Chapter 141

By the time they got back to the Unagiya Shop, the afternoon sun was casting long shadows across the street. Ikumi parked the car out front and hopped out, swinging her keys around her finger as she led the way inside.

The office felt cooler than before, the faint hum of a desk fan filling the silence. She set her bag on the desk and leaned back against it, arms crossed.

“Well,” she began, “for your first day, I’ve got to admit… you did better than I expected.”

Ichigo smirked, dropping into one of the chairs. “Better than you expected, huh? You thought I’d trip over my own feet or something?”

“I don’t know,” she said with a shrug, “you’ve got that rookie energy. But then you go scaling a building like you do it every Tuesday.”

“Maybe I do,” he replied with a grin.

Ikumi tilted her head, studying him. “And then there’s that thing with the client…”

“What thing?”

She smirked. “The kiss.”

Ichigo rolled his eyes. “That was nothing.”

“Uh-huh.” She pushed off the desk and started pacing slowly, her heels clicking against the floor. “Well, ‘nothing’ apparently got us a bonus, so… I’m thinking…” She turned toward him with a sly grin. “…I might just assign you to the female clients from now on. Pretty boy like you? You’re practically an investment.”

Ichigo leaned back in the chair, pretending to think. “So I’m basically the shop’s charm weapon now?”

“If the shoe fits,” she teased.

“Guess that makes you my boss and my pimp,” he shot back with a smirk.

Ikumi barked a laugh. “Careful, Kurosaki. Keep talking like that, and I might make you start wearing a suit for jobs.”

He gave her a lazy grin. “If it pays well, I’ll consider it.”

She shook her head, still smiling. “Alright, smartass. Go home for today. We’ll start fresh tomorrow. I’ve got a few jobs lined up… and let’s just say, they might involve some very grateful women.”

Ichigo stood, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Guess I’ll have to bring my A-game, then.”

As he stepped toward the door, Ikumi called out, “Oh, and Ichigo…”

He glanced back. “Yeah?”

Her grin widened. “Don’t go falling in love with the clients. That’s my department.”

Ichigo chuckled, shaking his head as he walked out into the warm evening air.

‘That went better than I expected,’ Ichigo thought as he stepped out of Ikumi’s shop, the late-afternoon sun casting an orange glow over the street. He shoved his hands in his pockets, smirking to himself.

‘Well… I’m sure by the next seventeen months, I’ll be deep in that coochie.’

He made his way home at a casual pace, cutting through familiar backstreets until his building came into view.

Sitting on the steps out front, her teal hair catching the last bits of sunlight, was Nel. She looked up as soon as she saw him.

“You’re back,” she said with a soft smile.

“Yeah, I am,” Ichigo replied, climbing the last few steps. “Thought you were reading in my room.”

“I was,” she said, tilting her head toward the fading sky. “But I got bored… so I decided to just sit out here and watch the sky. It’s really pretty. Nothing like the one in Hueco Mundo.”

Ichigo sank down beside her with a faint grin. “Yeah. That place is depressing as hell.”

She glanced at him. “Did you get the job?”

“I did,” he said with a mock-proud nod. “And when I’m a millionaire, I’ll buy you more clothes.”

Nel chuckled, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “I think I have enough. Besides… I don’t really like wearing them when I sleep.”

Ichigo’s eyebrow lifted. “Oh? So how do you sleep? I never really pay attention to you in the mornings, you know.”

She turned to him with a deadpan look. “Naked.”

His eyes widened.

Nel burst out laughing. “I’m kidding,” she said, grinning as she leaned closer. “I sleep in your shirt. Guess you’ve never noticed… or maybe you’ve never looked at me the way you look at Rukia.”

She pouted slightly, lower lip jutting out just enough to be dangerous.

“Oh, it’s not that,” Ichigo said, meeting her gaze. “I actually find you pretty attractive.”

Her eyes lit up just a little. “Really? Well… if you do, then you’ll pay more attention to me from now on.”

“I guess I will,” he said with a small smirk.

Nel smirked right back before resting her head on his shoulder, the weight of her presence both warm and grounding.

Ichigo glanced at her, her hair brushing against his cheek.

‘Well… guess it’s moving much faster than I thought,’ he mused, but he didn’t pull away.

Later that night, Ichigo was sprawled out on his bed, scrolling lazily through his phone with one hand while the other rested behind his head. He was busy playing Diamond rush because that's all he had on his phone. Not that he was complaining. It was a very good game.

' I should invest in Playstation and Xbox ' he thought.

The soft hum of the bathroom fan could be heard through the door.

A minute later, it clicked open.

Nel stepped out, steam drifting past her as she walked casually into the room — her damp teal hair clinging to her shoulders, droplets sliding down her skin. She was wearing nothing but a matching black bra and panties, the fabric clinging to her curves in a way that made it clear she wasn’t in any rush to hide herself.

Ichigo’s eyes flicked up from his phone. He didn’t jolt, didn’t look away, didn’t stammer. He just took her in for a beat, gaze steady and unreadable, before setting his phone down on his chest.

“…Forget your towel?” he asked evenly.

She smirked, grabbing a comb from the desk and running it slowly through her hair. “No. I just don’t feel like wearing much tonight.”

Ichigo sat up slightly, leaning on his elbows. “Huh. Guess you weren’t kidding earlier.”

Nel glanced over her shoulder at him, the corner of her mouth lifting. “What? Hoping I was?”

He gave a small, amused huff. “Nah. I’m not complaining.”

Her smirk widened. She finished combing her hair, tossing it back so it fanned out over her bare shoulders. “Good. I’d hate for you to complain about your… roommate.”

Ichigo leaned back again, still watching her as if this was the most natural thing in the world. “You do what you want, Nel. Just don’t be surprised if I start doing the same.”

She gave him a playful side-eye before walking over to the bed and sitting on the edge, close enough that the faint heat from her skin reached him.

“Maybe that’s the point,” she murmured.

Ichigo didn’t reply — just smirked, eyes meeting hers for a few loaded seconds.

Nel stayed perched on the edge of the bed, her back turned slightly toward him as she absentmindedly fiddled with the strap of her bra. It wasn’t nervousness — more like she wanted to see if he’d keep watching.

Ichigo didn’t look away. He wasn’t staring like some lovesick idiot, but his eyes definitely weren’t wandering anywhere else either. Calm. Collected. Assessing.

“You’re quiet,” she said after a moment, glancing back at him with that half-smile that never gave away whether she was teasing or testing him.

“Just wondering what game you’re playing,” he said casually.

“No game,” she replied, shifting a little closer so her knee brushed against his thigh. “I just like being comfortable.”

Ichigo gave a small shrug, but there was the faintest curve to his mouth.

“Comfortable’s fine. Just making sure you’re not trying to start something you’re not ready for.”

Her smirk softened into something more genuine. “What if I am ready?”

He leaned forward slightly, closing the space just enough so she could feel his presence — not touching her yet, but close enough for the air between them to feel charged. His voice stayed low.
“Then you’ll have to prove it. But… not tonight.”

Nel tilted her head, studying him like she was trying to read every layer of meaning in that answer. Then she chuckled softly and leaned back, lying down beside him with her hands behind her head.

“Guess I’ll just have to keep trying then,” she murmured.

Ichigo smirked and turned his head toward her, their eyes meeting briefly before they both settled into a comfortable silence — the kind that wasn’t empty, but full of unspoken possibilities.

TO BE CONTINUED