After finishing the cake, Ichin lay comfortably on Utaha's lap, not really wanting to get up.
Shifting his head slightly, he closed his eyes and said, "Ah… I really wish I could just stay like this forever."
Utaha smiled and gently pinched his cheek. "That won't do. If you keep lying here, my legs are going to go numb. And Ichin, you still need to get back to work, right? You still have quite a few things left to finish."
"Yeah, that's true… time to keep working."
Ichin reluctantly opened his eyes and sat up, then looked at the two of them. "What about you two? What are you going to do next?"
Utaha glanced at the time and said, "Now… we should get going. Yukino and I still need to stop by the supermarket."
Yukino nodded. "Mm. We'll head home afterward and prepare dinner."
Ichin raised an eyebrow. "You two are cooking today?"
Utaha smiled faintly. "What, you don't trust us?"
"…I suddenly feel like I should rush back early."
Yukino shot him a calm glance. "If you don't come back, then don't eat."
"Alright, I'll be back on time," Ichin immediately surrendered.
After a bit more casual chatter, Utaha and Yukino left the company together.
Watching the two walk away, Ichin stretched and turned back toward the office.
"Guess I should get back to work…"
Around 5:00, his phone rang.
He picked it up and glanced at the screen.
"Haruno?"
He answered the call. "What's wrong?"
From the other end of the line came Haruno's slightly exasperated voice. "Ichin, are you busy right now?"
"Not particularly. Why?"
There was a brief pause before Haruno sighed. "My car broke down."
"…Huh?"
Ichin blinked, momentarily thinking he misheard. "Your car broke down? Where are you?"
"On the roadside, not too far from the company. I was on my way back, and it suddenly stopped. I've already called for assistance, but it might take a while."
Her tone sounded casual, but Ichin could tell there was a trace of annoyance beneath it.
Utaha leaned closer slightly, trying to listen in, while Yukino simply stood quietly, her expression unreadable.
Ichin scratched his head. "So you want me to come pick you up?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Haruno replied with a light chuckle. "Or are you planning to leave your poor, helpless sister stranded on the roadside?"
"…You don't sound helpless at all."
"Less talking, more coming over. I'll send you the location."
Before Ichin could say anything else, the call ended.
A moment later, the location was sent.
Ichin put away his phone. "Looks like I need to go pick her up."
Ichin quickly drove toward Haruno's location.
Not long after, he spotted her standing by the roadside.
Her car was parked to the side, hood slightly open, clearly out of commission.
Seeing Ichin arrive, Haruno walked over with a smile. "You're finally here. I was starting to get bored waiting."
Ichin got out and glanced at the car. "What happened?"
"No idea. It just stopped suddenly." Haruno waved her hand dismissively. "Anyway, I'll leave it to the professionals later."
Ichin nodded. "Get in, I'll take you back."
Haruno opened the passenger door, but instead of getting in immediately, she paused and looked at his car.
Then, she raised an eyebrow slightly.
"…Ichin."
"What?"
"Don't you think it's about time you changed your car?"
Ichin blinked. "Huh?"
Haruno tapped lightly on the car door and said with a half-smile, "With your current status, driving something like this… isn't it a bit too low-profile?"
She leaned slightly closer and added, "At the very least, you should upgrade it a bit, don't you think?"
Ichin scratched his head. "…It works fine though."
"That's not the point," Haruno said with a soft laugh as she finally got into the car. "You're the boss now. Image matters."
Ichin got back into the driver's seat, still looking unconvinced.
"Let's talk about it later," Haruno said casually, fastening her seatbelt. "But seriously… you should consider it."
Ichin didn't reply immediately, but her words lingered in his mind as he started the engine.
...