In the afternoon,
Lunchtime,
Cozy Corner Cafe...
(Y/n)'s POV
Since all executives had to head out to their assigned meeting spots for mission, I was allowed to go for lunch break much earlier. Unfortunately, Haru couldn't have lunch with me as he had to go somewhere with Kakucho. Hopefully, he doesn't do anything unspeakable to him.
They never get along at all.
Take-nii wanted to come along with me but Mikey suddenly ordered him to drive him somewhere. Ah, what a shame. I had to go out for lunch alone. Good thing that I like to be by myself once in a while.
I can collect my thoughts and find solace in the serene silence...
Also reminiscencing everything that happened recently.
I sipped a little of the (f/beverage) I ordered earlier. Putting down the glass back on its respective spot, I heaved out a soft sigh.
Yesterday was quite emotional...
But I'm glad I came clean to Haru about my infertility. I have never been so relieved in my life.
I should have known better that he will always accept my flaws..
Doubting him was a stupid move. How could I forget that Haru is obsessed with me? Dumb (Y/n).
"I should get over it already... I no longer have tie to the people in the past."
I successfully escaped my family's grasp. I started a new life. Yet it's difficult to get over everything they had done to me.
Why is it so tough to do this? They can't hurt me anymore. It should be easy to forget those shitty days.
....easy, my ass....
I turned out like this because of them. I guess the trauma had become one with me.
But, hey. There is positive affect. I love being who I am today. So I think I have to thank my family for that. Had not they driven me insane like this, I probably couldn't accept Haru as my significant other.
I still hold grudges against them for ruining my life though.
So strong that I wanna see them suffering and dying.
Thinking of past could be quite draining for my emotional state. I heaved out another sigh and took another few sips of my drink. It started to feel a bit lonely now...
Man, now I'm kinda craving for someone to keep me company.
Wonder if Take-nii is already free. I should contact him-
"Oh, Emma? You're here."
You know what? I should not have wished for someone to appear now to keep me company.
God decided to bring him of all person to keep me company.
Second Person's POV
You lifted up your head and smiled brightly at Naoto. "Hey, Tachibana! Wasn't expecting to meet you here." You feigned cheerfulness to cover the awkwardness. After you left him and his sister in hurry last time, of course you would feel slightly awkward around him.
"Same.. say, can I sit here?"
"Um, sure!"
Although you wanted Naoto to leave you alone, you decided not to. You needed to avoid arising suspicion and draw unwanted attention to yourself.
Naoto smiled and sat down on the chair situated on the opposite site of you. "Are you on your own?"
"Yes. My fiance is a bit busy so he can't tag along for lunch."
"Fiance.. Ah, is that why you turned down my invitation for dinner?"
"Mhm. I'm about to get married and all. I don't wanna stir a misunderstanding by going out alone with a guy."
"But I'm sitting together with you right now- Should I leave?"
"Oh, no, this isn't wrong! We met by pure coincidence. But I still can't accept your dinner invitation, Tachibana."
"I understand, Emma. You're a considerate one. Your fiance must feel absolutely happy to have you as his future spouse."
"I should be saying that too. I feel like I am the luckiest woman in universe to have him as my soon-to-be husband!"
You got a little carried away talking about your love life with Naoto. The tension from before had slowly dispersed, making you feel more comfortable to talk casually with the male cop. He nodded enthusiastically, as if he was interested in your story.
Little did you know, Naoto approached you for a reason.
' She isn't acting weird at all. Looks like a normal woman to me... There is no way she can be a suspect behind Ameri Hanazawa's disappearance. Still...something about her...feels off.' Naoto was at loss. He was doubting himself. He couldn't convince his heart to believe you were a suspect.
"Tachibana, you seem to visit this cafe very often."
"Well, I always buy cakes from this cafe whenever I want to visit my family. They love this cafe's cake. But I'm not here to make a purchase."
"So what are you here for?"
"Booking a custom-made cake for my sister's wedding."
Naoto noticed the way your eyes brightened up after he mentioned Hinata. The fascination in your eyes...it wasn't concealable.
You unconsciously made it too obvious.
This only made Naoto more confused of your true identity as he recalled his conversation with Hinata on the day you saved her from a kidnapper.
"Nee-san, you good?" Naoto asked as Hinata kept staring at you who were leaving in hurry. She nodded her head and turned to her younger brother.
"...she somehow knew my name... But I never told her my name."
The exclamation astonished Naoto. Takemichi just observed the two siblings with perplexity. Hinata shook her head and started denying her own words.
"I think it's just my imagination. I probably had told her my name but I just forgot. "
"You sure you have told your name to that lady?"
Takemichi was worried. The fact that YOU knew Hinata's name yet she couldn't recall telling you her name made Takemichi anxious.
"Maybe... I guess."
Hinata only had vague answer. Naoto averted his eyes and tried to think for logical reaosns to soothe his older sister.
"Could be Takemichi's doing. He must have said your name while hugging you earlier."
