Chapter 305: Is This the Dignity of the Main Heroine? (Patreon)

On a television station's evening news program, the host and two guests launched into a heated debate on the topic.

One guest was a cultural critic, and his view was clear.

"There's no need to make a special point of emphasizing 'domestic' children's literature. A good story transcends borders — it's enough for children to read a good story, no matter what country it comes from."

The other guest, a child psychologist, pushed back.

"I disagree. Cultural identity begins forming in childhood."

"If a child grows up reading nothing but foreign stories, he'll subconsciously come to see foreign ways of life and values as the standard, and treat things from his own country as the exception."

"That's not good for building a child's cultural confidence."

The cultural critic held his ground. "Forcing the promotion of domestic children's literature will backfire if the quality isn't there."

"So quality is still what matters," the child psychologist said.

"That's why I think Tsushima-sensei's latest attempt is so meaningful."

"It could well drive the development of the entire domestic children's literature scene, because his influence is large enough to draw more attention to this field."

At the end of the debate, the host offered a summary.

"Whatever the case, Tsushima-sensei's The Little Prince has already succeeded."

"As for whether it can lift the fortunes of Japanese children's literature as a whole, that's a question only time can answer."

A hint of chill rode the morning breeze as it swept through the quiet streets of Bunkyo Ward, stirring up a few fallen leaves that had already begun to yellow.

Maruzen Marunouchi Main Store.

Tsushima Kagami stood at the entrance of the bookstore, gazing at the new book displayed in the window, silent for a long while.

The cover was pale blue, with a small figure painted at its center, standing on a tiny planet, a cape fluttering in the wind.

In the upper right corner were printed the words — The Little Prince.

Below it were the credits: written by Tsushima Kagami, illustrated by Sawamura Sayuri.

He reached out and, through the glass, lightly touched the name.

"Kagami, why'd you run off ahead!"

Hiratsuka's voice came from behind him, a little out of breath.

Kagami turned around and saw Hiratsuka and Yukinoshita Shizuku hurrying toward him.

Yukinoshita Shizuku walked beside her, her pace as unhurried as ever.

Nayotake trailed along at Yukinoshita Shizuku's side.

"You vanished the second I looked away — I thought aliens had abducted you."

Hiratsuka came up beside him and followed his gaze to the book in the window, her expression shifting from complaint to something more wistful.

"So this is the one Sayuri spent the whole summer drawing?"

Kagami nodded.

"Over a hundred and forty illustrations, all hand-drawn."

Hiratsuka let out a whistle.

"That girl really went all out."

Yukinoshita Shizuku stepped up to the window too, quietly studying the illustration on the cover for a moment before speaking.

"It's really well drawn."

"It's not the style she usually draws in."

"But you can tell she's gotten even better."

"Better than anything she's done before."

Kagami didn't answer, but the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

The three of them stood at the entrance, none of them in a hurry to go in.

Customers had already begun trickling in and out — mostly parents with children, though a few young people too.

"Let's go. Mr. Kobayashi and the others should already be here."

Kagami looked away and led the way toward the bookstore's entrance.

He pushed the door open, and the bell chimed brightly.

The store was livelier than he'd expected.

A long table stood at the center, stacked with several piles of The Little Prince, and beside it stood an elaborately made display board plastered with Sayuri's illustrations of the little prince.

A few children had gathered in front of the board, heads tilted up as they gazed at the pictures, chattering excitedly among themselves.

"Kagami!"

A familiar voice called out from the crowd.

Kagami turned toward the voice and saw Kobayashi Tomoaki striding out from the depths of the store.

He was wearing a dark gray suit today, with a light blue tie.

But the expression on his face looked less like an editor-in-chief and more like a father waiting to see his child's report card.

"Mr. Kobayashi, thank you for all your trouble these past few months."

Kagami went to meet him.

"Do we really need to be this formal with each other?"

Kobayashi looked him up and down, laughing.

"You've actually put on a bit of weight since I last saw you."

"The food's been too good lately."

Kagami glanced at Yukinoshita Shizuku beside him, a note of amusement in his voice.

Over the summer, whenever Yukinoshita Shizuku and the others were away, Kagami had slacked off again, getting by on instant noodles or delivery.

It was only after she came back that his meals returned to normal.

Kobayashi gave a knowing smile, dropped the subject, and stepped aside with a welcoming gesture.

