The Spider Lily Turns into a Chrysanthemum

Ichimaku: Chapter 3

By the time Yoshino and Shouma reached the bottom of the stairs, the house barely resembled the quiet place she’d returned to earlier that day.

There were people everywhere.

More than eighty members of the Somei-kai had filled the main floor and spilled outside into the garden. Men stood shoulder to shoulder around tables with drinks in their hands. Others had gathered near the open doors leading outside, where more tables and chairs had been arranged beneath lights strung across the yard.

Music played somewhere beneath the overlapping conversations and laughter.

Yoshino stopped on the last step.

“Holy shit.”

Shouma looked over the room, “Yeah.”

“I thought Tsubaki invited, like, twenty people.”

“You should know better.”

“I really should.” Yoshino tightened her arm around his as they stepped into the room. The Louboutins already felt like a mistake, but she wasn’t going to admit that yet.

Several people noticed her immediately.

“Yoshino!”

“Welcome home!”

“Congratulations!”

Yoshino barely had time to respond before Renji’s voice carried across the room.

“Everyone, everyone! Settle down!”

The conversations gradually quieted.

Renji stood near the center of the room with a drink in his hand, looking pleased with himself.

“Our Yoshino is back.”

A few men immediately started cheering.

Renji raised his hand.

“I’m not finished.”

That quieted them again.

“I want to make an announcement. Yoshino not only graduated high school, but she just turned nineteen.”

More applause followed.

Yoshino smiled, slightly embarrassed by the attention.

“And,” Renji continued, “Yoshino and Tsubaki will be opening a medical spa here in Osaka, with another location planned for downtown Kyoto.”

That earned a louder response.

Yoshino looked around at the familiar faces.

Renji waited for them to settle.

“That being said, enjoy all the drinks and fun tonight, because starting tomorrow, we are putting clan activities on pause for one month.”

Several expressions changed.

Renji smiled.

“We’re refurbishing the building together, and we’re getting it done in four weeks.”

There was a moment of silence.

Then somebody laughed.

Another man raised his glass.

Within seconds, glasses were lifting throughout the house.

The ninkyō dantai cheered together.

“KANPAI!”

“Kanpai!”

Yoshino laughed as the room returned to noise.

Beside her, Shouma raised an eyebrow, “So that’s what Tsubaki was talking about before.”

Yoshino squeezed his arm excitedly, “Yes! And I’m going to tell you all about it this weekend because I’m hiring you.”

Shouma looked down at her. A small smirk appeared. “Yeah, mkay.”

“I’m serious.”

“I know.”

“You don’t even know what I’m hiring you for.”

“Doesn’t matter. You’ll tell me anyway.”

“Exactly.”

They moved farther into the room. Through the crowd, Yoshino noticed a woman approaching them. Unlike most of the guests, she wasn’t carrying a drink.

She wore white from neck to ankle, an elegant A-line dress made from fine spider silk that moved lightly as she walked. Her straight black hair ended precisely at her jaw, with blunt fringe bangs framing her face. Red eyeliner traced her eyes, matched by deep red lipstick.

A small white gift bag hung from one hand.

Yoshino’s face immediately brightened.

“Ane-san!”

The woman hadn’t even had time to speak.

Yoshino released Shouma’s arm and hugged her.

Tsutsuji was Tsubaki’s mother, Yoshino’s aunt, and the half-sister of Yoshino’s late father.

Nobody called her aunt. She hated it.

Within the family, she was simply Ane-san. Very few people used Tsutsuji’s given name freely. Renji could. And there was one man from another organization who had earned that privilege in an entirely different way.

His relationship with Tsutsuji had also helped keep relations between eastern and western groups unusually stable. It wasn’t the first time personal relationships had crossed those boundaries.

Sometimes it seemed as though every generation produced at least two people determined to complicate the arrangements made by the generation before them.

Tsutsuji hugged Yoshino back.

“Ane-san, you didn’t have to give me a gift.”

“We all missed your birthday because you were on that dreadful side of the country.”

Yoshino laughed, “I was in Tokyo, not exile.”

Tsutsuji handed her the bag, “Debatable.”

Yoshino took it.

Tsutsuji studied her face for a moment, “I am interested in everything about this Kirishima boy. I heard he looks just like his granduncle.”

Yoshino gave her a puzzled smile, “Trust me, Ane-san, there’s nothing to tell. He’s just a typical man in the business.”

For a second, Tsutsuji’s eyes sharpened with interest, “Oh?” She tilted her head, “And what’s that?”

“Oh, you know. Sleeping around. Networking—or so they say.” Yoshino rolled her eyes, “But I think he enjoyed it.”

