A Hard Time

The chirping of cicadas droned through the air as Nitsuki jabbed her trash pick through the grass; its metal prong dug into the dirt, pulling out yet another plastic bottle that had been tossed away carelessly.

She huffed and flicked the offending object into her recycles bag with a satisfying plop before moving on to find her next victim.

"Eh he he… This is kind of cathartic," she chuckled, grinning widely as she imagined herself as some kind of warrior of justice, hunting down evil plastic bottles one jab at a time.

The sun shone down brightly on the side of the road as she worked, and she could feel the heat seeping into her skin through her thin t-shirt. June was coming to a close soon, and the summer heat had been getting more and more unbearable with each passing week.

She glanced over her shoulder to check on Tachibana. The man was busy shoveling trash into his own bag a few meters behind her, and she could see his shirt was already drenched in sweat from his efforts.

The lines of his forearms flexed as he worked. Nitsuki briefly let her eyes linger over the muscles there before shaking her head and returning to her own task.

"Stop ogling him," she muttered, her cheeks growing warmer than they already were.

He probably wouldn't mind though~

"Shut up, brain. I need to focus. He's going to win our little bet at this rate. We're neck and neck."

Her stupid thoughts just giggled in response, and the image of him running his hands through his hair flashed through her head.

She gritted her teeth.

"Traitorous bitch of a brain."

She stabbed her stick into a patch of grass and pulled out a crushed can. Then another and another.

She carried two bags right now: one for trash, the other for recyclable materials like cans or bottles. They were both pretty close to full at this point. Soon, she'd have to tie them off and toss them in the bin.

"Man, people are disgusting," she grunted as she picked up a particularly smelly scrap of food. She'd already filled ten other bags in total.

They'd been at this since roughly 8 in the morning, and noon would be approaching soon—their stopping point. The goal for this morning had been to get the entire road cleaned up, and they were nearing the final stretch. They had just a hundred more meters of trash-riddled road left.

She took a moment to catch her breath after pitching a discarded tea box into the corresponding bag and looked around.

Including her and Tachibana, there were about seven people out here picking up garbage. It was a mix of ages, ranging from teenagers to elderly. Most of them were regular volunteers from the town, but a few newcomers had decided to join in today as well.

It'd been a week since the disaster that was the first support group session and the following weird, but still very touching chat with Aiko. Since then, things had been a little different. It was hard to put her finger on it, but there was something in the air that just felt off—in a good way.

It wasn't that people had started being nicer to her, but she could've sworn that there was a little less hostility in the air when she went about her daily routine. Even the glares she'd gotten from the town's folk had seemed less… malicious? Less sharp, maybe? Like they weren't looking at trash, but instead just something annoyingly out of place.

"Miss Amano, do you have a spare trash bag?"

The sudden question almost made her jump, but she recomposed herself to see that a young boy was standing behind her.

She recognized him from the shop. He'd occasionally pick up things for his mom or his aunt. His family name was… Yamaguchi, she was pretty sure. He had a pair of dark brown eyes that matched the color of his hair, and he had a slender face with high cheekbones. An oversized pink shirt hung loosely on his shoulders, and a pair of shorts completed his ensemble. He was around high school age, maybe a little younger.

"Yeah, you need one?" she replied, pulling one out of the plastic bag on her back. "Word of warning though, these things are really flimsy, so be careful with them, yeah?"

"Thanks," the kid said, grabbing the bag. However, instead of moving on, he hesitated. "Hey, um, actually, do you mind if I ask you something?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. This was a first; he was typically pretty shy whenever she saw him at the store.

"As long as it's not about the weather. I'm getting really sick of that question."

He giggled softly before shaking his head. "No, that isn't it… um, is it true you're going to be starting up a support group?"

Her heart skipped a beat in disbelief.

"I mean… yeah. Me and Tachibana." She glanced back at the man who was hard at work. He had his headphones in and was goofily humming along to some tune that only he could hear. "Erm, you interested in joining?"

He hesitated again—like really hesitated—and she was afraid for a second that she'd scared him off.

But then, he nodded.

