Sekaiichi Hatsukoi – Yokozawa Takafumi no Baai

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The afternoon cafe-bar of the hotel he stepped into for his meet-up was bathed in a relaxed atmosphere, and given that all of the sofa seats along the windowed wall were taken up already, Yokozawa Takafumi instead opted for a seat at the counter.

Glancing down at his watch, he realized he still had a good half hour before he was supposed to be here. His business today had included weekend overtime as well as picking up Kiris.h.i.+ma and Hiyori, who were presently attending the wedding of a relative. In exchange for borrowing Kiris.h.i.+ma’s car to drive to the office, he’d been tasked with picking up the Kiris.h.i.+mas at the hotel where the wedding had been held.

“May I take your order?”

“I’ll have a coffee.”

“Right away, sir.”

After delivering his order, he pulled out his planner. The reason he’d had to go into the office on a day off was because the preparations for the upcoming winter fair event were closing in.

He was presently stationed in the sales department of Marukawa Shoten, and given that he’d ruthlessly worked his a.s.s off to advance through the ranks since the moment he’d joined the company, he’d well earned the nickname of “The Wild Bear” around the office.

While he’d largely marched to the beat of his own drum, adopting a work ethic of charging forward on his own, in recent years, he’d started to be entrusted with projects that he had to take personal responsibility for–and perhaps that was why he had been installed as the coordinator for the different divisions of the company for this winter fair event.

Thanks to that promotion, he was spending his days of late so busy that he felt like his head was spinning. While the winter fair was hardly a new event–seeing as it was held every year–this year’s version was a bit different from previous ones.

Normally, every division was in charge of organizing their own part of the event on their own, but orders from the higher-ups had dictated that those barriers be taken down, so this year Marukawa Shoten was going all out in a grand festival. Despite the fact that all of the different genres involved different media and content, they were all coming together to put on the same event.

The basic plan, as a starting point for the project, was to help introduce readers to new works from genres they’d never read before. Yokozawa agreed it was a great idea, and he could understand the ultimate goal. If they pulled this off, anyone would be able to appreciate that it was a grand, exciting “festival”.

But actually executing this vision would require a bit of thinking outside the box. It wasn’t the easiest thing to draw upon the cooperative efforts of so many different authors, so his first item of business was to speak to the different sales sub-departments and then convince the managing editors of those departments to lend a hand. When it came down to it, negotiating with the people involved would ultimately prove trickier than the actual work part.

Marukawa Shoten was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with editors who had rather…quirky personalities, so any half-a.s.sed proposals he put forth were sure to be turned down on the spot. Just thinking about that possibility left him with a heavy weight in the pit of his stomach.

But thanks to the aid of Kiris.h.i.+ma, he’d already managed to secure the cooperation of the shounen manga division–with j.a.pun leading the pack. They’d agreed to prepare original ill.u.s.trations as special prizes for the fair along with autographed books as well. If things kept going this well, they might even be able to put together an autograph session with one of the authors, too. Yokozawa couldn’t begin to describe how grateful he was for Kiris.h.i.+ma’s efforts to this end.

Though, to be fair, he hadn’t forced Kiris.h.i.+ma into agreeing to a half-a.s.sed plan. He’d gone over the proposal time and time again, receiving advice and critique, before perfecting it. In order to increase sales, they naturally needed to increase their readers.h.i.+p–and it was the job of the sales department to do their best to get as many people as possible to pick up a book.

A glance at a sales report might seem like nothing more than a bunch of numbers, but once you reminded yourself that those numbers represented people, it really tugged at the emotions. The harder the job, the greater the feeling of accomplishment when it was all over, and while the sales department never received any sort of direct contact from readers about how they liked a particular work, simply glancing around the floor of a bookshop or hearing a report from an employee left him feeling happy, reaffirming the feeling that this job was worth it in the end.

Close on the heels of the shounen manga division had been the shoujo manga magazine Emerald, with most of his requests being agreed to two days prior. Discussions with the BL, light novel, and anime divisions were also ongoing, and Yokozawa foresaw no looming issues, fully expecting to receive their eventual agreement to help out as requested.

The only division left still causing him grief was the literature division. He was working to earn their aid through discussions with the managing salesman, but he had yet to receive a positive response on the matter. Given that the literature division had never really worked with the manga or novel divisions before, they didn’t seem all that excited to be taking part in the festival.

With no available precedent to use as a predictor of how successful the fair might be, Yokozawa could kind of understand their hesitation, which was precisely why he was pondering just how best to get them to agree to help out.

“Here you are, sir.”

He was pulled from his daydreaming by a cup of coffee being set just off to his side, giving off a lovely fresh-brewed aroma. The cookie included with the saucer was shaped like a four-leaf clover. He added in a generous amount of milk from the provided pitcher–in large part out of consideration for his poor stomach. He’d been under considerably less stress of late compared with before, which had helped settle his stomach’s tendency to pain him, but he could sense a looming rush coming up on the horizon.

He’d probably just stopped stressing out as much period, though. Whenever he felt a headache coming on, Kiris.h.i.+ma was usually there to talk things over and help him come up with a way to resolve the issue, and if he felt himself getting irritated or frustrated, simply watching Hiyori play with Sorata left him with a pleasant feeling.

These thoughts made him wonder if Hiyori had managed to successfully pull off the rather important task she’d been asked to take care of today: she had been the ring bearer, entrusted with carrying the rings to the new bride and groom. Apparently she’d gotten a new dress just for the ceremony and had been on cloud nine for days with excitement.

“…?”

The buzz of chatter around him seemed to grow in intensity, and when he glanced about, he noticed a line of people walking out of a church in the central garden, seeming to have finished their ceremony. The bride, clothed in a pure white dress and escorted by her groom in a handsome tuxedo, wore an expression of utter joy.

He wondered idly if Hiyori would one day leave the nest, as it were, like that. She’d probably make the most beautiful bride, too…but would Yokozawa be there to witness it?

It was difficult trying to picture where he’d be ten years in the future. At the very least, he’d likely still be slaving away at a job, and while he hoped he’d still be working in the sales department, he couldn’t predict just what HR might decide to do with him in the future.

Still more murky, though…was his private life–in large part because he was already leading a life he never would have fathomedpossible just one year ago.

