For some reason, the saint of our school drops her façade when she's with me (GL) - Chapter 25

I had planned to hop between hotels with what little savings I had, but by the second day of hiding out, reconciliation was reached.

Since there was a holiday in between, I had technically only missed one day of school.

We had prepared everything with the determination to elope together, but Karen informed me, looking very disappointed, “It seems that Grandmother interceded on our behalf.”

According to her, the other party had also intended to decline the arranged marriage, and Karen’s grandmother managed to convince her mother, who had been adamantly opposed, to drop the matter entirely.

Moreover, she even got them to acknowledge my relationship with Karen.

It all seemed too convenient.

I suspected it might be a trap, but Karen reassured me, “It’s probably fine,” and explained her reasoning.

“We can’t trust Grandmother, but if she truly had no intention of helping, she wouldn’t have assisted Yukie.”

Help? That word caught me off guard.

Apparently, not just once, but twice… No, including the time she barged in, it would be three times.

That silver-haired foreign woman I had met before—Claudia—was actually Karen’s grandmother.

“So, she was your grandmother all along…”

“She doesn’t resemble me, does she?”

Now that she mentioned it, they actually looked quite similar.

A rare silver-haired beauty with stunning eyes—though not heterochromatic—and distinct facial features. The clues were there all along.

I felt utterly foolish for not realizing it sooner.

Though I had been panicked at the time, it was still embarrassing.

Had she known about me from the moment she asked for directions?

And if so, what about the other woman at that shop… Could Megumi be connected to this as well?

“So, is that woman, Megumi, someone you know?”

“…No, she isn’t.”

There was a slight pause, but it didn’t seem like a lie.

Then, who exactly was she…?

“More importantly, hurry up and grab your bike.”

Karen climbed down from the bed and said this so matter-of-factly.

“Are we going somewhere?”

“Obviously. We’re going back home to complain properly.”

Karen sighed regretfully. “I wish we could enjoy our elopement a little longer.”

“Isn’t it bad for us to ride together?”

“The way you shouted your love that day was so cool, Yukie.”

…That’s unfair.

When she says things like that, I can’t help but fall for it.

Needless to say, by the time we reached Karen’s house, I had sacrificed a great deal of my stamina after pedaling at full speed.

I feel like I’ve been running a lot lately.

We arrived at Karen’s mansion for the first time in a while.

Walking through the gates side by side, I felt a strange sense of accomplishment.

…It would have been cooler if I weren’t drenched in sweat.

“Yo.”

On our way in, we passed by Hasegawa, who smirked at us knowingly.

Hasegawa had introduced us to that shop, where we met Claudia and Megumi.

So, he had been in on it from the start.

I gave him a small nod in acknowledgment.

Karen’s mother was in her room.

Just as she was preparing to leave, her daughter stormed in, leading to a rare spectacle—a mother-daughter argument.

Though, now that I think about it, I’ve seen Mizuki argue with her parents a few times.

Still, I never expected two well-bred women to hurl sharp words at each other and then escalate into a brief scuffle.

Parents and children really are strange, I mused.

Karen’s mother’s name was Kiana.

She was a stunning woman, much like Karen.

They shared the same silver hair, though Kiana didn’t have heterochromatic eyes.

She looked like an older version of Karen—perhaps a glimpse into her future.

“I apologize for showing you such an unpleasant sight earlier.”

“No, it’s…”

Awkward. This was extremely awkward.

There was no way she could be pleased with me, the person who had ruined her daughter’s engagement.

She was bound to say something.

But I couldn’t back down now.

I didn’t want to run away anymore.

“I’ve heard that you’re Karen’s lover. Do you love her?”

“Yes. More than anyone in the world.”

Karen smiled radiantly at my response.

“Can you promise to make her happy?”

“I swear on the name of my most beloved uncle and myself—I will.”

“…I see. In some ways, you’re similar, yet in others, you’re not alike at all.”

Kiana muttered this under her breath.

I wondered whom she was comparing me to, but before I could ask, she bowed her head slightly and spoke.

“Please take care of Karen. She’s a stubborn girl, so she might be difficult at times. But since both my mother and she herself have chosen you, I won’t interfere. I have only one condition.”

Kiana’s gaze was firm as she continued.

“Ensure her happiness. As long as you uphold this, I will recognize you as my daughter’s partner.”

Partner.

I had said I liked her.

I had even said I loved her.

I didn’t want to let her go—those feelings were real.

Hearing all of these emotions put into words so clearly made my heart leap, and I had to suppress the slight tremor in my hands.

“I will make her happy.”

That was my answer.

For a while, Kiana studied me with a testing gaze.

Then, at last, a small smile formed on her lips.

“Stay the night. Also, my mother and Karen mentioned something—I heard that you’re good at cooking.”

…Huh? But I don’t recall ever cooking for Claudia.

“If you truly want to convince me, then capture my heart through my stomach.”

