Archive of Our Own ^beta

It started with a mere 'Hi, are you going to the bus stop? May I join you?' amid the rainy days. Kuki certainly was no stranger to Heizou, and neither was he, hence she accepted his request.

But that day was the first stepping stone to getting closer to Shikanoin Heizou, which she never expected to happen. Major-wise, being Law and Criminology students won’t make them cross paths, yet both are well-known in each respective’s major—perhaps beyond their own.

Kuki was known as a straight A student in her faculty, but beyond that, she was the pretty Law student who went out on dates but never ended up with anyone. Other than that, she was also known as the ‘supposedly’ leader of troublemakers. When they heard Kuki’s name, it was either pure praise or questioning her decision to be with the gang.

Although it was not harmful to be with these troublemakers who called themselves the Arataki Gang, the gang was infamous for wreaking havoc both inside and outside the campus. Yes, Kuki was always with them. No, she never fights with them. The funniest part: she was the only sane one in the group and was also the scariest one. But that's for another story.

While Heizou, on the other hand, is a brilliant student of Criminology. Who was also one hell of a headache—said Sara, her roommate. He was an excellent student, indeed, but he was extremely flirty, chatty, and won’t shut up unless you shove a huge loaf of bread into his mouth. Of course, all of them were from Sara’s mouth and rumors from her surroundings (apparently, there were lots of Heizou’s ‘admirers’ from her faculty). After all, Kuki didn’t know much about him. Not like she cared about it, but unfortunately, the wine-haired man bothered her mind so much for the past weeks.

Before enrolling on the university, she already knew him. Hell, people would laugh if she said she had known him for her entire life except she didn’t know much about him except his name and family. A mere acquaintance, she might add. Nothing more, nothing less. It’s all family business.

Well, thanks to that one certain rainy day, they were closer than before. Or, maybe Heizou was the only one who thinks so because he kept looking for her whenever he paid a visit to the faculty instead of Sara, who was under the same division at the Student Executive Board.

He often tried to interact with her in many ways: a random happy 'hi', visiting her classroom and looking for Sara yet ended up talking to Kuki the whole time, or just randomly sitting with her in the university library at random times (which didn’t even sound coincidental to Kuki).

Of course, Kuki thought it was a friendly gesture of him. But the more they talked with each other, the more suspicious she became. At this rate, everyone would know that something is happening between them.

Maybe it's the way Heizou looks at her eyes, maybe it's the way Heizou calls her name with cute nicknames. Or maybe the way Heizou always brings a chess board to play while keeping her company in the library. Or a random "let's go back together" when her dorm and his house were in the opposite direction.

Kuki didn’t hate it; it was the opposite. Being with Heizou's company would lessen her stress with college or the gang’s shenanigans, but she wondered if her suspicions were true—that Heizou likes her, maybe more than she thought.

Even Kujou Sara told Kuki that she was grateful knowing Heizou spent more of his time with her, so Sara doesn't have to look for him with more effort than she used to. She also hinted that 'maybe Heizou likes you’ which Kuki casually brushed it off.

Perhaps—she assumed—Heizou also didn’t even bother to keep it lowkey. Even Itto, who was currently listening to her rant while eating the lunch Kuki made for him. "So—nom—you're telling me that—nom nom—you just found out that—nom—he likes you?" asked Itto while munching his omurice. Kuki scrunched up her nose in annoyance.

"Can’t you just finish eating first before replying to me?" she said before letting out a sigh. "Listen—it's an assumption. I have no idea whether it’s true or not! Also, it has been months. I thought it was a friendly gesture, just like how you did to me when we first met. But both of you are different, y’know? The way you treated me and the way he did."

"Man, he was that subtle and you just realized it now? You're so fucking dense."

"So, like, he, presumably, likes me?"

"Listen, Kuki! He had no business to hide it, you're just too dense and dumb."

It was strange to hear such things from Arataki Itto.

"Then what?"

"What do you mean by what? I even have no idea what the hell are you trying to say, Shinobu."

"Well, I just need validation about my hunch." Kuki huffed while drinking her tea. The warmth made her mind back at ease, but it didn’t last long until Itto finally finished his lunch and replied to Kuki.

"He likes you, as you suspected. Nothing is wrong with that."

"Yeah, sure, whatever. Why would I care so much, though?” this time, it’s Itto’s turn to scrunch up his nose in confusion.

“Yeah, why did you care so much? Rejecting someone was not your first rodeo. Unless?”

Kuki knew what Itto was trying to say. She gave him a soft knock on his forehead in annoyance. “No!”

“Yeah? Try to ask that Kujou girl, she might think the same! You weren’t this bothered when people said getting involved with Arataki Gang would ruin your future!” Itto complained. “But when people kept asking you about your relationship with that Heizou, you were so bothered that you asked my opinion—hell, you even asked ME!”

“Ugh,” Kuki had run out of words, she was barely able to counter his complaints because Itto was right. “Whatever.”

She fetched her lunch box and left Itto alone, who looked at her in disbelief and yelled, “Yeah, tell yourself that, one day you’ll realize that you like that guy!”

Kuki groaned. Whatever.

---

They said identifying and confronting your feelings would help you to cope and get over them. But accepting the idea that Heizou likes her was a different case. Hell, everything about that boy has always been a different case.

