TASTE IN WOMEN

"I can keep her with me."

When Alex said that Mateo thought that he heard wrong.

He went nuts. "What?"

Dr. Fuziwoka: "…"

Officer Shinobu: "…"

Mateo firmly said, "Not happening."

Alex started, "Mateo…"

"Not happening, Alex."

Mateo didn't want to hear anything.

"Come on, she is a crazy girl who can shatter all surrounding glass when she opens her mouth. I can't believe you want to take her in."

He couldn't imagine that his friend had gone crazy enough to keep such a peculiar girl with him.

Alex calmly stated, "It's only temporary. We will find her family soon."

Mateo frowned. "Just ask her. She listens to you."

Officer Shinobu interfered, "Excuse me. That's our job."

Mateo had a headache. "Please do so."

"Has she woken up yet?" Officer Shinobu looked at the doctor.

Dr. Fuziwoka answered, "Not only did she wake up, but also her checkup is done and she has no injuries, no sign of assault.

"She is free to leave any time. She can go through a light interrogation."

Officer Shinobu was delighted. "Great. We will go over and ask her a few questions."

Thirty minutes later –

"Not a word. She doesn't reply to anything that we ask her."

Officer Shinobu lost his confidence. He never imagined that talking to a girl would be this difficult.

'I had a feeling this might happen,' Mateo scoffed as he was thinking. "I guess it's Alex's time to ask questions."

Alex quietly headed to the ward.

The girl was sitting on the bed.

She was vigilantly staring at two nurses who were checking the results of the patient's recent tests.

"Are you okay?"

The girl shook her head.

"Why is that? The doctor told me that you don't have any problem." Alex asked her in a deep, gentle voice, "Do you not like staying in the hospital?"

The girl shook her head again.

"I see. We are alike. I don't like hospitals either. I'm Alex. What is your name?"

"…"

"Do you not have a name?"

The girl shook her head.

"Are you nameless?"

The girl nodded.

"Why don't you talk to me? I'd love to hear your voice."

"…"

"Do you have a family?"

"…No…"

"Are you an orphan?"

"…I… don't… know…"

"Do you not have any memory?"

"…I… don't know…"

"All right, you can rest. I'll be here in a minute."

Alex stood up and left the ward. The pair of glass blue eyes followed him until he disappeared behind the wall.

Everyone was already waiting for him. He didn't beat around the bush either.

"She said she has no memory. She doesn't know her name or if she has a family."

Mateo remarked, "She is trouble."

Dr. Fuziwoka stated with a serious expression, "I can guarantee that she never experienced a concussion to have her memory lost. She could be lying."

Alex said, "She didn't look like she was lying."

Mateo suggested, "Why not use a lie detector?"

Alex paid no mind to his sarcastic remark.

"I can take her with me. I will take care of her and pay her bills. I don't mind," he said.

"That's not going to happen." Mateo shook his head.

"It's not possible," Officer Shinobu interfered. "You look like a foreigner. We can't let a suspicious person stay with you."

Alex stated, "I'm not a foreigner."

Officer Shinobu didn't seem to believe him. "Aren't you an American?"

Mateo explained, "We are Lan Americans. Alex is half Japanese. He was born in Japan and spent his childhood in Argentina.

"He came back to Japan later and completed his study here. If you don't believe me, you can check his files."

"That's… quite a history." Office Shinobu looked at Alex.

Alex asked, "Can I take her with me, Officer?"

"Nope, not under my watch," Mateo instantly replied on the police officer's behalf.

Officer Shinobu smirked. "Your friend gave his answer."

Alex said, "But you didn't." He was as calm as ever.

"Hey, Alex, can we talk for a second?" Mateo asked.

Alex nodded.

The two of them went to the stairway.

Mateo faced his friend and crossed his arm.

"What do you think you are doing? You never even bat an eye to the beautiful models who make passes at you."

"But now you are going to babysit this strange girl? What's wrong with your taste in women?"

Alex wasn't fazed by his attacks.

He said, "She wasn't attacked. She was naked. She has no memory. She can shatter glass into pieces just by screaming. Don't you find it even the slightest bit mysterious?"

"I find it spooky for sure," Mateo put his thoughts into words.

Alex explained his plan, "I'm taking her and I will find out what the story is behind her."

Mateo shook his head, unable to accept Alex's plan.

"I understand that your detective antenna is going out of control but you have to control it.

"We aren't teens anymore. We can't play the police-thief game anymore. You are the President of a company. So, why don't you act like it for once?"

Alex stared at his friend. He realized that Mateo wouldn't agree so easily.

He thought of something and then said, "I'm taking her. She will live with me.

"I'll take care of her and at the same time, I will be that perfect President you want me to be."

Mateo stared at his stubborn friend. "So, you want to have a deal. Is that right?"

Alex gave a slight nod.

Mateo sighed. "Fuck you, Alex. I'll agree. But if she messes with us, she will be out of the picture. I don't want you to be in danger. Got that?"

He knew no matter what he said, his friend would stick to his plan once he drew it.

As long as he worked properly and earned some money for their company, Mateo had no reason to stop him from his childish hobby.

Alex responded with a smile, "Crystal clear."

Therefore, they agreed to take the girl in. Officer Shinobu ran through Alex's legal paper and agreed to keep her with him.

Before she could be discharged from the hospital, Officer Shinobu visited Alex at his headquarters.

"What is it, Officer?" Alex asked.

Officer Shinubo had a grim expression.

He replied, "I'm afraid there are no records of her anywhere. It's like she came out of thin air."

"Are you saying that her entry in Japan is illegal?"