The moment he heard those words from Chiharu—
Yuzuru found himself quietly nodding in understanding.
I see.
Ayaka, Chiharu, and Amaka were friends of Arisa.
And by “friends”, that wasn’t just in practice—it was how everyone around them saw it too.
Since the study session, the four of them—though not often, given they were in different classes—had been having lunch together and chatting.
People had noticed.
So it wasn’t strange at all for Ayaka or Chiharu to invite Arisa to eat.
And likewise… it wasn’t strange for Ayaka or Chiharu to invite Yuzuru either.
It was common knowledge that Yuzuru was close with them.
On the surface, Yuzuru and Arisa had no direct connection within the school’s social circles.
But with Ayaka and the others acting as intermediaries, that connection became a strong one.
They’d grown closer through Ayaka, and gradually been drawn to each other.
A perfectly natural progression.
“…Yeah, sure.”
Having resurfaced from his thoughts, Yuzuru gave his answer to Ayaka.
Then he turned his gaze behind him—towards Arisa.
“What about you, Yukishiro-san…?”
That way of addressing her felt nostalgic.
Letting himself indulge in that faint sense of reminiscence, Yuzuru asked.
Meanwhile, Arisa, suddenly addressed, blinked in surprise at first—
But quickly regained herself and smiled.
“I don’t mind either, Takasegawa-san…”
That too sounded just a little nostalgic.
The place they chose for lunch was the cafeteria.
The group consisted of Ayaka, Chiharu, Yuzuru, Arisa, Soichiro, Hijiri, and Amaka.
Though—
“…This is the first time the seven of us have gathered at school.”
Hijiri muttered that under his breath.
The last time all seven had been together was during the study session—and this was the first time they’d all met at school like this.
“That’s true. I suppose this means we’ve finally become ‘official’ friends, in a sense.”
The one who made that rather meaningful remark was Amaka.
Hijiri immediately picked up on it.
“You scheming woman…”
“Oh my, how rude. Wanting to become closer with Ayaka-san, Takasegawa-kun, and Satake-kun… is only natural, isn’t it?”
She declared it openly.
In other words, she had all but admitted that her approach towards Yuzuru, Ayaka, and Soichiro was motivated by their family backgrounds.
…That said, none of the three were particularly shocked.
They’d known her intentions from the start.
For the Nagiri family, it was only natural to want ties with Takasegawa or Tachibana—even if they couldn’t receive their protection outright.
They’d expected she would make contact eventually, and when she did, their reaction had simply been: as expected.
So for Yuzuru and Ayaka, what mattered wasn’t her intent—but the fact that she’d stated it so plainly.
Which meant—
“I look forward to your continued favour, everyone.”
Amaka smiled mischievously, even sticking her tongue out slightly.
(A little devil.)
That was the word that crossed Yuzuru’s mind.
I approached you all for your family backgrounds—and I’d like to think we’ve become close enough that I can admit that openly.
From here on, please treat me well—not just as a friend, but as a business partner too.
That was how Yuzuru interpreted her words.
He couldn’t help but let out a wry smile.
It was a skilful way of putting things—one that didn’t leave a bad impression.
As expected of Nagiri’s heir, a daughter of a religious family.
She was eloquent.
Up to this point, nothing had particularly surprised Yuzuru, but—
“By all means, if the opportunity arises, do let me earn your favour too, alright?”
With a wink and a smile, Amaka said that—and Yuzuru felt his heart leap.
Her gaze drifted towards the lunchboxes of Yuzuru and Arisa.
Yes… the contents of their bento were exactly the same.
Of course, it was already common knowledge among them that Arisa made Yuzuru’s lunches.
So, combined with that earlier glance, the intent behind her deliberately looking at their bento was—
I don’t mind giving you advice on your love life.
I’m rooting for you.
That was the most reasonable way to take it.
(…Ah, so she’s working together with Hijiri.)
At that moment, Yuzuru realised that the flow of the conversation had been carefully orchestrated by Amaka and Hijiri.
…He was grateful for the support, but at the same time, he felt slightly teased.
No—there was definitely an element of teasing in it.
He couldn’t just let that pass, not as a member of the Takasegawa family, nor as himself.
“…Yeah. I’ll be sure to rely on you when the time comes. And Nagiri-san—you’re welcome to rely on me as well. An ally of Ryouzenji is, by extension, an ally of Takasegawa.”
On the surface, it sounded like a detached, almost mechanical statement emphasising ties between families.
But considering the closeness between Hijiri and Amaka, it instantly turned into a jab at their relationship.
And it seemed his intent got through.
Both of them made slightly awkward expressions.
“Now that you mention it—when did you and Amaka-san become acquainted, Ryouzenji-san?”
As if following up, Arisa directed that question at the pair.
She wasn’t foolish—quite the opposite, in fact.
While she hadn’t been trained in this sort of verbal sparring like Yuzuru, Ayaka, or Amaka, she could tell when someone was being teased—and she could push back too.
“Hmm… well, since middle school, I suppose.”
“That’s right. …Our families had ties before that, but we grew closer a few years ago.”
We’re asking about your relationship, not your families.
Just as Yuzuru and Arisa were about to press further—
Hijiri quite blatantly changed the subject.
“The improvement in relations between Takasegawa and Uenishi happened in parallel, didn’t it?”
“That’s right. Takasegawa and Ryouzenji are closely connected, just as Uenishi and Nagiri are… so first Takasegawa and Uenishi repaired their relationship, and then Ryouzenji and Nagiri grew closer.”
The relationship between Takasegawa and Ryouzenji dated back to the post-war period.
Ryouzenji had risen after Takasegawa provided political and financial support to Hijiri’s great-grandfather.
Back then, Ryouzenji had been something like a subordinate organisation to Takasegawa.