In other words, she wanted me to cook.

When I replied, “As you wish,” Karen’s expression turned slightly complicated.

She was glad that our relationship had been acknowledged, and she was excited to eat my cooking again after so long. But at the same time, she wished she had been the one to give the order.

That was probably it.

“Karen, please grant me permission to cook for you.”

“I grant you permission.”

I may be slow to notice things, but I can at least be mindful of Karen.

Or rather, I just wanted to cook for her and hear her say it was delicious.

I didn’t skip, but I was in high spirits as I headed to the kitchen.

On the way, I ran into Claudia, who ruffled my hair excessively for some reason.

She also sneaked in for some taste-testing while I was preparing dinner.

What a free-spirited woman.

Now that I think about it, I’ll be serving food to my future mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law.

Maybe I shouldn’t be feeling so giddy about this… but the thought of finally cooking for Karen again made me genuinely happy.

It felt like we were finally regaining some semblance of normalcy… and I realized that what I loved most was seeing Karen enjoy my cooking.

“Karen, I will not apologize for what happened this time.”

As Yukie headed to the kitchen, Kiana spoke firmly to her daughter, who seemed eager to follow.

“Don’t worry. I have no intention of forgiving you either.”

There was still tension between them.

Both had things they refused to compromise on, and neither believed they were wrong.

That was why they settled on a mutual understanding—one born of necessity rather than agreement.

Still, as Kiana watched the door Yukie had disappeared through, she murmured, “But I think I understand, at least a little, why you chose her.”

The first time she saw Yukie, she had been dressed like a man.

As the one who had ruined the engagement Kiana had arranged, Yukie had left a terrible impression.

But after speaking with her, that impression had changed slightly.

Despite having every reason to resent her, Yukie had looked Kiana straight in the eye, refusing to back down while still maintaining a certain level of respect.

Those unwavering eyes… they weren’t bad.

“She’s just like her. But at the same time, she’s not.”

“…Are you referring to Yukie’s mother?”

Karen knew.

While looking into Yukie, she had discovered that her mother and Yukie’s mother had been classmates.

Apparently, they had even been close friends.

She hadn’t told Yukie yet.

For better or worse, Yukie was unconsciously bound by the presence of her mother.

That lingering shadow still gnawed at her, deep in her subconscious.

One day, the two of them would have to face it together.

“What kind of person was she?”

“She was a deeply loving girl. So much so that it hurt her.”

A trace of wistfulness lingered in Kiana’s distant gaze.

She herself had once been on the verge of being consumed by love, but her husband had saved her.

Her friend, however, had seemingly been devoured by love until the very end.

And now, looking at her daughter’s partner, she felt both nostalgia and a sense of unease.

“Karen, love is a wonderful thing, but it also has the power to distort people.”

For the first time in a long while, Kiana looked directly into Karen’s eyes, her gaze unwavering.

Without saying it outright, she was asking:

“You and Yukie won’t lose yourselves, will you?”

It was a challenge hidden in her mother’s stare.

Karen responded with a fearless smile.

“If you’re asking whether I’ve already lost myself, the answer is yes—completely.”

The boyish girl she had met in the past had quietly filled the void of loneliness within her.

When they reunited, that same person—now fully a woman—drove her mad with love.

It might have seemed like Karen was the one leading, but in reality, she was completely at Yukie’s mercy.

“I don’t know what the future holds. But no matter what happens, we will face the end together.”

The resolve to make Yukie happy had long been made.

Karen had already decided—no matter what happened, they would walk this path together.

“Mother, I will spend my life with Yukie.”

It was almost like a mirrored version of Yukie’s earlier vow.

She declared it first to her mother, making sure there was no room for argument.

She would be happy with Yukie.

And she would ensure no one interfered again.

“…They say children grow up so quickly.”

Seeing her daughter’s growth—and the fact that her partner shared the same resolve—Kiana had nothing more to say.

Except for one thing.

“Karen. I want to see grandchildren.”

A completely unreasonable request.

“I suppose we could adopt.”

Karen added a silent “probably” in her mind.

For Karen, Yukie was enough.

But Yukie might someday want children.

If that time came, they would deal with it then.

She even briefly considered investing in research to advance science so that same-s3x couples could have biological children in their lifetime.

But that was a matter for the future.

For now, she just wanted to enjoy Yukie’s cooking again after so long.

As she spoke with her mother, Karen realized—she didn’t mind this feeling.

How long had it been since she last talked to her mother without anger clouding her thoughts?

And she knew exactly who to thank for that.

That was why she had no qualms about secretly watching her beloved as she cooked.

This was pure love, after all.

She was Yukie’s lover, so there was nothing wrong with it.

In fact, she was practically an officially recognized fiancée at this point.

Maybe it was time to push things even further.

After all, when they had been alone in that hotel, she had barely managed to hold herself back.

Her self-restraint was reaching its limit.