CH 19

,Aah! There really was something wrong with my etiquette! And it looked like I was a black sheep in the business world just from learning the Hundred Earth style!

What to do? What should I do? Maybe next time I should stay quiet about the Hundred Earth style, pretend I knew nothing at all, and then try to enter some classroom?

But the Hundred Earth style was already ingrained in my body. I could do it instantly, without even thinking about it. In the beginning, I even dreamed about practicing it… I even started doubting if that was the sleep-learning method Master had mentioned.

…it wasn’t, right? I was just imagining it, right? Had I really even been sleep-learning…

Well, anyway! It’d get super bad at this rate!

“Brother… I was driven away from this classroom, unable to learn anything from there…”

I had done something inexcusable, even though Yoshizane-kun had found this place for me. Maybe what I’d done had disgraced him…

“Oh, well, that’s true too.”

Ohld ps, xu casvbla oyp rlynlqwzzu pxkzkdt. Xb, casvbla! Wsatkhl uswa bsrlzlpp uswdtla pkpvla! Nywtb yv vbkp tsse-qsa-dsvbkdt pkpvla obs ekptaynle usw!

“R osdela obyv kd vbl osaze R pbswze es…”

“Ebyv es usw dlle vs cl ps osaakle ycswv? Zsw’zz cl qkdl fwpv zlyadkdt qasx Yypvla Ysxsnbk, aktbv?”

Jasvbla~! R’e cl y zywtbkdtpvsnj kq R oldv swv kdvs bktb psnklvu zkjl vbkp! Wsa yatwxldv’p pyjl, kv oyp sjyu kq R yzsdl clnyxl y zywtbkdtpvsnj. R eked’v alyzzu nyal xwnb ycswv vbyv. Jwv R nswzed’v zlv vbl Iwfsw qyxkzu zspl qynl clnywpl sq xl. R bye vs xshl ps R oswzed’v ekpbsdswa vblx.

“Gv vbkp ayvl, R okzz ekpbsdswa vbl Iwfsw qyxkzu…”

Rq R eked’v es yduvbkdt… R’e alyzzu cl blyekdt vsoyaep elpvawnvksd qzytp…

“Fyjwuy, usw esd’v byhl vs vbkdj sq vbkdtp zkjl ekpbsdswakdt swa qyxkzu sa eskdt vbkdtp qsa swa qyxkzu’p pyjl. R’x vbl blka sq vbl Iwfsw qyxkzu, ps R’zz es psxlvbkdt ycswv kv. Zsw nyd fwpv zkhl bso usw oydv vs.”

“Jasvbla Zspbkgydl…”

What… what a reliable older brother!!!! He’d work that hard for his younger sister! He really was someone who didn’t seem like a sixth-grader!

I was definitely a more stupid kid in sixth grade. I wouldn’t have been thinking about the future or about my younger sister. I didn’t have a younger sister, but, you know? Anyway, I was sure I wouldn’t have thought that far ahead: not only about my family, but also my own future.

Then, what about my older brother? He’d thought about his younger sister that much, worried about her, and would do everything for her… he’d even thought about the family and said he’d do something about it. Amazing! The Kujou family was safe if Yoshizane-kun was there!

“Lady Sakuya, we have arrived.”

As we were having that conversation, we arrived at the fitness club. My brother didn’t have anything to do here, so the car left as soon as Momiji and I got out of it. Momiji, holding my change of clothes, and I were entering ‘Grande’, when… 

“Hey, Sakuya-chan. You said you’d be late, but you arrived earlier than usual.”

“Mr. Kohori, greetings.”

I coincidentally bumped into Mr. Kohori just as I was about to enter. It looked like he was making preparations for my training. There wasn’t a set start nor end time, so I thought that if I did arrive a little earlier than usual, we could just start training sooner.

“And you’re in Japanese dress today.”

“…huh? Aah!?”

I had completely forgotten. I ran like I was being chased away from the etiquette classroom wearing these clothes, and I hadn’t changed.

…well, it was fine. It wasn’t the Hundred Earth style, and I wouldn’t be swimming in a kimono. Momiji was anyway holding the usual swimsuit and training wear that I’d change into. I could enter the changing room like this, then change.

“Excuse me. I will change.”

“You don’t have to hurry.”

I bowed slightly to Mr. Kohori, who was smiling brightly, then headed to the changing room.

