"Good morning, everyone!"

Ryushi and the other employees were surprised to see Keigo so cheery that early in the morning, even more so to see him coming into work in the company of Hanako, but they pushed those thoughts aside when Hanako presented them with the basket of mushi-pan.

"Oh my gosh, this is delicious!"

"Hey, Hanako, did you bring any more of that coffee?"

Keigo watched as his employees gathered around Hanako and he smiled, taking a bite of the mushi-pan he had snagged before the others.

"So, she's fitting in well it would seem," Ryushi said, sidling up to his boss. "More than I would have expected her to."

"Yeah, she was definitely a good hire."

"By the way, sir, Subaru Ejiri asked for you again."

Keigo's smile faded and he got serious. "What does that weasel want?"

"He's insisting that you discuss the details of the deal further."

Keigo sighed. "There's nothing more to discuss."

"You're not seriously considering taking the deal, are you?"

"No. It's not like we're hurting for cash; perks of being the No. 2 Hero, I suppose."

Ryushi watched him for a moment, then shifted his gaze to Hanako. "Good, I'll give him a call later. I didn't like how he was looking at Hanako, anyway."

Keigo knew what he meant, recalling the unsettling predatory hunger in Subaru's eyes when he saw Hanako. "Neither did I," He took another bite of his mushi-pan, savoring the red bean paste stuffing, and made his way towards his office. "Let me know if today's schedule changes at all, alright?"

"Of course, sir."

Hanako happened to look over right about that point, her smile fading a bit when she saw the serious look on Keigo's face and the worried expression on Ryushi's. When Ryushi met her gaze, he offered her as reassuring a smile as he could but she knew that look all too well.

'I wonder what's got them worried...' she thought, hanging the herbs in the break room to dry.

Keigo sat at his desk, looking over the reports Ryushi had set out for him to review. It was just another day where he would rather be lounging on his couch napping or reading a good book, but he had things he needed to take care of first.

He sighed heavily, only glancing up from his work when a steaming mug was set out in front of him. He took a deep breath, catching the scent of lavender lemon tea blend and immediately feeling at ease. "Thanks."

Hanako waited patiently as he sipped the tea, then presented him with her notepad. 'Is everything OK, sir? You seem a bit down compared to this morning.'

"I'm fine, Miss Itami. There's no need for you to worry yourself."

'I hope I'm not overstepping, but if you need to talk about something, sir, I'd be happy to listen.'

"That's sweet of you, but really I'm alright."

A knock came at the door and they both turned to find the current No. 1 Hero standing just inside the doorway.

"Endeavor? What are you doing here?" Keigo asked.

Endeavor, the Flame Hero- aka Enji Todoroki- stepped into Keigo's office. "We need to talk," He glanced over at Hanako, seeing her a bit more nervous than he was used to seeing in most people. "Who's the girl?"

"This is Hanako Itami, my new secretary," Keigo said, introducing her.

Enji watched as Hanako bowed but said nothing, jumping a bit when he asked if she mute or something.

"She is actually, but that doesn't stop her from being an excellent secretary," Keigo narrowed his eyes a bit at him, then gestured for him to sit on the couch as he stood. "Miss Itami, could you bring another mug of tea for Endeavor please?"

Hanako nodded and scurried off. 'What is Endeavor doing here? He is much more intimidating than I thought he would be... or maybe his flames are what scare me..?' She poured another mug of the lavender lemon tea blend, then opened the tin of tea cookies she had brought in- plating them before bringing them over to the coffee table.

"Thank you, Miss Itami," Keigo said, sipping his tea. "Would you mind checking in with Ryushi while I speak with Endeavor?"

Hanako nodded, bowing to them both before hurrying out of the room.

Enji watched her for a moment, then turned his attention back to Keigo. "You're too soft, Hawks, what good is a mute secretary?"

"That's not why you're here, so just cut to the chase."

Hanako sat in the common area just outside of Keigo's office, helping Ryushi with some document sorting. The entire office was quiet, too, which was unusual from what Hanako had seen.

She tapped on Ryushi's arm, sliding over her notepad. 'Does it always get this quiet here whenever Endeavor visits?'

Ryushi sighed and nodded. "He's not the easiest person to be around." He glanced over at the closed office door. "I wonder what's taking them so long."

"Hey, Ryushi, it's almost lunchtime. What are we going to do?"

Ryushi looked at the other employees, seeing them just as on edge as they were. "Anyone want to make a run for food?" He could see that no one was jumping to volunteer, but then Hanako tapped on his arm again.

'I'll go, I don't mind.'

