"Ume… would you like to have dinner together tonight? A new French restaurant just opened—it has pretty good reviews."
Leaning casually against the doorway of Room 301, Yoichi held up two reservation vouchers with a faint smile. It had taken him quite some effort to secure them through a colleague. Ever since the rainy night and the cookie incident, the distance between them had quietly shortened. Matsuzaka was still as stubborn as ever—but now, Yoichi could easily catch the softness hidden in her eyes.
Inside, Matsuzaka had just finished applying her lipstick. Hearing his voice, her hand paused slightly, and a faint warmth spread across her cheeks reflected in the mirror.
"French food… isn't it a bit too heavy?" she replied, pretending to browse through her bags. "Besides, I'm on a diet lately."
"How about sukiyaki then?" Yoichi immediately adjusted, as if he had anticipated this. "There's a place with really good wagyu."
"You…" Matsuzaka opened her mouth to respond—
But her phone suddenly rang.
She glanced at the screen.
And her expression changed.
Without another word, she walked to the balcony to take the call.
Yoichi didn't intend to eavesdrop, but fragments of the conversation drifted through the air—words like "Roppongi" and "old classmate."
When she returned, her expression had already shifted into a carefully composed smile.
"Sorry, tonight won't work," she said, picking up her most expensive designer bag. "An old classmate came to Kasukabe. He works in finance in Roppongi."
Yoichi's grip on the reservation vouchers tightened slightly.
But he still smiled.
"It's fine. Have a good time."
Watching her leave in a hurry, her heels clicking against the ground, Yoichi felt a faint tightness in his chest.
He knew.
About her "Roppongi" story.
About how much she longed to belong somewhere she felt she didn't.
That night, around ten—
Yoichi sat quietly on his sofa, absent-minded.
Then—
The sound of a key turning.
Followed by unsteady footsteps.
"…What a joke… I thought he actually wanted to see me… turns out he just wanted to borrow money…"
Her voice was slurred.
Yoichi immediately opened the door.
Matsuzaka stood there, leaning against the wall. Her hair was messy, makeup slightly smudged, and her eyes—
Red.
The moment she saw him, her composure shattered.
"Nohara Yoichi… they're all so fake…" she murmured, voice trembling. "They call me the 'Princess of Roppongi' to my face… but laugh at me behind my back for being rural…"
Yoichi stepped forward without hesitation and supported her.
The faint smell of alcohol mixed with something heavier—
Disappointment.
He guided her inside, helped her sit down, and handed her a glass of warm water.
"Don't think like that," he said gently. "To me… you're not like that at all."
"Really…?"
She looked up at him, eyes hazy.
"But I've never even lived in real Roppongi… I keep buying things I can't afford…" Her voice broke slightly. "I just… don't want people to look down on me. I don't want to feel like I'm not good enough…"
Yoichi felt something tighten in his chest.
He remembered what Hiroshi had told him—her background, her struggles, everything she had faced alone.
All that "vanity"—
Was just armor.
He reached out and gently wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes.
"Matsuzaka Ume… you don't need those things to prove your worth," he said softly. "You're kind. You're strong. You care deeply about your students. Those things matter far more than any brand or title."
She froze.
And then—
Her tears fell even harder.
Since Dr. Tokuro—
No one had ever told her she was enough.
The next morning, she woke up on Yoichi's sofa, his jacket draped over her.
The memory of last night hit her all at once—
And she immediately buried her face in her hands.
"…This is so embarrassing…"
Before Yoichi woke up, she quietly slipped back to her apartment.
At noon, she was in her kitchen, cooking instant noodles.
The doorbell rang.
Opening it, she saw Yoichi standing there, holding a neatly wrapped box.
Inside—
A small tin of tea.
"This is Sayama tea," he said with a smile. "A friend brought it from the countryside. I heard it's similar to the tea from your hometown."
He paused slightly.
"I think this kind of simple, authentic taste suits you better than expensive imported ones."
Matsuzaka stared at the tea tin.
Her eyes softened.
She understood what he meant.
He wasn't rejecting her past—
He was accepting all of it.
"…Tonight," she said quietly, biting her lip, "the sukiyaki… can we still go?"
Yoichi's eyes lit up instantly.
"Of course. I'll make a reservation right away."
That evening, as they walked side by side, they happened to run into Yoshinaga Midori returning from grocery shopping.
She looked at them—
Then smiled knowingly.
"Matsuzaka… is this your boyfriend?"
Matsuzaka's face turned bright red instantly.
"I—he's not—"
Before she could finish—
Yoichi spoke calmly.
"I'm working hard to become one."
Yoshinaga chuckled and waved as she walked away.
Matsuzaka glared at Yoichi—
But the corners of her lips betrayed her.
When they reached the cherry blossom tree at the corner of the street, Yoichi suddenly stopped.
He turned to face her.
His expression serious.
"Matsuzaka Ume," he said, taking a breath before bowing slightly, like a scene straight out of a drama, "I know you may still have doubts… but I want to tell you properly."
"I like you."
"Not because we're neighbors. Not on impulse."
"I like you… for who you are. Your stubbornness, your kindness, your softness."
He lifted his head, meeting her eyes.
"Will you give me a chance… to stay by your side?"
Her last defense—
Collapsed.
She thought about everything—
The rain.
The cookies.
The tea.
The way he saw her—
Without judgment.
Tears fell again—
But this time, they carried warmth.
"…Idiot," she muttered softly, sniffling.
But—
She reached out and held his hand.
"…Then you have to make cookies for me often."
The setting sun filtered through the cherry blossoms, casting long shadows behind them.
For the first time—
She felt light.
Not because of Roppongi.
Not because of status.
But because—
Someone truly saw her.
And chose her.
Not far away, the Kasukabe Defense Force peeked out from behind a utility pole.
Shin-chan raised his binoculars dramatically.
"Waaah! Teacher Ume and Uncle Yoichi are getting married!"
"Nohara Shinnosuke!!! Don't call me Ume!!!"
Her voice echoed through the street—
But Yoichi only smiled, tightening his grip on her hand.
Because he knew—
From this moment on—
She was no longer alone.