A Date for Three?!

Kousei nearly forgot to breathe at the sight of Mahiru.

She wore a navy-blue button-up jacket with a red ribbon tightly knotted just above her chest. The plaid red skirt left her bare legs exposed to the cool morning air. Maybe he hadn’t noticed it due to the darkness yesterday, but Mahiru’s figure was now in full bloom under the clear daylight. She was slim, but still curvy. Unlike her simple, loose hairstyle yesterday, she’d decided to braid her hair into a neat half-up style. For some reason, it seemed she had almost put more effort into her appearance than yesterday.

To put it simply, she was beautiful, and Kousei couldn’t take his eyes off her. But something about the choice of her outfit was still strange.

“Why are you wearing something that looks like a school uniform?” he greeted her in the most uncharismatic way possible.

“Huh?” Mahiru was visibly surprised to hear Kousei’s question, her mouth oddly half-open. “I don’t want to stand out, so I thought I should wear a plain school uniform.”

Kousei pressed a hand to his forehead. There was no way she was being serious with her reasoning.

“If you don’t want to stand out, why wear something that doesn’t even exist here in the West?”

“What?!” Her eyes widened significantly, as if she couldn’t believe what Kousei was saying. “You mean to tell me you don’t have school uniforms? Then what do you even wear to school? Don’t tell me you go there na–”

“Of course not, we’re not some kind of animals! We just wear whatever we want, like this.”

Kousei turned on his own axis, demonstrating his simple shirt and jeans.

“Besides, it’s the weekend, so why would anyone go out with their school uniform in the first place? You’re going to stick out like a sore thumb like that,” he continued. “Do you have to wear yours all the time in the East?”

“Uhm…” Mahiru uncomfortably wrung her hands. “I don’t exactly wear one myself since I get home-schooled. But yes, every student is required to have their school uniform on when going out.”

She didn’t expect the West to be so different in such a simple aspect like clothing. She always supposed the same rules applied on both sides of the wall, so she’d never thought to ask her grandfather about it.

“That’s…kind of strict,” Kousei commented. He wondered how anyone could even express their individuality like that.

“It’s not! My father says our people take great pride in belonging to a large group, so they like to put on–” Mahiru stopped before she could finish her thought. She couldn’t believe she was just defending her father. “Hmph. Whatever. Mamoru!”

An older man sneaked up from behind Kousei, causing him to jump up in fear.

Was he behind me this entire time? What on earth is he?

“This is my personal butler, Mamoru. He will assist us in the arrangement of our marriage today.”

“Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mister Satou. I am glad Madam Mahiru has found a proper man like you,” Mamoru said.

“Pro-proper man? Wait, I–” Before Kousei could object, Mahiru grabbed him by the hand and walked into the café.

“Come on, we don’t have any more time to lose.”

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“Hmph.”

Slurping the coffee in front of her, Mahiru was still annoyed with the choice of outfit she had worn earlier.

When they’d entered the café together, she’d been her usual confident self, dragging Kousei behind her. But as she noticed the amount of people sitting inside, she started to become more and more bewildered, constantly glancing down at her uniform or hiding behind Mamoru.

As soon as they were seated at a table, Mamoru handed her a bag and she disappeared into the restrooms. A few minutes later, she came back in an apricot cardigan over a white T-shirt and jeans – this time, fully ordinary.

Mahiru hadn’t said a word to Kousei since they’d entered the café. She knew it wasn’t his fault that she wasn’t aware of the clothing culture in the West, but she had still been put in an embarrassing situation.

“If I may speak up,” Mamoru finally broke the silence, “I brought the papers to make your marriage official. Mister Satou, if you could please just sign over here…”

“Hold on, I still haven’t agreed to any of this! How about you first explain what’s going on?” Kousei was trying to keep his voice low to avoid any dubious glares from the other guests, but he still almost spilled his Chai Latte.

This entire situation still felt surreal to him. He had expected to go on some sort of date with Mahiru to get to know her better, but instead there was another man seated in front of him discussing paperwork, while the girl in question remained silent.

What did this absurd scene even appear like from the outside? A father inviting his two children to a café? An overly enthusiastic teacher explaining maths to some problem students?

Finally, Mahiru put her cup on the saucer and spoke up.

