For some, or perhaps for many students of Blue Ink, the month of February can be hectic. Some because of obvious academic reasons, and others may be because of entirely different ones.
"Principal Juushiro, may I enter?"
"Yes. Come in."
To the most unprecedented chances, who entered the office of the principal is Sora Kagurazaka. Tenth may have been looking nonchalantly, but a grain of surprise invaded him inwardly.
"How may I help you, Ms. Kagurazaka?"
At this moment, her doubts on her ideals have started after the incident with Aomine. But a small part of her pride became surprised with how neutral the principal reacted to her. Some students still get somewhat restless upon seeing her at this time of the school year. But with all things considered, the flat reaction was fitting for someone that her father has given praise to.
"There is a favor that I shall ask if it is possible in even the smallest chance."
"I'm guessing that this is not related to Mr. Sanshoin?"
A normal person may have flinched with the sudden exposure of information that is not very disclosed, but to the girl, she is already very used to hearing perceptive assertions.
She could have responded ordinarily, but her emotions have been swayed at this point.
"N-No… That is a case that I can deal with…
…
Ahem. What I am about to ask is an information that has a fragile credibility. I am here to ascertain if an existence of an Exile in the second years is really true."
"Exiles, huh… Yes, there is indeed an Exile among that population."
Needless to say, she has already met two in the very room.
"What I ask for, if possible, is to request their assistance. Because of my status, I am sometimes targeted outside the premises of the school."
"Shouldn't you be telling this to the police? As far as I know, that will be the same question they will ask you."
"I am already aware that some of the Exiles assist on the police's endeavors, and it just so happened that a passing Exile protected me from being assassinated by a sniper in Sector T1."
Silence was the response Sora almost received, but Tenth began.
"…
I can't assure you that they will cooperate, but this concerns the safety of my student so I will do what I can. But I already have a fair idea with your case.
Don't you agree that it was a plot by other companies to take down your corporation?"
"The principal really is not a run for the mill person…"
"That is what I also suspect, sir. I suppose that it can narrow down the scope of the investigation."
"I just hope that your pursuers won't be remnants of the underworld. But if businesses are concerned, then there is a probability that they are involved with some shady practices. Their names are at stake so they will do their best, or in this case, worst."
"You are surprisingly knowledgeable, principal…"
"Call me suspicious, but please don't suspect me of anything. I just know how the true world works.
On the other hand, I just happened to have students who have their own share of peculiarities, including the person you are involved with. In the end, what I can tell you is that my school is not an easy one, after all."
"…However you learned about us, we are very apologetic, but I do not wish to leave this school. I have grown fond with the friends I met here."
"I see, that makes me glad. Then I hope that you will also have more fun in this school next year."
She bowed and left as fast as she entered.
"Hahh… Humans really don't give us a break, huh, Dad…"
"I could be harsher if she wasn't a student here, really."
"You are reasonable as always.
Anyway, don't you think that Ms. Kagurazaka changed somehow?"
"I agree. I thought that she is going to make us lick her shoe."
"…
Not gonna lie, I think that could happen if she hasn't changed…"
"Well, kids these days are not very normal."
Honesty tells the truth. - not anime subtitles
▪ ▪ ▪
February 18.
"Hmm…"
"You know, what you're doing right now is utterly amazing, Gin."
What Jean was seeing right in front of his eyes is Gin dazedly looking at nothingness while chopping away at nine slices per second without a drop of blood splattering everywhere.
"I think I am really forgetting something, Jean…"
"Oh, you finally spoke. Also, you chopped the onion I needed for my dish. Thanks.
Well, yeah. It's been a year. Almost," as if it was the requisite thing to do, Jean turned his gaze to his boss.
"A year? What is it?"
"Oi. I'm pretty sure that you didn't encounter a maniac and the maniac's son for the past eight months. There's no reason for you to forget something that important."
"Uhh… I was sniped on the forehead last December. Maybe that gave me a shingle of amnesia."
"Huh… I didn't know that. Wait, you're amnesiac to begin with."
"I suppose you're right if this is the past. Are we talking about a phenomenal anime episode that aired almost last year?"
"You choose: a raw squid in your mouth, or a rolling pin in your nose?"
Pon. Gin gestured a palm fist tap.
