Author's Note: Hello, everybody! It's my first time writing fanfiction, so I hope this is worth a read! I've been toying with this idea within my head for a while and wrote a brief outline of the entire story, and decided to actually flesh it out and write it, chapter by chapter.

A few differences you'll notice: firstly, Kin-chan is less obsessed with Kotoko, though he's still like a big brother to her. Secondly, Naoki and Kotoko never went to the same high school and only met each other at the company they both work at. Up until this point, their interactions have been minimal. And as for the rest… you'll have to read on to find out! ;)

Also, a few notes: the "busy checklist" that appears later has been appropriated from a famous Do Not Disturb sign online. Also, you'll see that there will be some scenarios that are familiar from the manga/anime/drama adaptations, but the story does take a different world from the original ItaKiss story.

I'm not sure how often I'll be updating, but reviews will definitely encourage me to write faster! ;) Hope you guys like it!

- Pear Holiday

DISCLAIMER (APPLIES TO THE ENTIRE WORK): ITAZURA NA KISS DOES NOT BELONG TO ME IN ANY WAY. THIS IS A DERIVATIVE WORK OF FICTION WRITTEN FOR THE SAKE OF MY (and hopefully, your) ENJOYMENT!

Kotoko smiled, as she pushed past the double doors of the company cafeteria's kitchen. Though she was basically a coffee-slave-cum-prop-bitch for the Art Department, her life had never been better. Kotoko was never the type to have high grades, and even was at risk of repeating grades during her time in high school, but she'd somehow managed to make the cut and make it into college.

Not that her grades in college were any better. Because she had skipped many of her general education classes in lieu of studying historical costumes in the library, she had barely scraped through. Not that it mattered much, since she had managed to put together an impressive portfolio and had been hired by Pandai Corp by graduation.

But even so, her being hired had been an act of god. By chance, her father's childhood friend had visited her father's restaurant three months before her graduation, and had asked her about what she'd planned to do after college. And when he had seen her portfolio, he had pulled all the ropes at his disposal to ensure that she had a job at Pandai awaiting her in Tokyo.

Upon researching the company online, she'd found that she'd been incredibly lucky. On one hand, Pandai was a place that demanded excellence and there were rumors that people who didn't make the cut would be forced to quit by the age of 30. She'd also have to leave Nagoya, which was three hours away from Tokyo via the Japanese Bullet Train. But on the other hand, Pandai employees were offered unprecedented benefits: not only did every employee have the right to live in the state-of-the-art apartment building owned by the company equipped with a 24-hour gym and surveillance, they were also guaranteed breakfast and lunch at the company's cafeteria where only those with extraordinary culinary ability would be given some amount of consideration as a potential dishwasher for the kitchen.

And for Kotoko, who had doodled characters of all shapes, sizes, and eras on the margin of her notes for as long as she could remember, being offered a full-time position in the Art Department of such a company was a dream come true.

But it had already been two years at Pandai, and she was still relegated to what was casually referred to as the "prop bitch work" – mindlessly creating whatever props that the Level Designer needed. It was a tedious, thankless job for sure – but otherwise, life was great. Aside from Co-Section Chief Matsumoto, who had seemed to have a vendetta against her since her first day at the company, everyone else in her department had grown on her in their own way…

Especially Naoki Irie, the immaculately handsome Director of the Art Department.

Famed for his cool demeanor, good looks, and unparalleled skill, Naoki was a well-known individual within the company. Despite his being only twenty-four years old like Kotoko, he had managed to graduate college at the age of nineteen and had moved up to the position of Director within only five years. And though his father was the CEO of the company, Naoki's quick ascension up the ranks had everything to do with his skill, which had led the company's profit to increase by tenfold since he had joined the company.

But above all else, Naoki had been the object of Kotoko's unwavering affection since the day that she'd joined the company. And though he hadn't gone out of his way to acknowledge her presence much since then, she couldn't call her day complete without catching a glimpse of her at the company gym or at the office.

"Kotoko!" Chris, a baker recruited by Pandai from England, called from the other side of the counter. "Another coffee run, huh?"

Kotoko gave her a wry smile. "We're pushing a deadline, so everyone's a bit on edge."

Chris passed Kotoko a moka pot and a kettle of hot water. "Are you sure you don't just want me to get one of my line cooks to make it for you?"

Kotoko shook her head. "Making coffee is one of the only joys I have at work, so don't take that away from me!" Chris laughed.

