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When she prays to the fallen soul, she feels the weight of the lives she held on her shoulders. Of the suffering that many claim was minimal. Of the bonds that had been formed, and severed (and severed) because of her. She prays to Celestia to accept Teppei’s soul, her gloved hands cold with anxiety.
She is used to this. She has prayed at the past homes of countless deceased soldiers. Frankly, at this point, she feels very little sadness or regret — she is confident in her strategies, so if anyone had passed, then it was an inevitability.
Except for this.
Teppei had lost his life due to his own ambition. How long did he spend utilizing that Delusion? He’d killed himself with how much he used it.
—And she was partly to blame.
She had been well aware of his desire to stand on the front lines, yet she had held it back from him for so long, that like a child, he had come to long vehemently for what was forbidden from him. She had been like a parent, saying ‘you’re forbidden to do this,’ and his wish to break that rule had become so strong, that when it finally came true, it destroyed him.
For the first time in awhile, she feels… broken. She feels helpless. She feels more helpless than when she had been forced into the position of Divine Priestess. When she had been forced to take the lead of the military forces, rather than just being an advisor. She feels an exhaustion that takes her by storm, weighing heavily on her body.
A few days later, she hears that the Raiden Shogun herself is taking a break for self-reflection.
She figures that, as her duties as the leader of the Resistance is over, she can take a break as well.
-
She hears vague comments that the Raiden Shogun’s break consists of her staying put within the Tenshukaku, and disallowing guests to visit her. She stays in pure solitude, with only her trusted Yae Miko holding the Passing Permit that allows others to see her. Guards stand outside the door with their sharp polearms, barring entry to anyone without it.
Kokomi thinks she won’t be quite so strict. As introverted as she is, she knows that in the end, interaction with others is good for you. Even if it takes up some of her energy, staying in touch with all that goes on around her as the Divine Priestess can never be a bad thing.
When she leaves the shrine that day, the jellyfish that inhabit the island still float dreamily upwards. The shell-like structure around the shrine still glows like pretty opal.
Gorou is there. He still wears his armor and bears his bow, of course with his Vision still close to him. He looks around absentmindedly, his ears flicking at nothing, his tail mildly swaying from left to right.
(Cute. Energy +1!)
She decides to talk to him.
When he sees her, he lights up, and smiles brightly. His eyes are pretty and blue like the ocean, and his hair is messy. It looks soft. He waves to her and she waves back, walking over to him.
“Your Excellency!” he says gleefully, his teeth showing as he grins at her.
—She sighs inwardly. She feels much closer to Gorou than that. She wishes he would call her name.
(She’s too shy to ask him to do so.)
“Hello, Gorou.”
“Would you like to go on a walk across the island with me? I-I’d like to talk to you about something.”
Hm? He seems nervous. She’s happy he asked him to do this for her, though. Even being the Divine Priestess, and having the power to command thousands of people all at once, she feels she doesn’t have the strength to ask for a small, personal request such as this. Let alone to someone she treasures so dearly.
“That sounds lovely. If you wish, we can go further.”
“Ah-“
His tail begins to wag a bit faster.
(Cute. Energy +2!)
Immediately, her mind begins to wander, thinking of all the things she could do now together with him. During the battles and the time they had spent together as allies under the Sangonomiya Resistance, they had time to talk of little else but war.
Directives, strategy. Battles, losses, wins.
—The conditions of soldiers.
She hesitates, before realizing that Gorou is already far ahead of her on the path. She had been far more lost in her head than she had thought. He looks back at her from where he stands, concern hanging in his eyes.
“Your Excellency,” he says as she catches up, expression gentle. “Is something the matter?”
“Aha… you could say that.”
“Would you like some time to think?”
“…I’d like to walk. I think a change of scenery will do me good.”
“Then, uh!” He seems to get a little flustered. “I-If you’d like, could I take your hand?”
(Oh, Celestia above. How is she going to accept this?)
