The conbini was a buzz of warmth as Mai stepped through the automatic doors, the familiar scent of instant noodles, fresh coffee, and cold drinks embracing her like a much-needed hug. Despite the chaotic swirl of sensations around her, her mind was far from here. Her thoughts were on the encounter she had just witnessed—Kyo's casual wave, the unexpected familiarity between him and the stranger, and, of course, the stranger himself.
Gojo.
Mai couldn't shake the name. She didn't even know him, not really, but that look—those dark, sharp eyes—had rattled something deep within her. Her pulse had quickened, her palms growing clammy, and she felt her whole body grow still. Even as Kyo had introduced them, Mai couldn't seem to find her voice. She hadn't expected to run into him again, but there he was, looking every bit as enigmatic and unsettling as before.
It wasn't just the way he looked—tall, with a half-up bun in his hair, dressed in simple black sweats. No, it was the way he felt. As if he saw right through her, or perhaps, simply didn't care. It made her uneasy, but she couldn't deny there was a curiosity stirring beneath her discomfort.
"Mai?" Kyo's voice pulled her from her thoughts. He was standing by the counter, his gaze flicking between her and Gojo, who was now casually leaning against a shelf, appearing as though he had nowhere else to be.
Mai blinked. She had been standing there in a daze for a few moments, her hand frozen halfway toward the snack aisle. "Oh, sorry," she murmured, quickly moving past Kyo. She tried to act normal, but the tightness in her chest betrayed her. She wasn't used to this, wasn't used to being thrown off-kilter by someone so effortlessly. And Gojo had that quality—effortless.
She could feel his eyes following her as she moved to grab a bottle of water, his gaze a faint pressure on her skin. Her heart stuttered as her thoughts whirled. Was he really looking at her, or was it just her imagination?
Kyo, oblivious to her internal turmoil, continued chatting with Gojo in the same easy, carefree way he always did. His laughter filled the space, a stark contrast to Mai's growing unease. She tried to focus on the task at hand, grabbing the water and returning to the counter to pay.
As she did, she felt Gojo's presence behind her—just a little too close. Mai stiffened, but before she could react, she heard Kyo speaking again.
"Gojo's been helping us out at the publishing house," Kyo explained, as if he could sense the tension bubbling under the surface. "He's a natural. The guy has a real knack for getting things done. I bet you could learn a lot from him, Mai."
Mai froze. Learn from him? She shot Kyo a quick glance, but his expression was easy, unassuming, as if everything about this situation was entirely normal.
She couldn't imagine being around someone like Gojo, let alone learning from him. The thought of spending time with him outside of this place felt like an impossible step. But Kyo didn't seem to notice her hesitation.
"Right, Gojo?" Kyo added with a grin.
Gojo's lips curled into a small, lazy smile, his gaze still flickering toward Mai. "I guess you could say that," he said, his voice smooth, almost teasing. "Though I'm not sure I'm the best teacher."
For some reason, his words sent a shiver down Mai's spine. He was far too casual, far too sure of himself. Mai wasn't used to people like him—people who didn't second-guess themselves, who didn't seem to care about the impact they had on others. She didn't know if she liked it or not.
She quickly glanced down at the counter, paying for her water and snacks in silence, feeling the weight of Gojo's presence behind her.
"See you around," Gojo said smoothly, his voice calm but laced with a subtle challenge that left her unsettled.
Mai stiffened, muttering a distracted, "Yeah, see you."
The walk back to her apartment felt longer than usual, the air thick with tension she couldn't shake. It wasn't that she didn't like Kyo—she did, of course. But it was the unpredictability of Gojo that made her feel exposed. She wasn't used to people like him. He was too confident, too at ease with himself, and it made her feel small in comparison. Even Kyo, for all his confidence, was approachable, familiar. Gojo, though? There was something magnetic about him, something that drew her in and repelled her all at once.
"I didn't expect to run into him again so soon," Kyo said casually, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye as they walked back toward the apartment. "But, hey, it's good, right? He's a solid guy. You'll like him once you get to know him."
Mai didn't know how to respond to that. She had barely had a chance to process her first meeting with Gojo, let alone get to know him. And the way Kyo spoke about him—it made her feel like she was missing something, like there was some unspoken understanding between them that she wasn't privy to.
Kyo continued, oblivious to her inner turmoil. "Anyway, he's a big deal at the publishing house. Makes things happen. You should talk to him about your writing sometime. I think he'd get it."
The idea of talking to Gojo about anything, especially her writing, made her stomach flip. She barely knew the man, and yet, she felt like he had already seen too much. His presence alone had unsettled her. She didn't know how to even begin to explain her situation to someone like him—someone who was so comfortable in his own skin.
"I don't know," Mai murmured, not wanting to outright dismiss Kyo's suggestion but unsure how to make sense of it herself. "Maybe."
Kyo laughed, his tone light. "No pressure. Just an idea." He paused, then added, "You don't have to be so serious, you know. Take things one step at a time. And if you're going to be serious about this writing thing, you need to live a little."
Mai knew what he meant. She'd been living inside her own head for too long, hiding from the world that was right outside her door. But even so, the thought of stepping out into it, really interacting with it, filled her with unease.
By the time they reached her door, Mai felt like she was ready to crawl back into the safety of her apartment and shut the world out once more.
"Thanks for the walk, Kyo," she said, turning to face him. "I needed it."
"No problem," Kyo said with a wide grin, his eyes lighting up. "See you later, Mai. And remember—no pressure."
After Kyo left, Mai stood in her quiet apartment for a long moment, the world outside a distant hum. She couldn't stop thinking about Gojo. She had never felt so unsure of herself in her entire life. Everything about him seemed to stir something inside her, something she wasn't ready to confront.
She sat down at her desk, pulling up her writing on the screen. But the words felt foreign, distant. She wanted to write, wanted to make sense of her thoughts, but they felt scattered, too far removed from the person she used to be.
What was she supposed to do now? she wondered.
The rest of the evening passed in a blur. She distracted herself with television, tried to get a little writing done, but her thoughts kept drifting back to Gojo and Kyo, the strange new space she found herself standing in between them, unsure of where it would lead.
She had been so used to hiding away from the world, to living behind the walls of her own mind. But now, it was beginning to feel like the world was waiting for her to come out of hiding, to take a step into the unknown.
And maybe that was exactly what she needed.