The dishes at this restaurant looked pretty good. After ordering a few, the four of them ate while secretly observing.
Cutting into her steak, Hiratsuka Shizuka commented,
"Mm, the steak's decent. Whatever else, at least the choice of place isn't bad. You saw it just now, right? How tall is that guy?"
Ichin thought for a moment, then whispered,
"Should be just a little over 170 cm. But I noticed his shoes—pretty sure they had height boosters. Without them, he might not even reach 170. And even like this, standing next to Haruno, he already looks pressured. Keep in mind, Haruno isn't even wearing heels today, just ordinary leather shoes."
Utaha added,
"Also, did you notice? He's clearly nervous when talking to Haruno. Not sure if it's just her, or if he's always like that."
"Who knows."
Ichin shrugged, shifting his attention back to his short ribs. Between bites, he said,
"Anyway, I don't see Haruno ever liking a guy like this. He doesn't even qualify to be one of her 'playthings.'"
"Playthings, huh. True, with Haruno's personality, she'd never look twice."
Hiratsuka nodded, then turned to Yukino.
"Yukino, what do you think?"
"It's just so-so."
Yukino, who preferred fish over beef, had ordered grilled cod. After a small bite, she said,
"To become my sister's partner, simply being obedient won't cut it. She has zero interest in that kind of personality. Even if she agreed under mother's pressure, she'd abandon it in days and live separately. In my view, the only chance is someone with a strong personality and exceptional ability—someone she couldn't pick apart."
Utaha couldn't help but purse her lips at that.
"That kind of man is nearly impossible to find. Which means these matchmaking attempts will never work for Haruno."
"Mother knows it too. Today was just to give it a try. She's aware the chances of my sister actually liking him are slim. But since the other side's family is one of her old classmates, she had to show up at least once."
Saying that, Yukino glanced over at her sister.
Though she couldn't hear what they were saying, she knew her sister too well. That polite smile Haruno wore was purely perfunctory—she was already running out of patience.
After a moment, Yukino quietly said,
"Sis is about to start."
"Start?"
Hiratsuka froze, then quickly understood.
"Got it. Then let's eat slowly. We'll order a few more for Haruno later."
Sure enough, five or six minutes later, the young man's expression turned stiffer and stiffer until finally he couldn't handle it anymore. He stood, bowed, and excused himself.
At least he remembered to pay the bill before leaving.
Meanwhile, Haruno leisurely sipped her juice, then called a waiter over to bring the menu and lead her to Ichin's table.
After ordering two more dishes, she sat down with a relaxed smile.
"Phew. Even more boring than I expected."
"Really that boring?" Utaha asked curiously. "You two were talking the whole time. What did you even chat about?"
"For mother's sake, I had to talk a little. Turns out he's hopelessly dull. He'd prepared a whole bunch of topics, but they were all cookie-cutter—stuff you can find online with a quick search."
Since Yukino had a license now and could drive, Haruno ordered a bottle of red wine without hesitation.
Taking a sip, she continued,
"At first I humored him a little, but later I lost interest. Based on what I'd learned earlier, I deliberately steered the conversation to topics he couldn't handle. That made him bow out on his own."
What those topics were, she didn't say. And if she didn't, no one could guess.
Not that it mattered. From the very first glance, none of them believed this man had any chance with Haruno.
When Haruno started drinking, Hiratsuka got tempted too. She quickly finished her juice and poured herself half a glass.
After a sip, she turned to Ichin.
"Not having some too, Ichin?"
"I'll pass, Haruno. I still have to drive."
Ichin shook his head.
"You and Hiratsuka-sensei are already drinking. That leaves just me and Yukino able to drive. If I join in too, we'll have no way home."
"It's fine, just let Shizuka crash at a hotel!"
Hiratsuka glared at Haruno.
"Do you even hear yourself? Every time you got drunk, who was the one dragging you back to my place to rest? I never once left you alone at a hotel!"
"Ahaha, I'm kidding, don't be mad, Shizuka."
Haruno laughed.
"Don't worry, I won't ditch you. How about staying at my place tonight? I picked up two more good bottles of wine from home yesterday."
"Fine. I'll take that as your apology for running your mouth just now."
Looked like the two of them were in for another night of heavy drinking.
Hearing that her sister wouldn't be staying over, Yukino breathed a sigh of relief—no need to guard against her barging into her room to share her bed.
Dinner lasted almost two hours. The red wine was split evenly between Haruno and Hiratsuka.
Afterward, Yukino drove the two of them back, while Ichin and Utaha took another car home.
With Haruno's matchmaking business behind them, New Year's passed without any major events. The next thing was helping Yukino pick out a car.
Like Haruno, Yukino now held some company shares. With her dividends plus savings, she didn't need family money to buy something nice.
After browsing, she ignored Hiratsuka's attempt to push her toward a sports car and chose a new Toyota instead.
"For the next four years, I'll still be a student. No need for something that expensive. As long as it's practical and reliable, that's enough."
Hiratsuka sulked, pouting.
"Why don't any of you get it?"
While Haruno went with Yukino to pay, Ichin, standing beside Hiratsuka, said,
"Hiratsuka-sensei, unlike you, we're not crazy about cars. Even me—my own car's just enough to get by. Later I might buy a few company cars for employees to use when meeting clients, just to look professional."
Hiratsuka shook her head.
"Forget it. I won't bother talking to you guys about cars anymore. Totally pointless."
And with that, she wandered off to go admire the sports cars herself.
*
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