Chapter 37 - The Truth
As Yumi entered the room she saw a beautiful dress the color of violets with a white sash hanging on a dress stand. "Touko," she called as she entered the room and slowly made her way to the dress admiring its beautiful color and design. Upon hearing the door behind her close and the lock being thrown she turned around and her eyes grew large before narrowing in anger. "What are 'YOU' doing here!" she demanded.
"And here I thought Cinderella would be happy to see her Prince Charming," Kashiwagi-san said with a smile as he leaned against the door.
"I'm assuming you're here to pick up Touko," Yumi asked.
"I am," Kashiwagi-san replied with a slow nod. "However I am also here to speak with you."
"The only thing I have to say to you is that I wish you and Sachiko-sama happiness and long life," Yumi said.
"Arigato," Kashiwagi-san replied. "If that is all you have to say then I would like you to listen to me and what I have to say. It shouldn't take long," he motioned towards two chairs that were positioned near at hand. "All I ask is that you listen to what I have to say and then what you do from there is up to you Yumi-chan."
With a resigned sigh Yumi moved towards one of the chairs. "I'll listen though at this point it doesn't really matter what your words will be," she informed him as she sat down in one of the chairs.
"I understand and it may very well not change a thing but it is still the right thing to do to make certain you know what happened." Seeing the questioning look on the younger girls face he continued. "On the last time you were brought to the Ogasawara residence. Sa-chan and I were on our way out the door to get you and head to the hospital where her grandfather is when we were stopped by Tooru Oji-san." He explains the events of that evening.
"No," Tooru said with such finality that it stopped Sachiko in her tracks and she turned back to look at him with a questioning look on her face. Seldom did her father spoken to her in that tone of voice. Sayako Oba-sama suddenly leaned in and whispered something in his ear to which he reluctantly listened. "Very well," he said to his wife, "send a car for her." Turning he regarded Sachiko and myself and motioned in the direction of his office, "If you both would please." Once again his tone made it clear that it was not a request.
Once Tooru opened the door he ushered us in and then closed the door behind himself. As we crossed to the desk he motioned to the chairs before it for us to sit. "Father? How bad is it?" Sachiko asked once they were all seated.
"I'll be honest with you Sachiko," Tooru said, "They don't expect him to last the week. Even if he should last and by some chance remain alive they doubt he'll ever regain consciousness."
Sachiko gasped at the tragic news. She loves her grandfather dearly and the thought of losing him so soon after losing her grandmother was heartbreaking. Suguru reached over and laid a comforting hand on his cousins lending his strength to her. "Is there nothing that can be done Father?" Sachiko asked in a pleading tone.
"I'm having specialists flown in as we speak but preliminary results don't look good." the elder Ogasawara informed her, pained at seeing how upset she was. "We may learn more when they get here but for now I think we need to brace ourselves for the worst." Taking a deep breath he pressed on with the real reason he had called them both here. "It lightens my heart to finally see the two of you getting along better," he said looking pointedly at Suguru's hand on hers. "It's important for the family that our future be secured."
Sachiko looked at her father with a questioning look while Suguru, suspecting what was coming tried to forestall it. "This may not be the best time for this Oji-san."
"It may not be the perfect time for it but it needs to be done." the older man replied with a note of finality.
"Father, what are you saying?" Sachiko finally asked. "If you have something to say then please do so directly so there can be no confusion."
"Sachiko, I have no choice. I have to insure that the family is secured. Tomorrow I will announce your engagement to Suguru. Through your marriage and children we'll be secure," Tooru stated in a clear and even voice.
"I'll have no part in this Father!" Sachiko exclaimed in a most unladylike voice. "Secure the family in whatever means you wish but I'll play no part in it! Why you must feel the ne…" she started to say but was cut off.
"Sachiko, sit down!" her father yelled. Never had he raised his voice to her in this manner before. The raven hair girl froze in her tracks and sunk slowly into her seat once more. For the first time in her life she was scared of her father. "You are my daughter and only offspring," he explained in a more even tone of voice. You will do what is expected of you as an Ogasawara."
"Oji-san, I can't marry Sa-chan," he began sitting forward in his seat fearful of the older man as well.
