Dusk was fast approaching, and the three of them, Izumi, Hyogo and Ayako, were walking home together.
"What the hell was that?" Izumi exclaimed to Ayako as he pulled on her shoulder. "You had us working like dogs."
"I wasn't about to waste more of my day on account of your laziness," she replied. "Plus, it wasn't even that much work."
"Not that much!" Izumi shot back. "You made us do more work in one afternoon than we do in two whole days."
"Geez, if you're so much of a pushover, you could have just said so," she said, trying to hold back a smirk.
"At least we got done early today, so there's that," Hyogo cut in.
"I guess you're right," Izumi replied, calming down. "Now I can have a nice long nap before we eat."
"Is sleep all you think about?" Ayako asked.
"You work thirteen-hour shifts six days a week and then you can judge," he shot back.
"Why do the two of you always get into fights for the stupidest reasons?" Hyogo asked, trying to separate them.
They both just scoffed and kept walking. Then Izumi asked Hyogo what he wanted to do with their newfound free time.
"About that," he said, suddenly stopping in his tracks. "I have something to take care of."
"Really?" Ayako asked. "We can tag along if you want."
"It might take some time, so you guys go on ahead," he said, declining the offer.
"Sure, I guess," Ayako replied uncertainly before Izumi grabbed her by the shoulder and said, "He's going to be late to wherever it is that he's going, so let him go."
"I wasn't trying to stop him," she said as she brushed his hand away.
Then she turned to Hyogo and, with a soft smile, said, "Just don't stay out for too long."
"I won't," he replied before walking off at the next corner they were coming up on.
Izumi and Ayako then kept walking back toward the house, but every now and then she would look over her shoulder uncertainly. Then, before long, she stopped too.
"I left something at the shop that I have to pick up," she blurted, already walking away in the other direction. "Don't wait up."
"Sure," Izumi said, confused, but he didn't think much of it and just kept walking away.
Ayako kept up a quick pace like she was rushing towards something. As she did, one thought crossed her mind.
"That corner he took. Could he really be going there?"
Her pace persisted until his silhouette came into view. Then she slowed down and quietly followed him.
After taking a bunch of turns, he came upon an artisan shop and walked in.
"Hey, are you here?" he called out once he came inside and couldn't find anyone. "It's me, Hyogonosuke."
From the back, a girl came out, her hands and robe covered in dust.
"It's nice to see you," she said as she walked up to him. "What can I help you with?"
"You know why I'm here," he replied.
By then, Ayako was already outside the shop listening in, a vein popping out on her forehead.
"I had a hunch, but I didn't think that he would be going to the shop of my rival, Kanako, behind my back," she thought. "Does he think that I'm not good enough?"
She took a deep breath and decided to listen in before she came to a conclusion.
"I'm not ready yet, so don't rush me," Kanako replied in a soft tone.
Hyogo looked over his shoulder before asking, "You haven't told her about us yet, right?"
"What about them?" Ayako thought. "What the hell is going on between them?"
"No, I haven't," she answered. "Don't worry, our secret is safe with me."
"What secret?" Ayako thought as she crept closer to the door. "Don't tell me that they're—"
"Don't say it like that," Hyogo said in a faint tone.
"Why? Are you embarrassed?" she said, creeping closer to him.
"Whatever," he said, trying to change the subject. "So how about what I asked for? I already paid."
"You'll have your way by the end of the week, so be patient," she replied.
Outside, Ayako stood with her face flushed with a mix of shock and confusion.
"Paid? Have his way? She couldn't mean—" she thought, her heart pounding. "That sly fox, what is she doing to him?"
"Come over to the back and you can have a sneak peek before I'm ready," Kanako said, leading him to the back room.
He followed without quarrel, and they both went. Ayako peered through the door slightly, thinking, "What the hell are they doing back there?"
She was startled by the sound of rummaging and jumped back out.
When she tried to look back, she thought, "I won't have an excuse if he catches me here."
So she started walking away slowly with quiet steps, thinking, "I'm going to get to the bottom of this sooner or later."
But then, as she walked away, she asked herself, "Why should I even be interested in whatever it is he is doing?"
"He's free to talk to whoever he wants, so why does my chest feel tight when I think about it?"
She swirled her hair with her finger, thinking, "It's fine. He probably doesn't want to bother me. That's why he's asking for her help."
"I'm making this a much bigger deal than it should be."
She straightened herself out and thought, "I have to get out of here before he catches up to me."
She hastened her pace, but she would unconsciously slow down every now and then and look over her shoulder.
"Argh, why am I acting this way?" she exclaimed. "It's no big deal."
She then firmly turned away and kept walking, but stray thoughts lingered in her mind.
"I'll ask him about it the first chance I get."
"That should be enough to calm me down."