"Cookie!" Heizou happily greeted her when Kuki left the faculty building. "I was looking for you."

Kuki stopped and looked at him, curiously. "Really? Is there anything that I can help you with?"

"Tut-tut!" he tutted. "Do I look like a damsel in distress to you? I just wanted to invite you on a date."

Date? Shit. Itto was right. This boy was really subtle and he was way too casual while asking her out. His eyes twinkled in expectations, even now he leaned a little closer. "Sooooo, what's your answer?"

“I guess I have no choice?” she asked back, a little hesitant. Heizou laughed and patted her shoulder.

“You do have choices, though. Yes, or no?” he asked again. Kuki pondered a little and smiled after a minute of consideration.

“When and where? I need to know first.”

“Well, I am not really an expert when it comes to date, but this Saturday? I haven’t decided on the place, though.” Kuki laughed and knocked Heizou’s forehead softly.

“I can see that. Nobody ever invited me on a date but had no idea what to do or where to go.” Silly boy, she thought to herself. “We can discuss it, though. I was about to say yes, after all.”

“Well, I guess I should improve my flirting game with you, then?” Did he just wink at me? Kuki went short-circuited for a second, then she shakes her head.

“Well, do you want to talk about it now, or…?”

“Where are you going, anyway?” Kuki shrugged her shoulders no and smiled.

"No idea. Care to join me for a walk? I just finished my stuff and had nothing to do."

"I'd love to."

Strangely, Kuki didn’t talk at all. Her mind was somewhere else, entirely occupied. Heizou scrunched up his nose and pouted, a little upset. He stopped in front of her, and now Kuki found her face bumped into his chin. "Ouch!"

"Miss Shinobu, what's on your mind?" he asked.  "The fact that I'm with you right now and your mind isn't with me hurts, y’know?"

Kuki laughs a little. "I'm sorry... I was thinking of something."

"What is it? It seems interesting that you even ignore me for it. And here I thought we were supposedly planning on our date."

It's about you, stupid. Kuki wished she could say it to him, but she didn't want to risk anything by saying it. Instead, she sighed and looked right into Heizou's eyes. "Hey, let’s make a stop at the nearest café and talk about it,” she replied with a strange tone. She can’t describe it—it was a mixture of uncertainty and stubbornness, but at the same time it sounds hesitant. Heizou raised his eyebrow, but he agreed and followed her to the café.

After placing their order, they sat at the nearest table to the counter and Kuki began to talk. “Well, let’s plan on our date, then? What do you like to—” before she finished talking, Heizou shushed her.

“Wait, no no no, why suddenly me?” he asked, a hint of protest could be heard in his voice. “Listen, I invited you on a date, so I was the one who was supposed to ask you that question. So, what do you like to—”

“Wait, wait, what? Isn’t this supposed to be our date? Isn’t it normal for me to ask your preference, so we can work it out?”

Silence filled the void between them, neither of them said anything after Kuki’s statement. Instead of talking, they were staring at each other.

Well, at least that shows neither of them was also extremely inexperienced in dating.

The silence was a good way to quickly reflect on what just happened, at least for Kuki. She knew Heizou never asked someone out, based on Sara’s complaints and stories about him. And knowing how he always did things by the book, probably what he said since the beginning of their encounter was based on whatever dating guide he read on the internet—books if he wanted to go old school.

In her case, many asked her out and already had a plan for their date. So, when Heizou invited her on a date, she was both glad and confused because he didn’t plan anything out. Planning a date was new to her, and it excited her (a little, if she was in her normal state).

“So…”

“Uh, well…”

It seemed that both of them had something in mind. Before Kuki managed to say anything, she heard her name called and she stood up. “Ah, I’m going to fetch the drinks for you!”

When she came back with their drinks, she could see Heizou’s head down on the table. “Hey, are you good?” she asked as she sat back across him. “Here’s your drink.”

“Not really good, because I just realized that I suck—like, really suck. Y’know?” Heizou muttered, a little upset. “And I thought everything went well, but anyway—”

“Whoa, whoa, calm down, pretty boy. What’s going on?” Kuki was surprised when she heard Heizou kept muttering inaudible stuff while being pouty like a baby. Cute, she thought, but then she shook her head and cackled, trying to avoid it. “Just calm down, it’s very unlikely of you to feel upset.”

This time, the wine-haired man lifted his head and stare at Kuki with pleading eyes. “Please don’t think that I am silly or stupid but I’ve been waiting for this day to ask you on a date, and I fucked up.”

If Kuki could see her face, she would notice a noticeable blush all over her face. But all she could see now is Heizou’s blushed cheeks. “S-So… uh… you’ve been waiting?”

What the fuck am I supposed to say? The random confession frustrated Kuki a little. Facing a confession is not a big deal for Kuki, but the more time she passed with Heizou, the more she realized this man was not any other guy. Sure, whatever he said before finally confirmed her suspicion about his feelings. But how was she supposed to process it?

“Yeah… shit, now it’s awkward, I’m sorry—”

“—no! It’s fine, it’s fine, let’s… let’s start from the beginning, yeah?”

---

“Sara,” Kuki slammed her dorm door, which startled the raven-haired roommate. “Your underling, that stupid, Heizou—he… he… urgh!”

