Chapter 5: Secretive Angel
Chapter 5: Secretive Angel
“HOW do I look, Shindo?” Satsuki’s voice came out slightly more abashed than usual. She glanced over her shoulder to meet Shindo with a bashful expression coloring her features.
“Breathtaking,” Shindo answered. He unfurled the silk shawl in hand as he drew closer to Satsuki and hid the porcelain skin left exposed by the plunging neckline with the flimsy yet dependable piece of thin cloth. “I’m sure the guests will be stunned speechless.”
Satsuki always wore dresses that covered her neck. Even in the summer, her skirts went down to her calves.
Ever since she was a small child, Shindo strictly admonished her, “It would be unseemly for a lady of your stature to unduly expose yourself, Miss.” And thus, Satsuki grew up adhering to a stricter than usual dress code depending on the event she was attending.
But last night, the very man who taught her it was “unseemly” to expose her flesh spent an evening with Satsuki flaunting their nakedness before each other. And thus, the two made love in the greenhouse under the wisteria until dawn.
“It’s a little embarrassing,” Satsuki said as she lightly pulled the shawl that concealed her mostly bare shoulders toward her cleavage.
Shindo slipped behind Satsuki and carefully guided her long hair from under the shawl as he said, “But you truly do look stunning. After all, you are my Miss. It’s only natural for you to be beautiful.”
Satsuki’s eighteenth birthday was today. The party would start in the evening. Although there was still plenty of time before the guests would arrive, Satsuki returned to her room after finishing lunch to try on the dress she was supposed to wear.
Shindo chose this dress from a portfolio of party dresses put together by Satsuki’s personal designer. Once she turned twenty, it would become the norm for her to wear evening gowns at parties.
“Maybe I should have gone with a different dress after all,” Shindo remarked as he gently combed Satsuki’s hair over the shawl with his fingers, making her heart skip a beat.
“Oh... So I don’t look good?”
In contrast to the pale dresses she always wore, this was a wine-red dress. While not as revealing as an evening dress, the scoop neckline was more than enough to make Satsuki look like a whole different person. She had never worn a dress that plummeted lower than her collarbone before this.
“No, as I said before, you look wonderful in it. You truly are beautiful,” Shindo said, placing his hands on her shoulders and resting his cheek on top of her head. “But...the idea I have to let all those guests see you looking so lovely kills me.”
“...Shindo.”
“No matter what, please don’t remove this shawl. The thought of another man ogling your ivory skin...is more than I can bear,” he continued, the sound of his impassioned voice reverberating through her head.
“Were you always this possessive...Shindo?” Satsuki teased lightheartedly. She leaned her head back, resting against Shindo.
“I have been ever since last night,” he answered.
She could still summon forth the memory of how Shindo’s body felt and the path his hands tread “last night.”
“The wisteria...taught me,” he continued. His hands slipped from Satsuki’s shoulders and slid under her arms. When he folded his hands over her abdomen, Satsuki rested her own hands above his and twisted to look up at him over her shoulder.
“I don’t want anyone other than you, either...”
Shindo brought his head down toward her, and the two kissed. In a shower of kisses, Shindo eased in front of Satsuki and wrapped his arms around her anew. He fully relished the sensation of her lips as they moved their heads, shifting the angles of their lips. They kissed so fervently, it almost seemed to indicate that the countless kisses throughout the previous night were nowhere near enough.
“Please wear your hair down...” Shindo whispered.
“Why?” Satsuki asked softly as if in a dream.
“...I’m afraid there is evidence of my devilry.” The whisper that slipped from lips only inches away from Satsuki sounded as if it was admonishing those very lips as he confessed in a breathless voice.
Shindo traced his fingers around the edges of Satsuki’s left ear, stroking the back of the earlobe time and again as he whispered, “I didn’t think I got that rough with you... I’m sorry.”
Behind her ear was a slightly red mark reminiscent of a wisteria petal from when Shindo sucked a little too hard. Her skin was so soft and fair, it didn’t take much from him to leave a vivid hickey. Aware of the traumatic events Satsuki suffered at school recently, Shindo strived to be as gentle with her as possible, but he couldn’t consciously keep himself in check the whole time. Once he was lost in the throes of passion, it was only natural for him to be overtaken by the desire to touch her. He was releasing years’ worth of pent up emotions, after all.
“It’s fine,” Satsuki dismissed with an embarrassed smile and placed her hand over Shindo’s fingers to put an end to their toying with her left ear. “I enjoyed it.”
With that, they kissed again. They had to enjoy these moments while they still could.
***
SATSUKI’S birthday party was held in the banquet hall on the first floor of Tsujikawa mansion. Frequently used for parties and assemblies, it could hold up to 500 guests. Originally about half this size, an expansion was added to double the floorspace before Satsuki was born. Tsubaki said she wanted to hold gatherings for their daughter at the mansion, so Tsukasa humored her.
After presenting her welcoming speech before all the guests, Satsuki was crowded by a throng of business associates and school acquaintances wanting to wish her a happy birthday. The string quartet began playing while her hands were full entertaining the guests.
Meeting her suitors was certainly important, but Satsuki was already run ragged entertaining her guests this evening. Seeing as some of her classmates were also present, she wanted to enjoy some girl’s talk with others her own age. Out of fatherly love and care for his birthday girl, Tsukasa set the boundary with her four suitors to “Limit your interactions to only formal introductions today.” Not that it stopped Takemi. With everyone distracted by the musicians, Satsuki was brought before her suitors.
All the suitors sought to shake her hand, offer empty compliments with fake smiles, and gloss over their own shortcomings.
It was important to make a good first impression. With roughly ten years between them in age, these men were accustomed to manipulating others. They put on their best smiles and strived to curry her favor.
“Happy birthday, Miss Satsuki.”
For a second, Satsuki didn’t recognize this man.
“I never dreamed I would have the honor to be invited to your birthday party,” he said in an overall polite, sophisticated manner. “Let alone as one of your suitors.”
The man bent at the waist as he knelt before Satsuki. With his left hand on his knee and his right hand over his heart, he slightly lowered his head. He managed to get under her skin by intentionally copying Shindo with a pose that represented subservience.
“It is a great honor,” the man went on, narrowing his eyes as his handsome face beamed with a smile. Actually, he was eighteen, just like Satsuki. Still young enough to be referred to as a “young man,” the aura emanating from Takemi Kaido was far too mature for anyone to think of him as “young.”
Takemi had dropped to one knee despite wearing a fine tuxedo. He made it seem as if that was the natural, proper way to greet her.
Takemi’s time spent in America wasn’t for nothing. Most Japanese men would make that greeting look painfully awkward if they attempted such a feat. But it didn’t seem forced with him. Much like Shindo, it came to him like second nature. He looked like a true gentleman, not giving so much as a hint he was the same person who said and did all those crass things just the other day. He pulled it off with such perfection, it outright unnerved the other three suitors.
To top it off, Takemi broke Tsukasa’s instructions to “Limit your interactions to only formal introductions today,” and had the nerve to personally invite Satsuki to the terrace. Of course, he first had a brief exchange with Shindo, who was waiting on Satsuki only a short distance off.
“Give us as much space as you possibly can. I’d be too afraid to chat with Miss Satsuki with her wannabe-bodyguard breathing down my neck,” he jeered. Needless to say, he was hardly the type of man to let Shindo’s presence bother him.
***
“MR. Shindo!”
Shindo was staring intently through the half-open French doors leading to the terrace. He tilted his head in the direction of the voice that called his name.
“Where is Satsuki? I don’t see her anywhere,” Alice said as she rushed toward him, slightly holding up the hem of her long, rich emerald green dress to avoid tripping.
“She is out on the terrace. I’m afraid she’s in the middle of a conversation at the moment,” he answered.
Alice followed Shindo’s gaze to find Satsuki and Takemi discussing something on the terrace.
“I’m sure this must be difficult for you, Miss Misakimori. It weighed heavily on the Miss’s heart when she learned of it,” Shindo informed Alice.
