Late September.
“…Again this week, huh.”
Kobayashi Shouta muttered with a sigh as he peered through binoculars at Yukishiro Arisa leaving her house.
Shouta lived fairly close to her, and from his balcony, he could just about make out what was going on with a pair of binoculars.
Every Saturday, Arisa would faithfully go to see her boyfriend.
How did he know?
Because late at night, he could see a man walking her back home.
That man’s name was Takasegawa Yuzuru.
A boy around Shouta’s age.
Of course, the boy had never explicitly said he was her boyfriend…
But the way they passed by Shouta’s house every week, chatting happily, made it obvious they were a couple.
“…Must be nice.”
Every Saturday night.
If he stood by his front door and listened, he could just barely hear their voices through the door.
Arisa—who was always expressionless, never showing emotion—
Was laughing.
Laughing happily.
That should have been… a good thing.
It was a good thing.
And yet… he couldn’t feel happy about it.
Something murky churned inside his chest.
I liked her first.
I was supposed to make her happy.
He was jealous.
Bitterly so.
He knew it was ugly jealousy.
Even so… he couldn’t suppress it.
“If only I’d been… a little more…”
Smarter.
Better-looking.
Born rich.
He couldn’t help thinking it.
“…Sigh.”
“Shouta, where are you going?”
“Out for a walk.”
He answered his mother curtly and wandered outside.
He walked aimlessly…
Eventually sitting down on a bench in a nearby park.
As he stared blankly at the sky, someone called out to him.
“Shouta-kun?”
“You’re… Taiga-san.”
A young man with a suitcase approached him with a friendly smile.
Amagi Taiga.
Arisa’s cousin.
Shouta only knew about Arisa’s complicated family situation because Taiga had told him.
And… Taiga also knew that Shouta liked her.
“Long time no see… you’re back?”
“Yeah. Sorry I didn’t contact you sooner.”
They exchanged brief updates.
Apparently, Taiga was about to head back to Kansai.
“You’ve got time before your train?”
“Yeah, still plenty.”
After checking the time, Taiga replied.
Then, a thought crossed Shouta’s mind.
…Did he know Arisa had a boyfriend?
“By the way… Yukishiro-san has a boyfriend now, right?”
As if it were nothing.
As casually as commenting on the weather.
That’s how Shouta said it.
Taiga’s expression clouded.
“That’s…”
“N-no, I don’t really mind. I mean… she was always out of my league. He seems like a good guy, right? Um, Takasegawa-san, I think? Same school as her, so he must be smart. And his looks… well, he’s fairly handsome. Feels like he suits her… someone like me doesn’t even compare…”
The more he tried to explain it away, the more pathetic he felt.
Eventually, he ran out of words.
He scratched his head and sighed.
Seeing that, Taiga hesitated for a moment—
Then made up his mind.
“About that, Shouta-kun… actually, he’s not her boyfriend.”
“…Huh?”
“I’m telling you because it’s you. …My father told me not to spread this around, so be careful. He—Takasegawa Yuzuru—is her fiancé.”
“F-fiancé!?”
Shouta shouted before clapping both hands over his mouth.
“That’s right. …And it’s an arranged marriage.”
“An arranged marriage…”
It felt like something out of science fiction or fantasy.
That such a thing could exist in modern Japan shocked him.
“Arisa was forced into the engagement. …The Takasegawa family is a famous elite in business and politics. He probably liked her. So he used money and power to force the engagement.”
“Th-that’s…”
Sure, he did seem rich.
And Shouta had thought he seemed like a bad guy.
But Arisa had looked happy.
She’d seemed like she liked him.
He’d assumed—
That the man she chose must be a good person.
That his own impression had just been jealousy distorting things.
“But… she looked happy…”
“She’s probably being pressured by her father to get along with him. …The Takasegawa family is one you don’t want to make an enemy of.”
Taiga added firmly—
“Listen. This is a secret. …Let’s both help Arisa.”
“…O-okay.”
Confused, Shouta could only nod.
After returning home, he looked up the Takasegawa family.
A flood of information came up.
The Takasegawa family.
The clan that headed the Takasegawa conglomerate.
Its financial power was rivalled only by the Tachibana family in Japan.
But their true strength wasn’t just wealth.
Apparently, they had long built influence through strategic marriages.
Because of that, they had strong ties to politicians and bureaucrats—
And even connections in the EU and the United States.
Especially with America, they had deep ties going back to before the war, even playing a role in postwar negotiations.
While many conglomerates declined after the war, only Takasegawa (and Tachibana) maintained—and even expanded—their power.
They funded outlaw groups, supplied them with weapons, used them for schemes, and eliminated threats to their interests.
Organisations that should have been targeted by anti-gang laws were exempt due to their political influence, and still operated under them.
They held compromising information on politicians, executives, media figures, and celebrities through illegal establishments—
And could destroy anyone at will.
Rulers of Japan’s underworld, alongside the Tachibana.
……
…
…
Of course, all of that came from online speculation sites, so its credibility was questionable.
Even Shouta found parts of it laughable.
Normally, he wouldn’t have believed it.
But… if Taiga’s words were true, it didn’t seem entirely impossible.
And thinking about it calmly—
That proud, distant Arisa acting so obediently, almost like a dog…
Something about it was wrong.
She must be being threatened.
But even knowing that—what could he do?