Sara, who was eating her dinner, choked and stared at Kuki with a confused look. “What did he do? Did he finally make a move?”

“Define making a move,” Kuki replied and sat across from her roommate. “He asked me on a date.”

“Well, he did make a move, then. So, what’s the problem?” Sara casually munched her dinner, which reminded Kuki of her rambling session with Itto this afternoon. What’s wrong with people around her and them munching meals amid her story sessions?

“Unless…” Sara’s voice snapped her back out from the small thought chamber inside her brain. “Unless you felt uncomfortable with it?”

“No!” Kuki quickly yelped. “It was…”

“It was?” this time, Sara was teasing her.

“Just, funny, y’know? He’s just, annoyingly adorable. Adorably annoying. I don’t know which one is the right word, but he was… adorable. Damn it, I can’t believe I’m saying it!” Kuki replied, maybe her tone was way too excited rather than annoyed. “He was the first guy who asked me out without any idea where to go.”

“Well, at least he was honest. Remember that one date with the kid from Physics?” Sara’s question made Kuki frown in disbelief. She was right, the date was really bad and she didn’t want to remember it anymore. But whenever a date went bad, Sara always told her about that one horrible date with the kid from Physics.

“Not him again,” Kuki complained. She got up to get herself cold water and tried to calm herself. Thinking about what happened after she calmed Heizou made her want to scream and slap her face because it was insanely intense. Not intense as in a debate or heated argument, no, but the sexual tension between them.

The way he moved to sit beside her, his hot breath against her ear, when their hands brushed against each other, his lips—that’s off limit, Kuki, darn it. The inappropriate thoughts drove her insane, and this time she wanted to scream and bang her head onto the countertop.

Sara, who had been watching her roommate walking around the kitchen, couldn’t help but smile. Kuki likes him. Maybe a little more, but she was unaware of it. But she had to stop staring because her green-haired roommate was about to scare the entire building with her frustrated scream.

Perhaps Sara had to revise her conclusion. Kuki likes Heizou, but whatever that guy had done to Kuki, it seems that her feelings cost her sanity in exchange.

---

Sara had to cover her ears when Kuki let out the loudest scream she ever heard. “Sara, why didn’t you wake me up? I am late!” she yelled as she ran to the bathroom. Sara raised her eyebrows.

“You never asked me to,” Sara replied. “Also, how the fuck did you wake up late? It’s really out of the ordinary.”

“Ugh!” she could hear some stuff falling in the bathroom and Kuki’s repeated groan. She is insane, Sara thought to herself. And it all happened in one night.

“Kuki, why don’t you just take a rest? You seemed stressed today. One day’s off won’t hurt, dear.”

“Well tell that to Atty Yanfei!”

Sara sighed, now she knew why. But before she had to say any replies to her, Kuki rushed out of the bathroom and went back to her room. In a few minutes, the green-haired girl hurriedly stole a piece of bread from Sara’s plate and bid her goodbye.

Sara frowned and gave herself a quick call to Heizou.

“The fuck you had done to Kuki?”

---

The day is Friday. Kuki felt a little agitated knowing that tomorrow is her date, thinking about everything that would go wrong during the date. As a precaution, she even warned the entire gang not to wreak havoc while she was not with them.

“Hey, Cookie!” that voice. Kuki turned around and Heizou was running toward her. “Did you see Sara? I need her help regarding, uh, organizations stuff.”

“She had a little business with Atty Zhongli, but if you’re in a hurry, I could take you to her,” she replied with a soft smile. Heizou rubbed his nape and grinned.

“No need, I’ll just talk to you while waiting for her—well, if you don’t mind?” Kuki laughed. Well, at least the guy himself was the one who helped her with this entire nervousness about their date tomorrow.

“You don’t have to ask, you always did it all the time anyway,” she replied. “So, what’s up? Haven’t seen you for the past two days.”

“Ahahaha…” Heizou laughed awkwardly, his eyes wandered around his surroundings. “Speedrunning stuff, I guess? If I don’t finish my assignments before today, I won’t be able to relax during our date.”

And there he goes, brought up the date topic. Kuki laughed, nervously, returning the same awkward energy from Heizou. Why would she feel nervous, though? Went out for a date was also not her first rodeo.

Perhaps, oh perhaps, it has something to do with the raging heartbeat from her chest—or, in common language: her feelings towards Heizou. His ‘disappearance’ for the past two days gave her a good time to reflect on her feelings. And discuss it with Itto and Sara repeatedly until both of them are sick with her silly little thing called ‘love’.

“Hello, Miss ‘Future Attorney’ Shinobu?” Heizou’s voice rang in her ears, followed by a soft snap from Heizou’s fingers. Kuki blinked, twice, startled. “You’re zoning out. Are you sick or sleepless?”

“What’s with the question, pretty boy?” Kuki frowned, a little confused. “There are other options, but why sick or sleepless?”

“Well, based on my surroundings, they usually zoned out when they’re sleepy or sick. Could be extremely fixated on something inside their mind too, but that’s not the point. Did you sleep well last night?”

“I see that your conclusion was sleepless,” Kuki sighed, but she was surprised when Heizou pointed his finger at her eyes. “Wait, what’s with my eyes?”