Kiris.h.i.+ma had been one of those people he might have given a greeting to if they pa.s.sed in the hall, but nothing more; to now be in a relations.h.i.+p with him, being invited most every weekend to the Kiris.h.i.+mas’ home, growing close with his daughter and even having them look after his cat…it was something he never would have imagined he’d be doing, which made it all the stranger.

But knowing such happy normalcy left him with his own share of concerns. How long could this go on? How much longer would he be allowed to live like this? The stronger his feelings of not wanting to lose what he had, the more pressing those worries became.

The brighter the sunlight streaming down upon him…the darker the shadows became.

Lost in his own thoughts, he hadn’t noticed a c.o.c.ktail gla.s.s being silently set before him. It was a long-stem flute filled with a blue gradient liquid and fizzing with little bubbles.

“…Umm, I didn’t order this…?” He didn’t recall ordering such a drink; his coffee mug was nearly empty, but he highly doubted that a c.o.c.ktail const.i.tuted a refill at this cafe.

He supposed that the server had just mistakenly given him another customer’s order, but the bartender simply returned his confused expression with an easy smile, extending a hand toward the sofa seats along the window.

“It’s from that customer.”

“Huh…?” Convinced something that sounded like it was right out of a television show would never happen to someone like him, he twisted around to glance the way the bartender had pointed–and there seated alongside the windowed wall were Kiris.h.i.+ma and Hiyori, waving at him.

“What the..?” It seemed the c.o.c.ktail had been nothing more than the pair’s prank. Despite having had his attention focused on the lobby, he hadn’t noticed them enter at all. He flagged down a pa.s.sing waiter and asked him to carry the gla.s.s over, then slipped his planner back into his bag and headed toward the Kiris.h.i.+mas. “What the heck was that? If you were here, you should’ve just saidso!”

“I’ve always wanted to give it a try. Surprised you, huh?” His expression was like that of a child thrilled to have pulled off a joke. This was Kiris.h.i.+ma Zen, editor-in-chief of Monthly j.a.pun, single father, and Yokozawa’s lover.

Leading hit-maker for their company and beloved by his subordinates, he was a doting father in his private life, and despite losing his wife to illness, he’d managed to raise his daughter remarkably well.

Naturally, though, their relations.h.i.+p was a secret from not only Hiyori but their friends and coworkers as well. They’d been dating about six months by now, and at times it seemed like ages had pa.s.sed, while at other times it felt like those six months had pa.s.sed in a flash.

Kiris.h.i.+ma had at one point had some dirt on Yokozawa, and initially, Yokozawa had seen him as nothing more than an annoying man who took pleasure in yanking him around against his will–but now, he saw sharing their days together as practically a given, perfectly natural.

Accomplished in his work and hard on both himself and others, in his private life Kiris.h.i.+ma was nothing more than a father who liked to play the occasional prank and was rather unskilled with his fingers.

“Good grief; what were you thinking sending me that kind of thing? I wouldn’t be able to drive the two of you home!”

“Nah, it’s fine; it was non-alcoholic.”

He and Kiris.h.i.+ma had never been particularly close before, but sharing a drink together one rainy evening had started to bridge the distance between them. Yokozawa had been dragged out for more drinks after that, eventually even being invited to Kiris.h.i.+ma’s home, where he’d met his daughter, Hiyori.

An intelligent, outgoing little girl, she hadn’t been fazed at all by Yokozawa’s rather intimidating mien, instead taking right to him. Her honest, straightforward nature was a sign of what a wonderful job Kiris.h.i.+ma had done in raising her.

But Yokozawa had learned that Kiris.h.i.+ma was a slob around his daughter and utterly hopeless in the kitchen–and things like this gap between his skill in the office and lack thereof at home had caused Yokozawa to grow more and more interested in Kiris.h.i.+ma with each new facet of the man he was introduced to, until without even realizing it, he’d become utterly enthralled.

Simply being with Kiris.h.i.+ma had helped Yokozawa to recognize all of the as-yet-unrealized emotions he had trapped within himself. It was Kiris.h.i.+ma…who had taught him that being in love with someone could be more than just pain.

“Ooh, look look! I got one without alcohol in it too!” The c.o.c.ktail Hiyori was nursing had a pale pink color floating at the bottom and was garnished with a cherry. She was obviously enjoying this opportunity to share in this adult atmosphere she would normally have been barred from.

“Ah, that reminds me–how did your ring bearing duties go? No problems?”

“Nope! I was a little nervous, but I managed to do it! The bride was sooo pretty!”

“Yeah, it was a nice ceremony. Think I may have synchronized with the father of the bride there for a bit.”

“Sure it wasn’t just a sympathetic sniffle?”

“No way–and I made sure to capture Hiyo’s gallant figure, so I’ll show you the video later.” He waved his cell phone for show.

“Don’t make fun of me if I’ve got a weird look on my face, ‘kay?”

“I’d never do that–your dress is really cute, by the way. It suits you.”

“Really?? Thank you!”

Looking perhaps as if it had been made to match the bride’s own, Hiyori’s dress was pure white fabric with a glossy sheen and an aqua blue ribbon cinched at the waist, rather impactful, with puffed sleeves and a knee-length skirt, and the hem and cuffs were decorated with delicate flower-patterned lace–she looked like she was a princess who’d stepped right off the pages of a storybook.

It looked like she’d had her hair and makeup done by a professional stylist, for her hair had been rolled into little buns and decorated with fake flowers, and she had a light dusting of makeup covering her features. All of this worked together to make her look a bit older than she actually was.

While it had only been a mere six months since he’d first met her, a child’s growth was remarkable. Girls Hiyori’s age in particular tended to be more sound of mind than they seemed, and when Yokozawa tried to recall how he had behaved when he was in fifth grade, he knew he hadn’t been as mature as Hiyori.

“The bouquet was really beautiful, too, and the wedding cake was adorable! It almost seemed like a waste to cut it up! Ooh, and she changed out of her dress into a kimono too–and man was it cute!”

Hiyori seemed unable to contain her excitement at attending her first glamorous event. Weddings were probably chock full of all sorts of things little girls dream about.

“She’s been like this all day,” Kiris.h.i.+ma explained. “Hey–I don’t want to hear any Ooh I can’t wait to get married~ out of you, young lady.”

“I’m not sure about getting married–but I really want to wear a kimono…”

“Yeah, I guess the last time you wore one would’ve been yours.h.i.+chigosan festival, huh? How about wearing one for hatsumoudeon New Year’s, then?”

