This chapter took a lot longer than I wished it did! I got stuck in a couple spots and editing didn't end up quite how I liked it. I did want to add more... but I figure this story is moving at about a chapter a day so far, so I don't want it to drag on forever. We at least have the whole holiday to get through! Let me know what everyone thinks, and thank you for reading!~
The sun's rays slowly started to creep into the hospital room, filtering through the curtains surrounding the bed. Their normally vibrant hues dulled by the thick, grey fabric as they fought their way through to Mei's eyes.
It was unclear to her if she managed to get any sleep during the past few hours. The overwhelming feelings of fatigue and exhaustion were still manifesting themselves on her eyelids and throughout her body, but her mind was far too preoccupied to actually get any meaningful rest. Mei's attempts to sleep were rebuffed by a montage of what Yuzu had told her that day. The words carried the same acrid sting to them, even if they were just memories.
What was worse was the overwhelming sense of guilt that haunted her. Making the decision to leave her family, and Yuzu, six years ago was one of the hardest decisions in her life. It was unfathomable before that the guilt could be this painful and heavy, but seeing Yuzu and how her life had been fundamentally changed by her selfish decisions brought those emotions a whole new meaning.
Mei did have a new resolve from the ordeal. In spite of what Yuzu had told her, she knew that if the two of them were going to have any resolution–the thought of what they shared ending formally brought forth another wave of sadness–then the two of them would have to have some type of discussion. It likely wasn't the smartest idea for either of them and was bound to end up hurting both of them. Still, Mei couldn't shake the feeling that in her life of taking the paths of least resistance, if always choosing the logical and rational choice had brought this pain, then it was time she listened to what her heart was saying.
Her hand had not moved from her chest since Yuzu left. The ring had found its way out of her shirt and was now firmly clenched between her fingers. The passage of time, as well as wearing it nearly every hour of the day, had made the once brilliant silver dull slightly. Normally this fact did not bother her, time does come for all things in the end. But the dullness gained a new meaning, the fear that what this ring meant was only temporary and fleeting, threatening to steal the one source of comfort that managed to always calm her down no matter the situation.
In a way, she knew that her life was built on memories, feelings from long ago because she was unable to move on. Her emotions for her father still stung. Even if they had briefly been able to repair their relationship, all thanks to Yuzu. Without her presence in Mei's life it became harder and harder to keep that relationship intact. Even her proposed marriage into the Udagawa family was strained, the strength she thought she had to move forward with had been stolen after taking the decision to withdraw from Yuzu's love.
By now the sun's light was bright enough to indicate that it had fully risen above the horizon, and now dominated the room's ambiance. It was a welcome change from the dullness, with the yellow and orange hues playing across every object to brighten them up and to chase the cold, blue tones away. Mei let out a sound that seemed to be halfway between a giggle and a snort. The symbolism of such a mundane and daily action wasn't lost on her, and only served to strengthen the desire to talk to Yuzu. There was the fear that she would depart from Okinawa early to try and avoid her, so Mei felt a conviction to try to catch Yuzu as soon as possible.
Not wanting to waste any more time in the hospital room, she glanced around for a call button or something to inform a nurse or an orderly that she was finished in this room. Just at that moment, the door to her room creaked open. She shifted her gaze to the curtain, thankful that the staff of the establishment had a sixth sense for their patients.
"Good morning, Aihara-san." The man who emerged through the curtain was older, his white hair trimmed short. His bow was gentle and well practised, he had clearly been doing these greetings for years, "I am Asa Takamasa, and I'd like to discuss your medical results this morning, if you're feeling alright?" There was a genuine look of concern on his face as he looked towards the bed.
"That is perfectly acceptable, Asa-sensei."
"I discussed some of this with your sister last night, but these tests have indicated you're suffering from acute fatigue. Do you have a history of episodes such as the one you endured yesterday?"
"No. I've only had one other moment like that, while attending High School."
"I see… very well." Sensei looked down at his clipboard, pen in hand. He contemplated for a second before writing out a prescription and some notes on a piece of paper. With a sudden but skilled tear at the corner of the notepad, he ripped off the page with nearly a straight edge. "I've written you something for sleeping at night, it should get you to sleep faster and give you more rest. Other than that, you need to set aside more time during your days for decompression. Your sister informed me of the hard work you put in each day. If you aren't careful, this will turn into a permanent condition."
Mei could only bow her head in response as she took the paper from his hands. His features morphed into a gentle smile before he spoke again.
"Forgive me, Aihara-san," he bowed once more, a deeper bow this time, "but I wanted to comment it heartened me to see such a caring sibling. It is a type of commitment that I have not seen between sisters for quite some time."
Sensei's words electrified her. To say such a thing unprompted was nearly unheard of, and she could feel the tips of her ears starting to burn again. Not only was he unaware of the… peculiar relationship the two had once shared, but also the fact that they were step sisters. Still, for him to have made such an extraordinary comment meant that Yuzu must have launched herself at him with questions. The thought of her still being so concerned for her wellbeing gave her strength, even if it was unfounded. The thought lingered that Yuzu would have done this for anyone, but Mei decided to take the more charitable interpretation of the events.
