Hello, hello! One of my favorite chapters from my anime version, and I get to write it again! I'm so pumped!
Thank you to starrat, LadyAmazon, Shadowing, gossamermouse101, Momochan77, Wonderwomanbatmanfan, desitdan, caelestii.e, omegafan101, and two guests for your reviews! I'm sorry for how long this has taken, but I feel like I'm getting back into the swing of things! I hope you like this one!
Disclaimer: Nuh uh.
*Bonus: Shelter Mayhem*
"Fujioka! Fujioka, hold up!"
At the sound of her name, Jin shot her left hand out to snag the doorframe she was passing, stopping her in her tracks. She stepped back and peeked around the corner. One of her co-workers was running down the hallway towards her, breathing heavily and looking panicked.
"Hanashima? What's wrong?"
"Where's today's shipment of dog treats? They're not at the loading dock!"
"Maiko moved them to the storage closet a few minutes ago. Are you doing a demonstration?"
"Sort of." Hanashima scratched his ear, which was reddening in embarrassment. "I was hoping to help Katashi show off with a few tricks for a family that just came in."
Jin smiled and gave a small nod. "That's a good idea."
"Thanks! Oh, also, I think your sister was looking for you in the lobby. She seemed… tense."
Jin blinked, but nodded as Hanashima hurried back down the hallway he came from. She let out a long sigh, leaning against the wall for a moment. Most days, she adored working at Hōmusuītohōmu. She loved the animals, she had elevated through the ranks surprisingly fast for being so young, and her co-workers were cheerful and kind. She recognized the day she had been hired as one of the major turning points in her young life.
But the one day that Jin would gladly do without was their annual Rescue Day.
Sure, it was wonderful that the day always had their highest number of adoptions every year, but it drove Jin and Hayashi-san and everyone else crazy with the chaos. They always brought in family or friends to volunteer, but it never seemed to be enough.
The walkie-talkie poking out of her pants pocket burst to life, garbled words leaking through the speaker. Jin rolled her eyes as she fished the device out of her pocket. Haruhi never managed to press the call button hard enough to get rid of all the static, making herself incomprehensible. At some point, Jin had to wonder if giving Haruhi a walkie-talkie was even worth it.
"Haru? It's Jin. Say again?"
There's a moment of quiet after she releases the call button, quickly followed by Haruhi's staticy voice. The words were slower, and while it was still garbled, there were two words that Jin recognized. Mostly due to the sharp tone in which her sister spoke them.
Without another word, Jin shoved the device back into her pocket and began storming down the hallway towards the front of the shelter. She passed a few of her co-workers who were also rushing around, but they all managed to slow down and plaster themselves to the wall, staying well out of Jin's way until she passed them. Her darkened eyes and stiff walk made them keep their questions to themselves.
Please let me have heard her wrong. I want to be wrong. Let me be wrong.
She wasn't wrong.
Opening the door into the lobby with more force than was necessary, Jin glowered at the loud group that had congregated in the middle. At her sudden appearance, the host club, Haruhi, and Jin's boss looked over and abruptly shut up.
"What are you doing here?"
Every eye turned to Tamaki, who at least had the decency to look sheepish. Clasping his hands together behind his back, he quietly explained, "We overheard you and Haruhi talking about your plans for today, and from the sound of it you made it seem like any extra help would be the greatest gift you could recieve all year round. So… we intend to lend a hand."
Jin had to physically bite her tongue to not immediately remind Tamaki she wanted competent help. It wasn't their fault she had a short temper. Why had they shown up today, of all days? She didn't want to scare the boys… especially not Tamaki, who had a glass heart.
For the following five seconds, she prepared herself to send the boys home as kindly as she could manage, despite the unavoidable complaints and potential cold shoulders that would bite her in the rear… but then something occurred to her. Half of the Host Club let out identical shivers as Jin's gaze slowly drifted over them. They didn't know it, but she was in the process of… indulging in the idea of taking up their offer.
Hōmusuītohōmu was always short-staffed on Rescue Day, she reasoned, and this year was no exception. The Host Club might actually be of some help today… should they not screw up royally. But they would be under her jurisdiction if they stayed, and she was well known for running the volunteers with an iron fist. She could handle them. She would handle them.
Turning towards her boss, Jin raised an eyebrow. "Do you want a say in this decision?"
Hayashi-san blinked in surprise at being addressed, but he regarded the boys seriously for a few seconds before shaking his head. "You know we need extra hands today, Fujioka-san. If you know these boys, then I'll trust your judgement."
