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Disclaimer: I don't own Tokidoki Bosotto Roshiago de Dereru Tonari no Alya-san or any of its characters...
"Good morning, Kuze-kun~"
Masachika turned his attention from the dishes that he was cleaning to the voice that just spoke, and he noticed that it was none other than the Maria Kujou, which came as a surprise to him.
"Uh… good morning, Masha-san. You woke up really late today, you know? Everyone else is already done with breakfast and they headed out to get to work."
Everyone normally woke up before 7 in the morning (6 in Alya and Mashachika's case) so that they can do a lot more work for the day, and there has never been an instance where one of them slept in beyond that.
It's more surprising that the first instance of it would come from Maria, who was normally one of the hardworking people in their group.
The girl rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment, "I'm sorry about that. I was having a really good dream earlier, maybe that's why I couldn't wake up the same time as everyone, hehe…"
"It must have been a really good dream if it took you this long to wake up. Sarashina-senpai even made it clear not to bother you," he remarked.
"Well, I guess you could say that…"
Masha turned away, if only to hide the smile that was threatening to take over her entire face.
Truth be told, the dream that she had before waking up revolved around herself and a certain boy whom she obviously had feelings for. Thus, she didn't want it to end so soon and slept for longer than she normally does.
"I'd like to know more about it, but I think you should eat breakfast first, Masha-san. It's on the table already."
"Maybe I should. I feel really hungry today for some reason…" she nodded, stretching her limbs out.
"Once you're done, hand over your plate here so I can get it cleaned up."
"There is no need, Kuze-kun. I'll do it myself," she shook her head with a smile. "You can go on ahead and help everyone else."
"Sounds fair, but I don't really feel comfortable leaving you here all alone. I'll just wait for you be done, then we can head out together."
"If you're sure about that, then I guess I could use some company…"
It didn't take long before Masachika finished up with the dishes at the sink and fortunately for him, Masha was still in the middle of eating her breakfast. After he was done, he quickly joined her at the table for a quick chat before they go off on their respective agenda for the day.
"So, are you going to tell me more about that dream you had, Masha-san?" he asked with a grin. "Maybe then, I'll understand why you woke up later than everyone else."
Masha giggled for a few moments, before shaking her head. "I'm sorry, but I think I'd like to keep it a secret."
"Okay, okay, I won't ask anymore. But anyway, how are you feeling?" His eager expression morphed into one that showed concern. "You think you can face your sister today?"
In an instant, the girl's mood shifted from energetic to melancholic, after being reminded of the obvious fact that she hasn't made up with her sister yet.
Masha knew what she had to do but in order to proceed, she has to take the first step. Deep down, she wanted to put an end to this farce and reconcile with her sister already, but there was still a part of her that held conflicted feelings regarding Alisa.
"...uhm… do you think I should… talk to Alya-chan today…?" she asked, turning to him for guidance on what to do.
Caught off guard by the sudden change in her demeanor, Masachika slapped himself out of his trance and quickly thought of a proper and reasonable response for her.
"N-No, that's not what I meant. I'm just asking if you feel that you can work with Alya today. You two both work on the farm, after all. I could always take over for you if you want."
"I think I can…" she murmured while unconsciously letting out a sigh of relief. "I-I mean, i-if I was able to do it yesterday, then I think can do it again today. But I don't know if I can talk to Alya-chan—"
"That's all I needed to hear. You don't have to talk to Alya right away, like what we agreed upon. Talk to her when you feel that you're ready, Masha-san. No one is forcing you to, and you shouldn't be doing it to yourself, either."
"R-Right…" she nodded slowly in agreement.
Masachika smiled at her as a form of reassurance, while simultaneously berating himself in his mind for nearly messing it all up.
"Way to go, me. You almost ruined things not just for her, but for Alya too."
He had gotten impatient for a moment there and jumped straight to a question about Alya, not knowing that it would have a huge effect on Maria.
He wasn't even planning on encouraging or persuading her to speak with her sister, but Maria understood his statement as if he was.
"As much I hate this, Yuki was right. I should just let this play out normally instead of trying to force it to happen. Masha-san will apologize when she feels ready to apologize. Alya did say that she's willing to wait for her, at least."
Masachika had no idea how long it would take for Maria to be finally ready to have that inevitable talk with her younger sister, but he trusted the older Kujou to be perfectly aware of what she has to do.
"There was no need for you to accompany me, Masachika-sama. Yuki-sama, Alya-sama, or Maria-sama might need you more at the moment."
After leaving the lodge with Masha, the young man set out to look for Ayano. Because there was nothing that needs to be constructed or repaired at the moment, Masachika was free to help out whoever he wished.
