When Arisu Sakayanagi finished speaking, she was met with applause.
Yakken Izumi clapped his hands calmly—lightly, without exaggeration.
Even so, it was enough to surprise everyone. After all, few people could make Yakken Izumi applaud voluntarily.
"Phew…" Arisu exhaled softly. What she had just said wasn't profound—she had simply spoken from the heart.
But now, Yakken Izumi was clapping for her. Could it mean…
"Little Arisu, if you can remember everything you just said and live by those words from now on, then you truly have the right to marry Kotomi Izumi."
Yakken spoke with quiet composure, but there was a weight in his tone that made people instinctively sit up straighter, replying, "Please rest assured!"
"Please rest assured, I'll prove that I'm worthy to marry Kotomi."
"Hahaha, good, very good! You wish to rely on your own strength, not your family's, to win Kotomi back from Megumi Kato—and make her fall in love with you again. Since that's the case, we elders shouldn't interfere too much in the affairs of you young people.
"Your proposal—Izumi family accepts it. The Izumi family will set an engagement between the Izumi and Sakayanagi families. However, this first engagement will only be a formal one—to show that both the Izumi and Sakayanagi families support your love with Kotomi and your future marriage.
"Who Kotomi loves is her freedom. Whether she wishes to marry a boy or a girl in the future, as her family, we'll support her one hundred percent."
"I understand."
"Little Arisu, why don't you stay for dinner tonight? Have you arranged a place to stay?"
Seeing that business was finished, Harumari Izumi finally spoke. As the lady of the house, she always waited until her husband was done with formal matters before speaking casually.
"We haven't booked a place yet, but Atsuki said there are plenty of hotels in Yamanashi, so we can find one later."
"It's almost camping season, Little Arisu. You probably haven't been to Yamanashi in a long time, have you? It's become one of the most popular camping destinations lately—boosting tourism quite a bit. Even if not for camping, many people visit to admire Mount Fuji, the Fuji Five Lakes, or Oshino Hakkai. Yamanashi has so many breathtaking spots," Harumari said with a cheerful smile.
"When we drove here earlier, we saw Mount Fuji from afar. I hope I can go see those places with Kotomi sometime."
"It's already dinner time—why not just stay and have dinner, and spend the night here? Even though it's not peak season like during holidays, there are still plenty of tourists. Finding a hotel with vacant rooms this late won't be easy."
"Wouldn't that be too much trouble…?"
"Not at all! I'd be delighted if you stayed more often. Once you and Kotomi get married and have children, I can even help take care of them. I've been waiting so long to hold great-grandchildren!"
Harumari smiled kindly, then added something that made Arisu immediately change her mind about staying.
"Little Arisu, you can sleep in Kotomi's bedroom tonight. Even though she hasn't stayed here for a long time, I still have the maids clean her room every day."
"Then… thank you for your hospitality!" Arisu answered quickly.
...
They had a sumptuous dinner.
Afterward, Harumari Izumi led Arisu to Kotomi Izumi's bedroom, with Atsuki following behind.
During the proposal earlier, the head maid had waited in the lounge. After all, this was a major matter between the Izumi and Sakayanagi families—even as head maid, she couldn't intrude.
She didn't know how the talk had gone, but judging by the relaxed atmosphere at dinner, it seemed the Izumi family had accepted the proposal.
Sigh… poor Megumi Kato, Atsuki thought silently. Even as Arisu's maid, she couldn't help feeling a little sympathy.
This engagement, at its core, meant that Arisu Sakayanagi sought the approval of the Izumi, Hishinaga, and Sakayanagi families—so that she could pursue Kotomi Izumi openly, without hesitation or restraint.
Even if anyone tried to criticize or attack the Izumi, Sakayanagi, or Hishinaga families over it, the engagement would serve as a public declaration—shutting down all opposition.
Truly, as expected of Miss Sakayanagi—flawless in both thought and action!
Arisu Sakayanagi's pursuit of Kotomi Izumi had already been fierce enough before—but once she gained the official approval of all three families, her methods could only be described as unstoppable, sweeping through everything in her path.
If everything went smoothly, then by this time next year, people might already be attending the engagement banquet of Kotomi Izumi and Arisu Sakayanagi. The thought made Atsuki, who had served as Arisu's personal maid for many years, smile in satisfaction.
When the door to Kotomi Izumi's bedroom was opened, it revealed an extraordinarily luxurious princess-style room, the entire space decorated in soft, pastel pink tones.
Years ago, a renowned French designer—hailed as a goddess of aesthetics—was invited to Japan by the Izumi family. The designer had assumed she would be tasked with an important and solemn project, preparing herself to give her all and create one of her life's proudest masterpieces.
