Chapter 1070 - 1063: The Curtain Rises
The Sky Tree Restaurant had been booked in advance for tonight. Although it was quite costly, and not just anyone could book the entire restaurant, with the recent Nobel Prize winners Jounouchi Hiromi and Chen Yu making an appearance, the manager consulted with the owner and generously gave them a special deal, charging only ten percent of the full booking fee.
As for the restaurant cooperating with Inomata Naoki's proposal, there was naturally no issue.
So when Tokairin Yuko and Inomata Naoki stepped into the restaurant, everyone present was a participant in the proposal, with only Tokairin Yuko being unaware.
Everything was as planned, with the informed waiter leading Inomata Naoki and Tokairin Yuko to a table by the window.
This spot was pre-arranged, offering the best view in the restaurant, allowing for a sweeping view of the Sumida River and a direct sight of the fireworks later.
Tokairin Yuko and Inomata Naoki sat down at the table, and from Chen Yu's position, he could clearly see them. It was evident that Inomata Naoki was very nervous today.
"Yuko, what would you like to eat?" Inomata Naoki asked Tokairin Yuko while flipping through the menu.
"I'm fine with anything, Naoki. You order," Tokairin Yuko naturally left the decision to Inomata Naoki.
Seeing Tokairin Yuko's response, Inomata Naoki flipped through the menu again, then looked at the waiter and asked, "Do you have any recommendations?"
"Are you two a couple?" The informed waiter intentionally asked before introducing, "Today is Valentine's Day. You two could try our special Valentine's Day menu, designed by our chef specifically for today."
In fact, the so-called Valentine's Day menu was specially prepared for Inomata Naoki and Tokairin Yuko, but calling it the Valentine's Day menu was a way to keep Tokairin Yuko from catching on.
Hearing the waiter's suggestion, Inomata Naoki naturally looked towards Tokairin Yuko and asked, "What do you think, Yuko?"
"Sure, it's Valentine's Day, a Valentine's Day menu sounds good," Tokairin Yuko had no objections to this.
Having dinner with a boyfriend on Valentine's Day, what else would one order if not a couple's menu?
At this point, eating was secondary; what mattered was who you were eating with.
The waiter, accustomed to such scenes, nodded and, after complimenting Inomata Naoki with a "Your girlfriend is really beautiful," turned to prepare the food.
"The view here is amazing!" Tokairin Yuko praised as she looked out at the Tokyo night scenery, curiously asking Inomata Naoki, "It's Valentine's Day, I thought it would be hard to get a reservation here, Naoki, how did you manage it?"
To this question, Inomata Naoki, a bit tense, replied, "I booked well in advance, and with Brother Yu's help, it wasn't too hard to get a table. Although, today isn't as crowded indeed."
The two chatted, talking about trivial matters. Tokairin Yuko had particularly dressed up today, putting on makeup and even wearing so-called winning lingery.
All to entirely win over Inomata Naoki today.
They both harbored their own thoughts, and the waiter began to gradually serve the so-called couple's menu.
Tasting the chef's specially crafted dishes, Tokairin Yuko and Inomata Naoki started to feel more at ease with each other.
Chen Yu observed that Inomata Naoki's nervousness was slowly waning. He checked the time and said to Jounouchi Hiromi, "Looks like it's about to start!"
"Yes, hubby, you've prepared for this for so long, finally, there will be a result." Jounouchi Hiromi smiled sweetly at Chen Yu, both encouraging him and sharing his happiness.
"It's just a shame I can't spend Valentine's Day with you." Chen Yu gazed out the window, as a firework lit up the night sky: "Though I will miss this Valentine's Day, I promise to spend all future ones with you."
Hearing Chen Yu's words, Jounouchi Hiromi's smile grew brighter, "No, today I'll be with you all the way, Mr. Chen Yu! For such an important occasion, I won't miss it."
Jounouchi Hiromi's words deeply touched Chen Yu, making him smile back at her.
At this moment, as the couple exchanged smiles, the restaurant lights dimmed. Under the brilliant fireworks outside, a cake adorned with candles was pushed out.
Inomata Naoki held flowers in one hand and a ring in the other, kneeling on one knee before Tokairin Yuko.
Tokairin Yuko could not believe it, covering her mouth with tears streaming down, while friends and family who had been waiting rushed out, surrounding them.
"Yuko, will you marry me?" Inomata Naoki asked, meeting Tokairin Yuko's expectant gaze, voicing the words she longed to hear.
Though Tokairin Yuko cried uncontrollably, she still reached out her left hand towards Inomata Naoki.
After slipping the ring onto Tokairin Yuko's finger, Inomata Naoki stood, putting the flowers in her arms and hugging her tightly.
"Kiss! Kiss!" The crowd jeered excitedly.
With everyone watching, Inomata Naoki kissed the bashful Tokairin Yuko on the lips.
At that moment, Chen Yu also lifted the memory seal over him.
In an instant, memories of past lives surged forth, leaving Inomata Naoki's mind in chaos.
Overwhelmed by too many memories, he momentarily lost sense of who he was, unsure whether the person in his arms was truly Tokairin Yuko, whom he had just proposed to, or Minami, who accompanied him across lifetimes.
This caused Inomata Naoki's hug on Tokairin Yuko to become momentarily awkward.
Watching closely, Misumi Mikoto hurriedly cast a spell to control his body as instructed by Chen Yu.
The Chitose Sisters, always by Misumi Mikoto's side, secretly assisted with suggestive techniques on everyone present.
Fortunately, the control was timely. Although the sudden flood of memories bewildered Inomata Naoki, nothing disastrous occurred.
Seeing the situation under control, Chen Yu spoke to Jounouchi Hiromi, "Honey, I'll head over first."
"Mmm, good luck, hubby!" Jounouchi Hiromi beamed at Chen Yu, standing up to give him a very Japanese-style blessing: "Wish my lord husband victory in battle!"
Upon hearing Jounouchi Hiromi's words, Chen Yu said nothing more, simply smiled, then closed his eyes, withdrawing his essence from the puppet.
When he opened his eyes, he was already standing on the brink of a battlefield.
"Commence!"