A New Client

Ren was wearing his usual unbothered expression on his face as he sat alone in the meeting room. However, deep down, he was confused why he was suddenly called there.

It had been almost a day since they snuck into Tomo Ogawa's property. He was in his room lying on his bed while staring at the white ceiling when Haru suddenly came in and asked him to come with him.

Ren asked where they were going then Haru said that Aiko, Akira's grandmother wanted to see him. He wanted to ask why she called for him but decided not to as he felt that even Haru would not know why.

It had been almost eight minutes since Haru left him in the room. He knew how long it was, thanks to the huge clock in the room.

He was feeling bored, so he decided to look around for things that he had not noticed or seen before in the room. While still seating on his seat, his eyes scanned the objects in the meeting room.

He spotted a small succulent plant by the window. He didn't see it there yesterday when they were talking after their failed mission.

His eyes continued to wander. He noticed even the small details inside the room that normal people wouldn't notice. He had counted how many tiles were there from the door up to his seat. He had also noticed a very tiny spot that was unequally wiped and polished on the table.

It was a habit of his. When bored and left with nothing to do, his eyes and mind would start to wander, and he would observe even the slightest or smallest of things.

As his eyes moved from one place to another, the ring on his little finger suddenly caught his attention. He raised his hand and the ring glistened against the light. It was more than just an ornament to him. It was the most valuable and most precious possession that he had. It was gifted to him by his mother during his tenth birthday.

His ears immediately heard the sound of the doorknob being twisted. With that, he quickly pulled down his hand, and let it rest on his lap.

After a few seconds, the face of the person he had been waiting for had finally showed up. Aiko Genji entered the room with a smile on her face as usual.

Today, she was wearing a long brown coat. Ren realized that they were nearing to November and that meant that winter was also fast approaching. It was no surprise if people would start feeling cold.

However, for Ren, a cold weather was never a problem. Everyone around him might be freezing but he would remain warm and unbothered. But when it came to summertime, it was a torture for him. Summer was a different story.

"Hello there. I'm sorry for making you wait", Aiko approached him, her grin never leaving her face.

Until now, Ren still had that weird feeling inside of him every time he would see her smiling face. He could tell that she was kind, but behind that kindness, she was also hiding a darkness.

Aiko took a seat across the table so that she was facing him. Ren didn't say a word, he just silently watched her sit on her spot.

If he was with Akira and her company, he could always be his goofy self, but every time he was alone with Aiko, he couldn't help but be on his guard. He couldn't afford being carefree around her. He could feel it. Inside the room, he was the mouse and Aiko was a snake. He was the prey, and she was the predator.

He might not be able to explain why he was always getting that kind of feeling around her, but he trusted himself. His instincts had never failed him yet.

"Why do you look so tense? Loosen up a bit. I'm not going to eat you", Aiko joked at him. She lightly chuckled at his poker face. "Try to smile more. Like this", she pointed at her mouth with her index finger as she showed him a toothy smile.

It was only then that something hit Ren. She actually reminded her of him. They were actually very alike. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why he didn't feel comfortable around her. It was uncommon for him to find someone with the same personality like him.

Aiko had that easygoing air around her. She was not easily offended and the way she acted would make anyone think that she was not someone who really took things seriously. She was the type of person who was hard to read. There was really no telling what was going on in her mind. In all that sense, she and Ren were similar.

Realizing that made Ren feel a little at ease. If she was indeed just like him, then he had a better chance in predicting her actions and understanding her. All he needed to do was to think what he would do if he was in her position.

"Can you blame me? I was sleeping comfortably when Haru suddenly dragged me out of my room. I would inevitably be in a sour mood if someone messes with my sleep", Ren responded in how he would normally respond.

Aiko chuckled at his response, "You are more expressive today young man. I like that."

"Thank you. I like myself too."

The smile on Aiko's face grew wider at his answer. She had always thought that Ren was amusing and intriguing, but these perceptions towards him just increased more today.

'If only Akira could be more carefree like him sometimes', she suddenly thought to herself.

Shaking the thought away, she said, "I have already heard of everything that happened yesterday. Your mission was basically a failure. Have you not wondered what's next for you?"

She was right. Now that he was no longer useful to them, the next question would be what would happen to him? Would they finally let him go? Would they continue to hold him? Or would they change their mind and kill him?

Their mission might have been unsuccessful, but Ren was confident to himself that he had been a great help and that what he did was enough to prove them that he was not their enemy.

"Actually, I was considering of letting you go already."

Ren's eyes lit up at her words. But his joy immediately died down.

"However, I changed my mind. I believe that you have no intentions of harming us. But I still need you. The mission was unsuccessful, but it wasn't fruitless. We still got something out of it. There is no one who knows Tomo Ogawa better than you. So, I have a new proposal for you."

Ren screwed up his eyes, trying to peer through Aiko's eyes. He thought of what the deal could be. What if it was just a trap? What if they were only using him then they would dispose him later? Were the Genjis capable of doing something like that?

"Would you consider taking me as your new client?"

Ren raised one of his eyebrows, "What do you mean?"

"Stay with us until we finish dealing with Tomo Ogawa. We will no longer keep you as a prisoner but continue to stay with us. What I am trying to say is this, I am hiring you to work for us. Help us find Tomo Ogawa and after that, your business with us is over. Don't worry, we will also make sure to give you your rightful compensation. So, are you up for it?"