Well, I've found that the best way to mend a broken heart is by traveling. I've visited Istanbul, Sofia and Sicily for a bit of healing and now I'm all charged up and ready for some KobaHitsu, as Most Mouse has named our favorite duo! I hope that you guys will enjoy this chapter, I certainly loved writing it. As always, I'm looking forward to your input :)

My thanks goes out to the wonderful people who have reviewed and everyone who has put this story in their alerts and favorites! Also, my wonderful beta, Sassifrass, who is still bearing with me – you rock!

Some new OCs in this chapter, I hope that you will like them and are managing to keep up with all the new additions! Nakajima Shin makes an appearance, too. Idk why, but I like him a lot, even if he was meant to be a little OC in the beginning. What about you guys? Who would you like to see more of?

A little wisdom:

Respect for ourselves guides our morals, respect for others guides our manners.
-Laurence Sterne

Chapter 21: All the things she did (Respect)

Having your pillow snatched out from under your head and then slammed over it was not a nice sensation at all. But, he'd gotten used to it. After all, that was a common greeting anyone sleeping in the 11th Division barracks could expect from their fellow officers. They had warned him that the 11th was a loose cannon. They had told him how the Captain was off the charts crazy and didn't value anything but power. They'd explained to him about the menace of the Lieutenant who ran across Seireitei making trouble wherever she touched ground. They had even mentioned the Division members who were always picking a fight left and right, with any other Squad and any other Seat. The higher ranked the better.

He'd nodded and taken in all the information.

And then, he'd dived headfirst into the sea full of sharks.

The blood on the waves bothered him, of course. In the first week after his entrance, it had all seemed like a feeding frenzy full of ripped limbs and silent screams. Everyone's eyes promised violence like he hadn't seen before. But, it was after his placement, during the second week, when he'd won his spot in the Tournament, that he realized that this wasn't a gam of sharks tearing apart their victim. No, these sharks were a gam through and through. They circled each other in a well-practiced dance, everyone knew their place, everyone knew where the other was going, and there were no head-on collisions.

Sure enough, there was blood on the water. But, this blood never came from the sharks. Instead, the blood was from the prey which had dared to swim in the waters that didn't belong to them. Defending their territory, the sharks had been merciless.

And Nakajima Shin wasn't prey any longer. He'd joined the waters. Quickly, he'd learned the dance. And now, he was just trying to figure out where the other sharks were going.

Unfortunately for him, though, they were going on a mission.

Hence, his pillow was snatched from beneath his head and slammed over his face mercilessly. He woke immediately, after all who wouldn't, and he blinked owlishly and the man standing over him. His roommate, whose name he still couldn't recall, gave him a shit eating grin and pointed over his shoulder to the clock.

"You're gonna be late, boy." Sniggered the veteran. "And for your first mission, too." Needless to say, Shin was up and ready in seconds. In fact, he was still holding his socks and waraji when he arrived at the meeting spot.

The group was already there when he stopped running, breathless. Most of the Shinigami had some form of a bag slung over their shoulders, too. Shin silently cursed himself for not pre-thinking this mission. In the packet, it had been specified that the length of the assignment would be from five to ten days. Though, he hadn't thought to pack anything.

His head swum for a second and he recognized this as the arrival of their commanding officer, Kobashigawa Hinagiku. She had quite a bit of reiatsu and wasn't shy about flaring it to tell them that she was arriving. After all, the first few meetings he had completely mistaken her for a new recruit, like him. But, during the Tournament, she'd proven him wrong. The mousy girl from the meetings, who would hand papers out to everyone and jot down notes furiously had become one of the sharks from the Division. He could still remember the calm look in her eerie purple eyes, almost akin to sentiment, as she told him to try and climb to her spot. Now, she was his superior. And, he most definitely knew it.

Shin followed the short Shinigami with his eyes as she walked soundlessly through the small group, checking out each and every member. Their gazes locked for a mere second and Shin would swear that he saw that same look of almost sadness in her eyes. The girl gave him a small nod and then walked to the front of the group. Just as he was getting antsy and beginning to yawn a tad more frequently, another group arrived at the meeting point. There were three people there, two men and one woman.