"Are you sure?"

Hanako nodded. 'What would everyone like?' She waited patiently for everyone to decide on the lunch choice, but no one wanted to make a decision- which gave her an idea. 'Get me a list of everyone's meat preference, I have an idea.'

While Ryushi had everyone write down their preference, Hanako went over to Keigo's office door and knocked- stepping inside when she heard the all-clear.

"Miss Itami, what can I do for you?"

Hanako brought her notepad over to Keigo with her question. 'It's nearly lunchtime, sir. Would you like anything? Will Endeavor be staying long enough to join us for lunch?'

Keigo looked at Enji. "You feel like staying for lunch?"

Enji eyed Hanako for a moment, then shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

Keigo looked at Hanako's next question. "She would like to know if you have a meat preference."

"Not really. Anything is fine."

Keigo looked up at Hanako. "Chicken for me, please." He watched as Hanako nodded, then retrieved her jacket and purse before bowing them and excuses herself.

Enji watched her, seeing that while she was still nervous around him she wasn't bothered enough by it to let it stop her from interacting with him. "She seems... nice."

Keigo looked at him, brow raised. "You're not poaching her if that's what you're thinking."

"I don't need a new secretary." Enji rolled his eyes, then crossed his arms as his brow furrowed in thought. "She seems familiar to me, but I can't place from where."

"She must have made some sort of impression on you for that to happen." Keigo stretched.

"True." Enji thought a moment longer. "Keigo, have you been approached by someone named Subaru Ejiri?"

Keigo looked him dead in the eyes. "Why do you ask?"

Enji could sense the depth of his seriousness. "It would seem that he's been going from agency to agency, trying to make some sort of deal."

Keigo leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. "Yeah, he stopped by yesterday to talk about it."

"What did he say?"

"Something about this big opportunity to expand the reach of the agency that would bring in more money. But the way he talked about it sent up some red flags." Keigo's brow furrowed as he recalled how the man had looked at Hanako. "Plus, I don't like the way he was eyeing Miss Itami. He didn't look at any of the other women under my employ like that."

"Like what?"

"Like some ravenous predator looking to devour her."

"That's unsettling, especially for a man that seems to have appeared out of nowhere."

"What do you mean?"

"There isn't a single bit of information surrounding this Subaru Ejiri, not past the last three or four months," Enji explained. "I refused to give him the light day when he reached out for a meeting. I didn't have the time nor the patience to listen to a scam artist, but I'm beginning to think there's something more to it than that."

"Good thing I told declined his offer, then."

"Just be careful, Keigo, alright?"

Hanako made her way through the busy streets to the shop she had seen on the way to work and stepped inside, going to the bento aisle. She looked over the list and selected the bento boxes she needed, carrying them carefully to the checkout counter.

"Big office lunch?" the cashier asked.

Hanako nodded, offering him a smile.

"Well, I hope they enjoy these. They've been flying off our shelves lately, they're so popular."

Hanako paid for the bento boxes, tucked the receipt into her wallet, then looped her arms through the handles of the bags and did her best to wave to the cashier before leaving to return to work.

As she walked through the crowd, though, she felt as though someone was following her. She would stop periodically to check her surroundings but found nothing and no one that seemed to be out of the ordinary. Figuring she was just being paranoid again, she hurried to reach the office building and get everyone their lunches. On the elevator ride up to her floor, though, she felt as though someone was standing right behind her- breathing down her neck. It sent shivers down her spine, but she tried to ignore it as best as she could.

"Hey, Hanako's back!"

Hanako hurried off the elevator, setting the bags down and handing out the bento boxes- unable to shake the feeling that someone was watching her intently. She did her best to hide her discomfort, offering her usual smile to each of her colleagues as they thanked her for grabbing lunch for everyone. She handed the receipt and card to Ryushi, then took her things and the bento boxes for herself, Keigo, and Enji into Keigo's office.

"Ah, Miss Itami, that was fast," Keigo said, greeting her. "Ooo, been a while since I've had a bento."

Hanako smiled at him, then presented Enji with his- offering him a smile as well when he thanked her. His fingers grazed the side of her hand, making her pull her hand back quickly at the heat.

"My apologies, Miss Itami, did I burn you?" Enji asked.

Hanako looked over her hand and shook her head, offering him a reassuring smile before turning to hang her jacket and purse back on the coat rack. 'What was that?' she wondered, massaging the side of her hand lightly. 'It's a bit red, but not burned. Is it because fire is my weakness?'

Keigo watched Hanako for a few moments, seeing her lost in thought. 'What's bothering her?'