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"So, who do we have for this month?” Miwako asked as she pulled out a folder from her backpack. She placed it on the table with a careless thud, seemingly oblivious to the effect that had on her piping hot latte. Today was her off-day, so she doesn't need to have the pure black motor-oil to keep her running for the day). The liquid swirled precariously at the edge, almost spilling onto the table. Almost.
“We have got Tamaki Sumiko from Admin who’s interested in Honda Maru from Homicide. Darimu Kimiko from Traffic is showing signs of infatuation towards Yamozo Toohu from Homicide as well, but I only heard it from a third-hand source,” Chiba read from his tablet. He took a sip from his cappuccino, totally unconcerned by the mini tremble on the table may have on his cup, as he knew from the sound that his coffee never spilled. Satou had a disregard for such things and it had happened so many times that he had gone beyond the point of caring. He had much better things to focus his attention on anyway.
“It should be alright to nudge them together. Yamozo’s interest in you has been waning for a while now. He is only hanging around with the Satou club members because his partner’s still an avid supporter, but he’s definitely cooled down since three months back.”
“That’s good to know. Do you think it’ll work if we get them to join Yumi’s Friday drinks next week?”
“Sounds like a plan. Now, how about…”
-o-
Satou Miwako knew that the majority of the male specimens in her department were interested in her. It was not as if they made an effort to hide that little fact. The Satou club was too popular, conspicuous, and had grossly underestimated the prowess of the precinct gossips. Or at least underestimated the number of friends who’s willing to diverge such information to her. She didn’t get to where she was without making some friends.
Despite the fact that she knew they helping her case.
If they saw beyond the superficials, they would find a tomboy who was not at all dainty and had a blatant disregard for propriety whenever she could get away with it, - much to her mother’s chagrin. She heard that gossip for what the Satou Club discussed in regards to what they’d imagine what it would be to get together with her - unsurprisingly, whatever they described her as, that definitely wasn't her.)
She’s opinionated and wasn’t someone who’s afraid to speak her mind. She’s driven and passionate about her career in law enforcement, and she would never put her career on hold or, God forbid, end i just because her husband wanted her to be a stay-at-home wife. The label ‘traditional Japanese wife’ just did not apply to her. She just wasn’t that kind of girl.
(lAnd, at the end of the day, she was her father’s daughter, no matter how much her mother moaned and complained about how it affected her ability to attract a potential husband. If no one could accept this about her, well, too bad for them. That was the one thing that she was not going to change about herself. Especially since that's what made her so darn good for her job.
She’d also learned the hard way that guys usually had rose-tinted expectations of her when her longest relationship lasted for three weeks - and she had never gone beyond the first date for most of them. They always broke it off with her for the same exact reason, even if they didn’t say so. It was blatantly clear from the way there were never any second dates to the kind of girls they pursued afterwards.
(So, no matter what Yumi said about giving dating a shot, she was never going to put herself through that again. Not for anyone who only filled their heads with an idealised version of her so different from who she really was that it would be shattered to pieces once they got to know her, and she would be the one left behind to pick up those pieces.)
It was just easier to act oblivious to the attention and focus all her energy on her work.
At the end of the day, she still had to work with these men who were probably only yearning for some female company. It was just not worth the drama putting their heads straight.
So when Chiba suggested this matchmaking scheme to curtail the Satou club, it was the best and the most fun she had had in a long, long while.
-o-
“So, I heard news about your new partner,” Chiba said with a smug casualness that was a vast contrast to his body language. The left corner of his mouth tilting ever so slightly and his right foot tapping with a controlled vigorousness that betrayed his extreme excitement.
Shoot. That means he’s got news. Big news.
“Oh? Who is it? I don’t think I’ll be meeting him until tomorrow.” Satou tried her best sound uninterested, keeping her face as neutral as possible.
(There was never any doubt on the gender of her partner. Besides his supreme work ethic and charismatic nature, Superintendent General Hakuba was also known for his stance on assigning women to Division One. Especially when they were most likely going to retire after getting married. Satou had to bite her own tongue - it hurt for a whole week - to keep herself from telling him where he should shove that particular opinion to.)
