Kurasu no Daikirai na Joshi to Kekkon Suru Koto ni Natta Volume 5 Chapter 3

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Voice

After they had finished eating dinner, a pleasant time arrived upon them. Saito was reading a book on the sofa, and Akane sat next to him, glaring down at her textbook. This came off as a surprise since they had such a fight the previous night, and yet she now didn’t escape to her study room, but stayed in their shared space. Dinner didn’t consist of cup ramen either and rather turned out to be quite the menu which made it seem as if Akane had put quite the effort into it. Saito also felt no killing intent or hostility emitting from Akane. Oddly enough, this left him much more restless than usual.

The rumors surrounding the two living together had started to subside through Saito’s fake dating with Himari, but they still couldn’t afford to relax. If a classmate happened to see Akane and him together, it’d ruin everything. They couldn’t even talk when they were outside. Saito closed his book and talked to Akane.

“Oh yeah, we haven’t even exchanged our contact information yet. You mind telling me?”

“A-Are you hitting on me…?” Akane tightly embraced her textbook and moved away from Saito.

“Why would I hit on my wife?!”

“What do you plan on doing…?” Akane seemed terrified.

“Nothing! I’m just saying that we can’t communicate when we’re outside!”

“You’re right…It’d be best if you could inform me when you’re staying the night at Himari’s place…” Akane sent him a gaze of guilt.

“I’m not staying the night! I came back last night, remember?”

“But you didn’t want to, right?! I bet you must’ve preferred Himari’s cooking over mine anyway!”

“Who and what are you even competing against…?”

Maybe she really couldn’t stand the fact that Saito came home having already eaten. As of late, Akane had been acting strangely.

“Since we won’t be able to head out shopping together in the meantime, I figured that communicating via chat would be more convenient for us. You could tell me if you needed me to buy something, right?”

“I see, that kind of excuse sure works a treat…”

“Again, I’m not hitting on you. I’m being realistic here.”

“F-Fine, then…” Akane still didn’t seem convinced, but reluctantly took out her phone so that they could exchange IDs. “…Why did we only now exchange our IDs…?”

One reason for that was simply because they didn’t deem it necessary up to this point, but beyond that…

“I figured you’d be grossed out if I asked you,” Saito said.

“Well, I do feel a bit disgusted.”

“You didn’t have to say that!”

“I thought of reporting you to the police.”

“I’m not some suspicious trespasser walking around the school at night, okay.”

They may be enemies to the death, but being treated like something lower than dirt by a girl his age did sting Saito.

“But…” Akane stared at her phone, her cheeks reddening. “This is the first time I exchanged IDs with a boy.”

“I-I see.”

Out of the blue, Akane’s attitude took a complete 180, as she now seemed happy for some reason, which left Saito troubled about how to react. Knowing that Akane’s name and photo were registered on his phone gave him a restless feeling.

“It’d be bad if someone from my class saw your name pop up when you’re calling me, so I’ll change it.”

“Gotcha.”

Akane put more strength into her fingers holding the phone.”

“I-d-i-o-t, yup.”

“Don’t call me that!” Saito protested.

“M-o-r-o-n, then.”

“Not that either.”

“I can’t come up with anything else, so put up with it.”

“There’s gotta be a lot more options! Like ‘History’s Greatest Genius’ or ‘The Sublime and Absolute Ruler’, right?!”

“Then…’The Greatest Genius Hottie Who Surpassed Time and Space’?”

“Never mind, that’s way too embarrassing.”

Returning irony to a practical joke showed that Akane’s attacks grew a lot more versatile. Rather than blind verbal attacks, she had begun planning out her strategy.

“So you have an emotion resembling shame, then?”

“Could you not make it sound like I’m devoid of the idea of shame?”

“I thought you were the type of person who’d run around naked as a hobby.”

“My hobby is reading, got that?!” Saito tried to get back to reading his book when his phone vibrated.

Checking it, he found a message from Akane.

‘Good evening.’

Akane held her smartphone in both hands, sending Saito a gaze of anticipation and excitement.

—Does she want to chat or something…?

If he ignored the message and left her on read, she’d immediately see through it, and he judged that this was just one step for them to get along better. So, he chose to respond.

‘Evening.’

‘How are you?’

‘Doing fine.’

‘What’s your name?’

‘Houjou Saito.’

It felt like he was chatting to a bot. However, to his surprise, the one sending these messages was his wife, currently grinning to herself. And yet she was supposed to be the person in a close second after Saito when it came to grades. Akane sent another message.

‘This is a pen.’

‘Why’d you switch to English?’

Not to mention something on the level of middle school English.

‘I am a pen.’

‘When did you turn into a writing utensil?’

Saito had been under the wrong impression this entire time.

‘Did you eat dinner already?’

‘We ate it together, remember? Pull yourself together.’

Saito added a sticker with a cat and a nasty gaze, asking ‘You alright?’. Akane grabbed her phone with both hands, her shoulders swaying left and right in joy.

‘What did you have for dinner?’

‘You made it, remember? It was hamburger steak.’

‘What kind of hamburger steak do you think it was?’

‘Wha…Err…Beef…?’

‘Beef?’

Saito felt creeped out by her just repeating her words, but Akane was in as great of a mood as ever. Why was she smiling to herself like that?

‘Give me a hint. I’ll try to guess.’

‘A hint…It has 50 legs, with 90 individual eyes.’

‘Now I’m even more confused.’

This didn’t sound like a living being walking on this earth. Akane stood up from the sofa and hid behind the living room door. Immediately after, Saito received a phone call from her. Saito answered when he heard Akane whispering like a spy.

‘…Hello? It’s me. Can you hear me?’

“We live in the same building, so let’s just talk normally!” Saito was feeling pins and needles.

‘That won’t do. This is practice.’

“Practice for what?!”

‘If you get stuck in concrete, this is the only way we can contact each other.’

“And I bet you’re the one who got me in there in the first place!”

‘I wouldn’t do such a thing, I’m a kind person.’

