On the busy street, as if to soften the pressure of the bustling city, scattered tables and chairs were neatly arranged along the sidewalks.
Even the most hurried passerby would instinctively glance at those who sat there.
And if the person happened to be strikingly beautiful, dressed with elegance and taste, then even more eyes would be drawn in.
Not that the subject of such admiration felt particularly happy about it.
…
Clink, clink. Ice cubes rattled against a glass. Yona Yukinoshita was in no mood to even admire her freshly done nails, which she had been quite pleased with earlier today.
One hand propped up her chin while the other idly stirred her drink with the straw.
Her refined eyes seemed to wander casually over the crowd, but anyone observant would notice her gaze kept flicking back toward the phone lying on the table.
Ding.
The alert for a new message had barely faded when the phone's screen lit up.
"Hmph." At the sight of the sender's name, Yona's lips curled into the faintest smile. Just seeing it filled her chest with warmth.
But the smile didn't quite blossom. With a soft hum, Yona smoothed her expression back to calm composure.
She checked her reflection in the darkened phone screen, making sure nothing looked amiss. Then, with practiced grace, she lifted her handbag and stood. The disappointed gazes of the men seated nearby followed her as she left.
…
"Sorry, sorry, Yona, I kept you waiting!"
By her car, Shizuka Hiratsuka had just been thinking about lighting up a cigarette to kill some time when her eyes lit up at the sight of Yona approaching. She raised a hand to wave but then thought better of it, scratching the back of her head awkwardly instead.
"Hmph, it wasn't just 'a little' waiting, you know." Yona narrowed her eyes as she stopped directly in front of Shizuka, hands folded neatly behind her back. Leaning forward ever so slightly, she studied her friend.
"Uh, sorry. Something unexpected came up." Already guilty for being the one who had stood her up, Shizuka couldn't help but bend back under Yona's scrutinizing gaze, as if trying to escape.
Yona's eyes sparkled, her lips twitching. She almost laughed out loud at Shizuka's flustered expression.
She's still just as easy to tease, Yona thought, suppressing the sudden urge to hug her.
Sniff, sniff.
"Wha—hey! Yona, what are you doing?!" Just as Shizuka was scrambling to find the right words to soothe her friend's annoyance, Yona leaned in closer, sniffing at her twice with narrowed eyes.
Startled, Shizuka panicked and instinctively leaned back, almost parallel to the ground.
"Aha. Smells like alcohol. You must have forgotten our plans because you were out drinking again, didn't you, Shizuka?" Straightening back up, Yona no longer bothered pretending to be angry. She grinned, waving Shizuka closer.
"Well, I… Yesterday I got a little emotional and overdid it," Shizuka admitted, trying to keep her face neutral as she stepped forward, carefully watching Yona's expression.
When it came to this woman once her student, now a close friend Shizuka never let her guard down.
Yona was mischievous enough on her own, but perhaps because she had so few confidants, she was inexplicably sharp when it came to noticing things about Shizuka.
The last thing Shizuka wanted was for Yona to pick up on the fact that she had spent the previous night in a hotel with another woman after drinking too much.
Shizuka gave her head a quick shake, trying to shove that terrifying thought aside.
"What's wrong, Shizuka? Did you drink too much yesterday and still feel sick?" Yona's teasing expression faded into genuine concern as she saw her friend shake her head. Without hesitation, her slender white hands pressed gently against Shizuka's temples, massaging them with careful attention.
It should be fine. I already showered thoroughly this morning, and other than the smell of alcohol, there shouldn't be any traces left on me, Shizuka reassured herself, glancing down at Yona, who was slightly shorter and now looking up at her earnestly. The tension in her chest loosened a little.
"It's nothing. I just didn't wake up properly, that's all. You know I can handle my liquor."
"That still doesn't give you an excuse to drink that much." Yona rolled her eyes, giving Shizuka's head a few more gentle rubs before reluctantly pulling her hands away.
"I should have gone with you yesterday and kept an eye on you."
"You worry too much. You're still a student, and you've got your family's company to deal with. You don't need to take care of me." Shizuka chuckled and reached out to ruffle Yona's hair. Stretching her arms, she looked far more refreshed.
"That's not true." Yona didn't seem to mind the head-pat at all, even though normally she'd never let anyone else touch her hair.
"You have no sense of femininity at all, Shizuka. Whether it's work or life, you're reckless about everything. I promised your mother I'd keep an eye on you, and I intend to keep that promise." Her eyes curved into a smile as she slipped an arm around Shizuka's.
"Without me, you'd be hopeless."
"I wouldn't say that. I'm not a child. I can handle myself."
"Nope. Hopeless without me."
"…Fine." Shizuka sighed and shook her head at the mischievous grin beside her.
She'd always had a soft spot for Yona Yukinoshita, once her student and now someone she'd helped through more than a few family troubles.
"So, what are we doing today?"
"Well, I had a whole day of activities planned to cheer you up. But someone decided to get drunk and leave her poor best friend sitting alone on the street like a sideshow."
"My fault, my fault! Lady Yona, have mercy!" Shizuka raised her hands in surrender, laughing awkwardly.
"Hmph. First stop, buying you a new outfit. I'm not spending the whole day stuck smelling alcohol on you."
"Alright, alright."
…
"Miss Yona." The respectful voice on the other end of the phone didn't change Yona's expression. Her eyes flicked toward Shizuka, still hesitating in front of the fitting room mirror, unsure which outfit to choose.
"There's a task I want you to handle. Find out where the car with license plate number XX-XX went last night, and where its owner ended up."
"Yes, Miss Yona… Uh, that's Ms. Hiratsuka's car…"
"Is there a problem with that?"
"No, none at all, Miss. I'll investigate right away."
"Good."