Chapter 6. And then, Alisa peacefully passed away.

Chapter 6. And then, Alisa peacefully passed away. CHAPTER 6 And then, Alisa peacefully passed away.

After being kicked out of his sister’s room, Masachika rode home with his father in a daze that lingered long after. He did neither chores nor any studying. He didn’t even surf the internet. He simply watched the sun continue to sink from his room until his father called him to dinner.

“What do you think? I feel like I did a pretty good job…”

“…Yeah, it’s good.”

Kyoutarou had confidently served dinner, boasting he had recreated the dishes of a certain famous British restaurant. However, Masachika ate mechanically, offering only terse responses as Yuki’s words churned endlessly in his mind. Everything that had consumed his thoughts before, even the one condition that Gensei had made, had dissolved beneath the weight of his sister’s unprecedented anger. The shock of witnessing her fury for the first time had left him utterly shaken.

I’ve never seen Yuki that angry before… I do feel bad for forcing her to take on that burden, because it has clearly been too much for her… I mean, she was crying in my arms last night like a child… There’s no denying that I sacrificed her dreams for my own, either…

He knew what he said had hurt Yuki’s pride, and it was only natural that she was taken aback after serving the Suou family for years to become the next successor. Put simply, he was essentially telling her, “You worked hard. Good job. Now leave the rest to me.” Nevertheless, he still couldn’t comprehend why she was that angry—furious enough to kick him out of the room. In fact, he thought she would be happy about living together again.

Obviously, I was in the wrong. She wouldn’t have been so mad, otherwise…but I have seriously been putting a lot of thought into this, and it took everything I had to do that…

Self-reproach and defiance flickered in and out of existence in his mind.

“What’s wrong? Did you and Yuki have a fight or something?” asked Kyoutarou with a warm smile, having noticed that his son was visibly distracted.

“ … !”

Masachika’s eyebrow twitched, telling Kyoutarou everything.

“You did, huh? Nothing wrong with that. I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Rather than accepting everything about each other, sometimes it’s better to just let it all out and have a good fight. Relationships work better that way.”

“…Really? Wouldn’t it be better to solve things without fighting?”

Though Masachika was skeptical, his father still spoke calmly, not admonishing him in the slightest.

“When two people both feel strongly about something, it’s not uncommon for them to clash over even the smallest thing, even if those feelings come from a place of love.”

“…Really?”

“Really. They say the opposite of love is indifference, right? And there wouldn’t be any conflict if you’re indifferent. The most peaceful people in the world are probably those who are indifferent and unconcerned about everything.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right about that.”

“Right? So in a way, a fight between siblings is an expression of love. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Nah, I think that’s a bit of a stretch,” Masachika calmly jested, chuckling softly at his father, who was playfully shrugging.

“But…I guess they do say that people who are close to each other fight a lot…”

“Exactly. It means that, just like how Yuki means so much to you, you mean that much to Yuki as well.”

As his son’s eyes widened in surprise, Kyoutarou gently added:

“So it’s going to be okay.”

The next morning, Alisa stood before the entrance of Masachika’s apartment building, having left her house over an hour earlier than usual.

…It’ll be fine. This isn’t weird at all. Yeah, I just want to know what happened at Yuki’s place. That’s all.

Alisa nervously adjusted her bangs while making excuses in her head, holding the compact mirror that Nonoa had given her the day before yesterday. She likely would’ve kept fussing for another five or ten minutes if not for suddenly noticing someone, probably a resident of the building, at the entranceway.

Startled, she snapped the compact mirror shut and calmly slipped it into her bag. Then, standing before the intercom, she drew several deep breaths before pressing the button for Masachika’s place. Her heart hammered as the rings echoed—one, two, three, four, five—until the call finally connected with a soft click.

“…Alya? Good morning. What’s wrong?”

“Good morning, Masachika. Sorry for coming over all of a sudden like this. I was just wondering what ended up happening at Yuki’s place the day before yesterday, and I figured you wouldn’t be able to talk about it at school, so I thought maybe we could walk to school together this morning and talk about it.”

Alisa smoothly recited the rehearsed lines with a composed expression, then inwardly celebrated, imagining her fists raised in the air while she waited for Masachika to reply.

“Oh, I guess that’s cool… I’m about to eat breakfast, though. Is that okay?”

“Oh, really? That’s fine. I don’t mind waiting.”

“All right… Come on up, then.”