"Oy, is that Ko-chan?" Kinnosuke, a line cook from Osaka, said, wiping his hands as he walked into view. "Here on another coffee run for those assholes upstairs?"

"It's because Kotoko's coffee is the best!" Chris laughed. "It's not their fault that they can't get enough of it, Kin-chan."

Kinnosuke finished wiping his hands on the dishrag, and slapped it against the metal counter. "I told you not to call me that, silly girl… But still, it's been two years of this nonsense! When are they gonna let her design some characters, already?"

Chris scattered a handful of flour over the countertop, and brought over laminated dough and a rolling pin. "Don't worry, Kin-chan… they'll do it when the time's right!"

Kotoko grabbed a metal jug and filled it with milk. "It's fine… I mean, it's not that out of the ordinary for people to do entry-level tasks for a year or two."

"But this is Pandai we're talking about! You know, the company that pretty much forces you into an early retirement if you're not famous within the industry by the time you're thirty!" Ken-chan drank from a plastic quart container full of water. "You know how many people I've seen come and go just within my own five years here?"

"But Kin-chan, you're a line cook now!" Chris said, wrapping the dough in plastic. "At any other restaurant, you could've been the sous-chef by now!"

Kinnosuke smirked. "That's true, but then there wouldn't be anyone to watch over Ko-chan. I'll have to work on opening my three-Michelin star restaurant later."

Chris placed the dough in the freezer, smiling. "Of course! And when that time comes, I'll be in charge of your pastry program!"

"Hey, Chris… are you making croissants today?" Kotoko said, lining up nine empty mugs on a plastic tray. "Is that what the dough is for?"

Chris winked. "Close! I had a loaf of bread that was kinda like a croissant over at Ginza the other day, and I wanted to try and make it for breakfast tomorrow."

Kotoko's eyes lit up. "Wow! I'm looking forward to it!"

"Drop by for dinner service, then! I'll sneak you a sample!" Chris said, passing Kotoko the steamed jug of milk.

Kotoko sighed. "I wish. I don't even have clothes that I could wear for dinner here." It was true that all Pandai employees were guaranteed breakfast and lunch at the company cafeteria, but dinner was not included. This was due to the fact that it became open to the public for dinner as an upscale restaurant, Pandissimo.

Upscale, meaning unaffordable for someone living off Kotoko's salary. Pandai offered great benefits, certainly, but its entry-level wages was a bit lower than that of an average company.

Chris sighed. "I'll stop by your room with some leftovers from dinner service later, if you want. One can't live on cup noodles alone. I'm surprised you're not a cup noodle by now… Sheesh!"

Kotoko laughed. "I'm not what I eat, Chris! Though if that were true…" She poured a shot of espresso in each cup, and poured varying levels of milk, foam, and water into the mugs. "Hey, where are the sugar packets?"

Kinnosuke grabbed a handful of sugar packets and stirrers out of his apron, put them into another plastic quart-sized container, and set it onto the tray. "Here. Keep these upstairs. Otherwise, the sous-chef is going to notice."

"Thanks, Kinnosuke!" Kotoko smiled, and lifted the tray. "I'll be looking forward to the leftovers later then, Chris!"

"Just come into my room around 8 p.m.! You know the passcode for my door, right?"

"927812, right?"

"It's the reverse, Kotoko! 218729!"

"Oops… See you later then!" Kotoko pushed the door open with her foot, and gently eased her way out.

"Later!"

"Bye, Ko-chan!"

"What took you so damn long?!" Section Chief Yuuko Matsumoto shrieked, as Kotoko pushed the door to the Art Department open with her shoulder.

Kotoko smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Section Chief Yuuko. But espresso takes…"

"I don't want your damn excuses. Just set that on my desk and get those props done for Tomoko, already!"

"But…"

"Shut it!"

"Okay…"

Kotoko made her rounds around the office, and set down the rest of the drinks: a latte for Kikyou and Marina, an Americano for Tomoko and Section Chief Sudou, and a doppio for Keita and herself. She set the quart container of stirrers and sugar packets next to the office plants, and took the last mug – a doppio – off the tray.

Yuuko walked over, and snatched the mug from her hand. "I'll take this to Director Irie, so you sit back down and do some damn work for a change."

"Um, Director Irie likes…" Kotoko began, fiddling in the container for a stirrer.

"I said, shut it!"

As soon as Yuuko walked away from view, Kikyou flipped her off. "That bitch seriously needs to get laid."

Marina smirked. "If that's the case, you already needed to get laid ten times over."

