I was Thrown into an Unfamiliar Manga

A certain hotel in Tokyo.

Beep!
[Young Master, the Saionji family’s young lady has arrived.]
“I see. I’ll head down now.”

Fujiwara Sai, the second son of the Fujiwara family—a noble lineage tracing back to the Edo period—stood up from his seat after answering.
“Young Master, are you going in person?”
“Yeah. It might take a while, so if you have other business, feel free to leave early.”

“You jest too much. As your guard, how could I do such a thing?”
The man, dressed in an old-fashioned covert outfit reminiscent of historical ninjas, bowed deeply.
Moonlight streamed into the room, revealing the man’s overwhelming presence even through the shadows.

His muscles, trained to the extreme, were obvious even under thick clothing.
His powerful limbs were like those of a wild beast.
He was fundamentally different from an ordinary person.
To be specific, he looked like a character from an action manga who had fallen into a romcom world.

Fujiwara Sai smirked at his loyal retainer’s reply.
“Hanzō, you’re way too rigid.”
The black-haired ninja, called Hattori Hanzō, responded smoothly to his young master’s reproach.

“Thank you for the compliment.”
“Then, let’s head down together. I’m sure they’ll have guards on their side too.”
“Won’t my presence draw too much attention to you?”

“If I were the type to be bothered by something that trivial, I wouldn’t be in a position to have you as my guard instead of my older brother.”
Fujiwara Sai said this while patting the much taller man—Hattori Hanzō, whose head was nearly two sizes above his own—on the shoulder.
“Come on.”

“As you command.”
The mismatched pair, drawn as if from two entirely different manga genres, entered the waiting elevator and headed to the hotel lounge restaurant.
***

Saionji Kumiko sat in a limousine on her way to the appointed place, deep in thought.
‘…This is uncomfortable.’
She had always known this day would come eventually.

But she hadn’t expected it to be before even graduating from school.
Normally, she would have refused outright, but this was a request from her beloved grandfather.
Moreover, it was an order from the 27th head of the Saionji family. As a member of the family, she had no way to refuse.
Ever since entering Ichijo Academy, Saionji Kumiko had never once lost the top rank in her grade. She understood very well what it meant to be someone in her position.

This was what they called “noblesse oblige.”
Having been born into privilege and enjoyed countless benefits, it was now time to repay that debt.
This arranged meeting was supposed to be the first step.

But she still had lingering attachments.
Specifically, one very big lingering attachment called Kim Yu-seong.
“Ojou-sama, are you alright?”

“Eh? Ah, yes.”
Startled by Kōga Izumo’s sudden question, Kumiko quickly straightened her posture.
“I was just… lost in thought for a moment.”

Izumo nodded, as if understanding.
“It’s your first arranged meeting, so I imagine you must be uneasy. But don’t worry too much. Just because you attend doesn’t mean it will necessarily lead to engagement or marriage. I know from experience.”
“…”

Depending on how you heard it, that was either reassuring or not reassuring at all.
At that moment, Minami, who had been sitting quietly beside her, spoke up.
“Ojou-sama, we should be arriving at the hotel soon. But… are you truly not going to change clothes?”

Kumiko scoffed lightly, running her long, glossy hair—her pride—over her shoulder.
“A school uniform is practically a student’s formal wear. If a man would scold me just for wearing this to an arranged meeting, then that says enough about his level, doesn’t it?”
“Understood.”
Giving in to Kumiko’s stubbornness, Minami shook her head and looked out the window.

She already knew exactly why Ojou-sama was going to the arranged meeting in her school uniform.
‘Kim Yu-seong, you’re such a sinful man.’
Even though this could leave a bad impression on the first meeting, Kumiko was willing to risk that much just to sabotage the engagement.

Since she couldn’t openly rebel, this was her subtle, indirect resistance.
If she could, Minami wanted to cheer for her. But as nothing more than a servant, there was nothing she could do.
‘Ojou-sama, please stay strong.’

