Chapter Text
I'm zoned out staring at my monitor when a knock at the door kicks me back to reality.
"ah shi... Come in!" I call out.
The Director's assistant pokes her head around the door. I say assistant, but it seems Tazuna spends more time handling things than Director Akikawa.
"Ah! Tazuna! What can I do for you on this fine..." I glance out the window. "evening?"
"Good evening, Trainer. The cleaning staff noticed the light in this room was still on, and I was sent to investigate."
"Cleaning staff?" I say, puzzled. "Why are they here?"
"Its 9 pm, Trainer. Everyone has gone home. I suggest you do the same."
"9 pm?! I could have sworn it was 5 pm like 20 minutes ago! I better get back before my wife gets anxious."
I start hurriedly packing my bag and say goodbye to Tazuna. If I'm lucky, I can catch the last bus before it leaves. Speaking of luck, I dig around in my pockets to find the bracelet Fuku gave me. She said it would help me stay focussed or something, but I never even remember to put it on. After strapping it to my wrist I sprint as fast as my legs can take me. By the end of the block I'm already sweating. How did Fuku do this professionally for 3 years? I guess being tied to a desk for the past few months has degraded me further than I thought. I gotta start going to the gym again.
After an arduous few minutes of running, the bus stop comes into view, and with it, the bus about to leave.
"Wait! Wait for me!" I call out as I run.
The driver mercifully opens the doors and I collapse inside. After paying my fare I slump into a seat near the back of the bus. I pull out my phone to text Fuku, and am met with the no battery icon. Great. I gaze out the window at the passing city, rain pattering against the window. I try to calm myself. Fuku will already be anxious when I return, so me being a mess will only stress her out more. Breathe in. Breathe out. The same method I taught her.
The bus drags to a stop a while later. Living kind of far from the academy is inconvenient, sure, but Fuku insisted we lived in this area. Said it was to do with the areas "connection to the occult", but the only ghosts I've seen is my wallet after we bought it. Oh well. What's done is done, and we're happy. That's enough for us. I walk the last 15 minutes through the drizzle, cradling my bag to my chest in an attempt to protect its contents from getting wet. Eventually, I stumble towards our front door and grasp the worn handle. The door creaks open loudly, but announce my presence anyway.
"Fuku! I'm home!"
"HONEY!" Her wail is loud enough to make my ears ring a little.
I hear loud and fast footsteps descending the rickety stairs. I scarcely have time for my eyes to process the orange blur barrelling towards me before she has tackled me to the ground in a hug tight enough to squeeze the air from my lungs.
"hi... Fuku..." I manage to wheeze out.
"You're finally back! I prayed for almost half an hour before you showed up! I was so worried I even set up an emergency shrine!"
A quick glance past her head shows me the printed out picture of my face stuck to the wall with candles surrounding it. It looks like the kind of thing made for dead people.
"Oh. That's... never mind. I got caught up at work and lost track of time. Tazuna had to come find me and tell me to leave. Sorry."
Thankfully, she accepts this apology readily, and lets me stand up after only a bit more fussing.
Despite Fuku's attempts at learning how to cook, she hasn't quite got the hang of it and dinner is slightly burnt. The sparkle in her orange eyes as she watches me eat prevents me from saying so.
A couple hours later we wind up in bed. Fuku gets her crystal ball out of the nightstand and places it between us. These night-time fortune readings have become a daily thing for us. It's nice, gives me a chance to get a look into what she's thinking about, even if she doesn't know how obvious she usually is.
I watch her hands move hypnotically around the ball. She starts gently muttering before her eyes fly open and she wails briefly.
Her eyes lock onto mine with an almost frightening intensity.
"What? What is it?" I ask. Her reactions to the fortunes are always intense, but this one seemed more than usual. She must have been thinking about something very important.
"Dear, tomorrow... you must..."
"I must what?"
"You must call off of work and go to the shrine with me! Shiraoki demands it!" Her eyes widen with glee.
"Well... if Shiraoki herself demands it, who am I to refuse?" I get the feeling that Shiraoki didn't quite demand this, but I could never say no to the ball of sunshine before me. "I'll call Director Akikawa tomorrow and see if I can get the day off. She's normally pretty understanding."
"Good! Good..." She quickly places the crystal ball back in the nightstand and curls up next to me in the bed.
"Goodnight, Fuku."
"Goodnight, dear."