She was at the front, leading them. Shin would've focused on her hair, as it was running down her back in perfect waves and shimmering, but his eyes got distracted by the impressive cleavage which moved with every step she took. Behind her ran a man with his hair cut so short it was almost non-existent. His eyes were small and Shin wasn't quite certain where he was looking at. And the last person was a well-built man with rather wide eyes. He seemed to be biting his cheek from the inside, hence Shin decided that the man had to be anxious.

The group approached and Kobashigawa greeted them politely with a bow and a few soft-spoken words. Shin got a bit curious and started moving forward. He slid around his Squadmates and tuned in to the faraway conversation. However, one sentence caught his ear before he could come close enough to hear his superior.

"What the heck is she doing here?" Shin looked to his left to see Tanaka frowning.

"She?" He couldn't stop his mouth from asking. The two brawlers looked over to him, then glanced at each other.

"That blonde, the one with the huge rack, that's Matsumoto-fukutaicho." Tanaka told him. However, his face changed into an incredulous expression when Shin obviously didn't show any recognition of the name.

"She is the Lieutenant of the 10th Division, under Hitsugaya Tōshirō." Suzuki spoke this time, in a much more even voice. "Jirō, you need to go easy on the new ones." He reprimanded his partner in crime.

"But, why is it weird that she's here?" Shin asked. The look on Tanaka's face became even more incredulous, if that were possible.

"Go easy on the new ones, Kazuo?" The man asked, looking at his friend. "This one's obviously just a bad nut."

"Do you think that the second most powerful person in a Division should be sent on a routine hollow extermination mission?" A female voice asked from behind Shin and he whirled about to see the only woman in their Squad. He couldn't recall her name, however. Instead, he focused on the question and then shrugged. It was a bit strange that there was a really powerful person coming with them, wasn't it?

"Routine extermination is cleanup for the common folk, like us." Tanaka spoke. "No need for a princess like Matsumoto Rangiku to even look at the mission files. So, here's my question, why'd Hitsugaya give us her?"

"Perhaps Kobashigawa really is sleeping with him." The woman in the group commented. Shin felt his cheeks redden, but kept quiet.

"No way." Tanaka rebutted. "That stuck up bitch?" He pointed at their superior who was still talking with the Lieutenant with his head. "She couldn't land someone as good as Hitsugaya."

"Well, you know what they say about her types…" The woman in the group smirked.

"Stop discussing such crude topics." Suzuki interjected, much to Shin's relief. "It doesn't matter how we got Matsumoto. The questions is why did we get her."

Tōshirō rubbed his eyes and looked over the papers on his desk one more time. All of his single digit Seats were away now, except for Tsutsui. She'd been assigned to recruit orientation, filing and other Division barrack-centric duties, as usual. He rubbed his eyes again, letting out a sigh. In all honesty, Tōshirō wanted to assign a mission to the noblewoman. However, if he did that, he could already hear the yelling which he would receive from Yamamoto-soutaicho. And, that was without mentioning the undoubted budget cuts, pull-back of certain privileges and general trouble which would follow as a blowback from the nobles. If he were anyone else, Tōshirō would've sent the girl off to another Division, much like the other Captains had done. But, he was no coward when faced with a challenge.

"Damn it." Tōshirō cursed and signed the document assigning Tsutsui to another two weeks of recruit orientation and training planning. He wasn't ready to tackle that behemoth yet.

"And what shall I do with you?" The young Captain murmured to himself, looking at another name on the paper. He began shuffling people around, making sure than each of the necessary duties was covered. Well, everything except the Captain and Lieutenant duties. Those, he would need to figure out how to do himself. There were times when Tōshirō wished that cloning was possible. Because, he really could use another one of himself right about now.

