Borrowed Words
Summary: Shinichiro has been rejected twenty times. Determined not to make it twenty-one, he recruits one of his oldest friends to help him write anonymous love letters to the girl he’s been secretly admiring from afar.
The poems work.
The problem is…every poem she writes for his crush says a little more about her own heart than either of them realizes.
Pairing: Sano Shinichiro x fem!Reader
Words: 11.3K
Genre: Romantic Comedy, Friend-to-Lovers, Slow-Burn Romance
Tropes/Themes: Secret Admirer, Love letters, Oblivious Idiots in Love, Protective Shinichiro, Knowing Someone vs. Idealizing someone, Self-growth through romantic failure
A/N: I’ve never been able to accept the idea that Shin got rejected twenty times. I was like, “Hell no! Not on my watch!” So, I wanted to write something where Shin could still be himself, but like, learn to be smooth. You know?
So, I came up with this whole story that is loosely based on true events.
Anyways, hope y’all enjoy.
Happy Birthday Shinichiro!
*
Roses are red Violets are blue When I see your face My heart goes boom boom like a motorcycle, vroom-
Shinichiro looked proudly at the piece of paper in his hands; his lanky frame folded awkwardly over the table as his messy black bangs slipped into his dark eyes.
“Yeah! That’s…that’s pretty good!” he said to himself as he reread the poem scribbled in his handwriting and nodded.
He narrowed his eyes, squinting at the paper, as he tapped a pen against his chin like a seasoned poet deep in thought. After a moment, he added a little underline beneath the last word for emphasis.
Finally, he added three more words to finish the poem.
Your Secret Admirer
“Yeah,” he smiled while nodding to himself, more confident this time. “That’ll do it.”
With one last satisfied look, he folded the paper carefully and slipped it into the pocket of his black leather jacket.
*
Ding Dong.
The bell to the convenience store door chimed softly as he stepped inside.
Shin kept his head tilted down slightly, trying to look as casual as possible as he wandered to one of the snack aisles. There, he pretended to skim items he had no intention of buying, but he couldn’t help but let his eyes flicker up toward the front counter.
His heart thumped.
There she was.
His crush.
Beautiful, talking on the phone, leaning against the register like she didn’t have a care in the world.
Shin swallowed.
Quick. Clean. In and out.
Come on, Shin. He told himself. You can do this!
He left the snack aisle, approaching the counter while she was turned away, and pulled the folded paper from his pocket. Sliding it beside the register, he placed it where she couldn’t miss it. Then…
He bolted.
Not out of the store—no, no. That would be too obvious.
No, instead, he ducked into one of the aisles, but for someone nearly six feet tall, this proved to be quite difficult for he was doing a terrible job of making himself small.
He grabbed for the nearest thing he could (cup noodles) and pretended to read the label all while peeking through the shelves.
The bell chimed again, signaling someone else entering the store, but he paid them no mind.
He watched as his crush turned back to the register while still talking on the phone with a friend.
Shin held his breath as he waited for her to notice. That’s when she paused.
“Wait…” she said, looking down at the little note.
His heart jumped. This is it!
She picked up the paper and unfolded it.
Shin straightened just a little, trying to catch her expression through the gaps between the shelves.
There was a moment of silence. Then finally…
“Someone left me a poem…” she said into the phone, sounding intrigued.
His chest puffed up immediately with pride.
Here we go.
He watched her read it silently.
Then her lips twitched. “Oh my gosh!”
Shin’s smile froze.
She suddenly busted with laughter—not in a mean way—but definitely amused.
“Okay, wait. This is kind of bad,” she told her friend over the phone. “Like cute-bad. Like…this is something my little brother would write.”
Shin blinked. Cute…bad?
She kept going, still laughing.
“No listen-” she read part of it out loud, barely getting through the last line without breaking. “Boom boom like a motorcycle—I cant!”
She covered her mouth, giggling. “I mean, points for effort, I guess?”
Shin slowly lowered the ramen cup in his hands.
His ears felt hot.
His smile disappeared so quietly it almost felt like it had never been there at all.
“Okay…” he mumbled under his breath to himself. “Maybe not that one.”
He then turned, set the ramen back on the shelf like nothing had happened, and walked out of the store without buying anything.
***
When he got to the ramen shop, it was fairly quiet, which was usual for this time of day in the afternoon.
Shin trudged over to the table you were at and slid into his usual seat across from you with a quiet sigh. He slouched forward, all long limbs and misery, as he rested his elbows on the table.
A few moments later, you finally looked up from your book, acknowledging him.
“Well?” you asked.
He glanced off to the side.
You waited, watching him expectantly. “How’d it go?”
Shin scratched the back of his head before answering.
“Well…she didn’t hate it…”
He paused.
“…but she didn’t like it, either.”
Your eager expression softened, just a little.
“Okay,” you said gently. “What did you write?”
Shin hesitated for just a second, then he straightened up like he was about to present something important.
“Alright, listen to this,” he said. “I think it had a strong opening.”
You nodded slowly, bracing yourself.
Shin cleared his throat.
“Roses are red…”
You pressed your lips together.
“Violets are blue…”
Your eyes flickered upward like you were already asking God for strength.
“When I see your face…”
“Shin-”
“My heart goes boom boom like a motorcycle, vroom!”
Silence.
You stared at him.
He stared back at you, dead serious.
“There’s more,” he quickly added.
“Shin,” you called again, carefully.
He stopped.
“What were you going for?” you asked, confused.
He frowned slightly, looking confused himself. “I don’t know…energy?”
You let out a long sigh, pressing a palm over your mouth before trying again.
“Okay, look. It’s not…terrible.”
He brightened.
“It’s just,” you tilted your head to the side, searching for the least painful wording. “It sounds like you’re describing a cartoon explosion or something.”
Shin’s shoulders dropped. “Oh…”
There was a small pause between you.
Then he leaned forward, more serious now. “Well, then what should I say?”
That question caught you off guard.
You blinked. “What?”
“You’re good with this stuff, right?” he said, gesturing vaguely at you and your book. “Words. Feelings. All that.”
You glanced down at your book and huffed a quiet laugh. “I’m not-”
“C’mon,” he cut in. “Just tell me what sounds better.”
You hesitated for a moment but then sighed as Shin’s hopeful eyes bored into you.
“Okay fine,” you caved. “Just don’t describe how she looks as if it’s a checklist.”
He stared back at you, dumbly. “What does that mean?”
“Like, don’t just say her face is pretty,” you explained. “Say what it does to you.”
He leaned in, listening.
You waved your hand in the air, vaguely.
“Something like, ‘when you smile, it makes everything feel lighter’ or something.”
There was a pause as Shin considered your words.
“Wait…”
He grabbed a napkin from the table and the pen still jammed in his pocket.
“What was that?” he asked, quickly.
“What was what?” you replied back.
“Say it again.”
You narrowed your eyes. “Why?”
“Just, say it again, please?”
You sighed, but repeated it anyway, slower this time.
“When you smile…it makes everything feel lighter.”
Shin’s eyes lit up.
“Yeah!” he said, excited, already writing. “Yeah, that’s good!”
You watched him for a moment, feeling a little unsure.
