Mikamo

Mikamo

 

A year had passed since Washu came to the Department of Philosophy. She had advanced to Class 3, receiving credit for her work done thus far. In Class 3, she received qualifications as an assistant professor and could teach on behalf of a professor for students up to Class 8. Of course, that was also a part of the curriculum in Class 3.

Naja approached Washu as she exited the classroom. “This is amazing, Washu-chan. You’re already in Class 3.”

“Naja, you’re advancing to Class 4 while working in the Student Union.”

“It’s all thanks to you. You must have a gift for teaching. I hear the elementary students you’re in charge of have vastly improved their grades.”

A nearby elementary school had invited Washu to visit as a special lecturer. The kids she met when they renovated the hot springs pool at the mansion, her former residence, attended that school. “I often end up learning from them instead.”

“Because they come up with ideas you don’t?”

“That’s true, but I feel like they teach me to look at things with fresh eyes. People in the Department often have entrenched viewpoints.”

“Washu-chan, you’re in the Department, too.”

“Exactly. I’m not sure how to put this, but with each passing day, I feel I get more infected,” Washu said, fixing her eyes on Naja.

“I know, right?” said Naja, as though she were not part of the problem. She did not get Washu’s sarcasm. “But that’s not all, is it?”

Washu was unsettled at Naja’s probing query. “What do you mean?”

“It’s just my intuition. What do you think of my perspective? Do I have fresh eyes?”

“I suppose you could say that.”

“You can always talk to me about it.”

“You, in Class 4?”

“Whatever happened to the innocent little Washu I used to know?”

“You strapped her to a rocket and sent her up into space.” Washu stopped beating around the bush.

“Ha ha. You had it in you all along.”

“I didn’t want this kind of talent.” They looked at each other and laughed.

“You can always feel free to talk. I am older than you.”

“Thanks, Naja.”

Leaving Naja, Washu exited the building and squinted at the sunshine. She thought of Niwase Mikamo…

 

Washu had several favorite spots around campus. Small spaces just for her, where she would erect a simple force field so that nobody would disturb her. Then, one day, there was an intruder in her little world.

A certain weeping willow-like tree had thin branches that cascaded to the ground like a screen, forming a giant umbrella ten meters in diameter. Washu was letting her imagination run wild there when, suddenly, a young man pushed aside the branches and entered.

“Huh…?”

“Oh! S-sorry!!” The man was more surprised than Washu, and, with an apology, hurried away.

“Hold on, not that way!” Washu knew there was a cliff in that direction, so she hastily called out to stop him. But then…

“Waaaargh!!”

What she heard was not the man’s reply, but his scream as he almost fell off the cliff. With Washu’s help, he struggled back up, panting hard. “I-I thought I was going to die…”

“You’re so clumsy…Niwase Mikamo-kun.”

“H-how did you know my name?” the man stared at Washu. Her intense eyes, her flaming red hair, her bewitching curves: “beautiful” was the only word to describe her. She was a woman whom one would never forget, but Mikamo did not remember ever meeting her before.

“The sun is too bright there… Come this way,” smiled Washu. She entered the umbrella of branches, beckoning to Mikamo.

“Um…” Mikamo remained outside the umbrella, transfixed, and not knowing what to do.

“What…?”

“I-I apologize for my earlier transgression. I was walking, lost in thought… I entered a woman’s room without knocking…”

Washu listened and then burst out laughing. “This isn’t my room. Come on in.”

“But, well…”

“You don’t want to be here with me?”

“That’s not true at all!!”

Washu chuckled as she teased him. He was so serious, and she liked his innocence and courtesy. “I’m amazed you actually got in. I had a simple force field set up… Did it break?”

“Um… I don’t think it’s broken. When I get lost in thought, I often find myself in places I shouldn’t be able to enter. Professor Ikuma told me that there’s a deviation in the probability constant…” Mikamo sheepishly hung his head. He’d evidently experienced this many times.

“Sounds like a subject Professor Ikuma would like to research. Just be careful that he doesn’t vivisect you, Mikamo-kun.”

“Pardon me, but how do you know my name? I thought this was our first meeting.”

“In the first class I taught, there was a student in a sunny seat who slept comfortably from the beginning to the end of the lecture. His name was Niwase Mikamo.” Washu taunted him with a devilish smile.

