Chapter 3. To the Usuba Household

CHAPTER 3

To the Usuba Household

A short while earlier.

Kiyoka glared at Arata, who had arrived late to their meeting.

“You’re tardy.”

“Yeah, sorry about that.”

Arata sat down on the reception room sofa, his smiling face showing not even the slightest hint of guilt.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve showing up behind schedule.”

Their meeting wasn’t a particularly important one. It may have been unreasonable to complain about a delay of a few minutes, but Kiyoka was nevertheless irritated.

“I don’t have any excuses. The heat’s made me a bit careless, I think.”

“…I’d still like to hear a reason, if you’ve got one.”

“There was a bit of a misunderstanding on my end. I heard that you were off duty today, Commander Kudou, so I first visited your home instead.”

Kiyoka widened his eyes in surprise.

He was indeed originally scheduled to be off duty today. However, with the movements of the Burial Ground spirits still unclear, he couldn’t afford to relax. Subsequently, he’d relinquished his days off to come in to work.

He assumed these intentions of his had been properly conveyed to Arata as well.

“I see, someone must have forgotten to inform you.”

It appeared that it wasn’t only Kiyoka’s men on the ground who’d fallen into disarray, but also Ookaito and the Ministry of the Imperial Household as well.

Kiyoka sighed.

He couldn’t remember when he’d last spent time at home. Instead, he would return momentarily in the evening to rest for a short while before returning to the station in the middle of the night, and he wouldn’t return home until the following evening.

Sightings of a strange doll, encounters with ghosts…and other such reports. The large number of eyewitness accounts and grievances, whether they involved the Burial Grounds or some other entity, were keeping Kiyoka’s unit busy. They responded to the whole gamut of reports one by one, and then they would separate the wheat—strong information—from the chaff and gather evidence as necessary. Reporting all the minute details to the higher-ups was taxing.

Despite this, he still prioritized sending his subordinates home or making them take breaks, which placed a heavier and heavier burden on Kiyoka’s shoulders instead. This was largely the source of his irritated mood.

He was ashamed that just being busy could make him feel so irritated.

“Well, that’s basically it. Oh yes, I also met your fianc
é
e as well, Commander.”

Kiyoka felt himself twitch at the casual disclosure.

Arata smirked with a spiteful and ridiculing glimmer in his eyes.

“She gave me a courteous reception. I’m not surprised you’ve taken such a fantastic person as your betrothed.”

“Is that sarcasm?”

“Not at all, merely stating a fact… That being said, while I am aware this may be none of my business, I heartily disapprove of treating such a fine woman the way you are now.”

“Excuse me?”

Kiyoka didn’t understand what Arata was insinuating. He furrowed his brows.

“Previously…though, really, it was just a few days ago, I actually crossed paths with Miyo.”

“And?”

“At the time, she looked ready to collapse on the spot. She seemed totally unhealthy, too.”

“…………”

“She actually did almost fall over. Luckily, I saved her there on the roadside. And though she looked unwell back then, when I saw her today, it seemed her condition has only grown worse.”

It was the first he’d heard about Miyo being acquainted with Arata, and Kiyoka was displeased that a man whom he was only loosely familiar with was talking about her like this.

Yet Arata’s remark made Kiyoka realize that he had no memory of what Miyo’s complexion had looked like the night prior.

What was it like on that moonlit evening? Or the night before that?

The daily nightmares had worn Miyo down to the bone. She looked haggard enough to wither away at any moment. Despite searching for the Usuba family to try and do something for her as soon as he could, there had been no progress on that front, and with work hounding him, simply returning home to see her was nigh impossible.

A cold sweat ran down his brow.

“Whether you’re busy at work or not, shouldn’t you be more concerned for your fianc
é
e? Ask her what’s wrong, at the very least… Personally speaking, I would never let my betrothed end up like that.”

Under normal circumstances, Kiyoka would have yelled at him to mind his own business. Strangers shouldn’t talk about your fianc
é
e like that.

But those words never left his mouth.

After the meeting with Arata had concluded, Kiyoka finished his work with what little focus he could muster, obtained new conclusive information from a private investigator, and headed home.

The things Arata had said to him that afternoon had been stuck in
his mind ever since. But after hearing the facts the investigator had brought to light, now he was sure of everything.

The only thing that couldn’t keep up with the situation was Kiyoka’s own heart.

Once he’d finally arrived home, the usual sight of Miyo coming out into the entryway to greet him was absent for some reason. It did not take him long to find her inside the house, though.

“Miyo.”

He called out to her from behind as she busily worked in the kitchen. But it seemed as though her mind was somewhere else entirely, so she failed to notice.

“Miyo.”

“…………”

“Miyo.”

After he called her name for the third time, her hands finally stopped moving, and she turned around with a deeply surprised look on her face.

“K-Kiyoka?”

A glance was all Kiyoka needed to tell she hadn’t noticed him return home. Was she that absorbed in what she was doing…? No, that wasn’t it.

“…I’m home.”

“W-welcome back. Sorry for not coming to greet you…!”

“I don’t mind.”

Kiyoka stared hard at Miyo as she ran pitter-patter over to where he stood.

Wrapped in a pale turquoise kimono with scattered maple leaves, she truly looked like a noblewoman. Anyone seeing her as she was now would applaud her as a lovely, gentle, and graceful lady.

While he’d been spending more and more time away from home, Miyo’s devotion to studying with his older sister had made the figure standing before him look so remarkably different, he almost didn’t recognize her.

And yet, despite it all…

“Miyo, why…?”

He couldn’t properly spin his next works together.

Kiyoka recalled the last few months.

When Miyo first arrived, she’d been in a terrible state.

Her body had been unhealthily gaunt, nothing more than skin and bones. A pallor clung to her complexion, and her hair and skin had been worn down and battered.

But that was supposed to have all changed for the better. Living out a normal life here should have prevented her from ever entering that wretched state again.

Nevertheless, this was a complete regression.

The color had faded from her cheeks, and dark rings lined her eyes. It was no figment of Kiyoka’s imagination that the flesh on her cheeks and wrists, which had taken so long to develop, was now wasting away. It seemed even more pronounced now than it had been on that moonlit evening.

So everything Arata said was right after all.

Something began to simmer inside Kiyoka, slowly rising up to the surface.

“Um…?”

“My sister’s study sessions have been pretty strict, then?”

Miyo shook her head at his barbed question.

“No, um, Hazuki is always… She’s very considerate—”

“Then what is it?”

Irritated, he caustically demanded an answer.

Kiyoka himself didn’t comprehend why he was so annoyed. Before he realized it, he had taken hold of Miyo’s arm.

“Kiyoka, I…”

“Why have you gotten so thin? Why are you so absentminded, you don’t even notice when I’ve come home?”

“It’s because, um…”

His dissatisfaction intensified as he watched her avoid his gaze.

“You never told me that you’ve met Arata Tsuruki before.”

“U-um…Kiyoka.”

“That’s not all, either. Do you think I don’t know about the horrible dreams you’ve been having night in and night out?”

This was the remark that made Miyo stiffen up, widen her eyes.

No, no, this isn’t how I wanted to broach this conversation.

A contradictory mix of emotions swirled around inside Kiyoka’s chest.

He definitely hadn’t meant to reprimand her, neither about her encounter with Arata, nor about her nightmares. Kiyoka had wanted to take care of her, not hurt her, and bring this up in a different way.

But the moment he voiced the thoughts that had steadily been piling up in his mind, he could no longer stop himself.

“I told you already, didn’t I? Talk to me about anything. Rely on me. Depend on me. Yet no matter how much time we’ve been together, you still won’t confide in me at all.”

“…………”

“Do you not trust me then? Is that why you won’t tell me anything?”

“No, of course not…”

Miyo’s voice was trembling severely. When she looked up at Kiyoka, he could see large tears welling up in her eyes.

“I didn’t want to trouble you with anything. You already looked so busy and exhausted, and I didn’t want to worry you with my own problems on top of it all.”

“I’m not exhausted at all. Don’t decide that for yourself.”

“Hng!”

It was a bald-faced lie. He was so ragged right now that even his carefree subordinate, Godou, had picked up on it and ordered him not to return to the station for the rest of the night.

The way Kiyoka saw things, his turning a blind eye toward Miyo’s health and his heavy-handed questioning were both consequences of the exhaustion weakening his judgment and restraint.

Caught up in his current momentum, however, he let the following words escape his mouth:

“If this was how things were going to end up, I shouldn’t have given you the chance to study at all.”

“
____
”

Stunned, tears spilled from Miyo’s eyes, and Kiyoka finally realized his verbal blunder.

The learning Miyo herself had told him she wanted to do. The light in her eyes as she gazed at the piles of textbooks she’d borrowed from Hazuki. When she was with his sister, she always seemed as if she was having fun.

And he had just rejected all of it.

“That’s cruel, Kiyoka.”

Her tears flowed one after another down her face, soaking the floor below.

Kiyoka regretted his words immensely. Aghast at his own actions, he couldn’t manage anything in response.

“I…I only…”

His voice awkwardly trailed off.

Miyo shook violently before she collapsed into his swiftly outstretched arms. She was light as a feather; a shiver ran down his spine.

I’m awful.

He had hurt his fianc
é
e.

Any excuse about this being an accident, or that he’d let his emotions get the better of him, was totally meaningless. She was exhausted and more wounded than anyone he’d known, yet he had hurt her all the same.

He had done the absolute worst thing he could ever do.

Was this any different from her treatment under the Saimoris?

He gathered the unconscious Miyo into his arms.

Guilt gnawing at him, he started to carry her to her room when his downward gaze happened to land on an unfamiliar piece of paper lying on the floor.

“What’s this…?”

The words written on the paper fully substantiated Kiyoka’s suspicions.

He didn’t hesitate in his decision at all. This was the only path to save Miyo and atone for his harsh words.

When she pulled back her slightly puffy eyelids, she was greeted by the ceiling of her room.

Morning? Already…?

A faint light illuminated the room. She heard the warbling of birds outside.

But Miyo didn’t remember getting into bed and falling asleep last night.

When she thought back, wondering what had happened, she went pale.

That’s right. How could I do that to Kiyoka?

Not only had she lashed out and rudely called him cruel, but she’d also fainted and made him carry her to her room.