Something about the way he was looking at the words—like he’d just discovered something—made your stomach twist slightly.
“Shin...” you called a little quieter now. “You should really come up with your own words.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said absentmindedly, still scribbling. “I will.”
He then looked up at you, dark eyes shining brightly. “You got any more of those pretty words, bestie?”
***
The next day, Shin stood at the front counter of the convenience store where his crush worked, holding two pieces of paper.
One with your poetic expression and one of his…
He had spent the previous night trying to come up with words of his own to express himself like you had suggested, but he just couldn’t come up with anything as good as you.
When you smile, Everything feels a little lighter Like the world forgets how heavy it was… Just for a second
Shin nervously tapped his finger against your revised poem as he fought with himself internally.
Hers or mine?
He reached out to place his poem on the counter, but when he heard his crush coming back to the front of the store, he panicked.
Quickly, he set your version down on the counter, then bolted once again, the coattails of his jacket practically flying behind him.
From an aisle in the store, he watched again, waiting for her to notice the note.
This time, when she picked it up, she didn’t laugh.
She paused.
Read it once.
Then, her expression softened.
“Oh…”
Shin straightened as he watched on, his heart practically beating in his ears, but he almost could’ve floated at what she did next.
She…smiled.
Not big, or loud.
Just…real.
“This one’s actually really nice,” she said quietly to herself.
From the aisle, Shin’s eyes widened.
“Jackpot!” he whispered.
And just like that, Shinichiro figured out exactly what he needed.
Not better words.
Just someone who had them.
***
“You're a genius!” Shin exclaimed, marching straight to your usual table at the ramen shop and dropping down in the booth across from you. “A literal fucking word genius!”
You blinked up at him, unsure of what he was referring to. “What did I do?”
“Your poem! I gave it to her and she loved it.”
It took you a minute to catch up, but when you did, you gave him a look.
“Shin, you didn’t!” you said, heat rising to your face. “You gave your crush my poem?! You were just supposed to use it as a guide, not-” You stopped yourself, exhaling. “You basically made me her secret admirer. Do you have any idea how weird that is?”
Shin sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Look, I tried writing my own but the words just wouldn’t come out right. I'm just not good with words like you are.”
You sighed, shaking your head.
Shin continued to explain himself. “I was going to give her mine, but then I looked at yours and how much better it was and, I panicked. I just…didn’t want her to laugh at me again, you know?”
You softened as you watched him slump further in his chair, his expression showing his guilt at what he did.
“Well, what did you come up with?” you asked.
Shin paused for a moment, then pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and slid it across the table towards you.
You took the paper and read the words written in Shin’s scribble.
Your face is nice Like, really really nice I think about it a lot Probably too much actually
You pressed your lips together, shoulders tightening as you tried—really tried—not to laugh at the “poem.”
“How long did it take you to come up with this?” you asked. “Be honest.”
He shrugged, rubbing at the back of his neck like he was embarrassed. “Like, a few minutes…”
While this was technically true, what he didn’t mention was that this was the best one out of at least a dozen crumpled attempts, all now discarded in the trash.
“Hm…” you said, placing the poem back down on the table.
Shin straightened back up as he looked at you. “Look, I know you said I should come up with my own words, and I will. I promise. It’s just…do you think you could help me out with making them sound better?”
You bit down on your lip, hesitant to do this request of his. You didn’t want to encourage this behavior, exactly. Still, he was one of your oldest and dearest friends.
“Please?” he pleaded, his short black bangs falling into those pretty onyx eyes of his—the ones that always made you cave whenever he deeply wanted something. “Yesterday was the first time I saw her smile like that.”
He rubbed at the back of his neck again. “I just…really like her, and I don’t want to be rejected…”
Shin paused, then slowly added, “…again.”
You sighed once more. You knew all about Shin’s long history of rejections, so you didn’t blame him for not wanting to go through it again. Hell, you were terrified of rejection yourself. It’s part of the reason why you had never…
“Fine,” you agreed, before you could allow yourself to even finish that thought.
You took out your pen and pulled the note to you again to begin translating his words into something more poetic. When you finished, you slid the paper back to him. Shin picked it up immediately, eyes scanning the lines before he read it aloud.
“I catch myself thinking about you in the middle of ordinary moments, like you’ve quietly made a place in my everyday life.”
Shin whistled.
“Wow,” he said, impressed. “This is miles better than my shit poem.” His eyes then landed on you like you were some kind of wizard with words. “How do you come up with this stuff?”
You shrugged.
“Same way you know everything about motorcycles without even thinking about it,” you explained. You were always amazed at Shin’s ability to take apart then rebuild a whole bike from literally the ground up.
“It just…comes to me,” you finished.
Shin nodded like he was considering the analogy. “Yeah. That makes sense.”
He then smiled warmly at you. “Thanks for helping me out with this. She’s gonna love it. I know it. You should’ve seen the look on her face when she read the poem. I knew right then and there. I need you.”
Your brows lifted at that, your stomach doing a small, traitorous flip, but you played it off as a joke.
“Need me, huh? Just don’t expect me to write your wedding vows when you two get married.”
Shin snorted, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. One step at a time.”
***
Over the course of the next two weeks, you and Shinichiro worked on various poems dedicated to his beloved crush at the convenience store. He would spew words from the top of his head, coming up with terrible versions of his own poems, and then you would translate his babbling into something more poetic to better convey what he was feeling.
Shin:
I get nervous when you talk to me and I forget what I was gonna say. It’s kind of embarrassing. So please don’t notice
Your translation:
You make me forget what I was saying And I don’t even mind, Because it means I’m paying more attention to you.
Shin:
I want to be around you even if we’re not talking. It’s better than being alone. Or, with other people
Your translation:
I dream about being near you Even if it’s in silence It feels better than anywhere else I could be.
*
Tonight, he was sprawled across your bed, his black shirt riding up slightly as he shifted, while one foot dangled lazily off the edge. You, on the other hand, sat at your desk with your back facing him, typing away on your laptop.
He was having a hard time coming up with his next verse, but sticking to your one condition that he had to come up with the words first before you translated, you hadn’t bothered to help him to come up with anything, despite it having been nearly an hour since he came over.
Besides, you had a paper due at midnight that was much more important, right now.
You heard Shin sigh, exaggeratedly from behind you.
“I’ve got nothing,” he said, sounding fed up. “There’s only so many ways to say ‘I really fucking like you.’”
You smirked as you paused in typing up your paper to turn to him in your swivel chair.
“Shin, I’ve been meaning to ask you, what is your end goal? Like, are you gonna ask her out? Or, are you just gonna be her secret admirer forever? What do you even want from her?”
Shin gulped like he hadn’t really considered his next step. “What I…want?”
You sighed, realizing he hadn’t even thought that far ahead and turned back to your laptop to continue typing as you spoke. “Maybe you should focus on that. Once you figure that out then you might be able to come up with something.”
Shin didn’t immediately say anything, so you figured he was considering your suggestion.
“You’re right,” he finally said after a few minutes of silent thinking while staring at the ceiling.
You nodded, pleased that he’d actually taken your advice.
“I need to go bigger.”
