"So you came to join me?" says Mr. Takanori Zaikai, the master of the Zaikai family—or rather, the successor of the name.
"Are you going to come over here?" he asks.
"I'm humbled, sir, but I must refrain, since I have already had my meal for the afternoon," says Mr. Tsubasa Kōjin, the personal guard and handler for Mr. Takanori.
"Is that so? Then how about you, Haru?" he asks me—the girl who doesn't know her entire life besides her name.
"She's here to deliver a message from Madam Tokiwa," says Mr. Tsubasa.
"I see. So take a seat, please, Haru," he says. I follow his command and sit on the opposite side of the desk.
"Good. So what is the message?" he asks.
"The madam sent me to inform everyone at the mansion that... at the end of this week, get ready to relax at the beach, because everyone has earned a break. That's all she told me to deliver," I say to him.
"Really? Ok. Thank you for coming all this way to deliver the message to me personally. Since the offer still stands, I won't allow you to stay like this on such a hot day, so how about…" he says while looking considerate. Then he suddenly claps his hands, and a waiter holding a covered dish walks in, placing it on my side of the desk.
"That's yours for the trouble, and I won't take a no for an answer—at least not without a single bite," he says. Who knew he was such a pushing guy.
The waiter lifts the cover, revealing a mountain of rainbow ice cream. I honestly didn't intend to eat it, but I didn't want to seem hard to hang out with, so I decided to take a bite and continue on with him. But the moment he continues eating, the sound of his spoon touching the plate makes me feel weird for some reason.
The first click of the spoon hitting the plate makes my whole body pound like a heartbeat. I feel like blood is about to come out of my nose.
Then the second click makes me completely deaf to every sound around me, as if I'm drowned underwater, while my body beats harder and harder like I'm running.
The third click makes my body grow cold, as if I'm locked in a freezer. My skin feels like it's freezing in seconds, and even my breath gets colder and colder to the point where I—
"Are you ok?" he suddenly asks, but I'm too drowned in the feeling that he kind of jumps me.
"I… I'm ok, sorry. I like to space out," I say.
"So are you going to manage to finish that, or are you going to let it melt?" he says with a smile. I don't understand why he's smiling at me, but I guess it's fine with whatever I choose.
"That will be enough. Thank you very much, I enjoyed it," I say.
"Ok," he says, then stands up and adds, "How about you come with me then?" He offers his hand for me to grab as I stand up.
He is someone worth respecting. He comes from a house that some would spend a fortune trying to match just to raise their class, yet here he is eating at a place like this. And he treats his servants well. He's like a fairytale prince, to be honest. I don't know why I had such a different image of him.
Later, after following him, I find myself standing at his side on a platform as he gives a speech.
"After the passing of my father, things might have seemed a bit different during the process of choosing who would run this land. But thankfully, thanks to you all, I'll be taking his place and overseeing this land. Even after our last conversation, I still believe he had a greater view of the future of the city. Distant as he may be, we will continue what he started. I hope you'll all be there to assist me, because my father was someone this village looked up to. So I hope I'll do as well as he did. And to the rest of the people living in this part of the country, I'll be sure to be there for your needs. Again, I thank you all," he says. Then he adds, "Though that matter has already been settled in our last conversation a day ago, today's matters are different. But I'll recap in case some people weren't here. I have visited all the shelters that store our emergency food, and I have confirmed that there will be enough for everyone for the coming winter in three months' time."
He continues his speech to the crowd of people in the city, but I can't help noticing his hand looks rather shaky.
The people all seem happy with him though. I just hope power doesn't corrupt him.
After his speech, he takes me to a dress shop for reasons he doesn't explain.
"Sorry to ask this of you, but could you help the lady over there choose a swimsuit?" he asks a worker in the store. I'm standing by the door and have no clue what they're talking about.
What generation am I even in? I ask myself while looking around. People still use horse-drawn carriages to move around, yet there's ice cream here and swimsuits like the ones you'd see in ads and posters. "Wait… ads?" I whisper to myself.
"Excuse me, could you follow the lady? She'll tell you what to do," he tells me. I just notice that Mr. Tsubasa Kōjin has been following us the whole time, though he hasn't said much.
After following the lady, we arrive at the dressing room.
"So which swimsuit would you like to try on?" she asks with a smile, and that alone shocks me.
"So is he right in the head or just stupid?" I say. He is seriously planning on buying me a swimsuit. As I'm there, he's busy humming near Mr. Tsubasa's side, completely carefree.
I put on the first swimsuit and think to myself—why is he even buying me one personally? Isn't that like cheating or something? He has a fiancée waiting for him at home, yet he's doing this right now without a care in the world. What game is he trying to play? He's the son of the second noble family of the kingdom. Considering his rank, the fiancée might just have me executed.
Knock knock. Someone coughs outside.