“Can we??”

“Sure; and while we’re at it, maybe Yokozawa and I’ll wear one too.”

“What? You two can get dressed up if you like, but leave me out of it.”

“Aww, but I bet you’d look really good in some hakama, Oniichan!”

“I concur.”

“I’ll be just fine snapping pictures.” He struggled to change the subject to remove attention from himself. “Enough about the kimono though–tell me more about the wedding. Didn’t anything else happen?”

“Hmm…oh, right! There were a toooon of people telling Dad how good he looked!” She spoke as if this were the juiciest bit of gossip around, obviously thrilled she was being given a chance to praise her father.

Even without seeing it in person, Yokozawa could easily imagine Kiris.h.i.+ma receiving compliments. With his fantastic build, he struck quite a handsome figure when he cleaned up, and today he was dressed in a suit with a soft l.u.s.ter to the fabric and leather loafers, a handkerchief hanging from his vest pocket and a necktie with a tie pin tight at the collar.

Given that he hardly ever wore ties, Kiris.h.i.+ma seemed a bit uncomfortable, but he tended to draw gazes when he tugged it loose. Every year at office parties, he always drew a crowd, without fail, so it was hardly surprising to hear that he’d stood out at today’s event.

“C’mon, Hiyo–you don’t need to talk about that kind of stuff.”

“Huh? But why not? Ooh, I get it! You’re embarra.s.sed, aren’t you, Dad?” His expression waxed a bit uncomfortable at the rare bout of teasing from his daughter, and Yokozawa supposed that even Kiris.h.i.+ma might feel embarra.s.sed at hearing his daughter speak about him that way. “You should’ve seen it! All the ladies were crowding around him, it was chaos! I was shocked at how popular he was! But he looks really good in a necktie–don’tcha think, Oniichan?”

“Huh? Oh–uh, yeah.” His eyes swam at having the conversation abruptly turned his way, and while he’d intended to just offer his casual agreement, his voice broke, tone going a bit falsetto.

It was just his luck that Kiris.h.i.+ma jumped on this: “Hey, what was with that hesitation?”

“It’s–nothing, nothing.” The last thing he wanted was for Kiris.h.i.+ma to realize that he’d gotten a bit lost in staring at him. He probablyalready knew, but at the very least, Yokozawa had no intention of owning up to it.

“Oh, nothing, is it?”

“———” In an attempt to hide his unease from the leering Kiris.h.i.+ma, he reached for his untouched c.o.c.ktail gla.s.s. It wasn’t as sweet as he’d feared it might be, and instead, the refres.h.i.+ng scent of citrus wafted into his nose.

But while Hiyori had been merrily chattering on about her experience thus far, her expression soured a bit here, as if she’d just remembered something unsavory. “But…I really didn’t like how all the ladies kept asking don’t you want a new mommy…”

Yokozawa jolted at her words, spoken as she puffed out her cheeks in irritation. “Huh?”

Apparently Kiris.h.i.+ma had been urged to remarry by some of his relatives. He’d thought it strange that Kiris.h.i.+ma hadn’t taken the inch Hiyori had given him by praising him out to the mile he usually did, and now he understood why.

Even with a daughter, Kiris.h.i.+ma was still a prize catch as far as marriage material went; he had an impressive job as the editor-in-chief of one of the flags.h.i.+p magazines for a famous publis.h.i.+ng house, and he wasn’t hard on the eyes, either. His daughter was affectionate and polite and bright, as well. It was hardly surprising that his relatives had seen the wedding reception as an opportunity to do some introductions.

“And…how did you react to that?” he casually asked her, struggling not to reveal his unease.

“I told them I had my dad, so I didn’t want anyone else. And Grandma and Grandpa are really nice–plus I’ve got you and Sora-chan! And wouldn’t it be kinda weird to ask Dad for a new Mom just because I want one?” She turned on Yokozawa with an expression begging his agreement. It sounded as if the family had sought to use Hiyori as a way to prod Kiris.h.i.+ma when the man himself had seemed loath to discuss remarrying.

“And…they accepted that?” Yokozawa had the feeling that particularly nosy relatives wouldn’t be put off so easily.

“Well, they were a little persistent, but I told them I had more important things to worry about right now–and that I wanted to do right by those things. They seemed to understand that, right Hiyo?”

“Yup!”

After exchanging a smile with Hiyori, Kiris.h.i.+ma s.h.i.+fted his gaze to meet Yokozawa’s, and he felt a shudder ripple through his body at the suggestive look in those eyes. Those words just now…hadn’t just been for Hiyori; they’d been directed at him, too, and on realizing this, Yokozawa felt his cheeks slowly begin to heat with a flush.

He attempted to hide his embarra.s.sment by knocking back the rest of his c.o.c.ktail in one go; it was one thing to hear such things in private, when it was just the two of them–but he really wished Kiris.h.i.+ma would stop causing such trouble when Hiyori was around. Yokozawa had never been adept at keeping up a poker face, after all.

“Well, Sorata’s waiting for us, so shall we head out?”

“Yeah–let’s head home. Hiyo looks worn out.”

“Hey, I’m still wide awake!” She didn’t seem to realize it herself, but her expression said she was mere moments away from nodding off. By the looks of things, her battery was just about to give out.

“You’re just running on fumes; I don’t want to hear any whining for a piggy back ride if you fall asleep on the way home, got it?”

“Geez, I’m not that much of a kid anymore!” She puffed her cheeks out in irritation at Kiris.h.i.+ma’s teasing, and the two adults took on fond expressions at this adorable gesture.

By the time they reached the apartments, the sky was washed over with a warm orange color. Yokozawa pulled into the complex garage, calling out to the pair beside him in the silence that fell after he cut the engine, “…Hey, we’re home.”

“…Huh? We’re already here? I fell asleep?” Hiyori blinked blearily at Yokozawa’s voice, glancing around at her surroundings, and Yokozawa’s eyes crinkled with mirth at the endearing reaction.

“You both conked out the moment I put the car in gear.” She’d likely been exhausted from a combination of having been entrusted with such a great responsibility as well as attending festivities she wasn’t used to experiencing. She’d immediately fallen silent when the car had pulled out–just as he’d expected, her battery had finally died.

