So, I was re-reading my notes and written chapters for my various projects in an attempt to get myself back to working on them when I realized that I had this chapter, among others, simply sitting here… finished.

'Why the heck have I not uploaded this?' I asked myself… so here we are?

Sorry, I know it's been far too long for such a brief author's note to suffice, but I don't really have anything to say. I've been busy, surprise surprise, and other hobbies have taken up the bulk of my free time. D&D has been a massive blow to my writing productivity, let me tell you. After getting into it with my friends I've discovered it's the perfect game for me since I'm a writer, but… uh… It takes up a lot of my creative energy. I'd like to get back to posting here again, both this story and the Waifutrix—which I really am trying to get back to working on, I swear—but as is now my habit I won't promise anything.

The biggest reason I'm posting this so suddenly, honestly, is that I realized that if I didn't do so now when I have the urge to, I'll never get around to it and keep giving every excuse to continue procrastinating.

Anyway, as always, I hope you enjoy the chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it—and I'll see you whenever I get around to posting another one.

Minato stared in awe at the beautiful creature in front of him.

Her reddish-brown hair drooped down from her face, mere inches from his. Her skin was pristine, face seemingly carved by an artist out of ice… And her eyes were like crystals, staring into his soul.

A single tear trailed down her cheek, her expression just as empty as before… but Minato knew. He could feel her happiness like it was his own. A gentle warmth in his chest that fought off the coldness she embodied, granting her a balance she simply was incapable of on her own.

He stared back at her, spellbound…

"Minato-san…!"

…and then the magical moment was gone, shattered like ice, as Musubi barreled into the woman—knocking her off of Minato and landing atop her.

"Musubi…! What are you—?!"

Sitting upright, Minato twisted to look at the two young women, but was startled to see Musubi aggressively staring down the woman—

No… Her name is Akitsu…

That name resonated in his soul, filled with a depth of meaning that simply felt right despite how briefly he'd known her.

"Hmm…" Musubi mumbled, brow furrowed as she glared at Akitsu like some kind of puzzle. "...You don't feel weird, now."

Suddenly, the girl grinned brightly, the panic, fear, and aggression that she'd exhibited mere moments prior replaced effortlessly with the bubbly nature he'd come to expect of her. It was such a stark difference that it was like a switch had been flipped, her mood turning on a dime with complete ease.

Really, there was something wrong with this girl.

"Congratulations, Akitsu-san…! You have an Ashikabi…!" the girl veritably squealed.

"Ah… Yes…" Akitsu replied reticently.

Her eyes slowly slid over to Minato, meeting his gaze with an utterly blank expression that somehow conveyed the message of 'Help.'

"Um… Musubi…? Would you mind getting off of Akitsu…?"

The girl bounced to her feet, earning a blush from Minato as he respectfully looked away from… what resulted from that action… then proceeded to rush over to him excitedly.

In the background, Akitsu's hands came up to her moderately smaller chest, examining her breasts silently for a moment… and then her gaze shifted to Musubi's torso, a smidgen of… annoyance… echoing from her blank face. Minato chose to pretend that had never happened, as to question it was to enter the frightening world of the female mind….

"This is wonderful, Minato-san…!" Musubi cheered. "I'm so happy for you two…!"

Overwhelmed, Minato backpedaled a little bit.

"Ah… I didn't really do anything, though…?" he asked, more than stated.

The girl frowned at him adorably.

"That's not true…!" she denied. "You fixed her! She doesn't feel creepy anymore…! You'll be together forever, now!"

Minato's eyebrows climbed into his hairline at that statement.

"I'm sorry, what?"

Before Musubi could reply, they were interrupted…

"Oh, phooey…! Someone beat us here, Mutsu…!"

Minato turned to face the newcomer… And then blinked a few times at their choice in fashion.

What teenage boy wears an ascot…?

"That does seem to be the case…" the boy's taller, more serious looking companion replied.

