Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Life has always been a blank slate.  

The sound of shoes squeaking against a newly polished hallway floor was faintly heard amongst the sound of students walking in and out. A girl walked through the hall with purpose in each stride she took. The straps of her bag held tightly to her shoulders. Her hands subconsciously tugged and pulled at them. A crowd of students parted once she had come closer, their eyes trailing her figure, watching her walk out of view before carrying on. 

The girl’s harsh steps were a warning to whoever came across her path to steer far away. Everyone in the hallway seemed to mutually understand.  

She had reached the end of the hall when she was stopped by a small group of boys who had been loitering around an open window. She huffed, as her hand shot at the nearest boy, pulling him down to her face level. "Where's four eyes?” she said.  

There was an abrupt silence, as the boys watched the girl in fascination, none of them considered intervening. His throat bobbed and his whole body had tensed. The grip on the collar of his shirt tightened in her fist. The silence was almost deafening. 

Eventually his eyes drifted away from her gaze as he hesitantly lifted a finger to point behind her, his voice stuttered as he felt her grip on his shirt tighten once more. “The ga- garden.” Satisfied with the response she quickly shoved him to the side and dusted her hands against her skirt. She began to walk away, not giving the other boys a single glance. 

Once she was outside, she made her way towards a tall gate, the rusty hinges creating a loud creak as they swung behind her. Voices were carried along the wind as she drew closer. Students had been busy pruning rose bushes while others helped carry a wheelbarrow full of sacks of soil.  

Once the harsh crunch of dry leaves being scraped against the gravel floor was heard approaching the voices quieted down. Everyone kept their heads down, only whispering amongst themselves once the girl was out of earshot. She didn’t pay attention to them, her eyes drifted elsewhere.  

At the very corner of the garden, there was the faint figure of a boy. Knelt over some grass, the boy busied himself with digging in the soil. He mumbled to himself occasionally although the words were not coherent. The girl stood over him letting her shadow engulf his figure. This didn’t seem to be noticed.  

“What are you doing!?” She finally spoke.  

The boy flinched, and immediately stood up causing him to fumble with the shovel in his hand. A startled expression laid over his face. His hair had been clipped back with a red hair clip and his cheek was smudged with dirt. His glasses had been slightly tilted to the side.  

Once he noticed the small frown on the girl's face, his eyes drifted to the side. After a tense moment of silence, he timidly replied, “the club needed an extra hand.”  

“What did I tell you?” 

” I'm sorry, but there really wasn’t anyone-”  

She waved a hand in front of his immediately shutting him up, “Just tell me where you are next time,” 

“Ok,” 

She turned away and motioned for him to follow after, “Let’s go.” 

“But I’m not finished,” he protested. 

The girl sighed, as her eyes trailed towards the boy. A mild look of surprise crossed her face when she realized that there had been another person with them. 

“I'm sure your partner can do your work just fine,” 

“It's a two-person job,” his voice rose in protest.  

“She can handle herself,” She paused to look at you, “isn’t that, right?”  

You felt your stomach drop as the girl finally had her full attention to you. Her tone left you no room for argument, although you doubted there was enough bravery to argue against her. You trailed your eyes away from the glare she sent your way. Every inch of your body was tense, your heart had felt as if it had been beating against your eardrum. Despite that your expression gave no hint as to how you felt.  

“Yes,” you responded calmly.  

The boy turned to you skeptically, “are you sure? I can still help-” 

The girl didn’t give him a chance to finish his sentence before turning back again. “Hurry up four eyes.”  

The boy sighed as he watched the girl walk away. “I’m sorry about her,” he said once he faced you. He placed his watering can to the side and began to untie his apron. “She’s just in a bad mood today. I promise she isn't as mean as you think-” he paused. “Not usually.” 

He apologizes once more before finally turning away. “I’d appreciate it if you stopped calling me that.” He yelled.  

“I’ll call you whatever I want,” she called back. 

Once the pair had gotten past the gate you finally let out a deep breath. You turned back to look at the patch of dirt that he had dug, at its side laid an unopened pack of seeds. A heart had been drawn to the side of one of the packets although whatever was drawn next to it had been hastily crossed out making it indistinguishable. Red roses…  

You felt as if your life was nothing more than a blank slate.  

“I’m home,” you announced, fumbling with the paper bags in your arms. A huff of air escapes your lips as you move to flick on the light switch. The only sound resonating throughout the house was the rattle of your keychain that hung on your hand.  

Water droplets echoed against the kitchen sink; slippers quietly scraped against the marble floor as you placed the groceries on the kitchen counter.  

The sound of a knife quietly hitting against a wooden cutting board rhythmicly played along with that of water falling from the faucet. Steam engulfed the kitchen causing a small strip of sweat to form over your brow. As you wiped it off with a nearby paper towel your finger tapped against your phone as you scrolled through a recipe that you had pulled up.  

Searching through the cupboards you pulled out a ladle and two bowls. You blew off steam as you carefully poured the soup in each bowl and placed one over a tray. 

Your steps echoed along the wooden floor as you walked through the hallway, stopping at a door towards the end of the hall. You gently knocked on the door, “Grandmother?” You gently called out, “I made dinner.” You only received silence although you once again knocked on the door with much more strength put in it. “Grandmother.” When you still received no response you sighed, “Alright, I'm coming in,” you called out letting the door slowly creak.  

You heard a grumble and there was some shifting on a bed before a woman turned towards you, “What do you want?” 

“I made chicken soup,” you lifted the tray up. 

“I'm not hungry,” she laid on her side, facing her back towards you.  

“You have to eat, the doctor, she-” she waved you off, “That doctor can stick her foot up her-” 

“Grandmother!” 

You sighed as you came closer to her bedside, “Please it’ll be good for you,” 

“I'm tired, leave.” 

“You’ll feel better with a full stomach-” 

“I said, LEAVE,” she screeched, pushing back the tray. 

The scorching water splashed off the bowl and left you soaked in burning broth. Tears began to prickle on the corner of your eyes unsure if it was from the pain,“Ok.” 

You quietly closed the door behind you walking to the kitchen in search of a mop. By the time you had changed to a new set of dry clothes your soup had already gone cold. You didn’t bother to heat it back up; you felt your appetite had long gone. Instead, you decided to go to your room and focus on class work.  

Your choices seemed meaningless to you.  

The school hallways were more or less empty, most of the students spending their lunch break indoors. It was a hot day that day a few windows had been opened letting a nice cool breeze pass through. You walked toward the school entrance, your lunch securely held in one hand.  

As you followed along the gravel pathways you heard laughter not too far away. You looked up to see a group of boys approach laughing and talking amongst themselves. Whatever they had been talking about sounded indistinguishable to you. You passed them, none of them seemed to notice. Your eyes were on the ground as you decided to ignore them and continued to walk to the school garden.  

You sat on a bench where a tree provided cool shading. Your senses were filled with wonderful aromas of the nearby rose bushes. You were nearly salivating once you began opening your lunch, your stomach groaning just by the smell.  

A rustle interrupted you as you were mid bit into your lunch. Scanning the area, you noticed nothing was off. Then another rustle, and another after that. You jumped away from your spot realizing that the noise had been coming from behind you.  

You heard a groan, and you gasped in fear. After a moment of silence, you slowly stepped closer. Your heartbeat wildly against your chest and you felt blood rush in your ears. “Hello?” 

“Would you mind helping me? You were surprised when a voice responded back. Relief flooded through you once you realized you recognized the voice.  

“What are you doing there?” You asked as you offered a hand to the boy. You struggle trying to lift him for a moment but eventually you manage to pull him up.  

Several leaves had been stuck in his hair and his uniform had been wrinkled. Your eyes trailed to his arms noticing the several scratches littering his skin. “Are you okay?” You asked with worry pointing at the marks.  

“I think so,” he responded.  

“Let's get you to the nurses office.”  

The boy’s injuries were not serious, much to your relief, you tried questioning the boy as to why he was in the bush, but he seemed to avoid answering.  

“Are you hungry?”

It was as if you were surrounded in a crowd of only faceless people. Everything was blurred.  

But suddenly you felt as if something just fell into place  

You reached the very corner of the whole school stopping in front of a storage closet where a broom had been shoved in between the door handle.  

You removed the broom in an instant, you opened the door with care and quietly called out a name once again.  

In the middle of the room, you saw a familiar boy, his hands had been cradled over his head as he was squatting on the floor with his knees pushed against his chest. You softly called out to him bending down as you hesitantly placed your hand over his shoulder. 

He was trembling and he still hadn’t looked up to you even as you called out to him. As you finally placed your hand over his back, it seemed to have finally pulled him out of whatever he was in and in an instant, he had his arms over your shoulder.  

You felt the pace of your heart pick up and your hands stayed in the air hovering over his back not knowing where to put them. That was when you finally heard him sniffle realizing that he had been crying the entire time. 

You pulled him closer gently placing your arms over his back pulling him closer to you. You let your hands slowly run over his back to offer him some form of comfort. You stayed silent as the boy’s cries were muffled against your blouse.  

Once he had begun to quiet down his next words came out hoarse. “How did you know I was here?” He sniffed.  

“I saw a group of boys rush out of the building and I heard them talk about you.” 

You pulled back as you attempted to meet his eyes, “What happened.” 

“I’m sure you can piece together what happened,” he sniffed.  

“Did they hurt you?” You panicked as you began to inspect him holding his face in between your hands as you turned his face in different angles.  

“Nu- no! I'm fine, I promise you. They just scared me a little.”  

“I’m sorry this has to happen to you,” you felt your voice crack. 

“But it’s not your fault,” 

“But still if I was there…” 

He placed a finger over your lips in an attempt to silence you, and he smiled, “but you managed to find your way to me. isn’t that what a knight in shining armor does?” He tilted his head the side 

Despite the situation the both of you had found yourself in you couldn’t help but find the action adorable even as the tears continued to run down his cheek and his eyes had still been puffy. You also couldn’t stop the butterflies that fluttered inside your stomach.  

You had been looking over one of the bookshelves that had been in the living room. Your fingers skimming over the spines over a few hardcover books all of them mostly containing medical textbooks.  

Your eyes trailed towards the top shelf noticing how a book peeked over the very top of the bookcase. You felt a bout of interest overtake your mind as you pulled out a nearby stool to get a better look.   

You coughed as dust was thrown towards your direction as you picked up the book. The cover of the book had been covered in a thick layer of dust indicating that it had been sitting there for a few good years. As you cleaned it with a feather duster you noticed the cover had been blank.  

The book looked to be well loved, its pages yellowed with age and its pages merely binded by a spiral wire. Most of them had looked just about ready to fall out. You flipped through the pages, landing on a page that contained a recipe for cheesecake.  

“Grandmother,” you called out quickly stumbling on the stool as you made your way towards her room. You heard a cough when you knocked on the thick wooden door followed by a hoarse voice responding back, “What is it child?”  

You left the door ajar as you quietly peaked inside the room shyly looking at the floor. She scoffed, “Out with it now,” you opened the door slightly wider, finding some confidence as you made your way to her bedside.  

“Is this yours?” You asked as you pushed the book closer to her. She squinted her eyes in an attempt to understand what the words said, and she pushed herself a little closer.  

“It's a recipe book,” you added.  

The woman sniffed, “Yes, I have vague memory of it,”  

“Grandmother, I didn’t know you were a baker,”  

She grumbled, “That was a long time ago.”  

You looked back at the cover before finally speaking back up, “Can I borrow it?”  

“Do whatever you want.” she weakly waved you off before settling back in her bed.  

You smiled, quietly shutting the door behind you. Flipping through the pages you looked at the cheesecake.  

“These are great!” The boy exclaimed as he sliced another piece of cheesecake out of your lunchbox. You smiled, feeling your chest swell with pride. “I put all my blood, sweat, and tears into this, you know. Lots of tears, ” you mumbled the last part to yourself.  

“Where did you learn how to make these?” he asked through the muffled sound of sweets that filled his mouth. You hummed as you took a sip of strawberry milk, “I found one of my grandmother’s cookbooks,” you looked off towards the sky as you took another sip of your milk, “I think it’s an original recipe of hers,” 

His eyes widened in surprise, “Wah- does talent run in your family?”  

You felt your face flush as you quickly shook your head, “I wouldn't call it talent.” 

“Then what is it?” He tilted his head at you. 

“Skill?” You said it more as a question than as an answer. “I’ve never seen my grandmother so passionate about something… It was a little refreshing,” you shook your head. “You wouldn’t want to know how long it took for me to get the recipe just right,”  

“Did she like it?” 

You thought back to the day when you were working in the kitchen once again as the smell of cheesecake filled your kitchen, you were surprised you hadn’t gotten sick of the smell by then.  

“Ugh, look at that there underbaked, throw them away child you’ll get food poisoning,”  

“Bleh, these are hard as rocks,” the plate had been smacked out of your hand.  

“Is that coal?”  

“I’m sorry I was distracted and-”  

“Just throw it away,” your grandmother scoffed, “you're wasting food at this point.”  

You remembered the look on your grandmother’s face as you presented the batch to her, although she gave you no verbal response, she gave you a nod of approval. And as you gave a small pump of your fist in victory, you couldn’t tell if you had been hallucinating the small twitch of her wrinkled lips. Although when you blinked it had already disappeared. 

“I think she did,” you finally answered, looking back at the boy.  

“She better have,” he laughed, bringing a napkin to your lips. 

You felt your heart pick up in speed until you were able to hear its beat echo through your skull. The familiar butterflies you had grown accustomed to had begun to flutter in your stomach once again. 

He placed his hand over his chest and puffed it in a dramatic manner, “I volunteer myself as your official taste tester.” You laughed and playfully smacked a hand against his back. 

“I hear it’s a great task to complete,” you raised a brow.

“Well then I’m ready for it,” 

Something changed once you let the boy find a way into your heart. The boy with the fogged-up glasses because he cried into your arms after a rough day. The one who always seemed to have bed hair no matter the time of day.  

His image flooded your mind the moment you closed your eyes and hit the mattress of your bed and he was the first to greet your thoughts when you woke up. He gave you a warmth you had thought you had lost throughout your life.  

And for once in your life did you begin to see everything through rose tinted glasses, just like in the movies.  

Valentine's day was always seen as the time where young love bloomed; it was the celebration of love itself after all. Stores were stocked with all things rose colored pink, balloons and big stuffed bears. The floral shops stock up on roses of all kinds. For a holiday that takes pride in bringing lovers together, you find that it lacks creativity after all, it heavily focuses on consumerism.  

And then there was the topic of chocolate.  

You found that eventually it all tasted the same, there was no heart put into them after all. By the time the holiday was over those chocolate recipes were probably repackaged as easter eggs or chocolate bunnies. 

Chocolate was too predictable. 

You decided that there was only one way to settle the warm fluttering that happened in your stomach, and you felt as if you were about to burst for keeping all of it bottle up. So, with a box settled between your arms you walked with a skip in your step towards class. 

“Hey,” you heard someone call out your name and you turned to see a familiar girl standing at the end of the hallway. Some of your classmates skittering away as they looked on to you with a look you could only describe as pity. Your heart rate increased tenfold, and you were only left with a nauseous feeling from what you could only identify as fear.  

By then it was only the two of you left, the whole part of the hall only reserved for you and the girl. You stayed put even as she slowly approached you keeping her hands held tightly behind her back as she began to circle you. “You're close with four eyes?” You gulped and nodded your head, “something like that yes,” 

Her eyes trailed to the box you had been gripping on and turned her back to you. “Could you help me with something?” she asked. “Yes,” you responded quickly, and you felt yourself internally cringe at the small crack in your voice.   

“I need you to give him a message,” she said, “tell him to meet me in the courtyard where the water fountain is at, he needs to be there as soon as school ends, or else.” 

You nod, “Is that all?” 

“You can go,” she dismissed you with the wave of her hand. You were ready to break into a sprint, “Actually,” you felt yourself freezing at the spot. 

When you turned back to face her you noticed her fingers tap against her chin in contemplation. “I need to ask you something.” she paused, placing her hands on her hips. “Do you like him?” 

You were surprised with how well you were able to hold your expression in a neutral form. “What?” 

“Because I do.” 

You shook your head letting a much too gentle smile form on your lips. “He’s just a friend.” 

Eventually you found him squatting down over a garden bed digging up a few patches of dirt. His face had dirt stains and his gloves had been caked with mud. He must have heard you approach because he had turned around to face you giving you a warm smile as he tried to peel off one of his gloves.  

“What have you been up to?” you asked looking behind him to spot the little samplings leaning against the fence in a neat row.  

“Nothing much,” he chuckled, “how bout you,” 

You felt a small quiver in your lip, you quickly cleared your throat shifting the box in your arms as you went on to make a mock salute, “I have a message.” 

“A message?” his brow quivered in curiosity, “from who?” 

“From her.” You bit your lip looking away in an attempt to avoid whatever reaction formed on his face. “Said meet me in the courtyard where the fountain is as soon as school ends,” You paused, lowering your voice in an attempt to sound intimidating, “Or else.” 

He laughed, that laugh you always found so adorable with the way his eyes crinkled and he held a hand over his mouth in an attempt to hide it. “Is that it?” he said the words in between giggles. 

You nodded, “aye,”  

Once his laughter had settled down, he turned back to the garden bed once again, placing his gloves over his hands. “Alright.” he said, his voice softening into that of a sweet tone.   

You felt your eyes begin to blur and you bit down on your lip to prevent a frown. “Do you need help,” you asked, trying your best to keep your mind on anything but the sinking feeling in your stomach. You blinked aways the tears as you began to inspect what the boy had accomplished so far.  

He hummed, picking up another sapling and handing it over to you. He stopped, leaving the plant to hover over the box you still held in your arm, “Oh, the...” he said, signaling towards your hands. 

“Oh,” you apologized, gently placing the box on a nearby bench, you darted towards the shed snatching a fresh pair of gloves and quickly placed them on your hands finally reaching out for the sampling he still had held in his hands.  

You decided to focus on helping the boy as to waver your thoughts from the topic you dreaded to confront. He had been the only one talking for the most part as he guided you to where to put the plants and how to carefully place them. You focused on his voice, preventing you from thinking of any conversation starters, although you had much preferred it to stay like that.  

You had been watering a nearby rose bush when you heard him speak up from his spot beside the garden bed. “By the way…” he looked back at you, “what’s that?” he asked as he gave the box that sat on the bench a pointed look.  

“Just something I made,” you kept your gaze on the rose bushes as you continued to water the nearby plants.  

“What is it?”

Despite yourself you smiled and hummed in a playful way, “it’s a secret.” 

“Are you going to give it to someone?” 

You bit the inside of your cheek as you thought over how to best answer him. You mulled over many thoughts in your mind before finally settling on an answer, turning to face him with a wink and a smile, you placed a finger over your lips, “that’s for me to know.” 

You weren’t sure how you were able to play the facade so well. You felt a small part of you crumble with each time you forced another smile as the day continued to trudge on. You felt a bitter taste settle on your tongue each time you watched a couple fawn over each other. Your grip on the pastry box crinkled from the side as the hours ticked by.  

By the time the dreaded sound of the last bell rang, indicating classes had finished, you felt a wave of nausea hit you all at once. You waited until the last few students had shoved themselves out of the classroom before you finally started packing your things.  

Your pace slowed as you walked down the steps on the entrance of the building, your gaze looking toward the fountain. You felt one of your hands drop to your side once you saw a familiar gleam of glasses. Her back was luckily facing you although you did notice how their hands were held together in between them, and their lips had been connected.  

The tears that you had held back the entire time had come once again, and you found it more difficult to suppress them. Once they had pulled back, she held him in her arms placing his chin on her shoulder. He noticed you at that moment and you gave him a smile, thanking whatever kind deity that was watching over you at that moment that you had been far enough to where he wouldn't be able to notice the red in your eyes.  

You waved at him, giving him a thumbs up with one of your free hands. If he had any sort of reaction, you couldn’t tell because the moment you felt movement in your legs, you were already off. 

You wandered the streets aimlessly by then you had already missed the bus, so you were left with no choice but to walk all the way back to your parents’ home. You found yourself left on autopilot walking the sidewalks with no direction. Eventually you found yourself bumping against a cement wall and you were reminded of the pastry box in your hands. 

The sides had already been crinkled and the lid looked just about ready to cave in on itself. You slowly opened the box to find that the treat was still left intact, and a small sigh of relief escaped your lips.  

However, you had no appetite at the moment, and you didn’t think you would be able to eat it yourself. You glanced behind you noticing a boy sitting beside a signpost with his back facing your way preventing you from getting a good look at his face. The only thing you noticed was the uniform he wore was much the same as the other boys’ uniforms in your school. 

Your eyes trailed back down to the pastry box in your hands before looking back up at the boy’s back. “Would you like some?” 

The boy turned to the side once he heard your voice, his eyes squinting at the treat with suspicion as he looked over your face. Your eyes softened as you looked down on your hands, “I didn’t want it to go to waste.” 

You pulled out a plastic spoon from the box and placed a small portion of the gelatinous snack in your mouth. “I didn’t poison it if that’s what you're wondering.” 

He took the treat from your hands reluctantly, his gaze looking at the sweet in mild interest. “The coffee jelly is all made from scratch, so I expect a five stars rating,” you paused, “constructive criticism is allowed,” you nodded your head.  

The smile you wore slowly disappeared as you saw a familiar pair walk down the sidewalk. Your stomach dropped upon noticing the girl leading the boy. Their hands swung gently in between them. In a panic you quickly bowed to the boy and excused yourself as you hurriedly made your way back to your parents’ house. Missing the chance to hear the boy’s song ‘thank you’ as he watched your retreating form.  

After the disastrous valentine's day, you weren’t able to see much of that boy anymore most of his time now spent with his girlfriend. Although it was painful to watch the pair together you still attempted to at least be a friend to him. However, each time you attempted to approach the pair you were always met with a glare from his girlfriend. It came to a point where you weren’t able to be in the same vicinity without her being there and butting in. So eventually you stopped trying.  

Despite that you never hated them, no matter how much you spent each night in your bed with tears streaming down your cheek you couldn’t find it in you to hate either of them. You were only able to blame yourself.  

And soon life when on 

Eventually the boy’s name had been lost to time; the only thing left to remember him by were the thick squared glasses that hung on the bridge of his nose and the well of tears that poured out of his once innocent eyes.  

But you learned a valuable lesson. You were cursed to play the supporting role.  

Chapter Text

“Can’t you give me a second chance?”  

There was a frustrated sigh, “I can’t even if I wanted to, I told you I’m engaged.”  

“My love you're the only one for me.”  

Your morning had started the same as every other morning. Wake up, shower, brush your teeth and make breakfast. You turned on the tv to listen to the morning news as you began to pack lunch.  

“Inigo, come eat,” you called out. You heard the small tapping of feet against the wooden floor and a smile formed on your lips. Making your way to the cabinet you pulled out a bag of kibble and scooped the food into a small bowl. A brown chihuahua greeted appeared as it quickly made its way to you, its tail eagerly wagging behind.  

Once you were outside Inigo happily trotted down the concrete pathway. You looked up towards the sky and took in a deep breath. There was a small chill in the air that managed to sneak its way through the small residential area. An old couple politely greeted you as they passed by and a few small children ran towards an alleyway as their father hurriedly chased after them with two bags carried in his arms.  

It was a peaceful spring morning as always.  

“Watch over the house for me, Inigo.” 

You closed the front door behind you and carefully secured your keys inside your bag. You fix your blazer and patted down your dress pants double checking to see if you had everything you needed. Placing on your earbuds you quickly scroll through your phone as you walk, playing a random playlist.  

When you reached the train station you struggled to squeeze through the vast amount of people. Several other office workers stood to the side and there was a man scrolling through his phone as his shoe impatiently tapped against the floor. A few high school kids sat at the end of the cart happily talking amongst their friends. You found a nice empty spot which for the most part seemed to be a little secluded and looked out the window letting your mind zone out.  

