I Was Sleep-Deprived at a Matchmaking Meeting and Ended Up Engaged - Chapter 19

My middle school music teacher became beautiful when she fell in love.

There are expressions in manga and novels like “her eyes sparkled when she fell in love,” but hers were genuinely sparkling – it was surprising.

I’d been thinking I wanted to fall in love with someone wonderful and sparkle too.

Lately, I’ve been eagerly awaiting the changes in my friend who I think might have met someone wonderful and found her destined love, but…

…What’s going on?

She seems troubled somehow.

Well, worries come with love, but…

First, sparkle!

This is the beginning of love, right?

This is when you should sparkle the most!

Thinking this, Midori kept watching Ayato.

In the company cafeteria, Ayato let out a sigh.

“What’s wrong?”

Unable to hold back, Midori asked.

“There’s something that’s been bothering me so much.”

Is it love?!

Midori leaned forward.

“It’s about that woman who’s like a stalker of Shirakami-san.”

“Oh~, that kind of worry?”

Midori settled back into her seat.

“When I last talked to that person…”

“You talked to her?!”

–A direct confrontation?!

That’s dangerous!

What was Shirakami-san doing?!

“She seemed like she had something she wanted to say but didn’t say it.

I keep wondering what it could have been.

It’s been on my mind ever since.”

“…No, just ignore whatever a stalker wants to say.”

“I’m not even sure if she really is a stalker.

That time too, it seemed like someone named Ma-kun was in her room.

But it definitely felt like she’d liked Shirakami-san since before I had the arranged marriage meeting, so I kind of feel sorry.”

“What are you saying?!

Marriage is a battle!

It’s not about first come, first served!”

Without thinking, she half-rose from her seat and slammed the table.

Looking around,

“Sorry!”

she said and sat back down.

“That stalker is one thing, but…

…Has there been any progress?”

Yuya chimed in from the side.

“Yeah, I’m curious about that too.

As a company as well.”

Hishikawa appeared holding a tray,

“Is this spot okay?”

and smoothly sat down beside Midori.

Whoa.

The intellectual handsome guy!

When he sits this close, I get so nervous I can’t eat another bite.

And he smells nice too.

More importantly, why is the company getting involved in Ayato’s love life?

she wondered.

“Fujimiya, any progress with Keiki-san?”

“Ah, well. When I went to his apartment on my day off…”

Everyone leaned forward, going “hm hm.”

“–I got a key.”

“Ooh,” everyone exclaimed and leaned back.

“Amazing, surprisingly proactive, Keiki-san.”

Hishikawa made an impressed sound.

“Um, Hishikawa-san, do you know Shirakami-san well?”

“Yeah,” Hishikawa said with a face like a professor praising a student, “Good question.”

“I’m closer to Kai-san than Keiki-san.

We were in university together.”

“Is that so. Kai-san seems like the type to summon storms, doesn’t he?”

“You could say that.

But this time, he brought a good wife like you to Keiki-san, so maybe it was a good storm?”

“…No, I still don’t really feel that way at all.”

“But you got the apartment key from Keiki-san, right?”

“But I probably just got it on a whim.”

“No, knowing him, I think he wanted to give it to you but couldn’t, and was just waiting for the right timing.”

Both of them lacked proactiveness and seemed to leave things to chance, but would this relationship properly progress?

Would Ayato ever sparkle like that teacher did?

She grew anxious.

And before she knew it, Hamako had taken a seat nearby with coffee in hand.

It was also concerning how she was listening while nodding along.

“Have you done anything from your side?”

Yuya was asking Ayato.

This guy probably likes Ayato himself, so why is he pressing for details?

Is it morbid curiosity?

Does he want to get closure quickly…?

“I haven’t given him anything, but…

Ah, that’s right.

The other day, I told him about a convenience store near my place.”

Everyone made a face.

They were thinking, so what?

But for some reason, Ayato was blushing.

“Shirakami-san said the convenience store where we always meet might be a bit far, so…

I told him about one right near my place that has a local, community-focused atmosphere like an independent store.”

…So why blush about that?

“Then the uncle there saw Shirakami-san and praised him a lot.

He asked if we were getting married.

Shirakami-san thanked me for introducing him to the neighborhood people.”

Ayato, who usually tends to look down, seemed to be sparkling a little.

“No, it wasn’t really an introduction or anything…!

Come to think of it, I haven’t even introduced Shirakami-san to my parents yet.”

I thought, but isn’t this an arranged marriage? though it also felt very like Ayato.

Anyway, I’m somehow waiting for the day when this friend of mine succeeds and starts to sparkle.