The rooftop of a certain high school.
After school.
In a place that was technically off-limits, two male students were killing time and chatting.
Judging by the slightly disheveled way they wore their uniforms, they didn’t exactly look like model students.
“Haah…”
One of them, a boy with black hair and blue eyes—Takasegawa Yuzuru—let out a deep sigh.
His expression was one of utter lethargy.
“What’s wrong, Yuzuru? Sighing out of nowhere like that.”
“Just listen to this.”
Yuzuru began venting to the boy beside him, Satake Soichirou.
“You know how recently the legal marriage age was lowered to fifteen for both men and women, right?”
“Yeah… what about it?”
“I don’t know if that’s the reason, but ever since I graduated middle school, my grandpa and grandma keep nagging me—telling me to get married… to go to matchmaking meetings.”
Every chance they got, they’d ask him things like “Do you have a girlfriend yet?” or “Is there someone you like?”—and before he knew it, they were even arranging marriage proposals and setting up matchmaking meetings without asking him.
Of course, he had absolutely no interest in engagements arranged behind his back, so he firmly refused every one of them…
“But you’re only fifteen, right? That’s way too early. …Why are they so desperate?”
“They say they want to see their great-grandchild.”
“Well… yeah, I guess they won’t see that unless you get married early.”
Soichirou burst out laughing.
From Yuzuru’s perspective, it was anything but funny.
Yuzuru lived alone, so he didn’t usually see his grandparents. But whenever he went back to his family home, there was no avoiding them.
And during the early May holidays, they would definitely bring it up again—maybe even drag him to a matchmaking meeting.
“It’s not like I have someone I like, and it’s not like I even want a relationship right now… but if I ever do want one later, having a fiancée already would just get in the way. And going to a matchmaking meeting when I have zero intention of getting engaged is a total waste of time. …Isn’t there some way I can avoid it?”
“Then how about throwing out some impossible conditions?”
“Impossible conditions?”
“Like: If you want me to do matchmaking, bring me an unbelievably beautiful girl! Something like that.”
“…Huh. Yeah, that’s actually not a bad idea. But what kind of impossible conditions?”
“Hmm… maybe blonde hair and blue eyes? Your grandpa probably couldn’t pull that off.”
“No, he might just bring someone from overseas. Grandpa has connections abroad too.”
It might be much harder to find in Japan, but you shouldn’t underestimate an old man desperate to see his great-grandchild.
“Then add a condition that she has to speak fluent Japanese. Since language barriers are annoying, say she needs Japanese nationality—or at least excellent Japanese. Narrow it down that much and it shouldn’t be easy to find someone.”
“That’s true… And if she’s going to marry into the family, she’d probably have to be someone with a proper background anyway. Add fluent Japanese on top of that, and yeah, it gets pretty tough. …Alright, let’s go with that.”
Just as Yuzuru finished deciding—
his phone rang, as if on cue.
“Hello?”
‘Yuzuru! When you come home during the holidays… would you consider attending a matchmaking meeting? It’s the one thing I ask in this lifetime. I want to see my great-grandchild before I die…’
“Sure.”
‘Please, I’m begging you—…wait, what!? You will, Yuzuru!?’
“On one condition.”
To his stunned grandfather on the other end of the line, Yuzuru calmly laid out his “impossible conditions.”
“If the girl is a blonde, blue-eyed, fair-skinned beauty, I’ll consider it. Oh, and of course she has to be around my age and have Japanese nationality. Age gaps and language barriers are a pain. And also…”
Yuzuru glanced at Soichirou.
Soichirou quickly typed something on his phone and held up the screen.
Yuzuru read it aloud.
“She needs to have big boobs and a big butt—well, basically great proportions. She should be kind, graceful, and a proper Yamato Nadeshiko Japanese term for the "ideal" traditional woman. And also… good at cooking, smart, and athletic. …There’s no way someone like that exists.”
Yuzuru shot Soichirou an exasperated look.
Soichirou shrugged.
Then he typed on his phone again and showed it to him.
“Exactly. That’s why it works.”
‘Th-that’s… even for me, that might be a bit—’
“If it’s impossible, that’s fine too. Doesn’t bother me.”
‘Ghk… Fine! I’ll find someone by the holidays, so you’d better be ready!’
“Yeah, yeah.”
Yuzuru hung up, wondering what exactly he was supposed to “prepare” for.
Then he turned to Soichirou.
“Do people really want to see their great-grandkids that badly?”
“Who knows? Maybe you only understand after you get old… Oh, speaking of which, isn’t there someone nearby who fits those conditions?”
“Nearby?”
