My Boss, A Clear And Perfect Beauty Who's An Elite Police Bureaucrat, Turns Out To Be My Sweet And Doting Childhood Friend Who Loves Me Dearly At Home. - Chapter 51

Promise

It was then that the door to the hospital room opened.

Standing at the entrance was Maho. She was dressed sharply in a black suit, her demeanor dignified.

Shinichi instinctively began to say “Maho” but stopped himself, aware that Kana was by his side.

Interrupted in this way, Kana looked confused.

“Um… who might you be?”

It seemed Kana didn’t remember Maho. Maho glanced briefly at Kana.

“And you must be Officer Azusa Kana,” she said.

Kana froze, and so did Shinichi. Maho knew Kana’s name. She knew because Shinichi had explained after their encounter in Asakusa.

But it felt wrong to tell Kana that. After all, Shinichi had been hiding the fact that he and Maho were childhood friends.

Kana tilted her head, then suddenly her expression changed as she remembered.

“You’re the acquaintance of my senior who we met in Asakusa, aren’t you?”

Kana seemed to have recalled.

“Yes, that’s right,” Maho said quietly.

“I was surprised to find out my senior knew such a beautiful woman… Are you close enough to rush to the hospital?”

Kana asked, as if on guard. Shinichi felt anxious. What would Maho answer?

Maho took a deep breath as if making up her mind.

“I’m truly glad you’re safe, Shinichi.”

Ignoring Kana’s question, Maho expressed her relief for Shinichi’s safety. It was clear that Maho was genuinely relieved about Shinichi’s well-being.

But there was another meaning to her words. By calling Shinichi by his first name in front of Kana, she implied—

Maho turned back to Kana and said quietly,

“I’m Shinichi’s childhood friend.”

“Childhood friend…?”

“Yes. To me, Shinichi is the most important childhood friend in the world.”

Maho stated it clearly. It seemed she had no intention of hiding their childhood friendship any longer.

Kana’s gaze crossed with Maho’s, sparking like fireworks.

“For me too, my senior is someone very reliable, kind, and dear!”

After saying this, Kana covered her mouth as if startled, then stammered, “By ‘dear,’ I mean in a senior-junior relationship, nothing deep…”

Maho chuckled.

“Yes, Shinichi can be relied upon. I know that very well.”

“Senpai belongs to me. I won’t hand him over to you! Plus, I work at the same place as Senpai and am always by his side…”

“I work in the same field as Shinichi, too.”

“Eh?”

“I am Akinaga Maho. The superintendent of the First Investigative Division at the Metropolitan Police Department who unfortunately got kidnapped.”

Maho revealed her true identity to Kana.

“Superintendent Akinaga…!?”

For Kana, Maho was an almost celestial being, far above her own rank. Kana was an officer, and above her were the ranks of sergeant, lieutenant, and captain, with Maho’s rank of superintendent even further up the ladder.

But Kana’s shock wasn’t just because Maho held an important position.

“You mean to tell me that my senior is the childhood friend of Superintendent Akinaga… I was not informed!”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to deceive you. I just thought it would be better to keep it a secret so that Maho wouldn’t be troubled…”

“Senpai, you even call the superintendent by her first name.”

Pointed out by Kana, Shinichi thought he had made a mistake. Kana puffed up her cheeks in annoyance.

“You’ve been silent all this time… Senpai, that’s terrible.”

“No, that… I’m sorry.”

“It’s not that you did anything wrong, but could you do me one favor in return?”

“A favor?”

“If you call your childhood friend Maho by her name, then I won’t be satisfied unless you call me, your cute junior, by my name too.”

“Eh, but…”

“Calling me Kana would be enough.”

Kana looked up at Shinichi with puppy eyes. Shinichi had lied to Kana when they met in Asakusa, and he had kept his relationship with Maho a secret all this time.

Out of a sense of guilt, Shinichi eventually did as Kana asked.

“Alright, Kana.”

When he said this, Kana said, “Thank you,” and chuckled happily.

On the other hand, now it was Maho who was jealous, giving Shinichi a sharp look.

“Oh? Calling a junior girl by her first name…”

“More importantly, I’m relieved that nothing happened to you, Maho. I was really worried for a moment…”

“Were you worried about me?”

“Of course. We’re childhood friends.”

Maho smiled contentedly at Shinichi’s words.

“That’s right. We are childhood friends. Not just mere colleagues.”

Maho said provocatively, glancing at Kana. She wanted to make it clear that she shared a deep bond with Shinichi, unlike Kana.

Kana seemed to catch the implication, her pretty face taking on a sullen expression.

Although they had initially kept their status as childhood friends a secret, during their Asakusa date, Maho had said that there was no need to hide the fact that they were childhood friends.

Still, Shinichi had not expected her to declare it so openly.

Maho chuckled and shrugged her shoulders.

“When I thought I might never see Shinichi again after being kidnapped… police relationships suddenly didn’t matter.”

“Is that so?”

Perhaps it was true. Just as Shinichi had regretted not accepting Maho’s proposal to live together, Maho might have regretted trying to hide their childhood friendship.

Which meant, Maho might also not intend to hide her plans to live with Shinichi.

“Hey, so, Shinichi, come to my place when you’re discharged—”

Just as Maho was about to say something, blushing, Kana intervened between Shinichi’s bed and Maho.

“No, you can’t!”

“What can’t I?”

When Shinichi asked, Kana shook her head vehemently.

“I absolutely won’t allow it! I… I’m much younger… I’m the right one for Senpai!”

“Being young is your only merit?”

“I… I’m cute, and besides…”

“Being attractive… I’m no less so.”

“That’s true, but… surely what Senpai likes is not an adult beauty but a cute girl like me!”

After a mysterious argument, both turned to look at Shinichi on the bed at the same time.

“Shinichi isn’t a Lolicon, so he prefers a mature beauty like me, right?”

“Se… Senpai likes cute girls like me! Right…?”

Faced with the question from both, Shinichi panicked. Both Mahono and Kana were stunningly beautiful and cute.

If asked which he preferred, most men would be baffled. Both women were too attractive.

But if Shinichi had to say, he aspired to be with a woman like Mahono, with her dignified air.

However, admitting that would make the situation irreconcilable.

Luckily, a nurse arrived and scolded them, “Please don’t talk for so long with the patient.”

Both Maho and Kana nodded apologetically, saying, “Yes, sorry…” Kana, with her mischievous nature, was likely often scolded in such a way, which seemed typical.

On the other hand, Maho usually managed many subordinates and worked impressively, so seeing her so diminished was somewhat fresh… and endearing.

However, whether Maho’s position would continue in the future was uncertain.

Now that she had been kidnapped, it was clear that her position would be jeopardized. Without knowing the details, it was unclear how much responsibility Maho held, but could she continue as the superintendent of the First Investigative Division?

That was a concern.

As visiting hours came to an end, Kana bid a reluctant farewell, murmuring, “In the end, I couldn’t say the most important thing…” as she left the room.

Maho also followed suit, but before leaving, she brought her red lips close to Shinichi’s ear on the bed.

“Come to my house once you’re discharged.”

“Of course, I will.”

“Good. …Remember, it’s a promise.”

Maho said, staring at Shinichi, then left the room with a final

“Take care.”