Chapter 78 #2
The challenge was clear, the spotlight shifting from them to the school nurse. Dear Shintarō, always here to cover Kazuki’s back. Elyna watched Keiko Sōhma’s jaw pop, her fan frozen in a white knuckle’s grip.
Her gaze landed on them both like a laser. Then, she spoke.
“Blue-eyed chaos blooms
sensei’s heart ensnared by spring
Secrets root too deep.”
A haiku. The woman had just composed a Haiku on the spot, perfectly balanced! Katayū whirled so fast Elyna feared for his neck, eyes narrowing as realisation set in.
“That was you!” he thundered. “All the haikus, everywhere on the blackboards!”
Keiko’s fan snapped open with a deliberate swish, her eyes twinkling behind the rice paper. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Her voice was equally playful and dangerous, a warning that said, ‘make a fuss about it, and I’m not letting this go’.
Watching the confrontation with bated breath, Elyna finally understood why the whole kōkō feared and admired the school nurse with equal fervour. Of them all, she was by far the most devious and adept at strategy. Her tongue and intellect were perhaps, sharper than her kendo skills.
The standoff between Vice Principal and school nurse was dissolved by Shūji laughter. “Ne, you know it wasn’t her handwriting, Katayū-san,” he smirked before grabbing his girlfriend’s hand. “Come on, Satsuki-chan, let’s get some food before all the good stuff is gone.”
Well, someone’s running away from potential questioning. Elyna started chuckling, remembering how the poems had driven Katayū completely bonkers. To think Sōhma had been writing them, and sliding them off to Shūji…
Beside her Kazuki tried to suppress laugher; it wouldn’t do to push the groom into a tight spot after earning his precious support. But Shintarō had no such qualms; the man burst out laughing, great hiccups racking his frame as he pushed his glasses up his nose. “Oh my! Sōhma-san, you’re a genius!”
Elyna pursed her lips, then swivelled to press her face into Kazuki’s kimono in an attempt to hide her shaking shoulders. The quiet rumbles that came from her lover’s chest told her he was losing the battle too.
Sarah dissolved into giggles at the sight of her disgruntled husband.
Keiko Sōhma addressed him one last look that promised retribution before her arm slid alongside Onishi’s. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need a drink before I combust from sheer exasperation.” Shūji’s father shrugged his apology before he was dragged away.
Katayū shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips. “That woman, Mattaku!”
“Ditto!” Elyna chuckled, relief flooding her system as their main opponent walked away, all graceful steps and elaborate obi. Their relationship was, at last, validated. When Kazuki squeezed her hand, the young woman marvelled at the simplicity of the gesture. In public.
There. It is done. We made it. No more hiding.
“Well,” Sarah drawled. “That went about as well as expected.” The British woman savoured the conclusion of her mise-en-scène before she turned to Kazuki with a wicked grin. “Now, you better get ready for at least two kids, Sano-san. It’s the western standard.”
Elyna sucked in a breath; they’d only just gone public five minutes that Sarah was already planning ahead?
Kazuki’s cheekbones dusted pink; his hand tightened around hers as he slid a sneaky glance her way. “I’m all for it,” he said, his voice smooth and warm like a summer’s sunset.
Elyna’s eyes widened. Really? Now?
When he caught her alarmed gaze, Kazuki backpedalled. Fast. “Eventually. Much eventually.” Then he turned to Katayū, hoping to deflect Sarah’s prying. “Working on it, Katayū-san?”
Well played, my love. The satisfaction to watch the samurai flush to the roots of his hair was filling. “Ah, no, not yet,” he responded, voice was slightly strangled.
“Well, not for lack of trying,” Sarah commented by his side.
“Sarah,” the groom hissed.
That woman is impossible.
Cheeks burning, Elyna ducked, finding Kazuki’s crisp kimono to hide the embarrassment away. Kids were a possibility that dwelt in the distant future. But it would come, eventually. And a part of her couldn’t wait to see Kazuki cradling a baby.
He would be a magnificent father. As for now, it was time for a little payback. “How many do you want, Sarah?” she asked.
“Four,” Sarah retorted. Katayū spluttered, so shocked that his careful composure shattered. “Four? Let’s see how we survive one first, ne?”
“Oh, you’ll be fine,” Sarah swatted at his arm playfully. “You’ve survived Shūji.”
As the newlyweds started bickering about the particulars, Elyna and Kazuki steered clear, hand in hand. Kazuki gave her an achingly tender look, a smile tugging at his lips. Quiet contentment radiated in those golden depths, as if he, too, had found his peace.
They walked away in the temple’s garden, led by a string of glowing lanterns underneath the canopy. Away from prying eyes, onto their own path. The one they had chosen.
Leaves swirled around them, announcing the incoming winter. Yet, to Elyna, this felt like the spring of her life. She was exactly where she belonged.
No more hiding.