Only I, Her Future Husband, Know How to Make Her Act All Lovey-Dovey - Chapter 3.3

“Future” Encounter with Yuki Arisugawa III

Wrapped in nothing but a single bath towel, precariously tied in a way that could unravel with the slightest movement, she stood before me.

Even without makeup, her perfectly symmetrical face was unchanging. 

Her cheeks were slightly flushed, likely from the warmth of her bath. But it wasn’t just her cheeks—her normally hidden, pale skin was faintly tinged with a delicate pink.

“You perv.”

Noticing how intently I was staring at her, Yuki chuckled softly.

“Ah, s-sorry!”

I apologized reflexively, though I wasn’t really at fault here. 

Why wasn’t she dressed?

“Uh, wh-why aren’t you wearing clothes?”

“I’ll put them on later. For now, I don’t need them.”

She said this as she stepped closer, the towel outlining her body and emphasizing every curve. 

Her chest subtly shifted with each step.

No, stop! Don’t look!

I instinctively covered my eyes.

“!?”

I could feel her drawing closer, even with my eyes closed. 

Despite using the same shampoo as me, her scent carried a faint sweetness that was distinctly hers.

Then, gently, she pushed me back onto the sofa and straddled me.

Her bare skin pressed against my lower abdomen—soft, warm, and inexplicably weightless.

“I’ll give you my first.”

“!?”

Her words hit me like an electric shock.

C-Could she really mean… she wants me to be her first?

“H-Hey! There’s no need to do what your father said!”

“This isn’t for him. It’s quite the opposite.”

The opposite? As I struggled to comprehend her words, she whispered.

“You don’t need to agree to his loan terms. But please, take me.”

Tears shimmered in her eyes.

“If I’m no longer a virgin, I’ll lose my ‘value.’ That way, he can’t use me to negotiate loans anymore.”

“Even so—”

“And besides, if it’s going to be my first, I’d prefer someone kind.”

Her lips trembled as she leaned closer. 

Her delicate, soft pink lips were mere inches from mine. 

She closed her eyes, ready for a kiss.

But instead of meeting her lips, I felt a sharp pain.

“Ow!”

Our noses collided head-on, hard enough to sting. 

Both of us recoiled, rubbing at the pain.

“I’m sorry. It’s my first time, I didn’t think kissing would be this hard,” 

Kissing was new for her too?

The sudden jolt of pain jolted my slipping sanity back into place. 

Grabbing the blanket draped over the sofa, I wrapped it around her shoulders.

“If it’s your first, it should be with someone you truly love.”

“But that’s impossible. My father will decide who I marry anyway.”

Yuki buried her face in the blanket and let out a long, weary sigh.

“What was the point of all my efforts? Even if my family avoids bankruptcy, someone else will inherit the company. I worked so hard to prove myself, only for it all to mean nothing. Can you blame me for feeling like giving up?”

I clenched my fists as the image of her father’s smug face flashed through my mind.

What should I do?

If I gave in to his demands, it would mean playing into his hands. 

But refusing his terms would leave her—Yuki—vulnerable and miserable.

There was only one option.

“In that case… marry me.”

“…Huh?”

She froze, her expression utterly bewildered.

“If the loan’s condition is our marriage, your father won’t have a reason to refuse.”

“T-That might be true, but… why would you suddenly propose!?”

“Well, my mom’s been pressuring me to settle down anyway. This works out, doesn’t it? And it gets that bastard off your back.”

Her face turned crimson, her confusion evident.

“G-Give me a moment to process this!”

She took a deep breath, visibly struggling to regain her composure.

“So… I’m being proposed to right now?”

“Yeah, you are.”

“I… I see. So… I’m being proposed to…”

Clutching the blanket tightly to her face, she murmured as though trying to convince herself. 

Her racing heartbeat seemed almost audible.

“This is… really embarrassing.”

“What, this part?”

“Of course it is! I’ve never been proposed to before!”

It seemed that, for her, the embarrassment of being proposed to far outweighed being seen naked or offering her chastity.

She really is a bit… offbeat.

“You’re not against it, are you?”

“I-It’s not that I’m against it… It’s just… so sudden… I’m flustered…”

She curled up in the blanket like a cocoon, muttering:

“Please give me a moment… My heart’s about to explode…”

After a while, her face peeked out from the blanket like a cautious turtle.

“Are you… sure about this? About me?”

Her voice trembled with uncertainty.

“We just met today. You don’t know anything about me—my personality, my hobbies, my favorite foods…”

“True.”

I nodded and grabbed a cushion, sitting cross-legged across from her.

“Then let’s talk. The night’s still young.”

“R-Right now!?”

“Yeah. Think of it like a matchmaking interview.”

“A matchmaking interview…”

She fell silent, then suddenly burst into laughter.

“Wait, why are you laughing?”

“B-Because it’s ridiculous! A proposal first, then a matchmaking interview—it’s completely backward!”

“That’s what’s funny to you?”

Her laughter was infectious, and before long, I found myself laughing with her.

“Alright then, let’s start with introductions.”

I would come to see her laugh countless times after that.

But no matter how many smiles she gave me, her laughter that night would always remain the most beautiful.