Meanwhile, Eichirou went back to the Four Clubs Building at that early time in the morning. He couldn't help smiling, though, when he thought back as Erika didn't allow him to leave the house without having a proper breakfast. Well, perhaps anyone would've done the same thing as she would. Not to mention that their battle with Macera wasn't over, so having a proper breakfast would provide him with at least the majority of the energy he needed.
He sighed as he finally entered the building with the guard's permission. But instead of heading to the room where his photos would be displayed for the exhibit, he decided to go to a different room.
To the room where Haruna's fashion show would be held.
Yes, it was a bad idea to deal with that woman again. But he was sure that there was something more to Haruna's hate for his mother than just being overshadowed by the said woman even though Mizuhashi Mariko was already dead for 12 years. He felt it when he confronted her the last time. He just has to make her see it.
But as soon as he entered the intended room, Eichirou frowned when she saw Haruna standing alone on the stage, eyeing a mannequin wearing an elegant white gown.
'Wait a minute... Have I seen that gown before?' As soon as he asked that question to himself, an image flashed in his mind that made him gasp almost silently. Not to mention, Haruna was looking at that familiar dress wistfully.
Eichirou was sure it was one of his mother's designs. Or was it?
At that point, Eichirou decided to approach the woman and chose to talk to her again. Nothing would ever be accomplished if he remained standing there and hesitating to talk to her because of her treatment of him.
"What are you up to this time, Mizuhashi? Shouldn't you be busy with your project in this building? And who told you to even enter here, anyway?" Haruna asked rather placidly. But this time, no coldness could affect him. Especially when he was aiming to achieve something big before he dealt with Macera.
"It's Eichirou. If you're going to refer to me by surname, then you're already talking about my father," the photographer replied rather coolly.
"Why, you little ---"
"And yes, I should be busy with my project at this time. But that project isn't something I would call complete if I don't include your works in it. Not to mention, I still have an enemy to deal with before going over this project one last time to show it to everyone."
"I thought I told you not to include me in anything that has something to do with your mother."
"And that's one reason why you're still trapping yourself within the confines of your box. All this time, you have never done anything that could break that box for you, to help you truly set out to the world on your own --- without my mother's shadow to follow you over and over."
Of course, with those words, Eichirou was expecting Haruna to lash out at him. He was quite aware that the one thing she hated was pointing out something that has something to do with his mother. She hated Mizuhashi Mariko that much... or at least that was what he initially thought.
But the dress in front of her proved a different answer that soon changed his perception of Haruna's true feelings. Eichirou would have attributed it to his powers or something else. Nevertheless, now he had a better idea of what was truly going on about Haruna and his mother.
Haruna took a deep, ragged breath after a long period of silence between her and Eichirou before facing the mannequin with the white gown. "This is the last one..."
"What do you mean?"
"The last dress I designed and created that Mariko-san saw before she died. She was smiling ever so beautifully when I showed her this dress. Even though she was in her bed, feeling so weak, she smiled at the sight of this. She said that the man who would see me wear this dress would say I'm the most beautiful woman he laid his eyes on. Like I'm a goddess."
"Mom... still doesn't stop saying that to you, huh? Even when she was already weak..." Eichirou smiled at the memory.
"But after she died, I started hating this dress. I started hating that one dream I had before she died. This dress was the final confirmation, she said. That I was finally going to have my fashion show --- in my name alone and not just as her apprentice. She said she wouldn't let anyone tell me that I would always stay in her shadow and not have my own identity. I hated her for letting me go through the very thing she promised she would protect me from."
After that, Haruna took a deep breath once again. But Eichirou was taken aback at the sight of the tears starting to fall from her eyes. And yet he remained standing there, just watching her do so. Something told him that he could only do as much at the moment.
"Even with that, I still couldn't throw this dress away. Every time I would try to do it, that smile she gave me because of this dress would always appear in my mind. That she still believed in me. That time will come when I can surpass her. Get past the barrier she inadvertently created by being my mentor..." Haruna shut her eyes tight as if trying to stop the tears from falling even more but failed.
Eichirou remained looking at his mother's apprentice crying like that. But in his mind, it kept on saying that she needed to let it all out like this. Once again, he looked at the dress in question. And that was when he recalled something.
"You truly adored her, huh? Even with all the negative things that her death had brought to you, you remained admiring her as the mentor and designer that you knew she was. You still held on to the one thing that truly kept you going... I envy you for still holding on to this dress as your reminder of her..." Eichirou's voice became softer at the last sentence.
He soon sensed that Haruna eyed him in confusion. But he remained staring at the dress.