"Ohhh. Someone's anniversary is approaching."
"There you go, amnesiac. Great job forgetting your boss's wedding anniversary when your own is pretty much engraved on your head."
"August 27, year undefined."
All of the cooks' eyes rounded up to a three-inch diameter.
Jean ended up on a mumble.
"Hahh… I guess I should also pick a date…"
"Hey, sous chef and ordinary chef! Want me to put your backsides on the smoker?!" Hiro screamed with no hints of anger.
"Aren't you confident, head chef?!" Gin countered. "You could say anything because your wedding already has mm, dd, and yyyy!"
"Y-Yeah… boss! I'm still single but I'm already looking for a suitable wedding date, you know?!"
"We deserve a little salary increase for being looked down upon!"
In conclusion, it was pretty much a stupid conversation as the other chefs are merely continuing with their work with tepid smiles and expressions.
"What is this argument, even?"
"I already have a wife and two children, so I don't really care."
"They're arguing and all, but I'm still not seeing a cut finger or a burnt pot. The seniors are amazing."
"Wait, does that mean that I'll get a salary increase too?!"
"Fufu. I guess I'll have a bit more money for shopping on payday. I wonder when Ryou-kun will tell me a date, though."
It was just another day of work in Giotto's, and spoiler alert, no salary increase happened on the 29th.
▪ ▪ ▪
‹Hiro›
When was the last time this story had a wake-up portion?
You know, I've also been reading the chapters dating back to NoFutsuu, and I think I can say that this portion is quite unique while it's going to last. I'm not going to brag or something but this is just one of those little times where I felt quite happy weirdly right after waking up.
What I'm thinking right now refuses to accept what happened on chapter 29 of the prequel since my now sister-in-law drooled on Gin's pillow while sleeping that time. And I will never accept such a situation if I were father-in-law.
I'm elated that I am waking up every single day and seeing my love for life the first thing in the morning. What feels so unreal is that I have been married to her for a year now, if I'm disregarding the three days before we're there. Even I wonder how other Exiles feel on a similar situation when they are with those they tied the knot with. It just clicked, but my mind is now thinking that it is a good idea to talk with fellow married non-humans.
And now that we're at it, my wife doesn't actually drool like her sister.
…
I guess one's routine really changes drastically as they age. Recalling the times when I was just a teenager, the only thing I did was help out everywhere inside our base and the things that I do are always different in each day. When I decided to become a resurfaced, I began establishing routines unconsciously as I tried to get by with making my three meals a day for myself whilst I am preparing for my own business.
But now that I am in this new life, my patterns have been very different. Pretty much, almost the entirety of my lifestyle changed now that a person has been added to my life… and I'm still not ready for another one to come.
One example of my routine changes is that I only used to buy my own groceries in the past, but now I'm shopping for two, and the costs also doubled considering that. But that isn't really something I did complain about since making breakfast for another person is actually a satisfying thing.
"Ohh… morning, Hiro…"
"Good morning."
Another thing is that almost everyday I wake up earlier than Yu so I'm always seeing the same scene where this woman sleepily walks with slanted eyeglasses on her. She will then go to the coffee maker to get her own fill, and then plop her chin on the table right after sitting down.
I am guessing that she does the very same pattern when she was crashing in Gin's place. That guy better be thankful as I trusted him a lot.
Also, on the contrary, I may be the head chef of a restaurant while Yu is also a quite talented cook, home cook at least, but our breakfast and meals on our day off are nothing very fancy and special. What's funny in our household is that this is actually a place where a househusband and a housewife reside despite how lazy Yu looks. Actually, a lot of weight (not that kind of weight, but she enjoys eating anything I make) has been removed from her shoulders after resigning from her former company and she has more time outside our work.
Wait, is that a reason why she said yes to me?
"Egg sandwich," I uttered upon putting each of our saucers with the said breakfast.
"Thanks, idiot sandwich."
"No, don't do that. I just washed my face and you're wasting loaf on my face."
"Wanna watch a movie on the TV?"
"You already know that we won't finish it since we'll be off to work later."
"Then I'll just resume it later when you get home for dinner. I won't slack off the whole day."
"…" a suspicious look came about on my face, "Since when did Thursdays become your day off?"
