Chapter 4: The Secret of the Couple

“A&G Reaches Basic Agreement to Acquire KIMISAKAYA Bookstore”

“What… is this…?”

I dropped my chopsticks the moment I saw the breaking news during breakfast.

“Arisa, did you know about this…?”

It was Friday, a few days after I had spent the night with Arisa. We had only just begun to discuss our next move.

“This isn’t what we talked about… It’s completely different from the plan…”

“Do you know something?”

Arisa crushed the newspaper in her hand.

“…That is the one thing I didn’t agree to… Grandfatheeeer!”

However, President Kimisaka had already left the estate, and James was nowhere to be found.

“Arisa! I’m going to the office right now, but—”

“I’m going… to KIMISAKAYA Bookstore headquarters…!”

The flames of rage were burning visibly around her. Arisa had been acting solely to protect KIMISAKAYA Bookstore. Now that she knew her dream was being cut off in such a way, I couldn’t even imagine what she might do.

“…And right now, people see me as an insider of KIMISAKAYA too, don’t they?”

Imagining the fallout, my mood turned bleak.

The news, scooped by a major economic newspaper, raced across Japan in the blink of an eye. Other outlets quickly followed suit, and the topic dominated the top of the web search trends for quite a while. That was how much impact this article had.

Above all, every company wrote about it sensationally, fanning the flames of public anxiety.

—The End of Bookstores.

KIMISAKAYA Bookstore, the representative of Japanese bookstores, was being swallowed by A&G. This was, in essence, the death of the traditional bookstore. The very act of purchasing books might be rewritten. The articles speculated that restructuring of old markets by emerging giant corporations would likely occur in various fields from here on out. When written like that, even the general public took an interest.

And within the industry, it was like poking a beehive.

“S-Seriously? Is our company going to be okay?”

Senga had been saying things like that since morning, and Section Manager Mizuno was the same.

“This might be the biggest incident since I joined the company…”

“Since you joined, Manager? So it’s the biggest incident in twenty-something years— Ow!?”

“I’m not forty yet!”

As soon as work started at nine, the phones began ringing all at once. I received calls from bookstores I knew personally.

“Sorry to call so early, Hinosaka-san. But being a distributor, I thought you might have some information. I mean, it really is worrying… People are saying A&G might take all the best-selling books, leaving nothing for other bookstores…”

“Section Manager Mizuno, we have inquiries about the KIMISAKAYA acquisition!”

“Over here too! They’re worried, asking ‘We aren’t on the acquisition candidate list too, are we!?'”

“Just tell them we don’t know the details yet! Don’t answer anything unnecessary!”

In reality, information was confused and conflicting even within the company. People inside the company flocked to me, trying to grasp the situation even a little.

“Hinosaka! Haven’t you heard anything from your KIMISAKAYA bride!?”

“Is it true you’re being adopted into the family and transferring to A&G?”

“The executives are calling to ask if you have intel!”

“I haven’t heard anything either!”

It was pure chaos. Given the situation, the people actually involved must be being pressed for explanations even more than us.

“Hey, look…” “Seriously…?”

The surroundings began to buzz. It seemed someone had appeared on the floor—

“S-Senpai…!? Isn’t that the super-bigwig himself!?”

Renji Kimisaka, President of KIMISAKAYA Bookstore, was there. Everyone expected President Kimisaka to be flustered by the unintended report. But he showed no signs of panic. He was simply quiet, radiating a murderous aura.

“Kenichi-kun… ah, Hinosaka-kun. Are you here?”

The president currently attracting the most attention in Japan called my name from the entrance of the floor.

“Y-Yes!”

Feeling the gaze of everyone on the floor, I went to President Kimisaka. What is this situation…? He beckoned me over, and President Kimisaka whispered in a voice only I could hear.

“It wasn’t you, was it?”

I thought I was going to be killed—just for a split second.

“What… do you mean?”

“The one who leaked this matter to the media.”

Caught in his piercing glare, I froze.

“No, sir. It wasn’t me. There’s no meaning in me doing so… and I didn’t know about any agreement on the acquisition.”

“Because I haven’t agreed to an acquisition.”

President Kimisaka placed his hand on my shoulder.

“I apologize for dragging you into this mess. However…” His voice dropped another notch. “The words you swore to make Arisa happy… surely those were not a lie?”

“Of course not…”

I intended no lie there.

“If those words are ever betrayed…”

—Consider your life forfeit.

“H-Hinosaka-san!”

After President Kimisaka left for his scheduled meeting with the executives, a receptionist girl came to call me.

“Yes, did something happen?”

I’ve gotten used to being summoned lately. The people around me didn’t look surprised either, probably thinking, “Well, Hinosaka has a lot going on right now.”

“Um… there is someone at the reception without an appointment right now. I asked them to leave since I couldn’t let them through without an appointment, but…”

“Haa, well that’s natural. Why are you telling me this?”

“That person said, ‘I am Renji Kimisaka’s granddaughter and Kenichi Hinosaka’s wife’—”

I ran. It seemed Arisa had already entered the company and was looking for President Kimisaka.

“Why didn’t you stop her…!?”