"I didn't have any physical reminder of her promise to me that I can hold on to. But the sea would always hold her memories that we made together as mother and son. The water and the waves that go back and forth the shore... The very water that washes away every fear and doubt I ever had in my life since she died... Those waters held the promise that she would watch over me whatever happens, whatever choices I make in my life. And now ---" he paused and soon faced Haruna who was looking at him. "---the powers I inherited from her... I'm now using it as another proof that this world she left behind because she had to will always be the treasure she would protect with her life. She wanted to protect the place that held all of her dreams. She might not have fulfilled all of those dreams when she was still alive. But now, I strongly believe that Mom... left this world believing that we can fulfill those remaining dreams for her. That we can fulfill them in our ways, whether intentionally or otherwise."
That long white dress standing in the middle of the stage --- continued to stir various emotions and memories in both Eichirou and Haruna. Nevertheless, they just let it stand there as they intend to realize a lot of things that seemed to have become a barrier to let them reach the peak of their true potential.
As for Eichirou, that dress seemed to have provided a way for him to realize something important. And at the moment, he had to use that realization to end the Vessels' battle with Macera before the exhibit.
xxxxxx
Unknown to the two people having an important discussion in that building, two others also have something important to talk about. But this time, it was to the building manager.
A sigh escaped Hideoki's lips as he laid eyes on the mysterious painting displayed in the middle of the hall. The very same painting that both Eichirou and Helen were looking at, only at different times.
"Iwasaki-san, how come I've never known that my wife would keep something like this here?"
The man in question shook his head after sighing. "Forgive me for not saying anything, Mizuhashi-san. But she made it clear to my father before that no one should know about this belonging to her until the given time. And when my father died, she made me promise the same thing when I took over the position of being this building's manager."
Out of all the words that the man said, there was one that caught the historian's attention. "Until the given time? Did she mention when that time would be?"
Iwasaki nodded and looked at the painting, as well. "Yes, she did. It would be after your son's 20th birthday. Though that time had long passed, Mariko-san's will didn't occur to me until Eichirou-kun looked at this painting a few days ago. And there was also a young woman who was looking at this as if she was trying to find some answers by doing so."
Before Hideoki could even ask about the identity of the young woman in question, it was interrupted when his companion Dr. Tsukimori Genma arrived and called his attention.
"I already have the permission to take this painting from here. But there's one other thing I'd like to show you."
Hideoki frowned at that, but chose not to say anything and waited for the scientist to continue what he intended to do. Confusing him, even more, was the appearance of two men carrying a rectangular item covered in gray linen. It was the same size as the Priestess painting (the one that was placed in the hall).
"What's this?"
"I found something that I learned to have also belonged to your wife and she decided to keep it here together with the painting of the priestess. But this painting represents something entirely different --- but perhaps, also related to the one we're dealing with."
Dr. Tsukimori's reply made Hideoki's heart beat fast, for some reason. How come he didn't know that there was another painting belonging to Mariko in this place? What was her reason for her to keep them here?
Before he could ask any more questions in his mind, one of the two helpers removed the cloth covering the frame.
"Is this ---?"
But Hideoki couldn't utter the continuation of the question he wanted to ask because of shock. The very same features of the priestess in the first painting were also painted in the other one. She was also wearing the same white gown. But her position in the second painting was different. She was facing the left side with a blooming lotus inside a ball of light floating in her hands. The one thing that made this entirely different from the other painting was the man in the painting facing the other way. The man who looked like an unbeatable warrior with armors and weapons and the priestess were standing back to back as if saying that they were meant to take different paths.
Of course, there could be a different interpretation for this. But there was one thing that made it clear for the two elders. This second painting was also related to the legend of the Vessels of the Heavenly Spirit Guardians' Powers. Their proof? The lotus symbol on each of their clothing articles. They were painted there as if making those who would look at them believe that it was a part of their clothes all this time. And the feeling that those two people looked as if they were real --- that they existed long ago...
"Why did Mariko hide these two paintings here? Both of these are important information for the Vessels..." Hideoki could only ask as he looked at Dr. Genma.
"We have no idea about Mariko's reasons for her doing that. But now that we know these two existed here, it seems that she knew more about the legend than we could ever think of. All of them, to the point that she started creating clues for the chosen Vessels to follow for them to grow. Or, if we're right with all the recent developments here..."
"Helen could be telling us the truth when she said that... the Vessels in our care could surpass the previous Vessels before them..."
But they still needed to check on the Vessels' growth both as warriors and as chosen wielders of ancient power. Only then would they be able to know if Helen was right about her assessment.
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