CH 13

Today, I experienced something terrible. Wait, let me rephrase. Something terrible happened to me ‘again’ today.

Whenever I went to Hundred Earth Ancient Dance classes, it never ended safely. Every single time, I hadn’t suffered enough. Was that really giving me combat skills in the first place? It felt like he was just making me dance, conduct tea ceremonies, and arrange flowers.

Master Momochi was so skilled at everything that he even made me do tea ceremonies and flower arrangements. I didn’t ask for that kind of training, but… oh, I’d also get surprise attacked by a bamboo sword while I arranged flowers or brewed tea…

He said things like “When being focused on other things, be sure not to forget your surroundings’’, or “You need to be able to deal with surprise attacks in your daily life”. I wondered if saying that was a little unnecessary since they weren’t related to brewing tea or arranging flowers, but I just ignored it.

Well, Master got scary when I disobeyed him, so I just did everything he said, but…

Of course, he taught me other things like swimming and jiu jitsu, but he focused on unarmed training. Then, the training should’ve been progressing fine. I didn’t feel like I’d gotten stronger at all, but it must’ve been progressing! If not, I didn’t know if I would’ve had the patience to deal with this hellish training.

The lessons at Raihoukai and Grande were very fun and carefree. Hundred Earth was the only one that was super scary. And I had just become a first-grader, so my body probably couldn’t take it. However, I didn’t actually hate Master Momochi, and I found training fun.

You might think that I’m a masochist for saying that, but I obviously didn’t have those tendencies. It was just that I found Master Momochi’s training, where I was learning about things I didn’t know in my past life, to be fun. I had done most of the Raihoukai lessons in my past life, so I was really just reviewing. Also, swimming at Grande was really just swimming. Compared to that, Hundred Earth, where I was learning things I didn’t know before, would obviously be fun.

Gzps, Yypvla Ysxsnbk xyu byhl clld byapb, cwv R yzps jdlo bl oyp alyzzu dknl. Tl yzoyup vbswtbv sq vaykdkdt rzydp qsa xl, yde ycpszwvlzu oswzed’v zlv xl pwqqla y bwtl kdfwau sa ekl.

Jwv olald’v vblpl ralvvu pnyau vbswtbvp…? Eypd’v vbyv vbl jkde sq vbkdjkdt vbyv osxld obs olal vaknjle cu y wplzlpp twu yde nswzed’v zlyhl bkx yv yzz tsv pwnjle kdvs…? Eypd’v obyv R oyp pyukdt llakzu pkxkzya vs vbspl osxld pyukdt “Jwv bl nyd cl jkde vss,” sa “Tl nyd’v pwahkhl okvbswv xl,” obld vyzjkdt ycswv vbspl bkelswp twup? Rv oyp fwpv xu kxytkdyvksd… aktbv? Rv oypd’v zkjl vbyv ynvwyzzu…

“Nyeu Fyjwuy, ekddla byp clld ralryale.”

“Mbydj usw, Ysxkfk.”

Ysxkfk nyxl vs nyzz xl qsa ekddla, ps R lmkvle xu assx. Gp R oldv vs vbl ekdkdt assx, R tsv pzktbvzu osaakle vbyv xu eye yde xsx olal tskdt vs ypj ycswv vbl Wkhl Lsavbp Gppsnkyvksd. Mbydj tssedlpp xu casvbla nswze cynj xl wr, cwv kq xsx zlyadle vbyv R oyp rzyddkdt vs jllr xu ekpvydnl qasx vbl Wkhl Lsavbp Gppsnkyvksd, vbkdtp oswze tlv vaswczlpsxl.

Mbl Wkhl Lsavbp Gppsnkyvksd blze kxxldpl rsola okvbkd Mswjy Gnyelxu. Mbkp oyp yzps y ulya obld vball sq vbl Wkhl Lsavbp qyxkzklp olal pldekdt vblka jkep vs pnbssz. Yu xsvbla oyp bsrkdt vbyv R’e qkv kd olzz okvb vbl Wkhl Lsavbp Gppsnkyvksd yde zlyad bso vs ynv zyeuzkjl qasx vbl wrrlanzyppxld. Fyukdt vbyv R’e oydv vs ekpvydnl xuplzq qasx yd yppsnkyvksd zkjl vbyv oyp ralrspvlaswp.

