2 Chapter 02: The Scent of Deception

Early in the morning, Luna was forced to rise up from her bed to accompany her friend Nami, with buyings things they need for the upcoming project of their team. Previously, their organization Arts and Crafts Association announced that they will be having a charity program and the funds will be up to each team—so they have to start fundraising before the date of program. Luna's team decided to use their talent for business; selling their arts and crafts work. The others did the same as well but the strategy will be up to them.

Luna was still half-awake while walking behind the black haired animated lady, Nami. She keeps yawning and thinking about her bed. She knew they would be buying the materials but she didn't expect it would be this early. While Nami seemed energetic and excited as she keep grabbing items as soon as her eyes lay on them.

"Come on, Luna! The coffee should effect on you!" Nami tried to cheer her up. But she only received silence and another yawn from her friend. "Not all coffee effects on people you know," Luna replied with her drowsy manner. Nami pouted and ignored her friend, turning back her attention on her list, muttering them as she glance on the items. The brown haired girl remained quiet, she only watch her friend increasing their distance until she realized she was already away from her teammate. Her energy and strength suddenly gather together, making her fully awake as she rushed towards Nami.

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"Now we have what we need—what should we do next?" Nami asked, peeking from the paper bag where all the materials they bought were placed. She then, turn her eyes to her friend only to see her averting her gaze and staring on a thin air sullenly. "Go home," she desirably retorted. Nami frowned at Luna's answer but felt sorry at the same time. 'Did I really woke her up too early?' she thought. Just as Luna was about to walk, an old woman approached towards them with an open bag of perfumes. She rushed towards Luna and offered her her perfumes she's selling. Nami expected that Luna would go feel pity and would buy the perfume the old woman was selling. But instead, she just nodded and continued walking. Nami suddenly thought that she really interrupted her good sleep that it made her emotionally detached and is completely detached from her surrounding. In fact, she's always spacing out.

"Wait, Luna. What about we try what perfume granny is selling," Nami stopped her and smiled at the woman. The old lady nodded eagerly and took one of her bottles and present it to the girls. Nami was about to take the bottle to smell the scent but a voice them paused.

"Do you have license of selling your products?" they turned their head and saw a brown haired lad walking towards them, staring at the old woman with a stoic face. Luna was late when she turned her head, only to see the familiar looking brown headed lad. 'Have I seen him before?' she narrowed her eyes.

The boy stopped beside the old woman who's looking at the young male normally. She remained silent which indicates she doesn't have a license. The lad only sighed, "you should go home granny. Your kins must be looking for you," he said. With that, the old woman nodded and started to walk out.

Nami went stunned and frozen when she saw how attractive and handsome the lad was in front of them. She hit her hand to Luna which made her friend complain. The lad turn his head to the brown haired female and quickly recognized who she is. "You're the girl I met before at the building," said he. Now that he mentioned it, Luna suddenly remembered that he was the guy who helped her to inform Jun's boss about her absence. Her eyes suddenly blew wide. She didn't expect to see this man here near the art shop.

"So we meet again," he added. Luna only nodded and bowed her head, staring on the cement. Meanwhile, Nami was surprised when she found the knowledge that these two already met each other. And she felt like she was being ignored by them.

"How are you doing?" he asked. Luna quickly raised her head to answer the man. "I'm good," she answered. The guy nodded and remained silent. "Then I shall go now. I still need to buy some materials for my sister's project," he said, showing a scarce smile. Luna nodded and bowed before watching him passing by as he enter the art shop.

"What was that, Luna?" Nami draw herself near to the girl who almost jumped in surprise. Luna distanced herself and glared at her friend. Nami placed her both hands on her waist, "you didn't told me you've met a handsome guy while you were gone," she said. Luna didn't open her mouth and went back to her composed position. "So what if I didn't tell you? It's not worth to share anyway," she said, her eyes still on her friend. Nami stayed silent and glaring at Luna, making the silence enter between them.

But it didn't went long when she speak.

"It's worth sharing! You should've told me how you meet! Did a spark entered between you two?" the black haired girl asked, thrilled and already imagining romantic scenes between them during their first meet. Luna scoffed and ignored Nami as she continue walking towards her friend's car.

———

Nothing feels like heaven than buying a bunch of bandages inside the pharmacy. A bandage freak, Shinano Jin went out with a bag fully loaded of bandages. He did not use it for emergency—since there is no emergency happening to him at all. He only uses those bandage for covering up all over his upper body, from his stomach, to the near end of his palm, to his neck. In other words, he's only wasting his bandages.

Jin was walking towards a cafe at this moment. Unbeknownst to him that someone was following him from the shadows. The black curly haired bandage freak kept om humming until he reached the Koneko Cafe—only to be surprised by numbers of cats.

"Good morning, regular customer! Your favorite seat is already prepared," said a staff who just approached to Jin and gestured him his seat. The black headed guy nodded and walked straight towards his favourite location. Still followed by a cat, he sat down as he placed his paper bags of bandages. The cafe already his favourite order so there's no need for him to say what he wanted. He waited on his seat, closing his eyes with a smile on his face. It didn't went long when he felt ssomeone's presence and he opened his eyes. "What are you doing here, Niito?"

