"Follow me to my office, I must speak to you." Juuzou stops me on the hallway.
"As you wish." I agree.
We arrive at his empty office. I'm really curious about what he wants from me.
"I'm the one who encouraged Haise to confess to you." He says. "So tell me, why don't you like him back?"
I stand there frozen, not knowing what to say.
"He always told me how much he loved you and that he wishes to confess to you one day. So I tried to make him more confident and make him confess his love to you. I thought you liked him too, but it seems like you don't." He frowns.
"He doesn't know anything about me. How can he love me just like that?"
"Don't ask me, I know nothing about love. But the one thing I know is that you broke his heart."
"I didn't reject his confession... I said I'll think about it." I start to shiver in anxiety.
"It's the same thing. If you loved him, you would accept right away."
"You can't force me to love someone."
"But I can try." He approaches me."You will accept his confession, or you can say goodbye to our friendship. I don't want to be friends with someone who hurt my other friends."
I start to tear up. No, I can't lose him, but I can't date another man.
"You don't have to cry."
He grabs a tissue from a tissue box that stood on a desk and hands it to me.
"From now on, don't talk to me." He walks towards the door
"Wait! I sacrificed my life for-"
I immediately stopped talking as soon as I realized what I was about to say. No, I can't tell him about my feelings towards him, I can't.
"I sacrificed my life for Haise... I decided to work for CCG just to get closer to him... I have a big crush on him and knowing that he likes me too is making me go insane. I didn't accept his feelings right away because I was too anxious." I lie.
"Oh, why didn't you tell me about that before? In that case, I can help you, I know Haise very well." Juuzou walks to me.
"Does that mean we're still friends." I ask.
"Maybe we'll be more than friends." He winks. "Best friends."
Yeah, we will be more than friends one day...
...
"Has anyone seen Mutsuki Kun?" Haise asks.
"Nope." Shirazu answers.
"Did anyone bother to check on him?" Haise responds.
"He's probably sleeping." Shirazu says.
"Mutsuki always wakes up at 7 am." Haise replies.
"Why are you asking us? Why don't you check on him yourself?" Urie suddenly says.
"Fine, I'll do that." Haise sighs and then leaves the living room.
"I will go too." Shirazu says and then goes after Haise.
Urie slowly places his news journal on the table and turns his face to me.
"Did you accept his confession?" He asks.
"How did you know-"
"Sasaki told the others that he'll confess to you. I was in the same room when he said that."
"No... I haven't accepted it yet. But I will since I have no choice..."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Juuzou asked me to date him."
"That's ridiculous."
"Either I date Haise or our friendship is over."
"And how is Suzuya supposed to fall in love with you now?"
"I'll find a way... I always do."
"By eliminating people. I know what you did to Shinji Aoi."
"Yeah, because you were there too."
"I mean, what you did to him before."
"Hmm... Now I understand why Haise says you're the best investigator from our team."
"So. Why did you do that?"
"I overheard a conversation between Juuzou and Hanbee. Juuzou was training exactly where I had the knives lesson with Shinji Aoi. I seduced this dirty fool and it was actually very easy. As soon as he began touching me, I started to act as if I didn't give him consent. That way, it creates a fake trauma, a fake memory. It helps me secure the lie so no one can find out the truth-"
"Stop, stop." Urie interrups me. "I asked why, not how."
"I did my research on how to make him care about me. I need him to feel pity for me, so I really had to do that."
Urie signs.
"Even if everything you did was wrong, it just proves how strong and intelligent you are. If you apply this intelligence to work too, it would be great." He says.
"I think you're kinda right. I am strong in some way, but that strength comes from love."
"It comes from insanity."
"Heh?!"
"You put glue in Mutsuki's coffee."
"Damn- You saw that too? So what? I can't let him be that close to Juuzou."
"Do you think some glue can harm a Quinx? Mutsuki will be fine."
"Wait, what?!"
"Guys! We're going to the store to get some things. Do you need something?" Haise suddenly appears.
Oh shit! Did he hear our conversation?
"Is Mutsuki fine??" I pretend to care.
"He's just a little sick. But he'll be fine!" He responds.
"Shit." I whisper.
"So, do you need anything?" Haise asks.
"Nothing." I respond.
"Alright! Call me if you change your mind. See you, guys!" He leaves the house with Shirazu.
"Why is he going to the store all of a sudden?" I ask.
