Volume 2 - CH 11

After finishing their meal, Yuzuru and Arisa split up with Hijiri and Tenka.

After seeing them off, …… Arisa muttered to herself.

“They backed off so easily.”

“I guess so. Well, both of them understood pretty quickly, which helped a little.”

The only clear thing was that Yuzuru and Arisa were not lovers.

However, they seemed to have a hunch that we were not just friends, but Yuzuru was very grateful that they did not pry from that point.

“But, Yuzuru-san. ……You’ve told  Satake-san, but not Ryozenji-san. Is that okay?”

“Are you talking about our friendships?”

“Yes.”

“He wouldn’t make a fuss about something like that. Well, I do feel bad about that.”

Both Hijiri and Soichiro are equal friends to Yuzuru.

If so, it makes sense to talk to Hijiri as he talked to Soichiro. ……

However, you never know where information will leak from, so if you can keep it secret, it is safer to keep it secret.

In the case of Soichiro, they were in a swimsuit in a swimming pool, a situation that could not be excused.

And there was Ayaka, who was very intuitive and perceptive.

In contrast, this time, to some extent, the deception was effective.

In addition, ……

“I’ve known him for a long time, so I can trust him. But I don’t know anything about Nagiri-san’s personality.’

Not only was Hijiri there, but Tenka was there as well.

Yuzuru can vouch for Hijiri’s character, but not so much for Tenka.

“Nagiri-san didn’t seem like a bad person, though.  ……Her character isn’t very good, however.”

Apparently, she was a little upset about being laughed at so much.

Arisa arched her beautiful eyebrows.

Yuzuru chuckled.

“Well,…… unless both sides are deemed to be credible, the policy of keeping it under wraps is probably safe. By the way, if I get pursued by the Hijiri at a later date, and if there is no way to cover it up……”

” Yuzuru-san trusts Ryozenji-san, right?　Then it’s okay. I can’t trust Ryozenji-san, but I can trust you, Yuzuru-san.”

“Thank you for saying so.”

Of course, she trusts Yuzuru’s eyes to see people, but ……

But more than that, she probably worries about Yuzuru’s relationships.

Perhaps she was worried that Yuzuru’s friendships would be destroyed in order to protect her, but even so, he was grateful for Arisa’s thoughtfulness.

It would be too tasteless to just say “yes, goodbye” there, so Yuzuru and Arisa decided to take a look around the nearby shopping mall.

“Yuzuru-san, is there anything you want to see or buy?　I’m thinking of buying some autumn clothes …… and a coat if my budget is sufficient.”

“That’s right……. I want to buy some accessories.”

When Yuzuru replied that, Arisa’s eyes widened, a little unexpectedly.

It wasn’t that he didn’t care about his clothes, but it was surprising that Yuzuru, who didn’t seem to like fashion, would want something like that.

Yuzuru also had his own thoughts, and feeling a little embarrassed, said deceptively.

“No, see, ……, you’re trendy, aren’t you?　As long as we are walking side by side, I have to raise my level. I thought it would be rude of me not to.”

“That’s a good mindset.”

Perhaps she was pleased by Yuzuru’s words, Arisa said in good spirits.

Yuzuru chuckled at the joking, but somewhat pompous tone.

“Who are you exactly to be high and mighty?”

“Fiancée-sama, isn’t it?”

“Ah, of course, you were… Arisa-sama.”

Since Yuzuru had already decided what he wanted to buy, the two of them headed for the area where watches, jewelry, and other precious metals were sold.

There is a wide range of precious metals.

What Yuzuru wanted to buy was something cheap that a high school student would feel comfortable wearing.

“What kind of items do you want to buy?”

“Well, I guess. Well, I have a watch on my wrist, so I guess I’ll go for something for my neck ……. I think the price should not exceed 10,000 yen.”

When Yuzuru answered, Arisa pointed to a corner of the store.

“How about that?　I think it’s cool.”

“I like the simplicity of it.”

What Arisa found was a simple necklace made of black spinel, a black gemstone.

The price is about three thousand yen.

