My Happy Marriage (LN) - Volume 4 - Chapter 6

  CHAPTER 6  

Feelings Going Forward

Following Usui’s raid on the station, Miyo continued accompanying Kiyoka to the station like usual.

However, not everything had necessarily reverted to how things were before.

Usui’s whereabouts were once again a mystery, and he still hadn’t given up on Miyo. There was little alternative but to curtail her freedom of movement even more.

Under orders from the military high commander, Miyo couldn’t even walk unaccompanied inside the station, so she spent her time mending and patching up items at Kiyoka’s side in his office.

In comparison to the relaxing time she had spent in the station up until then, her current life was dull and constrained. She felt dispirited thinking about it.

Day after day, she found herself looking for any sight of her very first friend, despite knowing she couldn’t possibly be there.

On this frosty, clear-skied day, Miyo was yet again killing time knitting inside Kiyoka’s office.

“Commander, may I have a moment?”

Mukadeyama’s question was coupled with a rap on the door.

“Come in.”

“Pardon my interruption.”

It felt like it had been ages since she’d seen Mukadeyama.

Taking responsibility for the unit’s disgrace, he had been fostered with a large amount of work, treated as an errand boy while still serving in his position as a squad leader.

Though his wound from Usui appeared to be much better, Mukadeyama nevertheless wore an anxious, stiff look on his face as he stood in front of Kiyoka’s desk.

“Commander, would you allow me to borrow your fiancée—Lady Miyo Saimori—for a short while?”

Hearing her own name suddenly come flying from Mukadeyama’s mouth, Miyo looked up.

Kiyoka glared at his subordinate after hearing his request.

“Do you think I’d allow that?”

“…No, I don’t.”

“Then this was a big waste of time, wasn’t it? Go back and get to work.”

But in a surprising turn of events, Mukadeyama responded to Kiyoka’s unambiguous dismissal of his request by bowing abruptly.

“Please, sir. It doesn’t have to be for long.”

“This is important enough to bear the risks of speaking out, is it?”

“………Please, sir.”

Mukadeyama remained deeply bent at the hips, without any signs of raising his head. His pose made his intentions clear—he wasn’t going to move from his spot until he got the approval he was after.

Kiyoka appeared to sense his resolve.

“This won’t take long, then, will it?”

“No, sir.”

“Got it… However, I’m going to be nearby listening, too.”

“That won’t be a problem. Thank you very much, sir.”

Mukadeyama finally returned to an upright position and quietly approached Miyo.

Overwhelmed by the somewhat desperate look on his face, she put down the knitting needle in her hands and sat at attention.

“May I trouble you for a bit of your time?”

“O-okay.”

She had no reason to refuse him. Supposing she did, she could keenly sense that just like during his exchange with Kiyoka, he would hold steadfast until she acquiesced.

Urged on by Mukadeyama, she followed behind him, moving to a new location.

It appeared that they were heading to the dojo.

“It’ll be cold where we’re going, Miyo. Is that all right?”

“Yes, I’ll be okay.”

Kiyoka, following even farther behind Miyo, cast a worried glance at his fiancée. Still, Mukadeyama didn’t seem like he would do anything to her detriment, and the cold wasn’t an issue thanks to her haori overcoat.

They entered the dojo to find it empty, without another soul in sight.

Since the soldiers had clashed with Usui here, she expected to see sections damaged from the fight, but it appeared to already have been repaired, as if the battle had never happened.

“Forgive me… This was the only place I could think of right now where we could talk without anyone else interrupting us.”

Mukadeyama apologized not with the dignified air he once had, but in a vaguely insecure tone. Flustered, Miyo shook her head.

“It’s not a problem at all, please don’t apologize.”

The station grounds were extremely busy at present.

Usui’s effortless infiltration of their air-tight security, along with the revelation that there was a collaborator in their ranks, had caused an absolute fiasco.

Not only that, but although still unbeknownst to the citizenry, the emperor’s whereabouts remained unknown. Since the situation involved the Gifted Communion, there had been no choice but to pull in the Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit, capable of fighting with their own supernatural powers, to face them.

Kiyoka’s soldiers were scrambling all around the imperial capital to tackle the problem.

Nevertheless, since there were still a number of men working inside the station as well, there were a limited number of places they could calmly converse together.

“Allow me to give my deepest apologies.”

