Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon - Volume 1 - Chapter 28

Chapter 28 - Burn

"We're reaching soon... Being impatient doesn't help the situation, Tatsuishi Kouji."

While driving the car, Kiyoka chided Kouji, who was sitting in the passenger's seat, in an emotionless voice.

"Well, aren't you calm? You don't even know what your fiance is going through right now."

In order to save Miyo, Kouji paid Kiyoka, her fiance and the most powerful ability user, a visit and told him everything. Kouji didn't have the luxury of worrying about how shameful his family was.

After hearing his words, Kiyoka made the immediate decision to head for the Saimori residence. However, from Kouji's point of view, that stoic expression on Kiyoka's face was hardly one of concern for his captive fiance.

Kudou Kiyoka was indeed perfect.

No flaws could be found on him. Kouji couldn't even begin to compare, whether it was as a man or as an ability user, it was impossible for Kouji to catch up to him no matter how hard he tried.

However, was it really a good idea to leave Miyo in the hands of this man? Firstly, what did he even know about Miyo-about her deep sorrow, loneliness, and the scars on her heart.

Going to help like this was nothing but pretence.

(If this man were to abandon Miyo...)

If it came to that, he would have no choice but to kill Miyo and die himself. While he was well-aware of how selfish that was, that was how cornered Kouji was.

"We're here."

Before he knew it, the car Kiyoka was driving had already stopped in front of the gate to the Saimori residence.

Kouji hurriedly followed Kiyoka out of the car and looked up at the tall gate before them while standing side by side.

The sun was already setting, and the sky was filled with dark clouds which made the area even darker. Amidst all this, the aged, tightly closed gates seemed to be exuding with a strange aura.

"What are you going to do? What if they feign ignorance when we approach them
normally?"

"No matter."

There wasn't the slightest hint of hesitation in Kiyoka's reply.

With a brief reply, Kiyoka held one hand up and in the next instant, their sense of sight and hearing were robbed by the deafening roar and blinding flash of light.

"Kuk..."

Kouji thought a bolt of lightning was going to strike near them.

—No, it had already struck.

The first thing his senses picked was the smell of burnt wood. Then, when his vision finally returned to him after a while, he was greeted with the sight of a charred, broken, and crumbling thing that was once a gate.

It was a tremendous display of Kiyoka's power.

Was that an ability that could control lightning? Kouji had heard of it but he never thought it was this... It was well beyond what his mind could conceive.

"Let's go."

"Ah... Y-Yes."

Not only was Kouji shocked, he was also faintly in awe of Kiyoka as he hastily followed behind the man.

It was only then that Kouji caught a glimpse of the flames of rage deep within that man's eyes. The smouldering fury in Kiyoka's pale blue eyes was so intense it gave the illusion like it was burning bright red.

(Is he angry?)

All this while, Kouji had thought that the lack of expression on Kiyoka's face was because he was indifferent to the fact that Miyo had been taken from him; that his low and flat voice was because he's cold-blooded.

Staring at Kiyoka's back, Kouji was about to ask a question but kept his mouth shut.

There was no point in asking now, it's not like he's going to get an answer anyway. And as things continued to play out, he'd find out even if he didn't want to.

Suppressing all sorts of thoughts in his mind53, Kouji quickly kept pace with Kiyoka.

The thunderous racket from the impact of the destruction of the gate naturally threw the people in the Saimori residence into a great deal of confusion.

Starting from the servants and even to Saimori Shinichi, the master of the house, they were dumbfounded to see the burnt gate. When they finally came to their senses, they were all at a loss as they exchanged looks. No one criticised Kiyoka or Kouji for strolling into the premise as if they owned the place.

However, as one would expect, Saimori Shinichi, who recovered the fastest, called out to them in dismay.

"Kudou-dono...! Wait, what's the mean-"

"Where is Miyo, Saimori-dono?"

"!"

Saimori Shinichi gasped, his face white as a sheet. The colour of his face was so ghastly it looked as if he might collapse at any moment as cold sweat rained down from the side of his face.

"M-Miyo... That girl..."

"—If it's Miyo you're looking for, she won't go back to the Kudou family anymore."

Saimori Shinichi's words were interrupted by Tatsuishi Minoru, who walked up from behind him.

"Tou-san! You!"

Kiyoka stopped Kouji when he was about to step forward in anger.

"I asked where is my fiance."

"Didn't you hear what I said? Miyo said she doesn't want to see you anymore, that she won't return."

"I will confirm that with the person herself. If you won't tell me where she is, then get out of my way."

Kiyoka and Tatsuishi Minoru stared at each other right in the eye, neither budging an inch.

Although Kouji was now completely on the opposing side from his father, he was still amazed by his courage, by how he could glare at an enraged Kiyoka in the eye.

At the same time, he could also feel just how desperately his father wanted Miyo.

"I refuse... If you plan to force your way through, we won't keep quiet about it. We will report you for trespassing."

