Chapter 72: Volume 1, - 72: Aya Nishino Asks the Questions
By quarter past two on Sunday afternoon. Aya Nishino was unfastening the black styling cape from her final customer and sweeping the last wisps of dark brown hair from around chair three.
The small salon near Omiya’s east exit was quiet, save for the hum of the washing machine running a cycle of damp towels. Aya cleaned her shears with a light coat of oil, wiped down her tray, and checked the restock list on the counter clipboard.
"You’re done early today, Aya," her senior stylist, Mayumi, said as she hung her apron on the wall rack.
"Meeting Suzune and her new boyfriend," Aya said, switching off the mirror lights. She swapped her salon apron for a dark teal knit top and checked her lip gloss in the vanity mirror.
Suzune’s messages from the night before had been unusually direct.
Suzune: Tomorrow. Be normal.
Suzune: Ren is officially my boyfriend now.
Aya had spent half her morning commute wondering what kind of man could coax Suzune out of her usual cautious rhythm.
At half past two, the front chime rang.
Aya turned, her sharp eyes taking in the couple stepping inside. Suzune wore a soft pink blouse and denim skirt, her smile bright and easy. Beside her stood Ren.
Aya’s immediate impression was a collision of sharp corporate polish and broad physical weight. He wore a fitted light-grey zip jacket over a dark shirt, dark trousers, and clean leather shoes. A Seiko watch gleamed on his wrist. His posture was notably straight, but his frame was still visibly heavy around the midsection. Beneath his professional exterior, Aya caught a subtle stiffness in his jaw. He was definitely nervous.
"Aya, this is Ren," Suzune said smoothly, stepping between them. "Ren, this is Aya."
"Nice to meet you, Kisaragi-san," Aya said with a bright, invasive grin. She looked him up and down without embarrassment. "So you’re the one who drives the Toyota Crown and talks about financial modelling over morning tea."
Ren bowed politely, his tone carefully controlled. "Nice to meet you, Nishino-san."
"Do you always speak this carefully?" Aya asked, tilting her head. "Or is that just for salon inspections?"
"Behave," Suzune warned lightly.
"I am being normal," Aya insisted, grabbing her bag. "There’s a Gusto inside Omiya Rakuun. We’ll split the bill, Kisaragi-san, but I’m asking the questions."
They walked out into the warm afternoon air. The restaurant was calm, filled with the soft clinking of glassware and low background pop music. They took a booth near the window, Suzune sliding in beside Ren while Aya took the opposite seat.
[OPTIONAL SOCIAL OBJECTIVE: ENTER AN EXISTING SOCIAL CIRCLE WITHOUT FINANCIAL DISPLAY.]
[PROGRESS: MEETING ATTENDED.]
[COMPLETION REQUIRES SINCERE INTEREST IN EACH NEW MEMBER OF THE SOCIAL CIRCLE.]
After they filled their glasses at the drink bar, Aya leaned her elbows on the table.
"Suzune gave us the short version," she said. "You first wandered into the bakery after a night shift, then somehow became her business adviser and boyfriend. I want your version. And while you’re explaining things, tell me how a man who was buried in consumer debt ended up driving a Crown."
Ren took a slow sip of tea. "The first time we spoke, I bought a curry pan and an anpan. A wholesale-order slip fell beside my shoe, and I handed it back. We didn’t discuss business until weeks later."
"I had seen him walking past after his shifts before that," Suzune added, smiling as she reached under the table to hold Ren’s hand out of view.
"And when did this become official?" Aya asked.
Ren glanced at Suzune. "Before I left QuickMart."
"That is an extremely vague answer," Aya said.
Suzune squeezed his hand beneath the table. "It’s official. That’s what matters."
Ren continued, "The Crown came through a conditional entitlement in my grandfather’s estate programme. It was a certified used car. I completed the handover last month."
"That might be the most Ren answer you could have given," Aya noted dryly. "Though you look healthier than I expected. And that jacket fits better than I thought it would. Is that the gym, or just expensive tailoring?"
"I started training a few weeks ago," Ren admitted, feeling slightly out of his depth. Aya laid everything on the table immediately, forcing him out of his usual defensive formality. "I had physical limitations I needed to address."
"That’s a very formal way of saying you got tired of taking the stairs," Aya laughed. She turned to Suzune. "Did you tell him about the time in middle school when you tried to carry two ten-kilogram sacks of flour across the kitchen to impress your father and dropped them both into the sink?"
Suzune’s face flushed pink. "Aya! The sink was clean!" She turned to Ren, retaliating instantly. "Don’t let her act perfect, Ren. In high school, Aya tried to give herself an asymmetrical bob cut before sports day photos and had to wear a beanie for three weeks in mid-May because she cut her left side three centimetres too short."
"It was a stylistic experiment!" Aya protested, laughing out loud.
Ren listened silently, observing their effortless rhythm. He felt like an outsider stepping into years of shared history, but the genuine warmth in their banter made him relax his shoulders.
When their meals arrived, the conversation settled.
As Suzune stepped away to answer a call from her mother regarding bread stock, Aya’s tone shifted into something quieter.
"She really likes you, Kisaragi-san," Aya said, setting her fork down. "But your company is growing fast. Does a life like that actually leave room for someone who spends her days in a small bakery?"
Ren looked directly at Aya, acknowledging the weight of her concern. "I’m trying to make room," Ren said carefully. "I’m not always good at stopping work when I should, but Suzune isn’t something I fit in after everything else."
Before Aya could probe further, Suzune returned, catching the quiet atmosphere. She looked between them, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Aya, if you’re trying to rescue me from my own choices, you can stop. I’m not a passenger in this."
Aya held up her hands in mock surrender, a soft smile touching her lips. "Fair enough, Akiyama-san."
Ren leaned forward, shifting the focus away from himself. "How long have you been working at the salon, Nishino-san? Suzune mentioned you’re preparing for the senior-stylist assessment."
Aya blinked, surprised. "Three years at this branch. The practical assessment is next month. Why? Are you offering advice?"
"No," Ren said with a dry glint in his eye. "I just know how hard it is to work full-time while preparing for a promotion assessment."
A faint look of respect crossed Aya’s face. "Touché, Kisaragi-san."
[SINCERE INTEREST VERIFIED: AYA NISHINO.]
[SOCIAL CIRCLE PROGRESS: 1/2.]
At ten past three, Haruka appeared at the restaurant entrance, her hair tied in a neat bun and a tote bag filled with picture books hanging from one shoulder. She spotted them and hurried over to the booth.
"I’m so sorry I’m late!" Haruka Sato breathed, bowing slightly as she sat next to Aya. "I was covering the Sunday holiday-care shift. One child’s parent was delayed at work, so I had to stay until the late supervisor arrived."
"It’s fine, Haruka," Suzune said warmly. "We just finished eating."
Haruka caught her breath, smoothing her skirt before turning a perceptive gaze onto Ren. "You must be Ren-san. I’m Haruka Sato. I work at the local nursery school."
"Nice to meet you, Sato-san," Ren said politely.
Haruka studied him for a moment, and some of the tension at the table eased.
"Suzune told us how much you helped her family’s bakery," Haruka said. "Are you taking good care of yourself, too?"
The simplicity of the question caught Ren off guard. He looked at Haruka, then at Suzune, whose eyes were filled with warm support.
"I’m learning to," Ren answered.