Although Kaneyoshi Izumi did not finish his sentence, Akina Izumi already understood what he meant.
The Sakayanagi family had said that matters of the children's feelings should be left for the children to resolve. But as Arisu Sakayanagi's father, Aoshi Sakayanagi undoubtedly hoped the two children could settle their marriage sooner rather than later.
This time, wanting the two families to sit down and share a meal together did not even need to be described as a possibility. It was clearly Aoshi Sakayanagi's intention to use the dinner as an opportunity to test Kotomi's attitude toward Arisu.
Akina Izumi thought for a moment, then could only shrug helplessly.
"Dinner is fine. Kotomi eats a lot, so if the Sakayanagi family wants to treat us, they'd better prepare themselves mentally.
"But let's stagger the timing a bit. I already told Kotomi that after she comes back from Kyoto, she should bring Yui over for dinner.
"We can't have Yui coming to our house for lunch in the morning, and then the four of us going to have dinner with the Sakayanagi family of three in the evening, right?
"Wouldn't that look like we're tacitly approving Kotomi having her foot in three boats... ah, no, if we count Arisu, that makes four.
"Damn it. Why does the number of boats Kotomi is standing on keep increasing? That little brat!"
By the end of it, the more Akina spoke, the angrier she became, and she could not help but curse under her breath.
The possibility of Kotomi having two boats had already been enough of a headache. Yet instead of correcting herself, the number had gradually increased.
From two to three, and now it might even go from three to four.
If she were allowed to continue like this... one day when the fleet reached the scale of a world-class armada, Akina would not even be surprised. She would only want to give Kotomi's butt a ruthless spanking.
"After Kotomi comes back from Kyoto, let's observe for a while first and see whether it's appropriate to tell her that Arisu Sakayanagi wants to marry her," Kaneyoshi said.
"I'll listen to you." Akina nodded. When it came to major matters, she had always obediently followed her husband's lead.
Then she added, "That little demon at least should have discussed it with us. Instead, she went straight to her Third Uncle and Third Aunt's house with Yui for dinner and bluntly announced that Yui was her girlfriend.
Yuyu has already started calling her 'sister-in-law.' If Third Uncle and Third Aunt hadn't called to tell us, we would still be completely in the dark."
"Maybe it's just like you guessed earlier. Maybe Kotomi really intends to make a choice."
The Izumi couple exchanged a glance. What had initially been only a guess now felt increasingly likely. Could it be that Kotomi was truly going to choose? Choose Yui Yuigahama?
For a moment, both of them felt a swirl of mixed emotions.
The comforting part was that Kotomi had finally gained some sense of responsibility and understood how to make a choice. No matter how painful the outcome, a short pain was better than prolonged suffering. That, at least, was a good thing.
The saddening part was that no matter whom Kotomi ultimately chose, the remaining girls would certainly be heartbroken.
Judging by the current situation, Kotomi was most likely choosing Yui Yuigahama.
Kaneyoshi silently lit a cigarette. If Kotomi Izumi married Arisu Sakayanagi, the competition between the Izumi family and the Sakayanagi family would instantly diminish by more than half. Their future interactions would shift from rivalry to cooperation.
But if they did not marry—and especially if it was the Izumi side that refused—
Then the Sakayanagi family would undoubtedly launch a new round of competition against the Izumi family with extremely aggressive measures, and that competition could be expected to last for quite some time.
The Izumi family feared no competition. However, the most crucial matter at hand was [Devouring Tokyo].
If the Sakayanagi family chose to initiate competition at this moment, it would create no small amount of resistance for the Izumi family.
After all, the Sakayanagi family knew about the Izumi family's Devouring Tokyo plan, yet they had never clearly stated whether they intended to cooperate. That meant cooperation was possible—but so was confrontation.
The Sakayanagi family was not an opponent to be underestimated.
As the future head of the Izumi family, Kaneyoshi felt a trace of pressure, but also excitement. He hoped to win everything smoothly, yet he also relished the idea of a grand, thunderous battle and emerging as the ultimate victor.
