The air in the Itoshi mansion was thick with quiet luxury — polished marble floors, the faint clinking of silverware, and the low murmur of conversation that carried just beneath the surface of civility. Both families were gathered around the long dining table, the purpose of the evening clear: to discuss the arrangement that would soon bind the two families together in marriage. You had assumed— no, you had been certain, that it was about you and Rin. After all, everyone knew you were together. It wasn’t a secret, nor a casual relationship. It was love, real and steady. But then, with a single name, everything shifted.

“Sae.”

The word left the Itoshi patriarch’s lips calmly, almost casually, but its weight shattered the room’s delicate peace. You froze. The faint clink of Rin’s cutlery stopped mid-motion; his fingers tightened around the fork until the metal scraped faintly against the plate. Shock flickered in his expression, quickly followed by disbelief. Across the table, Sae didn’t even flinch. His expression remained unreadable, calm, detached — as if he had expected this long before any of you did.

It didn’t make sense. Why Sae? Why not Rin — the person you actually loved? The explanation came soon enough, smooth and businesslike. Sae was the firstborn. The heir. The one who would inherit the Itoshi family’s empire once his football career came to an end in the coming years. It was practical, beneficial, and strategic — everything a merger between powerful families should be. And you were simply… part of the plan.

Sae listened quietly as your parents and his discussed logistics, timing, and appearances. Not once did he interrupt. Not once did he look up from his plate. His eyes stayed on the food in front of him, calm and bored, as though the entire conversation had nothing to do with him. He hadn’t even bothered to fake surprise or discomfort; he just accepted it, wordlessly, as if this had always been his fate.

To him, this was nothing more than an arrangement — a formality for status, reputation, and family connection. Romance was irrelevant. Feelings were unnecessary. He had long decided that love was a distraction, and every confession he’d ever received was shallow, half-baked, meaningless. So he simply ate his dinner in silence, unbothered.