Ch.004 – Once Blind, the Fool Now See – 01

The next evening came quietly, though the weight of yesterday’s blunder still lingered in Renji’s chest like fog that refused to lift, he even barely registered what he did this morning and before he realized it, he was here.

“Damn… Am I even supposed to show up…?” he muttered to himself, slouched behind the wheel like a kicked dog.

Both of them didn’t say anything to me after that, not even an instruction—Oh, nevermind…

His self-doubt interrupted by the figure approaching from inside the lobby in a distance, poised and elegant as usual.

“Better open the gate for Her Majesty...”

With an almost trembling voice and stealing a glance.

“G-Good evening, Miss Reika…”

“Hmm.” She replied curtly, slipping into the backseat with the practiced grace of someone used to being served.

She’s still angry, no? is she?

Renji climbed back into the driver’s seat with lot of question mark inside his head. The car drive forward in silence, only the hum of the engine and the occasional wind current of passing cars breaking the stillness. After two red lights passed without a word, Reika finally spoke.

“Rare for you not to ask how my day was.”

“...”

The heck...? What was that? She actually cares about the question?

“Uh… you do know… I’m not… seriously asking, right?” he replied with a half-baffled glance at the rearview mirror.

“I know,” she said softly, her tone sounds calm, but with something off.

“...Look… yesterday was my fault, I’m sorry…”

“You think I’m still hung up on that?” Reika’s voice held a trace of displeasure.

He glanced at the mirror again. Her face was turned to the window, watching the city passed outside.

“…Are you sure…?”

Your expression clearly shows that something bugging you...

“I am.” Reika leaving it at that, and after a moment, Renji sigh, trying to ease up the air.

“You’re in a bad mood?”

“I am.”

Again. No effort to hide it. But without any intention to explain either.

Renji racked his brain, scavenging every knowledge how to properly handle moments like this from his limited experience from book and movies.

First off… whatever it is, I had to apologize properly…

“I can guess that’s partly because of yesterday and that was really my mistake… I’m really sorry, but… Just a heads-up... I don’t think I had the ability to fix your mood, Your Majesty.”

“Don’t worry. I never expected you to… but really, people these days, always gave up before even trying.”

That reply came with a long sigh from her end, one that fogged up the cold glass of the rear window. He could’ve left it at that. He should’ve.

...Fine. I’ll bite.

“So, how was your day, then?” Renji chooses to ask, half joking, half giving up.

Silence.

A whole minute passed. And nothing, he waited even longer, and still nothing. His eyes darted to her reflection in the mirror, a thin and easily overlooked mocking and satisfied smirk formed on her lips.

“Ha.Ha.Ha… Funny. Really funny.” A dry sarcasm coating his every word.

They drove in silence after that—minutes stretching in thick quiet—until they neared the high-end restaurant where Reika supposed to drop off. But suddenly, she said—

“Turn left.”

“What? But the lobby’s just up ahead after this stop.”

“Turn left, Renji.”

He frowned. But listening to her voice again—it was off. It wasn’t cold or composed. It had that edge. Like an annoyed teenager barely masking her temper. It didn’t match the Reika he thought he’d come to know.

And without Shira around, he had neither the right nor the reason to refuse.

“Yes, ma’am.”

He slowly veered left. She didn’t offer further instructions. The car coasted down unfamiliar streets, the road curving under the snowy glow of Tokyo’s evening lamps.

The hell does she want…?

When he thought about looping back to their original destination by slowly taking the U-turn Lane, her voice returned.

“Keep straight.”

Okay, I get it. She doesn’t want to stick to the schedule.

“Okie dokie... Just… please, say something before Miss Shira grills me…”

“You can tell her yourself, Shira’s not that scary.”

To you, duh, of course!

They lapsed into another long silence.

Renji drove on, further and further away from their original route. Eventually, he shut off the GPS altogether since its annoyingly keep saying ‘wrong route’. And not long after, the street signs and storefronts began to look familiar.

Ooh… this street sure looks different at night…

They had entered a neighborhood he actually knew, one that he often circles every morning for delivery route.