The relationship between Kotomi Izumi and Arisu Sakayanagi appeared to be merely a matter between two people. In reality, however, it concerned how two of Japan's top financial conglomerate families would treat each other in the future—and whether a fierce commercial war would erupt on Japan's business battlefield.
Akina's thoughts were much simpler. She felt that if Kotomi made a choice at this point in time, it would be a little too hasty. Not to mention Megumi and Iroha—if Arisu Sakayanagi found out about Kotomi's current behavior, she would definitely be heartbroken.
What Kotomi did not know was that every year during the holidays, Arisu Sakayanagi would bring gifts to their home to pay New Year's visits to her father and mother.
When Kotomi had brought Arisu Sakayanagi home some time ago, she had thought it was Arisu's first visit. In truth, it was not. Every holiday, Arisu would arrive punctually with gifts.
Only, in consideration of Kotomi—whose memories were still somewhat fragmented—Arisu always chose times when Kotomi was not at home.
Each time she came to the Izumi house like this, secretly delivering holiday greetings and gifts, Arisu would think to herself: When will I be able to come openly and properly, without hiding?
"Honey, I suddenly can't make up my mind. After Kotomi comes back, if she really chooses Yui, should we still take her to have dinner with the Sakayanagi family of three?"
Akina felt an even heavier pressure in her chest. She was suddenly a little afraid to face Arisu Sakayanagi, who had already been treating her and Kaneyoshi as future parents-in-law.
The gifts that girl brought every holiday were more valuable than the last. The Izumi family did not lack anything, but when a junior offered gifts, they could hardly refuse to accept them.
"Go," Kaneyoshi thought for a moment before answering. "We have to maintain relations regardless. That's enough. It's getting late. Kotomi hung up on you earlier because she felt sorry for you and wanted you to rest sooner.
"If you stay up again tonight, wouldn't that waste her good intentions?"
"You're right..."
While her parents were talking downstairs, Aimi Izumi did not hear any of it.
At that moment, she was in her bedroom, carefully watering the freesia in her flowerpot.
She was not particularly familiar with tending flowers to begin with, so even something as simple as watering required careful, deliberate movements.
Only after she began raising this pot of freesia did Aimi realize that even watering flowers came with so many requirements.
Especially for a flower like freesia, which had relatively strict moisture needs—it feared excessive dampness, yet could not tolerate drought.
If the soil contained too much water, the roots would easily rot. But if the soil lacked water, its growth would be hindered and the leaves would lose their luster.
On top of that, freesia was both sensitive to cold and afraid of heat.
After setting down the watering can, Aimi Izumi gently poked one of the freesia's petals. Half teasing, half complaining, she said:
"You really are hard to raise. So delicate."
After speaking, she let out a small sigh.
"But when I think about it, growing flowers is still much simpler. If only 'making Kotomi fall in love with me' could be as simple as raising a flower."
Perhaps it was the evening breeze drifting in through the open window. Or perhaps all living things truly had a spirit of their own. As if responding to Aimi's words, the freesia's petals swayed ever so slightly.
"Do you think Kotomi, all alone in Kyoto right now, is thinking about me? Mm... Even though I know in my heart that Sister Yui and Sister Yukinoshita aren't bad women trying to steal Kotomi from me, I still can't help feeling uneasy.
"Last night I even dreamed that Kotomi was wearing a wedding dress, marrying another woman.
"Even though I knew it was just a dream, every time I recall that scene, jealousy almost drives me mad. At the same time, I feel a kind of suffocating loneliness.
"Loneliness is definitely one of the most unbearable things in the world..."
Aimi murmured to herself, her expression tinged with sadness, as if confiding in the freesia in the flowerpot.
After speaking, she lowered her head to look at the freesia and could not help sighing.
"Do flowers feel lonely? They probably do, right? In the flower shop, at least you could stay with your companions, with other flowers. I wonder if flowers have a language to communicate with each other.