Once the train had reached the city you quickly put on your coat and followed the office workers that got off. The streets were covered in fresh rainwater and there were already several puddles covering the streets which many of the pedestrians carefully walked around. You maneuvered amongst the crowded streets until you had reached a tall office building and quickly walked towards the elevator pressing a button to take you to the upper floor. The floor where your department was on was relatively empty seeing as there were only a few of your co-workers standing around. Your manager was already at his desk keeping himself busy on the computer.  

Taking your usual spot near the window, you place your bag inside your desk cabinet and remove your coat and place it on your chair. A silent sigh escaped, you placed yourself on your chair. You heard the sound of soft footsteps approaching and then felt a hand was gently placed over your right shoulder.  

“Good morning.” A blonde man greeted you with a smile and handed you a cup of coffee. You smiled back, “Good morning to you too.”  

“You're here earlier than usual.”  

Your brows rose in surprise, and you glanced at your screen. Sure, enough it was an hour shy of being nine. You snickered and looked back at him, “I could say the same for you.” You held up your cup and took a sip, “what’s with the coffee.”  

His eyes drifted away, and a small smile appeared over his lips, “I thought you might have wanted some.” 

“Oh.” You raise a brow; you hide your smile behind your cup while taking in a sip.  

“So,” he cleared his throat, and his finger slowly drew a circle over your shoulder. “How is it? Did I get the right order?” You hummed and nodded. “My tastes haven't changed yet.” He laughed, “I would sure hope so.” His hand withdrew from your shoulder, and he rolled over a nearby chair. He leaned closer and looked at your computer. “You're working already?” You could almost feel his chin ghost over your shoulder as he said that. “O-of course, what else should I be doing?”  

The man leaned back seeming to think it over as he spun on the chair, “Hmm I don’t know… maybe, we could-” 

“Coffee girl.” Both of your attentions were drawn away from each other when the voice of your manager called out. The two of you looked at each other and you stood up, hesitantly walking towards the older man’s desk. “You… called?”  

“Who else would I be talking about?” 

The name seemed to quickly stick to your manager after you had naively volunteered to go buy coffee back when you were first hired. By then the damage had become irreparable and whenever he needed to get an errand done the burden had always been passed to you. You sighed, at the very least it had become the last of your days as an errand girl. Although you couldn't understand why they didn’t hire an intern sooner. For a place with relatively high income, they sure were stingy with their money. The higher ups had probably convinced the manager to hire more workers since the company seemed to be a little understaffed as of late. Well at least you had a slightly higher pay rate for the menial tasks after a strange change of heart from the manager. So, you couldn’t complain too much. 

“I need you to go out and make an order for me. There’s a meeting today and I need to get the coffee here before the others arrive.” He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a card. You nodded your head and headed back to your desk reaching for your coat. “I- can come with you if you need me to.”  

When you looked up at the man, he was giving you a soft smile. 

“I would appreciate that.”  

As the both of you made your way to the lobby you felt as if your heart began to quickly increase its beat. He placed a hand on the small of your back when trying to push out of the elevator that by then was filled with other workers and kept his hand there until you were out of the building. “I haven’t seen you in a while.” You said letting your shoulder brush against his as the two of you walked on the sidewalk. “I’m sorry. My supervisor wanted me to go out on a business trip, but our flight was delayed.” 

“You couldn’t have even sent a message?” 

He looked down, “yes, I know… I'm really sorry,” he bowed his head.  

“Well, it’s alright then.”  

As both of you continued to walk, he helped guide you through a few puddles of water that obstructed the pathway. The man was saying something although you did not hear as you noticed a small little dog trot your way. You paused and knelt down to its level carefully offering your hand towards it. “What’s a pretty little guy like you doing here,” you said softly and noticed that it did not have a collar. The dog barked and placed its paw on your knee. 

The roar of an engine drew away your attention and when you looked up the blonde had been standing there completely soaked from head to toe. You gasped, “oh my- are you alright.” He quickly dismissed you, “no-no it’s alright,” he said as his teeth clattered against each other. “I’m just glad you're alright.”  

You blinked and looked behind you watching as the little dog looked over you with its tail quickly wagging behind it. “I guess I got distracted.” Your companion quickly continued to walk forward seeming to ignore what had just transpired.  

“Sh-shouldn’t you go back.”  

The man only shook his head as his teeth continued chattering. 

When you finally made it back to the office building the man quickly excused himself. 

“Actually…” he paused and turned back, “Do you think I could take you out for dinner today.” He looked away and his hands began to fumble together.  

“Oh… yes.”  

“That’s great. Well then…It’s a date?” 

You nodded with a smile, “It’s a date.” 

You carefully made your way to the elevator, standing in the corner of the elevator you nodded your head along to the music. Your eyes drifted to the side, noticing that there was only one other person in the elevator with you. Your look over the elevator door watching as the numbers began to slowly tick by.  

A chime from the elevator quickly interrupted the silence as another person entered the elevator. The moment she stepped foot in the elevator her voice rose in excitement. When you turned to look at who it was you momentarily had to squint your eyes shut as light enveloped the small space. You didn’t have to look to know who it was.  

Teruhashi, better known as Teruhashi Kokomi. It was a name that could make anyone's head turn. 

She seemed to be preoccupied talking to the other person in the elevator which at the very least helped fill in the silence. You had no real idea as to why she was even working here. You thought that after graduation you would have seen her through several billboards or news articles showing off her success. With someone with such radiant beauty, quite literally, she could have worked anywhere if she liked. You never imagined her to be the type to be in an office setting, after all a woman like lead her own story

She had only become more beautiful as time went on, which didn’t really help when you're trying to leave work early and you are stopped by a large crowd of her admirers. Which leaves you to question your life decisions as you fight your way through the crowd because you want to go home and see your little Inigo.  

At the very least she makes for a very helpful receptionist.  

You looked at the man she was talking to and shook your head in pity. Whoever managed to worm their way through her heart will have to deal with several hurdles thrown their way.  

Your attention was pulled away by the elevator ding and you quickly stepped away. You heard the woman say her goodbyes to the man as the elevator door closed behind you. Once you had returned with the coffee your manager dismissed you and you finally got back to your work. 

Pulling out a notepad you prepared to write down a few numbers and reached for your mug that held your pens. Although when you attempted to write something no ink came out. Shaking the pen several times you were frustrated when only a faint blotch of color squeezed itself out. Several of your other pens also resulted in a complete dud. I have no memory of using any of these .  

With a push of your chair, you move away from your desk and swivel to your right, only then realizing that your coworker had gone. You sighed in frustration, placing a hand over your chin. You squinted your eyes and tilted your head down noticing that there was someone sitting on the desk across from you. You bit down on your lip quickly looking behind making sure you didn’t miss anyone else. Looking over the computer you quietly spoke. “Excuse me-” 

“-hey!” You heard someone call your name recognizing it to be the blonde man’s voice.  

“Oh hey, need something?” You turned your head to face him. 

He scratched the back of his head as he let out a chuckle, “Ah, well I forgot my lunch today.” 

You raised your eyebrows in surprise, “again?” 

The man only laughed, “yeah… you wouldn’t mind…” he trailed off. 

“Of course,” you nod your head quickly looking through your bag and took out a bento box. You felt your grip on the box unconsciously tighten as you handed it to the blonde. “Thank you so much…” his words trailed as he lightly tugged on the box. He gave an awkward laugh, “Um,” he lightly tapped on your hand. “No problem,” you said. 

“What would I do without you,” he said softly, and he brushed a hand over your head. You felt your face flush in embarrassment, “it’s nothing.”  

He quickly excused himself, saying he needed to actually get some work done and left before you were able to get in another word. You turned away looking back to your computer. 

By noon you had managed to finish half of your work, and as you pushed yourself out of the desk you stretched, letting a small yawn escape from your lips. Once you heard the satisfying crack of a bone you lifted yourself off of your chair and pushed it into the desk. You felt your stomach churn and you started to daydream about the food you had made earlier in the day. You doubted the blonde would come by before your break was over and you didn’t want to wait for leftovers. No doubt that food would be long gone by now. You place a hand over your forehead, maybe if you were quick enough you could reach the cafe.  

But you weren’t really in the mood for sweets, and you doubted there were any nearby restaurants that had what you wanted. Maybe you would have to settle with some instant ramen. However, when you searched throughout all the cabinets in the breakroom you found that the last remaining package of ramen was covered in dust and part of it was already half opened. 

Now you really didn’t have anything to eat. If I get to him in time, I might be able to get a little something. You thought as you walked towards the vending machine. Someone entered the breakroom at that moment, but you didn’t pay it any mind.  

The sound of a chair scraping against the floor finally drew your attention away as you glanced behind you to look at the cause of the noise.  

Your eyes widened when you looked at the stranger's lunch, your teeth unconsciously sunk onto your bottom lip as you looked at his bento box. Half of the plate was filled with white fluffy rice and strips of breaded chicken were laid over and, on the side, there was an array of fried vegetables. There was still steam coming out of the dish making it look as if it was still fresh off the kitchen. You regretted the moment you sniffed the air because the aroma only made your stomach begin to churn even louder, which was really embarrassing because other than the two of you there, no else had come.  

He must have heard it because he stopped his hand midair just as he was about to place a piece of broccoli in his mouth and lifted his gaze to look at you. You quickly looked back at the vending machine and looked over the options. Quickly deciding to just go with canned coffee you quickly swiped your card and pressed on the numbers. Your eyes drifted back to look at the bento box again, crisp crunchy chicken with steaming rice…  

He cleared his throat, making you blink in surprise as you were pulled from your thoughts. The man pulled out a second pair of chopsticks and slid them across the table.  You didn’t know why but you pointed to yourself despite the fact that there were just the two of you there. The stranger nodded his head and moved the chopsticks closer again. Hesitantly taking a seat nearby you took them. You could’ve made an argument against it or maybe even a simple refusal, but you thought it over and decided it would be rude to turn down a nice offer from a kind stranger 

“Will you be satisfied with just staring,” he spoke up softly and pushed the box closer to you. When you did not speak, he sighed, and took a silver spoon and placed a small portion of rice in his mouth. “I didn’t poison it if that’s what you're wondering.”  

You felt your mouth slightly crack in a smile because of that and reached out for the chopsticks. Reminded of the coffee you had just bought, you looked back at the man and offered it to him. “Do you happen to like coffee?” He looked at you curiously but took it, nonetheless. Placing it beside his arm as he nodded his head in thanks. 

Not much of a talker.  

He must have put something special into that meal because for the rest of the day your mood had gone at its height, and you managed to finish everything your manager had thrown your way by the time you were ready to check out of work. Picking up all your belongings you made your way towards the elevator and pulled out your phone to send a message to the blonde man. You began to feel your nerves pick up as the idea of the date finally registered in your mind and you began to feel giddy. Once you were outside you spotted the little dog from before and you called out to it but when you came close enough it scampered away.

“I thought I told you I don’t want to see you again.” Your ear picked up a voice echoing against the alleyway.  

“Can’t you give me a second chance.” 

You blinked and turned back realizing that the voice had sounded familiar. You peaked through the corner of the wall finding a man and a woman hidden in the corner, your supposed date.  

The woman released a frustrated sigh, “I can’t even if I wanted to, I told you I’m engaged.” 

“Then we can just elope! … I don’t want you stuck with some other man.” You held in a gasp covering your mouth with both of your hands. What?  

“Maybe my parents were right, you're no different than before.” 

“But I changed! See, I even found a good job. 

“So what?” the woman huffed.  

“My love. I never stopped thinking about you since the day you left. No woman could compare to you!” The man sounded desperate, “If we were quick enough, we could leave town by today.”  

The woman faltered and quickly looked away. Silence hung in the air for just a moment, “Do you actually mean that?” The man quickly nodded, “of course, you're the only one for me.” If you didn’t feel so miserable at that moment you would have laughed at the pure absurdity of the situation. It was like a whole novella was just unraveling right in front of you.  

The woman sighed in defeat, “Fine.” The man enveloped the woman in his arms and placed a soft kiss over her lips happily tugging her behind him. You panicked and ran towards the office building as the couple made their exit out of the alley. You sighed as you placed yourself on one of the couches by the window. A breath of air struggled to escape past your lips.  

You sniffed and quickly steadied your breathing even as you felt your lip quiver. You should have expected this to happen. At the very least you didn’t accidentally play cupid again. Looking out the window you watched as the blonde began to lean into the woman and whisper something in her ear. You squinted for a moment trying to register her face, wasn’t she your trainer?  

Well, at least now you have an excuse to skip out now.  

“Teruhashi, are you going home early today?” A small crowd formed at the entrance of the lobby as Teruhashi began to walk out, carefully placing her on coat. “Yes- I have things to do today.”  

The echoing of footsteps walked towards you, but you didn’t bother to see who it was as you turned back to look at the couple. You watched as Teruhasi began to walk by which pulled away the man's attention as he watched her call for a taxi. A group of admirers stood to the side waving the woman off. The man’s lover noticed that he had not been paying attention and followed his line of sight.  

You gasped and winced, as you watched the woman swing her bag across his face. “I open my arms to you and you're already looking at another woman. My parents were right about you,” the woman cried out. You placed a fist over your lips and cleared your throat.  

“That was a mistake! Da-darling hold on,” you shook your head and watched in pity as the man chased after the woman who left in a huff.  

Usually there would be a scene like in the dramas where the other woman appears and confronts the man. Yelling obscenities or crying while she hits him in the back with an object in range, saying something along the lines of how could you.  

But you only shrugged as you wiped your eye with the sleeve of your coat, that wasn’t your kind of thing.  

It’s not like the two of you had been dating anyway.  

You were surprised to see a package of open tissues resting over an open palm offered to you. Nodding your head in gratitude, you were afraid of facing the stranger and letting him have a look at your face. He didn’t say much, but it was strangely comforting. Although your eyes had still been blurred at that moment you were finally able to face the stranger with a sniffle. You still couldn't quite make out the features of his face. But you did notice the blur of a saturated pink which you assumed to be a head of hair. He was… familiar 

You rubbed your eyes again attempting to get a better look of his face, “is this out of pity,” you chuckled, as your words were muffled by the tissue. He didn’t answer you, as he kept his gaze toward the lobby’s entrance.  

“What… are you still doing here?” You felt your body freeze. Did she dump him that quickly?  

“I was just… resting." 

“How long have you been resting?”  

“Enough…” was all you said loosely wrapping your arms over yourself. 

“So, about the date, do you want to go now, since you're here after all.” He continued to make his way to you, “I was thinking of going to…” His steps had faltered, and you turned once you felt something lean against the back of your seat. “Do I know you?” the blonde said as he stepped back a little, “because you're getting in the way.” You raised your brows in surprise looking up at the stranger's head in confusion. You peeked your head to the side glancing at the blonde man. “Hey, could you tell this guy to leave.”  

Your eyes drifted to the floor as you purse your lips, “If that's where he wants to stay then let him be.” 

“Do you know him?”  

You had no idea who he was, but at that moment you wanted to be anywhere other than stuck in this situation and that man provided the best wall between the blonde and yourself. You might have unintentionally dragged this man into a situation that should have been left private, but if he chose to stay there then it was as much his fault as it was your own.  

“Weren’t you going to skip town.” you decided to get straight to the point. For the first time the blonde remained silent, and you sighed, just as you had thought. “You screwed that up too huh.”  

You stood up, the leather seat beneath you squeaked from the release of your weight. “You should go back to her, I no longer have business with you.” you paused, “be ready to grovel.”  

The stranger stood firmly beside you, preventing you from being able to see the blonde. “Are you just going to leave with another man?” You decided to ignore that statement. “I’ll be alright,” you murmured to the stranger. Excusing yourself in embarrassment, you fled the vicinity.  

It was unfortunate that you weren’t able to register the stranger’s face. Then you would have been able to properly thank him. 

｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡ 

It was evening and by that time all the office workers were ready to turn in for the day. A few people were in the elevator talking excitedly to a woman. But she ignored them once she laid eyes on a man who had been standing in the corner. The man slicked back his pink hair feeling overwhelmed with the various thoughts that ran through his head. “Are you going home,” the woman said in excitement.  

The stranger nodded his head just as the elevator dinged and quickly walked out. The woman attempted to follow after him, but a larger group began to approach her to say their goodbyes. He watched her attempt to get out of the crowd, but eventually gave up and waved goodbye to the man as she made her way out of the lobby. He noticed a woman sitting alone by herself as she stared through the window.  

He walked closer and followed her line of sight. There stood a couple basking in their own space and ignoring everything that was happening around them. He looked back at you sitting on the chair quietly sniffling to yourself. Teruhashi began to walk by and in the next second the blonde man was smacked with the woman’s purse. He shook his head as he reached into his pocket and picked up a package of tissues. 

He only knew that man to be an inconvenience. He was loud which made it even more irritating when he came into his workspace. He had no idea how you managed to put up with the man, maybe you were just that patient. On a number of occasions he wondered how he had even managed to land a job in the company. 

He was surprised this man stayed around longer than the others. 

At the very least it seems that the man was finally dealt with.  

He handed the tissues to you, not wanting to deal with the hassle of someone with a broken heart. Although you thanked him, you seemed to refuse to look his way. He just hoped it meant the end of the blonde’s visits.

  At least I still have that date left.  

The words echoed in his head and the stranger turned around to find that the blonde man was making his way towards the entrance. His hand hovered with a phone in it. 

The stranger took a spot behind your  seat. If he didn’t interfere, he’d have to deal with the commotion the blonde will likely cause, and he really didn't want to have to deal with a headache right after. Especially after he had just finished work. I hadn’t anticipated him returning, he thought.  

He also stayed by your side as you walked out, placing himself between her and the blonde man. If he attempts something stupid, I don’t want to be stuck in the middle of a lawsuit.  

He was surprised when he felt you  place a hand on his arm and looked up at him with a gentle smile. “I’ll be alright,” and then to his surprise you quickly fled the scene. The stranger sighed.  

You still hadn’t asked for his name. 

Chapter Text

You stared at your computer gently tapping your pen over your nose as you zoned out. Your waist swiveled left and right as you moved along with the office chair seat. 

“Coffee girl.” You sighed as you pushed yourself away from the desk and walked to where your manager was sitting. “Yes sir?” You said, keeping your hands behind your back. 

“That intern is coming in soon. I’m putting you in charge of showing him the ropes around this place.” 

Great, I’m basically stuck with baby sitting duty now.

“Of course Sir,” you forced a smile as you walked back to your desk.

You sighed as you dropped yourself on your chair. You just need to put up with this for a few weeks and you’ll get that promotion you could almost feel it. After all he trusted you with the training so that had to count for something. 

At least that’s what you told yourself. 

Yes, over the past week you had heard whispers about it from your coworkers, after working at the same boring company tirelessly for almost six years, you deserved that promotion. If having to put up with a young recruit is all that it takes for your manager to recognize that hard work then it was a sacrifice you were willing to take. 

“Well done, at this rate your pay may increase.” 

Unfortunately it seemed as if there were others who had the same idea in mind. Your eyes widened and you peaked over your computer looking over to your manager desk. He was talking to a man as he joyously patted his back. You squinted as you looked at the stranger who stood there listening to the older man continue to talk. 

It was strange, you weren’t really sure who he was, but it mattered not where that man had suddenly appeared from. As long as you were able to shape that intern into a reliable worker that pay increase will be yours. 

“H-hello,” 

Speaking of which. A young man peaked his head inside the room and surveyed the area. The manager looked back at you and motioned his head with a pointed look. You nodded and quickly went to meet him, “Hello, would you be the new intern?” You asked calmly, noticing the way the young man’s head reluctantly nodded. “Great, I’ll be the one who will be showing you around.”

You spent most of your afternoon walking around the department talking to the young man about the intricacies of the office. “And finally, this is where your desk will be.” You motioned to a place hidden behind the very corner of the department. The table looked as if it had not been dusted and you think there were a few cobwebs hidden in the corners. “Huh. A-anyways if you need anything I’ll be a few desks away,” you said as you pointed towards that direction. 

“I’ll see if I can find a duster.”

You hummed to yourself as you began to walk out of the office. A man had been walking by and you gave him a polite nod as you passed him. “You are watching over the intern, correct?” he spoke up, you turned to look at him “Yes.”

“The manager had assigned me to assist you with that.” Your eyes widened in surprise and looked at the manager behind you. “He hasn’t mentioned that.” You looked back at the stranger and your eyes flitted over his face. He must have been that man the manager was talking to earlier. But you didn’t know why he had seemed so familiar. Your eyes then trailed to his head, noticing the vibrant pink locks of hair that had been gelled back. That color… it’s quite rare… 

It finally hit you. 

Snapping your fingers you said, “you're that man.”

His brow rose in confusion. Yes it had to be him, although his face was not recognizable at first, you remembered him from that day. 

“Miss,” the man looked at you in confusion but you only waved your hand in dismissal. “N-never mind.” 

He seemed to recognize you, so you would feel bad if you admitted to him that you didn’t recognize him at first. You quickly looked at his ID that hung around his neck. Sai. You weren’t able to finish reading the entire name due to the fact that it was covered by his arm. Sai… That didn’t ring a bell. 

“At the moment I sent him to his desk, you can start by showing him where to begin.” He nodded.

He remained still there and you looked at him awkwardly. Taking a small step back you said, “Uh, that’s it, I’ll be back in a moment.”

You moved back hoping he would get the hint and headed out of the department. You groaned as you made your way towards the storage closet at the very corner of the hallway. The storage closet door was left wide open and the door was being held back by a large yellow wash bucket. You scoured the room aimlessly looking for the duster. You heard something outside but when you turned to look there was nobody there.

“Found you.” You smiled once you got a hold of the duster. And then there was another sound outside and you quickly looked behind when you heard something being knocked back. At that moment the door quickly swung closed and the last thing you saw was the bright color of pink. 

You ran towards the door and jiggled the door knob but much to your dismay it did not budge. You knocked against the door quickly shouting, “H-hello, can someone help, please.” You beat your hand against the thick wooden door once more. Was this some sort of sick joke?

Your nails dug inside the skin of your palm. Was he that desperate for that promotion? 

｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡ 

Sai-ki

You were so close to figuring it out. But the story wouldn’t move nicely if we didn’t know the name of the most important character in this story, and an introduction is long overdue. Isn’t it?

Saiki Kusuo, currently he was looking blankly at the young intern as he fumbled with the computer. Does it really have to take this long just to log in?

The young man looked up at Saiki in embarrassment. “So-sorry, I forgot my password.” 

“You forgot your password?” he reiterated. The intern nodded.

Haha, I wonder how long it will take for someone to find him. No matter,  that will teach that punk to quit messing with me. Saiki watched a red head come in with a proud smirk painted over his face, he rubbed his head as he tried to tune out the man’s obnoxious thoughts. Good grief, can you be any louder?

After an hour the young man had finally managed to enter his computer, and started settling. Saiki turned away once the young man was busy, and looked at the entrance of the office. It’s been a while since he’s seen you. He was starting to wonder if you had been slacking off. Although it was strange since it was something out of character for you. 

“Are you done?” He turned back to the intern, “I need to start my own work.” The intern looked at him in surprise, “Oh, yes sir.” 

He quickly looked behind once he heard the office door creak open. And in you walked dusting your hands against your blazer and dress pants. As his gaze followed after you he noticed the way you gave him the side eye. Once you realized he had been looking at you, you quickly turned away and walked towards your desk. When he tried approaching, you moved away completely ignoring him.

What’s up with her?

Once Saiki had been at his desk he leaned back lost in his own thoughts. He was finally able to find a way to get closer to you. That meant he actually had to put in some effort with his job just so that he was able to match your level. It was a full proof plan. Since the both of you would be competing for the same thing that would mean that the manager would have to place the both of you in charge of the intern. Which also meant that the both of you were able to have some interaction. 

Saiki already had an idea in mind. 

