𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒 -𝗄.𝗇𝖺𝗇𝖺𝗆𝗂

𝐎𝐕𝐓. 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍: Fears

The year passed by and it's now a brand new year for everyone. Changes were made and improvements shower themselves later in the year. Currently, it was the time for summer to come.

The sun was bringing the heat and the air too was warm because of the sun. People loved summer, but she doesn't.

Groaning in annoyance as she walked inside the building, her head was hot because of the heat. "Damn weather, I'm sweating because of it." She wiped her face with a handkerchief and puts it back in her pocket.

She got in the elevator and so did he, following her from behind. It was the truth when summer is actually annoying and unpleasant, but the activities that can unfold in summer are inarguably great.

"Hey, Nanami, can we get some shaved ice at lunch? I don't feel like eating anything besides cold food." She says, fanning herself with her hand.

"We will, if you eat your lunch first before that." She huffed, "Fineee." Crossing her arms and leaning against the elevator.

After the project that Nanami was assigned in, he was allowed to go back at his old seat with Daigo. Izanami tried to argue with the boss about his choice, but the boss sided with Nanami and so, there won't be any Izanami appearance anytime soon.

It was back to normal, just how they wanted it to be. Just the two of them living and working normally with the company of each other.

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"Wait, you missed something in that column right there." She pointed to the monitor, showing the error in his computation. "See?" She turned her head to see if he was listening to her or not.

"Nanami?" He snaps out of his daze and he looks at her who had a bummed out look on her face. She sighs, "You're going out of focus at work, keep it professional. Where's the same effort that you had in your first time here?"

The two were good friends in and out of work, but she had a great sense of separation from work and personal life. She's won't just let him off the hook if she sees him slacking off.

"I apologize, Daigo-san. It won't happen again." "You really shouldn't show that kind of attitude at work or the boss will know." She sits back at her chair, leaning her arm on the armrest.

"The policies got stricter, that's why I need to be strict with you since you're still getting even more adjusted in here." Shrugging her shoulders, "It's a brand new year, after all. I might even quit soon but I'm gonna worry about how you'll be coping without proper guidance."

"You don't need to stay for my sake, Daigo-san." He said. "My first year here is the most enjoyable time that I ever had and it's thanks to you."

Daigo averts her eyes when he looked at her. She cleaed her throat and faced her computer screen and continued on typing, "Get back to work, Nanami-san."

What might be the cause of her sudden change?
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Daigo looked at herself in the mirror of the washroom, droplets of water dripped from her face as she stared at herself. She didn't know how to act around him now that he made her know about his feelings. She felt awkward around him.

"Am I sabotaging things again?" She asked, whispering to herself. "It was fine when he said it at that time, but acting like no revelation happened and living life normally? I can't."

It was like high school all over again. She couldn't get over her mistakes and it still lingered in her mind. She thought she recovered and forgot about it, the truth is, she never did. She just ignored it and ran away from it.

Her phone rang, the caller was Nanami. She took a deep breath before answering. "Hello?" "I found a stall that sells ice cream and also the shaved ice that you wanted."

"Oh, right. I'll be down in a few, I just gathered my thoughts for a bit." "Do you want to talk about it later? I have time."

"I'm...I can't just yet. I'll be fine, I can handle it." Nanami went quiet for a while, "Nanami? Are you there?"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the washroom so she rushed to go outside and see who it is. "What are you doing here?! Geez, thank goodness it was just me in here." She facepalmed when she found out that he had came back to talk to her personally. The lengths that he goes through is just a lot and she felt like she didn't deserve any of it. Her thoughts were, 'Am I really worth it? Is this true? Wait, I should believe him because I have faith in him. So why??'

Nanami was worried for her and how she was oddly acting around him. He had some guesses about why she's being like that and his main guess was because of his confession that suddenly triggered Daigo's hidden fears and issues in regards to relationships, romantic ones.

It suddenly crossed his mind that even if he was friends with her for a year, he doesn't actually know anything about her past. Especially the deeper roots of her past that molded her into what she is today. He wasn't one to talk, as he didn't reveal much of his own history too, but he had a solid reason why.

"You were taking too long in there so I thought that something might've happened, that's why I came here." He came up with a passable excuse. She halfheartedly laughed, "Ah, is that so? Don't mind me, sorry if I took a while."

She took steps ahead of him and stops, "I have lots of things to tell you, but I'm not ready." She mumbles. "Hm? Did you say something? You're too far ahead." He asked.

She turns around and smiles, "Nothing at all! Come on, I can't wait to have some shaved ice! Let's go, Nanami!!" She drags the man to the outside and he says the direction of the stall while she rushes through the crowd and psuhes her way in and successfully buys some for the two of them.

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