Does This Love Suit Your Taste? - Volume 1 Chapter 2.1

The First Kiss Tasted Like Lemon 1

On the day the shop was reserved, I changed into the suit my father had prepared and stood in front of the full-length mirror.

I couldn’t understand the sense of color in the suit at all. A black suit with a black shirt and a red tie… Is this really considered proper attire?

“Toui?”

Ichigo came up to my room from the shop in her work clothes. As she noticed me in my suit, she grinned and looked at me.

“Hmm, you look like a rookie host.”

“Are you making fun of me?”

“No…you’re cool.”

“Yeah-yeah.”

As I gave a nonchalant reply, Ichigo scratched her cheek and looked away while she told me what she needed to say.

“Also Toui, the person we’re dealing with has already arrived, so the owner is asking for you to come. Are you okay for today?”

“I’ll manage somehow. No matter what that guy says, I’m definitely going to take over Maison. That’s not going to change.”

As I affirmed my own determination, Ichigo also made a small triumphant gesture, encouraging me in a soft voice, ‘That’s the spirit…!’

I straightened my tie.

『Maison will close by the end of the year.』

I remembered what that old man said yesterday.

It’s an important shop. Maison is something I won’t let end.

As Ichigo and I went down to the floor, I saw fathat sitting at the central four-seater table, and a man sitting opposite him caught my eye.

“Oh, Toui. You finally came down~”

“Toui-kun!? Wow~, you’ve grown up. It’s really been a long time.”

The man who noticed me after my father. Probably the so-called business partner. To put it in Ichigo’s words, he’s ‘some kind of nice vibe cool uncle.’

“Have we met before…?”

“Well, you might not remember. It was quite a long time ago. You’ve become handsome Toui-kun, you’re definitely a Kiminami’s child.”

The cool uncle has a gentle demeanor, but I mustn’t let my guard down. This guy could very well be involved in the closure of Maison.

After being asked to sit down, I take a seat on a somewhat uncomfortable chair as instructed.

“By the way, does Toui-kun coming here mean that you’ve made up your mind?”

Finally, the main issue. I braced myself for the old man’s story. It’s about closing down Maison, right? My mind’s already made up.

“Yes, we’re going to close down Maison——”

As I was about to firmly refuse with my chest puffed out, this old man overlapped his words as if to dodge the issue.

“There’s nothing to think about, I never intended to refuse the offer from the start. Of course, I have no intention of letting this guy refuse either.”

“Hey! I won’t give up on Maison for anything. I’ve decided I’m going to take over Maison!”

Watching my usual defiant attitude towards my father, the cool uncle frowned.

But it didn’t seem like he was just annoyed by our quarrel.

“Wait-wait… Kiminami, you still haven’t told Toui-kun? This is different from what we discussed. It’s been two years since we had this conversation. Why have you kept quiet until now?”

Two years… Has it really been that long since this issue came up?

My dad hesitated a bit while being questioned by the cool uncle. Uncharacteristically for him, he seemed somewhat apologetic.

Was it towards the business partner, or perhaps——

“Thi-this kid is just going through his rebellious phase right now. No matter what you tell him, he just stubbornly says ‘no’ like a barking dog!”

“I told you… I’m not in a rebellious phase——”

“See, he’s rebelling, right?”

“Come on…”

The cool uncle guy gives a wry smile at our behavior.

“Well-well. I was pretty much the same when I was in high school.”

It’s blatantly obvious he thinks we’re just going through youthful indiscretions.

“Even so, to suddenly bring up such a conversation today… Toui-kun, do you have a girlfriend?”

“Yes? A girlfriend? No, I don’t have one… uh, today we were supposed to talk about Maison’s closing—”

I narrow my eyes at the unexpected question. What does my romantic life have to do with the closing of Maison?

“Ah, that kid is late~”

Once again, this old man cuts in. Hey… it’s obviously my turn to talk right now…

“Ohh, I think she’ll be here soon… isn’t that her?”

“What is going on…? Who is this ‘that kid’—”

Just then, the doorbell of our shop rang. Seriously, what was this all about? I thought.

As I followed the gaze of the cool uncle—there she was a beautiful girl in a gorgeous jet-black dress swaying enticingly and walking towards us. The cold uncle beckoned the beautiful girl over.

Wait a minute, she is——

“You’re late, you know. Toui-kun is already here.”

The girl I knew reached our table with a confident stride. Her short, neatly trimmed blonde hair was adorned with a sparkling purple flower hair accessory.

“Wow, très belle (very beautiful)… beautiful (美しい).”

The old man also admired her appearance.

There’s no mistake. She was too distinct to be forgotten.

“I’m sorry. It took me a while to get dressed.”

With a full beaming smile, she tilted her head slightly, infinitely charming and gracefully captivating. The cool uncle also wore a gentle smile.

“Oh, it seems you’re not aware of the situation, so I guess I need to reintroduce myself to Toui-kun. I am Shirahime Masato, a high school friend of Kiminami. And this girl is my daughter——”

“——I’m Shirahime Rira. Please take care of me today.”

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