APRICITAS [ENG] || Johan Liebert || Monster

Chapter 24 - A City from a Fairy Tale

"Emiko." He started a little hesitantly because he felt that she was hiding something important from him, as if she wanted to start fighting alone again. "Where have you been for these last days? Do you know how much we were worried about you?" She put the teaspoon back on the saucer and took a small sip to avoid scalding herself with the hot drink.

"First, I was in the library during the fire... when it all happened." Dr. Reichwein opened his eyes wide.

"So you were there after all...?! What was going on there?! How did you managed to get out?!" Emiko put her cup down and clasped her hands on her lap, interlacing her fingers.

"Someone set the fire; the fire started completely unexpectedly. Fortunately, my brother blew off the hinges of the door and helped the trapped people out."

"Have you met up with Dr. Tenma?"

"I saw him, but I'm not sure if he knew I was there. I tried to go unnoticed because..." She lowered her voice a bit after that. "...I wanted to end this on my own." The man frowned at the statement.

"But Johan managed to go away, Nina said. Why didn't you contact with me earlier?" Emiko lifted her head up and looked into his eyes.

"During all this time... we..." She hesitated for a moment, as her voice caught in her throat. She took a deep breath to calm her nervousness. "...We were together."

"WHAT?"

Dr. Reichwein jumped up from his seat, as it must have been the last thing he expected to hear from her. On his face began to appear a real terror.

"What did he do to you?!" He looked at her bandaged arm, which he only now fully realized, because the sleeve from her blouse covered most of it. "He did it?" He asked, pointing to the bandage with his hand.

"Dr. Reichwein, Johan is afraid of his own feelings that... During all those days we spent together, in fact, up to this point, he didn't do to me any harm. He tried psychological games, it's true, but he couldn't break me. Besides..." The girl took a deep breath and looked at the view from behind the window. "...he wanted to know me. Just simply know something more about me. It was the strangest four days of my entire life. But finally I managed to understand..." She looked back at Dr. Reichwein at that moment and propped her head up with the back of her hand. "Johan, he... he needs help. Does the doctor know, why he shot me? Because I became more closer to him than he would have expected before... He couldn't cope with it..."

"This could be his next game! Don't fall for it, Emiko! He hurt you!" The girl shook her head with a slight smile, remembering all their sincere conversations, during which she looked directly into his soul.

"I'm going to prove my brother's innocence, stop him from killing Johan and..."

"Emiko!"

"...show the truth to the world. Johan has to face the consequences of his actions, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to be there for him. I know there's one thing only I can do now."

The older man sat back down in his chair, deep in thought, not fully understanding her new course of action. First, she wanted to do this instead of her brother, and now suddenly that has changed? Something more must have happened between her and Johan, but Dr. Reichwein decided not to pursue the topic further. Only her brother, Dr. Tenma, could have had that right.

However, since the fire in the library, the Japanese neurosurgeon disappeared without a trace, so no one could contact him to tell him that his sister is currently in Germany... The old man frowned and rubbed his forehead with his hand.

"Was my brother here again?" The girl reached for her cup to take a few more sips of tea.

"No. After his visit, before you came to me that time, he never showed up again. Would you like..." Emiko closed her eyes and shook her head.