Chapter 14: Arranged Marriage (Forced)

The following week. The exam was completed without any issues.

I felt confident about it, so I figured I’d be fine.

I sent Serina a chat saying that, then closed my phone screen.

Later that night, I laid on my bed and thought.

It was time to start job hunting.

Although unemployment benefits were still coming in, they had a limited duration. The period of being able to take things slow had already passed.

Memories of the past flooded my mind.

The sense of urgency and tension I felt back then flashed in my mind, making my chest tighten. I focused on my breathing, curling up under the blanket to calm myself.

Before I knew it, the palm of my hand, which I had clenched, was drenched in sweat.

Was I going to be okay with this?

I thought, but my body felt heavy, and my stomach ached with discomfort.

No, that’s not it. Whether I’m okay or not isn’t the issue.

I have to do it.

If I want to be independent, I have no choice but to stand on my own two feet.

Just then, my phone rang.

I lazily reached for it, propping myself up.

“Hello?”

“Are you free right now?”

“I’m free, what’s up?”

“I just wanted to say thank you for your hard work.”

“… Thanks.”

“How about we go somewhere next time?”

“Sure. A movie or something?”

“A movie sounds too much like a date, but how about camping? I can borrow the gear from a friend.”

“Sounds good. When would you want to go?”

“How about two weeks from now?”

“Sure.”

We chatted briefly, then hung up.

I closed my eyes.

The negative thoughts I had just moments ago faded away. In my mind, I saw a scene of us laughing together in the forest.

With my mind refreshed, I decided to seriously look through job listings.

◇◇◇

The man who arrived was a small, slightly pudgy guy who seemed a bit rough around the edges.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Ogata.”

“I’m Matsubashita.”

We both bowed and entered one of the few coffee shops around.

The place was empty, and I realized the owner had thoughtfully closed it just for us.

How unnecessary.

I thought bitterly as I sat down in a small sofa booth.

Glancing at the menu, I ordered without much thought.

Ogata, sitting across from me, wiped his forehead with a nervous hand and flipped through the menu with trembling fingers.

“Um…”

“Yes, it’s fine.”

Ogata slammed the menu shut with such force that it made a noise and called the owner over. We ended up taking turns trying to decide what to order, and I ended up ordering first. I went with coffee, while Ogata ordered grapefruit juice.

I was a bit taken aback. I had assumed that in a coffee shop, everyone would order coffee or something related to it.

“… You don’t like coffee?”

“Yeah, I’m embarrassed about it. I know it’s silly for an adult.”

Ogata scratched his head, looking bashful, and fell silent.

He must be the quiet type, I thought.

Or maybe he talks more once he gets comfortable.

The tension in Ogata’s clenched fist was palpable, and I could almost feel it too.

I sighed quietly, making sure he couldn’t hear, and spoke up.

“Your house is nearby, right? I used to pass by your house a lot when I was in elementary school.”

“Yeah, that’s right. There was a cute girl with a bob haircut, and she was famous even back then.”

Ogata said this, looking away shyly.

So that’s it.

Maybe we weren’t being forced into this meeting after all. At least Ogata might have wanted it. Thinking that made me understand why he was so nervous.

At the same time, I felt a heaviness in my chest.

I wanted to wrap this up quickly, but if he was willing to go through with it, there was no way around spending this time together.

After a little chatting, Ogata seemed to relax and started speaking more freely. He began by talking about the woods and rice fields we played in as children, then shared stories about sneaking into an abandoned building and getting scolded, and even gossiped about the neighbors’ recent rumors. We exchanged memories, confirming little details with one another as if we were reliving our past.

It wasn’t bad to have grown up in the same town, attended the same schools. That connection, even if we hadn’t spoken back then, made it feel like we had known each other since childhood.

Then, when we discovered we both liked motorcycles, the conversation picked up pace.

Ogata’s eyes lit up with curiosity, and before long, we’d already made plans for another outing.

◇◇◇

Ogata wasn’t a bad guy.

He was a little awkward and slow in some ways, but he had a kind heart.

He treated me, even though I was younger, with respect and never condescended, which I appreciated.

He didn’t like competition and wanted to help people, so he ended up working for the local government. Compared to what most people might consider an ideal man, he might not stand out, but as a family man, he seemed perfect. Maybe marrying someone like him would lead to happiness.

I felt a little guilty for thinking this way.

I had used Serina for my own convenience, and now I was trying to turn Ogata into someone who could be useful to me as well.

When did I start thinking like this?

I no longer cared to see the subtle things between people. Instead, I was calculating based only on what was tangible and measuring things in terms of profit and loss, making judgments that way.

That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. The world isn’t kind enough to let you live comfortably without being strategic.

But I couldn’t shake the feeling that this mindset wasn’t right.

It felt like my core was slipping away, that I wouldn’t be able to stand firmly on my own two feet. I had a sense that something was off, but I didn’t know exactly what it was yet.