She’d carelessly ended up brooding over Arata’s words. Miyo was always sure to hear the sounds of Kiyoka’s automobile engine, but with her poor health and heavy thoughts, she had been more absentminded and distracted than ever before.

It was the first time she had ever seen Kiyoka get so angry.

At first, she thought he was cross with her for not coming to the door to greet him, but that wasn’t it. His face contorted with melancholy, as though ready to burst into tears at any moment.

…Kiyoka was waiting for me to talk to him myself.

She was a fool.

Kiyoka had known about the nightmares tormenting her after all and was waiting for her to confide in him. Watching Miyo take on everything herself without a word to anyone else, despite her insurmountable hardships, made it appear as though she didn’t trust anyone, not even him.

If only she had thought about it for a moment, it would have been immediately obvious. But instead, she’d only focused on herself.

Miyo was sure that night on the veranda had been her last golden opportunity. And she’d wasted it.

Kiyoka was kind. Kind enough for Miyo’s foolish behavior to make him incredibly concerned.

What am I going to do…?

Would he forgive her if she apologized? At this rate, she had no room to complain if this was the final straw.

Her horrible visions were now reality.

As though he was depriving her of any opportunity to apologize, Kiyoka didn’t say a word all morning.

While Miyo knew it was her own fault, his conduct still caused pain to seep into her chest, as though she had returned to her first days at the house. Additionally, she was annoyed with herself for unconsciously expecting that Kiyoka’s kindness meant she would be forgiven.

Normally, Yurie would clear the air in these situations, but unfortunately, it was her day off.

After finishing their dour, seemingly endless breakfast together, Miyo began to clean up. It was then that Kiyoka announced, “Get ready to go out.”

Rather than feeling relieved at hearing him address her, she was seized by anxiety.

This might really be the end.

Last night wasn’t the time to have focused her attention on what Arata had told her.

Her and Kiyoka’s relationship could fall apart, and she had none other than herself to blame for destroying everything.

She had strived so hard because she wanted to stay at her fianc
é
’s side. But what if her own foolishness made Kiyoka suffer? What if he told her he didn’t need her anymore? Those were all problems far more fundamental than any amount of effort could solve.

For the time being, she followed his instructions, changing her clothes and getting herself together to prepare for their excursion.

Kiyoka also remained silent during their trip. On account of the
tense atmosphere, Miyo didn’t speak up until they had reached their destination, either.

What is this place…?

It looked like a corporation of some sort. A two-story brick building standing on a plot of land in the imperial city, with a large storeroom attached. Above the double doors at the entrance, sparkling clean glass windows fitted in their frames, was a large sign that read T
SURUKI
T
RADING
.

Kiyoka glanced over at Miyo, who was only able to stand there in silence, and urged her inside with a brusque “Let’s go.”

When they stepped inside, an immaculate and pristine lobby stretched out before them.

Kiyoka headed straight to the young male employee seated at the reception desk.

“What business do you have today, sir?”

“I apologize for coming unannounced. I’d like to meet with one of your employees, Arata Tsuruki.”

Miyo gulped when she heard the name leave his lips.

That man couldn’t be here, could he? If so, Miyo didn’t know how she was supposed to react when she saw him.

“I beg your pardon, but may I ask who is inquiring?”

“Tell him Commander Kudou of the Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit is here. I don’t have an appointment.”

“Please wait a moment while I check with him.”

The employee went into the room behind him and rushed back out.

“Tsuruki will see you immediately. This way, if you please.”

They were taken to the second floor of the building. In stark contrast to the atmosphere on the first floor, where they could sense the presence of industrious laborers at work, the second floor was extremely quiet and still.

Their destination was a room farther down the hall, with a name plate that read S
ENIOR
N
EGOTIATOR
on the door.

“We’ve arrived. Please go in.”

Giving a nod to the employee’s bow, Kiyoka rapped on the door. A “Come in” followed immediately after.

Inside, a dandy young man sitting casually in a chair was waiting.

“Welcome, Commander Kudou. Thank you for your time yesterday.”

“…Indeed.”

It wasn’t good to put the blame on other people. While Miyo was fully aware of this, she still couldn’t help glaring at Arata with resentment.

The man shifted his gaze from Kiyoka to Miyo, then grinned.

“It’s been but a day since we last met as well, Miss Miyo.”

“It has…”

She wanted to press Kiyoka and Arata both about what in the world she was doing there.

“We have a lot to go over. Shall we change locations? I would like to avoid discussing personal matters in the office.”

“Sure. I’ve got a lot I want to ask about, too.”

Kiyoka stared at Arata with a sharp gleam in his eyes. Still unsure what exactly was going on, Miyo bit her lip, emotions swirling in her chest.

The three left the office and walked to a residence a few minutes away.

It was a modern, detached wooden house, painted white. The name plate out front read T
SURUKI
. After they inquired about it, Arata told them he’d been raised here.

“There are people here who want to meet you, Miyo. Oh, and don’t worry, nothing bad is going to happen to you here.”

While the facade looked modern, many of the rooms inside were lined with familiar tatami flooring; the place was a skillful fusion of Japanese and Western styles. Currently, there didn’t seem to be anyone else present, and it was completely quiet save for the barely audible hustle and bustle of the city outside.

Kiyoka and Miyo followed Arata, in complete silence just as before. They were told to wait in a parlor about ten tatami mats in size. He returned a few moments later.

Behind him was an unfamiliar old man, his back straightened and firm.

“Ah, you look just like Sumi…”

“…Sumi?”

The old man had just nostalgically muttered the name of Miyo’s mother. Miyo was getting more and more confused. Beside her, Kiyoka stood silent, with his eyes shut. She couldn’t get a read on what he was thinking.

“Now, we’ve got all the players assembled. Everyone’s here at last.”

Arata smiled. However, even this disarming grin, too, seemed like nothing but a shallow act, and it was only stirring up more anxiety in Miyo.

“Commander Kudou, you’ve figured it out by now, I assume? Who we are, I mean.”

“…I searched high and low, but I never expected this is how I would finally arrive at an answer.”

“We don’t let anyone find us that easily. We’re not allowed to exist publicly. The mere act of meeting with you face-to-face as we are now borders on a violation of our code.”

Miyo had lost all hope of making sense of the exchange taking place between Kiyoka and Arata.

Perhaps this meeting is connected to what they discussed yesterday…?

Keeping her questions to herself, she remained quiet and watched the scene playing out before her.

If they were meeting to talk about work, though, why had Kiyoka made sure to bring her along? As she began mulling this over, the truth was plainly thrown out in front of her.

“Now then, allow me to properly introduce ourselves. Welcome, both of you, to the Usuba family home.”

“Usu…ba…?”

That was my mother’s…

All the thoughts inside Miyo’s brain were sent flying.

She couldn’t possibly be mistaken. That was the house where her
mother, Sumi Saimori, had been born and raised. And now she was in the very same place?

Arata narrowed his eyes and gazed at Miyo as she stood there, speechless.

The first person to break the uncomfortable silence was the elderly man, who’d been quiet up until then.

“That’s correct. This is the Usuba home. I’m the previous head of the family, Yoshirou Usuba. I’m your grandfather, Miyo.”

“And my true name is actually Arata Usuba. I would be your cousin… Though since Tsuruki is our public-facing identity, that is always how I introduce myself.”

“It can’t be…”

Grandfather. Cousin.

She unconsciously covered her mouth with her hand and looked down.

Miyo had practically never met one of her relatives before.

Her grandparents on the Saimori side had been gone for as long as she could remember. Since her aunts, uncles, and their children didn’t possess the Gift, they lived a modest life far from the capital, and Miyo had never gotten the chance to meet them. And while her stepmother’s parents and siblings often visited the Saimori residence because Kaya was attached to them, they weren’t connected to Miyo by blood, and thus were little more than strangers to her.

As for the Usubas, while she’d known of their existence, she was privy to little else about them.

“Commander Kudou. The reason you’ve come to us today is because you want to stop Miyo’s nightmares, yes?”

“That’s right. Miyo was long told she didn’t have the Gift. But that can’t be the case. That’s why you contacted me in the first place, isn’t it? You intentionally agreed to handle the negotiations for the Burial Grounds situation and appeared before Miyo in order to bring us both here before you.”

Kiyoka took a scrap of paper out of his pocket and showed it to the two men.

Written on it was, presumably, the address for Tsuruki Trading, along with the name
Arata Tsuruki
. The characters for
Usuba
had been scrawled out on the back.

“I found this on the floor of our house. You must’ve sneaked it to Miyo when you visited yesterday. Previously, the name
Sumi Tsuruki
popped up when I hired a private investigator to look into girls’ school students also named
Sumi
. When I had them dig further into the Tsurukis’ history, I found a record from about twenty years back of them receiving funds from the Saimori clan. But you set me up to find this record, didn’t you? To lure us here like this.”

“What makes you say that?”

Kiyoka, indifferent to Arata’s feigned innocence, continued on.

“From all my inquiries, I’ve gathered that the girl named
Sumi
in the Tsuruki family died of natural causes right around the same time as her clan’s decline. Given that the Usubas were in crisis then, it wouldn’t be strange of them to forgo medical treatment for their daughter, which would in turn result in her death going unrecorded. Considering the circumstances, nothing about that would seem remotely suspicious. As a result, my investigation briefly hit a dead end… Until yesterday, when my private investigator abruptly informed me that he’d gotten ahold of new information, to which he produced financial support records. The timing was far too convenient. Tsuruki Trading’s business slump, ‘Sumi Tsuruki’s’ death, the financial assistance from the Saimoris, and ‘Sumi Usuba’ marrying into the Saimori clan… Simply knowing that these series of events happened almost one after the other made it easy to put the pieces together. This scrap of paper was just the coup de gr
â
ce.”

“Ha-ha, color me impressed. I’m glad that you were able to find the answer after all. You see, we couldn’t afford to sit back and wait for long. I wasn’t sure if you would find that piece of paper, so honestly, I wondered how many more times I’d have to impose on your place.”

Arata lightly sighed. “You did me a favor, really.”

Kiyoka scowled at him, and the air in the room grew ice cold.

“Please, no need to glare at me so frightfully… It’s exactly as you
said: Miyo does indeed have a Gift. On top of that, it’s a valuable one—powerful and exceptionally troublesome.”

The shock hit Miyo so hard that she felt as if she was going to faint.