"He's probably getting some ingredients to make a soup for Mutsuki." Urie responds. "Don't even think to poison it. Someone else might eat it too."
"Don't worry, I won't be home anyway. I have to go somewhere."
I run to my room and start preparing myself. Juuzou proposed to hang out every weekend, so we get to know each other better. He hasn't contacted me yet, but it's still morning, and he's probably sleeping right now.
I put on the cutest outfit I own and do my makeup as well. Then I do my hair and put a lot of perfume on me. I walk downstairs to put my shoes on, but Urie got in my way.
"Are you debuting in an idol group?" He comments.
"It's none of your business." I walk past him.
"You're meeting with Suzuya, isn't it?"
"Yeah, I am."
"Do you think he cares how you look?"
"Do you? You don't know him."
"No, you're the one who doesn't know him."
"Whatever you say, Urie." I walk past him and leave the house.
- Time Skip; At Juuzou's house -
I knocked at his apartment door several times, but he's not answering. Maybe he's not home? I grab my phone, wanting to call him, but all of a sudden, the door opens.
Juuzou is standing there in his pijamas and messy hair, looking half asleep.
"Did I wake you up? I'm sorry!" I apologize.
"Nah, it's no problem. Come inside." He invites me.
I walk inside his apartment and sit on his couch.
"Investigator Ui just asked me yesterday if I could train you and I accepted it. We can do that today if you want. We have a big mission soon and it's better to be prepared." He says while sitting next to me.
"Don't bother yourself, I already had an intense training session with Haise and the others."
"I'm talking about knives."
"It's fine! Look at you, you're so tired and you have to rest for the mission."
"Thank you for the concern, but I'm fine. No matter how my body condition is, I'll still be able to fight. Unlike you, you need more training."
Did he just roast me?
"Fine then... We'll train. But where?"
"Here. I'm too lazy to go out. But before we start, I think it's better if you change into something more comfortable."
"I'm fine. What if I get attacked while wearing these clothes? It's better to get used to different types of clothing when I fight."
"You're pretty smart." He smiles at me.
He complimented me!
He launches forward, causing me to fall off the couch and pins me on the ground. Our bodies are touching and our faces are so close... My heart starts pounding so fast to the point that I can hear it.
"Your reflexes are so slow. You said you had intense training with Haise, but I know he won't let anyone finish the training session unless they got the skills right." He says.
His soft body on mine... It feels so good... It feels so-
"Y/n, I'm talking to you." Juuzou brings me back to reality.
"I am sorry Juuzou. I don't think I'm made to be an investigator." I say.
"You're definitely not meant to be one. But you did it to get closer to Haise. You can drop out once you get married to him." He winks.
I really got offended about what he said, but I can't blame him, I'm the one who lied about liking Haise.
All of a sudden, the door rings. Juuzou gets up and walks to the door.
"Hello Juuzou!" A very familiar voice says.
"You never give up, don't you?" Juuzou responds.
"I will never give up my love for you!"
"Let me correct you: 'I will never give up my ambition to get your money'. I do have a pretty good salary, but trust me, I am poor."
"Poor?"
"Now that you know, just go find someone else to dig gold from. Bye~" He slams the door.
"Was it Aimi?" I ask.
"Yeah-"
"Juuzou, please, let me talk to you!" Aimi shouts and bangs at the door.
Juuzou opens the door once again.
"Do you want me to call the police on you?" Juuzou says in a serious tone.
"But you are the police." Aimi repsonds.
"Very funny, but no. Why don't you leave me alone? Look what has happened to your business and house. If you and your father weren't so greedy with money, you wouldn't have been in this situation. Now this is my last warning. Leave me alone!".
He slams the door once again and turns around with an upset face. But once he makes eye contact with me, he puts on a smile.
"Sorry for that." He says while still smiling.
"You were saying that you were poor? Is that true?" I ask.
"Yeah, but it doesn't matter." He kept smiling.
"I want to know. I'm your friend, remember?"
"Alright then... My first partner got injured during a battle. He is in a vegetative state, and maintaining his body is very expensive... He has a family too, which is struggling financially. So this is where all of my money goes to..."
It's truly a sad story, but I don't actually care enough to be sad about it. But... I can use his sadness in my advantage!
I take my purse and take my emergency credit card, which I always take with me. I grab Juuzou's hand and place it on his palm.
"I saved a lot of money on this card. I kept it for an emergency. But I think you need it more than me." I say.
