The faint scent of tea still lingered on his face as he looked at Koharu's father sitting across from him, his mind seriously considering how to handle his relationship with Koharu.
Koharu's father set his hand back on the table, letting his index finger tap lightly against the surface, producing a muted, rhythmic sound.
Tap… tap… tap…
His gaze fixed on Haruto. Observing the young boy in front of him, he slowly narrowed his eyes.
"She is my daughter. As her father, I have a duty and a responsibility to ensure our family continues and thrives. Originally, I planned to find an outstanding young man within my company to become her fiancé when she entered university, someone who would join our family and inherit my business."
Hearing this, Haruto felt a ripple of unease, and his brow unconsciously furrowed.
He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath to steady his thoughts.
"But when I learned that she had someone she liked… I didn't mind her choosing her own partner. That's her right. As her father, I have no reason to stop her. However…"
His eyes swept over Haruto, who sat across from him. The expression on the man's face was one of deep disappointment. He closed his eyes and sighed softly.
His intentions were clear.
"Don't you want to defend yourself at all?"
Opening his eyes again, the man fixed Haruto with a serious gaze.
Since entering the tea room, Haruto had barely spoken. The father wanted to hear him explain himself.
"For Koharu… I won't deny that I've been careless. I've treated her feelings lightly, never giving a straight answer, day after day, until now."
The man said nothing, simply resting his fingers lightly on the teacup, as if restraining himself.
"Perhaps it's possessiveness, or maybe just the simple joy of being with her. When I'm with Koharu, I feel nothing but contentment, even with her… unique habits."
Thinking of his daughter's unusual quirks, and recalling the pictures of Haruto that often appeared outside her room, the man's grip on the teacup loosened slightly.
Though he had long harbored prejudice against Haruto and struggled to understand his daughter, it seemed that Haruto not only accepted Koharu's quirks but faced them calmly something that left the father unexpectedly impressed.
Even as her father, he could hardly comprehend someone following his daughter everywhere and documenting her every action.
"What are you trying to say?"
"I really like being with Koharu. May I entrust your daughter to me, Father?"
Haruto delivered this with a bold bow, his voice firm.
The man in the tea room froze. A veteran of countless business negotiations, he was momentarily stunned. Haruto's sudden declaration had disrupted all his thoughts, leaving him struggling to process his logic. He sat in silence, staring at the boy on the floor. After a long pause, he suddenly stood.
"…."
He cast a cold glance at Haruto and walked toward the door, leaving the boy alone in the tea room for what felt like an eternity.
After a while, footsteps approached again this time softer. The sliding door opened gently, and familiar fragrance drifted in.
Koharu crouched down beside him, pressing the camera shutter to capture Haruto's bow.
"Aren't you tired?" she asked.
"A little," he admitted, straightening up and meeting her gaze.
"Where's your father?"
"Didn't you already called him 'Father'?"
"You heard everything?"
"The voice was loud enough to hear clearly from the next room. My mother and I were both surprised. So… should I start calling you 'darling' now?"
Hearing that Koharu had been right next door and had overheard everything, Haruto felt a subtle mix of emotions but no real embarrassment.
"So… how does it stand now?"
"My mother is curious about you, and my father is mad at you. So he brought you here to see if my feelings for you are genuine and whether I've been deceived."
"And?"
"My mother thinks you're 'dangerous,' and my father calls you a 'scoundrel.' Neither of them thinks very highly of you."
Koharu reached out and brushed a stray tea leaf from his head.
"But neither of them stopped me from continuing to be with you. My father was initially uninterested, but your reaction surprised him. He decided to give you more time to see how far you could go."
Haruto understood now: today was essentially a test. The initial meeting and this little test seemed to have gone well enough—they wouldn't block him from seeing Koharu.
"So… I passed?"
"In my heart, Haruto, you've always been excellent. Truly excellent," she said, leaning forward to kiss him gently on the cheek.
Afterwards, Koharu showed Haruto around her house briefly. They didn't see her parents again. When it was time, she had the driver take them back near Haruto's apartment.
Stepping out of the car, he hugged her and watched as she left.
As he turned toward his apartment, a girl stood not far away, calmly watching him. Haruto's gaze met hers for a brief moment. Setsuna's expression was composed, revealing neither surprise nor anger. Haruto was slightly taken aback that she was standing there.
They held each other's gaze for a moment before Setsuna slowly turned and walked toward her apartment. Haruto watched her retreating figure, then silently made his way home.
"Did you go see that girl from yesterday, too?"
Inside, Futaba was preparing dinner and casually asked Haruto.