She had a supernatural ability? No, that couldn’t possibly be true. She lacked Spirit-Sight, and those without it never awakened their special powers. That’s why the Saimoris had always looked down on her. To be told that she had awakened her Gift completely unawares to anyone, even herself—it sounded totally implausible.

But what if maybe, just maybe, she actually had a supernatural ability? If she did, then that meant her life up until then…

Ignoring Miyo’s stupor, Yoshirou exchanged looks with Arata and continued talking in his stead.

“We have only one goal.”

He declared, a sternness coming over his wrinkled visage.

“Kiyoka Kudou. You will hand Miyo over to us.”

Her eyes slowly widened.

Why?

…This must be what people meant by “a bolt from the blue.”

Surprise that was comparable to lightning ripping down from the clear blue sky. And multiple instances of that, in this case.

Circumstances that went against her own conception of herself, yet still very much involved her, had been exposed one after another and just as quickly decided for her. Meanwhile, the shock of the woman whom they were all talking about had gone completely unresolved.

Miyo desperately fought the urge to scream then and there.

“When I heard that, I was furious that he would just decide that for himself.”

This must have been what Hazuki had been feeling when the divorce was forced onto her.

Miyo’s mind had long since gone blank. She couldn’t keep up with this.

Ever since the day before, she had been at the mercy of other people’s words.

First, she’d been brought here without any sort of prior notice, then she’d been told it was her mother’s familial home, and without being provided any clear justification, the conversation continued on under the premise that Miyo indeed possessed supernatural abilities. To top it all off, she’d discovered that she’d been traded away like some commodity.

Miyo didn’t know whether to feel indignant or heartbroken. Unable to even settle her own feelings, she was left in a stupor.

Her fianc
é
, too, seemed to be perfectly in the loop about everything.

“I figured you’d say that. There’s no doubt that Miyo possesses the Usubas’ unique ability to affect the mental state of others. Be that as it may, however, did you think I’d simply agree to that?”

“I’ll admit, I didn’t take you as the type to readily acquiesce to our demands. Trying to bribe you with money and power would be a waste of time.”

“Then why?”

“The abilities at Miyo’s disposal are very special to us. There will be no compromises.”

Yoshirou’s tone was categorical and decisive.

His will, and the will of the Usuba family itself, was steadfast. They were attempting to make Kiyoka flinch at their absolute, unshaken position.

“She possesses the power of Dream-Sight. Omnipotent power over a person’s slumber. Even stacked up against the special powers of the Usuba clan, it boasts exceptional strength.”

The term
Dream-Sight
didn’t make much sense to Miyo; the word
dream
, however,
was
connected to the nightmares that were plaguing her.

“Dream-Sight is a Gift that has manifested only in a select number of female Gift-users throughout the family’s long history. People with the ability can enter the dreams of any sleeping person, including themselves, and manipulate their visions. Since everyone needs to sleep at some point, the user is capable of manipulating the mind of anyone
just by using Dream-Sight, no matter how strong they may be. It’s even possible to brainwash people with the ability. Depending on how capable the user is, they can see all of the past, present, and future in their sleep—in other words, the skill surpasses even the emperor’s own Divine Revelation… If it isn’t the strongest Gift of all, then what is?”

It felt as if Yoshirou was describing the facts of a world far removed from Miyo herself. His explanation itself was like a fantastic dream, lacking all sense of reality.

Omnipotent. The strongest.

She thought it utterly impossible that anything hidden inside her could be described that way.

As far as Miyo was concerned, this was just someone else’s business. That was how she understood it all, whether it was actually true or not.

However, Kiyoka seemed to take the news differently.

“Does a Gift capable of all that truly exist?”

Mumbling in blank surprise, he grew somewhat pale.

“It absolutely does. Thus, we Usubas cannot stand on the public stage. Were we to openly display our power, we would be seen only as a threat. Our abilities would breed conflict and disorder.”

“And you’re saying that’s why you want to keep Miyo under your thumb?”

“Consider it for yourself. Do you think she would be happy as she is now, tormented by nightmares and unable to control her own supernatural powers, with only a man incapable of solving her problems at her side? It is clear she would be best living in this house, where we know of her circumstances and have knowledge of her Gift. Furthermore…”

“…………”

“The Usuba family cannot abide the blood of such a Gift being passed on to another clan.”

What conclusion would Kiyoka come to?

I…

Until just a couple days ago, Miyo would have certainly told them right then and there that she had no intention of living with the
Usubas. She had absolutely no intention of separating herself from Kiyoka, and she was confident he would let her stay.

But things were different now. If Kiyoka rejected her, she’d have no choice but to resign herself to his decision. She had foolishly trampled over his feelings. If his mind was set on giving her over, the only way she could show her sincerity in return was to obey his wishes.

“…There’s something I’d like to ask.”

“What?”

Deep in his thoughts, Kiyoka seemed to be searching for the right words.

“Why did it take all this time to discover that Miyo had a supernatural ability?”

“Her Gift probably
was
discovered at some point. Sumi must have sealed hers away soon after she was born. I can guess as to what motivated her to deem that necessary.”

Yoshirou explained it like this:

When you looked through records of Gift-users with Dream-Sight, it became readily apparent that there was only one born every few decades. Not once had an individual with the ability passed it on to the subsequent generation. On top of that, their mother also possessed another supernatural power.

“Telepathy.”

A Gift that linked a person’s heart with another’s.

It could be used to express the thoughts in one’s head and feelings in one’s heart without resorting to verbal or bodily avenues of communication.

Though nobody knew why, the mothers of those blessed with Dream-Sight always possessed this supernatural ability, regardless of the strength of their mother’s powers. Sumi had been no exception.

“A Dream-Sight user hadn’t been born for a long time. Gift-user births were declining already, and girls born with Telepathy rarely came along. That’s when the stars aligned and Sumi was born, which excited the whole family.”

Frail yet possessing the power of Telepathy, Sumi was expected to give birth to a Gift-user with Dream-Sight. Though no one had directly revealed this to her, she had lived under intense pressure.

Yoshirou himself apparently married her to a distant relative to try to increase the chances as much as possible that she would give birth to a Gift-user with Dream-Sight.

“But it didn’t work out. Tsuruki Trading’s business waned, our family was living in near starvation, and we could no longer entertain any thoughts of marriage.”

Just before the whole family was about to be forced into the streets, the head of the Saimori family somehow heard of their plight and offered a marriage in exchange for financial support.

“Honestly, at that time I already could see the Saimoris were heading into decline. I never wanted to hand my precious daughter over to a family like them, but… They were persistent and doggedly pursued her.”

A destitute clan, and the Saimoris, adamant that they were only interested in Sumi.

Ultimately, in order to save her family, Sumi overcame Yoshirou’s objections and went to the Saimoris.

Yoshirou grimaced, face twisting with sadness as he recalled that period.

“Considering how hard they pursued Sumi, the former head of their family surely must have known about the power of Dream-Sight. I’m sure that if a child with the ability was born to them, they would exploit her as much as they could; she would’ve had no hope of living a normal, happy life. Sumi probably understood this all too well because she’d faced unreasonable expectations from a young age.”

That was why she’d sealed Miyo’s supernatural powers away and pretended she didn’t have any.

As she listened to her grandfather’s explanation, Miyo was unable to find any of the words she needed to say.

I was always alone.

To a certain extent, she understood her mother’s feelings. The dream
of her mother she’d had when she first moved into Kiyoka’s residence didn’t contradict the past Yoshirou spoke of.

But Sumi’s actions also caused Miyo’s societal value to plummet after she’d passed. Indeed, since Miyo’s miserable childhood experiences were a product of her mother’s decision, Miyo was finding it difficult to forgive Sumi after all.

If Miyo really did have the Gift, and if her mother hadn’t sealed it away, then would the Saimoris have loved her? Couldn’t she have built a good relationship with her stepmother and father, without living in Kaya’s shadow…? Wouldn’t she have been able to be a part of the family?

Though it was far too late to do anything about her past, she couldn’t help imagining the happy life she might have been able to lead had things been different.

When she considered the possibilities, it seemed that perhaps she wouldn’t have turned out as foolish as she was now. Maybe she would have been a wonderful young lady like Hazuki.

The dark, base emotions that had long been pent-up inside her surged to the surface.

“…In all likelihood, the key to the seal was located within the boundaries of the Saimori estate. But the more time elapsed after the death of the woman who cast the seal, the more it deteriorated. When you factor in Miyo’s departure from the Saimori residence on top of that, it eventually disappeared altogether.”

“I see. In summary, while you suspected Miyo might have Dream-Sight, her deceased mother’s seal tricked you into thinking otherwise, and so consequently, you failed to rescue her from the Saimoris. Is that it?”

“That’s right,” Yoshirou replied with chagrin as Kiyoka mercilessly laid out the Usubas’ mistakes.

“Miyo Saimori did not possess the Gift—no matter how much we looked into this, we always got the same answer. It was truly a great relief to us all. That meant the power of Dream-Sight hadn’t been
passed to another line. Given that we are forced to hide ourselves like this to keep on living, we needed to avoid contacting outsiders as members of the Usuba family. We left Miyo in the Saimoris’ care and washed our hands of it all.”

“And now you’re ignoring her own desires and demanding she be handed over to you? Don’t make me laugh!”

“Ah, but Mr. Kudou. Where do you stand in all this?” chimed in Arata, wiping the grin from his face.

A sharp gleam had appeared in his eyes; his innocuous mask had already started to peel away.

“Are you saying you can protect Miyo? Not only was she snatched up before your eyes and injured during the disturbance with the Saimoris, but now she’s continuing to suffer because you can’t stop her unruly powers from giving her nightmares. After all that, can you still say you’re able to protect her?”

“…………”

“What do you think, Miyo?”

She wasn’t sure how to answer the abrupt question.

Miyo still wanted to remain at Kiyoka’s side. But if he didn’t want her anymore, then she had no choice but to give up. Because she was the one who’d made him feel that way.

Kiyoka was insisting that he wouldn’t hand her over to the Usubas. How he felt about Miyo, however, was an entirely separate matter.

“…I will yield to whatever my fianc
é
says.”

“What are you own feelings on the matter?”

If I say that I want to stay by his side, then Kiyoka won’t be able to get rid of me.

Her unwanted opinion would end up hindering him. In that case…

“I…do not care either way.”

