Strictly speaking, Alice was to blame for everything. Had it not been for her tendency to be scatterbrained and forgetting to grab breakfast before their weekly morning meeting, Ryo would not have entered the bakery at the corner of the street to pick up something she could eat.
Alice was a genius when it came to business and marketing, but when she ran on an empty stomach; she was a right nightmare that Ryo did not want to deal with. That was the reason why he had been stopping by the bakery every Wednesday morning for the past five weeks. It was to make sure Alice ate breakfast, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the cute girl with the braids behind the counter. Her name was Megumi and she had the Wednesday morning shift, but that was totally unrelated.
"Good morning, Kurokiba-san! What can I get you today?" Megumi beamed at him from her spot by the cash register. Even in her plain, white apron, she looked cute.
"Morning. Lemme just think for a minute." He replied with a nod to her greeting. He didn't need to think, he already knew what he was getting. A large cafe latte to go and a croissant with chocolate filling. Ryo wasn't much for sweets, but the croissants here were to die for.
"Alright, just let me know when you are ready. Do you want me to get started on your coffee?" She asked Ryo, but was already pulling out a to-go cup and starting the coffee machine.
"Yeah, thanks. A large-"
"A large latte with no sweetener. Coming right up!" She called cheerfully and disappeared around the displays.
Ryo went back to browsing the other pastries in the glass case to his right. The bakery had a fairly large selection of baked goods, and so far he had liked everything he had tried, except for the macarons, but he had never liked those.
He briefly considered grabbing a muffin for Alice, but remembered her recent complaints about having to watch her weight. Ryo thought it was ridiculous. Alice was perfectly healthy, but he didn't want to make her mad so he decided to leave out the muffin.
Ryo turned away from the display and discreetly watched the counter where Megumi was ringing up another costumer. She was cute and very friendly, and not at all his usual type. He watched as she bid the costumer at the counter goodbye, and gave her regards to their family. Once done, she swiftly turned back to the coffee machine to grab his now ready coffee.
"Your coffee is all done," she placed it at the counter and disappeared behind the display. "And here's your chocolate croissant." She looked at him with triumphant smile, which he couldn't help but return.
"Thanks." Ryo was slightly impressed that she had correctly guessed his order, and handed her some bills to pay for his purchase. Not that it was a particularly hard order to guess, he had , after all, ordered the same thing for the past five weeks.
Megumi swiftly counted the money and handed Ryo his change, before beaming at him with a smile that could light up an entire room. Ryo grabbed the paper bag and his coffee and turned to leave, "Bye."
"I hope you have a wonderful day!" She smiled brightly and waved as he headed out.
He was still half an hour early for his meeting, but he hurried towards his building anyways. He wanted to finish eating before Alice arrived and started griping about his frequent visits to the bakery. She seemed to be under the impression that Ryo was interested in Megumi and had made it her mission to not-so-secretly set them up. Ryo snorted at the thought. None of the girls Alice had set him up with in the past had worked out, and he wasn't holding out hope that this would be any different.
While she was hellbent on getting him a date with Megumi, Alice was neck deep in several projects at the moment and barely had any moment of rest. Of course that also meant that she was very prickly at the moment and was frustrated that she couldn't find time to be his wing woman, which suited Ryo just fine. He didn't need her meddling, though he could admit that he maybe was the tiniest bit interested in the cute girl from the bakery. He wondered if she was single.
Ryo took off the lid of his coffee and looked at the swirls of milk still visible on the surface. Smiling inwardly, he took a sip and felt warmth spread through him. The croissant in front of him was calling his name and he eagerly bit into it, savoring every second.
Ryo considered proposing to Megumi then and there, if it would get him a life time supply of delicious, buttery croissants, only he wasn't sure she was involved in any of the baking. And maybe he should start by asking her on a date.
All too soon his croissant was reduced to crumbs and he was tempted to go back and buy another one at lunch. Glancing at the clock on the wall, Ryo noticed with satisfaction that there were still twenty minutes left until the meeting would start and he busied himself by scrolling through news on his phone as he drank his coffee.
Of course, Alice, his best friend and the biggest cause of his misery, entered the conference room before he had finished off his coffee and sent him a knowing smile.
