Chapter 5 (1/2)

Thanks to Kazetani-kun... I said goodbye to my cla.s.smates, this is like a dream...

There are already seven cafe stamps, another three more to get the cake, keep it up. Yosh. After chatting with Ao and bidding him farewell, Hiyuki’s footsteps were light, as if she was walking in the clouds.

She kept thinking about Ao’s serious expression as he said that he didn’t want Hyonomiya-san to misunderstand. Whenever she thought of that scene, her chest would throb strongly and she would feel really blessed.

Kazetani-kun was different from back then, he might be scary... but it really moved me and made me glad.

When Ao said in a bright expression and voice that it wasn’t strange for Cyan to like Subaru, her heart was deeply moved, and she thought things would really be as Ao said.

Ever since Kazetani-kun started talking to me, I encountered many wonderful and unbelievable things. Kazetani-kun is just like a magician. I think that if Kazetani-kun is by my side, even I could change.

Or rather, she was already changing.

There was still some time before evening. The streets were covered in gentle mist, the familiar dry cleaning shop, walls of the residence, the roofs, the cute yellow and orange flowers potted at the entrance, even the warm fragrance of dinner being cooked in the houses felt so gentle and soothing.

When Subaru and Cyan watched the sun set into the sea, and when they had their first kiss, the entire world probably looked like this.

Hiyuki remembered that Ao said the scene reflected in the character’s eyes would change according to their state of mind.

It’s really true, Kazetani-kun.

Hiyuki muttered in her mind as she pa.s.sed through the extravagant gate of her house with a heart full of bliss, walked along the stone paved path to the entrance and pulled the sliding door open──

“!”

Gooseb.u.mps appeared on her skin out of fear, and she froze in place just like that.

At the entrance was an elderly woman with a pale face carved with wrinkles. Her back was straight, brows were frowning, eyes were sharp and her lips tightly sealed, sitting properly there like a demon.

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The gentle scene was shattered instantly, and complete darkness loomed over Hiyuki’s head.

The world turned into an abyss unreachable by light, and its master, a powerful and terrifying creature was glaring at the startled Hiyuki.

Her grandmother stood up with a start, her bony hand reaching out to Hiyuki and grabbed Hiyuki who still had her shoes on.

“Come here!”

It felt different from Ao grabbing her hand. Fear and sense of danger stemming from her basic instincts. .h.i.t Hiyuki. Pulled by a force that seemed much greater than what a seventy year old woman could muster, Hiyuki trembled from the pain and fear.

Taking her shoes off in an unnatural stance, Hiyuki had no time to place her shoes properly as her grandmother dragged her through the corridor and into Hiyuki’s room.

Why is grandmother so mad? I came back before curfew, did the ch.o.r.es and tidied the courtyard before heading to school...

What entered her eyes the next moment threw Hiyuki down the valley of despair.

Spew all over the tatami were books with bright colourful covers. The ill.u.s.trations were girls with revealing costume and large b.r.e.a.s.t.s, young girls in primary school with cat ears, and girls wearing armour that looked like underwear posing s.e.xually. The coloured spread pages even had nude girls was.h.i.+ng the back of a male main character in the bathroom, all these were laid out here.

Hiyuki felt her blood freezing over.

Her grandmother detested manga and anime. She even ordered Hiyuki to throw away the notebook with an anime character that she got at a sports meet. There was no way she would allow Hiyuki to read light novels.

She knew that her grandmother would throw a fit if she saw the covers of these books, so Hiyuki carefully stowed the collection of light novels she bought into the deepest part of her drawers.

There was no way of knowing when her grandmother would enter her room, so she would never read light novels at home. It wasn’t just light novels that were spewed on the floor. Even the ma.n.u.scripts Hiyuki wrote were thrown into the heap.

My light novel──

She felt as if someone was crus.h.i.+ng her chest. Her grandmother was trembling from rage, and said in a sharp tone:

“What is the meaning of this? Hiyuki!”

Hiyuki slumped her body and lowered her head. Her grandmother jerked her hand hard, as if to say: “Look at me when you talk!”

“Ughhh.”

A moan escaped from Hiyuki’s lips.

“You are reading these lowly, shameless and poisonous things behind my back?”

