Chapter 1
Officer Niijima was at her desk, filling out her daily dose of paperwork. It was a rather monotonous day, but she was never one to complain about her job. Being a member of the Tokyo Police Force was a dream come true, and she enjoyed every minute of it. Her life was going in the direction she had been planning for since high school. Makoto found herself focused on filling out each form when her concentration was broken by a familiar face.
"Makoto! What are you doing?" her friend said, leaning against her desk. Makoto let out a sigh.
"Just...doing my job, Oki. Why? Did someone slip in blood again?"
"Better. There's a new officer that transferred to traffic division. And god he is sooo cute! You have to see him." Makoto decided to add a groan in with a sigh this time.
"Fine. But only if you leave me alone for the rest of the day. I really need to fill out this paperwork..." Oki squealed in delight, pulling Makoto up by her sleeve.
Makoto let herself be dragged by her pudgy friend. Thanks to her friend's diminutive stature, she felt like a mother being dragged into a toy store. She couldn't help but chuckle at her friend's eager energy, just to see a supposedly cute boy. Then she felt herself come to a complete stop.
Oki hid behind Makoto. "T-there he is…!" Makoto looked over and saw him. He looked….normal. Medium build, above average height, jet black hair, Makoto thought. Just seems like a new officer to me. I may as well introduce myself. She walked forward, Oki still hiding behind her.
The man noticed Makoto walking right up to her desk. She stopped and immediately bowed. "My name is Officer Makoto Niijima. Welcome to Traffic Division!" The man's eyes lowered, looking her up and down. "Nobody told me there would be such beautiful women in Traffic. I would've transferred a lot sooner!" Makoto chuckled.
"Kenta. Kenta Ito. I'm very pleased to make your acquaintance~" he said slyly.
Makoto looked away. Wow, he is cute, she thought.
"I hope you don't mind me saying, but you have quite a regal form to you. Do you have royal blood?"
"Wuh-?!" Makoto's eyes widened, her cheeks flushed red.
"I think I'm gonna call you Queen. Sound good, Queen?"
Makoto just nervously chuckled, trying to hide her blushing face. She hadn't been called Queen in many years. When she was clad with leather and spikes, with her trusty motorcycle Joanna, stealing hearts and changing minds. She felt a warm smile creep across her face.
"I've still got a lot of paperwork to unload, so uh, I'll catch you later. Nice meeting you, Queen." he winked at her, walking away.
Makoto just stood there. What just happened?, she thought. She felt her blushing cheek with her fingers. Was she blushing?! It was Oki who broke the silence. "...yeah, he totally likes you." she smirked, noticing how clearly flustered her taller friend was.
Heading back to her desk, she still felt pretty heated. Calling her Queen...how bold. How...exciting. What was with that guy…?!
Kenta Ito. What a nice name. And he's attractive too, what a bonus.
She shook her head, trying to fight back her thoughts. At least Oki wouldn't bother her for the rest of the day. She needed some peace.
The rest of the day went on without incident, save the few times Makoto caught her and Kenta sharing eye contact. She tried to hide the fact he got the better of her, but she did a terrible job at it. Makoto sighed as she got off the train,making her way to her apartment building, just glad that she could go home and forget about her day. She turned the key to her apartment, and opened the door.
"I'm home!" she called out.
"Oh hey! I'm in the kitchen!" a voice responded.
Makoto took off her coat and kicked her shoes aside by the door, She smelled that familiar scent. Curry again, she thought. She made it into the kitchen, seeing her boyfriend working, as usual. He was always such a good cook, but he rarely, if ever pushed himself. It was always curry & rice, or his regular blends of coffee. She sighed.
"How was your day?" he asked.
"It was alright, nothing special." she shrugged.
"...Stuck behind the desk again, huh?" he chuckled.
No response. Makoto didn't even hear him. Her thoughts were still too clouded from meeting Kenta. He was so cute and charming, he'd be the type of guy to sweep you off your feet, she thought. To surprise you with flowers and a luxurious vacation, just because.
Ren waved his hand in front of Makoto. "Earth to Niijima..are you still with us?"
"H-huh?!" Makoto jumped, completely unaware.
"Thought I lost you for a second." he smirked.
"Sorry.." she said, folding her arms and sinking into her chair.
Once the curry was prepared, she ate her boyfriend's meal in silence. She could barely remember the last time she enjoyed the dish. There was nothing wrong with it, it was just...blah. She didn't say much after putting the plate away into the sink. She just sat down beside him as he watched TV, her thoughts being lost in a sea of Kenta.
I shouldn't be thinking like this. I have Ren! I shouldn't be thinking about other guys like this. This is wrong..! She let out a pained sigh. Ren looked over to her. "Are you okay?" he asked. Makoto looked away from him. "Ren...do you find other girls attractive? Like, in a way where you'd want to date them?" Ren looked at her, thrown off by the question. He scratched his chin.
