Chapter 10: The Young Lady’s Temptation

“Ugh, my arm hurts…”

The words escaped me in a low groan as I passed through the school gates. Every step along the path to the main building sent a dull ache through my muscles. It seemed that carrying her like a princess last night had taken a greater toll on me than I’d anticipated.

Hmph. Guess I need to start training again.

It doesn’t take long to lose your edge if you let up.

“Good morning, Kiyomiya-san.”

The voice came from behind, polite and clear.

“Yeah, good mor—” I began to reply on instinct, then caught myself. The only students who ever greeted me were Sayaka and Maki. Sayaka always arrived later than I did, and there was no chance on earth Maki would ever use such respectful language.

That meant—

“Oh. Right. Maritsuji-san.”

“Indeed,” she confirmed with a graceful nod. “I am Maritsuji Anri.”

She was the very picture of classical beauty. Long, glossy black hair framed a face of pale, flawless skin. Her features were refined and perfectly proportioned, set upon a slender, petite frame that couldn’t have been much taller than 150 centimeters. She had the appearance of a middle schooler, yet there was nothing childish about her. The way she wore her uniform—immaculate, with a knee-length skirt rare even at the prestigious Sōshūkan Academy—radiated an aura of pure elegance.

“It feels as though it’s been a while, does it not? Even though we attend the same school.”

“You think so? Well, we are in different classes,” I pointed out. I was in Year 1, Class B; she was in Class A.

We’d known each other for a long time, as Maritsuji-san had been attending Sōshūkan since the elementary division. Furthermore, the Maritsuji family was one of the most distinguished in the country, their status on par with the Kiyomiyas.

While many aristocratic families had relocated from Kyoto to Tokyo after the Meiji Restoration, the main Maritsuji residence remained in the old capital. Maritsuji Anri-san’s grandfather, the current family head, resided there, while her father, the heir, maintained a home in Tokyo.

They were still major landowners, possessing what was once their fiefdom. But since the Heian period, the Maritsujis had been known as the “Clan of Poetry,” cherishing the beauty of nature over material wealth. In terms of sheer financial power, they were no match for the Kiyomiya conglomerate. Yet, thanks to their unblemished lineage and elegant traditions, their prestige was equal to our own.

She’s the very picture of a perfect young lady, I thought to myself. It feels almost presumptuous to call her a friend.

“Eh? Presumptuous?”

I must have muttered it aloud. Maritsuji-san tilted her head, her expression one of gentle confusion.

“Ah, it’s nothing,” I said, trying to brush it off. “Well then—”

“Please wait,” she interjected smoothly. “Kiyomiya-san, do you have a moment?”

“…”

There was plenty of time before class, but even if there wasn’t, a request from the young lady of the Maritsuji family was not something I could easily refuse. Our families might share the same status, but our personal standings were worlds apart; I was not, after all, in line to be the Kiyomiya heir.

I gave a slight nod, and Maritsuji-san began to walk, leading the way. We weren’t heading into the school building but somewhere else entirely.

“Huh, was this building always here?” I asked as we rounded the main building and entered the back garden. A short walk brought us to a small, traditional wooden structure.

“It is still quite new. It was completed about two years ago.”

“A tea room… right?”

“I am in the tea ceremony club. Please, don’t worry about etiquette.”

What a gentle smile, Maritsuji-san. She was born and raised in Tokyo, but the Kyoto influence was strong in her.

If I mess up the etiquette, is she going to say something like, ‘My, my, Kiyomiya-han has become quite the barbarian from the East, hasn’t he?’

Of course, she did nothing of the sort. I followed her inside, taking a seat on the tatami mat opposite her. As expected of the daughter of a prestigious family, she looked perfectly poised, even sitting in seiza.

“Maritsuji.”

“Yes?”

“It’s better if you don’t talk to me so much in front of people.”

“I shall be the one to decide with whom I speak,” she stated firmly, a faint, unyielding smile on her lips. She appeared demure, but she never hesitated to say what was on her mind. That was the kind of young lady Maritsuji Anri was.

“You need not add ‘-san’ to my name, even in public. Of course, what would please me most is if you were to call me by my given name.”

“Don’t your own parents address you with ‘-san’?”

I remembered meeting them when I was young, having tagged along with my father on some outing. The Maritsuji family had been there, and I recalled them being… distant.

“I apologize for my parents’ behavior back then.”

