“Secret?”

Kotomi tilted her head in confusion. Why would going to a restaurant need to be kept a secret?

“Aimi, do you know where we’re going to eat?” she asked Aimi.

Aimi shook her head, indicating she didn’t know either.

As they drove along, Kotomi began to feel that the direction and streets looked somewhat familiar, though she couldn’t immediately place them.

Akina, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, turned to Kaneyoshi, who was driving.

“I heard there’s a popular sushi shop right next to the restaurant we booked. It’s a bit pricey, but I heard the ingredients are super fresh. Maybe next time we should order some high-quality sushi takeout from there?”

“Oh, there’s a sushi shop now?” Kaneyoshi replied, stopping at a red light. “Actually, I think that’s where our company’s scheduled gathering is next week.”

“A company gathering? Wow, that’s a rare occasion! I think the last time you had one was five years ago, wasn’t it?” Akina mused.

“It was six years ago,” Kaneyoshi chuckled, then continued, “We’ve always had one project or another, so it’s hard to find a time when most of us aren’t busy. Finally, we have a decent gap to gather and reflect on the work we’ve accomplished.”

“Or maybe it’s also a celebration for you,” Akina hinted.

“I guess you could say that—it’ll celebrate my upcoming promotion to Section Chief. Would you like to join?”

“I think I’ll skip it. I’ll need to prepare dinner for Kotomi and Aimi that night. Just remember to take it easy on the drinks! I may not be worried about your tolerance, but all those young women at your office who’ve had their eye on you? Now that you’re becoming Section Chief, you’ll be a prized catch. I bet they’ll all be scheming to get you to drink in hopes of becoming ‘Kaneyoshi’s special someone’!” Akina teased with a hint of jealousy.

“Haha, they wouldn’t stand a chance. Even if they all put their appearances together and multiplied it by a thousand, it wouldn’t compare to a single strand of your hair.”

Akina blinked in surprise, then playfully nudged him with her elbow, “Oh? Where did you learn to say things like that?”

“From that love letter you wrote me—your second year of high school, second semester,” Kaneyoshi replied, grinning.

“Hmph! Quoting the lines from my love letter? I ought to charge you a fee for the rights!”

“Sure, fine by me. My bank card PIN is your name’s initials and that date combined.”

“That date?” Akina’s face reddened as she pieced it together, muttering, “You sly thing…”

Sitting in the back seat, Kotomi, who had been eavesdropping, asked curiously, “Mom, what date?”

“No listening in, young lady!” Akina chided, giving Kotomi a playful tap on the head.

“Hehe,” Aimi smirked, taking pleasure in her sister’s chiding.

Gurgle, gurgle—Kotomi’s stomach gave a tell-tale grumble, and she asked eagerly, “Dad, how much longer until we’re there?”

“Let’s see…just two more intersections. Lucky we left early; otherwise, if we’d hit the evening rush, those two intersections alone could have cost us another half hour,” Kaneyoshi replied as he lightly pressed the accelerator, and the GT-R50 smoothly showed its impressive performance.

No wonder they call it the “God of Speed,” Kotomi thought, secretly looking forward to driving the GT-R50 herself once she was old enough.

Meanwhile, at the Kato household.

Naoki Kato had just returned home and noticed his wife, Ikemi, still applying makeup. “Honey, don’t overdo it. If we don’t leave soon, we might end up stuck in traffic.”

“Alright, alright, I get it. But remember, when a woman’s putting on makeup, the fewer interruptions, the better. Who was it that said that, anyway?” Ikemi replied.

Naoki shrugged, unconcerned. “Probably something you came up with yourself. By the way, where’s Megumi?”

“She’s in her room, of course. Every day after school, she just heads straight in and opens her tablet. Who knows what she’s looking at? I told you we shouldn’t have bought her that tablet, but you went ahead with it anyway. What if it distracts her from her studies?”

And with that, Ikemi began her usual fussing.

“So, what’s her score on the recent exams?” Naoki asked.

Most of his week had been spent at the Tokyo Central Bank, and as the department head in charge of financing, his workload ramped up towards the end of the month. Today was Friday, and he’d finally managed to secure two days off.

“797. The report card just came home a few days ago,” Ikemi replied.

“Oh? That’s great—just three more points and she’ll break 800. Seems like she’s really improved since entering high school. It’s definitely a noticeable improvement over her entrance exam results. See, this is why I say not to stress so much. Megumi’s clearly working hard and deserves to relax now and then. Constantly being strict with her is bound to get exhausting. Before long, you’ll be seeing wrinkles!”

With her makeup finished, Ikemi went to call Megumi down but paused when she heard her daughter’s footsteps on the stairs. Megumi arrived in the living room shortly after.

“Mom, are we heading out soon? Oh, and welcome home, Dad! You’re finally done with work?” she asked.

“Not exactly done; let’s say I’ve reached a good stopping point. But next week, I’ll have to head to our Osaka branch for a business trip. Your mother told me about your grades, by the way. You did great. A little celebrating is fine, but remember to stay humble.”

Naoki looked at her approvingly, then continued, “I’ve already booked us a table. It’s at a new sushi place that just opened.”

“Yay! I’ve been craving sushi!”

“I heard they have great sashimi, too,” Ikemi added.

“Haha, in that case, let’s get moving. If we get stuck in traffic, we might miss our reservation.”

The Kato family soon set off, making their way to a sushi restaurant near Tako-nee’s Sukiyaki restaurant.

As the car came to a stop, Kotomi felt a surge of anxiety.

Panicking would solve nothing. Her best option might be to enjoy some beef before Aimi could pull a knife on her.

