Chapter Text
Inko placed the completed folder on the growing pile, then slumped into her desk chair with a sigh. She hasn't seen Midoriya since her first day a week ago. When she asked Sho about it, he just told her that unexpected business came up that he needed to take care of immediately. While she had accepted his answer without any further questions, she couldn't help but feel it was her fault that he hasn't been in. After all, she was the one who led him on that day; first calling his eyes beautiful, and then cupping his face while complementing his freckles. Of course he had thought she was flirting with him. But then she went and insulted him yet again by hesitating when he offered her a ride to the station, and yet again he showed just how kind of a person he was by letting her ride alone in the car, his personal car, to the station. He was so much, almost too much for her to handle, and she still had a hard time believing it was all real. But by this point it was probably her trying to justify insulting him like that.
She sighed again as she reached for the next folder. Whenever he came back, she needed to make sure she apologized for her behavior. Until then, she needed to work her hardest to get the most out of her internship.
She was about halfway through the file when there was a knock at her door. She paused and slowly looked up as the door opened. A familiar head with black hair and intense red eyes peeked in through the crack, before the door fully opened. “Good afternoon, Shinhon-san,” Midoriya greeted her as he entered and approached her desk.
Inko shut the file she was working on and smiled up at him. “Ah! Good afternoon Midoriya-san!” She quickly replied, moving to stand from her desk when he held a hand out.
“It’s alright, you can remain seated. I’ll be quick,” he comforted, waiting for her to sit back down before continuing. “I hope you can forgive my absence for your first week. You see, there was a big mess at one of my branch companies that I needed to deal with personally, but I’m still regretful of leaving you on your own. I beg your forgiveness.”
Again, Inko was shocked. Surely no man was genuinely this nice, and yet here was Midoriya, being beyond incredible yet again. Speaking of… “It’s alright! Although, if I’m being honest, I don’t think you owe me any apology. You run an entire business: of course you have other people who rely on you.”
He smiled brightly at her in response. “A difference in opinion, I suppose. But I would still like to hear how it went, as well as more about you in general, so would you care to join me for some tea?”
She stared up into his intense red eyes, ignoring the twinging of her heart because his green eyes truly were incredible and-
She slapped herself hard, concerning her present company. “Inko-san?”
Pushing down her previous thoughts, she smiled widely up at him. “Tea sounds wonderful!” She agreed. “My lunch break is in an hour, we could meet then.”
He chuckled as he leaned in, resting on top of her desk. “I mean… we don't need to wait until your lunch. Surely no one will mind if we-” He looked up, and he must have noticed the glare in her eyes, because his eyes widened slightly.
“Midoriya-san…” she growled, and he startled comically. “-or we can wait, that’s fine too!”
He quickly pushed himself up and away from the desk. “I’ll see you in one hour!” He called out, turning and walking towards the exit for her office.
She sighed, and softly shook her head. He really was too obvious with his interest in her, although she was still uncertain if it was malicious or not. When she observed him from afar, every one of her instincts, both natural and ones formed with previous experiences, screamed at her that Midoriya was a dangerous man, that she should run from him. If he had been any other man, and had this been any other circumstance, she would have immediately followed them and ran. But at the same time, there was a quieter voice, one that whispered that he wasn’t dangerous towards her. Anytime he was near her, interacted with her, this voice was at its loudest. It would point out that the admiration in his eyes was real, and the way he tilted his head as he listened to her was from pure genuine interest in what she was speaking about. Of course, she hadn’t known him for long, and it hadn’t always been there for the time she has, but even still, she felt like she could trust it, and therefore him. So while she wouldn’t ignore her internal warnings, and would make sure to keep some guard up, maybe she could allow herself to enjoy this blossoming friendship. And who knew, maybe it would lead to bigger, better things for her.
(Inko stared down at the small bundle in her arms, and started tearing up at what was both of their greatest achievement in life).
