Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Pretty Lady ❯ Vol Nine, Chapter Fifty-One: Kill What I Cannot Catch ( Chapter 51 )

Kill What I Cannot Catch

Mai had a life outside of Nikita, believe it or not. Once a week, she and Takako go down to Little Tokyo in downtown Moscow. Her husband wanted her to get out of the house and talk to more people.

“I don't like you just being in the house all day,” he said. Mai's eyes lit up as she smiled.

“What?” he asked. She leaped up and hugged him.

“Aw, you really do care about me,” she said. Mai wouldn't stop cuddling up to him. Nikita patted her on the arm.

“Yeah, yeah,” he said.

From there, Mai went out with her sister to make new friends.

Today, they made it out to the go parlor. Takako followed behind with a dull look on her face. Mai was feeling especially lucky today.

“Hello, ladies!” she said in a sing-songy voice as she made it to the back. She paused when she saw only one woman at the table. Mai looked confused.

“Are we too early?” she asked. The woman at the table lifted her head.

“Oh, no! A couple of them bailed on this,” she said. Mai was even more confused.

“Really? When did they say that?” she asked.

“Didn't you get the text?” the woman asked.

“What text?” Mai asked. Takako was already on her phone behind her. She tapped her sister on the arm with it.

“Hm?” Mai asked before she looked at the screen. She read the text with narrowed eyes.

“Oh,” Mai said. She turned back to the woman. She raised an eyebrow.

“Then what are you doing here?” she asked. The woman had a mischievous smile on her face.

“Mika? What is it?” Mai asked, taking a step closer. Mika's cheeks turned pink as she giggled.

“I'm in love!” she announced. Both sisters stared at her.

“Is it that hikkomori again?” Takako asked. Mika sat there, grinning like an idiot. The older sister rolled her eyes.

“Why can't you let it go?” she asked.

“Why would I?” the other woman asked. “He's just so cute—in a loner type way.” Takako and Mai looked at each other.

This whole saga began last Christmas. Mika got a new next door neighbor. She was woken up by the sound of a moving truck outside. Hm? Who the hell was moving in this early in the morning?

Mika sat up in bed and pushed down a bit of the blinds. She couldn't see much at first. The movers with the big boxes blocked most of the view. The woman clicked her tongue.

“Come on. Get out of the way. I can't see a thing.” She watched as the movers moved back and forth with more boxes. It didn't look like they were carrying much in the apartment next door. Mika began picturing what this new neighbor was going to look like. It's been so long since anyone lived over there. She found it a miracle that the apartment finally sold. How did they manage to do it?

However, that wasn't going to matter anymore. That's when she saw him.

Mai took a seat in front of her. “Have you talked to him yet?” Mika giggled as she grinned.

“Yep!” she said. Now it was time for Takako to raise her eyebrow.

“What did you say to him?” she asked.

“Hello,” Mika said.

“That was it?”

“Yep.”

Ever since Mika first laid eyes on him, she knew that she had to have him. It all started with curiosity. She first spotted him walking into the apartment. The woman could only see the back of him. Even then, she saw a black hoodie and jeans from profile. He kept his head down as he walked by her door. Still, this man left an impression on Mika.

Who was this man? He hadn't left his apartment since he first moved in. Aside from delivery people, no one came to visit the neighbor. That didn't stop Mika from giving up on trying to find out more about him.

“I don't get it,” Takako said.

“Get what?” Mika asked.

“Why him?” she asked. “You barely know the guy. He never leaves his apartment. Have you even seen his face?” Mika smiled to herself. She mumbled an answer to herself.

“Hm?” Mai asked. The women looked up when they heard footsteps walking into the room.

“Sorry I'm late,” a woman in her forties said with a big purse by her side. “My appointment ran longer than I expected. Did I miss anything?”

“No, nothing at all,” Mika said with a little smirk on her face.

She was the one who took steps to get into that man's world. Last Saturday, Mika stepped out of her apartment and looked next door. She looked around for a brief moment before walking to her neighbor's door. To her surprise, it was unlocked. What was even more, it was opened a crack. Mika couldn't help but chuckle. I'm a burglar, coming to rob your apartment. She poked her head into the slightly opened door.

“Hello? Anybody here?” Mika asked. The small apartment looked so dark inside. Was he still asleep?

“I'm coming,” she said more to herself. Mika slipped into the apartment and closed the door behind her. This might not be a good idea, but she was committed to this intrusion now. Might as well keep going.

“Hello? I'm your neighbor from next door!” Mika called out as she walked through the darkness. “I don't mean to break in! The door was open and I just let myself in. I just wanted to pop in and say hi.” There wasn't much around the apartment in the dark. Mika bit down on her lower lip. Her heart started racing in her chest. She couldn't stop herself. Mika slowed her pace in the hallway.

She made it to where the bedroom should be.

“Hello? Are you in here?” the woman asked as she poked her head inside. She spotted him on the floor in the middle of the room, staring at a small TV turned on. He had his knees to his chest. The man didn't even look up. Mika loudly cleared her throat. He still didn't look up. She drew in a breath and slowly walked up to her neighbor. The woman rested her hand on his shoulder. He leaped back with a gasp and whipped his head around. Mika stood over him, smiling. Even though she couldn't get a good look at his face, her mission to woo this man began.

Wait Until She Gets Him Back