Chapter 13

“Kaoru, so you love Risa, huh?”

Asahina was visiting the Mizushima residence as usual. Just when he entered Haruki’s room to give his usual greetings, the room’s owner dropped a bomb that left him dumbfounded.

He had heard from his sister Emily about how Yuriko had completely misunderstood his love. Yuriko thought he loved not her, but his childhood friend and Haruki’s wife, Risa.

What he first heard this, there was only one thought that came to his mind. If Haruki ever heard this, he’ll (A) definitely die by his (H) hands.

And right now, he was witnessing that fearful moment with his own eyes.

But Haruki had the same poker face he usually wore. So there was no way to tell if he was really serious or just joking.

“No, that’s not true! Because I only love Yuriko-san! There’s no way I’d fall for someone like Risa!” (A)

“’Someone like Risa’… you say” (H)

“Risa is a splendid woman with excellent grades and an attractive appearance. She’s also overflowing with kindness and affection.” (A)

Noticing his wrong choice of words, Asahina at once went on and on complimenting Risa.

It’s not that Haruki was really angry, but this matter shouldn’t have anything to do with Risa in the first place.

“Without even worrying, I have always known who you love for a long time now.. Good grief, it’s such a mess. And it’ll only get worse if you don’t confess to Yuriko quickly.” (H)

“I know! But there’s no guarantee that Yuriko will also like me. It’s better like this rather than getting rejected and our relationship turning awkward.” (A)

“In that case, should I start preparing for her marriage with someone else?” (H)

“Don’t!” (A)

Asahina buried his face into his hands without thinking.

Although he knew he was a coward, but he still couldn’t bring himself to take even the first step.

“Well, do something fast. My father is the one who will have the final say. If you delay any further, she’ll be taken away by someone else, just like last time.” (H)

“… I know.” (A)

He was aware that if he was slow, Yuriko will be taken away by the man chosen by her father.

Losing patience at Asahina’s indecisive attitude, Haruki kicked him out of the room.

Asahina walked through the corridors pondering about ways to woo Yuriko.

Common words won’t shake Yuriko’s heart.

Having said that, he wanted to say something no one could’ve thought of. But, even he couldn’t think of anything like that.

He felt shameful thinking how he hasn’t wooed even a single woman in his 30 years of living.

While sighing for the nth time, Asahina arrived in front of Yuriko’s door before he knew it.

He weakly resolved to confess as soon as there’s an opportunity. Knocking the door, he waited for Yuriko to answer.

Immediately, Yuriko’s voice was heard. The servant in the room opened the door and invited him in.

Yuriko looked like she had been drinking tea at the moment. She put the cup on the table and greeted him with a slight nod.

Asahina nodded back in greeting and sat down on a nearby sofa.

Soon after, a servant brewed tea for Asahina and put it on the table.

Taking the sugar from the sugar pot, he mixed it into the black tea with a spoon.

Enjoying the tea’s aroma, Asahina took a sip and calmed down his disordered feelings.

“The tea leaves are excellent as usual.” (A)

“Today’s tea leaves are specially from Darjeeling. It seems to suit your taste a lot.” (Y)

“After all, drinking tea is one of the main pleasures for visiting the Mizushima residence!”(A)

“I’m glad to hear you say so.” (Y)

And so the time passed, but it was spent on having light conversations about everyday things. Unable to gather his courage, the most important things ended up being left unsaid.

That being said, Asahina remembered he had wanted to give something to Yuriko. He had handed it over to the servant when he entered the room. He asked the servant to bring it over.

“I brought it along with me.” (A)

“Thank you.” (Y)

He received the paper bag from the servant and took out a square box from inside.

Yuriko stared at the box curiously, wondering what could be in it.

Asahina opened the box’s lid and took out a set of cup and saucer from it.

The cup and saucer each had Casablanca lily painted over them. The set was presented to Yuriko for a closer look. {The raws only had ‘Casablanca painted on it’, took me forever to get that it was a lily and not the city..}

“Asahina-sama, this is?”

