The morning came and Seiya found Saori downstairs in the kitchen.
"Hey," she greeted him with a wrapped-up lunchbox in front of her. "I figured that after you've putting up with me and my bad luck, I should do something nice for you."
"Bananas, apples, and yogurts?" Seiya already guessed what's in the lunchbox without opening it.
"Yeah," Saori didn't deny. "I never know how to cook and it's never going to be my thing. I have to admit, I did enjoy my time with you."
"Same here."
They stood facing each other and neither moved an inch.
"Look, bad things happen to everyone and we'll just have to find a way to take care of it."
"I know," Seiya said. "Family is important too. My sister and I don't get along, but blood is thicker than water."
They spoke word to word, as if they were trying to convince themselves.
Saori pushed the lunchbox towards Seiya, and he took it. He gave her a nod before he walked out of the house.
"It's never going to happen," Hypnos commented after Seiya left.
Knowing what he was referring to, Saori shrugged. "It's not what you think. Seiya is, I mean was , my bodyguard. That lunchbox is only part of the payment."
"I think you need to look up the definition of bodyguard."
"Seiya provided me protection just like Winry Rockbell repaired Edward Elric's automail."
"You know Winry and Ed ended up married with two kids?"
"I only watched the first anime and the first live action film. The ending of the first anime was too depressing. I don't even know why I'm talking to you. Aiolus said I shouldn't talk to you without a lawyer present."
Hypnos chuckled.
Saori said nothing more. She grabbed her purse and left the mansion. The house felt so empty and lifeless the moment Seiya left. She recalled how Edward Elric burned down his house to begin his journey. Of course, she wouldn't burn down the mansion.
But she could find a new place to live as a fresh start.
She didn't text Aiolus to see if he knew any good real estate agent. After all, it'd be better that she looks things up on herself. How hard could it be?
Using her phone, she found a bunch of houses that are up for sale. Some were large and fancy; some were small and cute.
One particular house got her attention – a two story white house in a traditional Greek style with ivies on its wall.
She immediately called the real estate agent of that house, someone by the name Aphrodite.
An appointment was set.
And she did it all on her own.
When she came to Aphrodite's agency office she found herself surrounded by roses; there were so many that she sneezed.
"Bless you," a young man said and handed her a tissue. Dark hair and dark eyes, he bore a strong resemblance to Seiya; only better dressed in his sport jacket and much friendlier in demeanor with his smile.
"Saori Kido, right?" he reached out his hand. "You can call me Mackenyu."
"You work with Aphrodite?"
"Well, the house that you're interested in is mine. Aphrodite works with me."
"What do you do, Mackenyu?"
"I'm an actor," he replied. "I just did a movie ' The Knights of the Zodiac' ."
"Never seen it," Saori said, then she realized that she sounded rude. "I apologize, I didn't mean it that way. I haven't seen movies for ages. I have too many things going on in my life."
"That's fine," Mackenyu said. "What do you do?"
"I'm a novelist," Saori said. "I wrote a book, The Spartan Queen ."
"Never read it."
Both ended up laughing.
It was then Aphrodite came. He wore a pair of pink dress pants and white silk dress shirt. His rose perfume was quite heavy. In fact, it was so heavy that Saori had to take a step back or else she'd be suffocated by his fragrance.
"Mr. Aphrodite, Saori and I have already met," Mackenyu said. "I think we had a great start. I like her a lot. She is full of sunshine."
Saori tried not to blush.
"How about this?" Mackenyu continued. "I like to invite Saori out to dinner. We can discuss other things later."
"Sounds good," Aphrodite said, trimming his nails.
Mackenyu took Saori's hand and walked her out of the agency to his Mercedes Benz.
"Look, I'm not trying anything," Mackenyu explained as he drove. "I just think you are a nice person. I need to sell that house because my last film didn't do well at the box office. Fortunately I have a new job coming up. I sure learned my lesson."
"What's your new job?"
" One Piece live action. It's going to be a series."
"Things don't go well all the time. We have to live with it and find ways to get ourselves out of our messes."
"I agree. So where do you want to go eat?"
"I know a place. It's Greek."
She gave Mackenyu directions, and they arrived at the same diner where she used to eat with Seiya.
Right after they sat, another person pulled out a chair and joined them.
"Seiya?" Saori was surprised. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to go talk to your sister?"
"I need a good meal," Seiya said as he sat.
"Mackenyu, this is Seiya," Saori introduced. "Seiya, this is Mackenyu. He's an actor. He was in the movie ' The Knights of the Zodiac '."
"Never seen it," Seiya mumbled without making eye contact.
"Nice to meet you Seiya," Mackenyu said politely.
"I'm sorry," Saori said to Mackenyu. "But please don't take it personally. Seiya used to be my bodyguard. He can be overprotective at times." She then turned to Seiya and said in a lowered voice, "It's not what you think. Mackenyu is selling a house that I'm interested in. I need a fresh start."
"Whatever you say."
"No, I"m serious," Saori pulled out her phone and showed the house to Seiya. "Look at it, it's simple, it's pretty, and it's a house that I would like."
Seiya took her phone and read the profile of the house line by line.
"It says that it's on an island," he pointed out. "How are you going to get there?"
Saori looked at Mackenyu, who only blushed. "The house comes with a jet."
"You know how to fly?" Saori asked.
"I haven't got my license yet," Mackenyu tried to keep a straight face. "But my agent Aphrodite has one."
"I don't think it's a good idea," Seiya said.
"I haven't even made my decision yet, Seiya," Saori said. "But I'm going to check it out."
The server came and the three ordered their entrees. Mackenyu did most of the talking as they ate. He told them about how he did his own stunts during the filming and he was looking forward to his next job because he needed it. Seiya hardly said a word. Despite Seiya's obvious unfriendliness, Mackenyu remained cool. "You know Seiya, I wish one day I can play a guy like you."
"That won't work," Seiya said. "I don't look good in live-action movies."
"You want me to drive you home?" Mackenyu offered to Saori and handed his credit card to the server.
"I'll walk her home," Seiya said. "Saori likes to walk."
"Here's my number," Mackenyu wrote it down on the napkin and handed it to Saori. "Call me when you are available to see the house."
"What was that about?" Saori rebuked Seiya on their way back to her house. "You were rude to Mackenyu for no reason at all."
"He thought he's going to be a big star with that movie but failed. He needed the money and you are too easy to be swayed."
"Like I've said, I haven't agreed to anything yet. I will make the right decision for myself. Should I remind you that you are no longer my bodyguard? I don't need your permission to do what I want to do."
"Well, it's not up to you," Seiya said. "I will decide when I stop being your bodyguard."
"Seiya, seriously, I want to do something on my own," Saori insisted. "You know I'm a novelist? I have my own money and I can stand on my own feet."
Seiya said nothing.
"Look, you have to trust me that I can handle things myself. Maybe I wouldn't even like that house after seeing it. I'll be fine. I'm going to text Mackenyu and set up a time to see that house. I'll let you know how it all turns out."
Seiya stayed silent but walked with her all the way back to her mansion.
"Wait," Saori said before Seiya could leave. She went inside and came out with a hard copy of the book, The Spartan Queen. "Maybe you should read this."
Seiya took the book and raised an eyebrow. "The original title isn't ' I dream of Aiolus ', is it?"
Annoyed, Saori went back inside and slammed the door shut.