Free Time Events: Kanae Tsukimura
EVENT 1: The Himemiya family took Tsukimura in and raised her as a servant. I have my doubts about that, but she's completely loyal to the family.
I hung out with Tsukimura. She struck me as polite, but also a bit more relaxed than she was around Himemiya, using "-san" on me, rather than "-sama." According to her, both she and Himemiya tended to speak even more formally while at home.
"So, Tsukimura, how does a girl like you become a servant?" I said. "It doesn't seem like something many girls would choose."
"You're right about that, Azuki-san," Tsukimura said. "In fact, I'd never have even considered it if not for my family."
"What do you mean?" I said. "Is it a family tradition?"
"It is," Tsukimura said. "The Tsukimura family has served the Himemiya family for generations, starting when my distant ancestor pledged his and his descendants' service to them to repay a debt of honor. My family has continued serving the Himemiyas ever since."
I frowned. Some people suspected that my mom made me to become an actress to ride my coattails to success, but I'd made it clear that I was acting because I wanted to. On the other hand, those people's suspicions weren't completely unfounded, since I'd heard some pretty fucked up rumors about a mom prostituting herself and her daughter so the latter could get parts.
"In other words, he basicallly sold his kids, his grandkids and a lot of others who weren't even a sperm in their dads' nutsacks into slavery?" I said. "Talk about good family values."
"I wouldn't call it 'slavery,'" Tsukimura said. "The value of service is instilled in us from a young age, but we are free to choose our own paths in adulthood. Some of us have parted ways with the family, but most of us have inherited their values of loyalty and filial piety, and serve the Himemiyas for as long as we live."
"So you do have a choice, but they raised you so that you'll choose the Himemiyas anyway," I said. "Sounds kind of like brainwashing to me."
Tsukimura firmly shook her head. At this point, even I was starting to wonder if I was going too far, but if she was offended she was still polite about it.
"Maybe it might seem that way to you," Tsukimura said, "but I personally know what it's like to be indebted to the family. My mother died giving birth to me and my father fell ill and passed away when I was five years old, so the Tsukimuras took me in."
"As a servant," I said.
Tsukimura nodded, apparently glad I was no longer calling her a "slave," at the very least.
"I suppose that's true," Tsukimura said, "but honestly, it isn't so hard to see why I, the last of the Tsukimuras, would feel the need to honor my parents and ancestors' pledge of service, or repay the Himemiya family for taking me in. The former is the only connection I have left to my birth family, and the latter is my way of showing gratitude to my adoptive family."
"If you say so," I said. "I understand that you're grateful, but it does sound like the Himemiyas aren't treating you very much like a daughter."
"That's only partially true," Tsukimura said. "Every member of the family has their own duties to perform, and I am no different. Himeno-sama's eldest brother, the young master, is expected to one day succeed the master as head of the family, and has been groomed for that position since before I was born. The young master's other siblings are unlikely to inherit the position, but they also represent the family, and are expected to bring pride to it. With that in mind, I would be disheartened if they did not expect anything of me- fulfilling their expectations is my way of repaying them."
"I guess our families are just different, then," I said. "My mom wants me to become famous, but not for her own benefit- it's so that I can achieve my dream and support myself as an adult. That doesn't mean I'm not going to take care of her in her old age, though."
"I'm sure your mother's glad to have a daughter like you, Azuki-san," Tsukimura said. "I'd certainly do the same if I was in your position."
So in spite of our different backgrounds, Tsukimura thought we had something in common, and she wasn't wrong. I understood where Tsukimura was coming from, in wanting to repay the family that took her in, and just hoped that would earn her better treatment.
EVENT 2: Tsukimura has known Himemiya since she was young. She likes Himemiya, but can't call her a friend.
I spoke with Tsukimura about her duties, which were apparently just standard household chores- cleaning, making tea, gardening, pet care, laundry, taking out the trash and recycling, and a few other errands. When I asked if that was all, she smiled and asked if they serve as Acting Prime Minister or something, which she said was "outside the job description of a maid, to put it mildly." Since I found the idea as fucked up as she did, I got a good laugh out of it.
"So, let me ask about something else," I said. "You've known Himemiya- that is, Himeno- for most of your life, right?"
While the well-bred and formal Himemiya wasn't ready for first names at this point, it would probably be common sense to call her by her first name when talking about her family.
"Since we were young, yes," Tsukimura said. "I was first introduced to Himeno-sama as a young girl, while my father was still alive, and told I would be spending much of my time serving her once I was ready to do so. Most of the Himemiya children have one servant specifically assigned to help them, and it just so happened that Himeno-sama and I were roughly the same age."
"Do they get along?" I said.
"They do," Tsukimura said. "Servants are expected to respect their masters and mistresses. In return, the Himemiya family treats its servants and employees well out of a social obligation, which you may have heard of before."
