Nozomi woke up well-rested. Her hands crept under the pillowcase as she pulled out Alhaithams music player and hit stop. She removed the headset and place both on the nightstand.

Her feet landed lightly on the floor and she stretched back. The balcony was open to help keep the room cool during the night. It was one thing she had missed about Inazuma, the cooler climate.

Her eyes landed on the Vision and feather on her nightstand. She stared into its blue depths not realizing her hands were automatically wrapping around its shape. Nozomi closed her eyes as she felt like her mind had started to sink into an ocean. Her body felt like it was floating.

A bang of a door downstairs broke her concentration and she looked at her palms confused.

What was that… I didn't even realize I had picked this up. She looked at her closet and grabbed her martial arts garment. I may have the day off but I'll do some training and try to figure this out.

Nozomi suddenly felt a sharp pain in her head, but it faded as quickly as it came.

"The hell? Seriously what is going on today?" she sighed. "Maybe a shower will help, it's probably the stress of studying or this manuscript."

She forced her legs to move and slowly made her way downstairs. Kaveh had already gone to work for the day and wouldn't be back for a few hours. Nozomi hoped after last night's events, he would hold out and feel better after venting his feelings.

Her hands reached for the door and opened it. Nozomi stepped inside and slid off her nightgown, throwing her clothes into the washbasin labeled under her name. She parted the shower curtain and quickly turned the taps, Nozomi opened her mouth and swished the water inside while stepping in.

"Man, the boys here have it easy with the shower system. Maybe I should just ask their opinion on how to use a vision." Her hands grabbed the soap and spat the water out down the drain. "Alhaitham would know enough about it."

"Speaking of, I'm right here behind you."

Nozomi rubbed herself with the soap and smiled appreciating the warmth of the water flowing down her body. Her eyes snapped open realizing who it was then spun around. Alhaitham was on the other side of the shower, water dripping off his entire body. She couldn't help but look down then forced her vision to snap up to his face.

I forgot this was a dual shower… why didn't I check if anyone was in here first!?

Nozomi stood speechless as she tried to find any form of words, she knew how her expression would read to Alhaitham. He closed his eyes and pinched his nose.
Before he could speak, she interjected.

"Oh… hey there Alhaitham. So… I didn't check if anyone was in here like an idiot and, well… I will be seeing myself out. My absolute apologies." She bowed her head stammering. "I'll be going now."

She reached for the shower handle outside to step out, but in her haste, she grabbed the shower curtain. Realizing too late, she began to fall to the ground.

A pair of hands wrapped around her waist, and her eyes met Alhaithams as they both slipped and landed on the tiles. A hard thud could be heard and Nozomi regained her bearings as she sat up. The shower curtain was now ripped beside her legs, and steam began surrounding her body.

"Nozomi… get off of me." Alhaitham groaned. "You picked an awkward spot to stop your fall."

She looked down as Alhaitham was now underneath her. She felt herself near his waist and tried not to lean back knowing full well what was also behind her. Nozomi dug her knees into the ground as she tried to stand up.

"Oh my, now isn't this a surprise." A voice called from the door. "Hmm, what did I just walk into?"

"Lady Guuji! I- this is not what it looks like!"

Nozomi fell back down and Alhaitham grunted. Both looked up to see Yae Miko standing at the door then quickly slid away from each other. Alhaitham closed his eyes, grabbed a towel then pulled Nozomi closer.

"What are you-"

"Hold still." He held her firmly.

Nozomi watched as he spun her around in a towel and felt his hands tuck the remaining end in her back. He then slowly pushed her outside the door, dropped a towel on her head then quickly slammed the door. She looked at Yae Miko speechless.

"I'll… go and get changed." she ran off. "I'll be right back."

Nozomi pulled the towel down from her head and hid her face, her mind racing while she ran up the stairs.

Seriously what kind of day is this!? I think this is an omen more than signs of good luck.

*

Yae Miko sat across from her while Alhaitham stood near the lounge. Nozomi kept her eyes on the Chief Editor, she already felt his stare burn along her back. In front of her were papers of her outlines and main plot points for her light novels. Instead of focusing on the project, Yae Miko nudged Nozomi and coughed at Alhaitham.

"Ahem…" Yae tilted her head at him.

Nozomi closed her eyes, making sure to avert his gaze as she stood. She held out her hand, motioning to her roommate.

"Lady Guuji, my roommate and the Akademiyas' Scribe; Alhaitham. He's also the owner of this property." She pointed to Yae Miko. "Alhaitham, my Chief Editor of Yae Publishing; Lady Guuji."

"A pleasure to meet you Alhaitham. I had heard from on the grapevine that you were once the Acting Grand Sage, the reviews speak about you are in awe despite you resigning from the position." She looked at Nozomi. "To think that one of my Light Novelists lives with someone well renowned."