Her grandmother shook Hiyuki’s hand hard, and interrogated Hiyuki while staring at her face with angry eyes.

“And what is this? You wrote this? Hiyuki?”

She then dragged her to the stack of ma.n.u.script paper and yelled.

Hiyuki stumble forward and fell beside the pile of ma.n.u.script. Her grandmother looked down at her as if she was staring at a criminal with her body trembling.

“Is such lowly, childish and unpleasant scribbles written by my granddaughter? How frightening.”

Her grandmother’s words pierced Hiyuki’s ears. Her dismissive voice overlapped with the cruel criticism on the comment sheet.

‘The story is messy, use cheap words, vulgar’, ‘the main character feel unpleasant, a pain for the reader to sit through’, ‘the content is presumptuous and childish’.

The comments floating in Hiyuki’s brain tormented her.

Stop it, don’t say it anymore.

Hiyuki wanted to stuff her ears.

My novel is childish, unpleasant and presumptuous, so it never made it through the selection and everyone at school avoided me...

When she felt that she was about to be dragged into dark waters.

── Good bye, Hyonomiya-san.

She suddenly heard a cheerful voice.

Right, I... greeted everyone in school today.

── G-Good bye...

Hiyuki’s cheeks blushed from happiness, and she replied with a smile on her lips; Ao watch over her from the side with his bright, gentle eyes.

── Hyonomiya-san’s novel is interesting

“Get rid of all the filthy things here right now!”

“... No.”

Hiyuki collapsed onto the floor with her head down, and said softly in this position.

“What? I can’t hear you!”

Her grandmother’s stern voice sounded out.

This time, Hiyuki answered with a slightly stronger tone:

“These are not lowly, shameless and poisonous things. They are not cheap or childish.”

── The good thing about light novels is that anything goes, and the writing style is very liberal, right?

Its fine even if it was just one person, Hiyuki just needed someone to listen and accept her words.

Just someone to tell her that her writing was good.

Someone to read the clumsy story written by her. Someone like Ao who would push her forward cheerfully.

── Just do whatever you want, write whatever you wis.h.!.+

Hiyuki lifted her head up and shouted.

“My novel won’t make anyone unpleasant!”

“Ao-kun, congratulations!”

“Ao has finally become a man.”

“Wah, what!?”

The moment he stepped into Sakutarou’s place, Ao heard the sound of poppers as confetti got showered over his head.

After parting with Hiyuki at the cafe.

Ao returned home, and brought food to Sakutarou’s condo on his mother’s behest.

“Aeka-san, you can’t pull that thing while pointing it at others! Uncle Saku too, why are you grinning so widely!?”

“Ara, I just felt a bit hot.”

“Yes, you actually said ‘sharing this secret is a thrilling experience and feels really special, so it isn’t strange for me to fall for you.’ Ao-kun, you are really cool!”

Aeka said in a voice of a boy. As expected of a professional voice actress, even though her voice was sweet and cute, her performance sounded like a cheerful boy in his teens.

No, that’s not the problem.

“Why... Why do you know that!?”

“Ara, why indeed?”

Aeka laughed eloquently.

Ao was anxious.

“That’s the line of the character in the story. And what I said was that it isn’t strange for Cyan to fall for Subaru.”

“Ao, you said such sweet words to a girl so smoothly by using the work as an excuse, good job. I will use this trick in my next game.”

“Yup, Onee-san was really moved when I heard that too.”

“You heard? Where did you hear that!?”

Were the two of them there too? When? Where were they?

Ao’s face was heating up.

“Uncle Saku and Aeka too, you two are invading a person’s privacy!”

“Ara, don’t be so angry. Wawa and I both felt responsible for the spat between you and your girlfriend, that’s why we were worried.”

“That’s right, definitely not because Saku can’t think of a plot, and thought he could use the two of you as reference, that’s definitely not it.”

“Aeka-san, you let the cat slip!”

Ao retorted on reflex.

These two adults were really...

Embarra.s.sment and anger made Ao’s fist tremble. Sakutarou offered him tickets at this juncture.

“These are tickets for a movie premiering this weekend, go with her. This is a fantasy theme show that is popular with girls, and would be suitable for dates.”

“Ao-kun phone her quick.”

“Huhh!?”

