Before work the next day, Lyra had gone shopping. She bought some new comfortable shoes for herself that would also match kimonos. She had a feeling Sesshomaru enjoyed seeing her in more traditional attire. But that didn't stop her from buying herself some leggings and a loose top, including underwear. She also got a cute dress for Rin and also some treats like sweets and chocolate they could share with Jaken. She didn't know what she could buy for Sesshomaru so instead she decided to make him some homemade food, but she would prepare that a day before she would go back.

Work was fairly quiet and with no customers in the store at that moment, Lyra and her colleagues were simply talking and gossiping. Not long after, the bell went at the door as a customer entered. It was Kanda. Lyra could hear her colleagues quickly shuffle away to make themselves look busy and she could make out quiet whispers about him and how handsome he looked. His smile was bright as he made his way over to the counter where Lyra was standing, causing her to be on the receiving end of ogling eyes. Like always, he was clad in a suit that was clearly designed just for him, briefcase in hand and a really expensive watch on his wrist.

"Good afternoon, sir," she greeted, careful not to speak his name. Her hands were folded over each other in a presentable fashion on top of the counter.

He stood on the opposite side of the glass counter and smiled politely. "Good afternoon. How are you, Lyra?"

She smiled and gave a nod of her head. "I'm well, thank you. And yourself?"

"Likewise. I never got your last name yesterday," he hinted.

"Oh, right. It's Akiyama."

"Lyra Akiyama," he spoke quietly, wanting to hear her full name himself.

She felt a bit awkward but pretended she didn't hear before continuing her service. "We received some new designs that I think you may like."

She went to move towards the other counter but was stopped when she felt a hand hold onto hers. It was gentle but it did make her freeze and turn back. Even her colleagues gasped, none of them even tried to hide it. Kanda didn't let go though, his eyes focused on Lyra's. She began to feel embarrassed as she looked at him questioningly.

"I'm not here to buy anything today," he told her before letting go of her hand.

Lyra felt relieved and smiled. "Okay. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

He began to feel slightly nervous as he looked to the side, a small smile making its way onto his lips before he looked at her again. "I would be honoured if you joined me for a coffee."

She stared at him blankly, his words still processing in her mind. Her colleagues were now literally surrounding her, staring between the two of them wondering what her response will be.

Lyra blinked a couple of times. "Are you...asking me out?" she asked in disbelief.

"Was it not obvious?" He laughed, his nerves showing in his expression. "I'm sorry. I'm quite terrible at this."

"No, no," she shook her head. "I was just taken aback, I guess."

He smiled warmly. "Well?"

Lyra suddenly felt all eyes on her. She was the type of person who found it hard to say no to anyone, especially since he plucked up the courage to ask her. But she knew it would be impossible. She couldn't give him false hope because she was already in love with someone else. She was ready to reject him.

"Actually, I-"

"She'll join you!" her manager cut her off as she blocked Lyra's view.

Her eyes widened and she shook her head. "But-"

Before Lyra could object, another colleague interjected. "Just give the time and place and she'll be there!"

Kanda seemed quite overwhelmed by the sudden lack of privacy. "Uh, great. Tonight at 7? Sakura Haven Café?"

"Perfect. She'll be there," her manager answered for her involuntarily again.

"Great." He could just about spot Lyra behind the crowd of women. "Text me your number. I'll see you later."

Before the crazy ladies could do anything else, he turned and left the store. Once Lyra was free, she sighed and looked at her colleagues with disappointment. Everything just happened so fast. She was not expecting for her colleagues to answer for her without her consent.

"I can't go out with him!" Lyra burst out of frustration.

"Why not?" her manager asked. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Lyra couldn't tell them about Sesshomaru. It would just lead to millions of other questions. "No. I just won't be around long enough for a healthy relationship. I won't even be able to contact him when I'm looking after my grandfather."

"I'm sure he'll understand. You guys can work something out!" another colleague said.

"You've hit the jackpot!" another one squealed.

Lyra sighed again. "One of you date him then."

"He chose you though, Lyra," her manager said. "I've noticed the way he looks at you."

