âHahaha, Sheâs quite a lovely young lady, Yuzuru-dono.â
âYes. Sheâs too good for me.â
While saying that Yuzuru squeezed Arisaâs hand.
On the other hand, Arisa raised her voice in confusion, saying, âH-heyâŠâ.
Kiyoshiâs eyes narrowed at the sight of such amity.
âGreat, great⊠No, but I envy the old guy of Takasegawa. I hope that my grandchildren will soon have a girlfriend or two to make me feel at ease.â
âHaving two would be trouble rightâŠâ
Kiyoshiâs words were met with a calm pout from Hijiri.
Kiyoshi ignored his grandson and shifted his gaze to Arisa once again.
âConsidering the future Mrs.Takasegawa, I should be the one going to greet her next time⊠For the New year, I will be greeting you.â
âN-no, thatâsâŠâ
Arisa, on the other hand, looked a little confused.
He was much older than she was.
Though itâs only natural that the head of the Ryozenji clan and organization would have an attitude of deference towards her.
In terms of ranking of family, Arisa might be superior, but the senior citizen in front of her would never be inferior to her.
(âŠHow can I answer this correctly?)
In the general sense of the word, Arisa is the âlower-rankingâ of the two, so she should be the one to bow down to him.
âPresident⊠I think itâs a bit immature for an older man to play such a prank on a young girl.â
Hijiri also blamed Kiyoshi in a strong tone.
Then Kiyoshi deliberately touched his beard.
âWell, I donât know what youâre talking aboutâŠâ
He tilted his head in a trance-like tone.
As expected, Arisa would also notice if they went this far.
It was a test.
Even after all this time, Arisaâs heart raced with nervousness.
âNo, but Iâm sorry. My punk son and another grandchild are out of town. Well⊠but as long as we can meet in the New Year, it wonât be a problem.â
As he deceptively said this, Kiyoshi looked straight at Yuzuru.
âThe last few decades have been very fast. Many things have changed rapidly. For Ryozenji and for Takasegawa. For example, it used to be unthinkable for the successors of Takasegawa and Uenishi to study at the same school.â
He was nostalgic for the past.
Marveling at the changes of time and feeling sadness.
âBut some things never change⊠Yes, for example, friendship. The end of money is the end of a relationship. Thatâs why strong friendships that canât be changed by money have value. Donât you think so?â
That was, oddly enough, the same thing Kazuya had said to Yuzuru.
But this was not surprising.
It was probably the same words Yuzuruâs great-grandfather had said, and they had been passed down from generation to generation in both Takasegawa and Ryozenji.
âYes⊠Thatâs what my father told me as well. And I think so too. I hope that I can continue to be personal friends with Hijiri, No, Hijiri-kunâ
Kiyoshi nodded in satisfaction at Yuzuruâs reply.
âOh, Kazuya-dono also said the same thing. Thatâs wonderful. No matter how the relationship between Takasegawa and Ryozenji may change in the future, I would be relieved⊠if my grandchildren and you could remain friends for a long time.â
Please remain on good terms with Hijiri and the others, and remain as equals and good friends.
Yuzuru nodded to Kiyoshiâs request.
And after a short pause for thought, he smiled softly in a calm voice.
âOf course. Ryozenji is an ally of Takasegawa. That will not change in my generation. I will carry on my great-grandfatherâs will firmly and unchanged.â
The hierarchical relationship between Takasegawa and Ryozenji will not change in the future.