Tilli’s Second Chance – Chapter 15

Kaito and I spend hours combing through the chaos of our study room, sorting all the prototypes, test logs, and design specs. Piecing together irrefutable proof of my innocence bit by painstaking bit. We work in comfortable silence, the easy partnership falling into place once more.

My fingers trace familiar lines and curves as I sift through drawings, remembering late nights and endless cups of coffee. All the blood, sweat and tears poured into this shared dream before everything fell apart. Having Kaito here at my side again is bittersweet, a reminder of what was and a hint of what could be… could have been.

Max lifts his head and woofs at the door. He’s such a quiet dog that I startle, wondering what’s wrong. Ivan stands up and his fur stands with him.

“Someone’s coming,” he warns us.

A quiet knock on the door precedes Hiroko’s soft voice. “Tilli? Are you in there?”

I open the door, admitting the last person I expected or wanted to see. Hiroko slips inside, pale and drawn, her eyes rimmed red and puffy from crying. Her lips are trembling, and her hands are balled into fists as if to ward off something in the room. Her usual cheery demeanor and colorful presence is muted, eclipsed by her frown.

I straighten with a scowl, anger surging to the surface. “Why are you here? Did Riku send you to spy for him?” Kaito lays a hand on my arm, a gentle warning.

Hiroko shakes her head, expression miserable. “No, I came to apologize. I never thought he would do something like this.”

“Riku,” I say, confirming her statement.

“Riku,” she responds with a nod. She slumps into a chair at the table. “My original idea was so different.” She sits forward, holding out her hands. “I had this concept for a holographic space that could mimic the outdoors so people wouldn’t feel claustrophobic.”

I cross my arms over my chest, my curiosity getting the better of me. “That actually sounds really cool.”

A small smile lifts her lips. “Then it could be turned into a different living space with a change in scenery.”

Kaito raises his eyebrows at me.

“I even designed collapsible furniture, hidden compartments, and multi-functional pieces that serve more than one purpose.” She rubs her face. “So when Riku came to me and told me about how my collapsible furniture reminded him of modular spaces, I didn’t think too much of it. But after that, he took over the project. None of my original ideas made it in. I complained to Nishimura once, and she told me Riku was there to help me, and I should listen to his criticism. I think she thought I was just tripping on my ego.”

She hesitates, chewing her bottom lip. “My project was so close to yours. I see now he was using me. I’m so sorry.”

I stare at her, stunned. Of all the things she might have said, a sincere apology was lowest on the list of expectations. Yet looking into her eyes, filled with sadness and guilt, my anger drains away. She’s as much a victim of Riku’s manipulations as I am.

My first instinct is to cling to resentment — an easy out that prevents another painful betrayal. But Dad’s words echo through my thoughts, a reminder of the costs of harboring bitterness inside.

I glance at Kaito, lifting a brow in silent question. His lips jerk in a half-smile, and he offers an encouraging nod.

Turning back to Hiroko, I release the anger with a long exhale. “I believe you.” She lifts her head, her eyes meeting mine. I shrug, offering a small smile of my own. “What’s done is done. The question is, how can we set things right and make that bastard pay?”

Hiroko’s tears spill over, but her answering smile is as wicked as my own.

“By winning, of course.” She stands up and wipes away her tears with a huff.

“What about you, though? This is not fair to you.” Kaito grimaces. “This is such a mess.”

“Don’t worry about me. I still have all of my original work before Riku interfered. I’ll figure it out. But right now, we need to figure out how to get Tilli back in.” She looks at the mess on the table. “Are you gathering up your work to prove it was your idea?”

I nod, gesturing to the organized chaos covering every surface. “We’re gathering everything that proves this design has been my sole focus since the competition began. I didn’t have my breakthrough till a week ago, though.”

Hiroko points at me. “That’s when Riku started talking about the modular design.”

