Volume 1 - CH 29

As originally planned, Arisa borrowed a room from the Takasegawa family to change into a yukata. 

In the meantime, Yuzuru decided to change his clothes as well. ……

It seems that girls have more trouble getting ready.

Yuzuru was the first one to finish changing.

Yuzuru once again checked his appearance in the mirror.

The fabric was a dark navy blue, almost black, with a white and dark blue bamboo pattern on it.

The obi was dark red.

His hair was unusually waxed.

“Well, no problems”

It was finished to the point where he could walk next to Arisa without any problems.

And then Yuzuru waited for Arisa with a little bit of nervousness in his heart.

“Takasegawa-san, sorry to keep you waiting.”

The voice was a little more strident than usual.

Her expression was the usual calm, but there was a slight hint of nervousness and anxiety.

“No, it’s fine. …… he~e”

Yuzuru took his time to observe Airsa’s yukata.

The fabric is dark blue.

The pattern is a large light purple morning glory with white petals, bush clovers, and other flowers.

The obi is shell-purple with a hemp leaf pattern.

Her hair was beautifully tied up, with a hairpin decorated with red beads (probably coral).

The overall color and design of the yukata were not flashy but rather had a calm impression.

In contrast was the color of the obi, which was a very beautiful and reflective shade.

It was more beautiful than cute and gave the impression of maturity.

A normal woman might have been buried in the crowd, but Arisa, with her calmness and sexiness that belied her age, wore it beautifully.

A beautiful hairpin complements it.

“…… Isn’t it strange?”

“No, it looks good on you. It’s very beautiful. You look more mature than usual.”

Yuzuru complimented Arisa, but her expression did not clear up.

Arisa turned her back to Yuzuru.

An obi, neatly tied, could be seen.

“Is it done properly?”

Arisa asked anxiously.

The question was not whether it looked good on her. It sounded more like a question of whether or not she was wearing the yukata properly.

“Oh, I think you’re good. I’ve seen my sister’s yukata every year, so I can judge that. Don’t worry.”

When Yuzuru said that, Arisa breathed a sigh of relief.

Then she said as if to make an excuse.

“I haven’t worn a yukata in years, ……so I looked it up on the internet.”

“I see.”

That must have been unsettling.

If you had told me that first, I would have asked my mother or sister, Yuzuru thought. But it was too late to say anything.

“By the way… You look good too, Takasegawa-san. …… I think it’s very cool.”

“Well, thank you.”

Yuzuru felt embarrassed to be complimented on his clothes by a girl.

He would not be embarrassed if it was his mother or sister.

“May I have your attention, please?”

A lovely voice was heard.

When they turned around, they saw Ayumi standing there, wearing a cute goldfish print yukata.

She spun around.

“Well? Niisan?”

“It looks good on you. I think it’s cute.”

“I feel like I pale compared to Arisa-san.”

Despite these complaints, Ayumi approached Arisa with a smile on her face.

Then, she looked at Arisa in her yukata.

“I knew it, Arisa-san. You’re very beautiful. Yes, I’ll accept you as my sister-in-law.”

“Awawa, thank you very much.”

For some reason, Ayumi is beaming with pride.

Arisa has an indescribable expression on her face.

She can’t say that she has no intention of getting married.

“By the way, Arisa-san. You and my brother share a similar taste in yukata. It’s not like you’ve matched each other, is it?　You’re so in tune with each other, …… I wonder if the day will come when I’m called an aunt is near.”

You’re already an ” auntie ” in word and deed.

Yuzuru hastily swallowed his words.

On the other hand, Arisa, who was told by the other party that she was going to get married even though she had no intention of getting married, was uncomfortable, or perhaps she just wanted to drop the subject.

“By the way, Ayumi-san……. are you not going to the festival in the kimono you just wore?”

“Eh? That’s……, you can’t go to a festival in hakama. You have to wear a yukata.”

Ayumi wears hakama at home.

She says it’s because it’s easy to move around, it’s stylish, it’s cool, and it’s cute. ……

You wouldn’t expect to find a girl who wears hakama in her daily life, or rather a family that wears kimonos, in this day and age.

“Our family wears kimono for everyday wear.”