Nodding in acknowledgement, Jin turned back to the club members, resolutely ignoring Haruhi's distraught expression.
"Alright. I'll let you boys help out. But!" She held up her hand to stop what looked like the beginnings of a celebration, "we have some rules. Number one, you have to do whatever you're told to do by whoever I tell you to listen to. Number two, don't do anything without asking permission first. And number three, if I think you're not contributing enough help and you start becoming a hindrance, I can and will dismiss you at the drop of a hat. Clear?"
"Clear," the boys responded simultaneously, most of them wearing bright smiles. Jin nodded once more and offered a small smile of her own. Haruhi has inched her way over to Jin's side and was currently tugging at the bottom of Jin's shirt, but she was ignored for a moment longer as Jin gestured with her head towards the door on her right.
"Head in there and ask for Makoto-san. She'll get you your volunteer shirts for the day. After that, come back out here and I'll assign jobs. Now get."
With more smiles, "thank-you's", and a few salutes from Hikaru and Kaoru, the six boys trooped into the afformented room to get started. Still ignoring Haruhi's heavy glare and gaping mouth, Jin watched them go, her head tilting a little as her eyes lingered on the back of the pack. If Kyoya noticed he was being stared at, he didn't show it.
Now that Jin thought about it, Kyoya had been quiet throughout the entire ordeal, clearly having been dragged along, and yet he was following along with the other boys with no complaints. If Jin had to guess, she would've assumed that volunteering at an animal shelter would've ranked at the very bottom of Kyoya's list of interests. He could very easily have backed out of Tamaki's idea at any point, slipping away or verbally offering to leave. But he hadn't. Which resulted in yet another bout of confusion for Jin.
Simply put, she didn't know what to think of Kyoya any more. Something about their trip to the water park three days ago was still bothering her. Haruhi had shared the highlights of what happened after Jin was washed away, and one of those things was how unfeeling and careless Kyoya had been when it came to everyone else's safety. But while that may be… Jin couldn't shake the feeling that Kyoya had been both concerned and slightly disturbed at the sight of Jin's bruise. And later, when she and Honey had recounted exactly what had gone down with the guards, Kyoya had gone rigid when they spoke of the guns being pointed at them.
That didn't sound like someone who didn't care.
"Nēchan…"
Letting her thoughts of Kyoya fall away for the time being, Jin took in a deep breath. Time for damage control.
*\/*
"So… how are your new recruits doing?"
Jin sighed, stretching out as best she could in the seat in front of Hayashi-san's desk. Actually, saying "desk" gave off the impression that they were in an office. In truth, the room was more of a glorified filing cabinet. Shelves filled with boxes of old records lined the right and back wall, barely leaving enough room for a desk and a small opening for someone to squeeze themselves behind it, while also managing to fit a water jug and a semi-comfortable chair on the other side. The door was always permanently open, because if it wasn't there was the risk of something falling over and jamming the door shut forever. Also, the room had no A/C and no windows, so there was always either a fan or a space heater blocking the doorway no matter the time of year.
How Hayashi-san got anything done without the looming fear of being buried alive astonished Jin whenever she thought of it.
"I think-" Jin's answer was cut short by soft twittering right in her ear. Reaching up with her right hand, Jin gently stroked the head of the bird on her shoulder. Instead of continuing with her answer, she let out a deep sigh and sank a little further into her seat. On the other side of the desk, Hayashi watched in amusement.
"At least Sora's in good energy."
"That's because he's been sitting on my shoulder for the past three hours. Lazy bum." Despite Jin's sharp words, her touch was soft as she gently stroked the bird's head. Sora let out a pleasant note at the attention, half-heartedly pecking at Jin's shirt when she stopped.
Clearing her throat, Jin gave her empty shoulder a shrug. "I've kinda been stuck in the nursery for the past half hour, but from my last walk-around the boys seemed to be doing okay. Same as the other volunteers. From the looks of it, things are going smoothly for now."
"So your friends are fitting in? Given what you've told me about them before..."
"Define fitting in," Jin scoffed. "They aren't causing any scenes at least, and it feels a little less hectic with them around, so there's really no room to complain. But, if there's one thing the Host Club is capable of, it's making a scene out of nothing."
Hayashi-san stared at Jin for a long moment across his piles of paperwork before the girl begrudgingly stood up. "Fine. I'll go make another loop around the building."