He’d held off much conversation to keep from waking her–and in short order, the sounds of Kiris.h.i.+ma’s soft snores had reached his ears from the pa.s.senger seat. Like father, like daughter, he’d supposed, given how alike they looked when asleep, their heads c.o.c.ked at the same angle against the window providing an amusing image. If he hadn’t been driving, he would have liked to snap a picture for posterity.

“Wow, I feel like I had a nice little snooze, too.” Kiris.h.i.+ma twisted his neck around to relax his stiff muscles, looking rather refreshed, and Yokozawa recalled hearing that short naps were perfect for relieving fatigue.

“I’m sure you’re both exhausted. No staying up late tonight–headstraight to bed.”

“Yessir~” Hiyori responded primly with perfect manners.

“Thanks, Yokozawa; you really helped by playing chauffeur today.”

“No, it’s fine; being able to drive in to work helped me out as well.” Commuting by car was generally frowned upon by the company, but it was allowed for employees coming in on their day off or for special reasons. As such, workers heading to the office on weekends and holidays typically did so by car.

Kiris.h.i.+ma slid out of the pa.s.senger seat and turned to open the rear pa.s.senger door, extending his hand to the still-groggy Hiyori. “Your hand, milady.”

“Hehee, I kinda feel like a princess!”

“It’s still my job to escort you, for now.”

Yokozawa supposed that Kiris.h.i.+ma had entertained his own share of thoughts watching the bride be handed off to her new husband today. Hiyori politely took his hand and hopped out of the car. While she might start rebelling a bit as she entered p.u.b.erty, for now, there were no such signs of discord–and if someone had asked her who her most favorite person in the whole wide world was, she’d probably still answer ‘my dad’.

If he ignored the parts where Kiris.h.i.+ma was kind of a slob and utterly hopeless in the kitchen, he really was an ideal father. He gave 110% at the office but still made time for his family, and while he was strict with his child, he still considered her feelings thoughtfully.

His basic ‘ingredients’ were already good, so when you compounded that with the fact that he took pride in what he wore and how he looked, it was little surprise that Hiyori’s cla.s.smates saw him as a ‘cool dad’. She seemed genuinely pleased whenever he praised her and never missed an opportunity to relate this fact to Yokozawa.

“I wonder if Sora-chan’s waiting for us~”

“He’s been alone since this morning, so he’s probably in a p.i.s.sy mood. He’s so spoiled with Hiyo.” While Sorata had always played it rather cool with Yokozawa, he seemed to become a completely different animal when he was around Hiyori, utterly at ease and eager to have her fawn over him.

“That’s ’cause we’re good friends!”

“He’s been really cold with me lately; I’ll call out to him and he won’t even lift his head to look at me.” Often times he’d just stay curled up on the little seat he’d claimed as his own and just flick his ears in response.

“He’s just shy~ He likes to go check out the genkan a lot on days when you don’t come, Oniichan! He’s definitely thinking something like I wonder if he’ll come today…!”

“Wait, seriously?” It was strange, hearing what Sorata was like when Yokozawa wasn’t around.

“Sounds like he’s a tsundere–just like his owner.”

“I’m not a tsundere!” He made a sour face at the disturbing turn the conversation was taking and entered the lobby of the apartment complex. As they opened the autolock and stepped through, they found a young girl about Hiyori’s age waiting for the elevator.

“Ah, Saho-chan!”

“Hiyo-chan?”

It seemed they were friends, and Hiyori quickly jogged over to greet the young girl. The girl, apparently acquainted with Kiris.h.i.+ma as well, offered a polite greeting to him. “Good evening, Hiyo-chan’s father.”

“Evening.”

The ‘Saho’ girl seemed br.i.m.m.i.n.g with curiosity over Hiyori’s outfit. “Hey…what’s with the dress? It’s super cute!”

“We went to a relative’s wedding today. I got to wear this ’cause I helped out with the ceremony.”

“Wow, that sounds like fun! You’re so lucky…all I got to do today was take practice exams at cram school. It was a total wash…” The large bookbag hanging from the girl’s back was likely jam-packed with all sorts of study materials. Yokozawa himself had started attending cram school rather early on in elementary school–likely in large part because his parents were more comfortable that way than leaving him on his own at home. It helped that the lessons at cram school were a lot easier to digest than those in his regular cla.s.ses, and he recalled enjoying being able to make friends with students from other schools.

“Oh right…you go to cram school. Must be rough!”

“Yeah, but I’m working hard to get into a school I really want to go to! Oh–are we at the 5th floor already? Well, see ya later!” The elevator drew to a stop, and when the doors opened, Saho darted off with a backwards wave to Hiyori.

As the doors closed again, Yokozawa asked, “A cla.s.smate?”

“No, not anymore–we were in the same cla.s.s in 4th grade, but we got separated when cla.s.ses changed this year.” Her voice sounded a bit disheartened, and her spirits seemed lower. She’d been rather upbeat until just a moment ago, so the s.h.i.+ft in dynamics was a bit concerning. He hadn’t noticed anything in their conversation that might explain the mood change, but something could have conceivably transpired that he, as a man, hadn’t picked up on.

While he wanted to press for the reason behind Hiyori’s torn expression, he understood that sometimes people just wanted to be left alone. As he was pondering whether or not he ought to confront her, though, they arrived at the Kiris.h.i.+mas’ apartment.

“Sora-chan, we’re back~!” As if he’d sensed their arrival, Sorata was already waiting for them in the genkan. He quickly wound himself about Hiyori’s legs, begging to be picked up–which Hiyori did, with a Thanks for watching the apartment!, and he narrowed his eyes in happy satisfaction.

“What’re we doing for dinner?”

“I’m actually still kinda full from earlier, so how about we push it back a bit? Oh–unless you were hungry?”

“I had a snack before I met up with you two at the hotel, so I’m fine for now.”

“Then how about around 8? Let’s just throw something together.” Dinner was generally taken relatively early in the Kiris.h.i.+ma home, for Hiyori’s sake, but when Yokozawa considered his meal times before he’d met the pair, 8 PM was still rather early for him.

“You say ‘just throw something together’, when you won’t even be making the d.a.m.n meal.”

“And you have my eternal grat.i.tude for that–hey, what’s wrong, Hiyo?”

“Eh?”

