Chapter Text
Shuichi Saihara walked into the restaurant, the gorgeous and sleek interior was something he wasn’t used to seeing. If you may ask what he’s doing there, he’s helping with an investigation. Their detective team suspects that the piano player at the restaurant has been stealing tips. So, Shuichi was sent there to inspect her and take notes while she’s working.
He told the hostess who he was and she brought him to a table close to the pianist.
“Would you like to eat or drink anything while you’re here, Sir?” Asked the waitress.
“No thank you, I’m here on duty after all. Maybe later though..” His words trailed off as he took a glance at the piano player.
She was dressed in a floor length, sheer pink gown. Though he couldn’t see her face, he could almost sense her beauty. Her blonde hair was illuminating and it looked like there was a glowing ring that traced her body. The beautiful melody she played made all of Shuichi’s thoughts of the investigation disappear. Shuichi stared at her in awe, amazement, and admiration.
As he listened, he didn’t even realize he had zoned out. The waitress asked him,“I brought you a glass of water, free of charge. But would you like anything else?” Shuichi blinked a few times before answering her, slightly embarrassed.
“Uhm, the water is fine, thank you,” He replied and looked back at the piano player.
“The person playing the piano is Kaede Akamatsu. She’s why you’re here, right?” The waitress asked suddenly when she noticed his staring.
“Yeah… I haven’t gotten the chance to take many notes yet, her playing is just so encapsulating.” The waitress just hummed in response, like she knew something no one else did.
She patted Shuichi’s shoulder before leaving. That confused him slightly but he decided to not overthink it. He took out a notepad and started jotting down things about Kaede, but it was difficult to think of this gorgeous woman to be a thief.
Enough time had passed that Kaede went on a break. Shuichi checked his watch so he could write down the time she went on break, just to realize he had been there for well over two hours!!
“How long does she work…” He muttered to himself. He glanced at the small box on the grand piano that she just sat at. Out of pure and probably stupid curiosity, Shuichi stood up and walked over to the box.
It had two holes at the top of it and writing on the box. Pointing to the right hole, it said “Tips” and “Classical Song Recommendations” on the left. He raised an eyebrow at seeing that she also received tips. But without even thinking, he pulled out his wallet and slipped a $10 bill in it. He didn’t know why, but his body just did it without thinking beforehand..
“Thanks!” A voice said from behind him. He turned around quickly and saw the same girl he had been staring at for the past two hours. His face heated up, he tried to speak but no words came out when he opened my mouth.
“U-uh…” His voice was meek even though he didn’t basically say any words. The girl just giggled and blushed slightly before speaking again.
“I’d love to sit and chat with you, but I have to get back to my job.” Kaede said and stared into Shuichi’s eyes. Though his hat covered the majority of them, his grey eyes still were visible.
Shuichi snapped back to reality when she sat down and said a short goodbye before returning to his seat. An embarrassed mess. He buried his face into his hands and tried to refocus, but then he heard Kaede start to play music again. The sweet sound of the piano set shivers down his spine. He; for some reason, was now able to go back to working. Shuichi wrote down how she was asking for tips, never got up from the piano other than for breaks, and how she went straight into the staff’s room for her break. There was zero evidence that she had been stealing tips or even money for that matter.
Another two hours passed and the restaurant seemed to clear out. Shuichi stood up from his table and placed a $50 bill on the table as a tip for the waitress. Even though he didn’t order anything, he was taking up one of the tables in her section so it’s only fair to tip.
Anyways, he walked outside and waited for Kaede to leave. He wanted to talk to her about the rumors of her stealing. As she stepped outside, he turned on the small microphone he had in his back pocket (For legal reasons, recording their conversation would help get her out of trouble).
“Hey, can I talk to you before you go to your car?” Shuichi walked to Kaede, and she turned to look at him.
“Of course. But can we make this quick? I’d really like to get home...”
“Mhm. My name is Shuichi Saihara and I’m part of the Detective Agency of Hope’s Corporations. I bring this up because I’d like to ask you a few questions.” He asked, trying to be as proper as he could be while talking to her.
“Oh! Okay… go ahead…” Her whole demeanor had changed.
“How long have you been working here as a pianist?” He asked the first question.
“I used to work in the mornings but that was up until… I think 6 months? I then changed to doing nights. So, as a pianist, I’ve been working here for a year and a half,” She answered as he wrote down what she said.
“Just two more questions, have you ever taken… how should I phrase this-”
“No, I haven't ever taken the waitstaft’s tips. Some of them are trying to frame me because I broke up with one of the waiters. He lost his job there and everyone is trying to get me fired too,” She shot back and cut me off. Has someone asked her this before?
“Well I guess that wraps up all my questions. Thank you for your time,” Shuichi responded and then turned to leave, and to also turn off the recorder.
He turned around and walked away, sighing in relief. Though, he couldn’t help but turn back to Kaede. She just stood there in the dim lighting from the restaurant, watching him as he walked away. Her eyes were slanted and downwards, but she made eye contact with Shuichi. Was it pity? Distrust? Or just plain confusion? Neither of them knew why each other's eyes looked so… sad.