The kiss lasted mere minutes, but to Eriri Spencer Sawamura, it felt like a small eternity had passed. Her long, fair lashes fluttered shut, too overwhelmed by shyness to meet Hozuki Nozomi's intense gaze. She knew if she did, her body would betray her completely.
As it was, even with her eyes closed, a profound weakness had seeped into her limbs, leaving her pliant and limp in his arms.
When he finally broke the kiss, her small face was flushed a deep crimson, her breaths coming in soft, uneven pants. Hozuki Nozomi made no further move. He simply held her, one hand gently stroking her sleek, golden hair—hair that was currently loose and flowing, so different from her usual styled twin-tails.
Come to think of it, he mused idly, several of the beautiful girls around me have golden hair. The thought was a fleeting one. Part of him wanted to be more daring, to explore further, but the risk of alerting the keen-eared Sawamura Sayuri downstairs was too great. For tonight, this light touch would have to suffice.
After a while, the haze in Eriri's mind cleared. She looked up at the man who was still calmly petting her hair like she was a favored kitten, and couldn't help but pout.
"Scoundrel."
"You're about to get engaged to another woman, and yet you still sneak over here to steal a kiss."
"Can't be helped," Nozomi replied, his tone unapologetic. He lifted a hand to tilt her chin up, forcing her to meet his eyes. "I'm just a greedy man by nature. So, Eriri Spencer Sawamura, are you still going to hold a grudge against me?"
"Hmph! I'm itching to bite you!" she retorted, though the threat lacked its earlier fire.
"Oh? Still on about biting?"
"I was," she admitted, looking away. "But… you have that important banquet tomorrow. I'll be merciful and let you off for now! I'll save the biting for later!"
"Then I am indebted to Eriri Spencer Sawamura for her magnanimity," he said, a faint smile playing on his lips. He released her and took a step toward the window.
"H-Hey… where are you going?" Eriri's voice was suddenly small, her hand reaching out slightly before she caught herself.
"Back, of course. I've taken enough liberties for one night. If I overstay my welcome, I'm afraid Eriri Spencer Sawamura might actually get angry."
Eriri Spencer Sawamura fell silent, her earlier bravado evaporating. She watched him, a complex mix of relief and something strangely akin to disappointment swirling within her.
Nozomi reached the window and pushed it open a crack, then paused, looking back at her with feigned confusion. "Aren't you going to try and stop me?"
"Hmph~! If you want to leave, then leave!" she sniffed, turning her head away with a dramatic flair. "Why would I want to keep a big pervert like you around, someone who only knows how to bully people!"
Nozomi awkwardly scratched his cheek. "I don't think I bullied you all that much tonight. And if you really hadn't wanted it just now, you could have pushed me away at any time."
Eriri refused to look at him, her posture the picture of defiant indifference.
Alright then, he thought, a fond exasperation warming his chest. It seems the tsundere needs a little more coaxing.
He decisively abandoned his exit strategy. Turning away from the window, he strode back to the bed, scooped Eriri up once more, and captured her lips in another, deeper kiss.
"Eriri Spencer Sawamura," he murmured against her mouth between breaths, "I'm not leaving tonight. I've decided I want to bully you thoroughly."
"En… you… bad guy… I hate you…" she managed to gasp, her protest weak and muffled.
You say you hate me, he thought with amusement, feeling her arms tighten around his neck, holding him close instead of pushing him away. But your actions tell a very different story.
Looking down at the red-faced, utterly contradictory girl in his arms, a powerful wave of tenderness and desire washed over Hozuki Nozomi.
…
The next morning, when Eriri Spencer Sawamura awoke, the space beside her was empty and cool. A familiar, petulant pout formed on her lips.
Then she spotted the note left on her pillow. Picking it up, she read:
'Eriri Spencer Sawamura, thank you for your hospitality.
'Also, Eriri Spencer Sawamura is super cute. I like Eriri Spencer Sawamura the most!'
Seeing the words, Eriri let out a disdainful snort. "Smooth-talker. Who knows how many girls you've said that exact line to?" she muttered to the empty room. "And 'like the most'…? Please. You're literally getting engaged to Yukino today. And Haruno-senpai…"
She frowned, the absurdity of the situation striking her anew. "Speaking of which, is this even remotely normal? The Yukinoshitas marrying off both daughters? To the same guy?" She couldn't wrap her head around it. Why would the formidable, prideful Mrs. Yukinoshita ever agree to such an arrangement?
A sudden, horrifying thought occurred to her. "Could it be… that Mrs. Yukinoshita has also fallen under that guy's spell?" The idea was outrageous, yet… remembering how her own mother, Sawamura Sayuri, seemed to regard Hozuki Nozomi with an almost alarmingly high opinion, a shiver ran down Eriri's spine. "No way… That guy, even if he is a world-class pervert, he wouldn't… go after people's mothers, right?"
…
Meanwhile, at the Yukinoshita estate, the man of the house, Haruhiko Yukinoshita, had just been formally informed of the impending engagement. He stood in the lavish living room, facing the three most formidable women in his life. With a weary sigh, he addressed his wife.
