Leave a comment

Exiting the principal’s office, Sakiko and her daughter Misaki were waiting for us outside. Misaki also works as a Kisaragi family maid but since she’s constantly expressionless, it’s not easy to understand what she’s thinking.

Her expression never changed no matter what Kotone would say to her, she’s a really mysterious person.

「Go assist Kotone.」

Just like Aiba and Minagawa, the two of them sandwiched me and helped me walk. Personally, I don’t have any problem with walking as long as I have crutches but I’m grateful for their consideration so I can’t really complain.

Instead of the academy’s entrance, we headed to the parking lot. It seems like Misaki has already picked up my belongings, since they’re inside the car.

「Drive to Kotone’s apartment.」
「We’re not going to the mansion?」
「Do you want to?」
「Frankly speaking, I’d rather not.」

Honestly speaking, it’s suffocating just being there. Kotone would probably go happily but I have so many issues with that place, I really don’t want to go. Moreover, if I go there, I’ll inevitably encounter father.

I’d rather see anyone but him.

「I suppose your sickness is finally cured then.」

I guess mother noticed it. The reason why Kotone was behaving the way she was. Still, her scolding was too light. There’s no way that Kotone would stop from a mild warning. Besides, she hasn’t done anything to solve the root of the problem.

That’s exactly why Kotone’s actions escalated, only worsening her relationship with that man. And this resulted in her suicide.

「Aren’t you curious about what I’ve discussed with the principal?」
「Instead of talking here in the car, let’s discuss in my room. There, we can relax and talk openly and honestly.」
「That is true.」

Up until now, I don’t think that Kotone and her mother have had an open and honest conversation with each other. In the end, Kotone started avoiding her mother and her mother didn’t try to confront her when this happened. This was another reason their relationship soured.

Kotone turning out the way she did was undoubtedly due to her parents but personally, I think that a part of it was her own fault as well. First, she should have at least listened. She shouldn’t have dismissed other people’s opinions without even considering them.

After that, we reached the apartment without any further conversation and after mother greeted the manager, we headed to my room.

「Now, shall we start then? What do you want to ask first?」
「Before that, there is something I’d like to confirm. Back in the car, you weren’t lying when you agreed to talk openly and honestly, were you?」

Depending on her reaction, how I’ll interact with her will change. I have a lot of things to say to her. If she doesn’t show any reaction to what I’m about to say, then I’m going to have her leave now. After all, there’s no need to talk to someone like that.
But if she reacts, I’ll push through. I’ll grill her on the things that Kotone didn’t find weird for some reason.

「No, I wasn’t.」
「Then please stop that hamfisted acting of yours. It’s irritating to see.」
「Eh-」
「Neither father nor his people are present here. There’s no need to pretend anymore, so please be true to yourself.」

Her tone, even when reprimanding Kotone, was monotonous and didn’t have any emotion behind it at all. And when interacting with her, it’s like she always has a mask on. The last time, and only times, Kotone remembers seeing her show her emotions were back then when Kotone was young and still normal.

When Kotone started going crazy, mother’s behaviour changed as well. The reason for that is undoubtedly Kotone but the fundamental cause was someone else.

「Uhh, you noticed it, Kotone?」
「Rather, I was stupid for not noticing it earlier. Misaki, how was mother’s acting?」
「It was quite the hammy acting.」

Misaki was the one that spoke her mind the most. She’s probably the only person that could say “You’re stupid, milady.” right in front of the crazy Kotone’s face. The fact that she said it without being afraid of getting fired is a positive in my book. Though Kotone was completely furious about it. Really, it’s a mystery how she didn’t get fired that time but I suspect that mother did something.

And the said mother in question is currently bursting with tears.

「Uwa~ah! Kotone was, Kotone was properly paying attention to me!」
「Congratulations, madam.」

Sobbing loudly, mother clings on to Sakiko. As I thought, this is the real her, huh. To start, it’s just weird. She still showed emotions when Kotone was a child, but a while after Kotone went mad, she started wearing the mask she has on right now.

She probably had some sort of internal change but I can’t say that it worked for the better. Besides, I only noticed it after seeing a memory Kotone had when she started avoiding mother.

「Some time ago, I once saw you embrace the twins crying after I rejected you. Honestly speaking, I should have noticed it that time.」

I became certain after seeing that scene. Incidentally, the “twins” refer to Kotone’s sister and brother two years younger than her. Currently, they should be in their third year of middle school. Next year, they might enroll in the academy but it’s unrelated to me right now. I have my hands full with my own problems, I don’t have the time to be worried about them.

Honestly speaking, the Kisaragi family is troublesome. In a lot of ways.

「Um, Kotone? There’s something I want to confirm if you don’t mind. How do you think of your father?」
「If I had to be honest, more of an enemy. I personally loath calling that my father. Also, my father complex is cured now, so please don’t worry.」

I recall the main motivation for Kotone’s actions. The driving force of her actions is her desire to see and talk to her father. But no matter how good Kotone’s grades were, no matter how much the people around her praised her, the father in question didn’t show any interest in her at all.

As if this was only natural for someone born from the Kisaragi family. But after failing just once, her actions shifted in a different direction. That’s because her father would see her when she failed. Of course, to scold her. How could you commit such a mistake as a Kisaragi, he said.

There, Kotone realized. If she fails, they can meet. If she sullies her reputation, they can talk. Frankly speaking, she got twisted.

「What a relief. I’m glad that Kotone is one of the Kisaragi’s to return to sanity.」
「Wait a minute. Don’t tell me that every member of the Kisaragi family is like how I was before?」
「Bloodlines are scary, aren’t they?」

Oi. That’s beyond troublesome now. What the heck. I completely assumed that Kotone was the only twisted one but it seems like it’s a problem for everyone in the Kisaragi family. Eh? Wait, then my father has a father or mother complex too? He always warns us to respect the family’s honor, but isn’t he a big issue as well?

「And what about father and grandfather?」
「My husband has an incurable mother complex while the grandsire had a sister complex for his older sister but returned to sanity.」
「I’m surprised they even got married and had children.」

While at my wit’s end, I asked her directly. Oi, the only decent ones were those that were from outside the family, aren’t they? There’s a lot of problems in the Kisaragi bloodline. Well, I can’t quite call mother decent, huh. Considering this, the twins probably have some sort of issue too.