Lonely Me And The Lonely Caring Goddess - Chapter 208: Limit.

Limit.

When I checked my phone before afternoon classes started, I saw that everyone had replied with their acknowledgements.

After my conversation with Hanako-san, I had sent out a group message on RAIN stating that I had some reports and things to discuss.

From here, things would proceed the same as yesterday. I would have to use the time when Sara-san was in the bath to talk with them.

…To be honest, I had a vague feeling that this issue wasn’t something we could resolve on our own.

After all, it was something happening within a giant company like Sanami Electronics. Outsiders had no place to intervene, and especially us—mere high school students—there was probably nothing we could do.

And since we were also outsiders, even involving my parents likely wouldn’t change the outcome.

That was why, in today’s contact, it was more of a report than a consultation.

The real discussion needed to happen with Masaomi-san, and as frustrating as it was, in the end we would have to rely on him.

This sense of powerlessness gnawed at me. I wondered if there was truly nothing we could do… Perhaps not “the wisdom of the many,” but at least sharing with everyone might lead to something.

Time passed in the blink of an eye, and once Sara-san entered the bath, it was time to start the group RAIN call.

Me: “Good evening. Thanks for gathering today.”

Nishikawa: “Good evening, Takanashi-san. You said you had an important report and something to discuss?”

Hanako: “Good work. We don’t have much time, so let’s get started.”

Toudou: “It’s about Satsukawa-senpai, isn’t it?”

Natsumi: “She was acting strange today. It must be related, right?”

Tachikawa: “Did something happen to Satsukawa-senpai?”

Hayato: “I was wondering too. You both seemed off somehow.”

Yuuji: “Everyone, let’s listen to Kazunari first. Tell us everything up to a good stopping point.”

When Yuuji wrapped up the chatter, everyone quieted down to listen, so I began explaining what they needed to know.

Me: “First of all… Sara-san has run away from home.”

All: “Ehhhh!?”

As expected, an explosion of shock came from everyone at once. Well, of course.

Natsumi: “Wha—what do you mean!?”

Nishikawa: “Natsumi, let’s listen to him first. Please continue, Takanashi-san.”

Me: “Right. I’ll keep it brief since we don’t have time. Sara-san ran away because her father brought up an arranged marriage proposal from his company.”

All: “An arranged marriage!?”

Again, given how shocking the topic was, their reactions were unavoidable. They probably had a lot of questions, but they remained silent for now.

Me: “She’s staying at my house right now. But she doesn’t want to talk about the arranged marriage, so I haven’t spoken to her about it directly yet. I got the details from her mother, and I’ve decided to speak with her father this weekend. I plan to get him to acknowledge our relationship and convince him to withdraw the proposal. I also want him to address the board members pushing these arranged marriage talks.”

That should have been enough of an explanation. Now, I just needed to tell them what I wanted to consult about…

Nishikawa: “Everyone, I know you have questions, but could you leave them to me for now? We’re short on time, and it will be more efficient that way.”

Everyone agreed to Nishikawa-san’s suggestion. So, I should mainly talk to her.

Nishikawa: “Takanashi-san, I understand the situation. But to be honest, these things aren’t rare. I’ve had marriage proposals come up twice myself.”

What!?

This time, even I couldn’t hide my surprise. Nishikawa-san too…?

Nishikawa: “As the only daughter of the Nishikawa Group’s president, these things inevitably arise. But putting that aside, the same applies to Sara. It’s not official yet, but within the industry, there are already rumors that her father will become the next president. Even if that weren’t the case, as an executive vice president of a major company like Sanami, there will naturally be people who try to approach through her.”

Her words were shocking, but more than that, today she seemed so incredibly reliable.

I hadn’t known she had this side to her…

Nishikawa: “Let me continue. To temporarily suppress this situation, there is one straightforward method. However, it is still… too soon.”

Was she thinking the same thing as Mayumi-san? If so, it wasn’t decided yet, but it might be best to tell them.

Me: “Actually… it’s not confirmed, but Sara-san’s mother suggested that, moving forward, I should become her fiancé, with marriage as the premise—”

All: “EEEEEEH!!??”

A chorus of stunned voices erupted from the speaker like I had never heard before. Wait—if Sara-san hears this, I’ll be in trouble…

Natsumi: “F-fi-fi-fiancé!!??”

Toudou: “Amazing, amazing, amazing!!! Congrats, Takanashi-kun!!”

Hanako: “I didn’t expect things to have progressed this far… She’s practically your wife already…”

Tachikawa: “No way… my friend is getting married… but congratulations!”

Hayato: “This is unbelievable… you’re really ready to settle down…”

Yuuji: “…Um… what should I say… congratulations?”

They all voiced their congratulations and impressions, completely ignoring the “it’s not confirmed” part.

Me: “W-wait, please! It’s not decided yet! And I haven’t even told Sara-san about it, so I don’t know how she’ll respond—”

Natsumi: “Huh? Like she’d ever refuse. If you told her it’s an engagement, she’d cry tears of joy and agree on the spot.”

Toudou: “I think so too. I’m sure Satsukawa-senpai would happily accept.”