“That’s right, phone her right now, you have to.”

“Uncle Saku, is your script stuck so badly!?”

The terrible adults cheered him in high spirits ‘Phone her!’ ‘Phone her!’ ‘Call her now!’ ‘strike while the iron is hot’.

How could he ask Hiyuki to a movie in front of these two?

But like Sakutarou said, Hiyuki might like this movie. If he asked her, she would probably be very happy. Ao imagined her lips with a mole beside smiling gently.

Yes, for Hyonomiya-san’s sake.

Ao browsed his phone for Hiyuki’s number, and pressed the call b.u.t.ton.

This is my first time calling Hyonomiya-san. What would Hyonomiya-san be doing at this time? Did she have dinner yet... or maybe not...?

Sakutarou and Aeka also leaned closer.

“Amazing, Ao-kun! Go ── Go ──!”

“I will count on you for the super embarra.s.sing line that would make the heart of the players itch.”

“Keep it down! Really!”

As Ao was complaining, the call got through.

“Ah, H-Hyonomiya-san? Sorry for calling you so suddenly.”

Ao shooed Sakutarou and Aeka with his hand, and decided to get straight to the point.

Snivelling sound came from the other end of the phone.

Hmm?

“......”

This was the sound of crying and her voice breaking from tears.

Hyonomiya-san is crying...?

“What happened!? Hyonomiya-san, what is the matter?”

Ao suddenly shouted with a serious expression, which made Sakutarou and Aeka open their eyes wide.

Hiyuki seemed unable to articulate herself properly, sounds of snivelling and vehicle driving by could be heard from her side of the line.

“Hyonomiya-san, where are you right now?”

Ao shouted desperately, and there was finally a response.

“... Kazetani-kun.”

He could hear a weak voice brushed across his ear.

“I, I... Grandmother.... Home...”

The sound of cars mixed in with the rain.

Looking out the window, Ao saw it was starting to rain.

“Hyonomiya-san, tell me your location! I will pick you up!”

After telling Hiyuki to seek shelter somewhere, Ao left Sakutarou’s condo and headed for her. The rain became heavier and the air was freezing.

Ao wore sports shoes and splashed water everywhere as he ran, headed for the convenience store near their school where Hiyuki was waiting.

He told her to wait inside, but Hiyuki was standing at the entrance of the store with her head down, her school bag on her shoulder and a large tote bag clutched before her chest. She was wearing her uniform and her blouse was completely wet and sticking to her skin, she looked really cold.

“Hyonomiya-san!”

Ao called out to her and Hiyuki lift her head, her eyes red and welling with tears.

“K-Kazetani-kun, I... ran away from home, I, can’t go back anymore...”

Ao brought the sobbing Hiyuki back to Sakutarou’s condo, and let her changed into clothes that Aeka prepared. She didn’t have dinner yet, so Ao took out the food he delivered to Sakutarou, which include stewed yam and tofu steak.

“Anyway, eat something to calm yourself down.”

Hiyuki was wearing a pink sleeveless blouse with black dots, and tights with pink and white stripes, which made Ao wonder if there were any normal clothes here. But these were comfortable clothes Aeka wore if she stayed the night at Sakutarou’s place, so it couldn’t be helped. This was much better than wearing Sakutarou’s clothes.

He was thankful that they provided a refuge for Hiyuki.

If Ao and Hiyuki who were high schoolers stayed out too late, they would be sent for counseling by teachers on patrol. If Ao brought Hiyuki home, his mother would probably interrogate him about this. He had younger twin siblings at home to, so it would be hard for Hiyuki to calm down.

Hiyuki lowered her head, cut the tofu with her disposable chopsticks and sent it to her mouth.

“... Delicious, it’s tasty.”

She muttered softly, and ate the smooth yam next.

“Delicious.”

She said again.

“I have rather young siblings at home, so the seasoning would be sweeter. Kids would probably love this. It’s great that Hyonomiya-san likes it. Ah, Hyonomiya-san!”

Hiyuki covered her face with one hand and started sobbing, which made Ao panic.

“Ao-kun, at a time like this, you have to hold her close and comfort her.”

“It’s fine to kiss her too, Ao.”

While the adults were being sarcastic, it wasn’t the time to do that.

