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Norisuke flipped the page of the photo album that rested in Mitsuba’s lap. “And look here!” he exclaimed. “That’s Jobin when he was just five years old!”
The picture was a bit worn with age. It depicted Jobin as a child, sitting in a little sandbox as he played with a beetle that he had found. It seemed that his obsession dated all the way back to his childhood. His orange dress and black mary janes were covered with sand and dirt, but Jobin seemed to relish in the filth.
“Come on, dad,” Jobin muttered, looking a little embarrassed. “Quit it.”
“Aw!” Mitsuba cooed. “You look so adorable in your little dress!”
Standing over Jobin was a woman that Mitsuba didn’t recognize. The resemblance between her and Jobin was uncanny, making Mitsuba wonder how they were related. “Who’s that?” she asked, pointing at the woman in the photo.
Neither of them answered her. Norisuke and Jobin silently shared a knowing look, leaving Mitsuba in the dark. The atmosphere of the room flipped like a switch, the tension between Jobin and his father almost suffocating.
“She’s my mother,” Jobin finally said, bitterness tripping from his voice. “Kaato.”
Anger flashed across Norisuke’s face before he abruptly rose from the couch. “Enjoy the photos,” he said grimly. “I have things to do." He wasted no time walking off, leaving Mitsuba and Jobin alone in the living room.
Mitsuba and Jobin had been together for a while, but this was the first time Jobin said anything about his mother. Of course, she had thought it was odd that Jobin’s mother wasn’t around and that he never even talked about having one in the first place, but Mitsuba wanted to wait until he was comfortable enough to bring it up to talk about it. Mitsuba knew now that whatever reason he had for not to speaking about her had some weight to it.
“What was that about?” Mitsuba asked Jobin.
Jobin looked pained, tensing up just at the question. “Not out here,” he said, not meeting her eyes. “Let’s go to my room.”
Mitsuba left the photo album on the couch before following Jobin out of the living room and down the hall, into his bedroom. Once the door was closed, Jobin locked it and sat Mitsuba down on the bed.
“You’re freaking me out a little, Jobin,” she said anxiously.
“I’m sorry,” he sighed. “I just can’t have anyone else hear what I’m about to say.” Jobin sat down beside her and gently took her hands in his. “I’m going to be honest with you, Mitsuba,” he continued. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Warmth surged in Mitsuba's chest, her heart skipping a beat at his confession. It was no secret that Mitsuba felt the same and had spent a lot of her free time fantasizing about this exact moment. But it wasn't how Mitsuba had wanted it to go. What Jobin was saying was true, but it was like he was scared to tell her. Not because he was scared of rejection, but scared of what that confession entailed.
As happy as she was that Jobin had confessed his true feelings for her, she couldn't help but be worried. “What’s wrong, dear?” Mitsuba fretted.
“I need you to me how you feel,” Jobin pleaded.
She reached her hand up and cupped his cheek, gently caressing him with her thumb. “I love you, of course,” Mitsuba smiled. “That's all there is to it.”
Jobin heaved a sigh of relief as he leaned into her touch, overlapping her hand with his own. “I love you, too,” he replied warmly. “But there’s something you need to know before you even think about marrying me.”
Jobin's demeanor became stern, a harsh contrast to their heartfelt confessions. Mitsuba had never seen him more serious about anything in the time she had known him. “You have to promise me that, even if you decide this is too much for you, you won’t tell a soul what I’m about to tell you.”
Mitsuba doubted that there was anything that he could say that would change her mind about the way she felt, but she still wanted to hear what he had to say. “Okay,” she nodded.
“Promise me, Mitsuba,” he said desperately.
“I promise,” she replied firmly.
“Okay,” Jobin sighed. In a hushed tone, he began to tell her everything he had been keeping from her.
He told her of a curse that had been afflicting his family for generations and how he had been a victim of it at a young age. Jobin didn’t tell her the specifics, as it seemed too difficult for him to tell her, but he had been able to beat the curse with the help of his mother.
While he didn't detail how he and Kaato bested the curse, Jobin told her the basic idea of how it was accomplished. It was done by transferring the curse to another person via means Jobin was not willing to share. Whatever the method, it was how Norisuke was also able to break it which had led to his mother's death, sacrificing herself for her son. It was a tradition for the curse to be transferred between family, but it didn’t have to happen that way. Any person would suffice, any sacrifice an acceptable exchange. It wasn't hard for Mitsuba to connect the dots on her own as to the circumstances behind Kaato’s imprisonment.
A heavy and tense silence hung over them. Mitsuba didn’t know what to say. She had never heard anything so bizarre.