I nod. “But without solid evidence of when each piece was created, I’m afraid it won’t be enough. Are you willing to help us pull stuff together? Maybe with an extra set of hands, it’ll go faster.”

We get to work again, sorting through my prototype drawings, specs and schematics scattered across the room. Hiroko organizes everything by date while Kaito and I verify each piece, double-checking details to ensure the timeline is accurate. Many of them he took photos of and added to our presentation, so those have time and date stamps. Questions about specific marks or handwriting that only I would know confirm without a doubt this design has been mine from the start.

The hours pass swiftly, time flowing as we work. Jokes and laughter weave in and out of the tedium as Kaito’s hand brushes mine, sending sparks skittering across my skin with a touch as natural as breath. This has a chance of working out! Surrounded again by true partners devoted to the dream, I’m energized and alive, all of the bitterness evaporated away. I’m glad they’re both here.

A loud yowl sounds from the hallway, followed by an all-too-familiar complaint. “Tilli, do you plan to stay cooped up in this room forever? It’s dinner time, and I’m hungry, in case you forgot about the rest of the world existing outside the door.”

I snap out of my crazed daze and open the door. Ivan comes slinking in. Right, I had let him out at some point a few hours ago.

I sigh, shaking my head with a wry smile. “Ivan, you know I can’t leave yet. We’re making progress and have to keep working while we have the energy.”

A disgruntled huff answers before Ivan replies. “Yes, well, progress won’t continue long if you don’t rest and refuel. You’re no use to anyone if you run yourself into the ground.” His raspy meow softens, tinged with concern. “Come take a break. I’ve seen that look in your eyes before, and I know you’ll keep pushing past your limits if someone doesn’t intervene.”

Kaito lifts his eyebrows. and I offer a sheepish shrug in return. “Even Ivan thinks we should take a break. And he’s probably right. We’ve been at this for hours without stopping.”

He nods, running a hand over the stubble on his face. “Can’t argue with wisdom from any source, feline or otherwise. My brain feels ready to melt if I have to stare at another spec sheet.” He flashes me a wry grin. “Besides, if the grump himself says you need a break, I’m certainly not going to disagree. I’d rather not face his wrath if you end up running yourself into the ground.”

Hiroko folds her arms over her chest. “Wait. I think we’re done here.” She waves to the neat piles we’ve made, the extra print-outs we’ve gathered, the 3D models. “But, I don’t know. I don’t think it’s enough.”

Kaito and I both frown. “What else could we present to them?”

Hiroko frowns, brows knitted in thought. “There must be something else we can use…” Her face brightens, eyes going wide. “The security footage!”

I freeze and my body cools by several degrees. “What security footage?”

Hiroko rolls her eyes. “You signed the same privacy waiver I did on the first day.” She grabs her tablet, turns it on, and scrolls through something. “See? It’s in the fine print.”

I stare at her, stunned. I actually signed away my privacy in this very room?

Oh no. Yes, I did.

In my eagerness to gain access to resources for my project, I signed whatever documents were put in front of me without a second thought. “I… Didn’t actually read all the fine print. I had no idea they recorded in here.”

I swallow and stare at the table where Kaito went down on me that day… the day I had my big realization.

My head begins to sweat as Kaito’s eyes meet mine.

Shit. Seriously?

“Every room is monitored, in case something is stolen or goes missing.” Hiroko grins, relaxing now that she’s helped. But my instincts scream that this will be the end of me. “If we can get our hands on the footage, it should prove how long you’ve been developing this design and that it was entirely your own before I came into the picture.”

My stomach drops, dread trickling icy tendrils through my veins. I stare at Hiroko in horror, face paling as realization hits with the force of a meteor strike. This is the only way to exonerate me?

“Hiroko, can you give us a minute alone, please?”

Hiroko blinks a few times, looking between us, before she sets her tablet down on the table and nods. “Uh, sure. I’ll be outside.”

The door clicks closed behind her, and I sink into the nearest chair.