Ao pulled some tissues from a box and offered it to Hiyuki, who rubbed her nose and said:

“I-I’m sorry. But this is really... delicious... so tofu steak could be so delicious... t-the stewed yam too, just what kind of stewed food had I been eating in the past...?”

“If you like it, eat more.”

“Y-Yes.”

Hiyuki cried as she ate, muttering delicious, delicious as she ate the tofu steak and stewed yam. When she finally stopped sobbing, Ao asked what happened to her, she sat on the floor and pulled her knees to her face.

“... Grandmother discovered the light novels and ma.n.u.scripts I hid.”

Hiyuki told him everything in a hoa.r.s.e voice.

Isn’t Hyonomiya-san’s grandmother a very strict person?

She banned children from reading manga and anime, so Hiyuki had to write her light novels at school.

Hiyuki’s curfew was very strict, Ao knew that Hiyuki was very afraid of her grandmother. Hiyuki once muttered sadly: ‘Grandmother hates me...’

“I-It’s probably because I am acting... strange recently, so my grandmother went to search my room. Grandmother would do something like that... I already knew that, if I had only hidden it better...”

Hiyuki gripped the hands on her knee tightly as her shoulders trembled.

“Grandmother said that light novels are lowly, corrupting and unpleasant things, and wants me to throw them all away... I have always been afraid of my grandmother and wouldn’t dare go against her... But I couldn’t back down regarding this point, and I talked back to her for the first time.”

For the docile Hiyuki, this was a big matter.

Hiyuki told her grandmother that to her, reading and writing light novels were important things, and she couldn’t abandon them.

── If you want to throw the light novels away, I will leave this house with them!

Hiyuki kept the light novels and ma.n.u.scripts into a tote bag on the spot and dashed out of the house, leaving behind her grandmother who was shouting ‘wait!’

She must have been enduring it all this while, that’s why she exploded like this. Hiyuki continued talking about her feelings as she sobbed.

“I, I... absolutely don’t want to go back to that home. I want to work, and rent a place to live in. Grandmother should... probably think that is better. Because grandmother hates me, she thinks that my mother leaving me with her after she died is a nuisance.”

“Wait a minute, is that what your grandmother said?”

Aeka leaned over, as if she couldn’t let this matter rest. Hiyuki nodded with tears on her cheeks.

“Before mother was hospitalized ── When my parents divorce and we just headed back to grandmother’s place to stay, I heard... Grandmother talking to my mother. ‘What, what about me? That’s why I objected so much, the person herself might not mind, but the one who have to shoulder the burden will be troubled. It is really too cold, so cold it makes one s.h.i.+vers...’ I-I was young back then, so I didn’t really understand. But when grandmother was scolding my mother, my mother said in tears ‘When I got married, I didn’t know I would be getting a divorce.’”

── That’s why I objected it so much!

── The one who have to shoulder the burden will be troubled!

Her grandmother’s voice was stern, and her expression tensed like a demon.

── It is really too cold.

Hiyuki’s mother was hospitalized not long after coming back, and pa.s.sed away.

Hiyuki’s grandmother believed that her daughter had a weak const.i.tution. When Hiyuki’s father had a mistress, it increased the psychological burden on her daughter, so she hated Hiyuki’s father, and Hiyuki who took after her father, Hiyuki explained.

“I... Don’t look like my mother... My mother was gentle and kind... After my mother got married and left the house, grandmother still loved my mother deeply and cherished her... In the past, an acquaintance of grandmother said... your granddaughter don’t take after your daughter, and resembles her father... Grandmother had a disgusted expression... She used an unhappy and scary voice and asked me to go somewhere else...”

Hiyuki showed the photo of her mother she brought along when she ran away from home, and showed it to everyone.

“There... isn’t much left. The photos I took with my father had all been thrown away by grandmother...”

The few photographs she had were all taken after she moved in with her grandmother. The young woman smiling on the hospital bed had a pet.i.te and cute face.

If her face wasn’t that pale, she would look cuter and happier. Even though she was smiling, it had a hint of sadness about her. On the trees outside the window were pink begonia flowers. The smile on the face of Hiyuki’s mother was like the beautiful flowers.

