Chapter Text
The room that Artax assigned them to was room 206, on the first floor. It was small, though that didn’t mean it wasn’t comfortable.
This was a luxury hotel after all, and even the simplest of rooms were able to convey that message very clearly.
The accommodation had a very pleasant aesthetic that reminded Kon of the few herbs that were sure to exist in a deep corner of his wooden box, left to rot by his graceless negligence.
The walls of the room were covered in an exquisite golden color, and the floor was made of dark wood, a material that was shared by most of the expensive furniture displayed around the place.
Albeit the colors covering the walls and the floor carried a similar glow, their upmost resemblance did not ring dull to the eyes.
Whoever was in charge of decorating the habitation was a master at their craft, because they sure made this work.
As a way to drag away attention from the bland color of the walls, the room was decorated with exquisite portraits and paintings, each one placed with careful consideration – chirurgical precision, giving the place a warm, cozy old-fashioned look.
There was also a window that gave view into the streets, a dark purple curtain was pulled shut over it.
Finally, Kon was able to pick up on a few plants scattered here and there, discretely breaking the monotone ambience that the arid colors were sure to bring upon the place.
The room was carefully designed in a way that wanted you to feel warm, to feel at home.
It was cozy, and it succeeded in the task of feeling intimate.
Room 206 was a double room, with beds that appeared to be made of the highest materials, as soft as a cloud.
One of the beds was placed next to the door, while the other was right next to the window.
Kon was insistent on claiming the latter.
Without wasting any time, the silver-haired kusuriuri threw himself face down onto the mattress, relishing on the soft material that embraced his skin.
The bed was comfortable. Very comfortable. And today had been undeniably long. Whoever, neither of the kusuriuris made any effort to fall asleep whatsoever.
Kon lifted his right hand to his field of vision so that he could check his nails.
Not because he needed to, but only because he wanted something to entertain himself while he lied on the mattress.
The kusuriuri did not need rest in the same way a normal human did, being able to go days on end without closing his eyes or even digesting the slightest bit of food.
Essentially, Kon wasn’t able to fall asleep now, even if he wanted to.
And he assumed the same to be true for kusuriuri Ri.
Kon contended himself with simply lying on his bed for the time being, thinking about the past hours that had gone by and lazily acknowledging the ambience around him.
He could see the other medicine seller from his peripheral vision, positioned right behind Kon’s long, painted nails.
The other man seemed to have busied himself with preparing some medicine, taking a seat in the large space between the two beds and spreading his botanic items all around him.
Many types of medicinal leaves and diverse-sized pots quickly took over the bottom of their shared space while the sound of crushing leaves and bubbling steam soon rose from where Ri sat flat on the floor.
The dim smell of strong herbs slowly flooded the room, ditching no efforts in completely disrespecting Kon’s olfactory system.
He turned around, scrunching his nose slightly at the strong medicinal scent that took over the place.
Kon closed his eyes, letting that familiar scent engulf him whole as he allowed his mind to wander to wherever it desired to go.
And of course, it wasted no time in paying upmost attention to the past twenty-four hours and the figure lying right behind him.
He thought about what this whole ordeal looked like from kusuriuri Ri’s point of view. What did he think about all of this?
Kon had always traveled alone, as most kusuriuri’s do. He had worked by himself for his entire life.
However, unlike all the other medicine sellers, he never quite grew content with his solitary lifestyle.
Yes, he may have always had his Shingi by his side, but the other was only a presence besides him. Not much of a talker.
Of course, Kon wasn’t complaining.
He loved and admired his Shingi with all of his heart, and being the one responsible for their release ritual was the sole duty of his whole existence. The greatest honor of his life.
Kon is below his Shingi in all aspects possibly.
And he doesn’t mean that in a demeaning way, It’s just the truth.
It is impossible for a mere mortal like himself to even come close in comparison to the sacred existence of the Shingi of Kon, with his all-mighty divinity.
