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“C-can you repeat that for me, [Name]?” Ayaka stutters, her hands trembling. She tries to keep the smile on her face, but it doesn’t hide her uneasiness. She could not believe what she had just heard. You sigh at the youngest Kamisato, not wanting to repeat the words you just said. However, she is your dear friend– and future sister-in-law– so you’ll repeat for her.
Ayaka starts drinking her tea, waiting for you to speak. You look down at the teacup wrapped around your hand, “I think Ayato is having an affair–” “PFFFTT–”
You immediately look up to see the youngest Kamisato choking on her drink. Your eyes widen as you stand up, walking towards Ayaka who is sitting in front of you. “Ayaka, are you okay?!” You ask worriedly, handing out your handkerchief to her.
She grabs your handkerchief and starts to wipe her mouth– her face beat red from embarrassment. “I apologize for… erm, that,” She replies nervously. You observe her closely, her face still red, and her gaze doesn’t meet yours.
“Are you hiding something from me?” you frown. Ayaka immediately turns to face you, her eyes wide. “No, Of course not!” She denies it, placing her hand on her chest, “I have nothing to hide from you.”
You sigh as you run your fingers through your hair, sitting beside the youngest Kamisato. You look at her intensely, making Ayaka gulp slightly under your gaze– you’re serious, terrifyingly serious. The atmosphere in the drawing room tenses, “I think Ayato is having an affair,” you continue, “Do you know anything? Ayaka?” You question her, eyebrows furrowing as you look at her firmly.
“I know nothing,” Ayaka replies unyieldingly, “if I did know anything, I would tell you immediately, [Name], I swear.” You and Ayaka stare intensely at each other, your gazes not wavering. Ayaka is nervous under your stare yet holds her ground. You then look away– breaking eye contact– and the atmosphere around you softens, opting to believe the youngest Kamisato. Ayaka sighs in relief, knowing that you believe her.
You start to calm down, your seriousness disappearing but not your suspicion. “[Name], may I ask, when did you start suspecting my brother?” Ayaka asks, you look at her determined expression. You give her a small smile– despite being his younger sister, she looks as if she’s willing to choose you over him.
“Alright, I’ll tell you,”
Your suspicion started a week ago at Lady Hiiragi’s tea party. After the abolishment of the Vision hunt decree, Chisato Hiirago took over as the head of her clan. To celebrate, she hosted a tea party on her estate located in Ritou. As the fiance of the Yashiro Commissioner and her friend, you were undeniably invited to the tea party alongside your Fiance.
On the day of the tea party, everything was going well until your Fiance excused himself– leaving the room. You didn’t mind, because you know very well that he dislikes gatherings. But after a while, he still hasn’t come back. Worried, you excused yourself from the tea party and started looking for your Fiance.
As you were looking for him, you saw him talking with Lady Hayashi, an unmarried woman, who specializes in clothing. Out of instinct, you hide behind a nearby tree as you listen intently to their conversation. At first, it started casually, only exchanging pleasantries, until it changed. Your eyes narrowed as you continued to listen intently.
“My lord, about that... Ehem, special request, it has been going smoothly.” Hiyashi smiles, “You can come over tomorrow.”
You freeze on the spot. ‘Special request? Come over? What is going on?’ you thought. You bite down your lower lip as your heart thumps out of your chest. You try to conceal your presence with the use of your vision, hoping none of the two would notice your presence.
“I’ll be there,” Ayato replied– your heart sank. You place your hand over your chest as it continues to beat loudly. You watch as they bid each other goodbye, going their separate ways. You don’t know why you're feeling like this– horrible and unfamiliar.
You walked back to the venue, feeling odd. You didn’t understand why it felt like everything came crashing down. The night went on, as usual, hoping that no one would notice your dampened mood behind the smile. As the night comes to an end, you are convinced that no one saw through your facade– after all, no one came to ask about your well-being. But you were unaware of the lilac-colored eyes looking at you in concern the entire night.
As the only descendant of one of the most prestigious clans in all of Inazuma, you were immediately engaged to Kamisato Ayato at birth, and it did not bother you at all. Out of the other noble candidates, you were undeniably closest to the eldest Kamisato, so you were glad that it was Ayato.
From then on, you and Ayato spent each other’s childhood together. He was there at every significant event in your and vice versa. From winning your first sparring competition to you crying over a novel Guuji Yae gave you– Ayato was there all the time. And the more time you spent with him by your side, you slowly developed feelings for him– however, it took you a while to admit your feelings.
After all, it is a form of weakness.
But you couldn’t help it– Kamisato Ayato is so easy to love. From his smile, ambition, flaws, and sense of fashion to his love of Boba, you fell in love with everything. So when you overheard that conversation, you were devastated.
“So basically, you overheard my brother talking with Lady Hiyashi about a special request?” Ayaka asks, seeking confirmation. You nod in reply.
