Tokyo: Idol Girls have absolutely no bad intentions!

Chapter 217 The Necessity of Fulfilling the Marriage Contract

Ito held onto the back of the chair and carefully observed Nagano Sae, who was elegantly eating her food.

First, rule out the possibility that the other party did not hear clearly; he has already made himself very clear.

This also rules out the possibility that Sae Nagano was deliberately teasing her; trying to retaliate based solely on this would be a complete waste of effort.

From any perspective, Ito isn't exactly at a disadvantage, as for the constraints after marriage...

Nagano Sae herself is aware that he is currently in a romantic relationship with Mori, so there is no reason for her to restrict him.

The other party nodded, so why should Ito have to compromise?

"Do you need me as a shield to turn down unnecessary blind dates or arranged marriages?"

Ito considered this possibility; as the eldest daughter of a zaibatsu family, she would indeed have such troubles.

But what does this have to do with Ito? He wouldn't do something so thankless.

"What are you talking about? Why would I go on a blind date?"

"Isn't that so..." Ito couldn't find a flaw in Nagano Sae's expression. "Then why are you still..."

"How can you do this to others?"

He remembered very clearly that Nagano Saya had a boyfriend, and that Toji-sensei even knew about it.

While Fujikawa Kaze, that blond guy, is indeed somewhat unworthy, Ito would never betray a friend.

“It’s certainly a bit cunning to do this, and it’s definitely unfair. But there’s no other way…” Nagano Sae looked at the cutting board, where the chef was slicing salmon. “There’s no time left.”

"Time?" Ito's face showed even greater confusion.

He could barely understand the cunning and unfairness, but what did it mean that there wasn't enough time? Even if they fulfilled their marriage vows, they weren't of legal marriage age yet.

“Yes, time.” Nagano Sae nodded. “Didn’t your uncle tell you?”

"He only said that he suddenly remembered a marriage contract, and he didn't mention anything else."

"So unreliable..." Nagano Sae commented softly, then added, "Just like you."

Ito's lips twitched. He agreed with the first half of the statement, but the second half was blatant slander.

"The engagement was arranged by my grandmother and your mother, and it can't be nullified... I have no right to interfere with her decision." Nagano Sae said this without much change in tone.

"..."

Ito always felt that the other party was up to no good, that it was something that was set by elders and could not be changed.

If that were truly the case, Ito wouldn't have only found out now. Besides, Yuriko Minamoto was clearly unaware of it either, though it's possible she deliberately kept quiet due to strained relations with her mother-in-law.

However, Ito did not think this so-called engagement was that important, since the behavior of both sets of parents did not show that they attached much importance to it.

In his view, it was at most a blind date disguised as a "marriage".

"Sorry, I don't understand what you mean by 'can't refuse'." Ito wasn't going to waste any more time here. "If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

After saying that, he started to leave. It was ridiculous. He wasn't living in a light novel world; such a thing wouldn't exist.

"If you leave now, you will be burdened with huge debts. Is that okay?"

Ito stopped in his tracks. What did that mean? A huge debt?

“My father and uncle should have left by now, so the cost of this meal…” Nagano Sae didn’t finish her sentence, she swirled the glass in her hand.

"It's not reasonable for a student like me, who hasn't even graduated yet, to pay for a gathering arranged by the elders," Ito said, forcing a smile.

“That was indeed the case, but your uncle said he wanted to give you a chance to prove yourself.” Nagano Sae shook her head. “I know that even if I say this, you won’t take it seriously.”

“They might even just walk away, leaving me, a girl, to face the bills.” Nagano Sae said to herself.

Upon hearing this, Ito unconsciously stopped his attempt to sneak away.

They saw right through me.

"After all, Ito is the kind of guy who moves around among women and survives on their charity. Rather than being a scumbag, he's more like a miser, since even Shinno seems to have fallen victim to your schemes."

Please stop saying things that could cause misunderstandings.

Ito sat back down, and leaving the accounts to Nagano Sae after running away seemed like a feasible course of action.

But since the other party has so confidently stated that Ito will be burdened with a huge debt, running away is pointless.

"You've figured it out?" Nagano Sae glanced at Ito.

"No, it's just that we still have plenty of time, and I want to learn more."

Ito tried to contact the guy who sold him using his phone, only to find that the guy had anticipated this and blocked him beforehand.

What a scoundrel who sells his son for personal gain!

Nagano Sae raised her hand and seemingly casually tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, revealing her wrist slightly.

Ito's gaze was instantly drawn to the silver bracelet on her wrist with a magnolia pendant.