“You’re making a weird face–it’s all wrinkly riiiight here.” He pressed a finger between his brows, approaching the issue head on where Yokozawa had been dithering about unsure if he should say anything or not.

Hiyori’s hands immediately went to her own brows at her father’s comment. “Huh, I am?”

“You worrying about something?”

Yokozawa wondered if it was really a good idea to be so blunt, but while he worried about the direction of the conversation, Hiyori voiced her concerns with some hesitation. “Well, it’s not really that I’m worrying or anything… I was just thinking that maybe it would be a good idea for me to go to cram school too…”

“What’s with that all of a sudden; your grades are fine without cram school, aren’t they?” While she’d had difficulties with math, Hiyori was generally good with her studies. Kiris.h.i.+ma usually looked over her work, too, and Yokozawa helped her out with the subjects she found confusing. If she were aiming to take exams to enter a school of her choice, then sure, some sort of specialized study sessions might be in order, but she should have no trouble making it into a local public school.

“Well, Saho-chan’s going, and there are other kids in my cla.s.s who’ve started going now that we’re in the second semester, too. They’ve said they’re going to try and get into a private school.”

It sounded like her cla.s.sroom environment had changed a bit after summer vacation. Once kids entered 5th grade, they tended to focus more on cram school sessions than club practice.

“Ah…yeah, I guess you’re about at that age huh… Wow, time sure does fly. One more year and you’ll be in middle school.”

Middle school… at Kiris.h.i.+ma’s softly spoken words, Yokozawa felt himself get a bit choked up as well. Hiyori was a bit small for her age, but she was growing day by day. He’d been so enthralled with how she looked in her dress that he hadn’t noticed she’d actually gotten a bit taller of late as well–once she hit her growth spurt, she would shoot up like a weed.

“Yeah; I mean, I’ve still got more than a year left, but I was just wondering if it was such a good idea to be taking things so easy…”

“Well, what do you want to do? Do you want to take middle school exams?”

“Mm…I dunno. I don’t want to be separated from all my friends, but…” The hesitation and confusion were evident in her voice; it seemed she still hadn’t made up her mind yet. All of her worries and concerns about the changes around her had apparently been brought to the forefront of her mind on running into her friend coming home from cram school.

“Then–why not take a trial cram school course? I’m pretty sure they have those sorts of things. We can even get a tour of a private middle school too, if you want. Can’t very well make up your mind if you’ve never tried it, right?”

“You don’t mind?”

“C’mon, what’re you holding back for? Of course I don’t mind. If there’s something you want to do, you should just go for it. You might find it’s not really for you, but that’s still way better than regretting never trying it at all.”

“Thanks, Dad!”

“Given your grades, I’m sure you’ll be able to pull it off, even starting this late. You’re not really attending any other practice sessions right now, so cram school might be good for you.”

“He’s got a point,” Yokozawa concurred. He recalled, as a child, feeling like he’d had all the time in the world, but looking back now, he often wished he’d tried so many other things. Whenever an opportunity to try something new presented itself, it was always a good idea to just go for it.

“Well, for now, how about we get the doc.u.mentation together? And why don’t you talk to your friend about it?”

“‘Kay, I’ll do that!” Seemingly relieved to have her concerns resolved at last, Hiyori’s usual bright expression returned to her features–settling Yokozawa’s nerves as well. “Did you ever have anything you wished you’d done as a kid, Dad?”

“Me? Not really, since I pretty much did whatever I wanted, but if I had to say something…I do sometimes wish I hadn’t goofed off as much and read some more books. Reading the same book as a kid and an adult feels completely different, after all.”

“It does?”

“Adults and kids have different imaginations. I’m kinda jealous of you, having so many books you can still read and enjoy like that. But–what the heck are we all doing still standing around like this? Run and get changed, and I’ll get everything set up so we can show Yokozawa the video I took of you earlier.”

“‘Kay!” She set Sorata back onto the floor and then hurried into her room to change out of her dress.

As he watched her leave, Yokozawa remarked softly, “…Girls sure do think deeply about things.” Thinking back to when he had been her age, he couldn’t recall ever really being concerned about the future. He’d gone to cram school, but memories of chatting with friends before and after the lessons and sharing stupid, funny stories were starker than any actual learning.

He’d often been asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, but when he’d answered ‘an office worker’, he’d always been met with shock. Still, he maintained that it hadn’t just been a random, half-a.s.sed choice; seeing his parents both working so hard, he’d really come to appreciate the importance of a hard day’s work. In that sense, he’d truly looked up to them in his own way as a child.

“Well, they mature faster than boys. But still…Hiyori as a middle school student… I feel like just the other day she was still calling mePapa…” Kiris.h.i.+ma reminisced, staring off into s.p.a.ce. One year might feel long to a child, but to the adults watching over that child, it would pa.s.s by in a flash. They’d probably be taken aback by how fast she’d grow up.

“She’s gonna be an adult before you know it; you’ll probably have to give her away at the altar pretty soon, huh?” Even discounting his obvious bias, Yokozawa maintained that Hiyori was quite cute. She could be a little ditzy at times, but she was serious and straightforward and had a kind, gentle personality. Recalling that there was already a young man pining after her, he was sure that her popularity among cla.s.smates would only grow with time. It would be quite a ch.o.r.e to ensure that no nasty little bugs approached her.

“Well I’m not giving her away to any half-a.s.sed men.”

“As I recall, you previously said you’d never give her away period…” Yokozawa remarked, noting the s.h.i.+ft in Kiris.h.i.+ma’s words from before. What had changed in his mindset between now and then?

“Well, I do want to see her as a bride…and I guess I’ve started thinking that maybe I wouldn’t mind giving my blessing to a man I approved of. But–still, I can’t imagine there are too many of thosefloating around.”

“Uh, I’m pretty sure the first problem would be finding a manHiyori approves of–and those are probably even rarer.” The closest man in Hiyori’s life right now was her own father–Kiris.h.i.+ma. Whether he realized it or not, he’d inadvertently set the bar for all subsequent suitors rather high. Men who weren’t a better match than Kiris.h.i.+ma–or at least as good as–were never even going to ping Hiyori’s radar.

“What makes you say that?” Kiris.h.i.+ma asked in genuine confusion at Yokozawa’s bitter smile.

“…You seriously don’t know? Wow, you are really thick when it comes to that daughter of yours…”

“Hey–you’re the last person I want to hear s.h.i.+t like that from.”

