I Was Sleep-Deprived at a Matchmaking Meeting and Ended Up Engaged - Chapter 10

“I’m running quite late. Should we grab a bite somewhere?”

“That sounds good.”

Bidding farewell to Sano and the others, Ayato and the group left Iglesia, the wedding venue overlooking the ocean.

Keiki’s car was a silver Mercedes, though apparently it originally belonged to Kai.

“He told me, ‘I want to buy a new one, so you take this off my hands.'”

You just went along with it?

“I’m not particularly interested in cars. I thought it looked comfortable to drive, so I figured why not. If you don’t like it, we can replace it.”

“No, just because I don’t like it. Um, I think it’s a nice car that seems sturdy.”

As she answered, Ayato thought to herself: This person is pretty casual about things he’s not interested in.

Their arranged meeting was probably just an extension of that.

“Please, go to this matchmaking meeting.”

“(Not interested) Fine.”

It must have been something like that…

I’m in the same boat as this car, Ayato thought somewhat sadly.

Feeling an odd affinity with the vehicle, she gently stroked the door.

“Is there any place you’d like to go?”

“No, not particularly.”

“If it’s around here, let’s see. Would you prefer Japanese or Western food?”

“Which are you in the mood for, Shirakami-san?”

“Right now, I’m fine with either.”

“Well then, let’s see…

I do like Japanese food, but since we went to that wonderful temple-like place today, maybe Western would be better?”

“There’s a good restaurant nearby.”

Let’s go, let’s go—things were still pleasant up to this point.

The car stopped in the parking lot of a lovely stone-built restaurant with a hidden-away atmosphere.

Just as Keiki got out, the door of a large red car parked a short distance away opened, and a flashy woman stepped out.

“Shirakami-san!”

Oh, she’s pretty, Ayato thought as she also got out.

Then the woman, who had been about to approach them, gasped and stopped in her tracks.

“Shirakami-san, who is this?”

“Ah… This is Fujimiya-san, who I’m going to marry soon.”

“Is that so? Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

“So, today you came here to celebrate with the colleague who’s getting married?”

“Which colleague is getting married?”

What’s going on? These two don’t seem to be on the same page.

The woman asked Keiki, “This Fujimiya-san person is getting married, right?”

Well, it’s not exactly decided yet…

“That’s right,” Keiki answered.

“And you came here to celebrate that, right?”

“No, I’m the one marrying Fujimiya-san.”

“Why?”

Why? That’s a novel question, Ayato thought.

Keiki pondered for a moment before saying, “…Because we had an arranged meeting?”

“Why would you have an arranged meeting?”

She’s got a point.

“I was asked to.”

“You should have refused!”

I wish you’d said that to Shirakami-san a bit earlier.

“Why… Why would you have an arranged meeting?!”

The woman suddenly grew angry.

“I’ve always… I’ve always had feelings for Shirakami-san! That’s why I’ve turned down every great prospect until now! You have to take responsibility!”

Keiki looked confused by the situation, simply wearing a troubled expression.

Despite telling him to take responsibility, she dashed away in a huff.

The red car sped out of the parking lot with tremendous force.

“Womanizer!”

Her shouting voice carried on the wind.

“…Was her window open? Should we tell her?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Keiki said vaguely, still seeming unable to process what happened.

“Um, that person was—”

“Someone I meet through work. No, I see her often elsewhere too.”

Keiki was thinking.

Even though she’s such a memorable person, he forgets where he met her. At this rate, if I don’t see him for three days, will I be completely forgotten?

Ayato felt a sense of terror.

“Um, she was calling you a womanizer and saying to take responsibility. Did something happen between you two?”

“Something or not—”

Just as Keiki started to speak, a familiar voice interrupted from somewhere.

“Now now, you never know. Keiki is a man too, after all.”

Kai was standing there.

He seemed to have come with his male friends.

“Taking advantage of the fact that the other person has feelings for him, he might seize the opportunity and pounce.”

Um, you’re the matchmaker, right? Why are you saying things that would break us up…?

“Just kidding. Things seem to be going well. Looking forward to the wedding.”

With that, Kai got into the same car as his waiting friends and quickly drove off.

Ayato glanced up at Keiki.

Well, it’s true.

With someone like him, it would be more unnatural to think he’s never dated anyone before.

Apparently, she had been looking at him with suspicious eyes, because Keiki said, “No, really, nothing happened. I wouldn’t attack a woman I barely know. I can’t even attack you.”

“Um, please don’t feel obligated to attack me.”

As she said this, she felt a little uneasy.

Not that she particularly doubted him about this incident, but because she had just realized: Now that I think about it, this person probably gets a lot of attention.

Murakami Hamako-san seems to have feelings for Shirakami-san too.

Even after marriage, there might be various worries.

Maybe I should call off this marriage.

I wish there were men in this world who were only my type.

“Shall we go?”

When he asked, she said yes, but…

…I should have chosen Japanese food today.

Then I wouldn’t have met that woman, she thought.

“Oh right. I don’t know much about desserts, but this place apparently serves interesting ones that are quite delicious.”

“Eh? Really?”

Weighing her anxiety against dessert, dessert won.

After all, an uncertain future may or may not actually come, but this restaurant’s dessert would definitely arrive in about forty minutes.

“Let’s go, let’s go!”

Watching Ayato climb the stone steps of the restaurant, Keiki had an expression that said: How mercenary…