Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 624, Section 38: Macarons are too sweet.
By the time Kenichi Shiro and Haruko finished their discussion, Karl had been waiting for forty minutes.

Chiyome kept casting urging glances at him, clearly hoping to end the meeting as soon as possible. Kenichi Shiro hesitated, wanting to say something but holding back. He was too busy with his own affairs to do anything but look at Karl repeatedly. In the end, he had no choice but to pick up his documents and get up to leave.

Just as the door was about to close, he glanced back one last time, and this time, Karl caught that complex gaze perfectly.

"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Kenichi Shiro."

Carl immediately returned a warm smile, a smile like the early spring sunshine, trying to melt away the weariness between the middle-aged man's brows.

But faced with the warmth that Karl showed, Kenichi Shiro's usually composed face suddenly contorted.

"Stinky boy."

But in the end, facing the smiling Karl, perhaps feeling that one shouldn't hit a smiling person, Kenichi Shiro turned his head away and muttered a harsh curse under his breath.

With Kenichi Shiro's departure, the trouble that Haruko had asked Karl to handle finally got on track.

"Do you need to rest for a while, Haruko?"

"It's nothing." Haruko shook her head gently. "The plan was drafted a long time ago. Today was just the final confirmation. I didn't have to work hard at all."

After the business was settled, Chiyo led Karl away from the tea room where guests were entertained, through a long corridor, to a more spacious living room in the center. Haruko wanted Karl to be able to sit and wait comfortably while she prepared.

After leading Karl to the living room, Chiyome bowed slightly and took her leave, clearly preparing to help Haruko. According to her, Karl could take whatever he needed from the living room.

Karl had been to Haruko's place many times, so he was naturally familiar with the room he was in. After Chiyo left, Karl naturally took out some freshly squeezed juice from a small refrigerator in the living room and mixed it. Then he took out some small bread rolls from the cabinet next to the small refrigerator.

After taking a sip of his ice-cold homemade juice, Carl took a bite of bread.

When the soft little bread entered his mouth, Carl chewed it and found that the bread's milk flavor seemed a bit too strong.

After a moment's thought, Karl realized who had made the bread.

It seems that they've started making their own bread at home now. I heard Haruko say before that she practiced for a long time but wasn't very good at it, not as good as Maki, but now it tastes alright.

While waiting, Carl looked around the living room.

Although I've been here a few times, I've rarely had the chance to take a close look like I did today; it seems like this is the first time.

Judging from its size, the living room alone is almost bigger than his entire apartment. The crystal chandelier on the ceiling shimmers with a cold light, and there are several paintings on the walls that are somewhat similar in style to ukiyo-e, but they are all landscapes and plants, and there are no portraits.

The carpet underfoot was so soft, it felt like walking on clouds. If Karl hadn't been able to guess the approximate price, he would have considered discussing with V and the others about buying the same one.
Speaking of eating bread, wouldn't it be a bit awkward if crumbs accidentally fell onto the carpet?

Carl remembered that carpets were quite troublesome to clean. Although there seemed to be various specialized cleaning equipment available nowadays, it seemed that some delicate carpets couldn't be washed with equipment, otherwise it would cause damage.

Just as Carl was pondering, Haruko's voice came from next door, "Carl, please wait a moment!" Her voice was as clear as a wind chime, "I'll be right there!"

what?
As Carl listened to the sound, he looked at the wall beside him, and three thoughts flashed through his mind in that instant.

His first thought was that Haruko was changing clothes next door; he had originally thought she would go somewhere else.

My second thought was about the sound insulation. Could the walls be made of an adjustable sound-transmitting material? In my memory, the sound insulation of this villa was quite good.

The third idea is
Haruko, is she talking to herself while changing her clothes?
"Okay, I got it." Carl's voice echoed in the empty living room. He then finished his white bread and his mixed juice in one bite, and began to clean up the scene.

As Carl finished tidying up, a light footstep approached from afar. Chiyo gently pushed open the door, and Haruko standing behind her made Carl's breath catch in his throat.

