Chapter 83 - Hearing your nonsense lowers my IQ

"Takeshi, tell me." Iori looks at him with a wronged expression. "Why did I help you with your brother's wedding?"

"Because you liked to fantasize a lot about being my brother's bride." To arrange a wedding in a day, Takeshi knows that only this persistent girl can do it. "You must have imagined a lot about how his wedding should have been like."

Iori's lips quiver in anger. Haru stands between her and Takeshi before another fight starts out. He's been acting like a middleman since they became friends. He tries to distract them both with a question.

"It's all done. We have made it possible." Haru points at the decoration. "But, I don't understand why did your brother suddenly decided to marry Hashimoto San. Is she pregnant?"

Iori lets out a defeated sigh. Kamiyama Kiyohira is her love. Though she never dared to speak those words to him because of his unapproachable personality, she has only watched him from afar. She was depressed for days when she heard of the engagement. Then, the wedding kept being delayed. So, there was still hope. Now, all hopes are being thrashed. 

"They are already married on papers." Takeshi glances at Iori. "You should stop hoping now. My sister-in-law will chew you alive if you have any inappropriate thought toward my brother."

He nearly tells her to clean her heart completely for him to take over.

"Tch!" Iori looks at him with rage. "Am I that kind of person? I know my limits. Even if he was single, he wouldn't look at someone like me. He's too perfect for anyone."

"Iori, you should start dating." Haru glances at her with pity. "How about you set me up for a blind date with your friend and I will return the favor?"

Haru feels like someone is sticking needles on the back of his head. When he turns around, he sees Takeshi looking away with a glum face. What's up with him?

"I don't like blind dates." Iori says to him, dazed, "It should be love at first sight. Imagine walking on a street and suddenly, he's there... the man who can light your heart like wildfire."

"Love at first sight is basically s.e.x.u.a.l attraction at first sight." Takeshi scowls at her. "You have a better chance at one night stands if you go to the bar. You might as well call that love at first sight or better, love at first s.e.x." 

"Takeshi, what do you know about love?" She stands up, furious. Why does he always have to oppose her? Is she asking him to fall in love at first sight? "I don't interfere with your love life. Why do you interfere with mine? We can still co-exist with different opinions."

"You are still an idiot." He gruffs and looks in the opposite direction of her, thinking whether he can break her illusion. "Reading too much manga have spoiled your perception of love."

"It's my perception. What does it get to do with you?"

"Hearing your nonsense lowers my IQ." 

To the guests, the wedding is a surprise event. From the looks of the wedding decoration, nobody would believe that the wedding is arranged in a single day. It's more likely that they were invited on the last notice. They don't know what to feel about it. Though a piece of lovely music is playing in the wedding hall, the atmosphere is anything but calm. The guests have noticed that Kamiyama Grandmother is missing. Only Kamiyama Kiyohira's younger brother and a few other relatives are present. They don't see anyone from the Hashimoto family. What's going on? Are Hashimoto Chisa and Kamiyama Kiyohira eloping suddenly? Did the sudden wedding also surprise the families?

Kiyohira is jittery all over. He has never been this nervous before. He looks at the door eagerly and then, glances at his watch. She's not having second thoughts, is she? He is half expecting her to be left alone on the altar. She's quite unpredictable sometimes. He doesn't realize that he's holding his breath.

When the door opens, she walks in with her father beside her. The guests gasp when they see the face of the bride. The ivory dress hugs her upper half like it's a part of her skin and the lower half of the dress flow out, giving her an appearance of a princess who has came out of the fairytale. If Chisa is a luxurious wine that can make anyone go drunk with her beauty, Rie is the luminous full moon in the shimmering night that can hypnotize anyone with dreams.

The world is blurred out when he looks at her. There is no one except him and her as she takes one slow step at a time toward him. Each passing second is both long and short. The sound of his heartbeat echoing through his brain keeps telling him that she's the one. She has always been the one. She will be the only one. Nothing can change it. 

When she gets closer, he outstretches his hand toward her. Her father places her hand in his hand, squeezing and patting it once. He pulls her on the altar gently. His eyes haven't left her eyes since the moment she appeared. There is a shade of shy blush on the bride. 

"That... is not Hashimoto San." Haru gapes at them. Iori isn't doing any better.

"That... wasn't that... Takeshi's stepsister?" Iori asks with a shocked expression. "Why he is marrying her?"

"Didn't you see the news? She was adopted by the Takeuchi family." Haru tells her with a low voice. "I thought that she died two years ago... Iori, is that her ghost?"

The other guests seem to have realized the same. 

"She's not a ghost, Haru. How could a ghost marry a human?" Iori slaps the back of his head. "Where is Takeshi? He must have known everything."

They find the seat empty. Takeshi is standing behind Kiyohira with a ring. 

"Why didn't he tell us? Does he think of us as a friend?" Iori mumbles with a frown on her face. "We helped him with the wedding. He didn't utter a word."

"There must be a reason." Haru sighs. He glances at Takeshi and then, looks at Iori, guessing what must have been the reason. Things will change between them from now on. He wonders what will be the outcome. Will they remain friends or change permanently?