Chapter Text
The leather notebook felt smooth in her hands, the weight of the many pages pushing down on her hand. Her eyes darted around nervously, taking in the strange room. She wasn’t really supposed to be here.
“Come on, one more!”
The duo that she was currently stalking were a rather odd one. There was, of course, the NEET, Osakabehime, and the overly social Musashi. Neither of them really fit with the other.
“Annnnnnnnd there you go. Three sit-ups! That’s a record.”
“Oh shut up! Can I go back to my room now?”
“Nope.”
The girl watched as Musashi dragged her partner away towards the treadmill, a loud “Nooooooooooooo!” left hanging in the air. Jotting down some notes, she continued to stare at the couple. In all honesty she didn’t understand why they were together. They seemed … ill suited for each other.
“And that’s it. You’re done for the day!”
Osakabehime immediately collapsed on the floor, panting to catch her breath.
“You, you demon.”
Musashi gave a jovial laugh, throwing her head back.
“But you're still here.”
“Not for long I won’t be! All I need is my collection and my manga! I hereby reject all exercise and the pushy who makes me suffer!”
The assassin turned around with an over exaggerated humph, picking up a nearby bottle of water and chugging it. Wiping off the residual water around her mouth, Osakabehime continued. “And another thing… eeeep!”
Arms slung around the girl, a face burying into the assassin’s back.
“Musashi? Everything okay?”
For a moment, there was no response, musashi simply nuzzling closer into the assassin. Slowly, a very muffled voice sounded out.
“I’m sorry. I know I’m pushy. I just… miss you when you’re working. I like being with you. It … makes me happy.”
There was a lot Osakabehime could have said. She didn't need to though.
“I know.”
There was a moment of infinite peace, stretching into eternity. For a second there was a shared happiness that permeated the room. Only a moment.
“Wanna come read my new doujin?”
“ … Yeah.”
The quiet observer smiled. Looks like she had been wrong. Turning away, the girl left the couple all alone. This moment was not for her.
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Case Study One Conclusion:
Love is Understanding
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Smiling wryly at the words on the page, the girl closed the notebook. Understanding, huh? She was trying. She was really trying.