Chapter 4.5
This chapter was translated by shizuumi and proofread by kuririn, yuugs, and dei-hime!
January 1st.
Morning.
I came to the shrine to pay my first respects of the year with Kazama-senpai, as promised.
Chizuru Yukimura: "Haah..."
The first day of the new year was something to celebrate, but I let out a massive sigh instead. I'd only just entered the shrine, but I already felt completely exhausted.
Chikage Kazama: "To think this peaceful shrine would be so congested merely because it is New Year's morning… I should have ordered people to leave after all."
...I was happy he was concerned in his own way. But, for the first time of many to come today, I asked him not to.
Chizuru Yukimura: "You don't need to order people to leave or anything. Just be good and line up."
Chikage Kazama: "But, Chizuru―"
Chizuru Yukimura: "It would bother other people, and it'd be weird if we were the only ones that got priority."
Chikage Kazama: "......"
...I realized that I might have said a bit too much. His way of thinking was really a problem in and of itself, but I knew that deep down it all came from a place of genuine concern for me. I got a little worried seeing him fall silent, when―
Chikage Kazama: "You never fail to impress, wife of mine."
Chizuru Yukimura: "Excuse me?"
Chikage Kazama: "Even in moments of such torment, you never forget your consideration for others."
Chizuru Yukimura: "......"
This time I'd sunk into silence, my mind a mess. His silence didn't actually have any meaning earlier. The fact that he'd praised me without reflecting on anything I'd said made me feel...how to put it… More tired by the minute...
Chikage Kazama: "My greatest worry today is that you might be tossed about this crowd and be pushed to exhaustion. I had also thought to bring Amagiri and Shiranui to form a kind of human wall, as it were, however― I wished that on this momentous day, when we paid our first respects of the year together, for us to be alone. An opportunity we'd relish in private, as man and wife."
Chizuru Yukimura: "Man and wife...?"
But Kazama-senpai just kept facing forward with a smile as he explained his thought process.
Chizuru Yukimura: "Hoo, boy..."
I let out yet another sigh. This morning, when a black car had pulled up next to my house, I had no clue what was going on. Even its windows were pitch black, making sure that not a soul could peek inside. Then, stepping gallantly from the car… Kazama-senpai himself had emerged. My suspicions had been confirmed at that very moment: today was going to be...an ordeal. I was exhausted before the day had even really begun.
Chizuru Yukimura: "......"
Although, if I thought about it, it seemed like Kazama-senpai had generally toned it down compared to when we had first met. Even if his behavior hadn't really changed that much.
Chikage Kazama: "...What is it?"
I answered quietly:
Chizuru Yukimura: "I was just thinking back on the past year for a bit. My first year in Hakuo Academy really went by in a flash..."
Chikage Kazama: "I see. That is true, " he nodded in agreement. "I also think that, when reminiscing, everything feels as if it has passed in the blink of an eye. Even though the memories I can recall between the two of us outnumber the stars themselves."
Chizuru Yukimura: "...I wouldn't say there are as many as the stars, but I do remember some moments where we were together."
Chikage Kazama "For example... One such unforgettable memory was when we studied for the tests together."
Kazama-senpai puffed out his chest boastfully.
Chikage Kazama: "When I recall the moment after that, I think not of unpleasant memories borne from unsightly defeats… But of splendid memories like these that owe their existence to my power. You had better not forget your gratitude for me now." Kazama-senpai had cut me off with an exceedingly genteel smile. I tried asking him...
Chizuru Yukimura: "You did help me out a lot when you tutored me. But… Why did you have to sit so close to me back then?"
Chikage Kazama: "Hmph... You intend on making me say it? I won't fall for your wily little tricks."
Chizuru Yukimura: "......" I had zero idea what Kazama-senpai wanted to say… I was awfully troubled over it, but he didn't care about that and kept speaking.
Chikage Kazama: "The end-of-year tests will be imminent once the New Year's holidays are over. If you have any subjects you are worried about again, come to the student council room. I will tutor you any time."
Chizuru Yukimura: "Oh, no, I..."
I tried to turn down his offer before he put his palm up facing me, gesturing for me to stop.
Chikage Kazama: "If it is that you could not stand the guilt of having me tutor you without doing anything in return… then serve me tea again like you did last time."
Chizuru Yukimura: "O-Okay. That much I can do..."
Kazama-senpai gave a gratified smile at my nervous nod.
Chikage Kazama: "The tea you prepare is delicious. I thought it must've been due to your lineage at the time… But I know now that was not all."
Chizuru Yukimura: "Wha―..." I was perplexed at the wordless smile Kazama-senpai gave me.
