I remember it as if it happened only yesterday. I remember that day with startling clarity, the scent of the wind brushing past my skin, the golden warmth of the sun resting on my shoulders, each breath deep and full like I was inhaling the beginning of a new life. I remember it all. The day I left the village I called home, in pursuit of a dream I was never sure I'd catch.
My mother cried that morning. She tried to hide it behind her smile, but I saw the way her lips trembled and her eyes refused to meet mine. My father… he stood tall, distant as ever, but I could tell by the way his hands clenched into fists that he was holding back everything he didn't know how to say. That was the first time I felt truly alone.
And then I arrived in Tokyo.
I can still remember the whirlwind that greeted me. Blinding neon lights. A constant buzz of voices and footsteps that never seemed to stop. People moved like machines, each one with a purpose, a role to fill, and no time to waste. I felt like an intruder in a world that never asked for me. I was lost, overwhelmed, and afraid. Until I met Hinata Kagurazaka.
She was the first light I found in that dark and unfamiliar city. She smiled like she meant it. She introduced me to her family, the Kagurazakas, and for the first time in a long while, I felt something close to home. Daichi-san's ridiculous theatrics, Sayaka-san's comforting meals, Nami's constant annoyed glares that somehow made me feel included…
For a while, I belonged.
Takamura Industries. That name echoed in my dreams long before I ever stepped foot inside the building. A company revered not just in Japan, but across the globe. Back when I was just a kid with a secondhand laptop, I would spend nights reading about it. Imagining myself working there one day, not for the money or the prestige, but for the dream of proving that someone like me could reach the top.
I worked myself raw, school during the day, part-time jobs at night, saving every yen I could. And then it happened. The door I had knocked on so many times finally opened. I made it. I was there.
On my first day, I promised myself: no matter what, I would never give up. I would climb, even if I fell. Even if I broke along the way.
And for a while, the office was peaceful. Everyone did their work. There was quiet respect, space to breathe. But then she arrived.
Reina Takamura.
The moment she stepped into the building, the atmosphere shifted. The air thickened. Smiles disappeared. People started walking on eggshells. The warmth drained from the walls and was replaced by a chilling tension.
And then came the incident.
It happened during break. I was standing by the vending machine, minding my business, just trying to enjoy ten minutes of peace. She came running around the corner and crashed right into me. I remember the way her perfume hit me first, sweet, intoxicating. She looked up, and for a moment, the world paused. But not in a good way.
Since that moment, she made it her personal mission to haunt me.
I couldn't breathe when she was near. I could feel her eyes, always watching. Her voice, soft but demanding, wrapped around my nerves and pulled me apart. It was like she knew what that encounter had done to me, and she reveled in it. She toyed with me, flirted with malice veiled in seduction, and I couldn't escape.
And then… that night happened.
"Holy shit..." Those were the first words that stumbled out of my dry mouth.
The dawn light crept lazily through the half-drawn curtains. My body sank into unfamiliar softness, sheets that smelled expensive, warm, and strangely comforting. But something was wrong. Very wrong.
I shifted slightly and felt it, a weight pressed gently against me. Warm. Soft. Breathing. A body.
I opened my eyes.
The world shattered.
An unfamiliar room. A massive bed. And her, Reina Takamura, lying beside me. Naked.
Her head rested against my arm. Her breath touched my neck. Her skin clung to mine like a memory I wasn't ready to recall. Her arms were wrapped around me, tight, like she was afraid to let go. I stared. Frozen.
My head throbbed. My heart tried to claw its way out of my chest. Flashes of last night began trickling in like slow poison.
I remembered that night.
I remembered her crying. I remembered the guy... his smirk, the way she looked at him, the way he made her cry. I remembered the fury that took over me. My fist connecting with his jaw. Her arms wrapping around me, sobbing into my shirt.
She led me away. I didn't resist.
I remembered the mansion. Her hand pulling mine through the grand halls. Her voice trembling. Her tears falling.
I remembered the wine. The way she gulped it down. The way she passed it to me, lips to lips. Her body pressed against mine. Her voice, pleading. Her eyes, broken.
Then darkness.
I don't know what happened after that. I don't remember choosing this. I don't remember saying yes.
Then she stirred.
My body tensed. Her head nestled closer into my shoulder. Her leg brushed against mine. I tried to move, but I was paralyzed. Was it fear? Guilt? Shame?
Then she whispered, still dreaming.
"Chris… honey… please stay…"
Chris. That was the name of the guy from last night. The one who broke her heart. My chest tightened.
She suddenly climbed on top of me, her bare skin pressed against mine, and before I could speak, she kissed me. Soft. Gentle. Longing.
But that kiss… wasn't for me.
"H-hey… p-please… stop…" I managed to whisper, my voice cracking.
She opened her eyes.
We locked gazes.
Her pupils widened.
She screamed.
She jumped back, dragging the sheets around her. Her face was crimson.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"
I panicked.
"I-I don't know! I swear.... I didn't.... nothing happened, I mean...at least I think... I didn't - "
I dove behind the thick curtains, heart slamming against my ribs.
"YOU IDIOT!" she yelled.
That was the last thing she said to me that day.
"Hey, hey! Earth to Haruki! You're zoning out again."
I blinked. The sun glared off the cafeteria window as my friend Ryo waved a hand in front of my face.
"You okay, man? You've been weird since that beach trip with Miss Sunshine Hinata. Something happen between you two?" He smirked.
"It's nothing," I mumbled, cheeks warming.
"Uh-huh. Sure. You want some advice? Kiss her behind the ear. Works every time."
"I'm good, thanks," I cut him off quickly. Ryo just laughed.
At lunch, Hinata sat beside me, grinning. She placed a huge bento box in front of me.
"You forgot this at home, silly."
"Thanks… sorry," I muttered, scratching the back of my head.
"You better eat all of it," she said with mock sternness, then giggled.
And just as I began to relax, a familiar booming voice echoed through the cafeteria.
"HARUKI!" Ryo appeared, arms dramatically flailing like a stage actor.
"Such as serat couple. Wish i could've the same romantic aura you tok have!"
We both turned red.
He winked and disappeared as fast as he came.
Later, I was heading to my workstation when I noticed something. People were whispering. Watching.
Then I heard it.
"MR. AIZAWA!"
Her voice.
Sharp. Cold. Unmistakable.
Reina Takamura.
"MY OFFICE. NOW."
Oh no.
What did I do? Was it about work? Did I mess something up? Or… or was it about that night?
My legs turned to lead. My heart sank.
I was doomed.
To be continued...