Prologue
Prologue
“STAY with me forever, please.”
Whoooosh... The wisteria blooming magnificently on the trellis rustled despite the distinct lack of wind.
“Stay by my side forever, okay?” the little girl said with a smile. There was a mysterious quality behind her otherwise innocent expression.
The girl was only four years old, yet that expression mesmerized the sixteen-year-old boy, stealing his heart... It made him unable to bear the idea of leaving her. As her “chosen one,” he was under orders to protect this small girl with his life.
The two were beneath the breathtaking trellis, its wisteria in full bloom. As the boy enjoyed his book, the little girl stopped playing with the flower petals to crawl toward him and thrust out her tiny, white pinky finger.
“Promise me...won’t you?” she urged.
“Certainly, Miss,” the youth promptly replied with the utmost respect.
The brief cloud of uncertainty on the girl’s face instantly switched to a joyous smile. It was the gentle, all-embracing smile of an angel... As if in tune with her joy, the petals that already shed their flowery bodies to nestle upon the earth rustled as they began to dance in the air around the girl. Seeing her take delight in the flowery display filled the boy with joy. Grinning, he wrapped his own pinky finger around the one she held out before him.
“It’s a promise...Shindo,” the girl said, smiling with a heart as pure as an angel, brimming with kindness and compassion.
“As you say, Miss Satsuki,” Shindo responded. He gazed into her eyes before returning her smile. Only when looking at Satsuki would his eyes, which were colder than ice, grow so soft and gentle.
The two exchanged their feelings through interlocked fingers. She simply wanted him to be with her... He merely wanted to stay by her side... The feelings they harbored for the other were undiluted and pure.
Such was the nature of the “promise” made under the wisteria trellis. Given by hearts horrifyingly innocent and woefully pure...it was a promise impossible to keep.
Rather than tumble to the ground, the wisteria petals continued to dance endlessly around the two. As if trying to hide them as they made their foolish promise, the pale purple petals flittered up one after the next, only to rain daintily back down... As they fluttered down, it almost seemed as though the petals were trying to conceal the innocent love blossoming between the two...as if they knew what the future held...as if they were wrought with pity...and wept for two foolish children.
***
14 Years Later
“IF you had the ability to read minds, what would you do?”
The bizarre question drew bug-eyed stares from both men.
“Really, now. That childish flight of fantasy is a rather strange thing to ask, miss,” said one of the men. There’s no such thing! This brat gives me the heebie-jeebies! I swear, I can’t tell what’s going through Little Miss Daydreamer’s head.
He was a stout man with a slightly receding hairline. President of Takai & Co., he had clawed his way from the bottom all the way up. He may have been passionate about work, but he was also extremely passionate about women. Case in point, his head had been filled with nothing but nudes of the beautiful girl before him who asked that random question.
“You shouldn’t put her down, Father. Satsuki only said it as a joke. Isn’t that right, Satsuki?” said the other man. I wish I had that power. Then I could see how the hell the gears in her head turn and play her like a fiddle till that haughty expression on her pretty face crumbles into a sobbing mess.
This man was wearing a suit somewhat inappropriate for new money. Approaching his thirtieth year, he would follow in his father’s footsteps and take over Takai & Co. He wasn’t particularly gifted and most women wouldn’t find him terribly attractive. Yet thanks to the power of money, he never suffered for want of a woman’s company.
However, not even he could lay his mitts on this girl, who was several rungs higher than him on the social ladder. As if to vent his frustration, his mind had been racing with nothing but wild fantasies of forcing himself on the girl who sat gracefully before them carrying a teacup to her charming lips in a fluid motion.
He imagined disheveling the girl’s beautiful black hair that flowed like silk, tearing the pale emerald green dress right off of her, and raping her as she begged for mercy... He was completely oblivious that her mind “read” all of it without fail...
