Downstairs, in the izakaya.
Hii Eri sat at the counter, ledger open before her, slender fingers rapidly tapping the calculator, tallying the week's accounts.
Fujimine Yukiko, in the storeroom, checked the remaining ingredients. Having passed her first audition, she was eager to celebrate.
She was planning what dish to have Hayashi Shuichi make that afternoon when a creak came from the izakaya's door, as if someone had entered.
Yukiko's heart skipped, thinking it was Hayashi Shuichi. She dropped what she was holding and hurried out.
Eri instinctively looked up toward the door.
But it wasn't who they expected. A young girl with striking purple hair strode in, wearing trendy sunglasses that hid most of her face. Her simple t-shirt and shorts revealed long, slender legs that drew immediate attention.
The moment Eri recognized her, her brows furrowed, eyes flashing with caution.
She snapped the ledger shut and stood politely. "Sorry, we're not open yet."
The girl leisurely scanned the room, not seeing who she was looking for. "Where's Hayashi Shuichi?"
"We don't know you," Eri said coldly, her tone flat. "If there's nothing else, please leave."
"You're that…" Yukiko, emerging from the storeroom, started to speak but caught herself, realizing Eri was deliberately playing dumb to shoo the girl away.
With that rare purple hair, anyone who'd seen her once wouldn't forget. Eri's memory was too sharp to miss it.
"Glasses Girl's right—we're not taking customers now!" Yukiko crossed her arms, chin up, her hostility undisguised.
"Hm?" Tomizawa Chie removed her sunglasses, revealing bright, sly eyes, and grinned at the two girls.
She remembered them from the hospital, bickering over Hayashi Shuichi by her bedside—a scene still vivid in her mind.
Back then, she'd pretended to just wake up, cleverly helping Hayashi Shuichi out of a jam.
"You're so cold to me because of who I am, or…" Chie's lips curled into a teasing smile, her gaze flitting between them. "Are you worried I'll steal Hayashi Shuichi?"
Her blunt words struck like a sharp arrow, hitting Eri and Yukiko's hearts dead-on.
Both girls' faces flushed red instantly.
Seeing them stammer silently, Chie laughed. "So it's both? But getting me to give up on Hayashi Shuichi might be tough. After all, in that haunted house, we…"
She trailed off, feigning a shy, embarrassed look, lowering her head as her cheeks tinted pink, fingers twisting her shirt hem. "…He did so much to my body—touched what he shouldn't, licked what he shouldn't. He's got to take responsibility, right?"
Her words hit like a thunderbolt, leaving both girls stunned.
Eri and Yukiko's eyes widened, faces full of shock and disbelief.
Touched what he shouldn't? Licked what he shouldn't? What did you two do in that haunted house?
Questions swirled in their minds, imaginations running wild.
Responsibility? How? Are you saying you want to marry Shuichi?
"You're lying!" Eri snapped. "There was an armed criminal in that haunted house. No way Shuichi would… do those weird things to you!"
"Exactly!" Yukiko chimed in, hands on hips, fuming. "Shuichi's not that kind of guy!"
"Not that kind of guy? You sure?" Chie tsked. "Guess he's not that interested in you two, then. He was pretty forward with me right after we met…"
She'd only meant to tease the girls who liked Hayashi Shuichi.
But as she spoke, Chie couldn't help recalling that day in the amusement park's haunted house. In the dark, mistaking each other for enemies, one used a triangle choke, the other dove face-first to escape.
Her cheeks grew redder, the memory of her injury tingling, her long legs twisting together unconsciously.
Eri and Yukiko initially believed Chie was just spouting nonsense. In such a dire situation, with survival at stake, who had time for flirting or taking advantage?
But seeing Chie's flushed cheeks and coy demeanor, they recalled their own moments with Hayashi Shuichi—when that jerk had taken advantage of them.
Eri's heart churned. Did Shuichi really… No, I trust him. But how do you explain her acting like this?
Yukiko, seething, thought, If that jerk did something to her, I'll make him pay!
Unable to hold back, Yukiko demanded, "Hey, what are you doing here?"
She hadn't even left for her film shoot, and now another vixen shows up!
"Shuichi's not here. If it's not urgent, please leave," Eri said, issuing another dismissal.
"Alright, no more teasing," Chie said, shaking her head to clear her jumbled thoughts. "Where's Hayashi Shuichi? I really need to see him."
As Eri opened her mouth to reply, familiar footsteps sounded at the door. Hayashi Shuichi walked in.
"…You're looking for me? Didn't you say at the hospital we should never meet again?" Hayashi Shuichi raised an eyebrow.
"You're a grown man, holding grudges like that?" Chie pouted, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, you're always right," Hayashi Shuichi said, too lazy to argue. He gestured for her to sit at the counter.
"Jerk!" Chie glared, pretending to be mad. "Save those words for your two girlfriends."
"Why save them for us?" Yukiko shot back without thinking. "You're the one with the big mouth, not us!"
"Idiot!" Eri covered her face, embarrassed, unable to handle Yukiko's obliviousness.
"I didn't say anything wrong!" Yukiko blinked, looking innocently at Eri. "You and I aren't the talkative type. What's the problem?"
Hayashi Shuichi burst out laughing, clutching his stomach.
Chie laughed so hard tears welled up. "Your girlfriend's so naive—I can't! My surgical scar's gonna burst from laughing!"
"You guys…" Yukiko's eyes darted between them, puzzled.
Recalling Hayashi Shuichi's words, she finally got it. Her face turned beet red. "Shuichi! How could you say something like that…?"
(Chapter End)
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