Chapter 50: Kuzuryuu Shiori's Proposal
“It’s been a while since we last met, Fuyunagi-san! It’s sudden, but would you like to be my friend?”
“What?”
The suddenly appearing blond half-foreign (presumed) beauty suddenly proclaimed that she wanted to be friends with Fuyunagi-san.
The nice atmosphere that had been quietly building between us was blown apart and vanished thanks to her sudden entrance.
But after looking at Fuyunagi-san, the blond half-foreign beauty turned her gaze to me and gave me a bright smile.
With a smile that dazzling, anyone else might fall in love on the spot—but with all the emotional baggage I’m carrying, it doesn’t work on me!
“You must be Majima Takuma-san! I’ve heard a lot about you!”
“Huh?”
Whoa, hold on! I’m pretty sure I’m not the kind of standout character type who gets talked about by a beauty like her!
“Haa… barging in like that… In that sense, you’re no different from your brother, are you? Shouldn’t you introduce yourself first?”
Brother…? She’s someone’s little sister…? Could it be Katou…?
Does that guy really have such a cute little sister?!
“Oh! I’m sorry—I forgot to introduce myself earlier! My name is Kuzuryuu Shiori!”
“Kuzuryuu… Kuzuryuu!? Wait—don’t tell me… you’re the younger sister of that Kuzuryuu Souma!?”
“Yes.”
She doesn’t look anything like him… No, genetically speaking it’s logical for a handsome man and beautiful girl to be siblings—but they really don’t resemble each other at all…!
“This time, it seems my brother has caused you a lot of trouble. I truly apologize.”
“Eh? Ah… no, it’s fine…”
“No, it’s not fine! He caused plenty of trouble! Today he even tried to steal Taku-chan from me—steal him! He was apparently watching for an opening the whole time!”
“Huh? My brother is a hardcore womanizer, so I don’t think he would ever do something like that…”
“And how can you say that so confidently? I barely even know the kind of person Kuzuryuu Souma is! If he secretly has some hidden homosexual tendencies, no one can deny that! You should always assume the worst!”
“Um… what made you think that?”
“That man, of all things, was sending an intense gaze at my Taku-chan during class! I actually saw him staring at Taku-chan with that horrible expression!”
“Eh… there might be some reason for it…”
A whole lot of misunderstanding was spreading.
Even though I definitely fall on the “dislike” side when it comes to Kuzuryuu, I still feel bad letting his little sister think he’s gay…
“Um, Kuzuryuu-san—she’s wrong, okay?”
“Huh?”
“Your brother was just glaring at me out of jealousy because he likes Fuyunagi-san way too much and I’m her boyfriend. Fuyunagi-san just misunderstood it as some passionate stare, that’s all.”
Hmm.
That’s a pretty arrogant statement from my own mouth.
He was glaring at me out of jealousy because I’m Fuyunagi-san’s boyfriend.
The old me would never have said something like that.
“Aaah, I see! That makes perfect sense! My brother often mutters all sorts of curses about Majima-san at home.”
“Ahaha…”
Curses…
It makes sense, but it’s still unpleasant.
“So? What business do you have with me? You didn’t seriously come looking for me just because you want to be friends, right?”
“Eh? I really do just want to be friends!!”
“Huh…?”
“…”
“I’m not falling for that. Your brother probably ordered you, didn’t he?”
“Ahaha! No way! There’s no chance I’d ever take my brother’s side! I mean, I hate him!”
“Eh? Really?”
“Yes. I didn’t feel that way in the past, but… lately, just watching him is embarrassing.”
“Ah…”
From a little sister’s perspective, that brother of hers must look incredibly embarrassing.
It’s painful to watch… honestly.
“I won’t go into detail because it’ll just turn into complaining, but let me make one thing clear—I would never take my brother’s side.”
“Hmm… well, if that’s the case, I suppose it’s fine. Though I don’t think I’m someone you’d want to be friends with…”
“On the contrary—why do you say that?”
