After hours of discussing details and expectations, Aya's phone suddenly rang.
"Mum, I told you not to disturb me now…" she whispered, sounding embarrassed.
A brief pause. Then her expression shifted.
„Mum? Are you okay?" Her voice suddenly shaky.
„What's wrong?" Saeko asked immediately.
„Not sure… she said she feels dizzy…"
Saeko took over the call without hesitation. She gave her clear instructions, her voice calm yet firm. Tatsuya, already grabbing his keys, drove them to Aya's home within minutes.
The guys were waiting in the extravagant living room, soft classical music playing in the background as maids served them tea with practiced grace. Yasushi, with his always elegant appearance, fit the chic room perfectly. In contrast, Kaito was wearing mismatched socks, sweatpants, and a slightly torn, oversized T-shirt. The maids eyed him with a mix of curiosity and disapproval.
Truth be told, if you ignored the fancy venue, Kaito looked insanely cool. He could wear anything and somehow make it look like he was setting a trend.
One time, back in school, he walked in carrying a bucket instead of a backpack. By the next week, most of his classmates had ended up trying to copy it!
These maids could use a lesson in good taste. I can think of a dozen ways to spice up their dull uniforms. Kaito mused.
His eyes wandered to Aya. She was the only one in this household who didn't need any spicing up.
Meanwhile, Aya and Saeko tended to an elegant woman. She didn't seem to be in immediate danger, more importantly she seemed quite happy to see Saeko, doting on her as if she were her own daughter.
Yasushi and Sota both instantly noticed how stiff Saeko had gotten.
Something was definitely off.
As they subtly observed their surroundings, they noticed the house was filled with framed photographs. One after another, the same faces appeared; Aya, an elegant man with striking features, and… Saeko.
Sota narrowed his eyes.
The man in those pictures. He looked familiar.
"You need to start eating properly… and stop with these crazy diets," Saeko scolded her, though her tone was patient.
"But I want to look pretty for the wedding."
Saeko froze. Her eyes flicked to Aya, who had gone completely pale.
"What wedding?" Her voice was tight, controlled, but just barely.
"Of course, your wedding," the older woman said, as if it were obvious.
"Saeko's wedding?" Kaito lifted his head as the sentence hit his ears, looking genuinely confused.
The woman turned to Saeko, raising an eyebrow. "Your friends don't even know you're engaged to my son?" All the eyes turned at Saeko.
"No…" Saeko muttered.
"Wait, you're engaged?" Tatsuya asked, frowning, glancing at Sota as if expecting him to know this. But Sota looked just as stunned as everyone else.
"Not anymore." The words were cold, leaving no room for argument.
The woman waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, come on," she said with a little laugh, like this was all some kind of joke.
Saeko felt her patience wearing thin. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm.
"Look," she said slowly, as if explaining to a child, "your son and I broke up the moment he moved abroad… six months ago."
"Yeah, but…"
"But?" Saeko repeated, eyes narrowing.
"We thought it was just a break," Aya said hesitantly. "You know… until you figure out how to solve things. I mean, surely the two of you are meant for each other. There's no way you'd really stay apart for long…" She forced a small, hopeful smile.
"Exactly," the older woman smiled warmly. "It's not like you ever stopped loving each other. This is just an obstacle to overcome. True love always finds a way, even if it takes time."
"Solve what, exactly?" Saeko scoffed. "Satoshi is thousands of kilometres away, it's not something that can be solved just like that..."
"Hush, my dear. You don't understand yet how love can bridge any distance." The woman's voice was gentle. "Either he leaves his job and comes back to you, or you go after him. One way or another, you'll find your way back to each other. I know that for sure."
Saeko's jaw clenched. "How could I leave my family behind? Or ask him to throw away his dreams? No. It's over. You'd better accept that."
Something in Saeko snapped. She was at her limit. Only Sota knew that expression well, realizing what would come.
"Child…" The woman reached out for her, but Sota stepped forward, blocking her path.
"You really suck at accepting other people's decisions, don't you?" Saeko's voice was sharp, not holding herself back anymore, her gaze locked onto the older woman.
"Enough," Sota said gently. "Don't say things you would regret later."
She let him guide her toward the door, the others following.
