Chapter 1061: Final Preparations
The time passed quickly amidst the hectic preparations, and in a blink, only one day was left until Valentine's Day.
"Inomata-kun, how are the preparations for your proposal going?" Hiromi Jounouchi and Misumi Mikoto met up with Inomata Naoki to inquire about his proposal plans for tomorrow.
Both of them were in the know, especially Misumi Mikoto, who was a colleague and good friend of Tokairin Yuko, making her a key figure in tomorrow's proposal.
Though Hiromi Jounouchi and Misumi Mikoto provided Naoki with plenty of suggestions from a female perspective, and even helped him secure a reservation for the Sky Tree Restaurant, the proposal was ultimately Naoki's responsibility, requiring him to be fully prepared.
"I've prepared everything that needs preparing." Naoki was still very nervous about the event. Even though he wasn't aware of what Chen Yu might be doing behind the scenes, a proposal was a significant life event, and he couldn't help feeling anxious.
However, since Hiromi Jounouchi and Misumi Mikoto were asking, he reiterated all the preparations: "The reservation at the Sky Tree Restaurant is all set, and I've confirmed all the arrangements with the restaurant, ensuring there are no issues.
As for the guests, Dr. Misumi also helped confirm that all invitees will be there, pretending to be restaurant patrons until the proposal begins.
I've also prepared the engagement ring and will begin proposing once the fireworks we prepared over the Sumida River are set off."
Hearing Naoki's words, Hiromi and Mikoto nodded satisfactorily. The plan had been checked multiple times, and they had even taken him to rehearse at the Sky Tree Restaurant with the staff.
While it couldn't guarantee that nothing would go wrong, all the steps were confirmed to have no issues, and contingency plans were in place in case of unexpected events.
However, listening to Naoki's rundown, Hiromi suddenly frowned and asked, "What about the flowers for your proposal? Are they being prepared by the restaurant, or did you purchase them separately?"
"Flowers? What flowers?" Naoki was momentarily stunned, not understanding what flowers Hiromi meant.
Misumi immediately expressed her dissatisfaction, "The bouquet for the proposal! Aren't you planning to offer flowers before proposing? You can't possibly think of just handing the ring to Tokairin and calling it a proposal!"
"Well…" Naoki was a bit perplexed and didn't know how to respond. He really hadn't prepared a bouquet.
Luckily, this issue was not difficult to resolve. Since the bouquet shouldn't be prepared too early, buying it tomorrow would still be timely. Thus, after raising this issue, neither Hiromi nor Mikoto pursued it further.
They merely instructed Naoki to make sure to prepare roses and then confirmed the details of the proposal with him once more.
After discussing the arrangements again, Hiromi and Mikoto finally let Naoki go.
"Alright, since everything is confirmed, tomorrow depends on your performance, Inomata-kun." Mikoto looked at Naoki, reminding him, "Tokairin truly cares about you. After you're married, take good care of her! Or else, I won't let you off!"
Nervously, Naoki nodded emphatically, "Rest assured, Dr. Misumi, I will take good care of Yuko!"
Despite Naoki's assurances, Mikoto didn't fully believe him, being aware of the situation between Naoki and Minami.
However, she couldn't bring it up now and could only look at Naoki with mistrust in her eyes.
Recognizing Mikoto's expression, Hiromi quickly pulled her aside and reassured Naoki, "Naoki-kun, you don't need to be too nervous. While a proposal is a significant life event, being overly anxious could ruin it. Just stay calm."
Thanks to Hiromi's comforting words, Naoki managed to calm down somewhat, yet remained quite tense.
"I know, but it's still so nerve-wracking!" Naoki chuckled wryly, unable to shake off his nervousness. This was even more nerve-wracking than when he took the University of Tokyo entrance exam.
For many people, a proposal might not be an overwhelming or intense pressure, but for most, it remains a very nerve-racking event.
In an attempt to ease his tension, Naoki turned to Hiromi and asked, "Sis, how did Brother Yu propose to you back then? Was he nervous too?"
"Mr. Chen Yu? He wasn't nervous at all!" When Naoki brought this up, Hiromi's mood soured as she begrudgingly explained, "During the proposal, not to mention flowers, even the ring was an afterthought. If I hadn't mentioned it, he wouldn't have prepared any!"
"Haha…" Naoki laughed awkwardly; he hadn't expected such an answer.
"No way! You two always seem so loving. How could Brother Yu propose without preparing even a ring?" Mikoto skeptically doubted that someone as doting as Chen Yu wouldn't prepare both a ring and flowers for a proposal to Hiromi.
In response to this, Hiromi, full of grievances, confided, "Don't mention it. At the time, Mr. Chen Yu wasn't romantic at all. He proposed right after surgery, on the hospital rooftop, with neither a ring nor flowers. Those were added later!"
Though she grumbled, Mikoto noticed Hiromi gently stroking the purple wedding ring on her finger, indicating her complaints were just words.
If Hiromi truly had any objections to Chen Yu, she wouldn't have agreed to his proposal in the first place.
On the contrary, being deeply in love with Chen Yu means that even such a simple proposal led to them being together, and now they even have a daughter, constantly displaying their enviable affection.
Reflecting on this, Mikoto felt a wave of resignation and frustration.
Those around her had all found partners, with Chen Yu and Hiromi living this out, Tokairin Yuko on the brink of marrying Naoki, and Kube Rokuro and Qingdai contemplating marriage due to their stable relationship, leaving Dr. Nakado comfortably embracing his girlfriend's soul daily without any loneliness.
All things considered, she was the only one still single.
This made Mikoto regret not being more proactive back when she first met Chen Yu, thinking that maybe her marital status might already be resolved.
Nevertheless, this thought remained just a daydream; while Mikoto did have some initial feelings for Chen Yu, their relationship now was purely a teacher-student bond.