A/N: Ok, fem!Yuu finally gets a lesson in real swimming while Guren gets a rather painful lesson on how to be a gentleman lol. I'd like to express my profound gratitude for those who have been following and reviewing my story on Fanfiction . Net and Archive of our Own for the last few months and I've decided to continue it into the main story but in a separate installment. The next chapter will be the last one before I start my version of the anime/manga timeline. Keep in mind that my fic is AU and there will be differences from canon; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I'd like to thank my beta reader and editor, ResidentialPsycho, for her help in making this fic possible.
Chapter 19: A Lesson in Swimming and Being a Gentleman
December 1, 2018
Yuichiro gulped nervously as she looked at the first swimming pool she had ever seen in her life. As a young child, Yuu had heard of swimming pools and seen them on TV and in pictures but never up close, let alone been in one. Her parents didn't have a swimming pool and would never allow her to go to a public one or the beach for that matter since swimming would require her to put on a bathing suit that could reveal her true sex to others.
"Yuichiro, what's wrong? The water is very warm and comfortable; my pool isn't a lake. It has temperature control as well as a shallow end where you can get accustomed to swimming before going to the deep end."
The girl was snapped out of her nervous thoughts when she heard her instructor, who was standing next to her in his swim trunks, speak up. As he had promised Guren, Shinya was taking the time to teach Yuichiro how to swim in addition to her sniping lessons. And as uneasy as she was, Yuichiro did not want to waste his valuable time, especially since he was spending more of it with her than he did previously.
"Oh, nothing!" Yuu stammered as she shyly tugged on her swimsuit, another thing she wasn't accustomed to wearing while trying not to let the older man see how nervous she was with the idea of swimming. Especially since her first experience with it had not been pleasant, to say the least. "It's just that I'm not using to being in a lot of water."
"I can tell," Shinya teased. "Guren told me what happened to you back at the falls. And I must say that you definitely had a close call. I know it's a bit soon but I agree with him that you should learn how to swim efficiently to prevent an accident like that from happening again. Not only will you safeguard your own life in deep water, but you may also save someone else's someday."
"Really? You think so?"
"You never know…" the older man said as he smiled and offered her his hand. "Don't worry, Yuichiro, I won't let anything happen to you. Please, trust me just as you would trust Guren."
"Umm…ok," Yuichiro said a bit less anxiously as she gave in and took the hand Shinya offered, allowing him to lead her to the shallow end of the swimming pool.
Though it was cold outside as it was the beginning of December, Shinya's swimming pool was built indoors which enabled it to be used comfortably year-round. Together, the pair walked down the steps until they were completely immersed in the water which Yuichiro found to her relief, was comfortably warm.
"Wow…" she exclaimed softly. "It's so warm, it actually feels like a huge bathtub."
"Yeah, that's an advantage of temperature control. When I'm not target practicing, swimming is my next favorite hobby. It helps me to relax, especially after a long, hard day" Shinya said as he squeezed Yuu's hand reassuringly.
"I didn't know you could swim well until Sayuri and Guren mentioned it. Normally, Goshi's supposed to teach me this kind of thing."
The white-haired man laughed. "Goshi? Oh, he's terrible! He has as much talent for swimming as a rock! Had I not helped him, he might have totally failed it in high school!" *1*
"And Guren?"
"He's been able to swim efficiently by the time he was four or five since was forced to learn by his trainers but he's not so fond of it as I am. Don't tell him I told you this, but Guren always had a strong dislike and fear of swimming yet he overcame it because his desire to save your life was greater, something I'm very grateful for and I'm sure you are too."
Knowing what the older man implied, Yuichiro nodded.
"Yeah, I am. He didn't look happy that he had to save me, though," she said grimly.
"Oh, come now, Guren might act the way he does but I can tell he was really concerned for you which was why he asked me to teach you how to swim in the first place. He knows he's not as good a swimmer as I am. And it's not easy for someone like him to admit his weaknesses."
"I suppose so…"
"Right. In any case, let's get started now, shall we?"
"Sure."
"Ok. Now since this your first time trying to swim properly, I'll show you the very basic 'dog paddle' that just about anyone can do. It's often the first swimming stroke used by people, especially young kids when they are learning how to swim. To start, all you need to do is stretch your arms in front of you, keeping your head above the water. Stretch your legs loosely out underneath you. You can keep your feet on the bottom of the pool until you start swimming. Remember to breathe deeply and relax."
