3 bar menu

Chapter 159 Part 2

After putting away her pocket blade, Tomoka, still in the same posture, slid back, and then straightened herself.

「Here, I have confirmed the true feelings held by Yuu-sama and Sayaka. I am terribly sorry for deliberately asking such a mean question and testing both of you.」

Tomoka bowed her head deeply.

「No. The fault lies with me here. When it was decided that we would invite Yuu-sama over, I proposed to ask him to transfer his parental rights with a fake contract, and made Tomoka play such a role, you see. I am really sorry, both of you.」

「To be honest, I certainly had some misgivings before we met, but Yuu-kun, the person Sayaka chose, is a fine young man. I’m sorry for not being able to trust my own grandchild.」

Reika, Yoshioki, and even Hikaru, who must have heard about it beforehand, all bowed their heads.

「It, it is fine… Please lift your heads!」

「Umm… I was certainly surprised, but I get it now, so!」

The four of them raised their heads at Yuu and Sayaka’s flustered words, and when their eyes met once again, they broke into a smile.

Suddenly, a question occurred to Yuu.

「Umm, what about her fiancé?」

「Ah, I suppose we have to talk about that too.」

「You’re right.」

Tomoka and Hikaru nodded to each other.

Sayaka stayed silent and assumed a listening posture.

「It’s true that strengthening our ties with the Osugi family, owners of one of the leading electronics manufacturers in Japan, would be beneficial for the Komatsu family. However, we had no thought of ignoring Sayaka’s feelings and pushing it all the way to marriage. To begin with, it was a matter that was brought up as the other party was so keen on it, so we decided to wait and see how things went until you graduated from high school. Which means, in the end, it was all up to you, Sayaka.」

「But…」

「Yes, I know. That, albeit in a clumsy manner, you have tried to get close to him. But it looks like it was only the mother who was enthusiastic, and the son, the related party, was not keen on it at all. Even if we had pushed through with the marriage, who knows if it would have worked out…」

「It depends on how Sayaka feels, but depending on the situation, we thought it might be best to break off the engagement when she graduates from high school and let her seek a new encounter, you see. Now that Sayaka has found a suitable partner, we don’t mind at all even if her engagement with the son of the Osugi family is called off. No, if anything, let us do so.」

As expected, after learning that her parents’ trains of thoughts were not so rigid that they would go as far as deciding on their daughter’s marriage just based on the benefit of the family or company, Yuu and Sayaka were relieved.

「And then, Yuu-sama.」

「Yes.」

「We didn’t have much time after hearing about you from Sayaka, but we took the liberty to look into it. The fact that your mother works for a newspaper company. And that your father is the late Toyota Sakuya-shi.」

「Huh?! D, d, don’t tell me, that…」

「Sorry, I haven’t told you about it, have I, Sayaka? That being said, it’s also only recently that I really found out about my father, though.」

When Sakuya passed away, Sayaka was only about 1 or 2 years old.

However, he was such a famous person that even now he was still regularly featured on TV and in weekly magazines, so it seemed that she knew what kind of person he was.

He had 20 official wives, and countless mistresses and women with whom he had momentary affairs. Not caring whether they were Japanese or foreign, he accepted them all.

It was certain that the children born to him numbered more than 100. Some even said it was more than 200. However, the number of boys was unknown. It was said to be 10 or 20, but the actual number was kept secret, so it was unknown.

Not only had he continued to be the object of admiration of the great majority of women since before he came of age, but he also actively moved around as the ambassador of male-female socializing.

In the end, he lost his life due to getting accidentally stabbed as he tried to settle a quarrel between his wives.

Such was the general perception of him.

「Yuu-kun’s father was… that Toyota Sakuya-shi…」

With the person in question right in front of her, Sayaka recalled Yuu’s actions thus far, and she was readily convinced that his bloodline had definitely been passed down.

「Marriage is not just about the feelings of the two people involved, it’s also about relationships between the families, you see. In that respect, even now, there are still voices of admiration for Sakuya among the middle and young ranks of the political and business world, after all.」

「Yes, in that sense, creating ties with Yuu-sama is something the Komatsu family would greatly welcome, so we would never consider rejecting it.」

Reika and Tomoka both looked at Yuu.