"Kodansha's Director Watanabe has already arrived — he's waiting for you in the lounge inside."

"Also, Sawamura-sensei and her friends got here too, about fifteen minutes before you."

Kagami blinked in surprise.

"Sayuri's already here?"

"Yeah."

Kobayashi pointed toward the children's book section as he spoke.

Kagami followed his hand and, sure enough, spotted a familiar figure crouched in front of the display board, talking with a little girl in twin pigtails.

Kosaka Akane and Machida Sonoko were both keeping her company.

Sayuri was wearing a white Peter Pan-collar blouse today, paired with a pale pink pleated skirt, her long hair tied into two low pigtails that made her look a few years younger than she actually was.

She crouched at eye level with the little girl, holding a copy of The Little Prince open to a certain page, pointing at the illustration with a gentle smile.

The girl's mother stood nearby, smiling as she watched the two of them.

"So what happened after? Did the little prince go home?"

The girl's voice was bright and childlike.

"That, you'll have to read for yourself to find out."

Sayuri closed the book gently and handed it back to the girl.

"But I can tell you this much — it's a very, very warm story."

The girl took the book and hugged it to her chest, her eyes shining.

"Then I'm going to have Mommy read it to me!"

The girl's mother gave Sayuri a small bow, then took her daughter's hand and headed toward the register.

Sayuri stood up and watched them go before turning around, and immediately spotted Kagami's group standing by the entrance.

Her eyes lit up at once, then something seemed to occur to her.

She glanced at Akane and Sonoko beside her.

and her expression instantly smoothed back into neutrality.

Akane and Sonoko nodded, satisfied.

Only then did the three of them walk over to join Kagami's group.

"Yukinoshita, Shizu, Nayotake — it's been a while."

After exchanging greetings, they chatted for quite a while.

Only then did Sayuri turn her attention to Kagami, who'd been left standing off to the side.

She managed a polite smile, one that kept a careful distance.

"Kagami."

"Sayuri, congratulations."

"Compared to my story, your illustrations are the ones the kids love more."

"It's... it's not that big a deal."

Sayuri met Kagami's eyes for a moment, then looked away, a little stiffly.

"Did something happen while we were all away this summer?"

"Why does it feel like Sayuri's being a bit cold to Kagami?" Hiratsuka asked in a low voice, glancing at Akane and Sonoko.

Yukinoshita Shizuku and Nayotake both turned puzzled looks toward Sayuri as well.

"Oh, we're not really sure either — honestly, we barely saw Sayuri ourselves over the summer."

Akane hurried to explain.

"It was only at the doujin convention that we noticed something was off with her, but we couldn't get anything out of her."

Sonoko added quickly.

"So we're pretty sure it's got to be Kagami who upset her somehow!"

Akane and Sonoko said in unison.

"No way."

"Even if Kagami accidentally upset someone, he'd never fail to notice — he'd have fixed it right away."

"And Sayuri's not the type to stay mad at Kagami no matter how he tries to make it up to her."

Listening to Akane and Sonoko, Hiratsuka felt like none of it added up.

"Ahaha, well, we really don't know either."

For once, Akane and Sonoko lost their usual senpai composure and confidence, instinctively steering away from the topic.

As Yukinoshita Shizuku listened to all this, she glanced over at Sayuri's strained expression near Kagami, remembering how visibly happy Sayuri had looked upon first seeing him, and fell into a thoughtful look.

At last she turned to look at Shimizu Nayotake beside her.

Nayotake turned back to meet her gaze and offered a faint smile.

Something clicked between them, and Yukinoshita Shizuku turned her attention to Akane and Sonoko.

The moment their eyes met hers, the two of them looked away, a little guiltily.

The corner of Yukinoshita Shizuku's mouth curved up slightly, but she said nothing more.

Something occurred to Kagami as well.

"Mr. Kobayashi's still waiting for us — let's head to the lounge first."

As the group passed through the store, Kagami noticed several children already clutching copies of The Little Prince — some flipping through the pages, others hugging them close, reluctant to even break the seal.

One little boy crouched in a corner, staring at the first page for a long time before reaching out to gently touch the little figure's face on the cover.

Kagami's steps faltered for a moment before he walked on.

The lounge was on the second floor of the store, a small reception room furnished with a few sofas and a low table.

A tea set and a few plates of snacks sat on the table.

