(Volume 4) The Esteemed Kubo

That same evening Yoshiyuki was back at the manor.

The first thing he noticed upon returning were the two servants at the front yard, painting part of the facade. The place has been cleared. Gone were the shin-tall grass and the wildflowers; in their stead was a uniformly green lawn, strong with the scent of cut grass.

Inside, there were brand-new chandeliers at the lobby, and he could see the corridors upstairs were lit. Gone is the image of the half-dark haunted mansion. With them there were a few more workmen and some maids. "The interior fittings just arrived the other day from Tokyo. Eheh! Isn't it fabulous?" Whispering in his ear, "Papa and Mama are planning to purchase this house from the Nanjou so we can always have a place to stay." Giggle. "I'm sure Anna-Senpai will let us!" She could not keep it down, the excitement in her voice, as if telling her boyfriend, Choose me, and all this will be yours, you will be an illustrious lord of the esteemed Kubo, have and hold the finest of noble wives, have her at your beck and call.

Arisa was away with her parents at Nankaisei, where her mother was placing demands on Ito-sensei to make her daughter Director in her stead, much to said daughter's embarrassment. When Ito pointed out that Piazza was the biggest source of funds for the school, they relented and changed the conversation to "letting go" of their child, something which the director said was entirely up to Arisa. With the talks having fallen through and the party due to return before sundown, Ai quickly installed Yoshiyuki in his room so he could prepare before meeting them at dinner.

From his bed, he looked about at his room in amazement . A sumptuous French lamp graced the little table next to him. There was no chandelier, but the curtains were fresh. And there was a brand new wardrobe. It was something that would figure later when Ai came to fetch him that evening.

"Where did you get this?" he said as she was buttoning up the suit. He did not quite expect the folks to bring over men's wear to their two girls.

"I asked for some clothes from Papa. Didn't ask me what for. I have him round my little pinkie." She smoothed his collar. "There. Better."

"You sure this is OK?"

Pout. "Come on, I told you!" Leaning on him, "They need only be convinced of our love for each other. Don't you worry now, I'll make sure to sit right next to you at the table."

Fair enough...

The meeting with Ai's parents was congenial. The maidservant placed new courses for each of them every so often. Mr.Kubo only asked him about certain basics, how old he was, what year he graduated, how long he had known his daughters, who he was staying with.

"Minase-san is a prominent figure here in the islands!" beamed Ai at this last question.

"Oh is that so?" smiled her father. "That's good to know."

Her girl giggled sweetly and wiped her boyfriend with a napkin. Mrs.Kubo went on eating and pretended not to hear the conversation, whilst Arisa with a stare silently pleaded her sister to calm down. In the presence of these well-heeled people, Yoshiyuki knew nothing else than to keep his mouth shut. Soon enough, however, he was himself growing uneasy over the blatant affection his girlfriend showered him in front of her folks.

At one point, she leaned in and whispered, "Yoshiyuki, cooperate please!"

Cooperate how? "I don't know, isn't this a formal affair?"

"You're giving off a 'fake BF' air. Aren't you doing something for me, at least?"

At this, he gingerly reached out for the juice, and just as reluctantly poured her a glass. She was tickled pink at this gesture, and uttered an extra-sweet "Arigatou!" much to Onee-chan's dismay. But their parents went on with the meal without comment. Shortly after the meal, Yoshiyuki showered in a newly-renovated bathroom and prepared to settle down for the night. Ai visited him a little later, and they made out at the door while no servants were around. Before she left she gave him a jar of aromatic herbs for better sleep, after which he changed into his pajamas and had the lights out.

He did not fall asleep right away. It seems the herbs had the opposite effect. Was the odor too strong maybe? Ai can really go overboard sometimes.

"..."

He could almost feel the scents diffuse into the still air of the bedroom. The curtains had rendered everything pitch black. It seemed the whole world was now made only of smells.

"..."

Did Grandma know of the Kubos showing up here in the islands? If they had indeed arrived shortly after he left the manor for Anju's, Granny could have heard of them coming, but in the couple of times he had been at the house since, there was no mention. Did he stress her out too much she forgot to tell him? Had she by then decided to dispose of Ai in favor of Rikako, and stop caring about anything Kubo?

"..."

He could envision a column of smoke rising in the darkness out of the herbal jar. The smell was already filling the room. Not that it really bothered him, it really was somewhat relaxing, but he still was not sleepy, somehow.

A new family.

If you don't want to see your parents anymore, you will have a new family.

Don't be afraid.

Grandma will not be able to stop a family like the Kubo from accepting him. And yet... He had planned to live only with Ai, here in the Kyunins. They will set up a photography studio at Granny's. Wait, did Ai actually say that? Was that his own idea? Maybe he was planning all along to return to his grandmother?

By now, the aroma was everywhere. He took a deep breath to take in all the goodness into his system. Maybe they will only take effect when fully absorbed into the bloodstream.

Besides...

The flowers. It must be the first time in his life that he smelled the flowers... again.

"Ah-choo!"

"Yoshiyuki!"

"..."

The seven-year-old blew his nose on the hanky his mother gave him. It was the fourth one in a week; he was prone to dirtying them in some way, at one time sticking it into the kitchen sink like some toddler. But now he needed it more as he was in the park. His little sister had been crying, it was hanami season and she wanted to go to a sakura-lined promenade, but Mom had a routine checkup at the hospital next to that park, where there was only one cherry tree. However, she was asleep now in the car with her Dad. Geh... Are cherry blossoms known to have a lot of pollen? But no one could be sure, not when there were so many different blooms around.

"Yoshiyuki!" called his mother struggling to catch up to him with her walking cane. As soon as she reached her boy she dropped the cane and fell to her knees to embrace him. "You silly child!" she said combing his hair in place. "Don't keep leaving Mama behind like that!" Kiss. Hug.

"Mommy, my hanky's all sticky now."

"Again?" She took it and made a face. "Moh, I can't keep giving you an endless supply of this. Maybe we should go home now so you could stay in bed."

He shook his little head. "I like the smell of the sakura."

She sniffed the air. "No dear, it's... um, it is a mixture. See, there are too many flowers here, it's hard to tell which fragrance came from where." She picked up her cane and got to her feet to lead her child away. "Would you like Daddy to plant a garden like this at home?"

He did not answer, just looking back at those flowers. But Mom was not interested in a reply, anyway, now turning her attention to returning to the car. She could have just asked her husband to fetch the wayward boy, but when it came to Yoshiyuki, she always insisted on going after him personally. In fact, she usually only tended to her other child whenever she was playing with her brother, which was fairly often.

"Aika is right," frowned the boy. "We should have just gone to Yoyogi."

"..."

"Why are we here again?"

"Yoshiyuki dear, Mama needs to go to the hospital. It is just over there. Remember?"

"When are we going to stop going to the hospital, Mommy?"

"..."

"When will you stop holding on to that stick? All the other Mommies have no stick."

She smiled brightly at him. "Would you like to treat Mama when you grow up?"

Yoshiyuki himself brightened up at the idea. "Uhm! Am I gonna be a doctor?"

"Hai! Study hard, do well in school, and one day, one day, you will heal Mama. Do you promise?"

"Uhm! I promise!"

Mama chuckled sweetly at him.

Huh?

The aromas were gone. The air in the room feels dead.

Yoshiyuki sat up in his bed in the half-darkness, his feet illuminated by a single shaft of light that had managed to slip through a gap in the curtains. What time is it? It shouldn't be that late. Besides, if it was time for breakfast, a servant should have picked him up right about now.

"..."

No, he reckoned. This is not his own house. He should take the initiative.