The flashlight beam was like a physical punch. Yasuo jumped back from Daisetsu, his heart hammering a frantic rhythm against his ribs. The server room, which had just been a cocoon of electric heat and victory kisses, now felt like a trap.
"Yuka?" Yasuo's voice cracked.
Yuka Iroha stood in the doorway, her school camera clutched in her hands. The red recording light was a tiny, bleeding eye in the dark. She looked at Yasuo, then at Daisetsu—whose shirt was wet, hair messy, and lips definitely swollen—and then back at the broken server door.
"Yasuo, what the heck?" she whispered, her voice a mix of shock and reporter-mode excitement. "I heard a crash while I was finishing the late-night layout for the school paper. I thought it was a thief, but it's... it's this?"
Daisetsu stepped in front of Yasuo immediately. His "Berserker" rage was gone, replaced by the cold, calculating mind of a man who had everything to lose.
"Iroha-san," Daisetsu said, his voice deep and steady. "Put the camera down."
"Sensei, you're literally pinning my best friend against a server rack in a dark room after breaking the door down," Yuka said, her journalistic instincts kicking in. "This isn't just a scoop; this is a scandal. If the Board sees this—"
"If the Board sees this, Daisetsu-sensei is fired, and I probably go to jail for breaking and entering," Yasuo interrupted, stepping out from behind Daisetsu. He looked at his childhood friend, his eyes pleading. "Yuka, please. It's not what it looks like. Well, it is, but there's a reason."
"A reason for the 'Lovers Burn Together' graffiti at your shop?" Yuka asked, tilting her head. "I saw that too. I went to the bakery to find you, and it was trashed. I've been looking for you all night."
Yasuo felt a wave of guilt. Yuka was bossy and obsessed with news, but she cared.
"We were stopping a blackmail attempt," Daisetsu explained, his eyes never leaving the camera. "Kaede Natsumi tried to ruin my life tonight. We had to stop the email."
Yuka paused, her finger hovering over the stop button. "Kaede-sensei? The English teacher? She's always acting so perfect."
"She's not," Yasuo said firmly. He walked over to Yuka, taking her hand. "Yuka, listen. Daisetsu saved me. He's been protecting the bakery from a gang. He's a good man with a complicated past. If you publish that video, the bad guys win. Kaede wins."
Yuka looked at the camera, then at the two of them. The "bromance" tension was still thick in the air—Daisetsu was still breathing heavily, his protective aura radiating off him like heat.
"I've known you since we were five, Yasuo," Yuka said softly. "You never lie. And you've never looked at anyone the way you just looked at him."
She reached down and pressed the button. The red light went out.
"I'll delete the footage," she said. "But on one condition."
Daisetsu's eyes narrowed. "What condition?"
"You tell me everything. The gang, the past, the bakery. I won't publish it as a scandal, but I want the real story. For my private records. And," she added, a cheeky smirk playing on her lips, "Yasuo has to give me free Anpan for a year."
Yasuo let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Deal. Totally deal."
Daisetsu slumped back against the server rack, the tension finally leaving his body. He looked at Yasuo and gave a small, tired smile. "Your friends are just as terrifying as you are, Baker-san."
"It's a gift," Yasuo joked.
"We need to go now," Yuka said, glancing at the hallway. "The night guard does his final rounds in ten minutes. If he sees the broken door, we're toast. I'll lead you out the back way through the media lab."
They moved quickly through the dark school, Yuka acting as their scout. As they reached the back exit, Yuka hugged Yasuo tight.
"Be careful," she whispered. "Daisetsu-sensei is hot, but he's trouble, Yasuo. Don't let your 'Cutie Boy' heart get too bruised."
"I'll be fine, Yuka," Yasuo promised.
Once they were outside in the cool, night air, the rain had finally stopped. The city was quiet, the only sound the distant hum of traffic. They walked toward the bakery, their hands finding each other naturally.
Daisetsu pulled Yasuo into a small park, stopping under a large cherry blossom tree. The petals were wet and heavy, clinging to the grass.
"Today was a disaster," Daisetsu murmured.
"We saved your job," Yasuo countered. "And we have a Year of Free Anpan to pay off. I'd call that a win."
Daisetsu laughed, a low, warm sound that made Yasuo's knees weak. He turned Yasuo around, pulling him back into his arms. This time, there were no cameras, no gangs, and no server racks. Just the two of them.
Daisetsu leaned down, his lips brushing against Yasuo's ear. "I meant what I said in there. I've never had anyone fight for me like that. You're not just a 'Shy Nurturer', Yasuo. You're a warrior."
He slid his hands down, his palms hot through Yasuo's damp hoodie, and squeezed Yasuo's waist. The "bromance" was gone; it was pure, unadulterated attraction now. Daisetsu's hands moved lower, his touch possessive and bold.
"I want to take you home," Daisetsu groaned into his neck. "I want to lock the door and make sure you know exactly how much I appreciate you."
Yasuo shivered, his head falling back against Daisetsu's shoulder. "The bakery is a mess, Daisetsu. We have to clean."
"The cleaning can wait until morning," Daisetsu whispered. "Tonight... tonight is about us."
He turned Yasuo around and kissed him—a long, deep, hungry kiss that tasted like the end of a war and the beginning of a revolution.
They walked back to the bakery, but as they reached the front door, they saw a figure standing in the shadows of the alley.
It wasn't a gang member. It was Tenshin. He was leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette, looking uncharacteristically serious.
"The email is gone," Tenshin said, not looking at them. "But Kaede didn't go home. She went to the police station. She's reporting the 'vandalism' at the bakery and the 'assault' in the gym."
He looked up, his eyes sharp.
"And she told them that a certain 'Yasuo Hayashi' is being held against his will by a violent criminal. The cops are on their way to the shop right now for a 'wellness check'."