!?)

The concert was still going on, and Honoka could not assk as she grabbed Koremitsu’s by his hand on the armrest.

The large, icy, hard hand quivered in Honoka’s palm.

Perhaps he was shocked that Honoka realized he was sobbing.

(It’s fine.)

Honoka gently caressed his arm as she conveyed such words silently, and then, she held it firmly.

The sobbing eked from the throat, and Koremitsu lowered his head, wanting to hide his tears.

And his shoulders quivered as he let Honoka hold his hand, his voice suppressed as he sobbed away.

Once the concert ended, Honoka and Koremitsu sneaked into the crowd headed for the exit.

Koremitsu continued to hang his head.

"S-sorry... I didn’t expect it to be like this... I just wanted a normal date with you, Shikibu, spending the Eve together... but I... I’m... really sorry."

Koremitsu did his best to eke a hoarse voice as he apologized.

(Akagi always hated to apologize and stuff like that.)

While holding in her exploding emotions, Honoka grasped Koremitsu’s hand firmly, saying with a tender voice,

"It’s fine."

They were supposed to have dinner in a restaurant.

However, Koremitsu did not look prepared to enter the restaurant, for he did not have any appetite.

"Let’s have a little walk."

Changing their plans, Honoka held Koremitsu by the hand as they strolled through the wide pathway flanked by trees, illuminated by lights.

The snow that fell the previous day melted due to the sun in the day.

The air was chilly, causing white breaths from anyone who breathed.

But Honoka did not find it chilly, perhaps because she was thoroughly worried about Koremitsu all over.

"Did something happen, Akagi?"

Honoka asked as they strolled.

Koremitsu did not speak up, and instead, he murmured.

"I won’t force you to say it out... but does it have anything to do with the call you gave Michiru yesterday...?"

The previous day, Honoka and Michiru went to a theme park together.

At the evening, Koremitsu gave Michiru a call,

And the latter teased Honoka, saying,

"Mr Akagi is cheating on you!"

After bidding farewell to Michiru, Honoka tried calling Koremitsu, but the latter never picked up his phone. She sent a message to inquire, and Koremitsu immediately sent one back.

"I’m not cheating on you. I’m looking forward to the date tomorrow. Don’t look forward to the date with your cheeks puffed."

(What? I’m not doubting you here. I’m not that petty.)

Honoka felt miffed, yet at the same time, relieved.

But surely Koremitsu’s anguish must have somethijng to do that.

And perhaps Koremitsu was trying to encourage himself when he replied,

"Uu..."

Koremitsu was speechless.

But that surely was his response.

"It’s fine. You don’t have to say so."

With a tender voice, Honoka gently held Koremitsu’s hand.

Koremitsu suddenly stopped in his tracks, stammering.

"Sh-Shikibu... I’m... really sorry."

"Seriously, stop apologizing so much."

Honoka said cheerfully, and shook the hands that were clasped together. She then released her hand, and with both hands, cuddled Koremitsu’s lowered head.

His hair was as icy as the snow, so hard, with the stench of ink lingering.

"Hey, I’m really not angry at all. I just want to be with you since you’re so sad, Akagi."

Back then, Honoka hid behind a building and witnessed Koremitsu holding Aoi by the hand as he wept, and Honoka herself had the urge to run over to him and comfort him, yet she could no. It was such a bitter, painful feeling that practically ripped her body in half.

Why was it that the hand Koremitsu held was not hers? She pondered about it, and felt anguish and despair.

At this point, Honoka was able to embrace Koremitsu and comfort him.

It was a little selfish, but she was extremely elated.

Surely, those words could never be said to Koremitsu himself.

That in the midst of this sadness and anguish, there was contentment for Honoka.

And no matter the suffering that befell Koremitsu, Honoka was able to take it all in.

"My friend..."

Koremitsu sputtered,

"My friend... he went to a place far away... I won’t... be able to meet that guy again."

"Your friend went to a faraway place?"

