Episode 211: Impatience and Assumptions

The Satsukawa household.

I hadn’t noticed because I never really looked at the surroundings before…

Maybe it was because the inside felt relatively homey, or rather, it was just a comfortable space, so I didn’t think too deeply about it. Approaching it on foot from the outside for the first time made me realize.

Yeah, it’s wide. It’s huge.

Even including the garage, there’s plenty of room left within the walls. The moment I saw an independent office in the garden, I should’ve realized…

Well, let’s put the house aside for now.

Ding-dong.

I rang the intercom at the familiar entrance I’d visited many times.

…Wait, come to think of it, this is my first time coming alone. Now that I think about it, I don’t remember ever using this thing.

「Yes?」

After a short wait, a soft voice that gives the listener a sense of peace comes through the speaker.

「Hello, this is Takanashi.」

They can probably see me on the camera, but I gave my name just in case.

「Ufufu, welcome. Please wait a moment~」

After receiving a reply from Mayumi-san in a very cheerful tone, I waited a bit until the front door opened with a click.

「Sorry to keep you waiting. Come in, don’t be shy. This house is going to be Kazunari-kun’s family home soon anyway!」

I couldn’t help but give a wry smile at Mayumi-san’s sudden bombshell, but thanks to her, my tension seems to have vanished. I wonder if she did that on purpose?

「Pardon the intrusion.」

「It’s fine for today, but from next time, you have to call me Mother-in-law and say ‘I’m home,’ okay?」

「Eh!?」

Apparently, the conversation was still going.

It seems she wasn’t doing it on purpose; she was dead serious…

After changing into the slippers Mayumi-san set out, I followed her into the living room. Masaomi-san, who was sitting on the sofa, stood up with a smile that looked a bit stiff.

「Hey, Takanashi-kun, welcome. I’m glad you could come.」

He held out his right hand as he spoke, so I returned the greeting and we shook hands.

「It’s been a while, Masaomi-san. Thank you so much for your help the other day!」

「The pleasure is mine. You really saved us. I’m sure you have a lot to talk about, but first, please sit down.」

Saying that, he gestured to the sofa that had once been my regular spot.

I sat down without hesitation, and Mayumi-san left the room with a pitter-patter of slippers, likely to prepare tea.

Looking at Masaomi-san again, I can see he looks a bit dejected. The cause is undoubtedly Sara-san.

Noticing me staring at his face, Masaomi-san spoke with a wry smile.

「Ah, sorry about that. We’ve had a bit of trouble with my daughter. Oh, it’s okay. I’ll listen to what you have to say properly, so don’t worry. Let’s have some tea first.」

「Yes, thank you.」

After waiting a moment, Mayumi-san returned with a tray. She set out teacups, saucers, and sweets on the low table in front of us.

Once everyone had taken a sip of the tea poured from the teapot and took a breather, Masaomi-san brought up the main topic.

「I heard from Mayumi that you have something important to discuss. Is it about what you mentioned when we said goodbye the other day?」

The time had finally come.

This is the real thing. This is the match.

Thinking of the face of my beloved Sara-san and the faces of everyone who’s cheering me on, I psych myself up.

Alright, I can do this!

「Yes, it’s what I couldn’t tell you back then. Though, in the end, there was no point in putting it on hold…」

I’d intended to consult with Sara-san first, so I’d only given a notice and put it off, but I never got the chance to consult her. It’s too late for that now, though…

「Oh, is that so? Well, we managed to make another chance to meet like this, so it’s not a problem for me.」

「Yes, thank you. That being the case, please let me tell you what I couldn’t say then.」

I stood up from the sofa and straightened my posture. Masaomi-san and Mayumi-san looked puzzled by my sudden move, but they didn’t take their eyes off my face.

「Once again, my name is Takanashi Kazunari.」

Masaomi-san looked more and more confused as I started introducing myself again, while Mayumi-san watched over us with a smile.

Without looking away from Masaomi-san, I strongly delivered the line that signaled the opening of the battle.

「I am dating Sara-san… I’m dating Satsukawa Sara-san!!!」

Sara POV

It’s been a few days since the day I heard about the marriage meeting…

At that time, rather than being angry at Father or asking Mother for details, my only thought was that I wanted to be by Kazunari-san’s side.

I barely remember what happened from there.

I turned my room upside down to gather my things, stuffed everything I could into my trunks, put the rest in my backpack, and left home without looking back.

I wanted to see Kazunari-san. I wanted to be by his side. and… I didn’t want to leave him.

By the time I realized it, I’d thrown down all my luggage and was clinging to Kazunari-san… like a lost child who had found their parent.