"They're rumors really, I'm just a feeble scholar. It's nice to meet Yae Publishings' CEO. Nozomi also works with me as an Assistant Scribe on her days off from classes." He stood up and nodded to both ladies, his eyes resting on Nozomi. "Speaking of work, I really need to get going. See ya."

Quick footsteps were heard alongside a soft click of the front door closing. Nozomi finally opened her eyes and exhaled.

"I never thought he'd leave… I almost felt roasted alive there."

A pair of keys flew onto the table, startling Nozomi. Alhaitham peered through the window outside the kitchen.

"I almost forgot, tell Kaveh he forgot his keys again. He's lucky you're home today." Alhaitham glanced at Nozomi and then looked away. "Have a good day."

A brief silence filled the room while Alhaitham walked away. Nozomi waited this time until she could no longer hear his footsteps. Yae Miko broke the silence, her voice filled the empty house with laughter.

"Your face was priceless!" Yae clutched her waist. "That couldn't have been the most awkward encounter I've seen. You never told me during our entire correspondence last year, that you lived with two single bachelors."

Nozomi stared at her editor in defeat and plopped herself down back in the chair. She gripped the sides of it, leaning back and swinging to and fro.

"Believe me, it surprised me too when I moved in… wait I didn't tell you I lived with two roommates. How did you figure out there's a second person here?"

"I can tell by how there are three pairs of cutlery and cups on the table. This isn't something that escapes my eyes. So are you admitting that you're seeing one of them? Or are you greedy and seeing both of them?"

"No way!" Nozomi shook her head. " Besides neither of them see me like that. I just pay rent, work, and go to bed."

Yae Miko whistled to herself, her ears now twitching.

"Such a hard life for someone so oblivious to the fact Alhaitham kept staring at you"

"He was probably angry with me for walking in on him."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Yae scoffed. " You didn't see his face when you introduced us. It certainly wasn't angry. Though I guess at this stage nothing is irrefutable yet."

"Huh?" Her chair landed firmly on the ground. "What do you mean?"

Yae Miko gave a heavy sigh and then shook her head in disappointment.

"To be young and naive again… anyway back to your work. I took a look at your working titles, none of them stand out nor do they reflect any of your content." Yae chuckled as she shuffled through the drafts and outlines. "Speaking of which, the character descriptions are awfully close to your roommates. Are you really planning on using them for your light novels?"

"Yes. In my opinion, their banter is perfect for a Yaoi light novel." She leaned forward. "Do you think the concept will work?"

Yae held the side of her face in thought.

"Hmm, I have a feeling your Light Novels might appeal to more customers than just Yaoi with this concept. Living with two roommates who bicker like a married couple and are complete opposites is a recipe for frenemies to lovers. Approved. I just need a working title."

Nozomi paused for a long time, she closed her eyes frowning. The image of an ocean came back to mind as she felt herself going through a trance. More words started to form and her eyes opened.

"How about They Were Roommates?" Nozomi leaned back. "It's simple but it might work?"

Yae grabbed her quill and started to scribble the words down. "It's simple but it gets the point across. This goes without saying, but have you ever experienced love before?"

The would-be writer was taken aback. Love? This wasn't a concept she had considered before, even in writing. She only remembered the concept of love through reading many researchers' notes about relationships. Many of them failed and relied on probability consistency and trust.

Trust

The word floated in her mind. A sharp pain pierced her chest and she struggled with the urge not to scream in front of Yae Miko. Luckily, her head was hidden behind her outline. She breathed while the words seemed to spin on the page. On a few exhales, her eyes relaxed and she could read again.

"I don't know if I could ever believe in the concept of love Lady Guuji. I've read many relationships fail. Sometimes very badly… I don't know if I could ever find the heart or the patience." She held her head.

"Not even for Alhaitham or Kaveh?" she teased. "The reason I bring this up is because so far you're relying on your experience to write out manuscripts. Love is a very strong motivator whether it's through a loss or being confessed to for the first time. In your case, walking in on Alhaitham naked for the first time."

Nozomi dropped her outline, the pages scattering on the table. The image of herself being on top of Alhaitham came to mind.

"Fine, Alhaitham is a looker so what? It's not like he cares or anything. He's probably sitting at his desk stamping applications, happy as a clam."

Both sat in comfortable conversations, catching up on how Inazuma was faring in its political landscape. Nozomi's pain had subsided, almost making her wonder if she needed a visit to a doctor or if it resulted from anxiety.

*
Alhaitham sat at his desk, not much crossed his mind but the annoyances of Scholars during the shift asking him to file applications faster. One had even given a reason so they had access to funds for a project quicker. He had of course stamped it with Declined, it now sat in its appropriate pile.

He pinched his nose and looked down at his desk.

"Did she really not know we have a dual shower? She's been here for a year." He picked up another application and stamped it. "And what's this about asking me about a vision? Has she just received one? No… Nozomi didn't have a look of doing this on purpose."

He shrugged and the rest of the day went by without incident.

*