Hyouka – The AfterStory
Project Collaboration by Commander Cody & Maria
EPISODE 12
That same day, Mayaka came to visit Kayo's room.
"Ah, Kayo-chan," Mayaka greeted her.
"Ano…hajimemashite," Kayo greeted her quietly.
"How are you?" Mayaka asked her cousin.
"I'm fine," said Rie simply.
Kayo remained seated, her arms leaning over the kotatsu in the middle of her bedroom. A baby blue blanket covers the tabletop, but the table-top of the kotatsu was made of polished mahogany wood.
Kaho's bed stood at the left end, next to the window in front, and her desk stood at the right end, beside the bed. Adjacent to both the bed and the desk lay a rug embroidered with two cute white rabbits with adorable rabbit ears.
Kayo's desk had a single desk lamp that looked like it has been used before, given the visible scratches. Given the scratches on the desk, it was as if this furniture was some sort of hand-me-down given to Kayo. On the middle sat a primitive-looking laptop computer. The rest of her bedroom walls were left bare, save for a couple of glamorous idol posters that presumably Kayo adored as her role models in life.
Kayo began showing Mayaka all kinds of interesting things, starting with school assignments. Sometimes Kayo prided herself on her ability to ace her favorite subjects, such as English, and mastery of her native language that encompassed learning its several hundreds of kanji characters that made her stood out in her proficiency with her native language, and the English language, too.
When Mayaka was at Kaburaya, she would visit her relatives during the summertime. She and Kayo were fairly close relatives. Kayo had little problem confiding some of her problems to Mayaka. Sometimes Kayo would get into a dispute with Rie over ownership of a certain possession, regardless of whether the quarrel in the family was trivial, and Mayaka would listen and sigh and ask Kayo to make an attempt to negotiate with Rie; and if negotiations would not work, Kayo would invoke the perennial Golden Rule in Rie's face. Perhaps Rie had done something, or said something to Kayo, or about Kayo that made her unhappy, and Mayaka would usually tell Kayo that Rie could sometimes do certain selfish things to her younger sister without her realization, and that Kayo should not regard Rie as a totally heartless girl.
Something attracted Mayaka's attention: Kayo's diary. When she was in middle school, Mayaka would take it, much to Kayo's consternation, and in such playfulness, take a sneak peek. For much of her childhood, she would have done it because she still saw Kayo as an adorable little girl whose privacy would not have to be taken so seriously.
This time, Mayaka was becoming a bit playful, in some way, rationalizing her playfulness to keep her younger cousin happy. Whatever had to be in that diary needed not be taken seriously. When she visited her relatives, she often took sneak-peaks into her cousin's things. Mayaka had a habit of playfully doing it because she assumed that whatever Kayo had kept in there could be bad and therefore very safe to read and tease about.
"Ano…" said Kayo, beginning to feel quite nervous. Afraid that Mayaka would be tempted to peek at it (not that she would be able to do so, since it was locked), or make inquiries about the diary, she grabbed the book from Mayaka's hands and stuffed it into the middle drawer, as the other drawers of Kayo's tall drawer chest were a bit full.
Mayaka became ill at ease. Perhaps there was something that Kayo wanted to hide, and this time, Kayo was putting her foot down. For Mayaka, the shock came in the form of Kayo becoming so protective of her diary because Kayo assumed that her cousin would not try anything. The fact that Kayo suddenly became protective of her diary seemed to indicate that Kayo was now growing up.
Oh well…she's really growing up, thought Mayaka, brushing the thought. Perhaps it was that; things were changing. At a very young age, it would have been hardly a surprise for Kayo to have an interest with the handsome boys in her high school years. Perhaps Kayo's behavior might have had something to do with the encounter with the young man just now.
Already this brought Mayaka into deep thought; which was fairly infrequent. Many years had passed; could her longing for Satoshi be but a thing of childhood and even adolescent past? Would she have to grow out of that?
"All right," said Mayaka, conceding to her cousin's wishes, before she changed the subject to put Kayo at ease.
It was already a few hours past the period of early evening. Mother Zenna and Mayaka proceeded to filling the dishwasher, in the middle of talking about last days events. Light thunder rumbled outside, but even the thunder was insufficient to rouse any kind of concern.
"Does she have a boyfriend, yet?" Mayaka asked. "Because sometimes…she feels sad." She sighed. Love will do that to you. It's stupid that way. She looked at the water running from the faucet as she and the mother do the dishes together, thinking about Satoshi again.
The mother's face turned sad. "Not quite," she said to herself.
"Hmm?" Mayaka asked, perking up her face.
"Oh…Nothing," said Mother Zenna. She seemed to be brushing off her niece on a sensitive matter.
"What was up with Rie-chan and the young man whom she enjoyed her company?" Mayaka inquired. "Kayo seemed rather quiet today."
Mother Zenna seemed put between a rock and a hard place; there seemed to be little way she could dodge around the questions of her inquisitive niece.
"Are they dating each other?" asked Mayaka.
"Hai," said Mother Zenna.
"So they were always together, then," Mayaka concluded.
"Well…perhaps there may not have been something between Kayo and Awatsuki Tsuurichi-san," said Mother Zenna. "But he went out with Rie."
For all Mayaka knew, the young man was probably just maintaining a friendship with Kayo.
Mayaka looked at her, and then Mother Zenna looked back. "To be honest…Maya-chan…I never broke the statue," she said. She seemed eager to change the subject from the affair between Rie and the young man. "Please don't ask Kayo about it right now."
"You mean…" a stunned Mayaka blurted, as if to ask the forbidden question.
"Kayo had been saving some money to get a fancy case for this statue; to display it without it collecting dust," said Mother Zenna. "When the statue passed to Rie, it had a nice stand."
"Hmm…" Mayaka was trying to process it all.
"By accident…Kayo broke it," Mother Zenna answered. "It was last week."
Mayaka felt like asking why, but she felt it was not the time. Perhaps there was more to the affair of this statue, but from Mother Zenna's tone, she felt unwilling to talk about the affairs of her younger daughter.
"Just…don't bring it up. Not yet," Mother Zenna instructed Mayaka. "Kayo will be okay in a few days."
The thunder began to grow loud.
"Mayaka-san…" she was about to say. "Can you please tell Oreki Houtarou -san and Oreki Eru-san to come inside?"
"Hai," said Mayaka right away, aware of the urgency to get them out of the onsen during a thunderstorm.
Mayaka made her way to the steamy mixed bath area of the onsen, where she found Houtarou and Eru in the middle of enjoying their spa relief.
"Oreki-san," said Mayaka.
No response.
"O-re-ki!" Mayaka bellowed. Houtarou, startled, turn around, prompting Eru to do the same.
"Geez, what is it with you?" Houtarou retorted.
"You couldn't hear me for the first time," Mayaka complained bitterly. "We're hearing thunder! Both you and Eru-chan had better come inside."
"Ah…Hai," said Eru, suddenly alerted by news of the coming thunderstorm. "Just…give us a minute."
"Hayaku!" Mayaka spat out a sharp command.
