Sako woke up to the sound of light rain, but he didn't get up immediately.
He remained lying there for several minutes, staring at the ceiling.
Yesterday's memories were still on his mind.
His mother...
The little girl...
The flower...
And the years he had spent inside the organization.
Everything seemed so distant, as if it were an old dream.
But the pain he had felt was real.
He finally got up and got dressed.
He had no mission today.
The week-long vacation granted to him by the P.S.A. was still ongoing.
And for the first time in a long while...
He didn't know what to do with his time.
By noon, Sako felt suffocated from staying inside his apartment.
He grabbed his keys and left.
"I need some fresh air."
He went to a nearby store.
He pushed a small cart between the shelves, then began putting things inside it.
Eggs.
Milk.
Meat.
Bread.
Coffee.
And some vegetables.
He stopped in front of the bread shelf for a moment.
He looked at the toast.
He remembered his mother.
He reached out and picked up one of the packages.
"...Mom used to buy this kind."
Then he placed it in the cart.
After finishing, he paid for everything and left.
The weather was cold.
Sako began walking without any particular destination.
There was nothing chasing him.
No monsters.
No missions.
No orders.
Just a relatively peaceful city.
He took a deep breath.
For the first time in days, he felt his chest become a little lighter.
Then—
"Sako!"
He stopped.
He turned around.
Maya was running toward him.
She was slightly out of breath.
"Sako... wait!"
Sako looked at her in surprise.
"What happened?"
She quickly pointed at a man running at the end of the street.
"Follow him! Catch him!"
Sako looked at the man.
Then he looked at Maya.
"What did he do?"
"He stole my bag!"
Sako said nothing.
He put his grocery bag down.
Then he took off.
The thief entered a narrow alley.
He was running as fast as he could.
But the sound of Sako's footsteps quickly grew closer.
The man turned around.
"What—?!"
Sako grabbed him by the shoulder and took him to the ground.
The man tried to resist.
"Let me go!"
Sako pinned his arm behind his back.
"Don't move."
A few minutes later, the police arrived.
Sako handed the man over to them, then picked up Maya's bag.
"Here. This is yours."
Maya took it.
"Thank you."
Sako looked at her.
"Is everything there?"
She quickly opened the bag.
"Yes."
Then she smiled.
"You always show up at the right time."
Sako looked away.
"Just luck."
Maya laughed.
"Luck?"
Then she looked at the grocery bags he had put down.
"Were you shopping?"
"Yeah."
She looked inside one of the bags.
"Eggs, milk, meat, bread..."
She raised her eyes toward him.
"Do you even know how to cook?"
Sako was silent for a few seconds.
"...Kind of."
She laughed.
"So that's a no."
A very small smile appeared on Sako's face.
"What about you?"
"Me?"
"Do you know how to cook?"
Maya hesitated.
"...I know how to make eggs."
Sako looked at her.
"That's not cooking."
Her eyes widened in surprise.
"What did you say?"
He turned his face away.
"Nothing."
Maya started laughing.
And for the first time in a while...
Sako didn't want the conversation to end.
The two of them sat on a bench in a nearby park.
The sun had begun to appear between the clouds.
Maya looked at him calmly.
"You seem different today."
"How?"
"More relaxed."
Sako was silent.
Then he said:
"Maybe because I didn't work today."
She smiled.
"Or because you're not alone."
Sako raised his eyes toward her.
He didn't answer.
But this time...
He didn't avoid looking at her.
The two of them remained silent for a while.
And the silence between them felt comfortable.
Then Maya said:
"Sako..."
"Yes?"
"Don't think too much about the past."
His expression changed slightly.
"Why?"
She looked at him.
"Because you deserve to experience something good too."
Sako remained silent.
Then he looked up at the sky.
"...Maybe."
Maya smiled.
"That's the first positive thing you've ever said."
"Don't get used to it."
She laughed.
And as her laughter filled the air...
Sako felt something simple.
Something he hadn't felt in a very long time.
Peace.
And he didn't know...
That those small moments with Maya would later become some of his most precious memories.
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