He changed the subject.
Chikage Kazama: "In summer, we also spent time at the poolside bar―truly a lovers' palace."
Chizuru Yukimura: "I don't know about it being a palace, but it was less like a date and more like things happened to turn out that way..."
Chikage Kazama: "What are you saying? To dismiss that as mere happenstance is tantamount to denying reality."
W-Was it, now...?
Chikage Kazama: "Firstly, that was certainly a rendezvous. Anyone beholding the scene of you holding our parfait as we talked together would have seen it as such."
Chizuru Yukimura: "......"
The way he expressed it weighed on my mind, but he wasn't completely wrong.
Chizuru Yukimura: "Loads of people were watching us then, too. I was so embarrassed..."
Chikage Kazama: "Do not trouble yourself over the likes of them. It would be insanity itself to concern yourself with them to such an extent. Putting that aside, the parfait you personally fed me was quite satisfactory. Let us prepare for another such opportunity. Next time, why don’t we feed one another parfaits?"
Chizuru Yukimura: "Th-That would, uh, be―"
Chikage Kazama: "What is it? Your face is red." The teasing tone in his voice irked me. I looked away in a huff.
Chizuru Yukimura: "...It's nothing," I said stiffly.
Kazama-senpai only grinned, just like he did back then… But my blush wasn't going away… A teasing smile spread across Kazama-senpai's face. I said nothing in response.
Chikage Kazama: "The events of the cultural festival are still fresh in my mind, as well. The sight of you eagerly working in costume was also one to behold, my wife." Kazama-senpai sounded nostalgic as he whispered softly. "However, my wife, on the matter of what garments accent your charms best, I believe Japanese clothing is superior to a maid's outfit, in the end―"
Chizuru Yukimura: "More importantly, though."
Chikage Kazama: "......"
He looked a little dissatisfied from having been interrupted… But, talking about the cultural festival reminded me of something that had left a lasting impression on me, and I wanted to make sure I brought it up.
Chizuru Yukimura: "Your class' presentation was really incredible...!"
Chikage Kazama: "You mean the tea ceremony?"
Chizuru Yukimura: "Yes. I heard from Amagiri-senpai that you were really involved in the planning stages for it. I admired how you were able to keep running an event on such a large scale by reserving the gym in advance."
Chikage Kazama: "......"
Chizuru Yukimura: "Oh. It might be impertinent of me to say that I admired it, but that is really how I felt..." I tacked that on in a rush. The smile Kazama-senpai gave me upon seeing my panic was calm and fond.
Chikage Kazama: "No, I do not mind. With this, you should now know better about what promise I hold as a man. Further, I am the heir to a prominent tea ceremony family. So, worry not; you may become my bride at any time."
Chizuru Yukimura: "Seriously..." I unwittingly let out a wry smile at his remarks. Kazama-senpai always looped everything back to that...
Chikage Kazama: "After that, the most memorable time of this last year in the end took place on Christmas night..."
Chizuru Yukimura: "I...suppose so..." We had promised on Christmas Day that we'd come here to the shrine for New Year’s Day.
Chikage Kazama: "Because that night, you and I swore an oath about our future to each other, Chizuru."
Chizuru Yukimura: "That definitely did not happen."
The way he gradually veered from the facts like that really did not sit right with me, so I flatly shot him down. But… When I remembered that day, my cheeks flushed hotly on their own, and I didn't know why...
Chizuru Yukimura: "I was taken totally by surprise. I couldn’t have imagined such a thing even in my wildest dreams. I never would have guessed that snow would start falling right then..."
Or, technically, that snow would be made to fall, to be precise...
Chikage Kazama: "Chizuru. Be it snow or anything else, for you, I would make whatever you desired simply fall from the sky. I am prepared to devote my whole being to granting your every wish."
Chizuru Yukimura: "...Senpai… You always exaggerate a little too much..." I protested in a quiet voice. But I knew without a doubt that he was conveying how he really felt when he said that… Which was why I felt a little bad about it.
Chikage Kazama: "At any rate, there remain a scarce three months left in your first year in Hakuo Academy. Take heed that you have no regrets. That there is nothing left over for you to do."
Chizuru Yukimura: "Okay. I'll do my best."
Chikage Kazama: "If there is anything I may do to allow you to live your academy life to the fullest, speak without reservation."
Chizuru Yukimura: "...Oh..."
I suddenly realized… Since Kazama-senpai was in his third year, that meant he would graduate this spring… Soon enough, he wouldn't be around in Hakuo Academy any longer.
Chizuru Yukimura: "......"
