The night Michihiko Okaya and Ruriiya shared their first kiss as couple.

Yanegawa Ichika, Okaya's lover, had been invited by her younger brother Saburo to go drinking at an izakaya. "Hey you two, come over here!"

From the inner tatami room, a large man poked his head out with a playful nudge.

He wore sunglasses and looked like a Terminator. Jirota Yanegawa. Saburo's older brother and Ichika's younger brother.

"Ah, big bro! Sorry to keep you waiting!"

Saburo, having just finished work, and Ichika had arranged to meet up with Jirota for drinks.

The inner room was enveloped in a bizarre atmosphere: two Terminators and one beautiful woman in a suit.

Just as the three of them arrived, their drinks were served.

Ichika got beer, Saburo got a Cassis Orange, and Jirota got oolong tea. "Damn, bro."

"Your brother Saburo sent me a LINE message saying they'd be coming over soon."

Just as the drinks were set down, the appetizers arrived.

Every single one was something Ichika and Saburo liked.

"Alright then, cheers. Sis, you call the shot."

Hearing Saburo, Ichika tilted her head in confusion.

"What even is this gathering supposed to be...?"

It was only after Okaya left that Saburo suddenly invited them.

"Ah-ma... umm... why was it? Bro?"

"We don't need a reason to drink, just because we're siblings, right?"

Hearing Jirota's words, Ichika nodded in agreement. "Then, cheers." "«Cheers!»" Clink...

Saburo munched away at the goya champuru. "Delicious!"

"You can't handle beer, but you can eat goya champuru?"

Downing her mug of beer, Ichika said with a note of exasperation.

"It's not that I dislike bitter things; I just can't stand beer."

What he was drinking was cassis orange.

Contrary to appearances, I have a weakness for sweet cocktails.

Jirota pulled the meat and vegetables off the yakitori skewers and placed them onto their side plates.

Saburo said "thank you" as he dug into his favorite part, the gizzards. "Don't you drink, brother?"

"I came by car, ya see. Can't afford to crash if I'm going to worry the wife."

Jirota was married, of Russian descent, and undeniably handsome.

"Exactly. With a baby on the way this winter, you really can't afford an accident that would trouble your family."

Indeed... Jirota's wife had become pregnant.

The news had already been shared in the Inokawa family group chat.

"This is nice. Your kid with a Russian mom will be half, right? If it's a girl, she's gonna be absolutely stunning! The boy... well, let's hope for the best." "Shut up. You're so rude."

Tap. Ika lightly bonked Saburo on the head.

"Thank you very much, Saburo."

Jirota thanked her with a bright smile.

Ichika watches him down his drink with an envious expression and says.

"If it were Jirota, he'd be devoted to them whether they were a man or a woman... Ah, how I wish things were like that."

As Ichika's beer glass ran empty, the server brought over their second round.

Jirota had been keeping an eye on their pace and smoothly placed the order at just the right moment.

"Older sister, do you want children?"

"Of course I do. I want a lot of them."

Ichika's dream was to become a housewife, seeing her husband off in the morning, and giving birth to and raising many children for Okaya.

"I think five would be just right..."

"Well... physically I might be up for it, but age is a factor— ow! Ow! Ow!"

Ichika reached out to Sambo's forehead and gave him an Iron Claw.

"Sis, please forgive his behavior. Sambo, apologize for your rudeness."

"Ugh... sorry, sis..." Ichika released her grip.

Saburo pressed his temple as he spoke.

"But... seriously, sis, you're getting up there in years, right? It's not like it would be a bad thing if you got married and had kids or whatever."

"Right~... can you hear me now?"

Jirota naturally agreed, and Saburo nodded along.

"You know, recently... I went to the wedding of a high school classmate. And when I was there, everyone was married and had babies... like, some pretty big kids even." Ichika would be twenty-eight this year. She had graduated from university six years ago.

Some of her friends hadn't gone to university at all. That made it ten years since their graduation.

Some were happily married, others were raising kids.

Actually, at this age, Ichika was the one in the minority who was single. "That must be rough, huh."

"It really is~... And here's what gets me... they all brought up the topic of kids and asked me point-blank why I didn't have any yet. And when it shifted to how I wasn't even married yet... that awkward, subtle tension in the air! That's the worst part!" "Aww..."

Her sister's drinking was picking up speed.

It seemed she had been holding a lot of stress.

"What the hell? Being married makes you special or something, huh? Damn it... sorry I'm still single at this age, okay?"

「Well, I guess it's a step forward for you, Sis. You finally got a boyfriend, and apparently you lost your virginity too. Gotta start somewhere, right?」

「A step forward... Is it really just a step forward, though...?」

Ichika rested her cheek on the table, idly picking at an empty mug with one finger.

「It is definitely one step further in the relationship, but... I still can't see any finish line in sight.」

Her dating status with Okaya was still vague and ambiguous.

That made it four people now... no, wait, since Okaya started dating, that's actually five.

This provisional romantic arrangement is based on mutual consent.

Ichika was, of course, happy to be in a relationship with Okaya and wanted to respect his feelings, his happiness…… but……

"To be honest... I want to marry Mitsuhiko soon..." Jirotao ordered water.

