Chapter 8: Versus Crow Ranger Red!
Chapter 8: Versus Crow Ranger Red!
THE morning after his shift ended, Misaki was lying sprawled on his bed, lifelessly staring at the ceiling. There were plenty of opportunities to meet someone nowadays: arranged marriage, speed dating, school, work… Of all the possible ways, Misaki had met Sayoko on the Internet.
Misaki was a bonsai enthusiast. With bonsai being a more mature hobby, he feared if his friends or family found out about his interest in it, they would no doubt all laugh and ask him, “what are you, ninety?”, so he enjoyed his hobby in secret. The potted microcosm existing just under a foot tall let him feel one with nature and savor the changing seasons. The time he spent pruning his bonsai on his days off let him fully relax and recharge. However, as time went on and he continued to practice his hobby in solitude, he started feeling lonely. So, he did a quick search on the Internet and stumbled upon a community comprised solely of bonsai lovers.
There, amid exchanging opinions on different matters, Misaki found the pleasure and warmth that human contact can bring. Whenever someone shared stories of some new type of bonsai Misaki had never worked on before, he felt a whole new world open up before him. Among all the different types, the one called “moss bonsai” piqued his interest the most.
Until then, Misaki had preferred the traditional trees and shrubs for potting, but moss was a new and intriguing discovery. Out of all the people in that community, the person he hit it off with the best was Sayoko. She had devoted all her spare time to growing moss bonsai since high school, and sent him several pictures of her treasured plants, each one tastefully arranged and obviously very well-tended. Sayoko’s love of bonsai was clear as day from those photos. For her part, Sayoko’s heart was stirred by the refined beauty of Misaki’s maple and black pine trees, and the loveliness of his plum and cherry trees.
The two became fast friends and eventually moved on to exchanging private messages. Before they knew it, they started calling each other on the phone all the time, and one year after they had first met online, they progressed to visiting each other in real life. It didn’t take them long to begin dating after their first face-to-face meeting. Maybe it was because they had talked so much over messages and on the phone, but they clicked almost immediately. Misaki was twenty-six, Sayoko was twenty-four.
They both envisioned marrying each other, but there was a very big obstacle standing in their way. Sayoko was the youngest daughter of a company president; her father’s company was not very big, but still a significant player in its market. Misaki had graduated from a local university to become a police officer; he only had four years of service under his belt. It wasn’t as if his salary was very low, but he wasn’t a high earner either. He was nothing more than a humble public servant. Naturally, the woman’s parents did not look upon their relationship favorably and openly opposed it. Misaki thought they were being reasonable.
If he waited one more year, just a year more, he would get a raise and be able to afford a little luxury here and there, earning enough to support Sayoko… He spent his days entertaining these vague hopes, and then it all inevitably came crashing down. The sudden arranged marriage—it was clear what drove Sayoko’s father to do this. When Sayoko told him about it at the police station, he had been overcome with two distinct feelings: a quiet resignation of “I knew it was coming,” and a bubbling resentment in wondering, “Why did Sayoko choose her father over me?”
And then the painful realization struck him that in the end, he couldn’t muster the courage to take the plunge, pushing the ultimate decision onto Sayoko instead. He couldn’t blame her. He had no right to. Besides, marrying a rich man might very well afford her happiness. He couldn’t deny those obsequious thoughts. He found himself hating his own pathetic brooding self that only ever looked for excuses like a wimp, so much so that he wanted to punch himself.
Misaki turned over in his bed so that he was lying faceup, a sleepless morning ahead of him.
***
DING-DONG, his doorbell almost never rang, and yet now it suddenly came alive with sound. Who the heck is it this early in the morning? Misaki decided to pretend he was out. He wouldn’t answer even if they were conducting a census.
Ding-dong, ding-dong. Ding-dong. Ugh, stop it. Just give up already. Misaki hid his head under a pillow and covered his ears. But then…
Click! The unmistakable sound of his door lock opening. He had to raise his head for that.
“Hey, Red! I know you’re there! Don’t pretend you are not, you fool!”
The door loudly opened, and in his hallway, with a black cape behind her back and a magic wand in her hand, stood none other than the Supreme Ruler of Evil Mia Oonari. Misaki gawked at the girl, shell-shocked, but there was something he needed to confirm, so he shot into action.
He stood up, barreled towards the hallway and pressed the girl for answers, “Y-You! You unlocked my door! How did you do that?!”
“Huh?! You would not open it for me, so I used magic to do that myself. A cylinder lock like that is a piece of cake for me!”
Forcing a lock open with magic?! Misaki’s facial expression changed to astonishment. Wow, nothing was impossible with her powers. If she didn’t need a key to open doors, she could commit all the crimes she wanted! …He knew very well from their time together up until now, that she would never do that.
Realizing that he had started blindly trusting Mia somewhere along the way, he hastily raised his voice, questioning her further, “Wh-What do you want? Actually, why aren’t you at school? It’s a weekday, you know!”
“I’m afraid to say, I shall be missing class today. Skipping it to be precise.”
“Hey, don’t you dare cut classes and then strut into my apartment like everything’s cool! Did you come so I could chew you out for this or what?”
“No. I came because there is something I have to talk to you about. Why else would I be here? Now, get ready, we’re going to Kyoto!”
Misaki’s jaw dropped. Kyoto? Why? He couldn’t understand what Mia was talking about. “I can’t come up with a single reason why I’d want to go to Kyoto though.”
“Oh, there is a reason all right. Sayoko will be meeting her fiancé today. We don’t know what time the meeting will start, so we best get there as quick as possible. Honestly, we don’t have much time. So, chop-chop!” Mia’s tone brokered no argument. She forcibly took Misaki by the hand and moved to step out of his flat, but he violently shook her hand off, taken aback by her actions.
