Volume 3 - CH 29

On white day.

After school, Yuzuru and Arisa decided to go home and get ready before meeting up.

Yuzuru arrived at the rendezvous ahead of her, and nervously checked his watch over and over again.

(I’ve been working on it for today. Unless I do something really stupid, the results shouldn’t be that bad.)

As he waited, thinking this over and over again…

His cell phone rang.

As he checked the text, it read, [“Behind you”].

When Yuzuru turned around…

“Yuzuru-san, please take care of me today.”

There was a very beautiful girl standing there.

Her slightly make-up-covered skin was a beautiful milky white, and her lips were very glossy.

Her amber hair was braided into a mature chignon.

Her blue dress had lacy sleeves that allowed a little bit of her white skin to show through.

The pearl necklace on her chest accentuated her beauty.

She… Arisa spoke to Yuzuru with her jade-green eyes downcast in embarrassment.

“U-um… Yuzuru-san?”

“…Ah, I’m sorry. You look so beautiful, I was just admiring you.”

Arisa was truly beautiful.

The proof is in the fact that the eyes of those around her were all focused on her.

Yuzuru felt proud that this girl was his girlfriend.

“Thank you very much. I don’t get to wear this kind of clothing very often, so… That’s good to hear.”

She smiled at him.

Then she looked up at Yuzuru with a faintly blushing face.

“Yuzuru-san also looks great… It’s a kind of fresh look, with the necktie” 

The restaurant they were going to was not very formal, and it was enough to wear “plain clothes”, so a tie was not mandatory.

However, Yuzuru wore a tie to get into the spirit.

This is the first time Arisa has seen Yuzuru in a necktie since the uniform for boys at his high school is a gakuran. (TN: It’s a type of uniform with a black coat-like top part.)

“I think… It’s very mature and cool.”

“Thank you.”

Yuzuru felt a little embarrassed.

However, today was a very important day for Yuzuru.

He couldn’t stay in this mood for too long.

“Well then, let’s go. Arisa.”

Yuzuru said and held out his hand.

She gave a small nod and gently placed her hand on Yuzuru’s hand.

“Yes.”

The restaurant that Yuzuru had made a reservation at was a French restaurant in a reasonably famous hotel.

Yuzuru and Arisa sat down in the private room they were shown.

“Wow… It’s beautiful.”

Arisa exclaimed in admiration at the night view she could see through the window glass.

The neon lights glittered like jewels in the dark night.

Yuzuru patted his chest, relieved that she liked it.

“…Um, Yuzuru-san.”

“What’s wrong?”

But the relief was short-lived.

He noticed that there was a hint of anxiety on Arisa’s face.

“Isn’t this place… you know, maybe a little bit expensive?”

“No… it’s not that expensive.”

Yuzuru shook his head in response to Arisa’s question.

At least by “Takasegawa” standards, this restaurant was one of the cheapest.

However…, in terms of Yuzuru’s part-time job savings, it was an expensive one.

“Consider it my White Day present to you… You’ve always taken care of me, making my lunch and all that.”

“Mm… I understand.”

She probably thought it would be rude to be too reserved or too worried about Yuzuru’s wallet.

Arisa gave a small nod.

As they were having this conversation, a male waiter requested a drink order.

“What do you want, Arisa?”

“Um… I’m not sure about the options…”

“I see.”

Yuzuru thought for a moment before answering.

Mineral water would have been fine, but he wanted Arisa to have something tasty to drink.

“A cocktail that goes well with the food… Oh, a non-alcoholic one, please.”

Yuzuru, who was about to order an alcoholic drink as a result of habit, added that to cover up his mistake. 

This was not a restaurant that is frequented by the Takasegawa family, nor was it a formal restaurant, so there was no way that Yuzuru, who was underage, would be served alcohol.

“Do they serve non-alcoholic cocktails?”

“Well, yeah… To put it bluntly, it’s juice.”

But to be honest, Yuzuru did not know much about it.

Compared to Arisa, he may be more familiar with this kind of place, but he was still a sixteen-year-old with limited life experience.

Besides… The best stuff comes out when you leave it to the experts.

In the meantime, the dishes were brought out.

First was the amuse-bouche, or appetizer.

“Then, Arisa.”

“…Yes.”

The two of them raised their glasses of cocktails and lightly toasted each other.　

They then gazed at the view and tasted the food.

The quality of every dish was high, as one would expect from a high-class restaurant, if not the best.

“It’s …very delicious.”

Arisa narrowed her eyes as she said that.

Her mouth loosened, the corners of her eyes drooped, and her expression broke out… It was really cute.

“I’ve never been here before, but yeah, it’s good. It lives up to its reputation. Or maybe…”

“…maybe?”

“Maybe it’s because I’m with you that it tastes so good.” (TN: Wow… Such a corny line)

When Yuzuru said that, Arisa smiled happily and said, “You’re very good at this.”

But Yuzuru didn’t mean it as flattery.

Then Yuzuru and Arisa continued to eat while chatting and laughing…

Finally, They had dessert and a cup of coffee after dinner.

“But seriously… The professional’s work is amazing.”

While drinking coffee, Arisa said sincerely.

Arisa’s cooking is more delicious if you are talking about a family restaurant or a cafe, but it is not as good as a high-class French restaurant.

“That’s true. But… I still like your cooking better.”

“Again, you flatter me…”

“No, it’s true… If I ate this kind of food every day, I’d get sick of it.”

Expensive food is delicious because you eat it once in a while.

It’s not something you should eat every day.

Home cooking has its own merits.

“Yeah… that’s true too.”

And Arisa smiled.

“Then …I will keep doing my best from now on.”

“…Ah, I’ll be counting on you…”

Then Yuzuru took a big, deep breath.

He straightened his back and looked straight at her.

Arisa tilted her head curiously at Yuzuru, who suddenly had a new expression on his face.

“Yuzuru-san?”

“….Arisa. I’d like to talk to you about the future. Is that okay?”

When Yuzuru said this, Arisa’s expression became tense.

Then she straightened her back in a panic.

“Ye-yes… what is it?”

“You and I are… you know, ‘engaged’, right? …A false one.”

“Th-that’s right. Yes… I’m indebted to Yuzuru-san for your help.”

Arisa nodded her head in agreement.

The nervousness could be seen in her expression.

…It would be a terrible thing to mischievously unsettle her by talking too roundaboutly.

Yuzuru made up his mind and stood up.

He moved away from his seat and walked up to Arisa’s side.

“U-um…”

“Arisa. I want to cancel this false ‘engagement’ with you that I’ve continued until now…”

Arisa’s eyes widened at Yuzuru’s words.

Then Yuzuru got down on one knee and pulled out a small box from his pocket.

He gently opened the red box, directing it at Arisa.

“And then… I want to be formally engaged with you again.”

Yuzuru said to Arisa, who was frozen in place with her beautiful jewel-like eyes wide open.