“You haven’t been sleeping well, didn’t you? It’s unusual to see your eyes looked a little droopy.” Before Kuki managed to let out a reply, Heizou quickly continued. “Well, your eyes are pretty so I can’t help but stare at them when we were talking to each other.”

“I can’t believe you used this chance to flirt with me.”

“There will always be a chance, pretty girl. And it was no BS, hell, no, I was genuine with my praises—or in your language, prolly, flirts.”

Kuki looked at him with an inscrutable gaze, while Heizou smiled smugly because her face was all red when he called her pretty girl. And whatever he said after that. With all of those smiles and flirts, Kuki couldn’t help but stare at him with a mind full of questions and thoughts. This man—this annoyingly cute man, always flirt with her when he had a chance, and she thought it was just a friendly gesture. How many times did she go back to this thought again? Many times. And he said he was genuine?

“My hunch was right, you were here.” Sara’s voice stopped their ‘staring session’ and made both heads tilt to her. “Why does it seem like I interrupted a kiss? Both of you looked like going to devour each other’s faces with that intense stare—gosh, I wish I don’t have to deal with a complicated crush!”

Kuki lightly punched Sara’s arms, her face was much redder face this time. That was extremely vulgar of Sara, didn’t expect her to say such things in public nor even said it in the first place.

“Aight, I’m sorry for stealing your roommate’s time, but I need to talk about the project we’ve discussed before,” Heizou replied, a smug smile still resting on his face. “I’ve consulted it with Thoma and Ayato, they agreed but we had to adjust it.”

Sara nodded; she closed her eyes while thinking. Kuki slowly scooted away, but Heizou held her wrist gently—gentle enough to stop her from running away. “Eep! What are you doing!” Kuki whispered, a little upset. “I don’t think I should stay when both of you were talking about your business—”

But Heizou only smiled, mouthed ‘I wanted to talk more, so don’t go’ to her. Kuki sighed and stood beside him. She could hear Heizou’s happy giggle while he rubbed his thumbs on her wrist. Softly.

“Well, if they agreed, then it settles. Also, tell Ayato to work on the other proposal we were working on last week. Ei just messaged me this morning and she said, I quote: ‘Makoto would love to hear about it more.’”

Heizou let out a satisfied whistle and replied, “Well, finally. Also is there anything more?”

“Well, so far is none, but is there also anything more from you?”

“Besides asking for your roommate’s time, I think there’s none.”

Kuki could hear a ‘what the fuck’ from Sara before she bid her goodbye to them. Heizou chuckled and pulled Kuki closer to him. “Well, I guess it’s both of us again, now.”

“W-What?” Kuki looked at him, surprised by his sudden movement. “Isn’t this way too close?”

“Uh, well, I guess that’s because you should start to get used to it, Cookie.”

Kuki frowned. This man is going to be the death of her.

---

“For Archons’ sake! Stop screaming!” Sara threw a pillow to Kuki, who was busy muffling her screams with her pillow. “You’ve been close for months, and you told me that this is the first time you were being so close to him?”

“Listen, it’s different!” Kuki let out a querulous groan. “It was so close, so fucking close, I thought my heart was about to explode—fucking hell, why am I saying such things!”

“Exactly, you’re acting like a middle-schooler. You’ve never been in love, weren’t you?”

“Well, a slight crush, I did, but falling in love? Never.”

“Even with all of those dates? Even with Thoma?” Kuki groaned, again. Sara had a habit of mentioning Kuki’s past dates and she always complained about some of those men were decent, but why did you never settle down with them?

Kuki always replied with: the first impression always fooled me, Sara.

“Thoma is a good guy, a gentleman if you want me to be honest. But you know him, Sara. And you know me too, maybe longer than you did with Thoma.”

“You’ve got a point there, Miss Shinobu,” Sara replied, giving up with all of these ‘how about your past dates, Kuki?’ arguments. “But you have a date tomorrow, you should’ve slept now.”

“Since when did you care so much about my date, Miss Kujou?” Kuki replied playfully. She finally calmed down from her breakdown a few minutes ago. “But you’re right. The problem is, your friend is trying to fuck with my mind with his gestures.”

“That sounds vulgar, my dear,” Sara replied and flick Kuki’s forehead. “And all he did was being friendly, oh super friendly, should I emphasize that?”

“Archons, stop trying to remind me of that moment again!” this time, it’s Kuki’s turn to throw pillows at Sara. “I can’t believe he did that!”

“Neither do I. Also, I’m a little curious… weren’t both of you, uh… childhood friends? Why did you get closer now?”

Kuki played with her hair while reminiscing her childhood days. “I don’t know, maybe because I only saw him during business-related gatherings and we were busy with our own too. Or it’s just me.”

Sara frowned, looking at her in disbelief before laughing loudly. “Well, I guess the Kuki and Shikanoin clan would rejoice if you’re dating him. Your sister was too focused on family business and Heizou doesn’t even have siblings, but a bunch of cousins.”

“Why are you talking like I am going to marry him?” Sara shrugged when Kuki asked her, and the green-haired girl only sighed before finally leaving Sara’s room. “Aight, you were right, I’ve got a date tomorrow and I need to get my beauty sleep. Good night!”

Unfortunately, Kuki barely had her beauty sleep that night.

