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"WHICH MANGA AM I LOOKING FOR AGAIN?" Tsukishima whispered into the phone, entering the small book store.
"It's called Chainsaw Man! I told you a million times, already!" His friend, Shindo, whined over the phone. "Volumes 1 through 5!"
"Alright, alright, sheesh. I don't see why you couldn't get them yourself, you lazy ass." Tsukishima hissed quietly, scanning the tall shelves for the books his friend requested.
"Because I could run into...yknow whooooo." Shindo rasped at the end of his sentence. Tsukishima could hear Shindo slouching from his end, making him roll his eyes.
"Its like, a one in a million chance that you'd run into Maki on the same day, at the same time."
"You wouldn't get it, Tsukki-man!-"
"Don't call me that-"
"You've never broken up with your co-worker before! Yknow how awkward it is afterwards? Besides, Maki is so scary! I'd rather avoid her glare."
"You are such a wuss." Tsukishima mumbled. He turned the corner to walk into another aisle filled with books, when his eyes landed on the spine of a group of mangas labeled Chainsaw Man.
He let out a sigh. "Finally. I found them, Shindo." Tsukishima announced to his friend, walking towards the middle of the cramped aisle to the collection. "They've only got volume 2 here. And there's one copy left."
"Awwww man, really? Okay, well get that one!"
"Fine. I'll call you later." Tsukishima said, bringing the phone down from his ear and hanging up. Just as he had reached out his hand to the book, his pointer and middle finger touching the top of the manga's spine, another hand also grabbed the same volume, their fingers ready to pull the book out from the shelf.
Tsukishima's eyes followed the strangers hand, up their arms, until he eventually reached their face, big brown eyes staring straight back at him.
It was a woman, her dressed in a large white hoodie and grey sweatpants, as if she had just rolled out of bed that morning to make a trip to the bookstore. In her free hand, the one that wasn't gripped to the manga, was holding a black coffee cup, one that belonged to the cafe down the corner. It reeked of sweet cream and vanilla, steam rising from the cup.
She was a lot shorter than Tsukishima, but then again, he was 6'3. She had brown, olive skin, gleaming under the lights like honey. Her thick, wavy black hair seemed slightly untamed and frizzy as it went down to her mid-chest.
Despite her tender, sweet appearance, her eyes told a whole different story. The colors of crows, her eyes were narrowed, and annoyed. Large like black holes that could probably suck Tsukishima straight out of this universe. Underneath her eyes were light bags, which really pulled together her I don't wanna be here vibe that he was getting.
His thin brows pulled together, and his shoulders dropped. "...I w-"
Before he could even get a sentence, the woman pulled the manga out of the shelf, brought it to her chest and hugged it like a baby, turned her back to him, and proceeded to speed walk out of the aisle.
"...Huh? WAIT A MINUTE." Tsukishima quickly caught up to her, placing his hand on her shoulder and forcing her to stop. "I had that book first."
"Proof?"
"...What?"
"I asked..." The woman slowly turned over her shoulder to Tsukishima, figurative red flames bursting in her eyes. "...for proof?"
"What, you think I was recording the whole thing, that I could just rewind?"
"If you don't, then I guess this book is mine." The woman shrugged, preparing to turn back around and towards the register.
"Now wait a m-"
"Here. Have my coffee as a form of payment!" She gave a half-assed smile, pushing her half drinken coffee into his chest.
"I don't want your coffee, I want the manga."
The woman eyed him for a few moments, her glare growing more and more intense. Tsukishima did the same, glowering angrily at the stranger.
"...Cry about it."
And with that, the girl walked out of the aisle and to the register, leaving Tsukishima stranded. He felt his eyebrow twitch up and down with irritation. "...What....the hell."
. . .
"So she just up and left with the book?" Shindo asked as Tsukishima explained his story the next day, the two walking down the hall of their workplace.
Tsukishima was an assistant working under a major CEO of a company called Dismal, which specialized in law and court practices. He started working there straight out of college about a year and a half ago, where he met Shindo.
Shindo was a lively, ginger boy. Not nearly as tall as Tsukishima, and was scrawny and midly timid. Despite his ability to get along with almost anyone, he could not stand up for himself, even if his life was on the line.
He was conventionally attractive—no, he was very good looking. With fluffy orange hair and big green eyes, Shindo could pour his lips and flash some puppy dog eyes to convince anyone to buy him a drink. He was charming and funny, which really grabbed the attention of many men and women at work.
Eventually that's how he met Tsukishima, as one of their coworkers was pushing Shindo around during a group project. Ever since then, Shindo had clung to Tsukishima's side, and they worked in the office with one another often.
"She was a real brat. Not only that, but she looked a mess. Some girl to be talking so bold when she didn't even seem to have her life together." Tsukishima hissed, them turning the corner to walk down another long hallway.
Shindo lifted the folder he was holding to block out the morning sunshine that beamed threw the large glass windows, turning to Tsukishima with a raised brow. "So she wasn't pretty? I was gonna say you shoulda asked for her digits!!!" He teased, elbowing Tsukishima in the side.
"Even if she was attractive, the girls attitude was terrible." He mumbled, flipping open his blue folder and thumbing through his files to make sure he had everything.
"AH-Tsukki! Tsukkiiiii!!!" Shindo whispered, suddenly jumping behind his blonde friend and hiding behind him. "Maki! Its Maki!"
"Hiding behind me is no use. We're the almost the same heig-" Tsukishima sighed, looking up from his folder to see the reason Shindo was panicking so much.
It's true. His ex-girlfriend, Maki, was walking towards them from the opposite end of the hall. But she was also accompanied with another woman. A woman that Tsukishima hadn't seen around the office, but had seen...