The duo were the type to easily stand out in a crowd. Between the young man's white and gold colored formal attire that made him look like he was on his way to an opera and the older man's own unique outfit—odd black clothing that criss-crossed its way over his bare chest with a long yellow scarf draped over his shoulders—there was no way people wouldn't notice them walking down the street.

Besides that, 'Mutsu' had a… presence… to him.

It was unnerving, like a subtle weight on Minato's back, a boulder that had been thrust upon him as a burden. He longed to close his eyes and ask for answers, but something told him taking his eyes off of the stranger was a bad idea.

"W-who are you…?" he asked, shakily.

The boy's shoulder drooped comically as his voice took on a whiny tone, completely ignoring Minato like he wasn't even there.

"He stole the rare drop, Mutsu…!" he complained. "I was so excited, too…!"

Mutsu let out a sigh, eyes closing in the way only long-suffering family can when dealing with the 'quirks' of those they cared for.

"...Wonderful. We came all the way out here for nothing. I'm sure you're going to be very mature about this—"

"Go, Mutsu…!" the boy called, striking a pose and gesturing in the general direction of Minato and the girls. "Show 'em why it's a bad idea to steal from Hayato Mikogami…!"

The taller male brought a hand up to his eyes, rubbing them tiredly…

"Right… Of course not. How silly of me to think otherwise…"

…and when he pulled it away, his earthen orbs glaring forward with the weight of stone, amused demeanor frighteningly absent as he stared forward.

Minato flinched, stepping back automatically.

"Ah…" Akitsu said softly.

Mutsu withdrew an honest to god sword from nowhere. It was an uchigatana that lacked a hand guard, a smooth black lacquer covering its sheath and traditional wrappings around its hilt. Surprisingly, the young man didn't draw it. Instead, he pressed the tip of its scabbard to the ground—

The park erupted.

Everywhere Minato could see, the earth shattered, tremors shaking the entire man-made forest as rock and stone surged forth from the topsoil. Pillars shot from the ground one by one in rapid succession, all of them firing forward towards the small patch of grass that Minato, Akitsu, and Musubi were standing upon.

It was as if the earth itself had become their enemy, rising and reforming itself to smite them for whatever crime had earned its wrath… and all the while, the man that had seemingly caused reality to flip upside down stood there, a bored look on his face like this was all as effortless and mindless as brushing his teeth or taking a shower.

Oh my god… I'm going to die…

And then it happened.

Ice bloomed into existence in an instant, rocketing into the sky as it hardened into a resolute wall—its jagged surface serving as a bulwark for—

BAM! BAM BAM…!

The pillars of stone smashed into the ice, their momentum dying with a deafening bang as the ice weathered the blows. It was no surprise, really. The ice wall towered over the park, reaching three stories at the least, and was thrice as thick as the largest earth pillar.

"...Ah. Too much…?"

Akitsu stood there at Minato's side, eyes fixed on the ice wall as her breath wafted out of her mouth like frost. Her arm was outstretched, fingers idle as she maintained the pose with the same casualness Mutsu had exhibited.

"A-Akitsu…?" Minato gaped. "D-did… Did you do that…?"

The redhead turned to face him and said nothing, choosing instead to meet his gaze stoically.

"Ah… So… Warm…"

Minato flinched.

"Mutsu…!"

Overwhelmed and confused, Minato turned to face the male duo, desperately hoping some kind of answers would be forthcoming.

"Yes…?" the older of the two replied, casually picking at his inner ear with a pinky before blowing away the wax.

"Why're you holding back…?!" the boy whined.

Minato's throat went dry.

This… This is holding back…?!

"I wanted you to curbstomp them…! Really show the level difference, y'know…? It's like when you've already beaten all the gym leaders and go back to the early routes for some farming and get spotted by a random trainer you forgot about!" Mikogami went on. "You're supposed to wipe the floor with them to show 'em who's boss, not take it easy on them…!"

The man sighed, cracking his neck as he stepped forward.

