The next morning, I wake up to find myself on my bed.
Groggily sitting up, I yawned, looking around. Then it finally dawned to me that I wasn't actually suppose to be here. I remember falling asleep in Marui's room last night before I could even get out of his room.
How did I end up here, then?
Looking around my room, I find a piece of paper on top of my nightstand. Picking it up, I began to read it:
You fell asleep last night so I carried you to your room
And don't look for me, I'll be helping Isshiki-senpai with something
- Souma
Placing the paper back down, I stared at the ceiling for a moment, thinking what to do for today.
The main tournament doesn't start in two weeks, so I can do whatever I want for now unless someone tells me what the theme for my match would be, and who my opponent would be.
With a sigh, I grabbed my phone from the nightstand, and ended up staring at the black screen as well, as if I was waiting for something to happen.
And as if on cue, my phone rings.
Seeing who the caller was, I answered immediately.
It was Saito.
"Hello?" I heard Saito's voice from the other line.
Sitting up, I answered back, "Morning, Saito. Is there anything you need from your sister?"
"Ayano, are you free today?"
"I believe so. What's the problem?"
"You see, mom and dad wants to see you."
"What for?"
"I want to tell you, but I can't."
"Why is that?" Beginning to get curious, I got out of bed, and started rummaging through my things to get ready to leave. "Did something urgent happened? I haven't received any calls from either of them."
"The only information I am able to tell you, is that you probably won't like it. But you still need to go."
Heaving a sigh, I nod my head, even though Saito couldn't see me, "Alright then. Are you sending me a chauffeur?"
"Of course. I'll see you later?"
"I'll see you later," I confirmed, then Saito hangs up, and I begin to get myself ready.
About almost an hour later, I was done preparing some of my things.
I went out and down to the living room, only to find Fumio-san cleaning up.
"Hmm? Where are you heading to, Ayano?" Questioned the dorm's caretaker, stopping herself from sweeping the floor.
".. Family business, I guess," I answered her question, shrugging my shoulders.
I stood at my place, thinking for a moment about what I was going to do.
It was quite unusual for my parents to want me to be home, especially when they know I have school duties and such, and they were so busy they had Saito call me. That hasn't happened before, ever.
But I guess there is a first time for everything.
Sighing again, I walked closer to Fumio-san so that she's the only one who can hear me.
"Fumio-san, do you know Isshiki-senpai and Souma's phone numbers?" I reluctantly asked her after mustering enough courage to do so. I actually don't have that much time to ask for their numbers, and I don't necessarily need it anyway, but I think now is the perfect time to ask for it, even though it's from someone else; but at least Fumio-san isn't the type to tease me.
Pausing, Fumio-san stays in place, thinking. After a few seconds, she nods her head, and tells me to wait as she leaves the living room.
Few minutes later, Fumio-san returns with a paper at hand. She passes it to me, and smiles, "First name basis with Yukihira now?" She inquires from me.
Nodding my head shyly but hesitantly, I answered, ".. H-He insisted, since we've been friends for months now.."
"Is that really the reason?" Taunted the older female, and I blushed faintly from her words.
"There isn't another reason," I confirmed to her, and I left the dorm without another word.
**
Hours later, I was already back home.
After placing my things in my room, I asked where my parents were.
"Krista, have you seen my parents?"
"M.. Mistress Ayano, you're back," stated Krista, a bit wide eyed, "And to answer your question, your parents are in the dining area."
Before I was out of her sight, I asked her another question, "How's Saito?"
"H-He's fine," stammered the maid, blushing as she looks away from me.
I chuckle, and pat her head before leaving to go to see my parents.
Once I entered the room, I bowed my head, "Mother, Father, you have called me?"
"Ah, yes, Ayano," my father breathes out, and gestures for me to take a seat.
Doing as he told me, I took a seat just right in front of my mother, and waited for what they were going to say.
".. Ayano, dear," my mother starts with a sigh, and now do I only notice that she's much more thinner than before, "There isn't much time for me in this world. So, your father and I are ready to have you take over our restaurant," she tells me while taking long pauses.
"What?" I almost raised my voice at them, but it was a good and fortunate thing I had stopped myself at the very last second.
"Your mother just recently discovered that she has cancer, lung cancer, and she doesn't have that much time," father says next, and I was so close to tears hearing the last part, but I had to be strong, so I held it in.
"I don't think I can do it alone, mother, father..!" My voice cracks in the end, and I took a deep breath to calm myself down.
".... We know, you can't," nodded my mother as she sends me a gentle smile.
"We have planned this since the summer. You will be arranged to marry the son of one of our close friends," when father said that, my eyes widened in shock.
An arrange marriage?! I definitely do not want that!
"Who? Who is this person you want me to marry?" I managed to choke out without stammering or having my voice crack.
Hearing the answer to my question, I stood up without warning and ran out of the room.
**
"This isn't fair, Saito. I don't want this, I don't want this...." I cried to my brother, pulling a pillow to my chest and squeezing it tightly.
"Isn't the guy a good guy? You've met him before," responded my little brother, trying to make me feel better.
"It doesn't matter if I know him or not; it's an arrange marriage, I don't want that," I uttered, sniffling and wiping my tears away.
It's true, it doesn't matter. I don't like to have an arrange marriage, after everything that happened last night, I definitely, absolutely, don't want it to happen.
Silence is after that, and I gathered my thoughts, thinking of what to say to Saito.
