Tsukasa and Tsukushi walk down the main staircase together. Everyone is waiting at the bottom, the guys in front waiting to bombard the couple with questions. Tsukushi insists on sitting down to talk so the group makes their way into a sitting room where Tsukasa orders one of the maids to bring food and drinks. Once they are situated around the room the questions come out flying.
"When and where was your first time?"
Tsukasa grins childishly, "It was at the birthday party that Tsubaki threw for me three years ago. Tsukushi was my present from my sister."
Akira leans forward in his seat. "All three of us were there and none of us ever saw Tsukushi there."
"You weren't there the night before though", Tsukushi remarks. "To answer the next question I know you're going to ask, after that it was whenever we could see each other. Tsubaki helped me out a lot so I could see Tsukasa on his birthdays and if it was possible over Christmas or New Years."
The food and drinks come and everyone helps themselves and chatter continues.
"Oh Akira, I hear you've been going to arranged marriage meetings. How's that going for you?" Tsukasa asks.
Akira shrugs, "It could be worse, I guess."
Soujirou sighs, "My parents are setting up more and more meetings for me all the time. What about you Rui?"
"I just haven't gone to any."
"You mean you've been skipping out on them", Tsukasa asks.
"Basically."
The grandfather clock in the room chimes out the hour of 3 o'clock.
Shigeru sets down her cup of tea. "I guess that's our cue. Guys, I expect everything to be taken care of here." Shigeru stands up and goes over to Tsukushi. Shigeru pulls Tsukushi to her feet and tows the confused girl to the door. All the other girls follow behind as they say their goodbyes to the guys.
"Wait a minute, what's going on?" Tsukushi asks her captors.
Karin explains, "Its Tsukasa's welcome home party. I got Soujirou and Akira to let me in on the plan. We agreed that the girls would be in charge of taking care of you and the guys would take the house and Tsukasa."
"Just what does that mean?" Tsukushi flails around, not liking the plan one bit.
The others laugh as they force Tsukushi into the car.
After five hours of shopping, the girls pull their car up to the Doumyoji mansion. They all step out of the car carefully as everyone is wearing an elegant evening gown. At the top of the entrance stairs, Tama, the old housekeeper, waits patiently. Tsukushi is the first one to reach the top.
"Tama-san, what's going on?"
Tama grins, "I'm here to tell you that everything is ready."
Shigeru and Karin each take one of Tsukushi's arms and drag her inside. They screech to a halt in front of a door where Akira, Rui, Soujirou, and Kazuya, all dressed in suits, are waiting. Akira and Soujirou open the double doors as Shigeru and Karin push Tsukushi in. The doors slam shut behind her.
Hundreds of candles are placed around the room illuminating everything. Tsukasa, also dressed in a suit, stands in the middle of the room with a chair next to him. He walks over to her and kisses her.
"What's going on?" she has grown tired of asking this all day.
He sits her down on the chair and kneels in front of her holding her hands in his. "Tsukushi Makino, I can never put into actual words exactly what you mean to me and how much I love you. We've overcome so many obstacles together and in the end you've always stayed by my side. There will be much more that will stand in our way but somehow, we will overcome that as well. I can't function properly if every day I can't see your face or hear your voice. You are what keeps me sane; you are my whole world, my reason to live. So I'm asking you to love me and stay with me for the rest of your life. Tsukushi, will you marry me?" He removes a small black velvet box from his jacket pocket and opens it. Sitting in the middle is a diamond ring. It's small compared to what Tsukasa could afford but the detail and design give it an elegance all its own.
Even though Tsukushi had been mentally preparing for this, she cannot stop herself from her emotions. She closes her eyes and lets the tears flow freely. "Yes." She nods her head wildly. "Yes!"
Tsukasa takes the ring out of its case and takes Tsukushi's shaking left hand and slowly slides the ring onto its permanent home. They both stand up and hold each other tightly as they share a joyful kiss. Tsukasa picks her up off her feet and twirls her around the room. He stops by the door where he sets her down.
"I believe there are some people out there waiting to congratulate us."
Tsukushi nervously hooks her right arm through his left arm and places her left hand on top displaying her ring.