"I'm done!" I say, rushing out of the dressing room to show the outfit—
but instead I bump into the lady and trip, falling out into the open where he beholds me in the swimsuit.
There is reason to panic, but my mouth moves on its own.
"What are you looking at?" I say, making my voice as cold as I can towards him. Then I hurry back inside the dressing room, knowing I am absolutely done for after saying that.
A few moments later, we find ourselves heading home together.
During the trip, he then asks me, "Hey, can I ask you a question?"
"I'm sorry about before..." I quickly say, because I already know what he's going to ask. It's about how rude I was back in the store when he was acting nice.
"What?" he asks, adding, "What are you talking about?"
"The store thing. I was confused and stepped out of line. Please forgive me," I say.
"Oh, that. It's nothing—forget about it," he says. Then adds, "It's something else."
He takes a huge deep breath in, then out.
"If you had the power to choose who you could become just by accepting from a set of choices… would you say yes and lose your right to choose freely in life just to gain a title? Or would you deny it so you can choose freely—even if it's foolish—and lose your current position in society? What would you choose?" he asks me. Honestly, I thought questions like that were kinda personal. And his expression suddenly gets serious.
"That depends on the price, I guess. If it's the one that won't allow me to do what I want freely, then I'll go with the one that gives me a bit of control," I say, and he nods with a small "hm."
"I guess I'd go with the one that gives me the freedom to be me—to choose what I want. That's what I mean. But that's only in terms where you won't lose something great and very regrettable," I say, stumbling over my own advice.
"Hahaha, ok, I get it. I understand what you mean," he says. As I look toward him, I suddenly notice how dim the golden dawn's light is, and my reflection in the window is as clear as day. It sends a chill down my spine, making my heart and body feel out of place—as if I was pulled out of cold water.
Then suddenly, heavy rain falls.
For some reason, I'm standing barefoot on a piece of land, and by the looks of it, there used to be a house here.
"She lost both of her parents," says a random woman.
"Do you know her name?" a man asks.
"She says her name is Haru," the woman says.
"No last name?"
"That's all she told me. I don't know if she forgot it or…" the woman says.
"What is going on?" I think deeply.
"That's so sad—both her parents dying in a mudslide," he says, adding, "I'll take her to the orphanage."
I lost my parents when I was seven years old, and I lived at the orphanage for six years. Then one day, I was called to the sister's office. She was a very caring person and loved everyone at the orphanage, including the helpers, as they followed her example.
During my time there, I somewhat grew antisocial, which… why am I making excuses for myself? This is how I've always been. I talk too much, or I just stare. I seem rude, and I avoid spotlights. It's just who I am.
When that day came, I knew it was hard for her to say.
"You're needed as a maid at a certain home, and from now on you'll be living there. But you still have the right to return here if you don't find it comfortable. The details concerning your work will be given to you when you get there. May God protect you and keep you safe," she says, holding back tears.
I arrived in the afternoon at the mansion and was received by a familiar face.
"Hey!" she shouts from a long distance, then runs toward me. She grabs my hands.
"You're new! Hi, I'm Akane Nozomu, fifteen years old and an excellent cook here," she says with a glowing smile, stars in her eyes, as if she'd been waiting for me.
"So what's your name?"
"I'm Haru."
"Just Haru?" she asks. I don't understand what's weird about that, so I just reply, "Well yeah," as normally as I can.
"She doesn't have a last name, and that's all to it," says the man who brought me. He isn't a bad person—just someone hard to interact with.
"Ooooh, ok. Then how old are you?" she asks.
"I'm thirteen."
"That means I'm older and I'm your older-ly—" Before she can finish, the madam comes behind her and hits her head.
"Akane, what did I tell you about making too much noise?" she says.
"Oops… hey, Madam Mirai," Akane says, looking like she's cooked.
"That's just Madam to you, Akane. Now help your friend get her belongings to your room, as you two will be roommates starting today," the madam says. Then adds, "She'll also be doing the same work as you, so inform her when she settles in."
"Ok. Follow me," she tells me. We leave the area, while Madam stays behind to discuss something with the man who brought me.
A few days pass, and I get used to living at the mansion. Akane continues being the same—energetic with a touch of humor. She spends most of her time with me, so we grow closer faster than I expected.
The master has been a bit annoying these past days, even though he has his engagement to worry about.
I find myself becoming friends with his fiancée, which is actually nice. Then one day, someone invites me for a picnic in the garden under the tree. After talking for a while, I suddenly start feeling sleepy, cold, and breathless. Then I di—"
"Hey, are you ok?" a sudden voice asks—Mr. Takanori Zaikai.
"You suddenly froze when you looked toward the light of dawn. Is it that breathtaking?" he asks.
Honestly, he hasn't changed a bit, aside from stopping trying so hard.
I should seriously check my email later if Mirai sent something…