Splash...
Man, a lot happened today. I'm wiped.
Soaking in an early bath, I let my mind drift back over the day's events.
I never would have guessed in a million years that Hanako-san would transfer here. She had mentioned being bored with her old school, but it had all happened so fast I could barely process it. Not only that, but we were in the same class and sitting right next to each other. What were the odds?
Then there was the "Big Sister" and "Little Brother" thing.
I used to think she was just teasing me, so I never really pushed back or took it seriously. But hearing it this often... even I could tell she wasn't just joking around anymore. We were in the same grade, and while she was technically older by birth date, I doubted it was about something that simple.
Part of me was just curious, but if there was some deeper reason behind it, I truly wanted to be there for her. To me, Hanako-san wasn't just another friend. She was an irreplaceable, precious best friend.
And then, Sara-san finally accepted the role of Student Council President. While her hand had been forced to some extent, I had decided that if that was what she truly wanted, I would support and follow her no matter what.
I hadn't expected to be tapped for Vice President, but if it meant being there for her, it was exactly what I wanted. I had made a fresh vow that we would face it together.
...I wondered how she was doing right now.
I had hoped to talk things through with her today, but she had been summoned home, so we had to put it off. The most pressing matter was explaining her part-time job at the Satsukawa household. I also wanted to discuss telling Masaomi-san about our relationship. Those had to be my top priorities.
And then there was the matter of Sara-san at school.
I knew it was just my own possessiveness talking, but I couldn't ignore the sheer number of guys trying to get close to her. What was the best way to handle it? I couldn't exactly stand in front of the whole student body and make a declaration. That would just be arrogant.
Still, sitting in the Student Council Room today, I wondered if maybe we should just stop hiding it. If the word got out, maybe the guys would finally back off...
No, I should get out now. The steam was starting to make my head spin.
I was lounging around after my bath when it happened.
The TV was tuned to some random comedy special, mostly just to fill the silence of the room. With a bath towel still draped over my head, I was messaging Yuji on RAIN.
"Same class and the seat next to you? That’s too convenient to be a coincidence," he wrote.
"Yeah, I thought so too. Honestly, though? I’m pretty happy about it."
Having a good friend in your class really did change the entire vibe of the school day. Just having Hanako-san there made even the boring classes feel different.
"Hey... did something happen between you and her? Between the transfer and everything else, she definitely seems to treat you as someone special."
"About that... I’m planning on talking to her properly soon, but that 'Big Sister' thing—"
Knock, knock...
Wait.
The sudden rapping on the door made me flinch, accidentally hitting 'send' before I could finish the sentence. A visitor at this hour?
"Sorry, someone’s here," I typed.
"Got it."
I sent the quick reply...
Click!
What?
Right after the knock, I heard the distinct sound of a key turning in the lock. There was only one person who could do that.
When the front door swung open, it was indeed Sara-san. But it wasn't just her sudden appearance that shocked me—it was her state. She was clutching a suitcase in each hand, with a massive bag slung over her shoulder.
"Sara-san! What’s wrong?!"
As I stood there frozen in confusion, she dropped the suitcases in the entryway and frantically shucked off the heavy bag. Like a lost child finally spotting their parent in a crowd, she lunged at me.
"Kazunari-san!"
Startled, I caught her and pulled her into my arms. She clung to me with a desperate strength, as if she was terrified I would disappear if she let go.
"Kazunari-san! I... I...!"
It was immediately obvious that she was spiraling. She was shaking, overcome by a sense of fragile desperation, as if she were about to be crushed by some unseen anxiety. I had never seen her like this. "Worried" didn't even begin to cover it.
"Sara-san, please, calm down! I’m right here. It’s okay. No matter what happens, I’m with you. I’m not going anywhere!"
I spoke softly, trying to ground her, holding her firmly without squeezing too hard. We stayed like that for I don't know how long. Eventually, the edge seemed to come off her panic, but she still seemed terrified of putting any distance between us.
"...Kazunari-san... I know I’m being a terrible burden. I know that, but... I..."
The pieces were starting to fall into place. Her absolute terror of being separated from me, that mountain of luggage... Something had happened at home, and she had run away.
She was clearly struggling to find the words, likely because she felt guilty about imposing on me. If that was the case, there was only one answer I could give.
"I’ve never once thought of you as a burden, Sara-san. I always want you here with me."
I stroked her hair, speaking in the gentlest voice I could manage.
"Kazunari-san..."
She whispered my name, her voice sounding small and needy. I pulled her close again and continued.
"I don't know what happened yet. But if it means you can smile again... if it means you can feel safe..."
She looked up at me then, her eyes searching mine, waiting for the rest.
"Then stay here. I’ll stay right by your side. Besides, this has been your home for a long time now, hasn't it? You don't need to hold back."
I tried to sound as upbeat as possible to ease her guilt. She stared at me for a moment, then buried her face in my chest again.
"Ugh... Kazunari-saaan..."
She was actually crying. Whatever had happened must have been devastating. I couldn't imagine Masaomi-san or Mayumi-san ever doing something to hurt her like this. I wanted to believe it was all a misunderstanding. As I held her, I prayed that it was.
Currently, Sara-san was in the bath.
I wanted her to have a chance to settle her nerves, and since I had just finished mine, the water was ready. But there was another reason I had sent her in there.
I pressed the ringing smartphone to my ear. It was picked up instantly—the speed of it caught me off guard, but I was relieved not to be left waiting.
"Hello, Takanashi-san! I was just about to call you! Is Sara there...?"
Mayumi-san sounded uncharacteristically panicked. She had used "Sara" instead of her usual "Sara-chan," which only confirmed that things were serious.
