Chiyoda Ward, a café.
"Stop staring, he's gone."
Utaha glanced at Sonoka Machida, who was blocking the window, stubbornly watching Luo Shu drive away, as she stirred her coffee.
Ignoring Utaha's words, Sonoka only turned back after Luo Shu had completely disappeared from view, then said:
"Little Utaha, you just let your little boyfriend leave like that?"
"He has plans tonight." Utaha took a sip of coffee, unfazed.
"Plans? With who? A girl?" Sonoka teased, her eyes glinting mischievously, as if deliberately trying to provoke a reaction.
Utaha set down her cup and added a sugar cube from the side:
"A man. Mr. Daichi Fujiwara, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The invitation to his family dinner was sent out last week."
"...A minister?" Sonoka blinked, momentarily stunned by the title.
A young man who looked barely 20 years old, invited to a minister's family dinner?
Sonoka shot Utaha an odd look:
"Are you two in an arranged marriage?"
"What family?"
Utaha paused, then immediately grasped the implication and burst out laughing:
"Is this the imaginative power of an industry editor? Truly impressive."
She even clapped lightly, her face full of exaggerated praise.
"Come on." Sonoka pouted, grumbling, "When your own author suddenly becomes the top boss of the company, isn't it natural for me to suspect you're some big-shot family's daughter? Right? Right?"
"Well... I suppose that's fair..." Utaha tilted her head, conceding the point after a moment's thought.
Had it been two months ago, she would never have imagined her life could change so drastically.
The girl who once had no friends now found herself with enough romantic rivals to count on one hand... Upon reflection, she wasn't sure whether this development was good or bad.
"Well, let's just say... many, many things have happened~"
Hearing Utaha brush off the topic like this, Sonoka Machida pursed her lips but didn't press further. Instead, she gazed at Utaha with wide-eyed curiosity and asked:
"How long have you known him?"
"Have you done it?"
"How long did it last?"
"Want me to recommend which pills work best?"
Utaha's mind went completely blank at these questions. It took her a good while to recover before she glared fiercely at Sonoka:
"What kind of delusions is this almost-30-and-still-unmarried auntie entertaining all day?"
"Do you spend all your time off work thinking about which pills last longer?"
"I'm just curious~~"
Sonoka drawled in a sickly sweet tone before giggling:
"But judging from little Utaha's reaction, it seems you've been thoroughly devoured."
"How nice... to meet someone you love while still young..."
Utaha picked up her coffee and took another sip:
"A 28-year-old virgin shouldn't be making that lovelorn expression."
"You're not qualified, understand?"
"Tch." Sonoka clicked her tongue, her face sour. "Little Utaha, you're still so fond of undermining me."
"No need for you to worry about that." Utaha held her coffee with supreme confidence. "That man will never escape me in this lifetime."
"Don't say such terrifying things with that confident expression... Has your yandere side awakened?" Sonoka couldn't help but retort.
But after saying this, seeing Utaha's radiant expression, she couldn't resist propping her chin in both hands:
"Seems like you two are doing well. Tch, how enviable."
Shaking her head, Sonoka then asked:
"So then, you didn't drag this old woman here just to flaunt your romance, did you?"
"The publishing house?" Sonoka ventured.
"Editor-in-chief." Utaha offered the title with a smile. "Mr Itō should be nearing retirement age, no?"
"Five years and two months to go," Sonoka stated the precise timeframe before adding:
"Though little Utaha previously said she wouldn't rashly interfere with personnel matters."
Utaha looked surprised:
"Since when are women's words trustworthy?"
"You're a woman too, you know?" Sonoka couldn't help but protest. "Don't go indoctrinating me with this 'all women are liars' nonsense!"
Utaha remained silent, calmly sitting to one side.
Seeing this, Sonoka sighed after a moment's pause:
"You witch!"
"Fine, even if you want me to bark like a dog, I'll do it."
With that, Sonoka speared a piece of cake with her fork, shoved it into her mouth and bit down viciously:
"Make me editor-in-chief within five years? Deal!!"
Watching this, Utaha couldn't suppress a smile:
Sonoka grinned back before she couldn't resist pushing her luck: "What about your little man then?"
Utaha: "..."
...
In front of a luxury apartment in Chiyoda Ward.
Luo Shu rolled down the car window, gazing at the apartment with its wall of glass and no balcony, unable to resist commenting:
"I was expecting some quaint traditional Japanese house, but who knew it'd be this Westernised?"
"Excuse me, would you be Mr Luo Shu?"
A woman's voice suddenly spoke up, making Luo Shu turn towards the apartment's ground-floor entrance.
"Just as handsome as in the photographs."
Hearing this, Luo Shu struggled to tear his gaze away from her figure, focusing instead on her gentle-looking face:
"And you are...?"
"Ah? Seems I forgot to introduce myself."
Leaning slightly by the car window, the girl smiled:
"I'm Toyomi Fujiwara. Pleased to meet you."