Chapter 39: Worry
Today was a Saturday morning.
It was the day after the sudden appearance of Fuyunagi-san’s father.
With the next day having arrived, I found myself with nothing to do.
I had promised to hang out with her on Saturday, but she got a sudden call from her family, so our plans were abruptly canceled.
It had been a long time since she last canceled on me like this.
The last time was back when she was still involved with Sado and was worried about maintaining the character and image she’d built for herself at school.
Unlike back then, she no longer cares about how people around her think.
That’s why I think she’s gotten stronger than before.
How should I put it… her mental state has stabilized, and she’s become emotionally stronger.
Even so, if her family calls her home, she has no choice but to go.
Probably… no, almost certainly, she’s been called in regarding the Kuzuryuu family.
Fuyunagi-san’s father, whom I met yesterday… having him on my side is reassuring, but the opponent is that person, Fuyunagi-san’s mother.
She might not be someone who can be handled with simple methods.
Well, ultimately, there’s nothing I can do about the current situation, so all I can do is sit around at home like this.
Since I had nothing to do, I decided to wander around a bit and head to the nearby shopping mall.
Last time, I happened to run into Sakurada-san here, but I figured there was no way something like that would happen again this time… and yet—
“Hey, what a coincidence, Majima.”
“’Sup.”
“Ah… hello…”
I actually ran into them…
What are the odds of that happening in a town this big…?
I’d rather they raise the rates on my gacha pulls instead…
“Are you two… on a date?”
“Yeah, I’m just tagging along for Nagisa-chan’s shopping.”
“There’s a bag I want, so I asked Kengo-kun to come with me~”
“I see.”
They were already calling each other by their given names.
Clinging to each other and acting all lovey-dovey, showing off just how perfect a couple they were.
Honestly, I couldn’t be more jealous.
“What about you, Majima? Isn’t Shizuku with you?”
“Ah… looks like her family called her back home.”
“Her family…? Oh…”
Sakurada-san had a question mark floating over her head at first, but it seemed she immediately figured out what it was about.
Yes, because of that big confession uproar a few days ago.
Kuzuryuu, who claimed to be her fiancé, made that one-sided confession—but Fuyunagi-san erased its impact with her own bold, public confession to me.
However, a marriage arrangement decided by the parents isn’t something that can be brushed aside by a commotion between the children, so the Fuyunagi family has probably received the Kuzuryuu family’s anger.
Most likely asking what exactly they think they’re doing.
“Kuzuryuu, as in that Kuzuryuu, right? Aren’t they, like, insanely rich? That’s kinda scary, no?”
“True… but are you gonna be okay, Majima?”
“Ah… I’ll be fine, but…”
“Seriously, aren’t you worrying too much? Shizuku will be fine! Even if some arrogant, handsome guy tried to hit on her a bunch of times, it wouldn’t matter!”
“I’m not worried about Fuyunagi-san at all…”
“Then what are you worried about? Engagements and arranged meetings can be rejected if the person themselves refuses, you know?”
“It’s her mother…”
“Her mother…?”
“She’s like Fuyunagi-san, only grown up and even more troublesome…”
“Ahh… I see…”
“Her being an adult and even more troublesome… I can’t quite imagine that. Have you ever met her, Majima?”
“Yeah… by chance, just recently.”
“Anyway, she must be a stunning beauty, right? I mean, she’s Shizuku’s mother…”
“Yeah… she was beautiful to the point where it made no sense…”
“To the point where it made no sense, huh…”
“What kind of person is that supposed to be…”
Putting it into words doesn’t really do justice to how beautiful she was.
Just having the same base features as Fuyunagi-san already puts her at an unreal level of beauty, but on top of that, the adult allure she carried and the cold atmosphere around her created a completely different dimension of elegance.
And…
“Apparently, the Fuyunagi family was once a wealthy clan… It seems Fuyunagi-san’s mother has been told by people, like her grandfather, that she must rebuild the family in her generation…”
“Huh… what’s that supposed to mean…?”
“Are you saying Fuyunagi-san is on the verge of being forced to obey whatever her parents say? Majima, that’s… rough.”
“Eh? Ah… well, her father seems to be supporting us, so… I think we’ll probably be okay!”
“Ahh…….”
