Chapter 2

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Life got in the way and couldn't find much time to write. This chapter was originally intended to be part of a chapter more than twice the size of this one, but I was having trouble making the other parts. So instead of making you guys wait longer I decided to post the first part instead. The second part is going through some rewriting so I hope to be able to post it soon. Only time will tell.

Enjoy the chapter!

A cool early morning breeze blew across my face as I drank a beer from the bar I sat in. It was located on the roof of a building not too far away from downtown. Because of its tall height compared to other buildings in the area, it granted some of the best views in the city. It also allowed a great view of some stars not drowned out by the city lights.

The bar itself was pretty small with it having small tarp coverings that spanned over the main bar and a few tables scattered around the edge of the bar near the railings of the roof. The bar utilized hanging lanterns and lights all around which gave the area a nice warm glow. Gentle jazz and lounge music played over hidden speakers which only added to the mellow atmosphere.

I went to the bar often just to wind down after a busy day or long shifts that lasted long into the night. I tend to patrol or work at night more often because of the underground and investigative work I did. It was a good way to unwind and take in the calm moments of the world. My daily life is usually fast paced so it's nice to slow down once in a while.

That night at the bar was a prime example of why I went there. Somehow that night I found the energy to make my way to the bar after working for nearly twenty four hours straight. After weeks of investigative work, my agency had finally found the location of a gang that had been selling and shipping "trigger" drugs around Japan. So that day was full of fighting, shooting, and many hours of work that needed to be done afterwards. To say I was exhausted would've been an understatement.

So that was the reason I found myself at the bar once again. After going through so much that day, I wasn't contempt with just going home and falling asleep. I wanted to at least feel some peace of mind before I went home for the night and there was nothing better than having a good beer while gazing at the city lights.

The bar itself was very quiet as people there mostly came for the same reason I was there. The soft sounds of the jazz playing through the area allowed me to drift into a mellow state of calm as the previous 24 hours played through my head. The hero business sure had a way of affecting people mentally, but I somehow found a way to stay sane through the years surprisingly.

I don't know how long I was there before I sensed someone sitting a seat down from me. Without moving my head, I glanced through the sides of my eyes to see who it was. I could see that the person was obviously a woman, just from her figure. The low light of the area made it a little difficult to see her, but I was able to make out some details. She had brown hair that flowed down to her mid back and she wore a pair of black slacks with a tucked white button down blouse. She had put a black coat down on her lap.

I shifted a little to get a better look at her and I got a better look at her face. Even in the warm, low light, I could tell that she had nice smooth skin, yet her eyes had slight bags underneath them. Her body seemed exhausted by the way it was slouched over the bar as she took seat.

Even in her exhausted state, I still found her attractive. Even though I found many women attractive, something about her seemed different. I was drawn to her and I knew right then and there that I needed to talk to her before I left. Besides, I thought about what the worst that could happen. If she said no I would probably never see her again and I've gotten used to rejection over the years.

"You look tired." I said, trying to start some small talk.

She seemed a little confused about who I was talking to but it didn't take her long to realize that I was talking to her. She looked at me for a few seconds before looking forward again.

"You don't look any better yourself." She said back.

A small chuckle exited my mouth. She wasn't lying. I looked like crap and probably had a bit of a stink to me as well. I just hoped that she couldn't smell it. She had some bite to her that made her enticing to me and I was happy that I at least got her attention. Women would mostly either ignore or even shut me down immediately whenever I tried to talk to them. My hero work required me to keep a low profile in public areas so many people didn't even know who I was.

"Yeah, guess you're right." I admitted with a small smile on my face, "It has been a long day."

She responded with a little "hmm" of confirmation before I continued, "I haven't seen you around here before."

After coming to the bar often, I was able to spot people who were frequent visitors given a very small crowd of people usually visiting around the same time I did.

"Yeah this is my first time here. Heard about it from a friend so I decided to give it a try after a long day at work." She answered.

"Well, your friend has good taste. I come here whenever I have the time to. It can be a little costly, but I feel like it's worth it in the end." I said.

"Since you come here often, do you have any suggestions?" She asked while perking up an eyebrow.

Getting more invested in the conversation, I turned my body towards the women. So far things were going smoothly and I didn't do anything to annoy her, which was good. Just from the few sentences of talking that we had, I could tell that she was a good person to talk to. It felt a little strange though. Even though I have never met this woman in my life, I felt calm speaking to her.

"Well when I come here I usually start with some of their wine that they serve here. They have a few, but the one I like is called 'Sakura Breeze'." I replied.

Sakura Breeze was one of my personal favorite wines to drink and is one of the main reasons why I came to the bar in the first place. It was a white wine with a pale golden color and its taste was floral and fragrant with hints of jasmine and white peach. It was complex, but simple at the same time. I have been drinking wine for as long as I could remember, even when it wasn't legal for me to either. That's a story for another time though.

