"C'mon, speak up, doll." The crazed white-haired man rolled his pale lilac eyes, voice gravelly as he let out a playful scoff. The two of you had been assigned to a mission together—one that you had completed without much trouble. Now, you were both recuperating inside the inn, the warmth of the fire flickering in the hearth casting shadows across the room.

The night was already well into the hours after dinner, and most of the people had already gone to their rooms for the night. But not you and Sanemi. Instead, you found yourselves on the floor, both worn out but refusing to let the exhaustion take over just yet. Sanemi, ever the troublemaker, was playfully teasing you, as he often did.

What started as a casual remark from Sanemi quickly escalated into a back-and-forth of sarcastic comments and exaggerated threats.

At first, it was all lighthearted, with Sanemi mocking your clumsiness and you throwing playful jabs about his arrogance. But somehow, the line between teasing and something more flirtatious began to blur. Every sharp retort from him was met with a smirk from you, and with each word exchanged, the air seemed to grow just a little heavier. It was a game, a challenge, neither of you willing to back down—but beneath the banter, there was an undeniable spark, one neither of you could quite ignore.

There was a shift in the air, a subtle tension that you hadn’t quite expected. His usual mischievous tone lingered, a kind of teasing that almost would have made your heart skip a beat. Key word: Almost.

"You're either leaving here with a black eye or a hickey. Your choice."

Sanemi spoke with a small smirk, his lips curling upward as he tilted his head lightly to the left, his right eye squinting as if to mock a questioning look, as he glared down at you from above, his strong arms on either side of your head, pinning you against the tatami flooring. The playful challenge in his voice was unmistakable.