As they sipped their tea and made small talk—
another visitor appeared, sliding open the shoji door.
“It has been a while, Yuzuru-dono.”
A small elderly man stood there, a white beard resting on his chin.
He wore a kimono and leaned on a cane, as though his legs were weak.
Only his eyes were sharp—piercingly so.
Ryouzenji Kiyoshi.
The current chairman of the “Ryouzenji” organisation.
“Ryouzenji-san, it’s been a while.”
Feeling a bit apologetic for making an elderly man with poor legs come all this way, Yuzuru started to stand—
but Kiyoshi shook his head.
“No need. Please remain seated.”
Before long, with Hijiri rushing to support him, Kiyoshi lowered himself heavily onto a zabuton.
Then his sharp gaze turned to Arisa.
She straightened her posture immediately.
“Pleased to meet you. I am Yukishiro Arisa, a classmate of Hijiri-kun. Thank you very much for having me today.”
“Hm… Yukishiro Arisa. So you are Yuzuru-dono’s fiancée.”
“Y-yes… I am …Yuzuru-san’s fiancée.”
Saying that, Arisa’s cheeks flushed slightly in embarrassment.
Watching her, Kiyoshi gave a faint smile.
“Fuhahaha… what a charming young lady, Yuzuru-dono.”
“Yes. She’s far too good for someone like me.”
As he said that, Yuzuru gently squeezed Arisa’s hand.
Arisa let out a flustered, “W-wait…”
Seeing their affectionate exchange, Kiyoshi narrowed his eyes in satisfaction.
“Excellent, excellent… Though I must say, I envy the Takasegawa elder. I wish my own grandson would hurry up and get one or two girlfriends and put my mind at ease.”
“Two would be a problem…”
Hijiri cut in dryly.
Ignoring him, Kiyoshi turned back to Arisa.
“As the future Mrs Takasegawa, it would be proper for me to pay my respects to you personally. …I shall come to offer my greetings at the New Year.”
“Ah, no, that’s really…”
Arisa looked visibly flustered.
It was only natural.
A man far older than her—and the head of the entire Ryouzenji organisation—was showing her deference.
By ordinary standards of seniority, she should be the one bowing her head, not him.
(…What’s the correct response here?)
Under normal conventions, Arisa would be the one in the lower position.
But… would those conventions even apply here?
(I’m… Yuzuru-san’s fiancée, and… the Takasegawa family ranks above the Ryouzenji… If I act too modestly, could that affect Yuzuru-san’s standing…?)
Such thoughts raced through her mind in an instant.
But she couldn’t remain silent.
“Yes. At the New Year… I intend to visit the Takasegawa household with my father to offer our greetings. I would be honoured if we could meet again then.”
When Arisa answered clearly, Kiyoshi gave a small nod.
“…Very good. I shall look forward to it.”
There was a hint of amusement in his voice.
Meanwhile, Yuzuru frowned.
“Ryouzenji-san… I’d appreciate it if you didn’t put my fiancée on the spot like that.”
“Chairman… it’s rather unbecoming for an elder to toy with a young lady like that.”
Hijiri also spoke sharply.
Kiyoshi stroked his beard in an exaggerated manner.
“Now then, I wonder what you mean…”
He tilted his head, feigning ignorance.
At that point, even Arisa realised.
She had been tested.
Only now did her heart begin to pound with delayed tension.
“Well, my apologies. Unfortunately, my son and my other grandson are both out at the moment. …Still, if we shall meet at the New Year, there is no issue.”
As if to brush it aside, Kiyoshi turned his gaze back to Yuzuru.
“Time does fly. It feels like only yesterday that I was celebrating the marriage of Kazuya-dono and Ayu-san. And now their son has a fiancée… and in a few years, will have a family of his own. No wonder I’ve grown old.”
He spoke with a nostalgic tone.
Yet his eyes still gleamed sharply.
“These past few decades have changed so quickly. So many things shift in the blink of an eye. The Ryouzenji, the Takasegawa… For instance, the heirs of Takasegawa and Uenishi studying at the same school—such a thing would have been unthinkable before.”
As if reminiscing about the past—
and feeling both awe and a touch of loneliness at the passage of time.
“Yet some things do not change. …Friendship, for example. When money runs out, so too can relationships. That is precisely why friendships that do not waver for the sake of money have value. Would you not agree?”
Those were, coincidentally, the very same words Kazuya had once said to Yuzuru.
But that wasn’t surprising.
Most likely, they were words spoken by Yuzuru’s great-grandfather—passed down through both the Takasegawa and Ryouzenji families.
“Yes… my father has said the same. And I feel the same way. I hope to remain close friends with Hijiri—with Hijiri-kun—on a personal level.”
Kiyoshi nodded, clearly pleased.
“Oh? Kazuya-dono said the same… Splendid. No matter how the relationship between Takasegawa and Ryouzenji may change, knowing that you young ones will remain friends puts this old man at ease.”
He was asking that things remain as they were—that Yuzuru and the others continue as equals, as close friends.
Yuzuru gave a firm nod.
Then, after a brief moment of thought, he spoke calmly, a gentle smile on his face.
“Of course. The Ryouzenji are allies of the Takasegawa. That will not change in my generation. I intend to faithfully carry on my great-grandfather’s will.”
In other words—
the hierarchy between the Takasegawa and the Ryouzenji would remain unchanged.
