“Mr. Hoshitani, your hometown is Kagoshima, right? It is also a very beautiful seaside city.”
Chinatsu Ayase walked over to Kaoru Hoshitani and stood side by side with him.
The sea breeze blew the stray hairs near her ears. She tilted her head slightly, looking at the man beside her who was staring into the distance, and spoke with a smile.
Her smile appeared exceptionally warm under the afternoon sun, as if she were merely bringing up a casual, lighthearted topic.
Kaoru Hoshitani was slightly taken-at-a-loss upon hearing this. He seemed a bit surprised that the girl would suddenly mention his hometown.
He blinked, a glimmer of memory flashing in his deer-like eyes, before he finally realized—he had indeed mentioned his hometown while chatting with her before.
“Ah… yes…”
He nodded and then added, his voice carrying a hint of earnest explanation, “But my hometown is on a small island. It only falls under the administrative jurisdiction of Kagoshima Prefecture. It’s actually quite far from Kagoshima City.”
As he spoke, he turned his gaze back toward the azure sea.
Perhaps it was because he was looking at a similar sea, but memories of his hometown involuntarily surged into his mind—that tiny island, the winding coastline, the salty sea breeze, and the familiar local accent.
“Oh? Is that so—”
Chinatsu Ayase drew out her words, a curious light flashing in her gray eyes. “An island? I bet that island must be incredibly beautiful. If I ever get the chance, I’d really love to see it.”
She wore an expression of longing, tilting her head slightly as if she could already see that distant little island.
Kaoru Hoshitani turned his head and happened to see her looking like that.
He couldn’t help but chuckle. The smile was faint, yet it held a trace of sincerity. “Actually, it’s just a very ordinary island. Compared to the other nearby islands, it doesn’t have any special characteristics. If you ever go there, Miss Ayase, you’ll definitely be disappointed.”
He spoke casually, his tone tinged with a bit of self-deprecation.
That island was indeed ordinary—so ordinary that he didn’t feel there was anything worth showing off.
But after he finished speaking, Chinatsu Ayase turned her head to meet his eyes.
The sea breeze drifted gently between them, bringing the sound of the waves and a faint, salty scent.
The sun shone down on both of them, casting two long shadows upon the sand.
Chinatsu Ayase’s expression grew serious.
She tilted her head slightly, her gray eyes staring directly into his. Her gaze was focused and direct, as if she wanted to look through his pupils to see the island hidden in the deepest part of his heart.
“No.”
She shook her head and spoke one word at a time, her voice soft yet firm, “That island must be very special.”
She paused, then said the sentence that made Kaoru Hoshitani’s heart skip a beat: “Otherwise, Mr. Hoshitani, why would you have been born there?”
As her words fell, the air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Kaoru Hoshitani’s eyes widened instantly, his deer-like eyes filled with surprise and bewilderment.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he found his throat blocked by something, unable to utter a single word.
That sentence… seemed a bit too ambiguous.
He didn’t know how to respond, so he could only turn his head away in a panic, lowering his eyes to stare at the soft sand beneath his feet.
The tips of his ears felt hot, and his heart traitorously skipped a few more beats.
Watching his reaction, the corners of Chinatsu Ayase’s mouth curled into a very slight arc.
There was a hint of playfulness and satisfaction in that smile, as if she had said those words on purpose.
After she spoke, she didn’t offer any further explanation. She simply continued to stand beside him, looking out at the azure sea together.
The two of them walked along the beach in silence.
The waves lapped at the shore one after another, creating a rhythmic, delicate sound.
Seagulls circled in the distance, occasionally letting out long cries.
The sun began to dip toward the west, dyeing the entire sea a gentle orange-red.
This silence wasn’t awkward, yet it wasn’t entirely natural either—as if something was quietly germinating between the two of them.
Suddenly, Chinatsu Ayase stopped in her tracks and pointed to a spot nearby, shouting excitedly, “Mr. Hoshitani, go stand over there! The photos there will definitely look amazing!”
As she spoke, she had already raised the camera hanging around her neck, her gray eyes sparkling with professional intensity.
Kaoru Hoshitani looked in the direction she was pointing—it was a protruding reef with a vast seascape behind it.
In the distance, the silhouette of Mount Fuji was clearly visible. The sun was shining directly on that area, plating everything in a layer of warm gold.
He nodded and walked over, standing on the reef according to her instructions.
Chinatsu Ayase raised the camera, looking through the viewfinder at the man standing in the sunset.
In the lens, he was facing her. To his left was the azure sea, to his right was the winding beach, and behind him in the distance was the striking Mount Fuji.
The sea breeze ruffled his hair and the hem of his clothes. The setting sun cast soft light and shadows across his face, and his deer-like eyes reflected the entirety of the sea and sky.
“Good, just like that, don’t move—”
Click.
The sound of the shutter was exceptionally crisp in the sea breeze.
Chinatsu Ayase looked down at the photo on the camera screen and nodded with satisfaction. Then she looked up and waved at Kaoru Hoshitani.
