Chapter 14: Salon

After the entrance ceremony ended, Satsuki quickly entered the classroom and calmly took a seat. There was no point in going to where her parents were. They were probably engaged in greeting other families right now. She’d just be treated as a bother if she went, so waiting alone in the classroom was a better option. However, there was someone who greeted her.

“Ah! Saionji Satsuki-chan!”

“Huh…?”

At hearing her name, she looked over… and a girl with almost artificial beauty stood in front of her. The girl’s face and body weren’t the only beautiful things about her. Everything about her was beautiful: from the mysterious atmosphere she was clad in that reached her fingertips and even breathing, to her every gesture. 

Light reflected off her long flowing black hair, which held not a single imperfection. When she stared at Satsuki with those big black eyes that seemed to swallow her in, it felt like the girl could see to the very bottom of her soul. She walked soundlessly, her back ruler straight; the way she walked was even more excellent than an example from an etiquette teacher.

“I’m in the same class as you, Satsuki-chan! That’s great!”

When Satsuki heard that beautiful girl say that to her while smiling brightly, she finally returned to reality. She had been fascinated by that girl, and so hadn’t been thinking about anything.

“Um…? Who are you?”

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“Saionji-san, please be my friend.”

“What…?”

Hearing her suddenly say that, Satsuki blanked out. She didn’t think that there’d be a person who’d actually say “I want us to be friends”. This was useful information. Maybe the person called Kujou Sakuya didn’t need to be marked, but the Kujou family’s position had its uses. Satsuki, having judged that, accepted Sakuya’s offer to be friends.

“Haha… then, you and I are friends now, Kujou-san.”

“Aah! Call me Sakuya.”

“Understood, Sakuya-san. Then, please call me Satsuki.”

She’d been using the honorific “-san” on purpose since earlier, but Sakuya hadn’t reacted. Thinking about it normally, Sakuya was a person one had to call ‘Kujou-sama’ or ‘Sakuya-sama’. Even so, Satsuki had understood that Sakuya, who hadn’t even reacted to being addressed using “-san”, was someone who didn’t need to be marked. Even so…

“Nice to meet you, Satsuki-chan.”

“…”

Instead of getting mad at Satsuki for addressing her as “-san”, Sakuya called her “-chan”. And, her face said that Satsuki should address her as “-chan” too. She called Sakuya “Sakuya-san”, but she returned with “Satsuki-chan”. Sakuya was unmistakably demanding Satsuki to call her “-chan” as well. Her face was, more than anything, filled with hope.

“Please take care of me, Sakuya…-chan.”

“—ah! Yes!”

Friendships were just surface relationships. They were made for both parties to use each other as they saw fit. But even so… but even though it was supposed to be like that… Satsuki had noticed her face had turned red for some reason and was confused on why.

　　～～～～～～～

Touka Academy had begun. The first to arrive in the classroom, Satsuki, was just calmly going to her seat and sitting down. There was someone who went over to her, with who no one had attempted to start a conversation.

“Greetings, Sakuya-chan.”

“Satsuki-chan, greetings.”

Kujou Sakuya, who she had become friends with on the previous day. She could relax with this girl. She didn’t need to be marked, so Satsuki could just feign friendliness like always. After they finished greeting each other, Sakuya headed to her seat. After a while, a very noticeable person entered the classroom.

Tokudaiji Azami… a dangerous person, the one who she needed to place the strictest watch on currently.

Azami greeted the class and got responses from here and there. Everyone was buttering up Tokudaiji Azami, but this was desperation. Right now, she was said to be the person closest to becoming “Queen”. She was the person Satsuki had to be the most cautious of.

“Azami-chan, greetings.”

“Hmph!”

Even Sakuya tried to curry favour with Azami and greeted her. Azami had ignored her with a “Hmph”, but Satsuki was feeling sick to her chest for reasons that even she couldn’t understand.

Sakuya, who had tried to curry favour with that girl, was Sakuya, and Azami, who had ignored Sakuya on purpose, was Azami. She didn’t know why, but she felt irritated for some reason. With those ill feelings, she listened to class on the first day.

　　～～～～～～～

Classes had finally ended. But, Satsuki’s own performance was starting from now on.

“Sakuya-chan, you’re going to the salon, right? Would you like to go together?”

“Satsuki-chan! Then, let us go.”

She had called out to Sakuya, and they both headed to the Five Norths Association’s salon. Sakuya herself was nonchalant without a single trace of nervousness, but Satsuki could use her position as the young lady of the Kujou family. Useful things should be used whenever possible, so she accompanied Sakuya to the Five Norths club salon. They saw someone looking nervous in front of the door.

“Azami-chan!”

“…why’re you here? This is the Five Norths club salon. Unrelated persons can’t go in.”

Sakuya greeted Azami but was insulted with harsh words. However, Azami was still clearly relieved. Entering the Five Norths salon alone was probably stressful. She could understand those feelings. After all, Satsuki felt like that too and so invited Sakuya. Maybe if Sakuya hadn’t come with her, Satsuki still would’ve been sitting in the classroom, feeling anxious.

“Sakuya-chan’s also a related person, so isn’t it alright?”

“Hmph! You too… this is the only time you can get carried away.”

