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There are only a few things that can unnerve Kochou Shinobu, the formidable research scholar at the Biochemistry department of Kimetsu University. She is intelligent, confident and unabashedly charming. She inspired her juniors and was respected by her seniors, and supervisor, Kyoujurou Rengoku. She prided herself on having an unyielding composure.
Until she met a certain man, two months ago, at her sister's office party.
It so happened that Shinobu's older sister, Kanae, worked for a pharmaceutical company. The firm achieved a breakthrough in one of the drug trials for Leukemia under the supervision of cynical but brilliant Iguro Obanai, the research unit head. They had done it in collaboration with the eminent Kibutsuji Institute of Histopathological Sciences.
Kanae had majored in Pharmaceutical sciences, something Shinobu intended to do also after her college. Kanae was dating one of her co-workers and her old college mate, Shinazugawa Sanemi, the regional director for the Finance Division in the same firm. He was gruff-looking and intimidating but treated her sister like the goddess she is. So, Shinobu knew he was a keeper.
Her younger sisters, Kanao and Aoi, were enrolled in university for English Literature and Financial Studies, respectively. Interestingly, Aoi had taken up Financial Management under Sanemi's tutelage while his brother, Genya, had refused to enter his dry world. He had instead choosen the Architecture, something that greatly irritated him but he loved his brother too much to interfere in his choices.
She was invited by Kanae to attend the party, along with her best friend, Kanroji Mitsuri, a PhD student in the Fine Arts department. The department was headed by Uzui Tengen, the flashy professor with a degree in Fine Arts from a reputed foreign university. Moreover, Kyoujurou was Tengen's best friend and a close friend of Obanai. And oh, did she forget to mention Obanai was dating Mitsuri?
So, in their own way, they were part of a friend circle.
"I don't want to attend the party." Shinobu looked at her hamburger; Mitsuri, who had already devoured the second one, startled.
"What do you mean you don't want to attend the party? It will be fun."
"Well, duh, you have a whole ass boyfriend to spend time with."
Shinobu made a face, while Mitsuri's whole face was covered in blush.
"Who knows, you might meet someone."
"Yeah, the last thing I need is to date a dry, boring corporate mansplainer who would explain finance jargon to me based on the assumption that I know nothing."
Mitsuri giggled, but when she watched Shinobu's downcast look, she straightened her spine.
"Imagine all the researchers and experts you are going to meet, it will certainly help you with your research"
If there was one thing that was sure to lighten up Shinobu's spirits, it was the prospect of meeting people from her field of study. And on cue, she smiled, "I suppose you are right."
Mitsuri gave her an excited thumbs up.
"Shinobu, how much more time?"
Kanae's sing-song voice called from the ground floor.
"In a minute." As Shinobu fastened the last button of her lilac A-line dress whose hem stopped just below her knees, she took a last look at herself in the mirror.
With her hair left open, and a pair of opal studs in her ears and a delicate opal pendant gracing her porcelain neck, Shinobu looked elegant and professional.
"Wow." Kanae fake-whistled when she saw her.
"Oh, stop it; you are pretending as if you aren't going to give Shinazugawa a heart attack with that black dress."
"At least I know whom I am killing; your target tonight is unknown, but a fatality is guaranteed." Kanae laughed.
When they reached the venue an hour later, Mitsuri was the first person she saw. Wearing a sage green spaghetti strap dress and her pink and green hair tied up in a neat bun, she looked ethereal.
"Shinobu, you made it."
Accompanying her was the star of the event himself, dressed in a black blazer suit with a night-blue shirt with an unbuttoned collar, Obanai Iguro.
"Congratulations on the success, Iguro."
“Thank you, Kochou.” His heterochromatic eyes glowed with genuine gratitude, and he gave her an earnest smile.
After chatting for a few more minutes, she excused herself. She turned to look at Sanemi, dressed in a charcoal grey blazer suit with a black turtleneck, standing next to Kanae, talking to some VIP guests. He nodded at her without breaking away from the conversation.
