Ok ok. Maybe 3 parts not 2, joke's on me, they had more to say to one another than I thought. And sorry for the typos. Self-editing might as well be the same thing as not editing, when it comes down to it. Can't see the forest for the trees.
Disclaimer: see part 1
Next to the alcove, where the cash register sat, Kaoru stealthily slid out her dog eared stats book and tried to make sense of a problem. Thing was, since most of them started out as word problems but then needed to be translated into equations, she rarely made any headway and mostly ended up giving herself a headache from squinting at the small text frantically in the low light. At this rate she was going to need some aspirin or glasses, but at that thought her blood began to heat.
The word "glasses" had become a trigger.
Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if she hadn't bottled it all up, but she knew she absolutely couldn't tell any of her friends because none of them were the rational type when it came to proportionate response. Megumi would absolutely insist they go to the police and drag her over there. Misao would insist on setting up some elaborate trap to get even. Sano would run off and try to avenge her on his own, vigilante style. Heaven help her if she told her brother what happened, he would be on the first plane back to break Yukishiro's kneecaps with Sano.
No, there wasn't anything to be done. In order to make it less likely to run into the bastard Kaoru had instead upended her nice orderly routine. Now her shifts at the restaurant were Tuesday, Thursday, Friday. She was heading over to the fencing school on Wednesdays. The bookstore was still Saturday and Sunday, but she had only seen him the one time there and so it wasn't likely she'd see him there again. As a consequence, good or otherwise, now that she took Mondays off she essentially had a weekend between the half day Sunday and the full day Monday so in some ways it had worked out well. She hadn't seen even a strand of white hair in weeks.
Now if only she could conquer statistics as easily as she had seemingly dodged that jerk.
Whichever twin was on shift with her today waved a hand in front of Kaoru to get her attention. Pulling away from the book with a groan, Kaoru straightened her pained back and hunched shoulders and automatically turned on a neutral smile. Years of customer service had conditioned that response.
"I think your table is ready for you to get their check. They flagged me down."
Kaoru was immediately apologetic. "Oh my gosh, thanks, sorry."
"I've been there. Just don't burn out before midterms." It must be Tae, she tended to be more sympathetic. Sae was a good listener but she rarely expressed empathy over situations unless she knew everything about it. Kaoru wished she were closer with the twins, they would have been the perfect audience to provide a fairly objective assessment of what to do about glasses guy.
After taking care of the check, picking up the dishes and getting them into the dish return, Kaoru found herself gasping as if someone had punched her when piercing blue-green eyes pinned her down from mere feet away. She was all too aware she had passed Tae in the kitchen on her way to the alley for a smoke break so there went her back up. It had been some time since she had seen him, but clearly not enough. It was also thirty minutes from close and so he wasn't here to eat, and she hated even more that she knew how long it took him to have a meal (an hour and fifteen minutes when he was on his own).
The presence of a table of college students laughing in the other room was the only thing that kept her from straight up bolting. He had proved easily that her fight reflex was good for shit all against him, and she knew she'd be fired if she slammed a chair over his head. Kaoru liked this job, and didn't want to lose it just yet.
Slowly, she walked behind the counter, so that there was at least a large wooden barrier between them and crossed her arms. Clearly he had come with a purpose, in his immaculate three piece suit. No coat, she noted, so a car was probably waiting outside as well.
"Here," He plopped a small rectangular box on top of the counter and Kaoru looked at it with a raised eyebrow. Still with it's plastic outer wrapping intact it was a brand new phone, the latest model of her own phone. The deluxe, maxed out version of the latest model of her phone. The launch campaign for it had only happened a week or so ago, and she had noted it with a scoff. Who needed the bleeding new version of stuff like that when the older ones did basically the same thing?
Well, she supposed she'd never know what the big deal was. "You trying to buy my silence now?"
"Unless I'm mistaken, you're being silent enough without any money passing through my hands." He nodded down at the phone that sat next to her open textbook. The screen resembled a fractal. "Yours is broken. That was unintentional, so I'm replacing it."
"Well, it stinks of bribe. Give me the money to replace my screen instead and save your pity."
"That antique isn't worth the money required to fix it."
"Listen, you…" There was a holler from the college students and the sound of breaking glass and Kaoru knew this conversation had to be stowed for the moment because she had more important things to do. "We're not finished." Was her ominous statement before she walked away on slightly shaking legs to find out what the rowdy college students had managed to break.