"Are you sure…? I thought you'd want to 'catch' the other one," he stated, "Or haven't you noticed she's still unwinged?"

Freezing in place, the boy slowly turned to look in Minato's direction… his eyes locking on Musubi greedily.

"Ooh…! You want to fight…?!" Musubi exclaimed happily.

Before Minato could so much as try to stop her, the brunette charged forward, running straight at the ice wall—

CRACK…!

—and smashing a Musubi-sized hole in it with a single punch, carrying on through the impromptu gateway and rushing toward Mutsu without the slightest bit of hesitation.

I've finally lost it, haven't I…?

Really, that was the only explanation for this. Whatever the hell was going on was something straight out of a manga, and obviously just could not be real.

…Just like the thing in the chapel.

"Oh, I can't believe I forgot…!"

Musubi suddenly stopped, skidding to a halt and just… stood there… barely a dozen feet from the man that had unleashed the earth itself on a whim.

"Unwinged Sekirei aren't allowed to fight!"

Mutsu raised a questioning eyebrow at her…

"Does that mean you'll be my Sekirei…?!" Mikogami asked excitedly, bouncing from foot to foot like a child being offered a free pass in the candy store.

What in the hell even is a Sekirei…?!

Musubi leaned forward… propping her chin up with her hand.

"Hmm…" she hummed, clearly looking Mikogami up and down.

The tension was… palpable…

The girl was just… standing there. Standing in front of the swordsman and the younger man he seemed to defer to without a care in the world. Mikogami was staring back at her, and the look in his eyes was unnerving to Minato. It was like a child looking at a toy through the window of a shop… Minato hated it.

Musubi didn't belong to him…! She was hi—!

"Nope!" the girl stated.

Minato sagged in relief, a weight he hadn't even noticed until now disappearing from his shoulders. Then it hit him what he'd been thinking.

W-what was I doing…?!

"You're not my Ashikabi! I'm not reacting to you at all…"

The boy pouted.

"Aww…! It appeared to be caught…!" he declared.

Mutsu facepalmed, and if he wasn't so utterly lost with regards to what the hell these people were talking about, Minato might have done the same.

"Come on, take her out, Mutsu! I'm not going home without a new Sekirei…!"

The man sighed, but shifted his grip on his sheathed weapon, holding it above the ground for a second time.

"Akitsu…!" Minato hissed, eyes wide in anticipation.

For a moment, the threat to Musubi had made Minato ignore the idea that he was hallucinating everything that was occurring… and if he wasn't hallucinating, then Akitsu should be able to make more ice.

The woman didn't say anything in reply, but she did raise a hand to gesture toward—

"HEY!" Mikogami shouted. "You stay out of this…! The rules say that Sekirei fights are one-on-one…!"

"Ah…" Akitsu mumbled, her hand faltering a bit as she turned to look at Minato in askance. "The professor always said to follow the rules…"

The way she was looking at him made it clear to Minato that she would almost happily ignore those rules if he gave her the go ahead—

"It's okay, Minato-san…! I can just run away until I find my Ashikabi!" Musubi shouted.

No, no, no… She can't do that, she can't—

"Mutsu…!" Mikogami exclaimed.

Immediately, the man's blade slammed against the ground at his feet… and again, the earth came alive.

This time the effects dwarfed the last, the tremors shaking Minato so badly that he barely kept his feet. Trees fell around them, uprooted by the shifting dirt, and the earth itself seemed to collapse in on itself, splitting the entirety of the park into a series of uneven platforms and ledges. Some were as tall as nearby buildings, while others dipped so low that it exposed the city's sewer pipes. Akitsu's ice wall shattered from the earthquake, fragmenting into dozens of varied pieces that fell with the shifting land.

"Oooh…! Is this an arena…?!"

Mikogami was right. The way that the earth had reshaped itself at Mutsu's whim seemed tailor-made to reflect some kind of miniature colosseum—simultaneously offering flat land to its combatants and spectators while also cutting off every easy exit through a pit-like 'moat' surrounding walls of crudely hewn stone.

