"This is the place…" Shujinkou thought as he stared at a single doorbell. "All I have to is press the button right in front of me."
That action seemed to be easier said than done as Shujinkou hands felt as if they weighed two hundred tons each.
"Come on arms; don't give out on me now. I mean I already came all this way," Shujinkou mumbled. "Just. Got. To. Ring. The. Doorbell."
Just then, the door in front of him opened. It was at that very moment when all the tension in his body disappeared as he stared into the curious purple eyes of a little girl. Her matching hair was pulled back into a single ponytail and her fingers were tightly wrapped around a small bear. Upon closer inspection of the stuffed doll, Shujinkou was surprised to find that it had quite a few stitches running along its body.
"Who are you?" the girl asked.
"Huh? Oh, I'm Shujinkou," Shujinkou calmly introduced himself.
"You're Shujinkou?" the small girl's eyes scanned his body from top to bottom. Her prying eyes invoked a sense of fear in Shujinkou. He could not help but assume that he already made a mistake as the girl continued to visually inspect him. Her inspection soon came to a halt and they once again stared into each other's eyes. Suddenly, a big smile formed on her face. "You're as cute as Yuri described."
"Wha-?!" Shujinkou was taken aback by such a forward response.
"This whole time I thought she was embellishing the description, but nope, she was pretty accurate," the girl continued.
"Um, thanks, uh…"
"I'm Yuki, Yuri's kid sister," the surprisingly bright girl lifted her stuffed toy as far as she could, barely reaching Shujinkou's face. "And this is Grimm Bear. Grimm for short."
"I didn't know Yuri had a little sister," Shujinkou said, slightly mesmerized by the unique looking doll.
"That's not surprising. I mean, she didn't mention you until recent events led to her mentioning you," Yuki said.
Yuki lowered Grimm and gripped Shujinkou's hand.
"Well, let's not just stand out here. Let's head in," Yuki grinned as she led the visitor into her house.
Shujinkou was taken aback by Yuki's bright and forward attitude. He didn't expect it from anyone related to Yuri.
"So, uhm, where's Yuri?" Shujinkou asked.
He knew that it would be best not to interact with anyone too much without her.
"She's busy doing something right now and mom and dad are out. So it looks like I'll have to be your host until then," Yuki giggled.
Closing the door behind them, Yuki wasted no time in leading her guest upstairs and into her room. Toys, posters, stickers… It was all what one would expect from a little girl's room except for one little detail. Every doll and blanket in the room was held together by a plethora of stitches.
"Wow…" Shujinkou muttered. "Someone must have been really mad."
"Not really. I did all of this with a relatively calm head," Yuki casually replied.
"Why?" Shujinkou asked without thinking.
"Because I think it looks cooler that way," bubbled Yuki as she looked down at Grimm.
"Well, it does give the room a unique look," Shujinkou said, glancing around the room a second time.
"Exactly! Anyway, let's play while we wait for the others!" beamed Yuki.
"O-Okay…" Shujinkou awkwardly scratched his right cheek as he agreed to the sudden request. It was the last thing he expected to participate in. Of course, he couldn't find it in him to deny her request. "What do you want to play?"
"Let's roleplay Rotkäppchen!" she suggested.
"Huh?" Shujinkou shot his host a confused look. He had no idea what the last word she said was.
"It's the untranslated German name of Little Red Riding Hood," Yuki casually explained. "I'll be Rotkäppchen and you can be the Wolf."
Shujinkou silently watched Yuki dig through her closet and pull out a small red rood along with a pair of wolf ears.
"Wait a minute…" Yuki's eyes scanned Shujinkou once more. "Are you capable of being a good villain?"
"I think I can," Shujinkou answered.
"You sure?" doubt was plastered all over Yuki's as she asked again.
"Pretty sure I can pull it off," Shujinkou insisted.
"Can you do a roar?" Yuki asked.
"I have…" he paused as he wondered how to finish that sentence. "I have some experience."
"Do a roar," Yuki requested.
"You mean right now?" Shujinkou didn't feel too comfortable raising his voice outside of his house. For all he knew, he could start yelling just as Yuri's parents came home. He really didn't want to take that risk and ruin his chance at a good first impression.