"Do as you will. I will get to her even I have to use force."

—Was what Kiyoka declared, but did nothing.

He didn't pull out the military at his waist nor did he seem to be using any ability. He just walked slowly while exuding with a fierce murderous aura.

It was Saimori Shinichi and Tatsuishi Minoru who were the ones in a panic. They couldn't just let him pass like that; they immediately erected a barrier to block Kiyoka's path but that didn't stop him.

The ability user touted as the strongest of the current generation just continued walking straight without making any special movements. And yet, the techniques of Tatsuishi Minoru and Saimori Shinichi, who have actual battle experience, posed no real resistance as they were torn apart like paper.

For the fathers, who were the ones actually experiencing it first hand, their hearts were not at peace, but faced with an onslaught of fear.

Fear and awe for an overwhelmingly strong individual.

Even Kouji who was just following behind lost all colour in his face.

"...As expected of the head of the Kudou family."

"We can't stop him..."

Finally, Kiyoka came before the two ability users, Saimori Shinichi and Tatsuishi Minoru.

In that moment of desperation, they both make completely different moves.

Tatsuishi Minoru, who was about to strike, was grabbed by the arm and thrown across the air, while Saimori Shinichi, who took half a step back, lost his strength and collapsed onto the ground under Kiyoka's piercing gaze.

This couldn't even be considered a fight.

The difference was not just between an adult and a child, it wouldn't even be an exaggeration to say that the difference in ability was between an adult and a baby.

(Impossible, this is...)

How could there be such a big difference between ability users that have experienced going on missions?

He didn't even feel envious anymore. The sight of Kiyoka utterly destroying and defeating everything in his path so easily, was like a demon in Kouji's eyes.

Cold and ruthless. Yes, the rumours were true.

However, there was nothing more reassuring than having someone like that as one's ally.

Kouji glanced at the figures of his father and his childhood friend's father lying on the ground, but soon lost interest and continued on his way through the Saimori mansion he was well-acquainted with.

The mansion was large. It was a single-storey wooden house lined with a maze of long corridors inside. It was designed such that one would be able to enjoy a small Japanese garden for whichever hallway they passed. Hence, just small courtyards alone, this house had several and it even has a backyard.

In the past, apparently this house had the reputation for being worth a visit for having such a unique structure.

"Tatsuishi Kouji, do you have any idea where Miyo might be?"

Kiyoka, who was walking ahead of him, asked without looking back. Kouji hurriedly listed a few possibilities in his mind.

"Maybe the servant's room Miyo previously used... Ah, no..."

That was an unlikely choice, considering the fact that Kaya and Kanoko would be with Miyo. There's no way they would willingly approach a servant's room.

Then what about the room Miyo used before that? No, that room should be next to the room used by Miyo's mother which Kanoko strongly despised.

Well, it was a Japanese house to begin with, so there were few completely isolated spaces suitable for confining people. Unless they had a tatami cell54 meant for confining criminals—

"Ah... maybe the warehouse in the backyard."

"Backyard?"

"Yes. There should be an old warehouse in the backyard that's hardly used-maybe."

If it's that place, it could be locked from the outside. The more he thought about it, the more it appeared like the only plausible option.

Kiyoka seemed to have felt the same way as he nodded his head at Kouji's words.

"Lead the way."

"Yes."

"No, wait... Behind!"

When Kouji turned around, he was about to be hit head-on by a swirling ball of flames.

—Why?

Those were flames formed from the use of ability; it was one of his father's abilities. His father, who seemed to be on a desperate chase after them, was standing on the other side of the flames.

Kouji could only watch dumbstruck as the heat approached. His reaction couldn't catch up to what was happening-no, even if it could, there was no way he could prevent it.

"To start a fire in a place like this... Just how stupid must one be?"

As Kiyoka muttered those words bitterly, the invisible wall he set up blocked the whirling mass of flames from reaching Kouji.

"A barrier..."

Just as Kouji temporarily heaved a sigh of relief, the flames that hit the barrier were deflected to either side, not only burning the sliding doors, but also spreading to the courtyard, engulfing the plants and trees.

"What on earth..."

The flames that Tatsuishi Minoru conjured set the entire surrounding ablaze just like that.

What would happen if a fire like that was set inside a wooden house-even a young child could understand that.

Just as Kouji was appalled by how poor his father's judgement had become, Tatsuishi Minoru collapsed with a thud.

An indescribable feeling welled up inside Kouji.

...His father didn't care if he burned him to death. If Kiyoka hadn't blocked it, Kouji would've died right there and then.

"I just shocked him lightly to knock him out... Let's hurry up, the flames will spread if we dawdling."

Kouji's goal was to save Miyo, not settling the score with his father, much less putting out a fire.

In fact, he had practically parted ways with his father. Kouji himself needed to change and move on.

This time, Kouji had completely given up on Tatsuishi Minoru.