"Thank you. Just make sure nothing's on fire."
"Can do."
With a two-finger salute, Jin escaped the stuffy office and took a left. The shelter had an interesting layout to it, and Jin couldn't help but wonder what the building had been used for before Hayashi-san and his wife bought it.
The building's floor plans looked almost like a jawbreaker candy, with a large center room and two rings around it. At the moment, the middle was filled with rows of cages for housing the cats and dogs. Each of the four walls around the center room had a set of doors, one of them leading into the front lobby while the other three led out to the hallway that circled the building like an upside-down "U". The outside "layer" of the building was comprised of roughly nine smaller rooms that served as storage units, a medical center, housing for reptiles, birds, and small mammals, a staff lounge, and Hayashi-san's office. And, the cherry on top, the doors at the very back of the building opened up to a huge fenced in yard with enough space for even the biggest of dogs to have room to run around and frolick to their heart's content.
As the duo started making their way down the hall, Jin reached up again to stroke at Sora's soft feathers. "What do you think, pretty bird? Shall we see what those crazy boys are up to now?"
"Are you talking to that bird?"
Jin tripped over air, catching herself just in time to not smack face first into the wall. Spinning around, she watched Kyoya slowly enter the hallway from the lobby, eyeing her warily. A quick glance over his shoulder let Jin catch the tail-end of the dreamy stare Kata-san was leveling at Kyoya's back. Scoffing quietly to herself, Jin returned to the matter at hand.
"You mean Sora? Yeah, I was talking to him. I have to have some sort of intelligent conversation around here."
Kyoya raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment further, even as Sora tried to peck at Jin's hair for nearly sending the bird across the hallway in her panic. Straightening out her shirt, Jin remembered what she was supposed to be doing.
"Actually, this is good timing. I was on my way to check up on you boys. Anything you'd like to report?"
"Nothing in particular." Kyoya was looking down at the clipboard in his hands, casually flipping some of the papers around. When he looked back up and saw Jin waiting for further explanation, he said, "I've been sent to collect any adoption papers that have been filled out from the smaller housing rooms, then report back to the front desk."
"Huh. I guess I'll walk with you then. I have to check in on the others." Jin straightened out her shirt and looked down the hallway, already preparing for Kyoya to insist he could make his rounds by himself. She didn't necessarily want to follow him around the building, but how else was she supposed to-
"Fine by me." Kyoya tucked his clipboard to his side and gestured for Jin to lead the way.
*\/*
"So what's with the bird?"
"Hm?" Jin turned away from the window to the aviary, where she had been watching Mori carefully cleaning the bird cages while their numerous residents chilled out on his head and shoulders. Kyoya wasn't looking at her, opting instead to continue observing Sora. The little white bird was tweeting rapidly, hopping back and forth along Jin's shoulder. Not a surprise. He didn't like being this close to the aviary.
Jin winced slightly as her earlobe was tugged. "You mean Sora?"
"Are there any other birds I could be referencing?"
"Yes." Jin ignored the unimpressed look she received for her sarcasm and moved away from the door. "But if you're asking why Sora is on my shoulder and not in a cage… well, it's a long story. The short explanation is that when this little guy crash landed against our front window, I was the one who patched him up, and I ended up nursing him to health in secret at my apartment. He grew attached and likes to ride around on my shoulder when I'm here. I guess he's mine in a way, but our apartment doesn't allow pets. Sora gets away with short visits because our landlord likes our family, but nothing beyond that."
Kyoya gave a hum, and Jin knew that was the end of the conversation. Just like all the other short talks they'd had today. It was so awkward walking from one room to another with Kyoya in clipped silence, but Jin didn't know what else to do. Maybe if they could hold a conversation for more than ten sentences, she'd be able to slip in a question or two about their last "adventure" in the Aqua Garden, but Kyoya clearly wasn't in a chatty mood.
He's never in a chatty mood, Jin thought with a hint of annoyance before she walked into the next room on their list, the medical bay. Well, technically it was on Jin's list. When she had been assigning duties for the boys an hour earlier, the twins had been snatched up specifically for the medical bay. Kyoya technically had no business stopping here with Jin, so when he followed her inside it came as a bit of a surprise.
Deciding to ask him about it later, if she ever got the chance, Jin raised a hand in greeting at the first person she saw. "Agano-san! How are the newbies doing?"
