Play 39: Of Chicken And Kids

Even though the weather was freezing, I sweated as if there was no tomorrow.

"And...Done!" I wiped my wet forehead and sighed in contentment. Dry leaves were piled up under one of the large trees--proof of my hard work. I had rarely cleaned up back in the present, so it was kind of a good exercise for someone who hated sports like me.

"Cleaning, I see. You're certainly hard at work."

Kondou appeared, smiling at my effort to keep the place neat and tidy. I greeted back with a grin as I stopped sweeping the ground.

"It's really cold these days," I commented.

He scowled. "Yes, it has indeed. I've been in Kyoto a while now, but I still can't get used to the weather." Kondou rubbed his hands together for warmth, shivering a little.

"Maybe we could use these dead leaves for roasting potatoes." I gestured at the pile beside me. I couldn't believe that I was actually okay with not using a stove for cooking, and let out a soft giggle. "I'll make sure everyone gets their fair share."

Kondou's eyes were nostalgic. "Roasted potatoes, huh? I used to enjoy that. A long time ago..." He trailed off, staring at something behind me. A slience that was awkward for me filled the air.

"If you want, I can roast extra potatoes for you," I said lamely.

He let out a hearty laugh, and patted my head. His hand was warm, and a surge of pleasant feelings brimmed in my chest. Both of us talked for a while, even though I knew Kondou was quite busy with the Shinsengumi duties.

"There you are, Kondou-san."

Hijikata appeared out of nowhere, and Kondou turned around, his smile widening.

"Oh, Toshi. Where were you? I was looking for you."

Hijikata was probably going to discuss some political stuff with Kondou, so I left, planning to roast some potatoes as soon as possible since I was starving.

My favourite season, spring, was finally here.

I was in a terribly good mood, and Kyoto was filled with beautiful cherry blossoms. It was tiring to pick the pink flower petals off my clothing, but nevertheless it was nice to see the once plain green trees now pink and pretty.

I was walking fast, forgetting that Souji was with me until he spoke. "You don't need to hurry. We aren't going anywhere in particular."

"Sorry." I stopped abruptly. "I was kind of excited..."

He chuckled in response. "Just think of it as a nice relaxing walk."

I turned around before he could see me flushing in embarrassment. Great, I had to go and act like a child. I waited until Souji was right beside me and glanced sneakily at him. Does he think of me as a woman?

Sliently cursing at myself, I stared at the ground as we strolled. It didn't matter at all--I didn't exactly care about what he thought about me.

Someone stopped Souji to ask for directions, and I was rather surprised. After all, most residents here were quite afraid of that sky blue coat he was wearing, so he had to be a new face around here.

I drifted off as he talked to the lost man, and my attention was soon caught by a few ronin, who had their eyes on us closely as they scampered away. As I debated on whether I should tell Souji about them, he laughed.

"I didn't know you're capable of so many expressions," he said.

I looked at him, pulling away from my thoughts before my cheeks were caught on fire. "Shut up and move on!" I puffed and quickly made my way to buy something to munch on.

"Do you want one?" I asked as I handed money to the man tending the store. Souji shook his head, still smiling to himself. I shrugged and took the two sticks of chicken karaage delightedly.

I took a big bite and beamed brightly. Ah, the sweet taste of meat...! If Souji and the passers-by weren't here, I would have moaned in pleasure.

"Kondou-san's too nice. He should just kill Itou-san." Souji mumbled to himself.

I almost choked on my karaage. "You know, you should just ignore that idiot." I swallowed. "He's not worth of anyone's time." I took another bite. "Plus, you shouldn't talk about killing people so lightly. Maybe that's why you can't be as popular with the ladies as Hijikata-san."

Souji glanced at me, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "You think so?"

"I'm not implying anything here." I glared at him. "The point is--"

I stopped suddenly, my eyes widening in disbelief as Souji grabbed my hand and took a huge bite out of my chicken karaage.

"Did you just...?" My whole face was flaming now. "Didn't you say you didn't want to eat, you idiot!?"

"I changed my mind." He licked his lips, and my heart skipped a beat before pounding loudly.

"You--" I gritted my teeth. "You're really an idiot! Even more than that Itou!" I glared at the karaage that he had bitten. "Now you've dirtied my food!"

"If you don't want it, I'll take it." He reached out to grab my hand again, and I dodged just in time.

"O-on second thought, I'll eat it, dirty or not." I stared at the stick of karaage. Souji took a bite...if I ate this, did that mean it's an indirect kiss? "I just want to finish this okay!? Don't you dare misunderstand or anything!" I shut my eyes tight and shoved the remaining chicken into my mouth.

Souji chuckled in amusement as he watched me, and I frowned at him while I chewed. After swallowing, I was about to say something smart when I saw a familiar figure ducking into the crowd.

"Kaoru?"

I then remembered that Heisuke had told me something about a girl disrupting their operation as Harada and his men guarded the notice board at Sanjo Ohashi Bridge. He had described the girl's features, and the both of us agreed that it sounded a lot like Kaoru.

I was moving before I knew it. Behind me, I knew Souji must be sighing at how disobedient I was, but I didn't care. It was always a big mystery to me--why did Kaoru look like Chizuru? Were they linked somehow? Of course, there was something weird about how she avoided my question before, so I was determined to get some answers today, no matter what.