“Akane and the word kind don’t mix…”

Saito knew that Akane wouldn’t probably hesitate for a second to put him in concrete.

“Onii-chaaaaan!”

Saito was busy eating lunch with Shisei in the school’s courtyard when Maho leaped at him from behind. Saito placed down his lunch box at high speed and evaded the incoming missile. Meeting empty air, Maho rolled along the ground with a big smile on her face. She turned around and stood up, giving Saito a sharp look.

“Onii-chan, you’ve gotten better at dodging…”

“When you attack me every single day, I’d of course get used to it.”

Saito couldn’t even eat lunch in peace. And since he couldn’t enjoy Akane’s homemade food at school, he had to make do with the lunch box he bought on the way to school. And even so, it wasn’t nearly enough to fill his stomach. In response, Maho just showed another devilish V-sign.

“I’m trying to raise your evasive abilities, which is why I’m constantly attacking you.”

“I don’t buy that for one second.”

“You got me! I’m just horny!”

“Language!”

“As an apology for lying to you, I’ll give you a big ol’ hug!”

“No thanks…” Saito flat-out rejected the offer, but Maho didn’t listen and clung to him once more.

She rubbed her cheek against him with all her might, which had a sweet scent drift up to Saito’s nose. Shisei used this opening to munch up the rest of Saito’s food.

—Are those two in cahoots…?!

Saito grew terrified. However, Shisei immediately pulled the two apart.

“Don’t cling to him like that. Stop marking Brother with your scent.”

“What’s the big deal? You always mark him with your scent too, right?” Maho threw in a rebuttal.

“It’s a little sister’s duty.”

“I’ve never heard of that argument before, though?!”

“Well, today it’s my turn! Onii-chan said so!”

“I don’t remember that!”

In lockdown from both sides by a double little sister attack, Saito couldn’t move an inch and couldn’t even eat his lunch. Observed by Shisei’s female fans and Maho’s male fans, he felt like he’d be executed any second now. Hence, he shook them off and made them sit down on the bench.

“Shii-chan, open wide~”

“Nom.”

Maho took out a dumpling from what seemed like thin air and threw it in the air, which was then caught by Shisei’s mouth. Judging from that, it seemed like these two were on pretty good terms.

“But, I’m glad you came today. There’s something I wanted to ask you.”

“Oh, wanna know who I got the hots for? That’s easy, ‘cuz it’s you, Onii-chan! Tehe~” She put both hands on her cheeks and wildly shook her body.

If you took her seriously for even a second, you’d end up as the loser.

“You know who the girl was that I met at that party, right?”

“…!”

Shisei’s shoulders twitched. Maho opened her palm to cover her mouth.

“O-Oh? Well, I might know, or I might not know, I guess?”

She wasn’t giving a clear answer, but it became apparent that she at least knew something. So that she couldn’t escape, Saito immediately grabbed her by the hand.

“O-Onii-chan…?” Maho was bewildered.

“Could you tell me? I don’t mind doing you a favor in return.”

“Huh? T-Then…what should I ask for…Maybe something crazy?”

“What do you plan on doing after you find out?” Shisei asked.

“Nothing. I don’t intend on meeting her, nor do I plan on troubling Maho or that girl. I just…I can’t stand not knowing, is all.”

Saito had a certain hypothesis. It sounded practically impossible, but the chance for that to be the case wasn’t entirely zero either. Since this party to celebrate his elementary school graduation had Tenryuu call not only members of the family but also acquaintances of his, Saito had the idea that maybe that girl could be Chiyo’s granddaughter Maho. However, another person would also match those specifics—Akane.

Saito felt a certain resemblance to that girl when he spotted Maho, so that could be explained since those two are sisters. If that girl had cut her long hair, she’d look similar to Akane. Well, unlike Akane, that girl was docile and gentle, acting like an angel reborn.

“Onii-chan…so you really want to know?”

“Yeah.”

“Will you do anything? Even if I asked for a hug right now?”

“That much is no problem.” Saito approached Maho to embrace her.

She seemingly didn’t expect that, as she staggered backward with a beet-red face.

“H-Hold on! When did you become so bold?!”

“You never hold back when hugging me, right?”

“Because I’m fine with it! But…this is embarrassing, or something like that!” Maho flapped her arms around in a panic.

Seeing her this embarrassed was a bit different from her usual act, but it was also cute. Maho took a deep breath and looked up at Saito.

“G-Go ahead!”

“Then…” Saito moved closer, to which Maho closed her eyes.

Right as he was about to wrap his arms around her, Shisei broke between the two and took Maho’s arm.

“Maho, date with Shise. Right now.”

“Huh?! Right now?!” Maho’s eyes opened wide in shock.

“Yep. Right now.”

“Err, what’s gotten into you, Shii-chan?! Have you finally fallen for my charm?! You love me so much you want to finally become my dress-up doll?!”

“Not at all. Just wanna talk with you.”

“Wooo, a date with Shii-chan! I’ll do it! Let’s skip school right now!”

Maho took Shisei’s hand and stormed off.

“Hey, what about me…?” Saito was left behind.

He didn’t know why Shisei suddenly offered this to Maho, but it was clear that the girl could not resist Shisei’s charm. Sait let out a deep sigh when his phone vibrated. Shown on the screen was a message from Akane.

‘You left the curtains open in the living room! How many more times do I have to tell you? I don’t want people looking inside, so close them once you leave the house!’

‘Sorry, I forgot.’

Since the weather was so clean during the morning, Saito decided to enjoy the scenery and simply forgot in the heat of the moment.

‘I also spotted some thread on the hallway floor! That didn’t belong to any of my clothes, so you were the one who left it there, right?!’

‘How did you even find that?! Yeah, my bad, I’ll clean it up once I get home. Later.’

‘Hold on! I also found a strand of hair of yours in the bathroom! The sheets on your side weren’t tidied up either, you left your cup on the table, and the TV remote wasn’t at its usual place, and also, and also…’

‘Now you’re just throwing complaints at me for the sake of it!’

