linguaphile | bl | jjk | ✓

1: Tuna Mayo

1: Tuna Mayo

"Ito-kun, it's night already. Shouldn't you get ready to leave?"

The boss peeked out of his office, only to see Ito Shunsuke still sitting behind the counter, taking care of books.

The boss was the owner of this little bookshop that could count as half a cafe. Although small, a lot of people drop by to take a look or to purchase some books while taking time out of their day to relax. Most of his customers were the elderly and students who wanted to study.

He had a difficult time searching for an ideal worker.

After all, the elderly would sometimes ask for recommendations but his previous employees couldn't suggest a single good book.

And then Ito Shunsuke appeared.

He loved books more than anything else and it had just been a month but he already finished reading one of the bookshelves.

On top of being his ideal worker, Ito Shunsuke loved talking and the elderlies liked him.

But his most distinguishing feature... was the fact that he was handsome.

Ito Shunsuke's presence alone reels in tons of customers.

However, that was why the boss worried. No one was safe in the middle of the night and with Ito Shunsuke's appearance, he was worried that someone would harass this worker of his.

"Huh," Shunsuke paused from dusting one of the old books to glance at the wall clock with confusion. "It's this late already?"

"Yes!" The boss replied in exasperation. "Now, shoo. Off you go. Get home safely. You can just come early tomorrow if you want."

Shunsuke shot his boss a cheeky grin. "I'll have to trouble you to open up early then, boss!"

.

.

Walking down the dark and empty street, Shunsuke rubbed his palms together to generate some heat. Fall had come and the weather gradually turned cold. Sheesh, I should have gone home early.

The streetlight ahead, which was perfectly working fine a few seconds ago, flickered in an abnormal pattern that Shunsuke couldn't help but halt to a stop. A chill crawled up his arms, unconsciously taking a step back.

... maybe I should have taken the long way around.

"Kombu."

Ito Shunsuke, who had never been afraid of any horror films in his life, almost shrieked like a banshee out of fright. But he successfully swallowed it down, maintaining what little dignity he had left.

Standing before him was youth in uniform, its collar seemingly tailored just for him. Shunsuke didn't know where and how this guy popped out of nowhere because he was busy trying to calm his racing heart.

"H-Hi." Came Shunsuke's shaky reply. His lips turned pale, just like his complexion, and this made him think that he might contract hypothermia any second now.

A pair of purple eyes, that reminded Shunsuke of an amaryllis flower, blinked in the dim light provided by the moon. The streetlight had gone out, causing this stranger's eyes to stand out even more.

Shunsuke's breath almost came to a stop, as if breathing would ruin this perfect tranquility which showed the beauty of this stranger's eyes.

... wait, did he just say kombu —

.

.

Inumaki Toge had been chasing after a slippery curse.

It escaped to an empty street where only stray cats and dogs wander about.

He never expected to bump into someone else.

This made him flustered.

With his vocabulary limited, he could only do so much to warn this person that this place was dangerous. With his phone out of battery and without pen and paper, he could only resort to talking.

"Tuna Mayo!"

When Toge saw the blank look on the other's face, he couldn't help but get agitated. Seeing that the stranger was in a daze, Toge snatched the other's hand and ran away while holding onto him. He sensed him stumble but Toge didn't stop.

The curse might come out of nowhere and implicate this innocent bystander.

"Wait, wait!" The stranger cried out in confusion. "Don't — " he took a deep breath. "— run; have asthma!"

In an instant, Toge screeched to a stop, causing the stranger to bump into his back.

"Ouch." Instead of waiting for a response, Toge turned around and picked up the obviously taller male into his arms, catching the other by surprise. "Hey, hey, put me down!"

But Toge ignored him.

He could sense it.

The curse was somewhere near them so he should get this person to safety!

"I said wait!" The male raised his hand and pinched Toge's cheek, causing the sorcerer to furrow his forehead.

"I don't understand; this place has always been safe. What kind of danger would there be?!"

... huh? Toge, whose thoughts ran a mile a minute trying to figure out how to deal with the situation, came to a halt

His purple eyes darted towards the male in his arms.

He... understood?