Rika Kawasaki leaned lazily against the edge of the Bar Counter, an almost imperceptible pressure emanating from her presence.
Her gray-black eyes narrowed slightly as she scrutinized the woman quietly holding Kaoru Hoshitani, and in no time she concluded that this woman was nothing more than an ordinary office worker.
This instantly bored her, draining away any desire to stay here or continue this childish staring contest with the woman.
She tugged at the corner of her mouth, letting out an almost inaudible scoff.
At the same time, she grabbed the towel draped casually around her neck, and with a rough gesture, wiped the sweat from her brow.
Decisively, she turned around, reaching out to swish aside the deep blue curtain that separated the front and back of the store, and strode into the kitchen without so much as a backward glance.
“Loosen up a bit…Aina! You’re choking me!”
Right then, Aina Saiten’s attention was wholly focused on glaring at the blonde woman, completely oblivious to the fact that her boyfriend, Kaoru Hoshitani, had his delicate, handsome face forcibly pressed deep into her chest.
His face was tinged red from lack of air, his body struggling slightly in her overzealous embrace, on the verge of being smothered.
It wasn’t until she heard Kaoru’s muffled, pained cry from her chest that Aina snapped out of her defensive daze as if waking from a long dream, and finally loosened her arms that had been squeezing her boyfriend so tightly.
Kaoru immediately felt as if he’d been granted a pardon.
He hurriedly pried Aina’s arms away from around him, staggered back half a step, and greedily gulped down the long-missed fresh air.
Coughing softly, his brows knit tightly together as he crossed his arms and kept rubbing the muscles that still ached from her grip.
His face was written with discomfort and grievance.
When he looked up at her with those beautiful, misty eyes—brimming with both accusation and reproach—Aina only now realized how much strength she’d used a moment ago.
A flustered, awkward look flashed across her face. She subconsciously raised a hand and awkwardly scratched her nose with her index finger.
Her gaze flickered, her voice low and laced with guilt and an attempt to please him as she apologized:
“Sorry, Kaoru, I…I just missed you so much, I lost control for a moment…”
But after nearly ten years together, Kaoru Hoshitani could see right through her every move, even her slightest changes in mood.
He instantly saw through Aina’s feeble excuse as a lie.
Even if his face had just been buried in her soft chest, his vision completely blocked so he couldn’t see her expression, he could still tell she’d been looking at Kawasaki-san.
“Aina, you were… really out of line just now…”
Kaoru sighed faintly, his tone holding both disapproval and a hint of helplessness.
These days, whenever his girlfriend came to pick him up from work, her almost undisguised, utterly terrible attitude toward Kawasaki-san hadn’t escaped Kaoru’s observant eyes.
He of course knew exactly why Aina harbored such deep hostility toward Kawasaki-san, whom she’d never even known before.
But even if she was jealous or worried her boyfriend might get too close to another woman, there should be a limit, shouldn’t there?
Kawasaki-san hadn’t done anything, really. Apart from the necessary work handovers, she’d hardly spoken a word more.
Treating someone so rudely for no reason, in Kaoru’s view, was childish and inconsiderate of others’ feelings.
What’s more, he and Kawasaki-san were still coworkers who needed to see each other every day. The store’s work required cooperation.
If Aina’s unfounded hostility made Kawasaki-san misunderstand or form a bad impression of him, wouldn’t that make things awkward for him later at work?
Wouldn’t it just add unnecessary trouble and distance for no reason?
“I…”
Aina Saiten could see that her boyfriend was truly upset about this.
She opened her mouth, her lips moving as if to defend herself, wanting to explain her indescribable fear and anxiety.
But the words stuck in her throat. She had no idea where to start, so all she managed was a feeble syllable.
She certainly couldn’t tell Kaoru that she’d seen a video of him entangled with that blonde woman, even entering a hotel room together, on a bizarre, ghost-like, unremovable app.
That was why she’d bristled like a startled hedgehog, all her spikes on edge, so anxious and out of sorts.
Seeing Aina’s complete lack of remorse only made the little storm in Kaoru’s heart—caused by being misunderstood and mistrusted—flare up even more.
He pressed his lips together and stopped looking at her, simply turning his back and walking heavily behind the Bar Counter, starting to pack up his personal items with obvious annoyance.
When the hands of the old round clock on the wall slowly and precisely pointed to eleven o’clock at night, closing time finally arrived.
Kaoru managed to squeeze out a polite smile in front of the kind Mr. Kawasaki, said his goodbyes, and only slightly turned his head.
From the corner of his eye, he shot a cold, sidelong glance at Aina Saiten, who stood to the side awkwardly waiting for him, then gave a soft snort through his nose.
Lifting his head, he strode straight out the door, deliberately refusing to look back and check whether his girlfriend was following.
Realizing she was in the wrong, Aina didn’t dare hesitate and hurried after him.
The street was almost deserted at night, the streetlights casting dim halos of light onto the ground.
She jogged to catch up with Kaoru, carefully reaching out to hold his left hand—soft and delicate, hanging by his side.
Her fingertips gently caressed his cool skin, as she tried to coax him with her softest voice:
“I’m sorry, Kaoru, I really know I was wrong… I won’t do it again next time, so please don’t be mad, okay?”
But Kaoru only turned to look at her, his eyes still bright even in the night.
He gave Aina a pointed glare, his gaze clearly saying “I don’t believe you” and “I’m still angry.”
With a stubborn jerk of his wrist, he shook her hand off his own, and then strode ahead even faster, still pouting.
Aina looked at her sulking boyfriend, but instead of getting angry, she found it a little cute.
After so many years together—from clueless teenagers to close lovers—they knew each other’s personalities inside out.
She understood that Kaoru was just throwing a little tantrum.
Her eyes spun with an idea. Deliberately, she slowed her steps and lagged behind a few paces.
Sure enough, she saw that Kaoru, who’d been walking so briskly, subconsciously slowed ever so slightly when he realized she wasn’t catching up—obviously waiting for her on purpose.
Aina caught this and a sly smile curled at her lips.
She waited for the right moment, then suddenly burst forward, sprinting to catch up.
Before Kaoru even realized what was happening, she wrapped her strong arms around his slender, flexible waist from behind.
Then, using her momentum, she easily hoisted the startled Kaoru right up onto her shoulder.
“Idiot! Put me down right now!”
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