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Showing posts from March, 2025

About Love: Chapter 14

Previous   TOC   Next The next morning, Asaka arrived at work at eleven. As soon as he sat at his desk, he scanned the wedding schedule pinned in front of him and cross-checked it with his planner. He went over each detail meticulously—was anything missing from his timeline? Were the print order dates correct? Had he overlooked any delivery schedules? Right now, he was responsible for nearly thirty upcoming weddings. Some were set for next week, others not until next March. Managing multiple weddings at once meant keeping track of countless moving parts. If he slipped up, he could easily forget to place an order for invitations and seating cards. Or worse, a shipment of wedding favors might not arrive on time. It had happened before. A senior planner once placed an order for wedding gifts through their system, only for the supplier to never receive it. In the end, Asaka had to drive two hours out of town after work to pick them up from the factory himself. Since the packaging ...

About Love: Chapter 13

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Previous   TOC   Next Sasagawa had been to Asaka’s place a few times before, but this was the first time he was inviting him over as a lover. He’d worried that the moment Sasagawa stepped inside, the atmosphere might turn strangely intimate, but nothing about Sasagawa’s expression, demeanor, or easygoing tone had changed in the slightest. Sitting across from each other at the small table, they picked at their convenience store bento meals. Sasagawa loosened his tie just a little and sipped his cup of sake at a leisurely pace. Even though the man across from him was acting the same as always, Asaka was hyperaware of every little thing. Annoyed at himself, he drank his beer at a faster pace. As the alcohol seeped through his system, he finally began to relax, and his usual rhythm returned. "You know, I’m going to be in charge of training a new recruit starting next week." Sasagawa paused mid-movement, looking at him as if trying to recall something. "…Is that the new male ...

About Love: Chapter 12

Previous   TOC   Next Although July had arrived, there was still no sign of the rainy season ending. The drizzle continued day after day. Rain was the mortal enemy of weddings—it forced garden ceremonies indoors, and the poor footing led to a surge in late arrivals. As if weddings weren’t already nerve-wracking enough, the bad weather only added to the stress. Please let it clear up on the weekends, Asaka Takeshi thought as he clutched his bag to his chest and pushed open the door to his workplace, the bridal salon Dragée . The salon handled all aspects of wedding planning, offering total coordination services. This year marked its tenth anniversary. Led by President Kohara Tamaki, the company had eight full-time employees, five assistants, and three part-time workers—hardly a large staff considering the number of weddings they managed. A “small but elite team,” as they were often called, but their success was undeniable. Last year, the salon had undergone a major renovation, ...

About Love: Chapter 11

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Previous   TOC   Next The weather was perfect—clear skies, neither too hot nor too cold. An ideal day for a wedding. About forty minutes before the ceremony, guests began to gather. Asaka, busy attending to the influx of people, couldn’t help but scan the crowd. And then, about twenty minutes later, Sasagawa finally arrived with his wife. Since they were still legally married, it was only natural for them to attend together. But the sight of them walking side by side, looking so unremarkably normal, stirred an inexplicable irritation in Asaka. Haruka, Sasagawa’s wife, was as delicate and beautiful as ever, her lavender-colored suit complementing her elegance perfectly. Sasagawa, too, dressed sharply in an ice-gray suit, looked nothing like his usual self—refined, even. But up close, Asaka noticed something startling: Sasagawa had lost a considerable amount of weight. His cheeks were hollow, and his complexion looked pale. “It’s been a while, Sasagawa-sama,” Asaka greeted, mask...