Someone had already arrived ahead of them.

A man who looked to be in his fifties sat on the sofa, wearing a navy suit jacket over a white shirt, with no tie.

His hair was streaked with gray, but he looked vigorous, and he sprang to his feet the moment he saw Kagami come in.

"Tsushima-sensei! I've heard so much about you!"

He strode over and offered his hand.

"I'm Watanabe Junichi from Kodansha's Children's Books Division. I'm handling the publication of The Little Prince this time."

Kagami shook his hand.

"Director Watanabe, thank you for your hard work."

"Not at all, not at all!"

Watanabe laughed heartily.

"Publishing your work is our honor, Tsushima-sensei."

He glanced at the group standing behind Kagami, his gaze lingering on Sayuri for a moment.

"And this must be Sawamura-sensei? The illustrations are wonderful!"

Sayuri stepped out from behind Yukinoshita Shizuku, a little embarrassed, and gave a small bow.

"Thank you... It's because Kagami's story was so good that I was able to draw those illustrations."

"You're too modest, too modest."

Watanabe waved a hand and gestured for everyone to sit.

"Kobayashi, sit down too, don't just stand there."

Kobayashi sat down beside Watanabe, while Kagami and Sayuri took the seats across from them.

Yukinoshita Shizuku, Hiratsuka, Nayotake, Akane, and Sonoko settled onto the sofas along the side.

A staff member came in to pour tea for everyone, then withdrew.

Watanabe picked up his teacup, took a sip, set it down, and looked at Kagami, his expression turning more serious.

"Tsushima-sensei, I'll get straight to it."

"The response to The Little Prince this time has been far better than we expected."

He pulled a document from the briefcase beside the sofa and opened it.

"We printed a hundred thousand copies for the first run, and nearly seventy thousand were sold on the day of release alone."

"For children's literature, that's an astonishing number."

"It just goes to show, you really are something, Tsushima-sensei."

Kagami smiled without a word, listening quietly.

"And it's not just the bookstore sales, either."

Watanabe kept flipping through the document.

"Our customer service lines haven't stopped ringing since yesterday — most of the calls are from school libraries and educational institutions asking about orders."

He looked up at Kagami, his eyes bright with the excitement of someone who'd struck treasure.

"Also, the response from North America has been enthusiastic too."

"Our colleagues at Kodansha North America report that bookstores there are even more interested in The Little Prince than they were in your Hear the Wind Sing trilogy."

Just a month earlier, after much inquiry, Kobayashi had settled on a few publishers specializing in children's literature.

But word had gradually spread through the industry that Kobayashi was scouting publishers for Kagami's new work, and that it happened to be children's literature — and in the end, their old friend Kodansha swooped in and snatched the deal.

Kodansha, despite being one of Japan's three major general publishing houses, also maintained a dedicated children's books division that had put out countless classic works of children's literature.

And Kagami's earlier collaboration with them on the Hear the Wind Sing trilogy had gone smoothly.

Kodansha also maintained overseas publishing operations, and it was Kodansha that had first opened the North American market for the Hear the Wind Sing trilogy.

That was what let North American readers discover this author from distant Japan in the first place, which in turn set the stage for Éditions Gallimard's Gaston to fly out to Japan later on.

So when word got out that Shinchosha's Kobayashi had no plans to publish the children's book himself,

Kodansha's children's literature division had specifically come knocking.

They promised an all-out promotional push, along with a simultaneous North American release.

After that, Kobayashi had asked Kagami for his thoughts, and Kagami had agreed at once to let Kodansha handle the publication of The Little Prince.

"It might be because parents in North America put more emphasis on early childhood education, so the audience for children's literature is broader, and it doesn't have the same high barrier to entry as literary fiction."

At that, Kagami finally spoke up.

"That's probably part of it."

Watanabe nodded.

"But mainly it's because Hear the Wind Sing succeeded in North America before, and then Snow Country, published there by Éditions Gallimard, became a huge hit."

"That's what made North American readers remember your name — and when they found out this new work was children's literature, their interest only grew."

Kagami neither confirmed nor denied it, and moved on.

"When's the North American release date?"

"Two weeks from now."

Watanabe answered without hesitation.

"The translation's already finished — done by the same team that translated the Hear the Wind Sing trilogy, so the quality is guaranteed."

Kagami nodded.

"Then I'll leave it in your hands."