So, why would the other have any obligation to talk to his medicine seller, especially when he was of a quieter nature?
Still, it’s not like they never talked.
His Shingi was still his companion, after all, and the divine being was quite fond of his kusuriuri, so they didn’t mind humoring him at times.
But then again, Kon is certain that he could count on his fingers the number of times the both of them have had a proper conversation in the trajectory of his lengthy life spam.
It wasn’t a lot.
With time, Kon grew used to keeping it to himself.
It didn’t bother him.
But now, having someone besides him that he could share his experiences and have them be understood, someone in the same position as him who was willing to stay, even if for just a while…
Well, he would be lying if he said that that didn’t mess with his brain a little.
It was a break in pace.
And Kon didn’t quite know what to do with that.
A stale silence fell over the room, and time passed on with the two of them only existing; Ri preparing his medicines and Kon pretending the need to sleep.
It was comfortable, it was casual.
Kon liked the feeling that this simplicity brought upon his chest.
That quiet world of their own was calm and soothing, and it was broken by a sudden knock on the door.
“Is anyone there?”
A feminine voice chipped in from the outside. It was young and bubbly, with a touch of curiosity.
Kon recognized that voice. It was Kayo’s, the girl in the yellow kimono from before.
She was one of the three humans present in the hotel, and the only woman.
Kayo was also the only one who seemed fully willing to give her aid to find the two missing components of the Mononoke, even if she didn’t really know exactly what that meant.
The frightful presence of the Mononoke was enough to shake the girl down to her very core, making herself be willing to do anything just to get that creature gone from sight.
Once panicked, some humans tended to do that, yes.
It was an understandable feeling.
Overall, Kayo was a nice person. Kon was fond of her.
With a small groan, Kon turned around in his bed, facing away from the window and positioning himself as to look at Ri instead.
Ri stared back at him.
Time came to a slow between them.
A few drawn out seconds passed.
The air around the two men only seemed to shift back onto its gears once Ri got up a small sight, making his way towards the door as soon as he realized that Kon was not going to make any effort whatsoever to get up from his bed.
The dirty blond slowly got to the entrance, grabbing on the doorknob and twisting it sideways as to ajar the door slightly open.
Ri positioned his eyes on the slim gap created that led to the hallway, and once he did so, the man found round brown eyes already staring back at him.
“Is there anything I can help you with?” Ri said in his monotone voice, looking at the hotel worker standing in his front.
The woman stared back at the man for a few seconds without uttering a word, as if a bit taken aback by his lack of formality.
Then, after blinking her eyes open a few times, she regained her composure and said;
“Well, hi.” Her voice was a bit timid, wavering at the start of the phrase “I’m just here to let you know that if the two of you need anything, you can come to me, I’ll be looking after you during your stay”
“Okay”
A few seconds of awkward silence passed between them.
Ri didn’t seem too inclined to keep the conversation going.
“So… do you need anything?” Kayo timidly said as she tipped her head slightly, catching a glimpse of the interior of the accommodation.
Inside, her eyes met the ones of the other medicine seller who was lying on his bed, watching their interaction with amusement from afar.
Kayo raised her hand in a stilted gesture, waving at him.
Kon gave her a small wave back.
That seemed to get her a bit more relaxed.
“Not for now.” Ri said in a disinterested tone, completely ready to end their interaction there.
He was much more concerned about going back to his medicines, mind still wavering on the need to refill his supplies that were now in a deplorable hollow state.
The man already had his hands placed on the back of the door in the start of a motion to slam it shut. But Kayo did not make any move to leave.
He stared at her from the small gap in the doorframe.
Giving it some thought, it’s not like he was in a rush anyways.
Ri had all the time in the world to mix his medicine later on, his herbs weren’t going anywhere.
Slamming the door on her face would just be too cruel – even for him.
So, Ri kept it open.
