Chapter 1. Father-in-Law and His Invitation

CHAPTER 1

Father-in-Law and His Invitation

The season had definitively shifted to autumn, and a cool breeze blew through the capital. Like brush strokes against a canvas, thin white clouds dotted the bright blue sky, stretching out toward the horizon. Dragonflies lazed through the air.

Making their way through the city below, which was still bustling despite the fall chill, were a pair of women. One was a beauty wearing a one-piece dress and a light jacket. The other was a young lady wrapped in an eggshell kimono that featured an autumnal tree nut pattern.

The woman in the kimono walked down the neatly paved street. Her name was Miyo Saimori, and she was engaged to the young head of one of the Empire’s most prominent families, Kiyoka Kudou.

“I’m glad you got your shopping done without incident,” chirped her future elder sister-in-law, Hazuki Kudou, from her side. Miyo smiled then replied:

“I am, too. Thank you for coming along with me, Sis.”

“You’re very welcome. Though part of me feels like I was having all the fun.”

“Not at all. I also had a good time.”

Several months had already come and gone since Miyo was introduced to Hazuki. Though she’d had various ups and downs along the way, Miyo still met with her two to three times a week to practice high-society etiquette.

But studying all the time was suffocating.

With that in mind, Hazuki had brought her sister-in-law on something she called a “date” to let off some steam.

When Miyo mentioned to the older woman that she was under the impression the term referred to an outing between a man and a woman, Hazuki replied, “Don’t worry about it! In that case, I’ll serve as your gentleman escort.” A confusing sentiment to Miyo, even now.

That being said, she loved going out on the town with Hazuki, so she didn’t have any complaints.

“
Hee-hee-hee
, I’ve got it. Watch carefully now, Brother Dearest. I’m about to do something you’ll be weeping with gratitude over later.”

A smile like that of a corrupt rural bureaucrat spread across Hazuki’s beautiful countenance.

She was referring to what they were heading into a department store together to buy—Western-style clothes for Miyo to wear.

Miyo had always been a bit curious about Western dress, but the opportunity to purchase them for herself, and the courage to do so, hadn’t presented itself. That was when Hazuki chimed in—

“I’m dying to see you dressed up in Western clothes, Miyo. You’ll be adorable, I know it!”

—and gave her the push she needed to take the plunge.

She couldn’t deny there was a tiny part of her that wanted to surprise her fianc
é
, too.

“…I’m still a bit nervous about how Kiyoka will respond, though…”

“You’ll be fine. After all, you were so, so,
so
cute when you tried them on! Even that surly lout will melt into an ogling puddle when he sees you. I’m sure of it!”

In truth, Miyo found the prospect of her elegant fianc
é
staring at her like that to be somewhat disconcerting… Still, she’d be happy if Hazuki’s intuition was correct.

“I just hope you’re right about that…”

“It’ll be totally fine; have some confidence. And once you’ve gotten familiar with Western clothes, we’ll try getting you a proper gown.”

As the two continued chatting, they arrived at the city limits, where they had parked their automobile.

Having completed their mission to buy Western clothes, they planned to head home early and continue Miyo’s etiquette lessons until it was time for dinner.

At this point, the timid girl who was unaccustomed to venturing into town last spring was long gone. Now Miyo genuinely enjoyed going out.

This area’s close to Kiyoka’s office…

She had taken the road there enough times to perfectly memorize the way and could easily head there without trouble. Of course, whether Kiyoka, Hazuki, or Yurie would permit her to do so was another matter entirely.

As Miyo was reflecting on all of this, it happened—a kimono-clad man ahead of them stumbled from the heavy load he was carrying.

“Ah!”

“Oh no, is he all right? Hang on. I feel like I’ve seen this man from behind before,” Hazuki remarked.

The two women exchanged glances.

Meanwhile, the man got into a squat by the roadside and hunched over.

He wasn’t looking so good. Deciding they couldn’t leave the man there, the pair hurried over to him.

“Are you okay?”

Miyo placed a hand on his back, but when she peered over to get a look at his face, she gasped.

