Chapter 68: Kanae's Tenderness
After a bit more playful banter, the sun began its slow descent, painting the sky in hues of orange and violet as evening approached.
Makomo gently straightened the collar of Akira's uniform, her movements delicate and practiced. The simple, intimate gesture left Akira standing frozen, a faint blush creeping up his neck as a wave of unfamiliar fluster washed over him.
Seeing the boy's dazed expression, Makomo reached out and playfully tapped his forehead with her finger.
"I won't keep you for dinner," she said, her voice soft. "At your speed, you should be able to make it back to the Butterfly Mansion in time for theirs, right?"
"Um... Huh?" Akira blinked, the words taking a moment to register. He looked at Makomo, his face a mask of confusion.
"You dummy," she chided gently, a fond smile playing on her lips. "Go back and spend some quality time with Kanae. She... she's the truly silly one, the girl who has placed herself so very low for your sake. If you fail her, even I won't forgive you."
Makomo's words struck Akira like a physical blow. He stared at her, his eyes wide with incredulity. Based on his understanding of her personality, he had expected a much stormier reaction to his 'two-timing' intentions. He never imagined she would accept his greed so easily, so calmly.
It wasn't the right time to press for details; it would feel like he was shamelessly pushing his luck after already getting what he wanted. But her words implied something deep. It seemed Kanae had spent an unknown amount of time doing 'ideological work' on Makomo on his behalf.
That girl, who had always watched over him and cared for him in quiet, unassuming ways, had also been working for him in places he couldn't see...
"Yes, it's exactly what you're thinking."
Makomo, seeing the realization dawn in his eyes, nodded in confirmation. She watched the storm of shock and guilt warring in his gaze and spoke with a sudden, solemn gravity. "To actually let one girl help you convince the others... just what kind of love potion did you feed her? So... you must, you absolutely must, not make her sad. Do you understand?"
"Mm," Akira managed, his throat tight.
"Thank you." Before leaving, he pulled Makomo into another hug, this one filled with a gratitude that words couldn't express.
"Go on," she whispered, patting his back.
As Akira's figure dissolved into a flash of electricity and sped away into the twilight, Urokodaki Sakonji emerged from the house, sighing helplessly. "Silly girl..."
"At least he truly holds each of us in his heart, doesn't he?" Makomo replied, her gaze still fixed on the path where Akira had vanished. "Although... forget it. I won't overthink it. Let's go cook dinner together, Master Urokodaki."
"Sigh. The affairs of you young people are for you to solve yourselves," the old man grumbled, his tone softening. "However, if that kid ever makes you feel wronged, you remember to tell me. I'll drag that fellow Kuwajima along, and we'll go demand justice for you."
"I know, Master," Makomo said, a genuine smile finally returning to her face.
Makomo had considered it before. If she were to truly compete with Kanae for Akira's heart, she knew her chances of winning weren't high.
And yet, under these circumstances, Kanae had proactively sought her out. She had come with an attitude that was almost pleading, hoping Makomo could accept her, accept this complicated situation. Both of them had already sensed Akira's greed from the letters he sent, and Kanae could have easily done nothing, simply waiting for him to expose his own desires and face the consequences.
After all, given Makomo's personality, no matter how unwilling she was, she would have at most thrown a tantrum at Akira for a while before ultimately, reluctantly, accepting it.
But Kanae had gone so far, just to ensure Akira wouldn't be too troubled when the time came. She had even tried to gently dissuade Makomo from making too much of a fuss when she tested Akira and discovered there were more than just the two of them in his heart.
How could Makomo bring herself to feel jealous of a person like that? She had even taken the initiative to tell Akira what Kanae had done, knowing full well it might deepen his feelings for Kanae, perhaps even beyond what he felt for her.
At the Butterfly Mansion, the setting sun had left behind its last glimmer of twilight.
The fragrant smoke rising from the kitchen chimney had thinned to a faint wisp; the evening meal was already prepared and laid out on the dining table.
