A week had passed since submitting the workplace romance notification form. Ayano still remembered that morning vividly. The moment she handed over the documents at the personnel department reception, her hands were trembling. When Director Kurosawa submitted his paperwork, his expression didn't change at all. The receptionist's eyes had flickered between the two of them for just an instant. A week since then. The third sales department floor on the 12th floor of Solarium Tower continued operating quietly as always. But something had changed. The gazes. Whenever Ayano approached the copy machine, the movement around her would somehow stop. Just going to the restroom, someone would glance up. When she returned to her desk, everyone would immediately turn back to their screens. No one said anything. But everyone knew. (I'm not used to this...) Ayano swallowed a sigh while typing at her keyboard. That Monday morning, the glass-walled private office door opened. "Rinzaki" A low voice. The same way he usually called her. But now—being called "Rinzaki" itself felt somehow awkward. Ayano stood up and headed toward the office. (It's work-related, right. Of course it is.) Kurosawa's office still had the blinds half-drawn, making it difficult to see inside from outside. Ayano knocked and entered. Kurosawa was standing in front of his desk. His necktie was perfectly fastened, his appearance as usual. "[serious]I wanted to confirm the upcoming projects—" "[serious]Before that" "Y-yes" Kurosawa paused for just a moment. The usual Kurosawa didn't pause. It was rare for him to take a breath before saying something. "[serious]From now on, I'll call you by your first name. Ayano" Ayano's thoughts stopped. (—What?) "[surprised]Y-yes! Th-thank you very much, Director? Or should I say Kurosawa-san? ...Masato-san? Um, which one is correct, and, um, how should I call you, that is, um" She couldn't stop herself. Honorifics and names tumbled out in a jumbled mess. Kurosawa watched her, and for just an instant—truly just an instant—the corner of his mouth rose slightly. "[serious]Any of them is fine" With just that, he picked up some documents and left the office. He seemed to be heading to a meeting. Ayano was left alone in the office. (Any of them is fine, he said...) For a while, she couldn't move from that spot. Through the glass, she could see the floor beyond. Sato at the next desk had his back turned, his shoulders shaking. The employee at the diagonal desk behind him was looking down at something. They'd all heard it. A faint giggling atmosphere drifted across the entire floor. Ayano, her face completely red, slowly made her way back to her desk. The moment she sat down, she heard a voice from the next desk saying "Thank you for your hard work," barely suppressing laughter. (Oh no...) --- Lunch break. As Ayano stepped out of the elevator heading toward the first-floor café "TERRACE S," she spotted a familiar suited figure walking down the hallway. Ryosuke Amemiya—an executive director of the Solarium Group and Kurosawa's friend from university. A 45-year-old man with warm eyes. It was unusual for him to come down from the 30th-floor executive floor. "[gentle]Rinzaki-san, perfect timing. Do you have a moment?" Ayano instinctively straightened her posture. "[scared]Y-yes, of course" The two moved to the side of the hallway. Passing employees noticed the pairing and quietly averted their eyes. Amemiya looked at Ayano and smiled softly. "[gentle]Congratulations to both of you. Really" "[surprised]...Thank you very much" It was a warm sentiment. But as Ayano met Amemiya's eyes, she sensed something. Behind his smile, something hadn't completely faded. She believed his happiness for them was genuine. But that smile felt like it was on the other side of a thin veil, and Ayano felt a frustration at being unable to simply rejoice in her own happiness. "[gentle]Take care of him. He's...clumsy about these things" "[gentle]...Yes. I'll do my best" Amemiya smiled once more and headed back toward the elevator. To the executive floor. Ayano watched his back for a while. (...Amemiya-san) A small pang struck her chest. --- To change her mood, she bought a latte at the first-floor café "TERRACE S." It was a small glass-walled café with natural light streaming in. As she looked for a seat with her tray— "[sarcastic]What a coincidence" Takumi Yabuki was sitting at the next table. Sales Division Director, 42 years old. A handsome man with a silver tongue. He always wore a smile with just a hint of calculation. Today was no different. "Are you having lunch?" Ayano instinctively took a step back. Yabuki didn't even stand up, speaking casually. "[cold]Kurosawa's a lucky guy" Just one sentence. With that, Yabuki took a sip of his coffee and started scrolling through his phone, as if everything was already settled. Ayano stood there holding her latte, unable to sit down. (...What does that mean?) Yabuki's smile lingered