From the backseat, Renji could now hear faint humming—a gentle melody he didn’t recognize. This was a rare occurrence, since all these times Reika rarely made any sound that wasn’t strictly necessary.

He glanced at the car clock.

8.20 pm.

…But seriously… what now…?

“Ehem… Miss Reika… we’ve been driving aimlessly for a while now… where should we go next?”

“Why are you asking that to me?”

“… What…? You’re the boss, you tell me where we going.”

“Fine, I’m telling you to just drive.”

“Huh… I am doing it as we speak… but Where. To? We can’t just drive around without destination like this. This is just waste of time, what’s the purpose?”

“…Interesting, you don’t seem to me as the type that like to think about purpose…” Reika relaxed her shoulder and stares back at Renji through the mirror, and continues after she crossed her arms. “It’s not like you always have a purpose when you live your day, and that doesn’t stop you from wasting time sitting on my garden.”

Wooow… that hurts… That one hit. A little too close.

Renji just throws a wry smile at her, he could feel the nerve around the corner of his lips twitching involuntary.

“Yet now—when we drive around for once—you suddenly want direction?”

“Fine Fine! Just tell me that you want to drive around, then!”

“I did say that earlier.”

“…Sheesh, okay! got it your majesty! Tsk!” Renji voiced his displeasure in an incoherent way for a while when driving around, then Reika adds with another humming voice—

“If you’re that against driving around like this, then pick a nice place to stop to waste the time, you’re good at it, no?”

He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it. His fingers relaxed around the steering wheel like he was giving up, just like the effort of staying dry in a middle of rainstorm with a piece of umbrella.

“………”

Holy, she’s venomous today! So this is her way to get back at me, huh… Better take good note not to piss her off too much in the future…

--------

More than 30 minutes passed after that, and he’s now driving into an older, quieter part of town. The streets were nearly empty.

I’ve got to stop somewhere at least… Oh…

Eventually, he sees an empty park at an intersection, with multiples torii by the riverside, the kind that only locals stumbled upon and tourists avoided.

That will do…

He stopped the car and parked beside it and rubbing his neck.

“If it were me, this place is nice enough to waste some time…”

“…” Reika just stares at the park absentmindedly. Then said “Expected nothing less from you.”

“Just say you have no expectation to me whatsoever, I get it.”

“I’m not complaining.”

“Could’ve fooled me.” Renji said, throwing her a dry glance.

“Heh, think what you like.” Then without waiting for him, Reika opened the car door, and walk out to the park. Renji followed along after he locks the car.

By the riverside, the cold air had grown sharper, the snow falling thinner but more constant, dancing gently under the faint glow of the street lamps.

Looking at her back, he couldn’t help but think—

What’s going on with her…?

She walked in silence, taking the lead. Renji trailed several steps behind. The park was empty, save for scattered trees and the occasional stone lantern that made it feel more like a shrine than a public space. The snow lay undisturbed on the benches and the stone path, and the soft sound of the nearby river carried clearly in the stillness—its flow with peaceful rhythm.

Reika stopped at one of the benches, brushing a bit of snow off the seat first and sat down on it.

“Hey,” she began to talk slowly. “Do you think I’m a sheltered princess?”

Damn right you are… But…

“...I don’t like where this conversation’s heading.”

“You can see the future now?” Reika’s words had a ghost of her usual mockery, but the edge wasn’t as sharp.

“Come on… I’m not stupid to walk on a landmine like that…”

“You already think I am. You just lack the spine to say it.”

…You read minds way too well…

Renji complaining inward with a mix of awe and sarcasm.

“…” She didn’t respond anymore after that, but the closer he examined her face, she doesn’t wear that smug air earlier anymore.

“Do I really have to answer that?” Yet again, no response from her.

He glanced at her one last time, then quietly took a seat—on the next bench over, leaving a gap between them.

“In the first place... do I even have the right to say?” Renji shrugged. “We’ve only known each other for like what… two weeks?”

Reika just stares at his eyes—serious, unwavering—left no room for jokes.

Ugh… fine... I don’t know what this is about...Looks like she won’t let this go…

Renji sighs and leaned back on the bench hard, making it creaked.