"You can and will," Tooru stated. "It's the only way you'll be able to save the Matsudaira name," he informed the younger man. "I know that they are near financial ruin which is why they are close to losing the hospital. If word of this gets out their name will be dishonored. Once you've married into this family you'll have the resources to clear their debt and save them." Tooru's face softened slightly. "There is no other man I would entrust my daughter to. I know that you will make her happy in time Suguru-chan."
"Father," Sachiko said trying to plead her case. "While I can understand the situation concerning the Matsudaira family, this still doesn't mean that I have to marry Suguru-san. Why not just adopt him and that way he'll inherit it all himself."
"It's not that simple," Tooru said. "Father wants you to inherit it all. We had spoken about it several times over the past few months and he was adamant that it all be yours. Given his condition now I have to view it as his last request. As his loving son I am honor bound to see it completed." Tooru held up one hand to forestall her reply. "You will do this for two reasons, first and foremost because you are an Ogasawara and because there is no alternative."
"Father, I don't care about that. I will not be forced into a marriage that I do not want," Sachiko declared rising to her feet once again. "This is not the olden days where such arrangements were the way of doing things."
"It is the traditional way of doing things that has provided for you your entire life Sachiko," he shot back.
"Fine then, she replied placing both hands on the desk in front of her and leaning forward towards her father. "Then you may disinherit me and I will drop the Ogasawara and use mothers' name of Sei. I'll take nothing more from you Father!"
"In that case then I'll have little choice but to adopt your Petite Sœur whom I already have several offers of marriage to," Tooru replied in a tone that left little doubt that he would do it.
"Yumi?" Anger flared in her sapphire eyes. "You'll do no such thing!" she spat at him, every would filled with venom. Not Yumi! "There is no way that her parents would allow such a thing!" Would he really do such a thing? Could he?
Tooru leaned back in his chair. "Fukuzawa Yuuichirou has recently acquired a considerable amount of debt as he has expanded his business due to a sudden influx of work," he said in a tone as if he were reading a report. "The influx of work which was directly related to the appearance of Yumi-chan being tied to the Ogasawara name I might add." he informed her. "If the interested parties involved were told that there was no tie then the contracts would no doubt be withdrawn leaving Yumi-chan's father in debt to a point he would not be able to repay." Tooru said locking eyes with his daughter. "He would bring dishonor to his family should that happen. However if I were to step in at that time and offer to save his daughter by adopting her then I could also take care of his debt as Yumi-chan would be a member of this family, in essence, your sister. I would have little choice then but to marry her off to either Suguru-kun here," he said with a motion of his hand towards the man in the chair across from him, "or to one of the other several offers I've already received for her. In either case she would no doubt be married to someone that she did not love."
Stunned Sachiko fell back into her seat. He could do that, she realized. Yumi would be forced into the same marriage I would have been in. The thought of Yumi married to someone she didn't love was enough to break the raven haired beauties heart. "Father, you couldn't….wouldn't do that."
Tooru leapt to his feet, both hands slamming down on the desktop causing them both to jump. "Daughter, I will do whatever it takes to secure this families future. I am giving you a choice in the matter which is more than you should get!" he declared with a hint of anger in his voice as he was nearing the end of his patience with her. "If you agree to the engagement then I will leave things as they are now. Our banks already hold a number of loans for the fledgling Fukuzawa Architecture company."
Sachiko's face paled as the blood drained from it. "I understand. I will of course do what any perfect daughter would do," she said squaring her shoulders and sitting up stiffly in the chair in her father's office. As her cousin sitting next to her made to say something she laid a hand on his shoulder. "Please don't Suguru-san. It will only make matters worse." Sachiko stood and turned towards her father, "Is there anything else Father," she asked in a cold voice.
"One day you will understand Sachiko. One day when all this is yours," he gestured with a tired wave of his hand. "One day you may have to make the same decisions I've had to make. Then you'll understand. We can work out the exact date tomorrow."
"As you wish," was her passionless reply. "Suguru, I'll await you outside." Sachiko walked to the door but then paused once her hand touched the doorknob and turned and looked back at her father. "You're wrong Father. I would never make the same mistake that you're making right now." She said it in such a tone of finality that it left no room for argument. Turning back she quietly departed the room leaving the men to discuss matters.
Suguru watched the door for long moments after it closed before turning back towards the elder Ogasawara. "You couldn't have picked a worse time to have forced this on her and Yumi-chan," he said.
"These are not good times," Tooru said meaning the situation with his father. "If it had waited too much longer it would have seemed as if it was due to my father's illness."