“Daughters hardly ever go for any man they don’t think can outstrip their fathers. So don’t worry–she’ll nab a good man. Someone justlike you.”

“Me?” Yokozawa had a.s.sumed this would thrill Kiris.h.i.+ma, but instead, the man’s expression grew serious.

“What, you don’t want her bringing home someone like yourself?”

“Of course not. I’d go gray with worry if she showed up with some flake of a guy whose only saving grace was his silver tongue.”

“…So you do have some self-awareness.” He was flabbergasted by how seriously Kiris.h.i.+ma was speaking his concerns; it seemed he really was worried about this issue–but he could hardly say as such to some flake of a guy whose only saving grace was his silver tongue, as it were.

“s.h.i.+t…what the h.e.l.l am I gonna do if she brings home someone likeme?”

“Sounds to me like it’s the father who’s got bigger things to worry about now…” Yokozawa chuckled, taking in Kiris.h.i.+ma’s expression as he held his head and agonized over future possibilities. He’d never accept her bringing home a good-for-nothing, but it would prove equally difficult for him to welcome with open arms someone breathtakingly charming. “Then what kind of man would you like to see her with?”

“I dunno…I guess if I had a choice, I’d want her with someone kinda like you.”

“Me?” His eyes went wide with shock at the unexpected admission, never having expected his name to come up in this conversation.

“You’re good with office work, but you can handle yourself around the house as well–but you’re not so good that she’d have to worry about you cheating on her. She could do a lot worse than someone like you for a husband.”

“Well thanks.” He wasn’t sure some parts of that interlude had been entirely complimentary, but knew that if he pressed, Kiris.h.i.+ma would probably say something ridiculous.

“She’s my daughter; maybe we have similar tastes. But if she were to fall in love with you, then…”

He quickly fixed Kiris.h.i.+ma with an unamused gaze, not liking the direction the conversation was trending. “Idiot; Hiyo has more than her fair share of men to choose from.”

“You seriously don’t understand your own self-worth. Shall we ask Hiyo later for confirmation?”

“Absolutely not! What if it makes her uncomfortable!”

Conversations like this, discussing the future with Kiris.h.i.+ma, still left Yokozawa feeling rather odd. He actually had someone here he could talk about his future with…and that, in and of itself, was something of a miracle.

Falling in love with someone was something anyone could do on their own–but for the other person to love you back? Well that…was all up to fate. No matter how hard you worked to make them look at you, to care for you, it was ultimately that person’s own decision as to whether or not you merited their affections. And while you might feel flattered when approached by someone you had feelings for yourself, receiving such attentions from someone you didn’t care for would amount to little more than an annoyance.

Initially, he’d seen Kiris.h.i.+ma as nothing more than a frustrating irritation of a man. With the threat of blackmail over a certainimage floating over his head, Yokozawa hadn’t had much choice in the matter, with Kiris.h.i.+ma’s meddlesome, shameless actions grating on his every nerve. 

But he felt now that it was that overwhelming irritation that had him thinking about nothing but Kiris.h.i.+ma Kiris.h.i.+ma Kiris.h.i.+ma day in and day out, until before he realized it, the man had become an amazingly important part of Yokozawa. He’d been shocked at the feelings that had crept inside without his noticing, putting down roots and sprouting into full blossom, and hadn’t been able to accept it initially. But the more stubbornly he tried to deny the feelings, the more he’d been forced to accept that there was no way to excuse them.

Kiris.h.i.+ma leaned forward, bringing their faces close and dropping his voice to whisper into Yokozawa’s ear, “…Well, even if she did fall for you, I’ve got no intention of giving you up.”

“Huh?”

“I’m saying you’re mine.”

“Y…you don’t have to…go out of your way to say stuff like that all the time.” He elbowed the leering Kiris.h.i.+ma in the chest to push him out of the way, stepping back to place some s.p.a.ce between them. Despite the serious mien he’d been wearing before, he now seemed back in his usual spirits.

Yokozawa still couldn’t fathom why on earth Kiris.h.i.+ma had chosen him, and while he knew that sometimes human emotions were justillogical, his own self-doubt land ack of confidence sometimes led him to crave a reason he could agree with.

Maybe with time, these doubts would ease–the more time they spent together, the deeper these bonds would become.

“Time…huh…”

It was here that he felt something tug insistently within his chest–but he couldn’t quite place his finger on what.

“You say something?”

“Ah–no, nothing. Hey, you’d better get a move on, Hiyo’ll be back any second. Shouldn’t you get changed, too?”

“Oh yeah, guess so. Shouldn’t be standing around talking like this.” He tugged at his necktie, turning to head into his room.

His attempt to cover up his mumblings to himself reminded Yokozawa here of the promise Kiris.h.i.+ma had made to Hiyori. “We just need to hook up the recording device to the TV, right? I’ll take care of it, if you want.” If they didn’t hurry and get ready, Hiyori would finish changing.

“Yeah, sorry–do you mind? The instruction manual should be underneath.”

“Got it.” He probably just needed to move the recording to the player, and as he quickly ran his eyes over the manual, the strange heaviness in his chest he’d felt earlier dissipated into nothingness.

“Have a good day, Oniichan!”

“Go get ’em. Take care.”

“R–right…”

Standing there in the genkan being seen off by a broadly grinning Kiris.h.i.+ma and Hiyori, Yokozawa was reminded of how this moment was always so d.a.m.n embarra.s.sing, and his lifeless response was his pathetic attempt at hiding his shame. He just couldn’t calm down with the two of them leering at him with expressions that said they knew just how embarra.s.sed he was.

“Sure you aren’t forgetting something?”

“Not that I know of…?” He’d made sure he had his phone today, and his laptop was in his satchel. He’d checked that he had his wallet too, so he shouldn’t have forgotten anything else.

“When we leave, we always say, ‘I’m off!’, right?”

“………” Yokozawa’s words stuck in his throat as Kiris.h.i.+ma pointed out the one thing he’d apparently forgotten. Greetings and such were an important part of interactions; he knew he really ought to say it. But it was so awkward right now that he’d done his level best to avoid doing so. Even for such a trivial little phrase, it was just embarra.s.sing to go out of his way to say it to Kiris.h.i.+ma’s face now.