Kikyou smacked Marina lightly on the shoulder. "Bitch, don't play."

Tomoko got up and patted Kotoko – who was visibly droopier – on the shoulders. "Now, don't let her get you down, Kotoko! She's always been like that."

Keita nodded. "You can't take the bitch out the bitch, no matter how hard you try. So don't get yourself down over it." He took a sip of his coffee, and exhaled deeply. "On point, as always!"

Kotoko grinned, and sat down at her seat. "It's the one thing I can make without screwing it up, so I should be somewhat good at it, right?"

"There's another thing you're really good at, though…" Kikyou said, sauntering over to hug Kotoko from behind. "Right, honey? Please?"

Kotoko turned on her computer monitor. "Nope. I made you coffee, so don't try to sweet talk me into doing anything else."

"But you're the best coffee maker in the whole building, darling! I can't have a sub-par beverage touch my lips… You know, like the ones he makes." Kikyou smirked, signaling toward Keita.

"It takes you 5 seconds to make instant coffee, so get off your bony ass and do it yourself for a chance!" Keita sneered, not looking up from his work. "Though I second Kikyou's compliment."

Kikyou rolled his eyes. "Like I said, sub-par. Please, hon? I need a massage… my shoulders feel so stiff! Please?"

Paying no mind, Kotoko typed in the password for her computer. But Kikyou's hug grew tighter, until it was almost like a choke-hold.

"Please? I. Need. It."

Kotoko coughed, writing under Kikyou's grip. "You damn bully! Stop it!"

Section Chief Sudou sipped his coffee calmly, but there was a fire in his eyes. "Motoki, if you make me go over there, I'll make sure you'll never drink Aihara's coffee again."

Kikyou quickly slipped his arms away from Kotoko and scrambled to his seat. Glaring at Kikyou, Kotoko touched her neck. "There are better ways of asking, you know!"

Keita rolled his chair closer to Kotoko's. "Can I stop by later, though? My back is killing me!" he whispered.

"I guess the full-time intern life is taking a toll on you, isn't it?" Kotoko whispered back. "Speaking of which, you're the intern here! Why am I still the one making coffee?" she playfully smacked him on the arm.

"Everyone knows your coffee is the best. You should be flattered, really." Keita nudged her.

"What the hell are you two whispering about?" Yuuko roared, reappearing from the other end of the hallway.

Director Naoki irie was a man of few words, and even fewer emotions. So, it was natural that he could not recall recall a single time in his life when he had been more annoyed than in this very moment.

"Goddammit, Naoki! You can't just keep living your life like this!" his mother, Noriko, had screamed over the phone. "I told you that I needed you to come to my photo gallery opening, didn't I? That's all I've ever asked from you, and…"

"Stop it, Mother!" he'd screamed back, finally having lost it after having similar conversations countless times since he'd begun working at Pandai, five years ago. "Stop beating around the bush! This isn't about that, is it? I told you, I had an important meeting with a client! Do you think I do these things to spite you? How many times-"

"Nao, you need to have a healthy work-life balance! You've spent the night at the office for so many nights this month… This is why you need to transfer to the Strategy Planning Department, like me and your father want—"

A new wave of irritation had rose within Naoki. "That's enough! Goddammit! Stop it!" With that, he had hung up, and had thrown his phone onto his couch. Running a hand through his hair, he let out an exasperated sigh.

"My, is this a bad time?" Yuuko said, opening the door without knocking and sauntering over with a mug. "I got it for you while it's still hot." Naoki looked up. She'd forgotten the stirrer. He sighed again.

"Care to talk about it?" Yuuko said, setting the mug in front of him and seating herself across from Naoki.

Naoki pushed the mug aside. "Knock much? And if you don't have any other business, then leave."

Yuuko's lip curled upward. "Well, sir, there's the matter of the staff dinner tomorrow…"

"I told you I'm going. So is that it?"

Yuuko sighed, maintaining her smile. "Yes, Naoki-kun. I'll-"

"Hey," Naoki interjected, not looking up. "I know we went to the same college, but don't call me by my name. Especially at work."

Yuuko closed the door behind her. Sighing, Naoki got up to retrieve his phone from the couch.

"Hello? Secretary Funatsu? Get me a reservation at the Palace Tokyo Hotel for tonight. Yeah, the penthouse. Use my black Amex. No, just one night… Mother will find me otherwise."