"Now that I've bought you and brought you home, you're all alone in this flowerpot. Do you feel lonely too?"
The freesia's petals swayed again...
This time it was definitely the wind. A gust of evening air slipped in through the open window. After the temperature had dropped, the night breeze was truly a bit too cold.
The chill made Aimi shiver and shrink her neck. As she spoke, she closed the window.
"The temperature dropped way too much. And it's not even time for the heating to come on yet. Maybe I should dig the electric blanket out of the cabinet tonight... ah, that's such a hassle. I'll just turn on the air conditioner's warm setting."
After shutting the window, Aimi stood there for a while, quietly looking at the freesia. When she calmed down and simply gazed at it, she could understand why freesia was considered one of the most popular ornamental flowers.
Its blossoms were white and pale yellow, fresh and elegant in color. They gave off a sense of purity and serenity, as if simply watching them—or spacing out in front of them—could be enough to feel soothed by their gentle grace.
The freesia's fragrance was light and sweet. Whether admiring it or daydreaming, the scent naturally lifted one's mood and brought about a subtle sense of happiness.
No wonder that woman at the flower shop—with hair so long it almost seemed eerie—had recommended freesia to her.
Just as she had said, it truly was a flower that could make people feel happy.
"That girl I met at Grandma Fujiko's flower shop, the one with the strangely long hair... she really startled me at first. But I didn't expect her to be such a good person. She recommended flowers so well and knew so much about them. She must be a very thoughtful and gentle girl. I just didn't expect Grandma Fujiko to have a great-granddaughter like that."
As she spoke, Aimi took out her phone and snapped a photo of the freesia.
Ever since she began raising flowers, even when there were no obvious changes, she always felt that if she wasn't careful, something new might have appeared. Unwilling to miss any small transformation, she often took out her phone and captured photos from various angles.
It had already been several days since she bought this freesia from Grandma Fujiko's shop. Her phone's gallery was now filled with pictures of the freesia from all sorts of perspectives.
Even on days when nothing seemed to change, she could not help taking many photos.
If, while flipping through the pictures, she accidentally noticed a fairly obvious difference between one photo and another, she would feel happy for the entire day.
She had even reached the point where, while playing a gal game, she would pause every so often to come over to the flowerpot and carefully observe whether the freesia had quietly changed at all during the time she was playing.
It was getting late. She still had school tomorrow. Aimi decided she would play on her phone for a bit longer and then go to bed early.
Of course, she would sleep in Kotomi's bedroom.
Whenever Kotomi was not at home, Aimi would go sleep in her room, breathing in the lingering scent Kotomi left on the blankets and pillow.
Just as she picked up her phone and charging cable, ready to head to Kotomi's room, she suddenly smacked her forehead, as if recalling something important.
"Ah, how could I forget something so important? I was just thinking about it the whole time... That's right. After school tomorrow, I'll go to Grandma Fujiko's flower shop and buy another pot of freesia. That way the two of them can keep each other company."
She had finally remembered what she had been meaning to do from the very beginning, something she had nearly forgotten.
Although freesia was not easy to care for—even watering required careful attention—after these past few days, Aimi had gradually come to enjoy the feeling of raising flowers. She found that whenever she gazed at the freesia in a daze, her heart would become exceptionally calm. The flower's fresh elegance and sweet fragrance made her feel relaxed and quietly happy.
So she wanted to buy another pot of freesia.
Besides, she could not help feeling that leaving a single freesia alone like this seemed a bit lonely. What if flowers really could feel lonely? She might as well buy another one and place it beside it, so the two pots could accompany each other.
Before heading to Kotomi's bedroom, Aimi took a few more photos of the freesia. She selected her favorites and sent them to Kotomi.
[Image]
[Image]
[Onee-chan, look at the freesia I'm raising. Isn't it especially beautiful~]
[Beautiful, right~? Doesn't it make you want to hurry back and admire its beauty up close~?]
[Then you—come back early! I miss you!]
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