Saito was overwhelmed with the endless onslaught of complaints. She had evolved from a housewife to a Karen. The incoming messages never stopped, which robbed Saito of his precious lunch break.

—Yeah, there’s no way Akane would be that girl.

Saito gazed at the message log and smiled bitterly.

Upon returning from school, Saito immediately received a phone call from his grandfather Tenryuu. Saito was already running on reserves, so he’d rather not deal with that dictator for now. He just wanted to get back to reading and get back some energy. However, after he ignored the call on his phone, now the landline telephone of their house rang. He went ahead and ignored that, too, when the TV in the living room suddenly turned on, showing Tenryuu’s face.

“Will you answer your dang call already?”

“Waaaaaaaaaaaah?!” Saito screamed in terror.

He had anticipated his grandfather to have set up some gimmicks when it came to this house, but this was feeling close to blackmailing.

“Gramps…this TV had a camera? Are you observing us without telling us?”

“Ha ha ha! No way I would do that. This is just your average TV call.”

“I didn’t even know that function existed up to this point, so I sadly can’t trust your words!”

“It’s written in the manual, you know? Check it out, it’s on the highest shelf of the closet.”

Saito searched for it and quickly found it. However, he’d have to stand on his toes to read it, which made it clear it was purposefully hidden up there. Just what was his grandfather plotting? He was probably just having fun planning on pranking his grandchild.

“What do you want?”

“Am I not allowed to call you without a proper reason?”

“Your girlfriend act isn’t doing it.” Saito felt a chill.

The other person wasn’t someone who’d just tag along for a relaxed conversation. Any second of relaxation could prove fatal for Saito, that’s how much of a monster Tenryuu was.

“Next Saturday will be my cousin’s 70th birthday, and the Houjou Family as a whole will be attending. You, of course, will too.”

“That cousin’s the one who’s helping on holding the family together, right?”

“Correct. He silences those who dare dispute management decisions. If you want to succeed me, you cannot afford to make him your enemy.”

“Understood, I’ll make sure to bring a present with me.”

Tenryuu had always been scheming behind the scenes. And ever since he chose to make Saito his successor, he tried to grant him connections and other background support. Thinking about it now, that party at the separate residence years ago was most likely another method of that. Amongst the Houjou Family of monsters, Saito currently was nothing but a small pebble in the river. After he cut the call, Akane entered the living room.

“I heard you talking with somebody…are you talking to yourself? Must be lonely without any friends.”

“You don’t have to treat me like some loner who never has anybody to talk to. Gramps called me, that’s all.”

“You two are pretty close, huh?” She showed Saito a warm and compassionate gaze.

“We’re not. Not at all.”

“My grandma would often sing me lullabies to get me to sleep. Did he do the same for you?”

“That sounds like hell.”

Just imagining it sent shivers down Saito’s spine, as he felt the urge to run away. Imagining that demonic old man singing a lullaby would probably end up with death metal, instead.

“There’s gonna be a gathering of my relatives soon, and Gramps invited me. You’re gonna come, too?”

“Huh? Why would I?”

“Because I gotta introduce you to my relatives?”

Saito spoke with no deeper meaning in mind, but Akane immediately turned beet red.

“I-Introduce?! You make it sound like we’re married!”

“Because we are?”

“We aren’t!”

“Then why are we living together like this?”

“That’s because…You keep trespassing!”

“Then why didn’t you report me yet?!”

“Don’t mind if I do!” Akane put her ear to her smartphone.

“Don’t take it seriously?!”

Only during times like these was Akane willing to listen to him, so Saito tried to steal the phone from her hands. However, Akane held onto the phone as if her life depended on it.

“It might be a gathering of the Houjou Family, but it’s just like any other banquet. Old folks talking to old folks, so you don’t have to worry about etiquette and all that. The food’s top-class, though, so you can just tag along to stuff your stomach.”

Akane held her head.

“Urk…I haven’t mentally prepared myself yet…”

“Mentally prepared…? Why do that? Shise’s gonna be there, too.”

“So will Shisei-san’s mother, then…?”

“I’d figure, yeah.”

When they went to the amusement park before, Akane met Shisei’s mother for the first time in that car, so she was probably terrified of her at this point. Personally, Saito wanted Akane to get out as often as possible. They haven’t been shopping together at all lately, so lessening her burden in some way should make her more docile at home.

“I’m not forcing you, but…We’ll be staying the night at the location, so wouldn’t you be lonely to spend the night without me?”

Akane crossed her arms and looked away.

“Wh-Why would I?! If anything, I’ll be having the night of my life because you’re not around!”

“You okay? I’m worried you might die if the electricity cuts out.”

“I won’t! What do you think of me?!”

“You’re like a scared cat.”

“Not at all! Even if a ghost jumps at me, I’ll exorcise it in seconds!”

“Didn’t know you were an exorcist.”

Another fact learned about Akane he never heard about. At first, Saito was excited to see a new side of hers, but it was probably different. Akane’s face was pale, shaking in terror. She was terrified.

“You gonna be okay? Can you take care of the house when I’m not around?”

“Are you making fun of me?!”

“I’m worried. I can make a charm for you.”

“I don’t want your scam charm!”

“It’s not a scam. The faithful followers shall be saved, no matter what.”

“That smells even fishier!” Akane bluntly denied Saito’s good faith.

“I wanted to have some fun with Himari anyway, so that’s perfect! Be it a day or a month, just stay as long as you want, I have no problem at all!” Akane’s shoulders shook in rage.

Shisei’s limousine had stopped in front of their home. Personally, Saito would have preferred to use official means of transportation, or possibly an escort of Tenryuu’s family at the least, but Shisei insisted on picking him up. Just thinking about being pushed and thrown around inside that car driven by the maid driver made Saito already feel dizzy. Surprisingly enough, Akane came to see Saito off at the front entrance.

“I’m heading out.”

“…………”

Saito simply meant to say his goodbyes to Akane, but she had an oddly desolate expression. She was probably worried to be left alone in such a large home.