'Sakura Breeze' was my go to recommendation when people ask me about wine, so I'm hoping that she would like it.

"Ooo. Sounds fancy." She replied.

"Well it's not the fanciest wine around, but it's better than most out there." I said.

"Does it taste good?" She asked while turning towards me.

"I personally think it tastes good, but I think you need to find out for yourself."

What I said put a nice smile on her face which made me think that I was at least doing something right. Her small yet sweet smile made something flutter inside of me. A woman has rarely made me feel this way before and somehow she made me like that and more.

"Looks like you have convinced me." She said as she waved down the bartender.

"What will you be having tonight?" The bartender asked when they approached her.

"I'll have a glass of the Sakura Breeze please," she requested, "Shorty over here says it's good so I'm going to trust him."

I faked being shocked when she called me 'shorty'. I was used to hearing comments about my height, especially from women, so I was immune to them by that point. Once she was done talking to the bartender, she looked back at me and saw the shocked face that I had.

"What?" She asked.

"Shorty? That's my name now?" I said with a smile of my own.

"Hey don't blame me. I'm just stating a simple observation." She answered with a smirk.

"I'm not that short." I snapped back.

"Yes you are. Your feet dangle like a little kid on that barstool."

"Wow! Way to make me feel insecure about myself. My feelings are so hurt."

We both let out small laughs from our banter. A few moments of comfortable silence passed by until it was interrupted by the bartender bringing her the wine she ordered.

"Well this certainly looks fancy." She said as she looked at the wine as she held it in her hand.

She then brought the glass up to her nose and gave it a small sniff, "Smells good too."

"I promise you it tastes better than it smells." I added while looking at her inspecting the wine.

Bringing the glass to her mouth, she then took a sip. It started as a slow sip, but it slowly grew in pace as she continued to drink the wine.

"Jeez, don't drown yourself." I said.

She eventually stopped drinking the wine and a surprised look was on her face.

"Wow," she elated, "that was actually really good."

"You didn't trust me?" I questioned.

"I did think that maybe you were overselling it a bit, but you were right. This is really good." She responded.

"I told you so."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I just wasn't expecting it to be so smooth and flavorful."

"I wasn't expecting it either when I first tried it."

She then continued to drink the wine with enthusiasm. It didn't take her long to finish it. Once she finished drinking. She then placed the empty glass on the bar top.

"That felt good, especially after the day that I have had." She said.

"I feel that. Wine always finds a way to make me mellow out after a stressful day." I added.

Then sat there for a bit. We listened to the smooth jazz playing quietly in the background in another comfortable silence we both seemed to enjoy. We sat in silence until I heard her start to move.

"Going so soon." I said.

"Yeah. I just wanted to stop by right quick to see what this place was all about. Plus I need to get up for work tomorrow." She replied.

"Ain't no sleep for the wicked."

"You can say that again."

As she started to leave, I realized that I didn't even know her name. I wanted to at least talk to her again in the future and felt the opportunity slipping from my fingertips.

"Before you go," I started, "I never got your name."

She looked at me puzzled for a second before sheepishly smiling at me.

"Oh yeah I forgot," she said, "My name is Hana Muchina, but you can just call me Hana. I don't like being all professional whenever I meet people."

"Well since we're on a first name basis, my name is Minoru."

"That name oddly fits you for some reason."

"Why's that?" I questioned.

"I don't know. It just does."

She then pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket and took a few moments to write something down on it. She then handed the paper to me afterwards and it had her number on it. It surprised me at first because I thought that I would need to ask her for it, but instead she just gave it to me. It has never been that easy with women before, even after I stopped being an obnoxious pervert.

"Make sure to call me Minoru. I talk to a lot of people so the chances of me forgetting you exist increases with time."

"O-okay." I stuttered out.

Giving me a quick smile she then started to walk off, "I'll see you around."

Once she walked away, I then left alone with my thoughts. I was happy that I had gotten her number but at the same time I was nervous. She seemed out of my league, but something about her drew me to her and I didn't understand what it was. I had dated a handful of women and so far they haven't lasted long, but Hana felt different.

For the rest of the time I spent at that bar, I thought about what to do next and how to carry on. I can count on only a handful of numbers from women I've met that weren't work related and I've had to ask them first. It brought me back to my teenage years with how I would get happy at a woman simply looking at me. It took me a while to break out of that phase of my life and I'm finally starting to see the benefits.

With all that happiness came a tinge of fear. Mostly due to the fact that I didn't want to mess things up with Hana. So I knew I had to play my cards right this time around. When I got up to leave, it felt good to know that after a long and stressful day, the world gave me the best opportunity I could ask for. The only thing left to do was to capitalize on it.