The sheer scope of the change was daunting.

"This way she can't escape," Mutsu nodded. "It's just simple tactics."

Musubi bounced from foot to foot eagerly, head whirling around repeatedly as she took in the new structure.

"So you're saying I have to fight you to get out…? The professor can't get mad at me…?" she clarified.

"That's right, Minaka wouldn't—" Mutsu began.

Musubi shot forward, feet leaving marks in the stone as she blurred across Minato's line of sight. "Woopee…!"

Her fist was raised in preparation, ready to launch a powerful strike with her gloved hand…

WHAM…!

A pillar of stone, roughly the size of Minato's torso, shot out of the floor of the arena, slamming into Musubi's side and sending her flying. She twirled mid air, recovering well enough that she landed on the ground—skidding across it for a dozen feet.

She'd narrowly managed to block the strike with her arm, leaving a thorough scuff-mark across the sleeve of her miko outfit. From the way she was beaming happily, though, she either hadn't noticed or simply didn't care.

Maybe I'm not crazy… Maybe I'm the only sane one here…

"Ooh…! That was so cool…!" Musubi cheered. "It's not going to work again, though…!"

Mutsu smirked lightly at her, resting his weapon against his shoulder. He hadn't used it to summon those smaller pillars, now that Takehito thought about it.

"It's refreshing to face someone that doesn't fear me."

The girl cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"Why would I be scared…? You've been really nice so far!"

"Ah, I forgot. Airhead…" he muttered. "I didn't properly introduce myself, but usually I don't need to bother. Regardless, I am Number 05, Mutsu."

The girl's face lit up at that.

"Oh! Does that mean you were on Karasuba-sama's team…?! I think I remember her mentioning you, once!"

The man's face paled at that. That… did not bode well. Who was this Karasuba—who Minato recalled Musubi mentioning before—that hearing her name would freak out the man that reshaped an entire park on a whim?!

"That… explains a lot. You've been around that crazy—" the man cut himself off again, letting out a sigh. "...No wonder you're a cut above the average. Just… answer this for me, if you don't mind."

Musubi nodded eagerly.

"If, after he wings you—"

"He won't!" Musubi declared cheerfully.

Mutus ignored her and went on.

"—Will you try to cut off and literally feed my Ashikabi's… thing… to him if he looks at you the wrong way?"

What. The. Fu—

"His 'thing…?' What thing…?"

Dear god, this girl was too innocent.

"Right…" Mutsu trailed off. Turning to Mikogami, he went on. "She's… probably sane enough for you to wing."

The boy didn't seem to be paying him any attention, however.

"...Does this Karasuba have an Ashikabi yet…? She must be awesome if she scares you, Mutsu—"

"No! You are not to even try and wing that bloodthirsty maniac!" Mutsu shouted, raising his voice for the first time.

"Aw…! But Mutsu…!" Mikogami whined.

"No, and that's final—!"

"Umm…" Musubi interjected. "Weren't we supposed to be fighting…?"

Minato felt like facepalming…

Smack!

Scratch that, Minato facepalmed, unable to handle the sheer extent of the girl's naivete. Really, why did she not take the chance to escape while they were distracted?

"Ah! You're right!" Mikogami exclaimed. "Mutsu! Get her…!"

Eye twitching slightly, Mutsu turned back towards Musubi.

"You're not going to try with that one, Mikogami…" he muttered. "I'll never let you near her…"

Taking the fact that the pale-haired man had returned to facing her as an invitation, Musubi shot forward again.

Fwoom…!

A pillar shot from the earth, but this time the girl was ready. Dodging around it, she returned to closing the distance. Several more sought to impede her, but she slipped past those as well, her long ponytail flapping behind her as she eagerly charged towards her opponent.

"Hmph…" Mutsu grunted.