"I can't accept it. I won't be able to pay back the debt I would owe you."
"You're already paying the debt. Our friendship values more than money."
"But what if you get in a financial problem?"
"My parents would help me and plus, this money is from taking pictures for influencers. In case I lose my job, I can always go back to that."
"Thank you very much! I promise I will repay your kindness one day!"
Easy win.
He opens his arms wanting to hug me but then he stops. I really wanted him to hug me but I think he didn't out of respect for Haise. Ugh! Screw you Haise!
All of a sudden, my phone starts ringing.
Speak of the devil, it's Haise. What does he want from me?
"Hello?" I answer the call.
"Hello Y/n... We need to speak urgently. Tell me the location you're in, and I'll come pick you up." Haise speaks.
"What happened? Am I in trouble?" I ask.
"We'll discuss it when we're face to face."
"Okay... Umm... I'm at Juuzou Senp- Sensei's house."
"For the bonding activity?"
"Yeah... -Wait... How do you know?"
"Juuzou told me about it. Anyway, I have to hang up, I'm driving. See you there!" He hangs up.
"What happened?" Juuzou asks.
"I don't know. Haise is coming to pick me up. He has something important to discuss." I respond.
Juuzou stays silent and smiles.
He knows about something...
"Anyway... What is the pin code for your card?" He changes subject.
"5764" I reply.
"Thank you. I will only use this to buy food."
"No, no, you can use it to buy anything! Get yourself some new... Shoes..."
"But I love my house slippers!"
"But it's very dangerous to walk in these. Please get yourself some proper shoes..."
"Fine, I'll think about it."
We sat silently on the couch. None said a word. Juuzou was humming and looking at the ceiling and I stared at the ground listening to his lovely voice.
In a few minutes, Haise arrives. He looked very worried.
"Thank you for taking your free time to train Y/n. I promise I'll pay you a meal." Haise bows to him.
"It was actually Investigator Ui who asked me to train her. And to be honest, we haven't even started it yet. But don't worry, we'll do that tomorrow!" He smiles.
After I put my shoes on, Haise wraps his hand around my shoulder and walks me outside. Did he really have to do that? He's so annoying!
Like a gentleman, he opens the car door for me. After he sits on the driver's seat, he grabs my hand and looks at me worried.
"I got a call from CCG telling me about your... -crime. They told me you stabbed Shinji Aoi. Can you tell me if it's true? I promise, no matter what the truth is, I will always protect you." He speaks.
"It is true. Urie helped me too... I did it because... He attempted to... -do sexual things without my consent." I lie.
"Don't tell me he..." His eyes widen.
"Don't worry, I'm fine! Luckily, Juuzou came in just in time. That's why I slept at his place that day. He didn't want to tell you for some reason... I guess he didn't want to anger you."
Haise brushes his hair with his hand. He usually does this when he's stressed.
What if I pull a little lie about Aimi and end both of them? Haise looks extremely angry, so it's the perfect opportunity.
"And that's not all... Aimi attempted to murder me not long ago, but I don't know the reason. She stabbed a gas pipe when I dodged her attack. I ran outside as soon as possible and she chased after me. A few moments later, her store and house exploded. Unfortunately, the only CCTV camera got destroyed in the explosion, so I don't have proof..."
"You don't need any proof. I believe you." He squeezes my hand.
"What will I do now... I don't want to lose my job."
"You won't, I won't allow it. He might have some connections, but so do I. And as for Aimi, I will make sure she'll never try to hurt you again..."
"Thank you very much!"
What if I confess to him now? That way, he would have an even stronger desire to hurt them.
"Do you want to be my boyfriend?" I suddenly ask.
"I-... I-..." Haise began to tremble.
"I'll take that as a yes."
My brilliant yet stupid mind has an idea that will probably make me regret it for the rest of my life.
I grab his shirt and kiss him brutally. Like I said, I'm going to regret this for the rest of my life.
He responded positively to my kiss and began to kiss me back. I moved my body to sit on his lap. Here he go...
"Should we... Go somewhere private?" His asks with bloody red cheeks.
"Uhm... Isn't it too soon?" I say.
"You're right... I'm really sorry... I just... I've never done this before." He says shyly.
"It's okay... It's my first time too."
"Can we still go somewhere private? What if someone sees us?"
"Sure..." I sit back to the passenger seat.
He started the car engine and began to drive away.
I guess now I'm Haise Sasaki's girlfriend... Great! Mission failed.