Minami muttered that silently to herself as she looked out the window at the scenery rushing by.
Rain drizzled gently from the dark autumn sky.
***

Saionji Kumiko and Fujiwara Sai met at a restaurant inside a five-star hotel in Roppongi.
When Kumiko stepped out of the limousine with her attendants—the Akagi siblings and Kōga Izumo—the hotel’s general manager approached.
“Welcome. I am Hashimoto, the general manager of this hotel. Young Master Sai is already waiting in the hotel lounge, so I will personally guide you.”

“My, thank you very much.”
Kumiko gave a slight nod, and Hashimoto bowed deeply before leading them.
‘I wonder what kind of person Fujiwara Sai is.’

She had heard his name before.
Since childhood, rumors had called him the Fujiwara family’s prodigy—a kirin child.
The head of the Fujiwara family had recognized the younger son’s talent early on. To avoid conflict with the elder brother, Sai had been sent abroad to study. It was said he only returned to Japan once he became a university student.

Even after returning, he kept himself shrouded in mystery, rarely appearing in public. But now that the succession of power was leaning toward the younger brother, many were watching his every move closely.
Ding!
The elevator doors opened, revealing a restaurant lavishly decorated with thousands of flowers from the entrance.

“This is…”
When Kumiko murmured in surprise, Hashimoto said,
“This is a special arrangement ordered by Young Master Sai in honor of the Saionji family’s young lady.”

“Ahem. I understand, let’s just proceed.”
Annoyed that she had been distracted even for a moment, Kumiko gave a small cough and quickened her steps.
Finally, they reached the appointed place.

Waiting there was a silver-haired gentleman.
“Welcome, Saionji Ojou-sama. My name is Fujiwara Sai.”
“…I am Saionji Kumiko.”

“My Japanese may be a bit clumsy due to my long years abroad, so I ask for your understanding. Please, have a seat.”
Fujiwara Sai sat first, and Kumiko quietly sat opposite him.
He sipped a glass of water and spoke.

“The school uniform suits you very well. [N O V E L I G H T] Did you come straight after school?”
“Yes. It just turned out that way. The time was tight, so I couldn’t change.”
“Ah, you could have changed into something more comfortable, even if it meant being a little late.”

“It’s fine. For a student, a school uniform might as well be the most comfortable outfit.”
“Fufu, I wouldn’t know. In the West, there are no dress codes.”
“Hoho, but isn’t there a saying—‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do’?”

On the surface, it was a peaceful exchange. But in reality, the two were already crossing blades in a fierce verbal duel.
Because all of their remarks so far had been “Kyoto-style speech.”
If an ordinary person heard them, it would sound like polite compliments. But to a Kyoto native, it was a subtle, indirect way of mocking the other person.

And from Fujiwara Sai’s aggressively sharp remarks, Kumiko realized something.
She wasn’t the only one unhappy with this meeting arranged by adults.
Thus, even though they were meeting for the first time, neither of them held back as they tore into each other with Kyoto-style words.

The only reason this heated battle paused was because their food finally arrived.
Even warriors needed to replenish their strength. The sharpness in their words dulled for the moment.
Tasting the appetizer of the course meal, Kumiko finally spoke sincerely for the first time.

“The food is quite good.”
Fujiwara Sai gave a small amused smile and nodded.
“The head chef paid special attention in preparing it.”

After exchanging just that, an odd silence fell.
The tension was so strong that the guards standing behind them felt more nervous than the two seated at the table.
Nibbling another bite of escargot, Kumiko finally broke the silence.

“Since the preliminary skirmish is over, may I speak honestly now?”
“About what?”
“I have no intention of getting married yet.”

That statement was practically a bombshell, rude enough to be outrageous. But Fujiwara Sai’s reaction was unexpected—he smiled with genuine satisfaction.
“Hearing you say that actually makes me like you more.”
“Eh? What do you mean by that…?”

Looking flustered, Kumiko asked, and Fujiwara Sai set down his fork.
“You’re the first person to ever treat me like this, Saionji Ojou-sama.”