“Yeah… well, anyway, hang in there, Majima!”
“Yeah, thanks!”
The mood was starting to get awkward…
Honestly, this talk doesn’t concern them at all…
Honestly, this whole thing has nothing to do with these two…
I might’ve even ruined their date… I’m starting to feel kind of bad about it…
Character Summary (non-official)
- Majima Takuma / Taku (真島 拓真 / タク) — Taku is an utterly average high school boy in both appearance and ability. His hair and uniform are always neat but unremarkable, giving him the classic “background character” characteristic.
- Fuyunagi Shizuku (冬柳 雫) — Fuyunagi Shizuku is a stunning black-haired high school beauty with a mature, graceful aura. Her long, silky hair, elegant posture, pure and innocent atmosphere, and impressive figure—including her large chest—give her an appearance so gentle and comforting that a tired working adult might instinctively want to cling to her and call her “Mama.” Her looks alone make her feel like a UR-rarity heroine. At school, she’s admired as a pure, wholesome, and almost ideal girl—popular among girls, constantly confessed to by boys, and always at the center of her class. In private, however, Shizuku reveals a selfish, bratty, and emotionally unstable side. She’s clingy, easily upset, mentally fragile, and relies heavily on her boyfriend for emotional support while demanding secrecy and setting controlling conditions in their relationship.
- Sakurada Nagisa (桜田 凪咲) — Sakurada Nagisa is a gyaru and one of the central members of Fuyunagi-san’s friend group. With light-brown hair, piercings, and perfectly applied bold eye makeup, she has a flashy style but is undeniably beautiful—cute enough to stand out even among the popular girls. Sado Kengo’s current girlfriend.
- Natsume Kano (夏芽 華乃) — The class president. A dignified, serious beauty whose pure appearance gives her a charm distinct from Fuyunagi-san. She prioritizes efficiency, logic, and rationality above all else, resulting in a rigid, no-nonsense personality that makes her unpopular with most classmates.
Sado Kengo (佐渡 健吾) — A high-spec soccer club member who once acted as Shizuku’s fake public boyfriend. He is now Sakurada Nagisa’s actual boyfriend.
- Katou Susumu (加藤 進) — The textbook “protagonist’s best friend” character. He’s a founding member of the self-proclaimed “Unpopular Men’s Club”. Although he’s extremely jealous of Takuma for landing a girlfriend like Fuyunagi—thus “betraying” the Unpopular Men’s Club (a group Takuma never actually agreed to join)—Kato remains loyal to him despite both his jealousy and the negative public opinion surrounding Takuma.
- Fuyunagi Reiko (冬柳 澪子) — Fuyunagi Shizuku’s mother. A stunningly beautiful woman whose refined looks make it obvious where Shizuku inherited her charm. Beneath that elegance, however, lies a strict and controlling parent with deeply traditional values. Reiko is determined to restore the Fuyunagi family’s former prestige, and she sees arranging Shizuku’s marriage as a necessary step toward reclaiming their past glory.
- Fuyunagi Kanemasa (冬柳 兼政) — Fuyunagi Shizuku’s father. A highly capable and successful man who even took the Fuyunagi family name in order to marry Reiko. Despite the family’s rigid traditions, Kanemasa is the one person who genuinely supports Shizuku, encouraging her to live freely and choose her own path—including whom she loves. The only reason Shizuku’s mother and grandfather don’t openly oppose his stance is because his success and value to the family make him too important to antagonize.
- Kuzuryuu Shiori (久豆流 詩織) — Souma’s younger sister—a beautiful, sharp-tongued genius with strikingly foreign features. Despite her Japanese-sounding name, she is a natural blonde with radiant golden hair, inherited from their great-grandmother, and possesses elegant looks that stand out strongly against Souma’s more traditionally Japanese appearance. Cold, dismissive, and brutally honest toward her brother, she seems to harbor open disdain for him, even though she once adored him as a child. Academically, she is a prodigy who skipped grades at fifteen, now attending university with multiple acclaimed research papers to her name. Her intelligence creates a stark contrast to Souma, fueling his inferiority complex and twisted sister-obsessed longing.
- Kuzuryuu Souma (久豆流 創真) — Fuyunagi Shizuku’s arranged marriage partner.