Your brows furrowed. That wasn’t what you said.
“What?”
“I need to do something bigger than poems if I want her to notice me,” he said, sitting upright. The mattress creaked as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. “I mean, eventually I want to reveal myself, right? So, I need something that’ll impress her. Something she’ll never forget.”
As he spoke, he started pacing your room. You resisted the urge to roll your eyes.
“Shin, I was talking about figuring out what you actually want from her.”
“I know, I know,” he said distractedly. “But if she’s gonna fall for me, I’ve gotta make an impression first.”
You sighed.
There was no stopping him once he got an idea in his head.
“Fine. What do you know about her, then?”
He suddenly stopped, grinning dreamily with that dumb look he got on his face whenever he talked about the girl at the convenience store and you rolled your eyes.
“Besides that she’s pretty,” you quickly added.
His grin fell, a frown now replacing it as he thought harder.
“I don’t know…”
You blinked.
“Shin.”
“What?”
“You’ve been writing poems to this girl for weeks.”
“I know.”
“And you don’t know anything about her?”
“I mean…” He rubbed at the back of his neck. “Not really.”
You just stared at him, dumbfounded. Somehow, that was even worse than you expected.
But before you could lecture him any further, his gaze drifted past you.
His eyes focused on your desk.
Then your bookshelf.
Then to the framed painting above your bed.
His eyes widened.
“OH!” he shouted suddenly, causing you to jump. “FLOWERS!”
Suddenly, a pen bounced off his forehead.
“Ow!”
“Would you keep it down?” you hissed.
It was late and you didn’t want him waking your roommate down the hall all because he suddenly got some grand idea to woo his crush with.
“My bad,” he muttered, rubbing at his head, but his excitement didn’t dim.
“Flowers,” he repeated. “I think she likes flowers.”
You crossed your arms. “You think?”
“Yeah,” he replied, pointing at you as though he’d just cracked a major case. “I heard her talking on the phone with a friend once.”
“Once?”
“I think so.”
“Are you sure?”
Shin frowned. “Okay, maybe not, but I definitely heard her over the phone.”
You continued to stare at him, skeptical, but he ignored you.
“And I’m pretty sure she mentioned cherry blossoms.”
Your stomach gave a strange little twist.
Cherry blossoms.
Your eyes flicked around your room.
The Sakura-themed calendar hanging beside your desk.
The pressed blossoms tucked inside a shelved frame.
The small vase sitting on your nightstand.
You’d always loved cherry blossoms.
The thought hit harder than it should have, which was a bit ridiculous. Lots of people liked cherry blossoms, after all. There was nothing unusual about that.
So why did it suddenly feel like someone had reached into your room and taken something?
“R-Really?” you stuttered slightly, trying to keep your voice casual.
“Yeah!” Shin said. “Can you imagine it? She’ll be working her shift when suddenly a guy walks in carrying a huge bouquet of her favorite flowers.”
Favorite flowers.
You looked away.
Maybe she did love cherry blossoms.
Maybe it was a coincidence.
Still, something about hearing him say it made your chest feel strangely tight.
“Then she’ll see the card,” he continued, completely oblivious. “She’ll realize her secret admirer is thinking about her, and—boom!”
He pointed dramatically into the air.
“Romance.”
You huffed out a small laugh, despite yourself. “Shin, you’re such a romantic.”
His grin widened.
“Yeah, what can I say?” he said, proud of himself.
You shook your head.
Idiot.
As Shin continued to ramble on about how he was going to execute his flower delivery plan, your attention drifted.
First your poems.
Now your flowers.
The thought slipped into your head before you could stop it.
Why did that bother you so much? Especially when you’d agreed to help him in the first place.
Nobody was forcing you.
And yet, the longer he talked, the more uncomfortable you felt.
“Hey.”
You blinked.
Shin had gone quiet. He was staring at you now.
He tilted his head down to your level. “You okay?”
“Huh?”
“You look like you saw a ghost.”
You quickly shook your head. “Oh yeah. I’m fine.”
“You sure?”
“Positive.”
He eyed you suspiciously before eventually shrugging.
“Anyway,” he said, launching right back into his plan. “I know a guy who can probably get me a discount on the flowers.”
You smiled. Of course he did.
“And I’m gonna need your help,” he added.
You rolled your eyes. “What am I helping with this time?”
He fixed you with a hopeful look.
“What rhymes with cherry blossoms?”
***
Today was the day to execute mission: Romance the cutie at the checkout stand.
He had everything set up.
The flower delivery.
The poem.
Then, the reveal.
It was perfect! Nothing could go wrong.
Right now, Shin stood behind a row of shelves, watching his crush check out a few customers. He checked his phone for the time.
9:49AM
He had scheduled the delivery for ten, so he knew the guy would be showing up any minute now.
His crush finished helping the customers and then turned to start zoning her aisle, straightening a stack of candy bars. He was glad that he had chosen early morning for the delivery. Fewer customers would give him the chance to execute his reveal plan, smoothly without distractions.
Buzz…Buzz…
Shin pulled out his vibrating phone from his pocket to see a message from the delivery guy that he had arrived. He was just about to text the delivery guy to enter when he glanced up only to see his crush’s manager walk up beside her, clipboard in hand as he started talking to her about something.
Shin’s shoulders sunk.
He quickly dialed the number and the delivery guy picked up.
“Hey, can you hold off on the delivery for just a second?” he asked. “I’ll tell you when to go in.”
“Okay, man. Just let me know when.”
His dark, glassy eyes lifted back to the front counter when he heard her manager walk away. She was alone again.
Shin perked up.
“Okay, now,” he said, eager.
“Alright-”
“Wait!”
“What?!”
Shin watched as his crush suddenly left the counter and disappeared into the backroom.
He sighed.
“She left,” he explained, deflated again. “Can you hold off just a little longer?”
“Alright man. But I only have my parking space for a few minutes. If it takes too long, I’m gonna have to...”
Ding Dong.
Shin’s attention was pulled away when he heard the ring of the entrance door as someone entered, but he vaguely caught the delivery guy going on about needing to put more change in the parking meter. He watched as a couple of customers came in and he felt his shoulders sink even further.
“Just a few more minutes...”
But “just a few more minutes” turned into much longer as more customers arrived at the convenience store.
A businessman in a wrinkled suit walked up to the register with bottled coffee and a newspaper, then he left. Afterwards, an elderly woman shuffled up to the register.
She smiled warmly at his crush. “Hello young lady. Would you happen to know where the batteries are?”
Shin closed his eyes.
“Just a few more minutes…”
The delivery guy let out an audible groan through the phone.
“Buddy…”
“I know. Just a few more minutes. I promise.”
“I’ve got more deliveries, man.”
“I know.”
Finally, the old woman left. Shin practically bounced where he stood.
“Okay, now!”
The delivery guy took one step…then the front door suddenly swung open again.
This time, four middle-school boys burst inside arguing over which chips to buy.
Shin stared blankly.
“…”
One kid couldn’t decide between barbecue and sour cream. Another wanted slushies. Then one of them knocked over a gum display.
Shin slowly lowered his head until it rested against the shelf.
“This can’t be happening,” he murmured, exasperated.
