30th Shot: Closure
FINALLY, ANOTHER CHAPTER! I'm having the worst writer block possible even writing a sentence sometimes almost make me going bald. AND SEASON 3 IS HERE ADSFSHSJ- UKYO IS LOOKING CHARMING, MY HEART-
Anyway, thank you for waiting patiently for this chapter! It's not the journey yet, but there's some progress in both the MC and Ukyo's relationship overall, I hope you like it! See you in the next chapter!
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"Pack your bags, ladies!"
Mornings with Kingdom of Science weren't as calm as you would imagine. Well, technically, it was before any of the rowdy residents rose from their dreamland. But once said infamous people opened their eyes and greeted the world, peace bid themselves goodbye. Today, was one of the usual ones where some could be heard screeching or yelling something on top of their lungs–Ruri wondered on why someone could have energy running so high when it's still 9 in the morning.
One of them, surprisingly, was Minami. The announcement came right after they're done with their morning routine.
Kohaku tilted her head in confusion, and honestly Ruri had the exact respond. "Are we going somewhere?"
"We are! But not too far!" The reporter answered without hesitation. "In fact, this place will ultimately recharge our energy!"
"I'm getting curious about it." Yuzuriha commented, there's apparent interest glimmered in her eyes. Soon, those glimmers became blinding as she threw whatever she had in mind. "Are we having a picnic!?"
Nikki gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry to broke your excitement, Yuzuriha. But we're not picnicking. It's a good idea though, maybe we can schedule it for another time."
Ruri couldn't help but blinked. "You know about this, Nikki?"
"In fact, I'm the one who came up with it." The taller blonde puffed her chest, almost visible glow of proud surrounding her. Without a doubt, she took pride in this matter and Ruri felt her bar of expectation rose significantly. Her heart thrummed along with warm flutters in her stomach from excitement.
Before having such large amount of people to meet and interact, Ruri probably only had a handful of people to converse with; mainly Kohaku, her father Kokuyo, Chrome, Suika, Jasper, and Turquoise. As a priestess, her figure was looked up upon in Ishigami Village. In her, lies The Hundred Stories which guide the residents' generations upon generations with certain knowledge crucial for survival and understanding the unknown. Of course it was an honor to have such an incredibly important role handed to her, she always tried her best to fulfilled it just like her late mother who's also the previous priestess.
The only person who memorized all The Hundred Tales down to the smallest detail, the only person who would also pass it down to the successor of the next line. A great title came with the equally great responsibility.
However, she wouldn't deny the tight grip of loneliness that came with it.
As a priestess, no mere person could casually approach her without having a clear or urgent intention. Jasper and Turquoise's duty was to keep her safe from harm because if something were happened to the priestess, the Hundred Tales would be lost forever. As someone withholding serious illness, it was a precaution to not letting others falling into the same fate as her and to prevent different kind of disease to infect her already weak body.
That's why having this new environment with new companions it brought along became a blooming hope for her. There's only Kohaku, her father Kokuyo, Chrome, Suika, Jasper, and Turquoise before, now there's Yuzuriha, Nikki, Minami, Mirai, and Shinko. A small circle of warm and loving friendship formed, Ruri couldn't be happier.
The diligent and extremely dedicated craftsman Yuzuriha, the mightiest, strongest, but also the most delicate warrior Nikki, the bubbly and knowledgeable reporter Minami, the sweet sunshine Mirai, and the talented and level-headed also hard-worker Shinko.
Ruri knew it was a blessing, to be surrounded by such lovely and kind people she could call as her best friends.
"But is it okay if we go out so suddenly?" Shinko questioned, on her hands were bundles of paper growing in amount each time the priestess looked. It almost slipped her mind that most of them were extremely busy handling various parts of projects, especially the archer.
Minami grinned, the kind of grin holding a certain intent underneath. Not giving a chance for the archer to reply, the reporter tackled her down and sending both of them sprawling upon the futon. Papers flew in the air as a result from the sudden attack. "Don't worry your pretty little head about it, Shinko-chan! I already asked Senku beforehand and he gave me an okay!"
"You're really thinking this through, aren't you?" Shinko laughed, sounding a bit nasally from Minami's weight still resting on her.
Nikki chuckled in amusement. "I did say you need a vacation and he agreed."
"That's right!" Pouting, the reporter pressed her forehead against Shinko's chest much like a housecat. "I swore I almost strangle him from how much work you have to do every day until you don't have time for us anymore. I miss you, you know!?"
Cooing, she immediately wrapped her arms around Minami in a bear hug–the reporter returned it tenfold. "I miss you too, my lovely reporter. In fact, I miss all of you so why don't all of you scoot over so I can smother you with my love?"
Flurry of squeals and cheers resounding inside their tiny home. There were stumbles, mess of futon and covers, surprised but harmless yelps–it was all worth it. Their figures pressed onto each other, tangled limbs in the dog pile formed almost instantly. Ruri was in between several arms–blonde, brown, and pink dancing in her sight.
Everything was bliss, full of delighted laughter and comfortable warmth, and Ruri wouldn't trade it for the world.
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"Hey, Senku, where's Shinko?"
Said scientist gave Chrome a glance to acknowledge his presence and question, before continuing mixing some chemical concoction in the Erlenmeyer flask. His answer came in nonchalantly, "She went out with the Minami and the girls. She won't be back probably until evening."
"Whaaaaat?" The brunette groaned, ruffling his hair as he minded his infamous rope headband. There's a slight pout showed up when Senku broke the news, which not certainly a good one for him this time. "Man, I need her help with something! Why is she having a vacation now of all times?"
"Are you an idiot?" The scientist gave him a deadpanned look. Chrome's protests were met with a strong rebuttal. "If she's not getting a day off, everything will be a mess."
"I agree with that." Another responds jumped in, seemingly backing Senku's reasoning with a more understanding tone. Ukyo had a knack of fitting himself finely into the on-going conversation, as if he was there in the first place. Stepping inside the lab, on his hands was a woven basket filled with materials and tools the scientist needed for his current work. Clearing the glass table a little, the sonarman placed the basket on an empty space he made. "Shinko has been really busy these past week until late night. If anyone deserves a break, it will be either Senku or her."
There it was–an apparent fondness and endearment Chrome noticed every time he mentioned her name. It appeared so often the brunette, and probably everyone, learned to get used to it.
He wondered if Ukyo himself realized this.
"Because we have several projects on-going separately for the ship, she's trying to cover all of them." Senku continued, pouring yet another liquid unknown to Chrome into the flask. "Reports, supervisions, and inputs. It doesn't sound too hard but if you're handling more than two at the same time, it's draining."
