“come back for a fourth” - sameoka shoji
this took longer than i expected🥹🥹 it was my boyfriend’s birthday so i was literally so busy w prep that i had no time to post but here it is!! i think ppl can tell that I love writing about the first meet than established relationships😭😭 idk whats wrong w me💔 but i hope u enjoy reading this!!
requested by @pixxx-ieee “Ahhhhhhh I need more fics for the 3 school alliance boys 😩 this is so good, could I request one for Sameoka? Blue braid guy?
❕warnings: this is straight fluff i promise
The fluorescent lights buzzed softly in the near-empty convenience store. The shift was almost over—just one more hour and she could go home. It had been quiet most of the night. A couple of students had come in, bought instant noodles and energy drinks, nothing unusual.
She was restocking the shelf behind the counter when they came in. Loud, careless footsteps, laughter that didn’t belong in a place so small. Three boys, most likely seniors in high school uniforms. The kind that swaggered like the city belonged to them.
One of them kicked a display shelf just to hear it clatter.
She didn’t say anything. This area was full of delinquents, but they mostly fought amongst themselves. They didn’t bother anyone who wasn’t part of one of the schools.
So she had nothing to worry about. Right?
Still, she remained alert. Cautious. She tried her absolute best to hide her expression. It wasn’t that she was scared of them, but she knew that these boys were the types to deliberately look for reasons to fight or cause a scene.
It wasn’t until a young boy entered the store—the chime of the bell alerting the ones already present—that her stomach tightened.
He wore the same uniform as them, but his expression was far from the confident one of his peers. He looked almost scared, especially after making eye contact with one of them. She noticed his face go instantly pale, as if he had seen a ghost.
“Oh look who it is! The newbie!” one of them laughed mockingly.
The boy tried to ignore him, focusing on grabbing his ramen packet. But the three persisted, trying to get his attention. He hurriedly grabbed his packet and rushed to the register.
“Are they bothering you?” she asked, concerned.
“It’s okay. T-they’re just playing arou—”
Before he could finish his sentence, one of the boys kicked him in the leg, causing him to fall to the ground with a thud. She gasped, seeing his figure crumple to the floor, hugging his knee in pain.
“Leave him alone!” she exclaimed, coming to the boy’s rescue.
The tallest one just laughed in return.
“Don’t get in our way. Or you might get injured by accident,” he replied mockingly, taking slow steps toward her.
As he got closer, her heart rate picked up. She was scared. But she couldn’t let him see it. She stood in front of the younger boy, shielding him from the delinquent making his way toward them.
“Move. Now.” He warned. He extended his hand out to push her aside, but before he could, the door chimed, signaling the entry of someone else.
At the entrance stood a tall guy, hands tucked casually in his pockets, his sharp gaze cutting through the room. The faint bruise on his cheek did nothing to dull his composed presence, and the distinctive blue jacket he wore marked him unmistakably as a student of Ebara Commercial High—a name enough on its own to send shivers down someone’s spine.
Ebara High students were strong. Unbelievably strong. They prided themselves on having a strong sense of personal honor and valuing fair play in any fight. And standing in front of her was one of their leaders.
He didn’t speak. Just stepped inside.
The tallest boy’s jaw tightened. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Shoji’s gaze slid to the boy still on the ground, then back to them. “Didn’t realize you were brave enough to fight first-years,” he said calmly.
It was clear to her that the three guys in front of him were absolutely no threat to him.
“Mind your business—” The tallest one’s fist clenched.
Shoji took one slow step forward. “It is my business. Unless you want me to show you what a fair fight looks like.”
She saw their confident, smug expressions drop instantly, replaced with fear. The tension in the room shifted sharply.
The tallest boy clicked his tongue, turning away. “Whatever. Let’s go.”
And just like that, they were gone.
Shoji didn’t watch them leave. He just looked at the younger boy. “Can you stand?”
The boy scrambled up quickly. “Y-yeah. Thank you.”
Shoji nodded once, then glanced at her. “You okay?”
She nodded slowly, still processing. “…Thank you.”
As if nothing had happened just minutes prior, he got up and headed straight to the onigiri shelves. He picked up a tuna onigiri and made his way to the register to pay. She hurriedly rushed behind the counter, just before Shoji reached it.
He didn’t say much, his replies short and cool to her usual customer-service questions. And just like that, he was gone. She debated whether to thank him again, but before she could, he was out of her sight.
Over the next week, she noticed him again.
It was never planned. But every couple of days, around the same time, Sameoka Shoji walked in. Always quiet. Always buying the same salmon onigiri.
It was… oddly endearing.
She started wondering if he actually liked it that much, or if it was just habit.
And then, on her day off, she made some herself. Carefully wrapped, tucked into a small paper packet.
The next time he came in, she had it ready.
She wanted to show him appreciation for helping her out, but approaching him seemed like such a daunting task. It didn’t help that he was a man of barely any words.
When he placed the familiar onigiri on the counter, she slid the packet toward him.
He paused. “…What’s this?”
“Onigiri,” she said, a little nervous. “I’ve seen you buy the same kind a lot… so I made some. Sorry if that’s weird. Plus, I wanted to thank you properly for helping that boy and me that night.”
She realized she didn’t even know his name. So she’d written a small note on the wrapping: “For the cute boy with the cute braids.”
Shoji stared at the note for a second. The corner of his mouth twitched—almost a smile.
“Cute braids, huh?” he said, holding the note in his hand, amused.
Her face heated. “I didn’t know your name.”
He met her eyes, his own softening slightly. “…Sameoka Shoji.”
She nodded. “And you can call me…”
“Convenience store girl?” he offered, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
She laughed, a quiet, genuine sound that pulled an almost imperceptible smile from him. “Guess we’re even now.”
He glanced down at the small paper packet in his hand. “You always make onigiri for strangers?”
She shook her head. “Only for customers who buy the same one three times in a row.”
“Huh,” he said, pocketing the packet. “Guess I’ll have to come back for a fourth.”
She rolled her eyes lightly, pretending not to notice the way her heart skipped. “You better. I need someone to eat my failed experiments.”
Shoji turned to leave, but just before the door closed behind him, he looked back, the faintest curve to his mouth.
“Don’t change the note next time.”