She swept up the broken water glass in minutes, smiling at the profuse apologies even if she was sighing internally at their carelessness. It happened now and then, so she wasn't mad, but she was already on edge from Yukishiro who seemed to have grabbed one of the order pads and a pen and was writing something down as she swept and kept half an eye on him as well. She dumped the glass in the trash with a clink and circled back to Yukishiro.
"It isn't worth my time to take the phone back, so do what you want with it. Here's some money to replace the screen on your…. phone." His paused emphasis told her again how little he thought of her ancient tech while sliding a hundred dollar bill in her direction. "And no, I don't have any smaller bills. Give me back the change later if your pride is so aggrieved by my obligation."
She didn't want to see him again, but come hell or highwater she would definitely give him the change back after getting her screen replaced. "I can leave it in an envelope at your condo front desk. What's your name? No need to see one another again."
"Yukishiro." He answered flatly, and as mad as she was at him she was a little disappointed that's all she was getting from him. "Enishi." He finally added with a slow blink, looking oddly confused as if he hadn't heard his own first name out loud in some time. Kaoru wondered in a flash what his friends called him, then if he had any friends at all.
"We done here?" She tried to sound like a badass, but it was more tired than haughty. The fact that nothing was going to happen had finally percolated into her lizard brain and it was letting down its guard already. In fact, an enragingly persistent part of her hind brain was admiring the slim cut of the suit as he turned and left the restaurant with a jingle of the bell on the door.
Tae came back in smelling of smoke and Kaoru wished she had something as conveniently and immediately relaxing to do like smoking. Maybe she'd actually take a bath when she got home tonight. It took forever to scrub the tub out, but she could probably locate an ancient bath bomb from somewhere in the cupboard. There had been a period of time when Yahiko was little, never knew what to get her for holidays, and somehow decided random scented bath products were good enough.
"Did I miss anything? Sorry, Sae called me and sometimes I can't get her off the phone fast enough."
Kaoru felt herself tensing up. "Those college kids broke a glass."
"I step out for one minute and everything gets crazy!" Tae laughed. Normally Kaoru would laugh with her, but all she could manage was a tight-lipped smile. "But hey, you made some progress on your homework so maybe a little chaos helped break your mental block."
A college kid came up and asked for the checks (they were splitting it 7 ways and Tae fell on that sword because Kaoru looked too stressed to deal). Meanwhile Kaoru looked down at the order pad she, and then Yukishiro, had been scribbling notes on and in a crisp but heavy hand that no doubt made half the pad useless now were the answers to every single problem on the page.
Of the fifteen problems Kaoru had struggled through four, and of those four one had been corrected in the same crisp hand with the right answer written to the side. Of the eleven left, seven were multiple choice and four required plugging values into equations they had learned that section. She had left him alone for no more than ten minutes.
Stunned, Kaoru thought back to how easily he calculated tips. It was one thing to be able to multiply numbers quickly in your head, this was something else. What a waste that talent like that was granted to such a garbage pail of a human being. What a waste that he had brains and looks and money and a personality that could curdle milk.
Grabbing the phone, the money, and the answers to her homework, Kaoru felt something like an idea percolate in her mind. She didn't like it, and he probably wouldn't like it either, but she knew she had to ask anyway. After all, she couldn't afford a tutor at any price unless they were free and Yukishiro didn't seem like the kind of man who did anything for free.
But at the same time he owed her something for assaulting and scaring her, and they both knew it. Why else would he show up with a thousand-dollar phone out of the blue? Not for her peace of mind. He understood how debts worked, and unfortunately for him he actually had something Kaoru wanted now.
"I told you I didn't want it," Enishi growled as he placed a still pristinely wrapped phone on the counter.
She hadn't expected him to show up at the bookstore. While he had been avoiding her at the restaurant and probably didn't frequent the fencing studios enough to encounter her she had thought he understood not to come to the bookstore and café. This was her domain on the weekend. She was in the middle of pinning up a flyer about a neighborhood Trick or Treat event to the cork board on the wall of the café side of the store when she had noted him storming in.
Kaoru, still in her café apron, wiped suddenly sweaty palms down her thighs surreptitiously. "I take it you got the change I left for you." Nervous, she waited for him to mention the letter she had included with the money.
"If you knew what was good for you, you'd take the phone."
It was like all he knew how to do was issue threats. Kaoru wasn't having it. "I don't need a phone."
"A phone is more expedient than what you suggested I give you. I don't have the time nor inclination to be your teacher. If you're so desperate you may leave the textbook with me and I'll text the answers to you. I don't think spending any more time in one another's company is in either of our interests."
Kaoru bristled again, "I don't want to cheat my way through this class. I want to know how to do the work myself."