“You still want to wait?” came the delivery guy’s voice through the speaker of his phone.
“…”
“Buddy?”
“…yeah…” Shin finally said, after a long pause. “Wait.”
Nearly ten minutes later, the boys finally wandered out of the store, their goodies and slushies filling their hands.
A moment later, another cashier came up to the register to grab a snack.
“Hey,” the coworker greeted his crush, but their eyes narrowed as they studied her. “You okay? You look annoyed.”
She sighed as she moved around the register to pick up the gum display the middle-school aged boys had knocked over earlier. “Just some annoying customers.”
The coworker made a face. “Oh, was it those thug guys again? They scare me.”
She shook her head. “Not this time. Just some annoying kids.”
She stood the gum display back up and placed the gum product back when her coworker piped up again.
“By the way, manager said that if those thugs do come back to just call him and he’ll deal with it.”
Shin’s crush nodded. “Yeah, okay. Better he deal with it than me.”
The coworker nodded before finally leaving the counter.
Shin smiled. She was alone again!
No manager.
No customers.
No distractions.
“Okay now!” he exclaimed over the phone.
He waited anxiously for the delivery guy to enter, his eyes darting back-and-forth between the entrance door and the front register, but when the door remained vacant, he frowned.
“Now!” he repeated into the phone, but there was still no response.
He pulled the phone away from his ear to make sure the call hadn’t dropped.
“…Hello?” he spoke again.
Silence.
His eyes lifted to the register again and he could’ve screamed in frustration. He watched as his crush left the front register and disappeared into the backroom again!
Shin groaned as he stepped out from behind the shelves and made his way to the front of the store. Out the front windows of the convenience store, he could see the delivery guy across the street, balancing the large bouquet in one hand and feeding coins into the parking meter with the other.
Shin pinched the bridge of his nose.
Of course.
Walking up to the entrance, he waved his hands in the air, exaggeratedly, trying to get the guy’s attention, but it wasn’t until the delivery guy was finally on his way back that he recognized Shin. Immediately, he picked up the pace and made his way back across the street with the large bouquet of cherry blossoms.
Shin grinned, releasing a sigh of relief.
Finally!
He spun around to make his way back to his favorite aisle to hide behind when…he stopped short.
“…”
His jaw fell open as he now stared at his crush, staring back at him with a dumbfounded expression.
“…Shin?” she said, her eyes darting between him then towards something behind him.
Everything inside him stopped.
His heart.
His pulse.
His breathing.
Shin gulped.
That’s when the entrance door swung open.
Ding Dong.
“Yo, you Shinichiro? I’ve got the cherry blossoms for the cutie at the checkout stand,” came the delivery guy’s voice from behind Shin.
His crush’s perfectly arched eyebrows lifted in shock as her eyes widened, while Shin’s eyes pressed closed.
For one brief second, Shin considered pretending he didn’t know how to speak Japanese.
Instead, he sighed.
“Yeah…” he said, his voice flat as he finally revealed himself, albeit not quite how he expected to. “That’s me.”
He then slowly opened his eyes to look at his crush with a slightly pained expression. “This…was supposed to go a lot smoother.”
***
Shin stood there, the bouquet now in his hands, looking like he wanted the floor to swallow him whole.
She stared at the cherry blossoms, then at him.
Then back at the flowers.
“These…are for me?” she asked.
Shin swallowed. “Yeah.”
The delivery guy, sensing the tension a little too late, slowly backed toward the door. “So…I’m gonna go.”
The bell chimed behind him as he exited.
Neither of them moved.
Shin forced himself to hold the bouquet out properly. “I, uh… I wanted to give them to you as a surprise. Just…not like that.”
Her fingers hovered near the flowers, but she didn’t take them right away.
“They’re beautiful,” she said softly.
Hope sparked in his chest.
Then her brows drew together, just a little.
“But… why cherry blossoms?”
Shin blinked. “Because they’re your favorite.”
Her expression shifted as she looked at him in confusion.
“My favorite?”
“Yeah,” he said, though his voice had already started to lose confidence. “I heard you talking about them on the phone once, so I thought…”
She stared at him for a moment, and something in her face softened with understanding.
“Oh,” she said quietly. “Shin… cherry blossoms aren’t my favorite.”
His smile fell a little. “They’re not?”
She shook her head. “They’re my friend’s favorite. I was talking about her that day.”
The words landed harder than he expected.
Shin looked down at the bouquet in his hands, suddenly feeling very aware of how big it was. How pink. How dramatic.
How wrong.
“Oh,” he said.
She gave him a small, apologetic smile. “I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t be,” he said quickly. “That’s—That’s my bad. I just thought…”
He trailed off, because he didn’t actually know what he had thought.
She glanced at the flowers again, then at him.
“And the poems,” she said carefully. “Those were from you too, right?”
His throat tightened.
“Yeah,” he admitted. “They were.”
She nodded slowly, as if she had already guessed.
“They were sweet,” she said. “Some of them were really beautiful.”
Shin’s face warmed, but this time the compliment didn’t feel as good as it should have.
“Thanks,” he said quietly.
“I mean that,” she added. “It was thoughtful. And the flowers are thoughtful too. I can tell you put a lot of effort into all of this.”
He looked up at her then, searching her face.
“But?” he asked.
She paused.
The gentleness in her expression made it worse.
“But I don’t think I can accept,” she said.
Shin went still.
She hurried to explain, clearly not wanting to hurt him more than she had to.
“It’s not because I think you’re a bad guy or anything. You’re nice. Really. And this is… probably one of the sweetest things anyone’s tried to do for me.”
He tried to smile. It didn’t quite work.
“But I don’t think you know me very well,” she said.
The store seemed to go quiet around them.
“You heard me mention flowers once and thought they were my favorite,” she continued gently. “And the poems were beautiful, but… I don’t know. Sometimes they felt like they were written for someone you imagined, not really for me.”
Shin’s fingers tightened around the bouquet.
He didn’t have an answer.
Because she was right.
She looked down, then back at him.
“I’m not mad,” she said. “And I’m not trying to embarrass you. I just think… if someone likes me, I’d want them to like me. Not just the version of me they made up in their head.”
Shin stared at her.
Then, slowly, his shoulders lowered.
“Yeah,” he said, barely above a whisper. “Yeah, that’s fair.”
Her expression softened even more.
“I’m sorry.”
He shook his head. “No. You don’t have to be.”
It was silent for a moment.
Then he looked down at the cherry blossoms and gave a small, humorless laugh.
“I really messed this up, huh?”
She smiled faintly. “A little.”
That got the tiniest laugh out of him, even if it hurt.
“Thanks for being honest,” he said.
“Thanks for being brave enough to tell me,” she replied.
For a second, he looked like he might say something else.
Then he only nodded.
“Right,” he said. “I’ll, uh… stop bothering you at work now.”
“You weren’t bothering me,” she said gently. “But maybe no more anonymous poems?”
His ears went red.
“Yeah,” he said. “Definitely no more anonymous poems.”
***
Today, the walk to the ramen shop had to be one of the longest walks of his life. His shoes practically dragged against the pavement as he trudged along.