She took one of the drinks being passed around and looked around to find the person she would be talking to regarding her research. As Mitsuri said, she could already spot various industry experts and researchers. She spotted two people: one with dark pink hair named Hakuji, his pseudonym being Akaza and another, a woman with long straight hair, named Nakime, whose work had particularly enthralled her during her Masters.
She had her eyes focused on their back as she walked towards them without looking at the person walking from the opposite direction.
Kanae noticed the imminent collision from her vantage point and was about to call for Shinobu. But it was too late; Shinobu moved ahead just when another mass of a body stepped into her field of vision.
Shinobu startled, stumbled and tried to gather herself, all happening in a split second. Before the drink could spill from her hands, two heavy hands steadied her shoulders; a deep voice enveloped her like a forest canopy envelops the ground beneath,
"Careful."
She snapped her head towards the source of the voice and came across two beautiful cerulean eyes holding god knows how many secrets.
"You okay?" He asked, his hands still not moving, but a hint of concern visible in his voice.
For the first time in her 21 years of existence, Shinobu did not have an answer. She just nodded.
His eyes did not budge from her, studying her like the world had narrowed down to her face, and to her mortification, she found herself noticing other features of his face: his jagged but silk-smooth hair was tied up, his jaw set in a firm line, his beautiful lips pressed in a faintly amused line. She could feel the steady rhythm of his heart where her hand was sprawled on his chest.
After giving her shoulders a slight squeeze, he removed his hands,
"A collision isn't how I would have wanted to introduce myself to a beautiful lady, but it is what it is. Tomioka Giyuu, pleasure to meet you."
He called her beautiful.
"K-Kochou Shinobu-u." Shinobu had never before strutted in her entire life.
He extended his hand, and she took it like a robot. The moment his bigger hand engulfed her smaller one, a jolt ran amok through her spine.
"Again, pleasure to meet you, Shinobu." He said her name in a whisper that felt like a prayer. She pulled out her hand almost as if electrocuted.
If he noticed, he didn't say anything, and this was the moment Shinobu became aware of her surroundings, dozens of intrigued pairs of eyes on both of them.
She also took a moment to study the man in front of her in more details.
Dressed in a long black coat, paired with a beige turtleneck and black pants, his build was neither lean nor bulky, it was athletic. It looked like he walked out of a magazine cover. He certainly was the man who didn’t need to speak to mark his presence; he entered a space and completely owned it.
"I do not want to stall you; you were going somewhere. Hope to catch you again after that." Throwing one more sweeping gaze her way, he excused himself and walked towards the red-haired man, Sabito, the deputy director in the same Finance Division where Sanemi worked.
"Oh my god, you talked to him." Mitsuri's excited voice startled her.
"What do you mean?"
"Shinobu, you don't know the Ice King of Tomioka Enterprises?"
"Ice-king? What is up with childish names?" Shinobu hoped her best friend wouldn't notice the tremor in her voice.
"But it is true." Mitsuri did not seem to be offended. "You are perhaps the first stranger he has spoken to for two minutes. Tomioka never talks to strangers for more than thirty seconds; it is a record."
As if on cue, they both turned towards the topic of their discussion, who, to Mitsuri's excitement and Shinobu's wracking nerves, was looking at her with unwavering, poorly disguised attention.
"I don't know." Shinobu was feeling overwhelmed; there was something about that man that grated on her nerves and made her giddy.
"Whoa, I don't think I have ever seen you nervous." Kanae's voice emerged from the other end.
"I knew you were going to kill a man or two with how you look tonight, but going directly for the top of food chain? I surely underestimated you, sister." Kanae's teasing did not help. Neither did the man in question's gaze that made her feel like she was not only being seen but observed, read like an open book, consumed entirely.
"Never seen you this quiet, brat." Sanemi's provocative voice brought her out of her daze.
The banquet hall was laid out with tables for six each. She was sitting at the table with Sanemi, Kanae, Iguro, and Mitsuri in the given order. Sanemi and Iguro were best friends since college times.
