It could be said that, in that instant, countless thoughts raced through Suzuki Yuu’s mind.
He stood frozen in place, considering every possibility.
Did Shiina Chisa tell her father anything about them? If she did, what would happen?
Did they overhear his conversation with Jinguuin Amane just now?
Or perhaps, would Jinguuin cause some trouble later?
As these thoughts crossed his mind, he couldn’t help but glance at Jinguuin Amane standing beside him, only to find that she, too, was watching him at that very moment.
A smile played on her lips, as if she took great pleasure in the current situation.
Suzuki Yuu deeply regretted not looking at the list she had handed him earlier.
If he had seen it, maybe things wouldn’t be so rushed and awkward now.
“Suzuki, what brings you here? I haven’t seen you for a while—I thought you and Chisa had a fight.”
Shiina Kazuma asked again. Suzuki Yuu was about to say something, but the words caught in his throat.
Just what kind of identity was he supposed to use to face them right now? Should he lie?
However, reality left him no time to hesitate, so he improvised:
“Oh, good evening, Uncle. I’ve been working part-time at the Jinguuin household lately, so I’ve been a bit busy.”
Strictly speaking, Suzuki Yuu wasn’t lying; in a way, he was indeed working for Jinguuin Amane.
However, upon hearing this, Shiina Kazuma frowned:
“Didn’t I tell you to quit all those part-time jobs? You should spend more time with Chisa. As for money, you really don’t need to worry about that.”
“Uh, I’m just used to keeping busy. Besides, always relying on Chisa wouldn’t be good for me, either.”
Suzuki Yuu forced a smile as he spoke, glancing at Shiina Chisa, who stood quietly at the side.
She said nothing, only biting her lip a little harder.
“You’re too diligent for your own good, Suzuki. You must understand, in this world, hard work alone won’t guarantee success.”
Shiina Kazuma spoke while reaching out to pat Suzuki Yuu’s shoulder, not too light or heavy, in the gentle manner of an elder to a junior.
“Our Shiina family may not be the richest, but we can take care of our own. Since you’re with Chisa, you shouldn’t be distracted by these trivial matters.” His tone was gentle, but it left Suzuki Yuu with a sense of unease.
Right now, the hand on his shoulder felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, making him terribly uncomfortable.
At the same time, he could feel Chisa’s gaze from in front of him and… another gaze, smiling, from the side.
“Uncle Shiina, good evening.”
Jinguuin Amane’s voice rang out across the banquet hall, and Suzuki Yuu felt his heart leap into his throat.
“Miss Jinguuin, good evening! My apologies for overlooking my manners earlier—I was surprised to see Suzuki here. You… you’ve become even more beautiful, just like your mother.”
“Thank you for the compliment, Uncle Shiina, but I still don’t think I’m as pretty as Chisa.”
Jinguuin Amane spoke with a smile, then turned her gaze to Shiina Chisa.
“If only my own daughter would smile as much as you do, she’d be that much cuter.”
Shiina Kazuma laughed, then pointed at Suzuki and said:
“Normally, she’s like a stone—only when she sees this boy does she show any happiness.”
“I can understand that. After all, Suzuki-kun is an outstanding person. Being able to date such a wonderful young man, Miss Shiina must make others envious.”
As soon as Jinguuin Amane finished speaking, Suzuki Yuu noticed that Chisa trembled ever so slightly a short distance away.
He pressed a hand to his forehead, feeling a sense of dread.
What was this, a love triangle from hell?
Would he survive the night?
“That’s true. But if a boy is too outstanding, he’ll attract other girls’ attention. If he gets led astray, that’d be trouble.”
Shiina Kazuma said with a hearty laugh, then looked at Suzuki:
“Suzuki, you’d better keep yourself in check.”
“Of course…”
Suzuki Yuu replied helplessly.
He looked at Jinguuin Amane, hoping she would come to his rescue.
However, she ignored him at this crucial moment and continued chatting with Shiina Kazuma.
Desperate, he could only turn to Shiina Chisa, forcing a smile:
“Chisa, let’s go for a walk.”
Upon hearing Suzuki Yuu’s words, Shiina Chisa, who had remained silent until now, suddenly looked up. There was a faint look of grievance on her face.
That was a rare sight.