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
"You didn't hear from Sean? We switched schedules for this time of the week."
"I don't really get a chance to go in the office, so we rarely get to talk at work.
Do you mind if I invite him for a drink here some time?"
"Of course that's fine by me as long as you don't go crazy. I already know that you're someone who shouts his complains even though you're not drunk. I'll gladly eavesdrop on whatever peeve you have to say about me."
"Say what? Was I really like that when I drink?"
"Sometimes."
"Uhh…"
Well, that was embarrassing on my side.
"Anyway, are you going out somewhere today?"
"Yeah, I'll have lunch with Mom later then I'll be off to buy some grocery."
"Grocery? I'm sure we just restocked our inventory. Are you going to make something?
Oh, buy me some yogurt too while you're at it."
"I'll make butter."
"Uhhhh…?"
"We're eating sandwich today so I'll just make fried chicken for dinner without the bread."
"Okay, I get that you're also making buttermilk, but it's kinda odd that you make some of our ingredients from scratch."
"Well, I got that from lil bro. When he has a lot time in his hands, he likes to make them himself. I've only seen him buy roasted coffee beans."
"That guy's really weird, huh. So his pay that was supposed to go to his electric bills is going there. Does he even have an electric bill in the first place?"
"You're really asking me that?"
"Oh, right… he's also the one who assembled his solar panels. So it's not only his food that he makes, huh…"
~ ~ ~
"Yu…! I'm off to work."
"One sec."
And so I waited just by the front door and heard rushed stomping from inside. Next thing I saw, Yu's hands were already on my shoulders from behind…
And yeah, cheek.
"You're not the only one who woke up on a good mood."
"Ahahahaha. It sure didn't show in your lazy face.
Love you, Yuna."
"Same…!"
The door then closed shut as Yuna playfully walked to the sofa and jumped on with a rather uncharacteristically wide smile that curled from her lips.
Lying down on comfort, she raised her open left hand and stared graciously at the luster of the ring on her fourth finger. As though taken over by some kind of fluff surrounding her, she indiscriminately kicked the air like a maiden in her teenage years that is dreaming over a crush.
"It's right around the corner… is it?"
Yuna Katsuto is now 26 years old, not 16.
▪ ▪ ▪
I don't really know if this is a thing on other countries, but Orio's citizens mostly choose to drink with friends on a house. If it was normal in other nations to usually drink in bars, this instance is actually a little bit of a stereotype here as if rich or financially capable people are the only ones who enter those places.
What I know is that none of my "human" co-workers and acquaintances have actually been to one as it's pretty much an unconscious culture to drop by a liquor store and get a few bottles, or many if it is one big group.
I'm saying all this not because I became a drunkard, as it just so happened that Tenth and Sean barged in to our house with a few bottles with them. Correction, they came with Mrs. Meg, but I am 100.01% sure that she is here for a different reason.
Just yesterday, I was asking my wife for permission if my "brother" and I can use the house to have some sip, but quite surprisingly, she was the one who initiated it in between work yesterday. We invited the two-tone hair guy, but he's a busy as we figured and said that he will come next time. Alternatively, my "father" just happened to be free for the night, and decided to come with her wife, which is not my "mother" but Akira's.
What a complicated family I have.
"I didn't expect it, but thanks for bringing your wife with you, Tenth. I figured that Yu might get lonely so that was a good save."
"She wanted to talk to her anyway. You know, wife talks. I don't know, Meg might be giving her some advice on how it is to be a wife."
"Hahahaha. I hope so."
"It's been a while since I last came here, huh," Sean then rolled his gaze to the corners of the house. "I see that a lot has changed here."
"You'll realize that your house will definitely change once there is another person under this roof for good instead of just you living alone. What's great is that you have someone you can talk to."
"Oh, right. You don't plan to marry yet, Sean?" Tenth somewhat gibed.
"Eh… I don't even have a girlfriend yet.
Well, there's someone in the base that I want to ask on a date, but I'm worried because she hasn't left for a while."
"Okay, that's news. You know, I think things will be alright if you prove to her that parts of this world are not that bad a place. Although you have to make sure that things will be fine here outside, and then that's the time where you'll set the mood.
You know how much I prepared on my first date with Yu, right?"
