The doors had barely closed before Bankotsu dragged her to the back, insisting she fill him in on the entire conversation, his shoulders slumping in disappointment when she'd told him nothing had happened.
The detective hadn't returned the next day, or the three days after that, leaving Kagome to suspect she'd said something out of line and chased him off.
Sighing, she looked down at her shopping cart. Usually, the mundane task was enough of a distraction that she looked forward to it, but all the what-ifs kept swirling around in her brain, and it had taken her three trips down the same aisle for her to realize she just wasn't in the mood.
Squaring her shoulders, she checked her list, blocking out everything else as she stuffed things into her cart. It wasn't the day for meandering or trying new things. She just needed to grab the basics, go home, and hopefully sleep.
Aside from the lack of visits from the detective, nothing major had happened, but even the nights seemed to lag. She hadn't gotten more than a few hours of sleep each night, no matter how much she exercised, read, or even cooked. But it wasn't like she'd been able to be productive after the fact, either. The general exhaustion had kept her body still even with her eyes open, leaving her to stare at her ceiling until the sun rose.
Kagome stifled a yawn as she placed some apples in her cart, hoping they'd give her a boost in the morning over her usual coffee, then rounded the corner, intent on paying for her things quickly so she could go home and—
She snorted. Go home and do what? Wallow again? Watch the hands on her clock move?
Gramps would be so disappointed.
The memories of him were getting a little easier. Her heart still clenched every time his sweet face formed in her mind, skin wrinkled as he gave her a toothless grin, but it wasn't as gut-wrenching as before.
If she could only sleep.
Maybe she'd take Hojo up on some of his silly remedies. There had to be something that could help—
A flash of silver caught her eye, and Kagome jerked to attention, grabbing her groceries from the bagger's hands before darting out the door. "Detective!" she called, blushing slightly when a few people turned around at the sound of her urgency, him included.
Whether she'd conjured him up by merely thinking of him or they just happened to be in the same area, she didn't know—or care—but this kind of distraction she'd take any day.
"How's your day going?" she asked, swallowing slowly as she tried to catch her breath. No need for him to realize she'd practically sprinted out of the store.
"There have not been any murders today, so I consider it a productive one." Kagome stared at him in shock as he ran a hand through his hair. "My partner thinks herself a comic and insists I use the same lines to 'make friends'," he said, colour dusting the area between his stripes.
Both eyebrows raised before she let out a low whistle. "You should tell her to come up with something less jarring."
"Indeed."
She fell in step beside him, thanking whichever deity was nearby that they were heading in the same direction. "You haven't been back at the café." That didn't sound desperate, did it?
He shifted his bag to his other hand. "It is not for lack of trying, I assure you. There was a break in the burglary case, so we have been following up on as many leads as possible."
"I'm sure it makes a difference," she said softly. Even just knowing he was in the area would be enough to spook any thief, though the thought of meeting him in a dark alley had much more potent images running through her mind.
She shook her head, then glanced down at his bag, blinking in surprise at all the bowls of instant ramen. "Is that your dinner?" she blurted.
The colour returned to his cheeks. "I do not always have time to cook when my shift ends. I plan on returning to the market tomorrow for a better variety."
"You should try making a big batch of something, like curry or tamagoyaki. That way, you can freeze it and just pull out a portion whenever you need to." She held up her various bags. "That's what I'm doing tonight. My grandfather made the best chicken curry. I still haven't been able to replicate it perfectly, but each try gets me closer to it."
A large rumbling cut off Taisho's answer, it taking her a moment to realize it had been his stomach. "I apologize," he said, turning away from her. "It has been a long day. We were not able to stop for lunch." He lifted his bag sheepishly, then increased his pace.
Kagome's hand shot out, catching his sleeve before he could disappear into the throng of people. "Why don't you have dinner with me?" she asked, surprised at her daring but refusing to let it show. "I'm planning on making extra anyway."
He still refused to look at her. "I would not want to intrude."
"Not at all! Besides, all my groceries today came from that nice tip you left me."
He finally turned to face her, one hand stuffed into his suit pocket. "It is bad manners to tip servers, so I cannot imagine what you are talking about." Golden eyes gleamed. "But I would never say no to a homecooked meal with such lovely company."
She let out the breath she hadn't known she was holding, half-tempted to skip all the way back to her apartment, but she refrained, knowing she'd probably end up falling on her face.