At the sound of her name, a petite blond immediately perked her head up from whatever chart she'd been reading. Their resident veterinarian smiled and waved the two teenagers over before pointing to the back corner of the room.
"They're taking care of Mei right now. Mostly just giving her a break. The kittens have been climbing all over them for nearly half an hour, now."
Jin and Kyoya leaned to the side to peer around the corner and look for themselves, Agano giggling behind her hand. True to her word, Hikaru and Kaoru were sitting cross-legged in front of each other in the back corner of the room, the twins hunched over as they tried to balance the five kittens crawling over them. In the cage to Kaoru's right and Hikaru's left, a black and white cat was lounging on a pile of blankets, watching her babies and their sitters with a critical eye. Behind her, Jin could hear the faint clicking sounds of a camera going off, and she couldn't exactly blame Kyoya for using this golden opportunity. It really was super cute.
As they continued to watch, a black and white kitten suddenly scampered up the back of Hikaru's head, tiny mouth nibbling at the many flyaway strands of orange hair sticking up out of the boy's head. Hikaru stiffened immediately, his shoulders hunched and hands coming up to either side of his head, even as another kitten was crawling up the front of his volunteer shirt. Even Jin felt her heart rate pick up when she saw the little kitten wobbling precariously on the boy's head.
"Kaoru? Kaoru, Kaoru, Kaoru, Kaoru-"
"I see it. I see it."
Reaching up to grab the kitten before it fell off was clearly a challenge for Kaoru, considering he was trying to balance a kitten on each shoulder at the same time, but he managed. Hikaru instantly relaxed before letting out a yelp, pulling a rather aggressive kitten off of his leg and placing it to the side even it tried attacking his fingers.
Jin giggled and moved back before she could be spotted. "Well, I'm glad they're useful."
"They are! We never get volunteers in here, so it's a nice change of pace."
"Good to hear. I'll make a note about setting aside a volunteer or two for you next year."
"Thank you, Fujioka-san. I'd appreciate it."
Agano and Jin exchanged a few more pleasantries before Kyoya cleared his throat and gestured back towards the door. "Sorry to interrupt, but I believe we should be continuing on our way?"
"Oh, right. Sorry, Kyoya. I'll see you in a bit, Agano-san."
"Bye-bye!"
As Kyoya and Jin walked out of the medical bay, Jin reached over and plucked Kyoya's pen out of his hands. "Pardon me."
Holding up her left hand, she carefully wrote out on her palm 'Give Med vol next year'. Since they were walking and the pen wasn't exactly suited for writing on skin, the characters were shaky and faded in places, but it would last long enough for Jin to get back to Hayashi-san's office and rewrite the note somewhere more permanent.
Clicking the pen shut, she smiled and handed it back to Kyoya. "Thanks!"
"You know you shouldn't do that."
"Do what?" Jin followed Kyoya's line of sight to her left hand, then back up. "Why?"
Instead of answering, Kyoya wrinkled his nose and turned away, snatching his pen from Jin's fingers as an afterthought. Jin tilted her head, confused. What did Kyoya mean about not writing on her hand? Why shouldn't she do that? Was it bad for the pen or something?
She opened her mouth to ask him directly when something occurred to her. Does Kyoya think I was asking why just to be difficult? Is that why he didn't answer? It made Jin feel a little guilty, but she knew it was very possible Kyoya was thinking something similar. He probably wouldn't be up for talking to her again for at least a few minutes.
Deciding to just look up what he meant later, Jin kept quiet until they reached the next door in the hallway. Even from outside the door, Jin could hear the sounds of Hunny-senpai's squealing laughter. Smiling at the sound, she pushed the door open and walked inside.
It was surprising when Kyoya still followed after her… but Jin couldn't say she was upset by it either.
*\/*
Twenty minutes later, after ensuring that Hunny-senpai was happily buried in rabbits and saving Haruhi and Hayashi-san's wife from being crushed to death by dog food in storage, Jin and Kyoya finally made their way to the center of the building. They hadn't spoken to each other since the pen incident, but the awkward silence following them around was finally being drowned out by barks and meows as they walked between the many cages housed in the big center room.
Every so often, Jin would stop and poke her fingers through the bars of the cages and pet whichever animal inside when it ran over for affection. Understandably, this made their process to the center of the room rather slow going, but Kyoya never gave off any hint of annoyance. At least not any that Jin picked up on. She supposed given how noisy the room was, he was in no hurry to reach the epicenter of the sounds.