Thinking back from earlier in the morning, he had spent most of that time baking. It took me way too long trying to perfect it but I think I finally found the one. If he did that then maybe this time you would be able to remember him longer. If not then he could always think of something else. It felt like the hours dragged by until it was finally time for lunch but once the time hit he quickly got out of his seat and strode to the break room. 

He opened the refrigerator and carefully took out a plate of homemade cheesecake. Saiki was tempted to have a bite of it himself but he knew he needed to hold back. His professional relationship was on the line. He heard the door open from behind him, speaking of the devil.

You entered the break room in a huff as you stretched your arms over your head. Once you cracked an eye open you were surprised to see that Saiki had already been there. Your eyes flit over his figure before your face lit up in realization, and then you promptly turned away in anger. What.

Saiki shook his head as if to push away his confusion and quickly followed after you. “Excuse me,” he quietly called. He felt his voice crack and he cleared his throat before he tried once again. “Excuse me.” This is such a pain.

You stopped and turned back looking back at him with furrowed brows. He held up the plate of cheesecake and you began to eye it suspiciously.

“I hope we get along well.” Saiki bowed as he moved the plate closer to you. 

“What is it?” 

“It’s cheesecake.”

You softened your gaze a smidge and reluctantly moved closer. Saiki cut a small slice and handed it to you attempting to offer a polite smile. You continued to stare the dessert down until you finally looked up at him with a smile. “Thank you,” you nodded. Cutting off a reasonable piece as you gently placed it in your mouth. As you chewed, Saiki noticed the way your smile seemed to drop and your chews became slower. In a second your eyes widened and you let out a gag as you placed your hand over your mouth. 

You reached for a napkin and spit out the piece. There was a look of horror on your face as you quickly dropped the plate on the floor and your brows began to furrow in anger. “What is wrong with you?” You gagged once again and rushed to the bathroom. Your coworkers looked at you in confusion as you passed by them in hurry having already heard your outburst. 

Huh?

Saiki looked back at the cheesecake platter in his hand. It couldn’t have been that bad. He cut the cake and picked up another piece. However as he held the piece up to his mouth he froze, causing him to drop the plate. There was a leg, an insect leg baked into the slice. In fact most of the cake was covered in it. 

Huh, this is the wrong one.

A red headed man came rushing into the break room until his eyes met with Saiki and the plate of cheesecake that had been on the floor. “So-sorry,” the man quickly apologized as he began to pick up the mess.

He placed the actual plate of cheesecake onto Saiki’s hand and once again apologized, “Sorry, ha, must have picked the wrong one.” he said as he quickly ran out of the office.

What was that even doing there in the first place, He wobbled, of all coincidences. And face planted onto the floor.  

I’ll- have to revise my plans. 

｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡ 

It was a few days before you were able to return to the office. Somehow you were hit with nausea throughout the entire work day. Which unexpectedly left you bedridden for almost a week. You suspected that it had something to do with that platter of cheesecake that your coworker had given you. First the storage closet incident and then that.

You remembered how horrible it was being stuck there for almost an hour, inhaling all that dust in the air and your senses being overridden by the smell of chemicals. Out of desperation you sent a message to your manager asking for assistance but he didn’t seem to respond. 

After half an hour had passed you had to restrain yourself from throwing your phone towards the door. Your saving grace was a lovely janior who had gracefully opened the door. You almost ran to her in pure delight seeing the woman as your savior. 

You gave your coworker man the benefit of the doubt believing that maybe it was a complete accident. Especially after he took the time to give you what seemed to be a peace offering. After all, sweets were always a gift. But he only proved your reservations of him further upon realizing that it was tainted. Not only did that man feed you an abomination of a dessert but he also caused you to waste your sick days, especially when you needed to be at the top of your game. It surely could not have been a coincidence.

Given the misfortune of a bunch of paperwork, you were left stressed and uneasy. Not only did you have to watch over the intern but you also had to catch up. Meanwhile your coworker got to rest easy at his own pace. Just looking at the state of your desk made you lose some of your motivation. 

You heard someone clear their throat behind you as you rubbed at your temple assembling all the documents your manager had asked for. “Can I help you?” you said as you continued searching through your desk. 

You couldn’t quite hear what he had said, having half your mind occupied. 

“Hmm?” you hummed in confusion and turned to look at the stranger with a brow raised in confusion. “I’m a little busy at the moment.” Your eyes flit over his figure in further confusion. It took you a few seconds before you were finally able to recognize the man, your next words came off clipped. “Do you need something?”

The man gave no reaction to the hostility in your tone, perhaps he had chosen to ignore it. “Do you need help?” You started organizing some documents in your arms, “look, I really don’t have time for this-”

“I would like to apologize for what happened, it wasn't my intention.” The man interrupted you before you could finish. You huffed, “Right, thanks, but if you had let me finish you would know that I am very busy.” This emphasizes the very in your words with some passive aggression.

“I’ll- clean your desk.” 

What?

“What?” You looked at him surprised once you got up with all the documents in your arms. 

“I'm making it up to you, perhaps we had gotten on the wrong foot.” 

You adjusted the stack in your arms as you eyed him suspiciously. “Really?” 

The man nodded his head. You debated the offer for a moment, but then you remembered about the documents. You were behind and at the moment you needed some sort of relief. You didn’t want to debate the idea further, deciding it would be a waste of time to have a little grudge hold you back. So you reluctantly sighed, “Ok fine, just-  please don’t get in the way.” 

He nodded to you. Deciding there was nothing  left to say, you quickly made your way towards the manager's desk. “Where is that damm intern,” you heard the older man say in frustration. You hurriedly handed him the documents, “have you seen him?” he asked and you quickly shook your head, “no sir.” 

He signed and placed a hand over his face, “could you go find him, make sure he isn’t slacking off.” You purse your lips and you quickly look back at your desk. Your coworker seemed to at least be honoring his words as you watched him get busy with the organization. “I’ll see what I can do.”

You asked around the building for the intern but no one was able to tell you where the man had gone. You felt as if you had been walking in circles throughout the whole department. How hard is it to find one man?

When you decided to check one of the other departments you heard a soft sniffle from behind one of the fake plants. You blinked, approaching the individual with careful steps. There was a young man standing in a corner. His arms were crossed over his chest and his back was facing you. His body visibly trembled and he bit back a sob. You halted your steps and looked over your shoulder to see if there was anyone else there. Maybe I should give him a little space. You took a few hesitant steps back. You weren’t equipped to deal with any emotional affairs at the moment. 

The man's wails grew louder with each step you took. Was he doing that on purpose?

You sighed in defeat and carefully approached the intern awkwardly rubbing your arm. “You okay there?” The man looked back at you tearfully, “I’m alright.” 

“Oh, ok.” There was an awkward silence.

“I think I should quit.” your eyes widened in surprise. “What why?” He couldn’t quit now, not after you finally had some work loaded off you. “You're doing so… well.” You paused trying your best to think of anything that could help him rethink his decisions. However your mind could only draw into a blank. 

“But you weren’t even here!” 

You smiled and forced out an awkward laugh, “W-well, that doesn't matter. I may not have been here with you too long but we need someone like you here. You are essential.” The man looked at you with wide eyes. “Really?” 

“Yeah,” you nodded your head. You don’t know when the next time your manager will hire again. Knowing him all the menial tasks would be dumped on me once again. You let out a deep breath and tried to talk in your most comforting voice. “Tell you what, if you seem to have any problems just come to me, i’ll see what I can help you with. Ok?”

He sniffed, “ok.” 

“Now come. The manager was looking for you.” You hesitantly hovered a hand over his shoulder as you guided him forward. Once the two of you stood before the man’s office the intern looked back at you anxiously and you nodded in encouragement. 

“Sir, I found him.” The manager quickly dismissed you but when you tried to move away you felt something tug your hand. The intern quickly let go of your hand and apologized. “Could you stay, please.” 

“Sorry but-” suddenly there was a loud crash which brought the attention of many people in the office. The noise seemed to come from your left. You bit painful hard onto your lips as you were hit with the realization that it was the same place where your desk had been. You looked back at the intern, “I’m sorry I have to see what that was.”

Several thoughts raced over your head once you started to approach and all at once you were struck by a look of horror. It had been a complete mess, well more than it was before. It was covered in coffee, most of it looked as if it had already dried. Pages littered around the floor and your pens were knocked out of your mug. Your eyes flit to your coworker who had still been standing there, looking to be just as confused. His guilt however was not alleviated in your eyes when you noticed two cans of opened coffee that were  in his hands. 

“What happened?” you said in distress. Your hands hovered over the desk as you quickly bent to pick up all of the remaining pages. You hurriedly looked over all the pages hoping to see if they were salvageable. But what really had you in despair was your computer that was left in a sorry state. In desperation your hands hovered all around the computer and messed with all the buttons hoping that at least one of them could activate the device. But with its corner dented pretty heavily it was already long gone.

“My work…” your voice cracked.

You turned to look at your coworker, surprised he had still been standing there. “I’ll take care of it,” he said but you placed a hand in front of him  indicating for him to stop. “Just-” you sighed as you pinched the bridge of your nose. You told yourself that there was no time to go off on him. “I’ll take care of it.” You didn’t have it in you to be angry. You had just felt utter defeat. 

You got home much later than usual trying to shove in as much work as you could. It was dark outside and your precious chihuahua greeted you at the door in excitement. You knelt down and picked him up and at that moment all the hours of frustration welled up into tears and you began to cry.

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Arriving at the office much earlier than you thought was not the best decision but you were already swamped with so much work. You didn’t find time to make breakfast and you had deprived yourself of sleep with your mind running with thoughts filled with work. 

That coworker of yours would already be ahead of his work by then. No doubt your manager will graciously award him because of it. Leaving you now with second place.

“Sir, would you please extend my deadline. I promise I'll get everything done by this week.” You stood in front of his desk bowing your head, your finger’s grip tightened on the fabric of your pants. 

“What are you talking about?” the manager looked at you in confusion. 

“The one that’s due today.” 

“Didn’t you turn that in this morning.” he searched throughout his desk, opening cabinets and rummaging through them. Once he found what he was looking for he pulled out the documents and placed them over his desk. 

You blinked and your eyes quickly scanned over them, sure enough it was the work you had been working on. You were surprised by how well calculated all the work had been done. Even the work had been organized quite neatly, much better than anything you could have done. “I don’t-” you stopped yourself before you said anything else. It would be better to find out where these came from first before saying anything. Can’t look a gift horse in the mouth. “I see...” You excused yourself  quickly, sitting at your desk. Everything had been cleaned out even the coffee stains had been removed making it seem as if they were never there. What was most curious was the fact that your computer seemed to look as if it was good as new. Although you were sure the repair men wouldn’t have come by until at least the next few days. 

“Good morning.” you looked up seeing a familiar head of pink hair. He placed a cup of coffee on your desk and turned away. You stared at it and felt your lips pursed together. There was no other possible explanation to this could there? Loathe as you may say it.“Was it you?” The man looked at you in confusion as you stood before him with a steady gaze. 

“You finished all those documents, didn't you?” It was the most reasonable conclusion, after all he was the only one who was familiar with the work. What you didn’t understand was how he was able to do it so quickly. You bit your lip, this was the man you were competing with. There was no way you stood a chance against him not after this practical miracle he had performed. It was honestly scary to think about. Work that almost took you a week to do was completed in a mere night.  

He looked at you blankly, “I would be behind if you missed your deadlines.” 

Ah, so this is how it’s going to be. “Ha, well then. You win.” You laughed in utter defeat. 

He blinked.

“Go ahead, take that promotion, it’s obvious who's the superior one here, that was your plan after all wasn’t it.” You crossed your arms over your chest. “I know when it’s time to call it quits.”

“That wasn’t what I meant.” 

“What is the point of all those dirty tricks if you were going to turn around and help me anyways?”

He paused for a moment. If he had something to say you didn't let him as you went on a rant. “You locked me in that storage closet right? I didn’t see your face but your hair. It had to be you right?” You trailed off before you continued, “And when you gave me that cheesecake. Who even does that?” You groaned in frustration as you massage your temple. “Why would you do that?” 

The man stayed silent as you continued with your rambling. At the very least it actually seemed as if he was listening. Once you finally finished your tirade a heavy silence hung over the air. 

“Could we start over.”

You blinked in confusion. Start over? Is that all he has to say?  “What do you mean?” You furrowed your brows in frustration.

“It seems there was a misunderstanding.” 

He held his hand out to you, “My name is Saiki Kusuo.” You carefully took his hand in yours not knowing how else to respond to the bizarre declaration.

“Let’s get along.” 

Perhaps you should have stayed angry longer. From the perspective of an onlooker it seems to be justifiable why you would be so angry. After all, you didn't know this man. You couldn't read his mind. There was no way of telling what was going on in that brain of his. Despite how angry you were with the man, his attempts to make amends with you were sincere and quite patient. That at least was what you wanted to believe. 

In an anticlimactic turn of events neither you nor Saiki made the cut for that promotion. 

“Miss!” you heard the intern run up to your desk with a smile on his face. “Guess what!” You hummed and looked up at him with a raised brow, “What is it?” 

“I got a promotion!” You looked at him in surprise, “what?”

“Yeah,” he said it in excitement. “I’ve moved from unpaid intern to paid intern,” 

“Wow…”

Your eyes drifted to the manager as you stared at him blankly. 

The poor kid was supposed to be paid. 

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After another day's shift had ended a red headed man walked out of the office building tired from another long day in the office. His mind was left with thoughts of home. He noticed he received a call from an unknown number and despite himself answered the call. 

Saiki leaned against the office building and listened in on the conversation the man was having. Once the call had ended the man jumped up in joy. It seems it all worked out. Saiki knew this man would keep being a problem if he stayed at the office any longer. Of course, he couldn’t just outright get rid of him despite how much of an inconvenience he had been. That would have been too much of a pain. It was best to just weed out the problem before the redhead had any more bright ideas. I can't believe it. I can finally get out of this deadbeat job. The man had exclaimed joyfully as he practically sprinted into the parking garage. Saiki followed in stride, stopping just in time as a tow truck began to pull out a car from the lot. 

In the next second the familiar red headed man came running out attempting to chase after the truck in exasperation. Saiki watched as the man shouted and demanded for the car to be brought back but despite his desperate pleas the driver did not pause. 

It’s unfortunate that he happened to forget that the parking policies have been changed around the office. Maybe Saiki should have brought this up in conversation when he noticed such a blunder. 

But I can’t simply forget about the disrespect placed on an innocent slice of desert. He continued on his walk towards the subway station as the redheaded man continued to chase after the truck. 

Chapter Text

Usually there were days in your life as an office worker where there really wasn't much you could do. Everyone was usually busy working amongst themselves and when there was a time for breaks you usually kept to yourself. Today was no exception as you spent like any other day planting your face against the desk as you scrolled through your phone. Occasionally you checked your notifications only to find that there was really never anything worthwhile. No texts, No calls. 

Your eyes lit up for a moment. One text. However when you looked through the notifications a grimace fell over your face. You sighed and placed your phone facing down on the desk. No important texts. 

The muffled sound of the honking of cars can be heard even from the second floor. Telephones rang throughout the office and a couple of the workers put on the facade of someone who was happy to be there even as the angry clients yelled in their ears. 

If this seems boring then imagine living this life for the past few years. 

Unfortunately you can no longer enjoy the life you once had as a young highschool girl, meeting with friends, going on dates… well it’s not like you even did either of those things anyways. Maybe your life is just worse now. A sad lonely existence. 

Before you had the chance to delve into that you received a call and you quickly pushed yourself off of the desk to receive it. It was your supervisor once again. You managed to catch yourself before mumbling in annoyance. You relaxed and put on your best smile. Holding the phone away from your ear his booming voice almost made your hair stand at the ends as he commanded for you to quit slacking off and continue with your work. You peaked above your desk to see the man making direct eye contact with you before placing the phone back in its place. 

You meekly nodded. Only sighing in relief once he had turned his back away from the office. Around you, those that had been slacking off before all seemed to have conveniently found work after your phone call. You noticed one of your coworkers organizing a stack of papers that were faced upside down. While another didn’t even have her wired mouse plugged into the computer. You wondered how they managed to survive this long in the office.

The intern walked by your desk carrying an entire stack of papers as he struggled not to drop them. He glanced your way leaving the two of you in a stare off. You looked around wondering for a moment if you could perhaps think of an excuse from the situation. However, he looked towards you with a pleading gaze. His arms visibly shook by the supposed weight of all those papers. 

Sighing in defeat you get up to help the intern. He gives you a very gracious look. Carrying the other half of papers the two of you made your way towards his desk. The man sighed in relief and smiled as he crossed his hands over his face and bowed. “Thank you so much, miss!” 

You just nodded and waved your hand off as if it was nothing. “That’s all right. But I really have to get to my own work now.” 

“Oh, of course I wouldn’t want to keep you,” The intern nodded. 

You turned away for a moment and heard hurrid shuffling from behind and in the next second you heard before he called out to you once again. “Oh, um I was wondering if you could explain to me how…” He contemplated something for a moment. He didn’t even seem sure as to what he wanted to ask. 

The two of you were left in an awkward silence. You took it as a sign to leave. “I’ll just be over there if you need something.” You pointed back at your desk and gave the young man a polite smile. 

“Wait, I remember-”

The unfamiliar sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted  the intern from spitting out what he wanted to say. “Didn’t mean to interrupt, but the manager called for us.” The familiar calm and quiet voice of your coworker, Saiki, pulls your attention away. A snort of annoyance escpaed as you mentally prepard yourself from whatever nonsense your manager wants to ask of you now. 

“It seems I have to be somewhere else,” you told the intern. “Let’s get back to this another time.” 

There wasn't much else said, as you walked towards the meeting room first. Saiki followed close behind. When the two of you stood before the manager the man seemed to almost be relieved to see the two of you. 

“Good, you’re here.” The manager quickly went towards the front door practically slamming it shut. He looked outside the windows for a brief moment. Eyes shifting to the side as he quickly shut the blinds. You stood by Saiki watching the supervisor in bewilderment at his strange antics. You glanced back at your coworker to gauge his reaction to the matter. In contrast he lseemed quite calm despite the suspicious nature the manager was displaying. 

Finally when your manager seemed satisfied he cleared his throat and sat himself at the head of the table. “This is highly important. I need you to go to this place.” He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. 

Hesitantly walking forward you carefully took the piece of paper from his hands. You glanced at him. He simply nodded indicating for you to go ahead and open the note. Saiki who had been silent throughout the whole interaction looked over your shoulder as you quickly read it over. 

You stared back at the manager with a look of confusion. Turning the paper to face him you pointed at the writing. “Sir, why are these coordinates?” 

“I’m not paying you to ask questions so get to it now.” He grumbles in annoyance keeping his arms crossed over his chest. You dug your nails into the palm of your hand as you struggle to remain professional. I should get a raise for this. 

“It would be a little helpful if I at least knew what I was getting into, Sir.”

“That matter is classified.” 

You really wanted to rip the hair out of your scalp. “Alright Sir, but why does he have to go?” You pointed towards your coworker who had spent his leisurely time watching the interaction in silence. 

The manager leaned forwards on the table and rested his hands under his chin as he seemed to be contemplating his answer for a moment. His eyes drifted toward Saiki before finally landing on you. “Emotional support.” 

You gawked, but before you got out another word he quickly kicked the two of you out of the meeting room. “And don't come back until you finish the job.” Why is he being unnecessarily ominous?

The two of you were left in a tense silence for a moment as you continued to stare at the door in bewilderment. After finally giving yourself a moment to compose you let out a deep sigh and turned to look at your coworker. 

You found it difficult to find something to say to him. Despite the entire debacle that was last week's incidents you still found it a little difficult to really talk to the man. It’s really easy to forgive, but it wasn’t as much to forget. You knew it was only in time where you had to talk to him and it seemed that today was the day. “I don’t suppose you have a car?” Still you at least wanted to make the effort of being civil with him. It was only fair after all. The only response he gave you was the shake of his head. 

 “The subway it is then.” 

Leading the two of you towards the elevator you heard some conversation pour in from the outside. Your eyes widened once you spotted Teruhashi making her way towards the door. The blinding radiance of Teruhashi causes you to turn away. Riffling through your purse, you pull out a pair of sunglasses. As you adjusted it you looked over your shoulder to see the look of confusion that crossed over Saiki’s face. Ignoring the confusion you glanced to the sides, making sure there wasn’t a stray fanboy following after Teruhashi. An instinctive fear kicks in causing you to harshly press the elevator button. Despite the frantic action of yours, Teruhashi didn’t seem to notice your presence. Not that you expected her to. 

“Saiki, what a coincidence to see you here.” You tuned out the rest of what she was saying after that. Tapping your foot anxiously against the floor. Your eyes stared blankly at the lights that flickered instantaneously. The music that played, often went static before it proceeded as normal. One, two… gah I blinked. You tried counting the flicker again. One, two, three… How do lights work? Should I know this?

“Hello?” Jolted from engaging in a tangent, your focus was caught by Teruhashi’s voice. Although you very much knew that it was only the three of you in the elevator you still glanced towards the sides believing you misheard. “Ah, I see you and Saiki are heading out!” 

Hesitating to speak, you nod your head, not sure how to respond. Only then did you notice that Saiki had found his way by your side. It was as if he was putting you as a barrier between them. Didn't realize he was the shy type. 

“How nice.” The woman spoke in a much too cheerful voice. “I’ve never seen Saiki so close to someone before aha.” There was an awkward silence that hung in the air as neither of them seemed quite keen in continuing a conversation. Well, you weren’t, but Teruhashi was very happy talking Saiki’s ear off even if he didn't seem as eager to reciprocate. You relief washed over you once you heard the sound of the elevator ring. Quickly moving out of the elevator, you gave Teruhashi a polite farewell. You were out of the office when a swarm of men swept in. Saiki barely managed to catched up to you. Much to your disappointment. 

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The station was busier than usual leaving you and Saiki packed in like a couple of sardines at the very last car. The two of you did your best in avoiding contact with another passenger as they all swung to the side while the train moved. You handed the note that contained the coordinates to him.  

“I just need to focus right now.” You squint your eyes as you carefully read through the series of numbers. 

His mind was flooded with the various voices of strangers packed in. All not worth focusing on. I should have brought my ring today.  Someone’s shoulder hit you causing the phone to get knocked out of your hand. Saiki let go of the metal bar and quickly caught the phone. He pursed his lips as the certain voice of a man seemed much too eager for the situation they were left in. With all the voices going at once it was hard to pinpoint who it was. Most of everybody's line of thinking  ranged from the latest game to spoilers for the next up incoming anime. I actually wanted to watch that one. Saiki’s disappointment was immeasurable. 

Another person bumped into you causing your phone to fly out of your hands once again. He sighed in annoyance as he caught it. “I can do it.” He retracted the hand with the note in it. Quickly reaching forward you pull his arm back down.

 “I got it.” Your grip on his arm loosened. “See,” you showed him the screen. The location seemed to point towards an abandoned warehouse that was located near the outskirts of the city. 

He couldn't help but look at you with a raised brow. “Hey, I typed in exactly what I was looking at.” Looking back at your phone you didn't look quite sure either. In response he only shrugged his shoulders, not really in the mood to argue (or provoke you). With how little there was to do today he didn't have much else going on. 

Ehehe. 

Saiki turned his head to the side. There it was again. That obnoxious laugh. It was much closer. He finally located the individual. It wasn't very hard to know who it was when the passengers around him gave him the side eye. Saiki glanced towards the screen that displayed the next stop. How much longer is this going to take? He tapped his foot on the floor looking back towards you. 

You seem much too distracted to notice the stranger approaching. The man bothered yet another woman as she attempted to politely step away from him even. He obviously could not take a hint or rather he didn't care. He attempted to reach for the woman’s arm, however the train hit a bump on the tracks knocking the stranger off balance. There can't go one day without some creep taking residence in the train. Everyone surrounding him turned their heads away. The creep takes a moment to regain his balance. Struggling to stay on his knees. By then most of the passengers had cleared away from him. I really need to do something before he does something drastic.

