New Year’s Eve.
Yuzuru sat with his family, slurping down toshikoshi soba.
For the record, the soba hadn’t been made by his mother.
It was delivery from a local soba shop they’d been patronising for years.
It was a familiar taste, comforting in its own way.
But…
(Come to think of it, I’ve never had Arisa’s soba.)
Even Arisa probably used store-bought noodles.
She might well have the technical skill to make them by hand, but beating professionally made soba would be difficult.
That said, when it came to the dipping sauce, she’d definitely make the dashi from scratch.
If her miso soup was anything to go by, her soba broth would be incredible too.
“Hey, Onii-san, are you maybe thinking you want to try Arisa-san’s soba?”
Grinning mischievously as she asked was Yuzuru’s younger sister, Takasegawa Ayumi.
“I’ve never had Arisa’s soba.”
“So you’re not denying that you want to try it.”
“Well… yeah, I’d like to.”
There was no way it wouldn’t be good.
Yuzuru made a mental note to ask her sometime.
“Hmm… is Amagi’s daughter really that good at cooking?”
The one who asked was an elderly man with piercing blue eyes and sharply defined features.
His intense gaze and hooked nose stood out.
Takasegawa Sougen.
The former head of the Takasegawa family—and Yuzuru’s grandfather.
His own father had been a Nordic-American, which explained his distinctly non-Japanese features.
…Though he himself had been born and raised in Japan.
These days, he left most business matters to his son—Yuzuru’s father—and was, on the surface, retired.
On the surface, because in reality he handled something akin to diplomacy for the Takasegawa family.
Armed with the network he’d built over the years, he moved behind the scenes both domestically and abroad…
Well, that might be putting it a bit grandly. In truth, it was half business, half travel.
Still, as evidenced by the fact that he’d brought Arisa in as Yuzuru’s fiancée, he wasn’t simply idling his time away.
Part of it was undoubtedly because he wanted great-grandchildren—but he’d also judged it beneficial for the family.
…At least, Yuzuru wanted to believe that.
“I’d love to try her cooking myself. For Yuzuru to praise it that much…”
That was his grandmother, Takasegawa Chiwako.
Compared to Sougen, who looked intimidating at first glance, she had the gentle presence of a typical Japanese woman.
…Though when she got angry, she was even scarier than him.
“Arisa-san’s cooking is amazing, Mother! Honestly, I wish she’d marry into the family already. Oh—but would they live on their own at first? Yuzuru, what are you planning?”
Speaking in a burst of high energy was Takasegawa Sayori—Yuzuru’s mother.
Despite appearances, she was a researcher of American literature.
“Now, now, Sayori. Yuzuru hasn’t thought that far ahead yet—putting him on the spot won’t help. …Besides, nothing’s been formally decided.”
Saying that, Yuzuru’s father, Takasegawa Kazuya, narrowed his eyes slightly.
He was the current head of the Takasegawa family.
It seemed his policy was to ultimately leave the decision of whether or not to marry up to Yuzuru.
…Which, considering it was Yuzuru’s life, was only natural.
“So, how are things at the moment, Yuzuru?”
“They’re going well.”
“That’s not what I meant. I’m asking whether you intend to spend your life with her. …Of course, it’s fine if you’re not sure yet.”
Kazuya said this while studying him intently.
For some reason, Yuzuru felt as though all his feelings—and even his schemes—were being seen straight through.
“…Yeah.”
A while ago, he would have lied.
Or brushed it off with a vague answer.
But now, he didn’t feel like doing that.
At least when it came to his feelings for Arisa, he didn’t want to lie.
“I want to build a life with her.”
He said it clearly.
He could feel his ears heating up slightly.
Kazuya seemed a little surprised by the firmness of his answer, his eyes widening for a moment—
—but he quickly returned to his usual calm, composed expression.
“In that case…”
Kazuya started to say something.
Most likely, something along the lines of—If you’re that serious, we could move things forward a bit more decisively.
But Yuzuru cut him off.
“Arisa’s wishes matter too.”
That much should go without saying, he added.
“I won’t do anything that pressures her into marriage—even indirectly. …This is my relationship. I’ll see it through myself. So I don’t need any unnecessary meddling.”
He stated his stance plainly to both his father and grandfather.
In other words—don’t you dare put pressure on Arisa, or the Amagi family.
Neither his father nor grandfather were bad people.
So ordinarily, they wouldn’t do something like that…
—but he couldn’t say that with absolute certainty.
At the end of the day, both of them acted in the interests of the Takasegawa family and its affiliated companies, and in some situations, they might not be picky about their methods.
Especially if they could justify it as supporting their son’s romance.
The Takasegawa family was known as “Takasegawa of political power,” in contrast to “Tachibana of financial power.”
They were a family with a strong tendency towards political manoeuvring—applying pressure and laying groundwork behind the scenes.
That was exactly why he needed to make his position clear.
“…Hmm.”
“Oh?”
Kazuya and Sougen raised their brows at this unexpected defiance from their son and grandson.
They didn’t look offended.
If anything, they seemed intrigued—perhaps even impressed.
From their reactions, Yuzuru judged they wouldn’t try to force the marriage.
…They wouldn’t risk causing conflict between the current and next heads of the family over Arisa alone.
Still, the atmosphere had grown slightly tense.
Sensing that…
“Wow, Onii-san! You’re totally head over heels, huh? I’m kinda jealous.”
“I feel like my son’s been stolen away… how sad.”
“My, my… Yuzuru’s grown into quite the young man.”
Ayumi teased him, Sayori chimed in playfully, and Chiwako spoke with heartfelt warmth.
Thanks to the three of them, the brief tension melted away.
After that, the Takasegawa family spent a lively and pleasant New Year’s Eve together.
