They bought a few pretty dresses, left the shop, and headed to the next one.
When girls bought clothes, they mostly liked browsing around.
“Auntie, you’re only fourteen this year?”
Shijou Maki followed behind Matsuzaka Satou and exclaimed in surprise.
So it was not just because she looked so tiny.
“Mm.”
Satou smiled and nodded.
“Fourteen…”
Maki murmured.
This auntie was even younger than she had expected.
But when you were born into a zaibatsu family, things like this did happen.
Maki remembered that her great-aunt, Shinomiya Kaguya, was only the same age as her too.
“Maki…
Is it okay if I call you that?”
Matsuzaka Satou glanced at Ayanokouji Ren and Kashiwagi Nagisa, who had fallen behind, then suddenly asked.
“Mm, mm.
That’s completely fine.”
Maki quickly came back to her senses.
One had to be polite to elders.
That was a rule of the Shijou family.
“What do you think of Ren?”
Satou asked softly.
“I heard you talking with your classmate earlier.
As his fiancée, do you like him?”
“Uh…”
Maki was momentarily speechless and did not know what to say.
Why did people always keep asking her these questions?
If it were someone she knew, that would still be fine.
But the person in front of her was an unfamiliar elder.
Even though the other girl was younger than her, Maki still felt strangely nervous.
So Maki instinctively looked to the side for help, only to realize that Nagisa was not beside her at all.
“Nagisa, why did you fall behind?!”
Maki roared in confusion inside her heart.
But her inner voice and gaze could not reach the back.
Behind them, Ren was walking side by side with Nagisa.
However, it was not because he wanted to walk beside her.
Nagisa had deliberately walked next to him.
Nagisa was not exactly a very bold girl.
But when it came to the future happiness of her best friend, she still chose to step forward.
“Ayanokouji-kun.”
Nagisa suddenly smiled and spoke.
“No matter what, you’re Maki’s fiancé.
How can you call her Shijou-san?”
Ren glanced at Nagisa.
He knew this girl.
After all, when moving within the large circle of zaibatsu families, one had to understand everyone’s background.
There was no need to memorize every person’s information backward and forward, but at the very least, one had to know what their family did.
Only then could one avoid provoking people they could not afford to offend and bringing unnecessary trouble to their own family.
Her father was also the president of a major shipbuilding company.
Her grandfather was a director of Keidanren, one of Japan’s three major economic organizations, and he had not retired yet.
She could be called a first-class young lady.
Her background was not inferior to the current Shijou family or Ayanokouji family.
Because of that, even Ren could not directly ignore someone like her when she struck up a conversation.
After all, he had already collected [Anger].
So Ren looked at Maki’s slender back and lowered his voice slightly.
“Because…
she hasn’t called me by name either.”
“Calling her Maki directly…
would be too bold.”
“?”
Looking at Ren’s side profile, Nagisa covered her mouth in surprise.
She had originally thought Ren did not like Maki or had some other reason for not calling her by name.
But in the end, you’re telling me you’re also shy?
Mm, but shyness was not bad.
At least it was better than the other possible reasons.
Then Nagisa suddenly remembered that Maki was just as unable to admit she liked him.
She felt that these two were really doomed for life.
So for the sake of her best friend’s happiness, Nagisa looked at Ren.
“Maybe it is a little bold, but…”
“As the boy, can’t you be a little more proactive?”
Ren swallowed his reply and did not agree.
Every girl had her own way of being conquered.
It was not always best to charge forward directly.
“Here we go again.
It’s always the boy who has to be proactive.”
Ren spoke without turning his head.
“Sometimes boys also want girls to be a little proactive.”
“…”
Nagisa fell silent.
Ren was right.
But making Maki take the initiative?
Even with her imagination, Nagisa could not picture such a scene.
There was nothing else she could do, so she said, “Girls can also…
also be proactive, of course.
But Maki-chan needs…
needs a switch, you know?”
“It’s like a refrigerator.
You have to plug it in and press the switch before it starts cooling.”
“In short, she’s really awkward.”
What kind of weird and strange metaphor was that?
Ren was too lazy to comment on Nagisa’s comparison.
So he perfunctorily said, “Mm, I understand.
I’ll work hard to make Maki happy.”
True perfunctoriness was saying the most sincere words in the most earnest tone.
Because after saying something like that, the other person would stop bothering you.
After speaking such a bold statement, Nagisa felt a wave of heat rush up through her head.
Her entire head became dizzy.
She secretly glanced at Ren’s side profile again and found that he had been looking at Maki’s back the entire time.
The focused look in those golden eyes made Nagisa’s cheeks turn red.
Maki-chan, your husband is amazing!
Although that thought sounded a little terrible, as Maki’s childhood best friend, Nagisa was truly happy for her.
That girl, who had always been dishonest and lacked courage, had finally met someone who could accept all of her awkwardness.
[Joy] appeared above Nagisa’s head.
And Ren happily harvested his emotion.
“Hey.”
But suddenly, Nagisa nudged Ren with her elbow again.
“Do you know what Maki-chan likes eating the most?”
“…”
Why wasn’t this over yet?
Ren withdrew his gaze and shook his head.
“I don’t know.”
“?”
Nagisa widened her eyes in shock.
“Then do you know what color she hates the most?”
“I don’t know.”
Ren answered without hesitation.
Who the hell would know what color someone else hated?
“This still won’t do.
It’s still too early to be happy.
This still won’t do.”
Nagisa murmured.
Earlier, she had already started imagining Maki’s happy life in the future.
But then she suddenly remembered that although Ren said nice things, in reality, he had barely interacted with Maki over the past ten years.
Now two shy people were suddenly being pushed together.
How were they supposed to become happy?
Fortunately, she had discovered this early.
There was still time to teach him.
“Ayanokouji-kun.”
Nagisa smiled at Ren.
“Can I have your contact information?”
Ren looked at the girl’s face and thought for a moment.
He instantly understood what she meant.
However, his thoughts went even further.
This was an excellent way to collect emotions.
“Of course, Master.
I was just thinking the same thing.”
Ren smiled.
“Not bad.
Disciple, you’re very clever.
You understand with just a hint.”
Nagisa responded with a smile as well.
It seemed Maki’s future happiness was definitely set in stone!