It was not long before Houtarou and Eru had emerged from the changing room. By that point, the rain came in a light shower before transitioning to a torrent.
"I had been learning some interesting things about my cousins," said Mayaka. By her tone, she did not feel particularly happy about the affairs of Kayo and Rie; in fact, she was worried.
"Wh…what do you mean?" asked Eru, worried.
"I'll tell you when we get inside the inn," said Mayaka.
Houtarou, Eru, and Mayaka had to rush back inside the inn. They were now wet and damp.
"I feel soaked," said Eru, disappointed about the state of her dress. "And it was such a nice one; I had not expected the weather to be so rainy…"
"We'll leave it out to dry," Mayaka suggested to Eru.
"Mayaka-san?" Mother Zenna called. "Are they all right? What about you?"
"Daijoubou," said Mayaka. "We're just soaked."
"Oh, dear," said Mother Zenna. "Get changing, then."
"What's this I'm hearing about the trouble with relatives?" asked Houtarou.
Mayaka directed them upstairs. Usually she would bring her friend aside, but seeing that Houtarou was there, he might as well hear the rest of the story.
"I'm beginning to feel worried about Kayo," said Mayaka.
"Worried?" asked Eru. The expression on Mayaka's face told her that the situation of her younger cousin had a more disturbing side than what Mother Zenna was letting them on.
"About that Geisha Girl," Mayaka continued. "From what Zenna-san told me…the statue was broken by accident. And I'm thinking it is Kayo's fault."
"Broken…by her?" asked Eru, stunned. For a precious heirloom to be broken by accident was one thing; but to be broken with intent was worse because it bespoke an act of spite. Even with Kayo, it was far difficult for Eru to imagine the girl being motivated by spite. Could Kayo possibly hate her eldest sister? Eru asked herself anxiously. It…it can't be! How can it be?! After all this time?!
Mayaka nodded. Houtarou's eyes widened.
"Maybe it was by accident," said Eru, who seemed willing to bestow the benefit of the doubt to the mother. "And besides…anyone could feel downtrodden even after an accident."
"True," said Mayaka. "Demo…it was just by accident, would there be any reason to get so downtrodden over it? Besides…it seems that Zenna-san was trying to cover up her deed in the first place."
"It seems like it's a bit much for a broken object," said Eru.
"I know," said Mayaka. "Oreki-san…I realize that you and Eru-chan are on vacation…but…"
I have a bad feeling about this, Houtarou thought to himself. Another case to solve?
"Can you both meet me in my room after you get changed?" asked Mayaka.
Houtarou heaved a sigh.
"Come on," said Eru, leading her husband into the bedroom.
"As I have been saying before, something is bothering Kayo-chan," said Mayaka.
Mayak remained seated on the bed, as Eru remained seated in a chair near the bed, and Houtarou was seated at a chair near a settee. Eru had slipped into a new spring dress she had packed, loose and flowing, suiting her dainty tastes, and Houtarou was in decent dry clothes.
"This morning…I was being a bit playful with Kayo's things," she admitted.
At her age? Asked Houtarou. Maybe it's just old times, I guess.
"When I came across Kayo-chan's diary…she started grabbing the book the moment I set hands on it."
"Maya-chan…you're not touching her things without her permission, are you?" asked a worried Eru.
"Well…I guess she didn't seem to mind it before," said Mayaka. "I used to take sneak-peeks into her diary…back when I was at Kabuyara. I figured that there were just trivial things Kayo-chan was writing about…not to be taken seriously. But…now…it was another matter. There could be something in that diary that Kayo does not want anyone to know," she said.
"But…that could be the same case with anyone's diary," said Houtarou.
"True," said Mayaka. "But…it sounded like something she wanted to hide; something that seems to keep eating at her."
"What could it possibly be?" Eru cried right away.
"That's the interesting part," said Mayaka. "I figured that Kayo -chan was writing her thoughts about boyfriends."
"Boyfriends?" asked Eru, beaming. She settled down. It seems we're hardly different when we were that age, she thought.
But Mayaka made a frown. And from what Eru could read from it, it didn't seem as romantically rose-colored as she thought it was.
"Boyfriend…trouble…then?" asked Eru.
Mayaka made a solemn nod, remembering what the questions she had asked Mother Zenna about Kayo's behavior. "That, and it could have something related to the broken Geisha Girl."
Suddenly Eru could contain her curiosity no longer when she heard what seemed to be surprising news to her that she jumped. "Boyfriend trouble?" cried Eru.
"Zenna-san mentioned that Rie-chan was going out with a young man," said Mayaka. "And Kayo seemed a bit…morose."
"I also noticed something similar," said Houtarou, recalling his casual observation of Kayo around company.
"So…there is something bothering Kayo-san after all," said Eru. "The broken Geisha Girl and boyfriend problems…there has to be some connections."
"Curious, isn't it?" said Mayaka.
"Hai…" said Eru. Then she became more impulsive. "Watashi…kininarimasu!" she cried.
At this, just like in many other cases he was influenced to solve just to get Eru off his back, Houtarou raised his eyes in trepidation. Oh, dear, here it goes…again, Houtarou feared.
Eru faced her husband, by impulse, bringing her face so close to his that Houtarou recoiled in fright. "Ch-chotto! Houtarou-kun…let's think about this," she pleaded with him. "We can help poor Kayo-san by finding out what's bothering her so we can help her. Kudasai?"
Damn you, Ibara-san! Houtarou seethed in frustration, as Eru pleaded with him repeatedly. You're just as bad as Satoshi! You conspired with my wife to have me solve a case during precious vacation time!
"…And this is our opportunity to find out whether the statue was broken intentionally. I can't help thinking about it! Kudasai?" Eru finished.
This is ridiculous, Houtarou thought glumly. I'm now asked to involve myself in family matters I'd rather not deal with.
"Eru, I don't understand why you're having me involved in family trifles," said Houtarou.
But this made Eru agitated over her husband's inconsiderate attitude that she became all the more insistent, that she became completely flustered. "Houtarou-kun, don't be this way, please!" She cried with great insistence. "Kudasai? This is no mere family trifle! Whatever is bothering Kayo-san…it's hurting her so much! And it will threaten to tear the family apart!"
He seemed to recall his days when he seemed agitated over pacifying Eru's requests to solve a case for him that he exercised terribly bad behavior. This time, he had to keep himself under control.
"Anyway…I'm curious," said Eru.
"As am I," said Mayaka. "Oreki-san… it sucks to admit it…but you're better at drawing plausible conclusions to perplexing cases."
"Can't we ask Kayo-san directly?" asked Houtarou with a sigh.
Mayaka thought about this. She shook her head. "Knowing her…she would probably change the subject, then look for an excuse to leave," she said.
"What makes you think that?" asked Houtarou, trying hard not to sound rude even to a long-time acquaintance.
"Mother Zenna didn't seem too eager to talk about it," said Mayaka. "How much more for Kayo-chan?"
