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Reiko’s Manners

Chapter 74

Treat me to a Ko-Fi to give me more motivation!!!

*****

Right now, I am standing in front of my mother's grave. Mother is buried neither in the Kujouin family grave nor in the Kiryuu family grave.

The one who erected this grave was my father. I was relieved to see that he had at least fulfilled that much of his duty. Furthermore, it seems the chief priest of this temple is my mother's childhood friend. Yes, the very man my mother had reportedly contacted before she was put up for auction.

After cleaning my mother's grave, I drew water into a wooden bucket, ladled it over the tombstone to purify it, and laid out flowers, water, and offerings. Then, I lit incense. Speaking of incense, my father used to sell these sticks for ten dollars apiece. I think that is exceedingly stingy. Truly, utterly stingy. Holding such thoughts, I placed my hands together in prayer. Beside me, Comrade Yoshio stared affectionately at the tomb. It seemed he loved even the tombstone itself. Comrade Yoshio's love was far too deep. Just then, a monk approached us. According to Comrade Yoshio, he is my mother's childhood friend.

「Hey there, Michael! Is this young lady Ruriko's daughter?」

「How do you do? I am Reiko Kujouin.」

「My, she is so beautiful and polite that it's hard to believe she's Ruriko's child. I am Ryukou Hirai.」

「I was hoping you might share some stories of my mother during her lifetime. Do you have some time?」

「Yes, yes, of course I do.」

We entered an extraordinarily modern building standing right beside the main hall, which looked rich in history. The sense of incongruity was immense.

「I designed it myself, you see. I used to work as an architect. Truth be told, I never intended to become a monk, but well, various things happened, and I ended up taking over the temple.」

The modern building seemed to serve as the base of living for Chief Priest Hirai. We were shown into a reception room. Somehow, the building felt like an attempt to pay way too much respect to Mr. Kenzo Tange. Lacking any sense of originality, it struck me as rather banal instead. (...Even if I am cynical from heartbreak, that is a terrible way to talk. I hate myself for becoming so ill-natured.)

Incidentally, I prefer buildings designed by Mr. Arata Isozaki. Of course, I have only looked at photography collections of architecture at the Hanaoka Town Public Library. All of those expensive art-related books had been donated by Comrade Yoshio, thinking that I might possess an artistic talent like my mother.

Chief Priest Hirai was two years younger than my mother Ruriko and was her childhood friend. At the time, the Kiryuu family apparently had a mansion near this temple, but it was surrendered when the bubble economy burst.

「Ruriko was a rather spacey girl. Her mouth was always half-open. But she wasn't stupid by any means; she was a gentle girl who was good at painting. Everyone loved Ruriko.」

Judging from Attorney Tamaru's tone, it seemed Mother had been physically intimate with this man as well, but was that really true? Naturally, I could not ask such a thing out loud.

「Reiko, if there is anything you want to ask, go ahead and ask.」

I decided to ask indirectly.

「What kind of relationship did you have with my mother?」

「Ah, I'm just one of the men comforted by her, same as Michael here. Please don't think of it as unclean. Every man saved by her is grateful to her.」

I was struck speechless. I didn't understand. Somehow, my mother felt like an even more distant existence.

「You probably can't understand it, Reiko-san, but Ruriko was a holy mother.」

「It seems my mother was a holy mother only to men, however.」

「That couldn't be helped. Other women were jealous of Ruriko and bullied her.」

「...It seems the friend who provided the catalyst for Mother being sold at auction was a woman as well.」

「She was likely set up. Similar things happened several times in the past, with women making false accusations about her stealing their men. Women are scary.」

「I find Mother far scarier. In the first place, it was brought about by Mother's own careless behavior.」

As expected, I could not understand Mother, nor did I wish to. I thought her unclean, and I thought her foolish. Even after listening to the rest of his story, I was unable to view my mother in a favorable light.

Having finished listening to the story, I offered my thanks to Chief Priest Hirai and took my leave.

I asked Comrade Yoshio if he felt no jealousy when meeting a man who had been intimate with Mother.

「I don't. It's something not just you, Reiko, but other women probably won't understand either, but she was a woman whose gentleness enveloped wounded men.」

Comrade Yoshio smiled. I had lost to Mother.

(Even so, am I just going to cast away my feelings of love like this?)

(Even if I know I will never be loved as a woman, I shall convey these feelings. I feel pity for my love.)

Comrade Yoshio walked me all the way to the front door of my apartment room.

Before reaching out my hand to the doorknob, I looked up at Comrade Yoshio's face.

「Comrade Yoshio. I love you.」

Comrade Yoshio showed no surprise and smiled gently.

「I noticed it vaguely. The way you looked at me changed recently, Reiko. But to me, you are a daughter. I will never view you as a woman. Still, thank you for loving me.」

Comrade Yoshio patted my head.

「I was thinking it was about time for me to set off on a journey as well. You are no longer alone, Reiko. You have family and friends. My role is complete.」

(I don't want to part from you! No!)

Tears came spilling out.

「Don't cry, Reiko. Next time, instead of an old man like me, fall in love with a fine young man.」

I shook my head. (No, if it isn't Comrade Yoshio, I don't want it!)

「I won't comfort you, Reiko.」

「I don't want to! Don't go anywhere!」

Like an unreasonable child. Even though I used to be an exceedingly sensible child.

「Reiko, be happy.」

Saying only that, Comrade Yoshio departed. I entered my room and broke down crying again. Esidisi from 'JoJo' cried and cried to clear his emotions and shift his mindset, and I cried so much that I wondered if it were even possible to cry any more than this.

My first love had truly come to an end.

Starting the next day, the same unchanging days continued once more. Going to the academy, playing the piano, and occasionally visiting Landlady. The preparations for moving into our new home were complete as well. I also rented a grand piano. I want to take my time when purchasing one. After all, it is a lifetime investment.

The following week, I moved into the new home accompanied by Landlady. Extremely, exceedingly regrettably, my father was discharged from the hospital alongside her!

That tenacious father of mine is still alive. Instead of staying hospitalized, a doctor comes to our home every day for house calls. It is truly suspicious whether he actually has terminal cancer or not.

Freshly heartbroken, I hated the thought of being affected by the newlywed couple's PDA, so aside from playing the piano, I spent my time constructing a drum-can bath, crafting a privacy screen out of bamboo, and repairing the hearth. On top of that, I utilized a drum can to make an extraordinarily cute little charcoal kiln.

Since a surveillance system had not been established for the drum-can bath, I bathed in a swimsuit. Though I couldn't attend pool classes due to being hospitalized, a school swimsuit had been issued to me as well. However, taking a bath in a school swimsuit is somehow utterly bland. I wish to bathe in the nude as soon as possible.

Incidentally, because our home has two live-in maids, three commuting maids, and two bodyguard-cum-drivers, there is very little for me to do. Thus, I devoted myself entirely to playing music and manual labor.

Most of the friends I made at the academy are abroad. Speaking on the phone nearly every day with Sara-chan in Nice, France, was enjoyable in its own right, but it turned out to be a salty summer vacation, quite different from the one I had imagined.

*****

Such a cliché rejection scene.

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