The Seventh Case

Chapter 6

"......"

"Do you want me to be more clear, Kazuto-kun?", Kyouko asked with a coy smile. Kazuto gulped rather loudly and spotted Kouichirou from the corner of his eye. The older boy flinched on seeing Kazuto's look and immediately avoided eye contact.

"Aniki", he growled and was about to chew him off before Kyouko raised her hand, asking him to calm down by action.

"I am not interested in an engagement - no matter how beautiful your daughter is", he snapped.

"Why is that?", she questioned and Kazuto frowned in bewilderment. Was he really talking to the brains of the Yuuki family? The woman who was considered to be one of the most sinister minds in the field of business? Was it the same Yuuki Kyouko who acted so innocently in front of him?

"Look at me. I am very much aware of my lifestyle, and as my sister suggests - a man who is stuck in the 19th century. I am willing to bet that your daughter would immediately regret stepping into my home on seeing me", he spouted and a smirk appeared on Kyouko's lips.

"I would choose my words very carefully if I were you, Kazuto-kun. I would not throw around words like 'bet' callously if I were you. A man should stick to his words, should he not? If Asuna does not show any signs of disgust on seeing you, you have to accept the proposal. That is our bet. If it happens as per your call, I will drop the matter immediately - a woman's word!", she promised and cold sweat ran down his spine. Kazuto felt as if an older and possibly more dangerous devil had entered his life possibly in the form of a mother-in-law.

"That was out of context", he weakly defended himself and Kyouko stared at him in pity. If he had known that behind the stoic face of Yuuki Kyouko there existed one of the greatest manipulative monsters, he would have preferred the former at any given date and time.

"Why are you so resolutely refusing my daughter? Is it because of the feud between her and your sister?"

Kirito remained silent. He did not know how to answer the question. He could not dodge it either. Asuna would soon be arriving and it would mean a great insult to her if the decision was taken even before her arrival. It would seem as if she were a piece of meat being traded by a couple of dogs. He could make up a plethora of excuses, but a few of them were truly genuine.

"It is because I am afraid. I am afraid I will not be able to keep your daughter happy. For someone of her stature, you can find hundreds of men out there who can boldly call themselves her equal, but not me. There is nothing I have accomplished than I can openly say to the world, other than raising my sister or wielding a katana. I have no formal sort of education and I am not one of the brightest minds you can spot.I can guess that the only thing that ties me to today's world is that I know how to use a computer and I have a phone, nothing else. As I had said before, my lifestyle - I have not worn a tuxedo or a similar formal wear my entire life, and I can almost assure you I cannot support Asuna-san if she decides to take over the company. Supporting a CEO is FAR beyond my expertise and abilities, Yuuki-san", he ranted and Kyouko maintained the same soft smile, with her fingers intertwined on the table.

"I think I have to travel to all ends of the Earth to find someone who would belittle himself as much as you do to yourself, Kazuto-kun. You say you are afraid you might keep Asuna unhappy. Your sister seems rather happy to me. To answer your second point, I am not a graduate - yet here I am, supporting my husband to the best I can, and if I may be a bit arrogant, I can say I am doing a good job. To answer your third point, I think I told you about my middle class family. I never bothered to look up at an expensive shop forget clothes, but here I am", she countered each and every one of his arguments.

"I guess Asuna-san is a year older to me and..."

"If that happens to be a problem, I am two years senior to my husband. We have been married for almost twenty seven years. Anything else?", she smiled.