"Sorry to intrude. The wedding's about to start."
Kenji called from the hallway.
I knelt to help Sonoko slip into her shoes. As she stood, I wrapped an arm around her waist, supporting her weight as we walked out.
She moved carefully at first, but she was getting the hang of it.
Sonoko leaned into my chest, her eyes shimmering with a blend of happiness and shyness. She winced as she walked, but her lips twitched in a small, pleased smile.
The wedding was intimate, but it felt lavish. Natsue Hatamoto, dressed in a stunning bridal gown, walked slowly down the aisle with Takeshi...
Sonoko leaned against me the entire time, staring enviously at Natsue.
"That's it, the ceremony's done," Gozo Hatamoto announced with a booming voice. "Let's eat."
"Heiji, has anyone seen my bag?" Sonoko suddenly pulled away from my embrace, remembering something.
"Right here." I handed it to her.
She pulled a small box from the bag and crossed the room to the bride. "Natsue, I brought you a wedding gift from the Suzuki Group. Congratulations!"
"Really? Thank you to the Suzuki Group, and thank you, Miss Sonoko." Natsue accepted the red velvet box with genuine surprise.
"Natsue, go ahead, open it," Akie Hatamoto urged, eyeing the box curiously.
"It's a gift from the Suzuki Group," her husband, Tatsuo, added with a fawning tone. "It's certainly not going to be anything ordinary."
"The Suzuki Group always goes all out with gifts," Mariko chimed in, her eyes shining with excitement.
In the corner, Ichiro Hatamoto stared at Natsue, clutching a sketchbook in his arms. He watched her quietly, not saying a word.
"May I open it?" Natsue asked.
"Mhm." Sonoko nodded.
I walked over and supported Sonoko again, but everyone else was staring at the red box.
She opened it gently...
There was no blinding flash of diamonds, no glitter of gold. Instead, a single black card lay quietly inside.
"A card?" she said, puzzled.
"Natsue," Sonoko explained, "this is a new card from the Suzuki Group. With it, you can shop for free at any of our stores for a year."
There was a low ripple of surprise. For a whole year, Natsue could take whatever she wanted from any Suzuki supermarket—free of charge.
"Of course," Sonoko added, "this is just for you, Natsue."
When they heard the restriction, Akie and Tatsuo's greedy looks quickly faded. Clearly, the Suzuki family had thought this through.
"Thank you so much, Miss Sonoko," Natsue smiled happily.
"Hahaha! Eat up!" Gozo Hatamoto was clearly delighted. He really doted on Natsue.
Suddenly, Ichiro stood up abruptly, slamming his sketchbook onto the table.
"Grandfather! I don't want Miss Natsue to marry Mr. Takeshi!"
The hall went dead silent. All eyes turned to Ichiro.
"What did you say?" Gozo glared, his brow furrowed.
"Mr. Takeshi isn't worthy of Miss Natsue at all! They won't be happy together!" Ichiro shouted loudly.
Dead silence filled the hall.
"You troublemaker! Get back to your room! Out!" Gozo roared, cursing.
"Hurry up and take Ichiro back!" Mariko glared at her husband.
"Ichiro, let's go." Kitaro, looking uneasy, dragged his son away.
Gozo sat back in his chair, still fuming.
"Grandfather, please don't be angry," Natsue comforted him. "Ichiro probably just misspoke."
"Yes, Father," Mariko quickly added. "Ichiro was painting until very late last night. He didn't sleep well."
"Hmph. Tell him: sometimes you just have to move on. Maybe then I'll save a position for him in the company."
Gozo's angry expression shifted as he turned to Sonoko. "Sorry you had to see all this, Miss Sonoko."
Sonoko smiled politely. "It's all right, really."
"Hahaha. Thank you, Miss Sonoko. I'm going back to my room."
Watching Gozo's retreating back, I gave a small nod. Sonoko was really starting to handle these things well.
After dinner, everyone drifted off to do their own thing.
"Sonoko," Natsue said, "wait for me to change, and we'll go outside for a walk."
"Natsue, I'm sorry," I said. "Sonoko's not feeling great, so we'll have to join you another time."
"Since Miss Sonoko is unwell, we'll do it next time."
Sonoko gave Natsue an apologetic look, then snuggled happily into my arms as we walked toward our room.
After resting through the afternoon, Sonoko had recovered significantly. At least walking didn't hurt anymore.
"Sonoko, Heiji, dinner's ready," Kenji called from the hallway.
"Mhm, we're on our way," I replied.
"Finally, we can eat. I'm so hungry," Sonoko said, pouting slightly.
When we arrived at the hall, the others were already eating.
"Miss Sonoko, Mr. Hattori, over here," Natsue waved to us.
"Where is Uncle Gozo? Is he not eating?" Sonoko asked as we sat down, noticing Gozo was missing.
"Grandfather seems to still be angry," Natsue said softly.
"I think Father just doesn't like the Western food I cooked," Jouji Hatamoto said, walking over in his chef's uniform with a gentle smile.
"You're Natsue's uncle? And also a chef? That's amazing," Sonoko said.
"Haha, it's a pity Father doesn't like it. And running my own restaurant keeps me busy," Jouji said with a chuckle.
"I'll go find Mr. Gozo," Kenji said, heading off.
I ate quietly. I hadn't eaten much at lunch today.
"Heiji, eat this." Sonoko cut half of the steak from her bowl and gave it to me, her eyes full of happiness.
Suddenly, Kenji shouted from downstairs.
"What's wrong?"
Everyone hurried toward Gozo's room.