"Well… I think your excessive preparation is kind of overboard. You ended botching a lot of your plans, right?"
"Err… Yeah."
"How was your first date, Tenth?"
"Huh…
Ah, I remember that I also prepared a bit! I had to look for a restaurant where there are singers, and found one where Meg's favorite song will be sang. Things are still quite old school before 2000's, so all we did after her song was played was talk a lot.
Even at this day, I still believe that it's better to talk about each other in those situations.
Although honestly, our communication somewhat weakened when Akira was born, and I was still grieving on Eijiro's death back then. That might be why things didn't go well between us."
"At least, you're with her and Akira again."
"Yeah. I'm forever thankful to those who helped me meet my family again."
"Ahahaha. Imagining it now, Gin was an existence we didn't even know, and now he's basically family to all of us here."
Eventually, I get that this whole drinking session of ours doesn't actually have a particular reason. It was made clear when Tenth talked about how merely talking can establish connections between others, and this night I guess is pretty much wasting our saliva to reminisce and talk about life. Well, it is happening right now, and various people are starting to pop up on our heads now.
"Now I really can't describe how amazing he is as an almost literally non-human. He's 20 but he doesn't act like his age. And now that we're on the topic of dates, remember his first date with Ringo, Sean?"
"Yeah, he borrowed the resto's car and went off to the base. It's been two years, huh."
"So you didn't know what he did, I guess… Tenth, do you know?"
"I didn't even know that she was already dating with Ringo at that time."
"That guy's insane, really. He went back to the Void with her to give himself a better memory of the room."
"…I can imagine the reason why he did that."
"He's an odd person, after all."
"Ahhhh. Enough of that stupid guy. I just remembered that I have something to ask you, Tenth."
"Huh?"
I leaned forward to whisper, "Have you ever surprised your wife in your anniversary?"
▪ ▪ ▪
"Oh… Sean just messaged me that I actually finished yesterday all the work I intended to do today so he gave me the day off."
"What the… I've no doubts that you're capable with that much work in a day, but… Did you even eat at work?" I let out rather worryingly.
"I did while I was eating on my breaks. I just had the urge of productivity yesterday."
"Or did you just want me to carry you to bed since you fell asleep after dinner?"
"T-That's embarrassing and all… but I swear t-that's not the case…!"
"Hahaha. It's not like you not to take a joke."
"W-Well… I'm a bit excited for our an-"
"Oh, since you're off for the day, want to come with me to the base? I missed helping out there quite a lot."
"U-Uh… Sure. Wait for me to take a bath first, though."
~ ~ ~
And then for some reason, she actually woke up earlier than I did the next day. I climbed out of the bed while my nose caught a delicious scent coming from downstairs.
"Morning, Yu~ You woke up earlier than me today."
"…"
I was expecting to get a response, but she didn't even turn her head from the stovetop. After gripping on today's cup of coffee, I deliberately walked towards her, leaned my head in front of her unmoving gaze and closed a distance of something like a hand span between our faces.
"Ah."
She was, for some reason, mad and sulking.
"W-When did I screw up…?"
~ ~ ~
"'I'll jog to the restaurant today so I'll go on ahead of you,' is what she said to me and went off. I really don't have any idea why she got mad at me…"
And once again, I am beside Gin on the counter, talking leisurely in the middle of pressure.
"Are you sure you are the one Sis got mad at?"
"I'm very sure! She was on a good mood when we were coming back from the base. I heard that she spent the whole day with Mrs. Kurogane yesterday.
And then I wake up seeing her on a bad mood."
"…
Frankly, women are sometimes hard to deal with, dude."
After that, I heard very audible grunts of agreement from the other cooks as they nodded twice all at the same time.
"Mhm. Mhm."
"See that?
In my case, I usually shut myself up when Rin's at that time again especially if her face is telling anyone that she really is on a bad mood."
"Now that I think about it, I guess she had the same circumstance when we weren't married yet.
But I'm sure that that's not the case. I still don't know why she's mad, though."
"You said that she was with Aunt Rion and presumably with Yukihime also yesterday.
What about you? What stuff did you do in the base?"
"Uhh… Since it's been a while when I last went to the base, I kinda got overjoyed and helped out on the things I did when I was still considered an orphan of the base. It was a nice feeling to be with them again."
