Chapter 5-A: Let's Jog!
"Keep it up, Melty!"
"Yeah, Eryn!"
Eryn and Melty were spending time together jogging around the neighborhood. After the fiery morning at his house, he figured he could spend time with her to prevent that from happening by burning off her excess energy, though that wasn't his primary reason. He truly wanted to bond with her, get to know her better, and build her trust.
From the short time he got to know her, she seemed to be anxious when he wasn't around. She also had fears about being kicked out of the house, leading him to think she went through such experiences with previous owners or shelters. I wonder if her fire incident led to that happening...
"I've never been outside like this before!" Melty said, jogging alongside Eryn.
"You haven't?" Eryn asked, maintaining a moderate pace.
"Yeah!" Melty nodded. "I've always been in shelters… they never took me outside. They always kept me locked up."
"Huh…" Eryn hummed. Locked up. That sounded deeply concerning to his ears.
"Oh, but it wasn't like that in the last shelter! The couple there were very nice people!"
"Oh, that's nice to hear." Eryn smiled. She must be referring to the siblings, Aiden and Amber… How are they doing now?
"But, but!" Melty exclaimed and glanced at him. "Eryn is the nicest person I've met!"
"Oh…" He averted his gaze slightly. He wasn't used to taking direct compliments. "I'm… glad to hear that."
Nicest person, huh? He hoped he could live up to what Melty considers the nicest person. It's only been a day, so he didn't want to get his hopes up too soon. But it feels… great.
"Whew…" Eryn let out a sigh as he rubbed the sweat off his face. We've been jogging for a while. He turned to look at her face. She had a bright grin spread across her lips though what caught his attention the most was the fact that not a single bead of sweat graced her face.
"Uhm, Melty…?" He called out with curiosity. "How are you… feeling right now?"
"I'm feeling quite energetic, Eryn!" Melty beamed, spreading her arms apart. "I could run around a thousand times!"
"W-Wow…" He blinked. A thousand times?! My legs would have died by then. He wondered if hinezumis were physically powerful. Even her grip strength is nothing to scoff at…
"I'll follow your lead, Melty," he said. If what she's saying is true, not that I doubt it, then they could go for a few more rounds.
"Okay!" Melty grinned.
Unfortunately for him, he'd soon come to regret his words…
Sometime later…
…
..
.
"Huff… huff…" Eryn stopped in his tracks, dropping his hands to his knees. He was breathing heavily.
"Let's go again, Eryn!" Melty's eyes sparked with excitement and her tail wiggled around.
"You can't be serious…" He panted as exhaustion pooled through his body. She's insane! Eryn expected they'd go for three or four rounds around their neighborhood, but they ended up going ten more times. I'm surprised I kept up with her. He was practically drenched in his sweat while only a few beads of sweat streamed down her cheeks. So, this is the stamina of a hinezumi… truly fiery. He wondered if Iris and Lofie possessed such physical capabilities, too.
"Come on, come on!" Melty tugged on his arm, trying to get him to jog with her.
"I'm sorry, Melty…" Placing a hand on his beating heart, Eryn exhaled deeply as he tried to calm his breathing. "I think I'm going to die at this rate…"
"What?!" Her eyes widened and her ears shot up. "You're going to die?!"
"Huh?" He drew his chin back to look at her. "No, no… I didn't mean that litera–…"
"D-D-Don't die, Eryn!" Melty quickly grabbed onto the hem of his shirt. "W-What should I d-do?" Feelings of dread settled into her body. The thought of losing Eryn caused her heart to tighten. A few tears escaped her eyes.
"No, really! I'm fine, Melty." Eryn let out a laugh as he patted her head to calm her down. "Sorry, I should have made myself clear."
"Y-You're not going to die?" Melty asked with concern, looking up at him with upturned eyes. "Y-You'll be fine?"
"Really, I'll be okay." He gave a reassuring smile, then sighed again. My legs are killing me. He crouched down to her level and gently rubbed her tears away. "I'm just tired from all the jogging."
