Himbo Mode

Everything was quiet except for the sound of distant, crashing waves making their way up the cliff and through the open glass doors of the villa gym. A cool morning breeze chilled the sweat of Hayami’s neck as she sat on the balcony, staring towards the dim light of the rising sun at the edge of the ocean.

It was her second full day living in the villa, and after requesting a set of exercise clothes, it was her first day back to training. But the recreation room in the manor was nothing like the small space she used in her home or the sweaty, smoke-stained walls of the shrine’s gymnasium. Here, every machine was properly maintained, every weight present, and, above all, the pristine space smelled fresh. Hayami didn’t have to fight for room or deal with gawkers eying her in the yoga pants and sports bra she liked to wear when running her morning ten kilometres.

But the best thing about the private space was the quiet. This gave her the time and space to think about what she wanted to do. Lately, there had been a lot of things floating around her mind after all. On top of still being on a job, albeit a quickly failing one now that she was without the flash drive, her picture still circulated on the internet thanks to Oto’s fame. Women and men around the world demanded to know who she was and why she was in a car with the famous pretty boy. And even she was beginning to wonder the same thing.

What is the purpose of all this? She asked herself, resting against the wall of glass and staring out at the fading stars. Maybe, just maybe, I manage to kill Hildebrand Senior and then take out the dummy Hildebrand. Though, would that actually fix anything? Would the boss make the problem go away?

She lifted her head slightly, thudding it back against the glass with a sigh, knowing the answer to her own question.

No. The boss would make me return to work for him. ‘Oh, you want to be anonymous again? Well, I could help with that if you come back to work for me. But you wanted freedom, right? Choose. Freedom or protection.' Yeah—that’s what he would say.

“Asshole.” Hayami exhaled before pushing herself up and muttering, “Gotta get back to it. Run this feeling off.”

Stepping back into the gym and onto the treadmill, she gradually increased the pace to a jog as she began her second five-kilometre run of the morning. Hayami found a sense of clarity from running. The feeling of her feet moving, the focus on breathing, the clarity of her mind when she fixated on a distant point to reach—all those things helped her process. Helped her find peace.

Unfortunately, her peace would be interrupted by the sound of fast-paced European techno that suddenly blasted through the room’s wall speakers.

“Gyah!” Hayami yelped, nearly stumbling over her feet. “What the hell—”

“Oh!” Oto spoke as he entered the room with a phone in his hand. “Hayami, are you also up early?”

“Obviously! But what are you doing up? Nightmares of slipping to eighth on trending?”

“Stop.”

Oto moved closer, setting up beside her treadmill and looking at her face. Slowly, his eyes wandered down her body, taking her in for a moment before snapping his focus back on her glare.

“Hayami,” He spoke softly. “Please, I beg you. Just one photo. You and me. All I want is enough to tease the masses.”

“Absolutely not. The sooner I’m done trending, the better.”

“Pfft—” He waved her off as he stepped away. “You don’t mean that. I remember how shocked you were. Like a squirrel in the spotlights. You secretly loved the fame.”

“That was not what I felt! And that’s not a saying!”

“Whatever you say, Miss Isfine.” He glanced back, giving her a wink.

Hayami sighed deeply, watching Oto depart from her treadmill. She locked eyes with him as he took hold of a nearby yoga mat and moved his way out onto the deck. With a flick of his wrist, the mat unfurled to the wood beneath him as he reached up to his neckline. Then, in a seamless, practiced movement, he gripped his fitted shirt and slid it over his head.

Stumbling a second time, Hayami barely caught herself against the handlebars of the treadmill. While she had always known that Oto had a pretty face, she had expected his body to be lean and average in the best of scenarios. But in the light of the gym and the glow of the rising sun, she could see defined musculature beyond what she thought possible for a pretty boy like him.

She watched him as he stretched, moving firm, well-built arms from side to side. He twisted his sculpted body, flashing toned abs to her before bending down and revealing a pair of back dimples. Even with his slim-fit joggers on, she could tell that his legs were just as athletic as the rest of his body. Though she wished she could see them to confirm.

GOD DAMN! Hayami thought, ogling his body for a moment. He so—no, he’s still technically a mark. A surprisingly jacked mark. This just means he may be tougher to kill than expected.

“Hayami,” Oto turned to face her. “Question.”

As Oto looked her way and, placing a hand to the back of his neck, his body flexed. This caused his biceps to swell and his pecs to firm up even more as he revealed his signature smile.

Hayami stared at him, drinking in his body before locking her gaze on the beautiful face. Her heart, which had been maintaining a steady cadence as she ran, began to race. In an instant, her face felt warm as the world seemed to focus in on him. The stresses Hayami had been fixating on disappeared, and at that moment, nothing else mattered.

He’s so…hot. She became lost in a fantasy. I just want to…Oh shit, is he still talking?

“…so what do you say?” Oto finished with a boyish smile.

“S-say?” She stammered, returning to reality. “Sorry, I was thinking of something else. What did you say?”

“Oh, Hayami. Hilarious. As if you didn’t hear me.”

She suddenly became flustered. His annoyingly imbecilic personality bothered her slightly less in that moment, which in turn made her even more mad.

“I—I wasn’t listening because you’re so dumb!” She exploded.

Ripping the emergency stop from the treadmill, Hayami jumped from the back of the machine and huffed. She averted her eyes from the Adonis, quickly walking away.

“I-I’m going to the sauna. You stay out here with your dumb questions.”

“H-Hayami!” Oto called after her.

But Hayami was determined to flee from the room. A move that was distinctly not her and infuriated her more than anything. She wasn’t sure what was happening, why she felt the way she did or how it was possible that she could find an idiot like Oto remotely beautiful.

It wasn’t like Hayami didn’t find people attractive or that she wasn’t interested in romantic relationships. The reality of the situation was that, like with friends, she simply didn’t have time for those sorts of frivolous things. As such, she never paid them much attention. But Oto, her mark, had done something to her. His moronic personality had found a way to disarm her, first with the prospect of friendship and now, no more than two days later, attraction.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. She cursed both herself and him as she entered the lavish washroom attached to the recreational space.

Quickly disrobing, she wrapped herself in a towel and stepped into the sauna. The heat immediately enveloped her body as she felt the sweat begin to form atop her skin. With a splash of water over the hot rocks in the corner, she adjusted herself on the wooden bench and began her breathing exercises.

Clearing her mind, she focused on the mission at hand. The task she had, to install the flash drive on the villa network, kill everyone, and flee—a job that wasn’t as cut and dry as it seemed. But just as she began to feel that she was getting somewhere, the door opened.

“Hayami—” Oto entered, drawing her attention.

She looked him over, now presenting himself with even less clothing on than before and only a small hand towel covering his more intimate area. Immediately, the blood that had already been rushing to the surface of her warm body pooled in her cheeks as she held her towel tight and looked away from him.

“Gah! Idiot, get out.”

“I don’t like when you call me those things, Hayami!” He replied quickly as he closed the door to the sauna behind him and took a seat near her. “I-I just—I wanted to know what you thought?”

“About?”

“Next month. The ball.”

“The ball? What ball?!” She adjusted herself to look at him.

As Hayami stared him down, she could see he was embarrassed, unable to look her way. He had let go of the towel, which now rested loosely over his lap as he awkwardly rubbed at his collarbone. She bit at her lip, guiltily taking him in again. But as he finally turned to look her way, she stopped, returning to the scowl she preferred to wear.

“What I was talking about in the gym!” He exclaimed. “My two big balls, Hayami!”