MYSTIC BOND
By Nanthini Rajarethinam
~THE MIGRATION~
We reached Tokyo on the 1st of December, 2000. Father and Mother had decided to migrate to Japan for good from India that year to start anew. My father, Mr. Jai Aditya Raj, was a college Professor in India and was invited by the Japanese Government to serve as the Dean at the University of Tokyo by the officials of the University due to his excellent performance for which he was awarded as the Best Educator Of The Year in the Mahatma Gandhi University, Mumbai in the year 1999. I, Yashwanti Ishdeep Raj, had also applied for an entrance into the University of Tokyo, majoring in Art. My younger brother, Jai Arash Raj was granted entrance into UIA International School of Tokyo upon application based on his performance in his previous school in Mumbai. My mother, Mrs. Zara Yadavi Raj had been a housewife since she got herself married to Father but she was a graduate of Mahatma Gandhi University herself who majored in Hotel Management. From this, you can probably guess how Mother’s cooking skills are. She had been the perfect housewife since the time she tied the knot with Father and she still is.
We settled our luggage in our new home provided by the University of Tokyo. It was a beautiful double-storey bungalow which was fully furnished and well-maintained for us. The interior reflected the Japanese ethnicity, and I loved the idea of living in a home that had such a traditional touch to it. After unpacking our luggage, all of us gathered in the family room. Father said, “We will begin a new life here, children. Your mother and I would love to see you excel in your studies while enjoying the social activities here. The Japanese culture is unique and so I would like you to learn about the culture from your new friends. I will give you complete freedom to join your new friends so that you can be accustomed to the culture and society here. There are good and bad sides of the society and I am sure both of you are old enough to determine which is good and bad for you.” My brother and I looked at each other and our faces lit with excitement. I said to Father, “Thank you, Father. I am sure that I will enjoy living here since I love everything I have seen on the way here.” Jai spoke up, “Yes, Father. Thank you for trusting us. I am sure I will love it here as well. I will continue to excel both in academics and sports so that I can get the scholarship that we have discussed in India.” Father smiled, pleased at our reactions. “Very well then. Let’s work on getting our dinner ready. I am starving from all that traveling.” At this point, Mother said, “I will get on with the preparation for dinner then. So, what would you like to have tonight?” I replied, “Mother, let us have a simple dinner since all of us must be tired from traveling.” Father and Jai nodded in agreement. Mother said, “Very well, then. I will make spicy Korean bean sprouts and tofu soup with Ommurice. Will that be fine, guys?” We all smiled and agreed in unison.
In the kitchen, Mother busied herself by preparing the ingredients for the bean sprouts and tofu soup while I washed the rice. Father helped to prepare the ingredients for ommurice and Jai prepared the table for dinner. All of us loved working together in preparing our lunch or dinner when we were in India and that had become a habit in Tokyo as well. Such activity brought us closer since it cultivated unity within the family. Once the ingredients were ready, Mother started cooking while I washed the dishes that needed cleaning after use. Father went to the family room to watch the news on the television where Jai had joined Father in the family room after setting the table for dinner and was playing a game on his laptop. Once the dinner was ready, I called out to Father and Jai to join Mother and me at the dinner table. I tasted the spicy bean sprouts and tofu soup. I said to Mother, “Mum, this soup tastes exquisite. I love the fact that you have fried the tofu before adding them into the soup so that the tofu is not too soft.” Mother smiled and said, “Well, the recipe stated that the tofu was to be cooked in its original form, but I wanted to make a change and so I fried the tofu instead.” Father said, “Well, I prefer the taste of the fried tofu in the soup. I have tasted the tofu in its original form in the soup which I had in a Korean restaurant and I did not fancy the taste of the tofu in the soup. This tofu tastes much better.” Jai replied, “Yes, I agree with Dad, Mum. The tofu tastes much better when it is fried. It does not have the raw taste to it which makes it more appetizing.”
Mother then scooped the “ommurice” from the pot and filled the plates before passing the plates out to us. I tasted the “ommurice” which is made of fried rice and a variety of vegetables after which the rice will be wrapped in egg. The spice, that Mother had added jived well with the spicy soup since Mother did not add too much chili into the rice. In a nutshell, Mother had prepared a simple yet tasty dinner that night. After dinner, Jai cleared the table whereas I washed the dishes. We cleaned the kitchen before joining Mother and Father in the family room to have fruit salad that mother had prepared earlier. Mother was segregating the salad into small bowls for all of us. The salad had yogurt in it which served as a cooling effect to our stomach upon tasting the spice of the Korean soup. Mother had always been providing us with a balanced diet, which had kept us in great health.
After dinner, all of us settled in our rooms to rest for the night. I was excited about the course that I would be following as of the next morning. While I packed the stationery into my sling bag, my younger brother knocked on my room door before entering my room. “Sis, I need some pencils and blue-inked pens for school tomorrow. Do you have extra pencils and blue-inked pens?” my younger brother asked me. I rummaged through my table desk drawer to get the pencils and blue-inked pens for my younger brother and handed them to him. “Thanks, sis,” he said and left my room. After packing the necessary stationery for class the next day, I brushed my teeth and prepared myself for bed.
The alarm on my mobile phone set off at 6.00 a.m. I woke up, washed, and dressed myself into a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved baby T-shirt before leaving my room and joining the rest of my family members at the kitchen for breakfast. By the time I stepped into the kitchen, Mother had our breakfast lined up on the dining table. Mother had always been the first one to wake up in the morning to prepare our breakfast. After Jai and Father had arrived at the dining table, all of us sat down to have our breakfast. Then, before leaving our home, Jai and I kissed Mother on her cheeks. Mother said to us, “Today is the first day at school for the both of you. Enjoy yourselves while studying, kids.” “Yes, Mum,” both of us answered Mother in unison.
Father had the car engine started and was waiting for Jai and me. Jai and I got into the car and waved our hands at Mother who stood at the entrance of the house with a lovely smile on her face. Father dropped Jai at his school before driving to the University. While driving to the University, Father asked me, “Are you excited about today’s class, Ishdeep?” Father had always addressed me by my middle name for reasons unknown to me. I replied, “Absolutely, Dad. I have read the brochure regarding the course and the University seems to maintain interesting programs like visitation to Art galleries, sculptor’s workshop, and organizing numerous art competitions to allow the students to be spotted by potential companies for employment after graduation.” Father nodded his head while maintaining his focus on the traffic ahead of him. He subsequently said, “I am delighted to hear that, love. I want you to enjoy exploring what interests you the most. I understand that the art industry is required in all types of industries around the world. Therefore, I am certain that you will secure a job after your degree program.” I smiled at him and said, “Thank you for consistently supporting my dreams, Dad.” We ultimately reached the University and both of us looked forward to engaging ourselves with the duties we had chosen for ourselves at the University.
