Just My Job (Shuichi Saihara x Reader)

Chapter 1

You were a bartender for a small bar. Surprisingly not that many fights started, but then again for some reason mostly depressed people that wanted to be left alone went to your bar. Actually, that was the stigma associated with it. Occasionally someone rowdy went there, but usually they had friends to bother.

Speaking of the stigma, someone new entered the bar. From the looks of it, he'd just had something terrible happen to him. His navy blue hair was a mess, and his eyes were red and puffy like he'd just cried. You felt bad for him, but all you did was give him his drink as he ordered it and moved on.

I really feel bad for all the people that come here... but it's not my place to be their counselor. They came here to forget, not to remember. You thought to yourself with a sigh.

"Hey (Y/N), can you get me another beer?" a regular, John, asked. Every Friday night he came and got as drunk as he felt. He never said why and you never asked.

"Sure, coming right up," You smiled a little and got his drink ready, then gave it to him. He paid for it as usual then returned to his seat, drinking while on his phone (probably trying to look for an Uber home).

Your attention was diverted back to the navy-haired male from before as he pulled out a laptop. From his seat you couldn't see the screen, though you could tell it was a very expensive laptop that he used often. It was very well taken care of, however.

You watched in curiosity as he began typing a bit shakily, from tears or alcohol you couldn't tell, and seemed to be trying to focus. So he's the kind that just tries to distract himself... but what is he doing on that thing?

He stared at his screen for a while before closing his laptop. "U-um... please don't... s-stare at me like that..." he sort of slurred, putting on a black hat and shying away into it.

"Oh, sorry! I was just wondering what you were doing on that computer..." You trailed off.

"Just work..." he mumbled.

"Are you some kinda business man?" You asked.

"N-no... I'm a detective," he explained.

"Oh? That sounds really interesting!" You smiled, hoping to cheer him up at least a little.

"Not really. It's mostly small cases like missing pets..." he smiled nervously for a second but it faded as soon as it appeared.

"But I'm sure those people are really happy to see their pets again! Oh yeah, what's your name? Mine's (Y/N)," You introduced yourself.

"I'm Shuichi..." he introduced himself.

"Shuichi? I feel like I've heard that name before, hold on. Let me try to remember..." You put a hand to your chin in thought, trying to pin the source. I feel like I've maybe seen his name on TV? No, that can't be right... Hmmm...

"Maybe you read the n-news article this morning..." Shuichi offered.

"The news? Hmm... ohhhh, that's right! I'm sorry to hear about your loss," You tried your best to console him. The article had been about how Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist quickly gaining popularity, had broken off her engagement with Shuichi.

A few tears pricked the detective's eyes, and he quickly wiped them away, "I-it's... fine..."

You didn't mention how it was clearly not fine, and instead let poor Shuichi mourn his loss alone. Since he seemed to wanna distract himself anyways you figured the last thing he'd wanna do is talk to a girl. He'd probably rather immerse himself in his work. But then, what the hell was he doing at a bar?

You couldn't figure out the boy, so you just focused on wiping the counters and tables. Your boss would appreciate the extra effort and you'd maybe get a little praise.

"Hey (Y/N)! Can I get a shot of vodka?" someone called from the other side of the bar, clearly drunk. You chuckled to yourself and prepared the shot, watching as they downed it in one gulp. They carelessly tossed some money at you and said, "However much that buys, gimmie. Keep the change~"

Again you chuckled and counted the money, getting just enough for a pint. You gave them the drink and they left you alone. You didn't know the man's name but you knew he was a functioning alcoholic, going to your bar pretty much every night to buy whatever he could afford or begging others to buy him a drink. You knew he had a tragic past and you knew his coping skill was toxic, but you didn't have the heart to deny him service.

Going back to tidying up a bit, you noticed that Shuichi had left. Though you wanted to see him again, you also hoped he never came back to the bar. He seemed to have a bright future ahead of him despite the huge step back, and you didn't want him to risk it on alcohol. A lot of people would get addicted while they were going through a rough patch and never recover. You didn't want him to follow the same road.

~~~
Word count: 879