Sending Matsumoto off on a mission wasn't a good strategic idea. After all, it left him swimming in duties, almost drowning. However, it was the only way he could calm his mind. Kobashigawa Hinagiku had become an enigma since he'd met her, all of those months back, in the hospital room of the 4th Division. A part of her seemed to always occupy his mind, in one way or the other. And, usually, Tōshirō could compartmentalize very well. In fact, some days he managed to barely think of her. That is, until he glanced at the peonies outside of his window. He believed that part of that was the frustration of every step forward with her being followed by two steps back. For once, he was losing his patience slowly. But, he had steeled himself to give her room. Whenever she stepped back, so would he, giving her the space she wanted. He would give it, even if it brought him to hours of muddled thoughts throughout the day.

However, ever since she'd requested officers from him for a joined mission yesterday, his mind had been going from one bad outcome to a worse one. He didn't know why. Tōshirō had never been too worried for his officers or any of the other Divisions. He knew how to analyze the missions based on provided intel and then assign them to the right personnel. He knew how to do his job. Except, when Kobashigawa Hinagiku was concerned. Tōshirō didn't know how to do his job when her name was written on a piece of paper in front of him.

After all, the last big mission she'd gone on, he'd lost men, Zaraki'd lost men and she had almost died. But, she had healed and she had learned from that experience. It had been a mistake in intel, too. There was little chance that such an occurrence would repeat, wasn't there? But, Tōshirō wasn't ready to take that chance, in the end.

Hence, he'd called in his Lieutenant and assigned her the mission which was usually given to new recruits. Matsumoto had given him a look, but said nothing. They'd known each other for a long time, after all. She didn't have to say anything except raise her eyebrows and twist her lips to the side in a familiar fashion of clear displeasure. But, she hadn't complained and she'd gone on the mission. Tōshirō, though, knew that she was simply waiting for a good opportunity to tease him about his overprotectiveness. If there was one thing which which never escaped Matsumoto Rangiku, it was him and women together.

By the Soul King, she'd given him grief. After he'd first joined the Division she had attempted to set him up with each and every available Shinigami of the opposite sex. A training session here, a mission there, a group outing invitation or a cleverly organized intel gathering. He'd suffered through them all. But, after Tōshirō got past his admiration for the woman's abilities as a Shinigami and slight fear due to her aggressive antics, he'd realized that Matsumoto Rangiku was a child. She had one toy she played with until exhaustion. And then, when the object got old and lost its shine, she'd simply continue onto her next target of opportunity.

Needless to say, Tōshirō had decided that patience is a virtue he would force himself to posses around Matsumoto.

Otherwise, he would probably behead her.

With another sigh, Tōshirō glanced at the clock, realizing the time. He picked himself and his work up, filing it away into his desk. It was time for sleep. Work would still be waiting for him tomorrow.

As he was leaving his barracks, he realized that he had just thought something quite Matsumoto-like. The cursed woman was rubbing off on him.

Kida Rini shifted in her chair, seeking a more comfortable position. Well, not in her chair per se. The man across from her gave her another look which spoke in volumes. She, though, ignored him pointedly. After all, she was about ten Seats above his station to judge. She could do whatever she wanted and all he could do was keep his mouth shut. She moved once more and sighed, finally finding the perfect position.

Rini had to give it to Hinagiku, the girl knew how to choose a comfortable chair. Though, the trouble was that Rini wasn't used to sitting for such long periods of time. She was used to being on the battlefield. She was used to swinging about her katana and grinning whenever it got stuck on something hard. She was used to slamming new recruits on the mat and giving them a smirk and a pat on the back to try beating her again. Kida Rini was a woman made for battle, and everything else was a waste of time.

However, occasionally, she settled in a chair and scrawled her name onto a few papers from the mountain of work which was usually piled up on her desk. Though, this was not such an occasion. This wasn't her desk. These weren't her reports. This wasn't her chair. And this most certainly wasn't her colleague giving her an obvious stink eye.

The doors to the office slammed open and in came a breathless Shinigami. He glanced about, and addressed Rini, completely ignoring the other officer in the room.

"Kida." The man panted, sweat dripping down his face and neck. Obviously, he'd come straight from the dōjō. "How much?" He crashed into the room, heading for the red headed woman. She offered him a smirk akin to a hungry wild animal.

