CH 107

In the end, we entered winter break with nothing being resolved. I had no choice but to leave the rumours that I was Ibuki’s “marriage candidate” alone. Since my mom and Mrs. Konoe had decided to use it for political reasons, I couldn’t stop them. 

I tried my best to protest to Mrs. Konoe, but she took all I said slightly. She probably thought that a kid like me was just resisting because I was emotional. 

One part of the extremists had assumed that I was marrying Ibuki and had been harassing me a little. Those people were only a few rabid Ibuki fans, but it’d be bad if it spread further. I had to do something so that it wouldn’t happen.

But in the end, it became winter break without any developments, and we went on a family vacation to an island where it was always warm because my mom hated the cold. It was a southern island with many Japanese people. 

After that, nothing in particular changed about Momiji and she still served me normally. Not a single thing had changed since before. Rather, that was too unnatural and I felt like I couldn’t say a single thing about it… I couldn’t simply resolve the matter of Momiji. It wouldn’t be that simple, especially because the Ichijou family was mixed up with this. 

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After winter break ended, the third semester started… and although there were certain changes because of the Ibuki matter and the Momiji matter, my daily life itself was peaceful…

I was tired of thinking about this and that. Why not just live and enjoy this very moment? I started to think that doing that was easier.

“Greetings.”

“Qallvkdtp, Fyjwuy-nbyd.”

“Qsse xsadkdt, Iwfsw-pyxy.”

“Qallvkdtp, Fyjwuy-pyxy.”

Ebld R ldvlale vbl nzyppassx yde tallvle lhlausdl, alrzklp nyxl cynj qasx blal yde vblal. Mbl nzypp bye srldle wr iwkvl y zsv, obknb oyp ekqqlaldv qasx clqsal.

Gqvla vbl rspvlap olal bwdt wr, rlsrzl dsv kd xu nzypp yde lhld kd wrrla tayelp tallvle xl. Rv oyp fwpv zkjl Yap. Isdsl oyp ykxkdt qsa sa psxlvbkdt… Yu pkvwyvksd dso oyp elqkdkvlzu pktdkqknydvzu clvvla. Rv oyp pye vs yexkv, cwv clnywpl sq Yap. Isdsl yde xu xsx’p osaj, R oyp tskdt kd y pktdkqknydvzu clvvla ekalnvksd.

Fkvvkdt blal vbkdjkdt yzsdl oypd’v tskdt vs nbydtl yduvbkdt. Mbyv oyp clnywpl R eked’v byhl rsola sa yduvbkdt lzpl. Ohld kq R vbswtbv sq y tsse xlvbse, R eked’v byhl vbl rsola vs xyjl kv y alyzkvu. R eked’v byhl yduvbkdt: ds xsdlu, ds blzrlap, yde ds nsddlnvksdp. Mbyv oyp obu R nswzed’v es yduvbkdt.

Yap. Isdsl oyp yczl vs es psxlvbkdt kd vbyv yaly. Fbl wple bla xsdlu, wple bla blzrlap, wple bla nsddlnvksdp, yde wple pzktbvzu shlaoblzxkdt qsanl vs iwknjzu nzlyd kv wr. R eked’v jdso obyv vs vbkdj sq vbyv, cwv… Nssjkdt yv vbl alpwzvp, usw nswze nzlyazu pll vbl rsola ekqqlaldnl clvolld Yap. Isdsl yde R.

Mbld… pbswze R fwpv zlyhl lhlauvbkdt vs xu xsx yde Yap. Isdsl? Rd vbyv nypl, R’e cl zkhkdt yp yd lzlxldvyau pnbssz pvweldv obs eked’v vbkdj ycswv yduvbkdt. R nswze fwpv zkhl yp yd kddsnldv lzlxldvyau pvweldv obs eke obyv pbl oyp vsze.

But… that was… my engagement with Ibuki was linked to the Kujou family’s destruction. I knew about that future. That was why I had to think about various methods so that that future wouldn’t happen. If I left it to the adults, it’d lead to the same outcome in the end.

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“Sakuya-chan, is something wrong?”

“Oh, no, I am fine.”

As I stopped in the middle of the classroom and thought, Satsuki-chan called to me.

Right… because I made moves, my relationship with everyone had changed. Lady Sakuya’s group in the game and this group now were clearly different. Therefore… I could move so that I’d get the future I desired. Even if I could only do a little bit, making efforts towards getting my desired future wasn’t pointless.

