My Not-so-Forged Wedding

Episode 2

A Pleasant Surprise and Ren’s Fiancée

            “I bet Yamato here wouldn’t think twice about trying to force himself on Mashiro when they’re alone in his apartment,” Takamasa smirked. “He is a possessive guy, after all. And someone like him is more likely to be as sly as a fox at least.”

            “Sh-Shut up, Saeki!” Yamato’s face flushed deep red, and it was indeed redder than a tomato at that moment, as he averted his eyes to turn away from the conversation.

            Right then and there, something had dropped onto the floor. As everyone looked to see what had happened, a girl with long, turquoise hair and icy eyes was standing in front of the doorway. She had a furious expression on her face, and the top of her cheeks had a tint of red on them as she stood there. She held the luggage in her right hand with a firm and tight grip while her left hand was empty and stiff from dropping the pack-filled envelope on the floor.

            “Wh-What the heck are you doing?!” she yelled angrily at the two men who were chatting before. She could not believe what she had just heard come out of their mouths when she walked in moments before. “Talking about something like out in the open inside a public building. You aren’t the only ones who come to this place, you know!”

            Yamato’s eyebrows furrowed in suspicion. “And who are you? You’re not someone I’ve seen before, much less had a conversation with until now.”

            All of a sudden, Mashiro’s eyes widened as a delighted smile appeared on her face. “Sophie! You’re here!” She hurried over to the furious girl. “It’s been a while since I last saw you. Although,” she added, “it’s only been two weeks since then.” Then, she bent down and picked up the envelope that was next to the turquoise-haired girl’s left foot. After that, she stood back up and handed it to her friend. “Here. You dropped your next manuscript, right? When’s it going to come out?”

            “…Un. Arigato,” Sophie nodded and took the manuscript from Mashiro’s hand. “About that… It’s going to be a surprise. So, just wait a bit more, okay? I’ll have it ready for you as soon as I can.”

            Mashiro returned her friend’s nod. “Un! I’ll wait for it to get released, so I can read it on that day. By the way, what brings you here today, Sophie?”

            Sophie looked down at the floor. “Ano…”

            “I gave her a call and told her to come here,” Kunihiko responded in his usual manner. “Since you and Yamato are going to get married soon, I thought I’d let her know. Besides, the more the merrier. It feels nice to have someone you’re familiar with to send you off on an occasion like this, so we can make the most of it this way.”

            Mashiro’s eyes widened at that realization. “…!” Then, a smile spread across her face. “Really?! You came all the way here to congratulate me?! Sophie…” Overwhelmed with several emotions, Mashiro hugged the turquoise-haired girl, who was still holding onto her belongings.

            Sophie returned the fawn-haired girl’s embrace and gave a slight nod. “Un.”

            “What’s with her?!” Yamato muttered so that the guys could hear; he was still in an unpleasant mood. “First she gets angry at us, and then she hugs my bride-to-be! What the heck is her problem, anyway?!”

            “Calm down, Yamato,” Ren said to his friend.

            Takamasa nodded. “That’s right. You shouldn’t take that tone out on a girl. It’s unmanly.”