“I tried, but she forced her way through… and I couldn’t say she was unrelated…”

Anyway, I had to stop Arisa before she met President Kimisaka. I had a bad feeling. Praying my premonition was wrong, I headed for the conference room where President Kimisaka was. However, before I could reach it, I ran into a crowd.

“What is the meaning of this, Grandfatheeeer!?”

A furious voice echoed through the elevator hall. Pushing through the crowd, I jumped into the epicenter. KIMISAKAYA Bookstore President Renji Kimisaka and his granddaughter, Arisa Kimisaka, were facing off.

Her hair was messy. Her eyes were bloodshot. Shoulders heaving with rough breaths, she was completely emotionally unstable. Yet, her clear beauty was not lost. If anything, that beauty only highlighted her danger.

“A&G acquiring us? The end of bookstores? Don’t screw with me!”

“Arisa.”

“If you let a guy like that acquire us, the name ‘KIMISAKAYA Bookstore’ won’t remain! That’s what you always said!”

“Arisa, stop this. Where do you think you are?”

“It doesn’t matter!”

Arisa wouldn’t lend an ear to President Kimisaka’s admonitions.

“Let’s calm down, Arisa.”

I called out too, but my voice didn’t reach her.

“In the first place, if I got married, I was supposed to inherit KIMISAKAYA Bookstore, right!? That’s why I decided to marry!”

For that reason, Arisa pretended to be engaged to me. Though hearing that Arisa inheriting KIMISAKAYA was a condition was news to me.

“Is that… President Kimisaka’s… granddaughter?”

“That means she’s Hinosaka’s fiancé…”

The gallery began to realize who Arisa was.

“And yet that man was persistent… and causing trouble for those around me… and I couldn’t escape anymore… there was no time… so, didn’t I admit it? To that man—”

“Arisa!!”

President Kimisaka shouted sharply. But she didn’t stop.

“I said I’d marry James Big Mountain, didn’t I!?”

—Eh?

“Arisa, we’re going home. I’ll hear you out at the house.”

“No!? I won’t go home! I mean, I’m marrying James, but in exchange, the promise was that the acquisition would be off, right!? Weren’t you wrapping up that negotiation!? It’s nothing but lies!”

What was a lie, and what was the truth?

“I haven’t agreed to any acquisition either. Whether the media twisted it, or James’s side leaked false information…”

“You were played like a fiddle…? Then I’ll… I’ll expose him too. I’ll expose that he’s a lolicon pervert… and mess everything up!”

“Arisa! Here is—”

“I’ll expose that I’m a fifteen-year-old third-year middle schooler!!”

The temperature of the place, already frozen, dropped to absolute zero.

“The guy who tried to marry fifteen-year-old me, and the grandfather who tried to marry off fifteen-year-old me—if I go to the authorities, it’ll be a problem, won’t it!?”

That there was no mistake about that was clear from looking at the reaction in this place right now. The gaze of the surroundings poured painfully onto me as well.

“President Kimisaka’s granddaughter… wasn’t she marrying Hinosaka?”

“What’s happening? Stolen love? Broken engagement?”

“Either way, marrying a middle schooler…”

“That’s basically a crime…”

The murmurs gradually grew louder. Eyes of strangeness, eyes of curiosity poured onto Arisa, President Kimisaka, and me. If this story leaked to the world, it wouldn’t be strange for it to go up in flames. The moment I thought that, my heart hurt as if it were being squeezed. Nasty sweat flowed down my back.

“Hey, why is there a kid in the company?”

At that moment, a group got off the elevator, and one of the gallery members warned them.

“Eh… ah, right now we are guiding middle school students who came for a corporate tour as part of their school class.”

“Hello.” “Hello.” “Hi there.”

The students in uniforms bowed their heads. They filed out, one after another, making the population density of the elevator hall even worse.

And then, the chaos came to an abrupt end. The furious Arisa became unnaturally quiet. Her focus unfixed, Arisa’s face turned pale. The blood drained from her face. By the time I realized something was wrong, it was too late.

Sway.

Arisa’s body tilted, tilted, and fell.

“Arisa—”

My outstretched hand didn’t reach her. The one who rushed over first was President Kimisaka.

“Call an ambulance!”

The scene was in a state of semi-panic. I met eyes with President Kimisaka, who was holding Arisa, for just a moment. Those eyes were painted with the color of disappointment.

“There’s an infirmary, bring her there!”

Someone nearby carried Arisa and headed for the infirmary. I simply watched it, stunned.

---

I was forced to take a half-day off in the afternoon and ordered to go home. I had a meeting scheduled with MARIA in the afternoon, but her manager contacted me asking to postpone it, so my schedule was clear.

told to go home, I wondered where I should go. But right now, the only place I should head to was the Kimisaka estate. I heard that Arisa, who was taken to the hospital, was fine and had returned home immediately.

Taking a taxi back to the Kimisaka house, I stood in front of the auto-lock gate and rang the intercom.

“Yes.”

The one who answered was a female helper.

“Um, it’s Kenichi Hinosaka.”

“May I help you with something?”

“Eh… help me? I live here now.”