The earth sped up, moving faster as pillar after pillar leapt from the rocks below, leading the girl around by forcing her to dodge in certain ways. He maneuvered her around the arena, making her lose ground as fast as she gained it—starting a game of back and forth that felt like it lasted for hours… but was at most a few minutes.

All the while, Minato watched in awe as the two fighters engaged each other.

"Woah…" he mumbled, staring at the fight.

So enraptured was he, that when he felt something soft pressing against his side he nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Gah…!"

Akitsu stared up at him blankly, both of her hands latching onto one of his own. Forcing himself to calm down, Minato stared back in confusion.

"Uhh… Akitsu…?"

She ignored him, her focus returning to the fight when a loud 'bang' of Musubi smashing through a particular pillar caught her ear. When it was clear there was no impending danger, he felt her relax slightly, pulling his arm deeper into her grip as she latched onto his side almost… possessively.

Minato's face went bright red as he felt her bare breasts rubbing against his limb, forcibly pulling his gaze away from her exposed skin. Really, the lab coat was not enough clothing!

"Woohoo! This is amazing, Mutsu-san…!"

Musubi was clearly having the time of her life, giggling as she bounced and slipped around the numerous obstacles that sought to assault her, occasionally smashing through the ones she couldn't as readily avoid.

"Well—" Mutsu began to reply, only to be cut off by his 'Ashikabi.'

"If you become my Sekirei, you can spar with him whenever you want…!"

The man looked at the teen, a scandalized expression on his face.

"Are you… whoring me out…?"

The boy ignored him.

"I have other Sekirei too! You could fight them as well!" Mikogami went on.

Musubi pouted.

"Aww…! That sounds so cool… but you're not my Ashikabi…!"

Mutsu let out a sigh, closing his eyes in frustration.

"Enough of this…"

Crack…!

The butt of his sheathed weapon smacked into the ground for the third time, and once again, the earth came alive.

The walls of the arena that sat behind Musubi suddenly shattered, rocketing towards her just as she was leaping over a smaller pillar that had risen from the ground. She had no leverage to do anything, barely able to turn and face the onrushing explosive rockslide.

Minato's eyes widened in horror.

No…! No…! No…!

Something within him screamed for him to do something.

If those rocks hit Musubi, it was assured to put her out of the fight. Despite how superhuman she clearly was, nothing could shrug off something of that scale. Worse still, once she was incapacitated, he knew that this strange duo would take her… Claim her in whatever fashion they were talking about that went over Minato's head.

Someone…! Something…! Anything…!

She didn't belong to them…! Musubi wasn't a toy for this teenager to casually take! She was—

SLAM…!

The rocks made impact, and a blurry mess shot across the arena, flying over Minato and Akitsu's heads as it smashed into the wall just behind them. It fell to the ground a moment later and shattered… revealing the icy barrier that had formed a protective shell around the brunette.

Minato took off running before he could think otherwise.

"Musubi…!" he shouted, terrified for her sake.

He was at her side in moments, the distance between them not overly large, and pulling bits of ice and rock off her as soon as he could. Shoveling them away and distantly aware that Akitsu was approaching quickly, he rapidly uncovered the girl—who was groaning and dazed, but still alive. In fact, she was barely bruised.

"Oh thank god…!"

Grabbing the girl's arm, Minato started to sling it over his shoulder, ready to help her to her feet—

"Hands off, oldie," Mikogami declared, now only a short distance away. Standing next to him, unsurprisingly, was a thoroughly annoyed-looking Mutsu. "I beat her, so I get to capture her."

Minato's eyebrow twitched at that, but he didn't let go.

"Come on, just leave already…!" the boy whined. "You already stole the rare drop! It's only fair I get this one as payback for wasting my time…!"

His free hand clenched into a fist, his jaw setting angrily, but Minato still didn't let go.

"I'll pay you, if you want. Normally I'd just have Mutsu kick you out of here, but I'm feeling generous right now," he went on. "I'm so excited! She's going to be my ninth!"

