Hellooo everyone!
I got a new idea, so here I'm, posting a new chapter!^^
Hope you like it!
Chapter 2: Decoration
Akane stared thoughtful at the place where she would live from now on, or at least until she proved her point of view for the Sybil System.
When she was still an inspector, she had the luxury of living in apartments with holographic systems, so she never cared much about decorating, however, now that she had become an Enforcer, she would live in the rooms/apartments within the PSB building.
The rooms in the building were all in the same format, a kind of kitnet she would say, with a living room right in the center of the space, a kitchen in the corner and a short corridor that gave access to a room connected to a bathroom. Simple, but it had the necessary furniture, sofas, refrigerator, stove, cabinets, shelves, and a bed.
Even so, Akane wanted to give her own touch now that she no longer had the holographic system. She had been living there for a week, and in a few days she would start working, so she needed to arrange the space soon and in a way that she found more convenient, but she still had no idea what she wanted to put in her new home.
Plants? No...she would probably forget to water them, unless she bought holograms, but these were usually expensive items.
Frames? She could think about it.
What did most people normally use to decorate their homes? Ugh...in a society where holograms were normally used, it was difficult to think of creative forms of decoration.
Tsunemori started walking around the rooms, mumbling ideas and possible objects that she could put in her new home, she was so distracted that she almost didn't heard someone calling her through the video intercom next to the door.
"Tsunemori-san?"
Akane went to the door and stared in surprise at the face of the person on the small screen, what would have happened for him to appear at - she looked at her watch - at eight o'clock at night at her door?
When the door opened, the boy smiled, and Akane couldn't help but smile too.
"Good night Shindou-kun." Akane said politely.
"Good night!" Said the guy excitedly. "Sorry to show up this time of night, I did not have enough time to make it during the day."
"Don't worry." Replied the older woman, laughing. "I know how hard it is to find time in this profession. How can I help you?
Arata just smiled.
…
"She...left?" Kougami asked, arching an eyebrow.
Shinya had gone to the PSB that morning to deliver a file of confidential reports regarding the actions taken by the Ministry of International Affairs in the last case they worked together, but he would take advantage of the trip to visit Akane and take her out to eat, since now that she was an Enforcer, Tsunemori could only leave the building if accompanied by an inspector or someone from the MOFA (for some reason Homura Shizuka had granted Akane this "privilege").
"Yes, she left with Inspector Shindou earlier." Said Shimotsuki Mika ready to open the documents on her computer.
Shindou Arata? What did the new inspector want with Tsunemori?
"Does your boss need anything?" Mika asked when she realized that Kougami was still in his office.
"No." Replied the eldest. "I am already leaving."
Well, he could see Akane at another time, and besides, in a few days the woman would return to work effectively at PSB, so they would meet more often. Satisfied with his thought, Shinya left the room.
…
"Thank you for inviting me, Shindou-kun." Akane said sitting at one of the coffee shop tables they had chosen to take a break.
"No need to thank Tsunemori-san." Replied the boy slightly embarrassed. "After all, you are helping me choose a gift."
"But you could have called anyone on your day off, and still decided to invite me. As an Enforcer, I can't go unaccompanied, so I am grateful for the opportunity to leave PSB for a little walk." Said Akane.
"It is the least I can do for you" Commented Shindou looking at the virtual menu of the cafe. "Because it was thanks to your recommendation that I am working as an inspector and I have access to more information than I would have if I were in another department."
The woman's brown eyes looked at the boy in front of her, she knew what he had hinted at with those words, even so, she wouldn't question him, just as he hadn't questioned why she was put in a correction center right after recommending him to PSB.
"And who exactly would this gift be for, Shindou-kun? From the items you have shown me so far, I can only deduce that is for a woman. Maybe a girlfriend?
"No! It's...for a friend." Replied Arata with slightly red cheeks, which made Akane smile. A friend. Of course. "She...helped me with some things in the last case we worked on and I wanted to thank her. But honestly, I'm not sure what should I give to girls since my whole life I only gave gifts to a childhood friend, so I would like opinions."
"Well, I'm not exactly the most feminine person in the world, but I hope that I have been useful." Spoke the woman smiling.
"Eh?" Said the youngest, somewhat perplexed. "I think you are beautiful, Tsunemori-san. Even the clothes you're wearing today scream how feminine you are."
Akane's cheeks flushed with the praise. That boy really said everything he thought, but she expected no less from someone with Arata's skills. After all, reading people was the skill that most highlighted the inspector.
"Tha...thank you." She answered.
Arata just smiled, before continuing to speak.
"And do you have anything you want to buy, Tsunemori-san?"
"Oh, well…" She started thoughtfully. "Actually, I need to buy some things to decorate my new home. I had the hologram system in my old apartment, so I never really cared about these things, but now that I'm using the PSB accommodations, I wanted something that could make the place more...cozy."
"I understand…" Arata said. "Well! We have all day! Let's find the perfect gift and decorations!"
Akane laughed watching the animation of the new inspector. It would be a good day.
…
A faint smile appeared on her lips, the feeling of being able to walk in the streets of Tokyo again was something she missed. Although it was already late on march and the cherry trees were already in bloom, the weather was still a bit cold, but Akane would take full advantage of her short freedom as she could only be leaving PSB when she received authorization and someone was available to accompany her.
"Tsunemori-san, what do you think of this?" Arata asked, pointing to a strange stuffed animal in the showcase of one of the stores.