The blond headed short guy slightly jumped when he knew the one he stalked just found him. He was weirdly wearing a cape that covers his cloth and a beret that. He's using an old newspaper to cover his face, as well as his identity. But it seems all of these efforts were worthless since Jin already found him, sitting behind him. He lowered the newspaper to show his face and slowly turn his head to the black curly headed guy. He chuckled sheepishly—don't know what to answer at all.

"Does Gin know you're here? Why are you following me?" Jin asked, turning his head as well towards Niito. The blond headed guy scratched his cheek, unable to answer anything. His senior Gin didn't know he skipped his work and followed Shinano. Moreover, he's not investigating for his present case, but for the past from two years ago. That's right—the reason he followed Jin is because he has something from this guy. Niito's expression went serious as he slowly turn his self towards Jin.

"There's something... I need to tell you," he said with his now serious expression.

-·-

"You want my help?" Jin asked after he heard Niito's true intentions why he followed him. He wanted to ask Jin for help about the information of Helen Chizuka's case. He knows Jin is capable of almost everything. He's not just needed because he has a lot of connections, he's also sharp and has his critical mind set.

The black headed male draw his thumb and index fingers to his chin, thinking about his friend's junior's request. "Why do you want me to help with Chizuka-chan's case?" he asked. Niito fidgets his fingers while thinking for the correct words he could reason. "I can't help but to bothered. The record says her sister strangled her to death but I don't believe that's true," he said.

"I agree with you," Jin spoke.

Niito let raise his head towards Jin, surprised and confused.

"It is too impossible for her sister to strangle her since their parents says they're extremely close to each other—except if that's just an act in front of their parents," Jin still had his fingers holding his chin. Niito looked down on the table once again. 'Did he also encounter that case?' he asked in his mind, 'Ah! Yes he actually does. He's already there before I entered,' he added.

"You were thinking?" he heard Jin talking. He looked once again to the senior and saw his unreadable yet, friendly smile. He smiled and shooked his head.

"What did you found about Helen Chizuka?" Jin asked. Niito quickly took his folder from his bag and handed it to Jin. "The report says Helen was strangled to death by her sister before she hung her. But I saw another file which says she was frozen to death before the culprit hung her," said Niito, watching Jin ttransferring to another file where he just discussed. The black haired male stayed silent.

"In this picture," he took another envelop from his bag and gave to Jin. "There's a mark which is clear from someone's hand being pressing it to her neck deeply. The handprints were from her sister but how could her hand be that big?" Niito asked.

"It was just an extention marked by the rope used when she was being hung. If you look carefully, it will really look like a girl's handprint," Jin corrected, carefully examining the photos after he opened the envelop. Niito quickly accepted his mistake and apologized for his bad.

"There's no need. But I just wanted to ask you something," said Jin, placing the photos down on the table and intertwined his fingers, making it a support for his chin to be rested on. His drowsy-looking eyes gazed at the young blond gravely. "Why are you so intrigued about the past when you can focus on the present? Moreover," his stomach suddenly growl as soon as the silence enters, "can you ask the staffs what's making them so long to prepare my dish? My stomach can't hold the hunger any longer," he added. The atmosphere suddenly changed for Niito after Jin's stomach complained as well as his mouth. He just chuckled sheepishly and nodded before moving upward from his seat. But before he could start his pace, a waitress just approached them. "I'm sorry Sir. But your favourite specials ran out of meat," she said. Jin felt like his eart just crushed after he heard the problem.

"Is there a way to resolve this?" he muttered with a sound of crying, but still audible for the staff to hear. "I'm sorry Sir. But please just order another dish from the menu," she said, handing the menu she was holding. Jin didn't took the menu and just averted his gaze. "This should be solved before my stomach shouts in hunger," he muttered. As he was looking on the floor, he saw a ginger colored cat, licking its paws and just glanced at him innocently. He suddenly got an idea. "Why don't you use one of your cats for the meat?"

Everyone looked at him in surprise. Even the waitress can't believe on what he said. Niito felt embarrassed and surprised on the senior's unexpected suggestion and action. He knew that Jin could be weird despite from his cool character but this is beyond his knowledge. He facepalmed to hide his face.

"U-um, I'm sorry but that is illegal," the waitress said. Jin gasped in surprise. He almost forgot this because of his hunger!

In the end, he instead ordered a beef stew and ate silently. Ignoring Niito like a thin air. Cats keep jumping upwards his table and draw themselves on the bowl but the curly haired keeps shooing them.

'If he's that bothered to these creatures, why did he stopped here to eat?'

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Luna just arrived at her apartment after her long noisy journey with Nami. She unexpectedly brought her to her home and forced Luna to continue her painting. She thought she could reasoned that her art work was at her apartment but she surprisingly took it and brought it there. As soon as she was done with her artwork, Nami didn't let her go yet and told her to eat breakfast with her. After that, the black headed girl asked her to help her clean the house. All these, she did it for Nami like she was also a resident in her home. She was too sleepy but she couldn't slumber herself thanks to her friend. She arrived home tired. She removed her shoes and left it properly at the genkan, her shoes facing the door. She rushed to her sofa and threw herself there. All she sighed, showing a relaxing smile knowing she could finally relax on a day. As soon as she close her eyes, she suddenly remembered the art she painted at Nami's home. She just realized the part of the house she painted in her art was a resemblance of the past that created a horrible memory. Another memory also flashes back in her head when she heard some men behind her talking about her sister's death. And the way they're talking to each other... Why do they sound like detectives? She was sure the building she entered was a toy company.