About Love: Chapter 3

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About a week after Asaka had given the flowers, a letter arrived from the Sasagawa couple. Inside the envelope was a beautifully pale blue card, filled with heartfelt words of gratitude from both of them.

But the happiness didn’t end there. That same day, as soon as he finished meeting with a client, Asaka rushed to Kohara’s desk at the office. He just had to share the news with someone.

He had felt a little nervous before the meeting, knowing the client had specifically requested him. At the reception desk, he found a couple who seemed to be in their early thirties. The man introduced himself as Kitamura and greeted Asaka with a friendly smile. Then, he explained that he had come on a recommendation from a friend.

"It seems Sasagawa-sama referred me to you. He told me there was a very dedicated and kind bridal coordinator."

As expected, when Asaka relayed the story, Kohara froze with wide eyes, momentarily forgetting to sip the coffee in his hand.

"Sasagawa-sama really is the best kind of client. Even after such a big mistake, he was still satisfied with your work and even introduced an important friend to you."

This must be what people mean when they say they feel like they’re walking on air, Asaka thought. Everything felt exciting. Even the dental treatments he had dreaded so much weren’t unbearable anymore. And on top of that, his cavities had finally healed.

Even as the dentist gave him a lengthy lecture about proper oral care, Asaka’s thoughts were elsewhere. Since he had been recommended, he had to make sure this wedding was nothing short of perfect. He mentally pieced together multiple wedding plans, imagining what would best suit Kitamura-sama based on his impression from their meeting.

After leaving the clinic, Asaka stopped by a convenience store near the station. He didn’t really feel like eating after his treatment, but he knew if he didn’t, he’d wake up hungry in the middle of the night. Initially, he reached for his usual nutritional drink, but for some reason, he had an unusual craving for something more filling. He wandered over to the section with prepared meals and bento boxes.

There was already someone standing in front of the rice ball shelf. A tall figure, unmoving. Something about the solitary way he stood there made Asaka instinctively sympathize—he gave off the same air of a person living alone.

But the moment the man turned around, Asaka froze.

Holding a salmon and takana rice ball and a bottle of green tea, the man noticed Asaka’s presence and gave a small nod.

"Good evening."

"Oh, good evening," he replied.

It was strange, running into him like this. Sasagawa had never been someone Asaka had spotted in his usual daily routine before.

"Are you on your way home, Asaka-san?"

"Yes, I just finished my dental treatment."

Sasagawa smiled, and somehow, Asaka found himself smiling as well.

"By the way, did a man named Kitamura come to see you?"

That was exactly what had happened that day.

"Yes, he did. Thank you for introducing such an important friend to me."

The man across from him gave a small shrug.

"Not at all. He seemed unsure about what to do for his wedding, so I thought it was the perfect chance to recommend you."

After exchanging vague parting words—"Thank you" and "Well then"—they separated within the store.

But when Asaka went to the register, holding a chirashi sushi rice ball and his nutritional drink, he found Sasagawa beside him at the next counter, paying for his items.

It wasn’t planned, but somehow, they ended up leaving the convenience store together. Their paths home seemed to be in the same direction, and walking side by side felt oddly amusing. Sasagawa must have thought the same, because he murmured, "Seems we’re headed the same way."

A chill breeze swept past them, rustling dried leaves at their feet.

Asaka glanced at the convenience store bag in Sasagawa’s hand. His wife had mentioned enjoying cooking—so why was he buying what looked like a convenience store dinner?

"Do you go to that store often, Asaka-san?"

He asked as they walked.

"Well, I suppose…"

"It’s near your office, after all."

"Do you go there often as well, Sasagawa-san?"

"I was transferred to a new position last month. Since then, I’ve been using it a lot. Their rice balls are surprisingly good."

"A transfer? That means a promotion, doesn’t it? Congratulations."

Sasagawa gave a wry smile.

"It’s just a temporary assignment to a branch for about six months."

Too late to take back his assumption, Asaka regretted jumping to conclusions and quickly changed the subject.

"By the way, Sasagawa-san, do you usually drink sake with your evening meals?"

He had noticed earlier at the register that Sasagawa had bought a small bottle of sake, and it had been on his mind.

"Yes, I do. I enjoy it."

"I seem to recall you once saying you didn’t drink much alcohol…"

Sasagawa gave a small shrug.

"You have a good memory. I only started this year. A friend introduced me to a great sake shop, and now I’m hooked."

"Could it be Tenmon?"

The man beside him turned sharply to look at him.

"You know it?"

"Not really."

They both stopped walking almost simultaneously.

"I like sake too, and I sometimes go out for drinks. Tenmon is great, but there’s a small izakaya called ‘Ruri-iro’ that I secretly think has the best selection in the area. Have you heard of it?"