Looking Arata straight in the eye, she snuffed out her own emotions in her reply—without noticing Kiyoka gazing in wonder, gasping at her answer.

“In that case—Mr. Kudou. It seems we aren’t going to see eye to eye,
so why don’t we have ourselves a fair duel, and the winner will take Miyo with them?” proposed Arata with a refreshing smile.

“Fine by me.”

Miyo couldn’t look at Kiyoka as he impassively accepted Arata’s absurd proposal.

I don’t have any right to ask him why…

She clenched her fists on top of her lap so hard that she almost drew blood.

“Thank you. Now, how about an honest and gentlemanly fight to see who’s stronger. Shall we see for ourselves?”

Arata’s strangely cheerful voice passed through one ear and out the other. Yoshirou didn’t say a word, purposefully not getting involved.

Kiyoka stood up and headed outside, his figure growing smaller and smaller as he went. He was already so far.

“Kiyoka.” Unsure whether she wanted him to turn to face her, or if she wanted to keep him from leaving…Miyo called out his name, tangled feelings in her chest. But he neither turned around nor stopped in his tracks.

But after her plea was ignored, the feeling that rose up within her was not one of despair.

…Foolish, dim-witted, and beyond all help, I—

—might not have been of any value to him anymore.

They entered the garden, which was surprisingly large for a house of this size. Gravel was spread out at their feet, and there were few garden plants. It was a dreary place, as though it had been constructed for dueling.

Next to Miyo, Yoshirou stood with his arms folded, staring hard at the two men.

“Both supernatural abilities and weapons are permitted. We don’t want to burn the house down, though, so no using your most powerful abilities in a wide area.”

“Sounds good.”

Miyo could make out bits and pieces of their conversation from where she stood.

At the moment, Kiyoka wasn’t wearing the saber that he usually carried on him. Just then, however, he pulled out a short sword he’d snuck on his person. Arata was surprised.

“Yeesh, you’re always walking around with that dangerous thing?”

“…For self-defense.”

“That’s a relief. Looks like I won’t need to hold back.”

Arata produced a revolver.

Even an amateur like Miyo could tell which one of them was at a disadvantage.

Kiyoka drew his sword and held it at the ready. Loosely holding his gun, Arata didn’t seem at all perturbed, beaming with his usual smile.

“I’m happy that I have the opportunity to go up against the renowned Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit commander, even if we have to keep ourselves in check. Come at me however you’d like, Commander Kudou.”

“I’ll take you up on that.”

Unreservedly accepting the invitation, Kiyoka kicked off the ground, then sent out a blinding-fast slash of his blade. Arata lightly evaded the blow, not showing a hint of distress.

The fierce exchanges that followed their initial clash were totally incomprehensible to Miyo.

Kiyoka seemed to be pushing his opponent back with a continuous volley of slashes, but Arata evaded them all. In fact, for some reason, it was as if Kiyoka’s sword slices hadn’t once reached the man at all.

……Huh?

All of sudden, there were two more Aratas.

The pair, clearly duplicates of Arata, moved independently.

The next instant, it happened—there was a loud bang, and Kiyoka’s upper right arm burst open. Blood splattered on the ground.

“Eek……!”

Miyo’s mind went totally blank.

Kiyoka…Kiyoka, he’s…

He had been shot. He’d been shot, and blood was pouring out of him.

The color drained from her face as her head spun. After all, whose fault was all this? Who was to blame for things ending up this way?

It’s me… I did it all…

Still in a daze, she unconsciously tried to run over to her fianc
é
, but Yoshirou grabbed her arm and stopped her.

She could hear Arata’s voice.

“Oops, I must’ve missed my mark. I was aiming for your sword hilt.”

“…………”

Trying to capitalize on Kiyoka’s momentary opening after being wounded, Arata fired another round. However, some sort of barrier blocked his next attack.

“Dammit.”

“How’s that? It seems you can’t trust your own eyes anymore.”

The two of them were conversing like normal, but Miyo couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Before she knew it, tears filled with nothing but regret and terror overflowed, blurring her vision.

I’m sorry, Kiyoka…

Her fianc
é
still had his short sword raised. A supernatural electric current had enveloped the blade.

“An electric Gift, hmm? If it’s come to that…”

Facing the bellicose, beaming Arata, Kiyoka closed in and slashed down his lightning-infused sword.

It cut clean through Arata’s figure, another clone-like illusion. Though the doppelg
ä
nger had dispersed, an electric discharge from Kiyoka’s blade erupted around the real Arata that same moment, sending many pillars of light rushing through the sky.

“
Yeow
, that stings!”

One of the beams just barely grazed Arata. Even Miyo witnessed the crackling spark of electricity rip into him.

Though the attack didn’t hit the man head-on, it had clearly injured him. Kiyoka’s opponent winced as a red burn mark appeared on his arm.

Light crackled across the surface of Kiyoka’s blade.

“Sheesh, there’s never been anyone who’s dealt with my illusions so fast before.”

Arata grumbled, tears in his eyes.

“…You must be slacking, then. There’s a bunch of men in my unit who can manage illusions like this.”

“It would appear so.”

“Giving up?”

“Heavens, no. I’ll hold out a bit longer.”

Lightly wiping the sweat on his forehead, Kiyoka again readied his short sword.

“Hyah!”

The instant he shouted, several phantom Aratas appeared. There were many more this time, numbering more than twenty in total.

Even from far away, the uncanny sight of so many shared visages, each with the exact same smirk, was enough to make Miyo nauseous.

“Now then, which one’s the real me, I wonder.”

“Enough of the petty tricks!”

As though a dragon himself, Kiyoka summoned a coiling vortex of flame and launched it at the ensemble of shared faces. Yet it only resulted in the phantoms slowly disappearing, one by one.

Suddenly, one of the Aratas circled around behind Kiyoka. Catching the attack, Kiyoka summoned a fireball with his supernatural abilities and prepared to immediately throw it behind him, when—

……What?

Arata had turned into Miyo.

Her pounding, throbbing headache intensified. Utterly bewildered, Miyo could no longer make sense of what was going on.

There was no mistake—facing off against Kiyoka was none other than Miyo herself. A mirror image. Everything was exactly the same, from her face and body, to the refreshingly light blue kimono she wore.

Another…illusion?

—Bang!

A third gunshot.

The bullet caught the hilt of Kiyoka’s sword with precision, sending it flying from his hands. The weapon landed outside of Kiyoka’s reach, and the man himself groaned from the shock and pain in his hands.

Please, stop.

Miyo was the one at fault. That was why…

A lukewarm sensation endlessly streamed down her cheeks.

“I win.”

Arata fixed his gun barrel straight at her fianc
é
’s head.

No, you can’t, not Kiyoka…

Don’t shoot him. Don’t kill him.

“I’m surprised. I didn’t think such a cheap trick would work on you.”

Kiyoka averted his eyes from Arata’s slightly scornful gaze. Blood continued to flow unendingly from his wounded right arm.

“Well, though, really, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about losing to me. It was always going to end this way. An Usuba should never lose a fight against another Gift-user. A predictable outcome.”

“…………”

“You’re strong. But protecting Miyo is my duty.”

Drooping his head, Kiyoka twisted his face to hold back his tears.

The agony, the bitter pain, the anxiety. Miyo had reached her limit.

“Kiyoka!”

Shaking her arm free from Yoshirou’s grip, Miyo rushed to his side. Miyo found herself reaching out once again toward his bloodstained and outstretched hand—

—and she failed to reach it. She stumbled as Arata pulled her by the shoulder.

“Please don’t make that face, Miyo. We had an agreement, so you’ll be under the protection of the Usuba family… Commander, you can leave now. Also, your work at the Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit is likely going to get even busier from here on out. Best of luck.”

Miyo’s tears wouldn’t stop. All of it, everything, had been her fault.
She couldn’t forgive herself for not trusting in her fianc
é
, for causing him so many injuries.

Kiyoka’s figure began to blur; she assumed it was from the tears in her eyes.

“Miyo……!”

She thought she heard him call her name, but suddenly, everything was sucked up into distorting air in front of her and vanished.

After being repelled from inside the Usuba house’s barrier and forcefully ejected, Kiyoka returned home in a complete daze, sitting idle until dawn broke.

Did an empty house always feel this cold?

The scene of his defeat replayed again and again in the back of his mind. He ruminated about how things would have been different if only he’d done this or that before realizing that it was futile.

Still, he thought his main assertion had been correct. The Usuba pair’s declaration was selfish; ultimately, they were only after Miyo’s Gift, just like the Saimoris. They claimed they were protecting her while prioritizing their own feelings above hers.

That was why Kiyoka couldn’t afford to lose.

He surrendered his body to his regret, enough to vomit up his empty, foodless stomach. When he quietly closed his eyes, Miyo’s crying visage was there waiting for him.

After a while, he heard a shriek from Hazuki, who’d arrived for Miyo’s lessons.

“Kiyoka?! Why, just look at you! What happened?!”

When his wide-eyed sister demanded answers, Kiyoka gloomily recounted the circumstances to her. He did this without adding any of his own feelings—just the facts.

When he’d finished the explanation, a forceful slap flew across his face.

Hazuki pinched her brow inward as she trembled with rage.

“And once you lost, you slunk back here with your tail between your legs? Unbelievable!”

“…………”

“Don’t you have something to say for yourself? You’re so pathetic, it makes your sister here want to cry.”

Hazuki roughly rolled up Kiyoka’s shirtsleeve, glaring at the wound on his upper arm.

The blood was already dried, but the untreated injury was red and hot to the touch.

“Look at this thing; it’s just awful. Don’t you have a reputation for being tough?”

“……Hgh!”

She grabbed the area around the wound, and pain shot through him. Though the injury itself was shallow, the mixture of burned skin, scratches, and lacerations had turned into a mess.

Hazuki held her hands on the lesion and closed her eyes.

When she did, a powdery substance of dim light floated down from the palms of her hands, and it smoothly melted into the wound. It healed in the blink of an eye.

Hazuki possessed the Gift of supernatural healing.

Though her ability had the power to treat any sort of injury instantly, it had no effect on poison or disease. This skill was less a product of the Kudou family and more an inheritance from Kiyoka and Hazuki’s mother.

“……Sorry.”

“That’s not it, my stupid little brother. Who told you to apologize? Hurry up and bring Miyo back here right his instant.”

