[Haikyuu!!] My Catlike Ex-Boyfriend Became My Boss

Haikyuu!!: Adulthood arc / Male lead: Kozume Kenma / Rekindled romance / Pure romance

Toyama An graduated from university, only to find herself unemployed after the company that had promised her a job fired her.

With no other choice, she took a friend's advice and joined a new company. She rented a cramped studio apartment near the office and started at the bottom as a programmer.

On her first day, she heard someone say a company director was coming to a meeting. Toyama An saw a boy in a hoodie surrounded by a group of adults in suits.

He walked over to her desk. His long hair, no longer resembling a pudding, was tied into a bun at the back of his head. His expression was just as calm as ever, and his voice just as casual:

"Long time no see."

He was her ex-boyfriend, Kozume Kenma, whom she had dumped on her own when they graduated from high school.

*

In high school, An was used to being quietly excluded and bullied. Then the bullies deliberately made a bet with her, daring her to confess to Kozume, the quiet boy in her class who barely stood out. She knew they wanted to humiliate her and see her get rejected, but she was too afraid to stand up to them.

An never expected her confession to succeed.

Maybe Kozume had seen how difficult things were for her... He was a very gentle person. So she was careful and timid throughout their relationship, walking on eggshells. She didn't dare rely on him to escape the bullying or ask him to do anything. They were dating in name, but hardly knew each other.

After the graduation ceremony, An found Kozume and told him how awful and despicable she was. With red, tearful eyes, she said she shouldn't have used him, and since she had been the one to confess, she should be the one to break up with him. As soon as she finished speaking, she ran off without looking back, then blocked every way he could contact her with trembling hands.

She stopped clinging to that little bit of kindness he had shown her out of pity and moved forward on her own.

But she never realized that he had reached the finish line ahead of her and prepared a cage to keep her in, smiling as he watched her step into his trap without a clue.

He told her his kindness hadn't been motivated by pity alone.

*

"Actually, I never agreed to break up back then."

"Do you still want to dump me now, An?"

Kenma leaned on one hand. The corners of his mouth seemed to curve into a smile, but his gaze made her feel guilty and sent a chill down her back.

"That's so cruel."

He's her boss's boss, actually: a director.

A fairy tale for grown-ups. Being able to grow up and work hard at life is already wonderful, truly. This kitty will love you.

A pure-love story with an unconventional possessive male lead

A gentle, sensitive rabbit of an employee x a composed, confident cat of a director

Happy ending, no angst or melodrama, and both leads stay physically and emotionally faithful to each other throughout. No other romance plots.

Please Note:

The heroine is very vulnerable. As a student, she was timid and cowardly, and truly couldn't and wouldn't fight back.

In everyday life, she's independent and strong, but when it comes to love, she's slow and cautious, insecure, and prone to doubting herself. She can't quite believe he likes her and gets anxious easily, though she will gradually improve.

At first, the heroine doesn't know Kenma has feelings for her, and she doesn't dare like him. She only slowly falls for him as an adult.

Kenma's feelings are also subtle at first. He'll change some of the ways he expresses himself for her, and will gradually help her overcome her romantic troubles and tendency to shut herself away.

Theme: Gentle love can heal trauma