"Shut up, Sanemi." Shinobu tried to sound annoyed, but the voice came out uncharacteristically weak. They watched Shinobu with varying degrees of amusement.
"What has gotten into you?" Sanemi grinned once again.
Before she could reprimand him, that voice, which has been haunting her since she first heard it, spoke,
“May I?” There he was, his imposing figure looking down at her, pointing towards the empty chair next to her.
"Of course." Kanae's cheery voice earned her a glare from her sister.
"It has been a while, Tomioka." Iguro started, "Yeah, man, we don't see you much." Sanemi added as they started with the round of drinks and appetisers.
The casual tone they all used in addressing each other meant they knew each other for a long time.
"Well, I have been out of the country for a while." He spoke in a measured tone. "Congratulations to you all for the tremendous success." He raised his glass towards them.
"Couldn't have been possible without you," Kanae added.
This is how Shinobu came to know that the research between Kibutsuji and their firm was facilitated by Tomioka. Shinobu had been amazed that the prestigious firm had agreed to the research collaboration when she heard about it because the director, a 47-year-old Kibutsuji Muzan, was known to be a hard sell in the industry. The said institution was Shinobu’s dream workplace.
"You don't look like someone who remains quiet in high table discussions." On being directly addressed by him, Shinobu was momentarily startled.
"I-" When she saw Sanemi and Kanae raise their brows in an identical manner, having similar reactions to her nervous voice, Shinobu face-palmed herself internally.
Talk about truly made for each other.
"You are right, I don't. It is just that I had too much to drink, Tomioka-san."
"Giyuu."
Besides them, Mitsuri choked on her water; Obanai stopped cutting the oyster and looked at him, and Kanae and Sanemi exchanged a look.
"Yes, right, Giyuu." Shinobu tried to sound confident, but her heart was ringing in her ears.
"Good. I am glad we agreed to breeze past the formalities." He said in a firm tone.
Mitsuri wheezed. While the other three simply stopped eating.
Sanemi couldn't take it.
"Tomioka, you bastard, since when do you know flirting?"
They returned a few hours later.
Shinobu stood in front of her vanity mirror, removing her jewellery and make-up. Kanae was sitting on her bed, looking at her in silence.
Kanae did not say anything, which irritated her more than if she said something. Her stupid smile was grating on her more than her words could.
Giyuu had ignored Sanemi's comment, which had earned him another amused huff from the man. However, the rest of the dinner went by in a buzz, and the other occupants busied themselves elsewhere instead of teasing Shinobu.
He asked her about her—her field, her interests, her hobbies. Throughout their conversation, he had eaten in a neat and precise manner without turning his eyes away from her. A couple of times, someone asked him to pass something; he did without even glancing in their direction.
This unwavering attention brought out all kinds of uncharacteristic mannerisms in her- she fumbled with her words, her hands frantic with forks and knives; at one point in her nervousness, she almost stumbled the glass of water.
Without his eyes leaving her face, he shot forward his arm and caught the glass. The water, instead of falling on Shinobu's face, splashed across his forearm, which also shielded her momentarily from the rest of the table.
In that moment, the other side of the table ceased to exist, and she looked at the man, and her heartbeat torpedoed. The way he looked at her - intrigued, intense and everything- it was like watching a storm raise its head in the middle of the ocean.
Kanae cleared her throat loudly. Giyuu didn't flinch, but he pulled back his arm.
"You know, we all could leave you alone and-" Shinobu shot her such a deathly look that Kanae pretended to look at the dessert corner.
To her chagrin, Giyuu didn't refute or say anything; instead, he smiled and continued eating.
"So, the man himself-" Kanae began.
"Don't."
"What, I didn't say anything." Shinobu shot her a warning, though Kanae continued, completely unbothered, "The way he was looking at you, I do think he would have preferred something else on the menu instead of dessert."
Shinobu didn't say anything and yanked a heavy cushion from her bed with such force and threw it at Kanae, who would have been hit very, very hard had she not made a run for the door and closed it in time.