"Finally!" Kotoko cried, stretching in her study. "Geez, this took way too long!" Though Kotoko had been assigned a two-bedroom apartment, she had enjoyed the luck of not having been assigned a roommate for two whole years. Therefore, she'd repurposed the spare room into a study. The shelves were crammed with costume references, illustrated weapon encyclopedias, and filled sketchbooks. The empty bed had been turned into an extra shelf, for the especially large reference books, and and a temporary resting place for her drying canvases. True, it did get a bit lonely sometimes, but it was great to have a study on top of a beautifully-furnished apartment, all for herself!

Just then, the front door beeped three times, signaling that someone had punched in the correct code for her door. "Kotoko!"

"Keita?"

"Yep!" She heard him taking off his shoes at the foyer.

"Just a second!" Kotoko began reshelving some of her books.

"I have food, from Chris!"

At that, Kotoko immediately ran out of her study. "Food? Didja say food?"

Keita laughed and sat down on her couch. "You're so simpleminded."

"Psh… is there anyone who doesn't like to eat?" Kotoko pursed her lips, as she took the seat next to him. "So… what did Chris pack for me?"

Keita passed the bag over to Kotoko, to have her practically shred it apart. She set each item down, one by one: pasta carbonara, ciabatta, rosemary foccacia, caprese salad, cream puffs, two forks, and napkins. Her jaw dropped.

Keita pushed her jaw up with his thumb. "Hey, any wider, and your jaw will fall to the floor." He reached for one of the forks, only to have it slapped out of his hand.

"Hey, this is all mine, you know!" Kotoko practically snarled.

Keita reached over and grabbed a slice of focaccia. "I'm taking some as a delivery fee. Plus, Chris packed enough for two!"

"Yeah, maybe in your world… For me, this is barely enough for one!" Kotoko snatched the rest of the focaccia hanging out of Keita's mouth, and placed it back into the container.

"Che. Cheapskate." Keita got up, and walked over to her cabinet. "Sheesh… Do you have anything else except cup noodles?"

Kotoko smiled sheepishly, her mouth full of carbonara. "Um… maybe a bottle of hot sauce in the fridge? Or some canned ham?"

Keita rolled his eyes, as he walked back over to the couch. "You call that food?"

"You said 'something…' You didn't specify that it had to be food."

Keita shoved Kotoko over to the far end of the couch, and grabbed the container of carbonara our of Kotoko's hands.

"Hey! What the hell?" Kotoko shrieked, getting up. But Keita moved out of her way smoothly, dancing around her living room to evade her. And when he had finished approximately half of the pasta, he handed it back to her. "Wow, Kinnosuke-san was telling me about the smoked bacon he was aging… Tastes great!"

Kotoko practically poured the rest of the container's remains into her mouth, barely chewing. She painfully swallowed it all down, and let out a satisfied sigh. "Well, you can pretty much forget about the massage now."

Keita immediately dropped to his knees, clasping his hands together. "Please, Kotoko-sama! Almighty Goddess, please grace me with this honor!"

Unyielding, Kotoko turned her attention to the caprese salad.

"Please, Kotoko? I have exams coming up at school! At this rate, I'll…!"

Kotoko sighed happily, having polished off the last basil leaf of the caprese salad. "Fine… but don't think I'll be making any more special exceptions for you just because the company did!"

Keita winked. "it's not my fault I'm so damn talented and the company wanted me a year before I graduated college."

"Tch! Is that any way to talk to your goddess?"

"Kotoko-sama! Forgive me, Almighty One!"

"Heh. You should've been that way from the start."

Kotoko had stuffed the rest of the dinner down her throat, and had fallen fast asleep on Keita's shoulder while the two of them had been watching TV after his massage. Smiling gently, Keita gently lifted Kotoko's head off his shoulder and got up slowly. He went into her study to fetch a blanket, when he caught a glimpse of something on her desk. It was a yellow pad of sticky notes, with a doodle drawn on it. He picked it up and flipped through a couple of pages, to see that it was a flipbook.

"Tch… when did she have time to make this?" he smiled, as he flipped through it. But as he did, his smile slowly melted off his face.

"Hello, Director Irie," it read, with animated caricatures of Kotoko and Naoki moving around. "I'm Kotoko Aihara, from your department. For two years, I admired you for your intelligence and your coolness, ever since the first time I met you, when you critiqued my portfolio and pointed out a mistake in my 12th Century Greek character's clothing. I have no hope of becoming a director like you at our age, or anything like that, but I hope to get to know you better if possible. Simply put, Director, I like you."

