“You can’t kill him!” Ryu repeated it for the fifteenth time. Now he was practically begging.Ryu had known from the beginning that convincing Kenji to spare the person who had hurt Akiko wouldn’t be easy, but it was far tougher than he had anticipated. Kenji’s expression hadn’t changed; he still hadn’t accepted Ryu’s suggestion.“She’s just a regular employee, not part of Kuryugumi. She’s an ordinary person, so let me deal with the punishment.”“Why should it be that way?” Kenji hissed.“Because that’s how normal people live. When I dealt with Shingi Fusaya, you promised not to interfere. So, don’t kill her. She’s guilty, but killing her is excessive.” Ryu didn’t want to bring up that agreement, but it was the only way. Persuading Kenji was a risky task, like taming a tiger.“CK!” Kenji clicked his tongue, glancing at his watch and realizing that he had been gone longer than planned. The lengthy argument with Ryu had taken up more time than he intended.“Okay, but you’d better make s
Akiko hurried along, not because she was late or overslept, but because she wanted to get to the floor where her office was as soon as possible. Akiko wanted to meet Kyoko as quickly as possible. This was the day.After waiting two days—Kenji hadn’t allowed her to go to work yesterday, and Akiko had peacefully complied—this was the moment when Akiko would demand accountability.Her body wasn’t seriously injured, but the mental damage was significant. It wasn’t just the fear; the disappointment also counted as a consequence.Akiko was relieved when she saw that only Kyoko was in the room. She always arrived the earliest. Akiko wanted to talk to Kyoko before anyone else arrived.“Oh… I thought you’d continue to feel special and take vacations whenever you liked.” Once again, Kyoko greeted Akiko with sarcasm. Akiko, who initially wanted to ask more calmly, quickly lost her patience.“I wasn’t on vacation; I was sick because of what you did!” Akiko put down her bag, then turned to glare a
“But… but… Kyoko is the one who...”“Kyoko Fujita? What about her? She wasn’t involved in the incident at all,” Sato interrupted Akiko.“But she was the one who...” Akiko's words trailed off—not because someone interrupted her, but because she lost her words halfway through. She still found it challenging to believe what Sato was saying, but at the same time, it was clear Sato wouldn’t accuse without a reason.“Take a look. I think this will make things clearer.”Akiko looked up as Sato turned the laptop in front of him toward the three of them. Mori leaned in a bit, pushing his glasses up to see more clearly. But Akiko’s vision was fine, so she could see without any problem.The laptop, which was playing CCTV footage of the room where Akiko worked, sped up several times faster than normal. Akiko saw herself walking to the bathroom after talking to Riko. It showed Riko leaving the office, but then the room went dark as the lights turned off."You won't see anything after that because
Kyoko, who was surprised for the second time, looked agape. "Huh? What?""I want to apologize for accusing you carelessly," Akiko said again while bowing, which naturally drew the attention of the other employees.Hiro and Misa glanced over, their necks craning with curiosity."Follow me! You're just disturbing everyone else!" Kyoko grumbled, standing up and walking towards the pantry, uncomfortable with the attention."All I've heard from your mouth so far is nonsense that sounds like a magic spell," Kyoko muttered once they reached the pantry."Explain it properly, so I don't feel like a fool when you speak." Kyoko sat down, dipping her tea and waiting.But now, Akiko felt like a tangled piece of tape. Even though she had experienced it herself, Akiko was only able to process everything when she tried to explain it to Kyoko. The frustration that had previously pressed down on her has now poured out. Akiko slumped into the chair in front of Kyoko and buried her face on the table."W
"Oji-san!" Akiko repeated herself, now waving her hand, which made Kenji frown, increasingly puzzled. But when he saw the sake bottle on the table and Akiko's unsteady steps, that puzzlement vanished.The singing and playful tone emanated from the sake. Somehow, Akiko had found out where he stored his sake."How much did you drink?" Kenji asked, noticing two bottles lying on their sides and another still on the table. There was not much, but the sake in his house was the best, which meant it had a high alcohol content with a light taste."Come on, let's drink together." Akiko grabbed Kenji's arm, pulling him inside and forcing him to sit down."Stop drinking," Kenji scolded, snatching the bottle from Akiko's hand before she could pour more sake into her cup. This was the first time Kenji had seen Akiko drink, and it was clear she couldn't handle much."Oji-san! You typically drink until you're drunk! Ugh... you smell like cigarettes! Why are you still smoking?!" Akiko's sentences were
