Citrus: Mei's Story+Matsuri volume 1 - Open Heart

I. Mei - Homecoming

           I looked at myself in the mirror and had to take a steadying breath as I held my ring in my hand. It was so difficult not to just wear it openly like I had got used to outside of school even before Yuzu had proposed in the most romantic way she could have. Now that it was an actual engagement ring, I was even more apprehensive about not wearing it. If I couldn't wear it on my hand then I would wear it on its chain so I could slip it on as soon as school was over.
          I sighed. It had been a while since going to school had made me both excited and nervous. It was the first day of our final year as high schoolers. There were new first years to fold into our way of life and be examples for. Thanks to my additions to the school rules, both Yuzu and Matsuri could come to school without immediately getting in trouble and making a scene. And most important of all, I was going home today.
          It had been months since I had last seen Mother— though I did talk to her and Naruka on the phone often— and even longer since I had been to the apartment. I was excited to see them both and hopefully Father would be there as well. And then there was the fact that I was going to be sleeping next to Yuzu again. We hadn't spent a night together since our engagement and anniversary. In fact it felt like because we had only been seeing each other in the presence of Grandfather during the meetings to prepare us for being the head of the family and dealing with the board, our relationship had become more chaste than it had ever been before. I couldn't wait to be alone with her and get to kiss her again. All that stood in my way was the first day of school, and that meant first getting ready and not letting my appearance suffer because I was distracted.
Yuzu... I miss you.
          Just the thought of her was somehow more inspiring to me getting ready than anything else. Seeing her at school, and having her see me. Seeing her excited face, and knowing that she was going to one day be my wife. I quickly but carefully finished my preparations after kissing my engagement ring and fastening the necklace so it would rest on my heart under my blouse as usual for school. I made sure to give everything one last look over so that I was sure that I looked my absolute best for my fiancé.
She's my fiancé... it's not a dream, she really is my fiancé.
       The thought once more sent a wondrous chill through my body as I gathered my bag and made to leave. It almost felt like I was repeating history in a fascinating way. Like on the first day of my first year as a high school student, I was going to be walking to the school where I'd be face to face with my fiancé. Like on the day I first met Yuzu, I would be moving into Ume's apartment. However both of the previous times I had been anxious and resigned. Now I was having to hide the feeling of giddiness, and it was all because of Yuzu. I stopped at the door and looked back to the manor one last time.
        "I'm heading out now."
         After finishing my farewell, I slipped out of the manor and began heading towards the school. As I walked, I let my mind wander through my memories of my beloved Yuzu. It was still surprising that we had spent only the fall and winter that first year without knowing each other's feelings. While it was all happening, it felt like she had been in denial for years before she finally confessed to me. Then we had spring and summer together and it went by all too quickly. I longed for us to get back to the casual comfortableness of being together that time had created. But in between that wonderful time together and now stood half a year of us not only being separated but also broken up because of the situation I had put us in.
         I had finally explained everything after she proposed and we started to go to meetings with Grandfather, but I still felt like I needed to atone for my actions. Even though she forgave me for lying to her and keeping secrets and using mind games to get her to do what she wanted to do anyway but in a way that made her extremely nervous because the stakes were too high. I couldn't let her leave that first meeting without making sure we promised not to do anything like that ever again. We'd talk to each other about things if they became serious, and I'd let her know if I had a problem that I needed her to help with. I also made her promise that we would never tell anyone about the more intimate moments of our relationship.
          If Matsuri tried to get her to talk about sex, she agreed to pretend that we had yet to get past kissing and hand holding. I didn't explain that it was because I had a feeling that my dear little sister was trying to one-up our relationship with the one she was hoping to build with Yuzu's best friend, and it was likely that she was also asking so she would have something to use against us in her teasing and pranks. It was the only area I felt comfortable keeping something to myself because neither Matsuri or Harumi were out to Yuzu, and it was simply a guess about Harumi based on a few of her choices and second hand accounts. I wanted Matsuri to figure out her own path forward, and I wanted at least one aspect of my relationship with Yuzu to belong to just us.
           "Good morning, Mei Mei!"
            A familiar voice broke me out of my introspection. I looked up to find my childhood friend smiling softly at me.
            "Himeko?! Oh, uh... good morning. Was your break alright?"
            "It was a lot of busywork and family business. And how was yours?"
Do not mention missing Yuzu. Whatever you do, do not tell Himeko that you have been counting the days until today simply because you want to touch your fiancé again.
           "It was tolerable. I'm looking forward to getting back to work for our last year however."