Was she seriously planning to confess to that ice block of a human, Naoki Irie? But what if she was fired for this? Hopefully, it was just a pet project of hers – nothing serious. Keita put it back on her desk, his heart sinking into his stomach.

"It's not exactly Shakespeare, but I have to give her points for originality…" he muttered, as he grabbed a blanket. Unfolding it, he carried it toward Kotoko, and tucked her in. He closely inspected her sleeping face: thick, brown eyelashes, rosy cheeks, smooth skin, upturned lips.

Unable to resist, he kissed her forehead.

"Good night… Kotoko."

The door clicked shut.

A sleek black sedan came to a stop in front of Pandai Corp. Naoki checked his watch: 8:40 a.m. A little later than he'd preferred, but it'd have to do.

"Can you take the suitcases out of the trunk and leave them at the reception area for me?" Naoki reached into his pocket and pulled out his American Express Centurion card. "Here."

The driver nodded, and took the card with both hands. However, he frowned upon swiping. "Sir, the card was declined."

"What?" Naoki glared. "It's probably your machine. Try again." The driver quietly did so again, and shook his head.

"Do you have another card, sir? I also take cash." The driver said nervously, eyeing the lock-door switch in the car.

Naoki let out an exasperated sigh. "Goddammit… Here, try this one." He passed the driver his Chase Palladium card.

"Very good, sir." The driver swiped the card, only to have it declined yet again.

"Goddammit!" Naoki shouted. He opened his wallet, and passed the driver a 5,000 Yen bill. "Keep the change." He got out, pulled his luggage out of the trunk, and reached for his phone.

"Funatsu?" he snapped, pushing through the revolving doors with his shoulder while dragging his luggage along. "My Amex and my Chase cards were declined. Yeah, the third time this morning. Call them and report back to me."

"Deadline's in two days, people! We need everything wrapped up to send over to Production, like yesterday!" Yuuko barked. "Especially you, prop people! Section Chief Sadou and Marina can't get the level finished if you're not done by the end of today!"

Kotoko and Keita sighed. "Yes, Section Chief Matsumoto."

Marina laughed nervously. "Well, it's not like-"

"That's all!" Yuuko barked, taking a seat.

Kotoko peeked into her bag and caught a glimpse of the flipbook she'd finished the day before. She had finally finished it, but when would she actually have the chance to give it to Director Irie? She stared her monitor. Was this even a good idea? What if she'd get fired?

Admittedly, Kotoko wasn't the most skilled person when it came to… well, most things. She was clumsy, not detail-oriented, terrible at multi-tasking, and unmentionably bad at household chores – hence her consistent diet of cup noodles, the heaps of garbage around her kitchen that had yet to be taken out, and the unwashed utensils piled up in her sink.

But if there was one thing she was truly good at, it was being perseverant. So, despite the fact that she'd had nothing but a handful of encounters with Director Irie, she'd steadily cultivated feelings for him. And before she'd realized it, two years had gone by.

Her feelings for him had reached the point where it almost was painful to see him every day without confessing. Every time she'd delivered his coffee or passed him in the hallway, her heart was full of happy dread and anxiety. What she'd give to have as many excuses to visit his office as often as Section Chief Matsumoto did…

But a small seed of hope had been planted in her heart ever since the first day that she'd met him. Maybe, just maybe, he had fallen for her as she did, but was too shy to make the first move. Maybe he'd been looking for an opportunity to tell her of his feelings, without avail. Maybe her confession could be the extra push that the two of them needed.

She put the yellow pad in her pocket, and smiled.

Maybe, just maybe, her world could change by tomorrow. With this.

"Mother, you can't do this!" Naoki yelled, standing up abruptly as he slammed his hand on his desk.

"Actually, I can, honey." Noriko singsonged into the phone. "I'm sorry it's had to come to this, but you left me with no other options."

Naoki sat back down, sighing. "Those were my accounts—"

"—which you were only able to open with your position at the company, so…"

"Mother!"

"I want you to transfer to the Strategy Planning Team as their new Director by the end of this week, or you might as well melt down your credit cards. That'll be the only way you'll be able to get your hands on any sort of cash."

Naoki threw his phone at the sofa again, and let out an exasperated sigh. He, who was known at the company for being cool, calm and collected, had lost his temper more in this entire week than he had ever done so in his life. Why couldn't his parents accept the fact that he had finally found something that he found himself becoming engrossed in?

Sighing again, he ran his fingers through his hair and let himself sink into his couch, fishing around for his phone.