"T-Thank you. I will express my gratitude for her assistance later." Mei said the last part more for herself than for sensei.
"Now, I am sure you are wondering when you can leave. We are going to discharge you later this morning. One of my staff has reached out to…" He paused to look down at his clipboard once again, "...Nakano Himeko, who has arranged to come here to assist you later. Tsunoda-san provided her contact information for us."
Again, all Mei could manage was to bow her head. The questions that his simple statement raised raced through her head. Yuzu had Himeko's information? Even more, she knew that Himeko had gotten married. She never once spoke of Yuzu, and it's something Mei was eager to find the answers to.
Before he left the room, sensei had disconnected the machines that were monitoring Mei throughout the night. He left with a simple bow, leaving her alone with her subconscious once more. It was a familiar state of mind to be in, and normally it would provide a sense of ease and comfort. Now it only contained restlessness, the desire for answers to questions that churned like an uneasy sea.
Mei swung her legs over the bed and took an uneasy moment to stand. Her jacket had been draped over one of the chairs. Moving to grab it, she remembered that her phone was tucked neatly in one of the pockets. Reaching for it, the screen lit up to reveal several emails and messages sent during the night. The sound was always off on it, so there was no way to have known people were trying to reach her.
The lock screen was quickly dispatched with. The messages came mostly from Himeko, but the one that caught her eye was from the hotel's manager.
Aihara-san, I deeply apologise for the actions of my wife. I hope that this will not reflect poorly on the hotel. I will be speaking to her to ensure such errors are not made in the future.
Mei's eyes narrowed at the message. The passive annoyance and dislike of the manager boiled over into a numbing anger. Yuzu's actions had managed to touch her in a way that showed her ex-lover still had some feelings for her, and the grovelling attempt that the manager was making by scapegoating Yuzu made her defensive.
A couple taps saw the message deleted, destined to never be replied to. The emails were mostly work related, but one did come in from fiancé. It too would be ignored at this time. Most of the work emails were left unread, and Mei decided to only respond to Himeko.
Good morning. I am awake. I was informed you would be coming for me today.
It took just several seconds for Himeko to respond, a feat which still astounded Mei with the rapidity of communication. Sometimes it felt like Himeko could type messages faster than she could speak.
Mei-Mei! I'm so glad you're okay. We just left the hotel a few moments ago, we should be there shortly.
How does Yuzu know your information?
She was not interested in trying to dodge her quest for a resolution, and opted to be rather blunt with Himeko about it. She knew the question seemed to have come out of nowhere, and a part of her felt guilty that Himeko was concerned about her and Mei's first action was to bombard her with a loaded question.
We can talk about it in person.
Mei glared at the message. What did that mean? Was it something more serious? Did Yuzu merely get it from someone else? If that was the case, then Himeko likely would not have responded in that way. No, dodging the question must mean that she is hiding something. Thoughts of the two of them discussing things like normal danced through Mei's head, with the feelings of betrayal and discomfort over such a scenario occupying an annoyingly large amount of headspace.
Shaking these thoughts as much as possible, Mei busied herself with trying to ensure the area around the bed was in order. She pushed the chairs all into a row, located her shoes, and did the best job possible at straightening her outfit. They hadn't changed her out of the clothes she had been wearing the day before, and reusing them did cause her some discomfort, but not enough to fret over.
Satisfied the room was in order, she slipped on the uwabaki that were at the foot of the bed and made her way out of the room. She paused to ask one of the orderlies if there was anything she needed to do in order to check out, but learning there was nothing she continued towards the elevator bay.
She took a moment to pause as the elevator door opened, but satisfied it was empty, she pressed the button for the ground floor and stepped back to let the rhythmic grinding sound of the cables lowering the car lull her frantic mind. The reprieve was short-lived, as the doors flung open to let the significantly louder lobby noises flood into the compartment.
Mei's timing managed to be impeccable. Almost exactly when she passed through the lobby to a small waiting area, Himeko's signature curls heralded her arrival. No longer having much patience for the hospital and with a headache forming, Mei swiftly walked towards the entrance to practically push Himeko over.
"Hey! Mei-Mei, wha-"
"Himeko. We should not waste time. I have matters to attend to."
Mei's switch to a more formal speech caused Himeko to pause, before turning around to catch up to her. She could sense that her best friend was lingering in the back. Mei sighed, before turning around to address her.
"Thank you for coming to assist me. I have been… unusually troubled for this past day." Mei didn't reveal how she also hadn't been able to sleep after Yuzu had left, and made it a point to be as vague as possible.
Himeko's eyebrows shot up, concern etched across her features.
"Did something happen? Did Tsunoda Yuzu upset you?"
That stopped Mei in her tracks, her mouth hanging limply as if Himeko had just slapped her across the face. It was not unusual for her to use Yuzu's full name when talking about her, something she had always done during High School, it was that she also seemed to know Yuzu had married. Something that Himeko never divulged to her.