Azami snapped at Satsuki’s words. There wasn’t a huge difference in their family status. Their families were both part of the Seven Shining and had about the same family status, with one difference. Azami was said to be the current leader in the fight to be the Queen, and Satsuki couldn’t let her continue having that huge lead.

“Uh… now, now, both of you… let’s not stay here, and enter the salon, alright?”

Saying that, Sakuya opened the door to the Five Norths Association salon without a hint of hesitation. It was a  massive door with a hanging wisteria and peony carved on it, one even someone part of the Seven Shining would be in awe at.

Satsuki and Azami both forgot their glares and war of words and had stiffened. The place they could see beyond the door seemed like a completely different world. In that extravagant and calm room, elegant and refined upperclassmen were relaxing. Once Sakuya opened the door, the upperclassmen noticed, paying attention to the three of them.

“Y-You get in first.”

“No, no, you were the one waiting in front of the door, correct? Please go ahead.”

Satsuki and Azami both had stiff smiles on their faces as they forced the other to go in first… or rather, made mutual concessions.

They had met almost all the upperclassmen inside. Most of the people entering the Five Norths Association had seen each other at parties, so there was almost no one they didn’t know. It was normal that they’d at least met each other, even if they weren’t friendly.

Even so, they were nervous to enter the Five Norths Association salon. It could be said that the people who’d control Japan in the future were gathered in that room. This wasn’t like being in a crowd at a party. This was a place where people who would influence the future of this country interacted. One couldn’t just casually walk in knowing that. That should’ve been true, but…

“…”

With a sidelong glance at Azami and Satsuki, Sakuya confidently entered the room, accepted some tea, and sat down in a corner. That confident demeanor fit her far too much. Satsuki wasn’t the only one thinking that; Azami also lost her words at seeing Sakuya.

“Newcomers, I see. Welcome. Then, come over here. Please introduce yourselves.”

“Y-Yes!”

An upperclassman called to both of them, who were frozen in front of the door. They stiffened and entered the Five Norths Association salon, and introduced themselves in front of the watching upperclassmen.

“I am Tokudaiji Azami! Please take care of me!”

“I am Saionji Satsuki. Please take care of me as you see fit.”

“It’s been a while, Azami-chan. Last time I saw you was at that party?”

“Satsuki-chan, let’s go over here and talk.”

After both of them finished their introductions, the upperclassmen who knew them called to them. There were factions even here: the groups one was close with and the groups where that wasn’t the case. 

The Five Norths club would band together and deal with an enemy from the outside, however, the club itself wasn’t all unified. There were many differences in position depending on the company one’s parents were affiliated with, and the nature of one’s relationship with the other party.

“Hey, that girl didn’t introduce herself, is that okay? Can you do that?”

Azami asked a question to the upperclassmen around her about Sakuya, who was sitting alone in a corner quickly drinking tea. Basically, she was trying to suggest that because Sakuya hadn’t introduced herself, she was someone with bad manners. However, they all just glanced at each other, and not a single person replied to Azami.

“Aah, sorry I’m late. Oh? Looks like more newcomers have come.”

“Ah! Yoshizane-sama! Greetings!”

Azami’s expression effortlessly changed at seeing the slightly-late Kujou Yoshizane and she greeted him. Azami was aiming for Konoe Ibuki, who held the highest family status, but if she couldn’t get him, just securing Yoshizane would be quite amazing.

“Azami-chan, welcome. Satsuki-chan, I look forward to getting to know you.”

“Yes. Please take care of me.”

Azami wanted to get closer to Yoshizane and talk to him more, but he walked past Azami and the others and briskly walked to the corner. Sakuya, who didn’t introduce herself earlier, was sitting there and drinking tea. Azami, thinking that he’d definitely berate Sakuya about her lack of manners, was watching hopefully, but her hopes were instantly dashed.

“Sakuya, you already got here. I thought you wouldn’t come, so I even went to your classroom.”

“Brother… mother has already decided on the times when I should return home and take lessons and had also emphasised going to the salon quite a lot, but I hadn’t assumed that I didn’t have to truly attend…”

She couldn’t hear their conversation clearly. The only thing that she could understand was that they were on good terms. She’d also heard a word that she couldn’t disregard. Sakuya had just called Yoshizane “Brother”. She had unmistakably called him that. She understood only that.

“Yoshizane-sama is… her brother…?”

Azami, whose confusion was at its peak, dumbfoundedly watched the two of them while muttering that. 

“Would you not normally notice when someone says ‘Kujou’ Sakuya? I had thought that even you, someone who does not gather information, would have been capable of that amount of thought…”

“——huh!?”

As Satsuki said that to her… she finally arrived at an idea. There were many people with similar-sounding names as well as relatives in this area. If you traced the beginnings of the families, you’d find that most of them were related somewhere. So, she didn’t care much about similar-sounding names.

In the first place, Azami, Satsuki, and Sakuya should have all debuted at some party once they came of age. It was impossible that someone hadn’t gone to a single high-society party by that age. So, she had thought that Sakuya, who she hadn’t met at a single party, wasn’t someone she should even introduce herself to. But… if Sakuya was the young lady of the Kujou family…

“What… please wait… why hasn’t she appeared in high society at this age… Is she actually…? Part of the Five Norths families…?”

“Have you seriously not noticed?”

Satsuki looked at Azami like she was looking at a pitiable person, and Azami was not having that.