Ren looked at the person beside him in silence. He felt like he had seen this scene before.
"Hey boy, say something. You usually talk a lot, don't you?"
"Quickly, give me some advice!"
Shizuka Hiratsuka was drunk after a failed blind date. She patted Ren's shoulder and spoke with a frustrated voice.
Today, Shizuka's father forced her to go on another blind date. He told her she was almost thirty. He said if she did not get married now, no one would want her later.
Hiratsuka was annoyed by her father's talking, so she agreed to meet the man.
The man was not bad. His family background was similar to hers. They were a good match.
However, the man could not accept Shizuka's habits of smoking and drinking. He asked her to change after they got married.
Hiratsuka was a strong woman. She saw quickly that the man was also a strong person.
Since neither could control the other, two people with the same personality did not get along.
The blind date failed naturally.
When her father found out, he called Hiratsuka and started talking again.
Hiratsuka got annoyed and hung up the phone. She went to an izakaya and started drinking.
When she felt drunk enough, she went outside to cool down.
Just then, she saw Ren walking home. The alcohol went to her head, and she pulled him to sit with her. She started complaining about her father.
"Shizuka... you are not that young anymore. What your father said..."
Thwack!
Before Ren could finish, Hiratsuka's "Justice Iron Fist" flew toward him. Ren caught it perfectly.
He held her fist tight and kept trying to give his "honest" advice.
"Look, Shizuka. If you change your habit of hitting people, the men chasing you..."
Thwack!
Hiratsuka saw her first hand was stuck. She used her other hand.
Ren caught that one too.
"Shizuka, damn... you are crazy."
When Ren tried to speak again, he saw Hiratsuka trying to hit him with her head. He let go of her hands and moved back several steps. He left the bench completely.
Hiratsuka shook her hands. They hurt a little from Ren's grip. She looked at him with an unhappy face.
As a single woman of her age, she hated it when people talked about her years.
She only stayed quiet because she could not beat Ren in a fight. Otherwise, she would have hit him hard.
"Are you afraid of a headbutt?"
She noticed Ren was keeping a safe distance. She thought she found his weakness.
When Ren stole her lighter before, he took a punch to the chest without moving.
But when she tried to headbutt him, he moved away.
Hiratsuka thought she could control him now. She was about to give a big smile...
"A headbutt? I thought you were going to kiss me. It scared me," Ren said.
Her smile froze. Now she really wanted to kill him.
"If you can talk, you should write a book!" Hiratsuka said angrily.
Ren sat back down next to her. "Will you buy it?" he asked.
"No."
"Then what are you talking about?"
The two fell silent. Hiratsuka did not know what to say, and Ren liked the peace.
After a short time, Ren spoke up. "Shizuka, is there anything else? If not, I am leaving."
Ren did not want to stay here all day.
Hiratsuka was single, but Ren was not.
He had three cats to feed at home, and he had to pick up Mahiru soon.
He would rather spend time on his own things than waste it on Hiratsuka.
"Ren, do you think marriage is really that important?" Hiratsuka asked.
She finally asked for his advice. She did not want help; she just wanted to see what others thought.
Everyone sees things differently. She wanted to know Ren's view.
In school, she was his teacher. Outside of school, Ren could be her teacher.
"It's not important," Ren said immediately.
"Then you don't plan to get married?"
Hiratsuka was surprised. Ren was at an age where hormones are strong. Yet he said marriage was not important.
Was this boy actually a gentleman?
She looked him up and down. She wanted to see if her guess was right. But Ren did not look like a gentleman at all.
"Of course I will get married. I want to marry ten girls!"
Ren did not understand her confusion.
Being "important" and "getting married" were different things. One was an attitude, the other was a way of life.
It would be cruel if Ren did not marry them and give them a home. He didn't want the girls who loved him to be alone.
"Marry ten? Haha." Hiratsuka was fully awake now after hearing his dream.
"Shizuka, do you not plan to get married?" Ren asked.
He ignored her mocking tone. Shizuka only knew Ren was part of the Ren Group. But Ren knew about the powerful families in the area.
Shizuka was the only daughter of the Hiratsuka family. If she did not marry, her father would never agree.
Her father wanted her to marry someone so a grandson could take over the family business.
If she didn't marry, the family legacy would end after her.
Older people care a lot about family lines. That was the old-fashioned way of thinking.
Since Shizuka was twenty-seven and had no boyfriend, it was normal for her father to worry.
"I don't know," Hiratsuka said.
She looked up at the sky. For once, she looked lost.
She knew about these things. She wanted to fall in love, but she did not want to settle for someone she didn't like.
Marriage is for a lifetime. If a couple is not right for each other, it won't work. One person must give in, or they will just fight.
In Japan's current society, strong women like Shizuka were not as popular as gentle women.
Shizuka was not the type to give in. She was slowly looking for the right person.
If she really did not want to marry, she would not have gone to the date.
But the people her father found were from families like hers. Men from those families were also very strong.
So they could not get along with Shizuka.
"Shizuka, you are so much trouble."
"Here is a small cake. I'm leaving now."
Ren put the cake he saved for Mahiru next to Hiratsuka. He stood up and walked away.
He realized he had many "problem children" around him. Not just Hikigaya and Yukinoshita.
Shizuka Hiratsuka was a problem child too.