His ex-crush’s voice kept replaying in his head.
I just think…if someone likes me, I’d want them to like me.
He sighed heavily as he finally came up to the entrance of the shop, then he shook his head and entered.
When the bell above the door jingled as he walked in, he heard familiar laughter coming from the side of the restaurant him and his friends usually sit at and sure enough, they were all there.
“Hey Shin,” Wakasa called, coolly waving him over.
Shin moved across the restaurant, walking up to their table. The guys all gave him expressions varying between amused, hopeful, and curious.
“Well?” Waka asked.
“Did she say yes?” Benkei followed.
“Yeah, you finally reveal yourself, Romeo?” teased Akashi.
Silence.
Shin kept his eyes downcast on the table.
No one said anything as the silence stretched out painfully long.
After a few more moments, Waka finally cleared his throat.
“Damn. That bad, huh?”
Shin still didn’t say anything.
Then, Benkei stood to clap a supportive hand to Shin on the back. “Hey, you’ll live, man.”
“Probably,” Akashi muttered, sarcastically.
Shin grimaced. “Thanks…”
“Hey, what’s going on?”
Shin stiffened upon hearing the sound of your voice from behind.
“Hey, Ghostwriter!”
You rolled your eyes at Waka’s nickname for you ever since he and the guys found out you wrote Shin’s poems.
“Would you stop calling me that?”
He just laughed as you slid into a chair, taking your place again after having come back from the restroom.
Shin pulled up a chair to sit at the head of the table. Then, after a moment of silence, Waka couldn’t help himself, so he asked.
“So…?”
Shin sighed.
“I got rejected…” he paused for a moment, then added, “…again.”
Benkei winced. “Ouch.”
“What happened?” Akashi asked.
Shin shrugged. “I don’t know her.”
He briefly explained to his friends what happened with the failed delivery attempt and the rejection from his ex-crush afterwards.
The table remained silent as his words settled in. Then finally…
“Well yeah,” Benkei said, scratching his cheek. “I mean, not to pile on, but…you barely knew the girl.”
Shin looked up at him with a slight frown, but Benkei just shrugged.
“You talked to her like what…twice?” he reasoned.
Waka laughed as he added on. “And you wrote her poems before you even learned her favorite flower, dude.”
“That is kind of backwards, man,” Akashi concluded.
Waka continued to laugh, while Akashi snorted and Benkei just shook his head.
You, on the other hand, pressed your lips together, as you gave him a sympathetic look.
Shin blinked as his friends’ words dawned on him.
“Yeah…I guess so.”
Eventually, the table began to settle into its usual rhythm, but Shin stayed mostly silent, causing you to take notice as you side-glanced him, occasionally. Then Waka finally stood while joking with the others.
“Anyways, we’re gonna see if we can get the waitress at the bar to give us another round of beer on a discount.”
“Don’t embarrass me,” you lectured them all. “The only reason we even get discounts on the ramen here is because she’s my friend.”
Akashi glared at Waka. “Well, we wouldn’t have to bribe her if you’d just let me do the talking.”
Benkei agreed. “Yeah, you’ll probably just scare her with that creepy ass smile of yours, Waka.”
“Shut up!” he griped, flipping them off as he marched towards the bar with them following right behind.
You watched as all three left the table to go over to the bar, leaving you and Shin alone now.
The table became quiet once again.
Then finally, Shin spoke.
“I think she was right.”
You looked at him.
“I didn’t know anything about her,” he continued.
You stayed silent as you listened to him.
“I just…” he suddenly laughed weakly. “…liked the idea of her.”
You still didn’t say anything as he continued to ramble on.
“I still don’t even know what her favorite flower is.”
You let his words hang in the air for a moment before finally saying what’s been on your mind all afternoon.
“You know…” you began carefully. “I don’t think she rejected you because of the flowers, Shin.”
He looked up at you, taken aback.
“And I think…” you continued, deep in thought. “I think you…deserve someone who knows you, too.”
Shin frowned. “What?”
You looked up at him.
“I said you deserve someone who knows you,” you repeated, thoughtfully. “You said she told you that you don’t really know her, but you deserve that, too. Like…someone who knows that you’re like a big brother to everyone and that’s why so many people look up to you.”
Shin sat still, staring at you in shock but you just continued.
“Or, someone who knows you’d never stand by while someone else gets hurt.”
Shin blinked, stunned.
“Someone who knows you’re the type to pretend you’re okay even when you’re hurting,” you continued on before smiling, softly. “Someone who knows you laugh whenever you’re embarrassed.”
Shin’s breathing deepened as he stared at you, intently, hanging on to your every word.
“Someone who knows…” you paused as you now felt his dark eyes boring into you.
That’s when you realized how much you had rambled off.
“Oh…” you stared back at him.
After a long moment, Shin gulped.
“How…”
“What?”
“How did you know all that?”
You froze. You blinked. “Well…I…”
“HEY!”
Both your heads snapped at the sound of a sudden shriek from across the restaurant.
“Waka!” the sound of Benkei’s deep voice followed. “You’re making a mess!”
You noticed your friend at the bar now looking to you for help.
“Your friends are being idiots!” she complained.
You sighed and got up.
“I’ll be right back,” you told Shin before marching over to the bar.
Shin stared after you as you went off to rescue your waitress friend from Waka and the others.
“Now what did I tell you idiots?!”
Waka immediately protested his innocence. Akashi laughed while Benkei looked deeply tired of them both.
Normally, Shin would’ve joined in, but tonight, he barely heard them.
He couldn’t help the way everything you’d just said was now replaying in his head.
someone who knows you’re like a big brother to everyone…
someone who knows you’d never stand by while someone gets hurt…
someone who knows you pretend you’re okay even when you’re hurting…
someone who knows you laugh whenever you’re embarrassed…
The words replayed in his head one after another.
How did you know all that?
You had listed them so naturally. Not like observations, but like, they’d simply become part of what you knew about him.
Shin swallowed.
Without meaning to, his mind drifted back several weeks.
Of you two hanging in the shop.
Spending late nights together in your room.
You helping him whenever he got another idea for a poem.
“I knew it right then and there,” he’d declared proudly when you two were hanging in the ramen shop alone. “I need you.”
Shin blinked as his words from a few weeks ago now popped up in his head.
At the time, he’d meant he needed a talented writer to save him from another embarrassing poem. Nothing more.
But now he remembered the way your eyes had widened. The way you had stared at him a second too long before quickly making a joke about writing his wedding vows someday. He’d laughed it off. He’d been too excited about the convenience store girl to think about it any further.
He bit his lip as another memory resurfaced.
Like, your reaction to when he came up with the reveal plan.
The cherry blossoms.
He’d been rambling about coming up with a reveal plan while pacing around your room like a madman. Then he’d noticed all the Sakura decorations and excitedly announced that his crush must have loved cherry blossoms, too.
You’d gone quiet.
Not annoyed. Not confused. Just…quiet.
He had sensed something was off.
He had asked if you were okay.
But you had insisted that you were fine.
Back then he’d believed you, but now he wondered why he’d accepted that answer so easily.
And then there were the poems themselves.
That thought stopped him cold.
You’d translated every single one.