Akiko was tidying up her desk's documents and rubbing her head, which made her feel slightly dizzy. A hangover, no doubt. Yesterday, Akiko had only intended to drink a little to calm her mind due to the issues with Riko. But it was clear that the amount of sake she consumed far exceeded her body’s tolerance, as Akiko couldn’t remember anything after finishing the second bottle.Akiko was relieved, but she still ended up sleeping in the backroom, not in the wrong place—like in Kenji’s room, for instance.Akiko took a deep breath, gathering her resolve, then got up and approached Kyoko at her desk."Kyoko-san, I wanted to ask you something...""Hey! Since when did I allow you to call me Kyoko? I'm still Fujita to you!" Kyoko growled, narrowing her eyes at Akiko, who was standing next to her.Calling someone by their first name indicates familiarity, and so far, Akiko has been addressing Kyoko by her family name."Oh, but I want to call you Kyoko. And you can just call me Akiko," Akiko
Akiko dropped the measuring tool and the clipboard in her hands as she slowly walked toward Yuto, tears welling up in her eyes.Yuto hadn't changed, of course. He still looked capable and fresh. His hair was neatly combed, his face was clean-shaven, and he had a sharp nose. There was a small mole under his left eye, but Akiko couldn’t see it from such a distance."Yuto… Anata*..." Akiko wanted to shout, but her throat was choked with emotion, and only a whisper escaped.Then a harsh reality hit Akiko, even before she could swallow her emotions and hope of meeting Yuto. A woman stepped out of the gate—Kaede, who also hadn’t changed. Her short hair had turned completely white, and her face bore wrinkles. However, Kaede's sharp eyes softened slightly as she waved to someone behind her.A woman appeared, and Yuto was seen opening the car door for her. The woman nodded and got into the car. Akiko squinted, trying to see who the woman was, but her entire body was covered.Akiko felt famili
Akiko stared at the macramé weaving in front of her, gently touching the knot she had made wrong, and sighed. This was the second time Akiko had messed up on a knot that should have been easy.Akiko wasn’t making a large macramé—just one that measured no more than thirty by fifty centimeters, extending downward, all in plain white. She hadn’t added any other colors. From the start, Akiko didn’t want to create something complicated because she didn’t want to think too much. But even this simple, single-colored macramé was enough to make her make mistakes.What she had seen two days ago—Yuto together with Kaede and another woman, whose identity she still didn’t know—was still affecting Akiko. She might try to maintain a positive outlook, but in the end, she couldn’t forget the scene she had witnessed for barely two minutes.Akiko couldn’t suppress her urge to meet Yuto after seeing him. They needed to talk—Akiko needed to explain what had happened. That was the only desire echoing in h
“Wrap it again!”As the nurse was about to leave, Akiko protested. She insisted on having the nurse wrap her head as she had done yesterday.“Tanaka-san, it’s no longer necessary. The surgical wound has healed well,” the nurse said with a smile. The full head bandage was no longer needed, leaving only a square patch covering the back side of her head.But the nurse understood why Akiko made such a strange request. Akiko was currently feeling her entire head, fighting back tears.According to what she felt, Akiko knew her hair was uneven—some parts longer than others—and she could guess that beneath the bandage, there would be a completely bald patch.“I must look awful,” Akiko muttered softly.“I’m sorry. We rushed to prepare for your surgery and didn't have time to evenly trim the hair." The nurse stroked the part of Akiko’s hair that still hung down to her should
Kyoko flinched slightly and looked at Ryu when he mentioned "liking," but then she realized Ryu was only speaking generally, with no special meaning. It didn’t make sense that Ryu would suddenly say something like that out of nowhere.“And I agree with that. The current Prime Minister’s work is terrible. If he has any shame left, he should just resign.” Ryu nodded in agreement with Kyoko’s opinion, looking satisfied.“After this, I hope you can help me win any debate against Kenji,” Ryu said.“Huh? What?” Kyoko was confused.“Forget it.” Ryu waved his hand dismissively. It was too early to discuss that."About the Prime Minister we were just discussing, he's bad, but you can't solely blame Kenji because there are other clans involved. As you heard earlier, Kuryugumi isn’t acting alone. They made the decision together. The individual who was elected was not the one Kuryugumi had
“Has she arrived?” Ryu inquired as he observed Inoue preparing to welcome him.“Yes. She was perfectly on time. Not a minute late,” Inoue replied, with a hint of sarcasm.Ryu could only offer a wry smile, knowing he was in the wrong. Ryu was late. He had to take care of something at Shingi Fusaya and couldn’t leave his office until half an hour past his meeting time with Kyoko.His lateness was serious, and there was no time for small talk with Inoue. Ryu quickly opened the door to Kenji’s office.Ryu had asked Inoue to arrange the meeting in Kenji’s office, which would clearly be empty for the next few weeks.Kyoko, who had been waiting inside, quickly stood up, looking surprised to see Ryu.“You…”“Yes, I’m the one who will formalize your work contract. Kenji… is busy.” Ryu removed the folder he had prepared and sat in Kenji's chair.&
