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A Very Popular Idol Classmate Has Taken a Liking to Me, A Person Who Doesn't Want to Work for My Whole Life
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.Daininki Idol na Classmate ni Natsukareta, Isshou Hatarakitakunai Ore
Src: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n2496gr/125/
Act 4 - The Past of The Shidou Family
33-5
"......You remembered?" (Rei)
"Well, more like... I recalled it, I guess." (Rintaro)
While trying to remember my father, my mind had wandered to the party where I’d likely met Otosaki-san for the first time.
Why had I forgotten it?
No――――Rather than forgetting, I think I had been avoiding those memories intentionally, somewhere deep down.
Now it feels like a weight’s been lifted from me.
The memories aren’t completely clear, but they’re starting to come back, little by little.
"That blonde girl who was with Otosaki-san that day… she was you, wasn’t she?" (Rintaro)
"…Mm." (Rei)
Rei nods slightly, like a child who has accepted their fate.
It seems like she thinks I'm about to scold her or something.
"Judging by your reaction... I guess running into me again wasn’t just a coincidence, was it?" (Rintaro)
".......Mm. I’ve remembered you all this time, Rintaro. Ever since that day, I have wanted to see you again...... I was always searching." (Rei)
"So, meeting me at the station that day—" (Rintaro)
"It wasn’t all just coincidence. Spotting you there was chance. But choosing to approach you was my decision." (Rei)
"......I see." (Rintaro)
Rei has always remembered me, and presumably about my past as a member of the Shidou Group.
Why she never said anything, I can’t fathom out.
But still――――
"......Sorry, about everything up until now." (Rintaro)
"Huh?" (Rei)
"I mean, I didn’t remember anything about you... that must’ve been frustrating, right? I’ve probably been pretty rude to you." (Rintaro)
To finally be reunited, only for the other person not to remember you—
Even without thinking too deeply, that’s gotta be painful.
"――――That’s not it." (Rei)
"Huh?" (Rintaro)
"If anything, I’ve always wanted to apologize to you." (Rei)
With eyes glistening slightly, Rei looks up at me.
Without thinking, I stop and gaze back into her eyes.
"It's true, I did feel a little sad that you didn’t remember me. But after hearing about your past... I was scared. Scared that if you remembered because of me, it would bring back memories you didn’t want to remember... You might come to hate me. I’ve always been afraid of that." (Rei)
That fear, is undeniably sincere and comes from the depths of her heart.
Thinking back, ever since I met Rei, there were times I almost remembered the past.
I even had strange dreams where I nearly relived those old traumas.
In that sense, Rei’s fears aren’t entirely baseless.
"That time at the party… when we ate cake together… I can still remember it like it was yesterday. You’re the one who taught me how joyful eating could be." (Rei)
"…" (Rintaro)
"Rintaro… now that you’ve remembered the past, will you still stay with me?" (Rei)
Rei looks up at me, eyes full of uncertainty, regret… and hope.
I let out a small sigh.
"…Don’t be stupid. Don’t ask me stuff like that." (Rintaro)
"Mm." (Rei)
I place my hand on her head and give her hair a playful ruffle.
Normally, I’d never go around touching a girl’s hair—but right now, I feel like she needs this kind of mischief reassurance.
"Just ‘cause I’ve started remembering the past doesn’t mean I’m going anywhere. If anything, I’m grateful you didn’t force those memories back on me. Thanks to you, I’m finally ready to face them." (Rintaro)
"Ready to face them…?" (Rei)
"Yeah. There’s a lot I need to talk about—with my father, and with Tenguuji as well. I guess… I need to bring closure." (Rintaro)
I’ve made it this far without ever settling things from my past.
The foundation for my life has always felt shaky.
But now, I feel like I can face it calmly.
That I can overcome the past, the trauma of being left behind by my mother.
"Rei… please stay with me, always. Just having you by my side gives me strength." (Rintaro)
"Really…?" (Rei)
"Yeah. I wouldn’t lie about something like this." (Rintaro)
"......I’m happy." (Rei)
Inside the taxi, Rei’s hand quietly reaches out and rests on mine.
The driver is there, but well, this much, I think, is okay.
At the very least, right now, I have no intention of pulling my hand away.
◇◆◇
The afternoon of the day Rintaro visited the Otosaki residence.
Tenguuji Yuzuka once again visited the headquarters of the Shidou Group.
Since she had made an appointment, Yuzuka was able to enter the building easily. Accompanied by a secretary, she knocked on the door of the office where President Shidou Yuutaro was.
"――――Come in." (Yuutaro)
"Please excuse me." (Yuzuka)
Responding to Yuutaro’s voice, Yuzuka stepped into the room.