Mikamo realized what she was getting at. “Um…are you Washu-sensei?” Washu nodded, and Mikamo jolted to attention, bowing repeatedly. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! That day, I was… well…”

“That seat is very comfortable in this particular season. The sun hits it just right. I like that seat, too.” Washu smiled, and Mikamo smiled back, a little embarrassed. The bells signifying the end of lunch hour rang. Washu picked up her things and looked at Mikamo. “But if you fall asleep in my class again…I’ll vivisect you.”

Mikamo froze. Washu smiled, winked, and left.

From that day onwards, Mikamo stayed awake through Washu’s classes. That was how they met. Even now, whenever she looked at Mikamo, Washu thought back to how flustered he was that day and almost burst out laughing.

 

Several hundred kilometers away from the Department of Philosophy’s main buildings were facilities built several thousand years ago. That area was another of Washu’s favorites. Since the university’s campus spanned the whole planet, one department having jurisdiction over an entire continent was not rare. The Department of Philosophy was as large as Earth’s continent of Africa. If anyone, whether student or professor, was making use of a structure, no matter how old, it would never be demolished, and was always repaired.

This abandoned schoolhouse was another place Professor Ikuma gave to Washu. Her dogged pursuit of the observatory indicated to him that she would like something like that. The building was built several thousand years ago as a mortared frame house, but the timber was specially processed to withstand millennia of weathering. This was Washu’s secret hideout.

The reason why she liked this place so much was the library full of old books. When she had the time, she would get lost in the stacks, reading for hours. Today, too…

“Who’s there?!” Washu was deciphering some old, obsolete texts when she heard the creaking of the floor and braced herself. There should be nobody else in the library. “Is anyone there?”

“Washu-sensei?” Mikamo peered out from behind the bookshelf.

“Y-you! What are you doing here?”

“I came to read. Washu-sensei, what are you doing here?”

“I came to read, too… Heh!” Washu burst out laughing at the silly conversation. “It should be obvious that we came to read at a library. That’s not what I was asking. Oh, well… I won’t ask how you got in here. But this is my private place.”

“I didn’t know… I’m sorry. I’ll leave right now.”

“We come across each other in the oddest places. All right, I’ll give you special permission to visit this spot,” Washu said, stopping Mikamo. “I don’t know very many people who read physical books.” At that point, paperbound books were the equivalent of frescos, lithographs, or parchment scrolls on Earth. They were viewed more as archeology than sources of information.

Realizing that Washu was interested, Mikamo spoke. “Um, we actually had a room like this at my parents’ house. I’ve loved it ever since I was little. I don’t know why, but it makes me feel at peace… The weight of the books in my hands, the sound the paper makes when I turn the page, and how it feels in my fingers… The lettering that’s like a work of art itself, and the photographs. It’s all wonderful.” Mikamo closed his eyes and stroked the book he held with affection.

Washu continued where he left off. “I like how you can see the amount of knowledge contained therein, not just check a pile of numbers. It’s sublime, as if it has a soul. And…”

As Washu was about to continue, Mikamo lifted his face. With a flash of insight, he spoke with her in unison: “I love the smell of old books.”

Even their voices were in harmony. Washu and Mikamo looked into each other’s eyes. A moment later, they simultaneously burst out laughing. “Ha ha… All right, Mikamo-kun. You’re the first member of the Book-Lovers Club and are permitted into this sanctuary.”

“Thank you… Um…”

“What?”

“If I’m Member Number One, what are you, Washu-sensei?”

“I’m the advisor,” Washu winked and laughed. Was it fate? At that moment, Mikamo secured a place within Washu’s heart.

 

“Welcome home. Did something good happen, Washu-chan?” Naja had been waiting for Washu to return to the observatory.

“Something good? No, not particularly…” Washu could not help smiling. It was quite obvious that something had happened.

“Oh?” Naja looked at Washu quizzically.

“Wh-what? What’s wrong?” Washu did not realize the cause of her own good mood.

“Oh, Washu-sama. Your dinner is ready.” Before Naja could say anything else, Mei the maid came to summon them.

“Thanks. I’ll be right there,” Washu answered and went to her room to change with a spring in her step.

Naja, watching her closely, had a gleam in her eye. “I sense romance!!” she stood up and declared loudly, to nobody in particular.

“What? Washu-sama has a boyfriend?” Without missing a beat, the maids surrounded Naja. “Is that true? She didn’t seem different from usual.”

“I think so, too!” another maid said.

“You’re not putting thought into this,” a third interjected. “With some insight, the answer is obvious!”

“Wow.”