"Shindou-kun..." Said the brunette trying to hold her laugh. "I don't think…"
" Oh don't worry, even I know that this stuffed animal is strange." Said the boy. "I just think that at least today, you should stop thinking about...the rules in general."
"...Was it so obvious?"
Shindou just nodded.
Akane sighed, he was right, at that moment she was out of PSB, and she didn't even know what she would do in PSB since her new roles, rights and duties would only be explained on her first day at work. The least she could do was now enjoy it.
"Shindou-kun?" Said the woman, drawing the attention of the young man who until then stared at other plushies. "I think I know what you can give to your friend."
…
"Tsunemori-san…" Commented Shindou staring at the small pink bag in his hands. "… something tells me that you know exactly who is the friend I'm talking about…"
"Who knows." Replied the oldest after eating another piece of the sweet crepe they had bought in a small trailer in the square where they were. "Usually makeup is one of the women's best friend."
The boy in turn only agreed. Even with mentalist skills, women were still difficult to understand in some ways.
"But in the end, we didn't find anything to decorate your apartment." Said the inspector before eating another piece of candy.
"Don't worry, at some point I will have an idea" Said the new Enforcer smiling at the boy who was sitting next to her on the park bench. "Besides, being able to walk around after so long has been more than enough, thanks to you I was able to make good memories. Thank you, Shindou-kun."
Memories? And suddenly an idea came to Arata's mind.
"Tsunemori-san! I had…"
However, before he could finish his sentence, his communicator started to ring. Shimotsuki Mika's name shone insistently, and the two had a slight suspicion about what the call would be for.
"Do you have any idea what time it is?!" Mika shouted as soon as Arata answered the call.
"Eh...hi Chief...well...it's eight at night right?"
"We are already going back Mika-chan." Akane said standing up. "Do not worry."
"I never said I was worried!" Shimotsuki exclaimed on the other end of the line. "I know exactly where you are, Senpai!"
Arata and Akane looked at each other, had they been monitored all this time?
"Come back right now! Understood?!"
"Yes, ma'am." Said the two at the same time, and so Mika hung up.
"Well, I think we should go." Commented Akane. "Thanks for today Shindou-kun."
"I should be the one thanking you, Tsunemori-san." Rreplied the boy.
He had had a decorating idea for the new Enforcer's new home, but he preferred to make surprises.
…
"Shindou-kun?"
Akane had just opened the door to her room, ready to go buy a coffee, when she came across the young inspector, who was about to ring the intercom.
"Good morning, Tsunemori-san!" Said Arata smiling. "Sorry to show up without any warning again, but I wanted to deliver this to you."
The boy then held out some kind of frame or blackboard, the woman accepted the object, and immediately raised it at eye level to analyze it. In fact, it was a type of wooden frame with nine rectangular spaces and with a glass on top, the object looked like…
"A picture frame!" Said Arata. "And in this type of frame, you can put several photos."
"Where...where did you get this picture frame, Shindou-kun?" Asked the surprised woman. "This type of object has not been produced in years."
"Actually, this picture frame was in the middle of my father's old things." He replied. "My father kept it for years in the attic, I think he would be happy to see someone making good use of it."
"Are you sure? After all, it was something from your father." Said Akane, studying the frame.
Arata smiled.
"Yes. Something tells me that you have many special memories."
And Tsunemori returned the smile, in fact, she did.
"I only have one favor to ask for Shindou-kun. If possible, I would like a photo of your entire unit."
…
In two different places in Tokyo, two blonde women received a short message:
"Could you send me a photo of everyone?"
…
On the night of that same day, Akane found herself hanging the picture frame she had received from the new inspector from Unit 1. The nine spaces for photos were all complete, each one carrying a piece of her memories.
There were pictures taken on the same day, like those of ex-Enforcer Kunizuka Yayoi together with the ex-Enforcer, but still a systems analyst, Karanomori Shion, and Frederica Hanashiro's photo with Ginoza, Kougami and Sugou, who had expressions of surprise in the face at the time the photo was taken. Even the new Unit 1 had sent her a photo of the entire team. The young inspector smiled from ear to ear over the shoulders of his best friend Kei, while the Enforcers tried not to laugh at the scene.
Other photos were older, such as the one of her grandmother carrying a little Akane on her lap while telling a story, the one of her parents at her high school graduation, and the last photo she took with Kaori and Yuki. There were pictures of her in the company of her current boss Shimotsuki Mika, Hinakawa, Ginoza, Sugou and Yayoi, her old unit before the case that resulted in her imprisonment, and another one where only she, Mika, Yayoi and Shion were photographed, after all, it was a photo of the women's night, as Shion liked to refer.
And lastly, right in the center of the painting, the memory she kept most fondly, as it was where it all started. A photo of the first unit 1 she worked with. The smiles of Kagari and Masaoka, the stoic face of Kunizuka, the surprised face of Shion, the expression of irritation of Ginoza, who tried to prevent Kougami, who had a smile on the corner of his lips, from messing up the short hair of the 20-year-old girl.
Akane laughed, that day her hair had been messed up for the photo, but everyone's laughter paid off. And that was a memory she would carry on forever.
A single picture frame was enough for decoration.
Soooo, I hope you like it!
I'm already writting another chapter, so a new chapter will be coming soon.^^
Sorry for possible grammar errors, english is not my mother tongue.^^''