The first Monday after returning from Hakone. Since morning, the Tokyo sky had been heavy with clouds, looking ready to drop cold rain at any moment. Yui sat at her desk in the office, staring blankly at her computer's startup screen. The screen glowed blue. (*Will Ren-san have that cold expression on his face again today?*) A small, sharp pain pricked deep in her chest. Only three days had passed since that night at the hot spring. The starry sky above the open-air bath, Ren's fingers brushing her shoulder, the photo of his younger sister he'd shown her — all of it had been real. And yet, once the new week began, they were back to being just the CEO and a mere office clerk. The lunch break chime rang. "[gentle]Yui-san, would you like to have lunch together?" It was Sawada who spoke. His short, clean-cut black hair and gentle brown eyes. Standing before Yui's desk with his usual calm smile, though the eyes behind his glasses seemed just a little more serious than usual. "[surprised]Ah, Sawada-senpai. Sure, but..." Though confused, Yui stood up. Normally they would just eat in the company cafeteria, but Sawada led her out to a quiet café a short distance from the main office building. A hidden gem of a place, filled with houseplants and few customers. The steam from their coffee wavered gently between them. For a while, Sawada just stared at the cup in his hands. His usual calmness felt somehow heavy today. "[serious]Yui-san. I did a lot of investigating over the weekend." Sawada opened his mouth. His voice was quiet, but clear. "[serious]The real reason Kazama Holdings acquired our company." Yui's body stiffened with a jolt. (*The real reason.*) The cup in her hands made a small clatter. "[serious]Eight years ago, a whitening cosmetic called 'Bright Essence SR' that Rise Cosmetics released caused severe skin damage to a large number of people. There were dozens of victims, but the company never admitted responsibility." Sawada continued matter-of-factly, but with restrained anger. "[sad]One of the victims was Kazama Saya-san. She was 22 at the time. ...I believe she was the current CEO's younger sister." Yui's breath stopped. Younger sister. The photo Ren had shown her last night in the Hakone open-air bath. That smiling woman. (*She was a victim.*) Something clicked into place deep in her chest, pieces connecting with an almost audible sound. Ren's cold, ruthless reforms, his merciless cutting of waste — it all... it all led back to this. "[sad]The CEO acquired this company for revenge. To destroy the company that hurt his sister, from the inside out." Revenge. The word pressed down heavily on Yui's chest. Looking slightly uncomfortable, Sawada turned his spoon in his cup. "[sad]And so... this is really hard to say, but..." After a breath, Sawada's eyes looked straight at Yui. "[serious]Last Wednesday night, in front of a hotel in Roppongi... I saw you going in together with the CEO." Her mind went completely blank. He had seen. The one thing no one was supposed to know — the one person she least wanted to know — had found out. "[gentle]I'm not blaming you. Really, I'm not. It's just..." Sawada's voice sounded genuinely worried, painfully kind. "[serious]That man is dangerous. He'll use any means to achieve his goal. You can't be a replacement for his sister, and you shouldn't be made into a tool for his revenge. That's what I think." A tool. Those words stabbed into her chest like a cold needle. Yui couldn't say anything. She couldn't deny what Sawada was saying. But the lonely profile of Ren she'd seen in Hakone — that, too, must have been real. As they left the café, Sawada touched Yui's hand for just a moment. "[whispers]If it were me, I would definitely protect you." It was a small, hoarse voice. His fingertips trembled slightly. Yui's heart lurched, but she pulled away from his hand as if breaking into a run. The following evening. The internal line on Yui's desk rang. "[gentle]The CEO is calling for you. Please come to the CEO's office immediately." At the woman's voice from the receiver, her fingertips went cold. (*Today, I'll ask him everything.*) Yui gripped the hem of her skirt tightly and headed to the 16th floor. Her heart was pounding. She desperately fought to keep her legs from trembling. When she knocked on the CEO's office door, a low voice answered, "Come in." Ren was at his desk, spreading out some documents. His platinum silver hair was swept back neatly as always, his blue eyes gleaming coldly as usual. "[cold]Sorry, wait a moment. An executive meeting will be done in three minutes. I'll be right back." With just that, Ren left the room. The door closed with a thud. Alone in the spacious room, Yui's gaze was naturally drawn to the desk. A stack of A4 documents lay there carelessly. Photos of cases with ulcerated skin. A list of victims' names and addresses. Correspondence with a law firm. And, peeking out from between the documents — a single photograph. Yui's own ID photo for Rise Cosmetics. A sticky note with her name, General Affairs department, and year of joining was attached. No sound came out. She felt the blood drain from her entire body, starting from her core. (*Why is my photo here?*) In her head, the Hakone starry sky, the kiss in the elevator, Sawada's warning — all of it began spinning wildly. From the very beginning. Had she been chosen as a tool from the very beginning? Had she been used physically while being incorporated as a component in his revenge plan? The cold orders during the day, the passionate words at night, that lonely profile in Hakone — all of it. All of it, a lie? From the hallway, Ren's footsteps approached. Reflexively, Yui pulled her hand away from the documents, opened the CEO's office door, and fled into the hallway, unable to see anything. And then, the strength drained from her knees. She put a hand against the wall, trying to steady her breathing. But she couldn't draw a proper breath. Her chest felt like it was being crushed by a heavy stone. The edges of her vision slowly darkened. Tears fell, one by one, onto the floor. "[surprised]Hey, are you okay? You're completely pale." When a passing colleague called out to her, Yui realized for the first time that she was crying. That night. In her small apartment room in Nakano, Yui sat on her bed. Through the gap in the curtains, the lights of the Shinjuku skyscrapers glittered and blurred in the distance. Her smartphone vibrated. A message from Ren appeared. 【Can I see you tonight?】 Her fingers trembled, and she couldn't type properly. 【Tonight is impossible.】 She sent the short reply and placed the phone face down. It was marked as read immediately. She collapsed onto her futon. Exhausted from crying, her eyelids were heavy. But she couldn't sleep. (*That pain was real.*) Ren's profile when he showed her his sister's photo in Hakone. That deep pain — she wanted to believe in that alone. (*But what about that photo?*) Had he chosen her as a tool? Or was there another meaning? She didn't know. Yui clenched her fists tightly beneath the covers. She had to ask. With her own mouth, to Ren. Would she end this in tears — or would she go and find out the truth? The Shinjuku lights visible from her room's window blurred with tears, and eventually, quietly, they bled into the night.