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Konomi always knew who her soulmate was, but chose to stay silent out of fear of his fan club.
It all started the day she first laid eyes on Hoshina Soshiro - she was a new recruit and her training focused on the Operations and Communications path within the Third Division. At that time, Hoshina was not yet Vice-Captain, but it wouldn't take long for him to be appointed.
Konomi’s output, three percent, was comically low - it still is - but that wasn't surprising to her in the slightest. Her initial test scores spoke for themselves and everyone knew she'd end up in Operations, so physically training her wasn't as high of a priority as training her fellow officers. She received basic combat lessons and shooting drills, as was standard, but never received one-on-one training like the others, which was fine by her - she got to avoid exercise and swordplay with her soulmate. She liked to think of it as killing two birds with one stone. Besides, what she really wanted was to get on the other side of the intercom and observe the field from a bird's eye view.
Of course, she knew of Hoshina back then. Everyone did. He was beloved among the officers and was a social butterfly to boot. There wasn't a single person in the division who didn't support him becoming the next Vice-Captain - it was the logical next step for someone who had become so invaluable to the entire team in such a short amount of time. But had Konomi ever spoken to him?
No.
Why?
Easy.
She's always known he was her soulmate, even before she saw him in person, and the fact that he was here in the flesh terrified her.
Her mark was along her collarbone, which she made sure to always keep hidden, reading:
The name’s Hoshina Soshiro and I don't believe we've met yet.
Yeah, so there wasn't much room for misinterpretation. She’s known about him since the beginning, whereas he hopefully knew nothing of her existence.
Being in the same division meant that there would have to come a day where she’d have to speak to him - especially with her in Operations and him out on the field - so to combat this, she came up with a foolproof first line to say to him that wouldn’t make him suspicious of her:
Hi.
That’s it, that was the plan.
She even practiced her line in the mirror at night, never knowing when she'd have to use it.
Hoshina’s fan club got antsy as the years passed. One by one they were realizing that none of them were his soulmate, which meant that the hunt was on. For his part, Hoshina wouldn't even let them see his soul mark - no one even knew where it was. Their primary objective was to find that piece of information first, but despite working with the unknown, they still found time to record the soul marks of everyone Hoshina came into contact with.
Scary.
What they'd do to Hoshina's soulmate upon finding them was a mystery, but Konomi preferred to keep it that way. She hated having attention on her, especially negative attention, and even more so from strangers, so being found out by a group of obsessed fans was quite literally her worst nightmare.
Alas, it happened eventually on a random Tuesday afternoon. Konomi had just gotten back from her lunch break when Vice-Captain Hoshina entered the Operations Center. There was a new round of applicants being tested on the training grounds and he, the proctor, observed from a distance along with Captain Ashiro.
He walked right up to Konomi, and said the words she had waited her whole life to hear.
“The name’s Hoshina Soshiro and I don't believe we've met yet.”
He held out a hand for Konomi to shake, but instead of taking it, she doubled over in pain.
No one said that hearing the words on your soul mark would burn like this. She gripped her collarbone with one hand and her neck with the other, the fiery pain shooting up her throat and lighting up every nerve in her mouth. But still, she kept her lips sealed and didn’t utter a sound. Not even the “hi” that she spent so long practicing.
“Hey, woah, are you okay?” Hoshina leaned forward and cocked his head to the side.
Konomi nodded and ran from the room, sealing herself in the multi-stall women’s bathroom where she let out a gasp and a series of coughs that scratched the walls of her throat. Sweat beaded along her hairline and down her neck, sourcing back to the string of burning words along her collarbone.
Surely this wasn’t a common experience? If this was how it felt to meet your soulmate for the first time, someone out there would have mentioned feeling like they were set on fire and about to vomit hot lava.
She didn’t have time to think about that - the toilet bowl was calling her name, so she ran to it like it was her real soulmate and hurled the contents of her stomach into the water.
In between losing her breakfast and lunch, she wondered if she should write an apology note to the cleaning staff, who had just finished bleaching the toilet bowls, but then she decided against it. No need to make people who didn't know of her existence dislike her.
There was a knock on the bathroom door. Then another. This was a multi-stall bathroom, so likely her sickness could be heard out into the hall and beyond. Ugh, she was never going to live this one down!
“Okonogi-san?”
The velvety voice of Captain Ashiro was unmistakable, Konomi would recognize it anywhere and in any condition. She just barely managed to mutter out a noise that was meant to be a “yes,” but sounded more like a frog's final croak.
“Are you okay in there? May I come in?”
When Konomi croaked again, the door slowly opened enough for Captain Ashiro to slip through and lock the door behind her using the skeleton key.
Her approaching footsteps rattled the newly formed ache behind the bridge of Konomi’s nose and between her brows, but she tried to reign her expression in.
Though she wasn't sure if there was any point to professionalism when she was sitting on the bathroom floor with sweat dripping down her face and vomit on her breath.
Captain Ashiro appeared in front of the door to the third stall and kneeled. “It looked like you were overheating, so I asked the facilities manager to turn the air conditioning on. Though I don't recommend staying onsite for much longer.”