"Funatsu? It's me. How much do I have in my Swiss account?"

"Enough to last you about twenty nights at penthouse suites, sir."

Naoki sighed. "Dammit, that's it?"

"Well, sir, you were the one who said that it'd be too noticeable if you withdrawed too much per month out of your main accounts. Which is true, of course."

Naoki took a sip of his coffee. "Damn. Well, that's true. Do we have any other options?"

"I'm currently looking into vacancies at the company apartment, sir."

"I won't be able to redirect my direct deposit because of my mother, so I guess that's the best option." Naoki sighed. "But make sure you get me a studio. The best one."

"I'll try my best, sir."

"Kotoko, hello? Earth to Kotoko! I brought you lunch!" Chris called, to no response. Upon approaching her, she saw that both Kotoko and Keita had put soundproof headphones on and taped signs onto their backs reading the following:

"DO NOT DISTURB. I'm on a tight schedule today.

Exceptions in case of an emergency are permitted.

Emergency checklist:

Are you on fire and I'm the only one who can put you out?

Am I on fire and I don't realize it?

Is it the second coming?

FAQ:

Q: How's it going?

A: Good

Q: What are you working on?

A: Stuff

Q: How's stuff going?

A: See answer #1

Q: Do dolphins Sleep?

A: Yes, they are mammals and they do sleep.

If you have an issue or concern, please address them to Ms. Yuuko Matsumoto."

Chris giggled. "This again? At least you changed the fun fact this time." She set down the lunch she'd packed next to Kotoko, who still had not noticed her, and walked toward the door. As she left, Naoki entered.

"Hey, can one of you make me some coffee?" he said, not looking up from the documents he was reading. When he received no response, he frowned and looked up.

"Hello?"

What, even his employees were trying to piss him off now? He briskly walked over to where Kotoko and Keita were working and opened his mouth, but closed it once he caught a glimpse of the sign on their backs.

He smirked, and walked back to his office. He'd have to ask someone else today.

"Oh, Funatsu." Naoki said, as he entered his office. "The meeting with Lizzard ended well, I presume?"

Funatsu bowed. "Yes, sir. We'll have to adjust your schedule for the next two weeks so that you can meet with their Art Director, but everything else ended well without a hitch."

Naoki sat down. "Good. And what about my living arrangements?"

Funatsu opened his briefcase. "Well, the thing is, sir… there's only one room left in the apartments due to all the new hires this year. It's either that or moving back home, and the room was going to be filled by tomorrow otherwise, so I signed the paperwork for you already."

"Whatever. If it's not in the VIP wing, it's fine as long as it's a studio. Also, can you tell Matsumoto to get me a cup of coffee?"

Not wanting to the bearer of any more bad news, Funatsu left the copy of Naoki's lease and apartment specs on his desk before hurrying out. Naoki glanced downward at the documents, and then back up.

"FUNATSU! GET THE HELL BACK HERE! WHAT IS THIS?!"

"Five o' clock, whoo!" cheered Kikyou, pushing away from his desk and leaning back into his chair. "Staff dinner time!" He glanced over at the pair sitting across from him. "Hey, almost done, Kotoko? Keita?"

The two remained unresponsive, and Kikyou laughed. "Well, more time for me to touch up my makeup for Naoki-kun, then…"

Marina pushed Kikyou's chair back in as she passed by. "Not before me, you won't!"

"I don't think so, bitch! Wait your turn!"

Smiling sweetly, Tomoko walked past the bickering pair and knocked on the bathroom door.

"Occupied!" Yuuko yelled from within.

"All right, that texture there…" Keita muttered. "And… finished! Finally! Section Chief Sadou, I'm sending the files to you!" Sadou gave him a thumbs-up, not looking up from his own work.

Kikyou, Marina, and Tomoko squabbled over the mirror on Yuuko's desk, as Keita rolled his eyes. He turned toward Kotoko, and looked at her screen. Pulling off one side of her headphones, he murmured, "Almost done?"

Kotoko shushed him. "I have one more after this one."

"Just send it to me! I'll finish it up for you." Keita said, sitting back down. "Then we can head over to the staff dinner together."

Kotoko shook her head. "That's not fair to you, Keita. Just go enjoy the dinner with everyone else." But before Kotoko could protest further, he saved Kotoko's work and pulled out her flash drive. He transferred the remaining file onto his own desktop, and passed the flash drive back to her.

"It's going to be a while until the girls are done getting prettied up for Director Irie, so I might as well do something productive."