Once the entrance was promptly opened, Alisa slipped inside, silently pumping her fist in victory as she took her compact mirror out once again to check her hair in front of the elevator. What she had just told Masachika was only half the truth. The other half was that she had come all this way because she simply wanted to walk to school with him.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to simply walk to school together side by side? After all, that’s something people only do if they’re really close.

Swept up in her excitement, Alisa randomly began to sway her body from side to side, fighting to suppress the smile tugging at her lips. Her thoughts had taken a curiously girlish turn—and with good reason, too.

It had all started the moment she learned Yuki was Masachika’s sister just two days earlier, but it also made her realize that Yuki was someone special and irreplaceable to Masachika—someone she could never compete with. The realization was devastating at first, but after returning home and sleeping on it, an entirely different voice began whispering to her in her mind. Put simply…

But they are siblings, so what’s the problem? It’s not like I’ll be competing with Yuki for his affection. If anything, this is going to be better for me, since I’m the only one in the race now. I mean, could things get any better? Maybe I should start dancing?

That was what the little voice whispered to her. She had blindly assumed that Masachika and Yuki harbored secret feelings for each other—that her first love was destined to go nowhere. For Alisa, who had been trying to lock away her own heart by clinging to that misunderstanding, this voice was more than enough to break those chains. It was enough to make her want to dance and merrily hum alone in her room.

But the fact remained that Masachika’s heart wasn’t with her but with Yuki, and that thought alone sent Alisa’s spirits crashing down. Just imagining his gentle gaze and tender touch meant for someone else made her chest ache and stole any trace of joy from her body. She had no clue how she’d ever thought about dancing and could only ruminate on how stupid she was. His heart was undeniably with Yuki, and for now there wasn’t the slightest chance it would turn toward her…

But it’s love between siblings, right? It’s completely different from romantic feelings of love. And when it comes to romantic feelings, and if I’m not completely misreading the room…I’m pretty sure I’m Masachika’s number one pick, right? Wait a second. Is it time to dance? Let’s dance! Yeeeah! Party time! ♪

…And so, after a whole day of her feelings soaring and crashing like a roller coaster yesterday, Alisa found herself on a bit of a high. The love she had long kept locked deep in her heart had transformed into countless tiny mini-Alyas, joyfully parading around and shouting, “Yay! We’re free! ☆ ”

And from the sound of his voice, it sounds like he just woke up, and I’m pretty sure I’m the only girl who has ever stepped foot into his house this early in the morning. In other words, that makes me special, right? Giggle. ♪

And now she was here. Apparently, some girl named Ayano had been trampled by the mini-Alyas parade and completely forgotten.

Each step she made was followed by rainbows and sparkles. It was a sight hardly befitting the so-called solitary princess, but it wasn’t long before the elevator arrived. Checking her full reflection one last time in the walls of mirrors around her, she confidently pulled something from her bag—the white gloves Masachika had given her just two days prior.

The morning temperature hardly called for gloves yet, but that was irrelevant. She slipped them on immediately to ensure Masachika would notice because that was the only thing that mattered. Fully equipped and brimming with determination, she curled her bubbly smile into a provocative grin, then pressed the Kuze’s doorbell—

“Be right there… Oh, hey. Nice to meet you.”

His father ☆ opened the door…and Alisa’s face instantly went blank. The parade of tiny, triumphant mini-Alyas that had been marching proudly through her heart came to an abrupt halt as they stared ahead in stunned disbelief.

“Huh?! Ah!”

She instinctively wondered if she had the wrong apartment and quickly checked the house number and nameplate…but they were correct.

“ … ??”

Kyoutarou bowed politely with a slightly troubled smirk at the utterly confused schoolgirl.

“I’m Masachika’s father, Kyoutarou.”

“Ah! Ahhh! Sorry! Uh… I’m Alisa Mikhailovna Kujou! M-Masachika has always been such a wonderful friend! Uh … ! S-sorry for stopping by this early in the morning!”

She abruptly lowered her head, quickly stripped off both gloves, and swiftly crammed them into her bag. She wasn’t wearing anything on her hands, and nobody had witnessed a thing. At least, that was what she was going to tell herself.

“Uh… Today, I, uh…”

Alisa lifted her head back up, scrambling to come up with an excuse, but she immediately stumbled over her words before she could make a single coherent sentence. Seeing her obviously flustered, Kyoutarou gently smiled and stepped aside to give her some space to walk by.

“It’s okay. Come on in.”

Alisa bashfully hunched her shoulders and bowed repeatedly as she stepped inside, but her mind was still spinning in a whirlwind of confusion.