Mukadeyama energetically turned back to Miyo behind him, and again bowed deeply to the ground.

“Huh……?”

This turn of events left her totally confused.

She never would have expected that he, of all people, would bow to her. Finding the scene in front of her far too unbelievable, she turned back to Kiyoka waiting in the wings behind her, but he didn’t look particularly surprised by any of this.

“I have been domineering and arrogant when speaking with you… I insulted you, called you our enemy and a powerless woman. Though I talked big about not holding any prejudices myself, the truth was that I didn’t accept or approve of you. I was a fool.”

“You were just speaking the truth…,” Miyo stammered, casting her eyes down.

Mukadeyama’s assertions about her had been correct, or at the very least convincing. But since he had warned her directly to her face about all this, she’d never felt like she was being unfairly treated or insulted whatsoever.

The blood of the Usubas ran through her veins, and it was reasonable that other Gift-users saw the family as their enemy. Miyo was an inept Gift-user herself, and she couldn’t even wield a sword. In an emergency, she was simply a burden.

All of that was true.

Mukadeyama’s remarks were different from the ones the other soldiers had directed at Kaoruko. Those comments were made behind her back while ignoring Kaoruko’s clear display of her own strength, hence why Miyo had found them so strange.

“No, I was wrong. Back then… If you hadn’t stepped out in front of us all when Naoko Usui attacked, I would have lost my life, along with many other men.”

“But……I ended up ignoring orders to do that.”

Miyo was mortified when she recalled her actions.

She had acted entirely of her own accord while she was supposed to be kept under protection. If anything, her behavior was more deserving of reproach instead.

Yet Mukadeyama raised his voice.

“Not at all! Please let me apologize. I completely underestimated you even though I didn’t know anything about you. This made me no better than the fools spouting biased nonsense at you. You’re courageous, Miyo. You protected everyone from harm.”

“U-um…”

What was she supposed to say to this? She didn’t feel angry at him to begin with.

As she wavered, Kiyoka gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Will you forgive him or not? It’s up to you.”

“I…”

There wasn’t anything for her to forgive in the first place. Mukadeyama wasn’t to blame at all.

Miyo looked him in the eyes and began to speak.

“Squad Leader Mukadeyama, you weren’t mistaken. It was pure luck that what I did on the day of the attack succeeded. Depending on how things played out, I could have put all of you in danger. That’s why…um, I suppose, that would mean I forgive you.”

“Thank you…very much.”

Mukadeyama’s voice was weak; Miyo could sense that this had been deeply troubling him.

When she imagined the painful emotions that must have been tearing at his heart since the incident transpired, she felt that was more than enough.

“Mukadeyama.”

“Yes, sir,” he replied to Kiyoka, raising his head up.

“I wouldn’t say that you handled everything correctly. Your flexibility and adaptability in the moment leaves a lot to be desired. There must have been a better strategy available to you.”

“Yes, sir.”

“But ultimately, I can only say that with hindsight. Looking at your results alone, the mere fact no one lost their lives is more than enough to say you acted correctly.”

“Commander…”

“Earlier, you asked me if you would be disciplined for this incident. If anything, I’m also accountable for failing to make the right call during Usui’s assault. That’s why,” Kiyoka continued, “I’ll be expecting good things from you here on out. Work hard.”

“Understood, sir.”

Mukadeyama bowed deeply yet again, then turned back to Miyo.

“Going forward, I’m going to try changing the other men’s way of thinking as well. I’ll also strive to ensure this organization can be unashamedly lauded as a proper meritocracy. For Jinnouchi’s sake, as well.”

Miyo simply nodded, slowly.

Mukadeyama had plenty of leadership experience. If he claimed that he would take the initiative to bring change, Miyo knew it would work out smoothly.

Leaving Mukadeyama, who needed to attend to his next task, behind in the dojo, Miyo returned to the office with Kiyoka.

On the way there, her mind was ultimately occupied with thoughts of her friend.

“Kiyoka, about Kaoruko…”

Even since the attack, she hadn’t appeared at the station at all. She was currently being held at the military headquarters, awaiting sentencing. Given the gravity of her betrayal, there was nothing out of line about this.

The sole consolation was that Ookaito was protecting her from torture.

“Is it bothering you?”

“Yes. Of course.”