“I heard from the girls from Admin yesterday that he’s a cutie pie.”
Oh… he’s baiting me.
Really big news.
“Oh goodie,” she replied, deadpan. Cutie pies, especially when they know it, can be a huge pain to deal with. A pain that she didn’t need in her life. “Does that mean I am going to get an eye-candy ‘himbo’ this time? I know what their opinion of Seiko-san from arson was.”
(That one knew he was a cutie pie too. She hoped she wouldn’t be working with him any time soon. Or ever.)
Chiba’s smirk only widened at that. Who could have intrigued Chiba enough to warrant that smirk?
“Nope. Nothing of that sort. I heard that you even know of him. Apparently you had recommended him for the Police Academy.”
“Huh? Really? Who?”
-o-
The first time she met Takagi Wataru, she had been surprised to leave feeling impressed by him.
It had been a long while since she was left feeling that way.
Not just because he didn’t fall head over heels with her apparent outer beauty like all the other guys did.
She had to make some friends to get to where she was today. In fact, she almost hadn’t made it into Division One and was almost shuffled into the Traffic Division like too many of her female peers because the higher ups thought once she got married she would leave her police career behind. Blah!
Thank goodness for Megure-keibu, who had vouched for her and specifically handpicked her for his team. (You had got to love nepotism sometimes.) Yet it had meant that there were some obligations she had to fulfil as part of her condition to be assigned to Division One.
Which was where she was right now, being involved in the university recruitment process. Apparently, the higher ups felt that her presence would be the key to encourage more people to apply for the force, which had seen a decline in applications for the past decade, with better and more glamourous prospects up for grasp than a career in law enforcement would ever provide. Erh!
Takagi had been one of the unfortunate candidates she’d had to screen among the many she had already been given a red strike to.
She could tell that he was nervous, with his shaky hands as he handed her his resume. She hadn’t paid much attention to Takagi then, him being one of the numerous candidates that had lined up in this university fair who was far more interested in securing a full-time position in this dreadful economy than making this world a better place, one arrest at a time.
Not like her.
She had asked him all the normal questions and he had given boring, over-rehearsed, mechanical set of answers. Had the nerves gotten to him? Pity. She was all ready to put him behind like all the other candidates, striking him off as the usual batch of disappointing candidates. Then, she posed him this last question:
“What made you decide that a career in law enforcement is for you?”
It was a performance to behold, seeing the transformation from the nervous meek character to an entirely different personality in a matter of seconds; as if something had turned on the switch on from within.
He shifted his posture, sitting straighter and taller. His eyes sparkled with attention and focus, brimming with passion. Before she knew it, Miwako was entranced and she knew he wholeheartedly believed in every word he said after.
“It’s always been my dream to work in law enforcement. I have witnessed for mysel what a difference it make. Even the simplest of cases being solved can make a difference in someone’s eyes…”
It wasn’t just the poetry behind his words that moved her. It was the conviction behind the voice, the determination in his posture, the resolute in his eyes.
The sincerity that had encompassed his whole being.
She was thrown back into the past, vividly reminded her of her father when he was alive. Even at the tender age of four, she remembered the passion he spoke with when she asked about his work.
The exact same passion that this young man spoke when he shared his dreams with her. That she’d never seen in anyone else other than her father.
Before today, that is.
Takagi Wataru… he was someone she would be looking forward to working with.
-o-
“I also heard that he was almost shuffled into Traffic,” Chiba mentioned off handedly. Erg! He’s reeling in the lure now.
She. Must. Resist.
“What? Why? Is there something bad I should know about my new partner? Looks like my recommendation was useless then, if that’s the case.”
It was getting harder to maintain the nonchalant facade.
Just her luck Chiba has alway been able to see through it. That ability made him such a good cop, but that was not helping her right now.
“No. He scored slightly above average in his test and quite well in the physicals. But his teachers thought that he was too soft. Wasn’t made for this career. Probably thought he would get bullied by the suspects.”
Shoot, now he had her hooked, line and sinker.
Urgh! Fine. I’ll give it to him.
“There’s must something that impressed them enough. Or did he have someone to pull strings for him?”
