Chapter 218: Chapter 23: It’s Proposing to You
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There are still three hours until opening. Every restaurant has pretty much submitted its requests to the resort. Nothing is as efficient as money. The shop signs and neon lights at the entrance are already decorated. As for Christmas trees, the Gourmet Street definitely prepares these decorations every year. In the center of the Gourmet Street, there’s a plaza-like area with a huge, ancient osmanthus tree.
For important holidays, it’s adorned with corresponding decorations. This osmanthus tree has been there since the Totsuki Resort began operations and, over time, has become a small "attraction" that tourists visit. From their restaurant, Erina and Renz can see that tall, towering tree through the glass.
The Totsuki Resort is part of the Nakiri family’s properties. After many years, Erina still felt deeply moved seeing the majestic osmanthus tree in her peripheral vision. Humans are emotional creatures. After experiencing the passage of time and changes, encountering familiar scenes can’t help but evoke memories and feelings. In the background, classical music played over the Gourmet Street’s broadcast. Erina suddenly turned to Renz and asked, "Have you ever had something you wanted to do most in your life?"
Renz never expected someone as sometimes "stubbornly naive" as Erina to pose such a philosophical question. No, he couldn’t say "stubbornly naive," nor could he say Erina was "naive." In Renz’s mind, Erina’s "naivet" was more like "cuteness." Sometimes, Erina’s demeanor was "adorably silly"; her thought process was something even Renz couldn’t always follow.
Putting that aside, normally Erina was a very smart person. It was just that such a philosophical topic coming from Erina felt a bit "stylistically conflicting." It wasn’t the kind of topic Erina would typically think about or ponder. However, Renz thought again and relaxed. Erina had experienced just as much, if not more, than he had. Perhaps something had touched a nerve, bringing about a sense of reflection.
"The thing I want to do most," Renz said, looking at Erina’s face, searching his mind. In terms of life, Renz had no major career challenges. He wasn’t interested in politics, nor did he want to go into business. He considered commerce only because he lacked money to support his family. When free, Renz didn’t have one particular thing he wanted to do. Professionally, Renz only sought a job that could support his family; work was merely for providing for them. He had no professional interests.
"You know what? There really is one," Renz said, feeling exasperated when he thought of it. He wanted to propose to Erina in the best possible way. A belated proposal, when he and Erina were old, was unacceptable in Renz’s eyes because that proposal was done secretly and privately. They were already married and, in others’ eyes, a loving couple. Proposing openly again would be too strange; that proposal could only remain a memory between them.
Then, finally, back at the starting point of the world, Renz devised a proposal plan, only to run into the "old man’s" judgment, which promptly fast-forwarded to the marriage line, causing him to miss the proposal event again. He could only rewatch this proposal in a recording, and this proposal, in Renz’s eyes, would still only get a mediocre score. It hadn’t achieved the best effect.
"So, let me guess?" Erina mused.
"It should be pretty easy to guess," Renz thought that the thing he wanted to do most was something Erina would definitely be able to guess.
"The thing you want to do most is definitely for me to give birth to a fifth child," Erina said, lowering her voice and offering an answer. Renz loved children; he was a true "king of children," and all four children were especially close to him. Renz had actually mentioned wanting a fifth child, but Erina hadn’t agreed, and seeing her refusal, Renz had dropped the idea.
Renz rubbed his head, a confused look on his face. Do I look like such a vulgar, insatiably lustful commoner? Darn it, it’s an open-book test, I even wrote the answer down for you, Erina, and you still guessed the wrong direction. You’re truly a little genius.
Moreover, Renz felt that wanting a fifth child sounded like an excuse to cover up awkwardness, not a genuine desire for a fifth child; it was purely to... Anyway, could such "high emotional intelligence" remarks be so completely misunderstood?
"Wrong," Renz said bluntly. "Not only do I want a fifth child, I also want a sixth, a seventh, and preferably a whole litter." His words were clearly hinting that Erina had guessed wrong.
"So many? Can you even afford to raise them?" Erina fell into thought. "And taking care of them would be especially troublesome, wouldn’t it? Just Rina is annoying enough."
Damn. You really want to have a whole litter with me? Can your body handle it?
Renz felt that having four children already demanded a lot from a woman’s physique, and he didn’t want Erina’s health to be affected by childbirth.
"Erina, my words were clearly indicating that you guessed wrong," Renz said with emotion. He couldn’t play guessing games with Erina; sometimes she took things literally, which was simply terrifying.
"Wrong? You have other things you want to do most?"
Erina looked "shocked." It made Renz wonder if Erina had been deliberately "playing" with him earlier, but thinking about it, Erina’s level of cunning couldn’t be that high.
"Yes." Renz had originally wanted to point out that the thing he wanted to do most in his life was to genuinely "propose" once, but seeing such a "slow-witted" Erina, he suddenly didn’t want to tell her directly. Darn it. So, "slow-witted" personalities in anime really do exist.
Some people’s reaction time is just too long.
"However, this thing I want to do most will remain a secret for now. I don’t want to tell you; it would be boring if I did," Renz said with a pout.
"Hey, how can you be like that? How can you keep secrets from your wife?" Erina leaned closer, a hint of "anger" on her pretty face.
"Then you tell me what you want to do most first," Renz retorted.
"I won’t tell," Erina said, biting her lip. The thing she wanted to do most was simple: to wear a pure white wedding dress, stand in a church, listen to the minister’s prayers, and complete the sacrament of marriage step by step. But every time she was about to wear the wedding dress, she would suddenly find herself in the future.
Erina was particularly annoyed by this. She hadn’t even truly experienced the "proposal" stage before marriage, and she was already in the future. And every time, these important moments were precisely absent. Erina just wished for one such opportunity, instead of trying on a wedding dress from her closet at home on her wedding anniversary and taking photos.
"Even if you don’t say it, I know," Renz said, narrowing his eyes. "But I won’t expose you."
"How do you know what I want to do?" Erina immediately became indignant. "Aren’t you afraid of guessing wrong?"
"I’m your husband. How could I not know what you’re thinking?" Renz said triumphantly. "I’ve seen it many times at home, secretly trying on a wedd..."
"Don’t say it!" Erina exclaimed loudly. She hadn’t realized Renz’s senses were so keen. Alright. Renz had only been guessing before, without solid proof. Erina’s reaction confirmed his suspicions.
"You already know my secret, so hurry up and tell me what you want to do most!" Erina glared fiercely at Renz, looking as if she would pounce and bite him if he wasn’t honest.
"That, I won’t tell you," Renz said, being a bit "mischievous."
"What will it take for you to tell me?" Erina’s curiosity was completely piqued by Renz.
"I’ll tell you when I feel like it," Renz said with a smile.
"But I want to know, tell me!" Erina saw that her "tough" approach wasn’t working, so she resorted to coaxing, trying the "soft" approach. "If I kiss you, will you tell me?" Erina asked.
"Haven’t we kissed enough already?" Renz still didn’t agree.
"You’re too mean!" Erina pouted. "If you won’t tell, then fine. I don’t care to know. I don’t want to know at all." A simple provocation wouldn’t work on Renz.
However, Renz didn’t continue this. Sometimes, it was best to stop when you were ahead.
"The thing I want to do most in my life is to propose to you."
Renz leaned close to Erina’s ear and whispered softly. As his words fell, Erina’s shoulders trembled slightly.
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