My Happy Marriage (LN) - Volume 5 - Chapter 1

  CHAPTER 1  

A New Year’s Commotion

She exited the house, and the cold air hit her cheeks like daggers.

The trees around the front entryway were covered in a thin layer of snow, and the world beyond that was dyed a faint white.

Miyo Saimori took in the silvery landscape for a few moments, her hands still resting on the sliding door.

“It’s so pretty…”

This was the first time she had ever felt this way about snow.

In winters past, the snow had heralded not only cooler temperatures, but also the back pain that came with shoveling it. She didn’t have the luxury of appreciating the winter scenery.

She felt profound happiness in moments like these, where she could simply drink in the beauty of nature.

“It sure has gotten colder.”

Miyo had been so enraptured by the scenery that she gasped when she heard a voice from behind her.

Despite the cold nipping at her skin, her cheeks instantly flushed with heat.

“Y-yes, it has…,” she replied awkwardly, too bashful to turn around. Kiyoka Kudou walked past his fiancée to step out the front door.

It was New Year’s Day. The old year had given way for the new, but a bit too much time had passed to call it “morning.”

The pair were just about to leave for the traditional first shrine visit of the New Year.

Kiyoka was wearing an indigo kimono underneath a western-style gray coat, and his handsome features were not outdone in the slightest by the beautiful scenery around them. His striking looks still took her aback.

Miyo wore a subdued light yellow haori coat over a white kimono, finely patterned with a multicolored fan design, together with a scarf and gloves to protect from the cold.

She wasn’t used to wearing such flashy outfits; coupled with the events of last night, Miyo felt like she would run away and hide any moment now.

I mean, how couldn’t I…?

She had been taken by surprise the last time. But the night before was different.

Miyo had wished for it herself and allowed it to happen—a kiss.

Just because it hadn’t been her first time didn’t mean she was used to it. If anything, the experience filled her with so much shame that she could no longer look Kiyoka in the eye.

Though she knew it was unreasonable, she couldn’t help but stare at him from behind with a twinge of resentment.

…Why are you able to remain so calm and composed, Kiyoka?

Were kisses not anything special to him?

It was true that she would be twenty this year, and he would be twenty-eight. While Miyo was quite a bit late to be getting married herself, the same could be said for him, too.

It would be completely understandable for a man of Kiyoka’s age to be experienced.

There hadn’t been anything between him and Kaoruko Jinnouchi, a previous marriage candidate of his. But now Miyo knew for sure that he didn’t completely disdain women to the point of discomfort.

So that means…he has really done those sorts of shameful…

The mere thought of it made her lose her composure. Blood rushed to her cheeks, turning them beet red.

It made sense. How else could he have remained so composed, as brief as their kiss was, if he wasn’t already accustomed to such activities?

While she, on the other hand, was utterly embarrassed.

All too aware of the blush on her face, Miyo covered her cheeks with both of her hands, which were wrapped in wool gloves.

If she didn’t cover them up, she’d be seen as the sort of strange-minded woman who made herself turn bright red by indulging in salacious fantasies.

“Miyo.”

“…Yes?”

“What are you doing? Let’s go.”

Kiyoka turned to her and held out his hand, his expression completely cool and unperturbed.

Miyo concealed her embarrassment and drew in obediently toward him, drooping her head and pouting slightly.

But for some reason, this behavior seemed to displease him.

Kiyoka furled his eyebrows and grabbed Miyo by the hand to pull her even closer.

“You’ll trip if you walk along with your head in the clouds.”

“S-sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, just watch your step. It’s slippery with all this snow out.”

“Okay.”

Then he slowly started walking, her hand still in his.

Thank goodness she had gloves on right now. Otherwise, he might have caught on to her heightened body temperature.

Miyo and Kiyoka walked along, the white winter scenery flowing past them.

The shrine they were heading to for New Year’s was in a slightly removed location, closer to their home than the center of the capital.

On any other year, they would have gone to the shrine in the old capital that the Kudou family had been attending for generations. But honoring those traditions would be impossible this year.

For the threat posed by Naoshi Usui and the Gifted Communion was too great.

It wasn’t just that they were targeting Miyo for her Dream Sight—they had also kidnapped the emperor.

The citizens of the Empire were ringing in the New Year and enjoying the holiday, blissfully ignorant that their ruler had disappeared from the imperial throne.

…It’s all thanks to Takaihito that I’m able to spend New Year’s with Kiyoka like this, too.

The heat in her face gradually cooling, Miyo calmed her pounding heart as she stared at her and Kiyoka’s linked hands.

Her memories of Usui’s attack on the Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit station toward the end of the year were still fresh in her mind.

In hindsight, the assault was a feint for the Gifted Communion to abscond the emperor from the Imperial Palace, where he been virtually imprisoned within its walls.

Normally, the abduction of an emperor would have been an unprecedented national crisis. It would have been practically impossible to spend the day in peace like this. Instead, the ensuing uproar would have turned the entire country upside down, with citizens being roped into searching for the emperor alongside military personnel like Kiyoka.