Satou immediately thought back of the young man she interviewed a few years back. He seemed to fit the profile that Chiba described. There was only one candidate she’d ever thought highly enough of that she would have recommended for the role, even if she didn't remember ever doing so.
“Well, you know how we get to tail someone for two weeks before we graduate? He got the then-Superintendent Matsumoto, and just so happened to be on the scene when a high profile criminal resisted arrest and escaped. Somehow, this guy managed to give chase and tackle the culprit before he could escape further. The criminal was struggling, and Takagi gave this awe-inspiring speech about how he should make amends and not run away from his problem.
“And, it worked. The culprit gave up after that.”
“Wow.”
“Rumour has it that was the first time the Senior Superintendent ever handpicked anyone into Division One straight from the Academy. “
-o-
The second time she met Takagi Wataru was the first day he was assigned to be her partner.
Takagi treated her with the respect her position commanded. No more, no less. He was diligent and serious about his job, scribbling note after note as she brought him up to speed.
It was refreshing.
It had been awhile since she’d worked with someone who she could operate with as a normal human being instead of being overly cautious about not sending the wrong message to her male co-workers. That’s how sad her life had become.
That bliss lasted till lunch time.
They’re were called in for case. It had been simple. They managed to narrow in on the suspect in quick time and, with a well-placed question, they nailed the culprit.
Naturally, the culprit, while daring, wasn’t the sharpest pencil in the bunch. He tried to escape when he managed to grab hold of a steak knife, and started brandishing it around like the idiot he was.
Unfortunately for Takagi, considering any cop’s luck their first day on the job, had been a little too close. He’d been the one been trying to handcuff the guy and got nicked on the forearm for his trouble.
Satou had reacted on instinct and, the next thing she knew, she had the culprit restrained on the floor, his hand locked behind his back. More importantly, the knife was far, far away from his reach.
Then there was that all too familiar sparkle in Takagi’s eyes.
Well, at least this time, the admiration was for something that she did…and she found herself feeling rather flattered by it. For the first time, she found herself not minding the attention, especially when she was being appreciated for her abilities.
So one couldn’t blame her for starting to take an interest him as well. Who could?
-o-
“Oh~. Looks like someone’s in love~!”
That was how Chiba had greeted her the next time they met up on their off day for another session of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police MatchMaking Session.
“It’s not-! I’m not-! I’m not interested in Takagi!” For added emphasis, she slammed her hands on the table and tried to roast him with her eyes. Unfortunately, her bodily functions decided to betray her, since she could feel her face over heat. It must have, since it explained why Chiba’s glee had tripled in intensity.
That, or he’d become immune to her Glare of Doom. Shoot.
“Oh~. That’s interesting. I specifically remember not mentioning any names~. Is there something you’d like to share, Satou-san?”
“Oh shut up! You definitely weren’t talking about the tea cup on the table.”
She did what anyone would in her situation.
She sat down and pouted.
Chiba, on the other side of the table, giggled and giggle snorted into his Mocha.
“So you won’t mind if I nudged him a bit?”
“Do what you want. See if I care…” Deflect! Deflect! Deflect! “Let’s just get on with it, who do we have for this month?”
-o-
There was a part of her that was always adversed to ever seeing Shiratori-kun as a potential love interest, no matter how much he’d made it abundantly clear that he was very, very keen to get to know her.
Maybe it had to do with the fact that he just couldn’t to take ‘no’ for an answer. She’d raised her eyebrow at his persistence, which she would have found admirable if it were directed more towards his work than at her.
It didn’t help that he’d carried that posh and sophisticated air around him that distinctly reminded her for one of her more awful dates who had been more interested in trying to snoop around for a trophy wife. She hadn’t even needed to deduce this fact, he’d let it slip himself, the idiot.
Not that Shiratori wasn’t a nice person. Because he was. He was a great officer. There was a reason why he was on a fast-track to being an Inspector that had nothing to do with his connections, surprisingly. He was dedicated, intelligent, and a fun guy to be with when he loosened up. Which he never did with Satou. Or at all until much, much later when he landed himself his real dream girl.