"Depends." Rini purred. "Reports, missions, dailies, intel, what do you need Sanzo?" She flipped open a book on her right and tilted her head, pen at the ready.

"Reports for the week and mission summaries for the next. Also, my old intel reports and dailies are due next week." Sanzo leaned on the desk, trying to get a glimpse of the contents of the black book Rini was jotting something down in.

"Hmm." The woman hummed, angling the book in a way the other Shinigami couldn't see anything. "Due dates?"

"This Friday for the reports, ten of them." Sanzo began. "Three more reports for next week. I have mission summaries due the week after next, at least five and also the old dailies and intel reports. And-"

"Well, you'd better be able to cough up some hard cash then, Sanzo." Rini interrupted. "Otherwise, you'll be facing the Captain, you know?" Sanzo's face told you that he was torn between parting from the money he obviously treasured and facing the Captain's sword, which was a common way to force Division members into paperwork. Kenpachi, after all, often told his subordinates that they should play if they aren't planning on working. And, his kind of games were a bit on the aggressive side.

"How much?" The Shinigami broke down.

"That will be 100 per report for this week, also 70 for those due the next. Mission summaries are 120 each. And, dailies are charged per hour, which is 90. Intel reports are 300 per report." Rini listed. Then, she began calculating. "So, in total, that should be… 1000 and 210, then 600, 270 and 1200. Your total is 3280. I take cash only, half in advance." Sanzo's eyes widened and he stood there, jaw slack.

"Y-you've calculated that wrong!" He defended. However, now, Rini turned the book towards him, showing the calculations. "You're overcharging that!" He pointed his finger at the writing, causing Rini to pull back her book.

"If you don't need it…"

"Damn you! You're an evil woman, Kida." Sanzo's face changed color for the third time in the last fifteen minutes. "Do you know that?"

"Oh, I know that." Rini nodded happily. "Will you be purchasing the services or?" Sanzo began sifting through the pockets of his shihakushō, looking for the money. "Alright then." Rini turned around, to the board she'd drawn on the recently painted wall. She jotted down the name, due dates and type of paperwork which needed to be done on the impromptu calendar. "There you go. All scheduled."

"Here you go, devil woman." Sanzo slammed money on the table, frowning, his hand and shoulders twitching in displeasure.

"Thank you very much for your business, Sanzo-kun." Rini was smiling in an obviously fake, sugary manner. "Please, deliver all the papers here by the end of the day if you're planning on having them finished." She didn't even flinch at the scathing parting glare he gave her before slamming the door behind him. "Come again!" Rini yelled out giddily.

The doors opened again and Koichi's messy hair popped in, amber eyes scanning the room. "Why's this the most popular office today?" He spotted Rini. "Slumming it in lower Seat duties, Kida?"

"Keep your nose out of things which don't concern you if you plan on it staying on your face, Matsushita." Growled the redhead. She fixed him with a look that spoke volumes. The air in the office changed as the two high-ranked Seats stared each other down. Babyface, who was sitting at his desk, gasped for breath as reiatsu overpowered him completely.

"Watch yourself, 9th Seat Rini."

"Or what, 6th Seat Matsushita?"

"Or we'll take this outside."

"Let's." Rini grinned, her eyes battle thirsty. "I dare you. Take me for a spin, Matsushita." Koichi grinned and then began laughing. The air in the office became much lighter and Babyface managed to breathe again.

"I would, Kida, but you're not really my type. Rude and crass." He shrugged. "She's gonna kill you for doing this, I hope you're aware." The man gave her a pointed look. Rini shrugged. There was a moment of silence before Koichi threw his arms up and left, closing the door behind him.

"Asshole." Rini commented, opening the black book again. She didn't notice the sly, fox-like smirk on Babyface's face which disappeared in seconds.

Matsumoto was filing her nails. She blew on them gently to get rid of the white nail dust and then extended her hand, looking at her fine work. Perfectly in order, she smiled.

