3 It was a Really Confusing Night

Himari didn't even understand what was going on tonight.

She was supposed to mend her heartbreak in a luxurious hotel room alone, but, suddenly someone came to accompany her.

Well, it was more like a barge in, really.

It was a really confusing night.

Himari sat on the couch. Her eyes were trained on the door of the bathroom. That man had been showering ever since he crashed into the room.

Did he want to get rid of his drunkness by showering all night long?

While she was thinking, her phone rang suddenly, shattering her thoughts away.

Himari was flustered. She looked down and saw Jun's name as the caller.

Jun...

Himari rejected the call. Then, she silenced her phone before tossing the phone to the bed.

Since she had decided to end it, it was better if she did nothing to give herself new hopes. Himari was afraid if her heart would waver if she picked up the phone.

She was not a strong girl. She endured all the humiliation from his family because she wanted to stay with him. But, if she continued doing so, she might lose herself soon.

Especially, Himari didn't want his family to continue looking down on her mother.

Himari sighed. She suddenly missed her mother so much. Before she started working, she should go home and visit her soon.

Creak...

Himari abruptly lifted up her eyes. The man finally emerged out of the bathroom hours of hiding inside. He was still in his wet suit. His complexion was pale. It might be because of him showering under cold water.

"Mister? Do you... need a towel?"

Himari was both alerted and relax when she saw him.

The man looked at her. He pressed his lips into a thin line and lightly nodded.

Himari walked to the wardrobe at one side of the room then gave a new towel to the man. The man quietly took the towel from her and began to dry his hair.

Himari was at a loss on what she should do. She silently retreated to the couch and once again sat down.

This was so awkward...

Why did this kind of thing happen on the night of her break-up?

Did it happen to divert her attention away from thinking of Jun?

The man finally stopped drying off his hair. Even though his entire clothes were wet, he took the liberty himself by sitting down on a couch far from Himari. Without even speaking to her, he closed his eyes.

Himari, "..."

While the man didn't pay attention to her, Himari quietly scrutinized his face.

This man looked a few years older than her. He might be in his late 20s. He was quite good-looking despite being in a disheveled state.

Ah, he had a beauty mark under his right eye.

Himari shook her head, trying to focus on the more important things here.

Why did those men trying to find him? Was he a bad guy? She couldn't say it well but Himari didn't feel too scared of him, unlike the first time the man barged into the room.

Even then, she shouldn't let her guard down.

"...I'm sorry."

Himari was startled.

"I'm sorry for frightening you," The man spoke quietly, word by word. He still closed his eyes even though it was clear that he was talking to her, "Let me stay here until the morning. Please."

Himari was quite shocked when the man spoke decently to her. She thought he would be as cold and gloomy as before. He had even said 'please' to her.

"I don't know what is your situation," Himari clenched her hands, not showing how nervous she was suddenly, "Are the people from before looking for you?"

The man nodded.

Himari didn't ask more. It was better to not pry too deep into something she didn't know about. Moreover, this man was a stranger.

Clang!

The man promptly stood up and ran toward the bathroom at the quickest speed. Himari was baffled when she heard the sound of water hitting the floor again.

What was he doing?

He didn't look too drunk when he came out earlier?

Himari pressed the space between her temples. This night was too weird. She didn't know from where she should start thinking. This strange setting made her both on guard and relaxed simultaneously.

In the end, the man only stayed inside the bathroom while Himari was left alone on the couch. As the night grew longer, it was hard to keep up her vigilance. Himari didn't even realize she had fallen asleep while a stranger was still in the room.

The bathroom door was finally opened again at the break of the dawn. The iciness of the cold shower exuded from his entire body.

The man was quiet as his eyes fell on the young woman who was curling up on the couch. He pondered for a moment before he went to grab a blanket from the bed and placed it on the woman. He stood quite far from her, afraid of touching her.

The scorching heat inside his body hadn't been dampened thoroughly. If he didn't be mindful of his action, he was afraid he would do something irreversible to this unknown woman.

"..Sobs..."

The man frowned. He was shocked to see tears running down the woman's face. Her lips moved as she whispered words in her sleep.

What's wrong with her?

The woman didn't wake up. She just quietly cried in her sleep.

Somehow, he felt bad seeing her like this.

The man shook his head then he turned around. He opened the balcony door and stepped outside. He closed the sliding door behind him before he made a call. The phone was damp under his shriveled fingers.

"Kazuya! Where are you?"

A frantic voice penetrated his ears. The man frowned.

"Have you taken care of them?" The man swept his gaze across the view of the city basking under neon lights. The cold night wind helped to sober him up.

"Yes. They thought you've left the hotel but, hey, where are you hiding?"

"Room 20-15. Get me a set of new clothes as well."

"Gotcha. Argh, I can't believe they dare to drug you," The man continued voicing out his frustration.

"Have you look into it?" Kazuya glanced at the grounds of the hotel. Since it was still early, it was hard to see any vehicles moving around.

"Those bastards planned to let you spend a night with the prostitutes they got. They have even drugged the girls as well. If they managed to capture you, hell, the board won't stay quiet."

Kazuya sneered. A cold light flashed in his eyes, "They have certainly worked hard. So? I won't believe you if you told me you did nothing to them?"

"Hehe, I let them taste their own medicine," The man scoffed, "We would just wait for the news tomorrow. Wait for a bit, I'll go now. And, Aunt Mayu said Chiharu cried looking for you. Izumi has calmed her down. You'd better go home directly before those kids pester me again about your whereabouts."

"Tell Aunt Mayu I'd go home in the morning," Kazuya sighed.

"Okay. As long as you know what to do."

The man at the end of the line hung up. Kazuya placed the phone inside his wet jacket. He propped his elbows on the guardrail.

His eyes were as dark as the night sky. No one could tell what was brewing inside his mind.

Soon, the rays of sunlight began to spill on the ground. Himari was woken up by the sound of people talking.

...Hurm?

Ah!

Himari abruptly sat up. The blanket fell down around her. She stared at an unfamiliar man who was standing outside the bathroom.

Who was he? This was not the man from last night!

"Ah, I've woken you up, pretty lady," The man turned around. He flashed her a bright smile, "I'm sorry. You've worked hard last night."

"...Where's that man?" Himari thought she was dreaming.

Why did there be another man inside the room?

Before the man dressed in a jacket and jeans answered, the door of the bathroom was opened. The man from last night came out of it. He was already changed into a set of dry clothes.

"Miss, I'm really sorry for bothering you last night," The man stood not far from her and respectfully gave her a light bow.

"Ah, there's nothing..." Her jumbled up mind couldn't cooperate with her so early in the morning.

The man smiled faintly. It was nothing to how cold and gloomy he looked last night.

"I hope you won't speak of what happened last night. It's for your own safety as well," The man spoke.

Himari didn't know if she should be scared or not. His words didn't sound threatening to her.

"Alright, mister."

The man nodded again, "Then, we'll go now. I'm sorry again."

"Bye-bye, little sister," The second man waved at her.

Himari dazedly watched the two men exiting the room, leaving no traces of their presence at all.

What was that?

Himari slapped her cheeks a few times. She really couldn't understand the strange events that happened since last night.

Oh, well, since they would never meet again, she should just treat it as a dream.

While Himari was contemplating the matter, she saw something on the coffee table. Her hand reached out for the thing only for her to realize it was a name card.

The name card was in black color. It felt velvety to the touch. Only a name and a string of phone numbers were printed on one side of the paper while there was another paper under the card.

Hayashi Kazuya.

Was it his name?

Himari read the paper next.

'Thank you for your help last night. If you need anything, please tell me. I'll return the favor.'