"I used to, but now I see them as pretty in a more conventional sense. I can tell they're beautiful, but I'm not attracted to them? If that makes sense." he grinned. "I guess that's what happens when you find the right girl!" he leaned back, satisfied with his own answer.
Makoto quietly whimpered. Does this mean that Ren isn't the right guy…? What's wrong with me... Her mind was a cloud of uncertainty. "I think I'm gonna go to bed early tonight. It's been a long day." Ren looked over at her. "Uh...okay. Sleep well, sweetie. I'll be in in a bit." Makoto shuffled into the bedroom. "Er, I love you!" Ren called out, only silence answering him.
Makoto got dressed into her pajamas and fell into her bed face first. Pulling the blanket off the bed and wrapping it around her body, she got into the fetal position, her body turned away from Ren's side of the bed. Why do I have such feelings about him? It's wrong to think like this… was her last thought before she fell asleep, a pained look on her face.
Chapter 2
It had been a few weeks since Makoto met Kenta, and she hadn't stopped thinking about him since. She had fallen into a new routine. Spending the morning overworking herself, the afternoon at Kenta's desk, laughing and flirting, and evening at home, hating herself for what she'd done that day. She felt herself driving a wedge moving further and further apart from Ren, the man she loves.
She would constantly be thinking about Kenta. And not just his great qualities, his body too. I bet he's great kisser, she would think to herself. I bet he's great in bed. He looks like he'd be a great lover. She would wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, recovering from a dream about her sleeping with Kenta. She wouldn't get back to sleep, either. She'd just be on the edge of the bed, quietly crying, feeling ashamed what she had done..
Oki became a complete bystander to Makoto's inner turmoil. She would see Makoto try and break it off with Kenta, only for her romantically impaired friend throw herself right back at him. She just shook her head at such a display. So much for disinterested, she thought.
Makoto was blushing and smiling, listening to Kenta tell a story about a mishap that happened during his academy training. "And then the Captain opens up the back of the podium, and there he is!" Makoto started laughing, letting out a light airy giggle. "Oh, Ken-kun! That's so bad~" She looked back at his warm smile, making eye contact. It felt so nice, the warmth in her chest. She missed this feeling.
"So Queen, interested in making this to the next level?"
Makoto blinked. "W-what?"
"I want to take you out on a dinner date. Just me, you, and Omakase."
Makoto was stunned...it sounded nice...a luxurious sushi dinner. "B-but I-I have a boyfriend…!" she blurted out.
"So what? He doesn't need to know where you're going. It can be your dirty little secret~"
Makoto swallowed hard. "Uhh...can I text you my answer…? I-I'm not sure…" Her heart was beating so fast. Thump thump thump thump. Kenta just grinned, bearing his teeth. "That's fine. I know you'll text me the right answer." Makoto took every last bit of force in her body to walk away from his desk. Oki saw her shuffling back to her desk, looking incredibly tense.
"M-Makoto?" She walked up to Makoto and poked her shoulder blade with her finger. Makoto practically leaped out of her chair in surprise. "AAAUUG-Oki…."
"Uh...are you okay? You haven't been yourself lately…"
"Me? Oh...uh, I'm fine! Don't worry about me…" Makoto said, forcing a smile. She was screaming inside, feeling like death rolled over.
"Okay. You know you can talk to me about anything, right? "
Makoto didn't respond, she just nodded.
"Okay...talk to you later, Makoto. Have a safe trip home.." Oki silently trailed off, grabbing her coat.
Makoto had another silent ride home. She was so conflicted and distraught, that even passersby could tell she was in pain. She was completely lost in thought, going through the motions of her commute home. Once she made it to the door, she turned the key and opened the door, almost on instinct.
"Hey sweetie! How was your day?" Ren called out from the kitchen. She sighed painfully.
"...Same old same old?" he said with a smile.
She sat to the side, looking away from Ren. How did she let it get this far? Ren's smile faded as he lowered the heat on the stove. He removed his gloves and apron and walked over to face Makoto. "Is everything okay at work? You've been very distant lately." Makoto didn't look at him. She couldn't look at him. The voice in the back of her mind was screaming as loud as it could.
TELL HIM WHAT'S GOING ON! HE DESERVES TO KNOW! HE DOESN'T DESERVE THIS!
But she said nothing. The words lodged in her throat, jammed. She just kept looking at the floor. Until she felt it. Ren hugged her tight, wrapping his arms around her. "Whatever's going on at work, I know you can handle it and overcome it. You're the strongest woman I've ever known. I love you, Makoto."
That was it. Those were the words that destroyed the dam holding back her emotions. She still didn't say anything, she just started to cry. She wrapped her arms around his back, tightening her grip and not letting go. She pressed her face against his chest, her tears staining his shirt. "I love you so much, Ren….I don't deserve you…" she kept crying, the waterworks not ceasing. Her grip tightened even further, making Ren wince. This must be some intense murder case, Ren thought.