Kaito, of course, trailed behind with his hands full of biscuits, while Yasushi bowed politely, offering apologies and thanking for their hospitality.
They ended up in a bar nearby. Aya followed after them, apologizing helplessly.
"I'm really sorry for causing such inconvenience to everyone," she said, bowing deeply in front of them.
"It's… not your fault," Saeko muttered.
„I should've known my mother was up to something when she found out I was meeting you. Everyone misses you so much… but I didn't expect it to turn out like this"
„I still can't believe it. Who would've thought you ever had a guy," Kaito muttered, only to get a sharp look from Sota.
"Not just a guy. A fiancé," Yasushi pointed out. "Why didn't you ever mention him?"
Saeko shrugged. "It never really came up. It's not like we ever talk about our love lives or past relationships. I don't know anything about yours, either."
"Guess it's time to change that," Kaito said, leaning forward with interest. "So… what happened?"
Saeko exhaled slowly. "Well, we started dating at uni. By the time I got into med school, he was already in his final year."
"And they were the dream couple," Aya cut in excitedly. "Everyone envied them. Like two peas in a pod."
Saeko instinctively began fiddling with her braided hair in her embarrassment.
She cleared her throat, taking back control of the conversation. "After his residency ended, he got a job offer in America."
"Wow, that's huge!" Tatsuya gaped.
"Yeah. He would've been crazy to turn it down. And I couldn't just leave my family behind. With a future that uncertain, we couldn't go on, no matter…"
Sota was deep in thought. Now he remembered clearly where he'd seen Satoshi before. That phone call on her birthday… That was him. Her breakup must have still been fresh then. Fuck... I barged into her life like an idiot during one of her worst periods, shamelessly pestering her. It couldn't have been worse timing. He let out a quiet sigh and facepalmed, ashamed of his behaviour back then.
Before Saeko could say more, Aya cut in. Again.
"But… now your father is back. Wouldn't Satoshi's offer be worth considering?" she asked.
"How do you know about that?" Saeko replied, her eyes narrowing.
"He's my brother... Of course, I know. He's waiting for your answer and doing his best to be patient. He knows you well enough to understand that rushing you into such a serious decision wouldn't work. Yet, I can tell he's already on the edge of his patience."
"What kind of offer?" Tatsuya asked, confused.
"Well," she rubbed her forehead. "Do you all remember that private investigator helping my father's case?"
"Sure, the hero who saved the case," Kaito responded.
"Turns out he was hired by Satoshi. Even from that far away, he did everything he could to make sure my father would return and be ready to support the family. And he didn't even try to hide his intentions. He believes that if my father proves himself capable of taking care of the family, I could finally leave my siblings in his care without worry. So, he asked me to move to America, to live with him, to build a life together there.
"Damn… That's a real man," Tatsuya mumbled, impressed.
"What are you still doing here?" Kaito laughed.
Each word felt like a jab to Sota, but he managed to keep his expression still.
"It's not that easy…" she sighed.
"Well, whether it's with him or someone else, if you ever want to have a relationship, you'll eventually need to let them go, so you can build a life of your own."
"Ugh, I can't take this anymore," Tatsuya groaned, causing Sota to glance at him in confusion. Are you talking?
"This whole conversation… and that love-sick lady's speech… It's messing with my head. Making me feel like I still have a chance. Maybe I should make a move too, now that she's already…"
"Make a move on who?" Saeko interrupted him, frowning.
Kaito shrugged nonchalantly.
„You're not the only one who's been through a painful breakup," Kaito said. "Tatsuya was just too popular for his girlfriend." He explained casually.
"Well, that's one way to put it," Sota chuckled. „As I remember it was more about her dad forbiding their relationship because she was under 18 back then…"
"What?" Saeko gaped, her eyes wide in disbelief.
"But she's 18 now. She's supposed to be taking her university entrance exams now, and hopefully, she'll start university soon."
"I don't get why you're so obsessed with her. She's just an inexperienced girl who has every reason to feel inferior. I mean, she's pretty average. It wouldn't be hard for anyone to suppress her," Kaito said, dismissing her with a wave.
In that instant, Sota quickly pulled Kaito into a light embrace, just in time to avoid the punch Tatsuya had thrown, aimed right where he'd been sitting a second ago.
