deciphered

enigma's secret II

Suna wasn't sure why he wanted to reconcile his relationship with his father. In fact, he understood why his mother and sister wouldn't want to, but there was something urging him to reach out. He told his family it was for money reasons, or for him to get business or networking connections, but deep down, he didn't want to admit he still wanted to have a father figure around in his life. He missed his father deeply, hoping by some miracle he would say the same about him. Why else would he still be sending money to support them?

Suna tried to keep it cool, especially around the mention of his father by other people—but on occasion, he cried himself to sleep at the thought of not having him around anymore. His father left at such a critical age for Suna where his presence had already made a lasting influence on his attachment and abandonment issues. Yet, despite the many reasons he has to hate his father, there wasn't much to persuade him otherwise. He still believed there could be a relationship between them, and Suna would rather die trying than to never have tried at all.

Much to his mother's warning and pleading, Suna packed his bags and took a trip to find out more information about his father out in Tokyo. It was a risk he was willing to take in order to have his father back into his life again.

He attended the first bullet train of the day a week after his birthday, promptly departing the Nagoya train station around five in the morning. He left a note to his mother and sister, letting them know he would be in Tokyo for the week and will return back, asking them what souvenirs or special items they would like for him to bring for them. Suna placed it on the kitchen table and quietly left the quaint apartment that he had always grown up in since birth.

The bullet train took no more than two hours to travel from Nagoya station to Tokyo station, arriving in the big city around seven in the morning. It was a pleasant experience for Suna, as he never once traveled outside of Nagoya before. A blend of excitement and anxiousness washed over him, overwhelmed by the busy and bustling city of Tokyo.

The moment he stepped off the bullet train, he was already being pushed by several business men heading to work for the day. He stumbled off the platform, dropping his bags in the process while a swarm of people boarded the next ride. Suna dusted off his pants and picked up his bags, expecting this sort of behavior from subway users, not those taking the bullet train. Perhaps the people living in Tokyo were just behaviorally different from the rest of Japan.

Suna took a taxi to the outskirts of southern Shinjuku where the Schweiden Adlers Inc building was located. He had an "appointment" with Utsui around eight in the morning, hoping he wouldn't arrive late to their meeting. Suna arrived just ten minutes before, rushing in with two duffel bags into a white and pristine office lobby.

The two women behind the desk were startled by his grand entrance, watching a teenaged Suna panting heavily from running a few blocks away where the taxi dropped him off, afraid he'd miss his appointment if he was left to sit in the morning Tokyo traffic. He placed his bags on one of the waiting chairs and placed his hand on his chest, trying his best to catch his breath. The women were eyeing his every movement, wondering why someone as young as Suna was in the lobby of the proxy company, deviating from the demographic of their usual clients.

He soon walked up to the front desk, placing his hands on top of the counter before mustering up the courage to speak. "Uh, I have an appointment at eight with Utsui?"

"Your name?" One of the women asked with a snarky attitude, typing away at her computer while the other sat in the other chair, filing her nails away.

"Last name, Suna; first name, Rintarou," he responded clearly, curling his fingers toward his palms. He shifted his mouth to the side while gulping down any nervousness he experienced, hoping they would tell him right away where to go.