238 Takeshi has a woman?

"did i get drunk?" chiyo squints her eyes. this looks like a hotel room. who did she spend the night with? she's still wearing clothes. what happened last night? she didn't leave the hotel with that weirdo, did she? when she tries to recall, she only remembers chatting with her dim-witted date. she massages her forehead. "argh!"

her head is throbbing with pain. how many times did she tell herself that she must not drink too much? 

"did iori bring me here?" her purse and phone are near her pillow. she checks the time. it's one in the afternoon. there are no missed calls from her family. that's strange. did she get abandoned by her family? strange! she expected them to give up after her 40th birthday.

"i should head home." when she climbs off the bed, her gaze falls on the bandaids on her feet. "who put them on me? iori isn't that sensible."

she walks out of the room. she keeps glancing at the bandaids. then, she gets on the elevator. was it iori or her date? she gets out of the elevator and walks toward the exit she is about to call her cousin when she hears someone call out her name. she walks toward the receptionist.

"miss yamashina, mr kawamoto has left a message for you." 

chiyo frowns. kawamoto ren? that redhead? she unfolds the paper.

[don't drink and chase after innocent people like a madwoman.]

shit! yamashina chiyo squeezes her eyes when the flashbacks of her shameful misdeeds appear in her head. why that redhead? why did he even come? she can't show her face anymore. why did she drink? this happened because of that iori. she will kill her cousin today. gritting her teeth, yamashina chiyo calls her cousin.

[elder sister, where are you?] 

"why did you not take me home last night?" chiyo speaks on the phone with an emotionless voice while walking toward the exit. on the other side of the call, iori shudders and wonders why is her sister so mad.

[i am sorry, but things turned out that way.] she hears a sigh. [kawamoto-san called and told me that he took you to the hotel. did you just wake up]

"you left me with a stranger?" chiyo yells at the phone. "what if he had done something to me when i was unconscious?"

[sister, kawamoto-san isn't that kind of person. he sent me the address of the hotel and talked to me last night. i wasn't worried that i left you with him.]

iori looks down at her feet. did he put on the bandaids? she's not used to wearing heels. she ends the call without saying another word. how will she face him next time? she can't believe that she did those things to kawamoto ren. let's hope that she never meets him again.

***

iori puts down the phone. her sister sounds angry. did kawamoto ren do something to her sister? that's impossible. her scary sister and that man? she shakes her head. it's impossible. her sister can scare away all the men around the globe with her sharp tongue and deathly aura. if anyone ever dares to do something to her without her permission, he won't even know how he died.

she checks her messages. there's no calls or messages from takeshi. whenever she recalls the memory of the kisses between them, her cheeks would burn. she couldn't get a single moment of sleep last night. this bastard! he hasn't called her once after dropping her at home. she must find out who that woman is. who would know the name of the woman takeshi likes? his brother is not in the city. she doesn't have any means to contact him. that leaves kawamoto ren and haru. since she can't contact kawamoto ren either, haru is her only choice. if he doesn't know, he would help her find out the name. 

iori sends a text to her other childhood friend and waits.  

***

"takeshi has a woman?" haru frowns deeply. it's been a while since he met his childhood friends. he didn't expect a text from iori. she insisted on meeting him. he should have guessed what her emergency could have been. of course, it's takeshi even after four damn years.

"he wouldn't tell me the name." iori presses her palms together and squints her eyes. her womanly intuition is fully active. "he must be serious about her."

"you sure?" haru finds it hard to believe. his friend was clearly still hung on iori when he met him last time. takeshi wouldn't even go to the blind dates with him. how many women has takeshi rejected? 

"i am sure." iori fists her hand. childhood friend? is it logical that he was shamelessly flirting with her again when he already has someone he likes? he must be calling her and trying to woo her. "haru, i hate him."

it feels like he's back to the school days. haru sighs, exasperated. when will these two get their heads right? why do they always drag him in their couple fights? he's still single, for god's sake. "if i find out the name, what would you do for me?"

"haru, when did you become so selfish?" iori looks at him with disbelief.

"set me up on a date." haru smirks at her, "you must have made many female friends at work."

"i work in another city." iori wrinkles her nose. "i will help you after i get transferred here."

"deal then." haru takes out his phone. "i will call takeshi for drinks. when i find out the name, i will text you."

"no date if you fail, okay?" iori tells him. "it's crucial. you must take this mission seriously."

"yes, yes." haru types a text quickly. "by the way, do you have a man now?"

"i have been busy with work." iori sighs. "i don't like living in another city. i want to come back here. i miss the time when three of us used to hang out together."

"i also miss it," haru mumbles absentmindedly. takeshi's reply is fast. he would meet him tomorrow night. that's strange. that busybody has time now. is it because iori is back in the city? haru chuckles. he is curious about what his friend is thinking this time.