A/N: Ok, this is going to be another filler chapter to tie up some loose ends before heading on to the next phase of fem!Yuu's life as a girl and training to be a soldier by Guren so I'm going to have to ask action fans to be a bit more patient with me lol. Keep in mind that my fic is AU and there will be some differences from the canon story; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I would like to thank my beta reader and editor, ResidentialPsycho, for her help in making this fic possible. Enjoy and please review! ;)
Chapter 16: Extending the Olive Branch
April 17, 2018
Yuichiro Hyakuya took a deep breath before opening the door to her English class and stepping inside. Despite Sayuri and Shigure's recommendation for her to stay home for at least a few days until her incident with Takeshi Saehara blew over, the girl insisted on going back to school. Yuichiro had already been absent for half a year in addition to the four years without schooling that she spent in Sanguinem and did not want to miss out on any more of her education than she already had. To the young girl, home-schooling, no matter how good, was simply not the same.
Like on her first day, Yuichiro was clad in her girl's school uniform with knee-high stocking and black loafers. Her bobbed hair had long bangs parted to the left and bounced slightly on her shoulders as she walked passed her classmates to her chosen seat at the back of the classroom while trying to ignore the awkward glances they were sending her way.
Apparently, the skirmish Yuichiro had with her bone-headed classmate had spread like wildfire over the last twenty-four hours and now everyone in her school knew about it, knew without a doubt, that she was indeed a girl.
And any boy who had once fancied a peek under Yuichiro Hyakuya's skirt quickly perished the thought when they saw (or heard) how the seemingly frail pre-teen girl sent Takeshi Saehara off to la-la land right on the floor of the school cafeteria. And with just one blow to the jaw and chin. Where she learned to punch like that was anybody's guess.
After Yuu took her seat, she saw two familiar classmates approach her, even if a bit hesitantly.
"Hey, Yuu?"
Looking up, the girl saw Satoshi Hiwatari and Daisuke Niwa looking at her with an apologetic expression on their faces. Satoshi held a bouquet of pink flowers in his arms while Daisuke had a small box of candy.
"Yes? What do you two want? It had better not be to peek under my skirt," Yuichiro growled.
Satoshi cleared his throat before answering.
"No, not at all, Yuu. We actually wanted to apologize."
"Oh? For what? And what's up with the candy and flowers?"
"They're actually from Takeshi. He wanted to give them to you himself but as you know, he isn't well enough to come back to school just yet. You really did a number on him." Daisuke said sheepishly.
Now that piqued Yuu's interest.
"Really? So how is he?"
"Well, aside from a dislocated jaw, he's doing just fine" Satoshi answered dryly. "The doctor had to set it back into place for him and Takeshi said he had never been in so much pain. But he felt he deserved it for what he did to you."
Yuichiro frowned. She knew she had over-reacted to the brunet boy's skirt pulling prank but never intended to send him to the hospital with such a painful injury.
"Oh… I'm sorry. I had no idea…"
"Don't be…" Daisuke insisted. "Takeshi didn't act alone. We kind of took advantage of him."
Yuichiro found herself staring at the other two boys as realization dawned on her.
"Don't tell me…"
"Yeah, we were the ones who put him up to it," Satoshi confessed. "I bribed Takeshi by offering to do his homework for a week if he'll pull up your skirt for a second."
"To see if I was really a girl? What, you didn't think my new clothes, hair, and make-up was convincing enough?" Yuichiro sneered.
"Look, we don't blame you for being angry and we're really sorry," Daisuke apologized. "We knew it was wrong but our curiosity about you was just too great to resist."
"Oh?"
"I normally pride myself on being one of the smartest and mature kids in our class but even I'm not immune to acts of stupidity like this," Satoshi admitted as he set the pink flowers on the desk in front of Yuichiro while Daisuke did the same with the candy box. Seeing their guilt-ridden faces as well as their peace offerings reminded Yuichiro of how Mikaela would give her similar gifts whenever he did something to upset her.
And like with her late blond orphanage brother, the girl knew she couldn't stay angry with her classmates when they were truly sincere in their apology.
"Fine, I understand," Yuichiro said simply.
Satoshi couldn't help releasing a sigh of relief.
"Thanks, Yuu. That means a lot to us. We don't know what your reasons for pretending to be a boy were but it doesn't matter now. Male or female, we still want to be your friend, ok?"
"Ok… we'll thanks for the gifts. I'll put them in my locker after class is over."
