Chapter 5

After getting off from the car, Tsubaki’s first impression as looked upon the house of the Mizushima family in front of her could only be described by one word — Huge.

The size of the house couldn’t be compared with the house of the Kurahashis at all. The lot size was staggering. In contrast with the Kurahashi house’s Japanese-style architecture, the Mizushima house’s architecture was similar to a Western-style house. It seemed that the house had was built a long time ago, to the point that it looked like that the house might be regarded as a National Cultural Important Asset.

Why is there a small river in here? The level is just way too different. Just how much is the annual tax for this house, I wonder? Tsubaki couldn’t help but think of questions any commoner would ask if they were in her position.
Tsubaki surveyed her surroundings restlessly and because she looked she was about to wander away and get lost, her mother held Tsubaki’s hand.

“From now on, you can look around for how much you like but for now, be obedient okay?”

“Yes, Okaa-sama.”

Walking with their hands held together, they met with an elder around his forties when they passed through the wide entrance. The elder, after looking at Haruki, Yuriko, and Tsubaki, politely bowed his head.

Looking at the scene before her, Yuriko took it as a natural reaction. As expected from a lady from a distinguished family if one had to say. To begin with, Tsubaki never saw one person who would bow their head towards her mother beside Fumiko so the current situation was really fresh for her.

“Yuriko-sama. Us servants have looked forward to your return.”

“I am sorry, seems like I had made all of you worried. I will stay here for a while so please take care of me. Ah right, I should introduce her to you too. This child is my daughter, Tsubaki. Tsubaki, this is the steward, Segawa. Segawa had served our Mizushima family long before I was born you know.”

Pushed by her mother from her back, Tsubaki took a step forward and her eyes met with Segawa’s gentle eyes.

Tsubaki straightens her back in a fluster and introduced herself to him.

After Tsubaki finished her introduction, Segawa closed his eyes for a moment and he looked at Tsubaki like he saw something nostalgic.

“My, my. She looks like a wise Ojou-sama who resembles you very much, Yuriko-sama.”

“Thank you. It was Tsubaki who got to Onii-sama and informed our circumstances, you know.”

“As expected from Yae-sama’s granddaughter. Her eyes also resemble Yae-sama very much.”

“Segawa, Yuriko is tired so stop with the chatter. Go guide her to her room.”

Perhaps when he saw Yuriko and Segawa not showing any signs of ending their conversations with each other, Haruki lost his temper and ordered Segawa with a slightly stronger and domineering tone.

Seeming as if he was used to being berated by Haruki, Segawa bowed towards him and guided Tsubaki and her mother to their rooms.

Incidentally, Yae was the name of Tsubaki’s grandmother. She had already passed away around 10 years ago.

Along the way, Tsubaki became curious about her grandmother so she asked her mother about her. Although Yuriko was somehow evasive of the topic when Tsubaki had mentioned her mother, she still told Tsubaki as they reached their destination.

After they entered the room, Tsubaki asked her mother straight away about what she had planned to do the moment she arrived here.

“Okaa-sama, can Tsubaki go explore the house?”
After thinking about it for a minute, her mother agreed and told her that she can go but with a condition that she should not leave the front door.

Of course, I won’t leave the front door. Only the front door, though. Also, what I said was exploring the house. If it’s only inside the house, then it’s not exploring at all. Tsubaki left the room while trying to find the loopholes in her mother’s condition
If one would trace back Tsubaki’s root, who was a commoner in her previous life, she held a big interest in houses that rich people live in, like the house of a certain Director of a large company.

Although I do admit that I have a very inquisitive personality, but it can’t be helped. What’s interesting is interesting after all. Tsubaki didn’t say those excuses to anyone but to herself in her mind.

Tsubaki was also curious of Kyousuke, who has not shown himself up to this point.

From what Tsubaki had heard from her uncle, Kyousuke had lost her mother last year. Tsubaki wanted to ask more about Kyousuke but her uncle quickly returned to work so she couldn’t inquire more from him.

However, from the way that her uncle spoke when he was talking about Kyousuke, it was as if he ate something bitter, and that made Tsubaki certain that the Mizushima family is moving towards the game’s setting.

If so, then what Tsubaki has to do next is to make sure that Kyousuke and her father to reconcile.
It is about that gentle mother after all, if she knows the real circumstances she will move for sure. But, to make her feel worried again is not good.

Also, I think it is better to have a connection with Kyousuke before his personality turn like in the game.

In the game, dealing with him was already hard enough after all, and since this world has turned into reality, surely the difficulties will jump up too.

To begin with, that kind of personality was tolerable because it was a game, but in reality, people will draw away from him and he will be lonely for sure.

If a person who couldn’t read the feelings of others became top of the Mizushima family, it would only draw animosity from other companies and employees. And if that was prolonged, it would only lead to a disadvantage for the Mizushimas and the consequences… will lead the family to a decline.

Still, it’s hard for that kind of large company to go bankrupt, but the reliability of Mizushima’s brand will fall.

Although he may learn to be polite when he becomes an adult, I don’t want to put my hopes at something uncertain like that.

Also, because the father and son had a misunderstanding and was lacking in communication with each other, just looking at the screen when their relationship gets colder was…

Why do you two have to be so reserved like that!? Go and talk more! Remembering the game’s content from her previous life, Tsubaki suddenly became irritated.

In any case, it was nearly impossible to change her uncle’s personality that he had fostered for around 30 years.

However, Tsubaki thought that it might be relatively easy if the target is Kyousuke, who will turn 5 years old this year.

Tsubaki walked all around inside the house while she was trying to find Kyousuke, hoping to push the father and son to talk with each other, but in the end, she didn’t find Kyousuke anywhere.

At that time, Tsubaki saw Segawa walking near the entrance and was coming towards her direction, so Tsubaki decided to ask him.

