I hope nobody can see me doing this. It's so undignified, all this grunting and heaving just trying to lug this little moron around. Really, who would believe that a human being could have this much mass compressed into such a tiny volume? I bet any second, I'll start sweating, too. Ugh.
Just then, Minori shifted her weight slightly and nearly sent Kurea tumbling back down the stairs.
"Don't you dare move," she muttered. "I warn you now, I'll just leave you lying on the steps right here if you do that again."
"Don' haveta to get all touchy about it, just bring me the cow and the sack of sugar and tell the villagers they're safe for another few days... lunchtime..."
"How is it even possible for a person to literally eat themselves into unconsciousness, and still dream about eating?"
No response was forthcoming.
"And why did you have to live all the way up here? I mean, I know you're hyper and stuff. Some of that was my fault with all the candy, probably, maybe, and I can see these stairs saving us all from you running completely amok, but jeez. They just...like... Really."
As she huffed her way up the next flight of steps, Kurea felt the dreaded beads of perspiration breaking out across her forehead at last. Gross. It's gonna run into my eyes now. And then I'll probably have to go wash up and do laundry and all sorts of crap I don't want to be bothered with when I could just be doing the things I like to do. Thinking, and existing! Stuff like that. Stupid Minori.
"Oof. One more set of these freaking stairs to go, and then your room's just down the hall. You better be damn grateful."
"Hold the onions!"
"Brat," she snorted. She tried to ignore the ache in her legs and the uncomfortable rivulets of what was preferably, if not quite hopefully, sweat trailing down the back of her neck as she started on her way up again. "If you're drooling on me, Minori, I swear to god... Ow! What the...? I'm warning you, I do not taste like chicken when I'm angry! Or even under normal circumstances, so don't get any ideas!"
"Heeheee... But how did Kuga-san get caramel sauce all over...?"
"Oh, come on now, for serious." She managed to adjust her position enough to swat her partner on the head. "Drooling and biting on me are one thing, but saying things like that is just nasty! Still, so far, so good on the not-being-seen front, at least."
"My, my... Should I have someone fetch you a towel, Hoshikawa-san?"
"Aaaugh, why? Kaicho, why are you here, of all places?"
"Merely passing through as the wind calls me, though it never seems to lead me astray, this clearly proving no exception to the greater rule."
"So you'll move along now, as there's clearly nothing interesting going on here?" Kurea grimaced as her shinyu took the opportunity to snore loudly and directly into her ear.
"No. Not when I can watch you put forth so much effort on behalf of your partner. It's truly touching."
"Nonsense," Kurea wheezed, attempting to draw herself up to her full height. Several plans, both cunning and implausible-but-violently-satisfying, were playing themselves out in her head. "You-you know me. If it were... oof... any effort at all, I wouldn't have bothered. Now please move aside."
"Keep telling yourself that. But the truth is clear to those who are observant enough. Already, you have put to rest some of that deadly pride of yours..."
"Pride of mine, huh... If I were you, I'd watch your back."
"Ah, and here I was all set to watch my leg and leave custody of my back to my dear Shizuku. But now I have my eye on you, Hoshikawa-san. I trust I will continue to be amused?"
"Far, far too easily."
"Well, I'll let you continue on your way, then, if your back can hold both your shinyu and some small measure of my approval. Keep up the good work!"
"AAAAARRRGGGH!"