Looking up at the Tako-nee’s Sukiyaki restaurant in front of her and seeing her parents still parking nearby, Kotomi could feel her legs trembling with a primal sense of survival. If there was a scooter nearby, she might have taken off then and there.

She knew they were going out to eat, and she knew her mother would pick somewhere heavy on meat dishes. But she had never expected that out of all the places in Chiba, Akina would choose the very same Tako-nee’s Sukiyaki restaurant where Kotomi had taken those “couple photos” with Iroha Isshiki not long ago!

Of all the sukiyaki restaurants, why this one?

Even worse, her mind drifted back to those couple photos she’d taken with Iroha that day…

If it were just photos of them making a heart with their hands, it would be easy enough to explain. But in those pictures, Iroha was even planting a kiss on her cheek!

Kotomi prayed silently that her mom had actually booked a table at the Salmon Madam Sushi restaurant next door.

Sweat started to bead on Kotomi’s forehead. Despite wearing a coat and a longer skirt today, she still felt a chill run through her as if her entire body was soaked in cold sweat.

Should I just run for it?

The thought crossed Kotomi’s mind. But before she could take a step, Aimi grabbed her arm.

“Onee-chan, it’s a bit chilly today, huh? It’s like the temperature is dropping… Do you mind if I hold on to you like this?” Aimi leaned her head on Kotomi’s shoulder, smiling softly.

As she spoke, she tightened her hold on Kotomi’s arm, clinging so close that they looked like a lovey-dovey couple to passersby.

A few girls walking by caught sight of them and couldn’t help but smile knowingly.

“Should I just take my coat off and let you wear it?” Kotomi suggested, sounding a little tense as she felt Aimi’s firm grip on her arm.

Her parents were still parking nearby, and she wondered if she could convince her mom to change the dinner spot to the sushi place next door if she acted sweetly enough.

But Aimi, who was perfectly warm and only holding Kotomi for the excuse to be close, shook her head firmly. “No way! Today is your special day, after all. What if you catch a cold? I just need to hold your arm like this. Besides, I can feel you trembling a little… Are you cold?”

Trembling? More like I’m in full survival mode! And are you sure this is what you call holding my arm gently? You’re practically hanging off me!

Kotomi’s thoughts were in a chaotic scramble. If she had known it would turn out this way, she would have voted to stay home and eat instead.

Just then, her parents finally finished parking, and they walked over toward the entrance of the sukiyaki restaurant.

“Sorry to keep you two waiting! Finding a parking spot was like threading a needle,” Akina said, shaking her head. “I swear, we circled for ages before we finally got one!”

“Well, it is Friday,” Kaneyoshi replied. “A lot of people probably go out to eat on Fridays. What table did we book, Akina?”

“We reserved Table 10 at the Tako-nee’s Sukiyaki. Since I called ahead, all we need to do is mention our name at the entrance,” Akina said cheerfully. “Now let’s go in! Who wants to keep standing out here when there’s warm, delicious sukiyaki inside?”

Me! Kotomi thought desperately.

But as the smell of rich, sizzling beef drifted out from the restaurant, her anxiety faded just a little, even if just for a moment.

On second thought… maybe the couple photos she took with Iroha weren’t that big of a deal. It had been days since they were there, and there was no way the restaurant would keep the photos up that long, right? Besides, among so many other couple photos, hers could easily go unnoticed.

Taking a deep breath, Kotomi pushed aside her nerves, focusing instead on the warm meal awaiting her. She was ready to indulge in some hearty beef.

With that thought in mind, Kotomi stepped inside, feeling a little more confident. Even so, she instinctively took a step behind her mom, just in case any of the waitstaff recognized her from her last visit.

Inside the restaurant, Aimi’s eyes lit up with excitement upon noticing that all the waitresses wore octopus hats. “Wow! They all have these adorable octopus hats! Can I buy one to take home?”

Akina chuckled. “Well, it is Tako-nee’s Sukiyaki, after all. I suppose it fits the theme.”

Just then, a waitress with a bright red octopus hat approached them with a welcoming smile. “Hello, and welcome to Tako-nee’s Sukiyaki House How many will be dining with us today? And do you have a reservation?”

“Yes, we’re the Izumi family, and we reserved Table 10,” Akina answered.

“Ah, Mrs. Izumi! Your table has been prepared, and we’re delighted to have you dining with us. Please follow me.”

The waitress led them to their table, and as Kotomi settled into her seat, she glanced over to the table beside theirs. Her heart sank—it was the exact same table she and Iroha had sat at on their last visit.

She tried to focus on the menu, telling herself over and over, I saw nothing, I know nothing.

Since today’s dinner was a celebration for Kotomi’s Tokyo-wide first-place ranking and Kaneyoshi’s promotion, Akina let Kotomi and Kaneyoshi do the ordering.

After they placed their order, Aimi, who had downed a full glass of tea, excused herself. “Mom, I’ll be right back—I need to go to the restroom. Kotomi, do you want to come with me?”

“I’ll pass,” Kotomi said with a quick shake of her head.

On her way back from the restroom, Aimi happened to glance at a nearby wall covered in photos and stopped, intrigued. Every picture on the wall featured couples looking happy together.

“Wow, this whole wall is filled with couple photos. How cute! I wish I could take one with Kotomi,” Aimi murmured, smiling to herself.

The thought of one day taking a couple photo with Kotomi filled her with a deep sense of longing.

Then, as she walked along the wall, she noticed a photo in the center that was larger than the rest, almost the size of a poster.

“Wow, this one’s huge—almost like it’s a promotional poster for the shop. I wonder what makes this couple photo so special?”

Curious, Aimi hurried to the middle of the wall and looked up at the oversized picture.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep