Taming and Being Tamed

Just as Kitagawa Ryo froze and failed to answer right away, Karuizawa Kei was even quicker to take back what she had said.

"...You don't have to worry about it, Ryo. I only get those thoughts sometimes. But your parents are both overseas, after all, so don't worry about it."

Karuizawa Kei stood up and patted him on the shoulder, speaking with what seemed like complete confidence.

"I'll be fine on my own. Hotaru's here with me, too."

[What?]

Kitagawa Ryo pressed a hand to his forehead.

[Doesn't that make her exactly like a rose?]

"Hiyori, you got up later than usual today."

Shiina Hiyori had just woken up and walked out of her room, her hair sticking up in every direction. Her mother's voice greeted her, and she responded softly.

"My hair's a mess."

Wearing a pair of pink slippers and plain, light-blue pajamas, Shiina Hiyori walked over to the sink. After two days of unexplained insomnia, faint dark circles had started to show beneath her eyes. She leaned toward the mirror and pressed a hot towel firmly against her slightly oily cheeks, pursing her lips in displeasure.

"Were you chatting with a friend last night, Hiyori?"

"Mom heard you making noise."

"Ah... yes."

Shiina Hiyori answered her mother while fixing her hair.

"Mom, where did you put the face mask you usually use?"

Shiina Hiyori looked at the faint dark circles still visible in the mirror and felt a little gloomy.

"This is the first time you've wanted to use something like that, isn't it, Hiyori?"

Her mother walked over behind her, looking rather surprised.

"But girls really should learn a few makeup and skincare tips."

Shiina Hiyori nodded.

Of course, even a rose knew that.

Revising my History Competition paper. Taking a day off.

I started writing as usual at nine tonight, but my advisor suddenly sent back my History Competition paper and told me to revise a few overly wordy paragraphs. By the time I finished, it was about this late. My head is full of nonsense like "Public Domain," "Alienation," and "Social Rumors," and I really can't get into the right state of mind to write an update. So I'm taking the day off, and I'll use the time to reorganize the outline, too. Sorry.

Here's a bonus picture as an apology.

Taming and Being Tamed

It was almost six by the time Kitagawa Ryo finished talking with Shiina Hiyori on the phone. He had no intention of going back to sleep, so he stretched and got out of bed. With a touch of anticipation, he opened the kitchen refrigerator. The ingredients inside were randomly replenished each day, which was one of the hotel's special services.

Today, though, the ingredients were all fairly ordinary. After thinking it over, Kitagawa Ryo took out four decent-looking potatoes, peeled and sliced them, then tossed them into a pot of water to boil. While they cooked, he brushed his teeth and washed his face in one smooth routine. Once the potatoes were done, he mashed them, cracked in three eggs, added a little lotus root starch from the cupboard, then some pepper and other seasonings. He mixed everything briskly, used a rolling pin to flatten the mash into one small round cake after another, then heated oil in a pan and began frying them.

Back when he was in the United Kingdom, Hotaru would have been sitting obediently on the table nearby. She was always very attached to Kitagawa Ryo, but she was strictly forbidden from entering the kitchen while he cooked. All she could do was sniff the aroma of the food, her jewel-bright eyes darting around.

Thinking of that, Kitagawa Ryo casually sent Karuizawa Kei a greeting, then started mixing up some dipping sauce. He washed and peeled the scallions, ginger, and garlic, chopped them up, and put cilantro, scallions, minced garlic, and chili seeds into a bowl. Then he added a little salt, soy sauce, and some of the barbecue sauce stocked in the kitchen and stirred everything together.

He had a fairly strong palate, so he didn't find it strange to eat this kind of food early in the morning. He was eating alone, anyway, and nobody else could tell him what to do. Since Izaki had come to Tokyo, Kitagawa Ryo had no idea what he'd been busy with. Apart from when Kitagawa Ryo contacted him, he hardly ever saw him.

He turned on the television and switched to the news channel. With a potato cake in his mouth, Kitagawa Ryo started watching the morning news at his leisure.

"Regarding the recent spate of school bullying incidents, experts point out that junior high school is a sensitive period for adolescents, both physically and psychologically. Educators and parents should work together to address young people's mental health."

"Tokyo Koudo Ikusei High School has faced criticism for using up too many public resources. The school held a press conference yesterday to respond."