“If someone had that power, you could hardly call them human anymore,” Satsuki remarked. She held the men helplessly spellbound as she offered such a bewitching smile, it was hard to believe it came from a girl on the verge of turning eighteen. “They would be a monster.”
Yes, that’s right. And monsters like that don’t exist, Little Miss.
If those monsters of yours are real, I’d sure love to see one!
“......” As if to shield herself from these leering fools who assumed she was utterly oblivious, Satsuki softly shut the door to her heart.
***
FROM an early age, people sung praises that the young lady was “delicate as a flower; beautiful as an angel.” Boasting tremendous talent, she also became renowned as the “Tsujikawa Sacred Blade.”
This young lady was Satsuki Tsujikawa, the only daughter to the president of the Tsujikawa Corporation. In contrast to her raven-black hair that reached to her waist, her perfect skin was porcelain white. She had intelligent, fragile eyes and adorable pink lips that never ceased to smile.
Although she was charming from her early years, Satsuki’s beauty only seemed to increase with age... It was hardly surprising for men to entertain obscene fantasies when their eyes fell upon her.
There was one more reason behind her title. Satsuki possessed “inhuman powers.” Some might call them “supernatural powers.”
From the time she was formed as a baby in her mother’s womb, Satsuki spoke to her parents. Even as a newborn infant lacking the gift of speech, she continued to communicate telepathically.
Neither of Satsuki’s parents possessed a supernatural power of any kind. In essence, she was the product of a spontaneous mutation.
Despite her unique abilities, neither of her parents treated her with hatred or loathing. They raised her with the same loving care they would have if she were normal. There was always the possibility Satsuki could lose these abilities someday. Or so they hoped. But instead of fading away, Satsuki’s powers seemed to be growing stronger with each passing year.
***
“SOON... He should be back any minute now,” Satsuki said. Surrounded by the gentle flowers, she lightly shut her eyes as a happy smile spread across her lips. “Hurry home...”
She was eagerly awaiting the man who served as her retainer.
“...Shindo...”
Aside from her parents, he was the only soul who knew of her powers.
***
“I nearly failed to make it in time, didn’t I?” he whispered as the car raced along the Tsujikawa mansion’s seemingly endless front gate. Shut tight, the towering gate reaching to the heavens denied all entry to outsiders.
Once he finally pulled up to the front entrance, the security system mounted to the gate identified the car before silently sliding open. He was in an obsidian black Mercedes Benz, its coat a beautiful, deep black. As he entered the Tsujikawa estate, it was hard to believe this long road lined with trees was part of a privately owned fenced-off property.
By the time the front lawn finally came into view, he veered to the left, heading toward the detached garage. Usually, he would drive through the front lawn and park at the mansion’s front door. However, he only did that when his “little lady” was present.
Whenever he was alone, he would simply head straight for the garage to park the car. But this time, he pulled the car to a stop in the driveway on the way to the garage. Two of his male subordinates stood blocking the path, their hands held out as if to say, “Please stop!”
The man slightly furrowed his brows. Both of his subordinates appeared horribly distraught. Only one thing could happen while he was away that warranted hopping out of the car immediately upon his return.
“Has something happened to the Miss?” he asked in a tight voice while sliding out of the driver’s seat.
Held under his stern gaze, the two subordinates—both either his age or a little younger—gulped and straightened their posture. Boasting a well-proportioned physique that towered a solid 6’1”, the young man made for an imposing figure. The deeply chiseled features of his handsome face were well defined. An air of coldness looming over his almond-shaped eyes negated any sense of human warmth. Yet as if in contrast to such harsh airs, his appearance was lightened by a mop of soft, wavy hair. While it appeared black at first glance, his hair held a slightly silver shimmer when hit by the sunlight. His young mistress was particularly fond of his wavy hair.
“Honestly, we haven’t been able to find her for over an hour,” one of the subordinates answered.
