Unknown

"Miss Makima still hasn't returned?!" Aki's inquiry was met with Himeno shaking her head.

She had been through this many times in the past week. Even if she asked for information around the workplace because Aki was persistent, she could not find a single thing about Makima's sudden absence.

"Maybe she is doing something important? Come to think of it, hasn't she always been this way?" Himeno wasn't lying about that, Makima would go away for important meetings or tasks. But this wasn't enough to convince Aki.

"No, I don't think Miss Makima has had such an unannounced absence…" As much as she wanted to, Himeno could not deny it.

Whenever Makima was absent from the Tokyo Branch, there was always a suitable explanation in place. But this time, she just vanished for a whole week after the welcome party. And no one knew where she was, or what she was doing.

'Maybe that jerk knows. But I don't have his contact to ask… Not that I want to.' Himeno thought Adam, who was one of the reasons she was going all out right now.

After a whole week of hard work and planning, she finally made the best possible plan to reach her goal.

This is why, she wanted to drive the topic away from this and start her Super-Secret plan 'Take Aki Back'. Or at least she was trying to as her target was more focused on the people who weren't there.

"Could it be that this Adam did something to her?" The name jolted her back to reality.

"C'mon, there's no way…" Himeno thought that Aki was joking. But his serious eyes made her swallow the words. She knew that Adam wouldn't do that, not because she trusted him, but because of the connection Makima and he had.

The two liked each other and it was obvious from the way Adam spoke, they were about to step up their relationship. So, it could be that he had a hand in Makima's sudden disappearance, just not in the way Aki thought of it.

'I feel like they feel very similar in a way.' Himeno's eyes narrowed trying to recall Adam's mannerisms from that day. But leaving her speculation aside she wished the two the best because then Makima wouldn't have time to rope in Aki.

And this line of thinking was the crux of the problem.

"You think it is possible too, right? I didn't get a good feeling about him. There is no history about him in the field, it could be that he is an assassin sent to aim for Miss Makima… he just feels fishy." Aki's words might make sense but for anyone other than Himeno.

Why he would say something like this without even interacting with the man in question was beyond her. She could feel that there was something deeper that troubled him, because the Aki she knew would never behave this way.

'It is a landmine I should avoid.' She kept her lips sealed even if she knew the reason for this sudden change.

And feeling the awkward silence Aki stopped speaking for a while. Himeno sat there glancing at him occasionally in search of a moment to clear the air. After all, this lunch hadn't turned out quite like she imagined.

She invited him, purposely sending Denji and Power on a patrol even rigging the game of sticks, all so she could invite him to the new romance movie, and if that was rejected she'd invite him to drink at her place like usual. But he spoke up before her, it was like he realized how ridiculous his behavior was, and that was true.

"Himeno… he took you home after the drinking party, right?" This question shocked Himeno. She didn't notice him watching them leave. And the way this question was asked made her mind run wild.

'Is he worried that Adam did something to me?' She was not sure whether to be happy at the fact that he cared for her, or to ask why has he started to borrow questionable DVDs (P*rn) from the video rental shop. In the end, she chose the third option.

"Nothing, he just sent me into the house and after we talked a little he left." Himeno made sure to stress that nothing happened between them, and Aki understood it. But this turned out to be very different from what she expected.

"I see, so nothing happened…" He was disappointed and nothing could hide it from Himeno, not even her passive filter that had made Aki appear normal till now.

Rather than being relieved that nothing happened, he seemed unhappy that nothing had gone on between Himeno and Adam. Paired with him trying to make Adam an assassin, it was clear that he was just looking for a reason to create a rift between Makima and Adam.

'Why…?' Himeno stared at Aki, trying to make heads and tails of the situation. Then she finally noticed his appearance, crumpled coat, dark circles as if he hadn't slept for days, and he had lost weight on top of that. The current Aki was just a shadow of what she knew, whether that be his personality or his actions.

And the reason for this change was clear to her. The time when they first noticed the lovebites on Makima's neck flashed through her mind, she recalled his expression. Then the one he had at the drinking party, and his current actions. She had looked past it till now hoping that the wind would blow it away, but he could not handle that Makima had a lover, and it wasn't him.

"I'll go back now, tell me if you find anything about Miss Makima." With that, Aki left Himeno in the restaurant all alone. But she did not stop him or run after him, there was too much on her mind and honestly, it was nothing good.

Her plan had failed before it even started. The guy she was trying to go after was so obsessed with another woman, that he couldn't even see her any longer. But she was long used to this, and she knew how to deal with it.

'Guess I'll go drink today.' She thought, eating her curry even though her appetite was killed. But she wouldn't be alone for long, the sound of the heels against the tiles rang out. And it came to a stop right next to her.

"Would you mind if I sit with you?" Her body flinched as the soothing voice entered her ears. It belonged to someone she knew, someone who was the biggest problem in her love life. Turning to her left Himeno saw Makima in her usual attire. No, the black overcoat she had on was a few sizes too big for her.

She had returned after a full week looking like nothing happened, where did she go? No one else but she knows. And what she was thinking behind that unreadable smile? No one knows. And why did she come to see her the moment she came back? That too was not known by anyone but herself.

"Would you like to listen to a proposal of mine, Himeno?" The red in Makima's eyes swirled enchantingly.

And that was the start of the event that ultimately sealed the fate of the world and everyone inside it.

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