“Maybe he just ordered some garments– hence he sought Lady Hiyashi,” Ayaka assumes, trying to ease out your ambitious suspicion. When you told Ayaka your distrust, she could not believe it. After all, Kamisato Ayato is madly in love with you since he first laid his eyes on you! So having an affair is more unlikely than Diluc Ragnvindr reconciling with his brother! Not only that, Lady Hiyashi is lesbian, so there is no way she would have an affair with her brother.
As much as she wants to tell you, she decides to stay quiet about it. (not because she finds this amusing, of course).
“That’s what I first thought,” You announce, staring at your hand as you fidget your fingers, “but I have checked the ledgers, and there was no documented transaction between Lady Hiyashi and Ayato,” “I ‘asked’ around and for the past couple of weeks, Ayato has been meeting Lady Hiyashi.”
Ayaka continues to smile, despite knowing that you did not just ask around. Knowing you, you most likely ordered the elite ninjas in your family to get information between Ayato and Lady Hiyashi no matter what.
Hearing footsteps approaching the room, Ayaka decided to graciously help her dear brother. Noticing a silhouette standing behind the Shoji, she decides to take this opportunity. Ayaka asks her distressed friend, “Are you perhaps in love with my brother, [Name]?”
You freeze, blood rushing to your face as your cheeks shade red– heating it in the process. Your eyes shaking profusely, and your ears reddening. You cover the lower half of your face with your hand, trying to avert your gaze from Ayaka, who is grinning at you. Ayaka glanced at the figure behind the shoji, then glanced back at you.
“It’s just that,” Ayaka says, resting her face on her hand– tilting it– “Since you and my brother are in an arranged marriage I suspect that you wouldn’t care if he has a secret lover,” Your shoulder tenses up. “But seeing you distressed, I assume you care deeply for my brother more than a friend, isn’t that right?”
You press your lips tightly, hesitant to answer Ayaka’s question. As mentioned, it took you ages to admit your love for Ayato, so admitting it out loud is further admitting that you love him.
While you were lost in your thoughts, Ayaka once again glanced at the silhouette behind the shoji. Kamisato Ayato has always been a terrible hider. During her childhood, her brother would always play seeker because, in his words, he would rather play hunter than be hunted.
“Yes…” You whisper, making only Ayaka hear. Ayaka smirks teasingly, “I’m sorry [Name], but I can’t hear you.”
You pout at the younger Kamisato, who is looking at you with a teasing grin. You sigh and then speak, “Yes," this time saying it much more loudly.
“Yes to what??” Ayaka smirks, your face turning redder than a ripe tomato. How annoying you playfully thought. You just want to wipe that grin off her face. You take a deep breath as Ayaka looks at you expectantly.
“I love Kamisato Ayato!” You yell, Ayaka’s eyes widening at the volume of your voice. Her gaze goes back to back from your flustered face to the silhouette behind the shoji. She wasn’t expecting you to yell– but you did!
“From his smile to his annoying attitude, I love it!” You look at Ayaka with hearts in your eyes. “[Name] are you alright-“
“The way he firmly commands his subordinates with an iron fist but then treats them well regardless of status,” You add, “I love it all!”
You have never told anyone of your undying love for the commissioner because you believe it to be a show of weakness. So you buried it deep within your heart for months, never expressing your love.
It was painful not to express your love for Ayato. But you endured— well, not until now.
You continue to sing of your love for Ayato, almost forgetting the fact you were distressed because of him.
Ayaka just sits there and listens as you ramble about her brother, slowly regretting her choices. Ayaka turns to look at the shoji, she could just tell that the person behind the shoji is blushing so hard. Oh, how badly she wants to see it.
Then, an idea popped inside her head, and she grins mischievously, “[Name], excuse me” Ayaka smiles at you as she stands up, and you look at her curiously. “Are you going somewhere?” you ask her, who is now walking towards the door, slightly tilting your head to your side.
You look at the shoji where Ayaka is walking, your eyes widen as you see a silhouette— a silhouette you are familiar with.
“Brother, it isn’t nice to eavesdrop on conversations, you know?” Ayaka sarcastically jokes, sliding the shoji door– revealing your flustered Fiance holding a wrapped present. You cover your mouth as you blush, slowly realizing what has just occurred.
Ayaka grins at the sight of two love-sick idiots. “I’ll leave you two here. I need to ask Thoma to bring in more Dango!” Ayaka casually says as she leaves the room- leaving both of you here.
“Hey,” Ayato nervously greets you, shutting the door behind him and then walking towards you. You look down, not wanting to face him after your outburst. “Don’t look down,” he whispers as he continues to walk toward you. You tense up at the tone of his voice– firm. You continue to look down, his shadow swallowing your figure.
Your eyes widen as he holds onto your chin, slowly tilting it up, making you face your Fiance. You gasp at the sight; Ayato looks down at you with a grin on his face– his cheeks still red.
“Didn’t you say you like my eyes?” He teases, slowly leaning forward– making you tense up, “So don’t look away.” Your cheeks heat up as you both get lost in each other’s eyes. You’re mesmerized, not wanting to look away from his eyes. Though he has an arrogant expression, his gaze is soft, gentle, and full of love, making your heart skip a beat.