At the lack of motion from the man, Kayo took a few steps forward, and Ri a few steps back.
Now she was the one standing in the doorframe, seemingly letting go of all her previous shyness in a quick notion.
That’s somewhat impressive, the quick change in spirit – the kusuriuri thought absent mindedly.
Ri wasn’t too fond of Kayo to invite her in, but he also didn’t hate her enough to kick the girl out, so instead of doing anything, the medicine seller opted to just stand there and quietly watch as Kayo scanned over the place with her eyes.
After a few seconds of consideration, the girl lifted her index finger and started speaking, pointing at a specific spot inside the room.
“I can clean that up for you, if you’d like”
Ri followed her finger with his head, turning to see what exactly Kayo was pointing at.
Once he did, he came face to face with a colorful mess on the floor of the hotel room;
The main items he could pick up from afar were different pots of various sizes, many herbs spread out on the ground like a fancy carpet, and a bubbling liquid of suspicious nature that may or may not be somewhat poisonous.
His aforementioned medicines, the ones he was itching to go back to.
“I’m working on that. It doesn’t need any cleaning”
“That’s your workplace? It’s a bit messy”
Ri gave Kayo a deadpan stare.
His workplace wasn’t messy. It was just organized to his liking.
Ri liked to have all of his stuff at arm’s reach while mixing something new, and so, it couldn’t be helped that anyplace he deemed fit for compounding would look a little bit crowded.
He wasn’t messy. Kusuriuri Ri was simply more comfortable in the midst of organized chaos – or at least that’s what the humans that came across him tended to call his unusual method of arrangement.
“Oh! Sorry, didn’t mean to be rude” Kayo gave an awkward laugh alongside a wave of her arms, straightening her back once she saw the unimpressed glance her comment received.
“Don’t worry, I’m not offended” He really wasn’t.
Though it seemed that that wasn’t too much of a reassurance for Kayo.
Anyhow, that didn’t really stop her from staying.
Either the girl lacked social awareness, or she was simply way too curious about these two strange figures to let that strike her down. Her determination was kept high.
Without uttering a word, Kayo stepped closer to the medic components lying on the floor, taking the lack of an eviction as an excuse to go further in.
Her face spoke of pure curiosity as she crouched on the ground to take a closer look at what exactly Ri was working on.
Then, it shifted into a bit of a grimace as Kayo was faced with the bubbly liquid in one of the pots, taking in its foul smell.
“Not a good scent, is it?” A silky voice came from her side.
Once Kayo turned her head towards the direction of the sound, she came face to face to a strikingly handsome white-haired man.
The man was wearing an extravagant dark blue kimono with three layers that stacked upon themselves.
Or at least that seemed to be the original thought behind the piece, given the fact that a few layers appeared to have come a bit undone on his self due to the time he had spent laying on his stomach.
His clothes now hung loose on his body, hugging him like a blanket.
The man also carried an exquisite work of art on his face, an eye-catching makeup that painted the simplest of gazes into a penetrating stare.
That was the medicine seller of Kon.
Or at least that’s what Kayo recalled he had called himself earlier in the morning (or was that already yesterday?)
The medicine seller was sitting chestly on his bed.
Somewhere in the middle of their conversation, Kon had gotten himself up and shifted into a sitting position, now lazily resting with his head on his hands and elbows on his knees.
He spoke with a low voice, approximating his body towards Kayo as to speak to her in a half-whisper and making a scene out of keeping their insults to the medicine on the floor secretive from the other kusuriuri.
As if that would be of any help when said medicine seller was standing right across from them, eyes fixed on the two figures.
The exaggerated show of attitude amused Kayo, and she let out a small giggle while turning around so that she could properly come face to face with the man.
Her voice carried an intrigued tone when contesting his question, a teasing smile spread across her face.
“You said that you were a botanic too, weren’t you supposed to be used to this kind of smell?”
