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"Ha," Sakyo sighed as he leaned against the railings of the balcony with a can of beer in his right hand. It was Friday and almost midnight, and he was physically tired from doing his Ginsekai work every morning, rehearsals in the afternoon, and paperworks at night. All he wanted was this week to end so that he can finally relax and sleep, but here he is, wide awake while sipping on his beer.
"Sakyo-san?"
His eyes drifted to where he heard that familiar voice, and just from the sight of her, he felt like all the stress from the busy week got lifted off from his shoulders and he started to finally relax. Trying to supress the smile that was threatening to show, he drank a bit of the bitter liquid before acknowledging her presence.
"Director, what are you doing here? Isn't it way past your bedtime?" he said teasingly.
"Excuse me, I am not a kid anymore," Izumi replied with a chuckle. "I was just going around the dorm checking if there're some lights that were not turned off. I came here because I thought someone forgot to turn it off but I didn't expect to see you here." When she finished, she was already beside him. "Drinking away your sorrows?" she asked as she pointed the beer can on his hand.
"What do you mean by that, you cheeky brat? I'm not 'drinking away my sorrows', I just thought it'll help me sleep better tonight."
Izumi was looking at his face quite intently, as if she was trying to spot something different. "...You look really tired, Sakyo-san."
Sakyo sighed for the second time as he adjusts his glasses. "Well, yeah, this week was pretty hectic for me. But Boss gave me this weekend and the whole next week off, so I can finally join the morning rehearsals starting tomorrow."
When he looked back at Izumi, she was giving him a smile so soft he swears he thought he seeing an angel... or something like that. He thought fatigue was finally kicking in, but he's definitely sure it wasn't the reason why he's seeing her like this.
"I have good news for you, then," she started, her smile never leaving her lips. "We don't have rehearsals for the weekend, so you can sleep in or relax if you want to."
Sakyo finally smiled at that. "You think I can relax in this dorm full of energetic youth?"
"Of course you can! I'm already claiming that you'll wake up late tomorrow!"
"Where are you getting that confidence, huh?"
He then tucked some loose strands of her hair behind her ear without thinking, and realized what he did just after a few seconds. "Uh- I, ah... Sorry 'bout that..."
"Hehe, no need to apologize. And thanks."
A comfortable silence passed between them, and the gentle rustling of the leaves was the only sound they can hear. Sakyo felt more relaxed by then as he finished his drink, and he was thankful for the presence of the woman beside him.
Just knowing that she's right there so close to him makes his heart beat faster, but at the same time, he feels calmer than ever.
"Guess it's time for me to turn in," he said as he patted her head gently and threw the can in the trash bin. "You better sleep now, too. I'll take you to your room."
As he was about to make his way out of the balcony, he felt a little tug on the hem of his shirt, making him stop and look back at her. She's once again looking at him right in his eyes, and he just can't look away even if he wanted to.
"Uhm, Sakyo-san!"
"Yes?"
"I have something I want to give you."
"Okay? Then, what is it?"
He froze on his spot when she gave it to him, and he swear he felt his heart thump loudly against his chest. Tension started to build once again in his body, but it was never about how tired he is.
"You did well, Sakyo-san," Izumi whispered, her arms wrapped tightly around his waist while her head was leaning softly against his chest. He's pretty sure she can feel his heart beating like crazy, but if she did, she didn't say anything about it. "I know you're tired and I'm sorry if this is the only thing I can give you. But I just want to let you know that if you need help or something, you can always count on me."
He sighed a shaky breath, never aware that he was holding it in.
Can I really be selfish just for tonight? he asked himself, debating if he can hug her back or not. But his desire to feel her warmth even more was too strong to ignore.
And so he, ever so gently, wrapped his arms around her body. She felt so soft against him... and she smells so nice...
"Thank you, Izumi- I mean, Director..."
Sakyo heard her giggle, followed by some soft pats on his back. "It's alright, you can call me by my name if it's just the two of us." When she pulled away, he tried his best not to pull her back close to him. "Oh, and you should invite me for a drink if you feel like drinking, too," she added with her eyes sparkling.
He had to laugh at her suggestion and he flicked her on the forehead. "You won't be able to handle my type of liquor."
"We can always just drink something lighter like the one you were drinking earlier," Izumi said, rubbing the spot on her forehead were his finger connected.
"Alright, fine, you cheeky brat. Come on, I'll accompany you back to your room."
Turning the lights off and closing the doors of the balcony, Sakyo and Izumi walked towards her room while chatting about their favorite drinks. But he wasn't aware that he was smiling so softly as he looks at her, and Izumi, though noticing the kind of smile he was giving her, wasn't pointing it out at all... because it was such a beautiful and rare sight.
"Well, here's my room," Izumi chuckled as she spun on her heels to face him. "I hope you'll have a good sleep tonight, Sakyo-san. Good night!"
When she was about to enter her room, Sakyo suddenly grabbed her by the wrist. He was also shocked with what he did, but he thought it'll be more awkward if he just let go.
"Hm? Do you need anything else?" she asked.
"Uh, no, I just..."
Sighing deeply as if giving up and doing what he really wanted to do, Sakyo pulled Izumi closer to him. His free hand then went on her nape as he leaned down and planted a soft kiss right on the corner of her lips.
When he pulled away, he watched her going wide-eyed and touching the place where he kissed her. "W-w-w-what was that for...?!" she said, her face going beet red.
"J-just wanna say thanks...! Tch, just go to sleep. Good night, Izumi." He hurriedly went on his way to his room, his face burning with heat.
A kiss just a shy away from her lips? When did he ever became so bold in showing his affection for her? Never in his life did he thought that he'll be this brave to actually kiss her...
And because of that one kiss, Sakyo wasn't able to sleep right away and woke up when they were about to have lunch, and was teased by the very reason why he couldn't sleep that she was right.