Side Story: Sumire and Mihaya

“Mm-hm-hmm... Mm-hm-hmm...”

Mihaya’s soft humming resounded in our little paradise high in the sky. Even without any accompaniment, she sang the melody in perfect pitch. Just hearing it was enough to calm me down.

I closed my eyes and let her angelic voice wash over me. It was only humming, not even singing, but it was more than enough.

After placing my now-empty cup on the table, I rested my head on Mihaya’s shoulder. It was the kind of pleasant moment we always shared while enjoying our tea. When the two of us were alone, Mihaya was happy to keep sitting with me this way. We were in our own private world. Even the other Sky Salon members wouldn’t invade this idyllic space of ours without a fair warning.

That’s why I can release my inhibitions and indulge as much as I want!

Just then, though, Mihaya nudged me with her shoulder and hissed, “Sumire. Sumire!” Her voice sounded exceptionally impatient, and she started scooting her chair inch by inch as if to get away from me.

Puzzled, I opened my eyes and sat up.

“Someone’s watching us,” she explained, her lips barely moving and her eyes downcast.

With a glance, she gestured toward the entrance to our private area. I looked in the same direction and saw a figure nervously hovering there. The intruder let out a quiet gasp when our eyes met. From her hairstyle, I knew immediately who it was.

“You don’t need to hide, Misaki. You can come over.”

After I welcomed her, she finally showed her face properly with an apologetic expression. “I’m so sorry. I could hear Mihaya’s voice, and I just ended up being drawn to it.”

“I can’t blame you, I suppose.” If there was anyone who didn’t find Mihaya’s singing voice utterly charming, I’d certainly never met them.

“Are you by yourself? Is Himeko not here yet?”

“Lady Himeko had to go to a meeting today, so she’ll be a little late.”

“Oh, I see. She has a lot on her plate, doesn’t she?”

I couldn’t believe a young lady the same age as me had to work as the deputy chairman of the board. It came down to who her family was, so she couldn’t do much about it, but still.

That being said, she does seem to be enjoying herself more than last year. I see her smiling a lot more often. Making Misaki her Seraph has taken a load off her mind.

“In that case, why don’t you stay with us for a little while? I haven’t had much chance to talk to you yet, so it would be a nice opportunity.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind?” Misaki asked.

“Not at all!”

Given the way she and Himeko were joined at the hip—which was only to be expected, since Misaki was Himeko’s Seraph—there weren’t all that many chances to get to know each other despite how much time we all spent in the Sky Salon.

It was my fault, too, of course. Even if I didn’t mean to, I spent so much time with Mihaya alone. Actually, I hadn’t found time to talk to Kagura’s new Seraph yet either.

“Is Kirara around by any chance?” I asked.

“She is, but the Kokonoe sisters are holding her prisoner.”

“Oh dear, that sounds like a pain. Well, never mind.”

As older and more experienced Seraphs, the twins were no doubt teaching Kirara all kinds of things. They probably kept her very busy.

“Feel free to come and sit with us. Mihaya, could you get another chair for Misaki?”

“Certainly.”

“Don’t worry, I can get it myself!” she said politely.

“No need for that. Mihaya can take care of it.”

Misaki seemed not to understand this yet, but ladies with their own Seraphs basically never asked anyone else to take care of things for them. Otherwise, how could you proudly show off your own Seraph’s hard work?

Everyone always thinks their own Seraph is the absolute best. Himeko’s the same way, I know. That’s why she keeps Misaki right by her side the whole time. Teehee! I wonder when Misaki will pick up on that?

“Here you go,” Mihaya said a few moments later, presenting a chair. It was rare to see three around our table. It was a new feeling.

“Thank you very much,” Misaki said, taking a seat. With a polite bow of her head, she continued, “I appreciate you having me as well. I’m sorry for barging in.”

“Don’t worry about it. You’re a Sky Salon member, just like us. You’re welcome here anytime—although I suppose it won’t be possible except when Himeko’s not around.”

“I guess congratulations are in order for having a mistress who shows you so much affection,” Mihaya murmured, sounding deeply impressed.