Sasagawa slowly shook his head.

"It’s a great place. Unlike Tenmon, it’s not as well-known, so it’s never too crowded. It’s located past Tsuruhashi Station—head north on Yashikimachi Street, take a right next to a bakery called ‘San Fran,’ and go up the hill."

Asaka spoke enthusiastically, getting caught up in his own excitement, while Sasagawa tilted his head slightly, looking uncertain.

"I don’t really know the area around Kamehashi Station very well."

"In that case, why don’t we go together sometime?"

The invitation came out naturally, as if it had been the most obvious thing to say.

"Please do invite me."

"The owner is a really easygoing person, and the atmosphere is great too."

Sasagawa laughed. When he smiled, the corners of his eyes softened, making him look effortlessly kind.

They started walking again. Asaka hunched his shoulders against the cold wind.

"It’s about the right season for hot sake."

Sasagawa smiled at Asaka’s words and replied, "It really is."

For a moment, Asaka wondered—what kind of drinker was this man?

◇:-:◆:-:◇

Outside, the sky was overcast, and the wind was strong. The windowpanes rattled noisily.

At his desk, Asaka clutched his head, glaring at the half-finished script in front of him—one that, in all likelihood, would never be completed. Negative thoughts only dragged a person further into negativity. He tried to switch gears and focus on planning for his other clients, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t concentrate.

With yet another sigh, he suddenly felt a light tap on his head. Startled, he looked up to find Kohara standing behind him, arms crossed, wearing a stern expression, her brows furrowed deeply.

“How long are you going to mope around like this?”

When Asaka remained silent and cast his eyes downward, Kohara smacked him on the head again—this time, a little harder.

“Ow… that hurt…”

He looked up at Kohara with a reproachful glare, only to meet a gaze filled with sympathy.

“This isn’t your fault, Asaka.”

At those words, spoken as if to reassure him, Asaka’s chest tightened.

“It’s not your fault. That’s what I believe.”

“But… but it doesn’t make sense! This is the second couple in a row that’s broken up after working with me. They seemed so happy when they first came in. For them to split up while planning their wedding… isn’t that the worst thing that could happen? If I had handled things better, maybe they wouldn’t have fought so much… maybe it would’ve worked out…”

Kohara let out a sigh and pulled a chair over from the neighboring desk, sitting down beside him.

“If their relationship fell apart just from planning a wedding, then that’s all it was ever meant to be. They just didn’t realize that living together requires some level of compromise. It was doomed from the start. You need to accept that and move on. You did everything you could.”

“But… two couples in a row…”

Still unable to let it go, Asaka’s voice wavered. Kohara sighed again, this time with a hint of exasperation.

“For what it’s worth, I once had three couples in a row call off their weddings. And with the third one, I got into a huge fight with the clients.”

Surprised, Asaka lifted his head and met Kohara’s eyes, which held a wry smile.

“That was a long time ago, though. I seriously considered quitting back then. But in the end, I realized I love this job. There’s nothing else I’d rather do. Seeing you like this reminds me of how I felt back then.”

Asaka tried to smile to reassure Kohara, but it came out forced. He lowered his gaze again. Kohara, seeing right through him, gave him a rough slap on the back.

“The meeting you had scheduled got canceled, right? Just go home for the day. Tomorrow’s your day off anyway, so take it easy and come back the day after ready to dive back into work.”

Urged on by Kohara, Asaka left work much earlier than usual, heading home before five. But once he was there, he had nothing to do. Sitting alone in the middle of his room, his thoughts inevitably drifted back to the couple whose engagement had fallen apart.

He tried to distract himself by reading, but all the books and magazines around him were work-related. Three years since he started this job, and he had buried himself completely in it.

Even watching TV didn’t help. Instead of being entertained, the sound of people laughing only irritated him.

As soon as the clock passed six, he seized the opportunity to call an old friend from high school. But before he could even suggest going out for drinks, his friend complained that he’d be stuck working late and launched into a never-ending rant about his awful boss. By the time Asaka got off the phone, he was exhausted.

He tried calling a few other friends, but they were either busy or out of range. Of all days, today, not a single one of them was available.

That settled it—he was going out. Sitting at home, stewing in his thoughts, was unbearable. Even if he had to go alone, it was better than staying in.

As he pulled out his wallet from his bag, a small piece of paper slipped out along with it. A business card, bent and worn at the edges.

Printed on the front: Sasagawa Yoshirou.

He had searched for it after getting home that rainy day but never found it, assuming he must have lost it. Now, Asaka picked it up and stared at the name, as if trying to burn a hole through the card.

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