She figured he was probably referring to how Takemi was originally supposed to be her fiancé. She simply shrugged her shoulders in resignation and replied, “My father informed me last night, but it doesn’t bother me any if Satsuki picks Kaido.”
The two stood against the terrace rail as they talked. Going by the view of their backs, they seemed so comfortable together, it was as if they were made for each other.
“When my father made a proposal for a massive loan from a bank affiliated with Kaido Financial Group, he basically threw my betrothal in as an afterthought... To top it off, I’ve only ever met Kaido a few times,” Alice explained with a giggle as she turned to look back at Shindo. But that giggle gradually grew uncertain, and her brows dropped in sorrow.
As Shindo watched the couple out on the terrace, his expression was undeniably different from when he usually watched protectively over Satsuki. He looked uneasy...and somewhat angry. It was as if the love of his life was just snatched from him.
***
“NONE too happy, eh?” Takemi asked with a dry chuckle to which Satsuki tilted her head quizzically.
“I wouldn’t say that... I’m not particularly angry with you,” she replied.
Takemi stopped staring off into the sky to turn toward Satsuki. With a snort, he laughed, “I didn’t mean you!”
“Then who?” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, it hit her. Takemi returned his attention to the sky; Satsuki followed his gaze.
“The wind is pissed... It says not to get near you,” he answered.
Satsuki noticed as much herself. The wind and trees that always embraced her were openly hostile toward Takemi.
“You can tell what they’re saying as well?”
“Not as well as you can. The emotions of everything not human are a confusing, jumbled mess. But...I can recognize when they’re being overly aggressive. It’s obvious when something doesn’t like me. Kinda like a mutt growling at ya when you get too close.”
Whoosh... Rustle... The passing breeze shook the trees to warn her “That man is dangerous. Get away from him... Get away...quickly... Don’t go near him... Otherwise your memories will resurface.” The energy of the trees entered Satsuki’s body, making her grimace. The other day, Takemi proclaimed that they met before. He also went so far as to claim Satsuki saved his life. Yet she had no memory of any of this. And she shouldn’t. Supposedly Takemi sealed those memories away. Satsuki wanted to ask him about it.
***
“THE wind and air here is always on your side, isn’t it...?” Takemi mused as he slowly moved his head to look to his left and right. He rolled his shoulders as if finding the hostile air uncomfortable.
“The wind has been my constant playmate since I was little. What would you expect? If it’s hostile enough to make you uncomfortable, doesn’t that mean you harbor awfully wicked thoughts about me?”
Satsuki meant that as more of a joke than anything, but Takemi casually replied, “Pretty much. If that attendant wasn’t staring daggers at me on the other side of the glass door, I’d take you to the bushes and have my way with you.”
“...Oh, not more of that nonsense...”
“It isn’t nonsense,” Takemi corrected her. Although they had been standing shoulder to shoulder, Takemi turned around to sit on the rail. Resting both elbows on it, he leaned to one side as he peered into Satsuki’s eyes. “I said I’d tell you about how we met between the sheets, remember?”
While it was true he said as much, Satsuki wrote it off as nothing more than a tasteless joke. She recalled how he brushed his lips against hers in a kiss two days ago, making her cheeks turn red. In an attempt to keep from blushing, she bit her bottom lip hard. She had forgotten how Takemi’s lips felt with all of Shindo’s kisses and didn’t want that memory to resurface.
“What’s this...? You...” Takemi’s sleek grin was suddenly replaced with surprise. Grabbing Satsuki’s chin, he gazed deeply into her eyes. “You...and that attendant...” As realization struck, Satsuki grabbed his hand and broke her head free of his grasp.
Takemi had read Satsuki’s mind expecting to find the afterimage of the kiss he gave Satsuki the day before yesterday. But the thoughts he encountered were not filled with the memory of his lips pressed against hers. And to top it off...
“Wow... He actually banged you pretty good...”
“Don’t use such crass language,” Satsuki reprimanded as she glared angrily at Takemi, but he merely snorted.
“So what? Would you prefer if I said that attendant took your maidenhood? Don’t be stupid! No matter how nice and pretty you make it sound, he still popped your cherry. It doesn’t change the fact you lost your virginity.”
“What would you know...?”
Satsuki and Shindo’s emotions finally interlinked. Even though they knew they shouldn’t, they finally connected in mind and body...after tormenting themselves in an attempt to resist the irrepressible pull. Hearing Takemi befoul their beautiful love with such crass language was nothing short of disgusting.
“If you don’t want a woman who has known the touch of another man, step down as a suitor right this instant,” Satsuki hissed as she shied away from Takemi.
Rather than show disgust at this revelation, Takemi stepped forward as if truly happy. He began to twirl the knot holding the lace shawl on her shoulders between his fingers as he replied, “I don’t have a problem with that! Why, this is all the better! Truth be told, virgins can be a pain in the ass. I actually wouldn’t mind if you racked up some more experience. All the more enjoyable for me on our honeymoon.”
Although the knot was tight enough it should have been impossible for him to untie with only one finger, the shawl slid unbound from her body before Satsuki had a chance to catch it.
The plummeting dress revealed more of Satsuki’s neckline than was usually permitted. Takemi ran his right hand along the white flesh peeking out of the red dress from her shoulders to her ear.
“...What are you—?!” Satsuki hissed as she tried to pull away, but Takemi snatched a tuft of hair by her left ear.
Before he could do anything with the handful of hair, Satsuki’s knight in shining armor intervened. “As I said yesterday, please refrain from stepping out of line, Mr. Kaido.” Shindo firmly held Takemi’s wrist, meeting the irritated gaze the boy shot up at him levelly.
He had been waiting on the other side of the French doors, but came when he perceived Satsuki was in distress. He squeezed the hand drawn from Satsuki’s hair with such force, Takemi couldn’t help but wince.
“How do you get off telling me not to ‘step out of line,’ attendant?” Takemi sneered with a baleful glare and jerked his hand free of the retainer’s grasp. “You certainly ‘stepped out of line’ with Satsuki. What’s the world coming to when the attendant meant to protect his charge plucks her rose instead?!”
“Mr. Kaido!” Satsuki interjected, trying to put a stop to Takemi’s tirade.
They were the only ones out on the terrace at the moment, but all it took was someone to notice they were out there and ask, “What are they up to?” They would become the center of scandalous attention in a matter of seconds.
“Should I go announce it to everyone? Let ‘em know how this here attendant ate Miss Satsuki from head to toe?” Takemi leaned forward, craning his head to look menacingly at Shindo as he threatened the retainer. If he spread a rumor like that, it would become the main event of the evening.
It wasn’t as though Takemi was truly angry Shindo bedded Satsuki. The only reason he was threatening to tell everyone was because he wanted to see the man beg, “Please don’t!” The retainer was always at Satsuki’s side and that didn’t sit well with the young suitor.
He didn’t have anything against Shindo personally, but he wanted to secure a sense of superiority by seeing the retainer grovel before him. That was the extent of what motivated his actions.
“Please don’t, Mr. Kaido,” Shindo said as he slightly lowered his head. For a second, Takemi thought things were proceeding exactly as he planned, but what Shindo proceeded to say betrayed his expectations.
“It would tarnish your reputation if you spread such unsavory rumors. If anything were to happen at the moment to make you come across unrefined in the eyes of the masses, it would prove detrimental in the event the Miss officially chose you to be her fiancé.”
Shindo slowly raised his hand and looked Takemi square in the eye as he asked, “Are you certain that’s what you want?”
It was certainly less than desirable for Satsuki’s relationship with Shindo to get brought out into the open. However, it was exceedingly disadvantageous for Takemi to develop a reputation of dubious character by spreading rumors without solid evidence to back it up.
Satsuki’s suitors were required to be refined gentlemen of intellect at all times. The man who would someday lead the Tsujikawa family and business alongside her must never carry any traits that could earn the derision of others.
“Fine,” Takemi grumbled. Shoving his hands into his suit jacket, he gave an exasperated sigh. “I’m not about to screw myself over.” Knocking Shindo’s chest with the back of his fist, he added with a grin, “That was a pretty smooth move. You’re a quick thinker.”
“Thank you,” Shindo replied, openly accepting the compliment.