However, Takaihito had issued a strict gag order on anything to do with the emperor’s abduction.

Divulging any information, even to those involved in the government, was strictly forbidden, and he’d notified everyone in the know that there would be severe consequences for breaking his decree. While Miyo was a regular civilian, this also applied to her.

The general populace could not be informed under any circumstance. This was Takaihito’s decision.

Although select military personnel had been mobilized during December to conduct a secret search for the emperor, the operation was largely dropped at the end of the year, and they, too, were given an ample amount of year’s end vacation.

“Um, Kiyoka.”

“What is it?”

“…Um, are you sure it’s okay to be so relaxed right now?” Miyo murmured, and Kiyoka quietly gazed down at her while continuing to walk on. His pale eyes were extremely serene.

“I can’t imagine it’s not when Takaihito permitted it.”

“Even with His Majesty’s situation?”

“Yes. If the emperor’s safety was in true danger, then Prince Takaihito would be able to ascertain it with his Divine Revelation. Nor would he be one to ignore that, either.”

From Miyo’s standpoint, the emperor was essentially her adversary.

If he hadn’t meddled with the Usuba family while her mother Sumi Saimori was still alive, Miyo’s hardships wouldn’t have been half as difficult. She could have lived a life without suffering.

Though she very well may not have been born if that had happened.

In any case, while Miyo didn’t revere the emperor, she didn’t feel any strong resentment toward him, either, since they had never met.

What she did find painful, however, was having to act like she didn’t know that the emperor had been abducted.

…No, that’s not quite right.

Miyo let out a sigh.

The truth was, she knew what was really going on. She was simply trying to search for an excuse to avoid confronting her feelings.

Miyo looked at her fiancé, whose hand she was still holding, from a slight angle, watching his long ponytail sway across his spine.

Back when Usui had raided the Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit…an emotion had clearly welled in her heart. The same feeling as that warm sensation she’d experienced last night when they exchanged their kiss.

It felt like she wouldn’t know how to handle herself if she ever grew conscious of this emotion’s true form, so she continued to avoid exploring it too deeply.

“Miyo.”

“Y-yes?!”

Her fiancé’s address startled her, and a strange voice escaped her lips. Her cheeks, which had cooled at last, now heated up again for an entirely different reason.

“Ahh…should I comment on that just now?”

Kiyoka’s exasperated tone made her even more ashamed.

“No, um, please, please don’t say anything.”

She couldn’t be walking around with her head in the clouds, focusing on these embarrassing thoughts. Miyo strictly admonished herself.

“In that case, perhaps it’s better if I don’t press any further about your odd behavior this morning.”

“K-Kiyoka…”

He had seen through everything, just like he always did. Including the reason why her expression had been oscillating between elation and depression.

As Miyo stood there too shocked to speak, Kiyoka let out a sigh of resignation and grinned.

“Well, I don’t mind if you don’t want to answer me. It looks like today isn’t the day.”

“…………”

At this point, she could only fall silent.

That was Kiyoka’s way of telling her that he would overlook things for now, but she would eventually have to confront her feelings.

I…

Miyo never thought that the day would come when she’d face a question like this.

At first, just the notion of fleeing the Saimoris was enough for her. Being able to live a tranquil life on top of that would have been the greatest blessing of all.

And yet, she hadn’t been able to imagine that there was greater happiness—far more than she deserved—beyond that. There shouldn’t have been anything past her reach.

She wasn’t sure what to do anymore.

Things still slightly awkward between them, Miyo and Kiyoka slowly passed through quiet farmland roads before finally approaching the edge of the capital.

The city outskirts had been tranquil, but predictably, they ran into a large number of people also going to visit shrines once they entered the capital.

Everyone was clad in luxurious kimonos for the holiday, smiling as their white breath rose into the air.

They squeezed each other by the hand and joined the flow of people.

“Miyo.”

“Yes?”

“Now that I think about it… What did you do for New Year’s before this?”

As soon as those words left his mouth, he realized his faux pas and tacked on a “never mind” with a conflicted grimace. Miyo couldn’t help but smile.

At that side of him.

The kindness behind his clumsiness, which made her want to be with him.

“It’s okay. Strangely, I don’t find it as hard to think back to those times anymore.”

“Really?”

“Yes, truly… I was always left behind to look after the manor at New Year’s. Almost all the servants would go home for the holiday, and my family—”

Suddenly, images of her father, stepmother, and stepsister appeared in the back of her mind. Yet surprisingly, she found that acknowledging them as her family only left a bitter taste in her mouth instead of sending her spiraling.

Miyo hadn’t been fond of New Year’s.

Everyone at the Saimori estate would be preoccupied with doing New Year’s greetings, so things weren’t as difficult as they normally were for the first three days of the year. But once that period had passed, her stepmother and stepsister would treat her much more harshly than normal, as though they were letting out the pent-up anger from their rounds of greetings.