The girl tries to stop her mind from chasing its fancies — she can daydream when she’s alone. With a sudden lack of things to focus on, she finds she’s been daydreaming a bit more than she usually does, even during errands and when she’s with others.
Though, maybe, this too can count as strategy.
She pretends to daydream again, and tries to get at least a little lost in her mind for real. After all, she has no idea what she looks like to other people when she’s lost in her own thoughts. She does her best to recreate the expression.
Gorou seems to think she’s lost focus again.
“Y-Your Excellency?”
She purposely ignores him, hoping maybe, it’ll work. Maybe, he’ll just take her hand, so she can continue ‘daydreaming.’
“U-Um… would you like me to…? Or… maybe this can wait.”
No! She immediately snaps out of her false reverie and shakes her head, to make it obvious to him. “Hm? Ah. Sorry, Gorou.”
“Oh, you’re alright? Are you sure you want to walk? Maybe we should just do something else?”
“I…”
She feels her face going hot. Gorou won’t hold her hand, and she can’t gather the courage to give him her approval.
(Energy -1.)
“Gorou,” she says tentatively, and he looks her right in the face in reply. She can’t meet his gaze. She observes his concerned expression from the side of her vision. “Maybe…”
“Maybe?”
“Ah, what does it matter!” She gets frustrated and walks onward. “Come, Gorou. I have something I’d like to show you as well.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
He catches up to her, and they walk down the path out of the shrine. As beautiful as the floating jellyfish are, they are an incredibly regular sight for her, and she feels that if the scenery around her changes — if the wind blows upon her cheeks just right, if the ocean laps on her toes just so — then maybe, she will feel her energy renewed.
-
“Energy” is something Kokomi maintains day by day.
However, she believes that “energy” can also be generally maintained over many days, or months, or years. It is the same with any tool or weapon: it can treat one better from day to day, depending on technique or weather or other factors. But over time, as it is continually used, the tool will become blunt and lose its effect altogether. At times like that, one takes it to the smith, and they will sharpen it.
It is only after the tool has been newly re-sharpened that one realizes just how blunt it had been before. Work after that feels easy, and one can face it with renewed “energy” and motivation.
Kokomi believes that humans aren’t so different. Of course, humans don’t have any “smith” that they can take themselves to, and most of the time, a mere “vacation” or “break” is not enough to recreate past vigor. Humans are very unique in that sense, she thinks. The creation of weapons is an art form, honed and sharpened over many years. After that, every weapon comes out a very specific way, and everything about it can be described in very simple words that anyone can understand.
A sword that is lighter and therefore breaks easily, but is simpler to wield.
A claymore that takes down opponents easier if you swing it around quickly.
And so on.
Humans are not so simple. Humans cannot be told by others how to become sharper, or how to replenish their energy. That is something they must discover on their own.
Kokomi, being entirely honest, does not think she has found that method yet. But if she’s been working harder than she’s used to due to the war she partook in — as the leader of the side opposing the Almighty Shogun, no less — then maybe, after taking some time away from war as a whole, and returning to work that is simpler, she will be efficient again.
When they reach the edge of Watatsumi Island, Kokomi sees Seirai Island far in the distance, and the stormcloud that circles above it. Amakumo Peak -- “Heavenly Cloud Peak.”
(Heavenly, as if the gods look down upon it. It looks like hell up there.)
Kokomi is tempted to take her socks off so she can feel the sand beneath her feet, but then she is reminded of the way the grains tend to get stuck between her toes, and decides against it. The sky is clear and pretty here, so she decides to look for a place to sit first.
“How long were you planning on keeping me, by the way, Gorou?”
“As long as you liked, Your Excellency!”
Hm. She was hoping for a bit more directness than that.
She decides to add a bit more pressure, to get him to speak up. “What about what you would like?”
Gorou’s eyes widen for a split-second, just long enough for Kokomi to notice.
“U-Um… well… It may be a bit impudent of me, to ask this of you.”