I suspected as much... the young man thought. A dry chuckle slipped out upon receiving the answer he had anticipated. This often happened when he wasn’t by his little lady’s side. The sole heiress of the Tsujikawa line—Satsuki—would slip away from ten or so attendants assigned to serve at her beck and call.
“Understood. I shall search for her personally. I would appreciate it if you could tell the others and inform them I don’t require any assistance in the matter,” he said. After issuing instructions to park the car in the garage, he cut across the driveway and slipped through the trees.
This young man was Akira Shindo, the highest ranking of the attendants. Not only was he Satsuki’s retainer and personal butler, he also served as her bodyguard. He received the position shortly after Satsuki was born, and served her ever since. Regardless of what they did or where they went, he remained at her side, never stepping away for so much as a moment. Needless to say, Satsuki placed absolute trust in him.
No matter how inseparable the two were, with Shindo’s sharp mind and intimate knowledge of Tsujikawa’s internal affairs, Master Tsujikawa had placed him in charge of information management at the Tsujikawa Corporation headquarters. As a result, there were times—if infrequent—he would have to leave Satsuki’s side.
Whenever duty pulled him away, he’d ask the other attendants to stay with her, but... Bluntly put, the simple fact of the matter was none of the other attendants were able to handle looking after such a “reckless, unruly young lady.” Excluding Shindo, there were nine attendants on hand, yet they still made a disgrace of themselves. It made it painfully clear just how well he managed Satsuki on a day-to-day basis.
“My little lady is quite the handful... Honestly, you’d think she is still a child...” Although his words may have sounded exasperated to someone in passing, his voice was overall kind, carrying a tone that seemed rather happy.
“Miss...” he whispered softly in his heart.
***
“I have a feeling she’s over there...” Shindo whispered. He pushed forward as he looked up at the sprawl of trees on either side before ultimately coming to a stop.
Whooosh... The trees rattled with a passing breeze...almost as if they were whispering to him—like they were trying to tell him something.
Shindo narrowed his eyes as he listened to the voice of the wind, a special privilege bequeathed only to him. Satsuki trusted him wholeheartedly, which earned him the respect of the wind and trees. That was how he was able to feel their “emotions” despite not possessing any powers of his own.
“I see. Thank you,” Shindo chuckled contentedly and offered his gratitude before hurrying over to his young mistress.
***
“SHINDO...?” Satsuki quietly called.
The hand she held out to catch a falling petal slightly twitched. Plopped down on the ground, she craned her head as she shifted her gaze toward the plants across the walkway.
Lavender rain began pouring from overhead. It was a shower of flower petals. They belonged to the large, elegant wisteria growing on the trellis. Twining and coiling through the trellis, its graceful beauty dominated that space. The explosion of flowers was so magnificent, any who beheld it couldn’t help but stare in admiration. It was a true piece of art, evoking a sense of sacred wonder.
This large greenhouse was located toward the back end of the Tsujikawa estate. The exterior glass walls were so massive, it seemed like they sprawled up forever. One step inside, and the eyes were met with an endless variety of trees, plants, and flowers. It was like a small nature park. The trellis of wisteria was practically in the center of it all.
Wisteria bloomed from April to May. Seeing as this was April, the flowers were at full bloom. Yet even after its blooming season passed, the wisteria at Tsujikawa mansion would continue to blossom. The number of flowers it produced might decrease, but saying it bloomed year-round was no exaggeration. Those who beheld its splendor couldn’t help but be mesmerized. All who saw the Tsujikawa’s trellis of wisteria would say without fail “This wisteria is grown by God.”
Ever since she was a little girl, Satsuki loved this spot. She spent countless hours of fun here, playing with flower petals and chatting with the wisteria...alongside him.
Monitors were scattered throughout the greenhouse for security purposes, but Satsuki didn’t want prying eyes to invade her privacy while at her special place. She felt so strongly on the matter that she went so far as to order the placement of the monitors to create a blind spot around the trellis.
