Chapter 59: Heavy Breathing

Lately big sister Sakuya and Saionji Satsuki were having a suspicious relationship. That was what Azami thought. 

Saionji Satsuki had used to glance at big sister Sakuya like she was examining her. But now… her gazes were filled with a strange heat. That wasn’t Azami’s imagination. Azami knew. Azami, Tsubaki, and Akane looked at her the same way. Because everyone was thinking the same thing, they knew what it meant when other people made those eyes.

Why so suddenly…? When on earth…?

Her suspicions immediately cleared. Thinking back, Saionji Satsuki’s attitude had suddenly changed after she’d gone to play with big sister Sakuya. Saionji Satsuki had started to look at her passionately after that.

What on earth had happened… What had those two done while they played together…

If only she went too, even if she had to cancel all her plans. It was too late to regret it now, but she was a little resentful of herself for putting up resistance just because she had to play with Satsuki. She hadn’t thought that something like that would happen after they played only once.

Saionji Satsuki was Azami’s arch-nemesis. Even before they both entered Touka Academy, she got in a bad mood whenever she saw Satsuki at a party.

Saionji Satsuki faked indifference and didn’t say anything obvious. But she clearly viewed Azami and her group of followers with animosity. She was clearly an enemy.

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(Gp lmrlnvle sq ckt pkpvla Fyjwuy!)

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That was good. This was just one of the events that showed big sister Sakuya’s brilliance. The problem was…

“Hang on… you… what have you done with Sakuya-sama?”

“*sigh*…”

Once Azami started a conversation with Satsuki, Satsuki had averted her blatant stare and let out a sigh. How irritating.

“Hang on! What was that sigh!”

“I was merely acting as I was before?”

She definitely hated this girl!

While Azami thought that, she didn’t voice the words. Saying that so blatantly would be an admission of defeat. She had to speak elegantly, like a young lady, and not express her blatant dislike or exchange dirty words.

“*inhale*… *sigh*… greetings, Saionji-san. You seem to have grown rather attached to Kujou Sakuya-sama after you played with her. What were you both playing?”

She calmed down and started over. Acting refined with Satsuki should work.

“*sigh*… Well, it is fine… Tokudaiji-san, you seem to have made a few misunderstandings. Sakuya-chan and I did not do anything, nor did anything change. She is merely one of my classmates. All that we had done was go to the town to shop.”

She nonchalantly said that they just went shopping. That couldn’t have happened. She didn’t think they’d grow so close because of that. This was Saionji Satsuki, the girl who’d plan something behind the scenes and keep it close.

Saionji Satsuki, who acted like others were proper friends on the surface but made plans for their decline inwardly, couldn’t have become this close to someone after a single shopping trip.

“You…! Huh…?”

When she was about to get mad at Satsuki… Azami thought “Wait?” and stopped. Maybe… maybe Satsuki wasn’t aware of it herself? Azami was the same. She didn’t easily bend to big sister Sakuya’s will or acknowledge her feelings at first.

Maybe Saionji Satsuki was the same and hadn’t noticed her own feelings. The higher possibility was that she didn’t acknowledge them. Azami thought that.

Then, the matter was simple. She didn’t need to say unnecessary things to Satsuki right now. If the people around her said unnecessary things, she’d become overly aware and realise her own feelings. So Azami would leave it alone. She wouldn’t mind if it was Tsubaki or Akane, but it’d be a problem if Satsuki joined the battle for big sister Sakuya. Azami would get a huge head-start in the time that Satsuki arrived late.

It’d be better if Satsuki didn’t face her own feelings forever so Azami could get her headstart. She didn’t need to show humanity towards her enemy. Azami was head-over-heels for big sister Sakuya right now. Since Satsuki would be late in noticing her own feelings, she’d come between them later… and Azami would have to make big sister Sakuya completely her own.

“I am sorry. It is fine. Then, farewell.”

“Farewell…”

Satsuki’s gaze followed Azami, who was suddenly in a good mood.

　　～～～～～～～

She was curious if something had happened between Satsuki and big sister Sakuya. But since Satsuki was acting like that, there was probably nothing definite. Then, it was nothing. It was her turn now.

“Fufufu… ufufu!”

Azami skipped down the hallway. Today was the day she’d be intruding into the Kujou house. It was unfortunate that the day they could play was a weekday, but today was different from the last time they’d played. This time, she and big sister Sakuya would be completely alone. She’d even be going to her house. She could go into big sister Sakuya’s room.

Alone in her room. Alone with big sister Sakuya.

“Ufufu… ahahaha!”

She needed to hurry and get home to prepare… what had happened between Satsuki and big sister Sakuya was definitely minor. From now on, she and big sister Sakuya would be alone in a room together. Azami, ignoring the startled looks she received from others, laughed as she hurried to the roundabout while skipping.

　　～～～～～～～

Azami, who’d arrived at the Kujou family house, was guided inside by a maid. Big sister Sakuya was waiting at the entrance when Azami had arrived. She was wearing Western-style clothes today. She looked good in a kimono, but also looked cute in Western-style clothes. She resisted the urge to hug her right now.