No matter how badly phrased.
No matter how awkward.
No matter how unrefined.
Your face is nice.
Like, really really nice.
He almost laughed.
Dear God…those were awful.
And yet…
You never laughed at him.
Not really.
Maybe you’d tease him, roll your eyes, or call him hopeless, but then you’d pick up your pen, and somehow, you always knew. Not just what he was trying to say, but what he meant.
The words came so easily to you as if…as if they’d been there all along. As if you’d already felt them.
Shin’s breathing slowed.
“No…” he whispered to himself as he began to realize.
They weren’t just better poems.
They weren’t just prettier words.
They sounded…real.
He thought back to one in particular.
I catch myself thinking about you in the middle of ordinary moments…
He frowned.
He knew he never would’ve thought to say that.
Then another popped in his head.
When you smile, everything feels a little lighter…
And another.
I dream about being near you, even if it’s in silence...
His heart skipped.
Those weren’t his words. At least, not really because…they came from you.
Not because you were better at writing.
But because you already understood the feeling.
“You weren’t writing what I wanted to say…”
The realization hit him so suddenly that it nearly stole the air from his lungs.
“You were writing what you would’ve wanted someone to say to you.”
He stared toward the bar where you were scolding Waka while Akashi and Benkei sniggered.
All this time…
He’d thought you were helping him chase someone else, when all along…
You’d been quietly pouring pieces of your own heart onto every page.
***
You first noticed it when you all left the ramen shop that evening.
Shin’s strange behavior.
Normally, he would’ve waved over his shoulder with a lazy, “See ya,” or something along those lines. But this time, he lingered…
You watched as his eyes focused on his shuffling feet, obviously hesitating, which you found odd.
“Shin?” you called, encouraging him to say whatever was on his mind, but he just looked up at you and smiled, softly.
“Uh…just…” he swallowed. “Get home safe, okay?”
Your brows furrowed slightly as your face twisted in a look of both confusion and amusement.
“But, I always do.”
“Yeah,” he said, before running a hand through his dark messy hair. “I know.”
That wasn’t the only time he’d acted curiously, though.
A few days later when you were at his bike shop, watching him work, you swore you felt something when he’d asked you to hand him the wrench.
He’d been working hard all afternoon, hunched over a bike, the sleeves of his mechanic uniform pushed up, and pale skin smudged with grease, but because his toolbox was closest to where you sat, he’d asked you to hand it over.
Without a thought, you had reached for the toolbox and pulled out the wrench, then stood to hand it to him.
He’d reached out to retrieve it from you.
That’s when your hands brushed one another’s…
Typically, this would be no big deal, but this time, he paused a second longer than usual.
Long enough to notice.
Long enough to look you in the eyes.
“Thanks,” he’d said warmly, like you had given him something much more intimate than a simple tool.
Then, he’d immediately went back to tightening a bolt, leaving you standing there, completely stumped.
Or there was the way he seemed to be in tuned with you and your body in a way that he wasn’t before.
For example, one day while you two were hanging out, walking through the crowded streets of the city, you had almost bumped into someone when you weren’t paying any attention. You were just a step ahead of Shin when you slightly turned around to tell him something while still walking forward. You didn’t even realize you were about to collide with someone. That’s when you felt his hand caress the small of your back, only to guide you closer to him, just before you could crash into the other person.
It was almost like he had done so, instinctively.
The gesture had thrown you off so much that you just blinked in surprise as you watched the other person continue walking by, dusting past your shoulders.
Then, Shin’s hand dropped from your back and he kept walking as if he hadn’t done anything at all, but your head stayed stuck in that moment because, since when did he do that?
But what you found most strange were his cryptic phrases. In fact, it was becoming a pattern.
Shin would say something oddly specific.
You would ask what he meant.
He’d smile to himself…then refuse to elaborate.
It was like he was silently in on some joke that you weren’t privy to.
Like, the time you two were casually walking together one afternoon while hanging out. You’d said something totally normal. Nothing worth batting an eyelash at, and yet, he’d smiled to himself leaving you curious.
“What?” you had asked when you caught the grin on his face.
“Hm?” he’d asked.
“Why are you smiling? Did I say something funny?”
He’d shaken his head. “It's nothing.”
You’d stared at him, not knowing how to respond.
At first, he didn’t either. Then finally…
“You’re just really good with words,” he’d answered, making you freeze.
“What?” you’d said, stunned.
But he’d just kept walking, as he continued. “I never realized that before.”
In addition, his new favorite phrase seemed to have become, “you always know what I’m trying to say,” whenever you clarified something he said.
But clearly, this wasn’t true because every time he spoke, he confused you even more!
Tonight was no different.
It was Saturday night, and you two were at the convenience store, getting snacks you planned to smuggle into the movie that you, Shin, and the guys were all going to see later.
You both were in the chip’s aisle, looking over the dozens of colorful options.
“Which one do you want?” you asked, picking up a bag.
Shin shrugged. “I trust your judgement.”
This made you laugh. “Since when?”
But he just smiled and said, “Guess I should’ve trusted it sooner.”
You tilted your head to the side, puzzled. “Okay…?”
Regardless, you chose one of each kind to cover all the bases.
Then you guys got to the refrigerated drinks.
You were trying to decide between two different beverages.
Shin finally pulled both out and told you to pick your absolute favorite, holding them up in front of him for you to choose.
You chuckled. “Why my absolute favorite?”
“Because,” he said looking at you with his signature half-smile. “This time I want to know what your favorite actually is.”
You stared at him for a long moment.
This is what you meant by cryptic phrasing. Lately, every conversation with Shin felt like you had missed the first half of it.
You blinked at him. “What?”
But again, he just smiled at you and shook his head.
“Nothing.”
He then put both drinks in the little handheld basket and kept going as normal.
“Shin, wait-” you said, turning to stop him so you could question him further. All these cryptic responses were driving you absolutely insane.
But before you could say anything further, you heard the chime signaling someone had just entered the automatic doors to the store.
Ding Dong.
Afterwards, a loud howl echoed around the store, followed by the sound of obnoxious laughter like that of hyenas.
You immediately felt yourself go on-guard as you looked up to see a group of rough-looking guys enter the store, looking more like they were out for blood rather than the ordinary snacks the convenience store had to offer.
As you watched from where you stood, one of the men sauntered over to the front counter, then leaned so far over the register that the cashier instinctively backed away, forcing a tight, uncomfortable smile. Another slammed into a display of gum with his elbow, sending packs scattering across the floor, while two others tore open snacks they’d grabbed from the shelves as if the store belonged to them.
The cashier protested, but her voice was swallowed almost immediately by a chorus of jeers and laughter. Whatever she said only seemed to amuse them more.
Immediately, you looked at Shinichiro.
He was no longer smiling.
One second, he was standing beside you with a basket full of snacks and that stupid half-smile still tugging at his mouth. The next, his expression smoothed out completely.
His shoulders squared.
His eyes sharpened.
His jaw set tight.
Something in him shifted.
You gulped as you watched him, his dark bangs falling into his eyes, focused at the front of the store, but for once, they didn’t make him look boyish. They made him look unreadable.
And suddenly, you remembered.