Kotoko looked at him apologetically. "You're always helping me, though…"

Keita laughed. "Well, that's why Pandai hired me... So I could pick up the slack around here."

"I want you to find me another room by the time the staff dinner is over." Naoki said coldly, putting documents into his suitcase. "It has to be a studio."

Funatsu paled. "But sir, all the studios are taken, and the papers have been-"

"Then kick someone out of those studios or something. And you signed those papers, not me." Though Naoki's expression remained the same, it almost looked as if he was throwing documents into his suitcase at this point.

"Sir." Funatsu said, passing Naoki a slip of paper. "Here's the passcode for the room. And your roommate's name is written there, too. The Housing Department sent them an email around noon, so they should know by now."

Funatsu placed the paper on Naoki's desk, and bowed. "Well, it's time for me to clock out, so I'll be seeing you tomorrow, sir." He walked out of the office, closing the door behind him.

Naoki exhaled through his nose and closed his eyes. Then, he grabbed the slip of paper, and put it into his pocket.

Why the hell did it matter who his roommate was, anyway? He'd make sure that a studio opened up for him, sooner or later. He sat back down, and dialed the number of the Housing Department.

"Hello, Director Yamamoto? Yes, it's Director Irie from the Art Department…"

"And… done!" Kotoko sighed in happiness, taking off her headphones and stretching in her chair. She looked over at the clock on her desk. "6:25, huh…?" Hopefully, Director Irie would still be there.

Keita looked over at her. "Done? I just finished up, too!" He held up his arm, and she high-fived him. "All right… let me send this over to you, and you can send these all off to Section Chief Sudou."

Kotoko nodded happily. "Thanks so much, Keita! Where's the dinner today, again?"

He rolled his eyes. "What would you do without me, seriously?" He passed her the notice about the departmental staff dinner from his desk, and leaned back into his chair.

"Oh, a yakiniku spot! I love yakiniku!" Kotoko squealed, putting the paper down to finish sending the files.

"Is there a type of food that you actually don't like?"

Kotoko punched his shoulder lightly as she stood up. "Shaddup! Well, I'm done sending the files, so I'm ready to go when you are."

He slung his arm around her, and pulled her close as he got up with her. "Guess you don't have time to get prettied up for Director Irie, since we're already late!"

Kotoko turned red. "A-a-a-as if! Shut up! Come on, let's go!" she wriggled free from his grasp, and ran toward the door. Keita looked at her for a moment, smiling sadly, before he put on a wide grin and followed after her.

"Hey, wait!"

"I'm sorry, sir, but priority for studios are given to employees who are married. And eviction of those employees is out of the question, even for someone of your position."

Naoki exhaled slowly. "So there's really no other vacancy?"

"Yes, sir. And as the employees who live in the VIP wing are mostly executive-level employees, many of them outrank you."

Suddenly, Naoki contemplated accepting his mother's proposition. If he became the director of the Strategy Planning Department, his rank would only be second to the board members and his father. He wouldn't have to deal with this nonsense of living with a roommate, and his otherwise perfect lifestyle would be back to normal. Was being the Director of the Art Department really worth all this hassle?

But even so...

No. He'd found something he actually felt passionate about for the first time in his life. He couldn't give it up so easily. And if he had to live with someone else besides his family for the first time in his life for fleeting moments of passion toward anything, then so be it.

"Thank you, Director Yamamoto. That'll be all, then. Thank you for your efforts." Naoki hung up, and sighed, for what felt like was the millionth time this week, and put Funatsu's note in his pocket. He'd figure this out later. First, he'd try and enjoy the staff dinner.

"Oh, I got an email!" Kotoko chirped, as she and Keita walked through the doors of the yakitori restaurant. Then, her face almost immediately fell. "I'm getting a roommate?"

Before Kotoko could read past the subject line, Keita took her phone, locked the screen, and handed it back to her. "Just try to de-stress for now. We all need this. They're probably not gonna move in until the day after tomorrow, anyway, so just read the room assignment later."

Kotoko put the phone in her pocket, next to the yellow notepad. "You're right… whatever, I'll just check it later." She certainly didn't like the fact that she had to disassemble her study, but she did like the fact that she wouldn't be as lonely anymore. Keita led Kotoko to the back of the restaurant, which was partitioned off for the departmental dinner.