"Great!" Daisuke said, happy that Yuichiro was willing to accept their apology. "I picked out the candy for you because you seem to like chocolate. This is a western brand called 'See's Candies.' They were really popular in America before the apocalypse struck and luckily, there are still a handful of people alive who know how to make them. I've never had See's myself but I've been told they taste way better than the generic chocolate you usually get in the school cafeteria."
"Oh… well, you didn't have to. See's is a bit of a pricey brand," Yuichiro said as she shook her new candy box slightly, her sour mood forgotten and replaced with anticipation of trying out the western treat. It looked like the other two boys have been paying closer attention to her than she thought if they knew Yuichiro had a fascination with American and western things in general.
"It's ok, I wanted to," the red-headed boy insisted. "It's the least I can do for what we put you through. Satoshi bought the flowers but Takeshi chipped in with the costs too."
"I see… I look forward to trying them out. I think my guardians would like having these flowers in a vase on our dinner table too."
"That's a great idea," Satoshi agreed. "Anyway, Daisuke and I'd best get going. Class is about to start soon. Make sure you keep these out of Mr. Niwa's sight, especially the candy; he'll probably chew us out if he knows how much Daisuke spent on them."
Daisuke laughed softly. "It's ok, Sato. I don't mind." Turning to Yuichiro, he said, "Enjoy the candy and flowers as well as the rest of your day."
"Thank you. You two have a good day as well."
And no sooner did Yuichiro spoke, the classroom door opened and Kosuki Niwa entered to begin the first class of the day. After giving the ravenette a polite bow, the two boys returned to their seats.
As class began, Yuichiro quickly put her gifts away, placing the candy box in her schoolbag and the bouquet of flowers under her desk, all while thinking how much the two boys who offended her along with Takeshi just the other day reminded her of Mikaela.
SSSSSS
The first half of Yuichiro's school day went by without incident, much to the ravenette's relief. Her fellow classmates made no mention of what had occurred in the cafeteria the day before but still made sure to steer clear of Yuu when they saw her walk by. Although she was relieved that no one was going to be making any more attempts to pull up her skirt anymore, Yuichiro didn't exactly want others to avoid her out of fear either because that meant she wouldn't be able to make any friends. And making new friends as well as getting along with other people was one of Guren's requirements for her to be considered for admittance in the Demon Army.
But what can I do? What's done is done… Yuichiro thought sadly as she stopped by her locker in the hallway to put her flowers and candy box away. So preoccupied was she by her thoughts that Yuichiro never noticed a purple-haired girl *1* standing next to her locker as if she were waiting for her.
"Yuichiro? Are you all right?"
Startled, Yuu turned to see Shinoa Hiragi looking at her in concerned perplexity.
"Oh hi, Shinoa. I didn't notice you there. I was just lost in some thoughts."
"About what happened yesterday? Was your guardian angry?"
Yuichiro shook her head. "No, he actually understood. Guren can actually be quite reasonable, even if a little stern. I know I was at fault as well for over-reacting so I have to be more careful in the future. I don't want to make trouble for him."
"I see…so where did you get the flowers and candy?"
"Oh, these? They're from Satoshi Hiwatari and Daisuke Niwa. They confessed that they were the ones who put Takeshi Saehara up to that little stunt in the cafeteria yesterday and wanted to make it up to me."
"Oh, really? Well, that doesn't surprise me since Saehara probably wouldn't do something as stupid as what he did without some incentive. The flowers look very pretty by the way. May I?"
"Sure," Yuichiro said as she handed Shinoa the flowers and watched her sniff the buds in amusement.
"Pink roses, how sweet!" she squealed. "Is this the first time you've ever gotten flowers from a boy?"
Yuichiro found herself frowning at Shinoa's inquiry as her thoughts went back to the late Mikaela.
"Actually, no. There was another boy I knew who used to give me flowers when I still lived in the vampire city."
"Really? How was he able get flowers in such a bleak place as Sanguinem?"
Yuichiro found herself shifting uncomfortably at Shinoa's question.
"It's a bit of a long story and I'd rather not talk about it if you don't mind…"
Normally, the purple-haired girl could be very persistent when she wanted to know something but even Shinoa knew when to back off.
"It's ok, I understand, Yuu. Mi-chan and I were wondering if you still want to join us for lunch today since we didn't get a chance to yesterday after…well, you know."