“Well, it’s only natural that some of us have a higher endurance to theses sort of things than others” Kon said in a matter-of-fact manner.
With a small huff, Ri left his spot next to the door frame and came closer to the two.
First, he looked at Kon.
Then, Ri stared at the bubbly mixture inside the pot on the ground for a few seconds.
Finally, he shifted his gaze down at Kayo as he spoke;
“I suppose that this component really is a bit odd to the sight...”
Ri leveled one of his hands to his face, placing his index and thumb on his chin in a thoughtful position.
“I wouldn’t blame you for finding it a bit weird, Miss Kayo. You, on the other hand –”
At that, Ri directed a sharp glare Kon’s way,
“– Should be used to this sort of thing.”
Ri’s face looked somewhat sour as he spoke, but Kon didn’t pay that any mind.
He could easily tell there was no bite behind those words.
After spending only a few hours with the other man, Kon was already starting to notice a pattern.
Ri’s face looked indifferent for most of the time. Almost expressionless. He didn’t use his visage to convey his emotions.
Instead, Kusuriuri Ri put all his emotional drive into his voice.
Which, granted, wasn’t a lot, but it was still there.
And Kon could easily tell that Ri’s voice carried no real anger at the moment.
So, all he did to answer his statement was give the man a foxy smile.
Ri seemed unimpressed by the other’s antics, given by the blank stare he directed at his colleague.
After a few seconds of silently scolding Kon with his eyes, Ri knelt down next to Kayo – who had just simply observed this strange interaction with amusement –, choosing to now direct his full attention at her.
“Tell me, Kayo, are you interested in medicine?”
The question was unprompted, breaking the previous pace of the conversation.
“Hm? Oh”
Kayo rubbed her left hand behind her neck as she spoke out the last syllable, dragging it with a bit of a slump.
Then, she gave a sideways glance to the mysterious substance intimidatingly lying on the wooden floor.
She stared at it with a bit of apprehension, as if the mixture would suddenly grow legs and start giving chase.
The look was fast, but Ri caught it anyways.
“I can assure you, by no means is this a respectable example of my work. Frankly, it is no example at all”
At hearing those words, Kayo’s whole composure immediately shifted, dumping forward in a comical visual representation of a sigh of relief.
After pushing the bubbly mixture aside, Kayo lifted her head and asked;
“I’m curious now, what would be a proper example of your work then?”
At that, Ri let out a sly smile.
“Would you like me to show you?”
☆*: .｡. .｡.:*☆
The floor of room 206 now was spotless clean, the dark wood of the ground now shining as lustrously as ever.
All the herbs and diverse shaped pots that once took over the wooden floor were now gone from sight, retreated to the depts of kusuriuri Ri’s wooden box as if never there to begin with.
The faint scent of medicine still lingered in the air, the only reminder of the mess this place had once been subdued in only not even a few hours ago.
The vast grounds of the double room was reminiscent of a stage, ready and set for the trade-of show about to take place.
Once hidden from view, a certain blue eyed medicine seller took the botanical items place on the floor, sitting neatly on the ground.
Alongside him, sat a potential buyer, face riddled with curiosity towards what the mysterious man had to offer.
Kusuriuri Ri wasted no time in showing off all the exquisite articles he had available for sale.
The items weren’t all related to medicine and botanicals, much to Kayo’s surprise.
Quite contradictory, in her opinion, given the fact that the man was a medicine seller. But who was her to contest?
The blond merchant reached into the depts of his hauling box.
The first item Ri took out was a fancy container that was designed with a similar form to that of a teapot, with a blue spout that resembled the shape of a snake.
Ri moved his upper body closer to Kayo, whispering something in her ear with a low voice that Kon could not hear from where he sat.
Probably some fancy wording related to the item, if he were to guess from Kayo’s euphoric expression, which was accentuated by a small giggle.
Next, Ri presented various turtle shaped statues stacked on top of one another.
