#l365

In the next episode they go to his farewell party. She's nervous being there but she's glad that he had meet such good people while being there. Aki left her for a moment to talk with some people & two japanese models come up to her & they ask how she snagged him. She doesn't know how to answer, but tells them that they had been friends since childhood 一 “we knew each other since we were kids” 一 they never imagined he would be the loyal/devoted type. she worries about whether he would have still married her if they had not been childhood friends. They offer her a strong drink & she likes it, but then when she goes for another Aki arrives & takes away her drink saying it's too strong for her & downs it himself instead. On the walk back to the apartment, Aki having understood that she was worried reassures her that he would have still married her even if they hadn't known each since they were children.

They both arrive back in Japan & the first place they go to is Kunian (the bar where the entire gang hangs out at, it isn't as high-fi as the one in l365 & even the gang mentions that not many ppl come there so it's alright for them to close for a day). They are both welcomed w/ the sound of party crackers exploding & everyone being there to greet them. A surprise welcome-back party for which they even closed the shop. Saeki tries to flirt with MC at every chance he gets & twists all her actions/words into his delusional lover for him. He directs her to sit on a chair w/ a heart cushion, but then Aki sees her uncomfortable with that & sits there himself instead like it's no big deal (Saeki is disappointed). When it's the time to hand out the souvenirs they brought back, Saeki is like MC picked this out for me with her love for him in mind blah blah but then Aki cooly cuts off his delulu soliloquy w/ 一 “Actually I picked that one.” 一 & Saeki is immediately disgusted 🤣. Lilly, the flower designer aka MC's boss, comes flying down the stairs depressed about not having any inspo for her designs. When the gang sees her designs they all stare at Kuni's hat (bc it's based off of that); it hints at Lilly & Kuni possibly dating. She runs off telling MC she'll see her tomorrow.

MC goes to the office & she's informed that she'll be attending a dinner meeting later that evening. She planned to go home to get her dress when Aki calls her to tell that he's free in the evening to make dinner (since she's usually the one who does it bc she arrives early) bc one of the models isn't available so the shoot is postponed. But she says that she has a dinner meeting & he tells her that he'll come to her w/ the dress. She meets him outside, they hug & she goes to change. Aki helps redo her makup in one of the conference rooms & she loves it. But Aki is upset, he doesn't want anyone else to see her like this, so he tells her not to be ditzy & laugh at random things. She tries to defend herself saying she's not ditzy but then Aki buries his face in her hair & tells her that she looks gorgeous 一 & then sike! he runs out the door.

When they all pile into the taxi, MC notices that Lilly wore a kimono, which goes to show how important this meeting was to her & she exclaims that her “rival” is super-hot! & that she needs the tight obi around her waist to keep her in check (lol). They arrive at the restaurant & they're told that the client is running a bit late but are still guided to a room to wait. Lilly remembers that she had to call a magazine for something so she asks MC to do it. When the call is done she tries to go back to the room but then her heel twists at an odd angle & she starts falling but the fall never comes bc Haruka (the client) catches her. She thinks that he's gorgeous & elegant like a flower. [Normal Route]

MC steps back home to see Aki toweling his hair dry, & he teases her about getting in the bath together. Obviously she's flustered so she goes to make tea & talks about how the dinner meeting went well & how that the guy she met was a good person. Aki gets jealous seeing her so happy talking about another guy, so he corners her in the kitchen & kisses her bc according to him, she's “baiting him”, which obviously leads to a passionate night 💋 She wakes up at 1AM to see Aki going through his old albums with his designs back from when he was in beauty school. She says it's very different from what he does now, but it's still creative. He's happy she thinks so & tells her that she's baiting him again, almost about to have them go for round two, but he lets it go since they already went at it once. They both go to sleep cuddling each other & MC pulled close to his chest.

The next day, MC has the day off so Aki tells her that he'll free up his evening & they'll go to a special place. He takes her to a high-end bar which he used to visit while he was studying alone in Tokyo, where he also happened to meet a lot of famous industry ppl. When they're right about to order their drink, Haruka appears in casual clothes (he usually wears a kimono) & greets Aki & he seems to know him as well. MC is hella confused about what's happening when Aki says that Haruka is a friend that he met at this bar. She's surprised but then Haruka makes a comment to Aki saying that MC isn't his usual type (could possibly imply that he brought other girls there as well) but Aki counters by saying that she's different, she's his wife. MC is happy to be called that & Haruka is genuinely surprised. They were both acting cooly to each other (possible foreshadowing) but then Haruka offers to buy them drinks as a wedding present & Aki accepts. MC is under the belief that Haruka is like a really nice gentleman.

