/
I'm Sorry
On Sunday, Saki and I were surprised to see a long, white car parked in front of our flat.
“Wow…”
“Whaa. (Wow)”
A luxury limousine pulled up in front of a ramshackle apartment building, the doors opened and out stepped a woman with short brown hair and a grey pantsuit.
“Hello. My name is Sumire Akikawa and I’m the secretary of the company. Mika-sama, Saki-sama, please get in.”
“Um…”
“Ai!”
I wasn’t sure if she was used to taking taxis or if she thought limousines were different, but I thought she was more interested.
She even walked to the car before I did.
“Amazing!”
When I entered the car, I saw a luxury ivory sofa stretching long to the front on the left-hand side, with another seat for two in the back.
“Juju?”
“We also have juice. Would you like an orange, Miss Saki?”
“Yes!”
Saki asked if there was juice? She asked, probably because she saw champagne glasses and wine glasses on the black table in front of where she sat.
“Would you like a orange as well, Mika-sama? You can have alcohol after you’ve spoken to the boss.”
“I don’t drink alcohol, so juice is fine.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Why are you calling me ‘ma’am’?”
It had been bothering me ever since, but Sumire was probably older than me, and I didn’t live my life to be call me that.
“Even though you’re a foster child, Mika-sama is the daughter of the president. Saki-sama is my blood relative and I don’t want to be disrespectful to either of you.”
I felt like I had been the meaning of life.
“I spoke to the Nonogami family a while ago and they told Mika, ‘You can spend your savings as you like. We’re not going to use it anymore.'”
Even Itsuki didn’t say I was the president’s daughter, and Midori didn’t tell me about that either.
(Tell me!)
I had heard that her family was wealthy, but I had no idea that Mika was the daughter of the president.
Still, it would be nice to be told these important things in advance.
“But I had heard from your friend that you had left your parents’ home, and I was surprised that you came back. The boss was very happy that you came to his company for an interview.”
“O, oh, really…?”
Huh? An interview? …Oh, that’s right! The company that was hiring me now was Nonogami Corporation! And most of the brand name clothes in Mika’s house were from there!
(You should have known better, me!)
Even if you put aside family relations, if the CEO’s daughter came to the interview, you couldn’t afford to lose her, and she would probably get the call centre job.
“I’ve been working here since I graduated from high school, and since the boss was so stubborn, his wife used to ask me to send Mika some of our clothes, so I feel like a sister to you.”
I heard that Sumire was only 26 years old.
She left her parents’ house when she was 17 years old, in her second year of high school, and since that time she had been taking care of me behind my back.
I couldn’t sleep with that thought… Not that I ever was, to be honest.
“Go? (Where are you going?”
“To Saki-sama’s grandfather and grandmother’s.”
“Grandma, grandpa?”
“Yes. We’re on my way to their villa in Karuizawa.”
“Karu?”
“Yes, that’s right. Your grandparents live in Daikanyama, but his wife thought it would be more relaxing for us to meet in a place with lots of nature.”
“Saki, relax.”
Our little angel had announced that she was going to relax, but I didn’t think she knew what it meant, I think she was just saying it because the words were kind of funny.
“We’re here.”
It took two and a half hours from Tokyo to Karuizawa.
Sumire led us to the villa, which had a wooden deck big enough for a barbecue, and the house was very stylish with its wooden exterior.
On the veranda there was a white round table and chairs on the lawn, a slippery slope and a swing for small children to play on.
“Grandpa? Grandma?”
Saki saw them sitting on chairs at a round table, having tea, and ran up to them, calling out.
Maybe Sumire told her about them and she was looking forward to meeting her own grandparents.
And when they saw Saki approaching, they both started to cry.
“Oh… the child left by Itsuki and Midori. Yes, I’m your grandfather.”
“I’m your grandmother…”
The two people crying with emotion were apparently in their sixties, but it was frightening that they still looked like they were in their late thirties or forties.
Saki was carried by the woman and the man approached me.
“…It’s been a long time. Thank you for coming.”
They were also Mika’s foster parents, her father’s name was Nonogami Daiki and her mother’s name was Hyuga Hinata.
“I’m sorry…”
Seeing Daiki’s tears, I said my apologies.
“Oh, you’re crying too… I’m sorry… I’m sorry. It’s been a long time. Don’t cover your face, let me have a good look at you.”
“You know, you’re a girl too. You don’t need to hide your tears.”
“Yeah, I know… Sorry.”
No, I was just too sorry that I wasn’t the real Mika in front of them.
I was really, really sorry.