Semua Bab Do You Love Me, Uncle?: Bab 21 - Bab 30

Akiko hurried along, not because she was late or overslept, but because she wanted to get to the floor where her office was as soon as possible. Akiko wanted to meet Kyoko as quickly as possible. This was the day.After waiting two days—Kenji hadn’t allowed her to go to work yesterday, and Akiko had peacefully complied—this was the moment when Akiko would demand accountability.Her body wasn’t seriously injured, but the mental damage was significant. It wasn’t just the fear; the disappointment also counted as a consequence.Akiko was relieved when she saw that only Kyoko was in the room. She always arrived the earliest. Akiko wanted to talk to Kyoko before anyone else arrived.“Oh… I thought you’d continue to feel special and take vacations whenever you liked.” Once again, Kyoko greeted Akiko with sarcasm. Akiko, who initially wanted to ask more calmly, quickly lost her patience.“I wasn’t on vacation; I was sick because of what you did!” Akiko put down her bag, then turned to glare a

Kyoko, who was surprised for the second time, looked agape. "Huh? What?""I want to apologize for accusing you carelessly," Akiko said again while bowing, which naturally drew the attention of the other employees.Hiro and Misa glanced over, their necks craning with curiosity."Follow me! You're just disturbing everyone else!" Kyoko grumbled, standing up and walking towards the pantry, uncomfortable with the attention."All I've heard from your mouth so far is nonsense that sounds like a magic spell," Kyoko muttered once they reached the pantry."Explain it properly, so I don't feel like a fool when you speak." Kyoko sat down, dipping her tea and waiting.But now, Akiko felt like a tangled piece of tape. Even though she had experienced it herself, Akiko was only able to process everything when she tried to explain it to Kyoko. The frustration that had previously pressed down on her has now poured out. Akiko slumped into the chair in front of Kyoko and buried her face on the table."W

Akiko was tidying up her desk's documents and rubbing her head, which made her feel slightly dizzy. A hangover, no doubt. Yesterday, Akiko had only intended to drink a little to calm her mind due to the issues with Riko. But it was clear that the amount of sake she consumed far exceeded her body’s tolerance, as Akiko couldn’t remember anything after finishing the second bottle.Akiko was relieved, but she still ended up sleeping in the backroom, not in the wrong place—like in Kenji’s room, for instance.Akiko took a deep breath, gathering her resolve, then got up and approached Kyoko at her desk."Kyoko-san, I wanted to ask you something...""Hey! Since when did I allow you to call me Kyoko? I'm still Fujita to you!" Kyoko growled, narrowing her eyes at Akiko, who was standing next to her.Calling someone by their first name indicates familiarity, and so far, Akiko has been addressing Kyoko by her family name."Oh, but I want to call you Kyoko. And you can just call me Akiko," Akiko

Akiko stared at the macramé weaving in front of her, gently touching the knot she had made wrong, and sighed. This was the second time Akiko had messed up on a knot that should have been easy.Akiko wasn’t making a large macramé—just one that measured no more than thirty by fifty centimeters, extending downward, all in plain white. She hadn’t added any other colors. From the start, Akiko didn’t want to create something complicated because she didn’t want to think too much. But even this simple, single-colored macramé was enough to make her make mistakes.What she had seen two days ago—Yuto together with Kaede and another woman, whose identity she still didn’t know—was still affecting Akiko. She might try to maintain a positive outlook, but in the end, she couldn’t forget the scene she had witnessed for barely two minutes.Akiko couldn’t suppress her urge to meet Yuto after seeing him. They needed to talk—Akiko needed to explain what had happened. That was the only desire echoing in h

"Impossible! This is crazy, Kenji!" Ryu's eyes widened as he examined the photo on Kenji's phone. It was certainly challenging to believe. Kenji might not have believed it if the report hadn't come from one of his most trusted men—besides Ryu. "Is this really your wife?" Ryu pointed at the phone screen. The photo Kenji showed him was of Karin and Kaede together, but the verbal report Kenji received also mentioned how Yuto and Karin had gone off alone, though no one managed to capture a photo. "Ex-wife," Kenji corrected. Unlike Akiko and Yuto, whose divorce was dragging on, Kenji and Karin's separation had been swift. In less than two weeks, Karin was able to drop the Tanaka name. And Kenji didn't shed a tear over it—in fact, he was grateful. Kenji swung the katana in his hand, slicing through the rows of green bamboo set up in the middle of Kuryugumi's dojo. The bamboo split cleanly in the midd