Hazuki smacked his freshly healed limb, the look of a fiend in her eyes. “What else did I fix you up for?”

“I couldn’t possibly try to go back for her.”

“Why not?”

“…I lost the duel. I don’t have any right to bring her home.”

It had been a fair and square bout. Complaints and protests after the fact about the result were out of the question.

More than anything else, though, Kiyoka didn’t have the courage to face Miyo.

Miyo’s refusal to choose him had carved a deeper wound in Kiyoka’s heart than he had initially thought. Despite the fact that he was the one who had laid into her and hounded her in the kitchen for answers.

Hazuki brought a fist down on his limply drooping head.

“Ow…!”

“You idiot. Here’s the thing: I don’t care what a useless little man like you feels, okay? But if things stay this way, it’s poor Miyo who I’ll be worried about.”

“…Miyo said it herself. It didn’t matter to her whether she was here or at the Usubas’.”

“Idiot!”

Her fist came down again. He assumed there wasn’t much strength behind the blow, but his head still tingled with pain.

“Stop and think for a moment. Do you really believe Miyo would say something like that if she was mad at you for scolding her? Or better yet, would she even be angry in the first place?”

“But…”

“She would obviously blame everything on herself, wouldn’t she? Miyo would think it was her fault for not being able to pick up on your feelings.”

Kiyoka could easily picture Miyo crying over the situation and burdening herself with far more guilt than necessary.

“That girl has no confidence in herself. Don’t you know that? She thinks that no matter how much she may want to be by your side, it’s all over if you turn away from her. That’s why she wanted to improve herself—so she could become someone you needed.”

“…………”

“I mean, really, of course she couldn’t confide in you. And forget talking to me or Yurie—that’s totally out of the question. She’s never had anyone she could rely on in her life until now.”

Kiyoka had nothing he could say to Hazuki. All of it was spot on.

Only after coming to his residence had Miyo learned to express her own emotions and let people care for her. Before then, everyone had ignored her, and she hadn’t been able to believe in herself. She’d never even had the option to rely on someone else in the first place.

The only thing Kiyoka could do was devotedly care for his fianc
é
e and keep warming up her heart. He should have grasped something so simple.

“So it really is my fault…”

“There’s no time to mope around. Save the pity party for later! We need to hurry to Miyo and—”

Hazuki suddenly cut off.

She’d sensed a presence slip inside the barrier around the house. Naturally, Kiyoka had caught wind of it, too.

Fluttering in from the window was a single sheet of paper, shaped like a person. The insignia stamped into its body belonged to the Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit. It looked like the familiars Godou would send out.

The paper being writhed its body and vibrated. When it did, Godou’s voice echoed through the room, not in his usual flippant tone, but as though he had his back up against the wall.

“Commander, come to the station as soon as you hear this! It’s an emergency!”

The one-way communication ended there.

Apparently, there hadn’t been time to have a proper conversation. It must have been an emergency if he of all people was in a rush.

Of all the times.

This just had to happen as soon as he got the urge to drop everything and rescue Miyo.

Which should he prioritize? He couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly at how quickly he came to an answer without a moment’s thought.

“I really might be coldhearted after all.”

Heartless and cold-blooded. The decision he was making couldn’t be described any other way.

If he let this chance go by, he’d lose Miyo forever. If he didn’t go to her now, he was sure she’d be completely taken from him by the Usuba family. Nevertheless…

“Keep your boneheaded comments to yourself. If you’re going to go to work, then hurry up and hurry back.”

“……Sis.”

“What? I’m on
Miyo’s
side, you know. Don’t expect any warm words of encouragement from me.”

After she finished her remark with a haughty puff, Kiyoka sighed at his sister and took off his dirty shirt in his own room.

Passing his arms through the familiar sleeves of his uniform, he switched his thoughts over to his work.

He hadn’t given up on Miyo. Nor was he choosing his work over her.

He simply got the feeling that if he abandoned his duty here, he truly would lose everything and anything.

“Be careful. If you get hurt, I can heal any of your wounds, but Miyo would be broken up if anything happened to you.”

“I know.”

“Honestly, I swear you’re the least charming little brother in the entire world!”

Huffing in dissatisfaction the whole way, Hazuki went to the entryway to see Kiyoka off.

She was right. It wasn’t set in stone that he wouldn’t make it back in time.

Kiyoka would clean up the whole mess and bring Miyo back home without any fear or hesitation.

He hadn’t understood how much peace of mind it gave him to have her waiting for him here. It wasn’t a home for him without her.

“I will take her back. No matter what.”

Take back everything.

While the average person would surely describe everyday life in the Usuba household as pleasant, Miyo did not.

They gave her a Western-style room on the second floor. Complementing the high-quality navy-blue carpet were white walls, painted with a touch of yellow so as not to be too bright. Almost all the furniture was wooden, but their detailed designs made them look like Western-style pieces. A spotlessly polished glass lamp illuminated the interior, imbuing the room with a relaxed atmosphere.

In contrast to the first floor, which mainly consisted of chambers with tatami flooring, the second floor was styled after Western homes. Miyo wasn’t used to sleeping on a raised bed and sitting in chairs,

When she asked if there was anything she could do in the house to make herself useful, the Usubas informed her there was nothing. In fact, they went so far as to tell her, “You don’t need to do anything.” The chores were skillfully handled by one or two servants, so there was no chance for Miyo to get involved.

Her daily life of inactivity was gloomy and depressing.

She would wake up in the morning, change her clothes, and take her meals alone in her room. The servants brought almost exclusively Western-style dishes.

Breakfast was bread and side dishes—smoked meats, scrambled eggs, cheese, and the like—along with vegetable soup and some fresh fruit. For lunch and dinner, they’d serve Western-style porridge, made from milk, plus some type of meat, which was either seared or boiled. Despite the smells and textures making it clear that everything must have been delicious, she didn’t really taste any of it and had a hard time keeping it down.

Miyo would mechanically finish her meal, vacant and absentminded.
After going through the same motions a few times, her day would draw to a close.

Strangely, she hadn’t had any nightmares since coming to the house. Now, even sleep simply passed her by, completely dissolved in the flow of time.

“You seem down, Miyo.”

Arata had stopped addressing her as
miss
at some point.

While Miyo didn’t harbor any particular reservations toward her sole conversation partner during these days of vacant boredom, she did get the feeling that something was off.

Arata—who was currently sitting on the other side of the table between them—always had a smile on his face, and he was quite handsome. She was sure most women would find him irresistible. That made the fact that he would always stay by Miyo’s side and observe her all the more confusing.

Was it because she had Dream-Sight, which held great value to the Usubas?

If that was indeed the case, then what a cold and impersonal relationship it was.

“Are you still upset? At me, I mean.”

Miyo shook her head.

Putting the blame on Arata wouldn’t do anything. His actions had been nothing more than a trigger; her relationship would have broken down sooner or later. All because Miyo didn’t understand a thing.

“If that’s not it, then…maybe your room isn’t to your liking?”

“……No, it’s fine.”

“Then, do you dislike the food?”

“That’s not it.”

“Ah, I see. Then it must be that your clothes aren’t to your taste. Is that it?”

“Um, about my kimono…”

“I can’t give that back to you.”

Arata gracefully brought the cup of black tea to his mouth. While his attitude was outwardly friendly, his reply left no room for argument.

After he had defeated Kiyoka and expelled him from the house, Miyo had been welcomed into the Usuba home.

She didn’t remember what happened after that; once she saw Kiyoka’s injuries, she hadn’t been able to stop bawling out of worry for him. By the time she’d recovered, she was in her room, staring off into space. She’d been provided a
hakama
-type of kimono, the kind a shrine maiden would wear, to change into. The kimono she’d been wearing that day had been taken, and they still had yet to return it to her.

When she asked why she’d been given shrine maiden attire, they told her it was because Gift-users with Dream-Sight used to be called Dream-Sight Mediums. As a holdover from those days, it was customary for those with Dream-Sight to wear the same style of outfit as their forebears.

“Of course, if the user herself refuses, we don’t force it on them. I simply didn’t know what sort of clothes you preferred.”

Arata had looked so apologetic as he said it, and she didn’t have any desire to complain, simply because as long as she wasn’t able to wear the kimono Kiyoka had bought for her, it made no difference what she was dressed in.

“I’m at a loss. What can I do to make you happy?”

“…………”

Miyo stared at the wood grain of the table in silence.

It wasn’t a matter of being happy or unhappy.

Since witnessing Kiyoka get injured in the duel, she had been filled with nothing but regret. She was remorseful that she’d lied about her own feelings rather than deciding things for herself.

Now that she thought about it, Kiyoka had always accepted her.

Several months back, when she’d arrived on his doorstep as a prospective marriage partner, he’d let her into his home. He showed her the wide-open world. Gave her so many things. He came to her rescue
when she was carried off to the Saimori estate. He’d even fought and injured himself for her.

After all of that, why hadn’t she believed in him?

I really am a complete and hopeless fool, aren’t I?

Though the truth had finally dawned on her, she knew it was too late now. But…

“…Just one more time. I want to talk to Kiyoka one more time.”

“Why?”

“Because I was wrong about absolutely everything. That’s why. I want to apologize, and then—”

“Then what? You’ll say you want to leave here?”

A coldhearted glimmer flashed in Arata’s eye.

Miyo gulped down the rest of her words.

“I won’t let you. Do you know how much we’ve, or rather, how much
I’ve
, waited for you? How fortunate I feel right now? You don’t. Not one bit.”

“Um, I don’t understand… Why do you feel so strongly?”

“I want to protect you. Together, I want to fulfill our familial obligation—the duty of the Usuba clan.”

“The duty of the Usubas?”

His words and his look, serene yet filled with intense passion, moved her. They were a testament to the strength of his convictions.

“Did you know that the supernatural abilities of the Usuba clan all have something in common? They influence the minds of others.”

“…No, I didn’t.”

“Without exception, all of the Gift-users in the Usuba family possess powers that can affect people’s minds in some way. Your Dream-Sight is one example, as is my ability to control illusions. Others include taking over someone’s consciousness or manipulating memories… There are quite a few variations. This unique trait only manifests in the Gift-users of our family.”

“I get what you’re saying, I think.”