-----
Hisashi hurriedly sped-walked into his office, just barely managing to not slam the door shut as he quickly approached his desk. He spun around the corner and threw himself into his chair, before ripping open his top drawer and dropping the small bottle into it. With a sigh, he slammed it shut and opened a random file to make it seem like he had been busy at work this entire time, instead of being off taking care of a problem that occurred when Inko had growled at him.
At the time, for the briefest of moments, he had actually felt a chill when she glared at him with those deep-green eyes. That was a feat that no one has been able to pull off since… well, since he was a kid, he guessed, and that was more of fear from being hurt. This was very different. This was the knowledge that he would be verbally ripped limb from limb if he didn’t back off. He hadn’t been aware that such a small, non threatening woman could give off such an intimidating feeling, and learning such only made him fall more head over heels for her.
Unfortunately for him, due to the fact that he was already so madly in love with her, it had made his previous problem become prominent once again, and he needed to take his immediate leave before she could discover it. He then took care of it immediately, and now here he was, waiting for that cursed clock to advance to the moment of their… meeting? While he desperately wished he could call it a date, he knew she was nowhere near that level with him. So he supposed it would be a meeting, since it was a talk between him and a subordinate, although the presence of tea and the woman herself made it one that he was actually looking forward to.
He looked up at the digital clock on his desk, and sighed at the fact that only one minute has passed, which meant he still had over forty to go. He groaned as he looked at the security feed playing on his right. Currently, it switched between several different meeting rooms, only one of which had planning going on that he was interested in.
Several of his top, most trusted men sat around a table, with semi familiar maps and floor plans laid out in front of them. Also there were bus and train routes, with the respective time tables for each, and a class schedule. They seemed to be assigning shifts at that moment, filling out a large schedule sheet to when they were free from their other work he has given them. At the moment, it didn’t seem like they had anyone ready for tonight, which worried him. Inko wouldn’t let him walk her home just yet, and even if he could somehow convince her to take his car to the station, there wasn’t anyway for him to make sure she would be safe the rest of the way. He wished he could follow her home, but unfortunately he was the least stealthy person in his company, and somehow even the quirks he had acquired weren’t able to help much. She would probably notice him immediately, and get scared, which in all honesty she should with a man following her home.
But that was all the more reason he needed to have this set up as soon as possible. Inko wasn’t safe out there by herself, with a weaker quirk she was practically defenseless. She had already been hurt at least once, and almost hurt in a different way the other week with that sudden criminal attack, which had taken out the train before hers. He couldn’t, wouldn’t, allow someone precious to him to be injured again while he had any ability to prevent it. So with a soft sigh, he shut the file that he hadn’t been reading and stood up from his desk, before making his way around it and out of the room.
--
Hisashi vibrated outside of Inko’s office. According to his watch, it was only two minutes until her lunch break, but he wasn’t sure he was going to make it. It had only taken about ten or fifteen minutes to help the protection squad settle the schedule, with him taking on some of their load to lighten theirs when needed.
After that, he just wandered around the building, somehow ending up on the lower levels that housed the actual office workers for the company. The look of surprise and varying horror had been entertaining to say the least. He spoke with each department and floor manager, pretending that he was interested in anything they had to say while he zoned out, thinking about how he could somehow convince Inko to have another ‘lunch meeting’ with him soon. Perhaps he could offer insight into her schoolwork? Or maybe he could offer to record and watch with her one of his board of directors meetings, so that she could get some background information on how those work. There was a chance that she would be suspicious of favoritism, but he could just argue that she was a student, and he wanted her to do her best in school, which was true. Eventually, he had spoken with everyone who was worth speaking to, and so he headed back up, where he now waited for the few agonizing minutes to pass.
With bated breath, he watched his watch switch over to the new hour. Now having waited the minimum amount of time, he eagerly opened the door and stepped into Inko’s office. The woman was hunched over at her desk, completely focused on the file spread out before her. So much so that she hadn’t realized he was there. Being over two hundred years old had done nothing to quell his childishness, and so he quietly walked around the border of the room as he approached her. He stopped just behind her left, and held his breath as he leaned over her shoulder. He glanced down at the papers and hummed internally. “Working hard I see,” he stated simply, smiling when she shrieked with the surprise.
