Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Volume 08 - Reminiscence Chapter

by Sato Tsutomu

  Ani was watching us.

  "Tatsuya-niisama!"

  Fumiya-kun’s face suddenly lit up and he bounded over to Ani’s position.

  "Oh well, there′s nothing that can be done."

  While voicing a complaint, Ayako-san headed after Fumiya-kun with swift feet. Indeed, she looked as if she was restraining herself from running.

  As he watched those two, Oji-sama made a sour face; he did this every time.

  Oji-sama slowly walked after them in a completely different mood than Ayako-san’s. I too trailed after them.

  Fumiya-kun was enthusiastically conversing with Ani about something.

  Ani made countless small nods, the corners of his mouth rose slightly, showing a small amount of teeth — he smiled?

  That person?

  Despite never giving a smile like that to me…….!

  "Hey now, Fumiya, Ayako. You shouldn’t interfere with Tatsuya-kun’s work."

  In order to maintain my insincere smile, I had to grasp my hands strongly to keep my fingers from curling into a fist, and placed a smile so painstakingly constructed to look natural that Oji-sama would not doubt that it reflected my true feelings.

  "Thank you for your work. You are so diligent in performing your tasks."

  "There is no need to thank me."

  The Ani that faced Oji-sama was the usual Ani. His face was so devoid of expression that the smile that had been on his face a little while ago seemed like an illusion.

  "Aw, Otou-sama. Wouldn’t a moment or two be alright? Miyuki-neesama is our invited guest. Making the arrangements to prevent harm befalling one’s guest is the duty of the host."

  "It’s just as Onee-sama said. The guards of Kuroba are not so unskilled as to allow a single one of our guests to be less than completely safe. Isn’t that right, Otou-san?"

  Eh? Fumiya-kun doesn’t address Oji-sama as "Otou-sama"………

  By concentrating on such a trivial thing, I was able to distract myself from my mood.

  "That is true but……"

  Paying my thoughts no mind, Oji-sama spoke ambiguous words while looking bewildered.

  I was bewildered as well. However, perhaps, Ayako-san and Fumiya-kun understood Oji-sama’s true intent. Oji-sama did not like his own children — especially Fumiya-kun — directing any friendly interest at Ani.

  Fumiya-kun is a candidate who aims to become the next head of the Yotsuba.

  Ani is simply the guard of a fellow candidate for the succession, me. Even if we place a special title on them like Guardian, they are servants after all. If I speak cruelly, they are no more than tools to be used and then thrown away.

  A tool that, if I can be precise, could not become a candidate for the Yotsuba succession.

  Naturally, while Ani is the one who is my guard, since the relationship between Ani and Fumiya-kun is only that of second cousins, there is no real problem with Fumiya-kun adoring Ani. It is the same with Ayako-san. Maya Obaa-sama would probably not be bothered by that.

  It sounds harsh when I say it, but Oji-sama is only worried about status. Oji-sama can only see Ani as a servant, a disposable tool. All that means is that the person called Kuroba Mitsugu is probably a "Yotsuba" to the marrow of his bones. Therefore, I feel that I am not mistaken in believing that he feels that having his own children showing empathy for a tool is improper.

  That is the natural way of things for a "Yotsuba".

  In order for me to become ‘Yotsuba Miyuki’, I must have the same mental attitude as Oji-sama.

  That he is a Guardian is more important than him being my elder brother.

  That person has the position of my guard. If it is necessary, he will exchange his own life in order to fulfill his obligation to protect me as a human shield.

  It is only natural for that person who is a tool not to love me; I too, must not yearn for love from that person.

  I gave myself these instructions.

  Like an incantation, I repeated them over and over.

  Ani has the position of my guard.

  He is my human shield.

  That is the position granted to Ani. I must become the heir of Maya Obaa-sama, therefore Ani is not my Onii-sama—

  I stiffened due to a pain in the core of my brain.

  For an instant, I felt as if I had no idea where I was.

