Chapter 9: A Week After Cancellation

A week had passed since the wedding was officially canceled.

Seven quiet, awkward, emotionally exhausting days.

For Haruto Takeda, the silence that followed felt heavier than the chaos itself. Life had returned to a strange routine, one filled with polite smiles, formal greetings, and an endless string of arranged marriage meetings. Each one felt the same. Different houses. Different families. Different tea cups.

Same emptiness.

Haruto sat straight, listened carefully, answered politely, and left without any spark. No chaos. No laughter. No unpredictability. Just expectations wrapped in courtesy.

Kenji had summed it up best the night before.

“You’re dead inside,” he had said bluntly. “Romantically speaking. Which means… you’re still haunted.”

Haruto had not argued.

That afternoon, Haruto found himself standing in front of the Kazuma household, a modest but well-kept traditional home in a quiet neighborhood. The wooden gate slid open with a soft sound, and he stepped inside, adjusting his coat.

Just another meeting, he told himself.

Inside the living room sat Kazuma Aiko, a gentle-looking woman with calm eyes and a faint, nervous smile. Her right hand rested unnaturally still on her lap. Haruto noticed immediately. It was thinner, weaker. Disabled.

She bowed politely. “Nice to meet you, Takeda-san.”

Haruto returned the bow without hesitation. His gaze did not linger. His expression did not change.

Aiko seemed to notice that too and relaxed slightly.

Tea was served. Pleasantries exchanged. The atmosphere was quiet, almost fragile. Haruto listened as Aiko spoke about her interests, her rehabilitation, her daily life. There was sincerity in her words. Strength too.

And yet…

His heart did not move.

Just as the conversation settled into a calm rhythm, the sliding door opened.

A tall man entered, casual yet sharp-eyed, his presence instantly shifting the room’s balance.

“Sorry I’m late,” he said easily. “Work ran long.”

Aiko smiled. “This is my older brother. Kazuma Satoshi.”

Satoshi studied Haruto for a brief moment, then smiled and bowed. “Nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot.”

Haruto returned the bow. “Likewise.”

There was something perceptive about Satoshi. Not judgmental. Not overprotective. Just observant.

After a short while, Satoshi gestured toward the stairs. “Takeda-san, would you mind talking upstairs for a bit?”

Haruto nodded. “Of course.”

Upstairs, the room was simple. A low table. Two cushions. Sunlight slipping in through half-closed curtains.

Satoshi poured tea and spoke calmly. “I’ll be direct. My sister’s condition makes things… complicated. Many people come here pretending not to mind. But they always do.”

Haruto listened silently.

Satoshi continued, “You didn’t look away. That matters.”

Haruto nodded once. “It does.”

Satoshi leaned back slightly. “You’re a doctor. From London. Good family. Good reputation. On paper, you’re… ideal.”

There it was.

The weight of expectation again.

Haruto inhaled slowly. “Satoshi-san… may I be honest?”

Satoshi smiled faintly. “Please.”

“I don’t mind her disability,” Haruto said clearly. “Not even a little. But…” He paused, choosing his words carefully. “I can’t marry her.”

Satoshi did not interrupt.

Haruto lowered his gaze. “I like another girl.”

The words left his mouth quietly, but once spoken, they felt undeniable.

Satoshi studied him for a moment. Then he laughed. Softly. Warmly.

“I thought so,” he said.

Haruto looked up, surprised. “You did?”

“Yes,” Satoshi replied. “Your eyes weren’t here. You were polite, respectful… but your heart was somewhere else.”

Haruto let out a slow breath. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Satoshi said immediately. “You were honest. That’s rare.”

He stood and stretched slightly. “You know, most men would agree out of obligation. Or pity. That would hurt her more in the long run.”

Haruto nodded. “She deserves better than that.”

Satoshi smiled wider. “Exactly.”

There was a brief silence. Then Satoshi extended his hand.

“Even if you don’t marry my sister,” he said, “at least you gained a friend.”

Haruto blinked, then smiled genuinely for the first time that day. He stood and shook Satoshi’s hand firmly.

“I’d like that.”

Downstairs, Aiko looked up as they returned.

Satoshi smiled at her. “He’s a good man.”

Aiko nodded, as if she already knew.

As Haruto stepped out of the Kazuma household, the late afternoon sun warm against his face, he felt lighter. Not because the future was clear, but because he had finally been honest with himself.

Despite the canceled wedding.

Despite the meetings.

Despite the chaos.

His heart had already chosen.

Somewhere out there was a wild, unpredictable girl who laughed too easily, drank too much sake, and turned his orderly life upside down.

And no amount of polite meetings could change that.