Chapter 21:

"Are you alright, Yakumo?"

Yakumo quickly glanced at the tea she was making to double-check that she had remembered to switch the kettle on this time. "It's okay, Sarah," she answered. "I'm fine."

"Well, you have four cups there so I don't know who'll be using the other one."

Yakumo sighed. Sarah was always able to see through into her troubled mind even this early in the morning. Was she that easy to figure out? She took the traitorous cup and put it back on the cup shelf.

"You don't always have to wait up whenever he's out, you know? He'll always come back." Sarah said. Yup. Sarah had also known about that all along even if Yakumo hadn't left her room at all.

"I suppose. I just can't help myself."

"I think that's what's adorable about you: you keep worrying too much. Like a wife for her husband." Sarah said with a smile.

Indeed. Especially if a ghost girl kept pestering her.

"In turn, it makes me worried about you. Seriously, if Akira sees you messing around preparing tea, she would probably kick you out of the Tea club."

"Really?" Yakumo said in surprise.

Sarah laughed. "It's just a joke, Yakumo! I'm sure she'll preach about clearing your mind and such. You know how Akira is."

Harima walked inside the kitchen during the conversation and sat on a chair. The two girls abruptly ended their talk.

"Did I interrupt something?" Harima asked. "If I did, I can, uh, come back later."

"It's okay, Harima." Sarah answered. "We're just talking about the Tea Club is all. Aaaaand…" Yakumo and Harima waited for Sarah to finish.

"About you joining the Tea Club." Sarah quickly declared. Yakumo was surprised because that's not what they were talking about earlier.

"Joining the Tea Club? Isn't that for girls only?" Harima asked.

"Well, yeah, but, we can make an exception! I don't think Miss Osakabe will refuse since she's your cousin!"

Harima crossed his arms, still not convinced. "She'll probably torture me like making me drink extremely spicy tea or something with laxatives as a welcome ceremony. No. Not probably. She would definitely do it."

"That's mean! The Tea Club won't do that!"

"S-Sarah." Yakumo said, hoping to remind her that Akira did exactly that with Hanai.

"And besides," continued Harima. "If that four-eyed weirdo hears that I got in, he will do everything he can to be included too. That will just stress Imouto-san out so I think it's better if I don't join in the first place." There it was. His protective nature where he put Yakumo first before doing anything. He was always sidestepping Sarah's bait but that made him all the more credible.

"You're probably right." Sarah conceded. "Anyway, tea?"

"Thanks." Harima took the cup Sarah offered and took a sip. "Imouto-san, you make a great tea, you know that?"

"Uh, thank you?" Yakumo replied, quite unsure. "How did you know I made that tea and not Sarah?" She was sure Harima didn't see her preparing it.

"I noticed that Sarah likes to prepare her tea using honey or sugar. You, on the other hand, likes flavors that are somewhat pungent and aromatic like cinnamon or black pepper. This is chai without sugar or honey and it has a bit of pepper in it, so I assumed you made it. So, if you two made the same tea, say a green tea, I'd just figure that if it was sweet enough, it was Sarah's. If it wasn't, then it was yours Imouto-san."

Amazing. Sarah and Yakumo were both speechless. They were sure that Akira made it all up back then. If Akira was here, she would commend Harima and welcome him to the Tea Club on the spot.

This was also a trait that was very rare in a boy if Sarah was concerned. Who the heck was this man? Yakumo was probably crushing on him even more now.

Harima looked at the two back and forth. "What? I've been living with you two for some time now so it's not that strange."

It is strange, Yakumo thought.

"The taste of the tea mirrors its maker's heart." Akira's words echoed back in Yakumo's mind.

Funny. Through tea, Harima could see her heart but she still couldn't read his mind.

"You're saying I like to make tea sweet?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah. That's what I said."

"So, you're implying I'm fat?!"

"Wait, what!" Harima recoiled. "I didn't say that!"

"Yakumo! Don't give him any breakfast this morning! He just insulted a girl for being fat!"

"Hold on there. How did that even make sense?"

Sarah glared at Harima. "I try to limit my sugar intake these days and you just said I make tea sweet regardless. Sugar makes you fat so you're accusing me of being fat."

"You know what? It's not even worth it." Harima said, dropping the subject like a stone in water. He looked towards Yakumo and continued. "Imouto-san, I'm going to deliver the manuscript to the publisher. Do you want to add anything before I submit it?"

"Not really," Yakumo answered. "I reviewed it again yesterday and I'm fairly satisfied with the chapter."

"Do you have any problems in the café? Anyone harassing you?"

