Translator: Silver Editor: Namorax

「31 (Suwa Iori's Viewpoint – Part One)」

I was considered special from the moment I was born.

I am Suwa Iori, the next head of the Suwa conglomerate.

That was the name I was given.

As the head of the Suwa family, I had to be superior to everyone else.

That was what I'd been raised to believe.

In fact, I was better than other children my age.

The world was a small miniature garden in my eyes.

The world centered around me.

My parents were so busy that I wouldn't see their faces for days at a time.

Instead, I spent my time with my aunt, my father's sister, and her daughter s.h.i.+ori.

Apparently my aunt had been adopted at a young age from the branch family she had succeeded.

It was a story I heard from s.h.i.+ori.

s.h.i.+ori was the most beautiful, gentle, and warmest person I knew.

You could say that s.h.i.+ori became my entire world.

As I gradually grew, my mother and aunt took s.h.i.+ori and me to various places.

In hindsight, most of those places where tea parties.

I was overwhelmed by older women and girls my age praising my too high heavens for my brilliance.

It was to be expected as a man of the Suwa family.

My excellence was to be expected.

I wasn't like other kids.

Or so I thought.

However, if I paid attention, I would've noticed that they always told me things like that.

『The Sagara family's princess is brilliant and doesn't act like a child. I hear she's a prodigy like her older brother Yak.u.mo.』

The possibility that the Sagara family's princess was superior to me angered me to no end.

No one was my equal, and n.o.body could be my superior.

That mindset was shattered when I entered kindergarten.

It wasn't long before I enrolled in s.h.i.+nonome kindergarten.

The Sagara princess wasn't in my cla.s.s.

That only reinforced the idea that no one was better than me.

There were harvest-able fruit trees planted around the kindergarten.

Part of our education was to grow while appreciating the blessings of the four seasons.

However, the more mischievous children saw the trees and the fruit as playthings.

When I looked upon the apple tree, all I saw was green fruit.

Somehow, climbing the tree and picking an apple had become of a mark of excellence among my cla.s.smates.

It happened when I was about to begin my climb.

“Stop, you'll only hurt yourself.”

A high pitched voice stopped me in my tracks.

Looking back I saw a girl with long hair.

She was my age or slightly younger.

She had straight black hair, large black eyes and porcelain white skin.

s.h.i.+ori was the most beautiful person I knew.

However, this girl was more beautiful than her.

“It's easy to slip off that tree. Also, those green fruits will give you a stomachache. Nothing good will come from what you're doing.”

I became annoyed by her words.

That fact that some girl, who was prettier than s.h.i.+ori, was scolding me angered me further.

“There is nothing that I can't do!”

She was shocked by my shouting and immediately turned around and left.

“Hey, wait!”

“I warned you. What happens the fool who doesn't listen isn't my concern.”

That was the first time someone called me a fool.

Who was she and why didn't she recognize me!?

Fueled by my anger and desire to be recognized, I climbed halfway up the tree before a broken branch sent me crus.h.i.+ng the ground.

I was scolding by my teachers and then my parents when I go home.

Why were they upset?

I was excellent and one of a kind.

The one who hindered my climb was praised while I was reprehended.

It was a funny story of the coward being glorified while the courageous me was left to stew in my anger.

Such a situation made me even angrier.

Only after s.h.i.+ori consoled me could I reign in my temper.

Seeing s.h.i.+ori worried made me understand why that person had tried to stop me.

She could be a useful person.

When I told her that I wanted to make her my retainer, she gave me a look that said 『I don't a.s.sociate with fools』 and ignored me.

Even though she was prettier than s.h.i.+ori, she was indifferent to everything I said.

When I learned that she was the Sagaras' princess, her actions became inexcusable.

Up through elementary school, Sagara remained indifferent, even as everyone else couldn't ignore me.

Although I demonstrated my superiority in every aspect, my excellence only pushed her further away.

Sagara was always alone or with Okabe.

While she was left alone, I was surrounded by followers I didn't want to deal with most of the time.

Though she wasn't hated, she gave off an aura that made her unapproachable by most people.

Okabe was the only one allowed at her side.