I walked to the Enquiry counter to inquire about the location of the Art faculty and was guided as to the direction to the faculty by an employee at the counter. I then walked to the Art Faculty based on the direction given to me. The class was large, and the drawing equipment was lined up properly for each student of the class. The class was already filled with students by the time I had reached the class. I entered the class and looked for a place to sit. I finally got a seat near the window and settled down. I removed my stationery pouch from my sling bag and set my drawing storage tube against the wall next to the window. By the time I had settled myself down, the lecturer had entered the classroom to greet the students. We had a round of student introductions, and our first task for the lecture was thereafter explained by the lecturer. The first task was to sketch a human figure. The model was one of the students by the name of Dean Kenji Matsushita. Our first task was to sketch Dean Kenji Matsushita in his original form that is fully dressed. The reason why the first task was to sketch Dean Kenji Matsushita in his original form was to enable our class lecturer to analyze our skill in sketching a human figure. All of us started sketching the model and once all of us were done, we were asked to submit our works to the class lecturer.
Before the next class, which was the history of the renaissance artists, I had an hour to spend on lunch break. Thus, I headed to the cafeteria and scanned my name tag to register my attendance at the cafeteria to obtain a student discount on the food at the cafeteria. As I walked along the queue to choose the dishes I had wanted to have for lunch, a male student walked behind me to deliberately push me down. At that time, another student helped me pull the male student away from behind me. I looked at who my savior was. “It is Dean Kenji Matsushita,” I thought to myself while feeling a surge of relief. After giving the male student a piece of his mind, Kenji walked towards me and asked me, “Are you alright, Miss Yashwanti?” I replied with a smile, “Yes, I am, Mr. Kenji. Thank you for helping me out just now.” Then, Kenji held out his right hand while saying, “Hello. I am Dean Kenji Matsushita, the President of the Student Union of this University.” I held out my hand so that we could handshake. Kenji then further added, “Please address as me Kenji. You are welcome to report to me about any harassment caused by students upon you.” I replied, “I will keep this in mind, Kenji.” “Shall we continue to pick our food since we need to attend the next class soon, Kenji?” I reminded Kenji. Kenji then replied, “Yes, let do that.” Once we had picked the food of our choices, we made the payment charged at the payment counter. Then, we walked to the nearest table to sit and have our food. Both of us chatted about our families, our experiences in terms of school, and the subject we had studied. In a nutshell, I had found my first friend in Kenji since we shared similar interests.
After attending the lecture on the History of the renaissance artists, we were informed by our class lecturer that we were required to join some extracurricular activities such as clubs and associations in the University as part of the Arts Degree program. I had decided to join the Arts Association presided by Kenji himself since Kenji had informed me that the students would be able to relate the activities organized by the Arts Association to the course itself. Upon tendering my membership form to the office allocated for the Arts Association, I had decided to pay a visit to my Father’s office since my class on the first day was over. I knocked on the door before entering Father’s office. The office was large and had costly interior furnishing. Father looked up from his laptop and smiled the moment he noticed me. “Hello, my dear. How was your first day of class?” Father asked. I replied while sitting on the sofa, “I had a wonderful time in class. I have a new friend too.” “Is that so? Who is that new friend of yours, Ishdeep?” Father asked. “His name is Dean Kenji Matsushita. He was the model for our first sketching task this morning. He is also the President of the Student Union as well as the Arts Association,” I replied. Father seemed impressed by the information that I filled him up with. He seemed to be searching for something on this laptop and then smiled before saying, “Ah. Mr. Kenji is an excellent student and is from a prominent family background. However, he seems to be tender when it comes to his health. It is reported here in his student database that he has an incurable illness that necessitates him to absent himself from class every month during the full moon.”
I tried to digest the information provided by Father. What caught my attention particularly was his incurable illness. “What kind of illness is incurable these days with such advanced technology, Dad? Besides, Japan is a country with advanced technology. Don’t you think so, Dad?” I asked Father. Father nodded while replying, “Yes indeed, my dear. Well, I am sure Mr. Kenji’s family would have provided him with the best medical facilities to cure his illness, judging from the background of his family and the level of wealth his family owns.” “Wow, is Kenji’s family really wealthy, Dad?” I asked Father. “Yes, Ishdeep. Mr. Kenji’s father, Mr. Matsushita is a business tycoon in Tokyo and he owns 75% of the business in Tokyo. So, they are practically respected by the Prime Minister himself,” Father replied. “Wow, but Kenji doesn’t have such an outlook at all, Daddy. In fact, he is simple in his speech, his mannerism, his dressing, and his food. Indeed, we can never judge a book by its cover,” I said with a smile. Father returned the smile while nodding in agreement at my evaluation of Kenji.
Father and I left his office once Father had completed his report and e-mailed it to the respective departments and headed to Jai’s school to pick him up along the way home. After picking Jai up, we stopped at a Mart to purchase some grocery items for dinner and breakfast the next day. By the time we had reached home, Mother had made some delicacies for tea and had begun cooking dishes for dinner that night. Father, Jai, and I headed to our respective rooms to wash and groom before joining Mother at the kitchen to aid her. I took over the cooking task from Mother to give her a break to enable her to have a chat with Father and Jai. I looked at the vegetables cut and washed by Mother. I understood the recipe of the dish that Mother had intended to prepare and quickly began my cooking. Once I had completed cooking the remaining dishes, I joined the rest of them in the living room. Mother said, “Try this desert, Ishdeep. I have made this cake with an extra ingredient. Tell me what you think of this cake.” I took a muffin cake from the plate and started to taste it. After tasting the cake, I found the extra ingredient that Mother had added to the muffin cake. It was lime juice. “It is lime juice, Mum,” I said to Mother. Mother nodded and said, “Wow, your skill has improved so much, honey.” Then, I noticed Jai who was watching Mother and me, taking a muffin cake to taste it. He then said, “Why is it that I cannot get the taste of lime juice in this cake like Ishdeep could, Mum?” Mother and Father laughed at Jai’s question. I then said jokingly to Jai, “That’s because Mum and I have special powers like your favorite Iron Man, little brother.” Jai rolled his eyes in disgust and gave up trying to be the main attraction in the living room. He then turned the television on and started skimming through the channels to find a channel that matched his taste. Finally, he stopped at a cartoon channel and glued his eyes to the television.
