"Sorry, what?"
Mori was confused by Sato’s words, and Akiko was too.
Sato laughed. “I mean, I don’t want the Shingi Fusaya team to lose, and you’re needed on the field. Don’t disappoint me.”
Sato corrected himself, pointing toward the field. He was still saying all of this with a smile. But somehow, Akiko felt that smile was dangerous. Sato seemed like the kind of person who would fire an employee with a sweet smile.
Mori probably felt the same way because he finally let go of Akiko's hand and returned to the field. His face was still full of questions, but his authority wasn’t yet strong enough to challenge Sato.
“You don’t need to escort—”
Sato waved his hand, cutting off Akiko’s sentence. “No need to be so formal. Because I'm not participating in any competitions today, I'm escorting you to the tent. So, my job is to make sure you’re all safe, healthy, and
"What's wrong with Mori, anyway? He's actually pretty decent—wait, no, more than decent. He's quite handsome and smart, and frankly, his career at Shingi Fusaya has a bright future. There's nothing wrong with him," Kyoko said while sipping her drink.They were sitting in a café courtyard across from their office building, taking their lunch break. Kyoko might be brutal, but she would never dare to discuss Mori so openly at the office.“If you think he's perfect, why don't you go for him?” Akiko asked, half annoyed.“He’s not interested in me—thankfully. Kyoko shrugged. "And I'm not interested in three-dimensional men," she said.Akiko scoffed, unsurprised by Kyoko’s honesty. After getting to know her better, Akiko had learned that Kyoko was an otaku*. She preferred manga and anime characters over real people, which explained her bluntness when dealing with them.Her taste for men followed suit—
"I've already chosen the most beautiful one. You should be satisfied with my choice."Ryu tried to sound enthusiastic and cheerful when Kenji called him. It was meant to lessen Kenji's annoyance."This is the time you'd wish you were really a cat, so you'd have nine lives," Kenji said."Don't be like that. It's just a trial," Ryu complained.Of course, Kenji once again ignored the file containing information on women his father had deemed suitable to be his wife, which had been sent by his father.So, it was Ryu who ended up picking and setting up a meeting. If Masaki found out that Kenji hadn’t followed his orders again, it wouldn’t only be Kenji who’d be in trouble, but Ryu as well.Ryu was going through the trouble for his own peace of mind, too. He 'forced' Kenji to set aside time that afternoon to meet a woman—Ryu's choice.Kenji, of course, strongly disagreed, but he only found out about the schedule
"I can't. I'm sorry, Endo-san. I'm a bit busy tomorrow. One of my family members is visiting Tokyo, and I have to accompany them."Without blinking or hesitation, Akiko made up the lie instantly. It was because she was truly panicking. Who could've predicted that Endo would still pursue her after the Hanami event?Still with the same confidence, Endo suddenly approached her and asked her out. It was too bold.When she ran into Endo, Akiko was on her way to her usual office, after stopping by HR to submit her leave documents. The man asked to speak with her privately, and the conversation that followed was a disastrous idea.Akiko didn't feel like she gave Endo any green light to get closer. She truly didn't expect Endo to think she had enjoyed their conversation in Osaka. Akiko remembered that she had responded to Endo half-heartedly. The signals should have been clear.“Really? What a shame. How about Sunday?” Endo wasn’t g
And it's not just messy. Judging by his unsteady walk and red eyes, Akiko suspected Yuto was drunk. He remained steady enough to stand and identify her."Who is this?" Kyoko asked curiously.She had never seen or met Yuto, not even in passing, because Yuto usually waited for Akiko at the station near Kenji's house. This was Yuto's first time waiting for her at the station near Shingi Fusaya. Akiko had brought him here once before, so Yuto still remembered it."He's looking for you, isn't he?" Kyoko asked again, and Akiko just stood there silently, staring at the man now stumbling towards her."Ignore him. He's no one important." Akiko grabbed Kyoko's hand and walked away quickly.She didn't want to stop for Yuto. But the man was still fast enough. When he saw Akiko speed up, he ran and blocked her path. Akiko almost bumped into him."Akiko-chan, please. You have to listen to me," Yuto pleaded, his face desperate."Kyoko, do you