She only shared real smiles and light laughter with Okabe.

Everyone else reserved a lifeless smile.

But for me, she remained expressionless. I didn't even get a smile from her.

She spoke to me when I called out to her, but she didn't seem happy like the others. It was as if she had only answered me out of duty.

It wasn't like she hated me.

What was with her att.i.tude?

Why was s.h.i.+ori so concerned about that girl?

The princess and her brother Yak.u.mo had caught her eye.

s.h.i.+ori should only care about me, but she just chuckled and nodded when I said that.

Of could, I was special.

I was the special one.

Therefore, everyone should care about me.

So why didn't Sagara care about me at all?

That doubt festered in my mind as I rose into the junior high section.

I started hanging out with Oogami Guren.

Since our fathers were on good terms with one another, it was probably inevitable that Guren and I would become friends.

While Guren was charming, he had a poisonous tongue and a sharp wit.

It was fun talking to him because of the barbs he retaliated with.

Guren was also interested in Sagara.

He didn't call out to her, he just watched her from a distance.

No, it was more like he was observing her.

When I asked him what he was doing, he gave me a vague answer about collecting data.

During the second semester of junior high, I went to pick up s.h.i.+ori from the high school department as usual.

Because of our age difference, s.h.i.+ori had advanced ahead of me.

I don't understand why s.h.i.+ori had to attend high school when she only needed to look at me.

Once lessons were over, I hurried over to the spot s.h.i.+ori usually waited in, but a scream caught my attention.

I remember wanting to ask s.h.i.+ori about the Halloween party the high school was planning only to find her surrounded by four strangers.

Although part of a branch family, s.h.i.+ori was still part of the Suwa family.

Realizing that she was in danger of being kidnapped, I dropped my bag and ran straight for s.h.i.+ori.

I had to save s.h.i.+ori.

That was my only thought.

I couldn't allow them to take her away and in my rampage, I heard s.h.i.+ori say something.

She was calling for Sagara.

She was telling her to run away.

Is that girl nearby!?

I didn't realize how strange it was for s.h.i.+ori to call out to someone in this situation.

Looking back I saw Sagara looking upon us with a sullen expression.

She was also holding up a smartphone.

I was shocked when Sagara said she'd contacted school security and the police.

At that moment, she was excellent.

I still relive that moment in my dreams.

Even though I desperately resisted, I was repeatedly tossed aside by one of the kidnappers and was forced to watch another person create an escape route for us.

I'd become an immobile bystander.

I watched as one the kidnappers got in the car and ran over Saraga.

Her small body was dyed red after being flung into the air and cras.h.i.+ng to the ground.

I could only watch as things unfolded.

When I saw the guards rus.h.i.+ng towards us, I realized that Sagara had saved us.

The ambulance arrived, and I was taken to the same hospital as Sagara. After being treated, I saw my mother approaching me as if she was going to comfort me, only for her to slap me.

“If Mizuki-hime dies, you'll take responsibility and die with her!! s.h.i.+ori too!! Do I make myself clear!?”

Instead of the praise and understanding I expected, my mother was on the verge of unbridled rage.

“s.h.i.+ori, I'll never forgive you. I'll never forgive you for trying to kill Mizuki-hime. You've brought ruin upon the Suwa family. The head of the family won't protect you.”

“s.h.i.+ori was only trying to warn Sagara!”

“Hold your tongue!! If you intend to survive, remain silent! Speak again, and you'll be deemed to have had murderous intent. In times of uncertainty, your life isn't worth much.”

If it came down to it, mother would actually kill us.

If Sagara died, we'd pay with our lives.

That was how frightening an enemy the Sagara family made.

Mother seriously believed that they could crush the Suwa conglomerate.

“It's okay. Go home. I meant what I said earlier. Pray for Mizuki's safety.”

She whispered in a low tone.

Mother turned her back to me with no intention to hear what I had to say.

s.h.i.+ori took my hand and lead me back to her home.

There was no one home when we got there.

Neither uncle or auntie.

When did this place become so empty?

From that day on s.h.i.+ori wasn't allowed in the main estate.

Several days after the incident, it was announced that Sagara had regained consciousness.