A/N: No, I don't own the Nagatoro stuff, same as always.

For context, this story takes place when the main character are grown adults (About mid, maybe mid-late twenties) with jobs. I admittedly don't know a lot about adult life in Japan, so most of this may be based off of my real life experiences as an adult and a crap-ton of imagination.

The studio was nearly empty; only one figure remained at a computer. Naoto had a tendency to stay late, as he was very dedicated to his job. In the studio, he was the main producer, and prided himself on his ability to come up with scripts and character designs, which he would have the workers animate and send out to be aired.

It was a well paying job, and he enjoyed his work. He was good friends with just about everyone at the studio, and held mutual respect for anyone else.

However, that didn't mean no one got on his nerves. For the past few months, this one girl had been suddenly insistent on getting him to go on a date with her. She was pretty, kind, and rather smart, but he just wasn't interested. He had better things to do, and he knew his lack of relationship experience would bite him in the rear.

His phone pinged, and he almost ignored it out of fear that the one girl was on the move again. But then again, he was expecting to hear back from the board regarding the very first manga he drew in high school, so he steeled his nerves and flipped the phone over.

Nagatoro: Hey! I know it's been a while, but I'm going to be in the area tomorrow and was wondering if you wanted to meet up?

He almost dropped his phone upon reading the text; he and Nagatoro had split ways after high school. There wasn't a fight or an argument, he just graduated a year before her and was already receiving job offers at the time. So, he said goodbye to her and her friends and moved out of the city. They stayed in touch after that, but like with most long-distance friendships, the messages slowly became more and more scarce until they had all but ended.

His fingers practically moved on autopilot as they texted, "That'd be great! Do you have a time and place?"

A few minutes later, Nagatoro sent another message with the requested details, so Naoto sent an email to his employees stating he would be out of the office tomorrow, but would be back the following day. He decided to call it a night and closed up the office before driving home in the night.

In his apartment, he started recollecting his high school days with Nagatoro, and eventually, Nagatoro and Co. They had been the first real friends he had ever had, despite their odd ways of showing it. The torment had been unbearable when he first met her, to the point that he had believed she personally had something against him. But as time went on, the group had come to ease up on him, and he finally considered himself part of their group.

'Wonder how this is going to go,' Naoto said to himself before rolling over in his bed and falling asleep.

The next morning was spent preparing for the meeting. He found a set of clothes that was a good mix of formal and casual, so he could fit in however Nagatoro had intended the meeting to be. He made sure to do a good job cleaning in the shower and stopped at an ATM on the way just to be safe.

Soon enough he found himself at the designated spot. People came and went, but the one person he was waiting for had yet to show up.

"Senpai?" a somewhat-familiar voice asked from behind him. He quickly turned around and was graced by a friend he had not seen in years. She, like him, was in an outfit that could pass for both casual and semi-formal. But, not much had changed. Her hairstyle was exactly the same, if not a bit longer than when he last saw her. She had also put on a little muscle, giving her a well filled-out figure from what he could tell.

"Hey, it's good to see you again," he offered with a quick embrace, which she willingly returned.

"You've...changed. Your silhouette isn't as creepy anymore," Nagatoro mockingly complained.

"Well, it has been a while. Maybe the shirt is tight enough to alter my silhouette, though," Naoto replied, earning a light laugh from the woman beside him.

"Are you hungry? I know this great restaurant that always has those premium anpans available," Naoto asked.

"Lead the way, Senpai!"

And so he did. After a few minutes of walking, the two were seated in a classy restaurant, one of whom had purchased two anpans the moment she walked in.

She made a big deal of softly squishing them in her hands. "They're so soft and supple. It's been a while since I last had one," she stated, making direct eye contact as she continued to caress the food.

"Let me see," Naoto said, then grabbed one of the anpans and gave it a quick squeeze. "I have to admit, I haven't had one of these in a while myself," he offered while handing the roll back to Nagatoro.

"Senpai? Did it remind you of...something?" Hayachi deviously asked.

"It reminded me of a premium anpan," the man replied with a shrug.

"But, nothing else?" He knew exactly what she was going for, and he wasn't going to fall for it.

"I guess it bears resemblance to that time I accidentally groped you when you put them in your shirt, but the anpan feels much softer, yet firmer," he quipped.

"Hey!" Nagatoro exclaimed. "But, how have you been? It's been a long time since we last texted."

"I'm doing pretty well. About half a year ago I got hired as the new producer at the studio, and it's been pretty smooth sailing since. What about you? What're you up to nowadays?"

"I'm actually a lawyer. I graduated within the top fifteen percent at law school and went on to take part in some pretty big deal cases," she explained.

"You know, that fits you. You've always had a knack for picking people apart and pushing the right buttons."

The waitress finally came and took their orders, quickly returning with their drinks.