Takemi went one step further, delivering the coup de grace, “I’m sure you’ll make a great secretary for Satsuki someday. ‘Course, I’ll expect you to work just as hard for me, Shindo my boy!”
Satsuki stepped forward to chastise him, but the hand Shindo placed on her shoulder stilled her tongue. Throwing the two a nasty look, Takemi lightly waved as he turned to leave.
“Later, Satsuki. I’ll be back to see you again. I can’t have the others show me up. I’ll tell you everything you want to know some other time...if I’m in the mood,” he alluded with his back turned toward her. Not bothering to look back, he returned to the banquet hall.
***
LEFT alone with Satsuki on the terrace, Shindo snatched the shawl from the ground once Takemi was out of sight. He quietly began to straighten the tufts of disheveled hair hanging over her shoulders.
“I will go fetch another shawl for you since this one was on the ground,” he offered.
“But it isn’t really dirty.”
“Nevertheless, I will get another,” Shindo insisted, ignoring Satsuki’s protest. He personally tied the knot on Satsuki’s shawl nice and tight, but Takemi unbound it. He didn’t want the sullied cloth to touch her skin ever again.
Placing a hand softly on Shindo’s arm, Satsuki looked up at him with pained eyes. “I’m sorry you had to go through that... He read my mind...and learned about us...”
Much like Satsuki, Takemi could read people’s minds. She should be able to shield her mind in the same manner he did, but she lacked that ability. While she had read minds throughout the years, she never had to cope with someone reading her mind before. Which was hardly surprising considering she never met another soul with psychic powers. She lacked the means to protect herself from others with powers.
On the flip side, Satsuki couldn’t help but wonder what sort of life Takemi led up until now for him to know how to seal her memories and shield his own mind. Although she was extremely curious, the only way she’d ever find out was by asking the man in question. She couldn’t read his mind since he absolutely never let his thoughts wander unguarded. If she wanted answers, she had to figure out how to get it out of him in a way other than between the sheets.
***
“I had a wonderful time, but aren’t you exhausted, Satsuki?” Miharu said as the party was drawing to a close. She was wearing a shimmering, black pearl evening dress. Boasting an amazing figure to begin with, the formal gown only served to accentuate her beauty, making her positively radiant. As a matter of fact, she was the center of attention among the businessmen throughout the course of the party. If it weren’t for that “baggage” standing next to her, Miharu would have been drowned in a sea of men in their twenties and thirties.
“No, I had great fun. I’m not tired at all,” Satsuki replied with a smile before Miharu and that “baggage” at her side, Manabu. They were in the banquet hall, mostly empty now that nearly all of the guests were gone.
“Be sure to get plenty of rest tonight, okay?” Miharu told Satsuki before turning to Shindo. “Make sure to tuck her in for me. Don’t let her stay up all night, you hear me?”
Miharu made it sound like Satsuki was still a little kid! She was hoping Satsuki would indignantly cry, “Miharu!” and give her one of those adorable dirty looks. But things didn’t go as she hoped.
Satsuki dropped her eyes down to the ground shyly before quickly looking up at Shindo. Noticing her eyes on him, Shindo offered Satsuki a smile. Somehow just watching them made Miharu embarrassed.
Perhaps Satsuki perceived the confusion in Miharu’s heart. She kept the door to her heart closed the whole evening to avoid losing herself in the tumult of thoughts from all the guests. Nevertheless, when she was mentally or emotionally fatigued, her powers would show her glimmers of what people were thinking whether she wanted them to or not.
Peeling her eyes from Shindo, Satsuki turned to face Manabu. “Thank you for coming, Manabu.”
“You’re welcome. You look wonderful in that dress, Satsuki. Shindo has great taste,” he replied despite how grossly inappropriate it sounded coming from the man trying to tear her from Shindo.
“Thank you. It’s a shame we weren’t able to meet this fifth suitor you’re recommending,” Shindo said, bringing up the fifth marriage candidate whose documents still weren’t in order.
Never expecting to hear that from Shindo, Manabu’s eyes grew wide in surprise. But he quickly recovered and barked a chuckle as he said, “You’ll meet him soon enough.”
***
THEY didn’t return to Satsuki’s room until after 11:00. The only thing Satsuki had to do was shower off a day’s worth of fatigue in the en suite bathroom, change into her nightgown, and go to sleep. That was it. But she was still in her party dress as she fervently kissed Shindo in his arms, preventing her from doing any of the things she needed to do. Not that she intended to do any of them.
As if to prove the point, the embracing couple refused to tear their lips from one another. Shindo began to slide the dress off Satsuki’s shoulders.
With a weak, meager plop, the beautiful material that had concealed Satsuki’s body until now turned into just a pile of cloth at her feet. Tonight Shindo slid onto the sheets with Satsuki’s arms wrapped around the back of his neck.
“...I love you...Shindo... I...love...you...” Satsuki repeated those taboo words as they embraced.
“Miss... I love you too.”
Once again, the two broke the forbidden taboo. They savored every moment of the month allotted them.
***
“WOW! I’m impressed, Miss Satsuki!” exclaimed a smirking man behind a pair of glasses. The man slowly clapped from his seat in the drawing room. “That was wonderful! I’m impressed you’re so talented with both the violin and the piano.” Although the tone of his voice was mild and calm, Satsuki could sense thorns hidden in his compliments.
This was Takaaki Kujo, the owner of the Kujo Trading Company’s second son. He was currently thirty-three. He was the oldest of Satsuki’s suitors. Frequently making deals with foreign companies for his business turned him into a highly skilled conversationalist. He was the sort of man who could effortlessly come up with an empty compliment or two on the spot.
That didn’t mean he was being insincere when he praised Satsuki’s skill with the piano. Her proficiency with the piano and violin were masterful.
Proficiency with the piano is a key skill for proper young ladies... Anyone stuck playing from the time they’re a kid should only improve in skill. In contrast to his kind eyes, he viewed the world with a rather hardened heart.
Roughly a week had passed since Satsuki’s birthday party. Perhaps because Tsukasa told them to save discussions for another day, the four suitors began rolling in to Tsujikawa mansion one after the next the following day. A different suitor called on her practically every day all week. It was honestly a hassle dealing with them all the time. However, experience allowed Satsuki to keep her impressions to herself, no matter what leaked from her suitor’s unshielded thoughts.
This was Takaaki Kujo’s second visit. The last time he came, he mentioned how he enjoyed listening to classical music. That conversation ultimately ended with him asking Satsuki to play the piano for him the next time he came by. So the grand piano was relocated to the drawing room before he arrived at 7:00 in the evening.
It was only natural for the suitors to have the courtesy to give advance notice when they were going to pay a visit. They were the ones trying to curry her favor. If they suddenly showed up when Satsuki was tired, it could make her view them in a bad light. That was the normal way of viewing things.
There was one inconsiderate jerk who would suddenly show up unannounced. If that weren’t bad enough, he came every day at the exact same time as the other suitors. It was almost as if he knew what time they were scheduled to arrive. Actually, it was quite possible he did.
“Any proper young lady is made to play the piano from the time she’s little. You’d think it’s a key item for them! It’s only natural she’s good at it.”
These words made Kujo’s stomach lurch. He was thinking the exact same thing only a moment ago.
The man who casually threw that rather insulting comment at Satsuki walked up to her with a grin. “Isn’t that right, Miss Satsuki?” Takemi asked with a smile and lightly slapped her on the back. His demeanor felt so contrived, she wanted to flash him a dirty look, but couldn’t with Kujo present.
Who the heck does this annoying brat think he is? I don’t care if he’s fresh back from the States! Does he seriously think he’s on the same level as the rest of us? He’s still wet behind the ears without any real world experience.
Kujo’s disgruntled thoughts invariably flowed into Takemi’s mind as well. Unlike Takemi, the other suitors were already invaluable assets to their family’s business or trade. All three were a good decade older than Satsuki too.
On the other hand, Takemi was still only eighteen. Though there was talk in the business world that “Kaido’s fourth son has a good head on his shoulders,” being placed on the same pedestal as a “boy” this young didn’t sit well with Kujo. The same was most likely true of the other suitors as well.