Why?! Why is his father here?! Why?!

Unexpectedly meeting the father of her crush had caught her entirely off guard, wiping her mind completely blank and leaving the parading mini-Alyas in her heart shouting, “Retreat!!” as they scattered about. And just like that, the flutter of excitement suddenly died…when Alisa came to an abrupt realization.

Hold on… Did I just make a horrible first impression?!

She calmly and objectively analyzed her current self. From Masachika’s perspective, who was well aware of everything that had happened, her sudden early-morning visit might seem like the act of a concerned partner. But how would Kyoutarou see her, especially since this was the first time they had ever met?

A female classmate just boldly invited herself to his son’s place early in the morning, knowing that he usually lived alone…?

There was no need to even put any thought into it. She had just showed up uninvited to a boy’s house early in the morning like it was nothing, so obviously, Kyoutarou must have pegged her as some shameless hussy who lacked both common sense and decency.

Nooo! That’s not what this is!!

Alisa desperately fought the urge to tear her hair out as she slipped her feet into the slippers Kyoutarou had put out for her.

No! Don’t get the wrong idea! I never invite myself over to boys’ houses like this! I’ve only ever been to Masachika’s place, and this is my first time coming over this early in the morning, and I have absolutely no intention of doing anything weird, and I only thought that maybe it would be nice if we could walk to school together while holding hands, and I had a few vague thoughts that maybe I could wrap my arms around his under the guise that I wanted to cheer him up because I wanted to see how he’d react, but that’s only because it’s Masachika, and it’s not because I’m some sort of overly promiscuous hussy! Aaaaaagh!

To Alisa, a perfectionist so meticulous in her dealings with the opposite sex that Masachika had jokingly called her a germaphobe, the mere implication of her chastity being questioned by the father of her crush was enough to make her inwardly shriek in silent agony. Yet loudly declaring her innocence here would be far too crass. Besides, protesting only made people look more guilty, and denying it too fervently might expose her feelings for Masachika. Therefore…

“Make yourself at home. Masachika will be here in a second after he changes.”

“All right. Thank you.”

No matter how frustrating it was, all Alisa could do now was remain silent.

Gritting her teeth and restlessly fidgeting with her fingers, she settled into the living room chair as Kyoutarou had suggested until Masachika eventually appeared, dressed in his school uniform slacks and white collared shirt.

Ah, I like him so much.

That was the first thought that came to mind as the mini-Alyas, who had scattered about, came back, filling her heart with their lively cheers and laughter.

He still looks a little sleepy. Ah, his hair’s sticking up and bouncing around in the back. He’s so cute. ♡

The distracting thought crossed her mind…until she caught a glimpse of Kyoutarou out of the corner of her eye, prompting her to hastily banish the mini-Alyas from her heart.

“Good morning, Masachika. Looking as sleepy as always, I see,” she commented with her usual composed expression, trying to sound as normal as possible.

Only after the words left her lips did she realize that this was something you would say to someone at school, not after inviting yourself into their house early in the morning. It didn’t help that she said it in front of Kyoutarou, either.

Ugh! I just got here, and I already messed up big time! Ahhh!

Though Alisa was mortified and inwardly burying her face in her hands, she couldn’t take back what had already been said, so she simply fought to maintain her composed facade. However…

“Good morning… Yeah, that’s ’cause I am sleepy,” Masachika said with a yawn, seemingly unfazed as he took a seat beside Alisa.

Once everyone was settled, Kyoutarou returned with a tray and placed a glass before each of them.

“Here, I got you something to drink. I hope you don’t dislike cocoa.”

“Oh, I love cocoa. Thank you very much.”

“My pleasure. By the way, have you eaten breakfast yet?”

“Uh…”

Caught off guard by the question, Alisa hesitated, her eyes darting nervously. The truth was, she hadn’t eaten breakfast yet because she wasn’t able to come up with a good excuse to leave the house early that morning. Claiming she was on cleaning duty today would have been problematic since she was leaving far too early for that, and saying it was student council work wouldn’t hold because her sister was also a member. Therefore, she had no choice but to leave a note for her family saying that she had left early, then slip out the door before anyone woke up. She did, however, stop by a convenience store on the way and had bought a sandwich she was planning to eat sometime later.

But how can I even tell him that? It’s not like I can tell him I came over without even getting my parents’ permission. Should I just leave that part out of my story? Then again…I can’t lie any more and tell him I ate, since I already hesitated. It would be unnatural. Wait. Hold on… Hmm?

