Chapter 24

After thoroughly enjoying themselves, the five of them changed into their casual clothes and left the leisure facility. They then had an early dinner at a nearby restaurant.

"Hey, I'm thinking of calling a taxi... How many should I call? Yuzuru and Soichiro, you guys are 'train people,' right?"

In other words, the question was whether they would use public transportation like trains to get home or take a taxi. Yuzuru, leaning against the sofa, said,

"I'm a 'train person,' but... I'm pretty tired today. Call one for me too."

They had been too rowdy halfway through, and his whole body felt sluggish. Especially the swimming race at the pool had taken its toll.

"Same here... I don't have the energy to take the train."

Soichiro, who seemed to be on the verge of falling asleep, rested his elbow on the table and answered drowsily. Chiharu was playing with Soichiro's hair.

"As for me, I'll take the train..."

"Yukase, I'll take you home on the way. One taxi will be fine. Don't worry about the money; I'll cover it."

Yuzuru said this, interrupting Aya's words.

"Um, I'm fine, really..."

"If you go home by train alone, who knows what they'll say later."

"...Well, if that's the case..."

Aya and Chiharu, hearing the exchange between Yuzuru and Aya, were impressed. They then shook the almost sleeping Soichiro.

"I want to be taken home too."

"Me too, please."

"You guys live in the opposite direction... Besides, I want to go home early. Let me go. I'm sleepy... Rather, you guys should take me home."

Soichiro said this with a truly sleepy face. Yuzuru thought he deserved it, but the kind-hearted Aya felt sorry for him.

She came to the rescue.

"Hey, Aya and Chiharu... How about we exchange contact information?"

"Sure!"

"Come to think of it, we haven't done that yet."

The three of them exchanged contact information. It seemed they had become quite close during today's pool activities.

Yuzuru felt a little happy about this.

On the way back that day, Yuzuru and Aya sat side by side in the taxi.

"Today was fun."

Aya said this with a heartfelt sigh. Usually cool, she had been carried away by Aya and Chiharu's enthusiasm and seemed to have had a lot of fun. Yuzuru was satisfied to see this rare side of her.

"Aya and Chiharu... You seem to have become quite close."

"Yes... Can I say we've become friends?"

"Whether you think so or not, they certainly do."

From the looks of it, they seemed to really like Aya. Secretly, he had received strict orders: "If you make Aya cry, you'll be executed" and "If you're a man, take responsibility and make her happy."

...He had explained that he was a fake fiancé, but it seemed they didn't believe him.

"By the way, Kosegawa."

"What is it?"

"Those three... They also come from quite wealthy families, right?"

"Hmm? Yeah, I guess they are."

Of course, there are differences even among the wealthy.

"Where do they live? Do they usually use taxis?"

Aya must have been curious about their usual mode of transportation, given how casually she had called a taxi. Yuzuru recalled their current residences and commuting situations.

"Aya lives within an hour's drive. She used to be picked up and dropped off by a dedicated driver."

"Really? I've never seen that."

"She gets off about a three-minute walk from the school... I guess being dropped off right in front of the school would be embarrassing."

The high school Yuzuru attended was a private school, and many students came from wealthy families. However, the majority were from ordinary families. She was a girl of a certain age, so she had a sense of modesty.

"What about Satake?"

"She lives... I don't remember the exact distance, but she commutes from home. She's a 'train person.' ...She has a lot of siblings, though."

"A lot of siblings? How many? Four, maybe?"

In an era of declining birth rates, even four children would be a significant contribution to Japan's population problem. But the Satake family was on a different level.

"I remember there being enough to form a baseball team."

"That's... really a lot."

Aya was surprised, her eyes wide. Yuzuru nodded.

"Soichiro, as his name suggests, is the eldest son. I don't remember how many younger siblings he has, but he needs a considerable number of drivers to take more than nine of them to school every morning."

Of course, they could afford to hire more drivers, but the family seemed to think it unnecessary. Older boys walked to school, while girls were driven.

"He says walking is better for health. And, well, he probably finds it embarrassing to be driven, being a boy."

"What about Chiharu?"

"Her family is in Kansai. She's living alone because it's too far to commute."

In that sense, she was in the same situation as Yuzuru. However, while Yuzuru begrudged the hour-long commute, Chiharu's situation was different.

"Isn't it dangerous for a girl to live alone? She's from a good family, right?"

"Yeah, that's true. So, there are security personnel or servants living in the apartments next to hers. ...It's a pretend solo living situation."

Whether it could be called solo living was questionable, but it was a reasonable precaution. There are people who pretend to be delivery personnel to break into homes.

...Chiharu, despite her appearance, is a "martial type," so she could probably fend off any incompetent men.

"So... are there security personnel next to your place too, Kosegawa?"

"No, my neighbors are ordinary people, and I haven't noticed any elaborate security measures. ...I can't say for sure they're not there, though."

Yuzuru had no intention of actively looking for them. He wasn't playing "Where's Waldo," so there was no need to search. If he didn't know, it was fine.

"By the way, Yukase, how about the Amakas?"

"Her adoptive father has a driver. But basically, everyone uses the train. ...We're trying to save money right now."

"Is that so?"

As rumored, the Amakas' financial situation wasn't good. The cause was the failure of the previous head of the family, Aya's adoptive father's father, in business. The current generation was working hard to turn things around. Considering this, the idea of marrying Aya off to get financial aid... While he couldn't sympathize with the sentiment, he understood their desperation.

As they talked, they arrived near Aya's house. Yuzuru got out first and offered his hand to Aya.

Aya hesitated for a moment but then took Yuzuru's hand.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Yuzuru helped Aya out of the car.

"See you, Yukase. We might meet again during the summer break."

"Right. I'll invite you then..."

At that moment,

"Aya!"

A young man's voice called out. A young man in his early twenties, pulling a suitcase, was walking towards them. He was a well-built, handsome young man.

"Who is that?"

Yuzuru whispered, and Aya replied in a low voice.

"That's Amaka Daisuke. My cousin and brother-in-law."

Aya's expression, which seemed kind at first glance, was actually a mask with no real emotion.

On the other hand, Daisuke looked happy but his expression darkened when he noticed Yuzuru standing next to Aya. Yuzuru sighed inwardly, thinking this would be troublesome.

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