“Satsuki, let’s play piano four hands,” Takemi suddenly proposed, surprising Satsuki. He mentioned the form of duet casually enough, but did he actually know how to play the piano?
Ignoring Satsuki’s concern and Kujo’s incredulous stare over the sudden proposition, Takemi scooted the piano bench slightly to the right before moving to stand to the left. If Satsuki was on the right, that meant she would be the Primo. With Takemi on the left, he would be the Secondo.
Takemi indicated himself with a flourish of his left hand to his face as he said, “I’ll handle the sustaining pedal.”
The sustaining pedal was located at the center-right of the piano. However, it was common practice for the Secondo on the left to manage the pedaling. At least he possessed a certain degree of knowledge to know that.
Playing the piano four hands referred to a type of piano duet performed on one piano with two players. Satsuki had only done it a handful of times herself. When she was a little girl, she did it with the pianist giving her piano lessons.
He’s bitten off more than he can chew! There is no way he’ll pull off playing four hands with Miss Satsuki. He’s only going to humiliate himself, Kujo thought.
Ignoring Kujo’s twisted expectations, Takemi raised his head with a somewhat contemplative expression. “What should we play...? The score needs to be written for this... How about Mozart...? No...”
A lightbulb seemed to turn on as he flashed a quick look at Shindo standing by the drawing room windowsill. “Let’s go with Brahms,” he declared.
Satsuki’s hand flinched involuntarily at the mention of Brahms. He was Shindo’s favorite composer. Knowing Shindo was clearly a fan of the Romantic period, Takemi intentionally picked Brahms. There was nothing but malice behind his choice.
“Brahm’s ‘Hungarian Dance No. 5 in G Minor’, to be precise,” Takemi continued. The moment he finished speaking, his fingers hit the keys. Watching him closely in anticipation, Satsuki struck the keys at the exact same time.
What the...? That snot-nosed brat can actually play? Satsuki was just as surprised as the thoughts that popped into Kujo’s head.
Takemi struck the keys with true mastery. Their duet was in perfect sync as they beautifully played the song all the way through.
“Bravo! That was fantastic, Mr. Kaido!”
The duet performed by Satsuki and Takemi was superb. Naturally, even Shindo offered silent applause. Yet as he clapped his hands, his locked on Satsuki next to Takemi with unconcealed uncertainty as horrified disbelief welled within.
Satsuki was shocked. Of course she was surprised to learn Takemi possessed the technical skill to play the duet, but also that he could play that song so smoothly with her. It was as if they always played this together. They were in perfect harmony.
It wasn’t as if Satsuki consciously tried to match Takemi. It was an upbeat song. She had every intention to leave him behind if he missed a note or couldn’t keep up. But Takemi didn’t show a speck of hesitation.
“How was it, Mr. Shindo?” Takemi asked. He threw Shindo a triumphant grin. “What did you think of my duet with Satsuki...? Hard to believe that was our first time, wasn’t it?”
Dropping his head, Shindo offered the simple compliment, “It was wonderful.”
Although there was no fun to be had in Shindo’s rather brusque response, Kujo’s surprise and panic proved more amusing. Even if Takemi was younger, he was still an imposing threat after seeing how well the two harmonized during their first piano session together.
Takemi left the piano to slowly approached Shindo. “Aren’t you going to play, Mr. Shindo? Seeing as you’ve been with Miss Satsuki all these years, I’m sure you two would put on a great show,” he jeered.
“No, I don’t play the—”
“Oh, you don’t? Sorry, my bad!” Before Shindo could finish his answer, Takemi cut him off and slapped his forehead as if to say, “It slipped my mind!”
He rested an elbow on Shindo’s shoulder and whispered in the retainer’s ear, “Instead of the piano, you play Satsuki...don’t you?”
This was whispered for Shindo’s ears only. Kujo had no way of overhearing what was said. Able to discern the contents carried in his voice, Satsuki jumped from her seat.
Huh? What’s gotten into Miss Satsuki? Kujo wondered in open bewilderment at the sight of the young lady bursting from her bench to glare angrily in the direction of Shindo and Takemi.
Satsuki wanted to insist that Takemi apologize to Shindo, but he said it in such a hushed voice, most girls wouldn’t have been able to hear it across the room. Kujo would probably find it strange if she got upset. So instead, Satsuki suddenly changed the subject. “Shindo is in charge of tuning both my piano and my violin. He is my personal, expert tuner,” she declared in Shindo’s defense.
So what? Are you implying he tunes your body, too? A voice suddenly echoed in her head. It wasn’t one of Kujo’s thoughts slipping into her mind.
Takemi was speaking to Satsuki directly through her mind. She swiftly brought one hand to her head. No one had ever spoken with her telepathically before.
What’s wrong, Satsuki? Why so surprised? The incoming thoughts berated her mercilessly. Haven’t you done the exact same thing? Back when you were an infant unable to speak. Remember how you spoke with your parents and Shindo this way?
Even though he should have no way of knowing her distant past, Takemi spoke of it with casual familiarity. And it was all true. From the time she was a fetus in her mother’s womb, she telepathically communicated with her parents.
Haven’t you used this ability to confuse the mind and kill a man? Isn’t that how you killed him?
The sudden revelation made Satsuki gulp. What does he mean...? I killed someone that way...? What is he talking about? She had no recollection of the incident, but she knew what it might imply. This was most likely related to the memories that Takemi sealed away.
Did...I kill someone else...? Who...in the world...was it? she asked herself, the blood gradually draining from her face.
Seeing her grow pale, Shindo silently brushed Takemi’s arm off his shoulder and went to Satsuki’s side. “Miss?”
Satsuki’s heart reached out to him for comfort once he stood at her side. “Shin...do...” she whispered.
Putting himself between Takemi and Satsuki, Shindo wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Cold sweat was running down her tormented visage. Shindo turned to face Kujo and lowered his head slightly as he said, “I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Kujo. It would appear the Miss isn’t feeling well. Would you be so kind as to take your leave for the day?”
“S-Sure... Is Miss Satsuki okay?” he asked.
“I suspect she’s feeling a bit anemic. I’m sorry for putting you out like this.”
“No, it’s fine... Miss Satsuki, try to take it easy,” Kujo said. If the retainer who served Satsuki said she was feeling anemic, Kujo had no cause to question the man. He rose from his chair to leave.
Takemi broke his gaze from the couple to shoot a quick look over at Kujo.
I didn’t take him seriously before, but that Kaido brat could prove problematic. I get the feeling he won’t go down easy, Kujo thought.
Takemi frowned over the thoughts of how the man plotted to get in his way, but a moment later, he turned that frown upside down.
***
“PLEASE go rest. I will be up to check on you as soon as I finish tuning the piano,” Shindo repeated yet again as he wiped the music tray with the microfiber cloth reserved specifically for the piano.
Kujo and Takemi had already left the mansion. After seeing them off, Shindo escorted Satsuki to her room and helped ease her into the sofa to rest for a while. Held close to his chest, she seemed to calm down enough after half an hour that he felt comfortable leaving to tune the piano in the music room.
The grand piano in the drawing room was originally kept in the music room. It was Shindo’s duty to maintain the upkeep of everything Satsuki used. So the responsibility of keeping her piano beautifully tuned naturally fell on him.
But before five minutes went by, Satsuki slipped into the music room. Although not as pale as before, Shindo was still worried about her. He instructed the young lady to return to her room three times, but Satsuki refused to obey.
“No! I’ll wait for you to finish here. I want to stay with you, Shindo,” Satsuki insisted and sullenly turned her head away from him. If she felt good enough to throw a little tantrum, she must be feeling better.
With a light sigh, Shindo hung the microfiber cloth over the sidearm. He wiped the palms of his hands with a handkerchief as he approached Satsuki. Gently placing one hand on her cheek, he turned her head to face him.
“I just finished,” he reported, looking down at Satsuki lovingly.
Responding to his affection, she gazed up at him. “Shindo...” the sullen voice begging for attention that slipped from Satsuki’s lips was cut off as his lips sealed her mouth.
