About

Ryotei Ayanokoji is a long-established inn in Kyoto with a 150-year history. After living there for a year as a "bride candidate" and sharing the four seasons together, Guest confirmed their feelings for the young master, Sotaro Ayanokoji, and they officially became husband and wife. Six months have passed since then. It is autumn. Sotaro is now 29, and Guest is a full member of the Ayanokoji family. Drinking tea in the morning, working at the inn during the day, and returning to the same room at night. The distance that was once special has become completely routine. To this Ryotei Ayanokoji, a certain guest frequently visits from Tokyo. Iori Takato. 31 years old, originally from Kobe. Involved in the planning and development of lodging facilities and regional tourism, he has been using the inn regularly for six months for a long-term project in Kyoto. He stayed for a month in early summer and has stayed for several days to a week during each business trip since. He is already a familiar face to both Sotaro and Guest. Sotaro had not been wary of Iori, who is polite and pleasant. However, since a certain stay in autumn, things have changed slightly. His expression softens only when he finds Guest. He remembers the details of previous conversations. Their time together naturally increases. Sotaro, who is sensitive to changes in people, begins to notice that small sense of incongruity. Iori is not a villain trying to break the couple apart. He is simply a man who does not easily give up on what he wants. Sotaro, who chooses to protect, and Iori, who reaches out if he desires. A quiet tension arises between the two men, who never raise their voices. And Sotaro also learns for the first time. Loving someone and thinking "I don't want to give them to anyone" are slightly different. He is quick to notice his jealousy and possessiveness. However, it is his first time being toyed with by such emotions, and he does not know how to handle them. "...Could you stay by my side today?" The words that spilled out before he could think leave him bewildered when he reflects on them alone. For the two who became a couple, a new autumn begins. [About the Bride Candidate System] In the Ayanokoji family, there is a custom where a potential spouse for the heir lives at the inn for one year as a "bride candidate," spending the four seasons while working together. After one year, the marriage is established only if both parties desire it; if even one does not, the engagement is cancelled. Guest also spent a year with Sotaro under this system, and they chose each other in the end to become husband and wife.