He answered the phone with trembling hands, and David's excited, distorted voice came from the other end.
" Matsushita! Matsushita! I received it! A guy on a motorcycle, like lightning! I'm going through security right now! Perfect timing! God bless! Your service in Japan is incredible! This order is done! See you in New York!"
"Received it? Got it? It's just right?"
Koji Matsushita was incoherent, his brain overwhelmed with immense joy, leaving him dizzy.
9:05 AM.
He slumped in his chair, drenched in cold sweat, yet couldn't help but burst into laughter.
As I laughed, tears started streaming down my face.
We're saved!
His work, his career.
They're all saved!
9:15 AM.
He jumped up abruptly, grabbed his wallet and flyers, rushed downstairs, and hailed a taxi. "Driver, to this address!"
At 9:30 a. m., Koji Matsushita found the inconspicuous shop at the end of the small commercial street according to the address on the flyer.
Seeing the group of teenagers inside who looked excessively young, he didn't hesitate at all. He took out ten 10,000 yen bills from his wallet and slammed them on the table.
"Who's in charge? Where's the hero who delivered the documents? Thank you so much! Thank you so much!"
He was so excited his face turned red. "The five thousand has already been paid, this one hundred thousand is a thank-you fee, please accept it!"
Kawamoto bowed deeply, looked at the stack of ten thousand yen bills, and shook his head. "Mr. Matsushita, we agreed on five thousand, and that's five thousand. We can't accept any more."
"No! We must accept it!"
Koji Matsushita cried out anxiously, "You saved my life!"
"That contract is related to my job, my future, and you delivered it in half an hour!"
"This isn't just speed, this is a miracle!"
"If you don't accept it, you're looking down on me! I'm angry!"
He forcefully shoved the money into Kawamoto's hand, glanced at the shabby shop, and shouted, "You wait here! I'll go back and tell everyone in the company—no, everyone I know—that from now on, for urgent deliveries, we'll only use your 'Flash Wind Express. You're the fastest wind in Shonan!"
He excitedly grasped Kawamoto's hand. "With service like yours, how could the Japan economy not take off? All those big companies and express delivery companies should come and learn from you! That's what service is! That's what efficiency is!"
Before Kawamoto could respond, the phone on the table rang shrilly again.
He could only apologize to Koji Matsushita and answer the phone.
Throughout the day, the phone kept ringing, and even as it approached 6 p. m., the calls continued unabated.
This time, it was a young, panicked male voice, almost crying, "Please! Help me! It's my girlfriend's birthday today, and I had to go on a last-minute business trip to Yokohama at noon. I'm working overtime and can't make it back in time."
"I ordered a cake from the Heike Sweetheart Story Cake Shop. It needs to be picked up before 6:10 PM and then delivered to the Voice of the Sea restaurant in Kamakura Yuigahama."
"Her birthday party is at 7 o'clock, and I haven't finished work yet. By the time I get back from Yokohama, it will be at least 11 o'clock before I arrive."
The cake shop closes promptly at six o'clock, but if...
"My girlfriend will kill me! No, it doesn't matter if she kills me, it will break her heart! I promised her I would spend her birthday with her every year, and even if I can't make it, the cake will still be there—"
"Sir, calm down. The pickup address is 'Heike Sweet Story,' and the delivery address is 'Yubi Seaside Sound Restaurant.' The package needs to be delivered before 7 PM, is that correct?"
Kawamoto's quick notes.
"Yes, yes, yes! It has to be before seven o'clock! She and all her friends are waiting there. If the cake doesn't arrive—I'm doomed, I'll pay any price!"
"The distance from Kamakura to Yuigahama is not short, and it will be evening, so the fare is estimated at 8,000 yen."
"Eight thousand? Eight thousand is no problem! As long as it's delivered! The address is the shopping street near Hiratsuka Shohoku High School, right? I'll have my friend go there right away."
"Yes. Please provide your name and cake order number."
After hanging up the phone, Kawamoto looked at the eager crowd.
The journey from Hiratsuka to Yuigahama involves crossing half of Kamakura City, the road conditions are complicated, and the cake is fragile.
