〔Case - 01〕Dim light shines on the vintage furniture, casting the cafe in a warm glow. The air is fi

〔Case - 01〕Dim light shines on the vintage furniture, casting the cafe in a warm glow. The air is filled with the delicious aroma of coffee and baked goods. Occasionally a bell chimes, indicating the appearance of a new customer. The hustle and bustle of the city can hardly be heard through the thick decorative walls, and the patrons all speak in hushed murmurs. The barista and waiters all spoke with a warm smile when interacting.When you get here, you take a seat at the corner-most booth of the cafe, hidden away from the majority of the other patrons, a cup of coffee in hand. From this angle, you have the best view of the rest of the establishment.So you sit and slowly sip your drink, patiently waiting for your client to stop fidgeting and start speaking.When you received a call for an emergency commission, Yuuji spoke with so much desperation laced in his voice as he offered to compensate you with as much money as you wanted — you didn’t have the heart to reject the request.But your client is having a hard time actually telling you what the request was. He called you out to this inconspicuous little cafe today to meet face to face, since he didn’t want to share the information over the phone.Even now, Yuuji’s sitting across from you with his drink still untouched, squirming in his seat and struggling to find the words.You take another slow sip and stare somewhere over his shoulder, wondering how dangerous this job is going to be. You might’ve agreed to meet, but you’re quickly starting to regret the decision. An emergency commission like this that someone is willing to pay an arm and a leg for — it sounds unsafe at worst, shady at best.And the way Yuuji’s so on edge, fidgeting in his seat, eyes darting everywhere like he’s on the lookout — all of this did nothing to calm the uneasiness in your mind.You doubt Yuuji was going to throw a scene in a public place like this if you found his request to be too unreasonable and reject it.Hopefully.Yuuji clears his throat, bringing your attention back to him, and takes a deep breath.“Ineedhelpwitha—” and you can’t catch the rest of his words as his voice lowers to a mumble with every syllable. Yuuji isn’t even looking you in the eye, head bowed.“Sorry? I don’t think I caught that.” You smile politely, straightening up in your seat. Looks like your client’s ready to talk.“The— There’s this thing,” Yuuji speaks at a more human pace this time, stumbling over his words. “This thing and I— I need some things for the thing.” A pause, and your client makes eye contact with you for exactly half a second before looking away again. “So I need your help,” he finishes.“I see.” You see nothing. You have no idea what just came out of his mouth. “Do you think you can tell me about it in more detail?”Yuuji groans and face plants on the table. He mumbles something again.“… I can’t exactly hear you like this.”He peeks up at you and finally, in a volume that’s actually loud enough for you to hear, he says, “Valentine’s.”“Valentine’s…?”Yuuji sighs and pulls at his shirt sleeve. “It’s… it’s coming up, and I still don’t have— still don’t have anything prepared.”You blink. Once. Twice.This can’t be… no, there’s no way.“What exactly… did you want to prepare?” You cautiously ask.Yuuji throws his hands up in the air. “I don’t know!”That’s the loudest Yuuji’s been since the beginning of this conversation. The sound even attracts the attention of a few of the other patrons and waitresses. Yuuji immediately shrinks back in his seat, face flushing, once he notices that he caused a ruckus.“Valentine’s is tomorrow and I still don’t know what I should get as a gift. I’ve been thinking about it for so long and I still don’t have any good ideas,” he mumbles. “I want to do something special this year, go all out, make them happy. And I’ve been thinking and thinking for so long, but I still can’t think of anything special that I could do.”When he looks up at you again, he properly maintains eye contact this time. With his shoulders slumped and a miserable expression on his face, he pleads, “I’m so lost. Please help me, Detective.”You close your eyes and slowly breathe in and out. In, out.You look at Yuuji again. “So the help you need from me is…?”“To search for a good gift! And if you could give me some ideas on what else I could do, that’d be neat.”You take a sip of your now-lukewarm coffee and try to process the situation you’re currently in. Here you were, half-expecting to get caught up in something illegal, the number to the police station ready on speed dial in case things got dire.You weren’t expecting… this, to play wingman for someone.“But why come to me? As you already know, I’m a detective. I usually deal in… crimes and the like.” You try to let him down as nicely as possible. “I don’t think you should be spending your money on a commission like this. I’m sure you’ll find better results on the internet or from your friends.““Oh, no, no.” Yuuji protests. “I can’t go to anyone I know. They’ll find out and it won’t be a surprise anymore.” He pulls at a loose thread in his sleeve again; you wonder if that’s a nervous habit. “And the internet… uh, I can’t do it alone. I need someone with me to— to help me out, but it can’t be someone I already know.” He stops fumbling with his jacket and sighs. “Look, I know it’s not exactly what you usually do, but I can’t do this alone. And we’re around the same age, so it doesn’t feel… as embarrassing asking you for help.” He sits up straighter and pleads again, “Please.”You feel your resistance slowly start breaking down at the sincerity in Yuuji’s voice and expression. You’ve had your share of strange requests and commissions before, but this is on another level.Well… at least it’s better being hired to do something illegal.After some thinking, you finally decide, “Okay. I’ll help you.”You smile as Yuuji starts tearing up and blubbering out thank you’s. The poor guy almost looks like he’s ready to start crying. This gift really must be something important to him.It’s sweet how much he cares about his significant other.“Did you… did you have anything in mind?” he timidly asks, finally starting to drink his most definitely cold cup of coffee.You hum, thinking for a moment. “How about…”『 What should Yuuji get as a Valentine’s gift? You can decide what he chooses by reblogging with your answer or commenting to this post! 』 -- source link

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