"No… I didn't."
"Is that so?"
Futaba noticed the faint shine on Haruto's cheeks. She fell silent for a moment, glanced down at her work, then washed her hands, grabbed a towel, and brought it over to him.
Haruto stared, unsure what his mother was up to.
"For your face… you have lip balm."
"Lip balm…?"
It took him a moment to realize. Remembering Koharu's gentle kiss on his cheek earlier, he took the towel from Futaba and dabbed at his face.
"Are you not worried about Setsuna's feelings when you act like this with girls?"
Worried?
Of course I am.
How could I not be?
After wiping his cheeks, Haruto quietly walked over to his desk, opened a free video site, and began catching up on the latest news.
Futaba watched him, wanting to say something but stopping herself.
Haruto, staring blankly at the screen, didn't notice his mother's expression. Deep down, he sensed that Futaba was hiding something from him, though he had no clue what it might be and, oddly, he didn't care much.
He quietly watched the news anchor's ordinary face, closing his eyes.
_ _ _ _
"I've mostly recovered. Once the break starts, I'll go back to Itomori. No need to worry so much."
"Are you really okay?"
Later that night, just as he was about to rest in his pajamas, his phone rang. It was Mitsuha. Haruto, freshly out of the shower, sighed and answered.
Futaba glanced at the two of them talking but didn't interrupt.
"Anything else? I'm at the hospital, not chatting with you at home right now."
"When is your break?"
"About a week from now. When it starts, I'll go straight back to Itomori. No need to rush."
"You and Mom, just the two of you?"
"Yeah."
"And… the other two? They're not coming back with you?"
Haruto thought for a moment. With him heading back to Itomori, he wouldn't be able to take care of them. It wasn't summer anymore, it was winter, and he wasn't in the best shape. There was no reason to bring them along.
"New Year's is coming. It'll just be me and Mom."
"I see…"
There was a hint of disappointment in Mitsuha's voice, but Haruto wouldn't change his plan because of it.
After chatting briefly, he hung up. Laying his head on the pillow, he closed his eyes.
_ _ _ _
"Is it him?"
"I heard he took a few months off and then got taken by a man in black yesterday. Definitely a strange person."
"The young master?"
"No, not the one who writes books?"
"Getting more mysterious by the day."
The next morning, on the way to school, Haruto could hear whispers as he neared the campus. People were speculating about him. He felt the subtle but odd sensation of suddenly being mysterious.
Under those gazes, he made his way to the school building, changed into indoor shoes, and entered the classroom, finally escaping the stares.
Sitting at his desk, he wondered how word traveled so fast. At this rate, he'd soon become a legend in the school.
Did someone plan for this to happen from the start?
He recalled being invited into the car publicly yesterday and today's whispers. At first, he suspected Koharu, but it didn't feel like her style. She had a low profile at school and didn't like attracting attention. It was probably her father's doing.
Though a little suspicious, Haruto couldn't confirm anything. He sat, lost in thought, until class started and he opened his textbook, pausing his reflections.
"Taken away yesterday?"
"You even heard about that?"
In the lab, the topic continued. Haruto looked up at Rio's question.
"The whole school is talking about it, right? A high schooler suddenly taken away by strangers—like bodyguards. It's a hot topic. Don't you think?"
"When you're the one at the center, why would you care?"
"The second-year senior?"
"Huh?"
Rio's question caught Haruto off guard. Seeing his reaction, she confirmed her suspicions.
Though he didn't know exactly what that senior did when "inviting" him, judging by his calm demeanor, it was probably nothing serious.
A sense of relief washed over her. She no longer felt as worried about Haruto.
"Since it's that senior, I suppose you can handle it yourself."
"Handle it, huh?"
"There's only a week until the break. Are you going back to your hometown?"
"You actually care about that? I'm a bit surprised. My little sister at home is concerned too, so I'll definitely go back. But I should be back before New Year's."
"Spending New Year in Tokyo?"
Rio Futaba looked at Haruto, her calm expression betraying a hint of expectation in her eyes.
"Yeah, New Year will be in Tokyo. If we have time, let's go visit a shrine together."
"...If we have time."
Rio didn't give a definite answer, simply glancing at Haruto. Some things were better left open.
"New Year…"
In just over two weeks, it would be here. Haruto felt a bit nostalgic, realizing how fast time had flown. Compared to others, he had missed nearly a month of this year.
"When the time comes, I'll offer a prayer. Hopefully next year will be better than this one… at least without any more trips to the hospital."
~~~~~~~~~~
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