“You okay?”

“What do you mean? I’m busy, so head off, already!”

Her words were as cold as always. Seeing no other choice, Saito boarded the limousine and headed for the Houjou Family’s main residence. Shisei was waiting inside the car, wearing a dress, fitting her mother Reiko who wore a suit. With Reiko on board, the maid driver thankfully knew how to exorcize restraint, allowing for a pleasant ride.

The Houjou main family’s residence resembled a samurai residence, emitting immense pressure the closer they got. White mortar walls stretched on endlessly, with a glistering black brick roof. Beyond the imposing gate waited the Japanese garden, the accumulation of beauty. The dark branches of the pine tree complimented the koi swimming in the pond. The plank hallway spread in all cardinal directions, passing over a small river with a stone bridge.

“Welcome back, Saito-sama.”

“We’ve awaited your arrival, Reiko-sama.”

“We’re happy to see you’ve returned, Shisei-sama.”

The servants of the residence lined up at the front entrance, greeting the group. They accepted Reiko’s handbag and helped Shisei gallantly take off her shoes. Reiko and Shisei were used to being royal family candidates, but the commoner Saito couldn’t deal with any of this.

“I’m not coming back, you know…”

Reiko shrugged her shoulders.

“To the main family, you’re the son of this place. Father also tried to adopt you many times, remember?”

“Yep…and I said no every time before the thought terrified me.”

Tenryuu was willing to meddle with his grandson’s life as much as he pleased, so if he even got parental rights over Saito, it’d all be over. Saito would probably be dragged to party after party every evening, taken to bungee jumping from a helicopter without a rope. Even if his parents had no love for him, it was a lot better than anything Tenryuu would do.

“Brother, let’s go skiing.”

Shisei jumped up and down in the well-polished hallway and slid down the floor on her stomach. The servants all raised screams along the lines of “My lady, please stop right this instant!” or “Not the foooood!!” but Shisei didn’t mind and just glanced at Saito. She was telling him to join her.

“All right, then!”

Saito followed suit and slid across the floor. To any person part of the financial world, this home may be the lion’s den, but to these two, it was just their grandpa’s home. The large hall acting as the location of the banquet was as luxurious and extravagant as you’d expect, about the size of a single room in a castle. Folding screens of beaten gold depicted dragons or tigers, with golden ornaments hanging down the ceiling. Tenryuu sat on the chief’s seat, already drinking.

Next to him sat his cousin Shizu. She’d reached a formidable age of 70 years, and yet her innate beauty made it hard to guess her age just from her looks. Since she still looked the same as when Saito first saw her, he had started seeing her as a type of eternal beast.

“Hey, Saito, Shisei! Sit over here!” Tenryuu beckoned them over, clearly in a good mood.

“I’d rather not sit next to a drunkard.”

“We’ll all be drunk tonight! Just give it up.”

Since he had decided on this, there was no use arguing. Especially not in front of the family and main guest of the evening, so Shisei and Saito approached Tenryuu.

“It’s been a while, Congratulations on your 70th birthday.”

“Congrats. Hopefully, you’ll stay with us for a long time.”

Both Saito and Shisei offered their presents, which had Shizu smiling.

“Thank you. I think I can keep going for another thousand years.”

“Ha ha ha, it sure doesn’t sound like a joke when you say it!” Tenryuu laughed, but Saito could only agree. “So, where is your wife? Is she not here yet?”

“Akane won’t be coming. She was too embarrassed to be introduced to my relatives.”

“My, that is quite adorable.” Shizu snickered.

“You two getting along? When can I expect my great-grandson?” Tenryuu asked.

“Not anytime soon. Marriage was the condition, but we aren’t in that kind of relationship.”

“Why are you wasting your time? You’re newly-weds, remember? This is the best time in your life. You best be taking baths together, right?”

“We are not!” Saito felt the blood rushing to his head.

If things were already going like this without the banquet having started, he’d probably have to prepare himself for some definite shaming later in the evening.

“Leave it at that, Tenryuu. Youngsters nowadays are sensitive.” Shizu silenced the drunkard.

In today’s world, the only one who could go against Emperor Tenryuu was Shizu. That’s probably why the other relatives had so much trust in her.

“Can’t you maybe also scold him for forcing his grandchild into a marriage he doesn’t consent to?” Saito pleaded to Shizu.

“I gave him a piece of my mind from the very beginning. Well, I chose to follow Tenryuu for the rest of my life, so I should’ve known what I was getting myself into.”

“You weren’t against it?”

“Chiyo may have been an average citizen fifty years ago, but now she’s the lady of the Sakuramori Family, able to squint at the state assets. There is nothing lost if both our families come to a mutual agreement. Make sure to properly look after your wife, okay?”

Tenryuu may have been acting under personal pretense, but Shizu always thought about the benefit and honor of the Houjou Family. Saito had no interest in either, but he also had no intention of going against two of these influential individuals. Shizu continued.

“I assumed you would eventually get married to Shisei, you see?”

“Heh, there’s no way…” Saito showed a bitter smile as he looked at Shisei.

“……!” Her face was beet-red.

“What’s wrong?” Saito asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, your face is red…”

“Nothing at all. Shise ate a dash of whole chili pepper, that’s all.”

“How did you even smuggle that in here?”

“Shise is the ruler of time and space, she can bring any item from the parallel world to ours at any given moment.”

“If you got such an amazing power, maybe use it for something more worthwhile, huh?”

Why would you limit it to chili peppers?

“Are you…embarrassed?”

“Not at all.” Shisei walked to her seat and sat down on the floor cushion.

She was probably trying to regain her cool, but her ears were beet-red, her body shaking. Saito had never seen her this flustered before, that’s for sure. Saito went ahead and sat down next to her.

“That was just a joke, don’t worry about it.”

“…So you don’t mind at all, Brother?”

“It’s a lot better than Gramps constantly harassing me.”

“…I see.”

