Before she could interrogate him further, the glass doors slid open, and he disappeared down one of the aisles.
Maki leaned against the brick wall outside, crossing her arms. She frowned, trying to peer through the glass windows covered in colorful ads.
Essentials? He had just said yesterday that he bought fresh groceries.
Inside the store, Ren bypassed the snacks entirely. His heart was hammering a sudden, frantic rhythm against his ribs as he walked straight to the pharmacy aisle.
He stared at the colorful little boxes on the bottom shelf for exactly two seconds before grabbing a sleek, dark box, paying in exact change, and shoving it deep into his jacket pocket.
The System's glowing interface might have given him a cheat code for power, but he wasn't about to leave the real-world logistics to magic.
When the glass doors slid open again, Ren emerged looking completely casual, holding a single, decoy bottle of green tea.
Maki narrowed her eyes at him. "You made me stand out in the cold for a bottle of tea?"
"Hydration is important, Maki," Ren deadpanned, unscrewing the cap and taking a sip. He smoothly stepped back to her side, offering his free hand. "Come on. Let's go home."
Back to the Apartment
The walk up the stairs to his floor. The playful banter from the mall had faded into a comfortable, yet electric silence.
Ren unlocked the door, the deadbolt clicking loudly in the quiet hallway. He pushed the door open, letting Maki step inside first. The apartment was exactly as they had left it—warm, quiet, and smelling faintly of the dinner they had cooked the night before.
Maki didn't even bother walking all the way to the bedroom. She kicked off her shoes in the entryway, let her heavy weapons case slide off her shoulder with a solid thud against the floorboards, and walked straight over to the low green sofa.
She practically collapsed onto the cushions, letting out a long, dramatic sigh as the sheer physical exhaustion of walking around all day finally caught up with her. She draped her arms over the back of the couch, letting her head fall back to look up at the ceiling.
Ren locked the door and walked over, tossing his keys onto the kitchen island. He leaned against the counter, crossing his arms as he looked down at her.
Maki rolled her head to the side to meet his gaze. The wire-rimmed glasses were slightly askew on her nose, her dark green hair was a messy halo against the cushions, and she looked absolutely beautiful.
A soft, completely unguarded smile broke across her face—the kind of smile she only ever saved for him.
"Today..." Maki murmured, her voice quiet and filled with a deep, genuine warmth. "...was really great, idiot."
Maki pushed herself up from the low green sofa with a soft groan, the exhaustion in her muscles temporarily protesting the movement.
"I'm going to wash my face," she mumbled, padding barefoot across the living room and slipping into the small bathroom down the hall.
Flicking on the harsh overhead light, she leaned over the sink and let out a long breath. She caught her reflection in the mirror above the vanity.
Her amber eyes looked tired but relaxed, completely stripped of their usual fierce bravado. Slowly, her fingers drifted up to the high collar of the beige ribbed turtleneck Ren had bought her. She pulled the soft fabric down just a fraction.
There it was. Right on the sensitive skin of her neck, sitting directly over her pulse point—a blossoming, bruised reddish-purple mark.
The vivid love bite stood out starkly against her pale skin, a visceral reminder of exactly how close they had gotten the night before, before Panda's obnoxious phone call had ruined the moment.
A fresh wave of heat rushed up her neck and instantly painted her ears a bright, burning pink.
She stared at the mark for a long moment. Her heart kicked up a frantic, heavy rhythm against her ribs. She had spent the entire day building up to this, mentally preparing herself to finally drop her guard completely.
She was a powerhouse who threw cursed spirits through concrete walls for a living , but right now, she was just a girl standing in a bathroom, trying to find her courage.
I promised him, she reminded herself.
Maki let the collar of her sweater snap back into place, hiding the mark. She took one last, deep, steadying breath to wrangle her nerves and stepped back out into the hallway.
Ren was still in the kitchen. He had taken his jacket off and was leaning casually against the counter, his back turned to her as he absentmindedly organized the small pile of receipts, the decoy bottle of tea, and the keys they had dumped there.
Maki didn't hesitate this time. She crossed the short distance across the living room floor, her footsteps entirely silent.
Ren didn't even hear her coming until her arms were suddenly wrapping tightly around his waist from behind.
He froze, letting out a sharp breath of surprise as Maki pressed herself chest against his back. The soft, fitted fabric of her new turtleneck did nothing to hide the firm press of her chest against his shoulder blades.
She buried her face into the space between his shoulder and his neck, her dark green hair tickling his skin.
Ren's hands dropped the keys onto the counter. He slowly reached up, resting his hands over hers where they were locked over his stomach. He could feel the rapid, unmistakable pounding of her heart against his back.
"Maki?" he murmured, his voice dropping low.
For a second, she didn't say anything, just holding him tighter, grounding herself in his warmth. Then, she turned her head slightly, her lips brushing against his shoulder as she spoke.
Her voice was muffled, laced with her trademark bluntness but entirely betraying how impossibly shy she felt.
"I saw what you bought at the convenience store, idiot," she muttered, her fingers curling tightly into his shirt to anchor herself.
She took a shaky breath, forcing herself to push past the nerves. "If you make me actually say it out loud, I'm going to punch you. So just... shut up and take me to your room."