Planet Six, six in the morning.
Kotomi Izumi had originally wanted to go back to sleep, but ever since getting up to use the bathroom at five that morning, she had not felt sleepy at all.
After tossing the idea around in her mind for a while, she sat up in bed, picked up her phone, and sent Yui Yuigahama a message.
Kotomi Izumi: [Are you awake?]
Half a minute later.
Yui Yuigahama: [Good morning, Kotomi! I just woke up.]
Kotomi Izumi suddenly remembered that after LINE had been updated some time ago, it introduced a feature called Special Attention. Once a contact was marked as someone you especially cared about, LINE would play a unique notification sound whenever that person sent a message. The sound was also quite loud, making sure you immediately knew that someone important to you had messaged you.
After updating LINE to the latest version, Yui Yuigahama had immediately marked Kotomi Izumi as a Special Attention contact.
There was no need to ask. Kotomi Izumi could already guess what had happened. The moment she sent that message, LINE's special notification sound had effectively served as an alarm clock. On top of that, Yui Yuigahama was a light sleeper, so the notification had woken her up.
Kotomi Izumi smiled faintly and asked Yui Yuigahama: [You're up awfully early. Did the message I just sent wake you up? Tell me the truth! If you lie, I won't talk to you for the rest of the day.]
It was rare for Kotomi to wake up this early, and for some reason, it put her in the mood to tease Yui a little.
Although Kotomi had only been joking, Yui took her seriously and hurriedly replied.
Yui Yuigahama: [Yes... I was still asleep when my phone suddenly made a notification sound, so I opened my eyes all groggy and saw that it was a message from you, Kotomi. Hehehe, I'm so happy~ Getting a message from you first thing in the morning is the best.]
Kotomi Izumi: [Most people would get angry if someone woke them up while they were sleeping, wouldn't they?]
Yui Yuigahama: [But it was a message from you, Kotomi. Why would I be angry?]
Yui Yuigahama said it as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
When Kotomi Izumi saw the reply, she smiled helplessly. Yui's feelings for her were so sincere that it was as though she had taken out her entire heart and placed it in Kotomi's hands. While Kotomi felt touched and happy, she also felt a little guilty toward Yui.
After all, while she was dating Yui, she was also dating Megumi. No matter how many pretty words she told herself or how carefully she tried to treat them equally, it could not change the fact that she was currently two-timing them.
Thinking about that, Kotomi Izumi sighed helplessly and muttered under her breath:
"Yui, you silly girl..."
After saying that, Kotomi Izumi habitually glanced at Aimi Izumi, who was sleeping beside her.
I spoke pretty quietly just now, and Aimi's asleep, so she probably didn't hear me... Kotomi Izumi thought as her fingers tapped across the keyboard on her phone, sending another message to Yui.
Kotomi Izumi: [Are you free today?]
Yui Yuigahama: [I'm free. Of course I'm free!]
Yui Yuigahama assumed Kotomi wanted to go on a date with her, so she did not dare waste even a second before replying.
Just as she began thinking about everything a girl needed to prepare before a date, another message arrived from Kotomi Izumi.
Kotomi really did want to invite Yui somewhere, but it was not a date.
Kotomi Izumi: [In that case, don't eat breakfast later. Once you've washed up and gotten dressed, come to my house and pick me up. Then we'll go to Chiba Municipal Hospital together for our physical examinations.]
Kotomi Izumi figured that since she was already awake early, and neither she nor Yui had eaten breakfast yet, they might as well use the morning to get their physical examinations done at the hospital.
Yui Yuigahama: [Oh, okay. Then after I finish making breakfast for Mom and Yuka, I won't eat anything myself.]
Although Yui was a little disappointed to learn that Kotomi had not asked whether she was free because she wanted to take her on a date, she was not too upset. As far as Yui was concerned, she was happy as long as she could spend time with Kotomi.
After confirming with Yui Yuigahama that they would go to the hospital for their physical examinations later, Kotomi Izumi stopped lazing around in bed and got up to get dressed.
When she went downstairs, she found her father talking on the phone in the living room. Kotomi Izumi quietly walked over and waited outside, planning to speak to him after he finished the call.
