“What did the doctor say, Yuzuru?”
“He said I’ll need to use crutches for at least a week. Full recovery will take about a month and a half.”
Yuzuru answered his grandfather, who didn’t seem particularly worried.
At the same time, he grumbled internally.
(That damn cat… next time I see you, you’d better watch out.)
“Ah, Takasegawa-san!”
Arisa and her adoptive parents hurried toward Yuzuru, looking pale.
Although they were called her adoptive parents, they hadn’t formally adopted her, so their family names were different.
Arisa’s surname was Yukishiro, while theirs was Amagi.
He’d heard they came from a fairly respectable family, though rumors lately said their finances weren’t doing so well.
The Amagi couple looked completely pale.
Meanwhile, Arisa looked frightened—wearing an expression Yuzuru had never seen her show at school.
She looked as though she might burst into tears at any moment.
She was utterly exhausted.
“We’re terribly sorry! Our daughter suggested such a foolish thing!”
“We’ll pay for the medical expenses and compensation—”
“We truly apologize…”
The Amagi couple pushed down on Arisa’s head, forcing her to bow along with them.
The movement—whether intentional or not—was somewhat rough.
It almost looked like they were striking her head from above.
Facing the desperately apologizing couple and Arisa, Yuzuru’s grandfather and father responded calmly.
“No, no… the one who climbed the tree and fell was this fool.”
“In the first place, he climbed the tree on his own.”
They firmly refused the offer of medical fees or compensation.
In truth, Yuzuru had climbed up and fallen by himself.
Arisa wasn’t at fault.
“Please raise your heads. I’m the one to blame. Besides…”
At that moment, Yuzuru noticed something.
Arisa’s cheek was slightly swollen.
…Apparently, things weren’t going very well between her and her adoptive parents.
“I guess I just wanted to look cool in front of the girl I like. How embarrassing…”
The girl he liked.
Yuzuru said it clearly.
His grandfather, his parents, Arisa’s adoptive parents—
Even Arisa herself widened their eyes in shock.
“Would you marry me—well, get engaged to me—Yukishiro… no, Arisa?”
Of course, it was a fake engagement.
But Arisa seemed to understand his true intention.
Her cheeks flushed faintly as she gave a small nod.
“With pleasure… let’s become engaged, Takasegawa-san… no, Yuzuru-san.”
And thus—
they ended up engaged.
Later, Yuzuru asked to speak with Arisa alone and brought her outside.
The sun was already beginning to set, the sky dyed in shades of evening red.
Yuzuru tried to sit on a bench outside, but with crutches it was difficult.
After some awkward maneuvering—and Arisa’s help—he finally sat down.
“I’m really… sorry.”
Arisa spoke in a slightly tearful voice.
The sunset illuminated her flaxen hair, making it glow like gold.
Yet despite that beauty…
there was something fragile about her, as if she might vanish at any moment.
“Why are you apologizing?”
“…I caused you trouble.”
“You mean the falling-from-the-tree part? That was my fault—”
“N-no, not that… I mean the engagement. You were protecting me, weren’t you? If the meeting had fallen apart, it would have looked like it happened because of my careless behavior. You accepted the engagement because you considered my position in the Amagi family… right?”
Combining Arisa’s earlier explanation—that her adoptive father was eager for the match—with the rumors about the Amagi family’s financial troubles, the conclusion was obvious.
They wanted the engagement money.
If the deal fell apart because of Arisa, they would surely take it out on her.
That’s what Yuzuru had assumed.
“Even putting that aside… thank you. Really… you saved me. If things had continued like that, I might have been forced to marry someone I didn’t even like. Being married off to someone who only wanted my body in exchange for money… I really hated the thought.”
Arisa hugged her own body with both arms, trembling as she spoke.
Then she looked up at Yuzuru with a weak smile.
“You’re my benefactor, Takasegawa-san. For now, I’ve escaped that fate.”
“…I can’t interfere too much in someone else’s family matters. But we’re classmates. If you’re ever in trouble, talk to me. I’ll help however I can.”
Sympathizing with her situation, Yuzuru made the promise—even though he knew it sounded unreliable.
Unless there was a clear legal violation, any interference would likely be dismissed as meddling in family affairs.
And if he stirred things up carelessly, he might only make Arisa’s position worse.
Arisa wasn’t foolish.
She surely understood that it was only a verbal promise.
And yet—
“Just hearing you say that… makes me feel much stronger.”
Her jade-colored eyes glistened.
She looked relieved.
Saved.
Three days later, after Golden Week ended.
Yuzuru returned from his family home to his apartment.
His parents and grandparents had tried to convince him to commute from the house instead.
But the trip to school would take over an hour each way.
Even if they drove him, it would still take time.
After some thought—
Yuzuru decided to keep living at his apartment.
Mainly because he didn’t want to wake up earlier than necessary.
(Guess I’ll have to take a break from my part-time job… Still, life’s about to get pretty inconvenient.)
Early on the first school morning after the holidays, Yuzuru opened the door of his apartment while leaning on his crutches.
And there—
“Good morning, Takasegawa-san.”
“…Why are you here?”
Standing there was a beautiful girl with pale brown hair and emerald-green eyes.
Yukishiro Arisa.
Her expression was calm as usual.
But her beautiful eyes held a strong determination.
In a resolute voice, she said:
“Until you recover, I’ll be supporting you.”
This is going to be troublesome, Yuzuru thought, scratching his head—
Except he accidentally let go of his crutch.
He staggered violently.
Current Dere Level: 5% (She’s starting to think he’s a good person.)