Chapter 417 - The Handover
The master of the room appeared almost immediately after I rang the bell.
He tilted his head in confusion, freezing in place with his hand on the open door, a look of 'what am I supposed to do now' on his face. His reaction was, in every way, perfectly natural.
So, it was up to me to start the conversation.
"'Perhaps we'll see each other again' came sooner than expected, my apologies. I have something I'd like to discuss. Could you spare me a moment?"
I cut straight to the point, and he blinked a few times before answering—
"Um... I have plenty of time, but..."
He gave a verbal response right away, but then his gaze darted nervously between the inside and outside of his room.
He was likely worried not about the 'time,' but about the 'place.' For my part, I was relieved he wasn't the kind of smooth operator who would immediately say, "Of course, please come in," without a second thought.
However, I would not be holding back.
"Just inside the entryway would be fine, so could I trouble you for a moment...? I suppose that's still not okay?"
"Well, I mean... a lot of things about this probably aren't okay, but..."
He let out a deep sigh, his expression growing more troubled.
"It's about your best friend, isn't it? I'm sure you have a mountain of things you want to say, and I get the feeling it's a serious conversation..."
As he said that, he moved his body to the side, still holding the door.
"—Let's just call this a special invitation for her 'guardian.'"
The living room he led me to had the exact same layout as my friend's new home. It was impeccably clean... which might be a prejudiced thing to say, but it was spotless from corner to corner.
I had no doubt that my friend's room would be the messier one within a few days. The fact that he could keep things so tidy was a point in his favor.
...Not that I came here to act like a nagging sister-in-law.
"Here you go, if you'd like."
"Thank you, I will."
Was this something he kept for guests? He served me coffee in a stylish paper cup, the kind you'd see at a coffee shop chain. I thanked him—and swallowed a wry smile.
I could tell he was being considerate, but it was a bit excessive. Not only had he deliberately torn open a new sleeve of paper cups, but the way he'd prepared the coffee was telling.
He had made a point of keeping his hands visible the entire time, which made his movements seem oddly awkward. I figured out his intention right away.
I understood his reasoning given the circumstances, but his 'I'm harmless' appeal was so strong that it was making me feel guilty.
Nia had once let it slip that he was 'younger,' which automatically meant he was at least two years my junior... but frustratingly, he didn't look it at all.
Was this the gravitas of a famous ranker? Perhaps that was the only way to rationalize it. Still, as the one who had forced him into this position, I should at least apologize.
"I'm sorry for making you so cautious."
"Haha... well, I figured it was best to be thorough, to put us both at ease."
He said with a laugh, sitting across the table from me now. Just as before, ever since inviting me into the room, he'd maintained a 'wall' of furniture or other objects between us.
I felt a mix of gratitude, guilt, and pity.
I'd heard about the massive scandal he was currently embroiled in, so I felt a certain amount of sympathy for him. He must be going through a lot.
I'd had plenty of similar experiences with multiple people having feelings for me—on a different scale, of course—so... well, that was that.
"Alright then... let's hear what you wanted to talk about."
Since he seemed ready to listen, I decided to get straight to the point. I had told Nia I'd be right back, so I needed to be as quick as possible.
"So, to start... how much do you know about her circumstances?"
"About Nia, you mean. Regarding her real life, honestly, almost nothing."
When I tilted my head in response, he must have understood I was asking for details on the 'almost.'
"I've heard about her aphonia. I don't know when or why. I figured I didn't need to know for now, so I haven't asked."
"I see. For the record, she doesn't hide it from others. Lilia wouldn't mind either, so shall I explain?"
"Hmm...? No, if that's not the main point, then it's not necessary."
"...Ah, um, I'm sorry."
It wasn't that I was overstepping. It was a casual remark born from the certainty of our close relationship, from knowing what we both thought and what was permissible between us.
However, a third party wouldn't see it that way.
Even if I tried to keep a straight face, I couldn't fool myself when I was flustered. Uncharacteristically, I had misjudged the distance between us right from the start—
"Oh, no, it's not like I think 'I have to hear it from her herself' or anything. It's simply because I'm not interested, so it's not necessary."
As I tried to compose myself, he said that with a cool expression.
Strong words. But judging by his face, he chose them intentionally. As for what he meant... well, I'd put that aside for now.
His calm, chestnut-brown eyes urged me to continue.
"Well, you're right... the 'when' and 'why' don't really matter, but this is related to the fact that she lost her voice. As you wish, I'll skip the details."
"Hmm."
"To put it simply, I'm something of Lilia's guardian and supervisor. When she came to Japan because of her 'voice,' I was entrusted with her care since our families are close. That's the general gist of it."
"I see... so her parents are abroad in Russia?"
"Eli-san... Lilia's mother, yes. Her father is here in Japan, but he's a very busy man, always traveling around the country."
"I see. So here, Mitsueda-san is acting as the foreign young lady's guardian."
"That's about right."
".................."
".................."
"Um, but aren't you a busy person yourself?"
"Ahaha."
His question was perfectly valid. I had my own work and life, and couldn't be with my friend twenty-four-seven—but Nia wasn't a small child, either.
"She's a bit of a shut-in and rarely leaves the house... so as long as I can help when needed, it's not a problem. She's been here many times since she was little, so there were never any cultural or language barriers from the start."
On top of that, her previous residence was an apartment owned by the Saegusa family... or rather, my family. We naturally had rooms right next to each other, so there were no security issues or any other major hassles.
It had been three years since she came to Japan. The only 'care' I'd had to provide was calming her down during that whole first-love fiasco.
"—So, until now, she's been living peacefully on family property, but..."
"Moving here, that's no longer the case..."
"Or rather, the need for a handover has arisen."
At that, a look of understanding finally dawned on his face.
"Ah, I see... yeah, I think I get the gist of what you're trying to say."
He pushed his empty coffee cup to the side, and his eyes met mine directly. He was quick on the uptake, highly perceptive, and sincere in his demeanor.
Another point in his favor.
"She's that kind of girl, but she's actually quite put-together."
"I know. Sometimes she treats me like I'm the younger one."
"So I'm not that worried. Especially since the [Sword Queen] herself said 'I'll take full responsibility for her care.' I'm at the point where I can just say 'please take care of her' with peace of mind."
"Personally, Iris has been a bit out of control lately, so I'm not sure she's someone you can have peace of mind with... but you can trust the security here."
"Plus, her next-door neighbor is the reliable man she fell in love with at first sight, right?"
"That... so............"
Weak to surprise attacks—it seemed the intel was accurate.
As the young man showed an expression that screamed 'you got me,' I let out a small laugh and, as if just remembering, took off the sunglasses I'd been wearing.
"Not being able to speak brings a lot of anxiety and fear. So, as much as you can, please don't leave her alone... that's what I wanted to say."
"............"
"Thankfully, I was given a guest pass, so I'll come visit sometimes. Still, she's no longer within my immediate reach like before."
I met his sincere gaze and lowered my head.
"Please take care of Lilia."
I had no intention of being sly and implying a double meaning.
When I raised my head, the expression on his face showed that he had understood that perfectly, but... as expected, he looked utterly troubled.
"I feel like I'm not the right person to be asked, or to answer..."
"Fufu, I know... but I wanted to ask you."
"Why's that?"
"That's obvious, isn't it?"
Our exchange of intentions was complete. The tense atmosphere dissolved as if on cue, and we both relaxed our tones of speech.
How could anyone refuse such a request? With a gentle, wry smile, Saegusa Hiyori turned to her best friend's crush and offered a mischievous grin.
"Because you're the gentleman that my friend—whose judgment of character I trust more than anyone in the world—fell in love with at first sight."
She wore a triumphant smile that strongly resembled her friend's, a trait passed down from one or the other. The coffee she finally reached for, though slightly cooled, was still quite delicious.
He makes good coffee.
Another point in his favor.
As for the omitted details, she'll probably talk about them herself eventually.