She held a hand over her heart as she whipped her head around to glare at him. “Midoriya-San!” She angrily exclaimed, her glare turning freezing when he started chuckling.
Normally it wouldn’t be a good idea to do this with someone with such a traumatic past such as her, however, the situation seemed alright for it. With how focused she was on her work, she hadn’t been worried about her surroundings, leaving her almost relaxed in a way. Even still, he had made sure not to lay a finger on her, and to speak in a normal tone away from her ear, just in case. It seemed to work too, as the brief shock in her eyes quickly switched to annoyance, which formed as an even harsher glare. She placed her hands on the table and shook her head as he stepped to the side. “Why are you like this?” She quietly asked herself, letting out an audibly deep breath.
Hisashi feigned ignorance. “I have absolutely no idea what you mean. Is there something wrong with me checking up on an employee?”
She grumbled to herself as she started to turn her attention back to the file, but Hisashi spoke out before she could get into it again. “Shinhon-san, I’ve actually come here to ask if you wouldn’t mind joining me for tea, since it’s time for your lunch and all,” he explained.
She gave him a confused look, before whipping her head to look at the clock on her desk, her eyes opening in shock when she saw the time. “I can’t believe an hour has passed already,” she said disbelievingly, looking at the pile of folders that she’s completed.
Hisashi couldn’t relate, having felt every single minute pass by agonizingly slow until now. He still smiled down to her and teasingly said, “Time flies by when you’re having fun.”
She stared blankly at the files for another moment, before turning to him and giving a small smile of her own. “I guess you’re right,” she agreed. She then pushed her chair out and stood up next to him. “Where will we be having tea?” She politely asked, and he smiled wider. “Follow me,” he simply said, as he started moving towards the door.
The two of them walked to the elevator, where they went up to the floor above. As the door opened, he could hear Inko gasp. “What… is this place?” She asked as she looked out to the large, open area.
In front of them was a lounge area with multiple leather couches and recliners, some resting against the wall while the others formed a semi circle around the huge flat-screen mounted on the wall across from them. “This is the breakroom for my higher positioned workers. Since many of them spend most of their time here at the office, I figured they’d deserve a comfortable space to unwind during breaks,” he explained, observing the room himself.
There were a couple of his men up here, either blankly staring at the screen displaying the current news, or sleeping in a reclined seat. The ones who were awake turned to face him, and gave him a short, but respect filled, nod. “Good afternoon Midoriya-sama, and guest,” one of them greeted, lowering the amber filled cup in his hand from view.
Inko’s face twisted to one of confusion, and he forced out a dry laugh. “Now now, Kawaiki, cut it out with the jokes,” he responded, making the other man turn white. He glanced around the room, observing their full attention, and continued. “You all know that ‘san’ is just fine,” he continued, reaching over to gently pat Inko’s back to get the point across.
Kawaiki nods quickly, stuttering out a “R-right, sorry, sir!” before slinking down in his seat.
With a sigh, Hisashi decided to ignore him and continue in. “Right this way, Shinhon-san,” he gently stated as he led her towards the large double doors at the other end of the room. He paused in front of the doors, and turned back to the room of men. “We’ll be using the kitchen for the next hour or so. Please try to not disturb us,” he requested, already knowing that his men understood it was anything but.
He opened the door for Inko, and after a moment of hesitation from her, followed her in. “Please have a seat at the table while I get started on the tea,” he said, gesturing to the small, circular table pushed against the opposite wall.
She hummed as he turned and approached the cabinet. “I’m surprised that there isn’t some large, expensive table set up in here,” she teased, earning a chuckle from him. “There’s really no need,” he lied, “It’s rare that several of them are eating at the same time, and usually they will bring the food back to their offices anyway.”
He left out the fact that there had been such a table here up until a few months ago, when a couple of his rowdier followers got into a fight and destroyed it, as well as part of the kitchen. After that, he prohibited anyone from remaining in the former eating area for longer then it took to prepare their food. This however wasn’t something she needed to know, for several reasons.