"…Y-yes. I'd like to join. I, um… I have something that I'd like to talk to people about. It's been hard to deal with."

Nitsuki smiled warmly and nodded. Aw, the way he nervously twiddled his thumbs was endearing.

"Well you're more than welcome to. We've ended up moving our meetings to the cafe that Mrs. Aiko runs instead of the observatory, and I think the next one should be next week. Should be the same time though. Snacks and drinks provided."

He nodded and bowed his head slightly. "Thanks! Oh, and… I'm Yamaguchi, by the way. Kouki."

She blinked in surprise but caught herself and nodded.

"Nice to meet you, Yamaguchi."

"Nice to meet you too. Anyways, um, I should get back to work. S-see you next week, Miss Amano," he said, nearly tripping over himself as he hurried away.

Nitsuki let out a small laugh.

"Absolutely adorable." She sighed and squinted as the surrounding area suddenly became a few shades darker. A cloud must have rolled in front of the sun or something.

She glanced up to see if it would start to rain soon before freezing up. Several meters away was a familiar old man just standing there in casual wear with a couple of trash bags thrown over his shoulder.

"D-D*gimon?!" she hissed under her breath. "The hell?! What are you doing here? This isn't the Crossroads."

Daimon shrugged as he strode toward her. He was wearing a simple plaid button-down shirt, jeans, and a wide-brimmed straw hat, all of which looked oddly fitting on him.

"What? I can't clean up the town? I'm just doing my part to keep Hoshimura beautiful, is all." He gestured to the trash bags on his shoulder.

"…But aren't you like, some higher power? You described yourself as a Reverse Grim Reaper. Don't you have better things to do?"

"Eh, not really. Like I said before, I get bored rather easily."

"Psh, reading not cutting it for the voyeuristic geezer?"

Daimon chuckled and shook his head. "Oh, Nia. You do keep things entertaining."

"Gee, thanks, that didn't sound patronizing at all—using my nickname like that." She paused, her brow furrowing. "Seriously though, why are you here? Also, can anyone else see you? Will it look like I'm just talking to myself? I'd rather not dumpster my reputation any further."

"Relax, I'm just another volunteer to them. As for the reason I'm here…" He glanced around, making sure no one was close by.

"…Just wanted to say, you're doing a good job. The seeds that you and Tachibana are diligently planting are starting to sprout. You really are a kind and considerate person. Keep at it."

Nitsuki's cheeks flushed. "Eh? That's it? That's why you're stalking me? To say I'm doing good?"

"Yep. Word is that you really like compliments. Figured it'd give you a nice boost. Everyone could use a little validation every once in a while, right?" he said, smirking at her. "Anyways, I should probably go."

"T-the heck is that?!" She felt her face heat up. "You going to just do a drive-by compliment and then leave?"

Daimon shrugged. "Maybe. Also, you may want to hurry up. Tachibana is getting a bit ahead."

Her head snapped around to see that Tachibana was indeed a good deal ahead of her now. He was already starting on another bag, and she'd barely filled the one she'd been working on since she'd checked on him last.

"Damn it, D*gimon!" she growled, rushing over to where a particularly big pile of garbage lay.

Daimon's laughter was the only response she got.

***

Nitsuki's shoulders dropped as the water cascaded down her body, washing away the grime and dirt from the day's labor. The warm spray was a welcome relief after hours of being outside, and her muscles were grateful for the respite.

She and Tachibana were back home now. They had both been in need of a shower after he had—unfortunately—won their bet earlier. However, as much as she had sort of wanted to share a bath with him—

"Please, please, please don't think about that. Not now. I'm way too tired to deal with this," she pleaded with her thoughts.

—the wet room of her house could only really accommodate one person comfortably. They'd learned that the hard way in their increasingly frequent bathing escapades together.

Heh. Hard.

"Dammit Brain! I even said please this time!"

Her thoughts just snickered at her. She retaliated by turning the faucet to cold and letting the freezing water cool her down.

"Ah, ah, ah!" she cried out. Crap that was way colder than she'd intended. "Aaaagh!"

Heh. Idiot~

"Shut up!"