Yu casvbla bye rascyczu dsvknle vbyv R oydvle vs jllr xu ekpvydnl. R vbswtbv vbyv bl oswzed’v xldvksd vbyv vs xsx, yde kdpvlye cl xu yzzu yde nshla qsa xl. R oydvle vs vbkdj vbyv. Syvbla, R oydvle vbyv vs byrrld.

R esetle xsx’p iwlpvksdp psxlbso okvb xu casvbla nshlakdt qsa xl. Mbld, R bye qkdkpble lyvkdt yde alvwadle vs xu assx. R bye vs es vbl zlppsd ralryayvksd, alhklo, yde bsxlosaj qasx Sykbswjyk.

“Lady Sakuya, do you have any additional orders?”

“Hm~… no, I have no more. Thank you, Momiji.”

I didn’t have any more, you know? Well, even if I did, it wasn’t anything big. All the things Momiji did were things that I could do alone. At worst, even if I did have any orders, I could just do them myself.

“You have changed, Lady Sakuya.”

“―wha!?”

Huh? Wha? What did she mean? I changed… No way, had she noticed that I swapped places 

“No… it is nothing. Then, good night.”

“…”

Momiji bowed and exited the room. But my head was whirling, so I couldn’t even form a reply. Huh? What did that mean? Had Momiji noticed something?

But when I thought about it really well, she probably had noticed something. Momiji had served as Lady Sakuya’s maid since forever. Even in the game “Love Flowers”, Momiji was introduced as Lady Sakuya’s maid. Someone like that, who’d always been with Sakuya as her maid, would possibly notice I had changed into a completely different person on the day I remembered my past life.

My hypothesis was that I wasn’t possessing Lady Sakuya right now. I’d probably died in my past life, then was born as Kujou Sakuya in this world. This world had many similarities to “Blooming Flowers in Love”, but there were also many differences.

For starters, the people living in this world weren’t characters who appeared in-game, but definitely real-life people. So, my treatment of them was drastically different. Had it really been decided that I’d be born as Kujou Sakuya from the beginning? Or, should the real Kujou Sakuya have been born, but then I’d been reincarnated as her and took her place?

I hadn’t thought much about those kinds of things. But, at the very least, it was true that there was a Kujou Sakuya who lived in this world before I remembered my past life. The memories and feelings of that Kujou Sakuya were still right there, and were definitely a part of me, but…

I definitely acted differently than the Kujou Sakuya from before I’d gotten my memories back. Momiji, who was always near Sakuya, had probably noticed immediately… but then, why did she only suddenly mention it now? And also, was she planning to tell someone else…?

I was already Sakuya, and Sakuya had become me. But… to Momiji, she must’ve thought that I’d suddenly changed into a complete stranger.

And also… who was Momiji? The Ichijou family was related to the Kujou family, but the Kujou family held a somewhat higher status than the Ichijou family. However, there wasn’t a significant difference in rank. Then, why would a daughter of that Ichijou family become Lady Sakuya’s maid?

The “Love Flowers” production staff must’ve written some backstory for her. But I didn’t know what it was. In the first place, Lady Sakuya herself was just an enemy to be defeated, so even if they did have a backstory for her, they probably just carelessly decided on something.

There might’ve been some sort of backstory or inside story, but that didn’t appear in public. There were many cases where information wasn’t written in the setting collection, and only hinted at in the staff interviews but never directly said.

This wasn’t exclusive for Momiji, but it also happened for Azami-chan and Satsuki-chan too. Somehow, they were all Lady Sakuya’s followers. I didn’t know what their backstories were. Why did Momiji, who was born in the prestigious Ichijou family, become Lady Sakuya’s maid? To me, that was a big point of interest.

～～～～～～～

“Have a good day.”

“I’m off.”

I exited the car at the Touka Academy roundabout. Momiji saw me off, and I headed to my classrooms. Touka Academy lessons would be starting today. No matter how you put it, this was grade-one level, so I wouldn’t be learning anything now. I really did have this time, though, so there were lots of things I wanted to do, but I couldn’t just not go to the academy.

And also, I wouldn’t be able to meet the girls I wanted to become friends with and play together with if I didn’t go to Touka Academy. My objectives were to survive by avoiding all destruction flags and becoming friends with those girls. But if we couldn’t become friends, then I wouldn’t know what all those struggles were for.

