Mirai had no idea he was going to surprise her from behind. When her eyes caught a glimpse of greenish energy she spun around almost removing the bandage from her right hand. Instead she blinked in surprise into the eyes of Akihito. Almost embarrassed by her mistake she looked closer at the young man.
His dark brown eyes were gleaming with excitement.
On a quick look Akihito seemed perfectly normal. His outward appearance was blatantly human and it was so average looking that he raised no initial suspicion.
But if a Spirit World Warrior looked at him closely they could see a slight greenish light around his head and shoulders. It was very faint but Mirai had noticed that certain moods effected the half-youmu's aura. Like now, he was excited because school was over for the day and the two were going to go out for dinner. His enthusiasm showed in the energy he exuded. It was brighter and more apparent. The green aura glowed around him enough to catch her eyes.
On the other hand when he was sad or serious there was almost no glow to the energy surrounding him. It was almost invisible to her trained eyes. And when he was truly angry the energy darkened to nearly black.
He gave her a curious look. "Something wrong?" He asked.
She shook her head. "No." She said.
"Then let's get out of here." He suggested. She nodded and they headed down the hall.
For this reason alone Mirai still worried about him. Every Spirit World Warrior who was from out of town was liable to mistake Akihito for someone possessed by a youmu. That was wrong, as Mirai and the Nase siblings had learned. They'd once thought, rather mistakenly, that the young blond was separate from Beyond the Boundary. His mother had proven that.
For Beyond the Boundary to be properly stopped Akihito had been forced to accept it, not only for what it was, but as a part of himself.
He gave her a smile as they exited the main building and turned onto the sidewalk. She smiled back. Once they were a good ways away from the school they paused.
"Why do you keep looking at me that way?" Akihito finally asked.
Mirai felt her cheeks blush. She floundered for a moment. "I'm just enjoying the way you look when you're happy." She admitted.
"What do you mean?" He looked confused.
"Y-you have a g-glow about you." Her voice faltered.
"Huh?" His was bewildered.
"Because you're half-youmu, you give off an energy only Spirit World Warriors can see. When you're happy it's the brightest." She surprised herself that she said it without pausing.
His confusion turned to embarrassment. "Really?" He asked.
Mirai nodded. "Kind of like a halo."
Akihito smiled after a moment. "Thanks." He said taking her hand in his.
She smiled back squeezing his hand tightly.