“Until recently, Hinosaka-sama was a guest, but that is no longer the case.”

“…Please wait. I’m Arisa-san’s fiancé, right?”

“I hear the engagement has been broken.”

“No, wait… Anyway, please let me in so I can talk.”

“I apologize, but please leave.”

“Isn’t this strange? So suddenly… I have my luggage inside too.”

The gate opened. Thud. My boston bag was thrown out.

“Ha…?”

“All your luggage is inside.”

A man in a black suit said.

“Wait… ow!?”

When I tried to force my body into the closing gate, I was shoved away.

“What is the meaning of this…?”

Even I could be forgiven for snapping at this.

“—What is going on?”

Finally, a person I could talk to appeared from the back.

“President Kimisaka. These people are acting strange. They’re trying to kick me out.”

“Unfortunately, I heard from Arisa that the engagement has been broken.”

The words of President Kimisaka, dressed in Japanese attire, were distant.

“What are you saying…”

“Therefore, you are no longer permitted to set foot on the estate grounds.”

“I haven’t heard any such thing.”

“It seems you really know nothing.”

“Because I haven’t been told.”

“…It’s a shame. I had high hopes for you…”

Muttering quietly, President Kimisaka informed me.

“Arisa’s engagement to James Big Mountain has been decided. Therefore, the relationship with Hinosaka-kun is over.”

“Arisa didn’t want that!”

“Arisa proposed it herself.”

“…Herself…?”

“So the matter is settled. Though there seems to have been a slight misunderstanding.”

“Arisa… would never say such a thing…”

“Didn’t Hinosaka-kun hear it with his own ears?”

Arisa, who stormed into the company today, had indeed blurted that out for some reason.

“I intend to respect Arisa’s will.”

There was no lie in those words. The reason he readily accepted a nobody like me as a fiancé was because Arisa wished for it. So if Arisa no longer wished for it…

“Does that mean… I’m not needed anymore?”

Come to think of it, I personally was never needed. Arisa’s goal was to protect KIMISAKAYA Bookstore. If the best plan for that had changed…

“You see nothing. That is why it is impossible for you to change anything.”

Ah, that’s probably right. Caught up in a massive vortex that was too much for my hands to handle, I didn’t even know where or how I was standing.

“I ask you to leave.”

---

The apartment I lived in alone, which I returned to for the first time in a while, felt emptier than usual. The room shouldn’t have changed at all, which was strange. I took a shower, changed clothes, took a can of beer from the fridge, and downed it in one go.

“Gah… this is too messed up!”

Dragged into a raging development from a sudden married life, I was suddenly discarded as useless. When I sent an email to Arisa earlier, an error message came back. That rejection was the final blow, and my feelings completely snapped.

If she intends to cut ties with me seriously, then I’m the one who should be declining. I was released from an abnormal relationship and was able to return home as I wished. The situation at the company remained bad… but I just had to swallow my pride and say the engagement was back to a blank slate. The pressure on the PB books by A&G should also end since the reason for it was gone.

All problems are solved. Isn’t that great?

Well, it’s lonely losing a wife who cooked for me, did my laundry, prepared the bath, cleaned, and took care of me devotedly. But I guess that’s natural. One must find one’s own wife through proper steps and one’s own power. A wife appearing as if falling from the sky was naturally an illusion.

This was for the best. It was for the best, right?

—You see nothing.

President Kimisaka’s voice revived in my mind. There are things I don’t see. But is that a sin? No matter how serious it is, if I don’t notice it, it can’t be helped. Even if there is a raging fire, if it’s not in my field of vision, I can’t do anything in the first place.

So yes, it’s easier if I can keep my eyes closed. But I remember. No matter what, no matter how.

—Actually… help me… please.

—Don’t… ‘divorce’ me yet.

For some reason, only her face when she was weak comes to mind. Even though normally she’s a cool girl who is surprisingly mature for a middle schooler and has the resolve to stick to her will. Despite acting like an adult and trying to seduce me, she’s surprisingly innocent. And she is willing to sacrifice her entire future for her goal.

I entered into a fake marriage.

I don’t know how much responsibility accompanies that. Honestly, I feel like I could be forgiven for ending it with a single phrase: “It has nothing to do with me.” But I picked up my mobile phone and called the number I was taught to use only in emergencies.

The ringing tone continued. The other party didn’t pick up easily. Still, I patiently continued to grip the phone. I persisted, persisted, persisted, and finally, the other party picked up.

“……What is it? It troubles me for you to call.”

It was KIMISAKAYA Bookstore President, Renji Kimisaka.

“Lastly… there is something I absolutely want to ask.”

“I wondered what you would say on the phone at this late hour.”

“Please. Knowing it’s shameful, as a former fiancé… as a final request, please.”

He probably meant I should have said it when we were face to face. But I pushed through.

“If it is as a final request, then I suppose it’s fine.”

Thanking him, I asked what I wanted to hear.

“Why did you accept the marriage between Arisa-san and me so easily, President Kimisaka?”

“That is also quite late to ask. After the engagement is broken.”

“Please tell me. I beg you.”

After a sigh, the answer came back.

“Because Arisa wished for it.”

