Chapter 68

Late September.

"…Again this week?"

Kobayashi Shota sighed as he peered through his binoculars at Yuki Seira coming out of her house.

Shota's house was not far from Seira's, and from the balcony, he could get a glimpse of her with the binoculars.

Seira visited her boyfriend's place every Saturday.

How did he know? ...Because, as it got late at night, he could see a man escorting her home.

The man's name was Takasegawa Yugen.

A boy around Shota's age.

Of course, he never explicitly said he was Seira's boyfriend...

But it was clear from the way they passed by Shota's house every night, looking happy, that they were in a relationship.

"Haa... She must be happy."

Every Saturday night.

Listening at the door, he could hear Seira and Yugen's cheerful voices through the door.

Seira, who always wore a blank expression and never showed her feelings, was laughing happily.

It should have been... a happy thing.

It should have been a happy thing.

But... he couldn't be happy.

Something murky swirled in his chest.

I liked her first.

I was supposed to make her happy.

He was envious.

He was jealous.

He was aware that it was an ugly jealousy.

But... he couldn't suppress it.

"If I had been... a little more..."

If I had been smarter.

If I had been handsome.

If I had been born into a wealthy family.

He couldn't help but think that.

He couldn't help but think it.

"...Haa"

"Shota, where are you going?"

"For a walk."

He answered his mother brusquely and wandered out.

Wandering aimlessly...

He ended up sitting on a bench in a nearby park.

Staring blankly at the sky... he was spoken to.

"Shota-kun?"

"It's... Daisho-san."

A young man with a carry-on bag approached Shota with a pleasant smile.

Amakasu Daisho.

Seira's cousin.

Shota learned about Seira's complicated family situation from Daisho.

And... Daisho knew that Shota liked Seira.

"It's been a while. ...You're back, I see."

"Yeah, sorry for not contacting you sooner."

They exchanged updates on their recent lives.

It seemed Daisho was planning to return to Kansai soon.

"Is everything okay with the train?"

"I still have some time, so it's fine."

After checking his watch, Daisho said.

Shota suddenly wondered...

Does he know that Seira has a boyfriend?

"By the way... I heard that Yuki-san has a boyfriend."

As if it didn't matter.

Casually.

As if he was saying, "It's a nice day, isn't it?" Shota said to Daisho.

Daisho's expression darkened.

"That's..."

"No, no, I don't care. ...I mean, she was always out of my reach. He seems like a good person, right? Takasegawa-san, right? Since he goes to the same high school as Yuki-san, he must be smart. And his face... well, he's pretty handsome. He's a good match for Yuki-san... I can't even compare to him..."

The more he tried to cover it up, the more pathetic he felt.

In the end, he couldn't say anything.

He scratched his head and sighed.

In response to such a Shota... Daisho showed a slightly hesitant expression, but then he seemed to make a decision.

"About that, Shota-kun. Actually... he's not Seira's boyfriend."

"...Eh?"

"I'm only telling you this because it's you. ...My father has warned me not to tell anyone else, so please be careful. He is... Takasegawa Yugen is Seira's fiancé."

"Fiancé!?"

Shota couldn't help but shout.

He quickly covered his mouth with both hands.

"That's right. ...It's an arranged marriage."

"An arranged marriage..."

It felt like he was hearing the plot of a sci-fi or fantasy story.

The fact that such a thing could happen in modern Japan was surprising.

"Seira was forced into the engagement. ...The Takasegawa family is a famous and influential family in the business and political world. I think he probably liked Seira. So he used his money and power to arrange the engagement."

"That's... so..."

Indeed, he seemed wealthy.

It was also true that he had seemed like a bad guy.

But Seira looked happy.

He thought it must be a good person, someone Seira liked.

The bad impression must have been a delusion caused by his own jealousy.

"But Yuki-san looked happy..."

"Her father probably threatened her to be friendly with Takasegawa. ...The Takasegawa family is one of the clans that you can't afford to make an enemy of in this country."

Daisho said, emphasizing to Shota.

"Got it? This is a secret. ...We must definitely help Seira together."

"...Y-Yes."

