Chapter 356 - Hidden From Public

"What are you two discussing?" Ryuu suddenly asked Gin, his blue gaze boring into his pair of nervous golden ones and he quickly shook his head as he straightened on his seat.

"Just gossiping," Gin answered with a grin, and Perun raised a brow at their direction.

"He's talking about your charms, Ritz," Ivan suddenly answered, making Gin turn to him with a glare as he pointed at him.

You traitor!

"Kids should be quiet and behave," Gin scolded Ivan. Even if he told the other to stop addressing him as his great ancestor, he still used his seniority over him at times like that one.

"The older one should behave so that the younger ones will follow, no?" Ryuu suddenly countered rendering Gin speechless as he pouted.

"Are you even my bestie? Why are you siding with him?"

"He's my gr – cousin," Ivan interjected, stopping himself in time to call the Koutaishidenka grandfather.

"You're not loved," Aki laughed at Gin.

Emi, although she too smiled reached out and patted her husband's arm to comfort him. She looked like a young mother consoling an overgrown child.  

"When are you going to start acting your age? Look at Ryuu,"Perun rebuked his brother, adding to the injustice.

"Brother, why do you have to compare me with him? Ryuu was born an old man," Gin reasoned, making the others snicker, their lips twisted, controlling their laughter.

The Maki girl still looked confused. This time, Alinea decided to ask directly.

"What's the matter?" she asked Yuuka, and before the latter could shake her head again, she decided to expose her. "You've been staring at Sora-nii for a while now."

As expected, Yuuka inhaled sharply, her face reddening up to the tips of her ears. She looked flustered, but a different type of perturbation than someone who was exposed having a crush. They could all tell that the reason for her disconcertment was nothing romantic.

Yuuka cleared her throat.

"Well… I was wondering who he was," she answered in a small voice.

It was technically dumb considering she had been introduced to the older Kazehaya just earlier. But they all knew that there was an entirely different meaning to that. They all could tell from her continued confusion that she was not at all jesting. She was really disconcerted. Actually, there was suspicion in her eyes as well.

They decided to test their theory.

"What are you talking about? Have you turned so forgetful? Gin-nii just introduced Sora-nii to you earlier. Were you not paying attention?"

"I…" Yuuka smiled nervously but ended with a frown. "I know Gin said they're brothers – well, they're obviously twins. But…"

"But?" Alinea prompted.

"Stop giving her a difficult time. The lady obviously never heard of me until now," Perun suddenly interrupted, surprising everyone. "Isn't that right?"

They watched Yuuka turned and looked up ahead to where he sat and they stared at each other eye to eye.  The lady hesitated at the beginning but then decided to swallow her awkwardness and answered truthfully.

"Yes…"Maki Yuuka bravely stared at Perun, not wavering at all when he looked down at her intently from the elevated space he was sitting on.

"And what does that mean exactly?" It was Aki who asked.

"It means I haven't really heard anything about Kazehaya Sora before. Actually, never. It's why I was surprised – and confused,"Yuuka frowned again as she broke eye contact with the beautiful man. "Kazehaya Gin is a very popular man in the business world, and almost everyone knew about his background – about him being the Koutaishidenka's cousin and things like that. But…"

As they listened to her, they realized that aside from Perun, it was their turn to be confused but didn't say anything as they waited for her to finish.

"But in Kazehaya Gin's biography that I know, there's only one brother mentioned there – Kazehaya Aoi," Yuuka said. "That's why, for me, er… Sora's like a mushroom that suddenly popped out of nowhere."

Silence greeted her words as the people tried to sort out what she said. But the more they analyzed things, the more their confusion deepened as her words didn't match the facts – at least the ones they knew had been established to the rest of the mortals aside from Aki, Chiaki, and Alinea's friends at school.

What she said were the original identities established in the Homura House before Ivan and Perun arrived. Maki Yuuka didn't seem to have her memories altered.

Dolya had made sure that everyone in Tokyo would know who Kazehaya Sora was – and the deity's memory altering power was at least very potent. So, why?

"I apologize for being a mushroom," Perun spoke when it seemed that the others were too stunned to answer and salvage the situation.

"Ah, no, it's okay," Yuuka answered sheepishly. "I'm the one who should apologize for being nosy. I'm not really questioning if it's true or not, alright? As I said, you're obviously brothers. I was just wondering why I haven't heard your name or seen photos of you before," she added and then realized she said something weird so she held out her hand. "I mean, even the Koutaishidenka who's a known recluse has photos of him circulating – what more the brother of Kazehaya Gin who's a very popular business celebrity."

Perun, to further surprise the people there smiled.

"It's because I have been sick for the longest time – heart trouble."

Perun added the last part with amusement dancing in his amethyst orbs, making Gin cough out the rice he just ate as he stared at his twin with wide eyes as if to ask 'What heart trouble are you talking about?'. But he was ignored.

"My family thought it's best to hide my existence from the public until lately," Perun lied with a straight face.

"Oh? Heart disease?"Yuuka looked worried. "I'm so sorry to hear that. If your family decided to show you now, does this mean you're getting better?"

At the last question, everybody's chopsticks stopped in front of their mouths as they side-eyed the man sitting at the podium. They had their breaths held as they waited for his answer.

Perun stared at Yuuka's face as if to study her for a while before he spoke again. "Perhaps. Who knows?" He shrugged as he gave her an enigmatic smile. "Do you think I'll get better?"