“Wait just a minute! What’s this about Sayoko and her fiancé? I don’t get what you’re talking about!”
“Ugh, you irksome man! Sayoko is going to meet the person her father arranged for her to marry today. If we don’t go right now, we won’t make it in time. If it goes through as intended, your chances of having her will be destroyed for good. Are you all right with that?”
They would be meeting each other today. It was so soon. He felt Sayoko’s father’s hand in the arrangement progressing at a breakneck speed. It suddenly clicked in his mind why Sayoko had appeared out of the blue yesterday. She had been running out of time. That was why she had come to Tokyo so suddenly. She had boarded the first bullet train out of Kyoto and had come to see him. Had it been just to break up with him? Or—
Misaki stumbled back a step, his legs moving of their own accord. “I can’t go,” he uttered in a small voice.
Mia gave him a puzzled look.
“I can’t go. What am I gonna do there? Are you telling me that I should go to their meeting, spout some chick flick worthy line like, ‘No, that woman is mine!’ and sweep her off her feet? You know I can’t do that. Her father’s reputation and the company’s profits are at stake. Moreover, Sayoko has made her choice already. And even if I do whisk her away, there’s no way that’ll go well. It can only result in them tracking us down and taking her back, and that’ll be the end of it.”
Mia clearly looked incensed at what had just come out of Misaki’s mouth. Her mouth was curled down at the corners in annoyance. She’s like an open book, Misaki thought, but this time, there’s really nothing she can do. This is no fairy tale where there’s always a happy ending.
Even if they did manage to elope, what were they going to do next? Misaki had a life. Even if he quit the job he had now and they ran away to some faraway place where no one knew who they were, what were they supposed to do after that? Was he supposed to look for a new job, one which would let him support Sayoko? …The answer was “no”. This would only serve to make life harder for the both of them and bring them nothing but misery.
“Love conquers all” was nothing but a bunch of sweet words ringing hollow in the face of reality. Misaki didn’t expect Sayoko, who had enjoyed a life of luxury and privilege up until now, to get used to hardship, and even if she braved it with him, that would ultimately amount to him imposing self-denial on her. This wasn’t the happiness he envisioned for them.
“It’s fine, Mia. She was out of my league from the beginning. All that matters to me is that Sayoko’s happy. If she is, then I don’t care that it’s not me who’s by her side. So you can stop—”
“Argh! Stop talking! Her father, the company—whatever! Who cares! What do you want to do? You sure spoke a lot about how Sayoko’s happiness is your number one priority, but guess what, she is not happy! She was crying the other day. When you didn’t propose to her yesterday, she felt so forlorn she wept!” Mia snarled, flailing her arms around in a fit of anger.
Misaki, completely dumbstruck, helplessly gazed at the girl raging in his hallway. Sayoko had wanted him to propose? She had come to end things with him, what did proposing have to do with anything?
“Why would I propose to her? She made the choice to leave me, you know!”
“Admittedly, I fail to comprehend that part too, but Sayoko said something about how she was being unfair. How she wanted to test you, how she put selfish, one-sided expectations on you. And then she let out a defeated laugh and was gone, just like that. She said that she was swayed too much by the opinions of other people, and that was why this was the only way for her, or something along those lines. But, I hated that laugh so much I…” Mia mumbled on and on, but Misaki stopped listening halfway.
She had been testing him. She had wanted him to say, “please, be my wife”. She had imposed that choice upon him—but he was no better. Misaki had been testing her, too. He had hoped that she would choose him over her family and their company. He had wanted her to ask him to get married right away. However, unable to get his feelings across, he could only accept what the woman he loved had to say. It had been easier that way. If he took his anger out on her, shifted the blame to her inside his heart, then he could continue to avert his eyes from the ugly, dirty truth of his own feelings. He wanted to be the “victim”, so he had to push Sayoko into the role of the “victimizer”.
“…I’m the worst…” Misaki whispered, hanging his head and hiding his face in his hands.
If Subaru or Ren were here right now, he might’ve asked them to punch him.
“Huh?” Mia screwed her face up in exasperation.
“Sayoko said the same thing.”
“…Yeah, we’re two peas in a pod, all right.”
“I see. So, Kyoto. You are going, right?” Mia asked him as if it was a rhetorical question.
He felt almost envious of her childish neglect to imagine how their actions would affect the future. Misaki, though, was an adult. He now knew how Sayoko felt and had finally realized what had been brewing in his own mind all along, but he wasn’t easygoing or rash enough to rush into this gamble headlong without a plan.
When instead of answering her, he lapsed into silence, she frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. “Say, Misaki, what do you want to do? …Do you not want Sayoko anymore? If that’s the case, I’ll give up on it too. Ren told me that I should. He said that there is no point in taking someone who has no wish to do anything about the situation all the way to Kyoto, and I agree.”
If Misaki took Mia’s hand and let her take him to Kyoto, what would he do once he was there? What could he do, if not whisk her away, which was hardly realistic? What had he even been doing up until now? What had he been doing to make Sayoko his?
…Nothing. He had done nothing but stall—just a year more, just another year. He had never tried to talk to her parents in person, or put his wish to marry her into words. He had only been waiting for some impossible miracle to happen and change everything overnight.
“Misaki, do you really have no desire to go to Kyoto? …Did you, in your heart of hearts, actually want to break up with Sayoko?”