But the woman wearing the butterfly hairpin still stood outside, her gaze fixed on the path leading to the gate. She seemed utterly certain that the boy she held so dearly in her heart would return tonight.
"Kanae, it's time to eat," Kochou Hanako called out softly as she approached her daughter from behind.
Before her voice could fully fade, a brilliant flash of incandescent lightning burst into their field of vision.
Seeing that familiar, dragon-like bolt of energy, a smile more beautiful than the sunset bloomed across Kanae's face. She immediately stepped forward to greet him.
Behind them, Kochou Sawaki, who had also come out to call his daughter for dinner, witnessed the scene. He let out a muffled, displeased snort and turned on his heel, heading back inside.
The lightning screeched to a halt before the gate, revealing Akira's slightly breathless figure. He didn't pause to catch his breath. His eyes locked onto the beautiful woman walking toward him, and he quickened his pace to meet her. Then, under Kanae's surprised and joyful gaze, he pulled her into a tight, desperate embrace.
After a brief moment of shock, Kanae's arms wrapped around his waist, and she leaned her head against his shoulder. Feeling the strength of his embrace, the blissful curve of her lips deepened.
Kochou Hanako watched the perfect couple holding each other under the fading light. She then turned to look at Shinobu and Kanao, who had quietly appeared at her side. With a sigh full of complex emotions, she took one little girl in each hand and led them back into the house, leaving the two of them to their moment.
After silently savoring his embrace for a long moment, Kanae gently pulled back just enough to look up at him. "Akira-kun, it's time to eat," she said, her voice as gentle as ever. "The food will get cold."
It was a simple, ordinary sentence, just like any other day, yet it seemed to halt the torrent of emotions surging through Akira's heart. He looked into her clear, pinkish-purple eyes, momentarily at a loss for words. It seemed that for the girl in his arms, ensuring the boy she cared for had a warm meal was more important than hearing the deeply affectionate words she might have occasionally longed for.
This selfless, unconditional affection struck him right in the soul.
"Okay," he finally said, his voice thick with emotion. "Let's eat first."
With that, Akira took Kanae's small hand—a hand that had developed a thin layer of calluses from her tireless sword practice—and they walked into the house together.
Inside, the others were already seated around the dining table in their usual spots.
Kochou Sawaki's eyes fell on Akira and Kanae's joined hands, and the chopsticks in his grasp were nearly snapped in two. It was only when his wife shot him a warning glance that he looked away with an indignant huff.
Catching the exchange, Akira awkwardly shifted his gaze elsewhere.
"Brother, Sister Kanae, sit down and eat quickly," Kanao said, patting the two empty spots beside her. She seemed completely unfazed by their intertwined hands.
Kochou Shinobu glanced at Kanao, then at her blissfully smiling sister, and finally at the certain playboy holding her sister's hand. She let out an ambiguous, low snort and focused her attention back on the rice bowl in front of her.
For a moment, Shinobu wasn't sure if she was angrier at Akira for taking her sister away, or at her sister for seemingly ignoring her now that she had Akira. And deep down, a flicker of jealousy toward her sister sparked—a feeling she was not yet willing to examine too closely.
Kanae and Akira exchanged a glance, greeted the others, and sat down on either side of Kanao.
That night, Kanao once again enjoyed the doting feeding she had missed out on at lunch.
Only now, it wasn't just Kanao being fed. Akira and Kanae would occasionally turn to feed each other a bite as well, their movements natural and intimate.
Because Kanae was seated closer to Shinobu, she would also occasionally place a choice piece of food in her younger sister's bowl, which seemed to improve Shinobu's dark mood, if only slightly.
However, Kochou Sawaki, the skilled doctor, seemed to have caught a bit of a cold. His throat wasn't doing well, and he kept making grunting noises whenever Kanae placed food in Akira's bowl.
And whenever this happened, Kochou Hanako would considerately place food in her husband's bowl, as if that single mouthful held some special medicinal value, capable of making him grunt a few less times once eaten.
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