I Thought She Was the One, but It Turned Out to Be a Fake Confession, so I Decided to Break Up With Her
Hina successfully finished her summer vacation homework.
After that, I called Chihiro and asked her to send my photo albumโwhich was at my parentsโ houseโvia courier, but
โIโll bring it over myself,โ
she replied, giving me an unexpected answer.
Just as I was about to say there was no need to go to such lengths, she unilaterally hung up on me.
A few hours after the call ended.
The doorbell rangโโDing-dongโโand Chihiro appeared.
โSo this is the love nest of Young Master and his wife, isnโt it?โ
Hearing those words, Hina broke into a sloppy, goofy grin.
โThatโs right~ Weโre not living together yet, but Iโm doing my best as a โcommuter wifeโ!โ
โActually, I feel like Iโm doing almost all the housework.โ
โUgh! W-well, thatโs because I havenโt had my bridal training yet! If I just get proper bridal training, Iโll be a great โcommuter wifeโ too!!โ
โAnd that bridal training teacher is YouTube, right?โ
โThese days, thereโs no better teacher than YouTube!โ
Thatโs fine in itself, but the problem is that the moment I look away, she ditches her homework and gets completely absorbed in it.
Well, she did manage to finish her homework in the end, so I decided not to bring it up any further.
Chihiro set down the box containing the photo album and muttered with a sigh.
โSighโฆ Even young lords much younger than me are meeting great people and rubbing it in my faceโฆ Why is it just meโฆ? I thought that if I just got a job at a big company and saved up for a wedding, men would come flocking to meโฆ!โ
โBut I think if you asked grandfather, heโd introduce you to someone to marry. Or do you dislike arranged marriages?โ
โIโve already asked him! Iโve even met a few people! But I just want a regular office worker my own age who works in Japan! I donโt want to marry some super-famous male idol whoโd cause a scandal, or an entrepreneur running a huge business overseas whoโs hardly ever in Japan, or some green, inexperienced heir to some familyโs fortune whoโs a whole generation younger than me!!โ
Presumably, it was precisely because my grandfather cared so deeply for Chihiro, in his own way, that he introduced her to so many high-caliber men.
But Chihiro is simply looking for an ordinary, sincere man.
โSo this is it, isnโt it!? Youโre telling me to spend my whole life just working and die alone, right!? No way!! I want to quit this job too, stay home with my kids, and wait for my husband to come home!!โ
โWaaah!โ Chihiro began rolling around on the floor as if sheโd finally regressed to childhood.
Maybe the stress from work has really been building up lately.
Perhaps she went out of her way to deliver the photo album because she wanted even a little break from work.
โChihiro sanโฆโ
Hina looked at her with a sympathetic gaze.
Then she took out her smartphone and showed Chihiro a photo.
โI have an older brother whoโs a few years older than me, and heโs single right now. Would you like to meet him sometime? Heโs technically an accountant.โ
Chihiro stared intently at the photo.
It appeared to be a family photo of the Honjo family; not only Hina but alsoMisaki was in the picture.
โIs this man your older brother?โ
โYes, thatโs right. Heโs always sneaking my Hagen-Dazs and spends all day playing video games at home on weekends, but apparently he was pretty popular with the girls back in his college days?โ
I glanced at the photo from the side, too.
He really was quite a heartthrobโit was like Hina turned into a guy.
Even from a guyโs perspective, I could see why heโd be popular.
Chihiro suddenly sat down in seiza and said with a serious expression:
โMadam. No, my sister-in-law! Please, let me have your brother!!โ
โFeel free. If you can handle him, that is.โ
I got the feeling that Hina and Chihiro had struck up an odd kind of rapport.
ใโโ
Ever since Kotone defied her mother, Asami, for the first time in her life, surveillance within the house had become even stricter.
Even when she needed to step out briefly, she was required to take at least one family member with her.
This was to verify that Kotoneโs reason for going out wasnโt a lie.
โโฆโฆIโd like to stop by the convenience store for a moment.โ
โIโm afraid that wonโt work. It wasnโt on your schedule. If you absolutely must go, please call Ms. Asami yourself, Miss.โ
Kotone let out a long sigh.
Permission to go out had become even stricter than before.
She wasnโt even allowed a simple change of pace; her outings had to be strictly related to her studies or personal development.
โโฆโฆWhen, exactly, will I ever be free?โ
โYou are the daughter of the Shimazaki family and its heir. Once you become the next head of the family, you will be able to enjoy a freedom that commoners can only dream of, thanks to the Shimazaki familyโs wealth and honor.โ
The adults in this area always refer to Kotone as โthe young lady of the Shimazaki family,โ meaning she is the one who will inherit their wealth and honor.
And those adults instruct their own children never to upset โthe young lady of the Shimazaki family,โ so the children call her โMs. Shimazaki.โ
Aside from Asami, the only ones who call her โKotoneโ are Hina and Misaki.
And Daiki was the only other one.
(Is this all my faultโฆ?)
But Daiki doesnโt call her โKotoneโ anymore.
Heโs started calling her โShimazaki sanโโwhich means heโs not even looking at her.
That fact crushed Kotoneโs heart just as much as her fatherโs abusive words before he left home.
Back home, she opened her LINE chat screen.
As she reminisced and scrolled back through their past conversations, she suddenly realized something.
(No wayโฆ My toneโฆ)
It was just like her motherโsโexactly.
Kotoneโs eyes widened in shock.
Then she reread the LINE conversation once more.
(What on earth am Iโฆ?)
Kotone was gasping for breath, her heart being worn away by Asamiโs control.
Unbelievably, even her conversations with Daiki were deeply tainted by her motherโs shadow.
If thatโs the caseโ
(To do something like that to Fujimori-kunโฆ!)
Tears began to well up in Kotoneโs eyes.
Only now did she finally understand Hinaโs warning.
Because she wanted to be with Daiki. Because it was for Daikiโs sake. โฆEven the way she used such a noble cause as a shield was the spitting image of Asami.
Kotoneโs smartphone clattered onto the desk.
Her whole body trembled slightly.
โOh, I have to apologizeโฆ!!โ
At the very least, she had to have a serious talk with Daiki about her behavior up until now.
Her true feelings might not come across properly over LINE or on the phone.
Thatโs why she had to find a way to meet with Daiki.
(But howโฆ?)
Kotoneโs thoughts came to a halt there.
Sneaking out of this house, which was under ironclad surveillance, was nearly impossible.
Even if she managed it, she would undoubtedly be discovered, and Asamiโs vigilance would only grow stronger.
Kotone predicted that this time, she would truly be locked away.
(I absolutely need the help of someone outside the Shimazaki householdโฆ)
And someone capable of persuading Asami.
Is there anyone like that?
As Kotoneโs eyes wavered, a desk calendar caught her eye.
(Itโs a long shot, butโฆโฆ)
Someone who comes to the Shimazaki residence but isnโt a member of the Shimazaki family.
The only person who fits that description is the private tutor scheduled to start lessons on the day of the summer festival.
For the first time in her life, Kotone resolved to bow her head to someone.
Maigetsu