Under the Umbrella

Chapter 10

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The cold morning breeze brushed through the signs, light snow came down from above. It was a pleasant morning for those who were able to sleep through it. However, there were still many individuals who woke up early for work, [Name] was among them.

She would always have a light breakfast, getting coffee from her favorite cafe. It was located in front of that bench she met Mikey a few nights ago, under the cold and unforgiving rain. A small piece of her being hoped the two would 'coincidentally' bump into each other again. Of course, she assumed that he worked in that area. It was somewhat surrounded by office buildings, though one would not know of the building that Bonten owned. One out of many.

The bell rang behind her as the door closed, huffing out a breath that could be seen due to the cold air. [Name] was enjoying a sip of the hot liquid she held in her hands, that was until she brushed shoulders with someone who seemed to be in a hurry.

"Ah, my apologies," she spoke out, eyes laying on a familiar figure a few steps in front of her. He had dark blue hair, round glasses, and wide eyes that stared at her back. Kaito seemed to be in a rush this morning and she could only wonder why.

"[Surname]-san! I didn't expect to see you here," he exclaimed, panting slightly before turning to her side to walk with his female colleague and friend. They shared a conversation, beginning with the explanation of her boss rushing to work.

It seems that he had accidentally left some important documents that are needed for a meeting elsewhere. Even so, he only ever wanted to walk alongside his friend again, like days past when they did the same thing every other morning to school.

They weren't aware of the eyes that watched from afar. Who knows what Mikey would've said and done if he had heard. Maybe a bit of jealousy would finally fill his melancholy eyes.

There were already a few workers in the office as the two arrived. They all exchanged greetings with their other subordinates before bidding goodbye to each other. Despite working at the same office, it wasn't every day that they were able to make conversation with all the work the two had.

"Good morning, [Surname]-san!" Himari greeted her with a charming smile. She had greyish-blonde hair and dark brown eyes, though her confident personality allowed her to shine like the sun itself.

"Good morning, Himari-san." [Name] stood by her desk, smiling softly at her energetic friend she met when she started working here. They weren't really close outside their workplace as they respected each other's personal lives.

"Have you seen the news yesterday? The police said that Bonten or whatever is causing chaos again." Himari rolled her eyes in disgust, throwing mental curses at the people who would drag innocent lives into their world and slaughter those who dared defy their authority.

"Bonten..?" questioned [Name], tilting her head to the side and trying to recollect any memory she had of what she heard. Alas, none came to mind. Her sudden question made Himari take her phone out and scrolled to recent news.

She showed her a recent article written about the criminal organization, the most dangerous one in all of Japan in fact. Her eyes darted from word to word, furrowing her eyebrows the more she read about the horrible things that were written. How could one ever do such a thing?

They talked for a bit before [Name] had to leave, promising that they'll meet each other once again when it is time for lunch. She placed her bag on the table, stretching her back once she faced the computer.

"Oh my.." she whispered to herself. [Name] had searched up 'Bonten' on the internet. There were articles over articles about them, all were not of good news. She then knew she should be more careful off the streets. However, there was this one picture that was taken in an article released a couple of months ago.

Possible sightings of Bonten's Leader. Although police are not able to confirm this theory.

It wasn't clear, nor was it zoomed in. Nonetheless, his appearance felt familiar. She wasn't able to lay a finger on it, eventually forgetting that certain article as she dove her way into the work she had for the day.