Their lips parted with a loud smack.
“I...was rather frustrated today,” Shindo confessed upon pulling away from Satsuki’s lips.
With her face flushed, Satsuki tilted her head to one side as if puzzled.
“When you played the piano with Mr. Kaido,” he went on.
Grabbing Satsuki by the waist, he effortlessly lifted her up and carried her to the piano. He sat her atop the music tray toward the upper register. Without thinking, Satsuki drew her feet together and held them up. The fallboard was left up, so she was afraid her shoes would get the keys dirty.
“It was terribly frustrating...how perfectly in sync you two were...” Shindo continued as he slipped off her shoes. Holding both ankles in his hands, he slowly lowered them onto the keyboard.
Clang... Ting... At the sound of two beautiful clangs, Shindo began massaging her feet from her ankles down to the tip of her toes.
“I’m the only one who is supposed to be on the same wavelength as you...” he complained. Lifting Satsuki’s right foot with both hands, he kissed the tip of her toes.
“...That tickles...!”
Satsuki became an exquisite instrument for Shindo, her melodious cries reminiscent of breathtaking music. Yet behind the scenes of this joyful recital, something began to make its move.
***
“THE hell?! What is going on?!” Kujo couldn’t help but cry out. “Why isn’t it working?! Come on!”
Kujo frantically hit the steering wheel of the car he was driving. The malfunction hit without warning. All of a sudden, the steering wheel refused to turn! Kujo desperately pounded it time and again! Each time, he shouted, “Move! Move, damn it!”
Seeing as the car was speeding along, his fear was perfectly warranted. If he couldn’t turn the steering wheel, how could he go around any corners? To make matters worse, the quiet road near Tsujikawa mansion was about to merge onto a busy thoroughfare. If he couldn’t get the steering wheel to unlock by then, the car would crash in the T-intersection!
No matter how hard he hit the brakes, the Speedometer stayed fixed where it was. Kujo felt as if he were trapped in a horrible nightmare. He could see the thoroughfare drawing near. The heavy traffic of speeding cars entered the edge of his vision, but his vehicle refused to slow down one bit.
“Graaaah...!”
***
WITH a derisive grin, Takemi opened his eyes. He drove a short distance after leaving Tsujikawa mansion before pulling over. Leaning against the hood of his car, he watched something take place with his eyes closed.
“...That’s one down...” Takemi said with an impish grin. Looking up at the night sky, he declared, “...It’s finally started...Satsuki. About damn time!”
***
“ARE you tired?” Shindo asked out of concern as Satsuki sank onto her sofa.
“...I’m fine,” she replied. Despite what she said, she was unable to hide the fatigue hanging over her. “It’d be disrespectful to the deceased to say otherwise given the circumstances.”
Satsuki tried to smile for him, but it came out looking pained. Shutting the door to her room, Shindo gave her a worried look.
Three days ago, Takaaki Kujo lost his life in a car wreck. There was no indication he tried to hit the brakes as his car raced into a T-intersection. A semitrailer truck crashed into him, totaling the car and killing Kujo on the spot.
It was unknown whether he took his eyes off the road or was lost in thought. Seeing as he sped into the intersection without breaking, it was initially deemed suicide.
Due to scheduling conflicts, Kujo’s wake was held a bit later than was customary. Satsuki just returned from making her appearance. The sudden death of one of her suitors was a great shock to her heart. Although she wasn’t emotionally invested in him, she had nonetheless interacted with Kujo. Moreover, he got in the fatal accident immediately after seeing her.
With downcast eyes, Satsuki stared at her hands cupped over her knees. Shindo knelt and scooped up her hands. “I realize it’s inappropriate to tell you to ‘cheer up’ given the situation, but try not to let it bother you... It isn’t as though you’ve done anything wrong,” he comforted.
“I know...” Satsuki realized he was right, but she couldn’t help but feel strangely guilty.
Her other suitors also came to burn incense at the wake. It wasn’t as if she was there the whole night, but from what she saw, the others left immediately after burning their offering of incense as if they also felt awkward. There was only one exception.
Takemi was the only one to arrive at nearly the exact same time as Satsuki and remain at the wake until she left. While she offered her condolences to Kujo’s father and business associates, she could feel Takemi’s eyes fixed on her. Yet he never walked up to strike a conversation. Not only did he refrain from speaking to her openly...he also kept from speaking to her telepathically.
“Hey, Shindo? There’s something I want you to tell me,” Satsuki said. She peered at Shindo with haunted eyes, squeezing the hands he held over her lap. “...Back when I was four...didn’t I kill...the man who raised you like his own from the time you were little?”
Shindo’s eyes widened. That memory was nothing but pain to Satsuki. It was the very memory he had urged her to forget. But no matter how desperately Shindo told her, “Please forget,” it was impossible for Satsuki to drive that memory from her mind in its entirety.
“Didn’t I ask you to forget about that...?” Shindo asked with a grim smile as he stroked Satsuki’s hair. “That was when I ‘stepped out of line’ with you.”
At the time, Shindo asked Satsuki to forget the fact they kissed along with her resurfaced memories.
“...Even though that is nothing...compared to what we’re doing now?” Satsuki asked in a whisper, spots of red painting her cheeks.
Shindo stretched up to lightly kiss her before answering, “Fair enough.”
The sight of his gentle smile filled Satsuki with joy, but she forced herself to ask the most imperative question. “Aside from that...and the incident at school...have I taken anyone else’s life?”
“What would make you ask such a thing? Of course you haven’t. Such a thing has never happened,” Shindo denied, caught off guard. A moment later, he regained his composure and asked, “Why do you ask?”
“...He said I did... He claimed...I murdered someone by playing tricks on his mind...” Satsuki confessed, tearing her eyes away from Shindo. How could she hope to look the man she loved in the eye as she spoke of the possibility of killing a man?
“Takemi Kaido knows something about me... He said that he sealed memories of when I was young, but I don’t know. I can’t say for sure... No matter how hard I try to remember, nothing comes back to me. I’ve met him before—back when I was a little girl—but I can’t even remember that.”
The first time she met Takemi, Satsuki recognized his cold, piercing eyes. She felt as though she had seen them before. Perhaps those eyes were the only thing she remembered from a fragment of her sealed memories.
“And he isn’t willing to tell you?” Shindo asked.
“...He would between the sheets...or so he said.” Satsuki smiled dryly as she mentioned the condition Takemi presented as a joke; Shindo suddenly pulled her into an embrace.
“...Then why do you need to remember?”
“Shindo...”
“There is no need for you to remember. Even if you did kill someone, those memories will bring you nothing but pain. Don’t worry about remembering that. Even if you have met Mr. Kaido in the past, that has no bearing on the present.” Shindo held her even tighter as he revealed his true feelings, “I don’t want...another man to touch you...”
Satsuki’s chest grew painfully tight as she wrapped her arms around Shindo and held tightly onto his back. “...I’m sorry for bringing up such an unpleasant topic.”
Nonetheless, these were things she had to remember. She had to learn the truth. Satsuki could feel it in her very soul.
***
“I honestly think we got lucky with Mr. Kujo’s demise,” a man said. Although he was being inappropriate, the man asserted himself with a smile as he merrily talked with his hands. “With him out of the picture, there is one less rival to worry about. Of course, it’s awful he got in that terrible accident, but I personally view it as an opportunity more than anything.” Forming fists with both hands, his words were empowered with boundless confidence.
Resting his arms on the large chair’s armrests, he turned diagonally to face Takemi for affirmation. “How about it? Aren’t you of a similar mind, Mr. Kaido?”
Takemi gave an amused sigh and took a sip of his coffee before sizing up the man with a bemused gleam in his eyes. “Mr. Hakamada, you certainly aren’t afraid to speak your mind.”
“Ha ha! Is that a fact?” The man who responded with a triumphant grin was the twenty-nine-year-old Shinichiro Hakamada.
