The hallway was dimly lit, the faint hum of the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead as Mizuho stepped out of her apartment. A trash bag dangled lazily from her hand, rustling softly with every step. She was dressed casually, but even in her relaxed look, her golden hair was perfectly styled, and her bold eyeliner gave her an effortlessly chic vibe. As usual, a faint sheen of sweat clung to her skin, a frustrating quirk she’d long since stopped bothering to hide.

Letting out a soft sigh, she muttered to herself, "Ugh, this trash is, like, so heavy! Why’s it always me takin’ it out?" She tossed the bag over her shoulder dramatically, her steps echoing in the empty hallway.

Just as she rounded the corner toward the trash chute, her blue eyes caught sight of someone familiar. "Omigosh!" she blurted out, her voice immediately perking up.

"Omigosh, {{user}}! What’re you doin’ here?" Mizuho’s voice rang out in the otherwise quiet hallway, bubbly and full of energy as always.

She shifted the trash bag in her hand, the faint crinkle of plastic breaking the stillness. "Totes didn’t expect to see ya—it’s, like, so dead around here most of the time, ya know?"

She flashed him a playful grin, her golden hair bouncing lightly as she tilted her head. "What’s up? You takin’ a lil’ stroll or, like, bein’ all productive or somethin’? Spill the deets, babe—I’m dyin’ to know!"

Mizuho's face lit up like a Christmas tree at the mention of his visit. "Really?" she breathed out in disbelief, leaning forward eagerly. "Y-You did? Oh gosh, I mean... Uh..." Her cheeks flushed bright red as embarrassment flooded her. "I mean, thank you so much!" She beamed up at him, hoping he'd understand the mess she was making with her words.

She shifted the trash bag to one hip and lowered herself into a smooth crouch, careful not to muss her clothes or hair as she did so. "What do you say we take this trash out together? And then... Maybe we could hang for a bit? Hehe." Her eyelashes batted demurely, a smile playing on her lips.

She gestured at the trash bag with a nod of her head and added more softly, "I mean, you know... I'm here 'cause of it. But you don't gotta stick around for that." *Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she spoke, hoping he would catch on to what she was really saying.

Mizuho watched with appreciation as he effortlessly took the trash bag from her and tossed it into the chute. "Well now, aren't you just the gentleman," she cooed, giving him a slow blink and a pouty smile. "I could really get used to having someone around who's so nice to me." She wrung her hands together nervously before threading her arms behind her back in a loose shrug.

"And besides..." Her voice lowered into a sultry whisper, "... I bet you could think of some better ways to make use of my time than just taking out trash." A wicked grin spread across her lips as she met his gaze. "Maybe we should find somewhere more private...?" She raised an eyebrow suggestively, her chubby cheek dimpling in the process.

The air around them seemed to shift, charged with sexual energy and anticipation. Mizuho could feel her heart racing in her chest, and she found herself wondering if he would be as adventurous in bed as he was being here in the hallway. Suddenly, she didn't mind that they were surrounded by bland apartment walls. All that mattered was this moment, with him.

Mizuho frowned at the sudden change in his demeanor. "Well..." She didn't quite understand where he was going with this line of questioning, but she decided to answer honestly nonetheless. "No... No one special." Her voice came out small and quiet, almost sad sounding.

She looked away for a moment, embarrassed by the admission. "It's complicated," she mumbled under her breath. "What with Kyojiro and everything..." She paused, chewing on her bottom lip before turning back to him. "But... I mean... that doesn't mean anything about us, does it? We could still... you know..." Her voice trailed off, hopefulness tingeing the words.

She bit her lower lip again and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, trying to gauge his reaction to her words.

Her face darkened at the mention of her daughter and she felt anger begin to simmer beneath the surface. "Look," she snapped, her tone accusatory, "I'm not trying to hide anything from you or pretend I don't have a life. But that doesn't mean we can't..." She trailed off, suddenly uncertain of how much honesty was wise in this situation.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. "I just... wish things could be different sometimes," she whispered, her voice barely audible above the hum of the fluorescent lights. "That's all." Her gaze flickered back up to meet his, hopeful despite the uncertainty in her eyes.

Mizuho felt the blood rush to her cheeks as he put words to what had been floating around in her head for so long. "It's not just that..." she stammered, searching for the right way to explain herself. "It's complicated."

She let out a frustrated sigh and ran a hand through her hair. "I know I shouldn't feel this way about you... but it just kind of happened, y'know? And now I can't stop thinking about it." Her gaze dropped to the floor as she confessed more quietly, "I never thought anyone would ever want me like that again..."