"Yeah!" Yuki beamed. "Do it now!"
"Okay then," Unable to deny her request again, Shujinkou cleared his throat, closed his eyes and unleashed a roar that even a mouse would laugh at. The blank look he caught upon opening his eyes caused him to turn red with embarrassment.
"Can't you do a better roar than that?" Yuki questioned.
Refusing to back down from Yuki's challenge, Shujinkou closed his eyes once more and roared as loud as he could.
"Whoa… That was a good one," Yuki clapped.
Despite thinking doing such a thing would lead to negative consequences, the happiness that lied on Yuki's face allowed Shujinkou to feel satisfied over his achievement.
Now ready to take on his given role, He placed the fake ears on his head and officially became one of many literary Big Bad Wolves.
Once they begun, it did not take long for them both to be fully absorbed in the story they were acting out.
"Why grandma, what a deep voice you have!" Yuki noted.
"The better to greet you with," Shujinkou responded, his nice tone layered with malicious intent.
"Goodness, what big eyes you have!" Yuki gasped.
"The better to see you with," Shujinkou snarled.
"And what big hands you have!" Yuki continued.
"The better to hug you with," Shujinkou raised his arms with a devious expression on his face.
"What a big mouth you have," Yuki said.
"The better to eat you with!" Shujinkou lunged for his intended victim.
"Shujinkou?"
He immediately stopped mid-attack and looked towards the bedroom door. Embarrassment was all he felt as he locked eyes with Yuri.
"H-Hey, Yuri," Shujinkou waved, trying his hardest to not show how embarrassed he felt.
"Ah, when did you get here?" Yuri asked.
"Not too long ago," Shujinkou answered.
"Since you were so busy when he got here, I took it upon myself to story play with your boyfriend," Yuki interjected. "He makes a good Big Bad Wolf."
"The one from Rotkäppchen," Shujinkou sheepishly added. By the way, what were you doing when I got here?"
"Ah, well…" Yuri diverted her gaze as she suddenly stopped herself from saying any more.
"She was taking one of her relaxation baths," Yuki said in a casual manner.
"Yuki!" Yuri exclaimed.
"You weren't doing that?" Yuki asked with a perplexed expression on her face.
"I was… But I didn't want it said out loud," Yuri stammered.
"I don't really get why but sorry, Yuri," Yuki apologized. "Anyway, my job's done. Why don't you take over from here, sis?"
Not giving her a chance to respond, Yuki gripped Shujinkou's hand, led him out of her room and shut the door behind him.
"Yuki's really forward," Shujinkou chuckled.
"I'm sorry I wasn't available to meet you at the door," Yuri apologized.
"It's no big deal," Shujinkou assured her. " I enjoyed hanging out with your sister."
"That's good," Yuri replied with a small smile on her face.
Silence once again overtook one of their conversations.
"So, what should we do now?" Shujinkou asked.
"Take him to your room, sis!" Yuki cheered from the other side of the door.
"Ah… I don't think our parents would like that," Yuri nervously replied.
"But you two are dating!" Yuki pointed out.
"That kind of makes even more impossible to get their consent, Yuki," Shujinkou replied.
"…I guess you could do boyfriend/girlfriend things downstairs," Yuki suggested.
"I guess we can do that," Shujinkou agreed.
"Ah… right," Yuri nodded her head.
Following Yuki's suggestion, the two made their way into the living room.
"Thanks again for coming here today, Shujinkou," thanked Yuri.
"It's no big deal," Shujinkou replied, scratching his right cheek. "So, where are your parents?"
"Well, my father had to go away on a last minute business trip and my mother is out shopping for food," Yuri answered. "I don't know when she'll be back."
"Oh… So, what do you want to do until she gets back?" Shujinkou asked.
"Well… I guess we could talk," Yuri suggested.
Shujinkou's eyes widened with surprise.
"What is it?" Yuri asked, visibly worried.
"Nothing," Shujinkou replied. "It's just that it's kind of weird hearing you say that. Especially when you remember that you didn't really seem to be one for talking to me when we first met."