Fortunately, he had spotted the maid heading to the forest, most likely to check on the traps that she constructed back then as another food source for them.
Needless to say, Ayano was surprised to see him by her side when she noticed his presence.
"There was no need, but I wanted to. And I wouldn't worry about them. They can handle themselves just like you can. Do you mind if I help you in checking the traps, Ayano?"
The girl shook her head almost immediately.
"Not at all, Masachika-sama. I am beyond honored that you would choose to help me."
"The two of us did kinda bring up the topic of traps into discussion around here, so it's only right. Matter of fact, I want to question myself why I haven't checked those traps out the moment Sarashina-senpai gave us the green light to do them…"
"Because Masachika-sama was busy helping out everyone," Ayano clarified. "Please do not feel bad."
"I still wanted to help build those things…" he sighed to himself. "Anyway, can you tell me more about them?"
She nodded, "Yuki-sama and I have constructed three traps in separate regions within the forest. Two deadfall traps, and a simple snare. They do not guarantee a catch everyday, and it would be more precise to say that we can trap an estimate of two animals in the span of a week."
"I'd rather eat fish everyday than squirrels, rabbits, birds, or god forbid, rats… so I don't have a problem with that," Masachika sweat-dropped.
"The chances of catching small game increases if I am there to oversee the trap, so I can manually activate it once I see them. I spend an hour on each trap twice a week from the day Yuki-sama and I built them."
"And how often do you get one?"
"The chances remain very low even with my presence, Masachika-sama. I apologize, as my efforts are not enough to maintain a steady food supply for all of us," she bowed her head in apology.
"...it's not really something you should be apologizing about, trust me."
The two continued to venture into the forest until they reached one of the two deadfall traps, where Ayano placed several small pieces of vegetables as fresh bait before they moved to a spot where they can't be normally seen by the small mammals lurking about.
Ayano grabbed a stick with a small piece of rope tied around it, which was connected to a larger stick that kept the entire trap ready, and kept a watchful eye for any small animals nearby.
"Are you feeling okay, Ayano?" he asked while they waited for a potential catch.
"A servant's feelings such as myself does not matter."
Those words caused Masachika to think back to last night's events, where Ayano became the topic of conversation between him and Yuki.
"She may think of herself as a mere servant, but we both know that we never thought of her like that. We both saw her as a friend who was there for us whenever we needed her."
Those words rung true in his mind.
He never really thought of Ayano as only a maid in the household while he was still there. Maybe 'the weird friend who is too helpful and obedient towards others' would be a better way to describe her, but he always saw her as a friend instead.
"I didn't ask if your feelings mattered or not. I'm asking if you're feeling okay," he insisted. "Are you holding up well so far? After all, we're stuck on an island with no clue when we'll be able to get back home. "
The girl closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. "If I must be honest, then I feel safe, Masachika-sama."
"Safe?"
"I feel safe because we are able to survive for this long on our own," she continued.
"Were there times where you thought that it was going to be the end for us?"
"Yes. There have been instances where I thought all of us were going to perish, whether it's because of hunger, thirst, sickness, or a natural disaster. It… made me scared."
Although her expression remained as stoic as ever, her words and the slight hesitation she had perfectly conveyed Ayano's true feelings on the matter.
"You and me here. It is scary that we've been on our own for two months now, and there's still no sign of any help coming. Nothing from Kenzaki-senpai, and no ships on the horizon. It almost feels like we're trapped here."
Masachika took a good look at his surroundings, treating the forest around them as if it was the ocean while they were the island itself, before ultimately sighing in defeat.
"But I want you to know that if you ever need someone to talk to, or someone you could open up to, I'm here. Yuki's there for you as well. All you have to do is say the word, Ayano."
"Thank you. I shall keep your words in mind, Masachika-sama. However, I should be the one telling you such a thing. It is my duty, after all."
"Don't worry about me. I'm fine as long as everyone else is safe. Seeing everyone in high spirits, getting along with one another, and working together to get through this, it's enough to make me feel better. It's all I care about, honestly."
Ayano closed her eyes and took in his words as if it was a gospel. She could feel the sincerity behind his statements, and she had no doubt that it's how he truly felt about all this.
Masachika had already proven several times in the past that he would go through all the lengths needed just to help the people he cared about, after all.
"That is very selfless of you, Masachika-sama. Yuki-sama and everyone else will appreciate your words should they hear it," she spoke out of pure admiration.
"They surely will, but why are you excluding yourself from what I said? You're also included, Ayano."