Honestly, I also felt she’d say yes immediately. But having everyone declare it like it was a certainty left me at a loss for words.

We were running out of time, so I needed to continue with Nishikawa-san.

As expected of a company heiress, she showed no sign of agitation in these matters, and I found her composure reassuring.

Me: “So… about what you were saying earlier…”

Was her method to suppress the situation temporarily this engagement? …Wait, she isn’t responding.

Me: “Nishikawa-san?”

Nishikawa: “……………”

Natsumi: “Eririn, stop daydreaming and come back to us~!”

Nishikawa: “Hah!?”

I take back what I said. Far from composed, she seemed to have been completely stunned.

Me: “Um, are you okay?”

Nishikawa: “I-I-I-I’m fine, okay?”

Yeah… she definitely wasn’t fine.

Where had that incredibly reliable Nishikawa-san from moments ago gone?

Nishikawa: “Ahem! A-anyway, congratulations… it really is such wonderful news…”

Me: “I keep saying, it’s not decided yet! I haven’t even told Sara-san—”

Nishikawa: “Of course she’ll accept! Without hesitation, without doubt, instant yes, straight to the goal line—so enviable!!!!”

She rattled off her words like a tongue twister. Yeah… today might be hopeless.

Natsumi: “Eririn!!!!”

Nishikawa: “Hah!?”

Second time coming back to her senses… hopefully, she’ll stay grounded this time.

Nishikawa: “My apologies, Takanashi-san. Let’s continue.”

Hanako: “She’s pretending nothing happened.”

Toudou: “Hanako-san, shh.”

We were short on time, so I kept silent and hoped she’d continue without further incident.

Nishikawa: “If the two of you are engaged, if you’ve pledged your futures to each other, then for now, it should quell things, at least temporarily. After that, you will need to keep finding ways to address the situation.”

Me: “I see… I thought so.”

Nishikawa: “Yes. But above all, Takanashi-san, you must be accepted by Sara’s father. Without that, there is no path forward. For now, focus all your efforts on that.”

That’s right. Unless I earned Masaomi-san’s approval, nothing else mattered.

Me: “Understood. Thank you so much. Sorry, but Sara-san will be out of the bath soon, so I’ll end it here for today.”

Nishikawa: “O-o-o-out of the bath!?”

Natsumi: “Geez. Takanashi-kun, it’s fine. Just take care of Sara, okay?”

Everyone offered their words of encouragement, and I ended the call.

“Bath… at a boy’s house… just the two of them… how far have they…?”

“Eririn, they’re practically engaged. You need to get used to it.”

While calming down Eririn, who seemed to have drifted off into her imagination, we thought we would end the call, since Takanashi-kun had left. However, Hanako-san seemed to have something to say to her.

Hanako: “Nishikawa-san, what do you really think? You didn’t say it outright, but…”

Nishikawa: “…As expected of you, you noticed.”

She’s back to her usual self…

The others, sensing this was a serious conversation, stayed silent to listen.

Hanako: “…Honestly, this is on a different level. From what I’ve heard, the way things stand, it’s hopeless.”

It seemed Hanako-san had seen straight through the situation. Even I sensed how difficult it was.

Nishikawa: “Yes, let me be frank. Even if those two become engaged, it will only be a temporary reprieve. This isn’t just a matter of personal love. It involves the company, with countless interests at play. Just being a fiancé is not enough to silence them. Ultimately, unless Takanashi-kun is recognised as someone necessary to the company, this will never end. He’s still just a high school student, far from employment… if he realised how insurmountable this wall is, he might break under the weight of that reality.”

Hanako: “Exactly. He doesn’t yet fully understand what it means to marry into her family. But he knows he doesn’t understand, so he’s clinging to what he can—his feelings.”

It was heavy… unbearably heavy.

This wasn’t the kind of love we imagined, where liking or disliking is enough.

I used to lightly call Eririn an “ojou-sama,” but I never realised just how deeply she had to think about love.

It was impossible for me. And that meant… we couldn’t help them at all.

Realising this, everyone fell silent.

Nishikawa: “As a last resort, Sara could leave her home. If she leaves the Satsukawa family and cuts ties with Sanami, the two of them could live an ordinary life, have an ordinary marriage. I believe her parents would support that if necessary. But… Takanashi-kun would never agree to it.”

Hanako: “If he could accept that so easily, he wouldn’t be struggling this much.”

This wasn’t something we, mere high schoolers, could resolve. But telling him that might truly break him.

So Eririn didn’t say it. Instead, she pointed him towards what he could do—earn Masaomi-san’s approval.

Hanako: “It’s frustrating, but we have no choice but to let her family handle this. Time is all we can buy. Unless… Nishikawa-san, you…”

Nishikawa: “…Yes. I understand. If there’s anything the Nishikawa Group can do to support them indirectly… perhaps…”

Amazing… was this really a conversation between teenagers?

Eririn had probably been trained for this since childhood, but Hanako-san too… I was stunned.

She always seemed like a mysterious junior, but I never realised how mature she was.

In the end, we ended the call there.

We knew there was no way we could come up with a true solution ourselves.

We entrusted everything to Eririn, swore never to tell the two about this conversation, and ended the call.