Tenshin Hibiki looked like he had walked straight off a runway and into the wrong neighborhood. His suit was too sharp, his hair was too perfect, and his smile was way too knowing.
"Tenshin," Daisetsu growled, his hand still deathly tight around Yasuo's. "This isn't the time."
"Oh, I think it's the perfect time," Tenshin chirped, completely ignoring the death look on Daisetsu's face. He turned his gaze to Yasuo, his eyes scanning the baker from head to toe. "So, you're the one making our resident ice king melt? I have to say, the flour-dusted look is very... 'moe'."
Yasuo felt his face heat up instantly. Moe? Did this sharp-dressed guy just use anime slang on me? "I—I'm just a baker," Yasuo stammered.
"He's the best baker in the city," Daisetsu corrected sharply, pulling Yasuo slightly behind his shoulder. It was a total Stoic Protector move, marking his territory in front of his colleague.
"I'm sure he is," Tenshin laughed. "Look, the gang is gone for now, but the school board is going to have questions about why a teacher was involved in a gym brawl. Let's go to The Velvet Lounge. My treat. We need to talk, and Yasuo looks like he needs something stronger than milk."
Yasuo didn't want to go to a bar. He wanted to go home, lock the door, and have Daisetsu hold him until the world made sense again. But the way Daisetsu's jaw was set told him this was important.
"Fine," Daisetsu muttered. "But if you say one weird thing to him, Hibiki, I'm breaking your other expensive watch and your arm too."
They arrived at The Velvet Lounge twenty minutes later. It was a dim, classy place with leather booths and jazz playing softly in the background. It was the total opposite of the bakery.
They sat in a corner booth. Tenshin ordered a round of expensive whiskey for himself and Daisetsu, and a sweet, fruity cocktail for Yasuo.
"So," Tenshin said, leaning back and loosening his tie. "Daisetsu, you've been a busy boy. Fighting gangs, hiding in bakeries... it's like a drama CD."
"Get to the point, Tenshin," Daisetsu said, taking a heavy swallow of his drink. He looked exhausted, the adrenaline from the fight finally wearing off.
"The point is, the Principal is starting to hear things. And Kaede—you know, the English-Sensei who's obsessed with you?—she's been asking questions about where you go after work."
Yasuo gripped his glass. Kaede. The name from the plan. The obsessive rival.
"Let her ask," Daisetsu said, but his hand under the table found Yasuo's knee. He squeezed it gently, a secret, grounding touch that sent a thrill through Yasuo's entire body.
Tenshin noticed. His eyes twinkled. "Careful, Nakamura. If she sees you looking at a baker like he's the last piece of cake on earth, she'll lose her mind. She's... intense."
"I don't care about her, Kaede," Daisetsu said, his voice dropping into that low, sexy rumble. He turned to look at Yasuo, completely ignoring Tenshin. "I only care about making sure this one doesn't get any more 'Sweet but Fragile' notes."
The bromance tension was through the roof. Yasuo felt like he was glowing. Under the table, Daisetsu's hand slid from Yasuo's knee up to his thigh. It was a bold, possessive move. The heat of his palm through Yasuo's jeans was overwhelming.
Oh my god, he's flirting! Right in front of his friend! Yasuo thought, his heart hammering against his ribs.
"You're doing it again," Tenshin sighed, though he looked amused. "The 'world for two' thing. You guys are making me feel like a third wheel."
"You are a third wheel," Daisetsu said bluntly.
Suddenly, the door to the bar swung open. A woman in a tight red dress and high heels stepped in. She had sharp eyes and a smile that didn't reach them.
"Daisetsu!" she called out, her voice high and demanding.
Daisetsu's hand immediately stiffened on Yasuo's thigh. "Speak of the devil," he hissed.
It was Kaede Natsumi.
She marched over to the table, her eyes locking onto Yasuo like a hawk. She didn't look at Tenshin or the drinks. She just looked at the way Daisetsu was sitting—too close to the baker.
"I thought I'd find you here," Kaede said, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. She turned to Yasuo, her smile widening into something scary. "And who is this? One of your... students?"
"He's a friend, Kaede," Daisetsu said, his voice cold as ice. He didn't move his hand from Yasuo's thigh. In fact, he gripped it tighter, pulling Yasuo closer to him in the booth.
"A friend, are you serious?" Kaede laughed, a sharp, jarring sound. "He looks a little young for you, don't you think? And he smells like... bread or buns, you know?"
Yasuo felt a surge of anger. He was shy, yeah, but he was proud of his bakery. "It's called hard work," Yasuo said, surprising himself with his own boldness.
Kaede's eyes flashed with pure jealousy. She leaned over the table, her face inches from Yasuo's. "Listen, 'Baker Boy'. Daisetsu is a professional with a reputation to keep. People like you... you're just a distraction. A messy, floury distraction."
Daisetsu stood up so fast the table rattled. He towered over Kaede, his "Stoic Protector" aura turning into something much darker.
"That's enough," Daisetsu said, his voice like a whip. "You don't talk to him like that. Ever."
He grabbed Yasuo's hand and pulled him out of the booth. "We're leaving, Tenshin. Send me the bill."
He dragged Yasuo out of the bar, leaving a stunned Kaede and a laughing Tenshin behind.
Once they were on the sidewalk, the cool night air hitting them, Daisetsu didn't stop. He pulled Yasuo into a dark alleyway between two buildings, pinning him against the brick wall.
It was just like the storage room incident, but this time, it was intentional.
"Daisetsu?" Yasuo breathed, his back against the cold brick, his front pressed against Daisetsu's hot, solid chest.
Daisetsu didn't say anything. He just looked at Yasuo with a hunger that was terrifying and beautiful. He reached out, his split knuckles gently cupping Yasuo's jaw.
"She was wrong," Daisetsu whispered, his breath smelling of whiskey and desire. "You're not a distraction. You're the only thing that makes sense."
He leaned in, his lips just a fraction away from Yasuo's.
"I've wanted to do this since I saw you in the rain," Daisetsu groaned.
Just as Daisetsu was about to close the gap, Yasuo's phone vibrated violently in his pocket.
It was a call from the bakery. From Grandma.
Yasuo answered, his voice shaky. "Grandma? Is everything okay?"
"Yasuo," Mayonaka's voice sounded small and terrified—a sound she never made. "The shop... they came back. They didn't take the money. They just... they destroyed everything. And they left a message on the wall for your teacher."
Yasuo looked up at Daisetsu, the romantic moment shattering into a million pieces.
"What did the message say, Grandma?"
"It said: 'LOVERS BURN TOGETHER.'"