So, Yuzuru gave a supplementary explanation to Arisa.

Then Arisa’s face immediately showed her understanding.

“That’ s quite rare, isn’t it? Do you have a family motto or tradition that you follow?”

“No, not really. Well, …… we’re just copying what Mom and Dad wear.”

“It has been this way since we were little….. And don’t you think Japanese clothes would go well with this house? I don’t know if I can say TPO……, but that’s how I feel.”

Incidentally, Yuzuru wears casual clothes in his room in the apartment.

It would be strange to wear a kimono in that room.

In the style of Ayumi, it’s called TPO.

“It’s not a big deal, so Arisa-san doesn’t have to copy us at all. …… By the way, that Yukata. It looks good on you.”

“Yes, yes. And when Arisa-san weds, you can break this old-fashioned rule, it’s no problem at all. But still, you’re so cute, Arisa-san. It suits you well.”

Just then, Yuzuru’s parents arrived.

When they both complimented her on her yukata, Arisa had a complicated expression on her face.

It’s nice to be praised, but it’s painful to deceive.

That was the look on her face.

Deciding that it would be better not to stay here too long, Yuzuru took Arisa’s hand.

“Well, we’re going to the festival.”

“Oh, uh, ……please excuse me while I go.”

Somewhat forcefully, Yuzuru took Arisa and took off from there.

“–Sorry, Yukishiro……. You don’t have to worry about it at all, okay?

After taking Arisa out, Yuzuru apologized to Arisa.

It would be painful for the timid Arisa to have to deceive Yuzuru’s parents.

“No, …… I think this is something that we need to be very aware of. I am the one who is being dishonest.”

“You are thinking too much, after all”.

Yuzuru sighed.

It seems that Yuzuru and Arisa have slightly different perceptions of this engagement.

“They will not be angry if Yukishiro rejected me and broke off the engagement.”

“Eh?…… Is that so?”

“It’s not a marriage, it’s just an engagement. Of course, they have to be aware of the possibility that we might not get along with each other and end up breaking up or breaking off the engagement.”

In this day and age, divorce is not a rare occurrence.

If it was just an engagement, it would be even more so.

“This is why our engagement is only shared with Takasegawa and Amagi, and we are not allowed to talk about it without permission. You were also reminded not to tell anyone, right?”

“Yes. …… Is that how it’s meant to be?”

For Arisa, who had originally planned to keep it a secret, she hadn’t thought about the meaning of her adoptive father’s order not to tell anyone.

“That’s what it’s all about. …… Marriages and engagements are done to make the relationship known and to show that there is a deep relationship. But they are not publicizing it. That means that …… this engagement is unofficial, and in the extreme, it is just a verbal agreement. If it was official, then Tachibana, Satake, and Uenishi would have been told about it.”

In particular, Tachibana is Takasegawa’s ally and rival at the same time.

Not informing that family of the engagement of the next head of the family means that it is still unofficial.

Though, Yuzuru has told Ayaka about the engagement. ……

The important thing is that the head of the family has not communicated with each other through letters or other means.

In a swimming pool, if the children only talk to each other, it is as if they are not being heard.

The reason why they don’t want people to know about this engagement is so that when Yuzuru and Arisa’s relationship breaks down, it doesn’t become an unpleasant story,……, and to protect their privacy.　

That being said, It’s not a secret that should never be known.

It’s just that it’s better not to tell anyone about it.

“Was it ….something like that? Is it okay not to take it so seriously then?”

“That’ s right. …… In the first place, we are children who have just graduated from junior high school.　It is not reasonable to force a mentally immature child to get engaged and then expect them to obey it. So don’t worry about it.”

At least Yuzuru’s parents, ultimately, would not be trusting of him.

It’s not right to trust a child who can’t even make a sound decision.

A sensible adult would trust their child to a certain extent, but be suspicious of them at the last line.

“I see…….. I’ll try not to get too worked up about it at then”

“You’d better. You’re a victim. You have done nothing wrong, and even if you have…… you are not a bad person.”

Yuzuru assured her in a strong tone of voice.

Then Arisa muttered with slightly moist eyes, looking a little relieved and somewhat consoled.

“Thank you very much.”