Work Text:
Almost everyone in Inazuma knew how much the lady of the Sangonomiya clan enjoyed reading. Bookstore owners from Watatsumi Island and all the way to Inazuma city treated her as their most important client, always inviting her to their stores and showcasing rare and difficult-to-find books. When the young lady returned from her stroll, she quite often brought several books with her. Those heavy book-filled bags would all be handed over to one person, the lady's close guard - her books porter.
At the time, Lady Kokomi was picking up books at a little shop outside of Inazuma city. She came here because the shop owner was a long-time friend of the Sangonomiya clan, and they had also discovered a long-lost book on art of war for her. Kokomi also wished to go for a stroll in Inazuma city.
Outside, Gorou stood guard. Because the business was so small he was terrified of breaking something if he stepped inside. When Gorou was delighted, his tail would occasionally rebel and thrash. And being able to accompany his lady was already an overjoy.
Obedient and silent, Gorou stood watch outside the modest business. It started to get colder, and snow began to fall. There were snowflakes falling gently on Gorou's hairy ears causing them to quiver slightly. Sometimes, while he waited, he got bored and began to wonder what Lady Kokomi was talking about inside; she must be delighted to have found the book she desired. With nothing else to do, Gorou turned to face the frosty glass pane. He breathed on it and began doodling with his fingertip. A beautiful fish for Lady Kokomi; a shiba for him, it looked just as silly as he did now.
Snow fell more and more. Gorou strolled in front of the door, back and forth. He did not dare show his impatience in front of Lady Kokomi, but honestly, he was somehow eager to show her his drawings before they disappeared. At that moment, a group of children passed by, drawn to Gorou's wagging tail.
“Ouch!”
Gorou yelled as someone seized his tail. When he turned around, the children laughed.
"Your tail is real, mister?" One of them asked. Gorou was certain that he was the one who touched his tail.
"Of course." Gorou confidently thrashed his tail harder.
"That's beautiful!"
The small crowd of children rang again, causing him to snort.
"Can we touch it?"
"No way." Gorou responded quickly. He clasped both hands around his nicely groomed tail. Nobody would like his tail grabbed by others. Furthermore, this tail was properly cared for for other purposes, such as taking photos at the Yae Publishing House…
The children exchanged a pitiful gaze. Gorou recognized the expression. The children of Watatsumi also wanted to touch his tail, but they didn't dare since they knew who he was. As for these kids, seeing their sad expressions, Gorou felt a little guilty. He suggested:
"You cannot touch the tail. But I have something you might find fun."
"What is it?" They eagerly asked.
"Come here..."
Gorou waved them closer to the bookstore and showed them how to draw on the frosty glass windows. This was effective, as the children were enthralled and even competed to see who would have the best drawing.
*
* *
"Thank you for coming all the way here, Lady Kokomi. I was going to have someone deliver the books to your place, however..."
"There's no need. You have also worked hard to find this book."
Kokomi returned the smile. She and the shopkeeper exchanged a bit about books before heading back out. Passionate conversation caused her to lose track of time. Gorou had been standing outdoors for quite some time. She was concerned if he was weary or chilly. Even though she knew he wouldn't let her worry about such little matters, Kokomi was uneasy. It was colder as time went by, and snowed much more than earlier. She hurriedly thanked the owner of the bookstore and ended their conversation there.
When she came back out, Kokomi realized she was overthinking. She caught sight of the pointy ear of light brown fur with a smidgeon of white poking through the window. Behind the scribbles on the panes, Gorou's face appeared. Not only that, another group of kids were surrounding him, asking him to draw all sorts of shapes that they could think of. Some of the unreasonable requests had Gorou scratching his head. At the sight, Kokomi grinned.
In no hurry to disrupt their game, Kokomi quietly watched Gorou through the window. Perhaps since he was too busy playing, he didn't see the young lady staring at him from the inside. By the time he realized it, it was too late. His nose and cheeks flushed. His ears twitched.
“L-Lady Kokomi!” He called as Kokomi went out of the store. He whirled around quickly to hide the drawings. If she knew that he had drawn her…
"What do you have over there, behind you?" Kokomi inquired, her voice teasing.
"Nothing at all!"
Gorou promptly responded, assuming she wouldn't ask any more questions. However, the children abruptly spoke up:
“Mister Gorou drew a beautiful mermaid. He said she was his lady !”
“Hey!!!”
Gorou was sold down the river like that. His face was as ripe as a tomato.He displayed his ferocious demeanor by chasing the children away. They ran, laughed, and teased even more.
"So it is." Kokomi laughed. One hand covered her mouth, the other still holding the book bag. "So, in your eyes, I am a mermaid."
Gorou didn't dare to look her in the eye, he could only deny it:
"I-It's not like that... The kids were just making fun of me... I..."
Kokomi's face suddenly became stiff as if she had just been flushed with cold water. She stated solemnly:
"What a pity. And yet I was happy to have a picture drawn by you."
Gorou stood dumbfounded. What did that mean? She wanted to be drawn by him? No way...
"I... I..."
Gorou murmured something. He must have looked miserable.He didn't want to desecrate her, let alone upset her. He didn't want to offend her, let alone disrespect her. This was a challenging scenario. If he had known better, he would never have said anything at all.
Kokomi suddenly moved closer. She grinned as she handed him her bag:
"I'm just kidding. I've seen all your doodles from inside the shop."
Gorou held his breath while holding the lady's bag, her face so near to his. at a distance that her breath might softly brush against his reddened nose.
"When we return home, would you please draw a complete picture for me? I'm delighted that you think of me as such a beautiful creature."
-The End-