“Mr. Hoshitani, your hometown is Kagoshima, right? It’s a very beautiful seaside city as well.”
Chinatsu Ayase walked up to Kaoru Hoshitani’s side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him.
The sea breeze ruffled the stray hairs near her ears. She turned her head slightly, looking at the man beside her who was staring into the distance, and spoke with a smile.
That smile looked exceptionally warm under the afternoon sun, as if she were simply bringing up a casual topic.
Kaoru Hoshitani was slightly taken aback by her words, appearing somewhat surprised that the young woman would suddenly mention his hometown.
He blinked, a glimmer of memory flashing in his Little Deer Eyes, before he realized—he had indeed mentioned his hometown while chatting with her before.
“Ah… yes…”
He nodded, then added with a tone of earnest explanation, “But my hometown is on a small island. It’s only part of Kagoshima Prefecture for administrative reasons. It’s actually quite far from Kagoshima City.”
As he spoke, his gaze returned to the emerald-blue sea.
Perhaps because he was looking at a similar sea, memories of his home involuntarily surged into his heart—that tiny island, those winding coastlines, the salty sea breeze, and the familiar local accent.
“Oh? Is that so?”
Chinatsu Ayase drew out her words, a spark of curiosity flashing in her gray eyes.
“On an island? I bet that island is incredibly beautiful. If there’s ever a chance, I’d really like 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 let out a shallow laugh, one filled with a trace of sincerity.
“Actually, it’s just a very ordinary island. Compared to the other nearby islands, it doesn’t have any special features. If you actually 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 bragging about.
But after he finished speaking, Chinatsu Ayase turned her head and met his eyes.
The sea breeze blew gently between them, carrying the sound of the waves and a faint, salty scent.
The sun shone down on the two of them, casting two long shadows upon the beach.
Chinatsu Ayase’s expression became serious.
She tilted her head slightly, her gray eyes staring straight 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, why would Mr. Hoshitani have been born there?”
As the words fell, the air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Kaoru Hoshitani’s eyes widened instantly, his Little Deer Eyes filled with surprise and loss.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found his throat blocked by something, unable to utter a single word.
‘This sentence… it’s a bit too ambiguous.’
He didn’t know how to respond, so he could only turn away in a flurry. Lowering his eyes, his gaze landed on the soft sand beneath his feet.
The tips of his ears felt hot, and his heart unfaithfully beat a few times faster.
Watching his reaction, the corners of Chinatsu Ayase’s mouth curled into an extremely shallow arc.
There was a hint of mischief and satisfaction in that smile, as if she had said those words on purpose.
Because after she spoke, she didn’t explain further. She simply continued to stand beside him, looking out at the emerald-blue sea together.
The two of them walked along the beach in silence.
The waves beat against the shore over and over, making a soft, rhythmic 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, but it wasn’t entirely natural either, as if something were quietly germinating between the two of them.
Eventually, Chinatsu Ayase suddenly stopped. Pointing to a spot not far away, she shouted excitedly, “Mr. Hoshitani, stand over there! Taking a photo 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 happened to be bathing 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 at the man standing in the sunset through the viewfinder.
In the frame, he faced the camera with the emerald sea to his left, the winding beach to his right, and the striking Mount Fuji far behind him.
The sea breeze ruffled his hair and the hem of his clothes. The sunset cast soft light and shadow across his face, and his Little Deer Eyes reflected the entire 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 with the magnificent seascape and Mount Fuji behind him. It was as if he had merged into one with the world around him.
The lighting was just right, the angle was just right—everything was perfect, so beautiful it was almost unreal.
“Wow…”
Perhaps because Chinatsu Ayase had studied photography, or because the camera in her hands was clearly very expensive, Kaoru Hoshitani covered his small mouth with his hand in surprise.
His beautiful Little Deer Eyes shone with light, filled with disbelief.
No man who considered himself handsome would dislike having his photo taken, let alone Kaoru Hoshitani, who possessed such breathtaking looks.