Shinichiro Sano was not just the idiot who wrote terrible poems and asked what rhymed with cherry blossoms.
He was the leader of the Black Dragons.
“Stay here,” he commanded.
You blinked at the sound of his voice, taken aback. It was still Shin’s voice, but lower now. Steadier. The kind that made people listen before they even realized they were obeying.
“Shin-” you said, about to protest but then he looked up at you as he set the basket down beside your feet.
“Off to the side. Please.”
Then he walked away before you could argue.
Shin didn’t immediately intervene.
He watched calmly. Patiently.
As if he was giving them every opportunity to make the smart choice.
But then one of the men leaned in again, close enough that the cashier took another step back.
That’s when his voice cut through the chaos like a knife.
“Hey!” he said, voice firm.
The laughter died down just enough for them to turn and look at him, one by one.
“That’s enough.”
One of the thug’s eyes dragged over him from head to toe. “What?”
Shin’s hands stayed loose at his sides. “She’s working. Leave her alone.”
The guy scoffed. “And who the fuck are you supposed to be?”
“Nobody,” Shin said evenly. “Just asking you to back off.”
That made another one laugh. “Asking?”
Shin sighed through his nose. “Yeah. Asking.”
You felt your stomach tighten.
That was somehow worse than if he had raised his voice.
“Come on,” Shin continued, still calm. “You guys can walk out right now, and nobody has to make this a thing.”
“Or what?”
Shin’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Or I stop asking.”
The air went still.
You took one step back, then another. Shin was strong. You knew that. Everyone knew that. But there were too many of them, and the store suddenly felt too small.
Your eyes darted toward the entrance doors.
Wakasa. Benkei. Akashi.
They were only at the next shop over.
You needed to get them.
You quickly made way for the exit.
Maybe it was the pale skin, and the lanky build that made them mistake Shin for being soft, because behind you, one of the thugs snapped, “You got a mouth on you, pretty boy.”
That was the last thing you had heard before you scurried out of the store to run next door.
*
Shin didn’t move as he glared at the thugs. “Last warning.”
They didn’t listen.
The first punch came fast.
Shin stepped aside before it landed, the man’s fist cutting through empty air. The thug stumbled forward, thrown off balance by his own momentum.
Shin didn’t hit him.
He didn’t even raise his fists.
He only looked at him, almost disappointed.
“Don’t do that.”
Another one rushed him from behind.
“Shin!”
The warning came from his ex-crush at the counter, but Shin was already moving.
His hand caught the man’s wrist. His shoulder dipped. Then, in one clean motion, the thug went over him and hit the tile with a heavy thud that made the shelves rattle.
Shin released him immediately and stepped back.
He hadn’t thrown a punch.
He hadn’t needed to.
The thug on the floor groaned, blinking up at him in stunned confusion.
Shin looked down at him.
“Stay down.”
For the first time since they had walked in, the thugs weren’t laughing anymore as two of the guys kneeled to the floor to check on their friend, clutching his wrist while groaning in pain.
The leader of the pack just stared back-and-forth between Shin and his friend on the ground in bewilderment.
“Last chance,” Shin said, voice low. “Take your friend and go.”
The guy didn’t move but looked like he was torn between helping his friend or attempting another attack on Shin, but when the automatic doors to the store opened again, his eyes widened in fear.
“Hey Shin,” the sound of Waka’s voice drawled from the doorway behind Shinichiro, causing him to turn around. Waka cracked his knuckles. “You startin’ without us?”
“What’s going on?” Benkei added as he stepped inside. “Is everyone okay?”
“Man, you guys picked the wrong convenience store,” Akashi said with a smirk.
“Wait…” one of the thugs muttered, his face draining of color. “That’s Wakasa Imaushi.”
Another stiffened. “And Benkei?”
His gaze then snapped back to Shin. “No way…”
Shin only looked at him, silent.
“That’s Sano Shinichiro.”
Instantly, the leader-guy scrambled to get his friend off the floor, the other two trailing right behind.
“But my wrist!” cried the thug, dramatically clutching his injured wrist to his chest. “I think he broke my wrist!”
But the leader was having none of it as he practically dragged his friend out the store with him.
“We’ll deal with it later! Let’s go!”
The group literally pushed their way out of the store as they all scurried to get out as fast as possible, clearly terrified of what would happen if they went up against The Black Dragons.
But Shin didn’t watch the thugs run out. He immediately went over to the counter.
“You okay?” he asked the cashier who he used to be absolutely crazy about. She was staring between him and the door where the thugs had fled just at the mention of his name.
“Yeah…I’m okay,” she nodded, staring at him in awe.
Shin smiled when he heard Waka pipe up again.
“So Shin, what’s up? We chasin’ after ‘em or what?”
He cracked his knuckles again like he was more than ready to give those guys absolute hell. All Shin had to do was give his members the “okay” and he knew those thugs would end up with way more problems than just a hurt wrist, but he just shook his head.
“No. Let them go.”
Waka snapped his tongue, clearly disappointed. “Really?”
Shin shrugged as he gestured to the cashier. “She’s alright now.”
His eyes then finally landed on you as you now stood near the entrance.
“I thought I told you to wait.”
You responded simply by putting your hands up and shrugging. You did what you had to do. Even though you knew he was strong, you weren’t just going to stand around while Shin took on four thugs by himself.
But Shin’s attention was taken away when a soft voice called him again.
“Hey Shin, can I talk to you for a minute?” the cashier asked as she came around the counter to walk up to him.
Shin blinked, then nodded. “Yeah. Sure.”
Sensing that they needed a moment alone, the guys drifted a few steps away, still muttering amongst themselves, though Wakasa kept looking back like he was hoping Shin would change his mind and let them chase after the thugs after all.
You stayed near the entrance, arms loosely folded, watching as the cashier stopped in front of Shin.
For a moment, she didn’t say anything. She only looked at him like she was seeing him properly for the first time.
Not the awkward guy who had left poems at her register. Not the boy who had stumbled through a failed flower delivery with cherry blossoms meant for someone else’s favorite things.
But the man who had quietly stepped between her and four strangers without asking for anything in return.
The person those men had run from the second they realized who he was.
Her fingers twisted nervously in front of her. “I didn’t know.”
Shin tilted his head slightly. “Didn’t know what?”
“That you were…” Her eyes flickered toward the door, then back to him. “You know. You.”
Shin gave a small, sheepish laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, well. I don’t usually lead with that.”
She smiled faintly, but there was something warmer in it now. Something almost regretful.
“I guess I didn’t know you very well either,” she admitted softly.
The words made Shin pause.
A few weeks ago, they probably would’ve made his heart jump right out of his chest. A few weeks ago, he would’ve taken that as an opening, as a sign, as proof that all those poems and flowers and ridiculous plans had finally worked.
But now, all he could think about was you standing near the door with your hands still half-raised like you’d been ready to defend your choice to run for help.
You, who knew exactly when he was joking and when he wasn’t.
You, who had known he would never stand by when someone was getting hurt.
You, who had run anyway because knowing that about him didn’t stop you from worrying.
The cashier took a breath. “Thank you for stepping in. Really. You didn’t have to do that for me.”