～～～～～～～

In the changing room, the madams were wandering around with a bam! bam! bo-boom! like usual. Why did changing take so long? The madams wasted a lot of time in scrupulously changing clothes.

“Well! Sakuya-chan, you’re wearing a kimono? How cute.”

“It’s a beautiful kimono. It looks perfect on you, Sakuya-chan.”

“Thank you very much.”

The madams surrounded me, making a fuss, since they thought it was unusual that I was wearing a kimono. Mr. Kohori had said that I didn’t need to hurry, and I was a lot earlier than my usual time… I wanted to change, but the madams weren’t leaving me alone. Everyone kept gathering around me, noisily judging and evaluating me.

“If you wore a slightly paler colour, Sakuya-chan…”

“No, she is a young girl after all. If she wore more patterns…”

Everyone made a spectacle of me, so I couldn’t change. It’d never end if I kept quiet and continued listening to them, so I interjected.

“Everyone, I am sorry. Mr. Kohori is waiting for me, so I shall…”

“Oh, is that so~?”

“Sakuya-chan, you are welcome to come over, okay?”

“Yes, yes. Come over to my party, alright?”

“Yes. Thank you very much. If you invite me, I will look at my schedule and respond to you. Well, then…”

I finally left the madams behind, so I started changing out of my kimono and folding it. Was I the only one thinking that these madams seemed more like those old ladies in markets than madams from wealthy and distinguished families…

There was a madam trying to invite me to a party in the turmoil, but I’d just brushed her off. I hurriedly changed into my swimsuit and headed to Mr. Kohori.

～～～～～～～

The fitness club had ended and I was eating dinner at home when the topic turned to today’s etiquette class.

“So, how was the class you went to today?”

“Well… that is…”

I answered vaguely to mom’s sharp questioning. If she knew that they had driven me away, saying they couldn’t teach me anything, what would she think… maybe mom would scold me harshly.

“They said they couldn’t teach her anything and refused her entry.”

Brother! Why’d you say it so easily!? You wanted your younger sister to experience trials and tribulations that much!?

“Well! …that may also be true, but it is expected, or perhaps nothing special… Sakuya, you understand now, right? Please continue learning under Mr. Momochi.”

“Yes…”

It looked like I wasn’t allowed to learn in other classrooms… Was this okay? Mom. And, older brother… I didn’t tell dad about it. Even if I did, it’d be pointless.

I was okay with people laughing at me at parties or in school because I couldn’t do proper etiquette. But that’d make people look down on the Kujou family. It might even lead to some kind of destruction flag.

“Don’t go learning this and that and instead focus on mastering one thing, Sakuya. Mastering anything at all is an amazing thing. Papa thinks that learning random things halfway isn’t good.”

“Father.”

Kuh! I didn’t think that this sly old man could ever say something that good.

But it was just like father said. Even if the Hundred Earth style was considered improper by society and didn’t receive much reception, it’d be great if I could fully master it. Wasn’t it good to work hard to change how the world valued it in the end? I wouldn’t be submissive. I would stand tall. I was Momochi Sadao’s disciple!

“Thanks to you, father, I can sleep soundly today!”

“Is that so? Thanks to Papa, right? Then, can you call me Papa?”

“I will now return to my room. That was a delicious meal. Thank you, ‘father’.”

“Aah… okay…”

There seemed to be a dejected sly old man, but I didn’t mind him. I returned to my room with a skip in my step, ready to work hard and change the verdict on the Hundred Earth style.

～～～～～～～

Recently, my everyday life has been fun. I enjoyed talking to Azami-chan and Satsuki-chan in Touka Academy, and, no matter what I said, I didn’t hate master and the Hundred Earth style. Well, I didn’t hate it in the beginning, but ever since recent matters, I’d steadily grown to like it more.

My master’s training was definitely hard, however… the joy of knowing things you didn’t know before, and doing things you couldn’t do before, was irreplaceable. I still couldn’t get master to compliment me, though…

“Greetings, Satsuki-chan.”

“Sakuya-chan, greetings.”

I greeted Satsuki-chan and she responded with a greeting of her own. But there wasn’t any energy in it for some reason.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“…huh?”

I asked her that, and she looked up, surprised. I crouched down a little so my eyes were at the same level as Satsuki-chan, who was sitting at her desk. When having a serious conversation with someone, you had to talk at the same eye level, making sure you made eye contact.

“Why…? No… it’s nothing. Nothing at all, you know?”