"Dad, I've already handled everything in Setagaya. Those companies were reasonably cooperative. I was originally thinking that if they refused to settle things gracefully, I'd help them settle things gracefully. Since they surrendered so readily, it saved me from having to make the situation more troublesome. Dad, if there's nothing else, I'll hang up now."
Kaneyoshi Izumi, who was sitting on the sofa speaking to his father over the phone, glanced at the clock on the wall. It was about time for his father to eat breakfast, so Kaneyoshi prepared to end the call rather than disturb him any longer.
"Wait. There's one more thing I need to tell you, brat."
Whenever Yakken Izumi spoke about Kaneyoshi Izumi, his tone was usually filled with satisfaction. After all, his eldest son possessed both the ability and the methods necessary to inherit the position of head of the Izumi family.
However, the moment he remembered what Ryu Hishinaga had told him a few days earlier, Yakken Izumi's tone toward Kaneyoshi became somewhat unpleasant.
Rather than anger, though, it was more a sense of helplessness.
"Huh? Dad, what is it? Did something happen with the funds in Hokkaido?"
Kaneyoshi Izumi was puzzled. He could tell that his father sounded a little displeased, but after thinking it over, everything in the family business had been going smoothly lately. From the beginning of the year until now, he had flawlessly completed every test his father had set for him.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that, in just a few more years, Kaneyoshi Izumi would formally become the next head of the Izumi family and lead the family forward.
"It's not about business."
At this point, Yakken Izumi sighed helplessly before continuing:
"A few days ago, Ryu Hishinaga called me. He said that this New Year's, he's coming to Yamanashi so our families can celebrate together."
"That's a good thing. Father-in-law probably has something he wants to discuss with you."
Whenever the Hishinaga family wanted to make some new changes to their existing businesses in the coming year, Ryu Hishinaga, as head of the family, would bring his wife to spend New Year's with the Izumi family. He would then find some time to sit down privately with Yakken Izumi and discuss business, hoping to hear his opinion.
When it came to business, some of Yakken Izumi's methods and strategies truly impressed Ryu Hishinaga.
"Brat, if Ryu Hishinaga were only coming to discuss business with me, would I need to tell you about it right now? The reason I'm bringing this up is because what he told me concerns you!"
After saying that, Yakken Izumi let out another heavy sigh.
Kaneyoshi Izumi sounded even more confused.
"It concerns me?"
"That's right. When Ryu Hishinaga called me a few days ago, he said his younger daughter will return to Japan for New Year's this year."
"Huh? Yuki is coming back from Sydney? That's a good thing. She hasn't returned in so many years. Father-in-law and Mother-in-law must miss her terribly..."
Before Kaneyoshi Izumi could finish, his father interrupted him.
"But for you, this isn't necessarily a good thing. And right now, we have no idea how Akina feels about her younger sister returning to Japan. After all, what Yuki Hishinaga did to you back then was almost unbelievable. Because of it, she completely broke Akina's heart."
Remembering what had happened all those years ago, Kaneyoshi Izumi fell silent. His father was right. Yuki Hishinaga's return was certainly good news for the Hishinaga family.
But if Akina found out, she might not be happy about her younger sister coming back at all.
After all, what Yuki Hishinaga had done to Kaneyoshi Izumi back then was simply too...
"Dad, did Father-in-law bring this up because he's worried about Yuki meeting Akina too?"
"Exactly. After all, the Hishinaga family has already decided to spend New Year's with the Izumi family this year, and many other families already know about it. There's no way we can suddenly change those plans. If the Hishinaga family abruptly stopped coming here for New Year's, some families would likely start wondering whether something had happened between the Izumi and Hishinaga families.
"Right now is a critical period in our takeover of Tokyo. I don't want any rumors that could cause instability.
"So the Izumi and Hishinaga families spending New Year's together will not change.
"But that means Yuki Hishinaga and Akina will inevitably meet."
Hearing this, Kaneyoshi Izumi suddenly felt the pressure on his shoulders grow heavier. Strangely enough, no matter how difficult a situation he faced in business, he could always remain calm.
But the moment he imagined Yuki Hishinaga and Akina meeting during New Year's, Kaneyoshi Izumi could not help lighting a cigarette and smoking while he thought.
Perhaps a cigarette could not instantly give him a solution, but at least it made the pressure feel slightly less overwhelming.