“Why…?”
“Ever since I saw you at that restaurant that day, I’ve wanted to be your friend! You’re straightforward and free! You bow to no one! You don’t let yourself be colored by others! You have absolute confidence in who you are! I was drawn in by your overwhelming personality!!”
The scene at the restaurant…
I heard fragments of it from Fuyunagi-san herself, but what on earth happened for this girl to get this interested?
At this point, isn’t she basically Fuyunagi-san’s fan?
“Hm… so in other words, you want to watch me like some amusing spectacle… is that it?”
“I won’t deny it. When I look at you, inspiration just wells up inside me. I’d love to stay close to you.”
“I’m not your sideshow attraction, you know.”
“Of course, I’m not asking for it for free.”
“?”
“If you become my friend, the entire Kuzuryuu Group will fully support you, Fuyunagi.”
“I find it hard to believe a child like you has that kind of authority.”
“Fufu, no need to worry about that. I’m the next president of the Kuzuryuu Group, after all♪”
“Hah?”
“W-what does that mean?”
“You might not believe me even if I say it, but… I’ve already come up with several inventions that will push the current Kuzuryuu Group to even greater heights. Once we mass-produce them and release them to the public, the Kuzuryuu Group will be able to advance even further. This isn’t a joke or an exaggeration, you know? My grandfather and father are already implementing those plans.”
“Uh… ummmm…”
It just sounded like a kid bluffing or maybe bragging about being smart.
She looks around middle school age at most.
How could someone that young create inventions capable of turning an entire company around?
Is this girl just a show-off like her brother after all?
“Taku-chan…”
“Eh? What…?”
“This girl… apparently she’s skipping grades and already attending university.”
“Ha!? …she’s a university student?”
“Yes. When she was in elementary school, she could already solve high school–level problems… and now she’s attending university. And whenever she writes a paper, it’s so impressive that all the professors practically faint.”
“R-really…?”
Isn’t she a genuine genius?!
“Do you believe me now? If I become the coordinator and president of the group, lifting up the declining Fuyunagi family will be no trouble at all, and I won’t let any of the Fuyunagi elders utter a single complaint, either.”
“Heh… that’s quite an extravagant offer.”
“Of course… only if you continue to be an “interesting” person to me. So? What do you think? It’s not a bad deal, is it?”
“…”
Fuyunagi-san is hesitating.
That alone shows how tempting the offer must be.
After all, even though we managed to get rid of Kuzuryuu Souma this time, there’s still a high chance of being forced into arranged meetings in the future.
If Kuzuryuu Shiori supports us from behind, those problems might disappear entirely.
Even if her words were mere bluff or exaggeration… if there’s a chance she could become a shield for us in the future, it’s not something I can completely dismiss.
“Fuyunagi-san… let’s be friends with this girl.”
“Taku-chan…”
“There’s no reason to refuse. We only stand to gain benefits from it.”
“You’re right… we may need this girl’s strength for our future. But listen, Kuzuryuu Shiori… no—Shiori!”
“Y-yes!?”
“I won’t do anything so shameful as being blinded by your power… your wealth… or pretending to be your friend! If I’m going to be your friend, it will be genuine! Furthermore, I will make you understand that I am worth investing in, so prepare yourself!”
“H-hawaaah~!! Yes!! Please, by all means!!”
Oh man… this girl is seriously cool.
She’s talking like a passionate protagonist…
Where did the menhera go?!
And that’s how the genius beauty, Kuzuryuu Shiori, became our new ally.
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. She is, in every sense, the woman Shizuku was shaped from—from their breathtaking beauty to the way they view men and even their underlying desires all mirror one another. Beneath that elegant, doll-like exterior lies a strict and controlling parent fixated on restoring the Fuyunagi family’s former prestige. Unlike Shizuku—who directs her warped affection toward someone she genuinely chose—Reiko tries to force her ambitions onto her daughter, believing that arranging Shizuku’s marriage is the key to reclaiming the family’s lost 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.