Side: Mayumi
I was aware, in my own way, that I was doing something quite outrageous... but still.
I already knew, without even needing to confirm it, that Sara-chan would work her hardest for Kazunari-kun’s sake.
There was no longer any room for doubt, and I had no intention of throwing a wet blanket over their relationship.
For us, as long as Sara-chan was happy with the person she had set her heart on, that was all that mattered. Those were my honest feelings.
But, you see...
Kazunari-kun didn't just care for Sara-chan; he also accepted our wishes.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he clearly demonstrated his own will.
Just how much that delighted me—no, how much it delighted both Masaomi-san and me...
To be honest, if Kazunari-kun had been just an ordinary boy, I wouldn't have thought so far ahead into the future.
If he would just face Sara-chan sincerely and treat her well, that would have been enough.
If their relationship continued until they reached adulthood, we could have discussed things then.
For a high school student, thinking about a future that far off would normally be a far too heavy burden.
But... but, even though I felt sorry for him... I couldn't help but have high expectations.
His core strength that was unbefitting of a high school student, that invisible "something" important that attracted people to him, the charisma and proactive nature to exert leadership, the sheer nerve to face his girlfriend's father alone for negotiations, the strength of his feelings that never wavered when it came to Sara-chan, his resolve...
These were all things that could never be obtained through studying.
And in the future ahead, they would become extremely important.
Kazunari-kun already possessed them, even if he wasn't aware of it himself.
For such a wonderful boy to be Sara-chan’s lover—with their feelings mutual—and to even have become her fiancé, how could I, as a parent, not be overjoyed?
To top it all off, he even had the official approval from that President Nishikawa...
As a member of the Sawa Group founding family, I had seen many people in positions of power.
But one rarely encountered someone with such strong connections. Furthermore, I had never seen anyone who could make President Nishikawa go that far for them.
To think he was just an ordinary high school student...
Of course, Kazunari-kun himself probably didn't yet understand just how much power this endorsement would hold in the future.
But from our perspective, this was one of our trump cards for announcing Kazunari-kun as an adopted son-in-law... as the future successor.
The endorsement of the current President, the endorsement of the next President Masaomi-san, the endorsement of myself and my mother, his status as an adopted son-in-law, the stocks... and on top of that, the backing of the President of the Nishikawa Group, and his private connection with Eri-chan, who would become the next wife of the Nishikawa Group President...
With all of this, we could undoubtedly silence any opposition.
No one would be able to breathe a word against Kazunari-kun’s position.
That was why I, Masaomi-san, my mother, and even Uncle Shoji, the current President, had such high expectations.
If it were Kazunari-kun, he would surely make Sara-chan happy.
And we hoped that in the future, he would succeed Masaomi-san...
Of course, normally, it would be impossible to expect this much from a high school boy or to make him shoulder such a burden.
But Kazunari-kun was so remarkable that I couldn't help it...
In the future... a future that wasn't too far off, Masaomi-san’s position would become quite difficult. This was an established reality.
When that time came, I hoped that just as my father and Masaomi-san had once been, Kazunari-kun could help Masaomi-san while gradually learning the business... until the point where Masaomi-san could entrust him with various matters.
And fortunately, Masaomi-san liked Kazunari-kun as if he were his own biological son, so they would surely be able to work well together.
If he and Sara-chan could build a happy family together... there would be no greater happiness for us.
That was why Kazunari-kun was my hope.
To top it all off, he was such a good boy, so endearing, so shy... and his behavior reminded me of Masaomi-san in his younger days... it was just so cute, it was almost unfair... hee-hee.
In any case, I wanted Kazunari-kun to study a lot by Masaomi-san’s side, and once he entered society, to slowly acquire various skills.
There were mountains of things that one couldn't understand without actual experience. That could come in time; there was no need to rush for now.
Since I had certainly seen Kazunari-kun’s resolve and feelings, which were the most important things...
However, Sara-chan.
You were a bit different.
Even as you were now, you were capable of being a housewife beyond the level of an average one. I had made sure you acquired enough knowledge and skills for that, so even if you were to marry as you were, you wouldn't have any trouble.
If you were just going to be an ordinary housewife, that is.
But since Kazunari-kun... the person you would share your future with... had started walking toward succeeding Masaomi-san, then you also had a duty to support him firmly.
As his fiancé, as his future wife, and as his partner, you had to support Kazunari-kun in both public and private life. And when he reached his rightful position, you would also need to behave in a manner befitting that status.
