Hana eyed the customers who were starting to trickle into the coffee shop. It was half past noon, so more people started to head out for lunch.
Alright, time to go.
Casting a swift glance at her watch, she downed the remainders of her tea – how a lady would drink, mind you. Smoothing the creases on her sundress from sitting too long, she put on her hat and exited the coffee shop. Feet walked with a purpose as she headed to her next destination. Light brown eyes glanced at her surroundings, warm yet wary. Even though she knew nothing would happen to her in broad daylight, she still remained cautious. They always did say that it was never safe for a lady to be alone.
Now that I think about it, those might have been excuses they crafted just to walk with me.
A flower shop at the corner of the street caught her eye. She paused, wondering if that man was there. What he said earlier today raised so many questions. How had he known about Emma's Papa? Did he know about D-Agency? Did he know Amari, Emma's Papa, personally? What about Hatano? That would explain his statement about Emma being surprised.
Doesn't seem like he's there though.
Hanatsked in irritation. She wanted answers now but it seemed like she's not going to get them. Openly scowling, she eyed the bouquet she was holding. Lifting the bouquet, she breathed in the scent of the flowers and smiled softly. She never liked receiving flowers. Though she values the gesture and thoughts behind it, it was always a hassle figuring out what to do with them. Usually they ended up forgotten in a vase somewhere in her room.
It took her a handful of minutes before she finally reached her destination – a small hill overlooking the town. Anyone standing at the top of the hill would agree that it was indeed a beautiful sight. The young lady could see the bustling and hustling of the town and even the greenery beyond it. Plus, the cherry blossom tree accompanying the hill had finally bloomed, bringing along an ethereal feeling.
Such a beautiful view, Kaminaga-san would have killed me if I hid this from him.
Hana walked towards the cherry blossom tree. She paused right under the tree and stared at the roots of the tree. Anyone passing by would not have noticed anything out of the ordinary, but she knew better. Hidden right under the shadows of the trees was a miniature stone obelisk. A brief shadow crossed her features as she read the faint etching on the obelisk.
Here lie the memories of the most amazing men.
Beautiful existences in this world,
Unknown to many, forgotten by all.
Yuuki
Fukumoto
Odagiri
Jitsui
Hatano
Tazaki
Kaminaga
Amari
Miyoshi
Sakuma
May their souls finally rest in peace.
Hanaclosed her eyes briefly, reciting the words in her heart. Not that it was difficult to do so since she was the one who etched the words onto the obelisk. The one who decided to keep a hold of her memories with them, even if they were existences who were not supposed to be remembered. After all, they were spies. There were supposed to be forgotten by the world. But, the memories that she had with them were too precious for her to let go.