When he was in his let’s-impress-Satou mode, where he tried to cajole her into going on a date to places where Satou had no interest in going. Or when he showed his ugly side whenever he tried to one-up Takagi-kun in a non-existent rivalry for her affection (Because let’s be honest, Shiratori was never in contention, anyway).
Most importantly, it always felt like he was always seeing through her. As if he was seeing another girl when he was looking at her.
Later, when she found out about Koyabashi-sensei, it all finally made sense. Satou had never been the girl he was chasing after in the first place.
Now, Shiratori was just a marshmallow of a boyfriend that would have scored brownie points with Satou if he’d been himself in the beginning. She guessed it was a good thing that didn’t happen in the end, otherwise she would never have gained a good, supportive friend in him...even if it took a good long while for them to get there.)
-o-
“Please, Chiba-kun! You have got to help me!,” Satou yell-whispered into her phone. There were just some things her mother was better off not knowing to maintain tranquility in this house.
Which was why she was here, in the toilet, making this once-in-a-lifetime emergency phone call.
“Okay, okay. Where’s the fire?” he said in the deliberate calm, relaxed tone that always grated her nerves when she was frazzled. While that meant that he didn’t have a case now, it also meant, unfortunately, that her dramatic hysterics, such as her glare, has long lost its effects on him. She’d hoped he’d still humor her a little.
“It’s my mother! She just arranged an Omiai! The nerve of her! And it’s for next week and I don’t even know who it is with! You’ve got to help me!”
“What? A blind date? Doesn’t sound like your mom. Isn’t she always going on and on about true love or love at first sight shenanigans?” It wasn’t the first time that Mrs. Satou tried to set her daughter up. Everyone in the precinct knew about the stack of files of prospective candidates that she kept - including the Satou club themselves who, she was sure, had contributed ninety percent of the candidates.
In fact, they were the first to know about the stack, even before Satou herself. She’d long suspected the omiai hadn’t been her mother’s idea. She longed for the day she would find out who’d planted that particular seed of horror.)
“Well, not exactly. I...kinda choose the file at random.”
There was a long, long pause. Then, a sigh.
“...You did your party trick and picked up the file with your toes, didn’t you? So you didn’t even have the chance to look at the file, didn’t you? Because if you’d used your hands, you’d be naturally curious enough to at least take a peek on the folder.”
“....”
“And you didn’t want to give your mother the satisfaction so you can’t ask her who she arranged it with.”
“...”
Another sigh. “Alright, I’ll see what I can do. The timeline’s too tight, but I should be able to work something if we include Yumi-san.”
“Eeeh? Do we have to? I love her, but her plans tend to be a little...extreme.” They all remembered how all her plans to nab herself a boyfriend had gone. Simply put, they were all suited to become precautionary tales for all.
“Don’t worry, it’s not like we’ll be giving her time to plan something extravagant anyway.”
“You’re right...you’re right… Thanks Chiba-kun. You’re a lifesaver.”
“Of course.” Cheeky junior, what more could she ask for?
“By the way, how’s the ‘Shiratori situation’ coming along?” Satou asked.
“It’s a no go. Still sticking to his old guns. In fact, he seemed...chirpy today.”
“Should I worry? As in he-has-another-scheme-up-his-sleeve worry?”
“Go ahead.”
“Darn.”
-o-
The last male co-worker Satou managed to converse normally with before Takagi-kun, before he fell under her (unintentional) spell, was Chiba-kun, her junior in the university debate team.
Straight laced cops and fair players that they were, they weren’t above manipulating things to get what they needed. Even if that need was entertainment.
Like she said, They were both very, very good at their job.
They had hit it off as fast friends and Miwako hadn’t looked back since. Which was how they’d come up with this matchmaking scheme. They had an initial test run during winter of their first year of friendship in university. Not just because it served the primary purpose to make life easier for Satou-san. There was also the satisfaction of knowing that they were behind the mechanics of getting Suzuko-san from Admin with Toruko-san from Criminal Affairs together without anyone the wiser.
It also helped that it was fun.
Later, when both of them were feeling down, Chiba on his lack of love life and Miwako when she’d just lost her partner-that-could-have-been-something-more, Matsuda Jinpei, they contemplated hooking up with each other.
