It had been a while since Midori last visited the Kinoshita household.
At that time, her hand was tightly clasped in Akiyama's. She basked in Akiyama's affection and the Kinoshita family members' welcoming warmth.
Now that her relationship with Akiyama was rather unclear, bordering on non-existent, Midori could not help but sense cold stares and icy smiles coming from both the family members and the house staff.
Only Takiko remained as friendly as always. She was Midori's beacon of hope.
Until she was not.
"The Madam is not here today," the head servant announced.
When he noticed how quickly Midori's face fell, he unwittingly followed up with a question, "Miss Takigawa, is everything alright?"
"Yes," Midori answered with a stiff smile and a squeeze at her kimono sleeve.
Why not?
It was Grandpa Kinoshita himself who invited Midori to come and learn from him.
Besides, she had an ongoing deal with Takiko.