Eventually they did make it to the center, where a large U-shaped countertop resided in what little open space there was. As cats and dogs were the most popular pets, it came as no surprise to Jin just how busy the room was. Families and staff members were moving about every which way, filling out forms and selecting animals to visit. It was a madhouse, in general terms.
And Tamaki fit right in.
"Kyoya! Jin!" The blond in question tried to wave at them, but with a half-dozen leashes in hand with clearly energetic dogs on the other ends, he ended up being pulled around in a 180 for his troubles. Jin pressed her cheek into her hand, taking a moment to absorb the scene. To the untrained eye, some might say that Tamaki was in over his head. But the nearby volunteers were smiling at the blond boy, and there wasn't even a trace of panic in anyone's eyes as Tamaki corralled his charges.
"I'm taking these guys outside to burn off some energy. Care to join me? Oh, cute bird, Jin! You should both come with me! These guys are so much fun to play with!"
"Sorry, Tamaki, but I think we're both too busy." Jin was truly sorry. It felt like it had been ages since she last got to play fetch in the backyard, a chore she had enjoyed since her first day on the job.
Kyoya seemed less upset by his conflicting task. With a simple reminder to Tamaki that he couldn't adopt all the dogs in the shelter, he walked off towards another volunteer. Probably to ask for the papers. Jin sighed as he walked off, still confused as to why he had even bothered showing up today. He obviously didn't want to be there. Maybe he wanted some good PR for his family name?
"Kyoya promised to do his best today to help."
"Hm?"
It was almost artful how Tamaki managed to look so serious with six dogs tugging at his arms. He was smiling almost conspiringly at Jin as he jerked his head in Kyoya's direction. "He might not want to have come in the first place, but once I put him in a position where he'd be helping, I knew he was stuck here with the rest of us. Kyoya is many things, but he is not a slacker. If you give him a job, he will perform it to the best of his ability, despite what he may feel about it."
"Tamaki! If you don't take those dogs out right now, you'll be in charge of cleaning up their messes!"
Jin had never seen someone's face go from serene to panicked quite that fast before. She blinked once and her friend was gone, the sound of the back doors swinging shut echoing around the room. Giving Aoyama a softened version of her death glare, Jin shook her head and decided to wash her hands of it. Aoyama's threats were always rather empty ones, anyways.
"Jin, I have a question for you before we part ways." Kyoya had returned, his voice and expression both equal amounts neutral and curious. "I've noticed that, while most of the volunteers here are wearing these… t-shirts, some are not, opting for name tags instead. What is the difference between the two?"
Jin took a moment to answer, letting her eyes drift down to Kyoya's torso which was displaying a bright neon green t-shirt with the shelter's logo and title in shiny black fancy script. If Jin were meeting Kyoya for the first time today, she would assume he was no richer than she was.
So, she took a lot of pleasure in smiling up at the boy and announcing, "Preference. The shirts aren't a requirement, since we have the name tag option now."
Kyoya's expression never faltered. But he was quiet for a long while, his shirt's neckline still pinched between his thumb and forefinger from when he had referenced the shirt earlier. Jin let out a heavy sigh, unashamed to find join in pulling a fast one on Kyoya Ootori.
"Why did you fail to mention this earlier?"
"Because it was irrelevant. You and the rest of the Host Club are required to wear it, after all."
"And why is that?"
"Because I said so."
If Jin were to attach a word to the expression Kyoya was currently wearing… perhaps affronted was the best choice? It wasn't quite "offended", but if anyone else was to wear that particular expression, Jin would entirely expect them to press a hand to their chest or follow up with "I beg your pardon?" It took everything in her to not burst out laughing.
But that didn't stop her from giggling as she explained, "You boys show up out of the blue and give me more work to do on my busiest day of the year and expect me to not throw some petty stuff in there? Besides, you look great!"
Okay, now Kyoya looked properly offended. Jin felt her stomach sink a little at the sight… until something different flashed across the boy's face. Kyoya blinked a few times before his metaphorical hackles suddenly lowered. Jin watched in surprise as he gradually relaxed his stance, no longer looking like he was about to march out of the room without a backwards glance.
"I must admit your actions do make some form of sense. But I doubt anyone other than myself see these shirts as a form of punishment."
"Oh, yeah, I predicted that. Tamaki's probably going to keep his forever."
"If possible."
"Do you think he'll try to frame it?"
"I… unfortunately wouldn't put it past him."