“Greetings.”

“How do you do?”

“Good morning.”

“Greetings.”

I could hear morning greetings here and there. I’d respond if someone greeted me, but no one did in the first place. I felt that I was being watched from a distance, but no one thought to greet me as well. 

Even if I tried to greet someone myself, they’d look surprised, give a business-like reply, then hurriedly run away. Had I done something? Was this that thing? The Lady Sakuya curse? The thing where if Lady Sakuya disliked you, then a curse would fall upon you?

“Greetings, Sakuya-chan.”

“Satsuki-chan, greetings.”

When I entered the classroom, I finally met someone who normally greeted me. Satsuki-chan must’ve been an early riser since she was already sitting in the classroom. I had also come a little early, but I wondered how early she had come before me.

“Morning.”

“Morning, Azami-chan.”

“How are you, Azami-sama?”

The person who entered the classroom and then took a seat was Azami-chan. She greeted everyone inside, and everyone returned her greeting. Wow~… everyone loved Azami-chan… compared to that, it looked like everyone hated Lady Sakuya. Being hated by people I hadn’t done anything to or even met was probably the same as a curse.

“Azami-chan, greetings.”

“Hmph!”

Huh? When I greeted Azami-chan, she resolutely said “Hmph!”and ignored me. Had I done something to make her mad?

Even though I wanted to ask what I did, Azami-chan had already briskly walked away. She arrived at her seat, and Lady Sakuya’s followers hurried over and gathered around her. It felt like they were Azami-chan’s followers.

No… it wasn’t ‘like’. Maybe Lady Sakuya’s followers in “Love Flowers” were originally Azami-chan’s followers? Then, when Azami-chan accompanied Lady Sakuya, they just went and followed Lady Sakuya too?

Well, we’ll see…

“Wait, you!”

“Huh?”

Suddenly, one of Azami-chan’s followers called to me, and I lifted my head. Had something happened?”

“You! Azami-sama is a member of the Five Norths Association! She is not someone you can greet so casually! Please remember your position!”

“Yes…?”

I knew that, though…? But, as if satisfied by just those words, Azami-chan’s follower just said that and hurried back to her. What was that about? Well, it was fine.

From now on, the boring lessons would start. From time to time, I’d have to look at the lessons too, but they weren’t anything I’d need to listen to; so, I took it upon myself to prepare and review for Raihoukai.

～～～～～～～

It was after school, so I was heading home… well, not like I could actually do that. I have an older brother, so my mom decides what days we’re going to lessons and when we can go home. There was no way I could go home without a car picking me up. It’d be faster to wait for a car than to walk home from here.

So anyway, since I had to kill time, why not show up at the Five Norths Association? It wasn’t like I’d be talking to people all the time even if I did go to the salon. Rather, most of the people just did their own thing and relaxed there, so I could do the same too.

“Sakuya-chan, you’re going to the salon, right? Would you like to go together?”

“Satsuki-chan! Then, let us go.”

I thought that going alone would be bothersome, but I could still endure it if I was with Satsuki-chan. I really wanted to get closer to her, who right now was already quite pretty, but who’d grow into a beautiful girl in the future.

We went together to the Five Norths club’s salon. A familiar person was in front of the door.

“Azami-chan!”

“…why are you here? This is the Five Norths Association salon. Unrelated persons can’t go in.”

I’d go home too if I could. But I couldn’t, so I came here, okay?

“Sakuya-chan’s also a related person, so isn’t it alright?”

“Hmph! You too… this is the only time you can get carried away.”

Hmm? Wha? For some reason, I could see sparks appearing between Azami-chan and Satsuki-chan. Why? They both had opposing personalities, but – or rather, because of that – both of them were best friends…

Today was the first day of school since the entrance ceremony, so it’d be pretty strange if they’d suddenly gotten friendly, but… even so, what was with this dangerous atmosphere? The episode where they’d become friends had never been shown, so I didn’t know that happened.

It looked like my knowledge from “Love Flowers” was almost useless… there were too many things I didn’t know, or hadn’t been shown in the game or the setting archives. As expected, the game only showed a tiny portion, and if said game became real, a lot of small details would appear. 

In the future, these two became friends… that’s what should’ve happened. But, sparks were appearing between both of them, so many that I was worrying if they could truly become friends.