To the Usuba Household (薄刃家へ, Usuba-ke e?) is the third chapter of Volume 2 of the My Happy Marriage series.
Summary[]
After his visit to Kiyoka's house, Arata went to the station. He chides Kiyoka for not taking better care of Miyo and states that he would never treat his own fiancée that way. Kiyoka is angered that he is talking that way about Miyo, but can't disagree with him as work has kept him away from home lately. Later, Kiyoka receives new conclusive information from the private investigator and returns home.
At home, Kiyoka is disturbed to see how thin and absentminded Miyo had gotten. His anger gets the best of him and he reprimands her for not confiding in him about her nightmares and poor health, and says that he regrets letting her study in the first place if this is the result. He immediately regrets his words when he makes Miyo cry. She calls him cruel and then faints. The piece of paper Arata snuck into her sleeve falls out. It confirms Kiyoka's suspicions, and he decides to contact Arata in order to save Miyo.
The next morning, Miyo wakes up in her room. She is convinced that she has ruined her relationship with Kiyoka for good, but doesn't know how to fix it. After breakfast, Kiyoka takes her to Tsuruki Trading to meet with Arata. Arata takes them to the Tsuruki estate to have their talk. There, they meet an old man who remarks on Miyo's resemblance to Sumi. Arata finally reveals the truth: his real name is Arata Usuba, Miyo's cousin. The old man is Yoshirou Usuba, the father of Sumi Saimori and thus Miyo's grandfather. "Tsuruki" is merely the public identity of the Usuba family.
Arata confirms that he purposely let Kiyoka find records that will lead him to connect the Tsurukis with the Usubas. He also confirms that Miyo actually has a powerful Gift: Dream-Sight, the power to manipulate the mind of others. It is a rare Gift that has only manifested in a select few female Gift-users in the family's long history. Yoshirou claims that it's even more powerful than the emperor's Divine Revelation, since the Gift allows the user to manipulate the mind of any sleeping person, brainwash them, and even see the past, present, and future in their sleep. The Usubas are forced to live in hiding because this power marked them as a threat to other Gift-users.
Kiyoka asks why it took so long to discover that Miyo had this ability. Yoshirou guesses that Sumi must have sealed it away as soon as Miyo was born because she was worried that it would be exploited. When Sumi was born with the Gift of telepathy, the family was thrilled as it meant that her child would possess Dream-Sight. To increase the chances, Yoshirou arranged her marriage to a distant relative, but Tsuruki Trading's fortunes waned during that time, so the marriage plans were abandoned. The head of the Saimori family at that time somehow heard about their plight and offered financial help in exchange for marriage between their two families. Yoshirou was reluctant, but Sumi overcame his objections and went to the Saimoris. The Usubas were tricked into thinking that Miyo didn't have a Gift because of the seal, so they left Miyo to the Saimoris. The seal weakened after Sumi died, and even more when Miyo left the Saimori household.
In return for stopping her nightmares, the Usubas want Kiyoka to hand Miyo over to them, as they are the only ones in the world who would be able to help her control her powers. Miyo feels shocked and heartbroken that Kiyoka seems to be considering it without asking for her opinion. If he rejects her, then she will have no choice but to accept his decision. She also have complicated feelings towards her mother for sealing her Gift and thus subjecting her to a life of abuse and neglect. She tells Arata that she will yield to Kiyoka's choice on the matter and that she doesn't care either way, not seeing Kiyoka's stunned reaction to her answer.
Arata proposes that they duel for Miyo, which Kiyoka accepts. He uses his saber to fight, while Arata uses a revolver. However, Arata uses his illusion abilities to easily overpower Kiyoka, winning the battle. Miyo is taken back into the Usuba house by her family, while Kiyoka is locked out. He dejectedly returns home and is confronted by a confused Hazuki and Yurie. After he explains what happened, Hazuki slaps him before using her Gift to heal his wounds. She yells at him for being insensitive to Miyo's tendency to blame herself for everything, her reluctance to confide in anyone, and her desire to be needed by him. She tells him that he should go back to the Usuba house right away and get Miyo back. Kiyoka, realizing his mistakes, agrees. But just then, he receives a familiar from Godou, telling him of an emergency that needs his immediate attention. Kiyoka decides to take care of his duties first before going back for Miyo.
Miyo is welcomed by the Usuba family, but she spends her time in a listless daze. She is made to wear a shrine maiden's kimono, and the kimono she wore on that day still hasn't been returned to her. She asks Arata to let her see Kiyoka one more time, but he refuses. He wants her to help the Usubas fulfill their obligation—stopping Gift-users who use their powers for bad. Because of the Usubas' power, they are forced to live in secrecy and pass down their Gifts within their family by intermarrying each other. Arata guesses that Yoshirou will probably have them marry each other. He asks her to stay in the house, behind the barrier that can protect her from her nightmares, and let him protect her.
Yoshirou visits Miyo a few days later. He refuses to grant her wish to see Kiyoka, not because he doesn't want to, but because his hands were tied and because Kiyoka's unit is currently in the middle of a mission due to a Divine Revelation from the emperor. He apologizes for not looking into her treatment by the Saimoris and forcing her to endure it, and asks her to rely on her family. Miyo vents her feelings of uselessness and her insecurities about not knowing what a family is. Yoshirou tells her that a family is someone who will help you carry your burden without hesitation, and that family bonds aren't so easily broken. He was furious when Sumi went against his objections to get married, but he still wished for her happiness. He also feels the same way about Miyo. Miyo realizes that Kiyoka has become family to her.
Just then, Arata returns in a panic and tells Yoshirou that Kiyoka was defeated by an enemy and is currently unconscious. Miyo despairs, but refuses to give up as he is still alive. Arata pleads with her to stay here, but she turns him down as she wants to be by Kiyoka's side and live with him. Arata reveals that Miyo is being intentionally kept her by order of the emperor. Arata had made a deal with him for his help to bring Miyo to the Usuba house in exchange for keeping her here, though Arata doesn't know his reasons. The Usubas will be punished if they go against the emperor, but then Arata makes an unexpected offer. He will go with her to Kiyoka's side. The two run out of the house together.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
Mentioned characters[]
Chapter Notes[]
[]
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||