The man was deathly pale. His complexion aside, however, she could not help being entranced by his shockingly handsome and refined features.

The stranger was fair skinned, dainty, and slightly androgynous to boot. Though undoubtedly a man at first glance, he exuded the graceful elegance of a highborn princess, secluded from the world.

He looks a lot like Kiyoka.

Both that momentary observation and her panic dissipated the next instant.

The man looked toward Miyo, an anguished, cold sweat running down his brow.

“Thank you, kind young lady… But this is how it always is…”

“Huh? Um, are you…sure?”

Despite his assurances, she couldn’t simply leave him behind in this state.

As Miyo furrowed her brow and deliberated over what to do, she heard Hazuki, who’d gone to fetch their automobile, cry out in shock.

“That voice. It couldn’t be—Father?”

“Hmm? First this strange young lady comes up to me, and now I’m seeing hallucinations of my little girl…
Koff, koff.
It must finally be my time…”

The man coughed as he mumbled incoherently before gazing off into the distance.

Miyo could only stand there dumbfounded, completely unable to grasp the scene before her. Meanwhile, Hazuki stopped panicking and heaved a sigh.

“Oh, please, what sort of nonsense are you spewing? I was sure my mind was playing tricks on me, but it really is you. What are you doing here anyway? …All right, then. Kiyoka’s office isn’t too far from here, so we’ll bring you there to rest a bit.”

“Um, Sis? Are you sure about this?”

Shouldn’t they be getting him to a hospital? And wouldn’t they be inconveniencing Kiyoka by barging into his workplace during the middle of the day?

Hazuki dismissed Miyo’s anxieties with a wave of her hand.

“Taking him to the hospital won’t do anything, and it’s not like he isn’t Kiyoka’s father, too.”

Heeding the suggestion of her exasperated sister-in-law, Miyo propped the man’s back up and headed off with Hazuki. Before she knew it, they had arrived at her fianc
é
’s place of work—the Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit station.

“And? What possessed you to come here? I’m really busy, you know,” Kiyoka groaned, rubbing his temples.

Miyo and Kiyoka were sitting next to each other on a sofa in the
Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit reception room. Across from them on another sofa sat Hazuki and her father.

“What’s the big deal? We were in the area,” Hazuki replied nonchalantly, not a hint of guilt on her face.

“Of course it’s a big deal. It’s a nuisance to get called away from work like this.”

“Um, Kiyoka…I’m sorry.”

When Miyo apologized to her fianc
é
, the annoyance on his face gave way to a smile as he reassured her.

“Don’t worry about it. If anyone’s at fault, it’s those two.”

He directed a piercing glare to the man and the woman on the sofa across from him.

Hazuki still seemed completely unbothered. Meanwhile, the man’s eyes instantly lit up at being addressed.

“Kiyoka! I missed you, it’s been so long! How are you doing? You never come by and visit any mo—
koff, koff !
”

The sickly man energetically approached Kiyoka before breaking out into a violent fit of coughing.

“
Sigh.
I’m begging you, just stay put. You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Kiyoka heaved an extra-large sigh and turned to face Miyo.

“You’ve basically got the gist of it. This sickly middle-aged man is my father, Tadakiyo Kudou. He used to be the head of the family.”

Miyo had guessed as much after hearing Hazuki address him as “Father” earlier.

No wonder the two men looked so much alike.

The first time she saw his—Tadakiyo’s—face, Miyo had immediately grasped his resemblance to Kiyoka.

While the former patriarch was of fair complexion, he had more color in his face than his son. His stunningly handsome looks, however, were a mirror image of Kiyoka’s own.

In fact, he didn’t look middle-aged at all. The man must have been in his fifties, but he looked in his thirties at most. If anything, you could be forgiven for thinking he was Kiyoka’s brother at first glance.

Still thrown off by all these surprises, Miyo nodded at Kiyoka’s words and bowed to Tadakiyo.

“Um, it’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Miyo Saimori.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Hazuki and Kiyoka’s father, Tadakiyo Kudou. I hope we’ll get along.”

