Liars and How To Find Them

IX : Wake Up Call

"Furuta!" You yelled, skidding through the room and landing in front of him. Even then, you didn't sit down on his desk like you usually would. You were far too happy to even think about stopping. "Furuta, oh my god!" You squealed.

The male chuckled and wrapped his hands around your waist in an attempt to calm you down. He tugged you closer to him and nuzzled his face into your neck. "What's gotten you so hyper today, love? You're practically vibrating."

"I have good news. Great news! Let go of me, Nimu!" You nearly screeched, escaping from your boyfriend's calming clutches. Now was not the time to calm down, it just wasn't!

"We're pregnant?"

"What? No! Better! Much, much better!" You answered before stopping and giving him a questioning look. "How'd that be a good thing? We haven't been dating for more than three months."

"I don't know, I wouldn't mind having a family with you." He shrugged. "Plus, you have papers. I was thinking about adoption."

"Er... Sorry, babe, but that isn't it..." You muttered, feeling a bit bad for getting his hopes up. "It's about the case!"

Before he could answer, you shoved the stack of paper you were holding on his desk. "My boss went to Cochlea to see if we could get any info on Souta through ghouls. And we did! They didn't know much either, since apparently that ghoul is nearly untraceable, but we know this! He's a male, most have seen him with black hair -- sometimes slicked back -- and some of them said he had a rinkaku kagune!"

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. He hadn't thought of that. Why hadn't he thought of Cochlea? Why hadn't he disposed of the ghouls over there that could have any information on him?

Because of you, that's why. He's gotten carried away with this entire situation. Nimura isn't going out with you for shits and giggles, damn it! He had such a hard time keeping his mind on the task at hand. Gain your trust, manipulate you, kill you and take over the case. That was his plan. Not wondering what you'd like for your birthday or freeing his agenda so he could go out with you like he had caught himself doing yesterday!

You coming in and reminding him of just how close you were to finding him out was like a slap to the face. It felt like someone had woken him up by dumping a bucket of freezing water on him. He hated it.

"That's great!" He said, forcing his lips up to form a smile. "What are the papers?"

"The dialogue between Yasushima and the ghouls! They're testaments!" You cheered. Once your eyes fell back on Furuta, your good mood dissipated a bit. There was that emptiness again. This time, it was more pronounced. It wasn't just his eyes that looked like he was hiding something, in fact. His smile looked forced. His tone sounded fake. "Are you alright, Furuta? Is there anything bothering you?"

"Huh?" The man asked, taken aback by your question. You couldn't have seen right through him. No one had been able to do that before, and you just weren't that good. Sure, you were a good investigator, he had to admit it, but a human lie detector? No way. "Yeah, why?"

"You just... You don't look genuinely happy." You answered. So you did notice something off... Fucking hell, why couldn't he just kill you? "You know, if there's anything you're struggling with, I'm here for you. I'll listen, I'll talk, I'll do whatever you need me to do to help you through it."

Furuta let out a chuckle. "I'm sorry that I gave you the impression that something's wrong because honestly, I can't think of anything that'd make me feel that way." He answered. He saw your incertitude. "I mean it, (Y/N)!"

"But your eyes look... empty. All the time. I'm starting to get worried..." You insisted. You knew there was a chance that it was just you being delusional, and you'd understand if he got angry over this, but you just needed to check. You needed to let him know that you were there for him.

"I'm okay!" Furuta said a bit louder. "I'm alright, I'm fine-- more than fine! I'm doing amazing, (Y/N). I don't know why you'd think otherwise, because I'd tell you if something was wrong. You'd be the first to know and by now, I would've thought you would be aware of that."

He just needed to use the guilt card against you now.

"Nimura, that's n-"

"Do you not trust me?" Fuck yeah, he's got you now. You recoiled from him, officially feeling like shit. Nimura let the tense silence sit between the two of you for a while before he abruptly got up. "Give me some space for a few days, will you?"

And with that, he grabbed his belongings and stormed out of the room. If it weren't for the cameras watching him, he probably would have given himself a high-five. That had to be by far his best (and most effective) performance yet. It was so heartfelt that right now, it was starting to scare him as well.

The scariest part being the fact that there was a slight tug at his heart when he thought of the pain his words must have brought you. He must still be in acting mode. He just had to click out of it now...

But he couldn't. He can't 'click out of it' if he hadn't clicked into anything in the first place- No. He can't feel bad for what he did to you. He doesn't have the right to. You're destroying his cover. You're threatening his entire life as he knows it. Does he want to end up with a death penalty because of a mere human? Fuck your feelings. If Nimura doesn't go through with this plan, it'll be goodbye to his 'super peace' as he calls it and hello death.

Now the next question he had in mind as he walked away from the CCG office was this: Why was he considering your feelings in the first place? Sure, he's 'in a relationship' with you, but he's trained himself to be able to distance himself from others and feel no attachement to them whatsoever. He can't be tripping over his own feet because of you. He hates you, he can't...

He can't love you.