The few servants who remained in the house while the Saimoris were out would treat Miyo kindly, and they would even give her some of their traditional New Year’s meal. However, just thinking about the pain that would await her afterward left her with only negative feelings toward the season.

She didn’t need any special treatment just because those three were gone. Things would have been better if New Year’s never happened at all. With these thoughts in her heart, she would spend the whole time holed up in her room.

“My family was always out doing their New Year’s greetings, while I stayed behind at the estate to attend to my usual duties. The holiday always passed by in the blink of an eye.”

She felt the warmth of Kiyoka’s large hand and reassured herself. She smiled the best she could.

Hesitant to bare the honest feelings she held at the time to her kind fiancé, she’d ended up giving him a rather brief and straightforward answer.

But that was all right with her. Kiyoka didn’t need to know of the ugly emotions she’d experienced in the past, which seemed liable to drag her down into a pitch-black mire.

How could she talk about sadness when he had given Miyo this warmth of his and a light bright enough to banish all of the grime and sludge within her? He listened to what she had to say with sincerity, so she didn’t need to go out of the way to say something that would cause him pain.

“Oh. So does that mean you’ve never gone for a New Year’s shrine visit?”

“I don’t have any memories of doing so, but I think my mother likely brought me along when she was still alive. But, after that…I would pray with Hana at our estate’s home altar. Once she left my family’s employment, I continued doing it by myself.”

Her family’s estate had a home shrine in the parlor, which she would use only when her family was away from home or on an outing. That had been the only place she ever prayed to the gods.

Kiyoka scowled, a look of deep displeasure on his face.

“Honestly, I question if you can even call that a New Year’s shrine visit.”

“…Indeed. Now that I think about it, you’re right…”

The Kudou family’s origins traced back to court nobles in the old capital who were often involved with Shinto rituals, which made Miyo feel only more ashamed.

“It’s fine, I guess. From this year forward, you’ll be able to properly pay your respects at a shrine. Make sure you pray enough to make up for all the years you missed, okay? Look—there it is.”

She followed Kiyoka’s gaze and laid eyes on a large shrine.

The massive roof and straw shimenawa rope of the structure were particularly striking. The stone-paved road that led them from the torii gate was packed with people who had formed a line leading up to the offering box.

This shrine was by no means the largest in the city, and there were others that held events and rituals that were much more representative of the capital. The fact that so many people were here despite that was an amazing thing indeed.

“Wow…!”

“Don’t get lost now.”

They got in the line of worshippers and waited for their turn as they listened to the clamor of the large crowd.

Miyo wasn’t sure how long they waited, but eventually, their turn arrived. She took some coins out of her purse and threw them into the offering box.

After Kiyoka threw his offering in the box, she bowed in tandem with him and then clapped her hands together twice. Although she knew the ritual in theory, she still felt nervous about being unfamiliar with the etiquette for worship as she brought her hands together and spoke to the god of the shrine.

What am I supposed to do from here?

Of course, the deity gave her no reply.

Nevertheless, she couldn’t stop herself from talking to them.

I want to be together with Kiyoka. Is that alone not enough?

“Love” came in many forms. Friendship, affection, familial love. So what were the feelings she had for Kiyoka?

She wanted to learn more about him and grew jealous when other women approached him. She yearned to be with him forever. Was it really okay to give a name to this emotion?

I’m scared.

Discovering the shape of the love she held in her chest was terrifying.

Miyo knew very well the intensity and hideousness of the feelings exchanged between people. She also knew that those feelings could end up dragging in others, too, eroding and becoming a source of misfortune.

Just as she felt herself plunging into her thoughts, Kiyoka tapped her lightly on the shoulder, snapping her back to reality.

“Miyo, are you all right?”

“Oh, yes…”

Hastily bringing her hands down, she bowed once and moved along. She’d spent an awfully long time on a simple prayer.

Kiyoka pulled her by the hand to take her out of line, as if to escape the irritated gazes of the worshippers behind them.

“I—I’m sorry, Kiyoka.”

“It’s fine, but… What exactly were you praying so fervently about?”

Her heart skipped a beat.

She couldn’t say it. She couldn’t possibly tell him. Miyo thought back over things, feeling as though she had sullied her New Year’s shrine visit with impure thoughts.

These were troubles of her own heart, something that she should have thought over alone, rather than entreat a god for help with.

Suddenly ashamed at her behavior, Miyo cast her eyes to the ground.

“Um…well…”

Kiyoka would surely be appalled with her if she answered honestly. Besides, she couldn’t really be upfront about it with him to begin with.

“I, um…,” Miyo started.

“I pray for peace and tranquility in the Empire every year,” Kiyoka interjected.

“That is a wonderful thing to wish for.”

How fitting for a military man. Miyo didn’t understand why he had suddenly pointed this out to her, but even as she admired how magnificent a person he truly was, he continued on.

“I did add an extra wish this year, though.”

Perhaps it was because of the cold, but as he tilted his head and looked up at the sky, his ears looked slightly red.

“Kiyoka?”

“…That I hope I can…with you.”

