CHAPTER 33: THE PICTURE

“H-horikita san……”

With that, Shizuka turned around too, and found the witch was standing five feet with her dark brown eyes stared at them. Tremors filled within her immediately, knowing that the woman was listening to her talk after all. Within a second, silence filled within the office immediately as Shizuka ran her eyes somewhere else, afraid that the witch will start cursing on her.

                  Horikita Maki wandered her eyes from Shizuka to Toda Erika, who was still in shock status. The long hair woman instantly stood up and walked toward her.

“H-horikita san…you are here? How is the meeting?” She asked instantly. There is some waverness in her voice, might be because of her sudden appearance there.

“Fine.” Maki answered it shortly as she walked toward her door. Erika glanced toward Shizuka and glared at her while mouthing words go back. Seeing the sign, the short woman instantly stood up while looking apologetic than ever before walked slowly toward the main door.

                  Maki twisted the knob and entered her room and walked toward her place. The files that were on her hands were put on the table as her eyes wandered around it. Erika followed her whiles clasping her hands tightly.

“Horikita san…” Upon hearing her name, Maki lifted her gaze toward her secretary. There was nervous reflected on her face as she looked at her.

“About what happened earlier…I…..” Suddenly a knock on the door grabbed their attention. Turning their gaze, they found out it was Ryo standing at the door while smiling. Erika groaned softly and gritted her teeth.

“You better see Nishikido san first, Toda san….” Maki told her made Erika sighed deeply.

“Yes, Horikita san.” She answered half-heartedly while bowing. Walking toward the door, she closed back the door tightly, leaving Maki alone inside her office alone. Maki sat down on her chair looking back on the document that she carried earlier.

“It is!!! It is Eri chan! Nagasawa  Masami is now pregnant with Yamaa Tomohisa’s baby!!”

                  The sentenced resounded inside her mind, making she flinched instantly. Clasping her hand tightly, she sighed before lifting her gaze from the documents. Somehow, her minds could not feel peace at all.Not what she heard just now kept bugging inside her mind….

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“What?!” Ryo spoke the words in horror, as he was nearly choked with his rice. Erika clicked her tongue as she looked around, noticing that everyone was looking at them with amused expression.

“Shh…Yoyo!!! You are so loud.” Erika complained to him. Ryo grunted and bit on his chopstick. Thinking for a while, he spoke toward the long hair woman.

“Seriously, is it true?” Ryo pinned the question look toward Erika. However, Erika lifted her shoulder as she dug in her curry rice back. Then,  she talked softly with the man while chewing her food.

“That is not the main thing that I worry actually, Ryo. It just I wonder whether your boss knew about the rumors or not?” Ryo shook his head upon hearing the woman’s question.

“I don’t think so. Plus, I just heard about this.If he knew about this already, he must be like jumping to Masami and be with her already. Am I right?” Erika nodded and understood that the man too never listened to the gossip before. Then, Ryo continued his words as worry laced within his words, grabbing the long hair woman’s attention back.

“Frankly Erika, rather than that issue, there is something else bothering me recently on Pi and the witch.”Ryo stopped for a while as he heaved a deep sigh. Then, he fixed his gaze while pinning a serious look on Erika, who slightly raised her eyebrows a little bit.

 “You know what? I felt something wrong with them. As if …” before Ryo could finish his sentence, Erika butted in.

“That their relationship is cold, like that?” Ryo widened his eyes in surprise.

“How did you know that?!!” The question flew out from his mouth fast. Erika put down her spoon and looked at the owner of husky voice.

“You notice it too?” Ryo nodded. Inhaling softly, the man spoke as he pointed out his reasons.

“Actually, I notice it recently. When they met in the lift accidently, they did not smile toward each other. At first I thought maybe they did not want to show their relationship to others. However, what made me became more suspicious was that Yamapi will take some other way if he encountered her accidently. He ran away a lot you know, as if he was avoiding her.”

“Eehhhh….really? I don’t know about that.”

“Umm. Plus, Pi would spend his time in his office till midnight. Seriously, what the heck he did that? Newlywed couple is usually looked extremely happy and glow, but they are not. This morning I notice it once again when I talked about the witch, he instantly dodged the issues and ran away from encountering her although she was so close to him.” Ryo spoke seriously about it. Erika became silence upon hearing his explaination.

“How about the witch? Did she say anything or have different reactions when Yamapi was around.” Erika shook her head immediately.

