The raven-haired woman stood in front of the entrance glass door of her cafe. She could not see anything inside as the blinds are down. She nervously touch the door handle but then someone beat her to it.
"I'll open it for you madam." The white-haired man who Sanzu called Kokonoi said.
'I have my own hands you know...' She thought. 'But that's not really the point right now! Focus Denise!'
Kokonoi then slowly opened the door, her eyes adjusting to the sudden bright light. There she saw another three unknown men that she had never seen in her whole life. One has a noticeable scar on his face, clearly older than the rest, he has a gun on his waist not even bothering on hiding it. The next one also looks quite older and has a beard. Den also took notice of a young man with white undercut hair who has his gun placed on top of the table he's using. He was just eating a taiyaki like he does not care about the world, not even glancing at the newly arrived people.
'Are these guys Emma's uncles? They're all attractive in a way. ' She thought as she glance once again at the men inside the cafe. She then wanders her eyes around. She then took noticed lots of random bullet shells scattered on the floor.
'But a plain attractive man and an attractive man with a gun are two different things. ' She also thought, thinking of her conversation with her friend a while about Emma's uncles.
'Definitely a huge no. Red flags. '
After a few seconds of just standing at the entrance, the woman then heard a voice at her back.
"Why don't you enter? It's your place anyway." Sanzu nonchalantly said as he pass her as nothing happened a while ago.
'This jellyfish-- wait... he looks more like an axolotl, right? Anyways, I swear I'll kick you again!' The woman thought, clearly irritated by the man's sudden arrogance. She then let out a loud sigh as she steps into the cafe entrance.
"Denise...?" She then heard her name being called by someone. She then looks to her right and there he finds a bleeding Kakucho, sitting on a chair.
"Kaku-chan!? What happened!?" She said as she rush to his side. She inspects him and finds where the said man is bleeding. Upon taking a closer look, he has no other injuries aside from his bleeding left arm.
"Wait here, I'll get the first aid," Den said as she rush to where they placed the first aid kit. She was about to pass to the table the other men gathered when she heard someone's voice.
"It's just a graze. You don't need to treat him, he won't die from it." The man with a scar on his face said. She then looks at him for a few seconds then turned around and proceed on getting the first aid. After a minute, she hurriedly went to Kakucho's side and treat his wounds.
"There, you're all good now," Den said as she smiled softly at the man.
"Thank you..." Kakucho mumbled shyly.
The other men then look at the two people like they were watching some drama on the television. Sanzu scowls and mimics the shy Kakucho's 'Thank you.'
"She should treat me too! I'm the one who's heavily injured because of her!" Sanzu whispered to himself, his eyes still at the two. Kokonoi rolled his eyes in irritation at the pink-haired man's childishness.
The other white-haired man who happens to be their boss just stared at the smiling woman and Kakucho in annoyance as he bites to the Taiyaki he was eating that he randomly grab at the store's sweets display.
'There's no reason for me to be this irritated.' The man thought. He just let out a loud 'tsked' making the other people in the room flinched.
No one said anything. No one bothered to say something and they just look at each other.
'Why do these guys ---' Den's thoughts got cut off by the sudden ring of the bell of the entrance door, signaling that someone is about to enter.
"Den? Thank God you're fine!" A brunette woman with long hair said as she runs where her friend is standing. Den just smiled at her awkwardly.
"Now that everyone is here, should we proceed on what's the main agenda is?" The long white-haired man said as he gathered the attention of the people in the room.
"Ms. Laurent, Ms. Revas, please sit---" Kokonoi said as he was about to guide the two women where to sit when suddenly someone interrupted him.
"Mommy?" It was the sleepy blonde child. Emma who was still in her Uncle Ran's embrace look around to find her mommy. She then spotted her standing beside her aunt and uncle Kaku. The child tugs Ran's clothes like she's asking him to let her down. Ran then look where his boss is sitting asking through his eyes if he would let Emma approach the said woman.
Mikey just nodded his head, he was curious about what was going to happen. Ran then let Emma down. The child then runs to where her supposedly mom is located.
"Mommy! Up!" Emma said as she raised her arms signaling that she wants her mommy to carry her. Den on the other hand could feel the men's stares at them, especially the white-haired man who stopped eating his Taiyaki. His stares hurt the most among the group.
"Mommy, Emma is hungry..." The child said as she hug the woman.
"Is that so? What does our sweetie want to eat?" Den said as she smiles at the child who is acting very cute right now.
"Omurice!" The child shouted joyfully making the woman laugh.
"Princess, we could just ask the chef at home if you want." Someone interrupted them. The woman and child then look at the said man who happens to be Kokonoi irritatingly.
"Uncle Koko! Emma doesn't want that! Emma wants mommy's and auntie's food!" the child said as she frowned at her uncle.
'This is the first time our Princess shouted like that to me!' Kokonoi thought as he sulks a little.
"Emma." The man who was eating Taiyaki a while ago said making the three women flinch. They then look at the man.
'His voice is so cold.' Den and Guini thought.
"Daddy!" Emma shouted excitingly. "Down Mommy! Down!" She shouted, Den then let her go as the child rushed to her daddy.
'Daddy!? That's her dad!?' Den thought, she suddenly got some chills.
'Of course, it is the most dangerous-looking man!' Guini thought as she stared at the white-haired man with an undercut. 'The moment my eyes set on that man, I got the chills. Like I'm a prey being hunted!'