“Y-yes, I hope we can get along as well.”

Miyo hesitantly gripped the pale and thin hand he thrust out in front of her.

…He really is just skin and bones.

Tadakiyo and Kiyoka had remarkably similar features, but upon a closer inspection, it was clear that the two were nothing alike in either expression or physique.

Though his slender body suggested otherwise, Kiyoka was a military man. Years of training had given him a deceptively sturdy build, and the skin on the palm of his sword hand was calloused and rough.

By contrast, Tadakiyo was every bit as fragile and delicate as his slender features suggested. He was also slightly shorter than Kiyoka, and the skin on his hands was so soft, it was almost transparent.

“Sorry to bother you like this, Miyo… As you can see, my father has a weak constitution,” said Kiyoka.

“We can bring him to the hospital, but there’s nothing they can do for him,” added Hazuki.

Kiyoka wearily slumped back. Hazuki also shook her head in exasperation.

Completely at odds with his two children, Tadakiyo flashed a bright smile at Miyo.

“
Koff.
You really saved me, Miyo. I’m glad I got to meet you back there.
Koff, koff
—nothing would make me happier than to have such a kind and gentle-hearted daughter as you!
Koff !
”

“Keep quiet.”

“Please, Father, hush.”

Tadakiyo drooped his shoulder at the sharp retorts from both of his children.

“Well then,” Kiyoka began, attempting to change the subject after he realized the conversation wasn’t going anywhere. “What brought you out here? You must have a reason, right?”

“Yes! Of course.”

Tadakiyo again leaned forward excitedly until Hazuki grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

Miyo tried to make sense of everything she knew about the Kudous for the time being.

Kiyoka’s parents spent most of their time in a villa in the countryside. It had been that way ever since Tadakiyo had relinquished his position as the head of the family, and the two rarely came out to the capital.

This was just speculation, but based on today’s events, Miyo assumed this state of affairs was the product of Tadakiyo’s weak constitution.

That explained why Hazuki was living by herself in the large Kudou main estate in the central part of the imperial capital, and why Kiyoka had taken up residence in a small house on the outskirts of the city.

The whole family had been scattered to the wind.

“I came to see you two,” Tadakiyo declared meekly after regaining his composure. Kiyoka gave him a dubious look.

“Why now of all times? It seems a little late for that.”

“…Well, yes. I’ll admit I was overdue for a visit. But, you know, it doesn’t take much for the summer heat to get to me.”

“Sure…”

“That said, I didn’t really think it proper not to come see how things were going at all, considering I arranged the marriage proposal in the first place. And obviously I wanted to see my son and daughter’s smiling faces, too.”

“Then why didn’t you notify us before your arrival, Father?”

Hazuki made a sound point. His health being in such poor shape should have been all the more reason for him to have gotten in touch ahead of time.

At this, Tadakiyo grinned foolishly and replied—

“Oh, well, I just thought I would surprise you two…”

His words prompted both Kiyoka and Hazuki to angrily shout back in unison, “You’re just being a nuisance!”

Ultimately, they didn’t want to interfere with Kiyoka’s work any more than they already had, so Miyo, Hazuki, and Tadakiyo decided to head elsewhere.

Their destination of choice was the Kudou estate, a magnificent manor befitting a prominent noble family.

This place is
too
big…

The excessive size of the building overwhelmed Miyo. It was so splendid that she shuddered when she imagined what it would be like if she ended up living there; she was so out of place.

“All right, feel free to come on in, Miyo.”

At Hazuki’s—the current owner of the building’s—insistence, Miyo entered the main estate for the first time.

The structure’s Western-style stonework exterior had been painted a light yellow. Vines snaked across the walls in patterns here and there.

Passing through the large double doors at the entrance, they came upon a spacious entryway covered in a reserved dark green carpet. The ceiling was so high that Miyo wouldn’t be able to reach it even if she were twice as tall.

Looking around, she noticed beautiful stained glass embedded in the wall above the front door.

