The next day, Ayato went to his father's room. He didn't talk about what he learned with his sister. Ayato didn't know whether it was right to tell anyone else.
He timidly slid the door open.
"Hah? Who's there?"
Goto Kyouya was drinking sake in the middle of the day. Ayato walked into the room with his head down. The man slammed his gourd bottle onto the mat, sealing it.
Goto Kyouya was drunk. He was an irresponsible adult, to be drinking during the daytime. He scowled at Ayato.
"Great, it's the problem child."
He croaked while hiccuping.
Ayato's heart skipped a beat. Goto was openly insulting him. He didn't care about what Ayato thought. Who would care about the opinions of a 3-year-old child?
"So, what do you want?"
Goto asked, turning to the child with a red face. He wasn't in the right mindset.
"Uhm... Mother was hurt by another woman."
"..."
Goto stared at him. Ayato furrowed his brow, confused at his response. It wasn't immediate. Weren't husband and wife supposed to care for each other?
"The woman was called Yuna. She's hurting her because she's envious."
"Oh, where'd you learn that word?"
Goto grinned at Ayato. The boy looked lost. The man laughed.
"I never thought I'd hear a 3-year-old use that word."
"Father, Mother was hurt."
"And? Did she come to tell me herself?"
Goto's presence suddenly became threatening. To Ayato, it was like sleeping in the dark. He closed his shoulders, wanting to shrink away from the man.
"Why did you come to me? Thinking that I can fix it? Tch, this is why kids piss me off."
He turned his head, spitting.
"If you have a problem, solve it yourself, Ayato. Kill her if you want. For your name, you're not very bright, are you?"
"Why...?"
The boy muttered.
Ayato left his father's room. He didn't understand. It wasn't that his brain was too immature to understand. It was that Goto didn't make any sense. Even a 3-year-old like Ayato knew some things. When people are hurt, others are supposed to help. That was basic. Almost like a lifestyle.
"Let's play tag!"
"Yeah! Haha, Shoya, you be the oni!"
"Ah, okay..."
A bunch of boys, the same age as Ayato, were playing in the garden. Ayato watched them, thinking about his father's response.
There wasn't much for him to think about, other than the confusion of Goto's attitude toward Saya's condition.
"Hey, what are ya lookin' at, brat?!"
One of the other boys shouted at Ayato, noticing his stares. The group turned to him. Ayato flinched.
"I-I'm sorry..."
Ayato apologised. They were all hostile toward him. They were sons of concubines. They all were taught to be hostile toward Kiara and Ayato since they were the children of Goto's main wife.
Ayato hurriedly walked away.
"Hey, do you want to play?"
He stopped, looking back at the boys. There was one boy who stood out. He held no feelings of animosity toward Ayato.
"Shoya, are ya dumb? He ain't one of us! He's the spoiled oldest son!"
"He's our older brother, he can play."
Shoya said.
The others retorted at Shoya but he didn't listen. Ayato shook his head with a smile.
"I don't want to play, sorry."
He walked away. The other boys sighed while Shoya was disappointed.
·———·
(New Year's)
"Mae-chan, how do you make someone go away?"
Ayato asked, lying down after their training. Maenis and Ayato trained in hand-to-hand combat. It wasn't about winning or losing, but rather being able to read another person's moves.
"That's... what? You're asking something really scary? Well, anyway, you could beat them up."
He turned to his master, who was drinking from a bottle of water. She removed the bottle from her mouth.
"You beat them up until they don't move. That's it."
"Okay..."
"Why are you asking, though?"
The boy panicked slightly. He came up with a suitable excuse.
"Ah, uh, I just want to know. For later!"
"Hm... Is that so?"
Maenis was suspicious but she decided to leave the subject there. Even 3-year-olds had things that they couldn't tell anyone.
After training, Ayato secretly snuck into the kitchen.
"Ah, Young Master, what're you doing here?"
Ayato shushed the chef, signalling her to be quiet. He didn't want anyone else to know that he was here.
"Can you give me a cutlery set?"
"I can but I don't think Mistress Saya will be happy about it. Plus, we have the New Year's dinner tomorrow."
"Don't tell my mother, please! I don't want her to find out! It's a surprise!"
He told her.
The chef thought it over for a minute but lost to Ayato's dog-like expression. She went into the cabinet and got a set for him.
"Here, but don't tell anyone, or I'll be fired!"
"Don't worry! I won't tell anyone!"
He ran off, hiding the cutlery set under a blanket. Ayato was concocting a plan of his own.
·———·
The next day came around and the Kyouya Family had a New Year's dinner.
It seemed unusual to not have it on New Year's, but people were busy visiting shrines on New Year's Day.
It was usually a friendly dinner since most of the concubines hid behind fake masks while talking to Saya, who was their competition.
One concubine did along with a flock of three.
"Saya! It's been a while!"
Ayato looked at the woman. She was dressed extravagantly, more so than any woman in the room. Kiara lightly elbowed her brother.
"I don't like the look of her."
The girl whispered. Ayato nodded in agreement. There was something uncomfortable about the woman. She had a fan hiding the thin smirk on her face. The concubines behind her sneered at Saya.
The black-haired woman put on a false smile.
"Yes, it has, Yuna."
"...!"
Ayato recognised the name. It was the person who bullied Saya. No wonder they were smiling. The boy smiled instead of glaring.
Rather than being furious at the person who hurt his mother, the boy smiled. It was unclear whether it was a nervous tick or his anger taking over. It could've perhaps been that he was so overcome with joy. Ayato didn't understand his feelings.
"Ah, these two are your children, aren't they?"
Yuna looked at the both of them. Kiara backed away behind Saya while Ayato kept staring at her.
"My, what a cute smile. Are you that happy to see me? Would you like to play with me, boy?"
She asked him.
Saya grimaced.
"Yuna, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't—"
"I'll play. I have the perfect game in mind, Miss."
Ayato said with his unwavering smile.
"Ayato!"
Saya shouted, pulling him back. She nervously smiled at Yuna.
"Sorry about that, Yuna, Ayato is just a kid."
"Hm, I can see that."
She commented from behind her fan.
The two of them chatted with Saya on guard the entire time. The New Year's dinner wasn't something that Ayato enjoyed.