Now, they were already independent—but Ryouzenji still hadn’t forgotten that debt.
And Takasegawa remained an important client.
Takasegawa was, for better or worse, “massive”—so an organisation like Ryouzenji, which handled all sorts of matters, was extremely useful.
On the other hand, the relationship between Uenishi and Nagiri was simpler.
Uenishi was, in a sense, the “boss” of the Kansai region.
And since both were religious families, it was only natural for Nagiri to seek guidance from Uenishi.
So long as relations between Takasegawa and Uenishi were bad, Ryouzenji and Nagiri had to tread carefully.
Conversely, once those relations improved, it became easier for them to draw closer.
(Though in reality… it’s probably the other way around.)
If Yuzuru’s memory was correct, Ryouzenji and Nagiri had grown close even earlier—before he was born.
It made more sense that their connection came first, and through them, Takasegawa and Uenishi had gradually bridged the gap.
…Just like how Ayaka and Chiharu had acted as intermediaries between him and Arisa on the surface.
“…Improved? Were your family and Chiharu-san’s not on good terms before?”
Arisa tilted her head.
Come to think of it, Yuzuru realised he’d never explained the relationship between Takasegawa and Uenishi to her.
“Hm, you didn’t know? I thought their bad blood was quite well-known.”
“I’m not very familiar with that sort of thing…”
Arisa shrank slightly as she replied to Soichiro.
Unlike Yuzuru, who’d been educated in such matters as a future head, Arisa seemed to lack that knowledge.
It appeared that Amagi Naoki hadn’t taught her much about it.
Though it was also possible he didn’t know much himself.
“Um… is it like the relationship between your family and Ayaka-san’s?”
“Ahaha, well, Tachibana and Takasegawa do have a bad relationship—but we’re also relatives, so it’s more like staged wrestling. …It’s nowhere near as bad as Takasegawa and Uenishi used to be.”
Ayaka answered with a laugh.
At that, Hijiri and Amaka leaned forward.
“I’ve heard their relationship was once terrible, but I don’t know the details.”
“And since we have the people involved right here, I’d love to hear more.”
There was no lie in their words—
But if anything, it felt less like curiosity and more like consideration for Arisa.
And a way to naturally prompt Yuzuru and Chiharu to explain.
“To put it simply, they clashed during the Meiji Restoration—over land acquisitions and disputes about former privileges.”
“On the political side, things like haibutsu kishaku and State Shinto came into play…”
“Our shrine practises shinbutsu shugou Syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism, and in the first place, our lineage of belief differs from Ise Jingu The central Shinto shrine tied to the imperial line. So having those imposed on us would be a problem.”
“Takasegawa supported the imperial faction and was at the forefront of the new government. In contrast—”
“Our side was more neutral, leaning slightly towards the shogunate. That probably made us a target.”
“And so, skirmishes broke out…”
“And from then on, relations were effectively severed.”
“Though things have improved significantly now, so it’s nothing to worry about.”
That was roughly how they explained it to Arisa.
In reality, relations had improved to the point that a marriage proposal between Yuzuru and Chiharu had even been discussed—
But Yuzuru kept that to himself, as it would only invite unnecessary misunderstanding.
“I see… So when you say your line of belief is different, what does that mean exactly?”
Arisa’s curiosity seemed to shift towards Chiharu’s shrine.
Perhaps she thought dwelling too much on the Takasegawa–Uenishi feud wasn’t ideal—or perhaps she was simply interested.
Probably both.
“Our shrine is quite old. According to tradition, it’s existed for over two thousand years…”
Asked about her family, Chiharu replied cheerfully.
Her family was the oldest among them—
…Though that was only based on tradition, so it shouldn’t be taken at face value.
Within the verifiable family records, it went back about a thousand years—but even then, there was no guarantee it had continued strictly through direct maternal lineage.
Claims like that were best taken with a grain of salt, and Chiharu herself likely didn’t fully believe it either.
Even so, it was still by far the oldest.
“Wow… that’s amazing! Are there any other unique features?”
“Yes—the most notable would be that we follow a matrilineal succession. Researchers often visit, you know. Apparently, it’s a valuable remnant of when Japan was a matriarchal society, or so they say.”
Matrilineal succession.
In other words, inheritance—both property and rituals—passed from mother to child.
Which meant Chiharu’s son… and his children, whether sons or daughters, would not inherit the Uenishi lineage.
“That’s fascinating… So does that mean you’ll eventually take a husband into your family, Chiharu-san?”
For a brief moment, Arisa glanced towards Soichiro.
But Chiharu shook her head.
“No, I won’t be taking a husband. As the one who inherits the Uenishi house, I can’t marry. Fufu—it means devoting myself to the gods, after all.”
She placed a hand on her chest as she said it, looking proud.
There wasn’t the slightest hint of anxiety or dissatisfaction about her future.
Meanwhile, Arisa looked slightly confused.
Not being able to marry didn’t sound particularly happy—and more than that, she couldn’t understand how matrilineal succession would work without marriage.
“Um… then, what do you do? About… children, I mean—your successor. Would you adopt?”
“No, of course not. I’ll give birth myself.”
“…?”
Arisa tilted her head in confusion.
Chiharu, on the other hand, wore a mischievous grin.
Then she shot a glance at Yuzuru.
Don’t spoil it.
Yuzuru, Soichiro, Ayaka, and Amaka all understood.
Hijiri, meanwhile, leaned forward slightly—it seemed he wasn’t familiar with Uenishi’s beliefs.
“But… you can’t marry, right? Um… then who with?”
At Arisa’s question, Chiharu answered as if she’d been waiting for it.
“Well, obviously—my father.”
“…!?!?!?!?”
Arisa’s eyes went wide.
Hijiri, for his part, dropped his chopsticks.
