The first part of this chapter is inspired by Kisuru's SeiSub work: /works/12543420
It seems there's no room left to sit at the picnic spot of Ueno Park. More and more people gathered onto one huge spot under a group of leafy cherry blossom trees that instead of passing the walking crowds and set up new picnic spots on any other side of the tree-lined park, each new person or groups of people are strangely looking for a place they could squeeze into in that crowded, noisy area.
Sakurazuka Setsuka is an exception. She steadily walks across the park with wide confident strides, a large fruit basket cradled in one arm, a worn out leather handbag on the other. Not oblivious of people' attention towards her, she stopped under a peculiarly huge cherry blossom tree to spread a gingham tablecloth underneath her unused red silk dress she had cut with a scissor at home.
Setsuka stood barefoot after she finishes arranging a picnic of salmon burger, cream cakes and white wine, fingers proudly pressed on each side of her waist. Gazing dreamily at her tree, she leans toward it and lifts her arm to poke its trunk using one manicured finger, "So, umm... long time no see, Tree-san!"
"I beg your pardon?"
Startled, Setsuka jumped a few steps back, knocking over some of her food containers. Her head would absolutely hit a plot of land nearby, or one of her scattered shoes for that matter. It would be painful, but fortunate of her, a pair of hands shot out just in time to catch both her arms through the fall.
Setsuka sees the park scenery upside down before she let gravity take her backside, the grips on her arms fastening as she moves slowly to land on the overlay of fabrics she's set as picnic mat. "Oh God..." she muttered, bewildered, "Just then I really thought the tree could speak..."
Still recovering from her shock, Setsuka inspects the pair of beautiful fraternal twins now sitting cross legged on each side of her favourite cherry blossom tree, eating her cooking and drinking carton juice and a cane of coke they've brought on their own—gorgeous, peaceful. Like a movie scene.
To think that this is the very place where she met Sanosuke for the first time...
"It's not every day we encounter someone who can immediately recognise our genders..." starts one twin, the girl, sheepishly.
"Oh, but that's easy," Setsuka points out, excitedly moving her arms up and down, "my brother's children are fraternal twins, and they were so cute just like you two..."
"Thank you, but, were...?" again, it's the girl that spoke.
"Ha-ha, they're not dead... I just haven't seen them for years. My son doesn't really like them anymore."
Setsuka could only hear the twins' crisp laughter as a cue to continue, "I wonder how they're doing. My son used to play with them. They were fantastic cousins for him. They spend lots of holiday together, in my house, until one Christmas Eve my son break one of their toys."
"Why did he do that?" the male twin countered.
"Hmm... I was curious myself. My family have no Christian practitioner, my husband either, but we celebrated Christmas because the twins loved 'Home Alone' and receiving gifts Christmas-style, ha-ha. Back then I really thought Seishirou like it, too. But maybe not and maybe he's just jealous." One side of Setsuka's lip curved uncomfortably, "Don't get me wrong. I love my son, but he's just..."
Gripping her wine bottle midair, Setsuka glances around, suddenly realizing what she's sharing with total strangers—albeit a pair of seemingly kind-hearted kids. But again she sees the girl, Sumeragi Hokuto—Setsuka reminds herself—nodding at her in a polite, patient, and cute encouragement, inducing Setsuka to go on. On top of that, Subaru's eyes latch on her as if telling her he had dealt with many people and many more stories like this; Setsuka just couldn't resist it.
"It was my fault. My son Seishirou was, uh, is a spoiled child. He can go a long way just to smile for another person, much less talking, but he's also an obedient, thoughtful, and kind child for his parents, tee-he-he. His big family, me as his mother included, made things far more complicated. I never realize what I've done by not giving him any sibling, and when I do, he's been closing in on himself for far too long," Setsuka fell silent for another moment, her face made as if to brood. She flicked her hair behind her right ear and sends Subaru a meek smile, "In fact, he's been living here in Tokyo for almost two decades now, and still he has no friends whatsoever.
"You see I don't want him to live like that forever... but I honestly have no idea what to do with him."
Sumeragi twins deadpanned, and she kind of waited for it. She bit her lip. Feeling restless all over again, she should've known she was just being superstitious. She's carried away by her grief, again, selfishly laying it out on people as if these thoughtful kids don't have problem in their life, again; she never learned her lesson.
If she had her way she would want to disappear from their sight.
"...can we meet Seishirou, Sakurazuka-san?"
Relief drowns Setsuka, Hokuto's question being a cavernous missing part of the puzzle she called life. A lone butterfly roves over one twin's head, Subaru's, and flee leaving the superstitious Setsuka smiling so wide it creases her eyelids. Like a movie scene, she repeats.
"Now, now... I told him to go meet his uncle at Ikebukuro this morning. He must be on his way."
Pacing down the subway to corridor of the station, Sakurazuka Seishirou slice through the crowds, looking like a real estate agent but with an odd eye circle adorning in between the tip of his cheekbone and his left eye—from many sleepless hours and those unnecessary dwellings on life, perhaps, if only he would care to admit it. But why it's only jarringly visible on one side?
He flicks off some dust from his white shirt and take a look on his wristwatch, letting the bursts of people strolling to every directions around him go hang with the rest of the world. His uncle should show up here by half an hour.
Days gone by and not only that he'd lost more sleep than ever, he seem to also lose a portion affinity he had for some beautiful, fancy things—this wristwatch isn't a Tag Heuer per se, he lost a Rolex too, somehow; so a simple Gucci should do—is it because it was inherited from his unhinged mother or it's just his lately worsening mood swings raking complications that that should happen to him, he will never be sure. Nor will he care anymore.
On top of that, mirrors are no longer his friend. At least he can be sure of that.
His raven hair may seem silky but it's totally unkempt for the day, he knows that. This morning Setsuka had insists all of this silly rebellious phase he have is caused by the odd eye circle, and he kind of want to admit she's in someway right, only Seishirou would rather die than to ever putting himself under the mercy of his mother's makeup tools if he did.
The tiles under him grumble almost in a constant rhythmical order as the subway left Ikebukuro. Some of the feeble lights buzzing and there, from the top of the stairs a pair of pretty teenagers with similar hairstyle and clothing runs in his wake. One of them, bubbly in pink jumpsuit, smoothly slide on her platform shoes to stop with a satisfied "Hah!" that bounces off the walls of a now vacant corridor. In front of them, Seishirou took in the sight with bemused detachment.
Judging from the way they're dressed, these kids might be newly debuted idols of Akihabara for all he know. He was going to turn back and be done with them, but not before the other kid, wearing bright red thin jacket over a seemingly black sleeveless jumpsuit stumbles over his own hasty steps and thrusts forward, as if to dive; jacketed kid fall face first on the ground.
"Ouch... calm down, Sweetheart. Here, let me help you," pink jumpsuit voiced while grasping the arm of red jacket lad, her expression's exultant for a rather gloom dingy place like this station.
Oh, twins—interesting, Seishirou thought.
Just a second as he was about to really leave the station, and the kids behind, pink jumpsuit girl made another noise. It sounded startled though, and if she were to address her green-eyed twin, isn't it a bit too loud given their positions? Is he injured?
Seishirou spins slowly back at them, meeting a pair of brown surprised stare.
"Look, Subaru!" she calls her still stooping twin without any intention to soften her blatant staring at Seishirou, "He's Mr. Good-Looking from the crosswa—hello, Sakurazuka Seishirou!"