Senna

After getting off at the third stop of the XY line, we walked some more and reached the gate of a large estate by nightfall.

“Um… Mister Tsukishima..?”

I shoved my smartphone back to my pocket. “Akito is fine. Also, drop the honorifics.”

“Right. Akito… thank—”

I held a finger cutting her short. “Thank me once we're done here and I return you to Kiyoko safe and sound.”

I pressed the button of the intercom. Shortly, a voice came through. Senna did her best to state our business (her voice was painfully soft by the way) and after a couple of minutes, we were escorted into the living room.

I've only seen these types of things at anime or TV dramas but wealthy people really liked their koi pond. Surely, simply owning such a lavish garden was costly, not considering the maintenance and the price of the fish themselves. In my next life, I'd pretty much prefer to be a rich person's koi. With my bad luck, I'm unsure if the gods would grant this wish. Maybe a termite?

Anyway, she said we're here to offer relationship advice. Since when did this thing go big to the point people made a profession out of it?

“Isn't a counselor a better fit for this kind of thing?” I asked.

“She said this is necessary for advertising.”

Ah, business as usual. Typical of her.

“Besides, no ordinary counseling would help them… even if it seemed to be a simple love problem.”

Before I could reply, the doors slid open. In came a man wearing a shirt and jeans. This unassuming look completed our composition—a guy in a suit and tie (me), a girl in a formal kimono and, the master of the house. This person seemed to be in his late forties but I'd bet he's older than that.

“A pleasant evening,” Senna greeted. I'm expecting a bow but she didn't even cock her head.

He seemed to be detached from any sort of formality either. He plopped at a zabuton, then, scratching his belly underneath his clothes with one hand while chucking a cigarette with the other, he said, “I told her to visit personally. Why won't she do just that? Tsk, anyway—”

Without any pretext, he began telling his story. However, not even halfway through did I get bored and stared at the pond in a daze. The souzu going donk! was more fun to hear than his debauchery. I may have even begun daydreaming at some point.

I didn't remember much, but he's everything I had expected; the story was filled with something I'd dream of yet never actually do in real life. Having a lot of women was akin to asking for misfortune. In my case, having none was a disaster either way.

The open room soon became thick with smoke I'm worried Senna might be getting sick. ‘She's a fragile kitten. Do treat her with the utmost care,’ was the short message Kiyoko sent. Trust me, I'd love to, especially when I've no choice in the matter, but she's actually faring well on her own.

“Pardon me for asking…”

“Huh?”

I decided to step in and voice out what her tiny voice tried to say. “She's asking how you met your current wife?”

He heaved a displeased grunt, most probably because of the interruption on his ‘manly achievements’, or his experiences with various women. Gloating in front a girl. Really classy.

“That's why I want Kiyoko here,” he grumbled. “She's the one who picked that wench saying she'd fix most of my problems. Heh, so much for that brilliant idea.”

“Did you also attend her dating events?” I followed up.

“When I can just summon the organizer herself? Hell no.”

As a show of his authority, a servant emerged from the door and placed an album between us before disappearing again. The way the maid moved easily beat the moths I've spent training to appear confident. I found myself hunching my back by reflex. Even a rock in this place held more composure than me.

“I picked the women myself,” he said, squeezing another cigarette butt into the crowded ashtray and lighting another. “Kiyoko picked who I'd marry. The results show even the so-called best matchmaker was powerless.”

The way he said those words made me realize despite all that cash, he still couldn't attain a simple thing: a stable relationship. However, I still envied him. Unlike me whose most probably gonna die alone on some ditch, he managed to compensate and even try searching for true love with his resources. All of it might've been failures, but at least he tried. Meanwhile, I'm stuck here taking notes on things I might one day experience.

Senna was flipping over the album. For some reason, she looked a lot like when I first found her—a doll. Empty. Yet disturbingly, breathtakingly beautiful.

“Is someone like her… enough...?” Senna's voice was audible when the room had gone silent.