When I realized that fact, I felt a sudden, inexplicable pain in my chest once again. Kazama-senpai had always abused his powers so much from the moment I had first enrolled, but for him to not be there any longer...
I'd miss him. A lot.
Chikage Kazama: ?
Kazama-senpai had cocked his head, having watched me fall silent. As I clutched my still-throbbing chest, a thought came to mind.
‘Maybe, I...?’
Maybe, just maybe, what I felt for him was...
Chikage Kazama: "Are you alright, Chizuru?"
Chizuru Yukimura: "Y-Yes. I'm fine! It's just..."
Chikage Kazama: "Just?"
Chizuru Yukimura: "We'll be parting ways in spring, so… you know..."
Kazama-senpai narrowed his eyes at my murmur. His gaze alone expressed an incredulity that escaped the need for words.
Chikage Kazama: "What are you saying? Chizuru―until the day you swear to be my wife, I have no intention of leaving Hakuo Academy."
Chizuru Yukimura: "...Excuse me?"
Chikage Kazama: "Seeing as we are here to pay the shrine a visit, why don’t we draw fortunes? Let's go."
Chizuru Yukimura: "Wh―..."
He took my hand, and my breath stopped. Normally, I wouldn't have thought that much about it and let it slide, but I just couldn't keep my cool today. His hand holding mine was warm. Even though I'd always thought he abused his status too often, and really was a nuisance… Why was it that...
Afterwards, we drew our fortunes and I spoke up again.
Chizuru Yukimura: "Mine says... Moderate fortune."
Chikage Kazama: "A fine result. You could not hope for more with Great Fortune, but with Moderate Fortune, there is yet room for greater still. If you set your eyes ahead to the near future, matters even exceeding Great Fortune will come to pass, no?"
Chizuru Yukimura: "I see... Maybe," I was my non-committal reply, as I read over my fortune slip. Suddenly, I spotted my marriage prospects on the back.
【A good match. Will certainly be realized in good time.】
Chizuru Yukimura: ...!
Startled, I instinctively folded my fortune slip shut. I was too worked up, if something like that sent my heart racing… As I was chiding myself internally, Kazama had opened his fortune next to me. He heaved a sigh.
Chikage Kazama: "Hmph. How dull..."
Seeing the state Kazama-senpai was in, I asked if his said...
[Great Fortune]
[Great Misfortune]
Chizuru Yukimura: "Does yours say Great Fortune?" I sensed that was the case one way or another when I asked.
Kazama-senpai nodded like it was just a matter of course.
Chikage Kazama: "Indeed. Not once have I obtained any slip other than Great Fortune since birth."
Chizuru Yukimura: "......"
I mean, maybe. This was Kazama-senpai we were talking about...
Chizuru Yukimura: "Then how come do you look so disappointed?"
Kazama-senpai looked like he had sucked on a lemon. He had gotten Great Fortune, hadn't he? But when asked...
Chikage Kazama: "Though I received a Great Fortune slip, the marriage prospects section said 'Wait. It will take time to realize'... Do you plan to make me wait longer, even though I have already done so for close to a year?"
I answered as calmly as possible as he fixed his stare on me.
Chizuru Yukimura: "Senpai, I’ve been telling you for ages..."
Chikage Kazama: ?
Chizuru Yukimura: "It stands to reason that it'd be improper for me to get married before I graduate high school… You wouldn't be able to greet my father properly, and I want to concentrate on my studies now, too..."
Chikage Kazama: "......" There was a twinkle in Kazama-senpai's eye.
Ah. I might've shot myself in the foot there…
Chikage Kazama: "Chizuru. That means, in other words… that the only obstacle standing between us is time. Is that not what you mean?"
Chizuru Yukimura: "Wha―"
Chikage Kazama: "It seems you have finally made up your mind. However, Japan's laws do not dictate that we must wait until having graduated high school to be wed, no?"
Chizuru Yukimura: "No, uh―"
Chikage Kazama: "I understand the desire to devote your youth to study in the hopes of attaining personal growth as well… But I am not such a petty man that I will have my bride holed up in our household after you have married me, you see?"
Chizuru Yukimura: "O-Okay, but―"
Chikage Kazama: "I have no intention of stunting your growth. You may attend university, as well, if you so wish. With that, you should have no remaining qualms towards us holding a marriage ceremony, no?"
Chizuru Yukimura: "......"
Chikage Kazama: "Chizuru. I swear I will―"
Chizuru Yukimura: "C-Come on, Kazama-senpai! Let's go tie up our fortune slips!"
Kazama-senpai’s silver tongue was in fine form today, but I shoved hard at his back to get us moving again.