"Yeah, sure is."
"Wait, is she mad because I didn't get to spend time with her yesterday?!"
"I don't really know a married couple's daily life… so maybe?"
Even Gin, who's usually sharp, isn't catching a good hint in the lake today?
"Wait, you don't know a married couple's life? You sure about what you're saying there, Gin?"
"Hey…! You're the one who started this, you know?! I'm the one trying to put the marriage and proposal stuff on the back of my mind, and then you're pretty much reminding me that tomorrow is your fluffing wedding anniversary!"
"It's your fault to begin with, you know?! You pretty much dug your own grave if you screw up now!"
"Apples, I don't have a counter-argument…! Ugh…!"
"Oh, right. Do you have any idea on how to surprise her?"
"You ask me this question from back then, so I'll rephrase: Want me to shove a pestle on your throat? You're the one who's married here so use your married head!
I'll still eat there if there's food in your place tomorrow, you got that?!"
In the end, I kind of begged Gin to think of something while I also managed to pull Jean with me, but it's all for naught, as I almost expected.
Sometimes thinking out of the box can be a smart move and sometimes also very stupid. It just happened that what Gin thought was a genius stupidity.
Is that why it's called oxymoron? Because there's "moron" in the word?
But no, that unwed man didn't suggest a good way of surprise, but instead opted to call Nagi who he calls a "shoujo manga connoisseur" to seek help. In any way you look at it, it just looks and sounds stupid, but hopeless as I am, I was actually holding on a thread that is about to snap.
"Sorry, Hiroomi. No idea."
And his phone beeped after the loudspeaker stopped.
"I guess we've ran out of choices, boss."
"Wait, Gin. You just called that shoujo manga conno- just con," Jean gave up on the pronunciation.
"You're making Nagi sound like a conman."
"Eh, whatever. Why not try calling a shoujo manga creator, then?"
"Let's hope that he's the rainbow we're looking for at the horizon," and Gin then quickly pulled back his phone up to his ear.
"Yo. You see, asking for a friend. No, seriously, I'm not talking about myself. My boss's wedding anniversary is tomorrow, and then he said his wife is mad at her earlier. Any idea?"
"Uh, Gin. I think that's the wrong question," I said.
"Ah, right. Sorry, Yuuga, let me chan-
…
That's probably it. Okay, I'll tell him right away. Yeah, boop."
"What did he say?"
"Welcome to the 'dense guys that women get mad at club,' Hiro."
▪ ▪ ▪
‹Yuna›
Today is my first wedding anniversary.
I'm excited and all this morning, but that is not an excuse to just up and take a leave for the whole day. I think I have had too many days off for the week. But nonetheless, I am actually going to go home way earlier than 8 to prepare some things.
It's actually Sunday, but work doesn't really end at this day.
I am still upset. Hiro never even mentioned anything about this day and when I was about to remind him, he cut me off. What happened next? I failed to invite friends and family because I wasn't able to make a plan because of that idiot of a husband.
I say that I need to prepare some things, but what are those things supposed to be since I don't have anything organized anyway?!
"Hmmmmppphhhh…!!!"
In the end, I was just seen sulking while working.
"Ah, that's bad. We run out of copy paper, huh," while I was minding a spreadsheet, I heard my boss mumbling to himself.
"Should I buy a bundle right now?"
"No need, Yuna. I'll go. I have some stuff to get on the way, and besides you're leaving in a few minutes, right? Just get the sheets done for today so you can go home."
"A-Aye, sir."
"I'll go now. You might not see me come back once you're going to time out, so please make sure to close the lights."
"Okay."
~ ~ ~
Since Sean and I are basically holed up in the office everyday, we do not really see how incredibly busy the hall and the kitchen is frequently. But I closed the office and found that right now is a calm time for the day.
Quietly, I knocked on the kitchen door and opened it without a word.
"I don't see him anywhere…"
"Excuse me Chef Yuzu, is the head chef here?"
"He didn't tell you, Yuna-san? He went out with the sous chef more than an hour ago."
"Oh? Gin has a shift today?"
"He was called to work for a bit today."
"Oh, I see."
…
…"
huh
"Uh… I'll be leaving then. Thanks for the work."
