𝐌𝐫 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐧

10 - True Love

Later at night, Nene got visitors. The whole A. S. S. went to check in her, joking about how their toilets stink lately. Even though she'd been gone for less than a day. Nene herself felt a lot better.

"I never knew a doctor was a part of A. S. S." she said.

"The three of us go to school together. This old lady, Shinigami, and me," Tsuchigomori added.

"Why'd you call me old for, itty-bitty spider? Should I tell her about your itty-bitty coc-" Yako hissed.

"Hup! That's it, Foxy. We're heading back. Good night, Yashiro-san," Tsuchigomori said as he hugged Yako in one arm, sweeping her out of the room.

Really, their bickering never ends. The gang followed quietly behind. Except for Akane. He sat on the chair beside Nene's bed.

"Sorry, we had to rummage through your bag before. Gotta find your insurance card and all that," he said.

"No problem," she smiled.

"And I also need your emergency contact person. So, I called one of your friends."

"Oh, and who's that?"

"Aoi." He smiled. "I wasn't sure at first, but when I heard her voice, I knew it was her."

"Wait, you know Aoi?"

"Of course! She's my girlfriend, afterall," he smirked proudly.

What. What? What!

Nene doesn't know this. Well, she knew Aoi was taken, but it was Akane all this time? This is so weird. She only heard about Akane from Aoi's stories. Meeting him felt like meeting an old friend.

"Such a small world, huh. Anyway, I told her you're fine, now. She said she was sorry she wasn't here."

"Oh, wow. But, like, your names were so similar. So, I thought- but I would've never guessed-"

"We get that a lot."

"How come we've never met before?"

"I suppose A. S. S. has occupied me a lot."

Wait a minute. This could be her chance to pry some information on A. S. S. Since they were sort of acquainted, he'd spill a teeny, tiny bit right?

"Hey, Akane. Sorry if this sounds personal, but why exactly did you join A. S. S.?" she quietly asked.

"Hmm? I thought you would've put the puzzle pieces together already."

Hold on. Was it obvious? Because Nene couldn't figure it out.

"Haha. You know what Aoi's job is, right? A brilliant, botanical researcher. A rare gem. Perhaps you'd notice her source of stress these past years?"

"Ah, her company? She always told me she hated her boss."

"She worked for the Minamoto Corp. As a part of their stupid Earth cleansing project thingy. Those people, especially Teru Minamoto, never properly credited her work. All researches and experiments were under the Minamotos' name only. For privacy reasons, he says. Not to mention overworking her. What bullshit. I still can't believe he's the same Teru I go to school with."

Nene could only frown.

"You know why she couldn't quit her job? The Minamotos and Akanes are practically relatives. Quitting would only cause internal problems," Akane blabbered everything out.

"What's this got to do with A. S. S.?"

"Oh, the Minamotos hate these kinds of projects. That's why, I joined to become their worst enemy."

After that long talk, Akane headed back. What Akane said reminded her of the day their rocket landed nearby. She was wishing for her prince.

But today, she saw a different kind of love. True love. It was not a perfect knight in shining armor or a sweet, gentle kiss. For Akane, it was war. Going against someone he was fond of. As messy as it was, he showed Nene the reality of love. It was a difficult and long battle, huh?

Maybe Nene won't have a prince after all. Just someone who would go to great lengths for her, as she would for them.

"How romantic. Have I always been this naive?" she laughed at herself.