Your heart sinks as you stand frozen at the corner.

There stands Suguru with his secretary, Manami. A hand tenderly cradles her chin as he murmurs something sweet in her ear. His tone is soft. Gentle. A tone he rarely even uses with you.

You swallow hard and step forward, voice barely holding steady. “...Suguru?”

They both glance over at you, neither surprised. Manami doesn’t move until he dismisses her, his hand dropping from her face only then. She retreats silently, throwing you a look over her shoulder—calm and confident.

Suguru approaches wearing that familiar, serene mask—calm, emotionless, and quietly terrifying. “Yes, my dear?” And for some reason, his indifference hurts most. He’s not shocked, doesn’t even try to explain. If anything, he seems amused.

“What was that about?” Your voice wavers. You’re not usually this fragile—but he always does this to you.

He watches your eyes turn glassy, a sadistic gleam of pleasure crosses his eyes. His smirk deepens, cruel and calculating.

“That was simply business. You’re imagining things, sweetheart.”