Satsuki sensed his presence carried on the wind. Upon holding both hands cupped before her chest, the pile of petals around her rustled as they fluttered into her open palms. She gently blew on the pile of petals.
Whoooooosh...
As if propelled on a mighty gust of wind, the petals hurtled past the shrubbery before her. All at once, the petals that blew off Satsuki’s hands dropped to the ground on the other side of those plants!
“Miss,” came a voice through the greenery.
Having just sent forth an army of petals, Satsuki lowered her hands onto her lap and looked straight ahead with eyes filled with anticipation.
“You went too far,” the kind voice continued as its owner pushed through the growth to reveal the man whom she’d been waiting for. Not bothering to brush off the petals on his hair or clothes, Shindo slowly approached Satsuki with a gentle smile reserved only for her.
“Shindo...” she called in a happy voice saved for him. She flashed him a childish smile meant for no other. He was the only one she could be herself around.
“You’re late, Shindo,” Satsuki chastised. Although she was beaming mere moments ago, her expression quickly switched to a pout. She slightly puckered her adorable lips and cocked her head to one side as she glared at Shindo.
“I am terribly sorry,” he apologized with a chuckle. Shindo approached Satsuki, who was still sitting upon the ground, and fell to one knee before bowing in apology.
“You passed through the front gate one minute and twenty seconds later than when you said. You broke your promise.”
“Yes, I am well aware,” he replied. She kept a close eye on him, clear down to when he entered the gate. Yet Shindo found it somehow exhilarating to know he couldn’t keep a secret from her.
Under her reproving glare, Shindo quietly took Satsuki’s right hand. Lifting it to his lips with a gentleness reserved only for her, he laid a kiss atop her hand.
“I will accept any reprimand...”
Chills ran through Satsuki’s body as the feeling of his lips spread from the top of her hand. His whisper and breath became sound waves that penetrated her hand to race throughout her body. The waves resembled a tingling sensation as it embraced her body, warming her very core. As her temperature naturally rose, her cheeks grew red. She desperately fought to hold back this strange phenomenon that was on the verge of overtaking her body.
When did this start...? Satsuki wondered. When did Shindo’s touch first begin to make the innermost depths of her body burn?
Shindo was Satsuki’s retainer. He received the position to serve at Satsuki’s side as a retainer a mere month after she was born. At that time, he was still just twelve years old. Never leaving her side, he spent more time with Satsuki than her own parents, who were quite busy. It was hardly an exaggeration to say, “Shindo raised Satsuki.”
Shindo handled changing Satsuki’s diapers when she was a baby. During her childhood, he looked after everything, from changing her clothes to bathing her. As strange as it might sound, he was even the one who helped Satsuki through her first menstrual cycle.
There were times she would cuddle up against his chest and fall asleep. Other times, she would whine, “I’m tired!” and make him carry her like a little princess. From an early age, she had permitted him into nearly every facet of her life.
The kiss upon her hand was among their rituals... But there were times this expression of respect she accepted with casual grace filled her with agony of late.
“I’m not going to reprimand you, silly!” Satsuki sniffed. As if trying to escape from the strange sensation assaulting her body, she pulled her hand away and shook it lightly by his wavy hair. The petals sticking to his clothes and hair momentarily rose as if drawn to her hand before tumbling to the ground.
“Who told you where I was?” she asked, stroking her hand through his soft, ruffled hair.
The feeling of Satsuki’s fingertips traveled through each strand, exciting the young man. Forced to suppress the surge of emotions growing under her touch, Shindo feigned calm as he put on a smile.
“The wind told me,” he answered.
“The wind?”
“Indeed. It said you were in here—in the green house,” he elaborated.
“I see...” A pleasant smile spread across her face; she held her hands daintily to the sky.
Whoosh... Wind couldn’t blow within the greenhouse. At most, an artificial breeze would come through the ventilation system on occasion. But at this moment, a wind coiled itself around Satsuki’s outstretched hands. She pulled the wind to her bosom in a loving embrace.
