Just as she suspected. From a distance, Kira could already spot Yoshi and the girl from this morning. They were still linking arms, completely shameless about it. Good grief. She stood rooted to the spot and dialed his number.

"Seriously, Yoshi-san? You're out with your girlfriend, so why are you calling me here? I'm going home."

"Wait, hold on, Kira!"

Yoshi had already spotted her and was heading straight her way. What even was this? It felt like some cheap melodrama. Should she stand her ground or bolt? Kira counted to three, and her useless legs just took off on pure instinct, ignoring Yoshi as he called after her.

"Kira! Wait up!"

Yoshi’s long legs caught up to her in a heartbeat. His hand, that hand. What did he think he was doing? He was pulling her back by the arm, turning this into some dramatic love triangle setup. This was bad. Very bad.

"Akino-shacho, I know you have a girlfriend. I don't have an issue with it. I don't even have feelings for you either. Not. A. Single. Shred. If I ever did anything to give you the wrong impression, let me just clear the air right now and say I. Only. See. You. As a demanding boss. And I am genuinely thrilled that you have a girlfriend. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness. Can you please just let me go home now?"

Kira let out her entire torrent of resentment in one breath. But when she finally looked up, oh goodness, the girl was standing right there too, giggling at her.

"What are you rambling about, Kira? This is my niece!" Yoshi panted.

Kira’s ears rang, her brain struggling to process the words.

"Hajimemashite! Watashi wa Rinako desu. Yoshi-oji-san no mei desu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (Nice to meet you! I'm Rinako, Uncle Yoshi's niece. Please look after me!)" the girl said, bowing to Kira with a bright smile.

It turned out his niece was starting at Tokyo Geidai next week. She had arrived a week early to check into her dorm and move her things in. Yoshi wanted to buy her some new clothes and essentials, which was why he needed a woman's touch. He really should have just been clear from the start. Leaving everything up in the air like that only made her look like a total idiot.

"Is this funny to you, Yoshi-san? You must love seeing me look so stupid. Why couldn't you just tell me from the beginning instead of making me stand here making a complete fool of myself?"

Yoshi was literally laughing to the point of tears. Unbelievable.

"Hey, boss. Yoshihide Akino-shacho! Wipe that smirk off your face this instant."

Kira kicked him right in the shin, even though her legs had absolutely no energy left.

"I told you over the phone earlier, didn't I?"

Kira could not believe her ears. He was blatantly messing with her, but she was too exhausted to even muster up a comeback. Yoshi turned to Rinako and rattled off a long streak of Japanese, then looked back at Kira, translating just one single sentence into English:

"Kira-san is Japanese-American and speaks fluent Japanese; feel free to chat with her in Japanese as much as you like."

Rinako turned out to be a delightfully simple, down-to-earth girl. She rarely wore anything other than her school uniform back home. Yoshi had already managed to pick out a few formal suits for her academic events, which was an absolute tragedy. Leaving a teenage girl at the peak of her youth to the fashion whims of a stiff, rigid uncle like Yoshi would have been a disaster. Thank goodness she was there to intervene. At least Yoshi possessed the rare good sense to call her for backup.

By the end of the shopping trip, Kira already had Rinako-chan’s number and Line. The girl was honestly just too precious for words. They dropped her off at her dorm and said their goodbyes after a long day of retail therapy. Yoshi offered to treat her to dinner to show his appreciation. If he knew what was good for him, he owed her at least a few more meals after making a total laughingstock out of her today.

They sat at a small table overlooking a narrow canal, the water shimmering with the reflection of the night lights. High above, the cherry blossom canopy rustled in the breeze, sending petals falling gently down around them.

"You look exhausted. What did you get up to today?" Yoshi asked out of the blue, making Kira jump slightly.

She rested her chin on her hand, completely drained, her eyes tracking a stray cherry blossom petal that had landed in Yoshi's hair.

"Who wouldn't be exhausted running into their boss on the weekend? Besides, I've already seen way too much of you these past two days."

"Does seeing me bother you that much?" Yoshi let out a dry laugh.

"One hundred percent," Kira shot back without a second thought.

She was not exactly joking, yet she did not truly want to rub him the wrong way either. For some reason, every single time she faced him, her sassy side just took over.

Yoshi’s face fell slightly. Kira wondered if she had gone a bit too far.

