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The dark winter night slowly transformed into day and Julia woke up to the sound of her alarm clock ringing. Groaning, she turned it off and stumbled into the kitchen to make coffee.
“I feel like a rock!” she muttered opening the fridge to grab milk. “Maybe I shouldn’t have 'practiced' last night.”
Then there was a knock on the door. Muttering under her breath, she walked towards the front door.
"What?" she asked opening it and took a step back in shock. “Emma?”
Wearing a long-sleeved red turtleneck shirt with blue jeans Emma grinned and tilted her head to the right. “Good morning Julia. Can we talk?”
Julia quickly slammed the door shut.
‘Emma is here! She is actually here!’ excited she whipped out her phone and tried sending a text to Agatha but it ran out of power.
“Dang it!”
The knocking came again. “Julia? Are you in?”
“I am coming!” She quickly dashed into the bedroom and disposed her erotic manga, changed the bed sheets, and lit some scented candles. After brushing her teeth and her hair, she dressed up in a brown lingerie and posed in front of a mirror.
‘She will love this!’ then she remembered something. ‘Shoot! I should probably clean up the living room!’
Meanwhile, Emma stood by the door checking her watch for she had no intention of staying long. Stealthily tilting her watch to reflect on the black van parked near the apartment complex, debated on asking Jake if she could go back to Akademi High and shivered at the thought.
‘He won’t let me go there.' She passed a hand over her face and sighed desperately. ‘I know he won't.’
Suddenly the door opened and Emma frowned when she saw what Julia’s outfit. "I only want to talk to Julia."
Julia hummed seductively and reached out to wrap her arms around Emma’s neck. “Why don’t you come in then? It’s nice and warm inside.” Then she leaned forward and whispered into her ear. “You know, I made a prayer in the temple at the beginning of the New Year that you would come and they have been answered. Why don’t you come in and celebrate with me hmm?”
She looked at Emma and batted her eyes in a vain attempt to show her seductive side but it didn’t work. Finally seeing the irritation in her face, Julia released Emma from her grip and took a step back puzzled.
“Is there anything wrong?" she asked.
“How long have you and Agatha been together?” Emma asked.
Shocked, Julia quickly looked away. “What do you mean? I am not doing anything with Agatha.”
“Don’t lie to me, Julia. My boyfriend and I could hear you from our rooms.” Emma thumbed back. “So how long have you been doing this?”
At this Julia put her hand on her hips and arrogantly turned up her nose. “That’s not proof and you know it!”
“I saw Agatha’s shoes perched outside your door when we got back.”
“It could be anyone's shoes.” Julia retorted.
“Agatha always wears purple and red tennis shoes.”
“It could be anyone’s shoes.”
“Her name on was engraved on them."
“I had someone else over.”
“And that person happened to wear Agatha’s shoes with her name in them?"
“I was watching porn.”
“But you just told me you had someone else over at your place.”
At this, Julia flew into a rage. “Look are you just going to stand there and interrogate me or are you going to come in? It’s freezing out here!”
The van honked and Emma turned around and waved at it.
“I am sorry Julia but I have to go.” She said. “I'm going out with my boyfriend for lunch,"
Julia’s eyes widen in shock and her right eye twitched. “What do you mean? I thought you came here to see me.”
“No. I came here to ask you something but you refused to tell me the truth so...”
Another loud honk made her flinch slightly so she turned around, hurried down the stairs of the apartment block and entered the van which sped off leaving Julia in a state of shock.
“Why did you go to her apartment, Beloved?” Jake asked as he stopped at the red light.
Emma shrugged nonchalantly. “I wanted to ask her if she and Agatha were together but she didn't tell me anything.”
His eyebrows furrowed as he turned round the corner slightly pressing his foot on the accelerator. “I still think we should move Beloved. I don’t like the idea of your ex and your bully having sex in the apartment room beside us.”
She quickly looked away to hide the fact she didn’t like the idea. ‘Moving away from this town sounds like a good idea but I don't want him to isolate me like he did last time.'
“So where are you taking me Darling?” she asked changing the subject.