“You aren’t asking me for anything.” Kokomi speaks softly, in an attempt to calm him, and get him to be more honest with her. He’s getting excited, and then getting all nervous, and then doing it all again. Usually, when something comes to his mind, he says it immediately; this has happened on the battlefield before, and if it didn’t cause her trouble…! “If I dislike the idea of what you say, there’s no obligation for me to follow through. But it never hurts to say it.”
(She says this, like she wasn’t biting back her wish for him to hold her hand earlier.)
“T-Then!” He gets a little louder, the way he always does when Kokomi addresses him. “I’d like to stay with you past sunset. I don’t think either of us have actually watched the sunset for awhile, and it’s always very beautiful, so…”
A sunset! She hasn’t seen one in so long. She feels her own eyes lighting up, and she nods fervently.
“That’s a lovely idea, Gorou!” She beams. “It is midday, however. What shall we do until then?”
(She says this, like she doesn’t already have an idea in mind.
She smiles, mostly to herself.)
“If you have anything you would like to do, then let’s do that first. I’d like to save what I have in mind for last,” he says. His gaze is maintained perfectly upon Kokomi for a moment, until that last part. For last? What on earth has he got in mind?
Well, she’ll humor him. “That sounds good. Then… can we just… talk?”
“Talk?”
She nods, and looks around the beach some. There’s a rock with a relatively flat top; the ocean’s erosion has likely softened any hard edges. Funny enough, it’s just large enough to seat the both of them. The sky above is pretty and blue, and the gentle waves of the sea reflect a clumsy image of the clouds, charming in its own way. “Mhm. Come,” she motions with her hand towards the rock, and sits down on the left side of it. “Sit with me. Tell me stories. Speak!”
“A-Ah, yes!” Gorou quickly hurries over and sits next to her, and stares out at the open water before them. “Then…”
-
“Ah, Kazuha! Yes, I remember him.” Kokomi thinks back to the short time he spent with the resistance; Kazuha, being a ronin, never really stayed in one place for long. That Anemo Vision that hung from his left shoulder, out of sight but definitely not out of mind, certainly fit him well.
Kokomi remembers very little of him. She remembers his prowess over the sword, and how he manipulated wind like putty in his hands, taking down enemy after enemy. He likely stayed with the resistance for longer than she can recall; she didn’t spend all that much time with him. Gorou, however, seemed to get rather close to him in those fleeting days.
“Kazuha had very strong moral character,” he says, a sort of wistfulness in his voice that makes her think that he’s only re-imagining the memories he had together with him, rather than seeing the sun in front of him as it slowly sinks down. “He spoke about his Vision with love, yet a slight detachment too. It was really interesting to me.”
“Detachment?” Kokomi can’t imagine speaking of her Vision that way. She relies heavily upon it, after all.
“He would talk about how all of his strength came from his bladework, and that his Vision was only evidence of his own struggles and hardship. He wears it on his back, too, so he doesn’t ever really look at it whenever he’s using it.”
“However the power he gained from his Vision is definitely something he’s mastered as well.”
“Definitely.” Gorou smiles. “He had a friend in the past that he spent all of his time with, supposedly. When the Vision Hunt Decree was passed, however, his friend challenged the Shogun to a duel before the throne, and lost…”
The boy’s gaze falls downward, those blue eyes of his marred with sympathetic sorrow. Kokomi doesn’t press him; she knows Kazuha was important to Gorou. And losing a friend to the Vision Hunt Decree…
“He’s always been a ronin, I think,” Gorou says after a moment of deafening silence. “At least… he won’t speak about anything before the time he was a ronin. Maybe he’ll tell me someday. I hope our paths cross again.”
“If they do, be sure not to pressure him too much, will you? He may fear losing another friend.”
“Ah…”
“Well.” She smiles. “That Geo Vision of yours… is it not to protect?”
“Ah…!”
Gorou stays silent for a few more moments. When he speaks again, his expression is bright.
(Energy +1.)
-
“Obviously, I’m not fully human.” Gorou gestures to his own ears and tail. “And that’s a weakness of mine, actually — one I’ve had to learn to deal with on the battlefield and even off of it.”