By no means would a mindset like "I don't care about anything other than Kazunari-san" be permitted anymore. A pathetic display like before—simply running away into emotional dependency on Kazunari-kun to act spoiled—would absolutely not be allowed.
If you were to indulge in your current happy life and never grow... I couldn't just stand by and watch that happen.
I wanted Sara-chan to possess a level of determination for the future, mental strength, and conduct that wouldn't lose to Kazunari-kun’s.
That wasn't the Sara-chan who was just a "wife." The one I wanted to see grow was the Sara-chan who was Kazunari-kun’s "partner."
Even just a little bit, even just a glimpse. I wanted you to show me that you had certainly grown since that day you ran away.
You might think it was still too early, but your debut as a couple had already been decided: the year-end party next month.
That was why today, I would be the wall that threatened your lives... I would be Sara-chan’s enemy.
Anything would do; please show me how you have grown, Sara-chan.
And... please put my mind at ease.
Sara-chan...
Only Minamin remained on stage while the contestants stepped off for the moment.
The Large Screen installed on the stage displayed the program for the contest. It notified everyone that the rankings would be determined by scores from the Preparatory Committee Judges and the final votes from the audience.
Voting ballots had already been distributed, but only to those who had managed to get into the seating area.
Unfortunately, the large number of spectators watching from outside the partitions couldn't vote—though I had secured mine through the Student Council Category.
Since there were issues with collection and the need for anti-cheating measures like one ballot per person, it was a necessary restriction.
"There are more realistic judging criteria than I expected. I honestly thought they would do a swimsuit round too," I noted.
"It seems they used to do that in the past," Natsumi replied. "But especially this year, since they were having Sara enter, they probably couldn't do that."
"If Sara heard there was a swimsuit round, she'd drop out immediately!" Eri joked. "She'd be like, 'I have no intention of exposing my skin to anyone other than Kazunari-san!' or something."
Hmm...
Natsumi was probably right about that...
When we went to the pool in the summer, we’d had a conversation that sounded exactly like that. We weren't lovers back then, but if it were now, she would definitely say it. There was no doubt about it.
Besides... me letting people see Sara-san in a swimsuit? I wouldn't allow that in the first place.
"That's only natural," Hanako chimed in. "While a pool might be a slight compromise, a swimsuit in a spectacle like this is out of the question. If Kazunari wants to see one, she can just show him at home."
"Err... since you put it that way, does that mean if Kazunari-kun says he wants to see it, Hanako-san would show him?" Yoko asked.
"Naturally. If Kazunari-kun says he wants to see it, Big Sister will show him anything from a bikini to a school swimsuit."
Hanako-san in a bikini... and a school swimsuit...?
Why was it that, even though it was just a swimsuit, no matter which one I imagined, a faintly dangerous atmosphere seemed to drift about?
No, no, more importantly, when I heard "school swimsuit," I secretly ended up imagining Sara-san in one... The destructive power of that thought was so great it was beyond just being dangerous—wait, I'm such an idiot!
Ugh... I'm sorry, Sara-san.
This was just something that couldn't be helped for a healthy high school boy... please forgive me.
Begone, impure thoughts! Expel all worldly desires!
"Takanashi-san..."
"Takanashi-kun..."
"I guess Takanashi-kun is a boy after all," Marina whispered.
"...Ugh..."
"No, well..."
For some reason, the Female Officers were looking at me with cold eyes.
Could it be that, as usual, they had seen right through me?
And Todo-san, please don't look at me with such an embarrassed face. It made me feel extremely awkward...
"No need to be shy," Hanako said. "It can't be helped since Kazunari-kun is a boy. Besides, it's Big Sister's fault for being too attractive."
"E-Err..."
And Hanako-san also seemed to be successfully misunderstanding, looking strangely proud of herself.
Wait, hold on a second...
Don't tell me everyone thought I was getting excited imagining Hanako-san in a swimsuit?!
"Now then... it looks like the contestants are ready, so let's start the self-introductions immediately!" Minamin's voice boomed over the speakers. "Of course, this is also a judging criterion! So let's get into it with lots of energy! First up, Entry No. 1..."
"Ah, looks like it's starting!"
"Though it's basically already decided as a head-to-head battle between Satsukawa-senpai and her mother..."
Minamin announced the Start of Judging, and everyone’s attention turned toward the stage all at once.