"What… do you know." Mei's voice was now icy, laden with malice that she rarely ever showed. It was a side that Yuzu had been familiar with, but she had never used it with Himeko.
"Eh? Mei-Mei? Eeeck!" Himeko's confusion turned into a shriek as Mei rounded on her and closed the distance between the two of them with a dark expression cast over her face. The anger that had been building suddenly saw itself burst forward and direct itself at Himeko. Mei understood that everything happening was not something Himeko had control over, but in a sense, hiding information about Yuzu caused her a deep twinge of pain.
Mei backed off and turned around to face away from Himeko.
"I'm sorry. There is a lot I am currently attempting to process." Mei hung her head in shame. It was rare for emotions to get an upper hand on her.
"Let's talk on our way back to the hotel." Himeko responded, her tone more apprehensive than upset.
The two of them walked in silence towards the valet area. Yet another black car stood waiting to whisk them away. For once, it seemed like there wasn't going to be someone to spring open and grab the doors for them. It felt strangely liberating to open the car door and get in. The driver offered a quick apology for not assisting them. He had clearly not anticipated how quickly the two would return.
As the car's engine hummed to life and pulled out onto the roads of Okinawa, silence dominated the backseat. The distance between Mei and Himeko seemed to be the same as between Okinawa and Tokyo. It was Mei who finally broke through the awkward atmosphere.
"How did Yuzu know how to contact you?" The two of them turned slightly to face each other, the tension no less awkward.
"Tsunoda Yuzu and I had… become friends." Himeko said, her response seeming forced and pained. She could read the unspoken question that came across Mei's face, "I was the one who reached out to her. It was in our final year of High School. I had been going to the Student Council's office and was about to enter before I heard someone crying. I knew it was you, Mei-Mei."
The two of them locked eyes, only for Mei to drop her gaze. She had remembered many afternoons of using that office to vent the feelings and hatred that it made her feel, often breaking into sobs. Mei always thought that she had been alone for those moments. Himeko's statement made her feel exposed. Himeko continued,
"I knew you wouldn't want me to intervene. Instead, that night I called Tsunoda Yuzu, and we had a long discussion. I had always known her as the delinquent, and I had only spoken with her privately a few times before. But she exceeded my expectations about her maturity with how she acted. She did… share more information than I had known at the time. But since then, the two of us have remained in touch."
Himeko paused before reaching over to put her hand on Mei's. "I remember once you told me to get you as far away from Tsunoda Yuzu as possible. I kept this information from you out of that wish."
"What did you tell her about me?"
"Nothing. That day we talked, she ended it by saying she didn't want to use me as a way to get further information about you. She also asked to not talk about you, and we haven't since that day."
Himeko bit her bottom lip as she withdrew her hand and turned her head to look out the window. She knew it would have been impossible to prevent Mei from learning about her friendship with her step-sister, but the distant gaze into the distance said that she hadn't fully been prepared to reveal it.
"What did she say to you yesterday?" Mei asked, curiosity winning over her normally impeachable restraint.
"We didn't get a chance to talk. The nurse I talked to said she wouldn't leave the side of your bed. They told me what Tsunoda Yuzu said they could tell me. As a familymember, she was able to control that aspect. They called me again this morning to say you'd be released."
"...I see."
Mei took the lull in conversation to gaze out of the window herself. She could barely see her reflection, and the gaunt features of her face seemed even more pronounced than they had been yesterday. There's more she wanted to know, but the potential of learning the truth awakened a deep fear in her.
Still, the silence was bothersome. Mei had rarely ever experienced this phenomenon, always being comforted by the lack of sounds. She mused that it was probably her own insecurities and anxiety that caused it, not the silence itself. Beyond all hope, she wished Himeko would say something else.
The two of them remained in their own separate worlds for the rest of the trip back to the hotel. Mei's heart beat faster, knowing now that Yuzu was somewhere here elicited an anticipation of another encounter. She silently wished that if they crossed paths again, Yuzu would consent to talking. Despite her own misgivings, Mei knew that it would be for the best for Yuzu to tell her the bitter truth.
As the car came to a stop, the driver quickly got out this time, eager to not repeat the same mistake he made picking them up. He opened Himeko's door and jogged around the car, pulling open Mei's with surprising force. She had been staring out the window still and the sudden blur of movement startled her. The driver again apologised, only this time Mei just waved him off. His face turned a deep shade of red, and he quickly left them alone.
"Mei-Mei? Did you eat? We could stop at the lounge to grab a late breakfast."
Mei was grateful that Himeko had suggested it, it was only now that she realised the true extent of her hunger. She had not eaten in nearly a day by this point, something that would be sure to upset Asa-sensei if he knew. Mei looked down at the clothes she was wearing and gave a slight gesture towards Himeko.
"Ah, it would be good to get changed out of those before we go. Do you want me to come with you?" Himeko asked.
