I N N O C E N C E (Shu Sakamaki)

✨Special Chapter✨

Manami window shopped for something that could have possibly caught her eye, but it was to no use.

Everything was just so boring and plain.

She groaned, as she walked into a luxury men's clothing store. Suits... vests... shirts...

None of these suited him.

He was brighter than that, and these clothes would only dull his light.

Ironic, she chuckled to herself, a year ago, I would have said the complete opposite about him, but now... how things have changed.

It's been a year since her meeting with the Mukamis and the Sakamakis, and a lot has changed...

She left the store, exasperated, but not yet ready to give up. There was no way she could leave without a present. After all, it was tomorrow.

Manami walked past a tech store, but as she was about to continue, her feet came to a stop.

She backtracked as she looked into the window.

"This is... quite nice." She thought, observing the objects carefully. "And it will look nice on him... Plus, a reason for him to finally throw away that old thing around his neck."

"Can I help you miss?"

She looked up, noticing a boy around her age, standing beside her. He was an employee - she could tell by his uniform - perhaps a college student trying to earn a buck part time.

"I would like to see this model up close, if that's possible?" She asked, looking up at the boy.

He nodded and gestured for her to come in, blushing slightly.

Manami looked carefully through the models as the boy fidgeted with his hands. He looked down at her, then back up, then back down at her.

"I think this is it." She pointed at the model on the far right. "Could you pack it in a gift bag, if possible?"

"Of course!" He exclaimed, grabbing some wrapping paper and a bag. "Must be for a very good friend of yours, as you are putting so much effort into picking."

She thought about it for a moment, before releasing a slight scoff.

"Not quite." She said, a small smirk playing on her lips. "He is quite a bastard really."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah..." She nodded, taking out her credit card from her purse. "A real pain in the ass. Clingy, obnoxious, demanding..."

"Oh." The boy released a nervous laugh. "Is he your brother?"

She sniffed.

"No." She said nonchalantly yet dryly, swiping the card and typing in the code. "My fiancé."

The boy was discouraged to hear that, even as he saw that small genuine smile on her face that she was obviously trying to hide.

"Here you go, miss." He gave her a defeated smile. "I hope everything works out for you!"

"Thank you." She bowed, and waved him off. "I hope so too."

__________

She checked the clock for the fiftieth time in the past one hour.

It's 8:00 o'clock already. When is he going to get home?

"Little dame, the time will not pass faster even if you keep on looking at that thing every three seconds?" Laito said, looking down at the girl, who sat at the table.