Chapter 42: Volume 1, - 42: Her First Ride in the Crown
The flour bin at the back of the bakery kitchen was half empty by three in the afternoon. Suzune wiped down the stainless-steel prep table, her arms aching pleasantly from knead work, while her father pulled a tray of sweet bean buns from the deck oven. Heat and the rich, yeasty scent of toasted sugar filled the back room.
Keiko was at the front counter ringing up a customer, the cash register chiming softly over the hum of the cooling racks. Suzune picked up a damp cloth, methodically wiping away stray sugar crystals and flour dust. She had decided last night to keep seeing Ren, but the memory of his defensive, careful explanations at Jonathan’s remained fresh. She wasn’t going to pretend everything was back to normal just to make him comfortable.
Her phone buzzed on the shelf beside the bread slicer.
Ren: I’m nearby. Do you have ten minutes? I can give you a ride if you’re heading out.
Suzune stared at the screen for a moment, her thumb resting on the glass. She didn’t rush. She finished wiping down the table, rinsed the cloth in the sink, hung it up to dry, and checked the evening inventory sheet on the clipboard. Only after setting her apron on the hook in the staff corner did she step out through the side door into the cool March air.
Ren was standing beside the curb at the end of the narrow alleyway. And right behind him, gleaming under the pale afternoon sun, was a pristine Toyota Crown RS Advance in White Pearl Crystal Shine.
Suzune stopped at the edge of the pavement, her eyes widening slightly. He had never mentioned that he hd already picked up his car.
Ren was leaning lightly against the rear quarter panel, trying very hard to look offhand, though his upright posture and the slight twitch at the corner of his lips betrayed him completely. He adjusted his coat, his eyes locking onto hers as she approached.
"Is this..." Suzune gestured towards the Crown.
"Mine," Ren said, unable to keep the pride out of his voice. "I picked it up on Monday."
Suzune looked from him to the car. "Monday?"
"I wanted to surprise you."
Her amber eyes narrowed slightly with light amusement. "Kisaragi-san, are you showing off?"
Ren looked down at the key fob in his hand, a slight flush rising on his neck. "A little."
Suzune let out a quiet laugh, the residual tension from the previous evening softening. "Alright. Show me."
Ren stepped forward quickly, reaching for the passenger door handle. "Allow me."
He opened the heavy door for her. As Suzune stepped close to slide inside, the physical proximity in the narrow space between the door and the frame was suddenly acute. He caught the faint, clean scent of her hair mixed with the crisp air, and for a fraction of a second, his hand hovered near the small of her back, attentive without touching.
She sat down into the supportive seat. The cabin was instantly quiet, shutting out the street noise with a satisfying, heavy thud as Ren closed the door.
Inside, the Crown smelled of detailed upholstery and the fresh, clean air of a carefully maintained pre-owned vehicle. The dual-screen dashboard sat dark and elegant, the door panels wrapped in soft-touch material, and the passenger space was generously wide. Suzune set her tote bag down in the footwell and adjusted her coat, settling into the firm contour of the seat. She reached down to find the electronic adjustment, sliding back an inch.
Ren walked around the bonnet, opened the driver’s door, and sat inside.
The sudden enclosed intimacy of the front cabin was undeniable. In the family restaurant, they had been separated by a formica table; here, they were seated side by side in a quiet, private space, separated only by a wide centre console. As Ren reached for his seatbelt, his shoulder brushed near hers, and he glanced over at her, his gaze lingering on her face and her hands resting in her lap before he caught himself and turned to the dashboard.
He pressed the power switch, and the Crown entered READY mode with a quiet chime, the digital displays sweeping into bright, crisp light.
"It really is very nice," Suzune admitted softly, looking around the cabin. She ran a fingertip along the stitched trim near the gear selector. "It’s smooth."
"The hybrid system handles the city roads easily," Ren said, a touch of pride returning to his voice as he pulled out into the street. "Full door-to-door convenience."
Ten minutes later, that convenience met the reality of Kawaguchi’s traffic layout.
Ren had offered to drop her near the main shopping avenue to run an errand for the bakery before heading home. But the narrow side streets near the station were clogged with delivery vans, and the municipal parking lot Ren had targeted was completely full.
