Slowly, Suzune drifted into sleep.Even Ichigo, heavy with alcohol and exhaustion, began to feel drowsy on the unusually comfortable bed. He let his body relax, his thoughts fading as his eyelids grew heavier.
Before either of them realized it, they had both fallen asleep—quietly, drunkenly, wrapped in the stillness of the night.
.
.
Next Morning
Suzu slowly opened her eyes—and the first thing she saw was Ichigo's face.
She froze.
Then she shut her eyes calmly and opened them again.
"…Agh, fuck. What did I do…?"
Her mind raced, then forced itself to slow down.
"Ahh no the situation's not like that"She glanced downward, then at the space between them.
"We're still fully dressed. And we're sleeping on the edge of the bed…That just means we passed out drunk. "
She thought with a calm head "A person should always think with a calm mind."
A small, barely noticeable smile curved her lips as she closed her eyes again.The bed was warm. Too warm. Comforting in a way she hadn't felt in years.
"It's fine… just a little longer."
Moments later, Ichigo's eyes fluttered open.
The first thing he saw—was Suzu, awake, staring straight at his face.
His soul immediately left his body.
He closed his eyes again.
…Agh. What the hell is this situation.
wait...i know she pulled me down last night, and..i-i just fell asleep.. it should be her right to freak out and slap me.. doesnt its how usually goes in such situation.. thats what i saw in anime atleast"
"Had a nice sleep, I-C-H-I-G-O?" Suzu asked, a teasing smirk playing on her lips.
"So good," Ichigo replied calmly, a faint smile on his face, "that I might get addicted."
"Moron," she chuckled softly. Then her expression eased."Anyway… I know it may have been my fault to pull you down last night. I'm sorry."
Ichigo looked at her for a moment, then sighed."It's fine. It was my fault too. Even when you pulled me down, I should've gotten up."He rubbed the back of his neck."We had a good time at the party, and we were all friendly—but that doesn't change the fact that we're basically strangers who met just yesterday. I overstepped my boundaries too. So… I'm sorry."
Suzu closed her eyes and smiled to herself.
So he's this kind of guy…
"Yeah," she said softly. "It was your fault too. And mine."She opened her eyes and looked at him."You're surprisingly understanding—unlike the moron you were yesterday."
Ichigo snorted lightly and slowly got off the bed."Well… I should probably take my leave now."
"Oh? So soon?" Suzune asked, tilting her head.
"Yeah. I think it's about time."
As he spoke, his gaze betrayed him for just a second—her slightly messy hair, her loosened suit, the faint strap peeking out.
Suzu noticed immediately.
She laughed. "E."
"Huh?" Ichigo blinked. "What?"
"My cup size," she said casually, amused.
"H-HUH?!" Ichigo exploded, face instantly turning red as he snapped his head away."Moron! Don't just go around announcing your cup size to people!"
She burst out laughing."I just wanted to see you flustered."
She leaned back against the pillow, smiling."But the reaction I got… was way better than I expected."
Reiko told me you live a bit far from the office. You can stay here and freshen up—we could even go to work together," Suzu said, her tone genuine and a little concerned.
"No, it's fine. I don't have a change of clothes anyway. My place is pretty far, but Miss Reiko said she'd arrange something for me," Ichigo replied as he stepped out of the bedroom. Suzu followed him to the door, where he crouched down to tie his shoes.
"See you at the office, then. I'll tell Reiko you'll be a bit late," Suzu said.
Ichigo stood up, shoes on, and walked out the door. Just before it closed, he turned back with a mischievous grin. "Anyway… you should really change your Key card hiding place. It's way too easy."
Suzu's face flushed red. A vein popped visibly on her forehead. "Get out, you fucker, or I'll drop you off this floor myself!"
"Yes, ma'am!!" Ichigo bolted down the hall and disappeared around the corner.
"This bastard," Suzu muttered, slamming the door. "I thought we'd left the childish arguments behind after this. I'm going to kill that guy at work today."
Downstairs, Ichigo emerged from the building and let out a relieved breath. "Geez, that actually went pretty peacefully. I was worried I'd start off on a bad foot with her forever." He pulled out his phone and dialed Ryo.
Ryo picked up almost immediately. "Sup, Newcomer?"
"Tch. Shouldn't have called you. Wrong number." Ichigo hung up.
His phone rang again instantly. Ichigo answered with a smirk. "You wanna fight, you fucker? You're the one who called me first!" Ryo shouted on the other end.
