That evening, Kazemori Masaki returned home. Before he could sit down and take off his shoes, he heard hurried footsteps, then saw Akemi approaching briskly. "Welcome home, Father. Oh, let me take your coat."
Kazemori Masaki handed his coat to Akemi, looking a little surprised. "Akemi, why are you home so early today?"
Usually, Kazemori Masaki and Akemi arrived home at roughly the same time—some of his work had been delegated to others, so he was not as busy as usual. Today, however, Akemi had already changed out of her work clothes into something more casual. There was also a faint smell of seasoning on her hands; she had probably been helping prepare dinner.
"Work finished a little early, so I came home to help." Akemi winked at Kazemori Masaki. "I have some good news for you, Father."
"What good news?" Kazemori Masaki asked, immediately curious.
"Oh, I'll tell you later. Let's talk about it over dinner." Akemi put away his coat and accompanied him farther into the house.
"You've even learned to keep me in suspense now." Kazemori Masaki looked at Akemi with amusement. "What is this good news? Can't you give me a hint?"
"You'll definitely be happy when you hear it, so just look forward to it." Just then, Akemi heard Satomi calling her from the kitchen. "I'll go help first. Wait a little while, Father."
Akemi hurried away, leaving Kazemori Masaki to wonder what her good news could be. Since she had offered no details, he did not even know what it concerned. Personally, he hoped it was about some of the research being done in the Research Department.
Considering how early Akemi had come home, Kazemori Masaki wondered whether a breakthrough in their research had allowed her to leave early.
That seemed a reasonable guess.