"Oh, r-right. That must be the reason."
Hinata tried to believe in Naoto's words, though she wasn't fully convinced. She seemed to space out a lot after meeting you. Her mind was thinking of someone- someone she hadn't met for years in life.
"Still, don't you think she strongly resembles someone we knew?"
Hinata's next question clenched Naoto's heart tightly with sadness.
"You don't say.."
"Yeah, I mean (Y/n). That lady just now. bore such strong resemblance with (Y/n)."
Takemichi immediately hugged Hinata after sensing her pent-up sorrow slowly seeping out. "Hina.." he patted her back, beckoning her head to rest on his shoulder as he reassuringly hugged her.
"I wish she is still here, Naoto. Here with us."
"Nee-san.."
Naoto didn't know what to say to console his older sister. He could see tears pooling in her eyes. How could he blame her for crying?
(Y/n) was like an older sister to them.
"Tachibana. Tachibana. Oiiiii." You waved your hand in front of his face and even snapped your fingers to catch his attention. Naoto returned to reality and shook his head. "Pardon my rudeness, Emma."
"You okay? You look sorta tired."
"It's nothing, really. Being a cop is always exhausting."
"Hmm.."
You lost a bit of interest to talk to Naoto upon hearing him mentioning his job. Averting your eyes, you silently sipped on your drink. Naoto sweater slightly when he realized you were avoiding from meeting his gaze.
"...Tachibana, why did you become a cop?"
"Huh? My reasons? Well, to put it simply, I became a cop to...protect my family."
"Classic reasons, I see."
"Come on, let me finish first. That may be my primary reason but I have different intention too."
"Hmm? What's it? You wanna tackle a lady or something? I heard that ladies these days prefer men who work as civil servant for the government because they have stable income."
"Seducing ladies is out of question. I'm not interested in any woman for now."
"What about man?"
"What-"
Naoto was caught off guard by your question that you started laughing your ass off at him. He nearly became flustered but he barely managed to regain his sense. He cleared his throat to hide the embarrassment he felt.
"I-I am only interested in the opposite gender."
"Alright, alright, Mr.Detective."
You jokingly remarked, the mischievous smirk on your face never faded away. Naoto couldn't help but admired your face. It wasn't only because you were beautiful. However, you kept reminding him of her.
"Anyway, where did we stop earlier? Ah, yes. My reasons for becoming a cop."
"Yes, yes."
Naoto fell into silence, his eyes scanning your face quietly. You tilted your head, blinking your eyes at him curiously. What did he have in his mind?
"I think you could say... I became a cop because I wanted to honor someone I knew."
Taken aback by his words, your smile instantly faded from your face. You once again avoided eye contact with Naoto, heart sinking just from listening to his confession.
"She was like a family to me. A very loving, caring and supportive one.. She once dreamed of becoming a cop but she didn't even make it to adulthood."
"You mean she already left this world?"
"Mhm. Becoming a cop today never ceases to remind me of her. And interesting enough, you look so much like her."
You gripped your cup with slight force, lips quivering in frustration. Naoto was baffled by the sudden change with the aura surrounding you.
You were feeling tensed. He could sense it.
"Emma? What's wrong?"
Naoto instinctively held your hands that were gripping the cup. You snapped out of your thoughts, eyes locked on his hand holding yours. You shifted your gaze back to Naoto. He appeared genuinely worried of your condition.
"Sorry, sorry. I felt a bit sleepy." You faked a playful smile to bluff Naoto. The black-haired man wouldn't buy the lies though.
"Are you sure? You look pretty tense."
"I told you, I'm doing okay. I just need some rest-"
Your heart dropped when you landed your gaze on a stranger, obviously holding up his smartphone high to capture pictures of you and Naoto. Realizing his cover was blown, the stranger hurriedly put away his smartphone in his pocket and fled out of the cafe.
You clicked on your tongue, irritated upon realizing someone was stalking you. Yanking away your hand from Naoto's hold, you stood up from the chair.
"My bad, Tachibana. I need to take my leave now."
"Alright. Make sure to get enough sleep, okay?"
"I will. Don't worry. Goodbye."
Exchanging words of farewell with Naoto, you then left the cafe while acting normal as if you didn't witness anything suspicious. The strange man was way further ahead of you. He was running for his life, clearly.
Meanwhile, Naoto was still reconsidering whether to follow you or not. The way you behaved... he knew something was up.
'...I should follow her, just in case..' It was a tough decision but Naoto knew he had no other choice. If he wanted to solve Ameri Hanazawa's case as well as figuring out your true identity, he needed to do this.
' Hopefully, I'm wrong.' Swallowing the lump in his throat, Naoto also exited the cafe to look for you.
Brb Wanna cry cuz this book is
gonna end soon. I think last
chapter is gonna be chapter
50(?). I'm not sure.
Good news is, I DECIDE TO
PUBLISH MY S62 GENERATION
X READER AFTER THIS BOOK
DJEJEJEJEJE