The sweetness of the pudding still lingered on the back of her tongue. The exchange in the hallway last night——Ren disappearing into his study while saying "it'll spoil if you don't keep it in the refrigerator." Those words were still circling in the corner of Hana's mind. Today, Ren had been neither in a good mood nor a bad one. He was as usual. He put on his suit, held documents in his hand, and before leaving through the entrance, said only one thing: "I'll be late today." That was all. But what Hana had noticed was that this morning, Ren had left a single bag on the kitchen counter. A Komuginokaze bag. The walnut bread and melon bread that could only be bought if you went all the way to Yanaka——one of each. (He went again. On the train.) Hana looked at that bag and felt something strange. She couldn't quite explain whether it was happiness or embarrassment. But lunch passed with her mind occupied by how to respond to Sota, and she never touched the bread. The melon bread was still in the bag by evening. --- The 38th floor of Crossfield Tower. Conference Hall Arch. The large conference room, which could hold sixty people, was filled for today's executive meeting. A polished long table. High ceilings. The view of Minato Ward spread out through the windows. Ren stood in front of the screen. Black hair with red mesh. 185 centimeters tall. The ear cuff on his right ear caught the light of the conference room and glowed faintly. His posture seemed as though he belonged to this place by birth. The presentation was going smoothly. His management vision as the next successor. Plans to overhaul the IT division, overseas expansion of the real estate business, transition to ESG investment. The materials were perfectly organized, the numerical basis was clear, and the executives' reactions were not unfavorable. Several of them were nodding. It was the moment Ren was about to move to the conclusion slide. Kurosaki Goichi, seated at the head of the table, quietly stood up. 61 years old. Chairman of Crossfield. Ren's father. Cold eyes and restrained movements. The air in the conference room changed slightly just from that standing motion. "[serious]There is something I must tell everyone," His voice was calm. But that made it all the more unsettling. Ren's eyebrows moved slightly. Goichi operated the remote. The screen changed. Ren's eyes froze. What was displayed there was——a contract. A copy of the contract that Hana and Ren had exchanged. "Duration: 2 years." "No romantic feelings." "800,000 yen per month." "Divorce by mutual agreement"——all the terms were displayed on the screen before sixty people. "[serious]This marriage is a performance to be recognized as a successor," He stated it matter-of-factly. The conference room froze. The executives exchanged glances with each other. Whispers. At the edge of the table——Seiji's lips curved up ever so slightly. His eyes remained forward, but that small movement of his mouth said everything. (Seiji gave it to him.) Ren stood motionless. He couldn't argue back. The contract was fact. The pride to say "I'm serious" and the fear of looking like someone who had shed tears if he said it here——it all piled up, and Ren's mouth was completely sealed shut. Deep in his chest, he heard something breaking. --- The door burst open. Everyone's gaze turned toward it. Hana rushed in, breathless. Her chestnut-colored hair, which reached her shoulders, was disheveled. In her suit——still dressed as she had been when she slipped out during lunch break. Her cheeks were flushed. Whether she had run from the taxi or sprinted up here after getting out, her brown eyes swept across the conference room in an instant and found Ren. The message from Kashiwagi had been only one line. "Master Ren is in trouble." That was enough. "[crying]This marriage——is real," Her voice was trembling. The executives fell silent. Even Goichi gazed quietly at Hana. Hana continued. Her voice was blurred with tears. "[crying]It's true that at first it was a contract. But now I——" There, her tears became uncontrollable. Until this very moment, Hana herself had not felt her own feelings this clearly. But the words came out of her mouth. Her body knew first. This person——she loved him. The air in the room trembled. Someone coughed. Someone looked away from Hana. And then Ren opened his mouth. His voice was quiet. But sharp as a blade. "[cold]You did something unnecessary," Hana froze. "[cold]You should have stayed silent as the contract stipulated," His voice was devoid of emotion. But Hana understood. Ren's silver eyes had wavered for just an instant. Only for an instant. But then they returned to ice. The expression drained from Hana's face. A dull ache spread through the center of her chest. Not like broken bones or bleeding. Something quieter, something deeper——a sensation of being crushed. The executives were murmuring. That sound seemed distant. Hana slowly lowered her head. Keeping her gaze on the floor, she turned on her heel. The conference room door closed quietly. --- The elevator was silent. Hana leaned against the wall. She placed her hand on her knee and bit her lip hard. A cry was about to escape, and she didn't want it to, so she pushed it down into her lungs. It didn't work. A trembling sob rose up her throat. The button for the 42nd floor was lit. She opened the penthouse entrance. The spacious living room. A room too quiet. Hana headed straight for the closet. She pulled out a suitcase. It rolled with a sound that broke the silence. She folded clothes. Her hands were shaking. The fact that she was trying to fold them even though they were shaking seemed absurd to her. But she couldn't stop. It felt like if she didn't fold them properly and leave, she would forget something important. Cosmetics. A notebook. A simple silver ring inherited from her mother——she didn't remove it. When she crossed the living room, her