“I know that official stance.”

The truth I should see is not that.

“What did you wish for, President Kimisaka?”

“I simply wish for the happiness of my precious granddaughter, Arisa.”

“How did you intend to use me for Arisa-san’s happiness?”

“…Don’t ask probing questions.”

“Don’t mind me, please tell me honestly. For Arisa-san’s sake.”

President Kimisaka would surely accept this killer phrase. There was a pause before the next word was spoken.

“I wanted Arisa… to realize a happiness different from the happiness she believes in now. Because right now, all that child has… is the bookstore.”

Maybe President Kimisaka had hopes for me. The one who betrayed that was—me.

“But Arisa-san… said herself that she would break the engagement.”

“The situation changed too much. Originally it was a partnership talk, but it turned into a forced acquisition talk by A&G. On top of that, James wouldn’t give up on Arisa at all. And if I were to give one more reason…”

“To protect me?”

“She probably had feelings of not wanting to cause you any more trouble.”

She, who risked her life to protect KIMISAKAYA Bookstore, still properly looked at me.

“If it’s with your power, President Kimisaka… couldn’t you grant Arisa-san’s wish more easily?”

“Happiness is not something to be given. It is something to be won. Even if I simply toss immediate happiness at her, it won’t truly be for her sake.”

President Kimisaka wishes for Arisa’s true happiness.

“Besides, as someone entrusted with employees and their families, I cannot prioritize only my granddaughter.”

Was it luck and opportunity that he told me this much? Or perhaps…

“I have another call. …I have heard your final request. We will likely never speak again.”

Without waiting for a reply, the call was cut off abruptly. I threw the mobile phone onto the bed.

What… was I looking at? Thinking I wasn’t at fault was truly a delusion. I was afraid of jumping into the fire. Look at reality. There is one fact in front of me.

I failed to protect Arisa.

“Again!?”

I shouted in the lonely room. I was frustrated. If I promised to protect, don’t break that vow. Even if it’s a mighty enemy I can’t stand against alone, it doesn’t matter.

As if timing it, the mobile phone on the bed announced an incoming call. It was from Kaede Furuoka. I picked it up, listened to the ringtone a few times, and then answered.

“It’s rough, the news involving A&G and KIMISAKAYA. …Well, we can talk about that slowly at a bar later. I have something else I want to ask.”

“…Did something happen?”

“It’s about MARIA. Have you met her for a meeting recently?”

“We were supposed to meet today… but it was canceled suddenly.”

“The reason?”

“Only that she was unwell… Did something happen?”

“A cancellation notice came in for the planned book project photoshoot. Well, I guess this happens…”

“Did something happen to MARIA?”

“Did something happen… wait, you don’t know?”

“I don’t know… but is it a story other people know?”

“If it’s the demographic interested in MARIA.”

“Can you tell me?”

Kaede hesitated on the other side of the phone.

“…It’s a story you’ll hate, Ken. Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. Let me hear it—”

After hearing a rough outline from Kaede and thanking her, I hung up. I turned on my laptop and launched the internet browser. The home screen was the search screen provided by A&G, which everyone who uses the net uses.

I typed “MARIA”.

I pressed the space key with trembling fingers. Search suggestions were listed on the screen.

MARIA no makeup MARIA not cute MARIA graduation album MARIA flaming

My stomach turned. I felt like vomiting and covered my mouth with my hand. What am I suffering for? Do I have that right? This isn’t my pain.

I selected a search result and displayed the screen. Browsing blogs summarizing the information and pages summarizing voices from SNS, the sequence of events became visible.

MARIA’s gal makeup is heavy, but apparently, it also utilizes a natural feel. Still, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s flashy makeup. This was well-received by middle and high school students, and many photos imitating MARIA’s makeup were uploaded to the net.

Some internet users snapped at that boom. Flashy makeup is proof of ugliness, and she’s a loser who can’t compete with her natural face, they said. That level of slander is probably common for celebrities.

However, MARIA’s young fans reacted excessively to the anti’s slander and attacked the antis. In response to that counterattack, the antis dug through the MARIA fans’ SNS logs and attacked them personally. The impact of the heated brawl outside the ring finally reached MARIA herself. The reply section of MARIA’s SNS account was filled with abuse.

[Don’t post photos, ugly] [How can you expose such an ugly face lol] [Ugly who can’t post photos without makeup] [It is unpleasant to look at. Please delete it] [Show your bare face already] [Appealing that you’re cute again? Disgusting]

Amidst this, there seems to be a major point of contention between MARIA fans and antis. Fans say MARIA is a peerless beauty even without makeup. Antis say MARIA is ugly without makeup and photo processing. However, MARIA has never released her bare face, and the argument ran parallel. The pressure to “expose your bare face already” seemed to be increasing day by day.

It was a ridiculous story. As far as I searched, MARIA has never once claimed she is a beauty, nor has she mentioned the pros and cons of makeup or photo processing. Yet outsiders arbitrarily impose their desires: MARIA said this, we want her to say this.

Nobody there possessed the will to try and understand MARIA’s feelings. The antis, of course, but the fans making radical statements were the same. Because MARIA is perfect and cute, expose your bare face and shut up the antis. Why don’t you do that? You should just do that.

