Chapter 36

Completely exhausted, we fell into bed next to each other. Seiya proudly pulled me into his arms. "You did great," he said gently, pressing a kiss to my forehead. I nodded and pulled him closer to me. It seemed like I would have more of these appearances in the future.

This day weighed heavily on me. First, the departure from the Philippines and saying goodbye to Diamond, then the whole situation with Mamoru, and finally Seiya and the red carpet. It took only seconds for me to fall asleep.

When my phone alarm woke me up the next morning, Seiya had already left the apartment. He must have had a lot of appointments again. I put some of my things back into the drawers and cabinets and got ready at my own pace.

I decided to get my coffee at the Crown today and ask Motoki about Mamoru. To my surprise, however, it wasn't Motoki behind the counter, but his girlfriend Makoto.

"Oh, Usagi, nice to see you. What can I do for you?" she greeted me kindly.

"Hi Makoto. Can you please make me two lattes macchiatos and a coffee to go? By the way, where is Motoki?" I asked curiously, scanning the café but couldn't spot him.

"He's still with Mamoru... here you go," she sighed and handed me my order. That was good at least, so Motoki hadn't left Mamoru alone. I already had the door in my hand when I turned to Makoto again. "Tell him I'll come by after work. He wanted to discuss something with me."

Makoto nodded, and I headed straight to work.

Hotaru beamed at me as soon as I walked through the door. "Usagi, it's so good to have you back. There are several inquiries that I couldn't handle, and a new shipment needs to be assessed," she immediately bombarded me with her problems. I handed her one of the lattes macchiatos, hung my coat over the chair, and sat down on it.

"I'm glad to see you too, but let me settle in first. Is he here yet?"

Hotaru took a sip of her drink and shook her head. That was good; I could actually get an overview first. I flipped through the appointment planner, checked the folders for the day, and helped Hotaru with her issues.

Then I started contacting some of the clients. While I was on the phone, Mr. Sato suddenly rushed past me. As usual, I held out his coffee and folders, which he took from me without stopping.

But just fifteen minutes later, Sato stood in front of my desk again. In his hand, he held a simple white and red card with delicate Christmas motifs.

"We have all received an invitation to the Winter Gala, which will be held in Tokyo this year. I expect both of you to attend," he said, handing us the tickets. I hesitantly took them.

Winter Gala.

No, he wouldn't dare, but what if he did? The card was addressed to Usagi Tsukino plus guest. He wouldn't do that... However, Diamond had mentioned that gala, saying he would be there too. I felt a bit uneasy as I looked at the card in my hand. It wouldn't be surprising if he did.

"Did you hear, Mrs. Tsukino?" Sato interrupted my thoughts.

"Um... I'm sorry, what did you just say?" Oh, man, that was embarrassing, the first day back at the office, and I got caught not paying attention.

"I said Dr. Yang, one of our clients, is one of the hosts this year, and you are supposed to select some of our exhibits to be displayed in the art section. I think around 5-6 should be enough. You know his taste."

I breathed a sigh of relief. Yang, not Prince. Still, Diamond had already announced that he would be there. Would Seiya insist on accompanying me? Most likely! After all, he managed to gain access without an invitation in Osaka as well. Sato placed a stack of documents on my desk and retreated.

Since yesterday, I had been avoiding the internet, but since Mina already saw us on the red carpet, I was prepared to come across reports from last night. As soon as I opened the browser, the first images hit me as expected. We looked good. I felt a slight grin creeping onto my lips.

"You and the lead singer of Three Lights?! That's insane! Do you think you can get me an autograph?" Hotaru's voice suddenly sounded from my right. "Yes," I said somewhat embarrassed. "I think so, but you can ask him for it yourself at the gala. Knowing him, he'll probably want to come along."

Hotaru's eyes practically sparkled at me. She was obviously a big fan of the band. Feeling slightly embarrassed, I opened a new window and started my research while Hotaru bombarded me with questions.

By the time I finished work, it was already dark outside. Seiya stood under the glow of a street lamp, waiting for me as usual. Today, however, without his cap and sunglasses. The hiding game was over. Hotaru, standing next to me, was gasping as soon as she recognized him. I gave her a clear look and shook my head. "Do that at the gala, not now," I whispered to her. She looked a bit disappointed and said goodbye to me. She stood at a distance and watched us for a while.

I planted a kiss on Seiya's lips and tried to ignore Hotaru.

"Um... I need to quickly see Motoki, my friend who owns the café... I've told you about him before... He wanted to discuss something with me."

"Mind if I come along?" he asked, wrapping his arm around me.

I forced myself to stay calm. Actually, yes, because I knew exactly what Motoki wanted to talk about: Mamoru. The topic that was still a sore spot for Seiya. But I couldn't bring myself to refuse his request. So we entered the Crown's door together a short while later.

Motoki was back behind the counter. Mamoru sat in front of him with a large coffee. Panic started to creep up inside me. Seiya stood next to me, still holding my hand. He hadn't realized yet that the man at the counter was Mamoru. Motoki was the first to notice me and gave me a questioning look. I knew exactly what he wanted to know: why I had Seiya with me. I shrugged almost imperceptibly. Mamoru, who was still facing away from us, seemed to have caught Motoki's gaze as well and turned towards us now.

The moment Seiya realized that the man at the counter was Mamoru, he tightened his grip on my hand. I felt trapped. The only thing missing now was Diamond to complete the drama. Fortunately, he was probably still in the Philippines.

"Hello, both of you," I croaked hoarsely and approached my seat next to Mamoru. Seiya's hand still firmly in mine. The sparks were practically flying between Seiya and Mamoru. I had to come up with something quickly to prevent this situation from getting out of control.