"Yes, sir," Yuichiro said as she tried to follow Shinya's instructions to the best of her ability and found that dog paddling was actually pretty easy as well as comfortable.
"Yes, that's it! I knew you can do it. Now that you can dog paddle, try kicking with your legs as well. Here, I'll help you with that. Just hold on to me."
"How do you mean?" Yuu asked as she ceased her paddling.
"Simple, get in front of me and hook your arms to mine."
"Ok" Yuichiro said as she reached out for Shinya, making sure to hold onto to his outstretched forearms firmly.
And that was when the girl noticed that her new position gave her the same problem with Shinya that she had with Guren when he pulled her out of the lake and resuscitated her.
"Umm, Yuu?"
Feeling her face growing hot, Yuichiro slowly lifted her eyes from her instructor's bare chest (which was also very nicely muscled) to his face.
"Yes, sir?" she squeaked.
"My eyes are up here, you know," Shinya said with a playful grin.
Yuichiro swore that if her face and body grew any hotter, she might evaporate all the water out of the swimming pool.
Not wanting to embarrass the younger girl any further, Shinya stifled his laughter and ceased his teasing before changing the subject.
"Like I said before, try kicking with your legs up and down. If you can at least do this and dog paddle, it will increase your chances of survival drastically should you ever fall into another deep body of water again."
"I understand," the girl said as she tried moving her legs. Though it required a bit more effort than simply paddling with her arms, kicking her legs in the water was just as easy, making her wonder why she never thought to do either when she fell into the lake and sank.
"How does that feel?" Shinya asked gently.
"It's actually pretty easy, just as much as the dog paddle."
"Of course it is. If most four-legged animals can do it, there's no reason why we can't as well."
"I understand. It just never occurred to me when… you know…"
"Well, that's to be expected. You panicked because you've never been in such deep water before and when we freak out, we normally don't think as clearly on how to get ourselves out of difficult situations. Remember when I taught you to try and remain calm when reloading a gun in the middle of a battle so that you don't drop the clip or reload incorrectly?"
"Yes."
"Good. Because remaining calm in difficult or stressful situations is also essential to getting out of them. It can also determine the outcome of a battle just as much as any split-second decision."
"I understand… and thank you. For going out of your way to do this for me. I know I already use up enough of your time with my sniping lessons," Yuichiro said shyly as she averted her eyes from her instructor for a second before looking him in the face again.
As a sniper and long-distance fighter, Yuichiro noticed that Shinya had a slightly more delicate build than Guren, who specialized more in close-range combat, but was still well-fit as was expected of any soldier regardless of rank or ability. And by no means was the white-haired man weak or fragile. His arms were just as toned as any swordsmen, probably from constantly hefting that big, heavy gun of his.
Looking at Shinya and his rather exotic features of white hair and blue eyes, Yuichiro could not help thinking that if he could take on the form of an animal, it would be that of a majestic cat with snow-white fur and icy blue eyes. And not just any cat.
A tiger.
Why am I thinking this? She thought in bewilderment as she waited for the older man's response.
"You're welcome. And don't worry, it's no trouble; I'm always happy to help you and Guren out in any way I can," Shinya said reassuringly. "And to be honest, I do enjoy spending time with you too, Yuichiro."
The girl blinked. "You do?"
"Well of course, why wouldn't I? You might not have noticed, but you're a bright spot in this bleak world we live in today. Since Guren took you in, I've noticed that he's been smiling just a little more often. So has Shigure and that's really something because for as long as I've known her, I can count the times I've actually seen her crack a smile on just one hand."
"Oh, really? I guess I never noticed since I was exerting so much energy pretending to be a boy and then trying to make the transition to being a girl."
"That's why it's important to try and pay attention to your surroundings and the people around you a bit more every now and then," Shinya said gently. "By the way, how are you faring with being a girl? It's been a little more than a year since you started dressing like one, has it?"
"I'm…doing ok, I guess. Dressing the part was kind of awkward for a while but I think I'm used to it by now. I've also gotten much better putting on my own make-up and nail polish. Using perfume is a nice touch too."
"That's good to hear. Speaking of which…"
"Yes?" Yuichiro asked innocently. She didn't know why, but the girl swore she saw a bit of playful mischief in the older man's eyes as he spoke the question on his mind.