           Himeko's smile shifted into a doubting smirk as she continued walking with me to the school gates.
           "Is that all?"
           "What are you implying?"
           Despite my warning tone, she laughed and walked forward. She had obviously been teasing me about Yuzu. That had been another thing that changed since Yuzu proposed. Before all of that, Himeko had hated and mistrusted Yuzu solely because she had a hold on me. It didn't make sense to Himeko at first but over time she grew to understand that I loved Yuzu, and that she is actually a wonderful person if you get to know her. Then all the trouble occurred and Himeko separated herself from me and the friends she had been making. Now she was back and suddenly supportive but liked to poke fun at the fact that I was so in love with Yuzu. Instead of answering me, Himeko decided to change the subject.
           "Well, I do agree that this final year will be rather interesting. I'm still adjusting to the fact we are third years. This will be our last year on the council as well."
           "If we can get re-elected. This year there won't be any interference like last time and so we'll have to see."
            "I'm sure you'll remain the student council president if you decide to run again."
            "But as a third year, I might not have the same pull as I did before. We will be graduating and have to worry about entrance exams and other such responsibilities. That might make a second or even a new first year more attractive as a candidate."
            "Are you suggesting we step down and begin planning to hand things over to our chosen successors?"
            The question took me by surprise. Until she asked, I had never realised that I didn't have a successor in mind. I had memorised all the information to prepare to consider one, but it was as though I had never gotten to the point where I had truly begun looking. It was a huge misstep on my part. A clear understanding of presumptive succession amongst factions was necessary to maintain stability and present a strong candidate, but I had let my attention on that end slip while dealing with the fiancé situation last fall. I looked at my best friend.
              "Do you have a successor in mind?"
              "There are a few I'm considering, though I have always expected that we would spend our last year on the council."
             I nodded. Odds are she was lying to make me feel better for having delayed. Though she had been struggling with things herself last year, so she might have actually stalled her choosing as well.
             "Then let's plan to run like always but keep an eye on the underclassmen to find the best possible candidates."
             "Speaking of underclassmen, are you sure it's wise to take these first years onto the council before we have the election?"
              The way she brought up our soon to be new members just let me know that she knew it was already a lost fight on her end. However I had made sure she didn't know the real reason why these two girls were automatically accepted into the council, or rather that Miyabi was automatically accepted.
               "We discussed this in the meeting over the break. Ms Sakuraba was highly recommended by Maruta to be her replacement."
               "It's not her I'm worried about. Everything in her record points to her being the perfect candidate to be the next secretary. But it's who she's bringing with her. Can we really handle someone who's the presumptive champion for Mitsuko's old faction?"
               I sighed and looked around to make sure no one was able to eavesdrop on us. While I was prepared for Miyabi's arrival, I shared Himeko's worry about her tag-a-long.
                "Ms Hikami will certainly follow the rules and likely she'll respect chain of command, but I do see your point. Considering the changes I am preparing for the board, she might not be an ally."
               "And considering your personal situation as well..."
               "What?"
               It was rare to have Himeko hesitating when discussing something like this. She had been all too willing to openly disparage Yuzu for almost two years. I looked over to see Himeko grimacing.
               "She is an outspoken traditionalist. She openly petitioned to have the changes we set in place delayed and dismantled. You can imagine who she'll turn her sights on once she's in the council. It might not be like last year with Mitsuko making everyone her puppet, but I don't think we can discount Ms Hikami as a threat."
So you are legitimately worried that she'll cause problems because she's so visibly opposed to us.
             "Then we'll just have to keep an eye on her. Is there anything else?"
             "Just the usual new year lag on things. We're missing budget paperwork for a few of the clubs. Oh and we need to announce that people must submit their applications for the exemption before the start of first period otherwise they will be subject to penalties for not wearing their uniforms until they get approved."
            "I'll make an announcement this morning."
            There was going to be an assembly for Grandfather to make announcements and begin paving the way for my succession process. As we walked towards the main entrance, Himeko seemed to slow her pace.
            "Mei Mei..."
            "Yes?"
            I turned to look back at her. She was staring at the ground as though nervous or awkward.
            "Thank you... for being my friend all these years... I don't know if I could have made it through everything without you."
            "Himeko..."
            As if my saying her name had flipped some sort of switch, Himeko lifted her face and smiled warmly at me.
            "I'll go check on my committee members, you go ahead to the class boards."
            "Okay."
            I nodded and watched her walk off in silence. It felt like something was going on with her. But if she wasn't willing to open up, there was nothing I could do to help her.