It was hard to believe, but Gifts turned what was normally impossible
into reality. After her abnormal experience of nightly terrors, and seeing Kiyoka being led around by phantoms, she had no choice but to believe it.

“Now, can you guess why these powers are restricted to the Usuba line?”

“…Not at all.”

Unfortunately, with Miyo’s poor cognition and lack of knowledge on Gifts, she hadn’t the faintest idea.

Arata smiled ironically, shaking his head slightly.

“Normal Gifts are for defeating Grotesqueries. While they are sometimes utilized during war, they’re tuned for the elimination of fiends, spirits, and the like—all the beings that harm people. Conversely, the Gifts of the Usuba family target humans. They are supernatural abilities made for taking on people, not Grotesqueries. And they work on both average people and Gift-users alike.”

Most Gift-users were tasked with exterminating the Grotesqueries that harmed people. Since Gifts were the only thing that could effectively defeat those beings, they were an absolute necessity.

In which case, what exactly was the Usuba family tasked with?

What use was there for people who could easily manipulate others as they saw fit?

“Do they use their Gifts to do something with people instead?”

“You’re close. Not with any person, but with Gift-users specifically.”

Using supernatural abilities on Gift-users. Miyo couldn’t immediately see what he was getting at.

“Our duty is to stop other Gift-users when required. We serve as deterrents against people with supernatural abilities, who could otherwise wield their tremendous power to bring ruin to us all.”

“A deterrent……?”

“That’s right. In short, the supernatural abilities of our line are for defeating other Gift-users.”

Miyo finally connected the dots.

Arata continued.

“For instance, say a Gift-user who possessed a fire-based power decided they wanted to burn down a town somewhere. Sensing their intentions, a water-based Gift-user is sent in to stop them. But what if that fire Gift-user is stronger than the water Gift-user? They’d be forced to watch in silence as the town burned to the ground, unable to snuff out their opponent’s flames. Therefore, the need arises for a dedicated force that specializes in stopping out-of-control Gift-users.”

“Specialists who stop other Gift-users…”

“It all makes sense, doesn’t it? You don’t appear to have Spirit-Sight, Miyo. But here in the Usuba family, it’s quite normal for Gift-users to be without it.”

Suddenly, she stared directly at Arata.

“Is that because Usuba Gift-users don’t need to see Grotesqueries…?”

“That’s basically it. However, even though we serve as deterrents, we’re so powerful that eventually someone who can keep us in check would need to come along, and so on and so forth, without end. That’s why there’s a strict code placed on the Usuba family. This code has been kept firmly in place since the beginning, and the punishment for those who break it is extremely severe.”

Living in secrecy; hiding their names. These inconvenient and self-imposed restrictions proved that the Usubas had no intent to rebel. To show complete obedience to the emperor, they obscured their existence to the public.

That being said, the loyalty of other Gift-users besides the Usubas to their country and emperor was generally very strong. If it wasn’t for the emperor’s protection, it was very likely the Gift-users would be turned from heroes who protected the country into heretics. These apprehensions would only grow stronger in the current era, where advances in science had begun to make people question both Grotesqueries and Gift-users.

Therefore, there had been a remarkable decrease in moments where the Usubas were ordered to carry out their duty.

“We’ve faithfully protected the vow made by our ancestors… We
mustn’t use our real names. We can’t use our Gifts outside. We’re only allowed to marry among our relatives. We can’t make any particularly close friends or lovers. We can’t buy anything expensive without permission. We’re also prohibited from drinking alcohol outside of the house. This is just a small taste of our code of conduct; there are many, many more rules to follow.”

“Goodness…”

“Indeed. But ever since I came of age, I have never once been ordered to work as a member of the Usuba family. In almost all cases, the Special Anti-Grotesqueries Unit or powerful families like the Kudous end up resolving the situation. It’s never our turn to make an appearance. No matter how modestly we live, how devoted we are to our code, it’s meaningless in the end.”

“…………”

“I want a role. A duty for me and me alone.”

As she heard her cousin lower his voice, as though enduring something painful, Miyo realized he must have been forced to swallow a number of harsh realities during his life up until now.

He’d been able to perform well against Kiyoka thanks to his strict training and continuous hard work. But how frustrating would it be to never make use of all that effort, have it never be called upon, despite imposing so many inconveniences on oneself?

Miyo could only imagine. Nevertheless, she could grasp that he had lived a life filled with irritation and impatience.

“Within the Usuba family codes, it says that if a user of Dream-Sight should appear, she should be protected and supported by the entire family. As a matter of fact, for generations, a chosen Gift-user with the family bears the role of providing them with constant care and giving their life to protect them.”

“Hng!”

“Right now, that job will likely fall to me… While also acting as your spouse, I imagine.”

Miyo stiffened from the unexpected shock.

Arata as her spouse. She’d never considered the possibility.

The anguish felt as if something was caught in her chest.

But it’s obvious, really…

As long as she was recognized as a Gift-user, she no longer had the option to remain unwed. If Kiyoka stopped being her fianc
é
, then some other would come forward. It was practically a given.

“Even within the Usuba family, there’s been a significant drop in Gift-users. Widen the net to include our distant relatives, and there are still only a scattered few. My own father was Giftless, and I’ve only ever lived here with Grandfather from a young age in order to learn how to use my Gift. I believe Grandfather is planning on making us get married.”

“…I see.”

“The reason you suffered those nightmares is because your supernatural abilities were running out of control. But as long as you’re in this house, a special magic barrier will keep them at bay. Please, Miyo. Stay here like this. I’ll gladly protect you. It’s my mission and mine alone. I don’t want to give you away, no matter what. I don’t mind if your heart remains out of reach. Let me support you. Let me protect you. Please.”

“Protect and support me…”

When she faced his honest and clear eyes, which glowed with passion, Miyo’s heart wavered.

Was there really nothing more she could do?

She wanted to see Kiyoka one more time. See him, apologize, and beg him for an opportunity to do things over again. To tell him she had been a fool.

But she couldn’t. Because she had been stupid enough to say, “I don’t care either way,” Kiyoka likely thought her feelings were noncommittal. If she begged him for a second chance at this point, he’d still doubt her, and that would be it.

It really and truly serves me right.

Miyo ridiculed herself in her heart.

Trying to cool his impassioned head, Arata departed from Miyo’s room.

Why? Why did I get like that…?

He wanted a role. There was no questioning these were his truest feelings.

It was something he’d always longed for. To fulfill his duty as an Usuba Gift-user. If his job fighting against other Gift-users was deemed unnecessary, then at the very least, he’d hoped that a girl with the power of Dream-Sight would appear.

Otherwise, Arata couldn’t discover his own raison d’
ê
tre. Without it, he felt as if he would never become a proper man of society.

But he had never disclosed these closely guarded sentiments to anyone before. Though his grandfather had likely picked up on them, Arata had never made a point of revealing them himself.

Guess I’m more ecstatic than I thought.

He clenched his fists tightly.

The Usubas’ fervent desire was at last realized—the appearance of a woman with the power of Dream-Sight… And with it came another duty for Arata to hold—protecting her.

He raced down the hall and descended to the first floor.

It was miserably empty inside this stately home. Lacking in both people and belongings. The exterior was decent, but take one step inside, and it was obvious the place was empty.

Arata was still young when he’d first arrived, and he didn’t even remember when the house had started to decline. He knew that there used to be more people, with plenty of furniture and belongings… But both slowly began to disappear as time went on, with the final nail in the coffin coming twenty years ago.

When he’d learned of the role thrust upon him, Arata mused it was as though the house was a reflection of himself.

The facade might be well kept, but there’s nothing on the inside. No worth at all, either.

Though outwardly, he was an upstanding member of the Tsuruki family and their trading firm, his inner self, the one that belonged to the Usuba clan, was entirely hollow. While his status as an Usuba Gift-user was well established, the truth was that he’d never been given a single job to handle. He was simply an empty vessel.

Not wanting people to perceive this lack, Arata kept up his external self to the best of his abilities.

A personality, first impression, and appearance crafted to endear himself to others. All of it was simply a veiled bluff. An illusion to give him a piddling, meager sense of pride that he had something,
anything
, that people needed him for.

And yet, the more magnificent his exterior persona became, the more the emptiness inside him grew.

If I could only fill that hollowness inside me, then…

He’d end up clinging to it no matter what.

When he first saw his cousin, Miyo Saimori, his initial impression of her was that she was dour and gloomy. At the time, he honestly thought it was some sort of cruel prank.

His expectations made him terribly disillusioned. Tyrannized by her blood relatives to the point where she’d lost her sense of self, Miyo was just as empty as Arata and the vacant house he’d grown up in. That was why he thought the dull, somber girl would fit right in… It was a sensation comparable to utter despair.

Yet back then.

“Stop, please!”

It had been a shock.

She’d openly opposed Arata to his face as he criticized every member of the Kudou family.

Despite how gaunt and emaciated she was, she’d still made her voice heard.

Do I have anything that I would become so desperate to protect?

The moment he thought it over, he quickly and easily arrived at
no
. A hollow person like him couldn’t possibly have anything he wanted or needed to safeguard.

But what about Miyo, then?

According to his investigation, she should also have been as empty as he was since she’d grown up without anyone to validate her—a lonely girl who had endured her family disavowing her very existence.

However, she was empty no more. Arata’s notion that they were similar had been a gross misunderstanding.

That realization produced a twinge of jealousy deep down inside him.

I want it. I want it so very badly… The desire to keep hold of her is blazing inside me.

The thing that would fulfill him. A duty, and the person who would let him fulfill it.

Now he was a bit thankful this person ended up being Miyo. Being free from her emptiness, he could imagine a future where he felt fulfilled, instead of them both licking each other’s emotional wounds.

Calming his heart and quickly devolving into giddiness, Arata headed to his office, leaving the empty house behind him.

“Can we talk?” asked her grandfather, Yoshirou, poking his head into her room.

It was Miyo’s fourth day since coming to the house.

The monotonous days of idleness, where she’d done nothing save for eating, sleeping, and conversing with Arata, were beginning to hollow her out inside. Time passed indistinctly. At some moments, it slowed to a crawl, while at others, it passed in the blink of an eye.

Coming to her senses at Yoshirou’s voice, Miyo was surprised to find it was almost noon. It felt as if it had been mere minutes since she had eaten her breakfast.

