Chapter 79: Engagement (THIS IS THE ACTUAL CHAPTER ORDER)
I returned the card case to the kidnappers.
The kidnapper looked puzzled and took it as if to snatch it.
The business cards belonged to executives of the Tohmi Group, and not just one.
Which means it belongs to the man himself.
The men left the room in a hurry.
Rei and Kotone looked at each other.
“You’ve been acting kind of… You’ve been acting strange, haven’t you?
Rei said and Kotone nodded.
The men were acting suspicious.
It’s also strange that a director of the Tomi group was involved in the kidnapping of a young lady who was supposed to be the daughter of a member of the Tomi group.
I thought for a while and told Rei and the others that I was going out of the room.
“Oh, my God, are you okay? If they find out that I went outside the room without permission…”
“I’m gonna go talk to those guys. Don’t worry. If I’m right, we’re gonna be okay.
“Yeah… But don’t push yourself too hard, okay? When Haruhito’s gone, I’ll…
Rei-san looked me up and down.
I gently put my hand on Rei’s hair.
Rei’s face turns red and she looks down.
“You’re the only one who can’t!”
Saying that, Kotone suddenly hugged me.
I gagged at the soft touch, and Kotone put her own lips on mine.
The kiss only lasted a moment, but Kotone was staring at me with her face turning red.
“I’m worried about you too, you know?”
“Thank you.”
Rei, on the other hand, puffed out her cheeks and glared at me and Kotone, then caught me off guard and kissed me the same way she kissed Kotone.
“Because I love Haruto-kun more than Kotone!”
“… No! That’s not true. I’m better than you…!
They both tell me they like me.
But am I worth it?
We need to solve the problem at hand.
I walked out of the room.
We’ve been kidnapped, and we’re trapped on the second floor of what looks like a villa.
I think there’s some guys downstairs in some kind of control room.
I thought so, and I went down the stairs, but the men came from the other side.
They looked at me with a resigned look and bowed politely to me.
Please come this way.
The kidnappers suddenly became respectful and led me downstairs to a sort of hall.
An old man was sitting on a red sofa in the center of the room.
Tomi Soichiro.
He’s the head of the Tomi Group and grandfather of Rei and Kotone.
“Hello, son of Akibara.”
Why are you here?
You know what I’m talking about, don’t you?
I was silent for a while and looked at Soichiro.
“This one was a fake kidnapping, wasn’t it?”
Soichiro Tohmi nodded.
Come to think of it, there were a lot of unnatural things going on.
We were easily taken away from the heavily guarded Toomi residence.
And the kidnapping went so well planned, it’s as if they knew exactly what we were gonna do.
There’s a lot more, but the most decisive one is the business cards of the Tomi group.
Kotone’s kidnapping was just a cover.
“Why did you do this?”
“… It’s for Kotone.”
“Kotone’s?”
Soichiro Tohmi grinned.
Oh, shit.
I accidentally called Kotone by her name.
“Kotone’s personality has been warped by many things. Her father died in an accident, her mother committed suicide, and her relatives in the Tomi residence have made her arrogant. On top of that, it seems they’ve been harassing Rei this and that.”
“You… Rei-san…”
“He’s my precious grandson. The relatives may talk a lot about his mother, but he’s still my grandson.”
So you arranged this kidnapping as punishment for Kotone?
“Kotone must have been pretty scared. Now she won’t try to harass Rei the same way.”
Kotone did say she was sorry for harassing Rei and that she wouldn’t do it again.
But I think this approach is too far-fetched.
“And there’s another thing I’m after. Kotone has feelings for you, doesn’t she?”
I didn’t immediately catch the meaning of the word “passion,” but I’m pretty sure it means “having a liking for the opposite sex.
Kotone said she liked me.
“Kotone has always been interested in you, but this one incident has made that clear.”
“What do you want with your grandson’s love life?”
“… The Tomi Group needed a successor. Even if it’s just a business that’s in a slump.”
“Uh?”
“But there are no good men in the family. So we take a talented young man with promise as our son-in-law and make him a candidate to succeed us. There aren’t many choices when it comes to men of Tohmi blood.”
I thought for a while and then I realized what Soichiro Tomi was trying to say.
I ask, timidly.
“… No way.”
Haruto Akihara. I’m going to get you engaged to Kotone. .”