Houtarou put a hand to his face, as if in deep thought. Perhaps there will be some things about Eru that she may never completely grow out of, thought Houtarou. But…there's no use beating around the bush. We'll have to try it Eru's way.
He finally relented. "I guess I have no other choice," he said. "I can't promise anything at the moment," said Houtarou. "But I'll try."
Eru beamed. Even as unwilling as he was, Houtarou would attempt the case just to put his wife at ease. But it was not so much as an obligation as it was something he would to make his wife happy. "We'll at least have something," Eru said, trying to be optimistic for everyone's sake.
Houtarou would need more information if he was to put his mind into the case. "How long was Kayo-san in this state?" he asked.
"For about…well, maybe a couple of weeks," said Mayaka.
"That seems unusually long," Houtarou surmised. "If it were related to death of a person, it would be one thing. But a broken thing…"
"Houtarou-kun, it's not just any thing; it's a family heirloom," Eru admonished her husband.
"True," Mayaka concurred.
Feeling mentally exhausted, Houtarou sat down on the bed. "So we have two factors at play: a broken family heirloom and boyfriend troubles. What we need to find out is…whether Kayo-san really broke the heirloom intentionally…and whether this factor connects with her boyfriend problems."
"Hai; that sounds about right," said Eru. Mayaka made a nod of acknowledgment.
"But without any kind of concrete proof, our surmises only becomes theories," said Houtarou.
"Perhaps you're right," said Eru. In a family situation vulnerable to possible volatility, committing certain actions even with good intentions could blow up the metaphorical dynamite that could shatter families forever.
Houtarou heaved a sigh, resigning himself to satisfying his wife's insatiable curiosity about strange cases. For now, it was best to proceed with caution. If things were to be done, discretion was necessary to prevent any word of any disagreeable affairs in the Zenna family from being broadcasted to every soul in Zaizen Village.
"Ibara-san, you mentioned that Kayo-san had a diary," said Houtarou. "The diary could be a reasonable place to look…"
"O-re-ki," Mayaka glowered at Houtarou. "You're not thinking about prying into other people's private thoughts, are you?"
"What?" asked Houtarou. "I was just mentioning it. Besides, you all dragged me into solving this case."
He was not above blackmail when he successfully solved the mystery at Kamiyama High. Nevertheless, if there was a quiet way to do what he had suggested just now…
With a sigh, he said, "I'll think of something." It was a vague statement, and he knew it; but he had to find a way to get the ladies off his back, at least for a time. "The solution will not come overnight.
Houtarou left the room, leaving his wife and Mayaka left wondering what he would do next.
Mayaka got up from the bed. "Where are you going?" asked Eru.
"Downstairs," Mayaka answered simply. "To read manga."
Houtarou went to the bathroom first.
He became immersed in thought. Perhaps he could go into Kayo's room. Discreetly, of course.
Houtarou emerged from the bathroom.
He went downstairs to discreetly check on Mayaka and Eru, who were browsing curiously through one of Mayaka's manga volumes, with Manga being more absorbed with the manga than Eru was.
Houtarou went back upstairs. Then he went into Kayo's room.
Houtarou stood from Kayo's room, observed the overall room before entering inside. Kayo was not in her room.
He observed the condition of Kayo's desk and the desk lamp.
Visible scratches.
Possible hand-me-down items.
Houtarou looks at the laptop, peers closely. Kayo's laptop looked like an older model, passed down onto Kayo herself. Strange, he thought. Either these things look like coincidence, or Kaho-san has been receiving hand-me-downs from her mother and father.
Then there was the new summer dress that Kayo had left spread over her bedcovers. The dress was ruffled on the skirts and sleeves, and the bodice was designed to accentuate body features, while maintaining its flowing pattern. The dress was decorated with pink-white cherry blossoms. The skirt was quite long; Houtarou supposed that the skirt, being pleated, as supposed to cover ten inches beyond the ankle; a modest length.
The dress looked new. No creases, no indication of wear.
It dawned on Houtarou to look at the price tag; as it would give some kind of indication of how much it was paid for. Usually, people would remove the price tags from clothing if they had worn it.
The price tag was still there; and on it said 2500 yen. A little pricey, thought Houtarou. But I guess this is no simple dress, after all.
His eyes spotted a jar. He peered into the jar a little closely. There were yen bills inside.
Discreetly, Houtarou took the jar, and decided to count them.
Seven hundred yen, he concluded.
He put the jar back on the shelf where he had found it, being meticulous enough so that it was placed in a way that was left undisturbed.
His eyes spotted a diary, which rested in a horizontal manner between a relatively uneven stack of books.
What's in that diary could have something about boyfriend troubles, thought Houtarou. Mayaka mentioned the possibility of Kayo having boyfriend troubles. From what he was looking at, her fears became confirmed.
Kayo probably keeps things to herself. From what I see here…the possibility exists for her parents to favor their oldest daughter above the younger. Maybe she feels resentful about things going around her, and that resentment could keep building until…it destroys her.
Maybe…all this could be related to her breaking the little Geisha Girl.
I must take some drastic action. That said…maybe taking this diary will scare her into admitting the truth. And I have no intention on reading it; just to take it and scare her.
For all he knew, there were probably some things in the diary he would rather not read, fearing that anything unsettling and even fascinating in that diary would become a burden to him. If anyone asked him, at least he could be honest in saying he knew nothing of the contents of the diary; any surmise of what he thought could be in the diary would only be conjectures to him.
If the truth was out, the problem could get resolved quickly, and he would not have to put up with any more of his wife's curiosity, bringing closure to this hidden but messy would be a simple, albeit rude solution.
Morning…
Houtarou, Eru, and Mayaka, together with Mother Zenna, her husband, and her oldest daughter, had breakfast together.
Mayaka, Eru, and Houtarou sat at one end of the table, and Mother Zenna, her husband, and Rie at the other end. Where Mayaka, Eru, and Houtarou sit, they faced the sink. Zenna Rie took her seat near her mother. The father sat at the side of the table near the mother and daughter.
Mother Zenna, Rie helped make breakfast, and even Mayaka had pitched in, too, as her aunt had asked for help. On the table were platters of sausage and bacon, rolled scrambled eggs, and sardines. White rice remained in a white bowl, and a separate ceramic bowl contained miso soup. A third bowl, smaller than the others, contained mandarin oranges. Mother Zenna wanted the leftover food used, too, so there was leftover boiled fish and daikon.
"Itadakimasu," the said all together, clapping their hands once. Then they commenced breakfast.
"We happened to have sausage and bacon, which we tried on occasion," said Mother Zenna. "Mayaka suggested those things for breakfast."
Mayaka agreed, indicating her assent by her cheerful nod, and pointing to the sausage on the center platter.
"The sausage is quite good," Eru complimented Mother Zenna, before turning to Mayaka. "Thank you, Maya-chan, for suggesting it."
"No problem, Eru-chan," Mayaka replied with a childlike smile.
Eru eagerly took some of the daikon; feeling relieved that a homegrown vegetable familiar to her is served in the Zenna family.