Shinobu hoped this was the last time she met the man who had left her a blubbering mess.
She, unfortunately, couldn't be more wrong.
Mitsuri's department had organised an antique arts exhibition, in collaboration with the Archaeology department, for a charity. Apparently, they had received sponsorship from a big corporation.
Shinobu walked by various installations and art pieces, Mitsuri tagging along.
"Since when have corporations started caring about the arts?" She quipped.
"Since they were taken over by people with hearts that appreciate beauty." A deep voice answered instead.
Shinobu froze while Mitsuri turned towards the source with undisguised surprise.
There he was standing in smart casuals, Tomioka Giyuu, in all his glory.
"Tomioka-san, what are you doing here?"
"Hello to you too, Shinobu, and it is Giyuu, remember?" He chuckled; Shinobu felt the voice in the depth of her bones.
"As to why I am here, well, Sabito's girlfriend, Makomo, works as a researcher here with the Archaeology department. She reached out to me early last week."
Before Shinobu could make sense, Mitsuri whisper-yelled,
"So you are the sponsor."
Giyuu spread his arms and tilted his head in a mock bow. "Guilty as charged."
"Tomioka, my man, you made it!" Uzui's voice interrupted their little impromptu gathering.
"Tengen, it has been a while. How have you been?” Tomioka turned towards the tall man with a warm smile.
"Flashy as usual." Uzui grinned at him. “You know Kyoujurou is also around.”
As if summoned, Kyoujurou appeared next to them.
“Tomioka, surprised to see you!” He engulfed Giyuu in a warm hug. "We haven't seen each other in two years."
“We haven't.” Giyuu acknowledged in a simple tone.
"Oh, I see you have met our beautiful students." Uzui looked at Shinobu and Mitsuri, and his bedazzling grin widened.
If this had been someone else, Shinobu would have been grossed out, but Uzui Tengen was in a happy polyamorous relationship with his three extremely gorgeous girlfriends, so everyone on campus knew he meant no harm. There was even a rumour making the rounds that he vouched for this exhibition because one of his girlfriends, working as a professor in Archaeology, came up with the idea.
"Ah yes, Kochou, I see you have met Tomioka. We were in college together once." Kyoujurou looked between them. “We studied Biochemistry.”
At this, Shinobu turned her head towards Tomioka. "What, you studied Biochemistry?" Giyuu was slightly amused by her sudden interest.
"Yes, for four years, Kyoujurou, Obanai, and I were together in the department."
"Then how did you end up in Finance?" She couldn't keep curiousity our of her voice.
"Sanemi and Sabito happened. Your sister and those two were in the same department; Sanemi made Finance sound like the solution to every problem on earth." Giyuu's smile widened on recalling this.
Well, given how taken in Aoi was with Sanemi's mentorship, she didn't doubt he had somehow made this subject look appealing even to his coursemates back then.
Suddenly, Mitsuri’s phone chimed with a notification, and her eyes gleamed,
"Why don't you take a round? Shinobu, be a sweetheart and show Tomioka-san around?” She turned towards Shinobu, making puppy eyes at her.
So Obanai is here.
Despite her frazzled nerves, she agreed. Soon Giyuu and Shinobu were walking around in a silence strummed with unspoken feelings. They had looked at several paintings. Giyuu seemed particularly fascinated with stone carvings displayed on the other end of the corner.
Before they could move towards another hall, a masculine voice called out,
"Tomioka?"
Shinobu and Giyuu turned, and standing before them was none other than one of Shinobu's ideals, Michikatsu Tsugikuni, the Vice-President of Kibutsuji Institution.
"Professor Kokushibo? Fancy seeing you here!" Kokushibo engulfed his former student's hand in a warm handshake and quipped, "Says my best student."
He glanced towards Shinobu. "Your girlfriend?"
Shinobu, who was watching the man whose papers on genetical make-up of White Blood Cells and their role in Immunosuppression she had read like one reads holy scriptures, was now flustered for a different reason.