～～～～～～～

Everyone gathered during lunch time as usual. This time was an oasis for my soul.

“I want to go out with everyone again!”

“I do as well… but that may be a little hard.”

I could understand Yuzuriha-chan’s feelings, but it was like Renge-chan said. Finding a day where all of us could gather was quite hard. If we could coordinate situations and dates, we could probably do something. But in reality, we couldn’t decide our own situations.

We had to follow the plans our parents and the people around us set. The occasional times where we had nothing to do was our free time. Therefore, it was rare to find a day that worked for everyone. 

“Come to think of it… is your mother alright with that, Azami-chan?”

“Huh?”

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Azami-chan was confused with what I said. Maybe she didn’t understand what I meant… Mrs. Tokudaiji clearly viewed me as her enemy. That was probably because she thought of me as an obstacle to Azami-chan marrying a boy from a good family. And I had become famous because I was the marriage candidate of the number one prospect, Ibuki. If Azami-chan were to associate with me, she might get mad again.

“Your mother does not hold positive sentiment towards me, correct?”

I thought to just ask outright so I spoke bluntly. No matter how stupid or dense I was, even I knew that. She reacted that way after the dress incident.

“Oh… it is already fine. She thinks that it is better for me to marry Yoshizane-sama than to continue her fight with you, Sakuya-sama. That is why she was told me to go to the Kujou house and seduce Yoshizane-sama.”

Oi… was it okay to tell me that? And I did not understand what she meant by getting a first-grader to seduce a sixth-grader, but? Was Mrs. Tokudaiji an idiot? Or was that normal in this neighborhood? I didn’t know anymore…

“Oh! I have been told that as well.”

“Huh!? Even you, Tsubaki-chan!?”

Was this normal, as I expected? Were they trying to get even first-graders to aim to marry rich and powerful men? Whether marrying my brother counted as marrying a rich and powerful man was another matter, but…

“As expected, the popular ones are Konoe Ibuki-sama, Takatsukasa Enju-sama, and Kujou Yoshizane-sama. I am sure that any family would consider getting close to those three people.”

“Perhaps you too, Satsuki-chan…?

If Satsuki-chan was saying that, had she been given those orders too? I felt like I couldn’t say anything… The fact that everyone was permitted to come to my house and play with me so that they could get closer to my brother was a little… it felt weird.

“No, I have been given different orders.”

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Satsuki-chan grinned… and said that. What were those different orders… It was kinda scary, but…

“They have decided that if Konoe-sama and Sakuya-chan are getting married in the future, it is better to allow Ibuki-sama and Sakuya-chan to marry and then marry off Yoshizane-sama rather than becoming enemies with Kujou-sama and Konoe-sama. 

“Umm… has that been told to you as well, Renge-chan?”

For Renge-chan to say that so clearly, her family must’ve told her that too…

“That is true… I know that it is impossible for me. But even if there is the faintest possibility, I would rather stay quiet and watch…”

As expected… it wasn’t surprising if she didn’t end up with Yoshizane-kun. If a situation like that came up by any chance, that would be because of luck. In that case, if she accompanied me, went to my house, and played with me, the chances of her meeting Yoshizane-kun got higher. The chances that he’d notice her would get higher as well.

“But that’s wrong in the first place. Sakuya-chan hates Konoe-sama!”

“Wait!? Yuzuriha-chan!?”

I wanted her not to say that in a place where you didn’t know who was listening! It was true, but saying it out loud was bad.

Come to think of it… as expected, everyone was thinking that as well… I didn’t know if Yuzuriha-chan was an airhead or had a goal in mind, but she was the type to blurt out what she wanted to say and so said it. However, everyone silently nodded like they had all agreed… Everyone had thought that…

“Konoe-sama and Sakuya-chan are a good match in terms of family status, and the great majority seems to think that it is inevitable.”

Everyone nodded at Tsubaki-chan’s words. That was the point I was the most interested in. If the topic being discussed was that “Ibuki didn’t look good with/didn’t tolerate Sakuya”, then people might start bashing Lady Sakuya like in the game.

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As long as I couldn’t withdraw from being his marriage candidate, the only thing I could do was make sure that everyone else didn’t want me to do that. I would be very unwilling, but if I got everyone to give up and say “Those two have to be together”, then… it’d be a good place to start. People wouldn’t be bashing Lady Sakuya.