The more you two get mesmerized by each other’s eyes, the more Ayato loses his cool. Kamisato has always been a great actor, knowing how to conceal his emotions when needed, he just can’t do it in front of you. Slowly, Ayato’s facade starts to crumble apart as his cheeks heat up, making him blush hard– again. His smug smirk turns into a soft smile. You continue to stare at him in a daze as he removes his hold on your chin and then sits down next to you.
“I’m sorry,” He apologizes, “It appears that I can’t stay calm around you.”
“Did you hear everything?” You ask as you both maintain eye contact. Ayato reddens, “Yes,”
“As in, everything?”
“Do you want me to repeat everything you said?”
“No!” You immediately refute, your eyes wide. Silence befalls you two until you both burst out laughing. You both smile at each other after your laughing fit. Then Ayato grabs your hand, intertwining it with his– making you blush. You didn’t even think it was possible to blush this hard. “I got you something,” Ayato says, grabbing the wrapped present with his other hand.
“This is?” You look at the beautifully wrapped present. You swore you’d seen this wrapping from somewhere. “Open it,” Ayato suggests; you look up at him and then back to the present. You let go of Ayato’s hand as you grab the present and then unwrap it.
“A box?” You mutter to yourself. With both of your hands, you lift the box, eyes widening as you look at the present– it’s a kimono. “This is!” You remove the kimono from the box as you admire the design.
“It’s beautiful,” You praise, your excited eyes not leaving the blue-colored kimono. “I designed it, just for you,” He grins. Upon hearing his remark, your excited eyes turn to look at him, startling him. “It’s gorgeous!!” you exclaim.
As you continue admiring the Kimono; you notice how the color matches Ayato’s clothes, the golden embroideries, and the lily pattern. “It is beautiful,” You say, turning your head to face him “so beautiful,” you smile widely at him. Ayato’s eyes widen at the sight, his heart skipping a beat as he continues to admire your smile– he’s captivated. Compared to his design, your smile is much more beautiful.
He smiles back at you, “it took me weeks to design this,” he says as he holds onto the silk of the Kimono, “And then I had to request Lady Hiyashi to bring the design to life.” You tense up, your excitement slowly disappearing at the mention of her name. You then recall the reason why you are in the Kamisato estate in the first place. Ayato notices your sudden change in mood, and concerned, he speaks “[Name] are you alright-”
“What is your relationship with Lady Hiyashi?” You interrupt him as your expression darkens. His eyes widened at the question, “Excuse me?”
“A few days ago I saw you and Lady Hiyashi talking about a special request and–”
“[Name], are you assuming that I and Lady Hiyashi are having an affair?” Ayato interrupts, and you nod in response. The next moment, Ayato’s laughter fills the room. Your face flushed in embarrassment as you stare at the eldest Kamisato in disbelief– is he mocking you?!
“Are you mocking me, Kamisato Ayato?” You snap, eyes narrowing, as Ayato starts to wipe his tears of laughter.
“Dear,” He says in between his laughter, “Lady Hiyashi is lesbian and is in a 5-year relationship with her childhood sweetheart.”
Your eyes widen at the newly founded information. You immediately turn to look away from Ayato from embarrassment as he continues to laugh at your remark. “Though,” Ayato grins teasingly, “To think that you love me to the point you’d get jealous, I’m honored.”
You refuse to meet his eyes– dying from embarrassment– just a while ago you were suspecting that he might be in an affair. You internally cursed at yourself for jumping to conclusions, you even told Ayaka for Archon’s sake! “If I tell you about me, will you finally look at me in the eyes?” He whispers; your ears perk up in curiosity– something about Ayato?
“Maybe,” You mutter in reply. Ayato smiles.
“Did you know I’ve been madly in love with you since childhood?” Your eyes widen, “You were always so unique as a child, so clever, yet you always listen to your heart than mind,” He grins, “Just like now.”
Ever since Ayato was a child, he gave away his heart to you like he was just passing toys, regardless of the advice of his peers. ‘As the heir to the Kamisato clan, you must never give your heart away so easily’ they would say, ‘it is a form of weakness. He would always take the wise words of his peers seriously– after all, knowledge is important. Yet he easily threw it all away when it comes to you. He easily gave you his world, despite knowing you could break it all in a heartbeat.
He knows how closed your heart is, after all, you too received the same advice. The only difference between you and Ayato is that you took it to heart.
“I’m sorry,” You whisper, still refusing to meet his eyes in shame. Ayato looks at you almost as if his world is about to crumble apart. “I only started developing feelings for you 6 months ago,” You add.
Ayato’s jaw drops at your comment, and then you both hear an outburst of laughter coming behind the shoji door. You and Ayato turn to the door as it slides open, revealing Ayaka laughing her heart out, and Thoma trying to suppress his laughter while holding a plate of Dango.