Chapter 2

"Ha ha ha ha ha! As expected of Yurishia, my little sister, it's a kidnapping, isn't it! What are you going to do about this, it's too interesting!"

"Oh my, what's your name? Mili, can you prepare one more serving for dinner? I'm wondering where to put your room."

It was evening when we arrived home, and my mother and brother were waiting for my father and me to have dinner together. I led Kairi to the dining room, greeted everyone, thanked the servants for their welcome, and announced that he would be living with us from today.

"I'm the second son of Reikurichi, but Yurishia says she's going to marry, so I'm the fifth member of the family!"

My father, still in shock, went limp, and the butler, still smiling, spilled all the wine.

My smart and perceptive brother burst out laughing, and my mother asked the maid to prepare another serving.

When asked his name, Kairi, looking uncomfortable, introduced himself awkwardly, and my mother, pleased, said, "Oh, that's nice, I look forward to getting to know you."

"Mother, how about putting Kairi's room next to mine? It's just empty, and I can lend him what he needs until he has everything. Brother, we're getting engaged, so we're just living together to get to know each other. It's not like a kidnapping or anything... Besides, it's good for you too."

"Hmm? I'm listening."

"If I inherit the family, you can go to the Duke's family without any worries."

"Ah, I see, leave it to me, I'll support my cute little sister's love life with all my might."

We smiled at each other and held hands tightly. My brother, who is six years older, fell in love at first sight with the Duke's only daughter as soon as he entered the noble school and told me about his love five times a day.

This morning, he was rolling on the floor saying, "I want to graduate quickly and support her when she inherits the Duke's family..." and moaning, "Even the angle of her eyelashes is adorable..." while banging his head on the corner of the dresser.

To think that my brother, who was such a cheerful and unpredictable troublemaker, could change so much... I shuddered at the power of love, but I finally began to understand a little.

I want to be by Kairi's side, to know more about what he likes and dislikes. I don't want him to be in a place where he might be locked up or hurt.

I didn't ask him why he was eating the leftover sweets in the empty garden, but I'm sure it's not unrelated to his thinness and the scratch marks on his body.

Will he tell me someday? I want to become close enough to Kairi that he will confide in me. My brother grinned as if he could read my mind, and I straightened my expression, feeling a bit annoyed.

I turned and smiled at Kairi.

"Let's eat!"

As I said, I took both his hands, and his pale cheeks turned a little red.

---

My brother worked quickly.

He got the Reikurichi family to recognize Kairi as my fiancé in exchange for paying off their debts, and he also worked on Kairi's grandfather and relatives.

He received formal recognition from the royal family and the church that Kairi was my fiancé, and by the time my father recovered from his shock, Kairi had become a full member of the family as my fiancé.

At first, Kairi was like a cat that had been brought home, looking anxious about everything he did and used.

But he was polite and kind to everyone, so the servants all liked him. I tried to stay by Kairi's side as much as possible, explaining about Haminton and doing my best to ease his tension.

Before long, he got used to our home, and his thin wrists became the appropriate size for his age. When he realized that he wouldn't be unjustly scolded or subjected to violence, he began to study hard, wanting to contribute to Haminton.

He studied hard, forgetting to eat and sleep, to repay the favor of being saved from that environment in Reikurichi. It was as if he was afraid that he would be kicked out of Haminton if he didn't.

I thought something was wrong, so I consulted my mother. I didn't bring him home to make him a convenient partner or to provide him with a room and food.

By then, I was already in love with his kindness, and I would be truly happy if he felt the same, but I knew that his heart was his own.

I thought it was too late to bring him home and make him my fiancé, but if I confessed my love to him now, he would nod without considering his own feelings.

I really didn't want that.

My mother told me that if Kairi didn't want to marry me, I shouldn't force him, and that pushing my love on him would only make us both unhappy. But since I understand that, it's okay, and one day he will understand too, she said, patting my head.

After that, I tried to be just Yurishia to Kairi, not just the fiancée of the Haminton family, and took him to various places. I watched over him every night to make sure he slept well, and when he said he wasn't sleepy, I climbed into his bed and held his brown head. He told me in his half-sleep that it made him feel safe.

I took him to the city and watched a play together. I got more excited about the suspenseful plot, and Kairi laughed, saying that Yurishia was more interesting than the play.

In the spring, we visited a hill that changed color with the flowers, and I was happy to see his eyes sparkle. We explored many beautiful places together, like the lakeside where red strawberries grew like a carpet, and we watched meteor showers from the attic in the middle of winter, with our noses red from the cold.

We made jam from the strawberries with the help of the cook, and we painted the starry sky and used it as a motif for embroidery on a handkerchief.

Kairi loved music and started playing various instruments after coming to Haminton. He was especially good at the piano and would play anything we requested during family relaxation time in the evening.

I started practicing an instrument because I thought he looked so cool when he played the piano with his gentle touch.

I chose the violin for a duet, and when we started playing together, we received a lot of praise from the family and servants. When we started playing at tea parties and concerts for nobles of similar status, we became quite a topic, and every time someone praised us for our perfect harmony and how well we suited each other, we laughed together, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Kairi started to rest properly and began to relax in front of me and the family. The peaceful times were happy, and I never doubted that they would continue forever.

---

In the blue sky, a large bird spreads its wings and flies gracefully.

I sip my tea, thinking of him who was always by my side a few years ago. The bitterness of the tea, a blend of various leaves, is what Kairi likes, and the strawberry scent is what I like.

The next year, we tried making strawberry tea together, but it didn't work out because the strawberries molded during the drying process. However, the days of trial and error were really fun.

The steam from the freshly poured cup had become quite thin.

While my thoughts were wandering, the gaze of those around me did not leave me or Harold. There didn't seem to be any considerate students to call a teacher.