“You see, Kousei, I come from a household…very unlike yours. I have to stay at home the majority of the time, and am only allowed to leave with my parents or Mamoru. Life isn’t great…where I live. Everyone has to work their butts off, yet most of the people are still very poor. My family is obviously one of the only exceptions. But I don’t particularly get along with them. My father is strict and only cares about raising me into an obedient woman who follows the rules he set up for everyone. My mother barely talks to me nowadays.”

Mahiru stopped for a moment and stared into her cup. Kousei could see the black liquid being reflected in her eyes.

“But my grandfather used to live a life which I would guess was similar to yours. When he was still alive, he always told me how free the people were, how everyone got along, how happy he was. As a young girl, I dreamt of such a life. And now, I may finally have a chance to make my dream a reality.”

Knowing her full plan would go up in smoke if anyone discovered she came from the East, Mahiru had to talk in riddles. She was starting to question her decision to meet Kousei in such a crowded café, but this was the first place that had come to mind yesterday.

“The only problem is that there exists only one way to escape my household. And that is to marry someone from the outside world.”

Mamoru nodded in approval, signalling he didn’t have anything to add. Kousei was starting to understand the situation, although he still had some reservations.

“So, to summarise, I need to marry you in order to get out of this situation.”

For the first time since they met, Mahiru appeared vulnerable in front of Kousei. She no longer put up a front or shot him a cold, dismissive glare like she did yesterday. She simply cast her eyes down, her desperation written on every fibre of her body. Although he knew he was part of the reason she felt that way, it pained him to see how she appeared to have already given up.

“I just have one question, Mahiru.”

“Y-yes?”

A tiny spark of hope suddenly returned to her eyes.

“Why me? Why did you decide to ask me?”

Mahiru blinked in surprise and sighed, pushing a long strand of hair out of her face.

“I wanted to ask someone at the event yesterday, but all of the men or boys seemed to be associated with some politicians, so I was sure my father would know them. You were one of the only ones who didn’t talk to the other guests, and you also seemed to be around my age. Also…” She paused for a brief moment, a fleeting smile tugging at her lips. “You were really kind to me, explaining the tradition of the cornflower and asking me if I needed help. I thought you were quite cute when you served all those cakes with aplomb, so I was really happy when you talked to me in front of the Central Hall.”

During the fleet duration of her smile, Kousei couldn’t help but notice how breathtakingly stunning she was. Her elegant gestures and flattering words made his heart race.

“Sure, in theory I could ask any other boy in here if you reject my proposal,” she continued. “But I don’t know any of their backgrounds or if they are linked to my father in some way. The less people know about my identity, the better.”

Mahiru bit her lip, changing her expression from joy to remorse in a heartbeat.

“So in the end, I think this is the only chance I will get for a while. I understand I’m asking a lot of you. If there’s anything I can do to put you more at ease, please let me know.”

A timid smile crept onto her face, and she reached out for Kousei’s hand on the table. Mahiru wasn’t exactly sure what the goal of her gesture was, but the simple act of touching his hand brought her a sense of safety.

This is so unfair, Kousei thought as he noticed the softness of her palm and the innocence of her smile.

He genuinely wanted to help Mahiru. Heck, when she looked at him like this, he would even agree to go on a date with her without second thought. But marriage? He had just turned 18, and Mahiru didn’t seem to be much older judging from her appearance, so he wasn’t sure if they should make such a huge step without properly thinking about it first.

But Kousei was also aware that he would likely never see Mahiru again if he turned her down now. Was he really fine with this? They had only met yesterday, but he was sure he would never forget their encounter and the pure look on her face at this instant. Kousei knew he wouldn’t be fine letting her go. And yet, he couldn’t bring himself to say yes.

“I’m sorry, Mahiru, but I’m not ready for marriage. I really want to help you, though. And to be honest, I would also like to spend more time with you in some way.” Kousei could feel the heat rushing to his face. His hand, still held by Mahiru’s, was growing uncomfortably sweaty. He was the one turning her down, yet he was almost dying from embarrassment. “So if there’s any other way I can help you, please let me know.”

He could see her face crumble the moment he finished talking. She sat there motionlessly, unable to produce any sound.

Mahiru’s head was spinning. Was this the end? Would she have to return to her family later today, unable to live the life she desired? Would she never see Kousei again?

This…can’t be, she thought.

But then, Mamoru spoke up, slightly adjusting his glasses.

“There might indeed be another way.”