"That's why Senku's quick on giving Minami and Nikki permission." Ukyo commented while taking liberties in slightly cleaning up the scientist's workspace from already used flasks and glassware. Now that Chrome thought of it, Shinko was in charge of assisting Senku in experiments like this too aside from him. With words being said, he noticed the sonarman's subtle solemness. "Besides, she looked… rather stressed. I really want her to relax and not push herself."
"O-oh, sorry about that…" In the end, Chrome couldn't help but apologizing sheepishly. A hand rubbing the back of his neck nervously.
Voicing whatever he had in mind had been the plus and minus in his personality. Plus for keeping everything to ultimate honesty and cutting pleasantries short to get to the main point. Minus for the unfiltered ones which could backfired sometimes. Despite that, he was grateful as everyone understood and accepted how it was an inseparable part from him. Something that made him him.
At certain times, it slipped his mind on how busy Shinko was. He himself was sinking deep into his own duties with Senku and Ryusui other details went passed through his head. She's covering the multiple side tasks available so they could focus on the bigger, more important picture. How she could squeeze all of it in just a day while still making room to do her own small projects was beyond him. Senku explained a crucial thing called time management, and safe to say that Shinko was an expert in this part.
Chrome could count her interactions with his fingers in a day, kind of unsettling when he usually didn't bother to count. She's often stood in his line of sight when he needed her. With just a glance, he could find her not far. But between those short greetings and appreciation for their hard work, the brunette caught up in some changes.
The Shinko he came to learn and know was an epitome of calm. Similar to a sturdy tree he once studied, she always stood straight. A little wind could rustle her leaves and snapped a few branches but couldn't shook her from her ground. When Chrome thought in a moment of silence, it served as a reminder that she's older than him and maybe most of them. That maturity coiled around her became a pilar of assurance he didn't know he needed. Familiar sensation you would feel when you looked up to your parents or older sibling.
Of course, even a sturdy tree would be weary as seasons come and go. The same weariness he soon found in Shinko. Her smile was still there, although more practiced. Chrome disliked it though. He disliked it when everyone had a bad time or succumbed into sadness, Shinko included. There's an indecipherable heaviness resting on her shoulders, a distant look appearing more often in her eyes, and maybe days of restless sleep from the eyebags than began to show.
And of course, as someone who's practically inseparable from the said archer, Ukyo took a notice quicker than anyone in the kingdom.
To be honest, Chrome wanted to mention how the sonarman shared the same fate as her. Stress or supposedly other things that definitely bothered him to no end, resulting lack of decent rest and visible eyebags which never showed up before. Even under the immense pressure of Stone Wars happened previously, Ukyo didn't look this tired.
Chrome was contemplating between confronting him and gave him some space.
"We already covered almost everything for the day." Without a doubt Senku also noticed. They held meetings every day to review all of their work, it's impossible to not be aware of it. But for certain reasons, he kept mum. "Let's wrap things up."
Ukyo blinked, probably not expecting this sudden decision coming from the scientist. Chrome could relate though. Senku wasn't the type to cut things short. "So, we're free for the rest of the day?"
"Yeah," Senku replied in his usual tone, brushing off the weight of both him and Ukyo's questioning stare. His hands were finishing whatever work he's currently in and began tidying the equipment. "There's nothing urgent today, it's fine to slow the pace a bit."
There were no complaints in that matter. In fact, a slight break sounded like heaven's soothing breeze washing over. In the midst of all the gung-ho they went through since the end of January, a day went by without doing any kind of work could be considered a vacation altogether. With winter would soon be over, they're back to picking everything up as the outcome of their delay. Making up for the tremendously slow progress in December. Spring would drop by in a matter of weeks and they're back to being busy as the weather finished becoming a hinder.
"By the way, where're the girls going to anyway?" Chrome wondered. Their topic returned to square one, the initial point of the current conversation.
A rather important fact surfaced in his mind. Usually, the girls would be around somewhere in the part of their humongous second headquarters, forming a tiny circle to have their own fun which Suika and Mirai often tagged along. You could easily spot the familiar group even in the middle of bustling crowd of business.
Although they were nowhere to be found currently, that's why the brunette went to ask Senku in the first place. If they had a certain agenda on mind, they would at least let someone knew about it in case people were to look for their whereabouts.
"The hot springs." The scientist drawled his answer.
"What!? Damn it, that sounds really fun…" It did sound fun and Chrome was undoubtedly jealous.
Floating image of hot steam soaring and dispelled the chilling cold, stony pond carved by nature filled with clear water in a perfect temperature, faint scent of sulfur which became a friendly company. Definitely a picture anyone would be putty on, a dangerous temptation in icy weather of late February. It's even more impressive that Nikki, Minami, or one of them thought about it when Chrome completely forgot its existence.
Ukyo chuckled, finding amusement in the brunette's reaction. "Well, enjoying hot water in the middle of cold weather sounds more than perfect."
"We have to go there after them!" The brunette wouldn't settle for the less, all of them really had to go there! Bath never sounded more seducing to him, probably on the same level as those Christmas Stolen Francois made.
"After them, alright?" The sonarman remarked, Chrome felt slightly relief to see how his shoulders weren't as slumped as before. "The hot springs only has limited space, so we can't fit all of us and we don't have time to make so many dividers for privacy."
"O-oh, that reminds me…!" Two main words automatically became a highlight in the brunette's mind; dividers and privacy, triggering his internal alarms to shrill. "Are they really okay? I mean, we kinda have perverts around…"
That would be Chrome's current major concerns–questionable people having questionable thoughts and ended up doing questionable things. If they somehow caught a wind of this event, who knows what kind of method they had in hand to do their deed. The brunette felt his stomach churned uncomfortably as he ran through the worst scenario possible.
Senku rose a brow and sighed, didn't look too worry nor disturbed. "You have one with god-like sight, a warrior, and a lioness slash gorilla. You think someone can survive that?"
Definitely none. The image of Shinko, Nikki, and Kohaku stood menacingly would be everyone's nightmare, even he felt violent chills crawling down his spine just from this personal imagination. Stirring up problems with those three and having a death sentence was equal.
But that still couldn't ease Chrome's worries this time. "Well, yeah, but…"
"Don't worry, we already have countermeasures for that issue." Ukyo assured, throwing him an easy smile devoid of worry. Then he proceeded to tip his hat back, revealing more of his face. "I can monitor everyone with my hearing. Any suspicious movement will be dealt immediately."
"No one can slip pass Ukyo's ears." Senku stated confidently, thumb pointing to the mentioned fellow. "Besides, they're probably trying to be subtle but failed anyway. We'll just have to decide a proper punishment in case someone did try to be a peeping tom."
"They have to prepare themselves for the worst."
