Suddenly, hearing cries of "Kyaa!?" from several women behind him, Yugen turned his gaze. Seeing a boy in casual clothes causing the commotion, Yugen immediately realized the women's screams were due to collisions caused by them staring at the beautiful boy.
Next to the boy was a girl clinging to his arm, trembling in fear. She gave off a small-animal vibe that reminded him somewhat of Azusa.
Arisa blinked, her expression unreadable as she watched the scene. The boy, spotting Yugen, approached them.
"Minoru, Riri-chan. Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year, Yugen-san."
"K-Kagurazaka-senpai, Happy New Year. By the way, who is this person?"
"Ah, she's my... on the family register, she's my sister-in-law. Asha, these two are Kudo Minoru-kun and Jumonji Riri-chan."
"(Kudo and Jumonji...) I am Nagano Arisa. I am also Onii-chan's lover."
Hearing Arisa's introduction, Minoru and Riri looked not surprised, but rather convinced. However, Riri seemed to harbor some doubt upon observing Arisa. Regardless, after exchanging introductions, Yugen made a suggestion.
"Anyway, let's move. Minoru, just standing here might create a human domino effect."
"Ah, you're right. I apologize for the trouble."
As Yugen heard later, when Tatsuya, Miyuki, Minami, Riri, and Shimizu were walking along the approach to the temple, a similar incident had occurred where women staring at Minoru collided with other pedestrians. Even Tatsuya couldn't help but smile wryly at that.
The current situation was already precarious, but with Riri's presence added to the mix, they decided to enter the tower before the "damage" spread any further.
The shopping itself proceeded relatively smoothly, until Arisa suggested, "I want to look at underwear," a proposal Riri agreed to, dragging both Yugen and Minoru along.
Minoru, who had barely ever gone shopping properly, naturally lacked immunity to women's intimate apparel. He was embarrassed by the expanse of lingerie before him, which in turn caused the store clerks to stare at him in fascination. His talent for attracting women solely through his emotional expressions was, in a sense, complete.
If that were all, it might have been manageable. But Yugen was roped into choosing for Arisa, and Minoru for Riri. Yugen was even pulled into the fitting room by Arisa. Seeing this, the clerk didn't reprimand them but rather seemed to encourage it, saying, "Oh my, aren't you two passionate?"
They didn't actually go that far in such a place, of course. Yugen kept his cool and quietly assisted her. Although Arisa called him a "meanie" for it, laying a hand on a middle school girl in public would be genuinely dangerous. Mostly in a legal sense.
In a way, Minoru's presence had saved him from a tight spot.
Later, the four of them sat at a restaurant table for lunch. While Yugen remained outwardly calm, Minoru looked exhausted. It was understandable, given that this was his first experience of this kind.
"Y-Yugen-san, how are you so calm?"
"I've been dragged around endlessly by the other girls. Rather than 'calm,' 'resigned' is probably the more accurate word."
"I-I see..."
To give examples of his other fiancées: Miyuki, Shizuku, and Selia acted similarly to Arisa. Himeri and Yuka were too shy to show him in the fitting room (which he thought was the normal reaction). Toko, Airi, Marika, and Izumi were still inexperienced in this regard, so he couldn't comment.
As for his exclusive servants, Maya and Remi would drag him into the fitting room and try to seduce him into pushing them down (he usually managed to talk his way out of it and make it up to them after returning home). He sincerely hoped Minami wouldn't turn out like that.
Suddenly, Riri operated the CAD on her wrist (via thought operation developed by FLT) and deployed a sound-masking field. Once she confirmed it was active, she turned to Yugen with a serious expression.
"Kagurazaka-senpai. Um, there is something I want to ask about Arisa-san."
"What is it?"
"...I felt a magical disposition in Arisa-san that is extremely similar to the Jumonji family's traits. How should I put it... I can see the flow of psions in magicians."
This revelation surprised not only Arisa but Minoru as well. Within the Jumonji family, Riri's aptitude for magic exceeded even that of the eldest son and current heir, Katsuto. While she couldn't beat Katsuto yet due to the difference in combat experience, it wouldn't be long before Riri surpassed him if she gained experience.
