Can't We Skip Dating?

With trembling hands, Hayasak Ai took out her phone. Seeing full signal bars, she looked as though she'd just escaped death—but just as she was about to dial, her finger paused.

Who could she call?

She had come here without telling the young lady, knowing full well that Kaguya would definitely side with her, and end up in conflict with the one who issued the order—the head of the Shinomiya family. 

But against that cold and repulsive old man, her defiance would ultimately be futile.

It would only cause needless pain for Kaguya.

Call the police?

She didn't dare imagine what kind of punishment she or her family might suffer if the police got involved and a scandal broke out.

Then… her parents? But for this kind of order to reach her, her parents had to know, didn't they?

Maybe they had compromised. Maybe they were just as powerless to resist. Either way, it didn't matter anymore.

What mattered was that she knew—she could only rely on herself now.

Hayasak Ai faced the thick bushes and raised her arms to protect her face.

It was just a bit of pain. If she grit her teeth and endured it, it would pass.

One… two… three…

"I told you to wait at the gate, didn't I?"

The sudden voice made Hayasak Ai freeze just as she was about to push into the shrubs.

She followed the voice and saw a handsome young man in a short-sleeved shirt emerging from the corner she had just passed earlier, walking toward her at a leisurely pace, looking somewhat amused.

"Don't squeeze through. With such nice clothes and skin, it'd be a shame if you got scratched."

Hayasak Ai quickly pulled her hand back, turned to the side, and forced herself to return to proper etiquette.

"Forgive me. Are you Mr. Ogiwara?"

"Yeah. So, what were you doing rushing in like that?"

Hayasak Ai tilted her head slightly, avoiding Akira's gaze. "It's nothing. I just thought… I shouldn't trouble you to come out and greet me."

"And yet you got lost and made even more trouble for me."

"…I sincerely apologize!"

She bowed deeply, trying to hide her face which was flushed from overwhelming shame. "It's just that the path here is really strange. I just now…"

"It's just a few little tricks and illusions for security. Come on, follow me," Akira said casually as he passed her. 

"Did you close the gate?"

His words made Hayasak Ai, who had just straightened up, feel a fresh wave of shame—but fortunately, she was behind him now.

"N-no, I didn't."

That was part of what made this whole thing so frustrating.

"You really are careless."

Though he was scolding her, his tone wasn't harsh at all. 

Rather, it sounded like something a doting older brother—or even a father—might say to a younger sister: a mix of amusement and helplessness, lacking any real weight.

"Keep up, and don't get lost again."

"Y-yes!"

Snapping out of the eerie atmosphere that had completely thrown her off earlier, Hayasak Ai hurried to catch up to Akira's pace.

Wait a second… wasn't that turn to the right?

She distinctly remembered when she had first run into this maze of repeating paths, all the corners had turned left. But following Akira now, the path turned to the right.

And as soon as they turned, the lighting brightened significantly, and the outside sounds returned.

She raised her head, squinting to adjust to the sunlight filtering through the trees. 

A few more steps later, she realized—they were back on the path she had first walked down upon entering. 

Up ahead was the front gate… still left ajar.

As Akira closed the gate, she looked up at the sky carefully. 

There were barely any clouds, and none of them were near the sun—there was no way the sky had darkened earlier due to weather.

"Mr. Ogiwara, just now… did the sky get darker?"

"No. That was an illusion too."

Hayasak Ai understood the word illusion, but couldn't comprehend how someone could "obscure the sky" in such a way that it made her feel like it had gone dim.

"Knowing too much isn't good for your health. So don't ask," Akira said as he passed her again.

"Let's go. Stay close."

She didn't understand what "knowing too much isn't good for your health" meant, but instinctively, she stuck close to Akira. 

Compared to that terrifying endless loop from earlier, she'd rather get into a fistfight with a group of thugs.

At least in the latter case, she had a decent chance of winning. But in that maze… it was like a nightmare.

They turned the corner where the nightmare had begun. Hayasak Ai had unconsciously tensed up, but this time, the sky didn't darken. 

The sounds from outside, though muffled by the plants, remained audible.

Ahead of them wasn't a straight corridor like before. Instead, it was a winding path with a bit of charm. 

Around the next bend was a small, exquisitely designed courtyard, and standing in the sunlight beyond it—was the main house.

But as soon as she saw the house, Hayasak Ai's pupils contracted. Before the surprise could even register, it was immediately overtaken by repressed fear.

All the windows of the house were covered in iron mesh.

At a glance, it looked like…

A prison.

And if it was a prison, then naturally—it was built to hold something.

Akira opened the front door, looked back at Hayasak Ai who stood frozen in place—her body unmoving but her eyes revealing her true emotions—and chuckled.

"What's wrong? Weren't you coming in?"

Hayasak Ai withdrew her gaze and looked at Akira's smiling face. 

All her previous curiosity, embarrassment, surprise—and the thought that "maybe this person is actually pretty decent"—vanished.

In their place were hatred for the Shinomiya family head who had sent her here, disgust toward Akira, and fear of the house she was about to enter.

Her fingernails dug into her palms. It hurt—but that pain helped her stay rational and composed.

With her reason intact, she straightened her back, restrained her expression, and stepped forward with graceful, textbook-perfect elegance.

She would enter this place of her own will—not dragged or stumbling. That was the last shred of dignity she could hold on to.

"No need to change shoes. Come in as you are," Akira said, closing the door behind them.

Hayasak Ai tried her best to suppress her trembling and maintain the posture she was taught to keep. 

But her eyes began to redden uncontrollably.

Until she heard a voice…

"Meow—?"

There was a cat in the house.

And there was nothing strange about the interior. Or rather, it was all too strange.

This wasn't a woman's hell.

It was a cat's paradise.

"Have you heard of 'indoor-only pet advocates'?"

Akira asked as he approached from the entryway.

"A cat's intelligence is roughly equivalent to a three-year-old child. If you give a three-year-old with full mobility complete freedom, there's a high chance they'll get lost, injured, or even die. 

A lost cat becomes a stray—but it lacks the survival skills of a true stray. The average lifespan of a stray cat is about two years… maybe longer in Japan."

"So, what do you think? Is that freedom for the cat, or just a lack of responsibility from the owner?"

He pulled back the curtain with a rustle, opened the window, and flicked the iron mesh outside.

"Indoor-only pet owners think it's the latter. That's why they carefully close doors and windows. But a sealed-up house doesn't ventilate well. 

And window screens are easy for cats to damage. So if they have the means, they install these mesh window guards."

Hayasak Ai opened her mouth, then closed it. Then opened it again.

Her upbringing and identity wouldn't allow her to say anything inappropriate in a social setting.

But her personality—and the emotional rollercoaster she'd just been through—made it impossible not to say something.

"I know you want to curse me out, but hold it in," Akira said with a sunny smile as he dropped onto the sofa. 

"If there's a lesson you should take from today's events, it's this: don't enter someone's home without permission. 

Otherwise, not only will you get lost, but you'll also be punished so badly it'll make you cry."

Hayasak Ai's face turned red.

Not from embarrassment.

But from pure, unfiltered rage.

___

God damn, he has a formation on his house lmao

___

Read 20 Advanced Chapters on p@ tr eon (.) com/HalflingFics 

Also, please point out my mistakes in the comment, thank you!

Don't forget to leave a review too~ Actually, please leave one.

Check out the other translations too

___