Chrome automatically swallowed heavily as he witnessed Ukyo's smile. It's his usual smile with apparent additional spice of murderous intent–which made the brunette scooted back slow but sure. The threat was real, anyone would've cowered before that deadly smile of his. If someone being caught red-handed by the sonarman, they're threading on an extremely thin ice.
Saionji Ukyo was the most level-headed being and kind-hearted to no limit, he answered everything with a smile and gentle tone. However, that limit would soon be known if someone ever messed around.
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"I have to admit that this is a splendid idea indeed."
Kohaku didn't hesitate to agree with Shinko's words, nodding firmly along the way to emphasize. The only thing thrumming in her veins currently was excitement, and it showed from how she couldn't hold back a wide grin from appearing. Girls' time was something she always looked forward to as it was the time to mingle with people of her gender. Having to interact with males mainly, Kohaku thought she would never receive a chance like this.
The only female population she had liberties to freely talk to were Ruri and Suika, whereas the rest was made up with how frequent she's interacting with either Kinro, Ginro, or her father. She couldn't keep up with endless topic about perfect future spouse the Three Dazzling Sisters loved to mention countlessly, Turquoise was too stern to differentiate between jabs or even having a decent conversation altogether, Kujaku and Azura couldn't keep up with her topic of choice instead. The rest were already committed to weddings and busy with house chores to fulfill.
Now, with Minami, Nikki, Yuzuriha, and Shinko around, she had all the time in the world to discuss about anything and everything. Having the four forming a circle of friendship and quite open with new people to tag long, it's only a matter of time Kohaku became gravitated, welcomed wholeheartedly, and stay in the end. There's no limit to what all of them could bring up, and at this moment, they probably knew each other's deepest secret and swore to carry it to their grave. It was probably the best decision Kohaku had ever stumbled upon on.
"Girls' hot spring date! Can't you believe the time has finally come!?" Minami squealed in pure delight, tying her hair up into a bun while minding her signature pointed headphones. Her excitement was contagious and Kohaku could feel it. "A dream came true!"
Nikki hummed in enthusiasm, puffing her chest after inhaling the air deeply. "I can feel paradise already!"
"You can say that after we dive into the waters." Shinko remarked with a grin, passing each of them a signature wooden bucket which was made specially for enjoying Japanese traditional hot springs according to Yuzuriha.
A privilege for them to have the whole place for themselves, far from all the hustle happening at the headquarters along with constant calls and tasks that came with it. Only them, slightly chilly air which was a sign that spring would come, and warm and delectable vapors from the hot spring. For safety and privacy purposes, Nikki brought along wooden dividers to circle the biggest natural pool fitting for all of them. Their relaxing package was completed with natural soaps and shampoos along with bunch of towels prepared courtesy to Senku and Francois. Of course, they didn't forget about fresh change of clothes.
Not to mention, the butler even packed them several glass bottles of chilled tea to go–Kohaku couldn't wait to savor them post-bath, Shinko guaranteed how it would be the best experience after.
"I'm going in first!" Minami announced as she dipped herself into the pool with a resounding splash and stray water sprinkled in the air. The moment her body soaked into its warm embrace, the reporter let out a long sigh of pure content as she sunk deeper into the cloudy liquid. "…Heaven. This is heaven."
"Is it okay to just jump into right away?" Kohaku questioned, tilting her head in both confusion and a hint of concern. The water, although looking enchanting, also looked hotter and would leave unwanted burns if not handled carefully.
"Of course!" Yuzuriha giggled, her hands expertly moved to wipe the grime away from Kohaku's back using a towel–the blonde basically melted under it. Kohaku refused the treatment at first, however the brunette compromised by letting her return the favor after she finished and she accepted faster than ever. "Minami-chan's already done bathing so it should be fine. She's adjusted to the temperature."
"That's why we have to wash our body first, Kohaku-chan." Shinko remarked from her place not far away, tending Ruri's long blonde hair. There were no suds, but her sister's hair looked well-cared–nothing less from the archer. "We're preparing our body to get used to the temperature so we won't burn. And, well, relaxing with a clean body is the ultimate way to enjoy hot spring."
She definitely had the point–bathing with sweat and dirt never had an appeal.
"All of you do this years ago?" Ruri was the one who came up with the question this time, slightly looking over her shoulder to face Shinko.
"Yeah, we have this thing called bathtub at home," Nikki replied, combing through her hair to get rid of stubborn tangles form when she lathered some shampoo. "We don't do it every day though, only once in a while to unwind."
Kohaku hummed in understanding before throwing in another question. "Is washing each other's back is also a part of it?"
"If you come in as a group that is!" Yuzuriha piped cheerfully. "Baths at home are private but there's a place called public baths. Public baths which use hot water from a natural hot spring is called onsen. Basically, we're in an onsen."
"In the past, it's rare for people to have their own bathtub that's why these public baths or communal baths exist. Some Japanese find social importance in going to public baths, out of the theory that physical proximity or intimacy brings emotional intimacy." Kohaku couldn't help but let out an awe every time Shinko took it to her responsibility to explain a little bit of history about everything. She wondered on where and when did she had time to remember all of it. From her short and simple lectures, she could grasp how the previous modern civilization works–especially regarding Japanese ethics and habits.
"Then, Shinko-chan, may I wash your back?" Ruri offered on the shy side, to which said archer agree almost immediately with a smile.
"That sounds great, Ruri-chan!"
"P-Please tell me if it's uncomfortable! I've never done this before…"
"Don't worry about it, your hands are really gentle. I couldn't ask for a better person."
And the pink haired young woman truly had her ways with words as Ruri fell into series of sputters and stutters along with prominent flush decorated her cheeks.
"Shinko-chan really knows about many things, right, Kohaku-chan?" Yuzuriha voiced, dousing the leftover suds across Kohaku's back carefully. The hot water owned a comfort of thick blanket, the blonde relished the warmth as it washed over her skin.
"Yeah," There's no more suitable answer than that. "It's amazing. And she makes it easy to understand."
The brunette giggled merrily at her words. "Of course, she's our Shinko-chan after all!"
Our Shinko–Kohaku couldn't hold a wide grin from appearing. She liked the sound of it, along with blooming sense of proud. The young woman being mentioned was her best friend and one of a kind in their group. "She is!"
"So that's where your petrification mark is." Nikki's surprised remark successfully stole their attention. Both Kohaku and Yuzuriha snapped their head towards the direction. Now that Kohaku thought about it, almost everyone's petrification mark was exposed and could be noticed quite easily.