"I appreciate your words but there is no need for you to worry about me, Masachika-sama."
"No chance in hell," he shook his head and stared at her. "It doesn't matter what you think or say. Helping you and everyone else survive the shitty hand we're dealt with is worth waking up every single day and working hard… even if I don't like pushing myself this much."
Ayano stared back at him in return, seemingly having no reaction to everything he just said… until she took a deep breath and bowed her head.
"...may I please excuse myself, Masachika-sama? I require the restroom at the moment."
"Sure, I can take over while you're gone. This shouldn't be hard, unless I fall asleep while I'm doing this," he joked and took the trigger from her. "You sure you can make it back to the house in time?"
"Yes, Masachika-sama. I will be back as soon as I can," she bowed once again before walking off, gaining speed the farther she went away that it almost looked like she was running.
While Masachika was completely unaware of it, a tiny blush dusted the maid's cheeks as soon as she was away from him. In someone else's eyes, it's a harmless reaction from Ayano but to those who knew her as well as the girl herself, it's almost hard to believe.
"His strong insistence and the determination in his words is making it hard to control myself, but I must be stronger than this," she spoke to herself, steeling her resolve to keep up her stoic mask.
…even if her Masachika-sama can make her feel this way.
"I talked to Ayano, but there isn't any sign that points to her being 'interested' in me. Just as I thought, you were just trying to get a rise out of me, little sister."
Masachika sat at his bed with folded arms and a displeased look on his face, an expression that was directed to a certain younger sister of his.
Even though he didn't want to, everything that Yuki said about Ayano last night struck a nerve within him, so he gave in and tried to see for himself if his sister was telling the truth.
…and he wasn't surprised at what he found out.
In front of him stood Yuki and Alya, whom he both called to meet him in his room after everyone else retired to their respective quarters. The latter looked happy to see him, while the former was chuckling nervously.
"You don't have anything to say?" he pressed on, narrowing his eyes even further.
"Hold on, hold on!" Yuki waved her arms in front of her furiously. "Before you punish me or anything, I may be a lot of things, Onii-chan, but a liar isn't one of them. Do you really think Ayano will be upfront with you about what she really feels? Even I don't know what she has in mind most of the time."
"Then what even gave you that ridiculous idea if you don't know what she's thinking about?"
"Simple. I asked her what she would do if I ordered her to seduce and have sex with you," she puffed her chest in pride, somehow feeling proud of what she had done.
"You… what?" Masachika deadpanned, while Alya's face turned crimson upon hearing what Yuki said.
"I asked her what she would do if I ordered her to be intimate with Onii-chan, and you know what? She was actually caught off guard by what I said! For once, Ayano looked like she had no idea what to do!"
"Of course she'd be caught off guard, you idiot…" he facepalmed, wondering why his sister was even doing all this.
In fact, why is she even trying to bring Ayano into this whole mess in the first place?!
"When Ayano finally came up with an answer, she was actually willing to go through with it, even though I was just joking the whole time."
Alisa covered her mouth with one hand to stifle a gasp. "How cruel of you to ask her a sudden question like that, Yuki-san…"
"Why thank you, Alya-san~" Yuki winked at her. "It was my full intention from the start, after all."
"I don't have the slightest clue why you're even doing these things but as I said, I have no reason to do this with Ayano. Stop trying to bring her into this."
"Just like how you had no reason to do it with me at first?" she pointed out.
"This and that are completely different things. You came to me that night and I did what I needed to do. I highly doubt Ayano would do the same as you, and even you would agree with me on that."
Ultimately, Yuki sighed in defeat. Her brother can be really hard to persuade sometimes and in those cases, he has to be convinced in some other way.
"So you're just going to wait until something bad happens to Ayano, Onii-chan? I don't really have a problem with that, but don't say I didn't warn you…"
"You're speaking nonsense," he shook his head in exasperation.
"Well, anyway… on to another matter…"
The girl didn't let this momentary setback bother her for long, as she would immediately shift her attention to the half-Russian beside her, while flashing a wicked grin in the process.
"Erhm… is something wrong?" Alya blurted out, her voice tinged with nervousness upon noticing the evil look in Yuki's eyes.
Yuki immediately wrapped an arm around her in a side-hug, before pulling her closer and earning a yelp from the silver-haired girl.
"I noticed that you seemed on edge this entire time, Alya-san. Could you perhaps… be afraid of me? You don't have to be. I don't bite… unless you want me to~?"
Alya blanched.
MINASAN, YONDE KURETE ARIGATŌ! AISHITEMAAAAASUUUUU! *starts playing air guitar*
-Lance
