A beautiful Scandinavian girl vs a beautiful childhood friend
TL/ED: Bogdi
“Konoe-san was Renjo-kun’s fiancée?”
Aino looked surprised, her blue eyes wide open, as she repeated Chika’s words.
Toru could understand her surprise.
But her voice was too loud.
This was a secret within a secret. It would be bad if anyone around them heard it.
Fortunately, the cafeteria was noisy during lunch break.
There were no other students close enough to hear Aino’s voice.
Aino was a petite, beautiful girl with blond hair and blue eyes, and Chika was a neat, slender beauty with black hair.
Both of them were among the five most beautiful girls in the entire school, so they were the center of attention, but the rest of the students just looked at them from a distance.
Toru was relieved, then glared at Chika.
“Konoe-san, …… you violated your promise. I thought we were supposed to keep our past a secret at school.”
“It’s okay. It’s true that you and I were engaged for family reasons. It’s not something I want to remember, though.”
Chika’s words tore into Toru’s heart. For Chika, the fact that she and Toru were fiancées was an unpleasant past.
Even though he knew it, it was hard for Toru. After all, Toru had a crush on Chika.
The relationship between Toru and Chika was not just a childhood friendship, it was complicated.
First of all, Toru and Chika are cousins. The Konoe family, into which Chika was born, is one of the richest families in all of Japan.
The Konoe Group is a large corporate group that operates local banks, department stores, auto parts manufacturers, and ceramic factories in Nagoya, and there is no one in the Tokai region who does not know about it.
Toru’s mother was also from the Konoe family. When Toru’s parents divorced while he was in elementary school, he was taken in by the Konoe family.
So, Toru and Chika once lived in the same house.
And Toru was engaged to Chika with the expectation of his future contribution to the Konoe Group.
The reason why they decided on a fiancée when they were children was the result of a variety of special circumstances.
One reason was that the Konoe family was an old-fashioned family and Chika was very sickly when she was a child.
Another reason is that Toru and Chika were very close as children, even from a third party’s point of view.
Both Toru and Chika thought of each other as inseparable and valuable.
Toru loved Chika, and that’s why he tried his best to be worthy of her.
The engagement was just a formality, decided by the family’s circumstances. Even though they were engaged to each other, they could not say that they were lovers.
That’s why Toru wanted to make Chika fall in love with him on his own.
But it didn’t work out. In the end, Toru was kicked out of the Konoe household and his engagement to Chika was dropped.
That was the result of a major incident, but it didn’t change the fact that Toru and Chika’s relationship was definitely broken.
In front of him, Chika stares at Aino with her piercing black eyes.
“So, I know Renjo-kun very well. Unlike you.”
“So, what are you trying to say?”
Aino asked back in a small voice and Chika smiled.
“I don’t want you to get involved with such a bad person. Renjo-kun only thinks about himself. When it comes down to it, he’s the kind of person who would abandon his fiancée and run away.”
Chika said cheerfully, but her words were filled with clear hostility.
It is true that Toru did something that Chika could not help but say that. That’s how much he hurt Chika.
(Chika is right. Aino should not get involved with …… me.)
I hate myself.
If I were to get involved with Aino, I might end up hurting her, just like I did with Chika.
At the very least, Chika’s words would cause Aino to have doubts about Toru.
But …… Aino shook her head.
“I don’t know what happened between Renjo-kun and Konoe-san.” she said.” But I don’t think that Renjo-kun is a bad person.”
It was in a quiet voice, but Aino said it clearly. Chika’s words did not seem to resonate with Aino at all.
Chika’s big black eyes widened. Then, slightly, really slightly, Chika appeared to be impatient.
“‘What makes you think that, Luthi-san? Can’t you trust what I’m saying? I’ve known this man for a long time.”
“Because what I’m seeing is the Renjo-kun of today. It’s not the old Renjo-kun. The man I see in front of me now is a kind person.”
Aino smiled, and then, perhaps embarrassed, she blushed a little and lowered her eyes.
Chika looked taken aback.
Aino’s words were new to Toru, too.
(I see……)
What Chika knows is the Toru of old. She has known him for a long time, since she was a child, but that is not the same as the Toru of today.
On the contrary, for Aino, Toru is the Toru that is here now.
It was a natural thing to say, but these words helped Toru a little.
The perfect superhuman Chika was uncharacteristically flustered and glared hard at Aino.
“I don’t care if you will regret it.”
“I won’t regret it. I’m not like Konoe-san.”
Chika was at a loss for words, and then she smiled.
“You’re right. I was Renjo-kun’s childhood friend and fiancée for a while, but you’re different.”
“I can’t be his childhood friend, but I can be his fiancée, right?”
Aino tilted her head a little and her golden hair swayed softly.
Chika was in a state of shock. Toru, too, could not understand Aino’s words and stiffened.
Aino looked up at Toru with her jewel-like blue eyes.
“I want you to be my fiancée, Renjo-kun.”
