"I just want you to help me check if my apartment is safe or not."
Kyoko protested throughout the journey and repeated it several times on the way to Ryu's house, even after the car had stopped.
"No. If I help check your apartment, then there's a chance that anyone who enters will see us together. What's the point of us avoiding each other all this time if, in the end, someone sees us together? All the hard work you've done will be wasted." Ryu provided a detailed explanation, as Kyoko had previously refuted his brief version.
"Then take me somewhere else! I don't want to stay at your house!" Kyoko was still adamant, even though Ryu’s car had already entered his garage.
"No. It’s not in my nature to leave a woman—especially one I know—in danger or distress," Ryu firmly refused.
"I'm not scared! And I'm not distressed!" Kyoko argued.
Ryu smiled, then turned to Kyoko while resting his hand on the steering wheel. "You ma
Kyoko woke up and groaned, her legs aching. She had exerted herself excessively while running yesterday. She sat on the bed and glanced around.Last night, as soon as she entered the room, she collapsed onto the bed and almost immediately fell asleep. It was something she regretted now, as she should have been more alert in an unfamiliar place."I'm just tired... I'm only tired," Kyoko reasoned with herself, trying to avoid admitting that Ryu's presence made her feel safe. She preferred the excuse that she was simply exhausted. She didn't want her sense of safety to come from someone else.Kyoko got up and carefully opened the door. It was already quite late in the day. Ryu should have woken up by now, but the house was still quiet. She walked toward the living room and froze when she heard a door open and close upstairs.Kyoko looked up, hoping to see Ryu. She wanted to ask when they could check on her apartment. But what she saw made her feel suddenly c
Kyoko stared silently at the commotion happening in front of her—a scuffle that had even escalated to physical altercations, as Yui retaliated against Ryu's annoyance with another chopstick strike.Kyoko stood speechless, too shocked to respond. She couldn’t believe how wrong her assumptions had been. And of course, she could easily trace the reason.It was because she had drawn conclusions with her heart, not her mind. Kyoko had rushed to conclusions without weighing evidence or considering other reasonable possibilities.She had easily believed that Yui was Ryu's girlfriend, or perhaps even his wife, despite many things that should have raised questions.Ryu had previously mentioned having an older sibling, but he didn't specify the gender, so the possibility wasn't completely ruled out. It was a rare mistake for Kyoko to make. Ryu was the culprit behind that mistake.Kyoko knew well that Ryu didn’t just unsettle her
"Where are you going?" When Kenji saw Akiko following him outside, dressed neatly, he asked. Kenji went to work, and Akiko usually stayed home."I'm delivering this to Miura-san." Akiko lifted the macramé she had finally finished making."She’s going to tease you again. Just watch." Kenji chuckled softly as he sat on the chair by the door to put on his shoes.Akiko instantly sulked as she realized the truth. Miura never got bored of teasing her every time they met. The wedding ceremony had been almost three weeks ago, but Miura still kept bringing up the kiss Akiko had shared in public.Many guests had taken photos and videos of the event, so Miura had no trouble showing Akiko's daring act back then."You should have stopped me instead of making it worse!" Akiko sulked, sitting next to Kenji. She noticed how Kenji had actually cupped her head, prolonging the moment.Kenji laughed and flicked Akiko's nose. "I did it on purpose. I
"Wait! It’s probably nothing. It’s stopped!" Akiko tried to stop Kenji, who was running fast towards the clinic next to the village head's office.But Kenji wasn’t listening anymore. He rushed into the clinic, startling the female nurse sitting at the reception desk. The clinic was already quiet."Kenji-kun? What’s going on?" She asked in surprise, glancing at Akiko, who immediately turned to look at her as well. The use of "Kenji-kun" made Akiko feel an unpleasant twinge of dislike.Akiko glanced at the nurse to gauge her age. She was probably in her thirties, older than herself, but she was clearly the only young woman Akiko had seen since arriving in this village."Nosebleed," Kenji said as he lowered Akiko onto a waiting chair. His breathing was ragged, and he was drenched in sweat from carrying Akiko for quite a distance."One moment. I’ll call Saito-sensei." The nurse went inside to get the doctor."Are you close with that nurse?" Akiko asked, still holding her fingers under her
Kenji chuckled softly as Akiko placed the bowl on the table with a loud clatter as soon as they got home."Don't tell me you're still mad," Kenji said."Hmm..." Akiko responded with a huff."I don't care about her at all. I don't even know her first name—just that she's Nishimura." Kenji had never bothered to ask because he didn't see the need.Akiko narrowed her eyes at Kenji, but then turned away toward the sink, cleaning the vegetables she would use for the soup.Kenji also squinted his eyes, trying to guess what Akiko was thinking. "Now why are you mad?" Kenji asked.Earlier, he had understood that Akiko was jealous, but now she seemed upset about something else. Something Kenji couldn't figure out.Akiko sighed. She was usually amazed at how well Kenji could read her thoughts, but this time, she was annoyed because it felt like he was invading a part of her mind she didn't want to dwell on."You laughed," Akiko said, covering the pot of boiling water and adding the vegetables."I
