Does This Love Suit Your Taste? - Volume 1 Chapter 2.2

The First Kiss Tasted Like Lemon 2

After the palate-cleansing ‘Lemon Sorbet’, Ichigo brought the main dish, ‘Kobe Beef Poêlé’. to the table, which caught the attention of S-Hime, also known as Shirahime Rira.

“Kaburagi-san, you work here? I had no idea.”

“Uh… well, yeah… I don’t want to disturb, so I guess I’ll leave it at that…”

Ichigo, a staff member whose job is to provide food and smiles was also visibly tense in this situation.

“It’s been since before Rira-chan entered high school since we last met. Wow, I never imagined you’d become such a beautiful woman. You joined a modeling agency, right?”

“At first, she just accepted an offer to model for a brand owned by my acquaintance.”

“But it’s fun. I just went to Okinawa for a photo shoot recently——”

While the conversation went on, I racked my brain.

From the way they spoke, it seemed that my father knew S-Hime just like the cool uncle knew me. He appeared to be quite familiar with the young S-Hime, and if the last time they met was before her high school entrance, their relationship seemed close enough to meet on a regular basis.

But I only know her as a classmate.

S-Hime came to this place… There are a ton of things I’m curious about, but that can wait for now.

What’s really important is the talk about closing Maison and what the heck it has to do with this girl.

Then, in the middle of the conversation, Shirahime noticed my tense gaze and looked into my eyes while slightly raised the corner of her mouth.

“…Hmm?”

—Stare

My gaze is utterly defeated by Shirahime’s eyes. I realize again that she’s a model… no, idiot, it’s just a courtesy smile. Don’t get swallowed up by her pace.

I wipe my mouth with a napkin, trying to regain composure.

While the older folks casually savor the main dish, I adjusted my tight collar and dove in.

“…The main thing today isn’t the meal, is it? What exactly is this all about?”

Before starting on the poêlé, Shirahime Rira puts down the knife and fork she was holding.

“Toui-kun, you really haven’t heard about it yet?”

She casually uses my given name… but with this vibe, it means she knew about today’s discussion and has been pretending not to know me. Then what was her intention with that earring incident?

The man who turned out to be Shirahime’s father, or rather, the cool uncle, starts to sweat.

“Kiminami, it’s about time you explain to Toui-kun.”

With a nod, this old man says, ‘Alright, alright…’ and stops eating.

“Ah, I’ve been keeping quiet about this, but this Rira-chan here is your future bride.”

“…What?”

What did he just say…? My bride?

“Look, basically she’s your fiancee? Woww! It’s like something out of a drama!”

My dad was being annoying. The girl’s father laughed, saying, ‘Really, what a casual explanation’, and didn’t touch upon the bizarreness of the main topic.

On the other hand, S-Hime made a bashful smile while seemingly not entirely displeased. It seemed I was the only one who couldn’t accept it.

“Marriage… you mean? Me? With Shirahime? Yes? Are you out of your mind?”

With a surprised look on my face, I glanced at Ichigo and saw a similarly distorted face looking back at me.

Good, we share the same sentiment——

“Kiminami, you’re not taking this seriously. This is an important matter.”

Seeing my father’s nonchalant attitude, Shirahime’s father began to explain it in detail.

“Toui-kun, don’t worry, everyone is sane here. Actually, what we wanted to discuss today is a proposal for a certain ‘deal’.”

“A deal…?”

“Yes. To put it bluntly, we want this shop, ‘Maison’.”

“‘Maison’? W-why…”

“Why, you ask… I now own a company.”

There was a slight pause before he began to speak the reason. Come to think of it, there were rumors that Shirahime was the daughter of a company president. So it was true.

Shirahime’s father continued with a smile. Thought it was impossible to see what kind of face he was making deep inside his heart.

“But my ideal life isn’t about succeeding in business. I want a more peaceful life, filled with simple happiness.”

“Papa…”

Shirahime looked at her father with eyes full of sympathy.

“I plan to step down from the president’s position eventually. After being freed from the company, I was thinking of renovating this place and quietly running a cafe. That’s why I asked Kiminami if he would sell me Maison.”

“Sell Maison!? A cafe!? Hey, I haven’t heard about this! What’s this about deciding on your own… So that’s why you’re closing it by the end of the year… I absolutely hate that idea! In the first place, what does your retirement have to do with my marriage?”

As I was about to continue to argue, my father continued with a sigh mixed into his words.

“Either way, this store has been in the red for a long time, and it’s impossible to keep going as it is. Well, if someone’s willing to buy it, and since it’s a store with a connection to ‘Shirahime’, I thought it might be just right. It’s better than being bought by a random person. It would be a fitting end for Maison.”

“A connection…? What kind of——”

“Kiminami.”

Shirahime’s father called out to my father with a slightly stern tone. Looking at his face, I realized that the smile he had until now was just put on for the sake of the conversation.

Beside him, S-Hime was looking away.

Father seemed to sense something and nodded.

“…Well, let’s leave that story aside. But I wasn’t planning on giving up the shop easily. If I just wanted to sell it for a high price, I wouldn’t have needed to go to Shirahime. Shirahime came up with just the right offer.”

Father lightly placed his hand on my shoulder, which was boiling with anger.

“Toui, Shirahime’s company will be yours.”

“What!? Old man, you’re saying I should take over not Maison but that company!?”

“Our company was just having trouble finding a successor. You see, it’s a family business that has been passed down through the generations, but I don’t have a son. However, Toui-kun can easily inherit our business as a family member if Toui-kun marries Rira after graduating from high school. Kiminami was talking about a bride and a fiancée, but to be precise, it’s about having Toui-kun come into our family as a son-in-law.”

“…No, no, don’t be ridiculous.”

“Toui grades aren’t great. Honestly, the prospect of him graduating from university and finding a job was getting slim. With this offer, he can get a job without worrying about his academic performance.”

“Well, being good at studies is always a plus…”

Shirahime’s father gives a wry smile as the conversation starts to take on a more realistic tone.