Yuzuriha had this unique spiral marks on her shoulder and neck. Francois owned a star-shaped one on the back of their palm. Gen's started from underneath his left eye, forming a jagged line, and stopped on his chin. Senku had two which started from his forehead and stopped underneath his eyes. Ryusui's practically covered the tip of his fingers and lined up until the back of his hand. Hyoga had his around the mouth, Homura on her thigh, Tsukasa crossways from the left side of his face, and finally Mirai had hers circling around her head. Though, Minami, Nikki, and Ukyo's still remained a mystery.
"What!? Let me see, let me see!" Without a doubt it reached the curious reporter as well, who's already scrambling for a clean towel to wrap herself in before rising from the water.
"How about let's get into the bath first and then you can see?" Shinko bargained, laughing nervously at her eagerness and from concerns about how she would crack her head open if hastily climbing out from the slippery natural pool.
"Then hurry!" Minami pouted, patting against a stone in a hurry–urging her to pick up the pace.
Shinko laugh lightly at it. "Alright, alright, Minami-chan."
"Let's take a dip then." Nikki suggested. Taking it as a cue, all of them slowly claimed a place in the pool. Kohaku cautiously had her leg in to test the temperature, once her skin accepted the warmth there's no hesitation left for her to slide in. The weariness and stiffness in her muscles seemed to melt away into the warm water, only leaving her in pure bliss.
"I have been rejuvenated…" Yuzuriha sighed in content, dipping lower until the water reached her neck.
"I can feel all my tiredness gone in a flash…" Nikki agreed as she dipped another towel, a smaller one at that, and placed it upon her head after lightly wring it. "Hot spring is the best."
"Right!? Can't we stay here forever?" Minami piped, leaning against the natural rocks surrounding the pool.
Shinko chuckled, splashing some liquid onto the reporter. "There's a risk for overheat so it's out of the option."
The said reporter pouted harmlessly. "You're a party pooper. Anyway, let's see your petrification mark! I haven't seen it yet!"
"I don't know why you're really excited for this." Kohaku could see how the archer truly basked in amusement over Minami's enthusiasm, similar to a little girl being promised her favorite candy. Thankfully, Shinko wasn't a tease and had no intention on dragging the moment longer for the sake of personal entertainment. Turning to face the rock beds, Shinko swept her long pink hair away to not obscure her back–revealing said marks only reserved for modern humanity's survivors.
"Whoa, this is far from my expectations." To be honest, that was Kohaku's initial thoughts the moment she laid her eyes on it–Minami's comment hit the mark perfectly.
Yuzuriha nodded in agreement–chocolate eyes trailing over to study it from top to the bottom. "Now that I saw it the second time, it's really long."
"Oh, that's right. You and Kohaku saw it when changing Shinko's bandages a year ago." Nikki recalled and she's correct about it, though Kohaku never witnessed it to full extent, only a short glimpse.
Shinko's petrification mark might as well be the longest one they had ever seen, stretching crossways from her left shoulder blade and ended on her right hipbone. The line jagged right in the middle, forming unfamiliar pattern to Kohaku but might be recognizable by the others from modern times. And just like the others, it had its own peculiarity–something only she had.
"How does it look like?" The said archer inquired, trying to take a peek over her shoulder.
Ruri tilted her head upon the unexpected question. "Do you not know about this, Shinko-chan?"
Smiling sheepishly, she rubbed the back of her neck. "I only know it's on my back, I don't really know the shape or pattern. But I do know it's quite long."
"Well, it's understandable. You can only look if you have a full-body mirror." Minami pointed out, poking the line which started on her left shoulder blade. "I thought you don't have one at first."
"I think everyone from modern time has one at least. It's a prove that we went through depetrification, I guess." Nikki remarked, forming imaginary abstract shapes in the air using her finger.
The conversation went on and on, Kohaku felt as it's going to be endless. No complaints to that in Kohaku's part as they finally gained the luxury of spending their time freely rather than running errands all day. And not knowing when will they earn this chance again because each day passed, responsibility of completing their sailing vessel hovering. They should enjoy the day to the fullest without drifting thoughts around duties.
"–tell me about whatever revelation you have! You promised!"
"I kind of wish you forget about it…"
Kohaku didn't notice how long she drifted on into her own head until everything she heard reduced to crackle of background noises. Relaxing in a hot spring truly a dangerous activity, leaving her all vulnerable and unaware of what's happening around. She felt a little sleepy too, however splashing a great deal of water to her face immediately got rid of it for good since Shinko warned how dangerous it was to fell asleep in a natural hot spring pool.
"There's no way I'm letting that slide!" Minami insisted, cheeks puffed up. To which Shinko laughed nervously at, her hands were up mimicking a sign of surrender. Crowding into her personal space, the reporter had her forefinger almost touching the archer's nose. "Tell me now or suffer the consequences!"
Tensing comically, Kohaku had to bite down a laugh at the pink haired woman's respond against the threat. "…Please spare me."
"Then start talking."
"Sounds like a juicy thing to talk about," Nikki jumped into the conversation seamlessly, lips formed a mischievous smirk. "Let us hear it too!"
"Don't be shy about it, Shinko it's just us!" There were splashes and Yuzuriha was already by her side, hands on her shoulder as an assurance. "We-"
"I like Ukyo-san."
There was an exceedingly thick silence dropped around them like bricks, even Kohaku herself needed to convince that this was indeed real and her mind wasn't against her sanity to create such hallucinations. Jaw went unhinged was automatic, eyes widened and threatened to pop out of its socket went the same. Crow's obnoxious squawking echoed for a few seconds before everything went out of control.
"WHAT!?" Nikki's squeak might as well represent all of their shock into a single word. "I mean we kind of expecting it, BUT STILL-!"
"SINCE WHEN DO YOU NOTICE!?" Yuzuriha's hands flew, having a tight grip on Shinko's hand as if her life depended on it and foreheads almost bumped into each other.
"You absolutely going to PAY for withholding this information and put me on the edge for MONTHS!" Meanwhile, Minami was either ready to hug the soul out of the archer or wring her neck with passion.
Shinko successfully dodged the reporter's outstretched hands with sheer speed it left Kohaku impressed. "I-in my defense, it's only a month!"
"You leave me HANGING for a MONTH!" Looked like Minami's going to hold this against the young woman for extended amount of time and years to come. "I ought to strangle you for giving me grey hairs!"
"Let her finish her part first before all of us can strangle her." Nikki suggested, earning probably the most eager nod Kohaku had ever seen from the reporter and a look of utter betrayal from Shinko.
"H-However, I guarantee I heard a voiceless 'but' in Shinko's statement…!" Ruri was quick on her words to save the said archer from her impending doom. Snapping her head to lock eyes with the young woman, she continued. "Is there somehow a continuation for it?"
Widened eyes and slow nod were the answer in Kohaku's point of view, although Shinko seemed to need at least a few seconds to comprehend Ruri's words. "T-there is actually…"
Something tingling in the back of Kohaku's mind. "…Why do I feel it's not as good as I think it would be."