—How much time passed?

My eyes were dry and hazy from staring at the screen in the dark room. My throat was parched too. I stood up, went to the toilet, and vomited once.

What is this emotion raging inside me? One thing is certain: in a world swirling with malice, looking away from the malice showered on someone close to you is also a form of passive malice.

---

How can I contact her now that I have no means of communication? Ask President Kimisaka? No, he won’t ally with me that far. I used my last request. If I do it with my own power alone, I have no choice but to go directly to the house—so I came to the house.

But knocking on the firmly closed gate from the front will only get me turned away. I can’t exactly climb over the high wall surrounding the premises. …That would be normal trespassing.

I need a way to deliver my voice to her, who is out of reach. That means existed in the sea of the net.

I created a personal account on SNS. It’s incredibly hard to use on a flip phone, but… The account name is “Kenichi Hinosaka”. My full real name. And I followed a certain celebrity who boasts over one million followers.

Then, there was an instant follow-back.

If she is looking at SNS in real-time, the words I should say can be simple.

[Look out the window from your room]

The window on the second floor of the Kimisaka house opened immediately. I waved to her—Arisa Kimisaka—who looked surprised to find me standing on the road.

“Let’s talk, Arisa… and MARIA.”

“Haa… haa… thanks for… letting me into the room.”

“You sound like a pervert with that rough breathing.”

“Then don’t make me climb the wall of the house with a rope like in a spy movie. …I almost fell and died.”

“If you came from the front, Grandfather would have turned you away. Besides, can you make an excuse if you suddenly barge into a girl’s house and get reported as a stalker?”

“Ugh…”

Arisa was wearing a parka and quite short hot pants. Facing Arisa who sat flat on the floor, I also sat down.

“If I said ‘Kyaa! I’m being attacked!’, it wouldn’t be strange if you were rolled up in a straw mat and tossed in the bay by Grandfather and the company people, you know?”

“…President Kimisaka is the president of a bookstore chain, right? He’s not running a dangerous organization, is he?”

“That was a joke.”

I was glad she was energetic enough to tell jokes.

“Is your body okay?”

“I have a chronic condition… ah, but it’s not life-threatening. Just fatigue and mental stress put a burden on my body. I’ve rested now, so I’m okay.”

I wondered what the atmosphere would be like when we met, but it was surprisingly business as usual. Thanks to that, I had the leeway to look around.

It was my first time entering a girl’s room. Unlike the grand hall or guest room I was guided to before, there was a lived-in feel typical of a fifteen-year-old girl. Cute stuffed animals lined the shelves, and several photos that were probably taken during her activities as MARIA decorated the walls.

But what caught my eye the most was, after all, the bookshelf covering one entire wall.

“The books… are amazing. As expected of a bookstore daughter… or rather, granddaughter.”

“Grandfather told me I could buy one book I liked every month… And the books I finished reading are mementos of my father and mother, so I can’t throw them away.”

Arisa looked at the bookshelf affectionately.

“Hey. Just now, you called me… MARIA, didn’t you?”

“…Yeah. I heard it from Kaede. That MARIA’s true identity is Arisa Kimisaka.”

“Kaede-san… I really can’t win against that person. …Even though I kept it a secret, to be exposed so easily.”

Arisa… MARIA smiled bitterly.

“Why were you hiding it? If the heiress of KIMISAKAYA was a charismatic model, you’d get even more popularity.”

“…Because Grandfather opposed it. He said don’t do anything that would stain the Kimisaka name. So, I wanted to test how far I could go with just my own power.”

“…I see. You were fighting alone.”

“But… I’m at my limit. I’m being bashed so hard on the net… and Grandfather looks like he’s going to force me to marry… I don’t know what to do.”

Tears began to pool in Arisa’s eyes again.

“…It’s okay. I’ll do something about it.”

“…How? Kenichi-san is just a salaryman, right?”

“I’m just a salaryman, but I have reliable friends. Besides…”

I placed my hand on Arisa’s shoulder.

“I’m your husband (fake), right? It’s natural for a husband to protect his wife.”

Arisa opened her eyes wide, and then nodded slightly.

“…Yeah. …Is it okay… to believe you?”

“Yeah. Leave it to me.”

I left Arisa’s room and called a certain person.

“…Hello, is this Kaede? It’s a strategy meeting. Gather at the usual place right now.”

A great game that would shake the publishing industry was about to begin.

The tall bookshelf displayed books as neatly as any bookstore. But because the shelves were shallow and adorned here and there with small plants and flower vases, there was no feeling of oppressive clutter.

A table, a bed, a full-length mirror, and a large vanity. Even with large furniture, the room didn’t feel disorganized; it was clean and airy. Perhaps it was the effect of the unified soft color palette or the decorative small items.

Even to an amateur’s eye, it was a room with such good taste that it could be featured in a magazine.

“Don’t stare so much,” Arisa said, her face flushing as she pursed her lips.

“Ah, sorry.”

“Actually, forget that!” Arisa leaned forward. “Since when… did you realize I was MARIA?”

