[Game] 406-407

### Chapter 406: No Chance, Not Good Enough

The day after Haruno and Yukino returned to Tokyo.

Afternoon.

Since Haruno’s arranged meeting with her matchmaking partner was set for dinner, the two sisters dropped by Ichin’s place in the afternoon.

But when Ichin saw that besides the Yukinoshita sisters, Hiratsuka Shizuka was also at the door, he scratched his head.

“Uh… Hiratsuka-sensei, why are you here too?”

After stepping inside and changing into slippers, Hiratsuka replied,

“Last night I was on the phone with Haruno, she mentioned it to me. Just so happens I had some free time these days, so I came over from Chiba. Back when I went to my matchmaking meetups, Haruno tagged along a few times to mess around. Now it’s my turn to return the favor.”

Ah, so that was the reason.

In the living room, Utaha’s gaze immediately fell on Haruno when the three entered.

“Haruno, you look absolutely gorgeous today.”

Today, Haruno wore a white women’s overcoat on the outside, a turtleneck wool sweater inside, paired with a fitted knee-length skirt and black tights.

Once she took off the coat, her graceful figure was highlighted. With her carefully kept shoulder-length hair and refined makeup, she was practically radiant.

Sitting down on the sofa, Haruno smiled.

“Whether I like it or not, this is something arranged by my mother. I can’t embarrass her in front of acquaintances. So, Ichin, Utaha—why don’t you two come along tonight as well? The restaurant we’re meeting at has a nice atmosphere, the food’s good too. While I go on my date, you can at least enjoy dinner.”

Ichin asked curiously,

“Are you sure we won’t get in the way?”

“Don’t worry. You won’t be at the same table with me anyway.”

Waving her hand, Haruno continued,

“You four can sit at a separate table, just watch from afar. You can even help me judge what kind of person the guy is.”

At that, Ichin immediately raised his hand.

“I’ve got a question.”

“What?”

“You still haven’t told us who this guy is.”

“Eh? I didn’t?”

Haruno blinked in surprise.

When both Ichin and Utaha nodded, she finally explained,

“He’s in business. Their family runs a construction company based in Kyoto, which has been doing well in recent years. They’ve just started expanding into Tokyo. His mother and ours are old friends—college classmates, actually. They’ve met several times at banquets in the past. As for their son, he studied abroad for years, only came back last year to help manage the family company. I haven’t met him myself.”

Utaha asked,

“What about a photo? And how old is he?”

“Twenty-six, a bit older than me. And yes, I do have a photo.”

Haruno pulled out her phone and found his picture.

Since Hiratsuka hadn’t seen it either, she leaned in to look along with Ichin and Utaha.

It was a casual photo of the guy—short hair, reasonably good-looking, glasses, a faint smile on his face. He carried a somewhat scholarly air.

“Not bad,” Ichin commented fairly. “What about his personality? Did you find out beforehand?”

“I got some info, but only secondhand from my mother—who heard it from his mother. He’s basically a good boy, nothing majorly wrong, just… a bit too sheltered. Spent all his university years buried in books. Capable enough, I guess, but otherwise, you only know once you meet face to face.”

“I see…”

Utaha nodded thoughtfully. It wasn’t surprising. She’d met the sisters’ mother before: while outwardly cold, she genuinely cared for her daughters. Even when arranging a marriage meeting, she wouldn’t purposely harm her daughter’s interests. The chosen partner would have been screened—he couldn’t be too bad.

Then Yukino suddenly thought of something. Glancing at Haruno’s figure, she asked,

“Haruno, how tall is he?”

“His height?”

Haruno hadn’t expected that question and realized she didn’t know.

Yukino gave the answer instead,

“Judging from the photo, maybe around 170 centimeters.”

Haruno picked up the photo again, studied it, and nodded.

“Mm, barely 170.”

The moment she said that, all four women—including Hiratsuka—spoke in unison:

“Unqualified.”

Hearing that, Ichin chuckled helplessly.

But thinking it over, it made sense. All four women were tall. Even the shortest, Yukino, already stood at 168 cm, and she’d surely break 170 as she grew. As for the others, Utaha and Haruno were both 172, and Hiratsuka was even taller at 174.

Given their heights, seeing a man who might not even reach 170, judging him “not good enough” was only natural.

And that was just raw height—once you factored in high heels, which all of them had in their closets, even Yukino and Hiratsuka would tower over him.

Rubbing his chin, Ichin remarked,

“Looks like tonight will just be dinner, nothing more. Haruno, do we head over together, or should we go ahead and sit down first?”

Haruno tapped her chin with her finger.

“Let’s go together. It’s not like I’m trying to hide anything. Better to be upfront. After all, a girl going to a meeting like this needs a little backup, right?”

"…"

Anyone else saying that would’ve sounded perfectly reasonable. But coming from Haruno—who was skilled in aikido—it rang a bit hollow.

Still, the evening plan was set.

They spent the afternoon drinking tea and chatting at Ichin’s place. Before long, dusk fell. They split into two cars—Haruno driving one, Ichin the other—and headed for the restaurant.

When they arrived, Haruno’s matchmaking partner was already there. At least he was punctual.

Led in by the waiter, the group finally met the nameless “Mr. Background Extra” no one had bothered to even ask the name of.

He looked decent enough in the photo, but in person, Ichin noticed the guy seemed extremely nervous.

Ichin took Utaha and the others to a table not too far away, leaving Haruno and the man their space to talk.

Once they sat down, Ichin handed the menu to Yukino and Hiratsuka, then leaned in and whispered,

“This guy’s really nervous. Yukino, do you think he already knows about your sister’s popularity and her way of dealing with people?”

Yukino, who had also noticed his reaction, nodded thoughtfully.

“Quite possible.”

