Wish ~Yato x Reader AU~

Chapter 8: To Be Normal

Two weeks.

It's been two weeks since I've moved into the...apartment above Seven. I use the term apartment loosely since the space above the boutique is more like a house. The entire second floor of the boutique is laid out like a traditional Western home equipped with a living room, kitchen, dining room, laundry room, and a half bathroom, each space being large and roomy. A journey up a set of stairs tucked in the kitchen leads up to four bedrooms and a full bathroom on the top level. Much like the downstairs living spaces, the bedrooms are all decently sized, though all have different outdated wallpapers hanging in them. They're not necessarily ugly, but they're different than what I'm accustomed to. But that's the entire apartment in general. Old and outdated, but still functional and maintained.

However, outdated or not, this place is unique. Not just because it's a Victorian house amongst many traditional Japanese houses, but because of one of the bedrooms. The room that I assume to be the master bedroom is located in the tower, the view it overlooks being the ocean, a balcony allowing residents to sit and marvel at the sea. But that's not all. I can tell that all the hand-carved woodwork and built-in shelves are kept in pristine condition, the ancient purple, gothic wallpaper decorating the walls. Stained-glass windows, its own separate full bathroom with a clawfoot tub, and more than enough space make this room perfect -perfect to be my room. It's all just stunning.

Two weeks living here in Nora and now I'm wrapping up my first week on the job. Honestly, what I do is relatively easy. All I do is sit at a desk in a back room and watch multiple screens displaying various areas of the boutique with the occasional walk around the shop. Mr. Sui had informed me in advance that Nora is a rather safe village with an extremely low crime rate. In fact, apparently, the chances of even a shoplifter striking in Nora is slim. This all translates to my job being both easy and boring. I can't even understand why Mr. Sui needs security guards if Nora is that safe, but it's not like that matters. In the end, this is all easy money and I need money.

I let out a haggard yawn and readjust my posture, working to stretch away any stiffness. One of the negatives about this job is how achy it makes me feel. Turns out sitting on my ass for hours in an old office chair is not the best for my spine, but it can't be helped. It is what it is.

With the screens still displaying the same boring scene I've seen all week; I decide to go ahead and start eating my lunch. I begin to take bites of my sandwich, occasionally glimpsing at the screens to see no change. I'm not sure what I'm expecting to find, but surely, it's nothing overly exciting. At least, that's what I believe. I'm about to take another bite when the door that leads to my...office opens, startling me.

I almost choke on my sandwich, only to glance up to see a familiar set of mesmerizing magenta eyes. Hiyori. Hiyori is standing in the doorway, the corners of her lips drawn up into a friendly smile. She is dressed in her work uniform; a plain white Polo shirt with a name tag and a basic pair of black jeggings and black flats. Her long locks are pulled back into their usual ponytail, allowing me to see her soft features. Just like the first day I had seen her, she disarms me.

I swallow what remains of what I have been chewing and manage to smile, "Hiyori, wow. I wasn't expecting to see you here. What...what are you doing here, anyway?"

She shrugs, "Oh, I thought I'd just come to see how your first week has gone. Speaking of which, how has it gone?"

"Eh. Pretty easily," I reply. I readjust my posture and shift my focus. "Hey, are you allowed back here?"

"I'll only be here for a few moments," she smiles. "I just came to ask you a question."

I lift a brow. "A question? Okay. What is it?"

She leans her weight against the doorjamb and brings her gaze directly to mine. Much like how she tried to do to me the first day I met her, I am trying to read her. I'm trying, but I don't know her well enough to know how to do that. She looks content and even happy, but that could just be a charade. However, in the end, it doesn't matter.

"What time does your shift end?" she questions cheerfully.

"At five," I answer matter-of-factly. "Why do you ask?"

She beams, "I was wondering if you wanted to go to karaoke with me. There's a nice karaoke place a few blocks down." She tilts her head to the side, happily adding, "Ya know, to celebrate your first week. What do you say?"

My eyes go wide. I wasn't expecting that. Then again, I'm not sure what I was expecting. Whatever it was, that's not it. She's extended an invitation to me to hang out outside of our work environments. That's something normal people do. This is something normal people do. This is my chance. I get to be a normal, typical nineteen-year-old.

With a bright smile lifting the corners of my lips and a tad too much enthusiasm in my tone I smile, "Yeah...yeah, I'd like that."

"Great," she gushes. "My shift ends at five thirty, so I'll meet you outside of the boutique at around quarter till (5:45). Okay?"

"O-okay," I smile.

"I'll see ya then, Y/N!" she gushes before taking her leave.

The door closes behind her, leaving me back in my solitude, though I'm too damn happy to even notice the quietude. Elation and glee wash over me as my mind begins to envision the evening. The karaoke place, the people, the music. I'm picturing it all and I honestly can't wait. Brimming with eagerness, I glimpse at the clock.

The next four hours can't go by fast enough.

**Ello my wonderfully sweet lovelies! Another chapter up and I won't lie, I'm not super satisfied with how this one turned out. I struggled and struggled with it, but I still did my best. I hope y'all find some enjoyment in it. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I'm already beginning to plot my next project. It'll either be a Kaneki x Reader project or an OC x Reader one. If I go with the Kaneki one, then I'll most likely do a Hide x Reader project to follow. I'm not sure yet. This project still has a long while to go, so I'll keep y'all posted. As always, thank you so much for everything! Y'all are awesome sauce! Stay groovy! Wuv yous!! <3**

-Noel Ross