“Of course I didn’t! I wanted to be with her forever. I wanted her to marry me. I couldn’t imagine my life without her anymore! But then real life happened, and it was way harsher than I expected! I can’t wield magic like you do, I’m not a great fighter like Ren or Shou, I don’t have the monstrous strength of Subaru! …Even if I want her so bad it hurts, even if I go there and try to steal her away, how do you expect me to do that?!” Misaki yelled, unconsciously hurling all of his pent-up frustration at the girl standing in front of him, but Mia only leveled him with a neutral gaze, taking his tirade in stride.
Then, an inexplicably relieved expression overtook her face, and she uttered, “I’m glad to hear that. …Hearing you say all this and admit that you still want Sayoko is good enough for me. You can think about what you are going to do once we arrive in Kyoto,” Mia said, whipping her wand out in an instant.
Misaki tried to brace himself desperately, but it was already too late.
“O verdant green, turn into shackles!” As soon as Mia pronounced these words filled with intent, vines slithered from under Misaki’s feet, crawling up his legs until they were completely entangled in the green tendrils.
“Wha—”
“Fly with me into the sky!”
Having cast two spells in quick succession, Mia grabbed Misaki who was wrapped up in the vines, and the two of them levitated out of the flat. Misaki frantically ripped at the green stems binding him with all his might, reached for the stun baton he kept in a holster fastened to his jeans and pressed it into her body. Blue sparks erupted, crackling, at the point of contact, and she let out a sharp cry. Her concentration thus disrupted, they started falling. Mia plummeted to the ground, slamming into it ungracefully, while Misaki managed to land feetfirst.
Eventually, Mia staggered to her feet, and the pair glowered at each other, standing in front of Misaki’s apartment door. “What are you doing?! You startled me!”
“Sturdy as always, I see! I haven’t said I was coming yet!”
“It was as good as saying you are coming! I know you want Sayoko, you hypocrite! You are such a wimp!”
“Wim… Shut up! That’s how I am! What am I supposed to do about it, huh? Look at yourself, Miss It’s-all-gonna-be-fine! You’re just an airhead! How can you stick your nose in everybody’s business like that when you’re dumb as a brick? No one asked your opinion on adult love matters, little virgin!”
Strictly speaking, that last bit was sexual harassment. Mia narrowed her eyes, emitting a growl. “Oh, right… I have not tried challenging the buffoon of the Rangers yet. I shall use this opportunity as the Supreme Ruler of Evil to put an end to you, Red! I shall beat you to a bloody pulp and abduct you to Kyoto even if it shall be the last thing I do!”
“That does it, you villain wannabe! I know you’re all talk! I’ll teach you something—you’re no good in a battle!” Misaki yelled out, bracing his baton.
Mia, too, brandished her wand, twirled it and cried, “O sour taste, be transposed!”
“…?!”
As soon as the girl finished her spell, a terrible, acrid sourness assaulted Misaki’s mouth, spreading over his tongue. What was that—lemon? He hadn’t drunk anything, so why was his mouth overflowing with lemon flavor?
As his hand automatically flew to his mouth to cover it, she whirled her wand again, chanting another spell in addition to the previous one. “O ice, become my projectiles and fall down as rain!”
With a loud, rumbling noise, a storm of ice lumps the size of a marble tumbled down on Misaki’s head. Disoriented, he broke into a run towards Mia, his hands still plastered over his mouth. He had to seal Mia’s lips. He had heard Subaru and Shou’s accounts of their fights with Mia, and the first thing they had done was curtail her ability to speak.
“O earth, collapse!”
“Who do you think I am?!”
He remembered every spell he had seen Mia cast. Misaki pushed off the asphalt, gaining momentum for a big leap upwards. The next moment, a gaping hole opened up with a low moan right under where his feet had been, but he evaded it, landing safely on solid ground. Mia was now within his reach.
“I’ll close that big mouth of yours!”
“…! O e-earth, become covered in ice!” she stuttered out, closed her eyes, squatted and touched her wand to the ground. As if spreading from where it touched the asphalt, a wave of frost ran over the pavement, tiny ice crystals melding together in its path to form a single shiny surface.
“…?!”
Misaki couldn’t stop his feet from slipping; he skidded on the icy strip of asphalt, teetering wildly, and crashed, bruising his back.
“…Ow!”
Misaki tried to get up jerkily, willing the throbbing pain in his back to subside. Mia used this moment to make a grab for his hand and fluttered her wand in the air, intoning, “Fly with me into the sky!”
Immediately, their bodies floated up, as if they were two sparks spat out by a bonfire. Eventually, they ascended so high they could reach out their hands and touch the clouds.
“You cannot run away from me now, Misaki. If you fall down from this height, you will die.”
“Argh, you little twerp! Dammit. I really am hopeless at combat. …Why did I get picked for the Rangers again? Crap.”
“As if I would know. Okay, we’re heading for Kyoto. It will take us about an hour and a half, I expect. While we are flying, think about what it is you want to do, Misaki,” Mia instructed and promptly shut her eyes.
Was she conjuring up another image in her head? Mumbling something incoherent under her breath, she opened her eyes and uttered the words, pouring intent into them, “Bullet train!”
“Huh? Bulle—Waah?!”
Air roared in his ears as his body was now being propelled through the air at incredible speed. The two advanced towards the west. Strangely enough, he felt no wind pressure, although it should be more than tangible considering how fast they were moving. It seemed that a cloud of mist hanging around Mia and curling over Misaki’s body, was protecting them from the effects of high-speed flight.
“…Mia, can I ask you something?”
“What is it? Make it quick so that I don’t lose concentration.”
“Okay. What did you do to fill my mouth with lemon taste just now?”
“Oh, that? I arranged my taste transferring technique a little bit, now it turns your saliva into lemon juice. It took me a month to perfect it. Bwa-ha-ha!”