Yuichiro paused as she considered the other girl's proposal. Considering her past as a cross-dresser in addition to making a spectacle of herself yesterday, the girl knew she was lucky to have anyone willing to be friends with her.
"Sure, I'd love to."
"Great! See you at lunch then!" Shinoa said happily as she waved Yuichiro good-bye before leaving for her next class.
"Yeah, you too, Shinoa."
SSSSSS
"So it's just as I thought…" Mitsuba said as she picked at the food on her lunch tray after listening to Yuichiro's story. "Somehow, I knew that kid who pulled up your skirt yesterday didn't act alone. I can't believe Satoshi Hiwatari was actually the mastermind of that idiotic stunt. Someone as smart and mature as him should know better; he's an honor student for crying out loud."
"You'd think?" Yuichiro scoffed as she stuffed a piece of chicken into her mouth with a pair of chopsticks. The three girls were sitting at a small table in the corner of the cafeteria, the same one they had planned to meet at yesterday before Yuichiro's unfortunate assault on Takeshi.
Shinoa laughed. "That's true. But boys will be boys. No matter how smart or 'mature' you think they are. Even Satoshi is no exception."
"But at least he was mature enough to admit it and apologize," Mitsuba said as she turned to Yuichiro. "Not to mention offering you some gifts. So did you try the candies out yet?"
"No, not yet. I was going to wait until I get home. I might not eat them myself since I also owe someone an apology of my own."
"What do you mean?" Shinoa asked curiously.
"My guardian… Guren Ichinose… I never apologized for not telling him I was a girl. I shouldn't have kept such a secret from him, especially since he had taken such good care of me after I barely escape the vampire city with my life."
"Oh? Well, it didn't seem like you felt too bad about keeping your gender a secret from everybody else, including us." Mitsuba joked though the other two girls could still sense a hint of bitterness in her voice.
Although she knew the blonde girl didn't mean anything by it, Shinoa clapped a hand to her forehead in slight frustration. Mitsuba may have a good heart but she still needed to practice a bit of tact when dealing with others, especially about…sensitive matters.
"Now, Mi-chan, I know you're disappointed that Yuichiro isn't the boy you thought she was. I am too but I'm sure she had her reasons for not telling anyone, even her guardian," Shinoa scolded.
"It's ok, Shinoa," Yuichiro said as she wiped her mouth with a clean napkin. "I suppose I do owe you two an explanation at least. Do you still want to hear it?"
Forgetting her annoyance at Mitsuba, Shinoa's eyes lit up.
"Oh, by all means, do tell!"
"Yes, please. I'd be interested in knowing your story too," Mitsuba added.
Yuichiro pondered for a moment on how she should start her story.
"So where should I begin?"
"How about when you start dressing as and pretending to be a boy?" Shinoa suggested.
"Oh, that? Well, that goes back a long way, since the day I was born."
"Really? Why? You got something against being a girl?" Mitsuba asked as she sipped on her glass of apple juice.
"I didn't," Yuichiro corrected. "My parents did."
"You mean…?"
"Correct. My parents wanted a boy and weren't too thrilled to see that I wasn't born with male anatomy. But since it seemed unlikely that my mother could have any more children after her multiple miscarriages, they decided to make me into the son they've always wanted. Not like it matters anymore since they're both dead now."
Shinoa raised a brow. "Oh… well, that explains a lot. Was yesterday the first time you ever dressed as a girl?"
"Actually, no. I started to after Guren discovered I was female six months ago. He just didn't want to send me back to school right away until my hair grew out."
"Well, he probably had the right idea," Mitsuba opined. "I would have been shocked to see you come to school dressed as a boy one day and a girl the very next, especially with your hair as short as it was."
"Maybe. But I also needed a bit of time to make the transition myself. I still feel naked wearing skirts."
Shinoa chuckled at the other girl's confession. "Well, that's to be expected, Yuu. Don't worry, you'll get used to it eventually. And I doubt anyone will try to look under your skirt again after what you did to Saehara."
"I hope you're right, Shinoa. I really do. Because I have not mastered the art of controlling my temper just yet, despite Guren's training."
At Yuichiro's comment, the other two girls gave her a look of perplexity for a moment in awkward silence before all three of them burst into peals of merry laughter. Although she wouldn't admit it, Yuichiro was glad Shinoa and Mitsuba invited her to have lunch with them. After what three idiotic boys put her through yesterday, she needed some companionship and a good laugh.
Perhaps being a girl wasn't so bad after all.
