thirty-four.
[at the break of dawn]
It was six in the evening when there was a knock on her bedroom door.
Hinata swept her gaze away from the picture frame on her desk and quietly said, "Y-Yes?"
"I have a small errand for you," came Kurenai's gentle voice, followed by the soft muttering of who Hinata presumed to be Shisui.
The younger lady wasted no time in opening the door, standing face-to-face with Kurenai, and Shisui was nowhere in sight. Hinata decided to dismiss her curiosity.
"W-What is it?"
Kurenai gave her a small smile and stretched her hand out, revealing a sealed envelope and a gold brooch pin in the shape of a crow. Hinata quietly took the two items in her hands with furrowed brows. Confusion evident on her face, she raised her head to look at the older woman.
"A-Aren't we… closed?" Hinata questioned, though it didn't necessarily mean she was complaining. In fact, she was ecstatic to have something to do again. She wasn't sure if she could handle another hour trapped indoors. Unlike the other girls, she didn't have any hobbies to preoccupy herself with, and sleeping was plagued with nightmares.
She brought her attention back to Kurenai. "This is an exception since it's within the city," the woman briefly explained as the smile on her face widened. "The address is written there and I've given you extra money to buy yourself something in the marketplace."
The mention of the marketplace brought a pink tint to Hinata's cheeks. She loved visiting the marketplace. Although she hardly spent her own money buying things and would rather browse the items, on the rare occasions that she had spare change to buy herself something, the marketplace would be the first destination in mind. And Kurenai knew that well.
Hinata bowed her head in gratitude. "T-Thank you, Kurenai-san."
"Oh, Hinata-chan," the woman sighed a little, "No need to be so formal."
"S-Sorry."
Kurenai huffed and smiled wryly. "Well, you should get going. The recipient is waiting."
"Y-Yes, ma'am!"
Hinata was left staring at the closed door after Kurenai left her to get ready. Even after that conversation, the silence in her bedroom was suffocating, and she felt the need to pull at her collar to breathe easier.
The picture frame on her desk stared at her from across the room.
Hinata drew in a shaky breath and walked to her closet to change. Once she had buttoned on a lilac cape coat and thick pants, she proceeded to part her hair for a half-ponytail. She meticulously gathered her long hair in her hands, eyes never leaving her own reflection in the mirror, and pulled open the drawer in her desk. There were only papers and a few bottles of ink inside, the single tachibana sitting atop gleaming back at her.
Gloved fingers picked up the tachibana, twisting her hair and slowly sticking it down through the middle.
When she finally left the room, sunflowers were twinkling, nestled into her indigo hair.
.
.
The city was white.
Or to be more accurate—the city was covered in white.
The snow on the streets was thick but not necessarily hard to maneuver through. Most of the road had already been cleared – presumably by the helpers – and there were hardly any people out and about, especially at this time.
Warm orange light shone from metal lamp posts, giving off a homey feeling despite the chill of the season. Though it was getting late and it had been snowing, plenty of stalls were still open, awaiting and luring in passersby that seemed interested in their products. There were ramen shops and a few soup stalls, some even giving away a free bowl of soup for warmth to homeless people, even bringing out blankets for them.
Indigo hair swayed at the hips as Hinata walked. Gingerly, she opened her messenger's bag and took out the envelope to look at the address once again. It was only a few blocks away from the postal company and Hinata wondered why they had been requested to deliver the letter.
However, a part of her chose to understand. Perhaps there were circumstances that left the sender unable to send the letter himself as there were plenty of cases like that in the past.
The receiver's address was a quaint two-storey house with a black-tiled roof and a light beige wooden exterior, just one street away from the marketplace. Hinata stood atop the steps leading up to the porch and faltered for a bit, staring at the letter and brooch in her hands and back to the front door.
How was she supposed to know who the letter was for if there was no name?
Curiosity once again poked at her sides. She had half the mind to check the sender's name, but she was under the impression that he wished to remain hidden, and so his name had always been tucked under her thumb.
Hinata dismissed her thoughts and finally went to ring the bell by the doorframe.
Not a second later and the door was abruptly swung open, a whisker-faced, blue-eyed man blinking at her.
She flushed under his stare.
"What'cha got there?" he asked, glancing at the letter that was slowly being creased from how tight she was gripping onto it.
"A-Ah," Hinata stammered and mentally berated herself for it. She snapped back into professionalism and drew her shoulders back, chin lifted with a friendly smile as she handed him the letter and the brooch. "The Izanami Services had been asked to deliver this letter to this address, and so I come to do as such."
The man blinked once more before taking the items from her. "Ah, this should be for the bastard." He called over his shoulder, "Oi, you prick! You've got mail!"
Hinata's lips quivered at the sides and she quickly swept into a curtsy. "Then, I must take my leave."
"Ah—wait! What's your name?"
She smiled apologetically. "I'm afraid we only give information to clients." And without waiting for a reply, she hurried down the steps and turned around the corner.
Hinata failed to see the appearance of a familiar raven-haired man, muttering about annoying blondes and the disturbance of his already-sour-evening, as he stepped onto the porch and ripped the letter out of his friend's hands.
a/n: An update at last! This is a longer chapter than usual, which I suppose is well-deserved, with how long it's been since the last update. I've been stuck not knowing how to write this scene but I hope it's to your liking.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss the story with myself or fellow readers, I have a discord server just for that! It's called the Equinox Cafe and you can chat with other readers about anime or my other stories, and hopefully, it grows into a nice community. (most of them are shy tho...)
invite code: rmm3Tqv