"What a waste if a face like that doesn't go into escort work," one noblewoman muttered regretfully.
The surrounding ladies nodded in agreement.
Yes, someone that handsome should be a toy for wealthy women—not some high-society forbidden treasure kept by rich heiresses.
You uptight little girls who blush from a kiss or a handhold—do you even know how to handle this kind of gigolo?
"If you can't take it, just admit defeat. No need to push yourself."
They danced for nearly twenty minutes, and Takashi was reaching his limit.
What the hell—was she Wong Fei-hung or something?
Was she using the Shadowless Kick?
She had stepped on him at least a hundred times.
"If you're tired, just say so. I won't laugh."
Dancing in heels is exhausting.
Kaguya had always thought high heels were designed by sadists. She rarely wore them, except at important events.
Now she had been dancing in them for nearly twenty minutes. Her legs were about to give out.
"You think I would give up?"
His feet hurt like hell, but he was a man—he wasn't about to say he couldn't handle it.
"I was worried you couldn't keep up."
"You?"
Kaguya gave him a full up-and-down scan. Her scornful gaze said it all:
"You? Can't last up front, no stamina in back, the kind of three-minute scrub who thinks I'd be the one to tap out?"
Was that really what she thought? Takashi didn't know.
But from his perspective, that's exactly how she looked.
So Takashi got fired up.
"Alright, let's see who breaks first."
"Bring it on. Who's afraid?"
Neither of them was the type to accept defeat.
They couldn't bear to lose, especially to each other.
To force the other to quit, they kept dancing.
Kotonoha and Eriri tried to intervene several times, but their mothers held them back.
And so, Takashi and Kaguya turned the dance into a battle.
From tango and waltz to Viennese waltz… then Latin dance…
Their moves became like a battle of Noble Phantasms—like Gilgamesh vs. Emiya Shirou. Pure firepower, no technique.
By the end, only the two of them were still dancing. Everyone else had stopped.
"Aren't they tired yet?" ×2
Both of them thought about it. Both were hoping the other would collapse first.
At the twenty-ninth minute, Kaguya finally lost her balance in her heels and twisted her ankle.
Because it was a partner dance, Takashi instantly stepped forward and caught her against his chest, preventing her from falling.
"Are you okay?" he asked, holding her shoulders in concern.
This wasn't his fault, right?
"I'm fine—ahh!"
She tried to stand, but pain flared in her ankle, twisting her brows into a tight knot.
Still, she didn't want to show weakness. She tried to push Takashi away and stand on her own.
Seeing this, and amidst gasps from the high-society daughters, Takashi picked her up bridal style and strode toward the hotel.
"What are you doing?! Put me down!"
Kaguya squirmed like a fish pulled from the sea, flopping around in his arms trying to break free.
"I'm taking you somewhere private to treat your ankle."
"I don't want that! Takashi, I order you to put me down!"
"I'm the son-in-law of the Konoe family. Since when do I take orders from the Shinomiya clan?"
Takashi didn't listen. No matter how she squirmed, she didn't have the strength to break free.
"Takashi!"
Kaguya was furious, embarrassed, and helpless.
Every time she met him, it was a disaster.
And yet she couldn't do a damn thing about it.
She couldn't out-argue him, out-test him, out-dance him—and not even her elite lineage could overpower him.
Was this man her nemesis?
Realizing her struggle was pointless, Kaguya gave up.
Ding—
The elevator doors opened. Takashi carried Kaguya inside.
And inside—they saw Shinomiya Gan'an, sitting in a wheelchair, breathing through a ventilator.
"F-Father…" Kaguya stammered in shock when she saw her father in the elevator.
She hadn't expected to run into her own father here.
Shinomiya Gan'an didn't speak. He simply stared quietly at Takashi, who was carrying his daughter in his arms.
Takashi also met the gaze of the head of the Shinomiya family.
Now elderly, Shinomiya Gan'an no longer retained his youthful vigor. He was like a flickering candle in the wind—one foot already in the grave.
If not for money keeping him alive, he might have passed on already.
"Which floor are you headed to?" Gan'an asked with effort, his voice slow and heavy.
Takashi looked down at Kaguya in his arms. "Which floor is your room on?"
Nervous in front of her father, Kaguya replied almost reflexively, "Third floor."
"Then to the third floor. Press the button for me, thank you."
Hayasaka Nao was just about to press the button, but before she could, a bony, skeletal hand pressed the "3."
Both Nao and Kaguya froze.
"Are you two in a relationship?" Gan'an ignored them, keeping his eyes fixed solely on Takashi.
"No," Takashi answered directly, for once not speaking in riddles.
"I see."
Silence fell over the elevator. No one spoke again.
It wasn't until the elevator dinged at the third floor and Takashi carried Kaguya out that Gan'an finally said, "Kaguya is a good girl. You should consider getting closer to her."
What the hell are you saying? Kaguya couldn't believe those words came out of her father's mouth.
Takashi paused too, turning to look at Gan'an.
"May I take that to mean… you're matchmaking us?"
Gan'an's gaze deepened. "What the Konoe family can offer you, the Shinomiya family can offer more."
"You high-ranking types really love putting people in factions, don't you?" Takashi smiled faintly.
"When did I ever say I was one of the Konoe family?"
At that, a flash of light—like lightning in the night sky—sparked in Gan'an's eyes, fleeting yet brilliant.
"Looks like I misunderstood."
"Goodbye, then."
Takashi turned and left again.
"He's so much like me…" Gan'an murmured, watching Takashi's figure fade into the distance. "If I ever had a son… he'd be like Takashi!"
Old man, you really know how to flatter yourself.
Takashi's enhanced body granted him sharper hearing. He could hear Gan'an's thoughts grumbling in his mind.
Just wait. Tomorrow I'll dye my hair blonde and park a tuned-up bike in front of your house.
He'd already decided what to bring as a betrothal gift—
A pregnancy test and an ultrasound photo.
___
Read 20 Advanced Chapters on p@ tr eon (.) com/HalflingFics
Also, please point out my mistakes in the comment, thank you!
Don't forget to leave a review too~ Actually, please leave one.
Check out the other translations too
___