“Oh, how so?” Kokomi tilts her head. “I imagine that your ears give you enhanced hearing?”
“Well, you’re not entirely wrong,” he says sheepishly. “Even as I complain about my non-human features, they have helped me in some situations, I must admit. However.” The word carries a lighthearted emphasis; he smiles. “You know, dogs are weakest at their ears. The ears are very delicate and sensitive. So it’s very easy for other dogs to bite them off and permanently incapacitate their opponent.”
“Oh…” Kokomi can’t say she’s ever thought of that.
“And obviously, my tail is very easy to grab. It’s also very sensitive… when I sit down, I usually try not to sit on it, or it hurts me. That’s why I use the bow!” He looks fondly upon the weapon at his side. “If I stay far away enough from the enemy, they have no chance of grabbing me by the tail or cutting off my ears.”
“You’re very brave, Gorou.” Her voice is laced with a bit of pain; she had no idea that he was always risking so much with every battle. “I thank you for your constant efforts, and your everlasting courage.”
“Anything for Your Excellency!” The toothy grin he gives her is adorable and undeniably doglike.
(Energy +1.)
-
“On the other hand…”
He looks up, his hand on his chin like he’s thinking.
“When I want to protect everyone, I have to get closer.”
“Eh…?”
“After all, what’s the point of a shield if it only protects me? What’s the use of a world where my friends aren’t here?”
Kokomi splashes him with water for that. He shakes his head to dry himself off some, and little droplets go flying everywhere.
“Don’t say things like that. If your shield can’t protect everyone, that’s not something to blame yourself for. Do you blame yourself, Gorou? For the losses of the revolution?”
“Honestly?” He gives a weak smile. “I do, a little bit.”
…
She can’t get upset at him for that. She blames herself, too. It’s her strategies that failed to save some of those soldiers. That failed to save Teppei.
(He was the worst case.)
They both fall quiet, the waves lapping at their feet. The sound of the ocean becomes the only thing to pierce the silence. They reminisce on the war, on the losses, on the pain and suffering. And on the people who wanted to bring it all back for some reason.
They spend a few moments like that - understanding each other’s pain, silently comforting one another by being together, before they speak again. The lack of pressure upon her makes her feel relaxed.
(Energy +1.)
-
“It should have been obvious to me, but for some reason, as a little girl, I never thought that I would be the Divine Priestess of Watatsumi.”
“Eh, is that right?”
“My bloodline does make it clear, doesn’t it?” She gives a muted laugh. “Even then, I somehow believed that when I grew up, I would only be an advisor to someone else. In that scenario, I could go out and meet people on my own terms, and I would be able to spend as much time with the people I chose as possible. I would never have had to come into the spotlight the same way I do now, and I wouldn’t have to manage my energy the way I do now.”
Kokomi has the location of her secret hideout written in her directives, so the entire Watatsumi militia should know where it is. Despite that, the Traveler told her that none of them can actually remember; they take out the directives every time.
Gorou is the only one who never seems to need them. Whenever something urgent is happening, he’s always the first to come to her, and gently lift her from her resting time. When he speaks to her on the way there, she feels herself slowly shifting into work mode, yet still feeling relaxed and collected. When she loses all of her energy and can’t do anything at all, he nods his head, speaks softly to her, and tells her that he’ll handle everything until she feels better again.
“Oh, I… hope this outing hasn’t been too much trouble for you, then. Are your energy levels alright? If you’re not feeling well, just let me know, and we can head back early.”
“Ah- no! Not at all!!” Kokomi feels herself getting a bit flustered. “If anything, this has helped me replenish energy. I’m not entirely antisocial, you know?” She giggles a bit, feeling like a young schoolgirl somehow. “I know I’m technically above you in status, but I think of you as a friend that I can confide my worries in. You’ve seen me at my weakest and help me. I trust you completely.”
Gorou is silent after that.
(Oh no. Did she say too much? Did she weird him out? Maybe she shouldn’t have opened up to him like that. Maybe-)
Gorou is turning bright red.
