1 An Uneventful Day

[Reports say that the murderer is still on the loose! Even after half a year of investigations there have been no leads on Diana Hudson's Killer. The traces left behind were common enough to have a possible connection with several others, but many of those have either already been caught and incarcerated or have matches from so long ago that it's difficult to imagine that they would still be physically fit enough to commit such horrendous crimes.

As a short warning to everyone, don't walk alone at night.

Now ont- *Chuu*]

I turned off the news as I got ready to leave. I didn't want to be gloomy just before I went to work after all.

The news about that killer is quite distressing, what was worse was the fact that I had known the victim. In fact she was my girlfriend at the time probably a month after I had started working at my current job. 

The murder is currently seen as a larceny gone wrong based on the scene at the time. They were in an alley and clear depictions of a struggle had occurred, but in the end a number of her valuables were taken.

The first people they questioned were those close to her and who had last seen her. For a short while I was one of their prime suspects. Even if it was framed like it was due to something else, many murders are often caused by their own partners after all.

I was able to clear that suspicion since a number of my coworkers had seen me at work during the supposed start of that attack and her eventual death.

'Why did the news show that again? Whatever, I should probably just get ready for work.'

After putting on a backpack and slinging on my lunch box I left through my front door. What greeted me was a nice view which overlooked a part of the city I was in.

*Click*

Just to my right another door opened as a not so subtle reminder that this view wasn't all for myself. They were apartments, quite nice apartments, but apartments nonetheless. Each one offered a generous amount of space within though for the price offered.

Soon a middle aged man came out handling a large box overflowing with items.

"Mr. Watson! What's happening? Are you moving out of here?"

"Oh? Ethan, you startled me! But yes I am. Can you believe it, I've finally saved enough to buy a house! A little place I can call my own! The drive isn't too far and it's closer to my job as well. It was nice to be here though."

"Say, do you want some help? I can do a little if you want, I still have some time before my shift starts."

"That would be nice, we could have a little farewell chat as well."

I helped him move a little, before I had to eventually leave for work.

…

I walked up to the turntables and grabbed the ID I had clipped to my waist. As I held it out a thin cord extended out as far as I pulled it.

I couldn't help, but get a glimpse of the ID I held with the picture of a man and name that read: Ethan Feng, aka me. I had to say, I am a handsome man. I might have not been the most peerless, but I definitely had my charm. I pressed it against a scanner and soon I heard a noise.

*Bwoom*

A solid green light appeared from where I pressed my ID and the glass doors smoothly swung open. I released my hold on the my ID and *Fffooom* the ID was retracted back to its original place by said cord.

Only after a few steps past the turntables and a voice already spoke to me. The man wasn't a stranger though, he was the security guard of the first floor.

"Hey Ethan, ready for your shift?"

"Well I kinda have to be don't I?"

"Heh, you sure do. Have a good day!"

"You too, Robert!"

After a short and friendly greeting I strolled up to an elevator to call it down. While waiting for the doors to open I pulled out my phone to play around with, but I could spot a silhouette of someone approaching in my peripherals.

*Ding!*

The elevator door opened and when I went in another followed after me. It was a girl who I had become acquainted with already throughout my time here.

She was staring right at me with a smile as she entered. I pressed the 7th floor button and was about to greet her, but then she jabbed my side.

"Ack! Hey! Hannah, I was just about to say hi!"

The little jab of hers didn't hurt so much as it was simply surprising.

"Humph, you should've just greeted me when you had the chance!"

She playfully whipped her head away in a feigned annoyance with her eyes closed and slightly pouted at the same time.

Seeing this a perfect opportunity to get a little revenge I jabbed a little at her waist as well. 

"Ah! Oh so you want to do this huh?" She responded in a playful tone.

She quickly glanced me up and down, no doubt to see how she could inconvenience me. Once it looked like she had found her target she looked up and smiled at me.

Her hands lunged for my lunchbox, but I had realized just moments in time. I grabbed it and tried to raise it over my head, but she had gotten a grip on it. She was shorter than me and in the past when she tried to do it I had reacted the same way, once I raised the box as high as I could she couldn't reach it unless she jumped.

Of course this time was different. I looked down at her and she responded with a challenging smug smile.