"Noblesse oblige," I said. "Then again, they don't treat you as equals, do they?"
"No," Tsukimura said, "but that shouldn't be too surprising. In society, many relationships are fundamentally unequal- parents and children, teachers and students, employers and employees, and so on and so forth. The latter owe the former respect, but the former must not abuse their power or take the latter's loyalty for granted. At the very least, that's how it's supposed to work."
Tsukimura's tone was hesitant, so she realized that it didn't always work that way in real life. Of course, since I also had to respect and obey my mom, my teachers and my superiors, I was grateful that for the most part, they treated me well.
"Himeno-sama, however, tries to treat me as an equal," Tsukimura said, "since although she is my mistress, she never explicitly orders me to do anything. For example, she asked if I could call her 'Kanae,' rather than assuming, albeit not unreasonably, that it would be fine with me. She prefers that I not use '-sama' on her, but realizes that not only am I used to calling her that, but I will get in trouble if I don't show her respect."
"Good for her," I said, "but what's her reasoning?"
"Simply put, because she knows I wouldn't be able to say no to her," Tsukimura said. "She once described power as like a highly addictive drug, and said that she knew that if she ever took advantage of her position as my mistress, she'd never be able to stop. She's such a kind person to show such consideration to someone like me."
I shrugged.
"I don't know about that," I said. "Look, I'm not saying she isn't a good person- I like her, too- but if she took advantage of your obedience to her, that'd make her a selfish bitch."
Tsukimura sighed.
"I know why you feel that way," Tsukimura said, "and you're not wrong. However, since I don't have the right to expect an equal friendship with her, I am simply grateful that she is kind to me."
"If you say so," I said. "I guess if I had to end up as anyone's servant, I'd pick Himemiya."
"Me too," Tsukimura said.
We let the subject drop, but I left the meeting feeling depressed. I'd always thought of Tsukimura as equal to the others, and Himemiya felt the same way, so why couldn't Tsukimura accept Himemiya's friendship? She'd said it was more than she deserved, not something she didn't want, so maybe a part of her actually agreed with me.
EVENT 3: Tsukimura has long thought of herself as inferior to the rest of the Himemiya family. She appreciates Himeno's kindness, but can't see her as an equal.
Tsukimura asked me if there were any jobs someone like her could do around a movie studio. I had to be honest with her, so the short answer was "not many." She didn't seem to mind, though, and was glad that some of the rich people who worked for showbiz needed housekeepers and maids.
"I've noticed something," I said. "You've never once called Himemiya's parents- your adoptive parents- 'Mother' or 'Father.'"
"There are a few reasons for that," Tsukimura said. "First, while they raised me, I feel it would be disrespectful to my parents to call them that. After all, I'm still a Tsukimura, not a Himemiya, not to mention the only person still capable of carrying on my family name and fulfilling their duty."
I shrugged. While I still didn't think much of the Tsukimuras following a tradition that a dead guy had established without their permission, I could sympathize with the youngest Tsukimura feeling loyalty to her family.
"But that's not the only reason, right?," I said. "What else is there?"
Tsukimura nodded.
"The other reason," Tsukimura said, "is because while I am being raised by the family, I am not worthy of carrying on the name. Since the family is an old-fashioned one, the family head's eldest son is at the top of the succession order, and he's followed by the other sons, then the daughters. Of course, if one of the head's daughters were to inherit the family, her husband would actually run it, since the family is still only run by men."
I laughed bitterly. I could get why they wanted to keep leadership in the family within the family, as well as grooming their successor for leadership since childhood, but keeping the rule that females need not apply was downright backwards. It reminded me of a time when women couldn't play act in the theater, even as female characters.
"So your worthiness to lead the family is determined by whether you have a dick," I said. "Brilliant system."
Tsukimura giggled.
"You're not wrong, Azuki-san," Tsukimura said. "Who knows? We might one day get a hermaphrodite at the head of the family."
"I wouldn't put it past them," I said, "but maybe we might see this happen if the family goes on long enough... or maybe they'll actually let a woman lead the family, if they run out of kids that they can use as successors."
Everything had to change sooner or later, no matter how much people valued tradition. The Tsukimuras were no exception, and sooner or later, they'd have to get with the program and accept that women weren't worth any less than men.
"It's possible," Tsukimura said, "but in the very unlikely event that none of the family head's children are still alive or worthy to inherit the headship- which has never happened in the Himemiyas' centuries-long history- the successor would be picked from one of the family head's relatives, or, failing that, they would adopt a worthy heir. They would never consider bestowing that honor upon a servant, and especially not a girl, even if she was adopted."
"Well, that sucks," I said.
