Steam Pressure

The offer still had yet to fully sink in for Kouji. Never once in his life did he ever think that someone's parents would ask him to put himself in a position to marry their daughter. Admittedly, he certainly never dreamed of being in the current situation he was in with the other girls as well.

Speaking of, that was another thing that was weighing heavily on his mind. There was no way he could accept this offer without regret. It would break those girls' hearts if they learned he dumped them because someone's parents asked him to go with their daughter. In fact, if he told Yuma's parents about that, then they'd certainly never want him to marry Yuma. He'd be viewed as some playboy or a guy taking advantage of the hearts of young girls.

Kouji couldn't believe the things that he'd been asked of by the people around here. It was crazy, even the fact that he knew these girls was because of this.

What was he even doing right now? Her parents were crazy, there was no way he could just drop what he was doing and date Yuma. So why was the boy even entertaining this notion?

"What am I doing?" He questioned himself out loud. All this thinking was getting to him, and taking a quick break from doing so reminded him of something else. That being the need to relieve his bladder of all the nice beverages he enjoyed during the Winter ball.

Being alone in the restroom can allow a bot quite some clarity when he has a big decision on his mind. While he might've made it up with rejecting the offer of the family. Kouji did think about his relationship with Yuma.

That girl was an enigma to most, which sometimes included him. But at the same time, he understood what she could be about. Yuma wasn't dumb or anything, just a little slow and perhaps even a bit shy. Her smile proved that she wasn't some expressionless person that contained no feelings within. Yet the way she was, left many misunderstanding the girl.

An arrangement like this was unfair to her most of all. Kouji figured that the girl didn't deserve this. She should be with a boy that she'll really love. One that isn't just the first one to be her friend, but one that will love her each and every single day.

"I'm sorry Yuma." He spoke, as if talking with her. A means to express how he truly felt about her. "I can't be that one, not with Himawari, Teru, or Waa." That was that, and as he exited the bathroom, he resolved to tell her parents of his answer.

However, his plan would be cut short when he got a message on his phone. It was from Yuma, which wasn't a surprise since he figured that she'd learn he was here eventually. It read, 'I'd like to talk'. Now that filled him with a little bit of dread. It appeared that she learned about this arrangement. What else could this possibly mean?

Kouji replied to the message by stating he'd meet her in her room. Before he could even talk a step towards that destination, she had already sent a short one stopping him. This girl texted a lot faster than she spoke. It read, 'I'm not there', then shortly after that, another one was sent. She had told him to simply open the door that was next to bathroom.

"So she's in there?" He turned his head over to it. She must've heard him using the toilet, or did she actually hear the words spoken for himself? The latter was a concern for him, since that would kill the secret him and the other trio of girls worked hard to keep. Without giving it much thought beyond that, Kouji opened the door to get in. "Hello?"

He had come in far too quickly. The air in the room was hot and steamy, and Kouji wasn't expecting that at all. This wasn't just some ordinary room, this was the bathroom, with the key emphasis on bath. Really, he should've realized this considering the room he just went to only had a toilet and sink.

"Hello…" Right in the bathtub, filled to the brim with water, was Yuma. Not wearing any clothes, as any sane individual would when taking a bath.

"Ah!" He let out a yelp from the surprise. Kouji went to exit the room quickly, but caught himself before leaving. She invited him in here like this, so she must be fine with this.

"...Stop." Which he was correct, and luckily too since it took a while for her to stop him in his tracks. "I want to talk… It's fine if you're in here… While I'm like this." He accepted her offer and went deeper inside. Well, if he wanted to be in a compromising position, this certainly hit the mark quite well.

The best, or worst, part of this was that he couldn't actually see anything of Yuma's under the water. She was covered fairly well from the suds of her little bubble bath.

"I, uh, take it you found out about what you're parents asked me?" He asked her, but already knew the answer to it.

"I did." She responded. "I know that… They asked you to marry me." So that cat was out of the bag.

"Yeah, real crazy, right?" He nervously laughed while chatting with her. That had to be the strangest news she had ever heard. "I mean, something like this wouldn't be fair to you." She took a long while to reply to him. There was silence between them, the only sound coming from the splashing of water in the tub as she cleaned herself.

"...It's because of how I am." She stated as a matter-of-fact. Then again, pretty much all of her words sounded like that. "I… Can't run the business."

"That's not true." He consoled her. Or at least, tried to since it sounded like a sad statement on its own. Even without the tone of emotion in her voice. "You're just a teen, of course you're not ready now. I'm sure when we're all older you'll do a great at handling those farms and finances and stuff."

"But I've never changed before… I can never change this." It sounded like she had already given up. Perhaps she was right, and this was just how she was born. "I'm no good…"

"Now that's not true at all." He leaned over towards her on the tub. "So what if you're a little slow? That doesn't mean you don't get a say in your own life. And I know there's no way you can be happy if we got together just so I can take over the business." Not to mention that Kouji himself had no experience in the matter. It's not as though he could just swoop in and save the day so easily.

"Is it because… You don't think I'd… Be happy with you?"

"Well, I imagine if you were with someone you didn't love. That would make you pretty unhappy with the arrangement." He answered. That's how he'd feel about it, did she not agree that thought process?

Kouji waited for her to respond to him. This was taking an inordinately long amount of time. A lot more time than he'd grown to expect to wait for her to say something. What was taking her so long, he wondered. It's as though her mind was stuck trying to process the words she wanted to say.

Yuma dipped slightly more into the water. Her mouth was nearly submerged in the depths, almost as if her body didn't want her to say what her brain wanted to say.

"I think…" Finally, she spoke up. "No… I know…" The way she talked was like a person struggling to say words, but without all the tone or emotion that accompanied it. It's not like when someone mumbling or stuttering words in embarrassment or apprehension. To him, she spoke with each word meticulously chosen. Said in a manner to get everything right, like when one is learning a new language. "I know that… I would be very happy if you married me."