---

“Do I look good?” was the same question Kuki repeatedly ask Sara that morning. Sara sighed, for the umpteenth time, and replied with a lazy yes. “Come on, Sara!”

“You looked wonderful, Kuki. Also, please, I’m begging, give me a break! I have a date too, y’know? A date with Atty Yanfei’s fucking assignments and it gave me a massive headache.” Sara complained while pointing her finger toward the abandoned laptop on the coffee table. “I am sick with this assignment, and I wish I could graduate without losing any strands of my hair!”

“Good luck on your date, then,” Kuki playfully replied. “I wonder if a library or café would give you a breath of fresh air? You definitely need some.”

“I do need some fresh air and it’s called please leave me alone, Kuki because your phone rings.”

Kuki laughed as she fetched her phone from her bedroom. Meanwhile, Sara laid her head onto the soft pillow, frustratingly rolling on the couch while muttering a very long string of curses directed at her assignment.

When she opened her phone, Heizou’s name popped up on her screen. “Hey, there.” She greeted him. A grunt could be heard from the other end, and it seemed that the caller just woke up from his slumber. “Had a good sleep?”

“Hey, Cookie,” he replied with a hoarse voice. “Can’t say it was a good sleep, had to watch a documentary for analysis… but I will pick you up in… uh… does ten minutes okay for you?”

“Take your time, sleepyhead. I will make breakfast if you’re hungry.”

“Ten minutes…”

“Yes, ten minutes and the clock’s ticking, pretty boy. Wakey wakey!”

A laugh could be heard from the line, and Heizou whispered. “Archons, I wish I could wake up beside you because it’ll be nice to be woken up by Miss Shinobu.”

“Shut the fuck up, how the fuck you woke up and chose to flirt with me.”

“Can’t help it. See you in ten minutes, pretty. Don’t forget about the breakfast!”

After she hung up, Kuki stomped her feet onto the floor, feeling giddy. It felt like her heart was pounding rapidly that she wanted to throw it from her chest. Thinking about what they were going to do today, spending her entire day with Heizou…

She had never been this excited when it comes to dates. Maybe she was indeed like Heizou. Was it a mere like like or love? Kuki had no idea. She had plenty of time to think about it anyway. There will always be another day because she was going to spend her entire day with him, and only him.

Archons, thinking about it made Kuki giddier than before. But she had to make breakfast for both of them, no time to think about what was going to happen ten minutes from now.

“And I thought you’d left me alone without food,” Sara came behind Kuki and tried to steal some toast from the plate, which was quickly swatted by Kuki. “Ouch, what was that for?”

“That one’s for Heizou, and if you want one, cook one.” Kuki calmly replied before putting another slice of bread into the toaster. “But since I’m in a good mood today, I will make you one. Jam?”

“Plain, please. I’ll fry some eggs for two of you.”

“Alrighty, you have my thanks.”

---

As promised, Heizou did arrive in ten minutes and had his breakfast together with Kuki and Sara, who quickly left because she couldn’t stand being the third-wheeler between them (and Atty Yanfei’s assignments were waiting for her).

“Hey, shortie, you better bring her home unscathed, okay?” Sara yelled at them when they were about to leave the room. Heizou only laughed while Kuki only replied with ‘what the hell?’ before she shut the door.

“Did Sara just call me shortie?” Heizou complained while Kuki laughed at his question. “I know she’s taller than me, but hell, that was uncalled for!”

“I think she’s sick of your shenanigans for the past few months,” she replied before wrapping her arms around his sleeve. “But let’s just forget about it, today is our day. So, remind me again what are we gonna do today?”

Heizou took a quick glance at her before looking away, trying to hide his smile. “Museum date. Also, were you this clingy with your dates?”

Kuki shook her head and placed a peck on his cheek. “Nope. You’re lucky that you were the only one, Shikanoin.”

This time, Heizou looked at her and a smug grin imprinted on his face which made Kuki frown before letting her arms off his sleeve. “Ugh, stop with that smug face!”

“So… you’re saying that I am special, pretty girl?” he whispered in her ear and laughed. Kuki groaned and pushed him away, pouted. “Oh c’mon, you can’t push me away like that. I am your date for today!”

“Ugh, why did I agree to go out with you again?”

“Come on, you said you were gonna say yes after all.”

“Said the guy who had a breakdown when we were discussing our date plans.”

“Alright, you win, Miss ‘Future Attorney’ Shinobu, I plead guilty.”

Kuki sighed before putting on a smile. This is going to be a long day, an enjoyable one. After all, she enjoyed his company the most, and she liked him too.

“This is the third time your mind wandered off when I was with you,” Heizou’s voice startled her, cutting off her chain of thoughts. “They said, third time’s a charm, so mind to tell me what has been bugging you for the past few days?”

Kuki leaned closer and smiled. “What if I said it was you?”

“Well, I’m flattered because, I, Shikanoin Heizou, had a place inside your mind,” Heizou answered and pinched her cheek, only to get a smack on his arm in return. “Ouch!”

“Don’t make me regret saying such things,”

“Sheesh, I can see why the gang was really obedient.”

“Can we just stop talking about others when we’re together?”

And that was just the first fifteen minutes of their date, barely even arrived at the destination. Kuki smiled and felt like today was going to be the best date she ever had. After all, they had planned through everything, including lunch and dinner.