"Ah, Oreki-san," Mother Zenna addressed Eru, "I feel so relieved you're taking some of the daikon. Another day even in the refrigerator and it would be come stale."
"Ano…how long did you have it in the refrigerator?" Houtarou asked.
"Several days," answered Mother Zenna.
Eru widened her eyes, afraid that she would be devouring stale vegetables.
"Daijoubou, Oreki Eru-san," Mother Zenna assured the young woman. "The daikon is all right."
Eru, having a craving for one of the mandarin oranges, carefully peeled one, as Mayaka took one of the mandarin oranges, too.
Soon Mother Zenna is beginning to feel quite bothered about her younger daughter's absence at the breakfast table.
"Geez…what is taking Kayo-chan so long?" Mother Zenna asked in exasperation. "Kayo-chan?" she called in a loud voice.
No answer. At first the family assumed that Kayo was taking a little longer with getting dressed. But even Kayo never took that long.
"Rie-chan, go upstairs and see what's taking Kayo-chan so long," Mother Zenna ordered the older daughter.
Rie got up from her seat and headed upstairs.
The family figured that perhaps Kayo was just acting a little sluggish for the day. Houtarou, Eru, and Mayaka, however, figured otherwise; though Mother Zenna felt that perhaps Kayo was just still going through a turbulent time of her childhood that would wear off over time. For Houtarou, Eru, and Mayaka, they were aware that Kayo was some sort of deeply troubled child with an animus for her older sister, whom her parents bestowed much favor. The three held their breath, waiting for what seemed to be the inevitable, betting the trouble would begin to happen, on a fifty-fifty chance, if Kayo was actually not in the house.
Rie had come back downstairs, her face filled with fright. "Otou-sama...Okaa-sama…Kayo-chan is not here!" cried a fearful Rie. "I…I can't find here anywhere here!"
"Nande?" cried both mother and father.
Houtarou had begun to suspect that if Kayo indeed had gone missing this morning, her absence could have something to do with her missing diary. Fearing that her worst reasons over any possible resentment of her sister would have been found out, she would have bolted out of the house.
Houtarou had to be careful not to betray anything that indicated he had something to do with Kayo's absence in the household. Of course, Eru and Mayaka suggested Houtarou look into it, but Houtarou took the initiative.
Nevertheless, asking about possible whereabouts would do some good. "What's the likeliest place she could go?" he asked simply.
"Perhaps…at the local garden park," Mother Zenna answered, and her husband agreed. "That place…Rie-chan and Kayo-chan used to go there when they were little."
Houtarou had to solve this problem soon, because it could get worse if Kayo ran off somewhere. He whispered something to his wife, and his wife acknowledged.
Gomen kudasai," he said, excusing himself from the table.
Eru said the same thing, and left the table, too, following her husband.
Houtarou brought Eru into the bedroom. Without a word, he opened the wardrobe and pulled out what appeared to be a little diary. He opened the diary. It had Kayo's writing…and Kayo's name. He did not put the girl's diary in the suitcase because it would only exacerbate accusations of thievery.
He had to admit to his wife that he took Kayo's diary and it might be because of him that she was absent in the household.
Eru became shocked; the expected reaction from his wife. "Houtarou-kun…!" she uttered. "This…th-the Zenna family will not like this! How could you?"
"O-re-ki!" A glowering Mayaka seethed at him. It became not so much that he came up with a solution, but that his means were questionable.
He looked back at Eru. Usually she did restrain herself from showing anger, but this time, she was cross. Mayaka had her arms cross, and was just as cross as ever.
Houtarou felt like a cornered animal. Even his wife, who was usually a deredere, that is, one so sweet and kind, was becoming quite upset of what her husband had done. He felt tempted to keep it from her, but his wife would have wanted to know what was going on. He had a bad experience from Eru's father when he omitted important information from him when he investigated the case of the poisoning.
"Ano…this just proves something is wrong," said Houtarou.
"Hai," said Mayaka. "With you. You have no morals, Oreki-san."
"Well…I wouldn't put it that way," said Houtarou, stammering. If he didn't admit that he took Kayo's diary, he would have simply put the diary in his suitcase. Being accused of thievery was one thing; being accused of dishonesty was another. At least admitting his deed would relieve the burden of hiding his intentions from the very people who relied on him for the truth. If anything, he desired to mitigate being known, especially by his trusting wife, as a dishonest man. Much trust was at stake here between him and his wife.
But there seemed to be more of his actions to be concerned about. "Houtarou-kun," said Eru. "You're bringing dishonor to yourself and your family."
Dishonor? Houtarou asked himself. He could hardly beat around the bush when it came to dishonor. What Houtarou had done amounted to stealing; if the Zenna family found out what he had done, he would become the object of opprobrium.
And Eru was getting carried away with that.
"Eru," said Houtarou. "We'll have to worry about that later. Kayo…"
"Oh," said Eru. Her face remained downcast, but Kayo's welfare had to take precedent over personal worries, even those related to one's family honor. She looked at her husband with a look that begged the question of what to do next.
"We just have to go look for her," said Houtarou.
"Shall we notify the police?" asked Eru.
Houtarou shook his head. "I would prefer not to do that," he said. "If the prefectural police get involved in the Zenna family troubles, the Zenna family will become embroiled in greater upheaval. Zaizen Village, I figure, seems quite local. If word gets out that the Zenna family are involved in child neglect, the rumors would ruin the family reputation."
"Demo…" Eru was about to interject. "The Zenna family is already deteriorating…"
But Houtarou put up his hand, indicating for Eru to stop talking. "If push comes to shove, it will be our last resort," he said. "We'll get questioned too much. We must be discreet about what we do. If we don't find Kayo…we'll contact the prefectural police. But not before."
As much as Eru disagreed strongly with her husband, she made a nod of assent, indicating that she would stick to Houtarou's recently concocted plan. "All right," said Eru. "But Houtarou-kun…I want you to know how much I disagree with you on this plan. Demo…I'll trust you."
Houtarou and Eru donned on their traveling clothes; Houtarou donned on a spring jacket, and Eru put on a new spring cardigan she packed in her suitcase. Zaizen Village was a mountain village, which meant the place would be situated on elevated ground. The higher ground also mean that the weather would be a little cold for Houtarou and Eru's comfort level.
Then the two made their way downstairs and into the lobby.
"Maya-chan…are you ready? We're going to look for Kayo-san."
Ibara was already dressed. "I think I'm fine with what I'm wearing," she said, looking down on her loose green slacks.
"It's going to get a little warmer," said Rie.
"Warm?" asked Eru. "Oh…in that case, Maya-chan, a light cardigan could help. It's what I'm wearing right now. Do you have one?"
Mayaka was hardly in the mood to change into another comfortable outfit again. "Ano…I think I have one," she said. "Let me check."
But Houtarou had some questions for Mayaka as she proceeded upstairs. "Chotto, Ibara-san," he interjected. "Would you remember any place that the Zenna sisters like to go…in particular? At Zaizen Village?"
From the middle of the stairway, Mayaka mentioned a place near the outskirts of Zaizen Village: A lush garden park, with a small running stream, located at the northwestern outskirts of Zaizen Village.