Their expressions were completely different from before, and it was clear that they were expressing their welcome.

As for Yuu, he was inwardly surprised that his father’s name had popped up even here.

He had heard many things about his father whom he had never met, but honestly speaking, he didn’t know how he should feel about him.

However, to women of a certain generation, he was undoubtedly treated as an idol or a legend.

As it had a positive effect on him, perhaps he could only welcome it.

「Err… In any case, could I take it that you allow my relationships with Sayaka?」

「Yes, of course. Please take good care of Sayaka.」

「Yes! I’ll make her happy!」

「Yuu-kun!」

Yuu’s love for Sayaka only grew as she clung to his arm tightly.

He wanted to continue embracing her just like that, but as expected, he was hesitant to do so in front of her family.

「That reminds me. I believe it was towards the end of Tomoka’s second year in college.」

「Huh?!」

「You’re right. She suddenly brought Hikaru-kun over and said, 『I’m going to marry this guy!』. Until then, she hadn’t showed any interest in men at all, so it truly was like a bolt out of the blue.」

「Yup, yup. Six months later, her belly started to swell.」

「T-t-t, there’s no need to talk about me!」

「But I was the one who confessed to her, you know. At first, I thought she was cool, not just beautiful, but also quick-witted and confident, but when we were alone, she had a really cute side.」

「D, dear!」

It seemed that even Tomoka was embarrassed when her past prior to their marriage was brought up.

Her face turned bright red and she started hitting Hikaru to stop him from talking.

The scene looked like nothing but flirting.

「Then, grandfather, grandmother, how did your two meet and end up getting married?」

「Us, huh. You see, we were actually childhood friends who lived in the same neighborhood.」

「Childhood friends?!」

「And then, and then?」

「Since we’re at this already, tell us how you two got together, too!」

As Sayaka suddenly turned the spotlight to them, Reika was startled and thought about silencing her husband, but it seemed she was too late.

Yoshioki began to talk with a wide smile on his face, and not only Yuu and Sayaka, but even Tomoka, who welcomed the change of topic, listened with great interest.

「You see, since I was in elementary school, I went to Komatsu’s dojo to learn kendo even though I was a boy. Unfortunately, my skills didn’t improve much, so I decided to quit when I graduated from elementary school. Then, a girl who was skilled enough to compete for the first place among the lower grades of elementary school at the time said this to me. 『Onii-sama, I will protect you. So please be at ease.』」

「「「Ooh!」」」

「S, stop it…」

This time, Reika’s face turned bright red and she ended up casting her eyes down.

「Back then, with the exception of a few wealthy families, it wasn’t customary for middle school boys to have guards accompanying them to and from school. At most, they would have their mothers, who had time to spare, take them to and from school. In those days, there weren’t many houses around this area, and it was pitch black at night, making it dangerous, so Reika took the trouble of taking a detour to accompany me to and from school. The following year, her younger sister Ritsuka also joined us. The sisters did actually fend off suspicious adults that showed up near my house, you know? There’s no way I wouldn’t find such reliable and cute childhood friends lovely. As we continued to spend time together for years, we fell in love with each other for real, and when Reika turned 18 and Ritsuka turned 17, I proposed to them.」

「Ufufu. Grandmother and grandaunt are…」

「Wh, what is it?」

「You’re so lovely!」

「You’re right. I think so, too.」

As the atmosphere took one eighty and turned into one full of smiles, Yuu recalled the words he had heard the other day.

「According to the traditions of the Komatsu family, Yuu-kun is more suitable.」

So Riko had said.

In other words, for generations, the couples of the Komatsu family had been united in marriage after falling in love with each other while they were still young and eventually had children.

Yuu wrapped his arm around Sayaka’s shoulder and murmured.

「How nice. I want to become a family with such wonderful people; that’s my honest thought now.」

「Yuu-kun…Thank you.」

Overcome with emotion, Sayaka closed her eyes, and rested her head on Yuu’s shoulder.