Breaking news, this just in. Prominent businessman, Kabe Nishiki has been officially arrested for the murder of his wife, Ueno Nishiki. She was found brutally murdered early this morning at four a.m. after police recieved a distraught phone call from none other than Nishiki-san himself. Ueno Nishiki is survived by her three remaining children, who are no doubt just as shocked as the rest of us. For those who may not know, Nishiki-san is the president of Tokyo's Children's Hospital, having funded several projects to battle against cancer and invest in new technology for medical research. His other philanthropic work includes donations to schools, libraries, orphanages, and welfare programs for struggling parents. His most recent work has been to partner with his close friend, Kinzo Daiga, to build and run an orphanage in Shinjuku filled with state of the art facilities. This project is to honor his friend who was orphaned at a young age. But who really is the man we all know as Kabe Nishiki? What dark secrets laid beneath his picture perfect marriage? What motive could a successful man have to be accused of killing his wife? More to come as we wait to hear from the police chief"

Mai looked up from her phone at the sound of the whistling kettle, turning the stove off before placing her phone down lost in thought. She had just finished watching the news link Keiko had sent her. She was shocked to find that Nishiki-san had been arrested for his wife's murder. She knew his name quite well, as his philanthropic work had helped keep the orphanage she had stayed in as a young teen afloat. She was sure Ayako was just as shocked as her considering her family ran in the same circle as the Nishiki family. It just goes to show that you never really know someone.

Feeling more than hearing, Naru's arms circled around her waist. A small smile formed on her face as she leaned into the embrace.

"Oh my, impatient for tea today aren't we?" she teased. He made a small noise of denial and kissed her temple before releasing her.

"I didn't see you this morning, I was wondering when we'd be having tea."

"That's surprising considering I tripped on my way in." Naru shook his head, not at all surprised that Mai was still accident prone at twenty. She poured out two cups of tea, making sure to add honey and a dash of milk to both sets of earl grey. She was still proud of herself for adding some sweetness to Naru's palette.

"Guess I just don't listen to your clumsiness anymore."

"Hey! Watch yourself mister, or else I won't be making you anymore tea today." Jokingly she stuck her tongue out, holding the teacup away from him. Naru reached out to grab the teacup out of her hand, stepping rather close to her. Sensing a shift in the room, she let him grab the cup as he placed it back on the counter before cupping her face for a kiss. As always it started out slow enough before evolving into something hungrier and possessive. The feeling sent a shiver down to her toes and she couldn't help but press herself to Naru. Her fingers grabbed at his collar, pulling him down to her height as she tried to fight for control. He squeezed her waist allowing her this win. Their kiss slowed down to short pecks, finally ending when he leaned his forehead against hers. They stood with their eyes closed for a few moments, relishing in each other's presence. Despite officially being together, Mai still blushed heavily at physical contact. She busied herself with grabbing a few snacks while Naru carried the tray of tea to the lobby.

They had begun dating about five months ago, having grown close during Lin's paternity leave. During Lin's absence, the two conversed regularly, their flirting becoming more frequent and bold. It was still surprising to her as she had always feared of being rejected again, even if it was obvious to the rest of the SPR members that the two danced around their feelings. It still left her breathless when she thought back to Naru's disheveled appearance after being caught in the rain. They had run back to the office after sharing lunch and she had laughed at him, amused to see him look so human. He had simply stared at her with an unreadable expression before pushing her against the door with a passionate kiss. She brought her fingers up to her lips, still feeling the ghost of their makeout session.

"Mai?"

"Coming!"

The rest of the afternoon passed peacefully. Mai and Naru had conversed about the recent news during their tea time. She had gotten a text from Ayako that her parents were distraught over the news as they had just visited the Nishiki's a week ago. Their conversation shifted between comfortable silence and bouts of chattiness. Lin had briefly joined the two for tea until Madoka called with new updates about their son.

Now that evening was approaching, Mai cleaned the office to prepare for closing. With less than thirty minutes to close, she didn't expect any clients to arrive. That is until the bell rang and in walked two men in neatly pressed and expensive suits.

Standing straight she approached them. "Welcome how can I-"

The man in the gray suit held up his hand, "I apologize for interrupting and coming so late. This is an extremely urgent matter and we would like to discuss our case as soon as possible, as well as go over the matter of extreme confidentiality."

"Of course, please have a seat. I'll get my boss and his assistant." Without being too obvious she quickly walked into Naru's office.

"Some fancy guys came in with an urgent request." She turned and grabbed Lin as well.

"Would you care for water or tea?"

"No thank you"

She nodded in acknowledgement, and grabbed her own notebook. Whereas Lin typed up the fast of the case for documentation purposes, Mai jotted down her thoughts and feelings on the specific things that caught her attention or rather, tugged at her intuition. As Naru approached, the two men stood with a bow and extended their business cards for each member. She looked down at the two cards, matching the expensive men with their satin finish and glossy embossment. Goro Watanabe and Minato Matsumoto, lawyers from one of the top firms in Tokyo.

The man in gray spoke, "I am Goro Watanabe and this is my colleague Minato Matsumoto. We are here on behalf of our client as we hear you run a respectable business and maintain a strict code of confidentiality. We'd like to begin by having you sign a confidentiality document only to ensure that no leaks to the media are made if you choose not to accept this case."

Mai looked at the lawyers with a straight face. Naru looked her way only for a moment before crossing his legs and looking straight at the men in front of them. "Before we continue, I'd like to at least know the name of our potential client."

Matsumoto fixed his tie and cleared his throat, "That would be Kabe Nishiki. He's requesting your help in proving his innocence."