Once Again: Nanami x OC

Chapter 11: lover's angst

|this chapter is a time skip back to the present day, things get pretty emotional in here and i made another playlist for this since it was kinda fun :D. it's called " lover's angst" and i'd recommend u listen "safety net" by ariana grande or "fine line" by harry styles while reading this. oh! and NSFW WARNING!!!!!|

nanami sat at his desk, looking through paperwork regarding his last mission. he sighed and sunk back into his chair. it had been a few days since he had last seen saeko and her face always seemed to be in the back of his mind.

i want to see her again...but does she even want to see me? or did she just say that to be nice?

he looked at his reflection on the black screen of his computer, staring blankly at the man looking back at him. wondering what happened to the young man he used to be when he met her before he became so cynical and pessimistic.

money.

he remembered it now, the catalyst behind his transformation from a young, naive man to a pessimistic adult: money. he became addicted to working. addicted to making money so that he could reach his goal one day.

what was it again?...ah that's right, i wanted to marry saeko. that was before i became a workaholic...

he remembered seeing the pain on her face as she told him she couldn't take it anymore, that she didn't recognize him. and then, she left. she left a note saying that she was going back to take care of her grandmother and that she needed space.

that was before nanami deep-dived into work. letting it consume his life, working 10-12 hour days sometimes even working through the night. anything to keep his mind busy so he didn't have to think about the pain of losing her. he didn't care about his job, he just wanted an escape from reality.

if it wasn't for his encounter with the bakery shop employee, he would've probably worked himself to death. it was when he talked to her that he realized that his job held no meaning to him, that his life held no meaning.

and it was then that he remembered something.

"if i'm able to help at least one person, i'll be able to say my life was worth living"

nanami stood up, abruptly, his rolling chair sliding out from under him.

i need to see her.

he grabbed his coat and wallet as he walked out of his office. pacing down the hall and practically running as he went down the stairs. he opened the door and walked out of the building, his heart racing as thoughts flooded through his mind.

i'm going to see her. and i'm going to tell her how i feel.

saeko sat at the small desk in the manager's office, reading the bills for the bar. she had inherited the bar from mr. furukawa who left it to her in his will and was now the manager and owner. she stacked up the paper into one pile and wrapped a rubber band around the stack.

"all done", she said to herself, stretching her arms above her head.

i should probably go check on the girls and see if they need anything.

she got up from her chair and exited her office, going up the stairs into the house above the bar. she knocked on the door, hearing the young girl say she was coming. a young girl with dyed-blonde hair and multiple piercings opened the door, "oh hi sis!", her face breaking into a smile.

"hello kyouka, may i come in?", saeko asked as she smiled back at the young girl.

"yeah sure! we were just about to have lunch- hey sis is here! come on down!", the teenage girl hollered towards the living room.