“Excuse me, who are you here to see?”Of course, a nurse would stop them as they walked toward Dr. Hayashi's practice room. There was no way they could walk in without being questioned, especially since his practice hours were already over.“We're Dr. Hayashi's nieces and nephews. We had an appointment earlier, but it seems he forgot. We had no choice but to come here directly.” Kenji put in all his effort to be as polite as possible. Akiko, standing next to him, tried to offer a smile, mixed with an apologetic look.“Oh? But Dr. Hayashi didn’t mention anything about an appointment.” The nurse looked puzzled.“Yeah, that’s the issue. He forgot. If it’s not too much trouble, could you tell him we're here? Just say Kenjiki, his nephew from Karuizawa, has arrived.”With that code, Kenji hoped Hayashi would understand who he was and not cause any trouble.“Of course. One moment.”The nurse knocked on Dr. Hayashi's office door and entered. Kenji squeezed Akiko’s hand again and quickly glan
“What do you mean you can’t? I’m only asking for a list of apartments that are currently available or for sale. I will use your agency,” Kyoko didn’t understand why Kudo was refusing her request.“Sorry, but I can’t give out information to someone outside of Shingi Fusaya right now. There are new, very strict regulations about this. I can’t break those rules.” Kudo sounded very regretful.“What regulations? You helped me get an apartment yesterday!”Kyoko clearly didn’t believe it. She wasn’t even an employee of Shingi Fusaya when Kudo helped her a few weeks ago. Kudo had easily secured an apartment for her without considering any rules. It seemed strange that he now felt he had to be careful.“Actually, this regulation has been around for a long time, but it was very loose because the marketing department’s priority is to sell the units. But earlier, HR announced that there had been a leak of information to a competitor. Because of that, they asked all employees to be cautious. I can
“Is my sister inside?” Ryu inquired as soon as he reached home. He only saw Kyoko sitting there, staring at him with her arms crossed over her chest.“No. She left with her shinai. I don’t know where she went,” Kyoko replied curtly.“Ah... she's training.” Ryu wasn’t affected by Kyoko’s cold tone and responded to the news with relief. He wasn’t in the mood for a fight tonight.“Yui Onee-chan most likely went to one of Kuryugumi’s dojos nearby,” Ryu said as he took off his jacket and sat down.It was a simple movement, but Kyoko averted her gaze before feeling any more foolish. Ryu wasn’t trying to look more handsome, but the way he loosened his tie and rolled up his sleeves was oddly captivating.“So, why are you sitting out here?” Ryu assumed Kyoko was in the front room chatting with Yui.“Did you stop me from getting an apartment?” Kyoko looked at Ryu with determined eyes. She asked, but the answer was already in her mind.Ryu sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Kyoko wasn’t e
“Himawari! Natsu!”A ten-year-old boy let out a loud shout when he discovered two other children hiding behind the bushes beneath the tree.“Kenzo—big brother!”Natsu was startled to see Kenzo suddenly appear. He pulled the girl, Himawari, beside him to stand, intending to run away, but Kenzo stopped him.“No! You’re making Okaa-san worried. You have to go back.” Kenzo grabbed Natsu's arm.“But Himawari is scared. She doesn’t want to go to school,” Natsu pointed at Himawari, who was now sobbing.“Hima-chan.” Kenzo knelt down and gently stroked Himawari's head, which was bowed down.“School isn’t scary. You’ll meet many new people and make new friends,” Kenzo coaxed softly until Himawari looked up to meet Kenzo's gaze.“But… but… I want to be with Natsu. I don’t want to go to school…”
“This place isn’t bad.” Kenji didn’t outright refuse, but his reluctance was evident.“Indeed, I will make sure this place will never be bad for those children. However, Kenzo stands apart from these children. They are kids who truly have no family and are forced to live here. Kenzo has me. I am his family. I am the only family Kenzo has."Akiko didn’t want to acknowledge this while remembering Kenzo's mother’s actions, but Kenzo was still the child of her mother’s younger sibling—her family. No one else was her blood relative as of now.“I can’t forget that fact and pretend Kenzo is someone else. It will haunt me in my sleep,” Akiko urged again.Kenji fiddled with the car keys beneath him while staring at the back of Kenzo's head, who was now trying to draw something with crayons on a new piece of paper.“I know you hate his mother—I do too. But you don’t hav
“I still don’t want to do this,” Kenji grumbled.“I know, but I’m sure you also know that this is the right thing to do,” Akiko replied, looking at her husband, who was now unbuckling his seatbelt. Although they arrived two minutes earlier, neither of them got out of the car.The decision they—Akiko—made was indeed a significant one. Akiko needed to calm herself. Kenji had left the choice to her, but he was still going through it with a heavy heart.“Come on, let’s go.” Akiko finally opened the door and stepped out.Children playing in the yard rushed over when they spotted her.“Tanaka-san! What did you bring today? Candy? A storybook?”A chorus of voices greeted Akiko. She often visited the orphanage with gifts, so the children expected her to bring something.“I brought something in the car for you, but it’s a secret. You can…”