Adjusting his review mirror to look at her, he smirked. “It’s a surprise.”
She pouted slightly. “Aww! I hate surprises.”
“Trust me, Beloved. You will love this one.” He replied.
To take her mind off her fears, she looked out the window and noticed he was taking her to the Eastside of town where the suburban houses were situated. Soon, they passed his former family home and she couldn’t help but look at it.
However, Jake sensed her curiosity and immediately pressed his foot on the accelerator and drove until they left the suburbs and entered a town near the sea.
“Wow! I didn’t know this was here.” Emma gaped.
‘She doesn’t really know much about this town.’ Jake thought as he drove into the parking lot near a huge building. Once the van was parked he stepped out, opened the door for Emma and helped her off the van.
“Thank you.” She said looking around.
He slammed the door. “It’s my pleasure, Beloved.”
The town was small with a few shops but the restaurant Jake picked was located behind the array of shops next to the sea view at the end of the town. Upon entering the restaurant, Emma noticed the place was packed with patrons dressed in expensive clothes, an open kitchen nearby allowing guests to see what the chef was doing and the scent of roasted meat and broth filled the air.
“Wow!” Emma muttered looking around.
Meanwhile, Jake called a waiter who led them up the stairs to the VIP area that was decorated with chandeliers and red carpets. Soft piano music emitting from the end of the room as the waiter directed the couple to their table near the window but as they walked customers looked at them with scorn and muttered amongst themselves at their clothes.
Emma felt embarrassed.
“Ignore them Beloved,” Jake said as he pulled out her chair. “They are jealous of your beauty.”
Emma took a seat and pondered on his words. Many boys had given her compliments over the years but their words had a tinge of lust in them except his. However when she looked into Jake’s eyes, she saw honesty and an untold madness in them that gave her a mixed emotions.
“I have already placed our orders," Jake said as the waiters proceeded to give them their menus.
The waiter looked embarrassed. “You mean you have already pre-ordered your meal, sir?”
“You haven’t checked the pre-order register have you?" Jake asked back with a slight glare.
Embarrassed, the waiter quickly took out a tablet and after scrolling through it, he apologized and walked out of the room.
“When did you book this place?” Emma asked.
He shrugged. “A month ago. They were full during the holidays and closed during the first new few weeks of the New Year. That is why I decided to take you to a better place for Christmas.”
Emma blushed at the gesture and glanced around the room. “But it really looks expensive.”
“Beloved, I'm the one treating you so don’t worry about it.” he took her hand and held it tenderly. “It's okay.”
Emma nodded stiffly and the waiter arrived with their appetizers; sushi.
“Mmm. This tastes nice.” Emma said eating another morsel from her chopsticks.
"The sauce even makes it taste better. Here try some.” Dipping another bite-sized morsel into his sauce, he held it out to her and her eyes shined with joy as she savored the flavors.
“Wow! It’s delicious!”
Jake’s heart beat rapidly when he saw her smile and tried to hide his excitement. To him, this was their first official date and everything was just as he had imagined it to be except he was getting nervous.
Too nervous to say anything.
“Jake? Is something wrong?” Emma asked.
Snapping back to reality, he quickly looked away to hide his red face. "I am fine. I am fine.”
Nevertheless, he was surprised to discover that he only taken a few bites of his meal when the waiter arrived with their second course and Emma's plate was empty. Mentally scolding himself, he let the waiter take his dish away from him and replace it with the next main course; Tempura Moriawase.
“Wow! This looks nice,” Emma said picking up her chopsticks.
“Ye..yes it is,” Jake replied picking up his chopsticks and stuffing his face with deep-fried seafood and vegetables.
“Honey slow down. You might choke.” Emma cautioned.
Jake didn’t listen and finished his food before she did. Then he hiccupped and looked away awkwardly.
“Ex…excuse me.” He muttered suppressing the next one.
Emma giggled in response and ate her food awkwardly while he watched her.
“Gosh this is awkward,” Emma muttered while dipping her morsel of food in the sauce and it didn’t take long for the waiter to arrive to take away their plates.
“Thank you.”
