Once the dishes were finished, they left the table for the maids to handle later.
Neither of them ever cleaned.
Toji dropped himself onto the sofa, flicking through the TV channels without much interest.
Yumi followed. She moved her things so she could sit beside him, so close their shoulders touched. Her arms wrapped around his, resting her head on his shoulder.
Then she got back to reading the rows of paperwork.
"You could've sat anywhere."
"I want to sit here.
He scoffed under his breath. "Of course you do."
The glow from the screen reflected off her golden eyes, and the rustle of the documents mixed with the hum of the television.
The maids came in with a tray of tea, bowing slightly before leaving it on the table.
Toji picked up one cup, blew on it, and handed it to her. "Hot."
She looked briefly, setting her report aside to take the cup.
He watched her sip, her expression softening.
"What do you do on your day off?" he stretched an arm along the backrest.
"I don't have days off."
"You never take one?"
She shook her head. "There was never a need to. I feel scared taking one."
"Are you scared now?"
"A little anxious," she sighed. "But I think Lewis should manage fine."
She is terrified her father would grew suspicious, or anything of that sort.
He hummed quietly, eyes still on the TV. Then, after a pause, "Don't girls like going shopping or something?"
"I don't really. Most of my clothes are bought by Lewis."
"Lewis, Lewis, always Lewis." His tone was irritated. "You make so much money, and you don't even buy what you like?"
"I wear what's appropriate. Usually suits or dresses. It doesn't matter. There's a team that handles all of that."
He turned to her. "That's depressing."
"Why are you making that face?"
"Nothing."
"Toji."
"..."
"Do you want to pick my clothes?"
He smirked. "Who cares about clothes? You look best not wearing anything."
"Eh..."
"What?" He looked away. "You're the one asking weird questions."
Her chuckle was quick, but it pulled the corner of his mouth up too.
He found himself watching her longer than he meant recently. The sound of the TV faded behind the quiet between them.
"I want to go shopping," he said suddenly.
"???" She blinked. "You want to buy something?"
"Uh..." He shrugged. "Yeah..."
The truth was, he didn't want to buy anything. He wanted a reason to walk beside her in daylight. To pull her outside of this suffocating glass case.
"Oh. Okay. We can go shopping." She agreed right away.
He turned to look at her again. For a moment, the thought lingered, how she had become so compliant? Is it to gain his approval by not disagreeing?
Was she trying to please him the same way she pleases her father?
He didn't know the answer. He wasn't sure he wanted to know.
-------
The afternoon sun bled gold through the glass towers as they stepped out of the car.
The street was busy, lined with luxury boutiques and slow-walking strangers. She didn't care where they went, just that he was there.
"What do you want to buy?"
Toji stuffed his free hand into his pocket. "Didn't decide yet."
Yumi wrapped her hand around his arm as they walked, like it was the most natural thing. He didn't say anything.
"What? Didn't you say you wanted to buy something?" She scowled.
"I forgot."
A sigh left her lips at his obvious lie. Her golden eyes flicked over the shop windows.
He watched her from the corner of his eye. "You want anything?"
"I already have everything I need."
"Don't start that," he muttered. "Everyone wants something."
"I wanted you. I already bought what I want."
He gave a small laugh for that, shaking his head.
They stopped in front of a women's clothing store. He picked up a white dress and held it in front of her.
"What… I don't look good in this kind of design."
"You'd look good in anything," he said casually, not meeting her eyes. Then he grabbed another one and held it up again.
"What?" she blinked, unsure if it was a compliment. "You barely look at me. How can you tell?"
"Should I announce it every time I do?" he scoffed. "You could wear a trash bag and they'd still stare."
"Are you… trying to give me a compliment?"
"No. Just an observation." He adjusted his collar, tone unchanged. They walked out together.
His actions seemed mindless.