The crucial part of his sentence was inaudible, his voice low and hoarse.

Yet Miyo held her tongue, unable to ask him to repeat himself. She could imagine what he had said.

I’m sure he shares my feelings.

She wanted to be with him. Forever, until this life of hers came to its end.

The shrine at her back, Miyo secretly made another wish.

After finishing their prayers, Miyo and Kiyoka wordlessly walked back down the approach to the shrine, which was flanked on either side with shops.

The line of worshippers stretching into the shrine grounds had been extremely long, but there was also quite the crowd bustling up and down the street stalls.

Miyo caught herself staring intently at the vendors, who were selling daruma dolls of every size, decorated evil-warding arrows, and bamboo rakes, along with other good luck charms for the New Year’s occasion.

“Something catch your eye?” Kiyoka asked.

“Oh, um, well.”

She looked around and saw that no one else in the crowd, which consisted only of small children, was paying as much attention to the wares as she was.

Miyo stammered, blushing at her behavior, unbefitting a woman of her age.

She heard him give a small chuckle overhead.

“Look as much as you want.”

“Um, but it’s embarrassing, so…”

She looked up at him as she spoke, and he gave her a smile. But a moment after they gazed into each other’s eyes, they heard a sudden commotion break out amidst the hustle and bustle of the crowd.

No, that wasn’t exactly it. While it had taken the sharp voices of the throng to draw Miyo’s attention, her fiancé had already fixed his keen eye on a section of the throng beforehand.

“Kiyoka?” she asked.

“I can sense a Grotesquerie.”

“In a place like this?”

“That’s right…,” he answered vaguely with a scowl.

Miyo cocked her head at his inscrutable reaction before she turned to the crowd.

A group of people, wrapped in their kimonos and overcoats, had formed a ring where the flow of bodies had thinned. Was there a street performer of some kind in the middle? It looked like the people in the circle were watching a few in the center.

She couldn’t get a good look at the other side of the crowd. But as far as she could tell, there wasn’t any sign of the Grotesquerie Kiyoka had mentioned.

“It looks to be a gathering of some kind.”

“No. That has to be the Gifted Communion.”

Miyo’s breath caught in her throat.

Does that mean…?

Suddenly, a newspaper article she had read came to mind.

Ever since the day the emperor was abducted, the Gifted Communion had rapidly begun extending their influence, to the point where the people of the capital were now aware of their existence.

The Gifted Communion was an anti-imperial organization headed by Naoshi Usui, the former marriage candidate of Miyo’s mother, Sumi Saimori.

Miyo had come face-to-face with Usui, who called himself the Founder, once at a train station, and once more when he infiltrated the Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit headquarters. However, these two encounters had been more than enough for her to understand the threat he posed.

Meanwhile, the citizens of the Empire were completely unaware that Usui’s organization had abducted the emperor.

Consequently, the Gifted Communion were gaining followers left and right by claiming that they would build a new world using the superhuman powers of the Gifts they wielded.

Of course, not everyone supported them, as there were many citizens who wrote their claims off as dubious nonsense.

But since the sinister activities of the organization had been obscured, it was undeniable that society at large was showing interest in their propaganda.

Miyo looked at the center of the ring and saw three people wrapped in black coats. One of them was broadcasting a message in a booming voice.

“We are a peacekeeping squad from the Gifted Communion. Everyone, please take a look at this,” he said.

A second black-clad man lifted up what resembled a rattan birdcage.

Another commotion instantly broke out, and she heard shrieks intermixed with the clamor.

Miyo immediately swallowed back a scream of her own.

“What is that…?”

A creature unlike anything she had ever seen was wriggling inside the cage.

Its entire body was dark brown, almost black, with white patches here and there. At first, she thought it was a quadrupedal beast of some kind, but upon closer inspection, it seemed to be a cross between a monkey and a bird.

There were two wings on its back. Its forelegs were five-toed and covered in fur, while its hind legs ended in three-toed bird feet. Its face was surrounded by dark plumes and tinged red, like a monkey’s, except with black lips. The creature let out another strange cry.

Is that what a Grotesquerie looks like? It’s terrifying.

An instinctual dread welled up from deep within her gut, and a cold chill ran through her body.

“Unbelievable. They think they can just get away with anything.”

Frowning slightly, Kiyoka took out a piece of white paper from his breast pocket and crafted a few familiars. A moment later, the numerous familiars soared upward out of his hand, flying away as if gliding on the winds.

Gone from her fiancé’s face was his tranquil and peaceful expression from just moments prior, replaced by the downright chilling but immaculate visage of a military man.

“Kiyoka.”

“Don’t worry. I just reported them to the person on watch. The Gifted Communion may be acting boldly out in the open like that, but it’s still a criminal organization whose members are to be arrested on sight.”

Miyo nodded, still trembling slightly with shock.

The group of men who claimed to be a peacekeeping squad continued their speech.

“This is a monster that has existed in the Empire since ancient times. We refer to them as ‘Grotesqueries,’ however, they are also known as fiends or spirits. If left to their own devices, they bring harm to humans.”