“Vaguely, since a little while ago. But today was when I was sure.”

The fact had been in my peripheral vision the whole time, but I had overlooked it until it finally came into focus.

“…I let my guard down,” Arisa muttered, reflecting on her mistake before glaring sharply at me. “Even so, that method was cowardly.”

“Which part?”

“Talking to me on SNS with a ‘Kenichi Hinosaka‘ account is totally cheating!? And saying things like [Look out your window]—that’s something a stalker or a boyfriend does! Delete that right now!? Someone retweeted it!”

“O-Oh, sorry. I’ll delete it now. …How do you delete it?”

“Agh, give it here, you SNS greenhorn!”

Greenhorn… I haven’t been insulted like that in a while.

“Honestly,” Arisa sighed. “…Just so you know~, seriously no one notices this? You’re only the second person after Grandfather~.”

Arisa acted out MARIA’s characteristic lazy way of speaking.

By completely changing the impression of her clothes, utilizing wigs and colored contacts for her makeup, and even altering her voice quality and manner of speaking, the transformation was so thorough that even after meeting her many times, one wouldn’t notice.

“I finally understand why Arisa proposed to me, a complete stranger, upon our first meeting.”

Arisa had already met me as MARIA.

“I remember getting carried away during the interview and saying something like, ‘I don’t want to date, but I wish a cute wife who can cook would just fall from the sky and marry me one day’…”

That’s why Arisa could say lines that perfectly matched my delusion.

“Saying something like that~, honestly made me question you as a person~.”

“It was supposed to be just a delusion!”

Arisa and MARIA. I had been involved with the same person all along, thinking they were different people.

“…I should have realized sooner. But I’m a guy who doesn’t really look at the net.”

“Well, just looking at the net isn’t enough.”

“I didn’t know anything about MARIA getting flamed either.”

Expression vanished from Arisa’s face. Her way of speaking returned to Arisa’s.

“You didn’t need to know… it’s fine.”

“You were worried about it, weren’t you? You’ve been checking your smartphone more often lately.”

MARIA hasn’t openly reacted to the flaming on SNS. But alone, she was hurt.

“You don’t need to worry, Kenichi-san. The flaming is just people saying useless things.”

“It really, truuuly is useless!”

“Eh… yeah.”

Perhaps I put too much feeling into it; Arisa looked bewildered. But I really think so.

“Because Arisa is so ridiculously cute, yet they say MARIA’s makeup is to hide her bare face or whatever.”

“Eh………………Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!?”

“H-Hey, don’t shout so loud. Someone in the house will come.”

“Because you say weird things! With a straight face! Suddenly!? What do you mean ridiculously cute!? Of course I’m cute!? I’m a super beautiful girl, you know!?”

Arisa’s face was bright red as if boiling.

“You don’t have to overreact like that. It’s a fact, isn’t it?”

“Fa… ct…!”

Arisa sandwiched her cheeks with both hands and started wriggling.

“I think you should just quickly expose your bare face on the net and shut everyone up, though.”

“Exposing my bare face on the net is…”

Arisa’s shoulders jumped with a start.

“No, I don’t mean you have to do it. It would defeat the purpose of hiding your identity.”

I want to see Arisa suppress the enemy without question with her bare face, but there’s no need to go out of her way to step into the enemy’s ring.

“In the first place, why are you doing MARIA activities in secret?”

“…At first, I started it on a whim. I thought maybe I could recommend books to young kids.”

To think the motive for the activities of a charismatic JC admired by teenage girls nationwide was to propagate books.

“To do that, I first had to become someone people are interested in, so I studied makeup and fashion… but when I tried it, it was fun!”

In one part of the clean room, there was a shelf where many fashion magazines with sticky notes were crammed tightly. I know she has a separate costume room too.

Her natural beauty, and above all, Arisa’s guts to push straight forward once she decides on something, became her greatest weapon.

“Though I didn’t expect this level of popularity.”

“It’s not a level you can easily reach…”

“I started to really like it gradually~. Having fans gives me a sense of responsibility too~.”

Arisa speaks as MARIA.

“Thanks to that, I was recognized as a book-loving celebrity enough to get offers for book-related work from Shin-Nihon Publishing Distribution, so the goal was achieved, right~? I can even put out a photo & essay book~. I have nothing but gratitude for the fans.”

Arisa’s own charm and effort. And that sincere attitude pushed her up to here.

“That’s why it pisses me off that the fans are getting dragged into the flaming now, and I have things I want to say to the antis too, but~… It’s obvious that engaging them will just make them noisier, so I can’t do anything.”

Frustrated, she bites her lip.

“…By the way, Kenichi-san… you know about my flaming.”

“I researched as much as I could. Though the person being flamed might not want to be seen.”

“Weren’t you… afraid of flaming?”

Arisa looked surprised.

“I am… not good with it. I still don’t want to be actively involved. But… ignoring Arisa being hurt because of that felt like being an accomplice.”

Even if I close my eyes, the fact that flaming is happening doesn’t change.

“Pretty terrible things were written too, so I don’t know what to say…”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to say anything.”

Shaking her head gently, Arisa whispered in a soft voice.

“Just having someone who understands… saves me.”