"Come on, Lyra. Be a good sport and get all the gossip. Let us know what he's like on dates," the first colleague said, nudging her shoulder. "You can always say no after tonight."

Lyra huffed in defeat. "I suppose..."

"Great! Time to sort out your outfit!"

She couldn't quite believe what she had gotten herself into. Returning to work was a big mistake.

***

The store closed at 5 so that gave Lyra two hours to get ready. Her colleagues had suggested she wear a cute summer dress with cute little heels and she had no choice but to oblige. When she got back home, she flopped down on the couch. Renji looked over at her and saw the distress on her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked from the dining table.

"I got asked out on a date for 7 tonight."

Renji instantly got up and sat beside her. "Then what's so bad about that? Is the guy not nice?"

"No, he is nice. He's a regular customer of ours," she answered.

"What's his name?"

"Kanda Hideki."

He sat up straight and looked at her, eyes wide. "What did you say?"

Lyra raised a brow at his reaction. "Kanda Hideki." She pulled out the business card she was given and handed it to him.

Renji looked as though he had just won the lottery as he read over the card. "The Kanda Hideki asked you out?!"

"Uhhh...yeah?"

He stood up and pulled her up with him. "What are you waiting for? Go and get ready. I'll drop you off myself," he insisted excitedly as he pushed her towards the stairs.

Lyra felt a bit overwhelmed, unable to get a word in edgeways. "Wait, I have to text him my number but I don't have a phone."

Renji took his own phone out of his pocket and gave it to her along with the business card. "Use mine. I've got another one."

"But-"

"Go!"

Lyra's eyes widened and she decided not to argue back before going up the stairs to get ready. Once she got to her room, she locked the door and sent Kanda a message.

'Hey, it's Lyra. I'm using my dad's phone since my one broke a couple of weeks ago. I'll see you at 7.'

She started to get ready. It would take her only 10 minutes to get to the café so she had about 45 minutes. After simply brushing out her hair to neaten it, she changed into the outfit her friends had chosen before hearing a notification on the phone. She opened the message to see it was from Kanda.

'Hey. I'm looking forward to it.

Kanda.'

She breathed out and noticed it was almost time to go. Not wanting to get there too early, she sat on her bed and waited. She just wished Sesshomaru was there. The feeling of guilt was eating away at her. Even though she would be saying no to another date, just going on this one was making her feel horrible. No matter what, she would tell Sesshomaru about it just so she could get it off her chest.

"Lyra, you're going to be late!" Renji called from the stairs.

She groaned and quickly grabbed her bag and the phone before rushing down the stairs. While her father drove, he kept giving her advice as if she had never been on a date before. She stayed quiet throughout the whole journey. She had nothing to be nervous about but there was an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach and she sussed it out to be the fact she would be saying no to a second date if he asked for it.

"We're here!"

Lyra saw the café at the side and standing right outside the entrance was Kanda. She could hear her father almost fanboying beside her after he realised who the man was. Kanda had spotted her in the car and approached to open the door for her.

"Thank you," Lyra smiled as she stepped out of the car.

"I'm glad you could make it," Kanda smiled back.

She looked into the car at Renji. "I'll call you when I'm done."

"Don't worry," Kanda said as he bent down to greet her father. "Hello, Mr Akiyama. I'll drop her off home."

Renji smiled. "Alright. It's nice to meet you," he said as he held his hand out.

Kanda shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you, too."

"Okay, you kids have a great time!"

Once Renji drove away, Kanda turned to Lyra before holding his arm out to her. She hesitantly wrapped her hand around it as they made their way into the café. It was an extremely high class and posh café. There were sakura trees inside and a live orchestra. Lyra had never been there before but she knew the prices were extortionate. A cup of coffee was probably the price of 50 cups. The atmosphere itself made her feel a little out of place and she felt underdressed. As they were shown to their seats, she looked around at how fancy everyone was dressed.

"You look beautiful," Kanda told her, noticing she seemed a bit nervous.

She smiled lightly. "Thank you. My friends sort of chose my outfit."

He chuckled. "They were very, uh...lively."

"At least you don't have to work with them." She shuffled a little in her seat. "So, do you wear a suit all the time?"