Once they were outside again, she followed him closely. Not what he expected from a mafia princess. Shouldn't she be bratty? Pull him everywhere? He lived for that kind of chaos, but this quiet obedience threw him off.
He sighed and stopped at a display of watches glittering under the white lights.
"Rolex?" She pulled out her black card. "Any model you have in mind?"
A smirk tugged at his lips. "Your generous allowance is enough for me to buy any of this myself. Think about yourself, Princess."
"Oh. Doesn't matter. I can still pay."
He sighed. "This is your day off, Princess. Try acting like it."
"I'm acting like it," she said, following him into the store.
He didn't reply. The clerk's voice filled the silence, offering greetings and options neither cared for.
Toji stood beside her, his body relaxed but his mind elsewhere. He didn't know why he brought her here. Maybe curiosity, to see what she was like without instructions.
But she only hovered close, mirroring him.
When he stopped, she stopped. When he turned, she followed.
After a while, he gave up pretending not to notice.
"You don't have to follow me."
"I want to."
"Why?"
"Because I don't have anything I'd like to buy right now."
"Right." Maybe it was a waste to bring her out.
She was just a machine without autonomy. It was a mean thought, but he didn't know why he was so irritated. Why wasn't she acting like a person?
Her lips curved faintly. "What do you want, Toji?"
He turned a watch over in his hand. "Doesn't matter."
"It does to me."
He set it down and walked out. "This whole thing's part of the job. You don't have to try so hard."
She followed, her pace slowing. That stung more than she wanted to admit.
"Part of a job…" she repeated quietly.
"Yeah, you paid me to be here."
"I didn't pay you to bring me out shopping."
"I wanted to buy something."
"What is it?"
"None of your business."
"Toji."
He turned halfway. "What?"
"Why are you acting this way?" She yanked him back, her tone rising slightly.
He stared at her, silent.
"Toji," she said again, "Answer me."
"Answer what?"
"Why doesn't it feel like you're pretending anymore?" Her voice wavered slightly. "Nothing you do feels like pretending now."
He didn't know how to reply to that, "What are you trynna say?"
"You used to tell me lies. That you missed me. That you'd always stay. You acted like the perfect husband, gentle, doing exactly what I wanted."
"Are you gonna complain that I suck at my job now?" he said flatly.
She looked down. "You don't pretend anymore. You act like yourself now."
"…"
"Remember what you said before? About being honest?" she asked quietly.
"What about it?"
"You said honesty's cheap. That you'll always be honest because it doesn't cost you anything."
"Still true."
She watched him for a long moment. "Then why do I feel like you're lying now?"
His brows drew together, irritation flickering in his eyes.
"You keep saying this is just a job. You didn't use to say that," she whispered. "You acted like a husband flawlessly. It feels like… you keep repeating it to remind yourself. It doesn't sound honest anymore."
He opened his mouth but said nothing. The words hit deeper than she meant them to. His gaze dropped.
"You're just overthinking again," he muttered. "You do that a lot. It's a job, so I say it's a job. How much more honest can I be?" Then came a mocking grin. "Don't tell me you think I'm in love with you or something, Princess?"
...Then came a long silence.
Her lips parted slightly, but no words came. She took a step back, eyes lowered. "Right."
Those words stung more than he realised.
She turned away, walking off, her heels clicking against the pavement.
"Oi, where are you going?" He reached out to pull her back.
"Office."
"What? You're taking a break today- Oi!"
"I said I'm going to the office. Let go." Her voice was sharp, colder than before.
His grip loosened, and she walked off. "What the hell…"
He stood there, watching her back disappear into the blur of traffic and light.
He was just a man she paid. Just a warm body she bought to fill the silence. That was all it was supposed to be.
The loneliness clawed at her, sharper than before. The change wasn't good. She knew it.
She walked faster, her chest tight, voice barely audible. "I'm going insane."
Her hands trembled as she pressed them to her chest.
"It's not real, Yumi. It's not." Weak whispers escaped her lips.