"There are things you can add to ramen to make it a little fancier," she said as she unlocked her door. "Mama would do it all the time. It was the only way Souta would ever eat anything." Thankful she'd used the extra time from her insomnia to tidy up that morning, she led him down the hallway and into the kitchen, setting her bags down on the counter.
Taisho did the same, then pointed to the ofuda that lined the window, eyebrow raised in amusement. Kagome let out an embarrassed laugh. "Gramps used to run the family shrine and was very superstitious. They don't mean anything, but it makes me think of him whenever I see them."
"His loss is recent," Taisho guessed, helping to unload the bags. She hummed in agreement, blinking back tears as she swallowed the usual rush of emotion.
"He was more into the lore than the business side of it, so when Mama took over, she changed a bunch of things. He was fine with it, but it freed up a lot of his time because he wasn't giving tours based on ancient legends anymore, so he'd visit me instead."
She'd loved it when he showed up unannounced. He knew her schedule because she always sent it to her mother, so even when he went on about how terrible she was for making her grandfather wait out in the rain when she got off work, she knew he hadn't been there more than a few minutes.
"You miss him."
"Are you always this straightforward?" she asked, her chuckle not reaching her eyes.
Taisho sighed, loosening the tie around his neck. "It is a trait I am working on."
Kagome shook her head. "It's nothing negative. I think it would be better for people to be honest all the time. There's less guesswork involved." She shut the fridge door and pulled out a cutting board. "You can sit and relax. It won't take me very long."
"I would rather help."
If he kept this up, she might start smiling around him for real. Sliding the cutting board along the counter, she handed him the knife she'd pulled out. "You're in charge of the veggies then." They worked in silence, Kagome too exhausted to rely on small talk, but she didn't find it stifling, like with customers at work.
She was always expected to keep the conversation going, whether about the menu or idle chatter. Most of the time she didn't mind it—the café guests were content to talk about the weather or their day rather than anything of substance.
And Bankotsu never shut up.
The only person who'd encouraged her to just relax and enjoy the moment was Gramps. They'd sit at the table and watch the bush warblers at the feeders outside her window or go for long walks on the beach. She was so glad most of the memories of him were happy—it made remembering him less painful.
Once everything was prepped, she shooed him over to the table, insisting he sit down. "You've probably been running around all day! I didn't invite you over to do my chores." The look he gave her said he wouldn't have argued if she had, and she rolled her eyes, tempted to smack his arm or flick his forehead.
She wasn't sure how he'd take that kind of familiarity. They weren't friends, barely even acquaintances, but his presence eased her loneliness, so she would keep her drooling to herself—if only to keep him around a little longer.
"I hope you don't mind it's a little on the sweeter side," she said when she placed their plates on the table. "Gramps couldn't handle any spice at the end but still wanted to eat it. It was actually his wife's recipe." She looked up to find Taisho's mouth already full, forcing himself to swallow before feigning indifference.
"It is wonderful."
She could've hugged him.
He was on his second helping before she'd finished her first, and she commented on youkai and their appetites, causing the tips of his ears to turn pink. "We usually require much less than humans," he said.
Kagome rested her chin on her hands. "But?"
He avoided her gaze as he took another bite. "It is not often that I am offered such heartfelt cuisine. I wish to take my fill."
"I told you I'd give you the recipe. And you can have the leftovers."
He placed his utensils on his plate. "I have imposed enough. You planned on using this as your meals for the rest of the week—"
She waved him off, getting to her feet before taking their plates to the sink. "Think of it as payment for keeping me company tonight."
"It still feels like I am coming out on top of this deal," he replied. "I would like to repay you for being so gracious."
"That isn't necessary," she said. Besides, the longer he stayed, the more likely she would do something drastic.
"It is." He didn't get up from his chair, but she could feel his eyes on her, heat creeping up the back of her neck. "Name your price, and I will provide it."
Kagome's fingers clenched against the counter, knuckles turning white as she tried to bite her tongue. She knew it was a losing battle, had known it from the minute he stepped foot in her apartment. She'd half hoped he'd have some sort of off-putting habit like chewing with his mouth open or only talking about himself, but he'd been nothing but kind and considerate, and she felt her resilience crumble.
"Will you sleep with me?"