The hum of the office printer and soft clicking of keyboards filled the morning air at Aoi's workplace. As always, she walked in with her sleek black heels, looking effortlessly elegant in a cream blouse and high-waisted skirt. But unlike before, her arrival had become something of a silent event.
Not because she was late.
But because of the car.
A BMW 7 Series.
Polished. Regal. Parked right at the edge of the lot — where every employee could see it glide in and open its passenger door like something out of a romantic film.
And out would step Aoi, with a little goodbye kiss from the driver still sitting inside.
"He's hot," whispered one girl near the break room window.
"Did you see the car? That's easily over 10 million yen…"
"Is it her boyfriend?"
"No, she said 'fiancé' once last week..."
Whispers were starting to rise like steam from a boiling pot.
Lunchtime Interrogation
That afternoon, Aoi was cornered at the café by three of her colleagues — Mari, the bold one; Rina, the curious one; and Emi, who pretended not to care but couldn't help listening.
"So…" Mari leaned in, chopsticks hovering over her karaage. "You're gonna have to spill."
"Hmm?" Aoi tilted her head, playing innocent.
"The car. The restaurants. The fact that you once left work in a Hugo Boss coat and someone clearly taller than you placed it on your shoulders." Rina leaned closer. "Who is your fiancé?"
Aoi smiled sweetly. "He's… someone I've loved for a long time. We're building a future together."
"That sounds so vague!" Emi finally burst out. "Come on, give us a name, at least!"
"Nope." Aoi giggled. "You'll meet him when the time is right."
She took a bite of her lunch and added teasingly, "Though I'll admit, watching you all guess is kind of fun."
Mari crossed her arms. "He must be rich. Or a CEO. Or a tech genius. Or all three."
Aoi gave a mischievous wink.
Meanwhile, at Ren's Office
Across Tokyo, Ren was deep in code.
His startup had finally launched its server management dashboard for beta testers, and the feedback was flooding in. One company had already offered to purchase a premium hosting plan — enough to cover another month of countryside construction costs.
Yet even as business flourished, his phone buzzed with a message from Aoi:
Aoi:
"They're interrogating me again 😤"
"I think Mari is going to stake out the parking lot next time lol"
Ren chuckled, replying:
Ren:
"Should I send a decoy driver?"
"Or show up in a rental kei car next time?"
Aoi:
"Do that and I'm never kissing you again 😠💋"
He grinned, typing back.
Ren:
"You'd last like 2 hours."
No reply. Just a single red heart emoji.
Evening — Walking Down the Street Together
That night, Aoi met Ren outside a quiet French restaurant. She wore a wine-red dress, and the way she walked toward him under the warm city lights made him stop in his tracks.
He reached out a hand.
"Shall we, my lady?"
She took it, fingers lacing into his naturally.
As they walked, a few people on the street turned to look. Some recognized the car. Some just couldn't look away from the couple's atmosphere — the aura of intimacy, elegance, and something untouchably romantic.
When they paused at a street corner, Aoi leaned in and whispered, "Let's keep them guessing."
"About the car?"
"About everything."
He kissed her forehead.
"They'll find out soon enough."
Later that Night
In the comfort of their apartment, Aoi sprawled across the couch, scrolling through wedding venue inspiration. Ren sat beside her, sipping tea, eyes occasionally glancing toward his secret blueprint folder on his laptop.
"Hey, Ren…" she asked lazily, "Are you hiding something again?"
His heart skipped.
"…Why?"
"Your eyes just did the guilty shimmer thing. You only do that when you're being sneaky."
He smiled innocently. "I'm just thinking of a surprise."
Aoi leaned on him. "You'd better not be building me a second house behind my back or something."
Ren laughed nervously.
She's getting warmer.