  Of course that was an illusion. I am at Kuroba Oji-sama’s party that I was invited to; in front of me, Oji-sama is making a discomfited face.

  ……Somehow I feel like I was thinking about something really important, however….that’s probably just my imagination.

  "…Fumiya, do not trouble your honored father so much."

  Unexpectedly, the one who tossed Oji-sama a lifeline was Ani.

  He called Fumiya-kun, ‘Fumiya’.

  In an affectionate tone as if Fumiya-kun really was his younger brother.

  Deep inside my mind, I felt a faint pain.

  Without thinking, my face started to scowl in discomfort.

  I must not.

  If I show displeasure on my face now, it will be misinterpreted as disapproval of Ani and Oji-sama’s interaction.

  ……I wonder if that would be a misinterpretation……….?

  No, No, if I think about that!

  Uumm, what can I do at a time like this?

  Before I left, Sakurai-san told me what to do.

  That’s right, I need to skillfully deceive my own feelings—

  "Kuroba-san, it is all right to entrust the party site to you? I myself wish to take a little look around outside."

  "Oh, really? That is a splendid idea."

  Oji-sama showed tremendous surprise at Ani’s suggestion, and even calculatingly praised Ani for it.

  "Understood. I will look after Miyuki-chan. This place is under my supervision so I will accept responsibility."

  That is probably insincere praise that can be produced at any time.

  Since there are diplomatic excuses to get rid of pests, I should use one to rid myself of the biggest one.

  A truly convenient false face.

  ‘First you bring you, yourself, in alignment with what you would call your false face.’

  —Ani is faithfully performing the duties allotted to him.

  "Aw nuts! We are returning to Shizuoka tomorrow! We do not often get a chance to see each other, and we don’t even get a chance to spend a lot of time talking."

  "Fumiya, calm down a little……Tatsuya-san, what Fumiya said is true, so please return quickly."

  "Understood. I will take one tour around and then return. So, then Kuroba-san I am going to get a little air."

  —Therefore I too, must perform the duties allotted to me with all my strength.

  While I listened to Ani replying to Fumiya-kun’s protests and Ayako-san’s requests in a gentle voice, I instructed myself thus.

  Chapter 5

  November 6th, AD 2095 / Yotsuba Main House - Reception Room

  ——Hee-hee—

  At the sudden sound of Miyuki’s giggling voice, Tatsuya, who had been looking out the window, turned his eyes to the interior of the room.

  In contrast to the eastern style of the architecture, the big room was done in western style. There were even paintings of landscapes adorning the brightly hued walls, not reproductions either; according to the signatures of the celebrated modern artists on the canvases, these were original oil paintings. And the stately natural wood table was of a size that could easily seat over ten people.

  Nonetheless, this room gave an impression of emptiness. This was possibly due to the fact that, instead of the space being occupied by the legs of over ten chairs, there was only the four legs of a sofa placed by the table; also, aside from the table and sofa, there were almost no furnishings, which appeared to leave all too much space leftover in the room. Making the room feel unnecessarily vast was probably for the purpose of psychologically inducing a feeling of oppression.

  Naturally, such things had been beneath Tatsuya’s notice for a
long time now. His gaze went straight to his younger sister.

  Upon receiving his puzzled look, Miyuki, who was seated on the sofa with the carved ball and claw legs, bashfully ducked her head.

  "…..Pardon me, Onii-sama. I was merely remembering something that happened in the past."

  "Something amusing?"

  Tatsuya also smiled in response to the smile on Miyuki’s face when she answered.

  "No…… I was so foolish in the past, I found that humorous."

  Tatsuya’s smile vanished, a feat that occurred in the blink of an eye in response to the thoughtless self depreciating remark. But he was unable to find anything negative in the content of the words, the tone of the voice, or the expression on her face.

  "Come to think of it, Onii-sama back then was kind to Ayako-san and Fumiya-kun……. I was quite shocked by that?"