Confused, Shota could only nod.

After returning home, he looked up the Takasegawa family.

Various information came up.

The Takasegawa family.

A clan that oversees the companies known as the Takasegawa Zaibatsu or the Takasegawa Group.

Their wealth is said to be rivaled only by the Tachibana family in Japan.

But the real power of the Takasegawa family is not just their wealth.

It seems they have been actively engaging in political marriages for generations.

As a result, they have connections with politicians and bureaucrats...

And they have a wide network in the EU and the United States.

Especially with the United States, they have had a close relationship since before the war, and were involved in the post-war peace negotiations.

While many zaibatsu lost their power after the war, the Takasegawa family (and the Tachibana family) not only maintained their power but also grew even stronger.

After the war, they provided massive support and weapons to outlaw groups, using them as pawns in various plots to eliminate anyone who threatened their vested interests, including the American government and the ruling party.

An organization that should have been targeted by the anti-gang laws due to its violent nature was exempted from the laws by the political pressure of the Takasegawa family and continues to operate as a subcontractor for the Takasegawa family.

A significant number of politicians, bureaucrats, CEOs of major corporations, media moguls, and celebrities are customers of the illegal brothels run by the organization, and the customer information can be used to have the prosecution move and socially destroy influential people in Japan at any time.

Along with the Tachibana family, they are the kings of the underworld that control Japan.

...

...

...

All of this information was found on internet speculation sites, so it was questionable whether it was true.

Especially the part about being the kings of the underworld made Shota laugh.

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't believe it.

But... if he believed Daisho, it didn't seem entirely wrong.

Moreover, if he thought about it calmly, it was strange for the proud and aloof Seira to act like a dog.

In other words, Seira was being threatened.

But... what could he do even if he knew that?

There was no way a commoner like Shota could win against such a terrifying clan.

Days passed without him being able to do anything.

He was frustrated that he was powerless, that he could only watch as Seira fell into the clutches of a man.

Then... one Saturday in November.

It was really just a coincidence.

On his way back from a trip to the city center for a change of pace, he entered a shopping mall to buy some clothes.

There, he met her.

Yuki Seira.

She was with a girl who looked like a middle school student.

Takasegawa Yugen... was not there.

Before he knew it, he was speaking to her.

"Ah, Yuki-san, right? What a coincidence."

"...Kobayashi-san, is it? What a coincidence indeed."

Seira seemed a little surprised.

Feeling a bit guilty, Shota explained.

"I just had some business in this area. I thought I'd look at some clothes while I was here, and I happened to see you. Are you shopping?"

It was obvious, wasn't it?

Shota inadvertently criticized himself.

But Seira didn't seem to mind and answered calmly.

"Yes, that's right."

She had her usual calm, cool expression.

But... for some reason, she seemed cuter than before.

He wanted her.

He wanted her.

He didn't want her to be given to a rich, handsome guy like that.

He strongly felt that.

"Hey, Yuki-san."

"What is it?"

"I heard you got engaged..."

Seira's aura changed.

For a moment, it felt like the temperature dropped to freezing.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, and her gaze became as cold as a lake surface.

"Who told you that?"

"Uh... Daisho-san."

"...Tch."

She clearly clicked her tongue in displeasure.

"Can you please keep this confidential? It would cause trouble for Yugen."

"...So, you are being threatened, right?"

"...Pardon?"

Shota thought that she must have been ordered not to talk about the engagement.

Because she was being threatened, Seira couldn't ask for help.

"You were forced into the engagement, right? Daisho said. That... Takasegawa... Yugen, is threatening you, right? Using money and power, forcing you! If I can help, I'll..."

"You're quite presumptuous, aren't you?"

A cold voice came from behind.

It was the middle school-aged girl who was shopping with Seira.

"...You are..."

"Takasegawa Ayumi, Yugen's sister. To put it bluntly, I'm not pleased."

The blue-eyed girl, Ayumi, stepped forward with a composed voice.

Despite being smaller than him, she had an intimidating presence.

He instinctively took a step back.

"Is my brother threatening Seira-san? What evidence do you have to say that?"