in her mind. He hadn't even said congratulations. There was something in that smile that felt unfinished—so Ayano, still holding her latte, simply walked outside. --- As evening fell and the clock passed quitting time, the staff members left one by one. The last two remaining were Ayano and Kurosawa. They hadn't arranged it. Ayano had been finishing up the proposal materials for Nacht Medical, and when she realized it, the office had gone quiet. Kurosawa was still at his desk in the glass office. It was quiet. Only the sound of keyboard typing and the low hum of air conditioning. When Ayano tried to save her data, the office door opened. Kurosawa came out and stood beside Ayano's desk. He was holding a coffee cup—not a canned coffee, but one of those paper cups from the cafeteria. (...He's holding two) Without a word, Kurosawa placed the other paper cup on the edge of Ayano's desk. "[gentle]...Thank you very much" "Mm" Kurosawa took a sip of his coffee and looked out the window. The night view of Toranomon was reflected in the glass. Silence continued. (I thought it might be work-related, but maybe it's not) When Ayano brought the coffee to her lips, Kurosawa spoke quietly. "[serious]When I was a child, there was a time I lived near the sea" Ayano's hand stopped. It wasn't work-related. It had nothing to do with work at all. Ayano had never heard Kurosawa talk like this before. "[serious]I'd come home covered in sand and get scolded by my mother. But the next day, I'd go back again" Still looking out the window, Kurosawa spoke quietly. His voice was emotionless as always, but something seemed to seep through his words. Something moved within Ayano. The sound of waves. The feel of sand. Summer light. —Mar-kun. A memory of running with someone. Barefoot on the sand. Someone was beside her. But she couldn't see their face. Only a name floated up from the haze. Mar-kun. She had called someone that. But who? "[surprised]...Could it have been Shonan?" Her mouth had moved on its own. The words had come out before she realized it. Kurosawa looked at Ayano. Not his usual composed eyes. For just an instant, something wavered in his gaze. "[cold]...How do you know that?" A low voice. But not one with pressure. A voice of surprise. "[scared]Ah, um... It's just a hunch. I had a feeling it might be something like that" "A hunch" "[scared]Yes, just a hunch. Sorry, I said something strange" She covered it up. With all her might, she covered it up. But she knew herself that it wasn't a complete lie. Kurosawa looked at Ayano for a moment. Then said nothing. He took another sip of coffee and returned to his office. Ayano couldn't say anything either. (Mar-kun... who was that?) The fragment of memory faded back into the haze. --- She arrived at Granvia Ebisu Room 303 after 9 PM. She opened the door, dropped her bag, and collapsed onto the bed. A potted plant by the window stood still in the dim light of the room. The entire day spun through her mind. Being called "Ayano." What lay behind Amemiya's smile. Yabuki's words about being "a lucky guy." The memory of the sea that Kurosawa had shared. And—Mar-kun. (What was that memory?) Childhood memories are vague. She was running on a sandy beach. Someone was beside her. She had called that someone Mar-kun. But she couldn't see their face. Her phone vibrated. She looked at the screen. The sender was—"Kurosawa Masato." No longer anonymous. His name was displayed. Kurosawa Masato's real name. Ayano stared at the screen, unable to move for a moment. She opened the message. "Good night" Just two words. "—Ahhhhhhh!!" She buried her face in the pillow. She rolled over slightly. Then lifted her face to look at the screen again. The two characters "Good night" were there. She buried her face in the pillow again. (What kind of heart does that person have?) She needed to reply. But what should she write? "Good night" felt wrong. "Sleep well" sounded off. "Please rest, Director" was even worse. Ayano held her trembling phone. "Good night" That's all she typed. She sent it. After sending it, she buried her face in the pillow again. Three minutes later, she lifted her face to check the screen. It showed as read. There was no reply. That was enough. She buried her face in the pillow again. (...I'm happy) She thought it simply. She closed her eyes. In the darkness, she heard the sound of waves. Not real waves, but the sound from her memory. Mar-kun, the name brushed through her mind again. Whose voice was that? Her own voice, or— (I should ask him more about that sea story) Before sleep took her, she decided that. Tomorrow, if there was a chance. Or she'd make one. Ayano closed her eyes. Outside her room—somewhere in the Toranomon building complex, Takumi Yabuki was scrolling through his smartphone screen. His eyes stopped on a certain name. The corner of his mouth rose slightly. That smile was a different kind from the one he'd shown at the café that afternoon.