SSSSSS
Yuichiro hummed a soft tune under her breath as she took each pink rose from the bouquet Satoshi and Daisuke gave her and placed them in a beautiful Chinese vase right in the middle of her "family's" dinner table. She had just finished showering after a training session with Guren and asked for a few minutes to decorate the dinner table with her new gift before going back to the kitchen to assist Sayuri with dinner.
"Those flowers are lovely, Yuu. Where did you get them?"
At the sudden question, the girl gasped before turning around and saw Shigure, who had just returned home from work, looking at her curiously.
"Oh, you startled me!" Yuichiro answered with a small laugh. "Actually, someone at school gave them to me."
"Oh, really? Who? A… boy, perhaps?" the older woman asked as her lips twitched up in an amused smile, something she had started to do a little more often since the younger girl came to live in the Ichinose household.
"Well, yes. But not for the reason you think."
Shigure was about to ask Yuichiro to clarify when they heard Sayuri calling for her young helper from the kitchen.
"Yuichiro, could you give me a hand with this?"
"Coming, Sayuri!"
Turning to Shigure, Yuichiro apologized.
"I'm sorry, I'm needed in the kitchen now. I'll tell you later, ok?"
"Of course, Yuu. I'd be interested in hearing all about it."
"Thank you," the girl said as she quickly placed the last rose in the vase before running into the kitchen.
SSSSSS
"So those boys actually came forward and admitted what they did?" Guren asked in astonishment as his eyes took in their fill of Yuichiro's new pink roses before turning to his young ward. "I know I shouldn't ask, but how much were they, Yuu? They don't look cheap."
Yuichiro shrugged her shoulders. "Beats me. I thought Satoshi Hiwatari plucked them from his backyard."
"I doubt that he did," Sayuri opined as she set her fork down and reached towards the middle of the table towards the pink buds with her fingers. "They look so fresh and perfect. Like they were grown in a greenhouse, away from bugs or anything else that could mar their beauty."
"I think so too," Shigure agreed. "I remember back in the day a bouquet of flowers like these can easily cost at least 5,000 yen. *2* So either this Satoshi is quite wealthy or he must have broken his piggy bank to get these for you, Yuichiro."
"Well, I don't know about that, he never did say," Yuu admitted. "And he wasn't the only one who brought me something, Daisuke Niwa did too. Takeshi Saehara also chipped in as well."
"Really, what did Daisuke get you?" Guren asked, his interest piqued.
In answer, Yuichiro reached under the dinner table for her school bag and pulled out the unopened box of candies before placing them on the table.
"He got me these."
"See's Candies?"
"Yes. They're an American brand. Have you ever had them?"
"Me? Well, no. I've heard of them though," Guren answered dryly. "They used to be very popular in the U.S though the company also had some shops here and in a few other countries as well. I know they aren't cheap either. I'm glad Niwa tried to make things up to you with these candies but I don't want you eating too many of them; a soldier needs discipline in all aspects of life, not just fighting. Understand, Yuu?"
Yuichiro rolled her eyes. "Of course I do, sir. I didn't intend to eat them all by myself. If I did, I wouldn't have let you know I had them at all."
"Yuu, dear, I don't think that's what Guren meant," Sayuri said gently after she picked up the slightly defensive tone in the younger girl's voice. "We know you wouldn't try to keep them all to yourself even though I'm sure they must be delicious. We just don't want you getting sick because too many sweets isn't good for you."
"I know, I know. Anyway, would you all like to have some?"
"I would," Shigure answered. "But not until after dinner."
"Ok, I understand. I can't wait though," Yuichiro giggled.
"That makes two of us, then," Sayuri laughed.
SSSSSS
After she had finished helping Sayuri and Shigure with cleaning up after dinner, Yuichiro took the candy box she got from Daisuke, which was still half-full, and sought out her guardian. Knowing Guren, he was probably in his home office reading or doing paperwork and Yuichiro swore that the man's life must have been all work and no play. Which did worry her a little.
Strange, why am I worrying over him? The girl thought. He's a grown man who can take care of himself. Still…
Yuichiro stopped to catch her breath when she finally found herself standing in front of the door to the room where she was certain the master of the house was occupying. The girl had not even realized that she was sprinting down the hall until her shortness of breath caught up with her. For some reason, Yuichiro was feeling a little nervous, probably because she knew Guren wasn't exactly an easy person to approach. Even though he never berated her for keeping her true sex a secret from him for so long, the girl knew her guardian had not been thrilled to find out the way he did. It also didn't help that Shinya and Goshi decided to have a bit of fun with their bet at his expense.
