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—She was unraveling into someone stronger.
The sun shone brightly in the sky, casting a warm glow over the bustling streets of the city. The gentle breeze carried with it the sweet scent of blooming flowers and freshly cut grass, filling the air with a sense of freshness and renewal.
Despite the idyllic scene, Atsushi couldn't help but feel a sense of unease gnawing at the pit of his stomach.
"T-The Sky Casino's General Manager!?" Atsushi stutters, once the name clicks, it took a moment to remember, and he can't quite place when or where he learned of the Sky Casino, but now that the knowledge has pulled itself to the front of his mind. "Why's a person like that here!?"
Kunikida frowns. "It is odd. Apparently he haven't descended from the casino even once in the thirteen years since he took his position. It must be important."
"Huh..."
It's really terrible timing. All their efforts are going into the Decay of Angels Case's completion. They've put all their other projects to the side and won't be accepting any other cases till it's done. Had it been anyone less important than the Sky Casino's General Manager, that's like, a big deal, who requested their audience, they would have been dismissed right out of the gate.
Apprehension churns in his stomach. Atsushi felt beads of sweat beginning to form on his forehead and his palms, and he wiped them off on the fabric of his shirt nervously.
"Well," Kunikida says, and his voice is stern, shoulders straight, but Atsushi is coming to learn that Kunikida isn't usually so unaffected as he likes to act, "there's no use in delay."
He presses open the door, and they step one after the other onto the luxury vinyl of Cafe Uzumaki's flooring.
The Sky Casino's General Manager is sitting at the bar, legs crossed, one arm rested on the counter, long piano fingers delicately holding a coffee cup. A large cloak is laid over the back of their chair, hem draping against the floor. He's tall, even in the tall bar chair, his shoes reach the ground, heels tilted against the floor. Bright sunlight falls in from the cafe's window and hits platinum on the half-white of their hair, glinting gold on their earrings when his head turns to look at Atsushi and Kunikida.
He looks...
Otherworldly, almost. Cut from a different cloth. His entire existence, sleek and classy, clashes near-comically with Cafe Uzumaki's warm, homely atmosphere.
Besides him, was a woman. She wore nothing more than a casual white dress-shirt tucked in her black pants. A pair of sunglasses adore her face, obscuring her eyes. Her hair tied neatly behind as she doesn't even acknowledge the two men and simply drink her coffee.
Atsushi takes a minute to gather up her appearance. There's something about her that he couldn't place his finger on. He had a feeling that he knew her from somewhere, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember where.
