Today was a special day for the Sumeragi Household.
Haruya and his mother were currently gathered at the main Sumeragi Estate, where their relatives and employees were assembled for a celebration.
The 68th birthday of the Sumeragi Patriarch, Haruya's grandfather, Isamu Sumeragi.
The old Sumeragi, having been too tired of too much attendance every time he held a birthday, decided to keep it in the family and among employees for the invitations this year.
Despite this, however, the Sumeragi Estate was still very lively.
The Sumeragi Estate wasn't just a big house.
It was a blend of two worlds built into one.
From the outside, you could see it right away.
The main building had the classic, curved roof of a Japanese-style mansion, with its dark tiles and elegant shape.
But instead of traditional walls, the lower half was built with sturdy brick and large windows you'd see on an old European home.
It was like a traditional Japanese house had been built on top of a solid, Western foundation.
Inside, the mix continued in a smooth way. The front entrance was a wide, Western-style foyer with a high ceiling and a large staircase.
But from there, hallways led to some traditional Japanese rooms with straw mat floors and sliding doors, or more modernized rooms.
The main living room was a perfect example: a big, open space with a brick fireplace on one end, but the other end had a wide wooden porch, called an engawa, that looked out onto the gardens.
The entire house felt like a big, connected space, where you could walk from a modern kitchen with shiny appliances into a simple, peaceful tearoom without it feeling strange.
For Haruya, the estate was a puzzle of styles, yet it all worked together perfectly.
It was a place where he could sit on a comfy sofa one moment and then slide open a paper door to a quiet garden the next.
This was the house that was both his family's past and a look into a more modern, global world.
Before they had moved to his current manor, this was his home.
The annual birthday party for Grandpa Sumeragi was in full swing, the air thick with the low hum of adult conversation and the clinking of glasses.
Haruya stood by the window, half-listening to his mother, Akari, tell a story to some branch relatives of theirs, with a small plate of canapés held loosely in her hand.
He was just about to find a quiet corner when a sudden, familiar weight landed on his back, forcing a surprised grunt out of him.
"Guess who!" a seemingly cheerful voice sang out from behind him.
Haruya instinctively reached back to steady the person clinging to him, a smile already forming on his face.
He didn't even need to look. In the entire Sumeragi Household, it could only be one person.
"Mugi," he called out with a nostalgic tone.
He felt her giggle and hop off his back, and he finally turned to face her.
Tsumugi Kotobuki, his cousin, stood there with a bright grin.
Her long, wavy blonde hair framed a face that seemed perpetually cheerful, and her light brown eyes sparkled with a mischievous energy.
She was dressed in a simple but elegant dress that hinted at her wealthy upbringing, yet she carried herself without a trace of arrogance.
"You knew it was me so fast!" she pouted playfully, though her smile never faded. "I thought I was being sneaky."
"You're never sneaky," Haruya replied, gently patting her head. "Besides, no one else is crazy enough to jump on me in the middle of a family party."
She laughed, a sweet and melodious sound. "That's why I did it! It's boring when everyone just talks about business." She hooked her arm into his, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I haven't seen you since New Year's, Onii-chan! Did you miss me?"
Haruya felt a genuine warmth spread through him.
They had been close since they were kids, their family lives almost did not differ from one another.
His cousin, being the only child of the owner of one of the world's biggest manufacturers of music instruments, while her mother was a major politician in the country, had always been spoiled and sheltered as a child.
This sheltering led Tsumugi to not have a normal childhood and to be homeschooled ever since.
Despite this, however, Tsumugi was a piano prodigy and had won countless awards from piano recitals since she was four.
Having met Haruya, who was a year older than her and was her only relative who was close to her age, the two had formed a sibling bond over the years, always having their reunion whenever the family gathered.
Mugi, the daughter of his father's sister, had always looked up to him, treating him more like a big brother than a cousin.
"Of course I did," he said, a soft smile on his face. "Now come on. Let's get away from the boring grown-ups."
Mugi's eyes lit up, her grin as wide and innocent as ever. "Race you to the cake table!" she declared before pulling away and dashing off.
Haruya just shook his head, a fond smile still on his face.
He watched her go, a splash of cheerful, blonde energy in the otherwise formal room, before calmly following her energetic path.
"Onii-chan," Mugi suddenly initiated conversation as she stuffed cake into her mouth. "Guess what?" She gave a mysterious smile.
Deciding to amuse his cousin's antics, he played along. "What is it?"
"We're moving to Tokyo soon!" Tsumugi, Mugi for short, cheered and raised her arms high.
Much less to say, Haruya was indeed surprised by what she said.
"Really? That's great! You can come visit us anytime. Mom would definitely love to have you around," he cheered along.
"Uh-huh, and not only that, but dad said that he'll allow me to attend junior high school too. No more homeschool!" Mugi dropped another bombshell.
Haruya extended his arm over to her head. "You can join whatever junior high I go to in the future, then. I'm sure Uncle Kotobuki would like that as well."
"Yup!"
The two cousins enjoyed their alone time together before finally being called back by their mothers to meet their grandfather.
"Haruya, you've grown taller since I last saw you!" Isamu, Haruya's grandfather, ruffled the boy's head as he laughed.
He turned his eyes towards his granddaughter Tsumugi, extending his other hand for another hair ruffling. "And you too, Tsumugi, you're growing up just to look like your mother!"
Contrary to the stereotype of a strict head of the family, his grandfather was quite the opposite of that.
He had always sheltered his grandchildren from the ferocity of the world with the empire the family built over generations.
Haruya's grandmother, Isamu's wife, had died early due to illness.
Isamu did not remarry nor drown himself in sorrow, but raised his two children, Haruya's father, Kenjiro, and Tsumugi's mother, with his own two hands.
He taught them at a young age, especially Kenjiro, how to be strong and to always put family before everything.
Now, although their main family was still just as small as the previous generation, it had always been the core of the entire Sumeragi Line.
The name of the Sumeragi was built on one word alone.
The secret to their longevity and success.
Family.