“Mr. Hoshitani, come look!”
Kaoru Hoshitani walked back to her side and leaned over to look at the screen.
In that photo, he stood in the sunset, backed by the magnificent seascape and Mount Fuji. He looked as if he were one with the world around him.
The light was just right, the angle was just right—everything was perfect, beautiful to the point of being almost unreal.
“Wow…”
Perhaps it was because Chinatsu Ayase had studied photography, or because the camera in her hand was clearly very expensive, but Kaoru Hoshitani covered his small mouth with his hand in surprise.
His beautiful deer-like eyes were glowing, filled with disbelief.
No man who considers himself good-looking would dislike having his photo taken, let alone someone with such stunning features like Kaoru Hoshitani.
“This is… too beautiful…”
Seeing his reaction, Chinatsu Ayase couldn’t help but laugh.
“It’s not that I’m a good photographer. It’s just that you are naturally beautiful, Mr. Hoshitani.”
She spoke naturally, as if she were simply stating a fact.
Kaoru Hoshitani’s face flushed slightly, and he didn’t respond.
Next, the two of them stopped and started along the way.
Chinatsu Ayase kept her camera out, taking many photos of Kaoru Hoshitani—on the coastal reefs, in front of ancient temples, at the railroad crossings where the green trains passed, and beside snack stalls filled with the atmosphere of daily life.
For every scene, she seriously looked for angles, adjusted parameters, and pressed the shutter.
Kaoru Hoshitani also gradually relaxed, no longer thinking about those troubling matters.
He ate local specialty foods, a genuine smile appearing on his face.
Time slipped away unnoticed.
Kamakura isn’t particularly large, and the worth-seeing attractions are relatively concentrated. By 4:00 PM, the two of them got into the car to start their journey back to Tokyo.
As they sat in the black Cadillac, the warmth inside the car instantly enveloped them.
Chinatsu Ayase started the engine, her hands on the steering wheel as she turned to glance at Kaoru Hoshitani in the front passenger seat.
The afterglow of the sunset filtered through the window, casting a gentle light on his exquisite profile.
“Mr. Hoshitani,” she asked with a smile, her voice carrying a hint of anticipation, “did you have fun today?”
Kaoru Hoshitani was silent for several seconds.
He looked out the window at the receding sea, at the clouds dyed red by the sunset, and at the streets where lights were beginning to flicker on.
Then he answered softly, his voice light yet carrying a sense of genuine emotion, “Mm… I haven’t been this happy in a long time.”
He was telling the truth.
Having experienced those terrifying incidents recently, he had almost forgotten what it felt like to be happy.
Every day was lived in fear and anxiety; every day felt like walking on thin ice, not knowing when it would break.
But today, by the sea, accompanied by this girl, he actually felt relaxed and happy.
However, the moment those words left his mouth, a wave of complex emotions welled up in a corner of his heart.
He wasn’t stupid, and he was no longer a naive boy who had never experienced women.
He could naturally sense the feelings Chinatsu Ayase held for him as a man—feelings she didn’t even intend to hide.
The ambiguous words, the overly focused gaze, the intentional or unintentional closeness—he saw it all and understood exactly what it meant.
How could he possibly accept it?
In the past, before he met Rika Kawasaki, if he had sensed this, he would have immediately distanced himself from Chinatsu Ayase and drawn a clear line.
He would have politely rejected her, maintained his distance, and told her clearly: ‘I have a girlfriend, I love her very much, and there is nothing possible between us.’
But…
Though this thought made him feel no different from those manipulative ‘male players’ who toyed with emotions, the current Kaoru Hoshitani really couldn’t kick Chinatsu Ayase away.
Both he and Aina were currently working at Quansheng.
If he were to openly reject Chinatsu Ayase, the daughter of the President, both of their jobs might be lost.
He couldn’t risk Aina’s future, nor could he allow their hard-earned stable life to fall into turmoil again.
Not to mention, if it weren’t for Chinatsu Ayase, he would likely be nothing more than a piece of meat right now, drowning in pleasure beneath that yellow-haired woman.
He couldn’t afford to lose Chinatsu Ayase’s protection yet.
So for now, he could only pretend not to understand the girl’s intentions.
He could only pretend not to hear the ambiguity in her words.
He could only pretend not to see those overly focused gazes.
He could only pretend that all of this was just normal interaction between friends.
The car was quiet for a few seconds.
Chinatsu Ayase looked at his downcast eyes, his slightly pursed lips, and the complex expression on his face.
She seemed to guess what he was thinking, but she didn’t point it out.
She simply gave a small smile, turned her gaze back to the road ahead, and pressed the accelerator.
The black Cadillac slowly drove away from the seaside, heading back toward Tokyo.
Outside the window, the sun was sinking, and the sea behind them grew more distant.
Inside the car, no one spoke again. There was only the gentle flow of music, harmonizing with the deepening night outside…