“Ha ha ha! You can’t fool me, Washu-chan!!” Naja proclaimed loudly, egged on by the maids.

“Lucky…” Mei mumbled, and they all fell silent. Not a single one of them had a boyfriend herself.

 

“Was his name Niwase Mikamo-kun?” Naja blurted out, and Washu almost lost her soup.

Remaining calm and wiping her mouth with a napkin, Washu looked at Naja, who was staring at her meaningfully.

Naja had gotten hold of his profile, something not even Washu knew about. “Niwase Mikamo, foreign exchange student, born on the planet Shitori. Twenty-seven years old. Actually, he’s the third son of a distinguished aristocratic family on Shitori… The Department admitted him on his own merits, which is rare for an international goodwill exchange student. I can see that, with Assistant Professor Hakubi Washu-sensei’s personal instruction, his grades and assessments will go through the roof.”

“Wh-what do you mean, personal instruction?!” Washu stood up, slamming the table.

“I was just stating the objective facts.” Naja nonchalantly looked away.

“There’s nothing between us. He just happened to come to my library…” Washu sat back down, clenching her fists, refusing to go along with Naja’s suggestion.

“You summoned him to your library? I see.”

“Stop taking notes! And you’re distorting my words. You call yourself a philosopher?”

“I’m just inferring the essence of the matter.”

“Let me set you straight.” Standing up again, Washu noticed Mei and the other maids listening from the shadows, ears pricked with great interest.

“Congratulations, Washu-sama!!”

“Wh-what?”

“We knew this day would come, though not so soon.”

“Hey, what do you think you’re…” Washu began.

“We’re so jealous!”

“I’m happy for you, but I still have mixed feelings!” The maids looked at her with approval and envy in their eyes.

“Th-there’s nothing between us…”

“She said ‘us!!’” they squealed.

Nothing Washu could say would change their minds now. Naja watched Washu being congratulated (or, in other words, mobbed) by the maids. In her mind, Washu’s future was being meticulously plotted, from Washu first realizing of her feelings, to her first date with Mikamo, to the pair sleeping together, getting engaged, getting married, and starting a family. But Washu was oblivious to all of that.

“There’s really nothing!” Naja and the maids would not listen to Washu’s denials. She felt an incomprehensible sense of defeat at her failure to communicate, but the event also prodded her feelings forward a little.

 

The club activities continued at the library with Washu and Mikamo spending time alone together. Mikamo knew how to make people comfortable. In the library, which was Washu’s space, Mikamo’s presence was not invasive… Or rather, she felt no sense of violation of her space. That was true despite the fact that Washu felt extremely self-conscious thanks to Naja and the maids.

Mikamo was also a good student, and Washu a good teacher. In no time, there was nothing else for her to teach him. And yet, no matter how careful they were, there was no cure for Mikamo’s klutziness. To Washu, he was a student who achieved satisfying results. At the same time, however, he was a handful. At first, they were still of kindred minds, and Washu was careful to avoid romantic feelings because of what had happened with Naja and the maids. Of course, having accepted him into her heart already, there was no way she could put the brakes on her feelings.

 

One day, Naja came to Washu’s room and blurted out, “Washu-chan, you shouldn’t…get too involved with him.”

“What’s this all of a sudden? You used to harp on me about going out with him… But seriously, we’re not like that.”

“I hope not…”

“…?” Washu noticed that Naja was acting strangely. The ­notorious comedian was being uncharacteristically serious. Is this a new form of harassment?

“Say… We’re going to have a party. Won’t you come? Everyone wants to see you. You never go to these get-togethers, Washu-chan. This time, there’ll be a lot of promising guys from other departments. Come on, what do you say?”

“O-okay…” Although she felt unsatisfied, Washu accepted Naja’s suggestion.

But then, from that day forward, she started to observe Mikamo and Naja together. They were not friendly with each other. In fact, they were somewhat awkward in their interactions. Washu felt Naja was hiding something from her, but she did not ask her friend directly. Even now, Mikamo had gone somewhere with Naja. Left behind, Washu had no choice but to sit in the dining hall and organize her research.

“I’m just not in the mood…” She pushed her chair back and looked around, sipping her tea. Then she almost spat it out. Clay was approaching her with several of his colleagues.

Washu had a difficult time dealing with Clay. It was not that she disliked him, but unlike Mikamo, Clay’s way of thinking and actions felt exceedingly stifling to her. Instinctively, she hid behind a pillar.