"It is due to it though," Suguru pointed out.
"Yes, however we will suppress the fact of his condition for some time so that it just look as though it happened a month or two after your engagement announcement," Tooru informed the younger man.
"If I am to go along with this, it will be for Sa-chan's and Yumi-chan's sake Oji-san." Suguru said. "However, I have an additional requirement as well. I want the Fukuzawa debt to be paid in full as well…before the wedding."
"Why would I do that?" Tooru asked sitting back down in his chair and regarding the other man carefully.
"Because if you do not then the media will find out about your father's condition," Suguru informed him with a smile. "While that is not a major fact in the scheme of things, it will most certainly tarnish the Ogasawara name some as well as dull the engagement event." Suguru stood up. "Consider this my price for what you're forcing your own daughter to do against her will. Also, Yumi's father is not to know about this."
"Fine. I'll set up an account in Yumi-chan's name and have the payments her father sends redirected to there." Tooru said. "At some point you can give her the account information, after the wedding," he added. "It will be your responsibility to tell her why the money is there then."
"…and that is what happened that day before you arrived Yumi-chan," Suguru finished with. Reaching into his coat pocket he produced a banking book and laid it on the table next to them. "In there you'll find the account information. You can do whatever you like with it. Give it back to your father, spend it, whatever," he finished with a shrug.
"Why are you telling me this now?" Yumi asked as she still tried to process everything she had been told. Sachiko-sama was trying to protect me? How could she think my father would have given into that?
"I think what will happen later today is a mistake, Yumi-chan," Suguru replied sitting forward I his seat. "I saw Sa-chan when she arrived home that day. She was dancing in her room with a cell phone clutched to her chest!" he told her with a smile on his face. "I've never seen her that happy before. Never! All her life people have made decisions for her. Told her how to be, where to go, how to act and speak. What to learn, what to play and how to dress. I think that the weekend the two of you spent together and she confessed her love to you is perhaps the first time she did something she wanted to do because she wanted to do it. Not because she was supposed to do it, or someone wanted her to do it."
"She told you about our weekend?" Yumi asked. Why didn't she come and explain it to me? Why didn't she talk to me?
"Not in so many words," he confessed. "However I've known Sa-chan her entire life and I can perhaps read her better than anyone can due to that. She did show me a text message from you saying that you loved her," he clarified to her. "I told her it was about time the two of you were open with each other."
"I see," Yumi said with an expressionless face. "Arigato Kashiwagi-san for taking the time to come here and tell me this," Yumi said as she stood. "Please send in Touko so that we can get her ready."
"Yumi-chan, what will you do?" Suguru asked rising to his feet.
"Do?" Yumi asked looking at him. "There is nothing to do at this point," she answered him as she moved towards the door. "Sachiko-sama made her choice those many months ago," without talking to me about it, "and it is too late to change that now," Yumi said. She didn't give me a chance to decide before she decided for me. I was wrong to think we had something special if she would treat something so important so one sided. I have a little pride and should be able to make my own decisions after all! Yumi opened the door for him. "Please send in Touko so I can get her ready," she asked him as he stepped through the door with a confused and disappointed look upon his face. This is just like when we first met and she wanted to make me her Petite Sœur...no, this is infinitely more important but she acted with only concern for herself and what she wanted. If she had just told me the truth!
Yumi smiled warmly to her Petite Sœur when Touko entered a few minutes later. "Touko!" Yumi said to the younger girl who was absent her normal banana curls. "I've told you before, but you look exceptionally beautiful with your hair down!" The younger girl blushed at the compliment and unconsciously raised one hand to her hair. "Come, we need to get you ready so that you shine ever so brightly!" Yumi said motioning towards the waiting dress.
Author's Note:
Well, we are coming down to the final chapters of this story. We finally find out why Sachiko was so brutal to Yumi. The wedding is only hours away. What will happen? How will it happen? Who will it happen to? I wish I knew but the Muse is keeping it a strict secret apparently. In case you haven't realized yet, nothing is as simple as it seems to be in this story. Hang in there and I'll try to get the next chapter posted soon.
As always, though certainly not required, I do appreciate any and all reviews, comments and Private Messages.
Kind Regards,
EJ Daniels
All characters within this story, unless otherwise stated are the sole property of Oyuki Konno the original writer of the Maria-sama ga Miteru light novel series.