All Mei could do was nod, her eyes trained on the elevators that the two of them were walking towards. The trip up to their floor was punctuated with multiple stops, with guests leaving and entering. Each stop gave Mei's heart a slight tremor, but Yuzu's face never appeared as the doors opened.
Their floor was fortuitously sparsely populated, a byproduct of the room sizes, so when it stopped, they were alone in the compartment and no one was waiting to enter it. Himeko stuck close with Mei, almost as if she was waiting for her to stumble and fall.
"I'm not going to keel over, Himeko." The concern her best friend held for her was admirable. Instead of sounding cold, she managed to sound grateful. For the first time in a rather long time, her voice finally carried the emotions she wished they did.
The tone shocked Himeko, who looked as if she had seen a ghost. Regaining her composure, she gave Mei a small nod of the head, stepping slightly to her side, but still closer than usual. The pair came to Himeko's door.
"You head in. I'll only be a moment. I'll knock when I am ready." With that, Mei turned on her heels and walked calmly towards her own room. She was satisfied when she heard the opening and closing of Himeko's door.
She avoided the mirror in her room as best as she could as she moved around the room to grab an ankle-length skirt and a simple cream blouse. It wasn't fit for a business meeting, but it was about as casual as she let her wardrobe get on any given day. After splashing some cold water on her face and running a couple of brush strokes through her hair, she felt ready to get Himeko. A shower would have been ideal, but it was unlikely her stomach would agree to such an arrangement.
Slipping the keycard into her pocket, she exited the room, making sure the door clicked shut behind her. As she started down the hallway, the door to the room between hers and Himeko's opened, revealing a tall, plum-haired woman. A momentary scowl appeared when Mei remembered that this was the individual who caused so much ruckus on the balcony, shattering her peaceful work environment.
As the woman caught Mei's eye, she spun around with a shocked look that must have mirrored the one Mei was wearing on her face.
"T-Taniguchi-san?" Mei managed to force the words out.
The shocked look on Harumi's face melted away quickly, though the same could not be said for Mei. Harumi chuckled a bit before she spoke.
"Fancy meeting you here, Prez. Long time no see." When Mei still didn't respond, she looked towards the door she just came out of. "Yes, Yuzucchi is in there, still sleeping. She got back late last night and went to sleep even later. It's good to see you up and about so quickly." Harumi said the last bit with a smile, though it faltered seeing how shaken Mei looked.
"T-Thank you, Taniguchi-san."
"Heading to get food?"
Mei could only nod, her attention was fixed over Harumi's shoulders at the door.
"I was just doing the same, we'll go together. It'll be a good time to catch up, Prez."
The two of them started towards the elevators, only for Mei to stop and knock at Himeko's room.
"Eh?" Harumi looked confused until Himeko appeared in the doorway. A small smile spread across her face as the two recognised each other.
"Taniguchi-san, it's a surprise to see you here." Himeko looked shocked, almost seeming to be bracing for yet another turn in what had been a confusing couple days.
"Ugh, how many times do I have to tell you to just call me Haurmi. Keep it up and I'll call you eyebrows-san."
Himeko shot her friend a dirty look with a small growl, while all Mei could do was feel lost and adrift from the two of them. It would have been foolish to think that Himeko had only kept in touch with Yuzu, and while she never believed such a thing would bother her, it left her feeling more and more isolated in her current position.
"Come on, I'm famished." Harumi waved both of them over as she started to walk once more. The three of them didn't say much as they made their way to the lounge. It seemed as if all of them were deeply engrossed in their own thoughts, or simply too hungry to make much conversation. Mei wasn't entirely sure which it was.
There were a few people lingering in the lounge, even though the clock read ten in the morning. A couple of looks were shot their way for arriving so early, but the staff was nonplussed and sat them down with the breakfast menu.
Mei couldn't really focus, and ended up ordering rice with salmon and furikake. Himeko ordered some fruit, while Harumi ordered a plate of several onigiri. Mei watched as the other two made some small talk, mostly catching up. It seemed like the two of them had not spoken for a period of time. She again was staring off into the distance, this time focusing on a giant window that gave a beautiful view of the lagoon.
"YOUR HAND! LET ME SEE IT!"
The sudden noise jostled Mei and brought her mind back to the table. Himeko had grabbed Harumi's hand and was staring at a simple ring on her finger. A lump formed in Mei's throat as the one topic she desperately tried to avoid reared its head once more.
"When did it happen?!" Himeko again yelled, this time quieter so as to not disturb the other guests.
"It was just a few weeks ago. We were supposed to come here together, but something came up and Yuzucchi came instead."
Mei felt both of their eyes flick to her, then she mustered up the ability to speak.
"That is wonderful to hear, Taniguchi-san. Who is the man you are betrothed to?" It was a perfectly innocuous question, one she often asked those she met at formal engagements she had to attend.
As Mei finished, Harumi started to snicker. Turning towards Himeko, she let out a laugh.
"Wow, Himeko, you really didn't tell her anything, huh?" She turned to look back at Mei, the smile on her face fading a bit as she did so. "I'm engaged to Matsuri. The two of us have been dating for five years now. Unlike some people, I didn't run from my feelings."
