Reiji's face while saying goodbye kept repeating as Aki was watching the deal getting finalised.
Everyone had chosen his captured photo which he is not even aware of. Nora was happily signing contracts.
Nothing could replace that face which was appearing frequently before his eyes. He sat at the corner on the sofa crossing his leg and hands. His hair was a mess from the rain. He didn't even take the towel off his shoulder.
Nen on the other hand was observing Aki with proper concentration.
Suddenly he went to Nora, 'Ishida-san, can I have a word with you?'
Nora frowns, ''Do want to change anything in contact?That won't be…'
'No! No! I want that photographer for our next photo shoot.Is that possible?' Nen points toward Aki.
'No…That's not gonna happen.' Nora brushed him off.
Nen wasn't giving up, 'If money is the problem, I can personally invest…'
'No, still not.' Nora didn't agree.
"Still won't? How come? Should I offer more?" Nen had a little idea how things work here, so he asked Nora, 'Then what can I do? What do I need to offer!?'
'You...He won't…It's not his job.'Nora tried to explain.
Nen insisted, 'He took our photos. Clearly he is great and we want to hire him,it doesn't matter how much he wants it as his payment…'
'Strange! Why are you so focused on him?' Nora found him odd.
'Here…In all these photos I looked like I didn't fit. It's the same case with every picture.' Nen showed her some photos.
'So?' Nora was not sure what Nen was trying to explain.
'Even though I have a good visual, my photos never came out as good as this.' He shows the difference to Nora.
'So?' Nora still didn't get it.
'Every time I needed to change myself because they said I don't match...but he...instead of telling me to change,he changed the background and adjusted it so that I could fit in…'Nen looks at Aki with a soft gaze, 'I would have never noticed it if he hadn't shown it to me...I would have continued to blame myself.'
Nora smiled while looking at Nen, 'I think you should ask him for that. If I tell him to do it then he won't agree.'
'I see.' Nen nods.
Aki signed the contract that was done. They finally could leave. When Aki reached home,Tanya frowned to see him like that, 'What happened to you?Are you ok?'
'I am. How have you been?' Aki asked.
'I'm ok.' Tanya assures
Aki sees through her baby bump. The baby is really ok. Aki saw it moving. Tanya touched her belly. Aki smiled seeing that,'Maybe she has realised my presence.'
'Of course she would.' Tanya's smile fades.
'May I?' Aki wanted permission to touch her so that he could feel the baby.
'No!' Tanya didn't allow it.
'Alright! You should go and sleep.' Aki went to his room.
Tanya calls him before he is gone, 'Senpai!' 'Hmm…'He looked back.
Tanya hesitantly asks, 'I need to go somewhere tomorrow. Can I?'
'Where?' Aki asks just for queries.
Tanya looked to the other side, 'At my place. I will be back by evening…'
'I will drop you off there.' Aki said before she was finished.
'No! I will go by myself. I have informed my friend.' Tanya protests.
"You mean Rose." Aki thought while staring at her.
'Ok! Then I will pick you up from there.' Aki said.
'You won't let me be alone?' Tanya looked upset. 'No! You might disappear on me.' Aki said reluctantly.
'You have my passports and documents.' Tanya kept arguing.
'So? There are many places where you won't need them.' Tanya stood still after hearing that.
Aki went in to get fresh.
After a long shower he gets out.
'Won't you eat?' Tanya asked.
'Aish!!' Aki was lost in thoughts so got startled when Tanya asked. He holds his heart to calm it down.
'Sorry…I thought…' Tanya didn't expect Aki to get startled like that.
'It's ok…I won't…I'm not hungry.' Aki said.
'Alright.' Tanya tried not to disturb him anymore.
In the morning Aki got out early. He waited to see who would take Tanya. He waited long enough to get bored. A car got in. Aki was surprised to see Ayush. Tanya got out and got inside the car. They left.
"Ayush is her friend? Since when?" The thought occupied Aki even when he was in office.
'Ayush...is he not human?' Aki asked Chev.
'He is…half-demon.' Chev answers.
'What?! Impossible!' Aki looked at Chev with disbelief, 'He...he was a bit different…but he is good…It can't be.'
'Master! Your mother and your aunt are the descendents of Amon's.' Chev explains.
'No! No!! It's…how!' Aki couldn't grasp the story.
Nora was confused to see him like that. She enters without knocking anymore, 'Akkun! Can't you hear me knocking?'
'Ha?' Aki didn't hear her at all.
'What are you thinking? It's time for the meeting with SA. Let's go.' She urged him.
Aki tried to avoid going,'Go ahead…I will join…'
Nora was quick to get Aki's thought, 'No! You are coming with me.
Nora took the pen drive and then his laptop. She pulled him out of his chair.
"Why the hell did I got entangled with a demon in this life?! But mom..never behaved anything like a demon and dad…he is a human. So I was already a half...in this life too. But as Arata, was I human? Might be so. If not, how come Azusa Aito is totally human? Did I not feel I was different even when I was human? Strange enough. I don't remember much about myself as Arata, while I can remember Ruan Erza or Leon Rigil. Did something change when I was Arata? I'm an old soul after all. If it's really fate, then for what reason it's repeating itself. Why could I awaken myself this time but not in the previous one ??"
Aki's thoughts get interrupted during the meeting.
'Azusa Akio!' one of Aito's colleagues tried to catch Aki's attention.
'Yes!' Aki was startled as he was lost in thoughts.
They agreed with Aki's selection and would like to continue with the models. Aki was gpad everything went well.
'We would like to see the models in person.Can we?' one of them proposed.
'I see. Of course. Then please excuse us for a while. We will ask them to come here.' Aki agreed
'Sure! We will continue again after an hour.' He smiles.
'Thanks.' Aki thanked him and saw Nora had already called them so she signals it's ok.
Aki gets out of there. He didn't know where to go. His feet took him to the roof.
He stops at the door,"It went all wrong from here, ha!"He stepped in. Unlike that day, today's sky was clear, "Last time when I came here because I missed you…it was raining."He extended his hand to feel the sun.
He smirks.
His eye colour changes into golden, 'It's warm.' The sunlight was touching his skin and golden red mist was entering his body.
'It's the sun after all.' Hearing the voice he looked back.
Nen Uta was standing with two bodyguards behind him.
Aki's eyes return back to his normal self, "'The subtle change, did he notice?"
'Nen Uta,Aren't you supposed to be downstairs?' Aki didn't see any reason for Nen to be here.
'I saw you coming up here, so I followed you.' Nen said without hesitation.
'Go meet them, quick.' Aki said.
'Aren't you gonna join?' Nen asked.
'I'm not needed there.' Aki didn't want to go.
'Why not?' Nen's question made Aki think,'No particular reason. Go!'
"Why are you saying it like that? What is there you were searching for?" From Nen's point of view, Aki looked very lonely.
His silhouette got engraved in Nen's mind. He kept looking at Aki even when he was getting down.