Arisa sat holding her knees and buried her face in her legs.

“Stop it… that kind of thing.”

Her voice was slightly wet with tears.

“What kind of thing?”

“…I’ll really fall for you… …It’s nothing.”

After mumbling something, Arisa shut her mouth.

Fundamentally, the problem hasn’t been solved. But I’m glad someone could be there for Arisa, for MARIA like this. I’m glad I could be that someone.

“I can’t irresponsibly tell you not to worry, but it would defeat the purpose if you collapse from worrying.”

“I didn’t collapse from the stress of the flaming.”

Arisa raised her face again, her eyes harboring a powerful, glaring light.

“It is painful, certainly, but I won’t lose to something like that.”

“Then, the biggest problem for Arisa is…”

“Whether KIMISAKAYA Bookstore can be protected or not.”

As expected, that is the only thing she desires.

“I promised to protect Arisa and said I’d fight with you, but I couldn’t be of help… I’m sorry.”

“Stop it… I’m the one who should apologize. The worst part is that I went berserk at Kenichi-san’s company… I made your position worse… I’m sorry.”

Arisa and I bowed our heads to each other.

“But… there are things I want to say too.”

Arisa’s eyebrow twitched.

“In that case… I have things I want to say too.”

““…”” We stared at each other.

“Why did you break off the engagement with me on your own and accept the marriage with James!?”

“Why are you here when I went to the trouble of breaking off the engagement for you!?”

““…!”” We glared at each other intensely.

“…You judged that the best card to prevent the A&G acquisition was marriage to James, didn’t you?”

“James didn’t seem like he would give up, and the A&G acquisition talk seemed to be proceeding more forcefully than expected… So… in exchange for marrying him, I put out the condition that A&G wouldn’t acquire us.”

“But the result is this mess, right?”

Redness flushed Arisa’s face.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this! I settled it with Grandfather too! And yet…”

I understand it was unexpected for Arisa too. But.

“So why are you doing such things on your own?”

“Because Kenichi-san wanted to be released! You were suffering from causing trouble to those around you.”

“Certainly I was weak… and maybe I showed hesitation. If that made you panic strangely, I apologize. But just because I hesitated a little, am I useless now?”

“That’s why I… already…”

Arisa’s eyes, sniffing repeatedly, were full of tears. It’s a conclusion she reached thinking in her own way, as a fifteen-year-old. I can’t blame her for that. As the adult, I should say it for her.

“Let me be involved until the end.”

Arisa gasped and opened her eyes wide. The tears didn’t spill, right at the limit.

“Hey, Arisa is still fighting, right? You haven’t given up, right?”

Arisa lowered her eyes without saying anything.

“Then I can’t end this story yet either.”

“…Why? There’s no need to go that far… you don’t have to, really.”

Arisa was being stubborn. Because she is kind. Persuading her head-on seemed like it would be tough, so I used the magic words.

“Because Arisa is my wife, right?”

Having said it myself, I thought it was a convenient phrase.

“So I want you to tell me. Why do you want to protect KIMISAKAYA Bookstore so much?”

I have to know and move forward.

“No secrets between a married couple, right?”

“…That’s cowardly, using the couple setting conveniently.”

“Same to you.”

While gently wiping her tears, Arisa let out a big breath once. It made me think it was an act like taking off the armor Arisa usually wears.

“…I’ve told you my parents passed away, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Both my parents worked at the bookstore every day while taking care of me. By the time I was old enough to understand, my playground had become the bookstore. …I used to read books in the back of the store.”

I imagined young Arisa spending time surrounded by books.

“I used to be shy when I was little. So much so that I’d cry if I couldn’t see my parents. So I was always clinging to the two of them.”

Arisa laughed embarrassedly. That must have been a happy time for Arisa.

“Is it strange to want to protect the bookstore that those two cherished forever and ever until they died in an accident, the bookstore we spent time in together forever and ever?”

I can only imagine Arisa’s feelings, but.

“It’s not strange.”

“Leaving that aside, I like bookstores.”

Arisa’s voice became bright again.

“Bookstores let you meet various books and give you various answers. Things you are troubled about, or things you are worried about. I think all the answers are inside the bookstore. Sometimes you can’t find the perfect book for yourself, but that’s why I’m really happy when I encounter one.”

I can’t think of anywhere other than a bookstore that looks after everything from solving practical problems to solving indescribable, somewhat vague worries.

“I also like books that make you want to say ‘This existed!?'”

“When you find a book with a super maniac theme, you want it even though you don’t need it, right?”

“Minor encyclopedias are the best!”

At this point, we are probably entering a territory not understood by the general public…

“Also, bookstores, sure the bestseller sections stock similar things, but other places have quite different selections depending on the store.”

“It’s fun to go to a bookstore at a travel destination, isn’t it?”

“That’s good too~! Also, isn’t it great when there are more detailed sales floors where ‘the clerk’s taste is really showing’?”

“Yeah. Sometimes the sales floor changes blatantly when the staff changes.”

“Like ‘You definitely like this author’, or ‘You like idols’, or ‘Why is this manga artist’s previous series placed here instead of the current bestseller, certainly it’s a super masterpiece though!’, stuff like that!”

