Misaki bowed his head down low, pressing his palms into the tatami flooring. It was truly like a scene out of a TV drama. Or at least that was how it appeared to Mia, but it seemed like the others shared in her impression. The hostess girls who had tried so hard to chase Mia down to get her to stop, and the other staff and guests who had gathered to see what the commotion was about, all of them hung on Misaki’s every word and gesture. Of course, that included Sayoko’s father as well. At first, he seemed dumbstruck by Misaki’s gallant speech, but then he regained his composure and spoke. Naturally, the words that came tumbling from his mouth were far from approving.
“Th-That’s out of the question! I heard all about you from Sayoko! I know you’re just a lowly police officer; you’re not even part of some elite squad! A provincial public servant with a laughable salary! Never will I give Sayoko away to a man like you! Were you saying all that knowing what kind of family she comes from? A-Are you trying to insult my daughter?!”
“Absolutely not. I am well aware of your family’s social standing. It’s the reason why I spent four years hesitating. I know about my financial situation better than anyone. It is true that I cannot promise your daughter a life of luxury. However! I swear that I will make Sayoko the happiest woman alive! No matter what… No matter what, I will make sure that a smile never leaves her face!”
Was there a woman who wouldn’t be touched by those words? Sayoko couldn’t stop crying. His determination filled her heart with so much joy it could burst. Sayoko didn’t want an extravagant lifestyle. All she wanted was a chance at creating her own happiness together with the man she loved.
Certainly, “love conquers all” was nothing more than a romantic fable, but without love, there was definitely no true happiness either. If she had to choose between love and money, she would pick Misaki without a shadow of a doubt. Her father evidently disagreed. Popping a vein, he glared at Misaki with burning hatred in his eyes.
“Can you get it through your thick skull that I have already found a man worthy of becoming Sayoko’s husband? It’s this man right here, who is the heir to a well-reputed kimono store. He is a class above you! You are not welcome here. Your continued presence in this room is completely preposterous! Know your place, you scum!”
“Father, what do you gotta be so cruel to him for? What does it matter what Misaki’s social standing is? I don’t care about it at all! You’re the only one who does! You’ve married off both my sisters just like that to gratify your pride. You are not in any position to talk to him like that!”
“Silence, Sayoko! Just do as I say! Do you understand the situation at all? And I have explained it to you so many times! Our company is at stake in this marriage. Do you mean to put our workers out on the street?!”
When Sayoko, who hadn’t offered a shred of resistance thus far, finally snapped, blurting out what she had really been thinking to her father, he exploded, white-hot anger coloring his words.
When it seemed that this would devolve into a shouting match, a girl’s voice rang out softly but clearly, “What is your true concern, your company’s fate or Sayoko’s happiness? What is more important to you? What is happening here right now makes it very hard to believe that what you wish for is the latter.”
Instantly, it went so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone turned their attention to Sayoko’s father; not only the people in the room, but the crowd of onlookers too. The man, feeling everyone’s eyes trained on him, inadvertently shrunk back.
“Wh-Who are you…? What an obnoxious little brat. Of course Sayoko’s happiness is my priority! She may feel upset now, but I have confidence that this is the path that will lead her to happiness in the future.”
“That means that the fate of the company is the least of your cares, does it not? And yet you invoked it in your tirade just now. Why is that? Let’s say that Sayoko does marry this man, but what are you going to do if he does not contribute to your company as expected? If all you care about is your daughter’s happiness, this should be fine with you, right?”
“Huh?” The father breathed out, lost for words.
Then, a rumbling laughter suddenly rang out. Mia sought out where it originated from with her eyes; it turned out to be Sayoko’s fiancé-to-be. The man hid the twist of his lips elegantly with his index finger, his shoulders shaking convulsively.
“That young lady has it right. By the way, I failed to tell you, but even if Sayoko and I were to marry, I had no intention of making you our exclusive subcontractor. Just like before, you would have to compete with other companies so I can make a fair judgment based solely on the merits of your offer.”
“What?!” The father burst out, and hurriedly closed his mouth.
He looked around the room nervously, as if mortified that he had inadvertently revealed his ulterior motive to everyone present.
Sayoko’s prospective husband continued speaking, an amused lilt to his voice, “And here I was wondering why you were so persistent in suggesting I marry Sayoko. I see, so you were seeking to exploit our relationship as your stepping-stone? I took the liberty of doing a background check on your family, including Sayoko’s lovely sisters. As it turns out, both of them were joined in holy matrimony with the company presidents or top managers of your business partners at points in time where your company suffered a decline in profits by some intriguing coincidence. Did you think it was time for another petty trick like that?”
Sayoko’s father blanched at the man’s words. Mia took over the conversation from Sayoko’s fiancé, rubbing salt in her father’s wounds, “How pathetic. Is this your only way of turning around your company’s fortunes? Protecting it at the cost of your daughters? Ha. What were you going to do after you married Sayoko off, then? You have no more children. Are you not ashamed of yourself as a parent for maintaining your company by treating your progeny as if they were disposable?”
“Ha-ha-ha-ha! What a jocular young lady! I like you. Would you like to be my wife?” the fiancé-to-be offered. “I feel like marrying you would make my life much more entertaining.”
“Wha-?! How did you even get such an idea in your head?! I am a high school student, you know! N-No, more importantly, I have the lofty long-cherished desire of world domination to accomplish! Th-That is why it is with my deepest regret that I must inform you that marriage is not on the table for me currently,” Mia refused fervently, only to have the man snigger at her.
It was that baffling kind of adult laughter where you have no idea whether the person was joking or being serious. Mia felt the same fluttering in her chest that she experienced with Ren.
The man then directed a reproachful gaze at Sayoko’s father who was sitting motionlessly with his shoulders slumped. “Mister Tougou, I am not asking you for quotes just to spite you. We are living in a world where the market for kimonos is in steady decline, the overall profits are constantly dwindling. It’s in these conditions that we must fight to keep Japanese sartorial traditions alive. Other companies are doing their best to improve their business practices and are making a concerted corporate effort to respond to my requests as much as they can. Isn’t that what you are lacking? What sort of effort were you making to protect your company other than using your daughters as bargaining chips?”
…That must’ve been the final straw. Sayoko’s father’s body went limp. His wife gently rubbed his back. “Darling, I think this is where we admit defeat. We better let Sayoko do as she pleases.”
Her husband didn’t say a word. …That seemed to be his answer.