That was, until she received the actual commission details—and was utterly dumbfounded.
Design a bedroom… for a little girl?!
Standing in Haneda Airport, the designer almost turned around and boarded the next flight back to France. She thought the Izumi family was playing a joke on her.
But before she could leave, the Izumi family's bodyguards politely and courteously invited her into a sleek black car.
The designer sat inside, her face full of reluctance—until she saw the budget and compensation offered by the Izumi family.
At first, she had firmly refused. After all, any interior design company could handle such a project. If necessary, she could simply sketch some design plans in France and send them digitally for the Japanese contractors to follow. Why should she personally come all the way to Japan?
But… the Izumi family's payment was simply too generous!
In the end, the designer more than earned her fee—pouring nearly an entire year's effort and passion into this one bedroom design. She revised the draft plans dozens of times before finally finalizing them.
The first time Arisu Sakayanagi stepped into Kotomi Izumi's childhood bedroom, she couldn't help glancing around curiously. Thinking about how Kotomi had lived here as a child and stayed here whenever she returned home, Arisu subtly quickened her steps, pretending to be casual as she approached the bed and gently touched the sheets.
Since childhood, Kotomi had loved to roll around in her sleep—naturally preferring large beds. Thus, her old bedroom was furnished with a double bed.
Hopefully, next time I come to the Izumi estate, I can lie here beside Kotomi… Arisu thought with a faint smile tugging at her lips.
"Little Arisu, is it alright for you to stay here tonight?" Harumari Izumi asked.
"Of course. I'm very grateful that you'd let me stay in Kotomi's room."
"Haha, think nothing of it. Make yourself at home. After all, when you and Kotomi end up together, you'll be living in the same room and sleeping in the same bed anyway," Harumari said with a warm laugh.
Before leaving, Harumari instructed one of the maids to remain until Atsuki had unpacked Arisu's luggage, after which the maid would escort her to the guest quarters.
Atsuki wasted no time and quickly arranged all the items Arisu might need, taking them out of the suitcase and setting them neatly in place.
"Miss Arisu, everything has been prepared. If you need anything, just call me—I'll come immediately."
"Thank you. You should go get some rest in the guest room too," Arisu replied with a nod.
Judging from her expression, it was clear she was no longer in the mood for conversation—her entire focus was absorbed by Kotomi Izumi's bedroom. Her mind was full of images of Kotomi living here as a child.
Kotomi must have lived in this room when she was little. Just picturing the small, adorable Kotomi, Arisu couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Little Kotomi must have been a tiny ball of fluff—stumbling over her words, walking clumsily, radiating a pure, innocent charm.
After Atsuki and the maid left, Arisu leaned on her cane and began walking slowly around the room. Aside from a stuffed unicorn doll, she also discovered something surprising inside a glass display case—an actual Kamen Rider suit!
Judging by the look, it seemed to be one of Kotomi's favorite Riders—Kuuga.
When they were children, little Arisu often sat quietly beside little Kotomi, keeping her company as she watched Kamen Rider. Over time, Arisu memorized every Rider Kotomi liked—what they looked like, what they were called.
Now, seeing the Ultimate Rising Kuuga suit displayed before her, Arisu froze for a moment before bursting into a soft laugh.
If she wasn't mistaken, this must have been the Kamen Rider costume Kotomi wore as a child. After all, Kotomi's dream since childhood had always been to own a belt that could transform her into a Kamen Rider.
"It's such a shame I never got to see Kotomi wearing this," Arisu murmured softly. "She must've been so adorable."
Her gaze wandered upward, landing on a nearby bookshelf filled with picture books and manga. But among them, one item stood out—the first book on the top shelf, far left. Even at a glance, the spine made it clear that it was unusually thick.
It didn't look like something that belonged in a child's room.
Curiosity compelled Arisu to reach for it. Since one hand had to support her cane, retrieving the hefty book with just one hand proved difficult.
After some effort, she finally managed to take it down.
Balancing the thick book in one hand, she used her cane to make her way back to the bed and sat down.
Setting her cane aside, she opened the book—only to realize it wasn't a book at all, but a large photo album.
Inside were countless photos of Kotomi Izumi as a child.
"So cute…"
Cradling the album in one hand, Arisu began flipping through the pages with the other. Each photograph of little Kotomi made her expression soften into one of pure, dreamy admiration.
I wish I could take all these photos home and keep them forever…
Rustle—
Halfway through, something slipped from between the pages and fell to the floor.
Hearing the faint sound, Arisu looked down and saw what had fallen out—a photograph, its edges yellowed with age and marked by the passage of time.
—
—
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven