Chapter 1

"So, this is it. Take care..."

The girl barely managed to look him in the eye.

"You too. Mind the road, you're very clumsy." She answered with an uneven smile.

His posture faltered. He looked to the side, jaw clenched, struggling to keep the dreaded words from escaping his throat.

"Goodbye..."

His gaze snapped towards the girl. The word stung less coming from her, but the silence that lingered hurt twice as hard.

"Yeah... Goodbye..."

Slowly, they turned away from each other. For a time, it seemed that the hardest part was over.

The girl's stride melted into sobs. Her sleeves pressed against her lids, trying to keep her tears in until she felt something cold and tiny touch her cheek.

She lifted her head as spots of white dotted the grey sky.

Snow...

As her glove rose to meet the next flake, the boy's voice reached her.

"Yuki!"

She turned and caught his silhouette. Her breath hitched. A part of her begged him to go away, but another part longed for his warmth, one last time.

"When we're thirty, and we're still single, let's get married."

The dam broke. But strangely, her heart eased, making the pain a little more bearable.

The girl returned a faint smile.

"Yes, let's do that."

---

SNIFF.

Haru yanked a tissue out of the box, patted it firmly under each eye, then blew her nose with a short, sharp honk. The credits rolled, flashing snippets of the movie that just finished.

"Ah. My makeup, damn it."

The crumpled napkin arched towards the wastebasket, bounced off the rim, and dropped to the carpet. She clicked her tongue as she bent down, trying to reach the piece of trash.

KNOCK KNOCK!

Haru jolted, flicked the napkin to the side, and quickly killed her monitor.

"Come in," she called, sitting up straight.

The door opened slowly. Her secretary entered, clutching a planner against her chest.

“Ma'am, you have a meeting with procurement in five minutes.”

She peeled back a sleeve and looked at her watch.

"Thank you. Let's go."

Rising from her seat, Haru tugged at her blazer and smoothed her sleeves. In a single, silent breath, her expression shifted—eyes sharpening like a guillotine.

As Haru stepped out, Maya's gaze flicked back to the desk.

Her boss's nameplate had tilted off by a few degrees. She reached out and nudged it until the edges lined up perfectly parallel with the desk’s front.

Shiozaki Haru

Chief Executive Officer

---

MEETING ROOM

The clock ticked, syncing with the faint tap of Haru's pen against the report.

Five people sat around the oval table. Two trainees—two weeks into their internship—exchanged nervous glances. The two assistants kept a neutral face, while Mr. Tabata, the head of procurement, patiently waited as his superior reviewed the document.

TAP... TAP...

TAP.

Haru's pen stopped.

"Mr. Tabata... I believe you understand our problem with this delay."

His gaze lowered. "Yes, I am fully aware, Ms. Shiozaki."

Haru's brows furrowed, glancing at the other employees.

"For those who don't know, we were expecting materials from France to arrive in time for the spring line. Apparently, it won't," She explained. "And the board had already allocated advertising money for the launch of a still non-existent product. Now, we're in a pinch."

Mr. Tabata's female assistant slowly raised her hand.

"Excuse me, the whole team pushed really hard for the shipment's early arrival. But the heatwave in France did too much damage to raw materials and the logistics—"

"If I remember correctly, we also have suppliers of orange blossoms in Spain." Haru interrupted. "Mr. Tabata was in France for almost three weeks under company expense. Heatwaves aren't exactly new. Where's the contingency plan, Sir?"

The assistant's fist curled. Her superior, always intuitive, quickly noticed and gave her the tiniest shake of his head.

"I acknowledge my lapse of judgment in this matter. I will take full responsibility." He conceded.

A knock on the door broke the silence that followed. A man in a suit walked in, handed Haru a sealed envelope, and left without a word.

From: BOD

Wasting no time, Haru scanned its contents. Her eyes flicked towards Mr. Tabata, slipped the letter back to the envelope, and handed it to Maya.

"Unfortunately, doing your best doesn't excuse you from the consequences of failure. Otherwise, we would've all lived in peace. Meeting adjourned."

As the interns and the assistants stood, she interrupted. "Mr. Tabata. Please stay."

He gave his companions a nod, and they stepped out of the meeting room. As soon as the door closed, Haru broke the news.

"Sir, the board wants you fired," Haru relayed. "I suggest that you resign, effective immediately. Your record stays clean, a full separation package will be given, and your contributions will still be acknowledged. I'm sorry, but this is the best I can offer you."

"That's more than enough for the trouble I caused. I appreciate all the help, Ms. Shiozaki," Mr. Tabata said, then left quietly.

Haru leaned on the table, elbows propped, hands massaging her temples.

"Ma'am, did you know...?" the secretary whispered.

"Yes, I know... he didn't request a bereavement leave," Haru groaned. "And please stop calling me 'miss' or 'ma'am' when no one's around."

Maya smiled at her faintly, patting her shoulder.

---

Haru's dinner that night was simple—black garlic ramen and a sub sandwich.

After a hot shower, she slipped into an oversized shirt, then sauntered to the balcony barefoot.Her typical day ends with cigarettes—and with a breathtaking view of the city lights scattered like fireflies in the dark.

The flint of her lighter sparked, smoke curling into still air.

The meeting earlier replayed in her head.

One excuse. Just one. Why didn't he speak up?

She tapped ash into a round tray. Haru reached for her phone and scrolled through her contacts.

MAYA.

She pressed the green button, and after a few rings, the line picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey."

Maya received the call while sorting through her laundry basket. "Haru, what's up?"

"I think I need a vacation,"

The secretary perked up as she shoved clothes into her front-load. "Oh. Do you have any place in mind?"

"Nothing really." Haru sighed. "Anywhere quiet is fine."

Maya paused for a beat.

"Are you asking me to choose?"

"Yes. You're coming with me."

"But..." Maya snickered. "...do I get paid?"

Haru scoffed. "You will be paid, hustler."

Maya pressed her fists to her sides. "Alright! I was thinking of visiting home. We have a house there, so don't worry about lodging."

"No, just book me a hotel or an inn. What's the place?"

"Minazaki."

Minazaki... Haru's brows furrowed. "You're not making this up, are you?"

"Absolutely not!" Maya pouted.

"Relax, I'm kidding!" Haru chuckled, stubbing her cigarette. "I'm tired. Please call the HR tomorrow and tell them we'll be out for two weeks."

"Got it. See you!" The secretary nodded.

---
MINAZAKI

Haru's keyboard clicked, sorting through food reviews, tourist ratings, and sights to look out for.

But one forum post stopped her cold.

The Shrine Maiden of Minazaki.

The Shrine Maiden is a calm, peaceful presence that gives advice on love and relationships.
Eyebrows raised, Haru ran through the comment section, and interestingly, there were only twenty comments—all positive.

"Shrine Maiden..." She muttered as she closed her laptop.

"I guess she would know something... I'll ask her tomorrow."