Umi, Jun, Tomokazu, and Aki seemed more shocked than I had expected them to be—even Astra, Sanae, Risa, and Satō, who weren't part of the conversation. However, Aki's wide eyes promptly turned into a frown. She wouldn't even blink as she stared at me with her arms crossed. Only then did I realize the grave mistake I had made by not telling her beforehand, but I wasn't going to back up.

"As you heard," I continued. "I've been planning to buy the building for a while now, but there was no money nor the need to do so. Now, there's both. Profit keeps going up, and the imminent hiring of a market analyzer will use up the little space that remains in the art and sewing office."

The four stared at me intently, while Aki's glare cut my breath short. I had to clear my throat before continuing to speak.

"Obviously, I've already discussed this with Haru, as she's soon-to-be Co-CEO. She agreed with me, but the plan won't be as straightforward as we'd like."

"How would that be, then?" asked Tomokazu.

"Unlike this building, we will buy the new one on credit, meaning we'll be making monthly payments for a while. The upside of doing this is that it won't be a huge blow to our funds. The downside is that the government doesn't allow for structural modifications until at least thirty percent of the total cost has been paid. This won't happen until the beginning of next year since we want to cover twenty-five percent of the credit right away."

Umi wondered, "Why are you telling us all of this? You could've just offered us a room to rent after buying the building."

"I told you, I want to be as transparent as possible. However, there's another reason this time."

"What is it?" asked Jun.

"Buying the building will happen sooner or later, but this plan will only go forward if you agree to pay rent. I know it's a low blow on our part, but I promise the rent will be low—"

"Are you kidding me?" said Umi. "I'd pay as much as I could to get a place to live in. I'm sure you all are going through the same."

Both Jun and Tomokazu nodded, while Aki still stared at me. I didn't even want to think about the argument that awaited us.

"Does that mean the four of you agree?" I asked.

Umi, Jun, and Tomokazu glanced at each other, then the four of us glanced at Aki, who finally moved her eyes away from me. After looking at them, she frowned back at me. I expected a resounding no, when she replied,

"I agree."

Umi, Jun, and Tomokazu nodded with a smile, while I was speechless. Aki seemed as angry as I had never seen before, but her attitude said otherwise. It took several seconds for me to recover.

"Alright. As I said, the rent will be as low as possible. On top of that, I'm currently discussing with the accountant how plausible it is for everyone in the company to get a raise. It's almost certain it'll happen, but I'll announce it in the next meeting…"

I hadn't finished talking when we all observed how Aki silently walked out of the studio. The room remained silent for a few seconds until I realized I had to go after her.

She had just reached the bottom floor when I caught up to her. Not daring to hold her to stop her, I merely called her.

"Aki."

She stopped next to the entrance to grab our umbrella. "I'm taking a walk."

"But it's raining."

"That's what umbrellas are for."

My blood was starting to boil, yet I held back to avoid raising my voice, especially because we were at work.

With the umbrella in her hand, she approached the glass door and pushed it open, so I stopped her by asking,

"Are you angry?"

She stood still for a moment before answering, "Of course, I'm angry."

"Then why did you agree to move in?"

"Because it's the wisest decision."

"Then why are you angry?"

She turned around and yelled, "Because you didn't tell me before!"

We stared at each other in silence. It was the first time she had raised her voice toward me.

"Look, I know it's dumb," she continued. "I'm sure I still would've agreed if you told me before, but that's different from being under the pressure of four people. I don't like the idea, Kaito. And you said it before, being a couple is a job for two. I would've loved to move somewhere we both chose, not be given a single option."

Once again, I didn't know what to think. She was giving me contradicting signals, and the boiling of my blood didn't help my brain formulate a proper reply.

"I'm sorry. I knew it was the wisest decision and that you would agree, that's why I didn't bother telling you."

"Well, I don't like being in the dark when it comes to decisions this important for our relationship, but what's done is done. I'll take a walk to cool off. Good thing it's raining."

"Do you want me to go—"

"No, you being there will only make me want to argue more. I won't take long not to delay work."

She stepped out, opened the umbrella, and walked down the stairs onto the sidewalk to disappear from my sight.

The silence didn't last long, as Jun and Tomokazu walked behind me toward their offices and joked, "Awkward."

I turned around and scowled, "Shut up."

However, I saw Butcher sitting next to the door, guarding it as usual. He snapped his head away when our eyes met and started whistling.

"Sorry you had to witness our fight from the front row," I apologized.

"There's nothing to apologize for, young man. It just was awkward."

"That's what I'm apologizing for."

"Don't worry. I've had my fair amount of arguments in public."

My eyes opened wide. "Really? I don't think I've heard you talk about your relationships before."

"Well, most of them were after I adopted the girls, and they all left me when they found out I was taking care of two little girls. I stopped telling them about it on the first date when I realized it, but they had to find out eventually."

"I'm sorry about that."

"Don't be, young man. I had already had a loving and lasting relationship long before I adopted the girls, until she…"

Even though a smile remained on his face, he stopped looking at me to stare at the floor. The prolonged silence was enough for me to know it wasn't the time for a topic like this.

"You don't have to tell me," I said. "You will if you want, but don't force yourself."

He looked at me again. "Thank you, young man."

We exchanged smiles and I returned to my office to resume work.

 

It took three days for Haru, the accountant, and I to develop the best plan possible to buy the building. Only then did I realize I hadn't talked to the owner since he offered to sell it to us, so I gave him a visit.

I knocked on the door, but no one replied after several seconds. About to knock again, the door opened and the owner appeared.

"It's you," he said. "What do you want?"

Even though his wording was just as straightforward as I remembered, his tone sounded calmer.

"Good afternoon," I replied. "I hope your offer is still up because I want to buy the building. I know it took us a while, but you and your wife are finally going to have that beach house."

I expected a smirk and dry jokes. Instead, he merely stared at me with no emotion whatsoever.

Several seconds later, he finally replied, "Come have some tea."

Not even waiting for my reply, he turned around and walked back into the house, leaving the door open. Does he want to discuss the terms?

I stepped into the house, just to be hit by memories of me entering what used to be Butcher's, Sanae's, and Risa's house before being remodeled into our current HQ. It was completely similar, save for the furniture and the photos hanging on the walls. It was the first time I had seen his wife, even though they were pictures.

The owner was already serving the tea by the time I arrived at the table in the dining room.

"Sit down," he said.

As soon as I did, he put the cup of tea in front of me. I wasn't a tea fan, but unlike coffee, I was able to drink it.

"Thank you," I said.

He sat down in front of me at the opposite side of the table and stared at me, emotionless once again. I took a sip of the tea to break the awkwardness.

In the middle of the sip, he said, "I'll be blunt."

Oh, no. Don't tell me he doesn't want to sell the building anymore.

"My wife passed away a month ago."