[Location: Tokyo, 20th Ward - Luxury Penthouse]
[Time: Six Months Later]
Manjiro's phone buzzed on the glass coffee table.
Shinobu: *Coming home. Bringing someone.*
He didn't look away from the television as he was playing FIFA. He flicked the joystick and sent the ball past the goalkeeper.
"Goal," he hummed, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"…That was almost too easy."
"Magnificent vision as always, Monsieur," Tsukiyama murmured from the other end of the sofa.
The front door slammed open.
Mitsuri came in holding a crumpled flyer, her braids slightly frizzy, already talking. "It's discrimination," she said. "The sign said All-You-Can-Eat."
"Which one was it this time?" Manjiro asked, pausing the game.
"The Yakiniku buffet in the 13th Ward," Mitsuri pouted, kicking off her shoes. "They told me the All-You-Can-Eat sign was a marketing slogan, not a challenge! The manager actually cried, Manjiro. He called me a Binge Eater and banned me for life!"
She looked at him. "Do I look like a binge eater to you?"
Manjiro blinked at her, then let out a soft, amused hum.
"No, no," he said, waving a hand lazily. "Not a binge eater."
"…Honestly, getting banned is kind of impressive. I'm a little jealous."
Mitsuri paused for a heartbeat, then flustered, her cheeks turning rosy. "Hey! That's not fair!" she huffed, crossing her arms. "I was just taking them seriously! If they didn't mean it, they shouldn't say it!"
She glanced away, still pouting.
"…And the meat was really good…"
Manjiro sighed, picking up his phone. He typed back to Shinobu: *Bringing someone home? I'm starting to feel replaced already.*
The reply came fast. *If you're jealous you can say so. I'll make it up to you when I get home.*
He set the phone down.
"Shinobu's bringing someone," he said.
Mitsuri looked up immediately. "From the university? Is it the girl? The one with the dark hair she mentioned?"
"I don't know."
---
[Flashback: Six Months Ago]
It had started the morning after the restaurant incident.
At eight in the morning someone knocked.
Shinobu opened the door.
Tsukiyama Shuu was standing in the hallway in a white suit, armed with an absurdly expensive-looking tray of pastries and a bouquet of red roses so large it bordered on ridiculous. Manjiro had given them a heads-up, which was the only reason Shinobu didn't immediately slam the door in his face.
Shinobu looked at him for a long moment. Then at the massive, ridiculous bouquet of roses. Then back at him again.
"Tsukiyama Shuu," He bowed lightly. "You must be one of Monsieur Asakura's — are you perhaps his—"
He stopped.
Over Shinobu's shoulder, Mitsuri had just set down a teapot. She looked at him with her big green eyes and the expression of someone who was very happy to meet someone new.
Tsukiyama looked past her and found Manjiro on the couch, watching him.
"You brought what I asked for," Manjiro said.
"Yes, Monsieur." Tsukiyama said pulling a key from his jacket, "I have secured the penthouse. Please, allow me to escort you."
"Whenever you're ready."
[End Flashback]
And that was how it started.
By week two, Shinobu had enrolled at Kamii University, having acquired the necessary forged documents.
By month two, Mitsuri had found a coffee shop in the 20th ward called Anteiku, which she had started dragging Manjiro to on mornings when Shinobu had classes. She had also started a part-time job at a flower shop two streets over, primarily because she liked the flowers, and had begun a small notebook of food reviews that she took more seriously than most things in her life.
And Tsukiyama... he visited three times in week one to drop off manjiro orders. By month three he was coming over often enough that Mitsuri had started saving him food without being asked, and Shinobu made regular use of his expertise in ward politics, an area in which he was both highly knowledgeable and pleased to be asked about.
He called Manjiro Monsieur Asakura every single time, without exception.
Manjiro called him Tsukiyama. Tsukiyama had decided to interpret this as a sign of intimacy. Manjiro had decided not to correct him, because correcting him would require explaining himself and that seemed like more effort than it was worth.
---
[Present]
"Monsieur Asakura." Tsukiyama stood, idly brushing at his lapel. "I have business in the 7th ward. A lovely evening to you, Lady Asakura."
Tsukiyama walked gracefully toward the front door. He reached for the handle just as a key clicked into the lock from the outside.
Through the door, Shinobu's voice came from the hallway.
"—the third-floor café is better, the beans are different, I genuinely don't understand why they don't just make it the same everywhere—"