"Are you certain that I shouldn't be helping out?" The Lieutenant tilted her head back, asking the Shinigami who stood next to the table, putting pins into the map and jotting down notes based on the communication Jigkuchō brought. For the third time that day, at least, the man offered her an easy grin.

"Please don't worry yourself unnecessarily, Matsumoto-fukutaicho." His voice was on the rough side, and he would've seemed like quite the intimidating member of the 11th Division with his hulking frame had the woman not met him on a number of occasions already. Uehara Shō was one of the Shinigami who had been as devoted to the Kenpachi Squad as any other member. He had stated out in the 8th Division, before quickly switching to the 11th after a single joint mission. Since then, he had remained an unranked officer, despite having his Shikai released already. However, that was a normal occurrence with that Division. Plenty of the unseated officers had their Shikai and could probably de-seat the double digits of other Divisions. Though, they still stayed loyal to their Captain. "Paper has a good plan going, I'm certain." His deep rumble was reassuring as he stopped for a second to listen to a new message. Then, he put another pin on the map. "She is, after all, one of the smartest members of our Division. I don't doubt her for a second."

"Mmmm." Matsumoto hummed, watching him carefully. Shō seemed peaceful at his current position in the group, despite the Zanpakuto strapped securely to his hip. Clearly, he had expected to be engaged in the battle. For him to obey the orders he'd been given, despite the fact that they were leaving him behind battle lines, it was close to unthinkable. Perhaps she had underestimated the little Shinigami her Captain had become so focused on in the last months. "If you say so, Shō-kun." She smiled at him, looking for the telltale blush which always spread up his neck and to his ears.

Then, a small tap sounded from the top of the tent they were in. It was followed by another and then yet one more. Soon, rain was drumming against the ceiling and Matsumoto began to feel glad that Shō hadn't allowed her to leave in search of other Division members.

The flap to the tent opened and in came a soaked officer of the 11th Division. He looked around with his narrow eyes and nodded to her. Then, he headed towards Shō.

"Team three checking in. We've finished all cleanup in the area." The Shinigami spoke. Shō gave him a once over.

"Alright, any injuries?" He jotted something on a nearby paper he was keeping and then circled an area on the map.

"Nothing of importance." Shrugged the Shinigami offhandedly. Matsumoto pursed her lips at the blatant disrespect the Shinigami was showing. "There was a Hollow with some kind of a needle thing on its fingers. We got a few stab wounds, but they missed vitals." The man turned to leave. "We the first ones back?"

"Yes. But, I expect that team two will be returning soon, as well. They're almost done." Shō replied. "You should go dry off before Paper returns."

"Wait, she's out?" The Shinigami stopped, turning, narrow eyes wide in shock. "That pompous little noble miss is actually in the field? And in this weather!?" He laughed airily. "I'd pay to see that." The Shinigami wheezed. Shō simply gave a small frown, but didn't comment.

"Kobashigawa-san left just after the teams did." Matsumoto spoke, her voice serious. She fixed the soaked Shinigami with her 'Lieutenant look'. "Your squad leader has been diligently working on keeping you on track and safe during this mission. You ought to show some respect."

"Of course, Matsumoto-fukutaicho." The man bowed in a fairly informal manner. But, the tone of his voice clearly told her that he held no more respect for his superior than he had earlier.

"Dismissed." Matsumoto shooed him away. She turned to Shō as soon as the flap of the tent closed. "What's going on, Shō-kun?" The large Shinigami made himself busy for a few moments by arranging paperwork and new messages before replying. If it were anyone else, Matsumoto was certain that he would've blown off the question.

"Paper has been our paper-pusher for as long as most people in the Division can remember." Shō quietly spoke. "It's tough to respect someone who has spent the last thirty or so years urging you to finish paperwork as a combatant in the field." He turned to Matsumoto. "In all honesty, there's quite a bit of talk in the unseated part of the Division about her abilities and current position." He gave her a pointed look. "If you'll excuse my bluntness, and her connection to your Captain."

"Oh." Matsumoto's eyes widened for a second and then she laughed. "There is absolutely no way that they are sleeping together, if that's what you're implying, Shō-kun."