Mother then asked me, “How was your day in school, Ishdeep?” I replied, “Oh, I had a great time during the classes, and I have made a new friend. His name is Dean Kenji Matsushita. Father has done a background check on him. He is harmless.” Mother nodded at my reply and smiled. Mother had been worried about my friendship with male friends ever since the incident in Mumbai wherein I was stalked for months by a male friend who had bad intentions to harm my reputation.
Time passed so quickly that it had been 6 months since I had joined the Arts course at the University of Tokyo. Life had been hectic with extracurricular activities and group assignments before the semester examination one month before the first semester ended. Kenji and I spent a lot of time together studying and had been a team in completing assignments. One night, Kenji and I were supposed to meet at my home for a group assignment. It happened to be a full moon that night. I was typing the report on the topic that Kenji and I had chosen for our assignment when suddenly I heard a sound on the roof outside my window. Like a reflex action, my head turned towards my bedroom window. I stood up from my chair and walked slowly to my room window. I opened the window only to find something lying on the roof next to my window. I wanted to scream but I stopped when I saw something familiar around the creature’s neck. It was a pendant with the alphabet “K” that had caught my attention. “Oh my God. It cannot be,” I thought in disbelief, refusing to admit that it was Kenji.
I quickly pulled the creature’s hands slowly without hurting the creature towards the window pane and then used both my hands to lift the creature’s body through my window. The creature complied and moved slowly towards me through the window and set its body on my room floor. I examined the whole creature and discovered that it was a werewolf. I moved the fur away from the werewolf’s eyes with extreme tenderness. Then, as I continued to examine the werewolf’s body, I discovered a wound on the body of the werewolf. I quickly ran to the cupboard to get my first aid box. I found it and quickly removed the medicine and the bandage. I ran to the werewolf and started cleaning the wound, and applied medicine onto the wound before wrapping the wound with the bandage. The werewolf was still unconscious, although it was breathing. I removed a fresh blanket from the cupboard and covered the werewolf as the werewolf shivered in coldness since the air-conditioner in my room was turned on. I then went down the stairs to the kitchen to make a teapot of warm tea. The tea which I had prepared helped to warm a person’s body and to heal wounds. I then returned to my bedroom with the teapot. As I opened my room door, I noticed that the werewolf had regained consciousness. I quickly locked my room door and placed the teapot on the desk next to my bed.
Then, I sat next to the werewolf. The werewolf looked at me and tried to get on its legs but fell back on the floor. I caressed the werewolf’s body while whispering, “It’s alright now. You are safe here.” The werewolf relaxed. Then, like magic, the werewolf shapeshifted before my eyes, and there laid Kenji, on the floor in my bedroom. “Oh my God, Kenji. What has happened to you?” I asked Kenji. Kenji then looked at me sadly and said, “This is who I really am, Yashwanti. I have had this illness since the age of 13.” I suddenly remembered Father mentioning an illness that Kenji was suffering from. Then, I asked Kenji, “Is this the illness recorded by the University in your student database?” Kenji nodded in admission. I understood the whole situation now. Kenji’s family had concealed Kenji’s shapeshifting ability into his werewolf form during the full moon of every month from the University by recording that Kenji was suffering from an incurable illness. “This is not an illness, Kenji. In fact, this shapeshifting ability is a gift passed down by your ancestors to you. Do you know any of your ancestors who had possessed this power?” I asked Kenji. Kenji nodded and replied, “Yes. My great-great-grandfather from my father’s side of the family had this power. However, Father did not inherit it, but I did. Apparently, the beneficiary of this power would be the eldest son from the second generation after the generation that had inherited the power. So, my grandfather, who had been from the second generation since my great-great-grandfather, had inherited this power and now it is my turn since I am from the second generation after my grandfather’s generation.
“I see. Well, do you know why your family had this power?” I asked Kenji since I had read on Google that werewolves were mythical beings and their shapeshifting powers can be hereditary or through a curse. Kenji nodded and said, “It is a hereditary power. My ancestor, Haru Matsushita, who had lived before my great-great-grandfather, Takashi Matsushita, had inherited this shapeshifting power from a werewolf that had saved Haru Matsushita from the enemies during wartime by scaring him to enable him to shapeshift himself into a werewolf. However, Haru Matsushita had never used his power for illegal or inhumane reasons. The only problem that my ancestors had faced was the fear of marriage but fortunately all my ancestors had married female partners who had accepted them after revealing their true forms to their female partners. As for me, you are the first female who has witnessed my shapeshifting power.” I nodded as I listened to Kenji’s words that it took me some time to register the final sentence that he had mentioned to me. “Oh my God! Is he saying that I am his female partner?” I thought to myself. I could feel my cheeks feeling warm with embarrassment as the thought finally registered in my mind. The whole situation became awkward that I remained silent for some time before I spoke up while trying to avoid the embarrassing topic. “I have brought some warm tea to warm your body and to heal your wound faster,” I said to Kenji. Kenji then drank the tea and returned the cup to me for me to put away. “Well, thank you for helping me tonight, Yashwanti. I will leave your room now,” Kenji said while trying to stand up but groaned in pain as he attempted to straighten his back. I then persuaded Kenji to remain in my room for the night for which Kenji accepted my invitation hesitantly. I quickly removed a mattress for Kenji to rest on and Kenji, who was still wrapped in the blanket, moved aside slowly to allow me to lay the mattress next to my bed. “I need to get him some of Dad’s clothes,” I thought to myself.