“Yes, at first I was surprised to hear that she’d made a brand-new student into her Seraph, but your meeting was quite fortuitous, wasn’t it?”

“I suppose so. That’s definitely how I feel by this point.” She nodded with a sentimental expression, as if she was reflecting back on that special day.

“You didn’t have much interest in being a maid before this, isn’t that right?” I asked.

“Huh? Well, uhm, to be completely honest, it’s more like I had no interest whatsoever.”

That was pretty rare at this school. It was almost unheard of for someone to join the Domestic Arts program unless they planned on working as a maid in the long term. However, Misaki definitely wasn’t the only one.

“You are an exception to the rule, but actually, so is Mihaya. She has no real interest in being a maid either.”

“Really?” Misaki replied.

“Isn’t that right, Mihaya?”

“Don’t put me on the spot like that!” Mihaya insisted.

“It’s true, though. Think about it: I’m Mihaya’s mistress, but what does she call me?”

Misaki thought for a moment before replying, “Come to think of it, she just calls you ‘Sumire,’ right?”

“She does indeed. How often do you think that happens around here?”

“Almost never, I guess. There aren’t any Domestic Arts students who would talk to a Societal Arts student so informally. Even the Kokonoe sisters don’t do it.”

“Hehe, well observed. Even they maintain the bare minimum level of respect for their mistress. Mihaya and I don’t bother with that, though.”

“Why is that?” Misaki asked.

“Do you really want to know?”

“Yes.” She nodded her head with a look of honest curiosity.

“Sumire, you don’t need to tell her about this!”

“Come on, I’m allowed to talk about my own Seraph, aren’t I? Seeing a fresh-faced pair like Himeko and Misaki makes me all the more eager.”

“Fine. I’ll go and make tea for Misaki, so you tell her while I’m gone, all right? Honestly, Sumire!”

She always got self-conscious like this when she became the subject of discussion. It was cute to see, at least!

“Let’s go for it, then. Misaki, come closer and I’ll tell you all about how Mihaya and I realized we were made for each other.”

“Okay.” Misaki moved her chair a bit nearer to me.

“The first time we ever met was at my tenth birthday party.”

✤

Yes, it was six years ago now, but I still had a vivid memory of how Mihaya had looked as a child.

Although the event was officially presented as “Sumire Miyamori’s Birthday Party,” it was nothing remotely like the name would suggest. All the guests were adults wearing suits, with not even a single child my age attending. You could have called it anything else and no one would have batted an eyelid. Everyone who arrived did come up to me to offer their congratulations and best wishes, but as soon as they were done, they immediately started talking to my father or the other guests and paid me no further attention.

For them, the birthday party was just a pretext, and their real purpose was quite different. They were all there to meet in the hopes of learning any tidbits of information that might help them advance in their careers. It was essentially a political fundraiser, with the key difference being that they didn’t have to pay any membership dues.

My father, who was just starting out as a member of parliament, had to expand his network, so he was using my birthday party to bring together friendly politicians, supporters, big shots from major companies, and so on. I was there purely as window dressing.

Of course, I wasn’t such a child that I would be annoyed by something like that. I knew my father loved me, and he didn’t hesitate to show it, so I was willing to help him out even if it wasn’t what I really wanted. When the people in suits came to say happy birthday, as the situation demanded, I presented them with the biggest smile I could, determined to show my father in the best possible light.

“Why, thank you so much,” I’d say to them—the same exchange more times than I could count. Overly formal birthday wishes got an overly formal reply.

After repeating this enough, I passed the point of being bored by it and actually grew quite impressed with my father. He’s managed to attract a lot of people. Maybe he really has a future in politics.

The only problem was, I was getting really worn out. Just sitting politely was all well and good, but I hadn’t even eaten any of my cake yet. Secretly, I was struck with the desire to cut and run, but I was the ceremonial star of the show, so that wouldn’t have been right.

That was when she appeared: someone who didn’t fit in with the others at all. More accurately, she was the kind of person who should have been there, and it was the others who didn’t fit.

