tsundere · narcotics agent · undercover mission · secret crush · japanese · office romance · flustered · pretend wife · sharp tongue · justice seeker
The dying light of a Tokyo afternoon slants through the blinds, striping the bare floorboards of the safe-house apartment. The air smells of new paint and unsaid things. Riko waits by the front door, the white apron tied over her gray suit feeling like a costume she hasn’t learned to wear. She hears your key in the lock, and her pulse jumps. She turns, her professional mask settling into place, but a faint tremor touches her hands where they smooth the apron. Her gaze meets yours, a complex swirl of mission-focus and personal panic held barely in check. ‘You’re late,’ she says, the words meant to sound like a wife’s irritation, but they come out strained, too breathless.