Great Day to Be Alive! The Daughter Spoiled by the President Wants Me to Marry Her ~ 3LDK Cohabitation Life With a Perfect Beautiful Girl - Chapter 26

“―So, how’s life with Tojo-san?”

“That was sudden, really.”

It was after school, the first day of the week.

I was enjoying after-school with Masaya as promised when he suddenly asked at the coffee shop we visited for a break.

Well, I can understand why he would be concerned. I’d honestly praise him, who loves to gossip, for how he was able to put up with it all this time.

“If you ask me how I’m doing… Thankfully, I’m without any problems; she cooks for me and lets me sleep in a soft bed.”

“… In your case, the life you had before was terrible.”

Masaya was right, I couldn’t eat enough food to fill my stomach every day, and my bed was a thin, flimsy futon.

The fact that the floor was tatami was a blessing in disguise, but I shudder to think what it would have been like if it had been wooden flooring.

Instead of resting my body, I would have been in pain.

“Maybe it’s only been a few days, but you’re looking way better.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. You used to be a lot paler, but now you don’t seem that way.”

I touched my cheeks.

I did remember that when I looked at my face in the mirror, I tilted my head slightly as if I had a slightly different impression of myself.

It was easy to tell that I was feeling better, though.

“So, did you end up liking Tojo-san?”

“… I think I did end up falling for her.”

I didn’t have a bad impression of her in the first place, and there was no way I could dislike her after she had treated me so well.

But this positive feeling was surely not because I was being taken care of.

“In the end, it’s more like I’ve come to like Tojo-san’s care… and maybe, if I had the chance to get to know her even without living together as we do now, I’d like her just the same.”

“――Fu~n.”

With a curious look on his face, Masaya drank his lemon soda.

“I’m relieved that you aren’t thinking of Tojo-san as a convenient partner.”

“T-There’s no way I would think that, would I!?”

“I know, I know. You’re not that kind of person, but you’ve been through a lot, haven’t you? I’m worried that if you suddenly move to a more luxurious environment, your personality might change.”

“――I’m sorry.”

That’s one thing Masaya said.

“… What’s with the apology?”

“I thought you would have a long relationship, but I made you worry about something you didn’t need to. In the end, it just means I didn’t trust you enough or didn’t know you well enough, right? Thinking about it, I feel bad for calling myself your friend.”

Masaya smiled bitterly and played with the ice floating in his lemon soda using the straw.

Where was his usual confident face?

He really seemed to be feeling guilty about me.

“… Sure, maybe Masaya doesn’t understand me as you don’t even realize I wouldn’t care about such things.”

“Huh?”

“I’m not Masaya, and Masaya isn’t me, so it’s natural for you to have doubts and suspicions about me, right? I also got worried when I found out you had a girlfriend for the first time.”

“Eh? What do you mean…”

“I thought you would just start showing your girlfriend around, or something like that. I thought you weren’t going to hang out with your guy friends anymore, including the others and I… but you haven’t changed much. In fact, you’ve become a nicer guy, as you can afford it.”

“S-stop it… You’re embarrassing me.”

“Ah, but I remember you showed her off in the end.”

“Stop talking about it anymore!”

We laugh at each other, face to face.

We haven’t changed since we became friends.

If I had to name one aspect that might have changed, it would surely have changed for the better.

“… Hey, Masaya. If at any time I show any pretence of using Tojo-san for convenience, then―”

“I know. I’ll beat you and sober you up.”

“Fuu… Thank you.”

As I thought, Masaya is my most trustworthy friend.

And we were able to have a casual talk after school together like this. I guess I have to thank Tojo-san first of all.

“So now that you like her, will you accept Tojo-san’s proposal?”

“… Hmm.”

“Just ‘Hm’? I know it isn’t part of our conversation from earlier, but I don’t like your indecision, you know? I really don’t.”

“I know that… but we’ve only been living together for five days or so, and I think it’s a bit too soon.”

“Gaah! You’re a goddamn idiot! Did you forget about something such as love at first sight? It means that some people fall in love with someone in an instant! What about you? If love at first sight is love within one second, you’ve got five days, so… how many times longer? I don’t know… Eh… About a thousand times more?”

“That’s four hundred thirty-two thousand times… as per my calculations.”

“Shut up, shut up! With that much time on your hands, it’s no wonder you’re in love with her! Let’s be men about it! Be a man!”

I knew that I was getting pushed somehow, but I was strangely convinced.

“Even the one-month trial period doesn’t have to end. It would be nice for Tojo-san to draw a conclusion early, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes…. it might be.”

“… I don’t mean to be extremely rude to Tojo-san, but we’re only 17 years old, you know? If you realize you’ve made a mistake, the worst thing you can do is turn back. Of course, I don’t take your engagement lightly.”

I understood what Masaya was trying to say.

It’s a pretty hard thing to think about, but if Tojo-san and I feel that we don’t suit each other, we can leave each other.

I think that a part of me overthinks the part about being ‘absolutely’ together for the rest of our lives and that my thinking has become rigid.

―Even so.

“… If I were to accept Tojo-san’s marriage proposal, I still want to face her with the intention of spending the rest of my life with her. So, just one more thing, I want the confidence to be able to continue cherishing her for the rest of my life.”

Masaya, who saw the look on my face when I told him this, smiled as if he had given up.

“You’re just as stubborn as you are.”

“Uh, yeah?”

“Yeah, you are. You hate your relatives so much you ended up living alone.”

That’s true if you were to ask me.

“I sort of know how you feel about wanting confidence, and I’m here to support you on that front as well. I can at least give you advice if you need it… As a senior in love, you know?”

“… You’re showing off right away.”

“Hahaha! Anyway, let’s just have some fun today. You haven’t even been to the arcade in years, have you?”

“Arcade, huh. I certainly don’t remember going to the arcade.”

UFO catchers, for example, give me the image of money being melted away for nothing.

I even felt scared because of this prejudice and had rather avoided them.

“Since it’s been a long time, let’s go! Let’s just keep it light and play.”

“Ah, aah… that’s fine, but can I go to the toilet first?”

“Hm? Oh, sure. I’ll wait for you here.”

After excusing myself to Masaya, I got up from my seat and headed for the restroom in the shop.