Yuichiro found herself blushing when she remembered how Guren had walked in on her half-naked while she was being treated by Sayuri, Shigure, and Mito for her injuries after her fight with the rogue vampire back in Shinjuku. She could only imagine what must have been going through his head at the time. Especially since he couldn't bring himself to speak to her for a whole week after he discovered her most intimate secret, something even Mikaela and Akane had not done when they walked in on Yuichiro completely naked in the shower. And her two eldest orphanage siblings went for three years, twice as long as Guren did, without knowing that she was a girl.
After taking a deep breath, Yuichiro mustered the courage to finally knock on Guren's home office door. After a moment of silence, the girl started to wonder if her guardian wasn't there after all and was about to leave in disappointment when she heard a voice on the other side.
"Come in."
Excited and at the same time nervous, Yuichiro opened the door and went in. As she had expected, Yuu found the object of her concern sitting at his desk, going over some papers. When he looked up and saw her, his brow rose. Guren had expected to see either Sayuri or Shigure and not the person who was standing before him now. Thinking that something might be wrong, the older man's expression changed from curiosity to concern as he set down the papers he was reading until Yuichiro came in.
"Yes, Yuu? Is there something the matter?"
The girl shook her head, her bobbed hair swishing about her shoulders as she did while tightening her hold on the candy box in her arms.
"N..no… Nothing is wrong. I just wanted to talk, that's all."
"About what?"
Yuichiro lowered her face, hiding part of it behind her hair in an act of humility before she spoke what had been on her mind since her discussion with Shinoa and Mitsuba at school.
"I… I wanted to say that I'm sorry…for not telling you."
Although Yuichiro did not elaborate further, Guren knew exactly what she meant.
"That you were a girl? It's all right, Yuu. I won't lie in that I wasn't happy you kept such a secret from me but I can understand why you did it. Sayuri told me everything."
"I… see. When we didn't talk for a week after we came home from Shinjuku, I thought I upset you so much that you didn't want to speak to me anymore, sir."
Guren sighed and shook his head as he got up from his desk and walked over to Yuichiro. Taking her face gently in one hand, he said:
"It wasn't that, Yuu. Yes, I wasn't happy that I was the only one left out of the loop so to speak. But more importantly, I needed time to process what I discovered that day."
Although he did not say so, Guren did feel rather disappointed, even a bit hurt that Yuichiro did not trust him enough to tell him who she really was, that she believed he would value or respect her less if he knew she was female. But he wasn't going to tell her that. Just as every woman was entitled to her secrets, every man was entitled to his as well.
"Oh… so you aren't upset with me then?" Yuichiro asked hopefully after Guren released her.
"Well, no. At least, not anymore. I did tell you to expect the unexpected on the battlefield as well as in life and I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't follow my own advice."
Yuichiro could not help but laugh at hearing such a statement from her guardian until she remembered the box of candy she was holding in her arms.
"Oh, I forgot, I came because I wanted to give these to you too. I noticed you didn't touch them after dinner but Sayuri and Shigure made sure to save you some. I don't need to eat any more than I already have," the girl said sheepishly as she opened the box and offered the half-dozen pieces of chocolate to Guren.
Seeing the younger girl's offering made the lieutenant colonel pause for a moment. The way Yuichiro held out the box of candy for Guren reminded him of another girl from his past.
One who has been gone for nearly a decade.
His first love, Mahiru Hiragi.
Strange, why am I thinking this? Yuichiro is just a child. And she looks nothing like Mahiru.
"Guren, what's wrong? Do you not want any? They're really good."
Hearing Yuichiro's voice finally snapped Guren out of his thoughts.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Yuu. It's not that, I was just thinking for a second."
"Really? About what?"
"Well, the way you offered the candy reminds me of someone else I used to know. I didn't exactly grow up with the luxury of variety when it came to food. I think I was almost six years old before I even knew what a sweet was and almost sixteen before I even had one," Guren answered casually, surprised at how easily the words came. Normally, he did not like to disclose such intimate details of his life to others.
"Really? And I thought my parents were strict. Mom didn't always give me much choice in what I could eat either but even she allowed me a piece of candy every now and then."
"Well, I don't really remember my mother; she died when I was really young so my father raised me alone. The very first sweet I had was a pastry given to me by a friend." *3*
"A friend?"