Strange… something had definitely happened. But maybe I shouldn’t press her if she didn’t want to say so. Of course, pointlessly pressing her would give us more time to connect than if I left her alone. But there were also times when it’d be better to leave someone alone instead of forcing them to say something they themselves didn’t want to.

You wouldn’t know what the right answer was unless you asked… that was also the problem of mutual relationships.

Maybe Satsuki-chan didn’t want me to ask about overly complicated things because of our current relationship. Maybe it was the type of thing she’d talk about with a close friend, but not something she’d say to someone she’d occasionally seen at school.

Thinking like that, I felt a little lonely, but… even so, my relationship with Satsuki-chan was like that. We were just classmates who greeted each other and talked a little at school… maybe it wouldn’t be great to pointlessly invade into complicated circumstances…

“Oh… I understand…”

“Ah…”

Saying that, I stood up and thought I heard Satsuki-chan saying something. She looked slightly apologetic. But I should stop asking her more pointless questions. It might seem heartless, but… I wanted to become closer to Satsuki-chan, but… so then, I…

“You said that it’s nothing, Satsuki-chan, so I won’t ask you any further… but, you know, I think of you as a friend. I’d want to help if a friend of mine is troubled, so if you think you need help or want to talk to someone, I’ll respond to the best of my ability. So… if you think of me as a friend too, then… please tell me anytime if something’s troubling you…  okay?”

“…”

Satsuki-chan didn’t say any more. But it didn’t seem like she was rejecting me. She wanted to say it, but she couldn’t. She wanted to talk about it, but couldn’t do that. Maybe she was having that conflict.

Of course, I didn’t know what Satsuki-chan was thinking, but… I didn’t think that I ruined her mood, or that she was rejecting my offer. So, all I could do was wait for Satsuki-chan to talk to me afterwards. Thinking that, I returned to my own seat.

～～～～～～～

As expected, Satsuki-chan was acting very strange today. Everyone else didn’t notice, or maybe didn’t care, or maybe noticed but left her alone, but anyway… no one asked her about it.

Satsuki-chan had some friends, more than I did. For some reason, everyone just looked at me from afar, and I made no new friends. Why? Maybe it really was the Lady Sakuya curse…

Well, enough about me. More importantly, Satsuki-chan. She had friends other than me, but none of them noticed her condition, or noticed but left her alone… what should I do? Everyone was worrying as well, so maybe I just shouldn’t stick my nose into it?

As I was thinking that, I was drinking tea at the Five Norths Association…

“Hey, you…”

“Huh? What’s wrong, Azami-chan?”

Something rare happened… yes, something really rare, wherein Azami-chan started a conversation with me. She almost never did that. When it did occasionally happen, it was only for perfunctory things. When I started the conversation, she’d answer, but it was very rare she started it.

Especially in the Five Norths Association, where Satsuki-chan stayed with her clique and Azami-chan stayed with her own, so they had never talked to me or come over. Even so, Azami-chan had come over now and called out to me. It was an incredibly rare thing.

“Don’t casually call me Azami-chan! I’ve told you that countless times before!”

Wasn’t it alright… Azami-chan was Azami-chan after all…

“Then, Azami-chan, do you have any business with me?”

“I said don’t call me… agh! Whatever! You can call me that now! More importantly, what happened to that girl?”

I insistently called her Azami-chan, and she folded. If she slowly got used to it like this, then maybe we’d become closer. She seemed like the type of person you’d easily get closer to if you pushed her. Satsuki-chan seemed friendly on the surface, but I could tell that she was a bit distant, or something like a step away.

“Who’s that girl?”

“I said, that girl! The one you always talk to! Haven’t you noticed that she’s acting weird?”

It looked like she was talking about Satsuki-chan. I hadn’t really always talked to her, but okay. It was more of a relationship where I could tell she was being slightly distant.

That was all well and good, but it looked like Azami-chan had also noticed something was up with Satsuki-chan. She cared about her, too; so much to even come ask me about her, since she thought that Satsuki-chan and I were close…

“Fufu.”

“Hang on, something’s weird, you know? Your own friend’s acting strange, this isn’t the time to laugh.”

“That is true. I am not laughing at Satsuki-chan. I had thought that you were cute, coming to ask me about Satsuki-chan’s condition. I was also happy that you care that much for her.”

“Wha-! I don’t really…”

Azami-chan was also very cute with her face bright red and making furious denials.