Miyo looked around as she walked.

In this corridor and in all the rooms that lined it—no matter where she glanced, the moments she’d spent with Kaoruko vividly replayed in her mind.

While they weren’t all pleasant, the memories she shared with her very first friend were precious to her.

I miss her.

Without Kaoruko’s smiling face nearby, Miyo felt unbearably lonely, like there was hole in her heart.

“Betrayal cannot be tolerated.”

Miyo’s heart went cold at Kiyoka’s quiet comment.

Logically, she understood. An outsider shouldn’t speak about things they didn’t know about. Still, it was heartbreaking that Kaoruko’s life from here on out would be decided based on the sole fact she had been in communication with the enemy.

“Is there anything you can do to save her?”

Before she knew it, Miyo had stopped walking and verbalized her hopes out loud.

Her senses tried to prevent her from putting the next words together, but her tongue was already in motion and didn’t stop.

“Kaoruko was forced into cooperating with the Gifted Communion to save her family.”

“This isn’t for you to decide.”

“I—I know. But…”

Kiyoka’s gaze was cold as he responded to Miyo’s attempts to argue on her friend’s behalf.

“The military will decide how to deal with Jinnouchi. Nothing you say will change that.”

“…That might be true for me. But you might be able to save her, right?”

“I won’t be helping to bend military regulations.”

Her fiancé’s tone had a sharpness that he had never directed at Miyo before, and she almost quivered at the reply.

But this was one thing she couldn’t afford to back down on.

“Kiyoka, are you saying that you don’t care what happens to her at all?”

She hadn’t meant to phrase it like that.

Of course Kiyoka must have been worried about Kaoruko. As a comrade-in-arms, and someone he had known much longer than he had Miyo, he had to be concerned about her.

But…

It was Miyo’s fault that Usui had twisted Kaoruko into following his whims. He’d used her in an attempt to take Miyo for himself.

It was agonizing to think that Kaoruko had been forced into this unjust position because of her.

“If they let Jinnouchi off the hook for this, it will set a bad example. Stop being selfish.”

“But I’m not being selfish, it’s—”

The moment the words left her mouth, Miyo realized just how entitled she was being. She fell silent as it dawned on her that she was acting like a spoiled child.

The cold gaze she was met with then stuck hard in her chest.

“Give up on trying to help her.”

Unable to fight against what was clearly Kiyoka’s ultimatum, while also lacking any words to overrule him, Miyo bit down on her lips.

Her bustling daily life was passing by in the blink of an eye.

Before she realized it, it was the last day of the year, with a new one just beyond the horizon.

Miyo was spending that day at the Kudou family main estate, feeling a bit emotional.

At Hazuki’s insistence, they would be holding a get-together with some of their trusted mutual acquaintances that afternoon. It wasn’t a full-on party, but it was a chance to give everyone space to unwind and share their troubles.

Of course, it was normal for people to spend the end of year holidays with family, so attendance wasn’t mandatory.

That being said, the gathering itself appeared to be for Kiyoka in particular, who would try to spend both New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day avoiding his family if left alone.

“Come on in, you two. I was waiting for you!”

Still as overwhelmed as ever by the extravagant mansion, Miyo was given an ardent welcome together with Kiyoka as soon as they arrived.

Hazuki wore a dark red dress, looking just as beautiful as always.

“Sis… Please tone it down, it’s embarrassing to see from someone your age.”

Hazuki pouted in response to Kiyoka’s exasperated reprimanding.

“Oh shush. Your moonstruck ogling at Miyo is hardly becoming for someone your age, too.”

“I haven’t been ogling her. Don’t be ridiculous.”

Miyo couldn’t keep from smiling as she watched the two of them chirp back and forth.

This was how they always acted when they met up. It was a joy for Miyo, since she got to witness expressions on Kiyoka’s face that she never would see when it was just the two of them together.

They were both shown into the parlor, where they would wait until it was time to eat.

Though nothing seemed to have changed between them on the surface, both Miyo and Kiyoka had felt somewhat awkward around each other ever since the day she’d argued with him over Kaoruko’s treatment.

While Miyo had felt uncertain about Kaoruko at first, especially when she’d learned about her relationship with Kiyoka, the thought that he would be abandoning Kaoruko now caused antipathy to well up inside her.

It is truly too late to do anything at all?