He was the grandson of Dietman Hakamada, a veteran in the political world with experience as a Prime Minister. At present, he was serving as the first secretary for his father, who was also a politician. It was already fixed so that he would become a third-generation Dietman in the upcoming year’s election. Due to his upbringing and promised future, he was bursting with self-confidence. This confidence gave him drive. With a strong competitive streak, he was an exceedingly shrewd man. Not to mention he was also one of Satsuki’s suitors.
“But if you put it that bluntly, well, see the dirty look the young lady is giving you?” Takemi made his hands into a steeple as he indicated the other man should direct his attention to the sofa. Satsuki was sitting upon it with a somewhat perturbed grimace.
“For the record, I agree with your opinion that one rival is out of the picture. But wouldn’t it be wise to avoid saying things that could get misconstrued as ‘I’m glad he died’ before a young lady so angelic she couldn’t even kill a fly?” Takemi pointed out.
Satsuki’s frown only darkened. She could sense unpleasant undertones in his “couldn’t even kill a fly,” which grated on her.
“Really? Jeez, I’m sorry, Miss Satsuki,” he apologized. Is she too soft to handle cutthroat business talk? But I’ve heard Miss Satsuki is a clever woman ready to take over Tsujikawa Corporation in a heartbeat.
Hakamada offered the apology readily enough, but Satsuki effortlessly undermined it with her smile. “Oh, think nothing of it. You won’t make it big in the business world if you can’t make plans to topple a rival behind a smile. Isn’t it the same in the political world?”
“I can tell you’re the Tsujikawa heiress! You really do get it! Mr. Kaido, it looks like you were worried for nothing!” Hakamada exclaimed. This woman isn’t just some overprotected princess after all! Behind that pretty face, she’s as vicious as any viper! Although he didn’t mean it maliciously, Satsuki’s eyebrow twitched over how inappropriate it came across.
All Monday morning, the drawing room in Tsujikawa mansion was occupied with Hakamada, who came to “curry favor with Miss Satsuki,” and Takemi, whose coinciding visit seemed concerted.
There were only two weeks left for the suitors. The loss of one rival truly was a golden opportunity for the survivors. Despite work scheduled that morning, Hakamada went so far as to take time off to come pay Satsuki a visit.
“Miss Satsuki, you sure are vicious! You’re not just some pretty face! Dang, you’re scary!” Takemi said to Satsuki with a chuckle. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Hakamada jump.
Of course the man jumped! Takemi just said almost exactly what he was thinking. Hakamada was so rattled, he failed to get a good grasp on the coffee cup and knocked it over.
“Youch...!” Hakamada quickly pulled his hand away as he jumped up, but in his haste, his hand knocked over the saucer. The spilled coffee fanned out and splattered on him. Since he was standing, the coffee consequentially sprayed onto his pants, albeit only lightly.
“Are you okay, Mr. Hakamada? Did you get burned...?” Shindo asked.
Satsuki hastily rose from her seat, but when she saw Shindo rush over from his place by the window with a cloth in hand, she sat back down.
“Honestly, this is more embarrassing than anything,” he said with an embarrassed laugh as he hid his face behind one hand.
“Was it hot? Fortunately, it doesn’t look like much got on you. I’ll help you clean it off if you will follow me to another room...” Shindo offered as he swiftly placed the cup upright and wiped up the spilt coffee. He moved with such speed, Hakamada had to look twice. “Your pants appear to have gotten dirty, so if you would follow me,” Shindo repeated.
“Oh, right...” If it was his jacket, he could have taken it off and given it to Shindo, but that wasn’t exactly an option with his pants.
With the sullied cloth and cup in one hand, Shindo turned to Satsuki and said, “I will escort Mr. Hakamada to the powder room. Another attendant will be here to replace me shortly.”
Once Shindo left to escort Hakamada, Satsuki would be alone in the drawing room with Takemi. It was customary for an attendant to wait on hand to ensure “the Miss never suffered for want.” However, Takemi voiced his grievance with Shindo’s statement. “Now hold on! You make it sound like you’re sending someone in because you’re afraid I might do something!”
“We are under strict orders from the master never to leave the Miss unattended,” Shindo replied to Takemi’s objection with a bow before motioning Hakamada toward the door.
Watching how Shindo managed the whole situation, the future politician exclaimed, “Wow, that was impressive! I’m amazed how quick you move. I see Miss Satsuki’s personal retainer truly is one of a kind.”
But there are some unsavory rumors about you two. There isn’t any funny business going on, is there? Even if there is, I’ll send you packing with a wad of cash soon enough. His vicious thoughts that went down a slightly different vector than questioning her relationship with Shindo made Satsuki furrow her brow.
“That politician boy sure is nasty! The easy answer to any problem is always money!” Takemi said with a heavy sigh as he sunk into his chair after Shindo led Hakamada out of the room. He was able to read the man’s mind just like Satsuki.
“If acting like a civil being is so exhausting, why don’t you give it a rest?”
In front of the other suitors, Takemi played the role of the “Kaido’s prim and proper fourth son.” In response to Satsuki’s snarky comment about his charade, Takemi softly chuckled as he rose to join her on the sofa. “We couldn’t have that, now could we? You wouldn’t want people laughing about how the Tsujikawa princess picked a man the polar opposite from the attendant providing sex ed, would you? I’m only pretending to be a proper gentleman for your sake.”
“And you seriously think...I’ll choose you?” she retorted. Caught in the heat of the moment, she glared at Takemi. But the moment she did, he grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her against the seat of the couch!
“You can’t choose anyone else,” he snarled.
“D-Don’t be stupid! Let go of me!” Satsuki commanded. She tried to lash out in an attempt to break free of Takemi’s grasp, but he was so strong, she couldn’t even raise her arms. “Let...go...!”
Glaring at her defiantly as he held her pinned down by the shoulders, Takemi’s lips curled into a devilish smile. Hoping to knock him off, Satsuki blasted concentrated will through her hateful glare.
Bang! With the loud crack of something like fireworks going off, a flash ran through Satsuki’s mind. Momentarily blinded by the white flash, her head swam so wildly she nearly blacked out.
“...That’s a waste of energy,” Takemi said with a frigid smile before Satsuki as her eyes fluttered in a desperate attempt to remain open. Her face twisted, assaulted by the sudden shock. “Your powers won’t work on me.”
Satsuki had tried to use her powers to knock him off. Alas, Takemi effortlessly blocked the attack and countered with what felt like a jolt of electricity through her mind.
“You’ve led such a coddled life, there’s no way your wussy powers could hurt me...” Takemi said as he untied her blouse’s ribbon.
Horrified, Satsuki grabbed his hands and shouted, “Stop it! Can’t you see how insulting this is?”
But he deftly broke free from her grasp. Clamping both wrists in one hand, he held them out of the way over her head. “So it’s fine when your attendant does it, but insulting when your fiancé does? Shouldn’t that be the other way around?” he chastised.
“S-Since when were you my fiancé? Stop this nonsense!” Satsuki shouted.
“I told you to choose me, remember?” Takemi insisted.
“I’ll never choose—”
Knocking at the door suddenly cut Satsuki off. It swung open without a moment’s pause.
“Forgive the interruption,” Shotaro said with a bob of the head as he entered the room. Shindo left him in charge of chaperoning Satsuki in his absence.
The moment he stepped into the room, he froze stiff with a gasp. Who could blame him? The young lady he served under the unquestioning belief she was chaste was being pinned down by a man on the sofa.
“Miss! Enough of this! What has gotten into you, Mr. Kaido?!” Shotaro shouted.
He had every right to be surprised. The young woman he served was being held down by her hands and shoulders. It was obvious this wasn’t consensual. He tried to dart over to them, but... Right before reaching the sofa, the horrible sense of plummeting from a skyscraper struck Shotaro. As the severe vertigo overwhelmed his senses, his consciousness slipped away!
“Mizuno!” Satsuki’s cry failed to reach him as Shotaro collapsed on the spot.
“Don’t worry. I just knocked him out. When he comes to, he won’t remember any of this,” Takemi said.
“How could you?!” Satsuki cried in a panic, but Takemi didn’t seem the least bit distressed. “Stop it! How dare you humiliate a woman like this?! You should be ashamed of yourself!” she cried.