“Well, I suppose that, no matter how talented she is, Naja-kun is still a woman.” Clay spoke loudly on purpose, knowing that Washu was there.

“That egghead? I can’t believe it.”

“According to what I’ve learned, that man’s been frequenting Naja-kun’s personal laboratory for the past few weeks, ­especially at night, clandestinely.” Clay’s colleagues went oooh. “Heh heh, those two are going out, mark my words. Poor Washu-kun. She’s been betrayed by her best friend and her lover.”

People knew that Clay was practically a walking tabloid magazine. Usually, Washu would pay no heed. But today…

Washu stayed hidden until Clay and his gang left, and then clutched her things and fled. Soon, she saw Naja and Mikamo taking a walk in the rear gardens. Washu stiffened, unable to move. Clay’s words echoed in her mind. Washu silently watched them look around furtively and enter Naja’s laboratory. She did not understand why she felt so sad.

 

“Were you out walking with Naja earlier?” Three hours later, Washu approached Mikamo as he was looking something up in the library and nonchalantly started a conversation.

“Naja-san? No,” Mikamo replied coolly. It bothered Washu that he showed not a hint of emotional turmoil. Gentle, klutzy… but there were times when he seemed incredibly cold.

“Oh. It was too far for me to see clearly… Hey, Naja invited me to a party. Want to go?”

“Huh? I don’t mind. But am I invited?”

“It’ll be a big party, so nobody will notice. I’ll let Naja know.”

“Thanks.”

The peaceful conversation set Washu at ease. “Some books I ordered are arriving tomorrow. Do you have any plans?”

“The ones you said were slated to be discarded…? Oh, sorry, Professor Ikuma needs me tomorrow. I might be late.”

“No problem. It’s just unpacking. No big deal.”

“Sorry. I’ll go to the party as soon as I’m done.”

Washu left soon afterwards, not wanting to disturb Mikamo’s studies, and did not notice that he sighed deeply as he saw her off.

 

The next day, unexpected departmental business detained Washu. Naja had not come home the night before, and since Washu was behind already, she headed to Naja’s lab to tell her about Mikamo. On the way, she spotted Professor Ikuma and ran over.

“Professor Ikuma, didn’t you have work to do with Mikamo-kun?”

“Mikamo-kun? No, not really…”

“Oh, okay…”

“Is anything the matter?”

“No, I misunderstood.” Washu left as though fleeing the scene, leaving behind a perplexed Ikuma. She mulled over Mikamo’s lie while she walked. It doesn’t bother me if they’re going out… And yet, she found herself heading towards Naja’s laboratory.

But she could not bring herself to step inside. Instead, she paced by the door. Mikamo, Ikuma, and Clay’s words kept ringing in her mind, and she could not shake herself free. She hated everything: Mikamo’s lies, Naja’s incomprehensible actions, and her own unclear feelings. At that moment, she stopped in her tracks.

“I shouldn’t do this… It’s none of my business.” She tried to make a quick exit, but Clay stopped her short.

“What are you doing here, Washu-kun? Mikamo-kun is in Naja-kun’s laboratory.” Clay said deliberately.

“…!!” Washu froze at the words she did not want to hear.

In that exact moment, Naja and Mikamo opened the laboratory door and emerged. Eyes wide, they stared at Washu. The moment lasted an eternity.

Then Washu uttered, voice trembling, “You didn’t have to lie… It doesn’t matter…to me…” Tears swam in her eyes. “It doesn’t!!” She could not bear to linger any longer and ran.

“Washu-san!” Mikamo was flustered at the turn of events. “Wh-what should I do, Naja-san?!”

“Go after her, you idiot!!”

“R-right!!” Naja and Mikamo ran after Washu.

Naja saw Clay smirking close by, immediately realized what he had done, and directed her anger at him. In other words, she kicked Clay into the fountain outside the window. “Oops, sorry! I’m in a hurry!!”

They set off after Washu right away, but she was nowhere to be found in the building. She had probably run off at a speed that was three times the Academy women’s sprinting record.

“Washu-chan looks calm and collected, but she’s more immature than she seems!” Naja panted heavily, looking at the buildings lit orange in the sunset. Mikamo, slightly behind her, tried to catch his breath, dripping with sweat.

“I can’t find…Washu-san anywhere.”

“Do you have any idea where she might be?”

“Oh…”

“You do!”

“If this really is a misunderstanding, and if she has feelings for me…” Here, Mikamo collected himself. “But…”

“Stop that! I’m sure your upbringing forced you to learn to suppress your emotions… But, for right now, get properly flustered and find her!”