During the hustle and bustle of her daily life, the question of Kaoruko’s fate wasn’t able to weigh on her mind. But whenever she stopped for a moment to rest, anxiety and frustration would suddenly burst to the forefront of her mind.

“Sorry for making you play along with my sister’s absurdity.”

Seeing Kiyoka heave a sigh with a hand to his forehead, Miyo returned to her senses, shaking her head with a smile.

“It’s not absurd at all. I wanted to see Sis, too, so I’m happy to be here.”

“But the end of the year’s hectic, right?”

It was true that Miyo had a number of things she needed to do, but she had the time to spare for a lunch get-together.

She had already finished most of the end-of-year cleaning around the house and had made as much of the New Year’s food as she could.

All that being said.

I can’t believe it’s New Year’s Eve…

This past year had been a raging torrent the likes of which Miyo had never experienced before, and likely never would again. It was a drastic departure from what this time had been like the year before, which she’d spent huddled up inside her cold room inside the Saimori house.

She couldn’t even believe it had been less than a full year since she had started living with Kiyoka. Her life had been such a blur since leaving home that she couldn’t even reminisce about everything that had happened.

“It’s a busy time of year, but it’s fulfilling and enjoyable… Far more than it has been in the past.”

She picked up her cup of black tea and gazed at the steam rising out of it.

“I see. As long as you’re fine with it, then.”

Miyo loved spending quiet time alone with Kiyoka more than anything in the world.

She was still reserved, and she still had her share of worries, but she had found some measure of happiness. If Miyo from a year ago looked at herself now, she would surely think it was some unbelievable fantasy.

As they waited, occasionally taking sips of their teas and conversing about nothing in particular, they sensed the arrival of more and more guests from beyond the parlor door.

Right as they heard loud knocking on the parlor door, it was vigorously thrown wide open.

“Hello, hello! How do you do, Commander? Miss Miyo?”

Energetically bounding into the room was the man previously recovering from his heavy wounds in the hospital, Godou.

“…Oh great, she invited another loud and annoying one to deal with.”

“Oh, c’mon, Commander, listen to you. Hasn’t it been hard not having me around? You can’t fool me!”

Smiling, Godou looked just as lively and energetic as he had been before his injuries.

“Have your wounds healed already, Mr. Godou?”

He nodded in response to Miyo’s question.

“Absolutely. Sorry for worrying you! I’m back to a hundred percent. It took me so much longer than expected to get discharged that I was ready to blow!”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

Arata was the next person to come into the parlor.

“I see everyone’s here.”

Her cousin, dressed as always in his perfectly fitted suit, didn’t seem any different at all. But that made her anxious.

Miyo had heard about what had happened the day Usui raided the station.

Apparently, he’d been tricked into following a decoy in pursuit of the kidnapped emperor, and he felt responsible for coming away from the situation without any results to show for it. Since then, Arata had been doggedly tailing Usui and rarely found time to come back home, which prompted Grandfather Yoshirou to come to Miyo to discuss the situation.

It was understandable. The severe criticism levied at the Usubas by people familiar with them had grown even harsher because of this event.

With the pride of his family on the line, Arata couldn’t allow his blunder to stand.

I’m sure I would do the very same thing if put in his position.

Annoyed and restless. The emotions must have been swirling inside of him.

Thus, given such circumstances, it had truly been a fair bit of time since she had last saw him.

At first glance, he appeared to be just the same as always on the surface, but she couldn’t really trust her intuition. He was skilled at concealing his own emotions, so his inner thoughts likely deviated greatly from his outwardly cheery demeanor.

“Have you been well, Miyo?”

“Oh, um, yes. You seem well, too, Arata.”

“Fortunately. Though there’s plenty of troubles on my plate.”

As Miyo and Arata conversed together, Kiyoka grunted with displeasure. Picking up on this, Arata sent vaguely provocative look his way.

“If you act that petty, Major, you’ll also make poor Miyo feel uncomfortable, you know.”

“Mind your own business.”

It had been quite a while since Miyo had seen this causal back-and-forth of theirs.

Afterward, Kazushi showed up, greeting Hazuki’s other friends and causing yet another uproar as soon as he saw Godou. As the get-together got busier, it grew closer to lunchtime.

Finally, the lone remaining guest arrived.

Miyo couldn’t believe her eyes when she looked out the window.