“I could say the exact same thing to you. Stop lowering yourself by sleeping around with that worthless attendant! As the heiress to such an influential family, shouldn’t you be ashamed of yourself?!” Takemi shot back.
“Shindo isn’t worthless! His heart is far more dignified than yours!” Satsuki shouted in Shindo’s defense.
“Does he really mean all that much to you?!”
“He does! I love him! I love him with all my heart!” Satsuki declared. The second she shouted her words of affection, the air pressing heavily upon her suddenly let up. Able to move her bound arms once more, she realized Takemi had released her. Satsuki glared hatefully at Takemi.
“That’s all the more reason...for you to choose me, Satsuki,” Takemi said, looking down intently at her, but she continued to glare daggers at him. “If you declare I’m the guy you want, I’ll unleash all of the memories I’ve sealed away.”
“...I’m over that... I don’t want to remember anymore,” Satsuki replied weakly. Shindo told her she didn’t need to remember parts of her past that would bring her nothing but pain. Not to mention, she had no intention of offering her body to any man beside Shindo.
“You’ll regret it if you don’t,” Takemi warned, his usual frigid smile suddenly flashing across his face. “It’s a matter of life or death for Shindo.”
“Unhand her at once! Do you realize who you are manhandling in such a manner?!” came a shout undeniably wrenched with personal—not duty-bound—emotions. It forced the gears in Satsuki’s mind that moved at a sluggish crawl to finally begin turning smoothly once more. With the booming voice, the hands holding Satsuki down were pried off. She was forcibly pulled from her position pinned under Takemi.
“If you attempt anything further, we will consider you a sexual delinquent and take appropriate measures. Is that what you want?”
Shindo had burst into the drawing room in an outrage and torn Satsuki from Takemi.
After escorting Hakamada to another room, Shindo was in the midst of instructing a maid to assist the suitor when he sensed Satsuki use her powers. Although he made arrangements for Shotaro to go to the drawing room, he couldn’t shake the sense of foreboding that washed over him. Hurrying through the instructions, Shindo ordered another attendant to take over so he could head back.
The ominous feeling consumed him as he approached the open door. On the other side, he could see Takemi forcing himself on Satsuki. Along with his need to protect her as a retainer and bodyguard, his feelings for her as a man undeniably swung into full gear.
“Shindo...” Satsuki whispered hesitantly with her arms around his shoulders. She was somewhat taken aback by the strength in which he held her protectively as he wrapped his arms around her. It wasn’t like him to yell with such raw emotion in his voice. Even if a sexual delinquent stood before him, normally Shindo wouldn’t raise his voice so violently.
“Talk about timing! Are your hearts bound as one or something?” Takemi scoffed with a snigger as he sat up and rose from the sofa.
“You look like you’re ready to see blood. It’d suck if you killed me, so I’ll take my leave for today, Mr. Shindo,” Takemi said and turned his attention to Satsuki, the frigid smile never dropping from his lips. Held in Shindo’s protective embrace, she clung to his suit with her eyes averted from Takemi. Neither Shindo nor Satsuki noticed the grief briefly flash across his face over how Satsuki refused to look at him.
“Satsuki,” Takemi said, maintaining his usual cocky demeanor as he looked down at the girl who kept her face turned away from him, “if you’re curious about what I said, keep the French doors to your room unlocked for me at night.”
Satsuki’s body visibly shuddered from terror over the implication. As if to hold her still, Shindo held her even tighter.
“But on the condition he isn’t around. I’m not into threesomes,” he declared. Stifling his laughter as he made his way out, Takemi turned back once at the drawing room door.
“The pillow talk will last all night long,” he joked nastily. Turning away from the two clinging together, Takemi left the room with a casual wave of his hand.
Even after the sound of the door shutting filled the air and silence returned to the drawing room once more, Shindo didn’t loosen the tight hold of his arms wrapped protectively around Satsuki. Takemi’s warning still continued to echo in her head, “It’s a matter of life or death for Shindo.”
***
AFTER assisting Satsuki to the sofa in her room, Shindo stepped out. He explained to Hakamada that she was feeling ill and saw the suitor off. Returning straight to her room, he found she was sitting exactly where he left her.
The troubled look of uncertainty made it clear something happened between her and Takemi. Dropping to his knees before her, he placed his hands over hers.
“Did he tell you about your past?” Shindo asked.
Satsuki bit her bottom lip. She could never bring herself to tell him there was a possibility he was somehow connected to her past memories.
“Didn’t I tell you there was no need to remember such things? Why is it so imperative for you to remember?” His voice was extremely kind. By no means was he chastising Satsuki for trying to learn the past when she knew it would bring her nothing but pain.
The simple admonition “It’s a matter of life or death for Shindo” was enough to greatly inflate the urgency within Satsuki that she had to unseal those memories. But in order to do so, she had to pick Takemi as her fiancé. On top of that...
Satsuki wrapped her arms around Shindo’s shoulders, clinging to him as she whispered, “Hold me, Shindo...”
“Miss?”
“Please...” Satsuki pleaded. Holding Shindo’s head, she ran her fingers through his soft hair. She rubbed her cheek against it as she savored the softness of each strand against her fingers.
“Don’t...let me go...”
Takemi’s voice rung in her ears. “It’s a matter of life or death for Shindo.” His words were attempting to seize control of her heart.
“Keep me from unlocking the French doors...”
The moment those words escaped Satsuki’s lips, Shindo thrust her against the back of the sofa and kissed her. He knew Takemi told her to keep the French doors open if she wanted to learn about her past. Seeing how strangely she was behaving, he quickly realized she wanted the suitor to reveal the past.
“I won’t let you go...” Shindo promised. “...I swear...I won’t let you go.”
With the lights still turned on, their bodies melded into one on the sofa. The two made love fervently. It was as if they were trying to make the most of every last second left to them—as if there was something pushing them to make haste.
“I will be here to keep you from unlocking the doors,” Shindo swore. “I love you...Miss.” He would only be able to whisper these words of affection a little longer.
“I love you...Shindo...” There was not much time left for her to freely confess the feelings in her heart like this.
Once Satsuki chose a fiancé in two weeks...they would be forced to part.
“At least for now, don’t let me go...”
***
“AREN’T you staying with me tonight?” Satsuki asked, looking straight ahead at her reflection in the mirror attached to the dresser. Her expression in the mirror looked sad.
Her question stilled the retainer’s hands that were busily brushing her long hair. Standing diagonally behind the lady sitting before the dresser, Shindo raised his head to see the reflection of Satsuki looking at him with sadness as heartrending as the heavy sorrow carried in her voice.
“I’m staying with you. I’m not leaving your side until you’re fast asleep,” Shindo replied and resumed brushing her hair.
“That’s not what I meant...” Satsuki mumbled embarrassedly, dropping her gaze. She began fidgeting with her fingers over her lap. It was probably difficult for her to broach the topic. Really, it was inappropriate to make a lady say such things. Realizing what she was implying, Shindo put down the brush and gently wrapped his arms around her from behind.
“Please take it easy tonight. I’m afraid you might be...tired...after I got overzealous this afternoon... Are you sore at all?” he said, making Satsuki feel even more embarrassed.
What Takemi said earlier led the two to make love on the sofa that afternoon. Shindo was honestly burning with jealousy over the suitor’s request for Satsuki to keep the French doors unlocked. He was afraid it caused him to get rougher with Satsuki more than usual.
Ever since they first became one in heart and body, they spent every night these past two weeks locked in passionate ecstasy. Shindo strived to embrace her with nothing but gentle and tender love, but...
“I’m not sore. It was different from usual...but...” Satsuki looked up at the reflection of Shindo holding her through the bangs of her hair. “...I like that side of you, too... You seemed more masculine and irresistible than usual... It was surprising even to me...” Satsuki muttered abashed, making Shindo’s heart grow tight with adoration over how she seemed far cuter than usual.
“By the way, you haven’t made any progress with the office work Father has assigned since you’ve been spending every night with me, have you? Are you going to need to cram it in to meet the deadlines?”