That was the prize I won during the Maid Cafe Adventure.

Then, she said calmly, "Also, it seems our affair has been discovered."

Ito instinctively gripped the matching silver bracelet on her wrist and blurted out,

"What was discovered? Aside from our necessary working relationship, we're completely innocent!"

“That’s not how they see it,” Nagano Sae said calmly. “Besides, your parents have already officially ‘traded’ you to my grandmother for fifty million yen.”

"Fifty million... yen?" Ito felt his throat go dry.

He knew he might have some value in certain areas, but he didn't expect it to be in such a transparently priced way.

Is it really worth 50 million yen?

“In my grandmother’s opinion, exchanging 50 million yen for a son-in-law I ‘like’ with a relatively clean family background was a very worthwhile deal.”

Nagano Sae continued, her gaze even scrutinizing Ito's face intently. "Besides, I must admit that you do indeed fit mainstream aesthetic standards; at least the female elders in my family unanimously agree."

"..." Ito's lips twitched. Being told he was "pleasing to the eye" at a time like this was anything but pleasant.

“…Thank you for the compliment,” he replied curtly.

"Since you clearly cannot immediately come up with fifty million yen to 'buy your freedom,' and I have no obligation to waive this debt for you,"

Sae Nagano picked up a wet wipe from the table and wiped her mouth. "So, theoretically, the only option left for you is to fulfill the marriage contract."

"And what about you, Nagano?" Ito tried to find a way to get through her, staring intently into her eyes.

"What's your opinion? Are you really willing to accept this arrangement and marry a man you don't like? Don't you know what kind of person I am, how awful I am?"

Upon hearing this, Nagano Sae looked up and gave him a deep look, which made Ito feel as if she was saying, "So you do have some self-awareness after all."

“You don’t need to worry about that.” Nagano Sae put down the wet wipe and stood up. “You have at most one month left. Please handle your relationship with Morikami Chinatsu properly. Also, according to the ‘contract,’ you need to move in as soon as possible.”

After saying that, she stopped looking at Ito, turned around and walked towards the door of the private room, opened the door, and disappeared outside.

Ito remained alone in the private room, the air still seeming to retain the lingering scent of her body.

The Feast at Hongmen!

This is absolutely a trap!

He let out a breath and rubbed his aching temples.

Compared to that, the cost of this meal seems insignificant.

If we honor that damned contract, this expense will be negligible; if we don't...

He shook his head, temporarily putting aside the terrible consequences of "not fulfilling the obligation".

He raised his hand, gesturing to the head chef who had been quietly preparing the ingredients.

"Excuse me, could you please settle the bill?" His voice carried a weary tone of resignation.

The head chef, a kind-looking middle-aged man, stopped wielding his knife, bowed slightly to Ito, and gave him a standard service smile: "Sir, your bill has been settled."

Ito's hand, which was about to take out his bank card, stopped abruptly.

"...It's settled?" He was stunned, not reacting for a moment.

"Yes, Ms. Nagano had already taken care of it before she left," the head chef confirmed.

Ito slowly lowered his hand and fell silent.

So, was Sae Nagano's earlier statement about "leaving behind a huge debt" just a bluff to scare him?

Was it to ensure he would sit down and listen attentively to her declaration of a "fifty million contract of servitude"?

Why would she do that? Just to see him panic?

Stepping out of the restaurant and standing on the bustling streets of Ginza, a well-known affluent area frequented primarily by upper-class elites.

The thought of marrying Sae Nagano and ending up in such a dull life makes me feel like my whole life is over.

He now faces two options: earn 50 million yen a month...

Well, just thinking about it makes it seem like a completely impossible thing.

The licensing of a song can only earn you 100,000 to 200,000 yen at most. Collaborations like those with director Hase are extremely rare and hard to come by.

Therefore, Ito was left with only one choice: to obediently submit to Nagano Sae.

In the end, he was defeated by this woman, and he would spend the rest of his life in a battle of wits with Nagano Sae.

A woman who won't even buy stockings must be worrying about the future.

Ito took out his phone, hovered his fingertip over the screen for a moment, and finally opened the chat interface with Morikami Chinatsu.

The screen was almost completely flooded with unread messages, all of which were her daily posts and greetings.

He took a deep breath and typed a line.

Ito: "I have something to say, and it's about marriage."

Almost the instant the message was successfully sent, the "Typing..." message at the top of the chat window started flashing wildly and then abruptly stopped.

The next second, his phone screen lit up, and Mori's ringtone echoed through the streets of Ginza.

Ito swiped to answer the call.