"As if." Giyuu smiled.
"Shinobu, this is Michikatsu Tsugikini, V-P of Kibutsuji Enterprises, and also known as Professor Kokushibo by his former students." Giyuu turned towards her with a warm smile. “And Professor, this is Kochou Shinobu, a brilliant research scholar with the Biochemistry department in the University.”
His simple mannered praise made Shinobu's cheeks warm with heat.
“She works with Kyoujurou.” Giyuu seemed to add this as a necessary afterthought.
"Oh, so Kyou's student? Must be worth every praise then!"
Shinobu couldn't believe she was meeting one of her ideals, but soon she jolted awake out of her stupor when she saw the man extending his hand,
"Pleasure is mine, Sir. You are an inspiration." Shinobu shook his hand with the reverence of a devotee.
Kokushibo had a hearty laugh.
"Well, thank you, Shinobu."
"You don't strike me as an artistic type; why are you here?" Giyuu continued in a casual tone.
"Ah, actually, one of my sons, Muichiro, is an undergraduate in the Archaeology department. Also, Gyoumei is an old friend."
"Oh yes, Professor Himejima is head of the department currently." Giyuu then added sympathetically, "I hope the twins are doing fine."
"Yes, they are.” And then Kokushibo’s voice became sombre, “You were a great help that day; had you not intervened with the blood donation, I am afraid nothing would have been left of what once was a complete family."
Oh, she knew about this. Apparently, the man had adopted the twin brothers who were the only survivors of a horrendous car crash that killed his wife, his wife's brother and sister-in-law, leaving only his twin nephews behind as their memory.
The way someone as stellar as Tsugikuni looked with heartfelt gratitude at Giyuu, Shinobu could do nothing but wonder about the man who was an enigma as much as he was an enticement to her.
Oh no, she was in deep, deep trouble.
Shinobu called it a coincidence that she had met the man who had started haunting her dreams twice in two weeks. So when she was accompanying her younger sisters, Kanao and Aoi, to their weekly pottery classes started by her dean, Kagaya Ubuyashiki's wife, Amane, in the university premises, she did not expect the coincidence to happen again.
She had met Kyoujurou in passing at the entrance who had dropped off his brother, Senjuro, and was leaving. His brother was enrolled with Kanao in the English Literature course.
"Kanao!" Tanjiro's voice followed behind her and Kanao. Ah, the boy her sister had a little crush on!
Kanao blushed. "Hi, Tanjirou", she said shyly.
Following Tanjirou was his sister and his friend, Zenitsu, who everyone knew had a crush on Nezuko. The way his words meddled into incoherent sentences around her left very little to imagination as far as his feelings were concerned. Inosuke, the wild and untamed boy, who was strangely fond of Shinobu, was standing next to Zenitsu. The moment he saw Aoi and Shinobu, he dashed over to them,
No one knew what this guy was doing in something as challenging as Finance but from what she had observed, and heard from Aoi, the boy was brilliant.
"Shinobu, I made you a mug." Inosuke brought out a highly disfigured clay pot, which he called a mug, out of his unkempt sling bag.
Aoi huffed beside her, "Inosuke, I highly doubt that is a-" Her sentence was cut short by Inosuke, who brought out a distorted flower-shaped saucer and gave it to her with a grin, "For you."
Watching all these kids and their young, innocent love, Shinobu's heart warmed instantly.
"That is some pottery." An amused, deep voice startled her. She turned her face to see Giyuu leaning over her shoulder, looking at the culprit mug with fascination. Up this close, she could feel the warmth of his body radiating to hers.
When did he arrive? No, wrong question; when did he get so close?
"Hi." Watching her startled expression, his voice softened considerably, but he did not move.
Shinobu, suddenly conscious of his proximity, took a step back and gathered her voice. "Hi."
"You also here for pottery?"
"No, I dropped my sisters here; they take this class every week."
"Oh, a coincidence then. I also dropped my neighbour's kids, Tanjirou, Nezuko and his friend, here. His father's car broke down, so I offered to take them."
