Tutor (Ushijima Wakatoshi x Reader)

Chapter 03

When you arrived at work the next day, you sought out one of your colleagues, Marie. You hadn't really talked a lot with any of your colleagues, but out of them, Marie seemed most like the type of person you could get along with.

She was greeting one of your other colleagues and you waited until she was done to call out a greeting of your own. "Good morning Marie. I was wondering if you had some time to talk about something during lunch break today?" You asked her, cutting right to the chase.

She looked at you a little bit taken aback but nodded.

"Sure, just come get me when you're ready." She paused for a moment and then added: "You're not in trouble are you?"

You chuckled and reassured her. "No, don't worry. There's just something I could use some help with."

The first half of your day you spent wondering how the conversation would go. You hoped that she wouldn't be miffed that you asked her to talk, just because you needed something.

When lunch break finally came around you had yourself so worked up that you almost canceled.

"Marie, I'm taking my break now, does that work for you?" You asked her, almost hoping she'd say 'no'.

"Yeah sure, just let me go grab my bag!" She got up and told the rest that she would be taking her break with you, then disappeared for a few moments. "Is the cafe on the corner alright with you?" She promptly suggested when she returned with her coat and bag.

You usually got a sandwich in the company cafeteria and ate it on a bench somewhere outside, but you supposed going to the cafe once wouldn't bankrupt you.

"Sure, that's okay." You replied as you fell into step beside her. Luckily the cafe was not far, because the walk there was spent in uncomfortable silence.

The cafe was not big and it was very cozy. There was a corner where there were no dining tables or chairs, but coffee tables and pillows on the ground. Next to them was a bookshelf about half-full of books. On the side, in bright letters, was painted 'Booktrade'.

Marie caught you looking at the bookshelf when the two of you sat down at a table for two. "You can take any book you want from there, if you leave another book in its place. It's a way to try and get people to read more, in this digital age. Of course, you can also just read those books here at the cafe, with a nice cup of coffee." She explained.

"That's a nice initiative." You mused as you thought about the books in your room that were just collecting dust. You had read them all and would most likely never do so again. Maybe you could bring a book here next time.

When a waiter came to your table you both placed your orders. It was obvious Marie came here often as she knew exactly what she wanted without even a glance at the menu.

While you were waiting for your lunch to arrive it was Marie who broached the subject with you. "So, you wanted to ask my help with something?" She asked.

"Oh yeah, I was wondering, how would you go about teaching someone English?" You asked and explained further. "There's this guy online who asked me and I said I'd do it, but now I don't really know how to get started." You explained.

She looked pensive for a moment and you wondered if you had made the wrong choice in asking her after all.

"So is he going on vacation? Or is it for business or something?" She finally asked and you almost sighed in relief.

"He told me it's for travel, so I was thinking of just teaching him tourist English. He's traveling in August, so I have plenty of time." You elaborated and Marie nodded.

"Well then, if it were me I'd buy one of those little travel guides that have all the phrases you might need when traveling abroad. Just try to find one for his language and teach him everything he needs to know!" She said and you took a moment to think about it. 

That was actually not such a bad idea!

"But... He could've just gone out and bought one of those himself right? Wouldn't it be a bit like cheating?" You wondered aloud.

"Well, that's obviously not the way he wants to approach this, maybe he's no good at studying on his own or something." The conversation halted when your food arrived and you both dug in. You had to admit, this was way better than the cafeteria sandwiches you usually ate.

"So, where is this guy from anyway?" Marie asked between bites.

"He's Japanese." You replied matter of factly.

"Oh my god, are you kidding me?! I'm super into Japanese pop music!" She said enthusiastically. 

That... was not the reaction you had expected. Sure you had the feeling that you might have some things in common with Marie, but that she was also interested in Japan (or at least it's pop music)? That came as a total surprise.

"Is he old? Is he hot?" She asked, now more interested in knowing more about the guy than helping with your predicament.

"Umm.. I'm pretty sure he has a fake profile picture." You said, getting embarrassed for some reason.

Marie was not deterred however. "Show me!" She told you excitedly.

You fished your phone out of your bag and opened Line. You clicked on your only contact, Ushijima Wakatoshi, and showed Marie.

Her eyes went wide as she saw the picture. "Oh my gosh, he is such a hottie! You are seriously lucky!"

You chuckled, feeling a bit awkward for some reason. "As I said, I'm pretty sure that's not really him, he probably stole some celebrity pic to attract people." You put your phone back in your bag and continued your meal.

"Well it worked on you, didn't it?" She said to you teasingly but you didn't really reply. You were not prepared to tell her that the only reason you were in contact with Ushijima was that you literally had no friends.

"In any case, if that's really him you hit the jackpot girl! You should get him to travel here instead." 

You couldn't deny that the guy in the picture was really good-looking, but... "His personality leaves something to be desired though." You pouted. "I rarely get more than one-word replies."

Marie waved her hand dismissively. "That's just because he's not good at English yet, you'll be talking all through the night in no time, you'll see."

You were less optimistic about that. Silence fell on the two of you as you both finished your meals. You felt like it was your turn to get the conversation going again and asked her about her interest in Japan.

"So, are you interested in Japan or is it just Japanese pop?" You tried to ask as casually as possible. Marie seemed happy that you got the conversation going again and nodded.

"Yeah I like Japanese music and cute things, you know like Hello Kitty! Also, the food is so good! How about you?" She returned the question.

It was your turn to nod. "I got interested in Japan because I watched anime and read manga! What kind of music do you listen to?"

Before both of you realized, you had talked through the remainder of your lunch break and you both had to scramble to get back to the company in time.

You learned a lot about Marie; about the J-pop bands she listened to, that just like you she kept her hobby hidden at work, she even dressed differently in her free time than she did at work. You discovered that you had a lot more in common with her than you had initially thought and before you both had gotten back to work you had exchanged contact information with her.

At the end of your workday, you dropped by a secondhand bookstore and picked up a traveler's guide to Japan. You hoped this would work for your lessons.