“Are you Sumire? Erm, Miss Sumire, rather?” asked the girl. “My dad told me he couldn’t be bothered to wish you a happy birthday himself, so he asked me to do it.”

She was around the same age as me, standing there in a red party dress that she didn’t look very comfortable in. Her sour expression didn’t match the birthday wishes she’d come over to give me.

“I’m Mihaya,” she said.

Her voice is beautiful. What does it remind me of?

“The sound of a bell,” I murmured once it occurred to me.

Her eyes widened in surprise. “How did you know that?”

“Huh?” Wondering if I’d said something wrong, I blushed in embarrassment.

“That’s exactly what my surname means. Suzunone—the sound of a bell.”

“What a wonderful name!” It fit her to a tee.

“Who cares about my name? What I want to know is why there are no other kids here. The only reason my dad brought me was because it was meant to be a birthday party for a girl my age.”

“Well, you know, there are reasons. The party’s actually just an excuse for all these grown-ups to get together.”

“I don’t get it. It’s supposed to be your birthday party. You don’t care that no one’s celebrating it?”

“It’s still a celebration. The venue and the food are all for my sake.”

“It’s nothing like any birthday parties I’ve ever been to.”

“I suppose not. Some of them are like this, though.”

“Well, I think it’s weird.”

I giggled. After her honest, suitably childlike statement, I couldn’t help it. I was entirely used to it, but she was right; it was weird. She’d brought that feeling out of me.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing. It’s just refreshing to hear someone say that. Did you already eat? Was the cake nice?”

“I haven’t eaten a thing. We only just got here.”

“Oh, really? Then why not come and have some with me? I haven’t had a bite to eat yet either.”

“Even though the cake is for your birthday?”

“Yep, that’s right. It’s for me, but I still haven’t had any.”

“So weird.”

“You’re right. It really is weird.”

I took Mihaya by the hand and stood up. I’d had enough of being a doll for now. “Let’s go. I’m too hungry to keep sitting around.”

“Is it okay for you to leave your seat?”

“It’ll be fine.”

The real focus of the event was my father, anyway. It wouldn’t matter in the slightest if I wasn’t there.

Mihaya and I went over and had some of the cake and sandwiches laid out for the party. Then, after letting my father’s assistant know and promising we wouldn’t leave the building, we left the party hall.

“That cake was yummy.” Mihaya still had crumbs around her mouth. Her eyes sparkled.

“Yes, it was the yummiest cake I’ve ever had in my life.”

I’m sure that’s because Mihaya ate it with me. It had been way, way more delicious than any cake I’d eaten while surrounded by grown-ups.

I told her, “You know, I really want to be your friend. Actually, no, I want you to be my friend.”

I used my index finger to wipe away some cream stuck to Mihaya’s face, then brought it up to my mouth and licked it off. Seeing that drove Mihaya into a tizzy. She hurried to wipe her own face, but it was too late.

“I don’t mind,” she replied, “but I’m worried my dad’ll take advantage of it.”

“You’re saying that if you and I become friends, your father will try to capitalize on our affiliation?”

“Erm, maybe. Depends on what those words mean.”

“I’m saying your father could try to use me to pressure my father to act in a way suits your father’s needs. Was that what you were getting at?”

“Oh, right. Yeah, something like that.”

“In that case, I don’t really mind. There are already plenty of people trying to do that kind of thing. I’m not a little kid who worries about that kind of thing.”

“You are a little kid, though.”

“Hehe, I suppose. Still, whatever ulterior motives he might have, I’m pretty sure you’ll only be paying attention to me—Sumire Miyamori, the individual. Beyond that, whatever your father might do has nothing to do with me. To me, he’s just another person playing the game. What I care about is my relationship with you. That’s all.”

“Then that sounds fine, I guess. Don’t you have any other friends, though?”

“I have plenty of people I could describe as friends, but none I can really play with.”

Sadly, all the girls my age were looking for what they could gain from my friendship. They were looking straight past me and only seeing my father standing behind me. I didn’t have anyone I could say was a true friend. I had known a few children who seemed like they could have become proper friends with me, but too much time had passed, and now it was too late to start again from scratch.

