The Last Bicycle

"Isn't it a bit too forward to directly ask about who she's marrying?" Sakura Adachi couldn't help but comment after reading the reply Shimamura Hougetsu had sent to Hino Akira congratulating her on her upcoming wedding.

"It's fine, really. If I hadn't asked, she might have found it strange that I only congratulated her without asking who her fiancé is," Shimamura replied with a playful smile.

"True enough," Sakura nodded, understanding. She and Hino Akira had been on good terms; in fact, it was Hino who had first informed her about Shimamura's particular taste in "a certain type of tea" and had even helped her acquire some.

Although they hadn't kept in touch much after graduating from high school, they could still be considered friends.

However, compared to her relationship with Hino, Shimamura's bond with Hino was much closer. After all, they had known each other for much longer.

But even Shimamura was only second.

The closest person to Hino Akira, without a doubt, had always been Taeko Nagafuji.

Sakura couldn't help but wonder if Nagafuji had received Hino's message yet.

Or, perhaps more intriguing, whether Nagafuji would attend Hino's wedding.

Sakura had sensed a certain subtlety in the relationship between Hino and Nagafuji ever since high school. They seemed like close friends, but there was always a hint of something more, something ambiguous—much like what had existed between her and Shimamura back then.

However, unlike Hino and Nagafuji, Sakura had chosen to pierce through that ambiguity during the fireworks festival, taking a massive step forward in her relationship with Shimamura.

Their parents were stunned for an entire day after learning about their relationship.

Their "cabbage" hadn't been taken by a "pig" but rather by another "cabbage." The family was about to grow from one cabbage to two cabbages?

Shocking for the parents!

"Aren't you curious about who Hino is marrying?" Shimamura suddenly asked.

Sakura hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "I am a bit curious."

"Then it seems I did the right thing by asking," Shimamura said with a grin, before putting her phone back into her pocket and continuing to tidy up the kitchen.

Since Hino hadn't replied yet, she was probably busy with wedding preparations.

After all, as the daughter of the Hino family, this wedding was likely the most significant event for the family at the moment.

Half an hour later, Shimamura finished wringing out a cloth and wiped the fine beads of sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. "As expected, the most troublesome part of running a restaurant is cleaning up after closing every night. Are you done yet, Sakura? It's time to go home."

Hearing Shimamura's call, Sakura appeared in the kitchen doorway as quickly as a little puppy, panting slightly while holding a mop. "I've finished mopping the dining area. Let's go home..."

"Don't rush so much," Shimamura said, concerned, but seeing how eager Sakura was to help made her secretly happy. In fact, there was a small, mischievous part of her that hoped Sakura would exhaust herself a bit more.

Maybe she could collapse like a tired puppy, showing her white belly and refusing to get up unless Shimamura gave her a good rub.

After washing their hands in the restroom, the two left the yakiniku restaurant through the back door, carefully locking up behind them.

Besides the cash register, there wasn't much of value in the restaurant.

However, if someone were to search thoroughly, they might find something valuable—like the fresh meat and vegetables in the kitchen refrigerator.

If converted to cash, it would be quite an expensive loss.

"It's almost eleven," Sakura said, checking the time on her phone and letting out a sigh.

She hadn't expected cleaning up to take so long. Tomorrow night would likely be just as late.

If they had a lot of customers, they might even have to stay open until midnight.

"Has Hino replied yet?" Sakura asked while unlocking her bike.

"No, not yet. She must be busy, or maybe she's already asleep. It's too late to call her now," Shimamura said, checking her phone for any new messages.

"Alright, let's head home. By the way, have you eaten anything tonight?"

Hearing this, Shimamura touched her stomach, and sure enough, it growled in response.

They had been so busy that she hadn't had time to eat.

They usually ate after the last customers left, but today, they had been too occupied to remember to eat until after closing.

"It's kind of ironic that we run a restaurant, yet haven't eaten dinner ourselves," Sakura said with a chuckle.

"That's a bit of dark humor. So, what do you feel like eating?"

"Anything is fine. I just want to eat quickly, then go home and get some sleep. We'll need to prepare to open again by 2 PM tomorrow. But at this hour, there aren't many places still open."

Understanding Sakura's plight, Shimamura thought for a moment and then said, "I've got it! There's a 24-hour burger joint two blocks away. I've been craving their thick cheese beef burger. Let's grab dinner there tonight."

"Sounds good, and it's close by. We can grab the food and head home."

"You still prefer taking food home to eat, huh?" Shimamura teased.

"I can't help it; I only feel completely at ease when eating at home. Even in a private dining room, I still feel a bit uncomfortable."

"It seems your shyness hasn't entirely gone away... But that's just what I love about you, Sakura~"

"Are you serious?"

"As serious as the beef in instant ramen," Shimamura said with a straight face, then hopped onto the back seat of Sakura's bike and wrapped her arms around her.

Sakura blushed, her shy nature surfacing once again. Shimamura often teased her about how they were already like an old married couple, yet she still got flustered by simple gestures.

And, without fail, Sakura's face would always turn even redder.

Just like now.

"Hold on tight. I'm going to start pedaling," Sakura said, her face still flushed, as she began cycling towards the burger joint.

"This bike looks just like that one... Same color, same model."

Shimamura spoke softly from the back seat.

She was referring to the bike they used to ride together back in high school.

The bike had held up well through their college years, as if it could have lasted another ten years without issue. But one day, out of nowhere, while trying to avoid a stray cat that darted out from the shadows, Sakura had taken a spill.

She was fine, but the bike wasn't—it flew into a lamppost and was totaled.

Sakura was down for a whole week after that.

Sakura nodded. "I went back to the shop where I bought that bike. Most shops didn't carry that model anymore since it was outdated, but luckily, that store had one left in stock. The owner was planning to get rid of it at the end of the month. I was so fortunate to find it before it was gone."

"So the bike we're riding now is a limited edition?"

"You could say that."

"Then we really lucked out... I'm glad we found the last one," Shimamura said softly.

For both Sakura and herself, that bike held immense sentimental value.

Finding it was truly a blessing.