Shisei’s small fist rammed right into Saito’s mouth. Although he didn’t suffer any direct damage, she kept holding onto his mouth so that he couldn’t move. On top of that, she even pushed and dragged it around.

“M-Mugh…What are you…” Saito groaned.

Shisei pulled back her fist, resting her head on Saito’s lap.

“Shise requests Brother to rub her head.”

“I don’t mind, I guess…” Saito was a bit confused but still agreed to provide the services she requested.

As of late, Akane had been feeling as if she and Himari were talking past each other. Himari’s words and expressions were the same as before, but something was off. Ever since elementary school, she would never show any negative expressions on her face, always laughing no matter the situation, but during these past few days, Akane could not guess what Himari was truly feeling. Hence, when Saito was out of the house, Akane used the chance to invite Himari over. She wanted to have a proper talk with Himari, and make sure their bond wasn’t broken.

—Will she come over, I wonder…?

Akane waited in uncertainty and anxiety when the doorbell rang. Her heart rate accelerated as she rushed to the door, and opened it.

“Glad you could make it, Hima—”

Himari leaped at Akane before she could even finish her sentence. It was a tight embrace as if to say she would never let go again. And she didn’t allow Akane to move an inch.

“H-Hey, what’s gotten into you…?”

“I’m so happy you called me over…I thought you started to hate me!” Himari’s arms were faintly shaking as she embraced Akane.

“There’s no way I would hate you! Why did you even think of that?”

If anything, Akane was the one worried she may have hurt Himari.

“Since I went home with Saito-kun on that date…even inviting him to my place until late at night…I was afraid you’d be angry with me…”

“Of course, I’m not! I knew you were doing this for our sakes! What you do and where you go with Saito doesn’t have anything to do with me!”

“Really…?”

“Really!” Akane proclaimed with all her might.

She couldn’t deny the fact that she was feeling quite a bit restless while saying so, but she decided to swallow those feelings because she didn’t want to lose her best friend. What she treasured the most was her relationship with Himari.

“Thank god…I love you, Akane.”

“Me too.”

They both put their hands on each other’s cheeks, smiling. Just by having Himari so close, Akane felt a pleasant warmth fill her chest. No matter what, she couldn’t afford to lose this relationship.

“It’ll be fine, right…? No matter what happens, we’ll always be best friends…?”

“O-Of course, what are you saying?”

She tried to reassure Himari, but when she questioned her own heart, she suddenly felt anxious. “No matter what happens.” Just what did Himari mean by that? Akane wanted to know but also didn’t.

—It’s okay, we’ll always be best friends.

She put a lid over the lurking shadow in her hurt and invited Himari inside. For now, she didn’t want to think about anything unnecessary. Himari was offering her time right now, so she didn’t want to waste it on anything else.

“What should we do today?” Himari asked.

“I bought some fresh strawberries today, so I figured we could make some cupcakes. Wanna join me?”

“For sure, for sure! And I brought some Darjeeling tea with me as an add-on!”

“That’ll fit nicely with the cupcakes.”

The two discussed this and that as they began working on the cupcakes. Akane added some raw cream to a bowl, stirring it up until it became foamy. In the meantime, Himari added raw eggs to another bowl, as well as granulated sugar, stirring it up. Even if they didn’t discuss things directly, they had already finished splitting up their roles. This is the coordination they had acquired over years.

“As I thought, having you around is the best, Himari.”

“I totally get it~! You’re the greatest, Akane. It feels like you’ll forgive me anything!”

“I won’t forgive you for everything.”

“Aw, come on. Forgive me.”

“Okay, can’t be helped~”

Looking at Himari’s beaming smile, Akane felt like she could genuinely forgive Himari anything. The two put the dough into small cups and put it in the oven. It’ll take another 15 minutes for them to be done, so they sat down near the oven to watch over things.

“Oh yeah! Let’s take a picture and send it to Saito-kun!” Himari grabbed her smartphone from the table and took a picture of the cupcakes in the oven, adding a few extra words.

“H-Himari…you and Saito exchanged IDs?”

“Hm? Yeah, a while back.”

“A while back?!” Akane was utterly baffled.

She had blindly assumed that, besides Shisei, she was the only one who had his contact address. And yet, Himari had gotten the jump on her by a mile.

—That damn cheater…!

That thought crossed Akane’s mind, but she quickly shook her head to get rid of it. He wasn’t cheating by any means, since he and Akane weren’t even dating. And exchanging contact information equally cheating is a blasphemous train of thought, to begin with. Once Saito became the head of the Houjou Family, he’d have to exchange IDs with his secretary and other subordinates, and there’s bound to be a lot of women mixed in there.

—I bet he’s going to get himself a beautiful and sexy secretary…! That’s the kind of guy he is! Disgusting!

Just imagining that made Akane boil from anger.

“…Akane? Maybe I should delete his ID after all…?” Himari asked with a worried tone, which had Akane come back to reality.

She must have had some nasty face because Himari assumed that Akane was angry.

“N-No! It’s totally fine! As long as he doesn’t bother you too much…”

“Of course not! If anything, I’m the one texting him every night!”

“Every night?!”

“Yep. Last night, I sent him a picture right after I got outta the bath~” Himari showed Akane her phone screen.

There was Himari, only wearing her bathrobe, as she sat on the floor. Because her robe was so short, her thighs were in plain view, and you could sneak a glance deep into her cleavage. Her cheeks were reddened, too.

“Why didn’t you tell me?!” Akane grabbed Himari’s shoulders with tears in her eyes.

“W-What do you mean?”

“He’s blackmailing you, right?! That’s why he’s forcing you to send lewd pictures whenever he wants, no?!”

“Of course not! I was thinking that maybe I could get his heart racing, so I sent him that.”

“Y-You’d go that far…?”

“Of course. I can’t choose my methods to win over the boy I like. Well, he completely ignored me, though…” Himari scratched her cheek.

“Forcing my best friend through such shame and embarrassment…I won’t forgive him…!”

“I’m fine, really. As long as he doesn’t block me, that’s all that matters. Ah, I got a response!”

