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Rinne opened his eyes to the sound of rustling somewhere in the room, pulling herself upright and letting her eyes adjust to the darkness. He checked the time on his phone as he quietly slid out of bed. The clock read 2:04 AM. She could only make out a faint figure, slightly illuminated by the light under the door. “Kanacchi?” Rinne whispered into the dark room. He could see Kanata turn around upon hearing her, slightly surprised by the sudden voice. “Oh, did I ‘wake’ you?” They asked softly, “I am ‘sorry…’” Rinne slowly approached Kanata, scratching the back of his head as he yawned. “Don’t worry ‘bout it.” she shrugged and leaned against the wall, “Watcha up to?” he asked. “I could not ‘sleep,’ so I am ‘going’ on a ‘walk’” Kanata responded while putting their shoes on. “Can I come with?” Kanata looked up at her and smiled, “Okay. Be ‘careful’ to not wake ‘Hiyori.’” Rinne nodded and left to put on a jacket and grab his phone, while Kanata waited for him in the small hallway by the door. He came back with the dorm key in one hand, and Kanata followed her out of the door and into the hall. “So where’re we headed, Kanacchi?” Rinne grinned, and Kanata looked back at him with furrowed brows, “You still need to be ‘quiet,’ we will be ‘scolded’ if we ‘wake’ anyone.” they whispered. “Sorry, Kanacchi~” Rinne laughed softly. “It’s not too ‘late’ to leave you back in the ‘room,’ you know?” Kanata warned, but Rinne knew it was a (mostly) empty threat, so he figured he could push Kanata’s buttons a little more before they actually made her go back to the room. “Sorry, sorry, really.” Rinne raised her hands up in surrender, “But you’re cute when you’re angry, y’know?” Kanata crossed their arms and turned their head away, “Hmph!” The pink dusting their cheeks was undeniable, though, even if it was there for just a moment, which made Rinne laugh a little more.
The pair walked while chatting sporadically, until reaching the exit at the back of the building. Any traces of sleep abruptly vanished as they walked into the sharp morning air. As usual, Rinne was the one to break the silence, “Ya never told me where we’re going.” Kanata took in the surroundings for a moment before answering, “I was ‘thinking’ of going to the ‘beach.’” The other smiled, “I shoulda guessed that.” The faint crashing of waves could be heard, with it being so quiet this early in the morning. “You come to the beach often, yea?” Rinne asked, turning her head to face towards the nearby ocean.
“Yes, whenever I ‘can.’”
“Why?”
Kanata paused to think, “The ‘ocean’ always feels like ‘home.’ The ‘fishies’ are always there to say ‘hello.’”
“You’ve got friends, though, don’cha?”
“Yes… But everyone is always ‘working’ so ‘hard…’”
“Oh~ how selfish of you, Kannachi!” Rinne laughed.
“It’s ‘okay’ to be ‘selfish’ sometimes, isn’t it?” Kanata looked up at him, “That’s what people always ‘tell’ me.”
“It’s fun to live selfishly, isn’t it, Kannachi~”
“Of ‘course’ Rinne would ‘think’ that…”
“What’s that s’pposed to mean!?”
“Hehe, ‘nothing~’”
It was even darker at the beach, without any street lamps or buildings around. The moon wasn’t quite full yet, but it was enough to illuminate the sand and water somewhat. Rinne gazed at the water when they first arrived, the salty air almost felt welcoming, if not chilly. Kanata suddenly popped up from where they were crouching down to roll up their pants, which slightly startled Rinne. Kanata grabbed one of her hands while he was still somewhat dazed, pulling him towards the sand, “Rinne, ‘puka puka’ with me!” Rinne stumbled forward, grabbing Kanata’s other hand to stabilize herself. “Kanacchi, we can’t just get in the water, you know!?” He could see Kanata pout at this, “Why ‘not?’” Rinne had to look away from Kanata’s puppy-dog eyes, before it was too late, “Sorry, Kanacchi, You can’t convince me as easily as Hiyo-chan.” Kanata sighed in defeat, instead deciding to sit down in the cool sand, pulling Rinne down to sit next to them. The water seemed like it was sparkling, almost matching the stars. Kanata was too, they were beautiful even in the faintest light, the way their moonlight highlighted the features of their face. They turned their head and caught Rinne staring, which she thought they would tease her for, but instead they shifted closer and rested their head on Rinne’s shoulder. Kanata closed their eyes and the two of them sat in silence for a moment, listening to the waves crash against the shore. “You shouldn’t get ‘home’ so ‘late.’” Kanata said suddenly, “Hiyori ‘misses’ you.” Rinne leaned against them, intertwining their fingers, “And you don’t?” She joked, slightly tilting her head towards Kanata. “I do… but you’re ‘here’ with me right ‘now,’ aren’t you? So I’m ‘happy.’” Rinne felt them wrap their arms around her waist, “Pay more ‘attention’ to me~” Kanata sang. “Don’t start getting too cheeky, Kannachi.” Rinne laughed, mussing their hair, much to Kanata’s chagrin, “Uu, don’t be so ‘mean…’” They whined, though still latched on to Rinne, whose arm was now resting over kanata’s shoulders. He looked down to check his phone, “It’s gettin’ late- well, early-” She heard Kanata mumble something unintelligible, probably a complaint, before taking their hands and helping them up. “We should bring ‘Hiyori’ to the 'beach’ another day.” Rinne nodded, “Hiyo-chan’ll probably get worried if she finds out we’re gone.” Kanata sighed, looking back at the ocean once more before walking back towards the dorms hand-in-hand with Rinne.
