Chapter 63: Volume 1, - 63: Daichi at the Door
Earlier that afternoon, Daichi Hayasaka wiped his grease-marked palms with a dark rag in the main bay of the Hayasaka family garage. His broad, solid frame filled out his faded blue coveralls, his short dark hair damp with sweat. Heavy tools clattered on the workbench where his father, Koji, was reassembling an engine head, while his mother, Mie, handled receipts at the office counter.
"Hayasaka-san," a local driver called out, leaning over the bonnet of a Nissan sedan. "Can you fit in a full clutch replacement by Tuesday evening?"
Daichi checked the schedule on his clipboard. "Not Tuesday. We’ve got two overhauls on Monday and a van taking Bay Two until Wednesday. Thursday afternoon is the earliest."
"Can’t you squeeze it in after hours? I’ll pay extra."
"We don’t take jobs we don’t have floor capacity to finish properly," Daichi said bluntly, hanging the clipboard back up. "Thursday at two, or try the dealer near the river."
The customer grumbled, signed the intake slip, and left.
Daichi washed his calloused hands with pumice soap. Koji had the remaining afternoon work under control, giving Daichi a couple of free hours before he needed to return to help lock up. As he dried his hands, Daichi felt a persistent knot of unease. Over two months, Ren had transformed from a university dropout drowning in consumer debt into a man driving a White Pearl Crystal Shine Toyota Crown, running Kisaragi Business Support from Suite 302, and dating the baker’s daughter.
Twenty minutes later, standing at the entrance to Ren’s building, Daichi pulled out his phone, sent a text, and waited for a reply.
Less than a minute after sending his reply, Ren heard a firm knock at his apartment door.
When he opened it, Daichi stood in the corridor in his mechanic’s coveralls, his hands scrubbed clean though faint grease remained beneath his nails.
"Come in," Ren said.
Daichi stepped over the threshold, then stopped when he saw Suzune by the low table. His expression shifted with immediate recognition. "Akiyama-san?"
Suzune looked up. Recognition crossed her face almost immediately. "Hayasaka-san." She stood and bowed politely. "It’s good to finally meet you. Ren’s told me a lot about you."
"Same here," Daichi said, returning the bow before turning to Ren. "He’s talked about you plenty."
Ren glanced between them, a strange, grounding weight settling in his chest. For weeks, his life had existed in distinct, separate compartments. The old childhood loyalty he shared with Daichi, and the quiet, practical warmth he was building with Suzune. Seeing his oldest friend and his girlfriend standing in the same small room made the sudden convergence of those two worlds feel jarringly real.
"I’ll make tea," Ren offered.
"Don’t bother," Daichi said, his tone flat and heavy. "I can’t stay too long. I need to be back before Dad closes the shop."
Suzune glanced between the two men as the tension sharpened. She picked up her tea mug and moved towards the kitchenette, giving the two men what privacy the small tatami apartment allowed.
Ren’s brow furrowed. "What’s wrong, Daichi?"
Daichi crossed his heavy arms. "Two months ago, you were drowning in consumer debt, hiding from everyone, and relying on QuickMart to survive. Now you’ve got a luxury Crown, a corporate office, a consulting business, and a serious girlfriend who’s clearly comfortable spending weekends here."
"I explained the estate release to you," Ren said, his posture stiffening. "My business is legal."
"That’s not my point," Daichi snapped, his voice rough. "You spent two years with nothing. Now that things are turning your way, are you just collecting things? A high-end car, a company, status, a girlfriend... Do you know the difference between building a life and just grabbing every item on a checklist because you can?"
Ren felt a sharp spike of anger flare in his chest. In Daichi’s blunt accusation, Ren heard a direct blow to his pride. ’You don’t deserve what you have. You don’t deserve her.’
Ren stepped forward, his voice going cold. "Watch your mouth, Daichi."
"I’m asking a direct question," Daichi barked back.
"You don’t know what the last two years were like for me!" Ren said, his chest heaving as his jaw set hard. "You weren’t there for every decision I had to make to rebuild my life from scratch!"
"Don’t give me that!" Daichi hit back instantly, stepping into his space. "I wasn’t there because you shut me out and stopped answering your phone!"
The hit landed hard, exposing the raw foundation of their old rift. Before Ren could answer, Suzune set down her mug and turned from the kitchenette. She walked over, her posture straight and unyielding, refusing to wait for them to debate her.
"Hayasaka-san," she said clearly.
Daichi paused, taken aback. "Akiyama-san, this is between Ren and me."
"It involves me," Suzune said with quiet authority. "I chose Ren. I’ve told him no before when he moved too fast, and he listened. If he ever starts treating me like something he owns, I’ll leave. You don’t need to make that decision for me."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
Daichi held Suzune’s gaze for a moment. His shoulders eased slightly. He exhaled a long breath and nodded slowly. "Fair enough. I spoke out of turn about you, Akiyama-san. I’m sorry." He turned back to Ren, his voice quiet but still firm. "You’re right that I wasn’t there, Ren. But you still have a real problem you’re ignoring."
Ren kept his arms crossed, his anger settling into guarded attention. "You’re wrong to put Suzune beside the car and the office," Ren said plainly. "But... yeah. My life has changed fast. I can understand why you’re asking what I’m becoming. What’s the problem?"
"Akiyama Bakery," Daichi said. "KBS has already done paid work for them, but you’re also their daughter’s boyfriend, and you pitch in because you’re around. Put the business scope on paper before nobody remembers which work is paid and which help is personal. Combining consultant, boyfriend, and family friend without boundaries is a mess waiting to happen."
Ren opened his mouth to argue, but the words caught in his throat. Daichi’s first attack had hit his pride, but this second point was an undeniable operational flaw. The informal boundary between KBS and the bakery was dangerous.
Ren swallowed his remaining anger and met his friend’s eyes. "I hear you."
"Good," Daichi said, reaching for the door handle. "I’ll see myself out. Have a good evening, Akiyama-san."
"Goodbye, Hayasaka-san," Suzune replied softly.
Daichi stepped out into the corridor, closing the door behind him. The argument was unresolved and the air remained tight, but their bond had held.
Ren stood in the centre of the tatami room, staring at the closed door. He could still feel the lingering prickle of irritation along the back of his neck, yet beneath the prideful burn, he knew Daichi’s bluntness had cut straight to a boundary he had been too comfortable ignoring.
"He cares about you," Suzune said gently, resting her hand against Ren’s arm. "Even if he delivers it like a hammer."
Ren looked over at his desk where his notebook lay beside his phone. Two days from now, on Monday, 10 April 2023, Ren would work his final, definitive shift at QuickMart.