Gentleman’s Love (7/?)

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Title: Gentleman’s Love (7/?)
Author: akoikawtayo
Length: Chaptered
Genre: AU, Romance
Beta read: [ ]Yes [x]No
Paring: Matsumiya
Disclaimer: Product of my imagination.
Note1: Mr. Matsumoto’s POV of His Arrogance and His Animosity, but can be read separately from the series.
Note 2: Italic = Thought
Chapter Summary: There

PREVIOUS CHAPTERS: Chapter 1: Encounters || Chapter 2: Glimpse || Chapter 3: His resolved || Chapter 4: Wavering resolve || Chapter 5: Concede || Chapter 6: Push - Pull of Emotion

Chapter Summary: The hall of Valour Manor was filled with dancing guests in the tune of happy music played by the best band in town, each and everyone were in high spirit, except for a particular gentleman,Jun. Anxiety has overpower him. What would he do, when he finally has to confront Kazunari?

Chapter 7: Horse-pulling carriage

Jun stood gallantly as he greeted the arriving guests, together with Sho, shaking the hands of every gentlemen and bowing to the beautiful ladies – not wearing his hat at the last minute, though reluctant, had finally showing its benefit. He tried to greet everyone as pleasant as possible, making sure that there was no trace of the anxiety he had been nursing since he had seen Kazunari with Matsunaga Takahiro.

“Jun, don’t scare our guests” Sho whispered through his smile, as one of the guests passed them. Apparently, his faced contoured rather unpleasantly the moment he started thinking of the earlier incident.

Greeting the guests upon arrival has finally ended, but the night was far from over. Being the host of the party, they must be seen mingling with guests the entire time or risked having unfavorable remarks from the townspeople. And in small town like storm, an untoward behavior to one was an insult to everyone. Jun sighed; he really wanted to be excluded with all the social conversation.

The dancing had started for quite some time already, Miss Sakurai seemed to have finally enjoying herself with bunch of ladies, who wouldn’t stop complimenting the elegance and the grandiose of the entire party, which the lady accept with pride.

Jun kept glancing from time to time at the entrance hall, and he was the not the only one, Sho was doing the same thing. The Ninomiyas were running really late this evening, though they were the ones who have requested (insisted) to have a ball. Both Jun and Sho wanted to see the person they fancy, in different reason – for Sho, a pure affection for the eldest Ninomiya, and for Jun, a means to confirm whether the few weeks he had spent with Kazunari were not a dream.

Towards the end of the third round of dancing, the butler called their attention that the Ninomiyas has finally arrived, the two gentlemen were supposed to welcome them at the entrance but they were beaten by the guests themselves. Mrs. Ninomiya announced that they regretted being late at such a grand ball, especially when they were the once who had requested to have a party in the manor. Jun knew by the looks of Kazunari, that this tardiness was a well staged plan to please her own ego. Nevertheless, he was pleased that they have arrived safely.

---

Jun was not proud of what he was doing right now; he’s acting the opposite of what a gentleman should be doing. He’d been shadowing Kazunari, and in his defense it was not something intentional. It’s just that every time that he was about to finally strike a conversation or even find his way of going where Kazunari was, someone or something got in his way. And so, he was reduced to stalking.

Currently Kazunari was talking to his good friend Satoshi and a bunch of young lads about the coming harvest time.

“I’m already excited.” said a young lad in auburn grey suit.

“You’re always excited during harvest.” said the lanky lad next to the auburn grey suit lad, in a teasing sound. The other young men, Kazunari included, burst into laughter.

“Though I bet Satoshi would just sit drawing, while we sweat under the burning sun.” one of the young lad complain.

“Kazunari, try to convince him to join.” The lanky one said putting his hand on Kazunari shoulder. The gesture ticked Jun a little bit.

“Come on gentlemen, we all know that no one can convince Satoshi to do anything, other than draw.”

“True enough” In agreement to the statement.

Their conversation went on, jumping from one topic to another.

As Jun listened to the conversation, his nerve to cut off or join the conversation started to wither. How can he assimilate in such close conversation? He’d definitely appear like a half-wit. They are really close with each other.

