Days rolled to weeks and soon a few months passed, seeing the end of tsuyu (rainy season) as summer settled in, which was evident in the high temperature.
To Hina's surprise, she and Kai had grown fond of each other. He would often invite himself to her brunches or picnics and he attended family meals once in a while. Although the two had become good friends over time, Kai's relationship with his father remained unchanged.
Hina had also completed her lessons, gaining nothing but endless praises from both tutors. With her history classes with Mr Otake done, the bubbly man had to leave Asahi to return to a foreign school where he served as a professor. He had worn a sad look throughout their final class, expressing his discontent that their lessons had come to an end. He, however, advised her to attend the academy and put her skills to use, which was something she already intended to do.
Hina had also become fast friends with her new etiquette tutor Mrs Omori. The elderly woman, who was known for her rigid attitude and being stingy with her compliments, had praised her student's graceful manner, which she claimed was not lacking to that of the Imperial family. Although Hina had felt that the woman may have been slightly exaggerating, she took in all the sweet comments with joy.
Hina laid sluggishly on the couch, staring beyond her balcony as she wallowed in utter boredom. Now that her classes had come to an end, she didn't know what to do with the sudden extra free time. She couldn't recall when last she had so much time to spare, laying about and doing nothing. Even in her other lifetime, she was never this lax. She spent her days in the library to maintain her perfect GPA, tutoring other students and even took some weird extra classes on coffee brewing. Even her free times weren't free. It dawned on her how much she worked in her former life, sparing no time to catch her breath.
She had already sent out her application to the academy and was only waiting for a response. She was debating on what to do next when Suki suddenly appeared.
"Good afternoon, lady Hina"
"Good afternoon, Suki"
"Do you have any plans for the day?" Suki asked, aware that the young lady must be pretty bored now that she had rounded up her classes.
"No. now that my lessons are finally over, I don't know what to do with my time. Do you have any recommendations for me?"
"Umm, why don't you ask the merchant if you can go into town then? You could visit lady Rebecca's cafe. It has been a while since you last saw each other so I'm sure the lady will be happy to see you" Suki suggested.
"That's true, I've been stuck indoors for a while so a little outing could do the trick"
"I think so too, lady Hina. Should I help you fix your hair?" Suki asked, noticing Hina's messy hair.
"En, thank you"
_____
Hina made her way to the merchant's office. This was one of the odd days that he stayed at the estates all through the day, taking a break from the constant hectic work-life he had.
Hina knocked on the door, waiting for his reply before she turned the handle open. She sat opposite him at his work table, watching as he read through some papers with an old fashioned glass cup in one hand.
"I hear that you've completed your lessons" he mentioned, placing his glass down.
"Yes. I have also applied to the academy and I am simply waiting for their response now"
"That's impressive. Truly impressive, my dear Hina"
"Thank you-"
The office door abruptly opened as Tanaka peered her head into the room.
"...this little one wants to ask for father's approval to go out."
"Not today, Tanaka.." he sighed tiredly as he shook his head, mumbling something under his breath.
"But-"
"Enough Tanaka. You came into my office so rudely, what makes you think I'll pay any attention to your whining?"
He shot her a cold glance then gestured for her to leave.
Tanaka muttered an apology, attempting to close the door before Hina asked,
"If it's okay with you, can I go out together with Tanaka?"
"What?" The father-daughter duo asked in uniform, a surprised look on both faces.
"Are you sure?" The merchant asked, seeming worried for Hina.
"Yes. That way we could have a little girls time. It'll be fun" Hina stole a glance at Tanaka.
"Hmm, that's not a bad idea" he muttered,
"What do you say, Tanaka?" He turned to ask his daughter.
The girl mentally contemplated her answer for a second before agreeing to the opinion.
"Good. Now that that's settled, I expect you to be on your best behaviour, Tanaka"
"Yes, father"
_____
The carriage was set to leave and so was Hina, who made her way downstairs to find Tanaka already seated inside.
The carriage lurched through the archway, passing the vast greenery as the estate soon faded out of sight.
The young ladies of the merchant's household sat opposite each other, a suffocating silence deepening by the minute. By the moment, Hina regretted the very idea of going out with Tanaka. What was she thinking? Or rather, had she been thinking at all? She had momentarily felt bad for the cute child whose father didn't pay enough attention to her, hoping that this outing could serve as some sort of solace. But the longer Hina sat in the carriage with her, the clearer the flooding memories ran in as she recalled how terribly Tanaka had treated her in the past. Here she was, hanging out with the little she-devil she had planned to stay clear from.
[What a hot mess!]
Hina turned to the glass window, staring at the city streets as she hoped for the carriage to go faster. After what felt like forever, the carriage finally came to a halt in front of Beaux Reeves.