  From what she said, Tatsuya formed an impression of the general period Miyuki was remembering and broke out a smile.

  "Well….I was just a child back then, give me a break."

  "That is absurd. I am the one who was a foolish child."

  The two of them were still at an age where the world could still call them "children". And the siblings themselves also didn't think of themselves as adults.

  Despite that, the two of them experienced no feelings of inconsistency or hesitation when they labeled the people they had been three years prior as mere "children".

  "Back then, even though I am your sister, I did not understand one thing about Onii-sama. No….I did not even want to understand you."

  Tatsuya wanted to say something to refute that, but aside from a brief smile bestowed on the bowed head of his sister, unfortunately he had no other response to give.

  Even if he could refute her words, it was not necessary to do so.

  Although both of them had been wrong, neither of them were responsible; Tatsuya and Miyuki were both aware of this.

  If Miyuki was no longer in the mood to continue speaking of the past, Tatsuya was not going to bring it up again.

  Tatsuya returned his gaze to the window.

  While appearing to blankly gaze outside, his five senses were fully operational, looking for signs of unusual activity and missing nothing. His extra sense perceived more than his five senses, so he was always ready to access the information dimension at a moment's notice.

  This was all for the sake of protecting Miyuki.

  If something came into existence that looked like it would harm Miyuki, Tatsuya would destroy it first to prevent that.

  This had not changed between now and back then.

  But back then, she had been unaware of it.

  But back then, she had been kept from being aware of it by him.

  Chapter 6

  August 5th, AD 2092 / Okinawa - Villa ~ Coast of Onna

  Last night had continued until considerably late. Arriving at Okinawa then having a party until near midnight made for a pretty tough first day.

  Yet, even so, for me to wake before the sun had risen, could only be explained as habit.

  Truth be told, I had wanted to sleep a little longer, but I didn’t want to turn into a loose lady. Falling asleep again would be unthinkable. With effort, I sent energy to my limbs, got off the bed and drew back the curtains, opening the window to let in some fresh air while I was at it. Since I’m on the second floor facing the backyard, there was no worry about being seen in my pajamas from the outside. ……Although taking care of my appearance first really would have been more fitting of a lady’s etiquette.

  Sniffing the sea breeze I inhaled deeply, swelling my chest out.

  And at the moment I looked down, there was my brother training.

  Crouched down low, he’d take a step with the right foot, thrust out his right arm, thrust out his left arm.

  Then in that position he’d take a step with the left foot, and just as I thought he’d thrust out his left arm again he rapidly pulled it back, and as if intersecting, thrust out his right arm.

  Turning his body as he progressively took steps with the left foot and right foot, his right arm would forcefully move from inside to outside, left arm from outside to inside, right hand up, left hand down.

  It seemed like some sort of martial arts or karate I didn’t know.

  In each hand he held a small - one kilogram - weight, with which he went through motions with great precision. They were as vivid as the set poses used by lead dancers or stage actors.

  Making his way in a circle around the fringe of half the backyard, my brother finally stopped moving, exhaling deeply and relaxing.

  -Eh, it’s over……?

  I stared with bad grace at my brother’s back as he took a deep breath, willing him to show me that beautiful ‘dance’ again.

  Let me see more.

  Just once is fine.

  That amazing form of yours, to your little sister……

  —Wait!

  I regained myself.

  —No way, I had been entranced?

  I closed the curtains in a rush, then hurried from the window.

  The curtain rails made a pretty big noise, but it wouldn’t be audible from the yard…… I think.

  I leaned against the wall and collapsed down.

  My face was hot.

  My heart was pounding away furiously and wouldn’t calm down even as I held my hands against my chest.

  —He hadn’t realized, right?

  My brother hadn’t looked up even once.

  He shouldn’t have seen me standing at the window.

  Yet despite that, as I had stood staring as if enchanted, I had the feeling that my brother had noticed me too.

