By March, the cherry blossoms had begun to bloom. Around Haruto's café, a row of sakura trees stood in full splendor, their petals fluttering gently in the breeze. From his window, if he leaned out just a little, he could see that tender pink sea swaying softly under the morning light.
"What a beautiful view," he murmured.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, then leaned back onto his bed, resting a magazine across his lap. It featured an interview with the president of a new tech company one that had been making waves online lately.
At first, he'd thought there might be something insightful in it, perhaps a few ideas worth borrowing. But after reading it through, all he found were hollow words ambitious talk without substance.
Trying to imitate someone else's path to success was never truly possible—Haruto knew that much. He also knew he wasn't particularly gifted in that regard. Closing the magazine resting on his lap, he stood up and slipped on his house slippers.
"Coffee?"
When he entered the living room, Sonoko was lounging on the sofa, her long legs draped lazily over the armrest, a cup of coffee in hand. Her expression was one of perfect leisure, the corners of her lips curving as she saw him coming down the stairs.
"Not this early," Haruto replied, stretching slightly. "Oh... right. It's the weekend today. I almost forgot about it."
He walked over to the fridge, opened it, and glanced at the neatly lined drinks inside. After a moment's thought, he picked a small bottle of fruit juice, twisted the cap open, and took a sip. Sitting down beside Sonoko, he noticed she tactfully drew back her slender legs clad in black stockings, making room for him.
"Mari-nee went out?" he asked.
"Mm. To the shopping district nearby," she said with a teasing smile. "What's this? It's barely morning and you already can't sit still?"
"You're such a tease."
Haruto tilted his head back, finishing the juice in a few gulps... barely two hundred milliliters and glanced at her again, then out the window.
"I've got to head out too. There are a few things I need to deal with."
"With your little girlfriend?" she asked playfully.
"It's my day off. Just some personal errands," he replied evenly, ignoring her tone.
After sitting for only a short while, Haruto rose again, heading upstairs to pick out clothes for the day. A few minutes later, he reappeared in the living room, told Sonoko he'd be out for a while, and left the house.
From the sofa, Sonoko watched him descend the stairs and disappear through the door. A small sigh escaped her lips.
"A guy like that... talented, well-mannered, and good-looking. Shame about the age gap."
Her thoughts drifted for a moment to Kasumigaoka Utaha, one of the writers she managed someone around Haruto's age. They might have gotten along, she mused, if not for Haruto already being in a relationship… and Utaha's prickly personality.
Leaving the café, Haruto made his way to the subway station, caught a train, and quietly rode for a while. He switched lines once, then walked a few more blocks before arriving at a familiar building he hadn't visited in some time... the tax office.
Ding-dong.
No response. He did not get anxious or impatient, but pressed the doorbell again.
Ding-dong.
After about three minutes, the door opened. Standing there was a petite woman in a burgundy lace nightgown, her golden hair tousled, eyes half-lidded from sleep.
"Oh… you're the young author who called me a few days ago, right? It's been a while. Come in," she said, her tone still drowsy.
The woman Ashley Ōno didn't seem the least bit concerned about her attire. She waved him inside and told him to wait in the living room while she went back to her bedroom to change.
Empty beer cans were scattered across the floor, the air thick with the bitter scent of malt and alcohol. The contrast between the elegant figure who'd answered the door and the chaotic state of her office made Haruto quietly exhale.
You can't judge a book by its cover.
Half an hour later, Ashley reappeared. She'd changed into a red dress and white thigh-high stockings that looked as soft as silk, her golden hair fluffed into a loose halo around her face. Her petite frame and bright eyes gave her an almost youthful aura, one that could easily be mistaken for that of a girl, not a woman.
The pristine white stockings paired with the sensual red dress made her presence impossible to ignore.
"So, what can I help you with today?" she asked, smiling with mature confidence despite her makeup-free face.
"These are my recent publishing earnings," Haruto said, handing her a folder. "And these are the relevant receipts."
"Hmm."
Ashley took the envelope and leafed through its contents, her professional expression settling in. Her mind quickly ran the numbers.
"That's a pretty sizable royalty income. Naturally, that means a fair amount of taxes too. But with these receipts, you can probably offset nearly half of it. Also…"
She began to explain various terms and deductions, most of which Haruto wasn't familiar with. He listened carefully, asking questions when needed, and the two went over everything for nearly half an hour.
"That should cover it," she said finally, closing the folder. "Any other issues?"
With Ashley's help, Haruto managed to reduce his taxable amount by several tens of thousands of yen. He nodded appreciatively.
"There's one more thing."
He took out another folder and handed it over. Ashley glanced at him, intrigued, then opened it.
"..."
Silence.
After skimming through the contents, she raised her eyes to meet his.
"Property?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I'm a tax accountant... I specialize in publishing-related tax work," she admitted, "As for things like real estate, I'm not very good at it. But…"
She crossed her legs and leaned back slightly. "I can look into it. It'll cost more than my usual consultation fee, though. That okay?"
"Of course," Haruto said without hesitation.
They spent the next while discussing property tax details and strategies. By the time their conversation ended, it was nearly noon.
