On a weekend afternoon, a woman appeared at the entrance of Residence Platine Shirogane. Chestnut-brown medium-length hair. Pale hazel-brown eyes. A light, buoyant gait. Her radiance and movement brought a warmth to the cold air of Shirogane that seemed out of place. It was Chisa Miyazono. Runa greeted Chisa at the entrance. Her heart was beating fast. She had never invited Chisa to this apartment before. Her life in Akabane. Her life in Shirogane. The anxiety of mixing those two worlds into the same space. And how to explain it. That conflict sent tension coursing through Runa's body. "Ru-chan, where is this!?" Chisa's eyes, looking up at the entrance, widened in an instant. Marble-tiled floors. A ceiling visible through the open atrium. Crystal chandeliers. And the presence of a 24-hour concierge. Everything was a world away from the sales administration department of Maruse Foods. "There are... circumstances..." Her voice was small. That old habit of hers—gauging the other person's reaction—had surfaced. Her hand unconsciously touched the star-shaped scar beneath her left collarbone. A sign of tension. They rode the elevator up to the 32nd floor. The entire time, Chisa kept her gaze fixed on Runa. It was the kind of look that suggested she was sensing something. When the doors opened, the two stepped into Shunya's residence. The view of Tokyo spread across the entire window of the living room. A space with 3.5-meter ceilings. A panorama where Tokyo Tower and Skytree were visible at a glance. Chisa, upon seeing that sight, lost her words. "Wow..." That reaction pierced something in Runa's heart. From Chisa's eyes, she could see how this world she now inhabited appeared to her. It was the very dissonance Runa herself had been feeling. "Ru-chan, what is this!?" Chisa sat on the sofa. Runa was preparing things while brewing coffee. The warm aroma of coffee spread through the living room. That aroma was the same as the coffee she drank at Manpuku-tei in Akabane. But the backdrop was entirely different. Runa sat at the table. She placed a cup in front of Chisa. Between the two of them, it felt as though something other than just the table existed. "Hey, Ru-chan. Be honest with me. What happened?" Chisa's voice lacked its usual lightness. It carried genuine concern. Runa, receiving that question, took a deep breath. She couldn't run from this. Chisa was her most precious friend. From their time in Akabane, from high school, until now. The only person who had remained by her side unchanged. "Actually... I got married." With those words, Chisa went completely rigid. The hand holding her cup stopped. Her eyes fixed on Runa. For several seconds, complete silence. "Ehhhhhhh!?" Chisa stood up abruptly. The coffee rippled slightly on the table. "When!? Who is it!? Why didn't you tell me!?" Questions came in rapid succession. Runa wasn't prepared to answer all of them. How much could she say? There was a confidentiality agreement. She couldn't say it was a contract marriage. But she didn't want to lie either. Runa lowered her gaze. "The person is... someone named Shunya Shirogane. He's the president of a company..." Her words trailed off. She didn't know how to continue from there. "It was decided suddenly. There are complicated circumstances..." A modest explanation. The vague way of speaking that came from gauging the other person's reaction. Chisa, hearing this, stared intently at Runa's face. And as if sensing something, she slowly sat back down on the sofa. "Complicated circumstances..." Chisa murmured. That murmur was filled with concern for Runa. "Ru-chan. Do you... like him?" At that question, Runa's heart moved sharply. Like. That word. That concept. In the context of a contract marriage, there should be no room for liking or disliking. And yet... Runa couldn't answer that question. "...I don't know." An honest answer. But that answer revealed that Runa herself didn't even understand what she was feeling. Chisa drank her coffee. That gesture was calm, and it seemed to bring calm to Runa as well. "If it's something you decided, Ru-chan, then I'll support you. But..." Chisa looked at Runa. In her eyes, kindness and worry were mingled. "If you're pushing yourself too hard, tell me anytime. No matter what happens, I'm on your side." At those words, tears welled up in Runa's eyes. (This person... always...) Runa thought. Chisa had seen through her conflict in an instant. The things she couldn't say because of the contract, because of the secret—Chisa gently accepted them all. Runa wiped away her tears. "Thank you. Chisa." "Don't apologize. We're friends." After that, the two reminisced. Things that happened in the track and field club during high school. A failure at the cultural festival. When her father was ill. That day when Chisa had wiped away Runa's tears behind the gymnasium. It all felt condensed into this very moment. The relationship between Runa and Chisa couldn't be measured by money or social status. It was only trust and affection. "Oh, right. Work stuff. The sales department manager started saying weird things again..." Chisa began complaining about her workplace. For Runa, that was the greatest gift. Normalcy. Everyday life. Those were what Chisa was providing her. The two laughed. They laughed from the heart. Even the cold air of Shirogane seemed to disappear before their smiles. Runa forgot that time was passing. As Chisa was leaving, she pulled Runa into a tight embrace. That warmth reached Runa's heart with certainty. "Come see me anytime you're in trouble. I love you so much, Ru-chan." "Thank you. Chisa." After seeing Chisa off at the entrance, Runa returned to the apartment. The living room was now bathed in the light of early evening. The study door opened. Shunya emerged. His gaze was fixed on Runa. "You had a visitor." Runa nodded. "Yes. My best friend, Chisa." "I see. It's good to have someone important to you." At those words, Runa's heart grew warm. And at the same time, she felt uneasy. Was Shunya saying that for her sake? Or was there another reason? But in that moment, the warmth brought by her time with Chisa enveloped Runa. That was enough.