Shin shook his head. “Anyone would’ve.”
“No,” she said, looking at him with quiet certainty. “They wouldn’t.”
He didn’t know what to say to that.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, suddenly shy. “I know this is probably terrible timing, but…if you’re not busy later, maybe we could get coffee? Or something?”
Shin stared at her.
Actually stared.
So did Wakasa.
Akashi’s brows shot up so high they nearly disappeared into his hairline, while Benkei made a low sound that suspiciously resembled a cough trying to hide a laugh.
Because there it was.
The thing Shinichiro Sano had been dreaming about for weeks.
The girl at the convenience store was asking him out.
And somehow, all he felt was surprised.
Not thrilled.
Not dizzy.
Not even nervous in the way he used to get around her.
Just surprised.
Like someone had handed him a prize after he’d already walked away from the game.
A few weeks ago, he would’ve said yes before she even finished asking.
A few weeks ago, he would’ve stumbled over himself, grinned like an idiot, and probably bragged to everyone that poetry had finally changed his life.
But he wasn’t that Shin anymore.
Or maybe he was.
Maybe he had simply figured out what he should’ve been looking at all along.
His gaze softened.
“I’m sorry,” he said gently.
The cashier blinked. “Oh.”
“It’s not because I’m mad or anything,” he said quickly. “And it’s not because I don’t appreciate it. I do. Really.”
He glanced down, laughing once under his breath.
“Honestly, if you asked me that a little while ago, I probably would’ve passed out.”
That made her smile a little, even as disappointment flickered across her face.
“But?” she asked.
Shin looked at her honestly.
“But I think I finally know who I actually like.”
The cashier’s lips parted slightly, realization dawning.
Her gaze drifted past him.
Shin followed it automatically.
And froze.
You weren’t by the entrance anymore.
The basket of snacks still sat abandoned beside the aisle, but you were gone.
His heart dropped.
“Where’d she go?” he asked, already turning.
Wakasa pointed toward the door with his thumb. “She stepped out a second ago.”
Shin didn’t wait for anything else.
“Shin?” the cashier called softly.
He looked back at her, apologetic.
She smiled, a little sad but understanding. “Go.”
So he did.
The bell above the door chimed sharply as Shin rushed out onto the sidewalk.
The evening air hit him first, cool against his heated face. Then the noise of the street rushed in around him—cars passing, people talking, the distant hum of the city.
For one terrifying second, he didn’t see you.
Then his eyes caught sight of you half a block away, walking fast with your shoulders hunched and your hands shoved deep into the pockets of your jacket.
“Hey!” he called.
You didn’t stop.
“Hey, wait!”
This time, you slowed, but only because his long legs were already catching up.
Shin reached you just as you turned halfway around, confusion and something more guarded flickering across your face.
“What are you doing?” you asked, breathless though you hadn’t been running. “Shouldn’t you be back there?”
Shin slowed in front of you, chest rising and falling from the short sprint.
“Back where?”
You gave him a look like the answer was obvious. “With…her.”
Something tightened in his chest.
You looked away first, pretending to focus on the passing cars. “She asked you out, didn’t she? That’s what you wanted.”
Shin stared at you.
Then, slowly, he smiled.
Not his usual crooked grin. Not the embarrassed laugh he used whenever he got caught doing something stupid.
This smile was quieter.
Surer.
Like he had finally found the right words without needing anyone else to translate them for him.
“I did want that,” he said.
You swallowed, your expression tightening.
“A few weeks ago,” he added.
Your eyes flicked back to him.
Shin took one careful step closer.
“But then some annoying girl kept helping me write poems,” he said, voice softening, “and somehow, she made me realize I didn’t know the person I was chasing at all.”
Your lips parted.
“And then,” he continued, “she said I deserved someone who knew me.”
You froze as the street seemed to quiet around you.
For once, you didn’t have anything clever to say.
You only stared at him, heart pounding so hard you were sure he could hear it over the passing cars.
“Shin…” you said, but his name came out smaller than you meant it to.
His smile softened at the sound.
“You always knew what I was trying to say,” he murmured. “Even when I didn’t.”
You swallowed. “That doesn’t mean—”
“It means everything,” he cut in gently.
That shut you up.
Shin stepped closer again, close enough now that you had to tilt your head back to look at him. The streetlights caught in his dark eyes, turning them warm at the edges, but his gaze never wavered from yours.
Your breath caught.
You tried to look away, but Shin reached up, careful and slow, giving you every chance to pull back. His fingers brushed beneath your chin, tilting your face back toward his.
You didn’t pull away.
His thumb skimmed lightly along your jaw, and for one unbelievable second, Shinichiro Sano looked almost impossibly sure of himself.
“So let me say this one right,” he whispered.
Your heart stopped.
Shin smiled.
“I don’t want coffee with her,” he said softly. “I want everything ordinary with you.”
Then he leaned in.
The kiss was soft at first, almost questioning, like he was still waiting for you to decide whether this was real. But the second your fingers curled into the front of his jacket, Shin’s breath hitched.
Then he kissed you like he finally understood what all those poems had been trying to say.
His arm slid around your waist, steady and warm, drawing you closer as your feet nearly lifted off the pavement. The kiss was all instinct and feeling as he held you like he couldn’t believe you were there and kissing him back.
Finally, after weeks of terrible poems, borrowed words, failed plans, and twenty-one rejections, Shinichiro Sano was smooth.
Devastatingly smooth.
For about five seconds.
“FINALLY!”
You and Shin broke apart at the sudden shout.
Half a block behind you, Wakasa stood outside the convenience store with both hands thrown into the air like he had just witnessed a miracle.
Benkei stood beside him, arms crossed, looking far too proud for someone who had absolutely nothing to do with the moment.
Akashi, meanwhile, had his hand over his mouth, clearly failing to hide his laughter.
Shin’s face went red instantly.
“Are you kidding me?” he snapped.
Wakasa ignored him completely. “Twenty-one rejections, and the man lives!”
“Technically,” Benkei said, nodding solemnly, “this one didn’t reject him.”
“Historic,” Akashi added. “We should mark the date.”
You buried your face against Shin’s chest, partly to hide your burning cheeks and partly because you were laughing too hard to stand up straight.
Shin groaned, tipping his head back toward the sky. “I hate you guys.”
“No, you don’t,” you said softly, knowing him well enough to know how much he loved his friends.
He looked back down at you.
The embarrassment was still there, bright across his cheeks, but his expression softened the second his eyes met yours.
“No,” he admitted, quieter now. “I don’t.”
His hand found yours between you, fingers lacing through yours like it was the easiest thing in the world.
Wakasa made a gagging sound from down the sidewalk.
“Ugh, now they’re holding hands. This is getting disgusting.”
Benkei sighed.
“Can we please get to the movie before they start kissing again?” Waka continued with an exaggerated roll of his eyes.
Shin immediately pulled you a little closer, mostly out of spite.
“Actually,” he called back, “I might.”
You smacked his chest lightly. “Shin!”
But he was smiling again, bright and boyish and completely unashamed now.
The kind of smile that made everything feel lighter.
And this time, when he looked at you, you didn’t have to translate a single thing.
