Chapter 277 - 277: Do you think the child should have the surname Tsushima or Yukinoshita?

November in Tokyo — the autumn wind swept across the stone ramparts of the Imperial Palace.

Fine ripples spread across the surface of the moat.

That day, Tsushima Kagami stood inside Matsu-no-Ma Hall of the Imperial Palace, dressed in a formal black montsuki haori-hakama, a small chrysanthemum crest pinned to his chest.

The investiture ceremony was shorter than he'd imagined, but every step of it carried an atmosphere so solemn it bordered on oppressive.

The hall was laid with deep crimson carpet, officials of the Imperial Household Agency lined up on either side.

Though the attendees were few, each one was a distinguished figure in their own field.

Tsushima Kagami was guided forward to the front of the hall.

The Emperor stood upon the high throne, dressed in a morning coat, a decoration sash draped across his chest.

An attendant beside him read the investiture decree aloud in a clear voice.

"The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, Second Class, is hereby conferred upon Tsushima Kagami."

Tsushima Kagami lowered his head and received the certificate and the decoration case with both hands.

The original notice had specified the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, Fourth Class.

But after news came back that he'd won France's Prix Goncourt, compounded by Snow Country's sales passing one million copies across Europe and America and extensive mainstream media coverage, this "last-minute upgrade" had followed naturally.

An official from the Agency for Cultural Affairs had tactfully remarked during preliminary discussions,

"This is an honor without precedent in Japan's literary world. The government wishes to extend commensurate recognition."

And so, on short notice, it had been changed to the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, Second Class.

After the ceremony ended, there was a brief reception followed by a press Q&A session.

By the time he finally stepped out of Matsu-no-Ma Hall, he stood on the Imperial Palace's stone-paved path and looked up at the sky.

The November sky over Tokyo was high and clear, a few wisps of thin cloud scudding swiftly on the wind.

He took a deep breath and tucked the decoration case into the bag he carried. His phone buzzed in his pocket.

It was a message from Yukinoshita Shizuku.

"Congratulations, Kagami." "I saw it on TV."

Tsushima Kagami stared at the screen for a couple of seconds, the corner of his mouth curving up slightly.

He typed a line back.

"Wait for me to get back."

What he didn't say was that he was already wondering how he'd face Mrs. Yukinoshita once he got back to Chiba.

Time slipped by, and December arrived. The thirty-first — New Year's Eve.

In front of Chiba Station.

Most people had already gone home to prepare for the New Year; the station's PA system played special year-end announcements.

Tsushima Kagami walked out through the ticket gate, with Yukinoshita Shizuku and Hiratsuka Shizuka — in a camel-colored coat — following behind him.

Yukinoshita Shizuku wore a white turtleneck sweater that day, layered under a light gray wool coat, her long hair loose over her shoulders. Her left hand rested naturally in her pocket.

The three of them made their way out of the station exit.

Tsushima Kagami's gaze swept past the crowd and settled on the parking area in front of the station plaza.

A black sedan stood there, and beside it was none other than Mrs. Yukinoshita.

She wore a dark navy wool coat that day, her makeup understated and elegant.

Yukinoshita Shizuku's steps hitched visibly, then quickened as she hurried forward. "Mother."

Mrs. Yukinoshita turned around, and the instant she saw her daughter, her expression softened. "Yukinoshita Shizuku."

The two embraced gently.

Yukinoshita Shizuku buried her face in her mother's embrace, her voice thick with emotion. "I missed you so much."

"And yet you didn't come home once all summer," Mrs. Yukinoshita said with a smile.

"Well, Kagami had a lot going on around then." Mrs. Yukinoshita patted her on the back.

Mother and daughter parted, both smiling; the tips of Yukinoshita Shizuku's ears had gone faintly red.

This kind of affectionate exchange was clearly still something she wasn't quite used to.

Tsushima Kagami stood a few steps away, watching the scene quietly.

Hiratsuka Shizuka clapped him on the shoulder just then.

"My ride's here — I'll head off. You two... good luck."

She gave Tsushima Kagami a meaningful look.

Tsushima Kagami nodded, watched her get into her car, then turned to Mrs. Yukinoshita.

"Mother."

Mrs. Yukinoshita looked him up and down.