I tried to raise it ever further, but as I did she simply leaned more and more onto me forcing me to step back again and again until I was against the elevator.

She had gotten too close while trying to reach the bag. Her body was pressed up against me, noticeably those mounds on her chest, and her face had the lightning perfectly shown on her face.

A long brown bob cut which reached her collarbones and a pair of quite distinct amber eyes gleamed as she was focused on the lunch box suspended in the air.

I, on the other hand, was distracted by something else. She was bouncing her body up and down as she tried to get her hands onto my lunch box and since she was basically leaning on me I could feel her as something below was starting to react to this stimulation.

*Ding*

The elevator doors started to open and at that very moment our boss came along. She had just come into view as the doors slid open. A woman half a head taller than me came into the elevator with her hands on her hips with a disapproving look.

"Hannah, Ethan, what do you two think you're doing in the elevator?"

Hannah pouted as she turned around.

"Come on Emma, I almost had it! I could feel it in my grasp!"

"*Sigh* Go and get to work Hannah."

Hannah discontentedly mumbled a few words under her breath as she strolled out of the elevator. She watched her leave before she turned her sights to me.

"Now, as for you Ethan, follow me."

"Ah, I have to go and put up my lunch first."

"Alright then, meet me in my office when you finish."

Hurriedly, I put up my lunch in the canteen and quickly walked to the office where Emma was. I knocked a couple times and only entered when I heard her voice permit me.

I pushed open the doors and the office was in view. Overall the place looked a little grand compared to the rest of the floor, but that was probably since she was the boss of the place.

In the middle there was an oval rug with a glass coffee table and on either side a leather couch atop of it. Just past that was a large and intricately carved wooden desk, one which Emma was currently working on.

 On the right and left sides there were a couple of wooden shelves, some of which had books and others having a few trinkets. At the very back was a glass window overlooking the city.

After closing the doors I walked up to her desk and in the meantime watched Emma as she was working diligently on some documents.

She had long silvery gray hair and a similar set of pupils which shone with a serious light as she focused on her work.

As I waited for her to finish I remembered the day just after my girlfriend was killed. Emma was there to comfort and cheer me up on my loss. That night just her and I went out and drank while I let out all my grievances upon her.

From that day onwards I thought of her a little differently. She wasn't simply just a boss, but a friend. I couldn't imagine someone who was just my boss would care so much about me. Maybe she was just that good and kind of a boss, but I'd like to she was a friend to me or maybe both. It wasn't like they couldn't be one in the same after all.

'I wonder why she asked me then though, was I really that gloomy that even she could see it or what? The month before that she had been pretty professional about most of our interactions.'

At that moment it seems she finally finished and looked up at me.

"Ethan, are you ready for today's work?"

"Of course, what do you have for me Emma?"

"Here take these documents, I'll need you to finish them by today."

From her desk she took out another small stack of documents.

"Alright, I got it."

"Oh and do you think you have some free time tonight?"

'Do I have anything? Well nothing important anyways, might as well go. Spending time with a beautiful woman like Emma doesn't sound too bad.'

"Yeah, I'm free. Do you have anything you want to do in mind?"

"I figured that we could go and drink again like last time. How about it?"

"Drinking? Uh sure, where are we going this time?"

"How about we go to your place this time instead? You're a lighter drinker than I am so you can drink as much as you like and when we're finished or you pass out I'll just tuck you into your bed before I leave."

"Heh, you know sometimes you sound more like my mom than you do my boss."

"Fufu~ Now get to work."

I left the office room and headed toward a more isolated portion of the office. It was my assigned workstation. I didn't know whether the isolated space was nice or not though. Sometimes I'd love to be alone in a peaceful environment free from distractions. At other times I would crave a bit of attention from others and their social interactions.

The only people I really see when I sit over here are Emma, Hannah, and occasionally a random coworker or two would pass by.

I placed the stack down on my desk and first took off the backpack that I've had on the entire time before eventually starting to fill them out one by one.

..

I had finished about half the documents and took a look at the time. It was about to be lunch soon. After finishing one more I got up and went to the canteen to eat, but before I could get there Hannah appeared nearby.

"There you are! Going to eat lunch now? Let me come with you!"