Yuzuru and Arisa walked side by side, their hands entwined, shoulders brushing.
There was no conversation between them.
Arisa kept her gaze lowered, her face tinged with embarrassment at how close Yuzuru was, while Yuzuru, for his part, subtly closed the distance even further. He pretended not to notice her flustered demeanour, looking straight ahead as they walked.
“U-um… Yuzuru-san.”
“What is it, Arisa?”
“Well… where are we heading?”
Unable to bear the silence any longer, Arisa finally spoke.
Of course, Yuzuru hadn’t brought her out without a destination in mind.
“There’s a shrine nearby. I’ve already done hatsumode First shrine visit of the New Year with my family, but… would you like to go pay a visit together?”
“…Yes. I think that sounds nice. I haven’t gone yet.”
Arisa gave a small nod.
Then, as if something had just occurred to her, she looked at Yuzuru with curiosity.
“Um… I heard your family is Christian?”
“Hm? Ah… well, technically we’re Protestant.”
“Is it alright for you to go to a shrine?”
“We’re not that strict about it.”
Going back to the Meiji period, the Takasegawa family had adopted Protestantism.
Though… it wasn’t because they were particularly moved by the faith. The reason was, in fact, highly political.
As a result, the head of the family at the time, though favourably disposed towards Protestantism, was never especially devout.
Naturally, the same was true for Yuzuru, his descendant.
“…Political reasons? Is it alright for me to ask?”
Arisa seemed genuinely interested in the history of the Takasegawa family.
For Yuzuru, the fact that she showed such keen interest in his family made him very happy.
Besides… one day, Arisa would become his wife.
That was already a settled matter in Yuzuru’s mind.
(How much should I tell her…?)
If he wanted to explain it properly, he’d have to go into the complex political and economic circumstances of the time, even the international situation surrounding Japan back then…
But that would likely bore Arisa, which was the last thing he wanted.
“At the time, the Takasegawa family supported modernisation and westernisation. So we took the lead and converted to Protestantism—that’s the gist of it.”
“Was there a reason you chose Protestantism in particular?”
“The Tachibana family had already converted to Catholicism. They were pro-France back then. …So, in opposition, our family took a pro-Germany stance and chose Protestantism. That’s how it went.”
In short, it was driven by rivalry with the Tachibana.
When Yuzuru explained it that way—
“…Were the Takasegawa and Tachibana families on bad terms in the past?”
His phrasing had made it sound as though the two families were at odds, and that seemed to catch Arisa’s attention.
She looked slightly uneasy, as if wondering whether it was alright to ask… yet her curiosity was unmistakably strong.
“Not just in the past… even now.”
“…Even now?”
“The Takasegawa and Tachibana families are fundamentally in opposition. Especially in domestic politics and foreign affairs—we often take completely opposite positions.”
In domestic politics.
In international relations.
It was almost a tradition for Takasegawa and Tachibana to belong to opposing camps.
“…Um, so are things actually tense between you?”
“No, not at all. We actually get along quite well.”
“…I don’t quite understand.”
“In simple terms… it’s like professional wrestling.”
Takasegawa and Tachibana always stood on opposite sides.
But that was merely a public performance.
After all, the world wasn’t simple enough to be neatly divided in two. Countless interests were tangled together.
“Professional wrestling…? Why would you do that?”
“It makes it easier to gain advantages, I suppose. Well… it’s complicated. Adult circumstances.”
In truth, even Yuzuru didn’t know the full details.
Even as their son, his father and grandfather weren’t the sort to casually share such information with a mere high school student.
“…Was it really alright to tell me about these ‘adult circumstances’?”
“It’s fine. The fact that Takasegawa and Tachibana appear to be in conflict, but that it’s really just an act—that much is already an open secret.”
If their rivalry were truly a closely guarded secret, then Yuzuru and Ayaka wouldn’t be attending the same school and getting along so openly.
“I see… That’s a relief. I was worried I might have learned something I shouldn’t have.”
“There’s not much I know that you shouldn’t.”
At that, Arisa let out a soft laugh.
Then, with a slightly mischievous smile, she asked:
“So there are some things?”
“…Well, a few.”
(I want to tell you how I feel—properly, in the right place, at the right time.)
Yuzuru murmured that quietly to himself.
And as they chatted like that, they arrived at the shrine.
They offered a five-yen coin and performed ni-rei ni-hakushu ichi-rei. Two bows, two claps, one bow—standard Shinto prayer ritual
On the way back—
Arisa asked Yuzuru—
“Did you make a wish?”
“Yeah.”
He answered briefly… then spoke of what he had wished for.
“That I can spend this year with you again, Arisa.”
He hadn’t prayed for his confession to go well.
Nor had he prayed that he could marry her.
Those were things he felt he should accomplish with his own hands.
Making Arisa happy wasn’t something to leave to the gods—it was his responsibility.
Yuzuru harboured that slightly foolish, possessive conviction.
“…It’s the same.”
“…The same?”
“I also… prayed that I can be with you this year as well, Yuzuru-san.”
As she said it, Arisa’s cheeks were faintly flushed.
And Yuzuru could feel his own ears growing warm.
They tightened their grip on each other’s hands.
After that… they walked home in silence.
And somehow, that silence felt comfortable.