Hisashi set the filled kettle on the lit burner and walked away to join Inko. However, an involuntary noise from the woman had him pausing. He didn’t miss the red tinge to her face currently as she wra pped her arm around her stomach. “That’s right, it’s your lunch time,” he remembered, lightly tapping his palm against the side of his head. He lowered his hand and smiled to her. “If you wish, I can have Sho-san bring up your lunch so that you may eat,” he offered.
Inko’s eyes widened for a moment, before she forced a smile and shook her head. “Ah, i-it’s alright, Midoriya-san, I’ll be fine!”
Her stomach loudly growled again, and he felt his eyebrow raise. “It’s really no bother, Shinhon-san, it would only take five minutes of his time, and it’s not like he has any meetings today,” he lied.
“N-no, really-” She was cut off by her own stomach, and suddenly Hisashi was suspicious. Surely she wouldn’t be that hungry from barely missing one meal… which meant that she’s missed at least breakfast today, although based on how tired she looked she’s probably missed more.
He lowered himself into the seat across from her, and started reaching out to her hands, but paused. With a sigh, he lowered them back into his lap. “When was the last time you’ve eaten, In- Shinhon-san?” He gently asked.
Her eyes widened again, and she looked down at her own lap. The room fell into an uncomfortable silence, with only the faint whistle of the heating kettle in the background providing any noise. It was then interrupted by another loud growl from the small woman’s stomach. Her arms wrapped around her torso, and her face scrunched up with the hopefully minor pain from it. When he realized she wasn’t going to answer, he sighed again. “At least tell me that you ate dinner last night,” he pressed, only feeling disappointed by her continued silence.
The whistling started to increase in volume and pitch, but he ignored it for now. “Why haven’t you been eating?”
She winced, like the question punched her in the face. Her arms trembled as she started to wring her fingers together underneath the table. She bit her lip as she averted her gaze even further from himself. Meanwhile, Hisashi couldn’t breathe. Why? Why would she starve herself like this?
‘I swear, if someone made her insecure about her looks…’ Or, if it had been one of those god-awful magazines, he would destroy them, both financially and literally. He reached across the table, and attempted to comfortingly touch her arm, but she jolted from his touch. A moment later, she looked up at him, and started apologizing as shame took over her features. “I-I’m sorry, Midoriya-san, I just- I was just deep i-in thought and-”
“It’s alright, Shinhon-san,” he interrupted, “I’m not upset, I’m just worried that you’re not taking care of yourself.”
His cheeks blushed slightly at the sight of her face slowly turning red. “Please, I’m not your parent, I’m not here to scold you, but as your friend I’m concerned.”
It hit him a second too late that perhaps he shouldn’t refer to himself as her friend quite yet, but it was too late. She looked up at him in shock, the red tinge of her face only fading slightly. She opened her mouth, but paused, and instead lowered her gaze down. “Do-do you really consider me a friend, Midoriya-san?”
Hisashi’s heart thumped when she looked back up to him. The slightly questioning and confused narrowing of her eyes only emphasized the softness of her face to him. Then they squeezed shut with the next stomach growl, and he was brought back to the issue at hand. He pushed himself up from the table and stepped up to the large refrigerator, opening it and looking through its contents.
While he could take one of his men’s meals, he figured it was better to not provoke them. Plus, there was almost no way to know if there were drugs mixed in, whether it be to punish people eating their food or just for themselves. Either way, there was no need to take someone else’s, as there was always a large meal waiting for him. Everyday, Sho would put food in here for him, sometimes bringing something his wife prepared and other times just picking up a platter on his way in. Today, it just happened to be a large sandwich platter, with a variety of small, hand-sized sandwiches. He picked it up and looked over it, before glancing over his shoulder at Inko.
“You’re lucky that we have leftovers from the big meeting last night,” he teasingly lied as he turned. While he personally didn’t find it a big deal, he had a feeling Inko wouldn’t like the idea of him giving her his lunch. Of course, whether the reason being that he was giving her something of his, or that this entire thing was supposed to be his lunch remained to be seen.