"I'm curious to know if you ever got around to trying that present I got you for your thirteenth birthday. You do remember, don't you?"
Yuichiro blushed again when she remembered the lacy satin nightgown that was still hanging in her closet. In all honesty, she had completely forgotten all about it until Shinya brought it up but didn't want to offend him by saying that so the girl merely shook her head and said:
"I do… I just don't think I could wear something like that around Guren's house, you know?"
"Well, I didn't mean it like that. I'm just saying you should try it on sometime, even if nobody sees. Wear it for yourself, if no one else. I'm sure it would be very comfortable to sleep in too."
"I guess…"
"Right. Anyway, since it looks like you've gotten the hang of the dog paddle and using your legs underwater, are you ok with going to a deeper part of the pool? I promise I'll be with you every step of the way."
Yuichiro smiled and nodded. "That's ok, I don't mind. As long as I'm not using up too much of your time, I'd like to swim for a bit longer."
"I'd love to. So let's continue, shall we?"
"Ok!"
Now that he was sure Yuichiro was at least comfortable in the water and confident enough to leave the shallow area, Shinya slowly led her to the middle of the pool where it was about five feet deep. Since the girl was almost five feet and three inches, the middle area was deep enough to give her more room to practice her swimming strokes yet shallow enough for her to put her feet down and keep her nose above the water if she needed. Plus he intended to stay by her side if she had any trouble or required assistance.
Contrary to what she thought her first official swimming lesson would be like, Yuichiro found that she actually did enjoy being in the water, at least when it was warmer and she was also being accompanied by someone she trusted.
"By the way, how do you like the swimsuit I got you?" Shinya suddenly asked.
Startled, Yuichiro looked down briefly at her snug one-piece swimsuit before answering.
"It's comfortable. Though it feels a bit different than anything else I've worn before."
"Really? I'm curious but have your parents ever taken you swimming before when you were little?"
"Like in a pool or at the beach?"
The older man shrugged his shoulders. "Anywhere."
"No… I wasn't allowed."
"Well, that doesn't surprise me. Especially if they didn't want anyone to find out you were a girl. I don't mean to put your parents down, Yuichiro, but I must say that they didn't do you any favors by keeping you holed up at home while trying to fool everyone into thinking you were a boy. What puzzles me is why you kept up the charade even after they passed away."
"I don't know…I guess I was so used to it and really didn't know any other way. My sister, Akane, did try to persuade me to grow out my hair and dress like a girl but I saw no point in it while we were living in the vampire city. There were only two choices of clothing for us anyway: either a male or female livestock uniform. And since we didn't have much else but water to clean our hair, I found it easier to keep mine clean when it was shorter."
"Understandable. If I were a girl living down there, I might have thought so too. So how are you faring with longer hair now?"
Yuichiro placed a hand on the braided bun on the back of her head as if to make sure it was secure before answering.
"I'm used to it already. I do have to take a bit more time to brush my hair now that it's longer but everyone thinks I look better with it, even Guren."
"I think so too. If there's anything I'd ever ask of you in return for teaching you how to shoot and swim is to keep your hair long. And keep dressing like a girl."
Yuichiro giggled. "I will."
Shinya smiled and laughed himself before he became serious again.
"I know it's not my place to ask but there's something I've been curious about."
"Yes?"
"Do you… hate your parents? For what they did to you? Forcing you to live a lie before finally trying to kill you? You don't have to answer if you don't want, I was just wondering, is all."
Yuichiro hesitated a moment before answering.
"No… if anything, I am disappointed in them. But I do not hate them. A part of me still misses them. What about your parents, Shinya?"
The older man sighed. "Honestly, I don't know. I was only five when my parents gave me up to the Hiragis, so I don't really remember them well. For years, I wanted to believe they did it for my benefit because they thought I would have a better life with such a rich and powerful family than I would with them. And in a way, I probably did. But it wasn't free or easy because my adoptive father controlled every aspect of my life. He was harsh and demanding, to put it mildly. Even my older 'brothers' were cold to me." *2*
Though Shinya tried his best to be as truthful as he could about his own parents and early life to Yuichiro, he purposely neglected to mention that his adoptive father, Tenri Hiragi, would not have thought twice about disposing of him if he was unable to meet the man's expectations to become his eldest daughter, Mahiru Hiragi's, fiancé. The younger girl didn't need to know that sordid detail to understand his point.