“Segawa-san”

“My, Tsubaki-sama. It is fine if you call me with just Segawa.”

“Eto, then, Segawa. Is there a child with the name Kyousuke here?”

“Kyousuke-sama is it?… Yes. He should be at home right now. Perhaps, he is in the greenhouse or his own room.”

“Thank you.”

After thanking Segawa, Tsubaki began to walk and headed towards the greenhouse. It is fine to look around Kyousuke’s room too but, she chose the greenhouse because she was interested in it.

Tsubaki walk around the mansion for a while. After she confirmed that nobody was around when she checked her surroundings, she grabs a chair that was close to her, got on top of it, opened a window and jump out to the garden.

But after jumping out, she realized that she didn’t know where the greenhouse was. She could only cover her face with his palm and shook her head, as she realized this.

By the time that she arrived outside, Tsubaki decided to look around and left everything to her intuition. If she tried to ask people around, she would surely be brought back to the house.

Along the way, Tsubaki was reminded of the small river she passed by earlier and thought that if she followed the river, she will probably find the greenhouse.

From the river’s flow, it wouldn’t be strange if the water came through the greenhouse. Or perhaps, the water came from underground below the greenhouse.

After walking along the riverside for a good while, just like what Tsubaki had guessed, she found the greenhouse.

What Tsubaki is seeing right now is a huge dome-shaped greenhouse, it’s just so big that it made Tsubaki overwhelmed.

After a few minutes of looking for a way to enter, Tsubaki had finally found the door that leads to the inside of the greenhouse

Upon entering, Tsubaki was greeted by the warm feeling of the greenhouse. The humid air wafts everywhere inside the greenhouse which made her clothes cling to her body.

Various plants were scattered the inside of the greenhouse. Tsubaki was looking at the each one of these plants and was captivated by them.

She had nothing to say other than– the hobbies of rich people are really amazing.

While Tsubaki was walking and looking around, she felt like she was being watched and began to search for it.

Then, what Tsubaki found was a young boy who had frankly put up his wariness towards Tsubaki.

In this house, there was no other young boy beside Haruki’s son, Kyousuke. This child was someone who Tsubaki had always encountered the most in the game so she had recognized him the moment she saw him.

Compared with the picture, in reality, the young boy have a face a hundredfold cuter. Though his father has almond shaped eyes, it seems like Kyousuke’s eyes more resemble her mother. But, his mouth and nose are exactly like his father’s, with a symmetrical face like his, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he was more handsome than a Bishounen.

Towards Kyousuke who still held caution towards her, Tsubaki began to talk to him.

“Nee. You are Kyousuke-kun, right? Tsubaki’s name is Tsubaki. Tsubaki’s mother is Kyousuke-kun’s father’s little sister so we are cousins. From today, Tsubaki will stay in this house. My best regards.”

Although Tsubaki was speaking kindly, Kyousuke decided that Tsubaki wasn’t an enemy and that made him lost interest in her so he quickly turned his face to another side.

Perhaps because Tsubaki, in her previous life, was taught that greetings were the basic of human relationships, and by looking at Kyousuke’s attitude, Tsubaki began to feel irritated.

And so, Tsubaki walked quickly to Kyousuke’s other side, peeked at his face and once again opened her mouth.

“My best regards”

Again, Kyousuke turns his face to another side, and once again, Tsubaki peeks at his face and opens her mouth.

“My best regards.”

To Tsubaki’s impolite behavior, Kyousuke was looking at her with amazement eyes.

Up until now, only his grandfather and his father, who were equal or superior to him, and the majority of people had always bowed their head to him. It was beyond his expectation that a little girl with an unclear personality or character to suddenly act as if she was equal to him.

“Nee, it is a courtesy to return greetings with greetings you know? Even though you are a Mizushima, you can’t do something simple like that?”

Tsubaki spoke to Kyousuke with a somewhat provocative tone. When he heard that, just in a moment, Kyousuke’s eyebrow twitched and directed his sight away from Tsubaki. A few seconds later, although unwillingness could be heard as he spoke, he muttered “My best regards.” in a really quiet voice.

“Un. My best regards! Kyou-chan.”

Kyousuke, who averted his face away from Tsubaki, suddenly stared straight at Tsubaki’s eyes like he was seeing something unbelievable.

“Oi. What’s with the ‘Kyou-chan’?”

“Calling you with Kyousuke-kun is too long after all.But it’s okay to call Tsubaki with just Tsubaki you know!”

“… Have it your way.”

Kyousuke leaves the greenhouse as he realized that whatever he says to Tsubaki, it would only be just a waste of time.

For the time being, Tsubaki decided it was acceptable that Kyousuke perceived her as an impudent woman.

Kyousuke’s opinion towards a timid girl isn’t really good, and for a strong-willed girl is only going to backlash.

Thank you very much, oh heroines from every generation in shoujo games. Thanks to you, I have a smooth sail.
Though, this is only the beginning so it is better to be on guard.

In the previous greetings, for Tsubaki to make Kyousuke perceive her as an impudent woman, it was a right thing to do.

Because it can be a start where Kyousuke will slowly open up and be more familiar with Tsubaki.

In the past, Kyousuke was showered with words of mourning and comfort from his surroundings about his mother’s death. But behind his back, they said that it is was because she gave birth to Kyousuke that she died, and Kyousuke too already knew about it.

Because of that, Kyousuke has believed that his father blamed Kyousuke too and willingly distanced himself from his son.

And right now, it would be only matter of time before Kyousuke starts distrusting other people and make a wall around him from others. But, Tsubaki believes that Kyousuke is not fully in distrust with others, and if it’s now, she might be able to reform Kyousuke’s personality.

For that, she has to win Kyousuke’s trust.