"Not that I know of."

"Since you're so observant, you should work in the café too. Then you can know who's going to be fat." Sarah added.

"Sarah, don't you have work at a restaurant?" Harima asked as calmly as possible. Sarah ignored him and buttered a slice of toast as smugly as she could. The three began their breakfast and Yakumo was a bit unsure if there was a heavy cloud between Sarah and Harima. But knowing them, it wasn't something that would threaten their friendship.

More like a sibling quarrel than anything else.

The three finished their breakfast. Harima was about to take the plates to be washed when Sarah stopped him.

"It's okay, Harima. I'll do it." the nun said.

"You're not mad anymore?"

"I still am." Sarah answered but rather cheerily. "To make it up to me, drive Yakumo to the café since you two are already dressed."

"It's okay Sarah." Yakumo said. "It's not that far."

"He's going to pick you up later at the end of your shift so why not drive you there too?"

"At least you made some sense this time, Sarah." Harima remarked.

"It's not prudent to tease someone who is holding a fork in their hand."

"I'll be waiting outside when you're ready, Imouto-san." Harima said and he walked out of the kitchen. Yakumo followed suit but not before seeing Sarah smiling in her direction.

x-x-x

The drive to work was the same as going home from work. The only difference was Yakumo wasn't yet dead tired and sleepy. So instead, she had time to enjoy the ride and recall what happened earlier.

Thinking back to when she was preparing breakfast, Sarah was right when she said that there was something troubling her mind.

"The reason you won't confess is that you're not sure."

Was that really the reason stopping her?

No matter how she looked at it, it would always lead her back to the fact that she still can't read his mind yet.

Maybe if she confessed, she would have a chance to read his mind?

It was likely he'd closed it all the more to avoid hurting her with his rejection and risk affecting all they had done so far with painful awkwardness.

Yakumo tightened her grip around Harima. In this small way, she could imagine hugging him even if it was one-sided.

It was comforting and saddening at the same time.

x-x-x

Harima dropped off Yakumo in the alleyway where they also met to pick her up.

"Thank you, Harima." Yakumo said handing Harima her helmet. "I think I'm asking too much of you."

"It was Sarah who asked so no problem." Harima replied. "She's right though. I should drive you to work too, not just driving you home. I can go straight to the publisher after this so it wasn't a bother."

"Okay. Have a safe drive, Harima." Yakumo bowed and turned around.

"Imouto-san?"

"Yes?"

"Remember when you prepared a different meal for me during that shrimp party a while back? I haven't properly thanked you for that. So, thanks. It saved me a whole lot of embarrassment. To be fair, it still tasted good."

Yakumo smiled. "It's okay. Don't mention it."

"There it is. You're smiling again. You didn't smile when I and Sarah were bickering earlier so I asked if you were okay."

"I am now, Harima. Really. Thank you."

"Alright then. Send me a text later and I'll come to pick you up. Take care, Imouto-san." Harima revved up the engine and he drove off.

Yakumo entered the café without the usual worry of the start of her shift.

x-x-x

Harima was once again alone in the house. His editor was now starting to like the manga more and more with each passing chapter. It was the only thing he was eagerly waiting for that day, he said. He remarked that this might win them an award someday but Harima downplayed it, saying he had a very helpful assistant and without her, the story wouldn't be anywhere near as good. The man simply laughed and said that he somewhat envied Harima having someone like her by his side. Harima left, not wanting to catch Mr. Gotou wandering around the building and scaring his pants off.

Yep. He was lucky to have Yakumo.

When he arrived home, Sarah had left for work. Good thing that Yakumo always made sure that he and Sarah had spare keys; unlike a certain someone who would leave him locked out to fend for himself in winter.

Harima did the usual chores that he was so accustomed to doing. A particular set of figurines on shelves caught his eye. He approached the Hina dolls to dust them off one by one.

It's really like the Tsukamoto's to have these things around.

When he reached the top shelf, he grabbed the princess figurine to clean it but then stared at it for too long.

This looks like…

Harima took a deep breath and continued to dust it off. He was about to return it when he hesitated.

She's not around here anymore, right? That means…

Harima took another familiar-looking doll from the lower shelves and placed it atop instead, switching their spots.

Yakumo should be on the top this time. It suits her best.

He moved to clean the prince figurine next but was surprised to find it didn't have a head.

I think there are some spare parts for these kinds of figurines. Harima searched for a drawer in the shelves and managed to find one at the back. He took a head part that he thought would replace the missing piece. It was quite dirty as if someone had stepped on it but it was still intact. He cleaned it as best he could and placed it on the figurine.