The man’s gestures and the authority in his voice gave him a strange sense of credulity.

Though the crowd wasn’t necessarily enthralled by the presentation, many of them were still looking on eagerly.

“Kiyoka…why am I able to see that Grotesquerie?” Miyo asked in shock.

This was the first time Miyo had seen one in her twenty years of life. Her first time laying eyes on a Grotesquerie.

She lacked the Gift of Spirit-Sight, so it should have been impossible for her to process the horrible form of a Grotesquerie.

Miyo looked around and saw that she wasn’t the only one who could observe the Grotesquerie’s form. The people encircling the Gifted Communion men, who she doubted possessed Spirit-Sight themselves, were pointing at the birdcage in horror and curiosity.

Kiyoka brought his hand up to his chin and mulled over her question.

“We’ve already gotten a number of reports about this phenomenon. It’s still under investigation, but the Gifted Communion may have created a technique to show Grotesqueries to people without Spirit-Sight or created Grotesqueries that are visible regardless.”

“Is something like that possible?”

It sounded too far-fetched to believe. Her voice wavered.

Even Usui wouldn’t have been able to develop such a fantastical technique, would he?

Only people with Spirit-Sight or those with even greater power—Gift-users—could observe Grotesqueries with their naked eyes. Apart from Miyo, a departure from this fact was incredibly rare.

“I don’t know. But the Gifted Communion are two to three steps ahead of us in Gift and Grotesquerie research. It’s reasonable to assume they may possess some technology beyond our comprehension.”

Hearing Kiyoka’s impatient murmur, Miyo was overcome with discomfort, a mix of frustration and irritation, but also slight yearning.

Miyo looked at the Gifted Communion members, still proudly continuing their speech, with a bit of indignation.

If those techniques do exist, then even I could…

The ability of Spirit-Sight, which she had longed for, but would never be able to obtain.

How many times had she thought of how different things would be if she had it?

She yearned for it even now, was obsessed with the idea of glimpsing the same scenery that Kiyoka and the others could see.

The Gifted Communion is being unfair.

This sort of display stirred up the desires of those without abilities. Even if she knew that this was their tactic, she couldn’t help but be jealous.

Her hand trembled slightly as she unconsciously squeezed Kiyoka’s. He gently squeezed her hand in return, trying to soothe her.

“Miyo.”

“Yes?”

“You’re fine the way you are.”

His tone was decisive, perfectly steady. The strength in his voice startled her.

“Kiyoka…”

His words always encouraged her. Miyo felt the envy burning in her chest slowly begin to fade as it smoldered, then once again turned her eyes toward the crowd.

The Gifted Communion’s address was still going.

“These Grotesqueries have run rampant here in our Empire from times immemorial. Yet the government has desperately tried to conceal their existence, neglecting to dispose of them proactively and ignoring the threat they pose. Even as they continue to endanger us now!”

Anxious voices flickered and spread through the crowd.

Anyone who had a full grasp of the situation would have understood their claims were ridiculous.

The government wasn’t actively obscuring the existence of Grotesqueries. In reality, most people wouldn’t have believed the government if they announced that supernatural creatures existed.

Furthermore, they certainly weren’t neglecting to eradicate them. Kiyoka’s unit was simply avoiding unnecessary bloodshed, annihilating only the Grotesqueries that posed an immediate threat instead of haphazardly exterminating them all.

It was indeed true that there were Grotesqueries all throughout the country. However, the government didn’t go out of its way to kill the ones that didn’t harm humans. Miyo thought this was a respectable way of dealing with things.

Conversely, the Gifted Communion was endorsing the massacre of all Grotesqueries, even the ones who never harmed humans.

Miyo found it truly impossible to agree with their claims.

Seemingly pleased by the unrest running through the vicinity, the Gifted Communion members in the center of the ring spoke more empathetically.

“However, the Gifted Communion and its peacekeeping squads are different. We possess Gifts, the power to annihilate these Grotesqueries, and bestow those with true justice in their hearts abilities of their own. We also proactively exterminate monsters that would show hostility to mankind. We promise to protect all of you! Now then, your attention please.”

They lifted the caged Grotesquerie into the air.

Just like before, the dark brown creature let out a shrill cry and thrashed about.

“Now, I shall show you all the work of the gods that we use to slay these Grotesqueries. It is a power given to the chosen known as the Gift, which defies all human knowledge. Keep your eyes peeled and witness it!”

The third black-clad man, who had been waiting in the wings, stepped forward and held up his right hand. Then a watery substance slowly oozed up from the bottom of the birdcage.

Cries of shock rang out from among the spectators.

The liquid was the product of a Gift—there were no tricks or sleight of hand behind it. Water continued to pool in the cage until it covered half of the Grotesquerie’s body.

“Kiyoka…”

Miyo appealed to him without a second thought, clutching his sleeve.

At this rate, the man’s Gift would kill the Grotesquerie in the cage. Grotesqueries didn’t have a physical body. Nevertheless, there was clearly a living being sitting inside the cage.