“Hm.” Tsutsuji seemed entirely unsurprised, “Sounds about right. I had a list of them when I was your age.”

Yoshino’s eyes widened, “Ane-san, please don’t think I’m looking down on you.”

“Not at all, “ Tsutsuji waved the concern away, “It’s a well-known fact, and it was something I enjoyed. They’re the ones who couldn’t keep their hands off me.”

Shouma remained silent beside them.

“Thankfully, I had a procedure so I couldn’t become pregnant again. Otherwise, my Tsubaki would’ve had several siblings.” 

She paused.

“And your grandfather would’ve been very upset.”

Yoshino’s expression immediately turned annoyed, “You know, that’s such a double standard.”

Tsutsuji smiled.

“We all know how Gramps was when he was younger,” Yoshino continued. “You came from one of those relationships, and he kept doing the same thing, but then he forbade it from his own daughter.”

Renji was across the room and fortunately couldn’t hear her.

“We have to lead by example,” Yoshino said. “At least that’s what I’m going to do when I have kids.”

Tsutsuji’s eyebrows lifted, “Oh? You want children?”

“Yes.” There was no hesitation, “I love them so much. The thought of becoming a mom warms my heart.”

Tsutsuji looked at her for a moment.

Then her eyes moved to Shouma.

It was brief.

Shouma noticed anyway.

Her attention returned to Yoshino.

“Well, Yoshino, to do that you’ll need to find a companion.”

Shouma’s expression became still.

“Is this Kirishima boy a candidate?”

“GOD, NO. HELL NO.”

Tsutsuji blinked. Shouma looked at Yoshino.

“Well that was a fast response,” Tsutsuji said, “I take it you didn’t have a good experience in Tokyo?”

“That’s putting it lightly.”

“No worries. I understand. I’ve dealt with them as well,” Tsutsuji sighed, “Quite a pest at times. Cumbersome, really.”

“Oh, trust me, Ane-san. I’ll tell you all about it next time we go out for dinner with Tsubaki.”

“I look forward to it.”

Tsutsuji hugged Yoshino again.

When she released her, her eyes returned to Shouma.

This time, she allowed herself a small smirk.

“Oh, I can’t wait to hear all about it.”

Shouma met her eyes.

There was none of the irritation he’d shown Tsubaki upstairs.

His face emptied instead.

He had learned years ago not to look away from Tsutsuji.

There were people Renji expected Shouma to tolerate.

There were others he expected him to obey.

Tsutsuji belonged to a smaller category Shouma understood without ever needing it explained.

Yoshino didn’t notice, “Okay, well, I need to go say hello to everyone else. Love you Ane-san”

“No problem. I love you too my little Hiiro girl.”

Yoshino smiled and returned to Shouma.

Then she noticed his face.

He was still looking at Tsutsuji.

“HEY.”

Shouma blinked and looked down at her.

Yoshino’s eyebrows were scrunched, “You okay?”

“Yeah.” He glanced toward the room, “I’m fine. C’mon. Let’s start from the right and walk around in a circle so you can greet everyone, do your pleasan—”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Pleasantries and please Gramps. I know.”

Shouma offered his arm again.

Yoshino took it.

Three hours later, Yoshino had spoken to nearly everyone in the house.

Shouma had guided her through the main floor, into the garden, around the tables outside and back again. Yoshino told the same abbreviated stories about Tokyo several times, accepted congratulations for graduating and thanked everyone in advance for helping with the medical spa.

She laughed more than she’d expected to.

Being back felt easy. By the time they returned inside, Shouma checked his watch.

“It’s twelve-thirty.”

Yoshino groaned.

“I need to get going soon,” he said. “I have to be up early to pick up my new bike.”

He guided her toward an empty chair, “Sit.”

Yoshino did.

“Take the shoes off already.”

“Doing it now.”

She immediately reached for the first heel.

Shouma watched her sink back into the chair with obvious relief once both shoes were off.

He’d enjoyed having her arm linked through his all night more than he intended to think about.

That didn’t mean he wanted to watch her destroy her feet.

Yoshino rubbed one of them.

“I’m so hungry.”

She looked around.

“Usually we have food sitting out all night. I didn’t realize they did timed catering.”

“You talked through dinner.”

“I know. I should’ve eaten when the food was out,” she shrugged, “It’s fine, though. I’m staying at Tsubaki’s apartment, and I know her personal chef has meal-prepped food for her.”

“Speaking of that,” Tsubaki appeared behind Yoshino, “You can’t stay at my place.”