Just because she didn’t complain about them to Yumi didn’t mean she was immune to such troubles.
They dismissed the idea as quickly as they had thought of it when they realised neither had given up hope in finding their true partner in life, which they knew from the start they would not find in each other.
It was during one of their slumber-slash-pity-parties, with five bottles of beer and still going strong, that Satou came up with the proposal while they were watching a horribly hilarious reality tv show where the participants had to fart to get their hands on the most delectable sushi Japan has to offer.
“In any case, if we still can’t find anyone by the time we are forty, well, I’ll be forty-three, you’ll be forty, and if we are still amicable to it, let’s get married. That is, if we manage to still be alive by then.”
They were very aware of the dangers of their chosen vocation and have lost enough friends and partners to acknowledge that little fact for what it was.
“You mean sort of like a backup plan....”
“Yes.”
“Sure, sounds good. At least now I can get my grandma off my back.”
They continued to watch the show, where the participants were hit in the balls as punishment for failing the challenge, as if the conversation never happened.
-o-
“Okay, fine. I like Takagi-kun. There, I said it.” She slammed the folders on the table at the same cafe they hang out at. That did nothing to hide the blush on her cheeks from Chiba-kun.
“Oh, what took you so long~?”
Chiba came into the office the next day with a black eye. No one believed his story that he’d tripped and knocked his eye on the door knob.
-o-
It was a mistake.
She was cursed. She would lose him at this rate. She would just put him in danger if she got involved with him and it would be all her fault.
Like her father… Like Matsuda-kun...
Wasn’t that why there was that shroud of foreboding air around Takagi-kun these days? To warn her? To tell her to stay far, far away for him?
She had gotten carried away. She’d almost put him in harm’s way. If he hadn’t noticed the bomb...If he hadn’t gotten away in time… The bomb under the car… He would have…
She would have lost him forever.
He was lucky this time, to have been away from the bomb before it detonated. He wouldn’t be as lucky the next time.
The next time...
There wouldn’t be a next time. She would put an end to it.
It was the right thing to do.
So she called things off with him, when they finally solved the case… Even if it broke her heart to millions of pieces and she knew couldn’t pick them up by herself.
-o-
He came by with a bottle of sake and a box of Takoyaki take away.
“Chiba-keiji? How can I help you? Is it for work?” Mrs. Satou greeted him when she came to open the door.
“Oh. Good evening Satou-san. Nothing like that. I just came because Satou-keiji’s been down recently and I thought I’d cheer her up.” He gestured at the plastic bags in his hands.
Relief was evident in her eyes as her shoulders sagged and she welcomed him in.
“Alright. I’ll see if she’s okay to see you. That girl. You’d think now that she’d finally gone out with that Takagi fellow, I wouldn’t have to worry about her as much anymore. But no, she just had to be melodramatic and pull a stunt like this. Unfortunately, she got it from me. Thank goodness my husband knew how to handle me… Would this Takagi fellow know how to handle her?” she asked as she led Chiba into the living room.
“Don’t worry. Takagi-keiji’s the perfect man for her, in my opinion. I think she’s just upset that she almost lost him during one of their cases and it spooked her. Doesn’t help that it was near that time of the year, with the bomber thing.”
“Alright. Let me get Miwako… And Chiba-kun?”
“Yes, Madam?”
“Could you keep me posted... and don’t let her know about it?"
“Of course Satou-san. As always”
Satou came out in her trackers and her head resembling a bird’s nest. Now that she hadn’t had to hide her pain from her partner, Chiba could finally see how much of a mess she was over her (idiotic) decision.
“What are you doing here, Chiba-kun?” she asked as she rub her eyes to clear the cobwebs in her mind.
“Are you up for a walk?” He lifted up and opened the plastic bag for her to see.
Ten minutes later, they found themselves at one of the chess tables at the park.
“Eeh? Chiba-kun? Only one puny bottle?” Satou swung the bottle a little before opening it up and pushing it towards Chiba.
“You know we still have work tomorrow. I don’t want a repeat of the last time,” he said as he opened up the take away box.
“Erh. Spoilsport.”