Mei winced. The words stung as she hung her heart, not able to have the courage to look in Harumi's face. Finally she managed to quietly give congratulations.
"I am happy for you and Mizusawa-san."
Fortunately for all of them, their food arrived. It gave them the opportunity to focus on something else than the delicate balance of civility that was being maintained between the three of them. Himeko had withdrawn herself, picking at her fruit idly. She was Mei's best friend, but it was obvious she was conflicted between supporting Mei and supporting her friendship with Yuzu and the others.
The uneven moments passed as the three of them ate, none bothering to try and initiate a conversation. Mei could feel herself withdrawing more and more until the sound of a voice managed to yank her back.
"Look, Prez." Harumi said, looking up from her plate after finishing off one of the onigiri, "You're not my favourite person on this planet. Whatever you did… left Yuzucchi in an awful place. A place that I couldn't bring her out of no matter how hard I tried. I've seen that girl suffer both silently and loudly for the past six years. But…" Harumi took a second to look down at her plate, as Mei shifted her own focus to the plum-haired girl, "if Yuzucchi can bring it in her to want to talk to you and make things right… then I'll support her in that way."
"Yuzu wants to talk?" The words came out of Mei's mouth quicker than anticipated, laden with surprise and optimism. So much so that the two women from another table cast a strange look in her direction. A smile returned to Harumi's face.
"Of course she does. I'm not going to talk for her, but if you want anything resembling a normal relationship with her again, you should ask her all the questions I can tell you've been wanting to ask me." Harumi said as Mei jumped in her seat slightly, redness clawing at her ears. It was uncharacteristic to be able to be read so easily by someone else. Harumi continued, "besides, we are in the room between you two. We're gonna be here for the next month, so don't go barging into our room when we're done here."
Harumi grabbed the last two onigiri and wrapped them in a napkin. She flashed the two of them a peace sign and gave a broad smile to Himeko before pushing the chair back and walking away. Mei watched as she shot a glare down at her when she walked past and tried to not let it impact her. She had foolishly thought that the younger Taniguchi did not harbour any ill will with how she had greeted Mei earlier, but the breakfast had been able to dash that notion.
Himeko made a move to speak, but thought better of it and returned to grabbing a blueberry from her plate. The two sat for some time like this, picking at their food. The rice was helping Mei's stomach calm down, and the added energy was starting to give her more confidence than she had in the past few hours.
"What should I do?" Mei asked, almost rhetorically. Himeko cast her a confused glare.
"Talk to Tsunoda Yuzu, of course. Taniguchi-san would not have come here otherwise with us. I believe she felt obligated to try and help the two of you… and also because Tsunoda Yuzu likely told her everything that happened last night."
"I suppose you are correct."
"Erm… Mei-Mei? Do you even know what you're going to say to her when you do end up talking?"
"Himeko. That will be between Yuzu and I."
"Right, right. Sorry, I just wanted to try and help you like Taniguchi-san has for Tsunoda Yuzu."
Mei pondered what her best friend had said for a few moments. It dawned on her there was one very important thing that Himeko could do to help.
"There is one thing, Himeko."
"I'll help in any way that I can." Himeko's voice was soft as she leaned slightly in towards Mei in case she whispered the request. Instead, Mei's voice was perfectly level.
"For my sake, please just call her Yuzu."
The sound of a slamming door and muffled cursing roused Yuzu from a deep sleep. She thought it sounded like Harumi and wasn't too concerned about it. Grasping for the phone she knew was somewhere in the mess of sheets, it fell with an unceremonious thud to the floor.
"Great…" She grumbled, swinging her upper body over the side of the bed to grab it. She glanced at the time, it was ten forty-five. It had been a long time since she slept in that late in the day. Yuzu noticed that Shou had messaged her back, but she was going to conveniently ignore that for the time being.
Instead, she threw her arms up and yawned, stretching to try and get her muscles working for another day. Whatever unfound confidence she wielded yesterday had melted away, and once again felt uncertain about her next steps. Yuzu wished that she could change the things she had told Mei yesterday. She once again found herself in a position where she was scared, and didn't know what to do or how to react to the situation. Much like Mei had done when they were younger, she opted to simply ignore the issue and dismiss it.
Yuzu let out a loud groan before throwing her legs onto the floor. Staying in bed wasn't going to help her do much, and she knew that she would have to have an awkward discussion with Harune. At the very least, she could try to prepare for that. A growl from her stomach indicated that before any of that, she would need to find something to eat.
With a sigh, she managed to slide into the slippers at the edge of the bed. A look at the glass door to the balcony raised the prospect of sitting out there to enjoy the sea breeze for a few minutes, but another growl from her stomach squashed that idea.
She unceremoniously threw open the door to the combined living space, causing Harumi to practically jump out of the seat in shock. It was the second time Yuzu had caused that to happen within the span of a day, a fact she amused herself with as her best friend collected her senses.
"Uwa~! Yuzucchi! I thought you were sleeping."
