Reina of Hanneau (English)

TROUBLE IN PARADISE

With heavy rushing steps, Reina and Mitsuei run towards the direction of the said stable. Yoshi and Rio are following behind them, steadily narrating what happened per the boy they mentioned earlier. 

“Kiyoko and Sora are with them right now, making sure she wouldn’t leave again. The others are trying their best to keep our few visitors at bay,” Yoshi reports, little by little feeding a couple of information.

“We found them on the bottom of the stairs arguing. At first, I thought the boy was suspicious but then I heard him convincing Miss Kayomi to return home,” Rio further explains.

“He even ran after her when she tried to escape again,” Yoshi adds.

Reina takes a deep breath. Aside from the worry, her terrible health as of the moment is draining her. However, she doesn’t want to succumb to this right now. She wants to see Kayomi and see for herself if she was fine. 

Earlier, Mitsuei insisted on her staying in the office. She still looks pale and he didn’t want to jeopardize her health and the baby. However, no amount of words could probably soothe her right now. She wants to go and check on her personally.

“Owner! Over here!” Sora yells, waving his hand.

Reina releases the breath she has been holding in for some time now. A wave of comfort washed over her as she noticed Kayomi curled up at the stable's entrance.

Kiyoko and Sora stand a few inches away from the troubled girl. In addition, there is a boy, who Reina thought was the person Rio and Yoshi talked about. 

However, the instant she saw them, she ran inside the stable, holing herself away from everyone.

“Hello, Mr. Sou.”

A young, seemingly familiar boy welcomes Mitsuei with a greeting. 

Mitsuei turns to the boy, trying to recall where he had met the young man. 

“Shiro?” He inquires.

“Yes.” Shiro smiles, though his eyes reflect sadness. “Kayomi doesn’t want to go outside, I’m afraid.”

Mitsuei glances at Kiyoko, silently telling her to leave with everyone else. He wants to deal with this privately. 

“We have dinner served shortly, so if you want to stay, then you are welcome,” Kiyoko offers to Shiro with a gentle smile. 

Others who have been present seemingly understood the message and quietly walked away from the scene.

As soon as Mitsuei is sure that everyone left, he glances at Reina. She stood still like a statue ever since they arrived at the stable. She was so eager earlier, and it seemed out of character for her to just instantly sit still. 

“Reina?” Mitsuei calls her attention.

Reina flinches, seemingly surprised by the sudden voice beside her. She looks back at him with a soft smile. 

“Go ahead and talk to her.”

“How about you?”

”I’ll wait here. Just listen to her first and avoid screaming. You will never reach an agreement if none of you is calm,” Reina suggests. 

“But you said ---”

“Go on. It will make her madder if I were to get inside with you. I’m probably one of the reasons why she is upset.”

“Nonsense! What does her decision to stop schooling have to do with you?” Mitsuei strains a yell. 

“I think there is more to that. Just talk to her.”

With a heavy heart, Mitsuei left Reina’s side to resolve the issues with Kayomi.

The stable is not so big so he can easily pinpoint where Kayomi is hiding. He found her curled up on the ground beside the hays. Her back towards her, refusing to face anyone.

Kayomi’s actions are unreasonable. No parent wants their child to neglect their education to start employing at a young age. Even people who live in poverty want their kids to continue schooling if not for the lack of finances. 

“Kayomi,” Mitsuei calls for her, attempting to start a conversation.

The young lady remains quiet. Mitsuei can only hear the sound of insects buzzing and leaves dancing with the wind. Kayomi neither turns her head to look at him. She didn’t move nor squeal.

“Whatever that is ---”

“You always brush me off, father. Sometimes I think you are not interested in talking to me,” Kayomi interrupts, sulking like a child she is on the corner.

Mitsuei takes a few short breaths. He wants to take Reina’s suggestion by heart. Only that it takes his all to keep calm and not rush things. 

Who could blame him? Tomohisa has an ongoing trial. Reina has been sick the entire day. And Kayomi expressed her desire to never proceed to high school so she could work in Hanneau. Anyone would be haggard in this situation. 

Plus, Tomohisa has been pestering him with calls coming in the lodge to help him get out of jail. Keeping it a secret to everyone is slowly taking its toll on him. 