"Madam… are you truly serious about this? You intend to marry both Haruno and Yukino to the same young man? The law doesn't permit such a thing!"
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Yukinoshita's lips curled into a cold, mocking sneer. "The law, as I recall, also doesn't permit men to cheat on their wives, conduct long-term extramarital affairs, or sire illegitimate children. Yet here we are."
Haruhiko Yukinoshita's face stiffened, color draining from his cheeks. "Madam, if you're doing this out of some desire for revenge against me, there's no need. Yukino and Haruno are your daughters as well. Are you really willing to use their entire futures as pawns in a petty tantrum?"
Hearing their father's words, both Yukino and Haruno opened their mouths to defend their mother—and their own choices. But a single, icy glance from Mrs. Yukinoshita silenced them instantly. Their mother's aura, when she was like this, was utterly terrifying. They exchanged a helpless look and remained quiet.
Facing her husband's accusation, Mrs. Yukinoshita's sneer only deepened. "A tantrum? In your eyes, am I really the type of woman who would gamble my daughters' happiness on a fleeting emotion?"
"I…" Haruhiko faltered.
She was right. His wife was many things—proud, domineering, formidable—but she was not capricious. She did not make decisions of this magnitude based on spite.
A new, hopeful thought began to kindle in Haruhiko's mind. Could it be…? Is the Madam finally acknowledging my perspective? By approving this dual engagement, is she offering an olive branch, signaling her acceptance of… alternative family structures? After all, if that young man could marry two of his daughters, wouldn't it set a precedent? Perhaps it wouldn't be so unreasonable for him, the father-in-law, to also…
Warmed by this possibility, his gaze toward his wife softened considerably. "Madam, I…"
"Silence." Her voice cut through the air like a shard of ice. "You have forfeited any right to decide our daughters' marriages, Haruhiko. You have become useless."
The blunt cruelty of her words struck him like a physical blow.
"You were destined to remain a mere councilman for your entire life. From the moment you were chosen, I trained you, shaped you to be my husband—a man who could one day stand as my shield against the storms, provide a foundation for our daughter, and help restore the Yukinoshita name to its former glory. Look at yourself now. Ask yourself: Have you accomplished any of that? Have you fulfilled even a fraction of the duty that was entrusted to you?"
A surge of indignant anger rose in Haruhiko's chest. "Is it that I didn't want to? You're capable of handling everything yourself! What need did you ever have of me? My obedience, my stepping back—wasn't that precisely my consideration for you? To let you shine?"
Hearing this, Yukinoshita Haruno inwardly mourned for her father. Her mother, for all her strength, was still a woman. The Yukinoshita bloodline was peculiar, often producing genius-level daughters. To preserve the family name, they had always relied on adopting talented sons-in-law. Her mother was brilliant and strong-willed, yes. But if a man had been capable of truly sharing the burden, of managing affairs so she could occasionally rest, wouldn't she have welcomed it? Wouldn't anyone prefer to enjoy power and luxury without the constant, grinding responsibility?
Yet, her father had taken his wife's competence not as a partnership but as an excuse. He had used the energy and resources his wife's efforts provided to court another woman—a gentle, seemingly dependent woman who showered him with admiration—all while hiding it from the family. It was the ultimate betrayal and the deepest cut of all. He never stopped to consider what would happen if the affair came to light: whether his council seat would survive the scandal, or if it would plunge the entire Yukinoshita household into crisis.
The room plunged into a heavy, suffocating silence.
Haruhiko Yukinoshita immediately regretted his outburst. He was, in part, simply lashing out from a place of petty envy—envy of that young man's seemingly charmed life.
"Um, Madam… I apologize, I didn't mean…"
"Enough." Mrs. Yukinoshita's voice was final. "The engagement is irrevocable. Invitations have already been dispatched to every major family. If you possess a genuine objection, you are welcome to try and stop it. If you cannot, then I expect you to be quiet tonight and maintain the dignified facade expected of a father."
Having delivered her verdict, Mrs. Yukinoshita turned. She took each of her daughters by the hand—a rare public display of maternal connection—and led them from the living room without a backward glance.
Left alone amidst the opulent furniture, Haruhiko Yukinoshita watched their retreating figures, a tumult of shame, regret, and resentment churning within him. Long minutes passed before he raised a hand and, with a sound of self-loathing, slapped his own cheek.
"Why can't you ever control your mouth?" he whispered to the empty room.
Deep down, he knew the truth. His wife owed him nothing. On the contrary, every achievement, every shred of status he possessed, was built upon the foundation she had laid. If not for her relentless push since his youth, he would likely still be a directionless, spoiled scion of a fading family.
But…
A plaintive, childish thought surfaced from the depths of his wounded pride.
Couldn't she… just once… rely on him a little? Couldn't she be a bit softer with him in private, the way she could be so charmingly gentle with outsiders? It was her constant, unwavering air of superiority that he resented. That was why he had sought solace with a woman who knew how to act spoiled, who was soft-spoken and refined, who looked at him with adoring, dependent eyes.
And from that small rebellion, everything had spiraled hopelessly out of control.