Two hours later, both Ryuko and Saya had given their statements at the police station.
The man who had attacked Amane wasn't seriously injured, thanks to Ryuko holding back, but he'd still be detained for a few days for attempted assault.
As for Ryuko and Saya, they were free to go.
Outside the station, the night air was crisp. Saya pulled her coat tighter around her as they walked in silence.
"Thanks… Ryuko," she murmured, her voice soft.
Everything that had happened tonight was still sinking in. The absurdity of it made her feel bitter all over again. Some man, insecure about his crumbling marriage, had somehow traced his wife's past to her. Just because the woman had briefly known Saya before marriage, he'd latched onto that and convinced himself it was her fault.
It was ridiculous. They'd only been in touch for two weeks. A year later, she'd nearly been assaulted because of it.
Saya's throat tightened, and her eyes grew wet.
Ryuko, walking beside her, stayed quiet. She'd picked up on the gist of things at the ramen shop and pieced the rest together during the police report. She didn't expect Saya—who was always so confident and composed at work to get caught up in something like this. The whole thing was... depressing.
"…Want me to walk you home?" she asked.
Saya nodded, grateful. Despite her usual androgynous style, she didn't feel strong at all right now. She just felt tired and shaken.
As soon as they stepped inside her apartment, she turned to Ryuko.
"Can you stay over tonight?" she asked, almost embarrassed. "Just in case. I don't want to be alone. You're coming to the studio tomorrow anyway, so…"
Ryuko hesitated, but then nodded. "Okay."
If their roles were reversed, she'd probably be scared too.
Later that night
"Are you hungry?" Ryuko asked. "You didn't really get to eat back at the ramen shop."
"Now that you mention it… yeah, a little."
Ryuko set about making a quick bowl of egg noodles. As she cooked, Saya sat at the table and just watched.
She'd never noticed it before, but Ryuko had a surprisingly gentle presence when she wasn't in her usual professional mode.
I guess I never paid attention because she already had a boyfriend, Saya thought. Too bad she ended up dating someone like Haruki.
She knew Haruki—at least well enough to know his personality was… blunt. He never cared about appearances, never gave anyone face, and he carried himself with a kind of arrogant detachment that honestly made her want to punch him sometimes.
What did Ryuko see in him?
But then a thought struck her.
Wait. Are they even together?
The more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed.
Ryuko had asked her about Haruki more than once, but when Haruki came to the studio, he never once brought up Ryuko. Not once.
Even if he was shy, that just didn't make sense. Something felt off.
"Ryuko," Saya said casually, eyes sharp with curiosity. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," Ryuko said, cracking an egg into the pot.
"You and Haruki… you're not actually dating, are you?"
The egg slipped out of Ryuko's fingers and splattered on the counter.
"…Why are you asking that?" she said, clearly flustered.
Gotcha, Saya thought.
"He told me," she said smoothly, lying through her teeth. "When he was here, I asked him. He said you weren't together."
"That… doesn't sound like him," Ryuko muttered. "He'd never explain something like that. He'd probably just think rumors don't need addressing" she added a moment later, realizing she'd walked right into it.
But it was too late. Saya could already tell.
There was nothing shameful about it, but Ryuko clearly didn't want to clarify things either. Letting people believe they were together probably shielded her from unwanted attention and maybe it helped her stay close to him without having to admit anything.
Not long after, Ryuko placed a bowl of noodles in front of her.
"Aren't you eating too?" Saya asked.
"I shouldn't," Ryuko replied with a small smile. "Like you said, I'm not dating him. Just quietly hoping, maybe. If I eat too much and gain weight, my chances get even worse."
As she spoke, she sent a message to Haruki on Line, telling him something had come up and she couldn't make their gaming session that night.
Saya looked at her. "You're doing all this for a guy who doesn't even like you back?"
Ryuko didn't answer. "Eat up and get some sleep. It's late."
She didn't feel like explaining herself. Tomorrow, things would go back to normal—Saya would be her producer, and she'd be a voice actor working on the same project. Tonight was just a coincidence.
Later that night, in the guest room
Ryuko had just started dozing off when the door opened quietly.
"…Saya?" she said, blinking in the dim light.
"Sorry. I just… I can't sleep," Saya murmured. "I'm not here for anything weird, I swear. I just feel safer not being alone."
Ryuko sat up a bit, wary. Saya's preferences weren't exactly a secret at T-Bone, and while Ryuko didn't judge, she definitely wasn't interested.
"I'm not really used to sleeping next to people," she said honestly.
"Just for tonight," Saya said. "Please?"
Ryuko hesitated, then nodded faintly. "…Alright."
That same night
Haruki stared at his screen, blinking at the seventh consecutive loss in his game. He picked up his phone again.
Ryuko's message was still there.
A last-minute emergency. Couldn't join the game.
He leaned back in his chair and let out a sigh.
"…I miss her a little."
Saturday
Haruki arrived at T-Bone Animation again to review art for Initial D.
But something was different today.
The producer, Saya—normally indifferent and professional kept giving him pointed looks. Not hostile exactly, but definitely not friendly.
He tilted his head, confused.
Did I do something to make her angry?
He honestly had no idea.
Shout out to Scorix11, Titan for joining my p-atreon! your support means everything to me.
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