Shinko threw her a simple smile. It felt foreign, distant, and empty even though it was there. "You're good at reading things, Kohaku-chan. And yes, something along that line. I should tell you girls the full story, huh?"
Their playful atmosphere switched into a more serious one, none of them interrupted the young woman's story, none of them had their attention elsewhere. They were listening intently until the very end.
Ruri frowned before giving Shinko a sympathetic look. "That's-"
"UTTER NONSENSE!" Nikki, Kohaku, and Minami shrieked at the same time. The force of their voice even scared some birds peacefully perching upon the branches, and probably reached their headquarters at a certain point.
"B-But I think I get what Ukyo-kun is on," Yuzuriha stuttered while trying to calm the three down–the intensity of their bloodlust making her scooted backwards slightly. "It's not that he rejects relationships altogether! It's just temporary, maybe after this whole deal ends, he will change his mind…!"
"I will crush him." Kohaku muttered underneath her breath, hand slowly reaching for her sheathed katana–ripples of fury running upon her skin. Both Nikki and Minami said nothing, however their silence already ringing dead bells. If they're not stopped, there would be funeral by the end of the day.
"F-from how you explain it, Shinko, you heard it directly, are you not?" Ruri also tried to direct their anger elsewhere by changing the topic. "Because it's really detail but somehow doesn't sound biased."
The said young woman nodded. "I want to give something to Ukyo-san on Valentine's Day and accidentally eavesdropped." Though, she quickly rose her hands in surrender as she continued in a flash. "I swear it's not intentional!"
"We know you'd never do that, Shinko-chan," Yuzuriha assured, her words firm and filled with trust. "And now we know Ukyo-kun really doesn't have anything for Azura-san other than friends. And, well, why you're really out of it these past few weeks."
Kohaku found her shoulders loosened a little. The brunette was right, Shinko's explanation answered all of the questions hanging between them regarding her peculiar act; the heavy sadness that sometimes escaped, the constant empty look to the distance, the lack of genuine smile and upbeat in her steps. Shinko was heartbroken–whilst Kohaku never experienced the term in romance department, the sentiment projected to her perfectly. All she wished to do was bringing the archer into a bear hug, hoping it would ease her pain even just a little.
Irony. Shinko, logically, was rejected even before putting an effort.
Minami groaned in frustration, hands covering her face. "Ugh, Ukyo-kun is an idiot! I will smack some senses to him-"
"Let's stop with the violence." Shinko laughed nervously. "And I'm okay. I will get over this someday, so please don't try to kill Ukyo-san."
There were flurry of splashes and in just a blink, Nikki was already pulling the pink haired young woman into a tight embrace. Without a doubt Shinko was taken aback by the sudden gesture, though she didn't push the taller woman away–choosing to return the hug.
"If you need something, tell us, okay?" The blonde stated. "You'll always have our back."
"Yeah! No matter what!" Minami added, chocolate eyes brimming in determination. "Who needs Ukyo-kun anyway? You can get anyone you want!"
Ruri giggled, her soft and comforting gaze landed on Shinko. "We're free whenever you need us, so please don't hesitate to ask."
Yuzuriha nodded vigorously. "Just call and we're running!"
Shinko gave them the biggest grin there was. "I love you girls."
Kohaku knew she wouldn't trade their bond for anything in the world–a new found family she refused to surrender to anyone. All of them completed and balanced each other, a perfect combination.
"…Can I still give him a good smack?" Though, the blonde warrior still trying to bargain.
The archer burst out laughing and shook her head. "No, you can't, Kohaku-chan."
.
.
Rumors were something Ukyo categorized as mundane in society.
Hypocritical would he be if he said he never been a spectator, paying attention to all ridiculous stories spreading from mouth to mouth, from individual to another. It moved in unimaginable speed, as contagious as a cold during rainy season. It briefly mentioned in family dinners, topic of conversation in your workplace, circling in public and being known by everyone either superficially or down to the smallest detail. Not to mention with his gift of super-hearing, he caught a wind of things he didn't even want to hear.
Even during modern times, certain peculiar rumor could cause an uproar maybe throughout the whole country or even internationally. Advanced technologies made the world danced upon your palm, getting the latest news have lacked difficulties. It would bubble harshly and screamed searing heat similar to how water successfully boiled, soon it would slowly shimmer down and losing its initial heat. Then it stopped completely, cold and silent.
That's how rumor went for decades; viciously spreading like a wildfire before vanishing as quick as morning's fog.
One of the factors making life much more interesting is rumor, whether it's something enormous or something completely useless. Ukyo had a fair share of witnessing both throughout his lifetime. He appreciated a bit of spice in his days because he knew to take things with a grain of salt.
However, he didn't appreciate of being the one to be rumored.
"Hey, Ukyo, I heard you finally got a date!" Someone patted him roughly on the back. It's supposed to be encouraging or congratulatory alas it almost sent him coughing up his lungs. "Congratulations! I thought it's gonna be Shinko, but that doesn't matter. Your girlfriend is cute, you're lucky!"
"…What?" He unhelpfully supplied.
It started from that and led him to do a thorough clean up to clear his name and Azura's.
He's losing count on how many times he's been falsely congratulated, how many times he had to explain that 'this is a mistake. I'm currently not in any sorts of relationship. Where do you get the idea from?'. He hoped the firmness in his tone and the stern look he wore could convince every single one who asked for confirmation.
And after a little digging (from reliable sources, of course), his main culprit was none other than Yo. Apparently, Azura's supposed private confession in Valentine's Day wasn't as private as they thought. The ex-policeman stumbled upon the view unexpectedly, jumping into conclusions, and now Ukyo had to extinguish the fire he sparked. Thankfully, Azura didn't mind lending a hand and vouch for his words.
Yo was dealt with a long (and a rather threatening) lecture about keeping some things to himself and not spreading groundless rumor as it caused an unnecessary uproar along with breach of privacy altogether. (Taiju confessed how Ukyo became the most intimidating during that time some even took a few steps back from the scene in fear of their lives. He didn't know he had it in him to act that way).
Fixing everything up had never been easy, it never was anyway. Ukyo needed at least a week of firmly denying, and another for a detailed chronological explanation. For it all to finally, finally toned down was almost three weeks in total if his internal calculations were correct. A whole, most exhausting three weeks of his life. No, it didn't stem from all the clarifications he tackled nor the constant questioning he received.
In fact, a certain someone decided to avoid him like a plague the moment incorrect news became a hot topic.
