Chapter 100

"Arisa, will you accept my confession...?"

Yugen suddenly started to sound uncertain. In response, Soichiro and Sei offered some half-hearted words of encouragement.

"From what I can see, Yuki is clearly fond of you."

"Even I can tell she's head over heels."

"Yeah... I know that much, but..."

Yugen sighed as he twirled some Arrabbiata pasta with his fork.

"Doesn't that mean, in the true sense, getting engaged... and eventually getting married?"

In other words, it means moving into the Takasegawa household. And the Takasegawa household is certainly not an ordinary family.

"Wouldn't she think it's too much trouble?"

"Well, it might be a bit troublesome..."

"But on the other hand, there's the money. She'd probably jump at the chance to marry in."

Soichiro agreed with Yugen's concern, while Sei disagreed. For Arisa, it would be the so-called 'golden ticket,' and there seems to be no reason for her to refuse.

"Or is marriage a given? I think it's fine to just be lovers without getting married."

Yugen responded clearly to Soichiro's words.

"I want to marry Arisa... no, I will definitely marry her."

"Then, isn't that good?"

"What are you worried about?"

"Well... I'm not really worried about anything."

Yugen wanted to marry Arisa no matter what. If Arisa were to say, "I don't want to take the Takasegawa name," he would try to convince her of the good points of the Takasegawa family and do whatever it takes to make her "Arisa Takasegawa."

That's why he has no worries, just some anxiety.

"If you want to get married that badly... in the worst case, you could just leave, like Soichiro."

"Hmm..."

Sei's suggestion left Yugen speechless. For the current Yugen, between the headship of the Takasegawa family and marrying Arisa, the latter is more important. However...

"I was born and raised to be the successor."

It's not that he desperately wants the Takasegawa family's inheritance. But Yugen was born to inherit the Takasegawa family, and his parents had him for that purpose. Given that this is Yugen's mission and life, he can't deviate from this path. That's why he wants to do as much as possible while he's still a high school or college student. That's why he doesn't want to get engaged at this stage. It would be a problem if he fell in love.

"Anyway, I can marry Arisa because I'm the successor of the Takasegawa family!"

"Right, you two were 'engaged,' weren't you?"

"The outer and inner moats are already filled."

So, all that's left is to take the main fortress. All he needs is for Arisa to nod and say, "Yes."

"Phew, I'm glad I was born as the eldest son of the Takasegawa family... If not, Arisa would have been out of reach."

Of course, even if he were an ordinary high school student, he would still try to win Arisa over. If she had a fiancé, he would try to steal her away.

"Arisa is... so cute."

"I've heard."

"I'm confident I'd do anything for her."

"That's why you climbed a tree and fell, right?"

"Shut up. I'll kill you."

Yugen got angry at the mention of his past. Soichiro and Sei laughed heartily at the memory.

"Well, you should be fine. You're reasonably good-looking, not as bad as someone else, and you have money."

Sei nodded, and Soichiro followed suit.

"I'm curious about who 'someone else' is... but Yugen is a good guy. If I were a girl, I'd marry you."

"Disgusting..."

"Isn't that too harsh!?"

Of course, it's all in jest.

"By the way... seriously, are you going to take over in the future?"

Soichiro asked Sei. In other words, will Sei inherit the Ryozenji family business and become the next successor?

"Hmm... I don't mind taking over."

"But you don't want to?"

"I'm supporting my cousin."

Sei is technically the heir of the Ryozenji family, but it's not an official decision. There are other candidates for the successor.

"I see. Well... from the Takasegawa family's perspective, we'd appreciate it if you don't split the family."

"That's good. We don't want to split either."

Most of the time, the decline of a family is due to internal conflicts. Successor disputes, main branch vs. branch family disputes, and conflicts between the current and next heads are common.

(From that perspective, my father can't afford to upset me.)

For the current head of the Takasegawa family, Kazuya Takasegawa, the biggest threat is not a branch family, the Tachibana family, or a political rival. It's Yugen Takasegawa.

Yugen is the only one who can potentially dethrone him. And for Yugen, his father is a troublesome opponent.

As the next head, he can't go against his father.

(When it comes to Arisa... I won't give in at all. I'm sure he understands that.)

There are only two people in the world who have the power to interfere with Yugen and Arisa's love: Kazuya Takasegawa and Sogen Takasegawa.

However, Yugen has no intention of rebelling against his father. Similarly, Kazuya trusts his son to a certain extent.

If it were just a family argument, it would be one thing, but neither of them wants a bloody battle. Without the complicated titles of current and next head, they are just a normal, close father and son.

"If your cousin takes over, what will you do?"

"I don't know. I guess the standard path would be to work for a related company..."

"That's vague."

Yugen will inherit the family. Soichiro will not inherit and will marry into the Tachibana family. In contrast, Sei's future seems a bit vague.

"Actually, being vague is normal."

Sei said this as he nibbled on a chicken wing. He then calmly lectured his two friends, who are somewhat out of the ordinary.

"At fifteen or sixteen, deciding your career, spouse, and even further ahead is pretty much just you two."

"True, I guess."

"There's no arguing with that."

Yugen and Soichiro admitted to Sei's point. At fifteen, it's relatively common for people not to have their future decided. Even if it is, it's usually just a "dream." For Yugen and Soichiro, who have their futures and even spouses decided, it might seem like they're living too fast to Sei.

"Well, my family isn't as old as yours. It's not necessary for it to be me. ...But it's also a fact that it would be smoother if I took over."

Sei then suddenly changed the topic.

"Tomorrow is Monday... Valentine's Day."

"Yeah, that's right."

"Valentine's Day, huh."

Until last year, the people who gave Yugen chocolate were limited. His mother, his sister, and Ayaka, who went to the same middle school. Of course, they were all just obligatory.

This year, he probably won't get any from his mother or sister (they won't deliver it). Ayaka will probably give him one as usual, and Chiharu might give him an obligatory chocolate. As for Tenka, it's uncertain, but given that she didn't forget Halloween candy, she might send him a store-bought chocolate.

But more importantly...

(What kind of chocolate will Arisa give me...?)

Just a little.

Yugen looked forward to the chocolate from his talented fiancée.

In Chapter 13, the "person who is even more terrifying than Umihara, whom I have seen up close as the next head of the Takasegawa family" refers to himself, his father, and his grandfather. Incidentally, his grandfather is the scariest, followed by his father.

It's a bit Oedipus complex-like. No, Yugen isn't a mother's boy, but...

If you haven't read the book version yet, please do.

If you're so excited about Valentine's Day that you can't sleep at night,

please bookmark, rate (change the stars at the bottom of the table of contents to five stars), and buy the first volume.

I'll work hard to make it a story as sweet as chocolate.