Kazunari-san hugged me tightly and said he’d stay by my side… I was so happy…

Even now, Kazunari-san, who accepted me after I ran away without saying a word, still hasn’t asked for the reason and treats me just like usual.

I know he’s worried. I know he actually wants to hear the story. But he’s seen my state and left it at that.

Of course, I thought about talking to him many times. But I never want to let the word「marriage meeting」escape my lips.

Meeting a man other than Kazunari-san?

Talking about the future with a man other than Kazunari-san?

Don’t make me laugh.

Why must I participate in such a farce?

I have nothing more to say to my father, who brought me such a pathetic story.

I don’t care if our family ties are cut. I don’t care about Saba Electronics. Father can just succeed it on his own and find whatever successor he wants. I won’t throw away my happiness for something so boring. Giving up on a future with Kazunari-san is absolutely impossible.

……Even if I feel that way, what is the reality?

Father probably won’t forgive me. He won’t let me go. Because the current president of that family-run company has no children, it’s almost certain that Father will be the successor. And unless Father adopts a male heir, there will be no one left to inherit after him.

And… that company is too big. The people around us would never accept a simple adoption. That’s exactly why Father needs a successor, even if it means forcing me into a marriage meeting. To avoid causing a stir, he’ll choose someone with connections to the company. Most likely, he’ll pick the child of one of the executives who has supported the company since long ago.

And that will definitely tear us apart…

There are plenty of ways. If they find out about Kazunari-san, they might even target his average household. And it might not be Father who does it, but someone else who wants to tear us apart.

If that’s the case, the paths left to protect my future with Kazunari-san are limited.

Elopement.

That word, which seems so cheap, feels like the only path left for us.

But if I wish for that… what will happen to Kazunari-san?

My family is the cause, yet I have no idea how much trouble I’d be causing him. Same goes for his parents’ home.

Even so, Kazunari-san would surely…

Even so, I…

Natsumi POV

The three of us were having tea in a VIP room of a famous restaurant that Eri-rin had reserved.

It’s actually been a really long time since just the three of us met up. The last time was definitely before Eri-rin transferred schools.

「Having tea together like this… I couldn’t have imagined it a while ago.」

As expected, Eri-rin was thinking the same thing.

「We could’ve met up even after Eri-rin moved if we’d really wanted to, though.」

In reality, since we could contact each other, we could’ve made plans to meet or had someone pick us up to hang out.

「I stayed in touch with Eri as well, but perhaps the thought that we could meet anytime we wanted actually worked against us.」

「Hm, what do you mean?」

Thinking we could meet anytime was a bad thing?

What’s that about…

「Well… for example, it’s like how you stop going somewhere precisely because you think you can go anytime. In the end, you don’t move unless there’s some kind of trigger.」

I felt like I understood Eri-rin’s explanation. If you think you can go anytime, the priority drops, and you just end up never going?

「So, in that sense, we should be grateful to Takanashi-san. He’s the one who reconnected us, after all.」

「True. If Takanashi-kun hadn’t been there, we might not have reunited yet.」

Well, it certainly wasn’t for a good reason, but I never dreamed that conversation would lead back to Eri-rin.

「Now then, let’s get to the main topic.」

It seems she’s made up her mind to bring it up. Eri-rin wore a slightly sharp expression that’s been rare lately. Feels like I haven’t seen it in a while.

Sara looked puzzled, wondering why Eri-rin’s expression had changed like that.

「Sara. Just like our talk earlier, there are many cases where things need a trigger, but doesn’t that apply to you right now as well, waiting around and never moving?」

Thrown a topic so suddenly, Sara struggled to respond. Why bring this up now? That’s the look she had on her face.

「We’re short on time, so I’ll be blunt. How long do you plan to keep spoiling yourself with Takanashi-san?」

「………」

Surprisingly, Sara didn’t offer a clear rebuttal. In other words, she has a good idea… no, she’s aware of it. That’s an incredibly rare reaction for Sara.

「Did you get scared after realizing there’s a possibility of being torn apart by an existence you can’t resist with your own power?」

「…How do you know that?」

A look of shock crossed Sara’s face, showing that Eri-rin had hit the nail on the head.

「And will being scared and clinging to Takanashi-san solve anything? If you stay by Takanashi-san’s side, will someone magically fix it for you?」

「What do you know…」

「I do know, okay? I’m someone who might end up in the exact same situation as you in the future, after all.」

「………」

This is the first time I’ve ever seen Sara this much on the defensive…

The old Sara was so perfect it was almost too much, and she never showed a single opening to those around her. That was necessary for her to stick to her style at school, so she was probably conscious of not letting that kind of situation happen.

