A Mistake, Held in Your Arms ~ I Don’t Want to Marry My Matchmaking Partner, So I Will Offer My Virginity to You ~ - Chapter 14

Hina and Keiichiro were currently in the Katsuragi family’s drawing room.

Keiichiro had sent a letter requesting a meeting to discuss their engagement, and in response, the woman before them—Satoko Katsuragi—had replied, “Please do come together.”

Keiichiro had brought an apology gift, intending to dissolve the engagement.

But the reason Hina had been summoned—she sat stiffly in the armchair, hands clenched nervously on her lap, certain it must be some form of reprimand.

She had since learned that her engagement to Keiichiro, though arranged between their families without her knowledge, had already been formalized shortly before she had attended an omiai with Shinomiya.

In other words, unwittingly, Hina had stolen Keiichiro from Satoko.

Keiichiro himself hadn’t been aware the arrangement had progressed so far at the time.

Tea was served, but Hina was in no state to drink it. She sat rigidly, knees pressed together, shrinking into herself like a borrowed cat.

Eventually, Keiichiro offered his apologies and bowed deeply. Satoko met his gaze squarely and spoke.

“—I understand what you’ve told me.”

Her lovely eyes held no trace of sorrow, only a dignified expression.

“From the moment I received your letter, I had prepared myself for this outcome.”

“I truly am sorry.”

Following Keiichiro, Hina also bowed her head. Should she apologize as well? No, that might be presumptuous. Words failed her, leaving her with nothing but a lowered head.

“…However, as a woman, I too have my pride.”

“I will make amends with all sincerity.”

“Truly?”

“To the best of my ability…”

As Keiichiro spoke, Satoko narrowed her eyes coyly and glanced at Hina.

“Then, might you lend me Hina?”

Tension shot down Hina’s spine.

“Eh…?”

“That is…”

Keiichiro also frowned slightly, stealing a look at Hina.

At their reactions, Satoko covered her mouth and chuckled. “Oh, don’t look so wary. I merely wish to speak with her alone for a moment.”

“But—”

As Keiichiro tried to protest, Hina placed her hand over his where it rested on his knee.

“Keiichiro-sama, it’s all right. I… came prepared for this.”

So there was something after all.

Bracing herself, Hina met Satoko’s gaze with nowhere to run.

The Katsuragi estate’s garden was immaculately maintained.

Moss-covered stone lanterns lined the paths, and koi swam in the clear pond. Seasonal flowers added splashes of color, every corner picturesque enough to frame.

But Hina had no mind to appreciate its beauty, keeping her eyes fixed on Satoko’s feet as she followed. With each step, her heartbeat quickened.

“Hina-san.”

Satoko’s voice, like tinkling bells, came without turning.

“…Yes.”

“Do you know why you were summoned?”

“…Yes.”

Her throat was parched with nerves.

Satoko stopped and turned.

“But—first, allow me to thank you.”

“Eh…?”

The unexpected words made Hina look up in surprise.

Satoko bowed gracefully.

“Thank you for saving Keiichiro-sama that day.”

Hina’s breath caught. She had been certain she would be reprimanded.

When Keiichiro had collapsed at Yunoya, Satoko had stubbornly refused to listen to Hina’s warnings. That impression had been so strong, perhaps Hina had misjudged her entirely.

“I’ve reflected on it since. It wasn’t a situation for an amateur to interfere.”

“Not at all…”

Satoko was petite, surely younger than Hina. Yet the intensity of her gaze now made her seem somehow larger.

“—But at the same time, I am also angry.”

Her tone shifted. Hina’s spine froze, and she hastily bowed again.

“My… deepest apologies.”

A breeze swept through the garden, carrying silence. Satoko’s next words fell heavily.

“When you saved Keiichiro-sama that day—was it because you’re a pharmacist? Or… because you love him?”

Hina couldn’t answer immediately. No—her feelings were clear. But which answer would Satoko accept? Which would satisfy her? The thought tangled her tongue.

Still, Hina could only answer honestly. She pressed her lips together, raised her head, and met Satoko’s gaze squarely.

“…Both.”

For a moment, the air grew taut.

Satoko’s expression was unreadable—whether smiling or angry, only deep silence enveloped them.

Hina didn’t look away. She steeled herself, determined to face Satoko’s reaction head-on.

At last, Satoko released a small sigh.

“—Clench your teeth.”

“Eh…?”

—Slap!

For a moment, Hina didn’t understand what had happened.