"I actually don't mind," Tsukimura said. "Even assuming that I were considered a trueborn daughter of the Himemiya family and eligible to inherit the family, since Himeo-sama was born about a month and a half before me, I'd only inherit the family if she and all her older siblings died or were disinherited. Himeno-sama is not close to her siblings, but she would be heartbroken if anything like that happened to them, just like I'd be if she suffered such a fate."
The way Tsukimura put the possibility of the elder Himemiya siblings dying made it sound like she expected it might come from being hit by a car or having a terminal illness, rather than being assassinated by a jealous rival, like what happened to the prince's older brother on Summer's End. A part of me thought that having multiple siblings around to compete for an inherited title was asking for trouble, but it was nice to have a backup in case the first-born died or wasn't cut out for inheriting the title.
"I know," I said, "but it seems kind of unfair that you don't even have a shot because of who you are- your gender, your family and your social status."
"I thought you'd say that," Tsukimura said, "since you've made your feelings about the Himemiya family abundantly clear."
I sighed and chose my next words carefully. Tsukimura was a nice girl, but my judgmental attitude was clearly wearing on her nerves, even if she was too polite to say it straight out.
"Don't get me wrong," I said. "I respect your loyalty to the Himemiya family, but I don't really have any respect for the family itself... with one or two exceptions, depending on how you count. I get that you're trying to repay them, but it seems like they should also repay you."
"Oh, I appreciate that sentiment, Azuki-san," Himemiya said. "Speaking of which, does the 'one or two exceptions' also refer to the mistress- Himeno-sama's mother?"
"No," I said, "since I was thinking of you and Himeno. I'm guessing I should add her to the list, though?"
"You should," Tsukimura said. "The mistress was the one who proposed taking me in, since she'd been friends with my mother. Because of that, she encouraged me to become friends with Himeno-sama, and treats me as a daughter, rather than a servant, as much as she's able- after all, she must obey her husband, just like I do. She even said I can call her 'Mother' when we're alone."
I then thought back to how Nagato was expected to treat her mother while at school. I'd since come to realize that Nagato-sensei had her reasons for doing this, since she was just another teacher for the school who had to do her job. Himeno's mother was the same in some regards, but at least she thought of her ward.
"But you don't?" I said.
"As I said before, I'm not sure it would be right," Tsukimura said, "not when I must honor my parents' memory, or after being taught to think of myself as lesser than her other children. But I did appreciate the offer, and the fact that the mistress would see me as her daughter."
I once again had a lot to think about, and found myself questioning my assumptions. All this time, I'd thought the Himemiya family was to blame, but while they probably helped foster her sense of inferiority, Tsukimura was the one who'd internalized those values. Something had to change, but that something was the way Tsukimura saw herself.
EVENT 4: Tsukimura wants to see Himemiya as an equal and a friend, and only needs the courage to take that step.
We talked about our old schools for a little while. While Tsukimura and Himemiya's school had been a school for rich girls, it was surprisingly normal- just a higher than average price tag for tuition, a more generous budget and better facilities than most schools.
"I've been thinking about what you said, Azuki-san," Tsukimura said. "I appreciate your treating me as an equal, and the blunt and passionate way you make your beliefs clear."
"It's nothing, really," I said. "I'm doing what anyone else would do... although I do have to admit that I'm impressed by your dedication to your job and the Himemiya family."
"Thank you," Tsukimura said. "It means a lot to hear that from you."
"Yeah," I said. "But anyhow, surely I'm not the only outsider to treat you this way?"
Tsukimura hesitantly shook her head.
"No," Tsukimura said. At my and Himeno-sama's old school, I made quite a few friends, who were able to look past my being a servant. In fact, I had somewhat more success on that front than Himeno-sama, who's a bit choosier with her friends."
I thought about Himemiya for a bit. While we got along pretty well, I could see that her bluntness could be potentially difficult to deal with. As hypocritical as that sounds, I know I don't have room to talk- in fact, I'm speaking from personal experience.
"At the same time, though," Tsukimura said, "the idea of my being equal to Himeno-sama a difficult concept for me to grasp. I was raised to think of myself as a servant, to devote myself to Himeno-sama and my other betters, putting aside my needs and desires in order to fulfill theirs. As such, a part of me thought it was wrong to even think of Himeno-sama as an equal."
"Even if that's what Himemiya and her mother want?" I said. "After all, servants do as they're told, don't they?"
Tsukimura was at a loss for words.
"Good question," Tsukimura said. "Because I'm obligated to follow Himeno-sama's orders, she doesn't force the issue. She said that my free will is what separates a friend from a servant, and says she has no need for a 'friend' who obediently does whatever she's told."
So maybe the Himemiyas' belief in noblesse oblige wasn't just a way for them to feel good about their privileged position, but it actually had a positive impact on their youngest daughter.
"Well, what do you think?" I said.
Tsukimura paused, surprised to be asked a question, then thought over her answer carefully.
