Chapter 123: The Meeting

Chapter 123: Chapter 123: The Meeting

Saturday arrived too quickly.

Haruki hated that.

Important days should announce themselves.

Give warnings.

Provide preparation time.

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Life rarely cooperated.

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At 9:12 AM, Haruki stood outside the community center holding two coffees.

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One black.

One with too much sugar.

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Years of experience.

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Yui arrived three minutes later.

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Not late.

Never late.

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Just exactly Yui.

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The sight hit harder than expected.

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Maybe because of the confession.

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Maybe because of Osaka.

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Maybe because he was finally running out of reasons to delay answers.

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Yui noticed the coffee immediately.

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A small smile appeared.

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"You’re bribing me."

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"I’m preparing for negotiations."

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"That sounds worse."

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Fair.

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They started walking.

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Not toward the community center.

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Not toward a restaurant.

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Just walking.

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The city felt different on weekends.

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Less hurried.

More human.

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Families occupied parks.

Street vendors opened stalls.

Cyclists appeared everywhere.

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Life.

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Messy life.

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Useful life.

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For nearly ten minutes neither mentioned the confession.

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Cowardice remained a shared hobby.

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Eventually Yui sighed.

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Then:

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"We’re both being stupid."

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Haruki nodded.

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Immediately.

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Agreement arrived unusually fast.

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A dangerous sign.

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Yui laughed.

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Then looked ahead.

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Not at him.

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At the street.

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At people.

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At the future.

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Probably all three.

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"I don’t need an answer today."

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The statement surprised him.

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Because it sounded true.

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Not strategic.

Not defensive.

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True.

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Yui continued.

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"I needed honesty."

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A pause.

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"I got it."

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The words settled between them.

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Not fixing anything.

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Not breaking anything.

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Just existing.

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For several blocks, the conversation moved elsewhere.

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Community center updates.

Osaka paperwork.

A child who accidentally glued three chairs together.

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A surprisingly impressive achievement.

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Then Yui asked:

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"Are you happy?"

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The question arrived without warning.

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Haruki frowned.

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"What kind of question is that?"

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"The kind I asked."

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Fair.

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Dangerously fair.

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Haruki thought.

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Actually thought.

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Not searching for the correct answer.

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Searching for the real one.

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Eventually:

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"Sometimes."

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Yui waited.

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No interruption.

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No rescue.

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Just patience.

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"I think I’m getting better."

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Another pause.

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"I don’t think I’m happy yet."

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The honesty felt uncomfortable.

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Which usually meant it was correct.

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Yui nodded slowly.

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Then:

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"I think that’s okay."

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The answer surprised him.

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Because most people wanted happiness as a destination.

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Yui treated it like a process.

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A subtle difference.

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An important one.

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At noon, they reached a small riverside market.

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Food stalls.

Artists.

Musicians.

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The atmosphere felt alive.

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The smell of grilled food drifted through the air.

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Several children chased each other between vendor tents.

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One nearly crashed into Haruki.

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The child apologized.

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Then immediately ran away again.

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A perfect system.

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Yui laughed.

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The sound felt lighter lately.

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Good.

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No.

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Healthy.

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Better word.

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They bought lunch from different stalls.

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Then found a bench overlooking the river.

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For several minutes, neither spoke.

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Not awkward.

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Comfortable.

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Different.

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A street musician played nearby.

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Not particularly well.

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Enthusiastically.

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Which mattered more.

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Eventually Yui broke the silence.

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"Can I ask something selfish?"

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Haruki immediately became concerned.

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Reasonably concerned.

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Yui smiled.

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Small.

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Nervous.

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Rare.

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"If I go to Osaka..."

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A pause.

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"...will you still call?"

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The question hit harder than the confession.

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Not because it was larger.

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Because it was smaller.

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More practical.

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More real.

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Haruki looked toward the river.

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Water moved steadily beneath the bridge.

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People crossed above them.

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Life continued.

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As always.

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Then he answered.

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"Of course."

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Yui stared.

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Then narrowed her eyes.

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Suspiciously.

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"What?"

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"That was immediate."

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Haruki blinked.

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Then realized.

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She was right.

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No hesitation.

No uncertainty.

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No confusion.

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The answer had arrived before thought.

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Which meant it wasn’t a decision.

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It was already true.

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Something changed.

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Small.

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Important.

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Yui looked away first.

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A faint redness appeared near her ears.

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Interesting.

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No.

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Not banned.

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Earned.

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The moment survived exactly twelve seconds.

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Then Haruki’s phone rang.

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Mizuno.

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Of course.

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The editor’s timing remained supernatural.

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Haruki answered.

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"What happened?"

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"Where are you?"

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"Outside."

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"Helpful."

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The sarcasm arrived instantly.

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Expected.

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Mizuno continued.

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"The collaboration project has a problem."

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A pause.

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"A big one."

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Haruki sat upright.

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Yui immediately noticed.

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The atmosphere shifted.

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Business.

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Creator business.

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Dangerous business.

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"What happened?"

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The editor exhaled.

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Audibly.

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Never a good sign.

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One sentence followed.

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Only one.

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"Hoshino Arata withdrew."

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Silence.

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Not dramatic.

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Confused.

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Because the statement made no sense.

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Arata was the glue.

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The connector.

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The reliable one.

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The project needed him.

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Which meant either something serious happened...

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Or something very serious happened.

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Mizuno continued.

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"Emergency meeting in one hour."

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Then the call ended.

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Naturally.

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No.

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Still banned.

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Haruki lowered the phone slowly.

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Yui watched him.

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Concern visible.

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"What happened?"

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For several seconds, Haruki didn’t answer.

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Because his mind already raced ahead.

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Contracts.

Publishers.

Collaboration plans.

Industry politics.

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Consequences.

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Always consequences.

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Finally:

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"The project just lost its most important creator."

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Yui frowned.

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And somewhere across Tokyo, Hoshino Arata—one of the most reliable people Haruki had ever met—had just made a decision that threatened to destabilize an entire industry initiative.

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Which meant one thing.

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Something was very wrong.