This was in no way different from senselessly shooting a wild animal. Even if that wasn’t technically illegal, it was certainly not praiseworthy behavior, either.

Her chest pounded with restless disquiet.

She wasn’t exactly scared or sad. It was a downright terrible feeling.

“Wait. They’re here.”

“Huh?”

Miyo turned in the direction Kiyoka was looking.

There, she spotted a group dressed in familiar military uniforms.

“Yes, yes, sorry. If you could just let us through, please and thank you!”

Godou was at the head of the group, casually calling out to the crowd. Behind him were more faces Miyo recognized from the Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit.

“We’re the Imperial Army’s Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit. Please make way.”

The bystanders conspicuously moved to the side of the street upon hearing the words Imperial Army and seeing the group of uniformed men.

“All right, everyone, time to get to work. Arrest these fellas lickety-split.”

“Yessir.”

Following Godou’s all too sloppy instructions, the members of the Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit pushed through the crowd, meaning to arrest the Gifted Communion members.

Godou kept an eye on his men for a few moments before he walked over to Miyo and Kiyoka with a wave, a huge grin on his face.

“Thank you very much for your cooperation in reporting this activity!” Godou said.

“Listen, you,” Kiyoka moaned, bringing his hand to his forehead with a look of exasperation at his subordinate’s banter.

“You really helped us out here, let me tell you. Good ole Commander, yes sirree.”

“Now isn’t the time for jokes.”

“Aww c’mon, I have to keep fooling around… How else am I supposed to keep going?”

Godou made a show of sagging his shoulders and heaving a sigh, looking absolutely exhausted.

Things had to be serious if Godou, who was always smiling and chuckling, looked this dejected.

“…Have you been busy with work?”

Hearing Miyo’s concerned question, Godou vigorously lifted up his head.

“Yes! A thousand times yes! I’ve been so swamped, I’m ready to drop dead. And it’s only the start of the year!”

“Don’t take his complaints seriously, Miyo.”

“How could you say that?! Why, you make it sound like I was purposefully trying to garner sympathy or something!”

The glare Kiyoka gave Godou, who looked ready to stamp the ground in indignation, was exceedingly cold.

“Am I wrong? You’re always goofing off—how is now any different?”

“But it’s New Year’s! Just because we’re on duty doesn’t mean I can abide being exploited like this!”

“You volunteered for this. And you’re the one who told me you wanted to throw all your energy into work to make up for your lengthy medical leave.”

At Kiyoka’s curt response, Godou covered his face with both his hands and moaned. “Horrible, just listen to what I have to deal with.”

The Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit really was busy, but contrary to his performance, Godou actually seemed to be all right.

That being said, the Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit’s response time had been swift indeed.

Amazing. They wrapped everything up in the blink of an eye…

No sooner had the Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit arrived than the Gifted Communion members were being hauled off. The Grotesquerie in the cage Miyo had been concerned for was already secure in one of the military personnel’s hands.

It was strange to be anxious about the safety of a supernatural creature, but she had hoped it could avoid extermination.

The crowd that had formed around the Gifted Communion members also gradually began to thin, either from dread or the military crackdown dampening their enthusiasm.

Things had turned out okay this time, but this was just the tip of the iceberg.

“All jokes aside, the Gifted Communion’s area of activity is only growing wider and wider, and these sorts of speeches and demonstrations of Grotesquerie disposal are happening in greater numbers. We still have enough wiggle room at the moment for you to take some time off, Commander, but it won’t be long before we won’t be able to handle everything without you,” Godou said, to which Kiyoka calmly nodded.

“Right. Are we any closer to learning how normal people are able to see these Grotesqueries?”

“I’m not sure. We don’t have any specimens, so whatever hypothesis we may have will be difficult to prove. This time, while it’s not unharmed, we were able to get our hands on one of these said Grotesqueries, so…”

Godou trailed off awkwardly, and he shot a sideward glance at Miyo.

From how he talked about it, Miyo could imagine that the Grotesquerie holed up in the cage was going to be experimented on. Godou must have been worried he would offend her.

However, even Miyo knew that pretty words weren’t enough to keep society in motion.

“Don’t worry about me. Please continue.”

“Apologies… I’m guessing they’ll move forward with some type of research. Though, well, it’ll still probably be impossible to catch up to the Gifted Communion’s level of knowledge.”

“I imagine you’re right. Once you return to the station, I want you to ask that they begin their investigation immediately,” said Kiyoka.

“Understood.”

Godou bowed, then returned to where the other unit members were standing. When all was said and done, Kiyoka couldn’t have asked for a better subordinate.

Kiyoka ruffled his bangs, looking slightly irritated.

“Miyo. I’m sorry, but—”

“I know. It’s okay.”

Miyo was able to correctly surmise her fiancé’s thoughts, and replied with a nod before he could finish.

She had known from the moment they came across this situation and Kiyoka told her he was reporting it to the military.

“Take these.”

He handed her three small folded-up pieces of white paper. They looked just like the paper used to create familiars.