[Tokyo Koutou Ikusei Junior High School. That's the school Gaku is supposed to attend next year, right?]

Kitagawa Ryo poured himself a glass of warm milk while watching the footage on television. He'd heard that the school only admitted one hundred and sixty students a year, and that the administration had yet to disclose its selection criteria. Although applicants had to take written exams and interviews before entering, there had also been rumors that some of the exam content had nothing to do with selection.

[But he shouldn't have any trouble getting in. Still, based on my interaction with Horikita Suzune yesterday, she'll definitely be going there too...]

He'd heard Horikita Manabu talk about his younger sister, Horikita Suzune, before, but it was only after meeting her himself that Kitagawa Ryo realized the problem was even more serious than he'd imagined. Given Horikita Manabu's personality, he wouldn't deliberately instill such twisted ideas in Horikita Suzune. So the root of the problem lay with Horikita Suzune herself.

Kitagawa Ryo was still thinking about Horikita Suzune when a reply from Karuizawa Kei arrived on his phone.

"I fed Hotaru cat food."

A short video came with the message.

"Meow."

Hotaru was busily gobbling up her cat food. She was a very camera-friendly cat, and perhaps because she was already full, she seemed to sense that someone was filming and obligingly started acting cute. She stared with round eyes, clasping her little paws together and waving them in front of her chest.

After what happened last night, Karuizawa Kei had reined herself in a little. She didn't even ask Kitagawa Ryo to accompany her again today. It seemed she really meant what she'd said: even without Kitagawa Ryo constantly at her side, she could face everything on her own.

And so their conversation came to a natural end. Karuizawa Kei had no reason to keep talking, while Kitagawa Ryo had something important to do today.

"I'm Horikita Suzune."

Soon, a cool voice came from outside the hotel room.

As if he'd already expected this, Kitagawa Ryo showed no surprise. He only took an unhurried sip of milk before answering.

"The door's open."

The doorknob turned with a creak, and Horikita Suzune came face-to-face with Kitagawa Ryo again.

She seemed to have just come from a morning run. Dressed in light athletic clothes, she was still breathing slightly hard.

"The slippers are in the shoe cabinet beside you."

The hotel provided fresh disposable slippers every day. Horikita Suzune took an unopened pair, tore the packaging, and stepped into them as she entered the room.

Horikita Suzune seemed to have little experience interacting with people. After entering, she even seemed at a loss, simply standing there and staring at Kitagawa Ryo as he washed the dishes, as if waiting for him to lead the conversation.

"You came a little late. Otherwise, I could've let you try my cooking."

Kitagawa Ryo hadn't realized Horikita Suzune was staring at his back. As he picked up a towel to dry the dishes, he spoke with a hint of regret.

"You cook for yourself too, Kitagawa?"

After yesterday's conversation, the two of them knew each other, but Horikita Suzune had dropped the honorific "-kun" from "Kitagawa-kun" and now addressed him simply as "Kitagawa."

"I'm home alone a lot, so I learned a little."

There were only a few dishes, so Kitagawa Ryo finished washing them quickly. He dried his hands with a clean towel nearby, then turned around and saw Horikita Suzune standing there, looking dazed.

"Is there something on my back?"

Kitagawa Ryo tilted his head and asked, puzzled.

"No."

Horikita Suzune denied it without hesitation.

"All right."

Kitagawa Ryo shook his head, left the kitchen, and sat on the sofa in the main room. Horikita Suzune followed close behind and sat on the opposite sofa.

In the morning light, Horikita Suzune looked up and noticed a photograph on the table. It was one of the pictures Kitagawa Ryo had brought from his time in the United Kingdom. He'd shown a few to Karuizawa Kei when they had some free time yesterday, and the rest had been left here. The one Horikita Suzune saw happened to show Kitagawa Ryo and Horikita Manabu together beside a bridge.

"Let me see."

Her hand moved faster than her words. Kitagawa Ryo had barely managed to hum in reply before the photograph was already in Horikita Suzune's hands. She looked at it with a sort of religious solemnity, then nodded and continued examining it.

"When was the last time you saw Manabu?"

Kitagawa Ryo looked at Horikita Suzune thoughtfully as he asked.

"More than two years ago."

Horikita Suzune answered without hesitation.

