Chapter 73 #2
“You … you…”, she heaved. “Baka! I don’t WANT a career overseas!” she snapped. “I want you, here!” Her voice broke at the end, fresh tears spilling over.
“Ah! Good answer!” Fujimoto grinned.
But she wasn’t finished nailing the truth into Kazuki’s head.
“I don’t care about some better future in another country.
I don’t care about some fancy career in science or business or whatever the hell mum wants.
I don’t care about any of it. This…” she gestured between them, “ … this is the only thing I want”.
Stunned by her vehemence, her lover didn’t react. But Fujimoto had heard enough. “Well, then.” He was smiling. “I think it’s quite clear. This little spitfire had chosen you, mate. What do you say?”
Kazuki blinked, still looking dazed. “I … uh. OK?”
Fujimoto was already rolling up his sleeves. “Right then, let’s be practical about this.” He leant forward, elbows on the table. “Have you signed your contract yet?”
Elyna shook her head; things were moving too fast for her brain to keep up. “Er… Katayū-sensei said they would, but…” Her voice trailed, containing a world of insecurities. But Fujimoto remained unfazed. “It’s as good as done then.”
Kazuki’s hand descended to grab hers under the table, a steadying warmth. “If he said you’re staying, then you’ll have your contract by next week,” he confirmed.
They don’t doubt it at all. Their certainty removed a weight from her chest; Elyna deflated, squeezing Kazuki’s hand tightly. Relief was short-lived, as Fujimoto pressed on: “How do you plan on telling your mother you’re staying?”
Elyna’s throat worked, trying to find words. “She’s… I can’t just… I’ve never…”
“Never told her no?” The physics teacher finished knowingly. “Yeah, I get that.”
Fujimoto had the uncanny ability to wrench every shameful secret from her with a well-placed sentence. But there was no sadism in his bluntness. Now that her fears had come to light, they seemed almost silly.
One shared look with Kazuki grounded her before her attention returned to Fujimoto. That strange duo worked like Shūji and Haruki, akin to sun and moon. An incredible complementarity.
Fujimoto was quiet for a moment, then seemed to come to a decision. “You know my parents have been pushing for marriage, right?”
Elyna’s eyebrows shot up, wondering at the complete U-turn. Kazuki had mentioned it before.
“My fiancée and I, we get along fine,” Fujimoto revealed.
“She’s smart and doesn’t complain about my music.
” His lips curled as Iron Maiden still played in the background.
“But neither of us is ready for that commitment, and every family gathering is more painful than the previous one. ‘When are you setting a date?’ ‘Don’t you want children?’ ‘You’re not getting any younger, Shintarō-san. ’”
He leant back in his chair, a wry smile playing at his lips. “My parents think I’m being childish. Her parents think I’m being disrespectful. Everyone has opinions about my life choices.”
Elyna blinked, absorbing this. Fujimoto had been fighting for years.
“So you know what I did?” His grin turned sharp, almost mischievous.
Elyna shook her head, watching him curiously. “I made a bet with Katayū-kun. Whoever caves first and gets married has to buy the other an all-expenses-paid trip to Okinawa.” His eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “It’s been three years and from the looks of it, I’m going to win.”
A startled laugh escaped Elyna; all the puzzle pieces clicked into place now. “Oh right!” She remembered them bantering about it on career orientation day, barely a few months after her arrival. “I had forgotten that crazy bet!”
“That’s my coping mechanism,” he corrected. “My strategy is deciding what I actually want and not letting other people’s expectations run my life.” The man who taught physics with constant cheer was fiercely defending his corner. “My fiancée and I, we’ve been clear with each other from the start.”
Clear. I need to make my choices clear.
Fujimoto’s elbows dug into the table; the casualness was gone now. “It’s not easy, kid. But it’s my life. My choice. My timeline.” He paused, letting the words settle. “Everything’s possible if you want it enough. The question is: do you?”
The words hit Elyna square in the chest. Did she want this enough?
Enough to stand up to her mother for the first time in her life?
To risk losing financial support, and face whatever judgement came with her relationship, in a country that wasn’t hers?
More than five thousand miles away from Cornwall…
She looked at Kazuki beside her, finding that warm gaze fixed up her face. Neither pushing, nor asking. Just a grounding presence. Though his expression was carefully neutral, she could read the tension in the set of his jaw.
He’s giving me space to decide. The self-sacrificing fool!
Then she looked back at Fujimoto, considering his passive resistance. If he could do it… “Yes,” Elyna said quietly.
Her verbal sparring partner raised an eyebrow. “Are you asking me or telling me?”
Determination washed through her, settling in her bones. Elyna straightened in her chair and lifted her chin. “Yes. I do. I want this enough to fight for it.”
Fujimoto offered his hand, satisfaction settling over his features. “Welcome to the rebellion, kid.” Elyna didn’t hesitate, finding his handshake firm and strong.
“Call me Shintarō.”
A smile bloomed upon her face; she turned to Kazuki, hope rekindling. There was relief in his brown eyes, but doubt as well. A careful calculation of what it meant for her … for them. Elyna couldn’t help it; she stole a quick kiss. A physical proof that she would fight to stay by his side.
The flush that overcame his cheekbones made her laugh.
“All right, Shintarō-san,” she huffed. “Let’s say it happens. That I’m staying and I’m on my own, because my mother is sure as hell not changing her mind.”
How do I eat? Where do I sleep? Do I make enough as teaching assistant to get by?
“Well, she cannot haul your ass on a plane without your consent,” Shintarō replied, voice firm but not unkind. “You’re twenty-something, not ten.”
He’s right. Damnit he’s right! I’ve been cowering like a child!
Elyna bit her lip, anticipating the major row that was sure to happen.
She had never tried to resist, not in the frontal way.
The very idea made her stomach churn. But to be worthy of Kazuki meant owning that confrontation.
Ever attuned to her feelings, her lover’s arm circled her shoulders; just like that, she was strong again.
“You can stay here for a while if you need to,” he offered.
Elyna’s heart skipped a beat. The words were simple, the proposal enormous. She caught a discreet look between Kazuki and Shintarō. One silent conversation born of years of brotherhood. Even though the physics teacher raised no objection, Elyna refused to become a burden.
This flat was their refuge, she couldn’t possibly intrude.
“So, what do you say?” Kazuki insisted. His expression was filled with hope.
Those two … really. Bracing for impact, Elyna took one last sip of her tea and set her cup on the table. “OK. OK… Let’s plan it.”
Thus, preparations began for the ultimate war. Her independence.
Elyna: Hey Askel … what do you say to visiting Japan?
Aksel: sigh. I knew this day would come. I’m signing up in the rowing team ??