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Darumi often had a problem where she had difficulty getting out of bed in the morning. Most of the time she slept in her own clothes, not wanting to go through the hassle of changing into pajamas and back in her regular outfit, so all she really had to do to get ready for the day was apply her makeup and fix her hair.
Today, though, after hearing Sirei's droning voice through the morning announcement, all she really wanted to do was close her eyes and go back to sleep, back to her dreams of finally taking part in a killing game. She was exhausted after the last night's battle with the invaders; even if they were common fodder, it took a toll on her body that she didn't even take care of to begin with. What a pain...
Oh, well. A couple more minutes couldn't hurt. She nuzzled back into her pillow and got comfortable, preparing to drift back into a peaceful slumber.
...
A series of knocks jolted Darumi awake. She groaned loudly, grabbing her pillow and slamming it over her head. She was just about to doze off! What could be so important to get her to wake up now? It surely wasn't an invader attack or the alarms would've been blaring! Unless a killing game suddenly started (without her? how rude!) she did not want anything to do with what was coming!
"Lady Darumi! Are you in there?" a voice called from the other side of the door. Of course, judging from the language given, Darumi could tell it was Kyoshika. Who else would refer to her so fancy?
"Breakfast has already commenced, but you have not shown up! I am worried about your wellbeing..." she explained. "I have been told it's the most important meal of the day! You must not miss it!"
Darumi rolled her eyes. She often skipped breakfast back at the TRC, wanting to show herself as little as possible to her family. What Kyoshika was saying was a load of bullshit! Even with skipping, she turned out fine!
After a few beats of silence, Darumi thought Kyoshika had left and let out a sigh of relief. This was quickly followed by another series of knocks layered by a long call of "Lady Darummiiii!"
Curse Kyoshika's persistence... She was caring about the wrong person. Why did it matter if she went to breakfast or not? Darumi was sure she wasn't the only one who sometimes didn't show up.
Whatever. Whatever! She would get up, much to her dismay, to get Kyoshika off her back. Time to put on her act once again. "I'm awake! I'm awake! You can stop banging on the door!" she responded with a yell, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
"Wonderful! May I come in?"
"Ugh, fiiineeee... Give me one second," Darumi groaned, slouching off her bed. She trudged over to the door and opened it, giving the brightly smiled Kyoshika a scowl.
"Happy now? I could've been completely naked, you know!" With that comment, her scowl shifted into a smirk as she leaned on her doorframe in a makeshift seductive way. "Unless you wanted to see me like that? How perverted of you, kyohoho~"
"I-I- Preposterous! A swordswoman shall be courteous in the company of other ladies!" Kyoshika blushed, a hand covering her mouth in embarrassment.
It was so easy to get Kyoshika flustered. Darumi had fun with this life hack of hers.
The former cleared her throat, then set herself straight. She took in how Darumi looked, not used to seeing her so early in the morning and gasped. "Your hair is a mess, Lady Darumi!"
"Hm?" Darumi hummed and gave her hair a look, bunching up some strands and twisting them in her fingers. "So what? I just got out of bed. You interrupted my beauty rest, you know!"
"I apologize sincerely..." Kyoshika frowned. She laid a fist on her chest and dipped her head down. "Allow me to make it up to you in the form of hair treatment."
Eh? She was offering to brush Darumi's hair for her? Darumi gave Kyoshika an odd look, leaning away from her.
"As if I would let my guard down to the likes of you!" She spat and shot out a finger, pointing to the middle of her face. "You're just going to take advantage of me, aren't you?!"
Kyoshika's frown deepened as she took Darumi's hand and held it together with both of hers, pressing it back against her chest. "Prithee, it hurts my soul to see you so unkempt... The warrior's path ensures that all women, swords or not, shall be cared for properly."
Her arm brushed against the size of Kyoshika's bust. Her heart skipped a beat.
Ahh, this was so weird! Darumi felt a mix of uncomfortable feelings stirring inside her. She didn't want Kyoshika taking care of her like that! Why was she being so persistent?
In a quick motion, she yanked her hand away and stumbled a little backwards into her room. She looked irritated, trying to mask any sort of interest she could possibly convey through her body language. "Ugh, so annoying! If you want to touch me so badly, then fine! This morning, you'll be my slave!"
"S-Slave???" Kyoshika gasped with a flush. "A-A swordswoman like me, obliging to your every whim? You won't make me do anything..." she gulped, fidgeting with her hands as her flush intensified, "...indecent, will you?"