  ◊ ◊ ◊

  As always, my breakfast was provided by Sakurai-san. This villa also technically had an automatic cooking machine managed by a HAR, but Sakurai-san herself had insisted that ‘those who rely on automatic machines become insipid’ and as such, all her meals were homemade unless under extraordinary circumstances.

  Recently, I had taken a hand in helping too, but truth be told, my skills are still very much in the ‘getting there’ stage.

  "Do you have any plans for today?"

  As I sipped tea after the meal, Sakurai-san asked that question. In form that would have been addressed to Okaa-sama, but I knew full well it applied to me too.

  "If the heat lets up, I’d like to go out to sea."

  Thinking a little, Okaa-sama gave her reply.

  "Shall I ready the cruiser?"

  "Hmm...... a smaller sailing yacht would be nice."

  "Understood. Is 4 PM alright?"

  "Yes, please."

  With experience, Sakurai-san smoothly inferred the specifics from Okaa-sama’s brief words and deduced her intentions, efficiently assembling a schedule.

  This means my timetable for past 4 PM has been decided as well. Okaa-sama most likely intends to spend the time until then inside the villa.

  Now, what shall I do?

  "Miyuki-san, if you have no particular plans, how about going to the beach? Even if you just lie down, I think it’d be a good way to refresh yourself."

  Seeing me lost in thought, Sakurai-san made a suggestion.

  "……I guess so. Then, I suppose I’ll just relax on the beach in the afternoon."

  "I’ll help you prepare. Ufufu, if you’re wearing a swimsuit then you’ll need to carefully apply sunscreen to each and every little part of your body."

  ……Eh? ‘Ufufu’, that’s……

  "……No, thank you. I can do it by myself."

  "Now now, there’s no need to refrain."

  ……Sakurai-san strangely seems to be anticipating something.

  "The sunlight here in the tropics is intense. If you leave a gap somewhere, it’ll be terrible."

  ……Sakurai-san, that look in your eyes is very suspicious.

  "Naturally we’d have to cover all the bits under the swimsuit too. Ufufufu……"

  "Uh, uhmm, Sakurai-san?"

  Sakurai-san, for s
ome reason, you look really scary right now!

  "Come on, let’s go get ready."

  I attempted to slip away in silence, but before I could move an inch, Sakurai-san had her hand around my wrist.

  Her grip wasn’t so tight as to be painful, but there was definitely no shaking her off.

  I was dragged like that up to the second floor, and when I glimpsed at my brother, I had the distinct feeling he was laughing underneath his expressionless face.

  ……Even though he’s not supposed to have any such human feelings.

  ◊ ◊ ◊

  Under Sakurai-san’s hands, sun cream really was rubbed very thoroughly over every inch of my body, and by the time I stumbled out from the villa to the beach, I was limp all over.

  '……Why do I have to be so tired over this?' I complained unreasonably to myself.

  In any case, I assumed what I considered a modest easygoing posture, took off my tunic, then went under the parasol my brother had set up and on top of the sheet my brother had prepared and laid down.

  The separated swimsuit I wore wasn’t quite as far gone as a bikini, but still possessed quite a fair amount of exposure. It wasn’t something I would have chosen, but then again Sakurai-san hadn’t exactly given me much of a choice.

  That’s what I thought anyway, but at the sight of me, my brother wasn’t moving an inch. Wearing knee-length trunks under a parka, he was seated next to me with his eyes on the horizon.

  Knees slightly bent, looking as if spacing out.

  When I stole a glance over, it was as if he wasn’t even aware of me, simply staring into the distance. I wonder if he’s bored?

  He’s a healthy, fit boy in his first year at junior high, but with the sea right in front of him, all he did was sit. That was it.

  Is this normal? Driven by that question, I moved myself with my elbows, and sneaked a glance at the other parasols dotted around.

  That’s a…… family I think. A mother and father, and a girl probably in her first or second year of primary school.

  Just as I thought so, a boy slightly older than the girl came running up from the beach.

  The boy took his father’s hand, and seemed as if trying to pull him over to the sea.