While they're enjoying their drinks, Aki gets a call from work & so the two start talking. She thanks him for the drink & says that she didn't expect them to be friends bc he never told her about him. Haruka makes a comment saying that Aki might not have wanted to ever tell her about him. He ignores her questioning glances & instead dodges the question by asking if they've been married for long & she tells him that they aren't technically married (WHAT??? then what's the whole point of the title & overcoming that???), that they're only childhood friends who reunited pretty recently. Haruka baits her telling that she doesn't know about the phase that Aki went through. He ignores her questioning eyes again & tells her to forget about it before he leaves. She knows something is off about him & she has a bad feeling about all of this.

[Ep 4 - A Side Of Aki I Don't Know] MC is cleaning outside (the bar of Kunihan) & she notices some white clovers blooming on the sidewalk. She reminisces about when she made a bouquet of white clovers to give to Aki when they were kids & that's how they met, & then they started to meet up to play at the same spot every day which eventually led them to becoming closer. Then her memory shifts to yesterday's events & Haruka's cryptic words & she realises that Aki never spoke much about his life when they were apart. While gazing at the sky lost in thought Aki, Yamato & Saeki arrive & call her out of her reverie. They enter the bar & soon after the entire gang is there. They take about how Yuta lost a field trip lottery & how they all want to go now, when Takao arrives announcing that he won a grand prize from a bingo 一 a trip to Okinawa. The entire gang is elated & decide to go that weekend. Later that evening Aki notices that something is bothering her 一 “Ever since we went to that bar in Daikanyama... you seem like you've had something on your mind.” 一 but she lies & says that she's actually stressed about work (🙄 communication girl! how else do you expect him to tell you about his time when you're hiding stuff too!). In an attempt to “soothe her aches & pains” aka pressure from work, he pushes her down on the couch & she starts getting embarrassed again but then he flips her over so that she's face down on the couch (she misunderstood him & i'm like you & me both girl lmaoo - the scene in the story would make anyone misunderstand lol). He starts massaging her telling her that she's tense, he teases her asking whether she was expecting something else. She tries to deny it but he notices her red ears & smirks to himself.

Several days later, in the rental car (how the hell did they fit into it w/ so many ppl? it looked more like a bus to me) Takao gives them a detailed itinerary what what they're doing on the trip, all hand-written, of course with their entire schedule packed without leaving even a single second out (the usual over-enthusiastic MC type lol). The gang complains about it seeming like they're on a school trip & upon hearing it Saeki jokes that they should wear uniforms, specifically sailor uniforms, while looking at the MC. He really doesn't waste any opportunity to flirt with her but Takao & Aki keep him in check by introducing a point system & gives him negative points. They tour the Shurijo Castle & then hang out at the beach till sunset. They check into the hotel for dinner & then take a walk in the streets. MC spots a souvenir shop & thinks that she should buy something for Lilly, but then she thinks back to what Haruka said again (🙄, like seriously, if it's worrying you that much then just ask him!). Aki notices that something is on her mind again and they both sneak out w/o letting the gang know. The rest of the gang realise that those two went away for some alone time, joking how how they're gonna make them carry their bags the next day & then proceed to go to a bar to enjoy the rest of the evening.

MC & Aki ride in the taxi to an unknown location, not yet disclosed by him. Aki pouts saying that she doesn't want alone-time w/ hubby since she was so worried abt leaving the others w/o informing them. After a while, they arrives at a quiet place & he offers his hand while she's getting out, leading her to the black ocean in front of them. Impressed, they do a bit of stargazing before a gust of wind messes up her hair & he fixes it for her, sneakily clipping a pearl barrette to her hair before he asks her what's really bothering her. MC tells him everything. He avoids answering her question abt his past “phase” by reassuring her that she's the one who knows him best, since childhood. 一 “who came to get me when i ran away from home? you. who put a bandage on me after i fell in the school sports competition? you. who cheered me up when i got into a fight with my friends? you. when i forgot my homework and was forced to clean the school kitchen, you sneaked in and helped. and when i said i didn't want to eat my green peppers, you offered to help me eat them... is there anyone out there who knows me better than you?” 一 all her uneasiness vanishes just like that. They kiss & make up & their trip comes to an end.

‼️‼️ this is uncomfortable for me to even write about & the fact that they just let it go so easily rubs me the wrong way ‼️‼️ Mentions of SA ‼️‼️

MC is at the office and they have a meeting with Haruka. Lilly and the other staff escort them out but them H comes back. She's tidying up the conference room when Haruka comes back saying he left something behind but then he corners her, pushes her against the wall and marks her neck with a hickey. She is scared but then he touches her hair (also taking her pearl barrette) and goes away leaving her in shock with the threat that's he shouldn't say anything about this to anyone since they don't want the collaboration to go down the drain because of a lowly assistant.