"Oh… that must have been hard," Yuichiro said.
"Indeed. So in a way, I can kind of relate to what you've been through, spending your entire life trying to live up to the impossible expectations of your parents, even when they're no longer around. But unlike me, you don't have to do that anymore, Yuichiro. Find something else to live for, something worthwhile."
The girl frowned as she lowered her eyes slightly and stopped moving her legs, allowing Shinya to hold her up in the water.
"I don't know if there's much else I can live for," Yuichiro confessed. "When I was still living with Mika, Akane, and the others, I held on to the hope that I could go to America and see it with my own eyes. Mika and I talked about seeing it together but as the years went by, my hopes became faded and I felt that we may never be able to leave Sanguinem. However, my brother refused to just accept our fate and came up with an outrageous plan to get us out of Sanguinem. But unfortunately, it worked only for me. Even though I'm glad to be back on the surface, there are times I feel like the price of my freedom was too high, especially since I'm not even the one who worked so hard for it like Mika."
"I know what you mean, Yuichiro. If history has taught us anything, it's that the price of freedom is never cheap. For humanity to be free of the vampires, a lot of sacrifices must be made. Do you still want to join the Demon Army knowing that you would be expected to give up your life if necessary for good of humanity? Could you die if you were ordered to? These are questions every soldier must consider and it's still not too late for you to back down if you are unsure. No one would blame you, especially after what you've already been through."
As if trying to make his point, Shinya gently ran his hand down the part of Yuichiro's back that was not covered by her swimsuit, over the five scars stretching from her upper right shoulder to her left lower back.
The mark of Ferid Bathory's talons.
Yuichiro shook her head even as she felt goosebumps rise on her skin at the older man's warning which came in the form of a chaste and gentle touch. Even though her injury had long healed and she couldn't even see them without a mirror, Yuichiro still had not forgotten they were there. After all, Ferid's talons had cut too deeply into her body not to leave some kind of mark but it wasn't anything she couldn't live with.
"No, I want to do this," Yuichiro insisted. "For Mika and the others. And if I live long enough to avenge them, I still want to see America for them too. I know it's what my brother would have wanted."
"I understand. If you are certain that this is what you want, I'll do everything I can to help you get into the army, especially since you've already put a great deal of effort into your training."
"Thank you… I really appreciate it."
"You're welcome, Yuu. You've got the determination as well as the ability to succeed. I can tell that your swimming has improved drastically even though this is only your first lesson. If you're tired, would you like to call it a day?"
"I'm not really that tired. But I guess we should stop because Sayuri will be expecting me home to help out with dinner soon. Would you like to join us, Shinya? I'm pretty sure Guren wouldn't mind."
"Oh, I'd love to!" the older man answered with a wink as his light-hearted demeanor returned. "And don't worry, I don't eat anywhere near as much as Goshi so you don't have to make that much more food for me. Just don't tell him I said that ok?"
Yuichiro giggled as she allowed her instructor to lead her out of the pool.
"Yes, I promise."
SSSSSS
Whew, my first swimming lesson went better than I thought… Yuichiro told herself silently as she took a small bottle of shampoo from the rack on her showerhead and squeezed some into her hand before rubbing it into her scalp and long black tresses.
After Shinya took her home, Yuichiro had to assist Sayuri with dinner right away while he helped to set the table. And although the water in her instructor's swimming pool felt just as warm and clean as the water she bathed in, Yuichiro still had to take a proper shower after dinner because the chlorine made her skin itch. And it was about time to wash her hair anyway which she did twice a week.
After rinsing out the shampoo, Yuichiro put on the hair conditioner immediately. As she gently massaged the creamy substance into her long raven tresses, her fingers accidentally brushed over one of the scars on her back which made her thoughts return to the conversation between Shinya and herself earlier that day.
Although the older man told Yuichiro that no one would blame her if she chose not to join the Demon Army because of the dangers involved, Yuichiro still had no plans of backing down. So far, she had stared death in the face at least three times: the first when she was stabbed in the back by her father, the second when she managed to shoot Ferid Bathory and escape Sanguinem, and the third when Guren saved her from drowning.
At times, Yuichiro felt that she was long past fearing death and believed that ridding the world of vampires was the least she could do for her lost orphanage brothers and sisters. And if she could not rid the world of all the vampires, she would do everything she could to rid it of Ferid in particular.
