"So... why am I here?"
"Because I need to make sure you understand that what you did was stupid!"
"But I didn't do anything wrong! Sure, I acted on reflex a little bit, but I stopped the thief, and he's behind bars."
"HMMMM HAAHHHH~! What do you not get, kid? What you did was dangerous! What would you have done if he had a weapon?!"
"Fought back... it's not like he'd have a gun."
"T-That is so stupid! You have no idea if he could have stolen a gun or not! You got lucky, do you understand? L-U-C-K-Y!"
"Fine. Can I go now?"
"Tch! Kid, you're lucky I don't call your parents right now!"
"Welp..." I started backing away slowly while this woman—the female officer—was distracted by her anger. I couldn't get far, though, before her eyes snapped up and locked onto me like a lion spotting prey. Fortunately, for some reason...
"Just go, kid. I don't have time for this anymore!"
She glanced at her phone, her expression flickering between frustration and something I couldn't place—annoyance, maybe? Whatever it was, it was enough to let me off the hook.
I ran off and traveled a whole three blocks away from her.
"Phew~," I caught my breath, leaning against the wall of a Starbucks. The hum of conversations and the faint aroma of coffee helped settle my nerves, especially the smell of coffee!
'I doubt I'll need to worry about her anymore. But seriously, what a strange woman!'
I never got her name, but she had short brown hair that just reached past her nape, with strands framing the sides of her face, and blue eyes. She was also extremely fit, but that was a given; She's a cop, after all. All in all, a respectable woman, but I feel like she had ten times the energy of even a teenage girl, which was overwhelming!
'Not to mention super scary! Who knows what crazy stuff she could have put me through?!'
I glanced inside the Starbucks and let the smell of coffee reel me in. 'I should also get some coffee while I'm here!'
Letting my body be reeled in like a fish going for bait, I entered and got in line. I normally wouldn't suggest spending so much on just coffee, but I mean, it's fine to spoil oneself here and there!
"E-Excuse me."
A meek feminine voice caught my attention, reminding me that I'd forgotten my earbuds. However, I set that thought aside and turned to face the owner of the voice. It would be rude of me to just ignore her, after all.
"How can I help you?" I spoke softly, as I could tell right away that if I spoke normally, she might run away. She had that kind of aura, which kind of fit the initial image I built of her.
She had waist-length brown hair tied up in a high ponytail with a red ribbon clipped on, square bangs hanging over her forehead, shoulder-length strands framing either side of her face, and blue eyes.
"U-Um... I think... y-you dropped this," she stammered, holding out a small object in her trembling hands. I looked down and saw that it was my wallet!
'W-When did I drop this?' I carefully and gently took my wallet back.
Bowing slightly, I gave her my heartfelt thanks, "Thank you so much!"
I felt kind of embarrassed that I made such a mistake, but I think I was more shaken by the whole interaction with that cop than I thought.
"It's no problem..." she whispered, looking down at the ground. She seemed super uncomfortable.
"Look, I'll buy you a coffee as thanks. You don't have to say anything since I can tell you don't really like talking."
I had to do something for her because I really needed this wallet. Not for the bank card from the system, but because it had a bunch of stuff that couldn't be replaced through the system. I didn't want the hassle!
She didn't reply verbally but instead gave me a small nod. I didn't mind, and we both waited in line together, with what I felt to be a comfortable silence. Within a few minutes, we were at the front of the line.
"What can I get for you today?" The male employee didn't seem the happiest, but I wasn't one to harp on such details. He's probably been here since early in the morning!
"I'll just take a venti iced mocha, no whip." I gave my order.
"I-I'll take t-this!" she stammered, showing him her phone. His face said it all—he couldn't see the order clearly. I peeked at the screen and saw the brightness was way too low.
Grabbing her phone, which prompted a strange sound from her, I told him her order. "A grande peppermint mocha, iced, with extra whip, extra sprinkles, extra..."
'T-This is insane?! This is diabetes incarnate!'
I kept my thoughts hidden, but I didn't think such a small girl had it in her.
"Can I get a name?"
"Oh yeah, Amane."
"Alright, it'll be ready at the end of the bar over there."
"Thanks."
I paid with my card, so the transaction was smooth and quick. The total wasn't anything crazy—only about $7. She and I made our way to the end of the bar. From time to time, she would glance up at me, then quickly look away. It was cute, but she seemed like she wanted to say something.
"What's up?" I asked, using a laid-back tone. The smell of coffee and the whole atmosphere was really relaxing!
She flinched a little but responded quickly, "I'm Hifumi Takimoto."
"Ohh, Amane Fujimiya. Feel free to call me Amane. So, what're you doing here? Are you skipping school today as well?"
"A-No. I've graduated. I-I'm 21, after all. Plus, you can call me Hifumi, I guess!" She was really fighting her shyness to talk to me.
"Really?" Seeing her figure, height, and youthful features, I doubted her, but then again, she had no reason to lie.
"Yep. I know I don't look like it..."
"No, no, sorry, I didn't mean it like that. What do you do then?"
"I work at Eagle Jump. It's a video game company."
"That's cool!"
"You don't think it's strange?"
"Nah. If you enjoy it, then it's perfect."
"Bu—"
"AMANE!"
The male coworker from before called my name with both of our orders ready. I took my iced mocha and took a big sip! I could feel my neurons-or whatever-instantly hit with a boost that I could only get with coffee. Hifumi did the same, and we both let out relaxing sighs.
"Haaa~"
"Haa~"
Mine lasted a bit longer than hers, but that wasn't really important.
Ding~
A notification sound dragged my attention to my phone in my pocket. Grabbing it, I unlocked my phone.
[Mom: :) You safe?]
[Me: Yeah, at Starbucks right now.]
[Mom: I meant from the cops!]
[Me: Oh yeah, the officer just wanted to thank me for my kind service.]
[Mom: Hah! Don't lie to me, Amane. You definitely got in trouble!]
[Me: Sorta, but not quite either! :)]
[Mom: Just make sure to avoid getting involved with the cops, please. You worried me and Dad.]
[Me: I'm sorry.]
[Mom: 💕]
[Me: <3]
'My mom sure loves emojis.'
I put my phone back down and noticed that Hifumi was gone. We weren't sitting, just standing next to the bar. Where she had been standing was now a piece of paper with a set of numbers on it.
'Guess she had to go to work.'
I wasn't upset she left without saying anything. Her shyness probably finally won after talking for so long.