If I was going to make a friend, it had to be someone I could be open with about everything from the very start and then keep spending time with. With Mihaya, I believed that was possible. It felt real.

“I think playing with you would be really good fun, Mihaya.”

“Oh, erm, I think so too, maybe.” She shuffled her feet, looking very bashful indeed. Even this reaction was thoroughly refreshing. I’d never had this type of person in my life before. “Yeah, I’d like being friends with a girl as pretty as you, Sumire. Wait, is it okay to just call you ‘Sumire’? If we’re friends, I don’t need to use ‘Miss’ or anything, right?”

“Right! That sounds perfect.” I nodded with a beaming smile.

After that, we talked for a long while. We covered our likes, our dislikes, and more. I told her things I’d never told anyone, including every gripe I had about my life.

“Wow, so rich girls have it pretty tough as well. I figured you’d be living a life of luxury doing whatever you wanted all the time.”

“No chance of that, I’m afraid. I have so many obligations that freedom is a distant prospect indeed.”

“No wonder you can say complicated things like that when you’re still only my age.”

“Hehehe. Still, I feel like I managed to get one kind of freedom today: the freedom to have a friend I can talk to about anything.” I gave her a wink.

“Hey, now that we’re friends, I’d better give you a birthday present.”

“Oh, you’re going to give me a gift?”

“Sure. I can give you a song.”

After saying that, she stood up and turned to face me. Then, ever so softly, she began to sing.

For the first time, my heart trembled. I felt her singing voice conjure up all sorts of images within me: gentle sunlight falling upon a clear lake’s surface, a world of pure white feathers dancing in the wind, flowers blooming beautifully as far as the eye could see. The sound of it was too pleasant for words. I’d never been so moved by a song before.

This was not only because of her voice, but because of the song itself. To my surprise, Mihaya was improvising the whole thing on the spot, both the lyrics and the melody. I listened as intently as I could, careful not to let even a single word slip by unheard.

The song was a crystallization of everything Mihaya felt after having met me that day: the change in perspective after originally not wanting to meet me, the experience of getting to know each other, and the discovery that she really liked me. Because of all that, she wanted to wish me a happy birthday from the bottom of her heart.

By the time she finished singing, my vision was blurry with tears.

“That’s not fair. I never thought you’d sing so wonderfully, or that you’d fill me with such joy. It’s too much!” To ensure she didn’t see my disheveled face, I buried my head in her chest. “It’s the best birthday present I’ve ever gotten in my whole life.”

“I’ve never met anyone who made me feel this happy before either,” she replied in an embarrassed tone, holding me gently. “Happy birthday, Sumire.”

“Thank you, Mihaya.”

✤

“That was how Mihaya and I became friends. By now, we’ve become very close friends indeed.”

With a kind smile, Misaki replied, “Wow, that sounds really lovely.”

“It was. If I had one complaint, though, it’s that even though we ended up going to the same school, we had to be in different programs.”

“There’s no way around that,” Mihaya interjected, reappearing. Her timing was impeccable. “You and I have always lived in different worlds, Sumire. I have no complaints about being your Seraph because at least that way I get to be with you. It’s not like I don’t know how you really feel about me.”

“Of course. We’ve whispered about it enough times while sleeping in the same bed.”

“What?! But... I... Don’t say things like that, you dolt!”

It looked like I’d hit a nerve somehow. Even though she’d only just gotten back, she sped away again at high speed.

“Uhm, so you and Mihaya sleep in the same bed too?” Misaki asked.

“Hmm, that ‘too’ is intriguing. I suppose you and Himeko must sleep together as well?”

“Lady Himeko says that when I’m staying over to serve her in her room, it’s a normal part of my duties. It sounds like that’s true... right?”

“Yes, absolutely. Letting you sleep in her bed is a sign of her strong trust in you. It’s very common between Seraphs and mistresses who get along really well.”

“I see! So it’s not just Lady Himeko finding a convenient excuse to get what she wants. Right?”

