For some reason, the saint of our school drops her façade when she's with me (GL) - Chapter 20

The next day, after school.

I follow the map image I received yesterday, making my way to the destination marked with a red circle.

The path takes me in the exact opposite direction of my usual routes, leading me through unfamiliar but refreshing streets. It doesn’t take long to find the place.

An old but refined establishment, slightly tucked away in an alley.

I hesitate several times, wondering if this is truly the right place, but I muster the courage to step inside.

“Welcome. Do you have a reservation?”

“Ah, um… I’m here to meet someone?”

“May I ask for your name?”

“Suzuki. Yukie Suzuki.”

The wary expression on the receptionist’s face immediately softens.

“Ah, Miss Suzuki. Right this way.”

I am led to a private room where two women are already seated.

One is a beautiful woman with black hair, dressed in an elegant kimono that suits her perfectly.

The other, wearing a matching kimono, has striking silver hair.

There’s something familiar about both of them.

But the silver-haired woman—I recognize her immediately.

She’s the foreigner I met the other day, the one who gave me directions.

“Oh! You finally arrived! Over here, over here!”

She beams at me, cheerfully patting the seat beside her.

The black-haired woman, on the other hand, looks at me in surprise before turning to glare at the silver-haired woman.

“…Claudia. Is this girl the reason you called me here?”

“That’s right!”

“Enough with the exaggerated accent.”

“Hmm, Megumi, you’re as strict as ever.”

Claudia—her speech suddenly far more fluent—gestures for me to sit.

I’m still struggling to grasp the situation as she happily asks,

“Now, what shall we order?”

“Um… Are you acquaintances of Chef Hasegawa?”

“Exactly! Though our relationship runs deeper than that!”

I don’t fully understand, but I gather that these two are the people Hasegawa mentioned.

And Claudia, at least, seems to be conspiring with him.

“So… Claudia and Megumi?”

“Yes! I am Claudia!”

“…I won’t share my surname, but you may call me Megumi.”

The silver-haired woman is Claudia.

The black-haired woman is Megumi.

I now know their names, but I still don’t understand Hasegawa’s intentions in sending me here.

“I already know your name! You’re Yukie, right? I heard all about it! You’re struggling with love, aren’t you?”

“Love?”

Claudia grins knowingly, while Megumi, taken aback, casts me a concerned glance.

“Um… How much did Hasegawa tell you?”

“Just the basics! But Megumi knows nothing, so please explain in your own words!”

If they already know, is it okay for me to share more?

As I hesitate, Claudia confidently declares, “We won’t tell a soul! We’re very trustworthy.”

Megumi, though visibly uneasy, gives a silent nod.

Normally, I wouldn’t confide in complete strangers.

But since my uncle—no, Hasegawa—chose them, I decide to trust his judgment.

I begin speaking, slowly at first.

About Her Holiness and me.

About my realization of my feelings for her.

And before I know it… I even talk about my mother.

For once, Claudia listens quietly, nodding at times as she takes in both familiar and new information.

Megumi also listens in silence, though I notice her hands tremble slightly as she sips her tea.

When I mention my mother, her expression shifts—just for an instant.

Not just sadness, but something deeper.

Her eyes betray a flicker of sorrow and hesitation.

“…Do you resent them? Your family?”

After finishing my story, I feel a little lighter. That’s when Megumi asks me that question.

“I don’t resent them.”

It’s the truth.

“Because my mother suffered because of me. That is undeniable, and I cannot change it.”

At my answer, Megumi lowers her gaze.

Then, standing up, she approaches me.

Gently—softly—she strokes my head.

“Um…?”

“Forgive me. Just for a moment.”

She continues to stroke my hair.

I shouldn’t recognize this touch.

And yet… it feels strangely familiar.

“Just one thing. I have no right to say this, but please hear me out.”

Megumi kneels slightly to meet my eyes, speaking with quiet conviction.

“No matter what kind of parent they are, they always feel love for their child. Even if the bond is severed. Even if there is hatred.”

Is that really true?

I don’t know.

But I can’t bring myself to deny the sorrow I see in her gaze.

Claudia, sensing the heaviness in the air, lets out a sigh and turns to me.

“So, Yukie, you love that girl, don’t you?”

“…Yes. I do.”

I answer honestly.

Perhaps it’s because I don’t know them well that I can say it so openly.

“What are you afraid of?”

Faced with such a direct question, I hesitate before finally responding.

“…What if I confess and she rejects me?”

“Is that all?”

“What if I hurt her? What if I become like my mother, consumed by love and obsession?”

What if these feelings, once broken, end up harming Her Holiness—Karen Aizen?

What if, like my mother, I lose myself to love?

What if I selfishly burden her with my emotions?

I lay bare my fears—my past, the shackles that bind me.

“You lack confidence in yourself.”

It’s true.

Or rather, I’ve never had confidence to begin with.