He placed the tray down in front of her, and turned his attention to the growing noise on the stove. He switched the burner off and moved it to a cool one, before reaching over for the tea cups. Just as he was about to ask Inko what kind of tea she liked, she spoke out. “You don’t need to do this, Midoriya-san.”
Hisashi placed the cups on the counter and turned to face her. “I feel otherwise. Since I invited you up here, it’s only appropriate for me to prepare our drinks for us,” he feigned ignorance.
Inko, however, was not having any of it. “You know that’s not what I mean,” she stated, annoyed. Her usually warm green eyes pierced through him momentarily, causing his heart rate to spike for that short instance. She quickly fell back into her meek attitude, and closed her eyes with a sigh. “You do not need to feed me, I’ve already told you that I’m alright,” she argued.
He faced towards the cupboard in front of him, and stared at the dishware on the shelves. For some reason, her statement annoyed him. All he wanted to do was take care of her, to make sure she was alright, was safe. Everything he was doing was for her own good, so why- He released the cup he was holding before he could crush it in his grip, and took a quick breath. Why was she being so stubborn, and refusing his help? He… he didn’t understand. They were friends, right?
… Except, they weren’t. No matter how much he loved her, it didn’t make up for the fact that they’ve barely known each other for a little longer than a week, and he wasn’t even there for most of it. At most, they’ve had three days of interactions, all of which were either business related, or extremely awkward because of mistakes that he made. They weren’t friends, not even close. But still, that didn’t mean that he had to stop caring for her, and about her well being. In fact, it was probably impossible for him to stop. So if making sure she was alright meant he had to take on the annoying parent figure roll, instead of the one of her boyfriend that he desperately wanted, then so be it.
“I am not aware of your reasoning for not eating, and it is not my place to continue pushing you for it,” he started, briefly adjusting the cup one final time before shutting the cupboard. “However, that doesn’t mean I will let you neglect your own health like this,” he continued as he faced her. Her surprised eyes almost made him stutter as he continued. “As one of my employees, I care about you, and your well being, and if preventing you from getting sick entails buying you lunch and forcing you to eat whenever you’re in this building, then so be it.”
He then stared down at her, not harshly, but firmly. Inko only met his gaze for a second before turning away, looking back down at her lap. Hisashi sighed gently, then turned back to the teas and started prepping one. Plain green tea would probably be best for today, until he could discern a favorite of hers. As he poured the hot water into the tea-filled diffuser, a small voice spoke out behind him. “I’m not anorexic, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Inko defended herself.
Inaudibly, Hisashi sighed with relief at the reveal, although he didn’t allow himself to relax, nor did he push further. He set the kettle down and picked up the teapot, pouring the green tinted water into the two cups. He brought the two cups over and set each one on opposite sides of the table. His eyes glanced over the tray, and he felt relieved at the sight of a single missing sandwich, although it was nowhere near enough for him to be satisfied. Before sitting down, he crossed back over to grab two small plates, and some napkins, placing them in the center of the table as he finally sat. Inko stared intensely at him as he grabbed one of the sandwiches and placed it on his plate.
Since she was watching so closely, he made a show of taking a big bite out of it and chewing obnoxiously before swallowing. He stole a glance at her when he took a sip of his drink. She glared straight into his eyes, and if he wasn’t aware of how annoying he was being, he would be genuinely confused. Even still, he took his time with his drink, holding the cup up to his mouth after he was done drinking for a few extra seconds, before finally lowering it. “Is something the matter?” He innocently inquired.
She looked like she was actually going to kill him for all of two seconds, before she fell back to her glare. “I told you, I don’t have an eating disorder, and even if I did, you acting like that would only make me not want to eat even more out of spite,” she coldly repeated.
He chuckled as he raised his cup again. “What ever made you think I didn’t believe you the first time?”