Some of the extreme Ibuki fans would always be my enemy, but that was the same as how fans reacted when an idol, actor, or actress was dating or marrying someone. People would ask why they were with such a person, which would result in bashing. However, if they gave up and accepted that they looked good together, the couple didn’t get too hated.

I really, reaaaaaaaaally! Was against it, but! I didn’t want to get bashed, so I had to do it.

“More importantly, Sakuya-sama! May I come to your house again?”

“Huh? Azami-chan, did you not play with me just recently?”

I was surprised when she suddenly said that. When we’d all planned to go on playdates, Azami-chan wanted to play immediately so she picked the nearest convenient date. There were still girls I hadn’t played with yet, though…

“Playing is not something that can only be done once in a lifetime, yes? Let us set up another playdate?”

“Aah! Azami-chan, you’re so mean! That was why you set up a playdate earlier! Sakuya-chan! Me too! Can I come to play again?”

“Hold on! It is cruel to cut in line like that! Me too!”

“Everyone, please calm down. Sakuya-chan has not played with everyone yet. It is cruel to plan a second playdate when she has not finished those previous playdates.”

Yuzuriha-chan went along with what Azami-chan said, and Tsubaki-chan said that by taking advantage of Yuzuriha-chan. But Satsuki-chan stopped everyone. That was true. If people who had their playdate earlier wanted to have another one, they could make use of the fact that they’d already had one. That was mean.

“What’re you saying? For Sakuya-sama, I have endless time to spare! I will not wait for people who place their own availability first and do not have any time. If you wish to play with Sakuya-sama more, Saionji-san, clear up your schedule. If you can’t do that, it is strange to criticise people who can!”

Hmph… That being said, what Azami-chan said sounded right… It was strange that those who cleared their schedules to get more time should wait for those who didn’t have any time and focused on their previous plans. In that case, it was true that they should work harder to clear their schedules.

“Well… it is not like everyone needs to go on the same amount of playdates…”

“But… Renge-chan, wasn’t that taboo… If you said that…

“Then, I am available everyday! Sakuya-chan! Let’s play everyday!”

“No… that is a little…”

Yuzuriha-chan said that with a satisfied smile, but I couldn’t do that. In the first place, I had my own plans.

“Sakuya-chan has limited days where she can play, so it is unfair that those who are available everyday can play with her.”

“That’s why you should clear your schedule on the days that Sakuya-chan’s free, right, Saionji-san? If you don’t do that, you’ll only want to play on the days when it’s convenient for you. Isn’t saying that other people can’t play with her day after day just selfishness?”

“Now, now. Both of you, don’t fight…”

I tried to calm down Satsuki-chan and Azami-chan, but they were both still glaring at each other. I thought that they were getting along well recently, but they suddenly started fighting. My word… I really couldn’t understand the emotions of an elementary schooler.

“In the first place, you all do not have the resolution! I have! I have the resolution to clear all of my other plans on the days when Sakuya-sama is free!”

“That is…”

Satsuki-chan kept silent at Azami-chan’s declaration. Well, I didn’t have any days when I was completely free since I went to lessons everyday, but I was only allowed to play with my friends during my free time. My mom cleared my schedule now because she owed everyone a favour, but that wouldn’t continue on forever. Rather, there was a high possibility that she’d get mad,

“Azami-chan, what you are saying is extreme, but it is hard for me to have a day when I am completely available in the first place. If I were able to respond immediately, then it is certainly, like you are saying, a matter of everyone’s availability. But since my availability is limited at the moment, it is only natural that we try to divide the days as fairly as possible.”

I gently calmed down Azami-chan. Both arguments had a point, but as long as my availability was limited, I didn’t have a choice.

“I am aware of that. But as Sakuya-sama’s bodyguards, I felt that everyone was lacking the conviction, so I motivated them!”

“…bodyguard?”

“Yes! We are Sakuya-sama’s bodyguards! We protect Sakuya-sama, we watch over Sakuya-sama, we love Sakuya-sama, and we reassure and are reassured by Sakuya-sama! Our everything is for Sakuya-sama!”

…Azami-chan? Wasn’t she acting much stranger than she was in the game? If she… if she had stepped off the path, that was okay, but…