The waiter gave them a side glance and rolled his eyes while muttering something under his breath. Jake sent him a glare and looked back at Emma who stared back at him with concern.
“Is everything okay, Honey?" she asked.
“Well…I... the thing is…this is our first date so I am kinda nervous.” He replied fiddling with his fingers.
Emma immediately recalled the first time he took her out to the carnival but choose not to remind him of it. Instead, she smiled and held his hand.
“It’s okay. I am actually enjoying myself.” She said.
Jake’s eyes widened in shock. “Re…really?”
“Yes. The food is delicious and the atmosphere is nice.” She tilted her head to the right and smiled. “But it seems like you aren’t comfortable in formal gatherings.”
He dismissed her words with a scoff. “Nah. I'm good at formal gatherings, but seeing you will blow my cover."
“Blow your cover?”
“At missions Beloved. Just seeing you makes my heart flutter and my face heats up and it gets worse when I see you smile.”
Emma’s face flushed at that making her tighten her grip on his hand. Then she heard a familiar pattern of footsteps rushing out of the premises and looked back just in time to see Agatha pushing another girl out of the room.
“Once a cheat, always a cheat.”
She looked back at him and caught him staring at her with a sinister look on his face. “Do you miss her Beloved?”
“No.”
Her abrupt answer made him want to test the waters more. “Are you sure? It seems like you do.”
She slammed her hand on the table in fury. “No. I don’t miss her.”
Startled by her outburst, Jake quickly looked around, and luckily for them everyone was too busy to pay attention to them. Laughing nervously, he gestured with his hand and said, “Relax Beloved. I was just playing with you.”
But she continued to talk. “I did everything for that girl and all I got was pain. All she cared about was getting laid and now she is sleeping with Julia, my former bully. I can’t stand her. She disgusts me.”
A sly grin appeared on his face. “Good.”
She was shocked. “Good?”
He probed his elbow on the table and let his grin widen. “Now you know how I felt when you rejected me; that red hot anger that eats you alive from the inside out. It’s familiar isn’t it?"
This quickly caused Emma to have flashbacks of what happened to her in the labyrinth he created and shuddered.
“I..I am sorry.” She bowed her head to hide her fear. “I didn’t know how much I hurt you back then. Can you please forgive me?”
Hearing this, a wide smile appeared on his face and his eyes flickered. Blushing madly, he quickly calmed himself down and looked deep into her eyes.
“I have already forgiven you because I love you remember?”
Her skin crawled when she heard that but she forced a smile. “T…thank you.”
“Speaking of rivals, why were you at Julia’s apartment today Beloved?”
She sighed. “I wanted to know if she and Agatha were together but from the looks of things, they are. I am sorry if it got you angry.”
This time, Jake sighed. “It’s okay.”
Relief swept through Emma.
“But I still think we should move.”
She toyed with her glass of wine before looking into his eyes. “Where are we going to move to?”
He shrugged nonchalantly. “I don’t know. Anywhere.”
Still shell-shocked by what he said, Emma panicked and quickly looked for something to say. “What do you mean? I don’t see any reason to move.”
“Beloved, there are many reasons to leave this place,” Jake replied and started ticking them off his fingers. “This town is run by murderers and kidnappers fighting for territory, ghosts and monsters abide in this town, someone is out to kill you for no reason? We can’t raise a family in this town.”
There was a moment of silence when he said that and she took a sip of her wine. “You want to start a family?”
Her words and movement spelled either of the two things; fear and uncertainty. In order to dispel them, he stretched to caress her face, an indirect attempt to get her to look into his eyes. “Yes Beloved. I want to start a family with you. That’s why we should leave this place.”
Just the thought of starting a family with him made her shiver but she dared not to look away because it would raise suspicion from his end. Instead of panicking, she desperately searched for a way to talk him out of the idea.
“I understand what you mean Darling but the thing is, I am not ready for it.”
He frowned and released her. “I don't understand.”
“Well…” hands sweating and heart beating rapidly, she bit her bottom lip and said, “You see I want to finish my education first.”
