Chapter 70 - The Hiiragi Family’s Circumstances – 3 (1/2)

Since Hiiragi-chan and Sanjou-bocchan returned faster than expected, The parents were all suspicious of the two.

In the hotel lounge, the last tea party for today had just started.

Just like I did at the restaurant, I moved to a nearby table to watch over them. The parents from both families started a conversation, asking the two about how the garden had gone.

Hiiragi-chan herself had passed it off with an appropriate fake smile, but Sanjou-bocchan openly displayed his bad mood. The reason for that seems to be because he failed in bringing Hiiragi-chan to his room. That’s just karma though. Rather, if he really thought he would succeed in that way he must be quite an optimistic person.

“Takafumi? Is something wrong?”

Sanjou-bocchan’s father asked him. It seems that his name is Takafumi.

“Earlier, at the rooftop garden we were just talking.”

Sanjou-bocchan played with his hair with an unhappy expression.

“… This person, she has a boyfriend or something. She has absolutely noooo interest at all in me.”

This person…! He was the one with the sexual harassment and yet now he’s acting all innocent…!

Hiiragi-chan’s expression stiffened. Everyone at the table directed their eyes at her.

All she had to say was that it was a lie. Just tell them that it was a lie made to stop his sexual harassment. If you end up revealing the sexual harassment part, then he’s the one that would be troubled.

“Haruka? Is that true?”

Hiiragi-chan Mama, who was sitting next to her, asked. Hiiragi-chan Mama was wearing black rimmed glasses and seemed to be a bit paranoid. It’s just, her face looked similar in every way when compared with Hiiragi-chan.

I shook my head. It’s fine to say it’s a lie. He’s the one that did something uncalled for after all. It’s the same as saying a lie in order to dodge a colleague’s question—

Understanding my intentions, Hiiragi-chan smiled, and shook her head.

“I’m sorry? I don’t want to lie… I don’t want to say that there isn’t…!”

Most likely, Hiiragi-chan had even more resolve than me, in choosing to date me. She just didn’t show it.

Being colleagues and talking about the presence or absence of a boyfriend it is a completely different matter when it involves parents at a marriage interview. The weight of it is completely different.

Even I felt a knot in my stomach. If you dream of getting married, it’s a gateway that must be passed.

The table once again got loud.

“But, you never said anything about that….”

“You guys just didn’t want to listen, right…!? You guys always selfishly decide on things like this! And so I thought I would at least endure for today!”

—You knew that Haru-chan really didn’t want to go back home, right?”

I remembered what Natsumi-chan had said on the phone yesterday.

“When it came to my friends in high school and college! All of it! Even this time! I’m not just a tool!”

Letting out her tears, Hiiragi-chan stood up from her seat. The rift between Hiiragi-chan and her parents was deeper than I thought.

The last time my time leap was released and I returned to the present time, I wasn’t able to gain approval to marry her. Maybe that was because Hiiragi-chan had taken me back to her home due to the circumstances right now.

Because I wasn’t one picked by her parents, because I wasn’t approved by them, I wasn’t able to marry her—

The same applied when it came to the yearly income of over 10 million. He probably was exaggerating quite a bit at that time though. Hiiragi-chan had followed up with me telling me that it was just her father being surprised.

Worried about Hiiragi-chan, I also stood up from my seat. On the way, I put my hand on Sanjou-bocchan’s back, as he was lounging about with his legs put up. I easily forced him to fall over, causing him to let out a sound.

“Oww… Gufuu…”

“Excuse me.”

I walked away. Hiiragi-chan was crouching by the entrance to a nearby bathroom.

“Haruka-san.”