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Soujuurou opened the door to the parlor and found Aoko sitting in her usual spot with a sour look on her face. He couldn’t see the other gloomy mage anywhere in the room.
“Sit down, Soujuurou,” said Aoko. He had returned home from work and was hoping to get a quick bath after giving a greeting to Aoko and Alice, but it looks like it was going to be a long night. Soujuurou complied, sighing to himself as he sat down across from her.
“I only happened to pass by right before you became minced meat. You're not going to be so lucky next time. That’s why you should never go to any other part of the mansion that you don’t need to use. Got it?”
Soujuurou felt the bandage wrapped around his right arm, feeling a slight tinge of pain. Being lectured by Aoko was always an experience.
“Don’t worry, Aozaki. I really am grateful for you rescuing me. I don’t think I could forget anything like that ever again.” The nasty injury on his arm was a reminder of that day. He had almost passed out by the time Aoko came to rescue him. If I spent one more second in that hallway, I would’ve… Soujuurou shuddered. Being alive was obviously better than satisfying his curiosity following that bird deeper into the mansion. He was living with two mages after all. All of the magecraft jargon ringing in his head was giving him a headache, and he told Aoko this.
"Go ahead and rest. We're done for today anyway," said Aoko, taking a sip from her tea. Soujuurou got up from the couch, thankful for a chance to stretch his limbs. He ignored the jolt of pain from his arm.
Aoko’s sharp eyes caught that imperceptible flinch. She couldn't help but eye him as he left the parlor. She thought, As long as he lives here, I am responsible for his safety. She stifled the urge to lecture Soujuurou more, but energy would need to be conserved if she wanted to brainstorm plans to catch her sister, Touko. Actually, shouldn’t she have let Soujuurou know what she came up with earlier while she was waiting for him and Alice? She called out to him.
“Hm? What’s up, Aozaki—”
Alice entered the tea room, a book tucked in her arm.
"Ah—" Alice's expression grew wide as Soujuurou walked right into her, and they tumbled into the hallway.
Soujuurou was confused on why he was suddenly face-planted on the ground. The hallway was usually bitingly cold, not helped by the fact the mansion had virtually no heating, but it felt strangely warm and comfortable under him. He felt the left side of his head brush what seemed like velvet. The smell was pleasant too; it was a mix of something flowery, and the aroma of tea. Being here felt nice. It reminded him of someone familiar.
Soujuurou pushed himself up, only to find Alice staring back at him sprawled under his body with a strange look in her eyes. He was kneeling over her, and the book she had brought with her was on the floor. Like a sudden vacuum the frigid hallway air dissipated, and time crawled to a stop. They stared at each other, perhaps out of shock.
"Shizuki-kun." Alice's soft voice was the first to break the silence.
"Yes?" said Soujuurou. Only then did he realize that indeed, he was on top of Alice. And he was the reason why.
“Ah! I’m sorry!” In a scramble, he stood up and backed into the parlor. Even he with all of his naivete could figure out how dire the situation was for him. While Soujuurou was panicking, Alice stood up and pat down her clothes in that always proper manner of hers.
Soujuurou bowed. "I'm sorry Alice! Are you okay?" he stammered out. "I was talking to Aozaki. I wasn't looking where I was going. You happened to be there just as I went out, so I walked into you, and..." Soujuurou’s voice trailed off awkwardly. From his bowed position, he looked up to Alice, hoping she would understand where he was coming from. Surely he was in for it now—this was Alice Kuonji, after all. A glimpse from that night in the carnival appeared to him. The modern day witch.
Alice nodded and her usual expression returned. The book she was carrying was folded onto the floor with its pages creased. Taking care not to make the book dirtier, Alice picked the book up and stepped past Soujuurou, who was dumbfoundedly looking past her. She avoided Aoko’s gaze as she sat across from her on the couch, taking no effort to find her spot in the book. Soujuurou turned and looked at her.
"Um, Alice?” said Soujuurou. Alice looked up from her book. As soon as he met Alice’s eyes, he was unsure of why he even called to her. His stare of confusion contrasted Alice's usual deadpan expression. In the corner of his eye, Soujuurou saw Aoko staring with a smug smile that was already so familiar to him. It was easy to tell she had been struggling to stifle her laugh the whole time. "What were you going to tell me earlier?" Soujuurou asked in an attempt to bring the topic back to normalcy. Aoko ignored his question and launched her verbal spear straight at him.
“You're clueless as always, Soujuurou. You knocked poor Alice down. Look! She doesn't even know how to respond!” said Aoko, her smile growing wider. She looked over to Alice, quietly reading her book as always. "Isn't that right, Alice?" She waited for Alice’s response, but she had turned back to her book.
Alice’s mind was set somewhere else. Taking care not to show annoyance at Aoko’s remarks, she thought of the creases now inside her book. She should have been more angry at Soujuurou. He did trip into her, sending them to the floor, where they—
Aoko smiled as soon as she saw the blush spread across Alice's face. Alice furrowed her brow and brought herself back to that moment. The feeling of being under him, his body momentarily pressed against hers. She felt like she could still feel outlines of him. Looking into his eyes from under his body. She thought, what am I even thinking?
Alice looked up, meaning to say something, and Aoko suppressed a giggle. This is going to be good! she thought.
"It's okay, Shizuki-kun," said Alice, and she returned to her book. Soujuurou looked at Aoko and he was surprised to see her smile had disappeared. The room stood silent.
"Oh well," said Aoko, breaking the silence in a tone that masked her disappointment. She turned to Soujuurou. "What are you standing around for? Go take a nap or whatever you were going to do."
Soujuurou’s mind was a jumble thinking about what had just happened. He had been close to her before—he remembered carrying her from her fight with Touko—but nothing like that. Thinking about that moment, kneeling over her, having been so close to her, he caught his knees before they could buckle.
"Sou-juu-rou?"
And he thought, what am I even thinking?
“Soujuurou!”
He finally noticed Aoko trying to talk to him, so he stopped for a second to think—what was he going to do?—and replied.
"Ah, I was going to take a bath. Good night." Soujuurou left the parlor.
Aoko gave up. She asked sincerely, "What is up with you two?" to no reply.
Alice glimpsed at Soujuurou just as he walked out, with an indescribable look. Her eyes returned to the book in her hands. Oh. This is not the page I was on before.