★
Riki’s job had always been simple, blend in, observe, and report. He had done it countless times before, shadowing people without them ever realizing.
But this time, things were different.
This time, the girl he was assigned to watch was right in front of him, talking to him, helping him navigate an office he didn’t actually need help with.
Natsumi had no idea he was there because of her.
She sat beside him now, explaining the basics of their work while he nodded along, feigning interest. His eyes, however, weren’t on the documents in front of him.
They were on her.
Natsumi was nothing like the people he usually kept an eye on. Most were either corrupt, cautious, or involved in something shady. But she was… normal.
Bubbly, even. She had a habit of tapping her pen against the table when she was thinking, tilting her head slightly when she was listening, and twirling a loose strand of hair whenever she was deep in thought.
To everyone else in the office, she seemed like the calm and responsible type someone who always got her work done without complaint. But Riki noticed the way her expressions changed when she wasn’t under scrutiny.
How her eyes shone with amusement when she talked to her close friends. How she scrunched her nose when something annoyed her but she didn’t want to voice it.
She wasn’t just an easy-going, professional worker. She had layers, and it made his job harder. Because for the first time, he felt curious.
“I think that covers most of it,” Natsumi said, setting her pen down. “Any questions?”
Ni-ki blinked, realizing he hadn’t actually been listening. He quickly glanced at the paper in front of him, pretending to process it. “Uh… just one.”
Natsumi tilted her head. “Yeah?”
“What should I call you?”
She raised an eyebrow, a playful smile tugging at her lips. “Well, my name is Natsumi.”
“I know that.” His tone was flat, but she giggled anyway.
“You can call me whatever you’re comfortable with,” she said lightly, leaning back in her chair. “Natsumi, Nakamura, or”
“Senior.”
She blinked, surprised. “Huh?”
“I’ll call you Senior,” he repeated, shrugging slightly.
“Since you’re the one guiding me.”
Natsumi stared at him for a moment before laughing. “That’s so formal.”
He merely looked at her, waiting.
“Alright, if that’s what you want.” She smiled, resting her chin on her hand.
He nodded, satisfied.
His gaze subtly flickered to her ID card clipped to her shirt. Nakamura Natsumi.
A name he was supposed to report on. A girl he was supposed to watch from the shadows.
And for the first time, Riki felt an odd sense of guilt settle in his chest.
Natsumi wasn’t sure what to make of the new guy.
He was different from anyone she had worked with before.
From the moment Riki was introduced to the team, people had whispered about how odd he seemed.
He barely spoke, often hesitated before answering questions, and seemed almost… lost. His clumsiness didn’t help either.
And yet, for some reason, Natsumi didn’t mind.
“Alright, Ni-ki,” she said, handing him a stack of papers.
“We need to sort these by category, then enter the data into the system. Think you can handle that?”
Ni-ki stared at the papers like she had just handed him something radioactive. “I… um… maybe?”
Natsumi blinked. “Maybe?”
He slowly nodded. “I don’t know.”
She stifled a chuckle. What kind of response was that?
“Well, if you have any doubts, just ask,” she said, watching as he awkwardly picked up a sheet and squinted at it as if it were written in another language.
A few minutes passed, and she noticed him fumbling with the files, struggling to place them in the correct categories.
She leaned closer, pointing at the papers in his hands. “That one goes in the finance section, not general reports.”
He flinched slightly, then hesitated before mumbling, “Oh… right.”
Natsumi tilted her head. “Are you sure you’ve worked in an office before?”
Ni-ki paused. “…No.”
“You haven’t?”
He slowly shook his head. “First time.”
That explained a lot.
Natsumi sighed but smiled reassuringly. “Alright, then. Don’t worry—I’ll help you.”
He glanced at her, and for a moment, she swore she saw something unreadable in his eyes. But then he simply nodded and focused back on the papers.
As the day went on, Natsumi found herself observing him just as much as he was supposed to be observing her.
Ni-ki was… peculiar.
Not in a bad way, but definitely in an unusual way.
Whenever someone called his name, he took an extra second to react. When given instructions, he would nod too many times, as if overcompensating.
And when asked casual questions, his answers were either overly short or oddly delayed, like he was choosing his words carefully.
Still, Natsumi found herself growing fond of his awkwardness.
At one point, he accidentally knocked over a cup of pens, and she caught the faintest glimpse of frustration in his eyes before he quickly masked it with an apologetic look.
“Sorry,” he mumbled, stiffly picking up the pens.
Natsumi waved it off with a small laugh. “It’s fine. You’re just a little clumsy?”
He blinked. “Clumsy?”
“Yeah. But don’t worry, you’ll get used to the office work soon.”
He stared at her for a moment before slowly nodding. “…Right.”
Natsumi tilted her head slightly. Something about him felt strange, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
Still, if he needed help, she didn’t mind giving it.
“Hey, Senior,” Ni-ki suddenly said.
“Hm?”
His voice was quiet, hesitant. “…You don’t mind helping me?”
Natsumi smiled, shaking her head. “Of course not.”
For a split second, something flickered in his gaze. But then he looked away, refocusing on his work.
Natsumi didn’t think much of it.
She had no idea that the man beside her—the clumsy, odd newcomer—was the same person she had been crushing on for months.
YOU ARE READING
???? ??? || Ni-ki ?
Fanfiction"i hope he atleast reads my mails, that's the only way I can reach him" ??? ????? ? ???? ??? ? ????? ?? ??? ?????? ?????? ??? ??? ??? ??? ????????. ??? ???????? ?? ??? ???...