You were the only one still in line of sight. As the man stood up and straightened himself up he walked towards you. Leaning against  the train door to keep his balance. Glancing up from your phone the train came to a sudden halt. The doors slid open and passengers flooded out. The man had somehow been knocked out of the doors leaving him to be trampled on by the passengers. 

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That’s strange. 

You looked towards the schedule. You were sure there was still half an hour left until the next stop. You checked the time on your phone and looked around. No one else seemed to notice the swiftness of their arrival. Or maybe they just didn't care enough. You looked towards Saiki to see if maybe he would have noticed the change but he seemed much too busy staring at the train doors. Well, there’s no reason for complaining. You shrugged your shoulders at the thought and looked back at the schedule. At this pace you’d get to that warehouse in no time. 

The car was left fairly spacious once most of the passengers cleared out. Saiki took the nearest empty seat. He closed his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. Settling on a seat across from him, you made yourself comfortable as well.  

“How much longer?” Saiki opened his eyes, waiting expectantly for your answer. 

You checked the time, “About half an hour.” 

He nodded his head and crossed his leg. You looked back at the GPS and cleared your throat. “You know… you didn't have to come with me.” 

Saiki’s eyes drifted to the side as he thought about it. “I know.” 

Why would the manager ask his best accountants for something like this anyways. There was an intern for a reason. Sure you were the manager's errand girl for a while. That however still gave no answer as to what the two of you were even meant to do in the first place. Glancing outside you watched as the condensed city became less populated. The tall apartment complexes became homes. And soon those homes increased in distance from one another as nature became more rich. 

“How long have you been working at the company anyways?” You asked curiously. Realizing you've never asked. You don't remember seeing much of him throughout your years in the company. Maybe he was a new employee that was hired. However you don't recall any recent additions to the company before the intern. 

“Six years.” 

You paused. Six years? He’s been in the office for six years? “ What?” You looked at him in confusion. “Wow, what a coincidence. That's how long I've been working.” It made sense now why he was in the running for the promotion. 

“When did you start?” 

“After graduating.” 

You nod your head thoughtfully. You wanted to ask a follow up question but the screeching halt of the rails startled you. Looking towards the streaming green letters that told your location you were already on your feet. “Finally here.” You whispered to yourself. 

You followed after Saiki as he walked out the door. Once outside you stood over the rundown platform and breathed in the fresh countryside air. The cracks grew fresh blades of grass with a couple flowers ready to bloom. Looking around you found a dirt pathway and you pulled out your phone to quickly look at the GPS. 

The sound of the train pulling away was heard in the distance as you carefully walked through the pathway. Minutes dragged by and you started to doubt yourself as dirt began to pile into your flats. On the other hand... You looked back at your coworker who seemed unfazed throughout the whole walk even as you struggled to keep yourself composed. Saiki eventually took the lead and moved most of the branches that obstructed the path away. Eventually he managed to lead you towards the warehouse. 

You held the phone up in comparison. The picture didn’t do it justice. It looked worse. 

The two of you looked at one another. Saiki gave you a deadpan look. The sharp cutting of a buzzsaw startled you. “Maybe someone in there can help us?”

Saiki looked at you, the look on his face was quite obvious. What were you thinking? 

You’ve watched plenty of horror movies. You knew this was the perfect plot for all those cheesy slasher movies that ran on tv in the middle of the night. Here you were just you and your coworker. Alone in the woods with only an ominous dilapidated warehouse in the middle of nowhere. Whoever was inside definitely had a weapon.There was no chance that two overworked coworkers would be able to take on an ax wielding murderer. Especially when the only thing that kept them going was a few cups of caffeine. 

This wasn't really one of your smartest moments. 

“Yeah, let's get out of here.” You quipped. You were one step back towards the trail when a deep muffled voice called towards the two of you. 

“Who’s there?” 

A towering man walked out of the warehouse with big heavy steps. His face was covered by a mask and his large hands were protected by thick black gloves. 

“We were just leaving.” Your palms began to sweat as you struggled to answer politely. 

“Hold on,” the large man commanded and you froze in compliance. “You can't leave after walking all this way here. Stay, I insist.”

You were ready to decline but to your surprise Saiki was the one who took up the offer. He walked towards the man and turned back to look at you, expectantly. Of course you were shocked and looked at him as if he was crazy but your coworker seemed to ignore it as he continued walking towards the warehouse. 

The older man stood silently, despite the mask that hid his face it almost seemed as if he was looking at you expectantly. You had half a mind to just book it and leave Saiki to whatever fate was in store with him. Unfortunately you had a conscience. Despite the fight or flight response overtaking your system.

So begrudgingly you followed after your coworker. 

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Saiki sat on an old rickety chair that creaked with every movement he made. Everything in the warehouse looked as if it had been aged by many years. The roof looked ready to fall in on itself. The wood piled at the side looked like a fire hazard. To the average person Saiki would have seemed insane for willingly entering the unknown building. Perhaps he was. There is a valid reason as to why I am here. (Very defensive there.)

He could almost sniff it. He looked into the man's refrigerator. It stood out like a sore thumb. It was the only thing that looked as if it was freshly brought out of manufacturing. Its silver doors shine with such a heavenly glow. He was here for one thing and one thing only. 

“I was just about to have a break.” The older man took another chair from the side and offered it to you. Saiki paid little attention to when you quietly scooted closer to him and the way you leaned forward to whisper into his ear. 

“We really have no time for whatever spontaneous idea you have right now.” 

He ignored you. Which caused you to huff in frustration. “Saiki!“ He shushed you. “Fine,” begrudgingly, you  fell back on your seat. 

It was no use he was trapped by his own weakness. Not a weakness. It was his greatest weakness. He scoffed which did not go unnoticed by you as you narrowed your eyes at him. “Sorry.” He quickly apologized. Saiki was well aware that you lacked patience at the moment. He was also well aware that he was being stubborn. 

“Do you have any sense of caution right now?” 

“We aren’t in danger.” Saiki stated calmly. 

“How would you know that?” You threw your arms in the air. “Great, if I die here no ones ever going to find me.” You crossed your arms. “I was hoping to go on for another couple of years before the stress got to me.” You mumbled the rest to yourself. 

“You're being dramatic.” Saiki rolled his eyes. 

“You’re not being dramatic enough.” You narrowed your eyes. “You’re being very naive.” 

“I’m not naive”

“Well what are we doing here?” 

Saiki sighed. “If you’re so worried about this why don’t you just leave?”

You huffed in disbelief. “I’d be more insane if I left on my own.”

“If there was any real danger here I wouldn’t have let you follow me.” You looked at Saiki in surprise. He glanced your way and seemed to have settled in your chair. After a moment of silence you mumbled. “This is why men die statistically faster than women.” The difference is I'm not an idiot. 

He is however a very simple man. Was he being a nuisance? Yes he could admit that. Was he hungry? Very much so and he was really craving the dessert the stranger had in his refrigerator. But when did he ever reject a serving of coffee jelly? Especially when it was a limited edition serving that can only be found hours away from the city. It’s a win-win either way since we had to skip lunch to get here. 

The large man returned with a dubious red substance covering his arm as he gleefully pulled out a nice tea set over the wooden table. He carried a blade on his free hand and began to sharpen its edge against the side of the table. Several wooden scars on the table made it clear that the table had been a victim of that blade for many years. Well this isn't helping my case. 

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Oh god, I'm going to die. Your eyes widened as the red liquid began to drip down the man’s arm. Am I judging too quickly? But he has a knife in his hand! The red stuff isn't helping either. 

“So what brings you here? Don't see many visitors around here too often.” The older man attempted some small talk as he carefully sharpened the blade. “It’s a shame too, it's a really nice place here.” 

If you had boots you would be shaking in them right now. “We are so sorry for intruding. But we appreciate the hospitality.” 

“No please, I don’t see many people here. I'd appreciate it if the two of you humored me for a second.” The man stopped sharpening his blade and stood up once more. “Let me just warm up a nice brew for you. I’m sure the two of you must be exhausted. It’s got a real kick to it, my grandma’s special recipe.” 

The man walked towards the refrigerator. “I was saving this for later but I supposed now is better to share.” The man dug inside the fridge before pulling out a platter of coffee jelly. Saiki cleared his throat. “If you insist.” 

For the first time since you've known Saiki, although briefly. You've never seen such a sincere smile come from him. He was relaxed and lost. The man offered you dessert. It would have been polite to turn it down and you would have, but lunch had long passed and you didn't expect to be away so long. 

“It’s really hard to run a business in the middle of nowhere so I really need to get in your good graces.” 

You looked at the man in utter confusion. “A business?” 

The stranger nodded and took off his mask revealing a face that showed his many years of work and labor and an unkempt salt and pepper goatee. “Of course! Just have a look around. I've got plenty of trinkets and knick knacks laying here and there.” The man rushed outside and swiftly returned with a large wooden table. “I can do a little off everything.” He showed you various wooden horses and dogs. Tables and stools that came in a set. Even a wooden bathtub although you weren’t really sure how practical it could really be.  

Throughout his whole pitch you were courteous enough to listen to the whole thing in mild interest. For quite  an intimidating man he had a surprising attention to detail. The man pushed a wooden giraffe into your hands offering it as a complimentary gift. You tried declining but the man insisted.

Feeling pity for the man’s talent going to waste, you decided to pull out your wallet. “I’ll buy one from you then. Cash or credit?” The woodcutter looked elated. “You made my day!” 

You narrowed your eyes at Saiki who was busy eating his dessert and poked his shoulder. “Help the man out.” You whispered to him. He looked as if he was contemplating the idea for a moment before he too took out his wallet and offered to pay for a random object. 

“Sir, you should really invest more time into advertising. ” The woodcutter looked at you in surprise. “I have. There are plenty of times where I went to the city and put up signs everywhere.”

“People these days open shops online.” You offered. “Maybe try that.” You looked back at Saiki and he nodded in agreement. “After all it is a long journey.” 

“Well, I never thought of that.” He smiled appreciatively. “By the way, how did you kids stumble across this place anyways?” 

You pulled out the  now crumpled note the manager had given you and showed it to the man. “Our boss sent us to this location but he never told us what he wanted us to do. 

The woodcutter squinted his eyes and looked at the contents of the slip. He then asked to look at your GPS. “Ah, I see you mistyped here.” The man pointed to the number. He then retyped the whole set of numbers and another location popped up. Only this time it was located near the city. The most well known bakery in the area. You gawked. 

You rode the subways all the way to the outskirts of the city… just to go to a bakery? You already missed out on a good portion of your work. All for this?

Saiki just shrugged his shoulders at the revelation. Why did he go along! “Why didn’t you stop me?!” You say in disbelief. 

After waving goodbye to the woodcutter you and Saiki made your way back to the station hoping that the next train would arrive sooner rather than later. You paced around the platform grasping onto the wooden figure in your hands as you tried to quell your irritation. You huffed and paused in your steps when you heard the sounds of a train running along its tracks. You relaxed as you saw the train start to pull in.  

When you finally arrived back in the city you were met with the all too familiar air pollution. Thge noise of traffic brought some semblance of comfort as you and Saiki walked through the busy streets. 

Once the two of you reach the bakery Saiki leads you towards the pick up area. For a moment he stood there in silence. You looked at the man in confusion moving closer to try to see what he was doing. Although you were sure there was nothing said, someone responded and nodded their head in understanding.  

You rubbed your ears until there was a ringing echo. Is there something wrong with my hearing? Perhaps it was the stress of the day getting to you. That’s what you decided to conclude with. 

Eventually the worker came back with a pink box in their arms. “For Mr….” The worker reiterated your manager's name and Saiki nodded his head as he carefully took the box in his hands and handed it to you. Wow this is heavy. 

“What is this?” You struggled to balance the box in your arms as Saiki pulled out the company credit card to pay for the dessert. 

“Cake.” 

“What kind of cake is this?” You walked towards one of the tables carefully placing the box over it. 

“A pound cake?” The man shrugged as he placed his wallet back in his pocket. 

Placing your hand on your hip with a snicker. “Was that supposed to be some sort of joke?” 

“I just mentioned the first that came to mind.” 

“Well, whatever it is. It feels like something the manager is trying to over contemplate.” You tapped your chin thoughtfully. “He probably got in an argument with his wife.” 

“That’s probably it.” Saiki agrees. 

After paying he turned to you. Lifting the box out of the . Carrying it almost effortlessly as he began to walk away. By the entrance his attention was caught by the deserts in the display case. By the next second one of the employees attended Saiki. Reaching inside the employee took out a serving of coffee jelly. They placed it by the register. “Will that be all?” 

Saiki glanced your way in expectantly. “Is there anything you like?” Pleasantly surprised you gave the display case a once over before choosing a desert. Being mindful of the price. 

Working hours were almost over when the two of you finally reached the company building. The manger had been impatiently tapping his foot against the carpeted floor until the two of you finally arrived with the box in hand. Saiki quickly handed the box to the man before he went on a tangent. He panicked as he tried to keep the box balanced. 

You walked towards your desk in exhaustion and booted up your computer. Although you hadn’t had a proper meal all day the plastic bag that held your desert was called to you. Carefully clearing off the surface you placed the desert and took a bite. 

As you savored the third bite, you came to a realization. The spoon in your mouth barely hung in your lips.  He knew. This entire time Saiki knew where to go. And he still followed you around like a headless chicken.

Your eyes flit to the dessert on the desk. 

Unbelievable.

Chapter Text

“There you are miss!” 

Finding you in the breakroom. The intern greeted cheerfully, peeking his head from behind the door frame. The half-hearted response he received didn’t deter him as he still took it upon himself to seat himself across from you. Despite annoyance crossing over your face you let him be as you twirled an envelope along your fingers. Your name was the only thing written on the paper. A misspelled name. You found it hard to believe that your name would be that hard to write.

“You need me for something?” You asked calmly, finally placing the envelope over the table to face the young man. 

“What?” The intern said in confusion.“Oh! Yes… there is something.” He looked unsure as his words trailed away. 

“Would you like to share what it is?” You tapped your fingers against your cheek while you patiently waited for him to respond. 

“Of course! Just let me remember…” His eyes lit up when he looked at the envelope on the table. “Oh, you were invited as well?” 

Your eyes drop to the envelope before looking back at him. Fine, I'll bite. 

Despite knowing he was dancing around the subject you release a sigh. “I’m sure half the office has.” You mumble, trying your best to hide the disdain in your tone. 

“Oh…” his face dropped. Left taken aback by your change in demeanor. Silence clung in the air as the intern awkwardly slouched against the chair. Fidgeting with his fingers. 

When he said nothing else, you opened your bento box. Picking up a piece of fried chicken your mind drifts as you glance outside the breakroom. Lately, it felt as though the days in the office were slow. Everyone suddenly began to pick up the slack because vacation season was soon approaching.

And vacation season meant wedding season. 

Every year was the same. New employees meet and fall in love. Leaving their positions open, to start a new chapter in their lives. Colleagues came and went. But you remained in the same place. That’s the thing about getting older. They all wanted to settle down at some point in their lives. It’s what’s expected of them. 

It’s why you didn’t bother to make acquaintances. Because eventually, they would leave. You were the only constant in the office. It’s a reminder that you’d remain on the sidelines of everyone's lives. It was painful, sure. The closest thing to a relationship you had was one in college, but you didn’t want to think about that.  

“Well, who knew just a month was enough to find your soulmate.” The intern spoke wistfully. Recovering quickly to your curt response by speaking positively. 

“I just hope this one lasts longer.” You muttered with disinterest. 

“Oh miss, I'm sure the fourth is the one?” 

“Well, I’m not going to invest another yen in something I'm certain is doomed to fail.” You scoffed, crossing your arms over your chest. You’ve already made the mistake of attending the groom's first marriage when you were still fresh out of college. It was one of the first weddings you were ever invited to. So in good faith, you decided to invest a nice lump of money for the couple. 

It was a stupid decision in retrospect. You barely knew the couple. But back then you wanted to build some sort of relationship with your colleagues. So when their marriage went down the drain in just six months the generosity soon became meaningless. 

“That guy preys on the new ones, promising them stability, before soon realizing that the grass isn’t always greener.” You sighed leaning on your hand, “A true scam artist.” Honestly, you felt pity for the groom’s ex-wives. They were just trying to make a living after all. Even through their naivety. Perhaps you would have been one of those girls at some point. It wasn't hard to fall for a pretty face. Who can fault them? If some rich guy came into your life, you’d be a hypocrite to say you wouldn’t immediately debate on eloping. 

But some people weren’t made to live in easy mode. You still had bills to pay. Floors that needed deep scrubbing. And appliances you couldn’t fix yourself. 

Prince charmings weren’t real. And even if they were, that guy certainly was not one of them. 

“Speaking of weddings, people usually take time off this time of year. Will you?” 

”I’ll just wait for the summer. I don’t plan on attending any.” 

His face lit up, “That’s great! Then I won’t have to be as lonely here.” He leans forward resting his face over his hands. “My father says I should keep working. To really experience work here.” 

“I see…” He was young, it wasn’t surprising he would still live with his parents. 

“That looks really good!” You were surprised he didn’t push the topic further as he pointed out the meal you had. He was practically salivating as he stared at the meal. “I’ve never seen anything as delicious as that.” 

He might have been exaggerating to get on your good side.  A bowl of rice and fried chicken is simple enough. But you’d give him credit for the compliment actually working on you. You did make an effort to make the sauce from scratch.“Thank you.” 

“I haven’t eaten all day.” He mumbles the words. 

“Lunch isn’t up for another fifteen minutes.” Dipping chicken into the sauce, you place another piece in your mouth. 

“But that looks really good…”

Ah, You drop your spoon on the dish. So that’s what he wanted. Looking down at the half-eaten food you contemplated the idea for a moment. It was a rather strange thing to ask of someone he barely knew. “Do you want the rest?” 

The intern looked surprised. “Really? That’s so generous of you…” Why act timid now? 

Nodding your head you push yourself off the table. “I’ve had enough.” 

Someone else joined the break room a few seconds later. Saiki politely greeted the two of you as he walked toward the vending machine. 

“Saiki! Er… Sir.” The intern corrected himself as he called him over. “Joining us today?” 

When Saiki didn’t respond, the intern interrupted the silence. “That’s great!” He calls him over. His expression showed reluctance to follow. 

You fold your hands over your lap. Your relationship with Saiki remained in a stalemate. At least, that’s what you felt. It was suffocating to be near him at times. But one way or another something always seemed to force the two of you near. Sure you worked in the same office. But it made you wonder how you managed to avoid him for six years. 

His attention was caught by the envelope. “Don’t go.”

“I wasn’t planning on it.” Slightly offended that you would even contemplate the idea. 

“Not just you,” Saiki added, giving the intern a pointed gaze. “Attending a colleague's wedding isn’t worth the time. Especially his.” 

The young man gave you an innocent look. “Is that true?” 

“Unfortunately.” You nodded in agreement. Feeling sorry for the young man, you sighed. “Be careful of people like him.” 

“Maybe he can change?” The intern offered.

“I doubt it,” Saiki shook his head. 

You agreed with Saiki. “Be careful where you throw your money!” You warned. 

Saiki cleared his throat. “I’m sure he doesn’t have to worry about that.” 

What does he know? Some people can be very charismatic. It’s what you told yourself when your meals consisted of packaged ramen when you never saw that money. Never again. 

You crossed your arms. “I’m serious.” How that man managed to pull off so many weddings was an impossible thought to delve in. “But enough about that… lunch is almost over.” Rubbing your head in exhaustion. You dreaded having to spend another second sitting in front of your desk. 

“We have fifteen minutes left.” Saiki looked at his watch. 

Giving him an unamused look you shake your head. “No, I'm sure I said that fifteen minutes ago.” To prove your point you took out your phone tapping the screen to see the time. “Look, it clearly shows here that we still have…” You blinked, “fifteen minutes left...” That can’t be right.  

Not wanting to look like an idiot, a forced laugh escaped your lips. “Right.” You could have sworn you were keeping the time. Finding no point in complaining, you decided not to question it. It wouldn’t hurt to talk more…

｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡ 

Once Saiki heard the loud voices of men fading away he knew he was safe. With Teruhashi finally preoccupied he was sure he wouldn’t have to worry about another ’accidental’ run-in with her. Usually, Saiki didn’t like to use his abilities that dealt with time for something so simple. Teruhashi’s followers didn’t intimidate him. They were more of a hindrance to his day-to-day life. An extra fifteen minutes of slight peace and quiet was necessary. He’s already had such a terrible day, and he didn’t feel like facing envious scrutiny, again. 

Of course like every other day Saiki was being dramatic. 

They sold out his favorite pastries at the bakery, and he felt like the universe was suddenly against him. That's because it is. He looked over the envelope again. 

Saiki was well aware of the incident involving the groom’s first wedding. He was there as well. The man was no good. That was clear from the moment he saw him. Could he have warned you? Maybe… but he never expected you to actually spend so much money. 

Weddings were too much of a pain. There’s always one every year so he found no reason to attend any of them. None of them lasted much either. From what he was able to gather through the past years, fifty percent of his ex-colleagues were divorced by the one-year mark. 

Those were the consequences of rushing things he supposed. 

Although he wasn’t sure how the recent groom was able to string along another woman. One moment with him and it’s enough to steer anyone away. No matter how flowery his words were, it’s hard to mask crap with a spritz of cologne.  

Saiki didn’t understand how someone could be blinded by such things. Finding it difficult to form a connection with someone. When they are always an open book. 

Trying to think of something that strayed from the topic of his colleagues' wedding, his eyes being drawn to the empty bento box. It made him think of pastries. And the ones he missed. Something salty pairs well with sweets… Saiki tries to have balanced meals as much as he can. But he can never go without a treat on the side. There were at least some benefits to having powers. For one, he didn’t have to worry about his metabolism as he got older. 

“I almost forgot.” Pulled from your thoughts you spoke up once you’re eye’s met Saiki’s. Rifling through your purse, you take out a plastic container. “I owe you don't I?” Do you? He wasn’t sure what you were talking about. 

It contained a dozen cookies. Perfectly stacked in a row. “Indulging in something sweet goes well with a salty meal.” 

He relaxed at your words. You made things a lot easier. Not one for small talk Saiki was relieved he didn’t have to say anything. 

The intern happily helped himself to the dessert you offered. A soft smile crossed over your face as you watched him enjoy it. “Here,” you quietly offered a cookie. 

He took it with no complaints. Progress, he hoped as he bit into the cookie. “It’s good.”  

“I tried.” You shrugged, biting into one yourself. “Don’t say I never pay back.” I never said that. 

Offering him another, Saiki quietly took it with no complaints. 

I guess this will do. It was no coffee jelly but it would do for now. 

—So… what is it that Saiki gained from this? Does it seem out of character for him to go out of his way to cross paths with you? 

Well, Saiki was a simple man. And through the past decade, he learned to be patient as well.  

As a boy, Saiki never had much interest in befriending others. So, like every other day, Saiki was alone. Valentine's Day was no different for him. Wake up, get ready for school… etc., etc. He’s done a good job of hiding himself in the background for years. Admirers weren’t an issue thanks to that. The only real annoyance was how different people acted that day. People are strange, he concluded. How can a day change so easily? It’s not as if a love confession would be different because of it. A rejection will be a rejection. No matter when your love is proclaimed. 

He walked an empty street. Avoiding as many classmates as he could. It was going well for him too. No one bothered him, so he was able to enjoy silence for once… or as much silence as a psychic could enjoy. That was until he was startled. 

For the first time in his life, someone had managed to successfully sneak behind him. 

It was a girl, who wore the uniform from his school. He didn’t know this girl's name at all. He didn't recognize her. But she approached him, with dried tears in her eyes. It placed him in an awkward position. 

Who was this girl? Has he ever spoken to her before? 