"How about the others? What happened to Gamo, Yoshi, and Sakura?"

"Let's see, Yoshi joined a professional track and field team as a sprinter, and last I heard her team is taking part in the upcoming Olympics. Sakura is an up and coming actress, and Gamo's modeling for a few agencies. We all keep in touch, but most of the info I know about them is from online articles."

"Wow. Who would have guessed we'd all take such different paths in life?"

"I know. But you work for a studio. What kind of shows do you deal with?"

"Actually, manga and anime," he replied with a sip of his water.

"Classic Senpai. How many lewd scenes do you fit into each episode?" she asked with a grin.

"Honestly, maybe one or two for each season, but not as much as some...other stuff...you can find online."

Nagatoro tilted her head as she looked at him, confused by his demeanor.

"You know, normally you would have gotten all flustered after I asked that. I kind of miss that."

"Yeah, but the job entails dealing with a lot of people who argue with your decisions, so I suppose I've just toughened up a little," he suggested.

Before the conversation could go any further, a certain someone decided to make an appearance.

"Hey boss! Didn't expect to see you here!" The woman had long, beautiful blonde hair with a gentle face to match. She was a bit taller than Nagatoro, but shorter than Naoto. Still, she had slender legs and was well endowed without being too well endowed. But the most notable feature was the eyes she made at the man across the table.

"Oh, hey Akina. This is Hayase Nagatoro. Hayase, this is Akina Tanaka. She's one of the animators at the studio," Naoto introduced.

(Just a quick note, I made that name up by combining common Japanese names. She's not a canon character, and Akina is not an Initial D reference.)

"Nice to meet you! Are you a friend of Hachioji?" Tanaka asked while sitting next to her higher up. Rather close to him, Nagatoro noted.

"Yes. We met in high school. And it's nice to meet you too."

Immediately, the newcomer began to excitedly talk about how she had put her finishing touches on the latest episode for "Our Hero Academy" two days ahead of schedule.

"Great job. I'll send it over once I get back to the studio tomorrow."

Slowly, the girl started making obvious attempts at flirting with her boss. Most of them were shot down or ignored, but some of the better disguised ones went under his radar.

Even when the food came, she stuck around and even snatched a few bites from his plate. Naoto would laugh it off or tell her he was saving that for later.

After half an hour of her pestering, Nagatoro excused herself and stepped out of the restaurant. Naoto ran after her, leaving Akina alone.

"Hayase, are you okay?" he asked when he caught up with her. The "chase" had ended in a park, near a large fountain.

"Why? Why did you agree to meet up if you were going to invite her? This was supposed to be something between the two of us!" she demanded, hurt filling her voice.

"I didn't invite her. I didn't even know she was going to show up," Naoto calmly replied. Nagatoro turned her back to him, but stayed where she was.

"Why don't we call it a day? She clearly has feelings for you, and I just can't compete with that."

Naoto was silent, and she feared he may have gone back.

"What do you mean?" he asked from slightly below. She looked down, seeing he had just taken a seat on the ledge of the fountain.

"Don't tell me you can't see it. She's all over you, eating your food, sitting right up against you. And her body! She's...she has more than I have going for me. And she's so nice. Our first meeting was terrible, and I bet you've never had an argument or disagreed with her."

"Hayase, do you really think I would have agreed to meet you and played along with your games if I was interested in her?"

"I mean, maybe?"

"Look, I know how she feels about me. But I've told her time and time again that I'm not romantically interested in her. Still, she keeps going after me, and I hoped her seeing me with you would have dampened her efforts."

He slowly reached up and grabbed her hand, then cupped it in his other one. Her face took a red glow, and her eyes met his.

"Hayase, you're the only person I would consider dating. I know we lost touch for a long time, but I would love to meet up more again after today."

The girl was pulled into a gentle but firm hug, which she eagerly returned. Seconds went by, and the two remained in that position. After half a minute, they finally separated.

"Come on, we should probably pay the bill before they call the cops on us," Naoto suggested and led Hayase back to the store, still holding her hand.

Thankfully, Akina had left, and some quick explaining was enough to sort the situation out with the restaurant staff, who admitted that watching Akina made them uncomfortable.

The two finished their food and prepared to head their own ways. Nagatoro had to drive into the next few cities over, and Naoto was going to be swamped at the studio the next day.

Before pulling out of the parking lot, the two offered one more goodbye to the other.

"Sorry again about running off like that. If you're serious about meeting again, I'd really like to."

"It's a date," Naoto replied, and stepped back so Hayase could drive out of the parking lot.

He watched the car disappear into traffic, rooted to the spot until he was sure it was gone.

'Why did I say it like that?' he said, mentally kicking himself over his wording as he began the walk back to his apartment.

Meanwhile, Nagatoro was wondering the exact same thing.