“Lately, because of my job, when I see books with slow turnover rates, I tend to think I want them to return them quickly and replace them with books that sell…”

“Yes, yes, the turnover rate orientation of the distributor is admirable~.”

“It’s because there are shelves that sell that we can afford to make shelves with free playfulness, you know?”

“But isn’t it the best when someone who just happened to come to the store has a spark of encounter with a book that was left inserted in the shelf and forgotten! A person’s life changes with a single book.”

I get carried away by the passionate Arisa. As people who like books and bookstores, the conversation is endless.

“…Wait, what were we talking about?”

“We derailed quite a bit…”

After talking for a while, I remembered the original purpose.

“I understand well Arisa’s feeling of wanting to protect the bookstore.”

I understood a little deeper than before.

“Anyway, does President Kimisaka have no resistance to his own bookstore being acquired?”

“Grandfather says it can’t be helped that the company changes shape. He’s a realist.”

As a manager, that’s a correct way of thinking. Nothing is wrong.

“But… I still don’t want to give up… on the bookstore as it is now.”

“I have the same feeling.”

“Kenichi-san said it before too. That you’d create something in real bookstores that won’t lose to A&G.”

Arisa smiled faintly.

“I know too. That just continuing the bookstore as it is now is no good. But I want to cherish the current bookstore too… and KIMISAKAYA is important…”

Arisa speaks as if her feelings are overflowing and won’t stop.

“…I’m the one obsessed with the KIMISAKAYA Bookstore sign… so it’s all my selfishness too.”

As if realizing something, she smiles quietly.

“Types of entertainment have increased, people say everyone is moving away from print and books aren’t selling. Online shopping has become natural, e-books have become convenient, so it’s natural that paper books don’t sell in bookstores.”

For twenty years, the so-called existing publishing industry has continued to decline. The number of bookstores has become about half of its peak.

“But… I want to resist.”

Inside Arisa’s powerful eyes, I see the light of a flame.

“Even if they write ‘The End of Bookstores’.”

That flame is a fire that will never be extinguished even if rained on by heavy rain or hit by a storm.

“I will protect KIMISAKAYA Bookstore.”

I thought she was like a saint swearing revolution in a devastated world.

“…Ah, sorry. Saying selfish things again. Kenichi-san doesn’t have to be involved anymore…”

“Let me protect it together. Don’t try to do it alone.”

Not just pretending to stand next to her because I was asked. I want to stand next to her and walk together.

“Doing nothing after being shown such a cool way of life… would make me lame.”

“Cool…?”

“No, really cool. It’s amazing that at that age, you have your own beliefs and are pushing forward. So… why don’t you embrace a bigger dream?”

Thinking like this is surely because I was hit by Arisa’s heat.

“A bigger… dream?”

“Don’t be satisfied with just protecting KIMISAKAYA. Blow away A&G’s schemes, President Kimisaka‘s calculations, and the mass media’s nonsense, all of it.”

I grin, lifting the corner of my lips.

“And swallow up the trend that bookstores are ending, and change it all ourselves. How about making a dream like that come true?”

I’ve said it while drunk to Kaede and the others. But the nuance is different from that time.

“It will surely be difficult right away. We might be going against the flow of the world. But someday we will achieve it. So how about it, won’t you fight together?”

Not a delusional dream story, I am saying it seriously. Arisa listened dumbfounded. And then.

“Fu, fufufu… Aha, hahahahaha! Ah, funny… fufu. Kenichi-san is seriously stiflingly hot, crazy in the head.”

“Hey.”

“But————It’s the beeeest!”

What an innocent, beautiful smile. By voicing it, a solitary dream becomes a dream with someone. Just by that, somehow, I feel like it can be realized.

“Okay, let’s make the dream come true together. No… please let me make it come true.”

Arisa sat straight and bowed politely like a bride’s greeting. I have spoken everything I wanted to speak… but.

“…Ah, also I’ll say just this.”

This is also an important thing that must not be forgotten.

“I absolutely won’t give Arisa… to James!”

“…………What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I can’t leave Arisa to a man like James.”

“No, that’s not for Kenichi-san to decide.”

“Anyway, I won’t recognize it. Fiancé authority.”

Arisa says “Yes, yes, I understand” like soothing a child while giggling. I’m not quite convinced.

“Then I also have a request for my fiancé? Fufufu.”

“W-What is it? The way you laugh is scary…”

“Take me away from here.”

“…Why is it necessary to take you away?”

“Because right now, unwillingly, I am on the verge of being forced to marry a political enemy, you know? It’s a scene where the true fiancé should rescue me from the mansion, right?”

“The details of the story are different… and kidnapping a fifteen-year-old is an arrest case…”

“Don’t be scared of such obvious things.”

She’s too brave for a princess to be rescued.

“We are going to do things that aren’t obvious together from now on, aren’t we?”

The princess holds out her hand while sitting. Sighing at her mischievous smile, I stood up. I grabbed the held-out hand and pulled Arisa up. Staring at each other at close range, we nodded silently to each other.

Now, let’s begin our revolution.