"That's it, I'm done."
Her dad waved a big hand and scattered the chess pieces.
Takashi raised an eyebrow. "Can't take the loss?"
Just about to win, and now you're backing out?
"Breakfast. I'm hungry."
Eriri's dad didn't answer and just headed toward the dining table.
"Seriously, you really need to discipline your dad. He's bad at chess, always takes back moves, and now he's got no sportsmanship."
Takashi began complaining to Eriri.
Her dad twitched at that.
Sayuri and Eriri burst into giggles.
"You brat! Don't get cocky! After breakfast, let's see who's better at fishing!"
Watanabe Takashi adjusted his glasses. "Fishing? Watanabe Takashi fears no one."
"Today, I'll show you what absolute dominance looks like!"
…
After breakfast, they grabbed their fishing gear and set off.
Since it was a casual family outing, the Sawamura couple didn't call for a driver.
Sawamura Sayuri volunteered to drive.
Eriri's dad took the front seat, while Takashi and Eriri sat in the back.
After everyone buckled up, Sayuri raised her fist in excitement. "Let's go!"
"Yeah!"
Only Eriri's dad responded.
Sayuri didn't mind. She stepped on the gas, and the car slowly pulled away.
It was a clear, sunny day. Blue skies, asphalt roads, streetcars, houses, and trees—everything was crystal clear in view.
Sayuri was clearly a skilled driver. Even with one hand on the wheel, the ride was smooth.
With the other hand, she opened a music app.
Instead of starting right away, she played a song first.
"I've become someone else's boyfriend…"
"Now the one I'm dating isn't like you at all…"
…
Hearing those lyrics, Takashi started to panic.
Wait, Mom, weren't we supposed to not blow the cover?
"Hahahaha, wrong song."
Sayuri pretended not to notice Takashi's betrayed little look, kept a straight face, and skipped to the next song, secretly hoping Eriri picked up on the lyrics.
Many parts of Chiba had roadblocks today.
The weather was great—sunny, no wind, a perfect day to bask in the sun.
The four of them drove to Tokyo Bay.
Once they got out, Watanabe Takashi and Eriri's dad began assembling their fishing gear.
Eriri and Sawamura Sayuri walked over to the zelkova tree, set up small stools, and raised their easels to begin sketching.
Blue sky, white clouds, pink cherry blossoms, green lawn, warm sea breeze, gentle sunshine, azaleas blooming in the distant flower beds.
Everything felt so perfect.
"What are you planning to draw?"
Sawamura Sayuri asked.
"I want to draw Takashi."
Eriri stared at the boy fishing in the distance.
"Come to think of it, you've never drawn a portrait of anyone before."
Sawamura Sayuri smiled as she sharpened her pencil. "Not even Tomoya."
"Mm. I want my first portrait to be of someone I like."
Eriri looked at the tall figure of the boy standing under the sun and smiled. "I'm thinking of secretly giving it to him for his birthday. Mom, what do you think?"
Sawamura Sayuri's hand paused as she sharpened the pencil. "Are you sure you'll still be together by then?"
Eriri gave her mother a puzzled look.
"Mom, what are you saying? Takashi's birthday is this month. We just started dating. There's no way we'd break up in less than a month."
"What if I said he's going to break up with you today?"
—That line, Sawamura Sayuri didn't say aloud.
She couldn't help but recall the conversation she had with Takashi last night.
——Flashback——
"But what if I told you, I only want a girl whose heart and mind are filled entirely with me, with no room for anyone else?"
Takashi fiddled with the chess piece in his hand, not looking at Sayuri. "Auntie, I know your daughter is a wonderful girl."
"I also trust that after dating me, she will keep her distance from Tomoya for my sake."
"But I still can't accept it."
Sawamura Sayuri asked, confused, "Why?"
"Because I know her too well."
Takashi answered seriously.
"You might not know this, but to better play the role of Tomoya, I followed them around for a while."
"I saw it with my own eyes—the way Eriri looked at Tomoya with that smile in her eyes."
"That's the look you only give someone you truly like."
"I've also had a date with her interrupted because Tomoya got sick."
"I've seen everything between her and Tomoya. How could I possibly accept her without any reservations?"
Takashi had witnessed their entire past with his own eyes.
If he ended up with Eriri, every time he closed his eyes, all he'd see would be Eriri and Aki Tomoya.
"..."
Even someone as eloquent as Sawamura Sayuri fell silent.
"Auntie, I don't blame Eriri. She didn't do anything wrong."
"She simply liked someone. I happened to witness that, and now she likes the me who saw everything between her and him."
"Maybe, from the beginning, I was just an intruder in the story of Eriri and Tomoya."
"Don't worry. I won't cling to your daughter."
"Tomorrow, I'll break up with her."
Takashi's voice was calm, like he was talking about something unrelated to himself.
"No! You absolutely can't break up with her."
Sayuri couldn't imagine how devastated Eriri would be if Watanabe Takashi broke up with her.
"Eriri already likes you. Can't you see that?"
"I do see it. But from the moment we met, everything was a lie—my name was fake, the encounter was fake, even liking her was something I pretended to do.
I can fool her for a while, but can I fool her for a lifetime?"
Takashi understood better than anyone that this charade would eventually blow up—just like a game of hot potato with real estate.
So before it exploded, he planned to pull out.
"Even if it all started as a lie, you can still make it real."
Sayuri's voice grew urgent.
"As long as you keep dating Eriri, everything can be resolved."
"If you're worried about the Yozakura or Kawakami families, I'll help you."
"Takashi, you like money, don't you? Well, our family is rich. If you marry in, you won't have to work hard anymore."
"This has nothing to do with the Yozakura family. And I won't marry in."
Takashi suddenly looked up, his gaze resolute.
"Auntie Sayuri, you're wealthy. I might never accumulate the kind of wealth you've built over generations, even if I worked my whole life. But even so, I won't marry into the family."
"Why?"
Sayuri was deeply puzzled.
Why did Takashi react so strongly to the idea?
In this country, it's not unusual for talented but ordinary men to be absorbed into wealthy families.
That's normal in this country.
"I once saw a news story—about a son-in-law who married into his wife's family. He got into a fight with his father-in-law and ended up getting slapped by his wife and told to get out."
"Auntie, the moment I marry in, I give up all control. My relationship with Eriri will never be equal again."
"Even if none of you think of me that way, I would."
"So I absolutely will not marry in."
Sayuri opened her mouth, but in the end, said nothing.
"Auntie, I'd like to say goodbye to Eriri properly. Tomorrow, please pretend like nothing's wrong and help her have a happy day."
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