"What a coincidence! I really didn't expect to run into you here."
Hiratsuka Shizuka smiled and raised her hand in greeting.
"It really is."
Seika was quite surprised to see an old friend here.
But on second thought, this yakiniku restaurant was a place they had visited many times during their student days.
Shizuka, just like her, was a meat lover, so it wasn't all that strange.
"Since we ran into each other, why not join us?"
Seika extended an invitation.
The two of them hadn't met up in a while, and since everyone here was from the restaurant, there wouldn't be any awkwardness about fitting in.
"Ah, I'll pass for today. I'm meeting a friend."
"I see."
"Yeah, let's get together another time. Bye."
"Alright, see you."
Shizuka didn't linger at the private room's entrance for long. After a brief chat, she waved and left.
Led by the server, she was seated in another private room. It wasn't until twenty minutes later that the person she was waiting for finally arrived.
"Sorry, Shizuka, the train took a bit longer than expected."
Haruno set her bag aside and picked up the menu on the table, flipping through it.
"Where's your car?"
"Didn't drive. I felt like relaxing for a change today. You'll have to take me back later."
"Ugh, what a hassle. Your place is so far from here."
Shizuka wasn't too thrilled about the idea.
Dropping Haruno off and then driving herself back, considering all the traffic lights along the way, would easily cost her at least an hour.
"It's fine. I'm not planning on going home tonight. Just drop me off at Yukino's place—it's on your way, right?"
"In that case, no problem."
Shizuka nodded in agreement.
Haruno continued flipping through the menu, pursing her lips in dissatisfaction.
"This place is basically all meat."
Shizuka gave her an exasperated look.
"Would you like to check what kind of restaurant this is?"
"Of course, I know, but I figured even a yakiniku place would have at least some sashimi or something. The menu is too limited."
"If you're not into grilled meat, just order some fried dishes or yakitori skewers. Besides, you should avoid raw seafood for now. With all the recent news, who knows where it's coming from?"
"Didn't expect you to care about politics."
"It's such a big deal that the news is everywhere, both in print and online. It would be weirder if I didn't know about it."
Shizuka lit a cigarette.
Haruno chuckled, then called a server over. In the end, she ordered a standard two-person yakiniku set along with two large mugs of beer.
"…This should do for now. We can order more later if needed."
"I'm not drinking."
"I wasn't asking you to. I ordered them for myself. You can have the fruit juice that comes with the set—it's all yours."
"…If you get drunk, I'm not taking care of you."
"My alcohol tolerance isn't that bad."
Ten minutes later, most of their order had arrived, and the grill had been filled with glowing red-hot charcoal.
Knowing she'd be coming to a yakiniku place tonight, Shizuka had only eaten a 200-yen red bean bun and some water at school during lunch.
By now, she was starving. The moment the meat was brought over, she eagerly rolled up her sleeves and placed the most marbled slices of beef onto the grill.
Within moments, the high temperature rendered the fat, causing it to sizzle as a mouthwatering aroma filled the air.
"Wow~ The quality of the meat here is as good as ever. Just look at it—it's going to taste amazing."
Haruno sipped her beer, watching Shizuka's childlike anticipation, and momentarily forgot about her own worries, smiling in amusement.
She was outgoing and excellent in almost every aspect of life, surrounded by many friends.
But only when she was with Shizuka—her former teacher, who had once guided her academically and in life, and who was now a friend—could she truly let her guard down and be herself.
"By the way, how's Yukino doing at school lately?"
"Ffff—huff, huff… mmm…"
After blowing on the grilled meat and taking a careful bite, chewing thoroughly before swallowing, Shizuka finally answered.
"Same as always. Haven't seen her make any new friends. Still keeps to herself, spending lunch and after-school hours reading in that club she started."
"Still the same, huh?"
"Well, if I had to say, there has been a slight change. Someone joined her club."
"I know. You mentioned it before—a girl named Yuigahama Yui."
"You've got a good memory. But no, not her. Another first-year girl named Isshiki Iroha."
"Oh~ Was she drawn in by Yukino's charm?"
"Not sure. Yukino handled a request for her before, and they quickly got familiar. A while back, the three of them even went to an aquarium together."
"They had a great time and bought a bunch of stuffed marine animal toys."
"Yukino told you all this?"
"Of course not. It was Yui who told me—she even showed me photos of their trip."
"I figured."
Haruno knew her sister well. Yukino never voluntarily shared anything about herself unless absolutely necessary.
She was always guarded, keeping her true thoughts hidden.
Haruno had once seen this as a sign of strength, but in reality, it was likely a habit formed from the bullying she endured in elementary school.
Even though years had passed, and Yukino hadn't let those experiences break her, instead becoming even more independent and strong-willed, Haruno couldn't help but feel guilty whenever she looked back on it.
She had failed to protect her little sister.
Not much time had passed since their meeting began, but Haruno had already finished an entire glass of beer.
"Hey, hey, hey. What's with you today? That's not your usual style of drinking."
Shizuka finally noticed something was off and put down her chopsticks in concern.
Haruno waved her hand with a carefree smile.
"It's nothing major."
Shizuka took a guess.
"Your mom set you up with another matchmaking appointment?"
"If only. That'd be easy to deal with—I'd just waste time and act a little annoying to drive them away."
"Then what is it?"
"Mm… It's a secret~"
Shizuka frowned.
"Are you seriously keeping things from me?"
"It's just some trouble with the family business. Telling you won't change anything, so let's not ruin the mood tonight."
Hearing this, Shizuka fell silent.
It was true—if Haruno were just short on money personally, Shizuka had some savings that could help.
But when it came to her family's business, that was beyond what she could assist with. It wasn't that she didn't want to help, but rather that she simply couldn't.
The little bit of money she had saved up would barely make a ripple in the vast sea of the Yukinoshita family's affairs.
"The economy has been rough lately, but things should start improving soon."
"Let's hope so."
Haruno picked up her second glass of beer, but deep down, she didn't hold much hope.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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