When Jericho first read it, he thought he was finally losing his marbles. However, after rereading the text and confirming that nobody had hijacked his best friend’s phone, he was convinced that it was Dawn who had lost his marbles.
Of all the things that he thought Dawn would do, home tutoring wasn’t one of them. It was more understandable if his best friend asked him to be a stand-in babysitter and watchdog. He knew Aqua wasn’t from this country because she spoke and behaved weirdly. It was Jericho’s opportunity to know her better without Dawn’s overprotectiveness getting in the way. However, he wasn’t very highly educated. Unlike Dawn, he dropped out of high school and did not accept the Daniels family’s offer for home tutoring or sponsorship to attend a private boarding school.After mulling over what his best friend was thinking, Jericho decided to call Dawn instead of texting. Clarifying things over the phone was faster. ThisExhausted from walking practice, Aqua slept soundly that night. Dawn was exhausted, but he sneaked out to meet Jericho at the bar as agreed. The informant had the list of potential clients and offices prepared. More importantly, they wanted to meet and finalise Aqua’s home tutoring arrangements.“You’re finally here,” Jericho refilled the champagne glass. “I was about to prepare a bottle of your regular whisky if you didn’t show up in the next fifteen minutes.”Grunting, Dawn shrugged out of the outer coat and closed the door behind him. Dawn looked surprisingly drool-worthy for someone who did not visit the gym in a while. Jericho wondered if his best friend had a secret workout regime in that empty penthouse of his.“Busy day?” the bar owner offered Dawn a glass of champagne, but Dawn declined.He drove over tonight. Drinking wasn’t advisable, especially with Jericho’s horrible drinking hab
While waiting to sober, Dawn walked around the block. With his car parked near Jericho’s bar, he knew that nobody would be dumb enough to try to steal it. Even if they did, the car was equipped with anti-theft technology.The triads controlling the area weren’t far from Jericho’s bar, so Dawn decided to walk over. According to the informant, they had a Chinese restaurant that disguised their operations. It was the perfect time to order Chinese takeout.It wasn’t difficult to spot the local Chinatown in this city. If there were one place that remained consistent regardless of its location or settlement, it would be Chinatown. Dawn immediately felt at home with the red lighting and delicious smells as he walked.From human trafficking to opium dens, this place had it all. Yet, Dawn wasn’t interested in those. He was only here for one thing.Weaving his way through the busy street, Dawn kept his eyes peeled for shops with a particular s
Needless to say, Aqua was thrilled to learn that Jericho was going to become her home tutor. When Dawn told her that the bar owner was also a decent cook, Aqua wanted to know if he was good at making pizza.“You’ll have to ask him,” Dawn chuckled as Aqua gushed excitedly about all the recipes she had read up on.Patting her gently on the head and pinching a cheek lightly, Dawn smirked. Jericho and Aqua would hit off very well. Given Aqua’s puppy-like enthusiasm and Jericho’s love for amusement, Dawn had nothing to worry about. Although he was concerned about Aqua's overly trusting nature, he knew that Aqua’s forgiving nature and Jericho’s teasing wouldn’t start any conflicts. If anything, they would get along swimmingly.More importantly, Dawn wondered how he would bring up getting an office. Aqua spoke about her plans that included Dawn, but the former mafia boss wondered how he should tell her that he couldn’t be
A few days passed, and it was finally time for Aqua to meet her home tutor officially. Dawn would leave after introducing Jericho to Aqua and laying down the ground rules.The doorbell rang, and Aqua offered to get it. She practised checking the security camera as Dawn had taught her before pressing a button to release the lock for Jericho to enter the lift lobby. What she didn’t know was how Jericho already had fingerprint access to everything in Dawn’s penthouse. The two men agreed to act like regular friends to prevent arousing suspicion, although it was part of Dawn’s plan to teach his naive mermaid about stranger danger.“Good afternoon!” Aqua gushed as she opened the door for Jericho, who had just stepped out of the lift. “We were waiting for you, teacher!”It was weird getting called a teacher. Jericho laughed awkwardly. He felt slightly out of place without the makeup and fashionable clothes he normally wore at the bar
The moon was already up by the time Dawn returned. The evening traffic was exhausting to navigate, but it gave him more time to sort through his thoughts and emotions before coming home.“Welcome back!” Aqua greeted excitedly from the sofa. She wasn’t wearing a skirt, so her beautiful tail slapped excitedly against the leather.Dawn offered her a smile. “Have you eaten?”Aqua shook her head. She was waiting for Dawn so they could eat sushi together. To prevent the tea from going cold when Dawn returned home, Aqua used the flask to contain the green tea she had brewed.Dawn saw the familiar sushi takeout box and smirked. It was from Ishi-san’s store again. The sushi chef had gotten used to Aqua’s voice and became more generous in his deliveries. Tonight’s freebie was an extra packet of soy sauce and two packets of instant miso soup.Dawn saved the instant miso soup packets for another day but poured the ex
A week flew by with Aqua, Dawn and Jericho adapting to their new schedule. After multiple trips to the property agent’s office and viewing multiple sites, Dawn finally found a location he was satisfied with. The office unit was partially furnished with all the amenities businessmen needed within walking distance. More importantly, it was only fifteen minutes by car from his penthouse.“I’ll be coming back for lunch today,” Dawn adjusted his tie and informed Aqua, who was still bleary-eyed in bed.Since confirming the location of his office, Dawn had been waking up earlier and returning later. She smelled of paint and other chemicals as he oversaw the renovation. He did not always wear his business attire whenever he left the penthouse. Aqua was slowly getting used to seeing Dawn in his ‘work clothes’. According to Jericho, humans sometimes had to dress appropriately for different occasions. The work clothes that Dawn wore were akin to ar
Lately, Aqua’s seriousness for studying was slowly consuming their precious together time. Dawn would return to find food on the table as usual, but Aqua would no longer be in the living room to greet him. It didn’t matter how late he was. The mermaid would usually sit on the sofa and watch something on the television. Sometimes, he would find her asleep while waiting for him as the television droned on in the background. It was a comforting sight that motivated him to complete his work quicker.Jericho had been coming over every weekday to tutor Aqua. The mermaid proved to be more intelligent than Dawn initially thought she would be. Even if she was only able to grasp elementary concepts for language and mathematics, her rate of learning was incredible. Aqua was not just a pretty face. She defied all dumb blonde stereotypes, even if she had questionable quirks. Dawn simply accepted Aqua’s unusual taste in food with her mermaid identity.If there was one
It took forever before Dawn received a phone call from the person he was waiting for. The special order in Chinatown took a few weeks before it was ready. In the meanwhile, Dawn’s new office had finished renovating. Jericho pulled some strings to help Dawn with his first few customers.“Dawn Consultancy,” the businessman answered his phone.It was nearing lunch, and he was driving back. Aqua promised to make her first chicken noodle soup. The businessman was half annoyed that work was cutting into his private time, but he understood that beggars could not be choosers. He barely covered his initial expenses for the office renovation and business setup. Dawn needed more clients.“Hello, Dawn. I believe the fortune cookie’s prediction came true — apologies for taking this long to deliver your hangover soup. It was difficult to hunt for snakes in the jungle.”The thick Asian accent over the phone made Dawn pause. He sho