Over one month had passed. Five weeks. 36 days since Shiho last met Dai Moroboshi. She should've known better than to tell him to stay away from her because he took it way too literally.
He used to appear in the lab when Gin called for missions there, he used to come up to her office to say hi but he didn't since. He used to accompany Akemi for Sunday dinners but he doesn't show up anymore. Even when he didn't show up in the restaurant, she always met him when she went to her sister's apartment on Sundays, but she no longer finds him there.
Dai was just nowhere to be seen. He continued avoiding her for weeks and Shiho couldn't stop thinking about him throughout that time. Every minute, the figure of Dai would pop in her head. She needed to stop those thoughts and needed to see him!
It was a Friday morning, so Shiho thought maybe she could find him at Akemi's since it's not a Sunday and she's not expected to come. She got ready then headed to Akemi's apartment.
When Akemi opened the door, she gaped in surprise.
"Shiho!" She cheered with a wide smile. "That's great! I'm about to make breakfast so you came just in time."
"Oh, I already ate."
"You can eat twice. How many times do we get to have breakfast together anyway?" Akemi said, closing the door and stepping inside the living room where Shiho preceded.
"Alright."
Shiho's eyes turned around in search of the long haired man. The apartment was quiet and neat, lit by the morning sunlight that shone through every window, but no signs indicated that Dai was there. Shiho felt a bit disappointed by that fact. But when she turned and saw Akemi, her mood instantly brightened.
"How do you like your eggs?"
"I'll just drink some coffee." Shiho said taking a seat on the couch.
"Okay. But aren't you gonna join me in the kitchen?" Akemi asked.
"I have to send a text to my coworker first. Be with you in a minute."
Akemi smiled faintly at her sister before moving behind the kitchen counter. Shiho looked down at her phone and started typing that she's going to be late for work.
The kitchen was not really so far from where she sat. The apartment was built in a modern style so Shiho from her spot on the couch had a visual of the kitchen to her right and of the hallway to her left which leads to the bedroom.
Just when she finished sending the text and lifted her head from the phone, she saw Dai come out of the hallway and cross his way to the kitchen. His long hair was loose and a bit messy and he was not wearing the knit cap. In fact, he wasn't wearing anything but a pair of boxers. Shiho's eyes grew for a while and she sucked in a breath of surprise. That, however, didn't prevent her from following him with her eyes. His eyes were locked onto the kitchen anyway.
Dai was walking slowly and still looked sleepy as he rubbed his eye with his knuckles, yet every step he took gave away his strength. Every muscle in his body popped right out like some athlete. He looked as if he just came out of a Calvin Klein photoshoot. No wonder he wasn't scared of Gin, if those two got into a fistfight, no one could anticipate how it would end.
"Morning, Handsome! How'd you sleep?" Akemi chirped.
The voice drew Shiho out of her thoughts. She caught herself gawking so she quickly adjusted herself on the couch and cleared her throat.
"Morning." Shuichi replied with a voice still hoarse from sleep. The sound Shiho made grabbed his attention. At that moment, his paces slowed a little and he turned to notice her sitting on the couch, but it didn't take him long to turn his head back to the kitchen and retrieve his steps there.
In those two seconds he glanced at her, Shiho looked down at her phone with a nice crimson color on her cheeks. She really hoped he didn't notice it.
Shuichi finally reached the kitchen and opened the fridge. He grabbed himself a bottle of water when Akemi approached him.
"Shiho's here for breakfast, so why don't you go put on some clothes and come join us?" She talked in a low voice, though Shiho managed to hear.
"No, I'm leaving now." His voice was louder than Akemi, not caring whether the other person in the room hears him or not.
"Why? But Shiho's here! You two haven't met in a while."
"I have something to do." Shuichi said. He started gobbling the water he filled himself. Well, he didn't really have anything to do.
"It's just breakfast! I thought you can't start a morning without coffee." The brunette walked back to the coffee machine.
"I'll get a canned one."
Shuichi placed the glass in the sink and walked back into the bedroom. This time, he didn't turn his gaze to Shiho at all.
Shiho should've expected this. She knew Dai was a man of pride so when she told him to stay away from her, of course, he'd erase her from his life. But then she felt like she needed him. She missed him so much that she wanted to hug him. She lowered her gaze to the phone as he continued walking and cursed herself for thinking that. What the heck is she thinking? That's her sister's boyfriend? Why is she having those ideas now?
When Dai disappeared from the living room, Shiho joined Akemi in the kitchen. Not so long after, he showed up again. He was dressed in an olive green shirt with rolled-up sleeves. His eye color was changed to harmonies with the shirt's color. They looked beautiful, and they also looked at Akemi ignoring Shiho's existence.
"I'm going now." He announced and turned to the door before Akemi could even stop him.
Shiho sighed. Now she knows he won't ever reach out for her again. Will they ever get their old relationship back?
"He's acting weird today, don't you think?" Akemi noted when she heard the door close.
"Maybe. You know him better." Shiho replied.
(~)
"What! Are you out of your mind?" Shiho exclaimed.
"You'll be provided with protection, don't worry."
She continued walking back and forth with her arms crossed. "What would that do me when my face is caught in a surveillance camera while I'm committing a crime?"