"I see you stopped by Megumi again. Do tell her I said hello." She took a seat at the head of the long table and pulled out some files she needed to go over before the meeting began.
"I didn't have time for breakfast." Ryo grumbled, knowing that Alice saw right through him. It was only going to fuel her matchmaking urges once her schedule cleared up.
"Sure." Her eyes traveled to the bakery logo on his now empty coffee cup, but she didn't press the issue. He should have known it wouldn't last long.
At lunch the following day, Ryo had just finished eating when Alice appeared, a cheshire grin on her face that could only spell trouble for him.
"There you are! I've been looking all over for you." Alice complained dramatically, but with a wide smile on her face as she placed her lunch tray down on the table.
"No you haven't," Ryo narrowed his eyes at her. She took a seat and grabbed the drink from her tray, smiling smugly.
"What did you do?" Had he spoken to anyone else in that tone, they would be scared shitless, but his glare had no effect on the blonde in front of him. She had grown up with him and was immune to any threats he could potentially make, when he found out what she had been up to.
"Nothing." Alice fiddled with the straw in her drink, shooting him a calculating look. Then she sighed dramatically and started talking.
"I just ran into Megumi on my way here, and it seemed like she was arguing with someone right outside of the bakery. Turns out it was her ex and that he has been showing up at her work to harass her." That sounded very bad, and Ryo instantly felt bad for Megumi, but she was essentially a stranger, so it had nothing to do with him.
"And I care why?" Ryo tried sounding bored, but Alice's sharp gaze saw right through his mask of indifference.
"Because I volunteered you to walk her home once her shift ended. You're welcome." Alice said lightly, enjoying the barrage of emotions that crossed her best friend's face. Surprise, confusion and anger were replaced by wonder, embarrassment and then it went back to indifference. Then he shook his head and narrowed his eyes at the pale girl in front of him. "I hate you."
"No, you don't. Now get going, Megumi gets off work at 1pm."
"1pm? That's in- shit!" Ryo scrambled out of his seat and ignored Alice's laughter that followed him as he ran out of the cafeteria. "Have fun!" She called cheerfully. Damn her.
Ryo didn't have time to grumble, but made a mental note to get back at her ASAP. He quickly made it to the reception and all but ran out of the door. He hoped Megumi stayed put until he got there, and sped up a little. Dress pants really weren't made for sprinting and Ryo cursed himself for following dress code on that day.
Once the bakery was in sight, he slowed down and got his breathing under control. He wanted to reach her quickly, but he didn't want it to be obvious that he ran all the way. The doors opened for him and Megumi's voice welcomed him from her usual place.
"Good afternoon, Kurokiba-san!" She smiled sweetly at him, without a care in the world. Ryo's eyes swept the store as he made his way to the counter and saw that there were no other costumers around.
"Hey, are you ready to go?" Ryo asked, keeping his breathing normal. He really needed to get back in shape, if he was winded from running here from the office.
"Go where?" Megumi asked, visibly confused.
"Home. Isn't your shift over?" Ryo asked with raised brows. Was she pulling his leg? Or was there something keeping her from leaving.
"Um, my shift just started an hour ago and I'm here until we close at 6pm." She explained, a little uncertainly. That couldn't be right.
"Wait, wasn't you ex-" Megumi still looked confused and that's when it clicked. Alice.
"I'm gonna kill that lying, little snake." Ryo swore to get back at her. He was going to make her suffer for embarrassing himself in front of Megumi. "Sorry, looks like Alice pranked me." He apologized tersely, trying to keep his composure.
"Oh, Nakiri-san, right? She was here a little while ago and ordered a sandwich for pickup at 1 pm." Megumi informed him, pulling out a small brown bag from the display next to her. Ryo glared at the paper bag. So that was what Alice had been up to.
"Of course she did." He kept his tone neutral as he thought of how to exact revenge on her, but his face must have betrayed him since he could hear Megumi let out a little laugh.
Of all the interactions she had ever had with Kurokiba, she had never seen him so worked up. The impression she had of him was of someone cool and collected, and he was always polite to her. It was refreshing to see him let down his guard. "If I may ask, what did she tell you?" Megumi inquired politely.
