Chapter 10: The Sazanka Family

“Kii‑kun, if you don’t tell me which one you want, I’ll choose for you, alright?”

“…I’m fine with Tsubaki’s choice. I won’t complain.”

“Oh, you said that? Are you really sure?”

“Sure.”

Tsubaki’s intended order was unknown to Daikichi, but he had no intention of complaining about whatever it might be. He also faintly recognized what kind of person he was—to be able to say that so easily.

(I… really don’t have any idea what I want.)

For example, the reason Daikichi watched over Sakurazaki was rooted in his past with his parents—and it clearly revealed the part of him that felt he couldn’t do anything unless he had someone to rely on.

Realizing his current state anew, Daikichi looked down and smiled sadly. That expression, as if he were suppressing a true desire to order something, prompted a surprised Tsubaki to hurriedly shove the menu in front of his eyes.

“Kii‑kun, do you want the one on the left or the one on the right?”

“Eh?”

“I can’t decide, so you choose!”

“Then I’ll go with Tsubaki.”

“I want you to act the way you really feel. So if you’re saying you’ll go with my choice, then you must decide.”

Daikichi was confused by Tsubaki’s forcefulness. He had truly thought it would be fine if she chose on her own, but voicing that again might really set her off. So, without any particular reason other than being right-handed, he reflexively pointed at the right one—the “buzz‑worthy Decorated Rusk & Couple-Straw Choco‑latte.”

“Is it okay that Kii‑kun chose and decided on this by himself?”

“Ah, uh, yeah. I went with the right one because I’m right‑handed.”

“Alright then, let’s order this.”

Tsubaki’s satisfied expression only deepened Daikichi’s confusion. He had assumed that, with her current personality, she would want to choose for herself.

(Why does she get happy when I decide?)

Daikichi was momentarily perplexed, but since it wasn’t a major decision that would affect anything, he decided not to overthink it. Soon after, Tsubaki called over a staff member and placed the order. Before long, a rather stylish young male attendant delivered the order.

“Thank you for waiting~”

There lay a rusk adorned with beautiful floral decorations and a serving of chocolatte in a large container. The chocolatte came with a single straw—heart‑shaped with two sips.

Daikichi nodded and was about to start eating when he felt an odd gaze that made him pause. The male attendant hadn’t returned to the counter or the back; instead, he stood off to the side, glancing over at them.

(Why is this attendant staying right by us?)

Noticing Daikichi’s puzzled look, Tsubaki tugged at the sleeve of his uniform.

“Kii‑kun, let’s have him take a picture.”

At her prompting, Daikichi recalled the shop’s main attraction—the service where the staff take photos of the customers. Clearly, this attendant was lingering, waiting for his moment.

Finally, the attendant sighed with relief as his turn had come, and Tsubaki handed him her smartphone.

“Would you like a video or photos? Or both?”

“Hmm… Well, let’s do just photos today.”

“Understood. By the way, your uniform—it’s from that famous school, isn’t it? If I recall, the middle schoolers wear white and the high schoolers wear black?”

“That’s right!”

“Is it like a relationship between lovers of different ages—middle school and high school?”

“Exactly—you really know your stuff, don’t you? …Oh, then let’s have you take a picture of us ‘chuuchuu-ing’ together! Kii‑kun, you’re chuuchuu-ing the straw!”

Tsubaki’s playful affirmation of the staff’s mistaken notion that they were a couple was probably because denying it and having to explain would just waste time. That’s how Daikichi interpreted the situation.

That aside, Tsubaki’s suggestion to share the couple straw made Daikichi feel plainly embarrassed. However, stubbornly refusing would only trouble the attendant, and Daikichi wasn’t the type to enjoy such antics. So, reluctantly, he joined Tsubaki in placing their lips on the couple straw and began sipping the chocolatte.

“Ah, young love… just watching it makes you feel so cheerful. Alright, that’s a wrap on the shoot.”

“Thanks~”

After Tsubaki received the smartphone back from the attendant, he returned to the back.

“Well, I never thought we’d be mistaken for lovers.”

Daikichi scratched his cheek absentmindedly, and Tsubaki snorted softly before turning her head.

“It’s fine. If people see us that way, maybe it means we’re a good match, huh?”

“Don’t you say that to every mixed couple customer?”

When Daikichi coolly offered a pragmatic reply, Tsubaki furrowed her brows in a way that looked unamused—or perhaps she simply gave a dry smile as if to say, “I knew it.” It was hard to tell from her profile.

Not wanting to dwell on it, Daikichi quietly began eating the rusk. The taste was ordinary, but on closer inspection, the decoration was truly elaborate, and despite the shop’s light atmosphere, it was rather authentic. Daikichi mused that perhaps a simpler service might actually become more popular—but regardless, the issue now was the large quantity of chocolatte.

Since Tsubaki was slender, it was easy to imagine she’d have difficulty finishing it, so Daikichi found himself needing to drink it all. He could have left some, but the thought of doing so gnawed at his sense of propriety, so he took his time consuming it. It was a relief that Tsubaki occasionally joined in while he drank.

“My stomach is really in trouble…”

“Tapon tapon? Kii‑kun, if you took off your clothes and went shirtless, you’d have an abdomen like a tanuki.”

“That’s not true.”

“You’re definitely like that. Show me!”

Giggling heartily, Tsubaki grabbed the hem of Daikichi’s uniform. Daikichi retorted with a “Stop it” as he brushed her hand away.

Passersby muttered varied impressions about the two—some saw them as cuddling lovers, like the attendant earlier, while others thought of them as close siblings. Daikichi and Tsubaki’s current closeness was unique enough to support either impression. Perhaps because Daikichi had grown somewhat attached to Tsubaki, he even decided to accompany her as she nonchalantly headed toward an arcade, saying she “wanted something.”

“So, Tsubaki, you’re into places like this too?”

“Of course I am. On the contrary, why would you think I’m not?”

“I had the impression that the Sazanka family was strict about these kinds of things.”

Daikichi didn’t know all the inner workings of the Sazanka family, but he did know more than most outsiders. Tsubaki occasionally let slip a few details, and when they met, her uncle—being a blood relative—would relax and bring it up in casual conversation.

As for Tsubaki’s family—the Sazanka family—their lineage traces back to a mere merchant from the Edo period. It is common knowledge that during the Edo period, Japan was isolated, though limited trade was permitted with certain European countries. Among those was the Netherlands.

According to rumor, a doctor named Tsenberk who came from the Netherlands became so enamored with the Sazanka flower that he brought it back to his home country from Japan. An Edo-period medicine peddler, who was an ancestor of Tsubaki, heard this tale and, thinking it might be a business opportunity to pique the interest of the “red‑haired people” (a nickname for the Dutch at the time), adopted the surname Sazanka.

Originally a private name, Sazanka continued uninterrupted into the Meiji era and was officially registered in 1875 (Meiji 8) under the Family Name Registration Order. The Sazanka family carried on their pharmaceutical peddler lineage beyond Meiji, and since establishing a pharmaceutical company in the Taishō era, they have remained a long‑standing enterprise to this day.

Their management structure appears to follow that of a merchant family, with a tradition that the final executive be a son‑in‑law. Should the current chairman and director—Tsubaki’s grandfather—retire, Daikichi’s uncle, as the main family’s son‑in‑law, is expected to take over.

That is the Sazanka family.