"You picked a really beautiful spot, though. And Rinako is such a sweetheart. So I'll let it slide this time," she offered as damage control.

After all, Yoshi did not have much of a social life. She might as well be generous for once and throw his lonely soul a bone.

They shared a light meal of chilled Italian corn soup drizzled with olive oil, paired with tender slices of smoked duck breast. A fresh seasonal salad and a plate of spaghetti rounded out the table.

"Thanks for coming out today. Rinako just moved here from the countryside and doesn't have any friends yet. I'd appreciate it if you could chat with her every now and then," Yoshi said, twirling his fork in his spaghetti.

"Does she have a boyfriend?"

"Not yet." Yoshi fell silent for a moment before continuing. "Tokyo guys are complicated. They aren't really a good fit for her."

"Complicated like you, Yoshi-san? You make it sound like Tokyo guys just go around taking advantage of innocent country girls," Kira replied, completely unfazed.

She expected Yoshi to get defensive, but he only offered a soft explanation.

"Exactly. There are actual networks of scouts in Tokyo, good-looking, sophisticated guys who act all polite and gentle, but their whole deal is to lure small-town girls down the wrong path. You just don't know about it."

"Like what?" Kira was still convinced he was joking.

"Like striking up friendly conversations, complimenting your looks, or checking in on you. Then they'll invite you to join some modeling or idol projects that God-knows-what they actually are, trick you into signing shady contracts, or take you out to secluded places."

A lump formed in Kira’s throat. She stammered, "Yoshi-san... what on earth have you been through?"

Yoshi looked up at her. "You haven't been chatting with some guy online and agreeing to meet up with him, have you?"

He sounded just like a father. Even her own dad didn't breathe down her neck this much.

"Do you think I'm eighteen or something? I'm a perfectly mature, capable adult. Don't look down on me."

"Capable how, exactly?"

"I gave a train creep a lesson he'll never forget and handed him right over to the police. I'm no pushover, boss. I have a black belt in Karate, you know."

"When was this? Were you hurt?"

"Are you worried about me, boss?" Kira teased, her eyes locked on his.

Yoshi shot her a look. "Of course I am. Black belt or not, you're still a girl. Plus..."

"Plus what?"

"Forget it. Figure it out yourself."

"Do you mean you're worried about me getting roofied or something?"

Yoshi cleared his throat. "It happens."

Kira burst out laughing. "Come clean, Yoshi-san. Have you ever tricked a girl before? You sound like an expert."

"That’s enough, Kira." Yoshi’s face flushed a deep crimson, even though the night had fully set in.

Kira let it drop, deciding to spare him any more teasing. They finished up their dinner, chatting briefly about tomorrow's meeting. By the time they both stood up to leave, the clock had already struck eight.

"Where do you live? Let me drop you off." Kira blanked for a moment at Yoshi's question. She thought she was hearing things.

"It's late. It's not safe for you to take the train back alone."

Kira blinked at him, her brief confusion quickly giving way to her familiar, mischievous smile.

"Are you falling for me or something, Yoshi-san?"

Yoshi's fluster was obvious. In a split second, he reached out and tugged her beret down over her eyes.

"You need to cut out that bold mouth of yours, Kira. Act like a lady. No wonder you're still single."

In the end, no matter what Kira said, Yoshi insisted on driving her home.

Kira exhaustedly shared her apartment's location with Yoshi via Line, then left the map open on her phone and placed it in the console tray near the steering wheel for his easy view. As the car rolled smoothly into the night, her heavy eyelids began to flutter shut. Her head drifted to the side against the windowpane. Her feet ached with every pulse of her blood. She had barely slept past four in the morning, and after walking all day, her legs felt like lead. Somehow, she wished he would just pick her up and carry her all the way to her room.

The sudden lack of motion when the car came to a halt made Kira stir. She opened her eyes, blinking to clear her sleep-filmed vision.

"Kira, wake up. We're here."

Yoshi’s hand brushed her shoulder, shaking her gently to awaken her. Kira dragged her completely exhausted body out of the seat. She had to lean against the car door to maintain her balance, then offered him a weary smile.

"Thanks for the ride, Yoshi-san. And for dinner."

"Get some rest early. Don't be late tomorrow."

"Roger that."

Kira could barely remember what she said after that. She only knew she had passed out the second she stepped out of the shower, her limbs feeling entirely detached from her body.

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