Naegi Residence.
After returning home, Hibiki Naegi saw Seiko Kirigiri sitting in the living room, seemingly waiting for her. A sense of guilt welled up inside her, and she wanted to find a chance to properly apologize to Seiko.
"Seiko, I'm back. Sorry for making you clean up the kitchen alone. I'll do it tomorrow." Hibiki spoke first as she entered the living room and sat down beside Seiko.
Facing Hibiki's return, Seiko merely glanced at her lightly, nodded slightly, and said:
"Did you meet your elementary school friend?"
"Ah… yeah… it's been a long time since we last met. We were both so surprised when we saw each other. Compared to how we were back in elementary school, we've both changed so much." Hibiki continued to weave her lie.
"Is that so? That's nice. Did you already make plans for when to meet again?" Seiko asked casually.
Seiko's tone and attitude at this moment made Hibiki tense up unconsciously. She hurriedly added, "We did mention meeting again, but we didn't say when or where exactly… so…"
"Alright," Seiko interrupted. "Honestly, Onee-chan, why are you acting like a child who just got caught doing something wrong?"
Seiko's demeanor didn't carry any trace of anger, yet that very calmness made Hibiki feel even more anxious. She kept trying to find a topic to change the mood, and then—
She suddenly remembered.
Right, Seiko had bought her an apple cake earlier! Maybe she could use that to shift the conversation.
Thinking that, Hibiki immediately acted on the idea.
"I suddenly feel like eating something sweet. Oh, right! The apple cake! Seiko, where did you put the apple cake you bought earlier? I know eating dessert at night can make you gain weight, but we're both pretty slim anyway, so it's fine once in a while. Besides, being too skinny doesn't look good either. The perfect figure is like Kotomi's—everything in the right place."
She kept talking, searching for topics to lighten the atmosphere. Ever since their return from Kyoto, this had become a familiar pattern between Hibiki and Seiko—they were both trying desperately to prevent their relationship from drifting apart.
But the more they tried, the deeper the invisible cracks between them seemed to spread—like fractures etched into glass, impossible to mend.
Both Hibiki and Seiko were painfully aware of it, yet both continued to avoid acknowledging it.
Because they knew—once they stopped avoiding it, their relationship would shatter completely, like a fragile windowpane that would fall apart with just a light touch.
"Seiko, do you want juice with the cake? Or soda? I remember there's still a bottle of orange juice in the fridge from last weekend."
As she spoke, Hibiki stood and walked toward the kitchen. She remembered that Seiko always liked to leave any uneaten cake on the dining table, and if she didn't finish it before going to bed, she'd store it in the fridge for the next day.
After all, Seiko loved cakes that tasted best when chilled.
But when Hibiki's eyes fell on the apple cake, she froze—along with her words and movements.
The apple cake—or rather, the box that had contained it—was torn open and tossed into the trash can. Inside the discarded box, traces of cream still clung to the cardboard.
Hibiki didn't know why she was stunned at the sight. Just a few hours ago, before she'd left the house, that cake box had been perfectly intact on the coffee table. And now, it was torn apart and thrown away.
The cake was gone—eaten, probably.
If the cake itself had been thrown away along with the box, that would have been even more painful to see.
The torn box, thrown into the trash as if with resentment, seemed to carry with it an ominous kind of symbolism.
Hibiki Naegi felt her stomach churn, waves of acid rising and falling like the tide. The sensation of her stomach turning over was deeply unpleasant. Was it the overly sweet cheesecake she had eaten with Eiren Kanagawa at the Sydney Café earlier?
Fortunately, the nausea didn't keep rising—otherwise, she might have thrown up everything she had eaten.
What exactly was causing this unpleasant feeling?
Carrying that restless discomfort in her chest, Hibiki opened her mouth slightly, as if trying to find something to say to Seiko Kirigiri.
Even though she had already had a drink at the café, her throat now felt dry, making her reluctant to speak.
"Seiko, did you eat the cake? Ah, really—you could've at least left me a small piece! Oh well, we can just go buy another one after school tomorrow. Let's get apple cake again—and maybe some other cakes and bread too. I suddenly feel like eating those caterpillar-shaped buns. Do you remember those from when we were in elementary school? You always loved the cream part and would give me the plain ends to eat."
Seiko stood up from the sofa and turned off the TV. The sound that had filled the room disappeared, leaving only silence. After standing there for a moment, she looked at Hibiki deeply, hesitation flickering in her eyes—then fading away.
She had made up her mind.
"Sorry, Onee-chan. I ate the cake and forgot to save you any."
"Eh? That's fine, we can just buy another one tomorrow…"
"Since it was for two people, one slice of apple cake was a bit too small anyway," Seiko said with a faint smile—a smile that, no matter what, Hibiki couldn't find comforting.