"Oh." That is all Shinobu managed to say. His gaze studied her carefully.
"I gotta run. Next time I see you, you owe me a coffee.” Without giving her a chance to respond, he turned his face towards the exit.
“See you later, Shinobu.” He waved at her and left, leaving her grappling for words.
Shinobu couldn't keep him out of her mind. Her heart and brain battled out in a painful tug of war. A familiar dread crept up her spine.
Shinobu recognised this feeling. To her horror, she had fallen in love.
But she didn't want to go through the humiliation ritual again.
To keep herself from doing something and ending up feeling stupid again, she did the most Shinobu thing possible— she started avoiding all places she could run into him.
However, it wasn’t like the universe would let her forget about him.
While she didn’t run into him in upcoming weeks, apparently, everyone else she met had something to say about Tomioka.
"Oh, Tomioka-san was asking about you; we met him at the art gallery." Mitsuri told her as they sat down for coffee in one of the cafes in the campus. Uzui and Mitsuri had run into him at another charity event. Shinobu tightened her grip around her cold coffee.
"We met Tomioka-san again at the pottery class,” Shinobu's hands stopped at the breakfast table when Kanao's words came out of the blue, “He was asking about you, Shinobu.” Kanae gave her an amused wink.
It wasn't just her close friends, though.
She ran into Makomo, who recognised her because Giyuu had told her about Shinobu. Then on the weekend, she met Tanjirou and his mother at a bakery shop, and he introduced her as Kanao's sister and his kind neighbour's friend.
Professor Himejima, and an undergrad she got to know was none other than one of Mr Tsugikini's twins, Muichiro, met her near the admin building.
“You are Giyuu’s girlfriend?” Muichiro blurted out of nowhere making both Shinobu and Himejima shocked. He didn’t seem to care when Shinobu frantically denied it.
It wasn’t just her personal life where his shadow followed her though.
One day, while working in the lab, Kyoujurou paced up to her with a bright smile on his face.
“Kochou, Tomioka just got off the phone with me.” Shinobu raised an eyebrow in a slightly panicked but quizzical manner. “Congratulations, you got a research assistant role with Kibutsuji Institute." She was holding a beaker when Kyoujurou broke the news to her, it almost slipped from her hands.
“What?” She practically squeaked. Kyoujurou looked at her with a sheepish smile but pride in his eyes as he began explaining,
"Tomioka put me in contact with one of our old college teachers, Professor Kokushibo, who works there, and he asked me for your resume. I was surprised.” He rubbed the back of his neck, looking apologetic for not informing her beforehand.
“He had apparently met you and was interested in your research. He has taken up the department's reins since the acting head, Douma, was promoted to a position in a different location outside the country. Their lead researcher, Gyutaro, needed an assistant, and he wants you to be part of the team.” The pride in his eyes flared with a newfound glint
“This is an incredible opportunity for you, though I did not want to disappoint you in case you didn't get the job, so I forwarded it to Professor without letting you know. I hope you forgive me.” He finally admitted the last part with a tinge of embarrassment.
“No, that is alright, thank you so much, Rengoku-san.” Shinobu’s voice trembled with happiness. The entire lab erupted in congratulations; it indeed was a breakthrough for her.
Amid the unexpected joy, her heart lurched in a slightly painful manner. She owes it to Tomioka.
If Shinobu was earlier avoiding Giyuu due to her feelings, she was now avoiding him because of embarrassment. She had practically ghosted him, and he was busy opening up new avenues for her.
She had taken Giyuu’s number from Kanae to thank him when her sisters threw her a celebration bash; she had given it with a smug smile.
However, she didn’t find the courage. It had been three weeks now.
Meanwhile, she had started working with Kokushibo and Gyutaro. Kokushibo had made a passing reference in one of the mails that Giyuu had checked on how her progress was going.
The information only made her feel more guilty.
This weekend she was working on the project; she had to submit a report with Kokushibo.
