"It did not occur to me that I'll meet the infamous leader of Bonten tonight at my dinner." The man in his late twenties said as he stood up and greeted the silver-haired man who the restaurant manager introduced as the leader of the number one crime syndicate in Japan.
"Well, it also did not occur to me to meet that such an important man yourself will be here of all places in Japan." Mikey said as he extended his hand to shake hands with Donatello. "Pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise." The man said as he gave Mikey a curt smile. "Well, You could say that I am travelling incognito. Sometimes a man like myself needed a quiet meal away from the hustle and bustle of the city once in a while." The raven-haired man then smiled as he shook Mikey's hand gleefully. Donatello then asked Mikey and his associates to sit with them.
"This man is good with his words," Kokonoi said through the earpiece. He watched their interaction through the CCTV camera of the restaurant.
"I've heard excellent things about this restaurant. They say it's the place for those who appreciate the finer things in life." Mikey then said with a friendly smile as he offered the man a drink which Donatello happily received.
"Well, it's not like Mikey is not good at his words. He can beat that man if he wants to." Ran said who is now back acting like a waiter.
"Yeah, well he just likes to always stay silent at the very back whenever we are in a mission or interrogation," Takeomi added as he chuckles as he reminisce those memories.
Mikey wanted them to stop their talk but he could not, so he just endured it.
"Indeed, it has its charms. But I've always found that quality is often hidden in unexpected places." Donatello said as he looked around the restaurant, smiling as if he was reminiscing an old memory. "I used to go out eat with my younger sister and grandfather but then she moved out of the house years ago." He added with a melancholy smile on his face. "I missed those old times, I wish that sometimes I could turn back time and indulge her whims more often. Did not expect that I'll miss that." The man said while he laughed silently.
"And this Donatello is quite chatty himself." Rindou mumbles but everyone hears him. His statement made the executives laugh.
"Well, maybe you could contact this sister of yours and grab some dinner again. For old time's sake?" Mikey said as he poured another glass of wine. He wanted to just toss the earpiece away but that would cause a huge misunderstanding.
He then remembered his wife's face when she asked him well you could say a date that he declined because of this mission. He then looks at his wife's table, he can see her enjoying her food with Sanzu.
'Now, I know it's far too late but I think I owe her an apology and a date.' Mikey thought to himself as flashes of Den's sad face ran through his mind.
"Yeah, you're right." Donatello said. "Well, that's also one of the reasons why I'm here in Japan."
"Then that's good to hear."
"Mikey's good at acting like he cares. He can be an actor." Ran commented, amused by the conversation between the two men.
"Can you please...?" Mikey suddenly said, annoyance could clearly be heard from his voice making Donatello stop on what he was about to say.
"Excuse me?" Donatello said in surprise.
"Ah... shit." Koko mumbled as he facepalmed.
"Oh oh..." Ran jokingly said as he laughed.
"No, I thought my guard said something," Mikey said as he looked at Don apologeticly. "Please do continue."
"Well, *coughs* I noticed you have some company over there. Is she the infamous Mrs Sano?" Donatello said as he glanced at the woman who was silently accompanying Mikey.
With that everyone fell into silence. Even Koko who was listening to their conversation stopped in his tracks to look at Mikey's reaction. Mochi then warily looked at Mikey's reaction. Well, we could say that everyone's in a frenzy even Rika herself. Heck, she'd joke around and all with Mikey but she knew that there were two subjects she could not touch if she wanted to stay alive and intact. And it's about Emma and Den. Anything that will touch those two subjects will be hell to cross with.
'And oh boy... Claiming the title Mrs Sano?' Rika just wanted to drown the man in front of her with all the finest wine the restaurant had.
"Oh sure you jest. I am Rika Fujioka, nice to meet you, Sir Lombardi." Rika said as she introduced herself to different family names again and then reached out her hand to shake hands with the man.
'If only this man knew I saved both our lives tonight.' She thought as she smiled beautifully at the man. She then glanced discreetly at Mikey and then to Den's table.
The gesture sure made Donatello confused but it's not like he cares for Mikey's affairs in life. It's not like he was married to his sister to be affected by such dynamics. But there was this iffy and annoying feeling he had in his stomach. And it's as if his fist were itching. But he shrugged the iffy feeling off.