She didn't allow him to contemplate questions that floated in his mind.. As she offered a sweet to him. And for a second, he was afraid he was going to receive a confession. Something he dreaded on that particular day. But she didn’t confess. For some reason, this girl gave him a treat. One that she proclaimed to have made herself. And then promptly ran away. Leaving a crumpled box and a confused boy behind. 

Saiki fell in love that day. 

And its name was Coffee Jelly. His one true love. How did he go throughout his life without having a taste of the delectable treat? At that moment, his day became warmer. 

Pastries were great. A sweet frozen treat? Even better. But coffee jelly… Coffee jelly was something else entirely. He’s tried every kind that there was to offer. Supermarkets, restaurants, cafes. 

All great in their own right. 

But he’s only had her’s once. And it wasn’t something he could simply buy. He’s been chasing the high for it ever since. It’s been years since and he doesn’t know why it stuck for so long. Nostalgia perhaps? Saiki wasn’t sure. But he hoped that one day he could experience the same joy he did when he first took that bite. 

Why is it that her’s was so different? What made it so unique? 

Maybe it was an accident… Perhaps it was a fluke. But Saiki needed to know for himself. Because he feared he may be driven insane from all the wondering. 

Of course, that girl was you. He wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t. But one has to ask… isn’t this too much? It’s just coffee jelly. 

Which is true. It is coffee jelly. But as much as he wished to deny it. Saiki was a rather peculiar individual. 

“Mr. Saiki?” Someone called. “Saiki… Sir? Are you okay?” 

He blinked, the intern’s hand obstructed his view as he wildly waved it in front of his face. “I’m fine.” 

“Oh, that’s great! You were so quiet I thought you fell asleep…” I thought he stopped breathing!

Saiki rolled his eyes at the young man’s internal thoughts. “I’m fine,” he reiterated. 

The intern smiled. With your mind preoccupied elsewhere, you were startled when he called for you too. 

“Yes?” Confusion took over your face. 

“No,” he laughed. “You said that last time.” Leaning forward the intern rested his hand over his face. “I don’t think you understand how the game works, miss.” 

Crossing your arms over your chest you sigh, “If only I had time to play games as much as I did when I was younger.” The intern reacted with pity. That’s the real world. 

Once you check your phone you stand up to stretch. “Alright, I'll start heading back to my desk.” 

He nodded his head. Now that Teruhashi was out of the way. He hoped the rest of the day could go with no further annoyances. Saiki already has planned how he would spend another relaxing weekend… at home. He was good at separating work from home so the only thing he worried about was dinner for tonight. 

“The manager wants you to print out copies.” He handed a sheet of paper to the intern. It should be easy enough. The first order of business was to keep the intern busy. For a smooth rest of the day. 

“...Sure thing!” The intern reviewed the pages. But I did this two hours ago. And you’ll do the same thing in the next two hours.  

His eyes drift back to the vending machine. It called to him. I need energy to deal with the rest of today …

—No, he can go one day without coffee. He shouldn’t rely on it too much. He turns away, one foot out the door— But it wouldn’t hurt to have one.  

He walked back to the machine. The coins in his pocket needed to be used for something. If I save money I could spend it on something better. He paused, It’s cheap coffee anyways, I can go without it for one day. 

But he technically doesn’t spend the money on his credit card… There shouldn't be much of a loss. Okay, just once. There wasn’t much use left for the coins anyway. He might as well spend it on a vending machine. He caves too easily. 

Saiki stares through the glass. Hmmm… m aybe I should change things up. His hand dug inside his pocket as he tried to decide on one of the various drink options. That one looks expired. He shakes his head in disappointment. 

A single coin falls out of his pocket. Rolling underneath the vending machine. He debated on whether it was worth picking up. I guess it would be wrong to materialize money out of nowhere…

Oh to have such problems. Funny. 

Saiki glanced over his shoulder. Listening to see if there were others nearby. When the coast was clear, he bent down and placed his hand underneath the machine. With no effort at all, he lifted it a foot off the ground.  Wait…

For all he knew there could be something lurking underneath. Something creepy and sinister. Who knew when it was the last time anyone had cleaned underneath there. In disgust, Saiki lets go of the vending machine a little too quickly. — I should be a little more careful. Lucky for him, telekinesis comes in handy. 

He stands back, once again lifting the machine off the ground. He swallows and carefully searches underneath the machine. Found you. In the second the coin found its way on the palm of his hand. Disgusting. He cleans off the cobwebs before sliding the coin inside the slot, finally deciding on his original choice. 

All that work for nothing? It better have been worth it. I don’t want to hear it. 

｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡ 

Ah crap, I forgot something. 

Halfway through the office. You pause in your steps. Since the intern was occupied, you had real work you could get into. And you forgot that Saiki was the last person to have your copy of the work. You learned to see that Saiki, with all his past faults, was a reliable worker. 

You hoped with the cookies you’ve baked, that the two of you were now even.

Walking past the break room you spied Saiki through the glass window. Your hand reached for the doorknob.

But your mouth opened from shock. You gulped. Did he… lift that entire thing himself? Y ou must have been seeing things. Surely that is impossible. You force out a breath of air. And wipe your eyes in disbelief. What is this? Where am I? 

“I’m seeing things…” You whispered to yourself. Because who would believe you? 

Then the vending machine started to levitate. And you truly believed that it was a dream. Your fingers dug into your skin. Pinching yourself repeatedly. But you didn’t wake up. And that vending machine still levitated. Is this my reality now? Some… super human being, casually worked with you. 

“I’ll just… ask him later.” You say to yourself blankly. Walking back to your desk. 

Saiki’s eyes flit towards the door a second later. Huh, my senses must be off today. 

Must have been a bird. What the hell would a bird be doing in an office? 

Chapter Text

To be a background character meant that your role was to fill in an empty space. Giving the main leads a far greater presence. Because at the end of the day, the world revolves around them. The main characters. The important ones. You learned this early on in your life when you once got trampled on by Teruhashi’s merry band of lovestruck boys. 

She had this presence that surrounded her. And drew others to her. She literally managed to light up any room she entered. None of these traits applied to you. And those traits made her dangerous in a way. 

The gist is that nothing good ever comes out from associating with the main characters, people with better lives than you. They had such a large expectation placed on them because of that status. While you worked and did nothing else with your life. Others were out there making a change. Dictating how their own lives will pan out. And you wanted to take no part in that. 

That was one thing you were certain of. But how is it that one of them managed to worm their way into your life? It was still an insane concept for you to grasp. A superhuman? What's a man like him doing in an office? Wasting away his time printing out sheets of paper at a snail's pace. Spending his thirty minutes of lunch in a breakroom. Drinking coffee with no other care in the world. 

What exactly was this man capable of? 

Now you wouldn’t say your life was going incredibly well. You still spent most of your time at work rather than at home. And, besides Inigo there wasn’t much waiting for you there. But your life was simple. And you learned to appreciate it. 

After all, it's hard to miss company, when you never had much of it. 

Saiki Kusuo was an enigma in your life. How can a plain man such as himself even come with such power in the first place? He was nothing like the so-called main character should be. From what you gathered, he kept to himself. Out of sight out of mind. He was certainly smarter than you… yet he worked at a dingy office. For a company with questionable ethics. There was so much he was capable of accomplishing. So why was he here? What was that man's role in his story? 

You shake your head. No. You shouldn’t think too deeply about it. It’s best to keep your head down and mind your business. Your hands trembled as you grasped onto your pen. 

With your internal ramblings, you didn’t hear the voice of Saiki call your name. 

“Hey?” he called once more. 

He wasn’t sure what’s been keeping you so far away. But it started to become a distraction for him. She’s lost her mind. He concludes. Stepping back he crossed his arms over his chest. He held a distant gaze, glancing to his side. He blames it on the shift. Whatever that means.  

It’s times like these when he wonders what goes on in your head. I would already have that recipe in my grasp for one…

Sure he could easily just… break in and steal the recipe if he wanted to. But Saiki was raised better than that. No matter how much he wanted that coffee jelly. He wasn’t a criminal. 

Gah! You blink in surprise once you look at him. Since when has he been standing there? How is he capable of having… no presence? Another strange thing about that man. His presence was practically nonexistent. How was he capable of doing that? Capable of being so… unremarkable. 

Your hands trembled, but you folded them over your lap to hide them from him. “Yes…?” You say in an even tone, hoping you haven’t given yourself away. “Something wrong…? 

Plenty of things. He wants to say, but he points to your keyboard instead. “The document is filled with asterisks.” 

You blink and look at your computer. Sure enough one of the tables was filled with them. Half of your work was left in a jumbled mess. “S-sorry,” you apologize quickly with a small bow of your head.

You looked shaken, a surprise for him. “Right…” His words trailed off. “It’s better to finish that soon. We have an hour left.” No time for slacking. I have priorities right now. Like the new chapter of his light novel. He had to get ahead before others started talking about spoilers. Just one hour left… He looked at his watch. 

I can’t accomplish anything with a panicked mind… You stare at the screen. No more thinking. Work dammit! Your fingers frantically tapped into your keyboard to correct your mistakes. 

Saiki lingered for a moment, until deciding it was a matter not worth putting further thought into. Picking up the sounds of a panicked squeak, causes a sigh to escape from him. No! No… Please work. He hears the intern's desperate plea to a photocopy machine. What a pain. He walks off to the source of the chaos despite wishing otherwise. 

Once you look up and find him to be gone, your shoulders slouch in relief. Your hands settle at a steady pace. Finally making it easier to focus completely. 

It was only when you finished work that you finally had the chance to lament in your thoughts. With your mind so occupied you didn’t notice the person standing in front of you until your body collided with his back. 

“Who was that? You trying to pick a fight with me? I’ll show you—” the person blinked in surprise when he turned around to find you with a similar expression. 

“Oh, it’s just you.” His body relaxed, dropping his fists against his side. “Sorry about that…” he cleared his throat. Good to see your senses as quick as ever… Your hands wring together in embarrassment. 

“Sorry, Kobayasu.” You bow. 

Straightening his uniform, Kobayasu clears his throat. “Be careful next time… What if some punk finds their way inside when I’m not looking.” 

What are they gonna steal? Paperclips? You tighten the strap of your purse. “Right… I'll just be on my way then.” You sidestep him before he stops you. 

“Why are you leaving so late?”

You look at him in confusion. “I’m done with work?” It should be obvious.  

“It’s dangerous outside.”

“I’m sure I can manage.” 

He doesn’t seem convinced. “Look.” He leans closer. “I don’t want you to panic, but I heard there’s some ax-wielding freak walking around the neighborhood.” 

A look of disbelief crossed over your face, but it quickly dropped. “You’re exaggerating.” What is this? A horror movie? 

“Maybe… or it could be true too.” He said. “But who am I to stop you? Walk along if you have a death wish.” He gestured with his fingers. 

“Well, what do you expect me to do? Wait this person out or…?” You waited for him to answer. 

He rolled his eyes, and feigned defeat, giving a sigh. “Just this once, I’ll walk you home.” 

“I’m fine.” 

“What do you mean you're fine? There’s a serial killer out there and you want to risk your life for that?” He shouted, forcing you to cover your ears. Oh, so there’s a serial killer now? When did the story change? 

“Don’t you have work?” You tried deflecting. Shaking your head, you try to get rid of the ringing in your ears. “You shouldn’t leave your post.” 

“Hmm….” He tapped his chin as he inspected the area. “Here we go.” He takes the shoulder of a random man. “He can cover for me.” 

“Kobuyasu, Sir.” His coworker straightened himself. “You can count on me!”

Where the hell did he come from? You blinked in surprise, glancing around the area. Despite the man’s random intrusion he looked at Kobuyasu in admiration. 

“I’ll  trust you to do a fine job before I return?” Kobuyasu patted his back. 

“Sir yes sir.” The man saluted. Seriously, where did he come from? 

“You were saying?” He said smugly. 

“Next time keep a better watch of your time. I’m not your babysitter.” 

“You are correct. So I’ll just be on my way.”

“Hold on…” He pulled onto your purse to keep you in place. 

Your brow twitched in irritation. Can’t I just go home? “I’ve walked home by myself all these years. I don’t see why you’re offering now.” 

“Because this is a civilian concern. The faster you get home the quicker I can do my job.” 

Thinking he was out of his mind you reluctantly agreed to his offer. Stopping him from being insistent on the matter. Kobuyasu was a hard person to understand sometimes. Even worse, when the two of you were high school classmates. He was unpredictable. So. you stopped trying to understand what his intentions were. 

“Okay fine … Although, I'm only agreeing because I know you’d follow me out of here anyways” If he walks into trouble with his superior it won’t be your problem to worry over. 

Ax wielder… That… can’t be true…

You walked out of the office building with Kobuyasu close behind. A stale silence hung in the air. You fidgeted with the straps of your purse. Keeping your eyes cast over the concrete road ahead. 

Kobuyasu was a more recent addition to the company. Who joined two years ago. After going to separate universities when the two of you graduated. It never crossed your mind that you’d ever meet him again. Despite the grievances, you’ve had with him as children. A part of you missed his presence through those. 

You would've liked it to be a good memory in your mind's capsule. But when he joined the company, you were reminded why you always kept him at arm's length. Namely his aggressive temperaments. He might have changed, but he was still that teenage boy who picked fights with the school bullies. 

Only now he was actually getting paid for it. At least he’s found his calling. 

You heard Kobuyasu clear his throat. And you jolted your head.  

“So things didn’t work out with that guy?” He muttered. “Noticed you were alone again.”

“What guy?” 

“There’s other guys?” He whistled. 

“Don’t be ridiculous.” You scoffed. “There are no other guys. There are in fact no guys.”

“So that blonde boy toy was just a pastime?” He scratched his chin. 

“Please, as if…” Your eyes downcasted. Fingers fidgeting together feeling anxious by the mention of his name. “He’s… gone.” 

“Gone where?” 

“To his fiancee…” You admitted. 

Kobuyasu stared off into the distance. And he didn’t speak for a while. You thought it was the end of that conversation. But when the two of you stopped by a crosswalk. Waiting, and watching as the cars drove back and forth, he spoke up, “It’s probably for the best.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“He was useless.” He said simply. “Men like him definitely have something to hide.” 

You didn’t respond, dumbfounded by his bizarre declaration. The two of you continued walking once the road was cleared. Ignoring the feelings brought up at the mention of the man’s name. 

“I guess you were right.” You sighed. 

He said nothing else. So you quickly tried to get your mind off the man. Thinking back to the events of today, caused a shiver to run up your spine. As you were reminded once again about your psychic coworker. 

What was Saiki? Certainly, he had to be some sort of extraterrestrial being? That was the only conclusion you could come to. But… he looks human enough . Minus the dorky glasses and the antennas sticking out of his head. Which in retrospect makes sense as to why he wears it in the first place. You just assumed he had a rather peculiar taste in fashion. Maybe it was some kind of alien technology. 

But what kind of alien worries about something so mundane as taxes. Who would put any effort in crunching numbers as well as he does. Surely an alien wouldn’t have a use for earthly money… But he has worked here for six years. 

His allegiances are unknown. But he seems harmless enough. No invasion on earth happened… not yet at least. 

No , aliens were out of the question. Who would willingly spend six years in a place that only held misery and broken dreams? 

Hmmm. It would be wrong to jump to conclusions so quickly. Not when no harm was done. 

“Kobuyasu?” You turn to look at him. 

He didn’t return your gaze. Keeping his eyes closed as he rested his head against the train window. “Yeah?” He responded calmly. 

“Do you know a man named Saiki Kusuo? He’s a co-worker in my department.” 

“Saiki?” He opened his eyes and blinked in confusion. “What about him?” 

“You know him?” 

He sits up. “Of course, I know him, We went to high school together.” He tilted his head. “Ehh, don’t you remember him?” 

You blinked. “You were classmates?” You asked in disbelief. 

“Yeah… he’s a friend of mine.” A friend? Since when?

You look down at your hands that were folded over your lap. Trying to wrap your mind over it. Most of the student’s faces slipped your mind. Not much went on for you as a kid. Mostly because you never had much to do on your own. “Well, it’s not like I remember everyone from high school… We weren’t even in the same class.” 

“But you remember Nendo and Kaidou.” He questioned. “He’s their friend.” 

You weren’t aware there was more… Shaking your head you tried to remember their group. But Saiki was someone you never imagined when they came across your mind. Perhaps, he just didn’t stand out as much. 

“Huh— what do you need to know about him?” He asked curiously. 

“Well…” Initially, you wanted to get further insight into him as a person. But with that information alone you were able to deduce enough about him. Nendo and Kaidou were harmless enough. So you doubted Saiki would be any different than them. Although it was an unexpected revelation. One thing is for sure, he was no alien. High school was a torture in itself. 

What an unlikely group of teenage boys. 

“What kind of person is he?” You decided to ask anyway. Although you weren’t sure how substantial Kobuyasu’s opinion on the matter was. I think we have different ideas of what a normal person is. 

He contemplated the question. “He’s a good guy. A little reserved, but he’s harmless.” 

“I see…” You glanced away thoughtfully. 

“You know, he’s not the type to get in a relationship.” He mentioned.  

“Oh no, it’s nothing like that.” You gently shake your hand. “I was curious, because—” You paused, I can’t really say because he’s some superhuman… psychic. He’d think you’re insane. And you didn’t want to find out what Saiki would do if his secret ever came out. Assuming he was keeping it a secret. 

“I just got to meet him recently. That’s all.” You settle with those words. 

｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡ 

“Alright, be careful next time. Cause I won’t be there with you all the time.” Kobuyasu warned. 

“I don’t expect you to.” You sighed, waving him goodbye as the train took him away. I doubt his supervisor would be happy with it. 

Walking along the neighborhood in relative silence soothed a lot of the day's work off your mind. The local strays scattered when they heard you approaching. And the neighbor's porch lights turned on when you walked past their homes. 

Once you finally arrived home, you nearly collapsed on your couch. Inigo greets you by the entrance. His feet tapping along the wooden floorboards brings comfort to you. Jumping onto the couch, he snuggles against you. And you stay there for a couple of minutes, staring towards the ceiling. 

With all your strength, you walk to the cupboard to grab his dinner. The kibble falling into the metal bowl was the only noise that resonated in the house. You watch with a content smile as he digs into the food, happily wagging his tail. Grabbing the remote you switch the channel to play a soap opera. With a plot too convoluted to remember. Finally shutting out the silence in the home. 

Dinner was quick and easy. Not bothering to do much with the ingredients in your cupboard. It was only for you anyway. Settling over the couch, Inigo followed suit snuggling against you, while you finished your meal. “You wouldn’t believe what happened today Inigo…” You exhaled. “The things I deal with to keep us alive.” You joked as you looked at the dog. He tilted his head curiously and you gave it an affectionate scratch. 

Saiki became an enigma in your life. And now a large burden rested upon you. You knew the man would be trouble for you in the future. Which meant you had to figure out what your next step was. Mentioning it to him is out of the question. Despite Kobuyasu’s words, you still feared that the man might smite you if he knew you found out. At least, if he was capable of smiting you. 

You shake your head, stroking your hand against Inigo's coat while you continue to think. No… This man is trouble. Sooner or later you would find yourself wound up in chaos if you continued to associate with him. Something you weren’t keen on. 

So the only solution to your problem was to distance yourself from him. You’ve accomplished it before, so it shouldn’t be difficult now.  

He’ll go away on his own…

Chapter Text

Rain poured throughout the courtyard. The harshest it’s ever been in the past year. Large pools of water formed along the streets. And completely drenched those unfortunate enough to forget to check the weather. Among those people was you. Waiting beneath the school's entrance. Building up the confidence to run through. Biting the inside of your cheek, you struggled to shake off the chill that crept along your bones. Rubbing your hands over your arms, provided better warmth than the sorry excuse of a coat you had.

“You can do this.” You told yourself as you stared towards the sky. 

Its thunderous, gray clouds weren’t ready to relent. 

Sagging your shoulders you screw your eyes shut. “I deserve this…” You lamented,  finding that your emotions have numbed through the day. You couldn’t find it in you to curse up at the clouds. There was nothing you could blame but yourself for your misfortunes. 

“Wait!” 

You freeze when you hear your name called.

It was him. 

The one you wanted to avoid the most. He called for you, with no care for the others that could hear him. That traitor you called a heart, picked up its pace. However, you couldn’t find it in yourself to face him. It was difficult to ignore his footsteps. They were so distinct. How they stomped against the wooden floor hurriedly. 

“D-don’t go—” 

You were startled  when he stood before you, looking completely winded. “It’s dangerous if you go like that.” He almost looked… concerned? Keeping your distance from him, you only managed to nod along. In hopes of escaping the conversion as timely as possible. 

You needed to leave, despite wanting nothing more than to stay. 

“I have to— I… I can’t leave my grandmother alone for too long.” You sputtered the first excuse that came to mind. 

“We can share an umbrella!” He clicked it open, holding it out for you. “You forgot yours, didn’t you?” 

Clutching your hand nervously against your chest,  you showed hesitance. “But…” 

What about her? You wanted to ask. Having no idea of her reaction scared you. Why did he have to be so stubborn? He should be with the one he loves. By her side. You had no idea why he bothered to approach, now that he had her. It’s what you gave up when she confessed to him. So why couldn’t he do the same? He’d only cause trouble if he continued. 

Your hand betrayed your line of thinking, hovering over the umbrella’s handle. Wishing to touch his hand just once. Just like she did. You knew it was wrong to think in such a way. You had no right to his attention or love. But he was too good of a person to understand the implications he was making. If you were any other person. You might have misunderstood his intentions. You felt like a terrible person for harboring such feelings for someone who only thought of you as a friend. 

You only proved her right, stepping into territory you didn’t belong in. 

Saiki passed by the entryway. Spotting you standing with the boy. He paused, looking towards the sky, a thought crossed his mind. It looks like it’ll be a while… 

He was reminded of the coffee jelly you gifted him. The taste was divine, and otherworldly. You looked to be in need of help… and Saiki had a debt to settle. He looked towards the sky once more. Grasping onto the straps of his backpack, debating what to do.

A single ray of light penetrated through the thick cloud. Slowly pouring through the cracks until it illuminated you in its embrace. The only evidence left of the rain was the water that dribbled from the building’s roofs. 

That should be enough. Saiki concluded. There was a collective sigh from the students around him. And soon any stragglers caught by the rain started pouring out. 

“Oh,” You blinked, eyes flitting back at the sky in disbelief, quickly retracting your hand before it grazed over his. With your mind taken back to reality, the logical part of you kicked in. And you slowly backed away from him, creating a larger distance between the two of you. Students pushed themselves out of the building eager to get home. 

And amongst the crowd,  was her.

Your heart rate began to increase, and a jolt in your body sobered you completely from dreamland. “I’ll be fine.” You told the boy, excusing yourself quickly. Just in time before she spotted him. 

You glanced behind you. And swallowed, cursing yourself for allowing tears to form in your eyes. His girlfriend greets him with a kiss. And your eyes focus on their connected hands. A soft smile paints over the boy's face as he looks at her. And he looked so… content. 

There was no place for you by his side. That was solidified then. 

Once you turned away, Saiki stepped out of the building. It’s a pain to be helpful sometimes. He crossed his arms with false humility. 

As he stood by the gate he glanced back at the boy, the one he found you talking with earlier, staring off towards the distance. The glare in his glasses hid his expression, but his thoughts were flooded with many things Saiki was unable to decipher. Your name, her name. He wasn’t sure what they all meant. 

But it didn’t matter to Saiki. Because his debt was paid. 

｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡ 

Thunder clapped outside the office building. Muffled only by the busybodies that rushed throughout the lobby. A janitor raised their arm in anger as yet another employee walked inside the building. Leaving watery footprints behind them. 

It was hard for you to notice any of that as you speed walked through, carrying a large stack of papers that towered over you. Obstructing your way. It made you more mindful of your surroundings as you struggled to balance them in your arms. Trailing behind you was the intern who prattled away with no care in the world. Most of his ramblings were of celebrity news of the day. Half of his words went through one ear and out the other. 