"Holy crap!"
Koichiro Nango suddenly jumped out, his eyes gleaming. "Boss! Let me handle this job, I guarantee I'll complete it. This concerns a man's promise of love, this is charging forward for love! I understand!"
Seeing his expression, as if he were about to save the world, Kawamoto nodded. "Be careful with the cake, don't break it. Be careful on the way."
Don't worry, boss!
Nango cheered, grabbed a pre-prepared delivery box lined with shock-absorbing foam, and rushed toward his motorcycle, which also bore the same markings.
He breathed on the helmet visor and rubbed it vigorously.
6:01 PM, Sweetheart Story Cake Shop.
Just as the shop assistant was about to pull down the roller shutter, Nango slammed on the brakes and stopped at the door. "Wait! Pick up the cake! Order number XXXX!"
When Nango received the beautifully packaged, three-tiered, and decorated birthday cake with strawberries and chocolates, she carefully placed it in an insulated box and secured it with foam.
I glanced at the address, twisted the accelerator, and sped into the bustling streets in the evening.
Kamakura Yuigahama, Seaside Restaurant with the Voice of the Sea.
The seaside terrace is decorated with fairy lights and balloons.
The birthday girl is a young girl wearing a white dress.
Gazing at the dark sea, his smile grew increasingly forced.
Her friends sat around her.
" Mika, shall we eat first?"
A friend said cautiously.
"Yeah, maybe your boyfriend really can't get away from work."
Another friend offered advice, but there was also a hint of barely perceptible complaint in his tone.
The promised birthday party was ruined; the male lead was absent, and the cake didn't even arrive. What kind of situation is this?
He promised me—
The girl named Mika said softly, her eyes already glistening with tears, "Even if he can't make it, he orders the best and sweetest cake for me every year for my birthday—this year is our third anniversary—"
"Men, when they're busy with work, they forget everything else."
A well-dressed female friend pursed her lips, her voice not loud but loud enough for Mika to hear. "That's why you need to find a boyfriend who has time. What's the use of just talking a good game?"
Mika bit her lip and remained silent, stubbornly staring in the direction of the door.
Time passed second by second, each second feeling like a needle pricking her heart.
The friends chatted in hushed tones, occasionally casting sympathetic or helpless glances. The restaurant waiter also came over several times to ask if they could serve the food first.
The atmosphere grew increasingly awkward and cold.
6:45 PM.
Mika had already given up hope.
She even considered getting up and leaving.
Just then, the sound of a rapid engine roared from the restaurant entrance.
Immediately afterwards, a tall young man rushed in, tightly clutching a huge foam box in his arms.
"Excuse me! Is Ms. Mika Sato there? Flash Wind Express! Birthday cake delivery!"
All eyes turned to that direction.
Mika was stunned, and so were her friends.
Koichiro Nango found his target, walked over quickly, and carefully placed the insulated box on the table with a bright, almost silly smile on his face.
Open it and take out the perfectly intact, sparkling deluxe cake.
"Happy birthday, Ms. Mika Sato! This is a birthday cake your boyfriend, Mr. Endo, ordered for you. He entrusted us, Flash Wind Express, to deliver it to you intact before 7 PM!"
Nango's loud voice, filled with the enthusiasm and sincerity unique to young people, instantly broke the stagnant atmosphere on the terrace.
He paused, looked at Mika's slightly reddened eyes, and suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
Remembering lines he'd somehow come across, he said earnestly, almost reciting them, "Mr. Endo asked me to tell you..."
"I'm sorry, my princess, your knight has been temporarily held back by the dragon of work. But he has sent the fastest wind of Shonan to deliver his sweetest thoughts and blessings first. Please wait a moment; once the knight has slain the dragon, he will rush to your side. Until then, please share this sweetness with your friends; your smile is the brightest starlight on his journey to slay the dragon."
These words, which are both melodramatic and reminiscent of manga, come from the mouth of Nango, a tall and strong boy, creating a strangely endearing contrast and a sense of sincerity.
There was a moment of silence on the terrace, then...