“If you want to back out, that’s fine. If you want to… leave me, that’s okay,” Jobin whispered. “I just couldn’t keep this from you anymore.”
“Nobody knows about this?” Mitsuba asked.
“No. Just me and my parents." He paused. "And you.”
“Jobin…” she said softly. Mitsuba took his hand and held it in her lap, trying to provide as much comfort as she could given the circumstance.
“Do you want to think about it?” he asked, looking down at their intertwined hands.
Had he told anyone else, Jobin's story would've been hard to believe. Any sane person would say that curses weren't real and whatever affliction that the Higashikatas had could be chalked up to some genetic abnormality that was specific to their bloodline. The sacrifices put a wrench in the theory, but it was unbelievable nonetheless.
The existence of the Higashikata family curse was far-fetched, but not to Mitsuba. Just one look into Jobin's eyes told her all she needed to know. He was telling the honest-to-god truth. Mitsuba hadn't seen it for herself, but it was Jobin's truth and he believed it wholeheartedly, so she would, too. Besides, if stands could exist, who's to say curses couldn't?
When Mitsuba wanted something, she got it, no matter what she had to do to get it and there was nothing Mitsuba wanted more in the world than Jobin. If that meant she had to help carry the weight of a deadly generational curse, then so be it. She could face whatever challenge came her way as long as Jobin was with her.
She understood the risks that the curse would bring if they were to have a child. If push came to shove, Mitsuba would end up having to sacrifice her life for them the way Tomoko Higashikata had or even do something criminally offensive that would land her in prison like Kaato. As daunting as it seemed, Mitsuba took it in stride. Although they were years off from a child, Mitsuba loved Jobin with all her heart and wanted a future with him and there was no doubt in her mind that she would do whatever was necessary to protect her family.
“There’s nothing to think about,” she said.
“Mitsuba—“
“Jobin,” she silenced. “If you’re trying to push me away, it’s not working.” He was trying to protect her, and she appreciated that, but this was a risk she was willing to take. If Jobin loved her as much as she did him, he would have to let her.
“There’s nothing that you could say that would change my mind about the way I feel about you,” Mitsuba continued. “I would do anything in my power to protect you.”
“Even if it costs you your life?”
“I would gladly give my life for you,” she affirmed happily. “And any hypothetical children.” Mitsuba didn’t plan on dying any time soon, and certainly not in such a dramatic fashion, but she meant every word of it.
Jobin cupped her face and kissed her, pouring every ounce of affection and gratitude he possessed into it. “I promise you if that day ever comes, you won’t have to,” he assured her.
“I’ll hold you to that,” Mitsuba said lightheartedly. “Now, since we’re on the topic of marriage… you haven’t looked at rings yet, have you?”
Jobin laughed incredulously at the sudden change in subject. “I’m not telling you,” he answered.
“Smart, but whether you have or not, I’m going to give you some pointers.” Mitsuba opened her purse that she had left in Jobin’s room earlier that day and took out a jewelry catalog that she had been browsing.
She opened to the ring section and began slowly flipping through the pages, making sure Jobin had enough time to get a good look at her selections.
“I circled some designs I like in here,” Mitsuba said, pointing out the rings with thick red circles around them that she had drawn herself. “I’m a big fan of the ballerina cut. For the center stone, I was thinking something pink. Not one of those hot pink stones. A peachy pink would be perfect. I want it to be dainty, so don’t make the baguette too gaudy. And if you could, I want it to have a diamond shape to it, like a marquise cut. It'll make my fingers look more slender
“I may have circled rings in here, but this is for inspiration only. Mine has to be unique. I won’t settle for a ring just anybody can get their hands on—”
Before Mitsuba could go on, she was interrupted by quiet sniffles. She looked up from the catalog to find Jobin trying with all his might to hold back a sob. His eyes were glassy from the tears welling in them and he kept sniffling, covering his nose with his elbow.
“Oh!” Mitsuba cried, abandoning the catalog. “Jobin, honey, what’s wrong?”
“Mitsuba,” Jobin croaked, breaking out into a full sob. “You’re serious, aren’t you? You actually want to marry me?”
“That's what I said,” she smiled.
“I know, but—” he sniffled, inhaling sharply “—I just love you so much, Mitsuba…!”
“Oh, Jobin. Come here,” she said, her eyes beginning to sting. Mitsuba wrapped her arms around him and held him as he cried, gently rubbing his back to soothe him. "I'll marry you, but don't think this is your proposal," she joked. "I want to see some effort."
Jobin chuckled into her shoulder, his laugh mixing in with his sobs. "I know, I know," he said shakily. "I'll cook up something special for you. Just you wait."