By a strange twist of fate, he bumps into Kaori Fujimura, a poor, loving young woman who lives and works in the world ruled by Harashima. She mistakes him for the gardener, despite his smart dress, and presumes he's getting ready for a date. When Kaori notices Harashima's jacket gets dusty, she insists on cleaning it for him. He sits and listens to how she feels about her work and the Harashima store. She explains that though the store is becoming less popular and she dislikes the owner (Harashima), she doesn't want the store to fold. This makes Harashima curious and he is already bewitched by Kaori's beauty and her sunny, optimistic nature. Though he is unaware at first, he realizes on their second meeting that he has fallen head-over-heels in love with her.