The three year old Hiyuki in her arms was probably very happy to be with her mother, and was all smiles. Besides them was a woman with a stern expression and an elegant aura. She wore a kimono with her hands overlapping gracefully in front of her, standing tall with her back straight. This should be Hiyuki’s grandmother.

She does look like a strict person...

“This grandma is like a daughter of a n.o.ble clan born in the Taisho era, a woman who survived alone through the ravages of war. That’s how she feels.”

<tl: https:=”” en.wikipedia.org=”” wiki=”” taish%c5%8d_period=””>

Aeka furrowed her brows.

“No, it’s impossible for her to be born in the Taisho era.”

Sakutarou retorted.

“Hmm...? This was the time you visited the aquarium?”

Ao’s gaze rested on the little Hiyuki who was standing nervously before an aquarium tank. A woman wearing a long skirt and white glove was holding Hiyuki’s tiny hand.

Hiyuki wore a cute short sleeved frilly blouse, a pink skirt and a flower shaped bag on her back.

“Is the person wearing the glove your mother?”

“Mother... have allergies, on days when ultra violet rays were strong, she would wear her gloves...”

A white and s.h.i.+ny dorsal fin and a grey tail could be seen on the corner of the photo.

“It is cut off, buy... this is a... Kitefin shark.”

Hiyuki muttered in a heavy voice:

“I am very afraid of Kitefin sharks, mother said that Kitefin sharks are powerful creatures that move on their own and won’t form groups, and I have to be strong like the Kitefin sharks...”

“The words of this mother are incredible.”

Aeka mumbled.

Indeed, it is too ambitious to tell a three year old girl to be like a Kitefin shark.

Hiyuki said as she sobbed:

“It’s all because of grandmother. She kept blaming mother saying you are too weak, too weak. Mother was conscious about that, that’s why she asked me to become strong. Grandmother also told me... Your mother is a really frail person... You can’t be like your mother. She would frown and sigh as she said that...”

From Hiyuki’s perspective, her mother didn’t die from illness, but was murdered by her grandmother’s accusations.

Aeka felt very sorry for Hiyuki.

“Don’t go back to your grandmother’s place. If you want to find a place to live by yourself, we will help. We will help you find work too, with your looks, there are plenty of job opportunities.”

Aeka was ready to call the director of her agency at any moment.

“Hey Ao-kun, you think so too right?”

Aeka turned towards Ao.

Ao placed the photo onto the floor and replied quietly:

“... I think Hyonomiya-san should return home and have a good talk with her grandmother.”

Hiyuki opened her eyes wide and her shoulders trembled from fear. Aeka couldn’t believe it and yelled:

“What are you saying, Ao-kun! She couldn’t take it and ran away precisely because the other party wouldn’t listen. What’s the point of going back?”

Ao’s words seemed to have dealt a huge blow to Hiyuki. She looked at Ao with watery eyes, and muttered with her trembling lips:

“G-Grandmother... won’t listen to me... I-I have nothing to say to her too... S-So... Can I not... go back?”

Ao understand how depressed and helpless Hiyuki was feeling. She looked straight at Hiyuki and said firmly:

“If Hyonomiya-san’s grandmother hates you like you said, it would be better to live apart. If that is true, I will stand on your side, and help you no matter what. But before that, I have some things I want to confirm.”

“... Some things... You want to confirm?”

The lips with a mole besides it uttered these words timidly, her transparent eyes showed signs of confusion.

Aeka who was puffing her cheeks angrily besides Hiyuki and Sakutarou who remained silent behind her listened carefully to what Ao said. Aeka was not satisfied, while Sakutarou was smiling.

Ao nodded strongly.

“When you write a novel, the scenery you see would be different if you change to the perspective of another character, and would notice foreshadowing that is not apparent before. After listening to Hyonomiya-san’s words, there are several points I am concerned about, so let us go confirm them.”

After drying her uniform with a dryer, Hiyuki put them on again and left the condo with Ao. Braving the icy rain, they came to Hiyuki’s house, which was a large j.a.panese style mansion like what Ao heard from his cla.s.smates. The courtyard that was obviously bigger than the surrounding residence was enclosed in tall, coffee coloured fencing. On the grand looking gate was a sign engraved with a formal looking ‘Hyonomiya’.