A little over a week after Halloween.
On that day, the third nationwide mock exam was held.
After it ended, Yuzuru and Arisa were at his flat, going over their answers.
“With this many mock exams in a row… it really does get exhausting…”
Having finished marking her answers, Arisa stretched her arms wide.
There had already been another high-difficulty mock exam less than two weeks ago, meaning they’d had two back-to-back within a single month.
There had been Halloween as a bit of a breather in between…
But even Arisa seemed worn out.
“Still… for now, that’s the last of them.”
“That’s true. …As a bit of a break, how about next Saturday—we go out somewhere?”
In other words, she was asking him out on a date.
Lately, their “at-home dates”—in other words, study sessions—had been the norm, so going out sounded great.
However…
“About that, I actually wanted to ask you something.”
“Ask me?”
“Yeah… would it be alright if Ayumi—my little sister—came along too?”
Arisa blinked in surprise at the suggestion.
The story went back to the previous night.
Hello?
Onii-san, it’s me, it’s me!
Ah, one of those ‘it’s me’ scam callers?
T-A-K-A-S-E-G-A-W-A A-Y-U-M-I—Takasegawa Ayumi!!
Oh, it’s you, Ayumi.
Don’t give me that “oh.” You can see it’s me calling!
Ayumi huffed on the other end of the line.
Of course, Yuzuru was joking, and Ayumi was only pretending to be annoyed.
For siblings, this kind of banter was completely normal.
So, what is it? …I’ve got a mock exam tomorrow, even if it’s Saturday.
He still had to go in and take it.
Holding an external mock exam at school was a bit odd, but that was how it worked.
Were you studying?
Yeah. So keep it brief.
I want to go shopping for clothes in the city next weekend.
You want me to tag along as your bodyguard and pack mule, right?
Half right.
They got along fairly well as siblings, and Yuzuru had accompanied her shopping many times as both protection and bag carrier—even after he started living alone.
But… what did she mean by “half”?
He tilted his head.
What’s the other half?
You don’t know anything about girls’ clothes, do you, Onii-san?
I can at least tell what’s cute and what’s not.
But you don’t know trends or brands.
That was true.
He had no interest in women’s fashion, so he didn’t know brands.
Watches and suits, on the other hand—those he knew a bit about.
So I was thinking maybe Arisa-san could come too.
Arisa?
It’s about time to get proper winter clothes, right? She’s a girl too, so I bet she feels the same. And it’d be a good chance for us to get closer while we shop together.
I see.
Still, Yuzuru had just recently received the money for her coat from Arisa.
He was a bit concerned whether she had the financial leeway.
I’ll ask her, at least.
Thanks. Love you, Onii-san.
Yeah, yeah. Love you too.
“…And that’s what happened.”
“I see.”
After hearing the explanation, Arisa nodded in understanding.
Then she gave a small nod.
“That’s fine with me.”
“…Are you sure about the money?”
Yuzuru didn’t know how much allowance she received.
But it was probably not that much.
In the Takasegawa household, things like clothing, cosmetics, stationery, and textbooks were treated as separate from allowance, so Ayumi likely extracted quite a large clothing budget from their parents.
If Arisa went shopping with her, her wallet might end up empty.
“In my household, I don’t receive a fixed monthly allowance. It’s based on purpose.”
“Purpose-based?”
“For example… for clothes that need replacing regularly, I receive a lump sum every quarter. For dates, I’m given money each time as needed… something like that. So if I tell my guardian I’m going shopping for clothes with you and your sister… I might receive additional funds separate from my clothing budget—or maybe not. But in any case, I’ve just recently received money for winter clothes, so I’m doing fine financially.”
Yuzuru had long had questions about Arisa’s financial situation.
For instance, she once said she’d never bought slightly expensive soap.
And yet, she wore stylish clothes.
And when they went on dates, she never hesitated over things like cinema tickets or meals.
Did she have money, or not?
Now, her explanation cleared things up.
Most likely, her guardian believed he was raising her without hardship.
He provided money for dates, and for clothing.
However… as a man, the idea of “caring about soap” simply didn’t occur to him.
And there were probably many such things.
For Arisa, not having things others around her had created a sense of inferiority—a complex, even—but since they weren’t necessities, she couldn’t bring herself to ask for money for them.
“I see… then in a way, this works out in your favour.”
If money was given based on purpose, then her finances wouldn’t suffer.
If anything, having a reason meant she had a reason to receive money—so it was, in a sense, a gain.
“Yes… though it does mean troubling my guardian.”
She said it with a slightly apologetic expression.
Considering he was the one who had forced the engagement and marriage in the first place, and that this fell under related expenses, it didn’t seem like she needed to feel guilty…
But she couldn’t help it.
“Don’t worry about it. …Your guardian is already gaining quite a bit from our engagement.”
“…But we’re not even married yet, right? Is there still a benefit at this stage?”
The word yet caught Yuzuru’s attention slightly, but he chose not to comment.
Instead, he answered her question.
“It seems my parents have already invested a significant amount into the company your guardian runs. The investment discussions existed even before our engagement, but the amount increased afterward, so it’s probably had some influence.”
In reality, what her guardian wanted wasn’t just money, but the fact that Amagi had come under the Takasegawa umbrella—and the reputation that came with it.
Their engagement hadn’t been formally announced, but information like that always leaked somewhere.
In fact, Yuzuru’s father likely acted on the assumption that it would leak—no, he probably encouraged it, hinting at it deliberately.
That way, it spread the perception that Amagi was now under Takasegawa’s wing.
And Amagi, in turn, would use that perception to attract funding.
On its own, people might hesitate to invest in Amagi.
But knowing Takasegawa stood behind them would loosen plenty of wallets.
Yuzuru had even looked into the flow of money out of curiosity.
Not just Takasegawa affiliates—families like Tachibana, Uenishi, and Satake had begun moving funds at a fairly early stage.
Specifically, even before he’d run into their heirs at the pool.
…Well, these families were all interconnected if you traced their lineages.
Such a network already existed.
If Yuzuru’s parents so much as hinted at the engagement to relatives and branch families, the information spreading instantly was inevitable.
“In short, even if we never actually marry—even if this engagement remains unofficial—the fact alone is already bringing your guardian considerable benefit. …So I think it’s fine for you to be a little selfish. Though, I don’t know the exact state of the Amagi finances, so I can’t say that irresponsibly.”
A company struggling financially didn’t necessarily mean the household itself was struggling in the same way.
Even if the company’s cash flow improved, that didn’t mean the family’s finances would immediately follow.
“…You’re right. When I think about it, it’s a necessary expense. Though I shouldn’t be wasteful.”
With that, Arisa gave a small smile.
Expenses for getting along with her fiancé’s sister were necessary—she had a right to claim them.
Thinking of it that way seemed to ease her guilt a little.
“…Yeah. I think you’re right.”
Though, doesn’t that assume we’re actually going to get married?
Yuzuru thought to himself, even as he gave a casual nod.