“Ugh, why did you spend a month of your life on a stupid prank like that?!” Misaki shouted inadvertently.
It was stupid, but pretty mean. Hoping desperately that the girl would discover the weaknesses of his teammates too, he traveled through the air with her.
***
TO the west they went, onwards and onwards, without changing their course. Mia, focusing her will, kept her mouth shut. Misaki, helped along by her silence, sunk into thought.
He pondered about what he was going to do now. Maybe it was time he started doing the things he had been running away from in fear. Indeed, this was a turning point; the turning point he had been waiting for like a miracle. He had been hesitating, unable to make a decision. He had been holding himself back, afraid that he wouldn’t be able to make Sayoko happy. But he hadn’t wanted to lose her, hadn’t wanted her to walk away from him, so he had been showering her with affection. And what a cowardly affection it had been, now that he thought about it.
He wouldn’t say the words Sayoko wanted to hear the most, basking in the bliss their always too short trysts brought, shutting out the inconvenient parts, picking and choosing only what was enjoyable. He had been behaving like a selfish bastard, hadn’t he? So, it was time for them to really confront each other.
If Misaki loved Sayoko, if he wished to spend his life with her by his side, he had to take action. Even if it came out pathetic or if she rebuked him for it. Even if they called him feckless, a disgrace. Even if she refused him, it would be okay. He had already heard her bid him farewell. He had nothing to lose. Determination burning bright like a flame in his heart, Misaki steeled his resolve.
***
THEY had been flying for so long they lost track of time.
“…Are we close to Kyoto?” Mia panted out.
“Yeah. We’re already within the city limits. …Mia, are you feeling okay?”
Big drops of sweat beaded on Mia’s forehead, labored breaths starting to sound almost like wheezing. It was understandable that she got so tired after flying this whole distance. Her exhaustion was overwhelmingly clear at first glance.
“…Let me…take you…to Gion…at least…” she got out between gasps.
“All right. See that mountain over there? Head for it. At its foot there’ll be… See the temple gate that came into view just now? That’s where it is,” Misaki instructed Mia, consulting the map that he had brought up on his smartphone.
Mia nodded once and maneuvered through the air according to his directions, slowing down a little bit. Misaki’s wristwatch was showing 12:30 p.m. He had already inquired about where the meeting was to take place on the way. Restaurant Kaede’s business hours ran from 12 to 2 p.m. for lunch, and from 6 p.m. for dinner. Considering it was the first meeting between families whose children were about to enter an arranged marriage, it was very likely that they had set it around noon. In fact, he was more than certain that it had already started.
Finally, they crossed over the big red temple gates, and chose a quiet little backstreet to make their landing. As soon as their feet touched the ground, Mia’s body dangerously careened. Startled, Misaki hurried to steady her by the shoulders.
“Okay, we’re very close. Can you walk, Mia?”
She was panting hard. Apparently, she had really pushed herself to the limit with this trip. Misaki forcefully tugged the cape off her shoulders and stuffed it into her backpack. Her wand suffered the same fate. Then he heaved her up, draping her over his back so that she hung there, supported by his arms under her knees, and stood up.
“Huff… I’m all…all right… I can…walk by…my…self,” she wheezed.
“Don’t try to convince me you’re all right when your legs are wobbling like jelly! Shut up and sit tight!” Misaki barked at the girl huddled on his back. He took a quick glance at the map he had open on his phone and started walking.
Passing through a couple of alleys and across the street, they found a storefront with a sign saying Kaede.
“We’re here! Well, there we go, Mia!”
“Right. Ah, Misaki, I really am fine now. …I rested up a little.”
Mia looked a lot better than before; she was still sweating, but she wasn’t deathly pale anymore.
“If you say so,” Misaki replied as he let Mia slide off his back and stepped boldly inside the restaurant.
“Welcome,” two girls dressed in kimonos greeted them.
However, likely due to Misaki and Mia wearing ordinary clothing that looked out of place at a luxury restaurant, the hostesses’ expressions soon turned wary.
“We beg your pardon, but unless you have a reservation…”
“Yeah, I gathered that much from the look of this place. …However!”
They were at the right address, which was excellent in and of itself, but how were they going to even begin to explain what they came here for? While Misaki was gaping like a fish, lost for words, Mia leaned forward, peering out from behind his back.
“Ugh, I can’t watch this anymore! Sorry, but we are in a hurry! Kimono-clad ordinary workers, I shall hear your grievances out at a later date!”
“Huh?! O-Ordinary workers?!”
Ignoring the wide-eyed hostesses stupefied by Mia’s manner of expressing herself, she gripped Misaki’s hand and took off into the main hall. Then she began doing things that made even the Crow Ranger raise his eyebrows. Bam! Thud! Crash! Mia went about arbitrarily opening doors and sliding screens one after another. Naturally, the guests sitting inside the rooms regarded her with bewilderment. Upon seeing that her quarry wasn’t there, Mia slid the door closed without a word, and reached for the next one.
“H-Hey!”
“Miss, stop, please!”
“I thought I told you I would hear out your grievances at a later date! I sincerely apologize for the commotion, but we are really short on time!”
Mia disregarded the panicking voices of the restaurant staff and Misaki’s grunts of confusion, choosing to concentrate on her door-opening mission instead. And then, she reached the room she had been looking for. Behind one of the doors that she threw open with a dry creak of the wood, sat Sayoko, wrapped in an exquisite kimono.
“I found her! Misaki, she’s here!”
“Huh? Yeah, I can see her. …Hello, Sayoko.”
“M-Mia… Misaki, too. Wh-Why?”