As I tied my slip to the sacred tree, I thought. The thought of Kazama's graduation rattled me so much when it came to mind, no matter how hard I tried to not let it get to me. The fact that I'd gotten so hyper-aware of him must've caused that. The inside of my head felt like mush now… I was worrying so much that I couldn't concentrate at all on tying my fortune slip, and I fumbled with it absently. Kazama-senpai seemed to notice.
Chikage Kazama: "Give me that," he took it from me and promptly tied it to the tree for me. "The custom of tying fortune slips to trees is called forming a connection with Buddha, or contracting a marriage. With this, we would be able to say that we have solidified the invisible bonds between you and I at last."
Chizuru Yukimura: "......"
I was still worrying over it all when he spoke. Kazama-senpai certainly was a good-looking guy. Even here at the shrine, lots of girls had been sneaking furtive glances at him since we arrived. He had a surprisingly kind side to him and was a gentleman at heart, too. He was always overbearing in telling me to marry him, but if I factored that out―
Kazama-senpai might just be a really great person after all...
Chizuru Yukimura: "...What...?"
When I thought about it that much, a fresh cause for concern cropped up again. Why was it that someone as charming as him was telling me that I was 'the one' for him...?
Chikage Kazama: "Yes. Send for a vehicle."
Kazama-senpai was on a call on his cellphone. When I first heard about a car, I'd initially refused, but he’d forced the issue and ended up having his way. I felt grateful for how he felt, but I ultimately felt a little guilty about it anyway...
Chizuru Yukimura: !?
Suddenly, I saw a woman in a white kimono walk inside the shrine.
Chizuru Yukimura: "Is there a New Year's wedding taking place...?" I asked Kazama-senpai aloud without thinking, absently admiring her snow-white kimono.
Chikage Kazama: "Chizuru. Do you dream of an outfit like that after all?"
I said…
[I don't really know]
[...Only a little]
Chizuru Yukimura: "Honestly, I don't really know."
I answered him honestly. Kazama-senpai did say a lot about me being his wife, us getting married, and so on… But when it came to what I thought about marriage and my prospects in the near future, I still couldn't quite picture it in my head.
Chikage Kazama: "That will not do..." He looked sullen at what I'd said. But then, Kazama-senpai hit the palm of his hand like he'd thought of something.
Chizuru Yukimura: ?
Chikage Kazama: "Alright. Follow me," he said and turned on his heel, taking my hand as we left the shrine behind.
Chizuru Yukimura: "Senpai...? Where are we going?" The sudden development troubled me, but I couldn’t refuse with how tightly he held my hand.
The place Kazama-senpai brought me to was...
A white chapel on a hilltop.
Actually, thinking about it now, Osen-chan and Kosuzu-chan had shown it to me in some special feature article in a magazine. I was pretty sure they were talking about some incredibly wonderful chapel that was arranged to be completed on a hilltop. Then, while I didn't know why, Kazama-senpai exchanged some quick words with the chapel administrator... After which we were allowed to take a tour inside.
Chizuru Yukimura: "Wow...!"
The light shining through the large, stained glass windows gleamed with all the colors of the rainbow. The picture I'd seen in that magazine paled in comparison to the real thing. It didn't do justice to how the sacred light filled the gorgeous chapel.
Chikage Kazama: "This was freshly completed at the end of the year. As this is a brand new chapel, it has hosted no ceremonies as of yet. I wanted to choose a place like this for us… That is why I brought you along."
Chizuru Yukimura: "How did you even hear about this...?"
Kazama-senpai walked up to the stained glass windows before proclaiming proudly:
(CG get!°˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°)
Chikage Kazama: "Do not underestimate me. I would spare no effort to see you smile."
Chizuru Yukimura: "...Kazama-senpai..."
Chikage Kazama: "I, myself, do not hold any particular fondness for religion… But I am not so ignorant that I would not know what kind of wedding attire women might admire. I can imagine you more easily in a wedding gown than a white kimono, in the end. What say you, my betrothed?"
Chizuru Yukimura: "B-But..."
I felt so lost, even by my own standards, that I tried to buy some time by changing the subject a bit.
Chizuru Yukimura: "Wouldn't a traditional Japanese ceremony be better, considering your family's profession...?"
He was going to be the head of a tea ceremony family. I couldn't imagine a traditional altar not being involved. But after I’d spoken, I realized that almost made it sound like it was a given that Kazama-senpai and I were going to get married. I started panicking inside, while Kazama-senpai said airily:
Chikage Kazama: "How about we hold a ceremony first, with just the two of us? If we have need of a traditional altar for the official event, we may contact our relatives and host them in another ceremony on a seperate day. It would also be ideal for us to hold our spectacular reception in a hotel."