“Thank you... Thank you for bringing Shindo to me...” Satsuki smiled like an angel as she expressed her gratitude to the wind before releasing it...
“So was everyone searching for me?” she asked.
The sound of her voice snapped Shindo back to his senses. In all honesty, he had been mesmerized by the sight of Satsuki smiling at the wind. It was a gentle, fragile smile, like that of an angel. Surely it would captivate any man in the world who beheld it. Yet Shindo dared not let how he felt show. Instead, he slightly furrowed his brow in an expression of anger.
“What sort of attendants would they be if they didn’t get upset when their young mistress goes missing?” Shindo said as if scolding a child. He remained on one knee as he glared into her clear eyes. Before his stern admonition, Satsuki shrunk in on herself like a child getting chastised. “Honestly! You do this every time I leave. Is a spanking in order?”
“Eep...! Don’t! No spankings! I mean it!”
Those who only knew Satsuki’s outward persona would have gaped in surprise over the stark difference in her behavior. Growing bright red, she hastily scooted back a bit from Shindo.
“How old do you think I am? I’m going to turn eighteen soon. I’m not two or three anymore!” she snapped.
“You act just like a two or three-year-old child the way you’re constantly troubling your attendants with these antics... Would an occasional punishment help that sink in?” Shindo threatened.
When he grabbed both of her wrists, Satsuki wondered, Is he really going to spank me?
She was clearly beginning to panic as she cried out “W-Wait! Shindo!”
It wasn’t as if Shindo’s goal was to terrify the poor girl. He gave Satsuki time to plead her case while holding onto her wrists to keep her from running.
“I’m too old to get a spanking... Can’t you see how it’d be embarrassing in the wrong way?” she insisted.
She made a solid point. Put differently, spanking her bottom meant she was allowing a man to touch her rear. She’d find it embarrassing even if it was Shindo, the man who essentially raised her... Or perhaps it was better to say, it’d be embarrassing precisely because it was Shindo... Satsuki’s self-conscious wriggling nearly unsettled Shindo, but he managed to mask his feelings of embarrassment behind a gentle smile as he released her wrists.
“In that case, please try not to give your attendants too much grief. You just said so yourself, Miss... You’re going to be turning eighteen soon.”
“Right...” Satsuki replied happily now that Shindo was back to treating her kindly. Then she shifted her gaze to the wisteria overhead.
Seeing Satsuki giggle with her eyes fastened upon the wisteria, Shindo followed her gaze to the vining flowers.
“Did the wisteria say something?” he asked.
Satsuki giggled as she slowly sank into his chest, her eyes merrily feasting upon the lavender lace.
“...It said, ‘Your wisteria is strict’...”
“Only because you’re putting others out,” he replied.
Satsuki grabbed Shindo’s blazer with both hands and nuzzled against his chest.
“My...wisteria...” she said happily. This was another voice that she reserved only for Shindo. “You...are my...”
With both hands, Shindo gently stroked Satsuki’s silky hair. He did so with loving care.
“You can’t go anywhere...Shindo. You can’t leave my side... If I’m troubling the other attendants, it’s your fault for leaving me... Do you understand?”
“I do, Miss.”
Work assigned by Master Tsujikawa—Satsuki’s father—had pulled him away from her side. It was a legitimate reason. This generally wouldn’t be grounds for reprimand, but Shindo didn’t offer such a petty excuse in his defense. Instead, he said, “I will stay by your side. My life and body belong to you.”
The wisteria flowers watched the pair. Its petals danced down upon them. They were bound by an unbreakable bond of master and servant. Even if the feelings they shared stepped beyond that, they could never act upon them. Such was their destiny. A destiny only the wisteria flowers knew...