Inside were Yutaro and his subordinate, Sophia.
Yuutaro was seated on a guest sofa and motioned for Yuzuka to take the seat across from him.
"What brings you here today?" (Yuutaro)
"I’ve come to discuss the proposed merger between our Tenguuji Group and the Shidou Group." (Yuzuka)
"A merger proposal...?" (Yuutaro)
Seated as prompted, Yuzuka took several documents from her secretary’s bag and placed them on the table between them.
Yuutaro picked them up and flipped through the pages.
"To reiterate, if we join forces, not only will we increase profits within Japan, but we will also be able to bring in more revenue from overseas. It will undoubtedly be beneficial to both parties." (Yuzuka)
"...I understand the proposal. However, we have already 'declined it' before, haven’t we…?" (Yuutaro)
"…" (Yuzuka)
Under Yuutaro’s sharp gaze, Yuzuka faltered.
In truth, after temporarily distancing herself from the plan of having her engaged to Rintaro, she had approached the Shidou Group with this proposal.
But their answer was a firm “no.”
It wasn’t just Yuutaro’s decision; each department had concluded that "there’s no real need to proceed with this."
"Certainly, if we pursued this deal, both sides would see increased profits. But at the same time, it would mean splitting the profits we’ve already secured for ourselves. Our company can continue to grow on its own, and the benefits of partnering with you are not particularly compelling." (Yuutaro)
"T-That may be true, but......" (Yuzuka)
"More importantly, why are you, the daughter of the Tenguuji family, the one bringing this proposal? Normally, someone from sales or President Tenguuji Shuusuke himself would come. I don’t see the point in sending a child." (Yuutaro)
Yuutaro’s words were completely valid.
In reality, having a seventeen-year-old girl in a meeting like this was highly irregular.
Faced with this obvious point, Yuzuka bit her lip.
"If possible, could you tell me the reason behind this?" (Yuutaro)
Hearing this, Yuzuka sighed quietly as if she had resigned herself.
"......The one who requested the merger with the Shidou Group was none other than myself." (Yuzuka)
"You did?" (Yuutaro)
"Yes… Initially, merger talks were ongoing with another company. Naturally, the one leading those negotiations was my father, Tenguuji Shuusuke. ――――However, during those talks, a proposal came up for me to become engaged to the son of that other company." (Yuzuka)
"......" (Yuutaro)
It was the same kind of political marriage Tenguuji Yuzuka had once proposed to Shidou Rintaro.
Remembering it, she rubbed her arm, as if trying to shield herself from reality――――.
"Since we’ve come this far, I’ll be completely honest. I… had feelings for Shidou Rintaro-sama. So I thought that if I could finalize the merger with the Shidou Group first, and become engaged to him, I could avoid being married off to someone I didn’t love." (Yuzuka)
"......I see. However, since there are many uncertainties in the relationship, and given the possibility that the merger might not succeed, you couldn’t break off talks with the other company beforehand." (Yuutaro)
"Yes. If my father or the sales department made a public move toward merging with the Shidou Group, the other company would likely back away. So I thought that if I, acting independently, could negotiate directly, I might be able to push the conversation forward." (Yuzuka)
Fortunately, Yuzuka had been educated in business from a young age to serve the Tenguuji Group.
Though inexperienced, she could still give a decent presentation on her own.
It was a well-planned move to make use of all her skills.
"So, in the end...... this is all for your own personal circumstances?" (Yuutaro)
"...Yes, that’s right." (Yuzuka)
Yuutaro fell silent, appearing to consider something.
After a brief pause, he spoke again.
"In that case, our company still cannot accept this proposal. We cannot allow our employees to be dragged into your personal circumstances." (Yuutaro)
"......I, figured." (Yuzuka)
Yuzuka had known that from the beginning.
This plan had already failed the moment she lost her chance to make Shidou Rintaro hers.
Quietly accepting her fate, she closed her eyes.
"May I ask one final, more personal question?" (Yuzuka)
"......What is it?" (Yuutaro)
"Why don’t you treat your own son as your successor?" (Yuzuka)
Yuutaro closed his mouth at Yuzuka’s question.
It might sound like a strange thing to ask, but to someone like Yuzuka, who knew no other 'way of life', it was a perfectly natural doubt.
She simply wanted to know.
What made her and Shidou Rintaro so different――――
"The reason I don’t involve Rintaro in this company is because......" (Yuutaro)
~"(This is a Translation Content of pemudatunawisata[dot]my[dot]id. so, read only on there, kay~)"~
[End of Chapter]
Cya~!
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