“…I’m worried.”
On the day Yukishiro Arisa and Amagi Naoki went to the Takasegawa household to pay their respects, Amagi Taisho—who had returned home—spent the entire time restless and on edge.
The reason was obvious: Arisa had gone to the Takasegawa house.
In Taisho’s mind, Arisa had been sold off to the Takasegawa family in exchange for a large sum of money.
And now he couldn’t help but worry that she might be treated cruelly by them.
“I think you’re worrying too much… Onii-sama.”
The one who gently chided him was Amagi Mei.
A sixth-year primary school student, and Taisho’s younger sister by about seven years.
“From what I can see… Arisa-san doesn’t look like she’s unhappy.”
Mei recalled how Arisa had been acting lately.
In the room she’d been given—though in truth it was just a converted storage room—Arisa spent her days gazing at the necklace her fiancé had given her, smiling to herself.
As her stepsister, it was nice to see her older sister looking happy.
But still… it was a bit—no, quite—creepy.
(That’s probably a brand-name piece… I’m jealous, Arisa-san…)
The Amagi household was, on the surface, considered fairly well-off.
But in reality, they weren’t particularly comfortable.
Of course, they lived above a middle-class standard…
…but only by stretching themselves thin.
There was no way a primary schooler like Mei could own anything from a luxury brand.
“Of course she doesn’t look unhappy. There’s no way Arisa could say she hates it.”
She’s just hiding her true feelings.
She must hate it—there’s no doubt in his mind.
Hearing that, Mei couldn’t entirely deny it.
“…Well, maybe that’s true.”
As a child, Mei didn’t know the full background behind this arranged marriage…
But she had a vague sense that a large amount of money was involved.
And given Arisa’s personality, she probably wouldn’t be able to refuse.
As Taisho and Mei continued talking—
“Hmph… After being so picky all this time, she has no right to start complaining now.”
A displeased snort cut into their conversation.
It was their mother, Amagi Emi.
It was common knowledge that she disliked Arisa intensely.
And she had been especially irritable about this “engagement.”
Despite saying she would accept a marriage proposal, Arisa had repeatedly rejected matches, choosing men to her liking—that attitude alone irritated Emi.
And though Taisho and Mei didn’t know it, there was another reason:
Arisa had effectively taken Takasegawa Yuzuru—who had originally been considered as a match for Emi’s biological daughter, Mei.
On top of that, Emi believed Arisa was playing the tragic heroine and poisoning Yuzuru against her.
Arisa’s behaviour reminded Emi strongly of her own sister—Arisa’s mother.
“Don’t bring up such things.”
Just when that unpleasant presence—Arisa—wasn’t around, hearing her children talk about her, and even worry about her, irritated Emi.
She forcibly cut the conversation short.
Unable to push back against their mother, the two fell silent as told.
Though Taisho still looked dissatisfied.
That night.
After Emi, Arisa, and Mei had all gone to sleep, Naoki and Taisho sat facing each other.
“…So, Father. What did you want to talk about?”
Taisho spoke with clear displeasure.
It was rare for Naoki to call him over like this.
Usually, when Naoki said he had something to discuss, it meant a lecture.
Even now, as a university student, Taisho still carried a trace of teenage rebellion, and being lectured by his father was hardly pleasant—especially when he had no idea what he’d done.
“Last November, we received a formal complaint from the Takasegawa family. Do you have any idea why?”
“…I don’t recall doing anything wrong.”
Taisho frowned, clearly irritated.
He already regarded the Takasegawa family as enemies, so anything involving them—or Arisa’s marriage—was something he didn’t even want to hear about.
Besides, the last time he’d seen Yuzuru had been during the summer holidays.
The timing didn’t match.
“It seems you spoke about the marriage between the two families to an outsider. Is that incorrect?”
Only then did Taisho understand what this was about.
It seemed that what he had told Kobayashi Shota regarding Arisa’s marriage had reached the Takasegawa family.
There had been no official announcement yet regarding the engagement between Takasegawa Yuzuru and Yukishiro Arisa.
That was the policy agreed upon by both families.
Therefore, it wasn’t something to be carelessly shared.
Though in truth, it wasn’t an absolute secret.
Prominent families like Tachibana, Kaminishi, and Satake—as well as politicians like Kaibara—had likely already heard of it.
It wasn’t about hiding the information.
But those directly involved were not supposed to state it outright.