While waiting for the conditioner to soften her hair, Yuichiro took a razor and made sure to shave off the annoying short hairs that were starting to grow on her legs again. Shaving and tweezing was another thing Yuichiro started doing when she began living as a girl as well. Shigure got her started by telling her that women (and girls) should take care to keep themselves free of any unbecoming bodily hair. Which Yuichiro thought was strange since it was perfectly acceptable for men to be hairy. Still, the girl obeyed until it became a habit for her.
Once she rinsed out the hair conditioner, Yuichiro soaped herself to clean off the chlorine from the swimming pool when a thought slowly came to her. Touching her lips, Yuichiro's mind wandered back to when she found herself sinking into the lake after she fell off the waterfall ledge. Although she had fallen unconscious from lack of oxygen, Yuichiro vaguely remembered the feel of someone's lips on hers as she was being drawn back from the brink of death. It may not have been a kiss of a romantic nature but Yuichiro treasured it nonetheless, not only because it saved her life, but also because it came from someone special to her, even though her feelings for him was uncertain.
What am I thinking? Yuu thought as she placed both hands her face and slapped her own cheeks lightly. Guren was just trying to save me. I'm only a child to him, nothing more.
Wanting something to get her mind off her own confusing and awkward thoughts, Yuichiro quickly rinsed herself off and stepped out of the shower before putting on a bathrobe and squeezing the water out of her hair. She didn't feel like blow drying her long tresses tonight, so Yuichiro merely combed them after getting rid of the excess water. Once she left her bathroom, the girl made her way to the closet on the other side of her room.
"Let's see now, where is it?" Yuichiro asked herself as she fumbled through her closet in search for the short nightgown Shinya had given her for her thirteenth birthday and found it tucked in the far right corner hidden by some of the other dresses she only wore on special occasions. When she pulled it out, Yuichiro saw that it still had its tags attached. Which was to be expected since she never even took it out until now, let alone wore it.
After cutting the tag off the nightgown as well as the plastic string attaching the panty to it, Yuichiro removed the robe she had worn after getting out of the shower and put both gown and panty on before looking at herself in the mirror. Being a scarlet red with black laces, the exotic sleepwear complimented her green eyes rather nicely. She knew it wasn't cheap; Victoria's Secret was undoubtedly an expensive western brand of women's undergarments and Yuichiro could not help but wonder how Shinya was able to get such a piece.
Now that she could see how revealing the nightgown looked on her, Yuichiro blushed even though she knew there was no one here to see her embarrassment as she turned this way and that in front of the mirror. Although the top part was still a bit loose, Yuichiro was pretty sure her breasts would fill it in one day since she was still a growing girl. And Shinya was right; it was rather comfortable and maybe she should try sleeping in it.
Yawning, Yuichiro was about to turn off the lamp on her night table before going to bed when she suddenly heard Guren's voice calling to her from outside her bedroom door.
"Hey, Yuichiro, are you awake? How did your swimming lesson go?"
Before the girl could answer, she heard the sound of her door being opened and spun around to see Guren standing in the doorway, his hand still on the knob as he gave her the same wide-eyed stare she gave him when she first saw him shirtless back at the waterfall grounds. Only then did Yuichiro realize that she had completely forgotten to lock her door and found her face growing even hotter in embarrassment as well as anger that her guardian did not even bother to knock before entering.
Too late did Guren realize his blunder and was so stunned to see Yuichiro wearing a familiar lingerie piece that he remembered all too well, even after a year of not seeing it, that he did not think to apologize and close the door before he felt the blunt force of a shoe hitting him square in the face accompanied by an enraged shriek.
"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?! ARE YOU CRAZY?!"
SSSSSS
December 2, 2018
It was quite rare that someone like Guren Ichinose went to work earlier than he had to since he was rather fond of sleep considering how exhausting his job could be at times. But after the unfortunate misunderstanding with his young ward the previous evening, Guren got up before the rest of his household and left after having just a simple piece of toast for breakfast. His forehead still smarted from Yuichiro's attack because Mahiru-no-Yo decided to prank him by not healing it right away on purpose. So he preferred to avoid answering some awkward and uncomfortable questions should Sayuri and Shigure take notice of the swelling shoe print that was located right between his eyes. *3*
Because Guren knew that the two women, however loyal they were to him, would likely still agree that it was rather discourteous of him to enter Yuichiro's bedroom without knocking first, even if he was the master of the house. He was fortunate that both Sayuri and Shigure were out paying Mito a visit to return some things they borrowed from her so they knew nothing of what happened between him and Yuu.