He handed a glass to Saburō, who was sitting next to his sister. "Sis, drink your water." "Mm... thanks..."

She drank deeply, pressing the glass against her cheek.

As a little water dripped down, Jirotao took out a handkerchief and wiped around her mouth.

"I know it sounds like I'm bringing up old stories, but... I'm twenty-eight now. I absolutely want to get married by thirty, so I'm getting kind of panicked about it."

"Is that just how things are? Brother?"

At Saburo's question, Jirota nodded in agreement.

"See, there's the pressure from society, and then there's what our parents think, you know."

"Ah... yeah, Dad and Mom do worry about Ichika pretty bad... Ah... never mind, forget I said anything, Sis." Even without being told, she already knew.

Ichika was the one her parents were most concerned about.

Jirota was already married, with a child on the way.

Saburo had a girlfriend, they lived together, and his wedding was just around the corner.

Their two younger sisters were still high school students.

Given all that, it was inevitable that the long-awaited marriage of their eldest sister, Ichika, became a pressing issue.

"Marriage is such a hassle. I figure if you two like each other, you can get married whenever you want."

"You're right, Saburo... So sis, there's no need to rush, alright?" "Hm... thanks..."

She let out that breath, and Ika began to emit a small snoring sound.

Saburo glanced sideways at his sister, letting out a sigh.

"You've been holding it all in for quite a while now, sis. To get so drunk on just a tiny bit like that..."

Tiny (※ five large mugs' worth).

Looking at the now-empty mug, Saburo muttered softly.

"I'm actually worried about you, sis... I mean, things are in a bit of an awkward spot right now."

Saburo worked under Aida Takakura.

All information related to Rushia funneled through that venerable old man's office.

Naturally, Saburo knew that Okaya was dating five women, Ika included.

"Even today, sis, you must have had a tough time of it. Looks like the young lady kissed Mr. Okaya." He hadn't actually peeked at them. He'd just picked up on the vibe.

When Okaya headed home, Rushia had been smiling with her face flushed red.

Saburo realized that was the look of a maiden in love.

And if Saburo notices, it naturally follows that Ichika, his lover, would notice too.

"He’s anxious, isn’t he? Up until now, he was the one holding the lead in a way. But your daughter is closing the gap on top of that... plus, she’s younger than him, so..."

As for Saburo, while he was happy to see Lusia content with this development, ...there were various things weighing on his mind.

"It's a difficult position to be in... both for you and for Neesan."

Saburo and Ichika of the Nunokawa family had witnessed Lusia's misfortunes up close more than anyone else for as long as they could remember.

Because of that, they wanted nothing more than for her to be happy—happier than anyone.

That feeling was common to both of them.

...But there was something missing in his sister, something present in him, her younger brother.

It was the desire for his sister's happiness.

"Nee-chan is too passive. She always prioritizes the happiness of others—like your daughter’s—over her own. It’s pretty painful to watch, honestly." Today, when Okaya left. Ichika had put on a brave face.

But once he was gone, she looked lonely.

There must have been conflict raging within his sister's heart.

The desire to wish Rusia happiness and the desire to pursue her own happiness had been in constant conflict.

Seeing this, Saburo immediately sought advice from Jirota. That is how we ended up in this current situation.

"Thanks for telling me, Saburo."

"I hope this helps release some of that pressure inside Sis a bit, you know." Saburo took a sip of his sake, letting it sit on his tongue before swallowing.

"What do you think about the situation surrounding Okaya-san?"

"...If I’m being honest, I just want someone to decide already, I guess. Of course, I understand that she’s been through a lot of awful things and that she’s a little mentally unstable. But still..."

Okaya had been treated like a slave by Misae.

From her puberty years all the way until she became an adult in society.

"From what I’ve heard, it seems like she’s never experienced a normal romantic relationship, so I doubt she really understands love. There’s certainly plenty to sympathize with there." "But look..."

Jirota raised a finger in front of his mouth.

Seeing his sister sleeping, Saburo lowered his voice. "...Sorry."

"Saburo. I feel the same way. I’m praying for the happiness of Sis and our family. But in the end, it’s up to the people involved to make the decision. There’s no point in us on the outside just making a fuss about it." "………"

「Besides, I don't think there's such a thing as right or wrong in romance. Of course... it's not like I can just blindly approve of what the sisters are going through right now." Ssaburo gave it some thought before speaking up.

"Then... what should I do?"

"Just watch over them, quietly. Don't interfere; let them walk their own path. It's their life, after all." "But..." Jirotae continued.

"What if something happens down the line that really crushes her? If she hits rock bottom?"

Like, say, Okaya dumping her or something.

"When the time comes, we'll all pitch in as a family to support her." "Yeah... you're right." Before long—

Jirotae settled the bill and stepped out onto the street.

The sister Ssaburo had been carrying on his back was lifted into Jirotae's limousine.

"I'll take care of getting her home safely."

"I'm heading back by train, so please look after her."

Jirotae nodded in agreement and slid into the driver's seat.

The car pulled away, cruising along for a while... "Jirotae..." the sister murmured softly. "...Thank you. For everything."

He must have woken up partway through. Jirota chuckled softly.

"Tell San'ro that the older sister came to say thank you."