Accidental Siblings

Chapter 15

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the door to the back slide open. Masaomi did not bother to turn his head, expecting it to be a staff member, but it wasn't. Because when the footsteps got closer and closer, they stopped behind where he was sitting and a child's voice cut through the air.

"Good afternoon, father."

Masaomi blinked, frowning at the unexpected voice before turning around to find Bokushi standing there. He was staring up at him, heterochromatic gaze and all, holding that horse plush toy he often sees him carrying around. Bokushi's expression was expectant, waiting for his father to answer back. The middle-aged man nodded at the young boy.

"Good afternoon," he answered back. "Was there something you wanted me for?"

"No," Bokushi replied. "I came to sit down if you do not mind my being here."

"Do as you like." Masaomi gestured to the chair next to his. "Have a seat."

Bokushi managed to get onto the chair and get himself settled before proceeding to stare out into the garden with an impassive expression on his face. Masaomi momentarily glanced at him from the corners of his eyes. It was fascinating how both Bokushi and himself both have the habit of staring out into the garden when they have time on their hands. Well, like father like son.

"What brings you out into the garden at this time?" the man asked. Bokushi shrugged.

"I was originally in the library, but it was getting a bit stuffy, and so I decided to come out here."

"You are not going to spend the day at the Midorima household?"

"Miyoko has, unfortunately, come down with a fever, and since yesterday she has been bedridden. Perhaps when her symptoms subside I will call to see if she's recovering properly."

"I see. It would be a shame if her illness persisted."

"Indeed."

They both fell silent for a few minutes, neither seeing the necessity of carrying on the conversation for more than it needed to. Both of them were content quietly sitting there. While Bokushi was busy in his own little world as he continued to stare into the garden, however, Masaomi began to observe him. As usual, every time this boy was in front of him, his curiosity got the better of him. While, on most days, he tended to suppress this sudden curiosity, now that he was watching him, Masaomi wanted to know what the boy was thinking. After all, a common trait every Akashi shares is the ability to be completely unreadable. Which is why when the silence was broken again, his attention was on the boy, whose eyes were still looking out into space.

"I'm surprised the flowers managed to survive the winter."

Masaomi looked ahead at the flowers that were out in the garden. What a strange thing to comment on. Then again, they were in the garden, so taking about flowers was inevitable.

"It requires extensive knowledge about flowers to know how to keep them alive during the winter," Masaomi responded. "The staff responsible for garden maintenance were adamant on keeping the roses."

"For good reason," said Bokushi. "They're quite pretty. It'd be a pity if they had to get rid of them. Are they planted often?"

"They're in the garden all year." Masaomi paused. "They were Shiori's favorite."

Bokushi hesitated, slightly taken aback at what his father just said, but continued to stare ahead, feeling the air suddenly shift; but it was not in a bad way. The air wasn't tense like it was when it usually shifted, but it was instead something else, something different that Bokushi couldn't place. All he knew was that when his father mentioned his mother, that meant his guard was down. Those moments never came often, and, like a rare gem, it was to be treasured.