Saito’s message popped up on Himari’s phone.

‘You’re making cupcakes? Nice.’

Himari grinned to herself while reading that message.

‘I got your share covered. Filled with love, of course.’

‘I don’t need any love.’

‘Then I’ll send you the love beforehand!’ Himari continued to send Saito an endless stream of heart stickers.

Saito returned the favor while sending skull stickers, and the endless sticker spamming began.

—The heck is this?!

Akane’s shoulders shook as she saw those two and their oddly intimate exchange. Akane and Saito had already exchanged contact information a while ago, and yet he never contacted her once. Whenever Akane sent him a message, he’d give a blunt and brief response, completely cutting off all contact. And yet, what kind of difference was Akane looking at right now? Maybe he enjoyed chatting with Himari more, after all. Himari’s eyes were practically glued to the phone, so Akane looked after the cupcakes, taking them out and removing them from the mold. Following that, she put them on the netting. Himari put her phone away and rushed over.

“Sorry to make you do all of that! Let me help.”

“It’s okay…I’m not good when it comes to chatting…My chatting parameters are too low…”

“What even are chatting parameters?!”

They put the cupcakes away to let them cool. Akane continued to whip some cream, with Himari decorating the cupcakes. Even as they continued their work, Akane was constantly concerned with her phone, as she glanced over at it.

—Why does he not message me…? He could’ve at least told me he made it to the main family safely…

However, contacting him first made it seem like Akane was lonely.

‘Kekeke…I knew it, you’re lonely and scared, right? Just as I said.’

She imagined Saito’s evil smirk while he sent that message, which had her boil in fury once more.

“I’m not lonely!” Akane rammed her fist right into a nearby plush toy.

“Akane?! What happened?!” Himari looked at her in shock.

“I-It’s nothing…” Akane picked up the plush toy and apologized.

Some cotton plopped out of the toy’s mouth. She had to fix that later when she had a free moment.

“Are you…waiting for Saito-kun to contact you?”

“Wh-Why would I do that?!”

Himari hit bulls-eye which had Akane blushing furiously.

“…Akane, do you know the opposite of ‘Like’?”

“It’s ‘Hate,’ right?”

That was what Akane felt towards Saito.

“That’s not it.”

“Wha…?”

“The opposite of liking someone is being indifferent about them. You wouldn’t hate somebody you don’t care about, right?”

“That…but what about it…?”

For the first time, Himari’s gentle smile truly terrified Akane. Should Akane really be asking what Himari was trying to say? Maybe some horrifying truth awaited her if she followed that thread. For some reason, her knees were shaking. Himari sighed.

“Let’s add the strawberry for the topping?”

“Yes…”

Akane went back to working on the cupcakes. Usually, she’d feel delighted and in great spirits whenever she simply looked at strawberries, but just today, something was off about her. And even more than that, she was still annoyed that Saito didn’t contact her. Her smartphone resting on the table was not making any sounds.

—I bet he’s having fun with some cute girls or relatives! Fine, then just never come home again!

Akane glared at her smartphone as if to summon a message.

“Today was fun! Let’s do this again!”

“Yep! See you!”

Himari waved her hand with a gleaming smile as she left the front porch. The inside of the house felt a lot darker now, as the sun had begun to set. Thanks to Himari’s presence she may have forgotten up to this point, but she’d be all alone tonight. She embraced her arms as she felt a faint chill and headed to her study room.

—But with Saito around, I can get a lot of studying done! Maybe now I can finally get ahead of him!

She placed a mountain of reference books on her desk, tightly grasped the pen, and got her mind into studying mode. However, she still couldn’t focus for some reason. It felt as if there was a large void in her heart. She was reminded of Himari’s and Saito’s warm and enjoyable exchange through text and looked over at her smartphone. She opened up her chat with Saito, checking several times if she hadn’t gotten a message from him.

—I’m not…lonely.

Akane turned her head away from her smartphone and left her study room. Wanting to get some peace of mind, she headed down to the first floor, into the kitchen, and brewed some fresh tea. She sat down on a chair at the table and placed her cup down. The tea Himari brought with her genuinely was delicious, but…

—I wonder what he’d think if he had a sip. Would he tell me the story of tea leaves, or would he not even be able to discern the taste?

That simple thought crossed her mind. During any other day, Saito would now be sitting on the sofa in the living room, reading a book. Akane would go through her reference books, exchange a few words with Saito here and there, end up in a fight with him, and then watch a movie together. However, Saito wasn’t there right now. He was somewhere far away in an expensive mansion, surrounded by delicious food. He probably didn’t care about Akane at all.

Since when was Akane always thinking about him? After their marriage? No, even before that. Ever since their first year in high school, she kept thinking about how to defeat Saito every single night. She wanted to put that arrogant guy down, all so that he would acknowledge her.

—I’m not lonely.

She gulped down the rest of her tea and headed back up to the second floor. The creaking of the floorboards hurt her ears. This oppressing silence filling her home made it feel like all of humanity had vanished. Right after entering her study room, her eyes were drawn to her phone. There was no blinking light to inform her of a message. She booted up the app, and she was met with the same result. Frustration started to rise from deep inside of her, as she threw her phone away. Her notes were wide open still, but she just rested her head on the table, burying her face in her arms.

“I’m not…lonely at all.” She muttered with a teary voice.

The banquet at the Houjou main family’s residence continued.

“Ah, Kan-chan’s out!”

“How unbefitting of his age!”

“I’ll get revenge for Kan-chan!”

“Somebody bring a new wine barrel!”

“Ume-yan’s out, too!”

The elderly folks slowly but steadily collapsed. The geniuses of the Houjou family, holding an iron grip on their companies like rulers of fear and terror, were now drunk to the brim, screaming and dancing with the other family members. Daily, they were emitting pressure just being in the same room with the others, but now all shackles came undone. Meanwhile, the servants brought more alcohol and food, having a doctor ready just in case. Saito’s job currently was to hand over the drunk folks to their drivers.