After laying the mattress on the floor, I left my bedroom to get a T-shirt and a pair of jeans belonging to Father that Mother had left on the balcony to dry and returned to my room. I handed the clothes to Kenji and left my bedroom again with the teapot to provide Kenji some privacy. I went to the kitchen to wash the teapot and teacup. I then took two packs of buns from the kitchen cupboard with me before returning to my room to give them to Kenji. I locked my bedroom door to avoid Jai from entering my bedroom while I was asleep since he had the tendency to do so. I then handed the two packs of buns to Kenji while saying, “Have something to eat, Kenji. You must be hungry.” “Thank you, Yashwanti,” Kenji said while taking the packs of buns from my hands. After having the buns, Kenji had some water from the water bottle that I had kept on my bedroom desk beside my bed and then settled on his mattress. After a while, Kenji whispered my name, “Yashwanti?” I was already half asleep by then and with my eyes still closed whispered back to him, “Yes, Kenji?” Kenji then said, “I think I feel better now. So, I should leave now. My parents would be worried by now.” That woke me up completely. I sat up and leaned against my bed while facing Kenji. I said, “Are you sure you are strong enough to head back home now?” Kenji pulled Father’s T-shirt up and removed the bandage. What I had witnessed left me utterly shocked and dumbfounded. There was no trace of the wound on Kenji’s body at all. I looked into Kenji’s eyes questioningly. Kenji then blushed and answered me sheepishly, “I have forgotten to tell you that I can heal myself as well.” I narrowed my eyes and gave an angry look at Kenji that made Kenji smile. “I apologize for it, Yashwanti. Will you forgive me?” Kenji gave me a helpless look that I could not maintain my angry look for long. “All right. You are allowed to leave my room provided you book a taxi online here and show me. I have to ensure that you have transportation to your home. That is the least that I can do for you now,” I said to Kenji. Kenji smiled and asked for my mobile phone. I took my mobile phone from the charger and handed it to Kenji to work on booking a taxi online.
After a few minutes, the taxi arrived and was parked across from our home. Before leaving for his taxi, Kenji looked at me with a softness in his eyes, “I owe you my life for the help that you have provided me tonight, Yashwanti. Rest assured that our destinies are intertwined as of tonight because of your act of kindness,” Kenji said. I was touched by Kenji’s genuine words and nodded as I was tongue-tied and felt sentimental deep within my heart to speak. With that said, Kenji disappeared before my eyes in a flash. I felt only the chillness of the night wind from the empty window. I looked up at the full moon that brightly shone on the pitch-dark sky and thought to myself, “Our destinies are intertwined?”. I sighed before locking the window and resumed my sleep.
In the morning, I had received a text message from Kenji that we could initiate our plan to work on the assignment together. I had replied to his text message to come over to my home at about 11 a.m. Kenji had replied to say yes and that he would see me at 11 a.m. At about 11 a.m. the doorbell rang and I heard Mother calling out my name, “Ishdeep honey! Your friend Kenji is here!” “Coming, Mum!” I had replied Mother and ran down the staircase to invite Kenji. Kenji looked refreshed and normal as he had always looked. Father, who was in the living room came out to welcome Kenji. “Hello there, Mr. Kenji. Welcome to our home. I am Ishdeep’s father, Jai Aditya Raj.” Kenji shook hands with Father and said, “Yes, I do recognize you, Sir. Please address me as Kenji, Sir. It is a pleasure to meet you.” “I understand from Ishdeep that you are her team member in the University and her good friend,” Father said to Kenji for which Kenji replied with a smile, “Yes, I am. Sir. I am glad to have found a wonderful friend in Yashwanti, Sir.” “Very well, then. I don’t want to keep you here further. Go ahead with your plan for today,” Father said.
With that said, I took Kenji to my bedroom and we began to work on our assignment together. Once our assignment was completed and sent to the University via e-mail, Kenji packed his bags to leave. Before leaving my room, Kenji removed Father’s T-shirt and jeans that I had lent him the night before from his backpack and handed them to me. “Thank you for lending me these clothes. I have had them washed and ironed,” Kenji said with a smile. I accepted the clothes and replied, “You look like you always do now.” Kenji smiled and replied, “Yes, I do and I feel like I always do as well.” Then, a thought came into my mind. I asked Kenji, “Kenji, you mentioned last night before you left that our destinies are intertwined. What do you mean by that, exactly?” Kenji smiled and replied, “Well, I was told that I would know who my soulmate is when I reveal my true form to her. Also, the main point is that my soulmate should be someone who accepts my true form without a hint of fear in her. I have noticed that in you last night. You were neither shocked nor scared to see my true form. I knew then that I had found my soulmate unless of course, you reject me due to my condition.” I blushed at the word “soulmate”. I did not have any plans to find my soulmate at that moment as I only had my Art course in mind and the plans to set up an Art Gallery in the future.
“I don’t fear you when you are in your true form, Kenji,” I said to Kenji. At that moment, I noticed Kenji’s eyes softened again as they did the night before. I had rarely had the chance to notice any form of softness in Kenji’s eyes at the University. However, at that moment, the softness that I had noticed in Kenji’s narrow eyes had moved my heart deeply. I could see how loving a person Kenji was since it was a proven fact that our eyes were the windows to our souls.“Thank you for saying that you don’t fear me for who I am, Yashwanti. It really means a lot to me,” Kenji said to me. At that moment, Kenji took my hand in his and held my hands while saying, “If you feel that I am capable of being your soulmate for the rest of your life, please accept my love. I will never show my true form to anyone anymore as a werewolf only has one partner for the rest of his life.” I felt sentimental at that moment and nodded in acceptance of Kenji’s love. I could barely speak as I felt touched to even utter a single word. Kenji then lifted my hand, which he had held in his hand to his lips. I felt him kissing my hand before he released my hand. “Let’s complete our course before we break this news to our parents. We have to complete our studies first and secure employment before we can think of marriage,” Kenji said. “This is what I have in my mind too, Kenji,” I said. Kenji then left my home.
Three years had passed. It was time for the graduation ceremony. Kenji and I had been a team until the end of our course, and we had passed our examination wherein we had Second Class Upper Honor Degrees from the University of Tokyo. In addition to the Degrees, the University of Tokyo had also recommended us for the top companies in Tokyo. Within a few weeks from the graduation day, Kenji and I had secured employment at our desired companies, and we had worked for three years before we had opened an Art Gallery and Sculpture shop under our joint names. After the opening of our shop, Kenji had informed his family of his intention to wed me for which he had his family’s blessings. Then, one fine day, Kenji arrived at our home with his family to propose marriage to me and to secure my parents’ consent for my marriage to Kenji. Of course, before my parents accepted Kenji’s proposal for marriage, Kenji had revealed his shapeshifting ability to my parents. Although Kenji’s revelation came as a shock to Father and Mother, yet, they had accepted Kenji for whom he was and gave their blessings to our marriage.
Kenji and I were married on the 1st of June, 2017. We had three children, the eldest being a son by the name of Seiichi Matsushita, another son by the name of Kei Matsushita, and the youngest being a daughter by the name of Akari Matsushita. Our lives were peaceful and harmonious with both families living happily with our offsprings to keep the elders from both families busy. Kenji and I, as parents, were happy that Seiichi did not inherit Kenji’s shapeshifting ability. In a nutshell, I had found my happiness in my life which began with a mystic bond with Dean Kenji Matsushita.
