Episode 107 – Sympathize

Right in front of me was someone I would have liked to meet in person if it were possible……Yukihana Tamaki. I’m sure she’s thin and weak due to her illness, but I felt like she wore the most dominating spirit of anyone I’ve ever met.

“I had imagined many things when I heard she has a friend, but I didn’t expect them to be a boy.”

Yukihana’s mother giggles at that. However, unlike her mouth, her eyes are not smiling at all. It was as if she was testing me. The atmosphere was so tense that even I broke out in a cold sweat inside. I had never felt anything like this before.

“Anyway, I’m glad. Ruri never made even a single friend, all she did was to take care of Hisui.”

“Hey, Mom…….”

“Fufufu, I’ve not seen your expression break down in a long time.”

Just when I thought she had taken her gaze away from me and started talking to her own daughter, a gentle smile appeared as if she had changed into a different person. I don’t know how often Yukihana sees her mother, but she seems happy to see her. Yukihana, on the other hand, is also teased by her mother and shows a childish expression that she doesn’t show in the classroom.

(I knew it, so this is what a parent and child looks like.)

Yukihana also comes from a very particular family background, but I was born in a place that is even more twisted than hers. I wonder if I will be able to laugh and love someone like this someday, and not just my father or mother. I couldn’t help but think about that when I looked at these two.

“Oh my, you don’t look so good, is something wrong?”

“……No, it’s probably just the effects of being in a hospital, a place I’m not used to.”

“Oh, are you the type that doesn’t get sick very often?”

“Right. I take good care of myself.”

It seems that it was showing on my face. Or did her observant eyes pierce through my polished poker face? Either way, all I know is that Yukihana’s mother is no ordinary person.

“Oh, by the way, I haven’t asked your name yet. What is your name?”

“……Tachibana Kanata.”

“I see, Tachibana kun.”

I called myself that. Yukihana looks at me with suspicious eyes at that name, but I don’t react at all. I should call myself this way when I’m dealing with her.

“So, I heard that you went out of your way to visit me, even though we’ve never met before, do you have some business with me?”

“I don’t have any particular personal business.”

“Well, then it seems you have something to tell me other than personal matters.”

I should say that Tamaki san is a good listener, as she immediately understands the meaning of my words. The person next to her, Yukihana, tilted her head, not understanding what kind of exchange we were having. She doesn’t even know that she is the one who is the subject of this discussion.

“It’s about your daughter.”

Saying that, I dared to remove my gaze from Tamaki san and looked at Yukihana. Yukihana, on the other hand, lent me her gaze with a surprise expression. Her face is full of confusion, but for now, let’s end this discussion before Yukihana starts to storm out.

“Why did you offer your own daughter as a fiancée?”

As soon as I said those words, I was struck by the sensation that the temperature around me had dropped dramatically. But I was not intimidated by this atmosphere at all. I looked straight at Tamaki san, whose expression had become stern.

“……It seems you’ve gotten along well with my daughter.”

“Who knows.”

“Fufu, you’re good at lying.”

It’s quick, but it seems that she’s starting to doubt the relationship between me and Yukihana as friends. However, even if I loses my credibility, that part cannot be understood. There is no way someone like her would approve of her daughter’s unreasonable engagement.

“I’m sorry to answer your question with a question, but what was the point of asking that question?”

“……It’s for myself.”

“Oh my, could it be that you are in love with Ruri……doesn’t look like it, what a strange child.”

But I’m not lying. The question is also a solution to a problem that I have with myself. That’s why I wanted to hear what Tamaki san was really thinking and what she had in her heart. Next to me, Yukihana was taken aback by our conversation, but I’ll ignore her for the time being.

“……You’re the opposite type of person from my husband, Tachibana kun.”

Tamaki san closes her eyes and starts to think about something. But what she uttered was something related to her husband.

“He was a man who could only go straight ahead with foolish honesty, but even so, he had a heart that could care for others. I think that’s why I was attracted to him.”

“……”

“But you are different. The type of person who has calculated everything out and can respond flexibly to all kinds of unexpected situations. Isn’t that right?”

“Well, I have a lot of things I’m not up to.”

“Isn’t that what you are proving by the fact that you are standing here right now?”

Saying this, Tamaki san sipped from a glass of water on the side table. Even the mere act of drinking water exudes an overwhelming sense of dignity. I felt my heart rate rise, albeit slightly.

“A person with power is made up of countless lies and a few truths. Or should I say, they deceive without lying?”

“That’s what politicians do, isn’t it?”

“Right. If that doesn’t work, they do what they want with their money, or blackmail people with their half power. What do you think about that?”

“I always think it’s worse to be deceived first.”

In fact, I cursed myself for being fooled in that way.

“……I wish someone like you had been closer to my husband.”

“I see.”

I just said one word. However, Tamaki san in front of me let out a sigh as if she was astonished at my words. And just like that, she stared at the bewildered Yukihana.

“Ruri, you’ve brought an extraordinary person with you. No, maybe you were blessed with bad luck.”

“……Uh, Mom?”

“He apparently deduced the answer from my very few words and has just now figured it all out.”

Apparently, Yukihana didn’t get it. No, Most people would not have known that she had answered my question.

“……What do you mean?”

“Tachibana kun, can you give a detailed explanation to my daughter? She’s still not very good at getting around in the world.”

And so, Tamaki san threw all the explanations at me. To be honest, I think it’s against the principle of the current exchange to go out of my way to explain, but it can’t be helped if the person herself says so.

“I asked your mother how come your engagement was decided one-sidedly, okay?”

“…..Yeah, screw you.”

“Well, listen. Did your mother ever refuse to answer my question?”

“……?”

Apparently, I haven’t explained myself well enough to Yukihana. I tried to talk about it in a muddled way, but it was a failure because she seemed to like conspiracy theories and that sort of thing. Then, I have no choice but to explain it a little more clearly.

“In other words, your mother was gradually revealing the answer to my question during our conversation. And that too, in a very obscure way.”

Yes, Tamaki san was answering my questions. There are a few words that occurred naturally in my conversation with her. Foolish honesty, deceive, unexpected, threat, and…..deceive without lying.

She talked about them as if they were small talk, but I’m sure it was just a recitation of what had happened to them. In other words……

“I’m talking about your father, who was the first one to get screwed over.”

“My father?”

Having said that, this is one of the possibilities I was thinking about when I saw the boss.

I’m sure he was offered some kind of deal by the chairman. But it probably ended up like a scam. As a result, he demanded his daughter as compensation. And when he refused, he threatened to put his hands on his wife.

That is how the boss made his choice. To fight back by pretending to cut off his daughter for the sake of the clan’s survival. But it would most likely end in failure. He even had his wife call him a fool for being so honest.

“But haven’t you considered the risks of telling this story?”

“I’ve already factored that in. I think that’s more the main reason.”

“What a scary person.” 

And so, we stared at each other with smiles that seemed to have been glued to each other’s eyes at the troubled look on Yukihana’s face.