"Seiko, are you saying… someone came over while I was out?"
"Yeah. My friend. A classmate, I guess. We're… very close."
"A boy or a girl? What's their name? It's already so late—how could you… I mean, how could you invite someone over at this hour without telling me first? I could've made an extra portion of dinner." Hibiki's voice trembled with barely contained agitation.
For some reason, just imagining that while she was gone, Seiko had invited someone close to her over filled Hibiki with unease and frustration—like a bucket of cold water dumped over her from above.
Faced with Hibiki's barrage of questions, Seiko sighed softly, as though she had already decided on her response.
"Do I really need to explain all of this to you?"
"Of course you do! I'm your sister!!"
Hibiki grabbed Seiko's wrist tightly, her tone sharp and trembling with anger. Was she truly angry? Yes—at the thought that during her absence, Seiko had stayed home with that so-called friend, eating the very cake she had bought for Hibiki.
If it were just about the cake, Hibiki wouldn't have been upset. But right now, she didn't even know whether Seiko's friend was male or female, what their name was, what kind of person they were—or what exactly the two of them had done together while she was gone.
"The way you feel right now," Seiko said quietly, "is exactly how I felt when I watched you leave earlier."
Her words, cold and heavy, lingered in the air.
Then she pulled her wrist free from Hibiki's grasp, turned, and walked quickly up the stairs.
Hibiki stood frozen in place, stunned. Seiko's icy words continued to echo endlessly in her ears.
...
After dinner, Kotomi Izumi returned to her bedroom and idly scrolled through her phone.
She made a video call to her father. As the considerate daughter she always was, Kotomi reminded him over and over to drink less alcohol and go to bed early.
She had no idea that while attending the business banquet, Kaneyoshi Izumi was, of course, drinking—but always within his limits. He drank according to how he felt that day: if he could handle more, he would; if his tolerance felt off, he'd slow down. Whether he drank quickly or slowly depended entirely on his mood.
As for being pressured into drinking?
Although this trip was arranged by the company, the business partners in Tottori Prefecture were not amateurs. As soon as they learned who would be coming to discuss the deal and saw the name Kaneyoshi Izumi, they were stunned. They immediately contacted the major investor who had supported their company's founding years ago to confirm whether the eldest son of the Izumi family was indeed named Kaneyoshi Izumi.
Once they received confirmation, the business partner couldn't sit still for even a second.
Before Kaneyoshi's plane even landed, he had already arrived at the airport to wait. So when Kaneyoshi stepped off the plane, before he could even make a phone call, he spotted the business partner waving eagerly and rushing toward him from a distance.
This trip to Tottori was mainly to finalize a contract that had long been stalled.
Though they had been partners for years, business was always about profit. The partner had been dissatisfied with one of the profit distribution clauses, while the company believed the current split was already the most generous concession possible. After more than a month of back-and-forth negotiation, they still hadn't reached an agreement.
Time was pressing. The prolonged delay in finalizing the deal risked causing losses in the hundreds of millions for the company. The chairman kept pressuring the team but refused to accept the partner's proposed split.
Meanwhile, the partner's stance was firm: not a single percentage less. They were willing to cooperate if the company agreed—but if not, they'd simply part ways amicably and still greet each other with smiles in the future.
After learning about the situation, Kaneyoshi volunteered to go to Tottori himself. Having recently been promoted, he wanted to achieve solid results to strengthen his position.
He had originally planned to wrap up the deal within three days.
After leaving the airport, during the car ride, Kaneyoshi didn't immediately start talking business. Instead, he chatted with the partner about everyday matters—family, hobbies, small talk. The relaxed conversation felt like two old friends catching up after years apart.
That was how business conversations worked. No matter how fiercely people competed behind the scenes, when meeting face to face, everyone acted friendly, chatting about trivial things instead of business. Beneath the surface of such casual talk, however, both sides were constantly testing each other's boundaries.
Commerce and politics shared one thing in common: they both revolved around intricate games between people.
Kaneyoshi had been preparing to subtly probe the partner's true limits in this negotiation when he realized—it wasn't even necessary.
The moment the contract was mentioned, the partner who had previously refused to compromise and complained about the profit split suddenly seemed like a completely different person. Not only did he agree to the original terms, he even said:
"In this deal, I didn't contribute much. All I did was provide a few million dollars' worth of raw materials—hardly worth mentioning. I'm already honored that your company values me enough to include me in the profit share. And you, Mr. Izumi, personally came all the way here to talk business with me! Meeting you face-to-face is a lifelong dream. To actually sit across from you and negotiate—I never would've dared to imagine it! If I were to ask for a higher share, the entire business world would laugh at me for being shortsighted."