Something flashed in his eyes when he heard that and he gave a slight giggle. “Bu…but you don’t need to do that. You got me. I am everything you need.”
“Please, try to understand me Jake.” She begged.
Looking deeply into his Beloved eyes, he sighed and combed his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Beloved listen to me. Re-entering school could be bad for you. Don’t you remember what happened to you at your former school?”
“What do you mean?”
“Beloved, how could you forget?” he inquired. “You were bullied, sexually harassed, and driven to insanity at your former school but Akademi High is worse! You were nearly killed three times and tricked into exploring the supernatural making you battle ghosts and monsters trying to kill you. The school system made you go through all this but you still want to complete your education?”
‘He has a point.’
‘Whose side are you on?’ Emma asked back biting her bottom lip nervously. “I understand Darling but I am not returning to Akademi High.”
“Really?” He laced his fingers together and squinted his eyes at her. “Correct me if I am wrong Beloved but I think you want to go back there to solve that mystery."
Her eyes widen in shock. ‘How did he know that?’
"From your behavior. You have been restless for some days now.” his smirk grew larger. "Am I wrong Beloved?”
Despite having a shocked expression on her face, Emma didn’t buy his words for it was true she was restless but she made sure she didn't show it. The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced he was reading her mind.
‘I might be wrong. He stalked me for a long time, so he might know my mannerisms and behaviors,' she thought. ‘I have to change his mind. He has reached his third question and he is going to jump into conclusions after this.’
“It looks like you caught me, Darling.” she said and his facial expression changed from cocky to shock. “And you are right about that school; it is too dangerous but I gave Osana Najimi my word.”
This time his brows knitted in annoyance. “What are you telling me?”
“What I am trying to say is, I am not returning to that school to investigate the mystery behind the killings. I want to find out what happened to Osana Najimi plus, I gave her my word to bring peace to her friend.”
“But you found out who killed her didn’t you?” he shrugged nonchalantly. “I mean it is pretty obvious who did it.”
Hearing this, she propped her elbow on the table and stared at him. “Enlighten me Darling. Who do you think it is?”
“Mr. Yamada, Ayano Yamada’s husband.”
Emma frowned at his bleak answer. “Now you are just making things up.”
“Beloved, I am serious.” He leaned forward. “And I am not saying this because he flirts with you. I am saying this because any woman he dates ends up dead.”
This new information shocked her so she asked, “How did you know that?”
“You mean you haven’t noticed?” he asked back.
“Darling please tell me what you mean.” Emma begged although she was tempted to snap at him. “How did you know that?”
He gave her a smug look. “Guess.”
Frustrated, she pinched the bridge of her nose and refused to look at him until she remembered something. “Don’t tell me…”
“I saw him in that same restaurant you met him on a date with a red haired woman when I was stalking him around town.” He slipped her a picture of the woman. “One minute he was seeing this woman, the next minute, the woman was found dead in her home thanks to ‘faulty’ electric wiring. Now you see why I have been trying to make sure you don’t have anything to do with him.”
Emma stared at the picture which had a portrait of a red haired woman round brown eyes and a small nose smiling at the camera.
“Why haven’t anyone heard of this?” she asked.
“The police decided to keep things quiet to save themselves from organising an investigating.” He explained. “They just chalked it up to an ‘accident’ and closed the case but considering the fact that this is the twenty-fifth female that was found dead in her home, I can understand why they want to keep it silent.”
Emma brainstormed for a while. “They don’t want the Government to know about this.”
“Bingo.” He gave a toothy smile. “My Beloved is so intelligent.”
Blushing heavily, Emma looked back at the picture and put her hand on her chin. ‘This woman. Where did she come from?’
“Forgive me for asking this but is this the only woman found dead in her home so far?” she asked.
Jake’s face paled at that and looked away in thought. “Nope. No one so far.”
Emma narrowed her eyes. “Are you sure?”
“Well there are some women who have been reported missing and female body parts were being littered around the place in garbage bags.” then he balled his hands into a fist. “Not to mention the way he treated his ‘harem’ of girls during his school days annoys me.”