"We have arrived, lady Hina" Suki's warm voice called out from outside as the doors opened slowly. Hina watched Tanaka climb out first, following behind as she sighed at her poor decisions.
"Why did you pick this place?" Tanaka asked indifferently, her tongue tickling to criticise Hina's choice.
"Because I like it"
"Hmm..you have very weird preferences" Tanaka pointed out, eyeing the building before them.
"Have you been here before?"
"Nope, was never interested enough" she lied confidently. In fact, the name had caught her attention on several occasions and she had heard a lot about it. It was the buzzing new cafe that every noble lady had been to at least once. Of course, she was interested in it but she couldn't admit that fact to Hina.
"..I see. Well, let's go in" Hina told her, a smile tugging at the side of her lips as she noticed the girls enthusiasm. Despite her blatant lies, her eyes said otherwise.
The bell made a soft chiming sound as Hina pushed the doors opened, unsurprised to find Rebecca sitting by the corner with a chilled coffee before her.
"Hina!" She waved vigorously, suddenly in a bright mood as she walked towards her.
"I've missed you!" She said, hugging her a bit too tightly.
"I've missed you too, lady Rebecca" Hina barely got the words out as she choked on the hug.
"You're crushing me.." she added, tapping on Rebecca's back to let her go
"Tap tap"
"Ah, sorry sorry! I just haven't seen you in a while that's why"
"Yes..sorry about that. I've been quite busy" Hina smiled lightly, placing her scattered hair behind her ears.
"No wonder."
"Also, this is my..." Hina trailed off, unsure of how to introduce Tanaka but knew it would sound weird if she called Tanaka her step-daughter. The two were barely two years apart and were practically the same height. Of course it was weird.
"Good morning, Lady Rebecca. I'm Tanaka, Hina's cousin" she said effortlessly with ease. The girl was a smooth liar.
"Wow! No wonder you both look alike!" Rebecca clapped her hands together in awe. Hina heard a quiet laugh behind her and could swear that it was Suki's.
"We don't really look alike.." Hina pointed out with an awkward smile.
"Of course you do! You're both so adorable!" She told her, fascinated by the resemblance only she could notice.
Rebecca led them to Hina's usual table
as she gestured for a waitress to bring the menu.
"What will you be having today, my sweet Hina?" Rebecca leaned in as she asked, her eyes glittering at the mere sight of Hina.
Hina quickly placed her order, turning to her new cousin who couldn't seem to make a choice.
"What about you, Tanaka?"
"I guess I'll just have what you're having" she replied.
"Okay.."
"What kept you busy all this time?" Rebecca asked, shooing the waitress away.
"I had some lessons I needed to finish.."
"That's good. So do I finally get to see you more often?
"Sure, of course.."
"Excuse me, lady Rebecca but..why are there so many pictures of my cousin here?" Tanaka asked in confusion, glancing around the frames on the walls.
"That's because she is our cafe's model" Rebecca revealed with a smile.
"Model?" Tanaka repeated faintly
"Yes. Our sales have risen since Hina started modelling for us! Some people even ask if they can buy her pictures but I strongly decline" Rebecca explained, sipping on her iced coffee.
"Ah... I see" Tanaka mumbled. She could tell from a glance that Rebecca was a complete Hina stan. She also hated to admit it but the pictures of Hina were stunningly beautiful and eye-catching. She could understand why Rebecca was in such awe of her.
Their orders were served and the two dug into their sweet delicacies while Rebecca sipped on her coffee as they all made small conversations. It was a summer afternoon well spent.
With the day hurriedly going by, it was time for them to return home.
"I'm afraid it's time for us to leave now, lady Rebecca" Hina smiled at her, cleaning her mouth with a napkin.
"Already? We've barely caught up with each other"
"I'll come back soon again" Hina assured her as she clasped her hands.
"Okay, if you say so"
They all said their goodbyes as Tanaka and Hina left the cafe.
The two got into the carriage, once again sitting opposite each other as the silence stretched out until Tanaka broke the quiet atmosphere,
"Why did you bring me along?" Tanaka asked, her gaze facing the window as she spoke.
"Because you wanted to go out.." Hina told her primly.
"Is that all?" Tanaka asked, now looking at Hina.
"Should I have another reason?"
"But I haven't been nice to you.."
"Well at least you're self-aware"
Tanaka turned away and the quiet setting lingered for some time until she spoke again
"Thank you... and I'm sorry.." she mumbled her words, embarrassment getting the best of her as her cheeks reddened.
Hina caught Tanaka smiling as she stared into the sunset, her slight dimple showing on her left cheek. She smiled lightly, surprised by the girl's sudden gratitude and apology. It wasn't the best apology but it was something. Hopefully a good start to a better relationship.
[I guess it wasn't such a bad idea to take her along] Hina thought to herself.