Konomi nodded her thanks, but kept her head low. She couldn't believe this was happening at work of all places, and with Captain Ashiro present, no less.
“Do you need a ride home? I can drive you.”
Finally, Konomi's voice came back to her, albeit barely. She sounded like an elderly, chain-smoking parakeet. “Oh, no, I couldn't impose on you like that, Captain. I can-”
She held a hand up to silence Konomi. “I insist.”
Captain Ashiro’s car was sleek and black on the outside, but the inside was all white leather, floral incense, and cat keychains dangling from every possible hook. In all honesty, Konomi was surprised that the captain even had a car - why would she need one when she had a tiger that had a basic understanding of motorcycle traffic laws?
Then again, she supposed that there was no such thing as a “Kaiju-Tiger License,” and she couldn't just attach a license plate to the back of a living creature, so maybe the car wasn't as far-fetched as Konomi originally thought.
Despite Captain Ashiro blasting the air conditioning, Konomi was still feverishly hot and it clearly showed.
“Take your jacket off, Okonogi. It might help,” the captain said as she smoothly peeled out of the base’s parking garage. She drove slowly, but something told Konomi that she was only doing so to prevent more puking.
Without thinking it through, Konomi complied with her suggestion because she was right - she was sweating so much that all of her clothing stuck to her like another layer of skin. Captain Ashiro mercifully slowed her driving almost to a halt as Konomi moved awkwardly in her seat to get her jacket off.
It wasn’t until Captain Ashiro pulled over with a wide-eyed look that Konomi realized her collarbone was exposed.
Neither of them said anything for a moment. Konomi’s arms itched to put her jacket back on and act like nothing was out of the ordinary, but she never was one for lying.
“I see,” Captain Ashiro said, tapping her finger on the wheel. “So my suspicion turned out to be true.”
“Wait, what? Captain Ashiro, did you-”
“Mina.”
“Huh?”
A pause, a moment of hesitation, and then a resounding: “We’re off base. Call me Mina.”
Well, now they were both at a loss for words. Before Konomi had a chance to try out the new name aloud, Cap… Mina continued.
“I thought I recognized those symptoms.”
She was just so full of surprises today.
“You’ve seen this before?”
Mina nodded. “You were trying to avoid the soul bond, weren’t you?”
“I- Was it that obvious?” The last thing Konomi wanted was for Hoshina to find out and think that he wasn’t wanted.
Mina shook her head this time, rolling her sleeve up her forearm. “I only noticed because I’ve been there myself.”
For the first time since Hoshina spoke to her, Konomi felt the cool breeze from the air conditioner.
“Did you- I mean… Your soulmate…?”
Without another word, Mina extended her arm, twisted so her full bicep was in view, and angled it towards Konomi.
I’M CAPTAIN OF THE FIRST DIVISION, IN CASE YOU FORGOT, SO WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT I WOULD EVER COMPLY WITH-
The rest of it was cut off by her sleeve, but she could imagine how the rest of it went.
Konomi attempted a small bow in her seat. “My condolences.”
“Thank you.”
“Does this mean that you and Captain Narumi…?”
Mina looked at her soul mark with the disdain usually reserved for bugs with too many legs. “Not a chance.”
Konomi chuckled nervously, unsure of how far she could pry before getting burned. “But does he know?”
“Not yet.”
“You're both captains in the Defense Force, yet you've never spoken to him?!”
“He thinks…” Mina stopped and pursed her lips before heaving a sigh. “He thinks I only speak in sign language, so he avoids me.”
“I- Hah?!”
Mina leaned back in her seat and stared past the cat keychains hanging from her rearview mirror. “I learned sign language when I got promoted to avoid him. After some joint training session, he turned his hubris on me,” she said and pointed to her bicep, “and I retorted in sign. Immediately afterwards I fainted from overheating. Got sick and everything once I came to, just like you. It's a result of your mark trying to force you onto its path.” She laughed in a way that was almost devious. “Luckily, Narumi has steered clear of me ever since.”
Well, that's certainly not what Konomi was expecting to hear. “But why?”
“Why wouldn't I want him as a soulmate?”
“No, no,” Konomi amended. “I completely get that part, but I mean why would he avoid you?”
“Probably feels awkward for shouting at someone who ‘couldn't’ shout back and then immediately passed out as a result,” she replied with air quotes. “He’s an awkward guy like that. I feel bad for lying, but I'm also happy in the relationship I'm in. I wouldn't trade Kafka for anyone.”
There were rumors spread in hushed tones throughout the Third Division that Mina lived with Hibino Kafka, a man who neither confirmed nor denied anything, but Konomi never once thought there was any truth to it.
Konomi nodded in understanding. “Adding a soulmate to the mix would certainly complicate things.”
A knowing hum escaped Mina’s lips. “And you? Do you have a lifestyle you wish to protect?”
“Oh! I…umm…” Well, this was embarrassing. “I sort of… You see, Vice-Captain Hoshina has a bit of a…”
“Straight-laced personality?”
“No…”
“Terrible work-life balance?”
“No, not that either…”
“The inability to not nag everyone and everything he comes into contact with?”