Blindsided by the sudden turn of events and reeling from her own blunder, her thoughts churned in useless circles, refusing to settle. But before long, Kyoutarou gently curled his lips and tilted his head, apparently having realized she hadn’t eaten.

“If you haven’t eaten yet, then how about you have breakfast with us? We’re having leftovers from last night if that’s okay…”

“…”

Honestly, it was a somewhat—no, quite —tempting offer. After all, the rich aroma of curry had been wafting through the air for the past few minutes, and the mention of leftovers just now confirmed her suspicions. The Kuze family’s breakfast that morning was definitely homemade curry that had been simmering overnight.

The wonderful smell has absolutely destroyed any interest I had in this sandwich.

Although Alisa’s stomach was fiercely stirred by the strong scent of curry, she lacked the nerve to impose herself on their breakfast.

“Thank you very much for the offer, but don’t worry about me. I ate a little before I left the house this morning.”

Even Alisa was impressed by her own swift, clever lie. She hadn’t exactly eaten breakfast, but she had eaten a little—enough that her hesitation when asked if she’d had breakfast wasn’t suspicious. Plus, it implied that she hadn’t come without her parents’ permission. Simply put, it was a very good lie—one she inwardly congratulated herself for. However, Kyoutarou, being a parent himself, wasn’t so easily convinced.

“You only ate a ‘little’ before you left? That’s no good. You’re a growing young woman. You need to eat.”

“Oh, no. Really, I…”

“Don’t be shy. We’re about to eat, too, and I’d feel terrible making you just sit there waiting while we ate. Besides, the more the merrier, so just eat what you can, okay?”

“Uh…”

There was no way she could bring up that she had bought a sandwich, either, since she had already claimed she’d eaten something, and faced with the overwhelming scent of curry, Alisa’s self-control began to waver…

“Okay… Thank you.”

Before she even realized it, she was nodding, and Kyoutarou smiled with evident satisfaction.

“Don’t worry. We’re having curry, so just scoop up as much or as little as you’d like and enjoy yourself. Oh, are you fine with having curry this early in the morning?”

I knew it was curry , Alisa thought as she nodded.

“Of course. I love curry.”

“I’m glad. Oh, hey.”

Kyoutarou then casually asked:

“Can you eat spicy food?”

Alisa was suddenly engulfed by a dread so overwhelming that her survival instincts began howling in alarm.

Ah, I can feel it. It’s still far…but it’s there.

Ever since she, Masachika, and Yuki had eaten that really spicy ramen together, Alisa had been regularly challenging herself with intensely hot dishes to build up her spice tolerance. And before she knew it, she could sense its presence—the presence of the grim reaper—wielding a crimson scythe and wearing a necklace threaded with countless habaneros as it waited to render her unconscious and steal her soul.

This is bad… Experience tells me that the fact I can already detect its presence means I’m in serious danger…

But no matter how loudly her instincts screamed, Alisa wouldn’t back down—not in front of Masachika. After all, what had she been working so hard for? For moments like this!

“…Yes, I love spicy food,” she replied with a determined smile, her fists tightly clenched in her lap. Kyoutarou smiled back, seemingly relieved.

“Really? I’m relieved because I made the curry a little spicy this time.”

Alisa was also somewhat relieved to hear it was only a “little” spicy, but even then, she needed to make sure just in case.

“Do you love spicy food, too…like Masachika does?”

“Hmm? Oh, no. I’m not particularly fond of spicy food.”

“Really? Interesting.”

Only then did Alisa finally feel true relief, and understandably so. After all, how could Alisa have possibly known of Kyoutarou’s unrefined palate, since this was the first time they had ever met? Unknown to her, his taste preferences were already somewhat peculiar, and his tolerance for sweetness, saltiness, sourness, and bitterness far exceeded the average person’s as well.

Masachika’s father could easily eat obnoxiously sweet desserts with a straight face—desserts that would make even someone with a sweet tooth wince. He could nonchalantly drink tea so bitter that even an entertainer on a travel TV show would involuntarily spit it out. This held true for spicy food, and even foul odors, which would result in him simply commenting, “Oh, wow. That’s really something, huh?” However, this broad tolerance for food was, in a way, an asset for him as a diplomat, enabling him to eat local cuisine without issue.

But that was beside the point, because right now, that unrefined palate of his had become a cruel trap for Alisa.

I guess the grim reaper’s presence was only my imagination… I’m probably being way too sensitive. But, yeah, it makes sense. If it really was super spicy, then Masachika would have said something like he did last time.

