Cherry Blossoms and Fireworks
“Fumimoto, what do you think?”
“You mean about Young Master Ryuta, sir?”
Taira Danjo posed the question to his chief of staff, Fumimoto Takayuki. His questions were sometimes vague on purpose, designed to draw out what the other person was truly thinking. This time, however, he gave a small nod as if Fumimoto’s clarification had been exactly right.
“Why would he only ask for pocket money?”
“Isn’t it because he’s afraid of his uncles and aunt? He might be wary of ending up like Master Saburo.”
“Hmm. That makes sense.”
The identity of whoever had ordered Taira Saburo’s death still hadn’t been uncovered, but both Taira Danjo and Fumimoto Takayuki believed one of the three main heirs—Taira Ichiro, Taira Jiro, or Taira Kokoro—was behind it. No matter how much of a rival the Minamoto Group was, they wouldn’t gain enough from killing Saburo to justify the risk.
Taira Danjo’s thinking was simple: when something happens, the person who benefits the most—or someone close to them—is usually the culprit. In that case, the three heirs had clearly gained the most now that one of their competitors was gone.
The investigation into Saburo’s death was still ongoing, but the fact that he had cut the manpower assigned to it in half proved where his thoughts lay. The personnel who had been looking into the Minamoto side had been reassigned elsewhere.
“That boy must know fifty million yen is a lot for pocket money.”
“Of course, Chairman. You were planning to promote Young Master Ryuta, weren’t you? Wasn’t the money given with that in mind?”
That was correct. Taira Danjo had intended to promote Taira Ryuta to deputy team leader of the Education Support Team 2. Even though Ryuta hadn’t produced any tangible results yet, Danjo believed the way he had fought terrorists head-on and won public favor justified the promotion. Ryuta had kicked that opportunity aside, but Taira Danjo understood. If Fumimoto was right, protecting his own life came first.
In truth, the question about what he wanted had been little more than a formality. Danjo hadn’t expected the boy to actually make a request. Up until now, his sons and other grandsons had only ever said things like “It’s fine if you don’t give me anything” or “I’ll gratefully accept whatever you give.” Hearing someone state exactly what they wanted was refreshing. The fact that it was just pocket money made it even more surprising. He had never given anyone pocket money before. In most cases, the secretaries assigned to each child handled their financial matters.
“I wonder what that rascal plans to do with the money.”
“I hear he’s been accumulating shares in an American company called Miracle Health lately. It seems he intends to invest there again.”
“Stocks, huh… If he invests wisely, it should be fine. Do you think it’s a stock worth buying?”
“They say their new drug development is nearly complete. I don’t know what kind of drug it is, but if it succeeds, the stock price should rise significantly.”
“If it succeeds, yes. More importantly, you’ve kept the fact that the boy is a superhuman well hidden, correct?”
Taira Danjo had received a report about Taira Ryuta’s regeneration ability and ordered Fumimoto Takayuki to conceal it.
At some point, superhumans had begun appearing across the world, little by little. Taira Danjo believed this would have a tremendous impact on the future, but his foolish children—who couldn’t see that far—would never accept a nephew with such powers. Unlike with Saburo’s incident, the Minamoto Group would likely try to eliminate Ryuta this time. They would never tolerate the grandson of their rival conglomerate possessing superhuman abilities.
Superhumans were that rare, and every corporation and nation coveted them. If a rival acquired one, it was only natural to do everything possible to remove them.
“Yes, sir. I’ve manipulated the information so it feels like nothing more than a ridiculous rumor. No one will realize that Young Master Ryuta is a superhuman.”
“Still, keep a close eye on any movements. Just in case.”
“Understood, Chairman.”
We ate an early dinner and immediately got in the car to head home. Taira Yukiko still looked upset. She probably wouldn’t feel better until she took off that funeral kimono and changed into something else.
“Mother, don’t you have any other kimonos besides the one you’re wearing now?”
“Hmm? I think I still have the red one I wore when I was a maiden.”
“Then let’s go home, you can put that on, and we’ll go see the cherry blossoms.”
Taira Yukiko looked startled by my sudden suggestion. A red kimono, though… After staring at nothing but funeral attire for so long, I couldn’t quite picture it.
“All of a sudden… why?”
“I don’t like seeing you so down. I want to make you happy.”
