“Hiroyuki~. You’re moving out of this house next week, okay?”

“…Huh?”

It was a Saturday morning, and I, Higashi Kujou Hiroyuki, had just come down from my room after enjoying the luxury of a second nap on my day off when those words reached my ears—uttered by my old man, who was lounging on the couch watching TV.

“Wait… Why?”

“Because, starting next week, you’ll be living with your fiancée.”

“…Huh?”

“Yes, you’re moving out of this house next week to live with Ayane-chan, your fiancée.”

“Wait, hold up. I can’t follow what’s happening. What are you saying? Did you lose your mind or something?”

“Don’t be rude. I’m not losing it. Hiroyuki, you’re—”

“First, take your eyes off the TV and look at me, Dad!”

Grumbling something like “What a hassle,” my lazy old man finally turned his attention away from the TV. 

++Seriously? He’s telling me to move out while watching TV without a care?++

“So, here’s the thing. Right after you were born, my company almost went bankrupt.”

“In this Reiwa era, and you’re pulling out a joke from the Showa era…!”

A chill ran down my spine.

“No, no, I’m serious! It was really bad. But then, the president of a large company helped us out. He gave us financial aid, lent us people, introduced us to clients… We were saved, big time.”

“…Oh. Well, good for you, I guess.”

“Right? So I was really grateful and said I wanted to repay him. Then he said, ‘Then let’s have your son marry my daughter when they’re of age. They’re the same age, after all.’”

“…So, that’s why I have a fiancée?”

“Exactly.”

“There are a ++lot++ of things I want to say, but… ++Why?++”

“++’Why,’++ you ask?”

“Isn’t the whole point of arranged marriages between families usually because it benefits both families or because the parents are close? Isn’t that how it works?”

“That’s right.”

“But you weren’t longtime acquaintances with that president, were you?”

“Yes. It was purely a financial relationship.”

“The way you put that! So why does it lead to me ++marrying++ the guy’s daughter?”

My old man’s company is just a small to medium-sized business. Even if he’s called ‘president,’ it’s a small company with about ten employees.

“I can’t imagine a big company’s president would care.”

“Hiroyuki, don’t you think it might be because they value your dad’s abilities?”

“++Your++ company nearly went bankrupt, right? ++What++ abilities?”

“Wow, you’re harsh, Hiroyuki. Well, you’re not wrong. I don’t have that kind of ability, son.”

My old man slumped his shoulders as he said that. It’s not that I dislike him or don’t respect him, but… how should I put it? I can’t imagine my old man being some bigshot.

“Well, it’s true that I’m just the president of a small company. But hey, our family is kind of a ‘prestigious household,’ you know?”

“…Is that true?”

“Didn’t I tell you?”

“It’s the first I’ve heard of it.”

“In Kyoto, our main family is pretty famous. The main Kujou family used to be part of the former nobility, and our ancestors are even in the history textbooks.”

“…Seriously?”

I always thought that the main family’s house was huge… but is our family that famous?

“So why are you running a small company, Dad?”

“Our family is a very distant branch, you see. All the benefits went to the main family or the stronger branch families.”

“…That sucks.”

“Does it? I don’t mind since they let us live freely. But, well, the president of the company that helped us comes from what’s called a ‘nouveau riche’ background. He climbed up the ranks in the business world but apparently had some rough experiences along the way.”

“…” 

“So, he started thinking, ‘I want to be connected to a prestigious family!’ But since his company rose so fast, it earned a lot of bad rumors, and he couldn’t find a good marriage match for his daughter.”

“…Seriously?”

++Wait, so I have to marry into some notorious family?++

“Yeah, I made the promise pretty casually, but… when I heard the rumors later, I was scared.”

“Then refuse it! I mean, for my happiness, at least!”

“I’d love to, but… sorry, Hiroyuki. Unfortunately, we haven’t finished repaying the money we borrowed from that president’s family yet. Actually, the debt’s still growing…”

“Just shut down the company already! You’re not cut out to run a business!”

“I’ve already reached the point where I can’t quit… So please, Hiroyuki!”

“No way, you can’t just—”

“The girl is super cute, you know? Like, she’s a ++proper++ young lady! Top grades, athletic, and apparently a total catch! She’s a top-tier deal!”

“She’s not a ‘deal,’ Dad.”

“You’ve probably met her already.”

“I’ve met her?”

My old man nodded with a smug grin.

“Yeah, she goes to the same high school as you.”

“…What?”

++Oh no. I have a really bad feeling about this.++

“Don’t you know her? I’ve only seen her in photos, but with such beauty, top grades, and excellent athletic ability, it wouldn’t be surprising if she were the school idol…”

An alarm bell rang loudly in my head, signaling an emergency.

++A beauty? Top grades? Athletic? On top of that, a rich young lady… and at the same school.++

“…Ayane.”

“Hmm?”

“That fiancée’s name—is it, by any chance, ‘Kiryu Ayane’?”

With my heart full of hope that he’d say no, I looked at my old man, who beamed back at me.

“Yup, that’s right! So you knew her after all, Hiroyuki! She’s famous, isn’t she?”

“…Yeah, she’s famous.”

She is a second-year at Ten’eikan High School, which I attend—in fact, she’s famous throughout the whole school as an outstandingly beautiful girl. From a wealthy family, top grades, excels in sports—a perfect young lady as if she jumped out of a light novel. A perfect young lady, but…

“…She’s the ‘villainess,’ isn’t she?”

She’s known as the “villainess” because her personality is said to be absolutely awful, earning her that nickname due to her sharp tongue and terrible attitude. She’s notorious for all the wrong reasons.

!next

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