Chapter 11: The Heroine's Parents are, Of Course, Important Too

[The Heroine's Parents]

How characters in this position are treated varies greatly from work to work. Some works don't feature them at all, or only mention them by name, while others portray them as crucial figures central to the story. This largely depends on the genre of the work and what the author wants to convey.

Even when given a significant role, parents can be portrayed as admirable adults who guide the protagonists, or conversely, as villains who corner them.

Because they are easily relatable to many readers and are the closest figures to the protagonist and heroine, parents often appear in a wide variety of roles.

Especially for sickly heroines, whose connection to the outside world tends to be weak due to their frail health, parents often seem to be treated as very important figures.

The relationship between a heroine and her father, mother, or surrogate parents isn't always straightforward, but regardless of their outward appearance, they often care deeply for each other deep down.

Frankly, it's painful to watch a sickly heroine being neglected by her parents, so please spare me that.

.....

..... Well, I won't deny that it can be exciting in its own way. That is, if the protagonist saves her and it ends happily ever after.

Anyway, for sickly heroines, whose range of activities and relationships tend to be limited, the presence of parents is extremely important.

'So, what I'm trying to say is—the sight of parents caring for their daughters is so beautiful!!'

★★★

"Sigh~"

In a certain room in the Onjōji family residence, a man sighed.

Judging by the slight graying of his neatly trimmed hair, he was probably in his forties. However, contrary to his age, his body was so muscular that it seemed to be bursting out of his clothes. Even while seated, his gaze was high, suggesting that if he were to stand, he would be a truly massive man.

This man with a rock-solid physique was named Onjōji Kiyotsugu. He was the current head of Onjōji family and the father of Moritsugu and Chitose.

In normal times, he was a fine man, befitting his physique, possessing a resolute and decisive character, and a cheerful and lively personality.

However, it was difficult to imagine such a person from the way he was frowning and repeatedly letting out deep sighs.  

He seemed deeply troubled; even his body appeared to be hunched over. Just as Kiyotsugu was about to sigh for the umpteenth time, a woman approached him.

To put it simply, she was a refined woman.

Her slender build was the complete opposite of Kiyotsugu's robust physique. Her long, graceful limbs and pale skin stood out against the darkness of the night. However, it wasn't a sickly paleness; there was a certain warmth to her whiteness. But what was most striking about her appearance was her hair.

Long enough to reach the bottom of her waist, it was clear from her walking that it was meticulously cared for. And it wasn't just any black; it was a deep, vivid black, like the twilight.

With her hair flowing in the breeze, the woman approached Kiyotsugu and, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, sat down beside him.

This woman with the lustrous hair was named Onjōji Kotose. She was the wife of Onjōji Kiyotsugu and the mother of Moritsugu and Chitose.

"Are you still troubled by it?"

"Hmm..."

"That's very unlike you, but isn't it fine? Our Onjōji family isn't so small and weak that it would be affected by taking in one more person, is it?"

"That may be true, but... that boy is not just an ordinary boy."

"Is that so?"

"I suppose so. He can't speak, he doesn't understand our language, and on top of that, he has those Yang energy. Treating him as an ordinary boy is simply impossible."

"If he can't speak, if he doesn't understand the language, then we can simply teach him, can't we? Especially considering his chronic illness, it's not hard to imagine that his parents and siblings wouldn't have taught him such things.

Isn't it natural for a person not to be able to do things they weren't taught?"

"That's true, but... However—!"

"I understand your concern about the imbalance of his Yang energy. In fact, judging from what you've described of his behavior immediately after entering this house, it's probably not wrong to say that he was on the verge of becoming a Stranger.

Even without that, simply surviving is difficult for him."

"That's right. In that case—"

"But that's precisely why we shouldn't shun that boy just because of his conditions. We have Chitose, after all."

"...Hmm."