“Kaoruko?”

Her voice trembled slightly.

Right after she noticed the automobile suddenly stop in front of the mansion, stepping out of it was the friend who had been weighing on her mind, who she had longed to see.

There was no doubt it was her friend Kaoruko Jinnouchi herself, wearing a white shirt with military pants beneath a long coat.

Ookaito got out of the car alongside her, and they both passed through the entryway. Kiyoka and Godou recognized the arrival of their superior and went out into the entryway to greet him.

Miyo approached the door after them, to see what was happening.

“Welcome, Jinnouchi.”

“Th-thank you for having me.”

Kaoruko responded to Hazuki’s greeting in a slightly high-pitched voice, handing over a small gift wrapped up in cloth. Hazuki thanked her, smiled, and turned to face Ookaito next.

“Thanks for all the trouble.”

“Not really. I needed to be here to witness Jinnouchi’s release either way. It wasn’t any extra trouble. Kiyoka, Yoshito, you both better be sure to relax during this time off, got it?”

“Yessir.”

“You gooot it!”

Replying to them both with a nod, Ookaito turned around before Hazuki stopped him.

“You’re leaving already?”

“Yeah. My parents wouldn’t be happy if I stayed too long in this mansion. Asahi is waiting for me to come home, too.”

“I see. Oh, hold on a minute.”

Hazuki responded with a warm smile before she had the servants bring her a wrapped package, which she then handed to Ookaito.

“Here. It’s a present for Asahi. Can you keep it a secret from your mother and father?”

“Got it.”

As Ookaito took the gift, he and Miyo locked eyes for a brief moment. She bowed to him, and he replied with a simple nod.

Watching as Ookaito departed the mansion, everyone sighed with relief. Only Miyo ran straight over to Kaoruko instead.

“Kaoruko!”

“Oh…Miyo.”

Now that she was face-to-face with her friend for the first time in a while, Miyo noticed she was a bit thinner than she remembered, and her complexion wasn’t in great shape.

As Miyo saw her friend drop her eyes to the floor in guilt, she grabbed her hand without hesitation.

“Kaoruko, have you been well?”

“Yeah… Um.”

Kaoruko grimaced with sadness, and after looking across the people gathered in the entryway, she gave a vigorous bow.

“I’m truly very, very sorry! I caused you so much trouble!”

Scattered teardrops fell onto the floor and sunk into the entryway concrete.

There was no excusing Kaoruko’s act of betrayal.

However, it had also been partly unavoidable. Convinced that her family’s dojo and her Giftless father had been taken hostage, she had been left with no other choice but to do as Usui told.

Miyo’s heart ached when she imagined the guilt that must have been tormenting Kaoruko.

“Pick your head up, Jinnouchi.”

Kiyoka was the one to address her.

Slowly raising her head up, Kaoruko’s eyes were wet with tears.

“I’m sure the major general’s reprimanded you enough already, so there’s no point in saying anything more.”

“Commander…”

“Sis, if everyone’s here, shouldn’t we hurry up and get things started?”

Kiyoka turned his head and put forth a suggestion to Hazuki. His sister answered with a cheerful smile.

“Good point. All right everyone. For today’s meal, I tried following how the West does things, and served it buffet style. Let’s all head to the dining hall.”

Without getting swept along with everyone else as they began to move, Miyo pulled Kaoruko by the hand.

“We should get going, too.”

“……I’m sorry, Miyo.”

“Please, no more apologizing.”

Kaoruko hadn’t actually been acquitted of anything. Miyo had also heard from Kiyoka that it would be impossible to absolve her of anything.

Simply accepting one’s punishment didn’t then mean the crime itself disappeared along with it. However, blaming and tormenting someone forever wouldn’t make anyone happy.

“I’m truly glad, from the bottom of my heart, that you and I could become friends. And I’m so happy that you’re able to return like this. Do you feel any different?”

In response to Miyo’s question, Kaoruko shook her head.

“I’m happy I’m able to talk with you again, too. Are you sure it’s okay for me to remain your friend after everything? I’m not a nuisance, am I?”

“Not at all. So please, I hope we can keep being friends from here on out.”

“Yeah, me too…!”

Miyo couldn’t suppress a smile at her friend, again moved to excessive tears, before then heading off to the dining hall, together.