Forgetting the sensation of loneliness was a privilege, Ukyo had never felt it ever since Shinko attuned herself to fit in his life. First introductions were always an awkward phase, but it was quick for them to get over it–maybe it's because both of them were searching for someone to rely on. Wherever he looked, she was there even in the direst situation. Now, she didn't even want to look at him in the eye.
At first, she tried to keep him at arm's length–the uncomfortably large empty space between them had Ukyo's heart sank to his stomach. Then it escalated; she tried her best to not appear in the same area as he was, rejecting all sorts of interaction altogether. The moment he sought to hold her hand in his, she swiftly dodged.
If it's possible, then undoubtedly hairline fractures began lining his heart.
He had to get ahold of himself at some point because he's distraught, searching for the most logical reasoning for it to be happened so suddenly to distract himself from wallowing in sorrow. The girls were initially his best choice to look for answers, however they're out for his blood for unknown reasons and Ukyo refused to die young. At least not until he resolved this humongous rift created between him and Shinko. After that, the girls could finish him off and he would gladly let them.
Was it because of something he unintentionally said?
Did he say something particularly rude or insensitive to her?
Did he do something beyond upsetting and acceptable?
Did he do or did he not do at all?
A thousand questions whipped up a storm in his mind to the point it slowly manifested into a throbbing headache. A thousand questions rendered him wide-awake in ungodly hours. A thousand questions distracted him and sank him in his own thoughts even with blaring noises by his ears. Ukyo was devastated and frustrated and he knew it showed physically.
"Uh, excuse me, Ukyo," The sonarman understood his ears never deceived him but from the lack of decent sleep, he still had some concerns about hallucinations. Though, the moment he looked up and saw Ruri staring down at him in worry successfully slapped him awake more than splashing himself with freezing water.
"R-Ruri," Of course he was taken aback, automatically shooting up from his seat. The girls refused to converse with him and he didn't have any courage to confront them in fear of invoking anger but one of them reached out. The corner of his eyes stung from the turmoil of emotion–he felt absolutely miserable. "I don't know what I did wrong, but I have to-"
"I understand your intention." The priestess cut him gently. "It's about Shinko, it is not?"
"Did I do something? Anything?" He felt his throat closed up at the mention of her name. "If you have any clue, please tell me. I need to fix this-"
"Please calm down, Ukyo." Ruri's soft voice grounded him before he spiraled into a mess of words and flood of negativity. "I know that you and Azura is not in any sorts of special relationship. We assumed that first as it was what everyone talked about."
Licking his chapped lips, the sonarman stated. "We don't, truly. It's just Yo jumping into conclusions. I swear there's nothing between us aside from friends."
Giving him a small smile, Ruri remarked. "And I trust you, I'm glad you managed to clear everything."
"T-thank you, I guess…" Ukyo found his shoulders loosened slightly at her words. He let his mind wandered for a few seconds–maybe this was how it's like to have an older sister even though Ruri was younger than him. Priestess, the bearer of Ishigami Village's wisdom; indeed, a perfect role for her.
"Regarding Shinko," She started, her tone felt as if she's testing the waters. Greenish-blue eyes staring unwaveringly at him. It's rather hard for him to keep his gaze. "You must know it's beyond poor for a woman to be really close with a taken man. To prevent ill rumors starting, Shinko decided that it's best to stop all kinds of interaction with you. Being branded as… a third party, nobody wants that."
It's supposed to be that simple. It's right in front of his eyes yet he's blind to see. The reason was beyond obvious it's an utter embarrassment for him to not know. The only thing he could do was gritted his teeth in silence, words couldn't even describe on how moronic he was.
Swallowing heavily, it gave Ukyo some courage to find his voice. "…Thank you, Ruri. For telling me. It's really shameful for me to not notice."
The priestess dismissed his thank you with a soft shake of her head. There's a gentle pat he received on his shoulder, which he perceived as both consolation and encouragement. "This is for Shinko too. She's a precious friend of mine. Seeing her looked so lost makes us sad."
That's right, it went both ways. It affected the two of them, creating this deep rift that needed to be bridged as soon as possible.
The conversation was two days ago, becoming a signal for Ukyo to take the first step.
Which was why he was currently standing like a statue near the main entrance. Well, not exactly frozen knowing his foot made an anxious rhythm, thumping against the ground in rather fast pace. The girls wouldn't be spending a long time at the hot spring, risks of overheat wasn't something trivial. And with wilderness still considered as danger, they're definitely already on their way back as the sun started to dip into the horizon.
His wait seemed forever, without a doubt from the turmoil of emotion he's in.
Until the first faint rustle caught by his hearings. Soon followed by series of easy footsteps overlapping each other along with distant and muffled conversations. The louder it sounded, the louder his erratic heartbeat drumming against his eardrums. Said people he had been waiting were basked in the sun's amber glare, having the time of their life looking refreshed from a long soak in the hot springs.
And from the various reactions he received the moment they noticed his presence, he knew they were mixed response (Minami and Kohaku with their rather murderous glare, Yuzuriha and Nikki's perplexed ones, Shinko's taken aback, and finally, Ruri's subtle encouragement. Oh, don't forget Mirai and Suika's cluelessness).
"Alright! Let's go to Francois's place!" Ruri's swift movement in handling the awkward situation came as a lifesaver to Ukyo. The blonde immediately held both Kohaku and Minami's wrist, pulling them to another direction intended. "I heard something about sweets made from honeycomb! It will be a delightful thing to have currently!"
She made the right move to clutch onto Kohaku and Minami as it seemed they're truly out for his blood, which served as a reminder about Ruri's strength could be on par with the warrior's with her health now returned. The blonde literally prevent his upcoming death.
"But wait Ruri-nee, we have to-!" Though the warrior didn't follow her actions willingly.
Kohaku's pleading was cut off. "Now, now, we need to get our share before it runs out! Come on, Yuzuriha, Nikki, Mirai, and Suika too!"
"Then, I'll follow you girls soon, okay?" Shinko was the only one who hadn't move from her spot, but also hadn't spare him another glance after the first one. "Save some for me."
"Okay, Shinko-chan! Don't be too long!" The underlying message was clearly understood by Yuzuriha, who played along after sending the archer and Ukyo a rather unsure look.
"Don't forget we still have many things to talk about." Nikki too, patting her back and gave her a simple smile. They both immediately tailed after Ruri, Minami, and Kohaku. Suika and Mirai didn't waste their time to jog and match their pace with the grown-ups. Chattering's died down the moment they disappeared off distance, replaced by soft rustle of greeneries when the breeze passed.
"I guess you beat me to it, Ukyo-san." That statement came as a surprise for him, so much there's a few seconds of white noise in his head. "Initially, I'm going to look for you. What a coincidence."
