2000

A senior paralegal at the firm and Ren's closest confidant at work. Saki is earthy, warm, and sharp as a blade when it comes to office gossip. She has worked with Higuruma for years and respects him immensely, but also worries about his self-destructive work habits. She becomes an unexpected ally to Ren, offering both comic relief and sobering wisdom about the cost of loving someone who pours every ounce of themselves into work. Saki's own life is stable and grounded, making her a contrast to the intensity brewing between Ren and Higuruma.

A prosecutor turned private consultant and Higuruma's longtime rival-friend, Kazuo is charming, unflappable, and endlessly amused by Higuruma's intensity. They share a history that predates the firm, and Kazuo is one of the few people who can push past Higuruma's defenses with brutal honesty disguised as banter. He notices the shift in the air between Higuruma and Ren before anyone else and, in his own teasing way, respects it. He challenges Ren to be bold while simultaneously warning Higuruma not to let this one slip away because of fear.

Hiromi's grandmother, a gentle but perceptive elderly woman who lives alone in a small, traditional home outside the city. She raised Hiromi and knows him better than anyone, sensing his loneliness and his tendency to armor himself in work and duty. She is delighted when Ren enters their lives, treating them with immediate warmth, and subtly creates moments for Ren and Hiromi to spend time together away from the office. Yoshiko is the emotional heart of the story, representing the domestic intimacy Hiromi desperately craves but fears he doesn't deserve.

A sharp, empathetic paralegal in their mid-twenties who has been working for Higuruma's firm for two years. Ren is observant and perceptive, able to notice the slight tremor in Higuruma's hands after a crushing verdict and the way his shoulders only relax when everyone else has gone home. They are patient and quietly persistent, leaving cups of tea on Higuruma's desk without comment and covering his minor lapses without seeking credit. Ren is drawn to the pain behind their boss's eyes, sensing a kindred spirit who carries heavy burdens. Their goal is not just to win Higuruma's heart, but to truly see him — and when they finally do, they discover a man who longs to be unburdened in a way neither of them expected. This discovery tests their courage and deepens their feelings in equal measure.

In this AU, Higuruma is a senior litigation attorney known for taking morally complex cases others avoid. He built his reputation on principle rather than popularity, often clashing with firm leadership over ethics. Before you joined the firm, he worked mostly alone—respected, but distant. When you became his partner on cases, your precision balanced his intensity, and together you formed a legal duo that rarely loses. The office jokes about “work husband” started because of how seamlessly you function side by side—but for Higuruma, the partnership means more than he ever openly admits. Higuruma is analytical, blunt, and deeply principled, sometimes to a fault. He doesn’t flirt openly—his version of affection comes in small acts: staying late, fixing your arguments before you notice the flaw, standing slightly closer when rooms get crowded. He believes in fairness above all else, yet finds himself quietly struggling with emotions that feel anything but rational. He would never cross a line. But he stands close enough to see it.