~The End~
By Nanthini Rajarethinam
~THE MIGRATION~
We reached Tokyo on the 1st of December, 2000. Father and Mother had decided to migrate to Japan for good from India that year to start anew. My father, Mr. Jai Aditya Raj, was a college Professor in India and was invited by the Japanese Government to serve as the Dean at the University of Tokyo by the officials of the University due to his excellent performance for which he was awarded as the Best Educator Of The Year in the Mahatma Gandhi University, Mumbai in the year 1999. I, Yashwanti Ishdeep Raj, had also applied for an entrance into the University of Tokyo, majoring in Art. My younger brother, Jai Arash Raj was granted entrance into UIA International School of Tokyo upon application based on his performance in his previous school in Mumbai. My mother, Mrs. Zara Yadavi Raj had been a housewife since she got herself married to Father but she was a graduate of Mahatma Gandhi University herself who majored in Hotel Management. From this, you can probably guess how Mother’s cooking skills are. She had been the perfect housewife since the time she tied the knot with Father and she still is.
We settled our luggage in our new home provided by the University of Tokyo. It was a beautiful double-storey bungalow which was fully furnished and well-maintained for us. The interior reflected the Japanese ethnicity, and I loved the idea of living in a home that had such a traditional touch to it. After unpacking our luggage, all of us gathered in the family room. Father said, “We will begin a new life here, children. Your mother and I would love to see you excel in your studies while enjoying the social activities here. The Japanese culture is unique and so I would like you to learn about the culture from your new friends. I will give you complete freedom to join your new friends so that you can be accustomed to the culture and society here. There are good and bad sides of the society and I am sure both of you are old enough to determine which is good and bad for you.” My brother and I looked at each other and our faces lit with excitement. I said to Father, “Thank you, Father. I am sure that I will enjoy living here since I love everything I have seen on the way here.” Jai spoke up, “Yes, Father. Thank you for trusting us. I am sure I will love it here as well. I will continue to excel both in academics and sports so that I can get the scholarship that we have discussed in India.” Father smiled, pleased at our reactions. “Very well then. Let’s work on getting our dinner ready. I am starving from all that traveling.” At this point, Mother said, “I will get on with the preparation for dinner then. So, what would you like to have tonight?” I replied, “Mother, let us have a simple dinner since all of us must be tired from traveling.” Father and Jai nodded in agreement. Mother said, “Very well, then. I will make spicy Korean bean sprouts and tofu soup with Ommurice. Will that be fine, guys?” We all smiled and agreed in unison.
In the kitchen, Mother busied herself by preparing the ingredients for the bean sprouts and tofu soup while I washed the rice. Father helped to prepare the ingredients for ommurice and Jai prepared the table for dinner. All of us loved working together in preparing our lunch or dinner when we were in India and that had become a habit in Tokyo as well. Such activity brought us closer since it cultivated unity within the family. Once the ingredients were ready, Mother started cooking while I washed the dishes that needed cleaning after use. Father went to the family room to watch the news on the television where Jai had joined Father in the family room after setting the table for dinner and was playing a game on his laptop. Once the dinner was ready, I called out to Father and Jai to join Mother and me at the dinner table. I tasted the spicy bean sprouts and tofu soup. I said to Mother, “Mum, this soup tastes exquisite. I love the fact that you have fried the tofu before adding them into the soup so that the tofu is not too soft.” Mother smiled and said, “Well, the recipe stated that the tofu was to be cooked in its original form, but I wanted to make a change and so I fried the tofu instead.” Father said, “Well, I prefer the taste of the fried tofu in the soup. I have tasted the tofu in its original form in the soup which I had in a Korean restaurant and I did not fancy the taste of the tofu in the soup. This tofu tastes much better.” Jai replied, “Yes, I agree with Dad, Mum. The tofu tastes much better when it is fried. It does not have the raw taste to it which makes it more appetizing.”
Mother then scooped the “ommurice” from the pot and filled the plates before passing the plates out to us. I tasted the “ommurice” which is made of fried rice and a variety of vegetables after which the rice will be wrapped in egg. The spice, that Mother had added jived well with the spicy soup since Mother did not add too much chili into the rice. In a nutshell, Mother had prepared a simple yet tasty dinner that night. After dinner, Jai cleared the table whereas I washed the dishes. We cleaned the kitchen before joining Mother and Father in the family room to have fruit salad that mother had prepared earlier. Mother was segregating the salad into small bowls for all of us. The salad had yogurt in it which served as a cooling effect to our stomach upon tasting the spice of the Korean soup. Mother had always been providing us with a balanced diet, which had kept us in great health.
After dinner, all of us settled in our rooms to rest for the night. I was excited about the course that I would be following as of the next morning. While I packed the stationery into my sling bag, my younger brother knocked on my room door before entering my room. “Sis, I need some pencils and blue-inked pens for school tomorrow. Do you have extra pencils and blue-inked pens?” my younger brother asked me. I rummaged through my table desk drawer to get the pencils and blue-inked pens for my younger brother and handed them to him. “Thanks, sis,” he said and left my room. After packing the necessary stationery for class the next day, I brushed my teeth and prepared myself for bed.
The alarm on my mobile phone set off at 6.00 a.m. I woke up, washed, and dressed myself into a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved baby T-shirt before leaving my room and joining the rest of my family members at the kitchen for breakfast. By the time I stepped into the kitchen, Mother had our breakfast lined up on the dining table. Mother had always been the first one to wake up in the morning to prepare our breakfast. After Jai and Father had arrived at the dining table, all of us sat down to have our breakfast. Then, before leaving our home, Jai and I kissed Mother on her cheeks. Mother said to us, “Today is the first day at school for the both of you. Enjoy yourselves while studying, kids.” “Yes, Mum,” both of us answered Mother in unison.
Father had the car engine started and was waiting for Jai and me. Jai and I got into the car and waved our hands at Mother who stood at the entrance of the house with a lovely smile on her face. Father dropped Jai at his school before driving to the University. While driving to the University, Father asked me, “Are you excited about today’s class, Ishdeep?” Father had always addressed me by my middle name for reasons unknown to me. I replied, “Absolutely, Dad. I have read the brochure regarding the course and the University seems to maintain interesting programs like visitation to Art galleries, sculptor’s workshop, and organizing numerous art competitions to allow the students to be spotted by potential companies for employment after graduation.” Father nodded his head while maintaining his focus on the traffic ahead of him. He subsequently said, “I am delighted to hear that, love. I want you to enjoy exploring what interests you the most. I understand that the art industry is required in all types of industries around the world. Therefore, I am certain that you will secure a job after your degree program.” I smiled at him and said, “Thank you for consistently supporting my dreams, Dad.” We ultimately reached the University and both of us looked forward to engaging ourselves with the duties we had chosen for ourselves at the University.