Koremitsu remained silent.

And Honoka exerted strength in her arms as she coddled Koremitsu’s head firmly, rubbing her face on his icy hair.

Honoka did not know who Koremitsu’s friend was, and where he went.

And she did not know the reason why they would never meet again.

She just wanted to console and protect Koremitsu, anguished about the departure of his bosom friend.

"I won’t be going anywhere. I’ll always be with you, Akagi, always being your Heliotrope."

Honoka repeated over and over again.

The reindeer and Santa Claus lights above them continued to flicker silently.

And the passers-by by did not simply stop by to stare at them as Honoka continued to embrace him.

Koremitsu continued to snivel as he handed Honoka her Christmas present.

And Honoka too presented her present to Koremitsu.

Honoka’s present was a muffler, and Koremitsu’s was a little silver 5-sided star pendant.

With gaudy hands, Koremitsu put the pendant on Honoka.

"It’s cute, thanks."

He stared at her beaming face, and then stared at the dangling pendant intently, before tears of nostalgic seeped out of his eyes again.

And while Koremitsu continued to rub his tears off, Honoka wrapped the muffler around him.

Suddenly, something icy landed on her nose. It was snow.

The snowflakes were like feathers amidst the colorful lights, fluttering gently.

Koremitsu wordlessly embraced Honoka, and with an unrestrained, gasping voice, he said,

"It’s great... to have you around, Shikibu."

Honoka too reached her arms to embrace him back, wanting to provide some warmth to this gruff, sturdy and icy body.

The white snow descended slowly.

For some reason, Honoka thought of the lyrics to the Ode of Joy, the people who obtained the irreplaceable friends and lovers.

And these fluttering snowflakes were practically Christmas gifts from the heavens.

With such thoughts and sweet anguish, she continued to quiver and embrace her wounded lover.

### 012. Author's Notes

Hello, this is Mizuki Nomura.

The series 'When Hikaru was on the Earth......' finally ends at the final volume 'Fujitsubo'. Whenever I write a new story, I will first think of the ending, before working my way to the end.

My heart really pounds when whenever I write, thinking about how to reach the end, to meet the expected number of volumes, and to see the readers' satisfaction at the end. Once I do manage to reach the destination, I will heave a sigh of relief, going 'Ahh, thank goodness'.

Thanks to everyone, the 'Hikaru' series managed to end without a hitch.

I really do wish to thank all the readers who sent their messages, the readers who helped promote the books, and the readers who bought the book on the days the volumes were released. I will like to earnestly thank all the readers who kept reading the 'Hikaru' series and supported this work.

The plot of 'When Hikaru was on the Earth...' includes the 'Genji Monogatari', and also 'the Little Prince' by Saint Exupery. The biggest hint would be the 'smiling flower'. Well, the Prince is the star that gives me the 'smile'.

Hikaru gave a smiling flower to Koremitsu.

The child Fujino gave birth to is named 'Kaoru', not 'Izumi'.

Hikaru never left anything tangible behind, but he bade farewell, leaving behind many ethereal things.

I hope this is the kind of story I wrote.

There will be a new series starting from the upcoming 31st May.

The title is, "You Who Became a Vampire Begin an Eternal Love'.

It is the story of a boy who became a vampire, fell in love, felt conflicted within, and continued to move forward. It is a slightly depressing story.

In the month after, on 30th June, there will be a one-shot released,

'Riku and Chise ~ The Boy who distributed the leaflets of the world, and the girl in the resort'.

This is a story I really, really want to write, and now it finally happened. It is a plain story, but an important start-off story for me.

Currently, there is a campaign wherein that any reader who buys the three stories, including the last 'Hikaru' volume, will be gifted a book containing side stories and design illustrations, so do participate in it. It really is just a little, but I do wish to write a story of Koremitsu and Honoka spending Christmas Eve together.

Now then, I do hope that we will meet in the next month, or the month after that.

February 7th, 2014 (Volume was released in April)

Mizuki Nomura