“You mean, besides the fact that you’re currently acting like a spoiled child?” She shot back, and he almost choked on his tea, although some still ended up going down the wrong pipe.
As he coughed, Inko’s serious look immediately disappeared, and she rushed over from her seat. A soft hand gently rested on his back, smoothly rubbing up and down, with the occasional quick pat to it. “Are you okay, Midoriya-san?!” She worriedly asked, leaning around his shoulder to be face to face.
Heat immediately rushed to his face. His cheeks blushed as he turned his head away from her. “I-I’m -cough- I’m fine” He hoarsely reassured her.
It seemed she also realized just how close she was, as she jumped away from him. “I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-” As she stammered to herself, he couldn’t help but think cute.
He turned back to her, and reached out to gently grab her hand. “Honestly Inko, I’m alright. It takes a lot more than a little water to kill me,” he reassured her. She looked down to the hand he was holding onto, and reached up to cover her quickly reddening face with her free one. Even though she wouldn’t see it, he smiled warmly up at her. “Why don’t you take a seat so we can continue our conversation?”
With her face still covered, she nodded at him, and he (reluctantly) released her hand so she could sit back down. He waited for her to calm down and settle before continuing. “To respond to your earlier statement, it doesn’t matter whether I believe your assurance or not. All I know is that you haven’t been eating, the reason behind it isn’t important.”
Inko looked down into her tea cup, staring intensely to avoid his gaze. He waited for her response, feeling an explanation coming. And sure enough, it did. “I…” She started, trailing off. She took a deep, audible breath, before trying again. “I-I don’t… have the-the…” He heard her mutter something after that, but he wasn’t able to distinguish what.
“I’m sorry, you trailed off and I didn’t hear you.” She looked up at him, and the sight of the tears building in her eyes made him regret ever asking. “I don’t have the money, Midoriya-san,” she stated clearly, before her lip quivered. She reached for the napkins as tears started sliding down her face.
Hisashi’s heart broke at the sight, while confusion flooded his mind because of her statement. ‘How is that possible? I had, or rather Sho should have, made sure that her wage is enough to cover her tuition and living expenses, which should cover groceries.’ It was extremely unlikely that Sho had messed up in this situation, especially since he was well aware of his infatuation before he himself had been, so what was going on? He reached out and rested his large hand over Inko’s smaller, and much softer, one. “Shinhon-san, your paycheck was calculated with your tuition and living situation in mind, which means that you should be able to afford food easily. So if you don’t mind me asking, just what is happening to your paycheck?”
She sniffed loudly, wiping under her nose before speaking. “I… really wanted to graduate without any student loans, or at least with as little as possible, so-”
“So you were paying them off instead of taking care of yourself?” He finished, briefly tightening his grip on her hand before pulling away all together. She gave a little nod to his statement, blowing her nose with the paper napkin. He sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. “And why couldn’t this wait until after you graduate?” He asked, feeling frustrated with her priorities.
Inko’s tears started to dry up as she wiped at her eyes. She placed the crumpled up paper off to the side, and stared down into her drink. “I’m just… afraid, that I won’t be able to find a job immediately after graduating, so I figured… if I could just get it done before then, or at least most of it, then it’s one less thing to worry about.”
Hisashi was… dumbfounded, to say the least. He tapped on her hand to gain her attention, and waited for her to look up at him before speaking. “First off, you won’t have to worry about the loans if you starve yourself, or will only make it worse with a hospital bill if you collapse due to low blood sugar, but I digress. What I’m really curious about is why you think you won’t have a job after you graduate?”
“Because-” She started, but he cut her off.
“Because nothing! You are a hardworking, determined, intelligent young woman who any company would be lucky if they got their hands on you, and I have full faith that you’ll be able to show that to them by the end of your last semester.”
Wonder shone in Inko’s eyes, making them twinkle brighter than a star. Her cheeks had barely returned to her natural tone before blushing again, and she rested her free hand against her cheek as she looked away. “That’s… no offence Midoriya-san, but I haven’t working here long enough for you to have such high, unbiased opinions of me,” she argued, staring away at the stove over to her left.
