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Chapter 158 Part 2

It seemed that the open space right in front of the dojo was also used for training. Naturally, they went barefoot even in the dead of winter.

On top of that, from spring to summer, the dojo students were also called upon to clear the weeds; she said.

Her grandmother had been an employee of Komatsu Giken since the company was founded, and even now, their families were still close with each other, and she had been training kendo in the dojo since she was a child. Even now that she was a college student majoring in physical education, she still came to the dojo on Saturdays to train.

And then, it seemed she had known Sayaka since she was a child.

「Maybe it’s because of her lineage, but she’s very competitive and hardworking. That’s why her skills in the way of the sword surpassed that of her peers. It was to such an extent that if I wasn’t careful, she might even be able to beat me, who was two years older than her. But outside the dojo, she was a very friendly and lovable person. Moreover, she had a just and upright personality, helping the weak and suppressing the strong. I would say that since she was in elementary school, you could already see a glimpse that she was someone who would stand above the masses.」

The only Sayaka that Yuu knew of was the Sayaka after she entered Sairyou Academy.

However, now that he had heard such a story, he couldn’t help but want to know what the Sayaka of the past was like.

◇ ◇ ◇

「The esteemed guest has arrived.」

「Yuu-kun!」

「Hmm… Sayaka?」

Welcoming him as soon as the entrance’s sliding door was opened was Sayaka’s voice.

It seemed that she had been waiting for him, sitting in seiza on the step of the excessively spacious entrance.

Even though it was midsummer, she was dressed in a long-sleeved white blouse neatly buttoned up to the collar, with a red ribbon hanging down. On the bottom, she wore a long black skirt.

She wore her trademark long, lustrous black hair down as usual, but judging from the clean sides of her face, it looked like she had it half-up.

She was the very image of a refined young lady.

So beautiful.

He didn’t put it into words because there were other people around, but Yuu was once again captivated by her beauty.

Led by the woman who had guided them there, it was decided that the two security personnel would wait in a separate room, and Yuu, led by Sayaka, made his way to a large Japanese-style room that looked to be about 20 tatami mats in size and faced the garden.

The window facing the external corridor was thrown open, and a gentle breeze was coming in through the trees in the garden and over the pond, which was so long that it could be mistaken for a stream.

Suddenly, he heard a pleasant clacking sound.

When he looked toward the garden, he realized that it was a sound made by the shishi-odoshi (water-filled bamboo tube which clacks against a stone when emptied) that was pouring water into the pond.

Setting aside movies and dramas, this was the first time Yuu had seen one in real life, so he was overcome by a peculiar emotion.

And then, right now, sitting in seiza side by side with Sayaka, Yuu was seized by nervousness like never before.

He could tell that across the massive table carved out of a single slab of a giant tree, sitting on the left were Sayaka’s parents, and on the right were her grandparents.

「Nice to meet you. My name is Hirose Yuu. It is a pleasure to be able to meet you all, Sayaka… -san’s family, today.」

Before anyone else, Yuu offered a brief greeting and bowed to them, so all four of them showed a look of slight surprise on their faces.

「Oh my, that is very polite of you. I am Sayaka’s mother, Tomoka. Next to me is my husband, Hikaru.」

According to what Sayaka told him before, her mother, Tomoka, was the head of the marketing department at Komatsu’s head office.

She had neat short hair, perfect makeup, and was wearing a black suit on the top and bottom even though it was midsummer, which showed how flawless of a person she was.

She was the very image of a career woman who could handle her job well.

That said, she was a beautiful woman with sharp features, very much like Sayaka.

Both of her parents were probably around 40 years old.

They were the same age as Yuu prior to his rebirth, but they both had a youthful look.

While Tomoka boasted both radiant strength and beauty, it was hard to tell whether Hikaru could be called handsome, but he was a gentle and kind-looking man with a gentle, down-to-earth smile.

It didn’t seem like he was the kind of person who would angrily shout at him, 「I won’t give my daughter to you!」, even by mistake, so Yuu was relieved.

「I am Sayaka’s grandmother, Reika. This is my husband, Yoshioki.」

With her magnificent white hair tied up in a small bundle and dressed in a white kimono with a silver sash, Reika was probably at least 60 years old.

However, with her back straightened up and sharp eyes, her dignified bearing very much screamed that she was Sayaka’s grandmother.

In contrast to her small stature, she exuded an aura that she was no ordinary person from her entire body.

Perhaps this was the power of a leader who shouldered the weight of a large company.

It was a stark contrast to Sayaka’s grandfather – who was about 5 or 6 years older than her, whose hair had become completely bald from the forehead, and at a glance, gave off the impression of a good-natured old man – next to her.

In other words, while her father and grandfather were smiling and lightening the mood, her mother and grandmother, although they had a calm look on their faces, had eyes that seemed to be assessing Yuu.

They didn’t get down to business straight away, but instead amused themselves engaging in idle talks about things such as the weather that was getting hotter lately, school matters centered around Yuu and Sayaka’s work in the student council, and so on, for a while.

When Yuu praised the garden they walked through earlier, Reika began to share her extensive knowledge of gardening, and there was even a moment when she got stopped by Yoshioki as it looked like she was going to continue on forever.

A maid wearing a coverall apron brought them some cold tea, so they quenched their thirst, and as they did, the room quietened down, and the mood naturally turned into one urging them to get down to business.

「I have heard from Sayaka. It seems she’s pregnant. And the father of the child is you, Yuu-sama.」

「Yes. That’s right.」

Yuu nodded immediately at Tomoka’s words.

It’s finally here; he thought.

From here on was the real talk.

Tomoka nodded and loosened up her lips.

Seeing that no one here seemed to be rebuking her for getting pregnant, Yuu was relieved.

「With the world being as it is, it is quite the challenge for a woman to meet and get united in marriage with a man, so she has done very well. It was worth sending her to a co-ed school. I heard that although she was popular with the same sex, she was totally unpopular with the boys, after all. I heard you were younger than her, but I wonder if she had a good affinity with Yuu-sama.」

「Mother…」

As a matter of fact, it seemed that there were boys who harbored love and respect for Sayaka, but it was just that, there were none who went on the attack like Yuu; So he heard from Riko.

At any rate, so far, it looks like the flow is a welcoming one; it was understandable that Yuu thought as such.

After a short pause, he saw Tomoka take out a piece of paper.

No, on a closer look, it appeared to be not just one piece, but several pieces of paper stacked together.

Seeing that, Sayaka tilted her head. She probably hadn’t heard anything about it.

Tomoka said in a very serious tone.

「Regardless of whether it’s a boy or girl, at least, with this, the direct lineage of Komatsu won’t be severed, so it puts me at ease. The born baby will be raised as the child of the man Sayaka will eventually marry. Naturally, we will give you enough gratuity money to live a life of leisure for the of your life, so you can rest assured, Yuu-sama.」

What Tomoka presented was a contract stating that Yuu would relinquish his parental rights to the child to be born, and that he would receive a sum of gratuity money with many zeros in it, so many that he couldn’t grasp the figure right away.