Watanabe smiled and turned to Sayuri.

"Oh, right, Sawamura-sensei."

"Y-yes!"

Sayuri sat bolt upright out of reflex.

"Even though The Little Prince already comes with illustrations, it still ultimately falls into the category of literature."

"So really, it's better suited for adults to buy and read aloud to their children."

"Our editorial team all agrees that Sawamura-sensei's art style suits this story perfectly."

"So we've decided to strike while it's hot and put out a picture-book edition of The Little Prince right away."

"Would Sawamura-sensei be willing to take on the commission?"

"Oh, and the picture book will also be released in both Japan and North America simultaneously."

Sayuri opened her mouth, momentarily at a loss for words.

She turned to look at Kagami, her eyes carrying a look of "am I dreaming?"

Kagami gave her a small nod.

Sayuri took a deep breath, then turned to Watanabe and said earnestly.

"Thank you. I'd be happy to take on the commission."

Her voice trembled a little, but her tone was firm.

Watanabe nodded, checked his watch, and stood up.

"We'll go over the contract details with Sawamura-sensei later."

"It's about time — let's head down."

"There's a short media meet-and-greet coming up, followed by the book signing."

He looked at Kagami and Sayuri.

"Are the two of you ready?"

Kagami stood, straightened his shirt collar, and looked over at Sayuri.

Sayuri stood too, rubbing her palms against her skirt as if wiping away sweat.

"Let's go," Kagami said.

Sayuri nodded firmly.

The two of them walked out of the lounge side by side and down the stairs to the first floor.

Even from the stairs they could hear the noisy clamor below — it had grown even livelier than when they'd first arrived.

Kagami paused at the bottom of the stairs.

Through the gaps in the railing, he could see the scene inside the store.

A long line had formed at the register, everyone holding at least one copy of The Little Prince.

There were parents holding their children's hands, students with backpacks.

Some flipped through the pages, some whispered to each other, some held up cameras to take pictures.

A ring of children had gathered around the display board, one boy pressing his face against the glass, utterly absorbed in the illustration.

Kagami looked away and kept walking.

The media meet-and-greet was set up on a small open space near the store's entrance.

A few tables and chairs had been set up simply, covered with white tablecloths and adorned with a few bouquets of flowers.

Reporters from several outlets had already set up their cameras, a battery of lenses trained on the guest seats.

Kagami and Sayuri walked over and took their seats.

Yukinoshita Shizuku and Hiratsuka stood at the edge of the crowd, watching quietly.

Kobayashi and Watanabe stood off to the side, with a ring of store staff behind them, ready for anything unexpected.

Flashbulbs began to pop.

A bespectacled female reporter was the first to raise her hand.

"Tsushima-sensei, why did you choose to write a work of children's literature this time?"

Kagami thought for a moment before answering.

"Because I wanted to write a simple story."

"Simple?"

"Yes, a simple story."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the curious and scrutinizing eyes below the stage.

"Everything I've written before — whether Hear the Wind Sing or Snow Country — has dealt with fairly complicated things."

"Identity, loneliness, death, memory... these are important topics, but they're heavy."

"I wanted to write something less heavy."

"A story children could read, and adults too."

"A story that doesn't need much explaining — one you can understand just by feeling it."

The reporters scribbled quickly in their notebooks.

"So what do you think is the most important thing about children's literature?"

another reporter asked, raising a hand.

Kagami didn't hesitate.

"Sincerity."

"Don't shortchange your readers just because they're children."

"Don't assume children don't understand anything and just write carelessly."

"Children are more sensitive, smarter, and more perceptive than adults give them credit for."

"A good work of children's literature should be one that both adults and children can take something from."

A rustle of pens scratching against paper rose from the crowd.

"And what's your view on the current state of Japanese children's literature?"

The question left Kagami silent for a few seconds.

He thought back to the debate he'd seen on television earlier.

The experts in the studio had gone back and forth, analyzing why Japanese children's literature lagged behind that of Europe and America, why most of what filled bookstore shelves was imported translations of foreign fairy tales.

They'd said a great deal, yet somehow said nothing at all.

"I think..."

Kagami chose his words carefully.

"Literary fiction has the Akutagawa Prize, popular fiction has the Naoki Prize, mystery novels have the Edogawa Rampo Award."

"What about children's literature?"