“Hah, who? Kiyoko? Don't be ridiculous. That woman's only good as a mistress. This is coming from me who’s seen it all…”

His gaze suddenly shifted at me. I feigned calmness despite fighting the urge to be more pathetic than I already was. Senna had no problems maintaining eye contact so why the hell am I intimidated? I knew it's a bit immature, but I returned the favor and glared back.

In the end, he didn't finish what he's gonna say.

After taking a step outside the estate, Senna heaved a long sigh.

“Are you alright?” I asked.

She clung to her cane while nodding vigorously. Suddenly, she lurched forward and threw up. I caught her in time.

“You can rely on me, you know.”

She continued vomiting nothing. Threads of saliva trailed from her mouth. She's trembling but never have I felt any weight on the arm I used to hold her stomach. In this position however, I could see the string marks on her neck.

The head of her cane tapped my arm after some time. “I'm fine now…”

“Hm? Oh, am I being too familiar?”

I removed my arm but she almost immediately doubled over again so I had no choice but to catch her again. This time, she's definitely using my help.

“The second-hand smoke must've done a number on you. Here, I'll piggyback you until you're fine.”

She must've been too exhausted to answer. A weight pressed on me as she leaned on my back without protest. She's pretty light for someone her age… if Kiyoko wasn't lying when she said we're at the same range. By the way, I'm a hopelessly single twenty-something with a grim future.

“Should I take your cane so you can relax?”

“No. I might need it to break your neck, after all.”

“Uh, please don't talk like that even if you're joking…”

Her breath tickled my ear. “She isn't what he's thinking… she's…” And she fell asleep.

***

“Good work out there,” Kiyoko had a mischievous expression when she saw Senna at my back. “Oho~Taking advantage of a defenseless woman, I see.”

“Would you rather I drag her by the neck then?” My mouth tasted bitter when I said the word 'neck'. It's really hard to be careful.

“Fufufu~” She stepped close to my ear and whispered, “She's got a nice ass, right?”

“The house we visited had a serious chain smoker for a master,” I said as I went in, trying to dispel my embarrassment. Seriously, what the hell, lady? That's sexual harassment!

I put Senna on a sofa. “You should be careful where you send your sibling.”

“Hear that darling? Akito is worried about you.”

“Hey, don't put it that way—”

But she's already wide awake. “Thank you, Akito.”

“Huh?”

“Because we're home safe, and for various things. Oh, kindly give her the album.”

Well, I think I might've said that… but she shouldn't be so literal about it.

I handed over the album to Kiyoko to which she immediately opened; her expression serious. I gave her time while I rested for a bit. Senna might be light, but I'm not used to carrying a stranger, more importantly a lady.

“So,” I said. “What's gonna happen? By the way, he's upset you didn't show up.”

“Now that it's come to this, my appearance wouldn't have made any difference. I told him to see anyone but the person I chose yet, from the… smell of things, he didn't do as he's told. More importantly…”

I only realized, but Senna was nowhere to be found. The atmosphere became tense all of a sudden.

“…You didn't happen to… see anything you shouldn't back there?”

Here it was, her overwhelming aura. I unconsciously gulped. “I was bored looking at the pond for the most part so—”

“Honey, it's getting late and I'm tired so give me a straight answer.”

A test? She's definitely testing me, right? What's she getting at anyway? That I lied about the weird string room? That Senna didn't want me mentioning she's about to be strangled to death there? Now that I'm on the subject, Senna's been way too calm for someone who's on death's door just earlier. An accident? A regular occurrence? Why wasn't Kiyoko doing anything about it?

In any case, I needed to think of an answer quick.

“There's a dangerous room filled with red strings,” I said, deciding that a bit of honesty was in order. She seemed to not take any answer aside from the truth anyway. “I swear I wasn't snooping around. Everything was an accident.”

“M-hm… and Senna?”

“Same story. She found me; thought I was a thief yada yada…”

“I see.”

“Well, gotta get going now. Need to catch the last trip.”

As I was about to leave, I felt something tug at my sleeve… or not. There's nothing. Kiyoko only bade me farewell. Later, she messaged she'd need help with cleaning tomorrow.