"Anyways, I've heard some rumours about certain organizations causing trouble in the city. It's quite unsettling." Mikey said changing the topic of conversation. He also wanted to know if the man in front of him was truly the man behind his problem nowadays.
Donatello, maintaining his composure answered him. "Ah, yes, rumours. One can't always trust what's circulating. It's best to focus on one's own path."
Mikey then started smiling. "True, true. By the way, I couldn't help but notice your associates at the next table. They seem rather... vigilant." He said as he threaded lightly as he did not want Donatello to be wary of him.
Donatello then vaguely answered him. "Ah, yes, just business associates. You know how it is, especially in our line of work. One can't be too careful." He then started to eat his dinner nonchalantly.
"Absolutely, discretion is key. It's essential to ensure everyone's safety." Mikey said with a meaningful smile as he nodded to his own associates.
"Indeed, safety is paramount. We live in uncertain times, Mr. Sano."
They then continued on talking about things but Donatello could not help but notice Mikey being distracted. He could not help but realise that the man in front of him was stealing glances somewhere and his mind was elsewhere. "Is everything alright, Mr. Sano?"
Mikey then snaps on his daydream and focuses on his mission in front of him. "Oh, just a minor business matter that requires my attention. Please, do continue."
Don looks at him in an uncertain way and tries to look where Mikey is looking but then they hear a phone ringing and both of them look at Don in unison who is now looking at his phone.
"Ah, if you'll excuse me." The man said as he stood up and went somewhere to take his call. Mikey and Rika just nodded their head and smiled at him.
"What a rookie mistake is this Sano?" Rika mumbled cautiously.
Mikey just frowned but did not say anything.
"Get over it."
"Sure, sure. Well, it's not my fault if he became wary of us." Rika retorted back but Mikey just glared at her.
-----
Den on the other hand is engaged in a merry conversation with Sanzu when she happens to glance toward somewhere in the restaurant. Her heart skips a beat as she spots someone who is quite familiar to her.
"But that can't be..." She mumbled to herself as she shrugged it off and just focused on whatever Sanzu was saying.
"And then after Rin brought the woman into one of the HQs, Ran revealed that the girl is his ex--- Is everything alright?" Sanzu asked as he realized that the woman was not paying attention to his story.
"What? Yes and then what happened next?" Den said as she flashed a smile at the man and encouraged him to continue his story.
"Well..." Sanzu hesitated if he should continue or not. "He dumped the girl of course."
"Why? Does he not like her enough? Even though she is his older brother's ex, that doesn't mean it's not worth it." Den uttered as she poked the peas on her plate. Sanzu noticed how she occasionally glanced at someone in the restaurant.
"Well, first things first no. It's not worth it." Sanzu said as he discreetly looked at where Den was looking. He then noticed a ravenette man with broad shoulders who was currently on a phone call and was back facing them. "It's just how their brain works."
'Who?'
"Well, if it's you, how will you react if the girl you like is one of your friend's ex?" Den asked making Sanzu focused on her entirely. Her question made Sanzu sit straight and he even cleared his throat as if he was answering a million-dollar question.
"If she's worth it, I don't care even if she was with the most notorious criminal there is known in Japan." Sanzu said honestly while directly looking at Den's eyes.
Sanzu's seriousness made Den laugh.
"What? Does Manjiro have an ex that you like?" Den asked jokingly but to Sanzu her question sounded genuine making him freeze in his seat." Wait, does he even have an ex? Well, I get Emma's mom but even before that, how many does he have?" Den bombored him questions making Sanzu feel dizzy.
"N-none that I'm are off... Why are you asking that? Why are you suddenly curious about Mikey's dating history?" The man cautiously questioned.
"'Cause you said that you don't even care if the woman you like is with the most notorious criminal in Japan equals Manjiro and the way you answered my question felt so sincere that maybe you liked one of his past lovers."
"N-no."
"Really though?" Den continued on teasing the poor man but Sanzu just denied her claims every time.
The two carry on their talk until the man who was Den was observing walks closer to their table.
"Den?"
----
*unedited*
11/12/23