"Mm..."
It felt a little shorter than usual, perhaps.
Yet, it was filled with so much emotion.
We shared a kiss from the heart, brimming with those intense feelings, before Sara slowly pulled her face away.
The hand that had been wrapped around the back of my head slipped away simultaneously. Her sorrowful eyes gazed intently into mine, and my own gaze was momentarily stolen by those lustrous lips that had been connected to mine just a second before. At that moment...
"Guh..."
"Kih..."
"...Anti-Impact Noise Defense!"
"...Wait, isn't that just covering your ears...?"
"Natsumi-san, hurry!!"
"............"
"Nishikawa-san, this is no time to be turning dark!!"
"...A-Ahhh!"
"...Marina-san, over here!!"
............
"GUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!"
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Uwoh!?"
"!?"
An unbelievable volume of wailing and screams—or were they cheers?—erupted from the audience seats. To make matters worse, the microphones amplified the sound all at once. A chaotic sonic wave of blended "voices" enveloped the entire school, easily leaped over its boundaries, and seemed to swallow the entire area... no, perhaps the entire town. Wait, this was no time for such leisurely thoughts!
"S-Sara-san, are you okay... waph."
"Kazunari-san, this way."
I tried to instinctively pull Sara close to protect her, but her arm reached out even faster, pulling my head in tightly. Unable to react to the suddenness of it, I was pushed headlong into a place of refuge... into my Kazunari-exclusive Heaven, a place filled to the brim with peace, happiness, and softness.
Squeeze...
"Mgh!?"
It seemed she was trying to block my ears; Sara wrapped her arms firmly around the back of my head, cradling it deeply against her. In other words, my face was buried as deeply as humanly possible into the Center of Heaven.
Sara’s warmth spreading across my face, her sweet scent, and the sensation of something large and soft hit me in a full combo. From an outsider’s perspective, I’m sure I looked like a man doing something scandalous without any regard for his surroundings.
But you see, if you do something like this at a time like this...
"GUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!"
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!"
Well, of course it would turn out like this, right?
I understood the reaction perfectly.
"Where do you think you’re sticking your face, you bastarrrrrrrrrrd!!!!!"
"Give it a rest already, god dammit!!!!"
"Dammit! I’m so jealousssssssss!!!!!"
"To hell with youuuuuuuuuu!!!!"
"...Kyaaaa! Satsukawa-san, how bold!!"
"...Uwoh, uwoh, his face went in so deep!!??"
"...Fooo, Satsukawa-san, that’s a man-killer!!!"
"Good grief... what are we going to do about this?"
"Fufu... I'm sorry. When it comes to Kazunari-kun, Sara-chan loses all sense of her surroundings."
"No, I can see that very, verrrrry clearly... but I mean, isn't her character changing way too much?"
"Well, I was surprised at first too... but that just shows..."
"That Takanashi-kun is special?"
"Exactly♪"
Ignoring our predicament, the conversation between a cheerful Mayumi-san and a clearly exasperated Minamin continued.
For the record, it wasn’t that I didn’t understand the current situation... it was just that Sara’s spoiling felt too good, and I found myself wanting to indulge in it. It was unavoidable. I was a man, after all.
"By the way, Mayumi-san... are you really okay with this?"
"Oh, whatever do you mean?"
"I mean, she accepted such a serious engagement ring..."
"Ah, that. There’s no problem with that, you know?"
"No problem... sure, at our age, we might not need to take talk of marriage literally. But she accepted it as an engagement ring, however you look at it. And it looks like a pretty substantial piece of jewelry..."
"That’s true. Knowing Kazunari-kun, I’m sure he did his absolute best without compromising. Oh... he really is so devoted... so cute♪"
"!?"
Just then, a shiver—something mysterious—ran down my back.
Even though I couldn't see her, I could somehow picture myself being treated with nekokawaigari affection by Mayumi-san. What on earth was happening?
"C-Cute... this is no time for such leisurely talk, is it? Looking at those two earlier, I get the feeling they’re seriously thinking about marriage..."
"T-That's right!! To speak of engagement and marriage... it’s like children playing house without understanding the meaning!! Such things should only be discussed after following the proper procedures!! Those aren't words you should use so lightly!!"
I thought she wouldn't interfere anymore, but was she still persistently meddling?
Her tone was almost desperate now. It felt as though she was acting out of pure spite, ready to snap at anything she could sink her teeth into. She was reaching a point of total self-abandonment.
She really was a pain.
"Really, trying to cover up the cohabitation matter with such a contrived story is truly clever, foolish, and laughable. No matter what anyone says, this is nothing but impure heterosexual social intercourse and is ethically unforgivable..."