Riri had sensed the psion flow within Arisa and detected "something" characteristic of the Jumonji line. Incidentally, in the case of Minoru and Yugen, their psions were apparently too dense to read. Since it would be troublesome if this doubt reached the ears of the Jumonji family, Yugen sighed and glanced at Arisa. She nodded, as if to say, "I leave it to you, Yugen." Confirming this, Yugen turned his gaze to Minoru and Riri.
"...What I am about to tell you must never be repeated. I want you to promise me that. After all, Riri's observation is, in a sense, correct."
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"...Arisa's father is the current head of the Jumonji family, Jumonji Kazuki. We managed to deal with the techniques Arisa possesses, but we cannot change blood ties."
"So, she is a hidden child..."
At Yugen's blunt words, Arisa looked down. Minoru was shocked that the head of the Jumonji family had an illegitimate child. Then, Minoru noticed Riri holding her head as if she had suddenly remembered something.
"Ah, so that's what the entry in that diary meant..."
"Riri-san, do you know something?"
"Um, well, my parents passed away in the spring, and when we were sorting through their belongings, we found my mother's diary."
Riri wasn't surprised that her diligent mother had kept a diary. However, curious about her mother's thoughts, she had opened the first page, and the content was far too shocking.
The diary began about 14 years ago. It was supposed to be a diary started when Riri turned one (titled "Riri's Growth Diary"), yet there, Riri's mother—Jumonji Kazuki's sister—was venting her fury at her brother.
—That idiot brother! Just because Dariya-san is gone doesn't mean you can mope around!
—He won't tell me the details, but mostly likely, Brother got Dariya-san pregnant, and Dariya-san quietly withdrew... When I said that, Brother said, "That's not it... probably," with absolutely no confidence. That means you have a clue, doesn't it!
—I told him to chase after Dariya-san immediately and talk it out properly! But Brother wouldn't move a muscle. How is he going to explain this to Keiko-san and Kaname-san... that idiot brother.
—Wait, I wrote this in Riri's growth diary... Maybe I should keep it as a warning to myself. Though really, the idiot brother is the one who needs the warning. Why am I getting dragged into this?
"...Um, how should I say this."
"...Dariya is my mother's name."
"And Keiko-san is the current wife of Lord Jumonji. The other woman mentioned is my grandfather's wife—my maternal grandmother. She passed away by the time she would have been well, so I never met her."
Riri's mother had immediately realized her brother was two-timing Keiko and Dariya. Reading the diary, Riri felt her mother's strong sentiment: "If you truly care about the Jumonji family, break up with Dariya-san. If not, step down as head of the family." (This was the only page in her mother's effects that touched on the subject).
"Why is it like this..." Riri slumped onto the table in despair. Minoru tried to comfort her, while Arisa leaned against Yugen with a slightly sad expression. Yugen supported her, stroking her hair.
Seeing Riri, who looked ready to cry after discovering the grave fact that Arisa was the Jumonji family's hidden child—realizing she had poked a sleeping bear—Minoru also sensed the gravity of the situation. Honestly, he wanted to cry too. Why do I have to deal with another family's illegitimate child problem?
"Anyway, please keep this locked within your hearts, Minoru, Riri-chan."
"Of course. Or rather, we absolutely cannot say anything. Tatsuki and Kazumi would definitely enter a rebellious phase, and the stress on Mika-san, who is scheduled to marry your brother, would be immense."
"...Eh? Mika-san... was that Yugen-san's sister?"
"Yeah. Topics like siblings' engagements already feel like other people's business to me."
With Mika marrying Katsuto and Minoru engaging to Riri, a line connecting Mitsuya, Kudo, and Jumonji would be established. Although, since Minoru would be adopted into the Mibu family, technically it would be Mitsuya, Mibu, and Jumonji, plus Kirihara as an indirect relative (apparently Kirihara's father and Sayaka's father were acquaintances, and both were positive about the match).
Adding Yugen's existence to the mix meant that all the parties involved in the "Blanche" incident from the spring before last would be connected—a bonus he hadn't intended.
In any case, they cut the topic short and enjoyed shopping in the tower as a double date. Minoru reflected that even after leaving the Kudo house, he seemed to possess a certain "talent" for encountering problems.
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded over 30 chapters of this story on Patreon.
If you're enjoying it and want to read ahead, feel free to check them out here:
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thanks a lot for your support, it really helps me keep going.