It’s relatively affordable, and a high school student can wear it without feeling out of place.

After getting permission from the clerk, Yuzuru took the black spinel in his hand.

He held it up to his neck and asked Arisa to take a look.

“What do you think?”

“It looks good on you. …… You looks a little sexier.”

Arisa said while slightly lowering her jade green eyes covered with beautiful eyelashes.

It seems that she was not saying it as flattery.

“Sexier, huh? ……”

What exactly does it mean for a man to be sexy?

Yuzuru couldn’t quite understand why he was even sexy in the first place. …….

Believing Arisa’s words, he decided to buy it.

“Um, Yuzuru-san.”

“What is it, Arisa?”

“…… You can’t wear that necklace unless you’re with me. Also, you can’t wear it to school.”

“Huh. …… Well, that’s fine. Why?”

Yuzuru tilted his head, wondering why she said such a strange thing.

Then Arisa’s skin turned slightly rosy.

“If Yuzuru-san becomes popular with girls, I will be in trouble. Even though it’s …… fake, I’m Yuzuru-san’s fiancée.”

“You’re exaggerating. You know that?”

“I’m not exaggerating……. Besides, I’m the one who chose it.”

Absolutely not!

Arisa glared at Yuzuru, as if to say that.

Her well-formed eyebrows are drawn together, her emerald eyes are lifted, and her mouth is bent into a curve.

“All right, I promise.”

Yuzuru was a little puzzled by Arisa’s strange possessiveness, but he replied.

Then, since they were in the accessories area, they looked around at the women’s ornaments as well.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it, ……  that jewelry?”

With an enraptured expression, Arisa looked at the beautiful emeralds.

Although Arisa is a little out of touch with the rest of the world, she seems to like this kind of jewelry.

“They are, like your eyes.”

Yuzuru jokingly said as Arisa looked at the emerald.

Then Arisa smacked Yuzuru on the chest.

“Please stop doing that!　We look like an idiot couple.”

Arisa’s face turned bright red.

Yuzuru also scratched his cheek, feeling his face getting a little hot.

“Well, …… after I said that, I thought it was too cheesy.”

“Totally, ……”

Arisa seemed to be trying to say she was angry, but her mouth was a little loose.

She seems to like this kind of cheesy dialogue.

“By the way, ……, what do you think about this one?　Let me know for future reference.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Walking around the store, Arisa evaluates each piece of jewelry, saying “I like this one” or “This is not my taste”.

She seemed to like both the cute designs as well as the gorgeous and flashy ones.

And they all have one thing in common: they are expensive.

Of course, if it has a good design or uses high-quality stones, it will naturally be more expensive, which is a sign that Arisa has a good eye for appraisal. ……

It was a surprising discovery for Yuzuru that Arisa, who was rather frugal when it came to shopping at the supermarket, preferred to buy something that looked reasonably expensive.

(I mean, normally she’s repressed in many ways and doesn’t get this kind of thing at all……But she really wanted this kind of thing huh.)

His tear glands welled up a little.

“I don’t know much about jewelers and their names. …… Do you know about them, Arisa?”

“No, not really. I know about as much as anyone.”

“What are some of the most famous ones?”

“Tiffany, Cartier, Bvlgari, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Harry Winston are the five most famous jewelers.” (TN: Brand names seems to have been modified)

“Wow.”

Arisa said the names effortlessly.

Of the five, Yuzuru only knew about Tiffany and Harry Winston.

Arisa named several other brands.

She knows more than he thought she would.

“In Japan, it’s 4℃ or something. …… What’s wrong?　Yuzuru-san. You have a strange face.”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Remembering that Arisa was the kind of girl who couldn’t even afford (or was too shy to ask for) a little expensive soap, he couldn’t bring himself to say that he felt so sorry for her that he almost cried.

It would hurt Arisa’s self-esteem.

“Shouldn’t we go look at some clothes soon?”

At least Yuzuru’s business was over.

It would be Arisa’s turn next, so he suggested,

“That’s right. Let’s go see it.”

Arisa gave a small nod.