"Watch your mouth, you brat," Sota said unfazed.
"No point explaining to you. You wouldn't understand it…" Tastuya muttered.
"Try me," Kaito retorted.
"There will always be women who are prettier, funnier, smarter, better cooks, or more talented in something than your chosen one. But none of that matters. The only thing that actually matters is…"
"Sex?" Kaito interrupted, his voice teasing. He knew Tatsuya never got that far with his ex-girlfriend.
"Exactly," Aya said with a smirk.
"Matching me." Tatsuya finished his sentence with an annoyed expression. "Once you find the one who is the best at that, no one can ever compete with her. Why would I ever look for others when I can have the one who matches me like no one else ever could?"
"I already told you, it doesn't make sense, you sound like a drunken goldfish again…" Kaito complained.
But Saeko, who had been listening intently, seemed deeply stunned by Tatsuya's explanation. She never expected him to have such… profound thoughts.
The one thing that matters is who matches you the best. This idea lingered in her mind, and she couldn't shake it off.
"You don't know much about love, do you?" Saeko turned toward Kaito.
He immediately bristled. "You don't know who you're talking to. The only reason I'm single is because girls are so boring these days…"
"His last girlfriend lasted a whole month before saying he was too much to handle," Tatsuya explained.
"Unbelievable," Saeko said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Pft. Yeah, I'm here for the ones who are up for a challenge." He winked at Aya.
Saeko turned toward Yasushi, seizing the chance to steer the conversation away from Kaito. "What about you?"
"The one he's desperately in love with just happened to fall for Sota," Tatsuya added, carefully avoiding revealing the woman's identity. Not that it wasn't obvious.
Yumeko? Saeko gaped. She'd suspected it, but hearing it out loud felt like a stab to the chest.
How can he still be such a close friend to Sota, without bitterness, and always respect Yumeko's feelings?
"What a waste, falling for him…" Aya muttered.
"What do you mean?" Sota asked, almost offended.
"I mean, you're clearly gay, right?" Aya said, eyeing Sota.
Kaito spat out his drink and burst into laughter. "Hell no."
"Then what's the reason you've heartlessly ignored no less than four ladies who've tried to make a move on you since we got here?" Aya asked, eyes gleaming with amusement.
"That many? I only noticed the blonde and the one with the slutty dress," Kaito said.
"There was the waitress, too…" Tatsuya added.
"And who's the fourth?" Sota asked, puzzled.
Aya unfolded the napkin Sota had been holding, revealing a mobile number and a short text on it with a kiss mark.
Saeko froze, staring at the napkin. She knew he was popular, but realizing how many girls were constantly trying to get his attention made her feel strangely uncomfortable.
"So?"
"Ah, he does not deserve mentioning. He doesn't usually have a relationship. Only one-night stands,"
"Is that so? Why?"
"I have my reasons," Sota replied vaguely.
"So, why didn't you take the opportunity to spend a night with one of your admirers?" Aya continued.
"His detector's been broken for a few months," Kaito piped in. "I'm working on fixing it, but it seems he's hopeless." Kaito chuckled.
Sota ignored Kaito's ramblings.
"It's just that I'm serious about someone," Sota said, his expression determined.
"Lucky girl," Aya said, smiling, unaware of the shift on the others' faces, especially Saeko's.
"But I'm not the only one here rejecting invitations," Sota said, shifting the conversation to Aya before it got too awkward.
She shrugged nonchalantly. "They all seemed to be looking for relationship."
"Is that a problem?" Kaito asked.
"I don't need a man for a relationship. I don't care about that," she replied bluntly. "I only care about having sex with someone who has good genes," she said with a shrug.
"And what if the sex is so good, you don't ever want to let go of that guy?" Kaito teased.
"Out of the 35 guys I've tried... none of them managed to reach that level."
"Only because you've never tried me," he said with an overly confident wink, causing even Saeko to blush deeper than ever.
"Guys, hate to kill the vibe, but… where's Tatsuya? And… wait a second…. where the hell did my guitar go?" Sota asked, his eyes narrowing as realization struck. He turned to Yasushi, and in an instant, they both knew.