“Yukishiro. Yukishiro Arisa from your class.”
Yukishiro Arisa.
A female student in their grade who was quite famous around school.
Her hair was a slightly pale brown—almost flaxen—and her eyes a beautiful green.
Her skin was white as fresh snow, smooth like porcelain.
Her body looked slender at first glance, but had striking curves if you looked closer.
She carried an air that kept people at a distance.
That kind of girl.
A mysterious, picture-perfect beauty.
Male students gazed at her with admiration, and apparently she received confessions all the time.
Yet there were virtually no rumors of romance surrounding her—meaning she must have rejected every single one.
“She’s got green eyes, not blue. And her hair’s more light brown than blonde. I don’t know if she’s good at cooking or if she’s a Yamato Nadeshiko, though…”
Unfortunately, Yuzuru wasn’t close enough to know her personality.
They were only on greeting terms, and he wasn’t even sure how much she recognized him.
“It’d be hilarious if Yukishiro Arisa showed up.”
Soichirou said it half as a joke.
Still, even accounting for the slight mismatch in hair and eye color—and ignoring personality or domestic skills—she was the person who came closest to Yuzuru’s conditions.
“But even if Grandpa searches, he’s not putting out a newspaper ad or anything. He’ll just pick a girl around my age from his connections. Who knows if Yukishiro’s even in that network? And more importantly… would Yukishiro even agree to meet me? A matchmaking meeting won’t even start unless the other side is somewhat willing too.”
“Yeah… wanting to do matchmaking at our age is weird in the first place.”
“Right?”
This wasn’t some ancient era of nobles or samurai.
Yuzuru figured it was already questionable whether a girl matching those conditions even existed.
“Alright, hypothetical question. If Yukishiro Arisa showed up… what would you do? Would you accept? She’s definitely a top-tier beauty.”
For the students who had fallen for Yukishiro Arisa—or been shot down by her already—getting a matchmaking meeting with her would be a dream scenario.
But for Yuzuru…
“I mean, she’s beautiful, sure. But I don’t like her or anything. I don’t think she’s a bad person, but… how do I put it? She feels kind of cold. Not really my type. At the very least, I wouldn’t want to marry her.”
It wasn’t that Yukishiro Arisa couldn’t express emotions.
Nor that she lacked them.
It simply felt like she rejected close relationships with people.
As long as she kept a proper distance from the class circle, that was enough for her—no intention of having best friends or a boyfriend.
That was the impression she gave.
“Also… doesn’t she have kind of dead eyes? The color’s beautiful, but there’s no emotion in them.”
Like a lake so pure that not a single fish could live in it.
That was the color of Arisa’s eyes.
Soichirou seemed to agree with Yuzuru’s assessment, nodding slowly.
“Now that you mention it… yeah. And if you’re choosing someone to spend your life with, it’s safer to pick based on personality rather than looks. Compatibility matters most in the end.”
Yuzuru nodded back.
“Exactly. What matters is whether it’s fun being together. Yukishiro Arisa is more like… something you admire from a distance.”
Just looking at her was pleasant enough.
In fact, Yuzuru sometimes secretly glanced at her too.
Someone that beautiful was a bit soothing just to look at.
“She doesn’t seem like the type who’d get jokes either. Feels like she’d just stare at you with a cold face. …Actually, that might have its appeal.”
“Dude, that’s creepy. …Though I kinda get it.”
Yuzuru and Soichirou burst out laughing.
…At that time, Yuzuru still didn’t understand.
The stubborn determination of an old man who wanted to see his great-grandchild.
Some time later.
The latter half of the early May holiday — Golden Week. A series of consecutive national holidays in Japan from late April to early May
At a traditional restaurant somewhere in Tokyo.
Seated formally in a kimono, Yuzuru faced a girl with flaxen hair kneeling neatly in seiza across from him.
She wore a kimono decorated with beautiful hydrangeas.
Her skin was translucent white, and her facial features were exquisitely balanced.
A girl who could truly be called a once-in-a-generation beauty.
She looked straight at Yuzuru with her green eyes, then placed her hands on the tatami and bowed politely.
“My name is Yukishiro Arisa. It’s nice to meet you… although, I suppose it isn’t our first time meeting.”
Her clear yet lifeless eyes remained fixed on him as she spoke.
(…How did it end up like this?)
Yuzuru buried his head in his hands internally.
Current Dere Level: 0%
Due to story convenience, some laws differ slightly from real-world Japan, but the setting is essentially modern Japan.
In reality, I don’t know whether it’s possible for a classmate to show up at a matchmaking meeting.