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Stalemate – Part 02

Meanwhile, in a small island nation in the Far East, snow had started falling a few days prior, painting the streets in white.

“Kazuya… Kazuya… Huh?”

Ruri searched the entire house, her geta clacking loudly. She looked out into the garden from the veranda, opened sliding doors to various rooms, checked the dim entryway, and when she didn’t find him, she proceeded to open the door to her father’s room.

“Keep it down, Ruri!” came a roar, causing Ruri to shrink back.

Her father was sitting on the tatami, reading a book with a hard look. Ruri was taken aback by how normal he seemed. She opened her mouth to say something, then stopped herself, quietly closing the door.

“Ruri,” her father called.

She let out a yelp. “What is it?!”

“Stop being grumpy, would you? You’re not a child anymore.” His voice was soft.

Relieved, Ruri opened the door again. “What?”

“Come sit.”

“What?”

“I said sit.”

She did as told, hesitantly. Her father turned his gaze to her, and in an unusually quiet voice said, “Listen. You treat him like you always do, and send him off quietly.”

“…”

“I’m talking about Kazuya.”

“…I understand.”

“You handled things well with Yasuhiro and Yutaka. You bid them farewell with a feminine grace and a cheerful smile. I was relieved. You proved that people could change, and that the night always gives way to dawn. However, you adore your younger brother a little too much.”

“…”

“Sometimes men have to leave, especially in times like these. Besides, that child has grown into a fine adult. You’ve seen it too, haven’t you? Ever since he returned from the Kingdom of Sauville, he’s transformed into someone entirely different, steadfast and manly. His education in Europe has molded him into a full-fledged, respectable man. The thought of you crying and dampening Kazuya’s courage has been giving me a stomach ache since morning.”

“But Father…” Recalling Kazuya’s behavior since his return, Ruri attempted to argue back, but she swallowed the words.

Was that how her brothers, who already left for war much earlier, and her father saw the change in Kazuya? Ruri couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness. For the past few months, Kazuya had looked depressed and in pain. How could they not notice that it wasn’t just the knowledge he gained in Sauville that had significantly changed him, but something more important that he had left behind?

Ruri bolted out of the room, leaving her father behind.

“Hey. Stop, Ruri!” her father called.

One by one, she opened the doors, until she made it to the warm room near the veranda, where she found her mother seated before a brazier. She was mending Kazuya’s clothes.

Ruri sat down beside her mother, downhearted. “Father is…”

She was certain her mother would agree with her.

“I see.”

Pausing her work, her mother looked at Ruri with an unusually contemplative gaze. Her eyes narrowed like threads. She was smiling.

“What are you saying?!”

“I simply wondered if both were true,” she replied, stroking Ruri’s head as one would a child. “Despite objections from both you and me, Kazuya chose to study in a distant land and returned after enduring immense hardships. It’s possible that, as you suggest, he’s hurt because of something that happened there.”

“Right?”

“However, much like your father and brothers have pointed out, it’s also likely that he’s grown stronger and more mature than ever before.”

“Huh?”

“So, both perspectives hold truth. You and your father both understand Kazuya well. I believe you see him from one angle, while your father views him from another. You know, like how a mountain appears differently when seen from various sides?”

Ruri pouted as she stared at her mother’s face. “How do you see him, then?” she asked, stirring the inside of the brazier.

“Well, that’s quite the perplexing question.” Her mother turned her face away, as if hiding her emotions.

The brazier cast a flickering orange glow. Quiet enveloped the surroundings outside, broken occasionally by the howling of the chilly wind.

“Unlike you and your father and brothers, I still only see him as a child. Perhaps I’m the only one within the family seeing things.”

“Mother…”

“I know that Yasuhiro and Yutaka have grown into fine men. But you and Kazuya…” Her voice quavered. “I just can’t wrap my head around the idea of a small boy going to war like an adult.”

A tear landed on the fabric. Ruri quickly rose and rubbed her mother’s back.

