Chapter 16: How About an Engagement?

After returning from the Ōka Association, Ishikawa Yuka racked her brain trying to think of a strategy to deal with Noyama Hiroki, but no matter how much she thought, she came up empty.

What made things worse was that accepting the gift in front of everyone was already a serious problem in itself.

Now, everyone believed she owed Noyama Hiroki a personal favor.

If any conflict were to arise in the future, there was no guarantee people wouldn’t point fingers and say, “Ishikawa Yuka already accepted his gift, and she still acts like this…”

She suddenly realized something.

This was probably part of his scheme as well.

Giving a gift in public didn’t just convince the witnesses present—it also ensured that anyone who heard about it afterward would believe she had accepted Noyama Hiroki’s goodwill.

If Noyama Hiroki were to make any request of her in the future and she refused, she would very likely be branded as “ungrateful.”

This was bad.

Really bad.

She couldn’t just leave this alone.

She had to find a way to resolve it.

But what could she do?

Returning the gift would only offend him further and embarrass him in public, which would instead deepen Noyama Hiroki’s resentment toward her.

Her ideal outcome was to owe nothing and have no dealings whatsoever for the rest of their lives.

Did such a miraculous solution even exist?

“Brother…”

“Hm? What is it?”

Yuka softly called out to the brother riding in the same car.

The ever-optimistic Ishikawa Youta turned around with a cheerful smile.

“Do you know what Noyama-senpai likes, or what kinds of things he prefers?”

“Huh? Hiroki’s? Why are you asking… ah! I get it now~”

It seemed her brother had understood her intention.

To break this deadlock, there was only one brilliant idea.

“Hiroki really likes chocolate.”

“I-is that so…”

Yuka couldn’t help complaining inwardly.

‘That Noyama Hiroki… he didn’t send chocolate just because he likes eating it himself, did he?’

‘He basically picked something he wanted to eat.’

‘In the end, liking chocolate really is a kid’s taste.’

‘Well, he is only a first-grader…’

But still…

If that was the case…

She knew what to do now.

“Brother, could we take a small detour?”

“Sure.”

Hearing this, Youta nodded with a grin, as if he had already guessed his sister’s perfect plan.

As expected of her mature and reliable elementary-school brother.

Yuka’s strategy was simple.

Since she had accepted a gift and incurred a debt, she would just return one and settle the score.

Since the chocolate had been given based on his personal preference, returning the favor would be easy.

She just needed to choose a different brand—something that wouldn’t look like she was returning the gift.

“Emi, stop by the usual shop on the way.”

“…Understood.”

Yuka instructed the front seat.

Since there was a partition between the driver’s seat and the back, she had Emi, who was sitting in the passenger seat, relay the request to the driver.

Originally, she had planned to go straight to Chika Academy with her brother.

Now, she decided to change plans and make a short detour.

Before heading to Chika Academy, Yuka first went to that famous dessert shop.

The chocolate Noyama Hiroki had given her was from a globally renowned brand.

If she returned chocolate from the same brand, it would be no different from returning the gift.

So she decided to choose a different brand.

However, her brother had only said that Noyama Hiroki liked chocolate.

There were countless types of chocolate, and she had no clue which one he actually preferred.

Yuka sighed inwardly.

‘This is exactly when boys are unreliable.’

‘“Likes candy,” “likes chocolate”—and that’s it.’

‘No details at all.’

Even within chocolate, there were many categories, and even within the same category, people had preferences.

If it were a girl, she would definitely ask about the exact type and brand and remember it.

But boys with rough personalities never thought that far.

Yuka felt that this was precisely why boys’ gifts often missed the mark.

Complaining about her brother’s lack of information wouldn’t help now.

She needed to make the best use of what she had and think carefully about the return gift.

Was there any other information…

If he liked chocolate…

Ah!

She remembered.

There was a Valentine’s Day event in Love 100%.

She had played the game dozens—no, hundreds—of times, but because she had little interest in male characters, she had almost forgotten.

Among the Valentine’s chocolate choices the protagonist could give Noyama Hiroki…

That’s right.

Nama chocolate.

The chocolate Noyama Hiroki liked was nama chocolate.

In the dialogue with the protagonist…

If you chose nama chocolate, it triggered a line like, “This reminds me of the nama chocolate my first love gave me.”

From then on, nama chocolate became his absolute favorite.

And his affection for the protagonist would increase.

Alright.

The return gift for Noyama Hiroki would be nama chocolate.

She would buy some for herself as well.

It would be nice if she could share it with Matsuyama Shoko and Anmiya Marina.

But eating it together at the Ōka Association on the day she returned the gift wouldn’t be appropriate.

She should buy small individual packages that would be easy to eat in the classroom.

“Aren’t you buying any, Brother?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Her brother didn’t seem interested in buying any.

He probably didn’t dislike sweets…

Since this was a rare chance, she would buy them herself.

One box for returning to Noyama Hiroki.

One for sharing at school with Shoko and Marina.

One for the family to eat together.

Ah!

She was going to Chika Academy next—she should bring one for Akagi Naoko-sensei too.

“Yuka… are you really buying that many?”

“Of course!”

Yuka rolled her eyes inwardly.

‘What is this brother even saying?’

‘One of these is basically for you too, you know?’

‘Don’t look at me like I’m some chocolate addict.’

“Alright, let’s go.”

Carrying a large pile of chocolate, Yuka and her brother finally headed to Chika Academy.

During Akagi Naoko-sensei’s class at Chika Academy, Yuka felt it was far more practical than the classes at Ōka Academy.

“Naoko-sensei, I bought chocolate today at my favorite dessert shop.”

“Would you like to try some together?”

“Ishikawa-san… this is a cram school, and class is in session…”

Of course she knew that.