After a few more minutes, she finally finished and turned the water off. She grabbed her towel, patted herself down, and wrapped it around her torso before stepping out into the dry room.

She sighed, running a hand through her hair as she prepared herself for an unavoidable look in the mirror. She took a deep breath and steeled herself before facing her reflection head-on.

"…Huh." Was it just her, or did she look better than usual?

She leaned closer to the mirror, her eyes widening as she took in her appearance. Her eyes were brighter, and the dark bags beneath them had lightened considerably. Her cheeks were a little fuller too, and there was even some extra color in them. Sure, everything else was more or less the same, but still, she looked... healthier?

Her eyes trailed lower to her chest.

Wait, was she imagining it, or did her boobs get bigger?

She cupped her hands beneath each one, giving the soft, still somewhat damp flesh an experimental lift. She then gave a firm squeeze.

"Eep!"

Okay, that was an embarrassing noise. Her face turned red in shame.

They might've grown a little, but she'd no idea why; her diet was still relatively consistent. Maybe it had to do with the whole "being healthier" thing? Or perhaps the fact that her mood had improved? She'd already been on hormones for seven years, and she didn't think that it would continue to have effects this late in.

Well, regardless of the cause, this was… good. She liked it. A lot.

"…Eh he. Maybe I'll take a page out of my brain's playbook and ogle myself too."

She started to push her boobs together. She then made her best attempt at a sexy face, jutting out her lower lip and looking upward. For once she didn't really recoil at the sight, in fact, she was almost a little proud—

"Nia, are you okay—W-what are you doing?"

"AACK!"

She let out a shriek of surprise and nearly jumped out of her skin at the sudden intrusion. She whipped her head around to see Tachibana standing in the doorway, his eyebrows raised and red spread across his cheeks.

"I, um, I… I was just, uh," she stuttered, her heart pounding against her ribcage. Crap, she'd forgotten that he'd been waiting his turn.

"Erm, need help with that?" Tachibana asked, a faux-confident smirk on his lips. "I can… give you a hand if you want."

Nitsuki's mind short-circuited as her brain tried to process the offer.

Accept it. ACCEPT IT.

"Well, erm…"

Tachibana chuckled nervously and shook his head. "Hehe, sorry. Was just kidding. And I… probably should've knocked before coming in." His gaze flickered downward to her body, before retreating back to her face.

"…maybe later…"

"Huh? Did you say something?"

"Nope! Nothing at all!" she quickly answered. Her face was burning now. "A-anyways, sorry for the wait. Your turn now!"

She quickly gathered up her clothes and went to push past him, but suddenly, her foot slipped on the tile and she lost her balance. She let out a yelp and stumbled forward as she crashed into Tachibana.

Her world spun a little as she felt his arms wrap around her waist to catch her. She instinctively reached out to stabilize herself too, and her palms landed on the firmness of his chest.

She glanced up to see him staring down at her concerned. His skin radiated a warm heat that she could feel even through the fabric of his shirt.

"Woah there, you okay?"

"Ah… yeah, I'm okay. Just slipped," she mumbled. She could hear the sound of his heartbeat—feel his breath on her skin.

Her gaze lingered a moment too long, and he must have noticed, because his eyes widened ever so slightly, and his cheeks turned pinker.

"Erm… Nia, you can, um, let go now," he said softly, his voice cracking slightly.

She nodded numbly, and while her hands slowly slid down to her sides, their bodies remained close. It was taking every little bit of her willpower to keep herself from leaning in closer. From letting her hands wander…

Do it~

"Um, I should go. Now." she murmured, reluctantly prying herself from him. Her body immediately missed his touch, and her pulse was racing like crazy. "S-sorry about that. I'll just leave you to it now—"

Something brushed against her leg, and she froze.

"…Brain, don't you dare."

She didn't need to look down to know what it was. Tachibana had a mortified, apologetic expression on his face, and that said everything she needed to know.

"I'm serious brain. Please, for all that is good, listen to me."

It didn't. Instead, her cheeks grew even redder as the situation sunk in, and she could feel her own body start to react as well.

Heh. Hard.

"Nooo…"