At the banter, Jin finally let out an honest bought of laughter. Sora twittered in response, hopping off of Jin's shoulder to fly in circles before settling down again. Kyoya watched the bird, his lips twitching in what Jin could only assume was amusement.
"I'm surprised your pet is acting so brave. He seems to be gathering quite a bit of attention."
Turning her head, Jin wasn't surprised to see more than a few cats gazing at Sora intently. The little bird was back on her shoulder, preening, but Jin didn't share his contentment. It wouldn't be the first time a cat or dog had managed to escape their confines, and Jin didn't want Sora in dangers way if she could avoid it. But, and it pained her to say it, she was actually enjoying Kyoya's company at the moment. His quick wit was compatible with hers, and they seemed to share a similar sense of humor. That was hard to come by at Ouran. And considering how often they hung out, maybe getting to know Kyoya better this way was the next step. Maybe… they could become actual frie-
A terribly loud crashed sent all of Jin's thoughts to a crashing halt. If she didn't know better, she'd say that the building itself had actually shook. More than a few people around let out little screams and a chorus of alarmed barking was let loose.
Off in the distance, a familiar voice called out, "I'M OKAY!"
Another crash, slightly smaller than the last one, resonated through the room.
"I'M STILL OKAY!"
Jin pressed her lips together tightly, trying very hard to not imagine what might be waiting for her at the other end of the room. "Um… I think that's my cue to make sure your friend didn't main himself. Or anyone else."
"Then I suppose I should wish you good luck."
A whine escaped before Jin could stop it.
*Twenty Minutes Later*
Since the door to Hayashi Aki's office was always open, no one except the really new employees knocked to announce themselves. Instead, Hayashi had just gained the odd "superpower" of always knowing when someone was about to walk in. So when Jin slowly stumbled into the door, hair a frizzy mess, Hayashi merely watched with his chin resting on his hands, trying not to look amused.
Eventually she made it to the chair, collapsing down into it hard enough to knock Sora off her shoulder and into her lap. The bird seemed exhausted too, electing to snuggle into the crook of her legs instead of flying back up to his usual perch.
After a few seconds of quiet, Hayashi looked back down and shuffled some papers around. "How's it going?"
"Next year, if I look like I'm considering letting the Host Club help again, please fire me instead."
"Absolutely not. But I'll gladly remind you that they will be in your care again."
"That's almost worse."
At that comment, Hayashi gave up trying to hide his laughter, sitting back in his seat as he let it all out. Quietly, from across the desk he faintly heard Jin join in. Considering Hayashi had been cooped up in his office for the past three hours going over various paperwork, and laughter break was exactly what he'd been needing.
When their laughter finally subsided, at least temporarily, Hayashi waved his hand, gesturing for Jin to sit up. With a groan that wasn't entirely fake, she did just that.
"Alright, my actual report, then. The boys are doing okay, and the incident with the bird cages was not Tamaki's fault. You can quote me on that. Otherwise, they're doing fine. I had Kyoya's help in reminding both my sister and your wife that they're both too short to be rotating the food stocks alone. Oh, and Agano-san has requested at least one volunteer for the med bay come next year's Rescue day. I've already put the request in the main computer, so we should be able to find it next year without issue."
Hayashi nodded along. "I see… maybe you shouldn't be so quick to ban your new friends from joining up next year? They seem to be at least somewhat helpful."
"Woah, hold up. I know that tone." Jin crossed her arms and would've crossed her legs too if Sora weren't still in her lap. "What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing bad, I promise! I suppose I was merely curious as to how you and your sister became such close friends with a Host Club."
Jin let out a scoff, "Merely curious. Right. It's complicated, but the short answer is we're in the club with them- not guests. I saw that look on your face!"
Hayashi shrugged, looking as non-innocent as he probably could. "You can't blame me for wondering. Your sister's adorable and you're a complete catch. Besides, they all seem rather handsome and competent. If you were to end up with-"
"No. We're not going there. I'm leaving. Taking my lunch. Whatever." Jin scrambled out of the chair, scooping Sora into her hand as she went. "I can't believe my boss wants to talk to me about my love life, of all people!"
"So there is a love life?"
Jin lifted her eyes to the heavens and wished for one day to have the power to slam Hayashi's office door behind her just once before she died.
It's done! I got it all out! Geez, this one took forever! Sorry about that!
Hopefully the next one will go smoother... or not, considering it's going to be two chapters condensed into one? Oh well...
See you next chapter!