In other words, Takanashi-kun’s existence has changed Sara that much.

「Sara, if you’re going to run away from it, I’m sure Takanashi-san will run with you. But what kind of future is waiting for you there… does a future where you live in hiding, fearing that something might catch up to you someday, sound fun? Is a future where you keep causing trouble for Takanashi-san really what you want?」

「……That’s」

「Or will you give up and accept the marriage meeting proposal so you don’t cause trouble for Takanashi-san?」

「Don’t be ridiculous!!! Who would ever settle for a man other than Kazunari-san!!!」

Sara finally barked back. As expected, she has feelings she absolutely won’t compromise on in this area.

「So you have the confidence to say that much. Eloping won’t lead to happiness, but giving up on Takanashi-san is out of the question. Then, what is the path you choose?」

Eri-rin squeezed the answer out of Sara.

I’m sure this whole flow is exactly as she planned.

「…Sara, did you hear the details from your father?」

「…I didn’t.」

「If you hear ‘marriage meeting,’ you’ll naturally think of the possibility of being separated from Takanashi-san. There might be a chance your father won’t forgive your relationship with Takanashi-san and will force another man on you. The executives might do something too.」

「I know that possibility. That company is too big. There’s a high chance the company will be prioritized over us. That’s why Father brought up the marriage meeting…」

Sara is unfortunately too smart, so she’s probably grasped every single possibility. Even though she tried to think of countermeasures, none came to mind, and she got scared of the possibility of losing Takanashi-kun.

……Wait? Something feels off…

「That possibility exists, certainly. We don’t know what kind of means they’d use if it came to that.」

「Exactly. That’s why I…」

「Sara, take Takanashi-san out of the equation and think calmly. In the first place, did your father actually force the marriage meeting on you?」

「………Eh?」

Sara suddenly looked dumbfounded.

And I finally started to see what that「off」feeling was.

Sara is smart… she probably thought of every possibility, even things I’d never think of. Yeah, she thought of「possibilities.」

「You’re a person with a sharper mind than me, so you were probably assuming things I haven’t even thought of. But where did all those possibilities start?」

「……Father brought a marriage meeting proposal from the company… for the sake of the company, he needs a son-in-law from an executive’s child…」

「It’s likely a fact that a marriage meeting proposal came from the company. It’s also likely a fact that other executives are targeting the position. So I also think there’s a high chance similar talks will come up in the future. But what does your father think? Did he say he’d prioritize the state of the company over you?」

「……He didn’t say that… I haven’t confirmed it…」

She must have thought of all sorts of things the moment she heard about the marriage meeting. Since he brought the talk to her, it’s only natural to think he’s demanding it of her as his daughter. Even I thought that. And Sara, having realized the possibility of being forced to leave Takanashi-kun…

「……Just because Father brought up the marriage meeting, I just assumed I was being forced into an adopted-son-in-law marriage with someone from the company? ……Did I read too far ahead?」

「Did you finally realize? But I don’t think you’re wrong about everything except your father. Sooner or later, those moves will happen. However, if your father prioritizes you…」

「Worst case, it seems I can leave the house without having to elope.」

「Hey…」

「Fufu… that was a joke… mostly.」

Apparently, she’s regained enough composure to crack jokes.

To say that in this flow of conversation, she’s got guts as usual.

「A-Anyway, it seems you’ve finally calmed down. If that’s the case, you know what you need to do now, right?」

「I’ll try talking to Father. It won’t be too late to think about things after that… There might still be things I can do.」

Strength returned to Sara’s eyes and expression. Her confidence was back.

Because she treasures Takanashi-kun so much, the fear of losing him was too strong, but now the Sara who had lost her usual coolness was back to normal.

「Honestly, you’re such a handful… you would’ve realized it easily if you’d just calmed down. Just how much do you only think about Takanashi-san?」

「Kazunari-san is my everything. But thanks to you, I’ve woken up. Though it’s true that many problems remain.」

She says that, but she’ll be fine now.

If that’s the case, there’s no need to let her simmer here forever. Once the plan is decided, she should just move quickly. In fact, Takanashi-kun is fighting alone at this very moment while we’re doing this.

「Eri-rin.」

At my call, she gave a small nod and stared at Sara.

「Sara, Takanashi-san is at your house right now.」

「!? I’m truly pathetic. Just how far have I… Eri, I’m sorry, but I’m going home!」

With Eri-rin’s one sentence, she probably grasped the reason Takanashi-kun was at her house.

With Sara returning home full of determination… I hope Masaomi-san will be okay…?