If no one else was there, she might’ve hugged her, but the lady of the Kujou household was there. She couldn’t act like that in front of her.

No matter what, she’d be alone with big sister Sakuya in her room, so there was no need to hurry. Just a little longer… If she was patient until she arrived at big sister Sakuya’s room, they’d be alone together.

She greeted Mrs. Kujou, then walked with big sister Sakuya alone to her room… which was supposed to happen. Even so, a young maid was following behind them for some reason. Why was that maid here? They were inside the house, so Azami wanted to tell her to make the smart move and go somewhere, but she obviously couldn’t say those blunt words.

The maid was also one she’d constantly seen. That maid always stuck to big sister Sakuya when she was going to and from school. Azami’s sensors were telling her that this was someone to take note of, like Saionji Satsuki was earlier. She couldn’t underestimate this maid. She had to be careful.

“Welcome. This is my room.”

“Woah! Is this your room, big sister… Sakuya…?”

The room she was led to… was completely different from what she’d imagined. There wasn’t anything particularly strange. She just felt unbelievably uncomfortable. And Azami knew why immediately.

This room was extremely neat. The Western-style room had a carpet, a canopy bed, an antique table and chair, a study table, and a dresser; nothing was off about it. Right, everything was strange, because… she felt uncomfortable despite there being nothing weird about the room.

Azami’s room had various things laid around it, like cute accessories and stuffed toys, as well as cram school texts and study tools. Her favourite toys and accessories were placed on top of her bed, and her clothes were hung here and there.

That didn’t mean everything was dirty or that it wasn’t cleaned up. Her room was also arranged with everything neatly placed. No one would be able to say that her room was dirty or disorganised. But this room was different.

There were definitely paintings hung on the walls. There were flowers growing inside flower vases. Everything was neat. Too neat.

This room didn’t feel like it had been lived in, like a sample room or a room inside a model house. Sakuya had actually slept in this room. She’d studied here. She used it in her daily life. You could tell that this wasn’t a fake room just by looking at it. But there were clearly no signs that she’d lived in it.

There weren’t any random accessories, nothing was scattered around, and there were no signs of use. It was a space without a single thing irregular. It wasn’t a room a girl her age would have. The room was so neat that it was like one an adult would use to receive callers.

“Sakuya-sama… is this… how your room always looks like? Had it been cleaned before I arrived?”

Maybe… the room had been cleaned after Azami said she was coming over. But…

“…oh? Is it dirty? I am sorry. It is usually like this… I will clean up a little. Azami-chan, please wait for a short while.”

Sakuya, saying that, started cleaning up. But Azami didn’t know what or how she’d clean up. What would she be cleaning up in this too-neat room that had no signs of life in it?

“Big sister Sakuya!”

“Yes!”

At Azami’s suddenly loud voice, Sakuya jumped and stopped moving. Once she’d turned around, she noticed that Azami looked weird and ran up to her.

“Azami-chan? What has happened? Are you feeling unwell?”

She said that worriedly. But that wasn’t true. The reason why she felt like she wanted to cry… was because she started wondering… “How much of herself was big sister Sakuya killing as she continued living?”.

She couldn’t say that. Girls their age wasn’t permitted to act their own age and had to spend their time in a room without excess accessories, stuffed animals, or anything.

Azami had also thought she’d been raised that harshly. She had thought that. But if she said she’d wanted toys, she’d get them. If she said she wanted to play, she could go play. But what about Sakuya? This room containing not a single unnecessary thing said…

It was definitely beautifully clean. But this wasn’t a room for a first grader. Azami had visited the rooms of some of her other classmates, but none of them were like this. 

Everyone had accessories they liked, stuffed toys, and character goods laid out; they lived in rooms overflowing with life. Sakuya was forbidden even that.

Sakuya’s conduct was beautiful. Her normal behaviour was composed. Too composed. Azami knew that she got outstanding results in both physical education lessons and in studying. But why was that? She sacrificed her whole life to act like a young lady. At any time, and even in her own room, she had to embody a young lady. She was not permitted to rely on others at all.

Because big sister Sakuya had gone that far, she was able to be worthy of being big sister Sakuya. She’d finally realised that. Her own efforts were nothing compared to big sister Sakuya’s efforts. How could she have envied big sister Sakuya for that, even temporarily? It was just her own lack of effort.

“Are you alright? Azami-chan? Would you like to rest? Over here… I apologise for using my bed, but perhaps lie down here..”

As Azami indulged in reverie, Sakuya took her hand and laid her down on her bed. At that moment, everything that Azami had been thinking flew out the window.

“Fuwaah! Big sis Sakuya’s bed! Big sis Sakuya’s smell! Hmm! Haaah! Hmmm! Haah! Ahhh!”

The moment she was laid down on the bed, Azami stuffed her face in the bed and pillows and took deep breaths, hugged the duvet with all her strength, and rolled around on top of the bed.