The windows of the Ultra Academy's dormitories were open to let the evening wind flow in the space. Summer was approaching and leaving the windows open during the day made the air uncomfortable. The buildings were equipped with air conditioning but the inhabitants didn't want to waste energy they could save with little gestures. Thus, they let the windows and curtains close during the day, opening them after sunset to let the cooler wind in. Inside her bedroom, Hyori was busy browsing the internet on her computer.
Following her meeting with Mister Hanabata, the commission Vice President had agreed to let her out of the process regarding the Yotsubashi trial. Her Father had agreed to testify against his long-term partner. Another case would be opened and was likely to induce a life-long sentence for her raptor and presumed terrorist. She knew the man who had announced to be her Father would get a lighter sentence for cooperating and didn't know if she should be grateful.
Parts of her wanted to thank him but greater parts of her suspected he would have done none of it for a random girl. The former politician had turned against his old companions for his daughter's sake. If it hadn't been her, he would have found a reason to let her remain inside her golden cage. Another girl would still be inside the manor and 'Supreme Leader' would still be free to menace society, as if there wasn't enough unrest already.
The short talk with the man had been intense but she had a lot of unanswered questions. Until now, she had never thought about an eventual family longing for her. All her childhood revolved around the Women' area of the Inner Palace. The Empress Dowager was a Grandmother for her and the Emperor had been a lingering paternal figure, until he crossed the line.
Surrounded by her Mother's love and the Imperial House's affection, then finding a sister in Megumi, she hadn't felt a void in her life she needed to fill. Yet, after the meeting, she was curious of who her family could be. She supposed the rocky situation she experienced in her relationship with Megumi played a role in her will to connect with her family. The younger teen had been distant when they reunited Saturday in the evening. She had sensed her eroded trust at not wanting to be seen at her lowest and Megumi had argued she prioritised her affairs instead of seeing her first once she arrived in Tokyo. The older understood she had instilled a fear of abandonment inside her younger sister and chose to let her time.
Hyori didn't want to entertain Mister Hanabata but the other woman in her Mother's pictures had drawn her attention. If the man's story was true, she should be a singer. The teen girl was now looking for independent information and indeed found an opera singer named Shinsou Hime. The woman looked in her fifties and sometimes gave Lunar New Year concerts in China, precisely in BeiJing. Her social media were private and Hyori assumed it was normal for a woman of her status not to let herself available for everyone. Hyori supposed she could send a courier to the Mei Lanfang Grand Theatre where her supposed Grandmother performed earlier this year.
What was she supposed to write? She could write about her encounter with Mister Hanabata and would know for good if the man lied on the basis of the answer she would receive. Should she add pictures? She could take pictures of her current self and see if the woman reacted to them. Unsure of how to proceed, she opened her mailing box to mail her lawyers. At this point, they were the only trusted adults who knew her background. She might ask Miss Nanase for her input. Probably after hearing her lawyers.
Her mailing web page opened on several unread messages. Among commercial mails, her accountant had sent her the numeric copies of her annual reports. She also received a message from her lawyers regarding matrimonial status. Curious, she opened the message received a few days after her abduction. Her lawyers had been contacted by Mister Yotsubashi's lawyers to announce their engagement. After congratulating her, they advised her to let them assist her for her prenuptial agreement and wished her the best.
Hyori didn't remember having signed any agreement and was surprised by the mail. She hadn't had access to her phone at the time and hadn't checked her messages until now. Could she be legally married without knowing so? She's sure she hadn't been able to sign anything when she was subdued by sleeping pills. And she didn't remember signing anything during the short times she had been fully awake.
She remembered the forced feeding during the first days until she complied. She remembered wandering aimlessly in the property under the watchful eyes of security robots. The place had been void of anyone save for herself and the owner. During most afternoons, after sleeping the pills off in the morning, she had witnessed domestic robots do all the chores and tending to the garden.
Hyori wondered if the man had always lived only surrounded by robots, or if it was a ploy to mess with her head by depriving her of any human contact that wasn't him. Then, she remembered how he stated his home was empty and silent. He had probably always lived like that and it wasn't a wonder why he had mood swings.
Casting her thoughts about the man aside, Hyori replied to the mail stating her engagement had fallen through. Afterwards, she opened a new conversation and enquired if they could help her contact her presumed Grandmother. She added the highlights of Mister Hanabata's confession for context and closed her tabs before powering her computer off.
The numeric clock had read twelve past eight in the evening before the screen blacked out. Not feeling quite tired, she decided to head into Shoji's room since the boy was probably still awake at this hour. Most of her peers were awake either doing their homework or retired in their bedrooms. She changed her sleeping bra for a minimiser and added a marine sleeping Kimono vest on top of her grey pyjama.
Hyori exited her bedroom and noticed the walls were better insulated than the doors. Inside her room, she hadn't heard the muffled music coming from… Mineta's rooms. The unsavoury sticker where she read his name was creepy and she felt haunted since it was the first door she would see upon arriving on the floor where she lived. She walked two levels up the stairs and arrived before Shoji's door, the first on the right. The boy opened a few seconds after she knocked and welcomed her inside.
He was already in his pyjamas and Hyori was glad her friend had a day off now that she wanted company. He was one of the drafted pupils that patrolled Yugawara at night to face the rising crime levels. Apparently, she wasn't the only one glad for the boy's presence since Kouda, his quiet friend, was already inside with a bunny on his lap.
"Are you having trouble falling asleep? I noticed you looked off since your return from Tokyo." Asked the boy.
