"How was it? Tell me what you think!"
Saegusa Mayumi noticed Kudo Mitsunobu's gaze on her, but instead of feeling shy, she leaned forward slightly, hoping for a good review.
"Beautiful! It really suits you."
There was no denying that, in Kudo Mitsunobu's eyes, Saegusa Mayumi was even more eye-catching than usual today.
The dress clung to her curves and showed off her figure to excellent effect.
The glimpses of her calves and arms didn't make her look indecent; instead, they made her seem even more youthful.
It was just the faintly visible cleavage that bothered Kudo Mitsunobu a little.
Kudo Mitsunobu walked over to Saegusa Mayumi without changing expression, took off his jacket, and offered it to her.
"What, are you jealous?"
Saegusa Mayumi understood perfectly well what it meant that Kudo Mitsunobu had offered her his jacket.
Although his gaze on her chest had made her a little shy, it also showed how attracted he was to her.
Smiling, she gently pushed his hand back, then produced a shrug from her handbag as if by magic and draped it over her shoulders.
"How about this? Now you're seeing the outfit in its entirety."
After saying that, she spun around on the spot.
She had arrived wearing the shrug; she'd only taken it off when she saw Kudo Mitsunobu, hoping to tease him.
"Beautiful. It suits you even better now."
Saegusa Mayumi wrapped an arm around one of Kudo Mitsunobu's, pressing herself close to him.
"Mayumi?"
Kudo Mitsunobu was taken aback by her unusually bold move. Though the two of them had been close before, they'd only ever held hands or sat together and talked.
"What? We're already discussing an engagement. Why are you surprised by something so trivial?"
Saegusa Mayumi sounded a little annoyed as she spoke. That was why she'd asked Kudo Mitsunobu to wait for her here this morning.
She wanted to give him a proper grilling.
Thinking back to last night, she'd already been getting ready for bed.
But then her father had called her into the living room.
"Father, what did you want to see me about all of a sudden?"
Saegusa Mayumi had barely sat down before asking him directly.
Earlier that evening, Mio Gorin from the Gorin family had come to visit and brought up the possibility of an engagement. It had put her in a terrible mood.
She was already thinking about how to bring up Kudo Mitsunobu to her father.
"A few days ago, Teacher Kudo mentioned something to me when he contacted me."
"He said his grandson was dating you, and asked whether we would agree to an engagement."
Saegusa Koichi spoke unhurriedly, his eyes behind yellow-brown lenses watching Saegusa Mayumi's reaction.
"Wha—what?!"
Saegusa Mayumi cried out. Fortunately, the Saegusa twins had gone to visit their mother, who was recovering from an illness. Otherwise, they would surely have been startled and come downstairs to find out what was going on.
"So you two really are dating."
Saegusa Koichi was very interested in his eldest daughter's reaction. It was rare for him to see her so flustered.
Saegusa Mayumi's face turned bright red, and her breathing grew a little uneven.
She clasped her hands over her full thighs, her fingers rubbing nervously against one another.
"We're not dating yet. We just have feelings for each other."
Saegusa Mayumi found it difficult to get the words out.
And what she said wasn't wrong. Kudo Mitsunobu had never actually confessed to her, which was also why she'd been a little annoyed with him this morning.
"I see. Then, what kind of person is Kudo Mitsunobu? I'd like to know."
Saegusa Koichi already knew the basics about Kudo Mitsunobu, of course, but he had no way of learning anything deeper.
After all, Retsu Kudou had done an excellent job of protecting Kudo Mitsunobu. From childhood onward, he had never let his grandson use magic in public.
So all the outside world knew about Kudo Mitsunobu was that he was Retsu Kudou's youngest grandson and had been identified early on as the next head of the Kudo Family.
"His magic abilities go without saying, his CAD adjustment skills are excellent, and he's a very thoughtful person."
After a brief spell of shyness, Saegusa Mayumi gradually calmed down.
For her own reasons, she didn't tell her father everything she'd learned.
She knew very well that Kudo Mitsunobu possessed power far beyond the usual level of a magician.
If her shrewd, calculating father found out, he would certainly try to use Kudo Mitsunobu in all sorts of ways.
"I see!"
"He's very capable with magic, and he's the next head of the Kudo Family. His family background makes him a very suitable match for you."
Saegusa Koichi stroked his chin and murmured to himself.
In truth, Kudo Mitsunobu's sudden appearance had come as a pleasant surprise to Saegusa Koichi. He valued benefits, but he wasn't so heartless that he would disregard his daughter's wishes entirely.
Otherwise, Saegusa Mayumi's marriage would have been settled long ago. Both Gorin Hirofumi of the Gorin family and Jumonji Katsuto of the Jumonji House would have made excellent marriage partners.
But Saegusa Mayumi strongly opposed both of them, so the matter had remained on hold.
"Then, Mayumi, if you don't object, we can settle it."
Once Saegusa Koichi made a decision, he acted quickly. He already had a great deal of business dealings with the Kudo Family, and he'd also heard Retsu Kudou mention that he wanted Kudo Mitsunobu to take over as head of the family in the near future.
"Isn't this a little sudden?!"
Saegusa Mayumi cried out again.
"Well! This is what Teacher Kudo hopes for, and you don't object either, do you, Mayumi?"
Before you continue