Her long brown locks blew gently in the wind. Her back facing him, she held her hands behind her back. Even her slightest movements were executed with grace.
The scene around the young girl suddenly shone to be a field of green grass beside the riverbank. She appeared to be gazing up at the Sakura tree, watching its orange and red leaves fall from the branches.
Hiyori?
Yato felt his heart leap. He stepped forward and extended his arm out toward her.
This was it. He would see her. He would talk to her, hold her, and maybe…-
His hand was centimeters away from her shoulder.
Kiss her…?
. . . .
Lukewarm water immediately flooded his body, and Yato quickly jerked up from his futon. His eyes snapped open, and before he could comprehend what had happened, he was coughing and wheezing with water in his lungs. He moved from his sitting position to dry heaving on the floor beside his futon, water dripping off his hair and clothes.
Once he finally caught his breath and gathered his strength, Yato lifted his head and turned to see Nora with a large wooden bucket in her hands. She had carelessly watched him suffer through it without offering to help.
"What the hell was that for?!" The god snapped, clutching his fist in anger.
"Father's orders," she answered simply.
Yato gave her a deadpan expression. "Wow, he's in a great mood today," he commented sarcastically.
"He thought it would be funny."
"Of course he did." Yato rolled his eyes.
He glanced out into the hallway. However, as far as he could see, no one else was around. He knew his father must've already left for classes. He let out a small sigh of relief, realizing he'd have a few hours of peace until his father returned.
"Get up. We have chores," Nora told him in a monotone.
Yato groaned and got to his feet. He changed into a dry kimono and tied his hair up.
. . . .
"-and then, the serial killer turned out to be her boyfriend!" Yama explained dramatically, her green eyes shining with excitement.
Ami lifted her gaze from her phone over to see her friend as they both headed to their next class.
"You're too easily impressed!" The girl retorted. "That horror movie sounds way too cheesy."
"No way!" The blonde one refused, wagging her finger. "If anything, it was the screenwriter who put in the most effort."
Just before Ami could attest, the sound of objects clattering and thumping down to the ground interrupted the two. They both looked over to see Fujisaki a few feet away from them. He seemed to have opened his cluttered locker, only to have his things come tumbling out.
Fujisaki sighed and knelt down to pick up his books when he sensed someone else come to his aid. He looked up to see the two girls helping to collect his school supplies.
"Rough day?" Yama asked with a small chuckle.
"Ahh, Yama-chan, Ami-chan. Long time no see!" Fujisaki greeted them with a friendly smile.
"Kon'nichiwa, Fujisaki-senpai," the dark-haired girl said. Then something caught her eye.
In the middle of the mess, Ami came across a single paintbrush.
"I didn't know you were taking an art class," Ami exclaimed.
Fujisaki quickly grabbed the brush back from them, but he was careful to contain his startled reaction. "Oh yeah! It's... -a new hobby I've recently picked up."
"Really?" Ami blinked in surprise.
"Maybe we can get to see some of your artwork sometime," Yama said, adjusting her school bag on her shoulder.
Fujisaki grinned at them as he stood up and organized his locker. "Of course! That would be great. I should make a note of that."
Ami gazed down at her phone, then turned to Yama in a panic. "We're gonna be late - c'mon!"
Ami grabbed her friend by the arm and tugged her away. Just as the two started heading in the other direction, Fujisaki called out to them.
"Matte!"
They both came to a halt and turned around to face him. Fujisaki cleared his throat and corrected himself before continuing to answer their questioning stares.
"I heard that Hiyori-chan dropped out. Is that true?" He asked, appearing to be genuinely curious.
Yama and Ami blinked at him cluelessly. Then Yama brightened and nodded.
"Oh, yeah. She's gone to help her family with some stuff after the hospital incident. She's studying online now," the blonde explained, to which her friend nodded to confirm.
Fujisaki suppressed a smirk, pretending to seem disappointed. "I see…" he mumbled. "How unfortunate. I haven't seen her in so long."
"Yeah," Ami answered. "She keeps saying she doesn't have a lot of time to hang out anymore either."
Yama thought for a moment, and then a light switch flipped. She gasped and clapped her hands together. Ami and Fujisaki directed their focus on her.
"Hey! I have an idea!" She told them eagerly. "Why don't we invite her to karaoke night this Friday? And you can bring your friends, Fujisaki-senpai."
Fujisaki smiled brightly. He sometimes couldn't believe how well things seemed to work out in his favor. He pounced on this opportunity.
"That sounds wonderful. Let's do it!"
Ami nodded, too. "Good idea!" She exclaimed. "I'll text her right after class."
"Can't wait," he replied joyfully.
Ami and Yama quickly waved goodbye. "See you later!" They called simultaneously.
As soon as the two had disappeared around the corner, Fujisaki turned back to face his locker. He slipped the paintbrush inside his school blazer. A quiet, foul grin reached his lips.