The more Mina went on, the more personal her guesses became, so Konomi took a deep breath and blurted out the truth.
“A fan club…”
“Ah.”
What on EARTH did that mean?
“Yeah,” Konomi said with a nervous laugh. “Kind of lame, huh?”
“I wouldn’t say that. They are a - how do I word it? A forceful group.”
That was certainly one way to say it. Konomi rubbed the back of her neck, which was no longer sticky with sweat. Air conditioning is amazing. “Yeah, they’re a little intimidating, heh.”
“But how do you feel about Hoshina himself?”
In all honesty, Konomi never thought about him as an individual, only the attention and expectations that followed in his wake. “I’m not sure, but he seems like an amazing person.”
“He is,” Mina said. “It’s hard to imagine anyone disliking him. Well, anyone other than Narumi.”
Konomi thought back to the vice-captain and what she’d seen of him from a distance around the base. With every passing memory, the same thought came to her over and over: “He’s kind.”
“The kindest of them all, even though he may act tough.” Mina thought for a moment, her brows furrowed in concentration. “Okonogi-”
“Konomi. I insist.”
Mina smiled. “Konomi. Why is his fan club worrying, if I may ask?”
“Well, it’s a lot of unwanted attention…”
“I understand that more than you’d think,” Mina said. In the distance, there’s a billboard with her face plastered on it. “Hoshina would set them straight in a heartbeat if they bothered you, though. He’s a fiercely protective man by nature.”
For some reason, Konomi blushed at the thought. “I couldn’t possibly ask him to go out of his way for me like that.”
Mina arched a brow. “I’m pretty sure he’d do it without you having to ask. And why wouldn’t he? He’d do anything for the people he loves.”
Konomi jumped a little at the word and Mina, bless her soul, pretended not to notice. It wasn’t just about inconveniencing him, though that was part of it, but rather being a disappointment to him and those around him. Hoshina was a swordsman who valued strength in others. Konomi had an output of a measly three percent. She was the complete opposite of him in the ways that mattered, so why would he be happy to find out that she was his soulmate?
“Do you like ketchup, Konomi?”
“Pardon?”
“Ketchup. Do you like it?”
“I… No, not really. Why?”
“Hm. I read recently that ketchup was originally used as a medicine, did you know that? But nowadays, companies have added so many unnecessary components to it that it lost whatever properties it had that made it special. Complicating things never helps anyone, don’t you agree?” Mina stared directly into Konomi’s soul, which was probably a skill she picked up in the higher administration of the Defense Force, but still. It felt as though Mina was really seeing her and all of the insecurities she tried to hide. “And now I’m craving some french fries. Care to join me?”
Konomi stifled a laugh. Maybe she was overthinking it, and maybe there was something to be said about keeping things simple. Besides, if he finds out, then it’s not the end of the world. But if she keeps trying to hide it, then she will be forever losing her lunch to the toilet. The decision made itself under those circumstances.
On a lighter note, the thought of eating didn’t make Konomi want to puke, surprisingly enough. Actually, she was getting pretty hungry. She didn’t think that she’d be able to eat again at least until the next morning, but maybe it wasn’t odd that she was hungry now - her stomach wasn’t the source of her sickness, after all.
Konomi sat back in her seat and strapped herself in, her smile reaching up to her eyes. “I’d love to!”
~
The following day, Konomi got to her office an hour early in the hopes of not running into anyone on the way in. A nasty side effect of getting sick at work was that everyone on the payroll was bound to ask, “How are you? Feeling any better? You sure didn’t look good yesterday.” If at all possible, Konomi wanted to avoid that outcome.
A knock sounded at her office door just as she booted up her computer. Instead of calling out from across the room, Konomi opted to open the door herself. Her throat was still a little sore from the day before and she didn’t want to do anything to irritate it further.
Standing before her in her office threshold was Vice-Captain Hoshina himself, the man she knew she would have to face, with Mina standing a few feet behind him. Seeing her there gave Konomi a sense of calm.
“Mornin’! Just droppin’ by to check in on ya. You doin’ alright?” He looked at her with a genuine sense of curiosity, like he truly cared about the wellbeing of a woman he didn’t know. It made sense, when she thought about it, why he had such a strong following. Hoshina Soshiro treated everyone like they were his favorite recruit, and Konomi was basking in that favor now.
It was now or never. All she had to do was say something - anything - and he would know in an instant. Her anxiety begged her to just say “hi,” but when she opened her mouth, her soul mark, which was starting to heat up again, had other plans.
“Ketchup was originally sold as a medicine, but I don’t like ketchup, so I’m still a bit under the weather. I’m fine to work, though.”
Konomi clamped her mouth shut the second those words flew out of her mouth, her face instantly flushed. What the fuck kind of first sentence was that?!
The only benefit was that her soul mark cooled down again. She dared a glance up at Hoshina only to find him staring at her wide-eyed, his jaw hanging open.
“It’s you…” He took a step towards her, then another. Before she knew it, he had her wrapped in his arms, the scent of his spearmint shampoo filling her nose. “You’re my-”
Konomi hugged him back and smiled against his chest, soft and knowing. Funny enough, something about him felt like home. “I am. It’s me.”