"She’s in the bath right now. She was pretty distraught when she arrived, so I’m having her try to relax."
I told her the truth immediately to put her mind at ease. We could get to the details once she was calm.
"Oh, thank goodness... She hadn't come back to her room, and when I checked, the place was a mess. I was sure she had headed to your apartment. I was just pulling up your contact info when you called."
So that was why she had answered so fast. Regardless, I had to know. And depending on what I heard, I was prepared to be very angry.
"Can you tell me what happened?"
"Right. But please, listen to me calmly. I know how much you care for her, and I love you for it, but I need you to stay level-headed while I explain."
...I thought I had been speaking calmly, but my voice must have had an edge to it that I hadn't noticed.
"First, did she say anything to you?"
"No, nothing yet. But judging by the way she was acting... she seemed terrified of losing me. She wouldn't let go of me for a long time after she got here."
"I see... So she did hear it..."
The way Mayumi-san whispered that told me there hadn't been a direct confrontation. That meant the risk that someone had actually laid a hand on her was low, which helped me settle down enough to listen.
"Sara-san said Masaomi-san had something important to discuss today. This is about that, isn't it?"
"Yes. I started screaming at him the second I heard it, but the man didn't mean any harm. It seems Sara-chan overheard the conversation and just... snapped. She ran out of the house in a rage."
"Is this something I should be hearing?" I asked.
This sounded like it could be deeply personal family business. If it was something that wasn't appropriate for me to hear, I would have to consider talking to Natsumi-senpai instead.
"Of course. In fact, I need your help. I’m going to be blunt, so please, just listen."
"Okay..."
Her usual playful tone was completely gone. Her gravity made me tense up. Was it really that bad?
"Masaomi-san brought an arranged marriage proposal home for Sara-chan. The partner is the son of an executive at Sawa Electronics. The request came through the President himself. He’s a relative, and he knows about Sara-chan’s... difficulties."
An arranged marriage... Sara-san?
The shock of it hit me like a physical blow. An arranged marriage meant meeting some guy, talking to him... and eventually...
"Takanashi-san! Stay with me! It’s still okay!"
"Hah?!"
Mayumi-san’s shout snapped me back to reality, though the ringing in my ears wouldn't stop. So that was why she had clung to me so desperately.
"Listen. The President dotes on Sara-chan like she’s his own granddaughter. He thought that if he introduced her to a boy her age, it might help her get over her dislike of men. It just so happened that an executive made a formal inquiry with an eye toward the future at the same time, and the two things merged into this proposal..."
To me, it sounded like a massive, meddling nightmare, but to the President and Masaomi-san—who didn't know the truth—they probably thought they were doing her a favor.
"Where is Masaomi-san now?"
"He’s at the President’s house. He went to explain that the proposal needs to be put on hold. He was panicking about Sara being missing, so I lied and told him she was at Natsumi-chan’s house to get him out of the hair. Honestly, that man..."
Mayumi-san sounded exhausted, her usual poise completely frayed. I wasn't doing much better. My heart was racing.
"Masaomi-san is thinking of her in his own way. He made it a condition that while he’d bring it up to her, he’d turn it down instantly if she showed any sign of being against it."
"I see. So he wasn't going to force her into anything?"
"No. However... even if we dodge this one, the next one is already in the works. Once one person makes a move, others tend to follow suit. And while we can settle this with a simple talk for now, depending on who the next suitor is, we might not be able to avoid a formal meeting."
I saw where this was going. As long as things stayed the way they were, these proposals would keep coming. There were plenty of people who would jump at the chance to tie their families to the daughter of the company's number two. If the President believed it was for her benefit, he wouldn't stop. Eventually, a proposal would come from someone too important to turn down at the door.
There was only one way to end this.
"That's why, Takanashi-san..."
"I know. I know what I have to do. Please, let me talk to Masaomi-san. Sara-san is too scared to even think about this right now, so I’ll handle it with him alone."
I would make him realize that Sara-san already had a man. Me. And I would make sure that message got to the President, too. I would tell them she was safe, and that they didn't need to pull any more of these stunts. If the word got out that she was taken, the vultures would finally leave her alone.
"........."
"Mayumi-san? You still there?"
The sudden silence on the other end made me nervous again.
"Ufufu... Sara-chan really is my daughter. She’s got a great eye for men. I am so glad she found you, Takanashi-san."
Her playful tone returned for a fleeting second before turning dead serious again.
"Takanashi-san, you might not fully grasp this yet, but Masaomi-san is the Senior Managing Director of Sawa Electronics. It’s a massive corporation. I hate to say it, but this family isn't like a normal household. The people we deal with—the President, the board members—they operate on a different level. If you just walk in and say you’re 'dating,' they’ll dismiss it as child’s play and ignore you."
I didn't know that world, but if she was saying it, it had to be true. My declaration would be meaningless if it carried no weight.
"To convince them, you have to prove that your bond with Sara-chan is deeper than that. You have to show them you’ve pledged your futures to one another... that you’re prepared to spend the rest of your lives together. And you have to show them that the Satsukawa family has officially recognized that bond. Only then can we tell them that no more proposals are welcome."
The scale of the conversation was ballooning far beyond what I’d imagined. Pledging our futures? That meant...
"Of course, first you’ll have to convince Masaomi-san. And to make it official, we’d eventually need permission from your parents, too. Honestly, I think you’re both too young for such a heavy burden. But for now, I just need to know where your heart is."
She paused, her voice low and steady.
"Do you intend to walk beside Sara-chan forever? Do you have the courage to stand as Sara-chan’s fiancé?"
The weight of her words felt like it could pull the floor out from under me.