That's better, Harima thought. Well, on to the next task.

Harima swept the floor, fed his pets without any ruckus, and then ate lunch while watching a recorded episode of Three For the Kill. He hadn't asked Yakumo to record it for him but there it was with a note saying it was last night's episode.

He would have to thank her again, and again, and again.

What would he do without her.

Harima took a quick rest and then moved on to his next objective. His motorcycle needed cleaning and maintenance. It was perhaps his most prized possession. Well, it was Itoko's but she had pretty much given it to him by now with how much he used it. It represented his freedom and it would take him anywhere he wanted without complaints.

It was rather silly but men have a sort of bond with their rides that women could not understand. Hey, it didn't ask for anything more than petrol so maybe that was why.

Harima took some time to finish cleaning it all up, polishing it to a mirror sheen that would be the envy of boys everywhere.

After that was done, he went to inspect the small garden in a corner of the property. It didn't resemble much of anything and it consisted of more rocks than plants. Bamboo shoots and a few shrubs were slowly growing. The thing that stood out the most was Yakumo's bonsai. It had its own pedestal, making it the centerpiece of the budding garden. If he could make it work, Harima was thinking of adding a small fountain or pond. There was a trick to it to make the water flow constantly and not stay stagnant. Also, they could spread the garden out instead of having it just in a corner, with stepping stones and Japanese stone lanterns around the house.

One thing at a time.

Harima walked towards the hose to water the plants when he spotted someone standing at the front gate. He was actually expecting it by now.

"Good afternoon." Harima said. "You can come inside since I'll be watering the plants where you are. Don't want you getting wet." The young girl walked inside without speaking and sat on the veranda.

"You have a habit of leaving without notice, huh?" Harima asked.

"…They might know I'm here."

"I don't think Sarah would mind if she saw you." Ya'mo grunted silently. "But whatever floats your boat. I think I can sympathize with you on that one. I've been in many situations where getting caught was the last thing I'd ever want."

"Is that so."

Harima waited for her to continue but it looked like she was the type of girl who doesn't talk unless talked to. "So, what are your hobbies?" he asked.

"I like to… observe."

"Observe? Like sightseeing?"

"You could say that." Few seconds passed and more silence.

This is going nowhere, Harima thought. I'm not that very good with kids, unlike Yakumo and Sarah. Okay. I got an idea.

"Since you like to observe, why not take a look at my manga?" Ya'mo slightly tilted her head. "I have to water the plants so I can't entertain you right now."

"Okay."

"Great. Be right back."

Harima returned with the last week's issue. "Here," he said, handing the manga to the young girl. "You might be missing some parts here and there but at least you got something to do while I'm watering the plants."

The young girl took the manga and started reading it. Seeing her occupied, Harima went to his chore.

This feels very familiar, Harima thought but let it slide.

x-x-x

Snowman. A very simple snow construct that was very easy to build. Sticks for arms and stones for eyes and layers of rounded snow for a body.

This all changed in Hario's eyes when he found himself fighting a sudden horde of snowmen from seemingly out of nowhere. Even if they were hacked into pieces, they would simply recreate themselves and continue to fight as if nothing had happened.

Hario had been looking around the forest to find who was responsible for this untimely winter when the snowmen suddenly attacked. It would have been all fine and dandy if they were only made of snow, but with sharp icicles for swords and thorns for flailing arms, the situation had drastically changed.

"They're just tiring me out." Hario muttered to himself. Being toyed with wasn't fun at all even if he was a capable swordsman. He knew this was a form of magic that may be Ya'mo knew how to dispel. Another thing he knew was that the spell had a source so if he stopped it, this weird snowman army would dissolve along with this winter.

Hario slashed a snowman in half for the umpteenth time and began running away in the other direction.

"I need to back out for now." The word "retreat" wasn't very appealing to him but he did know that discretion was the better part of valor, a very important part if it got him through this situation.

To his surprise, a cold draft rapidly passed by and snow began to swirl in front of him.

"To think that we would meet again, foolish knight." A voice said coming from the flurry.

"Am I hearing things?" Hario asked.

"Still annoying I see." The swirling snow stopped and it revealed a woman with long white hair wearing an icy blue gown accentuated by icicles on the shoulders and the waist. Her face had an eerie beauty to it despite how ghastly pale she was. Sunken cheeks, blue irises, and black lips that curved in a manic grin.

"Perhaps you remember a certain someone you've humiliated before." The woman said.

"No idea who you are." Hario quickly answered.

