Sota walked to the counter with Saeko following him nervously. The bartender greeted him with a wide smile.
"Long time no see."
"Hey."
"Just the usual?" the bartender asked.
"Two of that," Sota replied.
The bartender checked Saeko out and winked at Sota shamelessly, who shot him a sharp glare in response.
Saeko could feel people staring her, and some even tried to hit on her with unnecessary compliments. Sota shut one down with a single deadly look, exuding an authority so commanding that none of the others dared approach her. Instead, they kept their distance, content with staring from afar.
Without saying a word, Sota draped his hoodie over her. Grateful, she slipped it on, tugging it down to cover as much of her legs as possible, her face flushing with embarrassment.
Then, with a smooth move, Sota tucked her hair under the hoodie, as if he wanted to hide her wild strands too, from prying eyes.
Their drinks arrived, and Sota took a sip right away.
"I thought you don't drink," she said, puzzled, eyeing the glass in his hand. It held a clear liquid with ice and a slice of lemon floating on top.
Sota raised an eyebrow and slid her own glass toward her to take a sip.
"Is it… plain water?" she asked, amazed at how convincingly it mimicked something fancier.
The bartender caught her surprise and winked. "Don't blow his cover. It's our little secret."
She sat there awkwardly, unsure of what to say.
He seemed angry. Angrier than she had ever seen him. The tension between them was suffocating, pressing down on her chest.
He didn't even glance in her direction.
For the first time, she felt a pang of panic. What if he hates me? The thought alone terrified her more than she could have imagined.
"Are you mad?" she found herself asking. She felt like a kid caught red-handed by her parents after doing something dangerous.
He buried his face into his hands with a deep moan.
"What were you thinking?" he asked, his face almost painful.
"I just wanted to find out the truth."
"…by going there alone? Especially dressed like that?"
"What about you? You went there on your own too!"
"Yeah, with the ability to get myself out of it if things got ugly. What about you? Could you have gotten away if I hadn't been there?"
She swallowed hard. "I thought I could handle it…"
That made him punch the table. Hard. People around them scared away.
"Just because you intimidated a random scumbag once doesn't mean you can handle this. They're on a completely different level," he said, raising his voice. His hand run through his hair, making it even messier. His frustration boiling over. Saeko had never seen him lose control like this.
„Why can't you ever ask for help?"
He turned toward her, his hands gripping her arms firmly, she gaped from the sudden movement, but the moment he looked at her, there was no aggression left in his touch. It was as if the anger had evaporated entirely as he found her eyes.
"Fuck" he sighed, suddenly seeming exhausted. „What if you got hurt," he whispered, his voice trembling. He pressed his forehead against hers, his touch unbelievably gentle.
It turned out that even though the guys had missed the first trial, they had still been dealing with the matter. In fact, they'd uncovered the lead about the love hotel on their own.
"Man, what a bummer. I bet your suspicious inquiry spooked the whole organization, and they fled before the police even got there," Tatsuya said, shaking his head, as they gathered in the studio.
Earlier that night, Sota had anonymously reported the suspicious activity at the Diamond Love Hotel, but now it seemed like they'd put themselves in danger for nothing.
"So, in the end, you didn't even manage to learn more about your father's connection to the drug den?" Yasushi asked.
"It doesn't mean my father had any connection to them," Saeko snapped. Her offended tone surprised the guys, who exchanged curious looks. She'd always been so critical of her father, so they weren't expecting her to defend him.
"I thought you didn't believe in his innocence," Yasushi said, raising an eyebrow.
"I…" Saeko hesitated, her voice faltering. "Even if all the evidence is against him… I want to believe him," she admitted for the first time.
"Don't worry about it," Tastuya added. "Our testimony is still to come."
"What do you mean? Why would you give a testimony?" Saeko asked.
"Well… you'll see tomorrow," Kaito said with a grin.
"Sorry… we didn't mean to keep this a secret, but we promised your father to do so…" Sota said. Saeko stood frozen, her mind struggling to process the words. What are they talking about?
Yumeko lay in her bed, miserable. She was upset.
No, she was furious.
After she got off the phone with Saeko, Sota had immediately scolded her.
"How dare you interfere in someone else's private life?"
"I was doing you a favor. She's taking advantage of you!" Yumeko shot back.
"Oh, you're one to talk?" he spat, shoving her away.
"What do you mean? I've never done anything like that…"
"You might want to take a good look at yourself, then." And with that, he turned and left.
Instinctively, she turned in the opposite direction, only to see Yasushi already making his way toward her.
"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, studying her expression.
"What's so special about her? Why is everyone so eager to please her? She's so cold, so distant, never returning your kindness…" Yumeko's voice trembled with frustration, the bitterness in her tone obvious. "She acts like she's better than everyone."
Yasushi's expression softened. "Please, don't talk badly about her," he interrupted gently, almost as if trying to shield the other person from her harsh words. "She's our friend too. And honestly, I think if you gave her a chance, you'd see she's not like that at all. She's actually a kind and caring person," he added with a soft smile
Yumeko's expression darkened. You too?
Back in her room, chaos surrounded her. She had knocked over everything in a fit of rage. The helpless anger inside her burned stronger than ever.
Why does it hurt so much?