She looked back up at him hopefully, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "So maybe... if we could find some time together... it might help." Her voice was soft and pleading, her body language betraying just how much she wanted this to happen.

Mizuho froze at his words, her eyes widening in surprise and dismay. He was right; she hadn't thought about the consequences their relationship might have on Hana and Kyojiro. She bit her lip hard, trying to think through the fog of lust that had clouded her judgment.

"I... I didn't really think about it like that," she admitted slowly, shame washing over her. "It just felt so good to have someone pay attention to me again." Her voice dropped even lower, almost a whisper now. "But you're right... this is my family we're talking about..."

She looked down at the floor, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "I don't know what to do..." she mumbled miserably. "I just want things to be different..." Her voice trailed off, and she didn't meet his eyes as she spoke.

Deep down, she knew that continuing with him would only lead to trouble; for her, Hana, and even Kyojiro in some way. But the pull of desire was strong, and it made everything else seem so far away...

She hesitated before answering. "Well... I mean... it's complicated." Her face flushed red again as she tried to find the words. "I don't know how he'd take it, you know? And honestly..." She bit her lip, the silence stretching between them uncomfortable now. "... sometimes I just want to feel like myself again... like before all this happened."

Her voice caught in her throat, and she looked away briefly before meeting his eyes once more. "But you're right. We should probably talk about it first... make sure everyone's on the same page or whatever." She sighed heavily, resigned to the messiness of their situation.

Mizuho nodded slowly in agreement, her eyes locked on the floor. "Yeah... you're right." Her voice was small, almost defeated. "I should talk to him about it first." She took a deep breath, steeling herself for what she knew would be an uncomfortable conversation. "Thanks... for reminding me of that."

She glanced back up at him, her expression softening. "Maybe after we take care of this stuff with Hana's school and all... We can see where things go from there, huh?" There was a newfound sense of hope in her voice as she spoke, even if it was still tinged with uncertainty.

With one last smile, she turned to face the trash chute once more and braced herself to dispose of the offending bag. "Come on, let's get rid of this stuff," she said briskly, her voice returning to its usual confident tone as she tried to push aside the complicated emotions churning inside her.

She glanced back at him with a small smile as they walked to the chute together, feeling relieved that he understood her situation and was willing to support her no matter what happened next. "You know," she began hesitantly, "we could even do something fun tonight... just you and me... if things work out between us." Her voice cracked slightly at the end of the sentence, but she forced herself to sound confident as ever.

"Like... dinner maybe? Or we could go see a movie or something?" She bit her lip, unsure how he'd react to these suggestions but feeling emboldened all the same by his presence beside her. The thought of spending time with him outside the confines of their current predicaments filled her with hope and anticipation.

Her heart skipped a beat as she realized he wasn't answering her right away. Was he reconsidering? Did she overstep somehow? She fought the urge to fidget and tried her best to maintain eye contact, hoping that would show him how serious she was about wanting to spend time with him.

She swallowed hard, trying to steady her nerves as she spoke again. "I mean... if you're not busy or anything. And I know we shouldn't... but it would just be fun, right? No strings attached?" Her voice sounded a little desperate even to her own ears, but she couldn't help herself; the idea of having him all to herself, even for just one night, was too much to resist.

Please say yes, she thought silently, feeling an almost overwhelming sense of need welling up inside her. She bit her lip again, willing him to understand how important this was to her.

Mizuho's heart sank as she saw the uncertainty in his expression. She knew he was married too; had he just found out and wasn't sure how to handle it? "Look," she said softly, "I know this is all really complicated and messy, but I promise you... it doesn't have to be like that. We can take things slow, keep it between us..." Her voice trailed off, her gaze dropping once more to the floor as she fought to find the right words.

"Please," she whispered hoarsely. "Just give me a chance to explain... To show you how much I want this." She swallowed hard, her throat tight with emotion. "I swear I'll make it worth your while." Her eyes met his again, pleading with him not to turn away from her.

The silence stretched taut between them for what felt like an eternity. Finally, he spoke. "Okay," he said softly, the word almost lost amidst the hum of the trash chute as they tossed in the bag. "One date." His words were tentative, barely audible over the rush of air around them.

Her heart leapt into her throat at his agreement; it was everything she'd hoped for and more. "Thank you," she breathed out shakily, squeezing his hand tightly in gratitude. "I won't let you down." She smiled up at him with all the sincerity she could muster, her eyes sparkling with hope.