"Well... because, an arranged marriage is just... wrong! It's not right!"

Marriage should be about two people falling in love and loving each other.

It's wrong to marry or get engaged for money, profit, or family connections.

It should be wrong, even by general standards.

He was right.

Shota told himself that.

On the other hand, Ayumi...

"My parents were also married through an arranged marriage. Are you saying that my birth and my brother's birth were mistakes?"

"Well, I'm not saying that..."

"There are various reasons for marriage and various forms of relationships."

Shota hesitated.

If he calmed down, he might have thought of a few counterarguments, but his mind went blank, and he couldn't think of anything.

So, he blurted out:

"Seira-san is being abused."

The moment he said it, Seira's eyes wavered.

He knew he might hurt her, but he couldn't stop himself.

"She was forced into the engagement. In exchange for a large sum of money! This is wrong!! Marrying for money!!"

"..."

Ayumi's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

But her expression quickly became calm.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Well... because... it's just..."

"Providing financial support to close relatives, friends, lovers, and their families is a common practice. For example, scholarships and co-signers are necessary, right? It's the same thing."

"But..."

It felt like a sophistry, but he couldn't pinpoint why.

He had to counter it.

Shota desperately searched for words.

But Ayumi spoke first.

"Anyway... whether the Takasegawa family provides financial assistance to anyone is our business."

"That's not it..."

"What's not it?"

"This... this is... human trafficking!"

It's wrong to treat people, especially Seira, like commodities.

This is a crime, Shota asserted.

"Where?"

"Well... because... when they got engaged, they paid money..."

"My father's decision to lend money to the company run by Amakasu Naoki and my brother's engagement to Seira-san are completely separate matters."

She said it as if she were a machine.

Her expression was devoid of any emotion, just mechanical... and it was very frightening.

"Sure, you can think it's human trafficking if you want... but this is a matter between the Takasegawa and Amakasu families. It's none of your business."

"Th-the police..."

"The police do not intervene in civil matters. They have no authority to interfere with the Takasegawa and Amakasu transactions or the engagement of my brother and Seira-san. ...It's common sense, right?"

Ayumi said it as if she were mocking him.

The police were nothing to be afraid of.

It seemed that way.

Shota remembered the story about the Takasegawa family's strong influence in the business and political worlds.

Shota instinctively took a step back.

To such a Shota, Ayumi pressed on.

"By the way, what are you to Seira-san?"

"Huh? Well, I'm..."

What was he to Seira?

Her boyfriend? No way.

Her friend? ...Not really.

"I'm... Yuki-san's neighbor, and we were classmates in middle school..."

"So, you're just an acquaintance."

An acquaintance.

That's right... Shota was just an acquaintance.

To Seira, he was just an acquaintance.

"But, but, I... I like Yuki-san..."

"Just an acquaintance, and you're interfering in someone else's engagement?"

Then, Ayumi's lips curled up slightly, just for a moment.

"Or, are you going to marry her? If what you say is true and Seira-san is really being threatened, you have a chance, don't you?"

His vision spun.

His sense of distance was off.

His vision flickered.

"No..."

He looked at Seira.

She...

Averted her eyes awkwardly.

He knew.

He knew that what he was saying was incoherent.

He knew that Seira didn't think much of him.

And... he knew that Seira had feelings for Takasegawa Yugen.

His vision went black.

He instinctively tried to run.

He turned around...

"Ah..."

There stood a man with deep blue eyes.

Takasegawa Yugen.

He had a slightly exasperated expression, but with a hint of anger, and he said in a calm voice:

"Ayumi, what's going on here?"

Needless to say, the Takasegawa family is not "a clan that controls Japan from behind" or anything grand like that. They are just wealthy.

By the way, according to rumors, there is a "big catch" in Yugen's high school who has made enemies of the Takasegawa, Tachibana, Satake, and Kounishi families at the same time...

Impressive, senpai!

You do things we can't do so casually!

I'm in awe and admiration!

If you feel the same way, please bookmark and rate (change the ☆☆☆☆☆ below the table of contents to ★★★★★) and Yugen will kiss Seira on the lips.