Then she nodded slightly, smiling. "Get in the car."

Mrs. Yukinoshita said nothing more, turning to open the driver's door.

Tsushima Kagami and Yukinoshita Shizuku sat in the back seat.

The car started up, pulled out of the station's roundabout, and headed down the main road.

Tsushima Kagami noticed the route was different from before.

This time it wasn't the familiar old neighborhood on the outskirts, all those oddly shaped detached houses crammed one against the next.

Instead, they were heading toward a part of Chiba City he'd never been to before.

The roadside trees gave way to neatly trimmed black pines, and the crowded shopfronts along the street were replaced by tall walls enclosing deep, sprawling estates.

Now and then a nameplate reading "So-and-so Residence" hung beside a gate, the calligraphy either archaic or forcefully bold.

"This is..." Yukinoshita Shizuku looked out the window, a note of surprise in her voice.

"Mm." Mrs. Yukinoshita glanced at her daughter in the rearview mirror.

"I told you before — I bought back the old estate over the summer."

Yukinoshita Shizuku pressed her lips together and said nothing more.

The car slowed before a black wooden gate; a dark brown wooden plaque hung on the gatepost.

Written on it, in neat, upright script, was:

[Yukinoshita].

The gate slid slowly open to both sides, revealing a driveway paved with fine white gravel.

Manicured pines and low azalea hedges lined either side of the drive.

In the karesansui garden, the white sand had been raked into neat, even ripples, dotted here and there with carefully placed stones.

The car finally came to a stop before a grand Japanese-style residence.

The house was built in the classic shoin-zukuri style, its structure of dark wood.

Gray tile roofing topped it, and a row of metal rain chains hung beneath the eaves.

Tsushima Kagami pushed open the car door and had just stepped out when: "Welcome home, Madam."

"Welcome home, young master, young miss."

Several servants in plain work uniforms stood in the front courtyard.

At the head of them was an elderly, gray-haired butler, bowed at a full ninety degrees, his voice trembling with barely suppressed emotion.

Mrs. Yukinoshita stepped out of the car and gave a slight nod.

"Thank you all for your hard work."

Yukinoshita Shizuku stood beside the car, looking up at this building that felt both familiar and foreign, her gaze distant. "We're really... back," she murmured.

"Yes, young miss." The old butler straightened up, his eyes rimmed red. "This house has finally returned to the Yukinoshita family."

Yukinoshita Shizuku parted her lips as if to say something.

But in the end she only gave a small nod.

Tsushima Kagami stood beside her without a word.

He studied the line of her profile.

He knew her feelings right now were complicated.

This house carried the memories of her childhood, and also the dark years of her family's decline.

Back when the old house had been mortgaged to pay off debts, the bank had never managed to sell it.

Only after Mrs. Yukinoshita's company had turned things around had she bought it back.

Along with the old servants who'd once been let go, she'd tracked them down and brought them back, one by one.

This wasn't just a piece of property.

This was an obsession.

One that belonged to Mrs. Yukinoshita alone.

Mrs. Yukinoshita walked up to the entrance, then glanced back at the two of them still standing in the courtyard.

"What are you two staring at? Come inside."

Her tone wasn't sharp, but as Tsushima Kagami and Yukinoshita Shizuku looked at her standing there, that innate air of authority had settled over her once more, and the two of them found themselves straightening their backs without meaning to.

"Yes." He and Yukinoshita Shizuku filed through the entryway, one after the other.

They passed through the corridor and arrived at the main hall.

The main hall was far larger than Tsushima Kagami had imagined.

Yukinoshita Shizuku stood still in the center of the hall, looking around.

Then she let out a long breath.

"I never thought... there'd really come a day I'd be back here."

In truth, Yukinoshita Shizuku didn't have many memories of this place.

After all, by the time she was born, her family already lived in Setagaya, Tokyo.

This house was somewhere she'd only visited during holidays as a child.

And once she'd grown a little older, she'd rarely come back at all.

But just like that run-down detached house in the suburbs she herself was attached to,

she had slowly come to understand why her mother could never let go of this old place.

Mrs. Yukinoshita stood behind her, hands folded in front of her, and gave a faint smile at her words. "That it happened so quickly, we owe to Kagami."

She turned her gaze to Tsushima Kagami, her eyes gentle and calm.