Since the gazes that had been gathered on me vanished... yeah... nice timing. That saved me.
Loud applause welcomed the first contestant as she appeared from the Performer Entrance. Instead of her school uniform, she wore a long one-piece dress and a cardigan, giving off an air of pure elegance.
Wait, was everyone changing clothes?
But I didn't think Sara-san had prepared any Casual Clothes for this...?
"Entry No. 1! Third-year..."
As expected of third-years, many of them looked mature enough that they didn't even seem like high school students when in their own clothes.
This senior was no exception; at a glance, she had the maturity of a university student, and her elegant outfit only enhanced that.
Except... well.
The fact that it was so obvious she was trying her hardest to smile cutely was somehow distracting. It was almost a bit painful—no, I even felt kind of sorry for her.
"Yes, thank you very much! Wow, the gap between this maturity and her youthful innocence is irresistible, isn't it?" Minamin hyped. "By the way, one corner of the audience is really getting fired up, isn't it?"
"Ahaha, I told them they didn't have to come, but everyone in my class..."
I couldn't see what was happening from here, but I could certainly hear a commotion as if a section of the audience was going wild. Since so many people were gathered, it wasn't surprising that each contestant’s Classmates had come to cheer them on.
Wait... had Yuri-senpai and the others come too?
"I see, that's very encouraging! Please do your best to live up to that support! Next up will be the Special Talent Appeal Time!"
"Yes, then..."
The Special Talent Appeal Time... It was a standard judging criterion, but in my opinion, it was the most difficult part in a sense.
In the first place, if someone asked, "What is your special talent?" I’d want to ask back exactly how well one had to do it for it to count.
I suppose if you believed it was a special talent, that was fine... but I always worried about the specifics.
"Hmm... she's spinning around like that, but she doesn't get dizzy?" Natsumi wondered.
"I heard the trick is to keep your eyes on one spot and snap your head around at the last second," Eri explained.
The senior currently on stage was in the middle of a dance. Even to my amateur eyes, she looked quite good... or rather, it looked more like ballet than just dancing.
If she could dance that well, it certainly qualified as a special talent.
"It certainly looks the part," Marina noted.
"Yeah. I like Hip-hop better, though," Natsumi said.
"That comes down to personal preference. I prefer Classical Music myself," Eri added. "Hey, Takanashi-kun, what is Satsukawa-senpai’s special talent?"
"Eh? Hmm... I'm sure housework in general is her special talent..."
Even though it was true that Sara-san’s specialty was housework, it would be difficult to demonstrate that here. She was good at both studying and sports, but those were the same...
There was a Cooking Judging afterward, so Sara-san would be in her element there... no, wait, with Mayumi-san there, would that be difficult too?
But if that were the case, what special talent could Sara-san show on a stage like this?
"The Wife's special talent is pampering Kazunari-kun," Hanako said flatly.
"Hey!"
"Ah, I thought so too!" Natsumi laughed. "If you're talking about Sara's special talent, that's definitely it!"
"That might be true, but that's not really meant for a contest..."
"I think if we put Takanashi-kun on stage, she'd start demonstrating right away!" Yoko giggled.
"Geez, Yoko... you're going too far," Marina said, though she looked like she agreed.
"Ehh... but Marina, you think so too, right?"
"Eh!? Err... th-that is..."
"No, look..."
The way Todo-san kept glancing at my face awkwardly seemed to say it all.
I knew I was being spoiled too much, and it was a fact that Sara-san loved to dote on me... but did that mean my special talent was "being spoiled by Sara-san"?
"Ahaha, well, jokes aside," Natsumi said. "Sara gives the impression she can basically do anything, but does she have a special talent that 'wows' people in a setting like this?"
"Right," Eri mused. "Sara is excellent at anything related to daily life, but I've never heard of her having a specific performance talent that would look good on stage."
"To be honest, I agree," I said.
"Actually, it's possible the Wife had no intention of doing anything at all," Hanako pointed out.
"True..."
Just as Hanako-san said, Sara-san, who hadn't even planned to win, might have intended to just say "I don't have anything" and leave it at that.
But... I had a feeling that if she tried that, Mayumi-san wouldn't stay quiet. For some reason, I felt that what Mayumi-san was demanding from Sara-san wasn't simply a victory in points, but something else entirely.
I was sure Sara-san had noticed that too.
I wondered what she would do.