(Energy levels… hm?)
His smile is somehow crooked now, still bright and happy, but… undoubtedly different.
“A-A friend, Your Excellency?”
She nods. “Another word for our relationship… I guess it would be comrades,” she says, thinking. “I consider everyone who joined me in the resistance efforts a comrade, and certainly you’re part of it. But I feel that your existence, to me, is… well…”
How does she say this without sounding self-righteous?
Blue eyes shining, the boy speaks up. “You feel closer to me? Than everyone else?”
She nods. “Yes, easily!”
He hesitates.
He stares at her, he changes the way he’s sitting.
The movement makes Kokomi’s attention fall to his body, his wagging tail behind him coming into view.
He’s excited…?
“Aaah, Your Excellency! I know I said that what I wanted to do could wait, but I think this pressure is overwhelming me a bit…!” He speaks quickly, his tone suggesting he wants to be louder, but he’s suppressing it due to Kokomi’s superiority. “But, I think… the conversation has gone well so far, so I’d like to say what’s on my mind now!”
Somewhere in the middle, he’d stood up, stepped away from the ocean, and he’d started pacing around, his shoes leaving prints in the sand as he walks. Kokomi adjusts her own position on the rock, turning herself around so she can face him. Gorou finally stops pacing and takes a deep breath, facing her right back.
“Your Excellency,” he says as a start, his voice powerful and strong as it always is. Watatsumi Island meanders behind him, and he looks small in comparison. Somehow, it’s almost like he’s giving her a report… The familiarity of the situation makes Kokomi sit up taller, and she trains her eyes on him, as if she were acting as the Divine Priestess.
He tenses up a bit.
...Maybe she shouldn’t have gotten so serious.
She offers him a gentle smile, hoping the tenderness she feels towards him is expressed in her eyes. “Go ahead, Gorou. I’m listening.”
He takes another deep breath, his eyes shutting and his chest puffing out as he does. “I… I’d like to get to know you more, Your Excellency.”
“Hm? Then ask away. I don’t mind.”
“M-Maybe this is impudent of me to ask, as someone of lower status. But!” He steels himself, his already impeccable posture somehow becoming even more refined. “I-I’d like to get to know you… as more than a friend!!”
Kokomi tilts her head. “Please be more specific. I don’t know what that means.”
Gorou turns bright red. “You-? Um!!” It’s then that he breaks military bearing.
The position of attention is supposed to be maintained in perfect stillness. In fact, one isn’t even supposed to speak while they’re at attention; they’re supposed to shift into parade rest for that. She’ll excuse it for now -- the face he’s making is far too cute for her to call him out on his sudden lack of basic drill knowledge.
“Y-Your Excellency…”
“Kokomi,” she says. “Call me by my name if we are to continue with this arrangement you have described thus far.”
His eyes widen. Kokomi can’t quite blame him; this is the first time she’s really given anyone in her militia, aside from the Traveler, permission to call her by her name. Her given name, at that. She nods at him, implying she wants him to continue.
“Well… I’m not entirely sure if you’ll be alright with the… arrangement I’m describing. I’d…” He takes another deep breath, and his face goes entirely calm, like he’s finally decided to just say it. “Miss Kokomi, I-I’d like to pursue a romantic relationship with you, if you’d be alright with it!”
…
A what?
Kokomi stares at him. “Romance?”
She says it aloud, tastes the word on her tongue. Her heart makes unfamiliar movements in her chest, but she tries to ignore it in favor of recalling her childhood. She vaguely remembers reading a bit about it when she was little, before she started reading her books on the art of war. Ever since she discovered the military, she’s been obsessed with it, and has never lost interest. Romance books… she hasn’t read those in years. And of course, she has no experience with it in real life, either.
“Gorou, what would that be like?”
This falls completely out of her area of expertise. If she was more familiar in the art of love, then maybe she could have been more prepared for this. Is love something methodical? Or is it one of the unpredictable things that come in life, like the development of battle?