How could an ordinary person like him stand against such a family?
He could do nothing.
Days passed.
He hated his own helplessness, watching the girl he liked fall into another man’s grasp.
Then, one Saturday in November.
It was pure coincidence.
He’d gone into the city for a change of pace, and on the way back, stopped by a shopping mall.
And there—
He saw her.
Yukishiro Arisa.
She was with a girl around middle school age he didn’t recognise.
That man—Takasegawa Yuzuru—was nowhere to be seen.
Before he realised it, he’d called out.
“Um… Yukishiro-san, right? What a coincidence.”
“…Kobayashi-san. It really is.”
Arisa looked slightly surprised.
Feeling oddly guilty, Shouta hurriedly explained—
“I just had something to do nearby, and thought I’d check out some clothes, so I went into a random shop and saw you. Um… shopping?”
Obviously, he thought, mentally berating himself.
But Arisa didn’t seem bothered.
“Yes.”
Her expression was as calm and cool as ever.
And yet… somehow, she seemed cuter than before.
I want her.
I don’t want to lose her to some rich, handsome guy.
The feeling surged strongly.
“Hey… Yukishiro-san.”
“What is it?”
“I heard… you got engaged…”
The atmosphere around her changed.
For a split second, it felt like the temperature dropped below freezing.
Her eyes sharpened slightly, her gaze turning cold like a still lake.
“Who told you that?”
“Huh? …Taiga-san.”
“…Tch.”
A clear click of her tongue.
Arisa—visibly annoyed.
“Could you please keep that to yourself? It would cause trouble for Yuzuru-san.”
“…So you are being threatened.”
“…What?”
He didn’t know the details, but he assumed she’d been told not to talk about it.
She couldn’t ask for help because she was being threatened.
“You were forced into it, right? Taiga-san said so. That Takasegawa guy—Yuzuru—he’s threatening you, isn’t he? Using money and power to force you! If… if someone like me is okay, I’ll help—”
“You’re saying quite whatever you like, aren’t you?”
A cold voice cut in.
It came from the girl who’d been shopping with Arisa.
…He’d completely forgotten about her.
“You are…?”
“Takasegawa Ayumi. Yuzuru’s sister. To put it simply—you’re unpleasant.”
The girl with blue eyes stepped forward calmly.
Despite being younger, she carried an intimidating presence.
Shouta instinctively stepped back.
“You’re saying my brother is threatening Arisa-san? On what basis?”
“I-it’s obvious! An arranged marriage is weird! It’s wrong!”
Marriage should come from mutual love.
Not money or family interests.
That was what he believed.
I’m right.
He told himself that.
Ayumi, however—
“My parents were married through an arrangement. Are you saying my existence—and my brother’s—is wrong?”
“N-no, I didn’t mean that…”
“There are many forms of relationships.”
His mind went blank.
He couldn’t think of a proper counterargument.
So instead, he blurted out—
“Yukishiro-san is being abused!”
At that moment, Arisa’s eyes wavered.
A flicker of shock.
He realised he might be hurting her—
But he couldn’t stop.
“She was forced into this! In exchange for money! That’s wrong! Marrying for money is wrong!!”
“……”
Ayumi looked surprised for a moment.
Then her expression softened.
“What exactly is wrong about it?”
“W-well… because…”
“Providing financial support to family, friends, or even future in-laws isn’t unusual. For example—student loans require guarantors. It’s the same idea.”
“But…”
It felt like sophistry.
But he couldn’t articulate why.
Before he could respond, Ayumi continued—
“Regardless—who the Takasegawa family chooses to support financially is our business.”
“No, that’s not—”
“What isn’t?”
“Th-this is… right! It’s human trafficking!”
Selling a person like a product—
That had to be wrong.
A crime.
“How?”
“Y-you’re paying money in exchange for marriage—”
“The engagement between my brother and Arisa-san, and my father’s investment in Amagi Naoki’s company, are entirely separate matters.”
Her tone was mechanical.
Emotionless.
And that made it terrifying.
“Call it what you like—but this is between Takasegawa and Amagi. It has nothing to do with you.”
“I-I’ll go to the police—”
“The police do not intervene in civil matters. They have no authority here. …Obviously.”
She spoke as if mocking him.
As if the police meant nothing.
Shouta remembered—
The Takasegawa family’s influence.
He stepped back again.
Ayumi pressed further—
“More importantly—what are you to Arisa-san?”
“Huh? I’m…”
What was he?
A boyfriend? No.
A friend? …Not really.
“I-I’m… just someone who lives nearby. We were in the same middle school…”
“So, a stranger.”
A stranger.
That was all he was.
“N-no, I… I like—”
“You’re nothing more than a stranger. Don’t interfere in other people’s engagements.”
Then, for just a moment—
Ayumi’s lips curled faintly.
“Or… will you marry her? If she’s truly being threatened, as you claim, this is your chance.”
His vision spun.
The world warped.
“W-well…”
He looked at Arisa.
She—
Averted her gaze.
He already knew.
That his words made no sense.
That she felt nothing for him.
And that she… liked Yuzuru.
His vision went dark.
He turned to run—
“Ah…”
And there he was.
Takasegawa Yuzuru.
With deep blue eyes.
Looking slightly exasperated—yet faintly irritated.
He spoke quietly.
“Ayumi. What’s going on here?”
