Nibiiro no Hana: Chapter 19

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At a renowned creative Japanese restaurant that's notoriously hard to get a reservation at, Sagawa was having dinner with Itakura Reina. They were seated at a counter by the window on the twelfth floor of a high-rise building—exactly the spot he’d scouted in advance for the view. The nightscape outside was stunning, and Reina was in an excellent mood.

The pre-ordered course was artfully plated and tasted great. It felt a bit small for a man’s portion, but he let that slide.

Reina was in the middle of telling him about how a friend of her cousin was a national contender in diving and being considered for the Olympics. But Sagawa had no interest in niche sports, let alone complete strangers, so he just kept throwing out noncommittal responses like “Huh” and “I see.”

“Today, a Canadian client came to the office. There are two secretaries, myself and another girl, but she’s not great at English, so I handled the client. When I told him I spoke Spanish, he suddenly switched languages and started talking to me in Spanish. My boss was just standing there, mouth open. It was so funny.”

Reina had always bragged about speaking two languages. He figured this was her fishing for praise, but the look-how-capable-I-am tone was subtly irritating. So instead, he diverted the conversation with, “I was actually asked to interpret for an executive from HQ today.”

“The guy didn’t speak any Japanese, and they asked me to help out. I’m the only Japanese person in the management division at HQ, after all. My English isn’t native-level or anything, but he seemed pretty satisfied.”

The fact that he’d been tricked into believing the man didn’t understand Japanese, sexually harassed, and criticized for his pronunciation—none of that was necessary to bring up now. Honestly, he had no desire to mention any of it at all.

“Oh, really,” Reina replied, her response lukewarm.

“When I was guiding him around the office, he asked me all kinds of questions about our marketing strategy. I shared my thoughts, and he told me I was clever.”

“Leaving a good impression on someone in a higher position is important,” she said.

That’s not the kind of answer he wanted. A simple “Wow, that’s great!” would’ve been enough. But Reina had no sense of how to read the mood. She wasn’t a good conversationalist, nor was she the kind of woman who could joke around casually. He couldn’t even bring up something a little risqué.

The only thing he was really looking forward to was the sex. He already had a hotel room booked. It had been almost a year since he’d last slept with a woman, and he wanted to use it to wipe clean all the unpleasantness from earlier that day. But judging by how Reina usually acted, she didn’t seem like the type to be proactive in bed, either. If the chemistry was off, he knew it would be a serious downer.

Reina’s phone rang. It seemed to be work-related, because she apologized and stepped away from the table, heading toward the restrooms. Watching her slender back as she walked off into the distance, Sagawa felt an overwhelming sense of annoyance. Casual flings were so much easier—but when it came to a woman who was actually decent, you had to keep up with messages, take her out for meals, go on dates… it was a hassle.

If ease and compatibility were the only criteria, Dan was unbeatable. But in the end, that was just business—and he was still a guy.

Sighing deeply, Sagawa drained the last of his sake.

“Mister Sagawa.”

The odd intonation of “Mister” made him tilt his head, and when he turned around, he saw a face that was unnaturally pale and a head of golden hair. The instant he realized it was none other than Huey Adams—the sexual harasser—he nearly dropped the glass in his hand.

“Wh-What are you doing here…?”

“One of our clients brought me along. The food and drinks here are really good.”

Don’t tell me Dan’s with him too. Panic flared as Sagawa scanned the restaurant.

“If you’re looking for Dan, he’s not here.”

It felt like Huey had read his mind, and a chill ran down his spine.

“I invited him, but he turned me down. We didn’t end up meeting. I get the feeling he really doesn’t like me.”

Then Huey glanced toward Reina and asked, “She’s beautiful. A girlfriend? Or maybe a mistress?”

Sagawa’s palm, clenched around the glass, was damp with sweat.

“...Just a friend.”

Huey let out a short laugh through his nose, the look on his face saying as if I’d believe that.

“We really are just friends.”

But the more excuses he made, the more the lie stood out.

“I’ll keep quiet about today. I don’t want Dan to hate me more than he already does. Just a word of advice—he’s a jealous, deep-feeling guy. If you’re going to blow off steam, you’d better learn to do it more discreetly.”

Huey winked sharply and slipped into one of the private rooms partitioned off by sliding doors behind the counter seating.

He’d been that close this whole time?

Sagawa had been putting on airs in front of Reina, lying through his teeth—Huey, fluent in Japanese, might have overheard everything. His cheeks grew hot. Embarrassing. Absolutely pathetic. He wanted nothing more than to bolt out of there.

He flagged down a waiter and paid the bill. Just as Reina returned to the table, he stood up and headed for the exit. He didn’t want Huey hearing another word of their conversation.

Originally, the plan had been to hit a cozy bar after dinner, but he scrapped it. Wandering around outside made him nervous. There was no guarantee they wouldn’t run into Dan somewhere. Their relationship was built on money, and technically it wasn’t a violation of their “contract” for him to be with a woman, but still…

When he invited Reina to a hotel, she nodded with a look that said she’d been expecting it. Even on the way there, he couldn’t relax, his eyes constantly darting around the streets. It was only after they stepped into the hotel room that the tension began to ease. This place was stylish enough, but not anywhere near the level of the hotels Dan stayed in. Still—it was safe. Dan wouldn’t find him here.

Reina went into the shower first, and Sagawa sat on the sofa by the window.

Running into Huey at that restaurant—that had been the worst. He’d said he wouldn’t tell Dan, but could he really be trusted? Sagawa couldn’t even be sure what kind of relationship those two had. They looked to be around the same age. Were they exes?

Dan’s past has nothing to do with me.

Sex is business, he reminded himself. That’s all.

And yet… why was his chest still tight with this vague, restless unease?

A sigh slipped out before he realized it. The whole encounter had been like a slap in the face to the date, wrecking his mood. There was no way he could enjoy sex right now. He started to wonder if he’d even be able to get it up in this mental state—but the moment Reina stepped out of the bathroom, that anxiety melted away like mist.

Her eyes shimmered, as if slightly damp, and her cheeks were faintly flushed. From beneath the hem of her pure white bathrobe peeked her pale legs. Her whole body exuded intent, a silent heat, and the effect hit him like a rush—blood surged downward. Anticipating the pleasure to come, the corners of Sagawa’s mouth relaxed into a smile

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