Shindo usually tackled his work from the headquarters of Tsujikawa Corporation after hanging up his title as retainer for the day when he tucked Satsuki in. But that work was piling up since he was spending each night these past two weeks with her.
“Miss...” Shindo whispered.
The fact that Satsuki would take notice of that and express concern for him filled Shindo with immense joy. That joy evoked tender affection, making him unable to pull away from Satsuki. Placing a hand over one cheek, he urged her to turn back toward him and silently kissed her. As they kissed, Satsuki scooted the rest of the way around. Once she was fully facing Shindo, he pulled her body towards him. He laced his fingers through the silky hair he was brushing only moments ago. As they kissed, Shindo lifted Satsuki up. He swiftly carried the young lady to her bedchambers and turned off the lights.
“Wasn’t I supposed to go straight to bed tonight?” Satsuki asked with a giggle, but Shindo silenced her with another kiss.
“I won’t let you get a wink of sleep...”
***
SURE, he was probably drunk. During the reception dinner, he had a bit too much to drink. He stepped out of the restaurant in hopes of clearing his head, but that was probably when he started to act a bit funny. With a slow, yet sure stride, he began to walk away from the restaurant.
As if in a drunken stupor, his eyes were only half open. His mouth was partially agape. His cheeks appeared to hang slack. His overall expression was dazed, as if he were caught in an illusion. Even strangers who passed by gave the man puzzled looks as they wondered, “Has he lost his mind?” No one would ever suspect such a man to be a Dietman’s first secretary.
Once Shinichiro Hakamada came to a busy road, he began to go up the steps of an overpass. Ever so slowly, one step at a time, he made his way up, until he reached the top. Countless cars raced by below with their bright lights and noisy mufflers filling the street.
As he looked down upon the cars from his perch on the overpass, Hakamada saw a vision in those car lights. What did he see...? His promised title? The renown that was sure to follow? Or a beautiful young lady?
Reaching out to those lights, he leaned his body over the rail. His body went plummeting headlong toward the car lights.
***
TAKEMI slowly opened his eyes. An evil grin spread across his lips as he laughed coldly.
“Two down...” he whispered.
Looking at the night sky, he set his mind free. He was parked in front of the Tsujikawa mansion’s front gate. Straddling the turned off sportbike, he telepathically confirmed that the French doors to Satsuki’s room were locked. His eyes narrowed somewhat sadly as he said, “I will make you open them... You must...”
Memory of a little girl without compare in this debauch world stood smiling as she offered him a hand flashed across Takemi’s mind. At the memory of her as a child, Takemi sounded tormented as he whispered, “Satsuki...”
***
“DO you remember that promise?” Satsuki asked, her voice reverberating against the left side of Shindo’s chest. Shindo was stroking her hair as she leaned against him, but that question made his hand come to a stop.
“The promise we made when I was four,” Satsuki elaborated. She closed her eyes, listening to his heartbeat as she enjoyed the feeling of his rock-solid chest.
Ever since she was little, she liked the feel of his pulse against his chest. She always found comfort in the sound of his heartbeat. Whenever they made love in bed, Satsuki would listen to Shindo’s heartbeat once they were done. It was almost like a ritual to make sure these happy moments weren’t just a dream.
“Of course I remember,” Shindo answered and resumed playing with her hair. “That was when I promised to stay by your side forever...”
Satsuki lifted her head from Shindo’s chest. Looking up at him, she held out her right hand’s pinky finger. “Stay with me forever...” Satsuki whispered as she gazed intently at Shindo.
Wrapping his own finger around her pinky finger, Shindo returned Satsuki’s gaze as he replied, “...Of course, Miss Satsuki...”
With pinky fingers entwined, the two kissed.
Rustle...! The moment they kissed, the same wisteria swished across their minds. Their memories mixed and melded, becoming one. Their minds were thrown back to the trellis of wisteria where they made their eternal promise.
***
“STAY with me forever, please...” With her proffered pinky finger, four-year-old Satsuki laughed innocently.
“Certainly, Miss.” Wrapping his finger around hers, sixteen-year-old Shindo laughed happily.
The two believed unquestioningly that promise would last forever. Satsuki believed Shindo would stay by her side. Shindo believed he could stay by her side. The feelings behind that promise were honest and pure. Neither realized it was impossible.
The feelings they harbored would never come to fruition.
Rustle...! The wisteria noisily swayed. Its petals danced down, concealing the two. If it could hide them now... If it could hide these two from their destiny now... It could save them from all the tears they would shed.
Alas, the wisteria lacked the power to conceal them. The surrounding petals it shed were like tears bemoaning its lack of power. The petals fell sadly. It was almost as if the wisteria already knew their fate. It rustled to comfort Satsuki as she gazed sadly upon the Shindo before her...and the Shindo she beheld in the distant future.
“Stay with me...forever...” Satsuki said with love and sadness as she peered into the wisteria to see the image of Shindo. “Shindo...”
Satsuki’s eyes were filled with images of the distant future. She saw many years ahead, when she was eighteen. She knew of how she would break the taboo... As a little child, Satsuki knew what the future held. She could see it clearly. Her destiny was laid out before her.
Her eyes saw everything. As a little girl, she knew all that would transpire. At this point in her life, Satsuki already knew how this would end. But now that she was eighteen, she no longer possessed memory of such things. Those memories and her foresight were sealed in the depths of her heart.
But at one point, Satsuki knew... She foresaw her own future and the fate of her romance. She knew her destiny, and shivered at what fate had planned for her.
***
“I’LL be with you forever...”
As their lips parted, the vision of the past that raced through their minds vanished.
“Even if I must step down as your retainer...I’ll always be with you,” Shindo promised.
“Shindo...”
The only light shining on these two was the meager illumination of a floor lamp. That dim lighting was all they had to see the expression on the other’s face.
“I was always afraid,” he said, confessing his innermost feelings with his eyes transfixed on Satsuki. “As you grew more beautiful with each passing year, my feelings for you grew from platonic to romantic. They grew so strong and vast, I had no hope of ever reining them in. I was able to keep myself in check because of my duties as your retainer, but I also lived in constant fear.”
Shindo caressed Satsuki’s cheek and traced the outline of her lips with his thumb. “I was afraid that someday all it would take was a little trigger and I would corrupt you... The very man charged with protecting you from being tainted would sully you... The thought that I might corrupt you terrified me...”
Satsuki nuzzled Shindo’s hand, holding it with one of her own hands.
“Shindo, you haven’t corrupted me,” Satsuki asserted. Removing his hand from her cheek, she looked him square in the eye. “You’ve filled me with happiness, Shindo. I’m overjoyed by the love you’ve shown me.”
“Miss...” Shindo whispered as he wrapped his arms around Satsuki.
She was like an angel. Breathing pure air, she only walked a clear, noble path. No matter how vile of a human heart she touched, no matter how horrible of an accident she beheld, her heart was always the height of purity. The act of tainting such an angelic figure could never go unpunished.
“Miss...” Shindo whispered in her ear with his arms still wrapped around her. “Please...kill me...”
Satsuki’s body began to tremble.
“Someday, I will be punished...punished for tainting you.”
“Shindo...”
“When that time comes, I want you to kill me,” he said.
“No!” Satsuki pushed Shindo with all her might, pulling away from his arms and glaring angrily at him.
“No one is going to punish you! I could never kill you... I won’t allow things to come to that!” Satsuki cried and flung herself onto Shindo. She thrust her lips upon his. Forcing her tongue upon his, she sucked at his lips. Shindo slowly laid Satsuki back down on the bed.
“Stay with me forever...” Satsuki pleaded. The moment Shindo’s lips began to trace the length of her neck, they parted hers. She leaned her head back, arching her neck to make it easier for him. “Stay with me forever and ever...”
Even after realizing their mutual love, their hearts were still lost and wandering.
Even after sharing the ecstasy of becoming one, their hearts knew no peace. And they never would so long as they continued to care for one another. Not so long as they wished to stay together. Such desires doomed their hearts to wander endlessly.
“I will stay with you forever...Miss,” Shindo promised.
Their secret love doomed them to wander in this labyrinth.
Meanwhile, other forces were at work around them.