When Haruto looked up from his notes, he decided to extend an invitation. "Would you like to grab lunch together?"
Ashley paused, then smiled. "Sure."
Despite her Western looks, Haruto expected her to pick a Western-style restaurant. Instead, they ended up in a cozy Japanese izakaya.
"One bottle of Born sake and one of Ozeki," she ordered confidently.
Two kinds of sake both Japanese, but different in flavor.
Haruto wasn't deeply familiar with alcohol. He had once gone through a period of heavy drinking back when everything felt meaningless but he'd never cared enough to remember brand names. He would simply order whatever came to mind and drink until he couldn't feel anything.
Thinking back on those days, he felt a quiet pang of guilt. The people he'd hurt most back then… were probably his mother and his younger sister.
As Ashley placed the order, those memories resurfaced, and Haruto's expression grew distant.
"You don't like alcohol?" she asked curiously.
"Not exactly," he said softly. "Just remembered something from before. It's… nostalgic, in a way."
"Sounds like there's a story behind that look," Ashley said, studying him.
Since they were no longer talking business, their conversation flowed more casually now.
"Not really any deep story," Haruto said with a faint smile. "But what about you, Miss Ōno? Do you really drink every day?"
"Of course," she said lightly. "When you're single and your life revolves around work, what else is there to do besides drink?"
"You don't go out much?"
"Too exhausting," she said simply.
It was a short answer, yet surprisingly persuasive. Haruto nodded in quiet agreement.
"Still, it's impressive," she went on after a moment, tilting her head. "Someone as young as you already owns your own place and such a nice one, too. Weren't you new to Tokyo?"
"It's been a year already."
"A year, huh? Then you're still not quite a true Tokyoite. Usually takes at least three to five years to earn that title."
"But I own property."
"..."
Ashley blinked, caught off guard by the blunt retort. For a moment, she didn't know how to respond. With a quiet sigh, she lifted her glass and took a small sip of sake.
"You know, saying things like that isn't exactly how you win over girls."
"I already have a girlfriend."
"..."
Ashley stared at him, momentarily speechless, before letting out a long sigh.
So young, yet already owning a house, already in a relationship.... while she, a successful professional woman, was still single. It wasn't as if she couldn't find a boyfriend; with her looks and career, she had no shortage of offers. She just couldn't bring herself to care for most of them.
She raised her glass again, taking another sip then another. Haruto, still underage, could only watch her quietly from across the table, sipping on his fruit juice as she drank away whatever unspoken melancholy she carried.
By the time he escorted Ashley back to her office that afternoon, she was slightly tipsy. Haruto stood by the entrance until she safely made it inside, then finally turned to leave.
Back at the café, he climbed up to the second-floor living room and found Mari and Sonoko lounging together on the sofa, chatting lazily.
When they noticed Haruto entering, neither looked particularly surprised or embarrassed.
"Back already?" Mari asked. "Got everything sorted out?"
"Yeah, all done."
"The paperwork?"
Mari glanced at the folder in his hand, curiosity flickering in her eyes.
"I met with a tax consultant," Haruto explained. "We discussed deductions and refunds. Took a while, but I got some useful advice. Should be able to save a bit. Maybe we can have another barbecue party soon?"
"A tax consultant, huh?" Mari murmured, a little surprised. "Our publishing house has in-house specialists for that sort of thing, actually…"
She had assumed Haruto went out to meet with another publisher, not to handle taxes. The realization made her pause. She briefly considered asking one of the company's own tax advisors to help him, but she didn't really know them well enough to make such a favor happen. And from the looks of it, Haruto had already taken care of everything himself.
"Hmm?" Haruto noticed her hesitation.
"It's nothing," she said quickly.
After putting the documents away in his room, Haruto returned to the living room. The two women were still lounging together, a relaxed air filling the space. He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down across from them.
"Aren't you going to visit your girlfriend's place?" Sonoko asked casually.
"She's been out with friends lately... shopping and getting ready for her new school term. She's starting her second year of high school soon."
"Second year of high school, huh? Sounds so far away," Sonoko said with a nostalgic sigh. "I can barely remember my own high school days. What about you, Mari?"
"I still keep in touch with one or two close friends," Mari said softly.
"I don't," Sonoko admitted with a shrug. Then she shot Haruto a mischievous look. "Come to think of it, I've never really seen you talk about any school friends. Don't tell me our dear Haruto doesn't have many?"
"Not too many," he admitted calmly, "but I do have two I still talk to. One of them's actually a manga artist now...he's serializing in a monthly magazine."
"Which publisher?"
"SE."
Sonoko's expression twisted slightly. "...Oh."
Her silence said enough. SE's reputation in the industry was, to put it mildly, complicated.
The three of them sat together, doing nothing in particular. Even the normally sharp and composed editor-in-chief, Mari, seemed content to simply rest leaning against Sonoko, eyes half-closed in the soft afternoon light.
The quiet stretched between them, unhurried and peaceful.
Haruto sat still, his cup warm between his hands, unsure what to say or do.
"It's really quiet, isn't it?" he said.
"Mm. It really is," Sonoko agreed.
Ding-dong—
The doorbell rang, breaking the calm silence of the room.