The pair arrived back at the room at about 3:30, trying to open the door as quietly as possible. Just when they thought they made it back undetected, the lights switched on and they were greeted by Hiyori standing in the doorway, with a not too pleased look on her face. Rinne and Kanata froze and looked at each other, then back at Hiyori. “Where were you guys? I was worried, you know!” Her hands were resting at her hips and her brows were furrowed, which was a little intimidating, even though she was the shortest of the three of them. “Sorry, Hiyori… we ‘tried’ not to ‘wake’ you…” Kanata apologized, looking a bit guilty. Hiyori continued her lecture, “A rendezvous at midnight… honestly, you two!” She then turned her attention to Rinne, “And you, Rinne-kun! You always get home so late, we never even see you!” Rinne laughed, “Poor Hiyo-chan~ D’ya wanna cuddle?” She was mostly joking, but Hiyori’s mood changed instantly, “Yes!” Rinne’s cheeks turned red, which made Kanata giggle. “Eh? Why’re you all flustered all of a sudden? You were the one who asked me!” Hiyori crossed her arms and tilted her head, confused. Rinne stammered, his face getting redder. “Well, you can’t take it back, you know!” Hiyori said, happily linking her arm with Rinne’s. “Goodnight, Kanata-kun! Get some sleep, okay?” Hiyori cupped Kanata’s face with her free hand and kissed them goodnight. “I ‘will,’ goodnight~” They responded, “Goodnight, Rinne, ‘Thank you’ for coming with me.” Kanata tilted their head up to kiss Rinne on the cheek, smiling at him before walking off to get ready to go back to sleep. These two are gonna kill me! Rinne thought while Hiyori pulled at her arm. “Come lay down, Rinne-kun!” Hiyori whined, “It’s your fault I’m not asleep right now, you know.” She glared at Rinne, a hint of annoyance was clear in her voice. “How’s it my fault?” Rinne retorted, still standing over Hiyori’s bed. She ignored him, instead reaching out her arms and motioning for him to lie down next to her. When he did finally lie down, Hiyori hummed and cuddled closer to her. Rinne sighed, “You’re a handful, Hiyo-chan…” She ran her fingers through Hiyori’s hair, which didn’t last very long, since Hiyori had pulled away from Rinne to look at him. She raised an eyebrow, unamused, “As if you’re any better!” Rinne laughed at this, tucking a lock of Hiyori’s hair behind her ear, “Maybe that’s why ya like me~” he teased, Hiyori smiled and rolled her eyes. Their lighthearted bickering was soon interrupted, though, when Kanata switched the lights off and wished them goodnight once more. Hiyori brushed Rinne’s hair back to place a kiss on her forehead, “Goodnight, Rinne-kun.” She whispered, readjusting herself so her head was resting on Rinne’s chest. Rinne pulled the covers over Hiyori’s shoulders and snaked his arms around her waist, “G’night.” He yawned, finally closing her heavy eyelids. This warmth was somewhat unfamiliar, but not unwelcome. Rinne has a tendency to push people away, but her roommates are particularly clingy, to say the least. It was almost jarring to hear them say that they miss him when he’s gone, it was hard for Rinne to imagine them wanting to be around her. Kanata and Hiyori are patient and kind, even though he’s reserved when it comes to sincerity. What did I do to deserve this? The thought quietly rang in her head, until fading away as she finally drifted off into sleep.