“They didn’t do anything rude,” I said, though it wasn’t entirely true. They had simply refused to call me by name or even make eye contact, treating me as if I didn’t exist. It wasn’t an experience limited to the Maritsujis; it was the standard reception I received from most prominent families.

“As expected of you, Kiyomiya-san. You are quite magnanimous,” she said with a smile. “Now then, if I may, I would like to move on to today’s main topic.”

“G-Go ahead?”

“It seems you have been getting along well with Hisaka-san recently.”

“…!”

In an instant, the temperature in the tea room seemed to plummet by ten degrees.

“For more than nine years, since we were in the elementary division, you’ve been so cold towards me that I cannot recall a single time you’ve initiated a conversation. And yet, you seem to prefer Hisaka-san?”

“I-It’s not a matter of preference,” I stammered, caught off guard. “And we’re not that close.”

“How unfortunate for you that you aren’t close.”

“What do you want me to do about it?”

“Not at all. I am merely confirming the facts. I shall decide on a countermeasure afterward.”

“Countermeasures!?” What could possibly warrant countermeasures just because Sayaka and I were on good terms?

“Certainly, Hisaka-san is beautiful,” she continued, her tone analytical. “And above all, she excels in both academics and sports. She appears to have some difficulty with social interactions, suggesting certain emotional issues, but aside from that, she is flawless.”

“…You’re forgetting her family background and all that.”

“That is of no concern to me,” she declared. “Indeed, I believe it is nurture over nature.”

“Says the one who bears the most distinguished of names…” I muttered under my breath.

Born into a family with the finest pedigree and a perfect upbringing, Maritsuji is, paradoxically, indifferent to lineage.

“However,” she added, “I am also aware that lineage is important.”

“Hm?”

Still in her seiza position, Maritsuji placed her hands on the tatami mat and shifted forward on her knees. She moved closer, so close that our knees touched.

“Kiyomiya-san…” she began, her voice a soft murmur.

“W-What?”

“If you were to take me as your wife, your position as the Kiyomiya heir would be unshakable. Are you aware of that?”

“Wife!?”

“There is no need to be so surprised. It is not uncommon for students at Sōshūkan to have fiancés.”

“That’s true, but—”

She’s not wrong. Including verbal agreements, probably half the students here are already engaged.

“As it stands,” she continued calmly, “the only family that has a gentleman of our generation suitable to be a match for the Maritsuji family is none other than the Kiyomiya family.”

“If I were the heir to the Kiyomiya family, that is.”

There is one other family that would be a match, but they don’t have a son. If I were the official heir, this marriage proposal from the beautiful Maritsuji Anri would have likely already been settled.

“An engagement between an illegitimate child of the Kiyomiyas and the young lady of the Maritsujis is simply not realistic.”

“Please let me know when you feel like getting engaged. I will send over the complete set of documents.”

“This isn’t an insurance policy…”

“Marriage is, in essence, a contract,” she stated pragmatically.

“You’re quite the realist.”

“A political marriage is far more challenging than one of love. One must consider the balance of family status alongside the merits and demerits for both houses… it is a far more complex affair than merely falling in love. While such unions are often viewed negatively in this day and age, a great many people have found happiness in them. I would appreciate it if you did not disregard their existence.”

“That’s a long speech! Y-You seem to have strong feelings about political marriage.”

“To be honest, I have no interest in a romantic marriage,” she confessed, leaning in even closer. Her knees were still pressed against mine. “I desire a partner from a proper family, one who has been raised with the proper discipline. And I am confident in my ability to discern such a person.”

Her large, beautiful eyes—anything but clueless—were fixed on my face.

“Kiyomiya-san, you are the only son of the head of the Kiyomiya family. The fact that you are an illegitimate child is of no consequence. I consider you a worthy successor to the Kiyomiya family, and a man suitable to be my husband.”

“Don’t be so quick to decide things about other people’s families,” I retorted.

Somehow, Maritsuji’s way of thinking is utterly unique. Or perhaps it just perfectly follows the old rules of aristocratic society.

“I also believe there are no issues regarding your position in the Kiyomiya family,” she went on. “The only thing I am concerned about is Hisaka-san.”

“We’re back to that again.”

Since it’s her main topic, I guess she can’t let it go.

“I shall permit you to keep a mistress.”

“There’s another old-fashioned word.”

“Of course, Kiyomiya-san, you would not permit a woman’s—my—infidelity, would you? I know you wouldn’t.”

“Maritsuji knows something that even I don’t!?”