Naturally, Sayoko was not the only person in the room. Next to her was a middle-aged couple, her parents most likely. Opposite of her sat a man in an expensive-looking suit, a pair of glasses perched atop his nose. Beside him Mia could see a genteel elderly man. The fiancé’s parents most likely took on the role of the go-between. Misaki moved forward, brushing past Mia. He took a firm step inside the room where Sayoko sat.
“Sayoko, I came here for you. I couldn’t tell you this for the longest time because I was scared. Sorry for being such a pathetic man. But I can’t bear to lose you, Sayoko. I just can’t, because I love you.”
Misaki fished around in his pockets, hoping to find something, anything. Sadly, he had nothing set aside for the occasion. Really, he was terrible at arranging things right. If he could produce a gorgeous ring to everyone’s gasps of amazement now, it would’ve been like a scene out of a movie, but alas it was not to be. So, to make up for that in some way, Misaki opened his mouth and started speaking the way Mia chanted her spells—pouring his heart and soul into each and every word.
“Sayoko, please, marry me. You are the only one for me. I want us to become happy together. I want to enjoy growing bonsai together with you, watch your lovely moss arrangements, and be with you—always and forever!”
“Mi-Misaki! “ Sayoko cried out, tears uncontrollably bursting forth.
Misaki rushed toward her, almost tripping over his feet. Sayoko took unsteady, faltering steps in his direction, her legs having fallen asleep during the meeting, and he caught her in his arms halfway, holding her close in a tight embrace.
“I am so happy, doncha know! Finally, you’ve said the words I’ve dreamt of hearing! This’s gotta be the best day of my life! You are the one for me, too, Misaki! I wanna be with you!”
“Yes, I want to be with you, too. …I love you so much, Sayoko.”
The two, forgetting where they were, exchanged a kiss. The young lovers looked so perfect in that moment, everyone in the room found themselves entranced by the sight of them leaning into each other so eagerly.
The first one to come to his senses was Sayoko’s father, raising his voice, “Wh-What are you doing?! Are you even aware of what was going on here in this room before you—Urgh, get your filthy hands off my daughter and get out of here!”
“I’m not going anywhere. Do you know why I came here? I came here to ask for your daughter’s hand in marriage. And until you agree to give it to me, I refuse to leave this room!” Misaki proclaimed, looking straight into the fuming eyes of Sayoko’s father, as he gently let go of his beloved.
Then he kneeled, sitting on his heels in a formal manner. “My name is Misaki Saeki. I am the man that has had the pleasure of dating your daughter. I am well aware that you were having a meeting to arrange her marriage. To the man who was to be her future husband and her esteemed parents, I understand how impudent my request is. And yet, I must have Sayoko, no matter what. Please, let me take your daughter as my wife!”
Misaki bowed his head down low, pressing his palms into the tatami flooring. It was truly like a scene out of a TV drama. Or at least that was how it appeared to Mia, but it seemed like the others shared in her impression. The hostess girls who had tried so hard to chase Mia down to get her to stop, and the other staff and guests who had gathered to see what the commotion was about, all of them hung on Misaki’s every word and gesture. Of course, that included Sayoko’s father as well. At first, he seemed dumbstruck by Misaki’s gallant speech, but then he regained his composure and spoke. Naturally, the words that came tumbling from his mouth were far from approving.
“Th-That’s out of the question! I heard all about you from Sayoko! I know you’re just a lowly police officer; you’re not even part of some elite squad! A provincial public servant with a laughable salary! Never will I give Sayoko away to a man like you! Were you saying all that knowing what kind of family she comes from? A-Are you trying to insult my daughter?!”
“Absolutely not. I am well aware of your family’s social standing. It’s the reason why I spent four years hesitating. I know about my financial situation better than anyone. It is true that I cannot promise your daughter a life of luxury. However! I swear that I will make Sayoko the happiest woman alive! No matter what… No matter what, I will make sure that a smile never leaves her face!”
Was there a woman who wouldn’t be touched by those words? Sayoko couldn’t stop crying. His determination filled her heart with so much joy it could burst. Sayoko didn’t want an extravagant lifestyle. All she wanted was a chance at creating her own happiness together with the man she loved.
Certainly, “love conquers all” was nothing more than a romantic fable, but without love, there was definitely no true happiness either. If she had to choose between love and money, she would pick Misaki without a shadow of a doubt. Her father evidently disagreed. Popping a vein, he glared at Misaki with burning hatred in his eyes.
“Can you get it through your thick skull that I have already found a man worthy of becoming Sayoko’s husband? It’s this man right here, who is the heir to a well-reputed kimono store. He is a class above you! You are not welcome here. Your continued presence in this room is completely preposterous! Know your place, you scum!”
“Father, what do you gotta be so cruel to him for? What does it matter what Misaki’s social standing is? I don’t care about it at all! You’re the only one who does! You’ve married off both my sisters just like that to gratify your pride. You are not in any position to talk to him like that!”
“Silence, Sayoko! Just do as I say! Do you understand the situation at all? And I have explained it to you so many times! Our company is at stake in this marriage. Do you mean to put our workers out on the street?!”
When Sayoko, who hadn’t offered a shred of resistance thus far, finally snapped, blurting out what she had really been thinking to her father, he exploded, white-hot anger coloring his words.
When it seemed that this would devolve into a shouting match, a girl’s voice rang out softly but clearly, “What is your true concern, your company’s fate or Sayoko’s happiness? What is more important to you? What is happening here right now makes it very hard to believe that what you wish for is the latter.”
Instantly, it went so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone turned their attention to Sayoko’s father; not only the people in the room, but the crowd of onlookers too. The man, feeling everyone’s eyes trained on him, inadvertently shrunk back.
