I Thought She Was the One, but It Turned Out to Be a Fake Confession, so I Decided to Break Up With Her
โโฆItโs been a while, Chihiro-san.โ
When Daiki replied, a long silence fell between the two of them.
Hina turned her face toward Daiki and asked cautiously.
โUmโฆ who is this?โ
โOh, sorry. How should I put thisโฆ? Sheโs my grandfatherโs personal secretary.โ
Chihiro gave Hina a slight bow.
โNice to meet you, young lady. As he said, Iโm the chairmanโs personal secretary. Iโve known the young master since he was a childโIโve even seen him wet the bedโso please rest assured that our relationship is by no means inappropriate.โ
โOh, yes. My name is Hina Honjo. And actually, I wasnโt worried about that at all. I was just wondering what kind of person you wereโฆโ
โโฆโฆAre you trying to say Iโm too old to be a match for the young master? Thatโs rightโafter all, young women are the best! Men say that, and now even other women are saying the same thing about me!! Whenever I go to a class reunion, they always look at me like thatโโ
Daiki soothed Chihiro, who was speaking faster and faster, saying, โPlease calm down.โ
Watching Chihiro like that, Hina thought to herself that it was honestly quite unsightly, and resolved that she would never end up like that as she got older.
Chihiro cleared her throat with a โAhemโ and regained her composure.
โAnyway, Iโm glad to see youโre doing well. And youโve even found such a cute girlfriend.โ
โRight? Sheโs almost too good for me.โ
Daiki turned his face slightly toward Hina and gave a small smile.
Seeing this, Chihiroโs expression softened with relief.
โBy the way, what about grandfather? Since youโre here, that means heโs nearby too, right?โ
โHeโs waiting in that car over there. If Young Master would like to meet him, I can call him overโwhat do you think?โ
Hina cautiously studied Daikiโs face.
Daiki wore a complex expression.
From Hinaโs perspective, it didnโt seem like he absolutely didnโt want to meet the chairmanโwhom he referred to as โGrandpaโโbut he didnโt seem to be welcoming him with open arms either.
โUm, Chihiro. I know it might be a bit rude of me to ask thisโฆโ
โGo ahead.โ
โWell, Daikiโs grandfather? The chairman? What does he think of Daiki?โ
At Hinaโs question, Daiki looked surprised.
Chihiro looked just as surprised.
โโฆYouโve really found yourself a wonderful girlfriend, Young Master.โ
Chihiro looked down for a moment, deep in thought.
Hina realized that Daikiโs grandfather had deliberately stayed in the car out of consideration for him, sending only Chihiro to meet him.
Not only was his judgment quick on the spot, but Chihiro could also sense his genuine concern for Daiki.
Chihiro answered while gazing at Daiki.
โThe Chairman isnโt all that worried about you, Young Master.โ
โIsโฆ that so?โ
โItโs not that he has no interest in you at all. Quite the opposite, actually.โ
In that instant, a flash of surprise crossed Daikiโs previously somber eyes.
โGrandpa cares about me?โ
โYes. The Chairman has always been fiercely critical of the educational policies regarding the Young Master. He believes that a place like a prestigious private school is not the right environment for the Young Master.โ
Chihiro looked directly into Daikiโs eyes.
โThe Chairman expects the Young Master to become someone who can guide others with his own light, without relying on the familyโs prestige.โ
โGrandpaโฆ!โ
Daiki spoke in the park as if he had not a single ally left in the family.
But in reality, that wasnโt the case.
He had a powerful allyโhis grandfatherโstanding behind him, supporting him.
Hina looked up at Daiki with a beaming smile.
โThatโs great, Daiki.โ
โYeah. I guess I canโt compete with you, Hina.โ
Daiki gently ruffled Hinaโs hair.
Watching the two of them, Chihiro clicked her tongue.
โPlease do that somewhere else! And definitely not in front of me!!โ
โโฆChihiro, your personality seems to have changed somehow.โ
โI donโt want to hear that from you, Young Master. You used to give me orders in a casual tone before.โ
โWellโฆ I truly am sorry about that now.โ
โIโm not trying to make a big deal out of it. I donโt hold any ill will. Itโs justโโ
Chihiroโs expression softened.
