“…?!”
She was about to cry out in surprise, but her opening mouth was immediately covered by a hand. When she looked up, Ren’s face floated above her. Standing on one knee, he was hugging Mia to himself from behind while peering into the waiting room. Above Ren, Aya was sandwiched between him and Shou, who stood with his body awkwardly bent down the middle. And on top of this pile of bodies was Subaru, draped over the rest of them. All of them were peeking inside the room too.
✦ ✦ ✦
When did they all assemble here?!
Mia felt panic rise in her throat, but then she heard a resigned, “…All right,” in Misaki’s voice and returned her gaze to the scene in the room. Sayoko’s hand twitched at her fiancé’s words.
“If this is something you have decided for yourself, it’s not my place to say anything. Let’s end this,” Misaki dropped and slowly rose from the couch.
Sayoko, who was wiping the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, looked up at him hastily. However, the man wouldn’t spare her a glance.
“Thank you for everything. Sayoko… Heh, saying this only makes me look like a huge sap. I’ll be praying for your happiness,” he said over his shoulder in a tone of voice so detached it sounded almost cold, and then he headed for the door.
Oh no, he’s coming! Wh-What do I do? Mia floundered about, not knowing where to run, when the world before her eyes made a sudden turn. Bam! A big thud resounded behind Mia’s back.
“…Guys, what are you doing…?” Misaki asked exasperatedly.
Mia looked around and saw Subaru facing the wall, writing something on a piece of paper; Shou pretending to talk on the phone, twisting his body sideways, away from the office; Aya was touching up her makeup in the middle of the hallway; Ren, still holding Mia close, sat with his back turned to the office door, and was braiding Mia’s hair.
“What do you mean, what am I doing? Can’t you see? I’m fixing my makeup.”
“Here, in the dead middle of a hallway?!”
“Ah, I’m taking a call.”
“You guys are way too obvious!” Misaki retorted to Aya’s and Shou’s excuses. He then directed a look full of suspicion towards Subaru, asking, “And what are you doing?”
“I’m copying sutras.”
“Why would you copy sutras in a police station?!”
“Sometimes I just feel the urge. It calms me down. Do you want to give it a try? Heart Sutra is full of wisdom.”
“Ugh, are you being serious or just messing with me? With you, I really don’t know!” Misaki fumed, and turned his gaze to Ren at last.
“So, what are you doing, Ren?”
“Oh, I’m playing with my darling Mia’s hair. See? Cute, right? French braid chignon looks great on all girls!”
“Darling?!”
“I have no idea what you’re saying! Also, how are you this good at hairstyling?!” Misaki ranted, and gave Ren, who had by then parted Mia’s hair in two, braided both sides and put them up in two neat bundles, a karate chop to the head, whispering, “Ugh, seriously. You bunch of busybodies. …Hmph. Well, since you’re all here, do me a favor and escort Sayoko to the exit for me, okay? I’m gonna return to my duties. See ya, lazy bums,” Misaki bit out moodily, and stormed off.
Subaru stopped his sutra-copying and stared at Misaki’s retreating back. “This looks grave.”
“The way the conversation went must’ve been a shock to him. So this is it for their long-distance relationship, huh?” Shou remarked somewhat wistfully, folding his arms behind his head.
Aya, who put away her makeup bag, peeked inside the room. “Yeah. But Sayoko looks devastated, too. She must’ve agonized over this.”
“I’m sure she did. It’s, what, their fourth year together? If you’re in a relationship with someone for this long, well…”
Ren stood up, still cradling Mia in his arms. She hastily whipped her head around and snapped at him, “Hey, when did you appear?! And stop clinging to me! Do you have any idea how much you startled me?!”
“Aw, but what else could I do but hug you after seeing you huddled by the door?” Ren said without a shred of remorse, and then patted Mia on the head in a placating manner. Then he inclined his head to the side, as if having remembered something suddenly. “But hey, what are you doing here anyway?”
“Um, well, I was the one who brought Sayoko here,” Mia confessed meekly, and everyone gathered around her with curious looks on their faces. Mia grudgingly summed up the events leading up to this moment in a few words.
Shou nodded sagely. “Well, then it might be a good idea for you to be the one to see Sayoko off too. I gotta get back to work, anyway.”
“Yeah, Ren and I as well. We’ll ask you how it went later,” Subaru said, squeezing Mia’s shoulder as if to say he’s entrusting the matter to her, and walked away.
“Later!” Shou and Ren exclaimed, and walked off in the opposite direction from Subaru. …To think that they really skipped work to spy on their friend.
They truly are textbook examples of bad adults, Mia seethed, eyes boring into their backs disapprovingly, but there was someone still standing by her side, namely, Aya.
“Aya, are you not going?”
“Nah. I’ll hang out with you and Sayoko for a bit. I have nothing else to do, anyway.”
You have nothing else to do?! Mia gaped at Aya. So this was the biggest loafer of them all!
Aya only snickered and offered her a weird excuse, pulling the door open, “I’m a very fast worker, so slacking off in moderation is a must for me!”
In the waiting room, Sayoko was sitting motionless on the sofa, silently crying. She probably felt like she could stop holding her tears back now that Misaki was gone. She only shed a single tear when she was talking to him, but now they flowed without end. Such a copious amount of tears traveled down her cheeks that Mia feared that she might cry out all the moisture in her body.
“Um… Sayoko. I know this isn’t the best thing to say, but if you’re crying this much, wouldn’t it be better to stay together with Misaki?”
“You’re right. It’s unfair of me. I was the one who broke up with him, so I have no right to cry now.”
“No, that’s not what I am trying to say. You said that it was something you have decided for yourself, but I can plainly see that you are miserable. Is your father forcing the marriage on you despite this?”