Guren smiled and Yuichiro thought she sensed a hint of sadness in her guardian's words when he spoke of this "friend" of his.
"Yeah… a childhood friend. She passed away a long time ago."
"Oh… I'm sorry," Yuichiro said, feeling a bit guilty that her gift had brought up painful memories for her guardian. Even though she was hardly more than a child herself, Yuichiro could still sense that the childhood friend Guren spoke of wasn't merely that and found herself feeling a little envious. Was it jealousy?
"Don't be, Yuichiro. You did not know her," Guren said simply, his cool demeanor returning as he took one of the chocolates from her candy box, popped it into his mouth, and found that Yuu was right: it was good.
"You're right. But I do know how it feels to lose someone you care about" the younger girl said quietly as her thoughts went back to Mika, Akane, and her other deceased brothers and sisters.
Guren looked at Yuichiro for a moment after he swallowed the chocolate piece. It seemed like he wasn't the only one haunted by ghosts from the past.
"Yes… I suppose you do" he said, his expression softening for a moment before hardening again. "But that's life. Shit happens and you learn to deal with it and move on."
Although her guardian tried to sound like his usual confident self, the girl could still tell that he wasn't totally convinced of his own words. But just this once, Yuichiro decided to humor Guren, if only as a way of making up for hiding her true sex from him for so long.
"Would you like another, sir?" Yuichiro asked as she tried her best to put on a cheerful expression.
"I appreciate the offer but I must decline, Yuu; it wouldn't look good for me to pig out while telling you not to. Just put the rest of the candy in the fridge."
"Ok, Guren. Well, if there's nothing else you need, I'll be going now," Yuichiro said as she closed the candy box and prepared to leave.
"Wait, Yuu."
"What is it?" the girl asked as she spun around, her bob swishing about her shoulders again as she did so. He didn't know why, but Guren liked his ward's hair longer like this. It made her look more graceful and feminine. Pretty too.
No sooner did he complete the thought, Guren heard a soft feminine laughter in the corner of his mind.
"Yuu is quite lovely, isn't she? I would've never figured you for a cradle snatcher, Guren."
"Shut up, demon. We aren't in that kind of relationship. Yuichiro is just a child."
"You keep telling yourself that, my love. Who are you really trying to convince?"
"I'm warning you, demon, knock it off…" Guren growled in his mind as he tried to keep his lips from moving as well as maintaining a calm expression on his face lest Yuichiro thought he was talking to himself or worst, to her.
"Tsk, fine. You're such a killjoy, Guren…" the female voice in his mind pouted but obeyed and ceased her teasing.
Relieved that his demon finally decided to shut her trap, the lieutenant colonel returned his attention to Yuichiro.
"I wanted to ask how you're feeling after your first training session with a real sword today."
"Oh, that?" Yuu said as she stretched her sword arm a bit. "To be honest, I'm still a bit sore because I'm not used to the weight yet."
"Well, that's to be expected. Just keep practicing the basic swings you learned with Sayuri when you were using a bokken. When you can swing a real sword just as comfortably as a wooden one, then I'll teach you how to fight with it. Make sure you keep up with your physical conditioning when training with Goshi too. That will also make a lot of difference."
Yuichiro nodded. "I understand sir. I will. Have a good night."
"One more thing, Yuu."
"Yes?"
"Thank you… for bringing me the candy. I really enjoyed it."
The girl blushed and smiled, secretly overjoyed that her guardian was accepting of her true self as well as no longer angry at her for keeping the truth from him. And even though it wasn't much, Yuichiro was glad that she was finally able to give Guren something in return for taking her into his home.
"You're welcome, Guren. Good night."
"Good night, Yuu. Sweet dreams."
And with that, Yuichiro nodded and ran out of her guardian's office, excited for the first time in years.
Footnotes:
1. In the official LNs and Manga art, Shinoa Hiragi is depicted as having gray or "ashen" colored hair. In the anime, her hair is purple which I think is more attractive than gray so I depict Shinoa with purple hair in my AU.
2. 5,000 Japanese yen is roughly the equivalent of $50 U.S dollars.
3. In canon, Guren was not allowed to have any sweets in his childhood. He bought a cake for Mahiru but they never got a chance to eat it when he was assaulted by thugs from the Hiragi clan. But in my AU, I had Mahiru give Guren a pastry when he was a young teen.