He glanced at Kazunari once again, then walked heading at the opposite side of the hall.

---

Jun, after the stalking incident, decided to use most of the time taking the drinks offered to him mostly by the Mayor, and some he helped himself with. If he couldn’t have the chance this night to engaged with Kazunari even just a little bit, might as well try clouding his consciousness with a little bit of a good time.

“Mr. Matsumoto, have another one.” Jun took the glass offered to him, his eyes a little bit hazy already, he couldn’t recall how much glasses he had taken. Only when he took a drink and his stomach felt upset that he knew, he had more than his fair share.

He excused himself from the business assembly and made his way to one of the rooms, out from anyone’s sight.

Unexpectedly, to Jun’s surprise, he was not the only one who sought a moment of personal time. Someone has taken one of the chairs, but he couldn’t be certain who - the person’s back was facing. He meant to leave, thinking that the person didn’t want any company, yet, the urgency of relaxing his body was important to him right now. And so he excused himself towards the unknown person.

“Good eve…Mr. Ninomiya” His whole body stiffen, cold sweat started to form in his forehead.

“Evening, Mr. Matsumoto” Kazunari greeted him in a voice of malcontent, staring at him rather intently.

Jun didn’t know which one to regret most, drinking too much or not leaving the room when he had the chance to do so. Maybe I should have left when I had the chance.

“"I didn’t expect you to be here. I mean…May I?” Gesturing at the chair across Kazunari, in which the young man didn’t respond with…

“As you wish, sir,” With an expression that showed of less pleasantry.

Jun took the seat with Sir ringing inside his head. This wouldn’t turn out well. But he still want to seize the moment, maybe he still could salvage whatever relationship they have built in the past weeks. And if couldn’t, at least keep the damage into minimum. For his heart’s sake.

He tried starting the conversation with the most trivial subject, the ball.

“The dancing hall was lovely, is it not Mr. Ninomiya?” Jun open the conversation, looking at Kazunari intently, waiting for him to respond. He needed that respond for him, as if every breath of hope would solely depend in this conversation.

“Yes, it is” The short and unenthusiastic reply. This would be harder than I thought. But Jun could not just give up this way. How many times have Kazunari had shut him off in a conversation, but haven’t he succeeded in some of them? And so he tried once more.

“Sakurai invited the best band in town. It was last minute, but thankfully we managed to hire them. Imagine a ball without a band.” Jun said, not letting his enthusiasm go down.

“Surely with a man of influence like you, I doubt one could say no. Even at the last minute” Kazunari let the last sentence lingered longer, and Jun didn’t miss the each words and the tone that came with it – cutting words of mockery, like daggers slashing through Jun’s defense.

“You flatter me much so, sir.” Mr. Matsumoto’s words remained civil his body started to betray him; he could feel his muscle tensing, especially around his face, making it more difficult to remain composed.

“Oh, no sir, I merely state facts.” Kazunari continued. “I wonder how far and how much your influence can reach. Maybe even the head of the country.” It was an over the top commentary, logically Jun knew that if he pushed the conversation both of them would through a fit. But, for some unknown reason to him, this anger building inside him was so strong that he kept pushing towards it.

“My influence wouldn’t reach that far,” he could see that Kazunari didn’t miss the teasing tone of his words. He has an idea where Kazunari’s disdain was coming from; having Matsunaga Takahiro uninvited to Sakurai’s ball – he needed to confirm, and the only way was to anger the other.

“But as far as the constabulary, is it not?”

Jun’s body stiffen, face contoured in anger, I was right! Unbelievable! He knew that Matsunaga Takahiro was a cunning individual, but he couldn’t believe how easily Kazunari fell for his trickery. “May I know, why the curiosity?” The seriousness of his tone was already evident – it was time to stop but this craziness had to stop here.

“Say Mr. Matsumoto, does the name Mr. Matsunaga Takahiro sound familiar to you?”

“Perhaps” He hated it so – the name of the man he truly hated came from the mouth of his beloved.