---

It was an enjoyable date. They took lots of pictures in every place they visited—museum, library, art gallery, café, and even the sky got captured on their phone. Kuki had a great time, and she hoped Heizou felt the same. Now, they were sitting on a bench while taking a rest from their long walk and checking some pictures in Kuki’s gallery.

“Kreideprinz was a great painter, don’t you think?” Kuki asked when the screen showed a picture of them posing in front of the mentioned artist’s painting. “I’ve always been looking forward to his art because—”

“His passion in every stroke he made, right?” Heizou continued her sentence and smiled. “I remembered you mention it to your sister during one of our family gatherings.”

“Oh, you remembered that day, huh…” Kuki muttered shyly. “I feel a little embarrassed because nobody shared the same passion as I did, y’know? They were all like that’s just a painting, nothing much or we’re a family of accountants, why studied law?”

“Yeah, I remembered her complaints too. But, speaking of passion, what makes you choose law instead of continuing your family’s business?” before Kuki answered, Heizou quickly continued. “Don’t get me wrong—if you aren’t comfortable with it, you don’t have to answer.”

Kuki gave him a surprised look before answering. “Uhm, it’s fine,” there was a pause before she continued with a sigh. “Maybe because I don’t feel like it. I am my own master, and freedom of choosing my path was the only thing I’ve yearned for before I graduated from high school.”

“And did you finally gain the freedom?” he asked. Kuki laughed and nodded her head yes. “I’m glad to know it. In my case, it was because my friend was murdered by a fool who thought that hiding would let him off the hook.”

“You’re upset,” Kuki said, trying to calm him down by gently caressing the back of his hand. “Well, did the murderer get caught?”

“Thank you. And he did. Thinking about it makes me upset, but it was all in the past—whew! That was deep. Didn’t expect to talk about it on our first date. Shall we go eat dinner now? It’s getting dark, and I don’t want you to come home late” Heizou huffed and stood up before extending his hand to Kuki, which was gladly accepted by the girl. “Sorry for bringing up such topics.”

“It’s fine, really,” Kuki replied as she put her phone back into her purse. “I don’t mind talking about it to you, we’ve known each other for a while. Besides, you know my family and so are you.”

“Sometimes I forgot that our family were close. Can’t imagine their reactions if they found out about us. In fact, I didn’t tell anyone that I am… going on a date with a colleague’s daughter.”

Kuki laughed nervously, he reminded her of Sara’s question from last night. She wasn’t uncomfortable with such topic, but it felt like Heizou was hinting at something—which Kuki failed to put her finger on it. Heizou sounded a little hesitant, and it bothered her.

“Sara asked me that question last night,” Kuki finally responded, a nervous smile could be seen on her face. “Weird that when it comes to family and dates, I felt a little weird, haha.”

“Not surprised, coming from a prestigious clan. Wants the best for their future clan head, I presume.”

After his reply, neither of them was talking, entirely occupied with each own’s thoughts and internal conflict.

Kuki let out a heavy sigh. After she was finally able to pinpoint the reason behind her uneasiness for the past weeks, the mention of her family made her more uneasy than before. She didn’t blame Heizou, hell, no, she didn’t even want to blame anyone on it but her thoughts.

“Hey, I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable,” Heizou finally broke the silence between them. “I kept hearing your sigh, and I think I messed up again.”

If there was something for her to deal with in the present, it would be Heizou and his insecurities. She noticed it first when he had a breakdown at the café, and she didn’t expect that to happen. No, she didn’t hate nor even dislike him for that, insecurity was normal. And Kuki knew how to deal with it, experience was a good teacher after all.

“You shouldn’t feel sorry, I was occupied with my own thoughts,” Kuki reassured with a smile. “If you messed up, I will tell you about it. And you didn’t. I trust you and everything hadn’t to be entirely perfect.”

“Mmm, if you trust me, I shall put my trust on you then, Cookie.” He muttered before putting her in his embrace. “Thank you.”

“No problem, Heizou. And for the record, I was also being genuine, just like how your occasional genuine praising.”

“Oh, Archons, I wish—nevermind.”

Kuki raised her eyebrows, curious.

“What?”

“What do you mean by what?”

---

“My mom would beat you if she finds out that her daughter eats McDonald’s on her date with a colleague’s son,” said Kuki after they placed an order. “I don’t mind having them, but imagine if any of those elders went riot because you should’ve treated a lady better than that.”

Heizou laughed as he leaned toward the counter. “We’ve agreed to eat here, and I could agree with the family stuff. Experience?”

“Not mine, but my sister’s ex-boyfriend had a rough time. Traumatized him, can’t blame them.” Kuki replied. “Have any of your cousins experienced that?”

“Mm, yeah. Remember Kano Nana? Her husband had a rough time because he didn’t have any mora to his name. If both of them weren’t stubborn, they won’t get married by now—” his reply got cut off when the cashier handed the tray filled with their orders. “Thank you.”

As they walked to their seat, Heizou continued. “And without them, the family would be stuck with their old-school mindset.”

“That’s a great character development right there,” Kuki replied and pulled the seat across him. “If Miko heard about it, she might gonna steal it for her novel—don’t get me wrong, this is not an insult, but we knew how good she is.”