"The guarden almost resembles Ritsurin Garden," said Eru, referring to a famous garden park in the Kagawa Prefecture.
"Really?" asked Mayaka. "Have you ever visited that place?"
"Iie," said Eru. "I have only seen pictures."
But it had also been quite a while since Mayaka visited Zaizen Village, too. Rie confirmed the suspicions of Eru and Mayaka over the resemblance of Zaizen Village's garden to the Ritsurin Garden.
"The journey down will be easier than the journey up," said Houtarou. Eru agreed. The Seizansou rested atop an elevated ridge. Zaizen Village sat below at the base of the little mountain.
"How often did you visit Zaizen Village?" asked Rie.
"Not much," said Houtarou, in a vague sense of the word.
"I know that place," Rie piped up. "I should go with you. Besides…I'm dying to know what Kayo-chan was up to."
"Iie," said Houtarou, shaking his head. "Bringing you into the conflict could affect what your imouto-chan would really reveal.
"Doushite?" asked Kayo curiously.
"Kayo-san would be afraid to speak…if she saw you," said Houtarou. "And if you reacted…well, let's just say it could…affect the dynamic of the interaction."
"I'm…I'm not sure what you mean," said Kayo.
"It means that if you were around Kayo-san…and if Kayo-san knew that you're here, your presence could preclude your imouto-chan from speaking candidly."
"In other words, Kayo-chan would not be honest with herself if you were around," Eru explained to the young girl in plain speech. Even Houtarou could have a way with words, but Kayo would still be distraught that her mind would not focus well on deciphering Houtarou's vocabulary.
Kayo still could hardly understand, and Eru could tell. "Rie-chan…if Kayo-chan saw you, she would be afraid of what you'll do to her."
Rie made an agreeing nod. Eru soon began to figure that if there were any, they would be hostile. Kayo could be so frightened, she thought.
"Daijoubou," Eru said to the young girl with a sweet, soothing voice. "We won't be hard on Kayo-san." She turned to both Houtarou and Mayaka. "Will we, Ibara-san and Houtarou-kun?"
Mayaka made a nod. Houtarou shrugged his shoulders. "I guess not," said Houtarou, making no guarantees to either himself or the others. But he would try. Somehow, he seemed to admire his wife for having a tender touch on people.
Rie seemed to resign herself to the decisions of the group. She brought out a map of Zaizen Village, pointing to the place where Kayo would most likely stay: in Zaizen Village's garden park. Rie gave Houtarou the map.
Houtarou, Eru, and Mayaka prepared for a hike. As the spring climate was making its transition to summer weather, Rie advised Eru and Mayaka to change into a different set of clothes. Eru came, dressed in a loose, dainty dress, and Mayaka came in shorts. The way the young women dressed presented such a contrast to Houtarou.
Now that they were by themselves, it was time for Houtarou to find out what Mayaka had on Kayo.
"What else have you found about Kayo-san?" asked Houtarou.
Mayaka told Houtarou what Mother Zenna told her about Kayo. According to Mother Zenna, Kayo was saving her money to get a fancy stand for the Dancing Geisha Girl.
"I did see what appeared to be a brand-new dress in Kayo's room," said Houtarou.
"Her parents must have bought it for her," said Eru.
"Ano…I'm not sure how likely that is," said Mayaka. "At their age, they would be given a pretty good allowance; girls their age would shop around the stores on their own."
"So it must have been Kayo's own money," said Houtarou. "I figured that would be the case."
Mayaka stopped walking, then grabbed Houtarou, who suddenly became startled. "Chotto matte," said Mayaka sternly. "What do you mean, 'figured'?"
"Well…uh…I stumbled across Kayo-san's allowance," said Houtarou, stammering.
"What?!" gasped Eru, hands to her mouth.
"O-re-ki!" Mayaka glowered at him again. "First, you've been taking Kayo-san's diary…now you've been snooping around her private belongings!"
"It was the other way around," said Houtarou.
"This…this is…" Eru stammered, scared… "How on earth did you find it?!" she pressed him. "Her allowance…I mean?"
"It was on her shelf," said Houtarou. "I mostly stumbled upon it…"
It was partially true, though deep down, Houtarou went beyond mere stumbling in to actual tampering. But merely his observance of Kayo's room made Mayaka shocked even more that she did not even pay attention to what Houtarou had said next. "Y-y-you…snoop!" spat Mayaka. Fiddling with money could become suspicious; an indication of possible theft involved.
"You…you can't be serious!" exclaimed a shocked Eru, whose face blushed right away. "This…this is embarrassing!"
"Geez!" Mayaka huffed, shaking her head in such great disapproval. "Even so…unforgivable…!"
"H-how much was in there, if you found out already?" asked Eru, who now felt a little guilty about being complicit about what Houtarou was doing in Kayo's room.
"Well…there was only…seven hundred yen left," said Houtarou. "That's all there was. I left it alone."
Crossing her arms, Mayaka heaved a cross sigh. "You are unbelievable!" she huffed.
"What else was I supposed to do?" Houtarou retorted in turn.
"Well…you could…"
"Maya-chan…let's focus on finding Kayo-san," said Eru, trying her best to remain calm. It was always something she did, even in heated situations.
The three had entered Zaizen Village. By necessity, the group needed to stick together.
Zaizen Village was a small town, with a rural feel, just like Kamiyama City; a small, localized town, even in spite of its name; a town surrounded by greenery and forst, with trees planted all around, whenever there was available space. Cars and delivery trucks peppered the streets, which were wet, as the weather was rainy, and the sun cast its rays on the puddle-ridden pavement and sidewalks. Many of the grey building roofs boasted a similar style to the country's ancient traditional houses. The freshness of the spring air lingered in the mid-morning, soon to be pushed aside by the warmer weather.
In those regards, Houtarou felt like he was in a place nearly familiar to him, even if he and his wife were out of town.
Houtarou inquired a passer-by over the location of the garden park, as it had been a long time since he visited Zaizen Village. The passer-by, in a less friendly and monotone way, conveyed the directions according to the route he regularly took to the park. Sometimes Eru has to do some of the asking.
Then Houtarou, Eru, and Mayaka walked all the way to the end of town; roughly a four-mile distance.
The three had reached the garden park of Zaizen Village; an isolated area among the outskirts at the other end of town.
The ground was level. There ran a small stream, from the opposite direction of the park entrance. Behind the stream stood a motley arrangement of stones, propped on a green grassy slope; and on the top of the slope, runs a row of trees and bushes. A stone-cobbled walkway ran parallel to the running stream.
Widening his eyes in wonder, Houtarou remarked that he had never come across any place he described "so pleasant", as he found himself at a loss for words. Even he found the weather pleasant, too, a phrase he used to describe a climate beyond tolerable. The temperate spring climate, mixed with the warm and cool air, complimented the garden.
Mayaka directed Houtarou and Eru to the stone-cobbled pavement. They made a right turn and cross the pavement, where a row of bushes ran parallel. At the edge of a manicured grassy clearing stands a wooden pavilion of brown hues.
"This should be the place," said Mayaka. "My suspicion is that a place like this…would be ideal for getting a bit of time to yourself…when you're feeling down."
"Kayo-chan goes there often?" asked Eru, suspecting that Kayo would be the kind of girl to seclude herself.
"Not often," said Mayaka. "I had a hunch that perhaps if Kayo-chan wanted to get away from her family troubles…this place would be ideal for her."
There sat a figure of a young girl, alone, on the wooden bench; a sight that made Eru's heart jump in fright.
"Houtarou-kun…look," said Eru, tugging her husband's arm.
Houtarou turned his eyes where Eru pointed her finger.
There was a lone girl, dressed in a pale blue spring blouse and white skirt mottled with blue flowers, slumped over the bench in a despondent state of being.
"Zenna Kayo-san?" Eru called.
Sure enough, there was Kayo.
Kayo became afraid, and then distraught. Her day of reckoning had arrived at least. Looking up at Eru, Houtarou, and Mayaka, all of whom Kayo feared would bring judgment upon her, the girl's eyes twitched, and her body shook with fear and trembling.
"I believe there is more to this story that what I was told," Houtarou remarked.
"The dancing Geisha Girl…" Eru uttered, before she faltered.
"Didn't you find it strange that the family wouldn't comment about this statue…until you were asked?" Houtarou put the question to the girl. "Why would Kayo blame herself so bad over breaking this kind of statue…if it was by accident? You'd think Kayo would get over it soon. Unless…it was not by accident…"
"Hai," said Kayo, who now was so fraught with guilt over letting this conflict get too far.
She was afraid; she was unwilling even to talk to the three. Up front, Houtarou had just confronted a stellar example of tatemae; where Kayo and her family, Houtarou figured, would exercise hone by keep bad things under the rug, he, Eru, and Mayaka would pressure Kayo to divulge the disagreeable details of her rivalry with her sister, and the circumstances contributing to this rivalry.
She turned her back on them.
"Kayo-san…daijoubou," he said aloud.
What he uttered could almost be felt like magic words. Slowly Kayo turned to face the three.
"This…incident…won't be resolved unless Kayo -san tells Rie-san what happened," said Houtarou. He took a deep breath. He took a deep breath. "Kayo-san broke the statue on purpose."
The truth was out now. All that was left was the explanation.
"The fact that something was wrong with Kayo-san…in connection to this broken Geisha Girl…told me that the whole affair most likely could have been an accident," said Houtarou.
"Demo…isn't that a little presumptuous to assume?" asked Eru.
"Perhaps," Houtarou agreed with his wife, though he was not finished yet. "But if the affair happened such a long time ago, Kayo-san would have gotten over the affair in the first place. The statue of the dancing Geisha Girl was a material thing that Kayo broke. But from the looks of it…Kayo-san seems to have blamed herself up over this broken Geisha Girl; naturally, for her, what she did…is still emotionally fresh…deep inside her."
"Some clues also intrigued me," Houtarou continued. "For instance, there was the condition of Kaho's desk, her lamp, and her laptop. I don't know about you, but they look old; like something bought from a secondhand store."
"The whole thing could be a coincidence," said Eru.
"That would be reasonable to think…unless the possibility exists that Kaho had been receiving mostly hand-me-down items from her parents."
"If that's so…Zenna-san is probably favoring one daughter over the other," declared Mayaka, who could feel her stomach churn over the idea of such an injustice occurring within her relatives.
"But which one?" asked Eru. Then she remembered something that Houtarou told her a long time ago: that the older sister, Rie, was known to have been writing her name on her things. Add to the observation that Rie was acting a bit domineering with a boy named Awatsuki Tsuurichi, and Kaho's despondent behavior…
…And the Zenna family now had resurgence of jealous feelings over Rie from Kaho herself. And this jealousy was taking place right under the noses of the mother and father.
"Oh no," said Eru worriedly. "Oh no. It can't be…a rivalry between sisters…now resurrected. Just when I thought such rivalry was resolved between them…"
"It happens now and then," said Mayaka, whose voice was filled with much sadness. "Demo…I never thought…"
"That it would be worse," said Eru.
"Indeed," Houtarou concurred. "Another thing," he added. "There was a new dress in Kayo-san's bedroom. One just recently bought; the price tag for 2500 yen. No creases, no tears, no threads coming off, loose fabric, no other signs of wear. Characteristics of a dress worn only once. That dress was yours, Kayo-san; right?"
Kayo looked up, surprised that he would know about something she thought was a private matter between herself only. "How…how do you know that?" she asked timidly.
"I…well…I observed your room," replied Houtarou, being careful not to say that he actually stepped into Kayo's room, lest the girl think that Houtarou was up to something no good, or worse, perverted.
"If that was so, then Kayo-san would have bought it with her own money," said Houtarou. He felt like spelling out how much she had left, but specific details would only scare Kayo even more, making her more fearful even more to tell the whole story. Besides, Houtarou was afraid he would get the exact amount of money wrong; a gaffe that would put him on the defensive regarding his ability interrogate and make accurate conclusions about people.
Houtarou decided to ask her to see if she was telling the truth. "You had an allowance, right, Kayo-san?" he asked.
Kayo nodded, sad as she was. The girl hung her head, as if in shame; some kind of sign that it would have been hers.
"How much was in there?" Houtarou interrogated her.
"Let's see…about…seven hundred yen."
Seven hundred. She's right, thought Houtarou to himself. Kayo spent the money she was saving for her older sister. Then she felt guilty about it later. So that could explain why she never wore her new dress much. The statue breaking…could that have happened in the spur of the moment?
Eru watched Kayo with her head hung in shame; and at this moment she began to feel sorry for her. "Houtarou-kun," she said, taking her husband's hand. "Let's ask Kayo-san to sit down."
Houtarou made a nod.
"Kayo -san," Eru beckoned the young, distraught girl. "Please come sit."
Eru approached Kayo, ushering her to a nearby wooden bench behind a large tree.
There was some silence. Then there was sounds of sniffling. Kayo had broken down in sobs.
"I used most of the money," Kayo admitted quietly. "And…I never got that fancy stand for the broken statue."
She continued sobbing, for what seemed to be a long time. Everything that she held back inside her she was beginning to release.
"Ah…ah…ah…" she cried away with such heart-wrenching anguish.
Eru had some tissues buried in her handbag. She handed some to Kayo, who took them, as Eru seated herself beside the girl, on her left, where there was room on the bench.
"A…A…Arigatou…g-gozai..."
"Shh," Eru interrupted the mournful girl, trying to comfort her. "Daijoubou."
Kayo's sobbing had stopped for a while, but she blew her nose. "My onee-chan…she always got what she wanted," she wailed bitterly. "They…seemed to bestow favor upon favor to her."
The girl's words were a preface for what was to come. With rapt attention Houtarou, Eru, and Mayaka tuned their ears.
