Kiki?? Kyoko shook her head, puzzled; nobody had ever called her anything resembling that. She honestly wasn't sure why he asked, either. Maybe it would have occurred to her that a nickname was happening if there hadn't been so many other complex things to think about right now, but, well.

That puzzled look on her face only grew as she watched her boss go fetch a beer and... get serious? He looked really serious. She hadn't been trying to, but had she actually asked about something deep and personal?

Maybe yes, as it turned out.

Never even once in her life had it occurred to Kyoko that romance could involve more than two people without pain and betrayal coming into play. And loving even one person at a time was dangerous enough. How many of her choices, how much of who she was today had been made because of all the hurting that came of love?

But if there could truly be that much trust between two--no, between even more than two?--people.... If everyone really was honest, and by some lucky twist of fate nobody minded what was happening.... If all of that could actually happen....

"That... would be like a miracle," Kyoko murmured after a long, long moment.