"Please take care on your way home."
"Mhm."
I then fixed my glasses and stepped out of the restaurant for the day. I already knew that is will be way faster to travel through transportation, but it was plain mysterious that he and Gin went out together from work.
You see, I like to use my brain in unnecessary things, so I wanted to get my head on as to why that happened, and I simply won't get to either a logical or unreal answer if the travel is too short.
February is almost nearing its end, but I know for a fact that afternoons still get quite dark, if not as quickly as winter or January.
I was a few hundred meters away from our home, and I already saw that the lights are on even though 4pm is still bright outside.
"Wait… does that mean Hiro is home?"
My heart then raced. Maybe he actually has some kind of organization that he might not have said to me. I wondered, maybe he's preparing and actually invited some people for dinner tonight to celebrate.
I stepped in on our yard as I heard that someone is watering some of our plants and the grass.
"Huh…?" I stopped on my steps while my head turned to my left now that my eyes have been peeled wider than usual.
Gin was the one holding the watering can.
"I already told you that you have to water your plants regularly! You're acting like you haven't even observed me when you were still on my house."
He released a long sigh of disappointment and turned back to the plants as if empathizing to them.
I can't ignore the fact that he is suddenly in our house, but I still opened the front door hoping that my husband is actually up to something good.
Oh, right. It is a Sunday today.
My sight went past the many people gathered in our living room and the first thing I saw was Hiro's back while drying his hands. He turned around abruptly with wide eyes, dropped the towel and ran in quick but small steps. I was then enveloped with a tight embrace regardless of the watching eyes in front of us.
"I'm so sorry for the past few days," he released me and rested his palms on my shoulders.
"H-Huh…?"
"I was assuming that you thought that I forgot about today.
Hey, did you really think that I'll forget about a day this important?"
From behind me unknowingly, he grasped a bouquet of flowers and put them on my arms.
"We're all just waiting for you."
He took a step back that finally made me see the number of people present in our house right now. There I saw my family, Gin's, Tenth's, and Sean, who I now know that he made an excuse.
I realized that my frustrations were all for nothing. As if my boiling emotions have lost its place inside me, I released them all.
"You idiot… Waaaaahhhhhh…!!"
"Oh, she cried."
"She cried indeed."
"Sis is such a crybaby."
"Hwaaaaahhhhhh…"
"This is the 'next time' that I told you, Hiro. I'll join you on the table after dinner."
"Yeah, yeah. I guess we all have a lot more stories to tell."
"Waaaaahhhhhh…!!"
"She hasn't calmed down yet?!"
"Ahahahahaha…!"
…
I would be honest, I really did feel like my marriage and being a wife was rather abrupt. I actually thought that the life after I was wedded will be quite difficult even at the very beginning, but I guess that it really depends. I however already know that this life can be quite stressful at times as I had established more priorities than I thought, and that it will be more difficult once we enter a new stage to this life.
But to think… I tied the knot with an Exile exactly a year ago. It started as something that did not exist; it became a stranger, a friend, a lover, and now someone that I vowed to be with in all of my life as we became one in flesh.
What I know is that I am not able to achieve and obtain a family without the open hands of the people that is now part of that big family, especially that one person who taught me how important a family is and that it is not only bound by blood.
And now I am expecting him to be my brother soon.
To think that such important people in my life were able to bring out my characters that I wasn't even aware of. What the heck, it's embarrassing to say, but I just love this place where we all belong.
"Alright, bring out the food! I'm already starving!!"
"Woah! She was crying a second ago, now she's hungry."
"Would you shut up for a second, Gin?!"
"No, I won't! It's your fault that today is your wedding anniversary! I keep forgetting about it for the moment, but you keep reminding me of pro-
…"
"Why did you suddenly stop?"
"Yuna…! What musuko wants to say is that he asked me permission to prop-"
"My dear Uncle Shuu…! Why don't you try this pizza made by your son-in-law?!"
"Mmf…?!"
"Can you not say that kind of things right now, Uncle?! That might kill me before I am even able to do that…!"
"Hiro, is Gin hiding something?" I of course asked after all that fuss.
"He declared to Dad that he wants Ringo to be her wife."
"What?!"
It was hard to shut myself up when dinner came, but he was spared.