Hey sis, bringing take-out and some friends over; don't cook.
Kanae's message popped up; Shinobu read the message but didn't pay it any further attention. She was busy.
In one hour, she submitted her report. She looked outside her room's window.
The dark, rain-heavy clouds had gathered over the city; it was going to rain.
After 20 minutes, she was in the living room, reading a book, when the noise of a car entering the porch reached her ears. After few moments, the doorbell rang.
"It must be Kanae and her friends." She grumbled, walking towards the door.
Kanao and Aoi were hanging out at Zenitsu's place along with their other friends, and Nezuko, for a sleepover.
"Coming." Shinobu combed through her hair and turned the knob.
She opened it to see Mitsuri barging in, hugging Shinobu, followed by Obanai, Sanemi, and Kanae. Kanae had a mysterious smile on. That is when the air shifted, and another person walked in.
Shinobu's breath hitched. Giyuu’s tall figure appeared in front of her. The moment his eyes landed on her, it knocked the air out of her lungs. His eyes looked sleep-deprived, desperate and laced with undercurrents of something that could swallow her whole.
Kanae hugged her and whispered, “Sorry for bringing him along without telling you. The man looked tortured as hell, couldn't see him like that."
Everyone else entered the living room, leaving him alone with her.
"Shinobu." Her eyes widened; he spoke his name with such ache and tenderness that Shinobu had to grip the sides of the shoe rack to stand still.
"Please make yourselves at home." She tried to sound as confident as possible.
He looked at her, nodded, passing her by the side. Then he stopped near her while she looked at the floor. Suddenly she felt his shadow growing large over her, and he leaned towards her, his voice a whisper near her ear.
"You have run enough."
She whipped her head towards him, but he was already inside the living room. When she entered the room, the only space left to sit, of course, was next to him.
She sat down, stiff like cardboard.
Outside, it started raining.
"It is going to be a storm."
Mitsuri made a casual remark while looking out of the window. Shinobu's heart gave a violent tug.
Soon the living room was filled with the aroma of food and drinks. Shinobu tried her best to avoid direct eye contact with the man next to her, but sitting so close to him, their knees touching under the table, made ignoring his presence quite difficult.
Afterwards, they all started playing cards. Suddenly, there was a power cut. Everyone took out their phones and switched on the flashlight. Shinobu turned towards her right, looking for the emergency light, when she noticed her face was dangerously near Giyuu’s.
However, what startled her was the look in his eyes. He looked at her with such gentleness and intensity that Shinobu had to swallow her spit to keep her heart from escaping her ribcage.
Suddenly conscious of other people in the room, Shinobu scrambled to her feet and offered in a loud voice, “Let me go and check the main supply." Shinobu did not wait for any response; she wanted an out. The moment she reached the door, Giyuu also stood up,
"Let me help you."
He didn't give her a chance to refuse and followed her to the exit.
They left.
"Twenty bucks, they both aren't coming back." Sanemi grinned at the rest of the people.
They walked upstairs quietly. Shinobu opened the storage closet. The main switch lay under one of the lower shelves. She fetched the tool box and bent down to take a look. Giyuu helped her with a flashlight. She tried, but to no avail. Frustrated, she stood up, and her face collided with his chest.
She took a step back, only for her back to meet the wall. That is the moment she realised the proximity between the two.
Outside, the rain battered against the windows; inside, Shinobu squirmed under his gaze.
Then she spoke, in a timid voice,
“Thank you for the recommendation. I owe it to you.”
Giyuu understood quickly which recommendation she was talking about.
He looked at her with a proud glint in his eyes.
“I didn’t do anything. Professor Kokushibo was impressed by your credentials, it was your capability that landed you the role.”
“Still, thank you for everything.”
“If you do want to do something, perhaps take me out for a coffee you owe me from last time we met.” He said in a lighter vein, but the accusation “the last time before you started avoiding me” could be felt.
"I-" She tried, but no word came out.
For a beat, no one spoke anything. Then Giyuu took another step forward.