"Honestly, suits are my go-to. But that's due to the fact I'm at work a lot of the time," he replied as he undid the button on his blazer. "As soon as I get home though I'm straight into my pajamas."

Lyra laughed softly. "I do exactly the same thing. I need to get out of the habit though. My dad hates it. He's quite old fashioned that way."

"He seems really nice."

"He is. As soon as he found out I was having coffee with you, he got really excited," she said with a roll of her eyes.

Kanda laughed. "Well, I'm glad I had the chance to meet him."

Just then, a waiter came to their table to take their order. Lyra only ordered a mocha and Kanda asked for the same. He told Lyra to order some food as well but she refused so he ended up ordering some canapés and cakes on behalf of both of them. Lyra had to admit that the drinks and food there really was worth the price. It literally was the best mocha she had ever had.

The conversation never ran dry between them. They spoke about certain topics in really deep context and Kanda was really appreciative that he could have an intellectual talk with someone. They had become quite comfortable and Kanda had even taken off his blazer and hung it on the back of his chair. Lyra was quite surprised how normal he was. He soon openly admitted to her that he frequently bought from their store as an excuse to see her. She felt quite awkward about his confession and she cursed herself for blushing. The conversation still continued and the subject quickly changed to the topic of family.

"So, is the grandfather you're helping on your mother's side?" Kanda asked.

Lyra shook her head. "He's my dad's sister's father-in-law. I just like to call him grandpa."

He leaned slightly forward, mirroring her position. "Have you met your dad's father?"

"No, he passed before I was born." She tilted her head slightly. "Why?"

"There's actually another reason I visited your store so often," he added.

She rested her elbows on the table. "Do tell," she prompted curiously.

"I don't know if your father's told you this, but my paternal grandfather and your paternal grandfather were best friends."

"Seriously?!" she asked loudly in surprise. Her exclaim had gained quite a few looks from nearby tables and she tried to hide her face out of embarrassment. "Seriously?" she whispered.

He chuckled at her reaction. "Yeah."

"That explains why my dad was so excited about you." She breathed out and leaned back in her chair. "You should have told me before."

"I know but I thought it would have been weird to walk up to you and announce it," he said with a quiet laugh.

"True. But how did you know it was me?"

"My father and yours are still in contact," he admitted.

The more information she got, the more it all made sense. She initially thought her father was excited about her date with him because he was a famous doctor but it's actually because both their families were friends.

"Obviously our fathers weren't as close as our grandfathers," he added. "But apparently they both had a pact."

"What was it?" Lyra asked furrowing her brows slightly.

"I think I'll let your father tell you that."

"That's not fair," she argued jokingly.

Kanda simply shrugged and smiled at her with a teasing glint in his eyes. Lyra was extremely curious as to what it could be. They both looked at each other with amusement before they burst into quiet fits of laughter. Just then, Lyra's phone beeped with a notification. Quickly apologising, she took the phone out of her bag and saw it was a message from her dad's other phone.

'It's almost midnight. Will you be coming home soon?'

"That's the time already?!" she exclaimed in shock.

Kanda checked his watch and even his eyes became wide. "11:45? Wow. Time really does fly when you're having fun."

"No kidding."

Lyra didn't realise they had been talking for so long. She glanced around and noticed not a lot of people were left as the café was due to close at midnight. Kanda called the waiter over for the bill and Lyra felt as though her heart was about to crash after seeing the total. Kanda did ask for a few refills for the both of them here and there but it all totalled to a ridiculous amount.

Lyra began shuffling in her bag to find her purse. "Let's split it," she offered. "I can't let you pay for the whole thing."

"No, it's fine. I've had bigger orders before. Besides, I'm the one who asked you out and I chose this place," he told her with a smile. "Next time, it can be your turn."

Lyra smiled back and without thinking she replied with an, "Okay."

After he paid, he grabbed his blazer before leading the way out. The street was still fairly busy, which was usual even at that time of night. Lyra's dress had no sleeves and the chill of the air made her shiver. Her arms wrapped around herself absentmindedly to warm herself up but she soon felt something drape over her shoulders. She turned to see Kanda had placed his blazer around her to keep her warm.