I walked to the Enquiry counter to inquire about the location of the Art faculty and was guided as to the direction to the faculty by an employee at the counter. I then walked to the Art Faculty based on the direction given to me. The class was large, and the drawing equipment was lined up properly for each student of the class. The class was already filled with students by the time I had reached the class. I entered the class and looked for a place to sit. I finally got a seat near the window and settled down. I removed my stationery pouch from my sling bag and set my drawing storage tube against the wall next to the window. By the time I had settled myself down, the lecturer had entered the classroom to greet the students. We had a round of student introductions, and our first task for the lecture was thereafter explained by the lecturer. The first task was to sketch a human figure. The model was one of the students by the name of Dean Kenji Matsushita. Our first task was to sketch Dean Kenji Matsushita in his original form that is fully dressed. The reason why the first task was to sketch Dean Kenji Matsushita in his original form was to enable our class lecturer to analyze our skill in sketching a human figure. All of us started sketching the model and once all of us were done, we were asked to submit our works to the class lecturer.
Before the next class, which was the history of the renaissance artists, I had an hour to spend on lunch break. Thus, I headed to the cafeteria and scanned my name tag to register my attendance at the cafeteria to obtain a student discount on the food at the cafeteria. As I walked along the queue to choose the dishes I had wanted to have for lunch, a male student walked behind me to deliberately push me down. At that time, another student helped me pull the male student away from behind me. I looked at who my savior was. “It is Dean Kenji Matsushita,” I thought to myself while feeling a surge of relief. After giving the male student a piece of his mind, Kenji walked towards me and asked me, “Are you alright, Miss Yashwanti?” I replied with a smile, “Yes, I am, Mr. Kenji. Thank you for helping me out just now.” Then, Kenji held out his right hand while saying, “Hello. I am Dean Kenji Matsushita, the President of the Student Union of this University.” I held out my hand so that we could handshake. Kenji then further added, “Please address as me Kenji. You are welcome to report to me about any harassment caused by students upon you.” I replied, “I will keep this in mind, Kenji.” “Shall we continue to pick our food since we need to attend the next class soon, Kenji?” I reminded Kenji. Kenji then replied, “Yes, let do that.” Once we had picked the food of our choices, we made the payment charged at the payment counter. Then, we walked to the nearest table to sit and have our food. Both of us chatted about our families, our experiences in terms of school, and the subject we had studied. In a nutshell, I had found my first friend in Kenji since we shared similar interests.
After attending the lecture on the History of the renaissance artists, we were informed by our class lecturer that we were required to join some extracurricular activities such as clubs and associations in the University as part of the Arts Degree program. I had decided to join the Arts Association presided by Kenji himself since Kenji had informed me that the students would be able to relate the activities organized by the Arts Association to the course itself. Upon tendering my membership form to the office allocated for the Arts Association, I had decided to pay a visit to my Father’s office since my class on the first day was over. I knocked on the door before entering Father’s office. The office was large and had costly interior furnishing. Father looked up from his laptop and smiled the moment he noticed me. “Hello, my dear. How was your first day of class?” Father asked. I replied while sitting on the sofa, “I had a wonderful time in class. I have a new friend too.” “Is that so? Who is that new friend of yours, Ishdeep?” Father asked. “His name is Dean Kenji Matsushita. He was the model for our first sketching task this morning. He is also the President of the Student Union as well as the Arts Association,” I replied. Father seemed impressed by the information that I filled him up with. He seemed to be searching for something on this laptop and then smiled before saying, “Ah. Mr. Kenji is an excellent student and is from a prominent family background. However, he seems to be tender when it comes to his health. It is reported here in his student database that he has an incurable illness that necessitates him to absent himself from class every month during the full moon.”
I tried to digest the information provided by Father. What caught my attention particularly was his incurable illness. “What kind of illness is incurable these days with such advanced technology, Dad? Besides, Japan is a country with advanced technology. Don’t you think so, Dad?” I asked Father. Father nodded while replying, “Yes indeed, my dear. Well, I am sure Mr. Kenji’s family would have provided him with the best medical facilities to cure his illness, judging from the background of his family and the level of wealth his family owns.” “Wow, is Kenji’s family really wealthy, Dad?” I asked Father. “Yes, Ishdeep. Mr. Kenji’s father, Mr. Matsushita is a business tycoon in Tokyo and he owns 75% of the business in Tokyo. So, they are practically respected by the Prime Minister himself,” Father replied. “Wow, but Kenji doesn’t have such an outlook at all, Daddy. In fact, he is simple in his speech, his mannerism, his dressing, and his food. Indeed, we can never judge a book by its cover,” I said with a smile. Father returned the smile while nodding in agreement at my evaluation of Kenji.
Father and I left his office once Father had completed his report and e-mailed it to the respective departments and headed to Jai’s school to pick him up along the way home. After picking Jai up, we stopped at a Mart to purchase some grocery items for dinner and breakfast the next day. By the time we had reached home, Mother had made some delicacies for tea and had begun cooking dishes for dinner that night. Father, Jai, and I headed to our respective rooms to wash and groom before joining Mother at the kitchen to aid her. I took over the cooking task from Mother to give her a break to enable her to have a chat with Father and Jai. I looked at the vegetables cut and washed by Mother. I understood the recipe of the dish that Mother had intended to prepare and quickly began my cooking. Once I had completed cooking the remaining dishes, I joined the rest of them in the living room. Mother said, “Try this desert, Ishdeep. I have made this cake with an extra ingredient. Tell me what you think of this cake.” I took a muffin cake from the plate and started to taste it. After tasting the cake, I found the extra ingredient that Mother had added to the muffin cake. It was lime juice. “It is lime juice, Mum,” I said to Mother. Mother nodded and said, “Wow, your skill has improved so much, honey.” Then, I noticed Jai who was watching Mother and me, taking a muffin cake to taste it. He then said, “Why is it that I cannot get the taste of lime juice in this cake like Ishdeep could, Mum?” Mother and Father laughed at Jai’s question. I then said jokingly to Jai, “That’s because Mum and I have special powers like your favorite Iron Man, little brother.” Jai rolled his eyes in disgust and gave up trying to be the main attraction in the living room. He then turned the television on and started skimming through the channels to find a channel that matched his taste. Finally, he stopped at a cartoon channel and glued his eyes to the television.