feet stopped. There was a bag on the kitchen counter. The Komuginokaze bag. The one Ren had bought from Yanaka this morning. The walnut bread and melon bread remained untouched. (He took the train this morning to buy it.) In that moment, a stifled sob escaped. She pressed her lips with the back of her hand. But it didn't stop. Her shoulders trembled. Why, she thought. Why does he do such thoughtful things, and then say something like that? Why is he so far away? Hana reached toward the melon bread. She touched it lightly through the bag. Then she gently withdrew her hand. She turned away. "[gentle]Miss Hana——" Kashiwagi's voice came from the direction of the entrance. She must have come out to the elevator hall. Her calm 45-year-old face was now clouded with worry. Hana pressed the elevator button. She didn't turn around. The doors opened. She pulled the suitcase in. The doors closed. She was alone. Hana sank down right there. Still gripping the suitcase handle with both hands, she curled up small. She was crying. Silently, tears just fell. --- "[crying]I have nowhere——to go home to," The words leaked out over the phone. Sota didn't hesitate for even a second. "[serious]Come. Come right now," That was all he said. Bunkyo Ward, Ono Clinic. A 3-story building built 28 years ago. The 3rd floor was Sota's residence, and there was an apartment behind the clinic that Sota's acquaintance was renting out. Sota had arranged it and was waiting for Hana. He had taken off his white coat. A regular shirt. His pale silver curly hair was slightly disheveled. When Hana arrived, Sota was standing in front of the clinic's back entrance. His golden eyes saw her, and for just an instant they narrowed as if holding something back. He didn't ask anything. "[gentle]It's this way," That was all he said, and he walked ahead. The 1st floor of the apartment behind the clinic. A 6-mat room. Clean but sparse. Sota brought barley tea and sat beside Hana. With just a little distance between them for two people. After Hana had calmed down a bit, she spoke in fits and starts. About the conference room. About the contract displayed on the screen. About Ren's voice saying "you did something unnecessary." Sota listened silently. Partway through, Hana saw Sota's hand clench tightly on the table. She could tell he was holding back anger. But Sota didn't voice it. After she finished telling everything, Sota slowly opened his mouth. "[gentle]You can stay here," That was all. Nothing more, nothing less. Hana's body relaxed slightly. It was warm. Sota's room was warm. The barley tea was warm. Sota's voice was always calm and never accusatory. And yet. The melon bread floated into her mind. That soft texture she had touched through the bag. The bread Ren had bought after taking the train all the way to Yanaka. The night he said "keep it in the refrigerator or it'll spoil" while placing the pudding. The voice trembling on the balcony saying "I died when I was 14." The single word that escaped in the taxi, staring out the window: "I was saved." ——You did something unnecessary. That voice wouldn't leave her ears. Even sitting beside Sota, she could only think of Ren. She felt pathetic. Hana looked down. Tears began to well up again. Sota must have noticed. Sota was looking at her back. He said nothing. He quietly stood up and poured another cup of barley tea. He placed it gently in front of Hana. In that gesture, Sota was beginning to understand. Sota's confession in the garden the other day. Hana's words: "I can't answer right now." At that time, he still didn't understand. But tonight, seeing the reason for these tears——the answer was already decided long ago. Sota sat back down. Beside Hana, with a little distance between them. The warm tea rose in steam. --- The penthouse entrance opened quietly. Ren came home late. He didn't speak to anyone. After the meeting, someone must have tried to talk to him, but he didn't remember what was said. He simply got in the car and came back here. The moment he opened the entrance, he noticed. Hana's shoes were gone. He entered the living room. He turned on the lights. The closet was left open. The suitcase had disappeared. It was quiet. Too quiet. No humming. No sound of the refrigerator opening. No clumsy sound of dropping a smartphone somewhere——nothing. Ren walked to the kitchen. On the counter, there was the Komuginokaze bag. The one he had bought this morning after taking the train to Yanaka. The walnut bread and melon bread. Hana hadn't eaten them. They remained untouched, here. Ren sat down in a chair. He looked at the bag. The room was so quiet that he could only hear his own breathing. The words he had said in the conference room repeated in his head. "You did something unnecessary. You should have stayed silent as the contract stipulated"——he had said it. He definitely said it. The moment Hana cried out "it's real," he was afraid of being forced to be serious, so he had shut her down in the cruelest way possible. Hana's face floated up. The moment her expression disappeared. Her back as she left with her head bowed. A heavy void expanded in the center of his chest. He knew this. He knew this sensation. Winter, when he was 14. The hospital corridor. The night he was told his mother had died——that same kind of sensation. As if something had been lost forever. (I've done something irreversible.) For the first time, he thought that. Not pride, not fear——just that remained in his chest. Ren reached toward the melon bread. He stopped. If Hana hadn't eaten it, then he couldn't eat it either. The reason couldn't be put into words. He simply felt that way. He quietly placed the bag back on the counter. There was no wind blowing through the room, no sound of anyone moving. Ren sat there for a while. In the void of his chest, something moved faintly. Something that hadn't yet taken shape. As if the moment he thought it wa