Momiji Kou Private High School.
It’s a prestigious school well-known even within Japan, where intelligent people aiming for various fields gather.
Among such people, there are always a few students who receive special attention each year, and the person right in front of me now was one of them.
「She is your omiai partner, Kiryuuin Sophia-san.」
Kiryuuin Sophia.
Not only for her beauty, but also because her older sister and brothers are active in entertainment and sports, Kiryuuin Sophia’s attention was increasingly growing.
I can only return a wry smile to my old man who introduced her with a grin.
Arranged marriages are rare in this day and age, and it’s probably even rarer to do it among high school students.
The introduced Kiryuuin bowed politely.
Her beautiful blonde hair is natural, and it surprisingly matches well with the kimono, she must have prepared for the omiai.
I thought she was beautiful in her school uniform, but I didn’t expect there to be clothes that made her stand out even more.
「I’m Kiryuuin Sophia. Nice to meet you.」
Kiryuuin narrows her slightly upturned eyes in a friendly manner.
…Why did it come to this situation? I was thinking vaguely.
──Let’s go back in time a little.
I was doing some light training with my old man in the dojo attached to our house.
It was still early morning, so we were both in tracksuits, moving our bodies lightly.
「How’s high school life?」
I hesitated a bit in responding to my old man’s question. To be honest, I think I’ve had a peaceful and smooth start, just like in middle school.
However, that’s just by my standards. My old man is a natural extrovert, and my peaceful daily life of being a loner in class, absorbed in reading light novels, would not seem normal to him.
And the same goes for my mother. If I use them as a standard, my school life would seem like it’s not going well.
「It’s only been about a week since I entered, but well, I’m having fun in my own way.」
So, I didn’t tell him the whole truth. I didn’t lie either. For me, it’s the best school life.
「I see. How about a girlfriend?」
At my old man’s question, I think “Here we go again”.
My family has a certain history or tradition.
This dojo we’re in right now is a prime example of that.
Our family has been passing down a martial art called the Doumyouji style.
It is said to have become popular a long time ago. It was developed for hand-to-hand combat by peasants who lost their weapons due to the sword hunt edict, to protect themselves.
Well, after various things, it has been passed down to the present day, and the modern version, adapted for today’s world, is what we call the Doumyouji style… Well, because it’s something that has continued for a long time, they want me to properly inherit it.
And I don’t particularly like my old man’s talk about romance.
The reason is simple. It’s because I’m not popular.
The conversation that starts from my old man’s previous question always ends the same way.
To avoid reaching that endpoint, I shouldn’t answer “I don’t have a girlfriend”, but even if I lied, my old man would see through it immediately.
So, I can only answer my old man as usual, while imagining the predetermined conversation.
「I haven’t got one yet.」
──Light Novels──
──Read Here──
「Yet, you say, you didn’t end up getting one in middle school either, did you?」
「Well, that’s true.」
「I used to hang out with girls every day, you know?」
That’s because you were popular, I didn’t say.
It was probably a different era.
Comparing now and then, there were certainly fewer forms of entertainment in the past, and hanging out with the opposite sex must have been one form of amusement.
But nowadays, we’re overflowing with various forms of entertainment, and you can easily pass the time even alone.
It’s not that I’m completely uninterested in romance.
It’s just that it’s not a high priority for me.
Manga, anime, light novels, things I want to do, and more.
As a result of prioritizing those, having a girlfriend and hanging out with her has just ended up being quite low on the list. It’s not an excuse for not being able to get one.
However, it seems that my parents don’t understand my feelings.
Rather, how did a loner-loving person like me come from such extroverted parents? Maybe I was actually found under a bridge.
「Well, I’m different from you, Dad. Just leave me be.」
Usually, the conversation would end there, but today my old man was a bit different.
As I parried his swinging fist, he grinned.
「I see. But it’s not that you don’t want to have a girlfriend, right?」
「…That’s right.」
When I answered that way, my old man grinned. It was an unpleasant smile. I unintentionally put more strength into my kicking foot, but he parried it.
「Then, a friend of mine wants to set up an omiai with you. How about meeting her?」
Omiai… In this day and age, it’s a word that’s become quite unfamiliar.
It might have been common in the past, but now that word could be dismissed as sexual harassm ent, and it might become obsolete soon.
I never expected to hear it from my old man’s mouth, let alone be the target, so I’m at a loss for words.
I don’t have a very positive image of an omiai. As I mentioned earlier, I don’t have the desire to actively get a girlfriend.
Besides, even if you get a girlfriend, what’s important is the relationship after that.
If I start spending time with my girlfriend, it means I’ll have less time for the things I want to do… Thinking like that, I realize I’m probably not cut out for romance after all.
「…Can I refuse?」
「Well… I’d like you to meet her if possible… She’s the daughter of an important friend of mine, you see.」
Being asked that much, I start to feel bad about refusing on a whim.
Seeing that I didn’t immediately agree, my old man slumps his shoulders.
「It wouldn’t be right to force you… Well, I do get job referrals from that friend. I might lose my job… If I lose my job, I might not be able to pay for Yuuto’s tuition…」
…Oi, seriously.
I deliver a strong kick to my old man who threatens me, causing him to stagger back with a smile.
「Will you go to the omiai?」
…That smile is already a threat.
Of course, I refuse… I couldn’t.