“This is… too beautiful…”
Seeing his reaction, Chinatsu Ayase couldn’t help but laugh.
“It’s not that I took it well, it’s that you were already handsome, Mr. Hoshitani.”
She spoke naturally, as if she were merely stating a fact.
Kaoru Hoshitani’s face turned slightly red, and he didn’t respond.
Next, the two of them stopped and started along the way.
Chinatsu Ayase held her camera and took many photos of Kaoru Hoshitani: on the coastal reefs, in front of ancient temples, at the crossing where the green trains passed, and beside snack stalls filled with the bustle of life.
In every scene, she seriously looked for angles, adjusted parameters, and pressed the shutter.
Meanwhile, Kaoru Hoshitani gradually relaxed, no longer thinking about his troubles.
He ate the local specialty foods, his face showing a smile that came from the heart.
Time slipped away unknowingly.
Kamakura wasn’t particularly large, and the worth-seeing attractions were relatively concentrated. By 4:00 PM, the two of them got into the car to begin the journey back to Tokyo.
Sitting inside the black Cadillac, the warmth of the interior instantly enveloped them.
Chinatsu Ayase started the car, her hands on the steering wheel as she turned her head to glance at Kaoru Hoshitani in the Front Passenger Seat.
The afterglow of the sunset spilled through the car window onto his face, plating his exquisite profile with a layer of gentle light.
“Mr. Hoshitani,” she asked with a smile, a hint of expectation in her voice, “did you have fun today?”
Kaoru Hoshitani was silent for a few seconds.
He looked out the window at the receding sea, the clouds dyed red by the sunset, and the streets where the lights were beginning to flicker on.
Then he answered softly, his voice light but carrying a sense of genuine emotion.
“Yes… I haven’t been this happy in a long time.”
He meant it.
Having experienced those terrifying things recently, he had almost forgotten what it felt like to be happy.
Every day he lived in fear and anxiety, as if walking on thin ice, not knowing when he would fall through.
But today, by this seaside and in this young woman’s company, he actually felt relaxed and happy.
Yet the moment those words left his mouth, a complex surge of emotion rose in a corner of his heart.
He wasn’t stupid, and he was no longer a simple boy who hadn’t experienced women.
He could naturally detect the feelings Chinatsu Ayase held for him—the kind between a man and a woman that she didn’t plan to hide at all.
Those ambiguous words, those overly focused gazes, that intentional or unintentional closeness—he saw it all and understood the meaning behind it all.
‘How could I possibly accept it?’
In the past, before he met Rika Kawasaki, he definitely would have distanced himself and drawn a clear line the moment he realized this.
He would have rejected her tactfully, kept his distance, and told her clearly: ‘I have a girlfriend, I love her very much, and there is no possibility between us.’
But…
Though this way of thinking was no different from those “male sluts” who trifled with emotions, the current Kaoru Hoshitani really could not kick Chinatsu Ayase to the curb.
Right now, both he and Aina worked at Quansheng.
If he openly rejected Chinatsu Ayase, who was the President’s daughter, both of them would likely lose their jobs.
He couldn’t gamble with Aina’s future; he couldn’t let the life they had finally stabilized fall into turmoil again.
Not to mention, if it weren’t for Chinatsu Ayase, he would probably be under that Yellow-Haired Woman right now—a piece of rotten meat drowning in pleasure.
He couldn’t afford to lose Chinatsu Ayase’s protection yet.
So for now, he could only pretend not to understand the girl’s meaning.
He had to pretend he couldn’t hear those ambiguous words.
He had to pretend he couldn’t see those overly focused gazes.
He had to pretend that all of this was just normal interaction between friends.
The interior of the car was quiet for a few seconds.
Chinatsu Ayase looked at his lowered 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, returned her gaze to the road ahead, and stepped on the accelerator.
The black Cadillac slowly drove away from the seaside, heading toward the road back to Tokyo.
Outside the window, the sun was sinking, and the sea behind them grew further and further away.
Inside the car, neither of them spoke again. There was only the gentle flow of music, blending with the deepening night outside the window…
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