After Ichin returned to China, the days passed quickly, and soon it was New Year's Eve on the Shanghai side.
That same day in Japan was a Saturday. Ever since waking up from her afternoon nap, Yagami Kō had been holding her phone nonstop. This made Narumi and Momiji—who were playing games nearby—extremely suspicious.
After beating Momiji in a match, Narumi looked over and asked,
"Kō-nee, what are you doing staring at your phone like that?"
Hugging the phone, Kō grinned.
"Heheh, something good is going to happen today! I'm waiting for news!"
…Well, she answered, but not really.
At that moment, Toyama Rin walked out of the kitchen with a tray of hot cocoa, glaring at Kō with clear dissatisfaction.
"Can you stop being so cryptic? I mean, Ichin is already back home. Saying it won't hurt anything."
"Hmm~~~ that's true!"
And so, Kō told Narumi Yan and Mochizuki Momiji about Ichin's plan for today.
After hearing it, Narumi froze for a few seconds. Then her face flushed red as she yelled,
"Ehhh!!! A proposal?!"
Momiji was also stunned, eyes wide, hands clapping in excitement.
"That's amazing!"
Taking a sip of hot cocoa, Kō laughed.
"Surprised, right? But they've been together for years. And now that Ichin is old enough to get married, moving to the next stage is perfectly normal. Oh, and you know what? I and Rin helped him pick out the engagement ring!"
Narumi blinked, full of curiosity.
"Eh? When did that happen? I didn't hear anything!"
Things like proposals and engagement rings were still distant concepts to her, so suddenly finding out someone close to her was already at that life stage made her really invested.
"Hehe, it was a week before Ichin flew home. We went together that morning."
Momiji instantly remembered.
"Oh! So it was that day!"
Narumi tugged on Kō's sleeve eagerly.
"Kō-nee, then how is Ichin going to propose?"
"That I don't know. I only know he's proposing today."
Kō proudly lifted her phone.
"But! I secretly called Ichin's mom at noon and asked her to record a video when it happens. She'll send it to us so we can all watch!"
"Oooh!! That's great!!"
As his friends and co-workers, they were genuinely excited to see their boss's proposal.
Narumi tapped her chin and suddenly asked,
"By the way… do the others know about this?"
"Nope!" Kō shook her head.
"Only the few of us so far. But that's fine!"
After saying that, she immediately created a new group chat and pulled in Hazuki, Umiko, Eriri, and the rest of the old gang.
Once everyone had joined, Kō announced what was going to happen today.
And, as expected, chaos immediately erupted in the chat.
Eriri: A proposal? Already? That fast?!
Umiko: It's normal. Ichin is already old enough to get married. What surprises me is how well he hid it—we had no idea.
Hazuki: That's wonderful! Does that mean we'll get to attend Ichin and Utaha's wedding this year?
Aoba: Probably not this year. They're seniors now. Besides work, they still have their graduation thesis. Preparing a wedding takes a ton of energy.
Aoba wasn't wrong. Most likely, the wedding would have to wait until after Ichin and Utaha graduated, giving them more time to prepare the perfect ceremony they wanted.
---
Meanwhile, upstairs at Haruno and Yukino's place…
After reading the messages in the group chat, Haruno curved her lips into a smile.
"Hmm~~ what a shame. I really wanted to be there."
Even though today was Haruno's day off, she had work the entire day tomorrow. While she could rush back and forth, she didn't want to throw off her working rhythm.
After reading everything, she glanced toward Yukino's room.
Yukino was studying inside—but she definitely saw the messages on her phone.
"This girl really thinks I can't tell?"
Haruno shook her head slowly, taking a sip of coffee.
"Well, this was bound to happen sooner or later. I can't interfere. Yukino will have to handle her own feelings."
After all, it wasn't just Yukino—Haruno had her own problems. After today, she had to follow her mother's arrangements and go meet yet another potential marriage candidate.
---
That evening, while Yagami Kō was eating dinner, her phone suddenly buzzed. She grabbed it immediately—and saw a video sent by Ichin's mother.
She quickly called out,
"Come come come! The video's here! It's here!!"
Rin, Narumi, and Momiji rushed over instantly.
Kō played the video, and the four saw Utaha—blindfolded with a silk ribbon—being led by Ichin into a beautifully decorated hotel room. When the blindfold came off, Utaha froze in shock, and the proposal began.
Surrounding them were both sets of parents and many of Ichin's relatives, all watching them warmly.
As for the outcome—naturally, Utaha accepted.
Ichin slid the ring onto her finger.
When the video showed them kissing, Narumi's eyes went wide.
"So sweet…! Should we send this to the group so everyone can see!?"
"Of course we're sending it! But we get to watch it first."
Laughing, Kō immediately forwarded the video into the group chat created that afternoon.
After everyone watched it and the group exploded in excited conversation, Kō finally pulled Ichin and Utaha into the group.
---
Meanwhile, just after the proposal, the newly engaged couple were eating the birthday cake prepared for Utaha. Ichin stared at his phone in confusion when he noticed he'd been added to a new group chat.
"Why did Kō make another group…?"
Leaning against his shoulder, Utaha peeked at the screen.
"No idea. What are they talking about?"
Then she saw a new message—a video. She tapped it.
And the two people in the video…
were themselves.
"Eh?"
Ichin blinked, stunned, then turned toward his parents.
"Dad? Mom? You recorded this?"
His mom laughed.
"Of course! I asked the hotel staff to help. And I sent it to Kō and the others. They're your friends—they should know, right?"
Just as expected.
Looking back at the group chat—where everyone was already yelling for red packets—Ichin and Utaha exchanged a glance.
Then, smiling, they both sent out a big red envelope.
After all—it was a day worth celebrating.
And it was New Year's.
Giving out red envelopes was only natural.
---
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