"Hmm? But Kazunari-kun and Sara-chan have been engaged for a long time, and they’re cohabitating with our approval, so I don't think there’s any problem. Right, Sara-chan?"
"...Huh?"
"...Eh?"
"That’s right. Since we are a Formal Fiancé and fiancée recognized by both families, I believe there is absolutely no problem with cohabitation or anything else."
""...Ah?""
At this ultimate truth stated as if it were common knowledge, Minamin and the Stuck-up Woman let out voiceless cries.
That statement completely wiped away the heckling from the guys in the audience and the noise from the rest of the crowd. It left the area in a silence so profound it was hard to believe we were outdoors.
"Uhyahyaha!!! Look, look at that Kusuhara’s stupid face!!! I’m gonna take a picture!!!"
"Yuri, please, just be quiet!!"
"Why do you always have to shout at a time like this!?"
...A silence enveloped the venue.
I decided I hadn't heard anything. Therefore, the description of "silence" was perfectly accurate.
"F-Formally... already engaged?"
"S-Satsukawa-san... don't tell me... from the very beginning...?"
"Yes. If you’re talking about the engagement, it was decided quite some time ago. We have already promised to marry each other and have obtained consent from both our parents."
"H-Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!??"
"Wait, wait, wait a second!? We're still high school students!! And yet... Satsukawa-san and Takanashi-kun are, don't tell me, really, really, really truly!!??"
"Yes. It is all true. We are a Formal Fiancé and fiancée on the premise of marriage, and we are currently in the middle of a relationship based on that. Therefore, the cohabitation is a serious arrangement for our future. I suppose that means the words of that person who has been shouting so noisily are entirely off-target?"
"!?"
Suddenly finding herself the target of Sara’s verbal spear, the Stuck-up Woman fell into a state of stunned silence for the nth time today.
To be honest, I had wanted to be the one to deliver the "already engaged" reveal as the final finishing blow... but it couldn't be helped.
With this, the "ethical issues of cohabitation"—her only point of attack—was crushed. All that was left was to press the advantage. Alright, me too!
"Listen... I've been quiet and listening, but you’ve been talking as if you know everything for a while now. Does all that ethics and impure heterosexual social intercourse talk apply even to a relationship like ours, which is based on marriage?"
"T-That's..."
"Of course, in terms of school rules, I wouldn't know for sure without asking the administration. Even if we think it's fine, we are still minors. There might be specific regulations regarding that. But if you're talking about ethics, we are a Formal Fiancé and fiancée, and we have permission from our parents. We are serious about the marriage, too..."
"Ah, you don't have to worry about that. We've already reported to the school that the two of them are living together. Well, the fact that they're a fiancé and fiancée was officially off the record... but at this point, I guess it doesn't matter anymore."
"Ah, I knew it. ...So that's how it is. Are you satisfied now?"
"Gh, guuuuuu."
Strictly speaking, I couldn't say for certain if it was "perfectly okay" from a general societal perspective. But as long as we were a Formal Fiancé and fiancée in a serious relationship intended for marriage, I didn't think anyone else had any business complaining.
By the way... let's just ignore the fact that we were cohabitating before the engagement was official.
"Hey... how long do you plan on keeping this up?"
"W-What is this, all of a sudden out of the blue..."
"I don't know why you're being so stubborn, but does opposing us any further bring you any benefit?"
"...Ngh."
"Look around you. You must have realized it long ago, right? Is there anyone cheering for you? Is there anyone calling your name?"
She must have known that her reputation had hit rock bottom, that she had no chance of winning the Miss Contest, and that there was no more room to make false accusations against us. The reason she still wouldn't stop directing malice toward us... was it desperation because she couldn't back down? Or did she hope to improve her standing by proving her claims were correct, even if only slightly? It was probably something like that.
But if she wouldn't stop for such trivial, meaningless reasons...
Then there was no choice but to corner her until she couldn’t even make a sound and finally deliver the ultimate humiliation.
This was my final warning.
"There's no point in continuing this. As long as the fact that we're dating with the intent to marry and have official permission from the school stands, none of your logic will hold up."
"...Gh... uuuuuu."
Oozing the greatest amount of frustration yet, the Stuck-up Woman dropped her shoulders visibly and stared at the floor.
At the very least, her pride was crushed. She should be grateful I didn't hunt her down to the bitter end. Besides, I didn't have time to deal with her alone.
From here on, according to the original plan...