“O-okay!” Mikamo took off running again.

“Hold on, I’ll go, too.”

“You can’t.”

“What?”

“Only Washu-san and I can go in there!” Mikamo yelled.

Naja clicked her tongue and watched him, and then grumpily ran towards her office so she could take out what had happened on Clay…

 

Washu was in a dimly lit room, the only light coming from a bare lightbulb. She sat in a chair, clutching her knees to her chest, and curled up into a little ball, thousands of books piled haphazardly around her. Washu was in the abandoned building’s library… Yes, the Book-Lovers Club, Washu and Mikamo’s sanctuary. How many hours had she sat there like that? Washu’s lips kept silently mouthing the word, “Idiot…”

Suddenly, creaking floorboards prompted her to lift her head. “Who’s there?!” She realized that the approaching shadow was Mikamo and hastily prepared to escape.

“Wait! Please, listen to me.”

“It’s not like I feel anything for you…”

“I still love you, Washu-san!”

Those words rang hollow in Washu’s heart. “Liar…!”

“Yes, I’m a liar… But what I just said is the truth.”

Washu’s green eyes saw his sincerity. If only she could leap into his arms. She would feel such relief and happiness. But she only cast her eyes downwards. “That’s not fair. I love Naja, too.”

“I like Naja-san, too. But it’s not the same as the feelings I have for you. Naja called me out for being a liar, and she was scolding me for it.”

“…”

“There’s nothing between me and Naja-san.”

Washu simply stood there. She wanted to believe Mikamo, but she also felt that something still did not make sense. Emotions were too complicated for a simple, mathematical answer. She had only just now become aware of her own feelings.

At Washu’s continued silence, Mikamo looked at her, sighed, and placed his foot on a ledge.

“What are you doing?! That’s dangerous!” They were on the first floor, but there was a cliff underneath the window. A fall would be fatal.

“It’s all right. Naja-san told me she would kill me if I ever made you cry. She’s not here, so I can do it myself…!!”

“What are you saying?!”

“I’m sorry.”

“All right! I believe you!!”

“Really?!” The moment Mikamo cheerfully turned around, the window frame gave way under his weight and cracked.

“…?!”

“…?!”

In that instant, they exchanged a look.

“You idiot!!!!”

As Washu yelled, Mikamo’s body fell into the abyss… Or rather, tumbled into the room.

 

“Oww…” Mikamo propped himself up, rubbing his head.

Washu kept staring at him, dumbfounded, then started trembling. “You idiot!!” Once she realized he was safe, anger welled up inside her.

“Ow! Huh…? Ow ow ow!!”

Washu slapped both his cheeks repeatedly. “Idiot!” With the last slap, she caught her breath, and then her expression transitioned from anger to a relieved smile. “You’re such an idiot…” She pressed her tear-stained face into his chest.

Feeling her warmth against him, he softly drew her into an embrace and whispered, “I’m sorry…”

Washu lifted her face and looked into Mikamo’s eyes. If he were any other man, there would be no need to think further. But he had to let Washu make a choice. “Washu-san, I was born on Seniwa.”

Washu’s expression wavered. His words revealed everything. Now, she understood what Mikamo and Naja were trying to tell her before.

Seniwa was a superpower with 943 alliances, large and small. It was affiliated with the Galactic Federation, which was currently embroiled in a cold war with Jurai. Furthermore, Seniwa was ­especially strict on immigration; it had practically closed its borders. Why was someone from there here, at their biggest ­enemy’s greatest think tank? It was clear he was not a spy. He might have been savvy, but Jurai would not be ignorant of something even Naja knew. Mikamo’s occasional coldness was the result of training to suppress his emotions.

“I’m from Seniwa,” Mikamo said again, looking into Washu’s eyes.

“And…”

“Huh?”

“And…so what…?” Washu mumbled. No matter what the truth was, Mikamo was right here in front of her. That was the most important thing to Washu.

Their faces drew closer together. They kissed, deeply, over and over. Their warm breath tickled each other’s cheeks. They needed no words. They only needed to give themselves wholly to each other.

 

The next day, Naja saw them together and sighed. “Everyone’s on your side. Don’t ever forget that.”

 

On the day of the party, Mikamo secretly proposed to Washu in the garden. He had received permission to marry from his grandfather, the family patriarch. However, at this stage, she was only considered a “prospective marriage candidate.” A formal union needed to wait until after Seniwa officially opened its borders.