“Wh-Who are you…? What an obnoxious little brat. Of course Sayoko’s happiness is my priority! She may feel upset now, but I have confidence that this is the path that will lead her to happiness in the future.”
“That means that the fate of the company is the least of your cares, does it not? And yet you invoked it in your tirade just now. Why is that? Let’s say that Sayoko does marry this man, but what are you going to do if he does not contribute to your company as expected? If all you care about is your daughter’s happiness, this should be fine with you, right?”
“Huh?” The father breathed out, lost for words.
Then, a rumbling laughter suddenly rang out. Mia sought out where it originated from with her eyes; it turned out to be Sayoko’s fiancé-to-be. The man hid the twist of his lips elegantly with his index finger, his shoulders shaking convulsively.
“That young lady has it right. By the way, I failed to tell you, but even if Sayoko and I were to marry, I had no intention of making you our exclusive subcontractor. Just like before, you would have to compete with other companies so I can make a fair judgment based solely on the merits of your offer.”
“What?!” The father burst out, and hurriedly closed his mouth.
He looked around the room nervously, as if mortified that he had inadvertently revealed his ulterior motive to everyone present.
Sayoko’s prospective husband continued speaking, an amused lilt to his voice, “And here I was wondering why you were so persistent in suggesting I marry Sayoko. I see, so you were seeking to exploit our relationship as your stepping-stone? I took the liberty of doing a background check on your family, including Sayoko’s lovely sisters. As it turns out, both of them were joined in holy matrimony with the company presidents or top managers of your business partners at points in time where your company suffered a decline in profits by some intriguing coincidence. Did you think it was time for another petty trick like that?”
Sayoko’s father blanched at the man’s words. Mia took over the conversation from Sayoko’s fiancé, rubbing salt in her father’s wounds, “How pathetic. Is this your only way of turning around your company’s fortunes? Protecting it at the cost of your daughters? Ha. What were you going to do after you married Sayoko off, then? You have no more children. Are you not ashamed of yourself as a parent for maintaining your company by treating your progeny as if they were disposable?”
“Ha-ha-ha-ha! What a jocular young lady! I like you. Would you like to be my wife?” the fiancé-to-be offered. “I feel like marrying you would make my life much more entertaining.”
“Wha-?! How did you even get such an idea in your head?! I am a high school student, you know! N-No, more importantly, I have the lofty long-cherished desire of world domination to accomplish! Th-That is why it is with my deepest regret that I must inform you that marriage is not on the table for me currently,” Mia refused fervently, only to have the man snigger at her.
It was that baffling kind of adult laughter where you have no idea whether the person was joking or being serious. Mia felt the same fluttering in her chest that she experienced with Ren.
The man then directed a reproachful gaze at Sayoko’s father who was sitting motionlessly with his shoulders slumped. “Mister Tougou, I am not asking you for quotes just to spite you. We are living in a world where the market for kimonos is in steady decline, the overall profits are constantly dwindling. It’s in these conditions that we must fight to keep Japanese sartorial traditions alive. Other companies are doing their best to improve their business practices and are making a concerted corporate effort to respond to my requests as much as they can. Isn’t that what you are lacking? What sort of effort were you making to protect your company other than using your daughters as bargaining chips?”
…That must’ve been the final straw. Sayoko’s father’s body went limp. His wife gently rubbed his back. “Darling, I think this is where we admit defeat. We better let Sayoko do as she pleases.”
Her husband didn’t say a word. …That seemed to be his answer.
***
OUTSIDE Kaede, Misaki and Sayoko both bowed their heads in apology before the man her father wanted her to marry.
“We are so very sorry for causing a scene.”
“Not at all. I’m glad I could witness such amusing…ah, er, I mean, such a lovely couple radiating happiness. I’m especially glad about how it turned out for you, Sayoko. If I compare you before and after Misaki came, it would be as if you were a porcelain doll sitting across from me in that room, and now the woman I see before me is brimming with life—it’s clear as day which one is happier. Cliché as it may be, I wish you all the happiness in the world,” the man spoke warmly, gesticulating gracefully with his hands in a way that was the very picture of an adult.
He was handsome too, with chiseled features. Mia’s father had also been a looker, so she thought she was used to good-looking men, but she still ended up inadvertently staring at the man who possessed a different type of male beauty than her father. Was it the elegance he radiated, maybe? The object of her gawking silently directed his gaze away from the couple to look down at Mia, the corners of his pretty eyes arching upwards.
“Do you mind telling me your name?”
“M-Me? I’m Mia Oonari.”
“Mia… A lovely name for a lovely young lady. My name is Sensui. If you ever have the need for gorgeous bridal attire, please visit my store. I will personally seek out an arresting garment worthy of your beauty. If possible, I would like us to further our relationship in the direction of exchanging nuptial cups someday. …But that is a talk for another day. Let us take the time discussing it once you are a bit older, hm?” Sensui lilted with a sweet smile on his face and handed Mia his business card.
“Nuptial cups? Bridal attire?” Mia took the proffered card, stunned by the out-of-place expressions she didn’t understand the intent of.
Meanwhile, the elderly man who had been waiting on the heir to the kimono store pointedly cleared his throat from behind them, “…Master Sensui, please try to exercise your wit in moderation. Leading an innocent young girl astray does not befit a gentleman of your caliber.”
“Lead astray? What a terrible way to put it, considering my relatively honest intentions. Haha…”
“That is precisely what ‘leading astray’ means,” the elderly man muttered exasperatedly just before a black-lacquered car arrived to pick up his master. He opened the back door for Mr. Sensui, and the latter stepped inside.