"Emma, you did something bad today." The man said as he stared at the child coldly. Emma then stops rushing to him and just looks at him, a little frightened.
"Boss--"
"I'm not talking to you Kakucho." The man said not even glancing at the man, Kakucho just shuts up as he clenched his jaw. At this point, Den and Guini are both genuinely frightened.
'Great, just great!' They thought.
"I-- I-- Emma wants to visit mommy and auntie!" The child said, on verge of crying. The man just then glanced at the two women with his empty black eyes that somehow resemble the child's, in Den's perspective.
"Is that the reason why you went outside the house when I clearly told you not to?" He said as he stands up from his seat. Everyone in the room looks so tense right now, especially the executives. They don't know why their boss is acting like this. In normal circumstances when the child vanishes, he always tends to vent his anger to other people and acts as nothing happened to the child. He blames the people around them but not his own child, saying that it's one of their responsibilities to take care of the small child as they were the adults.
"Sir, excuse me but---" Den who could not take it anymore tried to say something to her friend's horror.
'Fuck, she's dead.' Sanzu thought.
'Should I call the mortician now?' Kokonoi thought as he was about to grab his phone. The other executives also thought the same as they know that their boss does not like being interrupted whenever he is talking or talking with someone. But what happened next shocked all of them.
"Manjiro. Manjiro Sano." The man said as he looks straight to her brown eyes, making the woman stop.
'Right. Though I'm not asking...' Den thought as she look at the man in bewilderment.
'What the heck is going on?' Takeomi thought, amused at the sudden turn of events.
'He even told her his real name!?' Sanzu thought as he look at his friends as if asking if he heard it wrong.
"Err, yeah. Mr. Sano if you don't mind me saying this but don't be angry at Emma. She's still a child so she still does not know what is right and wrong. Yes, it is wrong of her to not follow your instructions to not get out of the house but I heard that she felt all alone whenever you guys go on trips. You can't blame the child. So please, I hope you understand." Den said as she bows her head like she was apologizing on the child's behalf. She is kind of used to apologizing to others because as cafe owners, they tend to have difficult customers. Upon seeing this the child then runs to her side.
"Sweetie, your dad's not angry with you." She said as she pats the child's head. "He's just worried. So let's apologize to him, okay?" She added, Emma just nodded her head.
"Daddy... Emma is sorry... Emma won't do it again..." The child said as she looks at her dad who was looking back at her. After apologizing, the child hid behind Den's legs as if she was embarrassed. They then heard a loud sigh coming from Mikey, who was keeping his mouth shut.
"Come here, Emma." He said as he bents down, leveling to his child's height. Emma then looks at him then at Den. Den on the other hand just nodded her head.
"Come here, sweetie. Daddy is sorry so come on here." Mikey said, calling his daughter by her pet name. With this, the child runs to him without hesitating. She knows that her dad's not angry whenever he calls her that. Mikey then lifts his child and holds the child tightly into his arms.
Den then look affectionately at the father and child, without noticing that she was smiling softly at them. She was about to step back and stand where her friend is when the child called her.
"Mommy, where are you going!? Come here!" The child said while looking with confusion at her.
'Emma, are you trying to get me killed!?' The woman thought as she smiled awkwardly at them.
"N-no, sweetie. Mom-- I'm fine here." She said. She was about to address herself as the child's 'Mommy' but she successfully changed it.
'I love my life.'
"No! I want Mommy here!" The child shouted crying, making the woman shocked. She could also see the child's father, Manjiro, smirking at her.
'Where did those tears come from!?' She thought as she rush to where the father and child is. 'And why does this man keeps looking at me like that while smirking!?'
Den then grab her handkerchief from her pocket and wiped the child's tears away while saying that she is sorry. A few moments later the child stop making her feel relief. She then looks to her side and noticed how closed she is to Manjiro. They stared at each other for a moment. Studying each other's faces and expressions.
'He's quite cute. I can see the resemblance of Emma.' Den thought as she looks at the man intently without realizing it.
On the other hand, the people around them who were watching them like some live show have mixed emotions. Some are confused about their boss's behavior. Some were frightened for their friend's life. Some are bewildered, thinking that if they don't know them personally, they would think that they are a real happy family.
'She still looks the same.' Manjiro thought on the other hand still looking at the woman like he was enchanted.
As Den stared at the man's face, she noticed something on the side of his lips. She grabs her handkerchief and wipes it off without thinking. Upon the sudden realization of what she has done, her face heats up in embarrassment.
"S-sorry, i-it's just you still have c-chocolate on your face..." She said, stepping a few meters away from the man.
"It's alright," Manjiro said, clearly not bothered by it one bit.
'Reminds me of old times.' He thought as he remembers his childhood with his friends.
Silence then follows after the said scene. Even the executives and Guini said nothing, they just feel tense.
'It's cute but scary at the same time.' They all thought.
"So when we will eat? I'm hungry." The pink-haired man who Den called axolotl a while ago said, interrupting the awkward silence.
"Y-yeah! Maybe we can just order some food while talking things out!" Kokonoi said as he grabs his phone out and started to dial his secretary's phone number. He then started to walk out of the room to make the call, passing where Sanzu was standing.
"Sometimes, your insolence really helps to defuse the situation." Koko mumbled as he pass Sanzu. Hearing it, Sanzu just looks at him.
"What are you implying you bastard!?" The man shouted making the other executive chuckle.
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03/25/2022