"Sorry, sorry! I didn't know you were out here waiting. I would have been quieter if I knew."
"It's nothing. Are you hungry? I brought some onigiri." Harumi said, holding up what appeared to be a wad of napkins. "I only just got back from the dining lounge." She held them out towards Yuzu, who lunged towards them.
She quickly unwrapped them, taking a far too large bite out of one of them, fitting well over half into her mouth. It would turn out to be a poor decision.
"I spoke with Mei-san over breakfast."
Yuzu started to cough on the food, trying her best to not choke. After a few moments of alternating between chewing and coughing, she was finally able to get it down and breathe normally again.
"Y-you w-what?!" Yuzu sputtered.
"I was going down to grab something, and just as I closed the door she had come out of her own room." Harumi shrugged, "She's in the one next to us. So we went to breakfast together, Himeko is here as well."
Yuzu stared at her best friend, slack jawed. Of all the things that Harumi could have told her, the fact that Mei was right next to them this entire time sent a palpitation through her heart. It would only be a matter of time when the two of them crossed paths again. Slowly, she took a much smaller bite of the onigiri to contemplate what her plan was going to be, if any.
"Did she have anything to say about me?" She asked, chewing on her food cautiously.
"Not much of anything. I only stayed long enough to get the food and to yell at her a bit." She noticed Yuzu's frown. "Mama Harumin mode is going to be active sometimes, Yuzucchi."
Yuzu could only muster a pout in response. Harumi's features softened as she started to speak again.
"I did say to her that you were interested in talking. She seemed receptive to the idea, even after the stunt you pulled yesterday."
Yuzu's eyes lit up, confidence being restored in her ability to face Mei flowing back to her. The thing she feared the most was Mei no longer being interested in talking, or her request being a spur of the moment thing brought on by her just waking up.
"Oh, and Yuzucchi?" She waited until Yuzu looked up at her before continuing, "I don't know why, but Harune-san sent me a message asking for you to come see him whenever you could."
"What did you tell him?"
"That I'd pass the message along." Harumi's deadpan delivery made it clear what her feelings for being the messenger between the couple were like. Whenever something serious came up between the two of them, it always fell on Harumi–for some reason–to be the middle ground for their communication. As much as she loved Yuzu, it was easily the thing she disliked the most about her. Truth be told, she wasn't the biggest fan of Tsunoda Harune either.
"Ah…" Yuzu's response trailed off. The discussion with Harune was inevitable, but it wasn't one that she was entirely pleased to have to have. Throughout the time the two of them knew each other, Yuzu went through pains to ensure that her feelings for Mei never surfaced. The easiest way to accomplish this was to simply never tell him that she had a stepsister. It had been easy enough, Shou only came back to Japan every once in a while and Ume had her fair share of work to keep her occupied. Combined with Harune's high profile job as a world-class hotel manager, he had only met the two of them three times since he and Yuzu started dating.
Still, there was another reason to be apprehensive. Harune was careless about a lot of things, blind to others, but Yuzu's actions the night before for Mei would raise questions about the stepsister she hid from him.
Harumi excused herself and went back to her room, but not before shooting Yuzu a 'do it now before it gets worse' look. She felt a sudden pressure on her neck, and in surprise looked down with a silent exclamation. The necklace she put on last night still hung around her neck, the ring plainly visible on top of her night shirt. A wave of embarrassment crashed through her emotions, knowing full well that Harumi had seen it. While Yuzu never told her what it meant, Matsuri knew about the rings and it would have only been logical for her to have told Harumi what they symbolised.
Cursing silently, she took another bite of the onigiri and chewed carefully. Harune was likely going to be waiting, and delaying their discussion wouldn't do much good for either of them. With a few more quick bites, the onigiri was finished. Yuzu trudged back to her room, not bothering to close the door fully.
The nightclothes she had been wearing were quickly dispatched of, instead replaced by a white one shoulder top and a pair of faded jeans. It wasn't much, but a small part of her still liked to tease Harune by showing up to his office in unprofessional clothes to embarrass him to his immediate staff. She tucked the ring beneath her shirt, so that only the chain was visible against her neck.
Yuzu hadn't bothered to put on makeup. She had grown out of the habit when out of work. Determination once again guided her movements and she re-emerged from her room. Harumi was back in the shared living space by the time she finished changing, and she shot a glance over at Yuzu emerging from the room.
"Going out?" She asked, tilting her head slightly.
"Yeah. I'm going to talk with Harune." Yuzu answered with a firm nod.
Yuzu had only actually been to Harune's office once before. A business trip to Indonesia yielded a layover in Okinawa, right around Christmas time too. He hadn't been pleased with the sudden request. Most of the winter was the resort's off season, except for Christmas, when there was an uptick of foreign tourists that made the place nearly unmanageable with the skeleton staff that they operated with during those months.
She felt like a small child again, standing in front of the door, unable to bring herself to actually knock. Pushing whatever lingering fears that remained deeper down and away from the forefront of her mind, she knocked three times.