Heizou handed her orders right in front of her and chuckled. “This is why I like you so much,”

There was a long silence before Heizou laughed awkwardly and continue his sentence, “I always enjoy talking to you. Not because you’re a daughter of my family’s business partner, but it’s because you’re… um… because we were on the same frequency?”

Kuki hesitated before she finally replied with a laugh. “You’re surprisingly honest… not like you were never being honest with me, but your honesty never ceases to amaze me.”

“Thank you, Cookie.”

Kuki let out a soft hum before she ate her Big Mac, while Heizou barely touched his; busy watching the green-haired girl munching down her meal. If there was something he just noticed from Kuki, it’ll be how her hair tie made her look like a cat—a cute one.

“You’re staring,” said Kuki, snapping him back to reality.

“I am indeed staring,” Heizou replied. “You’re cute.”

The sudden compliment caused Kuki to choke and stared intensely at him. “Ugh, I should’ve expected that!” she protested. “And it won’t be our dinner if I was the only one who eats. You did that during lunch too, is there something on my face?”

Heizou grabbed his phone and lift it to face Kuki. “I wanted to show you something,” he said while opening the camera app. “But first, you better look at me.”

Kuki frowned and wanted to voice out her complaint, but she was also curious about what did he see on her. Hence, she agreed to look at him and posed by putting a V-sign with her right hand.

“Shit, you’re so cute.”

“You’ve told me that before, but this time’s more aggressive.”

Heizou smirked and then he turned his phone to show her what he had captured. “Look at you.”

“What am I seeing right now?” Kuki asked as she scooted closer to his phone. “All I see was my pretty face.”

“You’re not wrong but look at your hair tie. You looked like a cat.”

“A cat?” Heizou nodded to her question as he placed his phone back in his pocket.

“A cat that meows, meow. Yes.”

“Meow?” Heizou’s olive eyes widened, and he looked at her in disbelief. “What’s with that look?”

“You’re… so fucking cute—sickeningly cute.”

“And you should eat your dinner before I steal yours,” Kuki warned him, her hands crept on the tray, trying to ‘steal’ his meal. Heizou laughed. “Why—Why are you laughing!?”

“Because I don’t mind if you steal it from me.”

“Don’t make a decision that you’ll regret, Shikanoin.”

“Nothing is regretful when it comes to you, Shinobu.”

---

It was a cold night when they went back to the dormitory, sharing warmth by holding hands and swinging them back and forth while treading their path on the cold sidewalk. It was raining when they were halfway to the bus stop and had to take a quick stop at the nearest 7-11. Heizou had to take off his jacket to cover their head and now his jacket was soaking wet. Not like he complained about it, but Kuki could see his expression when they arrived at the minimarket.

“Sorry for the jacket,” said Kuki, kicking the thin air with a pout on her lips. “It seems like the jacket was precious for you.”

“Nothing much special, actually. Unless you count it as my favorite jacket, then it is.” Heizou replied while swinging the wet jacket. “And put that pout off your face.”

“It’s special, you stupid fool.”

“Well, that’s your opinion. But I do agree that something that I like is indeed special.” He replied and looked at her with a fond stare. “And in some cases, precious.”

Kuki could feel his gaze burning into her, and her heart began to thump uncontrollably. The same thumping that made her insane last night, the similar thumping that haunted her whenever she thinks about him. It began to become unbearable for Kuki, and when she tilted her head to face him, all she saw was his soft, gentle stare that speaks louder than whatever he tried to say.

It felt like time has stopped and the silence between them was deafening. The sound of vehicles was muffled and all she could hear was his soft voice calling her name. He leaned in and pressed his lips against her ear. She held her breath, preparing herself for anything he will say.

And it took him three seconds before he finally whispered, “I love you,” before he pulled back to lock his eyes with hers. His olives with her lavenders, and she let herself drown in his gaze. His warm breath tickled her skin, and he whispered again, “I love you, so much.”

She let out a heavy breath and pulled his arms toward her. “I knew, and I love you too…” she paused before she hid her face in his chest. “…and it drives me insane, the fact that your gestures affected me, so much, that I barely able to think of anything else but you.”

She could hear his soft chuckle before he circled his unoccupied arm around her. “Can’t hear you,” he jokingly replied. “Can you repeat that, Miss?”

Kuki looked up and stared at him with pouty lips. “Nope.”

“You should stop pouting like that, I might gonna kiss you.”

Kuki grinned and pulled away. “You can’t.”

“Aw, that shucks—but since we’re in the mood, I should say it now,” said Heizou before he locked his gaze on hers again. “Hear me out: in my life, I can’t—Archons, no, I mean—I could never find someone that would steal my breath as quick as you did, nor am I even able to experience such intense sensations like I had when I was with you. My point is, Shinobu, I would like to ask you to be my girlfriend. Not the girl-friend kind of thing; but lover, partner, better half, sweetheart—”

“Whoa, whoa. Calm down, pretty boy.” Kuki cut him off before the wine-haired boy recite his entire script (if that actually exists) when Kuki already knew what he wanted to say. “Listen, I already knew about your feelings, but I didn’t expect the sudden confession. But you’ve heard me, Heizou, I love you too, and no questions are needed when you wanted me to be your girlfriend.”