“A gentleman’s desires are selfish things, are they not? What I can permit is your infidelity… and, w-well… the three of us sharing a pillow.”

“Is there anything left to permit!?” You’re basically allowing everything!

“However,” she added with a sharp look, “I will be the legal wife. I am number one.”

“You know, in our country, the concubine system was abolished in the Meiji era, and monogamy was established…”

“That’s absurd,” she scoffed. “A mere hundred, a hundred and fifty years, is it? Our family has lasted for a thousand.”

“…”

Here it comes. A statement that reinforces every stereotype about people from Kyoto. As if she couldn’t care less what the barbarians in the Kanto region decide. Although Maritsuji was born and raised in Tokyo, she was often surrounded by relatives from Kyoto, and their dialect would sometimes slip out. That’s what’s so scary…

Just as I was thinking that, she smiled brightly. “I am joking, of course. I am, after all, a high school girl living in the modern age. Yes, let us decide not to allow mistresses.”

“While we’re at it, can you stop being so close?”

“This is a tea room, so it is natural to be close, but— y-you are too close! How rude of you!”

 

Suddenly, she fell backward with enough force to hit the wall behind her. Her knees shot up, and the hem of her knee-length skirt was thrown into disarray, revealing a flash of her white thighs—

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

“What was that scream for?” I deadpanned.

Maritsuji scrambled to hold down her skirt, hurriedly returning to a proper seiza position, her face flushed.

“I-I had no intention of getting so close! I am, after all, a maiden yet to be wed.”

“Unmarried, and undoubtedly sheltered…” I muttered. I hadn’t seen anything, but she was clearly flustered. Tea rooms may have long been used for secret meetings, but it seemed this level of proximity was beyond her calculations.

“Th-The first bell is about to ring. It is a pity to leave, but we must go!”

“Ah… oof!”

As I tried to stand, a wave of numbness shot through my legs, and I stumbled. Just as I was about to fall ungracefully, Maritsuji quickly reached out and caught me.

A soft, gentle sensation pressed against me. She was petite, and her chest was on the smaller side, but now that we were in direct contact, she felt surprisingly soft.

“Do be careful,” she said, her voice steady as she supported me. “Young people these days are not accustomed to sitting in seiza, so their legs tend to fall asleep quickly.”

“…Both our main and old residences are Western-style. Was the Maritsuji family home a traditional Japanese house?”

“Yes. It is hot in the summer and cold in the winter, so it is quite a hassle. It is just… very big,” she replied, smiling while still holding me up.

“Um, thanks for the help. You can let go now, Maritsuji.”

“Let go… n-now you embrace me as well! It seems I have no choice but to take you as my husband, Kiyomiya-san!”

Her face turned beet red as she abruptly pulled away.

“Your sense of chastity is on another level,” I said, amused. “But weren’t the aristocratic princesses of old rather… liberal? I hear night-crawling was fair game.”

“P-Please do not talk about things from a thousand years ago!”

“But the Maritsuji family has been around for a thousand years, right?” Just a moment ago, she was saying something like, ‘We still operate with a thousand-year-old mindset.’

“Even with you, Kiyomiya-san, night-crawling is… w-well, let us begin with a rendezvous. The love between a man and a woman is meant to be a series of secret trysts, is it not?”

“Such an elegant form of courtship…” Well, plenty of couples date in secret, so I guess she’s not wrong, even in modern times.

“By the way, Kiyomiya-san,” she said, her tone shifting again. “Please allow me to come a little closer.”

Before I could react, she moved toward me, bringing her lips right next to my ear. Her faint, warm breath tickled my skin.

“I will permit you to be on good terms with Hisaka-san,” she whispered.

“What authority do you have to permit anything?”

“However,” she continued, her voice low and serious, “Hisaka-san… she is not what one would call adept at navigating the school’s social landscape. For someone as conspicuous as she is, that cold attitude of hers towards well-bred peers is simply unacceptable. You would do well not to underestimate them.”

“…Instead of telling me, why don’t you tell Sayaka directly?”

“Oh? So you call her by her first name?” Her voice held a sharp edge for a moment. “I cannot simply let that pass… However, you would do well to remember my warning.”

“Thanks, I’ll keep it in mind.”

Surprisingly, this last part might have been her real reason for talking to me. So it wasn’t just me who had a lot of enemies. Sayaka did, too.

Maybe it would be better for both of us if we avoided interacting at school.

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