“I don’t want to sleep with you.” Ryu repeated the question in disbelief because it seemed too absurd. He shook his head while rubbing his face.“I think your ability to draw conclusions isn’t very sharp right now,” Ryu said.“No!” Kyoko was obviously offended. Although it wasn't a direct insult, Ryu had implied that Kyoko was stupid.“Don’t be angry; I understand. I would be disappointed if your mind was entirely calm at the moment.” Ryu smiled with satisfaction.“I’m calm!” Kyoko retorted.“You just asked about my desire to sleep with you. I think that’s quite a disturbance that’s keeping you from being calm.” Ryu left his suitcase and approached Kyoko, who suddenly panicked and stepped back.“Don’t deny it. You won’t succeed in making me think otherwise.” Ryu chuckled softly at her panic.“I don&
“Don’t open it now. You’ll get wet.” Ryu raised the hood of Kyoko's raincoat just in time as a large amount of water splashed toward where they were sitting. It was as if someone had poured a giant bucket of water on them.The orca whale show they were watching involved jumping out of the water. Of course, when they fell back, they splashed a lot of water toward the audience.Ryu clapped like everyone else, appreciating the hard work of the giant mammals, but Kyoko didn’t clap at all—not even when the show ended.“Didn’t you like it?” Ryu inquired as they exited, discarding their soaked raincoats.Ryu grabbed a small towel handed out by the staff, then used it to dry Kyoko’s hair and neck. Although Ryu had covered her hoodie just in time, some parts of Kyoko’s hair and neck were still wet.“You don’t like aquariums. I’ll note all of that.” After waiting for a
"I want to go home."Kyoko suddenly spoke up just as Akiko finished applying pink lipstick to her lips.“Huh? Why? Did you forget something?” Akiko straightened up, confused, as she glanced at the kimono Kyoko would be wearing.Kyoko's kimono was simpler, with only a hair ornament as an accessory. It wasn’t as elaborate as the one Akiko had worn when she got married in Utoro.Ryu had planned for their wedding to be similar to Akiko’s, but they had compromised for a more modest ceremony at the city hall. Ryu knew Kyoko's feelings about temple buildings, so he wouldn't dare force anything. Besides, the reception would still happen; just the ceremony would be different.Nobody objected to the decision. Everyone agreed as long as the wedding took place, including Akiko. Even though her expensive kimono was a bit much for a city hall wedding, she was still happily helping Kyoko.“Everything's ready. I just need to pu
“You must be crazy!” Kyoko stood up and paced back and forth in the living room, trying to recall if there was any sign that Ryu wasn’t serious.But everything was serious. Ryu had even sent her a photo of the kimono he would wear on their wedding day. When Kyoko saw the photo, she thought Ryu was insane, as discussing kimono patterns would escalate their deception.In the end, Kyoko made her choice, wanting to end the pointless discussion. But it turned out that the discussion was important.“Are you just going to sit there?!” Kyoko yelled angrily, glaring at Ryu, who was calmly sipping beer and munching on peanuts he had brought earlier.“What do you want me to do?” Ryu frowned.“Cancel everything! Call them all! Cancel it!” Kyoko sat back down next to Ryu and then attacked him, reaching for his waist.“Hey, wait! Don’t get aggressive all of a sudden,” Ryu was, of cour
Ryu shook his head, while effortlessly unlocking Kyoko's apartment door once more by simply inputting her birthday—the day after tomorrow.He had repeatedly reminded Kyoko to change the password, which was extremely easy to guess. Not just once—like when he first broke in to find the listening device—but several times since.Now, Kyoko no longer lives in Tokyo. Since becoming actively involved in Kuryugumi and assisting Kenji and Ryu, Kyoko had relocated to Osaka, where she now primarily worked.However, Kyoko hadn't been working regularly since visiting her parents, and no one was pressuring her to do so either. Kenji didn’t give any orders, leaving everything up to Ryu.The apartment’s security was truly weak, especially since there was still no sound, despite Ryu walking into the room for several moments. It was evident that Kyoko had fallen asleep due to the late hour. Ryu had come straight to the apartment after returnin
Akiko adjusted herself in front of the mirror, gazing at the new kimono she would wear the day after tomorrow.The kimono was custom-made for her, so naturally, it fit perfectly. But Akiko wanted to see if the color matched her expectations. And indeed, everything was perfect. It fit her body beautifully and didn't feel heavy or hot, which was crucial considering it was still summer.The modern kimono, with a white base, was adorned with pink cherry blossoms. Akiko had even prepared hair accessories filled with cherry blossom designs to complete the look.She wasn’t wearing the hairpiece yet, but when she tried placing it on her head, the pink color matched perfectly with her black hair. Everything was set. She had also prepared clothes for Natsu and Kenji.BANG!Akiko flinched and dropped the hair accessory she was holding. The loud noise from the sliding door startled her.Luckily, Natsu was in the next room, so he wouldn’t be