The hall with its extravagant chandeliers on the ceiling was adorned with roses to celebrate the day.
　It was common to see men and women of all ages dressed in formal attire such as suits and dresses, chatting rudely with each other.

　In particular, a crowd of people gathered around a couple of men and women sitting on the largest debris.
　The man and woman are dressed in the most expensive outfits in this venue, and their expressions are so bright that they can be described as being at the peak of their happiness right now.

　That's right, this is a wedding venue and right now the wedding party is in the middle of the dinner.
　That man and woman are the bride and groom who are going to share their joys and sorrows as husband and wife from today.
　They look happy and very good.

　As I watched the protagonists from afar, I looked at Sakai, who was sitting next to me, the one who had invited them here.

　His straight reddish-brown hair is curled up at the tips, and coupled with his glasses, which are more cleanly polished than usual, I can see that he is a truly cool beauty, and he is very precise.

　Above all, the pale blue dress she's wearing for the wedding ceremony and reception makes her look even more attractive than she usually is.
　When I came to the meeting place, I couldn't help but fall in love with her because she was so beautiful.

　Well, that's about it........

'I don't know why it's a wedding.......'

　It's not that this is the first time, but I still feel out of place for a bachelor.
　I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to get away with it.
　It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you want to do with it, but it's not very hopeful because you don't have a partner.

　The reason for this is because of the busyness of the daily grind and the fatigue that comes with it, there is no room for romance, but that is the reason.

It's not a good idea to go to the wedding day after tomorrow, but it's hard for me to go alone, so I want Kazu-kun to come too!

　And Sakai explained why, but of course I asked the question why me.
　The reply.....

"The rest of my colleagues were busy with work, and I couldn't think of anyone else I could ask to accompany me except Kazu-kun...

　Apparently.
　Incidentally, Sanya was supposed to be there at the time, but Sakai ignored him.

　Well, if Miya had accompanied him, he would have been trying to make friends with the woman who came to the ceremony site, and he was probably concerned about that.
　With that in mind, you can say that she trusts me that I won't do anything weird, just like I did when I patted her on the head before.

　It's not a bad idea to have dinner with a beautiful woman like Sakai, even if it's just for the wedding party.
　It's not a bad idea to have a dinner with a beautiful woman like Sakai and her wedding party.

I'm sorry to have you come all the way out here on your precious Golden Week break.

　However, Sakai, perhaps having heard the murmurings earlier, made an apologetic expression and told him to apologize.

"What are you talking about? I took Sakai up on his invitation, so it's up to me to do what I want with my time off, right?　Then it's worth it to have dinner with Sakai like this.
You're acting all cool like that again...
Well men like to be cool, you know.
Hmm. Yeah.

　When I uttered a bitter embarrassment that I was indeed a bit too cool, Sakai smiled and affirmed it.
　I'm glad to see that it seems to distract you from your guilt a little.

However, I was surprised to hear that Mr. Ito, who was even called the idol of the corporate sales department, was getting married,
I've always known I had a partner, but watching you as a bride like this gives me a lot to think about.

　There's no doubt about it.
　In fact, I'm past my late twenties, and I still miss the fact that I'm single and out of place.

　And one more thing.
　I think of Minami-san, who was probably married in her teens.
　She was married to an older man who was her tutor, and I can't imagine how much pain she must have had to go through when she married a man who was her tutor - and it was a marriage.

　She lost that husband in an accident, and she has sacrificed her time to protect her only daughter, Amana, who is her blood relative.

　She should have been able to celebrate her certain happiness like a newlywed couple who are still happily kao....

'Kazu-kun?　What's up with the spacing?
'What?　Yeah, no. It's just, you know, my future.

　I was just lost in my thoughts when Sakai called out to me and made up for it.
　It's not good.
　

　I reconsider this and ask her a question to change the subject.

'Does Sakai have aspirations of getting married or something, too?'
'What?　I'm a woman, too. I do have that kind of longing, don't I?

　Sakai's brow wrinkles as if he is not expecting it to be a surprise when the question is suddenly posed to him with a thought.

''Oh no. I didn't mean to ask in that way, you know...''
I'm just kidding. But it's not enough for me to express my admiration for it, I just vaguely wondered if I would do it too.

　I hurriedly tell her that it was a misunderstanding, but she quickly comes over with a mischievous smile on her face.
　It seems she was just teasing me........

　But I can kind of understand what Sakai is saying.
　Maybe it's because when I imagine the highest level of happiness in my life, 'marriage' is the first thing that comes to mind.
　

"Sigh..... I have the same desire to get married as anyone else, but if you ask me if I can take on someone else's life, I have a hard time answering that question.
''That's true. It's not like I have someone I can trust with my life either...

　After saying that much, Sakai muttered a small 'Oh' and then asked me something.

'What about you, Kazu?　Is there someone you want to date, let alone marry?
What?　I'm not here, but....
What?　So, who was calling the day before yesterday?　I didn't understand what they were talking about, but it was a woman's voice, wasn't it?
I...

　I can't help but blurt out a question that seems to get to the heart of the matter in a way.
　Oh, geez, I'm glad I didn't put anything in my mouth....

　Because the person on the other end of the phone is the same Minami-san who had just popped into my head.
　It's still better that Amana-chan didn't come to mind.
　I'll try.　

　I realized that Sakai was giving me a teasing look and said, 'Oh, this is the kind of person who will pursue you until you answer me,' so I decided to answer her with an air of composure, though it might be too late.

I'm just an acquaintance from the delivery site.
That's it?
That's it.

　Sakai asks back as if he were quizzical, to which I responded quite calmly.

　In reality, though, he's seen as the enemy in many ways because of his daughter (Amana-chan) relationship.
　I've been with my kids for a long time.
　That's quite a misnomer, isn't it...?

　Once again, I shudder as I'm reminded of how much of a socially dangerous tightrope I'm walking.

　Yeah, I regain my composure now that I'm eating.
　Besides, it's not good that Sakai keeps teasing me.
　This time I'll ask him back.

"What about Sakai like that?
'What?　Me!

　As soon as I asked the question, Sakai was visibly upset.
　I was already satisfied with the fact that I was able to return their intentions, and when I tried to open my mouth to say that I didn't need to answer right away....

".........I........









　Marriage I don't know if it's going to go all the way to.......but there's someone I'm interested in.......
Huh?

　With a meaningful and hopeful look in his eyes, Sakai answered my question with that.