Yakken Izumi also knew his son would feel pressured after hearing this. He sighed helplessly and said:
"What happened between you and Yuki Hishinaga can only be called an ill-fated entanglement.
"Who could have imagined that girl had always been in love with you? And you, brat, were so single-minded back then that most of your attention was devoted to studying business. You never noticed Yuki Hishinaga's feelings for you at all.
"By the time you finally wanted to start dating someone, the person you fell for was Yuki Hishinaga's older sister, Akina.
"So I can't exactly say it's surprising that Yuki Hishinaga lost control after finding out you and her sister were together. In a moment of impulsiveness, while you were drunk, she did something like that to you...
"I've heard that over the years, Yuki Hishinaga has sent gifts to Kotomi and Aimi every holiday and festival, and they're always expensive luxury goods. From the time Kotomi and Aimi were little until now, she has never once missed giving them gifts.
"I don't know whether she treats Kotomi and Aimi as beloved nieces because she wants to be a good aunt, or whether she's always regarded Kotomi and Aimi as her own daughters because she wants to be their second mother.
"Forget it. You can deal with your own romantic problems."
With that, Yakken Izumi hung up.
Seeing that his father had ended the call, Kaneyoshi Izumi put his phone back on the table, removed his glasses, and rubbed his eyes. He had weathered countless storms in the business world and could calmly face any predicament, yet at this moment, he found it impossible to settle his mind.
Kotomi Izumi had been standing outside the living room waiting for her father to finish his call, but she had not really heard what he had been saying.
On top of that, Kaneyoshi Izumi had not put the phone on speaker, so Kotomi naturally had no idea that her father had been talking to her grandfather.
Come to think of it, when she had first started listening, she had vaguely caught the words "Setagaya" and "company." Kotomi Izumi therefore assumed her father was discussing business with someone and stopped eavesdropping, instead taking out her phone and casually scrolling through Twitter.
With all her attention focused on Twitter, she naturally missed the later conversation between her father and grandfather.
After scrolling for a while, Kotomi Izumi glanced into the living room. Seeing that her father had finished his call, she walked in and greeted him with a smile.
"Dad, good morning~"
"Kotomi? Good morning. You're up awfully early today. Are you hungry? I'll make breakfast today. What do you want?"
Kaneyoshi Izumi was somewhat surprised to see Kotomi awake so early. On weekends and holidays, his daughter always slept until she woke naturally, which was usually around ten or eleven in the morning.
Kotomi Izumi shook her head.
"I'd love to have your cooking, Dad, but not today. Yui and I already agreed to go to the hospital for physical examinations, so we can't eat breakfast."
"I see. Then be careful on the way. If anything happens, call me immediately. And since Yui is going with you, are you planning to bring her home for lunch afterward, or are the two of you eating outside?"
Kaneyoshi Izumi already knew that Kotomi intended to have Yui accompany her for the physical examination, so he did not say much more about it.
After all, they were going to Chiba Municipal Hospital. It was neither particularly near nor far from their house, only a little over ten minutes away on foot.
"I'm planning to eat out with Yui."
"All right. You and Yui can eat whatever you like for lunch, but remember to take the initiative and pay for her meal. With your appetite, you can't exactly make Yui treat you, can you? Do you still have enough allowance? If not, I'll give you some more..."
As Kaneyoshi Izumi spoke, he opened his wallet and prepared to hand Kotomi Izumi the several dozen ten-thousand-yen bills inside.
Kotomi Izumi hurriedly shook her head and refused.
"No need, Dad. We're only going out for lunch. There's no reason to give me that much. Besides, I have more than enough from my allowance and manuscript fees."
"You keep it all in your bank account and mobile payment apps?" Kaneyoshi Izumi asked.
"Yeah."
Kotomi Izumi nodded. Electronic payments were already highly developed in Japan, so she had grown accustomed to keeping her money in her bank account and mobile payment apps.
After hearing that, Kaneyoshi Izumi still held out the several hundred thousand yen in cash toward Kotomi Izumi and said with a smile:
"Take it. When you go out, you should get into the habit of carrying some cash with you. No matter how widespread electronic payment becomes, there will always be situations where you have no choice but to use cash."
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