I’m not someone worthy of such self-assurance.

“I see. That makes sense.”

Claudia nods, then tilts her head slightly.

“Then let me rephrase the question.”

Her golden eyes fixate on me.

“Do you want to know more about Karen Aizen?”

She speaks Her Holiness’ full name—had I ever mentioned it?

“I want to know.”

I answered before I could even think.

“But… I have no way of finding out.”

“Do you truly believe that?”

“Huh…? What do you mean…?”

“That clever girl—do you think she would leave nothing behind and simply push you away?”

Those words make my eyes widen in shock.

“If you were unable to move forward, wouldn’t she have anticipated that? Do you think she’s the type of fragile girl who wouldn’t leave behind a single clue?”

No. Absolutely not.

She would never do that.

And then, suddenly, I remember.

That conversation in the clubroom.

“If you truly wish to know me, then open this.”

When had she said that?

Frantically, I dig through my bag—and there it is.

The key she had given me along with those words.

And I recall the mysterious safe that had appeared in the clubroom.

Looking at the key, realization washes over me.

I had completely forgotten.

How could I have been so oblivious?

Before I even know it, I’m on my feet.

“I’m sorry, Claudia, Megumi—I have to go.”

“Yes, yes! Off you go!”

“…Go ahead.”

“Thank you!”

I still don’t know who they are or what connection they have to me.

But right now, that doesn’t matter.

Knowing is terrifying.

But I don’t want to live with regret.

I want to know Her Holiness.

I want to know Karen Aizen—the girl beyond the title.

Apologizing briefly to the startled waiter, I rush out.

Straight to the clubroom.

To the place filled with memories of Her Holiness and me.

☆☆☆

In the now-empty private room, Claudia quietly closes the door.

Megumi lets out a deep breath, resting her arms on the table and lowering her head.

She rarely shows weakness, but for once, Claudia does not tease her.

“You held yourself together quite well.”

Claudia’s smile is full of warmth.

She and Megumi have been close friends for a long time.

Unlike Yukie, Claudia knows the connection between Megumi and her.

She had dragged Megumi into this without much warning, so she felt the need to apologize.

But at the same time, she was grateful that Megumi remained composed.

“…Please. Don’t say that. I barely managed.”

Megumi’s voice is muffled, but she denies Claudia’s words.

She already knew about Yukie.

The child left behind by the daughter who had walked away.

The only trace of her existence left in this world.

And hearing about the hardships Yukie had endured only deepened Megumi’s regret and guilt.

“…I already knew. What she went through.”

She had known that the son she once had had stepped in to protect Yukie in her place.

She had thought she understood the suffering Yukie had endured.

But hearing it directly—seeing her with her own eyes—shattered her composure.

For the first time, she had let slip emotions she had no right to express.

“Aren’t you going to tell her?”

“Even if the truth comes to light one day, I cannot reveal it myself. No—I don’t have the right to.”

Simply saying her name, simply meeting Yukie today—those were already far outside what was acceptable.

“Then let’s just quietly help your sweet granddaughter find happiness.”

“And what about you? Are you truly fine with ruining her arranged marriage?”

“Oh, I have no concerns. That child is strong. Besides… I’ve taken a liking to Yukie.”

Claudia had already known about Yukie through certain channels.

But after meeting her, speaking with her—she understood.

She felt a quiet sense of pride in her granddaughter’s taste.

And at the same time, she, too, found herself growing fond of Yukie.

“She’s kind. And she’s adorable.”

Better for her to be with someone like Yukie than with some unknown nobleman.

“Then, Megumi, we’ll be family soon.”

“…That’s up to her. I will never reveal myself.”

“Hah, you’re as stubborn as ever.”

Claudia takes a seat beside Megumi, gently patting her back.

“Claudia.”

“Yes?”

“In exchange for letting this slide… you’re drinking with me tonight.”

“Oh my, Megumi, this is the first time you’ve invited me out.”

“Is that a problem?”

“Not at all. I’ll gladly accompany you.”

Claudia knew.

She knew that Megumi, who never drank, was making this invitation for a reason.

And so, she would gladly accept.

(My dear friend… I want you to find happiness too.)

This was not just for Yukie’s sake.

It was also for Megumi.

(Ah, youth. Give it your all, Yukie.)

No matter the outcome, they would watch over their granddaughters, wishing only for their happiness.

As for Megumi—

She made a silent vow to herself.

She had no right to call herself grandmother.

But for the sake of the girl’s happiness—

Not as atonement.

But simply because she never wanted to see that child’s sorrowful face again.

It was proof of the love she held for her.

Even if Yukie herself would never acknowledge it.

Her old friend saw this, smiled, and nodded.

And as Megumi grumbled about Claudia’s meddling, deep down, she was grateful.

For her friend, who had always been noisy, persistent—

And, most of all, endlessly kind.