Grandpa's Wisdom Holds True

Hinako went into the bathroom and found it unexpectantly normal. No weird anime or other stuff in here, just a normal entrance room to the bath, with a sink, a washing machine, a rack with towels and a bin for dirty clothes. Hinako quickly undressed, threw her clothes into the washing machine and went into the bath. Hinako quickly rinsed and scrubbed her body clean. She then went to the bathtub and put her finger in. It was still warm, but she preferred it a bit hotter, so she concentrated a bit and drew a pattern in the water. It instantly began to steam a bit. Afterwards she slunk into the hot bathwater, letting out a deep and relaxed sigh. She heard someone entering the entrance room. Hinako watched the door to the bath closely, ready to fling a spell at the smallest movement, but nothing happened. The washing machine started with some beeping and then someone left. Hinako watched the door a few minutes longer but then she relaxed again and enjoyed the bath. After soaking for about half an hour she got up and opened the door a few centimeters. Hinako peeked out, but nobody was there. Just a running washing machine and some clothes on top. She quickly fished one of the bath towels from the rack and began to pat herself dry. As she stepped out and examined the clothes on the washing machine, a sound of disdain left her mouth unwillingly. But seeing that she had no other option she changed into a shirt and sweatpants. She wrapped another towel around her wet hair and went out.

Back in the main room she found Kuro in the kitchen and his back turned to her.

“Are you serious?”, she asked.

“What?”, he replied innocently.

“This!”

She pointed at herself and the shirt she was wearing. It was covered in drawn pictures of very blissful women faces with quite the ecstatic looks in their eyes and most had their tongue out. Kuro glanced over his shoulders, and she could see the smirk on his face.

“Sorry, that’s the only shirt I have in small size… so you have to deal with it until you get yourself some clothes, I guess”, he said with satisfaction in his voice.

“You guess, huh?”, Hinako scoffed and gave him a very telling look.

Kuro turned around with two plates in his hand and placed them on the small dining table.

“Dinner is ready by the way. I hope you like fried rice.”, he tried to change the subject.

“Yes, I do… But don’t think I don’t know what you are trying to do here!”, Hinako remarked and took a seat.

“Oh? What am I trying to do?”, Kuro asked innocently.

“I heard you don’t like to work with others, so you are trying to creep me out and get me to resign and apply for someone else! But you know what old man?”

“What, young lady?”

“I am no quitter! So even if you don’t like it, you’re stuck with me! Get used to it, you creepy old Otaku!”

“I heard those line before…multiple times”

Kuro looked her in the eyes and saw that they were ablaze with determination. He sighed and went back to the fridge.

“Want something to drink?”, he asked.

“Yeah! Can I have another of those German beers?”

Kuro looked up and gave her a weird look.

“No, you can’t.”, he said somewhat annoyed.

“Why not? There are more than enough in the fridge, aren’t there?”, Hinako asked confused.

“There are no German beers in this house.”

“What? But… Oh, wait… shit… Austrian? Ah! You are from Austria?”

“Yes.”

“Damn! Sorry, I kinda assumed because I recognized some German words… So that’s why the beer was so tasty… should have known…”

Kuro’s weird look turned into a smile.

“Barely saved yourself there… I’ll forgive you… this time.”, he remarked and grabbed two cans.

He offered one to Hinako but pulled back as she reached to grab it.

“I forgot to ask… How old are you?”, Kuro asked a bit hesitant.

“Huh? You think I could be younger than twenty?”

“Honestly, with you young girls nowadays I can’t tell… You could be fifteen or twenty-five for all I know…”

“Twenty-one.”

Kuro nodded and handed her the beer.

“Well, dig in before it gets cold.” He suggested and took a seat across from her.

“Thanks for cooking!”, Hinako said and grabbed the spoon.

She took the first scoop.

“Maybe it’s because I haven’t eaten anything all day, but that is really tasty!”, she exclaimed and began to shovel in the food.

Kuro laughed at the sight and cracked open his beer. Hinako quickly did the same.

“What was the word again?... uhm… Ah! Prost!”, she exclaimed and held out her hand with the beer.

Kuro looked a bit surprised but then extended his arm too and clanked the cans together.

“Prost.”, he said with a smile on his face.

He looks less distant than before… I guess Grandpa was right, when he said, that the best way to befriend an Austrian is through beer, Hinako thought to herself and smiled back.

Afterwards the big food shoveling began on both sides of the table.

“Ah that hit the spot! Thanks again for the food!”, Hinako thanked Kuro after washing the last scoop down with a gulp of beer.

“Glad you liked it.”, Kuro replied.

Hinako leaned back and rubbed her belly satisfied. She saw the picture on the wall between the posters again.

“In that picture there… That’s the Grandmaster, right?”, she asked curiously.

“Yeah… well back then she wasn’t Grandmaster yet…”, Kuro replied.

“And the other two? The woman and the child?”

Kuro looked at the picture for a brief moment.

“That’s… my mother and I…”, He said slowly.

“She seemed to be friends with the Grandmaster… does that mean your mother is a battlemage too?”, Hinako inquired even more curiously.

“She was…”

Kuro’s facial expression grew distant again.

“May I ask, what happened?”, Hinako pressed cautiously.

“That what happens to many Battlemages… killed during a demon incursion… when I was fifteen.”, Kuro recalled with sadness in his voice.

“I see… we do have something in common then… My parents were killed by demons too… Only difference is, I barely knew my parents, because I was just three years old.”

“I wish we would differ more…”

Both grew silent and sipped from their beer. Kuro downed his after a few moments and stood up.

“I’ll hang up the laundry and then get ready for sleep… Do you prefer the bed or couch? I have a Fuuton too, if you want.”, he asked as he put the plates into the dishwasher.

Hinako looked at the bed and raised her eyebrow.

“Don’t worry… the sheets are fresh… I put them on just this morning…”, Kuro added seeing her look.

“Well as enticing as that offer is… I can’t impose that much on you and occupy your bed as well… I’ll take the futon.”, she replied with a smile.

Kuro shrugged and went to the closet to grab the futon.

“Uhm… there is one more thing… Do you have a toothbrush I could borrow…”, Hinako asked hesitantly as he spread the futon on the floor next to the bed.

Kuro gave her a weird look and then went to one of the shelves next to his figurine collection. He hesitated a bit but then grabbed something. It was a packaged toothbrush. Kuro looked at it and sighed. Then he ripped the packaging, threw it away and came back to her.

“You can have… that one…”, Kuro said with a pained look on his face as he handed her the toothbrush.

Then he left the room and went into the bathroom. Hinako looked at the toothbrush. The handle was shaped like a cat’s paw and the same purple-haired cat girl as in many of the posters was depicted on the back of it. She furrowed her brow and went to the trash bin. Hinako fished out the packaging, Kuro had thrown in. She breathed in sharply as she read the Label.

“Limited SSR Edition: Only 200 were made!”