Fateless

Chapter 2- The Line-up

It was daunting standing in the peculiar room that was attached to the very back of the Hirano family's main estate building. From the outside, it was assumably a large added-on storage room. But that did not seem to be the case. 

The main Hirano residence was attached but not directly accessible through the villa. Even so, it looked beautifully furnished from the restricted glances Hana had managed to get in through the wide-paned windows. However, the room that Hana had been taken to was very bare. There was no furniture at all. No decor. No storage. Even the floor was just plain cold concrete.

There was a strong lingering scent in the air of incense being recently burnt. Hana wrinkled her nose at it. She had never much liked the smell of incense as it made her sinuses itch.

The walls were painted dark blue, which made the limited light bounce off of them with a dim presence. Having such a low light would surely be hard to take in all the intricate efforts of the girl's attire. 

And stranger still, the room was divided by a folding screen in which panels were made of mirrors. 

Hana counted six other women lining up like pretty porcelain dolls. Following that analogy; there was no doubt Hana also felt like she'd been exaggeratedly dressed up like a child's plaything. Yet she wasn't keen on playing this game of matchmaker. If she had the opportunity to waver the consideration of the Hirano lord, she promised herself to take it.

As Hana had been the last girl to position in the lineup, the only other participant she could see undistorted by the blue hues was the one to the right of her.

She looked like a princess freshly plucked from a ball with her soft pink gown and dainty gloved hands. Her black hair was up in a stylish bun and she was decorated in delicate gold jewellery. Her earrings looked like little baubles from a Christmas tree.

Hana was momentarily amused by the comparison. But then felt hollow again as it reminded her of Tokyo, which was currently still heavily decorated in Christmas cheer from the festival only days ago.

The young ladies had simply been told to stand still and stare at their reflection. It was easy to discern the new from the seasoned entrants by the way they reacted to this simple task. Some confidently held their posture high, while others were nervous as they waited for something to happen or for further instruction.

Hana looked at herself bitterly in the mirror. But it was almost as if a totally different person was staring back.

Her dark eyes expressed the emotions she currently felt, yet they were lined heavily with makeup to change and exaggerate their shape. Her cheeks held a fake blush and evidence from staying up till late hours of the night; watching an anime series she had received from her friends for Christmas, was hidden by the concealed bags under her eyes. Even Hana's lips, glossed in a pale pink, looked plumper than usual.

Hana was certainly not used to dolling herself up, and behind all this makeup she did not feel like a better version of herself. She just felt like a fraud.

Hana heard a door open and then saw light emit from the other side of the mirrored panels. There was a brief sound of muffled voices and then the silence returned. She nervously rocked on her heels, not sure what to expect.

As Hana spotted a shadow start to move in the small gap underneath the panels, the realisation hit that the folding screen she stood before was probably one-way glass and not intended as a simple mirror at all.

Starting from the beginning of the line-up at the opposite side of the room, Hana frowned as she watched the presumably dark footsteps slowly wander down.

The mass behind the dividers would linger briefly before each of the matchmaker participants, before moving to the next. Hana quickly understood that the alleged master of the house was not going to meet his guests face to face. He was simply browsing while the women he eyed remained unaware and blind to his presence.