Shinnosuke greeted the guard and left the government office building.
Looking up at the sky, he saw bright white clouds against a deep blue, so vivid that it made him momentarily dizzy. A gentle breeze brought a pleasant warmth.
The area near the Sannomaru is the government district.
Since he had missed his usual return time, there were few people around. Choosing to walk in the shade, he strolled along the moat between the Ninomaru and showed his pass to the foot soldier guarding the east gate before stepping outside the castle.
He descended the stairs to the subway at the crosswalk.
The dusty air rising from below carried the unique scent of the underground space and felt cool. The sound and vibrations of a moving train approached, and he felt a rush of air against him.
“What should I do now?”
It was still before lunchtime, but he didn’t feel hungry.
He was troubled not only by construction issues but also by anxiety about a transfer. Just when he thought the problem with the complainant was resolved, another difficulty arose. No, two difficulties were coming.
His stomach felt heavy; he was probably under stress.
The subway platform was quiet.
The evening rush hour had completely passed, and there were few people in sight. The platform was narrow and dim, with a faint echo of sound that was somewhat comforting. It helped him forget his unpleasant feelings, even if just a little. A little further along the platform, he saw a woman sitting on a bench against the wall.
When their eyes met, she stood up with a smile.
“Shinnosuke, good job today!”
Satsuki raised her hand as she had in class when they were children.
On her way home, Satsuki wore casual clothes: a white top and a tangerine flared skirt. At her waist, she carried a short sword. Perhaps due to her noble lineage, her demeanor exuded elegance.
Looking at her again, he thought she had grown up considerably.
“Good timing; you have some time, right?”
Before he could say anything, Satsuki spoke first.
She had been asking for an explanation for a while now, but he had been avoiding it by using work as an excuse. She glared at him with a face that lacked any intimidation.
“We can talk about it now, the issue we discussed.”
“Ah, that issue. Well, yeah… that was it. But I haven’t eaten lunch yet, so I want to grab a light meal somewhere.”
“I see. I haven’t eaten either, and neither have you. Perfect timing.”
She smiled brightly, looking happy.
It seemed that her demeanor during their last encounter had been due to work. Her attitude and distance in private remained unchanged from the past.
“Is your return time usually like this on Saturdays?”
“Yeah. When I’m tidying things up, it ends up being this late.”
“Got it. That’s why I hadn’t seen you around.”
The train arrived, and the doors opened.
“Please go ahead, my lady.”
“Come on, don’t say things like that.”
Satsuki laughed and got on, tapping the seat beside her, as if to say she wanted him to sit there. It really seemed like she hadn’t changed at all inside.
He couldn’t help but smile.
“What’s with that reaction? Well, it’s fine. By the way, where should we have lunch? Do you know any good places?”
Satsuki leaned in slightly, speaking to be heard over the sound of the train starting up. The last time she had gone on a trip by train was when she was in middle school. It had been about ten years since then, and Shinnosuke found himself reminiscing about that time.
“Well, my family is poor. We don’t go out to eat much.”
“Is that so? Then you cook at home?”
“Usually. But when himari, like today, goes out to play with friends, it’s different. I might just buy some rice balls at a convenience store or grab some prepared food at the supermarket…”
His sentence trailed off when he saw Satsuki’s incredulous reaction.
“How about this place?”
Satsuki said with a hint of pride.
She took a bite of her pasta with a fork and pressed her cheek with her free hand, her eyes narrowing with happiness. Then she sipped her soup and appeared completely relaxed.
Seeing her like that made Shinnosuke smile wryly as he surveyed the café.
It was a retro-style coffee shop with hardly any other customers, and soft jazz played in the background. The pasta was seasoned to his liking, the salad was crunchy, and the soup had a gentle flavor.
It had been a while since he had eaten with anyone other than himari. He found workplace relationships troublesome and avoided such things. His private life was similarly lacking.
As he was lost in thought, Satsuki spoke up again.
“So, what do you think of this place?”
With her cheeks slightly puffed out, Satsuki looked like a child.
Shinnosuke picked up the pasta with his chopsticks.
“Ah, it’s delicious. Just the way I like it. I’m sure himari would be happy with this.”
It was mentaiko spaghetti. It was good that it wasn’t one of those places that used heavy cream. The dish was simply flavored with pasta, cod roe, butter, and just a bit of salt and pepper, topped with shredded perilla leaves.
“I’m glad.”
Satsuki showed a genuine smile.
She seemed completely at ease, engaging in light conversation as she enjoyed her meal. After finishing, iced coffee was served, and Satsuki lightly tightened her expression.
“Well then, I’m counting on you. I want you to work in Section 4.”
“Ha?”
Shinnosuke was puzzled but glanced around the shop just in case. Other customers had finished paying and left, while the shopkeeper had retreated to the back. Soft jazz played in the background, suggesting that it would be fine to have a private conversation.
However, Satsuki was completely oblivious to this and didn’t seem to care.
“It would be a waste not to use your power. My goal is to defeat the phantom beasts. But in the Fourth Division, almost everyone, including myself, has changed, and we’re lacking in strength. So, let’s work together.”
“Only upper-class can become samurai, right?”
“No problem; I’ll manage somehow.”
Satsuki lightly waved her hand and stated confidently.
As her white hair indicated, Satsuki was of noble blood, and her family, the Goto-Maki, held considerable power. For example, it would be possible to appoint a lower-class person as a samurai in special cases.
“Somehow, huh… somehow…”
He couldn’t even imagine himself working in the Special Operations Division.
However, he could easily picture himself struggling in the Construction Division or being assigned to the Land Division and facing hardships. It went without saying which of the two would be better.
