16 Extra Chapter ~ Kusanagi Tenko (2/2)
The maid got startled. She stopped pouring the water and quickly turned around. She saw Tenko in a seriously bad mood. ”M-Miss Kusanagi.”
”I���m asking what you're doing!!”
The maid trembles, ”T-This, I was cleaning outside, i-in the garden, but when I saw this place I thought that I should clean it too.”
”But I didn't ask for it, why did you do it!!”
The maid, she's terrified. ”That was, it's because that—”
”Didn't you see the sign outside! DON'T ENTER!!”
”Y-Yes.”
”Then why did you come in?! Who gave you…” gritting her teeth while holding her head in disbelief, ”Who… who gave you permission to enter my garden in the first place, huh?”
”M-Miss—”
”ANSWER ME!”
”I… I…” her legs started shivering, ”I… I…” she tried hard, but couldn't muster up a word.
Tenko glanced at the plants on her right and saw the leaf is completely soaked, she glared at the maid and pointed to the plants, ”SEE WHAT YOU DID!? YOU RUINED IT! YOUR RUINED THEM ALL!!”
Even though what she spouts might be an exaggeration, in her eyes, everything has been ruined when one was.
”B-But miss—”
Tenko quickly approached her and then slapped her hands so hard that it shivers, making the pot fell and spilled the water all over the floor. The maid… her eyes start getting teary. Tenko pointed her finger close to her face, ”If you were my maid, I would fire you right here… and now. Consider yourself lucky this time…”
”M-Miss Kusanagi, p-please—”
”Get out!”
The maid still stood there trembling. Tenko was annoyed by it so badly, ”I said get out! If I see you here again, you'll…” gritting her teeth, ”Grahh! Just LEAVE ALREADY!!”
Tears flowing out from the maid tears, she bowed to Tenko deeply and then left the glasshouse as she wipes her tears.
Tenko's face still hardened. Her eyes spinning like a rotating clocktower. She was about to slam her fist down, but she controlled herself. No one in the right mind could destroy something that they have built on their own.
Her heart is pounding so fast, and really hard. Tears quickly follow her eyes behind, and it dripped to the plants. Covering her face with her hands… she's crying.
…
Several moments later. Tenko has cleaned herself up and fully clothed in a frilly outfit, fancy but elegant at the same time. She chose something that would be easy to move in and doesn't look too innocently cute.
At this point, she has calmed down now.
The maids that were helping her change are trembling. It is easy to tell that they must have heard of the previous incident back at the greenhouse. They didn't say anything and still keep their saliva wet. Not that Tenko doesn't care about it either. In her eyes, the maids are just simply helpers that can always be replaced.
She just left the room as soon as it's done, shoving the maids' hands away as walked out.
Despite her attitude, they went accompanied her to enter the dining hall anyway. Until she dismissed them, they will have to follow her no matter what.
Waiting inside the dining hall, are her parents with the fresh sushi already in place extravagantly on the dining table.
Tenko sat down and then the maids quickly prepared for her right away. Afterwards, they stood in the far corner, but Tenko's father signaled them to leave. And so, they did.
It was silent. Tenko not saying anything is making her mother nervous.
”Sweetie, is everything okay? We already have the sushi here for you.”
Tenko glanced at her, and then sighed. ”Mother, I'm sure you have already heard. You don't need to pretend otherwise.”
”Tenko!” her father yelled.
Tenko shuddered as her eyes widened.
The occasion where the father got mad because of her words is rare and very much, not a good sign or thing to Tenko. He realized that he made a mistake, he accidentally yelled at her. ”N-No I mean, Tenko listen…”
The child's eyes started getting teary after hearing her father screamed at her like that.
Tenko's mother quickly went panic. ”S-Sweetie, don't cry. Daddy— I mean, your father is not angry at you, okay?” bringing the seat closer to her, the mother then hugged Tenko in her arms. Patting her head as she said, ”Don't worry, we're not mad.”
*Hic*
”Hush, child. Don't cry.”
Tenko plant her face to her mother's chest.
After a while, Tenko calmed down.
Her eyes seem restless with all the stress and cries. ”I'm sorry, mother.”
”No, sweety. You don't need to apologize to me. We're a family.”
”But…”
”No buts. Okay?”
”A-All right.”
”No, not all right, okay?”
”O-Okay.”
She patted her head once more, and stroke it gently as she eyed her down with a warm smile. ”Good girl.”
The father then spoke, ”Me too, I, I—”
”No, father. I know, I understand. It was my mistake, I won't do it again.”
The father's eyes light up. He didn't expect it to be resolved so quickly. Sighing in relief, ”Haa… all right, why don't we have our sushi now? Any later and it won't be as fresh anymore.”
He went and plated some for Tenko and then some for the mother. After eating for a while, Tenko's expression relaxed quite a bit.
The father was waiting for a chance to bring up the topic about the previous incident with the maid, and he thinks that this is the good time for it. ”So um, about the garden.”
Tenko stopped chewing.
”It was me who told the maid to clean your garden. I'm sorry I didn't ask you for that first.”
Her eyes widened, she let out a husky voice, ”I… see.”
This irritates her since she knows now… there is nothing she can do about it. She just simply thought that it means the maid really did go off so easily. She even said it herself, lucky.
”Listen, honey. We can fix this and replace the plants with a new one…”
Tenko's eyes still wide open, she's not even blinking.
”It was an accident that she went into your greenhouse. She was just trying to help you, that's all. She didn't deserve to be yelled at like that…”
Tenko… is clenching her fist so tightly underneath the table.
”So, can you forgive her for me?”
”…” after a long paused, she finally blinked her eyes again and starts chewing on her food. She swallowed them in lightly, and slowly turned her head to her father, smiling as she said, ”Of course, father.”
The father's eyes widened, he was about to smile.
”That was really delicious, I would like to have them again.”
But the smile soon faded before it was even formed.
”Unfortunately, I'm already full right now, so… I will head back to my room” turning her head to her parent, ”Good night, mother” nodding her head, ”Good night, father.”
The father jumped to stop her, ”Wait, Tenko.”
She rose up from her sleep and then left the dining hall, ignoring the two parents that were trying to stop her.
The father's face hardened. He sat back on his seat and rapidly tapping the table with his finger, sighing in defeat. ”Why can't our child be normal.”
The mother's eyes widened, ”Don't say that!”
”Right, I'm sorry, it's just…” he sighed once more as he couldn't come up with any more words. The mother's face hardened, she took a sip of her tea and found its taste… bitter.
Tenko went and closed her bedroom's door, and then jumped straight into the bed, planting herself in the softness of the cold pillow and the squishy mattress. Soon after, the pink-ish soft pillow… slowly turning red as she went limp… and fall deep in her sleep.
***
END.