Ep6. Sweet Disinfection - in their bedroom she is desperately trying to find her gift from Aki but no avail. Aki suddenly appears and she apologies for losing the barrette. Then she shows him the mark and blames herself for somehow offending him. He hugs her tight and apologies for not being there to protect her when she's scared. His lips move across her skin and kisses the mark. While they're having dinner Aki gets a call and he says he'll be eating out the next day. He goes and meets H at the bar where he tells him not to tease her anymore (LIKE SERIOUSLY DUDE?? that's TEASING?!? I'd call that sexual harrasment at best but okay - no really this guy just jumped to the top of my red flag list bc hello?? ur “wife” was scared, or do you have short-term amnesia?) 一 “Anyway,... Leave off with teasing her. She'll fall for it every time.” (yup no. this guy is out for me). H comments that Aki got “dull” after he changed, and confirms that he messed with MC bc of that. H talks abt how Aki used to do anything to achieve his dreams and that was what led him to look up to him but now that's all changed. Aki talks about how MC has her own dreams to pursue blah blah.

[The Smile I Longed To See] Everyone at the office is dead tired after working all day every day for the exhibition, so Lilly gives them the day off to recharge and outside the office MC spots Aki sitting in a cafe drawing something in his sketchbook waiting for her to be done with work. His shoot ended early so he waited for her. They go to an alley where there are tons of old traditional sweets they used to eat as kids and enjoy their time. They rest at the river bank and talk.

[Ep7 Hubby's Secret] On the day of the exhibition MC notices Aki is up early and he falters when he's about to say that he didn't sleep. When she's gone for the big day he makes a call. She's super busy and Aki even appears later. Before that in a moment with H he says that he found out through his source that Aki was supposed to be the head makeup artist for something (which would solidify his international career). MC is disturbed by this. Aki appears and she drags him off to talk about it where he reveals that what H said is true and says that would she be okay being apart from each other? it would be longer than a month.

[Ep 8 - Lover's Quarrel] Aki left the MC after their argument in the staff rest room & one of her colleagues noticed that she's tired after the event is done, so he guides her to a quiet place to rest & tells her to go home. That's when Haruka appears again & comments on how it's disappointing that Aki turned down the offer to be the head makeup artist (the way he talks irks me). The MC is scared & he likes her reaction. After their argument, Aki hides at Yamato's apartment w/ Ren & Yuta. It starts raining heavily, reflecting his mood. MC runs to the apartment, completely soaked from head to toe, ringing the doorbell like crazy (no seriously) to pick him up. The others notice that there's something wrong w/ the two of them & promptly kick them out to settle their affairs elsewhere.

[Ep 9 - The Impossible Girl] After the rain is over, both of them head to a park, recalling their memories & talking about the past. They're back to being the cheerful couple. The next day, Mc rushes off to the office for an early meeting but Aki catches up to her & tells her that he was invited too (they have a brief kabe-don scene on the train). Lilly invites them both to collaborate on a shoot together & they're excited to be working together again.

3 endings are available for the final episode: Super Happy, Happy, Normal.

[Ep 10 - Next Time] Both MC & Aki are busy with the collaboration shoot in the mountains that Lilly set them up for. After it's done & it's evening, everyone is gathered around the campfire drinking. MC goes off to make a call to report to the production office & when she goes back out she encounters Haruka at the door. He tries to ambush her again w/ their “little secret” (like, dude, seriously, you need another hobby - maybe an Xbox or Pokemon is nice) when Aki brandishes a corn at his face, coming in between them (lol). Then they hear the voices of the gang as they come into view. They explain that they have a cabin in the mountains near where MC & Aki had the shoot & thought of joining them. Haruka & Takao turn out to be former classmates & they hug. The End. [Normal End]

一 REVIEW: short answer: don't bother with this story. i used to like aki while i was younger, it seemed a good story back then. now my opinion has completely changed. maybe i would have let this fly had i been younger but no, just NO, this MC is absolutely insufferable. it felt like i was reading about a 10yr old child going through puberty who couldn't make up their mind, heck even a child would know better. there are just so many instances of red flags in here i can't- it's unhealthy. it's probably just for me tho. after that “incident” the story was so unpleasant for me that i couldn't continue reading with the same mindset. the plot only has the bare minimum/nothing that actually gets resolved at the end of ep.10. trust me, this route was so not worth it and not to mention, the game itself is impossible to play unless you're willing to spend dozens of coins with real money. an entire month was wasted trying to get points to pass onto the next episode (did i mention that it's impossible to play it?) = not worth it. i've developed a dislike for the title now after this story.

He quickly rushed back into the mall after putting the other stuff in his car, to the jewellery store that had caught his eye when he was leaving. He was surfing through the various chains and bracelets but nothing appealed to him. He was just about to leave the store when his eyes landed on a pair of bracelets. It was a couple’s set and Yosuke was more or less convinced that this was meant for him and (Y/N). He quickly got it packed in their nicest packaging, exited the mall and sped away to complete the last of his preparations.