***

### Chapter 407: Yukino’s Thoughts on Her Sister’s Future Partner

The dishes at this restaurant looked pretty good. After ordering a few, the four of them ate while secretly observing.

Cutting into her steak, Hiratsuka Shizuka commented,

“Mm, the steak’s decent. Whatever else, at least the choice of place isn’t bad. You saw it just now, right? How tall is that guy?”

Ichin thought for a moment, then whispered,

“Should be just a little over 170 cm. But I noticed his shoes—pretty sure they had height boosters. Without them, he might not even reach 170. And even like this, standing next to Haruno, he already looks pressured. Keep in mind, Haruno isn’t even wearing heels today, just ordinary leather shoes.”

Utaha added,

“Also, did you notice? He’s clearly nervous when talking to Haruno. Not sure if it’s just her, or if he’s always like that.”

“Who knows.”

Ichin shrugged, shifting his attention back to his short ribs. Between bites, he said,

“Anyway, I don’t see Haruno ever liking a guy like this. He doesn’t even qualify to be one of her ‘playthings.’”

“Playthings, huh. True, with Haruno’s personality, she’d never look twice.”

Hiratsuka nodded, then turned to Yukino.

“Yukino, what do you think?”

“It’s just so-so.”

Yukino, who preferred fish over beef, had ordered grilled cod. After a small bite, she said,

“To become my sister’s partner, simply being obedient won’t cut it. She has zero interest in that kind of personality. Even if she agreed under mother’s pressure, she’d abandon it in days and live separately. In my view, the only chance is someone with a strong personality and exceptional ability—someone she couldn’t pick apart.”

Utaha couldn’t help but purse her lips at that.

“That kind of man is nearly impossible to find. Which means these matchmaking attempts will never work for Haruno.”

“Mother knows it too. Today was just to give it a try. She’s aware the chances of my sister actually liking him are slim. But since the other side’s family is one of her old classmates, she had to show up at least once.”

Saying that, Yukino glanced over at her sister.

Though she couldn’t hear what they were saying, she knew her sister too well. That polite smile Haruno wore was purely perfunctory—she was already running out of patience.

After a moment, Yukino quietly said,

“Sis is about to start.”

“Start?”

Hiratsuka froze, then quickly understood.

“Got it. Then let’s eat slowly. We’ll order a few more for Haruno later.”

Sure enough, five or six minutes later, the young man’s expression turned stiffer and stiffer until finally he couldn’t handle it anymore. He stood, bowed, and excused himself.

At least he remembered to pay the bill before leaving.

Meanwhile, Haruno leisurely sipped her juice, then called a waiter over to bring the menu and lead her to Ichin’s table.

After ordering two more dishes, she sat down with a relaxed smile.

“Phew. Even more boring than I expected.”

“Really that boring?” Utaha asked curiously. “You two were talking the whole time. What did you even chat about?”

“For mother’s sake, I had to talk a little. Turns out he’s hopelessly dull. He’d prepared a whole bunch of topics, but they were all cookie-cutter—stuff you can find online with a quick search.”

Since Yukino had a license now and could drive, Haruno ordered a bottle of red wine without hesitation.

Taking a sip, she continued,

“At first I humored him a little, but later I lost interest. Based on what I’d learned earlier, I deliberately steered the conversation to topics he couldn’t handle. That made him bow out on his own.”

What those topics were, she didn’t say. And if she didn’t, no one could guess.

Not that it mattered. From the very first glance, none of them believed this man had any chance with Haruno.

When Haruno started drinking, Hiratsuka got tempted too. She quickly finished her juice and poured herself half a glass.

After a sip, she turned to Ichin.

“Not having some too, Ichin?”

“I’ll pass, Haruno. I still have to drive.”

Ichin shook his head.

“You and Hiratsuka-sensei are already drinking. That leaves just me and Yukino able to drive. If I join in too, we’ll have no way home.”

“It’s fine, just let Shizuka crash at a hotel!”

Hiratsuka glared at Haruno.

“Do you even hear yourself? Every time you got drunk, who was the one dragging you back to my place to rest? I never once left you alone at a hotel!”

“Ahaha, I’m kidding, don’t be mad, Shizuka.”

Haruno laughed.

“Don’t worry, I won’t ditch you. How about staying at my place tonight? I picked up two more good bottles of wine from home yesterday.”

“Fine. I’ll take that as your apology for running your mouth just now.”

Looked like the two of them were in for another night of heavy drinking.

Hearing that her sister wouldn’t be staying over, Yukino breathed a sigh of relief—no need to guard against her barging into her room to share her bed.

Dinner lasted almost two hours. The red wine was split evenly between Haruno and Hiratsuka.

Afterward, Yukino drove the two of them back, while Ichin and Utaha took another car home.

With Haruno’s matchmaking business behind them, New Year’s passed without any major events. The next thing was helping Yukino pick out a car.

Like Haruno, Yukino now held some company shares. With her dividends plus savings, she didn’t need family money to buy something nice.

After browsing, she ignored Hiratsuka’s attempt to push her toward a sports car and chose a new Toyota instead.

“For the next four years, I’ll still be a student. No need for something that expensive. As long as it’s practical and reliable, that’s enough.”

Hiratsuka sulked, pouting.

“Why don’t any of you get it?”

While Haruno went with Yukino to pay, Ichin, standing beside Hiratsuka, said,

“Hiratsuka-sensei, unlike you, we’re not crazy about cars. Even me—my own car’s just enough to get by. Later I might buy a few company cars for employees to use when meeting clients, just to look professional.”

Hiratsuka shook her head.

“Forget it. I won’t bother talking to you guys about cars anymore. Totally pointless.”

And with that, she wandered off to go admire the sports cars herself.

***