“What the hell?” Kyoko whispered in confusion, but when she saw Kaede almost running toward Akiko, she quickly understood. Kaede’s face looked terrifying.As Akiko looked at Kaede, she realized how small she was. Akiko knew she wasn’t a tall person—Kyoko was taller than her, and Kaede was even shorter. Akiko didn’t understand why she used to be so afraid of her. But not anymore. There was nothing to fear now. She didn’t need to act respectful towards Kaede or be mindful of her feelings. That wasn’t her responsibility anymore.“You wretched woman!” Kaede cursed as she swung her hand.“Hey!” Luckily, Kyoko was alert and caught the hand before it reached Akiko’s cheek. But Akiko wasn’t standing still like she used to; she stepped back to avoid it.“What are you doing? Trying to hurt someone in public?” Kyoko snapped, pushing Kaede’s hand down and giving her a slight shove. It didn’t matter how old Kaede was; she was aggressive in Kyoko’s eyes.“I just want to teach that wretched woman a
"The slut is finally showing her true colors. I'm relieved she no longer lives in this house." Kaede continued her rant all the way home. She kept on berating Akiko, even though Karin and Yuto didn't respond at all."Take him to his room," Kaede instructed the driver, who was helping Yuto inside.The driver nodded and carried Yuto to his room. Yuto had fallen asleep in the car after throwing a fit when he was taken to the clinic to treat his wound—which, as it turned out, wasn't deep, and he had calmed down. Yuto looked slightly confused as he glanced around, the alcohol's effects starting to wear off."You shouldn't have come earlier. In the end, you had to listen to that woman's vile words! Disgusting." Kaede stroked Karin's shoulder."You don't need to listen to her. It's clear Yuto would never go looking for her. I'm sure she seduced Yuto into coming to her. Shameless!" Kaede refused to hear or believe Akiko’s explanation that it was Yuto who sought her out, not the other way
“We need to meet.”“Who are you?” Kenji frowned, unable to recognize the voice or number calling him. Kenji rarely saved anyone's number on his phone because he was too lazy. That was Inoue's job.“Oh my God! It's Sakura. I'm your fiancée!” The voice on the other end screamed in frustration.“Oh, right. I remember.” Finally, Kenji managed to match the voice with a face.“Thank goodness. That's amazing,” Sakura remarked sarcastically.“How did you get my number?” When they first met, Kenji didn't remember them exchanging numbers. The meeting had been too brief and busy.“I got it from the omiai data my parents gave me. You should have mine too!” Sakura sounded exasperated.“Oh, I see.” Kenji wouldn't know, since he had never looked at any data from Sakura—except for the negative things Inoue had told him yesterday.“You really don't care about me, do you?” Sakura sounded amused.“Of course not. Isn't that how it should be?” Kenji's response was casual.“True. I don’t care about you eith
"Thank you." Akiko expressed her gratitude to the taxi driver who helped her with Kyoko, then waved as he drove away.Akiko was grateful that they had a kind taxi driver, so there was no trouble getting Kyoko out.“Huh?” Akiko turned around to help her, but Kyoko was already stumbling her way inside. Kyoko’s apartment was on the ground floor, so it was still simple for her to enter.“Are you okay?” Akiko asked.“Yes, just go home.” Kyoko responded as she shut the door. Akiko could imagine what she would do next. Kyoko would throw herself onto the bed and sleep until the next morning. As usual, Akiko will bring her some soup tomorrow to help ease her headache.After ensuring that Kyoko was safe, Akiko crossed the street toward her own apartment. She carefully avoided several puddles and soft, muddy patches in her building's front yard. The rain earlier that afternoon had left a lot of water in the uneven yard.Akiko then climbed the stairs slowly. Her head wasn’t clear yet; she still
“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