Volume 5 - CH 5

“Hello. You girls are Yuzuru-kun’s friends and ….girlfriend, right?”

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.

“It’s the first time I’m meeting girlfriend-san, right?　My name is Hiromi, the store manager. I’ve always been indebted to Yuzuru-kun.”

The middle-aged man said to Arisa.

Arisa also smiled and gave a small bow.

“Yes, nice to meet you… I’m sorry to bother you today during a busy time.”

“No, no. It’s fine.”

Then, Hiromi’s gaze was naturally drawn to… Arisa’s left hand.

There was a beautiful ring on her ring finger.

Even to Hiromi, who’s not familiar with jewelry, the quality of the ring was immediately apparent.

The ring on the ring finger of his left hand – there was no way he didn’t know what it meant.

“Is that by any chance… an engagement ring?”

When Hiromi asked that…

Arisa softly put her right hand on her left and smiled bashfully.

She nodded slightly with a face that said, ‘Oh, you noticed?　I didn’t mean to show it to you at all ’.

“Yes, well… that’s right. I received it… on the White Day.”

“…he~e”

I see, Hiromi agreed inwardly.

The reason why Yuzuru needed the money was now clear to him.

“…Do your parents know about this?”

And he asked the question that any sensible adult should be wondering.

If it was just an idiot-couple of high school students’ 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 “heavy” 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.

“Yes, of course… It’s a political marriage.”

“P-political…”

Eh, seriously?

Hiromi looked at Yuzuru’s other friends, Ayaka and Chiharu.

Meanwhile, Ayaka and Chiharu looked at each other …and smiled bitterly.

“Well, it’s not that unusual, is it?”

“It happens all the time.”

In fact, it’s not that “common”, but it’s also true that it’s not something to be surprised about, and hence Ayaka and Chiharu answered as such.

And they were taken aback inwardly.

(No… isn’t this a little too blatant…?)

( Even if you don’t appeal that much…)

Of course, they didn’t bother to say it out loud.

“Wow… That’s amazing.”

Hiromi, on the other hand, spoke words of admiration.

He was amazed at the common sense of a world he didn’t know much about. But at the same time, he was amazed at Yuzuru’s girlfriend, who came in wearing an engagement ring.

“I will be in your care for a long time to come.”

“Yes, same here, um …Takasegawa-san?”

“Ahaha …It’s a little early for that.”

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 Yuzuru’s working hours were over…

“Your fiancée was quite beautiful.”

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.

“…Did I mention that we’re engaged?”

“She wore an engagement ring, and she told me that it’s a political marriage.”

“Oh, I see.”

Yuzuru, who hadn’t 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, Yuzuru’s reply was a bit bland.

“Is it true that it’s a Political marriage?”

“Yeah, well …  It was about this time last year, I guess?　It was an arranged marriage meeting… It’s not like we liked each other at first, though.”

Yuzuru briefly explained the beginning of their relationship.

Of course, he left out the tedious details of the fake engagement and Arisa’s family situation.

“I see… So you’re really going to get married?”

“Of course I am.”

Without hesitation, Yuzuru nodded his head. 

Then he chuckled a little.

“Ah… do you think it’s too soon to tell that?”

“No, not really… Thinking about it, Sayori-san’s case was like that too.”

Yuzuru’s parents, Kazuya and Sayori, also had an arranged marriage.

And Hiromi is an old friend of Sayori’s.

“Ah, yes, but…”

“…something wrong?”

“Nah…”

There was a hint of hesitation in Hiromi’s expression.

To say or not to say?

He growled for a while, and then said to Yuzuru.

“Perhaps I’m wrong, but your girlfriend seems… very possessive, you know?”

“Eh?”

Yuzuru couldn’t help but raise his voice at Hiromi’s unexpected words.

Though Yuzuru also knew very well that Arisa was not a perfect or a saintly person.

“That’s… well, sure. She has that side as well.”

She was a little selfish and possessive in some ways.

But Yuzuru thought that this was what made her so cute…

“…Probably I think it’s stronger than you think, Yuzuru-kun.”

“Is that so? …How can you be so sure?”

Yuzuru knew that his fiancée was not without her faults.　

However, he felt a little annoyed when someone said anything too bad about her.

When Yuzuru, who was slightly grumpy, asked this, Hiromi scratched his hair.

“Because… she has been wearing that engagement ring.”

“…Is there something wrong with that?”

“I don’t mean that there’s something wrong with that… Why do you think she wore an engagement ring  while coming here in the first place?”

“…Isn’t that just her being fashionable?”

Hiromi shook his head when Yuzuru replied.

“I’m sure that’s part of it… But probably it’s a restraint.”

“…restraint?”

“I’m sure she wore it to appeal that ‘This person is mine! ‘”

In other words, to the girls at his part-time job, she was basically informing that Yuzuru already had a girlfriend, or rather a fiancée. And to show how intimate they are, she came while wearing the engagement ring…

If one were to ask, it was not an impossible scenario.

“And then… Perhaps she was feeling uneasy.”

“…uneasy?　That I might cheat on her?”

“Hmm, well, more like that you might leave her?”

Yuzuru couldn’t 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.

“Hmm, I don’t think I’ve done anything to make Arisa feel uneasy.”

“It’s quite common for a woman to feel insecure on her own, even if the man is not doing anything.”

Yuzuru tilted his head, wondering if that was the case.

“…Are you talking from past experience?”

“Well, yes… I was almost stabbed a long time ago.”

“Wasn’t that because you were three-timing?”

Yuzuru looked at Hiromi with flat eyes.

Hiromi, meanwhile, waved her hands.

“Well, that’s the way it is. Be careful. A girl like that, who tends to keep things bottled up, can suddenly explode. If you think something’s wrong, you can always talk to me, okay?”

“Huh… Well, at that time, yes. I’ll be happy to consult with you.”

In response to the words of a senior in life, Yuzuru gave such an appropriate reply.

Arisa-chan’s Uneasiness Degree: ? %