He clicked his tongue, before moving from his seat to kneel in her line of sight. “Oh, but that’s where you are wrong, my dear Inko.” He made sure they were making eye contact before continuing. “All of the work you have done has been going through Sho, who had been sending it all to me to review, which means I’ve seen all of it.”
She swallowed, before whispering, “All of it?”
He hummed as he nodded, and continued. “All of it. Which means I’ve seen the suggestions you have already made, as well as the corrections on the invoices that some employees have been lazy with. Already you have prevented a two hundred thousand yen loss through your sheer diligence and attention to detail,” he praised, making her blush even harder. He smiled at the sight of it, his heart thrumming contently in his chest just from seeing her respond to his praise. He couldn’t wait for the day where he could tell her these things without the denial, or complete embarrassment. For now, he once again grabbed onto her hand and held it tightly between his two. “Of course, you are always welcome to remain here, but if that’s not what you wish then I will personally make sure that any company you have interest in knows just how privileged they’d be to have someone as wonderful as you,” he warmly assured her.
Complete silence followed. Inko stared down at him with wide, surprised eyes, her mouth slightly agape. The lack of response allowed him to think over what he said, and he froze, because… was he flirting? Oh my gods, he was flirting! Oh shit! Oh shit oh shit abort abort abort! His mouth had just started to open when any words coming were cut off by a sniff. He refocused on the teary Inko, who had a new napkin pressed to the corner of her eye and… was smiling. There was nothing he could do to prepare himself for the brightest smile he would ever see. (Only contested by their tiny child, who could almost literally melt glaciers with the warmth that radiated from it.)
He decided he wanted to see a lot more of it, and would do anything to make it happen. His thoughts were cut off by a bubbly giggle. “Th-thank you, Midoriya-san, that means the world to me.”
If this were some cheesy romance movie, now would be the time where he jumps to his feet, and pulls her into a deep, romantic kiss. But it wasn’t, this was real life. Since this wasn’t some story that a college student would write in their free time before their next class, he didn’t go in for the inappropriate kiss. Inko probably wouldn’t want it anyway. Instead he slowly stood up, and gripped down on her hand once more before releasing her and retaking his seat. He took another sandwich from the platter and silently stared up at Inko, waiting about two full minutes for her to get the hint and take her own. She stared down at it for another minute, before finally taking a small bite. When she started to eat, that’s when Hisashi allowed himself to as well.
“I know how you’ll feel about it, but I would really like for you to let me buy you either lunch or dinner while you are working,” he offered after finishing the small sandwich.
Inko’s small smile evened out as she swallowed hers and looked up at him. “You really don’t have to, Midoriya-san, I’ll be fine,” she reassured him.
He placed another sandwich on his plate, and watched as she didn’t reach for another. Basing it on her previous two choices, he leaned over and grabbed one of the turkey ones to place it on her plate. She stared at him in surprise as he pulled away and relaxed into his seat. “Please forgive me, but that does little to comfort my worry,” he stated with a smile. “You’ve seen how I treat my other men, so surely you can overlook me buying you a simple meal once a day to ensure you don’t collapse,” he implored her, gesturing to the kitchen and the door.
She looked around the fully upgraded kitchen, and looked at the door that led to the well furnished lounge area. She seemed contemplative for a minute, before sighing in defeat. “Alright, Midoriya-san, you win,” she relented. He brightened up, and went to inquire further about her food taste, when she continued. “However, it must be within my already allotted meal time, and it must happen within the office,” she layed down, with a firm look in her eyes.
Hisashi just nodded like an idiot. Inko stared at him contemplatively again, although this time there was a lighter air to her. The new, happier mood around both of them allowed the following silence to be much more comfortable, more relaxing. Hisashi had decided to take a bite of his sandwich when Inko interrupted that silence. “Also, I wouldn’t mind… being friends with you, Midoriya-san,” she shyly stated.
With that, Hisashi started to full on choke, causing Inko to panic once again. At least he would die a happy man.