"Hmph."
With a disdainful chuckle, Kiyoshi emerged from behind the wall and sauntered slowly into the living room.
"Midori-san is not like the other women you know, Grandma," he said. "She is not willing to give herself to me without making demands of her own."
"Why, thank you," Midori squeezed out a smile in Kiyoshi's direction. "I am glad that you know me a little better now."
"Oho!"
Grandma Matsumoto grinned.
"What demand did she make of you? I am intrigued."
Kiyoshi rolled with his eyes and chuckled out one word, "Love."
Grandma Matsumoto's bright eyes went dim when she heard Kiyoshi's one-word answer.
As expected from a woman who suffered from a problematic arranged marriage, one she could not escape from.
"Love does not exist," she commented with a dramatic sigh. Midori could almost hear the heartbreak in her voice. "You will know that sooner or later, girl. For your sake, it better be sooner."