"Oh, okay…" Melty nodded timidly. Feeling bad, she twiddled with her fingers. "I'm sorry, Eryn…"
"Hmmm?" He raised an eyebrow. "What are you sorry for?"
"I'm really happy we could jog together…" she said, bowing her head. "I got too excited…I didn't think about Eryn's feelings…"
"Don't worry about it, Melty." He caressed her hair. "I'm glad you were having fun. I'd like to jog with you again."
"R-Really?"
"Really." He stood up and put his hands on his hips. "But… let's take it easier next time." He gave an awkward chuckle. "I'm not sure if I could keep with you like this."
"Y-Yes, Eryn!" She nodded frantically. "T-Then… can we still jog together from now on?"
"Of course." He took off his cap and fanned his face. "We'll jog together from now on."
"… Hehe!" She wrapped her arms around him.
"Woah, there!" He gently pried her arms away. "I'm quite sweaty. You wouldn't want to be that close to me."
"Hehe, okay!"
"How about we take it slow and walk together?" He suggested as he put his cap back on.
Melty nodded and walked to his side. Her gaze fell on his hand which was relaxed. She glanced at his face, then back to his hand.
"Eryn?" Melty's tail wiggled around. "Could I hold your hand?"
"Oh…" he stretched out his hand towards her. "Sure, I don't see why not."
Melty slowly wrapped her fingers around his own, feeling the warmth of his hand. She gave a bright smile.
"Let's take a stroll, shall we?"
And so, hand in hand, the duo took a relaxing walk around the neighborhood. After their intense jogging, Eryn certainly needed to take things slow. He was now painfully aware of the hinezumi's potential. Lesson learned.
As they walked on the sideway, he noticed Melty had slowed down her pace. Her eyes were fixated on something. He followed her line of sight to the window beside him.
Through the window, he saw a colorful display of cakes, cookies, pastries, and other such items lined up, ranging from small to hefty sizes. Cakes, huh… he looked upwards to see the building's sign.
~Sai-Sai Silky Sweets~
Interesting name. "A bakery…" Eryn commented, his eyes inspecting the place. I don't recall ever seeing this place. When he jogs, he doesn't pay attention to his surroundings. I might have passed by this place often. He was impressed by how delectable the sweets looked. Seeing the cakes, he was reminded of Iris. She apparently likes cakes. Maybe I should get some for her?
"Melty, do you want to check inside?" Eryn asked, snapping her out of her trance.
"Huh?" Melty shook her head. "N-No, no! I wasn't staring!" Despite her words, her tail waved around with such curiosity.
So, you were staring. Eryn held back a chuckle at her cute antics. He tugged her hand along. "Let's see what's inside. I'm curious myself."
"Oh!" Her ears twitched with excitement. "Okay, Eryn!"
As they entered through the door, the sound of a bell was heard at the top of the doorway, alerting their presence to the bakery.
"Wow…" His eyes widened. All around him were magnificent sweets of all shapes and sizes, decorated with pristine detail. Seeing through the window doesn't do them justice!
"Waahh…!" Her eyes sparkled with admiration. Her gaze darted around the shop. She almost made herself dizzy just from looking around.
He let go of Melty's hand. "Why don't you take a look around? Find something you like?"
"Really?" Her tail wagged back and forth even more intensely. "I can do that?"
"Sure." He nodded and patted her head. "I'll be at the counter."
"… Okay!" She replied excitedly, then began checking around the bakery.
Eryn walked to the counter to meet with the shopkeeper… though it was empty. Huh, I wonder where they are?
"Excuse me?" He called out as his eyes scanned the surroundings. "Ex–…"
CRASH!
A figure fell through the ceiling, landing behind the counter with an extremely loud thud.
"W-What the?!" Eryn flinched backward in shock. His heart nearly leaped out of his chest! Did someone just crash through the ceiling?!