Unfamiliar Territory (Chizuru Ichinose x Reader)

(8) A 'Somewhat' Quiet Day

Y/n's POV:

The next day comprised of me getting back into my normal routine; a couple of hours of exercise followed by some writing (first few chapters of my new story). Eventually, I get a little bored and decide to get something to eat. I go to my refrigerator, only to be met with a white void. I've got to get some re-stock asap.

Welp, at least it gets me out of the house. I think to myself, yearning for some fresh air. I exit my apartment, getting ready to leave the block before quickly turning in the direction to the door of my neighbour/classmate. I am tempted to knock again, so that I can at least apologize once more but decide not to. 

No, she needs some space right now. I conclude, before finally leaving for the grocery store. I make sure to stock up on the essentials (milk, eggs, rice and veggies) while also getting some other necessary items such as ramen, mochi and many different types of fruit.

Near the checkout, I notice many people complaining. I look towards the source of their concern. A salmon-haired girl, visibly shivering while the clerk gets more and more angry, before eventually yelling: 

Shop Clerk: "Hey, you've been stopping the queue for 10 minutes! Please hurry up and pay, collect your items and then leave!" They shout, only causing the poor girl to tremble even more.

The girls eventually runs out of the store, leaving her items on the counter, causing the clerk to facepalm, before preparing to let the next customer through.

I line up in the queue, lost in thought. Well that was interesting. It's shame that there aren't many patient people left in the world. I oughta give that clerk a piece of my mind. Still, you've got to be very shy to get scared at even the smallest of social interactions.

As I'm wrapped in my thoughts, I see the girl through the store's window sitting on a bench opposite the road, her head down. I stop for a second, before picking up the items she dropped and putting them into a separate basket. Once I get to the front of the queue, I ask the shopkeeper to put them in a separate bag. I quickly pay, then leave.

Now... how do I approach her? It's clear that if I try to talk, she'll just get nervous and may even run away. I ponder for a while, before deciding on just placing the bag on the bench next to where she's sitting. She looks up as I give a friendly smile, but it seems to still worry her regardless.

To stop the situation from escalating, I walk away, saying:

Y/n: "I saw what happened, so I bought the stuff you dropped." 

Once I get back to the building I call home. I stand there, surprised at the scene before. Ichinose, centimetres away from my door, her arm raised, ready to knock.

Y/n: "Hey, Ichinose." I say, trying to smile but failing, settling on a neutral expression. 

I guess I'm still a little embarrassed from before. I thought before continuing:

"Again, I'm sorry about before, please believe me when I said I'd never do such a thing on purpose. It was a complete accident." I plead, causing her to stiffen up a little.

Chizuru: "Don't worry... it's fine." She replies, seemingly wanting to continue but the words fail to come out.

Her hair styled in an elegant way and her face slightly red, without the glasses. It was at this point I register what she's wearing. A light red dress, with a peach-coloured top underneath. The outfit complimenting her fantastic figure, from her shoulders to her... less innocent areas. She must've come straight from one of her 'dates'.

Y/n: "H-how was work?" I ask, nervously

She looked taken aback by the question, taking a little time to respond, mainly inhaling and exhaling, before opening her mouth once more:

Chizuru: "I-It was good. One of my repeat clients." She says, before finally plucking up the courage to say whatever she wanted to earlier:

"I wanted to ask if you're free tomorrow evening. I have another client in the morning but afterwards, I should be able to continue working on the project." She says in a relaxed tone, as if she isn't too bothered, her face confirming her slightly defensive attitude.

I quickly answer:

Y/n: "Sounds good. It was nice to talk to you, see you later." I say waving, before entering my apartment, closing the door and cringing out of embarrassment.

'It was nice to talk to you?!' Who the hell says that after a conversation less than one minute?! Do you realize how desperate you sounded? I angrily shout to myself, before taking a few breaths to calm myself down.

I catch up with Kibe over the phone, which doesn't take as long as I thought before moving onto making dinner, which I promptly eat as I realize I didn't have anything earlier. I then make a little more progress on my new story before checking my current balance. I recently got my monthly payment from one of my sponsorships, and, adding that onto the money I make with every set number of reads, I sit, satisfied with the numbers visible on the screen. 

I don't even know what to do with it all at this point. I could easily buy a better place now. I start thinking before letting out a yawn. 

I lie down, listening to some music and singing along. I'm not a particularly good singer but I can at least stay on key and hold notes when necessary. This goes on for about 10 minutes before I turn my phone off, taking a shower and then finally going to bed.