"I wasn't implying anything, Matsumoto-fukutaicho, only answering your question." Shō gave a more formal bow before turning back to his work. Matsumoto picked up her nail file again, switching to the other hand. Her head was full of thoughts, however. Sure enough, it was impossible that her Captain had managed to get himself into a relationship without her know-so. And, especially with the meek Kobashigawa from the 11th Division. Though, Matsumoto couldn't deny that there was potential there. She would definitely need to spend some more time in the office from now on. Her lips formed a small smile at the thought as she continued filing her nails to perfection.

I'm quite in love with how this chapter turned out. Except Rini, what the hell are you doing girl?

Interesting fact: Rini was supposed to be named Ringo at the beginning, but I changed it just before posting the first chapter xD

Onto my favorite part: Reviews!

katiewinchester87: I'm always happy to see your name in the reviews! I'm glad that you're still enjoying the show over here :D
I'm doing much better, to be honest. The first few weeks were quite brutal, but I'm doing alright I think… I think xD Still haven't had the chance to make any bad life choices, except a hair makeover hahahaha
Writing always feels tight :D I hope that it shows in the new chapter :P

Momochan77: You lovely creature you! Thank you for the feedback and I'm so happy that you're enjoying my little Omakes. I have to say that I've become addicted and started adding them in my other work, as well hahahaha
Hina having a fan club? Hmmm I wonder… I don't think that she's very popular in the 11th Division except for when the reports are due hahahaha But, hopefully she will have some boys following her every whim soon enough :D Show your strength girl! Flex it hard hahahaha
I couldn't resist the horizontal tango. Seriously, Rini is the OC in this story who is channeling me the most. I'm like a dirty joke machine hahahahaha Omg I shouldnot be that proud of that fact xD
I hope that you enjoyed the chapter and I'm looking forward to hearing from you again :D

Cooliceprincess: Thanks for the lovely comment! Yeah, I figured Hina couldn't go without a bit of originality. And, since everybody pretty much knows the usual rule number five, she went with her own hahahhaa
Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Most Mouse: I love you. Like. I really love you. I adore long reviews and yours made me grin like an idiot as I re-read it tirelessly while writing. Thank you so much for leaving your feedback! I'm shamelessly using your ship name for these two, btw hahahaha
Omg domestic KobaHitsu is my drug of choice, too. Like, I loooove writing it. I feel like there should be more action in this fic, since itis Bleach, but I just can't resist a bit of slice of life. I'm a sap, I know. The slow burn is the bane of my existence, to be honest. I want to make the romance progress, but these idiots won't let me. They are both so skittish that I need to take my time with them and build up on the friendship first. Tōshirō totally needs more friends and he has to learn how to relax a bit. And, for Hina it's pretty much the same. I'm enjoying making them chill out together.
As for the pen-pal thing, I'm keeping quiet. I think that this Omake will give you some more information, but I'm soooo keeping quiet. Just like with Hina's Zanpakutō I'll be keeping the lid on that boiling pot for a while longer… Not ready to let out the steam yet hahahaha But, I do agree. Anon letters are the perfect way to stand on equal grounds with anyone in the Gotei 13. Fight, Tōshirō, fight!
I agree, two missions in a row going badly would be a horrible choice as an author. Even I'm notthat evil when I torture these guys… Then again… I make no promises! Hina is quite the capable Shinigami when you look at the average standards… But, with this whole 'respect' situation she might need to go the extra mile to ensure the safety of her Seat. Who knows where it will lead? (I don't yet xD)
Aaaaah Hina and Shirō the two idiots… Yeah, they are troublesome as a couple… But, with her 'training' from her Grandmother and his whole 'I value my position, respect me' they are just grrrrrrr not ready to cross that bridge yet. Well, hopefully all parties will be patient with each other despite the growing tension.
Rini is the bomb, isn't she? I mean, out of all the OCs I've made so far, she's definitely in the top 5. I just love her :D
About Tōshirō's in-house escapades with dating? Well, we'll open that can of worms soon enough hahaha He's an awkward duck alright xD Loved that!
Weirdly long is amazingly long and great! I love it :D FFN really keeps me going when I'm down, I have to admit. I love all of you guys and the fact that you like this part of me (writing really is showing your most intimate parts in an absolutely non-sexual context) is a great confidence-boost. And, in RL I'm just such an awkward duck sometimes that this keeps me going at the worst of times. So, my thanks goes out to you for the amazing review and I'm sorry that I went on and on in my reply. I got overexcited hahahaha
Hope that you enjoyed and looking forward to hearing more from you!

