After work that day, Riko gazed out the window with a coffee cup in hand. The Akasaka night view reflected thinly in the glass. A few people were still working overtime on the office floor, and only the sound of keyboards continued quietly. Her phone vibrated. It was from Ichikawa. 『Finished work? I'm nearby. Want to grab tea? I'm waiting at Capo de Luce』 ——Capo de Luce. An Italian café right next to Akasaka Station, the kind of place Riko often stopped by alone on her way home from work. It was famous for its latte art, and the seat at the end of the counter was her favorite. (Should I go...?) She hesitated for a moment. But there was no reason to refuse. Conversations with Ichikawa were always enjoyable, and there was a small part of her that hoped to hear more about Manager Mizuuchi. Riko gathered her things and replied. 『I'm heading over now』 —— "[gentle]I'm glad you came." Ichikawa was sipping a warm cappuccino at the counter. His slightly wavy brown hair bounced a little as usual, and when their eyes met, his light brown eyes softened gently. For someone who was 36 years old, the same age as Manager Mizuuchi, he had an unexpectedly fluffy atmosphere about him. "Sorry for keeping you waiting." Riko settled into the seat beside him. The café was moderately crowded, with soft jazz-like music playing. Behind the counter, the barista was frothing milk, and a sweet aroma drifted over. "What'll you have?" "A blend." After ordering, Riko watched Ichikawa's hands wrapped around his cup and let out a small laugh. "[laughing]Want to hear about Mizuuchi?" "...Huh?" "You make that face every time. You're curious about the manager, aren't you?" Riko's face warmed slightly. "T-that's not... I mean——" "Come on now." Ichikawa laughed and waved his hand. "[laughing]I've got a funny story. From university. Want to hear it?" Riko nodded as she received her blend coffee. "[laughing]That guy, his LINE read receipts are hopelessly slow. Or rather, slow doesn't even cover it——there was this time he didn't even get a read receipt for three days straight." "...Three days?" "Yeah. In a university friend group chat, everyone was trying to decide when to have a drinking party. And Mizuuchi just completely ignored it for three days. No read receipt. We got worried and went to his place, and he was just... playing games." "Games?" "He just said 'I left my phone somewhere' and didn't even apologize. When we got mad, he looked genuinely confused and was like 'Huh? Was there a problem?'" Riko couldn't help but laugh. That Manager Mizuuchi——the perfectionist with the furrowed brow, the "Ice Wall Mizuuchi"——had ignored messages for three days while playing games. The image was too much. "[laughing]The manager has that side to him...!" Her voice got louder. The couple next to them turned around. "Oh——sorry." Riko hurriedly covered her mouth. Her face was hot. Ichikawa was laughing at her reaction. "[laughing]No, I'm happy to see such an honest reaction. There's more too——I took him to a mixer once, and Mizuuchi just stayed silent the whole time. Like he was invisible." "Invisible...?" "No matter what the girls said to him, he'd only give the bare minimum responses. So it ended up being just me and my friend carrying the whole conversation. On the way home, Mizuuchi asked, 'Did I do something wrong?'" "'Did I do something wrong?'...!" Riko held her coffee cup and stifled her laughter again. The coffee rippled. She thought the lack of malice was the worst part. That manager probably genuinely didn't understand. The atmosphere between them had softened. The initial stiffness had disappeared somewhere. Ichikawa gently placed his coffee cup back on the saucer. "[gentle]...I'm interested in you, Riko." It was a quiet statement. The jazz music continued. The barista set down a cup. Something fell into place inside Riko. Wait. What did he just say? "It might be too soon, but I wanted to be honest." His voice was calm. Not accusatory, not rushed, just straightforward. Riko tried to set down her coffee cup——and tilted it. The contents nearly spilled, and she quickly caught it with both hands. "I... um... that is..." Words wouldn't come. Ichikawa laughed softly. "[gentle]It's okay. You don't have to answer right away." That smile was still kind. Not pushy, genuinely waiting for her pace. (He's a kind person. But...) Riko nodded vaguely. As she nodded, she realized she didn't yet understand what she herself was feeling. —— The next morning. On the train, Riko remembered last night's conversation and found herself smiling alone. Three days of ignored messages. Invisible at a mixer. "Did I do something wrong?" ——It was too funny. She exited at Akasaka Station and headed toward the ASK Building. The morning air was a bit cold, and she took a deep breath at a traffic light. Another day of work. When she entered the eighth-floor office, the usual atmosphere was there. The sound of the copy machine. Phone rings. Someone talking to a client in a loud voice. Riko set her bag at her desk and powered on her computer. "Ayase." A low voice. She turned around. Manager Mizuuchi was standing in front of her desk, holding documents. "[cold]Once you finish revising yesterday's estimate, submit it. This morning." "Y-yes, understood." Manager Mizuuchi said nothing more and returned to his own desk. ——Conversation over. Riko stared at her computer screen, tilting her head slightly. (He's being especially businesslike today...) Not that they'd talked much yesterday either. But she still remembered the warmth of his words in the break room: "You're growing." That moment when the furrow between his brows had softened just a little. Today, Manager Mizuuchi barely looked at her. Even that document instruction could have gone to anyone. It didn't matter who. (Why does it feel like there's a wall?) A small loneliness caught at the edge of her chest. By afternoon, a notification came on her phone. A message from Ichikawa. 『Yesterday was fun. Let's talk again soon』 Riko considered her reply. 『I had fun too』——that was true. She had laughed at the stories about Manager Mizuuchi, and she knew Ichikawa was a kind person. But her fingers stopped. In the corner of her vision, Manager Mizuuchi's back was visible. A straight back. Unwavering posture. Only his hands moved as he typed. (Why won't he look at me?) It was a strange thought, Riko knew. There was no reason for a manager to care about every subordinate. Being praised yesterday was already enough. But her fingers couldn't type a reply to Ichikawa. —— Night. A third-floor apartment in Nakameguro. Riko was trying to continue drawing an illustration on her iPad while looking out from the balcony at the Meguro River, but her hand had stopped. After reading a few comments on the illustration she'd posted and liking some of them, a direct message notification came through. The sender was "@silent_north_star." Riko settled deeper into the sofa and opened the message. 『Don't decide your worth based on other people's eyes. You're enough just as you are』 It was a quiet message. As always, no emojis. No emoticons. Just concise and warm. Riko stared at the text for a while. (Don't decide your worth based on other people's eyes) She remembered that buoyant feeling when Ichikawa said he was interested in her. She had been happy. Genuinely happy. But was that happiness——because she was being acknowledged? Manager Mizuuchi had treated her businesslike, and she felt lonely. Ichikawa had shown interest in her, and suddenly her mood lifted. Wasn't that her trying to confirm her own worth through someone else's attention? (Was I really that... insecure?) She felt a little embarrassed. She still hadn't replied to Ichikawa. She didn't understand why Manager Mizuuchi was being so businesslike. Nothing was sorted out. Yet reading this message made her breathing a little easier. "You're enough just as you are"——those words seeped slowly into the depths of her chest. Who was the person who sent this message? They always arrived on nights when Riko was feeling down. She thought of Manager Mizuuchi. That businesslike back. But the story about copying and distributing notebooks. The break room, that moment when the furrow between his brows softened just a little. ——What if this person was... She stopped mid-thought and laid her phone across her chest. Before she could answer, there were things she needed to think through more carefully. Ichikawa's words. The reason for Manager Mizuuchi's coldness. And what she really wanted. The Meguro River's water rippled faintly in the night light. Tonight too, sleep seemed far away.