Just as Aina Saiten was secretly speculating about the owner of the bright blue supercar, the vehicle pulled neatly into a reserved parking space.
Immediately afterward, the futuristic scissor doors rose slowly with the slight hiss of hydraulic pistons.
Like a mechanical bird spreading its wings, the sight instantly drew the attention 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 contracting sharply as her heart thudded heavily against her ribs.
It was her!
The woman with the striking, long, pale-blonde hair and a tall, athletic build possessed an undeniable presence even under the midday sun.
Who else could it be but Rika Kawasaki?
She was the “lead actress” of the video that had been haunting Aina’s thoughts like a ghost and fueling her recent restlessness.
‘Why is she here?! And… driving a car like that?!’
A wave of shock, disgust, and cold anger surged like a turbulent undercurrent, instantly shattering Aina’s brief moment of daze.
No woman could easily let go of the image of her beloved being intimate with another person. Aina was no exception.
Even though it was just a video of unknown origin, and even though she constantly told herself it was likely a fake or a product of malicious intent, Kazune’s subtle facial expressions in that video—his look of seemingly drowning in pleasure yet resisting—were so real that even she, the person who knew him best, felt bouts of palpitations and confusion. It was impossible to tell truth from falsehood.
Therefore, even if her rationality repeatedly told her to trust Kazune, those high-impact images were like stubborn vines rooted deep in her subconscious.
They would occasionally spring up to tighten around her heart.
Now, facing the “other protagonist” of the video in reality so unexpectedly, the massive shock made the blood in her veins feel like it was flowing backward.
A primitive, violent impulse suddenly surged in her heart.
She nearly lost control, wanting to rush forward and throw a punch at that defiant, arrogant 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 told her the woman’s name was Rika Kawasaki, and she was merely the granddaughter of the owner of the izakaya where he had briefly worked.
They hadn’t even known each other before he started the job.
Aina, of course, did not doubt Kazune’s words. His clear eyes and frank tone were the foundation of her trust.
But a logical crack remained.
She had seen that video long before Kazune ever went to work at the izakaya.
Why would two people who supposedly had no prior connection become the stars of such an intimate video?
No matter how she reasoned it out, this suddenly appearing Rika Kawasaki could not escape being the prime suspect.
These unresolvable doubts kept Aina on high alert, maintaining a deep-seated grudge against this yellow-haired woman.
Fortunately, Kazune had soon quit his job at the izakaya.
This allowed Aina to breathe a sigh of relief, thinking that even if Rika Kawasaki truly had some ulterior motive, she had lost the means and excuse to get close to Kazune.
Yet now, here, in front of the Izumimori Corporation building, she had run into Rika Kawasaki once again!
Furthermore, she appeared in a way that completely overturned everything Aina thought she knew.
Based on the bits of information she had gathered from Kazune, the image she had constructed of Rika was this: a high school graduate who hadn’t continued her education, seemingly without a steady job, only helping out at her grandmother’s izakaya during the busy evening hours.
Combined with her flamboyant blonde hair, her powerful physique, and the domineering aura Aina sensed from Kazune’s occasional mentions, it was hard not to categorize her as someone from an ordinary or even messy background—someone who would likely only bring a negative influence to society.
But now, this “yellow-haired woman” she had secretly looked down upon was dressed in a well-fitted suit, stepping gracefully out of a bright blue supercar that was clearly worth a fortune.
She closed the car door casually with a fluid, natural motion, as if the vehicle were nothing more than an ordinary means of transportation.
The sunlight hit her tanned arms and the sharp lines of her profile. In that state, where was there even a hint of being “destitute” or “low-class”?
This silent scene declared that her family background was nowhere near as simple as Aina had assumed; in fact, it was likely 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 the extreme shock of recognizing Rika, and finally to a mix of disgust, bewilderment, and a faint, imperceptible fear.
Only then did Chinatsu act as if she had just snapped out of it, speaking in her characteristic light tone that felt both detached and gossipy.
“Senior Saiten, don’t you know her?”
She tilted her head slightly, casting her gaze toward Rika’s retreating back as she walked toward the building entrance. Her voice was low, just loud enough for Aina to hear clearly.
“A lot of people in the company have been gossiping about her lately. She’s supposedly a new intern in the Marketing Department, yet she drives such a flashy supercar to work every day… It’s really quite high-profile, isn’t it?”
Chinatsu’s brief silence just moments ago was intentional—she wanted to observe Aina’s genuine reaction the moment she saw her sister.
Now, from Aina’s poorly hidden expression of shock and disgust, Chinatsu had her answer.
This senior didn’t just know of Rika Kawasaki; she held very complex and negative feelings toward her.
‘Oh? Interesting… Senior Aina Saiten not only knows but recognizes her boyfriend’s cheating partner…’
A faint, almost playful thought crossed Chinatsu’s mind, and her eyes darkened slightly.
“An intern… in the Marketing Department?” Aina turned back sharply to look at Chinatsu, her voice dry with disbelief.
The contrast between this identity, the car, and her previous assumptions was too much to digest at once.
“That’s right,” Chinatsu nodded, her tone still casual, though the information she dropped next was like a massive boulder crashing into water.
“And… I don’t know if it’s a coincidence, but the President of our company is also named ‘Kawasaki.'”
This sentence was nothing less than a depth charge in Aina’s heart, instantly setting off massive waves.
Several scattered pieces of information—driving a supercar to work, being an intern in the core Marketing Department of Izumimori despite only having a high school education, and having the same surname as the President—collided and snapped together in her mind.
A “truth” that made her spine tingle gradually 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 looked down on this “yellow-haired woman” in her heart, thinking they were from two different worlds and that she was no threat.
But in the blink of an eye, the other woman had transformed into the daughter of her company’s President, possessing status and resources far beyond what ordinary people could reach.
Most importantly, Aina was now an employee of this very company…
A terrible, cold premonition wound around her heart like a vine.
Memories of related “experiences” from her student days flooded her mind uncontrollably—stories of an employee’s husband being forced to endure humiliation from his wife’s superior because of her job.
Those scenarios, which once felt so distant, now felt incredibly real and threatening because of the sudden clarity of Rika’s identity.
If… if this Rika Kawasaki truly had the intentions toward Kazune that Aina suspected, then given the woman’s current status, could she use her job or her power to exert irresistible pressure or threats on her, or even on Kazune?
Aina’s face turned slightly pale, her fingers curling instinctively.
The afternoon sun remained bright, yet she felt a sudden, inexplicable chill.
The sight of Rika’s back disappearing into the building entrance seemed to carry an unquestionable sense of oppression.
It overlapped with the images from the video in her memory, causing the unease that had never truly vanished to suddenly magnify several times over.