Chapter 19 The Disappointing Hero Proposes
I left Takashi's house wearing clothes. After this, I'll be taken to Kanae's house and then mine in order. Later, I'll meet up with Kanae again.
Once dropping Kanae off, it was just Takashi and me in the car.
"Well, you guys finally did it, huh?"
"Hahaha... thanks."
"But, seriously. Spare me from now on, okay?"
"I got it!"
While being teased by Takashi, we arrived at my house. Well, to put it mildly, I felt like telling him to drop dead. Just after the car departed, I used teleportation to go to Takashi's house and collected a video camera.
That's settled.
I took a shower at my parents' house, put on new clothes, and after a while, the doorbell rang.
"Tadayuki, Kanae-chan is here to pick you up."
"Okay."
I got into Kanae's car, and we departed.
We promised to have lunch together.
"Hey, where should we eat?"
"It's a bit far, but let's go to Shimonoseki and have sushi."
"Wow, sushi! I'm excited! Let's go, let's go!"
Kanae drove us to Shimonoseki. We arrived just before noon.
There was a revolving sushi restaurant in Karato Market, dealing with seafood. Even though it wasn't open yet, there was already a line.
Somehow, we managed to get in on the first rotation. Despite being a revolving sushi place, the quality of the toppings was beyond comparison to famous chain stores.
Well, because of that, the prices are a bit higher. Still, considering the quality of the fish, it's very reasonable. We picked a few plates and ate together.
"I've been to some high-end places in Tokyo, but... I still prefer this one."
"Is Tokyo sushi different?"
"Yeah, over there, especially in high-end places, they have a lot of aged toppings. The biggest difference is the soy sauce. Here, it's sweet, but in Tokyo, it's a bit salty."
"Oh, really? Soy sauce tastes that different?"
"The sushi here is about enjoying the freshness of the fish and the crunchy texture. That's why the soy sauce has a strong flavor. The sushi in Kanto is aged to increase the taste and the smoothness of the ingredients... something like that."
"That's very different."
"Well, both are delicious in their own way. You should come to Tokyo sometime, Kanae. I'll show you some nice places to eat."
"Yeah! That sounds fun."
Well, that's just what I learned from the internet!
I've never been to a fancy place like that!
But I have to act like I'm rich, right?
...
...
After lunch, we went to the nostalgic aquarium.
Shimonoseki is famous for pufferfish.
This place has the world's largest number of pufferfish on display.
It also has one of the largest penguin collections in Japan.
We followed the route and saw all the exhibits, then we decided to watch the dolphin show.
But not from the audience seats.
There was a restaurant on the first floor, where you could see the dolphin tank.
We enjoyed a relaxing cup of tea while watching the dolphins jump and dive with their tricks.
It was a different way to enjoy the show.
As the show ended, I decided to wait in the hall while Kanae headed to the restroom.
In the first-floor hall, there is the only domestic skeleton specimen of a sperm whale. It's the place where Kanae and I first held hands.
Kanae, who had finished her makeup, came to my side and intertwined her fingers with mine.
"It feels nostalgic, doesn't it? This is where Tadayuki first held my hand."
"Do you remember?"
"I remember! Tadayuki at that time, blushing so much..."
While suppressing her laughter and shaking her shoulders, she said with a smile,
"It's a precious memory. There's no way I could forget."
"...Thank you."
Well, it was a precious memory for me, though.
* * *
"Eh, amazing... what is this place?"
Entering the building, Kanae murmured as if overwhelmed. A lobby reminiscent of the Meiji era. More like a high-class hotel than a restaurant. Of course, you can also stay overnight here.
For dinner, we chose puffer fish, a specialty of Shimonoseki.
Moreover, this place was the first licensed restaurant to serve pufferfish cuisine, which was banned in the Meiji era.
"It's hard to get a reservation at this time of the year, but I was lucky to find a spot. It was a lucky break."
I received the key at the front desk and was led to the room.
"I really wanted to stay in the 'Emperor's Room', which is said to have been used by the Showa Emperor... but it was already taken, of course."
"No, this room is more than enough... wow, what a view!"
Outside the window, we could see the Kanmon Strait, which separates Honshu and Kyushu.
"Today, I ordered a course that includes a lot of pufferfish roe."
"Pufferfish roe... I've never had it before."
"Sorry if you don't like it, okay? But I think the other dishes are also amazing."
"No, I think I can eat it. I like cod roe with ponzu sauce..."
The course meal began, and we were asked for our drinks.
"Kanae, are you not drinking today either?"
"Yeah, I took some medicine today... maybe I should skip it."
"Then I won't drink either."
"What? Tadayuki, you don't have to. Don't hold back."
“No, I drank yesterday because Takashi was there, but even though Kanae doesn't drink, I can't drink alone in front of her.”
“Well, it's really okay... you're so kind.”
“That's the only skill I have. But shall we taste the mood? Excuse me, two non-alcoholic beers, please.”
As the waitress left the room, Kanae said eagerly,
“There's no need to ask... it's expensive here, right?”
“Well, it's moderate.”
“How much does it cost?”
“Well, roughly, around a 100.000 yen for the two of us?”
“100——”
“But in first-class hotels, they charge more just for accommodation. So, considering that, it's quite cheap.”
“Tadayuki, don't waste too much money.”
“Why? Enjoying good food with someone you like isn't a waste, right?”
“I'm happy to hear you say that, but...”
Hehehe, despite saying it negatively, she doesn't seem entirely opposed. Well, this seems doable.
* * *
After finishing the course meal and relaxing in the room, I brought up today's main topic.
“Kanae, I have something important to discuss.”
"What...?"
"First, I want you to understand, but what I'm about to talk about has nothing to do with yesterday... No, maybe this morning."
"Yeah, I understand."
"The reason I came back this time was because I wanted to give this to Kanae."
I took out a blue box from my bag. I opened the lid, revealing the ring inside, and presented it to Kanae.
"Let's get married. I'll make sure we're happy."
She probably didn't expect this. According to Kanae and Takashi's plan, they would report "getting pregnant" to me in one or two months from now and push for marriage.
So, I had to take the initiative here. Move the conversation forward.
"Tadayuki... Are you serious?"
"Of course, I wouldn't say something like this as a joke."
Kanae, for a moment, seemed happy, but... she didn't accept it immediately and looked down.
At that moment, a bad premonition ran through me.
Things had been going smoothly, almost as planned, so I realized that I had made a mistake.
Not the mistake of being rejected in this proposal, but something I hadn't anticipated, or rather, hadn't anticipated enough.
Prompted by my proposal, Kanae confesses her feelings for Takashi with ill intentions.
That assumption was overlooked.
And if that happens—quite fatal. If, right now, here, Kanae confesses her relationship with Takashi, I probably can't push her so hard. What's even worse is... now, at this moment, wanting her to say it.
I'm in a state of wanting to push her to the limit and put the brakes on there.
And Kanae's response is—
"I'm happy, Tadayuki... I'll be a good wife!"
She casually accepts the ring. Alright then, I'll go full throttle!
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