Enishi was in athletic gear so clearly he wasn't on the clock with whatever he did for work. Under Armour must have loved his business. How anyone could pull off that much orange was a mystery. "Is this some sort of barrier to moving on to another class? Do you ever plan on continuing with mathematics after this?" Kaoru nodded and shook her head in turn. "Then what's the point in learning content you'll immediately forget? Be practical, Kaoru."
She actually jumped at the sound of her name. "How do you know…?"
Following where his eyes flicked down, Kaoru suddenly remembered her nametag and silently scolded herself for being such a ninny. It was also possible he remembered it for the first few times she had introduced herself at the restaurant to him before she realized he was a regular and that probably wasn't necessary. Well, if they were that intimate already then obviously he wouldn't mind if she reciprocated.
"Enishi," His nostrils flared, eyes pinning her as surely as his body had all those weeks ago. "This is the only thing you have that I want, and surely it can't be the end of the world to give me a couple hours a week of your time until the quarter ends. It's almost half over already, and I'm just hovering above failure. I wouldn't ask you for help if I weren't desperate, but I can guarantee you if you do help me I'll… let bygones be bygones."
They stared one another down for what felt like hours, but probably was a mere minute or two. Yukishiro was probably sizing her up, determining how stubborn she was or how he could pawn this responsibility off on a subordinate. If he had math genius staff, she'd be fine with that too, but since he wasn't suggesting another person tutor her he probably didn't want anyone else to know who she was or how they were connected. Another suspicious piece of the puzzle.
"Two hours a week." He grudgingly acknowledged.
As much as she was still mad at him, she felt relief sweep through her. "That's all I ask."
"When are your assignments due?"
"Sundays before midnight."
"Then I'll be back here tomorrow at closing. I trust you prefer this location to your residence?"
Coloring, because she hadn't even thought that far, and agreeing that it would be better they were in a semi-public location rather than her personal sanctuary she nodded wordlessly.
"Keep in mind, pass or fail, once I finish this task we're nothing to one another."
"I wouldn't have it any other way!" Kaoru snapped.
It seemed as if to Kaoru she was always watching him leave. She didn't want her eyes to follow him the way they did, but attraction wasn't a choice. Plenty of actors and actresses who were proven time and again to be terrible people had huge followings because they were handsome or beautiful. There wasn't any reason to feel shame when it was instinct rather than rationality, but she still scolded herself to do better next time.
Noting the phone still on the counter she swore to herself and turned her eyes to heavens as if for strength. This game of hot potato was not cute. She'd deliver it back to his condo reception area tomorrow.
If only, Kaoru thought.
If only the bookstore wasn't having that special Trick or Treat event, which meant staying open late on Sunday with the owner dressed as Shakespeare and handing out candy and bookmarks.
If only Enishi hadn't met her after at that other café she liked, which she only belatedly remembered she knew about because Misao was obsessed with their poppyseed muffins.
If only Misao and Megumi weren't allied in the conspiracy to spice up a love life she wasn't interested in having right now.
If only Enishi weren't so damn recognizable as "glasses guy" who she had been occasionally commenting about to her friends for a while as maybe the kind of guy who might be her type (how rudely that was disproven!).
Her recently repaired phone was blowing up with text message that were accusing and curious in turns. How could Kaoru not tell her best friend (they both called themselves her best friend and she never said anything to either of them because there was no point stirring that pot) about dating the paragon of hotness she had been drooling over?! What was his name? What did he even do? Was he fun? Did he hold a good conversation? Did he pay when they went out? Was he a good kisser?
The deluge of questions was mortifying and the only thing that allowed Kaoru to keep herself together was knowing that Enishi would never meet her friends so she could easily concoct a story about how she tried dating him a little bit and it hadn't worked out. The final exam was the first week of December so she only needed to keep the pretense up for about a month. Kaoru could do this! Just because her history of subterfuge was woeful didn't mean this was going to fail. After all, she could stick to basically the truth of things.
His name was Enishi. They hadn't talked about his work. He was a pretty serious guy most of the time. He didn't spend a lot of time talking about things that didn't matter. They went dutch. And Kaoru flat out ignored the kissing question, identifying it as mischief on Megumi's part. She did mention the bones of the truth as well, that Enishi was helping her with her statistics class and they were not to interfere because she needed a good grade if it killed her.
So when a very obviously disguised Misao wandered past the bookstore that next Sunday while Enishi was trying to explain inference, Kaoru had to get him to repeat himself. Then, looking to make sure she was right and indeed a small woman in a trench coat, huge hat, and sunglasses on a cloudy day was about to walk past the café's huge window again she found she had to get him to repeat himself yet again. He was not amused.