"What is it? I'm swamped with work, please talk to Yasunaga-san to set up an-"
"It's me, Harune." Yuzu tensely cut him off, not having much of an interest in hearing his overly rehearsed statement meant for his employees.
The door swung open to reveal icy blue eyes and a mess of jet-black hair. It felt as if his eyes were piercing through her, seeking to get his answers before they had a chance to talk. The scowl on his face told Yuzu that his mood wasn't exactly the happiest at the moment.
"I see you've finally woken up, Yuzu." His words were careful and measured. Almost as if they were being restrained.
"Harumi told me you wanted to talk." Her response was as icy as his had been. He stepped aside to let her into the office. The glaring fluorescent lights left no area untouched by their blue bath. Like most of the staff's facilities, his office was in the basement. Papers were scattered on the large business desk he kept in the centre of the room, with binders placed in organised piles depending on their current status around on the floor.
He motioned over to the table and chairs in the corner, but even as her legs brought them over there, her eyes remained fixed on his desk. There were no personal items on it at all, not even a picture. Yuzu's mind flashed to her own desk at work, which had pictures of her and Harumi, a picture from her wedding with Harune, along with a group photo they had taken during their final year of High School.
His voice cut through her thoughts, and it brought her attention back to his glare.
"So. Aihara-san is your sister."
"She's my stepsister. Seven years ago, my mother remarried after being a widow for such a long time. My… papa travels a lot, as you know. I knew Mei for a period in High School, but her engagement and academy activities brought her away most of the time. I hadn't seen her in six years other than last night. We were never really that close." The words stung at her heart as she said them. She wasn't actually quite sure why she lied so brazenly. The explanation was perfectly fine without it, and saying it only made the pain worse.
"Yet you dropped everything to help her, then stayed with her the entire night?" Harune kept a measured voice most of the time, but a hint of curiosity was creeping in. The unnecessary lie had predictably backfired. He normally carried himself in a jovial and carefree manner, but when he was serious and became focused on one issue, he would continue to try and learn as much as possible.
Harune had a knack for learning far more than you were willing to offer him at any given time from little things, movements. The way something was said. The change in the tone of voice. Yuzu knew all of this from spending the better part of two years with him, but her careless lie had already thrown a wrench in her plans to present a perfectly poised recollection to him.
"Well… you see. I knew Mama and Papa would never let me live it down if I let my family down."
"Oh? Sort of like how you did with me?"
"Harune, what are you getting at?" She replied, her tone taking on a shade of anger.
"Not only does my wife keep it hidden from me that she has a sister-"
"Wait, but-"
"No, Yuzu. You've kept this hidden from me. On top of that, I've told you before who owned this resort. If she is your sister, you surely knew of her engagement with the Udagawa family? All this time, I could have had a step ahead here, and you knowingly kept it from me."
"You're… you're concerned about your job performance?" Yuzu was taken aback. He seemed to have entirely brushed off the fact that she kept the information from him on a personal level and only cared about it on a professional level. His level tone indicated that he was serious about what he was saying. Involuntarily, her eyes flicked over to his desk once again.
"This job is important. I've told you this countless times. Do you ever listen? To top it all off, they sent Aihara-san here to fix some imagined 'problems' they came up with. And she faints and goes to hospital under my watch. Do you have any idea how this looks? Then my wife goes off with her and I'm seemingly doing nothing? I'll be lucky if I get away without being fired for all this. If it was anyone but the most unpleasant¹ of the Udagawas I would have been-"
"Enough."
"What?"
"I said that's enough!" Yuzu shouted as she stood up from the chair, "Of all things, of all questions, you're concerned about your job?! Not the fact that someone could have had a serious medical episode here? Or the fact that I was concerned about my own step sister? You sit there and berate her, and try to admonish me for what? Having empathy? What is wrong with you?!"
Harune's face went from a look of shock to a more calm one. Yuzu's eyes narrowed. Yelling at him wouldn't do much more. It was clear he had said his part and the two of them had nothing more to say to each other. The corner of his lips seemed to twitch, almost as if they were unsure if they would curve into a smile or a frown.
"I'm going to see Mei."
"For someone you're not close with, you address her awfully familiarly." His irises seemed to narrow into slits, with the vibrant blue almost glowing. She had never seen him like this. He had gotten angry before, but this type of raw anger was far beyond anything Yuzu had seen before. She shifted her weight slightly to a more defensive stance and slowly backed away from the chair.
"She's still family, Harune-san."² She sneered at him. This conversation was going even worse than she could have imagined. The emotions that had resurfaced earlier were hard to keep down, and hearing someone talk so callously about Mei triggered a response to defend her. It felt stronger than just defending a family member, and she could only hope that Harune didn't pick up on that.
Instead of responding, he simply lowered his head. The two of them didn't say anything, but lingered there for what seemed like an eternity. Only the soft buzzing sound of the electricity surging through the overhead lights provided any noise in the office.