"Oh, no. I'll be fine," she said quickly.

"I insist. My car is a fair distance away," he told her.

She smiled gratefully and nodded. He held his arm out like before and she held onto it as they began walking down the street. There were quite a few drunk men hobbling around and looking as though they hadn't washed in weeks. These sort of people would make their way to the high end of the city just to attempt stealing from the more wealthy citizens. Kanda felt quite protective of Lyra, noticing the way some of them were looking at her like prey. He suddenly put his hands on her shoulders and moved her to the other side, keeling one arm around her shoulders so she was closer to him and on the side of the parked cars so no one could touch her. Lyra became really conscious at how physically close they were. She could feel how toned he was and she felt rather uncomfortable.

"I-I'll be fine," she said, not looking at him.

"You probably will be but I would rather not take any chances." He continued to keep his eyes on the drunkards. "My car is just there."

He pointed to a car just a few cars down. She sighed mentally out of relief. As they reached his car, Lyra was in awe. She had never seen one in person let alone about to sit in one. A Bugatti Chiron. It was almost a crime to actually travel in one. She tried to act cool though as Kanda held open her door so she could enter. Once he got in, they set off with Lyra giving directions to her house. Lyra knew it was probably one of the world's fastest cars but Kanda still made sure to drive at the speed limit for her sake.

"I am praying I don't leave any marks in this car," she said jokingly as she examined the inside of the car.

Kanda laughed. "Don't worry. If it's you, I don't mind."

Lyra involuntarily blushed at his charm and fixed her eyes out the front window. "Take the next right."

The rest of the short journey went by with just small talk, a few little jokes and Lyra giving directions.

"It's just that house there," she said whilst pointing to a small but cute house. Lyra cursed herself as he parked right behind her own car before turning off the engine. "Thank you."

"Don't worry about it," he smiled.

Lyra giggled quietly. "You say that a lot."

"Don't worry?" He gazed out the window in thought. "Huh. I never realised."

"It's a good saying."

He looked at her and smiled. "Hopefully I won't have to worry about not seeing you again," he hinted.

She smiled, focusing her attention to the dashboard, unable to look directly at his eyes. "I really did enjoy tonight. But I will be away a lot. You know, with my grandpa." She turned her eyes to meet his hopeful ones. "I mean last time I was gone for almost a month."

"How long are you back for now?" he asked gently.

"I'll be leaving again on Monday."

"That still gives me three days to take you out again," he suggested. "I'm willing to wait in between. Lyra," he took hold of her hands in his, "I really like you. Please allow me to take you to lunch tomorrow?"

Lyra's brain became all jumbled and frazzled as she screamed internally. She could see the desperation in his eyes and she thought she was going to pass out. Her heart was beating wildly to remind her of Sesshomaru but her brain wasn't allowing her to think straight. Before she could stop herself, she nodded her head.

Kanda breathed out in relief. "Great." He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it gently before letting it go. "I should get you inside before your father loses trust in me," he joked.

Lyra laughed awkwardly, kicking herself for what just happened. Kanda got out of the car before opening her door for her and helping her out. He walked her to the front door before they turned to face each other.

"Thank you for tonight," she said softly.

"Don't worry," he replied. A couple of seconds went by before they both burst into giggles. Kanda smiled brightly. "Thank you for agreeing to go out with me."

"Well, my friends agreed for me," she pointed out.

"We both had a good time though, no?" he winked playfully.

She laughed lightly and looked back at the cars. "My car looks like a toy compared to yours."

He looked at them. "Hm, I'd say it's cute." He then faced her again. "Like you."

Her cheeks blushed without her consent and she quickly tried to change the subject. "I've still got your blazer," she said as she went to take it off but he stopped her.

"Return it tomorrow. It can be my guarantee."

She smiled and nodded. "Very well. 'Til tomorrow then."

Kanda smiled and then walked back to his car, giving her a final wave before getting in. She waved back and waited for him to drive away. Once he was gone, she sighed deeply and turned to face the door before banging her head against it a few times. A few seconds later, Renji opened the door and let her in.