"You aren't usually this dense. What's distracting you?" He directness that didn't merely verge on rudeness was understandable so she let it slide instead of puffing up at him like an angry cat.
"I think my friend is trying to take a picture of us together without me noticing. Just don't turn around, she'll give up eventually."
Enishi was less than pleased once Kaoru mentioned the word 'picture' and given how private he seemed she supposed this was going to be a problem. She was not wrong. "I agreed to tutor you, I didn't agree to be gawked at."
"My friends are overly excited that I'm spending time with an attractive man. They'll lose interest soon." The words were out of her mouth already when she realized her error, and the way his pale eyebrow twitched up at 'attractive' told her she had put a foot squarely in her mouth. "I'll handle them."
The dark look he gave her was all the warning he would provide, and she was obliquely grateful he trusted her. She had spent a couple weeks being grateful to him in little ways and it was wreaking havoc with her determination to hate him. Kaoru had always been accused, rightfully, by her brother than she was too forgiving. But Enishi, once he determined he was going to take on a task, seemed to be putting in genuine effort to have her understand the course content. He wasn't exactly patient, but he was thorough. He did have that infuriating way of looking at problems and starting with the right answer, but then he would work backwards to how he had arrived at it and so slowly Kaoru was getting it. Steadily her grade was climbing from the brink of failure into the realm of respectability.
So at the end of their session, despite herself, Kaoru felt responsible for the shivering figure camped out across the street with a phone in hand and those ridiculous sunglasses still on her face. She packed up her textbook while Enishi flicked through texts on his phone, mouth pursed into a thin line of displeasure. Kaoru got the sense as soon as their sessions finished that he entered business mode once more, which implied he was actually relaxed around her in comparison. The man really needed to loosen up.
"Hey," she waved her hand in front of him to try to get his attention.
He didn't look away from the screen. "I can see you. What."
"Ok, Mr. Multitask. I was just going to offer to give you the key so you can go out the back and lock up after yourself. I'll lead my friend across the street away. You can drop it in my mailbox later. I hate to say it, but I assume you know where I live."
Enishi didn't look up from scrolling on his phone, but he did hold out his hand. "Yes."
"Yes to what?" Kaoru said, her smile going lopsided as she rolled her eyes at him.
At that point he finally broke away from whatever was engrossing him on his phone because his stare knocked her right in the unwanted physical response part of her brain. Did he have to be so intense about everything? "All of it."
Not much to say about that. With a blush, Kaoru dropped the key in his hand and grabbed up her stuff to make her exit. She was trying to calm down a wildly inappropriate fast heartbeat as she planted a grimace on her face and walked straight up to a fidgeting Misao.
"Why hello there, I don't think we've met, my name is…"
"I'm sure you're been working on your alias for the entire hour you've been out here but Misao you're probably going to catch a cold from this, which means Soujirou will have to quarantine himself from you while you get better." Kaoru snatched the sunglasses off of her face, while Misao flinched. "By the way, you should have jogged by and snapped a picture, I would have been much less likely to have seen you. Why do you insist on playing spy?"
"….turns out blurry…" Misao mumbled before she found her nerve. "Well, I wouldn't have to resort to methods like this if you weren't withholding important information from me!"
Kaoru groaned. "My lovelife or lack thereof is my own business unless I invite Megumi or, yes, you too, to talk about it. Maybe you should listen to me and give me some space! Enishi is a really private person and I don't think anyone likes secret photos to be taken of them in their down time. I may be used to how extra you are, but maybe give us a little space before I show him how nuts my friends are?"
"You like him." Misao said with some wonder. "You're defending him from me."
"He's helping me," Kaoru clarified reflexively, suddenly alarmed that Misao knew something she didn't. It wasn't possible. A couple study sessions couldn't erase him acting like a scumbag. "Just, let me do things at my own pace. Please."
In the end, Kaoru convinced Misao to give her a ride home and to have some warm tea at Kaoru's before she headed back. After she waved Misao off, shivering in a shawl in her driveway, she walked over and felt around in her maildrop, closing fingers around frigid metal with a little smile.
Her trust hadn't been misplaced this time.
Then she felt something else in there and pulled it out curiously. Cursing loudly, plastic reflecting the orange street lights Kaoru could still clearly make out the contents of the rectangular box. She didn't want the phone, damn it all!
It wasn't like her to throw something so expensive away even in anger so she stomped her way back in with both key and phone muttering dark things about a certain statistics tutor. This might not be a battle she could win, but hopeless battles were something she knew an awful lot about.