"And... I want everyone here to hear this!! Just like we've been saying, Sara-san and I really are engaged!! Both our parents have recognized it, and I’ve already decided on my future path with that in mind!! And once all of that is settled, at that point, I will marry Sara-san!! This is no lie or joke!! We are serious!!"
Originally, I intended to say this immediately after giving her the ring.
I knew that if I didn't clearly communicate how seriously we were thinking and how realistic the talk of engagement was, the meaning of the ring and my actions would be taken too lightly. But as it happened, the flow up to this point provided all the evidence to back it up. There was no better time to say this than now!
"Fufu... I understand."
"...Sara-san?"
"No... it’s just that I now understand you have clearly considered the timing of our marriage, Kazunari-san."
"Eh... Ah!?"
Damn... I might have said too much in the heat of the moment.
I had only been vaguely thinking "it'll probably be around then," since actual specifics wouldn't be known until the time came. Furthermore, I had declared it without consulting Sara; I definitely got ahead of myself.
"S-Sorry, Sara-san. That was just something I personally thought, like, 'maybe around then'..."
"No. I also believed that the timing of the marriage would depend on you, Kazunari-san... so there is no problem at all."
"Eh? Um, Sara-san. Shouldn't we decide that together...?"
"Fufu... please rest assured. This doesn't mean I'm dependent on you; I simply considered that you would be busier than me regarding employment and other matters. In that case, I thought I would ultimately leave it to you."
"Ah, I see..."
"Yes. That is why I said I would ultimately leave the timing of the marriage to you. However, if you are using employment as a benchmark, Kazunari-san, then I will be mentally prepared for that as well."
"U-Understood. But still, isn't it a bit too early to worry about that?"
"Is it? Since we are actually engaged, in extreme terms, it would be possible for us to marry the year after next, you know?"
"N-Now that you mention it, that’s true..."
I had a vague image of it being a long way off when using the word "future." But just as Sara said, since we were already engaged, we could get married the moment I turned eighteen.
Of course, I thought that should only happen after I had a solid income and had established the necessary foundation for life... but when I thought about the fact that we could get married as early as the year after next, it suddenly felt real. I couldn't say it was necessarily too early.
"Nfufu~, I just heard something good!"
"Huh? I don't understand why Mother is so happy about that?"
"Eh~... I mean, when Kazunari-kun gets a job, the two of you will get married, right?"
"That’s just a benchmark. It’s just a story about what Kazunari-san's plans might look like... what about it?"
"That means I’ll be able to see my grandchild sooner than I thought!!"
""...Huh?""
Sara’s voice and mine overlapped perfectly as if we had timed it.
For a moment, I couldn't understand what had just been said. What did Mayumi-san say?
Grandchild?
What on earth was she talking about?
"Mother, what on earth are you talking about..."
Sara also seemed unable to keep up, blinking repeatedly while looking suspiciously at Mayumi-san's face.
But gradually... for some reason, her face seemed to be turning crimson.
"Eh? Because once you get married, the next thing is naturally a conversation about children, right?"
"No, that’s..."
"T-That might be so, but isn't it far too early for such a conversation!?"
"Nfufuu... they say the ideal is a girl first, then a boy, but I definitely think a boy would be better!"
"L-Like I said, why are you the one saying things like that, Mother!?"
Wait a minute. What was this flow?
Suddenly Mayumi-san was talking about what? For some reason I didn't understand, she seemed to have entered Rampage Mode.
Don't tell me she was saying that because she wanted to entrust her own dream of having a boy to Sara... no, surely that was overthinking it.
"Don't you think a boy would be nice too, Sara-chan?"
"W-Why are you saying that!?"
"Eh~? But if the baby you gave birth to was a boy who looked like Kazunari-kun... you'd be happy too, wouldn't you, Sara-chan?"
"Eeek!? T-That... that’s... um... er..."
Sara suddenly looked down bashfully, casting sidelong glances at me.
I mean, if she acted like that, it was like she was admitting Mayumi-san's point was spot on!
"Nfufu~... what do you think, Kazunari-kun?"
"Wha!? I-I wouldn't know!? I've never even thought about it!!"
"Sara-chan says she wants a boy... but Kazunari-kun, which would you prefer, a boy or a girl?"
"I told you, I wouldn't know if you asked me so suddenly!?"
"M-Mother!! I haven't said a single word about that yet!!"
"Ah, I wonder if men prefer having a girl after all? What do you think, Kazunari-kun?"
"I'm telling you, I wouldn't know!! ...But if I had to choose, I guess a cute girl who looks like Sara-san would be better than me..."