The first half of Guren's workday went by without incident. The lower-ranking soldiers and officers still saluted him as usual when they saw him walk by them in the hallways and courtyard. Though nobody made any mention of his rather unbecoming injury out of respect for him as a superior officer, Guren could have sworn many of them looked like they were struggling to contain their laughter. Even Kureto gave him a smirk while Seishiro gave a rude snicker though neither asked what happened.
If he hadn't already promised Shinya and Goshi that he would meet them for lunch, Guren would have spent it alone in his office to avoid going to the mess hall of the JIDA headquarters where he was sure to be noticed by even more people.
As he slowly walked towards Shinya's office where he was certain his best friend as well as Goshi were waiting for him, Guren made a rather desperate attempt to cover a part of his face by pulling his hair down over his forehead and temples the way Shinya often did with his hair. And maybe, just maybe, if he acted like his usual calm and confident self, his two friends might not notice that he had a sole print of a shoe the size of an egg right between his eyes.
Just keep it cool… Guren thought calmly as he took a deep breath before knocking on the door to Shinya's office.
"Come in!" he heard his friend call from the other side.
After hesitating for a moment, Guren finally turned the knob and went inside where he saw Shinya and Goshi standing in front of Shinya's desk, looking as if they had been having a conversation before he walked in.
As soon as he saw Guren, Goshi raised a brow.
"What happened to your face, sir?" the blond man asked curiously as he lowered his pipe and stared at his friend in bewilderment.
Guren gritted his teeth. So much for keeping it cool! He thought in frustration.
At Goshi's sudden question, Shinya also turned from where he was half-sitting on the edge of his desk with his arms crossed and saw his less-than-happy best friend with his bangs pulled over his forehead as if he were desperately trying to hide something.
At first, Guren considered making up some excuse for how he got the minor, though embarrassing injury, but then thought better of it. He knew that both Shinya and Goshi knew him a little too well by now to believe any bullshit story he could offer. So he chose to remain silent.
For a moment, Shinya said nothing and blinked before his sharp eyes caught sight of a woman's shoe print, even behind Guren's jet-black strands, and his face broke into a mischievous grin.
He could even tell what size the shoe was just by looking at the print. It was a size six.
Yuichiro's size.
"You know, Guren… it's not very gentlemanly to walk in on a lady without knocking…" the major general teased as he wagged his eyebrows.
At first, Goshi did not understand what Shinya meant but after taking another look at Guren's face, comprehension slowly dawned on him.
"Oh."
Utterly humiliated that he had been found out so quickly, Guren silently cursed Shinya and his uncanny way of knowing everything. It was bad enough that the bastard was able to discern Yuichiro's true sex in one glance while it took him an entire year and now this.
But the proud lieutenant colonel wasn't going to give his best friend the satisfaction of knowing he was absolutely right, not if he could help it.
And so, trying his best to keep a neutral and indifferent expression on his face, Guren slowly turned around, making sure his back was completely to his two friends before saying:
"I think I'll be having lunch alone in my office today."
And without another word, Guren Ichinose calmly walked out of the office while trying his best to hold on to what was left of his pride.
After Guren had left, Shinya and Goshi turned and looked at each other briefly in silence before both men doubled over, howling with laughter.
Footnotes:
1. Although it's likely that real life soldiers are required to learn how to swim efficiently in case they might find themselves fighting near deep water, Guren and his squad might not have taken swimming in high school since their school was closed for a considerable amount of time a year prior to the apocalypse. The squad might have learned as a part of their Demon Army training since they spent most of their time fighting real battles out in the field. But I've decided to change it a bit for my AU.
2. Since Shinoa never met her father, Tenri Hiragi, growing up, Shinya might not have either but I changed it to at least a few times for my AU. He did not really have a good relationship with anyone from his adopted family except for Shinoa. Though they are not actually blood-related, Shinya and Shinoa seem more alike than any of the other Hiragis and both have the same fun-loving, sassy personality like they were real siblings.
3. Normally, soldiers with demon contractors heal from injuries quickly, almost right after sustaining them. But for the last part of my chapter to work, I've decided to have Mahiru-no-Yo not heal the shoe print on Guren's face right away as a prank lol.