"And until yesterday, I didn't even have his contact information."

"...Your relationship as siblings really is twisted."

"My brother has always been the direction I strive toward. He's always encouraged me, too."

Horikita Suzune never took her eyes off the photo. The name Horikita Manabu affected her more than Kitagawa Ryo had expected.

It was as though every time Horikita Suzune said his name, she gained a little more determination and found a little more strength. Like a plant facing the sun and carrying out photosynthesis, she fed on that name and strained with all her might to grow upward.

Kitagawa Ryo shook his head.

"Go take a shower first. You're covered in sweat from your run. I'm going out to make a phone call."

"Is it to my brother?"

"Yes."

That answer seemed to be enough to spur Horikita Suzune into action. Kitagawa Ryo put on his shoes and walked out of the room. At the end of the corridor, he dialed Horikita Manabu's number. It was already eleven or twelve at night in London, but Kitagawa Ryo was dealing with his troublesome younger sister on Horikita Manabu's behalf. How could Horikita Manabu sleep peacefully through that?

Thinking this, Kitagawa Ryo called him, feeling a little resentful.

Horikita Suzune had started growing her hair long the year Horikita Manabu left. She seemed naturally suited to long hair, and in less than three years, it had grown down to her waist. She went into the bathroom and untied the small braid on her left side, setting the ribbon aside. Her black hair fell like water, cascading over her shoulders beneath the hot shower and soaking her face.

During the past six months, boys had occasionally given her love letters at first. But she'd never shown the slightest interest in reading them, and she didn't even summon them to reject them in person, the way other girls did. If someone handed her a letter directly, she returned it on the spot. If they left one in her shoe locker, she threw it in the trash. The discarded letters piled up there in a colorful heap.

Horikita Suzune never thought about unnecessary things and had no desire to socialize. So, a month later, when the cliques in her class had formed, she was naturally left out. She found it all too easy to deal with this kind of social exclusion. Besides, if things ever became physical, she was confident she could protect herself. As time passed, Horikita Suzune became an outcast in her class, but none of it affected her.

Until Kitagawa Ryo showed up.

Especially after she heard he was her brother's close friend, Horikita Suzune began to treat him differently. Yesterday, when Kitagawa Ryo invited her to come by this morning, a tiny flicker of joy had passed through her heart. It was like a sharp knife, ruthlessly cutting her open.

As she showered, Horikita Suzune kept watch over her own feelings.

She imagined what Kitagawa Ryo and Horikita Manabu were saying outside. In her mind, Kitagawa Ryo was telling her brother about her growth, proving that even after all these years apart, she had continued to pursue him on her own.

"You'll have to pay me more."

Kitagawa Ryo leaned shamelessly against the corridor window. He looked down at the streets below as he spoke.

"This is too much trouble. I'm honestly curious how your sister ended up like this."

"No matter how vigorously the top of a plant grows, its roots are still clinging to your existence. Having someone to look up to isn't bad, but being bound by that role model is her own problem. At the end of the day, it's your fault too, Manabu."

Kitagawa Ryo spoke without holding back.

"Look, if you weren't so outstanding, and your sister could surpass you easily, she wouldn't treat you as her final destination."

"..."

"Being silent won't help. You're not planning to keep hiding from her, are you? Then hide in that high school next year?"

"I thought Suzune would eventually figure things out for herself after I left."

Horikita Manabu sighed on the other end of the phone.

"But from what you've told me, that doesn't seem to have worked."

"Ryo..."

"You'll have to pay me more."

Before Horikita Manabu could continue, Kitagawa Ryo stated his terms.

"I'll do my best to help you resolve the problem with your sister, but afterward, you'll have to help me cancel my Marriage Contract with her."

"If you really can resolve things, I'll speak up for you about the Marriage Contract."

Horikita Manabu nodded. He was overseas, after all. Even if he'd realized there was a problem with Horikita Suzune, he couldn't come back right now.

"But what are you planning to do, Ryo? As far as I know, you can only stay in Tokyo for five more days."

"Five days? Maybe not."

Kitagawa Ryo's lips curled into a smile.

"I don't want to go back to London so soon."

"Is it because of Karuizawa Kei?"

"What if I said it was because I wanted to completely resolve your sister's problem? Would you believe me?"