"What's wrong?" Akiko grew more curious as she watched Kenji lower his head and cover his face with his hands."Sorry, just a moment." Kenji needed to calm himself. The fear he felt earlier was real. He had braced himself for Akiko's complaining of pain, clearly worried about her post-surgery scars.But Akiko was completely calm. A small ray of hope emerged amidst all the darkness that enveloped him."Are you okay?" Akiko asked again, gently touching Kenji's hand, which slowly loosened its grip."Yes, I'm fine. Everything is fine." Kenji smiled, causing Akiko's heart to race again. She reflexively covered Kenji's mouth."Don't smile like that," Akiko complained. Kenji raised his eyebrows in question."Just don't."Kenji found the request odd, but he nodded. Only then did Akiko release her hand, exhaling with a sense of relief."What's wrong with my smile? Is it scary?" Kenji didn’t think he had made a scary face, but Ryu
Akiko stared at Kenji as he walked in, once again placing a hand on her chest. She felt abnormal, her heart racing with excitement.Or maybe it was the man who wasn’t normal. Akiko couldn't imagine how she had married someone so... handsome.Akiko admitted it. Ryu, who had been with her earlier, was handsome, sweet, and had a clean face. Kenji’s face was the complete opposite.Kenji was handsome, but not sweet, and he looked rugged with stubble that seemed a few days old. But that wild side of him was driving her crazy. Akiko felt her stomach suddenly warm as those dark eyes looked at her.She wanted to look away—unable to withstand the excessive charm—but decided to keep looking. It would be strange to turn away so suddenly. After all, they were husband and wife. Akiko wanted to get used to looking at that face quickly.“Are you feeling dizzy?” As he sat beside Akiko, he naturally reached out to touch her
"Is this going to be permanent?" As soon as Kenji and Hayashi left the room, he asked his question.Hayashi ran a hand through his white hair, and the lines on his forehead deepened."The answer is, I don't know." Hayashi gave his honest reply with a long sigh.If not for the fact that Hayashi had done so much to help Akiko recover, Kenji might have snapped at him for his unhelpful response.It was Hayashi's job to diagnose Akiko's condition, not to be unsure. It was Kenji's responsibility not to be in the dark."Maybe this answer won't satisfy you," Hayashi said, noticing how Kenji was struggling to contain his emotions."However, I am unable to provide a definitive response. The neurologist who worked with me on Akiko's case before diagnosed her as unable to function normally, but after therapy restored her motor skills, her ability to remember and understand things slowly returned. When it comes to Akiko's condition, nothing is set in sto
Akiko followed Hayashi's flashlight beam, moving left and right with ease. There was no problem at all."What do you feel?" Hayashi asked with a friendly smile. Akiko looked at him. He was a kind and gentle doctor."Dizzy." Akiko had felt a sharp pain in her head when she tried to sit up earlier, but now it had eased significantly. That was her only physical complaint. As for her thoughts—Akiko couldn’t explain them."Of course you feel dizzy. You have a head injury."Akiko appreciated the doctor's warmth as he gently explained. She then touched the bandage on her head with a confused expression."What happened to me? Did I fall?" Akiko inquired, hoping for a quick explanation.But the doctor didn’t answer immediately. Akiko caught him glancing at one of the men standing on the opposite side of the bed. The man nodded.Akiko understood instantly that Hayashi had just sought permission. The doctor was seeking permissi
Kenji's thoughts immediately pointed to her. Only Karin could have come up with such a cunning plan, with the intent to hurt Akiko.After all, who else knew about the relationship between him and Akiko besides Karin? Kenji doubted his father would resort to such cowardly methods. His father had already shown his way yesterday—an attack from the front, forceful if necessary."I think we were wrong. Karin isn't interested in the Nakamura fortune. She's doing everything she can to hurt Akiko." Kenji corrected his earlier assumption that Karin was merely being materialistic when she tricked him. "Everything she's done since the beginning has hurt Akiko.""Why though? Why would she hate her own niece?" Ryu scratched his head, looking confused.It wasn't a question that Kenji needed to answer. Aside from not knowing the reason, Kenji didn’t care. What mattered was that Karin had hurt Akiko.Before this, Kenji could still forgive everything Kari
But Kenji's burden gradually lessened as he saw a smile spread across Hayashi's lips.“It worked. Everything was successfully retrieved. And Akiko's condition is very stable,” Hayashi said, giving a thumbs-up.Kenji let out a sigh of relief, but he knew his relief was premature.“How…”“I’ve requested that the biopsy be done as soon as possible, but it will still take at least a day. Be patient. Stay with Akiko when she wakes up. Huh, what happened to your face?” Hayashi inquired, noting Kenji's bruised and battered face.“Something happened, but it's over now,” Kenji responded vaguely. He might hear the full story later about the earlier commotion, but Kenji wasn’t too concerned. Kuryugumi usually had a team to clean up any public disturbances.Hayashi squinted at Kenji's face before patting his shoulder. “Take care of those wounds. But I must go. I’m not as youn