Fortunately, Shiina Chisa still nodded in the end, and her father even seemed pleased:
“That’s better. Go on, Chisa—you young people should spend more time together.”
Then, the middle-aged man turned to Jinguuin Amane with a look of apology:
“Sorry, Miss Jinguuin. It seems Suzuki has something to take care of.”
“It’s fine, Uncle Shiina. Everything here is already set up.”
Perhaps it was Suzuki Yuu’s pleading eyes, but Jinguuin Amane let him leave after all.
After they left, Shiina Kazuma looked at Jinguuin Amane and asked:
“By the way, Miss Jinguuin, how did you and Suzuki get to know each other?”
“We’re classmates, more or less. He just joined the student council recently.”
“Is that so…”
Shiina Kazuma glanced at Jinguuin Amane, then in the direction his daughter had gone, a look of concern on his face.
“I hope I’m just overthinking things.” He murmured quietly to himself.
Suzuki Yuu and Shiina Chisa walked side by side through the Jinguuin family’s garden on the outskirts of town, going a long while without speaking.
Perhaps the atmosphere was too awkward, for Suzuki Yuu was the first to break the silence:
“Chisa, you didn’t tell your father about us?”
“No, I didn’t want to.”
“Thank you, you really saved me there.”
“Let’s keep walking. It’s been a long time since we did something like this, hasn’t it?”
At Suzuki Yuu’s words of thanks, Shiina Chisa replied with calm indifference.
“Uh…” Suzuki Yuu looked away awkwardly.
“You’re here now, so… does that mean—”
“No, I didn’t do anything with her. I was just following the agreement. Honestly, I came here tonight to meet a music professor from my middle school days.”
Shiina Chisa was still speaking when Suzuki Yuu hurriedly interrupted, eager to clarify his relationship with Jinguuin Amane.
He was worried she’d let her imagination run wild and do something strange.
Yeah, he definitely didn’t want to end up in Hokkaido.
Yet Shiina Chisa’s reply caught him off guard:
“No, I’m not worried about anything happening between you two. I’m only worried about what she might do to you.”
“Uh…”
Suzuki Yuu hadn’t expected her to say that. He hesitated a long while before asking:
“So… is that your way of showing concern?”
“Yeah.”
“That makes it sound like there’s a chance Jinguuin Amane could fall for me, just like you did.” Suzuki Yuu half-joked, trying to ease the tension.
“I can’t say for sure. After all, when I made that agreement with you, it was only to put my dad at ease. Who could have known things would turn out like this?”
Shiina Chisa brought up the past again, and Suzuki Yuu fell into reminiscence.
He remembered that when Shiina Kazuma first met him, he was surprised, then angry, but after some time had passed, he became cheerful.
Now that he thought about it, maybe it was because he felt his daughter had changed thanks to Suzuki’s presence.
Yeah… that was probably when he started getting in over his head.
“Of course, from the looks of it, President Jinguuin probably doesn’t have any feelings for you. She always seems so composed.”
“Isn’t she always like that?”
Thinking of Jinguuin Amane and her way of having everything planned, Suzuki Yuu felt another headache coming on. That young lady was still far too mysterious.
“It’s because she’s always like that that I’m not doing anything right now.” Shiina Chisa continued, “But if she really did change, I’d have to act.”
Suzuki Yuu more or less knew what she meant by “act,” and a chill ran down his spine.
“Yuu, if President Jinguuin really does fall for you, you’ll see a completely different side of her.”
Just like I did…
That was the part Shiina Chisa didn’t say out loud.
“Is that so…? It’s hard to imagine, but I don’t think that’s likely…”
“Let’s hope so.”
Shiina Chisa’s flat response left Suzuki Yuu speechless once again.
Fortunately, she didn’t continue with the awkward subject and changed the topic:
“The music professor you mentioned—is it Izumiya? I remember he’s a world-renowned maestro. He once came to Aoyama Seiryou Middle School to hold a competition, hoping to select gifted students for special training.”
He really was the one who gave Sister Hasegawa that scolding.
“So, in the end, did President Jinguuin accept his instruction?”
He asked, but Shiina Chisa shook her head:
“No, President Jinguuin just entered the competition for fun. Even after she won, she declined his guidance. I’m not sure why.”
“I see…” Suzuki Yuu fell into thought after hearing her explanation.