I glance at Kaito, at a loss as to what to do.

Revealing what we did in here would be utterly, completely mortifying. But do I want the job badly enough to admit we had sex in this room? Would it matter?

I don’t know. I don’t know.

We’re both consenting adults, but I’m sure this is not good.

“I didn’t…” He looks up and around for the cameras. “I mean, I know they watch the common areas, but…”

Kaito sits down beside me, his eyes far off, staring into the bookcases.

“They have footage of the day we… you know.” I wave a hand between us, face flaming. “If we request access to their security archive, they’ll see it too.”

Kaito’s cheeks darken as the full implication of my words sinks in, and he clears his throat. “Well, this… complicates things.”

Complicates is an understatement. If anyone sees that footage, we’ll become a spectacle. We wanted to keep the memory private, but now it may be recorded for anyone to eventually see. It could end up online.

I think I’m going to be sick.

“It’s your future, Tilli. Your decision to make. I will accept and support whatever you decide. I’m not ashamed. I’m sure we were hot as hell,” he says with a chuckle.

My face is on fire as my hand finds his under the table. Our fingers weave together and he squeezes them tight. There’s reason to hope.

I know more than anything, I want to design spaceships for the rest of my life. And if I have to let people watch me have an orgasm on video in order to do it, then I’ll relent.

“Looks like we’re about to out ourselves to everyone, then.”

He laughs, slipping an arm around me to pull me close. “I am definitely not going to argue with this. I’ll suck it up and hope they’ll understand.” He kisses the top of my head before leaning forward to look into my eyes. “Will you be okay?”

I nod and press my hands to my hot cheeks. “Yes, but I may die of mortification before I ever get to build spaceships.”

It takes thirty minutes to pull everyone who matters into the security offices and view the footage. The video plays through all of our week brainstorming and then our… private encounter. Professor Nishimura gasps and I look at my shoes. Then we return after lunch and I explain my breakthrough, which we sketch out over the course of a few hours, sped up in the footage.

“Look,” Kaito says, and everyone leans in to watch.

In the video, Kaito and I leave for the day. The door almost closes behind us, and Riku slips in before it can shut and lock. Son of a bitch.

He peels back the paper on the window a bit and watches until we’re gone. He then spends fifteen minutes flipping through my sketches and notes, making notes of his own on his tablet before leaving.

“Well,” Professor Nishimura says, letting out a deep sigh, “I don’t think I need to lecture you about the impropriety of your relationship, but it’s not against the rules. Except to say that next time you should conduct yourself off of the I.A. campus, please.” She sighs. “Cheating, on the other hand, is against the rules, and it’s clear Mr. Saito stole your designs when you weren’t looking.” She opens the door and leads us outside into the hallway. “I’ll speak to the other judges, but…” She extends a hand to me to shake. “Tilli Kimura, I do believe you got the job.”

My fingers meet hers, and I have to hold back a hearty laugh and a slew of tears. “Thank you. I’m so sorry for all the drama,” I say, pumping her hand up and down twice. “I hope we can delete that video footage?”

“Not your fault, and yes, we can.” She drops my hand and bows. I step back in shock. “Please accept my sincere apologies about my spurious allegations. They were out of line.”

I bow in return. “I’m honored to be considered for the position. Please, let’s put this situation behind us.”

It’s the right thing to say.

Professor Nishimura stands up, smiles at me, and reaches out to squeeze my arm. “Oh, one more thing before I go. Mr. Saito slapped you two weeks ago, right?”

Right. I forgot Kaito had reported it. I nod.

“You should have come to me then. We would have watched him more closely. Remember to always advocate for yourself, now and in the future.”

She nods and strides off down the hall.

Kaito lets out a huge breath. “This calls for a celebration,” he says, clapping and rubbing his hands together.

“What did you have in mind?” My head is light with victory. I could do just about anything right now.

“I have the perfect idea. Come with me.”