Tʜᴇ Rɪᴠᴀʟ Nᴇxᴛ Dᴏᴏʀ | Itoshi Rin

10. Bachira's Confession

Shizuka was going through her morning routine, her mind still foggy with sleep. The remnants of last night's chaos were blurred in her memory; she didn't recall that Rin had crashed at her place, due to the absence of both him and the mattress he had used on the floor. Her thoughts were a jumble thinking perhaps it was just a dream as she focused on buttoning her dark red shirt, which was neatly tucked into her beige trousers.

A sudden, acrid smell wafted through the air, pulling her from her thoughts. Shizuka paused, her brow furrowing as the realization hit her.

"No way, he's burning my kitchen all this time!" Panic fueled her feet as she dashed toward the kitchen, where she found Rin standing by the stove, engrossed in toasting sandwiches.

"What are you doing, idiot?" she exclaimed, a frown etched across her face as she strode toward him. Rin, blissfully unaware of her irritation, munched on one of the sandwiches he'd prepared. Her gaze darted to the counter and landed on the empty Nutella jar. Her eyes widened in disbelief. It was gone—completely obliterated. That was her favorite treat.

"You finished it all!" she almost yelled, incredulous. "Oh, what the hell?"

"Do you need toast?" Rin replied with a cheeky grin, casually holding out a sandwich as if that could somehow placate her.

Shizuka placed her hands firmly on her hips, glaring at the boy. The kitchen was a mess, more chaotic than it should have been for just some toast, and the absence of her beloved Nutella was infuriating.

"You!" she shouted, jabbing her finger at him before poking it playfully against his nose, leaning in closer. "Clean this mess before you leave."

Rin met her furious gaze, a lump forming in his throat—not from fear but from the odd flutter of feeling close to her. She didn't seem to mind the proximity, which threw him off balance.

"I will do it," he offered, trying to regain his composure, only to receive a swat on his hand when he playfully poked under her chin. "A little help might be useful."

"Nope." Shizuka turned and snatched her tote bag from the sofa. "You clean it, and then leave. Don't stay another second at my place after you finish."

"It takes more than a second to walk to your door, idiot," Rin called out, holding back a laugh as she headed for the exit.

"Shut up, fool!" she shot back, flinging the door open. "Clean the mess, or I'll kill you."

As she stormed out of the dorm, Shizuka muttered a stream of curses under her breath. She took a deep breath, shaking her head in disbelief at how she managed to contain herself from throttling someone so annoyingly clueless.

"How could I manage not to punch such an irritating head?" she groaned, rifling through her bag while walking. Suddenly, she collided with someone, stumbling back slightly. "Ouch!"

An annoyed scowl instantly clouded her features as she looked up to see Bachira standing there, a playful smile on his face.

"You should really watch where you're going, not just focus on your bag," he chuckled, giving her a light tap on the forehead. He found her annoyance endearing as he glanced over her shoulder, noticing Rin wasn't outside the dorm.

"Didn't he text me he was sitting outside?" Bachira murmured, looking back and forth between Rin's door and Shizuka's furious eyes. "What's got you so riled up?"

"Don't take other people's keys with you—it's infuriating to discover that your favorite food is gone." She glared, her annoyance mirrored in her tone, as Bachira took a step back, raising an eyebrow. "That bastard is at my place. You help him clean the mess and then get out of there. And—" she thrust her finger against Bachira's chest for emphasis. "Bring me the keys to my faculty. I don't care if anyone sees you; this is your fault."