Four young men and women, who didn't notice my disinterest, were still standing there, absorbed in their own conversation, giving a speech about how much they loved each other. It seemed that the girls had just finished praising Harold, and the baton of conversation was passed to the young man.

Harold was still talking in front of me. I don't like his personality, but he is Kairi's brother, so I should respond soon.

"Ungrateful woman, you must have taken that brat in because I rejected you! You were trying to get my attention, weren't you? I'm a kind person, so if you sincerely apologize from the bottom of your heart, I'll forgive you!"

The stranger in front of me is still shouting. He is no longer Kairi's brother, and if he calls Kairi a brat, I'll kill him.

Just as I was thinking, "What a good fork," and picking up the silver cutlery on the empty plate, a shadow fell on the table.

Turning to the familiar footsteps, I saw soft sky-blue eyes.

My beloved fiancé, Kairi, was there, after a little over a hundred days due to his elective classes.

"Yurishia, nothing happened, right? ... What do you want, Harold Reikurichi? She and I were about to have lunch."

Kairi, holding a basket in one hand, put his free hand on my shoulder as if to warn Harold. Harold's eyes, which had been so confident, turned hostile.

I smiled to let him know I was fine and placed my hand over his. He looked incredibly cool.

Looking up, I saw his navy tie sway. Even though we wore the same uniform, why did he look so cool in it? It wasn't just the difference between a skirt and pants. His large hands, the freckles around his eyes, and his thin lips—everything about him was incredibly cool.

My fiancé is the coolest in the world.

Even the shape of his ears is perfect, and I forgot about the fork and the urge to kill Harold.

I leaned against his side, rubbing my head against his stomach in a way that seemed affectionate.

I took a casual breath. The scent of the sun was nostalgic, and it had been a long time since I had been this close to him.

---

A little while after I turned thirteen, Kairi told me he wouldn't sleep with me anymore. I loved to snuggle into his warm chest and enjoy his scent and warmth during the night and naps, so I resisted desperately.

For some reason, my parents sided with Kairi, and my brother, who had been so smitten with his own love life, didn't help at all.

Even when I begged him to help his cute little sister, he just said, "He's a boy, so it can't be helped, and it's a good thing he's honest."

When I knocked on Kairi's door at night, I was sent back to my room and the door was locked. When I hugged him while he was napping, I was taken to my parents.

Kairi only danced with me at debutante balls, and he loved to comb my hair, even though he had collected a lot of special oils for me.

Holding hands and leaning on his shoulder wasn't enough. No matter how many times I told him that we were in a house with trustworthy servants and didn't need to be so cautious, he only said he would wait until I turned eighteen.

Such days continued for a year, and one day, I finally got the key to Kairi's room and slipped into his bed in the middle of a moonless night.

He woke up immediately and froze when he realized it was me under the blanket. Taking advantage of his lack of resistance, I hugged his much stronger body tightly, wrapped in the warm blanket. I was disappointed that he didn't hug me back like he used to, but I was so hungry for warmth that I didn't mind.

"Four more years, four more years, four more years..."

"Kairi, what happens when I turn eighteen? I want to touch you now."

"Four more years, four more years, four more years..."

I asked Kairi, who had become a creature that only repeated "four more years," what it meant to turn eighteen.

Next year, when I turn fifteen, I will enter the academy and live in a dormitory for three years. I won't be able to spend the whole day with him, hold hands, or touch his hair as casually as I do now. I wanted to make up for it as much as possible before then.

"Once I turn eighteen and graduate from the academy..."

"Yes?"

"If you don't mind, we'll get married, right?"

"Absolutely, I don't mind at all."

"Once we're married, there's something we do..."

"I see."

"That's something we shouldn't do until we're married—wait, sorry, let me take a deep breath, Yurishia, you're so cute."

"Go ahead."

I took a deep breath as well. He smelled of soap and citrus after his bath. I wondered if the sweet citrus scent was from the perfume I had given him, and I buried my face in his neck.

"Why am I doing this?" Kairi muttered with a look of enlightenment. What does he mean?

He was really warm and comfortable. I was prepared to cling to him all night, but I started to feel sleepy where we touched. I entwined my legs with his and closed my eyes, feeling dreamy.

I thought I heard, "No way..." but it must have been my imagination. I fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

When I woke up, the sun was up, and I stretched. As I looked down, I saw Kairi with a dead look in his eyes.

"Good morning, Kairi."

"Good morning. Is there anything you want to say to me?"

"It's rare for you to use formal language with me."

"That's not it."

"Hmm...? Did you sleep well? I slept soundly."

"I didn't sleep at all, I thought I was going to die."

"Was I that heavy...?"

"Stop it! Don't remind me of last night!!!"

"Sudden emotional instability."

He groaned, "Get away, let go of my legs..." so I untangled my legs and sat by the bed. While listening to the chirping of birds outside the window, I stroked his soft, tousled hair, and he started to cry, saying it was too cruel and too harsh. ...Cry?

"Kairi, why are you crying?! Were you that heavy, where did it hurt? I'm sorry, did I leave a bruise—"

"Stop it! Don't try to undress me!!!"

Even though he said that, I couldn't leave him crying in pain. "I just want to check!" I shouted, and he screamed, "What are you checking?!" The sheets and his shirt became a mess as we struggled.

"Hey, what a noisy morning, my little brother! Did you finally cross the line with Yurishia... Wait, I interrupted you!!!"

The battle ended when my brother, who happened to be back at home, slammed the door shut.

Kairi clung to the door and cried to my brother, and I was not only forbidden to go to his room at night but also punished by my mother to retake my lady's education until I entered the academy.

The peaceful and happy times came to an end.