Writing Love Letters in the Enemy’s Toilet - A Vow of Eternal Love, Even After Rebirth (Transmigration) - Chapter 10

When Kuno arrived at the ticket gate under Totsuka Station ten minutes early, where he was supposed to meet Haruka the next day, she was already there, waiting by the coin lockers.

“Good evening, Haruka-san!” Kuno greeted her.

Noticing him, Haruka smiled. “You’re early, Kuno-san.”

Kuno laughed. “No, you’re the early one, Mitsutomo-san.”

“You look a bit different today,” Kuno said, tilting his head.

“Do I?” Haruka asked curiously.

“Well, during the interview, you were wearing a suit. Yesterday you looked casual,” he explained.

Blushing slightly, Haruka said, “That’s because I was called out suddenly late at night…”

“You look really cute today,” Kuno said with a grin.

Her cheeks turned a little red. “You can’t sweet-talk me—nothing’s coming out of it! Anyway, shall we get going?” she said quickly, walking toward the ticket gate.

They entered through the gate, took the escalator on the right, and reached the platform. A Yokosuka Line train had just left.

“Ah, we just missed one,” Haruka said.

“It’s fine. The Tokaido Line will be here soon,” Kuno reassured her.

They got on the next Tokaido Line train, and after one stop—about eleven minutes—they arrived at Yokohama Station. Standing in front of Takashimaya, Haruka called Suzuki. He picked up right away.

“Yes, hello, this is Suzuki.”

“Hello, we’ve arrived in front of Takashimaya,” Haruka said.

“Where exactly are you?” he asked.

“By the Star Jewelry shop,” Haruka replied.

“Ah, I see you,” Suzuki said, waving at her.

Still holding her phone, Haruka bowed slightly. “Nice to see you.”

“Good evening! I’ve met your daughter before, though she was this small back then. Do you remember me?” Suzuki said, then glanced at Kuno. “And who’s this young man—your boyfriend?”

Haruka waved her hands quickly, her face turning red. “No, no! This is my friend, Kuno-san.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Suzuki!” he said, raising his hand in greeting. “Standing around here isn’t ideal—how about we go inside somewhere? I think there’s a Fujiya upstairs.”

Following Suzuki’s suggestion, the three went into Fujiya and took a table.

“What would you like to drink? Coffee? Tea?” Suzuki asked.

As Haruka looked at the menu, Kuno said, “I’ll have an iced coffee.”

“I’ll have the same then!” Haruka said.

“Are you sure? You can order anything you like,” Suzuki said kindly.

“It’s fine. Iced coffee’s perfect,” she replied.

Suzuki raised his hand. “Excuse me! Three iced coffees, please.”

Once they’d ordered, Haruka said, “You got here quickly, Suzuki-san.”

“I had a meeting with a client in Shinkoyasu. It finished earlier than expected, and Yokohama’s just a short ride from there,” he explained.

They chatted casually until the waitress arrived with their drinks.

“Here are your iced coffees. Is that everything?” she asked.

“Yes, thank you,” Kuno replied.

After she left, Kuno decided to dive into the topic. “By the way, when you last saw Mitsutomo-san, did he seem different in any way?”

Suzuki shook his head. “Not really. That day, I was hosting a reunion with about ten college friends. We’d just started drinking when a call came to his phone from the company—some kind of emergency board meeting. He and Yoshifuku left together in a hurry.”

Kuno thought, So Yoshifuku was the last one with him… maybe something happened after that meeting?

Suzuki sighed. “It must be tough being in such a high position—getting called in at that hour.”

Haruka asked, “Do you happen to have Yoshifuku’s contact? I’d really appreciate it if I could speak with him.”

“You want to talk to Yoshifuku? Sure, I’ll give him a call,” Suzuki said, pulling out his phone.

“Hey, Yoshifuku? It’s Suzuki. I’m here with Mitsutomo’s daughter. She wants to ask about her father—the day before the accident. You remember, right? The night you left the party together?” Suzuki explained loudly enough for the whole café to hear.