"Yes, children's literature has plenty of its own awards too — the Shogakukan Children's Publishing Culture Award, the Sankei Children's Publishing Culture Award, the Japan Children's Literature Association Award, the Kodansha Publishing Culture Award for Children's Books and the Kodansha Picture Book Award, the Japan Picture Book Award, and more."

"But none of them get nearly enough attention — let alone compare to the ones I just mentioned."

"When an author writes children's literature, no one reports on it, no one talks about it."

"It doesn't pay well and it's hard to gain any recognition from it — so who's still willing to write it?"

He paused, his voice softening a little.

"I'm not saying you need material rewards to have the motivation to create."

"But if society as a whole doesn't value something, it's only natural that it withers away."

"I hope The Little Prince can be a good start."

"If this story can inspire more authors to write children's literature, more publishers to put it out, and more parents to buy it —"

"— then that would be enough."

The reporters fell silent for a moment, then applause broke out.

Kagami gave a small bow in response.

A third reporter raised a hand.

"Sawamura-sensei, you were responsible for all one hundred and forty-plus illustrations this time. How long did the whole process take?"

Sayuri picked up the microphone in front of her, her fingers trembling slightly.

But after taking a deep breath, her voice steadied.

"From before summer break, while I was still at school, through the whole summer — about three months, I think."

"How long did you draw each day?"

"Um... from morning until night, sometimes till dawn."

A few low murmurs of surprise rippled through the reporters.

Sayuri quickly added.

"But it wasn't because I was racing a deadline — I just couldn't stop, because drawing it made me so happy."

As she said it, she glanced instinctively at Kagami beside her, then quickly looked away.

The press event lasted about twenty minutes, and the book signing followed right after.

The signing line stretched from the store entrance out onto the street, curved around a corner, and reached all the way to the doorway of the shop next door.

Kagami sat at the table, signing one book after another.

For each one, he'd write the buyer's name, sign his pen name, and sometimes add a line: "May you have a planet of your own."

Sayuri sat beside him, signing the illustration pages.

Every time, she'd draw a tiny star next to her name — simple lines, but charming.

Most of the people in line were parents with children.

Some of the kids clutched their books, some clutched stuffed toys, some held drawings they'd made themselves.

The line inched forward.

As soon as one book was signed, the next was handed over.

An elderly grandmother said she was buying it for her granddaughter.

A high schooler in uniform said she'd bought it for herself.

A few foreigners, speaking halting Japanese, asked, "Could you sign this for me, please?"

Kagami signed, smiled, and said thank you.

His wrist began to ache, but his hand never stopped moving.

More than an hour passed before the line finally thinned to its end.

The last person in line was a young woman who looked to be in her twenties, cradling a baby who looked about a year old.

The baby was asleep, one small hand still clutching a corner of the book's cover.

"Could you sign it here?"

The young woman opened to the title page and pointed at the blank space.

"Write 'To little Haru.'"

Kagami nodded and picked up his pen.

"Haru?"

"Yes, my daughter's name."

The young woman looked down at the sleeping child in her arms, a tender smile on her face.

"I'll read it to her once she's older."

Kagami finished signing and added one more line beneath it.

"May you always believe the stars can speak."

The young woman blinked at the words, then smiled up at Kagami.

"Thank you."

She gave a small bow with the baby in her arms, then turned and left.

Once the signing ended, the staff began clearing away the tables and chairs.

The store didn't quiet down once the signing was over — it stayed just as lively.

Kagami stood at the entrance, watching the flow of people on the street.

"Tsushima-sensei."

Watanabe's voice came from behind him.

Kagami turned around.

Watanabe held out a manila envelope.

"These are the North American proof copies. They just arrived — I haven't even opened them yet."

Kagami took it, tore open the seal, and pulled out a book.

The cover was the same, but the text had become English.

"The Little Prince."

He flipped through a few pages, looking at the familiar illustrations and the familiar words.

"I'll treasure this."

Watanabe smiled and nodded, then turned to Sayuri.

"Sawamura-sensei, you worked hard too."

Sayuri waved her hands quickly.

"Not at all, not at all!"

Watanabe chuckled.

"Well, I'll be heading back to the office, then. Sawamura-sensei, please find some time in the next few days to come by Kodansha and discuss the details of the picture book contract."

"Understood."

Sayuri gave a small bow.

Watanabe said his final goodbyes and turned to leave.