If he’d just been faced with Kiris.h.i.+ma, he could have tossed out ascrew you and headed off, but Hiyori was standing here as well, and at length, he reluctantly spoke, “…I’m off.”

He then beat a hasty retreat out of the genkan, desperate to get away from the apartment as quickly as possible. “Ugh…” He then let out a great sigh and was on his way.

The reason he’d been lazing about at the Kiris.h.i.+mas’ apartment on a Monday afternoon was because it was a holiday today. But despite having the day off, preparations for the fair were still looming, and he had a mountain of work to take care of–so he’d taken his leave a bit early in the hopes of getting whatever work he could do at homedone.

Kiris.h.i.+ma was usually the one griping at him not to bring work home, but given the rather irregular fair being put on this year, he’d demonstrated his understanding by throwing his support behind Yokozawa whenever he could.

Reviewing the next day’s to-do list in his head, he stepped onto the elevator and lost himself for a moment to the soft swaying of the car as it descended–until the car jerked to an abrupt halt halfway down.

He took a step further in to give the new pa.s.senger boarding room to spare–but his eyes widened when he heard his name called. “Yokozawa-san?”

“Oh–h.e.l.lo.” The man waiting to step onto the elevator was none other than Iokawa. An uncle of one of Hiyori’s cla.s.smates, he was a salesman like Yokozawa working for Fujino Books. His gentle features were set off by the thick black-framed gla.s.ses he wore. They’d first met when Iokawa had accompanied his nephew to Kiris.h.i.+ma’s apartment to bring Hiyori a birthday present. After running into one another again at a bar, they’d gotten to know each other a bit better following a brief conversation.

For some reason, Yokozawa seemed to run into the man by accident quite a bit, and given that these run-ins by and large happened because of how often Yokozawa was over at the Kiris.h.i.+mas’ apartment, it always made meetings like this just the tiniest bit awkward.

“Good afternoon. Were you at Kiris.h.i.+ma-san’s place just now?”

“Ah–yes.” It wasn’t like he was doing anything wrong, but he could hardly be frank about their relations.h.i.+p and was left with no choice but to reply to Iokawa’s question with a half-hearted smile.

“Oh–did you perhaps spend the night?”

“Uh…well, kind of…yeah.”

“I must confess I’m jealous of how good friends you two are.”

Yokozawa was growing a bit fl.u.s.tered with the borderline tactless questions, and in an effort to deflect Iokawa’s attentions, he pressed back with a question of his own. “Whereabouts are you headed, Iokawa-san?”

“Grocery run. I just realized I haven’t a crumb to eat around the house–guess that kind of thing can happen a lot when you’re living alone, don’t you think? Oh–but you kind of seem like you’d have a pretty good handle on keeping your meal situation organized.”

“Not at all; all I do when I get home is sleep, so my fridge is practically empty.” The only reason he’d gotten so adept at cooking of late was because of how often he was in and out of Kiris.h.i.+ma’s place. He’d never hated cooking, per se, but it had always been something of a ch.o.r.e to cook for himself, so he’d settled for eating out or grabbing fast food or something from the convenience store.

“Oh, do you not cook? When I dropped by Kiris.h.i.+ma-san’s place before, you were wearing an ap.r.o.n, so I just a.s.sumed you were comfortable in the kitchen.”

“Well, I do cook a bit–but it’s kind of a ch.o.r.e to cook for oneself. I normally subsist on fast food and convenience store fare, truthfully.” Cooking required the motivation of someone actuallywanting to eat your food, taking joy in it. Maybe a gourmand could stomach it, but he personally found the thought of going all out on a meal he’d be the only one to enjoy just tiresome.

Now, though, he was doing his best to prepare delicious, nutritious meals for Hiyori; it really made the effort worthwhile when someone told you your food tasted delicious.

“I must admit that’s rather unexpected–you having a lazy side.”

“You really think it’s unexpected?”

“You seem like the type to take everything seriously and to see things through properly. I always thought you the type to put your all into everything you do.”

“Oh, not at all, I’m hardly…” He felt like Iokawa was overestimating him now–but just as he was set to relieve the man of his misconception, the elevator released a loud CLANG.

“Wha…?!”

The sound was quickly followed by the sensation of the car being jerked upward. Yokozawa reached for the wall to steady himself as he nearly lost his balance–and the elevator ground to a complete halt, although not because they’d arrived at their destination.

“Did we break down?”

“It seems so…”

Even straining to listen, he couldn’t detect any sounds of machinery moving–all that was left was an eerie silence. Recalling an incident on the news of an elevator plummeting to earth, he felt a chill run down his spine. Imagining the worst-case scenario, though, did nothing to change the fact that they were both helpless to change their current situation–so they might as well try to keep a positive outlook on the situation; that would be best mentally.

The elevator had been heading down, so even if the cable snapped for some reason, the impact shouldn’t be that bad. They might suffer a few sc.r.a.pes and bruises, but nothing life-threatening.

“I wonder if we can get the doors opened…” But after trying both the ‘open doors’ b.u.t.ton as well as a b.u.t.ton for another floor, while the b.u.t.tons lit up, the elevator refused to budge.

“So I guess this means we’re trapped…” Yokozawa muttered, addressing the situation with a sigh. While it would be nice if the power were quickly restored, they could just as easily be stuck here for hours. The only upside to the situation was that it was just the two of them here, meaning no children or elderly pa.s.sengers had been on board to potentially suffer injury.

“I guess we should call for help, then? Let’s see here…I guess we just push this b.u.t.ton here, huh?” Iokawa pressed the emergency call b.u.t.ton, and they were immediately connected to the managing agency.

“This is the managing agency! How can I help you?”

“The elevator seems to have stalled–and now we’re stuck inside.”

The staff member on the other end of the line apologized profusely to the rather even-keeled delivery, “I’m terribly sorry about that! Is everyone all right?”

“We’re fine, no problems to speak of.”

“I’ll send someone right over, so could you give some further details?”

“I think we’re stopped somewhere between the first and second floors, but beyond that, I’m a little fuzzy. The b.u.t.tons light up when we press them, but the elevator isn’t responding. How long do you think it’ll be before we can get out?”

“Let’s see…I’m afraid I can’t be very specific without seeing the damage in person, but I’ll have an attendant rush over as quickly as possible. I’m terribly sorry about this, but please wait a bit longer!”

“Thank you, then.”

