After dinner, Yuzuru decided to walk Arisa home.
Arisa insisted that the station would be fine, but… even though the evenings had been getting lighter lately, he still felt reluctant to let a girl walk home alone at night.
Besides, the only reason she was returning so late was because she had cooked dinner for him.
“Takasegawa-san, you have a surprisingly gentlemanly side.”
Arisa suddenly said that with a tone of admiration.
Yuzuru had never claimed to be a gentleman, but the surprisingly part was a little offensive.
“What do you mean ‘surprisingly’?”
“I apologise if that sounded rude. But… I noticed you subtly walking on the roadside. It made me realise you have that kind of consideration too.”
His parents and grandparents had always taught him that when walking beside a woman, he should take the side closer to the street.
A man should protect a woman.
Considering the modern age, it might sound somewhat old-fashioned—but the Takasegawa family was exactly that sort of household.
“That’s just how I was raised. Honestly, my family still holds onto some pretty old-fashioned values. ‘If you’re a man, protect women,’ that sort of thing. Though… I guess I couldn’t exactly practise that when I was on crutches.”
When Yuzuru said that, Arisa fell silent.
Her head tilted slightly downward.
Under the streetlights, her beautiful face looked… faintly troubled.
“Did I… cause you trouble?”
“Hm? …Why would you think that?”
“I was wondering if… because of me… your parents scolded you.”
In other words, she seemed to be worried that because a man from such a household had been protected by a woman—herself—he might have gotten in trouble with his parents.
“No way! We don’t have such outdated values. Besides, my parents are pretty laid-back. You’re worrying too much.”
“…I see. That’s good, then.”
Arisa let out a small sigh of relief.
But a trace of concern still lingered in her expression.
She still seemed worried that her actions might have caused him trouble.
“Yukishiro, were you okay after that?”
“…After what?”
“After the meeting. When you got home… did anyone say anything?”
Arisa didn’t answer.
But her clouded expression—and her silence—spoke volumes.
It confirmed Yuzuru’s suspicion.
“Did they tell you off?”
“…It’s my fault. Don’t worry about it.”
Her voice carried a tone of rejection.
It felt like she was drawing a line between herself and Yuzuru.
And yet… at the same time, she looked incredibly sad and pained.
Yuzuru judged that forcing his way into the matter would only hurt her and lead to rejection.
But ignoring it entirely didn’t feel right either.
“If that’s what you say, I won’t pry into your affairs.”
“I would appreciate that. I don’t want to cause you any more trouble, Takasegawa-san—”
“I don’t consider it trouble.”
Yuzuru interrupted her.
Then, without looking at her—keeping his gaze forward—he spoke as if talking to himself.
“Since we’re engaged, I’m not exactly a complete outsider when it comes to your family situation.”
It wasn’t as though there was absolutely nothing he could do.
After conveying that much, he continued.
“But I’m not your real fiancé. So I’ll respect your wishes. If I’m being pushy, say so. If I’m a nuisance, say so. If you dislike it, say so. If you hate it, say so. I’d rather you be honest about how you feel.”
After a brief silence, Arisa answered clearly.
“For now, I have no intention of asking for your help. It would be… rather excessive. And meddlesome.”
“I see. Yeah… that makes sense.”
Even if Yuzuru went to speak to her parents, there was no guarantee they would behave the way he intended.
Unless they were extremely foolish, of course.
But if they were foolish, things might end up much worse.
Arisa couldn’t take that risk.
And Yuzuru couldn’t take responsibility for the outcome either.
“But, Takasegawa-san.”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for respecting my wishes. I’m genuinely happy about that.”
Her voice sounded much softer than usual.
Before long, they arrived at a spot where Arisa’s house came into view.
She turned towards Yuzuru and bowed slightly, indicating that this was far enough.
“Thank you for today. I had a lovely time.”
Her expression was the same composed one she always wore.
But somehow, Yuzuru felt those words were sincere.
“I had fun too. And the food was delicious.”
“I’ll take that compliment at face value. …You did eat quite a lot, after all.”
Arisa nodded slightly in response to his praise.
Then she seemed to think for a moment before speaking again.
“Takasegawa-san… may I come play games again next week? In return, I’ll cook for you.”
“Next week? Sure. There are still plenty of games we haven’t touched yet. …But you don’t need to do anything in return. It’s just games. Of course, I’d happily eat if you cook.”
Yuzuru didn’t want to make it seem like he was forcing her to cook.
In his mind, cooking meals in exchange for letting her play games and buying a little cake was a bit excessive.
“That’s not it. …Let me put it differently. Please let me cook. It’s easier that way.”
“Ah… I see.”
If she didn’t cook for Yuzuru, that meant she would have to go home early and cook for the Amagi household.
Yuzuru didn’t know the exact structure of her family, but cooking for just the two of them was probably much easier.
In other words—
She wanted to slack off.
“I’ll gladly cooperate. …You’re welcome to come cook every day, you know.”
When Yuzuru said that half-jokingly—
“Fufu… I’ll think about it.”
Arisa gave a smile that could have been either a joke or completely serious.
Every Saturday after that, Arisa came to Yuzuru’s house, played games, cooked dinner, and then went home.
That arrangement continued for about a month.
By mid-June.
Hello? What do you want, old man?
Do I need a reason to call my grandson?
You’ve never called without one before. Get on with it.
When Yuzuru answered like that, the old man grumbled about him being cold and how that might technically be true.
Just as Yuzuru was about to hurry him along again—
Do you know what day it is a week from now?
No clue.
This is no time for jokes. It’s an important day.
Even if it was important, he couldn’t know what he didn’t know.
As Yuzuru tilted his head in confusion—
Her birthday. The Amagi girl’s birthday.
Oh—right… I guess it is.
Before their meeting, he had been shown a profile sheet with her birth date on it.
If he remembered correctly, her birthday was actually a little earlier than his.
Goodness… do you really consider yourself her fiancé?
Y-yeah…
Her birthday had completely slipped his mind.
If they were a normal loving couple, they would obviously know each other’s birthdays.
I owe you one, Grandpa. I’ll prepare a present.
Good. …Now hurry up and show me a great-grandchild.
Then you’d better live at least six more years. I’m not getting married until I graduate from university.
With that, Yuzuru hung up the phone.
Well then… what should I do?
Yuzuru sighed.
