The day after Haruno and Yukino returned to Tokyo.
Afternoon.
Since Haruno's arranged meeting with her matchmaking partner was set for dinner, the two sisters dropped by Ichin's place in the afternoon.
But when Ichin saw that besides the Yukinoshita sisters, Hiratsuka Shizuka was also at the door, he scratched his head.
"Uh… Hiratsuka-sensei, why are you here too?"
After stepping inside and changing into slippers, Hiratsuka replied,
"Last night I was on the phone with Haruno, she mentioned it to me. Just so happens I had some free time these days, so I came over from Chiba. Back when I went to my matchmaking meetups, Haruno tagged along a few times to mess around. Now it's my turn to return the favor."
Ah, so that was the reason.
In the living room, Utaha's gaze immediately fell on Haruno when the three entered.
"Haruno, you look absolutely gorgeous today."
Today, Haruno wore a white women's overcoat on the outside, a turtleneck wool sweater inside, paired with a fitted knee-length skirt and black tights.
Once she took off the coat, her graceful figure was highlighted. With her carefully kept shoulder-length hair and refined makeup, she was practically radiant.
Sitting down on the sofa, Haruno smiled.
"Whether I like it or not, this is something arranged by my mother. I can't embarrass her in front of acquaintances. So, Ichin, Utaha—why don't you two come along tonight as well? The restaurant we're meeting at has a nice atmosphere, the food's good too. While I go on my date, you can at least enjoy dinner."
Ichin asked curiously,
"Are you sure we won't get in the way?"
"Don't worry. You won't be at the same table with me anyway."
Waving her hand, Haruno continued,
"You four can sit at a separate table, just watch from afar. You can even help me judge what kind of person the guy is."
At that, Ichin immediately raised his hand.
"I've got a question."
"What?"
"You still haven't told us who this guy is."
"Eh? I didn't?"
Haruno blinked in surprise.
When both Ichin and Utaha nodded, she finally explained,
"He's in business. Their family runs a construction company based in Kyoto, which has been doing well in recent years. They've just started expanding into Tokyo. His mother and ours are old friends—college classmates, actually. They've met several times at banquets in the past. As for their son, he studied abroad for years, only came back last year to help manage the family company. I haven't met him myself."
Utaha asked,
"What about a photo? And how old is he?"
"Twenty-six, a bit older than me. And yes, I do have a photo."
Haruno pulled out her phone and found his picture.
Since Hiratsuka hadn't seen it either, she leaned in to look along with Ichin and Utaha.
It was a casual photo of the guy—short hair, reasonably good-looking, glasses, a faint smile on his face. He carried a somewhat scholarly air.
"Not bad," Ichin commented fairly. "What about his personality? Did you find out beforehand?"
"I got some info, but only secondhand from my mother—who heard it from his mother. He's basically a good boy, nothing majorly wrong, just… a bit too sheltered. Spent all his university years buried in books. Capable enough, I guess, but otherwise, you only know once you meet face to face."
"I see…"
Utaha nodded thoughtfully. It wasn't surprising. She'd met the sisters' mother before: while outwardly cold, she genuinely cared for her daughters. Even when arranging a marriage meeting, she wouldn't purposely harm her daughter's interests. The chosen partner would have been screened—he couldn't be too bad.
Then Yukino suddenly thought of something. Glancing at Haruno's figure, she asked,
"Haruno, how tall is he?"
"His height?"
Haruno hadn't expected that question and realized she didn't know.
Yukino gave the answer instead,
"Judging from the photo, maybe around 170 centimeters."
Haruno picked up the photo again, studied it, and nodded.
"Mm, barely 170."
The moment she said that, all four women—including Hiratsuka—spoke in unison:
"Unqualified."
Hearing that, Ichin chuckled helplessly.
But thinking it over, it made sense. All four women were tall. Even the shortest, Yukino, already stood at 168 cm, and she'd surely break 170 as she grew. As for the others, Utaha and Haruno were both 172, and Hiratsuka was even taller at 174.
Given their heights, seeing a man who might not even reach 170, judging him "not good enough" was only natural.
And that was just raw height—once you factored in high heels, which all of them had in their closets, even Yukino and Hiratsuka would tower over him.
Rubbing his chin, Ichin remarked,
"Looks like tonight will just be dinner, nothing more. Haruno, do we head over together, or should we go ahead and sit down first?"
Haruno tapped her chin with her finger.
"Let's go together. It's not like I'm trying to hide anything. Better to be upfront. After all, a girl going to a meeting like this needs a little backup, right?"
"…"
Anyone else saying that would've sounded perfectly reasonable. But coming from Haruno—who was skilled in aikido—it rang a bit hollow.
Still, the evening plan was set.
They spent the afternoon drinking tea and chatting at Ichin's place. Before long, dusk fell. They split into two cars—Haruno driving one, Ichin the other—and headed for the restaurant.
When they arrived, Haruno's matchmaking partner was already there. At least he was punctual.
Led in by the waiter, the group finally met the nameless "Mr. Background Extra" no one had bothered to even ask the name of.
He looked decent enough in the photo, but in person, Ichin noticed the guy seemed extremely nervous.
Ichin took Utaha and the others to a table not too far away, leaving Haruno and the man their space to talk.
Once they sat down, Ichin handed the menu to Yukino and Hiratsuka, then leaned in and whispered,
"This guy's really nervous. Yukino, do you think he already knows about your sister's popularity and her way of dealing with people?"
Yukino, who had also noticed his reaction, nodded thoughtfully.
"Quite possible."
*