Kayo lamented thus: "Ever since…they had become so relieved…excited…even joyful over onee-chan transferring from Kaburaya to a better university.
"Which one?" Mayaka inquired curiously.
"Kyoto," answered the sobbing girl.
Everyone saw Kayo as a reserved, quiet girl. But when she carried resentment within her, there was great sadness about her. "Otousan and Okaasan always regarded onee-chan as the perfect daughter," she said, as tears streamed down her cheeks. She then proceeded to unburden so many things she felt, but was always compelled to hold in for the sake of maintaining the illusion of harmony in her family. "Always the perfect daughter, always the smart one," Kayo bitterly complained. There was resentment and regret in her tone of voice. "Always got the high grades. Always got the new dresses. Always the awards, the nice things. Even the money to go to college, while I would have to work hard!"
Eru put her hand on Kayo's shoulder…
"And…and then…there was Tsuurichi-senpai," Kayo continued. "Onee-chan kept bragging about how she and he were going out. Koishiteru…," she said.
Kayo's words raised eyebrows and sympathy among the three. The use of the word koishiteru connoted a strong romantic attraction between Kayo and the young man.
"Over that…we got into an argument…" Kayo continued, remembering how her older sister acted so inconsiderate around her. It made Houtarou, Eru, and Mayaka wonder whether Rie ever realized that she was acting inconsiderate around her younger sister, even though Kayo was holding everything within herself.
"And…when it came to the Dancing Geisha Girl…otousan and okaasan sided with Rie…as always." Hurt feelings worsened when Kayo's parents decided to give the Geisha Girl statue to Rie, as an heirloom. Was it possible her mother and father were favoring their eldest daughter over her?
"It…it just wasn't fair!" cried Rie, amidst tears. "It…it's…not…fair! She was getting…everything! And…and…what did I have?"
When her sobs stopped for a short while, Eru gave Kayo another tissue, which she used to blow her nose.
"So…I decided to get even with her…somehow…"
"…And that's when you broke the Geisha Girl," said Mayaka, horrified at what further revelation was to come from an upset Kayo.
Two Weeks Ago…
Kayo was so upset that something so sentimental was going to someone else, that her mother and father would always favor Rie. So Kayo snuck to her sister's room, and brought the Geisha Girl out of a special box.
She had the urge to dash it to the floor, but Kayo held back; the things that Rie did to her made her feel crushed. Kayo felt fed up with her sister; it was not just having the heirloom go to her. There was the stress of preparing for the entrance examinations; the worry over whether she would even pass them to gain admission to the university her sister was attending.
It became too much; having to live constantly under her older sister's shadow; to feel so inadequate compared to her older sister. Unhappy and resentful at losing the one boy she cared about, feeling sick that the parents gave their older daughter everything, and Kayo received the things of which Rie had lost interest, she took the heirloom and broke it.
Rie never witnessed the broken Geisha Girl, but her parents did see it. So the Zenna family never kept the affair to themselves; only from Rie; so that as far as she knew, the whole thing was an accident. Kayo's mother and father wanted to keep out the knowledge that Kayo had such resentful feelings toward her older sister, because she was preparing to enter university. Rie was going away for a while and the parents did not want the sisters to leave on such a bad note. But by the time Rie was visiting her family for a time, the feelings seemed to fester something poisonous that would gradually cause them to grow apart. The Zenna family wanted this major disagreement to stay within the family.
Mayaka and Eru were left horrified by such disturbing revelations from Kayo. Even Houtarou became surprised over listening to the full story of Kayo's private grudge against her onee-chan.
"Kayo-san…you'll simply have to…reconcile with your onee-chan." It was the only sound advice that Eru could ever give to the anguished young girl.
Kayo balled her hands, upset over having to face her sister again. "Wh…What do you know…about…forgiveness?" she shot back. For her, it seemed to be one of few retorts she could ever make, after holding nearly everything back within herself. "Didn't you…have everything?"
Eru recoiled in surprise. Kayo was right; Eru was the only child in her family. Perhaps she could not have known what having a sister was like. Somehow these words seemed to echo what she had said to Houtarou earlier about her wish to have an older sister or a younger brother when she visited the Zenna family during her first year of high school.
"Kayo-san," said Mayaka. "If you cannot reconcile with your onee-chan, you will be faced with a family life broken and filled with much rancor and hostility."
"You'll have to tell your sister what happened," said Houtarou.
"She…she will get angry with me," said Kayo, still in tears. It seemed like a poor excuse, but given the intensity of the conflict, her excuse was reasonable to anticipate.
"What do you expect?" asked a frustrated Houtarou. "After all you've done…"
"Houtarou-kun," Eru interjected right away. Her words seemed to tell him that he would have no idea what it was like to be in Kayo's shoes.
"Kayo-san," Eru addressed the girl again. Rie would get angry over what Kayo revealed, so there was no need to say it. But if Rie could be made to understand her younger sister's predicament…
"If you can tell Rie-san how you felt…it may stir up compassion within her," said Eru. "You can tell her…all that you've been holding back. And Rie-san…she will have to consider everything she did."
"Rie-chan sounds like a terrible sister," said Mayaka.
"Iie," said Eru, shaking her head. She seemed to desire seeing a good side in Kayo's sister. "Maybe she was just inconsiderate…without realizing it."
"We should head back," said Mayaka.
"Of course," said Eru. Gently she took Kayo's hand as she and the girl got up from the bench.
The three made their way back to Seizansou. As she knew the town well, Mayaka guided the group home, with Houtarou being skeptical about this way and that way. Eru had her arms around Kayo, accompanying her in her hour of trepidation over facing her older sister.
Mayaka knocked on the door, and Mother Zenna let them in. Seeing Kayo's state, she became filled with a sickening feeling. Would Rie, upon hearing the truth from her own sister, fly into a rage? The best that could be hoped for was for Rie to break down crying over the guilt she would have in her inconsiderate actions against Kayo.
Mayaka tried to assure herself that Rie could not possibly be such a bad sister to Kayo. Deep down Mayaka hoped that Rie would be overcome with much guilt that, filled with a contrite heart, she would make amends with her younger sister.
Mother Zenna and Mayaka accompanied Kayo when they came to see Rie.
Houtarou kept company of his anxious wife in the living room, as they both awaited the final verdict of the quarrel between the Zenna sisters.
He felt curious about what kind of exchange went on between Kayo and Rie. He figured that it would be just another acrimonious struggle between two sisters concerning one being favored over the other sister by the parents. He had the idea of seeing the exchange for himself, but when he mentioned the idea, Eru shook her head, saying to him that it would be better if the Zenna sisters, with their mother, resolved the quarrel in private.
Mother Zenna emerged downstairs, with Mayaka, her niece, in tow, Eru filled with much anxiety over Kayo, and also of Rie, felt the urge to ask the mother about the final outcome right away.
"Zenna-san…about Kayo-chan…how is she?" Eru asked Mother Zenna.
"Rie-chan decided to do something unexpected today."
"Does it have to do with reconciling with her sister?" asked Eru.
"Hai," Mother Zenna affirmed. "It seems that Kayo-chan took a liking to the young man."
