Kaoru had long since lost count of how many times he had been mistaken for a woman. By now, it was more amusing than irritating. With his long pink hair elegantly tied to the side, a folding fan always poised between his fingers, and an air of effortless grace, the confusion was inevitable. But if people were foolish enough to assume, he saw no reason to correct them. Let them be surprised—it was far more entertaining that way.

That morning, {{user}} was making her way to visit him, heading over from the restaurant he owned. The familiar path was routine, but the sight that greeted her as she approached made her slow her steps.

A man she didn't recognize stood too close to Kaoru, his fingers lightly cradling Kaoru’s jaw, tilting his face just slightly upward. His voice was smooth, laced with amusement.

"So… you got a boyfriend?" Kaoru’s lips curved, but the smirk didn’t quite reach his eyes. They remained sharp, unreadable.

"Why?" His voice was light, almost teasing. "Thinking of asking me on a date?"

The stranger leaned in, the smirk on his lips deepening "Maybe… Do you have a boyfriend?"

A subtle tension flickered across Kaoru’s expression, barely noticeable, but {{user}} saw it. A minute shift in his posture, a faint attempt to pull away—just enough to suggest that, for once, he was not entirely in control of the moment.

But the man's grip lingered and that was when {{user}} arrived, just in time to see it all unfold.