Chapter 12: Lucky Clover
Chapter 12: Lucky Clover
“MISTER! Come out! Mister who helped my booboo!”
“……”
How did it come to this? Kouya wanted to put his hand to his head to stop the oncoming headache.
Azusa Saito—his target was calling for him. Calling for him in the middle of the park in a loud enough voice the neighboring houses could hear.
This is bad. Really bad.
It was the day after he had decided to abduct her in a week’s time.
“Mister with pretty black hair! Mist—”
“Hey, I’m begging you, please quit that.”
“Mister!” Azusa ran over to Kouya when he showed himself. Her face brightened with a broad smile. “I thought you would appear if I called for you here!”
“You didn’t think I wouldn’t appear? It’s not like I’m always here.”
“But you came out, didn’t you?”
“…I did,” Kouya sighed.
She grinned and held out his washed handkerchief. “Thank you very much for yesterday!”
Her parents must have told her to say that to the person who lent it to her, because her expression filled with the satisfaction of successfully completing her mission.
“You are welcome.”
You could have thrown it away, he thought, but quietly pocketed the handkerchief—something fluttered out of the folds as he did.
“Oh yeah! I was thinking of giving that to you, Mister!”
“A four-leaf clover?” Kouya picked up the clover from the ground.
“I found two four-leaf clovers when I searched after playing yesterday! One for Mommy! One for Mister! Did you know good things happen when you have a four-leaf clover on you?”
“…I don’t need it. Give it to your dad,” Kouya said trying to return the clover, but Azusa quickly pushed his hand back.
“Take it! It’s my thanks for yesterday! You look like you have poor health after all, Mister!”
“I’m healthy.”
Vampires possessed skin whiter than humans, but this was Kouya’s first time being called sickly because of it.
“It’s fine, it’s fine! I’ll search for Daddy’s today! I need to search for more for Mommy too!”
“Do you look for them every day?”
“Yup! Mommy’s sick, so I want her to get well soon. Daddy said she should actually be in the hospital! But then he said we can’t bring her there. I wonder why.”
“……”
He’s probably trying to keep them hidden from vampires.
The majority of vampires living in Japan were from the Red, Blue, and Yellow Covens, all of which had created their own towns, but there were always exceptions. Vampires were capable of living similar lives to humans. It wasn’t unusual for there to be some who chose to live among humans.
Her parents, Shinji and Yayoi, were likely scared of being discovered by vampires. Escape would be far harder if Yayoi were hospitalized.
“Is your mom’s condition bad?” Kouya asked before he realized it. Azusa’s bright smile disappeared.
“Yeah. She won’t eat much. She only eats about half of what I do. I’m gathering four-leaf clovers to help her get well soon!”
“I see. I hope she recovers.”
“Yeah! Okay, I’m going to go look for more! You take care of yourself too, Mister!”
“I will.”
I’m healthy though, Kouya thought, but he couldn’t say that to the small back running away from him. He watched her leave before looking down at his feet to find a four-leaf clover. He glanced at his hand thinking he dropped the one she had given him, but it was still there. On closer look, the one he spotted was growing out of the ground. He picked it and carefully wrapped it in the handkerchief.
“Guess I can give it to her tomorrow.”
He imagined Azusa’s beaming smile. Without realizing it, Kouya’s face had softened into a smile.
***
“UM…one, two, three. This one has three leaves. So does this one. And this one.”
“Is this what you’re looking for?”
Sure enough, Azusa appeared in the park the next day too. Once again she was diligently searching for four-leaf clovers. Kouya stood behind her and held out the four-leaf clover he picked the day before.
“Mister!”
“Mm-hm.”
“Isn’t this the one I gave you yesterday?”
“I have that one properly stored away here.” Kouya pulled a paperback book from his pocket and opened it to show her. The clover was wrapped in a tissue between the pages.
“You dried it like a pressed flower?”
“Yeah. It’s a special gift after all. As you can see, this clover is different from the one I picked yesterday.”
“…You are really nice, Mister! Thanks!”
“It just happened to be growing at my feet.”
“Not that! For drying the clover! I’m happy!” Azusa smiled cheerfully, thrilled more that he had pressed the clover she gave him to preserve it over the fact he gave her a new one.
Unsure of how to react, Kouya placed the clover he picked in her hand and turned on his heel to leave.
“Mister! Are you leaving?”
“Yeah.”
The next time we meet will be in five days. On the day I abduct you.
“Wait! Why don’t we chat, Mister?” Azusa grabbed Kouya’s sleeve, stopping him from walking away.
“I don’t have anything to talk to you about though?”
“I do!”
“…What is it?”
“Can you make a flower crown?”
“Huh?” he grunted in a weird voice and furrowed his brow.
Azusa rattled on, unaffected by his evident displeasure, “Tomorrow’s tomorrow is Mommy’s birthday! I want to give her a flower crown as a present!”
“Tomorrow’s tomorrow? You mean the day after tomorrow? So? What do you want from me?”
“Teach me how to make a flower crown!”
She must have thought he could make a flower crown because he knew how to press flowers. Her face filled with hopeful anticipation. But Kouya not only didn’t feel like meeting her expectations, he also didn’t know how—even if he wanted to.
“…Sadly, I don’t know how to make a flower crown. Can’t you ask your dad or mom?”
“I can’t! It’s a secret! I’m going to make it in secret and surprise them!”
“I don’t know how. Ask someone else.”
“…Sniffle.”
“……”
“……”
Azusa’s big chestnut-brown eyes wavered with unshed tears. Kouya tried to swallow the lump in his throat. Not knowing the best thing to do, his head started spinning. He always had a hard time handling woman and children, especially when they cried.
“…Can I go and look up how to do it and come back with the information by tomorrow?”
“Yeah! Thanks, Mister! I looove you!”
“……”
Was I just tricked by a four-year-old? Kouya couldn’t help thinking that after the 180 degree change in Azusa’s expression. He could only sigh about it now.
“Let’s meet up here after lunch tomorrow! No napping through it, Mister! I’ll do my best to make it through without napping too!”
“Okay.” He promised and told himself this would be the last promise he would make her. He needed to put distance between them if he was going to abduct her in five days—for both of their sakes.
But he couldn’t keep his promise with her.
Azusa didn’t show up the next day or the day after that.