Ryo hesitated for a moment, before he sighed and told her. "She told me your ex was bothering you and that you needed someone to walk you home." If she was going to laugh at how gullible he was, now was the time. He was pleasantly surprised when she didn't.
"Oh, wow. And you came to help me out?" Megumi gave him a look he couldn't decipher, peering at him from under her bangs and it did things to him. Her doe eyes were a weapon and Ryo found himself having to clear his throat to get back on track.
"Yeah. I'm sorry for disturbing you at work." He apologized, still annoyed that Alice had fooled him. "I need to have a word with Alice, so I'll get out of your hair now." Ryo grabbed the paper bag and turned to leave, but was stopped by Megumi calling out to him. "Can I get you a coffee? My treat." She stood behind the counter, fiddling with the edge of her apron.
Ryo quirked a brow, thinking she probably was feeling sorry for him, but accepted nonetheless. He could use the extra caffeine if he was going to deal with Alice. "Sure."
Megumi's face lit up and she got to work right away. Ryo didn't even bother telling her his order, she already had it memorized. Instead, Ryo watched her as she worked with her back to him.
He didn't know what it was about this petite girl that had caught his interest, but he couldn't take his eyes off her. She was cute, sure, but she had this way of making him feel warm inside that he had seldom experienced and it was quite frankly messing with his head. He really needed to get a grip.
Ryo watched as she reached for a plastic lid and fixed it on top of the cup. Her back was still turned to him, but she was taking a long time getting the lid on. Maybe it was stuck? He was just about to tell Megumi to leave the lid off when she finally turned and brought his coffee over.
"One large latte with no sweetener." Megumi handed him the cup and smiled shyly. Ryo thanked her and grabbed the cup with his left hand, taking the paper bag with Alice's sandwich in the other.
He didn't know if it was only his imagination, but Megumi was looking at him like she wanted to say something. Ryo offered to pay for his coffee, thinking she might have changed her mind, but she shook her head, insisting he take it.
Ryo glanced at his wristwatch to make sure his lunch break wasn't over, and that was when he noticed something black on the side of his cup. It was numbers written with a black marker. A phone number to be specific. Ryo's eyes snapped to Megumi and he finally took note of her flushed cheeks.
"If you ever want to walk me home so my ex doesn't bother me…" She let the invitation hang in the air as she shyly glanced at Ryo, who would forever deny the absolutely besotted grin that broke out on his face.
Ryo lifted his cup in the air as a promise and turned to leave, when an idea suddenly struck him. He turned back to Megumi and noted with some satisfaction that she was full on blushing now. Ryo cleared his head and made his request. "Do you think you could do me a favor?"
Nearly ten minutes had passed since Ryo made it back to his office, and he figured he should get Alice her sandwich so she didn't get too cranky. He was still going to rip her a new one, but getting Megumi's number had put him in a great mood and he considered letting Alice off easy, but it was still up for debate as he walked down the hall.
The door to her office was open and Ryo waltzed in, brown paper bag in his hand. Alice looked up from her desk, where she was discussing something with one of her assistants and brightened considerably when her eyes landed on the paper bag. She quickly finished what she was saying and dismissed her assistant, who all but fled from the room when he saw Ryo.
"I see you brought me lunch, Ryo-kun." She stated innocently, bringing back all his previous irritation.
"I should shove this down your throat after the stunt you just pulled." Ryo grumbled and tossed the bag so it landed on her desk with a thump.
"Don't be so dramatic." Alice chided and unwrapped her sandwich in anticipation. "I just gave you a little push so you would have a chance to talk to Megumi."
"I don't need your meddling." Ryo narrowed his eyes at her.
"Yes, yes, whatever you say." Alice rolled her eyes and finally took a bite. She made a small sound of satisfaction as she started chewing, but it quickly turned into coughing and gagging. Alice's eyes watered as she struggled to swallow her mouthful of sandwich.
"What the hell? You know I hate mustard!" She wheezed and lunged for the water bottle she kept on her desk, downing its contents and glaring at Ryo.
"That was payback." Ryo smirked and left Alice's office as she cursed him. Yeah, it had been a pretty good day.