“… Before I answer… once again… I know I’m repeating myself… but yesterday… I’m really sorry, I should have woken you up…”

“And I’m repeating myself, I said that it’s not about yesterday.” Reika let out a tired smile at the night sky.

“Hard to let it sink in by your reaction yesterday… I just… I figured you’d be mad… just wasn’t sure which part.”

“…There are some after-effects from that postponed deal, yes. But today… no… this week… no… nevermind…”

“You had to put a cliffhanger there, huh…”

“Just wake me up the next time you see me dozed off.” She stretched her arms up above her head, and brushing her shoulder-length hair off from piling snow.

“…You’re always this busy?”

“Could be worse.”

Really…? You looked like you’re about to collapse yesterday…

Renji recalling how tired she looked like last evening, and thought deeply about it, “Crazy… ever since I drive for you, it’s always point A to point B and it still could get worse huh…”

“Well yes, nonstop meeting from morning to evening, and from evening to late night, you’ll be surprised at how human body surprisingly good at adapting.”

“Miss Shira too?”

“Yes she is, in fact you’re seeing me together with her these days is an occasion. Because she said she had to watch over you herself, haha…”

“…Zero faith in me, huh…”

“You had to earn it.”

“Understandable… Oh, and this is a good chance… why did you offer me this job anyway?”

“I’ve already answered back then, no? Omoiyari.” (思いやり) Reika answered with the similar innocent tone just like when Renji asked her about it.

“… Haah… you thought I would believe that…? Sounds like a complete bullshit to me…” But this time Renji didn’t feel as frustrated hearing that same answer.

“Rude… and what about you? I thought for sure you’d reject it.”

“…You really are something… you forgot that you’re the one that doesn’t give me any room to reject? Miss Shira threw the goddamn key at me…”

“You could just put it back on the receptionist down there.”

“……” At her answer, Renji come to realize that the choice was there.

…Yeah I could…

Renji piecing his thought slowly and honestly answer her. “… I’m about to reject your offer too… but I guess… well… the prospect of having a spare money to use every month without a care is nice.”

“Do you really think money solves anything?”

Renji now turns his head to her, looking at her that doesn’t look at him anymore.

“…To someone like me… yeah… absolutely… probably… You don’t think so?”

“Hmmm… is it…?” Reika mumbles something, but her tone is light, not condescending, not judging, almost as if pondering a quiz that she never had the slightest clue how to answer. And she cuts with a clear voice. “—But that’s not the point of my question.”

“What question?”

“Do you think I’m a sheltered princess?”

Oh yeah, I’m supposed to answer that…

“Well... let’s be real. First glance? Yeah, you do seem like the typical rich queen. You talk like a boss, think like a boss, and act like a boss—”

“—I am a boss,” Reika stated the fact plainly. There wasn’t even any arrogance in it.

“I know that,” Renji replied, cracking a wry smile. “Let me finish, will you?”

Though he didn’t see it, the corner of Reika’s lips smiled faintly at his rebellious tone. Then she listened.

“I mean... from two weeks around you, I guess you’re still a boss,” he continued, eyes staring out at the river instead of at her. “But... maybe… a boss that doesn’t really like her own job.”

The snowflakes fell around feel like a sand from hourglass, counting every second passed. Reika didn’t respond. Her earlier faint smile had vanished, replaced with a quieter, pondering expression.

“Well, at least... that’s what I thought,” Renji added, his voice softer now.

“…You’ve only known me for two weeks,” she said, almost whispering—but in the silent park, her voice carried clearly.

“Haah... didn’t I already say that?” Renji replied, thinking she was about to scold him again. “I’m just assuming. You’re the one who asked…”

“I wonder what you’d say about me if you’d known me for a year.” But she didn’t sound angry. If anything, she sounded distant.

Renji said nothing but confused look at her while warming his hands under his breath.

For a second—just a second—her hand clenched above her crossing legs, as if about to say something else. Then it dropped. Instead, she stood up from the bench, brushing off her skirt. Her expression had returned to normal and composed one.

“Okay, enough time wasted. Let’s go.”

“Huh? We’re going to the meeting spot now?”

“Too late for that,” Reika replied, already walking ahead. “Take me back to the mansion.”

“…Okie dokie, ma’am.”