"If that boy were the type to cause trouble or mischief, I wouldn't be interfering like this. But he's just a child. His body is growing, but he's practically still a baby who knows nothing about people. I just can't see the point in simply taking him to the government office."

"....."

"I apologize for my self-centered thinking. However, I am a mother. Please understand that these words are spoken from that perspective."

Her long black hair fell softly and spread across the floor. She bowed her head. She bowed her head so low her hair almost touched the ground as she pleaded; it was the image of a parent thinking of their child.

"..... So you're going to do the same thing as Chitose."

"We are mother and daughter after all."

"....."

"Normally, you would have immediately handed over an intruder to the authorities. The fact that you're even hesitating like this means the answer is already clear, isn't it?"

"You speak as if you can see right through me."

"We're married, after all."

"..... I'm really no match for you."

"Ara? Is there even any possibility of a husband prevailing over his wife?"

"..... I really can't compete."

"Fufu~"

Raising her head, which had been bowed, onto her husband's shoulder, and leaning back, Kotose continued.

"Even though he's not our son, I honestly can't ignore a child like that. But this is also out of concern for Chitose. Isn't this the first time that girl has ever asked us for something?"

"That's right. I was surprised too. When Chitose asked us to take the boy in."

"Yin and Yang are two sides of the same coin. Just as Chitose suppressed the boy's Yang energy, the reverse is also true. Perhaps she sensed something. Enough for her to be so selfish for once."

"..... Chitose has been going to see that boy every single day since then, hasn't she?"

"Not only does she go to see him, she even pretends to be a teacher and teach him words and letters. She comes to me every day to tell me about it, and she talks about it with such joy."

"I see....."

"I understand your concerns. However, I feel that the encounter between Chitose and that boy was some kind of destiny. If they can complement each other, like light and shadow, what each lacks, their future might be better. Didn't Ayame-sensei say the same thing?"

"....."

"Above all, Chitose is smiling so brightly. I want to protect that smile. Aren't we her parents?"

No further words were spoken.

Silence filled the room. The wife stared, and the husband was stared at.

This situation, which had taken on the appearance of a test of endurance, ended when the husband spoke.

"There's nothing I can do about it if you say that..."

"Then..."

"Yes. Let's welcome that boy into the Onjōji family. Like Sakura, he'll be a servant... no, a bodyguard, under that pretext. Chitose would be happier in a position where she can be by his side for a long time."

"Hehe, that's right. Now that that's decided, we need to prepare clothes and all other things. Hmm, I wonder if we can use some of Moritsugu's from when he was little? Oh, and we also need to think of a name for him."

"You seem very happy, Kotose."

"Of course. I'm going to have another adorable child. What mother wouldn't be happy?"

The smile on her face was just as lovely as her daughter's.

(...But seriously, why are the men in this family so oblivious when Chitose is involved? You can see most things just by looking at her face.

Do your best, Chitose, Mama is rooting for you!

Hmm ...Should I cook some red bean porridge?)

And like her daughter, she was quite the romantic at heart.

★★★

In the room assigned to him at the Onjōji residence, a familiar sound, one he'd heard in the past few days, struck the boy's ears.

A few seconds after he noticed that, the girl he'd expected appeared. However, she looked different than usual. Her cheeks were flushed, she was out of breath, her face contorted in pain, yet the smile on her face was as fleeting and lovely as a snowflake, just like the one he'd seen that day etched into his soul.

"You... cough... cough... will be living with us from now on... cough, cough!"

"Chitose-sama!?"

"It's okay, Sakura. I was... I just got a little too excited. See, there's no blood, right?"

"That's not the point! Let's go inside the room first, it's cold in the hallway!"

"That's right. His body will get cold—"

"I'm talking about you! It's you who I'm worried about!!"

The boy didn't understand what the two girls were saying to each other, yet he found the white girl's smile endearing.

"I'm looking forward to get along well with you."

The boy smiled, as if influenced by the girl's smile. He wouldn't understand what that meant for a long time.