542

After watching a heartwarming art film, Senichi and Ayako walked out in good spirits.

There's no need to dwell on the content of the movie, but the warmth brought by the main characters growing old together made the couple hold hands without any conversation for a long time after walking out of the theater, yet there was no awkwardness.

Moreover, a tacit warmth surrounded them, which was speaking volumes without a word.

Afterward, they wandered around casually without buying anything significant since they had already bought a lot in the morning. They had everything they needed. It was just a routine stroll, albeit in a different setting – a mall instead of a plaza or a park.

This mall was a comprehensive one, a popular spot for young people's dates. Besides movies, there was also an arcade for entertainment.

However, they didn't go play games or anything. Instead, Senichi won a doll for Ayako from a claw machine, and they left.

Well, Senichi's skills were about as good as buying one, but the happiness was what mattered.

If we don't count going out to play, to be honest, there aren't that many places to go for a date. But whether it's a routine date doesn't matter; what's important is being together.

For dinner, they had barbecue. After all, there were only two of them at home, and there were pros and cons to cooking and not cooking. They didn't want to go home late and still have to cook, so they decided to have dinner outside.

As for after returning home...

Young people tend to savor the moment, especially when the night is still young...

It's time to sleep early!

After all, they both had to work tomorrow!

Although Senichi hadn't been to work for a while, after the expiration of his "safe card," he found that going to work wasn't much different from not going, so he might as well go to work.

The next morning, Senichi got up early, prepared breakfast after washing up, while Ayako lazily got up, brushed her teeth, and had breakfast beside him.

"I'm leaving first. Take your time eating," Senichi bid farewell to Ayako in the dining room while wearing a suit.

"Okay, be careful on the road."

Ayako waved goodbye to Senichi, and after parting ways, Senichi drove to the police headquarters.

Looking at the familiar building in front of him, Senichi surprisingly felt a bit of freshness after not seeing it for a few days.

He chuckled and shook his head, not particularly bothered by the novelty of the first day back to work after the holidays. The freshness wouldn't last long anyway; after all, work hours always felt extra long, while vacation time passed in the blink of an eye...

He greeted his colleagues along the way and entered the office.

"Hey, good morning, Detective Senichi!" Takagi greeted with a smile as Senichi pushed open the door.

"Morning."

"You're positively beaming today," Takagi teased as he looked at Senichi with a grin.

"Well, good things just happened recently," Chiba chimed in, laughing. "I bet these past few days of vacation have been all about you two lovebirds."

"I took this leave precisely to spend some quality time together," Senichi replied, knowing it was best to take such banter in stride. Otherwise, it would only encourage more teasing.

However, he wasn't without a counterattack. He nudged Takagi's arm and said with a smile, "Speaking of which, how about you and Detective Sato? Any developments there?"

"It's, uh, nothing much..." Takagi hurriedly interrupted Senichi, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Hehe..." Chiba, on the other hand, didn't hold back from teasing. "They've been lovey-dovey lately, but it seems like Takagi's having a bit of a rough time. It's a bittersweet situation."

As for why it was bittersweet, one could easily guess. After all, when these two publicly announce their relationship at the police headquarters, how could the "Detectives of the Sato Defense Line" not know?

Naturally, after Takagi's date with Sato, what awaited him was a "muscle hell."

"What about you? You should mind your own business," Takagi retorted to Chiba's teasing with some anxiety. "Both Detective Senichi and I have girlfriends now; you're the only one left."

"Now that you mention it..." Senichi interjected, taking the opportunity to add, "Chiba, you better step up your game."

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Chiba's expression faltered a bit. Feeling disheartened, he couldn't help but say, "I can't believe I'm chatting with you two taken guys. I'm humiliating myself..."

"Haha, don't worry. You'll find someone sooner or later," Senichi said while patting Chiba on the shoulder as he offered some comforting words in advance of the impending drama.

Despite Chiba's chubby appearance, which might give the impression that nobody wants him, he actually has a girlfriend in the storyline – a beautiful female patrol officer who is also his childhood sweetheart. Just thinking about how many single guys would envy Chiba's luck made one want to raise a torch.

However, Senichi knew it, but it wasn't something he could just say outright. The words sounded like typical comforting remarks, and Chiba didn't take them seriously at all. He patted his increasingly bulging belly with some melancholy. "This might be difficult..."

"I've told you not to eat so much," Takagi couldn't help but advise when he saw his friend patting his belly. "Try losing some weight. Look at how much weight you've gained since Detective Senichi arrived until now."

"I'll definitely lose weight!" Chiba resolved as he touched his belly, determined to embark on a weight loss journey, determined to wage war against the fat.

As the three chatted, Officer Megure also entered the office.

"Oh, Senichi, you're back from vacation today?" Officer Megure smiled when he saw Senichi. "Sorry to trouble you with those two cases during your holiday. I appreciate your help."

"No problem, it just happened to coincide. Can't really ignore it," Senichi smiled, unfazed.

After all, those cases were thrust upon me. I can't just ignore them, can I? Even if the rewards aren't very high, every little bit counts!

Before long, Sato and the others also arrived at the office. Seeing Senichi at work, they all greeted him happily, and Senichi naturally responded to each one.

After a brief catching up, they all got busy, even Senichi on his first day at work wasn't idle.

After all, even though he didn't come to work yesterday, there was a murder case he encountered, and since he was involved in the entire process, he naturally had to take care of the follow-up work.

If Senichi hadn't come to work today, he would have been called to the police headquarters to finish the paperwork after they caught the culprit.

However, this case was different from some that were solved through deduction. Because of the conclusive evidence, the follow-up work was relatively easier.

And just like that, time flew by, and it was already Friday...

This isn't an adjective, but a literal passing of time...

And then, as expected, they received a report call...