The layers of pink tulle skirt resembled blooming double cherry blossoms, and the lace-trimmed neckline accentuated her snow-white neck. Haruko, with her hair in pigtails, stepped into the room with a smile, then suddenly twirled halfway around, revealing the light-colored tulle lining beneath her flowing skirt, like a sweet filling unexpectedly lifted.

"How is it?" she asked expectantly, clutching the hem of her skirt. "It was specially made according to the latest European fashion."

Karl was speechless for a moment.

In his memory, Haruko was always draped in pale pink cherry blossom-colored furisode sleeves. Only now did he realize that her mixed-race features, besides kimonos, were naturally suited to lace. The girl before him seemed to be under a spell, causing Karl's thoughts to drift from ukiyo-e prints to Rococo paintings, until—

The image of that delicate dessert in the refrigerator suddenly flashed into my mind.

“It’s like a walking fondant cake, and the pink color suits you perfectly,” Carl blurted out.

Upon hearing the first half of Karl's sentence, Haruko's smile froze for a moment, her lips drooping slightly. Just as she was about to put on a coquettish expression, she heard the second half of Karl's sentence, and her face quickly regained its radiance.

"Seriously, how can you describe a girl as a cake when you're complimenting her? That's not acceptable." Haruko said, but then she turned around halfway for Karl: "Since this one is nice, wait a minute, I'll change into another one."

She suddenly turned and ran out of the room, while Karl, who was listening to her, was a little confused.

Why change to a different set if it's already good?
That's right, shouldn't we consider making a decision soon?

As Karl was thinking, Chiyome bowed slightly to him again before closing the door.

Less than five minutes later, Haruko reappeared, this time in a deep blue velvet dress with a low neckline and a large openwork design at the back. Her hair had also changed from pigtails to an elegant updo, and she wore sparkling magnetic earrings.

“This is a limited edition by an Italian designer,” Haruko said, slightly raising her chin. “How do you think it is, Karl?”

Carl blinked. He actually thought the dress looked like some kind of curtain fabric, and the design seemed a bit too revealing. "Uh, it's pretty," he said, struggling to find the right words. "The blue makes you look...mature."

After hesitating for a moment, Karl said, "But I don't really like it." Haruko tilted her head to look at him, but seemed to see something in Karl's gaze.

She looked down thoughtfully at her neckline.

"Indeed, I don't really like the design of this piece either, but my mother says she really likes it. As expected, my mother's recommendation doesn't quite suit our tastes. Honestly, my mother clearly doesn't know anything, but she still insists on getting involved."

With that, Haruko turned and left the room again: "Please, Karl, wait a little longer!"

As Karl watched Haruko's figure disappear from his sight once again, he felt as if sweat was beading on his forehead.

Unexpected, truly unexpected.

He suddenly realized that watching girls change clothes was hard work, much more tiring than he had imagined.

Carl's initial thought was, 'It's just a matter of choosing an outfit, how difficult can it be, how much effort can it take? Although he doesn't know much about clothing, he has at least gone shopping for clothes with Jack and the others and picked out clothes together, so he knows a little about the clothes of this era.'

He was initially very confident in his ideas, even though he didn't understand them, he was inexplicably confident. But now...
Haruko only changed her clothes twice, and judging from her behavior, this was only the beginning. Karl was already starting to feel the strain.

Damn, this is way more tiring than fighting a cyber lunatic, and much harder than cooking and washing everything myself.

Carl couldn't explain why he was sweating or why he felt so tired, but he now regretted drinking the juice he had just mixed in one go.

Carl took out his phone and checked the time. He found that only a little over ten minutes had passed. Haruko changed her clothes very quickly, completing the entire outfit and makeup in just over ten minutes. It was unbelievably fast. But even though only a little over ten minutes had passed, Carl did experience a sense of the slowness of time.

To be honest, I'm tempted to run away.