“Okay but…” then she paused as another theory popped into her mind. “Wait, harem?”
He nodded and then the waiter arrived with their dessert; Macha Cake with white chocolate ice-scream.
As the two dived into their meal, Emma started connecting the dots and looked up at him. “So, how did you know he had a harem?”
Jake stuffed a spoonful of cake, chewed and swallowed. “From his friend and let’s say the interview was…” his mouth curved into a smile as he put his fingers together. “…interesting.”
Her eyes flickered with fear as she studied the dilated pupils in his eyes. “You didn’t harm him did you? What’s his name?”
“Otohiko Meichi and no I didn’t squeeze the information out of him. He started talking once I offered to help pay for his hospital bills in exchange for his information but what made things interesting is the way he talked about his friend.”
“What did he say?”
“He talked about how he was getting frustrated with Mr. Yamada openly complain about his wife and how he wished he married Kokona Haruka instead because she was more ‘interesting’ than her.” He inspected his finger nails. “What an asshole right Beloved?”
Emma pondered on the information given to her. ‘He does have a point but how true is it? I mean, he doesn’t look like someone who kills people but killers come in all shape and sizes. Not to mention his wife…’
“Beloved?”
She snapped back to reality and stared at Jake who looked at her with eyes full of concern.
“Is something wrong? You haven’t touched your dessert.” He point out.
“Oh,” she took a spoonful and stuffed it into her mouth. “Mmm! Tasty.”
Although he found her reaction cute, Jake clicked his teeth. “You aren’t good at pretending are you Beloved.”
“I know,” she put down her cutlery.
“I hate it when you lie to me Beloved.” His face softened. “Talk to me. What’s wrong?”
She adverted her eyes from his face and immediately noticed a strange woman staring at them however when their eyes met, the woman stood up abruptly and left.
“Beloved?” Jake reached out and gently turned her face towards him. “Are you thinking about the girls he messed with?”
Her face flushed and something warmed her heart when she saw the look of concern in his eyes but quickly reminded herself that his statement confirmed the theory she had in mind. “Why do you ask that?”
“I don’t think he is the culprit.” She picked up her spoon and stabbed her cake with it. “I know but this seems crazy but the evidence seem to be pointing at someone else.”
He frowned at this. “Okay. Who do you think is the culprit?”
“His wife,”
Jake chuckled at this. “His wife? Don’t be ridiculous Beloved. Why do you think that?”
“For starters, she was friends with Osana Najimi before her death and Mr. Fumestu and the late victim’s crush confirmed that. Not to mention the information on how she uncovered Saikou Cooperation’s corruption sounds…vague.”
“I see,” Jake hummed in thought.
“How can someone just stumble into the information on a computer hidden in the student council room and found clues in a hidden chest? It doesn’t make sense at all. It all sounds fictionalized.”
Jake’s eyes darted towards the woman who was watching them and looked back at her. “I think you are right but what proof do we have that it is a lie? I mean everyone already believes that bullshit and no one is going to believe you when you say it’s fake?”
At this Emma sighed and took a bite at her cake. “You are right. Maybe I should drop it.”
Jake nodded and leaned back while looking at the woman. “Yeah you should but is there anything that links her to the crime?”
“Umm…” Emma adverted her eyes to look at the woman who called the waiter before looking back at him. “She tried to kill me?”
“WHAT?”
His loud voice silenced the room and everyone turned to look at them. Emma’s face flushed in fear while Jake bowed his head. Then he started shaking with rage then he looked at her with rage.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
His voice was calm but it did nothing to calm the uncomfortable atmosphere she created. “I didn’t…I…I was sorry.”
“Beloved?” he clasped her hands and looked into her eyes. “Do you want me to kill her?”
She panicked, quickly looked around.
“I promise it will be slow and painful!” he tightened her grip on her hands. “Please?”
She shook her head and groaning in frustration, he picked up his cutlery and ruthlessly stabbed his cake but he couldn’t take a bite. Noticing this, Emma reached out to pat him on the head and watched the anger fade away. Her hand slowly went down to his face and stroked his cheeks with her thumb. With a quicken heartbeat, his eyes dropped and with half lidded eyes, he relaxed.