Tsushima Kagami was about to offer some polite response, but Yukinoshita Shizuku beat him to it.

She pressed close to her mother's side and looped an arm through hers.

"Yes, yes, Kagami is just amazing!"

Right now, Yukinoshita Shizuku looked like a little animal fishing for praise.

"Did you see it on TV, Mother? The scene of Kagami's investiture at the Imperial Palace!"

"And and, Snow Country is selling incredibly well overseas — mainstream media across Europe and America are all covering it!"

"And that Prix Goncourt — it's ranked right alongside the Nobel Prize in Literature and the Booker Prize as one of the world's three great literary awards! It's like the Oscars, but for books!"

"And this is the first time in the history of Japanese literature that anyone's been shortlisted for the Prix Goncourt!"

"The very first time! Kagami's the only one!"

The more she talked, the more excited she got, and the tighter her grip became.

Mrs. Yukinoshita kept a faint smile on her face the whole time, letting her daughter shake her arm about,

occasionally nodding along.

Tsushima Kagami stood off to the side, a little embarrassed at being praised by both mother and daughter at once.

He wanted to say, "It's not that impressive."

But seeing Yukinoshita Shizuku's face flushed pink with excitement, he swallowed the words back down.

By the time Yukinoshita Shizuku had finally run through every word of praise she could think of, the hall fell quiet for a moment.

Then the arch of Mrs. Yukinoshita's brows lowered by a fraction, and the curve of her mouth flattened out.

Along with it, her whole presence shifted from "mother" to "head of the household."

Yukinoshita Shizuku sensed the change at once.

"Mother? Why so serious all of a sudden?"

She tilted her head, a note of unease in her voice.

Then she noticed Mrs. Yukinoshita's gaze fixed on the ring on the fourth finger of her left hand.

Yukinoshita Shizuku's mind went blank with a jolt.

She let go of her mother's arm on reflex and put her hand behind her back.

"That... this is... it's..."

Her voice began to stumble, her cheeks reddening at a visible rate.

Her eyes darted everywhere, refusing to meet her mother's gaze.

Mrs. Yukinoshita didn't speak right away either.

In fact, she'd already spotted the ring back at Chiba Station.

But even before that, she'd already guessed that the two of them were surely far more than just close.

It was just that with Hiratsuka Shizuka present, and since it was a long-awaited reunion, she hadn't called it out.

As for Yukinoshita Shizuku, having gone so long without seeing Mrs. Yukinoshita, she'd been so happy about finally coming home that she'd completely forgotten to take the ring off.

Tsushima Kagami, too, had noticed early on that Yukinoshita Shizuku hadn't taken the ring off, but he hadn't said anything either.

After all, it wasn't something they could hide forever — she'd have to tell Mrs. Yukinoshita sooner or later — so he'd simply let it be.

Just as Yukinoshita Shizuku was trying to explain,

Mrs. Yukinoshita had already reclaimed the dignified bearing of the Yukinoshita family matriarch.

"Yukinoshita Shizuku." "Your father's household shrine has been moved back here."

"Go light some incense for your father first."

"I still have something to discuss with Kagami." Mrs. Yukinoshita didn't look at her; her gaze had settled on Tsushima Kagami.

Yukinoshita Shizuku parted her lips, wanting to say more.

Mrs. Yukinoshita turned her face slightly, giving her only a glance.

Yukinoshita Shizuku's shoulders gave a small jolt. "O-okay..."

"Take the young miss over there." "Yes."

At that moment, the old butler appeared as if from nowhere and came to Yukinoshita Shizuku's side.

He gestured for her to follow.

"Young miss, the master is this way — please, follow me." "All right..."

Yukinoshita Shizuku followed the old butler down the corridor, glancing back every few steps.

At the doorway, she paused and turned back to look at Tsushima Kagami.

Her eyes were full of unease and apology.

Tsushima Kagami gave her a small smile. "I'll be along in a bit."

Yukinoshita Shizuku bit her lip and finally turned to leave.

Her footsteps faded gradually down the hallway.

Only the two of them remained in the main hall.

Mrs. Yukinoshita stood where she was, silent for a moment, then sighed. "Kagami, come with me."

She turned and walked deeper into the main hall.