Miyo had felt similarly daunted when she’d visited her mother’s childhood home, the Usuba estate; something about Western-style houses was intimidating to her. She’d grown up in a traditional Japanese-style residence, and her current home was also of this make, so she figured this was simply because she was more accustomed to them.

Moreover, only the second floor of the Usuba household had been remodeled in the Western style. This dwelling, on the other hand, was a true mansion, which made her even more anxious.

“I’m so sorry about this, Miyo. It turned into a mess at the drop of a hat.”

Hazuki seemed guilty, so Miyo shook her head in a flurry.

“N-not at all. Um, there’ve been a lot of surprises, but I’ve been managing… Besides, I’ve been wanting to introduce myself to Kiyoka’s parents for a while now.”

“I see.”

Her fianc
é
had previously told Miyo something to the effect of, “There’s no need to go out of your way to introduce yourself to my parents.”

He’d insisted that, as the head of the family, he wasn’t going to consult with his parents over every small detail of the marriage.

Nevertheless, while Kiyoka may not have let the former heads of the family voice any complaints, deep down, they were unlikely to view his potential partner in marriage very highly without meeting her beforehand. She had gathered that Kiyoka wasn’t very interested in keeping up with his parents, but it still saddened Miyo to think they might not look kindly upon her.

She wanted to formally introduce herself and establish a relationship with his parents if she had the opportunity.

I just know everyone would be happier that way.

Tadakiyo coming to meet her of his own accord and treating her so kindly had been an unexpected and happy surprise. To Miyo, at the very least.

“Being here really brings me back.”

Tadakiyo said cheerfully, looking around the entryway.

“But you almost never come to visit.”

“Indeed… Miyo. Allow me to apologize again for not coming to see you sooner. The truth is, I shouldn’t have delayed checking in on you both for so long.”

“Please, don’t let it bother you.”

After Miyo replied, she had a sudden realization:

Tadakiyo himself had instigated the marriage proposal between her and Kiyoka. In which case, there was something Miyo had to confirm for herself.

The three of them headed to the lounge.

This, too, was an extravagantly grand chamber. Exotic geometric designs adorned the walls and ceiling, along with gorgeous, flower-shaped light fixtures. The sofa was covered in leather, and even its wooden legs were elaborately engraved.

Awed by the dazzling interior, Miyo gently situated herself on the undoubtedly expensive sofa.

As the servants set down some fragrant black tea and tea cakes, Miyo seized the opportunity to speak.

“…Excuse me,” she began timidly.

“What is it?” Tadakiyo asked, tilting his head with a smile.

“Are you sure you’re satisfied with me?”

“Miyo?” Hazuki interjected, frowning at her question and setting down her teacup.

“Now, what would you mean by that?” Tadakiyo inquired.

“In…in my original home, I was basically treated like I wasn’t even there. So I’m wondering how people would have even known I was a member of the Saimori family…”

The atmosphere in the room instantly chilled. But she couldn’t back down now. Miyo summoned what little courage she had and continued.

“When people talked about the ‘Saimori daughter,’ they were referring to my little sister. I essentially ended up coming to the Kudou family by accident.”

In fact, her little sister had insisted that she was more suited to be Kiyoka’s wife. Miyo, however, had told her that she didn’t want to give up her place at his side.

Yet Miyo hadn’t been able to assert that she would be a better bride. The truth was that only Kaya had possessed the skills and education suitable to be wedded into the Kudou family at the time.

Miyo simply couldn’t believe that Tadakiyo had sought someone as insignificant and penniless as herself at the time.

“In other words, you’re wondering if you weren’t the woman who I requested to be Kiyoka’s wife. Is that it?”

“That’s…right.”

Hearing Tadakiyo verbalize it himself made her chest ache. Despite knowing it was simply the truth.

Kiyoka had told Miyo that he wanted her by his side. She had also decided to trust in him and stay with him through thick and thin. Yet she was still afraid of being told she wasn’t needed.

She unconsciously lowered her head.

But what Tadakiyo said next was neither harsh nor cold.

“Kiyoka’s going to be upset with me if I do this, isn’t he? Ah well, I’m sure it’ll work out,” Tadakiyo said before gently rubbing Miyo’s head.