"Hey Takanashi-kun, your inner voice is leaking out completely, you know?"
"Hawa!?"
D-Damn, my true feelings slipped out... no, wait!!
That was just me thinking that if asked which I preferred, a girl who looked like Sara-san would definitely be cuter than a boy who looked like me! There wasn't a shred of deeper meaning beyond that!!
"K-Kazunari-san..."
"S-Sara-san!! This is, um... how should I put it..."
"I... I'm embarrassed... you dummy, Kazunari-san..."
"Guhak!?"
As if the situation wasn't embarrassing enough, looking down shyly with a bright red face and whispering like that... Sara, that was just too unfair. It was cowardly... and cute.
"Listen, I just..."
"Um... Kazunari-san? Regardless of whether it's a boy or a girl... I... someday..."
"UKYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! GIVE IT A REST ALREADY, YOU ULTRA-PREEMPTIVE STUPID COUPLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!"
""Hah!?""
The sound of Minamin's tremendous, sky-rending angry voice washed over my whole body, and I snapped back to reality in an instant.
And waiting there was the figure of an Oni—otherwise known as Minamin—whose character had completely collapsed. Or rather, who had lost "something" in several ways.
"I stayed quiet and listened because Takanashi-kun started talking seriously... but just how long are you going to keep flirting!!?? You ultra-preemptive stupid couple!!!!"
"I-I'm sorry..."
"Forgive us..."
"I mean, what are we going to do about this!!??"
"...This?"
Following the direction of Minamin's finger, which was pointed so sharply I could almost hear an aggressive sound effect, I saw the scene.
The scene was...
"Uwooooooooooh, I knew it! I knew it, but stilllllllll!!!"
"That’s right, isn't it!! They're living together, so of course it would be like thissssssss!!!"
"Aaaaaaaah... a relationship where they're already talking about babies... Satsukawa-san issssss!!!"
"God is dead!!!!"
"Cohabiting with... Satsukawa-san... a promise of marriage... in other words, it means he can take responsibility no matter what happensssss!!!???"
"Don't say itttttttt! Don't say that one thingggggggg!!!!"
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!"
"Even a baby, even a babyyyyyyyy!!!!"
"Satsukawa-san said she wants a baby who looks like Takanashi-kun!!!!!"
"That's not it!!! It's that Takanashi-kun wants Satsukawa-san to give birth to a baby girl!!??"
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! That's too directttttt!!!"
"Oh, stop it already! Takanashi-kun, you're so bold!!!!!"
Uwaa... what should I do about this?
Since I intended to crush the Miss Contest from the start, the commotion itself wasn't really a problem... but for the commotion to be about this kind of topic was completely unexpected.
Besides, the voices of the spectators were so loud that I could hear exactly what they were saying about me through the speakers.
And wait...
I didn't recall saying a single thing about wanting Sara to give birth to a baby girl!
"Goodness, Kazunari-kun and Sara-chan are so bold."
"Wait, this is all Mayumi-san's fault, isn't it!?"
"T-That's right!! Because Mother started saying weird things!!"
Even though she was the culprit who created this situation, she was so nonchalant.
I couldn't hide my agitation, and it seemed even the usually composed Sara was the same toward Mayumi-san, who didn't seem apologetic at all. Besides, if this topic continued forever, the story would just keep growing, and I was scared to imagine how people would look at me starting tomorrow.
Mainly the girls...
"Weird things? But this is very important, isn't it? Well then, Sara-chan, don't you want Kazunari-kun's baby?"
"Nobody said that! I just meant it's still too early for that kind of talk, but if it's Kazunari-san's baby, I..."
"S-Sara-san!!??"
"Hah!?"
"GUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!"
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!"
At Sara’s outrageous statement—which must have been unconscious, right?—another great wail and yellow scream rose from the audience.
Furthermore, Sara herself was turning as red as humanly possible... and I had absolutely no idea why. Truly!!
"Mayumi, that's enough."
"""!? """
"Oh, Darling?"
In the midst of the chaos in the venue, a familiar male voice cut through with strange clarity. Feeling a bad premonition, I looked around and saw a figure in the open space by the stage—the place where intruders had been appearing repeatedly.
Dressed in a suit that looked perfectly pressed, even just standing there, he exuded a sense of dignity... a unique aura that somehow reminded me of Sara. He was the ideal image of a "capable man."
That person was, of course, none other than...
"M-Masaomi-san!!??"
"Father?"
Yes... if we're only talking about today, the number one person I didn't want to be here.
Sara’s biological father, my future father-in-law.
I mean...
Why was he hereeeeeeeeeeee!!??