“Goodbye. Ah, since we have had the pleasure of getting acquainted, I would be delighted if you were to invite me to your wedding. I am after all getting close to the age where I would love to share in other people’s happiness on their special day. Until then, please take care,” the man said, a pleasant smile still gracing his features.
Then the door closed, and the car took off. Misaki, Sayoko, and Mia silently watched it go.
“What was that Sensui man trying to tell me in the end, I wonder? Was he trying to get me to buy a kimono from him?” Mia mused with her head cocked to the side quizzically, leisurely examining the business card he had given her.
Misaki jerked back in shock. “Seriously?! Ah, well, I get the distinct feeling Ren will eat me alive if I say too much. Maybe it’s better for everyone if you stay in the dark,” Misaki sighed, almost rolling his eyes, and glanced back at Restaurant Kaede.
Sayoko’s parents were still inside. Her father felt too weak to move, and her mother, speaking to her husband softly, had asked Misaki and Sayoko to give him some time and space. Sayoko’s mother had also been opposed to her daughter’s relationship with Misaki, but probably not as much as her other half. Maybe witnessing Misaki’s resolve earlier had affected her somehow, because there was tangible warmth now in her eyes whenever she looked at her daughter’s significant other.
“…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your father. I feel bad about making him seem like the only person in the wrong, and in such a public setting too. I’m sure he had his reasons.”
“Doncha worry about it. I believe he’s getting his just deserts for relying on his daughters too much. …But it’s fine. My sisters seem happy now; it’s not as if it’s all doom and gloom. I mighta found a modicum of happiness with Mr. Sensui if I had married him. But I’d much rather be with you. …Thank you so much, Misaki. Your words have brought me great joy.”
The two clung to each other in a tender embrace. They were a hallmark of a couple of happy lovebirds.
“I am so glad it worked out,” Mia whispered, a broad smile lighting up her face.
***
BEFORE they knew it, evening came. Mia and Misaki faced Sayoko on a platform in Kyoto Station, waiting for their train to arrive. If they left now, they would be able to arrive back in Tokyo by nighttime.
“You came all the way to Kyoto, issa a pity that you can’t stay and see more of the city,” Sayoko lamented, earning herself smiles from Mia and Misaki.
“Mia, thank you so much for taking Misaki here.”
“Don’t mention it. You have thanked me so many times already, and look at all these things I received from you.”
A paper bag Mia held contained all sorts of Kyoto souvenirs courtesy of Sayoko: rice flour crackers flavored with sugar and cinnamon called Yatsuhashi, baked dumplings made of roasted sweet bean paste in soft dough wrapping called Ajari-mochi, Kyoto-style pickles, and dried young sardines. It also included oil blotting paper from a famous local maker and ornamental boxwood combs, with enough to share with Aya.
Sayoko tightly clasped Mia’s hand. “Next time, please come to Kyoto with lots of time to spare! I’ll show ya around.”
“I most definitely shall.”
“I’ll drop by here again very soon too. Next time, I’ll pay a proper visit to your house to pay my respects to your parents. There’s a lot I need to talk to them about.”
Misaki hadn’t even finished his sentence when the bullet train arrived. Unwilling to part from Sayoko even for a short time, he draped his hand over her shoulders, tucking her into his side. He gave her a light peck on the lips, and hopped onto the train.
Sayoko, her cheeks a pretty shade of pink, waved them off. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you. …See you soon!”
Her smile unfurling like a flower bud breaking open, just like the first time Mia had seen it, she watched the train speed by, disappearing into the distance.
***
WHEN Mia returned to her hometown, it was pitch-dark already, the clock showing just a little past 7 p.m.
“Phew, I’m beat.”
“I feel quite tired too, although I feel less physically drained after taking a nap on the train.”
As they were stretching their arms, a truck stopped at a roundabout near the train station they had just exited. The front door opened, revealing Ren as the driver.
“Mia! And Misaki too. Welcome back! Good job out there,” Ren said, approaching them and patting Mia on the head as soon as she was within arm’s reach.
Mia just nodded while trying to hide a yawn.
“I explained what happened briefly in my text message. Well, I really owe you guys one this time. I ended up dragging everyone into this though…”
“Yeah, well, you know how fun it is to stick your nose into people’s personal lives. I really don’t mind. Just be happy that it all turned out well in the end, Misaki. I know I am.”
Misaki gave a sheepish smile, to which Ren answered with his typical grin. Then he invited the two weary travelers to get in the truck and stepped on the gas.
“Is everyone off from work already?”
“Yeah, including our overtimers. I think the gang’s gathered already—we were all planning to meet up to go to a barbecue place.”
Apparently, their destination was a grill restaurant.
“Barbecue, huh?” Mia drawled absentmindedly, feeling hunger pangs start at the mention of food.
“By the way, Mia, how are you holding up?” Ren suddenly asked, his hands on the steering wheel.
“Eh?”
“There’s a limit to how much magical power you can spend in one day, right? You didn’t push yourself too hard like you promised me, right?”
This sounded almost exactly like something the kind man from the police station whose name Mia had forgotten to ask had said to her. Her father had never mentioned such a limit, so Mia tilted her head to the side, and replied to Ren in a puzzled tone of voice, “I’m not sure what you mean, but I don’t think I’ve strained myself too hard. I do feel fatigued though.”
“Really? Well, you don’t look so bad at a glance,” Ren hummed, his voice not losing the worried edge to it.
“She’s fine now,” Misaki asserted, lightening the mood in the car. “She did look like she had just raced her way through a marathon after flying all that distance to Kyoto, but after taking a bit of a rest, she was walking and talking like nothing even happened. She slept like a log on the train to Tokyo, and when she woke up as the train stopped, she looked fresh as a daisy.”