And just like that, the business deal was finalized smoothly. What had been planned as a three-day negotiation was wrapped up in less than one day.
He had arrived during the day, and by nightfall, the contract was signed.
After signing, they went out to celebrate with drinks. Upon hearing that Kaneyoshi Izumi himself was attending, the shareholders from the partner company all called in, asking to join the evening banquet.
The banquet organized by the business partner for Kaneyoshi Izumi was grand, attended by many influential figures in the business world. Yet during the drinking, not a single person dared to pressure Kaneyoshi into drinking more. On the contrary, whenever Kaneyoshi raised his glass to toast, others would down three glasses in a row to show their enthusiasm.
After all, everyone present knew that Kaneyoshi Izumi came from the Izumi family—the eldest son of Yakken Izumi himself.
Who would dare to force him to drink? They were all too busy trying to leave a good impression.
The shareholders who had initially been confused about why the partner suddenly compromised on the deal immediately understood once they learned who Kaneyoshi was. They realized that sacrificing a small portion of profits, even taking a loss, was worth it to establish a connection with the Izumi family.
If they were in the same position, they would've done the same. The profit from a single deal was limited, but the benefits of gaining the Izumi family's favor could elevate their standing in the business world. Any shrewd businessman would understand that trade-off.
"So, that means you can fly back home tomorrow, right, Dad?"
"Yeah. I didn't expect things to go so smoothly either. Since everything's wrapped up, there's no need to stay in Tottori. I'll go buy you all some gifts in the morning and then head straight to the airport."
"Hehehe, I want a giant octopus leg!"
"I'll buy you several!"
"Yay! Dad, rest early. Good night!"
"Good night."
After hanging up the call, Kotomi Izumi passed the time before bed by catching up on her favorite anime. She wasn't sleepy yet.
As the ending song began to play, the episode finished. She was about to start the next one—only to realize she had already caught up with the latest release. The next episode wouldn't come out for another seven days.
"Ah… see you in seven centuries," Kotomi sighed, setting her phone aside. Her favorite new anime of the month had already run out of episodes to watch. Not enough. It was never enough.
But it was still a bit early. Going to bed this soon felt like a waste.
Where was Aimi? She was still in the bath.
Kotomi had noticed a pattern—whenever she bathed first, Aimi would always take forever afterward.
She picked up her phone again, planning to scroll through Line and Twitter for a bit.
When she opened Line, her eyes fell on a familiar profile picture—two penguins hugging in an aquarium. She knew that image well, though she had no idea which aquarium it came from.
It was Arisu Sakayanagi's profile picture.
Remembering that Arisu had taken a half-month leave from school, Kotomi suddenly felt restless. Her emotions flared, and she immediately opened Arisu's chat and began typing a string of messages.
Kotomi Izumi: [I just heard from Ms. Yachiyo that you took a half-month leave! I'm so jealous—wait, no, I'm mad! How could you not tell me you were taking such a long break?!]
Kotomi really was a little angry about it.
When she hadn't seen Arisu at school, she'd felt uneasy and had gone to check Class 1-A—only to learn that Arisu had taken a whole two weeks off!
Recalling how close Arisu had always acted toward her, as if they'd been friends since forever, Kotomi couldn't stand that she hadn't even said a word before leaving. How could she just vanish like that?
Ding.
Her phone buzzed.
A message from Arisu Sakayanagi.
Arisu Sakayanagi: [Ah? So Ms. Yachiyo already told you, huh… Sigh. I wanted it to be a surprise, so I didn't say anything. I figured you'd find out sooner or later, but I didn't think it'd be this soon. As expected of my little Kotomi.]
Kotomi Izumi: [Don't "little Kotomi" me! I'm very upset about you leaving without saying anything!]
Arisu Sakayanagi: [I'm sorry~]
[But believe me, once you find out, you'll understand why I had to leave quietly. For now, just think of it as me preparing something that'll bring you surprise and happiness.]
[Image]
Arisu sent a photo—it was a steaming bowl of ramen that looked incredibly appetizing.
The moment Kotomi saw it, her irritation melted away, and she couldn't help swallowing a little saliva.
She was hungry.
But strangely, when Kotomi looked at the photo, the first thing that came to mind was her grandmother's ramen. The thick broth and toppings looked almost identical.
Of course, Kotomi didn't realize that Arisu wasn't just eating ramen somewhere random—nor that the reason she had taken a half-month leave was to visit her grandparents.
She couldn't have guessed that Arisu Sakayanagi's real purpose for taking this long break… was to prepare to propose to her.
—
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