After a short exchange, Suzuki covered the phone with his hand and turned to Haruka. “He’s asking if you can come by his office tomorrow at three.”

“Yes, that’s fine!” she replied quickly.

“Okay, she’ll be there!” Suzuki said into the phone. “Right, at the reception on the second floor. Yeah, yeah, and let’s go golfing again soon.”

Hanging up, he turned to them. “Just go to the second-floor reception and ask for him.”

Haruka bowed deeply. “Thank you so much.”

“Do you know where your father’s company is?” Suzuki asked. “If not, you can check their website.”

Then, leaning forward, he asked, “So, your father’s still in the hospital?”

Unsure how much to say, Haruka replied carefully, “He hasn’t contacted the company yet, but… yes, he regained consciousness.”

“Oh? They haven’t dismissed him? It’s been over a year since the accident. Normally, a company would’ve let someone go by now,” Suzuki said, surprised.

“Really? I thought he was still employed—his hospital bills were paid from his salary last month,” Haruka said, suddenly uncertain.

“Well, executives at big firms get special treatment,” Suzuki remarked.

Hearing that, Kuno thought, It’s been over a year for me too… am I still okay?

Suzuki glanced at his watch. “Ah, I’d better get going.” He stood up.

Haruka quickly rose and bowed. “Thank you very much for taking the time to meet us.”

When Kuno reached for the check, Suzuki grabbed it first. “No, no, I’ve got it. Go wait outside.”

So they waited near the entrance until Suzuki came out after paying.

“How much was it?” Kuno asked.

“It’s fine, I’ll put it on the company tab,” Suzuki said, slipping the receipt into his wallet.

“Thank you for the treat,” Haruka said politely.

“Yes, thank you very much,” Kuno added with a small bow.

As they walked toward the station, Suzuki said, “Tell your father to contact me once he’s discharged.”

Haruka thought, I really don’t want to explain the disappearance now… “Yes, I’ll let him know,” she said.

Near the JR gates, Suzuki asked, “You two are taking JR?”

“Yes, we’re heading back to Totsuka—either the Tokaido or Yokosuka Line,” Haruka answered.

“I’m on the Toyoko Line, so I’ll head this way. Take care,” he said, raising a hand before walking off.

Watching his back, Haruka murmured, “Should I have told him about my father’s disappearance?”

“I don’t think he knows anything about it,” Kuno said. “It’s probably fine.”

“I just hope we learn something from Yoshifuku tomorrow,” he added.

“Me too. Will you come with me?” Haruka asked, looking up at him.

Kuno thought of Suzuki’s words—‘You should probably show your face at work sometime.’
Still, after a pause, he nodded. “Of course.”

“By the way, what company does your father work for?” Kuno asked.

“Ah, it’s called Sigma Soft Services,” Haruka said.

Kuno froze for a moment. “Do you know it?” she asked.

“Yes… it’s part of the Sigma Japan group—the same company I work for,” Kuno replied.

“What a coincidence! Sigma’s a big international firm, isn’t it? That’s amazing,” Haruka said admiringly.

“Not really,” Kuno chuckled. “Everyone around me is brilliant. I’m just lucky to be there.”

“Oh, don’t be modest,” she teased.

“Maybe I used up all my luck during the entrance exam,” he joked.

“So you don’t think you’ll get promoted?” she asked.

He shrugged. “All the executives belong to this inner circle called Yatagarasu. My senior once told me, ‘If you don’t join, you’ll never move up.’”

“Yatagarasu? So promotions aren’t about skill?” Haruka said. “Still, my dad seems to have climbed the ladder a bit, so you’ll be fine.”

“What position is he in?” Kuno asked.

“We don’t really talk about that kind of thing at home,” she admitted.

“Anyway, this Yoshifuku guy sounds pretty important,” Haruka added.

Kuno frowned. “Yeah… maybe it’s risky to show up at a related company while I’m still on leave.”

“Then just say you’re a friend,” Haruka smiled.

“Right. Tomorrow, I’m just your friend,” Kuno said, smiling back.