The shoot wrapped up right at noon.
Inside a small meeting room next to the studio, Hana sat in front of her laptop, replaying the footage they had just filmed again and again.
The lighting, expressions, movements—even the subtle sense of atmosphere—all flowed together more smoothly than she had expected.
"This part looks good," Hana said with a nod, the corners of her lips curving into a satisfied smile.
"The expressions are really natural. Not stiff, and not overdone either."
After reviewing the commercial footage several times, it was clear that everything had gone according to plan.
Hana relaxed, stretched her arms lightly, then turned toward Chihiro, who was seated beside her.
"Hey, Chihiro-san… do you want to grab lunch with me?"
"Chihiro-san…?"
There was no immediate response.
Sitting beside her, Chihiro held a stack of documents, trying to straighten them—but she kept repeating the same motion, her gaze unfocused, fixed blankly on the papers in her hands.
Inside her mind, that voice echoed again—soft, yet unmistakably clear.
"…You're still just like you were back then."
Chihiro's fingers tightened around the documents.
Scenes from the years after graduating high school slowly drifted through her thoughts.
She and Rei had continued to meet.
They still exchanged messages.
They still called each other by the same familiar names as before.
And yet…
That relationship never had a clear name.
With his natural talent for acting—and his family's wealth and influence in the media—Rei became busier and busier after graduation.
Photo shoots followed filming sessions, schedules grew tighter, and his name began appearing more frequently across social media.
Messages she sent sometimes took days to receive a reply. Other times, the responses were brief—almost perfunctory.
"I'm sorry, I've been really busy lately."
"I'll make it up to you next time, okay?"
"I love you so much!"
Chihiro never blamed him.
She understood.
But what hurt her the most… was that for nearly a whole year, neither of them ever truly asked the question:
"What are we?"
They didn't break up.
Yet they no longer felt like lovers.
It was a vague, suspended relationship—one that left her feeling more exhausted than angry, more tired than resentful.
"…Chihiro?"
Hana's voice pulled her back to the present.
Chihiro startled slightly, blinking a few times before lowering her head.
"Ah… I'm sorry." She smiled—but it was an awkward, hesitant smile.
Hana studied her for a few seconds.
She didn't press further.
Instead, she simply closed the laptop.
"You seem a bit distracted by personal things today," Hana said, her voice softening.
"But it's okay."
Her gaze grew gentler as she reassured her.
"Come have lunch with me. There's a pretty decent place nearby."
Chihiro looked surprised for a moment, then nodded.
"…Yes."
---
Meanwhile — Seiko Company Cafeteria
Takahashi sat alone at a table near the window, eating quietly while staring down at his tray.
"I won't lose to you next time."
Rei's words lingered in his mind—like a grain of sand that refused to disappear, small yet irritating.
Takahashi let out a quiet breath, telling himself he was overthinking things, then lowered his gaze and focused back on his meal.
"~Takahashi-saaan~~~"
A drawn-out voice whispered right beside his ear, making him jump.
"—Hey!" He nearly dropped his chopsticks.
"I told you not to do that anymore!"
Naomi stood behind him, holding her food tray, grinning without a hint of remorse.
"Your reactions are still adorable as ever~"
She set her tray down on the seat across from him and sat.
Takahashi shot her a look. "So? What's the report?"
"Ah… well… everything's fine!" Naomi answered quickly.
Too quickly.
Takahashi narrowed his eyes. "You didn't cause trouble again, did you?"
Naomi paused for a beat, then laughed awkwardly.
"You're sharp as always, Takahashi-san~" She scratched her cheek.
"I just… asked Chihiro-san a few questions, that's all."
"…I'll take your word for it." Takahashi sighed.
Naomi started eating, clearly in high spirits.
"The cafeteria food is surprisingly good today!"
"I thought you rarely ate here," Takahashi said.
Naomi shrugged casually. "Eating out all the time gets boring too. Just changing things up a bit."
Then she smiled, her eyes sparkling.
"And thanks to that, I got to run into you!"
Takahashi shook his head slightly, though the corner of his mouth lifted without him noticing.
Watching Naomi eat so happily, her expression bright and relaxed—so different from her usual mischievous self—Takahashi suddenly froze.
The image before him overlapped with a distant memory.
Three years ago.
Back then, Naomi was just a rookie assistant—timid, clumsy, always bowing her head in apology.
She spilled coffee on documents, mistyped schedules, and once even froze up so badly she couldn't finish a sentence in front of a client.
There were days when just hearing a client raise their voice made her turn pale.
Yet every time, Takahashi would quietly clean up after her—or step in to speak on her behalf.
No scolding.
No blame.
Just his calm voice:
"It's okay. Just be more careful next time."
The clearest memory was still that day.
An angry client slammed their hand on the table. Naomi stood frozen, tears threatening to spill.
And then—Takahashi stood up.
He bowed deeply.
"The fault lies mostly with me for not guiding my staff thoroughly enough. I sincerely ask for your understanding."
In that moment, Naomi stood behind him, staring at his straight yet unassuming back—and for the first time, she felt protected.
"It's been three years already, hasn't it?"
Naomi's voice pulled Takahashi back to the present.
"…Yeah."
"Time really flies."
Naomi smiled—but this time, there was no mischief in it.
"I still remember my first days working with you. I was so useless that even I got sick of myself."
She lowered her gaze to her tray.
"Messing things up, getting complaints… and being afraid of disappointing you."
She took a quiet breath.
"But you never blamed me. Not even once."
Takahashi stiffened slightly.
"You just gave me advice… and stayed to help until everything was done."
She looked up at him, her expression soft.
"The moment I'll never forget… is when you bowed to that client for my sake."
Takahashi remained silent.
Naomi pressed her lips together, her cheeks faintly flushed.
"That was when I thought…"
She smiled—a gentle, sincere smile.
"No matter what anyone says, to me—Takahashi-san was the coolest person in the world."
Takahashi paused.
He said nothing, only lifting a hand to adjust his glasses.
"…You're exaggerating."
Naomi shook her head and continued eating, as if she'd just said something completely ordinary.
Yet in Takahashi's chest, something stirred—quietly.
Not loudly.
Not clearly.
Just a familiar feeling—like realizing that some people had been by his side for so long… that he'd begun to take their presence for granted.
---
Scene Change — Ikinari Steak Restaurant
Chihiro and Hana entered a small restaurant near the filming location. The atmosphere was noticeably calmer, the faint scent of grilled meat drifting through the air.
Hana ordered two beef steaks, then waved her hand lightly.
"Relax. Today's on me."
"Yes… thank you." Chihiro's eyes brightened slightly, her tension easing compared to earlier.
While eating, Chihiro stole a few glances at Hana, then suddenly asked,
"Hana-san… do you have a boyfriend?"
Hana paused for a beat, then laughed and waved it off.
"Not a boyfriend."
She continued calmly, "I'm married."
"Wha—?!" Chihiro nearly dropped her fork.
Seeing her reaction, Hana chuckled. "That surprising?"
For some reason, Chihiro felt she could trust the woman in front of her—perhaps because of that calm composure.
After hesitating for a moment, she lowered her voice.
"Hana-san… may I ask you something?"
"Of course."
Chihiro gripped her cutlery gently, her gaze darkening.
"If one day… you start developing feelings for someone new, but then unexpectedly run into someone from your past… what would you do?"
Hana didn't answer right away.
She cut a piece of steak, chewed slowly, then spoke.
"Nothing."
Chihiro looked up, stunned.
Hana met her gaze.
"If there's no longer any space for that person in your heart, then there's no choice to be made."
She paused, her voice softening.
"But if you're still hesitating… then no matter what you do, you'll only end up exhausting yourself."
Chihiro fell silent.
Those words weren't harsh—but they struck directly at the deepest part of her heart.
Hana smiled gently.
"Don't force yourself to find an answer right away."
"The heart already has its answer—it's just a matter of whether it comes sooner… or later."
Chihiro lowered her head.
"…Yes."
In that moment, she felt something inside her grow just a little lighter.
END
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