IBTMOMV - Chapter 5
About How My Favorite Couple Is Too Precious
He stopped in front of us and gracefully bowed.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Rosalia. My name is Damian Sanberg.”
His pale chestnut hair was neatly trimmed short. His cool gray eyes held a gentle light deep within.
He stood about twenty centimeters taller than Lady Rosalia, with a well-balanced physique. Dressed in simple but high-quality tailored clothing, a calm gentleness emanated from his entire being.
M–my favorite ship… right in front of me… officially…!!
Barely managing not to faint from excitement, I forgot even to blink as I stared at the two of them, engraving this moment onto my retinas so as not to miss a single second.
Damian × Rosalia
Abbreviated as DamiRosa, the pairing I had supported fervently for five whole years.
DamiRosa was the most minor of all minor pairings in HanaKimi. To put that in perspective, let’s look at the posting numbers on the major novel-sharing site, Pixchive. The popular pairing Alan × Filore had around ten thousand entries. By contrast, DamiRosa had fifty.
Of those fifty, forty-eight were written by me.
The biggest reason the pairing was unpopular was simple: “They had absolutely no connection in the original story.” Not only did they lack interaction — Damian and Lady Rosalia had never even appeared in the same scene.
But I still shipped them. For five years, I shipped them. I kept publishing new fanbooks every year, selling them while people whispered, “Huh? Why DamiRosa?” “Did they even interact?”
I began supporting DamiRosa after thinking obsessively about *who could truly make Lady Rosalia happy.*
Even if she were to end up with Alan, who chose Filore, I couldn’t see a future where Lady Rosalia was happy. I considered other male characters too, but none felt right.
“Lady Rosalia is proud and solitary, someone who doesn’t know how to rely on others…! She can only be happy if a man with great gentleness embraces her with a vast love…!”
That thought led me to one of the supporting characters — Damian Sanberg, age twenty-eight, divorced once.
By the way, the reason for his divorce was that his ex-wife had been a horrible woman who repeatedly squandered money and cheated on him, meaning Damian was entirely blameless (*according to the fanbook*).
“I apologize for the sudden visit.”
“No, I’m glad you took interest in such a remote port town.”
They talked to each other!! They’re breathing the same air and talking!!!
For a delusional fan who had survived solely on imagined interactions between two characters who never met in canon, this was too much stimulation — an overload that made me feel like I might ascend to heaven on the spot.
Damian smiled softly and guided us inside the mansion. Every movement he made was deliberate and graceful, filled with quiet consideration for others.
He hadn’t had many appearances in the original, but seeing him in person, he exuded such warmth and steadiness that he seemed the very embodiment of gentleness. Perhaps it felt all the stronger after witnessing Alan’s recent arrogance.
He led us to a reception room, where Lady Rosalia sat on the sofa. Taking the opposite seat, Damian spoke.
“Have you seen Poruno yet?”
“Yes.”
“A rather desolate town, isn’t it?”
“…”
Lady Rosalia sipped her tea awkwardly. Seeing this, Damian laughed cheerfully.
“Even the Sanberg family doesn’t quite know how to handle it, honestly. There are fish to catch, but they’re all too small to sell in the royal capital. And with the Grand Port nearby — one of the kingdom’s leading harbors — it’s hard to compete. Still, I have a fondness for the place, so I’d like to see it prosper somehow.”
He gave a wry smile and took a sip from his cup.
He was the third son of the Sanberg ducal house, assisting his elder brother — the current duke — with part of the family’s duties. Poruno was one of the territories under his supervision, but he’d been struggling to find buyers for the small fish caught there.
As he spoke, Lady Rosalia seemed lost in thought for a moment, then looked up with a spark of realization.
“Those fish — perhaps the Valentino family could purchase them.”
Both Damian and I widened our eyes.
“B-but they’re far too small to be supplied to the Valentino family…”
“Not to my family directly, but to Casetta.”
“Ah— I see! That establishment is under Valentino management, isn’t it?”
“I’m impressed you knew.”
Lady Rosalia just smiled at Damian!
My heart was about to explode!!
Casetta was a tavern for commoners. There were a few branches even in the royal capital; I had once visited one with a maid.
While the tavern appeared to be a commoners’ establishment, in truth it was secretly run by the Valentino family.
Their name never appeared publicly, but anyone who followed the sales ledgers to the royal family would immediately see the connection, so it was no surprise Damian knew.
Now, why would a ducal family operate taverns?
The answer was simple — information gathering.
All of Casetta’s staff were trained by the Valentino household, eavesdropping on the patrons’ gossip. They collected rumors about the royal family, noble feuds, even hints of rebellion, and reported everything to the head of the Valentino family.
Lady Rosalia took another sip of tea.
“Recently, my father has been grumbling. The guild at Grand Port has raised fish prices… We don’t particularly mind the small size. We process them anyway.”
“So price is the key factor, then?”
“Exactly.”
“Please wait a moment. I believe I have a list of the fish types and their prices… ah, here it is.”
He pulled out a stack of documents from a leather briefcase at his feet and slid them smoothly across the table to her. Lady Rosalia took them and began reading carefully.
Then began their negotiation — the types of fish to be handled, unit prices per kilo, bulk purchase discounts — calmly and efficiently, she asked precise questions one after another.
By the time the sunlight from the window turned orange, Lady Rosalia stood.
“Then, I’ll consult my father under these terms.”
“Of course. I’ll await your response.”
After leaving the reception room and reaching the entrance hall, Damian moved ahead and opened the door. The salty sea breeze drifted inside.
He descended the stone steps and turned back, offering his hand.
“There’s a step.”
Lady Rosalia hesitated for only a moment before gently placing her hand in his. Guided by him, she descended slowly.
When we reached the waiting carriage, Damian smiled contentedly.
“Thank you very much for today. Every word you spoke was fascinating — I lost track of time.”
“Even if you flatter me, it won’t gain you anything. The jurisdiction of Casetta lies with my father.”
“No, it wasn’t flattery.”
“…I see.”
Unbothered by her cold reply, Damian simply narrowed his eyes kindly. After confirming Lady Rosalia had boarded the carriage, I climbed in as well.
Even after the carriage began to move, Damian didn’t leave the spot — he stayed there, watching until the carriage became a mere speck in the distance. Such an earnest man.
Still, today’s supply of emotional content was too much — I was nearly at my limit. The ship I had fantasized about for five years had actually spoken before my eyes! Couldn’t someone please take my brain out and burn this moment onto Blu-ray?
Overflowing with gratitude, I turned to Lady Rosalia.
“Lady Rosalia, thank you so much for today!”
“…Yes.”
“What did you think of Lord Damian?”
It was a casual question.
Up until now, Lady Rosalia had been perfectly composed and businesslike — the ideal ducal daughter, polite yet detached. So I’d expected a curt “Nothing in particular” in response.
But instead—
Lady Rosalia’s face turned bright red.
Wait—what????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
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