Or was it just one statue, having all the stony turtles connected by their feet at their shell?
Each one of the sculpted reptiles was smaller than the last.
There were four in total.
The one sat on the highest level point could not have been over 7cm tall.
Again, Ri whispered the details of the object right onto Kayo’s ear.
Her face blushed slightly once hearing the words of the merchant, her mouth coming to form a sheepish O shape as she turned to stare at the medicine seller.
Next, Ri pulled out a magazine.
Even from far away on his bed, Kon did not have to wander much to guess what the content of the thing was.
It was easily tellable by the very illustrative drawing on the cover, discernable even when eyed at upside down.
Kon felt a slight heat creep upon his neck.
This guy’s shameless.
Thankfully, that slight change in color was fully hidden by the red paint dutifully covering his skin.
Probably.
Kayo, unlike Kon’s slightly gawky self, seemed completely intrigued by what the paper had to offer, not once shaken by the colorful insinuations behind it.
A faint smile appeared on Ri’s lips as he indulged Kayo’s curiosity on the appalling magazine, giving a faint summary on what the “plot” had to offer.
Maybe he simply knows how discern the kind of client a person is just from eye.
Ri looked down at the magazine.
That’d make sense why he’s not embarrassed to carry these sort of things around and show them off.
Then he glanced up at kusuriuri Kon, piercing eye’s as unreadable as always. Something was going on through his mind.
Kon could feel his face burning.
Yeah.
That’s got to be it.
The last item Ri pulled out from his wooden box was a small glass bottle.
The flask contained a pale yellow, watery liquid.
It emanated a sharp herbal aroma – as most of Ri’s botanicals do.
The room was rapidly engulfed in the small liquids spicy scent, driving Kayo to make a bit of a face at the unexpected smell.
It was medicine, the first one Ri has presented so far.
The glass flask was identified by a small piece of paper attached to it, showing off a neat handwriting transcribed with deep, black ink.
The crystal ink made out three words;
“Oregano essential oil” Ri read.
The blond medicine seller extended his right hand towards the flask with his palm facing up, formally presenting the item to his client.
“This oil is a great combatant against feline sporotrichosis.” he said, “it contains high levels of carvacrol, making this oil the best option to cure many stray cats infected with the disease at once.”
He retreated his hand, laying it flat over his lap,
“And in a city as big as this one, there is bound to have many of these animals wandering on the streets. It would be bad if they were to go on and attack any oncoming client,”
His face was watchful as he spoke, sharp eyes pinned on Kayo’s own as Ri spoke with intention,
“Isn’t that so?”
“Well…”
The girl mulled over his question, a bit hesitant to respond.
She reached for the glass flask and took it in her hands, fidgeting with the small component with her callused, yet curious fingers.
“Now that you mention it…” Kayo took a pause to organize her next words, “I haven’t seen that many cats around recently”
“Oh?”
“Which is weird, because they used to be quite numerous around these parts, you know?”
“Do you know what happened to the cats?”
Kayo let go of the flask and placed one of her hands on her chin, thinking quietly to herself.
“I don’t know… They’ve started disappearing ever since last month. It’s been a week since any cat has appeared here in the hotel” She spoke.
“Did you see them often?”
“Yes, actually. Every now and then, more common than you would think. They sometimes jumped upon the windows of the hotel room”
Her expression melted as she spoke, growing softer and gentler with each amber word the more Kayo reminisced about the furry creatures.
“They were all so cute. Too bad I couldn’t let them in. Artax would have my head for that”
Her voice adopted a riled twist at the end of her phrase.
“Truly a shame, having to resist their presence sounds like a living nightmare” Kon chipped from where he sat, carefully inserting himself into their conversation.
“Right? That guy’s the worst” The girl complained.
The room fell into a dense silence as Kayo harshly mulled over her boss’s unforgiving attitude.
Kayo then proceeded to drill a metaphorical hole into an empty corner of the room with her stare, as if Artax himself could literally feel the deep blow of her emotions if only Kayo just stared hard enough.
