āHello. You girls are Yuzuru-kunās friends and ā¦.girlfriend, right?ā
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.
āItās the first time Iām meeting girlfriend-san, right?ćMy name is Hiromi, the store manager. Iāve always been indebted to Yuzuru-kun.ā
The middle-aged man said to Arisa.
Arisa also smiled and gave a small bow.
āYes, nice to meet you⦠Iām sorry to bother you today during a busy time.ā
āNo, no. Itās fine.ā
Then, Hiromiās gaze was naturally drawn to⦠Arisaās left hand.
There was a beautiful ring on her ring finger.
Even to Hiromi, whoās not familiar with jewelry, the quality of the ring was immediately apparent.
The ring on the ring finger of his left hand ā there was no way he didnāt know what it meant.
āIs that by any chance⦠an engagement ring?ā
When Hiromi asked thatā¦
Arisa softly put her right hand on her left and smiled bashfully.
She nodded slightly with a face that said, āOh, you noticed?ćI didnāt mean to show it to you at allĀ ā.
āYes, well⦠thatās right. I received it⦠on the White Day.ā
āā¦he~eā
I see, Hiromi agreed inwardly.
The reason why Yuzuru needed the money was now clear to him.
āā¦Do your parents know about this?ā
And he asked the question that any sensible adult should be wondering.
If it was just an idiot-couple of high school studentsā 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 āheavyā 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.
āYes, of course⦠Itās a political marriage.ā
āP-politicalā¦ā
Eh, seriously?
Hiromi looked at Yuzuruās other friends, Ayaka and Chiharu.
Meanwhile, Ayaka and Chiharu looked at each other ā¦and smiled bitterly.
āWell, itās not that unusual, is it?ā
āIt happens all the time.ā
In fact, itās not that ācommonā, but itās also true that itās not something to be surprised about, and hence Ayaka and Chiharu answered as such.
And they were taken aback inwardly.
(No⦠isnāt this a little too blatantā¦?)
(Ā Even if you donāt appeal that muchā¦)
Of course, they didnāt bother to say it out loud.
āWow⦠Thatās amazing.ā
Hiromi, on the other hand, spoke words of admiration.
He was amazed at the common sense of a world he didnāt know much about. But at the same time, he was amazed at Yuzuruās girlfriend, who came in wearing an engagement ring.
āI will be in your care for a long time to come.ā
āYes, same here, um ā¦Takasegawa-san?ā
āAhaha ā¦Itās a little early for that.ā
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 Yuzuruās working hours were overā¦
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.
āā¦Did I mention that weāre engaged?ā
āShe wore an engagement ring, and she told me that itās a political marriage.ā
āOh, I see.ā
Yuzuru, who hadnāt 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, Yuzuruās reply was a bit bland.
āIs it true that itās a Political marriage?ā
āYeah, well ā¦Ā It was about this time last year, I guess?ćIt was an arranged marriage meeting⦠Itās not like we liked each other at first, though.ā
Yuzuru briefly explained the beginning of their relationship.
Of course, he left out the tedious details of the fake engagement and Arisaās family situation.
āI see⦠So youāre really going to get married?ā
āOf course I am.ā
Without hesitation, Yuzuru nodded his head.
Then he chuckled a little.
āAh⦠do you think itās too soon to tell that?ā
āNo, not really⦠Thinking about it, Sayori-sanās case was like that too.ā
Yuzuruās parents, Kazuya and Sayori, also had an arranged marriage.
And Hiromi is an old friend of Sayoriās.
āAh, yes, butā¦ā
āā¦something wrong?ā
āNahā¦ā
There was a hint of hesitation in Hiromiās expression.
To say or not to say?
He growled for a while, and then said to Yuzuru.
āPerhaps Iām wrong, but your girlfriend seems⦠very possessive, you know?ā
āEh?ā
Yuzuru couldnāt help but raise his voice at Hiromiās unexpected words.
Though Yuzuru also knew very well that Arisa was not a perfect or a saintly person.
āThatās⦠well, sure. She has that side as well.ā
She was a little selfish and possessive in some ways.
But Yuzuru thought that this was what made her so cuteā¦
āā¦Probably I think itās stronger than you think, Yuzuru-kun.ā
If one were to ask, it was not an impossible scenario.
āAnd then⦠Perhaps she was feeling uneasy.ā
āā¦uneasy?ćThat I might cheat on her?ā
āHmm, well, more like that you might leave her?ā
Yuzuru couldnāt 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.
āHmm, I donāt think Iāve done anything to make Arisa feel uneasy.ā
āItās quite common for a woman to feel insecure on her own, even if the man is not doing anything.ā
Yuzuru tilted his head, wondering if that was the case.
āā¦Are you talking from past experience?ā
āWell, yes⦠I was almost stabbed a long time ago.ā
āWasnāt that because you were three-timing?ā
Yuzuru looked at Hiromi with flat eyes.
Hiromi, meanwhile, waved her hands.
āWell, thatās the way it is. Be careful. A girl like that, who tends to keep things bottled up, can suddenly explode. If you think somethingās wrong, you can always talk to me, okay?ā
āHuh⦠Well, at that time, yes. Iāll be happy to consult with you.ā
In response to the words of a senior in life, Yuzuru gave such an appropriate reply.