“You have the improved protective charm I gave you before, right?”

“Y-yes.”

These were familiars he’d made in case of an emergency.

While Miyo didn’t have Spirit-Sight, she was a Gift-user herself, if only barely. She possessed the talent of a slightly above average arts-user. In addition, Kiyoka had made some improvements to his protective charms that assisted her in invoking their powers.

It was still difficult for her to make a familiar from scratch, but as long as she had some assistance, she could at least use supernatural devices.

“It may take me a while to get back, but I want you to wait here. I’ll try not to let you out of my sight, but you should use that if anything happens.”

With those words, he left her side. She watched as Kiyoka pushed his way through the dispersing crowd to follow after his subordinates.

Miyo felt a twinge of loneliness in her heart.

But when push came to shove, Kiyoka was a military man who needed to protect the country and its citizens before he was her fiancé.

She couldn’t selfishly insist that he stay right by her side because she didn’t want to be alone.

Kiyoka was always thinking of her safety first and foremost. Even after spotting the Gifted Communion members, he must have made sure to call Godou’s group to the scene without trying to immediately stop them himself to prioritize her safety over anything else.

She had gotten a good look at Kiyoka issuing orders to the unit members.

Even now, he was taking the trouble to make sure Miyo could defend herself and ensure that she wouldn’t leave his sights. He was doing his utmost to protect Miyo from Usui.

That was why, as someone set to become a soldier’s wife, she had no other option beyond quietly sending him on his way.

I can’t afford to be happy and carefree, either.

Miyo tightly gripped the piece of paper close to her chest.

The following morning, every newspaper had the same main feature: “Grotesquerie Seen at Shrine on New Year’s Day.”

The purpose of each article was to give a detailed introduction on the Gifted Communion’s activities, and they were thoroughly preoccupied with the question of what Grotesqueries were.

However, other articles took a critical view of the government and military, openly questioning them for keeping the existence of Grotesqueries and Gifts under wraps until now.

Naturally, Kiyoka had been wearing a grimace since early morning.

Miyo wasn’t sure what she should say as she began placing their breakfast on the low table, a New Year’s lineup of ozoni soup, boiled meat and vegetables, and pickled sides.

“Gaah… Miyo.”

“Yes?”

Kiyoka lifted his eyes up from the newspaper, letting out a heavy sigh from deep in his gut.

“I’m going to the station today. You’re coming with me.”

“Okay.”

“Want to read it for yourself?”

Miyo nodded, opening up the newspaper he handed her and scanning the pages.

As she expected, the words Gift and Grotesquerie leapt off the page in no small quantity, coupled with turns of phrases arousing animosity.

The article outlined that the government had already established a unit to dispose of Grotesqueries, the Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit. However, the story questioned pouring the Empire’s hard-earned taxes into an organization that, if the Gifted Communion’s claims were correct, neglected their duties.

Why, why are they writing about Kiyoka’s unit like this?

A scant few of the Empire’s citizens had seen the Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit carry out their missions themselves.

On the other hand, there was no doubt that anyone and everyone in the capital had heard the Gifted Communion’s assertive propagandizing.

Whose claims were easier to believe? From an objective standpoint, it was inevitable that opinions like these would pop up.

The problem was that Gift-users were not a well-known group of people to begin with.

Given that the generations of the emperors had inherited their rule based on whether or not they possessed the Gift of Divine Revelation, knowledge about the existence of Gift-users had been limited to a select group of people involved with government affairs.

Most of the Empire’s citizens didn’t know the details behind how crown princes were selected and venerated the emperor out of a belief that he descended from a divine lineage.

Before the Meiji restoration, the upper echelons of society had accepted Gift-users battling Grotesqueries on the emperor’s orders as perfectly natural. But in the current age, where science had gained currency over the mystical, there was even a significant group of nobles who had decided that Gifts and Grotesqueries were dubious nonsense.

In other words, the amount of Grotesquerie sightings and the opportunity to encounter them had declined from times past.

This was why the public lacked any sort of understanding about the realities of Gifts and supernatural creatures.

Nevertheless, Miyo found it difficult to tolerate these articles, which only sided with the Gifted Communion and spread their claims while brazenly criticizing the military for not doing enough.

“Don’t let yourself get so upset,” Kiyoka murmured, seemingly picking up her dark feelings. “You can’t expect much from the public’s perception of things. For many, many years, the only people fully cognizant of the existence of Gift-users were the ruling class and their direct subordinates. It’s far too late to worry about being misunderstood.”

“But, after everything you’ve done…,” Miyo insisted.

If Kiyoka was going to ignore what people were saying about his unit, then she had no idea where to place her disconsolate emotions.

She subconsciously let her eyes droop, and a heavy sigh slipped from her mouth.

At this, Kiyoka rested a hand on her shoulder to cheer Miyo up.

“Don’t worry about it. Still, it’s going to be tough to deal with how the public reacts going forward.”

Although the Gifted Communion’s activities were individually small in scale, they were propagandizing in areas that gathered many eyes.