"I-It's not that I didn't ever want to talk to you. It's just…" Yuri anxiously diverted her gaze. "I thought that if I did… you wouldn't want to talk to me."
"Why would you think that?" Shujinkou asked.
"Because it wouldn't be the first time that would have happened," Yuri admitted in a sorrowful voice. "That's why I was afraid at first. Ugh, you must have thought that I didn't like you."
"I didn't think that," Shujinkou assured her. "Honestly, I just thought you would rather not be bothered while you were reading. You kinda look like you're a million miles away when you read."
"Ah… Is that a bad thing?" Yuri worriedly asked.
"It's not anything," Shujinkou shrugged. "Just an observation."
"Well… you look the same way when you're lost in your thoughts," Yuri calmly replied.
Shujinkou was shocked by what he just heard.
"W-Was that a lighthearted jab?" he asked in a disbelieving tone.
"Ah… I guess it was," Yuri giggled with red cheeks.
"I honestly didn't think you had any of them in you," Shujinkou chuckled.
"Well, I guess they aren't so hard for me to do… At least when it's you I do it with," Yuri smiled.
The simple sound of a door opening was enough to put a halt to their conversation. The two anxiously turned their attention towards the front of the house and watched an adult woman enter the residence. Like Yuri and Yuki, her hair and eyes were a matching purple and her arms were wrapped around a small brown bag. She closed the door behind her and glanced towards the two nearby high school students.
"Oh my… I didn't expect you to arrive so early," the woman smiled.
Her gentle smile was all it took for any form of anxiety to leave Shujinkou. He silently watched her approach him, wondering what the stranger was thinking.
"Ah… You're as handsome as Yuri described you to be," she said.
"Uhm…" Shujinkou turned his attention to Yuri, who could only respond by placing her face in her hands. With two compliments in hand, he couldn't help but wonder exactly how Yuri visually described him to her family.
"Though she seemed to have forgotten to mention that you were part wolf," the lady continued.
Shujinkou didn't know what she meant by that comment until he remembered that he never removed Yuki's wolf ears from his head. Embarrassed by that oversight, he quickly reached for the ears and placed them on a nearby stand.
"My name is Shujinkou," he properly introduced himself.
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Shujinkou. I'm Yumi," another gentle smiled from Yumi absolved any embarrassment Shujinkou felt.
"Would you like me to take those out of your hands?" Shujinkou offered.
"Oh my, that's nice of you to ask, but I couldn't let a guest do such a thing," Yumi replied.
"I don't mind," Shujinkou insisted.
"Well, if you insist," Yumi gave the bag to Shujinkou. The moment it was in his hands, he realized that the bag was heavier than it appeared.
"Whoa…" Shujinkou mumbled as he staggered towards the kitchen.
"He seems to be a considerate fellow," Yumi said to her daughter.
"Yeah… He likes to help people…" Yuri's cheeks turned red as a small smile formed on her face, something that did not pass by Yumi unnoticed.
Just then, Yuki energetically climbed down the stairs and wrapped her arms around her mother.
"Mom, Yuri's boyfriend is here! He was the wolf to my Little Red Cap!" bubbled Yuki as she excitedly described the time she spent with Shujinkou.
"Oh my…" Yumi gently stroked Yuki's head. "Seems like you two started having fun without me."
"So what are having for lunch?" Yuki queried.
"Actually, on my way home, I had a thought," Yumi smiled. "Instead of having lunch here, what if we go to the amusement park instead?"
"Really?!" Yuki's eyes lit up with excitement. "That sounds great!"
"Ah…" the sentiment was not shared by Yuri. "That's such a sudden change of plans."
"Are you worried Shujinkou wouldn't like the idea?" Yumi asked.
"It's not exactly what he agreed too…" Yuri thought.
As if on cue, Shujinkou walked out of the kitchen, surprised that he had become the center of attention.
"Did I do something wrong?" he wondered aloud.
"No, we were just wondering if you would like to go to the amusement park instead of having lunch here," Yumi proposed.
"An amusement park sounds fun," Shujinkou answered.
"That was a quick response," Yuki noted.
Unlike the last time, Yuri agreed with that sentiment.
"Well then, now that we all agreed, let's make our way to the amusement park," Yumi smiled.