Chapter 3:
Adulthood
TODAY, IT’S WIDELY ACCEPTED that an engagement ring should cost approximately three months’ salary. Supposedly, this was first cooked up by some jewelry store in the 1970s in order to sell rings at a premium. Back then, the average monthly salary was around 100,000 yen, and therefore an engagement ring was worth 300,000 yen. However, because the average salary has gone up quite a lot here in modern times, three months’ worth turns out to be a huge chunk of change. That said, the value of gems hasn’t gone up much at all, so when buying an engagement ring, they say you should still aim to spend around 300,000 yen regardless of your salary.
Maybe if I was a high earner, I would have splurged on something more expensive, but unfortunately, researchers weren’t that well paid. While I had gotten a few raises over three years of hard work, I couldn’t afford to go overboard. Therefore, my plan was to buy something at the baseline of 300,000 yen.
I had a strong dislike of credit cards, so I withdrew 500,000 yen in cash (just in case), put it in my wallet, and went into a jewelry store for the first time in my life.
The display cases glittered with dazzling jewels. Beautiful, yes, but when I thought about how many thousands of yen they were going to ask me to pay, I felt the urge to turn around and leave. This wasn’t about what I wanted, however.
“Looking for something specific?”
A chipper saleswoman about my age walked over to me with a bright smile. Generally, I didn’t enjoy it when employees asked me about what I was buying, but when it came to engagement rings, I was clueless. I decided to see what she was like before asking her to help me choose.
“Yeah, uh, an engagement ring.”
“Wow, congratulations! How old is she?”
“Uhh, twenty-five?”
“And how long have you been together?”
“Oh, it’s been…seven years now, I think.”
“Seven years! Awww! That’s such a long time… Your girlfriend’s a lucky lady. I wish I was getting an engagement ring.”
Her reaction was surprisingly sweet and bashful, so I decided to trust her judgment. Was I too easily bought? Maybe this was all a script from some customer service manual. Still, it made me feel good, and that was enough for me. “I, uh… I honestly have no clue how I’m supposed to choose.”
“Well, there are three types of engagement rings: ready-made, custom-made, and semi-custom. Ready-made rings are the most affordable, and you can have them right away. Semi-custom rings have a few different designs or gems you can choose from in a mix-and-match style, and they take about a month to be finished. Lastly, custom-made rings are unique, one-of-a-kind creations made exactly to your specifications. They take anywhere from two to three months before they’re ready, and they’re the most expensive.”
I didn’t know custom orders took that long. Granted, I wasn’t in any big hurry to propose to her, but…could I really keep this secret for months on end? I wasn’t sure my heart could take it. Honestly, before I came in here, I wasn’t even aware custom orders were an option.
“Do most people customize their engagement rings?”
“Nope! When it comes to engagement rings, I’d say…hm, about half of them end up choosing a ready-made style.”
“Oh, okay. Then maybe that’s what I’ll go with. I’d like to have it right away.”
“Great! Now, pardon my asking—what’s your budget?” the woman asked.
“Somewhere around 300K, but I can go a little over.”
“Got it! So, when’s her birthday?”
“Uhh… March 25th.”
“March, huh? Aquamarine!”
“What?”
“Many customers choose a diamond for their engagement ring, but some opt for birthstones instead,” she explained. “If she’s born in March, her birthstone is aquamarine, and those are…right over here!”
The gems she pointed to were…teal (I think?) in color—bright, pale blue, like the Okinawan Sea. It was the perfect color to match Kazune’s personality.
“Each gemstone has a number of symbolic meanings. For instance, diamonds signify purity, sincerity, joy…and, of course, ‘the promise of love’ and ‘an eternal bond.’ That’s one reason they’re so often chosen for engagement rings.”
“I see… So what about aquamarines?”
“Aquamarine represents courage, cunning, and composure. Other meanings include ‘a happy marriage’ and ‘a loving couple.’ It’s a great choice.”
Great? It sounded perfect! Courage, cunning, and composure—I couldn’t think of a more fitting description of Kazune. I was now completely on board with aquamarine. “Okay then, I think I’d like one of those.”
“Wonderful! I’ll go get the catalog, so have a seat right there and I’ll be back shortly. If the one you like isn’t available in our store, we can arrange to have one sent here for you.”
As I watched her stroll away, I stiffly sat down in the chair and let out a deep sigh. I was exhausted, and I hadn’t even bought the damn thing yet. Also, I noticed her eyes were sparkling the whole time she was talking to me about gemstones… Did all women get that excited about jewelry, even when it wasn’t for them? Even Kazune?
Looking back, I hadn’t really seen her wear much jewelry over the years. She didn’t even have her ears pierced. If anything, she mostly stuck to some clips in her hair. If that was the case…would she even want this ring? Would she accept it? The thought of giving it to her made me so nervous I could scarcely breathe.
And…what the hell was I going to say when I proposed to her?