While Ruri had gradually grown into an adult, her mother, who used to look so big in her eyes, had turned smaller.

The shishi-odoshi in the garden clanked. The wind whispered softly.

---

“With my brothers and Mushanokouji-san gone, the house feels quite empty,” Kazuya mumbled as he walked down the street with measured steps.

He ambled along in the snow without an umbrella, roaming around the familiar neighborhood he might not see for a while. He snuck out after breakfast, so his sister Ruri should be searching for him right about now.

As he turned a corner, he spotted a group of girls in colorful attires gathered in front of the Kujou family’s gate, peering inside as if searching for something. They seemed to be around his age. Kazuya stopped, puzzled. Since they didn’t notice him approaching, he decided to call out from behind.

“Excuse me.”

“Kyaah!”

“A ghost!”

The girls jumped in surprise. One even fell on her backside.

Blinking, Kazuya held out a hand to the girl, a gesture of courtesy he had learned in Sauville. The girls just stared at him with an odd look, like they were seeing something bizarre.

Kazuya thought they looked familiar. A moment later, he nodded in realization. They were students from Seian Girls’ School, where his sister Ruri had been teaching since spring.

Ruri Kujou was immensely popular among her classmates and juniors in her school days, and it seemed she even had a fan club. Even now, as an English and French teacher, she was rumored to make girls squeal around the school. Every time their father heard this, he would wear an oddly grim look.

When Kazuya returned home, he witnessed students occasionally peeking into their house on Sunday afternoons. His mother would spot them, offer tea and snacks, and soon they began arriving in groups to read English books. Everyone liked Ruri and his mother. However, whenever their father, brothers, or even Mushanokouji appeared, restless about the girls’ presence, they shrieked in fear, or sometimes even got mad.

“Do you have business with Ruri?” Kazuya asked. “She should be home. Wait here a bit.”

“Um, no…”

The girls shook their heads, then elbowed each other, urging them to speak. Their playful nudges soon escalated into a more intense exchange of pushes.

“Wh-What’s the matter?” Kazuya asked, astonished.

“W-We heard you were leaving,” one began hesitantly.

The rest of the girls followed suit, leaning in towards Kazuya.

“We heard you were heading to the battlefield.”

“Ms. Ruri said you were leaving today.”

“So, um…”

“Me? Oh.” Kazuya inclined his head, and his face took on a dismal look. “Yeah, I received a draft notice, unfortunately. I probably shouldn’t say ‘unfortunately’.”

“Ms. Ruri will be sad if you don’t come back safely, so…”

“Here!”

“The fan club made it!” They handed him something resembling a handkerchief.

Kazuya blinked in surprise. “Fan club? Oh, Ruri’s! I’ve heard about it. She’s so amazing.”

“No!” A girl shook her head. “Ms. Ruri is an icon in Seian, but we’re um… We’re members of your fan club!”

“What?!” Kazuya squeaked.

“We’re a small group, and there’s only four of us. Every time we visit your home, you’ve been really kind to us. You read English books to us and even taught us French pronunciation. And the fact that you can read Latin is so cool!”

“Uh, well… I just studied abroad for a while.”

“When we were loud, you didn’t bother us, and instead treated us nicely. We wish for your safe return.” The girl glanced behind Kazuya. “A ghost!” she shrieked, leaning back. They simultaneously retreated.

Kazuya looked behind him to see his father just opening the door, poking his head out. A very square face, like men’s wooden sandals. And he seemed angry. Upon seeing his youngest son surrounded by the girls, his face turned red.

“Kazuya! Are you playing with little girls again?!”

“Uh, no…”

“I was hoping you’d come back a bit more mature, but here you are, acting just like when you used to play dress-up and dolls with the girls in the neighborhood. Before you leave, go outside and do some dry towel rubbing! Dry towel rubbing! Be a man!”

“He’s being absurd again,” Kazuya mumbled.