Hybrid301: Hi! Thanks for the reviewwww! I was so happy to hear from you :D
Her spin on the rules was an inevitable thing, with her being a workaholic and all. And yessss, they are horribly awkward I love them so much hahahaha
I think that somewhat is the perfectly accurate word when it comes to their progression hahaha
Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Bearloveforever: Hello and thank you so much for the review! I'm always elated to know that my readers are enjoying themselves :D

Irissiell: Omg your review cracked me up so bad! Thank you so much! I'm not making any promises, but when Hina whips these guys into shape they probably will be a paper-filling force to be reckoned with… Until then, she'll probably have a few all-nighters to pull, poor thing.
Hope you enjoyed!

MerAnaSch94: Akjgnklejgbkljgr I've received praise! Thank you so much for leaving the lovely review! I'm never confident about my OCs (numerous Mary Sues and Gary Stus under my belt of accomplishments). So, I'm always glad to see that people like my additions to the series :D I'm trying to improve my writing all the time, so I'm really happy that you're enjoying it :)
I'm hoping that you liked the chapter and looking forward to more feedback!

Amazonannielove: I'm so happy to see you in the reviews! Glad that you're enjoying the drama and I hope to have you amused in the future as well :D

Omake:

He sat down at his desk and stared ahead for a while. Women were complicated. He had always known that. Well, it wasn't like he had had much experience in the department, either. Sure enough, he knew quite a few of them, but he had never been privy to the inner workings of their minds. And, whenever he'd gotten an opinion from one, it hadn't been something he'd been expecting. So, women were complicated.

Courting, even more so.

He was no expert at it. He didn't know the first thing about courting a mysterious creature of the opposite sex. He knew enough to recognize the way his eyes would lock onto the figure he was curious about, though. He knew enough to tell that a budding interest he had wasn't of the innocent sort. He knew that the way his heart would beat faster at the mention of her name or Division was a clear show of a crush.

Courting, it had been the obvious answer.

He hadn't expected her to reply. He hadn't expected her to write him a letter back. He had expected her to miss the hidden meaning of his message in the few flowers he'd sent. He hadn't expected her to be announced to the society as someone seeking a suitable match in marriage. He hadn't been expecting it to go this far.

But, he couldn't stop.

The inner workings of her mind had been exposed to him in her shy and tentative letters, offering her thoughts on various matters. He hadn't expected to receive insight into her troubles and joys. Yet, she'd granted him that privilege. Was there really a way to stop now?

A single bright yellow daffodil sat next to his blank paper. He'd chosen it when he'd gotten word of her first long mission in a while. He wanted to wish her a good new beginning. An eternal life doing what she loved. He wanted to offer his support with chivalry. Her neat handwriting stood on the page next to his blank one. She'd written about her friendship with a superior officer which has been troubling her mind. She'd told him about her Squad being uncooperative ever since her promotion. She'd told him of her worries and good wishes for him.

There was really no way he could stop writing now, even if it was wrong.

After all, he wanted to know more about the mysterious female creature which was Kobashigawa Hinagiku.

He wasn't ready to let go of this privilege yet.

That's all folks!

I've recently gotten a bit obsessed with Haikyuu, so if anyone is looking for something in that fandom to read, I should have some things up soon :D

On the other hand: You guys voted for KobaHitsu drabbles and I'm your humble servant. Keep an eye out for the spin-off which will be out soon!

In the meantime, I'm looking forward to your feedback if you choose to leave it. I hope that you do :D