“A-Arisa… shall we step outside for a bit?”
“Mm… will you kiss me if we go out?”
“Yeah, I will. Come on, let’s go outside.”
Yuzuru forced her gently to her feet.
Arisa wobbled slightly as she stood—
Then suddenly sprang towards his face.
“Got you!”
“A-Arisa, w-wait—just hold on. I’ll do it properly…”
Yuzuru barely managed to dodge the kiss, grabbing her shoulders to stop her.
Arisa pouted.
“When are you going to do it?”
“Once we’re outside.”
“Where is ‘outside’?”
“For now, let’s go to the balcony. Get some fresh air.”
“Mm… if you don’t do it now, I won’t like it.”
“E-even if you say that…”
Yuzuru looked around for help—
But everyone else treated it like entertainment.
“Wow, Arisa-chan’s actually a lightweight…”
“She looks like she could handle her drink though.”
“I thought she’d be the type to down vodka without blinking.”
Ayaka, Chiharu, and Amaka commented freely.
Meanwhile, Soichiro and Sei—
Had turned their backs.
We’re not watching. Go ahead and kiss if you want.
That was the vibe.
“…Do you really want me to go outside that badly?”
Arisa said, as if relenting.
Yuzuru seized the opportunity.
“Yes! Please! …What do I need to do?”
“Carry me like a princess.”
“That’s easy enough!”
Yuzuru scooped her up.
Arisa looked satisfied, while Ayaka and the others let out impressed sounds.
“Alright… we’ll just step outside for a bit. …Ayaka-chan, could you open the door?”
“Sure, sure. Off you go.”
Ayaka opened the glass door.
As soon as Yuzuru stepped out carrying Arisa, she shut it—
Then even drew the curtains.
Now, whatever they did on the balcony couldn’t be seen from inside.
“For now… here, Arisa. Sit down—mmph—”
As Yuzuru tried to set her down—
Arisa grabbed his head with both hands and sealed his lips.
Her tongue slipped into his mouth.
Yuzuru’s eyes widened in shock.
For a while, he could only surrender to her—
It felt like a full minute had passed.
Eventually, Arisa pulled away, satisfied.
“Hah… Arisa. Feeling better now?”
Wiping his mouth, Yuzuru asked.
Arisa shook her head.
“Mm… not yet.”
“…What do you want me to do?”
“For now, sit down.”
He did as told, sitting on the chair opposite her.
Arisa stood—
“Ehehe.”
With a sweet giggle, she climbed onto his lap, facing him.
Then she cradled his head—
And pressed it against her chest.
Softness enveloped him.
“Yuzuru-san… you like this part of me, don’t you?”
“I-I do… but…”
Flustered, he admitted it.
Arisa nodded in satisfaction.
“You got engaged to me because you like me, right?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t want to be engaged to someone I don’t like.”
Yuzuru tilted his head slightly but answered without hesitation.
“You’re going to marry me because you love me, right?”
“Obviously. I wouldn’t marry someone I don’t love.”
Why ask that now? he thought.
(…Is it just the alcohol?)
He gave a small, inward smile—
But then—
“It’s not because it’s a political marriage, right?”
His heart skipped.
(…She’s still thinking about that.)
To Yuzuru, their engagement was a love match.
But that didn’t negate the fact that it was also political.
“…Yuzuru-san?”
Arisa called his name anxiously.
It would be easy to reassure her—
To say, “That’s right, it’s not political.”
But that would just be dodging the truth.
And the fact he’d hesitated already made that answer ring hollow.
So—
He chose honesty.
“…I’m the next head of the Takasegawa family. That means I have a duty to inherit it, to marry someone suitable, and to carry it on to the next generation.”
That was the purpose he’d been born with.
Simply by being born as the eldest son, he inherited wealth and influence—
And this was the price, the responsibility tied to it.
He couldn’t run from it.
Nor should he.
And he had no intention of doing so.
That’s why—
“I… am genuinely relieved—and happy—that I met you, that we became engaged, and that I get to walk through life with you. I’m truly glad you’re my fiancée.”
He would have to marry someone, no matter what.
So the option of not marrying someone he loved had never existed.
He wanted it to be someone he loved—
But that was still just a wish.
“And meeting someone I truly love… someone like you… is the greatest stroke of luck in my life. And being in a position where I can marry you… I’m glad I was born into the Takasegawa family.”
He was glad his political marriage partner was Arisa.
And glad he was in a position where that could happen.
That was his truth.
“…Is that not enough?”
“……”
After a brief silence—
Arisa murmured,
“I see… so that’s what you mean.”
She nodded slowly—
Then smiled brightly.
“To be able to make the person I love—you—happy… I think I’m incredibly fortunate too.”