He has been exhausted every day. He gets irritated easily. He barely even have slept. His problems have been keeping him up these past few days.

But then, he is an adult. Problems are part of maturity. It was terrible of him to take out his frustrations on Reina and Kayomi. He could have handled it better. 

 Mitsuei drags his feet, slowly positioning himself to sit just opposite Kayomi. 

“You, me, and Reina. We are all the same.” Mitsuei whispers, truthfully unsure of what to say. “We are all unfamiliar with this so-called family. You and I aren’t new at this, but we lack the knowledge of what a real family is. Reina can be considered a novice at this. Still, it surprises me how she seems to know what exactly to do. And I am supposed to be the older one here.”

Kayomi didn’t utter a single word. She is honestly astonished by her father’s sudden confession. Aside from those heavy words, his voice sounded uneasy. 

In her moment of contemplation, Kayomi recalls Shiro’s words from hours ago. When Shiro shared his thoughts and observations, Kayomi is made more aware of her father’s actions and emotions.

Like how he flared with anger when he knew what Tomohisa did. Or how he clumsily revealed the relationship to the Asai family before Reina could tell them herself. Or how he gets restless whenever they argued or fought. 

But most of all, she now realized how her father looked sad when she mentioned not proceeding to a higher level of education. 

Kayomi slowly turns on her back, unaware that her father is facing her.

“I feel alone. Then, the moment I come up to talk, you got mad at me.”

Mitsuei grins at his brooding daughter. Gently, he lifts his hand to her head, softly caressing her messy hair. 

“I didn’t intend for you to feel lonely. Neither did Reina. In fact, she has been looking for you the entire day since you were never around. She is sick yet, she got off the bed and helped to look for you.”

“I didn’t ask,” Kayomi stubbornly retorts. 

Mitsuei groans, unsure what to do next to at least appease his daughter. Reina was right. It was way more than just a simple sulk. 

“I’m sorry if I yelled at you. But you must understand that no parent wants their child to work at such an early age. All I want is for you to enjoy your childhood. Learn, play, and visit places all you want. Hanneau will always be here.”

“But, I want to stay here. I want to have more time with everyone,” Kayomi whimpers, covering her face with both hands as sadness cross her face.

“And you know what? The house and the lodge get lonely if you are not around. A room without you is too silent. But you must understand that I want you to have a good future. None of us knows how long we live, so I at least want to leave you in the best condition.”

“Don’t say that!” Kayomi yells in madness.

Out of a fit of anger, she got on her feet, staring back at her father with burning eyes. She knew what her father was trying to imply. And she hates the idea of any members of her family departing.

“That may seem irrelevant at the moment but that is reality. I’m not saying that to upset you more, but I want you to understand why I want you to pursue your education,” Mitsuei explains, taking Kayomi’s hand in the process.

“You’re only saying that to make me feel guilty.”

“Hmm, partly. But you are a smart girl. I know you are aware of such happenings,” Mitsuei smirks, trying to lighten the mood.

Kayomi finally looked at him, slowly showing signs of simmering down. He is gradually getting into her. 

Her misty eyes stare back at him with remorse. 

"We may discuss it again, but we need to return to the house. It's dark, and Reina has been sobbing quietly for quite some time. She may pass out from suppressing her feelings."

Reina gasps when she realizes Mitsuei has been listening to her weep all along. She attempted to maintain a low profile to avoid interfering with the moment between father and daughter. However, no matter how hard she tried to hide it, his keen hearing caught up with her.

She steps out of the wooden door, looking timidly at both Mitsuei and Kayomi. She cleans dry her cheeks from tears as she keeps biting her lips. She didn’t know what to say. She was so eager earlier to appease Kayomi, but as soon as she noticed her side glance at her, she knows it was about her.

“I’m sorry. I know I said I won’t make you feel left out, but in the end, I still hurt you,” Reina cries, releasing the feelings she has been keeping inside.

Kayomi approached her cautiously and wrapped herself around her in a tight hug.

“Forgive me,” Kayomi mutters under her breath.

Reina hugs her back with the same tight embrace. They begin to cry silently, freeing each other of lingering feelings. 

Mitsuei shakes his head, smiling as he also joins in the pair for a hug.

“Don’t leave me out of this.”