…

It was 10:00 am by the time Yosuke had gotten out of bed and proceeded to wake (Y/N) up too. He kissed her on the lips wishing her a happy birthday and to say he was overflowing with joy when he saw her smile would be an understatement. But this was just the beginning of his plans so he urged (Y/N) out of the bed and into the bathroom.

The minute she got out of the bath, Yosuke put a blindfold on (Y/N)’s eyes and led to her to the unused guest room in their home. When he undid the blindfold from her eyes and she took a good look at the room, (Y/N) started at at the humongous amount of plushies strewn all across the room. They were all of different sizes and colours, each dissimilar from the other. She turned her head towards Yosuke, jaw slack and eyes widened. This was a dream come true.

“Oh i’m not done yet.” Yosuke smirked and whisked her away out to the entrance.

They eventually set off in his car. (Y/N) kept asking him where they were going but Yosuke kept shushing her. Their playful banter kept the atmosphere lively and the two hours passed by quickly. They eventually reached the outskirts of the city to a cottage with a stream in view. The place looked warm and cozy, a serene place away from the prying eyes of the world.

Yosuke led (Y/N) in and she gaped at the skillfully assembled party decorations. The venue looked like it was for a massive party but it really was just the two of them and they wouldn’t have preferred it any other way.

“This is amazing, Yosuke. Thank you so much!’” (Y/N) turned towards Yosuke as he grabbed her hand and led her inside.

“You haven’t seen the best part yet.” He flashed a smile, settled her on the sofa and made his way to the kitchen. The sounds of kitchen utensils being put to work made it clear that he was cooking for them and (Y/N)’s heart overflowed with love for the man and the efforts he put into making her day better.

Fifteen minutes later, he emerged from the kitchen and once again, grabbed her hand and led her to the dining table.

The aroma of the assortment of side dishes and the steak enticed a grumble from their stomachs and (Y/N) had to ask him if he did all of this himself, to which he nodded. Her eyes visibly brightened when she tasted Yosuke’s cooking again and he melted at the sight. They relished in the pleasant atmosphere and appetising food and before long, the sky had turned orange.

“So, how would you rate my cooking this time?” Yosuke asked with bated breath, (Y/N) in his arms as they got comfortable on the couch.

“An 87/100?” (Y/N) grinned at Yosuke as he feigned mock offense.

“87?! But I put in so much love!” He huffed and buried his face in her hair causing (Y/N) to laugh heartily.

“You got a 70 last time! Fine, i’ll give you five extra points for that.” (Y/N) exclaimed and Yosuke instantly perked up, hugging her a little tighter.

“Did you practice?” (Y/N) asked and Yosuke hummed in response.

“I’ve been practicing to get the steak perfect for over two weeks now.” He replied. He was about to give her a quick kiss and remembered the gift he had gotten her so he quickly detangled their legs and rushed to the kitchen a second time leaving a confused (Y/N) behind.

Yosuke, with a party hat on his head and a cake in his hand, came out of the kitchen singing the birthday song. (Y/N) was beaming and Yosuke could not restrain himself from grabbing her face and kissing her adorable face right there. The cake was pink and had little red hearts on it. It was lovely, just like his wife.

(Y/N) cut the cake while they blew the candles out together. She could not ask for a more perfect day when Yosuke took the gift bag off his wrist and handed it to (Y/N), urging her to open it.

(Y/N) opened the velvet box and gazed at a pair of bracelets in absolute awe. They were platinum bracelets, with a star on one piece and a moon on the other. Yosuke took the star bracelet out of its box and put it on (Y/N)’s wrist. The star glimmered under the dim light of the living room. She was snapped out of her trance when Yosuke spoke up.

“They say the moon feels lonely without its stars.” He grabbed the moon bracelet and put it on his own wrist.

“A night sky is complete when the moon is surrounded by the stars.” He clasped her hands into his own ans gazed in her eyes. (Y/N) could see an emotion in Yosuke’s she couldn’t put a word on. This seriousness seemed out of character for Yosuke and she couldn’t help but tear up.

“You’re the radiant star that makes my starry sky complete, (Y/N). When you’re not around me, I feel lonely. The sense of wholeness when we’re together, when we’re one, is so overwhelmingly euphoric I fell in love with you all over again. Thank you for staying with me against all odds. Thank you for being born. Thank you, for brightening up my days and nights.” Tears were flowing down (Y/N)’s face at this point and Yosuke reached up to wipe them off.

“I love you, (Y/N). You complete me.” A dazzling smile erupted on his face as (Y/N) embraced him, whispering sweet words of adoration and affection for the man.