Chapter 29

"Kazuko, did something happen today?" Aoba asked, taking a sip of his beer.

"Why do you ask that?" Kazuko, slightly tipsy, asked in confusion.

"Because you've been acting strange today!" Aoba shook his head and said.

"What's so strange about me today?" Kazuko frowned. The mature and beautiful Kazuko, with a slight buzz, exuded an even more alluring charm. However, Aoba was clearly not the type to be easily tempted. Although he liked beautiful women, it was rare for any of them to make him lose his composure.

"You, who don't usually drink, suddenly started drinking, and it's obvious you want to get drunk. Isn't that strange?" Aoba said.

"Aoba, a man who's too smart can make women wary, you know," Kazuko said with a slightly seductive smile after a drink.

"It's better for women to be a bit cautious," Aoba said nonchalantly.

"You're right, it's better for women to be a bit cautious! If I had been more cautious back then, I wouldn't have married him!" Kazuko said with a dazed look in her eyes.

"You chose your path, so don't regret it. And you're already divorced, right? Or are you still not over him?" Aoba asked, taking another sip of his beer.

"What I can't let go of isn't him, but my daughter!" Kazuko replied.

"You have a daughter?" Aoba nodded, hearing this for the first time.

"My daughter is the cutest in the universe! Here, let me show you a picture." As soon as she mentioned her daughter, Kazuko's eyes lit up, and she showed Aoba a photo of her daughter, which was set as her phone wallpaper.

"She's a very cute girl. How old is she?" Aoba nodded and asked, looking at the photo.

"She's twelve years old and in the sixth grade," Kazuko said, holding her phone and admiring the photo with a dreamy look.

"It seems you don't have custody?" Aoba said, already guessing the answer.

"Her father comes from a prestigious family and can provide her with a better education and a better life," Kazuko said with a smile.

"So you voluntarily gave up custody?" Aoba nodded and said.

"Pretty much! After all, she has a better future with her father than with me!" Kazuko said.

"Parents' love is truly touching! You love your daughter very much," Aoba nodded and said.

"I just hope she won't hate me for abandoning her," Kazuko said with a bitter smile.

"She won't," Aoba comforted her.

"I hope so too," Kazuko said with a bitter laugh.

"It seems your bad mood today is related to your daughter. Did something happen?" Aoba asked, opening another can of beer.

"Nothing happened, but I saw her today. She's very well-behaved and sensible, but the more she is, the more I feel heartache," Kazuko said, taking a big sip of her beer.

"I see!" Aoba nodded, not knowing what else to say, and just raised his glass to drink with her.

At that moment, the door to the apartment opened again. The two of them looked towards the open door and saw the Shibuya beauty, Kinako Takenouchi, walk in.

"Good evening, Kinako," Kazuko greeted her first.

"Good evening, Kinako!" Aoba raised his beer can to greet her.

"Ah, Kazuko? Aoba? Why are you two drinking together? No, should I say, does Kazuko drink at all?" Kinako looked at the two of them in surprise.

"Do you want to join us? We have plenty of beer!" Aoba didn't answer her question but invited her directly.

"Should I? But I have classes at the university tomorrow," Kinako hesitated. As a college student, she changed boyfriends as often as she changed clothes, but she was still very serious about her studies, being an excellent student.

"It's fine, just have a little," Aoba continued to invite, or rather, tempt her.

"Right, come join us, Kinako," Kazuko also invited her.

"Okay, let me change and I'll be right there," Kinako, unable to resist the temptation, went to her room to change.

While Kinako was changing, the door to the apartment opened again. The Mediterranean-haired construction worker, Ichizou Shimada, wearing his work clothes, walked in.

"Good evening, Shimada-san," Kazuko greeted him first.

"Good evening, Shimada-san," Aoba raised his beer to greet him.

"Miss North川? Aoba? What are you two doing? Drinking?" Shimada looked at the two of them in surprise.

"Do you want to join us, Shimada-san?" Aoba invited him.

"Right, Shimada-san, come join us!" Kazuko, who had become more lively after drinking, also invited him.

"Is that okay?" Shimada hesitated.

"What's not okay? It's a good way to get to know the landlord better! And Kinako will be here soon, she's just changing clothes. Let's all drink together!" Aoba persuaded Shimada.

"Alright, I'll go change too," Shimada agreed.

Soon, Kinako, dressed in her loungewear, appeared at the table.

And then Shimada also arrived.

It seemed that when it came to changing clothes, men were always faster than women.

Kinako and Shimada also sat down to drink. With four people eating, the snacks Kazuko had prepared were running out, so Aoba contributed the snacks he had just bought.

During the drinking, both Kinako and Shimada were naturally curious about the usually composed and steady manager, Kazuko, drinking. After hearing Aoba's story about why Kazuko was drinking, they fell into a moment of silence.

"Actually, I'm from a single-parent family," Kinako suddenly said after a while.

"Huh?" Aoba, Kazuko, and Shimada were all surprised.

"But I lived with my mom when I was little. My dad owed money to someone and disappeared when I was very young. I don't know if he's alive or dead. My mom raised me all these years, working hard every day to support me and pay off my dad's debts until I came to Tokyo for university," Kinako said.

The three of them had never imagined that the Shibuya beauty, Kinako Takenouchi, who seemed to love playing and actually did, had such a past.