“It’s okay Darling.” She looked into his eyes and forced a smile. “It’s okay. Let’s take things one step at a time alright?”
He takes a deep breath and sighed. “Why are you doing this Beloved? Don’t you recall what she did to you?”
“Who? His wife?”
“No Osana Najimi!”
“Jake remember, I decided to go there on my own. Osana didn’t do anything wrong. She was trying to help me!” she replied with pleading eyes.
“She was trying to separate us Beloved.” Jake insisted. “She tried to kill me. If she was on our side, why would she try to do that? Not to mention the other ghosts use you as their ‘errand girl’.”
Emma grimaced. “But I gave her my word.”
He put the last piece of cake into his mouth, laced his fingers together and looked deeply into her eyes. “So what? It’s not like finding the murderer will help anyone.”
“What do you mean?”
“You barely found any evidence linking the suspect you have in mind and no one will believe you unless you have physical evidence.” Then he spread his hands wide. “That’s just how the justice system works."
‘Gosh, he is making this hard.’ She thought.
‘You need to give him something he can’t refuse and you know what he wants.’
So she took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. “I know that but like I said, I gave her my word. I promise, when all this is over I will consider starting a family with you.”
Upon hearing this, Jake's eyes flickered with excitement and he grasped her hand. “Really? You want to start a family with me?”
“Yes,” then she pointed at him. “But on one condition; you will let me finish my education first and I mean finish college and you are coming with me.”
The excitement faded. “But you don’t need it. Why can’t you see that? I can take care of you!”
“Remember what you told me in the labyrinth?” she asked shocking him again. “You told me I was a strong, independent woman with goals, ambitions, and dreams and you were willing to support me every step of the way.”
He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “Yeah, but I also said I would really love it if you were a housewife.”
“So you were bluffing about that statement you made?” she glared at him. “You were lying?”
“What? No! No, I wasn’t.” He replied in a panic.
Emma folded her arms, looked away and puffed up her cheeks in a stubborn pout.
“Oh come on, Beloved. I really meant it.” He cooed.
She gave him a quick side glance and looked away.
“Oh come on Sweetie! I meant it. I swear.” He begged leaning forward to stroke her chin. “Don’t be angry my beautiful goddess. My angel. My sweet sexy milkshake.”
Now Emma was really mad. She turned to him with anger in her eyes catching him off guard. “Don’t call me ‘Milkshake’. It makes me feel like I am a cow.”
At first Jake looks at her in confusion until his eyes fall on her chest. Blushing madly, he nods his head furiously. “Understood.”
“And don’t call me ‘Baby’ either. I hate that name," she added looking away.
He nodded and his eyes glistened. “Speaking of babies, what name do you think we should call our future children?”
“Huh?” Emma asked in shock.
“I have a list of good names.” He whipped out his phone. “We can call our son Tachibana, Jun, Kazia…no wait Kazia is a terrible name and so is Ayato. There is no way I am naming our child Ayato.”
‘It's best I let him ramble on,’ Emma thought frustrated. ‘Come to think of it, he hasn’t said anything about marriage.’
‘At least you dodged that bullet.’
She silently agreed and tapped on the table to get his attention. “Umm. How about we try to find someone else instead?”
He stopped scrolling on his phone and looked at her. “Who?”
“Osoro Shidesu.”
“Why do you want to look for her?” he asked.
“She might have the clue I need to find out who killed Osana Najimi.”
He groaned loudly. “Come on Beloved. I thought we already found the culprit. All we need to do is to catch her and make her talk.”
Emma shakes her head. “I need to return to Akademi High. Maybe I can find something in there.”
This brought a frown on his face but he groaned loudly and tapped his spoon on his plate in thought. “Okay." 212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJO2IKo7GH2
Emma's face lit up at that. "Really?"212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LxBUULW6T
"Yeah but..." he looked into her eyes. "Just be careful alright?”
Inwardly, she sighed in relief and reached out to grab his hand. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
Jake blushed madly.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