“I’ll admit, I thought that the rumors I heard about the Saimori daughter were about your sister.”

“…I see.”

“But I actually knew about you, too.”

Miyo instinctively lifted up her head.

Greeting her was Tadakiyo’s stiff, troubled smile.

“That being said, I only dug into things after I heard the stories about Kaya. I guess I thought that since the Saimoris had another daughter, she might be the one to come to our family.”

Shinichi Saimori’s penchant for doting on the daughter of his second wife was well known, but Miyo’s existence wasn’t exactly a secret, either.

According to Tadakiyo, that was why he’d purposely avoided asking for one of them in particular and went through an acquaintance to ask Shinichi, “What do you say to having your daughter marry my boy?”

He’d been gambling to see which one of his two daughters would arrive at Kiyoka’s doorstep.

“See, my son was so against getting married back then that I just figured I’d take a chance… I was practically desperate at that point.”

“…Desperate…”

“Oh, obviously, I get that I was rude to the Saimori family. I do feel guilty.”

Miyo grew flustered. She had no idea how she was supposed to react to this information.

“I also insulted you, Miyo. For that I am truly sorry.”

“N-no, it’s okay.”

“Clearly, I didn’t go about things in the best way, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. If anything, I feel like giving myself a pat on the back for a job well done.”

Tadakiyo chuckled and crossed his arms with a proud look on his face.

“After all, Kiyoka…my son’s changed ever since you came into his life, Miyo.”

“What?”

She blinked.

Kiyoka’s…changed?

She didn’t know what Tadakiyo meant by that. Kiyoka had been kind to her from the very beginning, and it didn’t take her long to realize the tales of his heartlessness were unfounded.

Of course, she could also imagine how his exceedingly handsome features coupled with his poor way with words would give people the wrong impression. Still, Tadakiyo must have understood what Kiyoka was like on the inside—he was his father.

Tadakiyo didn’t provide any answers at Miyo’s questioning tilt of her head.

“That’s why you have nothing to worry about. I’m so grateful that you came to his side.”

“…Thank you very much.”

She choked up.

Miyo had been convinced she was completely and utterly worthless when she was living with the Saimoris. Though she wouldn’t go quite so far as to say that now, she did think of her old self as being empty, nearly a lost cause.

Despite her low opinion of herself, people had repeatedly insisted Miyo was irreplaceable since she’d arrived at Kiyoka’s side.

Not in her wildest dreams could she have imagined things going this perfectly. If anything, it made her wonder if she had the right to be this happy.

“Fuyu’s still a bit cross over it all at the moment, but I’m sure she’ll come around to you eventually, Miyo.”

“…Fuyu?”

“Mother will? Oh, no, there’s no way.”

This “Fuyu” woman Tadakiyo had referred to was his wife—Hazuki and Kiyoka’s mother.

Miyo was shocked by the downright loathing look that came over Hazuki’s face when Fuyu was mentioned. She’d never seen her sister-in-law look so disgusted before.

“Honestly. I just don’t understand why you and Kiyoka hate your mother so much.”

“It’s less that we hate her and more that there aren’t many people in this world capable of
liking
someone who’s irritable all day every day.”

“Was that a roundabout way of calling your old man a weirdo…? In any event, that subject’s related to why I’ve come out here, so let’s save it for when Kiyoka arrives.”

From there, the conversation between the three of them bounced from topic to topic, and before they knew it, the sun was already dipping down to the horizon.

Though the idle chitchat was enjoyable, the fact that they were just sitting around without doing anything made Miyo uncomfortable.

Just when the lack of activity threatened to become more than she could bear, Kiyoka finally arrived at the Kudou main estate.

“The master scion has returned.”

Miyo couldn’t help lifting her head up instantly at the servant’s announcement.

By “master scion,” they meant Kiyoka. Technically, her fianc
é
should have been referred to as “master,” as he was the current head of the family. Since Tadakiyo, the previous family patriarch, had relinquished that position so early, however, the servants still addressed him by his old title, while Kiyoka was “master scion.”

