Chapter 54: Kuzuryuu Shiori’s Enjoyment
Today I saw something incredible.
It was a couple arguing seriously with each other.
I’ve never seen such a thing up close before, nor have I ever been involved in one myself.
To begin with, I don’t have experience dating boys.
Even though many confess to me, I can’t possibly date someone I’m not even fond of, let alone someone whose name I barely know.
And within the family, I’ve never seen it either.
The people closest to me in a familial relationship would be my mother and father, after all.
But my parents get along well.
I’ve never seen them argue.
Well, I wouldn’t want to see my parents having a real fight anyway, so it’s fine that I never did.
As for my older brother… that’s a different matter entirely.
There were occasional periods when he had a girlfriend.
But almost every time, the relationship just faded away on its own.
The reason is obvious—it’s probably an issue with his personality.
Girls who are initially drawn to his appearance inevitably have their illusions shattered once they actually start dating him.
Still, no one wants to be the one to dump the heir of the world-renowned Kuzuryuu Group.
So they probably let the relationship fade out and make it look like a natural breakup.
To be honest, there’s nothing worth noting in my brother’s dating history.
Every time it’s the same old pattern, and there’s nothing new or surprising about it.
Sometimes my friends say things like, “I want to try dating your big brother~” in a dreamy voice, but I stop them with everything I have.
A few of my friends are technically in relationships, too.
But somehow… it doesn’t quite match what I’m looking for.
No, actually, it’s quite different.
How should I say it? It’s less like they’re seriously dating and more like they’re just getting excited and carried away by words like ‘boyfriend’ or ‘date’… something like that?”
Then there are the seniors at my university.
I hardly ever go to campus, and as long as I earn my credits, it’s not a problem.
The professors also tell me to prioritize compulsory education, so that part isn’t an issue either.
Being around adults at university can make me nervous, but since they’re all mature and composed, I can relax a bit.
They’re all good people, and it helps that I don’t have to be overly reserved around them.
Among those seniors, of course there are a few couples, but none of them have ever caught my attention the way Fuyunagi-san and Majima-san do.
“Haa… how can I get closer to those two?”
As soon as I muttered this soliloquy, an unnecessary person suddenly jumped in without being called.
“What’s wrong, Shiori? It’s rare for you to have something to worry about. If you want, I can listen.”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Ugh?! H-Hey, don’t say that. Just try talking to me, okay? Who knows, maybe I’ll actually be more helpful than you expect?”
“…Haa. Well, fine. Nii-san, what do you think of someone named Majima Takuma?”
“Majima Takuma? ……………Majima Takuma!!? Why are you asking about him?”
“I happened to run into him today. He was probably on an after-school date with Fuyunagi-san, I think?”
“A date? Shizuku and that nobody!?”
“A nobody? Don’t tell me you’re talking about Majima-san? Nii-san, you really ought to be more aware of how rude you sound toward people.”
“Wha!? H–He’s the man who stole my precious fiancée from me! Why should I show him any consideration!?”
“Sigh… Those two were dating from the start, you know? If anyone ‘stole’ anyone, it would’ve been you.”
“Hah!? What are you saying!? Shizuku and I were in a wholesome relationship arranged by our parents! If anyone stole anyone, it was that scoundrel!”
“Scoundrel? Majima-san is a good person, you know?”
“You… what has that man filled your head with?!”
“Don’t say such rude things! I just visited Fuyunagi-san’s house.”
“Hah!? Shizuku’s house!? Why? Why were you there!?”
“It’s none of your business, Nii-san.”
“N–No way…”
Kuzuryuu Souma drooped his shoulders in dejection.
Even though he always acts so big, once he gets talked down, he shrinks to this size.
This is my brother’s real form… his true self.
Honestly, it’s so uncool it makes me hate looking at him.
I head toward my room.
It would be a waste to let go of this excitement just because of him.
If I ride this momentum and start scribbling, I feel like something good might come out of it.
That’s the feeling I have.
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.