“Did you find pleasure using your power over a mere soldier? You sir, are full of yourself!” The words of accusation flew out of the younger man’s mouth, while Jun remained unmoving in his chair offering no words of response – to neither defend nor contradict, for to defend himself, he had to lay all truth about the Matsunaga Takahiro and his relationship to the Matsumoto family, and Jun was not ready to reveal all his family secret to him, even though it is Kazunari.

Kazuanri stood and walked away with so much fury at him.

Jun was left there, alone in the room, feeling miserable. He didn’t know that he’d lose Kazunari this easily, but what hurt the most was how the young man valued the words of man he met a few days over his – a man who have shown him kindness and endearment. Have I not done enough? Where did I come short in showing you the affection that I only allow myself because it was you? He leaned all his weight on the chair, feeling all tired all of a sudden, drunkenness forgotten, but not the pain that reside inside his very heart. I love you dearly, Kazunari; I can’t bear to lose you like this. But maybe my love is not enough, for you to see pass beyond all the façade that I have built throughout my existence, and for that I couldn’t blame anyone, but myself.

---

Despair cloaked Jun. He wanted to leave this place as soon as possible – cowardice people may call him. Yet, all the things that encouraged him, feelings need to be encouraged may it be anger, sadness, happiness, more so love, to pursue his feeling of affection vanished the night Kazunari closed the door with so much disgust towards him. And for the first in his life, he felt so lost.

And so, when Miss Sakurai gave her opinion that Sho needed to put things into perspective by returning first to their hometown before doing a rush decision of asking for the hand of the eldest Ninomiya, Jun couldn’t put himself to contradict Miss Sakurai. Because, though he wanted to be the agent of encouragement to Sho’s love, he just couldn’t. There so much more off-putting in the idea.

“Oh Sho, I’m just looking out for you my dear brother. It’s just infatuation, Sho. Don’t be blinded. Ladies dance with the most eligible bachelor in the room Sho, but that doesn’t mean they are showing you affection worth to marry them off” Miss Sakurai was relentless in discouraging her brother to be overpowered by his emotion. And it was only natural for her do so.

It was true that what the two shared could possibly a romantic affection throughout their stay in the manor, at least that’s what Jun had seen from his friend, but he could never affirmed for the other party. The eldest Ninomiya didn’t demonstrate any excess fondness from the normal towards his friend. It was undeniable that when the eldest Ninomiya fell sick and had to stay in the manor, their gestures of affection became apparent, but it could not be so. Jun and Kazunari, as well, spent together of the same length or even more, but in conclusion the younger man didn’t seem to be that fond of him as Jun had thought he was.

“Any thought?” Sho sounded that he needed an ally to blindly take his side, as he spoke the words directly at Jun.

“You’re a man of stature Sho, both of you are.” Miss Sakurai added, putting perspective.

Indeed, marrying from a lower status was already an issue to Sho’s reputation, all the more when the family members provide a less appealing manner to the whole scenario. He knew that it was not right of him to be the judge, because he too, was ready to defy social status when it came down to it, yet, Jun chose to provide an opinion based on logic and better judgment.

“Love is a blinding emotion, my dear friend, and one needs to be careful before charging head-on. A moment away wouldn’t hurt anyone. You can use the absence to your advantage.” After the words slipped out of Jun, it would seal the plan of leaving.

There was a pause in the room as Sho pondered on the predicament. As a man Sho had put everything into proper perspective, he made sure that he had calculated and seen everything in different angle before he took a single step – that was the main reason he had obliged Jun to accompany him in this venture, to provide different outlook.

---

The next morning, all helpers were out and about, loading the personal luggage at the top and back of the carriage. They were specially instructed to immediately finish the task before morning dinner was over.

Jun requested to dine at the west wing terrace, but didn’t mage to touch his food. And when the butler called out to him that the transportation was ready, he took one last look at the open field where the maple tree stood.

A/N: It’s been a month since I finished this chapter, It’s really a sad chapter to write, especially the one leading to the confrontation between the two characters. I feel so much for Jun, but the story needed it so much that I can’t pass taking the challenge…*sigh*… Maybe the next chapter will be a less depressing, though there’s no promise to that.