âHello. You girls are Yuzuru-kunâs friends and âŠ.girlfriend, right?â
The person who seemed to be the waiter who came to collect the dishes said to Arisa and the others with a friendly smile on his face.
Arisa, Ayaka, and Chiharu each said their greetings and thank yous.
âItâs the first time Iâm meeting girlfriend-san, right?ăMy name is Hiromi, the store manager. Iâve always been indebted to Yuzuru-kun.â
The middle-aged man said to Arisa.
Arisa also smiled and gave a small bow.
âYes, nice to meet you⊠Iâm sorry to bother you today during a busy time.â
âNo, no. Itâs fine.â
Then, Hiromiâs gaze was naturally drawn to⊠Arisaâs left hand.
There was a beautiful ring on her ring finger.
Even to Hiromi, whoâs not familiar with jewelry, the quality of the ring was immediately apparent.
The ring on the ring finger of his left hand â there was no way he didnât know what it meant.
âIs that by any chance⊠an engagement ring?â
When Hiromi asked thatâŠ
Arisa softly put her right hand on her left and smiled bashfully.
She nodded slightly with a face that said, âOh, you noticed?ăI didnât mean to show it to you at all â.
âYes, well⊠thatâs right. I received it⊠on the White Day.â
ââŠhe~eâ
I see, Hiromi agreed inwardly.
The reason why Yuzuru needed the money was now clear to him.
ââŠDo your parents know about this?â
And he asked the question that any sensible adult should be wondering.
If it was just an idiot-couple of high school studentsâ half-jokingly made engagement proclamation⊠he could simply smile bitterly and let it slide.
But when it comes to giving expensive jewelry like an engagement ring⊠it was difficult to just laugh it off.
Then it was a little too âheavyâ story.
To Hiromi who was thinking that he should give proper talking to Yuzuru and inform his mother, Arisa said with a shy expression but in a firm tone.
âYes, of course⊠Itâs a political marriage.â
âP-politicalâŠâ
Eh, seriously?
Hiromi looked at Yuzuruâs other friends, Ayaka and Chiharu.
Meanwhile, Ayaka and Chiharu looked at each other âŠand smiled bitterly.
âWell, itâs not that unusual, is it?â
âIt happens all the time.â
In fact, itâs not that âcommonâ, but itâs also true that itâs not something to be surprised about, and hence Ayaka and Chiharu answered as such.
And they were taken aback inwardly.
(No⊠isnât this a little too blatantâŠ?)
( Even if you donât appeal that muchâŠ)
Of course, they didnât bother to say it out loud.
âWow⊠Thatâs amazing.â
Hiromi, on the other hand, spoke words of admiration.
He was amazed at the common sense of a world he didnât know much about. But at the same time, he was amazed at Yuzuruâs girlfriend, who came in wearing an engagement ring.
âI will be in your care for a long time to come.â
âYes, same here, um âŠTakasegawa-san?â
âAhaha âŠItâs a little early for that.â
Arisa replied, her mouth slightly relaxed.
Meanwhile, Ayaka and Chiharu both chuckled when they saw the smirking face of Arisa.
Now, after Arisa and the others left, and when Yuzuruâs working hours were overâŠ
Hiromi said this to Yuzuru as he finished changing from his uniform to his casual clothes.
Yuzuru, on the other hand, tilted his head in wonder.
ââŠDid I mention that weâre engaged?â
âShe wore an engagement ring, and she told me that itâs a political marriage.â
âOh, I see.â
Yuzuru, who hadnât noticed that Arisa had worn the engagement ring, nodded his head.
It was not desirable to spread the word, but it was not necessary to hide it.
Therefore, Yuzuruâs reply was a bit bland.
âIs it true that itâs a Political marriage?â
âYeah, well âŠÂ It was about this time last year, I guess?ăIt was an arranged marriage meeting⊠Itâs not like we liked each other at first, though.â
Yuzuru briefly explained the beginning of their relationship.
Of course, he left out the tedious details of the fake engagement and Arisaâs family situation.
âI see⊠So youâre really going to get married?â
âOf course I am.â
Without hesitation, Yuzuru nodded his head.
Then he chuckled a little.
âAh⊠do you think itâs too soon to tell that?â
âNo, not really⊠Thinking about it, Sayori-sanâs case was like that too.â
Yuzuruâs parents, Kazuya and Sayori, also had an arranged marriage.
And Hiromi is an old friend of Sayoriâs.
âAh, yes, butâŠâ
ââŠsomething wrong?â
âNahâŠâ
There was a hint of hesitation in Hiromiâs expression.
To say or not to say?
He growled for a while, and then said to Yuzuru.
âPerhaps Iâm wrong, but your girlfriend seems⊠very possessive, you know?â
âEh?â
Yuzuru couldnât help but raise his voice at Hiromiâs unexpected words.
Though Yuzuru also knew very well that Arisa was not a perfect or a saintly person.
âThatâs⊠well, sure. She has that side as well.â
She was a little selfish and possessive in some ways.
But Yuzuru thought that this was what made her so cuteâŠ
ââŠProbably I think itâs stronger than you think, Yuzuru-kun.â
If one were to ask, it was not an impossible scenario.
âAnd then⊠Perhaps she was feeling uneasy.â
ââŠuneasy?ăThat I might cheat on her?â
âHmm, well, more like that you might leave her?â
Yuzuru couldnât help but tilt his head.
Of course, but Yuzuru had no experience of being infatuated with any other girls.
And as for Arisa, he has been whispering his love for her properly on a regular basis.
âHmm, I donât think Iâve done anything to make Arisa feel uneasy.â
âItâs quite common for a woman to feel insecure on her own, even if the man is not doing anything.â
Yuzuru tilted his head, wondering if that was the case.
ââŠAre you talking from past experience?â
âWell, yes⊠I was almost stabbed a long time ago.â
âWasnât that because you were three-timing?â
Yuzuru looked at Hiromi with flat eyes.
Hiromi, meanwhile, waved her hands.
âWell, thatâs the way it is. Be careful. A girl like that, who tends to keep things bottled up, can suddenly explode. If you think somethingâs wrong, you can always talk to me, okay?â
âHuh⊠Well, at that time, yes. Iâll be happy to consult with you.â
In response to the words of a senior in life, Yuzuru gave such an appropriate reply.