“No, don’t worry. I understand it might be a bit bewildering to you, since the academy has all kinds of unique rules and systems, but I can assure you that Himeko wouldn’t just make that up. She is the deputy chairman of the board, after all. She’s a responsible person.”

“Fair enough. Thanks, it’s reassuring to hear that from you, Lady Sumire.”

I chuckled. Himeko’s really made quick work of getting to that point, though. She must really like Misaki. Well, I suppose when they met purely due to a cosmic coincidence, time doesn’t really matter.

Suddenly, Misaki looked in the direction Mihaya had run off and asked in a hushed tone, “Does Mihaya plan on becoming a professional singer, or is she going to work as your maid after graduating?”

She must have seen herself in some of the details she’s learned about Mihaya today. It makes sense that she’d be wondering about Mihaya’s future.

“I’ve never heard Mihaya say that she wants to be a singer. She likes singing, but I don’t think she wants to turn it into a career. It seems more likely that she’ll be my personal maid and live with me. You never know, though—people change their minds. Maybe she’ll want to be a professional singer after all.”

“What would you do in that case?”

“Good question.” I’d never thought about it before. “I want to support her in everything she does, of course, but there is a part of me that wishes I could keep her voice all to myself, so I might be a little upset. In the end, though, I think I’d accept whatever decision Mihaya made. If she did become a singer, I bet she’d be really successful. Maybe I’d end up being the one helping her out. Wouldn’t that be fun!”

“I see. Fair enough.”

“The future’s not something you decide on once and then it’s set in stone forever. You’ll come to all kinds of forks in the road, so if you see a path that looks more interesting, it’s fine to switch to that one, don’t you think?”

“Huh.”

It sounded like Misaki didn’t really understand what I was getting at. I’m surprised, Misaki! I thought you were starting to have doubts about your own plans for the future, but it sounds like you’re not even aware of that yourself yet.

I decided it was better not to pester her too much. “Anyway, if you ever need any help or advice, come to me whenever you like. It would make me happy to know that you trust me.”

“Thank you so much. I’ll keep that in mind if I run into trouble!”

After that, we engaged in some aimless small talk for a while. Then, at one point, Misaki suddenly gasped. “It sounds like Lady Himeko’s here. Do you mind if I go?”

“Oh, really?”

How does she know? I didn’t see or hear any sign of her arrival.

It seemed odd, but then I focused a little and I really could hear Himeko’s voice faintly off in the distance.

Her Seraph would be the one to notice first, I suppose! It must mean she’s really happy to know Himeko’s there.

“Yes, I hear her too. Of course, you’re free to go. It was good fun chatting with you today. I’m glad we got to spend this time together.”

“Me too. I hope I get to talk to Mihaya next time as well.”

“Hehe, indeed. Next time I might have to tie her down so she can’t run away.”

“I’m going, then. Goodbye!”

“Goodbye.”

Once Misaki was gone, having cheerfully headed back to her mistress’ side, I murmured to no one in particular, “Maybe I don’t even need to tie her down. Maybe she was listening all along.”

A lone stealthy figure appeared from behind me. “Yes, I was listening. I wish I could have talked to her as well, but I couldn’t after you said that.”

“Hehehe, I just wanted to boast about how close we are. It sounds like Himeko and Misaki are at that level as well, so it made me feel a little competitive, even though that isn’t normally my nature.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to think about my feelings if you’re using me as an example, you know.”

“Are you angry?”

“I wouldn’t say angry, but if you want to make up for it, maybe you could wash my hair tonight?”

Mihaya came and hugged me from behind. Her auburn hair flowed down over me. I wrapped a lock around my finger and gently pressed my lips to it.

“All right, I don’t mind. For today, you’re the mistress, Mihaya.”

“I’m a cruel mistress, so I hope you’re ready to face my wrath.”

“I know. Only, if I do a good job, I want to be properly rewarded. You even can pay me in advance if you want.”

I let go of the hair I’d scooped up and turned my head to look at her.

“What a hopeless servant you are,” she said in an exasperated tone.

Then, Mihaya slowly brought her face closer to mine.