13th Wave - A Shiny Necklace [2]

Never once Okihiro regretted going to work.

As any person, there would be days he wouldn’t want to leave his bed, or days he wished he could leave earlier. Yet at the end of the day, whenever the boss thanked him for the hard work, he would feel proud of himself. For being able to do a good job.

Days before, when Okihiro asked the boss if he could take more shifts in exchange for some payment, he didn’t think much of it. The only thing on his mind was making some money so he could have enough resources to start his search for the mermaid.

Yet needing to go to work instead of making her company was something he was, at that moment, regretting a great much.

“…something happened with you. I’m right, aren’t I?”

The second thing he regretted was taking the same shifts as Ketsuya.

His coworker leaned even closer, the smirk growing on his lips.

“Hey. I’m right, aren’t I? Something good happened to you, I can tell.”

Okihiro felt the chills running down his spine by the way Ketsuya was staring at him, his gaze piercing and curious.

When his junior didn’t reply, the older man finished unloading the boxes he was carrying before turning to Okihiro again.

“Even if you deny, it won’t change the rumors, kid. Some folks saw you walking around with a girl.”

Okihiro froze, sweat running down his face.

Meanwhile, Ketsuya’s smile got wider and wider.

“Heh, is that what it was? It is, right?” The man laughed wholeheartedly, putting his hands on the younger man’s shoulder. “And to think I was starting to worry myself with all that brooding and sighs! So this little bird did go on his very own quest for love.”

As his face flushed, Okihiro could do little but avert his gaze in a poor attempt to ignore Hinomiya Ketsuya’s words. Yet when he felt the grip on his shoulder tighten for a moment, their eyes met again. And he saw not only Ketsuya’s earnest gaze, but sensed the warmth in his words.

“Savor these feelings, Okirin. Everything your heart has been trying to tell you, listen with care and be grateful.”

The older man wiped the sweat from his forehead, shifting his gaze to all the other workers around them before landing on a particular person: a woman. One of their senior managers, Kagede Hyouka.

“You may see me just as an old man who likes to pester you, but I’m also a man with my own unpleasant experiences. There are few things I came to regret in life, yet the few I do, sometimes they become so painful and bitter, it makes it difficult to sleep at times.”

When Hyouka noticed the man staring at her, she gave him a brief nod in acknowledgment before turning away.

Honomiya Ketsuya touched Okihiro’s chest with his finger, a touch that, although so subtle and distant, carried so much weight and meaning at the same time that it gave the younger man a pause.

“Treasure them, Okihiro. Because these feelings are not only proof you are alive, they are also your heart’s earnest desires and dreams. If you ignore them, your heart will cry, and life will become meaningless.”

Those words stuck with him for the rest of his shift, the spot his coworker had touched him burning as if urging him to take notice. To see all the things his heart was carrying.

Making him wonder if he truly had the right to treasure all those silly dreams and wishes.

                                                                   𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝 𓆡⋆.˚ 𓇼

To everyone who looked at Kojin Okihiro and Princess Eirin strolling down the market, keeping a safe distance from each other while averting their gazes, would guess they were but a young representation of love; awkward, anxious, pure.

Yet none of them would be able to guess, much less imagine, the perils taken by the duo in order to get there.

It all started when Tomi-san forced Okihiro to take a bath before leaving.

“Are you saying you will accompany a princess in these clothes, after working your ass off and sweating all morning?”

He quickly lost the argument.

“I may have some clothes that will fit you, boy. I will leave them by the door.”

That was the last thing Okihiro saw Tomi-san saying before closing the door. After fighting back his own embarrassment for a good six minutes, Okihiro took the washcloth and soap and sat on the stool.

In another corner of Tomi-san’s house—

Seina went out to buy more tea. Eirin was playing with Okirin.

And Okirin was a very good boy.

Okirin loved his master, yet he also liked the new lady very much. Even better, the dog knew the lady made his master really happy. So after playing alone with the lady for a while, the animal thought it would be even better if all of them played together.

He knew his master was somewhere in the house, and since it would be even better if the lady searched with him, Okirin pulled Eirin by her dress, asking her to follow him.

Heh, I’ve completely conquered the furry beast.

Soon enough, the human will fall as well.

Eirin had no idea what the purpose of the new play was, so she simply assumed the dog was so charmed by her, he needed her close at all times. Which she obviously complied with.

For a good boy such as Okirin, he found his master’s scent with ease. And when they were both facing the door, the princess frowned.

Why does it want us to go there?

It so happened that Princess Eirin had never used Tomi Seina’s bathroom. Merfolk had no need to bathe, so the concept of cleaning oneself like humans did was completely lost to her.

Okirin started to bark, asking the lady to open the door for them, and when she finally did, there was so much vapor, it obscured her vision for a bit.

Princess Eirin was able to take a quick glance at the strange room, noticing only the fogged mirror and wet floor before taking two steps closer. As soon as she did, Okirin jumped at her from behind, pushing her further inside.

Yet though she had a pair of legs and feet, she still didn’t know how to use them that much.  And the floor was quite slippery, indeed.

Kojin Okihiro never heard a thing.

His only notice was the sudden cold breeze that suddenly ventured into the room, making him turn around just in time to see the princess slipping, her body falling.

The man jumped from the stool, almost slipping himself, before he managed to wrap one of his arms around Eirin. Yet even though he managed to maintain his balance to reach her, with soap still covering his skin as her body crashed into his, they both fell.

For Okihiro, the event was the closest thing to a waking nightmare.

He had a towel wrapped around his waist, yet not even that was able to lessen his body’s awareness. So even before he could fully process the pain of falling, his mind was fully occupied with the princess lying on top of him.

Again.

Yet this time, Okirin jumped on top of them, glad he would finally be able to play together with his master and the lady.

...did I…betray my king in a past life?

It wasn't funny even the first time...

Okihiro managed to ask if Eirin was hurt before sending both princess and dog away, praying the mermaid hadn’t noticed a thing. That she hadn’t seen, much less felt, a single thing.

She had.

She had no idea what it meant, yet it had made her flustered nonetheless.

Which was why neither could face each other, even after half an hour had passed.

 「Today’s weather is nice.」

He signed at some point.

「Yes. Very pretty.」

She replied, looking at her hands.

「This place. Are you enjoying?」

「Yes. Very pretty.」

Eirin was so nervous, she didn’t even think before giving the same reply.

Okihiro was so ashamed, he didn’t even process her replies.

They maintained the same level and depth of conversation until Kojin Okihiro spotted a particular vendor. Someone he was already looking for.

「Wait here.」

He placed her in a corner, signing in a hurry before she even responded. Princess Eirin let a relieved sigh as she saw him walk away, her heart finally calming down a bit while her face burned.

W-what is this? Why won’t it stop racing?

Yet as Kojin Okihiro communicated with the vendor using his notebook and Princess Eirin lost herself in thought, neither of them noticed the shadowy figures staring at them from afar.

Figures that not only had gazes drenched in treachery and malice, also had their hands bloodied with unforgiving sins.