Modern Dating: A Practical Guide

Conflicting Interests

It's a known fact that it can be tricky to get back into the swing of things after an amazing trip. In Nagisa's case, he didn't get much time to readjust to the demands of his normal life. There are always lessons to plan after all, although he managed to take care of all his grading beforehand. He hopes his routine will come back to him soon enough.

Nagisa's also never felt so cold at night, meaning he's a little down on sleep.

Rationally it makes no sense. It's not like he ever used to sleep at Karma's place all the time. In fact, especially on weeknights, it's more inconvenient than anything, since he doesn't just have a supply of clothes there. Going away with him for a few days shouldn't have changed that. Yet... it feels strange without him there.

He still doesn't instantly respond to his message when he checks it on his way home from work, though. Karma's lunch break tends to vary, so they don't always line up with his own. Karma didn't even say anything that warrants a response at all, but Nagisa still finds himself close to just typing 'I miss you'. He's not sure what's stopping him from sending it.

The train jolts all of a sudden, and Nagisa might have actually stumbled over if not for the wall of people blocking him. That's what he gets for not paying attention. He's actually pretty thankful though, as he realises he's actually come to his stop. It's the start of rush hour, so no chance to wallow over his phone screen for much longer.

It's not quite rainy season yet, but the journey between the station and his apartment is met with light downpour. He supposes it's one reason to be glad to be home, at least. Another is that he can concentrate on the few bits of grading he didn't manage to finish during school hours. It's a reasonable enough distraction, the faint hint of rain splashing outside turning out to be soothing.

He's pretty much finished by the time the ache in his stomach is too much to ignore. At times like this, instant ramen would be super convenient, but even in Karma's absence Nagisa would still feel a little bad about it. He sighs, figuring the least he can do is start up his rice cooker and throw something on top of it. It counts as donburi if he says it is.

It is a lot more filling than the ramen would have been, admittedly. It's nothing compared to Karma's cooking though.

A part of him doesn't register the sound of his phone vibrating. He just about manages to grab it in time, though he doesn't have a chance to think much about the lack of caller details. That's not to say he doesn't feel at least a little dread that it might be Bitch Sensei coercing him into babysitting again.

"H-hello?"

An unfamiliar voice sounds through the speaker. "Ah, is this Shiota san?"

For some reason, the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. It's not like he's expecting any sort of call from anyone, which leaves him with an air of seriousness. Especially when it's someone he doesn't think he recognises.

"Yeah, speaking. W-who is this?"

"I should apologise for calling you so suddenly. My name is Nanase Kazuki, I'm- well, it's a little difficult to explain. Essentially, I work for the Ministry of Education, though I'm usually stationed all the way up in Hokkaido," he pauses in what may be a light chuckle, before clearing his throat. "I'm sorry to use your personal phone number, but you appear to be a difficult person to contact! I'm actually in Tokyo for business for a few days, and I have to say your article stirred up a bit of a reaction, I was hoping you wouldn't mind indulging me with lunch. Nothing formal, of course!"

Nagisa's initial emotion is a bit of icy fear shooting through him. He's not getting his license revoked, is he? Logically speaking, that kind of a conversation probably wouldn't be as friendly as this though... But what else would anyone want to talk to him about? Nagisa swallows, realising he does actually need to respond with something.