Citrus: Mei's Story+Matsuri volume 2 - Targeted Heart

V. Mei - Recovery Methods

I shifted in Yuzu's arms. It was strangely relaxing and comfortable to sit like this: in her lap on the sofa with her arms around me. On the other end, Naruka was sitting with her arm around Mother's hip. Mother was perched on the arm of the sofa. Fuming silently. Between us the air is a little uneasy. This was something that Yuzu had not wanted to do, but it felt necessary. I knew that Mother would react protectively when she found out that there was a girl trying to mess with us who actually hit her daughter. Ideally she would never have found out, but I wanted her and Naruka's help. It had been days since the incident. The entire time Yuzu and I had been trying to come up with a way to help Hikami get through her issues and make sure the incident didn't get out of our control. We finally came up with something that I was pretty confident about, but I wanted an outside perspective we could trust.
From the way Mother was sitting stiff to the point of shaking, I could tell that she felt exactly as upset at Hikami as I was. And just as conflicted because of why Hikami would act like that. Naruka was also reacting exactly how I expected she would. She was looking at us sympathetically as if she was trying to figure out how to shoulder the weight of what we were facing, and she was giving her girlfriend comforting squeeze of her hand. That was when I noticed it. Mother was wearing Naruka's ring. As far as I was aware, it wasn't really possible for them to get married while Mother was still technically married to Father and I knew that Naruka didn't even want to get in between them. She seemed determined to get Mother and Father even closer together than they already were. It was enough for me to realise that this was how she had always been. She was in love with Mother so much that she wanted every single relationship Mother had be a full and happy one.
If Yuzu was like her mother, would I be as supportive as Naruka? I want to be. I want her to know she can be herself and trust that I'd always love her. Because I can't think of a single person I could love like I love her.
"You really think you can help this girl?"
Mother's voice was noticeably clipped. Like she was holding back her rage. Like she was trying to be supportive of our choice, even though she wanted to react. Yuzu just smiled confidently.
"I know it."
"And I'll make sure they are able to talk in a safe location."
I added when I saw the furrowing of Mother's brows that meant she might insist on being there. It was the last thing we needed.
"I'm not going to take any chances with Yuzu's safety. Not again."
That caused Mother's eye to twitch. It was obvious that she wasn't a fan of the fact there had been a before. I looked at Yuzu and Naruka for support. They both knew Mother far better than I did. Yuzu gave me a grateful smile and nuzzled into my neck. Naruka squeezed Mother's hand to get her attention.
"I think it's a good plan, if they're sure about it."
"You know why I'm worried. Right?"
"I know, Ume. Trust me and them anyway?"
There was a pleading tone to Naruka's voice that betrayed a deeper conversation between the two of them. Before I could try to delve into it, Mother sighed and nodded to her girlfriend. She then looked at me with an expression so serious, I thought I might turn to stone.
"Promise me that you'll both be safe. That you'll leave if it gets even remotely dangerous."
Yuzu opened her mouth to speak but I squeezed her hand. This wasn't something she was asking us as her daughters. She was talking to me in my position as the heir to the Aihara family and fiancé of her daughter. She was putting me in the position of responsibility. I alone could respond.
"You have my word."
That was the end of the conversation. Mother and Naruka were on board and considered the plan plausible. I had promised to take full responsibility for Yuzu's and my safety. We had a plan. All we needed to do was put it into action. The first step was checking in on how Hikami was doing. So I slipped from Yuzu's arms and walked over to the house phone. There were multiple ways of getting the information I wanted. It was tempting to just rely on Maruta's people. This time however, we had decided together that we wanted to rely on someone closer to the source. Looking back at Yuzu, I dialled the number.
"Hello, this is the Sakuraba Residence. May I ask who's calling?"
"Hello, this is Lady Aihara Mei. I attend the academy with Ms Miyabi. Is she available by any chance?"
"She is. Would you please wait a moment while I go fetch her?"
"Absolutely. Thank you."
There was a silence for a moment and I felt a strong but soft hand squeeze my empty one. Looking over I saw Yuzu smiling encouragingly beside me. In my periphery, Mother and Naruka were just slipping out of the common room to give us privacy. A high toned voice drew my attention back to the phone.
"Lady Aihara?"
"Hello, Miyabi. How are you?"
"What is this about?"
Her voice was strained. Like she had been crying. It mixed with the clear bitterness in her tone. I took a deep breath and tried my best to make sure my sympathy was audible.
"We were wondering if you could tell us how Hikami is doing since the... encounter."
"I don't know."
The bitterness in her voice broke with a building anger that she could barely hold back. It caused me to glance towards Yuzu with a nervous look on my face as I tried to continue.
"How can that—"
"Do you think I'm her shadow?! That I'd chase after her no matter what?!"
Her voice was so loud and full of anger that even Yuzu flinched where she stood, and gave me a questioning look that I translated into actual words.
"What happened?"
"After what happened... she's been different. It's like she's broken. I chased after her and she freaked out. I thought maybe I could reach her like usual, but she's too scared."
"Scared? Of what?"
I moved the phone's positioning so Yuzu could hear it without trouble, just as there was a loud irritated sigh from the end.
"I. Don't. Know. Me?! Herself, maybe? The fact that she can't ignore things anymore. Your Prince seems to have had quite the impact on her. She won't even let me get close anymore."
Yuzu looked like she was about to cry and I wasn't sure if it was because Miyabi seemed to be blaming her or if it was hearing that she is considered my Prince. I spoke before she could start reaction audibly.
"We'll fix this."
"How? I can't get a hold of her."
"No, not you and... Yuzu and I will fix this. Just... keep an eye on her for now."
As I spoke, I lifted my and Yuzu's intertwined hands and pressed the back of Yuzu's against my lips. I didn't want to spoil the surprise that we were hoping to achieve, but I wanted to give her something to ease her pain. On the phone, Miyabi continued sounding bitter and on the verge of tears if not already crying.
"I always keep an eye on her. I don't need you telling how to protect her."
"Of course not. Just leave it to us, please. We have a plan on how to handle this. Trust me."
Instead of replying, the line went dead. She had hung up on me. It was difficult not to take it personally, but it was understandable. Yuzu and I were responsible for how Hikami was actually because we hadn't been working together or actually paying attention to what we needed to. The only people who had seen the situation properly were Miyabi and...
"Yuzu, have you been able to reach Matsuri yet?"
"No... Should I try again?"
But even as she said that, I was already dialling the number I knew. After ten rings it went to voicemail but the notification said the mailbox was already full. Either she was avoiding me for some reason, or something had happened. I had to force myself not to panic. Last I had seen her, Matsuri had seemed to be teetering on the edge. It would be disappointing if she wasn't around to help, but at least she would be away from a situation that could cause her to break down completely. I had to focus on the potential positive and make the necessary adjustments to my part of the plan.