"No need to play the fool, knight." The woman spat. "I was disgraced in front of the Dark Lord because of what you did to me. They discarded me like waste to be thrown out. But now, how the tables have turned. A withering flower transformed into a beautifully eternal rose."

"You talk a lot so that means you're a witch." Hario said.

"An Ice Queen now, no longer bound by the land for I sustain myself by taking life away. How fitting to meet again now since, as they say, revenge is best served cold. I'll enjoy seeing you freeze to death!"

Hario ran away slashing any snowmen in his path, the maniacal laughter of the woman echoing around him. Once out of the forest at last, Hario turned around and didn't see any snowmen following him.

So, they have a limit on how far they can go.

Hario returned to the village with a heavy heart. He was sure that he could end the enchanted winter by himself. The villagers welcomed him and he apologized for not solving their problems yet.

"Not all things are solved quickly, young man." The elder said to him. "We're glad you got back safe. That's enough for us."

"Speaking of safe, how about Ya'mo? Is she alright?"

"Yes she is. She's in her room."

"Thanks. I'll go check up on her then."

Hario went to Ya'mo's room. She was asleep and yet she was sitting on a chair beside the bed. Her hat was on the desk and her staff leaning against a wall. To check if she still had a fever, he reached his hand towards her forehead when Ya'mo quickly grabbed it, tripped his leg and tried to slam him to the ground.

What the?!

The knight wrapped his arm around Ya'mo out of reflex and moved his body to shift his balance. The two fell to the side and landed on top of the bed, the mage lying on top of the knight, his arm wrapped around her.

"Did something happen?" the elder asked, opening the door.

Hario quickly turned his head towards the door and realized he was in a rather compromising position.

"I apologize. I should have knocked first." The elder quickly said. "But, I advise you to lock the door first before doing such an activity."

"No, wait –"

The door closed.

Hario slumped his head back. Great.

Miraculously, Ya'mo was still asleep after all that. In this close proximity, Hario could feel Ya'mo wasn't hot with a fever anymore. A slight fever but not that serious.

It was a complete surprise that Ya'mo could still do that while being sick.

Since Ya'mo was still asleep on top of him, Hario gently and carefully scooted himself out of the bed. Finally, he was out of that predicament without Ya'mo fighting back again. She was sleeping soundly on the bed now while Hario stood bewildered, wondering what just happened.

I really should not bother her whenever she's asleep.

Hario sat on the chair. He was tired himself from all the fighting and running he had done. And soon enough he drifted off to sleep.

x-x-x

Ya'mo slowly woke up in a daze. It wasn't a head-breaking one like last time and she sat up. Looking around, she remembered that she had sat on the chair after she couldn't sleep when Hario and some villagers left the room.

And that elder mistaking him as her boyfriend.

She had tried to cast a spell that would warm up the whole house. It was the least she could do. However, she ended up pushing herself too hard and she fell asleep instead.

Ya'mo was about to get up when the door opened and Hario walked in holding a tray of food.

"Oh, you're awake." The knight said, putting the tray on the desk. "You feeling better?"

"Yes, thank you," the mage answered. "I'm sorry if I passed out yesterday."

"It's okay, Ya'mo. At least you're okay now. But, why didn't you say that you were feeling sick?"

Ya'mo didn't answer and only looked down. She wasn't used to being around people and tried not to bother them if she could help it.

"I won't force you if you don't want to answer." Hario said. "You once healed my wounds so let me repay you by taking care of you while you're sick."

"No, you don't need to –"

"Did you ask me permission to heal my wounds? I think not."

"…I guess."

"Here's the food. Do you need me to feed you?

"No!" Ya'mo looked away. "I – I can do it by myself."

Hario put the tray down next to the bed. There was a bowl of warm soup, a small loaf of bread, a cup of water and an apple. Despite the extreme weather, the villagers were still able to come up with something like this to give her. Ya'mo wasn't accustomed to receiving the generosity of strangers because of her wary behavior.

After eating her breakfast, Ya'mo asked, "What happened on your search yesterday?"

"Oh right. That." Hario leaned back on his seat. "The old man was right. There's another witch prowling around here. Said she knew me back then. I think she's the witch of the flower or something."

"The Rose Witch." Ya'mo corrected.

"Yeah! Wait, how did you know that?"

"She was a former member of the Elites of the Dark Lord. Everyone has heard of her."

"Oh yeah, I remember her now."

"If I recall correctly, she has the power over flowers and plants. Then why did you meet her here where it's cold?"

"Well, turns out she isn't all that Miss Sunshine after I beat her. She's the "Ice Queen" now, the one who takes delight in taking power from others. I bet my money that she's the one who caused this winter."