โI just want you to know that I, too, am praying from the bottom of my heart for your happiness.โ
โChihiroโฆโ
It was difficult for Hina to grasp exactly what kind of relationship Daiki and Chihiro had had.
However, she could vaguely sense that Chihiro was more than just a secretary.
Even though the two werenโt in that kind of relationship, Hinaโfeeling a twinge of jealousyโinterrupted the atmosphere between them.
โChihiro-san, Iโd like to meet Daikiโs grandfather!โ
Hina wanted to make their relationship officially recognized by the family once and for all.
If Daikiโs grandfatherโknown as the Chairmanโapproved of her relationship with Daiki, she would be able to hold her head high even within the prestigious Fujimori family.
Although she knew it was still too early to talk about such things, Hina was already thinking far ahead.
Just then, a white-haired elderly man stepped out of a luxury imported car.
โWell, well, what a bold young lady you are.โ
Daiki immediately reacted upon seeing the old man.
โWait, why are you wearing an aloha shirt!? At this time of day, youโre supposed to be at work, Grandpa!?โ
โHahaha, itโs summer vacation, after all. I was off on vacation in Hawaii! A company, you see, keeps running even without me!โ
โGrandpa, youโre in a position where you shouldnโt be saying things like that!!โ
โฆHina thought to herself that the old man somehow made her feel a sense of familiarity, though she wasnโt sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
ใโโ
Though she was taken aback by her grandfatherโs sudden appearance in an aloha shirt and couldnโt help but call him out on it, he wasnโt just a fun-loving guy.
That lightheartedness and friendliness were a thoroughly calculated facade.
As the driving force behind taking over a small regional company after the war and growing it into one of the worldโs leading corporate groups, he concealed a cold-bloodednessโand at times, even crueltyโbehind that facade.
Hina bowed politely and introduced herself.
โMy name is Hina Honjo, and Iโm dating Daikiโno, I mean, Daiki-sama.โ
She was startled inwardly when Hina suddenly addressed him with the honorific โ-sama.โ
She must have vaguely realized who her grandfather really was.
After all, I do see him occasionally on TV news as the groupโs chairman.
(Surprisingly, Hina has a calculating side to her, too.)
She was trying her best to make a good impression on my grandfatherโthat thought made me happy.
It meant she was taking our relationship seriously.
My grandfather burst out laughing.
โYouโre remarkably polite for a young person these days! I am Kiyoshi Fujimori, Daikiโs grandfather. My Daiki has been under your care.โ
โNo, on the contrary, I am the one who has been greatly indebted to Daiki-sama. Umโฆ I know this may be impertinent, but may I askโwould it be all right for someone like me to continue staying by Lord Daikiโs sideโฆ?โ
Hina let a look of anxiety slip across her face, which was quite unlike her.
As far as I know, the Honjo family lives a comfortable life, but theyโre just a typical dual-income household where both parents work in professional fields.
In other words, she seems worried that they might consider us a mismatch and refuse to approve of our relationship.
โHina, let me ask you one thing. Whose woman are you?โ
โHuh? W-well, of course, Iโm Lord Daikiโs womanโฆ or at least, I want to be.โ
โThen, is it up to me to decide whether you stay by Daikiโs side?โ
โAhโฆ!โ
Hina wrapped her arms around my arm as she asked.
โI am Lord Daikiโs woman, right?โ
โฆBack when I was attending that elite school, it might have been different, but being called โLordโ by Hina just feels completely out of place.
Besides, in this day and age, โmy womanโ?
Feeling embarrassed, I scratched my cheek with my index finger as I replied.
โThatโs right, but could you please stop using that โLordโ title?โ
โIf itโs Lord Daikiโs command!โ
โYouโre teasing me on purpose, arenโt you?โ
โOh, you caught me.โ
Watching us banter back and forth, my grandfather laughed heartily.
โTo think that Daiki, who used to be so small, is now old enough to have his own girlfriendโhow time flies! If I live a little longer, I might even get to see my great-grandchildren!โ
โWeโll show you loooads of great-grandchildren, Grandpa! Daiki, how many do you want? I want at least two!โ
โโฆโฆYou two really hit it off, didnโt you?โ
Although he said that, I think Grandpa had come to accept Hina.
That fact made me happier than anything else.
Maigetsu