Chapter 29

As planned, Arisa borrowed a room in the Takasegawa household to change into her yukata.

During this time, Yugen also decided to change.

It seems that girls have a lot more to prepare.

Yugen was the first to finish changing.

Yugen checked his appearance in the mirror once.

The fabric was a deep indigo, almost black, with bamboo patterns in white and dark blue.

The obi was a dark red.

His hair was unusually styled with wax.

"Well, it's fine."

He looked presentable enough to walk beside Arisa.

Then, Yugen waited for Arisa with a slightly restless feeling.

"Takasegawa-san, I kept you waiting."

Her voice was slightly tense compared to usual.

Her expression was calm as always, but a hint of tension and anxiety was visible.

"No, it's fine. ...Wow."

Yugen carefully observed Arisa's yukata.

The fabric was a deep indigo.

The pattern featured large morning glories in a light purple, with white anemones and bush clovers.

The obi had a hemp leaf pattern in a shell pink.

Her hair was beautifully tied up and adorned with a hairpin decorated with a red bead (likely coral).

The overall color and design of the yukata were not particularly flashy, giving a rather calm impression.

In contrast, the obi color was very beautiful and eye-catching.

It gave a more mature and beautiful impression rather than cute.

While an ordinary woman might have been overshadowed, Arisa, with her age-inappropriate calmness and sensuality, wore it beautifully.

The beautiful hairpin accentuated this.

"...Does it look strange?"

"No, it suits you very well. You look very beautiful. More mature than usual."

When Yugen complimented Arisa, her expression did not brighten.

Arisa turned her back to Yugen.

The neatly tied obi was visible.

"Is it tied properly?"

Arisa asked anxiously.

Her question seemed more about whether she had put on the yukata correctly rather than whether it suited her.

"Yeah, I think it's done well. I see my sister's yukata every year, so I can judge these things. Don't worry."

When Yugen said this, Arisa sighed in relief.

Then, she said as if making an excuse.

"Actually, I haven't worn a yukata in years... I looked it up online."

"I see."

It must have been nerve-wracking.

Yugen thought that if she had mentioned this earlier, he could have asked his mother or sister for help, but it was too late to say anything now.

"By the way, is it okay if I ask you something while you're busy?"

A cute voice was heard.

Turning around, Yugen saw Ayumi standing there, wearing a cute koi fish patterned yukata.

She did a little spin.

"How do I look? Big brother."

"You look very good. I think you're cute."

"You seem a bit more reserved when comparing me to Arisa."

Despite her complaint, Ayumi approached Arisa with a smile.

Then, she stared at Arisa's yukata.

"Still, Arisa. You look beautiful. Yes, I accept you as my sister-in-law."

"Ahaha, thank you."

Ayumi, looking rather proud, puffed out her chest.

Arisa had a somewhat awkward expression.

She couldn't say that she had no intention of getting married.

"Still, Arisa. You and big brother have similar tastes in yukata. It's not like you coordinated, right? Maybe you just understand each other... I might be called 'aunt' soon."

Her behavior was already that of an "aunt."

Yugen quickly swallowed these words.

On the other hand, Arisa, who had no intention of getting married but was spoken to as if it were a given, felt uncomfortable and changed the subject.

"By the way, Ayumi. ...You're not going to the festival in that kimono, right?"

"Huh? Of course not... I won't go to the festival in hakama. I have to wear a yukata."

Ayumi wore hakama at home.

According to her, it was easy to move in, stylish, and cute...

It was unlikely that anyone would think a girl who wore hakama as everyday wear, let alone a family that wore traditional clothing, existed in this day and age.

"We wear traditional clothing as everyday wear."

So, Yugen explained to Arisa.

Arisa's expression quickly showed understanding.

"That's quite rare. ...Is it decided by family rules or customs?"

"No, not really. Well... we just follow what our parents do."

"We've been doing this since we were young. ...I think it suits this house. I'm not sure if it's appropriate to say TPO, but that's the feeling."

Incidentally, Yugen wore Western clothes in his apartment.

It would be strange to wear traditional clothing in that room.

In Ayumi's words, it would be a TPO issue.

"It's not a big deal, so you don't have to copy it, Arisa. ...By the way, your yukata looks very good."

"Right. When Arisa marries into our family, you can break these old-fashioned rules. But still, you look really cute, Arisa. You suit it so well."

Just then, Yugen's parents arrived.

When they both complimented her yukata, Arisa had a complex expression.

She was happy to be complimented but felt guilty about deceiving them.

Her face showed this.

Yugen decided it was best to leave and took Arisa's hand.

"Then, we'll go to the festival."

"Ah, well... I'll go ahead."

Yugen led Arisa away somewhat forcefully.

"I'm sorry, Arisa. ...You don't have to worry about it, okay?"

After leading Arisa out, Yugen apologized.

For the timid Arisa, it must have been difficult to deceive Yugen's parents.

"No... I think it's important to be fully aware of this. I'm the one being dishonest."

"You're overthinking it, Arisa."

Yugen sighed.

It seemed that Yugen and Arisa had slightly different understandings of this engagement.

"Even if you break off the engagement, they won't be angry."

"Really? ...Is that so?"

"It's just an engagement, not a marriage. They must be prepared for the possibility of a breakup or cancellation."

In this day and age, even divorce isn't that uncommon.

For an engagement, it's even more so.

"Because of this possibility, our engagement is only known to the Takasegawa and Amakusa families, and we're not supposed to talk about it. You were also told not to spread it, right?"

"Yes. ...Is that the intention behind it?"

Arisa, who originally intended to keep it secret, hadn't deeply considered the meaning behind the command from her adoptive father.

"That's right. ...Marriage and engagement are about making a relationship public and showing a deep connection. But since we haven't made it public, it means... this engagement is unofficial and, in the extreme, just a verbal agreement. If it were official, it would have been shared with Tachibana, Sato, and Uesugi."

Especially Tachibana, who is an ally and rival to the Takasegawa family.

Not informing him about the next head's engagement means it's still unofficial and not formal.

By the way, Yugen had already told Ayaka about the engagement...

What's important is that the heads of the families haven't communicated it through letters or other means.

The content discussed by children at the pool is the same as "not hearing about it."

The reason for not making the engagement public is to protect the privacy of Yugen and Arisa in case their relationship breaks down and to prevent it from becoming a scandal.

So, it's not an absolute secret.

It's just better not to spread it around.

"Is that what it is? ...Do I not have to think about it so seriously?"

"Exactly. ...We're just kids who just graduated from middle school. It's unreasonable to force an engagement on immature minds and expect them to keep it faithfully. So, don't worry about it."

At least Yugen's parents probably don't fully trust him.

It's strange to trust a child who can't make sound judgments.

A sensible adult will trust a child to some extent but will always have doubts at the last line.

"I see. ...I'll try not to worry too much."

"That's good. You're a victim. Even if you haven't done anything wrong... you're definitely not the bad guy."

Yugen said this firmly.

Arisa, with slightly moist eyes, looked a bit relieved and whispered.

"Thank you."

This is a story about how you shouldn't trust a kid who was still a middle schooler a year ago.

High school relationships, if they last a year, are considered long, aren't they?

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Current Dere Level: 90%

Just one more push...

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