That sounded less like a question and more like a wish to Darumi. How deep in the pervert closet was this girl in?
“That depends! Do you want to be a good girl or not?” she put her hands on her hips, leaning in close to Kyoshika with a keen smirk. She hoped she could not hear how fast her heart was pounding.
“Verily, I do!” Kyoshika immediately perked up, putting a hand to her chest. “I-I want to be the best girl! I want to be voted top waifu in the polls!”
“That’s the spirit! Come on!”
Darumi grabbed Kyoshika by the wrist, tugging her inside of her room. Kyoshika complied without resistance, only stumbling for a moment once she was moved. She scanned her room as they entered, looking over the cracked shower wall, the knife stabbed inside of her sofa, to all of the objects knocked over on her floor.
“Lady Daru-”
“Hey! Did I say you could talk?!” Darumi snapped with a quick turn of her head. Kyoshika shut her mouth immediately, drooping her head and whimpering like a scolded puppy. Darumi resisted the urge to coo at the sight.
“Only good girls are able to talk. If you want to say something, you have to prove yourself first!” She let go of Kyoshika’s wrist and patted her shoulder. “So work up to that, and you’ll be able to speak, okay?”
Kyoshika nodded, a determined look now replacing her prior one. If she had a tail, she would for sure be wagging it right now. A dog and cat dynamic, huh? That’s quite popular in media.
“Good! Now sit!” Darumi pointed to her bed and Kyoshika almost immediately sat down, her hands placed neatly in her lap. “Stay there and I’ll fetch you my comb. If I see or hear you move an inch, you’ll be kicked out!”
After letting out a sigh, Darumi turned to rummage around. She threw her comb somewhere on her sofa… It couldn’t have gone inside of the cushions, could it? She scowled and bent over, sticking her hand in between the seat cushions. Gross… Why did it smell of mold? Why would Sirei create an almost replica of her room in her house on the TRC? Could he not be bothered to give her more generous lodging while being put in a life or death situation?!
A small squeak emitted from Kyoshika. Darumi turned around to see the offender staring, a blush on her face. As soon as their eyes met, Kyoshika jolted and looked away, her hands gripping the end of her skirt. Darumi squinted for a moment to try and figure out what was causing her weird reaction when she realized her position—bending over had caused her panties to be put on full display!
Darumi immediately stood upright, her face full of fury. She marched toward Kyoshika and hit her smack in the middle of her head. “YOU PERVERT DOG!” she bellowed. “Who told you it was okay to look up my skirt? You should be glad I’m even considering letting you stay here for any moment longer!”
Kyoshika opened her mouth to respond but remembered Darumi’s prior comment. She shut her mouth and whined instead, her head drooping once again though the grin that she failed to squish down betrayed her. Darumi hit her one more time, this time a little lighter, but as she did she found her brush sticking from under her bed. It all worked out in the end!
“Here,” Darumi bent over (this time, facing Kyoshika) to pick it up and threw it towards her. “Since you so badly wanted to take care of me, then you better put yourself to good use! And make me look pretty!” She sat herself with her back turned to the dog and lifted her head high. She was the one in charge here! She would be the one taken care of like a prized doll!
Since Darumi’s back was turned, she couldn’t see what Kyoshika was up to. She sat in the same position and waited, her fingers strumming along the ends of her socks until she felt Kyoshika graze against the top strands of her hair extremely gently, as if one strong push was enough to disfigure her completely. Darumi rolled her eyes—she wasn’t that fragile!
“Hey! Weren’t you complaining that breakfast already started? You want me to starve or what? Get brushing!” she barked.
“Y-Yes, Lady Darumi…” Kyoshika mumbled.
“AND WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT TALKING?!”
Now silent, Kyoshika scooped a bunch of Darumi’s hair. With the mindful precision of a professional and the tenderness of a close friend, she began to brush, treating every strand with the utmost care. She didn’t tug anytime it wasn’t necessary, carefully treading with the more matted areas to smoothen them out. Darumi was surprised how proficient Kyoshika was, relaxing in her care. It was the best treatment she’d ever received, so she might as well enjoy it.
“Good girl…” she absentmindedly mumbled, her eyes closing in bliss.
Kyoshika faltered, the brush slipping from her grip. She quickly scooped it back up and continued brushing. “I take it you’re enjoying yourself, my lady?” she questioned, glee evident in her voice.