“That so? Okay then. …I’m glad to hear that,” Ren let out a sigh of relief.
In Mia’s opinion, there was really no reason to make such a fuss about it. Ren is such a worrywart, although one could never tell just by looking at him, she thought, throwing a leisurely glance at Ren.
Before long, they arrived at a grill restaurant which was a part of a larger franchise Mia had seen many times around town. A cheerful staff member escorted them to a booth towards the back of the store, where Aya, Shou, and Subaru were already sitting, sipping on their drinks.
“Good to see you back!”
“Great job out there, Mia! You really saved the day!”
“Come on, sit down and drink something. You must be starving too. We’ve already ordered, so let’s dig in right away.”
Mia took a seat to the accompaniment of varied appreciative greetings. Shortly after that, the food that the others had ordered arrived. The meat Mia had eaten at the barbecue party was, of course, of unparalleled taste, but the meat this restaurant served was very good too; besides, they offered a huge variety of sauces to go with it. She felt positively ravenous, so, just for today, Mia emptied her head of all notions of restraint and practically inhaled the food on her plate. Subaru fondly watched her going to town on the meat and slipped her piece after piece.
The topic on everyone’s lips was, naturally, Misaki and Sayoko.
“Yippee… Finally, our Misaki bit the bullet! But wow, the way you dealt with it, so manly!”
“Stop teasing me about it. Well, what can I say, I knew I was being a total wimp, so when Mia told me as much, it made my blood boil. But if she hadn’t given me that push, I probably would’ve given up on Sayoko. So, thank you, Mia,” Misaki flashed a broad smile aimed at her.
Mia hiccupped, accidentally swallowing the whole piece of meat she was chewing on.
“D-Don’t mind it,” she answered quickly, blush high on her cheeks, after hurriedly gulping down her glass of water. Mia wiped her mouth with a hot towel.
…That was a bolt from the blue. Misaki had never smiled at her before. Feeling flustered, she devoted her full attention to devouring the heaps of meat Subaru deposited on her plate with the regularity and speed of a conveyor belt. The group regarded her antics with tenderness; after all that had happened, they all knew how shy the girl was and how much of a front she liked to put up to hide her feelings.
This time, Mia had acted purely upon her feelings without trying to justify it with speeches about her duties as the Supreme Ruler of Evil or the good of the ordinary citizens. The Crow Rangers were happy to see that. They all agreed that doing what she felt was right suited her much better than all that talk about being a villain and taking over the world. …What could they do to break the chains of “achieving world conquest” that were holding her back?
Until Mia’s father had passed way, he had been her whole world—that much was clear from her behavior. She was shockingly naïve, often oblivious about things everybody else thought were common sense. She had followed her father blindly, learned magic per his instructions, and knew nothing but that and her pride as the Supreme Ruler of Evil. That was all she had.
Her father’s words had been her entire world. How could they break that chain of dependence cast over her like a binding spell? The Crow Rangers, especially Ren, were serious about finding the solution to this problem. They wanted to take her to all kinds of places, make her feel and see myriads of things she had never even dreamed of before. Through that multitude of new experiences, gradually, she would grow, so that someday, the chains wouldn’t be able to contain her anymore.
Scarfing down all the meat in her immediate vicinity seemed to mollify Mia; with the last piece of meat disappearing in her mouth, she let out a satisfied exhale. Then, as if having remembered something, she energetically rummaged through the contents of her paper bag.
“By the way, I received some souvenirs from Sayoko. Aya, she got you a box of oil blotting papers and a boxwood comb.”
“Really? Nice! I’ve always wanted a boxwood comb. It’ll make my hair extra glossy!” Aya rejoiced, accepting her souvenirs.
“Wait, there’s more,” Mia announced, and began taking out the Japanese sweets and pickles, a lone business card falling out from the depths of the bag in the process.
“Hm, what’s that? A business card?”
“Yes. I got it from the man who was supposed to marry Sayoko.”
“Why are you carrying his card around?” Ren’s face twisted in a malicious scowl, not liking the fact that Mia had a card with some strange man’s name on it with her one bit.
Misaki hastily tried to say something, but Mia beat him to the punch, replying nonchalantly, “He gave it to me. Apparently, he wanted to sell me a kimono or something.”
“A kimono? Oh right, it says kimono store right here.”
“Yup. He told me to visit his place if I ever find myself in need of bridal attire.”
This news induced a violent coughing fit in Ren. “Bridal attire?! Why so specific?!”
“I have no idea. Oh, do you happen to know what ‘nuptial cups’ are? He mentioned hoping to exchange them with me someday.”
This caused Subaru and Aya to choke on their pieces of meat and suffer the same fate as Ren. Misaki clutched at his head.
“Wha—Misaki! What happened in Kyoto? Why did Sayoko’s fiancé hit on Mia?!”
“I don’t really know either! What I do know is that he seemed to be really into her. Actually, rather than just hitting on her, he seemed to be pretty serious about her, now that I think about it.”
“That’s even worse!” Ren mumbled sullenly into his cup of oolong tea.
Mia observed Aya’s empty laugh and Subaru muttering darkly about how he would never forgive the man who had dared to say such things. “What’s the problem? I fail to understand what is going on. Are ‘nuptial cups’ some dangerous object?”
“Haha, don’t worry about it. Ren’s just losing it because of your newfound popularity, and Subaru’s all up in his father-of-a-teenage-daughter mode,” Shou snickered.
His explanation failing to enlighten Mia, she tilted her head to the side in utter confusion.