Seeing Masachika quietly sipping his cocoa, Alisa further relaxed her guard and brought her own cup to her lips. Unfortunately for her, Masachika was still dwelling on yesterday’s events and was completely distracted. Additionally, he was sleep-deprived, as well as having just woken up, so his mind wasn’t fully processing his surroundings. The fact that his father was offering Alisa curry for breakfast barely even registered.

“Anyway, come on over. Take as much curry and rice as you’d like.”

“Thank you very much. I guess I could eat a little more…”

“You too, Masachika.”

“Hmm? Yeah…”

And so, Alisa stepped into the kitchen with her guard completely down.

Wow, it smells even better close up. It has a slightly distinctive aroma to it that makes me wonder if it’s some sort of authentic, homemade dish that uses a ton of different spices.

Enticed by the appetizing aroma of the curry, Alisa took Kyoutarou up on his offer—still mindful that she had claimed to have “eaten a little” beforehand—and served herself only half a bowl of rice. However, as she lifted the lid of the curry pot, she narrowed her eyes at the rising steam and aroma…

What the…?

She immediately sensed the presence of the grim reaper. This wasn’t her imagination, either, for death was clearly closer than before. Though its scythe was still out of range, she could feel its gaze boring into her as the nape of her neck tingled.

Wait. You’re kidding, right? It looks so delicious…and I don’t see anything red or even dangerous-looking in it?

Inside the pot was something that resembled an extremely thick curry with a slightly dark tint. No obviously dangerous ingredients were visible, but…perhaps they could have seamlessly dissolved into the roux.

“ … !!”

A shiver of dread ran down her spine, but it was too late since she had already served herself some rice. Masachika had also just placed the rice paddle down after scooping himself some and was waiting for her. In other words, there was no time for hesitation.

I’ll just take as little as possible…while making sure it doesn’t look unnatural…

Slowly and carefully, she tilted the ladle, pouring the curry onto the plate.

Is this enough…?

When the rice-to-curry ratio was roughly 5:3, she ceased her ladling and swiftly retreated with an air of innocence.

All right, that should do it! I’ve got a ton of rice, so I should be fine!

Satisfied with herself, Alisa waited for the others to join her at the table. Masachika promptly caught up with her and was followed seconds later by Kyoutarou, both carrying their own plates of curry. However…

“Oh, hold on.”

As soon as Kyoutarou placed his plate on the table, he immediately went back to the kitchen and returned with the pot of curry in hand.

…Hmm?

Alisa had a bad feeling in her gut, but Kyoutarou simply smiled.

“There’s still a tiny bit of curry left, so do you think you two could eat a little more?”

The moment he saw Alisa’s plate, his eyes widened in surprise, sending her into a panic. Uh-oh. I’ve been caught , she thought.

“Oh, you hardly got any curry. You don’t have to be polite.”

“Me? No, I’m—”

Though Alisa attempted to decline, Kyoutarou paid her no mind casually ladling the last of the curry onto her plate before serving Masachika as well.

Ah…!

And just like that, she was left with a plate of curry rice with a roughly 3:4 ratio of rice to curry. Her sneaky attempt to reduce how much curry she would eat had spectacularly backfired, leaving her with even more curry than she would have had otherwise. If she had simply gone with a 1:1 ratio, then Kyoutarou probably would have eaten the rest himself.

Ack! It’s getting closer… It’s getting even closer…

She could sense death lurking several meters behind her, but merely detecting its presence was meaningless. All she could do now was brace herself and face the challenge head-on.

I-I’ll be fine. It’s going to take a lot more than a single strike to take me out…as long as I prepare… I have my cocoa for backup, too, just in case.

Although Kyoutarou had brought her some water, it would do little against the overwhelming spiciness. Her half-finished cocoa was the only dependable lifeline she had, making her deeply regret already drinking so much of her only potion.

It’s going to be okay! This is only half a serving of curry, to boot! I can handle half!

Encouraging herself with seemingly logical yet fundamentally flawed reasoning, Alisa fortified her mental defenses while bringing her hands together.

“““Thanks for breakfast.”””

Finally scooping up the curry, she thrust it into her mouth with determination—and was immediately met with the sweet and spicy roux flooding her palate.

Huh? It’s not spicy? If anything, it’s really sweet and delicious…

It was an unexpectedly pleasant taste. In fact, she could sense the grim reaper she had felt lurking behind her turn around and start to leave.