I Was Sleep-Deprived at a Matchmaking Meeting and Ended Up Engaged - Chapter 33

While thinking “doing something different from usual, huh,” Ayato and the others got in the car.

“What should we do?” Keiki said.

“Like getting out of the car and starting to walk with a different foot than usual?”

“…Which foot is the different one?”

Hmm…

Which one would it be?

“Ah, then how about taking a different route home?”

“I’ve never gone straight home from around here in the first place.”

There is no usual…

“This is troubling.”

While we were saying things like that, we arrived at Keiki’s house.

In the living room, Ai and Koshiro were waiting.

Koshiro was a well-built gentleman.

His face had a somewhat similar atmosphere to Keiki’s.

“A souvenir,” Ayato said, handing over the trouble-use appetizer platter and box of sweets.

“My, thank you.

I really like this shop’s baked sweets,” Ai said happily.

…That’s right.

Maybe trying something different from the plan isn’t so bad.

“Please, some dried horse mackerel.

I heard it’s delicious,” I tried handing over the dried horse mackerel that didn’t really suit this mansion.

“Oh my.

Well now.”

…Unexpectedly, they seemed pleased.

Well, it’s not that I didn’t want them to be pleased.

“That’s right. It’s locally made road station cider. The bottle and label looked delicious so I bought it. When I tried it, it was just okay.”

“Let me try some,” Koshiro said, drinking some.

“Hmm,” Koshiro made a sound.

“This is the first time I’ve drunk cider that can only be described as ‘just okay.'”

“Right?” we both nodded in agreement.

“My, you two get along surprisingly well, don’t you?

This daughter-in-law and father-in-law,” Ai said.

“Speaking of which, why did you come back?” Ai asked while drinking with the appetizers and sweets as snacks.

…Um, where did that definite love I sometimes feel when we meet go? Ayato was thinking when,

“No, I just came back as planned.

Ah, but there’s another reason I stopped by here,” Koshiro started rummaging through his bag.

“Actually, I remembered I had a request.”

Ah, this this, Koshiro pulled out a clear file.

“I was thinking of giving this to Mr. Fujimiya.”

To who…?

“Mr. Fujimiya asked if I had any good stories about his grandchildren.”

…Even if it’s about our family, we have lots of grandchildren, you know.

“I believe it was Mr. Shoji’s daughter.”

“…Th-the younger one?” Ayato unintentionally leaned forward and asked.

“No—I heard she’s the eldest daughter,” Koshiro said while taking out reading glasses and looking at the clear file.

“So, Mr. Fujimiya said someone like a second son who might inherit the family would be good.”

With eyes that said “So this is your betrayal,” Keiki looked at me.

No no no, I didn’t know anything about that, Ayato waved both hands vigorously to convey this meaning when Koshiro said:

“There happens to be an Antarctic chef.”

Where am I being taken!?

Well, thinking calmly, I don’t think they’d bring a wife to Antarctica.

“I-Is he like a bear-like person?” I whispered to Keiki.

“Why…” he said.

“He seems warmer that way, doesn’t he?”

“He probably won’t be cooking outside,” Keiki said when Ai told Koshiro:

“That Ayato there is Fujimiya Shoji’s eldest daughter.”

Ah, is that so, Koshiro smiled.

“Perfect timing.”

Perfect timing?

Koshiro showed us a photo from the clear file of a somewhat intense-looking handsome man.

“Which do you prefer?

Him or our son?”

No, even if you ask me like it’s “Which chocolate do you prefer? Vanilla?”…

Haha… Ayato gave a bitter smile and looked at Keiki.

Keiki’s expression had become blank.

While completely blank, he was looking at that handsome man’s photo.

…No, please say something…

Why is there a new enemy here now? Keiki was frozen.

And what’s more, another handsome man.

Is this guy actually popular!?

I felt anxious, thinking Yuya would probably say:

“No no, that’s just an introduction.

It has nothing to do with being popular or not.”

“Father,” Keiki cut into their conversation.

My? Ai looked over at us with slight amusement.

“Ayato is supposed to marry me.”

But Koshiro asked:

“Is that decided?”

No, what do you mean is that decided…?

“It was an arranged marriage, right?

Wouldn’t it be fine to change partners?”

Arranged marriages—were they like that!?

Well, this father might seem like a sensible person, but he’s ultimately Ai’s husband.

They’re similar types of people.

“But, already, that…”

“What?

Are you pregnant?”

“We’ve only held hands!?”

“…You’ve only held hands?”

“No, that’s not it.

We’re also, well, about to buy a house.”

Koshiro and Ai made faces that said “You haven’t bought one yet…”

“The wedding venue date is—

mostly decided.”

Mostly…?

What’s going on.

Keiki was thinking he could read his parents’ minds better than ever before.

“Even the invitation preparations—”

“Have you sent them out already?”

“No.”

If the date is “mostly decided,” there’s no way they would have been sent out.

“Then you can just change partners, right?”

No, that’s ridiculous—both Ayato and I were shocked.

“I was just asked by Mr. Fujimiya to find a good marriage partner for Ayato.”

Mr. Fujimiya’s wishes over his own son’s!

And father.

Are you saying I’m inferior to that bear-like Antarctic chef.

No, actually he was a sleek handsome man.

As Ayato’s marriage partner, Keiki thought while saying:

“I—”

Inside Keiki, their days together so far and the fortune teller’s words from earlier intersected.

“Even if I were to be betrayed, I want to marry Ayato!”

When did I betray you!? Ayato looked at him with eyes that said.

“My my, for Keiki to say something so clearly,” Ai said laughing while standing up.

Placing a hand on her husband’s shoulder,

“You were testing whether Keiki was serious or not, weren’t you? Dear,” she smiled but.

Koshiro said:

“No, I just thought it might be fine to change partners.

If it were a company project, it would be acceptable to replace someone with a person who can handle things better from that point onward.”

This couple’s complete lack of mutual understanding was exposed.