"Really don't want to come upstairs for a while? You could even spend the night at my place~"
Leaning against the car door with a playful smile, Haruno Yukinoshita teasingly reached out a finger, trying to tap Shizuka Hiratsuka on the nose.
"Forget it. I said no yesterday, and tonight I'm planning on getting a proper night's sleep." Shizuka brushed Haruno's hand away with a look of annoyance, then waved dismissively.
"Come on, head upstairs. I did drive you all the way home, you know."
"You're no fun, Shizuka. Not romantic at all." Haruno laughed as she straightened up, pulling away from the car.
"Alright, I'll go. But you behave yourself and go straight home, okay? Don't end up in some bar again."
"As if. I'm heading off now." Shizuka waved, rolled up the car window, and with a casual turn of the steering wheel, drove away smoothly.
Standing there watching the taillights fade into the distance, Haruno's faint smile slowly vanished.
She reached into her shoulder bag, pulled out her phone, and scrolled across the screen before dialing a number.
"Miss," a steady male voice answered on the other end. It was the same subordinate Haruno had earlier instructed to keep an eye on things.
"I saw your message. Tell me everything," Haruno said, leaning lightly against the stone pillar by the apartment entrance. Her tone carried none of the warmth or softness she had shown with Shizuka just moments ago.
"Yes. You asked me to look into Miss Hiratsuka's whereabouts, and I've already completed the task." The man didn't sound surprised at her sudden coldness. After all, though his young lady usually carried herself with grace and charm, when it came to Shizuka Hiratsuka, her emotions always slipped through.
He'd seen it more times than he could count.
"Talk." Haruno's eyes flickered slightly, her voice sharp with impatience.
"Last night, Miss Hiratsuka left school and went to her usual bar. According to the bartender, she drank until about ten o'clock, then left without her car and checked into the hotel next door for the night."
"Nothing unusual happened during that time."
"Alone the whole time? No one suspicious?" Haruno pressed, her voice rising slightly. Clearly, she wasn't satisfied.
"This is the most reliable information I could gather."
"The most you could gather?"
"Yes. The hotel lobby and floor cameras malfunctioned that night, so there's no footage. But the bartender did mention that while she was drinking, a woman sat next to her and exchanged a few words. After that, she left, and there was no further interaction."
"…Fine. I see." Haruno was silent for a moment before hanging up, her expression unreadable.
"What a convenient coincidence, Shizuka." Looking toward the neon-lit skyline, she swallowed her irritation, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
"I'll find out what really happened. I promise you that."
"Oh! Over here, Shizuka!!"
Dragging her suitcase behind her, Shizuka had barely stepped out of the airport when she heard a lively voice calling her name loudly in Japanese.
"Ah, Yukiko, don't shout so loud." Shizuka hurried over, half-exasperated, at the sight of Kudo Yukiko still as bubbly and energetic as ever despite her child already being in high school.
"What's that supposed to mean? We haven't seen each other in ages, and you're this cold to me?" Yukiko puffed up her cheeks in mock anger, though the act didn't last long before she broke into laughter again.
"I was just worried about your reputation, that's all. You're still a famous actress here in the States, after all. Wouldn't it look bad if people saw you carrying on like this?" Shizuka scratched her head awkwardly and offered an apologetic smile.
"And besides, I came by last year, didn't I? It hasn't been that long."
"Please. I know exactly what you're like." Yukiko tapped Shizuka on the forehead with a finger, then glanced at the suitcase in her friend's hand. After a quick assessment, she decided against offering to carry it.
"Come on, my car's parked outside."
"Alright."
"Sorry to trouble you again, Yukiko." Sitting in the passenger seat of Yukiko's sports car, Shizuka stared at the foreign scenery outside the window. Her hand instinctively reached toward her pocket for cigarettes, but she stopped herself, remembering she was in someone else's car.
"Don't be silly. I'm just glad you came to the States. None of my friends from Japan ever visit me here." Yukiko smiled, her youthful face and playful air making it hard to believe she was a middle-aged woman with a teenage son.
With her refined looks and the mischievous personality honed through years of acting, she had always been striking. Even after so many years of friendship, Shizuka couldn't help but think so again.
"Yukiko, you're as beautiful as ever. Yusaku's a lucky man."
"Oh, stop~" Yukiko waved her hand modestly, though her bright smile betrayed her delight.
"And you, Shizuka, are just too cool. Honestly, no one I know could ever compare." She turned her gaze toward her friend, who was ten years younger yet one of her closest confidantes.
Tall and lean, Shizuka carried herself with a healthy strength that put most women to shame. Her figure, honed through years of training, was enviable even to another woman.
Unlike the typical well-dressed, made-up beauty, Shizuka rarely bothered with makeup. Her strikingly sharp, handsome features were always shown bare to the world. Long, straight black hair cascaded casually down her back, swaying with every breeze like a declaration of her free-spirited nature.
Her fitted jeans emphasized the elegance of her long legs, while her loose T-shirt clung just enough to her shape to stretch the logo across her chest.
One hand hovered idly near her pocket while the other propped her chin against the window frame. Her gaze wandered lazily over the passing scenery, her whole presence radiating effortless composure and charm.
"Shizuka, you're really way too cool!" Yukiko declared with a satisfied sigh, as if she'd just savored something delicious.
"'Cool' isn't exactly a word for women, is it?" Shizuka turned with a helpless smile. "But I've already accepted that I'm not the feminine type, so it doesn't matter."
"Mhm, and that's exactly why you're adorable, Shizuka."
"What?! Yukiko, now you're just spouting nonsense. Don't tease me with weird compliments like that!"
"Heehee~ fine, fine~"