Volume 3 - CH 24

“I wonder if Arisa will accept my confession….”

Yuzuru suddenly started to say something vulnerable.

Soichiro and Hijiri offered appropriate words of encouragement to Yuzuru

“I’m sure Yukishiro-san likes you, no matter how you look at it.”

“Even from my point of view, she seems to be in love with you.”

“That’s right… No, I know that, but…”

Yuzuru sighed as he rolled the food with his fork.

“That means she’ll be really engaged to me… and we’re going to get married in the future, right?”

This means that she will be married into the Takasegawa family.

And the Takasegawa family is not an ordinary household.

“Won’t she think it will be a hassle?”

“Well, it does sound that way…”

“But apart from that, since you are rich, I’m sure she’ll be very happy to marry you.”

It was Soichiro who agreed with Yuzuru’s concern while Hijiri denied it. 

For Arisa, there seemed to be no reason to refuse, since it would be a so-called “jade palanquin”.

“‘I mean, is marriage a prerequisite?　I think it’s fine for you guys to leave marriage aside and just be lovers.”

Yuzuru replied clearly to Soichiro’s words.

“I want to marry Arisa… No, I will definitely do it.”

“Then, isn’t it fine?”

“What are you worried about?”

“No …It’s not like I’m not worried about anything.”

No matter what the means, Yuzuru wanted to marry Arisa.

If she says, “I don’t want to use the surname Takasegawa…”, he will appeal to the good qualities of Takasegawa and get her to become “Arisa Takasegawa” no matter what.

That’s why he had no worries.

But he was uneasy.

“If you want to get married so badly… at worst, can’t you just leave the household like Soichiro?”

“Hn…”

Yuzuru choked at Hijiri’s words. 

For the current Yuzuru, between the position of Takasegawa heir and marrying Arisa… The latter was more important. 

Although,

“I …was born and raised to be an heir.”

It’s not that he really wanted the legacy of the Takasegawa family.　

But Yuzuru was born to succeed the Takasegawa, and his parents gave birth to him for that purpose. 

That is the mission and life that Yuzuru Takasegawa has been given, and he cannot deviate from that path.

This is why Yuzuru wanted to do as many things as possible while he was still in high school or college since that was the only time he could be free.

That’s why he didn’t want to get engaged at this stage.

It would be a problem if he found someone he liked.

“That being said, well… It is because I am succeeding the Takasegawa, I can marry Arisa.”

“Come to think of it, you guys are ‘fiancees’.”

“You’ve already got the outer moat and the inner moat filled, haven’t you?”

In other words, the only thing left to do is to attack the main castle.

All that is required is Arisa to say ‘ yes ’. 

“No, I’m glad I was born to the eldest son of the Takasegawa family … Otherwise, Arisa would have been like an unreachable flower”

But, even if he was a normal high school student, he was going to pursue Arisa. And even if she had a ‘fiance’, he was going to make her his.

“Arisa flower… that’s cute”

“I heard that”

“I’m pretty sure he’d do anything if Arisa sweet talk him.”

“That’s why he climbed the tree and fell off.”

“Shut up. I’ll kill you.”

Yuzuru got angry when they dig up his black history.

Soichiro and Hijiri were laughing at the memory.

“Well, it’s okay. You’ve got a pretty good face, your personality isn’t as garbage as some people’s, and you’ve got money.”

From a woman’s point of view, he’s a prime candidate as a partner.

Hijiri nodded to himself.

Soichiro also nodded his head in agreement.

“I don’t know what you mean by some people, but If I were a woman, I’d want to marry him.”

“Disgusting…”

“Isn’t that awful?”

And, well, that was just a joke between them.

“Speaking of which… frankly, are you going to take over in the future?”

Soichiro asked Hijiri.

In other words, will Hijiri take over the family business of Ryozenji, and is he the next successor?　That was the question.

“Hm…It’s not that I hate to take over the business, but…”

“But?”

“But I’m pushing my cousin brother for it.”

Hijiri Ryozenji… is supposed to be the heir of the Ryozenji family.

But that is not an official decision.

There are other “candidates” for the heir.

“I see. Well …As for Takasegawa, I’ll just tell them not to break it off”

“That’s great. Even we don’t want it to be broken off.”

Most of the time, the decline of a house is due to internal discord.

Of course, there are succession disputes or branch family disputes.

Conflicts also occur between the previous head of the family, the current head of the family, and the next head of the family.

(…so, in that sense, my father can’t offend me.)

For Kazuya Takasegawa, the current head of the Takasegawa family.

The greatest enemy is not the branch family, the Tachibana family, or political enemies.

It is Yuzuru Takasegawa.

Only Yuzuru could possibly overtake his position.

And also for Yuzuru, his father is a troublesome opponent.

The reason was that as the next head of the family, he could not go against his father.

(As for Arisa, I have no intention of giving up on her.. Well, he should know that already)

There are only two people in the world who are capable of interfering with Yuzuru and Arisa’s love.

His father Kazuya Takasegawa and his grandfather Sogen Takasegawa.

However… Yuzuru has no intention of revolting against his father.

Likewise, Kazuya has a certain level of trust in his son.

In the first place, both of them really don’t want to get into a bloody fight, let alone if it’s just a father-son quarrel.

Aside from the troublesome titles of current and next head of the family, they are just normal, friendly father and son.

“Suppose your cousin takes over, what will you do?”

“I don’t know. Well, the royal road is to get a job at an affiliated company..”

“That’s vague.”

Yuzuru will take over the house.

Soichiro does not take over the business but becomes a son-in-law to Tachibana.

Both of them had decided on a career path, while Hijri seemed somewhat vague.

“With all due respect… it’s normal to be vague.”

Hijiri said and bit into a chicken wing.

And then he calmly admonishes his two friends, who are out of touch with the world at large, about common sense.

“You’re the only ones who decide at fifteen or sixteen what you’re going to do, who you’re going to marry, and beyond that.”

“Well, sure.”

“I can’t argue with that.”

Yuzuru and Soichiro honestly acknowledge Hijiri’s point.

At the age of fifteen, there are probably a relatively large number of people whose future is undecided.

Even if it had been decided, it was only a “dream” at best.

In addition to their future, Yuzuru and Soichiro have already decided who they are going to marry, and from Hijiri’s point of view, they may seem to be living too fast.

“Well, unlike you, we don’t have a long history. It doesn’t have to be me …It’s also true that me taking over would be a good fit.”

After he said that… Hijiri suddenly changed the subject abruptly.

“This Monday… is Valentine’s Day, right?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Valentine’s Day, huh?”

Until last year, Yuzuru had only a limited number of people who could give him chocolate.

His mother, his sister, and Ayaka, who attended the same junior high school as him.

Of course, all of them were probably obligatory.

This year, he probably wouldn’t get chocolates from his mother or sister (they probably wouldn’t deliver them to him).

And Ayaka will probably give it to him as usual, and Chiharu might give him obligatory chocolate as well.

He was not sure about Tenka… but since she didn’t forget the Halloween candy, she might at least send Yuzuru some store-bought chocolate.

But that’s not the point…

(What kind of chocolate will Arisa give me…?)

Just a little…

Yuzuru was looking forward to the chocolates of his fiancée who was a good cook.