Pleasure to meet you, Nakashima Wakana

"We are thirty minutes late," Wakana exclaims at the train station. "Did Nishimura Sama leave without us?"

"You took too long at the medical store." Sei taps Nishimura Soichiro's contact on his phone. Because of her, he had little to no time to pack his stuff. "I wonder if you wanted to buy the entire store."

Wakana purses her lips. She wanted to get the most effective emergency pills. She can't imagine how her family would react if she gets pregnant before she gets married. Then, she has to convince her elder sister who doesn't like him. Sayuri and her father will agree, but Natsumi is… She shudders at the thought. It shouldn't be impossible.

Sei grimaces and speaks with a grumpy tone, "Nishimura Sama, what do you mean? We were supposed to meet at five."

[No, I said Seven.] He hears him chuckle. [Since you are early, take a morning walk around the station.]

"Tsk!" He puts his phone in his pocket. "He's late."

"It's better if he's late." Wakana lets out a yawn. She rubs her eyes. So much have happened in the last few days. Exhaustion is taking a toll on her mind. She wants to sleep for days. It's hard to stand. Sei notices the tiredness on her face. Guilt fills his chest for overdoing it last night. He takes her to the waiting area and makes her sit.

"Take a nap."

He wraps his arms around her shoulder, letting her lean on his chest. She closes her eyes and falls to slumber. He glances at her peaceful expression. Something is blooming in his heart. He smiles and brushes the strands of hair away from her face. His fingers freeze when an image emerges in his head.

On the weekends, his mother would often fall asleep in his father arms while watching him play in the children's playground.

He pushes that image aside. He's not like his father. He will love and protect his woman. He pecks Wakana's head. She's one of the rare ones who never judged him for being the son of a murderer.

During happy and peaceful moments, even an hour can become mere minutes. Lost in her comfortable scent, he dozes off.

At 7:20 AM, Nishimura Soichiro stares at the lovebirds. He's wearing a white shirt with vertical black stripes, a black jacket, and black trousers. Deep in sleep, Wakana and Sei don't notice the person. He drops the bag on the floor. They still don't wake up.

"What is wrong with these two?" Nishimura Soichiro's hand reaches for Minami Sei who grabs it halfway. He stares at Nishimura Soichiro with a dark gaze, waiting for an explanation.

Nishimura Soichiro scoffs at him. "Did you forget what I said yesterday?"

"She's my fiancee," Minami Sei tells him with a flat voice. "Dating is prohibited, but marrying isn't."

"If it is like this, then do whatever you want." Nishimura Soichiro doesn't want to nitpick with a determined man. He already knows about their backgrounds. He's been suspicious of their relationship since the moment Wakana pretended to not know Sei. He looks at the clock. The train will leave in fifteen minutes. He turns his back to the lovers. "Wake her up."

Wakana wakes up when Sei calls her name for a few times. She looks at him with eyes full of sleep. "What day is it today?"

"It's only been an hour." Sei lets out a laugh. "Sleep in the train."

Her drool is smeared on his shirt. Her face flushes when the realizes hits. She moves away from him and rubs her sleeves over the drool with discretion, hoping that it will be gone before he notices. Sensing her embarrassment, Sei snorts. He had seen her sleeping and drooling many times when they were in school. She looks away in embarrassment and spots Nishimura Soichiro standing only a few feet away from her. Did he also see her drooling?

Dating in the workplace is so hard.

"Why are we still standing here?" Minami Sei asks Nishimura Soichiro. "The next train leaves in ten minutes."

"Council is sending a consultant." Nishimura Soichiro dials someone's number. After the fourth ring, the other side picks up the call. "Where are you?"

"Nishimura Sama!" A man is running in their direction with a phone pressed to his ear. "I am sorry for being late. I was lost. The city is really big."

When she hears that clear voice, a shiver runs down in her spine. She widens her eyes. Wearing a long black coat and a checkered muffler around his neck, he has a warm smile on his face. His ash grey hair is an untamed mess. His turquoise eyes shine with a strange glow. He has an ordinary air around him, but there's something about him that stands out. She blinks her eyes. That's him. Though she can't remember his face, she can recognize him anywhere.

"Is this your first time coming to this city?" Nishimura Soichiro shakes the man's hand. In the middle of the night, he received a mail that the council was sending someone. He only got recruits yesterday and the council sent someone the next day. The council acts fast.

"Yes, I came here straight from the airport." He grins at him. Then, he looks at Minami Sei and Nakashima Wakna. "Are these the recruits?"

First time in the city? Wakana gapes at them. He is lying for sure.

"Yes, this is Minami Sei." Nishimura speaks with a lazy tone, "That's Nakashima Wakana. I expect that you already know about them."

The man doesn't reply to Nishimura Soichiro. He gives them a big hearty smile. "I am Choi Min Ho. I am sent by the council as a consultant. I will also act as your mentor for the time being. Please take care of me."

Choi Min Ho… That's the name.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Nakashima Wakana." The man meets her gaze before he gives her a polite smile. There's no hint of recognization in his eyes. His voice is gentle and graceful. He adds after a pause, "And you, Minami Sei."

She frowns. Is she wrong? Is it not the man from the cemetery? No matter what, she can't remember that person's face.

Where has he seen this person before? Sei gives him a nod with a poker face. But then, this person visited the city for the first time. Has he seen him in another city?

"If we don't leave now, we will miss the train." Nishimura says, "We can talk in the train."

On the way to the train platform, Wakana's gaze is stuck on the man's back. Is he him or not? If he's him, why he's pretending to not know her? Should she ask her or not? She doesn't want to sound strange.

She will observe him first and catch him redhanded.