Makoto sniffled, nuzzling her boyfriend. This needed to stop. But she's tried this before. She's not strong enough to call it off for good. She needs to face this, because there's no way for it to end any other way. "Feeling better?" Ren asked, looking down at her. She nodded and sniffled. "Good, because you're curry's almost ready!" Makoto sighed. No matter how bad she feels, there's always one thing that'll always be the same.
Chapter 3
Makoto felt very fortunate, for the first time in a while, she was assigned to a small quiet neighborhood, specifically Yongen! A perfect excuse to visit her old friend. She hadn't seen her in a while, but she remembered hearing that she was opening up in a cafe in Yongen. She went down an old alleyway, seeing a small humble cafe. Wow, she thought. All the memories came flooding back. She remembered spending hours and hours there with Ren and their friends, sometimes planning parties, sometimes planning to steal hearts. This was the spot where Ren charmed her. ...When they started dating. The smile on her face faded, She took another step and opened the door, the bell ringing behind her.
"Hello, and welcome t-Mako-Chan!" the barista ducked from under the counter to meet her friend, hugging her tight. "I'm so glad to see you!" she looked Makoto up and down, her eyes lighting up. "And you're a police officer! Your dream is coming true! I'm so happy for you!"
"H-hey Haru. Mind if I sit?"
"Of course!"
Makoto sat down at the counter, looking at her newly improved menu. Vegetable dishes, coffee blends, and curry had more than enough of her fill of curry. Then her eyes widened. "What's the...Amamiya special…?"
Makoto's fluffy haired friend blushed and chuckled nervously. "W-well remember in high school, when we'd be around Ren, and he would smell strongly of exotic coffee beans? Well...I made a blend out of the beans he would smell like. It reminds me of him."
"I'll take that." Makoto said, feeling guilty. Maybe the scent of her boyfriend would give her the strength to make the right decision.
"Mako-Chan, something's weighing on you. Since owning this cafe, I've learned how to tell when people are troubled. What's on your mind?"
"W-well Haru, me and Ren have been dating since I graduated. But...things have gotten into a routine lately. The spark is gone. B-but there's a new guy at work who's really sweet and charming and funny, who wants to date me. And I've been flirting back a lot.."
Haru listened, pouring Makoto a cup of the Amamiya special. Makoto took a sip, the scent reminding her of that romantic valentine's evening with Ren. It was so hot and heavy, Makoto was fully engrossed in his scent. Haru broke her line of thought with a loud throat clearing. The look on her face told Makoto she wasn't pleased with this news.
"Mako-Chan, how would you react if he was flirting and thinking about dating another girl behind your back?"
Makoto fell silent. "I... Think you know my response to your question..."
She nodded. "Exactly. He would feel the same way. He would be crushed! And I know he can be a bit much at times, but he's worth it." Seeing Makoto sitting at that counter flooded back to the memories of when Haru confessed to Ren, but she was rejected. Haru thought she was over it, but seeing Makoto being unfaithful told her mind that she wasn't over it at all. "I can't deny that I'm jealous of what you have."
Makoto looked up at Haru. "I'd like to stay away from this, Haru. I really do. But I don't know why I can't. He's my coworker and we're bound to meet each other at work - I-I can't just avoid him."
Haru gives back a fierce gaze, taking a cutting board from under the counter and slamming it on the countertop. "You can. But you haven't."
Makoto's eyes went wide. She was right. She knows how to be professional, she does it every day with every other man. But she isn't. Every time she said to him 'This is wrong, I can't do this.' it wouldn't be long until she was flirting with him, sitting next to him, and blushing and winking all over again. She took another sip from her coffee cup, trying not to make eye contact with her friend. Makoto has never felt so ashamed of her own mind.
"I think you know what you need to do, you were just hoping I would say something different." Haru said, not making eye contact with Makoto, She took out a butcher knife and started chopping up peppers and cabbage. Chopping was a good distraction from having to look at Makoto's pain.
"Maybe you're right..." Makoto said. "But this is my first time feeling somethi-"
Haru's chopping went louder when she abruptly said, "You can cut the excuses, dear Mako-Chan." Haru's eyebrow twitched with anger. "Stop trying to defend yourself. You're not in the position to. You're only trying to justify your horrible behavior." She thrust the cutting knife into the board, making it stick.
Makoto gasped from shock. She didn't wanna admit how wrong she was, but she was. She needed to be stronger. This needed to stop. Ren was already suspecting something, and she didn't want to hurt him. She never wanted to hurt him.
Haru put her hands on her hips, looking at Makoto. Makoto took a breath. "You're right. I've been horrible. I never wanted to hurt Ren, but the longer this goes on, the more I'm hurting him. This has to end."
