Chapter 5. Endings and New Beginnings

CHAPTER 5

Endings and New Beginnings

That cherry tree again. Miyo was dreaming about it for the second time.

“Mother.”

The cherry tree in the Saimoris’ garden was in full bloom. Next to it stood Miyo’s mother, the color of her kimono matching the flowers. She was beckoning her daughter closer, smiling. Miyo took a hesitant step toward her. Then another, and another, but just like in her first dream, she wasn’t getting any closer.

“Mother, I…”

She didn’t finish saying “I want to go over to your side” because she heard another voice calling her name, one she couldn’t let go unanswered.

“I’ll see you again, Mother!”

Her mother continued gesturing for her to come closer, but Miyo headed in the other direction.

She awoke to the familiar sight of her room in Kiyoka’s house after it was all over. A doctor had examined her, and although she didn’t have any broken bones, she was severely bruised, so they advised her to rest for a few days. Kiyoka took time off from work to look after her, which made her feel happy, anxious, and further indebted to him.

Yurie had cried with relief when he’d brought Miyo back. She’d been worried Miyo might die from dehydration if her captors locked her up. Yurie had also been busy seeing to the needs of Kiyoka, who’d been taking care of Miyo—she was much obliged to both of them. And later on, bit by bit, Kiyoka told Miyo what had happened to her family home.

“It burned down…?”

“Yes.” Tension lined his face. “The house was made of wood and had many gardens. It all went up in smoke very fast.”

He admitted that he couldn’t have done anything to quench the blaze Minoru Tatsuishi had conjured. Fortunately, no one had died.

“As for your parents… They’ve dismissed roughly half the servants and moved to a smaller residence in the countryside. They’ll have to get used to a much lower standard of living. This might also be the end of their career serving the emperor. House Saimori has been ruined.”

“Ruined…”

Since Miyo had never been allowed to enjoy any of the privileges that came from having a wealthy family, she wasn’t sure what to make of this news.

“And what about Kaya?”

“She’s been sent to serve a family infamous for their strict house rules. She’s young; the experience will help her build some character.”

Although Kaya possessed Spirit-Sight, she could use only the most basic of supernatural techniques and had no special powers. As such, there was no harm in sending her away to stay with ordinary people.

Miyo was relieved that everyone would have a roof above their head, at least.

“What happened to the Tatsuishis…?”

“Minoru Tatsuishi’s crimes haven’t been made public. He won’t be taken to court, but he accepted responsibility for the incident by stepping down as the head of the household. His eldest son, Kazushi, now holds that title, and he agreed to remain under my direct supervision, which will limit some of his freedoms. This puts the Tatsuishi family effectively under my command.”

“Oh…I see.”

Naturally, Kiyoka wouldn’t have forgone punishing the people who’d tortured his fianc
é
e. He’d dealt with them as harshly as if they were common criminals and had achieved such arrangements not so much through discussion as with intimidation. But this, Miyo didn’t need to know. They’d lost their status, houses, and wealth, their families reduced
to mere shadows of their former selves. Perhaps they wouldn’t be able to cope with these drastic changes, but Kiyoka held no pity for them.

The next few days passed in the blink of an eye.

“Are you feeling all right?” Kiyoka asked Miyo.

“Yes. I wasn’t seriously injured to begin with…”

He helped her get out of his car. It was a cloudy day with weak sunshine, pleasantly cool for summer. They’d driven to what remained of the Saimori residence. The charred ruins would be cleared away any day, so Miyo had insisted on visiting before then. Kiyoka wasn’t in favor of coming here with her again, but in the end, he’d reluctantly agreed. She was adamant about checking on something on the premises.

“Watch your step.”

“I’ll be careful.”

The house in which she’d been born and raised had almost burned to the ground. Some foundations and pillars were still standing, but the rest had turned to ashes, so it was impossible to tell where one room ended and another began. It was difficult for Miyo to make out what had been where even though she’d lived there almost her entire life. Since the house had been leveled, they could walk right over it. Though Miyo felt a twinge of sadness at the sight, it didn’t last long. Guided by her memory, she headed toward her destination. Kiyoka sometimes lent her a hand to ensure she wouldn’t trip over any debris, but they walked on in silence.

Miyo was making her way toward the largest of the inner courtyards, the one where a cherry tree had once stood. Her mother’s tree. It had been cut down after it had withered, but the stump had never been removed. That particular courtyard could be accessed only from Miyo’s original room and her mother’s. No one besides the servants who tidied it sporadically had set foot there in many years, not even a gardener. The stump had since died and turned gray. Nevertheless, Miyo had wanted to see it because of her dream about her mother in a pink kimono, standing beside this tree, beckoning her daughter closer. Since she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it, she’d felt compelled to visit this place.

There it was, burned to charcoal but still recognizable. As she squatted next to the stump, Kiyoka sat on his haunches next to her.

“This is what you wanted to see?”

“Yes… It’s what’s left of the cherry tree planted when my mother married.”

Even she hadn’t spent much time in this garden. This stump of the tree that had been cut down when she was only a toddler had been a sad reminder of all the other things from her mother that she’d lost. Just looking at it made Miyo lonely.

Slowly, she reached out for it and brushed it with her fingertips. The old, thick stump crumbled at her touch, as if made of sand. Something else happened simultaneously.

“Oh…”

Miyo felt a sharp pain in her head, like an electric shock. It lasted for only a split second, so she didn’t cry out, and when it was gone, she doubted whether it had even happened.

“Is something the matter?”

“N-no…”

She’d jerked her hand away from the stump in surprise, flexed her fingers, and made a fist. The pain must have been from her earlier injuries. Maybe she hadn’t fully recovered yet. This explanation satisfied her.