Hyori remembered the 'welcome back home' she received on Sunday evening after her trip to Tokyo. She had come back earlier since the tension was still present between Megumi and herself, only exchanging by phone texts. When she arrived inside the building at seven in the afternoon, she had interrupted their Sunday late afternoon movie rituals. They were still setting the living room up and greeted her with interrogations, mainly from the class representatives. They had been worried when she didn't come past the curfew on Saturday and braved it themselves to look for her since they didn't want to disturb their homeroom teacher on a day off. Still, they had to come clean when they didn't find her in Yugawara or Gotemba and feared not letting the police be aware sooner had drastically diminished their chances to find her safe and sound. Only for Mister Aizawa to tell them she had the Principal's permission to travel to Tokyo and had a signed slip for the weekend. It was her first time being scolded "for her safety" in years and she hadn't enjoyed the experience. She had declined the offer to watch the movie with them and headed straight to her bedroom.
Back inside Shoji's room, Hyori let the boy sit her on his floor bed, beside his friend. Folded, the thin mattress looked more comfortable than the cushion in front of his desk he sat on.
"The weekend had been more eventful than expected." Confessed Hyori.
Kouda offered to let her pet the bunny and Hyori agreed and caressed the small animal on Kouda's lap. The bunny was soft under her touch and strangely bony. She can't remember having ever petted such a docile animal and the sensation was new to her. The petite body's flesh was softer than men's and she felt the bones more. Feeling the pliant body was strange and Hyori wondered if her visitors had felt the same with her. She knew girls' and women's flesh was softer than boys' and men's. She wondered if her visitors had felt pleased simply by holding and moving her around at will.
Hyori abruptly halted her thoughts' track and retrieved her hand from the small animal. Kouda had whispered reassurances in the bunny's ears while Shoji addressed her.
"Would you rather go on a walk? It's past curfew so we won't be able to go further than the kitchen."
"Thank you… Yes, let's walk." Replied Hyori.
Kouda excused himself and walked out ahead, stating he was going to bed. On his way out, she sensed embarrassment and felt sorry for disturbing the pet. Then, a slight tension evaporated from the room. She suspected she was the cause of it since the quiet boy wasn't used to her.
Shoji and Hyori leisurely walked downstairs until they entered the kitchen. The common area had been empty and already dark prior to their entrance. The boy opened the fridge and offered some warm milk to help her. She agreed and let him heat flavoured milk in the microwave and they both enjoyed the beverage.
"Thank you." Said Hyori before asking. "How do you manage the groceries?"
"We have a weekly list for dinner and purchase what we personally need on the side." Replied Shoji.
"Does it mean you take your dinner together?"
"Mostly. Sato and Bakugo are responsible for dinner and the rest of us assist them."
"I see." Said Hyori while downing her cup.
They remained in silence for a few minutes until Shoji offered to wash their cups. Hyori didn't want to go to her bedroom. She dreaded being alone in her bedroom. She hadn't slept with her little sister in Tokyo and suddenly felt cold in the early June night. The duo finally walked out of the kitchen at the boy's initiative.
They had arrived at her floor when she stopped him on his way upstairs. She wanted to ask him if she could spend the night in his room. Yet, the words were stuck behind her lips. There was no proper way of asking without sounding promiscuous. Not wanting to give the wrong idea, she settled for wishing him good night and headed inside her bedroom.
The following morning, she had received a message from her lawyers advising her to request detective services for enquiring her Grandmother's assets and spending history. Chinese law mandates people to take care of their elders and she should be cautious before approaching the woman. Especially since her filiation with Mister Hanabata would be established, procedure the man could one-sidedly enact, and Mister Yotsubashi had added her as his beneficiary following their common-law marriage since they had been living together and presented as engaged until he was arrested and none of them had filed for divorce yet. They even advised her to visit the man in custody. The message sounded absurd.
First, they wanted her to verify her Grandmother's finances before trying to contact the woman. It reminded her of how they had advised her to sign regular cheques for Megumi instead of giving parts of her funds away. The implications that her little sister wasn't genuine had rubbed her the wrong way. In the end, they hadn't been able to deter her from giving a year's worth of hosting to Megumi. The younger teen would receive a monthly interest of the savings until she would be twenty-one. This time, she had to admit not knowing her Grandmother nor what had happened with her Mother. The latter never talked about her family and Hyori supposed she had her reasons.
Second, her lawyers advised to play along 'Supreme Leader's narrative that they were engaged. She still had the ring and all the gifts he offered but that didn't give him the right to abduct her. Hadn't her lawyers read the news or were they just trying to get the most out of the situation? The more she made money, the more she had to pay them and their clique of accountants for their services. What could even be the implications of her current legal status? She wondered if she should cross 'married' on the official documents she filled. Did that mean she would have to cross 'divorced' when everything was over? If so, when would it be over?
In the end, Hyori decided not to act and chose to let things unfold. She couldn't stop Mister Hanabata from legally claiming her as daughter, if he hadn't already done so. She didn't have to worry about 'Supreme Leader' since he would soon have bigger issues than rapturing his fiance. Concerning her Grandmother, she would wait to get in touch with her Mother. She had many questions for the woman who raised her and sent her hosting in hotels.
On her way to classes, Hyori made a detour by the school's cafeteria to purchase flavoured milk. She instantly felt better sipping through the straw. The cool and thick drink had easily run down her throat and the peach flavour had remained on the tip of her tongue through the morning classes.