"Over here, you guys!" Kikyou called, eating delicately. "Everyone else is already here!" Kotoko's eyes roamed all around, and locked onto her target. Naoki Irie. She smiled involuntarily, and sat down next to Tomoko and Kikyou. She wished that she had the courage to sit next to him, but a seat diagonal from him would have to do.

Keita took the seat across from Kotoko, next to Naoki. "Nice to see you, Director. Can I pour you a drink?"

Naoki smiled. "Ah, yes. You're the full-time intern, right? I've heard about you."

Keita grinned wryly. "Kamogari, sir."

Kotoko's ear prickled. She silently wondered if he remembered her, too, from the countless times that she had brought him his coffee.

"Ah. Well, I'd appreciate a drink." Naoki held the glass in his hand, and Keita poured the shochu slowly. Just then, Yuuko bumped into Naoki, knocking most of the liquor out of his cup and onto his shirt.

"Ahhh… Naoki-kun….! Theeeeere you wereee!" Yuuko slurred, her head bopping back and forth. As she teetered, her shirt swayed dangerously down toward her cleavage. "Y'know… I don't know why you're just soooooooooo cold!"

Marina nudged Kikyou, stifling a laugh. "Are you getting a load of this?"

Kikyou held his phone in front of him subtly, recording the whole debacle. "Way ahead of you, hon."

Kotoko laughed nervously. "What if she finds out?" she hissed, stuffing grilled chicken into her mouth.

"If she gives me a reason, the entire company will find out." Kikyou smirked.

Keita only shook his head, sipping on oolong tea.

"Like… I…. said…! What's wroooong with meeeeeeeeee, huh? I'm. The. Fuuulll. Paaaackage!" Yuuko slurred, stabbing her chest with her finger.

Naoki glared down at his shirt, now soaked. "Excuse me. I need to go use the facilities."

Yuuko grabbed his arm. "Noooo…. Take me with youuuuuu!" But she let go as quickly as she had grabbed him, and passed out onto the floor, her cleavage spilling out through the front of her very low-cut shirt.

Kotoko watched Naoko get up. He was going off alone. This was the perfect chance! Kotoko began to rise, as well, when Kikyou grabbed her arm.

"Where are you going, hon? It just got sooooo good." He said, lifting his camera to capture Yuuko splayed on the floor. "Want a copy?"

Kotoko laughed nervously. "Um… I'll be right back."

Naoki dried off the front of his shirt as best as he could, his grey eyes narrowing. What the hell was up with Yuuko, lately? Though she was often annoying, he had respected her for being the closest to a peer he had at Pandai. But lately, all she seemed to be concerned with was trying to seduce him.

Where had the sharp, driven Yuuko that he'd known gone? Why did emotions make people so stupid?

He shook his head. Of course, he had been popular since elementary school and had received his fair share of love letters from girls throughout his schooling... Not that he'd read any of them, since he'd never even accepted them. But he had an idea of what they'd say, anyway, so he wasn't too curious. They were probably all stupid and formulaic, like the typical fare from dramas and mangas: Hello, my name is XYZ, I don't know you, but somehow I know I'm in love with you, so please waste your time on me. Kthanksbye. How did these girls expect him to react if they themselves acknowledged that he didn't know them? Was he supposed to sprout feelings for them out of thin air to keep them happy?

Naoki Irie didn't have time for such trifles.

Drying his hands, Naoki opened the door of the bathroom – and stepped back involuntarily.

When Kotoko saw Naoki emerge, she thrust the yellow sticky note pad at him with both hands, and bowed.

"Director, please accept this!" she cried, squeezing her eyes shut. She wanted to look up to see what his reaction was, but some intangible force kept her head down.

She heard him take a step back. "Um… okay." She felt the sticky note pad leave her hands, but she still couldn't bring herself to raise her head.

She heard the flipping of the pages once, then twice.

Then, once more.

Then, there was nothing.

After Kotoko had been sure that an entire three minutes had elapsed without any activity, she raised her head slowly. "Um… Director?"

He was looking at her, and the look in his eyes did not look particularly kind.

"Um..."

"Is this… supposed to be some sort of love letter?" Naoki finally said, holding the pad between his index finger and his thumb.

Kotoko blushed. "Um… that is…"

Naoki took her hand, and dropped the pad into it.

"Miss… Kotoko, right?" he said, his face stoic. "For the sake of your job, let's pretend that this never happened."

Author's note: What'd you think? I know it's a hearty (LONG) first chapter, but I'd love to hear your feedback! I don't think that the rest of them will be as long as this. I love criticism, as long as it's actually constructive and not just a flame!