And when I see Saito about to leave me be in my room, I stopped him by speaking, "There's this guy I like at Tootsuki. He's a great guy, I'm sure you'll like him if you met up with him.." I chuckled in the end quite bitterly, because I was just told minutes ago that I was going to marry someone, and here I am talking about someone else.
"Go on, continue."
".. Last night, I confessed, and he said he likes me back. I'm not sure if we're officially a couple now, but it's just very reassuring to know that he likes me back. He teases me, confusing me about my feelings, but it was probably all worth it because at least I know we have mutual feelings," I blabbered on and on about Souma, not even on the same topic anymore.
"But what's your point here?" Saito stops me before I could continue any more.
"My point is, I don't want to marry someone else, when I know he likes me back," I finished, and I just realized I stopped crying. Since when?
"Then you should go and tell him, Ayano. Just by hearing you talking about this guy, I approve of him; he's changed you," Saito tells me, and I blushed at this, but buried my face on the pillow I was still holding.
".. W-Who's the older one here?" I questioned Saito, voice muffled because of the pillow.
"Go talk to him," those were Saito's last words before he left the room.
After a few seconds, I pulled out my phone, and decided to call someone.
After a few rings, the person answers.
"Ah, hello?"
".. Souma?" I said his name first, just in case he might be confused on who he was talking to.
"..... Ayano, how did you get my number?" Asked Souma after a quite long pause.
"From Fumio-san.." I answered quickly.
"Ah, I see. Anyway, why did you call me?"
"Where are you now?" I answered his question with a question of my own.
"I just arrived at the dorm a little while ago."
I checked what time is was, and saw that I still have some time to go home before it was night time.
".. Alright.."
"Ayano," Souma says my name, and I wait for what was he going to say, "Where are you right now? When are you coming back here at the dorm?"
"At home," I answered honestly, "But I'll be back in a few."
"Okay."
"What were you doing with Isshiki-senpai?" I asked to change the subject and to take my mind off of things.
"I didn't get to tell you, huh? Tadokoro and I helped Isshiki-senpai with teaching some kids how to cook."
Knowing that he was with Megumi, I blinked, and felt this feeling in my stomach. Shaking it off, I hummed and asked how it went.
"Oh yeah," Souma chuckles as if he remembered something, "The kids there were so noisy. But they were nothing I couldn't handle. They all gave us candies."
Souma blabbers on and on about about what happened to him, and I laughed a bit at some of his jokes.
Talking to Souma made me feel at ease, and I think I was ready to tell him.
".. Souma," the male stops talking when I said his name, and I inhaled before asking, "Would you like to meet my brother?"
"Eh? You have a brother?"
"Yeah. He's younger than me."
"About how many years?"
"Just two years. He's turning a year older in a few months."
"Ah. But when and why would I meet him?"
"... I just thought about it. I told him about you earlier, and he says that you seem like a good person."
"...."
"Souma?" When the redhead didn't respond, I was scared and nervous that he didn't like the idea. ".. It's okay if you don't want to-- are you okay? I was just asking, and--"
I hear Souma chuckle from the other line, and I stopped talking immediately.
"Sure, I'm fine with meeting your brother. I was just thinking, that you were talking about me? Saying I'm a good person?"
"It's-It's nothing like that!" I protested, sitting up from my bed, and I immediately got dizzy. "I mean, you are a great person-- wait, ah, that wasn't what I meant!" I was getting flustered all of a sudden, and it wasn't even something to fuss over about!
"I wish I can see your face right now. Are you blushing?" From his question, I can imagine him grinning or smirking at his accomplishment.
"I'm not!" I argued, "I'm going to hang up, I swear, Yukihira Souma--"
"Alright, alright. Calm down, Aya. When am I going to meet your brother anyway?"
"When I come back, so you better be ready," after I said that, I hear a loud thud from the other line, and I panicked. "S-Souma, was that you? Are you okay?!"
".. Ugh.. Yeah, I'm okay. I just fell out of my bed."
"Okay, then. I'll hang up now, I'll see you later, Souma," bidding goodbye, I was about to end the call.
But then Souma's voice stops me from doing so, "Hurry up, so I can see your face!"
I ended the call, feeling my face heating up because of the obvious blush on my face.
I got out of my bed and opened the door out of my room so that I can speak with Saito.
His room was only across from mine, so I took a few steps and knocked on his door.
"Saito, are you there?"
"Ayano??" He inquires from inside his room. Hearing a few shuffling, he then opens the door, revealing that he just came out of the shower a little while ago because of his messy and semi dry hair.
"Would you like to escape with me?" I lowered my voice a bit so that anyone who was near wouldn't hear it.
"Huh, escape? To where?" Asked my brother like it wasn't his first time to be asked about it.
"Back at my dorm in Tootsuki," I tell him, getting anxious of his answer.
".. I'll get to meet your friends right? Sure thing," Saito responded back, shrugging his shoulders.
"Pack your things then, because we'll leave before the sun sets," I grinned at this, and Saito nods his head before shutting the door.
I wonder what will all of their reactions would be? Souma won't be surprised, I already told him. But the others? I'm looking forward to it.
***
A/N:
Who do you think the person Ayano is suppose to marry?? (͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) tell me your thoughts about it!
Oh and btw this book has reached 3k readers!! Thank you for those who have been reading this book from the start （・∀・） I really am glad and appreciate it. And thank you also for voting!
Another thing is, I'll end this book in a few more chapters. Less than 10, probably? When I'll finish this book, I'll be publishing a new book or two.
Thank you for reading!
Till the next chapter!