center of the universe

3: dawn break

Chapter 3

the break of dawn arrived, bathed in a golden light

* * * * * * *

"Ehem!"

Sawamura Eizen cleared his throat, trying to shatter the awkward silence that loomed over the room like a wrapped blanket. Never quite knowing what to do in their current predicament.

Fine. It's all his fault, alright? He was aware of that. If he wasn't, well, his whole family was right there to remind him.

He squirmed at where he sat, a bead of sweat trickling down his neck as chills crawled up his back. He resisted the urge to shiver in fright with all the negative energy directed at his person. Even an idiot could perceive the razor-sharp glare behind him, an enormous mass of dark aura pointed at him, and the most distressing of all: a pair of wide eyes sporting a betrayed look and not even gazing at him.

He wanted to spill all his hidden skeletons right there and then! His dignity be damned!

He could accept being beaten till black and blue by the old man. Hell, he could handle being reprimanded for hours by his sister-in-law. What he couldn't manage was the silence his precious nephew's been giving him.

Ei-chan! It's all a misunderstanding! Eizen cried internally.

Nonetheless, he hardened his resolve, chastising himself for almost ruining the surprise. Worry not! His family will be praising him soon enough! He just needed the conversations to start, hence his cough.

Although contrary to his expectations, no one dared to speak. The atmosphere even turned a tad heavier than before.

Eizen sweated, but he kept his grin on the outside. His efforts have gone up to flames! He even used every drop of his bravery to do it! Now what?!

("Every drop of your shamelessness, you mean," his sister-in-law would dryly correct if she heard him.)

* * * * * * *

Takashima Rei fidgeted lightly at her seat. The thick ambience around prevented her from speaking as it seemed to have a life of its own—practically choking her in saying nothing at all. She could only move her eyes, taking in the sight of the Sawamura family before her.

Truthfully, she had no idea what to expect as soon as she arrived at the address that was given to her.

Earlier, she couldn't help but gape at the enormous and old-fashioned manor; it looked like one of the palaces from the ancient times. She did a double take and almost called Eizen to ask if he was just pranking her. After triple-checking the address, that's when she finally tried to open the door.

Her first impression? They must be a family of old money or a family with a royal descendant.

Well, no one could really blame her at this train of thought.

Looking back to her meeting with the uncle-nephew duo a few days ago, both have a particular way of talking and it was oddly archaic. So, imagine her astonishment when she caught sight of the physical abuse happening as soon as the door opened.

Her guess might be a little off the mark. The Sawamura family were surprisingly more chaotic and disastrous than their appearances suggested.

At least, that was supposed to be the case, but then......