Relief washed over Miyo as she rushed out of the room in excitement.

“Welcome back, Kiyoka.”

She found him in the entryway, panting slightly, as if he’d rushed to get to the estate. Noticing her, he relaxed his lips and replied, “Thanks.”

When Miyo went to take off his jacket like usual, he turned around abruptly and stared at her hard in the face.

“Miyo, did my father do anything to you?”

“Wh-what? Um, like what…?”

“Hug you, hold your hand, pat you on the head, make advances to you.”

Kiyoka listed everything in a single breath. Miyo flinched for a second. One of his examples definitely rang a bell.

Nor did Kiyoka overlook the momentary and subtle change in his fianc
é
e’s expression.

“…He did, didn’t he?”

“N-no, um, well—”

“Oh yes, I get the picture. Time to turn that hopeless father of mine to ashes.”

Kiyoka’s expression grew stony as he lit and extinguished a blue flame in his open palm.

Panicked, Miyo pulled on her seething fianc
é
’s arm.

“Y-you can’t!”

“Oh, no, I don’t mind. Disposing of that pest will be refreshing.”

“W-well, I mind. It would tear me apart to see you become a murderer, Kiyoka.”

This was a rare chance for a father-to-son chat. They didn’t need to like each other, but she at least wanted them to talk to each other to resolve their conflict.

“…”

“…”

It seemed that her feelings of desperation had affected him. Giving in to his fianc
é
e, Kiyoka quelled the flames of his anger.

“Fine. I’ll hear his excuse, at least.”

“Thank you.”

The two went to the dining room at the servant’s direction. Dinner had already been served, and Hazuki and Tadakiyo were seated at the table.

Both father and daughter grinned from ear to ear as they looked toward the couple.

“My, you two certainly took your time, didn’t you? I don’t remember the walk from the entryway being
that
long.”

“Yup, this played out exactly like I imagined. They were busy telling each other, ‘I’m home,
ma chérie
,’ and ‘Welcome home,
mon amour
!’”

Ma chérie? Mon amour…?
Miyo didn’t recognize the words, so she assumed they were from another language.

As she stood there in confusion, she felt frigid air radiate next to her, as though they were in the middle of a tundra.

“Take back that sickening delusion of yours this instant. Before I burn you to a crisp.”

“What do you mean, ‘sickening’? Why, that’s how Fuyu and I voice our love for each other!”

“Huh? Seriously? You say that to Mother?”

Tadakiyo puffed out his cheeks in childish indignation as Hazuki stared at him in utter disbelief.

Seeing that things were gradually getting out of hand, Miyo got Kiyoka’s attention and encouraged him to sit down.

“Okay, let’s eat, everyone.”

At the encouragement of Hazuki, who was the head of the house, they each picked up their respective chopsticks and cutlery.

In light of Tadakiyo’s weak constitution, the chef had thoughtfully prepared a serving of easy-to-swallow tofu and rice porridge for the former patriarch. Hazuki, on the other hand, had been given a colorful and extravagant soup and salad combo mainly composed of vegetables. And in front of Kiyoka’s place sat a typical Japanese-style meal featuring fish, simmered bonito-broth-based dishes, and the like.

Miyo’s meal was largely identical to her fianc
é
’s. The main dish was an autumn salmon the chef had flavored with a rare combination of Japanese seasonings and Western herbs. It was accompanied by a miso soup and sweet potato soup. There was also a vegetable side dish and a generous serving of shiitake, shimeji, and maitake mushrooms.
The well-marinated fungi were rich in flavor without being overly salty.

I’ve never tasted anything like this…but it’s truly delicious.

She would have expected nothing less from the Kudou family chef. First class in both skill and consideration for their employers’ respective tastes, they had utilized the ingredients in a novel way that wouldn’t have occurred to an amateur like her.

Miyo busily worked her chopsticks, all the while mulling over which parts of the meal she could use in her own cooking.

A few moments passed. Once everyone had gotten halfway through the meal, Kiyoka touched on the main topic of the evening.

