Just as Aina Saiten speculated on the owner of the bright blue sports car, it pulled smoothly into a reserved space.
Then, the futuristic scissor doors rose slowly with a faint hiss of hydraulic fluid, looking like a mechanical bird spreading its wings.
It instantly drew the gazes of more passersby.
However, when Aina saw the figure stepping out of the driver’s seat, she felt as if she had been struck by a silent bolt of lightning.
She froze on the spot, her pupils shrinking rapidly while her heart hammered against her ribs.
It was her!
That striking light blonde hair, that tall and athletic build — even under the midday sun, she possessed an undeniable presence.
Who else could it be but Rika Kawasaki, the “leading lady” from the video that had been haunting the edges of Aina’s mind and leaving her restless for weeks?
‘Why is she here?! And… driving a car like that?!’
A mixture of shock, disgust, and cold anger surged like a dark current, instantly shattering Aina’s brief moment of daze.
No woman could easily let it go after seeing the person she loved in such intimate, lingering shots with someone else.
Aina was no exception.
Even though it was just a video from an unknown source, and even though she constantly told herself it was likely a fake or a malicious fabrication, Kazune’s subtle facial expressions in the footage — that look of being both drowned in pleasure and trying to resist — were so real they made her, the person who knew him best, feel waves of palpitations and confusion.
It was impossible to tell truth from lies.
Therefore, even if her logic repeatedly told her to trust Kazune, those impactful images were like stubborn vines, rooted deep in her subconscious, occasionally tightening around her heart.
Now, running into the “other protagonist” from the video in real life so unexpectedly, the sheer impact made her blood feel like it was flowing backward.
A primitive, violent impulse shot through her.
She almost lost control, wanting to rush forward and throw a heavy punch at that defiant, rebellious face, as if doing so could shatter the phantoms that tortured her day and night.
Though, later, she had received an explanation from Kazune.
He said the woman’s name was Rika Kawasaki, and she was just the granddaughter of the Izakaya owner where he had briefly worked part-time.
They hadn’t even known each other before he started working there.
Aina certainly didn’t doubt Kazune’s words; his clear eyes and calm tone were the foundation of her trust.
But the logical cracks remained.
She had seen that video long before Kazune ever went to work at the Izakaya.
Why would two people who supposedly had no connection be the stars of such an intimate video?
No matter how she calculated it, this sudden appearance of Rika Kawasaki couldn’t escape being the prime suspect.
These unsolvable mysteries caused Aina to maintain a high level of vigilance and an unshakeable grudge against this yellow-haired woman.
Fortunately, Kazune had soon quit his job at the Izakaya.
This allowed Aina to breathe a private sigh of relief, thinking that even if Rika Kawasaki had some ulterior motive, she had lost the means and excuse to get close to him.
But now, here, in front of the Izumimori Building, she had run into Rika Kawasaki again!
And she appeared in a way that completely overturned everything Aina thought she knew.
The fragments of information she had gathered from Kazune had painted a specific picture of Rika Kawasaki.
Someone who hadn’t pursued higher education after high school, didn’t seem to have a steady job, and only helped out at her grandmother’s Izakaya during the busy evening hours.
Coupled with her overly flamboyant blonde hair, her powerful physique, and the domineering aura Aina sensed from Kazune’s brief mentions, it was hard not to categorize her as someone from an ordinary or even messy background — the kind who would only bring a negative influence to society.
But now, this “yellow-haired woman” she had secretly looked down upon was wearing a perfectly tailored suit and stepping gracefully out of an obviously expensive blue sports car.
She closed the door casually, her movements smooth and natural, as if the car were nothing more than a common tool for commuting.
The sun shone on her tan arms and the sharp lines of her profile. In that state, where was the slightest trace of being “destitute” or “low-class”?
This silent scene declared that her family background was nowhere near as simple as Aina had imagined; it might even be the exact opposite!
Aina’s shock and internal turmoil were fully captured by Chinatsu Ayase, who had been quietly observing her from the side.
Chinatsu waited until Aina’s expression shifted from initial confusion to extreme shock upon recognizing Rika, then to disgust, bewilderment, and even a faint, imperceptible fear.
Only then did Chinatsu act as if she had just snapped back to reality, speaking in her characteristic light tone — one that sounded indifferent yet gossipy.
“Senior Aina, don’t you know her?”
She tilted her head slightly, her gaze following Rika’s back as she walked toward the building entrance.
Her voice was low enough for only Aina to hear.
“A lot of people in the company have been whispering about her lately. She seems to be a new intern in the Market Department, yet she drives such a conspicuous sports car to work every day… It’s really quite high-profile, isn’t it?”
Chinatsu’s brief silence just now was specifically to observe Aina’s genuine reaction the moment she saw her sister.
From Aina’s inability to fully hide that cocktail of surprise, disgust, and loss of composure, Chinatsu had found her answer — this senior not only knew Rika Kawasaki but held very complex and negative feelings toward her.
‘Oh? Interesting… So Senior Aina Saiten doesn’t just know about her boyfriend’s affair partner, she actually knows the woman herself…’
A faint, almost playful thought crossed Chinatsu’s mind, and her eyes darkened slightly.
Aina snapped her head back toward Chinatsu, her voice dry with disbelief.
“An intern?”
The contrast between this identity, the sports car, and her previous assumptions was too much to digest.
“That’s right,” Chinatsu nodded, her tone still casual, but the next piece of information she dropped was like a massive boulder.
“And… I don’t know if it’s a coincidence, but our company’s President also happens to be named Kawasaki.”
These words were no less than a depth charge dropped into Aina’s heart, instantly triggering a massive wave.
Scattered pieces of information — driving a sports car to work, getting into the core Market Department of Izumimori with only a high school education, having the same surname as the President — collided and clicked together in her mind.
A “truth” that made her spine tingle with cold slowly surfaced.
This Rika Kawasaki was very likely the daughter of the President of Izumimori Corporation!
“This…”
Aina opened her mouth, but her throat felt tight, leaving her momentarily speechless.
After the shock, a mix of frustration and powerlessness welled up.
Not long ago, she had secretly looked down on this “yellow-haired woman,” thinking she and Kazune belonged to different worlds and there was nothing to fear.
But in the blink of an eye, the other woman had transformed into the daughter of the President of her company, possessing status and resources that ordinary people could never reach.
Most importantly, Aina was now an employee of this company…
A terrible, cold sense of foreboding coiled around her heart like a vine.
Related “experiences” from her student days uncontrollably flooded her mind — stories of a worker’s husband being forced to endure humiliation from the wife’s superior because of her job.
Those scenarios that once felt so far away now seemed incredibly real and threatening because Rika Kawasaki’s identity had suddenly become clear.
If… if this Rika Kawasaki really had some sort of designs on Kazune as she suspected, then with her current status, could she use her job or her power to exert irresistible pressure or threats on Aina, or even on Kazune himself?
Aina’s face turned slightly pale, and her fingers curled instinctively.
The afternoon sun was still bright, but she felt a strange chill.
The back of Rika Kawasaki as she disappeared into the building entrance seemed to carry an unquestionable sense of oppression.
It overlapped with the images from the video in Aina’s memory, causing the anxiety that had never truly faded to magnify several times over.