"We'll talk about this more later. I have work to get done today. Leave." In any other situation, the words would have stung Yuzu. Instead, she had no reaction other than to turn and walk out the door, letting it gently close behind her. The two of them rarely ever fought, and if she had to explain their marriage to anyone, it would have been perfectly normal. They were both professionals and had busy lives.
But ever since Harune had left to manage this resort instead of the luxury hotel near their home in Shibuya, there felt like a distance was created between the two of them. Far more than just the physical one between the two of them. It had been gradual at first, but the look in his eyes during their argument seemed cold and uncaring. Yuzu managed to get to a bench, and only then did she become aware that she had been shaking. Looking into her palms in an attempt to regain some composure, she only became more acutely aware of the gold band around her ring finger. The thought of taking it off lingered in the back of her mind, with her other hand going up to grasp the second ring around her neck.
She couldn't help but to just feel confused. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. In the matter of a few days, the life she thought she patched back together had been shattered. A war raged in her head over what to do about each of the rings. It would be impossible to keep both on at the same time, not with what each of them meant to her.
A sudden memory flashed in her head, it had been just a few months after Mei left.
Six years prior, Yuzu's bedroom
"...We can take our time. So please listen to what I have to say." Sara looked down at Yuzu, her hand not moving from her shoulder. Yuzu could only nod, and got up to sit next to Sara at the edge of the bed. Nina leaned in, grabbing one of the pillows and hugging it close to her chest.
"I didn't date Mei very long, but I did spend enough time with her to start to learn some things about her. I knew that she had a fragile heart, and she desperately worked to try and keep it protected." Sara paused to look down at her hands, before folding them and putting them in her lap. "I can't even begin to imagine what has happened with Mei. But… during our time in Kyoto Tower I asked her something. Sure… I was teasing her a little bit. I didn't realise the impact it had… She had this deep expression of pain on her face, I could only imagine she had been keeping a secret close to her and couldn't talk about it."
Sara was silent for a few seconds, looking at Yuzu to try and catch her eye. Yuzu had been staring at the floor in front of the bed, looking nowhere in particular.
"Yuzu… you have the same sad look on your face as Mei did back then."
Yuzu looked up in shock, eyes going wide as she let out a small but audible gasp. Sara leaned forward and took Yuzu's hands in hers.
"We might not be of much help, but for you to take the next step from here, wouldn't it be better to talk about it with us?" Sara said, flashing a small smile to Yuzu. Nina had crawled over and leaned over to be closer to her sister and friend. A tear ran down Yuzu's cheek as she turned to speak.
"She has to marry her fiancé in order to inherit the Aihara Academy. She left the house to prepare for it. I only ever wanted to make her happy, and I'm serious about that. If it's what she wants… I don't want to get in her way."
Sara looked down in contemplation. She had thought about bringing up what Mei had told her when they dated, but had decided against it. Yuzu's tears slowly fell down onto her lap, as Nina moved over to try and comfort her.
"I'm serious about wanting to make her happy. But I…" Yuzu trailed off, unable to finish her sentence. Sara stood up and walked over to embrace her in a hug, with Nina wrapping her arms around Yuzu's neck from behind and hugging her.
"I know it's selfish… but I can't help thinking about it. I want to support her in what she does, I do - but…"
Sara could only hug her tighter, unsure of what to say. Yuzu's occasional soft sob punctuated the air.
"Sometimes giving up the things you love the most for their own happiness is the mark of true love." Nina said, her voice straining from her own tears. It elicited a loud sob from Yuzu, followed by one from Sara. The time ticked by, as the three of them continued to cry until it gently petered off. The exhaustion of the day was too much for the three of them, and they collapsed as they were on Yuzu's bed.
Yuzu stirred in her sleep, briefly waking up to glance at both Nina and Sara on each side of her, each of them still holding onto her hands. She could feel fresh tears coming on, but forced them down so as to not wake the two Tachibana sisters.
"I can't be selfish. This is… what Mei wants. This is what Mei needs. It hurts… but I need people like Sara and Nina to help me through this." Yuzu's thoughts bounced in her head and hung heavy in her heart. A single tear escaped her eye as she clenched them shut and made her best attempts to return to sleep.
Yuzu's hands had managed to stop trembling. The vivid memory provided an odd sense of comfort, but also one of understanding and regret. If she was being forced to choose, forced to choose again between being selfish or not, even if it meant exposing herself to the same pain and trauma she experienced before, she would finally be selfish this time.
Her fingers wrapped around the gold band and gently lifted it off her ring finger. With a blank stare, she gazed at the inscription on the inside for a few seconds before dropping the ring into her pocket.
Yuzu leaned back and let out a deep sigh. It felt like a heavy weight had lifted from her heart for once in a very long time.
[1] The word Harune uses here is "やつめ." The translation is difficult, but it can be understood as a derogatory term for a person, generally showing that he holds a deep dislike of Aihara Mei. For someone like Yuzu, hearing this word used in this matter would make her extremely upset.
[2] Yuzu adding the -san honourific to Harune's name after not previously using it is done ironically and is used to express anger during a fight between couples.