Finally, Minato snapped.

"Would you shut up?!" he roared.

Startled, the boy stepped back, while Mutsu's hand tightened its grip on his blade.

"Stop talking about her like that!" Minato continued angrily. "She's not some… some… some thing for you to collect, so stop acting like it!"

In the back of his mind, Minato knew this was a terrible idea, but he just didn't care.

"E…Y…E…S…"

The whispers had started again, once again ignoring the fact his eyes were open, but he was too angry to worry about it.

"I don't know what's going on here, and I don't understand how any of this is possible, but what I do know is that you're a spoiled brat…!" Minato shouted. "People aren't your playthings, and they aren't toys for you to collect…!"

The boy flinched back, eyes glistening slightly before his expression began to turn sour.

"So leave! Stop trying to take away Musubi like she's a pokemon to be captured…!" he demanded. "I… I won't let you do that to her…!"

Out of energy from his emotional rant, Minato paused to catch his breath.

"...Are you done?" Mutsu asked quietly, his voice as unforgiving as the rocks below them.

The man stepped in front of Mikogami, hiding the boy from view as his glare deepened horribly. Seeing the look in Mutsu's earthen eyes, Minato realized that he… might have made a mistake.

"Eyes… Eyes… Eyes…"

"No, no, no… Shut up…!" Minato hissed, clenching his eyes shut.

Now was not the time for this…! He was about to die if he didn't do something! There was no way he could survive whatever Mutsu decided to throw at him! He was just a normal person! Nothing like Musubi or Akitsu…

"EYES… EYES… EYES…"

Wait… What was he saying…? He'd always known he wasn't normal.

"Y-yeah… I'm done," Minato replied shakily.

Please… I may have never figured out what you are, but if you can hear me… Please… Help me save Musubi…!

Huh. That's funny. Moments before death, and his last thought was about saving someone he'd met that same day. Turns out he'd had it right the first time. He was the crazy one…!

"Ashikabi-sama…"

Everyone froze, their attention momentarily caught by the unexpected words.

"...Look…" Akitsu said softly, gesturing to Minato's side.

Slowly, he did so… and what he saw astonished him.

"M-M-Minato-san…" Musubi breathed, her cheeks bright red as her eyes fluttered quickly.

The girl looked like she was sick, experiencing the pitfalls of a high fever as she hung from his shoulder. Her lip was trembling while she met his gaze, eyes almost staring into his soul with their intensity.

"I-I can't believe it…" she went on. "I-I've found you…"

What was going on…? Why did Musubi look so sick…?

"M-Musubi…?"

The girl let out a shuddering breath…

"EYES! EYES! EYES! EYES! EYES! EYES—!"

…and then she kissed him.

Ecstasy.

Again, the feeling overwhelmed him, forcing away the rapidly developing headache he had and sending a rush of sensation throughout his body. Like before, it filled him utterly, swarming him completely as it filled his soul with light…

…No, this feeling… It was love.

Complete, all-encompassing, love. There was no hesitation here, nothing held back in the face of the unadulterated emotion. It was a gentle feeling, the tight embrace of a mother… the feeling of waking up in your spouse's arms… the complete contentment of falling asleep with your child on your lap... All of it. It was all there, stuffing his spirit to the brim with pleasant emotions—

And then something… caught.

Like the skip of a record player, something stood out, feeling out of place in all the rest. It was stronger… more developed and potent than the Love that surrounded it… What was it…? What was this thing that—

"I… Am Number 88, Musubi…"

—And then it was gone, slipping beneath the rest as a feeling of rightness fell into place. It reinforced what he already knew. This is what he was…

"And my heart is yours, forever and ever…"

It was simply a law of the universe, now doubly true.

"...My Ashikabi."

…And then the feeling faded, slipping to rest within his heart; almost giddily fitting next to the wintery chill that had already placed itself there.

