Chapter 36 : A Divorce And A Marriage
Midori disentangled herself from Ryouichi's grip just in time before Grandpa Takigawa stomped toward the stairs and spotted them.
"Ryouichi-san," he growled. "Fancy seeing you back in our humble abode."
"He is just leaving," Midori quipped.
"Good evening, Master Takigawa. Chie-san has invited me to stay for dinner," Ryouichi said at the same time.
"Grandpa, wait..."
"Minato-san, please wait!"
The two people also arrived at the same vantage point to see Midori and Ryouichi standing together halfway up the staircase.
"Ah, Koishikawa-san," Minato narrowed his eyes at Ryouichi.
"Takigawa-san, good evening," Ryouichi bowed his head slightly. "Pleased to see you again."
Minato smirked.
He was more pleased to see the hospital gifts than the person who brought them.
With a practiced ease, Chie glided smoothly out of the kitchen and beamed at everyone present.
"Dinner is ready!" She announced. "Shuugo-san and Satoru-san are still at the back garden. They will join us before all the dishes are served."
"Midori-chan, come."
Minato extended his arm toward his younger sister. Behind him, his discarded ex-betrothed tried her best to stifle a sob and act strong.
Midori threw one last glare at Ryouichi before she stomped down the stairs and took Minato's arm.
Tension hung heavy in the air at the Takigawas' dinner table. It crackled like static electricity, a storm brewing in the silences between bites. Each exchange was a spark, each glance a lightning flash, threatening to ignite the volatile atmosphere. Satoru threw furtive glances at the people at the dining table while dissecting his steak.
"So, um, what's new today?" He asked, trying to dilute the nerve-wracking tension in the dining hall.
"We had an excellent day at work today," Shuugo said with a bright smile. He beamed like a lighthouse, hoping to bathe the diners in the warm glow of his happiness. Alas, his radiance failed to reach Midori, who was shrouded in the storm clouds of Ryouichi's unwanted presence, and Fumiko, who was still adrift in the wreckage of Minato's recent breakup declaration.
Satoru ate his steak nervously.
"Uh... Midori-chan? How was the uh. The first lesson with the Kinoshitas?" he asked after taking the first bite, not knowing that it was Madam Kinoshita who provided said lesson. Not that Midori bothered to correct him.
Ryouchi, seated at the opposite side of the long dining table, knitted his brows and responded with another question, "Why are you taking lessons from the Kinoshitas?"
Intent on driving Ryouichi's blood pressure to the highest level possible, Midori playfully drilled the stir-fried greens in her bowl deeper into the white rice before she answered, "Of course to prepare myself before I enter their house as a daughter-in-law."
In light of Minato's defiance to get married to someone who befit Grandpa Takigawa's standards, the patriarch quickly lit up at the mention of this wonderful news.
"Midori-san, this is the best news I get to hear during the entire week! Why, Shuugo-san, we need to conduct a second meeting with the Kinoshitas at once!" he exclaimed.
"Yes, Grandpa, of course," Shuugo answered dutifully.
Ryouichi's face darkened visibly. Clenching his fingers together around his cutleries, he shot a glare in Midori's direction.
"Apologies, Master Takigawa, I never agreed on a divorce from Midori-san. In the eyes of the law, we are still married, albeit currently separated."
"I still have the divorce letter from your mother," Midori quipped.
"From my mother, not from me," Ryouichi countered.
"Your mother signed in your name," Midori retorted.
"That letter is not valid at the family register office. You are free to verify the information if you want," Ryouichi insisted.
"As much as it makes me happy to see two viable men fighting for you, Midori-san, I suggest you make a proper, clean break from Ryouichi-san before you accept any proposal from Akiyama-san," Grandpa Takigawa commented.
"I will handle it, Grandpa," Midori said with a smile.
"There is no divorce between us unless I agree to it," Ryouichi calmly stated.
Midori sneered at him.
"Ryouichi-san, you think you are so smart. Meet me tomorrow morning at eight at the family register office in Hongo."
"Gladly, Midori-san."
Deafening silence settled on the dining table again after Midori and Ryouichi stopped shooting venomous words at each other. Satoru stooped so low in his seat that one might suspect his intention of hiding behind the table.
"Since we are talking about marriages, I am going to bring my future wife home within this week," Minato said casually.
Grandpa Takigawa glared at him across the table.
"Don't you dare bring that woman to my house!" he growled.
"At least meet her once, Grandpa. You will like her."
"I will not!"
Midori drank in the conversation, her eyes flitting between Minato and Grandpa Takigawa like a bee to blossoms. Transmigration into the Meiji Era landed her in a garden of thorns, and she was usually pruning the rosebushes of trouble, one scandal at a time.
Apparently, Minato was not a homosexual. Or a cold-blooded person, thank goodness. Then, was it a married woman? Or an older woman? Or both?
Midori shoveled one chunk of meat after another into her mouth as she waited for the revelation, but it never came. One look at Ryouichi reminded Grandpa Takigawa that a guest was present, thus he ceased his argument with his grandson.
The rest of dinner proceeded in a solemn manner.
After the dessert -- watermelon jelly and seaweed pudding -- had been served, the dinner participants excused themselves one by one.
Having stirred chaos in Midori's life for the night, Ryouichi left with light steps.
Minato did not want to stay for fear of adding more fuel to the fire in his grandfather's heart, so he decided to leave.
He already had his hand around the doorknob when Midori chased after him.
"Onii-chan, can I come with you? I need to be at Hongo tomorrow morning."
It was to visit the family register office, of course. She had to go to Kagemachi with Arata in the afternoon.
"Sure," Minato flashed his younger sister a smile. "It is about time that you meet another important person in my life."