But was eating during class actually forbidden?

“The brain needs nutrition, you know.”

“And you get thirsty too, right?”

“Providing sugar to the brain and preventing heatstroke is only natural, isn’t it?”

Although there used to be clubs that banned drinking water, preventing heatstroke was now common sense.

A cram school couldn’t possibly forbid drinking water just because it was class time.

Of course, this was pure sophistry.

What was the harm anyway?

Eating loud, crunchy snacks wouldn’t be appropriate, but quietly eating something during a short break should be fine.

“Ah… as expected of Ishikawa-san…”

“Such eloquence…”

Naoko-sensei looked somewhat speechless, but whether she gave up or compromised, she eventually allowed it.

With the teacher’s permission secured, Yuka immediately took out what she had bought.

The other chocolates were still in the car.

She had only brought the one meant to share with the teacher.

“Huh?! Isn’t this from that famous shop?!”

“You know it too, Naoko-sensei?”

She had thought it was her own hidden gem.

She hadn’t expected Naoko-sensei to know it as well.

That said, the shop had a large sign and was right along the street.

Anyone passing by would notice such an impressive storefront.

“I’ve always wanted to try it, but on my meager salary, I could never afford such a luxury…”

For some reason, Naoko-sensei’s eyes welled up with tears.

This was a high-class cram school filled with children of wealthy families.

Were the instructors’ salaries really that low?

By the way, the shop was indeed a bit pricey, but still well within what an average office worker could afford.

Even her previous-life salary could have bought it.

Of course, her past self never would have.

She would rather spend that money on yuri merchandise or games.

That was about the same price range.

“Here, please help yourself.”

“Thank you!”

“I’m digging in… mm…!”

“It’s delicious!”

Yuka opened the box and handed it over.

Naoko-sensei’s eyes lit up as she stuffed a large piece into her mouth and exclaimed loudly.

Startled, Yuka quickly made a “shh” gesture.

“Sensei, your voice is too loud.”

“I’m sorry… it was just too good…”

She agreed that it was delicious, but wasn’t that a bit exaggerated?

Still, when someone praised and enjoyed something she liked, it naturally made her happy.

Seeing how much Naoko-sensei liked it, Yuka felt delighted and prepared to try a piece herself—

“What’s so delicious?”

“…!”

Just as she was about to put the chocolate into her mouth, she felt a low voice full of anger behind her.

It seemed she wouldn’t be eating that chocolate after all.

Yuka had terrible luck at Chika Academy.

After finally buying her favorite chocolate to share with Naoko-sensei, that single exclamation had attracted the attention of the cram school director.

She was scolded for “eating during class,” and the chocolate was confiscated.

She didn’t get a single bite.

Although it was returned to her after class, it had originally been a gift for Naoko-sensei.

She had planned to eat it together during the lesson, so she simply left it for the teachers.

There hadn’t been much in the box to begin with.

Once everyone shared a little, it was gone.

If they hadn’t been discovered, she could have enjoyed it alone with Naoko-sensei…

Naoko-sensei was really too careless.

Still, she had another box waiting at home for her family.

And she often went to that shop anyway.

So it wasn’t a complete loss.

When she returned home, she was, as expected, questioned about why she had bought so much chocolate without permission.

This was within her expectations.

She explained that she had received chocolate from Noyama Hiroki and that this was a return gift.

“Oh?”

“That Noyama family’s Hiroki boy…”

“Yuka, since you and Hiroki are getting along so well, how about arranging an engagement first—”

“Father!”

“I already told you, absolutely not!”

Her father clearly hadn’t given up on the idea of an engagement between her and Noyama Hiroki.

She knew it.

He probably thought that if he persuaded her enough times, she would eventually change her mind.

Unfortunately for him.

She would never become a candidate for Noyama Hiroki’s fiancée.

That would be a direct route to the bankruptcy ending.

And this wasn’t just her personal issue.

It involved the entire Ishikawa family.

If she were to become engaged—or even a fiancée candidate—the Ishikawa family itself would be dragged into danger.

At best, their household would decline.

At worst, there were even death routes.

So it was best to avoid any involvement with the Noyama family or Hiroki altogether.

“Hiroki did that… hey…”

“Youta, is that true?”

Yuka couldn’t help complaining inwardly.

‘Mother… why are you asking my brother to confirm?’

‘Is it really that strange that I received chocolate from Noyama Hiroki?’

It was strange.

Even she herself found it strange.

So she could somewhat understand her mother’s feelings.

But not believing her and asking someone else to confirm?

Wasn’t that hurtful?

Even adults would feel hurt by being distrusted.

Let alone a child in such a sensitive stage.

“It’s true.”

“She received it in the Ōka Association salon.”

“There were many other members present at the time.”

“I see…”

“But why Yuka of all people…”

Hey.

So her mother finally said that out loud.

What a cruel thing for a mother to say.

If she were truly a first-grader, she would probably have become rebellious by now.

Thankfully, she had an adult mind and could understand her mother’s feelings.

Come to think of it, Yuka felt that her mother in the game and her mother now were very different.

The mother in the game was basically an exaggerated version of the heroine—arrogant and domineering.

When the two were together, the noise and trouble they caused were unmatched.

They were the very image of an overbearing mother-daughter duo.

But her current mother had none of that air.

She was more like a nagging but ordinary housewife.

Could her mother’s personality change too…?

Was it because she had reincarnated as Yuka…?

Thinking back, when she had first regained her memories of her past life, her mother had been much closer to the game version.

Recently, though, she had been becoming more and more like a worried, ordinary mom.

It really might be because of her influence.

In any case, the issue of unauthorized shopping was finally resolved with a proper explanation.

After enjoying the chocolate she had bought for her family, Yuka returned to her room.