Chizuru Yukimura: "Y-You've gone so far as to make plans for the reception...?"
His eyes crinkled shut as he smiled, sounding unusually sweet when he murmured:
Chikage Kazama: "I have pictured you in your wedding gown countless times already. I do this not for my family, nor for my social standing. I simply want to see my lovely bride in all her finery."
He whispered, and slowly pulled my hand close to him―
Chizuru Yukimura: "Oh..."
Kazama-senpai softly kissed the backs of my fingers.
Chikage Kazama: "In sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, for richer, for poorer..." The feeling of his soft lips tickled me a little as he recited the lines, "I will love you, and honor you, Chizuru..."
My heart was racing so fast...
Chikage Kazama: "...I pledge my heart to you for all the days in my life."
Chizuru Yukimura: "......" All I wanted to do was run away. My heart could have leapt out of my chest with how fast it was beating. I couldn’t shake off Kazama-senpai's hand, and stood frozen.
I… I already knew. The fact that I couldn't push his hand away was a sign that I couldn't refuse his feelings anymore.
After that, we ended up inspecting the rooms within the chapel, like the room the bride would wait in, and others. Most strikingly, the dressing room contained several wedding dresses on display…
Against my better judgment, I found myself mesmerized by a pure white wedding dress. Kazama-senpai told me just to say the word if I wanted to try any of them on, but I firmly turned him down. I did think it was kind of a shame that I left without having tried any of them on, though. But I couldn’t, in the end. I felt that if I'd worn a dress, that would've led to some conversation about how swimmingly our marriage would go. Up until today, I'd been easily able to listen and go along with Kazama's spiels about marriage and treat it as a joke. But I'd already come to realize… I couldn't go on like I wasn't aware of him any longer.
In the end, Kazama dropped me off in front of my house; he’d called a car to take us. The sun was already setting by then, staining the sky a bright crimson.
Chikage Kazama: "Are you alright, Chizuru? You have been silent for a while."
I gave a stiff nod at his concerned question.
Chizuru Yukimura: "I'm fine. It's nothing, really..." but I couldn't relax in the slightest, and I couldn't think normally either. Because I never would've thought that our plan to pay our first respects of the year would have led me to consciously consider marriage.
Chikage Kazama: "Hmm..." Kazama-senpai thought for a bit, before speaking with a deeply serious tone. "My apologies. I may have been a little too impatient today."
Chizuru Yukimura: "Huh...?"
Chikage Kazama: "However, that I always profess I want you to be my bride unmistakably stems from how I truly feel. You may feel troubled that I call you my wife and such, but there is a reason behind that as well."
Chizuru Yukimura: "Is there?"
Chikage Kazama: "......"
I blinked, and Kazama looked away, as if he was embarrassed.
Chikage Kazama: "At any rate. You, too, likely have your own hardships from having fallen for a perfect man such as myself. Nonetheless, even then… I have come to believe that you would not go this far, were you truly weary of me."
Chizuru Yukimura: "...Of course. I wouldn't go pay my first respects of the year with someone I didn't like." I nodded, and Kazama-senpai looked very serious. Combined with how gallant he looked by nature, just having him stare at me with that look on his face made my heart speed up...
Chikage Kazama: "Chizuru. Do you like me?"
Chizuru Yukimura: "...I, uh..."
I...
I was at a loss for words. So many thoughts were getting tangled in my head that I still couldn't answer that question. I unconsciously glanced down at my feet. When I did, Kazama-senpai readily withdrew from me.
Chikage Kazama: "No matter. I will leave it at that for today."
Chizuru Yukimura: "Eh...?" I looked back up at him, wondering if that was alright. When I did, he gazed at me with a warm smile.
Chikage Kazama: "I don’t mind. My fortune slip did say to wait, after all. Do not worry about the changes of the school year when the winter holidays end, and come visit the student council room whenever you would like."
After declaring that, Kazama-senpai got into his car without waiting for my reply. Left dumbfounded in front of my house, I watched as his black limo faded into the distance.
School would start in a few days. How would I face him when we met again? With only so little of the winter break left, I didn't think I could sort out everything whirling in my head by the time it ended at all…
Then, that night…
As usual, after I finished having dinner alone, I went upstairs to my room. A New Year's program was playing on TV, but I just couldn't bring myself to watch it… In my daze, I stared blankly out my window.
Chizuru Yukimura: "Hehe..."
The events that happened today replayed in my head, making me almost giddy. The night of New Year's Day drew to a close as I dwelled on those memories.