Monday.
Work was still everything it had always been:
gray, quiet, overly organized, smelling faintly of old paper and reheated coffee.
The kind of place where nothing ever happens.
Except when Harumi walks in.
This time, she didn't yell.
Didn't kick the door open.
Didn't compliment anyone's mustache.
Which, honestly, worried a few people.
She walked past reception quieter than usual, waved at the receptionist, and accidentally dropped her bag on the floor without noticing.
— …morning — she mumbled.
The tea lady frowned.
— Are you sick?
— No… just… Monday.
That explained everything.
Kei looked up from his desk.
And frowned.
Harumi was walking slower.
With dark circles under her eyes.
And holding her coffee like it was her last emotional lifeline of the day.
— Good morning, Harumi — he said.
— Morning, boss.
She smiled.
A tired smile.
Kei found it strange.
"What happened to her?"
Harumi at work — functional, but mildly concerning version
She sat down.
Turned on the computer.
It worked.
Which was suspicious.
She opened her planner.
Monday, October 8th.
— …eight — she murmured.
Nothing special.
Nothing at all.
But her thoughts kept circling back to the same thing, like a scratched CD:
school.
She had the name.
The addresses.
Even the schedules saved on her phone.
But she couldn't bring herself to press the call button — or at least, that's what she thought.
The truth was, everything suddenly felt way too real now:
the paperwork, the responsibilities, the worries of being someone's guardian.
"Are they really okay with this? With me being responsible for them… this new routine… are they okay?"
And then she understood.
She had touched her own wound.
Her expression darkened.
She looked more serious now.
"I'm so selfish. These past two months, I've been so happy having them in my life that I just started making decisions without even properly talking to them."
— Tonight I'll call — she promised herself. — After I actually talk to them first!
Suddenly, she felt confident again.
That was when her boss, Kei, called her over.
— Harumi — Kei's voice called calmly. — Can you help me for a minute?
She stood up immediately.
— Of course!
The boss's office.
The room was way too organized for someone who had worked with Harumi for years.
Perfectly stacked papers.
Pens aligned.
Not a single thing out of place.
She sat down in the chair beside him.
— I need these documents sorted and stapled for the meeting — he explained. — If you could…
— Sure!
She grabbed the papers.
Grabbed the stapler.
And froze.
The stapler hovered in the air for way too long.
Kei noticed.
"Okay. This is the moment."
— …everything alright?
She blinked.
Once.
Twice.
— No.
And that was it.
No dramatic breakdown.
No screaming.
Just the quiet collapse of a mountain made of emotions.
Slowly.
— I need to call a school — she said, staring at the papers. — But I'm scared. And honestly… that's not even what's bothering me.
Kei sat down.
Picked up another stack.
Started sorting while listening.
— Ever since I got here, my life has been completely different! And I still haven't properly talked to them…
stapler — click.
— There's all the paperwork too… and it's not like things are going badly… — she said, though her voice sounded distant.
Click.
— Harumi.
— Y-Yes, boss?!
Kei looked at Harumi, who was now standing and gesturing dramatically as she talked.
Then he spoke.
Serious.
— So you're assuming that maybe… these kids you helped wouldn't want to spend the rest of their lives with you?
Silence.
Same problem.
Just seen from a different angle.
And somehow, it sounded so simple.
But Harumi felt it.
She looked different now.
Calmer.
Her shoulders relaxed.
Like something had finally clicked.
— Harumi, do you even realize how happy those kids are every day just because they have someone there with them? Someone who loves them, and it's been less than two months.
There was something real in the way he said it.
Something personal.
Like he wasn't just talking to her.
— If you still have doubts, ask them. I don't think you'll be surprised by the answer. Truth is… they're really lucky.
Harumi's face turned red.
She looked stunned.
Like she might cry.
"So that's it… Is it okay if I think that too? That maybe… they want to stay with me too…!"
For a few seconds—
both their hearts went quiet.
— Ah… I get it now. That's good. — Harumi smiled.
Kei turned slightly red too.
Like he had just realized what he'd said.
And how he'd said it.
— That's your thing, isn't it, Kei?! — she said, trying to lighten the mood.
Before Kei could say anything—
she finished:
— Thank you.
"That's what I like most about you. Thank you, Kei… for listening to me, calming me down, and giving me courage!"
— YOOOOCHAAA!!!! I'm talking to them today!!
Kei jumped a little.
But smiled.
She had officially returned to normal.
And he had finally UNDERSTOOD the situation.
— Harumi…
She stopped.
— …yeah?
— Just to confirm — he said, way too calmly. — These kids… aren't your children?
She froze.
— No.
— Not even… nieces or nephews?
— No.
— And you're not married?
— NO.
Silence.
Kei leaned back in his chair.
— …then I understood literally everything wrong.
— WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!
— Itsuki made me misunderstand on purpose — he said, already annoyed. — I thought you had a daughter, that the boy was your cousin or something—
— I KNEW IT — Harumi huffed. — HE DID THAT ON PURPOSE.
— I'm going to kill him — Kei muttered darkly.
The office door was slightly open.
Out in the hallway, Aoi stood with a coworker, arms crossed, watching everything through the window.
Expression neutral.
— Are they fighting?
— No.
— Worse.
— They're talking.
Inside the office, Harumi kept going.
While Harumi finally started doing her actual job:
stapling.
Kei remembered something.
A memory he would never forget.
Not from this office.
But from years ago.
That summer day at school.
Under the cherry blossom trees.
And Harumi being there.
Seeing her in that exact moment had made him finally understand—
and accept—
that he loved, and would only ever love, that girl for the rest of his life.
And that he wanted to protect her.
Help her in moments like this.
He remembered the way she smiled.
Pretending everything was okay.
Remembered the ache in his chest.
And the thought that came so clearly.
So simply.
So definitely:
"Yeah.
I love her."
That was the moment.
Right there.
Not dramatic passion.
But a decision.
Outside, Aoi watched through the window.
— There it is — he muttered. — He fell in love all over again.