"You're the one who defeated her before?"

"Yeah. A bit tricky, though."

"You managed to wield the Spirit Sword?"

"What? No." Ya'mo was even more baffled.

"How could you defeat her without harming her with the Spirit Sword?"

"I didn't harm or kill her. She boasted that she got her powers from an evergreen rose garden. No matter how many times I attacked her and the garden, they would just regenerate in seconds. So, on the next round, I dosed the flowers with oil and burned them. They would regenerate but it would just add fuel to the fire. She wasn't very pleased about that and tried everything to douse it. It was too late and soon the fire raged all around her and she was unable to fight anymore. She even turned into an old hag."

Ya'mo put a hand on her chin. "Evergreen spell. It's a symbiotic two-way spell. If one party becomes damaged, it transfers energy to them from the other. The Rose Witch couldn't be hurt by normal means because she took power from her garden. But the fire damaged the garden and caused it to regenerate over and over. So the spell took power from the witch and thus weakened her instead."

"Yeah. What you said." Hario said.

"This time she made the spell one-way. She's taking the land's energy as her own by generating this winter. She's killing the land and all its inhabitants to gather their energy."

"Is that why you got sick, Ya'mo? She took some energy from you?"

"I don't think so. My robe prevents some magic from harming me."

"Woah. So, you do have a reason for wearing that."

"Of course."

"Okay. Can you pull a rabbit from your hat?"

"What? No! It has its own –"

"I'm just joking, Ya'mo. No need to get so worked up." Ya'mo sighed. She definitely wasn't used to this but for some reason, she was smiling slightly.

Hario stood up. "I think we've talked enough for now. You should be resting. I'll come to visit from time to time to check up on you. Our stay here isn't free, you know, so I got to give my share to the villagers. Help them with some labor work perhaps." He took the tray and walked towards the door. "And you're right. I can't do this by myself. We'll solve this together when you're feeling well. See you later, Ya'mo."

Ya'mo watched the knight leave. She lay back on the bed, her lips curving into a smile.

x-x-x

Harima finished watering the plants around the perimeter of the house. Considering it was a huge house by Japanese standards, it took him a while to finish it. He returned the lengthy hose to its proper place and went back to the veranda.

The girl was gone.

She left again without telling me.

Harima grabbed the manga from the wooden floor.

Did she not like it? I'd better ask her next time. Next week probably.

His cellphone rang from his pocket. He took it out and saw a message from Yakumo.

Imouto-san. I better pick her up now. Good thing the girl is gone. I couldn't just leave her here.

Harima drove to the café and parked in the alleyway where Yakumo was waiting.

"How was work?" Harima asked.

"It was fine. Hanai was here and he was even waiting for me to end my shift."

"Do you want me to beat him up?"

"No. The café has a secret backdoor that leads to this alley so he won't know I'm long gone."

"That's kinda harsh."

"The manager said that if someone harasses me, he'll ban that person from entering. I don't want Hanai to get banned from this café so I just –"

"Always the diplomatic one, Imouto-san. Hop on. Let's go home." Yakumo sat behind Harima and wrapped her arms around him.

"Just don't go sleeping on the drive home this time." Harima added. He felt Yakumo nod a few times and the two drove off.

Tomorrow was a rest day, a day where they could spend some time together, not just when riding a motorcycle.

Author's Corner: Phew! I got this story updated earlier than it should be! I have finished my other story so I'm now focused on this story in the meantime. Also, a HUGE SHOUTOUT to sumodog who has offered their lovely services to edit this mess of a story! Perhaps that's how I got to post this early. Editing 21 chapters full of errors is no joke so that's why I really appreciate their involvement. :D

To clarify some things, the Hina dolls that Harima cleaned are seven-tiered Japanese dolls arranged in some order. If you don't want my word for it, just search "Hinamatsuri" on Google for visual reference. There really are dolls that look like Tenma and Yakumo (and Harima and Eri) in the manga, check out Volume 17 Chapter 206 titled "A Letter to Three Wives." It would complete the whole picture. Coincidentally, the shrimp party Harima was talking about in the previous chapter titled "Alien" (yup, Harima really hates shrimp).

Again, thanks to sumodog (it makes me think of a dog wearing a sumo wrestler outfit XD). I say it again for the umpteenth time, this story HAS AN ACTUAL ENDING. Heck, even Harima's manga has one too despite it being a dreaded filler. Patience, young padawan.

So, reviews are greatly appreciated and see you in the next chapter! Ciao!