All's fair in rivalry and blossoming love

Minami

A year before.
Friday the 3rd
11:22am
Aihara Estate

"You've just returned from Australia and finished school, you should consider getting married." The head of the family spoke, my great grandmother, who by far looks younger than she looks.

Great genetics run in the family after all. "I don't see the point in getting married so soon. I've recently turned 21 and started at the company." I retorted, frowning at her words.

"While you're working at the company you should still consider." She said, not looking up from the documents she was looking over. I sighed, I should talk to my mother about this.

"Don't think about talking to Nao about this, I will not change my mind." She finally looked up, my eye twitched at her spot on mind technique.

I still haven't figured how she can do that. "My mother and father would reason with me. And my grandmother. Unlike you." My frown remained, she blankly stared at me.

"Of course Kurona, Nao and Tetsuha would side with you. You're an intelligent young woman with a capable independency of doing things without assistance. It's expected though, you're an Aihara. But like it or not you will get married, I'm giving you a year to find someone and if you don't I will." She looked back down at the paperwork.

Meaning it was my cue to leave. I felt my jaw automatically tighten at her abrasive way of speaking. I got up, slightly bowed and walked to the shogi door.

The veranda appeared, lush green grass, a koi fish pond to the far left, and my cousin sitting on the flooring with her legs crossed.

"It's been a while hasn't it?" I speak up, she stretches and gets up with ease. I'm met with an uncanny resemblance.

"It has." She smiles, we've looked alike since children. Only difference was her hair, being pitch black. Mine on the other hand had red streaks, I give my mom credit for it.

We walk forward and hug one another, I truly missed being around her. "Don't be mad but I kind of overheard." She mentions, I shake my head.

"It's fine, I'm angry at the thought of already needing to look for marriage prospects." We walk away from the head's office. She and I linked arms.

"Are you going to tell your mom about this?" She asks, I shake my head. "There's no use, she'll get shut down by her anyways." I finish off.

"Well you've only been here a few days and haven't exactly seen the rest of the family. What do you say we go?" She suggests, I nod. It'd be great to get out of this stuffy place.

She pulls me along to her room, "Let me get changed real quick and we'll leave." She slides the shogi door open and unlocks the room to the left. Our rooms were in front of each other.

Walking in feels like a dream, her tastes having changed since I had left years ago. "You like collecting succulents?" I ask, she laughs from her closet.

"They're gifts from my fiancé." I look over, her head peeks out. "I probably should have mentioned that I'm getting married this year." She dives back in, I blink at her sudden announcement.

Sitting down on a plush couch, I'm trying to process the information she just gave me. "Who are you marrying?" I ask lowly but with eagerness to know.

"His name is Shimura Itadori, a current resident at Tsunade-sama's hospital. He's a lovely guy and we get along great." I rolled my eyes.

"So a distant member of the Senju family." I say, looking over pictures she's taken over the years. I knew the lineage of the families linked to ours. Minorly linked but were still there.