“I’m not heading home yet! I still want to drink more!”

“Yes, yes. Go home and drink some water, okay?”

He pushed the influential president of a large-scale company into his luxurious car and closed the door before the drunkard could crawl out of it again. As the driver would not dare treat his boss in such a way, this preparational work was Saito’s duty. Upon returning to the banquet hall, Saito sat down and sighed. Shisei had already eaten up everything there was, now sleeping on Saito’s floor cushion.

More and more food arrived on the plates, but Saito had gotten tired of even looking at his plate. He was missing Akane’s healthy and casual food at home. He looked over at his smartphone, pondering if he should send Akane a message.

—Maybe she’ll just be annoyed if I contact her? I guess I shouldn’t…

Akane must be busy playing with Himari or studying, so as long as it’s not anything important, any message would just annoy her. Not to mention that he and Akane never were on good enough terms to chat. When he was glaring at his smartphone, Tenryuu put his arm over his shoulder.

“You go drink some more, too!”

His breath reeked of alcohol. The absolute ruler of the family now was nothing more than an old man.

“I’m still a minor.”

“I know that, what I’m telling you to drink…” Tenryuu offered Saito a glass filled with a mysterious liquid.

“Vegetable oolong tea!”

“What did you mix in there?”

The liquid had a yellow-brownish color. It gave off a stomach-churning stench, seeming more than suspicious.

“It’ll be good for your health! I’m worried about my grandchild, so how could you not accept my gratitude?”

“You’re just trying to enjoy my suffering, right?”

Tenryuu raised his thumb.

“Of course.”

“I wouldn’t mind you being a bit more supportive.”

If Saito wanted a healthy special drink, he could always rely on his vegetable protein shake. Then again, Akane didn’t understand the idea behind it, and with Akane’s homemade cooking, Saito had no reason to drink this mysterious beverage.

“Now, suffer for me, my grandchild!”

“I refuse!”

Saito escaped from his grandfather’s grasp, picked up Shisei, and dashed out of the banquet hall. Walking through the outside corridor, they headed inside the room that was prepared for Shisei. The room consisted of a western-style flare with a luxurious bed and attached dome, filled with plush toys that perfectly played into Shisei’s taste. The infamous maid driver was seated on a chair, reading car magazines.

“Thank you very much. It seems like the lady is quite exhausted.” She accepted Shisei from Saito, putting her small body on the bed.

The way she covered Shisei with a blanket made her seem less like a maid and more like a mother.

“Why don’t you rest together with her? I’m sure the young lady will be happy once she wakes up.”

“And then you’d have no place to sleep, right?”

“I wouldn’t mind enjoying the both of you at the same time, Saito-sama.”

“What exactly are you going to enjoy?!”

The maid showed absolutely no expression with her refined facial features.

“I’m talking about a harem. It should be a man’s dream to enjoy the princess and servant at the same time, no?”

Saito sadly saw them as only his little sister and a violent driver.

“The bed’s way too narrow for that, so I’ll just sleep in the room next to this.”

“My word, this is why virgins like you are…”

“You say something?”

“Nothing at all. I have nothing but respect for you, it makes my chest quiver. What a wonderful person you are, truly,” She said, but her voice was as monotone as an answering machine.

“It’s painfully obvious that you’re just making shit up, you know?”

“Good night, Saito-sama. I wish you well dreams.” The maid faintly lifted alongside her dignified bow and sent Saito off.

Right after, he heard the maid driver snuggle up into Shisei’s bed, followed by an odd rustling that reached him outside the door.

“For crying out loud…”

Saito entered the room next to Shisei’s. This one was decorated under Tenryuu’s orders to fit Saito’s preferences. It had older gaming consoles lined up, together with shelves full of games and books. When Saito was younger, he always came here to enjoy this collection, but now he realized that his grandfather was most likely trying to seduce Saito. Since it was a bit too early to head to sleep, Saito went ahead and grabbed a book from the bookshelf. The lineup had changed from the last time he came to visit, too.

According to what he was told, the servants of the main family regularly checked Saito’s preferences to keep the selection here updated. How they got that data was a mystery to him, though. Having found a book that tickled his interest, Saito laid down on the bed. Right as he was about to start reading, his phone vibrated. Shown on the screen was Akane’s name. In a rush, Saito answered the call.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

‘N-Nothing…’

“Did you want to hear my voice?” Saito said it as a joke.

‘Wh-Wha…No, of course not!’ Akane frantically denied it, and then silence followed.

Saito could hear Akane’s warm breathing. Even though they were so far apart, her existence felt like she was right next to him.

‘I-I just can’t rest easy if we don’t fight.’

“You can’t rest easy…?”

‘That’s right. We’ve been fighting since our first year, so when it’s this quiet, I can’t relax at all.’

“I thought you would prefer it if I wasn’t around?”

‘I do, but it’s just…’ Akane continued with a voice about to disappear into thin air. ‘Come home quickly, okay?’

“…Yeah.”

Akane hung up the call, bringing Saito’s consciousness back to the current situation. He could still hear the joyful voices from the banquet hall. The sound of the fish swimming in the pond, paired with the light visible through the sliding door.

“Home, huh…”

Saito glanced at the large shelf of books, biting on those words. At first, it was nothing but a prison he was pushed inside to live together with the classmate he couldn’t stand the most. And yet, for both Akane and himself, it had turned into their home. His real family never waited for him to get home. They weren’t home when he got from school, let alone picked him up, they didn’t give him any attention as Akane does, and they wouldn’t even bother cooking for him. Saito wasn’t needed by anybody. However, Akane was waiting for him. Just by thinking about that fact, Saito felt his chest grow warm.

“…One more thing I learned about her, huh?”

She was stubborn, a hard worker, and always embarrassed. And as of today, Saito knows that she gets lonely easily.

Akane rolled around on her bed. Instead of a hugging pillow, she was desperately clinging to a plush toy of hers, keeping a self-defense frying pan next to her pillow. She also had the scam protective charm Saito made for her.