Haru's hard expression softened. Good. As long as she makes him happy, she thought. She clapped her hands together. "Excellent! Now how about another Amamiya special? This one will be on me!" she smiled.
Chapter 4
At the end of the day, Makoto's eyes were ablaze. She made it back to her precinct, her footsteps being heavier than normal. She was going to do it, she needed to keep telling herself. Today's the day to end it. She stormed over to her desk, looking for Kenta, but he was nowhere to be seen. Makoto saw that Oki was there, looking over in her direction. "Oki!" she called out, making her short little sidekick shoot up to attention.
"M-Makoto!"
"Oki. Where is Kenta."
"I-I think he's in the locker room!"
"Good!" Makoto stumbled for a second. "...Thank you, Oki."
Oki nodded as Makoto went back to storming, now towards the locker room.
Makoto kicked open the door to the men's locker room, nobody else there but Kenta. He just put on his shirt. "Well, well. If it isn't Queen. Have you come to a decision yet?" Makoto smirked. Here it comes.
"I have come to a decision. I'm not going out with you, and I'll never go out with you. I'm not going to hurt the man I love any longer. It's over, Ken-kun. For the final time. If we're going to talk any longer, it's going to be strictly professional." Kenta's expression went from sly to serious. "I don't think you realize who's in charge here. You don't get to make the wrong choice!" He lunged at her, his hat falling off. He pinned her against the locker room wall by her wrist. She gasped, afraid of what may happen next.
"I've made my choice. I'm dating you, and I'm sleeping with you. And there's nothing you can do to change that, you pathetic bitch!"
Pathetic? He was right, she smiled. She has been pretty pathetic. But she's not gonna roll over anymore. Never again. She drove her knee into his stomach, making him stumble back. She got into a fighting stance. "Force yourself on me again and you're dead." she said, her eyes narrowing. Kenta got back up, getting into a fighting stance. "I like a girl who knows how to bite~" He made his way towards her again, but his fists were up towards his face.
"Think that's going to save you? Once I'm through with you, you'll be booted to the sticks." Makoto let out an evil smile, glad that her aikido training was about to come in handy. She drove her fist into his stomach, the same spot as where she kneed him. He doubled over, clutching his stomach. "Game over, pervert." she said, clutching her fist. She punched him square in the face, the force of her hit sending him against a locker, the impact knocking him unconscious. Makoto dusted herself off. What did she see in that creep to being with? If only he dropped the facade sooner. She left the locker room. She walked back over to her desk. "Oki?" she called out.
"I know what you're thinking, and I've already prepared the form for HR!" Oki raised her arm up, clutching a form in her hand. "Just needs your signature."
"With pleasure." Makoto said, digging a pen out of her purse and signing the HR form. She's definitely getting questions about this later, but it was more than worth it. "Thanks, Oki." Oki smiled back and gave her a thumbs up. Makoto took the form with her, putting it in the HR mailbox, walking out the door with pride. She sighed happily. I should do something spontaneous tonight, she thought.
Epilogue
Ren was in his apartment, watching TV in his pajamas and looking at his phone. Makoto's usually home by now, he thought. I wonder if everything's okay. He got up and walked to the kitchen, getting worried about his girlfriend. When he heard a click and the doorknob turning. "I'm home!" Makoto called out. "Hey!" he smiled, waving at her. "Uh, what're the plastic bags for?"
"I decided to get some shopping done, nothing special." Makoto smiled.
"Lemme help you with that." Ren took the bags from her and brought them to the kitchen counter. Ren peered inside and saw what the contents were. "No. No way! You bought a Famicom!" Makoto smiled and blushed. "I was hoping we could play some games together."
"Absolutely! And I made your favorite dish. Since you were feeling down and all, I figured it could help pick you up."
"I thought I smelled blueback!" Makoto beamed. He never forgot. Makoto felt so lucky to have him. Such a great guy. She ran to him and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight. "So what's the special occasion for the Famicom?" Ren asked, holding her in a gentle embrace.
"I-it's just because I love you. And I'm sorry. Sorry for being so distant."
Ren laughed. "You don't need to be sorry about that! I'm glad you don't hide how you're feeling from me." Makoto rested her face against his chest, smiling. This. This is what she needed.
Ren had broken up the hug to hook up the Famicom, putting in Power Intuition. "Ready to play me? You know you can't win." he chuckled devilishly.
"Ooh, I like a challenge." Makoto ran up to him to grab the second controller. Makoto sat in his lap as they played together, laughing and pumping fists. She felt so light, it was a feeling beyond any other.
Afterwards, they ended up falling asleep together, Makoto fast asleep as The Cake Night Rises blared on television. She was rested in Ren's arms, the smile not leaving her face. For the first night in weeks, she went to sleep relaxed and happy.