“She’s not. You know her, aren’t you? She was always like that, cold and has stoic expression. Maybe, only your boss has different reaction regarding to her. Tch….seriously, this is weird. I really thought that there are something special happened between two of them after seeing those two kissing between each other on that party. However, everything goes wrong, and suddenly, their relationship became cold.” Ryo rubbed his chin as he nodded.

“Maybe at home they are different? Who knows? They are pretending?” Ryo poked another question to woman who sat in front of him.

“I’m not sure about that…..” Erika sighed deeply as she put down her spoon. Both of them became silence at once as what they discussed ending up without any solutions. Suddenly…..

“Found you!” Kazuya appeared out of nowhere making Erika and Ryo startled instantly. The owner of blonde hair instantly flopped on the chair across Ryo with a smile tugged on his lips.

“Gosh, Kazuya, you nearly made me have a heart attack.” Erika her chest softly as she glared toward the man. However, the tall man replied with a soft laugh.

“Gomen…gomen. I did not mean to do that. Actually, I’ve been searching for Ryo since morning.”

“Me?” The man nodded fast.

“Azuma asked you whether you want to join the party in Shinjuku today? There are lots of girls going to join it.” Ryo widened his eyes immediately with both of his eyes sparkled with naughtiness.

“What the heck! Of course I’m joining!” Ryo replied excitedly while nodding his head fast. For him, he would join any kind of party as long as there will be beautiful women there. Erika rolled her eyes in disgust upon seeing Ryo’s reaction. This made the owner of blonde hair smiled upon seeing it.

“You are invited too, Toda san.”Instantly, her head snapped toward Kazuya who invited her. Ryo widened his eyes in surprise.

“I…I am invited to the party?” As if did not believe herself, Erika asked back the question to Kazuya. Softly, the man nodded giving an assuring look.

“Hey!!! Why do you invite her!!This is our party!” Ryo growled angrily toward Kazuya. Erika scoffed upon hearing Ryo’s words of anger toward Kazuya. Glaring at him with the corner of her eyes, she snarled at the man.

“Why Yoyo? Are you afraid that I will see you flirting with those girls? Tch!” Erika smacked his arms as she could not control her anger anymore toward him. This made Ryo groaned in pain while mumbling cursing words under his breath toward Erika. Satisfying after venting her anger toward her best friend, she smiled sweetly toward Kazuya.

“Well….Kazuya, I am SO interested in joining your party tonight. Thank you so much for inviting me.” Erika told the man before glaring back toward Ryo and jutted her tongue toward him. Then, she stood up while lifting the tray of her food as she spoke again.

“See you tonight in the party then….” Erika smiled to Kazuya before leaving the Ryo and him at the table. Ryo’s gaze followed Erika as he cursed the woman softly.

“Erika aho!!!Aho!! Why did she agree to come to the party!!”Ryo mumbled softly as he stabbed his rice back and ate them. Kazuya chuckled deeply upon hearing the man’s words before shot him with words.

“Tch! Just admit it Ryo, you secretly like it when she agrees to it.” Kazuya playfully making Ryo rolled his eyes. Running his eyes from Kazuya, he fixed his gaze back toward his food and groaned again.

“No, I am not!” Ryo denied about it. However, Kazuya laughed already as he noticed that the man’s ears already red due to his teases.

“Don’t lie Ryo. Your ears are already red.” Ryo growled softly and put the chopstick on the tray before standing up.

“You are so annoying. I’m going back to the office!” Ryo complained to Kazuya who already grinned widely seeing his reaction. He too, stood up and followed Ryo.

“Baka! Why deny when you are totally in love with her!” Kazuya shot the words to Ryo. However, Ryo acted as if he did not listen to those words and let his feet dragged him toward the main door of the café. Inside him, he was embarrassed because that man managed to know his weaknest point after all.

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“Please wait here, Mukai san will come and see you later.” Nana said politely toward Nagasawa Masami who looked around the large office. Nodding softly, she sat on the leather sofa which was at the corner of the room. The petite woman bowed and leaved her alone in the room.

                Masami looked around the office and found it was decorated stylishly. Inhaling softly, she tried to calm her heart beat that kept slamming her chest since thirty minutes ago. Yesterday, Mukai Osamu sent his assistance to meet her, sending the message that he wanted to meet her in person. At first, she was hesitated as she did not remember anyone named Mukai Osamu. However, when the man mentioned Mukai’s attendance in the witch’s wedding, instantly she remembered the tall handsome man. Curiosity nestled inside her heart upo