“Shall we go?”

“Yes, let’s.”

Now the only mark Miyo’s mother had left in this world was Miyo herself. But that was fine. In fact, that was probably why her mother had called her there—to show her it was time to move on. And so she would. While she would not deny her past, it would be a closed chapter from here on out. She’d had her share of misfortune, but now she had the means to attain happiness.

They walked out of the broken gate and saw a familiar face on the street.

“Kouji…”

When she called his name, he stared at her with slight befuddlement and maybe a hint of guilt.

“Miyo… It’s…it’s been a while.”

“Yes, it has.”

Not counting the brief moment before she fell unconscious when Kouji and Kiyoka came to rescue her, she had last seen him a month ago, when he’d been with Kaya in the city. They hadn’t gotten to talk back then, so it felt as if she hadn’t seen him in even longer.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m much better now, thank you.”

“I’m glad to hear that… Say, do you have a moment or two to talk? I won’t be able to stay in the city much longer, so this might be our last chance to chat.”

Miyo had heard Kiyoka had found her so quickly thanks to Kouji, so she wanted to thank him. But if Kiyoka said no, she wouldn’t insist. She glanced up at him questioningly. He heaved a sigh and nodded. She had his permission.

“Sure, let’s talk.”

“Thanks. Do you mind if we go over there?”

They walked away a little and sat down on stone steps shaded by trees. They used to rest here when playing outside when they were little. Those stolen moments with Kouji had made her childhood bearable after she’d lost her mother and her place in the family. She owed him a debt of gratitude for having been her only friend back then.

“…Thank you from the bottom of my heart for coming to my rescue.”

“I wish I could say you’re welcome, but the truth is, I didn’t do anything. I was powerless. All I managed to do to help you was to tell your fianc
é
what happened.”

He looked dejected.

“Kiyoka told me that if it weren’t for you, he wouldn’t have been able to come to my aid so quickly,” Miyo added.

“…I suppose that’s right. So I did contribute that way.”

She thought of saying something encouraging to him but stopped herself. He wouldn’t have wanted her to stroke his damaged ego purely out of sympathy.

“Not being able to do anything was incredibly frustrating. I may have
inherited the Gift, but my abilities are worthless. I used to think all that mattered was that I had it and could pass it on, so I gave up on trying to improve it. But the one time when my Gifts actually mattered, when I wanted to save you, they were so useless that I had to give up then, too.”

Even though he didn’t have notable powers, Kouji had supported her in another way—by getting angry at her mistreatment. That was what really mattered to her. Without him, she’d have truly been without a single ally, so she might not have had the strength to survive.

“You’ve probably heard from Mr. Kudou already, but I’ve decided to undergo training.”

No longer anguished, he looked at her with eyes glinting with optimism. He was going to move to the old capital and train to become an adept Gift-user. Many renowned Gifted families still lived there, and the knowledge of supernatural abilities and techniques hadn’t yet fallen into obscurity as it had in the imperial capital. As such, it was far better suited for his needs. However, going away to train didn’t mean he was freed from his other obligations. He was still engaged to Kaya and had been designated the next head of the Saimori family. Depending on whether he went on to become a recognized Gift-user, he might be able to restore the Saimoris to high status one day—or so Kiyoka had told him.

That was certainly a better way to frame it than admitting that Kouji would have to leave his home city due to a scandal his family had caused. Additionally, repairing the reputation of the Saimoris, who hadn’t been mobilized for anti-Grotesquerie missions in a very long time, would be no easy task. Though it was a tall order, at least he finally had the agency to make a difference.

Miyo couldn’t offer him any practical advice, but she would support him with her encouragement.

“I’m going to give this my all. And you, Miyo… You’ll be safe with Mr. Kudou. He can protect you. And I’ll train to grow stronger so that I’ll also be able to protect what’s important to me.”

“I wish you the best of luck.”

Just like Miyo, Kouji had decided to move on with his life with renewed hope. She, too, would train, sparing no effort—to become a worthy wife to Kiyoka. As she considered her own resolutions, she momentarily lost herself in thought.

“By the way…”

“Yes?”

He scratched his cheek in embarrassment, struggling to get the words out.

“Do you remember when I tried to tell you something important that day…?”

She immediately understood that he meant the day her family had told her to wed Kiyoka Kudou. It was fresh in her memory.

“I wanted to—”

At the time, she’d been so anxious about her future, so overwhelmed by despair, that it hadn’t mattered to her what he was going to say, so she’d just left it hanging. And while she could calmly ask him about it now, she sensed that what he wanted wasn’t to continue that conversation. Instead, she gave him the answer he was hoping for.

“I’m very sorry, but I don’t remember…”

“You don’t?”

“I’m afraid not. You said it was important?”

“Oh, um… No, not really. It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

He nodded to himself a few times and brightened up, as if her answer had taken a load off his chest and decided something for him. Miyo was glad to see that.

“We should head back. Your fianc
é
might get mad at me if I keep you to myself for too long.”

“All right.”

They headed back to the gate of the Saimori residence in a lighter mood. Miyo broke into a run for the last few steps and announced her return. Kiyoka smiled and stroked her head affectionately.

“Seems you enjoyed yourself.”

“Yes, I did. Sorry for keeping you waiting.”

“I don’t mind. If you’re finished here, we should head back home.”

Miyo turned one last time toward Kouji.

“Kouji, let’s meet again someday.”

“Until next time, Miyo.”

He waved at her with a little smile, and she bowed lightly back at him before getting in Kiyoka’s car. Nothing more would tie her to this place.

Kouji stood on the street and watched the car until it vanished from his sight.