“D-Don’t think I don’t have my eyes on you, pervert dog! Those hands will not move anywhere else but my hair!” Darumi snapped. She couldn’t have Kyoshika know how satisfied she was feeling. Even as she was scolding her, the smile on her face could not be stripped away no matter what anyone tried.
Kyoshika continued tending to Darumi until her hair was completely smooth. She slotted her fingers in between her strands, combing them down to ensure that was the case and let out a sigh of relief. Her duties were performed well.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with your hair down, Lady Darumi,” Kyoshika pointed out, twirling at the tips with her finger. “Would you like me to tie it up for you in your usual style?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, sure,” Darumi snapped out of her blissed state, stretching out her arm behind her. She wore her hair ties on her wrist whenever her hair wasn’t put up so if she was bored, she could snap them against her veins and make her feel something.
No movement had occurred after several seconds and she grew irritated again. “What’s the holdup? The ties are under my sleeve!”
“L-Lady Darumi, your specific orders were to not touch any other part of you except for your hair…” Kyoshika bashfully remarked, a quiver of excitement hidden in between the lines of her speech.
This fucking pervert dog! She was totally getting off on this! Daurmi was sick of her antics, but being in charge, on the other hand…
“Fine! My new orders are to take the hair ties from my arm! Is that what you wanted to hear?” she commanded, straightening her arm out to emphasize that yes, she could finally touch her!
“Thank you!” Kyoshika squealed, her hand immediately holding onto Darumi’s sleeve to pull it aside, peeling the ties off of her arm. She paused as she pinched them in between her fingers, her gaze now staring at the scars on Darumi’s wrist.
“Where did you get these from?” she innocently questioned, although she was also worried for her comrade. “They seem like remnants of a battle! Did an invader do this to you?”
“Mind your business!” Darumi barked, shoving her sleeve over her wrist once again. “You came here to take care of my hair, not measly old cuts!”
Kyoshika wanted to pry more but she kept her mouth shut. Her duties were almost finished, as worried as she was she could question Darumi about them another time. She let the subject go and parted Darumi’s hair evenly, quickly checking for tangled strands before she scooped each side and slid the ties around them to create her signature ponytails, tightening them to a comfortable level. Once she was finally finished, she scooted backwards to admire her handy work.
“I’m finished!” she announced. “What do you think?”
Without a word, Darumi pulled on each ponytail to test their integrity before she stood up and walked to her mirror. Even with how cracked and barely visible the reflection was, she could still easily admire how pretty Kyoshika made her look. She swallowed; her heart was acting strange the more she stared at herself. It was as if she could still feel Kyoshika’s fingers against her scalp, treating her so carefully and loving-
Preposterous! Kyoshika was only in it so she could get handsy with her! It wasn’t as if she actually cared how Darumi felt or anything!
“Do you not like it, Lady Darumi…?” The offender meekly spoke. Darumi realized she hadn’t said a single word, only staring at her dirty reflection and indulging to weird fantasies in her head that she forgot to tell Kyoshika what she thought.
She turned to scowl at Kyoshika’s pouting face. “It looks great, okay? Now quit whining, you dumb dog!” she finally commented. That single sentence made said dog light up, her smile curling from ear to ear like she was told she won the lottery instead of getting simply praised.
“Marvelous! Forsooth, my hard work has paid off!” She clasped her hands together and stood up from Darumi’s bed. “Am I relieved from my duties, Lady Darumi?”
“For now. I might need your help in the future, seeing how useful you can actually be,” Darumi smirked. She couldn’t just admit to Kyoshika that she wanted her to take care of her hair from now on, she had to be discreet about it! Who knows what that dog would do with that information…
Kyoshika put a hand to her chest and knelt down in front of Darumi. “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be in your trust. I will not forget your hospitality!”
Darumi blinked down at the display. She didn’t think she would ever understand Kyoshika, but no one would understand her, either. It felt even, in a sense.
“Alright, alright, get up from there!” she groaned. “Enough with the courtesy!”
Kyoshika stood on her feet once again, gazing at Darumi with the same smile as before. “Shall we get going now?”
Darumi paused for a moment. She stared at Kyoshika for a couple beats before relenting, “Fine, I’m starving anyway.”
Why did she want to prolong their time alone together? Curse you and your stupid thoughts, Darumi…
She knew their moment was only temporary, that they would eventually go their separate ways and spend the day the ways they saw fit, maybe even on floors apart from each other. Even so, for just a second, a small, miniscule second, Darumi wished that Kyoshika wanted the same.