"And Rie-chan was being aggressively clingy around him," added Mayaka.
"Like Ibara-san with Satoshi," said Houtarou.
"What?!" Mayaka spat back at him. "What did you say?!"
"Ano…" He was at a loss for words at the moment.
"How can you compare me to Rie-chan?! I'm…I'm…"
"Well…the relationship dynamic seemed eerily similar…"
He stopped. It seemed rather tactless.
Mayaka stormed out of the living room. Without a word, Eru got up, scowling at Houtarou before following her friend upstairs.
"So…what did Rie-san do?" Houtarou inquired Mother Zenna, wanting some immediate closure to this agonizing mystery.
Mother Zenna delayed to answer. "Kayo told Rie everything. There were some harsh words…many of which came from Rie-chan. Kayo-chan could only cry more and more. Rie-chan was upset…and Mayaka calmed her. Demo…she also comforted Kayo-chan."
"Ibara-san?" asked Houtarou with curiosity. Usually the mother would do that. It seemed strange; Houtarou perceived that in some way the mother was indeed culpable for some of her daughters' actions.
"Rie-chan had come to the realization that…for much of the time…she had been acting…selfish…around her younger sister; being so possessive of her things…acting aggressively around Awatsuki Tsuurichi-san.
"…So after Rie-chan heard everything…she became moved. She wanted to make it up with Kayo…for everything she did…without realizing it."
"What did she do?" asked Houtarou.
"Well…Rie-chan promised she would find a way to help Kayo get through university…after she graduates."
"Hmm… that would help."
"The other…she would let Kayo be around Awatsuki -san."
"That would hardly go easy on Rie-san," said Houtarou. "I had the impression she loves him."
Mother Zenna shook her head. "Iie," she said. "Rie-san just likes him. She admitted it herself. With Kayo, the relationship between him and her seems genuine. Awatsuki -san is just…reserved about saying who he likes."
Houtarou became attentive now; he had the impression that what was going on between Rie and the young man was romantic love, and Mother Zenna heard her eldest admit it flirty fondness.
"It's what she can do…after so much of what happened…" said Mother Zenna.
"What did Zenna-san say?" asked Mayaka.
"Well…you decided to storm out of the living room when…"
"Houtarou-kun," Eru said. It was a tone that told him to stop running his mouth. "Anyway…what did Zenna-san say about Rie-san and Kayo-san?" asked Eru.
Houtarou told everything that Mother Zenna told him.
"Do you think it's possible that Awatsuki Tsuurichi-san will date Kayo?" asked Eru.
"I don't know," said Mayaka. "Maybe?"
Houtarou stopped outside Kayo's room. Kayo had her laptop opened, and it appeared that she had some kind of webpage with email messages.
Her cellphone rang. She answered the phone and switched the speakers on so she could hear properly, since her mobile phone had poor audio quality.
Houtarou heard a male voice; the voice of a young man, but he could not yet identify the man speaking. Kayo and the young man seemed to be on good terms, and not just on friendly but formal terms. Houtarou figured that the male voice belonged to this Awatsuki Tsuurichi, given that Kayo was involved in the conversation. From them both he could hear exchanges of funny sentiments, followed by laughter indicative of intimate companionship.
Perhaps Kayo still has feelings for him, Houtarou thought to himself. Then from this exchange between friends…no, perhaps, lovers, he heard a resolution involving a healing of past hurts between Kayo and about Rie.
"Houtarou-kun?" someone called.
Houtarou shifted his eyes. It was Eru.
"You're not invading someone's privacy again, are you?" she asked.
"Iie," said Houtarou. "I just only looked from the outside."
Eru made a face, as it was a little strange for a young man to observe a young lady's room. But at least she was relieved that he was not directly violating someone's privacy, as he did last time.
"You girls wanted me to investigate the matter," he said.
"Hai," said Eru. "It seems both Maya-chan and I take the blame."
Houtarou could notice that Eru seemed a bit gloomy.
"Eru…daijoubou?" he asked.
"Well…it's about the sisters," she said. "If we had children of our own…I'm so afraid of something like this…"
"You once had an ideal view of siblings," said Houtarou.
Eru remembered. I wish I had an older sister…or a younger brother. But she had the sense that things change. What Eru had just seen up close and personal with the Zenna sisters forced her to confront the possibility that sometimes brothers and sisters could get into animosities that only worsened with time.
"I just hope things don't change for the worst," said Eru.
Houtarou would have to get used to Eru's sensitive heart. Eru took a dislike for conflict, it seemed; she usually tried to defuse conflict between friends as much as she could, and she would become distraught whenever she saw friends arguing and fighting between each other.
"Perhaps this is what the Zenna family needed," remarked Houtarou. "A mediator." And a mother intervening in an argument between squabbling children, he thought to himself. "I think you fit that role perfectly well."
Eru made a big joyful smile. "You're right," said Eru. "There is no hope for a better future unless people can acknowledge what they did wrong…and begin healing past hurts."
Houtarou stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. "Eru…a thought occurred to me," he uttered. "What would you think of staying a little longer at Zaizen Village?" he asked. "For at least one more day? To…well…make up for lost time?"
Eru looked up, surprised. Houtarou always seemed to be in the habit of staying only when necessary.
"Usually, I don't stay anywhere when there's little point. But…for your sake…"
Eru beamed, completely in agreement with her husband.
"We'll have Maya-chan come along," said Eru.
Houtarou simply shrugged his shoulders.
Houtarou and Eru decided to spend another day at the Seizansou, just to explore Zaizen Village again, but this time with Mayaka, who took the young couple's offer with great joy. This outing was Mayaka's chance to explore Zaizen Village at a relaxing time. Mayaka said that she would not have to go back to work for…at least another week.
"What kind of plans do you have for vacation?" Eru asked her friend.
"You know…to be honest…I have little idea as to what I want to do for vacation," said Mayaka. "I have all this time…and I don't know what to do with it."
You're kidding, Houtarou thought cynically about Mayaka. How is that even possible?
"Spend the week with us, then," Eru exhorted her friend. "Well…all right," said Mayaka.
END OF EPISODE
NOTES:
Ritsurin Garden: A famous historical garden in Takamatsu City, in the Kagawa Prefecture.
(More description is not that relevant in this episode, since the name is only mentioned in passing; but if you are curious, here is a link to Wikipedia: wiki/Ritsurin_Garden)
Japanese Naming Convention:
Surname: Given Name:
Zenna Kayo
Zenna Rie
Awatsuki Tsuurichi
Western Naming Convention:
Given Name: Surname:
Kayo Zenna
Rie Zenna
Tsuurichi Awatsuki
Vocabulary Translations from the Japanese Language:
Hai - Yes
Iie - No
Ano... - Umm... (Filler Word)
Doushite? – Why?
Daijoubu desu. - It is all right.
100 yen = 1 dollar in U. S. Currency. Rough estimate.
2500 yen = 25 dollars (U. S. Currency)
700 yen = 7 dollars (U. S. Currency)