If the press kept reporting on the story and spreading it further, there was no doubt that public consensus would shift toward criticizing the government and the military.

Just how much of the burden would be placed on Kiyoka’s Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit, singled out as a scapegoat?

No matter how much he tried to cheer Miyo up, she couldn’t help feeling melancholic at the troubling events that had kicked off the New Year.

“More importantly, Miyo.”

“Yes?”

“Can you get the preparations in order for that thing we talked about?”

After a moment of confusion, she realized what he was referring to.

“By that you mean… Wait, um, are we really going through with that?”

“Prince Takaihito was enthusiastic about the idea. I imagine that many will be opposed to it, but it should be feasible if he is persistent about it.”

The crown prince had recently proposed a bold strategy to Miyo and Kiyoka.

It would involve placing two people being targeted by the Gifted Communion, himself and Miyo, in the same location, to strengthen and concentrate their protection.

Given what had happened up until now, it was self-evident that Miyo was being targeted, but apparently Takaihito was also in danger. The Gifted Communion had kidnapped the emperor to exploit his authority, so it stood to reason that the crown prince would be a thorn in their sides since he was the true power behind the throne.

That suggested they were going to attempt to dispose of Takaihito soon.

This was where his plan came in.

Since moving the crown prince out of the Imperial Palace wasn’t a good idea, only Miyo and those who could be trusted would be admitted within the Imperial Palace. Then they could concentrate their defenses against the Gifted Communion, which consisted mostly of guards from the Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit, on a single location… This was Takaihito’s eminent proposal.

But just as moving Takaihito from the palace was a poor move, it could be argued that letting a large numbers of outsiders into the Imperial Palace was dubious from a security perspective.

As such, the Ministry of the Imperial Household had held off on approving the strategy even into the New Year. Miyo had written the proposal off as something that only had a chance of being realized.

But now, the plan was finally starting to feel real.

“So does that mean…?”

“It does. Starting from the seventh, when Prince Takaihito’s schedule quiets down, the Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit will shift their base of operations to the Imperial Palace and bolster security there.”

Before she knew it, Miyo had brought a hand to her mouth.

It was quite shocking that such an absurd—irreverent as it was to put it that way—plan had ultimately been approved. The same was true of Takaihito himself, of course, but the effort that Ookaito, acting together with the crown prince, must have given was unfathomable to her.

The Imperial Palace was the residence of the most esteemed family in the Empire, the core of the nation. It was a tightly shut area, and it needed to be kept that way.

Kiyoka closed his eyes and let out a sigh.

“Of course, you’ll be coming with us, too. As for how long, let’s see… Please prepare enough things for half a month’s stay.”

“Okay.”

“Also,” Kiyoka continued once Miyo replied in the affirmative, “I’m having Hazuki and Yurie come along as your attendants. I’ll arrange things on my end.”

“What… Is that okay?”

Miyo was surprised by the unexpected good news.

The two people needing the Imperial Palace’s protection right now were Takaihito and Miyo.

Normally, it would be an honor simply for a commoner like Miyo to receive the same level of protection as Takaihito. Despite that, she was worried that she would feel so unworthy of staying there by herself that she wouldn’t be able to eat.

On top of that, she’d assumed that if she did get attendants, they would have to be from the military or the Ministry of the Imperial Household.

It would be a huge relief if Hazuki and Yurie could be there with her instead.

Sis is a Gift-user and Mr. Ookaito’s previous wife, so that I can understand, but I’m stunned they’d get permission for Yurie, too…

She was incredibly grateful to Ookaito and Takaihito, who must have done everything they could to make these arrangements.

“Sorry to trouble you like this.”

Miyo shook her head when she saw Kiyoka look down with regret.

“It’s okay… I’ll do anything I can to help,” she responded.

The whole reason things had ended up like this was because Usui had targeted Miyo. She was grateful to Kiyoka, and she certainly wasn’t angry about the trouble.

In fact, she should have been apologizing…

“I’m sorry for all the trouble I keep causing.”

Miyo placed her fingers down on the tatami and lowered her head.

Just how long had it been since she had done this?

Since moving into this house last spring, she had gradually stopped prostrating herself on the floor to apologize. Just a year prior, she had apologized this way many times a day, as though it was as natural as breathing to her.

“Stop it, Miyo.”

She found the slightly flustered tone in Kiyoka’s voice amusing, and lifted her head up with a smile.

Miyo felt like here in this house, by his side, was the first time she had truly been able to become human. She learned what it was like to be praised, to have someone sympathize with her. She couldn’t even quantify just how much that had helped her to feel like a normal person.

That was why there wasn’t anything Kiyoka needed to apologize for. Miyo had received more from him than she could ever possibly repay in kind.

“Thank you, Kiyoka.”

He received her quietly spoken words of affirmation by covering her hand with his own.

This really was enough for her.

She didn’t need to name the emotions in her chest or say them aloud—she just knew them.

Miyo gently pushed her warm feelings out of sight, into the depths of her heart.