MARRIED TO A KITSUNE

CHAPTER XVII

Days passed.

Yuuji and Katsumi were always seen together while Honoree spends her days helping Matsuko and Kenta for the kitchen chores. Her free time divided between Minori, mainly inside his library at his room, and Toshi, outdoors, at the garden or under a tree.

"A cubic equation is a polynomial equation of the third degree. The general form is ax3+bx2+cx+d=0, where a is not equal to 0."

Honoree and Toshi were sitting side by side under a sakura tree beside the mansion. A picnic blanket spread under them. The weather's bright and the wind cool, so in other words, it's a perfect day for a hanami. Toshi, with his arms folded behind his head and tails swaying gently, watched Honoree in silence. He can't help but admire her. Her face serious and focus while calculating numbers and muttering words he doesn't want to know.

"As an example for this, calculate the roots (x1, x2, x3) of the cubic equation x3-4x2-9x+36=0" she lifted her face and glance at Toshi, eyes gleaming. "This is easy Toshi-san. Want me to teach you?" she said, turning again on her notebook. "The value of a=1, b=-4, c=-9, and d=36. First, find the values of q and r. Q first. It's got to be solve like this q=(3c-b2) /9, it will be written as q=((3*-9)-(-4)2) /9= -4.77778"

"You can solve it like that? On your head?"

"Next find the discriminant, denoted generally as delta. Discriminant =q3+r2, discriminant =(-4.77778)3 + (-9.62963)2 = - 16.3332. Here, the discriminant value is less than 0. Oh-oh, here's the tricky part."

He looks at her and picked up a book entitled College Algebra. "College? You're just a highschooler, aren't you?"

Honoree didn't respond. After five minutes, she threw her hands in the air.

"I get the roots! x1= 4, x2= -3, x3=-3. This is a real root of a cubic equation!" she shouted.

"Do you really have to do that? I mean, you don't need to go to school in here."

"Of course, I need to do this. Humans need to recall lessons from time to time so their minds can stay sharp."

Even though Honoree was at the other side of the world, she feels its her responsibility to make sure she didn't forget her academic lessons. Its her advantage that the time on the kingdom and on her home had a big difference, she can use it to learn lessons ahead from anybody. Ayame will be amaze at her when she found out that Honoree learned cubic equation in a matter of days. Honoree suddenly wishes she can practice her archery skills too.

"Toshi-san, do you have an archery field here?"

Toshi's eyes widen, surprised that the delicate looking girl on his side knows how to shoot an arrow.

"I told Ojii-san that I'll be going for a camp of the academy's archery club. I feel guilty for telling him a lie. Now that I think of it, I remember that I will be the academy's representative for an annual archery competition."

"We do have a field here. But I can't bring you there today, at least later. I'm sleepy."

Honoree looks at the swaying tree leaves above her, squinting her eyes to the peeping sunlight. She lies on the blanket, clasping her notebook and pen above her stomach. "Okay, I'll expect that. The winds making me sleepy too."

Toshi moves near her and join her watching the leaves above. "Its winter back in your home, right?"

"Yeah, Christmas's approaching. I love celebrating a Japanese Christmas."

After several minutes, Honoree rolls over her belly, pulled out her notebook and pen and starts calculating equations again. She felt Toshi flung an arm around her.

He's sleeping.

"This is a difficult one. But it can be solve by using the same technique...."

----

"Your brother can be childish sometimes. What if someone sees them in that position?"

Yuuji is watching Honoree from their bedroom's balcony. He's wondering what she's up to these days since she always wake up before him and eat breakfast without him. He noticed the bunch of notebooks scattered on the picnic blanket, Honoree writing endlessly as the wind blows her hair behind and he clenched his jaw when Toshi flung an arm around her which she seems not to care. It's irritating him. But he can't understand his feelings. Katsumi was on his side and he keeps telling himself to focus his attention on her.

"Yuuji-sama?"

It takes Katsumi to call him several times before he responds.

"What did she do to you?"

Yuuji turns to her, puzzled. "Who?"

"That human girl?" Katsumi frowns. "Everyone seems fond of her now. Do you know that Queen Aki and King Takano keep telling me about her? What kind of spell did she cast to every one of you?"

"I admit she's a kind of mystery, Katsumi-san. She's adorable and easy to love yet tough and sad."

"The way you speak about her disturbs me. Obviously, I'm not the apple of your eyes anymore." Katsumi turn around and sighed. "I'm tired. I'll go to my room and sleep."

When she leaves, Yuuji glanced back at Honoree and saw her bubbling words to herself. He had the urge to go after Katsumi but thinks its better to leave her alone for a while. He head towards the door and climb downstairs.

----

"If I put it here and 4 on the other side, then q will be equivalent to -3.39463 and r will be like..."

Solving cubic equation engross Honoree so much that she doesn't hear Yuuji's footsteps as he approached her. He's standing behind Honoree with his arms crossed on his chest, but its only when he block the sun light on Honoree's view that she noticed him.

Honoree turns around and saw him looking down on her with a raise eyebrow. "Hey!"

"Hey!"

"Hey Yuuji-san. what brought you here? Please stay away from me you're blocking the light." She smiles at him before turning to her notebook again. "Or else you can sit here with me and I'll show you how to solve the hardest equation I ever encounter." she laughs softly, patting the empty side on her right for Yuuji to sit into.

"I'm not interested in your equations." he barked.

"Really? Then what do you want?"

What do I want? "Should there be a valid reason for me to see the human who's wearing my pearl of life?" he shouted. Toshi stirs on Honoree's side. He move and turn his back to Honoree.

"Why are you shouting?"

"It's because you're stupid!"

"What? Yuuji-san, if you came here to call me stupid, go away already, or else I wouldn't teach you how to solve this hardest equation ever created."

She saw Yuuji's ears wiggles. He's starting to get pissed off so Honoree grab his hand and made him sit beside her.

"Here, hold this pencil. I'll show you how you can find the discriminant."

They spend the next few hours discussing cubic equations and when Honoree finally had enough, she lie on her back and without knowing it, she flung an arm around Yuuji before she fell asleep.

Yuuji joined her to sleep later, careful not to shove Honoree's arm away.