Chapter 2: One Irreversible Year

The evening wind blew harder than before, causing the bamboo blinds on the veranda to clatter softly.

Inside the bamboo house, Musashi Kanata remained seated in the living room. His back was straight, but his jaw was set tight. The cup of tea before him had already gone cold. He hadn't touched it once.

"You must choose one of the three women at UMINEKO HOTEL... to be your wife."

The sentence felt like a stone thrown without warning.

"I refuse."

His voice was flat, yet it simmered with suppressed emotion. Itsuro stared back at him without blinking. No smiles. No jokes.

"You refuse?"

"An arranged marriage like this is absurd. I came here to fix the hotel, not to be forced into a wedding."

Tsuyako looked at her grandson gently, but she remained silent. Itsuro lowered his teacup slowly. The faint clink of porcelain hitting the wooden table sounded louder than usual.

"In that case," he said firmly, "the hotel will not be yours."

The room suddenly felt cramped. Kanata glared at his grandfather. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It’s simple." Itsuro stood up slowly, his posture still commanding despite his age. "If you do not marry within one year, then UMINEKO HOTEL will not be passed down to you."

"One year?" Kanata repeated.

"One year," Itsuro affirmed. "You want that hotel? Then prove you are ready to shoulder the weight of leadership… and the responsibility of being the head of the Musashi family."

Kanata clenched his fists. "Marriage isn't proof of competence. And it’s not something that can be forced."

"True," Itsuro countered quickly. "But the way you treat others is a reflection of who you truly are."

Silence hung heavy in the air. Finally, Tsuyako spoke up.

"We aren't asking you to marry them without knowing them first. You will work alongside them. You will see how they face adversity. If, after one year, you still haven't found your answer... then we will make the final decision."

"A decision?" Kanata asked quietly.

Itsuro looked him deep in the eyes. "We will sell the hotel."

The words were spoken without emotion. But precisely because they were so calm, the impact felt far heavier.

Kanata looked down. He knew what that hotel meant to his grandfather. To his grandmother. To his family. And to the memories of his parents who had passed away five years ago. He had arrived with a simple intention: to fix a broken management system, revive an old reputation, and prove his worth.

He never imagined that what was at stake wasn't just a business. It was his entire life.

"And them?" Kanata finally asked. "Those three women… do they already know about this?"

"They do," Tsuyako answered softly.

"And none of them refused?"

Itsuro allowed a faint smile to play on his lips. "None of them left. Hikari Sazanami is still working. Ayane Tsurumiya remains at her post. And Mio Kuzunoha has not resigned either."

The names lingered in the air. They knew. And they stayed.

His chest felt strangely tight. Kanata took a deep breath. "One year."

"Yes."

"And if I still don't choose one of them?"

"The hotel is no longer yours."

He stood up slowly. "Fine. One year."

Itsuro nodded. "Show us that you are no longer the child who runs away from his problems."

Kanata tightened his grip. "Then I’ll show you, Grandpa. I’ll show you that I can fix this hotel without becoming a puppet in this stupid marriage arrangement."

Itsuro almost smiled, but he held it back.

The evening breeze blew again. One year. The hotel. Three women he barely knew. The battle had only just begun.

Kanata exhaled. "Is there anything else?"

Itsuro glanced toward the wooden wall. "Well then… you two, did you hear all of that?"

Kanata started. "Two?"

The sound of a wooden sliding door opening echoed softly. Two figures emerged from the adjacent room. The first one made Kanata freeze.

Long pink hair. Bright golden eyes.

"Oi—you?! Why are you here?!" Kanata blurted out.

Hikari Sazanami looked just as shocked. "Eh?! Musashi?!"

Itsuro let out a small chuckle. "Hoho… so you two already know each other?"

"She’s the one who slapped me while I was inspecting the hotel!" Kanata protested.

Hikari immediately bowed her head low. "I-I’m truly sorry! I misunderstood the situation!"

Tsuyako smiled warmly, stifling a giggle.

The second woman stepped forward with a composed air. Her hair was a deep dark purple, and her eyes were a soft yet sharp shade of lilac. Her movements were graceful and measured.

"My name is Ayane Tsurumiya. I am twenty-five years old." She offered a faint, mysterious smile. "It is a pleasure to meet you again, Musashi-kun."

"Meet again?" Kanata repeated. "Do I know you?"

Ayane simply smiled without answering.

"Mio Kuzunoha couldn't be here tonight," Tsuyako added. "She’s currently busy with her university assignments."

Kanata let out a long, weary sigh.

One had slapped him. One spoke as if they shared a past. And the third he hadn't even met yet.

It was going to be a long night.

Late at night.

Kanata tidied up his old room in the bamboo house. He took off his jacket, hung it up, and lay down on the bed. The wooden ceiling looked exactly as it had five years ago.

"Am I really doing this?" he murmured.

In another room—Hikari and Ayane were still awake.

"What do you think, Hikari-chan?" Ayane asked softly. "Kanata is quite an interesting person, isn't he?"

Hikari’s face flushed red. "I-I don’t know…"

The memory of the slap from earlier that afternoon still stung her conscience.

The night wind blew gently. One year had just begun. And no one in that house was going to get a good night's sleep.