” The one and only set of cup and saucer in the world, painted especially by me. At first I was going to turn it into an accessory, but my abilities could only let me do this. By the way, it’s hand-painted.” (A)

” … “

“Casablanca lily is the image I have of Yuriko-san, so I used it for this time. I don’t want to brag but it turned out quite good, if I say so myself. Will you accept it?”

” … is this for me?” (Y)

“Of course. That’s why I brought it with me.”

Putting the cup and the saucer back inside, Asahina handed the box over to Yuriko.

Yuriko took the box and opened the lid slowly. Taking out the cup carefully, she admired it.

Occasionally tracing the painted lily with her finger in fascination, Yuriko was in a daze.

Then Yuriko, who raised her head with high spirits from looking at the cup, met Asahina’s eyes with a face full of smiles.

“Thank you so much! I am so happy! The paintings by Asahina-sama are always full of warmth, and his pleasant personality is more pronounced too and it’s no wonder I like Asahina-sama’s paintings, right? I have always been a fan of Asahina-sama’s paintings.” (Y)

At the same time, looking at Yuriko who couldn’t look happier, Asahina’s mind went blank.

It once again reminded him of the feelings he had long felt for Yuriko.

Yuriko’s smile back then and the smile right now, overlapped in front of his eyes. All the careful thoughts of confessing his heartfelt feelings were forgotten. All the caution was blown to the winds. Unconsciously, he opened his mouth and blurted out,

“Please marry me!”

…these words.

Yuriko heard Asahina’s words quite clearly, yet she was unable to comprehend them the first time. These words circled around in her head and finally she understood that Asahina had just proposed her.

As soon as she understood the words, her face turned red just like a lobster. Eh?? “Ehh???”She shrieked in a barely audible voice. { 茹蛸 (yudetako) gave ‘boiled octopus’ and ‘red as a lobter’ as search results}

Seeing a reaction like this coming from Yuriko, Asahina came back to his senses and realized what he had just said, causing him to panic.

“I didn’t mean that! No wait! I did mean that, but not like that!” (A)

If Haruki was present, he (H) would have provided a proper follow to his (A) statements but unfortunately in the room, there were only Asahina, Yuriko and a servant present.

The servant didn’t understand what he said or what he meant, but he calmly stood by the side.

“Please, please calm down!” (Y)

“Yes! I will calm down!” (A)

This mind blowing conversation of two people who were at their wit’s end, was extremely hilarious.

However, it was Asahina who calmed down both of them and started talking while preparing himself and getting ready to be rejected.

” … I have always loved Yuriko. That third son the Asahina family, someone who no one ever held expectations for, someone who always wondered what he could he do for the Asahina family, you have taught this me the way to live my life. I was happy to be recognised for the first time by someone who wasn’t one of my close ones.”

“I didn’t do-”

Yuriko had no recollection of ever doing anything for Asahina.

It’s not that she didn’t want to, it’s just that she just couldn’t remember.

“Even if Yuriko-san didn’t notice, I was certainly saved by you.”

“B-but.. You said you had someone you loved for nearly 15 years..”

” … I had no courage. I didn’t have the courage to throw away the position as your brother’s reliable friend. I once gave up on you. But I still kept thinking about you, unable to completely give up. I don’t want you to end up with some other man anymore.”

“Asahina-sama … “

Asahina took a deep breath and calmed himself down.

It’s okay, he consoled himself and steeled his will.

“I love Yuriko-san. Please marry me.”

“… Yes”

“Aah, there are no problems regarding my income! There are also bonuses and dividends, so you don’t have to worry at all. While there might not be a lot of servants, but it’s not impossible to hire a few! There are a lot of vacant unused houses under our name so you can choose whichever one takes your fancy! Even if you don’t like any, we can just built a new one. You don’t have to worry about Tsubaki-chan at all! The Asahina family is very open-minded and generous so she wouldn’t be discriminated against at all! She is also very important to me!” {the term was ‘unearned income’ which means the money you get without working, e.g. rent, bonus, company dividends, etc}

“Umm, Asahina-sama?”

“Of course, I swear Yuriko-san is the most important to me! Except for letting you cry tears of joy, I will protect you from any and every thing. That’s why … “

“Asahina-sama!”

Maybe he didn’t hear Yuriko’s calling, but Asahina kept talking.