As the thought crossed Karl's mind, he thought of Haruko's expectant eyes and felt a little reluctant. He gritted his teeth but ultimately did not move.

Haruko's bright, expectant look, combined with the pleading in her beautiful eyes, made it hard for Karl to refuse.

When Haruko appeared in front of Karl for the third time, time seemed to be paused.

Sunlight streamed through the sheer curtains, bathing her in a soft glow. Her pure white dress was devoid of elaborate embellishments, save for a small bow at the neckline that trembled gently with her light steps, like a white butterfly alighting on her collarbone. Strands of her hair fell over her shoulders, shimmering with a pearly luster, each strand tenderly tugging at Karl's heartstrings.

“This is…” Karl unconsciously stared at the bow, unable to look away from it. The bow rose and fell slightly with Haruko’s breath, reminding him of the first cherry blossom to bloom in spring.

“It’s the most ordinary piece in my wardrobe,” Haruko’s voice was lighter than a feather, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the edge of the bow. “It’s not a special custom-made garment, just…”

“This one looks the best,” Karl blurted out without the slightest hesitation.

Compared to outfits that resembled cakes or were draped with curtains, Karl preferred this more understated style, which he felt suited Haruko's attire better.

Although neither the pink tulle skirt nor the dark blue velvet dress was undeniably beautiful, and Karl had to admit that Haruko possessed a unique beauty in those outfits, he simply felt that they didn't quite suit Haruko's temperament.

The previous pink tulle dress—though sweet like a princess in a fairy tale—made Haruko seem too naive, like she was deliberately trying to be cute; the previous dark blue velvet dress—although elegant and noble, made her look like a precocious socialite, as if even her breathing carried a sense of distant etiquette. This is the Haruko that Karl knows best.

Pure, natural, and unpretentious.

The white skirt swayed gently with her movements, like petals brushed by the wind. There was no deliberate extravagance or excessive embellishment, only a just-right elegance that made her temperament even more pure and clear.

Carl could tell that Haruko had chosen Western-style clothing today, perhaps to show some cultural affinity to the New America side at the meeting. But compared to the other two outfits, the white dress, the most ordinary one without any extra decorations, was the one Carl felt looked best and suited Haruko the most.

Indeed, rather than deliberately trying to please others, her innate elegance best revealed the Haruko that Karl knew.

Carl spoke again: "I like you the way you are."

like
Hearing this word, Haruko knew perfectly well that Karl was referring to the combination of clothes and her own, but she paused for a moment, then a blush slowly rose to her cheeks, which she felt she wanted to hide: "R-really?"

Her voice was soft, tinged with uncertainty yet unable to hide her anticipation, "You really...like it?"

Karl nodded, a smile unconsciously creeping onto his lips: "Yes, because this is who you are—not 'the young lady of the Arasaka family,' but the Haruko I know."

The living room suddenly fell silent, as if only the sound of breathing could be heard. Haruko stood there, her lips slightly pursed, her eyes filled with emotions that Karl couldn't decipher, like joy, or something deeper.

"Thank you," she finally whispered, her voice incredibly soft. "Actually, this is also my favorite. Indeed, entrusting the choices to Carl is never a mistake. Carl, you never let me down. That's wonderful."

As she spoke, Haruko suddenly smiled, like sunlight shining through the clouds, bright and warm: "Would you like some tea and snacks? I made macarons, Carl, you probably didn't notice, but they were in a small box in the refrigerator, specially prepared for you."

She glanced at the refrigerator, her skirt swaying in an arc as she turned, her hair brushing against Karl's hand like a gentle caress she dared not touch. "Because I was thinking about what it would be like to eat with you."

The unspoken words melted into the afternoon sunlight, and Karl knew that this moment, along with the dappled sunlight dancing on her white dress, would be forever etched in his memory.

Along with the sweetness of macarons.

despite this.

"These macarons are still too sweet."

When Carl brought home the macarons he couldn't finish, Oliver and V, who had shared them with the others, complained.

(End of this chapter)