You Came with the First Spring Breeze... - Episode 4: A City in Bloom

Episode 4: A City in Bloom

“From now on, I’ll call you Aki! And you’ll call me Tomoya! How about it?” he proposed. So on the way here, we practiced calling each other by name several times in the car.

“Aki…”

“Tomoya…”

We hadn’t fully adjusted to the new names when the car’s GPS announced our arrival.

Parking in the coin lot near our destination, we walked hand-in-hand to the oyster bar he’d reserved for us. The streets were buzzing with men and women dressed freely, looking happy and carefree, like tomorrow didn’t matter.

Blending into that carefree crowd felt wonderful, and I kept glancing up at Tomoya, feeling joy in thinking, “He’s my boyfriend.”

He’s five years older than me and went through a tough breakup. When we first met, he had rough skin, messy hair, and a scruffy beard. But now he’s a sharp salesman at a proper research company, wearing a clean suit, shaving every day, and styled neatly. I wanted to tell the world how amazing he is.

For the first time, I was told, “I’ll protect you” by a man. It felt like I could finally experience being a “normal girl,” and that made me indescribably happy.

“We’re here,” Tomoya said, pointing to a sleek building’s first floor, bringing me to a stop.

The black and silver exterior had a sharp, mature vibe. Next to the entrance, a large metallic black easel displayed the menu with mouthwatering photos of dishes that made me pause in admiration. I marveled at the artistry in the photos, impressed by the variety of ways oysters could be prepared.

“Shall we go in?”

The silver metal door opened, revealing a cozy interior with a relaxed atmosphere. Most of the couples at the counter were dressed casually, and in his suit, Tomoya stood out.

After giving the reservation name to the server, we were shown to a window-side table. Our place settings, with white napkins, forks, knives, and plates, made it feel like they were ready and waiting just for us. Soft piano music filled the air, adding a touch of the extraordinary. The softly frosted window gave a view of the illuminated city. It was a familiar scene, but somehow it felt dazzling, making me squint.

“I wish I’d dressed up more,” I said, realizing for the first time that Tomoya was really looking at my outfit.

“You look great!” he assured me.

“Do I?”

I’d always thought cooler colors like blue and violet suited me better. I didn’t think orange-based colors looked good on me, but hearing that from Tomoya made me warm up to the outfit a little.

“You look like a sunflower,” he said with a smile.

He really likes flowers for a guy. Especially the morning glories planted in the flower bed at my cleaning job—he even asked the manager for some seeds to grow them himself. Imagining Tomoya taking care of morning glories made me giggle.

“May I take your drink order?” asked the server, coming to our table.

“Tomoya, you should drink. I’ll drive,” I offered. I’m only a beginner driver, but I do have a license.

He shook his head. “No, you should drink, Aki.”

Originally, we’d planned to come by public transport, but he brought his car because of me.

“I’d feel bad.”

The server was clearly getting impatient.

“Okay, let’s drink together. We can leave the car here at the coin parking lot and pick it up tomorrow. We’ll take a taxi or the train back tonight since it’s a holiday tomorrow anyway,” he said, shifting his gaze to the server with a pleased look.

“We’ll have your recommended champagne, please.”

The server responded with a courteous “Certainly.”

I admired how thoughtful he was, so natural in his consideration and skilled at keeping the mood light. With each day, I found more things I loved about him.

“Tell me the funniest story you’ve ever heard,” I said to pass the time until our order arrived. Even if someone asked me that question, I wouldn’t have a good story, but I wanted to hear his.

With a playful grin, he began. “One time, I went to a haunted house with my ex. I really hate those things, and I didn’t want to go…”

I nodded, encouraging him.

“But this place was rumored to have a real ghost, and I was super scared. From the start, I was screaming and moving backward the whole time.”

“Yeah?”

“Then this weird warm wind came through, and I smelled something bloody. My ex, who was walking behind me, suddenly screamed, ‘AAAAH!’”

“Yeah!” I said, caught up in the story.

“I grabbed her arm and bolted for the exit,” he continued, laughing. “But when we got outside and I looked at her face, she was a ghost!”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Well, not a real ghost, but one of the haunted house actors—this older guy in white paint and a wig. I’d grabbed his hand by mistake and pulled him outside.”

“Wow, what happened then?”

“The ‘ghost’ brought my ex out to me.”

“Oh my gosh, that’s hilarious!” I laughed hard, though a strange, hollow feeling settled within me afterward. Maybe it was a mistake to ask about an ex-girlfriend story.