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The couch had never seemed more comfortable than that night, the fluffy pillows that Manami had collected throughout the years finally coming in handy as Karma sunk into them with a tired groan. He felt each and every muscle of his lower back ache, so he let his weight be sustained by the mushy sofa. His head rested in Manami’s lap, the most cozy support he had ever tried, despite how bony and slim she was.
She let out a small chuckle as he closed his eyes and let the sound of her laugh heal his tired body.
“Hard day at work?” she asked, caresing his red locks and taming them down to his usual hairstyle, not the fancy one he forced himself to wear at work.
He nodded under her touch, taking her free hand into his and kissing the back of her palm softly. He didn’t need to look at her to know she was blushing, yet opened his eyes anyway, because that was a view for sore eyes.
“What happened?” she asked, only to change the subject and to erase the smug grin off his face.
“Asano happened,” he grunted, the memory of him enough to wipe the grin. He rolled to face her while talking.
The lamp blinded him, so she adjusted her position to block the light.
“What did he do this time around?”
“Bastard open a café,” Karma hissed.
Manami quirked an eyebrow. “And that bothers you because… he doesn’t sell strawberry shortcake?” she tried joking, but his scowl told her he wasn’t in mood.
“If only that were my biggest concern. No,” he spat, “the guy bought the place from across my museum. You know, my latest project.”
Manami nodded. “So he wants to make profit based on your clients?” she connected the dots.
“I feel like he played me!” Karma complained, the only thing calming him down being Manami’s fingers that massaged his scalp.
“Those are just tactics of someone who has lost the war,” she soothed him.
“And yet fights the battle. I can’t let him get away with this.” He let a lazy arm hang loose over the couch, willing his brain to think up a counterplan. “Maybe I could open a library?” he considered, but wrinkled his nose at the idea. That was like copying his enemy, and plagiarising didn’t sit well with Karma.
“Last time I checked, the minister wasn’t managing companies,” Manami admonished him. “Besides, if you and Asano go at it seriously, the whole city will end up being split into two.”
Karma knew she was right, yet the mere thought of losing to Asano made his blood go cold. He just turned on his side, trying to find sort out his thoughts and find the right way to respond. Manami’s fingers still ran through his hair in tandem with his ideas, pounding against his head. His girlfriend seemed to read the atmosphere and allowed silence to settle in. However, from the way her fingers were fidgeting with the ends of his hairs, he realised she had something to say.
Before long, she gathered her courage and spoke, “Would it be so bad for you to let this go?” She knew Karma couldn’t get angry at her when she was right. He screeched his teeth.
Of course he could, but that would be like admitting defeat. And Karma didn’t do surrendering.
“He’d be so smug about that, it’d give me nightmares,” Karma lamented.
“And he’ll also be annoyed when you’ll smile and congratulate him like it didn’t annoy you,” Manami argued. “You know he wants to get you riled up.”
Karma squirmed around to face her again. That was it!
“That’ll make him pissed . And I could get Nakamura to take a picture of his annoyed face.” Karma smirked and got up. “Have I ever told you how much I loved you, Manami?”
“You did,” she assured him, suspicious of the sudden change in attitude. “But I’m pretty sure you have just cooked up something for him, haven’t you?”
She knew him so well. Karma smirked at her and pulled her up with him.
“Only the most humiliating thing for him,” he admitted, starting to spin her around in delight. Her questioning eyes made him continue, “What if the museum would cooperate with the café? Give the visitors a discount.” His smirk turned into a face-splitting grin.
Manami just rolled her eyes, but she didn’t burst his bubble. He swirled her off her feet in a romantic gesture, aiming to catch her once she almost hit the floor. To his dismay, her quick reflexes helped her grasp the couch in her fall and stop mid-air, in a position only Manami could pull off. Karma sighed in disappointment, yet he couldnțt hide his happiness. She couldn’t help but smile at his antics.
He ended up by pulling her into his arms to hug her tightly, taking in the smell of her. “Thank you for listening, Manami,” he whispered into her ear.
He felt her smile against his shoulder and her nails dug into his back.
“Anytime.”