Cradling her stinging left cheek, she looked up to see Satoko clutching her right hand with her left. Her eyes were damp, as if confused by her own actions.

“…Striking your cheek doesn’t ease the pain. I’ve never raised a hand to anyone before.”

“Katsuragi-sama…”

“Call me Satoko.”

“…Is that all right?”

“I’ve never been fond of surnames.”

Brushing back her gently waving hair, Satoko looked up at the sky and murmured.

Turning her back again, her shoulders trembled.

It reminded Hina of her own reflection in the tenement days.

–

When they returned to the drawing room, Keiichiro was pacing anxiously.

Relief flashed across his face at the sight of them—until his eyes landed on Hina’s left cheek.

Rushing over, he reached out tentatively.

“Hina…! Your cheek—”

His fingertips brushed the spot, and the pain flared anew.

But Hina smiled bravely, determined not to worry him.

“It’s all right, Keiichiro-sama.”

“No, but…”

Keiichiro hastily produced a white handkerchief and pressed it gently to her cheek.

Hina had never seen him so flustered before.

She stifled a soft laugh in her chest.

Then—an exaggerated cough echoed through the room.

Startled, they turned to see Satoko with downcast eyes, her cheeks faintly pink.

“…If the two of you must flirt, kindly do so after you’ve left.”

At her exasperated tone, Hina and Keiichiro flushed simultaneously and hurriedly stepped apart.

Keiichiro’s expression grew awkward as he took in Satoko’s face—her eyes were red and swollen from crying.

He must have easily guessed what had transpired. Hesitantly, he reached out to her as well.

“Ah… Satoko-san.”

“Spare me your pity. I’ve resolved never to show tears before any man but my future husband!”

Like a petulant child, Satoko huffed and turned up her nose.

Hina couldn’t bring herself to dislike her—perhaps Satoko had deliberately lightened the mood to spare them discomfort.

After exchanging farewells, as Hina and Keiichiro prepared to leave, Satoko called out.

“Oh, wait just a moment. We’re not finished yet.”

“Yes…?”

Hina tensed, bracing for further reproach.

“I hear you’re developing a new medicine?”

Satoko studied Keiichiro with keen interest.

“Since my days at girls’ school, I’ve believed the time has come for women to step into society and business. Medicine in particular holds the power to change lives. So—”

Pausing, she continued.

“If this medicine truly has potential, the Katsuragi family would consider investing.”

Both Hina and Keiichiro gaped.

They had assumed the investment would vanish with the broken engagement.

But the Satoko before them now was not the young lady they knew—her eyes sparkled with the curiosity of an investor.

“Forgive me, Satoko-san. I thought… the investment was off the table.”

Keiichiro voiced his honest surprise.

“My father might have said so. But I wish to believe in Hina-san’s medicine. And in my own foresight!”

Satoko’s voice burned with passion, her eyes alight.

Hina and Keiichiro recoiled slightly, overwhelmed.

“My father always says, ‘Women and children have no place in business.’ So, Hina-san—!”

“Yes?!”

Satoko seized Hina’s hand instead of Keiichiro’s.

“Please, let me stake my hopes on you! Let me prove my judgment is sound!”

Moved by her earnestness, Hina’s lips softened into a smile.

She placed her other hand over Satoko’s and nodded.

“Of course, Satoko-san.”

–

From that day, Saotome Pharmaceuticals transformed.

The ointment crafted by Hina’s hands was refined by the company’s R&D team and christened “Hina’s Siren Salve.”

A panacea that sped wound healing and soothed burns and rashes, its reputation spread gradually from the hot springs resort until it became known nationwide.

And the force that paved its way was the Katsuragi family’s investment.

Joining hands with like-minded allies to build the future—only with Satoko’s passion and support could they take that first step without financial struggle.

Yet Hina couldn’t help but feel a bashful embarrassment at having her name on the product.

“…Keiichiro-sama. This name… I can’t get used to it. It’s embarrassing.”

When she voiced her modest protest, Keiichiro nodded coolly beside her.

“Hmm. Then perhaps ‘Hinaseline’ would have been better?”

“That’s even worse!”

Clutching her flushed cheeks, Hina nearly shrieked.

When naming the product, the one who had insisted, “It must bear your name,” had been none other than Keiichiro himself.

At the foundation of the reborn Saotome Pharmaceuticals stood a single pharmacist and its young heir.

And their shared dream, carried on the wings of medicine, would continue to heal countless hearts as it journeyed into the future.