When Miyo nodded silently, Yoshirou gave a polite “Pardon me” and sat down in Arata’s usual chair across from her.

“Sorry for not coming sooner. I shouldn’t have waited so long to talk with you.”

“……No need to apologize.”

When she first came here, Yoshirou had struck her as very stern and strict, but now he looked like any other old man. No intimidating aura or anything of the sort. To some extent, his apologetic manner even made him come off as helpless.

“Have you been inconvenienced at all since coming here?”

“Not particularly.”

“I see. Tell Arata if you ever are. That boy would be willing to dedicate his everything to his duty—to you.”

“It doesn’t make me very happy to hear that…”

Nothing made her more uncomfortable than having a fine, upstanding man like him serving her. Having been on the serving side of the relationship up until now, if anything, felt like a burden.

Dropping her eyes down and staring at her hands in her lap, Miyo nodded along to Yoshirou’s words.

“There’s not much I can tell you about. I imagine that Arata’s gone over most of the things you need to know. If there’s anything I can tell you, I suppose it would be about Sumi.”

“Mother,” Miyo whispered under her breath.

She was naturally interested in hearing about her own mother. However, ever since Miyo had learned Sumi was responsible for sealing her Gift, she’d been mired in mixed feelings.

“Instead of my mother, there’s something else I’d like to ask you about.”

“What’s that?”

“Um, I would like to see Kiyoka again… Would it be possible to grant my request?”

Even if this proved futile, it was better to ask than stay silent. After she’d broached the subject, Yoshirou groaned as a stern look came over his face, just as she’d expected.

Because their public name was Tsuruki, it was said that Arata’s father acted as the head of the Usuba family, but the one actually managing the family was Yoshirou. Namely, he would ultimately decide how Miyo was treated. This obviously meant he was always going to be the one to decide if she would be allowed to see Kiyoka.

Though her expectations weren’t high to begin with, as Miyo sensed his answer, her spirits sank.

“I myself feel it would be fine to grant your wish, but the thing is, our hands are tied in certain respects. As things stand now, you can’t. You probably wouldn’t be able to meet up with him even if you left to see him.”

“Huh? What does that mean…?”

“I know the Special Anti-Grotesqueries Unit’s been stuck with a real burden of a mission thanks to a Divine Revelation from the emperor. They’re right in the thick of it at the moment.”

She recalled that Arata had faced Kiyoka and told him that things would be getting busier. This must have been what he’d meant.

So Kiyoka was still busy, then. He’d be fine since Yurie was still around, but Miyo was frustrated that she couldn’t be by his side to support him in his time of need, regardless of whether her help was strictly necessary.

“You want to see that youngster enough to cry about it, hmm?”

She touched her cheeks in surprise and found them wet with warm teardrops.

“Th-this, no, it’s not that…”

“What is it, then?”

“…I just thought about how I’m always so powerless, and I felt so pitiful…”

With only a brief, “I see,” Yoshirou nodded.

Her true feelings seeped out of her alongside her bulbous tears.

“I’m never strong enough when it’s most important. When the time comes, I never have what it takes…”

Neither a Gift nor the skills of a noblewoman. If she’d been equipped with those abilities, she would have reached out a hand to help, even if her talents had proved to be lacking. But as things stood now, by the time she could do any of that, it would be too late. What point was there in acquiring new skills after the time to use them had already passed?

A Gift—it was the only thing she’d ever wanted from a young age. Though Miyo had recently discovered that she possessed one, it didn’t make her the least bit happy. Kiyoka had told her she didn’t need any supernatural abilities. Beyond that, Miyo had no opportunity to use them, either. Even the Usuba family didn’t depend on her powers. Her ostensibly precious supernatural talent was actually an albatross around her neck.

“Hmm, you’re a bit similar to Arata, then.”

“Huh?”

“You don’t know what to do with yourself. Your environment and your abilities are at odds with each other. Though ultimately it is us, the people in your life, who are responsible for that.”

“But, um—”

“I’ve put you through terrible hardships. If only I had looked into how you were being treated by the Saimoris sooner, you wouldn’t have had to endure that torment.”

Yoshirou bowed deeply.

Miyo was flustered, unsure what to do in the face of the unexpected apology.

When his next words came out, however, she naturally froze into place.

“I figure you won’t warm up quickly to life here since it’s such a sudden change for you. But know that, at the heart of it, we’re blood relations. I hope you won’t hesitate to rely on us from now on.”

He wanted her to rely on them. Because they were family.

She remembered Hazuki saying the same thing to her. Kiyoka, too, had urged her to let him take care of things for her, to be more selfish.

She cast her eyes down as a dark haze slowly descended over her thoughts.

“…Telling me we’re family out of the blue only makes things harder for me.”

“I know. I figured it might.”

“When I saw what my father, stepmother, and stepsister had, it was what I always wanted. I hoped that maybe someone I could spend my life with like that would come for me someday.”

“…………”

“But they never did. Before long, I gave up…and at this point, you can tell me we’re family and ask me to rely on you, but I simply don’t know what that entails.”

Miyo knew a part of her had grown desperate and no longer cared what would happen to her, which must have been why she’d been able to bare the feelings she kept hidden from Hazuki and Kiyoka to someone like Yoshirou. She wanted to spew out all these thoughts that were too much for her to handle.

“A long time ago, there was a servant who acted as a replacement for my mother, but I’m sure that was different from ‘family.’ Maybe I would understand if I married and became a mother. What exactly is ‘family’?”

“…………”

“Everyone must be so fed up with my inability to get something as basic as that. That’s why Kiyoka got mad at me, too.”

“Is that so?”

“Um, my apologies. I didn’t mean to make you listen to my nonsense.”

She was venting all her thoughts at once, which wasn’t fair to the person listening. Miyo felt so ashamed, she couldn’t stand it.

Yet when she glanced up toward Yoshirou, he smiled gently.

“No, it’s fine. I’m glad I got to hear your true feelings.”

“What……?”

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to speak as your grandfather for a moment.”

“……Okay.”

“Wouldn’t you say being able to share the things we can’t endure on our own, like we’re doing now, is what family’s all about?”

Sharing together…?

She cocked her head, unable to fully grasp his point.

“At this point, you can’t choke down your emotions anymore. That’s why you openly let them all out, right?”

“Y-yes, that’s true……”

“That’s basically what I mean. Depending on others doesn’t mean you throwing all your problems on their shoulders. I think that it’s shifting some of the baggage that’s too heavy to bear on to others. That way you can both appreciate the difficulty of the load, and once you’re finished carrying it, you can share in the joy of overcoming it together. Being able to do that without any restraint or hesitation, that’s family, isn’t it? Making them exasperated, making them angry, it’s all okay. The bonds of family aren’t so easily broken.”

“…Even when my mother left this house?”

Her mother, with all the expectations of her family placed on her shoulders. Miyo knew that the entire Usuba family must have been very upset with her when she practically forced them to let her marry into the Saimoris.

Yoshirou grabbed his chin, thinking it over for a moment.

“You’re right; I did lose myself to anger at the time. Seeing the daughter I’d worked so hard to raise be snatched up by the Saimoris made my blood boil. I swore I’d never forgive her for being so ungrateful.”

“Did you end up resenting her…?”

“I didn’t. I thought I’d never forgive her, but Sumi was too precious to me. Now, of course, there are some parents who disown their children and sever all ties completely. But if my daughter was hurt and suffering, I would want to be there to help, and if I knew for sure she was living happily, that would bring me joy, too.”

Oh, so that must be it
, Miyo thought, convinced by his words.

Up until now, there hadn’t been anyone in Miyo’s life with whom she could share her feelings, who could consider things from her point of view. She was always grappling with her emotions by herself.

Kiyoka had said the same thing. That he considered Hazuki someone who could understand what he was thinking and vice versa.

“Miyo, I feel the same way about you.”

“About me…?”

“That’s right. After Sumi left to be married, our family survived, and you were born. I’m truly happy that I was able to meet you like this.”

“……!”

When she picked up on the twinkle in the corner of Yoshirou’s eyes, she understood his words had truly come from the heart.

Her Dream-Sight powers being so precious and valuable were definitely part of it. But more than that, the Usubas had wanted to make Miyo a part of the family from the very beginning. They’d longed to meet her from the bottom of their hearts.

“Thank…you.”

“There’s no need. We’re the ones who should be grateful, Miyo. I’m glad I was able to talk with you.”

“I am, too… Um, but…”

The realization came to her during their conversation. This really wasn’t where Miyo was supposed to be.

She had someone she wanted to be family with. A person she wanted to live alongside whom she could shoulder burdens with and who would support her.

She wanted to believe it wasn’t too late.

When Miyo unconsciously stood up from her chair, it happened.

The door flew open as though it had been kicked down, and Arata entered with an intense look on his face.

“What’s wrong, Arata?”

Yoshirou asked with a frown, sensing something was amiss.

“I only got ahold of this information a little while ago, but…”

He trailed off for a moment as he glanced over at Miyo, a difficult look on his face.

The atmosphere in the room grew thick with silence.

“A moment.”

Picking up on something, Yoshirou exited the room with his grandson.

Whatever the news was, it didn’t seem to be good; Miyo felt a vague sense of dread grow in her chest. Although she hesitated for a brief moment, she made up her mind and followed after the two men.

When she continued down the hallway, making sure to conceal the sounds of her footsteps, she found the two of them conversing in low voices next to the stairway.

“—…lse?”

“Kudou…then—he was… Yes.”

What did he just say?

Despite being too far away to pick up the conversation, she got a bad feeling about what they were discussing, so she took greater care to eavesdrop on the pair.

“You know that for sure?”

“Yes. The information came from a reliable source.”

“…What’re the details of the situation?”

“Not much has changed from what we were told in advance. The spirits from the Burial Grounds surged close to a farming village, and since a passerby lost his life, the Special Anti-Grotesqueries Unit decided to take up a wholesale subjugation operation. During the battle…”

The instant she heard “Special Anti-Grotesqueries Unit,” Miyo froze on the spot. Her panic pounded deep in her ears.

“No one else in the unit seems to have sustained injuries. It was just their commander, Kiyoka Kudou, who—”

She focused every single nerve in her body on the conversation as much as possible, forgetting even to breathe.

Just as Arata’s next statement was about to pass his lips, her body rushed out from her hiding spot of its own accord.

“Wh-what did you say happened to Kiyoka…?”

