I Was Sleep-Deprived at a Matchmaking Meeting and Ended Up Engaged - Chapter 15

“I watched a variety show like you told me to.”

No, I never gave such an order.

In the room where she’d been told “keeping you tied up for two or three days should settle things,” Ayato was clutching her smartphone.

Evening.

A message had come saying “I’m too busy to meet today, but would it be alright if I called you tonight?”

So Ayato had come home early, hurriedly scarfed down her food, taken a bath, and was now sitting in seiza waiting for the call.

“I thought I’d try to enjoy it. Maybe I chose the wrong program. I found myself thinking there’s nothing to gain from watching this.”

If anything, what were you trying to gain from a variety show?

“You told me to watch one, so as soon as I got home yesterday I watched a late-night variety show. It had been 15 years.”

…You watched it right away because I said so? You’re unexpectedly obedient.

“I kept thinking about how that guest must have meant something deeper by what they said, even though they bombed, and I couldn’t get to sleep.”

Please just forget about it. They really did bomb, that’s all.

“But not being able to sleep is problematic, isn’t it?” “Indeed. I’m still thinking about it.”

Just how badly did that person bomb…?

“On top of that, talking with you like this makes me feel like I won’t be able to sleep even more.”

…Did I just say something awkward?

“When I talk with you too much, my brain gets excited and I feel like I won’t be able to sleep. …Though I also feel like I want to keep talking a bit longer. How strange. I usually make it a policy not to do anything that would interfere with work.”

Th-that’s kind of embarrassing… Plus, this guy has such an amazing voice.

When we’re face-to-face, his divine looks are so striking you don’t really notice, but on the phone his voice quality really stands out, Ayato thought.

“Well, if you can’t sleep… let’s see. How about counting sheep? Or listening to a lullaby?”

A lullaby? Yoshinori laughed.

She thought she might have said something childish, but Yoshinori’s tone was gentle.

“Are you going to sing one for me?” “I-I could do a flamenco lullaby!” “That sounds like it would be too noisy to sleep to…”

He had her there.

Maybe because I’m trying to finish work early to see her, I feel like I’m more efficient than before.

Thinking such thoughts, Yoshinori was walking through his workplace hallway the next day.

Holding that energy drink, he smiled “hehe” when “Is that from your girlfriend?” a voice said.

Turning around, the business associate woman who’d driven off in that red car was standing there. She seemed to have come here for work today.

“Ah, excuse me. You just looked like you were smiling about something nice.”

“…Well, I’m not sure if it’s from her or from the bear,” he answered, earning a surprised “Huh?”

It’s true Ayato gave it to him, but originally, the one who gave this to Ayato was the bear.

No, I mean the drugstore with the bear logo.

“Speaking of which, even though you’re dating, I never see your girlfriend at your apartment.” …How does she know I haven’t invited my girlfriend to my apartment? Yoshinori felt alarmed.

Could it be that this person—

“I thought, could you be my apartment’s security guard or something?” “No no no, normally you’d think ‘are you my stalker or something?’ there!”

The one who interjected was Yuya.

After that, partly because he had business there anyway, he ended up visiting Ayato’s company.

But he encountered Yuya before Ayato, and since Yuya was a pretty friendly guy, he ended up telling him everything that had just happened.

“I thought, someone who could see everything I do in my apartment. The only people who could do that would be security guards who can watch the apartment’s surveillance cameras.”

“No no no. She probably just said that as a guess because she’s never seen Ayato around before, right? Couldn’t that person be someone who lives in the same apartment building?”

“That might be it. You’re amazing. You could be a detective.”

He patted Yuya’s shoulder, earning a muttered “What an idiot…” from Midori who had appeared nearby without him noticing.

Midori said “I’ll go get Ayato.” and left just like that.

“By the way, don’t you like Fu… Ayato?” Yoshinori asked.

He didn’t know if it was okay to ask, but he wanted to confirm since he thought it would be bad if he said something insensitive.

Well, confirming itself probably wasn’t a great idea either.

Then Yuya responded self-deprecatingly: “No, in the end, I couldn’t say anything to her until things turned out like this. Someone like me is just a guy who only rates getting his car smashed up anyway.”

He didn’t really understand the car smashing part, but…

Even though such a good guy was right beside her. I feel bad that someone like me suddenly took her away through an arranged marriage meeting, Yoshinori thought.

That’s why he vowed to definitely make her happy. Because he felt sorry.

Strangely enough, the thought “I should step aside” never occurred to him.