Last time… this will be the last time. You mumbled to yourself. This would be the last time you’d deal with the young man's mishaps. It’s for your own sake, you argued. Your own peace of mind. 

“Hold on.” Kobayasu's voice called unexpectedly, nearly causing you to crash into him. “What’s all this?” He pushed away the stack when it threatened to tilt over him. 

You tried sidestepping him. “Nothing,” You answer immediately, with exasperation. “Kobuyasu, could you please move out of—”  

Surprise painted your face when the weight in your arms considerably lightened. Giving you a clearer view of the lobby. However, the tower of paper no longer protected you from Kobuyasu’s inquisitive stare. 

“What are you going to accomplish if you can’t even see where you’re going?” Kobuyasu placed the stack beneath his arm. When you didn’t immediately respond he noticed the intern, who hovered by your side. “Who’s the runt?” He gestured with the tilt of his head.

Offense crossed the intern’s face. “How dare—” Kobuyasu glared. “—You…” The intern trailed his words. 

”What was that? Say it louder?” Kobuyasu cupped his ear and leaned closer. 

“Nuh-nothing!” The intern stood stiffly. 

An unamused look crossed your face as Kobuyasu chuckled. 

“What is it now? A pitchfork-slinging slasher terrorizing the streets?” You say sarcastically. 

The intern’s face paled at your words. “A what—”

“Hey, don't take things like that lightly,” Kobuyasu warned. “You laugh now but you won’t be when you're cornered as a handaxe is thrown your way.” 

“Right,” you force a smile. “Well, now I'm trying to carry these pages out before our supervisor finds out and starts going off on one of us.” You lift the stack in emphasis. 

“The hell is this anyways…” He asks, grabbing a sheet from the stack he took. He turns the page to you with a questioning expression. 

A low-quality, greyscale image of a dog wearing a pinwheel hat was printed over the sheet. With a bunch of gibberish written in white font. He pushed the page closer to your face. “The hell is this?” He reiterated. 

“I can see clearly.” You stepped away. “And it’s none of your business.” 

“It’s work-related stuff.” The intern cuts in quickly and then cowers behind you. 

“I don’t see how this has anything to do with letters and numbers,” Kobuyasu said skeptically. 

You lowered your voice, glancing to the side. “It would be helpful if you could tell me where a nearby paper shredder is.” 

“Shouldn’t your department have one?” His voice followed your own. “And why are you talking so quietly.”

“The one in our office is broken.” The intern added in a whisper of his own. Kobuyasu gave him a once-over, before facing you once again. “That doesn’t answer my question.” 

“Why is everyone so quiet?” A gentle voice joins in. Nearly causing you to drop the sheets in panic. Where did he come from? 

The three of you were all huddled together in a circle. Saiki watched curiously, debating on whether it was worth investing time in. They aren’t being subtle. He glanced to the side as some people curiously looked at the group huddled together in the middle of the lobby. Taking great lengths to go around them in emphasis. 

Saiki found it to be suspiciously quiet in the office. For one, there was no intern in sight and knew even less where you might have gone. You don’t usually step out of your desk, so he found it strange that you haven’t returned since. That was until he heard the intern once again fret over the copy machine. Which was when he grew suspicious. He always told himself to mind his business when it came to his coworkers, but he couldn’t ignore the internal screaming the intern exuded. How can a thought be so loud?  

At the scene of the crime lay a single page. With an image of a dog wearing a pinwheel hat. And an entire stack of paper completely gone from the machine. 

“Everything is fine.” You say instinctively, creating distance from him. “Nothing to worry about.” 

Of course, Saiki didn’t believe your words. 

“Completely.” 

And he believed even less in the intern’s. 

Crap, why is he here? You weren’t able to go a day without running into him. “Kobuyasu, about that shredder.” You said with much more urgency. 

“Are you—” 

“I’ll just look for one on my own.” You interrupt Saiki, walking away. Not caring where you went as long as it wasn’t where he was. The intern quickly follows after, not giving him the chance to properly greet Saiki. 

“Hold on,” Kobuyasu hesitantly looked between you and Saiki, before decidingly following after you. His arms stuck with the other stack of pictures. 

Turning to the closest room, you were filled with relief when it contained a working shredder. 

Kobuyasu dropped the stack in the intern’s arm, to his surprise. “Be a man, and carry these.” He dusted his hands. The intern quickly nodded his head, trying his best to balance the stack in his arms. 

“How did you manage to make it down here with all of these?” Kobuyasu mumbled. 

“I have no idea,” you heaved as you placed them over a table. Stretching your arms, you release a small cry of relief. “Don’t let me stop you from working.” Walking towards the shredder you start up the machine, placing the sheets inside. 

Crossing his arms Kobuyasu said, “If you plan to get rid of all these, just throw 'em away. Why are you complicating things?” 

“We're trying to get rid of the evidence!” The intern answered timidly. 

“What he means to say is…” You correct, “... The manager would throw a fit if he finds these lying around. It’s a waste of resources.” 

“What kind of idiot made this mistake?” Kobuyasu frowned. 

His words hung in the air. Interrupted by the sound of the machine coming to life. Your eyes drifted towards the intern, who stood still in the spot. His hands fidgeted and his eyes fixated elsewhere. 

“Throw this away.” You take out the container that holds all of the paper shavings to the intern. “Hurry, there’s still more left.” The intern nods, nearly running out the door.

Once out of sight you speak up, “He’s helpful enough, sometimes a nuisance, but he’s learning.” 

Despite your expressed grievances on the matter, your displeasure was entirely misdirected. What you truly needed was to get out of the office for some time. And you were entirely relieved when you finally had an excuse for it. The intern’s ditzy mistakes were a lesser evil. 

As it turned out, Saiki was everywhere. No matter where you went, he was there. 

With all your years sitting at the same office desk, it was a surprise to learn that Saiki was underneath your nose the entire time. When was he there? And how long? You had no clue. But it was a complete whiplash to stand up and come face to face with the person you least wanted to see.

You couldn’t avoid him forever, you were well aware of that. The issue was that you had no idea what to do with this huge secret. With all the times you wished there was a device created to erase memories, you never longed harder for one until now. Saiki was a decent man. If it were any other circumstances you might have gotten along with him. 

But you questioned the purpose, the reason why all of this was placed onto you with no warning. Main characters have a drive, a reason for being. So what is it that brought him here? Is this just the beginning of his story? 

Overthinking wouldn’t get you anywhere. But you liked to think you were coming closer to a plan with it.  

“From the looks of it, that kid seems like he’s never had a day of work in his life.” 

“What do you expect? He’s fresh out of college.” 

Kobuyasu wrinkled his nose, “I dunno. I think it’s better to cut some losses—”

“Done miss!” The intern declared, holding out the box. “I cleared the entire thing out.” 

“Great.” You take the box out of his hands. Proceeding to shred the rest of the paper. 

The intern slid closer to the shredder, watching the paper shaving fall inside. But you ignored him, staring blankly at the buttons as if to help it move faster. Your foot impatiently tapped against the floor.  

Rather than getting out of an awkward situation with Saiki, you unwittingly found yourself in another much less pleasant situation. Neither of the men seemed to be in a hurry to leave. Despite your attempts to display your displeasure with every sigh and ‘hmph’ you exhaled. 

Either they decided to ignore all of it or they were lacking in understanding subtlety. 

Both. You concluded. 

You were startled when you glanced to the side to find the intern staring at you. “Yes?” You finally responded after the long silence. He didn’t answer immediately. But he averted his eyes when you expressed vexation. 

Suddenly he yelped and the next thing you knew he was pulled away by the collar. 

“Your eyes are gonna fall out if you don’t do something about that staring. ” Kobuyasu muttered. “What are you? Some kinda dog?” 

“Huh?” The intern glanced your way in embarrassment. 

You paused, finally sparing them another  glance, “I have a great idea.” You snap your fingers. “Since Kobuyasu decided to… lend a hand. He can help with the rest of all this work.” You sweep your arm in emphasis. 

The intern frowned, Kobuyasu’s expression was even less enthused. “But… but, don’t you need my help?” The intern fidgeted with his fingers. “I haven’t even finished talking about the latest update of the…” He trailed off in disappointment. 

“Oh no, you’ll be plenty helpful…right here.” You hover a hand over his shoulder, hesitating. “Uh, you’re doing great.” You pat his shoulder. “I can do the difficult job of… buying the paper.” 

“I could go too!” The intern brightened. “I’ve always wanted to try buying mundane things.” 

 “I doubt you should be out, kid.” Kobuyasu spoke abruptly. Finally taking the hint. Thank you… You sighed in relief. 

Finally taking the hint, Kobuyasu gestured towards the door. “She’ll be fine… But there is something I need to talk to you about…” 

That didn’t sound fun. 

Taking the opportunity, you were out the door before you were subjected into Kobuyasu’s ramblings. 

｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡ 

Saiki glanced at the empty desk in front of him, every once in a while. His fingers rapidly tapped on his keyboard as the minutes ticked by. Already feeling sick of looking at walls of numbers. The curtains to the manager's office were drawn closed. Hiding the fact that he was busier playing mobile games than caring about the shenanigans you were roped in.  

When the ding of the elevator rang in his ears he glanced towards the doors. 

But he didn’t find a need for it, realizing that it was yet again Teruhashi visiting for the second time that day. A couple of men walked close, figuring out ways to bump into her and create a natural conversation. Whispers passed along some of his colleagues as their eyes followed after her. She ignored them, holding a singular note in her hands. Which he found unnecessary since she could simply call the office if it was that important. Their eyes met for a moment. 

Saikiii. Her eyes gleamed, as she placed a hand over her face to cover the blush in her cheeks. I can’t believe he saw me. Oh, I hope I wasn’t making a weird expression… 

Saiki knew it was only a matter of time before she came up with some excuse to approach him. Springing out of his desk he walked towards the elevator inconspicuously. Rapidly tapping onto the button hoping it would take him to the ground floor faster. 

“Saiki!” Her arm cut through the door just as it was about to close. Holding an oblivious grin, she walked inside. Oh, my door was about to close. What a nuisance. 

Crap. 

“What a coincidence to see you here… I was just—” 

Saiki tuned out her words. Rapidly tapping his foot on the floor as he watched the numbers go down with each floor. 

“I was just on my break… Now that the rain has cleared I thought… maybe we could— I mean, you could help me.” What is she talking about now? 

He folded his arms over his chest, nodding his head along, desperately waiting for the ding of the elevator. 

“You don’t have to of course… I mean what am I saying.” She slapped her hands over her cheeks. 

Saiki was ready to pry open the door himself. He needed silence for one moment. Just some time for himself. 

Ding.

Saiki breathed out. Watching the doors slowly open. He was ready to fall to his knees in gratitude once the voices that echoed through the lobby streamed inside the elevator. “I shouldn’t take your time.” Saiki eventually spoke up as he walked out of the elevator. He noticed you walking towards the exit. Your expression showed relief as you messed with the straps of your purse.

The day looks so lovely today… Perhaps, perfect for a… date? Teruhashi giggled as she attempted to devise a plan. 

A rumble resonated in the sky. And a crack of light followed soon after. 

You paused when you were one foot out the door. At first, a drizzle of water fell onto the pavement. But soon a heavier downpour fell throughout the city. It came unexpectedly, leaving those who chose to walk outside completely drenched. The sight left your mouth agape. Hurriedly reaching for your phone,  you checked the weather in confusion. 

One hundred percent chance of rain? 

The last time you checked, the rain was predicted to clear up by lunch. You slapped a hand over your forehead in exasperation. Reminded that your umbrella was left sitting on your desk. And you certainly weren’t willing to return for it. Saiki is still there… Fidgeting with your phone you contemplated how you could get through. You couldn’t return without resupplying the copier paper. But it was impossible to brave the weather on your own. 

As you tried formulating a plan, you didn’t notice the footsteps that approached from behind. Curiously looking at your nervous expression. 

Saiki wasn’t able to pinpoint the exact cause of your distress. But he had an idea. If the intern’s internal screaming was anything to go by. Kobuyasu ranted in frustration,  something about some ‘damn kids’ and ‘back in my day.’ Saiki didn’t think he had much room to say anything since it’s been a little over a decade since they graduated high school. 

We aren't that old. He  grumbled.  

You glanced to your side, placing a hand over your chest and recoiling once you finally noticed his presence. How long had he been standing there? Eyeing him suspiciously, you hugged your coat closer against you. His eyes met yours, staring at you with a neutral expression. Neither of you decided to speak. 

Saiki was the first to look away, turning his gaze towards the sky, watching as the rain became even more relentless. I guess this was my fault... He only intended to get away from Teruhashi. Squash any plans she certainly would have roped him into.  

Saiki exhaled, reaching into his pocket he pulled out an umbrella. With a press of a button, it popped open. The space it created was sizable and perfectly suited for two people. He glanced behind him, keeping an eye out for Teruhashi. Hoping she hadn’t found him yet. 

“It’s raining…” He held out the umbrella. Clearly… you squint back at the sky. 

You didn’t know what he expected you to do with that information. 

Saiki cleared his throat. “You need to be somewhere? I have somewhere to be,” he clarified. 

You folded your arms across your chest. What exactly is he— ah. 

How altruistic . Perhaps you might have taken that offer. Tempting as it was. 

The clouds continued to rage on. And you had no sense of when it could come to an end. You don’t know what kind of convenient situation you were put in. But whatever force was pulling the strings, was awfully cruel. Nothing good would come out of this. 

Saiki looked at you expectantly. The expression on your face was unreadable. It made him feel… unnerved. The longer his offer remained unanswered the more he began to regret his benevolence. Your hand hesitantly hovered over the handle as you finally faced Saiki. A familiar memory crossed his mind at that moment. Something he never thought of in years.

“I’d appreciate it—”

Teruhashi’s voice approached, and he interrupted with urgency. “It’s nothing, we should leave—” 

“But, it’s just a little rain—” 

You ran straight out the door. 

Saiki blinked in bewilderment. Remaining frozen, with the umbrella still in his hold. 

“Hold on, Miss, wait!” Saiki moved to the side instinctively when he heard shoes squeaking against the floor.  The intern called for you, catching himself when he nearly ran out the door. 

“Is she crazy?” Kobuyasu’s voice followed after. “Hey! Where the hell are you going!?” Kobuyasu yelled as you braved through puddles and damp wind. 

“Saiki! There you are.” Wait! Don’t leave me behind! Saiki panicked when Teruhashi finally spotted him. 

But you didn’t stop when you rounded the corner. Not even after realizing the stupidity of your actions. You felt like a fool. And you possibly looked like one too. But you couldn’t accept his help. You couldn’t possibly fathom what kind of can of worms you would open if you did accept it. 

Chapter Text

Saiki wasn’t sure what happened, but something changed. 

Lately, you seemed jumpy. More sensitive to your surroundings. And every time you spoke, your words were clipped. Quiet and professional. It’s as if he’s gone back to square one, but at least then he had something to work with. He began debating on the morality of breaking and entering. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad? He wouldn’t need to concern himself with what you thought about him. Or his professional life. 

No, I'm not a criminal. He shakes his head, cursing his conscience for bringing him this far. Truthfully, even with all the supernatural capabilities at his disposal, he couldn’t pick apart your mind. 

”Mr. Saiki, is this enough?” The intern hauled in another stack of papers into the printing room. Bending over the machine to catch his breath. This is so heavy. How can anyone bear this? The intern sulked, but tried his best not to show it. 

Saiki didn’t look up from his clipboard. “Does this cover the rest of the company's supply?” 

“I think so…” The intern fidgeted. 

Saiki tapped his foot, folding his arms over his chest, and pretended to scrutinize the intern’s expression. He didn’t care much about company losses or sheets of paper. But it kept the young man busy, away from the office, and taught him a valuable lesson on money management. Which begged the question… Why did he choose accounting? I question it a lot. 

“Then you’re excused.” 

The young man’s face brightened. “Don’t think about getting in the way of work.” 

The intern paused, lowering his head in dejection. “The manager asked for another order of coffee.” He pulled out a card from his pocket and handed it to the intern. Sending the man on his way. 

Now, this may seem  like Saiki is bullying the kid. Which I'm not. However in his strange nonsensical mind, he thought of this more as a life lesson—for the intern to learn— he was looking out for him in his own way. Not true. 

The intern greeted you as you walked towards the water dispenser. You returned it with a polite smile. “Miss! Er- Ma’am! Are you—” 

“Work.” Saiki warned. Startling the intern from getting sidetracked. “Right of course, Sir.” 

You were startled by his voice, just as your eyes met his. “Good afternoon.” You mumble a greeting. Trying your best to sound normal. You found yourself incapable of deciding how to conduct yourself when Saiki appeared from nowhere. 

“Good morning.” He greeted. 

Finding it to be a reasonable amount of conversation for the day, you continued towards the water dispenser. 

Saiki stared at the back of your head. As if that would help him unlock the secrets of your mind. It’s infuriating not knowing what goes in there. He’s long given up on knowing the reason for such a thing. Unlike Nendo, you weren’t an idiot. So there was nothing much else to work with from there. Sure it was concerning. For all I know she could be an unknown serial killer. 

Raising a cup to your lips, you blink in surprise when you find him standing in the same spot. “Saiki?” Ah, he’s grown suspicious. Perhaps you’ve overdone it again. What if he’s secretly devising a plan to nuke me! You quickly ran through your thoughts to find something to discuss. Distraction… distractions. The cookies in your purse immediately came to mind. Ah, but I Was saving those for later… and your hand hovered over your purse. But most people like cookies… right? 

“I made these last night.” You took them out abruptly. “Here.” 

And to your relief, his eyes lit up. Perfect. Like a moth to a flame, his attention was redirected. 

Saiki hesitantly reached for the dessert. Not questioning your reasoning or conclusion. This could hold me over for a few hours… 

Your hand, holding the ziplock bag, hesitantly floated in the air, but with much regret, you decided to hand him the entire bag. As long as I'm in the clear. And you were right, because as soon as you handed him the treat his focus went elsewhere. Is it that easy? A content smile crossed over your lips. Pride swelling inside. It is nice to see someone else enjoy what I make every once in a while.

It served as a great bargaining chip as well. 

But that was my lunch... Your shoulders sagged, regretting that you’d skipped breakfast that morning. 

Saiki cleared his throat, “Thank you…” 

“Mr. Saiki, I don’t remember what the manager—-” 

“Ask him.” 

The intern blanched at the idea. “Sir, please just let me know.” 

“It’s in your job description.” He said curtly. 

You blinked curiously, watching the silent exchange the intern had with Saiki. At least now you had a clear understanding of what happened. For a while, you thought everyone decided to speak in code and deliberately excluded  you. Telepathy, you concluded. You still weren’t sure of the extent of Saiki’s powers, but it was better to play the oblivious fool going forth. 

Saiki looked back at you and you casually looked at the water container, taking out your cell phone to scroll back and forth through your homescreen. 

“I’ll help you with the rest of your assignment.” He spoke up, negotiating with the intern. 

“Ma’am…” The intern glanced at you, distressed. 

Keeping your hands folded over your stomach, you shake your head. “You should listen to Saiki. It’s for your own sake . ” And my own. 

Disappointment formed over his face. “Right… Of course…ma’am, I’ll do my best.” He straightened himself. 

Saiki closed his eyes, feeling his brow twitch. Now you listen. 

It wasn’t until working hours ended that he saw the intern once again. Like clockwork hovering over your desk, and by extension his own. Saiki put away his work for the day, as he heard the intern talk about the rumors that were currently circling around the workplace. 

You snorted quietly, “How would an ax slinging slasher find their way into the city without being caught.” You dismissed the intern’s concerns. Already tired of hearing Kobuyasu’s insistence that it was true. It all seemed too outlandish to believe. Especially when the rumors surfaced from a bunch of kids. Who clearly just have an overactive imagination. 

“Ma’am, there are so many sightings of him everywhere.” 

Saiki scoffed. It’s all hearsay. Of course Saiki investigated the rumors. Everyone slowly became more scared of the idea of such a person roaming the city. His investigations resulted in nothing. They were just that. Rumors. Saiki found no one that seemed suspicious around the city. None that held concerning ideas that threatened others' lives. Much less murderous intent. 

“It's been weeks now. And I don’t remember seeing in the news that a murder happened around the area.” You crossed your arms, trying to think reasonably about the situation, completely skeptical about all the rumors. Nothing seemed to prove that any of them were true. You tried not to let concern cloud your judgment despite the slight paranoia beginning to settle in. I think the scariest thing here is Saiki. 

Not entertaining the idea any longer you dismiss yourself for the day. Clocking out of work, you walked yourself towards the lobby. Leaning against the nearby pillar, you wait for Kobuyasu. Not like I had a choice. It’s one of the results of the rumors. He didn’t relent on letting you walk home on your own. Convinced that the rumors had to be true. His strange sense of justice caused him to have some sort of obligation,  though you didn’t quite understand why. 

Staring towards the ceiling, your eyes started counting the lights one by one. Teruhashi’s pleasant voice echoed through the lobby. As she talked to one of the other workers and a group of men stood on the side patiently waiting to gain her full attention. All of them expressed concern and offered to walk her home in case of a potential attack. Closing your eyes, you focused on the clicking of heels on the marble floor. Drowning away the voices of Teruhashi’s fans as they rambled over one another. 

What’s taking him so long? You checked the time. Surveying the area for a familiar head of purple hair. You click your tongue in annoyance. Half an hour passed and there was no sign of Kobuyasu. You pushed yourself off the pillar. I’d be home by now… Not willing to wait another hour, you took it as a sign for you to leave. Deciding to take your chances. It's not as if you’ve encountered any suspicious individuals in the past week with Kobuyasu. So you doubted you’d find one on your own. Giving him a final chance, you glanced around the area, and when he was nowhere in sight, walked out of the building. 

Before the sun was completely hidden  you decided it was best to get going. The sky was filled with light pollution. Obstructing your view of the stars that hid behind the hustle and bustle of a city. You wished you’d be able to see them once again. When there was no work to worry about. 

Just you and Inigo. That sounds absolutely wonderful.

The crowd of workers just clocking out slowly dispersed. Leaving you ample room to walk along the streets. Queuing a playlist on your phone, it quieted the noise of traffic. Leaving you to enjoy the scenery of the city. Lights turned on one by one as the sky darkened. You walked through a secluded alleyway distracted by a cat who meowed away from you. Stray cats meowed and hissed as you crossed their paths. A beautiful cat with long fur cautiously reached its paw out. And you bent down, offering it a sign of peace as you extended your hand. 

The cat stared at first, and then nuzzled its head against your hand. Your fingers brushed against its fur. Scratching beneath its chin, which it seemed to enjoy. It opened its eyes and then jumped. Making a beeline behind a box. Several cats started hissing, not at you, but at something else. Confusion crossed over your face as you watched the cats climb against some boxes and then disappear inside. 

A shiver coursed through your body and the hairs on your neck began to stand. You swallowed, feeling a sickening sensation  at the pit of your stomach. Too afraid to look back. 

Someone shuffled behind you. Taking one step and then another. Despite the music that blasted in your ears. It was hard to ignore the sound of your heartbeat echoing through your ears. Being frozen in place, the only thing you were able to manage was to slowly look behind you. 

A figure stood by the end of the entrance of the alley. A tall, imposing figure. Whose face was obstructed by the shadows. And in his hand, rested an ax. Why did it have to be an ax? Not thinking twice you booked it down the alley. To your horror the man followed after in an equally fast past. Crap. I can’t run that long. You panicked, sticking your hand in your purse hoping to find something to throw him off your trail. 

One wrong turn and you found yourself at a dead-end. You faced the man struggling to balance yourself as your legs trembled. Your hands reached for something… anything to throw. But the area was completely empty and the man continued to slowly approach you. 

With all your options expended, the only thing you were capable of doing is screaming. 

｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡ 

If I play up the helpless act. Maybe Saiki would feel bad and offer to walk me home. Teruhashi sighed dreamily as she placed a hand over her cheek. With all those awful rumors going around, there’s no way Saiki would refuse to help. 

Saiki hid behind a wall, trying his best to wait out Teruhashi. It’s been almost an hour, but she still waited by the receptionist’s desk. His hopes of going home were shattered completely. He thought over his options carefully. Maybe it’d be easy to teleport—

“Saiki!” Kobuyasu approached with concern over his face. “Quiet down.” He warned, checking to see if Teruhashi heard. 

“What?” 

Kobuyasu breathed out your name, “I think she went on her own. I told her it wasn’t safe.” 

“I’m sure it’s fine. The rumors seem too nonsensical to be true.” 

“But even then, it’s unsafe for her to walk alone.” Crap, I should have sent a message. Why didn’t I ask for her number? Kobuyasu began to overthink. “Help me find her.” 

Saiki believed Kobuyasu was blowing things way out of proportion– but he agreed to help— only so he would simmer down. When Teruhashi was out of sight. He quickly slipped out of the building and walked outside. He was sure, you’d already be at home now. So he hesitated to use his clairvoyance. But Kobuyasu wouldn’t leave him alone if he found nothing. 

Saiki was startled by a loud scream as he crossed an alleyway. A blood curdling scream. And it sounded like you. Without thinking he walked through the alleyway. Following after where your voice might have come from. 

“.... Are you there?” He called your name. Trepidation crawled over him, making him regret disregarding the rumors so quickly. 

“Saiki?” Your voice echoed through the walls. And he followed after your voice, picking up his speed. 

When he crossed behind a wall, he was expecting to find you curled in a ball. Or holding out a weapon towards the assailant. What he didn’t expect was to find you holding a wooden horse in your hand nodding your head thoughtfully as you listened to the stranger. You turned to him with a look of confusion as the older man paused with an equally stunned expression. Saiki clenched his hand in annoyance. 

“What are you doing here?” You tilted your head. “Shouldn’t you be heading home?” 

It was as if nothing happened. Everything seemed normal, and a part of him thought that his mind was playing tricks on him. “What are you doing?” He repeated your question, looking between the two of you. “I thought I heard a scream.” 

“No that's right, I did scream.” You confirmed. The older man nodded his head in agreement. “But look who I found Saiki. Remember him?” 

Of course he already knew who it was. “Ah, yes I remember you as well?” The woodcutter who lived by the countryside, smiled warmly at him. Clapping his hand delightfully. 

“He recently opened a shop here in the city.” You piped in. “He surprised me when he followed me here.” 

The man apologized to you once more, “It wasn’t my intention to frighten you young lady.” A solemn look crossed his face. 

“Ah, it’s alright. I’m just glad it was just a misunderstanding.” 

After the advice you offered, the man earned a boost of interest for the things he was selling. He showed you his hands, proudly admitting how tired they’d been from each commission he received. It was more than he was capable of doing on his own. He was incredibly grateful, so when he saw you walking along the streets his mind believed it was only right to express that gratitude. 

“You must be the source of the rumors.” Saiki concluded as he eyed the ax that rested against the wall. The day after he moved into the city seemed to coincide with the time the rumors around the office started to surface. 

The man looked at him in confusion. “It was a huge thing in the office.” You added casually. 

I was right. There was nothing to worry about. He thought bitterly. I should have been home by now but I'm stuck in an empty alley, because of someone’s  paranoia. He scoffed, This is what happens when you help someone. 

Just as the man prepared to leave, he gently handed you a wooden sculpture. “Just as you graced me with fortune, I wish you find your own.” Looking between you and Saiki he offered a warm smile. “I’ll be on my way now, you kids stay safe. Hah, this recluse still has a lot to learn about city life.” The man chuckled to himself picking up his ax and excused himself. 

Saiki crossed his arms once the man was no longer in sight. “Why are you here? You should have been home by now.”

You sigh, “He just wanted to talk, it would be rude of me to ignore him.” Not glancing his way you pulled something out of your purse and handed it to him. 

“What is this?” 

“A gift. From him. It’s nice isn’t it?” 

Saiki's thumb rubbed against the wooden beak of the sculpture. The wax finish was smooth, and the feather details were intricately carved with care. He didn’t need to use his powers to know that it was well loved. “It is nice,” he admitted. “He would have done well on his own, even if you hadn’t intervened,” he muttered. 

“I told him as much.” You shake your head. “But he was insistent that it wasn’t true.” 

Once you turned your head, you flinched as if just realizing Saiki was there. You clenched a hand over your chest. “In any case, I'll be leaving.” Nearly lulled to a sense of security, you were snapped back to reality. He was so easy to talk to. That bothered you. It shouldn’t be easy to talk to him. Like he was a friend. You shouldn’t fool yourself into believing that, much less him. 

He’s not normal like you. He’s not normal, right? 

You walked away. Pausing around the corner, as guilt crept through your spine. “I suppose I should thank you.” He was the first respondent to your scream. Although there was no danger, you understood that it’s something not many people would be inclined to do. Especially those with no powers at all. 

A silence extended between the two of you. “You know, for trying to save me,” you clarified. Another silence remained, and a lump in your throat formed as your face began to warm in embarrassment. That was his intention, right? Do I take my words back? You cleared your throat, feeling a little peeved he still hadn’t responded. It shouldn't be strange to thank someone—

Saiki was standing frighteningly still. The color had completely drained from his face as a shadow cast over his eyes. He wished he could teleport. Go anywhere to get rid of the image of that thing. But even if he disappeared, that thing would still be clung against his arm. He was petrified. Most of his logic went out the window. He struggled to keep his weight on his legs as he felt a large bug start to crawl towards his shoulder. Get off. Get off! He swallowed, feeling his skin tingle unpleasantly. 

Stepping closer you scrunch your face in disgust noticing the large roach on his arm. I didn’t know they could get that big. Your hands shot out in surprise when you noticed him starting to sway. You don’t remember seeing such a genuine look of horror on someone's face. He was unmistakably human in that moment, and even less intimidating. 

Even a formidable force such as Saiki had a weakness. 

Although reluctant, you took his hand in your own. Your eyes skim through the area, trying to find something to swat the thing away. You swallowed, fixating your gaze on the bug. An awful realization came to mind. Looking at your hand, you trembled at the idea that crossed your mind. 

Taking a deep breath, you prepared yourself. Reaching over his shoulder and grabbing the bug in your hand. You ran away and threw it as far as you could. Biting your lips to ignore the sensation of the buzzing. Was that worth it? I don’t know. Wiping your hand on the wall with no thought, you quickly sanitized your hand. 

A loud thud startled you, as Saiki collapsed onto the ground face down. “Saiki?” You shake his shoulders. “Saiki?” He didn’t respond. “Wake up…” 

You sighed, debating on what to do. You flipped him on his back and found him to be knocked out cold. “What do I do?” You tapped your foot anxiously. 

Grabbing his arm, you struggled to pull him up. It wouldn’t be very efficient to drag him out. Bending down, you slide your hand underneath his back and gently pick it up. It was a hassle, but you managed to sit him upright. Your other arm went beneath his legs. Taking a deep breath, you prepared yourself to pick him up. Where’s Kobuyasu when you need him? You exhale, only managing to lift him a few centimeters off the ground. 

Attempting one last time, you inhaled sharply. Using as much strength as you could, you picked him up again. Huh? You managed to lift him up a little higher before feeling as though his weight had considerably lightened. Balancing him in your arms, you properly fixed your hold on him. He still weighed a little but it was a lot more tolerable to hold him. Maybe it comes with the power? You decided not to question it. Finding it was best to leave the alley before another tiny fiend appeared again. 

Is this what it’s like to rescue a fair maiden? Being a hero did feel nice. It’s no wonder why they were always rescuing princesses. 

“Where am I supposed to take you?” You paused by the alley’s entrance looking to your left and right. Trying to decide your next course of action. You felt him stir in your arms.

Saiki opened one eye, waiting for his vision to clear. His head lolled to the side as he glanced towards the empty streets. How did I get here? His head slumped, and he felt something soft. It was an arm. Huh? He came to the realization that he was suspended in the air, but he wasn’t floating. 

“Oh, great you woke up!” A sigh of relief escaped you. Glancing down, you found  him looking curiously over his surroundings. “I wasn’t sure what to do if you didn’t wake up.”  

Good grief, how did I allow myself to drop my guard? He placed his hand over his head, trying to recover. His face burned from the embarrassment. Damm insects. “How long was I out?” 

“I’m not sure… but don’t worry you weren’t out too long.”You reassured him.  

To think I was bested by something so brainless. Saiki never really worried about how others perceived him. Finding it a trivial matter, others had to deal with. But for once, he was able to understand. The blow to his ego was enough to make him want to fly to the moon. Living out the rest of his days in isolation. 

“Can you walk?” You paused.

“I can walk.” 

You carefully bent down, helping him steady on his feet. “Kuboyasu was looking for you.” He spoke, trying to steer the conversation. “You should let him know you’re fine.”

Saiki pulled his phone from his pocket, and dialed a number. On the second ring Kobuyasu’s voice spoke through the phone, “Did you find her?” He got straight to the point. 

“I’m fine Kobuyasu.”

“Then why aren’t you home yet?” 

“I got distracted by the stray cats.” You lied, knowing that if you told the truth it would only serve as confirmation for his beliefs of the rumor. “I'm going home now. There’s no such thing as ax wielders.” 

“Pass me the phone to Saiki.” 

“Hello?” Saiki answered. 

“Do me a favor and walk her home.” Kobuyasu asked sternly, or rather demanded. “My supervisor found out I was cutting work.” He sighed, “I don’t know when I'll be off the hook so for now watch over her.” 

Saiki pinched the bridge of his nose. “She’s right, you know, the ax wielder was just a rumor.” 

“So what? How can a man let a lady walk home on her own?” Kobuyasu scolded. 

You blinked in confusion, when Saiki held the phone away from his ear. Barely hearing what was being said. 

Is this what I get for being helpful? Saiki stared blankly at the street as Kobuyasu continued to scold him. He’s acting just like my mother, although less intimidating.  

“Okay, I understand.” Saiki cut him off. 

“Thank you.” Kuboyasu’s voice became pleasant. And then the line went dead. 

He stared at his phone blankly. “I’ll walk you home.”

“Not you too.” You put your hand on your forehead. “Don’t listen to Kobuyasu, I'll be fine.”

“I don’t mind.” He pocketed his phone. “It’s on the way back home.” 

Saiki may not care for a lot of things that happen around him. But what he never liked was having to owe someone. Despite the look of disgust, you bravely grabbed the insect with your bare hands. Instead of leaving him behind. You picked him up despite how heavy he could’ve been. It’s the little things like that where he’d be willing to admit he appreciated it. 

It’s the least I could do. And there was no doubt in that. 

Chapter Text

Saiki stared in despair at the two letters sitting on your hands. This can’t be good. 

The pink envelope on your right hand was marked by dried splotches of cheap perfume. The smell would nauseate him if he were a normal human being. You certainly didn’t seem very pleased with the letter, holding it far from your face, wrinkling your nose as you attempted to waft the smell away. He didn't have to look at the letter to know what it contained. 

“Your hair reminds me of bubblegum cotton candy, fluffy and smells sweet. 

Your voice reminds me of the gentleness of the wind, and it drifts just as fast. 

What draws me the most are those blank eyes. I can’t help but stare admire from afar. 

I really like you! Please give me a chance and meet me by the cherry tree after school. 

Saiki rubbed his temple in frustration.  Girls are too strange. He didn’t understand why they had such peculiar tastes in boys. He thought he did everything right. He ignored her. He walked the other way when she tried to approach. He switched desks, too! He’s too much of a busy kid to worry about romance. 

A gentle sigh escaped your lips. As you stared at the envelope, you held on your left. Unlike the pink letter, its contents remained a mystery, but he assumed it was dedicated to the person you liked. It was a plain cream colored envelope, and written across the paper was a name in neat cursive.  Why did it have to be you? Out of all people, that girl entrusted her letter to you. Out of the 100 people in his grade, she asked you to deliver the letter to him. 

The idea of not knowing what your plan was frustrated him to no end. He couldn’t allow this to keep going. There was no chance that the girl would give up even if he threw the letter away. What if she found it in the dumpster? She would cry, but then spring back up with much more determination. She was like a hydra, the more heads he cut off the more grew in.  And he certainly didn’t like confrontation either. That was a clear line he would never cross. It would draw too much attention. He could already picture a scenario where the whole class looked at him in disdain. He wanted to be undisturbed, not the most unpopular boy in school! 

His eyes darted to the door as someone approached. Once the door slid open, he heard you fidget in your seat, and straightened yourself. A boy walked in, redheaded and tall for his age. A casual smile rested on his face as he slowly approached your desk. 

Saiki’s eyes watched curiously. Observing your facial expressions. Your forehead wrinkled between your brows as they furrowed. And your teeth chewed against your bottom lip. The letter was slightly crinkled in your hand, placing it as a barrier for your face. Saiki nodded his head in understanding. Just as he suspected, it was that boy all along. 

You cleared your throat, offering the letter to the boy. “Oh, uhh, here’s something— this is for you.” You fumbled as you placed the letter onto his chest. “I’ll– I have something to do right now. You don’t have to read it now. Actually don’t, aha.” You cursed to yourself, listing excuses as you ran to the door. 

Saiki finally stood up, walking away with indifference. As he tried maneuvering himself out of the desks he accidentally bumped his shoulder against the boy’s. Causing him to fumble with the letter in his hand, as he tried grasping at the air the letter eventually fluttered to the floor just beside Saiki's. “ I’m sorry.” Saiki bowed his head in an apology, carefully reaching down for the letter. Gently dusting it off, he handed the letter to the boy. 

I’m sorry about this. He sighed sympathetically as he took his leave. 

‘Cotton candy hair?’ The boy wondered as he brushed his fingers through his hair. Pushing the letter closer to his face, he attempted to read the scrawled-out words. He swallowed, eventually pulling the letter away.  He wrinkled his nose as he slipped the letter back into the pink envelope. ‘I guess I can brag about this…’

Just as Saiki predicted, the boy didn’t suspect a thing. 

When the appointed time came, Saiki curiously followed after the redhead. And hid behind a wall once he spotted the girl. He felt sorry for setting the boy towards doom, but he was certain the girl would eventually back off, once the redhead confessed his feelings to you. 

“I don’t know you that well. I don’t like you like that.” The boy handed the letter to the girl. 

A look of shock crossed the girl's face as she watched the boy walk away. And instantly fell to her knees. ‘What is this?’ The girl asked herself as she placed a hand against her chest. ‘Is he in my class? What’s his name? He’s… he’s much more handsome than Saiki!’  Like a switch, her emotions were invigorated. ‘His hair is like chili peppers, fiery and hot.’ She continued mumbling to herself as her eyes followed after the boy. 

I’d be offended if I weren’t so relieved. The boy crossed his arms in a huff, glad the matter was finally settled. 

After you gave the letter to the boy, you never received a response. Not even an acknowledgment of it. The following day went the same as it always did. You had studied, eaten lunch with the boy, and discussed the latest chapter of the manga that both of you adored. 

“Hey!” It was after class when you were approached by the girl who asked you to deliver the letter. “Hey! It was you right?” The girl giggled as she hid her lips behind her hands. “Thank you so much!” 

Was she talking about the letter? “It’s no problem at all. Did… did he respond?” At least one of them had a lucky strike, you lamented. 

“Of course not! He had no idea who I was!” She twirled on her heel, strangely happy. “He was so handsome and so…” she sighed. “You have to set a date for us.” The girl clapped her hands. And quickly dug into her backpack to hand you another letter. “I made this invitation with all my love.” 

“Who was that guy's name again?” You asked, attempting to remember his name. 

“I don’t know… but I'm sure you do right? You’re the one who set us up.” 

You wanted to scratch your head, trying to piece together her cryptic words. 

Through trial and error, you eventually remembered the locker you had last delivered the letter to. And quietly slipped it inside. 

It became much clearer after that incident why nothing changed that day. That day when you decided to confess your feelings to your redheaded crush. But by then you had already dug yourself into a hole you couldn’t pull yourself out of. 

“He rejected me again… but I'm sure this time, if you talk to him, you might be able to convince him to give me a chance. You're his best friend, right? Please.” The girl begged, practically getting on her knees. 

“Please, don’t— yeah, I'll do it. Just get up, please.” You glanced around as other students walked around you with curious stares. “Who is the guy—” you paused once you processed her words. “What do you mean by best friend? I don’t know that guy—” 

“Of course you do,” the girl interrupted, searching through the hallways. “It’s him, the one with the red hair.” 

“But you said he had cotton candy—” you turned around, nearly jumping out of your skin. Was she referring to your redheaded, one-sided love?  Whose hair was as vibrant as chrysanthemums. The one with the honey— Yes, yes, that guy. They get the point. 

“ You want me to set a date with him? For you?” Your legs wobbled, tempted to fall onto your knees in utter defeat. The redhead paused, approaching the two of you cautiously. 

You were certain you had handed him the right letter. It was something unmistakable. The letters looked nothing alike; a child would have been capable of making the distinction. “You're here just in time.” You clasped your hands together as you swallowed thickly. “I was just thinking you two seem to be very compatible…” 

Saiki stopped, turning his head when he heard your voice. Just like that? He shook his head. I must have been wrong then. People usually fight for their feelings, right? At the very least, you would have rejected her offer outright; he didn’t take you to be someone so fickle with your feelings. 

“Aha, I guess you could call me Cupid.” You cracked a smile.  

｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡

Click. Clack.

Wait no… You hit the backspace key. 

This month's earnings are… No— the focus is on what the marketing department is, the marketing department was—Ugh. 

You blinked as your hand mindlessly dragged your mouse against the desk. Scrunching your nose, you sit back against your chair with a sharp exhale. It’s no use. It’s hard to work with a clouded mind. The mere presence of Saiki was becoming unbearable to you. You were too aware of him, the clicking of his mouse, the frown on his lips, the tilt of his head. You weren’t sure how much longer you could take working like this. 

Glancing once again behind your monitor, Saiki seemed completely preoccupied with his own work, maintaining proper posture, as he carefully skimmed through his document. The picture-perfect image of what a company salaryman is. 

How I yearn for those mundane work days.  You lamented as you massaged a hand against your temple. 

A thud on your desk woke you from your thoughts. Blinking in confusion, you looked up from your monitor to find Saiki towering over the desk. “Huh?” You looked at him dumbly. His expressionless face almost seemed intimidating. Pressed beneath his hand was a plastic container holding three pieces of mochi. Dusted in white flour, and perfectly round. The mystery of the flavors intrigued you, as you wondered if they were strawberry flavored or simply had food coloring to give it the effect. 

“You were eyeing them…” Saiki muttered. 

Was I?  Well, you did notice them sitting at his side— Not that you were always thinking of desserts or how they tasted— you simply admired the craftsmanship of their shape. 

Saiki pushed his glasses against the bridge of his nose, scanning your expression. “You’re… hungry?” He tilted his head. “Is that right?” 

You looked at him strangely. “No…” It’s like he’s trying to read my mind. You crossed your arms protectively against your chest. Can he read my mind? You placed a hand against your lips as you gasped, resisting the urge to cover your forehead protectively. He responded to your reaction with a funny look.  “There’s so much work I need to get done.” 

Saiki blinked, lifting his arm to check his watch. “It’s five minutes before our break.” 

Okay, smart guy… You slouched. Who uses a watch anyway? 

Like clockwork, the moment it hit twelve, the empty chair beside you spun as the ever so energetic intern took his place. “Ma’am.” The intern leaned against the desk as he waited for you to finish typing a final line of text. A bored pout rested on his lips as he watched your hands glide along your keyboard. “Ma’am, it’s lunch.” 

You hummed in response. “Yes, yes. I hear you—” With a final tap on the key, you exit out of the document. 

“I have the perfect place to eat!” The words were out of his mouth before you were allowed to breathe. “It’s far but—“ 

“Okay.” You nodded along. 

The intern's hand returned to his lap in relief. “Great! I’ll wait for you downstairs.” Blinking back at Saiki, he straightened himself with a smile. “Oh, of course, Mr. Saiki, you can come too— I mean you have to,” he exclaimed. “I should invite Kobuyasu too…” 

“Saiki is enou– uh, Kobuyasu is busy right now,” you hastily added. I don’t need to add the nag on top of the stress. “N-next time.” Pushing your chair into the desk, you excused yourself to the restroom. 

The lack of sleep must have been catching up to you as of late because visible bags began to form under your eyes. Massaging your finger against your skin, you slumped your shoulders as you stared at your reflection. 

What do you do about Saiki? It was a question that had constantly plagued your thoughts for far longer than it needed to. You didn’t like walking around eggshells with him, and you needed the semblance of normalcy again. Despite your attempts to create distance with him somehow he became… friendlier? Well, less cold than he presented himself to be. Which was great for your work relations. But it wasn't the progress you were aiming for. And like Kobuyasu, you were stuck with him. 

It was inevitable.

But you wished you could've delayed it a little longer. You were capable of it before… So why not anymore? There had to be a reason why the two of you crossed paths—

You blinked as a bright hue of warm light streamed through the bathroom and reflected itself on the mirror. “Geez,” you slapped a hand over your eyes. Teruhashi?  It was a little far from the receptionist's desk.  What exactly brought her to your floor? Clearing your throat, you dust off your shoulders, hoping she hadn’t heard the undignified scream you had released. 

Rifling through your purse you hurriedly take out your lipstick. Despite working in the same building, you could only count a handful of times the two of you had spoken to each other. After all, you were classmates, it would be impolite to pretend either of you didn’t exist. But you found it unexpected to feel her eyes digging into your skull. You didn’t sense it was out of malicious intent, but closer to—

“You’re close with Saiki?” 

Curiosity. 

You zipped your purse after putting the lipstick away. Close seems too… friendly. “Just coworkers.” 

“Oh.” Placing a hand over her chest, she exhaled in relief, offering a friendly smile. “Coworkers,” she mumbled. “That’s great— oh, I mean. It’s great to see Saiki acquainting himself with more people. You… wouldn’t happen to be going somewhere with him today?” 

“Uh…” Your fingers grasped your purse. “Uh, it seems so. Our intern usually drags him along.” 

Teruhashi tapped her fingers together nervously. “Ah, it’s no wonder…” 

“Is there something wrong?” You asked in concern. 

“Oh, no. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you.” She shook her head. “It was pleasant talking to you. Again” 

“Oh, it’s no problem.” You waved your hand dismissively. “I don’t mean to be rude. But I’m in a bit of a rush.”

“Of course, I'm sorry for keeping you too long.” 

You found it strange for Teruhahsi to approach so suddenly. Did I owe her something? You tried recalling the last time you had a full conversation with her. She asked me about some guy in my department… Who was it again? Walking into the elevator, you tried your best to remember the man’s name. It seemed as if she wanted to ask you something. Was it about Saiki? But what did Saiki have to do with—

You slapped a hand against your forehead. You felt like an idiot. Why would anyone ask about Saiki? Why would she specifically ask you if you were close to him? 

Teruhashi had feelings for Saiki. 

Rapidly clicking on the elevator button. You forced the elevator door to open as you rushed back to the restroom. 

Teruhashi wouldn’t approach anyone for small talk. She had to have a motive, right?  That’s the only reason a character like her would approach you. That must be why Saiki managed to infiltrate your small bubble. It was the classic trope told in those romance novels you’ve read. 

The matchmaker. It's why you were called into their lives, you reasoned. That’s why all of these strange circumstances were happening. Somewhere written in the stars, they needed to be brought together. And you were that connection, somehow. You’ve handled several love letters in your younger years and nearly achieved a 99.9 percent success rate. However long those relationships lasted, it was none of your business… Either way, it could benefit you in the long run. 

After all, people tend to ignore a lot of things when they’re in love. 