“Eh?”
“I’m not very familiar with romance.” Her eyes suddenly fall to her lap; she can’t look at him straight anymore. “I’m dreadfully inexperienced… Gorou,” she looks up at him once more, beckoning him to her with her eyes. “What would a romantic relationship entail if we were to be involved in one?”
“W-Well…” He’s stammering a bit now. “Romantic relationships are different for everyone, I think. I’m not much of a romantic myself, but I’ve heard bits and pieces, and… it sounds like something I desire towards you.”
“Sit down, Gorou. You don’t have to be so formal about it anymore; I’m just as inexperienced as you.”
“Ah…”
She nods. “In this aspect, we are entirely equals. So please, sit down next to me again.”
He hesitates, before nodding his head and obeying. The sun is getting close to the horizon at this point; the water is turning pink in tandem with the sky. It’s a blinding beauty in front of them, and Gorou’s blush becomes harder to discern.
“Well… I’ve heard that romantic relationships are, in a way, like friendship… but a bit more than that, at the same time.”
“Mhm…” She can only hum as she listens to him, pondering what he says.
“When you see your friend, you feel joy, right?”
“Mhm?”
“But when you see your partner in a romantic relationship… or at least, this is how I feel when I see you, so maybe it’s not the exact same…”
“Mhm, go on.”
“But I… well…” He takes another deep breath, and stares out at the sunset. “I feel my heart pounding, I can’t help but smile brightly and call out your name. When you’re by me, you’re all I can focus on; everything else falls into the background. Nothing else matters, unless it has to do with you.”
...That’s a very vivid description. She feels her heart beginning to race faster the more he talks. “W-What else?”
“W-When you speak,” he stutters, “I hang on tightly to your every word. I listen closely, and when you say my name, I feel almost dizzy, because I’m so happy hearing your gentle voice say it.”
“Eh… wait.” She interrupts him, and she raises her hand to her chest. She can feel her pulse, much quicker than she is used to. “Do you feel this, too?”
“Feel what, Y-” He corrects himself. “Miss Kokomi?”
That sends her pulse into a further frenzy. “This,” she says, taking his hand, and pressing it to the source. Gorou’s expression tightens, and he pulls his hand away out of shock.
“Y-Your heart is… pounding,” he says, sounding a bit breathless.
Pounding. That’s what it’s called?
“Why did you pull your hand away so fast? Do you dislike it when I…?”
“No, no! Not at all! I just… wasn’t ready for you to take my hand… a-and put it so close to your…!”
He looks away, his tail wagging very quickly, but a clearly embarrassed tone in his voice. Kokomi remembers reading once that dogs’ tails wag not only when they’re happy, but when they’re generally stimulated. She hopes that this wagging is a form of excitement, at least.
“My…?”
“N-Nothing!! I-If you were okay with it, then--!”
“What else does a romantic relationship entail, Gorou?” She asks, moving on.
“Oh! Well, um…” He thinks for a second, his gaze going skyward. “Physical closeness, I think.”
“Hmm… so like what we’re doing right now?”
“Um!! Well. I mean. Maybe? Perhaps? I was thinking something a bit different…”
“Oh? Like what?”
“Like… hugging, and… k-kisses, and… stuff like that.”
Huh. So a romantic relationship is… when your heart pounds upon seeing the other, and when they want to pay a lot of attention to you, and vice versa. It’s also hugs and kisses…
“Is that all?”
“Well! It’s… it’s hard to put it in words… I don’t think there’s just one definition for a romantic relationship, or love. It’s different for everyone, and it’s something special between the ones involved in it, that nobody else can replicate exactly.”
“So it will be unique for just the two of us?”
“Y-Yes!” Gorou looks really excited at that, suddenly smiling a dorky smile. “It’ll be something special… just for us. O-Only if you want to!! If you decide you don’t like it, you can always ask to stop, and we will. The most important part of a romantic relationship is that the ones involved are happy being in it, I think.”
“Huh… so it’s something you can add to life to make it happier?”