"You started calling me 'Newcomer' first," Ichigo shot back.
Ryo sighed dramatically. "Just tell me why you called."
"Get me clothes."
"Huh?"
"Yeah."
"Why the hell would I do that?"
"Two cans of beer."
"…Where should I bring them?"
"Office." Ichigo ended the call.
"What kind of moron sells himself for two cans of beer?" Ichigo muttered to himself on the other side.
Ichigo hailed a taxi and headed straight to the office.
He got out near the building and waited by the convenience store out front.
Ten minutes… fifteen… twenty…
"This bastard…" Ichigo gritted his teeth, checking his watch.
Five more minutes later, Ryo finally strolled up, holding a plastic bag and looking far too pleased with himself.
"Here. I just grabbed a shirt—figured you wouldn't need to change pants," Ryo said with a proud grin.
"Alright." Ichigo snatched the bag.
Ryo stood there, eyes closed, smiling expectantly like a dog waiting for a treat.
"Oh… yeah, I forgot. 'Thank you,'" Ichigo said in the flattest tone possible.
"The hell with 'thank you'! Give me my beer. And that didn't sound heartfelt at all."
"Tch." Ichigo pulled a face like someone who'd just realized they had to pay back a loan. "You're gonna drink beer in the morning?"
"Then give me the cash."
"No cash on me."
"Transfer it online."
"Phone's out of battery."
"give me back my shirt"
"you gonna wear 2"
"You wanna die, you bastard?" Ryo grabbed Ichigo by the shoulder, shaking him.
"Anyway," Ichigo said, smoothly dodging the threat, "what floor is the bathroom on?"
"How do you even know there's a bathroom here?"
"Suzu mentioned she sometimes spends the night at the office, so I guessed."
"You guessed that from just that?"
"Yeah. Got a problem?"
"Nah. It's on the top floor," Ryo answered, releasing him with a huff.
Ryo and Ichigo walked into the office building. It was still way too early—only five or six night-owl employees were scattered around, looking like zombies who'd pulled all-nighters.
They stepped into the elevator in awkward silence.
"Um, so the 25th floor is the highest one, right?" Ichigo asked.
"Yeah… tch." Ryo's finger slipped and hit the 24th floor button instead. "Ah, my mistake."
"Ah, it's fine. We'll just hit 25 when we get there."
The elevator hummed as it slowly climbed. After about a minute, the doors slid open on the 24th floor.
A little way down the dimly lit hallway, a couple was locked in a passionate kiss, completely oblivious to the world.
"Ah—25th! Tap the 25th floor, you bastard!" Ichigo hissed in panic, cheeks already burning.
"Y-yeah!" Ryo fumbled, but in his haste he jabbed the 23rd floor button instead.
"You fucking— what are you doing?!"
"Ah, sorry!" Ryo yelped.
The doors closed again, only to reopen moments later on the 23rd floor.
Right in front of the elevator, another couple was making out intensely, hands everywhere, like they owned the hallway.
The Couple and They shared a gaze "..."
"Thank you for the show," Ichigo muttered sarcastically under his breath. He quickly leaned forward and firmly pressed the 25th floor button himself.
"The fuck is this?" Ryo whispered, face red with embarrassment. "Does this office turn into a red-light district the second normal people leave?"
"You made me watch two couples having the time of their lives," Ichigo scolded, glaring at him. "Knowing full well I'm single!"
"I'm single too, you bastard!" Ryo shot back defensively.
The elevator dinged one last time and finally opened on the 25th floor—blissfully empty and quiet.
They both stumbled out, refusing to make eye contact.
Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm never taking the elevator with you again."
Ryo snorted. "Feeling's mutual,"
Ichigo headed straight for the bathroom door at the end of the hall, still clutching the bag with the spare shirt. "If anyone asks, we never saw anything."
"Alright," Ryo said, already walking away. "And you still owe me those beers, by the way."
"Tch. Keep dreaming."
Saying that, Ichigo disappeared into one of the rooms.
He wandered around the top floor, pushing open a door and stepping inside.
"Didn't know our office had a place like this up here…I even saw an Arcade area before coming in this room. Guess this entire floor is meant for resting and blowing off steam."
The room was dimly lit and cozy: a couple of low couches, a big flat-screen mounted on the wall, a mini-fridge humming in the corner, and even a Bathroom.