You quickly led Teruhashi down the lobby where the intern had been waiting for you. “Ah, you’re finally here we can—” the intern placed a hand over his mouth in surprise when Teruhashi kindly greeted him. “Ms. Teruhashi… hello…” his face flushed. 

She smiled kindly, “Oh, I hope I’m not being a bother— where’s Saiki?” Her eyes flitted through the lobby in hopes of finding him. 

“Ah, he was here— will be here any moment now…” he stood stiffly, following her gaze with uncertainty. Though he fidgeted with his hands, you were impressed by how quickly he disciplined himself. If only he remained the same during working hours… 

Noticing you studying him he offered a nervous smile. “Ah, it would be better if we were on our way.” 

“Could we wait for a second longer?” Teruhashi turned to him pleadingly. 

He choked back in surprise, “I'm sorry, Ms. Teruhashi— we can’t wait much longer, there might be traffic on the way.” 

“It’s alright, we’re taking the subway anyway,” you waved your hand. “Although… we could leave first. Saiki and Teruhashi can catch up with us later.” You offered, not wanting to cut time on your break. And certainly not from waiting around for Saiki to show up. “Better yet, I’ll leave—” 

The intern shook his head, “N-no that’s alright— Mr. Kobuyasu would be upset if you left on your own.” 

You huffed in annoyance. Seriously— that man… “Alright, come along.” 

A smile crossed his face. “Yes, ma’am.” He rushed towards the exit as you slowly followed behind. The intern had not made it past the street when he was surprised to find Saiki waiting by the entrance of an alleyway.  

“Oh, Mr. Saiki, I thought…” He glanced back at the office building. “Well— It’s great to see you. For a second, I thought you were going to skip lunch today,” the intern chuckled. 

Saiki brushed away his hair indifferently. “Not really.” Despite the confused look of the intern, Saiki didn’t explain any further. Of course, the real reason he disappeared on a whim was to escape another of Teruhashi’s schemes. Although it was unexpected for you to be the one to instigate her further. Speaking of… He tilted his head as he stared at the space behind the intern, his brows twitched.  “ Did you not check to see if she was following?” 

The intern looked over his shoulder in shock. “Ma’am?” He jumped back. “Where did she go?” He looked around the area in worry. “She was right behind me, I swear.” I heard her walking behind me, the intern chewed on his nails. Mr. Kobuyasu is going to yell at me for losing her. He leaned against the wall as he began to lose his balance. 

Saiki crossed his arms over his chest. “What have I said about your patience?” 

“Mr. Saiki, I would—” 

“She and I have expressed that—” The scolding died on Saiki’s lips as a sudden chill ran up his spine. The sense of dread was confirmed when he heard an enthusiastic call of his name. She couldn’t have possibly… 

You were met with an equally surprised face as you found Saiki standing outside with the intern. The intern ran to you, with tears in his eyes, as he pulled you into a relieved embrace. “I— I told you to go ahead of me.” You said as you raised your arms up. 

You simply wanted to go back and retrieve Teruhashi, feeling guilty for getting her hopes up, and disappointing her when Saiki had not been there. To think she’d have almost missed him. 

Truely, fortune seemed to favor Teruhashi. 

｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡ 

“Where did you find the place?” You asked just as the train came to a sudden halt, nearly launching the intern out of his seat, to which you reflexively grabbed him by the collar of his suit. The intern mumbled an apology through his embarrassment once you helped pull him back to his seat. “Erm… Aha. My brother-in-law recommended it to me once. You like discounts, right, miss?” He turned his head. “I looked online and it said they were hosting an event. Mr. Kobuyasu said that you like that kind of stuff.”

You turned your head at the word discount. Saving money is always respectable… “Good job,” you praise him as you pat his back. 

“It’d be better if we went somewhere else,” Saiki mumbled as he dragged himself out of the train. But as the intern dragged you with him, Saiki’s words were left unheard. When he cleared his throat to try again, the intern had excitedly pointed towards the building. 

“Oh, wow…” Your eyes scanned the building. The infrastructure was unlike anything that would typically be found at a shopping plaza or chain restaurant. Although it looked aged by many years, the outer structure of the building gave it some charm. “This is the restaurant you were referring to?” It looked as if it had been passed down by generations. Walking inside, you were hit by a fragrant smell you couldn’t quite pinpoint. It landed somewhere between pine needles and a freshly rained forest. But what mesmerized you the most was the large tank centered in the middle of the establishment.  Housing several species of tropical fish, illuminated by a bright, blue light. This place looks expensive. 

“Table for four, please.” The intern smiled proudly as he glanced back at you. 

The hostess nodded, glancing back at the group with a friendly smile. “You’re in luck, our restaurant is currently running an event, giving a forty percent discount on a select few items on our menu.” 

40 percent?? That doesn’t sound too bad. 

“It’s cool, right?” The intern whispered in your ear. 

“What’s the event for anyways?” You wondered out loud. 

The hostess’s shoulders slumped, mumbling to herself. “Ah, I'm sorry, of course.” She placed a hand over her cheek as she scolded herself. “ It’s currently the owner’s anniversary. Celebrating 50 years of marriage with her husband. She’s a big romantic, so she’s offering a discount to couples.” The woman sighed absently. 

If only I had someone to share it with… The hostess lamented. “Let’s leave,” Saiki quickly whispered. “We can go to the sandwich shop near the office—” 

“Oh, how generous!” Teruhashi exclaimed, standing close to Saiki. “The owner must love her husband.” 

“Oh!?” The intern blinked as he quickly pulled out his phone. He looked through the website and scratched his head nervously. “I guess it says right there… couple’s discounts,” he mumbled.  I should have seen that… 

“Would you like me to apply the discount?” The hostess smiled. 

“No, I think we will be fine.” 

“That would be wonderful, thank you.” You clapped your hands. 

“You want to share the discount.” The intern whispered.

“I was talking about those two,” You regarded Saiki and Teruhashi. She was practically brimming with joy as she stared at Saiki. Although his expression looked anything but happy, looking anywhere but at her. It surprised you to find Saiki to be the timid kind, but with Teruhashi, anything seemed possible. 

‘ She’s so close to me ’… You giggled as you imagined what went on in his mind. ‘ I think my heart will burst out of my chest .’ You imagined he was figuratively covering his face with his hands as he tried tempering a flustered expression. Now that would be a sight to behold. 

“They can make a couple.” You said, omitting the adjective, great. They can certainly make a couple, different as they were. However, this particular relationship acquisition seemed to hover more over a slow burn. And right now, Saiki didn't seem at all interested in entertaining Teruhashi’s affections. Although that seemed to be how many relationships start for his type of character. 

“You mean a great couple?” The intern asked as he glanced their way with uncertainty. “I think Ms. Teruhahshi can do better.” 

“You’re right about that…” Although it does help that he has those abilities. You were sure they could eventually reach a great couple status. His arachnid man to her D.J, or whatever current comic book hero was popular at the time. 

“Don’t worry about the discount. I’ll pay for myself.” You reassured the intern, unsure how convincing of a couple the two of you would be. His maturity was starkly different from yours, a kid like him had still had the time to date women his age. 

Now, let’s see the price of these meals— oh, my. “How much yen. What! Plus drinks?” You exclaimed out loud as you stared at the menu in disbelief. “Yeah, that makes a lot more sense.” You said as you looked around the restaurant and its patrons. "On second thought, there’s nothing wrong with a white lie, right?” The intern responded with a nod. 

I’ve been trying to warn you. This was a bad idea. Saiki rolled his eyes at your mortified expression. This place sucks the money out of your pockets. 

I guess that means we have to sit together in order to sell the happy couple act. How unfortunate… but it’s the least I can do in order to save Saiki's money. Oh, I'm sure he’s trying so hard to control his excitement. You know, Saiki, this is a great honor. Not a lot of my suitors have the privilege of pretending to be my boyfriend. Teruhashi composed herself as the waitress sat them at their table. “I hope you don’t mind me sitting next to you, Saiki. I suppose we should be a bit more convincing, right?” 

Saiki nodded his head. “Right.” 

Your mumbling did not go unheard by Saiki as your eyes browsed through the menu. Biting your lips as the price got higher the further you looked. He crossed his arms, clicking his tongue with an ‘I told you so’ sitting at the tip of his tongue. You only have yourself to blame. This is revenge enough for getting me in this situation in the first place. He found it out of character that you insisted on eating here. Though he supposed he also had to shoulder partial blame for allowing you to get this far. After all, he ended up stuck playing pretend in order to save his own money. Money that had been way over his budget for monthly spendings. 

You sighed, placing a gentle hand over the intern’s shoulder. “I'll handle where we’ll have lunch next time.” And forever. With a forlorn expression in your eyes, you stared at the aquarium. Watching the tropical fish swim with leisure. 

The intern took first pick, immediately settling closer to the air-conditioning, but most disappointingly out of sight from the aquarium. Sliding your hand against your arm you began feeling goosebumps form as the air skimmed across your skin. You gasped, surprised by how cool the seats were as you sat down, making you regret choosing to wear a skirt that day.  It couldn’t possibly be that warm outside to warrant this torture. 

A low waft of air pushed your hair against your cheek. Prompting you to turn your head every other way as you tried looking for the source of your exasperation. It was only when you looked to the ceiling that you realized the ventilation was set directly above you. Ugh, seriously? Were there no other seats available? 

As you grit your teeth to prevent it from chattering. Everyone else leisurely skimmed over their menu. The intern nodded as he pointed at something on it. “That looks delicious.” You gave the menu once over, and looked at your own before you finally processed what you had looked at. 

“That?” You inspected the menu over his shoulder again. That’s the most expensive thing they offer. 

“Don’t order that,” Saiki stated firmly, despite not looking away from his menu. 

The intern’s face dropped as the menu fell on the table. “Wha–why?” 

You nodded in agreement as your finger traced beneath the price. “For your sake, I can’t recommend this at all. Just look at the price.” The intern's shoulders slumped. “Besides, it's not part of the discount.” You hesitantly placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Trust me, you’ll regret it.” Saiki’s finger paused over something on the menu. 

“Is it not good Mr. Saiki?” 

He paused for a moment, deliberating over the intern’s question. “Yes.” 

Teruhashi nervously cleared her throat after watching over the exchange in silence. “You are a very considerate person, Saiki…” 

Not really. He wanted to say, but instead, he simply shrugged. “She and I, guide him when we need to.” 

Teruhashi laughed in disbelief at the words. “Well, he’s not a child. Right?”

“What would you choose, Ma’am?” The intern leaned closer as he looked through the rest of the options. “I’ll have whatever you’re having.” The intern’s hand flinched in surprise when it grazed your wrist. “Oh, ma’am! Your skin is like ice.” 

“Yeah, it’s still cold…” You pulled on your skirt as you tried to cover as much of your knees as you could. Practically feeling the chill envelope through your bones. 

“Take my seat.” Saiki stood from his chair. 

“Oh, no I couldn’t…” Please insist, I can’t stand it here anymore. It took every bit of your will to jump at the offer. 

“I don’t mind.” Just say yes, the longer I stay here the more awkward I feel. 

“Are you sure? It’s quite cold here?” However, I doubt a little ventilation would be a hassle to someone like you. 

“I can tolerate it.” Say yes, dammit. 

“Well, if you insist.” Praise whatever is listening to my pleas. You cried as you gleefully made yourself comfortable in his seat. Oh, wow. This is nice and cozy. You leaned back into the seat, reveling in the warmth he left behind. Sorry, I tried; you mentally apologized to Teruhashi. 

That should have been me. Teruhashi bit her lips as she snuck a glance at you. She’s practically being hugged by him. None of those things remotely correlate together. 

A gust of cool air blew past Saiki. Who organized this restaurant? Saiki cleared his throat as he discreetly rubbed his arm. “Is this better?” 

You bowed your head and folded your hands over your lap. “Thank you.” 

The intern smiled at you, folding his hands over the table as he leisurely surveyed the restaurant. As his eyes began to wander to your side, he jolted nervously, before he quickly looked at you once more. But when you glanced at Teruhashi, she seemed much more preoccupied by Saiki than her surroundings. You wondered what happened to that fan club she had back in high school. Are they watching right now? You checked your surroundings skeptically. Surely they grew out of that. For the sake of Saiki’s relationship, that’s what you hoped. 

“I apologize for the wait, everyone. I have your orders here—”

Bang and another one bites the dust. The waiter froze once his eyes landed on Teruhashi. Ignoring the warm plate that burned against his hand as his eyes darted across her face. 

“Hello?” The intern waved his hand at him. “Waiter? Your hand is…” 

Saiki cleared his throat, but also received no response. Oh, come on, this is just extreme. He rolled his eyes as he plucked the plate off the waiter’s hand and handed it to you. 

“I’m glad I listened to you, ma’am,” The intern took a big whiff of his plate as Saiki placed it in front of him. “This tastes amazing.” 

You nodded as you enjoyed a portion for yourself. Poor guy, you shake your head with pity. Peeking one eye open, you glanced at Saiki, but he looked anything but perturbed as he sat back down to eat. Not the jealous kind? Well, that’s good. It’s a good indicator of a healthy relationship, you tapped your spoon against your lip as you thought to yourself. 

“Oh my, Miss.” When the spell finally wore off, the waiter delicately settled Teruhashi’s plate. “I've never seen a woman as beautiful...” He held up a camera that hung from his neck. “It’s an honor to have your patronage in our humble establishment,” he stuttered. “Please, may I take a photo of you? The owner would absolutely love to have the media coverage.” 

Teruhashi blushed as she waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, I'm no celebrity. I’m just enjoying a meal with my friends and boyfriend.” Oh, Bold , you quietly clapped. 

Disappointment crossed the waiter’s face once he noticed the rest of you sitting near her. “Oh… I— yes. You're here for the couples' discount. Then shall I take a photo of the two of you?” He mumbled quietly at the end, making no attempt to hide his disappointment. 

Saiki quickly shook his head, but was ignored once Teruhahsi responded enthusiastically. “YES,” her hands slammed against the table. Jolting everyone in surprise. Oh, did I say that out loud? Really, Teruhashi, you need to learn some self-control. “Aha…” 

“Well… we have some props you can use…” I am not going to wear the cowboy hat. 

“Oh, how fun!” Teruhahsi clapped her hands. “Saiki, let's take a picture with these.” I can’t wait to frame these. They will look absolutely wonderful over a fireplace. Or a family album, eh— stop, there Teruhahsi. Don’t want to get ahead of yourself. Baby steps first. 

Distracted by the loud cheers at the back of the establishment, you turned to see the clicking of pegs echoing through the room. A woman anxiously looked at the wheel as it spun and clasped her hands together in prayer. 

“I wonder what the prizes are?” The intern commented as he stood up curiously. You could hear the cries of anguish from the table once the wheel had stopped spinning.  “Let's see… they have gift cards… a tablet...”

“I wonder what the golden slot is,” you muttered. 

“It says… tickets… mountains…” The intern tried reading the small words. 

“A vacation…” you concluded. Judging from the number of slots, it was a one in fourteen chance of winning the jackpot. Compared to the influx of customers they received daily, at least one of them should have won. 

“So... when did this event start?” 

The intern tapped his chin thoughtfully, “Two….days ago. It’s the last day today.” 

It’s the last day, and no one has won it yet… It's rigged, isn’t it? It's obvious, yet so many people flocked for a chance to win. I suppose the restaurant had to recuperate the money somehow, but a mountain vacation? Most of the people who frequented the restaurant should be able to afford tickets for that. You simply didn’t understand why everyone seemed distressed in losing the opportunity. Well, everyone likes free things. 

“We’d like a spin!” Saiki spoke up as Teruhashi almost grazed his hand. “The wheel is part of the event, right?” 

“Oh, Yes! We are holding a raffle for the couples.” The waiter dropped the camera in relief. “Our top prize is tickets to a luxury getaway in the mountains.” He smiled at Teruhashi. “Would you like to give it a try?” 

“Well… I don’t see why not.” Teruhashi clapped, despite her disappointment. And the waiter swiftly ran to fetch the wheel, having a small spat with his coworker as they pulled simultaneously for it. He eventually pointed to the table. And with reluctance, the wheel was forfeited to the waiter, who happily brought it back to Teruhashi. 

“And here we are,” he cleared his throat. “I wish you the best of luck, Miss.” 

Holding her hands together, Teruhahsi carefully made a wish before giving the wheel a definitive spin. You held your breath as the loud clicking of the pegs eventually slowed, and your eyes widened as the wheel nearly landed on the golden card slot. In the next second, the wheel harshly jerked back, landing on an empty space on the wheel. You blinked quickly, wiping your eyes in disbelief. No, you couldn’t have imagined that. Your eyes squinted suspiciously at the man sitting across from you.

“Oh, I'm sorry. It seems you missed this chance.” The man bit his lip as he looked over his shoulder stealthily. “Ah, but luckily for you. We uh, give our customers three chances for a spin at the wheel. 

“Really?!” Teruhashi clapped her hands in delight. The man smiled with a nod, and Teruhashi spun the wheel once again. And just as before, once the arrow almost landed on the golden slot, the wheel jerked back. Pointing to another dud. Teruhashi’s shoulders slouched in disappointment, and the waiter looked distressed. 

“That’s alright, Miss, third times the charm,” he tried comforting her. 

Although you were certain it was Saiki’s doing, you knew it wouldn’t do you well in accusing him of tampering with her luck. It could get you in some serious trouble with Saiki, and it would, most importantly, make you look insane. 

Teruhashi spun the wheel one last time with less enthusiasm and waited with bated breath as the wheel once again neared the golden slot. Wow, she has insane luck. Now I know where Lady Luck spends most of her time. When you thought Saiki was once again going to tamper with the results, you were surprised to see it land on a brand-new Tiles laptop. An expensive one at that… You could only dream of all the games you could have played… Huh, I guess he does have a heart after all. What a tsundere. 

Ugh, I do have a soft spot for a good slow burn. 

“Congratulations, Miss! You won one of the latest models of the Tiles laptop line.” The man smiled as he gave her a small ticket. “Once you finish with your meal, you may show this to the cashier to receive your prize. We thank you for your patronage. Please enjoy your meals,” he bowed. Wha— hey, you forgot the picture! Teruhahsi fumed. 

Your words stuck in your throat as you watched the man leave. I’m already paying an arm and a leg here. Why would I want to test my luck? You mumble sarcastically. 

“The raffle is for couple's right?” The intern slammed his hands on the table abruptly, startling everyone but Saiki. “We also happen to be a couple.” He gestured to the two of you awkwardly but kept a determined look on his face.

The waiter’s mouth gaped open, tugging the collar of his shirt nervously. “Oh, I apologize!” He bowed his head profusely. “I thought you were his older sister,” he gestured to you. “It’s incredibly presumptuous of me to believe so—” 

You crossed your arms. If the two of you had been dating, that would have been highly offensive, but you supposed it made sense. Though you weren’t sure what suggested to him that the two of you were related. 

“We don’t even look the same.” The intern frowned, leaning against his hand. 

“Of course, again my apologies.” The man pulled the wheel closer to you, sweeping his arm over the wheel in emphasis. Anticipation built up at the pit of your stomach as you eyed the laptop slot. It looks like they have one more. Although you doubted you’d have the chance to win one. Half the fun was playing through a game of chance. It wasn’t as if there was much to lose. “Please, give it a spin—”

“Finally,” the intern clapped his hands as he looked at the wheel. “I love this part.” As the loud clicking of the pegs resonated through the table once more, you sighed in embarrassment. I shouldn’t have assumed anything out of him.  

“Congratulations, you won a free meal coupon. Please come again soon to redeem it!” The waiter sighed, placing a hand over his chest as he handed the slip of paper to the intern. Chewing at your lip you stared at the laptop slot once again as the waiter left for the next table.

Hello? There are other people on the table. Did they expect the couples to share the prize? 

You inspected the intern’s coupon. This is only for one meal! Did they expect Teruhashi to share her laptop too? Despite the desire to voice your complaint, the words died on your lips. Ah, oh well, he couldn’t possibly hear me anyway. 

“I suppose we could have a turn too?” Saiki looked up from the table as he cleared his throat. “I’m–” He cringed, no , he couldn’t entertain Teruhashi any further. As the gentleman he was, he instead called your attention, pointing to the wheel with his eyes. “Ladies first.”  

You place a hand over your chest in confusion and point to yourself. He simply nodded and once again gestured to the wheel. 

Saiki could hear the muttering of exasperation as the waiter’s shoulders slumped. “Oh, yes of course.” 

Your hand hovers against the pegs, hiding the giddiness from your face. You grasped onto the wheel and swallowed a deep breath. In the next moment, you gave the wheel a firm spin. The clicking rang louder than before as the wheel spun fast. And you closed your eyes, although you were excited, you also felt a hint of anxiety as the clicking began to quiet. 

What you didn’t expect was the immediate silence that followed after, everyone at the table sucked in a sharp breath. You weren’t sure how to take the reaction. It was completely over the top for something like a blank slot, so in other words, it had to be—

“Oh my— what?” You drag your hands down your cheeks in disbelief. Simply seeking the thrill of chance, you didn’t account for the possibility of winning the grand prize. In fact, you never entertained the idea at all. Your luck was wasted on the last raffle you entered, and all you won was a free book. 

“C–Congratulations, ma’am. You won the grand prize of an all-expenses-paid vacation package.” 

All… expenses paid. You heard that right? You slapped your hand against your forehead in disbelief. There was no possibility that the wheel was not rigged. “All expenses paid…” You mutter to yourself as your hands begin shaking. “That’s a lot… that’s a lot of vacation time,” you continue mumbling to yourself as you reach for the ticket the waiter handed out to you. This is impossible, who would be cocky enough to offer this. 

“Wow! Congrats.” The intern leaned over your shoulder as he read through the slip of paper. “That’s insane luck.” 

And it seems that’s a wrap. Saiki checked his watch and said, “It’s almost time to head back to work.” 

Teruhahsi groaned in disappointment. What’s the point of using the couples discount if we didn’t even get to act like a couple just once? She sighed, quietly thanking someone. Which caused Saiki's bewilderment. 

The intern cleared his throat, hiding a sly smile. “Since I'm the one who invited you all here. I’ll pay for dinner.” The intern declared as he pulled out his card. 

“I mean this with no offense, but with your salary, you’d barely be able to afford half the meal.” You place a hand over his shoulder. 

“That’s a bad idea.” Saiki agreed. A really bad idea. 

“It’s too late. I’m already heading to the front desk as we speak.” The intern declared as he greeted the young women at the counter, placing his card on the tray. 

The card reader buzzed, and the intern’s face dropped. 

“I’m sorry, sir, it seems your card has been declined.” 

“Ah, try it again, please. I’m sure there were just some issues with the machine,”  the intern stuttered. 

The machine buzzed again. 

You placed your hand on your hip as you walked toward the counter with a friendly smile. “Ah, here. I’ll pay for both our meals.” Although you tried looking confident as you held your card over the tray, you hesitated to drop it in. Just our meals, I'm paying just for our meals. 

It seems you will have to live off instant ramen for some time. 

｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡★｡+ﾟ☆ﾟ+｡ 

Saiki wasn’t sure what to do with the letter that sat in his locker. Although weeks had passed, it remained where he had last transferred it, unread and unopened. He knew it was best if he had thrown it away. He should have thrown it away… the letter didn’t belong to him. 

Yet… As he picked up the letter, curiosity won him over in the end. He apologized to someone who could never hear him. And slipped the letter out of the envelope. 

I should start by thanking you. So... Thank you for comforting me. I honestly thought I would never make another friend after my last friendship ended so abruptly. And I know this might ruin what we have, by saying this… but nothing has to change if you don’t want it to. 

I like you. A lot. But if you don’t feel the same, then please be my friend as long as you can be.

Sincerely, Yours truly

P.s You don’t have to answer right away. 

Perhaps the best option would have been to send the letter to that boy from the start. 

Saiki folded the letter and placed it back in his locker. 

Feelings aren’t so fickle, are they?