"That Himeno-sama's a good person," Tsukimura said, "and not just because she treats me, her servant, well. She's honest with other people, and always thinks about others' interests. She can be blunt, but she often strives to help others improve themselves. There's no one I trust more, and she has told me things that she'd never tell anyone else. Spending time with her makes me happy, and I have many fond memories with her. She isn't just my mistress, but also my best friend, and I'd like to call her that."
"Well, there's no time like the present," I said, "and the only Himemiya around to judge you for treating her as a friend is the one who most wants you to do that."
"I understand," Tsukimura said. "I'll give it my best shot."
I wished Tsukimura luck, even if I had no reason to believe that Himemiya would rebuff Tsukimura's desire to see her as an equal. She had summoned her courage to take a significant first step, and I hoped it would lead her where she wanted it to.
EVENT 5: Tsukimura is starting to see Himemiya as a friend, and feels the same way about me.
Tsukimura invited me to her room. Her half was relatively spartan, a bit like a servant's quarters, but was remarkably tidy.
"I have some good news, Azuki-san," Tsukimura said. "I was able to talk things over with Himeno recently."
"Just Himeno?" I said.
"That's right," Tsukimura said. "I actually managed to have an entire conversation with her without adding the '-sama' to her name."
"Good for you," I said, "but I'm guessing that isn't the only step towards equalizing your relationship?"
Tsukimura nodded.
"Unfortunately, yes," Tsukimura said, "but I feel that it's important that I managed to summon the courage to take this first step. If I can manage to do that, I'll be able to wholeheartedly call Himeno my friend one day."
"Keep at it," I said. "Whatever you might call Himeno, it's clear that you care about and are grateful to her, so in some ways, you already are friends."
I knew that it wouldn't be easy to overcome a lifetime's worth of being conditioned to think of herself as inferior, but I believed Tsukimura could do it. She'd taken the first step on a long journey, and had a friend who was willing to help her walk that path- well, two friends.
"One more thing," Tsukimura said, "Can I call you 'Akira-chan'?"
"Sure thing, Kanae," I said. "You can also call me your friend."
"I'd certainly be happy to do that, Akira-chan," Kanae said.
Kanae and I shook hands. While I still didn't really like how Tsukimura had been coerced into working as a servant to fulfill a dead guy's promise, I could respect her sense of loyalty and duty. One thing was clear- Himeno and I were lucky to have a friend like Kanae.
Skill: Cleaning Lady. Helps clear obstacles more quickly in Train of Thoguht
Kanae's Undergarments: A traditional pair of women's undergarments worn under her kimono.
Tsukimura was a relatively late addition to the cast, around the time Himemiya's personality and backstory were significantly overhauled. Despite that, I actually became somewhat fond of how she turned out, particularly how their differing social status complicates her friendship with Himemiya, but how they care for each other deeply in spite of that. Himemiya's Free Time Events will also include her perspective on Tsukimura.
Regarding Tsukimura's skill, Train of Thought is a minigame I made up myself, an equivalent to Logic Dive or Psyche Taxi. In it, you'd have to clear obstacles from a train track, then correctly direct the train in the path with the right answer to each question.
The omake references the quiz questions that pop up in some Free Time Events and what would happen if Azuki tried to troll Himemiya by deliberately choosing the wrong answers.
Kanae Tsukimura
Title: Ultimate Handmaiden
Birthday: January 27 (Aquarius)
Height: (5'4")
Likes: Watching archery competitions (especially Himeno-sama)
Dislikes: Hard-to-remove stains.
Hobbies: Karaoke
Omake
I listened to Tsukimura talk about her being a servant for her adoptive family in order to repay them for taking her in.
"There's a name for the principle I'm talking about," Tsukimura said, "in which children respect and care for their parents. Do you know what it is?"
Four choices were available to me- patriarchy, filial piety, communism and feudalism. I knew the answer but decided to have a little fun with Tsukimura.
"Patriarchy," I said.
"That's not it," Tsukimura said. "While the master is the head of the family, and headship is passed down to the eldest male child who is eligible, so the males are in charge, that's not what I'm talking about."
"All right, then, feudalism," I said, making it sound as though I was hastily guessing.
"Not exactly," Tsukimura said. "The family has servants and the company has employees, but none of us are the Himemiya family's vassals. One more try, please."
"Ok, I think I've got it now- communism," I said, affecting a shit-eating grin.
Tsukimura laughed out loud.
"The Himemiya family is one of the wealthiest in all of Japan," Tsukimura said. "They wouldn't last five minutes if the country fell to a communist revolution."
"All right, fun's over," I said. "Filial piety is my final answer."
"Good," Tsukimura said. "It looks like you finally got it, if only through process of elimination."
Tsukimura's smile didn't reach her eyes. I'd gotten a kick out of that, but I realized that it wouldn't be a good idea to piss Tsukimura off.