His arm found the spot next to her head on the wall; he leaned forward slightly, and whispered near her ear,
"Why are you running from me?"
“I am scared.”
"What scares you?" His voice was like a murmur near the hollow of her neck.
"Everything." It also came out like a whisper.
This was followed by silence. Giyuu leaned away from her. He sighed and gave her a genuine smile.
"Let us go back."
Shinobu felt the loss of his proximity like someone unwrapping the blanket in the middle of a cold night. Without thinking, she shot her hand forward and caught his sleeve.
Giyuu turned back and looked at her expectantly. Gathering all the courage she had, Shinobu began.
"I was in High School, a top student. I fell in love with a senior-year boy," She gulped. "We dated for two years."
"Then one day, the boy looked me in the eyes and broke up with me, saying I was too boring for him."
Giyuu's eyes narrowed; Shinobu was taken aback by the look of anger in his eyes.
"Shinobu, he was an idiot." He turned towards her and said in a decisive voice.
"It was not just him. I dated a couple of times after that; all of them broke up with me, saying I am too 'academic' for their tastes, too boring."
She laughed sheepishly. "You can get far more interesting women than me—those who won't bore you, I am sure. The women who are entertaining and glamorous enough to stand next to a man like you."
Hearing this, Giyuu’s eyebrows scrunched for a moment and then he sighed,
“Okay, firstly, I am flattered but Shinobu, have you looked at you?” His voice was almost reverent. “Any man would be lucky to have a gorgeous and intelligent woman like you as his partner.”
The lump in her throat tightened slightly upon hearing this honest praise. She never wanted to pour her insecurities in front of him like this, she hadn't even told this to Kanae.
“Secondly, if I want to entertain myself, I will buy a ticket to the circus. If I want glitter, I will get a gold statue.” He let out a soft chuckle, the sound vibrating in the space between them. “I want you as a partner, not as a certificate of honour or accolade.”
Shinobu was dumbfounded by the plainness of his confession.
Then his voice became incredibly soft, just like when rain hits the soil of the forest.
"Shinobu, have you ever wondered why I seem to know so many people in your circle, yet we haven’t met before?"
Now that he said it, Shinobu wondered the same. Neither Sanemi nor Kanae or any other mutual correspondence ever mentioned him.
"It is because I was a total loner during most of my study days." He continued in a rueful voice, “Sure, I had friends, but I never went out or hung out with any of them."
His hand reached out to her, paused, then extended again to cup her left cheek.
“The only person to keep in touch with me after college was Sabito, and it was just luck that he and I shared similar social circles.”
Then his voice turned extremely fond, “The day I met you was the first time in these many years when I didn't go and immediately stand next to Sabito.”
His fingers caressed her cheeks in a feather-light manner,
“Sure, I dated a couple of girls, but they grew bored of me pretty quickly.”
He took a step back and looked at her with genuine mirth dancing in his eyes. “Unlike you, whose intelligence intimidated the idiots, I was actually boring.”
He smiled in such a boyish way while quelling her insecurities that Shinobu's heart turned into a puddle. She took a decisive step forward.
"Giyuu", she spoke with conviction, "In no way in hell are you boring; you are the hottest man I have ever met."
Her body moved before she could think, their hot breaths entangling. Hypnotised by his gaze, Shinobu leaned in.
"And you are the most beautiful and intelligent woman I have ever met." He spelled the words like a sacred oath between them.
Closing the remaining distance, their lips met in a fervent kiss, all the restraint crumbling like dust.
A few seconds later, the power came back. And both were startled out of their passionate make-out session by mixed sounds of gasps, squeals and whistles.
Both turned their head towards the stairs, flushed, and still entangled with each other.
There stood all their friends with Obanai looking stunned, Mitsuri excited for her best friend, Sanemi menacing with his amused grin and Kanae's expression teasing but it was mixed with filial affection.
Sanemi stepped forward like the gremlin he was and pointed between the two,
“Tomioka, you bastard, since when did you know flirting!”