Kobayashi took his leave as well, saying he had matters waiting at the editorial department, and went ahead.

In the end, only Kagami, Sayuri, Yukinoshita Shizuku, Hiratsuka, Nayotake, Akane, and Sonoko remained standing at the store entrance.

"Should we go get something to eat?"

Hiratsuka suggested.

"I know a good ramen place near here."

"All you ever think about is ramen. How have you already mapped out every ramen shop in Bunkyo Ward?"

Yukinoshita Shizuku said, looking at Hiratsuka.

"Can't help it — living this close by, how am I supposed to resist hunting down all the local ramen shops!"

Hiratsuka laughed.

Yukinoshita Shizuku shook her head helplessly, looked around at everyone, and finally spoke.

"Let's just go to our place instead — ramen's too unhealthy. Kagami and I will cook for everyone."

"Um..."

Everyone looked at Sayuri.

Sayuri glanced at Akane and Sonoko, then spoke.

"I've got something else to take care of, so I won't be coming."

With that, Sayuri gave a small bow to the group and, before anyone could stop her, turned and walked away.

"Looks like someone got rejected~"

Hiratsuka said, giving Kagami a meaningful look and a smile.

Kagami snapped out of it as he watched Sayuri's retreating back.

Reading the scrutinizing looks everyone was giving him, he understood what they meant.

He could only explain himself, looking both innocent and helpless.

"I really don't think I've done anything to upset Sayuri."

"She just suddenly started acting like this."

He added, looking toward Akane and Sonoko.

"Senpai, when you two went to Sayuri's place to talk things out that day, did she really not tell you anything?"

Yukinoshita Shizuku, Hiratsuka, and Nayotake all turned to look at Akane and Sonoko, who seemed to know something.

The two of them laughed a little awkwardly.

"Well, Sayuri can be pretty stubborn sometimes — she overthinks things easily."

"Anyway, we'll spend more time with her — who knows, maybe she'll come around one of these days?"

"So, are you two coming for dinner or not?"

Yukinoshita Shizuku cut in abruptly.

"Ah, yes, we're coming!"

Akane answered at once.

"Then let's go."

The group set off together, heading back toward the Tsushima home.

Just then, Sonoko discreetly tugged at Akane's sleeve.

Akane looked over at her.

"What is it?"

Sonoko glanced at the group ahead, slowed her pace a little, and pulled Akane aside to speak.

"This whole plan was our idea, and now Sayuri's the one who ran off."

"And here we are, not going to keep her company, going to Kagami's for dinner instead — isn't that a bit much?"

"Sayuri's going to be furious later..."

Akane blinked, clearly having forgotten all about it.

Her expression shifted several times before, watching the group ahead, she finally stamped her foot.

"Ugh, well, what's done is done — let's just eat first!"

"We'll go find Sayuri tonight and smooth things over!"

Off in the distance, Sayuri, already vanishing around the corner, kept glancing back toward Kagami's group, though they were long out of sight.

Why haven't Akane-senpai and Sonoko-senpai caught up yet?

Shouldn't they be with me right now?

Don't tell me they forgot again and went off to eat at Kagami's place!

...

"What's going on — why haven't Akane-senpai and Sonoko-senpai caught up?"

Yukinoshita Shizuku turned and smiled at the two of them, who'd deliberately slowed down to mutter quietly to each other.

"Or is something up, and you've changed your minds about coming?"

"Ahaha, we were just discussing what to have for dinner."

"Oh, right — should we swing by the supermarket first for some ingredients?"

Akane grabbed Sonoko and hurried to catch up with Yukinoshita Shizuku.

"Good idea, let's stop by the supermarket first, then."

Yukinoshita Shizuku said, smiling at the two of them.

"By the way, I overheard you two saying you'll be going to see Sayuri tonight."

"Ah! Y-yes, that's right."

Akane and Sonoko answered, a little guiltily.

"Then I'll make some of what Sayuri likes, and I'll ask you two to take it over with you tonight."

"Her parents always work late — she's probably at home eating instant noodles again."

Yukinoshita Shizuku said with a smile.

"Then... then we'll thank you on Sayuri's behalf, Yukinoshita."

Akane said, glancing at Sonoko as she spoke.

Both of them could feel it — though Yukinoshita called them senpai every other word...

why did some intangible air about her make them feel more and more uneasy?

Was this the authority of the rightful wife?