Mother then asked me, “How was your day in school, Ishdeep?” I replied, “Oh, I had a great time during the classes, and I have made a new friend. His name is Dean Kenji Matsushita. Father has done a background check on him. He is harmless.” Mother nodded at my reply and smiled. Mother had been worried about my friendship with male friends ever since the incident in Mumbai wherein I was stalked for months by a male friend who had bad intentions to harm my reputation.
Time passed so quickly that it had been 6 months since I had joined the Arts course at the University of Tokyo. Life had been hectic with extracurricular activities and group assignments before the semester examination one month before the first semester ended. Kenji and I spent a lot of time together studying and had been a team in completing assignments. One night, Kenji and I were supposed to meet at my home for a group assignment. It happened to be a full moon that night. I was typing the report on the topic that Kenji and I had chosen for our assignment when suddenly I heard a sound on the roof outside my window. Like a reflex action, my head turned towards my bedroom window. I stood up from my chair and walked slowly to my room window. I opened the window only to find something lying on the roof next to my window. I wanted to scream but I stopped when I saw something familiar around the creature’s neck. It was a pendant with the alphabet “K” that had caught my attention. “Oh my God. It cannot be,” I thought in disbelief, refusing to admit that it was Kenji.
I quickly pulled the creature’s hands slowly without hurting the creature towards the window pane and then used both my hands to lift the creature’s body through my window. The creature complied and moved slowly towards me through the window and set its body on my room floor. I examined the whole creature and discovered that it was a werewolf. I moved the fur away from the werewolf’s eyes with extreme tenderness. Then, as I continued to examine the werewolf’s body, I discovered a wound on the body of the werewolf. I quickly ran to the cupboard to get my first aid box. I found it and quickly removed the medicine and the bandage. I ran to the werewolf and started cleaning the wound, and applied medicine onto the wound before wrapping the wound with the bandage. The werewolf was still unconscious, although it was breathing. I removed a fresh blanket from the cupboard and covered the werewolf as the werewolf shivered in coldness since the air-conditioner in my room was turned on. I then went down the stairs to the kitchen to make a teapot of warm tea. The tea which I had prepared helped to warm a person’s body and to heal wounds. I then returned to my bedroom with the teapot. As I opened my room door, I noticed that the werewolf had regained consciousness. I quickly locked my room door and placed the teapot on the desk next to my bed.
Then, I sat next to the werewolf. The werewolf looked at me and tried to get on its legs but fell back on the floor. I caressed the werewolf’s body while whispering, “It’s alright now. You are safe here.” The werewolf relaxed. Then, like magic, the werewolf shapeshifted before my eyes, and there laid Kenji, on the floor in my bedroom. “Oh my God, Kenji. What has happened to you?” I asked Kenji. Kenji then looked at me sadly and said, “This is who I really am, Yashwanti. I have had this illness since the age of 13.” I suddenly remembered Father mentioning an illness that Kenji was suffering from. Then, I asked Kenji, “Is this the illness recorded by the University in your student database?” Kenji nodded in admission. I understood the whole situation now. Kenji’s family had concealed Kenji’s shapeshifting ability into his werewolf form during the full moon of every month from the University by recording that Kenji was suffering from an incurable illness. “This is not an illness, Kenji. In fact, this shapeshifting ability is a gift passed down by your ancestors to you. Do you know any of your ancestors who had possessed this power?” I asked Kenji. Kenji nodded and replied, “Yes. My great-great-grandfather from my father’s side of the family had this power. However, Father did not inherit it, but I did. Apparently, the beneficiary of this power would be the eldest son from the second generation after the generation that had inherited the power. So, my grandfather, who had been from the second generation since my great-great-grandfather, had inherited this power and now it is my turn since I am from the second generation after my grandfather’s generation.
“I see. Well, do you know why your family had this power?” I asked Kenji since I had read on Google that werewolves were mythical beings and their shapeshifting powers can be hereditary or through a curse. Kenji nodded and said, “It is a hereditary power. My ancestor, Haru Matsushita, who had lived before my great-great-grandfather, Takashi Matsushita, had inherited this shapeshifting power from a werewolf that had saved Haru Matsushita from the enemies during wartime by scaring him to enable him to shapeshift himself into a werewolf. However, Haru Matsushita had never used his power for illegal or inhumane reasons. The only problem that my ancestors had faced was the fear of marriage but fortunately all my ancestors had married female partners who had accepted them after revealing their true forms to their female partners. As for me, you are the first female who has witnessed my shapeshifting power.” I nodded as I listened to Kenji’s words that it took me some time to register the final sentence that he had mentioned to me. “Oh my God! Is he saying that I am his female partner?” I thought to myself. I could feel my cheeks feeling warm with embarrassment as the thought finally registered in my mind. The whole situation became awkward that I remained silent for some time before I spoke up while trying to avoid the embarrassing topic. “I have brought some warm tea to warm your body and to heal your wound faster,” I said to Kenji. Kenji then drank the tea and returned the cup to me for me to put away. “Well, thank you for helping me tonight, Yashwanti. I will leave your room now,” Kenji said while trying to stand up but groaned in pain as he attempted to straighten his back. I then persuaded Kenji to remain in my room for the night for which Kenji accepted my invitation hesitantly. I quickly removed a mattress for Kenji to rest on and Kenji, who was still wrapped in the blanket, moved aside slowly to allow me to lay the mattress next to my bed. “I need to get him some of Dad’s clothes,” I thought to myself.