***
“THE wisteria truly is stunning this year...” Satsuki remarked and looked at the wisteria dangling overhead. The pale purple wisteria filled the large trellis with its flowers. Although it should have posed a beautiful sight, for some reason, a sad expression flashed across Satsuki’s face.
“Is something the matter?” Shindo asked. He was highly attuned to the changes in her expressions and this was no exception. Worry was etched into his face as Satsuki lifted her head from her nest against his chest to look up at the wisteria.
“It’s almost...as beautiful...as back then...” she said.
“Back when?” he asked.
Satsuki turned to face Shindo with sadness in her eyes. “When you first appeared before me...Shindo...” she answered.
Wisteria petals danced within Shindo’s heart. Satsuki’s memories of “back then” flowed into him through her touch. Her memories appeared within his mind as vividly as if he were watching a movie.
***
BENEATH the wisteria petals, there was a baby in a cradle. A twelve-year-old boy infiltrated the greenhouse at the Tsujikawa estate.
Have you come to kill me? A voice suddenly echoed in his head. Are you going to kill me?
The boy could clearly tell the voice echoing in his head belonged to the infant before him. The baby’s eyes shone untainted and clear. They seemed too wise for the eyes of an infant.
Raised by a band of assassins without ever knowing his mother or father, the boy was never given a name. The “job” he received to survive in this world was to “go kill the president of Tsujikawa Corporation’s newborn baby.”
He killed his first person when he was only ten. How many people had he killed “just to survive”...? He had nothing and no one to protect or defend, let alone a reason to live. He was simply there—breathing—each day.
And now the boy came face to face with this baby, Satsuki. Her wise eyes brought a strange sensation upon his heart.
You...cannot kill me, Satsuki’s voice said in his head.
Upon rushing over, Master Tsujikawa told the boy, “Live to protect Satsuki.” He wanted the boy to find a reason to live, to learn the joy of protecting another. He suggested learning such things from Satsuki.
The boy originally came with the intent of killing this man’s daughter. He had every right to order the boy’s arrest right then and there, but Satsuki’s father did no such thing. There was only one reason for his decision: Satsuki had taken a liking to the lad.
Satsuki gave the boy a name that held the “wisteria” in it. She said, God makes this wisteria blossom... You appeared from this wisteria...therefore...
Henceforth, the boy was referred to as “Shindo,” meaning “Divine Wisteria.” Not only did Satsuki spare his life, she gave him a name. He would dedicate the rest of his life to serving the baby as her retainer.
The wisteria was in full bloom. It was so beautiful, it was frightening. When they first met under the wisteria, it was blossoming as magnificently as it was this year...
***
“I’M frightened...” Satsuki said as she snuggled against Shindo’s chest once more. “The wisteria...is too beautiful.”
She looked up at her “wisteria” through her lashes. Not at the flowers, but at Shindo.
Rustle...! The wisteria flowers quivered.
“Stay with me. Shindo, stay with me always,” Satsuki pressed.
This was the person who originally came to kill her. But from the moment they met, Satsuki placed absolute faith in him. It was as if she could see his true nature from the beginning.
“As you wish, Miss,” he replied. Shindo lived for Satsuki. He would happily lay down his life for her. Throughout the years serving at her side, Satsuki became more important to him than anything else in the world. She was the woman who gave him a “reason to live” and the “joy of protecting another.”
“It’s a promise...” Satsuki said, her voice sounding bittersweet to his ears.
Feeling endearment for that voice, he replied, “Indeed, Miss.”
The sorrow in Shindo’s voice was almost painful as it reverberated through Satsuki’s body. She tightly balled his blazer in her fists.
“I’m scared...” Despite pressing herself against Shindo’s chest, an indescribable uncertainty filled her bosom.
Rustle...! Swish...! Whoosh... The wisteria flowers quivered as if they wanted to say something. They had something to tell Satsuki...and Shindo. Perhaps they already knew what the future held for the two. Perhaps they foresaw the story that was about to unfold...