—I can’t sleep…How long has it been since I was sleeping all on my own…

When she was back with her real family, she was always on her own, and yet she now had gotten used to sleeping next to Saito. A bed of this size felt too large for her alone, lacking Saito’s usual warmth. Suddenly, she heard a creaking sound from the ceiling.

—I can’t anymore! All these weird sounds…

Akane put her headphones on, playing some sleep-inducing music at max volume. Ghosts don’t exist, and neither do rats. What she can’t hear doesn’t exist. She kept on telling herself that, forcing her eyes shut. She opened her eyes again, thinking she might as well drink some hot chocolate…when she spotted a shadow outside the window.

—What?! Huh?! A thief?!

Akane shot up from the bed, pulling off her headphones. The shadow outside was trying to open the window. How did they even get up to the second floor like this? No human being would barge into someone else’s bedroom. It could be a trespasser, a thief, or a murderer…She didn’t even have the time to call the police. The perpetrator would make it inside first. And she also didn’t have the confidence to shake them off during an escape.

—If Saito was here, he would’ve saved me…!

Akane shook in terror, as she grasped her frying pan. She was scared. Terrified, even. Out of all the times, Saito wasn’t here to protect her. He was arrogant and often helpless, but he would never lose against some invader. Finally, the window opened, the curtains being pulled apart, and a man’s hand reached inside the room.

“You damn thief…!” Akane swung her frying pan, trying to slam it down on the man.

“Woah?!”

The alleged thief raised a voice in shock, dodged the frying pan, and lost his balance. And then, his face became visible.

“Saito?!”

Akane frantically grasped Saito’s hand to pull him up. His male body was almost too heavy for Akane, but she still didn’t let go no matter how much it tore her apart. She finally succeeded in getting Saito inside the room. They both gasped for air as they sank to the ground. Saito’s clothes were dirty here and there, some parts even ripped.

“What are you doing?!” Akane asked in utter bafflement.

Saito, who should be at the Houjou family’s main residence, now appeared in front of Akane, almost falling from the second floor. Akane couldn’t follow what just happened.

“The front door was locked with a chain, so I couldn’t get in.”

“Then ring the doorbell!”

“I did. Several times, actually.”

“Ah…Because I was wearing headphones…”

“You didn’t answer my calls either, so I figured you were asleep already.”

But that didn’t mean Saito could just climb up on the second floor.

“I thought you’d be sleeping at the main residence today?” Akane asked.

“That was my intention, but…I took a bus to get home.”

“So the buses were still running?”

“Only half the way, so I had to walk the rest.”

“You walked?! How long did that take you?!”

“…Around two hours?”

“Are you stupid?!”

Saito awkwardly scratched his cheek.

“Um…Just as you said, I feel restless when us two aren’t fighting.”

“…!” Akane felt her chest tighten up.

“I’m all sweaty, so let me take a shower.”

“O-Okay.”

Saito headed down to the first floor, leaving Akane behind in the bedroom. Downstairs, she quickly heard the sound of running water. Just because Saito had been inside the room, the faint chills Akane felt suddenly vanished, and it made her feel reassured. Even the creaking sounds from the ceiling didn’t bother Akane anymore. Akane also headed down the stairs, entering the small changing area before the bath. Through the foggy glass, she could see Saito’s movement. He would wash his hair, about to slide along the wet floor, humming some original melody to himself.

The floor Akane stood on had Saito’s clothes scattered all around. Normally, she’d be fuming with anger about this, and yet Akane was now relaxed and totally fine.

—As clumsy as always…

She picked up Saito’s clothes and put them into the wash basket. They were completely dirty no matter where she looked and reeked of sweat. Yet, she didn’t mind it much. She took out a bath towel from a nearby shelf and put it in front of the bath. Since Saito seemed to have finished his shower, Akane rushed back to their bedroom. Shortly after, Saito entered the room. Akane sat up on the bed, greeting Saito as if she had been sitting here this entire time.

“Th-That was fast, huh?”

“Were you in the bathroom a few minutes ago?”

“I wasn’t! Are you saying I was watching you?!”

“Never did…But why are you so out of breath?”

“B-Because…I was dancing!”

“This late at night?! You’ve got lots of energy left, huh! Then show me that dance.” Saito was deeply intrigued.

“I’d rather not! And I’m not going to show you either way!” Akane felt like she might die from the embarrassment.

After all, she herself didn’t know why she headed down to the bath. Because she was lonely? Because she wanted to be with Saito as quickly as possible? That shouldn’t be possible, and yet…

“H-Hey…How about we talk a bit? What happened at the banquet, who you talked with, won’t you tell me a bit?”

“…Zzz.”

Akane’s invitation was met with silence because Saito had already fallen asleep. He barely even pulled the blanket up to his shoulders. Akane sighed in disbelief and pulled it up for him.

—He must’ve been exhausted. Really, such an idiot…

Staying at the residence would’ve been a lot easier for him, and yet he came rushing home because Akane felt lonely. He came home to her. That fact alone made Akane happy beyond belief. Deep inside her chest, warmth started to build, as her heart raced, almost bringing her to hug Saito. However, he’d wake up if she did that. She’d be embarrassed if Saito found out, and she wanted to let him get some proper rest. Instead, she moved close to Saito’s ear, whispering gently.

“…Welcome back.”

—I heard something crazy…

Saito felt his entire body burning up. He just so happened to wake up a second, wondering why Akane felt oddly close to him. And not just that, he suddenly heard a gentle and warm-hearted voice he’d never would have expected to come from her. He didn’t know whether this was good or bad timing, but he was certain he’d be dead meat if Akane knew he heard that. That, of course, was something he wanted to avoid, especially since he already felt exhausted from all the stress of the party. Hence, his only option was to pretend to be asleep, like his life depended on it. He couldn’t afford to let her find out. Even as her hair was tickling him, he couldn’t show any reaction.

—-But that voice just now, and her way of talking…it sounded so familiar…

Indeed, it sounded exactly like that girl he had met years ago at that party.