The room fell into silence again, and in the midst of the quiet, both the medicine sellers exchanged a glance towards one another.
The turbulent waves of their minds dulled down to a frequency of syntony.
Both men had been paying attention meticulously, as if each word coming from the girls mouth weighted gold.
The two of theem had turned their focus to the same little detail.
Finally,
They thought.
Finally, a lead.
Cats disappearing right before a grand event could not be a coincidence, they thought.
Not when there is a Nekomata around.
“Kayo.”
Ri spoke, his voice breaking through the girls’ deep focus like a stone falling into silent water, creating small, yet constant ripples of intensity in the waters of her mind.
“Yeah?” She contested, still somewhat dazzled from being pulled right out of her mind.
Like a fish out of water.
“Originally, you had come here to offer assistance with your service, correct?” He asked.
“Oh– Yes” She replied.
“We did not have anything to ask of you before,” Ri stated “But now we do”
Kayo blinked a few times, a bit surprised at the unexpected implicitness of a request, especially with how insistent the man had been with not needing anything from her only a few hours prior.
Even still, she was completely ready to help.
“And what would that be?”
“Could you find Artax for us? Tell him to wait at the dining hall.”
Kayo’s whole demeanor shifted at the spot, as if just mentioning the man’s name was enough to sour her entire mood.
Understandable, giving how much of a brat the girl’s boss seemed to be – according to her own words.
Even still, Kayo maintained her professional composure – the one she had been neglecting up until now in favor of chatting with two guests.
“Alright, alright, I’ll do it”
She whined,
“But in return, you’ll have to show me more of whatever items you keep in that box, kay?” Kayo requested in an energetic tone, as if attending to the man’s request wasn’t her job, but a simple suggestion.
“Alright, alright” the blond man retorted, “I’ll be sure to not let this go unpaid” He quipped back, a subtle smile following on his lips.
Kayo let out an amused giggle as she got up, making her way to the door and looking back at the two men for one last time before she went her way.
Her eyes found the ones of kusuriuri Kon, still sitting on his bed.
She gave him a wave.
He gave her a small wave back.
Kayo smiled, giving the two medicine sellers a polite bow as she turned around.
And the door slammed shut.
Just like that, both the Kusuriuris were alone in room 206 once again.
☆*: .｡. .｡.:*☆
As soon as Kayo left the dorm, Ri immediately started gathering his stuff for the second time in the day – and it was only seven in the morning.
A few trinkets clinked and tinkled as they moved against each other, gradually coming closer and closer together inside of a rather spacious cabinet of the medicine seller’s box.
Kon, who did not have anything to put away in the first place, only watched from the side.
The only thing he had done in the past five minutes was simply shift his position.
Yes, Kusuriuri Kon was still sitting, but now he was sitting on top of his own medicine box, – which was right next to Ri’s – watching the other man up close.
The end of Ri’s dutiful work was signalized by a loud thump once he closed the cabinet he was meddling with.
The sound of the action reverberated through the small room, coming loud to the sharpened senses of the two people inside who had not said a single word to each other in approximately the last half hour or so.
The quiet was deafening.
With a ruffle of his hair, Kon tipped his head to the side, shifting his gaze from Ri’s hands to his face as he straightened his back with a hum.
The action provoked a flow in the fabric of his kimono.
Now, the clothing that was already coming loose fell apart even more as Kon’s left sleeve draped off his shoulder with a silent ruffle, coming at a stop in the midst of his elbow.
Kon didn’t pay the change any mind. He wore two layers of clothing under his superficial garment, and they were only on the level of his shoulders, so this didn’t expose anything.
It wasn’t obscene.
And so, it wasn’t worth the effort of fixing up.
Watching Ri arrange his merchandise was much more entertaining.
