Chapter 32: Be Honest with Your Feelings!

Be Honest with Your Feelings!

Ayanokoji was sitting upright, her sweaty fists resting on her knees.

Alone with her fiance in a spacious Japanese-style room.

She is sitting on a low chair with a brown low table between them.

Ayanokoji's parents had left their seats.

There were teacups and snacks on the table, but she wasn't in the mood to eat them.

On the left, as seen from Ayanokoji, are sliding doors leading to the corridor, and on the right are glass doors offering a view of the garden.

─Nice view.

But if I could wish, I would have liked to see it with Saotome-san, not this person...

"………"

"………"

The only sound that echoed in the Japanese-style room was the sound of her matchmaking partner sipping tea.

His black hair was neatly styled, but his chubby build revealed that he wasn't taking good care of his health.

He has single eyelids and it is unclear whether his small eyes are open or not.

His big bulbous nose and round face give him a somewhat childish look.

Although she had resolved to finally express her feelings today, Ayanokoji seemed timid when it came time to speak.

What did I think of my fiancée?

"...It's a nice day today, shall we go out to the garden?"

He suggested,

This is the third time she has met this person.

Maybe he misunderstood that I was still nervous.

"……yes"

As her fiancée told her, Ayanokoji stood up.

"What a beautiful garden, the air is so refreshing."

"Yes……"

Ayanokoji could only reply with her head down.

Watching the carp in the pond.

Which is happier: this fish that is kept in this pond and never leaves it's life, or the fish that swim freely in the ocean, even though it's a world of survival of the fittest?

In the small, enclosed pond, there is no danger of attack from predators and they have no trouble finding food.　

A stable life without freedom?

Or a free but dangerous path of living by believing only in your own strength?

Ayanokoji saw herself in the carp.

The words her parents told her come back to her.

"If you marry him, your future will be secure."

How wonderful is the security that can be gained in exchange for freedom?

Looking to her side, her fiance was watching over Ayanokoji with a faint smile on his face.

He probably doesn't realize how creepy that gaze is.

...I wonder what Saotome-san would say...

She remembered a classmate with a tomboyish way of speaking who gave her the opportunity to face her own feelings.

She think for a moment about how she would evaluate "stability without freedom."

A line that was typical of that girl immediately came to mind.

–Maybe you'll say something like this...?

"That's bullshit."

"Eh?"

It was coming out of my mouth.

Perhaps not having heard what she said, or perhaps surprised by Ayanokoji's tone, which was uncharacteristic of her, her fiance asked again.

Ayanokoji glared at him.

"Um, well! Actually, there's something I need to tell you...!"

I won't back down anymore.

I will not give up on my dream...!

"Hmm? What is it? If there's something you want, don't hesitate to ask."　

Her fiancée peered into Ayanokoji's face.

He seemed to have guessed that it was because she wanted something expensive that it was difficult for her to ask for it.

That's what makes me feel sick from the bottom of my heart.

There's no way I could marry this person and spend the rest of my life with him...!

"I...! I want to go to university...!"

Ayanokoji closed her eyes tightly and declared.

That was a clear rejection of the engagement.

According to the conditions of marriage that Ayanokoji heard from her parents, she had heard that he had no intention of letting Ayanokoji leave the house.

While calling her a full-time housewife may sound good, it was clear that he was trying to put her under a mild form of house arrest.

"…………"

There was no reaction.

Trepidated, Ayanokoji opened her eyes and looked at her fiancée's face.

"......!"

A shadow hung over his face like she had never seen before.

She had felt that those narrow eyes, which always smiled kindly, were creepy before, but she had never found them so frightening.

"...That's something you shouldn't ask."

His voice was gruff and several tones lower than usual.

He roughly grabbed Ayanokoji's thin wrist, which was trembling with fear.

"Your father needs to explain the situation."

"N-no...!"

Her fiance dragged Ayanokoji back to the restaurant.

Ayanokoji desperately tried to resist, but he didn't budge.

─Scary.

Tears gather in both eyes.

As her vision began to blur, the back of her fiancee looked like someone she could never match.

In the end, it was all in vain...　

It was no use saying anything.

Even if she resist, she would be suppressed by force.

I have no choice but to give up after all...

"Well said, Ayanokoji!"

That was when it happened.

Ayanokoji's hero appeared out of nowhere.