Chapter 7
The next morning, sun light poured into my room. I sat up and stretched and glanced at my phone, I had several missed calls from Tatsuro and Ranko.
I had made them worry, I needed to call them. I didn't want to talk to them so i sent them a text explaining that I got drunk and stayed around a friend's house.
I then headed downstairs.
"Good morning." I said.
Takuto was sat at the bar and glared at me when I came in.
"In a bad mood?" I asked and sat next to him.
"Shut up and leave me alone. I had to stay up through the night to finish my work." He hissed.
I just shrugged.
I needed breakfast.
"Riki made some miso soup and he said for you to eat some."
"Oh ok."
I walked around the bar, opened the lid of the pot and peeked inside.
"It smells so good! Would you like some?" I asked.
"Yeah." He said.
We sat side by side and started to eat the miso soup. He had put white onions and fried tofu in it, so he could cook as well. Who knew?
"It's so good. Riki's a good guy isn't he?" I said.
"Unlike you, when I choke me pats me on the back gently." He said.
I smiled "Sorry."
"It's not funny. One of these times, you're gonna break my back."
"I doubt that but fine, next time I won't hit you so hard."
"Don't hit me at all!"
After breakfast, I went back to Taturso's house. I was thankfully that no one was home. I had a shower, got dressed and decided to start cleaning when I got a text from Riki. There was an emergency meeting about a mission, it was a lunch meeting at kasumigaseki. It was about my Gramps work. I was glad, so far the only missions I had done hadn't actually involved my Gramps. But now, we were finally getting my Gramps work back.
In the afternoon, all of us gathered at a park in kasumigaseki.
"I didn't know there was such a nice place by the city office." I said.
"You're so carefree, remember this is about a mission." Takuto said.
We had met at the car entrance and decided to walk in together.
"Now now, Takuto. Being outside every once in a while is nice, right?" Boss asked as we joined him in the park.
"You're always sitting in front of the computer." Boss said.
"That's right, you need to see sunlight once in a while." I said.
Takuto sneered.
"Here are the lunch boxes! This is fried chicken and these are the sandwiches." Hiro said.
He joined us and we spread out the food on a blanket in the grass.
This was so casual, no one would ever think that this was a meeting of thieves.
"You guys are acting like this is a picnic." Riki said.
"Oh, hey Riki!" Boss said.
"I'm here on my lunch break in between classes Riki." Hiro said. "Oh and Kenny said he can't make it."
"Sorry to call you out so suddenly. I finished up all my work in the morning so I could be here. So let's start from the objective. Tomorrow we're going to recover the painting Cherry Blossom." Riki said.
"But why so soon? Why tomorrow?" Hiro asked.
"I got some info about the painting this morning. The current owner is planning on selling it. A mafia dealer is coming to them next Monday."
"I see, so we have to get the painting back this weekend." Boss said.
"I've done a detailed simulation. Hiro did a recon of the museum a few days ago, the painting is hanging up in one of the rooms there. Takuto, open your laptop." Riki said.
Takuto opened his laptop and everyone crowded around the screen.
"I sent you the simulation. Here's the blueprints of the museum." Riki said.
He gave us detailed explanation of the blueprints.
"And that's the plan."
"I see, sounds like a fairly easy mission." Boss said.
"But if we let this opportunity go, we might never recover 'Cheery Blossom." Riki said.
"I understand the plan. But why do we have to bring her?" Takuto asked looking at me. "We don't need her fingerprints, right?"
"But the museum might have Lady of the Camellias in it's collection too. Also, she works at a museum so she's very familiar with art." Hiro said.
"She's just a curator." Takuto said.
What was his problem?
"The probably of Lady of the camellias being there is low, but you're saying we're gonna bring in this amateur to get in our way?" Takuto said.
"You don't have to talk like that Takkun. Faye is one of us now." Hiro said.
"I don't accept her as one of us yet." Takuto said.
"Takuto." Riki said firmly.
"What?"
They both glared at each other.
"Faye's coming, end of story." Riki said.
"Whatever." Takuto said.
"All right, so then the mission is on for tomorrow Saturday night." Boss said.
"I'm going home to prepare for breaking into the security system." Takuto said.
"Why don't you take a walk in the park while you're out here?" Riki suggested.
"A walk?"
"You're always shut up inside, you need to get more sunlight. If you don't get enough sunlight, you'll get osteoporosis." Riki said.
"Leave me alone."
Riki then whispered in my ear
"Ask him to go on a walk with you."
"Fine." I agreed.
I had nothing else to do and I didn't want to go home incase Tatsuro was there.
"Takuto, Faye says she wants to go on a walk with you." Riki said.
"What? Why?" Takuto asked.
"Have fun you two." Riki said with a smile.
Everyone then left, leaving us alone.
"Why the hell do I have to go on a walk with you?" Takuto asked as we walked through the park.
"Because like Riki said, you need to get more sun and some fresh air." I said.
"The sun's too bright, my eyes hurt." he complained.
Did he do nothing but complain?
I ignored him. My phone then rang, I got it out from my purse. It was Tatsuro. I sent it to voicemail and we continued.
"Aren't you mad about before?" He asked.
"Before?" I asked.
"About what I said, that your nothing but a curator and that you're an amateur."
I just shrugged "You're kind of right, I mean on the last mission I ended up getting hurt and I am just a curator."
"Hmm." He said thoughtfully.
"I don't have special skills like everyone else, I just like art. I'm just a normal girl, living a normal life." I said.
"You sound like an old lady."
"An old lady?!"
"I mean.. You're just not like most young girls." he said.
"What does that mean?"
"You seem like the kind of person who likes fruit cake."
"I do like fruit cake but I like normal sweets too." I said.
"Really, then I'll buy you some." he said with a smile.
He pointed to a nearby ice cream stand. He bought me a green tea ice cream, we walked side by side each eating our own ice cream.
"You picked green tea ice cream.. See you are an old lady." he teased.
I poked my tongue out at him and continued eating.
"You better not get in our way tomorrow." he said.
"I'll do my best." I said.
"I guess.. It's nice to walk under the sun every once in a while. It was more fun than I thought it would be." he said.
After the walk, I headed home. I couldn't hide forever. I opened the front door and found Tatsuro sat on the sofa.
"Hi Faye." He said nervously.
"Hey." I said.
This was so awkward.
"I'll just go to my room." I said and walked past him.
"Wait." he said and grabbed my hand as I passed the sofa.
He stood up and jumped over the back of the sofa so he was stood next to me,
"I know you've been avoiding me."
"No I-"
"I know when you're lying Faye, you're avoiding me because of what I said. I want things to be like they were." He said.
"So do I." I said.
"Good then how about we get a takeaway and watch some of our favorite movies? Ranko isn't here she's working late tonight." he said.
He looked so sad, I must have hurt him so much. I wish I could tell him everything, then he'd understand.
"I'd love to but only if we get pizza." I said.
He smiled "You love pizza, it was the only thing you ever order when we have a takeaway." He laughed. "Let me guess, you want watch Titanic?"
"You know me too well."
We stayed up late into the night eating pizza and watching our favourite films, things felt just like they always did. I cuddled up next to him on the sofa and ended up putting my head on his lap as we watched Titanic.