"I've got that under control. Soon as you approach, every surveillance camera will be disabled... Even if they manage to somehow enable them, we'll delete the footage."
She stopped and looked out of her floor-to-ceiling window. She's already deeply involved with the organization, but it's always done in the shadows. But for her to go in public, to a famous company, and ask for classified files while impersonating the company's attorney was something else.
"Hey!" Gin hugged her from behind. He wrapped his arms around her waist and placed his chin on her shoulder as they both stared at the city view. "You know I won't allow anything that puts you in danger. It'll be fine."
"But Gin!"
"Did you know that the rarest hair color in the world is red hair? The entire world that is. In Japan, the number of people with natural red hair is close to zero. That company's attorney is a redhead so when they see you they won't even ask for identity confirmation… She's also an American and you lived there, so you have a good accent in case you need to speak in English. I don't think anyone else could be fitter than you to do this."
Shiho sighed. These were the direct orders of Anokata, so who is she to decline? The organization needed those files in order to save one of its important contacts from going to jail.
"What if they find out I'm not her?" She voiced her concern.
"That's not possible. In order to deceive them, you need your pretty hair, a confident walk, and an arrogant speech. And you have all of these." Gin reassured, printing a kiss on her neck.
(~)
Shiho looked at herself in the mirror one last time. Although it was unusual for her to dress so formally, she looked good in the attire.
Another time, she found herself caught in the action of the organization. She glanced at the clock, it was 10 am. The time has come. The redhead rode the elevator down and walked out of the building. Her eyes widened in disbelieve when she saw a Chevrolet parked outside. She walked towards it and found Dai sitting in the driver's seat, looking ahead.
When she opened the door, he glanced at her from the corner of his eye before turning his focus on the road again and starting the car.
Shiho got inside and put on her seat belt.
"I didn't expect you to be the one accompanying me."
"Anokata's orders" Shuichi answered briefly. Seeing how he managed to save Sherry the last time, the boss of the organization ordered that he accompanies her this time too.
"You're gonna wait for me outside, right?"
"Mmm"
"And when I need to contact you, you could hear me through the listening device." She said, just for the sake of making conversation. Gin told her all of this two days ago.
Shuichi hummed again. He was not planning to exchange any conversations as it seems. He didn't even look at Sherry throughout the ride. He dropped her off three blocks away and then preceded her to the company headquarter and parked his car next to the skyscraper. About ten minutes later, he saw Shiho walk inside.
Shiho felt nervous. She glanced at a surveillance camera on her way in and hoped that it was disabled. She went inside and followed the path she studied a day ago. Sherry reached a nice Japanese lady who after hearing the attorney's name and request made a phone call and asked her to wait.
Minutes later –Which felt like an eternity- a man appeared holding a file. He handed it to the lady who in her turn gave it to Sherry. Sherry thanked her and left.
She sighed in relief when she finally got inside the Chevrolet.
"Mission accomplished." She smiled, adjusting herself in the passenger's seat.
"Good." Dai mumbled. He was supposed to drive Shiho home and then take the files to Gin. He started the car without looking at her.
Shiho wanted to look into his eyes even for a few moments, but he didn't turn her way once. The entire ride home was filled with silence except for the few times she said something but was countered with a brief answer from him, mostly hums or shrugs. Eventually, she gave up trying.
20 minutes later, the Chevy stopped in front of her apartment. Shiho took off her seatbelt and turned to face him.
"Have a nice day, Dai san."
"Good bye." He mumbled. And dammit he didn't look at her although she was mentally begging him to.
"Ah, Dai san," Shiho started and Dai finally turned her way. Oh my god! Those eyes! She found herself trying hard to suppress a smile. Just when his gaze met hers, she immediately felt that mysterious unidentifiable warm feeling she gets when she's around Dai. Shiho felt that internal warmth again, she was drowning in it and it felt so damn good! What the hell are you doing to her Dai Morobochi? Just with one look!
"I didn't really mean what I said last time when I told you to stay away from me." She added.
Shuichi hummed with a blank expression.
Did he just hum again? Really? She was relinquishing her pride and he just hums, that idiot!
"Is that all you have to say?" Shiho asked, a bit irritated.
His eyebrows rose and he gave her that trademark cocky look of his.
"Except that you're horrible at apologizing, that's all."
Relieved, Shiho grinned.
"See you!" She said, and he just nodded.
The redhead went up to her apartment, she took a shower then laid on bed with one thought in mind; Dai Moroboshi.
She's been thinking about him for way too long now. Before, she always thought it was guilt for how she told him off when he tried to help her. But now they were fine, so why can't she stop thinking about him?
She rolled to the other side of the bed recalling the times she met him, and how he stood up for Gin just for her, how he offered to protect her. So that was the warm feeling she couldn't pinpoint, it was protection! She never felt protected her entire life and Dai was the first person ever to make her feel that way.
She turned to the other side of the bed again. She really appreciated Dai for being there for her, not only that but he was there for her sister too. She appreciated the sharp intelligence that led him to see through her lies and his offer of protection. She even appreciated how he felt guilt.
She truly admired him, hell she liked him… Maybe even more... Oh shit!
Oh Shit indeed!
Next chapter: Shuichi gets badly injured on a mission, he turns to Shiho for help.