"Oh, I can't believe it…!" Musubi exclaimed excitedly, hugging Minato so tightly he almost felt like he would burst. "I can't believe I've found my Ashikabi…!"

Minato blinked dumbly, jaw working up and down as he struggled to find the right words for the situation.

"That was so amazing, Minato-sama," the girl went on happily, pulling back just enough that her head wasn't rubbing against his chest. "You were so brave, and so sweet! You really understand love, don't you?"

He tried to deny the statement, to explain how he was a ronin loser with a distant mother, an eccentric sister he'd barely seen in the last couple years, and that he'd never even had a girlfriend, but…

…After whatever that was when she'd kissed him… He did get it. At least, to some extent. It was hard not to after having it metaphorically… and literally… shoved down his throat like that.

"...Mutsu," a voice interjected quietly. "Come on… We're going home."

Minato whipped to face the boy, still hidden behind his… Sekirei…?

"Are you sure, Mikogami…?" the man replied quietly… gently.

For a moment, there was nothing, and then…

"Of course I'm sure…!" Mikogami declared, springing out of Mutsu's shadow with an annoyed look on his face. "Now that she's been winged, there's no point in us sticking around…!"

The man said nothing to that, though his tight grip on his weapon's hilt sent a clear message.

"No, no, none of that!" the boy stated, shaking a finger like he was talking to a child. "It's bad sportsmanship to attack newbies right after a winging…!"

Minato felt obliged to point out that the boy had done exactly that not even five minutes ago, but thought better of actually saying it.

"Besides, they're interesting!" Mikogami said. "I mean really, this guy doesn't even know what a Sekirei is, and he's already winged two of them! How cool is that?! He's going to be so much fun to take down later in the game!"

Mutsu relaxed slightly, shifting his weapon to his hip and slipping it into whatever hidden pocket he kept it within normally.

"...If you're sure."

The boy nodded with certainty.

"Come on, I've got games to play! The girls and I are having a LAN party later!"

Mutsu smiled softly at that, reaching over and ruffling the boy's hair—

"Hey…!"

—much to the younger male's consternation.

"And I'm sure they've all agreed to that already," he chuckled.

Mikogami looked away, fidgeting awkwardly.

"Well… They will when I tell them…!"

The older male snorted at that and started walking away, ushering along the richly dressed teen. He stopped after getting a few dozen feet away, turning to face Minato and the girls.

"Ah, right…"

Since his sword was no longer out, he stomped once with a foot, leaving a boot-print deep in the earth… and then the ground came alive for a final time.

The arena he'd so effortlessly assembled crumbled away, collapsing into a landslide that filled the empty pit around them messily. Where before had been a pristine city park, now the area looked more like a landfill, with heaps of uneven dirt and stone rising in small hills and crests throughout the place. Occasionally, bits and pieces of the trees that had been there before poked out of the mess, mixing an occasional green into the muddied browns.

"Tell Minaka I said 'screw you' when he calls!" the man shouted.

…And with that, he and Mikogami left, leaving Minato standing there with a pretty girl latched onto each arm, a devastated park, and absolutely no idea what was going on.

"What just happened…?"

…

"So…" Minato began awkwardly. "Um… This is my place, I guess."

He was so far out of his depth right now, it wasn't funny. How did he go from a loser ronin to the kind of guy that would have two women he just met following him home in the span of a single day…?

"Woah…! You have a TV…!" Musubi exclaimed, bouncing around his apartment.

The place was definitely on the small side, but still better than the legendary tiny apartments Shinto Teito was infamous for. Unlike those places, there was an actual split between the 'kitchen' and the sitting area that contained his fold-out couch/bed. A small desk occupied the far corner, with a small balcony accessible through the sliding door next to it. There was also an attached bathroom, which was, perhaps unsurprisingly, a bit on the small side… but it was still more than enough.

In fact, the whole place was more than enough… for one person.

"Everyone has a TV, Musubi…" he muttered.