After laying the mattress on the floor, I left my bedroom to get a T-shirt and a pair of jeans belonging to Father that Mother had left on the balcony to dry and returned to my room. I handed the clothes to Kenji and left my bedroom again with the teapot to provide Kenji some privacy. I went to the kitchen to wash the teapot and teacup. I then took two packs of buns from the kitchen cupboard with me before returning to my room to give them to Kenji. I locked my bedroom door to avoid Jai from entering my bedroom while I was asleep since he had the tendency to do so. I then handed the two packs of buns to Kenji while saying, “Have something to eat, Kenji. You must be hungry.” “Thank you, Yashwanti,” Kenji said while taking the packs of buns from my hands. After having the buns, Kenji had some water from the water bottle that I had kept on my bedroom desk beside my bed and then settled on his mattress. After a while, Kenji whispered my name, “Yashwanti?” I was already half asleep by then and with my eyes still closed whispered back to him, “Yes, Kenji?” Kenji then said, “I think I feel better now. So, I should leave now. My parents would be worried by now.” That woke me up completely. I sat up and leaned against my bed while facing Kenji. I said, “Are you sure you are strong enough to head back home now?” Kenji pulled Father’s T-shirt up and removed the bandage. What I had witnessed left me utterly shocked and dumbfounded. There was no trace of the wound on Kenji’s body at all. I looked into Kenji’s eyes questioningly. Kenji then blushed and answered me sheepishly, “I have forgotten to tell you that I can heal myself as well.” I narrowed my eyes and gave an angry look at Kenji that made Kenji smile. “I apologize for it, Yashwanti. Will you forgive me?” Kenji gave me a helpless look that I could not maintain my angry look for long. “All right. You are allowed to leave my room provided you book a taxi online here and show me. I have to ensure that you have transportation to your home. That is the least that I can do for you now,” I said to Kenji. Kenji smiled and asked for my mobile phone. I took my mobile phone from the charger and handed it to Kenji to work on booking a taxi online.
After a few minutes, the taxi arrived and was parked across from our home. Before leaving for his taxi, Kenji looked at me with a softness in his eyes, “I owe you my life for the help that you have provided me tonight, Yashwanti. Rest assured that our destinies are intertwined as of tonight because of your act of kindness,” Kenji said. I was touched by Kenji’s genuine words and nodded as I was tongue-tied and felt sentimental deep within my heart to speak. With that said, Kenji disappeared before my eyes in a flash. I felt only the chillness of the night wind from the empty window. I looked up at the full moon that brightly shone on the pitch-dark sky and thought to myself, “Our destinies are intertwined?”. I sighed before locking the window and resumed my sleep.
In the morning, I had received a text message from Kenji that we could initiate our plan to work on the assignment together. I had replied to his text message to come over to my home at about 11 a.m. Kenji had replied to say yes and that he would see me at 11 a.m. At about 11 a.m. the doorbell rang and I heard Mother calling out my name, “Ishdeep honey! Your friend Kenji is here!” “Coming, Mum!” I had replied Mother and ran down the staircase to invite Kenji. Kenji looked refreshed and normal as he had always looked. Father, who was in the living room came out to welcome Kenji. “Hello there, Mr. Kenji. Welcome to our home. I am Ishdeep’s father, Jai Aditya Raj.” Kenji shook hands with Father and said, “Yes, I do recognize you, Sir. Please address me as Kenji, Sir. It is a pleasure to meet you.” “I understand from Ishdeep that you are her team member in the University and her good friend,” Father said to Kenji for which Kenji replied with a smile, “Yes, I am. Sir. I am glad to have found a wonderful friend in Yashwanti, Sir.” “Very well, then. I don’t want to keep you here further. Go ahead with your plan for today,” Father said.
With that said, I took Kenji to my bedroom and we began to work on our assignment together. Once our assignment was completed and sent to the University via e-mail, Kenji packed his bags to leave. Before leaving my room, Kenji removed Father’s T-shirt and jeans that I had lent him the night before from his backpack and handed them to me. “Thank you for lending me these clothes. I have had them washed and ironed,” Kenji said with a smile. I accepted the clothes and replied, “You look like you always do now.” Kenji smiled and replied, “Yes, I do and I feel like I always do as well.” Then, a thought came into my mind. I asked Kenji, “Kenji, you mentioned last night before you left that our destinies are intertwined. What do you mean by that, exactly?” Kenji smiled and replied, “Well, I was told that I would know who my soulmate is when I reveal my true form to her. Also, the main point is that my soulmate should be someone who accepts my true form without a hint of fear in her. I have noticed that in you last night. You were neither shocked nor scared to see my true form. I knew then that I had found my soulmate unless of course, you reject me due to my condition.” I blushed at the word “soulmate”. I did not have any plans to find my soulmate at that moment as I only had my Art course in mind and the plans to set up an Art Gallery in the future.
“I don’t fear you when you are in your true form, Kenji,” I said to Kenji. At that moment, I noticed Kenji’s eyes softened again as they did the night before. I had rarely had the chance to notice any form of softness in Kenji’s eyes at the University. However, at that moment, the softness that I had noticed in Kenji’s narrow eyes had moved my heart deeply. I could see how loving a person Kenji was since it was a proven fact that our eyes were the windows to our souls.“Thank you for saying that you don’t fear me for who I am, Yashwanti. It really means a lot to me,” Kenji said to me. At that moment, Kenji took my hand in his and held my hands while saying, “If you feel that I am capable of being your soulmate for the rest of your life, please accept my love. I will never show my true form to anyone anymore as a werewolf only has one partner for the rest of his life.” I felt sentimental at that moment and nodded in acceptance of Kenji’s love. I could barely speak as I felt touched to even utter a single word. Kenji then lifted my hand, which he had held in his hand to his lips. I felt him kissing my hand before he released my hand. “Let’s complete our course before we break this news to our parents. We have to complete our studies first and secure employment before we can think of marriage,” Kenji said. “This is what I have in my mind too, Kenji,” I said. Kenji then left my home.
Three years had passed. It was time for the graduation ceremony. Kenji and I had been a team until the end of our course, and we had passed our examination wherein we had Second Class Upper Honor Degrees from the University of Tokyo. In addition to the Degrees, the University of Tokyo had also recommended us for the top companies in Tokyo. Within a few weeks from the graduation day, Kenji and I had secured employment at our desired companies, and we had worked for three years before we had opened an Art Gallery and Sculpture shop under our joint names. After the opening of our shop, Kenji had informed his family of his intention to wed me for which he had his family’s blessings. Then, one fine day, Kenji arrived at our home with his family to propose marriage to me and to secure my parents’ consent for my marriage to Kenji. Of course, before my parents accepted Kenji’s proposal for marriage, Kenji had revealed his shapeshifting ability to my parents. Although Kenji’s revelation came as a shock to Father and Mother, yet, they had accepted Kenji for whom he was and gave their blessings to our marriage.
Kenji and I were married on the 1st of June, 2017. We had three children, the eldest being a son by the name of Seiichi Matsushita, another son by the name of Kei Matsushita, and the youngest being a daughter by the name of Akari Matsushita. Our lives were peaceful and harmonious with both families living happily with our offsprings to keep the elders from both families busy. Kenji and I, as parents, were happy that Seiichi did not inherit Kenji’s shapeshifting ability. In a nutshell, I had found my happiness in my life which began with a mystic bond with Dean Kenji Matsushita.
~The End~
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