Heizou blushed when Kuki gave her such reply, and he awkwardly rubbed his nape while looking away to avoid her gaze. “Well, you won’t be my girlfriend, nor vice versa, if I didn’t ask you. If I claimed you as my girlfriend without your knowledge, it is a self-proclaimed statement.”

“Well, you ain’t wrong about that,” Kuki chuckled, finally understanding his situation. “And you’ve got a fair point there. So, to answer the missing question, sure, why wouldn’t I be your girlfriend?”

He scrunched up his nose, a little confused. “So, the answer is…?”

“A yes, you dummy. Should I repeat it again?”

His expression changed; a big grin plastered across his face when he heard her answer. “Well, unfortunately, my girlfriend doesn’t like to repeat what she said, and I heard you.”

“So, boyfriend, would you like to walk me home now?” asked Kuki as she extended her arm towards him. Heizou smiled and reached for her shoulder instead.

“Sure, girlfriend. It’s a cold night after all, and your roommate would give me an earful for being late.”

The thumping sensations hadn’t left her chest yet, but at least Kuki didn’t have to feel uneasy anymore. At least, she could enjoy the uneasiness, without any worry consuming her thoughts.

“How many times you’ve been occupied with your thoughts when you’re with me?”

“And how many times you’ve been interrupting my chain of thoughts when I was thinking about you?”

Heizou greeted the dorm security before going back to focus on Kuki. “Well, I am here, why don’t you tell me about your thoughts?”

Kuki slowed down before tilting her head towards him. “You wanted to know?”

“Why not?”

“Mmm… I’m glad that I was finally able to understand how it feels like to fall in love.” Her eyes studied his expression before putting on a soft smile. “Thank you.”

Before Heizou managed to say anything, Kuki cut him off by pointing her finger at her room. “We’ve arrived.”

“Tut-tut. You’ve arrived.” He replied. “Thank you for today, I had fun—maybe too much fun.”

Kuki took another glance at Heizou and leaned against the door with arms akimbo. “Is there anything bothering you?”

“Mmm?” Heizou hummed. He looked at her with a questioned look. “I don’t have anything to say.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, as sure as eggs are eggs.”

Kuki leaned closer. “Please don’t make me repeat things again, I know you wanted to say something—or at least do something.”

“I like you,” Heizou finally gave up, but Kuki gave him an ‘I know’ stare. He sighed and stood across her. “No, what I’m trying to say is—I have always been amazed by the way you speak. It was amazing that your presence itself was able to make me feel comfortable, heck, extremely comfortable. Whenever I’m with you, I always wanted to be the best version of myself while retaining my honesty. You’ve seen me and my foolish breakdowns because I was frustrated to be perfect for you, and instead of complaining about my perfectionist ass, you tried to ensure that I don’t have to push myself and helped me to sort out my thoughts. Again, what I’m trying to say is, can I kiss you?”

Kuki was listening to his utterance, entirely focus on every single word he said, and she looked at him, mouth agape with disbelief. “Sure, you can, but—”

Before she could continue her protest, Heizou’s palm framed her face and pulled his face closer, crashing his lips against her. Kuki could hear something falling onto the floor, but she paid no heed for her mind was entirely focused on Heizou’s touch. The kiss was innocent, gentle, and cautious; he made her feel like she was the most precious thing under his touch. But the warmth on her lips abruptly left hers. Her half-lidded eyes stared at him in disbelief, while the man was staring at her with a hint of hesitation.

“I—”

“If you wanted to kiss me, then kiss me. Stop being hesitant,” she whispered, taking her chance to initiate the interrupted kiss. Her fingers traced the line of her cheekbone before she knotted her fists in his slightly damp shirt to pull him into a deeper kiss. She could hear his groan in his throat before intertwining his fingers with hers and pushing her against the door.

It was intoxicating and burning, like alcohol, but better. She was basking under his scent, and it felt wonderful.

Before they knew it, the door behind Kuki opened and they could hear Sara’s voice interrupting their kiss. “Ugh, gross! What are you two doing, making out in the hallway?”

Kuki jumped on from the place where she stood, turned around with a blush painted across her face. “Oh Archons, Sara!”

The raven-haired roommate let out a frustrated sigh. “I did expect both of you to kiss, but not in the hallway. Calm your horses, new lovers! Better finish your business before the curfew hits.”

Sara walked downstairs in a rush, leaving the couple by themselves. Kuki looked at Heizou, who stared at her back with his usual grin. “Well, you’ve heard her. Not in the hallway.”

Kuki frowned and her eyes caught his jacket on the floor. “Come on, pretty boy, she also told us to calm our horses. Anyway, I’ll wash this jacket and return it to you tomorrow.”

“Mm,” Heizou hummed happily before left a peck on her lips and handed his jacket to her. “Then it’s my cue to leave, I guess. As much as I wanted to spend more time with you, the moon doesn’t hang up forever, and the sun will greet us tomorrow.”

A soft tsk could be heard from Kuki. “Whatever. See you next Monday, boyfriend?”

“Nope, see you tomorrow, girlfriend,” he replied, waving his index finger in front of her. “Didn’t your mother notify you about the dinner?”

“Uh oh…”

“I’m looking forward to it, it’s gonna be fun.”

“You bet.”