“Yuzuru is…?”
“A bento…!?”
Soichiro and Hijiri stared as if they’d just witnessed something unbelievable.
Like the world might end tomorrow.
“Nothing wrong with me bringing a bento, is there?”
As Yuzuru said that, he opened the bento he’d received from Arisa that morning.
It was an insulated type, so it was still warm inside.
There were two tiers.
One held white rice with a pickled plum.
The other was packed with stylish side dishes.
As expected of Arisa, there were no frozen foods.
…Was that because she’d feel like she “lost,” otherwise?
For now, he popped a piece of fried chicken into his mouth.
The seasoning wasn’t too strong, nor too light.
Despite some time having passed since it was made, the coating was still crisp.
When he bit into it, it was softer than expected, and the flavour of the meat spread through his mouth.
(Still delicious.)
He decided he’d tell her in the morning how good it was.
Incidentally, there were three bentos, which they rotated.
“Yukishiro-san, right?”
Soichiro guessed immediately.
Yuzuru lived alone, so there was no way his mother had made it, and there was even less chance that Yuzuru had made it himself—an obvious deduction.
“Yeah.”
It really was good.
Freshly made food from Arisa was exceptional, but it seemed she could also make dishes that stayed delicious even after cooling.
Not only that, they looked vibrant and well-balanced nutritionally.
It genuinely made him feel grateful.
“Is it that good?”
“Obviously.”
“…Mind letting me try some?”
“Give me a bit too.”
Soichiro and Hijiri both wanted a taste.
Yuzuru hesitated—torn between wanting to keep Arisa’s bento all to himself and wanting to show off her cooking…
But in the end, he shared a little.
He gave Soichiro a piece of fried chicken.
Hijiri got some rolled omelette.
After offering their own side dishes in return, the two tried Arisa’s cooking.
“Yeah, this is good.”
“Better than I expected.”
Both of them sounded impressed.
Even though he hadn’t made it himself, Yuzuru felt oddly proud.
“So now I’m the only one left relying on the cafeteria, huh…”
Soichiro usually brought a bento made by his mother.
Until now, Yuzuru and Hijiri had eaten at the cafeteria while Soichiro had a bento—but that changed today.
“Still, a homemade ‘wife bento’ in high school, huh.”
“Why not just get married already?”
Soichiro and Hijiri spoke half-teasing, half-serious.
Incidentally, Yuzuru had already told Hijiri about the “engagement,” with Arisa’s permission.
Through the study sessions and Halloween, Arisa had grown closer to Tenka.
They decided it would be better not to keep it hidden from friends, so they told Hijiri and Tenka.
Yuzuru also felt more at ease not having to hide it.
“I’m paying for the ingredients, at least.”
“I don’t think most people would make one just for ingredient costs.”
“If I asked her, would Yukishiro make one for me too?”
“Yeah, no chance.”
Arisa wasn’t running a lunch service.
Even if the effort was “the same,” it still took time.
The fact that she was willing to do it just for ingredient costs meant she clearly had some level of affection for Yuzuru.
Whether that was friendship or romantic feelings… was unclear.
“Seriously though, aren’t you going to date her? I mean, you’re already engaged, so it’s basically the same.”
“From what I hear, you two already sound like a close couple. Planning to go all the way?”
“Ah… you’re really asking that.”
Yuzuru wasn’t unaware.
At first, their dates had been about “acting like fiancés,” but lately, he’d genuinely been enjoying them.
Arisa likely felt the same.
“…Well, I do like Arisa.”
“Thought so.”
“I’ve always thought this, but she’s totally your type—like, straight out of a Western mould.”
“It’s not just her looks.”
As Hijiri said, Arisa’s appearance—including her excellent figure—was exactly Yuzuru’s type.
On top of that, her personality was great.
She was kind, attentive, and knew how to support him.
She claimed to have a bad personality, but even that side of her was charming.
And she was a good cook.
More than anything, as the Halloween incident showed, she could go along with things, joke around…
She was fun to be with.
“But… if you ask whether I’m in love with her, I’m not sure.”
“You mean you like her as a friend?”
“You don’t like her as a woman?”
“No, I do. But liking someone doesn’t necessarily mean you feel a strong romantic love, right?”
Any man would have at least one or two women he found attractive.
Even men with wives or girlfriends might still think, she’s nice, about a beautiful, kind woman—without acting on it.
“In short, I’m comfortable with how things are now. I don’t really feel the need to force things forward. More importantly…”
Not every couple or marriage in the world was built on overwhelming passion.
If anything, many probably started from something more casual.
So there’d be nothing strange about Yuzuru becoming Arisa’s boyfriend, but—
“I… don’t think it would be right for me to fall in love with her.”
Though they appeared equal, their relationship wasn’t truly equal.
If he wanted to, Yuzuru could refuse the marriage.
Arisa couldn’t.
Their “engagement” only existed because Yuzuru currently had no intention of going through with it.
In other words—harsh as it sounded—Yuzuru effectively held power over her fate.
If he fell in love with her… if he decided to marry her…
Arisa wouldn’t be able to refuse.
He explained this line of thinking to Soichiro and Hijiri.
“So, yeah. For now, I’m maintaining things as they are. I don’t want to push my feelings onto her just to become lovers.”
After saying that, Yuzuru found himself thinking of his father.
(Dad doesn’t hesitate to use any means necessary. He’s probably already seen through Arisa’s timid nature… I need to be careful.)
Takasegawa Kazuya appeared gentle at first glance, but in truth he was calm, ruthless, and cold-blooded.
That side was mostly reserved for work—at home, he was a kind, good father, and Yuzuru respected him.
But…
He was also the kind of man who could use his own son as a tool for a political marriage without hesitation.
If he could do that to his own son, there was no need to even consider how he’d treat someone unrelated like Arisa.
Yuzuru had to protect Arisa not just from the Amagi family—
But from the Takasegawa family as well.
In fact, the latter might be the greater threat.
Cold, calculating, ruthless.
A cunning family skilled in schemes and manoeuvring, willing to use any means to achieve their goals.
That was the Takasegawa reputation—and it wasn’t wrong.
No one understood the danger of that family better than Yuzuru himself.
From his father’s or grandfather’s perspective, he must seem like quite the rebellious son.
Yuzuru gave a wry smile to himself.
“…”
Soichiro and Hijiri exchanged glances.
Then they asked—
“So what if you really do fall in love? What if you want her badly enough to force it?”
“And what if Yukishiro is the one who comes to you?”
In response, Yuzuru shrugged.
“Well… I’ll deal with that when it happens.”
