𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕 ━━ nishimura riki

epilogue

- 6 Years Later -

"Self-defense wins."

With that being said, everyone rose from their seats and started to leave the court. Releasing a sigh of boredom, the twenty-two-year-old takes his airpods positioning the left earpiece into his left ear. With the music on maximum volume, the male finally exits the monument, his hands shoved at his coat's front pocket sheltering them from the cold winter morning. 

The male yawns. He just woke up from his slumber a few hours ago yet his eyes look so droopy. It's not like he had overworked himself yesterday at work nor did he pull an all-nighter but somehow he felt so drained and uneasy. Going down the white marble staircase, he had spotted the black Chevrolet parked at the sidelines of the road. Good relief - he was glad that it came back in good shape.

"Yow! Good morning! You don't look so enthusiastic, Riki B." greets the warm Ta-ki who displayed his usual heart-warming smile - which girls managed to find adorable. Silently throwing himself to the passenger's seat and slamming the car door shut, Riki ignored his friend and went on to get a shut-eye. "Dang, was the trial that boring? C'mon, I heard you played a promising role in the criminal investigation."

The Japanese blonde groans, all he wanted was a nice nap. "Clearly, I just had to. I had solid proof of evidence to present and I can't just back out on defending the innocent. Besides, I'm human too, you know?" memories of a girl he loved a few years back started to resurface. He remembered how she wanted to become a lawyer and study law after they have graduated. What's ironic is, she wasn't able to make it to graduation at all. 

"I see, you dyed your hair blonde! Let me guess, you took Kei-kun's suggestion, right? I've got to say, you do look more handsome and young this way." Starting the engine, the dark-haired Japanese male steps on the pedal and maneuvers the vehicle up the bustling road of Seoul.

With his head back, the blonde wanders off to his high school days. He smiles to himself, all those special memories. . . from the embarrassing to the most cliche moments, wow he never expected his golden years would be filled with so much drama. All those emotions, he met way back. Riki chuckles, he was so dumb back then, mature. . . well maybe at some point. But he wasn't that childish either. Damn, how time flies by so fast. He could still recall everything from the back of his palm as if it all happened last week.

Ta-ki's stomach rumbles. " So, have you eaten breakfast yet? I haven't."

Riki shooks his head. 

"Figures. Probably the reason why you don't seem like you're in the mood to go to work." Ta-ki giggles like a child. "Or who knows? Maybe even face the day. . . . missed your precious bed already?" 

The blonde rolls his eyes. He wasn't in the mood for teasing - well not this early in the morning. It just pisses him off. As much as he'd like to offer a nice punch, he can't. It's Ta-ki and his child-like antics. His day would never be complete without his friend's constant teasing or on normal days, annoying the heck out of him. For a twenty-two-year-old adult who's months older than him, he's making himself look like a seven-year-old child stuck inside the body of a fully grown adult. If he were to date, it's safe enough to say that a relationship with a woman who's more likely to be older, mature, and calm can guarantee him a long-lasting relationship.

"Whatever. . ." was the only word that escapes his lips.

Ta-ki laughs it off. As expected of him. "Will Starbucks do? I could use some coffee."