However, the students did not give a damn about international affairs. Once Naja—ever the astute observer—discovered the engagement, a party was not only inevitable, but necessary. The boisterous merrymaking continued until the next morning. The day after that, everyone in the Academy knew about Washu and Mikamo.

When Washu and Naja returned to the farm, both nursing their hungover heads, a Jurai intelligence operative was there with Professor Ikuma to greet them. They told Washu and Naja the gist of the story. It came with a strict gag order, of course. Seniwa might have been in a semi-isolated state, but cultural exchanges at the private civilian level still occurred. To Seniwa’s aristocracy, studying abroad at the Jurai Imperial Academy was a status symbol. Other countries wanted to maintain some sort of contact, too.

There were some parties in both worlds who were not amenable to such contact. However, there was a system in place to get around that. It used names and records assigned by Jurai to enroll special Seniwa exchange students in the school. As a result of that steady, painstaking process, the faction pushing to open up the country was gaining strength. Under the guidance of Kuramitsu, the current leader in power, efforts were underway to open Seniwa’s borders, and there had even been secret talks with Jurai about the possibility of Seniwa joining the Federation.

“I see. So you thought the couple could be used for propaganda at the civilian level to encourage opening the country?” Naja, understanding, glared sidelong at Ikuma.

“Now, don’t reproach us so openly. We were all affected by this whole incident.”

“Hakubi Washu-dono…please, this would be for Seniwa and Jurai.” The intelligence operative next to Ikuma bowed his head.

“Well, I mean, as long as we can stay together, it’s no problem…” Washu said hesitantly.

“But the Jurai intelligence bureau sure sounds like a third-rate tabloid,” Naja interjected.

“If it comes with information, no matter what kind, it’s all under our jurisdiction,” the operative answered with a wry smile.

“Aren’t you glad, Washu-chan?” Naja smirked. “Jurai might pay for all your expenses from now on.”

“Just so we’re clear, there won’t be any for you, Naja-san.” Washu retorted.

“Feh. You’re such a cheapskate.”

Laughing at Naja’s pout, Ikuma gave her the news. “Don’t get so mad. As of today, Naja-kun is a special scholarship student.”

“What?! Is that true, Professor?!”

Disregarding Naja’s dance of joy, the operative turned to face Washu. “You will be placed under surveillance, starting today, but we will try to remain discreet. Please forgive us in advance.”

She did not even have to ask to know that she had been a person of interest before and was already under surveillance. However, it was true that they had been discreet, so she did not care. Still, Washu did not notice the real reason why the intelligence bureau was there and why Naja was in attendance…

 

The faction in favor of opening Seniwa’s borders may have seemed strong, but that was solely because of Kuramitsu. In fact, things were very uncertain. Kuramitsu’s son, the next head of state, was reluctant to open the country. If anything happened to Kuramitsu, the situation would be turned upside down.

None of that mattered to Washu. Only a sense of happiness predominated. The one unfortunate thing was that, because of the regulation of information, she could not tell her mother on Kanamitsu about Mikamo.

 

A month later, Washu’s pregnancy was confirmed.

“We’ll have to make this legitimate, Washu-chan!” Naja was ecstatic. It was obvious what she planned to do.

“No!!” Washu opposed her friend vehemently, and the wedding was performed on the farm, among a small inner circle of friends. There was no telling what would have happened if it had been left to Naja.

“I would never do something so tactless,” Naja smiled.

Washu did not fail to notice Naja’s trembling clenched fists.

 

“Why are you leaving?” Washu asked Naja, who was packing her belongings after the wedding.

“What are you talking about? I can’t be a third wheel.”

“You do know how many people live here?” At the farm, there were over a hundred maids and a butler. It did not matter whether Naja left or not.

“Hmph.”

Watching Naja, Washu realized she was pouting partly because Washu had robbed her of a party. Still, it was mostly true that Naja also did not want to intrude on Washu and Mikamo’s newlywed life. Washu hugged Naja from behind and whispered into her ear as she kissed her cheek. “Naja, I want to show off my happiness to you. Please stay. ♥”

“F-fine! I’ll interfere, you know!!”

“Okay. ♥”

And so Naja chose to remain at the farm, just as before.

Unfortunately, Washu and Mikamo still did not have permission to visit Seniwa or Kanamitsu due to the unstable situation.

Nine months later, Washu gave birth to a boy. His name was Mikumo.

That was the happiest time in Washu’s life—when they were a family of three.