It was meant to remain an open secret—that was the agreement.
“…I only told one of Arisa’s friends.”
To Taisho, it all seemed ridiculous.
If everyone already knew, what was the point in keeping quiet?
Besides, Kobayashi Shota wasn’t just “some outsider”—he was Arisa’s friend.
That was Taisho’s argument.
“That is precisely what we mean by an outsider.”
Naoki dismissed him without hesitation.
Then, in a firm, measured tone, he continued:
“I told you this engagement is important—for the company, for both families, and for Arisa. What would you have done if your careless actions had caused it to fall through?”
“If it’s so fragile that this could break it, then it shouldn’t exist in the first place!”
Taisho snapped back.
After all, he wanted the engagement to be broken.
Naoki sighed.
“That’s not the only issue. It seems you also fed false information to a boy who has feelings for Arisa. I’ve heard that, because of that, he attempted to harm Arisa and the Takasegawa daughter.”
In reality, the boy had simply been verbally crushed and utterly defeated by Ayumi.
But the possibility of harm couldn’t be denied.
Yuzuru—who had been far angrier than he let on—had reported it to his parents in a way that suggested as much.
As a result, Kobayashi Shota’s reputation had taken a severe hit.
But to Yuzuru—calm, cold, and calculating—a boy like Shota was of no importance.
All that mattered was the safety of his beloved younger sister and the woman he loved.
“Harm? …He’s not that kind of person!”
“I’m not interested in your impression. Did you spread false information or not?”
“I didn’t lie.”
“I’ve heard you described it as though the Takasegawa family used money and power to threaten Arisa, take her away, and force Yuzuru-kun upon her. Is that incorrect?”
“…Because that’s exactly what happened.”
Taisho insisted he had only spoken the truth.
Naoki frowned.
“…It seems you’ve misunderstood. Even before Arisa’s marriage, there were already business dealings and loans involved with the Takasegawa family. The marriage between Yuzuru-kun and Arisa is for the sake of strengthening ties between our families.”
“That’s just a matter of phrasing. The fact remains—Arisa is being used as a sacrifice.”
Taisho believed that Yuzuru was either in love with Arisa—or worse, desired her body—and was using his family’s power to take her.
To him, that was unquestionable truth.
And even if it weren’t, even if Naoki were right and this marriage was for mutual benefit, it didn’t change the fact that Arisa was being offered up.
Hearing that, Naoki’s eyes widened.
It was true that Arisa had endured hardship…
But Taisho’s interpretation was far removed from his own.
“She is not a sacrifice, nor did I intend for her to be one. I considered her happiness as well. The Takasegawa family is one of the most prestigious families in the country. If she marries into that house, her future will be secure. And Arisa herself wishes for this match.”
This time, Taisho looked exasperated.
If Naoki truly believed that, then—at least in Taisho’s eyes—he was gravely mistaken.
“She wants this? There’s no way Arisa would want it.”
“And how would you know that? She told me herself that she wants to marry Yuzuru-kun. Even before that, the matchmaking meetings were arranged because she said she wanted to try.”
Naoki had been working hard to rebuild the Amagi family fortunes.
But their future was far from secure.
Before their dealings with the Takasegawa family, his company had been on the verge of collapse.
Thinking of Arisa’s future, it wasn’t unreasonable to find her a good match early.
So he had suggested it to her.
Would she like to try meeting prospective partners?
That didn’t mean she had to marry anyone.
If she didn’t like them, she could refuse.
If she found no one suitable, that was fine too.
And if she had refused outright, he would have dropped the matter entirely.
In the end, Arisa had seemed willing.
She hadn’t shown any resistance—she had nodded.
After several meetings, when it seemed she hadn’t taken a liking to anyone, he had been ready to stop—
When, at just that moment, the Takasegawa family approached with news that Yuzuru had taken an interest in Arisa.
That was how it happened.
As Naoki finished explaining, Taisho let out a heavy sigh—then slammed his hand on the table.
“You don’t understand Arisa at all!! You haven’t been paying attention to your own child!!”
“That’s not—”
“If you asked her whether she wanted to go to matchmaking meetings, in her position, there’s no way she could say no!!”
Shouting that, Taisho stood abruptly and stormed off to his room.
Naoki sat there in stunned silence for a while.
“…I see. So that’s how it was.”
At last, he muttered quietly, pressing a hand to his head.
“…If that’s the case, then I’ve done something I should apologise for.”