Suzune watched from the passenger seat as Ren manoeuvred the long sedan through an uncomfortably tight turn between a concrete utility pole and an illegally parked scooter. His hands gripped the leather-wrapped steering wheel firmly, his eyes darting between the side mirrors and the reversing camera display.
"The turning radius is actually quite good for a vehicle of this length," Ren explained, his voice strained with intense focus as he carefully backed into a tight coin-parking space after an agonising ten-minute search.
Suzune covered her mouth with her hand, a genuine giggle escaping her.
Ren set the parking brake and turned to look at her, a sheepish expression breaking through his professional poise. "What?"
"Door-to-door convenience," Suzune quoted, her eyes dancing with amusement. "We could have walked from the bakery in six minutes, Kisaragi-san. And now you get to pay four hundred yen for parking."
Ren sighed, though a faint smile tugged at his mouth as he relaxed back against his seat. "The transit metrics were slightly optimistic for peak hours."
"Slightly," she agreed smoothly.
They stayed in the parked Crown with the climate control running, warm air circulating quietly around their ankles. The initial stiffness between them had evaporated, replaced by a comfortable, grounded rhythm.
"How does it feel?" Suzune asked softly, looking at the steering wheel in his hands. "Driving something like this, after... everything?"
Ren looked down at the emblem on the wheel. "Strange," he admitted, his tone turning honest. "A month ago, I was calculating whether I could afford a two-hundred-yen convenience store lunch while running between shifts. Driving this feels... surreal. Like I’m borrowing someone else’s life."
"It’s your life now," Suzune said gently. "Just don’t let it make you forget the important parts."
Ren turned to face her fully, his expression serious. "I won’t. I meant what I said last night, Suzune. I’m sorry for how I handled things."
Suzune looked at him, her gaze steady. "I know you are. And I like the car, Kisaragi-san. I like that you wanted to show me."
She looked out the windscreen at the late-afternoon light stretching across the street. "I talked to my mother last night. And I talked to Aya and Haruka."
Ren stiffened slightly, his fingers tightening on the wheel. "Aya?"
"Mmh," Suzune said, a tiny, amused glance sliding towards him. "She had a lot of questions about how a man with consumer debt suddenly appears with an office, an employee, and now this."
Ren swallowed quietly, feeling a sudden drop in his stomach as he realised his life had been thoroughly analysed by Suzune’s closest inner circle without his knowledge. "I imagine... she was not particularly flattering."
"She was protective," Suzune corrected gently. "Because she cares about me. And she reminded me to make sure I don’t get swept along by your momentum." She turned back to look directly into his eyes. "I’m still here because I want to see what you do next, Kisaragi-san. But I’m moving at my own pace."
Ren listened, the initial sting of anxiety settling into a deep respect for the boundary she was drawing. He reached out, his hand resting on the centre console between them. After a second’s hesitation, Suzune placed her hand over his, her palm warm against his knuckles.
The contact was simple, adult, and deliberate. Ren looked at her lips, then back up into her clear, steady eyes.
’Not yet.’ He wanted to kiss her, but he didn’t.
He gently turned his hand over, resting his fingers lightly against hers for a long beat before slowly pulling back. "Fair enough," Ren said, his voice soft and sincere. "I can work with that."
Suzune smiled, a real, warm expression that reached her eyes. "Good. Now let’s go before your parking charge doubles."
She opened her door and stepped out into the cool evening air. Ren got out, walked her to the edge of the pedestrian street, and watched her as she gave him a small wave before disappearing into the afternoon crowd towards her errand.
Ren walked back to the Crown, a mixture of relief, pride, and quiet determination filling his chest. He unlocked the door, sat back in the driver’s seat, and closed his eyes for a brief moment.
His phone vibrated in his jacket pocket.
Ren pulled it out, expecting another client message or calendar reminder. Instead, a new message from Fumie Okada appeared on his screen:
Fumie Okada: Kisaragi-san, are you free tomorrow morning? Some of what we changed worked. One part didn’t. I’d like you to come by and look at it again.
Ren read the message twice, the practical demands of his reality immediately asserting themselves over the quiet romance of the afternoon. He cleared the notification, started the Crown’s hybrid system, and pulled out into the late-afternoon traffic, driving back towards Suite 302.