"Some minds do think alike." He couldn't help but smiled wryly. To be honest, the sonarman didn't know which words to use as an appropriate intro before dropping the bomb. But of course, beating around the bush was also unacceptable. Ukyo decided to just jump into the trench without looking back. He sighed shakily, his felt his hands slightly trembled. "We need to talk, Shinko."
Her eyes casted downwards, to which almost made him wished to take back his words. "We do."
"Let's go somewhere else." Ukyo suggested as having a conversation right in front of the headquarters' entrance couldn't be counted as something private. "And, you're hair's not completely dry yet. You'll catch a cold."
He couldn't look away from water droplets consistently falling from her pink colored hair. She's not one to fall ill easily, but Ukyo didn't want to risk anything. Even though they didn't have to worry about lack of simple modern medicine, they shouldn't take healthiness for granted.
In the end, the sonarman settled for the tiny hut he called his own. The place was built upon Ryusui's insistence (then fueled by newly established capitalism)–Gen, Chrome, and Senku also had theirs lining up not far from each other. Ukyo's fine with sharing a place knowing he spent more time outside whilst the place only served as a resting spot, however he didn't reject the idea of having more privacy.
There's nothing grand inside; only a simple rolled up futon and pillow so he could sleep comfortably without back pains, work desk completed with study lamp powered by batteries and a cushion, a wooden wardrobe, and a handle for him to place his bow and quiver. The ground was covered with greenish plaited mats to make it similar to tatami flooring (Yuzuriha truly went all out for this), where he could freely walk without his pointed orangeish shoes.
"I'm going to roll out the futon so we can sit more comfortably." Ukyo informed, striding inside his humble abode without hesitation. Looking over his shoulder, he watched as Shinko stood by the threshold while studying the tiny settlement with curious eyes. There's a twinge of fondness bloomed in his chest. After he finished his task, he patted the fluffy material. "You can come in, you know."
"Pardon my intrusion." He heard her muttered after nodding slowly. She finally took a step inside after discarding her footwear near the entrance.
Beelining towards the makeshift bed, she let herself fall on it with a huff. The light thumping couldn't be missed by his watchful ears. Ukyo couldn't help but chuckled while he rummaged through his wardrobe for a clean towel. After he got his hands on one reserved quite far in the back, he then moved to sit behind her. The fluffy material was draped on her head, and Ukyo began ruffling through the damp strands to dry them.
There's an awkward silence making its presence known between them–something he never though would occur.
Thoughts began bubbling in his head one after another from their lack of interaction. Should he take a head start or wait until she began? Should he lead or follow? There's an apparent weight in every choice, and Ukyo was terrified about possibilities of choosing the wrong one.
Decision-making had never felt this scary.
"…I'm truly sorry, Ukyo-san."
Those words made his hands froze automatically in response, breaking through the white noise ringing in his ears. He needed a take back as he still trapped in his mind's frantic haze. But without a doubt, he heard her loud and clear.
Even without sparing a glance, Shinko knew he listened. That's how it's always was. "I got up and leave you without any words or explanation, or even trying to hear you out. You must've been really confused and upset."
She's right.
He knew she was right because there's a hint of anger and disappointment piercing through the cloud of gloom hanging. There's always another hidden underneath, to which now it made itself known. Ukyo truly was confused and upset from the abrupt treatment. Shinko dropped all sorts of communication, refusing any kind of contact without so much a word. The overwhelming urge to let words of frustration pour in torrents was frightening, but thankfully a vicious voice hissed in the back of his mind.
This is not fully her fault and you know that.
It washed away all the burning and bitterness left behind. A reminder which made his throat tightened and breath hitched, bringing guilt along. He's not the only one hurting–both of them were.
Words became easier to flow now–maybe it's because the two of them decided to come clean.
"It's not only your fault. I'm also the one to blame." If a harsh breeze flew by, Ukyo knew his words would be swallowed from how soft it was. A whisper that costed him a lot more courage than it supposed to, especially knowing this wouldn't start without her initiation. Guilt washed over him in seemingly unending waves. "I'm insensitive and ignorant. With rumors flying around that I'm in a relationship, I'm still trying to stay close without thinking about its consequences to you. I'm sorry, Shinko."
A light chuckle filled with humor from her was all he needed to feel the heavy weight upon his shoulders were no more. "I guess we both had it rough, huh?"
He, of course, shared the exact sentiment with a short laugh. "Definitely. The most grueling three weeks of my life to be honest."
She hummed, a rather playful tone resounding. "Is that so?"
"I'm ready to lay down my life on this truth." Ukyo found himself jumping to the theatrics, inducing another set of laughs from both of them.
Their initial awkwardness and heaviness residing in the atmosphere was quick to be forgotten. It was like a haze of fever dream, something he himself couldn't believe to have happened a few minutes ago. One thing that slowly come into a realization that it was finally over, and Ukyo felt never more alive. Like two responsible adults would do, they solved the matter with cool heads and careful approach–more importantly admitting their mistakes along with accepting and giving forgiveness.
In truth, Ukyo was bracing himself for a rougher… retaliation. Loud voices and strong words, pure argument altogether. Undoubtedly, the outcome was far from it and he couldn't be more grateful for things to not escalated. That and he didn't want to witness the look of hurt on her.
"I think your hair's already dry." He informed, fingers daringly combing through the long strands that went longer from months of being uncut. They were soft with wafting scent of honey and grass–an odd but pleasant combination which made his heart flutter.
Shinko herself twirled with a few strands in between her fingers. "Thank you, Ukyo-san."
"Do you want to cut them?" Ukyo couldn't help but ask when he noticed the contemplation as he moved to take a seat on the empty spot beside her. The towel discarded to the floor and he promised to tidy it up later.
She shrugged lightly. "I'm thinking about it. But I'm still having a dilemma."
"I like it this way, but of course if it's disturbing your daily activities, best way to do is cut them."
Silence once again engulfing the two of them, this time a pleasant one which didn't threaten to suffocate him. Something he learnt not to take for granted starting from today. Ukyo sighed, leaning back slightly with his hands holding him steady on either side of his thighs. His teal eyes moved to take a subtle glance at the young woman beside him.
He didn't know when it started but he knew his gaze always stayed longer.
Most of the times, appearance didn't faze the sonarman as he chose to asses of what's underneath. Still, he wouldn't deny that first impression and physical appeal was just as important. Although it would definitely be left in the dust once you made an effort to dug deeper and took time to understand. Once he learned, everything just seemed brighter about her. Not blinding, but pleasant in the eyes like a wide field of grass underneath vast blue sky. True beauty was what's inside.
"So, about you and Azura-san-"
"We're just friends." His answer came like an instinct and with no hesitation–he made sure it was firm with no room for doubts. He hoped his eyes reflected the same as he stared straight to those purple eyes. "Yo's the one who stirred this misunderstanding. There's… something happened, he only got the surface of it and then telling everyone in his vicinity."