The medicine seller who sat on the floor twisted his head, looking up at Kon from the corner of his eyes with a neutral face that was starting to become a signature look of his.
With a silence that could only be replicated by the dead and an elegant flow in his stance, kusuriuri Ri brought himself up on his feet and moved so that he could face Kon directly.
His wooden geta echoed heavily with each step he took.
Granted, they weren’t many, given the fact that Kon was right by his side.
But that didn’t matter.
Each echo of his steps reverberated inside Kon’s mind over and over again, like a rampaged animal stuck in a very claustrophobic room.
The silence was loud, and it seemed to stretch on for an eternity.
Each action made in the privacy of room 206 seemed to etch itself into the minds of those present like a third-degree burn derived from hot, living fire.
The air was dense, something had suddenly shifted.
It was thick with something Kon couldn’t quite put a finger on.
Ri stopped walking once he came to a stance in front of Kon, his last footstep echoing like a dull bell.
Kon looked up, he stared at the man towering over him.
He stared, and he saw eyes partially sealed, peering with natural intensity, cutting through him like a knife.
He saw blond hair swaying gently in the wind. The wind that stubbornly insisted on coming in from the window, even though the curtains were pulled tight shut.
For the first time in his long-lived existence, Kon could feel the inside of his being lightning up like never before.
He could feel that living fire going straight through his soul.
It was a sensation he had never felt before, one he couldn’t possibly name even if he tried.
Ri, fortunately oblivious to the small turmoil going on inside the others’ mind, lifted his index finger and graciously stroked Kon’s exposed collarbone, fixing his eyes on the deplorable state of his Kimono.
He retreated his finger back as abruptly as he had moved it forward. The touch couldn’t have lasted more than five seconds, only a small tap.
The most indifferent of touches.
Yet it was enough to make Kon’s skin burn.
Ri spoke as he retreated his hand, eyes fixed on Kon’s own.
“You should fix this,” He said “Unless you have no problem in your kimono falling off anytime soon”
Kon awarded him with a deadpan stare in tribute to his smart comment.
A bit uncharacteristic of him, if you were to ask Ri.
But anyhow, that seemed to be enough of a reaction for the man, given the slight curve that came upon his eyes.
Clearly, one of them thought the joke was funnier than the latter.
Ri didn’t even wait for a verbal response before turning around, making his way straight to the door as he slid the two twine straps of his medicine box over his shoulders.
“Refrain from taking too long. I will be waiting outside”
That was the last thing Kon heard before the dull slam that followed.
The door had been closed.
And Kon was now alone.
He felt strange. Kon did not mean to give Ri such an awful look before he left.
Why did he even do that anyways?
Its not the first time the man said something ironic like that, so why was Kon’s reaction so different this time around?
He gave it some thought.
His mind immediately ran back to the touch on his clavicle.
Kon did not appreciate how dizzy the sole memory of the event made him feel.
Why is my head so dizzy?
His mind echoed inside itself.
Dizzy.
But not dizzy in the way he usually felt after a particularly difficult Mononoke exorcism.
No, this was a different type of dizzy.
It doesn’t feel so bad.
In a quiet act of introspection, Kusuriuri Kon chose to entertain these thoughts bubbling inside of his head, even if only for a while.
But only so because they were new. Unexplored territory he itched to delve deeper.
Honestly…
He thought, brain coming back into action at full speed.
Being naked alone with Ri wouldn’t be that bad.
Huh.
At first, Kon only stared at the door in front of him.
It stared back.
His mind was blissfully numb to what he had just conceived.
But only for a few seconds.
Suddenly, the implications of those words hit him with full force.
The medicine seller buried his face in his hands, warmth and embarrassment spreading to every corner of his body like a terminal disease.
Kon tried to hang onto the small remains of his composure he had left, clinging to them like a castaway lost at sea. A silver lining.
It was not enough.
What kind of thought even is that?
Clearly, this undiscovered territory was much more trouble than it is worth.