Taira Yukiko fell silent at my words. When I glanced over while driving, she had her head slightly lowered, seemingly lost in thought. But her contemplation didn’t last long. The drive from the Human Resources Development Center to the main house took only thirty minutes, so we arrived home before long.
“I’ll change my clothes too and wait for you in the car. You should go change as well, Mother. Into that red kimono you mentioned earlier.”
I made the announcement and headed straight up to my room on the second floor before she could respond. My body looked good even in simple jeans and a white t-shirt, but since it was a bit chilly, I threw on a thin jacket.
Changing clothes would probably take her some time, so I figured I’d sit for about five minutes before heading out.
I ended up fiddling with my phone and ten minutes passed without me noticing. I hurried downstairs. When I opened the front door, Taira Yukiko stood there in a red kimono against the backdrop of a full moon. Lit by moonlight and the house’s illumination, her figure looked like something out of a painting. This was definitely better than the funeral kimono.
“Ah…!”
“You look beautiful, Mother.”
Taira Yukiko seemed at a loss for how to react to my compliment. Had it been that long since she last heard she was pretty? She must have heard it countless times. Maybe Taira Saburo had never been the type to say it.
I took Taira Yukiko’s hand and helped her into the car. Of course, I had no intention of going to Yotsukaido General Park where the terrorist incident had occurred. The reason I had checked my phone earlier was to find another cherry blossom viewing spot nearby. After ten minutes of searching, I had found the perfect place.
The destination was Utsukushigaokakinrin Park, just a ten-minute drive east of the Human Resources Development Center. It had plenty of cherry blossoms and a lake in the middle, making it ideal for a stroll. The moment we stepped out of the parking lot, fluttering cherry petals greeted us.
“It’s beautiful…!”
Just as Taira Yukiko said, the cherry blossoms bathed in moonlight had a completely different charm. She let out soft gasps of admiration as she gazed at them. We strolled through the park, enjoying the blossoms. After walking for a while, we spotted some food stalls. It was around seven-thirty, so they were in full swing.
“We’ve been living together for weeks now, yet I still don’t know what you like, Mother. Let’s start with some festival food. What kind of stall food do you enjoy?”
“I used to love strawberry candy. But it’s been so long since I’ve been to a place like this that I’ve forgotten the taste.”
Strawberry candy? Ah, she must mean the strawberry tanghulu I couldn’t buy her because of the terrorist attack. I had even considered buying some to bring back for her back then. What a coincidence.
“It’s been a while since dinner. Shall we buy some and eat together?”
“Y-yes. Let’s do that.”
I led Taira Yukiko by the hand and ordered two strawberry candies and two green grape candies. When I bit into the strawberry one, the sugar coating cracked with a satisfying crunch. Then came the refreshing burst of strawberry flesh. For some reason, this candy reminded me of Taira Yukiko herself—a delicate heart wrapped in a fragile sugar shell. That was how I saw her. Taira Yukiko also wore an expression that said, “Ah, this is the taste!” as she happily ate her candy. The green grape ones weren’t bad, but the strawberry was better, so I bought two more strawberry ones. We continued walking while taking turns pulling them off the sticks.
After that, we wandered around looking at the various festival stalls and attractions. From the chatter around us, I learned there would be a fireworks display at nine. I had assumed they might just launch some explosive shells into the air this year because of the recent incident, but I was glad we’d get to see real fireworks.
“Let’s watch the fireworks and then head back, Mother.”
“That sounds good.”
Before I knew it, the shadow that had clouded Taira Yukiko’s face had been replaced by excitement. This really was the way to show filial piety. We moved to a spot with a good view of the fireworks. The place we found was a slight hill with very few people around. It was perfect since we could focus entirely on the show.
At nine o’clock sharp, the fireworks began. Like meteors shooting upward in reverse, the fireworks soared into the sky and exploded, painting the night with brilliant colors. Without realizing it, I turned to look at Taira Yukiko. She was already looking at me.
Her face grew closer and closer. Was I moving toward her, or was she moving toward me? Our lips finally met.
Boom! Bang! Boom!
Fireworks continued to bloom across the night sky. Hidden beneath their glow, we kept kissing. Taira Yukiko’s lips tasted like strawberry candy.
Bonus