"I see." There's a small smile apparent on Shinko's face, accompanied by a brief glint of amusement present in her tone. "How do you feel about Azura-san's confession? And you're beginning to steal hearts left and right, does this mean you're going to leave me behind to pursue your journey of romance?"
Ukyo couldn't help but scoffed harmlessly at her question. However, there were two meanings underneath the gesture. He chose to answer the latter first. "The moment I'll leave you behind is when death approaches, you know."
Maybe it sounded more like a joke, but Ukyo hoped Shinko understood that he's undoubtedly serious about it. Circumstances wouldn't matter, she had always been his priority and he had no intention in dethroning her from the position. He couldn't imagine there would be a day where he thought of her as second at importance in his life. Shinko's question held some humor, but Ukyo mostly couldn't share the same sentiment.
Chuckling nervously, she threw him a wry smile mixed with a look of disapproving. Well, his words were indeed leaning to a more sinister truth of the world. "That's kind of dark."
"Anyway," He was quick to diverted their conversation to answer the former question. "I feel honored by Azura-san's confession. It takes a lot of courage to do that, that's admirable. But I don't share the same feelings as her, as simple as that. What more to do than being honest?"
Shinko hummed in understanding, still Ukyo couldn't help but notice a certain undecipherable glint in her eyes. "You're right. How did you turn her down? I couldn't imagine how difficult it would be. Oh, you don't have to answer it, Ukyo-san. I forgot that it is kind of private-"
"No, I don't mind." He was quick to dismissed it. To be honest, he preferred to come clean. "So far, your questions revolve around my opinion. You're not invading any privacy."
He's telling the truth–all questions being thrown at him was about him. Shinko mostly asked regarding his point of view, his uptake at the situation, and how he handled it. Not once did she interrogate him about Azura. Although, Ukyo had little to no doubt that the archer probably could piece everything together based on his answers and already have a rough outline on how the scenario worked. She's smart enough to do it.
"I turned her down by telling her the truth." The sonarman continued, shifting on his seat and crossed his legs together. His elbows resting on his thighs as his averted his gaze to stare at his hands. "I can't return her feelings. She's a nice girl but we only interacted for two months at best, too short for me start feeling more. Besides, I don't think having relationship with a big goal such as reviving humanity's seven billion is a wise choice. I want to focus more on that, I think relationship is a distraction in crucial times like this."
There's an unexpected silence fell between them, to which Ukyo immediately looked up in order to gauge her reaction.
He was met with a disapproving look, something he rarely earned from the archer. Ukyo immediately felt small under the gaze–the same sensation when you're being scolded by the nicest person you stumbled upon on. "I expect that answer from Senku-san, but who would've guessed it came from you. Wow, you're really cruel, Ukyo-san. One star out of five."
"That low!?" It was a painful arrow straight to his heart even though the scoring was absolutely unnecessary.
The young woman sighed. "According to your words, it's a distraction currently. So, after this grand mission of reviving earth's population, you will be accepting proposals?"
He didn't think that far. "…Along that line? Well, in general, I don't look for relationships. Maybe it won't change in the future…?"
Shinko sighed for the second time before pointing out to him, serious adorning her face. "Listen, Saionji Ukyo-san, an answer like that is extremely risky. Someday, it will come and bite you the least you expected it."
Words died on his tongue because he knew she was right at some point. That's what he thought currently, there would be no guarantee he's stuck with the same mindset in the future. Just like she mentioned, a day where he tried to take back his words definitely would slap him in the head. Humans changed and so was their thoughts, whether they're ready or not, whether they're like it or the complete opposite.
"And when that time comes, there's a lady that will sweep you off your feet and she will be your number one." The archer continued, snickering. While the previous one was serious, this one was definitely a teasing one. "Then-"
"If you think she will replace you, then you must've hit your head or something, Shinko." He didn't know where did this courage came from–the momentary burst turned him into an extremely bold human being. And seeing how the young woman was taken aback by his words served as apparent evidence. The soft flush adorning her cheeks and widened eyes did things to his weak heart.
However, much to his displeasure, the reaction vanished and left Ukyo with narrow eyes and a pointed gaze. "I think you should get a special lesson. Relationship 101."
Teal eyes widened in pure horror and plain betrayal at the suggestion. "Why would you think that!?"
"Everyone knows that declaring to your girlfriend she's second to your female best friend is a recipe for disaster. You can't say that to your future spouse, Ukyo-san. For someone who's experienced in dating, this is such a disappointment."
"…You're really out for my blood today, aren't you? Is this my supposed punishment?"
"Is it?"
That's when he moved–the agility he gained from military training didn't fail him. Trapping her in a headlock, his hand was on its mission to make an absolute mess of her hair–which he promised to comb later on. For now, he's fixated in getting his sweet revenge. Shinko's surprised yelp soon turned into pleading for him to stop trying to make her hair a bird's nest.
"I yield, I yield!" She squealed from his relentless ministration.
Ukyo hummed with faux wonder, pausing his movements to give her a false sense of security. "How about no?"
Eventually, he did yield to reach for a comb resting inside his almost-empty nightstand. Shinko tried to detangle the bird's nest on top of her head using her fingers. Huffing in disdain, she turned to look at him over her shoulder. "Please tell me you're going to help me fix this."
Shrugging playfully, Ukyo threw her a smirk. "It's my plan from the start."
His hands found itself in her hair again, detangling mass of strands using his fingers and smoothing them using the comb. There would be a few seconds halt of him asking if he's too rough or there's a painful tug on her hair, and she would dismiss it every time.
"Hey, Shinko," Ukyo found himself wishing for a verbal affirmation. "Are we good?"
The young woman looked over her shoulder, giving him a snicker. "Do you not want us to be good?"
"I regret asking a menace like you." He replied, to which made her burst out laughing. Though, he couldn't help but join her in the end.
Ukyo loved this–he loved mundane things like this, when everything seemed right and only happiness along with peace existed. He wanted to relish these moments more before embarking to another adrenaline-fueled adventure, where dangers always loomed and unpredictability was a companion.
Driven on instinct, his hand gathered a few of her hair and brought it to his lips. Scent of honey and grass still lingered, Ukyo found comfort in it. Maybe their lack of interaction did make him into a bolder version of himself. He hoped to keep this gesture to himself and for Shinko to not notice.
Even though it's simple, a deeper meaning underneath was more than enough to send his heart to frenzy–as if he basically sealed his fate.
Maybe he did.
.
.
Note: Kissing on the head or hair is a nurturing and intimate gesture that shows affection and protectiveness and indicates a close emotional bond.