Half-heartedly, Yuriko stopped Asahina from his rambling using a louder voice so that he could hear her response.

“Yuriko-san? So it’s no good after all?”

“That’s not it! … I also feel the same towards Asahina-sama. That’s why, I accept the proposal.”

Hearing Yuriko’s reply, Asahina stared blankly with an open mouth.

This showed the extent of how unbelievable Yuriko’s words were to him.

Like the typical person he was, Asahina pinched the back of his hand. The pain that followed confirmed that this wasn’t a dream which made him feel happiness from the bottom of his heart.

“Really?”

“Yes, for real.”

“Will you marry me?”

“Yes. Rather I have already had a failed marriage and even have a child, are you fine with that?”

“It’s not a problem at all! I am able to marry Yuriko-san, this is more than enough for me to be happy.”

Seeing Asahina become truly happy, Yuriko also got immersed in the feeling of true joy.

“Ah.. Uhmm.. Yuriko-san..”

“Yes, what is it?”

“That.. It’s a simple request, if you could call me by my first name, I’ll be really happy.”

“Ah that.. In that case, uh … Kaoru.. sama”

Averting her eyes from Asahina, Yuriko whose face turned red for a second time, whispered his name. Asahina told her to not use ‘sama’ and instead they decided on ‘Kaoru-san’.

“Yuriko-san”

“Kaoru-san”

“Yuriko-san”

“Kaoru-san”

They called each other’s names, looking at each other and smiled.

Haruki came to check Asahina’s state but completely missed the timing to enter the room. He had to witness the ‘love scene’ between Yuriko and Asahina from beginning to end, which led him put a curse on Asahina hoping he’d bang his toe against the cabinets.

The matter of marriage between Asahina and Yuriko quickly became well-known within the entire mansion, at once causing the mood to become festive.

Of course, Tsubaki was also told about this and she finally felt her heart put to rest.

After that, Asahina was also quick to take action.

He collected materials and using PowerPoint, he created a presentation titled, ‘The Merits obtained by Mizushima on marrying me, the third son of the Asahina family’. This was then presented to Mizushima Souichiro, Yuriko’s father and the head of the Mizushima family.

Even though Souichiro disapproved this too early second marriage, as a father and a businessman, he had to admit that Asahina Kaoru was indeed the most ideal partner for his daughter, Yuriko. And so, he gave his permission for the marriage.

By the way, the one who suggested making a presentation to Asahina was, in fact, Haruki.

Because he was aware of his father’s calculative nature, he knew what would create a greater effect and followed that method.

And then, there was Yuriko’s daughter Tsubaki too.

Tsubaki adored Asahina and loved spending time with him, but whether she was ready to accept him as her father was a different matter.

He requested Yuriko to indirectly ask Tsubaki about her true feelings regarding this matter. Yuriko also thought it was important and promised to talk to Tsubaki at least once.

Several days later, he heard from Yuriko about Tsubaki’s positive reply and Asahina finally breathed a sigh of relief.

However, as Tsubaki was an extremely reasonable child, the possibility of her pushing herself caused him anxiety.

If that was the case, Asahina firmed his resolve and decided to work hard from here on.

When the news of him marrying Yuriko spread throughout the Asahina family, there were only blessings towards the couple as the entire family was aware of his feelings towards Yuriko since a long time ago and were truly happy for him.

At that time, some people in the family suspected him for using Yuriko as a camouflage to hide the fact that he was gay, while some made fun of him for being the last one to get married and finally settling down. This excited family was beaten with resistance by Asahina.

After the two families met and discussed, it was decided that Tsubaki’s name would be entered in the family register before they applied for her elementary school examination. {basically her surname would change to Asahina}

Asahina wanted to have a proper wedding, but Yuriko declined as this was her second time marrying. So they concluded that she’d wear a wedding dress and a white Kimono later and have a photography session together, followed by a reception and a dinner with all their relatives.

Asahina wanted to hold a ceremony at a church but he was happy enough being able to marry Yuriko.

The most important thing was Yuriko wearing a wedding dress for him.

Asahina was looking forward to that day, hoping it would arrive soon.