Would Your Heart Stay with Me if He Returned?

 On a rainy afternoon, Subaru was wrapping up his final meeting of the day and preparing to head home. As unusual as it might seem for the head of a growing company in Japan, Subaru preferred to take his evenings off rather than an entire day. This way, he could unwind without the nagging worry of not being as productive as he hoped to be. 

 Unfortunately for him as he was headed to the door of his office, a deep, smooth voice, on the other end of the phone asked him if he was free at 1 p.m. to have lunch with him, the client said that it was his way to show all his appreciation toward the efforts that have been made by the company and the CEO himself. Subaru couldn't risk ignoring such proposition, so he accepted the invitation of his first big client, Gilbert Abghasse, The CEO of NovaTech. 

 At 1 p.m., within a vibrant restaurant, the meeting took place. The setting was straight out of a scene from an anime. The restaurant was bathed in warm, natural light streaming through large arched windows, creating a cozy yet sophisticated atmosphere. The walls were adorned with elegant patterns, and the wooden furniture exuded charm and class. The room was bustling with energy—customers engaged in animated conversations, waitstaff gracefully serving dishes, and the clinking of cutlery adding to the lively ambiance.

That is, until a voice shattered the spell: 'Mister Tanaka, I am right here!' called a long-haired blond stranger, waving at him. 

. "Mister Abghasse, I am sorry to make you wait, I had some difficulties to find the place"

. "Do not trouble yourself with that, we are not in a meeting, it is just lunch", His smooth voice said before taking another sip of his tea. 

As they were talking, a waitress decided to take their order, before asking Gilbert about how he was doing. 

. "Fine, Itchigo, I am feeling better than I ever was" 

. "So happy to see you again and in such a great state", the 40-year-old waitress answered with a smile 

. "Now tell me what would you like to have?" she asked as she was about to take note

. "I'll have the menu of the day, and you, my friend?" 

. "I'll have a steak with a black pepper sauce" he said before closing the menu and giving it back to woman 

. "A menu of the day and a steack for you gentlemen, by the way Mister Abghasse, how is your fiancé? I mean your wife? It is been a long time" 

. "Indeed it is, but I am afraid my ex fiancé is no longer a part of my life, as you can see, there is no ring on those fingers" he answered quietly as he was showing his hand to her 

. "Oh, I am so sorry I shouldn't have asked you about that" she answered saddened and almost embraced for asking such a noisy question

. "It is perfectly alright Itchigo, it is part of what we call life" he answered with smile as if it was nothing 

 As they were dinning, Abghasse brought a particularly sensitive topic to the table. 

. "Tell me mister Tanaka, do you have a girlfriend?" "I do, her name is Hotaru, she is a chief project in a video game company"

. "Impressive a couple of a high achievers, how lovely, do you plan on getting married?" he asked

. "Well, I plan on asking her soon, during summer, I thought that I could ask her in that small village where she used to spend her summers as a child, in front of a firework festival, all I have to do is to find a romantic and private spot"

. "And why this village in particular?"

. "Hotaru used to love to go there and a lot of her memories are tied to a mystical forest near the village itself" 

. "Could it be that the forest's name starts with the word spirit?" he asked 

. "Yes, have you heard about it?" the young man asked before meeting the serious gaze of his client 

. "Is there a problem sir?" 

. "Indeed, there is, if you do want this relationship to end up in a marriage, you should hear my story, the one that proceeded my fiancée's decision to break off the engagement" 

Ignorant about what the forest had anything to do with his engagement being broken off, Subaru though that he would receive some advice from him, to avoid any kind of mistake that he could have made in the past. But another story about the forest's spirit secret was about unfold yet again.