Yoshino turned around, “What?”

“My main squeeze is waiting for me outside, and I haven’t seen him in a week.”

“Tsubaki.”

“I love girls’ night, but we’ll have to do that some other time,” Tsubaki looked upward thoughtfully, “Although…”

Shouma immediately distrusted the pause.

“You can stay with Shouma. He has an apartment in Kyoto.”

Shouma’s eyes widened, “What?”

Tsubaki looked at him, “Why are you making that face? It’s not like you weren’t already living here with Yoshino for almost ten years.”

“That isn’t the same thing.”

Yoshino tapped her chin, “I guess that does make sense.”

Shouma looked at her.

Yoshino spoke before he could say anything else, “Gramps told me they’re doing a deep Buddhist cleansing of the house this weekend anyway, so I have to stay somewhere else.”

She smiled at him, “Shouma, can I?”

His answer came despite the look he gave Tsubaki, “Yeah. It’s no problem.”

Tsubaki smiled.

Shouma ignored her, “The only thing is, I was gonna take one of the spare bikes from here. But if we have to take your bags—”

“We’ll take the gray truck!”

Shouma stared at Yoshino.

“I know how to drive it.”

“Fine.”

Tsubaki winced.

“Yoshino, eventually we’re getting you a nice car after we open the medical spa. You don’t need to drive that dingy thing.”

“There’s nothing wrong with the truck.”

“You’re too beautiful for that vehicle.”

Shouma nodded, “Tsubaki’s right. They’re also dangerous at high speeds, especially if you turn too abruptly.”

Tsubaki slowly looked at him.

“Oh?”

Shouma realized his mistake.

“You agreed with the part where she’s too beautiful for the truck?”

He glared at her, “Don’t you have a car waiting for you outside?”

“Correct, I do,” Tsubaki smiled, “You never miss anything, Shouma.”

She leaned down and hugged Yoshino.

“I’ll see you Monday.”

Then, quietly beside her ear:

“Be nice to him for me.”

Yoshino hugged her back, “Um, I’m always nice. But yeah, I’ll see you Monday.”

Tsubaki straightened and walked toward Renji and her mother.

“Renji-san. Ane-san.”

Both looked toward her.

“I have Akira waiting outside. I’m staying at his place.”

Renji’s face immediately became amused, “Is this the one you were telling me about who’s going to medical school?”

Tsubaki smiled, “Maybe.”

“Is he trying to join the family business?”

Tsubaki giggled, “Oh, I’m still working on it. He’s scared of it, but I’m going to pull the strings.”

She kissed Renji on the cheek, then her mother.

“Just you wait, Renji-san.”

Tsutsuji gave her daughter a knowing look but said nothing.

Tsubaki headed outside.

A black Lexus LS 500 Executive waited near the entrance, its polished body reflecting the lights from the house.

A man leaned against the driver’s side.

Akira was twenty-six, tall and lean, with dark purple hair swept loosely away from his forehead. His charcoal Hugo Boss suit fit him perfectly, though he’d left the first button of his shirt undone beneath the jacket. A silver watch showed beneath one cuff.

When he saw Tsubaki, a smirk appeared, “Konbanwa, dollface.”

“Don’t call me that.”

Her words were dismissive.

Her smile wasn’t.

Akira opened the passenger door for her.

Tsubaki stopped in front of him instead, “I’m tired.”

“Long night?”

“Very.”

She lightly adjusted the front of his jacket.

“Drive to my apartment so I can take these clothes off and you can shower with me.”

His smirk widened, “I love that.”

Tsubaki smiled, “I missed you.”

“I missed touching you.”

His phone vibrated. Akira glanced down at the screen before looking at her again, “But I’m surprised you texted me this late. You usually give me a day in advance.”

Tsubaki studied his face.

Then she reached up and ran her fingertips lightly along his cheek, “I’m just feeling… adventurous.”

For a moment, the playful expression she’d worn throughout the evening disappeared.

She looked at him quietly.

“Drive.”

They both got inside.

A moment later, the Lexus pulled away from the Somei residence.

Back inside, Yoshino was still barefoot, talking to Shouma about what she needed to pack for Kyoto.

Neither of them had noticed Tsutsuji watching them from across the room.

She held her drink loosely in one hand.

Her eyes followed Shouma first.

Then Yoshino.

The same small smile she’d given Shouma earlier returned.

Renji appeared beside her.

Tsutsuji didn’t look at him.

Neither said anything.

They didn’t need to.

Whatever Renji had seen in Shouma years ago, Tsutsuji had seen it too.

And neither of them seemed surprised by what he had become.