“About that matter we didn’t get to this afternoon.”

“Oh yes, that’s right. It’s been so long since I’ve had food from the main estate that I lost myself for a moment.”

Tadakiyo chuckled. Miyo could keenly perceive Kiyoka’s irritation.

“But in all seriousness, I wasn’t lying earlier. I came here to see you two, visit the capital and the estate, and check in on how everything was going. But I did make this journey for another reason—Kiyoka, Miyo.” Her future father-in-law turned to both of them as he called their names before continuing. “I want to invite the both of you to the villa where Fuyu and I live.”

“Huh?!”

Miyo was the only one surprised. Both Kiyoka and Hazuki were unfazed; they seemed to have already surmised as much.

Kiyoka’s single-word response was similarly unenthused:

“No.”

This was no surprise to Miyo.

She’d seen this coming based on how Kiyoka had acted since getting here.

In all honesty, she wanted to go to the villa. But she didn’t want to force Kiyoka to go along with her wishes if it was only going to displease him.

“Or at least that’s what I’d like to say.”

Just as Miyo started to get discouraged, Kiyoka resumed speaking, much as he seemed to loathe it.

“Unfortunately, I’m not in a position to refuse… I reluctantly accept the invitation.”

“Oh, really? Are you sure?” Miyo asked.

“Some unavoidable circumstances came up at work. The villa visit is just incidental.”

“It’s for work? Are you sure I should go with you?”

She might get in his way if he was visiting for his military duties.

Kiyoka smiled slightly at her question.

“It’s okay. The work itself doesn’t pose much of a threat if you’re not directly involved, and the defenses around the villa are flawless. It’s no problem at all for you to come along.”

“…Then I’d be happy to join.”

Just like that, Miyo was set to be guided by Tadakiyo to the Kudou family villa, together with Kiyoka.

Dinner was over. As Kiyoka prepared to depart, his father called out to stop him.

“Kiyoka.”

“What?”

He hadn’t meant to reply to Tadakiyo so bluntly.

Kiyoka was fully cognizant of his ambivalence toward his father.

It wasn’t that Tadakiyo had done anything to him directly. Rather, his distrust of the man stemmed from how he’d allowed his mother to do whatever she pleased back when the whole family lived together at the estate. Nothing more.

It seemed that Kiyoka’s unwillingness to settle on a marriage partner had weighed on Tadakiyo for a long time. Yet for all his anxieties, the man had never realized that his wife was one of the driving forces behind Kiyoka’s hesitancy.

Frankly, he thought his father had deserved the stress on occasion.

…I wanted to send him packing this time, too.

Kiyoka glanced down at Miyo, who was blinking beside him.

“Truth is, there’ve been suspicious people popping up around the villa lately.”

“Suspicious people? The villa’s got a barrier around it, right?”

“Yeah, it does. That’s why I don’t really think they’d cause us any harm. But it makes you wonder, doesn’t it? Why, it might even have something to do with your work. Just thought I’d let you know.”

“…It’s possible.”

Kiyoka thought back over the mission the Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit had been contracted to handle.

The details of the assignment involved an unnatural phenomenon said to be occurring in the area around a farming village. Though the scale of the phenomenon was small, the future emperor, Takaihito, had nevertheless asked Kiyoka to take care of it.

The farming village in question was close to the villa his parents called home.

This couldn’t be a coincidence. Takaihito must have had an ulterior motive behind nominating Kiyoka to handle the task.

“I confess that I’d like you to do something about it, if possible.”

“I’ll consider it if I have the time to spare.”

A frustrated sigh escaped his lips.

The only reason he hadn’t dismissed his father outright and told him to figure it out himself, like he’d always done up until that point, was because his fianc
é
e was standing beside him.

Don’t run away from your father
, her eyes seemed to say.

“Time to go home,” said Kiyoka, turning to Miyo.

“Yes.”

Estranged or not, he was lucky to have an opportunity to confront his parents and try to get through to them with his words—meeting Miyo had taught him that.

He owed it to her to try just one more time to face the mother he detested so much.