“I’ll cut to the chase,” Chiba said as he poured the sake into mini plastic cups that had come with the bottle. “Talk to me.”
She flinched, but responded by choking down her sake in one quick motion.
“I’m the cursed one, Chiba-kun. You know that.”
“You know that’s not going to work with me… Why don’t you pull out the other rabbit?” Chiba gave her the best glare he could master to show her that he was serious. Unfortunately he never perfected it.
She stared back for a long moment, before conceding and chucked down another cup of sake to prepare herself.
“I’m a coward, Chiba-kun. It’s just easier to love a man long dead than start an unknown adventure with a living, breathing person. I just… it’s just so hard to let go. And I don’t want to burden Takagi with all my baggage.”
“Good. At least it’s not really about the superstition thing.” Chiba pushed the takoyaki box towards Satou-san, who absentmindedly started shoving food into her mouth. “Everyone has some sort of baggage, and Takagi’s in it for the long haul. He’s not those guys you’ve dated before. You know that.”
“I know...Does Takagi...?”
“He’s hanging in there, even if he does not really know why.... He’ll wait for you if you ask him.”
Silence reigned in on them, with only the sound of her chewing on her food permeating the air for the next few minutes.
She spoke again once she devoured all the food and sake.
“Yeah.... He’s perfect... Perfect for me, isn’t he?”
“Yep.”
“I screwed up big time, didn’t I?”
“That’s right.”
There was a hard thud as Satou banged her head on the concrete table.
“Would you be able to help your old pal out here?”
It was only through his years of friendship with her that Chiba was able to interpret Satou’s muffled request.
“Sorry, You’re on your own this time. Anything else wouldn’t be sincere. Which is what you’re all about, anyway. Besides, I have got to go to Takagi’s later. God know’s he’ll probably drown in his own tears if I don’t.”
“I’m such an idiot.”
“So long as you are going to do something about it, Satou-san.”
-o-
So she righted her wrongs… when she could no longer ignore the beat of her heart… when she finally could bring herself to shake off the shackles that bound her to her past… when she finally let go and took a step in the future.
Especially for the man who kept her grounded, supported her whenever she needed. Loved her for who she was.
She was not going to throw away her second chance.
She didn’t know what was going to happen, but this time she’d make sure to do it right.
-o-
“Thanks Chiba-kun. I don’t know how you persuaded the kids, but thanks.”
“Oh?”
They’d continued their match-making operation even though she had finally hooked up and got herself a boyfriend. Even though they worked in the same team, they hardly had the time to hang out as friends. This was one of the little reprieves in their lives that they weren’t going to give up anytime soon.
Besides, they had to make sure that the Satou club didn’t rough up her new boyfriend too much, didn’t she?
“When the kids helped run interference for me at the hospital? So that finally no one, not even well-meaning colleagues, were able to interrupt us.”
“Eh?” There was only confusion written on Chiba’s face.
“Oh, I thought you were the one to nudge the kids...”
“Oh… I didn’t do or say anything to them.Too risky, kids can be such blabbermouths sometimes so I didn’t want to get them involved.”
“Huh? But I thought you even had Conan-kun run interference for me back then, from the omiai.”
“Nope, I got Yumi-san to get Takagi-kun into that we-have-a-case-and-I-need-your-help routine to get you out of the omiai.”
“Okay. So that means you had got nothing to do to what happened at the hospital?”
“Looks like it was all them. I didn’t have my finger in that pie, unfortunately.”
“Yes. Well, they’re good kids. And there’s Conan-kun.”
“And there’s Conan-kun.”
…
“I do hope you made good use of that golden opportunity.”
“Chiba-kun!”
-o-
For the first time in months, she was finally the one came to their monthly meeting with a full blown smirk on her face that had Chiba instinctively fearing for his life.
“Hi, Chiba-kun.”
“Satou-san?”
“I heard some good news in Traffic~”
“What? Who?”
“I’m not going to tell you~”
Glare.
“...This is for that last time with Takagi, isn’t it?”
She kept her smug grin on her face. It felt good to finally be able to return the favour.
What would she ever do without her BFF?
-o-
owari