“I-If you’d have me…!”
She thinks back to when Gorou had first invited her out today. She thinks about the strange desire that filled her mind -- the desire to hold his hand. She'd felt her ears growing hot, she'd felt a certain shyness that she couldn't quite place. Was that the feeling of romance? Of liking someone more than a friend?
Kokomi turns away from the sunset in favor of looking at Gorou. He still won’t quite look at her, but his swaying tail conveys his emotions, and his ears continue to flick at nothing. In the fading light of the sunset, she finds herself looking at him a bit differently; not as her general, but as just a boy -- the boy who always was there for her, came at her beck and call, and took over for her and supported her at every step.
His clothes are dotted with stains that have likely been scrubbed at with water and soap many times over, but to no avail. He wears them almost like battle scars, likely hiding the true scars that blight his rough skin. In comparison, his spiky hair somehow looks soft, as though if she were to reach out and touch it, it would gently surround her fingers.
“May I touch your ears?”
“H-Huh?!”
It’s then that he finally turns to her, and she can see his face. She’s gotten so used to looking at him that she hardly payed attention to what he really looked like -- now that she looks at him again, she realizes that he’s cute. His canines stick out more than they do on the average person, and around his eyes are lines of red that she can’t quite figure out the origin of. His eyes themselves are blue, like the ocean, always the most memorable part about him to her. Whenever she looks into them, she feels calm and serene, like everything will be okay, so long as he is there.
She smiles. She realizes now how much she values him, how important he is to her; how much he’s helped her and supported her. Will he indulge her once more?
“Again… only if you’re okay with it.”
“A-Ah… yes, go ahead,” he says somewhat quietly, averting his eyes.
That’s okay. She raises her hand and gently strokes his right ear, and she sees his eyes settle closed, his mouth curling into a cute smile. He looks relaxed like this. His ear is also very soft, and if she taps it just right, it flicks.
He looks up at her for that. “H-Hey, can you not?”
“Hehe… sorry. You’re just so adorable!”
“What?!”
She smiles at him, a warmth suddenly flooding her chest. Her instincts tell her that hugging him will make it go away.
“Hey, Gorou.”
“Yes, Miss Kokomi?”
“May I hug you?”
Gorou looks up at her with an expression she can’t quite place; he looks undeniably happy, yet confused. “Y-Yes, you may.”
He’s taller than her, even when they’re sitting. She wraps her arms around his waist, and she realizes that their faces are rather close together. That’s what kisses entail, right? Lips on lips?
(She considers it for a moment. It makes her nervous. She’s already going beyond many boundaries she’s set for herself already.
She decides against it. Maybe another day.)
She rests her forehead upon his shoulder, and when he returns the hug, she feels heat pool within her belly. It’s an unfamiliar, but undoubtedly lovely feeling.
“Miss Kokomi…”
“Kokomi.” She whispers to him. “No miss. You have my permission.”
“K-Kokomi, then…” He breathes out a laugh, and she feels it hit her skin. Her heart accelerates further, somehow.
“Yes, Gorou?”
“May I consider you my partner?”
...Partner. Not comrade, but much closer than that. Partner.
“Yes.” She raises her head to look him in the eye, and his smile is trembling out of joy. The sight makes her feel like she’s flying. What is this? Has someone this lovely always been in front of her? Always there for her? “Yes, yes…!” She pulls him to her tightly, so she never forgets that he’s here. “Yes, Gorou!”
(He hugs her tightly in return, and it’s in that moment that the sun disappears beneath the horizon. It’s in that moment that Kokomi realizes just how much has just happened.
Energy +10!)
-
When she wakes up the next day, she stares at her ceiling. Yesterday’s events still float around in her head.
Just recalling them makes her feel fuzzy. She smiles at nothing as she prepares to start her day.
When she steps outside the shrine, Gorou is there again. Was he waiting for her? She calls out his name, and watches him turn his head. When he sees her, he lights up, and his tail begins to wag again.
“Kokomi!”