The girl ignored him, making herself at home on the couch as she looked around the place eagerly. Minato let her be, shuffling over to the dresser his television rested upon. Rifling through the drawers, he withdrew the largest t-shirt he had, his least-worn pair of boxers, and his stretchy pajama bottoms.

"Here," he said, handing them to Akitsu, who looked down at them blankly. "I… Don't have any women's clothing, but it's better than what you have."

The woman stared at him without blinking, remaining there by the front door silently.

"Um… Don't you want to get cleaned up…?" he asked awkwardly, gesturing at his bathroom.

"...Ah," she mumbled. "Do you want me to…?"

Minato felt a headache coming on as he rubbed his eyes tiredly. He'd walked all the way here with both of them since he didn't have the money to afford a taxi, and taking the train with Akitsu barely dressed in a bloody coat, nevermind how he'd loaned her his jacket, was a recipe for disaster. Between Musubi's bubbly personality and Akitsu's… reserved nature, it had been a tiring journey. Add to that the stress of… pretty much everything that had happened today…?

Honestly, he just wanted to collapse into his bed and sleep his troubles away.

"Yes, Akitsu… Please take a bath…"

The woman blinked, then slipped his jacket and the labcoat off…

"Hey…! What're you—?!"

…before proceeding to walk, naked, into his bathroom. She didn't bother to close the door, so Minato rushed over to do so for her, pinching his nose to stem the onrushing flow of blood as he let out heavy, panicked, breaths.

What the hell is my life?!

"Ooh…! A bath?!" Musubi exclaimed excitedly.

Minato gaped as she pulled off her clothes before bouncing over, pulling open the door he'd just closed, and—

"Oh, do you want to join us, Minato-sama…?" she asked, peeking out past the door.

Just past her, he saw Akitsu already resting in the tub, the pale skin of her nipples peeking above the steadily filling water as she looked up at him blankly, not bothering to cover herself up. There was no way Musubi was going to fit in there with her without being pressed up against her, their bodies squeezing together—
"No! I'm good, thanks!" Minato squeaked, ripping his gaze away from the bathroom as he sought to calm his raging heartbeat.

"Hm… Okay! Maybe next time!"

With that, he heard the sound of water splashing—of course Musubi hadn't shut the door behind her—so he awkwardly fiddled with the handle of the bathroom door behind him and slid it closed without looking.

"They're trying to kill me…" he mumbled, almost deliriously. "There's nothing else that makes sense. They're trying to give me death by 'exposure…'"

Stumbling over to the couch, he let the exhaustion of the day catch up to him and collapsed onto it. With his legs dangling off the end of it and his head on the armrest on the opposite side, he didn't even bother to grab a blanket before letting his eyelids drift shut, —just to rest his eyes, he told himself.

"...Eyes…! Oh, Great Hunter, we have found our Eyes…!"

He didn't notice it as his drowsiness overwhelmed him, the soothing familiarity of the whispers' voices in his ear, but a gentle smile found its way onto his face—the pleasant feeling of winter and love spurring it into existence. Answers could wait a few hours… Because, for now…

All was right in the world of Sahashi Minato.

If you'd like to contribute to getting me to stop procrastinating, then join this discord server:
discord (d-o-t) gg (slash) elibrary

It's a community for fanfiction authors and their readers, run by some very popular authors. I'm not exactly active there, but they have the policy of giving authors with an aggregate score of 1000 Follows on their incomplete stories a text channel to call their own—a place where they can interact with their readers and their readers can interact with each other.

Somehow, I'm almost to that illustrious goal with all the people that seem to like my work. In other words, in the near future you can come bother me with that nasty thing called social pressure and hopefully get me off my lazy ass and back to writing.

I'm being a bit facetious here, but I'm serious about the idea of chatting with you all. Reader reviews are already the lifesblood of my motivation, so having an active community to remind me to work more consistently might actually be enough to get me to stop procrastinating as often as I do.

But hey, I'm just an idiot with a keyboard, so do what you want with your time, okay…?