"You must've been really hungry, huh..."
The kind stranger Akio met is currently scarfing down pastries like he had been starved for years. The man nods, swallowing the pastry. "I skipped dinner last night because of work. So you really helped me a lot."
"No problem."
"Are you not going to eat?" The man asked, wondering as to why Akio hadn't taken off his mask and didn't even buy a drink for himself.
"No, I had breakfast at home already."
"Okay then."
"..."
Wuu...How does this work? Do I just introduce myself? What if it's too sudden? Should I ask for his name first? Wait, I should definitely give my own name first. But what if he thinks I'm weird and goes 'Why is this dude trying to get close all of the sudden?' Wait, I'm not! I'm just trying to-
As Akio was left to conduct an imaginary conversation with multiple bad endings, the man had stopped eating to stare at him.
"Is something wrong? You're pale all over again."
"M-Me? Oh yes, I'm fine!"
"...If you say so, but you should go home if you want to rest. I don't mind if you leave."
Akio waves his hands dismissively. "No, no, no, I can't. I still haven't paid yet and-"
"It's fine. I can pay myself but if you insist on treating me, then you can leave the money and go back home to get some rest."
Wah, he's really nice!
"Hah, you really think so?"
Oh no! I said that out loud!! But I meant it as a really good thing! But what if he thinks I'm-
Before Akio could go off into another land in his mind, the man averted his gaze and had an odd expression on his face. He seemed...happy? "Thank you for saying that I guess...I don't really hear that often."
"Eh? Really?" Such a good man and no one ever praises him? "Well, I think you're nice. You helped me calm down at the supermarket when you didn't have to."
"It was just the right thing to do, you know?"
"But still..."
"I'm just gonna finish eating." The man said, returning to his pastries. Akio looked closer at the man's image, seeing a tint of red around his ears. Is he embarrased from the compliment?
Akio double checks to make sure he isn't saying anything out loud, but the man has definitely caught his interest and curiosity.
He wonders...can they be friends?
If so, this would be the very first friend Akio makes in his world. He has made a good impression so far, especially when the man prevented him from getting a worse panic attack. Akio doesn't really know how to make friends or how to ask someone to be his friend, but friendship can come naturally sometimes, right?
It...doesn't hurt to try.
...
Will you be my friend?
Wait, I don't even know his name yet!
When should we be friends? What's the perfect timing? Should we exchange numbers so we can meet up a few more times? What if I'm annoying him, what if I'm-
"Oh crap..." The man suddenly cursed at his phone as he was eating. He quickly looked up to Akio and excused himself for a moment due to a sudden work message.
Akio nods and was about to wait for him, but the man didn't realize that the poster encased in glass behind him reflected his phone.
Akio observes silently, examining a person with a shirt stained with something. The reflection couldn't exactly make the colors clear, but there was something odd with the way the shirt was stained. There was also a clear hole in the shirt, like something was stabbed through it. It was clearly obvious to Akio what the situation was.
It was like he was caught in a trance as he watched.
"There are barely in the wrinkles in the clothing or injuries around the body, so that might be an indicator that there were no signs of struggles. It's a clean and concise attack."
"What?" The man looked up, confused.
"It's not confirmed yet, only a guess. They were probably caught by surprise...If only we can see the face and the expression...As well as the..."
"..."
Oh shit.
"How did you..." Following Akio's gaze, the man finally realized he made a grave mistake as well as the reflection. He wasn't being careful.
Meanwhile, Akio was going through a mental crisis. ME AND MY STUPID MOUTH AND BRAIN! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO GO ON AND RAMBLE!!? WHAT IS HE GOING TO DO WITH ME!? IS THAT PICTURE REAL OR FAKE!? THE REFLECTION CAN'T EXACTLY TELL ME THE COLOR BUT IF THAT'S A REAL DEAD BODY THEN I JUST-
"Who are you?" The man asked, brow raised.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Akio apologized multiple times. "I didn't mean too! It just reflected on the glass and there's no way I couldn't see it and I'm sorry for suddenly rambling, I was just curious and-"
"Calm down, you're panicking." The man says firmly but with a hint of gentleness. "Breathe in and breath out."
Akio follows his instructions once more and eventually calmed down. The cafe was so loud and full of chatter that his sudden outburst was buried deep under everyone else's chatter. "I'm sorry again...I really didn't mean to look and I couldn't help but blurt all those things out...You see, I'm..."
Akio turns red. "I'm into detective novels..."
"..." The man looked pleasantly surprised. "I see..."
Whew! Akio internally sighs in relief. Hopefully the picture is fake-
"Don't tell anyone about this."
IT'S FREAKING REAL!
Akio clenched his fist under the table, regretting his words from earlier. He controlled his facial muscles to remain calm as much as possible.
The man's gaze suddenly changed, looking more cautious than before. The wary gaze is not good for Akio's heart. I brought this upon myself! I shall accept whatever punishment-
"It's a mystery game I'm playing with my friend. You were right about the whole mystery thing. Don't tell anybody because the prize is mine."
THANK GOODNESS!
Little tiny Akios jump around in a vast flower field, relief and joy painting the atmosphere as they radiated a bright aura.
"I see, then I won't tell anyone!" The prize is all yours man!
Little did Akio know, the man had been observing his behavior quietly and the picture on the phone? It was a hundred percent real.
The man finished his breakfast quickly and the two walk out of the cafe together, satisfied.
"I'll treat you next time. Thank you for feeding me. I'll repay you." The man said as they exit the cafe.
"You don't have to worry about it." Akio says, "I think we're pretty even now."
"By the way, I never got your name-" Before the man could finish, someone suddenly called from afar, snatching their attention.
"Vince!" A man from the distance called, waving his hand in the air with a beaming smile.
Once Akio saw the new arrival that exudes extrovert energy, alarms go off in his head. Nope, he can barely communicate with this calm and nice stranger, he'll combust with that extrovert. "I'll get going now then. You seem to have company! Don't let me disturb you!"
"Wait-" Akio briskly walks away, holding his groceries tightly. The man reached out his hand, but Akio was too far away now. With a sigh, he looks over to his associate.
"Jackson? What are you doing here? Is it about the photo you sent me?"
Jackson watched Akio walked away, the man slowing his pace with a strange expression on his face. He looked at the fleeting figure then at Vince.
"What's wrong?"
Jackson scratched the back of his head and pointed to the direction Akio went.
"Vincent, You came out the cafe with him, right? I thought you didn't like him."
Vincent tilts his head, puzzled. "What are you talking about?"
"That was Daniel Winters."
"..."
"..."
"...WHAT!?"
~~~~~
Hello everybody!
How are all of you doing today?
Thank you so much for tuning in today's chapter! I really love mystery and I hope I can combine it well with the different genres and themes I planned! Please feel free to point out any corrections. I've noticed a lot of them in the past few chapters and I'm really sorry! I'll do my best to fix it!
Once again, thank you so much for all the support, views, votes and comments and I'll see guys in the next chapter~♡