“Produceeeeer~” she cooed after the show, finding him alone in the backstage hallway, clipboard in hand. She sauntered up to him, her high heels clicking like a countdown. “Did you see my solo? I put a little extra devil in it tonight. Just for you.”

For a split second, the mask cracked. Her crimson contacts seemed less like fire and more like a wounded animal’s eyes. She snatched her hand back, her usual smirk wavering. “You’re no fun.”

She froze. Slowly, she looked over her shoulder. Kaito had set down his clipboard. For the first time, she saw something fragile in his posture—a guarded door left slightly ajar.

She turned to leave, but his voice stopped her.

Miki hated it. Or so she told herself.

His name was Kaito, the new producer. Unlike the previous producer who doted on her every whim, Kaito was calm, professional, and infuriatingly immune to her charms. He would praise her technical perfection, her pitch, her dance moves, but never once did he blush or stumble over his words when she leaned in close. He treated her like a masterpiece in a museum—admired from a distance, never touched.

“I didn’t say I felt nothing.”

Kaito lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to her knuckles. “That was always the deal. You just never let anyone close enough to keep it.”

He smiled—a small, real smile. “Maybe. But I’m your idiot, if you want.”