“Miyo…?!”

Yoshirou’s and Arata’s eyes bulged wide; they were clearly blindsided to learn Miyo had been listening.

“One more time… Say it one more time. What happened…?”

Though she knew it must be her own voice coming out of her mouth, it didn’t feel real at all. Her legs were quivering. She was scared to hear it. Yet she had to be sure.

Standing before Miyo, whose eyes were locked unwaveringly on him even as she trembled, Arata gulped in recoil.

“Miyo, return to your room.”

She couldn’t go back. Not in this situation.

Miyo shook her head.

“Please go back.”

“I can’t.”

“Go!”

“…………”

No matter how much he shouted at her, Miyo didn’t back down.

She stared unblinking at Arata, making her intentions clear.

After they glared silently at each other for a few moments, Arata ruffled his bangs, an uncharacteristically rough gesture from him.

“…The enemy defeated Kiyoka and took him out.”

His clear restatement of what he’d said before dispelled any possibility that she had misheard him.

However, it was so hard to believe that Miyo simply ruminated on his words. She couldn’t process them.

“Defeated…? Taken out…?”

“That’s right. Kiyoka Kudou was defeated in battle against an opponent.”

Now defiant, Arata dispassionately informed her of this with a blank expression, while Yoshirou remained silent beside him, arms folded.

In contrast to the all-too-calm pair, Miyo unconsciously descended into a state of panic.

“……! What are you talking about…?!”

Her voice flew from her mouth like a shout.

Defeated? What does that mean?

Her mind went blank as the same thoughts turned over and over in her head. All the while, her heart throbbed like a drum, and she found it hard to breathe.

Frozen down to her fingertips, she sent a bewildered look at Arata.

“If you’re asking what happened, I don’t know the details. An enemy attack must have wounded him during the mission… He collapsed and has yet to regain consciousness.”

“Impossible. That can’t be true.”

There had to be some mistake. She couldn’t believe it. She didn’t want to.

“It’s absolutely true. This is conclusive information.”

Arata mercilessly repudiated Miyo’s ramblings.

Meeting with Kiyoka one more time. Apologizing until he forgave her and living together with him for good this time… Those thoughts had filled her mind just moments before.

Was she going to lose something again? Both the people and the things she cared about the most?

This sorrow—would it keep on going until she was empty inside, until she had nothing left?

Trying to dispel these horrible visions, Miyo shut her eyes tight and covered both ears with her hands.

This was another nightmare. She was sure it had to be. It was nothing but a terrible dream.

I’ll wait like this until I wake up. If I do that, then…

She should wake up back in the warm house she once knew.

“Miyo.”

Hearing her name pulled her back to reality. When she lifted her eyelids, she was met with Yoshirou’s worried visage.

He was an Usuba. This was the Usuba household.

The everyday scenery she longed for was on the verge of being lost forever.

“Kiyoka couldn’t… He couldn’t possibly be defeated…”

He was strong.

His fight against Arata was the only time she had seen her fianc
é
in battle. Kiyoka’s presence had been overwhelming, dazzling even as she watched Arata injure him. It was impossible to imagine that light being erased for good.

In Miyo’s world, Kiyoka’s presence was almost like the sun or the moon. There was absolutely no way it would ever disappear. She couldn’t imagine a world without him.

Suddenly, Miyo raised her head.

…Nothing’s set in stone yet.

Arata hadn’t told her that Kiyoka was dead.

She had already decided to hold on to him no matter what, hadn’t she? She hadn’t heard anything conclusive about her fianc
é
at all. If she simply grieved and gave up now, she’d be just the same as she’d been before.

She completely forgot herself. Before she realized it, she had broken into a run.

“Miyo!”

Though she heard Yoshirou and Arata call her name, her legs didn’t stop moving.

Practically tumbling down the stairs, she rushed to leave the house with only the clothes on her back.

“Miyo! Wait!”

Right as she made it to the entryway, Arata caught up to her and grabbed her by the shoulder.

Startled, she gasped. When she slowly turned around, she noticed he was tearful.

“Arata…”

“Please don’t go. Stay here.”

The fever that had recklessly propelled her forward gradually cooled. Though not enough to make her stiffen in place. She just grew a bit more levelheaded.

It was impossible for her heart not to waver at Arata’s plea. He’d done a perfect job of expressing his impatience and frustration. If Miyo were to disappear from his side, this man who possessed power but couldn’t do anything with it, he would again have to smother his feelings to keep on living.

Nevertheless, Miyo had something she wouldn’t compromise on, either.

“I cannot do that.”

“Why not?”

“I want to be with Kiyoka. I don’t want to give up on him.”

“Does it truly have to be him and him alone? Am I not good enough?”

Arata was acting like a child who was about to be abandoned. But there was no need for that.

Miyo took a deep breath. If she broke down now, she would almost certainly be unable to reach Kiyoka’s side.

“Of course you’re good enough. I think you’re a very charming man.”

“Then, wouldn’t you be just as fine with me?”

“…No. Kiyoka’s who I want. Being here’s made me realize that no one else will do.”

The family she longed for could be found in this house, too. Both Yoshirou and Arata had gladly welcomed Miyo with open arms.

Before this, all she’d wanted was to escape from the Saimoris and find a place to belong. If she could live a quiet life, then it didn’t matter whom she ended up marrying. If her spouse ended up being a quiet and gentle person, then nothing could have made her happier. Miyo would have been thrilled to live with the Usubas had they taken her in back then.

But now, the only thing she felt in this house was a constant, lingering sense of discomfort.

Waking up early, preparing breakfast. Seeing Kiyoka off, doing the laundry, cleaning. Mending fraying kimonos and studying with any
free time she had. Day would turn to night, she’d greet Kiyoka as he returned home, and then they’d sit down to dinner. She loved relaxing over a cup of tea with him after they’d finished their baths.

That was the happiness Miyo longed for. The daily life she didn’t want to let go of.

As long as she stayed in this house, she’d make comparisons. Every time she did, she could hear a relentless scream echo inside her heart.

That this wasn’t right. That this wasn’t where she was supposed to be or where she wanted to be.

“Forgive me for selfishly refusing to honor the outcome of your duel. But please. Let me go.”

She cast her head deep down toward the floor.

In the corner of her eye, she glimpsed Arata tightly clench his fists.

“I… No, it’s impossible. I really can’t afford to let you leave like this.”

Impatience welled up inside her when she saw him shake his head.

She needed to rush to Kiyoka’s side as fast as she possibly could. Even though there might not be anything she could do for him if she went, just the thought of unknowingly losing someone so precious to her was abhorrent.

The urge to reach him faster, and faster still, spurred her on.

“I’ll come back here again. I don’t have to be out for long, either. Please, let me go.”

“It’s truly out of the question… While I do want to stop you, I’m not the one who wishes to keep you locked up inside this house.”

Miyo remembered that Yoshirou had said the same thing. That he’d been strictly ordered not to let Kiyoka and Miyo see each other. Someone wanted to keep her shut away… Was that it?

She couldn’t believe someone could benefit from going to such lengths.

“I don’t care what ends up happening to me. As long as I can go see Kiyoka.”

“Yes, but…I’ll take the chance here to confess. I’ve made a deal with a certain individual.”

“A deal?”

“That’s right,” he replied, looking torn.

Miyo confronted Arata head-on, listening to the details he was about to divulge.

“…The person I made a deal with is the emperor.”

“What…?!”

She was at a loss for words at the unbelievable shock.

That can’t be true, can it? The emperor’s…

The exalted one, the man who stood at the very pinnacle of the nation.

He was far too distinguished an individual to make any equitable deals with. Being on an acquaintance basis with him seemed impossible to begin with; her cousin was far more frightening than she could have ever imagined.

“What kind of deal exactly?”

“…I wanted to invite you into this house. But the Kudous were protecting you flawlessly, so I had neither physical nor social avenues of making that happen. That’s when His Majesty summoned me.”

According to Arata, the emperor had some ulterior motive in mind as well.

With their interests aligned, they collaborated to achieve both of their goals.

“His Majesty also foresaw that there would soon be an incident that would cause significant trouble for the Special Anti-Grotesqueries Unit. Hearing this, I used the information as a pretext for contacting Kiyoka Kudou.”

“…So you’re saying that the person who isn’t letting me go is…?”

“His Majesty. I’m not privy to what he’s trying to do, either. He simply agreed to lend me his aid after I said I wanted to take you in as a member of the Usuba family…”

Arata frowned before continuing with a caveat.

“His Majesty is quite unsparing. He’ll likely punish me if I disobey him.”

“…And the rest of the Usubas, too, right?”

Defying the emperor. Doing that was a grave, unforgivable crime regardless of whether their orders were official. She couldn’t imagine what punishment would result from it.

“I…”

If Miyo had been the only one who would suffer in this scenario, there would be absolutely no need to hesitate. However, if the Usubas were going to be wrapped up in it, too…

“Miyo. I serve the wielder of Dream-Sight—you. That’s what I wish to do. It would bring me no greater satisfaction than to get involved in your affairs.”

“But…”

Arata’s wavering eyes were now clearly set.

“You want to go, don’t you? To Kiyoka Kudou’s side. I’ve made up my mind, too.”

“Huh…”

“Please, go to him. In return, I’ll be coming with you.”

“Hng!”

Miyo’s eyes widened at her cousin’s totally unexpected response.

If he was going to come with her, then that meant…

“…Are you sure? Um, will you be breaking your family’s code?”

“Oh, almost certainly, I’d say. There’s also the chance my identity as a member of the Usubas will be revealed as well. But just like you can’t give up on Kiyoka Kudou, I can’t give up on you, either.”

“I-is that so…?”

“That’s right. Plus, I can’t let you go on your own.”

Growing embarrassed, Miyo cast her eyes down.

Now that she thought about it, she didn’t know where to go or how to get there on her own. She was moments from rushing out of the house, only to be at a total loss as to what to do next.

“…That’s right, isn’t it? You agree, too, Grandad?”

Arata turned around to see Yoshirou behind him. Wearing a serious expression on his face, the old man gave a deep sigh.

“What choice do I have? You’re my precious grandchildren, the both of you. It’s my duty as your grandfather to support you.”

“Thank you.”

“Thank you so much…!”

Together with Arata, Miyo took off running, leaving the Usuba home behind.