“It might be difficult to get cell phone reception inside the elevator, so if you need anything at all, please just press the call b.u.t.ton.” He sounded quite sorry for the inconvenience, cutting the line short with repeated apologies. The breakdown was pretty c.r.a.ppy luck, but at least they’d managed to contact the management agency quickly.

“Well there you have it.”

“Terrible indeed…” If this was how he was going to wind up spending his afternoon, he could’ve just as easily stayed at the Kiris.h.i.+mas’ place a bit longer. It wasn’t as if he had nothing to occupy his time with, work-wise, but it was a bit awkward to do so with someone looming over his shoulder.

“Yokozawa-san, are you fine on time? I was just heading out shopping, so I’m hardly put-out by the situation, but…”

“I was just going to head home and do some work, but there’s not exactly anything to be done about it now. At least it wasn’t a workday.” It sucked that the time was going to go to waste, but there was no use dithering over it now. If he’d been heading out for his morning commute on any other weekday, he’d be furious right now.

He considered trying to contact Kiris.h.i.+ma but wasn’t too sure how the service would be from inside the elevator–plus, he didn’t want to worry the two of them unnecessarily.

“Well, I’m sure it’ll take some time–so shall we sit down?”

They should probably prepare themselves for at least a one- to two-hour wait, so it was best to avoid unnecessary energy expenditure. Steeling himself for a long wait, Yokozawa slipped his cell phone into his bag to avoid draining the battery. “Yes, I suppose so.”

He settled onto the floor of the elevator and placed his bag to the side. If this were a movie, they could probably pry open the door or escape through a ceiling hatch–but that was all possible because it was fiction. Here in the real world, they could only settle in and wait for the repairman to arrive.

While he normally wouldn’t have had any problem being in an elevator, though, when he remembered that they were locked in here together, a strange sense of being trapped crept over him. If he’d been alone, he probably could have coped…but he was here with Iokawa now, just the two of them.

A heavy silence stretched between them, and the one to finally break the awkward atmosphere was Iokawa. “Umm, I’ve wanted to ask you this for a while, but–what book shops do you oversee, Yokozawa-san?”

At the question, Yokozawa realized he simply needed to keep his job as the topic of discussion. It was, after all, really the only thing he and Iokawa had in common, and while there were differences in managing comics sales and children’s books, they were both salesmen for publis.h.i.+ng houses.

“I don’t really have an area I’m responsible for, per se; I manage comics sales, though, so I can generally be found at shops those sell well at.”

“That reminds me, it was in Ikebukuro where I ran into you before, wasn’t it? I suppose the major player in comics sales around there would be…Books Marimo, then?”

“Indeed; I drop by quite often.”

“They’ve set up a great children’s books corner there too; I often wander around the comics area when I’m in the neighborhood, so we may have pa.s.sed each other by and not even realized it!”

“It’s a possibility.” Books Marimo was a rather large chain store, with sales representatives from a number of publis.h.i.+ng houses rubbing shoulders in its aisles. It was quite likely Iokawa had been among them.

“The section staff at Books Marimo always go all-out in keeping their areas looking nice, but the comics corner’s display is always a sight to see! I often fall prey to the recommendations–they all look so interesting, like you can’t go wrong!”

“There’s a part-timer who really does a great job putting together the displays for the bas.e.m.e.nt floor.” The reason it stood out more than other areas was because the art school student in charge of the shoujo manga shelves put in far more effort than was called for. He liked to say he was doing it purely because he wanted to, but whatever the reason, Yokozawa was grateful.

“Oh, really? I suppose that sort of effort would thrill any publisher!”

“Whereabouts do you frequent, aside from Marimo?”

“I drop by the Jinbouchou area quite a bit, I suppose. But we don’t exactly have a huge sales staff, so I go wherever I’m needed. I’ve had a ton of out-of-town business trips this year.”

“I’m off on business trips quite a bit as well. But it’s always nice seeing your books lining the shelves of new shops you’re visiting for the first time.”

“Indeed! It’s great seeing that they’re pus.h.i.+ng your stock. I love seeing the books they have on display and imagining ooh I bet students come to this shop a lot or I wonder if lots of parents bring their children here.”

The customer populace varied quite drastically depending on where a shop was positioned, with some catering more to schoolchildren and others more to office workers; Books Marimo was particularly popular with families, strangely enough.

“That reminds me–do you spend the night at Kiris.h.i.+ma-san’s place often?”

“Huh?” Yokozawa jolted at the question thrown his way, completely caught off-guard. “Oh, no, just–he had to go to a relative’s wedding yesterday, so I was pulled into playing chauffeur after work.” While he was telling the complete and utter truth, though, his tone somehow made it sound as if he were making the entire thing up. He could only hope Iokawa hadn’t caught on to how shaken up he was by the turn in the conversation.

“Oh, I see! That sounds nice–a wedding! I was in an old friend’s wedding last year, and it was so nice, I actually got a little choked up! Kind of felt like the father of the bride.”

“That reminds me, he said something along the same line,” Yokozawa remarked, recalling Kiris.h.i.+ma’s words. “That he synchronized with the bride’s father, and it made him start thinking about all kinds of things.”

“I suppose it must have been even stranger for him, being in the audience there–seeing as he has a daughter of his own. Hiyori-chan’s awfully cute, so I can imagine he won’t want to give her away. Our Yuuto will wind up as another annoying bug to be crushed.”

“I’m sure that’s not true–they went out shopping together and to see a movie just the other day, didn’t they?”

“Eh?! When did they start going out on dates?!”

It seemed Iokawa had not been privy to his nephews outing, and Yokozawa scrambled to collect himself. “Ah–no, I didn’t mean–I don’t think it was really a date…” He couldn’t help the bitter smile at the hopeful expression Iokawa turned his way.

Unfortunately, given Hiyori’s att.i.tude, she didn’t see the boy as aboy–he was simply another one of her friends. Which was likely precisely why Kiris.h.i.+ma wasn’t pitching a fit over her a.s.sociating with him, instead watching over them calmly.

While he and Kiris.h.i.+ma had snuck off to tail the pair when they’d gone out together, Yokozawa suspected that a large part of the reason for the excursion had simply been to have a bit of fun with Yokozawa.

“It’s kind of sad that all I can really do as his uncle is cheer him on. But well, I suppose I first ought to worry about my ownrelationsh