— — — — — —
"H-how did you know I work here?"
Oikawa had never heard Kawasaki speak in such a gentle voice before.
"Know you work here? I just happened to come here, that's all."
He sat down at the bar and said casually, "Could you make me a cocktail? A Bloody Mary."
For someone who didn't drink, Bloody Mary was basically the only cocktail name Oikawa knew.
"Minors aren't allowed to drink alcohol." Kawasaki's voice turned noticeably colder.
"And minors are allowed to lie about their age and work in a bar?"
"…So you really found out."
Kawasaki suddenly let out a breath, like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She leaned back against the wall.
"You've been coming home really late lately. Your little brother's worried about you."
"Also… you don't need to stand there like a student being punished."
Oikawa gestured toward the counter. "If it's okay, how about we chat while you make me that Bloody Mary?"
Mostly because… he genuinely wanted to know what a Bloody Mary tasted like.
"Minors aren't allowed to drink alcohol."
Kawasaki rolled her eyes at him but pulled out the bartending tools and some fruit from behind the counter.
Maybe because Oikawa's tone wasn't accusatory, the tension between them eased a little. The awkwardness from earlier faded.
"You're not planning to quit?"
"No. And even if you got me fired here, I'd just find another job."
Stubborn as ever.
But Oikawa had expected that.
That was Kawasaki. A girl with her own ideas, and the determination to stick to them.
"How much have you saved so far?"
"A little over 500,000 yen."
"I'll need at least two million. And I still have to pay your tutoring fees."
"Didn't I already say I'd lower it?"
"I never agreed to that."
"Stubborn woman," Oikawa muttered under his breath.
Apparently she heard him.
Kawasaki shot him a sharp glare.
Her hearing was way too good.
"Here you go. Your Green Smoothie."
She set a yellow drink in front of him.
While she'd been making it, Oikawa had watched closely.
Apparently "Green Smoothie" was made by blending pineapple, spinach, and mango together, then adding lemon water.
So why was it called GreenSmoothie?
Shouldn't it be Yellow Smoothie?
Oikawa decided not to ask. Kawasaki probably didn't know either.
"…Hmm. Not as good as regular kumquat lemonade."
After taking a sip, he gave an honest review.
"So..."
"It's because Taishi's school expenses are already putting a big burden on your family, right? You don't want to add to it."
Hearing her thoughts laid bare, Kawasaki bit her lip in frustration.
"Quit after tonight. Taishi needs his big sister."
"..."
"I still won't quit."
Kawasaki's voice rose slightly, her determination obvious. "I want to go to university. And I don't want my family or Taishi to suffer because of it."
Just like Oikawa thought.
Kawasaki had always been someone with strong convictions.
"Kawasaki… you know what my family situation is like, right?"
Kawasaki looked at him and slowly nodded.
"To be honest," Oikawa continued, "every day when I leave the house, I wish someone would tell me to be careful on the way."
"And when I get home, I wish someone would take my bag and tell me to relax and eat dinner."
"So you already have those things. Why not treasure them?"
Oikawa took another sip of the drink.
Maybe there really was alcohol in it.
He felt oddly lightheaded.
"But…"
Kawasaki bit her lip again.
She really did want to go to her dream university.
"There's no 'but.' Before coming here, I talked to Shizuka-Sensei about your situation."
"She said she can apply for a scholarship for you. Of course, you'll have to place in the top thirty in school."
At a prestigious school like Sōbu High, that wasn't easy.
But Oikawa believed the girl in front of him could do it. Especially with his help.
What rank had he gotten on the midterms again?
Oikawa thought about it.
Sixteenth.
Japanese and geography-history had dragged his score down quite a bit.
"Really?"
Kawasaki stared at him, completely caught off guard. Her voice trembled slightly.
"Really."
For once, Oikawa looked completely serious.
"So finish tonight, then quit. Taishi will make breakfast in the morning and wait for his big sister to come home and eat with him."
Kawasaki broke down crying.
...
Thanks to Kawasaki, Oikawa saw the sunrise over the ocean at five in the morning for the first time in his life.
It really was beautiful.
He snapped a photo and posted it online.
"Everyone on my friends list should thank me for letting you see the 5 AM sunrise."
Before coming to find Kawasaki, Oikawa had actually called Shizuka Hiratsuka.
He'd been ready to fund the "scholarship" himself in secret.
What he didn't expect was that Sōbu High really did have a scholarship program.
Which meant… he just saved himself 1.5 million yen.
A fortunate turn of events.
Still… When the hell was that 3 million yen grand prize supposed to be paid out?
Seriously. He needed that money urgently.
Oikawa had a whole roster of "wives" waiting for new clothes. Seeing them wear the same outfits every day was getting old.
After refusing Kawasaki's invitation to have breakfast at her house, Oikawa stopped by a convenience store and bought a cup of instant noodles before heading home.
"I'm back."
He set down his shoes and boiled some water.
Luckily it was Saturday.
If he'd had classes today, Oikawa felt like he might actually die.
How did Kawasaki manage to stay up this late every night?
It was honestly impressive.
After sending Shizuka a message asking for leave, Oikawa started casually chatting in his group messages.
A new message suddenly popped up.
"Stayed up all night?"
It was from Utako Kasumi.
"???"
"Why aren't you sleeping? Stalking my posts instead?"
Utako replied almost instantly. "I've been revising my manuscript all night. I feel like I'm about to die. This is torture."
Oikawa typed back. "Want some help?"
Seeing the shut-in novelist suffering this much, he decided not to tease her for once.
Then another message appeared. "But if possible… could you call me 'Daddy'? I'd be very grateful."
Utaha's face instantly darkened.
.
.
.