Tsushima Kagami followed silently behind.

The two of them passed through a corridor hung with fine bamboo blinds, arriving at an elegant washitsu clearly reserved for important guests.

The washitsu was smaller than the main hall, but far more finely appointed.

Mrs. Yukinoshita knelt down in the seat of honor.

Tsushima Kagami stood at the door, his thoughts racing.

Mrs. Yukinoshita would want an explanation, in the end.

He took a deep breath and walked up to stand before Mrs. Yukinoshita.

He dropped to his knees, hands braced against the tatami, his forehead nearly touching the floor. "Mother, I'm truly sorry—"

Before he could finish. "I'm entrusting Yukinoshita Shizuku to you from now on."

Mrs. Yukinoshita's voice came from above him.

Tsushima Kagami froze for a moment, then lifted his head slightly.

He saw that Mrs. Yukinoshita had bowed her head as well.

She knelt there, bowing deeply. "Mother—"

Before Tsushima Kagami could voice his confusion,

Mrs. Yukinoshita went on.

"I know Kagami must carry burdens of his own."

"But as a mother, I still hope Kagami will do his best to spare Yukinoshita Shizuku too many tears."

Something struck Tsushima Kagami hard in the chest.

He quickly lowered his head again, hands pressed to the floor, his voice graver than before.

"Thank you, Mother, for your blessing. I will make Yukinoshita Shizuku happy, without fail."

"We're family now — get up."

Only then did Tsushima Kagami lift his head and settle upright.

He was just about to say something to ease the mood

when Mrs. Yukinoshita suddenly bent forward as well, hands pressed to the tatami, her forehead lowering slowly. Another dogeza.

Tsushima Kagami's eyes went wide.

Almost by reflex, he dropped into the same dogeza posture.

The two of them knelt there in dogeza, face to face.

"Mother, what are you—"

There was clear confusion, and a trace of panic, in Tsushima Kagami's voice.

Mrs. Yukinoshita's voice, by contrast, was perfectly calm.

"I am asking this now as head of the Yukinoshita family, to the Tsushima family."

She paused.

"In the future, if Yukinoshita Shizuku bears a second son, I hope the Tsushima family would allow him to be adopted into the Yukinoshita family, to carry on the Yukinoshita household."

The washitsu fell silent for a moment.

"I understand." "As long as Yukinoshita Shizuku agrees, I have no objection."

Truthfully, Tsushima Kagami didn't care much about surnames one way or another.

Even if Mrs. Yukinoshita hadn't brought it up,

he'd always assumed that if he and Yukinoshita Shizuku really did have children someday,

it would be fine for them to take the Yukinoshita name.

Although in Japan, the Civil Code required married couples to share a single surname,

children taking their mother's name instead was, for the Yukinoshita family and Tsushima Kagami both, no more than a matter of some extra paperwork.

It wasn't an unusual thing in Japan, either.

Mrs. Yukinoshita slowly raised her head.

Her expression remained composed, but the fine lines at the corners of her eyes eased slightly. "Good, then."

She straightened up, smoothed the hem of her clothes, and her bearing returned to its usual composed dignity.

"Get up — the floor's cold."

Tsushima Kagami nodded and rose to his feet.

The two of them had just reached the washitsu doorway

when footsteps sounded in the corridor.

Yukinoshita Shizuku, now changed into loungewear, came jogging over.

A trace of flustered worry still lingered on her face, not quite smoothed away.

"Mother! What did you two... talk about?"

She stood at the washitsu doorway, glancing at her mother,

then at Tsushima Kagami, her eyes darting back and forth.

Mrs. Yukinoshita walked up to her daughter and reached out to straighten her collar. "Nothing much."

"Really?" "Mm."

Mrs. Yukinoshita glanced at Tsushima Kagami, the corner of her mouth curving up slightly.

Then she turned and headed further into the hall.

"All right, it's about time for dinner."

"Come on, let's eat."

Yukinoshita Shizuku, still suspicious, sidled up beside Tsushima Kagami.

"What did you and Mother actually talk about?"

Tsushima Kagami leaned in and murmured by her ear.

"Do you think it'd sound better if our future kids had the surname Tsushima, or Yukinoshita?"

Yukinoshita Shizuku's face flushed red in an instant.

____

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